U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley Receives Christian Statesman Honor: 'Faith is what Holds this Country Together' For 28 years, the Distinguished Christian Statesman Award has spotlighted public servants who actively incorporate faith into their service to the American people NEWS PROVIDED BY Center for Christian Statesmanship Sept. 16, 2024 WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- Prominent U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is joining the ranks of standout elected officials to receive the Distinguished Christian Statesman Award. While accepting the honor at the Museum of the Bible, Sen. Hawley pointed to faith as a unifying force in a nation that's more divided than ever. "Faith is what holds this country together," Sen. Hawley said. "The Left's attempt to eradicate religion divides America. That's what's divisive. Faith actually is a great unifier in our national life." Sen. Hawley previously served as Missouri's Attorney General and is recognized as one of the nation's leading constitutional lawyers fighting for people's liberties. "I took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. That means also defending the principles, the ideals and the realities on which that Constitution is founded. And the witness of the Bible is absolutely foundational to all of that," Sen. Hawley said. The D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship, a Capitol Hill-based project of the Florida-based Coral Ridge Ministries, has annually spotlighted Christian leaders serving the nation since 1996. "The future of our nation depends on the character and integrity of our leaders," said Dr. Rob Pacienza, CEO and President of Coral Ridge Ministries. "We established this award to promote faith, virtue, and excellence in public service." Sen. Hawley follows in the footsteps of John Ashcroft, who also served as an Attorney General and Senator for Missouri and was the first recipient of the Distinguished Christian Statesman Award in 1996. Other notable personalities to receive the award include Governor Mike Huckabee, Sen. Tim Scott, and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. "Hawley is a wonderful representation of what a Christian statesman should be," Center for Christian Statesmanship Executive Director William Russell said. "He has his priorities in line: his faith, his family and his work. That shows through the work that he's doing right now on Capitol Hill. But he also is resolute in his beliefs." About Center for Christian Statesmanship: Established in 1995, the D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship is a spiritually-based outreach to men and women in positions of influence and authority in our nation's government. Our mission is to support, equip, and empower Christian statesmanship and cast vision for the next generation of Christian leaders in the halls of government. SOURCE Center for Christian Statesmanship CONTACT: Brian Peterson, 612-325-0470 A protest titled "Apology? Never and Not Ever!" took place near the Meskhishvili Theatre in Kutaisi. The demonstrators protested against the recent statements made by Georgian Dream leader Bidzina Ivanishvili.The protesters label the oligarch's messages as capitulatory and demand that Georgian Dream members apologize for what they call their leader's "Russian narrative.""What Russia couldn't achieve in 2008, the oligarch is doing today," the demonstrators claim.Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of Georgian Dream, recently gave a speech in Gori, where he discussed the August War and issues of territorial integrity. In his remarks, Ivanishvili once again blamed not Russia but the former government for the 2008 war and called for a "Nuremberg trial" against the United National Movement. According to Ivanishvili, the August War was a "provocation planned externally," with the former government responsible for igniting it. Despite Russia's attack and subsequent occupation in 2008, Ivanishvili said that, after the elections, "they will find the strength to apologize for the fact that the United National Movement engulfed our Ossetian sisters and brothers in flames in 2008."The Tbilisi City Court has authorized the Anti-Corruption Bureau to access the bank account information of the founders of the "Vote for Europe" movement, as well as the organization itself. Kakha Kozhoridze, the movement's lawyer, criticized the decision as "absolutely unlawful" and plans to appeal to the Tbilisi Court of Appeals.The "Vote for Europe" movement, launched by President Salome Zurabishvili on July 11, aims to protect Georgia's European future and mobilize pro-Western voters ahead of the October 26 elections. The lawyer argues that the movement does not have a declared electoral purpose and therefore the Bureau's actions violate Georgian law. Kozhoridze emphasized that neither the movement nor its founders have declared any intention to run for office.At a press conference on September 13, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze defended the Anti-Corruption Bureau's actions, claiming the movement is agitating for the opposition, particularly the UNM-led coalitions, and suggested possible illegal election funding. Meteorological agencies in Vietnam and abroad are tracking a tropical depression off the coast of the Philippines to assess whether it will strengthen into a storm after approaching the East Vietnam Sea on Tuesday. As of 1:00 pm on Monday, the tropical depression was located in the eastern waters off the Philippine island of Luzon. The system was traveling westward at approximately 15 kilometers per hour, packing maximum winds of 61 kilometers per hour near its center, according to Vietnams National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting. It may maintain the same speed and path when entering the East Vietnam Sea by 1:00 pm on Tuesday. After approaching the maritime area, the system is expected to move west-southwest at some 20 kilometers an hour and intensify into a storm. By 1:00 pm on Wednesday, it may be spotted some 350 kilometers east-southeast of Vietnam's Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago in the East Vietnam Sea. From Tuesday morning, the northern part of the maritime area could experience heavy showers and thunderstorms, with rough seas and winds blowing at 61 kilometers per hour. The Japan Meteorological Agency earlier said that this tropical depression could enter the East Vietnam Sea on Tuesday morning, with a high chance of intensifying into a storm, the fourth to possibly hit the waterway this year. Le Thi Xuan Lan, former deputy head of the Southern Regional Hydro-Meteorological Centers forecasting department, explained that current conditions are conducive for the tropical depression to intensify into a storm. It is expected to affect the southeastern part of northern Vietnam and the north-central region. She advised local people to stay informed and in a state of preparedness to cope with any upcoming unexpected weather pattern, as the storms path and affected areas may change anytime. As for the weather in southern Vietnam, widespread showers have hit the region over the past 24 hours, said Le Dinh Quyet, chief of the Southern Regional Hydro-Meteorological Centers forecasting department. Southern Vietnam is forecast to see more moderate to heavy downpours in the next few days, with the rains mostly coming down in the afternoon and evening. Ho Chi Minh City and several southern provinces like Binh Duong, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Long An, Tra Vinh, and Soc Trang could receive rainfall amounts ranging from 100mm to 120mm. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Choked with pain and empathy toward the loss caused by typhoone Yagi in northern Vietnam, painter Le Sa Long has revealed a series of 13 paintings completed between September 10 and 14, depicting Vietnamese compassion and humanity during hardships. Long told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that he began to sketch the paintings after watching the news about a flash flood that tore through Nu Village in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam. The deadly disaster ravaged the village on September 10. Rescuers had found the bodies of 52 people, while 14 others were still missing as of Sunday afternoon. Fifteen Nu Village residents are currently receiving medical treatment. The series also includes scenes of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh arriving at the flash flood site to oversee the implementation of recovery measures as well as Party General Secretary and State President To Lam visiting northern Tuyen Quang Province to offer support and encouragement to those affected by the floods. A painting by artist Le Sa Long depicts Party General Secretary and State President To Lam visiting and encouraging typhoon-hit people in Tuyen Quang Province, northern Vietnam. A painting by artist Le Sa Long depicts Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reaching the scene of a flash flood in Nu Village, Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam. Another striking painting describes a little girl carrying her younger sibling on her back as she returns to her devastated village. The painting captures the moment she gazes up at the sky, asking, "Where is my home? Where are my parents? Where are my neighbors?" Long said that he completed the painting in 10 hours, working nonstop until midnight, nearly exhausting himself in the process. The painting Where is my home? Where are my parents? by artist Le Sa Long Long also painted Professor Dr. Le Ngoc Thach, a visiting lecturer at the University of Science under the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City, who donated a savings book worth VND1 billion (US$40,716) through Tuoi Tre to support people affected by typhoon Yagi in northern Vietnam. The painter wanted the newspaper to help him present the painting to Thach as a way to show his admiration for his act. A painting by artist Le Sa Long depicts Prof. Dr. Le Ngoc Thach, who donated a savings book worth VND1 billion ($40,716) through Tuoi Tre support people impacted by typhoon Yagi in northern Vietnam. Long also revealed a plan to hold an exhibition of the paintings in the near future. Proceeds from the paintings will be allocated to typhoon Yagi relief funds. Painter Le Sa Long is known for impressive and emotional paintings, including a series on Ho Chi Minh City during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period and seven paintings to commemorate 56 victims of a fatal tenement fire in Hanoi in September last year. A painting by artist Le Sa Long depicts a child saved from a landslide in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam. Super typhoon Yagi and the subsequent floods and landslides have wreaked havoc on many localities, causing over 350 to die and go missing while injuring thousands of others, since the storm made landfall in northern Vietnam on September 7, according to the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Yagi has also blown off the roofs of over 230,000 houses, schools, and medical centers, while flooding 70,000 houses and 190,000 hectares of rice. A painting by artist Le Sa Long depicts a helicopter carrying relief to Cao Bang Province, northern Vietnam. A painting by artist Le Sa Long depicts Nathan Keers, of British nationality, giving food to people in a flooded area in Thai Nguyen Province, northern Vietnam. A painting by artist Le Sa Long depicts military officers helping residents restore their lives after the typhoon. A painting by artist Le Sa Long depicts military officers evacuating residents to safety. A painting by artist Le Sa Long depicts residents struggling with a flood. A painting by artist Le Sa Long depicts the high water level in the Red River in northern Vietnam. A painting by artist Le Sa Long depicts Nguyen Huynh Bao Nhi, a student of Kien Thiet Middle School in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, donating all of her savings to people hurt by typhoon Yagi in the north. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Media Watch last night criticised 10 News First for the way it teased viewers with a digital image of how missing boy William Tyrrell would look at age 13. The story marked the 10-year anniversary of William Tyrrells disappearance. But the reveal last week played out over two days. Tomorrow 10 News First will exclusively reveal 10 years on, a teenage William. He would have been heading into year eight or nine at high school and would look quite different now with the onset of puberty, said reporter Ali Donaldson. It may trigger something in someone to unlock this mystery. So did 10 stick with its pledge to reveal all the following night? host Janine Perrett asked on Media Watch. Of course they did. Teasing its blurred mockup of William at the top of its five oclock bulletin. Twenty minutes later the suspense was over. and now we can reveal exclusively 10 years on this is what 13-year-old William would look like today, a young teen tackling year seven or eight at high school, Donaldson told viewers. Other media, such as Ben Fordham on 2GB, also found fault with the approach, saying Whoever is running the newsroom should think long and hard about their way theyre covering a very sensitive story. A Network 10 spokesperson said, The disappearance of William Tyrrell ten years ago is one of the biggest unsolved crimes in New South Wales, if not Australia. 10 News First worked with one of the top international forensic scientists to create an image of what William may look like now, in case members of the public may have seen someone matching this likeness and be able to help in ongoing investigations. Our primary concern like everyone has always been in finding out what happened to William. Updated. Former Seven star Andrew OKeefe was hospitalised on the weekend after NSW Ambulance paramedics rendered assistance. Media reports allege he had to be revived after a drug overdose at a party at a home in Vaucluse. NSW Ambulance paramedics rendered assistance to the man before taking him to St Vincents Hospital where he is reported to be in a stable condition, NSW Police said in a statement. Officers attached to Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command were called to a home unit on Old South head Road at Vaucluse about 3.40am (Saturday 14 September 2024), responding to concerns for the welfare of a 52-year-old man. Inquiries into the incident are continuing, added police. He has since been released. OKeefe was found guilty by a magistrate in January of common assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and breaching an apprehended violence order after a violent and degrading incident against the woman inside a unit in Sydneys east in September 2021. Last week he lost an appeal against his convictions for domestic violence after a judge found he has a tendency to spit at the woman in a low, demeaning act and that her injuries were consistent with being kicked, pushed and scratched. It was the latest in a long list of court appearances for the fallen star. In December 2023, OKeefe avoided court after he pleaded guilty to driving with drugs in his system. Updated: Andrew OKeefe has been arrested for allegedly breaching his bail conditions two days after being revived from a drug overdose at a party in Sydneys eastern suburbs. OKeefe was arrested at 2.25pm on Monday when he reported to Rose Bay Police Station. He has been taken to Waverley Police Station, where he is expected to be formally charged. Full Stop Australia 1800 385 578 Lifeline 13 11 14 Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36 Source: The Age, news.com.au The Australian Childrens Content Summit will return to Coffs Harbour for a third time in 2025. Organisers have confirmed a return to return to Pacific Bay Resort, Monday 25 August to Friday 29 August 2025. It follows a second successful event last month with 250 delegates from 10 countries including USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Australia. Hosted by Emma Watkins (Emma Memma, Teenage Boss) attracted government dignitaries including John Graham, MLC Minister for the Arts, Kevin Anderson, MP Shadow Minister for the Arts and Heritage, as well as Senator Perin Davey Deputy Lead of the Nationals, Pat Conaghan MP Federal Member for Cowper, and Gurmesh Singh Member for Coffs Harbour and Deputy Nationals Leader. SLR Productions CEO and Australian Childrens Content Summit Founder Suzanne Ryan said, This years Australian Childrens Content Summit was truly bigger and better than last year. With an incredible turnout of 250 guests and strong attendance from Australian Government dignitaries as well as both international and domestic speakers this years event has been an absolute success. From the excitement of Screen NSWs opening night drinks to the outstanding marketplace meetings and sensational panels, delegates are still buzzing about the summit. Highlights like the incredible Australian Childrens Television Foundation cocktail party and wonderful City of Coffs Harbour closing night drinks truly set the tone for a wonderful event. Emma Memma as MC added an extra touch of excitement, and spending three days amongst the palm trees and stunning beaches were invaluable for all of us. Were already looking forward to making next years event even more remarkable. L to R: ACTF Head of Content Bernadette OMahoney, SLR Productions CEO and Australian Childrens Content Summit Founder Suzanne Ryan, ACTF CEO Jenny Buckland. With three days of marketplace meetings, networking, sessions and key events the Australian Childrens Content Summit was the chosen location for Screen Australia and ABC in association with VicScreen, Screen NSW and the Australian Childrens Television Foundation to announce four new childrens titles. Screen Australia and the Australian Childrens Television Foundation also announced at the summit the Kids IP Incubator program, a new initiative for childrens content makers to develop Australian IP for digital platforms. An outstanding lineup of featured guests included representatives locally from Principal Partner Australian Television Childrens Foundation, Gold Partner ABC, NITV, Queensland NINE Network Australia, Major Government Partner Screen Australia, Major Government Partner Screen NSW, Silver Partner Screen Territory and Bronze Partner Screen Tasmania. International representatives included delegates from BBC, BBC Studios, PBS KIDS, Disney Branded Television, Nelvana as well as many more. The summit serves as a premier platform for the childrens and family screen industry to network, collaborate, share insights, and build significant business relationships and firmly establishes the Australian Childrens Content Summit as the leading event for childrens content in Australia. This years summit provided delegates unparalleled opportunities to engage with screen professionals including producers, creators, writers, directors, buyers, distributors, investors, screen agencies, policy makers, and industry influencers. Building on the success of last years inaugural event, the summit continued to offer an exclusive setting for high-level and industry relevant activities. From speaker panels, exclusive content pitches, business discussions to outdoor adventures and fun social engagements, delegates also had the chance to explore the Coffs Coast a coastal getaway in Northern New South Wales that has got it all and is the states first ECO destination. International guests included Jane Gould Co-Founder Wonderworks Insights, Kate Morton Head of Commissioning & Acquisitions 0-6 BBC, Katharina Pietzch VP Sales Kids & Family BBC Studios, Adriano Schmid VP of Content PBS KIDS and Mellany Welsh VP, Head of Nelvana and Kids Can Press along with key executives from Disney Branded Television in Los Angeles and New York. Australian guests included Jenny Buckland CEO Australian Childrens Television Foundation, Deirdre Brennan CEO Screen Australia, Grainne Brunsdon COO Screen Australia, Geoff Cooper Production and Programming Manager Queensland Nine Network Australia, Kyas Hepworth Head of Screen NSW, Adam Manovic Acting Head of Indigenous Production and Commissioning, NITV and Bernadette OMahony Head of Content / Acting CEO Australian Childrens Television Foundation as well as executives from screen agencies. An incredible roster of representatives from ABC also attended including Head of Screen Jennifer Collins, and ABCs Children and Family Department including Acting Head- Mary-Ellen Mullane, CommissioningEditor, Animation Jo Boag, Development Producer Amanda Isdale, Development Producer Mary Walsh, Production Executive Megan Young, Executive Producer, ABC Originals Lyndal Mebberson, Acquisitions Manager Maria-Nicole Miriklis and Senior Childrens Channel Manager, Catherine Collins. The 2024 Australian Childrens Content Summit was Presented by SLR Productions with Principal Partner, the Australian Childrens Television Foundation. The Major Government Partners were Screen Australia and Screen NSW. Platinum Partner for the 2024 Australian Childrens Content Summit was Flying Bark Productions. Gold Partners for this years summit were ABC, Simpsons and Screenwest. This years Silver Partners were Netflix, Screen Territory, Count Out Loud, Silver Trak Digital, Paradox Media. Werner Film Productions, Fremantle, Input Advisory, Studio Goose, Screenrights and the South Australian Film Corporation are the Bronze Partners. Industry Partner was Screen Producers Australia and the summits Destination Partner was the City of Coffs Harbour. Snobar, TwoCircles.net The recent death of Mangesh Yadav in a police encounter has sparked intense controversy and debate. The 24-year-old, who was allegedly involved in the August 28, 2024, robbery at Bharat Jewellers at Sultanpur, was killed by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on September 5, 2024. While the police claim Yadav was a key participant in the robbery, his family and Opposition leaders argue that he was the victim of a staged encounter. Support TwoCircles On August 28, Vipin Singh and his gang looted jewellery worth Rs 1.40 crore from Bharat Jewellers. The gang, armed and disguised with helmets and scarves, carried out the robbery between 12 and 1 pm. At that time, Mangesh was reportedly at his sister Princy Yadavs school, assisting her with fee payment. Princy, a 10th-grade student, confirms that Mangesh was with her from 10 am to 1 pm. Four days after the robbery, on September 1, the STF claimed to have encountered and killed three of the five suspects. However, reports soon revealed that these suspects had not been killed but rather shot in the legs and arrested, contradicting the encounter narrative. On September 4, Vipin, who had surrendered in an unrelated case, was sent to jail. Despite his surrender, the STF announced that Mangesh had been killed in an encounter while allegedly firing at the police and fleeing on a stolen bike. This bike was reportedly stolen on August 20, but the theft complaint was filed only eight days later, shortly after the robbery. According to deceased family, STF officers arrived at their home late on September 2, dressed in plain clothes and arrested Mangesh while he was asleep. The STF allegedly threatened the family, according to the deceased sister, saying, If you tell anyone, we will shoot him in front of you. Fearing for Mangeshs life, the family remained silent. On September 5, the STF killed Mangesh in an encounter, claiming he was armed and had opened fire on them. A press conference was held by the UP police, attended by top officials including DGP Prashant Kumar, to discuss the Sultanpur robbery and the STFs actions. The police justified the encounter, with DGP Kumar asserting that caste or other factors did not influence their operations. CCTV footage was shown, but the police only presented images of the robbers backs, with Mangesh identified despite his face not being visible. However, the police did not address the events of September 2, when Mangesh was reportedly arrested from his home, raising further questions about the timeline and the polices account of the encounter. Political and Public Reactions Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath defended the STFs actions, claiming the accused were armed and posed a threat. Mangeshs family, however, maintains that he was arrested while sleeping and no weapons were found on him. Chief Minister Adityanaths support for the STFs actions suggests that the encounter policy will continue under his administration. The polices account of Mangeshs death has been met with suspicion. The deceased belonged to an impoverished family in Agraura village, Jaunpur, living in a makeshift mud house. The family struggles with basic necessities and lives below the poverty line. Opposition Raises Concerns Over Encounter Policy Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav condemned the encounter and described it as a targeted killing due to the deceased Yadavs caste. He accused the police of sparing individuals from dominant castes while focusing on marginalised communities. Data shows that between 2017 and 2023, 61 of 183 people killed in encounters were Muslims, 18 Brahmins, 16 Thakurs, 15 Jats and Gujjars, 14 Yadavs, 13 Dalits and 3 Adivasis. By August 2024, the number had risen to 207, with 67 involving Muslims, and the STF alone was responsible for 9 deaths between May 2023 and September 2024. Akhilesh criticised the BJP government, suggesting that the encounter policy targets marginalised communities and perpetuates systemic discrimination. He shared a graph on X (formerly Twitter) showing that 60 percent of those killed in encounters belonged to backward classes, Dalits and minorities. He argued that the data indicates a pattern of unjust killings and criticised the BJP for undermining the truth and disregarding the rule of law. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also criticised the BJP government, stating that the encounter of Mangesh Yadav highlights the disregard for the rule of law in BJP-ruled states. He questioned whether STF encounters are part of a broader pattern of fake encounters and criticised the central governments silence on the issue. Former DGP Vikram Singh defended the police, suggesting that politicians often exploit situations for political gain and that police encounters are justified. However, critics argue that the high number of encounters involving marginalised communities and the recent case of Mangesh underscore the need for greater accountability and transparency in Uttar Pradeshs encounter policy. Targeted Because of Poverty and Caste Virendra Yadav, general secretary of the UP Kisan Union, visited Mangeshs home and highlighted the dire conditions faced by his family. He questioned the STFs accountability, noting the absence of gold at Yadavs home despite his alleged involvement in a major heist. He suggested that the encounter may have been orchestrated to distract from a significant daylight robbery and criticised the targeting of marginalised communities based on caste and poverty. He condemned Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths alleged derogatory statements about Muslims and Yadavs, suggesting they contribute to such incidents. He argued that the encounter reflects broader systemic issues and the need for reform in the treatment of marginalised communities by law enforcement. Sidra Fatima, TwoCircles.net On September 10, 2024, municipal authorities in Gujarats Surat district launched a demolition drive in Saiyedpura, an area recently hit by riots following an alleged stone-pelting at a Ganesh pandal. Despite official claims of a pre-planned anti-encroachment operation, the timing and scale of the demolitions of illegal structures just a day after the unrest have raised alarms. Critics argue that the actions may amount to targeted punishment, challenging the Supreme Courts recent order in this regard. Support TwoCircles Bulldozers moved into Saiyedpura on September 9, 2024, accompanied by a heavy police presence. The operation involved the demolition of illegal structures and the removal of makeshift handcarts and roadside shops. This action followed an incident on September 8, when minors allegedly threw stones at a Ganesh pandal, leading to riots and the arrest of 30 individuals, including six minors. However, authorities deny any link between the demolitions and the unrest. Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) officials claimed that the demolition was part of a pre-scheduled anti-encroachment drive planned weeks in advance due to the significant encroachments in Saiyedpura. We decided to remove the encroachments during a meeting two weeks ago. Saiyedpura is severely affected by illegal encroachment, and all four local municipal councilors had requested action, Deputy Mayor Narendra Patil told the media. However, the timing of the demolitions just a day after the violence raises questions, especially given recent Supreme Court ruling against using demolitions as collective punishment. The court has emphasised that demolitions should not be used for retribution and has asked the Centre to establish uniform guidelines for such operations nationwide. Officials preplanned the demolition to divert public attention from the real issues arising from excessive rainfall in Gujarat, making it appear as selective action. The most concerning aspect was the brutal treatment of individuals accused of stone-pelting, said Dev Desai, a Gujarat-based human rights activist with ANHAD. In light of extrajudicial demolitions in several states, especially in those ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Supreme Court said accusations alone cannot justify property demolitions. A bench led by Justice Hrishikesh Roy, with Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and S V N Bhatti, emphasised that punitive action against properties of family members not directly involved in the alleged crime is unjustifiable. The top court highlighted the necessity of proving alleged crimes through due legal process and warned that threats of demolitions might contravene the rule of law. These observations came while addressing a petition by a Gujarat resident, who claimed that municipal authorities threatened to demolish his familys home following an FIR against a relative on September 1, 2024. The demolition was conducted without proper legal procedure or court proceedings. If the authorities claim this action was planned two weeks ago, why were affected residents not served with appropriate legal notices? This appears to be a premeditated action aimed at targeting an entire community. The stone-pelting incident is much more complex than portrayed, said Advocate Uvesh Malik, AIMIM spokesperson in Gujarat. What changes if the Supreme Court rules now? People have already lost their homes and are left shelterless. A judgment cannot return their homes or prevent future occurrences unless stern actions are taken against the local authorities who carried out these demolitions. Mere condemnation will not suffice; accountability and proper punishment are necessary, he added. Concerns Over Treatment of Minors The arrest of six minors for stone-pelting has raised several legal and ethical issues. There is no clarity on whether the minors are being held in a juvenile justice facility or a common jail, which would violate legal norms for underage offenders. The specific charges against the minors and the status of their cases remain uncertain. Families of the detained minors and their lawyers are reportedly considering legal petitions, including a contempt petition against the police and administration for possible Supreme Court directive violations. The stone-pelting incident led to three FIRs and the arrest of 27 individuals, including minors sent to juvenile justice homes. However, all those arrested were brutally beaten by the police. This misuse of authority and denial of due process is particularly distressing when minors are involved. This seems to be an attempt to target a specific community for humiliation and marginalisation, said Mujahid Nafees, convener of the Minority Coordination Committee. Activists point out that demolitions disproportionately impact the most vulnerable and often lack full due process. There appears to be a troubling pattern of demolitions following communal violence. Although official data on such demolitions is limited, anecdotal evidence suggests an increase following civil unrest. Media reports from Gujarat indicate that the minors involved were allegedly trained in madrasas over the past three months to commit such acts. This narrative gained traction due to the communitys ghettoisation, with minimal interaction between Hindus and Muslims, which exacerbates existing divides, said Desai. As tensions persist in Saiyedpura, all eyes are on the Surat administration to clarify its stance and actions. The developments have already prompted demands from the legal community and civil society for greater transparency and adherence to judicial guidelines, emphasising fair treatment for all citizens, regardless of their community. The situation in Surat underscores a broader national debate on the use of demolitions as a law enforcement tool and highlights the urgent need for a clear and consistent legal framework that respects both property rights and the rule of law. MI Khan, TwoCircles.net Patna: Mohi Yadav, Krishna Kumar and Lakshmi Devi, whose lives tragically ended in recent days, share a grim commonality: they were all victims of Jhola Chaap doctors (quacks) in rural Bihar. These unlicensed practitioners, lacking an MBBS degree and proper medical qualifications, run private clinics that prove fatal for those seeking treatment. Support TwoCircles Mohi Yadav, a middle-aged Home Guard Jawan, died on September 11 following a surgery for piles at a private clinic in Ghosi block, Jahanabad district. His family blames the negligence of the unlicensed practitioner who operated on him. After Mohis death, the fake doctor fled the scene. Mohi was suffering from piles pain. He initially consulted a local quack, who then referred him to Jeevan Joyoti Hospital, run by an unlicensed practitioner near Khapura More. Despite paying for the surgery, his condition worsened during the operation. He was rushed to Sadar Hospital in Jahanabad but died shortly after, recounted Sanjeev Kumar, a close relative of the deceased. The family has lodged a complaint with the local police against the fake doctor and the clinic. Similarly, Krishna Kumar, a 15-year-old boy, died last week after a gall bladder surgery performed by Ajit Kumar Puri, a fake doctor who allegedly learned the procedure from YouTube videos. Krishnas father, Chandan Shah, informed the police that the surgery was performed without their consent. After severe vomiting, I admitted my son to Ganpati Seva Sadan in Motirajpur Dharambagi Bazaar, Garkha, Saran district. Despite our objections, Puri operated on Krishna. When his condition deteriorated, he arranged an ambulance to take him to a private hospital in Patna, but Krishna died en route. Puri and others abandoned his body, Shah said. Puri has been arrested and confessed to the police that he had previously worked as a helper-cum-compounder before becoming a self-proclaimed doctor. Lakshmi Devi, a resident of Saharsa district, died after receiving an incorrect injection from another fake doctor operating out of a medicine shop in Baryahi Bazaar. Her condition worsened post-injection, and despite being rushed to the Sadar Hospital in Saharsa, she died on the way. The cases of Mohi Yadav, Krishna Kumar and Lakshmi Devi expose the dire state of healthcare in rural Bihar, where jhola chap doctors run hundreds of unauthorised private clinics. The lack of oversight and regulation puts countless lives at risk. Many such cases go unreported as families are often paid off to remain silent. These fake doctors, often operating from one or two-room setups in rural areas and small towns, exploit the impoverished who cannot afford treatment in urban centers like Patna or Gaya. Some of these fake clinics operate out of more spacious buildings, mimicking reputable establishments. I am not an MBBS doctor nor trained at a reputed hospital, but I have been practicing medicine for over 10 years in Phulwari Sharif, on the outskirts of Patna. I see more than 50 patients daily, said one such practitioner. Another fake doctor from Makhdumpur in Jahanabad district stated, I treat common ailments and advise patients with serious conditions to go to hospitals in Gaya or Patna. In rural Bihar, where the poor and marginalised are often the victims, the proliferation of fake doctors continues unabated. Health experts highlight that children, pregnant women and the elderly are the most affected by these unqualified practitioners. For instance, Sunita Devi, a Dalit woman in her mid-30s, has been fighting for her life since her kidneys were allegedly removed during a supposed uterus surgery at a private clinic in Muzaffarpur in September 2022. The local court has sentenced Dr Pawan Kumar, the owner of Subhakant Clinic, to seven years in prison for this malpractice. However, the main accused, Dr RK Singh, remains at large, and the police have been unsuccessful in capturing him. The Supreme Court had previously criticised the Bihar government for its failure to address the issue of fake pharmacists and doctors. It is the duty of the Bihar government to ensure that no hospital or pharmacy is run by fake practitioners, the court stated. Despite this, the Bihar government, under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, continues to claim improvements in healthcare infrastructure, while the reality on the ground remains starkly different. September 15, 2024: Since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, the HUR Ukrainian military intelligence service has grown in size and activities. Most of the activities are in the open, like attacks on Russian military or intelligence overseas. These often involve the use of foreign airlines and railroads by unidentified Ukrainian HUR operatives passing themselves off as Ukrainian or Russian civilians. Because the Ukrainian and Russian languages closely resemble each other, its easy for a Ukrainian to speak unaccented Russian, but not so easy when a Russian tries it. Many intelligence operatives speak several languages, especially English. The international language airline flight control is English because early in the history of commercial flying most of the aircraft were American. During World War II, the largest air force the world has ever known was American. That continued for many decades after the war and is still generally true in 2024. In other words, if you want to be an intelligence agency field operative, you must speak English, even if it is heavily accented. The United States is a large country that includes Alaska and Hawaii. These two areas contain a lot of people who still speak Inuit Alaskan languages and Hawaiian native languages that never died out. America is the land of many different accents. Which gets us back to the Ukrainian HUR intelligence field operatives in Syria, where the Khimik detachment got into the country unobserved and then infiltrated the Russian Kuweires airbase and destroyed a mobile electronic warfare system Russia had been using to protect the base from drone attacks. As soon as the electronic warfare system was out of action, numerous drones attacked the unprotected base and did significant damage. Why would Ukrainian intelligence undertake such a mission so far from Ukraine? It was because this base was also used to train Russian mercenaries to fight in Ukraine. The training was specialized and the students caused problems for the Ukrainian forces fighting the Russian invaders. Russian forces originally appeared in Syria after the Six-Day War, then left sometime after the Yom Kippur War, and returned in 2015 to assist the beleaguered ruler Bashar Al Assad. Hafez al-Assad, the father of Bashar, had ruled Syria from 1971 to 2000. Hafez sided with the Soviet Union during the Cold War and was a longtime ally of Russia until he died in 2000. His son Bashar took over and was even more efficient, and vicious, than his father. The relationship with Russia increased as Russia used the Syrian port of Targus for their tiny Mediterranean Fleet and a nearby airbase for military and commercial aircraft. This airbase was also used to support the activities of Russian ally Iran in Syria. There are a lot of Russians operating in Syria, especially since 2015. Russia thought it was safe to train operatives for their war against Ukraine. HUR found out about that and did something to disrupt the Russian operation. This is not the first time HUR has gone after Russian operations in third countries. What was unique about the Syrian operation was that HUR involvement became known, something HUR prefers to avoid. HUR did achieve their objective in Syria, so the overall operation was a success. It wont be known for years or decades how many overseas HUR operations there were and how many foreign countries HUR operated in to defeat Russian operations. For example, Russian paramilitary operatives have been very active in Africa, especially Congo, where Russia wants to assure their access to rare minerals that are mined there. They must compete with China and several Western countries. HUR has apparently been causing problems for Russia in Congo as well and has managed to conceal their involvement. HUR may be operating against Russian interests in other parts of the world, including South America. HUR prefers to keep their presence hidden, even from allies like the United States. How has Italy reduced small boat arrivals by more than 60% in a year and what is the Albania scheme? Sir Keir Starmer has claimed that Britain can learn lessons from Italy on how to reduce migration, after far-right prime minister Giorgia Melonis administration saw small boat arrivals fall by more than 60 per cent this year. Ahead of a visit to Rome, Sir Keir hailed Italys dramatic drop in unregulated migration and expressed interest in Ms Melonis proposed asylum processing scheme in Albania, just months after scrapping the Tories controversial Rwanda scheme. Claiming that his talks with Ms Meloni had marked a return to British pragmatism, Sir Keir also praised Italys upstream work in north Africa, saying: I have always made the argument that preventing people leaving their country in the first place is far better than trying to deal with those that have arrived. Reducing the number of perilous small-boat crossings across the Channel is a political priority for the Labour government, which has announced its intention to smash people-smuggling gangs but has stopped short of opening safe alternative routes for asylum seekers to travel to Britain to have their claims heard. The prime minister is now looking to Italys example, where the countrys interior ministry reported a 62 per cent fall in migrant arrivals on Italian coasts over the first seven months of 2024. Frontex, the EUs border force, has calculated a 64 per cent fall in the number of people arriving from north Africa to Italy and Malta. More than 1,000 people arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel over the weekend, as eight people died trying to make the journey (PA) Hardline immigration policies Italy has long struck a hard line against migration, with deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini having tightened asylum seekers access to support and public services. He could now face six years in jail for preventing a boat carrying more than 100 people from docking in Italy in 2019. But the countrys hardline policies and rhetoric had failed to prevent cross-Mediterranean migration to Italy from continuing to rise dramatically until the fall seen this year, which has been widely attributed to controversial deals struck with the north African nations from which most boats depart. While Italy has strengthened ties with Libya and is training and equipping the Libyan coastguard, the EU last year pledged 105m (88m) to Tunisia to stop migrant crossings from setting off. However, Tunisia later said it had handed back some 60m of EU budget support amid a row over the funding. Human rights observers have since warned that EU funds are being used by countries including Tunisia to carry out collective expulsions of migrants, including people intercepted at sea en route to Italy, who are then put on buses and dumped in remote or desert areas. Migrants are stopped by the Tunisian maritime national guard at sea during an attempt to get to Italy last year (AP) And as part of the crackdown on crossings that has been funded by Europe, the UNs International Organisation for Migration warned this year that it believed some 15,000 to 20,000 migrants had become stranded in rural areas near the central Tunisian coastline. Human Rights Watch has also accused Italy and the EU of being complicit in crimes carried out against migrants intercepted at sea and returned to Libya, where the UN has warned they faced murder, enforced disappearance, torture, enslavement, sexual violence, rape, and other inhumane acts. Italys supreme court ruled this year that it is unlawful for Italy to return intercepted ships to Libya as it is not a safe country. That ruling followed long-running attempts by Rome to make it more difficult for charities rescuing migrants at sea to operate, including handing them fines for refusing to cooperate with the Libyan authorities. The fall in arrivals in Italy this year has also corresponded with a rise in arrivals via the shorter eastern Mediterranean route to Greece of nearly 57 per cent, according to the EUs border agency Frontex. These crossings previously fell under an EU deal with Turkey in 2016. Warning that Italys apparent fall in numbers must be put into context, Alberto-Horst Neidhardt, a migration specialist at the European Policy Centre think tank, noted that this years figures are in comparison with a significant surge seen in 2023, while the fact that overall arrivals to the EU have remained roughly static suggests that the flows of migration have merely shifted elsewhere. Mr Neidhart told The Independent that the reduction in arrivals is due to a combination of factors, including the obstruction of Mediterranean rescue operations and more vigorous efforts by Tunisia to prevent departures and return migrants to their countries of origin. But he warned that the deals such as those with Tunisia and Libya are short-term patchy remedies that treat the symptoms and not the root causes of irregular migration, and that they serve the purpose of saving the face of European governments by keeping their most unacceptable side-effects, including violations of human rights, as far away as possible from European voters eyes. Mr Neidhart added: There is also ample evidence that pouring money and resources into unstable countries governed by authoritarian regimes only makes the problem worse in the longer term, promoting elites economic interests, fuelling corruption, and undermining good governance. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni with British prime minister Keir Starmer (AFP/Getty) Italys Albania deal In a further bid to cut migration to Italy, Ms Meloni has struck a deal with Albania to create an offshore asylum processing system, which is yet to come to fruition. In an echo of the controversy around the UKs costly and long-delayed Rwanda scheme, Human Rights Watch has described Italys scheme initially intended to become operational in May as a model of mismanagement and a blueprint for abuse costing hundreds of millions of euros. But with Sir Keir now expressing interest in replicating the Albania deal, home secretary Yvette Cooper insisted on Monday that it is very, very different from the axed Rwanda plan. Under the Tory scheme, asylum seekers would have been permanently deported to Rwanda. By contrast, Albania will accept asylum seekers on Italys behalf while their claims are processed. Failed asylum seekers from safe countries will then be returned to those countries, while those whose asylum claims are successful expected to be a small minority will be brought to Italy. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni during her joint press conference with Keir Starmer at Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome (PA) Criticising the Albania scheme, Judith Sunderland of Human Rights Watch said in June: Italys latest gambit to offshore its responsibilities is all but guaranteed to violate peoples rights. Following its abusive deal with Libya, Italy now wants to take people who have effectively reached the country outside of the EU, breaching fundamental tenets of rescue at sea and undermining asylum rights and freedom from arbitrary detention. Both Ms Sunderland and Mr Neidhart warned that the scheme was unlikely to deter people from making dangerous boat crossings, with the latter adding: In fact, most of the persons processed in Albania will be transferred to Italy, after their procedure is over. The deal should be seen for what it is: a costly operation that moves the processing of claims outside the Italian territory, with questionable administrative benefits, ... intended to demonstrate to the Italian electorate that the government is acting on its pledge to crack down against irregular migration. It should also be seen as a deliberate and more concerted attempt to create a hostile environment for those arriving irregularly in Europe, at a time of growing social and political divisions and tensions. Welcome Guest! You are here: Home Assam: ADRE exam paper was leaked? A day after Assam Direct Recruitment Exam (ADRE) was held to fill different vacancies in the government, allegations have surfaced that the exam paper was leaked and circulated on social media. Monday September 16, 2024 8:23 PM , ummid.com News Network [Candidates appearing for ADRE exam Sunday September 15, 2024 outside an exam centre.] Guwahati: A day after Assam Direct Recruitment Exam (ADRE) was held to fill different vacancies in the government, allegations have surfaced that the exam paper was leaked and circulated on social media. "The Assam Direct Recruitment Exam (ADRE) question paper leaked and went viral on WhatsApp within 24 hours of the examination, despite strict measures to prevent such incidents. Authorities face criticism over the breach in exam security", India Today NE reported. Claims of ADRE paper leak are also being made on various social media platforms. "It is alleged that the ADRE Question paper was leaked 31 minutes before the exam", Fight Against Injustice of APSC said in a post on social media platform X. The allegation of paper leak was also made on Facebook where the viral question paper was uploaded by a user named Parth Byabotir Chakrabarty. Chakrabarty also tagged Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the post showing the leaked ADRE Grade 3 exam papers. Strict Masures to Check Cheating The state government is yet to comment on these reports and social media posts. More than 11.23 lakh students from different districts of Assam had participated in Sundays recruitment examination. The concerned departments in Assam had taken strict measures to conduct "transparent" exam. The state government had also blocked internet services to stop cheating in the exam. Some female candidates even alleged that their privacy was compromised. A female student posted a video message alleging inappropriate conduct by a female constable during the Assam Direct Recruitment Examination (ADRE) in Nalbari. The student alleged that the constable searched her private parts before allowing her to enter the examination hall. In a related development, media reports claimed cheating materials were found in a female candidate's undergarment during the frisking process. Himanta Biswa Sarma, confirmed the incident and stated that he spoke with the DGP of Assam regarding it. "The DGP informed me of another incident in North Lakhimpur, where cheating material was recovered from the inner garment of a girl student on the same day", he wrote on social media platform X. ADRE Exam Schedule The State Level Recruitment Commission had earlier notified the revised ADRE Grade 3 Exam Date 2024 for HSLC and Bachelor Degree Level posts. The ADRE Grade 3 Exam 2024 has been scheduled on 15th and 29th September 2024 where as Grade 4 Exam has been scheduled on 20th & 27th October 2024. On 29th September 2024, ADRE Grade 3 Paper 4 and Paper 5 will be held, according to the schedule released by the State Level Recruitment Commission. Assam ADRE Grade 3 and Grade 4 exams are being held to fill a total of 12,600 vacancies. Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates. Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic. HA NOI The mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market in Viet Nam is showing signs of resurgence in the final months of the year, with multiple companies announcing successful deal closures. Lately, major players in the market have stepped into the spotlight with notable transactions. One such development is KIDO Group Corporation, which is steadily increasing its ownership stake in Hung Vuong Corporation, ultimately resulting in the control of Hung Vuong Plaza. By the end of August, KIDO finalised the deal, boosting its ownership in Hung Vuong Corporation to 75.39 per cent. The move has transformed the company into a subsidiary of KIDO, with Hung Vuong Plaza now under KIDO's ownership. Another significant deal that has captured widespread interest is the recent announcement of Mitsui & Co's official entry as a strategic shareholder in Tasco Auto, a subsidiary of Tasco. While the exact value remains undisclosed, this transaction is poised to deliver a substantial boost in the fields of information technology and transportation. In the logistics arena, Viconship recently completed the acquisition of Nam Hai inh Vu Port with an investment of nearly VN399.99 billion (US$16 million) out of Nam Hai inh Vu Port JSC's total charter capital of VN400 billion, equating to a 99.99 per cent ownership stake in the company. One of the prominent names in the M&A market is industry giant Novaland. Recently, the company divested its entire stake in Huynh Gia Huy Joint Stock Company for a nominal amount of VN1.9 billion. This transfer price excludes the value of utility assets and any outstanding debt obligations. In the first half of the year, a series of significant transactions took place. For instance, Nishi-Nippon Railroad (Japan) acquired a 25 per cent stake in the Paragon ai Phuoc project and Tripod Technology Corporation bought an expansive 18-hectare industrial land plot from Sonadezi Chau uc Shareholding Company, while Kim Oanh Group entered into a partnership with Japanese investors to develop a 50-hectare residential area. M&A activities surge at year-end While real estate M&A transactions commanded significant attention in the first half of the year, recent trends indicate a shift towards larger deals in the retail sector. Anticipated M&A deals involving industry giants are expected to inject dynamism into the market in the closing months of the year. In early September, Masan Group unveiled plans to invest $200 million to acquire a 7.1 per cent stake in WinCommerce from SK Group. WinCommerce operates a retail chain comprising over 130 WinMart supermarkets and more than 3,600 WinMart+/WIN mini-supermarkets. Likewise, Sabeco announced intentions to allocate over VN800 billion for the acquisition of Saigon Binh Tay Beer Group JSC (Sabibeco Group). A successful deal would elevate Sabeco's stake in Sabibeco to 59.6 per cent, equivalent to nearly 52.2 million shares, establishing Sabeco as the parent company of Sabibeco. Following the acquisition of Nam Hai inh Vu Port, Viconship is now looking to divest from inh Vu Petroleum Services Port JSC. The company aims to sell its entire 8.82 million shares in inh Vu Petroleum for a minimum transfer value of VN88.2 billion. Multiple deals were unveiled in the first week of September, including ASKA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd (Japan) expressing interest in acquiring a 35 per cent stake in Ha Tay Pharmaceutical JSC. Trang Bui, CEO of Cushman & Wakefield Vietnam, highlights industrial real estate as a focal point for foreign investors in M&A after Singapore's Mapletree Logistics Trust recently invested SGD68.4 million (over $50 million) to purchase two Grade A warehouses in Binh Duong and Hung Yen provinces. Additionally, CapitaLand Investment plans to inject an additional $70-110 million into Viet Nam over the next two years for industrial zone development or acquisitions. Trang also shared insights on the bustling retail segment. In early February, Central Pattana, a subsidiary of Thailand's prominent retail conglomerate Central Group, established CPN Global Vietnam Company Limited in Viet Nam, Trang told laodong.vn. This new entity, with a charter capital of VN20 billion, focuses on real estate operations. VNS HA NOI The development of eco-industrial parks (eco-IPs) is an effective solution to lower emissions enough to meet the net zero target by 2050 in Viet Nam. However, there are still many obstacles, especially in terms of mechanisms. The rapid development of industrial parks in recent times has put great pressure on the living environment of residents, according to Vuong Thi Minh Hieu, Deputy Director General of the Department of Economic Zone Management (DEZM) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI). Up to 13 per cent of operating IPs have not built wastewater treatment plants, threatening the health of the surrounding communities, she noted. Hieu held that sustainable development is no longer a slogan, but has become an inevitable trend that helps enterprises determine their vision and strategic business orientation, thus many localities and IP infrastructure investors consider forming eco-IPs an urgent need to create competitive advantages. Furthermore, the development of eco-industrial parks and green industrial parks has also become a mandatory requirement to meet green consumption needs and fulfill the commitment at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) to achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2050. By 2030, the country aims for 40-50 per cent of localities to convert existing IPs into eco-IPs and 8-10 per cent of localities have orientations to build eco-IPs right in their plan making. The Swiss Government has pledged to continue working with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to accompany Viet Nam in promoting eco-industrial parks associated with the circular economy in the 2024-28 period, according to DEZM. Its project, approved by the MPI in August, replicates the eco-industrial park approach to promote the circular economy in Viet Nam and has a total budget of US$3.6 million, which is sponsored by the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER). The projected eco-industrial parks are to be transitioned in Hai Phong, Bac Ninh, ong Nai, HCM City and Long An. The MPI is coordinating with the World Bank to support the construction of eco-IPs in Binh Duong, carry out water circulation networks for several industrial parks with a high concentration of textile and garment activities in Hung Yen and Thua Thien-Hue. The goal is to promote the efficient use of energy in the eco-IPs following the Korean model. Bruno Jaspaert, executive director of the Deep C Industrial Park in Hai Phong, said Viet Nam does not have preferential policies specifically for developing eco-IPs, thus it will take time and efforts to build these zones. The research and development of the Law on Industrial Parks and Economic Zones to ensure the enhancement of international competitiveness of industrial park and economic zone models is one of the key tasks that the MPI will implement together with other ministries, agencies, and localities in the coming time, Hieu said. According to Hieu, IPs must pioneer changing the direction of development, focusing on promoting the development of eco and green industrial park models. Science, technology, and innovation should be considered a pillar for future development. Focus should be placed on attracting selective investment, and proactively contacting and closely following the world's leading corporations in the industries and fields that Viet Nam prioritises. VNS September 16, 2024: Over a year ago it was obvious that drones were dominating the battlefield in Ukraine. In July 2024 a senior Ukrainian defense official once more confirmed this and observed that the dominance of drones in combat was increasing. Since the war began in early 2022 drone use has increased at the expense of traditional artillery. The reasons are obvious. Drones are more flexible, cheaper and come in many different models. Drones can be controlled by nearby operators and sent after targets over a thousand kilometers distant using GPS guidance and several backup systems if electronic jamming of GPS signals is encountered. This situation began once Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022 and both sides quickly lost most of their conventional offensive weapons in combat. These losses included armored vehicles, especially tanks for the Russians. Longer range weapons, like artillery, which delivered most of its fire power to targets 30 kilometers distant and a smaller number of guided missiles, which could reach targets over a hundred kilometers distant, tended to survive the heavy losses suffered by armored vehicles that fought at close range. The Ukrainians quickly ran out of artillery ammunition, were the first to adopt drones because they had to, and the Russians are still trying to catch up. The Russians lost most of their tube artillery in 2023 by burning their tube liners out. By the second half of 2023 both sides had turned to drones, which were cheaper, easier to obtain and provided more flexible alternatives. It was soon discovered that drones had a seemingly endless number of new capabilities. One of the more crucial qualities was the ease of obtaining drones and modifying them or building larger or smaller versions. The technology required for current drone warfare evolved over the last few decades as the commercial quadcopters and hobbyist fixed wing remotely controlled aircraft achieved a degree of maturity in design and reliability. This made it possible for users or developers to confidently and quickly modify existing drones t0 meet their needs. Most of the resulting drones were short range models operating no farther than ten kilometers from their user. This meant the combat zone was a much more dangerous place than it ever had been in the past. The surveillance was constant and round the clock. More expensive drones with night-vision sensors, usually based on a combination of object and heat detection and interpretation, provided adequate surveillance at night or in fog or misty conditions. Then there are logistical considerations. Reusable drones have to be recharged or refueled between missions. Drones built as single-use weapons have to be checked out before actual use. This is especially true for the long-range attack models. These fixed-wing drones go after targets a thousand kilometers or more distant and tend to use a single diesel or gasoline fueled engine. These engines must be sturdy and reliable because everything depends on a reliable propulsion system. Another critical component is the navigation and target acquisition system. Resistance to electronic jamming is essential. Electronic jamming technology is constantly evolving to deal with improved guidance systems that make earlier jammers ineffective or less effective. This makes every new drone design likely to be compromised and obsolete in short order. With the inexpensive technology drones use, rapid evolution is easier to achieve and the ability to quickly develop ways to disrupt new tech is essential. A major limitation was the need for trained drone operators. They need over a hundred hours of training before they are able to start operating these drones, and another hundred hours of actual use before they are able to make the most out of the system. These drones are difficult to shoot down until they get close to the ground and the shooter is close enough, as in less than a few hundred meters, to successfully target a drone with a bullet or two and bring it down. Troops are rarely in position to do this, so most of these drones are able to complete their mission, whether it is a one-way attack or a reconnaissance and surveillance mission. The recon missions are usually survivable and enable the drone to be reused. All these drones are constantly performing surveillance, which means that either side commits enough drones to maintain constant surveillance over a portion of the front line, to a depth, into enemy territory, of at least a few kilometers. The Ukrainians penetrate farther they often have effective drone coverage 20 kilometers into Russian-held territory. This makes it extremely difficult for the Russians to supply their front-line troops, even with drinking water. This massive use of FPV (First Person Viewing) armed drones has revolutionized warfare in Ukraine and both sides are producing as many as they can. Not having enough of these to match the number the enemy has in a portion of the front means you are at a serious disadvantage in that area. These drones are still evolving in terms of design and use and becoming more effective and essential. Ukraine has created a new branch of their military, the Drone Force. This is in addition to the Ukrainian Air Force that consists of manned aircraft. The Drone Force does not control the drones Ukrainian forces use regularly, but does contribute to developing new drone models and organizing mass production for those new models that are successful. Drones have been an unexpected development that had a huge impact on how battles in the Ukraines current war are fought. Drones were successful because they were cheap, easily modified, and expendable. Both Russian and Ukrainian forces were soon using cheap, at about $500 each, quadcopter drones controlled by soldiers a kilometer or more away using FPV goggles to see what the day/night video camera on the drone can see. Adding night vision at least doubles the cost for each drone, so not all of them have that capability. Each of these drones carries half a kilogram of explosives, so it can instantly turn the drone into a flying bomb that can fly into a target and detonate. This is an awesome and debilitating weapon when used in large numbers over the combat zone. If a target isnt moving or requires more explosive power that the drones can supply, one of the drone operators can call in artillery, rocket, or missile fire, or even an airstrike. Larger, fixed wing drones are used for long range, often over a thousand kilometers, operations against targets deep inside Russia. Armed FPV drones have revolutionized warfare in Ukraine and both sides are producing as many as they can. Earlier in the Ukraine War Russia used Iranian Shahed-136 drones that Iran sold for about $200,000 each. Ukraine demonstrated that you could design and build drones with similar capabilities at less than a tenth of what the Shahed-136. The Iranian drone was more complex than it needed to be. Even the Russians soon realized this and turned from the Shahed-136 for more capable drones they copied from Ukrainian designs or ones Russians designed. Ukrainian drone proliferation began when many individual Ukrainians or small teams designed and built drones. The drones served as potential candidates for widespread use and mass production. This proliferation of designers and manufacturers led to rapid evolution of drone capabilities and uses. Those who could not keep up were less successful in combat and suffered higher losses. Military leaders in other nations have noted this and are scrambling to equip their own forces with the most effective drones. Not having enough of these to match the number the enemy has in a portion of the front means you are at a serious disadvantage in that area. These drones are still evolving in terms of design and use and becoming more effective and essential. One countermeasure that can work for a while is electronic jamming of the drones control signal. Drone guidance systems are constantly modified or upgraded to cope with this. Most drones have flight control software that sends drones with jammed control signals back to where they took off from to land for later use. The jammers are on the ground and can be attacked by drones programmed to home in on the jamming signal. Countermeasures can be overcome and the side that can do this more quickly and completely has an advantage. That advantage is usually temporary because both sides are putting a lot of effort into keeping their combat drones effective on the battlefield. Air forces have ceased to be dominant when it comes to influencing the war on the ground. This is despite efforts to maintain their ability to bomb targets in direct support of ground operations. Air forces traditionally have blind spots in tactical air reconnaissance which hurts their overall effectiveness. Blame this on a bad attitude towards BDA (Bomb Damage Assessment). This is the business of figuring out what to bomb, and what the impact on the enemy is after you bomb. The problem of the air force leaders being deceived by the people on the ground being bombed began during World War II. This was when air forces used large scale aerial bombing for the first time. Right after that conflict, the U.S. did a thorough survey of the impact of strategic bombing on Germany and Japan. It was discovered that the impact was far different from what air force BDA during the war had indicated. The U.S. air force vowed to do better next time. But as experience in Korea (1950-3), Vietnam (1965-72), Kuwait (1991) and Kosovo (1999), Iraq (2003), the war on terror (since 2002) demonstrated, the enemy on the ground continued to have an edge when it came to deceiving the most energetic BDA efforts. Starting in 2022, the Ukraine War revealed the BDA situation had changed, because of the constant drone presence. Before drones, the only proven technique for beating the BDA problem was to have people on the ground, up close, checking up on targets, while the fighting was going on. Those with powerful air forces do not want to do this because of the risk of some of their commandos getting killed or captured, and because the intel and air force people were sure that they knew what enemy was up to down there. After 2022 FPV drones solved that problem. During the early 21st century, when the U.S. developed persistent drone surveillance, the irregular forces they were facing proved capable of reducing the effectiveness of the drone effort. This spotlights another useful fact; airpower can be useful on the ground but that happens over time and not quickly. Small drones changed that by providing continuous surveillance and the ability of drones to attack anything an FPV drone could detect. Despite being a successful high-tech operation, American air forces, especially the Navy and USAF, frequently have trouble adjusting to changes they do not agree with. When the Cold War ended in 1991 the air force was still largely thinking about continuing to operate as they had done in the Cold War, but the technology and tactics of warfare were changing. The post-Cold War enemy no longer consisted of large, organized forces spread over huge areas. The enemy was increasingly irregulars who were harder to spot from the air. The air force reluctantly adapted, in part because the army and CIA adopted new reconnaissance and surveillance techniques like drones and persistent surveillance. This pattern is returning as the air force reorganizes after the decade of heavy combat and big budgets the war on terror produced. Now the air force is turning its attention to a near-peer opponent in the form of a rapidly expanding and modernizing Chinese military. Unexpectedly the Ukraine War emerged first with Russia and Ukraine fighting each other. Ukrainians had the advantage of material and intellectual support from NATO countries. Ukraine was the first to develop and use small, innovative drone designs. These often came from civilians, who were seeking to assist friends of family members in the army. Building drones in homes or garages became a major source of drones for Ukrainian troops. Russia adapted to their disadvantage in drone development by concentrating on electronic jammers, as well as building a lot of drones, often copying successful Ukrainian drones. By rapidly upgrading their jammer technology, Russians can disrupt a lot of new Ukrainian drone tech for a while. This disruption is becoming more important for the Russians because Ukraine has developed several generations of long range that are increasingly reaching their targets deep a thousand or more kilometers inside Russia. That means Russian economic and military facilities far from Ukraine are suddenly under attack. These targets include refineries and fuel storage sites as well as weapons development, manufacturing, and storage facilities. In 2023 these attacks destroyed about fifteen percent of Russian refining capacity, reducing, for months, the amount of vehicle fuel available for commercial and military users. Air bases and ballistic missile storage or launch sites are also under attack. Targets as distant as the Russian Northern Fleet bases around Murmansk are under attack. This has caused a shortage of anti-aircraft systems that can intercept some or all of the drones depending on how many drones and air defense systems are involved. To deal with this Ukraine has increased production of drones considerably and the objective for 2024 is two million new drones built, mostly armed ones. Halfway through 2024, the production goal is being met. These numbers are comparable to artillery ammunition production, which for Russia is estimated to be three million rounds a year. Hundreds of armed drones used in single attacks are seen as more effective than conventional tube artillery, which is now seen as a poor substitute for drones. Factories for manufacturing drones are often established in underground facilities to avoid Russian missile attacks. Nearly all the components needed for drone production are available commercially and can be purchased from European or American suppliers and imported. Custom components are manufactured locally in well protected installations. Drone quality and quantity are a Ukrainian advantage they do not want to lose. Russia is also increasing drone production, in part because they lost their few A-50 surveillance aircraft in 2023 and since then depended on drones for surveillance. Another Russian disadvantage is their reliance on larger and more expensive surveillance and attack drones. The Russians have been quick to adapt and copy Ukrainian drone designs whenever they obtain a new one that had crash landed intact. Often all it takes is a description of a new Ukrainian drone. Russian drone manufacturers have become adept at copying Ukrainian drone designs based on minimal information. Because of this both Ukrainian and Russian troops face the same drone threat. SYDNEY Australian plums will soon be on shelves in Viet Nam under the two-way agricultural market access agreement that brings Australian plums to Viet Nam and sends Vietnamese passion fruit to Australia, according to the Australian Government. Australias agriculture, fisheries and forestry exports to Viet Nam reached A$3.7 billion (US$2.5 billion) during 2023-24, with a growing trade in stone fruit to further solidify the relationship with the Southeast Asian country, Australias sixth largest export market. The agreement supports the Vietnamese agricultural industrys target of becoming a A$100-billion sector and the Australian horticultural sectors A$20-billion goal by 2030. Negotiations are also underway for the next pairing of Vietnamese pomelos and Australian blueberries. Australian Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins described the new market access as a significant milestone for the stone fruit industry and Viet Nam-Australia trade ties, saying accelerating mutual market access reflects the strong relationship between the two countries, serving as a driving force to capitalise on export opportunities. The Australian government is focusing on opening doors for the sector and this is a positive step in achieving the goal, providing another key market for trade diversification, she added. Meanwhile, Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism Senator Don Farrell affirmed that bolstering Australias trade with Southeast Asia, including Viet Nam, is a top priority of the Australian government, stating stronger trade with Vietnam means more jobs, and better wages for workers in the horticulture industry. Passion fruit has become the fifth fruit of Viet Nam to be officially exported to Australia, following mango, longan, lychee and dragon fruit. Currently, the fruit is available in over 60 countries and territories. VNS VINH PHUC Vietnam SuperPort, the joint venture between YCH Group (Singapore) and T&T Group (Viet Nam), has committed to becoming Southeast Asia's first net zero multimodal logistics port by 2040. This was announced at the 'Envisioning the Future of Vietnam SuperPort' event, highlighting the launch of the port with an aim of enhancing Viet Nams logistics capabilities while contributing to the nations climate change goals. Dr. Yap Kwong Weng, CEO of Vietnam SuperPort said: In alignment with Viet Nams commitment to net zero by 2050, Vietnam SuperPort has embedded advanced sustainability solutions into its core operations. We are committed to achieving net zero by 2040, strengthening Viet Nams leadership in sustainable development. The company outlined its plan to achieve net-zero emissions by assessing current emissions, upgrading infrastructure with technologies like AI and IoT, adopting renewable energy systems, and transitioning to an all-electric fleet by 2030. Residual emissions will be offset through the purchase of renewable energy credits and carbon offsets. Chairman of Vinh Phuc Province Peoples Committee Tran Duy ong, said: The project spans 83 hectares, with a total investment of US$166 million. It is recognised as the first super port in the smart logistics network within the ASEAN region, featuring integrated functions as a Distribution Centre and Inland Container Depot (ICD) to serve logistics services. He added that the project is expected to enhance the quality of logistics services, streamline inland container operations and reduce costs and transit times, thereby decreasing business investment costs for companies in the province and neighbouring areas. It will facilitate easier export and import activities for businesses in the province and surrounding regions, promote economic and trade exchanges between Viet Nam, ASEAN and other international markets and establish a high-tech, smart logistics supply chain training centre 4.0. Attendees were given an immersive experience using the Apple Vision Pro, a cutting-edge spatial computer. The virtual reality experience highlighted the 'Park within a Park' concept, which integrates supply chain services across road, rail, air and sea into a single logistics hub. Dr Weng shared the new vision and development plans for Southeast Asias first SuperPort. By leveraging cutting-edge technology and innovative logistics solutions, we are enhancing the flow of goods across the region and setting a new standard for sustainable, future-ready logistics ports. Vietnam SuperPort is well-positioned to drive Vietnams economic growth and strengthen regional ties through world-class infrastructure. Vietnam SuperPort is strategically positioned as a multimodal logistics hub, connecting the China-Southeast Asia cargo network with global markets via road, rail, air and sea. As a key node in the ASEAN smart logistics network, it is designed to foster integration and seamless cross-border trade within the region, promoting faster and smarter supply chain operations. Located along the Northern Economic Corridor, Vietnam SuperPort connects 20 industrial parks to major seaports and airports, including Hai Phong and Noi Bai, and extends to Yunnan and Kunming in China. Leveraging YCH Groups nearly 70 years of experience in logistics, Vietnam SuperPort benefits from its connection to global supply centres across Asia, including China and India. Vietnam SuperPort is also committed to developing a highly skilled workforce. In collaboration with YCH Group and the Singapore Supply Chain and Logistics Academy (SCALA), it will train 500 next-generation logistics professionals through a nine-month talent development programme in Singapore. This initiative aims to prepare Viet Nams workforce to meet the growing demand for high-quality, tech-savvy talent in logistics, as the country becomes a key electronics manufacturing and R&D hub. VNS HA NOI Streamlined investment procedures are proposed for high-tech projects to create favourable conditions for attracting strategic investors, according to the draft amendments to the laws on planning and investment recently made public for comments by the Ministry of Planning and Investment. Special procedures are proposed for projects in research and development, semiconductor, chip-making and new technology battery, as well as investments in high-tech industrial parks, export processing and functional zones in economic areas. The ministry said that policies to attract strategic investors in several sectors have been applied in some provinces and cities such as HCM City, Khanh Hoa and a Nang. However, these projects must be implemented following normal procedures in accordance with the established regulations on investment, bidding, land, construction and environmental rules, which might take on average 250-350 days to complete. The ministry said in some countries around the world, policies to enhance competitiveness in attracting strategic investors are being applied at different levels. Numerous strategic investors are promoting research and seeking large-scale investment opportunities in Viet Nam, the ministry added. Amid fierce competition, applying current investment procedures might undermine competitiveness in attracting strategic investors in areas of priority for investment attraction, the ministry stressed. Thus, the ministry proposed procedures to be streamlined for these products while investors must be responsible for full compliance with the established regulations. VNS BAC GIANG Typhoon Yagi left numerous businesses in Bac Giang Province, especially those in industrial zones, struggling with its aftermath. Despite significant damage, all affected companies have swiftly resumed production, ensuring minimal disruption to their operations. Ce Link Viet Nam Co Ltd, a producer of electronic components located in Van Trung Industrial Park, Viet Yen Town, reported that despite early preventive measures, the typhoon caused substantial damage to the firm's facility. Damages included roof collapses and cracked warehouse walls, leading to wet and spoiled materials. Additionally, flooding in various parts of the province left many workers stranded, unable to commute to work. Nguyen Thi Thuy, a human resources officer at the company, reported that approximately 400 workers were unable to attend work due to flood-related disruptions, critically affecting production lines. In response, the company is collaborating with external manpower agencies and actively recruiting to fill the labour gap. The company is also maintaining communication with absent workers to monitor their return timelines. Damaged materials have been relocated to dry storage and are currently being inventoried. Hana Micron Vina, a South Korean-invested semiconductor manufacturer also based in Van Trung Industrial Park, faced similar disruptions. Although the company experienced partial damage, it managed to resume production shortly after the storm. Nguyen Manh Chien, head of the companys Human Resources Department, said on the night of September 7, more than 400 employees were unable to work due to severe flooding in their areas, forcing the business to shut down all production lines that evening. Although many workers remained absent in the following days, the firm maintained operations to mitigate further losses. Although Typhoon Yagi did not cause catastrophic damage to industry in Bac Giang, it still left significant losses for local businesses. Luxshare ICT Co Ltd, for example, suffered the partial collapse of its parking lot roof and warehouse canopies. Desay Battery Vina Co Ltd reported broken glass doors and damaged ceilings, while companies like Siflex Co Ltd, YADEA Viet Nam Co Ltd and Vietnam Sunergy JSC also experienced roof damage and other structural issues. Additionally, heavy rainfall resulted in localised flooding in Quang Chau and Van Trung industrial parks, further complicating logistics. A particularly pressing issue is the current workforce shortage in the province's industrial zones, with approximately 2,000 workers temporarily off-duty due to transportation difficulties or personal issues caused by the typhoon. Most of these workers are from mountainous northern provinces or from Son ong, Luc Ngan and Luc Nam districts in Bac Giang. Luxshare ICT alone reported 300 absent workers, while New Wing Co Ltd had 200 workers off duty. Bac Giang, an industrial hub in northern Viet Nam, is home to nine established industrial zones covering nearly 2,400 hectares. The province has 602 active foreign direct investment (FDI) projects from 30 countries and territories, with a total investment exceeding US$12.3 billion. These industrial zones employ approximately 222,000 workers. According to representatives from the Bac Giang Industrial Zones Management Board, thanks to proactive measures, safety and production have largely returned to normal. All industrial zones affected by the typhoon have resumed operations, with 100 per cent of companies back in production. Although flooding has subsided, there are still concerns over water levels in drainage canals in Quang Chau and Van Trung. To prevent future flooding, the Management Board has called for continued use of pumping stations, especially during heavy rainfall, to ensure the safety of industrial operations. In addition, the Management Board is collaborating with the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to assess employment and recruitment needs for the remainder of 2024, aiming to address labour shortages and support recruitment efforts in the months ahead. VNS HA NOI The stock market began the mid-September trading week with a sharp decline, as most blue-chip stocks fell, while liquidity improved compared to the previous session. On the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the VN-Index dropped by 12.45 points, or 0.99 per cent, to close at 1,239.26 points. Market breadth was negative, with 231 decliners outnumbering 82 gainers. Liquidity improved, increasing by 20.68 per cent from the previous session, as the trading value rose to VN13.5 trillion (US$550.5 million). The VN30-Index, which tracks the 30 largest stocks by market capitalisation on the southern exchange, also fell by 12.93 points or one per cent, to 1,281.37 points. Among VN30 stocks, 25 declined, one advanced and four remained unchanged. Leading the downturn were banking and manufacturing stocks, with the Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (VCB) being the biggest loser, falling by 1.11 per cent and dragging the VN-Index down by over 1.3 points. Vinhomes JSC (VHM) dropped by 2.91 per cent, while other major stocks like PetroVietnam Gas Joint Stock Corporation (GAS) and Vingroup Joint Stock Company (VIC) fell by 2.29 per cent and 1.98 per cent, respectively. Losses were partially offset by gains in a few pillar stocks. Nam A Commercial Joint Stock Bank (NAB) led the gains, rising by 6.06 per cent, followed by Vietnam Rubber Group - Joint Stock Company (GVR), which increased by 0.87 per cent. According to analysts at Viet Dragon Securities, the market is being tested. They noted: "Liquidity remains low, indicating that support from cash flow is still limited, but supply has not exerted significant pressure as the market declines. The market is expected to continue testing supply and demand in the next session. However, the effort to maintain the index above the 1,239-point threshold offers hope for a recovery. "Therefore, investors should monitor supply-demand dynamics at the support level and prioritise stocks with stable performance and strong cash inflows in recent sessions. However, for now, it is essential to consider taking short-term profits or restructuring portfolios to minimise risks." On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HNX), the HNX-Index also dipped by 0.68 per cent to 230.84 points. Trading on the northern bourse saw more than 48 million shares change hands, worth over VN871 billion. Foreign investors engaged in bottom-fishing, recording net purchases of VN218 billion on the HoSE. VNS By Thu Anh HCM CITY Young artists from traditional art troupes in HCM City are working to prepare for their performances at the 2024 National Cai Luong (reformed opera) Festival in Can Tho City next month. The biennale festival creates opportunities for young talents in cai luong, a traditional art form originating from the South over 100 years ago, to develop their professional careers. Artists from HCM City are among more than 1,000 performers from State-owned and private theatres and troupes across the country who will attend the event. They include young director Duong Khon and his staff from the HCM City University of Theatre and Cinematography. Khon will debut with a historical play called Truyen Tich Co Loa (The Legend of Co Loa Citadel), a production based on Vietnamese folk tales. The show features the uniqueness of cai luong. New and experimental concepts in structure, conversation and directing style are also highlighted. It tells stories about King An Duong Vuong, who defeated the last of the Hung Kings in 257 BCE and established the kingdom of Au Lac, choosing the site of Co Loa as his capital (now the citadel is a unique tourist destination located in Ha Noi). Young performers Nguyen Thanh Toan, Hoang Quoc Thanh and Le Trinh are featured. "Through the festival, we hope to draw young people back to cai luong, one of the countrys three traditional arts along with tuong (classical drama) of the central region and cheo (traditional opera) of the north, said the shows director Khon, adding that he wants young artists will have more opportunities to devote their lives to cai luong. Young talent Hoang Hai of the Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong will show off his art in the play Nguoi Mang Chin An Tu (Nine Death Sentences). The 90-minute drama depicts the life of Field Marshal Le Van Duyet, who was the Governor of Gia inh Citadel (later Sai Gon and now HCM City) under the Nguyen dynasty in the 19th century. FM Duyet instructed southern people to dig the Vinh Te Canal linking the provinces of the Mekong River Delta region. The canal helped local people develop their farms and businesses. He died in 1832. Lang Ong, known as the Tomb of the Field Marshal, is located in HCM Citys Binh Thanh District near Ba Chieu Market, and has become one of the citys most favourite national historical and tourist sites. I will bring a new taste of cai luong to serve young audiences at the festival, said actor Hai as FM Le Van Duyet. Private Sen Viet Drama Troupe will send its latest show entitled Nu Tuong Tay Son (Tay Son Dynastys Female General) to compete at the festival. The play portrays the career of national heroine and female General Bui Thi Xuan, who served the Tay Son Dynasty in the late 18th century. Gen Xuan was born in Binh Khe (now Binh inh Province). She learned martial arts when she was a child. She was reputedly a very brave and strong woman. She helped the Tay Son army train elephants for combat, and became known as one of the five principal women in the Tay Son Dynasty. The Tay Son Dynasty (1778-1802) was founded after three Nguyen brothers - Nguyen Nhac, Nguyen Hue and Nguyen Lu - from the village of Tay Son rebelled against the Nguyen Lords and Trinh Lords. The Tay Son Dynasty, ruled by Emperor Quang Trung (Nguyen Hue) ended the century-long war between the Trinh and Nguyen families, ended the Le Dynasty, and united the country for the first time in 200 years. Director Le Nguyen at features female actress Binh Tinh, who has 20 years in the industry, to perform Gen Xuan. Young actors Nguyen Minh Truong, Bao Ngoc and Trong Nhan are also featured. We will offer Vietnamese theatre in the style of the South for our colleagues and audiences in the festival, said actress Binh Tinh. I hope our artists will leave a fresh impression on audiences in Can Tho. Tinh was honoured at the ao Tan Awards organised by the National Cultural Promotion and Preservation Research Institute last year. She was awarded in the individual category for her contribution to preserve tuong (classical drama), a traditional genre of Vietnamese theatre in the central region that originated in the 12th century. The ao Tan Awards are named after late veteran performer and scriptwriter ao Tan of Binh inh Province who is recognised as a guru of tuong. The annual awards aim to honour and encourage individuals, groups and organisations to preserve and develop tuong. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam Televison (VTV) channel 3 has started broadcasting an animation series entitled An Toan Cho Con (Safe for Children) about disaster prevention and control. Starting on September 14, Safe for Children revolves around stories of dangerous natural phenomena and how to respond to natural disasters. The series features two little characters, Bi and Bong, with support from the Disaster Prevention Genius Squad. It aims to help small television viewers learn life skills to protect themselves. Young children will be provided knowledge on recognising different types of natural disasters and learn skills to prevent, respond and overcome the consequences of natural disasters such as storms, tropical depressions, flash floods and landslides in a child-friendly and accessible way. They will immerse themselves in vivid life stories and situations featuring natural disasters. "The north of Viet Nam has suffered a historic storm and flooding, so the timely production and broadcasting of ten episodes on the topic of natural disaster prevention is a very meaningful and necessary action," said Trinh Thu Huong, the series producer. This is the second consecutive year that the series on natural disaster prevention and control has been produced with the co-ordination of the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Viet Nam, with sponsorship from the Japanese government. Safe for Children will be broadcast on VTV3 at 5.50pm every Saturday and Sunday. Reruns will be shown on VTV5 at 10.25am on Monday and Friday. The animation series is also broadcast on platforms VTV.vn, VTVgo and the YouTube channel Safe for Children. VNS SINGAPORE The liaison board of the Vietnamese community in Singapore has organised a Mid-Autumn Festival, which is celebrated annually on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, at the Vietnamese embassy in the island-city state. The event, which gathered a large number of Vietnamese people in Singapore as well as international friends on Sunday, featured various activities imbued with Vietnamese culture such as mask and conical hat painting, making banh deo (sticky rice moon cake), decorating lanterns and making figurines. Participants also enjoyed Vietnamese folk games including tug of war, sack jumping race and bamboo pole dance as well as special art performance and Vietnamese specialties. In his remarks at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Mai Phuoc Dung hailed the efforts of the liaison board, the Vietnamese Student Association as well as the volunteers in preparing for the festival. He emphasised the need to nurture the love for the homeland among children in the Vietnamese community through preserving the traditions, customs and practices of Vietnam as well as spreading the Vietnamese language in the host country. Ta Thuy Lien, head of the board said that the event not only offers an opportunity for children to have a better understanding of the festival a long-standing and sound cultural tradition of the Vietnamese people but also highlights the connection with the homeland. One of the meaningful activities of this year's edition is that the organising board took the occasion to call on the Vietnamese community in Singapore to join hands to support people affected by super Typhoon Yagi, reflecting the spirit of mutual love in the community, she continued. VNA/VNS Switzerland was among the first countries to announce their aid packages to Viet Nam after Typhoon Yagi. Viet Nam News reporter Le Huong interviewed Swiss ambassador Thomas Gass about why they understand the pain in the country. Could you brief me about the aid package that Switzerlands government will send to Viet Nam soon to ease the consequences caused by Typhoon Yagi? Please allow me first to just express my condolences and really my deep compassion of Switzerland, of our government and of our people for what you have been experiencing, what Viet Nam has been experiencing here. We really feel the hurt, but we also feel the courage that you have and the resilience for rebuilding. And at this moment, Switzerland wants to stand shoulder-by-shoulder with you to respond to your needs and help you to rebuild your lives and your communities. You know, I was here when the storm hit and we saw the rain and the wind, how it just broke the trees and it reminded us of some of the natural disasters we had in Switzerland this same summer. Over the last six months, we have seen mudslides. We have seen our houses and villages completely flooded. We have also had losses of life in the Swiss mountains, where in the summer we had really terrible floods and rains. And so when I saw what happened here, it reminded us that this is something that we also experienced and that we all can experience, especially in these mountainous countries. So the Swiss government decided to allocate one million Swiss francs, that's about US$1.2 million, to support the Vietnamese Government in its efforts to rebuild these communities and to come to help the vulnerable people. The most vulnerable people. There will also be already some non-food items, so some tents, for example, family tents, 300 family tents. There's going to be hygiene kits, cooking sets for families, I think about 800 cooking sets and then two big water distribution systems that can bring water to 10,000 people. So there's a big shipment on its way already, and they will arrive in the early morning on September 16. Will you send some experts here to help Vietnamese authorities? Could you tell me about them? The experts are hydrologists and people who have expertise in securing very mountainous and very dangerous terrain. And how can you rebuild the villages, and how can you secure them against landslides? How can you protect your population? How can you put the shelter, the temporary, but then also the long-term shelter? So for the population to be safe, especially in this moment when things are not so stable yet. Have you heard about any Swiss citizens stuck in flooded areas? Actually, we have not and I'm actually not so surprised because the Government has been extremely efficient in bringing to safety all the tourists that were, for example, in Ha Long Bay in Cat Ba, but also in the mountainous areas in Lao Cai. As a Swiss Ambassador, I really want to express my gratitude to the Government of Viet Nam for what it has done to put tourists and foreigners into safe places. And I know that many, many Vietnamese were also evacuated, so we have not had any casualties. What do you think about Viet Nams capabilities to prevent natural disasters and overcome the consequences of superstorms? So definitely there was a strong readiness. And as I said, I mean, you cannot (be completely ready), nature is very powerful and so you cannot completely prevent the impacts of such disasters. But I really believe that Viet Nam has been outstanding in the way that it has taken the population out of harm's way to the extent possible. Now, as I explained, in Switzerland, we have a lot of experience with natural disasters in the mountains, it's just too powerful when you have landslides and rivers coming out of their banks and running through villages. Theres not much we can do to prevent that. So hopefully now with these experts that are here, we can perhaps look at the short and medium term together with the Vietnamese Government to see whether something can be done also to further improve the disaster readiness. VNS HA NOI Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting with leaders of ministries and agencies in Ha Noi on Monday to thoroughly review the implementation of Resolution No 36-NQ/TW on the strategy for sustainable development of Viet Nam's marine economy by 2030, with a vision to 2045, as well as other key contents outlined in the 13th National Party Congresss Resolution. In light of the recent developments in the world, region and the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea), along with the nation's evolving needs, PM Chinh asked ministries, agencies and localities to continue following the Party's guidelines and the State's laws, including the 13th National Party Congresss Resolution and the Governments Resolution on national defence strategy in the new situation. He urged proactive and effective fulfilment of all tasks, aiming for significant, tangible results across all areas. They must pool all available resources to propel the sustainable development of the sea-based economy while ensuring that national defence-security remains integral to these efforts. Enhancing the nations ability to enforce and protect sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction at sea was highlighted as a priority, he said. Additionally, ministries, agencies and localities must persist in maintaining a foreign policy of independence and self-reliance, multilateralism and diversification of external ties, and enhancing international cooperation on maritime issues in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the leader noted. Addressing the pressing issue of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the PM ordered strict adherence to the Party Central Committee's Secretariat and Prime Ministers Directives. These efforts are pivotal in preventing and eliminating violations by Vietnamese fishing vessels in foreign waters, with the ultimate goal of having the European Commission's "yellow card" removed. The PM also stressed the importance of raising public awareness and fostering consensus within society and the political system on the significance and role of East Sea and island-related affairs, thus contributing to maintaining peace, stability and development cooperation at sea. VNA/VNS September 16, 2024: Ukraine has been a strange war, especially when it comes to the relationship between Russian and American defense officials. The Russian defense minister often calls his American counterpart to complain about something he thinks the Americans are involved with in Ukraine. The Americans are open to the Russian defense minister about such matters. This is because the Americans and Russians are not at war and both countries want to keep it that way. Despite the fighting in Ukraine and the substantial support Ukraine received from the United States, the Russians want to remain in touch. The Americans are often asked if they are involved in secret Ukrainian operations against Russia and the response is usually a shrug or a denial. Early in the war the Ukrainians discovered that they could ignore the many prohibitions the Americans had placed on the use of American weapons. By just denying they had done something, the Americans accepted that and were similarly uninformative to complaints about it from the Russian defense minister. Officially, the Ukrainians are not supposed to fire Americans missiles into Russia. Unofficially the Americans dont question Ukrainian denials about such use of U.S. weapons. The Ukrainians have built their own long range attack drones and used them against targets deep inside of Russia. The Americans cant complain about that. So when the Ukrainians fire a U.S. missile into Russia, the Ukrainians just tell the Americans it was another Ukrainian missile and that the Russians are lying. Given the long history of Russian deceptions and lying to the United States, the Ukrainians know what the Americans will think about Russian complaints. A recent example of this was Russian threats to attack American targets in Europe using saboteurs or mercenaries. There were some Russian sabotage operations inside Europe, but when the Europeans complained and threatened to increase their support for Ukraine, the Russians backed off. VIENTIANE A delegation of the Vietnamese community in Laos, led by Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Viet Nam Phan Minh Chien, on Monday came to the Lao Prime Ministers Office to hand over financial aid to support those affected by Typhoon Yagi in the countrys northern region. At the event, Lao PM Sonexay Siphandone expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the timely support from Viet Nam, although Viet Nam has also suffered heavy losses from the natural disaster. He noted that this gesture reflected the two nations enduring solidarity and mutual support in any circumstance. The government leader assured that the received funds will be distributed to flood victims in various Lao localities. For his part, Chien expressed his confidence that under the leadership and close attention of the Lao Party and government at both central and local levels, local people will overcome the difficulties and that life in the affected areas will soon return to normal. In the presence of PM Siphandone, Chien, on behalf of the embassy and its related agencies, the Viet Nam Business Association and the Vietnamese community in Laos, presented 300 million of Lao kips (US$13,580) worth of aid to Lao Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Baykham Khattiya. VNA/VNS LAO CAI One man's bold decision to evacuate the residents of his village in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai saved more than 100 people from disaster, after authorities believed the village was lost in a landslide following Typhoon Yagi. On Monday morning, it was pouring rain in Kho Vang Village in Coc Lau Commune, Bac Ha District and it had been raining steadily since Sunday night. Head of the village Vang Seo Chu, 33, was very anxious, because the village is surrounded by hills that were saturated with water. Chu knew the hillsides could collapse on people's houses at any time. "It rained all night long I was very worried," he said. "At 8am that same day, I called some residents to go up the hill together to check the landslide situation and we found a high, flat hill. We discussed an evacuation plan for the people." About 30 minutes later, following reports of a high risk of landslides, Chu tried to call the commune leaders for more information but his phone had no signal and he was unable to contact authorities. The rain was still pouring down on the village until 9am, so I decided to evacuate all 17 households with 115 people to a mountain 1km away from the village, he said. Chu and young villagers had built 14 huts covered with tarpaulins and anchored them firmly on the flat mountainside with bamboo stakes. The evacuation took place as quickly as possible on Monday morning. Women and children helped clean the shelters and prepared food and drinks for all of the villagers to spend the night. About 4km below our residential area, there is another residential area in the same village. However, this area is located close to the Chay River bank. The road was seriously eroded and there was no phone signal, so I couldn't reach the people to tell them about my evacuation plan, said Chu. By Tuesday, floodwaters had caused landslides, changing the water's flow and flooding the lower residential area. The disaster left three people missing, injured three others and completely swept away seven houses. This is too painful," he said. The village chief said that fortunately, the day before the landslide, 115 people in his village had time to evacuate to the mountain. If they hadn't, the consequences would have been unpredictable. 'Thought the village disappeared' Coc Lau Commune authorities on Tuesday learned that a landslide in Kho Vang Village caused many people to be declared missing. Nguyen Van Tuan, chairman of the commune People's Committee, tried in vain to contact the village head. Due to the landslide, Kho Vang Village was completely isolated. Local authorities travelled 15km before they finally found the 115 villagers sheltering on the mountainside on Wednesday at noon. After finding the villagers, commune leaders assigned units to transport food and issued guidance to help the villagers stabilise their lives and prevent further disaster. "Everyone was happy at that time. After receiving necessities, we were ordered to continue sheltering temporarily in the high mountain area until the commune came up with a new plan to bring them back home," Chu said, adding that the amount of food was enough for the people to take refuge for two weeks. Chu said the commune's police and authorities were overjoyed to find the villagers, because everyone had thought the whole village had been swept away by the landslide and subsequent flooding. Bold decision Nguyen Van Tuan, chairman of the Coc Lau Commune Peoples Committee, said that he was very surprised by Chu's decision to evacuate 115 people to the mountain for refuge. At first, we thought that the people were still at home, or had taken other measures, but we did not think Chu would take all 115 people to the mountain like that. It was truly a bold decision," said Tuan. Tuan said that Chu is a quick-witted and very creative person. The village chief is well known in the community. He is married and has a lot of experience living in the mountains. "He was just elected as village chief. This is probably the first time he has instructed the people and come up with such an unexpected flood prevention plan, and it was very effective and safe," said Tuan. VNS HA NOI Typhoon Yagi has caused serious damage in many northern provinces and cities. Along with the Government, localities have been making every effort to rescue people and property and overcome the storm's consequences to quickly stabilise people's lives. Medical recovery Lao Cai Province suffered great damage to both people and infrastructure after Typhoon Yagi. The entire political system, including the health sector, is struggling to cure patients and clean up the environment in localities that experienced severe flooding. As of 2pm on Thursday, the Lao Cai Department of Health has recorded two cases of medical staff who died or were injured in the typhoon. Thao Seo Pao, 42, deputy head of the Ta Cu Ty Commune Medical Station in Bac Ha District, tragically lost his life in the floods. At around 5.30pm on Monday, he was swept away by water on his way home from work. The authorities found his body and handed it over to his family for funeral arrangements. Meanwhile o Van Trien, 48, a medical station worker, was injured in the storm. Damage to facilities at medical stations was also quite severe. Thirteen medical stations and three hospitals in Lao Cai were affected, facing difficulties in examining and treating people. On Monday night, the Bao Yen District General Hospital was inundated by floodwater about one metre deep. But despite these obstacles, authorities continue to actively rescue patients. As of noon on Thursday, medical facilities in the province had registered 128 injured people. Of these, 40 people came from Bac Ha District. The provincial general hospital has directed specialised wards including emergency, intensive care and surgery to fully prepare equipment and medicine as well as dedicate their workforce to cure patients. In addition, the hospital is working to ensure that the telemedicine line maintains a good connection with central hospitals to promptly consult and support treatment through the remote medical examination and treatment system. Chairman of the Lao Cai Province People's Committee Trinh Xuan Truong on Thursday asked the Department of Health to monitor the population for infectious diseases that could occur after the typhoon, such as diarrhea, pink eye, respiratory infections, athlete's foot, flu and dengue fever. The health department needs to be particularly on guard against digestive diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery and typhoid. The department has requested the Ministry of Health to support an additional 2,700kg of environmental disinfectant chemicals Cloramin B and 1,000,000 tablets to disinfect drinking water. As of Thursday, about 15,800 households in the province had been affected by Typhoon Yagi. Lao Cai has deployed disinfection spraying in schools, markets, households and flooded areas. Currently, units are actively implementing environmental sanitation work to ensure that no epidemics arise after the typhoon. Waste treatment Deputy Chairman of the Bac Giang Province Peoples Committee Le O Pich said that in the days to come, the province will focus on collecting and treating waste. To ensure a green, clean and beautiful environment, Bac Giang will continue to maintain environmental sanitation, collect and treat waste. The province is calling for active participation of political and social organisations as well as local residents in the cleanup. Districts will invest in specialised garbage transport vehicles for waste collection that are suitable for local routes, optimising transportation of waste in the area. Bac Giang also plans to upgrade the existing waste treatment areas, speeding up investment and construction to rapidly open centralised waste treatment plants for public use in Viet Yen Town, Bac Giang City and Luc Nam District. Currently, the total volume of waste generated in the province is 965.5 tonnes per day. The province has established 171 companies, cooperatives and environmental sanitation teams specialising in collecting, transporting and treating waste. Localities arranged more than 1,100 waste collection points in the area's communes and villages. VNS AK LAK The quality, yields and prices of durian have fallen in ak Lak this year, largely due to unfavourable weather conditions and farmers lack of experience. The Central Highlands province has nearly 32,800ha under durian, with more than 15,850ha ready for harvest yield expected to reach around 300,000 tonnes. But last month, at the start of the durian harvest season, farmers faced challenges due to prolonged heat and large temperature swings, which have stressed the trees and caused some fruits to drop to the ground. Unrelenting rains have significantly impacted the quality of the durian fruit, resulting in lower prices for farmers compared to last year. Tran Van Thang, director of the Krong Pac Green Agricultural Cooperative, said last year it paid VN70,000-80,000 per kilogram, but this year, due to the fruits lower quality, it is paying farmers less than VN60,000. Pham Van Luong, director of the Dung Thai Son Import-Export Company, said there has been a decline in export-grade durian this year because, in addition to the bad weather, farmers also used too much fertilisers and pesticides which affected the flesh. Many farmers care more about quantity than quality, but with the huge Chinese market becoming stricter with its quality requirements, farmers need to focus on the latter, he warned. Professor Tran Van Hau of Can Tho University said durian farming is a relatively new field for ak Lak Province, and few farmers there are experienced in growing the fruit and dealing with unpredictable weather. Durian production in ak Lak is also plagued by ineffective pest and disease management, small and scattered farming areas and low adherence to export standards. Most exporters target the competitive Chinese market, he said. Thailand carefully manages durian quality, even jailing those who produce poor durians, and Viet Nam too must develop clear farming practices and quality standards, he said. Farmers need to shift their focus from merely increasing yields and planting areas to product quality, he said. Besides, industry stakeholders must work together to improve product quality and sustain export markets, he added. Dr Phan Viet Ha, deputy director of the Central Highlands Agricultural and Forestry Science Institute, said farmers should start by creating durian orchards with windbreaks and effective drainage systems to cope with the impacts of climate change. They should also clearly define their production goals and study the taste of their buyers to choose the right varieties of the fruit, he said. The province has called on the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to create national standards for durian farming and harvesting. Nguyen Van Ha, deputy director of the ak Lak Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the key focus now for the local durian industry is quality and safety. The province is working on a durian development plan until 2030, which would include creating specialised farming zones and encouraging farmers, cooperatives and businesses to work together to ensure quality and meet export requirements, he added. VNS HCM CITY Social housing development in Viet Nam is facing significant delays, particularly in major cities such as HCM City and Ha Noi. As of mid-July, the country completed 79 projects with about 40,700 apartments, just 10 per cent of the 2025 targets, according to a Ministry of Construction report. Ha Noi needs to build 18,700 social housing apartments by the end of 2025 but has only completed 5,200, achieving 37 per cent of its goal, according to the report. Similarly, HCM City aims to construct 26,200 social housing apartments by the end of next year but has only finished over 1,200, reaching 21 per cent of its target. Several provinces, including Thai Nguyen, Ninh Binh, Nam inh, Quang Binh, Thua Thien-Hue, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau, have demand for social housing but lack implementation plans, according to the report. Conversely, some provinces have exceeded their social housing development targets such as Khanh Hoa (104 per cent), Thanh Hoa (74 per cent), and Hau Giang (53 per cent). Other localities are seeking investment for social housing projects such as provinces of Bac Ninh (16 projects), Thanh Hoa (10 projects) and ong Nai (eight projects), and Hai Phong City (nine projects), according to the report. Proposed credit package The construction ministry is collaborating with the central bank to study a new State-funded credit package of VN30 trillion ($1.2 billion) for social housing, which will be managed by the Vietnam Social Policy Bank. The package will replace the current ineffective VN120 trillion plan, which relies solely on commercial banks. Currently, the existing package has seen sluggish disbursement, with only about 1 per cent utilised in a year. The new funding will focus on low-income homebuyers, enabling loans for purchasing and renting social housing. It will be sourced from government bonds and local budgets, with an emphasis on prioritising social housing loans. The Government has reiterated its commitment to social housing development with an aim to build at least one million social housing units across Viet Nam by 2030. VNS HA NOI A special aircraft carrying a 35-ton shipment of relief supplies, valued at US$1 million, donated by the Indian government, landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Ha Noi on Sunday night. The relief supplies include essential items such as water purifiers, blankets, mosquito nets, kitchen sets, water tanks, water containers with taps, and solar-powered lamps, based on suggestions from Vietnamese authorities and the needs of the people affected by typhoon Yagi and subsequent flooding and landslides. On behalf of the Government and people of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his condolences and expressed solidarity with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Indian Minister of External Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar, also conveyed his condolences to Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son regarding the great human losses and economic damages caused by the super typhoon. The Indian government affirmed that the humanitarian support to Viet Nam is a testament to the long-lasting and robust relationship between the two countries, marked by the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The Sadbhav (Goodwill) campaign is part of India's broader effort to contribute to Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief activities in the ASEAN region, in line with India's long-term "Act East Policy." Ambassador of India to Viet Nam Sandeep Arya has handed over the relief supplies to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam for its National Disaster and Dyke Management Authority and representatives of northern province Tuyen Quang. The ambassador also spoke of the sympathy among the Indian community for people affected by typhoon Yagi, remarking that Indian businesses and community members have separately extended their support and contribution at various levels to the affected people and Vietnamese authorities. VNS The Ministry of Public Securitys investigative body completed its inquiry into alleged misconduct at Vietnam Electricity (EVN), the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and several local authorities on September 15. It has recommended that former EVN chairman and ex-Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong, along with 11 other individuals, face prosecution for charges of "abuse of power" and "negligence causing severe consequences." At the centre of the case is the Trung Nam - Thuan Nam Solar Power Plant, a key component of a broader infrastructure project including a 500kV substation and 220/500kV transmission lines. Developed by Trungnam Group, the project attracted a total investment of VND12 trillion ($480 million), encompassing a 450MW solar power plant, a substation, and over 17km of 500kV dual-circuit transmission lines, alongside four 220kV transmission lines. According to the investigation, Vuong exploited his position to secure approval for the projects inclusion in national planning. Additionally, he allegedly sought to implement a preferential feed-in tariff of 9.35 US cents per kWh, bypassing the prime minister's authority. This action enabled the Trung Nam - Thuan Nam plant to benefit from the advantageous pricing scheme. Despite subsequent directives from the PM for strict adherence to established resolutions, Vuong failed to comply, resulting in losses exceeding VND900 billion ($36 million). The projects investor, Trung Nam Thuan Nam Solar Power Co. Ltd, is a subsidiary of Trungnam Group, established in 2018. The company, chaired by Nguyen Tam Thinh, registered a capital of VND 2.4 trillion ($96.4 million). Trung Nam Thuan Nam's latest financial disclosure was in 2022. That year, the company reported a post-tax profit of VND81 billion ($3.24 million), marking a sharp 80 per cent decline on-year. By the end of 2022, its equity stood at over VND2.4 trillion ($97 million), with a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.68, indicating liabilities of over VND8.9 trillion ($356 million), of which nearly VND5 trillion ($200 million) was bond debt. Total assets amounted to VND11.3 trillion ($452 million). In April, Trung Nam sought government intervention for the project, after EVN halted mobilisation of a 172MW capacity in 2022, citing non-compliance with regulations governing eligibility for feed-in tariffs. The suspended capacity includes 86MW on a 108-hectare plot that failed to meet legal requirements, including land-use approvals, environmental impact assessments, and fire safety certifications. By October last year, the MoIT had approved the plants operations on the 108-hectare plot, following compliance with environmental, fire safety, and land lease regulations. In a recent letter to the PM, Trung Nam disclosed that approximately 687 million kWh generated between October 2020 and August 2022 - equivalent to VND 813.6 billion ($32.5 million) - has not been paid by EVN. The company has repeatedly requested interim payments at 40 per cent of the transitional solar tariff, but no resolution has been reached. Moreover, since last October, EVN has only made partial payments for electricity generated in Phuoc Minh commune. The remaining unpaid balance for the other areas exceeds VND274 billion (almost $11 million). Responding to the issue, an EVN representative stated that the utility has incorporated the plant's output into the grid and made payments based on Trung Nams operating licence. EVN also acknowledged the excess capacity and committed to resolving the matter once formal regulations are established. The utility added that it is continuing to work with relevant authorities to address Trung Nams challenges. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City requires companies to submit new work permit applications after previous applications have been completed. That is, rolling applications are not allowed to be submitted and reviewed. This has caused significant delays in bringing foreign employees into Vietnam. "Among the cities and provinces we know, Ho Chi Minh City is the only place that requires applying for a work permit in batches. In fact, how often or when a business needs to apply for a work permit depends on their own business needs. We need to react faster so we can get through the approval process. The current batch approval policy creates backlogs and additional challenges for the business," Nike explained in its list of recommendations list sent to Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. Another issue concerns the recruitment process. In Ho Chi Minh City, businesses are required to interview three candidates selected by and report the result to Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs. According to Nike, this requirement poses a number of challenges. First, for the competent authority, it creates a large backlog and workload for public officials, and it is a challenge to find the right employees to evaluate thousands of different job requests across many fields, many of which are certainly beyond the understanding and knowledge of one employee. Second, on the business side, it is delaying the recruitment process, and the recruitment company can no longer recruit the people they judge to be the most suitable for the job. "Posting job advertisements through the government portal is required by law to encourage the recruitment of local talent, which is the right thing to do. However, in other provinces that we know, they are following Decree No.70/2023/ND-CP without adding the requirement that businesses must interview three candidates selected by competent authorities and report the interview results to competent authorities," Nike said. Meanwhile, KPMG's list stated that according to the provisions of Decree No.152/2020/ND-CP, foreign workers who are not subject to work permits include, "Students at foreign schools and training centres abroad with internship agreements in agencies, organisations, and businesses in Vietnam." According to the provisions of Article 59 of the Law on Higher Education No.08/2012/QH13, learners are people who are studying and doing scientific research at higher education institutions, including programmes for students of college and university training, and masters and PhD students. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs believes that students do not include students of master's training and graduate students of doctoral training courses, meaning they cannot request a certificate of exemption from work permission while in the reality, these subjects can still have internship agreements in Vietnamese agencies, organisations, and businesses. "We recommend that this situation is reconsidered so students of the master's training and graduate students of the doctoral training programmes can be granted work permit exemption certificates like other students," KPMG added. However, up to now, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) has stopped receiving applications but both Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs have not yet begun to receive and process these applications. It is recommended that the committee and the department should coordinate to resolve this issue as soon as possible because there are many urgent documents from businesses that need to be submitted. In the neighbouring province of Binh Duong, VBF's Human Resources Working subgroup also pointed out that the local Department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs does not recognise the working format and description of directors, executive directors, experts and technicians as prescribed in Decree 152. In other cities and provinces, this format is used by businesses when assigning an employee to work for a branch of the same company, which is not the parent company of the Vietnamese legal entity and therefore that is not considered an internal transfer under Vietnamese law, according to the subgroup. The delegation held extensive discussions with Golden Gate Groups leadership on expanding the portfolio of US products in the Vietnamese market. The talks covered food safety standards, advanced quality control processes, and emerging trends in the food and culinary sectors. The visit also opened new avenues for trade collaboration, laying the groundwork for future import-export growth. Golden Gate CEO Dao The Vinh revealed the companys ambition to bring Vietnamese cuisine to the global stage, particularly to the US. "Weve long had plans to launch a chain of pho restaurants internationally, as we see growing demand from global consumers eager to experience authentic Vietnamese food," Vinh stated. However, this vision comes with its own challenges, such as establishing a reliable supply chain and overcoming the difficulties of packaging and exporting their signature pho broth. Vinh also noted that while pho has gained recognition abroad, the Vietnamese diaspora - its primary consumer base - remains relatively small compared to the Chinese and Japanese communities. "When it comes to global presence, pho has yet to achieve the visibility of Japanese ramen or Chinese cuisine," Vinh remarked. He believes that it will take time for pho to gain greater prominence on the world culinary map, and as such, Golden Gate has not yet committed to a specific timeline for this expansion. Golden Gate is not alone in these efforts. Earlier brands like Pho 24 and Pho Thin have ventured overseas but struggled to make a significant impact. Meanwhile, Golden Gate has begun laying the groundwork for an international pho chain with the trial launch of its Pho Inn brand in Hanoi. The company remains confident in Pho Inns potential success abroad, though it acknowledges that this is still an experimental phase. "We dont have a concrete plan yet. Golden Gates approach is to rigorously test before rolling out long-term strategies," Vinh emphasised. I believe that with the strong determination of the government, some necessary regulatory decisions and approvals can be achieved within the next 3-6 months. They may include the amended Electricity Law, the pilot mechanism for OSW development, the implementation plan of the national Marine Spatial Planning with clearer details for OSW development, and policies and procedures to allow offshore survey activities to commence. Stuart Livesey, chief representative, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners in Vietnam Additionally, under the Electricity Law and the pilot mechanism, the government should be enabled to assign developers (state-owned enterprises such as PetroVietnam and Vietnam Electricity) to implement the first offshore projects. Based on these proposals, there is the need to give state-owned enterprises a mandate to select and utilise competent international partners that have experience and appropriate funds to deliver OSW ventures. With the progress in the legal framework, it is expected that the first OSW projects in Vietnam, including the pilot and the export project, can be kicked off with specific progress within the next one year, and top-down decisions and specific pilot mechanisms need to focus on enabling this. As with other countries that have started their OSW journey, there is no need to have a fully prescriptive and detailed regulatory framework in place. Pilot projects delivered under basic regulations can be used as a learning mechanism to develop more detailed regulatory procedures and also seek to encourage a competitive auction-based approach for the second and third rounds of offshore schemes. Regarding the local supply chain, some suppliers are planning to invest in Vietnam in new factories to produce important components for OSW construction such as wind turbine towers and monopiles. We have seen strong signals from those who are delivering offshore infrastructure for other markets, and there is additional potential which should be utilised or Vietnams offshore ventures in a cost-competitive market. This is a positive signal, demonstrating local suppliers being prepared for Vietnams future OSW projects. Firstly, there should be a priority to pass the amended Electricity Law with approval from the National Assembly in the October sitting, enabling a format for pilot projects to be established uniquely, while more detailed and well-considered regulatory frameworks are established for the second and third round of ventures to be delivered in the mid-2030s, potentially. Secondly, we expect the pilot mechanism to be issued towards the end of 2024, allowing state-owned enterprises to cooperate with foreign investors to develop the first OSW initiatives in Vietnam. We should not expect a complete legal system for OSW right from the start many other markets have instigated a special mechanism to allow new energy industries to commence. It would be useful for Vietnam to initially utilise a flexible legal system that can evolve based on the progress and implementation of the pilot projects, similar to how Vietnams oil and gas industry began at its early stages. Thirdly, appropriate offtake mechanisms with a rate of return based on a fixed feed-in tariff or set internal rate of return would enable investors to commit at the start of the industry when risks and uncertainties are high these can be assessed then in relation to the revenue that will be generated while selling the electricity. For foreign investors, they expect Vietnam to soon develop incentive mechanisms to encourage investment in the OSW industry. Specific electricity prices should be determined before financial close, after the investors finalise the total investment and have time to engage with suppliers to get final costs for the infrastructure and logistics involve, to encourage the developers to implement the projects on schedule to enjoy price incentives. It is important to recognise that the benefits such schemes will provide in terms of economic stimulus to the supply chain and work force in Vietnam. Tier 1 suppliers for foundations, offshore substations, wind turbine towers and more can all benefit directly, and Tier 2-3 suppliers will also see a boost. Measures for offshore wind must be carried out rapidly Vietnams ambition to achieve 6GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 is increasingly adrift, with not enough work carried out on legalities and developer support. Doosan Vina and Marubeni team up for offshore wind power Doosan Enerbility Vietnam (Doosan Vina) has entered into an agreement with Japans Marubeni Corporation to jointly develop offshore wind power in Vietnam. Progress demanded for offshore wind The Ministry of Industry and Trade has proposed that two state-owned energy corporations or military-run units be selected to develop offshore wind power projects, although the sector is still struggling with complex processes. Norways Equinor pulls out of Vietnams offshore wind market Norway's state-controlled energy giant Equinor ASA has pulled out of Vietnam's offshore wind sector and shut down its Hanoi office. Renowned as one of the largest conference series for real estate and hospitality professionals in Vietnam and the region, MTE Hanoi will take place on at the Melia Hotel in the capital. Hosted by Savills Hotels and supported by leading industry partners, the event is expected to attract more than 30 speakers from Vietnam and beyond, along with over 450 senior representatives from developers, hotel owners and operators, architects, design consultants, project consultants, and industry experts. The agenda will include presentations and panel discussions on various topics such as Vietnam and regional market updates, growth prospects, sustainability and its practical applications, rebranding trends in the luxury segment, insights on branded residences, and key elements of project branding. Furthermore, speakers will discuss and share their perspectives on wellness and luxury elements in real estate and hospitality projects, as well as many other prominent topics. The conference aims to strengthen connections, create collaboration opportunities, and provide valuable insights to hotel owners, developers, and industry partners, empowering them to seize opportunities and prepare for a new cycle in the real estate and hospitality markets. In the first half of this year, Vietnam's tourism industry continued its recovery, driven by a rebound in international demand. Additionally, the enforcement of new real estate laws is expected to foster a more sustainable growth cycle in the real estate and hospitality sectors. MTE Hanoi 2024 highlights include: Local and Global hotel outlook (Bousserind Comson - director of Hotel Intelligence - Asia-Pacific, HotStats) The world in front of us: The Economy and Real estate outlook (Representative from Leading Financial Institution) Mixed-use buildings and The integration of hotels: Exploring the trends (Mauro Gasparotti - director, Savills Hotels and founder, WeHub) The rise of lifestyle hotels: A Radisson Red case study (Ramzy Fenianos - chief development officer, Asia-Pacific, Radisson Hotel Group) The Panel Discussion on Vietnam's hospitality market will cover: The luxury glamping and the plug-and-play strategy for hospitality projects (Michael Sagild - co-founder and president, Cloud Collective) Sustainable lifestyle resorts: Case studies from Ubud, Bali (Andrew Richard Frost - founder and general director, Dark Horse Architecture) Hearing from the Thai leader: Integrating wellness into residential development (Marciano Birjmohun - senior VP, Business Development, Magnolia Quality Development) How to get your hotels and branded residences in the spotlight: The art of storytelling (David Johnson - CEO, Delivering Asia Communications and Giang Ha - Country Head, Vietnam, Delivering Asia Communications) Branded residences global trends: Brand premiums, brand leaders and emerging hotspot (Rico Picenoni - head Of Global Residential Development Consultancy, Savills) A closer look at luxury retail brands in mixed-use buildings (Minh Hoang - senior director, Commercial Leasing, Savills Hanoi) Real estate leaders chat on the property sector: Luxury residential, second homes and branded villas And many other engaging topics. MTE Hanoi 2024 Event speakers The event prioritises developers, hotel owners, and senior industry partners. Event attendees need to have a confirmation email and QR code provided by the event organiser to check in at the event. Inquire to attend now: https://meettheexpertsevents.com/event/registration/ For more information about the event, please contact: Ms.Thi via Thi@wehubyou.com Embracing development of hospitality and real estate in Vietnam At Vietnams largest hospitality and real estate conference titled Meet the Experts 2022 on November 10, analysts and businesses exchanged crucial information and openly discussed the evolution of and barriers to the countrys real estate and hospitality markets. Hospitality and real estate experts to share their views Since the end of 2022, Vietnams hospitality and real estate sector has experienced numerous challenges. Despite this, industry experts remain quite optimistic about the potential of the market and new opportunities ahead. Meet the Experts reenergises hospitality and real estate market The recovery path of the real estate and hospitality sector has turned out to be more challenging than initially expected, marked by an ever-changing landscape. The aid will be channelled through New Zealands NGO disaster response partners active in Vietnam and UN agencies in Vietnam, focusing on emergency response and livelihood restoration. In a letter to Vietnams Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bui Thanh Son, New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Winston Peters wrote, "The New Zealand government conveys its deepest condolences to the victims of Typhoon Yagi in Northern Vietnam. The thoughts of all New Zealanders are with the people affected and the emergency services staff at the forefront of the ongoing response. New Zealand looks forward to leveraging the various strands of our relationship to strengthen Vietnams recovery and future resilience to such catastrophic events." Caroline Beresford, New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam, said, "New Zealand stands in solidarity with the Vietnamese government and people during this extremely challenging time. We hope our support will swiftly reach those in need to help affected communities rebuild their lives." Yagi was the most powerful typhoon in the past 30 years, and the most powerful to hit mainland Vietnam in 70 years. The super typhoon and its aftermath have wreaked havoc across northern Vietnam. As of September 15, 330 people are reported to be dead or missing, an estimated 800 people are injured following widespread floods, landslides, and falling trees. The initially estimated economic damage has reached VND40 trillion ($1.6 trillion). New Zealand Trade and Enterprise partners with major retailers to bring premium products to Vietnam New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) is working with leading retailers AEON and Lotte to offer New Zealand-produced food and beverages to millions of Vietnamese consumers. New Zealand and Vietnam to strengthen ties New Zealand and Vietnam are focused on strengthening cooperation by making progress on mutually beneficial opportunities. Vietnam very important to New Zealand: Deputy PM Winston Peters New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters emphasised the importance that New Zealand attaches to the Southeast Asian nation in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on the occasion of his official visit to Vietnam on June 5-6, during which he co-chaired the second Vietnam-New Zealand Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Typhoon Yagi estimated to cause $1.6 billion in damage for Vietnam An estimated $1.6 billion in damages has been incurred due to Typhoon Yagi, with a projected 0.15 per cent reduction in Vietnams GDP for 2024. The draft amendment is seen by businesses as encompassing diverse regulations that aim to establish a competitive and transparent electricity market, diversify ownership models and business methods, and encourage investment in renewable sources such as wind and solar power. Installed rooftop solar panels at a workshop space in Dong Nai province "We are pleased that some of our suggestions have been acknowledged and included in this fifth draft. We agree with the revisions, which aim to ensure alignment with current realities and facilitate the development of the local electricity market while addressing ongoing challenges in renewable energy," said Pham Linh Ngan, head of the Secretariat of the Power and Energy Working Group at the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF). Ngan was speaking at a workshop seeking input on amending the Electricity Law draft, hosted by the National Assembly Committee on Science, Technology and Environment in tandem with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in Ho Chi Minh City on September 6. However, many businesses remain concerned about the electricity purchase price with state-owned power authority Vietnam Electricity (EVN). "We need clarification on whether the winning bid price will be the price used to sign the power purchase agreement (PPA) with EVN, or whether the investor will need to renegotiate the price after winning the bid. We believe the winning bid price should be the one used to sign the PPA without further negotiations," Ngan said. Regarding rooftop solar power, although the prime minister has issued Decree No.80/2024/ND-CP concerning direct solar power purchase agreements, specific mechanisms for investors are still lacking. Pham Dang An, deputy general director of Vu Phong Energy Group in Binh Duong, noted that while the latest amendment includes provisions on the wholesale electricity price between third parties, it should also include regulations allowing third-party investors to participate in rooftop solar projects through PPAs. This would help businesses access financing, ease cash flow pressures, and promote renewable energy growth. "This is particularly necessary as businesses look to utilise renewable energy and require flexible financial solutions to achieve green transitions. If a manufacturing company must self-invest and operate its own energy needs, meeting those demands will be difficult," An said. To increase flexibility in electricity trading, Ngan from VBF proposed that in cases where electricity projects have not yet determined a standard electricity selling price, and where power plants engage in direct transactions via their private connection lines, producers and buyers should be free to set their own prices. Many businesses In the southern region investing in rooftop solar power are facing challenges related to grid connection and selling prices. Nguyen Duy Thinh, Project Investment and Development director at SolarBK, a top renewable energy solutions provider in Vietnam, pointed out that the current Electricity Law does not clearly define the concept of connecting to the national power grid. "Despite it being a fundamental concept, there remain different opinions on how to determine whether a project is indirectly or directly connected to the national grid. The Electricity Law needs to clarify this concept," Thinh said. On the issue of grid connection, An from Vu Phong Energy Group suggested that the amended law should specify procedures for connecting rooftop solar power systems to the grid and include safety standards for fire prevention. "Clear regulations will ensure the safety of the national grid, protect investors' rights, and help businesses maximise the benefits from renewable energy projects," An said. In terms of investment in electricity projects, lawyer Cao Tran Nghia from Japanese-backed law firm Nishimura & Asahi Vietnam explained that foreign investors are concerned about the feasibility of funding provisions outlined in the Electricity Law. Nghia suggested that to enhance the creditworthiness of state-owned businesses like EVN, the Compiling Committee might include a government commitment to ensuring the stability of buyers during the execution of power purchase agreements. "This should include addressing EVN's debt obligations to investors, ensuring cash flow stability for both investors and project financiers," Nghia said. Durable electricity supply to be ensured Escalating power consumption has sparked an imperative to boost construction of a transmission line and simultaneously mobilise maximum capacity from coal-fired and gas-to-power plants to ensure adequate electricity supply this summer. Proposed VAT rule pros and cons for digital products In alignment with the current 10-year socioeconomic development strategy in Vietnam, the draft amended VAT law is currently being developed by the Ministry of Finance, which is seeking input from businesses and business associations to finalise the draft in the near future. Phu Quoc International Airport will be used for both civil and military purposes. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi - The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has recently submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Transport on the expansion of the Phu Quoc International Airport in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang to accommodate 18 million passengers per year by 2050. The proposal outlines plans for the airport to be used for both civil and military purposes. According to the plans, which were approved by the Prime Minister in 2023, Phu Quoc airport is expected to expand its capacity to 10 million passengers and 25,000 tonnes of cargo per year by 2030. The proposal also states that over the next five years, the airport will be designated as a 4E-class airport according to International Civil Aviation Organisation standards as well as a level 2 military airport. The airport will have a total of 30 aircraft stands, accommodating aircraft types like the B747, B787, A350 and equivalents. By 2050, the airport's capacity will be increased to 18 million passengers and 50,000 tonnes of cargo per year. During this period, the airport will have 45 aircraft stands (including nine code E and 36 code C stands). The Ministry of Transport evaluates the plans for Phu Quoc International Airport as necessary to ensure synchronisation with overall planning for the national airport system through 2030 as well as with the planning of Kien Giang province. According to statistics from the provincial Department of Tourism, in 2023, Phu Quoc island city welcomed over 5.5 million visitors, an increase of more than 14% compared to 2022. Tourists to Phu Quoc accounted for about 67% of the total number of visitors to Kien Giang. The city's tourism revenue was approximately 13.928 trillion VND (567.45 million USD), an increase of 92.5% compared to 2022. Phu Quoc, Nha Trang among most favourite destinations for Korean tourists Tourists from the Republic of Korea (RoK) are increasingly interested in destinations in Vietnam, according to a survey conducted by Rankify Korea website. Incheon International Airport expands operation to Vietnam The Incheon International Airport Corporation announced on August 8 that it has been selected as a prioritised contractor for the project on consulting services for operation of Vietnam's new Long Thanh International Airport. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (Photo: VNA) Hanoi - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has signed a decision on the organisation of the Steering Committee on formulating the project on building regional and international financial centres. Under the decision, PM Chinh is the head of the committee, and Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung is the deputy head. Besides, members of the committee comprise a deputy minister of the Ministries of Planning and Investment, Finance, Industry and Trade, National Defence, Public Security, Information and Communications, Justice, Natural Resources and Environment, respectively, a deputy governor of the State Bank of Vietnam, a deputy head of the Government Office, the Chairman of the Peoples Committee of Ho Chi Minh City and a Vice Chairman of the Peoples Committee of Da Nang City. The Steering Committee was established in October last year with the task of assisting the Government and Prime Minister in researching, directing and coordinating to address inter-sectoral issues relating to the development of the regional and international financial centre project. Under the project, Vietnam strives to turn Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang city into financial centres in the Asia and the world by 2045. Standard Chartered to aid development of Ho Chi Minh City financial hub During a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai on June 27, group chairman of Standard Chartered Jose Vinals announced the banks commitment to supporting the development of an international financial centre in Ho Chi Minh City. Riverfront Financial Centre a new landmark in Ho Chi Minh City Riverfront Financial Centre has opened in Ho Chi Minh City, becoming the most modern office building in the southern business hub. Hong Kong's expertise to help develop Ho Chi Minh City During his visit to Vietnam from July 31August 2, Hong Kong chief executive John Lee expressed his willingness to share the special administrative region's experience of building a global a financial centre with Ho Chi Minh City. According to the latest report from CleverAds on 2024 mooncake consumption trends, one of the driving forces in the Vietnamese mooncake market is its deep-rooted cultural heritage. Mooncakes are a symbolic delicacy, embodying a distinctive cultural feature and becoming an essential part of the Mid-Autumn Festival for East Asian people, especially in Vietnam, CleverAds said. This cultural element generates strong and steady demand for mooncakes during each festival season. The report also highlighted that in recent years, alongside traditional flavours, innovative varieties such as green tea, chocolate, cheese, coffee, and assorted fruits have gained popularity, sparking a new trend in the market. "The introduction of these unique and novel mooncake flavours provides consumers with a more diverse and appealing selection," CleverAds said. Foreigners are fascinated by the traditional cultural story of Vietnamese mooncakes. Photo: Pinterest Additionally, the expansion of Vietnams mooncake market is driven by the rapid growth of e-commerce. This not only saves consumers time but also broadens the market for mooncake businesses by connecting them with a larger customer base. The rise of e-commerce has shifted consumer buying habits towards online shopping. Consumers can now purchase mooncakes via websites, social media, and e-commerce platforms, the report said. This trend has created new business opportunities, particularly for smaller companies, by making it easier to draw in and engage potential customers. Ali Akbar Nazari, Ambassador of Iran to Vietnam, told VIR, Nations such as Thailand have baked mooncakes like in Vietnam, but they dont have sticky rice mooncakes. This kind of mooncake is soft and has a snow skin, quite different from other types. In my view, Vietnamese mooncakes offer a more diverse range of fillings, flavours, and shapes. He also emphasised that Vietnamese mooncakes are much more than a sweet treat. Mooncakes symbolise cultural identity, family unity, and the joy of sharing. Last year, my Vietnamese friends gave my family a box of mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival. When my daughter travelled abroad, she took a mooncake as a gift for a friend. This act of giving fosters a sense of community and goodwill, reflecting Vietnams culture of sharing and generosity, he said. Amy Williams, a freelance model from London who has celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam several times, shared her insights on mooncakes in Vietnamese culture. Ive been living in Vietnam for three years, and every year, mooncakes are a must in our home, something we enjoy sharing together, Williams told VIR. After tasting both Vietnamese and Hong Kong mooncakes, Williams found similarities in texture and flavour. However, she said the variety and cultural significance of Vietnamese mooncakes set them apart. From a mooncake sellers perspective, a representative from Ca Ke, a bakery in Hanoi's Old Quarter, said that curiosity about traditional Vietnamese culture was a key factor in attracting foreign customers. Foreigners often show a keen interest in the traditional aspects of mooncakes, the Ca Ke representative said. They ask about the traditional ingredients and the unique flavours of Vietnamese mooncakes. Many are eager to purchase these delicacies as a way to explore Vietnams cultural specialities. The representative also noted that online platforms have made it easier for foreign customers to explore Vietnamese mooncakes. In addition to visiting our physical store, foreign customers engage with us through online channels like Facebook and Instagram to learn about the different mooncakes we offer. Many international customers also order mooncakes online, taking advantage of the convenience and variety available on digital platforms, the representative said. This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam will be celebrated on September 17. According to a shopping trend report for the 2024 festival, published by CI Research in August, most purchases are made 1-2 weeks before the festival. To meet demand, both traditional bakeries with affordable products and luxury brands with premium offerings launched their 2024 mooncake collections in early August. InterContinental Saigon unveils 2024 collection of premium mooncakes Inspired by the symbolism of the magpie, InterContinental Saigon bids its fondest wishes to guests and loved ones through a vibrant mooncake gift box design. The flood situation in Thailand (Photo: bangkokpost.com) Hanoi - The Global New Light of Myanmar reported on September 15 that as of September 13 evening, flooding and landslides triggered Typhoon Yagi in the country had left 74 and 89 others missing. The Myanmar government announced that more than 235,000 people were left homeless as a result of the typhoon. Official statistics show that floods and landslides have killed nearly 350 people in Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand after Typhoon Yagi swept through the region last weekend. Search and rescue efforts have been still underway. The flood situation in Nong Khai province, northeastern Thailand, continued to worsen as the water level on the Mekong River kept rising due to prolonged heavy rains. Thousands of people have had to face the prospect of their homes being submerged in water and their lives being turned upside down. The Thai authorities have warned that the Mekong Rivers water level could continue to rise in the next days, threatening peoples lives and property. As a result, emergency response measures have been implemented, including evacuating residents and building protective barriers. Thai people are advised to closely monitor weather and flood updates and prepare necessary items to deal with emergencies. In Laos, on September 14, the Mekong River's water level continued rising. Authorities of Vientiane capital have issued a notice to people in low-lying areas to prepare response plans in all situations, saying that protecting people's lives is always the top priority. VBSP working with local leaders in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi In response to the severe damage caused by Typhoon Yagi, and following directives from Vietnam Bank for Social Policies' (VBSP) leadership and the Vietnam Fatherland Fronts call for support for those affected, VBSPs Trade Union has donated VND500 million ($20.8 million). Insurance companies can regain customer trust The massive claims faced by insurance firms due to the impact of the storm presents an opportunity for the industry to rebuild their reputation and earn customer trust after a period of crisis. According to the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA), the export volume of many spices to the United States and China has risen. Between January and September, Vietnam had exported almost 184,000 tonnes of pepper, including nearly 163,000 tonnes of black and around 21,000 tonnes of white pepper. This represented a 43 per cent increase in export turnover, bringing the total pepper export value to over $881 million, with black pepper accounting for $754 million and white pepper contributing the remaining $127 million. With average export prices for black pepper slightly over $4,700 per tonne and white pepper at $6,326 per tonne, an on-year increase of $1,270 and $1,371 per tonne, respectively, the VPSA representative stated that the industry's goal of reaching $1 billion in exports in 2024 is entirely achievable. Hoang Thi Lien, chairwoman of the VPSA, said, "The US is a major market and the top importer of Vietnamese pepper, particularly following Brazils crop failure, which has provided Vietnam's pepper industry with all the factors needed to achieve its goals." Vietnam exported 8,800 tonnes of chilli in the first eight months of this year, with a turnover exceeding over $21 million, up over 6 per cent in volume and almost 35 per cent in value on-year. This significant growth is highlighted by the fact that in 2023, chilli exports totalled $20 million for more than 10,000 tonnes, an increase of 107 per cent over 2022. In the first eight months of this year, chilli exports have already surpassed last years figures. The main export markets for chilli are China, accounting for just under 84 per cent of the share with 7,377 tonnes, a slight decrease compared to the same period last year. Laos ranks second with 970 tonnes, up 48 per cent, followed by the US with 163 tonnes, a more than 140 per cent increase versus last year. Regarding cinnamon, by the end of August 2024, Vietnam exported almost 63,000 tonnes, generating $177 million in revenue, up 1.7 per cent from a year earlier. Vietnam is one of the world's top spice exporters, with annual exports of around $1.5 billion, accounting for half of the global spice supply. Vietnamese spices are currently exported to 125 countries. Phan Minh Thong, chairman of Phuc Sinh Group, believes that for Vietnam's spice industry to continue its growth, manufacturers must focus on raw material quality, food safety, and methods regarding environmental, social, and governing standards. "To conquer demanding markets, pepper is moving towards deep processing with products like freeze-dried pepper, pepper sauce, or pepper powder, while other spices are opting for fully processed natural products," Thong said. Vietnam aims for $3.5 billion in durian exports in 2024 Vietnam is aiming to export $3.5 billion worth of durian in 2024, as the fruit continues to dominate the country's overseas fruit and vegetable shipments. Vietnam set to boost agricultural exports to China Vietnam in the first six months of this year harvested a bumper crop from its agro-forestry-fishery exports to China which is now its largest buyer in this sector. WATERLOO A Minnesota man with a history of burglarizing ethnic businesses has been sentenced to prison for breaking into a Waterloo restaurant in 2023. Richard Lee Holston, 44, of St. Paul, pleaded guilty to third-degree burglary and second-degree theft and on Wednesday was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Court records allege Holston and Najee Bilal Abdullah, 34, also of St. Paul, broke into La Placita Mexican Store at 321 W. 4th St. in the early morning hours of April 5, 2023, taking some $2,400 and causing more than $2,000 in damage. A traffic camera helped trace the getaway car to Abdullahs relative, and officers in Eagle Grove stopped the vehicle and found both men inside wearing clothing they wore during the burglary and a prybar, court records state. Abudallah pleaded to similar charges in November 2023 and was sentenced to up to five years in prison. Shortly after the Waterloo burglary, the two were also arrested for breaking into the El Valle Grocery in Hampton, the Rositas Market in Ames, Yatzary Mexi-Tiendita in Des Moines, the Acapulco Mexican Bakery in Keokuk, and the El Azul grocery store in North Liberty. They were also allegedly linked to other burglaries across the Midwest, according to court records. The pair was also charged in a string of business burglaries in the Twin Cities in 2019. The cities with the most break-ins and burglaries Cities With the Most Break-Ins / Burglaries Over the past decade burglary and larceny rates have declined Daytime break-ins of homes are most common Southern states experience the most property crime Small and midsize cities with the most burglaries 15. Dallas, TX 14. Houston, TX 13. Las Vegas, NV 12. Columbus, OH 11. Minneapolis, MN 10. Milwaukee, WI 9. Wichita, KS 8. Kansas City, MO 7. Oklahoma City, OK 6. Bakersfield, CA 5. Seattle, WA 4. Baltimore, MD 3. Detroit, MI 2. Tulsa, OK 1. Memphis, TN SEATTLE (AP) Boeing plans to freeze hiring and reduce travel and is considering temporary layoffs to save cash during a factory workers strike that began last week, the company told employees Monday. The company said the moves, which include reduced spending on suppliers, were necessary because our business is in a difficult period. Chief Financial Officer Brian West detailed 10 immediate cutbacks in a memo to employees. They include a freeze on hiring across all levels, pausing pay increases for managers and executives who get promoted, and stopping all travel that isnt critical. We are also considering the difficult step of temporary furloughs for many employees, managers and executives in the coming weeks, West said. Boeing's business is in a difficult spot, he said, adding: This strike jeopardizes our recovery in a significant way. About 33,000 workers represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers began a strike early Friday. The walkout came after workers rejected an offer of a 25% increase in pay over four years. The union originally sought a pay hike of at least 40%. Representatives of the company and the union are scheduled to meet Tuesday with federal mediators. The union has started to survey its members to learn what they want most in a new contract. Striking workers are picketing at several locations around Washington state, Oregon and California. Outside Boeing's huge factory in Everett, Washington, Nancie Browning, a materials-management specialist at Boeing for more than 17 years, said last weeks offer was worse than the one that prompted a two-month strike in 2008. She said that without annual bonuses that workers have come to depend on, the proposed pay increase was more like 9%, not 25%. We just want a piece of the pie like everybody else, she said. Why should we work all this overtime and bust our backs while these guys (Boeing executives) are sitting sitting up in their suites just raking in the cash? The bonuses have emerged as a flash point for union members. Workers say they range from $3,000 to $5,000 a year. Boeing says it is hard to calculate bonuses in a way that is fair to 33,000 people who perform different jobs. So instead, the company proposes to ditch the payouts and replace them with automatic contributions of $4,160 per year to each employees 401(k) retirement account. Workers are bitter that in contract extensions over the past 16 years, Boeing ended its traditional pension plan and lowered health care benefits. We want our pension back, said Jacob Bustad, a machinist with Boeing for 14 years who was also on the picket line in Everett. We just keep losing and we never gain, while the people at the top just get more and more money. Boeing has done really good for me and my family, but these last years have been hard." Boeing has lost more than $25 billion since the start of 2019, and burned through $4.3 billion in the second quarter of 2024 alone as it stood poised to post another money-losing year. The strike will delay deliveries of new planes, which are an important source of cash for the company. Stephanie Pope, the head of Boeings commercial-airplanes division, cited the companys $60 billion in total debt in urging blue-collar workers to accept the contract offer last week. She called it the best offer Boeing had ever made and endorsed by the union's local president and negotiators. But workers rejected the recommendation of their own leaders, which had not happenedsince 1995. Additional cost-cutting moves spelled out in the chief financial officer's memo included eliminating first- and business-class service for anyone on travel that is deemed critical, and stopping spending on outside consultants. West also said Boeing plans to make significant reductions in supplier expenditures and will stop most supplier purchase orders related to the 737, 767 and 777 airplane models. After the strike started, Moodys put Boeing on review for a possible credit downgrade, and Fitch said a strike longer than two weeks would make a downgrade more likely. Both agencies rate Boeing debt one notch above non-investment or junk status. Koenig reported from Dallas. The recent growth in fraud has been meteoric, and government, industry and advocates must work together to better protect consumers and support victims, AARP fraud expert Kathy Stokes told Capitol Hill lawmakers on Thursday. When considering fraud that goes unreported, the Federal Trade Commission estimated the cost of fraud at $137 billion in 2022, Stokes testified before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. That is far higher than the $9 billion in losses reported that year. Members only While data suggests that younger adults report fraud theft more often than older victims, the financial impact on older adults can be catastrophic, said Stokes, director of fraud prevention for the AARP Fraud Watch Network. Criminals defrauded Americans 60 and older out of $3.4 billion in 2023, according to FBI figures. These victims are financially ruined. They experience emotional and health impacts often, she said. Their families are torn apart, and many once-financially secure, hardworking Americans are left to rely on government safety nets. Learn How AARP is Fighting for You AARP is your fierce defender on the issues that matter to people 50-plus. Read more about how we fight for you every day in Congress and across the country. Technology makes it easier for criminals Stokes echoed concerns shared in testimony last week by Amy Nofziger, the AARP Fraud Watch Networks director of victim support. Nofziger, in a Sept. 12 hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, said technology is making it easier for criminals to prey on older adults. It operates 24/7 in our homes and through these devices that we carry in our pockets, Nofziger said. One of the biggest impacts is the speed at which criminals can access peoples money. Cryptocurrency ATMs, for example, are increasingly used as a payment method of choice for criminals because they offer a quick and usually irreversible way to get their hands on someones cash.. Nofziger said the financial devastation is only part of the story. Through her work with the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline, which provides support to victims, Nofziger told lawmakers she has witnessed the emotional and physical toll scams and fraud can have on older adults and their families. She shared the story of a healthy woman who became ill and died four months after she learned she lost her life savings in a romance scam. ...: ... Asymmetrique, a Mumbai-based marketing solutions company, proudly announces its dual victory at the prestigious 13th ACEF Asian Leaders Conference & Awards held at Taj Lands End in Mumbai. It was honoured with a Gold award in the "Best Use of Long Form Video" and a Silver award in the "Best Cause Related Communication Campaign" categories for its groundbreaking work on Tata Mutual Fund's "Jab Life Maange More" campaign. The award-winning campaign "Jab Life Maange More" was designed to elevate investor education and inspire action among potential investors by addressing the financial literacy gap in India. A recent survey highlighted by the New Indian Express reveals that while 27% of Indians possess elementary financial literacy, only 4.2% have advanced financial literacy skills. This gap is particularly concerning in urban India, where a rapidly growing middle class aspires to achieve financial security and independence. By tapping into the insights related to the common life goals of urban Indians, Asymmetrique created the "Jab Life Mange More, Badho Mutual Funds Ki Ore" campaign and successfully engaged over 6 million individuals, resulting in a remarkable increase in generating organic interest in the brands mutual fund services, paving the way for greater financial literacy and inclusion among Indian households, ultimately transforming their investment habits and attitudes towards mutual funds. This initiative not only enhances individual financial security but also contributes to the overall economic growth of the country by mobilizing savings into productive investments. Asymmetrique is honoured to be recognized at the ACEF Asian Business Leadership Awards, said Nitin Gupta, CEO and MD of Asymmetrique. As urban India experiences the next wave of investment opportunities and access to investor education programs, its imperative that we engage and impact customers at a deeper, actionable level. This was precisely the sentiment that saw us creating a content ecosystem and the campaign for Tata Mutual Funds Desh Kare Nivesh IP. This recognition not only celebrates our innovative approach to content creation and IP amplification but also underscores our commitment to driving meaningful change in the financial sector. The Jab Life Maange More campaign has set a new benchmark in how investor education campaigns can trigger action, and we are thrilled to have achieved this for millions of Indians and our client." Asymmetrique has established a track record of delivering impactful campaigns that drive real results. By combining strategic creative flair with data-driven precision, the company has consistently pushed the boundaries of growth-focused marketing, earning accolades and driving success for its clients across industries. Also Read: Asymmetrique secures Full-Funnel Marketing Mandate for Kirtilals Vadodara, India-based typeface designer Shaily Patel is among the talented young finalists from 18 countries in The One Club for Creativitys prestigious Young Guns 22 competition, celebrating global creative professionals age 30 or younger. Young Guns is the industrys only global, cross-disciplinary, portfolio-based awards competition that identifies and celebrates todays vanguard of young creatives. This years entries were judged by a diverse jury of 101 creatives many of whom are past YG winners from 45 countries. The complete list of Young Guns 22 finalists can be viewed here. This years winners will be announced on October 30, 2024, and celebrated at a special in-person party on November 13, 2024 at Sony Hall in New York. All Young Guns winners receive a unique version of the iconic Young Guns Cube, designed exclusively for this years incoming class, and have their permanent profile page added to the Young Guns website. Winners also receive a complimentary one-year One Club for Creativity membership, permanent membership in the Young Guns network, a chance to be featured in Young Guns events and an assortment of career-boosting opportunities from Young Guns sponsors. Program branding and design of the YG Cube award itself is reimagined each year by a past Young Guns winner. This years YG22 branding was created by renowned New York-based designer, illustrator, muralist, and author Timothy Goodman (YG7). Levine/ Leavitt Artist In Residence Award For the 10th consecutive year, international artists management agency and Young Guns sponsor Levine/ Leavitt will bestow one talented winner with the Artist In Residence Award. The honour, presented annually at the YG celebration, goes to a newly crowned Young Gun whose body of work truly stands out, as judged by an advisory board of industry professionals across a range of disciplines. The winner receives a full year of professional development, guidance and mentorship from Levine/ Leavitt to help advance their career. The One Club for Creativity , home of The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE), ONE Asia Creative Awards, Type Directors Club and competition, TDC Ascenders, Young Guns, Young Ones Student Awards, Next Creative Leaders, ONE Screen Short Film Festival, and more, is the worlds foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the global creative community. Revenue generated from entries to its global awards shows goes back into the industry to fund programming under the organizations four pillars: Education, Inclusion & Diversity, Gender Equality, and Creative Development. Also Read: KRAFTON India onboards Deepika Padukone as brand ambassador for BGMI JSW MG Motor India has officially unveiled MG Select, a new channel brand targeting the burgeoning 'accessible luxury' car market in India. This new venture aims to cater to new-age consumers seeking exclusivity through premium products and an elevated customer experience. Set to redefine luxury, MG Select will establish exclusive experience centres in 12 major cities across India as part of its first phase. These centres will offer a range of high-end vehicles, primarily focusing on New Energy Vehicles (NEVs), including plug-ins, hybrids, and electric vehicles (EVs). The company plans to launch a luxury car portfolio with four vehicles over the next two years, with the first model expected to debut in Q1 of 2025. Gaurav Gupta, Chief Growth Officer at JSW MG Motor India, remarked: The traditional concept of 'purchasing' is evolving, and Indian consumers are increasingly gravitating towards accessible luxury. MG Select aims to position itself as a key player by offering a distinctive experience that resonates with new-age customers aspiring for premium brands. The curated experience at MG Select will blend culture, hospitality, sustainability, innovation, and craftsmanship, reimagining luxury. MG Selects focus on innovation and sustainability will drive its product lineup, catering to the modern, eco-conscious luxury consumer. Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind president Maulana Mahmood Madani has said, all state Waqf Boards and Central Waqf Council should be elected bodies like the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee. His remark comes in the wake of the Waqf Amendment Bill which is before a Joint Parliamentary Committe. Replying to questions from Rajat Sharma in the iconic television show 'Aap Ki Adalat' that was telecasted on India TV, Maulana Madani said: "We want, Muslims of India should form their Waqf Board on the lines of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. At present the government nominates people of its choice to the Waqf Boards. By bringing the Waqf Amendment Bill, the government, instead of improving the working of Waqf Boards, is trying to make it worse." On Minorities Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju's claim that the Centre had drafted the Waqf Amendment Bill after studying the Sachchar Commission and earlier JPC reports, and after consulting lakhs of people, Maulana Madani replied: "That is his claim. Our stand is that no consultation was made. There is a process for consultation and it is an open process. Our view is that there must be consultations and the Waqf Board should be formed like the SGPC. We are already giving our views to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, and if required, we will go to the streets too, in a democratic manner." On UP Sunni Waqf Board's claim that the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra is a waqf property, the Maulana said: "If the land on which Taj Mahal is built is waqf land, then it belongs to Waqf Board, but it is controlled by Archaeological Survey of India. There are many such waqf properties which is in possession of both sides. Let us think with an open mind. This land is not going to China or Nepal to a country which I do not want to name. We Muslims are being portrayed as if we have come from another world. At the time of Partition, Muslims in India were given options, and we chose India. For Indian Muslims, there is no other better place to live than India." HALAL CERTIFICATION Maulana Mahmood Madani, who also heads the Jamiat Ulama Hind Halal Trust, also spoke about the controversy surrounding Halal certified products. He said, "If we are asked to stop Halal certification, we will stop doing it today, right now. We are ready. 'Aaj, abhi band kar dengey'. We are not earning much from this, and are facing insults (beizzati). We are being made the butt of jokes (mazaak udaya ja raha hai)." The Maulana explained, "it was the Ministry of Food Processing, different government departments, ISO and more than 50 importing countries, which wanted Halal certification of products, and we were approached, and a Halal certification system was developed with their advice. We did not set Halal conditions, the conditions were set by the importing countries. You want to export food products and yet you are objecting. This cannot go together. You stop Halal certification. I have no problem. It was not we who set up this organisation. It was set up after much 'khushaamad' (requests). Importing countries were complaining that products coming from India were not Halal certified. We are only helping our government departments." On Halal cerfication, he said, the UP STF (Special Task Force) questioned him for two days and again for another two days. "Others were also summoned but they did not appear for questioning because of exemption granted by Supreme Court. I too had SC exemption, but I chose to answer questions." Maulana Madani said, "even toothpaste and water has to be Halal certified, because we have to check whether gelatin, made from animal bones, or animal fat is used or whether 'naa-pak' (unholy) substances are used while treating water." ON MODI On Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Maulana said, "We may disagree with his policies, but if our Prime Minister gets honours and respect in any foreign country, I consider it an honour for our country. We disagree with his policies, but if anybody tries to bring disrespect (beizzati) to our Prime Minister, we are ready to sacrifice our life, we will fight. I do praise Narendra Modi at some forums, but also criticize him at some other forums." On why some leaders on foreign soil criticize Prime Minister Modi by saying that atrocities are being commited on Muslims, Maulana Madani said: "Even I will say this. If our problems are not solved, then I will surely cry, here and abroad. I will have to cry. On one hand, media is trying to create a particular perception, and if no efforts are made to correct this by the government, media and civil society, then I will consider this not 'dosti' (friendship) but 'gaddari' (betrayal) for our country. The situation is bad and we should all join hands to improve this." PRAISING MUKHTAR ANSARI Maulana Mahmood Madani had words of fulsome praise for gangster-turned-politician Late Mukhtar Ansari. "I did say he was 'garibon ka masihaa' (prophet of the poor), Please go and ask people in his area. They consider him as a man who helped the poor. It is not because he was a Muslim. Even 80 per cent non-Muslims in his area consider him so. He was truly a man who helped the poor. Please show me one case where he forcibly occupied anybody's property. I can say this with confidence. His brother is now an MP. When people pass away, we normally speak good about them. I never praised him when he was alive." On whether law and order situation in UP has improved after the drive against mafia gangsters by Yogi's government, the Maulana replied: "Government should act strongly to maintain law and order, but there must be a limit to such action. If the limits are crossed, it cannot be justified. Implementation of rules should be the same for all, not in an improper manner. I do not object to taking action against mafia, but I object to crossing limits. You cannot punish a man's parents for his crimes." Shabana Azmi, one of India's most iconic and revered actresses, is celebrating a remarkable 50 years in the film industry. In recognition of her illustrious career, the International Film Festival of South Asia (IFFSA) Toronto 2024 will pay tribute to Azmi during its 13th edition, honouring her extraordinary contributions to cinema. Azmi made her cinematic debut in 1974 with Ankur, a landmark film in Indian parallel cinema. This new-wave movement, characterized by its serious, socially conscious content and neo-realism, garnered significant government support during the 1970s. Azmis powerful portrayal in Ankur quickly established her as one of the leading actresses in this genre, setting the tone for a career marked by exceptional versatility and critical acclaim. Regarded as one of the finest actresses in Indian cinema, Shabana Azmi has earned a multitude of accolades throughout her career. She holds the record for five National Film Awards for Best Actress, an unparalleled achievement that highlights her exceptional talent and commitment to her craft. Additionally, Azmi has received five Filmfare Awards and several international honors, solidifying her reputation as a global cinematic icon. In 1988, she was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honor in India, for her contributions to Indian cinema. The IFFSA Torontos tribute to Shabana Azmi will be a significant moment during the festival, celebrating her half-century-long journey that has shaped the landscape of Indian and international cinema. The festival, which is one of the largest South Asian film festivals in North America, will provide a fitting stage to honor her enduring legacy. Also Read: Ghoomer shines again: Shabana Azmi & Saiyami Kher at Alberta Fest Alpino, the renowned healthy foods brand that gained fame on Shark Tank India, has announced Bollywood icon Shilpa Shetty as its brand ambassador and key investor. This partnership marks a significant milestone for the company, which raised $1.2 million in its maiden funding round, with participation from Paresh Ghelani and other prominent angel investors from Aashar Capital. Alpino has revolutionized the health food industry with its remarkable product range. No other brand has created such a diverse range of products with just one ingredient, Peanuts; making Alpino the worlds only Peanut product Company. Alpino is on a mission to make healthy eating fun and not a burden with its uniquely crafted, protein-rich products. They offer a diverse range of nutritious options, including peanut butter, super rolled oats, super muesli, and the worlds first peanut protein isolate powder and plans to launch over 20 new products in the next two years. As a long-time fan of the brand's signature peanut butter, Shilpa shared her excitement saying "Ive always believed in living a balanced lifestaying healthy, but without stressing over it too much. Alpino embodies this philosophy perfectly, they truly make healthy eating fun. Their natural peanut butter has been a staple in my home; my kids love it too. Its a brand Ive trusted and enjoyed, so when the opportunity arose to become a part of Alpino, it felt like a natural fit, just like their products." Last year, brand faced a significant setback when a fire at its warehouse in Surat caused losses exceeding 2cr and halted operations for 6 months. However, the company made a strong comeback with the launch of Alpino 2.0, achieving record-breaking revenues and proving its resilience. Fund proceedings will be utilized to boost offline presence, drive international expansion, and fuel product innovation. with a growth rate exceeding 150% this year, Alpinos in-house production capabilities and global reach have positioned it as a market leader. The brand is a top seller on e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart, while also being available at over 6,000 retail touchpoints across India, including major chains like Reliance, Metro Wholesale, and Godrejs Natures Basket. Alpinos products are also available in over 10 countries worldwide. Founded in 2016 by six friends, Chetan Kanani, Hiren Sheta, Umesh Gajera, Priyank Vora, Milan Gopani and Mahatva Sheta they aim to become a 500Cr brand within the next two years. Shilpa Shetty strengthens this commitment & Alpino's mission to make Indias protein-rich nation, without comprising on taste. "We are beyond thrilled to welcome Shilpa Shetty to Alpino," said Chetan, CEO & Co-founder of Alpino Health Foods. Shilpas dedication to transforming India's approach to health and her genuine love for our products make her the ideal face for our brand. Her zestful, fun-loving nature & passion towards fitness aligns perfectly with our brand positioning that healthy eating should be fun & not a burden. We are confident that Shilpas influence will inspire more people to embrace a protein-rich lifestyle." Furthermore, Paresh Ghelani (Board Member at XPRIZE Foundation) who joined the Brand as a key Investor & advisor said As someone deeply committed to innovation and impact, I see Alpino as more than just a brand - its a movement towards healthier living. The founders passion for creating high-quality, accessible nutrition aligns perfectly with my vision of empowering individuals to lead better lives. I am excited to support Alpino in their journey to make healthy eating a fun, enjoyable, and integral part of daily life, not just in India but across the globe. Together, we can drive a significant shift in how people perceive and consume nutrition. Alpino with Shilpa Shetty onboard is committed to bringing their protein-rich products to every kitchen household, making India protein sufficient without compromising on taste or quality. With a shared vision, they strive to make Alpino a household name, championing health and nutrition across the nation. Also Read: Mayank Arya on YesMadams vision to transform the salon-at-home industry in India Ballard Partners, a prominent lobbying firm with offices in Washington, D.C., Florida, and other key areas, has agreed to represent TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned video app. The firm, known for its close ties to Donald Trump and its fundraising efforts on his behalf, will advocate for TikTok's interests in the face of increasing regulatory pressure. In April 2024, President Joe Biden signed a law that would require TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, to divest the app within a year or face a ban in the United States. This legislation was prompted by concerns over ByteDance's connections to the Chinese government and the potential risks to American user data. Trump, who once championed the divestiture of TikTok, has since reversed his stance, arguing that it would benefit Facebook, a company he frequently criticizes. His change of heart may also be influenced by the revelation that a major Republican donor, Jeff Yass, has a significant stake in ByteDance. Leading the Ballard Partners team representing TikTok is Brian Ballard, a prominent Republican fundraiser and a close associate of Trump. He is joined by a team of experienced lobbyists, including Dan McFaul, Michael LaRosa, and Stephen Klopp. Also Read: Box Office Report: South trumps Bollywood again in action-packed first half Leading telecom operator Vi has announced the establishment of a dedicated First Aid Centre to support pilgrims attending the Ambaji Bhadarvi Purnima Mela, held from 12th to 18th September 2024. The centre, located near the Ambaji Temple, is fully equipped with essential medical supplies, first aid kits, and facilities for devotees to rest. A qualified doctor will also be available to provide immediate medical assistance during the week-long religious event. In an effort to enhance the spiritual experience for devotees across the country, Vi is offering exclusive access to Live Darshan from Ambaji Temple through the Vi App and Vi Movies & TV App. From 6 AM to 11 PM each day, Vi customers can view live streaming of the temple rituals, with a recorded telecast available between 11 PM and 6 AM. Speaking on the initiative, Sukanta Das, Cluster Business Head - Gujarat, Vodafone Idea Limited, said: The Annual Ambaji Mela is one of the most auspicious and largest religious gatherings in Gujarat. Vi continues to support local administration to ensure the safety and convenience of pilgrims. Last year, over 1 lakh Vi users watched the Goddess Ambaji Aarti Live through our platform. Additionally, Vi has set up a Digital Experience Zone at the Mela. This zone, equipped with interactive screens, allows visitors to explore the full range of Vis products and services through the Vi App, encouraging users to leverage the digital features. As part of its commitment to empowering users in the digital age, Vi is offering customers with 5G smartphones or new 4G smartphones 130GB of extra data over the course of a year. This bonus data will be automatically credited every 28 days for 13 consecutive recharge cycles. This initiative by Vi underscores the company's dedication to providing both convenience and connectivity to devotees during the Ambaji Mela and beyond. Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Bern, 16.09.2024 - On 17 and 18 October 2024, the Ukraine Mine Action Conference (UMAC2024) will be held at the EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne. The aim of the conference, which is being co-organised with Ukraine, is to highlight the critical importance of humanitarian demining as part of the country's social and economic recovery. The conference by Lake Geneva will bring together representatives from governments, international organisations, humanitarian demining and civil society. Since the war began in February 2022, Ukraine has become one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. It is estimated that almost a quarter of its territory an area more than three times the size of Switzerland is contaminated by mines and other unexploded ordnance of war. Humanitarian demining is a priority for Switzerland, which has long worked at the diplomatic and humanitarian levels to facilitate the reconstruction of Ukraine. This approach is in line with the Lugano Principles, adopted at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in 2022. Responding to humanitarian needs and supporting post-war recovery are key elements in building a just and lasting peace in the country. People, partners, progress: the pillars of the Ukraine Mine Action Conference On 17 and 18 October at the EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, the Ukraine Mine Action Conference will bring together high-level representatives from governments, international organisations, the private sector and the scientific community. The event, which Switzerland is co-organising with Ukraine, will focus on the global aspects of humanitarian demining, highlighting three pillars in particular: people, partners, and progress. The aim is to put the civilian population at the centre of the debate, to highlight the benefits of partnerships and to show how innovation makes mine action safer and more effective. The programme includes a high-level segment on Thursday 17 October, followed by a technical, expert-level segment on Friday 18 October. Switzerland will be represented by the President of the Confederation, Viola Amherd, who will open the conference, and by the head of the FDFA, Ignazio Cassis. UMAC2024 will also be attended by British photographer Giles Duley, a landmine survivor and the UN Global Advocate for persons with disabilities in conflict situations. His photo exhibition 'The Things They Carried: Objets dMort' opens the day before the conference begins, and aims to raise awareness of the devastating and long-term effects of war. The exhibition, supported by the FDFA, will be open to the public at Photo Elysee in Lausanne's Plateforme 10 museum hub until 31 October. Swiss support for humanitarian demining in Ukraine and around the world Since February 2022, the federal government has implemented various measures to support those affected by the war in Ukraine and allocated around 3.7 billion Swiss francs. Last year the Federal Council approved 100 million francs for a period of four years, earmarked exclusively for humanitarian demining in Ukraine. Thanks to its long-standing presence on the ground, Switzerland can provide direct and effective support in cooperation with partners such as the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) and the Fondation suisse de deminage (FSD). Humanitarian demining experts are currently active in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions, checking and clearing contaminated areas. Switzerland also supports an assistance programme for mine victims and smallholder farmers who are currently unable to work their fields. In line with its humanitarian tradition, Switzerland has particular experience in the field of mine action and has been engaged in mine clearance worldwide for over 30 years. Under the Action Plan on Mine Action for 2023-26, Switzerland supports the implementation of the relevant conventions, provides assistance and specialised personnel for the clearance of contaminated areas, and explores innovative approaches. Address for enquiries FDFA Communication Federal Palace West Wing CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55 E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch Twitter: @SwissMFA Publisher Federal Department of Foreign Affairs https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html General Secretariat DDPS https://www.vbs.admin.ch/ Manish Sisodia to Meet Arvind Kejriwal After Resignation: Speculations Rise Over Next Delhi CM 2 Senior leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Manish Sisodia, is set to meet Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday. This meeting comes just a day after Kejriwal made a significant announcement, declaring his resignation and stepping down from his duties until the public affirms his integrity and honesty. Kejriwals Bold Resignation Move The AAP national convener, Arvind Kejriwal, took the political landscape by storm when he declared that both he and Manish Sisodia would only return to their respective roles as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister once the electorate certifies their integrity. This unexpected step has sparked widespread discussions about the future of Delhis leadership and the AAPs strategy moving forward. The First Meeting Post-Resignation Announcement A senior party official confirmed that this will be the first formal meeting between Kejriwal and Sisodia since the resignation announcement. The meeting will take place at the Chief Ministers official residence in the Civil Lines area of Delhi. Key topics of discussion are expected to include the appointment of the next Chief Minister of Delhi, as Kejriwal has made it clear that an AAP MLA will take over the position temporarily. Possible Successors to Arvind Kejriwal Following his release on bail from Tihar Jail in connection with the excise policy graft case, Kejriwal mentioned that the party has already begun considering potential replacements for the Chief Ministers role. Speculation is rife regarding who might step into this pivotal position. Among the leading contenders are: Sunita Kejriwal, Arvind Kejriwals wife, who has been a strong supporter of the party from behind the scenes. Atishi, a key AAP minister known for her focus on education reforms in Delhi. Gopal Rai, another prominent minister within the party, recognized for his work in labor and employment issues. The Impact of Kejriwals Decision on Delhi Politics Kejriwals resignation has not only created a power vacuum in the Delhi government but has also led to significant public debate. The timing of this announcement, amidst ongoing investigations and legal battles surrounding the excise policy case, raises questions about the political stability in Delhi. AAP supporters and opponents alike are keen to see how this situation unfolds, especially as the party prepares for future elections. Kejriwals decision to step aside temporarily, along with Manish Sisodia, indicates a high level of confidence in their public image and their belief that the people of Delhi will stand by them. What Lies Ahead for AAP and Delhi? As the Aam Aadmi Party navigates this turbulent period, the focus remains on the upcoming meeting between Sisodia and Kejriwal. The outcome of this discussion is likely to shape the future of AAPs governance in Delhi, particularly as the party contemplates who will step into Kejriwals shoes as Chief Minister. With major contenders like Atishi and Gopal Rai in the fray, the decision will be crucial for the partys political strategy. Furthermore, the publics reaction to Kejriwals resignation and his call for validation will play a critical role in the partys future. This move could either strengthen AAPs public mandate or create challenges in the upcoming election cycle. Conclusion In the coming days, the political landscape of Delhi could witness significant shifts depending on the decisions taken in this high-profile meeting. As Manish Sisodia and Arvind Kejriwal sit down to discuss the next steps, the question of who will succeed Kejriwal as Chief Minister remains at the forefront of Delhis political discourse. Whether it is Atishi, Gopal Rai, or an unexpected candidate, the future leadership of Delhi is poised for a major transformation. All eyes will be on the AAP leadership and how they navigate this period of uncertainty while maintaining public trust and delivering on their promise of transparency and integrity. The Supreme Court's Bail Conditions Did Not Allow Kejriwal to Act as Chief Minister 2 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal surprised many by resigning shortly after his release from jail. Despite persistent calls from the BJP for him to step down, Kejriwal had remained firm, making his resignation unexpected. With upcoming elections in mind, this move appears to be a calculated gamble aimed at rallying public sentiment in his favour. However, the Supreme Courts stringent bail conditions would not have allowed Kejriwal to function as the Chief Minister. In his resignation, Kejriwal said, I will not sit on that chair until the people deliver their verdict I got justice from the legal court, now I will seek justice from the peoples court. I will only return to the Chief Ministers seat on the peoples orders. His statement indicates a strategic attempt to gauge the public mood ahead of the elections. Now, the focus shifts to who will succeed him as the next Chief Minister of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The party leadership will likely seek a strong, widely accepted leader to present the partys stance on key issues effectively. The political landscape, especially after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, reflects growing discontent with the ruling BJP. Kejriwals decision to step down and call for early elections seems to be a strategic move to address corruption allegations, overcome anti-incumbency, and capitalize on the oppositions momentum against the BJP. While the current term of the Delhi Legislative Assembly is set to end in February 2025, Kejriwals push for elections in November 2024 aligns with other state elections, such as those in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, potentially amplifying the electoral impact. There are a few prominent faces the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) could consider for the Chief Ministerial post. One of the leading contenders is Delhi Minister Atishi Marlena. Currently holding key portfolios such as education and the Public Works Department (PWD), Atishi has played a crucial role in shaping the AAPs widely praised reforms in Delhis education system. An Oxford University alumnus and Rhodes scholar, she has been instrumental in overhauling the citys public schools, making her a significant figure within the party. Atishi, who represents the Kalkaji constituency, became a minister after the arrest of Manish Sisodia in a corruption case related to Delhis now-scraped liquor policy. During the absence of both Kejriwal and Sisodia, Atishi emerged as the partys voice, articulating AAPs position on various issues. Her growing prominence was further highlighted on August 15, when Kejriwal chose her to hoist the national flag at the Delhi governments Independence Day event. Although Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena intervened to prevent this, the gesture underscored the AAP leaderships trust in Atishi. At 43, she is seen as a dynamic leader who could be the face of the party moving forward. Saurabh Bharadwaj, a three-time MLA from Greater Kailash, is another key figure in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He currently handles critical portfolios such as vigilance and health in the Kejriwal government. Bharadwaj, who was appointed minister after Manish Sisodias arrest in the liquor policy case, previously worked as a software engineer and served as a minister during Kejriwals 49-day government. As AAPs national spokesperson, Bharadwaj played a pivotal role in representing the party when its top leaders were imprisoned over corruption charges. Raghav Chadha, a prominent young face of the AAP, is a Rajya Sabha MP and a member of the partys national executive and political affairs committee. A chartered accountant by training, Chadha has been with AAP since its inception and served as an MLA from Rajinder Nagar. He was instrumental in AAPs decisive victory in Punjabs 2022 state elections. At 35, Chadha is known for effectively articulating the partys stance on key issues in Parliament. Kailash Gahlot, an advocate by profession, is one of AAPs senior leaders, managing important portfolios like transport, finance, and home affairs. He has been the MLA from Najafgarh since 2015 and has a legal background, having practiced in the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court. Gahlots extensive experience in law and governance makes him a valuable member of the AAP government. Sanjay Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP since 2018, is one of the most recognizable faces of AAP, known for his fiery speeches in Parliament. A founding member of the party, Singh holds a diploma in Mining Engineering and serves on AAPs national executive and political affairs committee. He is frequently seen representing the party in media interactions. Singh was also arrested in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case but, like Kejriwal and Sisodia, has been released on bail. Kejriwals push for Delhi polls in November appears to be a calculated move to harness the oppositions momentum in other states. By aligning Delhis election with the polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, AAP may aim to benefit from the growing anti-BJP sentiment. Kejriwals resignation and call for early elections are likely timed to amplify the broader opposition narrative and leverage that energy for Delhis 70-seat Assembly election. While the Delhi Assembly elections are officially scheduled for February 2025, Kejriwal has demanded they be held in November, alongside Maharashtra. This strategy also underscores that top AAP leaders, including Kejriwal and Sisodia, are not immediately in the race for Chief Minister. Both have emphasized that they will only return to power after winning the publics mandate again. A key factor behind Kejriwals resignation may be the looming threat of Central Rule. During his time in jail, several BJP leaders called for the imposition of Presidents rule in Delhi, citing governance failures. With his resignation and a call for earlier elections, Kejriwal seems to be seeking to regain power before any potential intervention from the central government. The University of Alabama has joined STARS College Network, a union of 32 of the nations most prominent institutions, in an effort to help rural and small town students. The STARS College Network, created in 2023, is dedicated to ensuring that students from rural and small-town communities have the resources they need to be successful. Pushing for efforts to help these students get the greatest benefit from higher education will create a cycle of support and success, according to a news release. UA and STARS will join together to support pipeline programs and recruiting efforts aimed at students. This helps students looking to go to college and colleges wishing for more diversity in their programs. With the support of the STARS College Network, UA will be able to offer more resources and opportunities through community-based programs and events, on-campus programs and events, increased in-person presence, information materials, and virtual events, webinars and online resources. Alabama is seeing increasing enrollment, including from in-state students, according to a recent report from the college. Fall 2024 total enrollment is 40,846, including 3,434 freshmen from Alabama, making the largest number of in-state freshmen ever. In its first year, more than a quarter-million students across the country joined STARS College Network and took part in its activities, according to the organization.\ Other colleges in the network are Yale University, Brown University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University and Vanderbilt University. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 70% of Alabama high schools serve rural or small-town communities. Austal USA has received a $450 million contract for work on nuclear submarines, a deal that will fuel more construction and more hiring at the Mobile shipyard. The contract was announced by Austal USAs Australian parent company, Austal Ltd. According to the company announcement, the $450 million contract with General Dynamics Electric Boat will enable Austal USA to expand production capacity at its US Shipyard in support of the U.S. Navy Submarine Industrial Base. Onlookers shouldnt expect to see submarines emerging from Austal USAs construction bays across the Mobile River from downtown. The modules produced at the yard will be shipped to Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia or General Dynamics Electric Boat in Connecticut, a company spokesperson confirmed. What they will see is yet another expansion and more help wanted notices. In April 2022 the company opened a new steel production line seen as the key to its future. In July it broke ground on a massive construction and launch facility known as Final Assembly 2, where modules from that production line will be assembled into steel ships for decades to come. At the time, company officials said that FA2 represented a $250 million investment that will add about 1,200 jobs to Austals workforce of about 3,100. Austal Ltd. said that with the new submarine contract in hand, construction work will begin this fall on the next addition to the Austal USA campus. The Mobile yard will enhance its existing infrastructure by designing, constructing and outfitting a new module fabrication and outfitting facility to support the U.S. Navy goal of delivering one Columbia-class and two Virginia-class submarines annually. The building will support approximately 1,000 jobs. An Austal USA spokesperson confirmed that those jobs will be in addition to the 1,000-plus expected for FA2. If all goes to plan, Austal USA potentially will employ more than 5,000 people after the sub module facility becomes operational in 2026. The work leverages Austals distinctive approach to shipbuilding, developed in the days when the company specialized in aluminum vessels such as the Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships. Rather than building a ship up from bare bones, Austal assembles giant modules in what is more or less an assembly-line operation. The modules are then trucked to assembly bays, where they are welded together into ships. Austal leaders have long argued this is a more flexible and more efficient approach than traditional methods. One aspect of that, they have said, is that more work can be done on modules before theyre aggregated into the ship, meaning less finishing work has to be done inside the vessel. The idea that this could be applied to submarine work had been in discussion for years. In fact, Austal received its first order for submarine construction nearly a year ago. That $12.8 million order was for fabrication of the Command and Control Systems Module for a Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine. Austal Ltd. CEO Paddy Gregg said the latest contract shows that General Dynamic Electric Boat has confidence in Austal USA as partner. General Dynamics Electric Boat has recognised that Austal USA is a solid partner to deliver high-quality components for Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines, Gregg said in a company statement. This growing partnership demonstrates confidence in Austal USAs commitment to meet the needs of the U.S. maritime industrial base and support the most critical needs of the U.S. Navy. Mobile Chamber President and CEO Bradley Byrne said the new contract is a game-changer for the Mobile region and will help by further cementing Mobile as a hub for innovation and industry. A domestic argument in east Alabama left a woman dead and a man behind bars. The deadly shooting happened Saturday on Hughes Street, according to Piedmont police Chief Nathan Johnson. The chief identified the victim as Ashley Marie Leonard. She was 36. Damien Michael Bailey, 42, is charged with murder. He is being held without bond in the Calhoun Count Jail. Johnson said Leonard was fatally shot while she and Bailey were arguing. No additional details have been released. Please keep the Leonard family and friends in your thoughts and prayers as they mourn the loss of their loved one, the chief said. Leonard was a CNA at Cherokee County Health & Rehabilitation Center. To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors. Care-giving often calls us to lean into love we didnt know was possible. We often say, to be in healthcare, you must have a heart for it. Ashley Leonard, CNA had just that and so much more,' the facility posted on Facebook. It is with deep sadness to learn of her unexpected passing. Ashley was a dedicated CNA who loved caring for others. Words could never express how much our residents and staff will miss her. At CCHRC, we are one big family. With heavy hearts, we write this post. We will all remember the impact she had serving others these past few years. The facility is planning for song and prayer in the lobby at 9 a.m. Tuesday. This is an opinion cartoon. Sign up for JD Crowes newsletter: Enter your email to subscribe to JDs weekly newsletter, Crowe Jam. Officials in both Albertville and Athens (Alabama) say Haitian immigrants make up a small percentage of the population, and they have seen no increase in crime since larger amounts of immigrants began arriving this year following unrest on the Caribbean island. - From William Thorntons AL.com story I didnt have to draw U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville as the poster boy for dumb stuff and hateful politics in this cartoon. But he was handy. And thats who he is. Theres always a ton of competition for the top spot at the bottom in this physically beautiful but politically flawed state - Attorney General Steve Marshall is breathing hot and heavy down the Florida mans back. As a rookie, Sen. Katie Britt became an all-star content creator for SNL and provided Scarlett Johanssen with a spur-of-the-moment freelance gig. Kay Ivey is always ready to rock. But Tubs consistently brings his goober A game to the black hole of fear politics. Related: Tuberville slams Mayorkas for Haitian refugee program: American lives and property are at risk - al.com Related: Busing of workers to Albertville poultry plant to end after baseless accusations and hurtful rhetoric - al.com Related: Confederate flag sends a message in divided Alabama town: These people arent like us - al.com Related: Tuberville blocks generals promotion over Defense Secretary Lloyd Austins hospitalization - al.com Here are some excerpts from John Archibalds column on Albertville: Something smells in north Alabama. A group recently formed in Albertville to voice concern for the state of the city. Haitians were coming to town to work in a nearby chicken processing plant. The concern was pretty transparent. If they are coming from Hati (sic) THEY ARE GANG members and the ones they put out of the prisons, a now-deleted post on the group Concerned About Albertville Facebook page said. WHO KNOWS they are letting anyone come, could be the worst of the worst? They act like it. And then there was this guy: Im gonna tell you something else. Ive been to Haiti. Its got a smell to it. These people have smells to them. These people are not like us. They dont assimilate. They are not here to assimilate. Theyre not here to be Americanized. They are not here to learn Alabama history and they dont care about our schools. Excerpts from William Thorntons AL.com story: In August, photos of Haitian immigrants in Albertville being bused to and from work at a poultry processing plant prompted questions about who the people were and where they came from, leading to what city officials called baseless accusations, and hurtful rhetoric. This resulted in a series of community meetings and the formation of a non-profit. Immigrant workers have been a focus of residents concerns in Athens and Sylacauga, with city officials facing questions about the effect on crime, school overcrowding and housing. Officials in both Albertville and Athens say Haitian immigrants make up a small percentage of the population, and they have seen no increase in crime since larger amounts of immigrants began arriving this year following unrest on the Caribbean island. More from another Thornton story: In a two-page letter, Tuberville said Alabama is experiencing an unanticipated influx of thousands of Haitians to rural towns where resources are already strained. Tubervilles letter follows several weeks of concern on social media and in public meetings about the effect of Haitian immigration on cities in various counties across North Alabama. It also comes at the same time that former President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers have specifically mentioned Haitians in criticizing the Biden Administrations immigration policy. Trump went so far as to repeat discredited stories about Haitians eating dogs and cats in Ohio during this weeks presidential debate, claims amplified by his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance. It should also be pointed out that local officials in several counties in Alabama where Haitian immigration has been reported say they have not encountered a rise in crime, contrary to rumors, and that school enrollment increases have been in keeping with existing trends. Final word from Archibalds column: Im not calling you racist, conservatives, but look who claims your brand - al.com Im not saying you are racist, or homophobic, or Islamophobic, or anti-semitic, or anti everything or anti-anything. But Id like to hear you say it out loud. Id like to hear that you love America as much as you miss the old ways. Id like to hear that all are created equal, that America is the land of the free, a refuge for huddled masses and freedom of choice and the intrinsic right to pursue your own kind of happiness. Id like to know just what, exactly, youre trying to conserve at this point. Not the Republic. Check out more cartoons and stuff by JD Crowe JD Crowe is the cartoonist for Alabama Media Group and AL.com. He won the RFK Human Rights Award for Editorial Cartoons in 2020. In 2018, he was awarded the Rex Babin Memorial Award for local and state cartoons by the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. Follow JD on Facebook, Twitter @Crowejam and Instagram @JDCrowepix. Give him a holler @jdcrowe@al.com. Former President Donald Trumps running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, will deliver a speech Monday targeting evangelical voters in metro Atlanta with a stop that marks a delicate moment on Georgias campaign trail. The Georgia Faith & Freedom Coalitions annual dinner at the Cobb Galleria Centre will also be the first time Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Vance will attend the same event in Georgia this election season as Republicans try to unite against Vice President Kamala Harris. Vance was among the Republicans who helped broker a truce between Kemp and Trump after the former president abruptly berated the governor at a rally in Atlanta in August, leaving many Kemp allies confused and irritated by the surprise attack. Trump has since declared all was forgiven, and Kemp, who has long maintained his support for the GOP nominee, has worked to move beyond what he has called the distraction of the one-sided feud. Vances event is the first of back-to-back visits to Georgia this week from presidential running mates. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris pick for the No. 2 job, plans stops in Macon and Atlanta on Tuesday. Vance and Kemp will headline a loaded lineup for the coalition, which said it will mount the largest voter outreach initiative targeting voters of faith and conservatives in Georgia history. Other speakers include U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, Georgia U.S. Reps. Mike Collins and Barry Loudermilk, state Attorney General Chris Carr and former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a onetime Democrat who is now an honorary co-chair for Trumps transition team. See also: Tuberville, Britt praise Trump running mate Sen. JD Vance Vances trip comes days after a mass school shooting in Barrow County that left two teachers and two students dead and brought the issue of gun violence back to the forefront of the race. A 14-year-old student is charged with using a semiautomatic weapon to carry out the attack. Democrats have condemned Vance for responding to the Sept. 4 shooting by saying: I dont like to admit this. I dont like that this is a fact of life. But if you are a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realize that our schools are soft targets. And we have got to bolster security at our schools. A spokesman for Vance said Democratic critics took the senators comments out of context and noted he also called the shooting an awful tragedy carried out by an absolute barbarian. It will be Vances third campaign stop in Georgia since Trump tapped him as his running mate. The Ohio senator stumped at the August rally with Trump in Atlanta and traveled to Valdosta a few weeks later to rev up conservative voters in a deep-red part of the state. Trump supporters hope Vance can motivate evangelical voters who sometimes skip presidential elections. Ralph Reed, a close Trump ally who founded the Faith & Freedom Coalition, said Vance knows how to fight for his beliefs and speak common sense and the truth without apology. And Mack Parnell, head of the coalitions Georgia chapter, highlighted Vances conservative stances on immigration, abortion and taxes as he said Trump has no better partner in his campaign for the White House than the Ohio Republican. _____ 2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Its getting harder to find a pediatrician in rural Alabama, as over a third of the states counties dont have a single pediatric practice. Thats despite Alabama adding nearly 150 pediatricians since 2022. Most of those physicians are flocking to the states largest metropolitan areas in Baldwin, Madison and Jefferson counties. These numbers mean we have more pediatricians overall per patient population, which is great. said Dr. Nola Ernest, president of the Alabama chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. But unless we can get primary care doctors to where the patients are, it doesnt really matter that theres more of them. Pediatricians in rural communities have struggled to keep their doors open. The price of rent, utilities and supplies have gone up, while the rate theyre paid by Alabama Medicaid has remained the same for decades. A bill to increase a tax credit for rural doctors from $5,000 to $10,000 died in the House during this years legislative session after failing to advance through committee for a vote. In the last two years, rural areas including Blount, Coosa, Cleburne and Barbour counties have lost their pediatricians, according to data from the American Board of Pediatrics. A total of 25 counties in Alabama, all in rural communities, do not have pediatric practices, up from 23 in 2022 . Many of the counties in the coverage gap are in the Black Belt region. There are currently 696 pediatricians in the state about 1,625 children for every pediatrician, according to the pediatric board data. The data, which tracks the number of physicians certified by the board, is not perfect. But overall, the trend is correct, Ernest said. Linda Lee, executive director of the Alabama chapter of the Academy of Pediatrics, said the data may have discrepancies because some of the doctors are registered by their home address instead of where they practice. Ernest sees about 40 patients a day at her practice in Enterprise, a town of just under 30,000 people in the Wiregrass region. Many come from the surrounding areas where there are no pediatricians, including Andalusia, Opp and Slocomb. I say frequently to legislators or anyone who will listen, I cannot be the pediatrician for every child in the state of Alabama, Ernest said. Her practice has been able to stay afloat because she shares resources, like billing, human resources and coding services, across a network of pediatricians based in Dothan. Otherwise it would be too expensive for one practice to take on all those costs alone. Primary care physicians in Alabama have seen the cost of running their practice go up by as much as 35% since the pandemic, according to a recent survey done by the Alabama chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. And yet Alabama Medicaid is paying us the same for a well-child checkup that we were paid 20 years ago, she said. Doctors in rural areas predominantly see patients on Medicaid. And Ernest said the low rate of reimbursement is just not sustainable. Theres less money to run your practice, she added. Over 50% of children in Alabama nearly 645,000 are enrolled in Medicaid. In rural areas, hospitals once helped smaller practices with shared resources, similar to the model that Ernest and her partners use. Since 2005, seven rural hospitals have closed in Alabama. A 2023 report warned that more than a dozen more rural hospitals in the state are at risk of closing . Hospitals were the anchor for these smaller practices and they are disappearing, Ernest said. Alabama is one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid for people with low incomes. Officials with the Alabama Hospital Association have said that expanding Medicaid could boost the finances of rural hospitals and those that serve people with low incomes. But even doctors in urban and suburban areas say they face some of the same issues as rural physicians. The same thing thats driving pediatricians out of rural counties is also impacting pediatricians in more urban counties and that is really horrendous Medicaid payments and really horrendous support from our Medicaid agency, said Katrina Skinner, founder and CEO of Fairhope Pediatrics in Baldwin County. Baldwin County is the seventh fastest growing metro region in the country, but the rate of pediatricians to children is comparatively low, with over 1,700 children for every doctor. With rural practices closing, patients travel long distances for primary care visits. According to Skinner, patients travel up to two hours to her practice. About 40% of Skinners patients are currently covered by Medicaid, but she said shes having a harder time continuing to accept Medicaid patients. Last year alone, Skinner said she paid upwards of $4,000 out of pocket for translation services for her Medicaid patients who do not speak English. Alabama Medicaid is supposed to pay for translation services for patients who need it, Skinner said, but the agencys local coordinated health network told her they havent had a translator service in years. Skinner said the state Medicaid agency also doesnt reimburse her for after hours calls. Were obligated, by our contract with Medicaid, to provide 24-hour service for their recipients, Skinner said. She uses a call service at Childrens of Alabama, which costs her about $15 a call. When you look at the rates of usage, Medicaid patients use a disproportionately higher percentage of those calls compared to commercial patients and [Medicaid] is not paying us back for it, she said. So theres a higher cost to provide care for these patients and its unsustainable. Even Ernest in Enterprise has had as many as 10 patients from 300 miles away in Madison County in the north of the state all of them on Medicaid and unable to find a doctor near home who will take their insurance. She typically does telehealth appointments for those patients, but they have to make the four hour drive at least once a year for annual checkups. Madison is not an underserved community, but they have very few doctors that will take Medicaid because it doesnt pay well and they cant keep their businesses open if they take Medicaid, Ernest said. They can keep their business open on Blue Cross, Blue Shield, because almost everyone in the Huntsville-Madison Area has private insurance. Ernest has done work with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Medical Association of the State of Alabama to attract more doctors into pediatrics, and weve seen some improvement, she said. But now we have to make sure those doctors can stay in business. An Ohio woman whose Facebook post sparked harmful rumors about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield accusations repeated by former President Donald Trump at Tuesdays debate has admitted the claims are false, saying she regrets how theyve spiraled into a political frenzy. It just exploded into something I didnt mean to happen, Erika Lee, a Springfield resident of four years, told NBC News. Lee, a 35-year-old hardware store worker, said she had no actual firsthand knowledge when she took to a local Facebook group to pen a post about a missing pet. She wrote that her neighbor, Kimberly Newton, told her that her daughters friend had lost her cat. One day, she came home from work, as soon as she stepped out of her car, looked towards a neighbors house, where Haitians live, and saw her cat hanging from a branch, like theyd do a deer for butchering and they were carving it up to eat, read the since-deleted post, per screenshots shared online. Ive been told they are doing this to dogs, they have been doing it at Snyder Park with the ducks and geese. According to NewsGuard, a media watchdog that monitors for misinformation on the web, Lees post was likely the first to tout the unfounded pet-eating claims. Im not sure Im the most credible source because I dont actually know the person who lost the cat, Newton, Lees neighbor, told the outlet in response to questions about the rumor she passed along. She told NewsGuard the cats owner was actually an acquaintance of a friend and that friend was the person who told her the rumor, which they in turn had heard from a separate source. I dont have any proof, she added. Other posts parroting the pet-eating claims have since popped up online, including one from Ohio senator and Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance. On Sept. 9, he shared a post on X that read: Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio. Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldnt be in this country. Where is our border czar? The following day, Trump brought up the fourth-hand gossip during his first presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, which was broadcast to 67 million people. In Springfield, theyre eating the dogs the people that came in, theyre eating the cats, Trump said Tuesday. Theyre eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is whats happening in our country, and its a shame. Officials in the Ohio city have pushed back on the pet-eating rumors in the days since, with City Manager Bryan Heck emphasizing there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community. But the fallout has still been severe. On Thursday, Springfield City Hall was evacuated due to bomb threats and several schools in the area were forced to close following similar threats on Friday. Lee told NBC News she never imagined her Facebook post would spiral so out of control. She added that she doesnt harbor any ill will toward the Haitian community and lamented the fact that her post had become fodder for conspiracy theories. Im not a racist, she said, adding that her daughter is half Black and she herself is mixed race and a member of the LGBTQ community. Everybody seems to be turning it into that, and that was not my intent. Lee said she has since pulled her daughter from school and now fears for her familys safety given the mania surrounding the claims. She added that shes also worried for the Haitian community, who she had no intention of villainizing. I feel for the Haitian community, she said. If I was in the Haitians position, Id be terrified, too, worried that somebodys going to come after me because they think Im hurting something that they love and that, again, thats not what I was trying to do. 2024 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The Foley Police Department announced Sunday evening that they arrested and charged two teenagers for making terroristic threats on social media. The two teenagers, a 15-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl, were arrested on Friday, according to the release. The threats were posted on social media following the incident at Foley High School last Thursday that involved the school going into lockdown due to a teacher overhearing a student mention a weapon. The department stated that parents should talk to their children about what they post on social media because not all speech is protected, specifically if that speech is allegedly threatening. Parents, please talk to your kids, the statement read. Not all speech (including social media posts) is protected when it crosses certain lines. There is a reason you cannot yell, Fire! in a crowded theater as the old example states. The person may have had no intent of actually starting a fire, nor was there ever an actual fire present, but by simply creating panic through words and inciting fear, chaos, and potential danger, it can cross that line. Foley High School will be taking disciplinary action against the two students also. There have been threats at schools across Alabama since a deadly school shooting in Georgia. First NYC Regional Gathering Sept. 28 NEWS PROVIDED BY Missions:Together Sept. 16, 2024 RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 16, 2024 /Standard Newswire/ -- Missions:Together will host its first regional gathering in New York City on Saturday, Sept. 28, at Cornerstone Church in the East Village, with a focus on what it means to live a life on mission. The half-day event is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., with free lunch provided. It is a gathering for like-minded, Great Commission-focused pastors, leaders and believers prepared to have their passion for missions re-ignited. Missions:Together (M:T) NYC will feature times of worship, practical teaching, action-oriented prayer, a panel discussion, and opportunities to network with representatives from a spectrum of missions efforts, including Pioneer Bible Translators. With a number of New York churches represented, Missions:Together will enjoy the ministry of speakers and contributors such as Ray Cazis, City Life Church Gowanus; Ivan Belets, Cornerstone Church; Keith Paulus, Christ Church NYC; Nick Nowalk, Neighborhood Church of Greenwich Village; Pioneer Bible Translators' JR Bucklew; and more. "We dream of a day when congregations work together in a truly intentional, relational, and genuine way," said Mark Knetsch, lead pastor of Resurrection Life in Apex, N.C., and one of the chief M:T NYC organizers. "We hope for this reality because the Holy Spirit accelerates missions by activating gospel unity. Missions:Together is a missional mosaic of churches seeking to do just that." Missions:Together NYC precedes a one-day North Carolina regional gathering on Nov. 2, which will emphasize unity around missions over competition between congregations and groups, while providing practical strategies for mission acceleration. Ryan Doherty, pastor of prayer and mobilization at The Summit Church in Apex, said about the upcoming event, "When a united body of believers work together, we reflect the love of Christ and advance God's mission with greater power and purpose." M:T NYC will take place Sept. 28 at 9 a.m., at Cornerstone Church (9 East 7th St., New York, N.Y.). For more information, visit missionstogethernyc.com. SOURCE Missions:Together CONTACT: Liz Tablazon, 336-354-5801, missionstogether.liz@gmail.com This is an opinion column. Its the smiles for me. The faces of the three children in the photograph atop this column. The joy. At going to school. The photo was taken exactly 50 years ago today in the city of Boston. Those three adorable children were on that bus headed to school. Accompanied by a police escort. Two days prior, 80 buses filled with kids just like them rolled through the city to enforce an order by U.S. District Judge Arthur Garrity in Morgan v. Hennigan, who commanded the city to bus Black kids to white schools and white kids to Black schools because Bostons de facto segregation of children by race was unconstitutional. They rolled accompanied by a police escort. All but one of them rolled without incident, it was reported at the time. The one? It was pelted with debris, bricks, and racists epithets from white parents in South Boston. Pelted with kids inside. Kids like these. Kids who just wanted to go to school. Buses like these rolled all over the country. Children like these were on buses all over the country. Including in Tulsa, my hometown. Two years prior half the Black students that would have attended Booker T. Washington High School on the citys predominantly Black North side were bused to white schools in South Tulsa. Booker T. became a magnet school, which it proudly remains to this day. In September of 1971, 89 white children from South Tulsa were bused to the North side, to John Burroughs Elementary School, which had previously been allBlack. All things considered, it went relatively smoothly, according to reports. I chose the accompanying photo today for myriad reasons. I chose it to demonstrate that racism then was not confined to the South. Just as it isnt now. The stoking of unfounded fears is a virus of deadly, pandemic proportions, now hatefully hurled at our Haitian neighborsmen, women, and children in our community seeking to work, live, learn, and pray. Just like us. Children just like those in the photo. Children who just want to go to school. Yet too many now fear for their safety due to threats from cowards infected by the virus, stoked by two angry men who want to lead our nationthough only part of it, it seems. Not the part that is different from them. The part they do not understand. The part theyd rather demonize than embrace. Stoked too, this week, by our states infantile senior U.S. Senator. The good people of Springfield, Ohio, are indeed struggling to absorb an infusion of an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Haitian immigrants (most here legally, by the way, under the federal Temporary Protected Status program) to a city of about 58,000. Immigrants escaping unrest, violence, and hopelessness. Immigrants Ohios Republican Gov. Mike DeWinewho, along with his wife, supports a school in Haiti named for their daughterdescribed this week as family-centric, hardworking, and in search for economic opportunities and safety, according to the Dayton Daily News. Springfields struggle is about resources. not race, though you wouldnt know that if you listened to hateful stereotypes spewed by the two angry men who want to lead ussome of usand their parrot minions. This week, DeWine committed $2.5 million in state funds for healthcare needs and state troopers to help with new traffic issues. I also chose the aforementioned photo to show how far weve come in half a century but, man, how far we still have to go. As a nation and in the South, too, where racists in Albertville and Sylacauga are pathetically attacking Haitian immigrants, not with bottles and bricks, but with more lies, misconceptions, and baseless stereotypes. With hateful, vile ugliness that sounds so much like what their parents and grandparents likely hurled at my parents and grandparents. Last month, at a community meeting in Albertville convened to diffuse the baseless rhetoric emerging in the city over its growing Haitian community, one person, as reported by my colleague William Thornton, stood and said Haitians have smells to them. Theyre not like us. Theyre not here to be Americanized. They dont care about schools. Theyre scary, folks. Whos scary here? Start with the two angry men who want to lead usbackward. Oh, I also chose the photo, too, because I wonder where those three beautiful, joy-filled children are now. Theyd have to be, what, in their late 50s? I wonder if they remember that day, remember how brave they and their parents had to be. Just to send them to school. If anyone knows them, please have them reach out to me. Id like to thank them for making us smile half a century later. When we really needed to smile. And for causing us to wonder if, when we look back on this yearon our actions, choices, and treatment of others 50 years from now, well smile then, too. I was raised by good people who encouraged me to be a good man and surround myself with good people. If I did, they said, good things would happen. I am a member of the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame, an Edward R. Murrow Award winner, and a Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary. My column appears on AL.com, and digital editions of The Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, and Mobile Press-Register. Tell me what you think at rjohnson@al.com, and follow me at twitter.com/roysj, or on Instagram @roysj. Monday, Sept. 16, marks four years since Hurricane Sally made landfall in Alabama. Monday also marks the 20th anniversary of another hurricane to strike Alabama Category 3 Ivan. The two storms hit nearly the same area on the same day 16 years apart. Alabama has not had another direct hurricane strike since Sally. Sally was a Category 2 hurricane with top winds of 105 mph when made landfall at 5 a.m. on Sept. 16, 2020, at Gulf Shores, according to the National Weather Service in Mobile. 4 years ago (right around this time of the morning), Hurricane #Sally made landfall as a strong Category 2 Hurricane. Sally produced widespread wind, storm surge, and freshwater flooding across coastal Alabama & northwest Florida. https://t.co/HsSsN2vc7o pic.twitter.com/xOrea9Sc43 NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) September 16, 2024 Sally made an agonizingly slow landfall, moving only 5 mph as it came onshore, which only exacerbated damage from wind and flooding. Sally is blamed for the deaths of six people, according to the weather service. Three died as a direct result of the storm, and three others died in the aftermath. Sally caused significant wind and flood damage in coastal Alabama and well inland, according to the weather service. Sally dumped 15 to 30 inches of rain across Baldwin County and into the Florida Panhandle. Inland areas in Alabama got 7 to 15 inches. Sally was a slow-moving storm and had time to drop a lot of rain across Alabama and Florida.NWS That caused thousands of water rescues, according to the weather service, and major flash fooding, with significant road closures. Sallys landfall was the first direct Alabama hurricane landfall since Hurricane Ivan hit 16 years to the day earlier. HURRICANE IVAN Hurricane Ivan made landfall early on Sept. 16, 2004, as a Category 3 hurricane. Here's the radar image from around the time of landfall.NWS Ivan was a Category 3 storm with 120 mph sustained winds when it made landfall just west of Gulf Shores at 1:50 a.m. on Sept. 16, 2004. The weather service said Ivan may rival the magnitude of damage and destruction caused by the Hurricane of 1926, which ravaged the counties east of Mobile Bay. Ivan is blamed for eight deaths, all in the Florida Panhandle, according to the weather service. Ivans storm surge was particularly devastating. Areas along the Florida Panhandle registered 10 to 15 feet of storm surge. The center of Ivan passed east of Mobile, sparing that area from what could have been 16 to 18 feet of surge, according to the weather service. Rain from Ivan peaked with over 15 inches in Pensacola, Fla. Areas in Alabama such as Mobile and Andalusia had more than 10 inches of rain. 20 Years Ago - Hurricane #Ivan made landfall just west of Gulf Shores, AL as a Category 3 Hurricane around 150am on this day in 2004. The magnitude & extent of the damage & destruction exceeded that of BOTH Hurricanes #Frederic (1979) & #Opal (1995). https://t.co/2qiZG4RDEr pic.twitter.com/sadD0yFNZO NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) September 16, 2024 See more from the weather service about Sally here. Learn more about Hurricane Ivan here. English News Beijing develops China's first large model of atmospheric environment monitoring Alwihda Info | Par People's Daily - 10 Septembre 2024 According to data from the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, from January to July this year, the average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Beijing was 33 micrograms per cubic meter. Besides, the Chinese capital recorded a total of 150 days of good air quality during the same period, an increase of 7 days from a year ago. By Pan Xutao, Hua Yiran, People's Daily On the streets of Beijing, residents may notice a uniquely designed van with sampling tubes mounted on its roof and the words "Mobile Atmospheric Monitoring" painted on its sides in Chinese. The van is equipped with a mass spectrometer that can analyze the air it takes in and measure volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the surrounding area within five seconds. It is reported that the VOCs data will be uploaded in real-time to the Supervision-Monitoring-Inspection (SMI) mechanism developed by the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau. The bureau has also developed a large model to support the SMI mechanism, employing advanced technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence. Supported by an innovative monitoring network, intelligent analysis techniques, and an efficient dispatching system, the model has contributed to the continuous improvement of air quality in Beijing. Data quality is essential as it forms the cornerstone and foundation of large models. To enhance the quality of data, the large model has created a multi-dimensional sensing system that boasts different functions such as aerial surveillance and ground patrols, and involves economic and social operation data such as electricity consumption. It combines over 200,000 smart sensing devices, collecting hundreds of millions of data points on a daily basis. The large model has reportedly identified and flagged over 10,000 problems, offering effective assistance in pollution control and regular monitoring. With the help of remote satellite sensing technology, the large model can intelligently identify more than 10 types of targets such as bare land, with an accuracy rate of 90 percent. Meanwhile, mobile monitoring vehicles can patrol the ground, measuring VOCs in real-time, achieving second-level response, intelligent traceability, and closed-loop regulation. "The large model has incorporated over 50 types of databases, including data related to air quality monitoring and pollution sources. It also includes a database focused on environmental protection knowledge, comprising more than 1 million documents such as environmental standards, regulations, research reports, and papers," said Shen Xiu'e, head of the Beijing Municipal Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center. These data enable the large model to perform intelligent analysis, forecasting, precise tracing, and clue mining, Shen added. The large model can also monitor electricity consumption at industrial facilities on a minute-by-minute basis. It can identify discrepancies in production and pollution control activities by intelligently matching and analyzing data. "Using electricity monitoring technology, we have included over 1,000 key enterprises that emit air pollutants and more than 6,000 monitoring points into the system. If a company's production facility uses electricity while its pollution control equipment is not in operation, the system will capture and record this anomaly," Shen explained. On June 20, the model detected that the printing machines and other production equipment of a company were running day and night, but the pollution control facilities appeared to only operate during the day and were inactive at night. After a thorough analysis, the problem was flagged and sent to Beijing's district-level law enforcement department for further steps. In Beijing, there is also an air pollution control platform enabled by the SMI mechanism, which is a large screen showing real-time air quality and forecast results on the left, meteorological data, pollution source data, and dispatch information in the center, and four major categories of problems including mobile sources, industrial sources, dust sources, and environmental hotspots, along with the results of targeted pollution control measures on the right. Li Xiang, an official with Beijing's Comprehensive Law Enforcement Team for Ecological and Environmental Protection, described a case of problem detection and resolution. "The system alerted us to a high VOC concentration point near an auto repair shop, likely caused by the shop itself, so we conducted an on-site inspection," said Li. Upon entering the shop, Li and other law enforcement officers inspected the paint spraying and baking room, discovering that some of the activated carbon filters were overdue for replacement, and there were gaps in the carbon plates, allowing untreated exhaust to escape. The team demanded the auto repair shop to immediately rectify the issue and handed the case over to local authorities for appropriate penalties. After the corrective actions were completed, officials returned for a re-inspection, confirming that the VOC levels had returned to normal. The air pollution control platform can rapidly assess air quality, comprehensively analyze pollution trends, intelligently trace pollution sources, coordinate resources across districts and localities, dynamically track activity levels, and thereby effectively analyze and monitor major pollution sources. The SMI mechanism and other technologies have significantly enhanced pollution control efficiency in Beijing, helping protect and maintain the ecological environment. According to data from the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, from January to July this year, the average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Beijing was 33 micrograms per cubic meter. Besides, the Chinese capital recorded a total of 150 days of good air quality during the same period, an increase of 7 days from a year ago. Dans la meme rubrique : < > Immersive cultural, tourism activities on the rise across China Fruit trade between China, ASEAN thrives The Development of Islamic Finance in USA: A Journey of Growth and Opportunity Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) Abortion is a civil rights issue, though not in the way pro-abortionists want to spin it. We should not forget that, after Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, there were liberal Democrats who opposed the ruling as a civil rights violation. Senators William Proxmire of Wisconsin and Harold Hughes of Iowa spring to mind, as do congressmen like Jim Oberstar of Minnesota. The fundamental duty of any society is to protect the lives of its members. There is no more basic function of a society than to keep its members alive. That means protecting them from foreign assault by providing for national defense. That means protecting them from domestic violence by making and enforcing criminal accountability. This is the bottom-line purpose of any society. English philosophers as different as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke agreed on this point. When Thomas Jefferson opines about unalienable rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, he was not just putting in some nice words before he got to his point: declare American independence. Go back and reread his argument (which, while changing property to pursuit of happiness basically comes straight out of Locke). There are inalienable rights. Those rights do not come from any government or even democratic majority. They come from God and nobody -- not even a democratic majority -- can take them away. When governments become destructive of those rights, they forfeit their subjects allegiance. When that destruction becomes grievous enough, people even have the right to overthrow such rights-destructive governments. Thats where Jeffersons independence argument comes in: King George III and the British Parliament had so systematically violated the rights of people in these colonies that any claims of allegiance were dissolved. Now, the list of rights Jefferson enumerates as divinely conferred and inalienable are limited and ordered. They start with life. Not with liberty. Not with happiness. Life is prerequisite to the other two. So, if a government exists to protect certain unalienable rights which include life, that government has got to conclude who is alive. Think that through: if governments exist to protect the unalienable right to life, governments have to determine who is alive. It is very clear from Jefferson (and Hobbes and Locke) that question cannot be one of private judgment: everybody decides it for himself. No society can fulfill its basic responsibilities if everybody has his own opinion of what constitutes life. Nor did Jefferson or Hobbes or Locke consider that question a purely religious or doctrinal question, even far less one that was epistemologically insoluble. They all would have considered the notion that everybody makes up his own mind on that question utter nonsense, an example not of deep thinking but not thinking. Yet all these arguments are amassed today against addressing the question of when life begins. Its a religious question. Well, no it isnt. Its a scientific question. Different religions may take different viewpoints, but the scientific question of when a separate human life comes into existence is pretty clear and definitively settled (unless you happen not to believe in DNA just as you doubt the relevance of X- or Y-chromosomes). Its up to everybodys decision. Extrapolate that answer beyond the unborn and you would create a society in which no life is protected: every murderers defense would be its my choice. If an argument cannot be applied beyond the narrow circumstances for which one has tailored it, its not an argument. Its an excuse, a special pleading to carve an exception tailored to ones own liking. Why does the argument its a choice apply nowhere else where a question of ethical or moral responsibility is thought to be at issue? Would anybody take seriously the argument that taking somebody elses property is a choice? Taking somebody elses life? Committing perjury just a different kind of truth? Again, if an argument fits only a narrow case and fails everywhere else, you ought to ask yourself: who benefits by this specially tailored excuse? A society which is agnostic or ambivalent about whom is encompassed by its legal protection is a society at fundamental conflict with itself. It is a society failing in its fundamental civil rights guarantee. Abortionists want to present freedom of choice as the civil rights argument. They do so by systematically refusing to engage the question of when life begins. They pretend its not an issue. But if it were not a question, nobody would be arguing about abortion. It is precisely because that is the question that its evasion constitutes intellectual dishonesty. Defenders of choice would argue it is a question of liberty. But, as we saw with Jefferson (and his philosophical predecessors), there is a hierarchy of rights for which societies are responsible and, in that enumeration, life precedes liberty. To bypass life as if it is a non-question is not to expand liberty but to deform it, to degrade a society by pretending it can ignore the prior question. That is not expanding civil rights but contracting it. In the immediate wake of Roe, the decision was frequently compared to Dred Scott v. Sandford, the 1857 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that decided blacks were not human beings but property, the enjoyment of whose possession was a liberty right of Southern slavers who could not be denied their pursuit of happiness even if they went North with their property. Dred Scott was reversed not by the Supreme Court but by history through a bloody Civil War: within ten years, that judicial abomination was dead. Roe survived 49 years before the Supreme Court corrected its own civil rights violation. Todays James Buchanans -- Joe Biden and Kamala Harris among them -- want to reimpose that right on the whole country. Its time we went back to ask ourselves fundamental questions: why do societies exist if not to protect all their members? Image: Jordanuh17 As last weeks debate made clear, Kamala Harriss media enablers have given Harris the green light to lie in the most flagrant ways about the most significant of issues. Even if Donald Trump were adept at giving concise answers, which he is not, he would have had no chance to expose Harriss mendacity. In the long run, the most damaging of issues deal with the weaponization of justice. As vice presidential candidate, Sen. J. D. Vance is perfectly positioned to address this phenomenon. He is precise in his language; quick on his feet, and, with a J.D. (hmmm!) from Yale, inarguably well credentialed to take on the task at hand: heading up an American Truth and Reconciliation Commission (ATRC). Based on the model South Africa used with some success to end the Apartheid era bloodlessly, the ATRC would offer amnesty to those willing to tell the truth about the corruption of justice in the past decade. Unlike Trump, Vance has not been a victim of this corruption. He could manage the affair dispassionately and legitimize the conciliatory nature of the ARTC and, by extension, the Trump presidency. As an executive function, the ATRC would forward amnesty declarations to President Trump, who would have the constitutional power to grant them. To be effective, the commission would limit its scope to those issues that have most directly threatened to undermine our constitutional republic these last several years. President Trump should hold a press conference immediately to introduce the ARTC. Vance would take it from there. He would explain the impossibility of securing legal justice in the District of Columbia, a district in which 95 percent of the potential jurors voted against Trump, a district in which no Republican can expect to be acquitted and no Democrat convicted. The ARTC might not deliver the hard justice many miscreants deserve, but it could deliver truth and, with truth, something like closure. At the press conference, Vance would concisely lay out the four major areas of inquiry with inarguable and well documented facts. To most Americans, and a shameful number of Republicans, these facts will come as news. Vance could challenge the media to fact-check him as he speaks. Moving chronologically, Vance would open with Russiagate. Too few Americans, including the media, know that the scandals foundational document, the Steele dossier, was a dirty trick operation funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign. Based on that document and other disinformation gathered with some help from the Five Eyes, an anglosphere intelligence alliance, the FBI launched a spurious investigation that would destroy lives and cost the Republicans the House in 2018 before ending in the smoking ruins of the Mueller investigation. Next stop: Huntergate. In the closing weeks of the 2020 election, the FBI leaned on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms to suppress a story that its brass knew to be true namely, that the contents of Hunter Bidens laptop were real and damning. As if on cue, current secretary of state and thenBiden adviser Antony Blinken found 50 members of the Intelligence Community and had them sign a document declaring the laptop a Russian hack and dump job. As planned, Biden used this bogus intel at the final debate to counter Trumps legitimate claims about the laptop. Conservative estimates put at 4 percent the number of votes Biden would have lost had the truth not been suppressed more than enough to cost him his victory. During the debate, Kamala Harris did not shy from repeating the lies about January 6 that, in her case, are both personal and damning. No, Trump did not instigate the riot, some officers were not killed, and she was not at the Capitol at any time during the riot. J6 is a large, unwieldy subject, but a useful point of entry would be Harriss caginess about her actions that day. At the press conference, Vance would do well to zero in on the inarguable fact that Harris has repeatedly deceived the public about her presence at the DNC at the very moment the pipe bomb was discovered and the riot launched by people who did not attend Trumps speech. Her deceit did corrupt the cases of hundreds of unjustly punished J6ers and may be a cover for a genuine inside job. Politico unwittingly describes the criminal charges leveled against Trump as though it were something other than the open conspiracy known as lawfare: For the first 234 years of the nations history, no American president or former president had ever been indicted. That changed in 2023. Over a five-month span, former President Donald Trump was charged in four criminal cases. This five-month span just happened to coincide with Trumps entry into the 2024 presidential race. Add to these criminal cases the civil case filed by a New York State attorney general who ran on a campaign to get Trump for something, anything, and you have a perfect working example of judicial weaponization. Not content with destroying Trump, the conspirators have gone after Trumps lawyers and supporters as well. There are other scandals that need to be addressed the near assassination of the former president, the Afghanistan debacle, the COVID lies, the abetting of the illegal alien invasion, the social media suppression, the dementia cover-up, the 2020 election shenanigans, and more, but these are for another day. Once the ARTC is announced, Vance would do well to focus on the four issues cited above in every speech, every media appearance, and especially in his debate with Tim Walz. America is perilously close to becoming a banana republic, and Americans need to know it. Jack Cashill is a Kansas Citybased writer and producer with a Ph.D. from Purdue in American studies. His newest book, Ashli: The Untold Story of the Women of January 6, is available in all formats. Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. AP Headlines Called Harris Indian American in 2016 [but] Black in 2020? [snip] Verdict: True -- Snopes Fact Check, July 26, 2024 President Trump on Thursday signed a bipartisan bill that will permanently provide more than $250 million a year to the nations historically black colleges and universities [and] other institutions that serve minority students. Michael Lomax, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, thanked Trump . -- Associated Press, Dec. 19, 2019 I love the Black population of this country. Ive done so much for the Black population including employment, including opportunity zones with Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Historically Black colleges and universities were out of money I saved them. -- Donald Trump's response to Rachel Scott after she made false or misleading attacks on him at the Association of Black Journalists, July 31, 2024 One of the favorite storylines the Democrat News-media Colluders (hereafter the DNC) have recently concocted to divide the country further, thereby enabling them to claim that Trump is dividing the country, is that at the gathering of black journalists, Trump made a racist attack on Kamala Harris. He did no such thing, but one must have a certain basic competence in the English language and some minimal reasoning skills, perhaps at the advanced high school or community college level, to see this. White House Press Secretary Karrine Jean-Pierre, referring to Trumps remark, stated that what Trump said is repulsive because no one "has any right to tell someone who they are, how they identify. That is no one's right." The New York Times, always eager to deploy sophistries to divide the country, claims Trump questioned Harris race and made a racial attack on her. Elsewhere it adds that Trump attacked her racial identity. The Associated Press says Trumps remarks are a criticism of Harris race. Whats left of the Washington Post states that Trump attacked Harris racial identity. Forbes magazine, which appears to want a lot more illegal workers in the country than Trump wants, states that Trump falsely questioned Harris race. NBC states that Trump questioned Harris racial identity. The remnants of the BBC across the pond claim that Trump questioned Harris race. In fact, Trump did not repulsively try to tell Harris who she is or how she identifies (KJP). He did not make a racial attack on Harris or question her racial identity (NYT). He did not criticize Harris race (AP). He did not attack Harris racial identity (WaPo). He did not falsely question Harris race (Forbes and NBC). To see the truth, should this still be of any interest to anyone, one must examine Trumps precise words at the debate: I didnt know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So is she Indian or is she Black? All I can say is, I read where she was not Black and then I read that she was Black, and thats O.K. Thats up to her. Trump does not, in this remark, repulsively tell Harris what her racial identity is. That is what Joe Biden explicitly did when he told the black broadcaster known as Charlamagne tha God, If you have a problem figuring out whether youre for me or Trump, then you aint black. Nor did Trump question Harriss race or racial identity. If one is capable of reading what Trump said at the ninth-grade level, one can easily verify that he explicitly said, Either one [black or Indian] was O.K. with me. Thats up to her. Trump was not questioning or attacking her race at all. He was questioning something very different. NBC comes a bit closer to the truth, although in a typically sloppy formulation when they claim Trump accused Harris of deciding to become black (Trump did not say decide.) What Trump actually did was suggest that Harris changed her public presentation about her race for political expediency. That is not questioning or attacking her race or racial identity. It is a criticism of Harris political dishonesty. And, for reasons too obvious to mention (e.g., her concealing Joe Bidens mental competency for years while that was in her political interest), the DNC must go all out to prevent a discussion of Harris dishonesty. And, as Snopes, not exactly a bunch of right-wing wackos, verifies, AP headlines identified Harris as Indian-American in 2016 but as Black in 2020. Is Trump not permitted to notice such changes and ask about them (which is precisely what he did in the interview with Rachel Scott). Please inform us peasants of the new rules about what one is permitted to notice in the news and what one is not permitted to notice! Since the DNC manifestly cannot allow a discussion of Harriss obvious willingness to play fast and loose with the truth, they had, in the standard play, to construct a fake racism charge against Trump to provide a smokescreen to cover her dishonesty. Of course, what remains of our news media were quick to jump on Harris side in the dispute when they ordained that Trump falsely suggests Kamala Harris misled voters about her race and provided several comical sophistries that Harris always identified as black, namely, that she attended Howard University, one of the nations most prominent historically Black colleges and universities. Unfortunately, attending Howard University does not make one black (or African American). Howards recent racial breakdown included 3.44% Asian, 1.09% White, 0.908% American Indian or Alaska Native students. Please explain to us, O great ones at AP, how attending Howard University makes these Asians, Whites, American Indians, and Alaskan natives black or African American! It looks like AP is going to need a new chapter in our biology texts. It would be nice if whats left of our Democrat party and their stenographers in what remains of our news media possessed the basic reading and reasoning skills required of a community college critical reasoning course, but lets not start expecting miracles. It is illuminating that, in the aftermath of this sorry manufactured scandal, CBS Austin reports that Harris, when asked about her race, dodges question on her racial identity and recites the platitude, which had not been requested, that we have More in common than what separates us. The reason Harris dodges this question is because, as Snopes clarifies, there are genuine questions about how she portrayed her racial identity over the years. Trump stated explicitly that he doesnt care what race she identifies as. That was not the point. He was only asking about why this appears to have changed over the years. It is true that Trumps formulations are often inartful. Yes, he is not a professor of English Literature at Princeton. He is a tough, bare-knuckle businessman in the harsh New York construction industry. His question about Harriss prima facie changing racial identity was fair enough. What is genuinely repulsive is the way the DNC consistently twists Trumps words in order to turn nothing, or very little, into a fake hyperventilating racial scandal. That, not Trumps clumsy words, is what is actually divisive. Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License EZULWINI - Movie Zone Cinema in Ezulwini recorded a full house during the opening of the new local film, Baka Ngwane. In a dazzling display of national pride and cinematic enthusiasm, Eswatinis film scene witnessed a remarkable event on Friday night as the much-anticipated local film Baka Ngwane made its debut across the countrys two cinemas: Julios Cinelux and Movie Zone. The Movie Zone cinema was especially abuzz during the 17:45 screening, with two rooms running concurrently to accommodate the eager crowds. The energy was palpable as emaSwati flocked in their numbers to support the film, turning what was initially a single-slot screening into a testament to the nations appetite for homegrown cinema. After the film, the cast mingled with fans, delighting in the opportunity to pose for photos and share their thoughts. Ayanda Nkambule, who is also part of the local arts industry, praised the films production values, particularly highlighting the sound quality. Nkambule was moved by the films portrayal of historical figures, notably King Matalatalas vulnerability. Its rare to see such raw emotion from historical depictions, she remarked. The film eloquently captures that even men of bygone eras were not immune to their feelings. Mgidvowemakhosi Ndzimandze also expressed enthusiasm for the film, praising its exceptional quality and local production standards. However, he admitted to a hint of disappointment with the ending, though he was relieved by the promise of a series continuation. Its thrilling to see such top-tier work emerging from Eswatini, he noted. The ending left me wanting more, but thankfully, a sequel seems imminent. The films Executive Producer, Senator Pholile Shakantu, expressed heartfelt gratitude for the overwhelming turnout. We are deeply appreciative of the support from the nation, she said. The unexpected demand led us to open additional slots, a testament to the films resonance with our audience. Unexpected Shakantu hinted at the future of the franchise, acknowledging the enthusiastic response to the films conclusion. The feedback has been immensely positive, and we are already working on the next installment, she revealed. The films end includes a preview for whats to come, and we assure emaSwati that the continuation is on its way. While details about the release date of the next part remain under wraps, Shakantu emphasised that the future of the series would hinge on continued public support. We invite everyone to continue supporting our local talent and the project as a whole, she urged. Portrayal Our goal is to elevate Eswatinis film industry to a global platform. A highlight of the night was Mandisa Mambas portrayal of King Matalatalas queen, which left audiences spellbound and showcased the talent of local actors who had previously not acted professionally. This project is a vital step in promoting local talent and aiming for international recognition, Shakantu concluded, highlighting the films role in fostering the growth of Eswatinis entertainment industry. A would-be assassin takes aim at a leading presidential contender and former president, and all the federal attorney can come up with as a charge are a couple of gun violations? Something seems fishy out in Florida where the crime happened, home to a lot of federal officials who hate Trump. According to the Associated Press: During an eight-minute hearing, prosecutors levied two charges against him: possessing a firearm despite a prior felony conviction and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Officials said Routh could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the first charge, and a possible five-year sentence on the second charge. A bond hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 23, and a probable cause hearing or arraignment has been set for Sept. 30, depending on whether the government secures an indictment on the charges. A snaggle-toothed, bug-eyed freak attempts to assassinate a former president and leading presidential contender, and for the second time in two months, and all they can come up with is a gun charge? It's strange stuff indeed given that he pointed what was reportedly a Dragunov SVD sniper rifle with a scope at his target from an easy 305 yards away, he somehow had the president's schedule, he had the money to make the trip despite not having any savings, he'd made crazed social media posts about hating the president and threatened to kill others, he had a backpack full of ceramic tiles to deflect return fire, and he had a fancy camera to record his act so that he could get it onto the television news. There's no reasonable doubt that he had the intent to kill Trump, had done the planning to kill Trump, and went there to kill Trump. But all he gets is a Soros-D.A.-style gun charge as if they'd really like to just release him early with a slap on the wrist. It raises questions about whether this was some kind of "reward." And it definitely sends a message to all the other dirtbags out there filled with Trump-hate to get out there and try. Would they have let him off if he had purchased his rifle legally and didn't rub off the weapon's serial number? Would they have leveled the same paltry charges if Kamala Harris or Joe Biden were the target? How about if the guy was a terrorist-watchlister here illegally, coming in fresh from the unguarded border? On that, I am sure they would have let him off, but they wouldn't like the publicity. Seems they aren't taking this all that seriously. It's strange stuff because they can drum up dozens of flimsy charges against President Trump whenever they want, and hand out draconian sentences to Jan. 6'ers for minor trespassing offenses, but when an actual, in-the-flesh assassination attempt is right in front of them, all they can come up with are process crimes and regulatory violations with short sentences for convictions. Didn't the shoe bomber get life in the Supermax for trying to set his shoes on fire on a flight in the wake of 9/11? We haven't heard from any other would-be shoe-bombers lately because they all saw what happened to the last one. Why isn't this creep getting the shoe-bomber response? Some tweeters offered reasonable theories as to why: I was a homicide detective. Caught murderers and people who shoot people trying to kill them . And few people in the system are more of an impediment than prosecuting attorneys. They like slam dunk cases they can plea down and avoid doing trial work Already complaining this CW Jensen (@captaincwjensen) September 16, 2024 The state attorney general, who is a Democrat, conducting an investigation into the attack, seemed to beg off: Dave Aronberg, the state attorney for Palm Beach, says its going to be "tough to charge" Trump's second attempted assassin with a "charge against Trump": "You could charge someone with various crimes, perhaps an attempted murder, without having a shot fired. If you've gone pic.twitter.com/qww0SNGLN9 Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) September 16, 2024 There's also this guy, who runs the Miami FBI. which is leading the investigation: The FBI guy who spoke at the assassination attempt press briefing in West Palm Beach today was forced to scrub his socials for anti-Trump vitriol. https://t.co/jivO6rjaQV pic.twitter.com/g72dU13pQi EJ (@erinhaust) September 15, 2024 For those who want to see the man who leds the Miami Field Office. A known Trump hater, and someone who lists prosecuting the FACE Act in his Bureau bio... You know ... the one they use to target conservatives? Maybe the @FBI should recuse itself. https://t.co/3PLVmQ65px pic.twitter.com/Qiw4SFE9JD Kyle Seraphin (@KyleSeraphin) September 16, 2024 Feel confident they're out to give this the charges it deserves, given the gravity of the implications if he had succeeded? Maybe there are things we don't know, and maybe they will charge him with more in coming days. But right now, this looks like the wannabe assassin and the prosecutors are kind of on the same side. That ought to be yet one more reason to vote for Trump, who's the only one who can hose this out. Image: Screen shot from Twitter video Vince Leach slimes his way onto Arizonas November 2024 ballot, rears his parasitic head, and now talks political prioritiesthe need to balance border policy with the well-being of migrants and refugees who want admission to America and all the welfare dollars we have to offer. Thought I was talking about a Democrat? Oh dont be fooled, Leach is the Republican option for Arizona conservatives living in the legislative district (17) that encompasses a large swathe of land in and around Tucson, in Pima County. See Leachs Candidate Statement from the states voter guide below, paying special attention to the highlighted text: Uniparty politics are destroying Arizona. Exhibit A: pic.twitter.com/t29KHezz83 Olivia Murray (@americaliv1) September 16, 2024 First, a little history, and consider this your scorecard to organize the players. From 20152023, Leach stank up the state legislature, finding himself nominated by notorious RINO Karen Fann to the position of President pro tempore in 2020. Now at the time Fann was Senate President, and the same politician who refused to hold a vote on a One Day, One Vote election integrity bill as she reportedly lacked the votes for the bill to pass. Arizona conservatives wanted her to call the bill for a vote, even though they knew it would fail, because they wanted to see who voted against itbut Fann didnt want to reveal to the people which Republicans needed to be primaried. (Republicans held the state house, senate, and governors office that year.) Fann is also the sister of Mike Fann, the CEO of Fann Contracting, which over the years, has received hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars for state Department of Transportation projectsI wonder if having a sister who commanded the states upper chamber has anything to do with the apparent favor, or is he really just the best man for the job? In 2021 and for just one project alone, the state awarded Fann and another company he partnered with almost half a billion taxpayer dollars: The I-17 Improvement Project, a $445,940,000 project to widen and improve traffic flow from Anthem Way to Sunset Point, is now underway. Contracts between ADOT and Kiewit-Fann Joint Venture, a development team, have been signed and pre-construction will begin soon. Less than two weeks later, Karen Fann announced her retirement from the Senate. In 2022 though and against all odds, a fiery outsider named Justine Wadsack defeated Leach in the primary after a very heated race; youll be shocked to learn that despite Wadsack then going on to a general victory over a Democrat, doing a phenomenal job at the Capitol for the past two years, earning her way onto the Freedom Caucus, and securing high-profile endorsements (Utahs Mike Lee among others), the Republican establishment was not happy, and supported Leach as he came back from the grave (this man is nearing Joe Bidens age and shares his mental deficiencies) to restore the power to the Uniparty; he primaried Wadsack this year, and squeaked by a victory against her just a couple months back. (I question the integrity of the election given my personal experiences with the Republicans from the county party who count the votes in these polling places and tabulating rooms.) While Leachs campaign website states that hes consistently ranked as one of the very best conservatives in Arizona (with no link to any real rating of course), his tenure was marked by progressive values and priorities. Leach was a cosponsor to HB2456 (as was Fann) in 2016. which was a bill to circumvent the electoral college, and award Arizonas electoral votes to the winner of the presidential popular vote. If Leach had been successful in passing this bill, Hillary would have taken Arizona in 2016 instead of Trump. (For more background on this, see an essay I previously wrote here.) Leach had also been a crucial vote for the Democrats to pass their big government budget billwhich caused an uproar in the state because again, Republicans held the majorities and the executive office. For an excellent takedown of this massive spending and corporate giveaway bill, for which Leach voted, listen to what one of Leachs colleagues had to say about the bill here. Vince Leach has a history of selling out conservatives and their values. For a Republican like Leach, the obligatory statement about border security is exactly that, obligatory, because thats what the voters want to hear. Whats most important though is making sure that the rights of illegal invaders are respected so lets make sure theyre invading legally! If that means amnesty, a progressive Democrat border bill that caps illegal entries at 5,000 per day, Temporary Protected Status handed out like candy like they have done for the Haitians, or any other pathway to citizenship, then so be it! These invaders have rights, and their well-being is paramount! Its a balance, and if the American people want their border security, then theyre going to have to meet in the middle, and consider the interests of the invaders too. Truly grotesque, not to mention traitorous. I thought American politicians were supposed to represent the American people? Image: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr, unaltered. This presidential election offers a remarkable and unique historical opportunity for the Democrat party. In fact, this may be that partys most opportune time ever to make history. The Democrat presidential candidate identifies as black, having previously identified as Southeast Asian. Becoming the first self-identified black and female president in America would be history-making. However, there is something much more history-making begging to be acknowledged recognized. In fact, it is something beyond beliefutterly inconceivablesomething very few are qualified for. Kamala Harris is a rare candidate due to her genealogical background. She is the first black female candidate and second black presidential candidate descendant of a slave master (Obama was the first black descendant of a slave master.) Image: YouTube screen grab (edited) Think of that: Two black candidates for president whose ancestors were slave owners! Her Jamaican father openly claims his ancestor was a successful slave owner. Can anything be more historically ironic than this? As the saying goes, Truth is stranger than fiction. Think about how that aligns with what Kamala said when speaking at Rev. Al Sharptons National Action Network Conference. When asked about a potential reparations bill, she promised, When I am elected president, I will sign that bill. Thats a popular policy for Democrat presidential candidates, as we saw during the last election: As the 2020 presidential race ramps up, Democratic candidates are talking about setting the country on a course of atonement through reparations. For blacks in America, slavery was a terrible time and unworthy of our founding principles. An ancestor of mine, an abolitionist and Lincolns law partner, often referred specifically to the evil of slavery as slavery by race. Since 1828, the Democrat party was the slave party responsible for this oppression, and it enacted endless discriminatory laws affecting blacks. Even after slavery ended, Democrats used local laws to discriminate against blacks. The Jim Crow era was one of segregation and the suppression of civil rights. Democrats were also behind the terrorist Ku Klux Klan Party that lynched thousands of blacks and Republicans. Given this history, isnt it amazing that a black female descendant of a slave owner is running for president on the former slave partys ticket? Stranger than fiction, isnt it? But theres more. To date, the Democrat party has not apologized to Americas blacks for its responsibility in enslaving and oppressing blacks in pre-modern times. Neither has the party, as the most oppressive entity toward blacks, offered reparations. This brings us to the remarkable and unique historical opportunity for the Democrat party. It has already raised around $600,000,000 for the Presidential election. Half of that would be more than enough to run a successful campaign. Wouldnt it be an amazing gesture for the black female presidential candidate who is descended from a slave owner to apologize on behalf of the Democrat Party and donate half of those funds as reparations to those in America who are descended from black slaves? (Not all blacks were slaves.) Could anything be more just or moral for such a shameful past? Its never too late to atone and make amends for the past. Such a unique and remarkable historical event will not only be incredible news across the world, but it will hold a very special and highlighted section in future history books and serve as a model for many troubled nations with equally shameful pastsespecially in Africa itself. And the myth of a party switch is just thata myth, perhaps created to distract from its evil past. Those who are innocent of injustices should not be taxed for past wrongdoings. Instead, fairness demands that the political party most responsible for the injustices that blacks experienced finally act on what it declares it believes. Its also time the Democrat party owns up to its lengthy history instead of seeking to shift blame and racism on the Republican Party and others. Its time to rectify a missing moral obligation. Truth cant be buried forever; it will resurrect itself. Tech world 2, Google 0. Thats the score right now, as Google has lost its last two major antitrust lawsuits. Now, the company is caught up in yet another one, and this one centers around its ad business. Its day four of the trial, and Google allegedly bullied publishers to force them to use its ad services. At this point, information about this allegation and the case as a whole is still coming out. So be sure to stay tuned; this is a developing story. First, lets catch you up, whats the case about? As stated, this is the third major antitrust lawsuit against Google in the past year. The first one was about its dominance over the Android app market and the second (the big one) was about its search business. Hot off the heels of the second one, the U.S. DOJ (Department Of Justice) filed a lawsuit alleging that Google operates an illegal monopoly on the ad market. Both sides made their opening statements on Thursday. Justice Department Attorney Julia Tarver Wood brought some concerns to light like the fact that Google has been buying out much of the competition in order to have its way with the market. One example of this is the fact that Google bought the ad company DoubleClick. One thing about the situation is that, because of Googles buyouts, the company has been able to control both sides of the ad buying and selling process. This allows the company to make its own rules in the ad market, and no other company could compete. One monopoly is bad enough. But a trifecta of monopolies is what we have here, Wood said. In the U.S., Google owns 25.6% of the ad market while Meta owns 21.3% and Microsoft trails behind with 13.9% of the market. However, thats just in the States. In certain regions, Google owns more than 90% of the ad market. This means that Google is the only option for many people and companies around the world. Since this is an ongoing case thats still less than a week into the woods, its going to be quite some time before we see a final verdict. Google, allegedly, forces companies to use its ad platform This case, like most others, led to some old emails and recordings being dug up and brought to the light. This time, we see an old meeting between Google and publishers being surfaced. Along with that, there were also some emails from the same year. Starting off with the meeting, Google held a meeting with its publisher customers like The Wallstreet Journal and other major companies. During the meeting, it announced some new changes, and one of them was something called UPR (Unified Pricing Rules). Previously, when companies would sell ad space on their sites, theyd have the freedom to set the price floor they wanted for different ad exchanges. They had the freedom to set the minimum price that theyd accept from different ad exchanges like Googles AdX, PubMatic, and other companies. According to the report, publishers would set a higher minimum price for AdX than other providers. This would give other companies a chance to display their ads and reduce publishers dependency on Googles ad business. This is something that is a rarity in this world of monopolies and mega-corporations. However, it seems that Google had other plans for how it wanted to operate things. Streamlining or bullying? We thought some publishers would be upset, Rahul Srinivasan, Googles former product manager for GAM (Google Ad Manager). The company was aware that publishers would be upset about this, and that makes the situation much worse. Taking away the control ability to set different price floors means that other ad platforms would have to compete with the much larger Google on the same playing field. Not only that, but this would force them to be more dependent on Googles ads. Publishers that were involved with Google had no choice but to stick with Google because there are no sizeable alternatives. Were talking about major publications that need some serious revenue to make a profit. So, it was unlikely that these publishers would take the massive dip in revenue by going to another company. They wouldnt be able to gain full access to Googles advertiser network either. This is the definition of monopolistic behavior. The company was, allegedly and knowingly, depriving its customers of a choice that would benefit them in order to serve its own interests. In fact, thats what Stephanie Layser said during her testimony earlier this week. She worked at News Corp in programmatic advertising. She said that it was, in the best interest of Google and not in the best interest of their customers. This pretty much sums up the situation. Buttering up the publishers During that very same meeting, Google tried to soften the blow to publishers by introducing a more favorable change. It was like the company was buttering up publishers so that they wouldnt put up a fight. It introduced a first-price auction structure. Before the change, when a company won a bid on an ad space, it would pay the runner-up bid. This is called a second-price auction structure. However, in switching to a first-price structure, the company would pay their bid rather than the runner-up bid. This is something that would lead to more money for the publications. While thats a good thing to have, the publishers were still sore about what Google did. Google felt the impact soon after This should come as no surprise, but Google faced some backlash. According to some emails shared in May of 2019, an employee at Google pointed to some difficult PR. The publishers were not taking to the changes. The email was sent to Srinivasan, but he responded by saying that the company needed to do this to justify moving to a first-price structure. Googles defense Google didnt take this sitting down. We introduced Unified Pricing Rules and other updates as a way to improve the transparency and fairness of the auction and help publishers achieve their goals, said Google spokesperson Peter Schottenfels, During the rollout, we made changes and introduced new features in response to publisher feedback. As we heard in court today and from the DOJs own expert yesterday, the result was that publishers saw increased revenue. Along with that, Googles attorney retrieved an email from 2019 talking about the company having conversations with publishers and reporters. Also, according to an internal document, Google said that publishers saw neutral to positive impact on revenue. But we cant forget the elephant in the room The fact of the matter is that Google eliminated a way for companies to reduce their dependency on Google. The company says that its looking out for the best interests of the market, but thats not the most important part. Also, theres the fact that publishers saw neutral to positive impact on revenue came from an internal document. So, its a bit tough to believe its legitimacy. Its like saying, Googles change is helping the market because Google says so. Publishers are more dependent on Google, and this is just what the company wants. It makes it harder for other companies to properly compete with the mega-corporation. Competing companies have no choices other than fading to obscurity or being bought out by Google. Are Googles justifications enough to sway the court? Were going to have to wait to find out. A recent discovery of a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) has raised new concerns about cloud security. Known as CloudImposer, the vulnerability was revealed by Tenable Research and could have allowed malicious attackers to compromise millions of servers using GCPs Cloud Composer service. Google has since patched the issue. Discovery of Google Cloud Platform vulnerability Tenable Research identified the Google Cloud Platform vulnerability, dubbed CloudImposer, in early August 2024. It was presented at the Black Hat USA conference in Las Vegas. CloudImposer could have exposed customers using GCP services, including App Engine, Cloud Functions, and Cloud Composer, to large-scale supply chain attacks. The vulnerability stemmed from a flaw in the installation process of certain software packages used within Googles infrastructure. Attackers could have taken advantage of this to execute malicious code on Googles servers and potentially those of its customers. Cloud-based supply chain attacks, like the Google Cloud Platform vulnerability, can cause widespread damage due to the massive scale of cloud environments. Unlike traditional supply chain attacks that target individual systems, cloud-based attacks can infect millions of users and systems simultaneously. In the case of CloudImposer, a compromised package in Googles Cloud Composer could have had catastrophic consequences for both Google and its users. The discovery of the CloudImposer vulnerability also revealed troubling documentation practices within GCP. Tenable researchers found that Google recommended using a Python command known as extra-index-url, which can open the door to dependency confusion attacks. These attacks occur when attackers insert malicious software packages into a public registry, tricking systems into installing the wrong package. Googles response and documentation changes After Tenable discovered the vulnerability, they responsibly disclosed it to Google, who responded quickly. The tech giant classified the vulnerability as remote code execution (RCE) and took immediate action to fix the issue. The documentation now advises users to utilize a safer command to mitigate the risk of dependency confusion. Cloud supply chain attacks, like the one CloudImposer enabled, are more severe than traditional on-premises attacks. The vast scale of cloud services means a single compromised package can be deployed to millions of servers and users simultaneously. The potential consequences of the Google Cloud Platform vulnerability highlight the growing need for vigilance in securing cloud-based services. Both cloud providers and customers must adopt responsible security practices to minimize these risks. This discovery underscores how crucial it is for cloud users to carefully manage their software dependencies. Dependency confusion has been a known issue for years. The CloudImposer case shows that many organizations still dont know how to prevent these attacks. Both GCP and Python have updated their software documentation. However, dependency confusion remains a major challenge for cloud security. Attackers exploit gaps in package management systems, tricking systems into downloading malicious packages. Despite updates, many companies still struggle to detect and stop these threats. To prevent dependency confusion, organizations need stricter controls and constant monitoring. Cloud security depends on staying vigilant against these evolving risks. The Samsung Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ cameras will be dust magnets, it seems. Why? Well, because of their design. It seems like a new design is coming, but only for those two models, not the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The Samsung Galaxy S25 & Galaxy S25+ cameras will be dust magnets This was revealed by Ice Universe, one of the most accurate tipsters out there. He shared an image via his Weibo page, and you can see it below. This shows the new design of the rear cameras on the two devices. Each of the cameras do protrude out, and that alone is enough for dust to settle there, as each of the cameras is its separate island. On top of that, here you have to levels of width. The top level is wider than the bottom one. Needless to say, dust will easily get under the top level. Considering this design, keeping those camera protrusions clean will be an even more difficult task. Were not sure why Samsung went with this design, but there you have it. As many of you know by now, weve exclusively revealed the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S25 designs not long ago. Those two devices, and the Galaxy S25+, are coming in early 2025. The entire Galaxy S25 series is expected to arrive in Q1 2025 If Samsung aims to stick to its release cycle, all phones will launch in January next year. They will have even thinner bezels this time around. The Galaxy S25 Ultra will have flat sides too this time around, and its corners will be slightly rounded. All three of these phones will be high-end devices, needless to say. Theyll include a flagship processor, and all the other high-end components youd expect. Were not expecting major improvements in the camrea department, though, at least as far as hardware is concerned. Well, based on the Galaxy S25 Ultra report that arrived recently. Samsung could launch a rollable phone in 2025, with a massive, flexible display, suggests a new report. The smartphones display could be pulled or unwound to form a 12.4-inch tablet. Samsung rollable display phone to launch in 2025? Samsung developed an ultra-flexible display a few years ago. Rumors about the company developing a smartphone with a rollable display started last year. Now, a report claims the South Korean company could launch a device with its ultra-flexible screen in 2025. The Samsung Galaxy Fold 5G was launched more than five years ago in February 2019. Needless to say, Apple is yet to catch up to Samsung in the foldable display department. If the report is true, Samsung could be trying to take a giant leap with a display that can be rolled inside a chassis. It is important to note that Samsung hasnt made any official announcement. There have been no leaks about the housing or the display technology that Samsung may be using. Nonetheless, if the launch is indeed less than a year away, we should start getting more leaks about the Samsung rollable display phone. How would a rollable Samsung phone look? Samsungs current flagship foldable smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, opens up like a book. In other words, the smartphone has a single fold in the center. The recently launched Huawei Mate XT Ultimate is the worlds first, commercially-available, tri-fold smartphone. When unfolded, the tri-fold display measures 10.2 inches. Samsung rollable phone will reportedly have a 12.4-inch rollable screen. Incidentally, Samsung did showcase such a display during this years SID Display Week event. Samsung claimed the rollable OLED screen, called Rollable Flex, is meant for smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. The OLED panel can be rolled to fit inside a much smaller space. The actual rolled-up diameter isnt known. However, the display can be rolled open from 49mm to 254.4mm in size. Packing a rollable display, the rumored Samsung phone wont need two separate screens or a centrally-located hinge. The report also claims this smartphone would have an under-display camera, just like the Galaxy Fold series foldable smartphones have had since the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Emmy-nominated actors Andrew Scott and Hiroyuki Sanada have led arrivals at the star-studded awards ceremony celebrating the best in television. Hollywood stars have begun to descend upon the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles for the second time this year, as the September 2023 ceremony was delayed until January 2024 because of the US writers and actors strikes. Father and son duo Eugene and Dan Levy are set to host the 76th awards ceremony, with the biggest contenders including Shogun, The Bear, Only Murders In The Building, True Detective: Night Country, The Crown and Baby Reindeer. Japanese historical drama Shogun, based on James Clavells best-selling 1975 novel of the same name about the events and figures of 1600 Japan, is the most nominated series with 25 nods. Hiroyuki Sanada in a scene from Shogun. (Katie Yu/FX via AP) Sanada, nominated for outstanding lead actor in a drama series, told People on the red carpet: Its an amazing experience for me, first nomination, and so proud of our crew and cast, happy to be here. The 63-year-old said they attempted to keep the show as authentic as possible. We believed the audience are intelligent and (have), imagination, and it worked, he said. After we finished the shooting, as a producer we spent one year and a half on the post production, so every single version of editing I checked everything. He added that following the great reaction they decided to create a second series and are now preparing the script and another new crew and casting with another long journey just begun. #Emmy nominees Walton Goggins and Andrew Scott pic.twitter.com/pR2cfVX2Ar Television Academy (@TelevisionAcad) September 15, 2024 Meanwhile, Irish star Scott was one of the first on the red carpet sporting a black tailored suit and a moustache, as he was nominated for his lead role in a limited or anthology series for Netflix thriller Ripley where he plays a fictional charismatic murderer. Among those in the category is Scottish comedian Richard Gadd, creator and star of Netflix series Baby Reindeer which is up for a total of 11 nominations. Early arrivals also saw US actor Walton Goggins, who is nominated for lead actor following his role as Cooper Howard in post-apocalyptic drama Fallout. Some of the people in this category are my biggest heroes, I mean Gary Oldman and Donald (Glover) and (Hiroyuki) Sanada, and Dominic (West) was an old friend of mine, and so just to kind of be counted among them is extraordinary, he said on the red carpet. On the very first day I had all the makeup on, the costume on, and the last thing I didnt anticipate was the things that went in my mouth, I didnt really speak. It just so happened to be 106 degrees in New York for the heat index that day, and I literally sat down on a rock and said, I dont know that I can do this, I think Im too old, I dont think Im going be able to do it. But we did, and very, very grateful for the experience. The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards is being held at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. Scottish star Richard Gadd has collected three gongs for writing, producing and starring in Netflix hit series Baby Reindeer during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. Gadd gave emotional speeches on stage at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles after scooping awards for the thriller about a female stalker, said to be inspired by his real-life experiences. This is the stuff of dreams, he said after winning his first Emmy in writing, before collecting outstanding limited or anthology series and lead actor in the same category. Richard Gadd poses with the award for outstanding writing for a limited or anthology series or movie at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards (Jae C Hong/AP) TV shows The Bear and Shogun also scooped big awards during the 76th awards ceremony, including gongs for lead actors Jeremy Allen White and Hiroyuki Sanada respectively. Sanada also won an award for producing Shogun, a Japanese historical drama based on James Clavells best-selling novel, set during the 1600s. Sanada said he was beyond honoured, describing the drama as an east meets west dream project with respect. Shogun taught me that when people work together, we can make miracles. We can create a better future together, he added. Hiroyuki Sanada accepts the award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series for Shogun during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) Meanwhile, Gadd said the gongs for Baby Reindeer proved that theres no set formula to success, despite there being a slump in the industry. The only constant across any success in television is good storytelling, good storytelling that speaks to our times. So take risks, push boundaries, explore the uncomfortable, dare to fail in order to achieve, he told the audience. Look, 10 years ago I was down and out. I never ever thought Id get my life together, Gadd said during his first on stage speech. I never ever thought Id be able to rectify myself what had happened to me and get myself back on my feet again, and then here I am, just over a decade later, picking up one of the biggest writing awards in television. I dont mean that to sound arrogant. I mean it as encouragement for anyone whos going through a difficult time right now to persevere. I dont know much about this life, I dont know why we are here, none of that, but I do know that nothing lasts forever, and no matter how bad it gets, it always gets better. So if youre struggling, keep going keep going and I promise you things will be okay. Jessica Gunning poses in the press room with the award for outstanding supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie (Jae C Hong/AP) After collecting his acting prize, Gadd also thanked his mother and father who never, ever told me what I needed to do with my life, which he described as the greatest gift a parent can give a child. They always said follow your heart and the rest will fall into place, and I think its good advice, follow your heart and the rest will fall into place, he added. His co-star Jessica Gunning also won the Emmy for best supporting actress in a limited or anthology series for playing Martha Scott, who stalks Gadds character Donny Dunn in the show. I am so incredibly proud to be a part of Baby Reindeer, she said on stage. Jessica Gunning and Richard Gadd of Baby Reindeer (Jae C Hong/AP) My biggest thanks has to go to Mr Richard Gadd. I tried so many times to put into words what working on Baby Reindeer meant to me and I fail every time. So, Im going to sing, she joked. Thank you for trusting me to be your Martha. I will never, ever forget her or you or this. The show made headlines after a woman, who claimed to be the inspiration behind the character Martha, filed a lawsuit against Netflix and accused the story of being inaccurate. Baby Reindeer was not alone in receiving multiple gongs, with hit series The Bear also taking home a number of wins. In their opening monologue, father-son hosting duo Eugene and Dan Levy joked that the show officially deemed a comedy programme would be better off categorised as a drama. Hosts Eugene Levy and Dan Levy speak during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards (Chris Pizzello/AP) The series is about a star chef (Jeremy Allen White) who returns to Chicago to run the family business after the death of his brother. Allen White described himself as so, so, so lucky after picking up the Emmy for lead actor in a comedy series for his role as Carmen Carmy Berzatto. This show has changed my life, it has instilled a faith that change is possible, that change is possible if you are able to reach out, you are really truly not actually alone, he said on stage. His win came after US actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach won best supporting actor in a comedy for his role as restaurant manager Richard Richie Jerimovich in The Bear. Christopher Storer picked up the directing award. Jeremy Allen White AT THE 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday (Jae C Hong/AP) The ceremony also saw The Bear actress Liza Colon-Zayas win an Emmy for best supporting actress for her role as Tina. She told the audience she revered the women in the category including Carol Burnett and Meryl Streep. Elizabeth Debicki, winner of the award for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series for The Crown (Jae C Hong/AP) Australian star Elizabeth Debicki won her first Emmy Award for her role as Diana, Princess of Wales in Netflixs The Crown; a fictionalised drama about the British royal family. Playing this part based on this unparalleled, incredible human being, has been my great privilege it has been a gift, she said on stage after collecting the award for outstanding supporting actress in a drama. The ceremony marked the second time Hollywood stars descended upon the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles to celebrate the best in television this year, after the September 2023 ceremony was initially postponed due to the US writers and actors strikes. The Bear has secured early wins for its stars including Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach at the 76th Emmy Awards. Hollywood stars descended upon the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles for the second time this year to celebrate the best in television, after the September 2023 ceremony was delayed following the US writers and actors strikes. In their opening monologue, father and son hosting duo Eugene and Dan Levy made jokes about The Bear featuring in the comedy category following reaction that it should be categorised as a drama. Hosts Eugene Levy and Dan Levy speak during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) The series is about a star chef (Allen White) who returns to Chicago to run the family business after the death of his brother. Allen White described himself as so, so, so lucky after picking up the Emmy for lead actor in a comedy series for his role as Carmen Carmy Berzatto. This show has changed my life, it has instilled a faith that change is possible, that change is possible if you are able to reach out, you are really truly not actually alone, he said on stage. His win came after Only Murders In The Building star Selena Gomez referenced the upcoming US presidential election as she introduced the first award to US actor Moss-Bachrach for best supporting actor in a comedy for his role as restaurant manager Richard Richie Jerimovich in The Bear. Gomez, who shared the stage with her co-stars Martin Short and Steve Martin, said: Let me say what an honour it is to work with two guys who are this far away from being childless cat ladies. Steve Martin, from left, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez present the award for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) The joke referenced comments made by Donald Trumps running mate JD Vance. The ceremony also saw Liza Colon-Zayas win an Emmy for best supporting actress for her role as Tina in The Bear, telling the audience she revered the women in the category including Carol Burnett and Meryl Streep. Referencing the upcoming presidential election, she added: To all the Latinas who are looking at me, keep believing and vote, vote for your rights. Beavers have been born in Hampshire for the first time in 400 years. The two baby beavers, known as kits, were first spotted in early July in an enclosure on the Ewhurst Park estate near Basingstoke, its team announced on Tuesday. The kits have since been captured on camera, swimming, splashing and gnawing on bark. They were born on the 925-acre estate to parents Chompy and Hazel, who were released into the enclosure in January 2023 as the first beavers in Hampshire since the 1600s. A mother and baby beaver at Ewhurst Park (Ewhurst Park/PA) Fiona Kenny, Ewhurst Parks head of ecology management, said she was among the first to spot the newborn kits. I was showing a group around the beaver enclosure when I heard a distinctive sploshing sound, she said. All of a sudden we were amazed to see a baby beaver splashing about in the water. It was an incredible moment. Beavers were hunted to extinction in Britain in the 16th century for their fur, glands and meat but they can now be found living in the wild in a number of rivers in Scotland. In England, they have been introduced into enclosures in several counties although they can also be found in the wild through official trials and illegal releases or escapes. Chompy and Hazel on the day of their release (Nick Upton/PA) The semi-aquatic mammals are important for restoring landscapes by acting as ecosystem engineers, building dams and felling trees to provide vital habitat and resources for insects, fish, plants, birds and bats, and help to mitigate flooding risks. Wildlife experts said beavers need to be back in the wild to help tackle the climate and nature crises. The Ewhurst Park project is part of wider rewilding efforts on the former shooting estate, which was bought by Malaysian-born model and entrepreneur Mandy Lieu four years ago. She said: The arrival of kits is yet another very exciting moment in Ewhurst Parks nature restoration journey, with many more yet to come. Hazel the beaver being released by Mandy Lieu in 2023 (Nick Upton/PA) The beavers modifications to the landscape through damming and tree felling have been extraordinary. We have already recorded many important species in the enclosure including very rare barbastelle bats. Roisin Campbell-Palmer, head of restoration at Beaver Trust, said: Were delighted to see another family in another county successfully breeding. Each new generation of kits is wonderful to see and a sign that the pair are settling well. Records of Chompy and Hazels offspring will be collated into a beaver studbook developed by Beaver Trust in collaboration with Natural England to monitor the species across England. This years Booker Prize shortlist will feature the biggest number of women authors in its 55-year history. Five women and one man will feature on the shortlist for the prestigious literary prize. The list, whittled down from a longlist of 13, also includes the first Australian author in a decade, as well as the first Dutch writer to be shortlisted. British, Canadian and American authors comprise the rest of the six-strong list, with two authors making the shortlist for the second time. One of the books featured is Orbital, by English novelist Samantha Harvey, which centres around six astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS), with Harvey previously explaining: I wanted to write about our human occupation of low earth orbit for the last quarter of a century not as sci-fi but as realism. Could I evoke the beauty of that vantage point with the care of a nature writer? Could I write about amazement? Could I pull off a sort of space pastoral? These were the challenges I set myself. Harvey was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2009 for The Wilderness, and previously published a memoir about her insomnia, The Shapeless Unease: A Year Of Not Sleeping, in 2020. Percival Everett was shortlisted in 2002 for The Trees (PA) Two American authors features on the list Percival Everett for James and Rachel Kushner for Creation Lake. In 2022, Everett made the Booker shortlist for The Trees and this year he is shortlisted for James, which is a powerful retelling of The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. In 2021 Everetts Telephone was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and his 2001 novel Erasure was adapted into the film American Fiction, starring Sterling K Brown and Jeffrey Wright, and which won director Cord Jefferson the best adapted screenplay Oscar earlier this year. Fellow American Kushner is shortlisted for Creation Lake, having previously been shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2018 for The Mars Room. Kushner, whose other works include The Flamethrowers, said of Creation Lake: I had long wanted to tell a story about a group of young people who decamp from Paris to a rural outpost in France, where they are set on a collision course with the French state. At the same time, I became interested in prehistory, both what can be known about ancient people and what the longing to know actually is, a sense that we have taken a wrong turn, that our ancestors hid messages from us that we dont know how to read. Charlotte Wood is the first Australian author to be shortlisted in a decade, with Stone Yard Devotional, which follows a middle-aged woman who leaves Sydney for the small religious community in the middle of the outback where she grew up but instead of finding quiet refuge, increasingly haunting visitors drop by the rural town. Australian author Richard Flanagan won the Booker prize in 2014, for The Narrow Road To The Deep North, which was set on the notoriously cruel Thailand-Burma railway where his father was a prisoner of war. Dutch author Yael van der Wouden features with debut novel, The Safekeep, and is also the first Dutch author to make the Booker shortlist. Additionally, her other work includes having written an online, David-Attenborough themed advice column, answering peoples problems posing as Sir David. Canadian Anne Michaels, known for her poetry and 1996 novel Fugitive Pieces, is shortlisted for Held, described on the official Booker Prize website as a narrative that spans four generations, moments of connection and consequence ignite and re-ignite as the century unfolds. This years judging panel is chaired by artist and author Edmund de Waal, who is joined by award-winning novelist Sara Collins, The Guardians Fiction Editor Justine Jordan, and writer and professor Yiyun Li. Musician, composer and producer Nitin Sawhney, who has collaborated with Sir Paul McCartney, Sting and Pink Floyd and won an Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award in 2017, is also on the judging panel. The judges said of Michaels Held: Starting with a wounded soldier on a French battlefield, this lyrical kaleidoscope of a novel is created from the scattered images and memories of four generations of a family. The 2024 Booker Prize judges are Sara Collins, Edmund de Waal, Yiyun Li, Nitin Sawhney and Justine Jordan. Picture: Tom Pilston (PA) Edmund de Waal, chair of the judges, said: I am enormously proud of this shortlist of six books that have lived with us. We have spent months sifting, challenging, questioning stopped in our tracks by the power of the contemporary fiction that we have been privileged to read. And here are the books that we need you to read. Great novels can change the reader. They face up to truths and face you in their turn. He added: The fault lines of our times are here. Borders and time zones and generations are crossed and explored, conflicts of identity, race and sexuality are brought into renewed focus through memorable voices. The people who come alive here are damaged in ways that we come to know and respect, and we come to care passionately about their histories and relationships. This years Booker Prize ceremony is being held on November 12, and the winning author will receive 50,000 and a trophy. Last years winner was Irish author Paul Lynch and his Dystopian novel Prophet Song. Booker Prize judge Sara Collins has said this years shortlist which features the most women in its 55-year history is a wonderful, genuine surprise. Collins, who is best known for writing The Confessions Of Frannie Langton, said the tremendous nominated books written by the five women rose to the top on merit. She went on to say that publishing is dominated at certain levels by women but added that literary recognition is still largely reserved for men. The shortlist was announced on Monday by the Booker Prize judging panel (Tom Pilston for Booker Prize Foundation/PA) The 2024 shortlist is made up of Samantha Harvey for her book Orbital, Rachel Kushner for Creation Lake, Anne Michaels for Held, Yael van der Wouden for the Safekeep, Charlotte Wood for Stone Yard Devotional, and US writer Percival Everett for James, the only man on the list. Speaking about the female-dominated shortlist, Collins said: It was a genuine surprise to us. We came up with a shortlist, we sat back and looked at the pile, and someone said, ha, there are five women there. So the first thing to say is that these books rose to the top on merit, they are tremendous books. But that was also a thing that made me feel like I could weep with joy. It was such a gratifying, surprising, thrilling moment to realise, especially coming off the back of the year with three Pauls, its time for the Paulettes and Paulinas. Its funny because publishing, in my experience as a writer is that publishing is sort of dominated at certain levels by women, but the literary recognition seemed to be reserved for men. Its really, really lovely to be involved in a year where the depth and breadth, and heart and skill of books that are being written by women is recognised, and also the literary merit, these are real heavyweight writers. I think Samantha Harvey has been doing brilliant work for a long time, perhaps (unsung) as well as Anne Michaels. I mean (unsung) in the sense of the massive commercial success that they should have had. Charlotte is the same, people who are well established, and for whom I think this recognition is well deserved. Its just a wonderful, genuine surprise. Collins fellow judge Justine Jordan, the Guardians fiction editor, went on to speak about TikToks influence on sales of the nominated books. She said: I think enthusiasm can be everywhere on every platform. We tweet about books, we write whole books about books, and I suspect if you go into TikTok, you will find these books, and you will find people, especially being moved by them. I mean, that does seem to be a big theme in TikTok, doesnt it? This made me cry, this made me sadder than Ive ever been before. I think these books will definitely find their TikTok readers, as well as their older readers. The rest of the judging panel is made up of musician Nitin Sawhney, writer and professor Yiyun Li, and is chaired by artist and author Edmund de Waal. This years Booker Prize ceremony is being held on November 12, and the winning author will receive 50,000 and a trophy. Last years winner was Irish author Paul Lynch and his dystopian novel Prophet Song. Charity shops are a great place to shop for secondhand bargains, but are they getting too expensive? It isn't that simple, experts say. (Getty Images) (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Charity shops have always been a bargain hunters dream, with many deals to be found on donated clothes. But shoppers have recently started noticing that the price of some charity shop garments are not quite as cheap and cheerful as they used to be. While many charity shops are still highly affordable - some even offering 1 rails - prices vary according to a number of factors, from the items brand and condition to where the charity shop is located. But recently, several content creators who regularly shop in charity shops have highlighted pricing they believe is unfair or disproportionate to the item of clothing on sale. One TikTok content creator, Anna, who goes by the handle @thesecondhandqueen, shared a series of videos where she finds items she believes are overpriced in charity shops. In one video, she shows a dress from fast fashion retailer Shein, which is known for its rock-bottom prices, on the rail in a charity shop. The secondhand dress was priced at 14, but Anna claimed it would be just 6 to buy it brand new. In her caption, she wrote: "Was this a charity shop staff error or are they just trying to squeeze what they can out of the increase in sustainable shopping and second-hand market [sic]? Charity shops are turning away donations and their rails are filled with prices like this." A second content creator, Lisa, who goes by the handle @lisaturn1poundaround, also commented on how the prices in some charity shops can be disproportionately high. In a video she shared earlier this year, Lisa said: "I go charity shopping all of the time and some shops are just too much money. I went into one the other day and everything was like 15, 20. "Thats not an impulse purchase, thats something Ive got to really think about spending Whereas if everything was 5 or 7, Ive walked out with a bag full of stuff and given that charity 60 to 65. [In] the other shops [where] theyre overpricing, basically Im spending nothing." Lisa added: "Isnt it better for me to spend 60 to 65 in your shop and buy several things than walk out with nothing?" Charity shops have to be mindful Jen Graham, a fashion stylist who specialises in second-hand shopping and who aims to inspire people to shop in charity shops, tells Yahoo UK that charity shops are having to strike a fine balance between keeping the lights on and keeping shoppers buying from them. Graham, who has been visiting charity shops since she was 17, says: "I do feel that people dont realise that charity shops still pay for rent and bills like gas and electricity. They dont get a discount because they are a charity shop. "As much as shoppers are struggling with the cost of living crisis, so are other shops and businesses, including charity shops. They also still have to pay staff, not everyone who works in a charity shop is a volunteer. So I do agree there have to be some price increases. "But some shops are charging more than online retailers like Temu, and they need to be careful about that. We dont want to make it cheaper to buy new or shop on these websites, we want to encourage people to spend money in charity shops so they can keep doing the amazing work they do." Charity retail plays a major role in fundraising. According to the Charity Retail Association, charity retail shops contributed 387 million to their parent charities in the year 2022/23. So while people often shop at charity shops with the goal of scoring a bargain, shoppers may forget that any money the shop makes goes back to a good cause, be it to fight inequality (Oxfam), to deliver help to injured people via helicopter (London Air Ambulance Charity), or to help fund life-saving cancer research (Cancer Research UK). However, Graham warns against charity shops getting carried away with the boom in demand for secondhand retail. "The charity retail industry needs to be careful that they dont get a bit too excited and go, Oh, great, its busy, lets put the prices up. Because people like me who charity shop forever will notice it and decide against going into certain shops because theyre too expensive. "Whether youre a loyal charity shopper or not, youre going to go where you can afford. And everybody is struggling, so charity shops really have to find the right balance." Hunt around until you find the right bargain It's worth going to a few charity shops to find the right deal for you. (Getty Images) (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Although some shoppers may feel that charity shop prices have soared, Robin Osterley, chief executive of the Charity Retail Association, advises against writing off all charity shops as doing the same. "Charity shops are always very keen to provide value for money," he tells Yahoo UK. "They are going to want to make as much money as they can because their primary objective is to earn money for their parent charities, but theyre always very conscious of trying to provide value for money." Pricing structures vary vastly from shop to shop and manager to manager. Some may be extremely well-organised, such as the British Heart Foundation, who have pricing guides for shop managers, while others have more flexibility. Osterleys advice? Shop around. "Go hunting around the charity shops until you find the kind of bargain youre looking for, because theyre quite often clustered together and there will be something out there for you," he says. If you do find an item you think is overpriced, you can bring it up to the shop manager in a polite manner. "Our shop managers are amongst the busiest people in the world, even when theyve got a number of volunteers supporting them. "But if something is really out of kilter, then bring it to the attention of the shop manager. They may simply have got it wrong while going through hundreds of bags of donations. Its good for shop managers to be kept up to the mark and make sure theyre considering their pricing carefully." Read more: Darktrace shares are set to stop trading publicly at the end of September, after the company set a timetable for its blockbuster private equity takeover to be completed. The private equity group Thoma Bravo struck an almost 5.31 billion dollar (4.3 billion) deal to buy Darktrace in April. It marks one of the biggest take-private deals for a London-listed company in recent years, and will see Darktrace leave the FTSE 100 on October 1. The newly published timetable shows the last day of dealings in Darktrace shares to be September 30, giving investors just two weeks before the company leaves public markets. A clutch of companies have already left or opted against the London stock market of late. Britains biggest chip company ARM floated in New York last autumn, in a move which was widely interpreted as a blow for the London Stock Exchange. Irish building supplies group CRH also moved its stock market listing to Wall Street in June 2023, while plumbing equipment supplier Ferguson did the same in 2022. Founded in 2013, Cambridge-based Darktrace is a cybersecurity firm best known for using artificial intelligence to scan for hacks and data leaks inside IT networks. A prominent company in the UK tech landscape, it was among the firms represented at the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in November, where world leaders and major tech firms met to discuss the potential threat of artificial intelligence. Thoma Bravo had previously approached Darktrace about a possible acquisition in 2022, but talks at the time did not result in an offer. The update comes after Poppy Gustafsson stepped down as chief executive earlier in September amid the takeover. Ms Gustafsson, who co-founded the business in 2013, will be replaced as chief executive by Jill Popelka, the company said. Ms Gustafsson helped to set up the Cambridge-based company in 2013 alongside Autonomy founder Mike Lynch. Mr Lynch, and his daughter Hannah, were among seven people to die after the Bayesian superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily last month. Disgraced former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has been spared jail after admitting accessing indecent images of children as young as seven. The 63-year-old previously admitted three charges of making indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp. At Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday, Edwards held his hands together and leaned forward throughout his sentencing hearing as he was handed six months imprisonment, suspended for two years. Westminster Magistrates Court heard Edwards told Williams go on when asked if he wanted naughty pics and vids of somebody described as yng (sic). Chief Magistrate, district judge Paul Goldspring, said reputational and financial damage was the natural consequence of your behaviour which you brought upon yourself. The BBC said Edwards had betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him adding that the corporation was appalled by his crimes. The court also heard Edwards paid Williams hundreds of pounds after he sent him pornographic images, but his defence barrister Philip Evans KC said the broadcaster did not make payments to Williams in order to receive indecent images of children. The prosecution said Williams asked Edwards for a Christmas gift after all the hot videos. Prosecutor Ian Hope said: Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around 100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him 200. Of the indecent images he received, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court (Aaron Chown/PA) Mr Evans said Edwards recognises that he has betrayed the priceless trust and faith of so many people, adding that he is truly sorry for how he had damaged his family and his loved ones and for committing the offences. Sentencing Edwards, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told the broadcaster: Perhaps it does not need saying but you are of previous good character. The judge said he accepts Edwards had been of exemplary good character having enjoyed a very successful career in the media. Its obvious that until now you were very highly regarded by the public, he continued, adding that Edwards was perhaps the most recognised newsreader-journalist. It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters, the judge said. He also told Edwards he would be subject to 25 rehabilitation sessions and be placed on the sex offender treatment programme for 40 days. Edwards was also ordered to pay 3,000 in prosecution costs. The judge continued: I am of the clear view that you do not present a risk or danger to the public at large, specifically to children. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. He declined to make a sexual harm prevention order against Edwards. The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with convicted paedophile Williams telling the newsreader the child was quite young looking and that he had more images which were illegal. Addressing the exchange while opening the case to the court, Mr Hope said: Alex Williams says he has some naughty pics and vids unsure if youd like. Mr Edwards tells him to go on and Alex Williams states yng (sic). Mr Edwards again tells him to go on and Alex Williams sends a category A moving image showing a male child aged around seven to nine Mr Edwards inquires where the video is from and Alex Williams says an image sharing group on another social media platform which they have both also used, Telegram. Alex Williams says the subject is quite yng looking to which Mr Edwards responds it can be deceptive and asks if he has any more? Mr Evans told the court: The defendant has no memory of actually viewing any particular image. The defence KC also said Edwards did not gain any gratification from indecent images. Overall, the charges cover a period between December 2020 and August 2021. Speaking about the money Edwards had sent to Williams, Mr Hope said: It is clear from the face of the WhatsApp chat recovered that a deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature. It is also clear that Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of money low hundreds of pounds on an occasional basis to Alex Williams which Mr Williams directly asked for on several occasions, as gifts or presents, apparently off the back of sending pornographic images to Mr Edwards, about which images they chatted. Alex Williams has stated that the money was more generally to support him at university and amounted to around 1,000 to 1,500. Following his guilty pleas, the BBC admitted it was informed that the former TV presenter had been arrested in November, but continued to employ him for around five months until he left on medical advice. It has asked Edwards to repay the 200,000 salary he has received since his arrest. BBC director-general Tim Davie said the money should be returned and that the corporation will explore the legal process if Edwards refuses. Edwards walked into court with his head bowed (James Manning/PA) The relevant images in Edwards case range from the most serious category, known as category A, to the least serious, known as category C. They include seven category A images, 12 category B images and 22 category C images. The Sentencing Council, a public body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice, defines category A images as those involving penetrative sexual activity, sexual activity with an animal, or sadism. Category B images are those involving non-penetrative sexual activity, while category C images are indecent images that do not fall into A or B. According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), making an indecent image has been broadly interpreted by the courts. It can range from opening an attachment to an email containing an image, to accessing pornographic websites in which indecent photographs of children appear by way of an automatic pop-up mechanism. In the case of Edwards, he received the illegal images as part of a WhatsApp conversation. During his four decades at the corporation, Edwards was among the broadcasting teams leading coverage of historic events including the late Queens funeral in 2022 and most recently the coronation of the King in May 2023. Edwards also announced the late Queens death on the BBC in September 2022. Former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards has been spared jail after admitting to accessing indecent images of children as young as seven. It comes after more than a year of headlines about the veteran broadcaster, who was the corporations highest-paid newsreader, which started when he was named as the presenter at the centre of a scandal over payments to a young person for sexually explicit images. An artists impression of former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards, left, with chief magistrate Judge Paul Goldspring (Elizabeth Cook/PA) Here is a timeline of how the events unfolded: 2023 May 19 The family of the person, who was 17 when Edwards allegedly started payments back in 2020, complains to the BBC and becomes frustrated when the presenter stays on air. July 6 The Sun contacts the BBC, via the Corporate Press Office, about the allegations they are due to publish. July 8 BBC presenters choose to publicly clear their names, including Gary Lineker, Jeremy Vine and Rylan Clark. July 9 The BBC says in a statement that they have suspended a male presenter from all duties and have contacted the Metropolitan Police over the allegations. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police say: The Met has received initial contact from the BBC in relation to this matter, but no formal referral or allegation has been made. The Sun reports the presenter allegedly made two calls to the young person and asked them to call their mother to stop the investigation after the Sun exclusive was published. Huw Edwards arriving at Westminster Magistrates Court (Aaron Chown/PA) July 10 The BBCs Corporate Investigations Team meets with the Metropolitan Police. The corporation is asked to pause its investigations into the allegations. A lawyer representing the young person at the centre of the controversy says the claims in the inappropriate article are rubbish. July 11 BBC director-general Tim Davie faces the media for a scheduled briefing following the release of the corporations annual report and says he has asked Leigh Tavaziva, the BBC Groups chief operating officer, to assess whether its protocols and procedures are appropriate in light of this case. The BBC reports that a second person felt threatened by messages they received from the presenter. July 12 The wife of Huw Edwards names him as the presenter at the the centre of the scandal. She says, in a statement released to the PA news agency, that he is suffering from serious mental health issues and receiving in-patient hospital care. The Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police say that no criminal offence had been committed by the presenter and neither force is currently taking any further action in relation to the allegations. Huw Edwards on the set of the BBCs Six oclock News (Richard Kendal/PA) The BBC announces it will resume its fact-finding investigations to ensure due process and a thorough assessment of the facts, whilst continuing to be mindful of our duty of care to all involved. BBC Newsnight reports new claims from one current and one former BBC worker, who said they had received inappropriate messages from Edwards, some late at night and signed off with kisses. July 13 The Lords Communications Committee announces that Mr Davie will be questioned in Parliament about the corporations leadership following the furore. July 18 The acting chairwoman of the BBC, Dame Elan Closs Stephens, tells the Communications and Digital Committee that the corporations board met twice to discuss the allegations, initially made in The Suns July 8 front page. November 8 Edwards is arrested in relation to alleged indecent images of children shared on a WhatsApp chat. The arrest is not made public until July 2024. The presenter is still suspended but remains on the BBC payroll. 2024 February 27 The BBC apologises to the family of the young person at the centre of the Edwards furore. A report, commissioned in the wake of the scandal, finds a need for greater consistency in how complaints at the corporation are processed. April 22 Edwards resigns, leaving the BBC on the basis of medical advice from his doctors, according to the corporation. In an interview with The Sun, the mother of the young person at the centre of the scandal says their family is still suffering and still have so many questions following the newsreaders resignation from the BBC. June 26 Edwards is charged with three counts of making indecent images of children for offences, which are alleged to have taken place between December 2020 and April 2022, following a Met Police investigation. BBC Broadcasting house, in central London (Jordan Pettitt/PA) July 23 It is revealed that Edwards was paid more than 475,000 by the BBC in the previous year before he resigned and left the corporation. July 29 It is revealed that Edwards was arrested in November 2023 and charged with making indecent images of children in June. According to the charge sheet, Edwards is accused of having six category A images, 12 category B pictures and 19 category C photographs on WhatsApp. July 31 Edwards pleads guilty to making indecent images of children and admits having 41 on WhatsApp, including seven of the most serious type. The BBC says it knew of Edwards arrest over accessing indecent images of children in November but continued employing him until April. The corporation also issues an internal note to staff co-signed by Mr Davie, chief executive of BBC News & Current Affairs Deborah Turness, and Ms Tavaziva, which says they are appalled. Metropolitan Police say the man who shared indecent images of children with Edwards was 25-year-old convicted paedophile Alex Williams. Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to the charges (Jonathan Brady/PA) August 1 Whistleblowers are critical of an internal inquiry into Edwards behaviour following them speaking to the corporations investigation team. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy holds urgent talks with Mr Davie and asks the BBC to look into whether it can recoup money from Edwards pay packet. Mr Davie says the corporation will look at all options in trying to reclaim pay from Edwards. Mr Davie confirms that he knew Edwards had been arrested in November over the most serious category of indecent images of children. August 2 A Doctor Who episode featuring the voice of Edwards is temporarily removed from BBC iPlayer to be redubbed. The corporation says Edwards resigned from the broadcaster without notice or financial settlement during a confidential disciplinary process. August 3 The teenager at the centre of allegations Edwards paid for sexual photos said he felt groomed by the broadcaster and sick after learning he was charged with child sex crimes. Court artist drawing by Elizabeth Cook of former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards in the dock at Westminster Magistrates Court, London, during his sentencing (Elizabeth Cook/PA) August 7 It is revealed the BBC will retain the Bafta it won for royal coverage fronted by Edwards while individual gongs awarded to the disgraced newsreader remain under review. August 8 Edwards is stripped of his membership of the prestigious Gorsedd of the Bards Welsh arts association. August 9 BBC chairman Samir Shah calls Edwards a villain who behaved in bad faith, taking licence fee money to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds in an email to BBC colleagues. It is revealed that Edwards has resigned from two honorary positions at his former university in Wales. September 10 Mr Shah admits that Edwards damaged the reputation of the corporation while being questioned before the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee. September 16 Edwards appears at Westminster Magistrates Court for his sentencing hearing and is handed six months imprisonment, suspended for two years. Belfast shipbuilder Harland and Wolff has announced the business is set to move into administration. The firm said between 50-60 immediate redundancies are expected but said that staff employed at its four shipyards are not affected. Harland and Wolff, which famously built the Titanic, has four shipyards one in Belfast, two in Scotland (Methil on the Firth of Forth and Arnish on the Isle of Lewis) and one in England (Appledore in north Devon). It is the second time the business has been placed in administration in five years. The administration process will be confined to the holding company, Harland & Wolff Group Holdings PLC, and the operational companies which run the yards are expected to continue trading. A company statement said: A full review of all group holdings commenced in July and has concluded that H&W Group Holdings PLC is insolvent on a balance sheet basis as per its last audited accounts and most recent management accounts. Insolvency practitioners Teneo will act as administrators and shares will be delisted. The company is part of a consortium that landed a major contract to build new fleet solid support ships for the Royal Navy. It had applied for a 200 million loan guarantee from the Government as part of efforts to restructure its finances. However, the Government decided in August not to act as a guarantor on the lending while also ruling out direct funding to maintain the companys liquidity. Harland and Wolff interim executive chairman Russell Downs said the group had faced a very challenging time due to historic losses and a failure to secure long-term financing. He said: Its important to recognise that this is very difficult news for staff and will affect many within group. We will work to support our staff through this transition. We also know that it will be very unwelcome news for shareholders who have shown significant commitment to the business over the last five years. The board, the senior managers and rest of the team are committed to deliver the best outcome for the four yards and communities they serve to ensure their continued operation into the long term under new ownership. Unfortunately, extremely difficult decisions have had to be taken to preserve the future of our yards. Despite the recent challenges, the four yards have a strong capability, under new ownership and with the continuing support of their customers, to deliver UK-based ship building and leading UK-based renewables employing over 1,300 committed personnel. Its critical that the business comes through its financial troubles to secure an enduring legacy worthy of its name and its past for the benefit of the UK as a whole and its communities in particular. A Government spokesperson said: While we know this will be a concerning time for those affected, Harland and Wolff has been clear this process will in no way affect jobs at its shipyards or core operations such as delivering its contracts for the Ministry of Defence. We are clear that following a thorough review of the companys financial situation, at present the market is best-placed to address these challenges, and providing Government funding would have meant a significant risk of losing taxpayer money. We are continuing to work extensively with all parties to find an outcome for Harland and Wolff that delivers shipbuilding and manufacturing in Belfast, Scotland and across the rest of the UK and protects jobs. UUP MLA Andy Allen said the Government had to support Harland and Wolff to find a new owner (Liam McBurney/PA) Ulster Unionist MLA Andy Allen said it is crucial the Government supports the shipyard in finding a new owner. He said: While this outcome may have seemed increasingly likely in recent months, we must find a solution that not only keeps this historic shipyard in east Belfast, but allows it to grow and thrive. The yard is more than just a historic landmark; it has a vital role to play in our national defence, particularly in shipbuilding and maintenance. Given its strategic importance to our defence infrastructure, the Government must act quickly and decisively to secure its future. The workforces skills and expertise are invaluable, not just to the yard itself but to our broader economy and defence capabilities. He added: I will continue to work with colleagues, both here and in Westminster, to ensure every support is given to finding a new owner that will make a clear commitment to building on Harland and Wolffs historic success. The Government must actively engage with all interested parties and prioritise this issue. We must ensure the yard and its workforce have a viable and sustainable future. Huw Edwards was one of the most recognisable faces on TV before his glittering career came to an end amid a scandal that ended with him receiving a suspended prison sentence. The 63-year-old was the BBCs highest-paid newsreader and presented the News At Ten for decades before he pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children in late July. Edwards was regarded as the best-known face of BBC News and was seen as a safe pair of hands to guide the country through major events including the late Queens death, which he announced to the nation in September 2022. Huw Edwards led broadcasts covering the major events of recent times (Ian West/PA) The disgraced newsreader has been making headlines this summer after he admitted to having 41 indecent images on WhatsApp, including seven of the most serious type. Edwards was spared jail and the judge at Westminster Magistrates Court said it would not be an exaggeration to say his long-earned reputation is in tatters. He had earned a reputation as a respected veteran broadcaster before he resigned from the corporation in April following a furore amid allegations, separate to the charges he later faced, about making payments to a young person for sexually explicit photos. The newsreader was front and centre in live broadcasts of election coverage, the Queens Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and Platinum Jubilee in 2022, the wedding of the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018, and the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh in 2021. The late Queen Elizabeth II met Huw Edwards during a visit to officially open the BBCs new 1 billion home in Portland Place central London (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA) Edwards was also the BBCs voice at Trooping the Colour and the Festival of Remembrance. When the BBC was looking for someone to take over election coverage from the long-serving David Dimbleby in 2019, it was Edwards who was chosen. Edwards was also the corporations highest-paid newsreader, with a pay bracket of 475,000 to 479,999 for the year 2023/24, before he resigned, according to the BBCs latest annual report. This last salary marked an increase from 2022/23, when he was paid between 435,000 and 439,999 for 180 days presenting on BBC One, as well as news specials. In 2018, it was reported that he had agreed to take a pay cut following revelations over unequal pay for men and women at the BBC. Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children (Aaron Chown/PA) Edwards said in 2021 that he was considering his future presenting News At Ten as he approached his 60th birthday. The broadcaster, who attended Llanelli Grammar School and graduated in French from Cardiff University, was an honorary professor in the School of Journalism, Media and Culture at his old university before he resigned from both his honorary professor title and honorary fellowship following his guilty plea. In June 2023, Edwards picked up the best live event honour at the Tric Awards for being among those to cover the state funeral of the late Queen, and in February he received the Broadcast Awards special recognition award. In 2012 the BBC won a TV Bafta for Edwards coverage of Prince William and Kate Middletons wedding and the Welsh newsreader has also won the best on-screen presenter prize at the Bafta Cymru awards numerous times over the years. Edwards was previously vice president of the National Churches Trust and has appeared on Songs Of Praise. He has also made documentaries for the BBC including Wales: Who Do We Think We Are? and talked about his depression on S4Cs Huw Edwards Is 60. In a documentary in 2021, Edwards revealed he has had bouts of depression over the last two decades which have left him bedridden. Like everyone that suffers with depression, you dont get one bout of it. It comes and goes, he said. For me, it started around 2002 I think. I went down fairly quickly and I couldnt understand it. Speaking on a podcast hosted by Jane Garvey and Fi Glover, Fortunately With Fi And Jane, he said he decided to share publicly that he has depression as he felt it was complete hypocrisy to support organisations such as the Shawmind Foundation or Mind without explaining why. Italys deal with Albania to process irregular migrants is very, very different to the scrapped Rwanda plan, Yvette Cooper has said. The Home Secretary drew a distinction between Romes third country processing agreement with the Balkan nation and the now-scrapped plan floated by the Tories in office, as Sir Keir Starmer visited his counterpart Giorgia Meloni as part of a bid to grasp the migrant crisis. The Prime Minister is visiting Rome as he continues his attempts to reset relations with the UKs nearest neighbours, with migration expected to be at the top of the agenda. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi arrive to visit the National Coordination Centre in Rome, Italy (Phil Noble/PA) Ministers are reportedly interested in pursuing schemes similar to those Italy has undertaken since Ms Meloni came to power two years ago. Her governments approach to border control has witnessed a 60% drop in arrivals by sea over the past year, and includes a processing deal with Albania which has been compared to the Rwanda scheme. But the Home Secretary insisted it was not the same, telling BBC Breakfast: Its very, very different. So the arrangement that they have in place and look, its not working yet, so we dont know how it will play out but it is a very, very different approach. First of all, this is Italian processing taking place in Albania. It has UNHCR oversight, so it is being monitored to make sure that it meets international standards. Its being done in cooperation between those two countries, and what theyre actually doing is looking at those people who arrive in Italy, who have come from predominantly safe countries, and theyre using it as a way to try and fast-track decisions and returns. She also told the BBC there were four areas the Italians had pursued which interested the UK Government. Alongside the Albania programme, she listed the Meloni governments work tackling organised immigration crime, as well as work upstream in North African nations to prevent migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea, and a major returns scheme. Ms Cooper said: Theyre speeding up returns for those who dont have a right to be there. Weve been doing that through the summer as well, so weve had a substantial increase in returns for people who dont have a right to be in the UK, because the rules need to be respected and enforced. Responding to criticism of Italys migration policy, the Home Secretary added: Weve always had a history of working with governments that have different political parties that are not aligned. That is a sensible thing for any government to do. We have to work with democratically elected governments, particularly those who are our nearest neighbours, and particularly those where we have shared challenges that we have to face. Sir Keir announced he was axing the previous Tory administrations Rwanda deportation policy as one of his first moves in office, and declared ahead of his visit to Italy there would be no more gimmicks to curb migration. He and Ms Cooper recently held a summit to tackle the gangs facilitating English Channel small boat crossings, as they refocus migration policy on organised crime. Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to make sure every child in England learns about the Holocaust by making it a mandatory topic in schools. As part of the Governments curriculum review, the Prime Minister said studying the Holocaust would become a critical, vital part of every single students identity. He added that he would fight to bring the country back from the abyss of antisemitism, comparing it to his experience of changing the Labour Party. Sir Keir made the promises at a Holocaust Education Trust appeal dinner, during which he also committed to allocating 2.2 million to the Lessons from Auschwitz project. Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz (Yakir Zur/PA) The project offers students and teachers a course to increase understanding of the Holocaust, including a visit to the Nazi concentration camp in Poland and hearing the first-hand experiences of survivors. One million Jewish people were murdered by the Nazis at Auschwitz-Birkenau during the Second World War as part of the Holocaust in which six million Jewish men, women and children were killed. On Monday, Sir Keir told attendees at the dinner that his wife has visited Auschwitz but he is yet to do so. In a speech, he said: I know there is there is nothing quite as powerful as seeing it for yourself. My wife Vic has been, I must go. So I will join the Holocaust Educational Trust for one of these visits. This Government will continue funding Lessons from Auschwitz and I can confirm that tonight we are providing at least 2.2 million next year to do that. But look, we cannot stop there. Its too important. This was the first year that participation in Holocaust Memorial Day fell, we cant sit back and accept that. Weve got to be bolder and more defiant about the national importance of Holocaust education. He added: Tonight I am making two decisions in advance of that review. First, the Holocaust will remain on the curriculum come what may. And second, even schools who do not currently have to follow the national curriculum will have to teach the Holocaust when the new curriculum comes in. For the first time, studying the Holocaust will become a critical, vital part of every single students identity. And not just studying it, learning from it too. And above all, acting on its lessons. The Prime Minister said he intends to fight the resurgence of antisemitism. He added: We will not shy away from this. We will not be silent. We will not look the other way. We will call out antisemitism for what it is: hatred pure and simple. And we will fight this with everything that we have got. Just as I fought to bring my party back from the abyss of antisemitism, I promise you I will do the same in leading the country. So yes, we will build that national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre. And build it next to Parliament. Boldly, proudly, unapologetically. Manchester City lawyers arrived at Londons International Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC) on Monday as a hearing to examine 115 Premier League charges issued against the club began. Lord Pannick KC from Blackstone Chambers, who is leading Citys legal team, was pictured arriving at the IDRC, close to St Pauls Cathedral in central London. The hearing is reported to have been scheduled for 10 weeks, with the independent commissions verdict not expected until the new year. City won a fourth title in a row earlier this year (Richard Sellers/PA) The charges facing City, who won a fourth straight Premier League title in May, date back as far as the 2009-10 season. It is thought the club, who are also accused of failing to co-operate with an investigation, could face a range of punishments including a severe points penalty or even expulsion from the Premier League if found guilty. City were charged by the league in February 2023 after a long investigation into allegations published by German magazine Der Spiegel in autumn 2018. Citys financial affairs have come under regular scrutiny since their takeover by Sheikh Mansours Abu Dhabi United Group (PA) The club deny any wrongdoing and have previously said they have a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence to support their stance. Citys financial affairs have come under regular scrutiny since their takeover by Sheikh Mansours Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008. In 2020 they were banned from European competition after being found guilty of breaking UEFAs Financial Fair Play rules, but successfully challenged that ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. MBABANE -Until Friday, this country was not talking. Everything was muted while we suffered bad leadership. This is a statement shared by The Nation Magazine Editor Bheki Makhubu following the statements he made during the Eswatini Editors Forum breakfast meeting that was held at Mountain View Hotel last Friday. During his submission, Makhubu told Prime Minister (PM) Russell Dlamini that he is the worst. This happened after the PM had given a response that had an unpleasant tone directed at Times of Eswatini Managing Editor (ME) Martin Dlamini. The PMs unpleasant tone came in the form of him saying that questions posed by the ME were just opinions, yet most of them were issues of public interest and touched on service delivery. Also, some of the questions were focused on issues that have been raised in other forums, including Parliament and Sibaya. Martin first acknowledged the PM for presenting the Government Policy Statement and then posed his questions. Confidence Among other things, the ME expressed his loss of confidence in the arrests currently taking place within the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), stating that only the small fry was being arrested, not the big fish. Also, he said he had no confidence in the Judiciary itself, since cases dragged on for too long. He then asked if the PM would make it a priority that the Judiciary issues are sorted. The ME said the PMs government is creating high expectations, especially reading from the Policy Statement and that the country is from an era where the nation gathered at the Sibaya and demanded that actions needed to be louder than words. Also, the ME said there was an expectation from a promise of excellence in terms of service delivery, but that he is extremely disappointed by the implementation. The ME asked to know how far government has gone in terms of solving the drug shortage in public hospitals and whether those who were found to have contributed to the challenge had been taken to task. When it was time for the PM to respond to the ME, he first asked to know which is better looking down upon oneself and believing they are useless or creating hope for the country and pointing her towards the right direction. In fact, I am very disappointed, I must say. Maybe, that will come towards the end of my response. It is extraordinarily important that all of us when we come out of this place, come out jubilant and excited that government has good intentions. Documentation In fact, if you look at the old strategies that people have in most organisations, it is just a documentation of what has been done, what needs to be done, whether you sleep or wake up, whether there is a useless leader or not, it has to be done. Is that what you expect us to do? No. We want our plans to be ambitious, he said. He said in any case, the plans he spoke of are not a thumbsuck but are a mandate from concerns raised by the people at Sibaya. If you think that creates high expectations, too bad. That is our mandate and we will pursue it, otherwise, we will have to sleep and not come to the office. Regarding the issue of the ACC arresting only the small fry, the PM said that was just an opinion. The PM then accused the Times Group of Newspapers of always focusing on the negative and that he did not expect anything positive from them. I am saying this because I mean, you have to get what you give me. In terms of arrests, if you think the ACC is not doing its job, it is your own opinion, it is negative. Disappointed by the lack of a proper plan for schools, it is your own opinion, take it, said the PM. In a statement, Makhubu said after the June unrest, the King condemned the violence that had occurred in the country during the two years from 2021. He said he was on record as a liSwati who had also stood against the violence. According to Makhubu, the King said we must talk to one another as emaSwati and not fight and said that several times. Command I took on the command on Friday and spoke out about the kind of leadership we have in the country. Most importantly though, I got the whole country to carry out the Kings command. We are talking, debating robustly and disagreeing ferociously about the issue at hand. People on both sides of the debate have their blood pressures (BPs) hitting the roof, but there is no violence, Makhubu said. He stated that this is how a nation is built, as people must talk. Furthermore, he mentioned that until last Friday, this country was allegedly not talking. Makhubu mentioned that everything was allegedly muted while they suffered bad leadership. Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Campaign for Free Expression, Anton Harber said they were extremely concerned by the PMs alleged intolerant attitude to the media and his lack of appreciation for critical and independent opinions. Harber alleged that the PM fails to recognise that it is the journalists role to ask tough questions, even when it is uncomfortable. It would be a major mistake for the PM to withdraw from such meetings as a result. Eswatini needs more dialogue, discussion and information flow, not less, he said. He stated that dealing with the media is not optional for politicians but it is part of their basic democratic duty. According to Harber, there needs to be mutual respect from each side, for the different and important roles both politicians and journalists play. Human rights lawyer criticises govts decision on Editors Forum MBABANE - Human Rights Lawyer Sipho Gumedze has criticised governments decision to cease quarterly engagements with the Editors Forum, calling it an immature move. According to Gumedze, the decision was made hastily and out of anger, undermining the importance of open dialogue between the government and the media. He emphasised the need for continued engagement to ensure transparency and accountability. Government took a decision to no longer engage with the Editors Forum on a quarterly basis throughout the year as was previously done; government said that it will now host monthly media conferences. The new strategy, according to Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo, will be structured in such a way that the Prime Minister (PM), Russell Mmiso Dlamini, will brief the media on national issues and the work of government plus respond to questions of public interest. This time around, according to Nxumalo, it will be up to the media houses to decide who they send to be part of the conferences. The latest developments come after an incident, which occurred during the breakfast meeting held on Friday, where The Nation Magazine Editor Bheki Makhubu took on the PM and accused him of being hostile towards the media. Nxumalo said this is with a view to continuing to promote transparency, integrity, accountability and openness between the government and the nation. Government also wishes to provide clarity that the now defunct Editors Forum, was actually an initiative of the Office of the Prime Minister, not the other way round as it seems suggested on some social media platforms, he said. In reaction, Gumedze said government has an obligation to inform the public. Component He said the media is a critical component of any democratic State and if they say the country is a democratic State, then it has to deal with the media, involve it in the dissemination of information. If government will rely on only State-owned media, it runs the risk of having the entities as classified by other nations as a propaganda machinery, Gumedze said. According to Gumedze, there is absolutely no way journalists employed by government can provide critical analysis of whatever government is saying. He stated that their mandate, responsibility and duty is to the government. Their responsibility is not to the people, yet independent media, its duty is to the people, he said. Adding, he alleged that the governments decision was made in anger and he does not know if the anger was justified or not. On the same note, the Eswatini National Association of Journalists (SNAJ) Secretary General (SG), Ntombi Mhlongo said the most unfortunate part is that, at this point, they do not know how the media conferences are going to be structured. Mhlongo said even though they were promised that each media house could send their representatives, the truth is they do not know how the media conferences will be structured, or whether they will be able to pose any questions to the PM. According to Mhlongo, the fear they have at this point is that maybe there are some questions they will not be able to ask or things might not be the same as the Editors Forum meetings. She stated that this brought fear and curiosity because, during the breakfast meetings, there was freedom to ask questions. This showed the freedom of expression that government is committed to promoting in the country. We do not know where we stand as far as freedom of expression is concerned. As the media, we do not know how far our freedom reaches. There is fear that, what if in the monthly media conferences, we are not able to ask the critical questions we want answers to? Mhlongo questioned. Adding, she said, maybe government rushed to announce the end in the breakfast meetings without engaging deeply on the matter.Mhlongo stated that at times when one does not agree on a matter, there is a need to discuss and correct whatever issues that have arisen. In life, there are times when one decides in the heat of the moment, yet the truth of the matter is, one has to take a breather and analyse the matter. Statement Government was too quick to decide on the way forward. Government did not give itself time to analyse how they could do things better, she said. According to Mhlongo, they believe that government should have called the Editors Forum and engaged with them, to come up with a solution. The fact that immediately after whatever happened, there is a press statement, it raises a lot of questions, she said. Meanwhile, the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) Journalism Lecturer, Dr Maxwell Mthembu, said whether government changes the structure of these meetings is not important but what is important is that the media will still continue to ask questions. He said he does not have any problem as long as the media will get an audience and ask the relevant questions. According to Dr Mthembu, it does not matter who attends the media conferences, but they need people who will ask questions that touch on people.He explained that government should account for the people and it is the medias responsibility to represent the people and questions on behalf of the people.Whether the editors form has been stopped is immaterial. What matters is that the media should ask questions. It is the medias responsibility to ask questions on the powers that be, Dr Mthembu said. Nato countries should put Ukraine in the best possible position, Sir Keir Starmer has said when asked about the UK granting permission for Kyiv to use Storm Shadow missiles in Russia. The Prime Minister met US President Joe Biden in Washington on Friday for talks on giving Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles to target Russian airfields and military bases, but no decision was reached. Last year, the UK donated Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, but the weapons remain off limits beyond Ukraines borders despite repeated requests from Kyiv. During a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, Sir Keir was asked about comments from Russian President Vladimir Putin that allowing long-range strikes would mean that Nato countries, the United States, and European countries are at war with Russia. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer shakes the hand of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Richard Pohle/The Times) Sir Keir told reporters in Rome: I think it is important for us to start from the fundamental position, which is that this is an illegal war started by Russia and, as a result, Ukraine has the right to self defence, and we have all Italy, the UK and other allies, Nato allies in particular been standing with Ukraine. He added: Its a war against the values of democracy, of freedom and the rule of law, which apply to all of us in our respective countries, but across all of the allies. That is why weve supplied capability, weve supplied training, weve supplied money, and there are further commitments to be made recently in relation to all of those. I think its very important as a matter of principle that we put Ukraine in the best possible position, and thats what weve been discussing. Weve had the opportunity today to touch on that. I had the opportunity in recent days to touch on that. Im not going to go into individual capabilities. You wouldnt expect me to do that, but the principle framework, I think, is absolutely right, and well continue to have our discussions in relation to it. Ms Meloni shared Sir Keirs commitment to Ukraines defence, but said permission for long-range missiles is the responsibility of individual countries. Storm Shadow missile (Alamy/PA) She said: With regards to Ukraine, of course, Kyiv, it is very important for us that Kyiv has the very best conditions to sit at the peace table. And this is exactly what weve been doing right from the start, and what were trying to do to guarantee the best conditions to achieve this. And with regards to the authorisation of using long-range missiles, these are decisions which are made by single countries which provide these weapons, bearing in mind their constitution and their legal framework. In Italy this authorisation, as you know today, as of yet, is not debatable, but these are all decisions which we fully share with our allies. Senior Tories have pushed for the UK to give Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia with Storm Shadow missiles even without US agreement. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has also backed Kyivs right to strike at targets in Russia. Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said a decision by the UK to provide Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine would be a red line. He told Andrew Marr on LBC: There have been so many red lines that have been crossed, with F-16s, with battle tanks, with cruise missiles delivered from the United Kingdom from France Russia knows that nuclear war cannot be fought and cannot be won. Richard Gadd at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards - Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images Richard Gadd has collected three awards for writing, producing and starring in Netflix hit series Baby Reindeer at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. Hollywood stars descended upon the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday for the second time this year to celebrate the best in television, after the September 2023 ceremony was delayed following the US writers and actors strikes. Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon led the best dressed stars on the red carpet. The awards were hosted by the father and son duo of Eugene and Dan Levy, the winning stars of the 2020 Emmys with their show Schitts Creek. The drama Shogun and comedy Hacks were awarded top series, as Baby Reindeer and The Bear each took four awards. Gadd gave emotional speeches on stage after scooping awards for the British thriller about a female stalker, said to be inspired by his real-life experiences. This is the stuff of dreams, he said after winning his first Emmy in writing, before collecting outstanding limited or anthology series and lead actor in the same category. Richard Gadd with the Baby Reindeer cast and crew - Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Gadd said the awards for Baby Reindeer proved that theres no set formula to success, despite there being a slump in the industry. The only constant across any success in television is good storytelling, good storytelling that speaks to our times. So take risks, push boundaries, explore the uncomfortable, dare to fail in order to achieve, he told the audience. After collecting his acting prize, Gadd also thanked his mother and father who never, ever told me what I needed to do with my life, which he described as the greatest gift a parent can give a child. They always said follow your heart and the rest will fall into place, and I think its good advice, follow your heart and the rest will fall into place, he added. His co-star Jessica Gunning also won the Emmy for best supporting actress in a limited or anthology series for playing Martha Scott, who stalks Gadds character Donny Dunn in the show. I am so incredibly proud to be a part of Baby Reindeer, she said. My biggest thanks has to go to Mr Richard Gadd. I tried so many times to put into words what working on Baby Reindeer meant to me and I fail every time. So, Im going to sing, she joked. Thank you for trusting me to be your Martha. I will never, ever forget her or you or this. The show made headlines after a woman, who claimed to be the inspiration behind the character Martha, filed a lawsuit against Netflix and accused the story of being inaccurate. English actress Jessica Gunning, winner of the outstanding supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie for Baby Reindeer - ROBYN BECK/AFP Baby Reindeer was not alone in receiving multiple gongs, with hit series The Bear also taking home four wins. In their opening monologue, father-son hosting duo Eugene and Dan Levy joked that the show officially deemed a comedy programme would be better off categorised as a drama. The series is about a star chef (Jeremy Allen White) who returns to Chicago to run the family business after the death of his brother. Allen White described himself as so, so, so lucky after picking up the Emmy for lead actor in a comedy series for his role as Carmen Carmy Berzatto. This show has changed my life, it has instilled a faith that change is possible, that change is possible if you are able to reach out, you are really truly not actually alone, he said on stage. His win came after US actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach won best supporting actor in a comedy for his role as restaurant manager Richard Richie Jerimovich in The Bear. Meanwhile, the FX series Shogun, about lordly politicking in feudal Japan, had already set a record for most Emmys for a single season of a series, with its 14 wins at the precursor Creative Arts Emmy Awards last weekend. The show seized all the Emmy power in the top categories by shifting from the limited series to the drama category in May when it began developing more seasons. And it was in some ways Emmy royalty from the start. During the golden age of the miniseries, the original 1980 Shogun, based on James Clavells historical novel, won three including best limited series. Hiroyuki Sanada, centre right, and the cast and crew of Shogun accept the award for best drama series - Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Veteran screen star Hiroyuki Sanada, who won the actor award, and Anna Sawai, the actress award, were the first Japanese actors to win Emmys. Sanada had faced a challenge from Gary Oldman, who has been quietly creating one of his career defining roles on Apple TV+ as spy chief Jackson Lamb on Slow Horses. Sawais competition included Emmy luminary Jennifer Aniston of The Morning Show, who has only won once before in 10 nominations, and Imelda Staunton, for playing Queen Elizabeth II on The Crown. Elizabeth Debicki holds her award for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series for The Crown at the Governors Ball - Chris Pizzello/AP Elizabeth Debicki also won her first Emmy for her role as Diana, Princess of Wales in The Crown. Playing this part based on this unparalleled, incredible human being, has been my great privilege it has been a gift, Debicki said on stage after collecting the award for outstanding supporting actress in a drama. Hacks was the surprise winner of its first best comedy series award, topping The Bear, which most had expected to take it after big wins earlier in the evening. Barrister Geoffrey Watson has reported the Victorian branch of the CFMEU has been ineffective in its attempts to rid itself of outlaw motorcycle group influence. Photograph: Joel Carrett/EPA The Victorian branch of the construction union is caught up in a cycle of lawlessness and has been infiltrated by bikie and organised crime figures, according to an independent probe launched by the union before it was put into administration. On Monday the unions administrator, Mark Irving, released an interim report by barrister Geoffrey Watson stating that information he uncovered supported the accuracy of allegations of criminal and corrupt conduct first aired on 60 Minutes and in Nine newspapers. But Watson warned his investigation is incomplete in part due to alleged threats of violence against those who participated and lack of powers to compel witnesses and evidence. Based on the information uncovered during my investigation, the Victorian branch has been caught up in a cycle of lawlessness, where violence was an accepted part of the culture, and threats of violence were a substitute for reasoned negotiations, Watsons report said. Watson cited an incident caught on video in which a Victorian branch organiser threatened two owners of an Indigenous labour hire firm, saying, among other things: Ill fucking take your soul and Ill rip your fucking head off. When I raised that incident with officials in the Victorian branch, my impression was that they regarded it as unexceptional. Victorian branch officials had also been subjected to threats, violence or abuse in connection with their work for the union, he said, including one incident in which two organisers were bashed at a site in Hawthorn East, resulting in one losing his sight. In July the national secretary, Zach Smith, called Watson in to investigate seven allegations including that senior bikie figures have been parachuted into lucrative roles as union delegates, and alleged kickbacks for union pay deals. Watson concluded that on the information available to me, I consider that the Victorian branch has been infiltrated by OMCG [outlaw motorcycle gangs] and by organised crime figures. Watson said the industrial relations environment is one in which employers can be financially motivated to offer inducements to Victorian branch employees to give a union pay deal, giving union officials a power that is capable of being misused to confer favours or to fulfil corrupt bargains. Watson said in one instance a union pay deal was treated as a financially valuable commodity, given to an underworld figure with no industry background who was close to Mick Gatto, Faruk Orman. Measures taken before the union was put into administration to weed out bikies and their associates were inadequate, Watson warned. Removing 12 delegates or work health and safety representatives with alleged bikie links after a superficial investigation would not have captured all OMCG members. Watson said this process was ineffective with almost all retaining their influence in new roles and said he was unconvinced the Victorian branch had a real intention to fix this problem. Watson revealed that part-way through my investigation, I was told that threats of violence had been made, including against members of the executive team of the Victorian branch. Because of those threats, I was instructed to refrain from contacting certain third parties, he said, including journalists, employers and former delegates. Because my investigation is incomplete, I am unable to make specific findings about the conduct of particular officers or employees of the [Construction Forestry Maritime Employees Union]. Watson made seven recommendations, many calling for further investigation. In a statement, Irving noted that Watsons investigation had been limited by his powers and by the scope of the engagement. I will give a detailed response to the report in the coming days. The workplace relations minister, Murray Watt, said even a report commissioned by the union itself has demonstrated [allegations of] widespread corruption, widespread infiltration by bikies and widespread violence connected to the CFMEU and the construction industry. I think this is a demonstration of why it was so important that the CFMEU construction division was put into administration, Watt told reporters in Canberra. In August the Albanese government passed legislation to appoint an administrator to the CFMEU, which former officials are challenging in the high court, a case likely to be heard in November. David Lammy will discuss the global threat posed by climate change - Geoff Pugh for The Telegraph Climate change poses a more fundamental threat to the world than terrorism or autocratic leaders, the Foreign Secretary will say on Tuesday. In his first speech on the environment since taking the role, David Lammy will launch what the Government has described as the Global Clean Power Alliance. Other countries will be invited to sign up to the body, which is being likened to the Opec grouping of oil-producing nations but focused on tackling global warming. Mr Lammys decision to give a major speech about climate change in his first 100 days in the Foreign Office is being framed as a sign of how much focus he will give the issue. He will discuss the global threat it poses in the longer term, comparing it to other dangers that are also taking up his time, and will say: This crisis is not some discrete policy area, divorced from geopolitics, conflict and insecurity. The threat may not feel as urgent as a terrorist or an imperialist autocrat. But it is more fundamental. It is systemic, pervasive and accelerating towards us. I am committing to you that, while I am Foreign Secretary, action on the climate and nature crisis will be central to all the Foreign Office does. This is critical given the scale of the threat, but also the scale of the opportunity. The phrase an imperialist autocrat appears to be a reference to foreign leaders such as Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, who Mr Lammy last week accused of modern-day imperialism over his invasion of Ukraine. The Global Clean Power Alliance has been championed by Ed Miliband, the Energy Security Secretary and former Labour leader. It is an attempt to group like-minded countries on issues including speeding up the adoption of new technologies. The speech is seen in the Foreign Office as firing the starting gun on the drive to get countries to sign up to the alliance, with none having yet been announced. The Government has vowed to ban all new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea a policy fiercely criticised by the Conservatives and some trade unions as part of its drive for net zero by 2050. The speech will also see Mr Lammy promise to appoint new UK special representatives for climate change and for nature, which will be civil servant roles. According to remarks briefed by the Foreign Office, he will say: This Government has set a landmark goal to be the first major economy to deliver clean power by 2030. We will leverage that ambition to build an alliance committed to accelerating the clean energy transition, and today we are firing the starting gun on forming this new coalition. While some countries are moving ahead in this transition, others are being left behind. We need to accelerate the rollout of renewable energy across the globe in the way that this Government is doing at home. A flooded street in Kodzko, Poland. In Guchoazy, the floods collapsed a bridge and washed houses away. Photograph: Action Press/Rex/Shutterstock Picturesque towns across central Europe are inundated by dirty flood water after heavy weekend rains turned tranquil streams into raging rivers that wreaked havoc on infrastructure. The floods have killed at least 15 people and destroyed buildings from Austria to Romania. The destruction comes after devastating floods around the world last week when entire villages were submerged in Myanmar and nearly 300 prisoners escape a collapsed jail in Nigeria, where floods have affected more than 1 million people. Climate scientists say they are troubled by the damage but unsurprised by the intensity. The catastrophic rainfall hitting central Europe is exactly what scientists expect with climate change, said Joyce Kimutai, of Imperial College Londons Grantham Institute. She said the death and damage across Africa and Europe highlighted how poorly prepared the world is for such floods. Scientists take care when attributing extreme rains to human influence because so many factors shape the water cycle. Although it is well established that hotter air can hold more moisture, whether violent downpours occur also depends on how much water is available to fall. Sonia Seneviratne, a climate scientist at ETH Zurich, said immediate analyses of the central European floods suggested most of the water vapour came from the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea, both of which have grown hotter as a result of human-induced climate breakdown, resulting in more water evaporating into the air. On average, the intensity of heavy precipitation events increases by 7% for each degree of global warming, she said. We now have 1.2C of global warming, which means that on average heavy precipitation events are 8% more intense. Related: Weather tracker: Storm Boris brings catastrophic flooding to central Europe Weather station data indicates that bursts of September rainfall have become heavier in Germany, Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia since 1950, Kimutai said. In Poland, the floods collapsed a bridge and washed houses away, according to local media. In the Czech Republic, helicopters rescued stranded citizens from rising waters. In Austria, one firefighter is reported to have died in the rescue efforts. In the Austrian capital, Vienna, which has been home to Europes biggest weather and climate conference since 2005, the rain flooded a motorway and closed metro lines. Related: Catastrophe of epic proportions: eight drown in Europe amid heavy floods Erich Fischer, a climate scientist at ETH Zurich, said scientists at the conference used to discuss the physics of how climate change increases rainfall intensity over lunch on the banks of the New Danube. It is ironic to now see these banks, where we were sitting in the sun and discussing the science of extreme precipitation, now being flooded. The death toll from floods hinges on how well communities prepare for the rain and respond to its effects. Scientists have urged governments to invest in adapting to extreme weather events through early warning systems, more resilient infrastructure and support schemes for victims, while also ending their reliance on fossil fuels. Its clear that even highly developed countries are not safe from climate change, said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at the Grantham Institute. As long as the world burns oil, gas and coal, heavy rainfall and other weather extremes will intensify, making our planet a more dangerous and expensive place to live. The death toll from torrential rain and flooding in central and eastern Europe has risen to at least 16, with several more people missing, as authorities reported deaths in the Czech Republic, Poland and Austria and warned the worst may be to come. The number of victims in Poland rose to five after a surgeon returning from work drowned in the south-western town of Nysa, where the hospital was evacuated and patients rescued by raft. Four more people had died in the southern towns of Bielsko-Biaa and Ladek-Zdroj, firefighters said. In Austria, local media reported that two men aged 70 and 80 drowned after being trapped by rising flood water in their homes in the towns of Boheimkirchen and Sierndorf, both in the hard-hit north-eastern state of Lower Austria. Related: Climate scientists troubled by damage from floods ravaging central Europe The Czech police chief, Martin Vondrasek, told local radio a woman had drowned in a stream that overflowed its banks near Bruntal, a town of about 15,000 people in the north-east of the country, while seven more people were still unaccounted for. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from their homes across a swathe of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia as Storm Boris unleashed the worst flooding recorded in the region for more than two decades. It was described by one Romanian mayor as a catastrophe of epic proportions. The flood water burst dams, inundated streets, knocked out electricity and in some places submerged whole neighbourhoods. I have lived here for 16 years and I have never seen such flooding, one Austrian woman, Judith Dickson, told public radio. Seven people died in Romania over the weekend, as well as one in Poland and a firefighter in Austria. The rain was expected to ease in many areas on Monday but, with some rivers unlikely to reach peak water levels for days, several major cities were preparing for potentially disastrous flooding. Extreme rainfall is becoming more common and more intense because of human-caused climate breakdown across most of the world, particularly in Europe, most of Asia, central and eastern North America, and parts of South America, Africa and Australia. Polands prime minister, Donald Tusk, declared a state of emergency in the flooded areas and announced an emergency aid fund of 1bn zlotys (200m), while his counterpart in Hungary, Viktor Orban, cancelled all his international engagements. Tusk said he was in touch with the leaders of other affected countries and that they would ask the EU for financial help. From today, anyone affected by the flood flooding, collapsed buildings, flooded garages, lost cars, losses linked to the flood will be able to easily [claim funds], he said. More than 2,600 people were evacuated across Poland in the last 24 hours, according to the defence minister, Wadysaw Kosiniak-Kamysz. Standing in the town square of Ladek-Zdroj in south-western Poland, Szymon Krzysztan, 16, described the destruction as unimaginable Its a city like in an apocalypse Its a ghost town. Jerzy Adamczyk, 70, said the scene resembled Armageddon. He added: It literally ripped out everything because we dont have a single bridge. In Ladek, all bridges have disappeared. We are practically cut off from the world. The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, described images from the flooded areas in Austria, the Czech Republic, Romania and Poland as dramatic and said Germany was deeply saddened by the news of dead and missing people and ready to help. Hungarys capital, Budapest, was bracing for severe flooding as the Danube rose. The interior minister, Sandor Pinter, said efforts were focused on keeping the river and its tributaries within their banks and said up to 12,000 soldiers were on standby. Slovakias capital, Bratislava, was also on a high state of alert, while the 600,000 residents of Wrocaw in Poland were told water levels might not peak before Wednesday. Austrias chancellor, Karl Nehammer, said the situation in his country continues to worsen, particularly in Lower Austria, which has been declared a disaster area. More than 10,000 relief workers had evacuated 1,100 houses in the state, he said. Lower Austrias governor, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, said people there were facing difficult and dramatic hours probably the most difficult hours of their lives. The municipality of Lilienfeld, with about 25,000 residents, was completely cut off from the outside world, local media reported. So far 12 dams had broken and thousands of households were without electricity and water, authorities said. It is not over, Mikl-Leitner added. It stays critical. It stays dramatic. She said there there was a high risk of more dams breaking and it was as yet too early to assess the scale of the damage. The Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, urged people to follow the instructions of mayors and firefighters. As of Sunday evening, he said, emergency services had dealt with 7,884 incidents and 119,000 households were without power. At least 12,000 people had been evacuated from their homes across the country, Fiala said, adding that although the rain had stopped in the most affected areas, the situation would become critical for others as the storm moves westwards and rivers continue to rise. Very difficult days for many people, unfortunately, continue, Fiala said on Monday, with 207 areas across the country facing flood conditions. The most critical situation was in southern Bohemia, he said, adding: Please be careful and responsible. Related: Storm Boris batters central Europe in pictures The rising Morava River put about 70% of the Czech city of Litovel, 140 miles (230km) east of the capital, Prague, underwater overnight, its mayor told local media, shutting down schools and health facilities. In the countrys third biggest city, Ostrava, a power plant supplying heat and hot water was forced to shut down. Thousands were evacuated from their homes in Krnov and Cesky Tesin. In Opava, up to 10,000 people out of a population of about 56,000 were asked to move to higher ground. Theres no reason to wait, the mayor, Tomas Navratil, told Czech public radio, saying the situation was worse than during devastating floods in 1997, known as the flood of the century. Romanias prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu, said the country would clean up and see what can be salvaged, adding that compared with the worst recent flooding in 2013, the amount of water was almost three times bigger. One resident of the Romanian village of Pechea, in the stricken Galati region, told Agence France-Presse: The water came into the house, it destroyed the walls, everything. It took the chickens, the rabbits, everything. It took the oven, the washing machine, the refrigerator. I have nothing left. The climate emergency is causing more incidents of extreme rainfall because warmer air can hold more water vapour. Flooding has most likely become more frequent and severe as a result, but other human factors, such as flood defence planning and land use, are also important. Alex Salmond Stands Down As Scottish First Minister Following His Defeat In The Scottish Referendum, 2014 This Wednesday is the anniversary of that great day exactly 10 years ago when my fellow Scots kept their heads and said No to the potentially disastrous plan by Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon to break up Britain and end the 307-year-old Union with England. Those intimately involved with the battle to stop them thought that the almost 11 per cent margin in that independence referendum was a decent win. But, with the benefit of hindsight, maybe it was a wee bit too close for comfort or, as Wellington reportedly said as he surveyed the carnage of the Waterloo battlefield: It was a damn close-run thing. However, is such a result at all likely, or might it be reversed, if there is another vote? Personally, I doubt it very much. In charge of Scotland since 2007, the SNP has shown itself to be entirely short of the necessary skills to run a devolved parliament with a huge array of powers so what chance does it have of running an independent country? The author Irvine Welsh reckons it was a disaster that the separatists lost, but surely the real disaster would have been an independent Scotland whose economy was entirely dependent on volatile oil and gas revenues in a world hell bent on achieving Net Zero targets? And while Welsh blethers on about nightclubs and people having fun in city-centre streets, he appears to be quieter on the things that really matter like schools, hospitals, and the economy. Furthermore, real Scots those who value democracy dont agree with him, either, as a glance both at the 2014 voting figures and at the hammering the SNP received at the general election this July make clear. We dont really need a crystal ball to see what sort of country an independent Scotland would be; after all, the current bunch of nationalist leaders would surely still be in charge. Weve had a glimpse of what it would have been like with an economy where much of the moneys been spent on generous public sector pay rises and a policy portfolio that looks to have come straight from a book of fairy stories. And how could Scotland on its own run any kind of economy without a separate currency? Or would it keep sterling? All the questions that caused Salmond to lose 10 years ago are still valid and still havent been answered. The nationalists would be roundly defeated in any new vote and they know it, given that we hardly hear anything now about IndyRef2. With almost every pronouncement their government is found wanting. The SNPs once triumphant leader, Nicola Sturgeon, is still under investigation by Police Scotland over the missing 600,000 from the partys coffers. She has denied any wrong-doing but her husband Peter Murrell has been charged in connection with the loss. A three-year police inquiry has still not concluded. Sturgeons radical trans policy was unpopular and unworkable; the agreement Sturgeon negotiated with the Scottish Greens ended in disaster. Scotland has achieved worldwide notoriety in one respect topping the international league table for drug deaths. And why should we believe that this wouldnt be the case after independence, given drug policy and law and order are both entirely the responsibility of the Scottish Government, which has been controlled by the SNP since 2007? It is the same sorry tale in education, health and in the provision of much-needed ferries for some island communities, where again the SNP has full control. The record of the nationalists has been appalling since 2014. Theres been an open war between Salmond and Sturgeon, with charges of sexual harassment against Salmond on all of which he was acquitted prompting him to complain of a conspiracy orchestrated by Sturgeon, which she in turn has denied. The hammering delivered to the SNP in July, when they lost 38 seats, may well be a harbinger for what happens in the next Scottish Parliament election, due in 2026. Yes, there are still votes out there for the SNP as a party, but I cannot see any kind of revival in support for independence. Whatever glamour it once had has long faded. Scottish Labour must be favourites to win the 2026 Holyrood election, pushing the SNP into second place after what would be a mammoth 19-year-long run in power. Sturgeon said the 2014 poll was a once in a lifetime event not once in a generation, as is frequently reported and as a result, many nationalists look back on that 2014 referendum through rose-tinted glasses. They insist that their campaign then was one of joy and enthusiasm where happy smiling people worked hard for their country and that they were robbed of victory by Unionist lies. But the biggest fib was surely Salmonds promises of a massive dividend for all Scots from North Sea oil and gas revenues, even as it was obvious that such revenues were dwindling. The battle was anything but joyous. The nationalists knew this was their only chance of succeeding and we saw a bitter, desperate, even corrosive fight with so-called cybernats pouring online vitriol on every Scot who dared to oppose them. Thankfully, they were opposed by the person who more than any other won the battle to keep Scotland in the UK: the late Alistair Darling, who accepted then prime minister David Camerons invitation to head the all-party Better Together campaign. He doubted the early opinion polls that suggested it would be an easy victory for the opponents of a Scottish breakaway. Its going to be too close to call, Darling insisted at one point. And so it proved, thanks to a healthy SNP war chest and a question loaded in favour of the separatists. It read: Should Scotland be an independent country? But Darling forged an unlikely and at times rocky alliance among normally deadly enemies in the Labour, Tory and Lib Dem ranks. And although hampered at times by unwanted advice from Whitehall and difficulties with a stand-offish Gordon Brown, who didnt like mixing with Tories, it worked. The nationalists lost their chance to break up Britain 10 years ago and its probably the only one theyll get. That might make Mr Welsh unhappy but a great many Scots will pour themselves a dram this week, to celebrate this significant anniversary. secret prisoner As Britain is gripped by a prisons crisis, the Telegraph is publishing dispatches from an inmate at a Category B jail the second highest level of security to discover what life is really like inside. Recently, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) found the jail to be chronically overcrowded and understaffed, with self-harm and drug use rife. The inmate, a British professional and entrepreneur on the outside, is on remand awaiting trial charged with non-violent crimes which he denies. To protect his identity, he is not named. Other names and nicknames have been changed. If before Id come to prison you had asked me what proportion of prisoners in the UK deserve to be inside, I would have had a punt at maybe 85 or 90 per cent. To my shame, I would not have cared very much either, because the prospect of ever being in prison myself seemed so utterly remote not for people like me. But now that I have been in prison for several months, I honestly wonder whether the true figure is even 50 per cent. Perhaps surprisingly, though, prisoners can be quite self-critical about their punishment. We generally adhere to the adage: Weve all done something wrong, otherwise we wouldnt be banged up. And, as you would expect, there are some pretty dangerous people here, people who should not be walking the streets. I was assaulted a few months ago by one murderer, so I am perhaps lucky to be able to tell my tale to you. The stereotypical hardcore, hard-wired prisoner who simply takes what he wants and leaves a trail of destruction in his wake does indeed exist. A couple of weeks ago I was queuing for the bread ration (usually two slices, three if youre lucky) behind one inmate, Crazy Kall, who ignored the queue, stepped in front of me, stroked his chin and said aloud: Cant remember if weve got any bread in the cell better make it a loaf. To my amazement, even though others would go without (because there is never enough bread), the prisoner on servery duties simply capitulated. And heading back to the spur [a prison wing holding about 70 prisoners] Kall breezed past at least two officers swinging his bag of bread, no one dreaming of drawing attention to it. If such characters carry an aura of terror on the inside, inside is no doubt where they should be. Naturally, some prisoners disguise or, frankly, lie to each other about what they have or have not done. One of the amusing things that happens every couple of weeks is that there will be a TV news item about someone we actually know and see every day. On rare occasions you discover from the TV that rather than being in jail for a burglary, like he said, Wilko has been convicted of armed robbery with GBH; or that instead of being convicted for a bit of coke possession, Barry had been involved in a brutal gangland stabbing. And yet, perhaps more commonly, it works the other way too: some overstate their crimes to other prisoners because they know that there is a sort of perverse status attached to, especially, crimes of violence. A drunk driver who killed someone in a crash might imply he has been done for murder; a cannabis user who sells on the side might lead you to imagine he was dealing in kilos rather than ounces. But, on balance, I think prisoners are pretty honest with each other. Prison is not a judgemental environment: to other prisoners, factors like your age (there are prisoners in their late teens and lots of prisoners over 60), your race (almost a third of the prison population is mixed-race), your class (I am, almost uniquely, educated and middle-class and very fairly treated by other prisoners), or your crime (provided you are not a nonce [child abuser], for whom prisoners reserve special savagery) dont really matter. Prison is not a judgemental environment, and inmates value sharing their experiences - OlFedv/iStockphoto Prisoners deeply value sharing their experiences and giving or receiving sympathy. I am not saying ethnic or social groups like Albanians or Travellers (between whom tensions quite often kick off) dont stick together, but I am certain that when you are banged up 18 hours a day for weeks or months with the same person and hear all each others phone calls, and see each others tears and rages that prison is not an easy place to hide the truth. In fact, the principal reason why a prisoner would be ostracised is when we suspect him of being a fantasist (there are high numbers of severe psychotics and bipolars in here, usually unreliable narrators) or so stupid or dishonest that they get a rep for being not worth the time of day. For what its worth, I feel I have fairly good antennae for fibs, of which I have been told a great many. And what I am now certain of, from the prisoners I believe, is that huge numbers are inside on flawed evidence (almost always exaggerated by the police), on brutal informal plea-bargaining tactics by the CPS and because of the extraordinary incompetence, and sometimes nonchalance or cruelty, of lawyers (among whom I regret that I must include judges). Of course, no prisoner is entirely blameless. But I also believe that many people in prison are very ordinary, decent human beings: because ordinary, decent human beings make mistakes and do stuff which is stupid, or reckless, or cruel, or all three. I have learned that we are all capable of doing things that could get us banged up. Next time, the Secret Prisoner will reveal the details of the jail economy, and the perils of falling into debt inside. I didnt have sex for a year after breast cancer no one talks about this, says Monica Larking - Rii Schroer Breast cancer runs in my family so Ive always been vigilant about self-checking. As soon as I found a lump, in September 2021, I went to the GP. A month later a biopsy confirmed I had grade three, triple negative breast cancer. It wasnt genetic, just bad luck. In the month between being diagnosed and starting treatment I genned up about what lay ahead. I learnt that the six month course of chemotherapy I would need, followed by a double mastectomy, would leave me tired and nauseous. I would feel drained and lose my hair. Yet no one warned me of this: breast cancer kills your sex life. Up until my first chemo infusion my sex life was very healthy. Yes, even after the diagnosis four weeks earlier, we were still intimate. Sex was always an important way we connected and comforted each other. Friends were always surprised (perhaps envious, even) that my husband Sam and I still did it twice weekly. Despite having three children, now aged 19, 17 and 11. We met aged 16 after a school leavers party but only married in 2015. Growing up together gave us a mutual trust, we shared the same curiosity and sense of fun in bed. Sex was special, passionate, the constant thread and glue of our marriage. We were lucky, I know. Monica and Sam at his 21st birthday party I really wasnt prepared for the extreme, very rapid, physical changes of chemo everything changed within just a week. By day six I was lethargic, pale and physically sick. My straight hair fell out so thick and fast that by day 12 Id shaved it off. Sam, a plumbers merchant, shaved his too, in solidarity. I couldnt sleep, I was tearful and angry. Why me? I was 38, I ate well, trained at the gym, and only occasionally drank wine. On top of my job as an office manager I also taught Irish dancing. And Id suddenly gone from being a young, vibrant mum to a sickly woman. As soon as treatment began my periods were replaced with menopause symptoms hot flushes, night sweats, anxiety, vaginal dryness, and a total and utter loss of libido. Life became about existing, not feeling alive and certainly not sexy. During cancer treatment, youre made to feel you should be incredibly grateful to be getting this life saving treatment. And of course I was, but no one warns you that afterwards (God willing, if youve made it) you still need to exist as a person. And you might not even recognise her. In May 2022 I underwent a preventative double mastectomy and a DIEP reconstruction (where my own fat, skin, and blood vessels from my tummy were used to rebuild my chest). I then suffered later complications needing more nips and tucks, including the removal of my gallbladder as it had developed a cyst two months after surgery. I was also left with nerve damage. Monica and Sam on their wedding day in 2015 My body changed beyond recognition and this devastated my mental health, too. Post-surgery, I couldnt look in the mirror for four months. At my check ups, I asked nurses and doctors to stand me nowhere where I might see a reflection. My way of dealing with my new body? Dont look. Considering all this, its hardly surprising I didnt have sex for 12 months after my treatment started. Then due to all the smaller, subsequent ops, any efforts towards intimacy were at best sporadic. I felt so anxious about this lack of sex and our changing marriage and yet so alone as no one talked about it. But a new report commissioned by the charity Breast Cancer Now reveals that 98 per cent of women with the disease say the same thing. To those 2 per cent of women who say their sex life wasnt affected: kudos! Mine was decimated. I felt desperately unwell and as though Id ceased to be an object of desire, instead Sam needed to look after and protect me. I hated that my handsome, gym-going husband had turned into my carer. This shift in our dynamic was devastating. Sam believed it was right not to hassle me for sex, but I feared he was going off me, and accused him of being distant. He would argue sex isnt even on my mind, my priority is your next appointment. There were some heated discussions; when youre used to being physical you miss it. I craved affection, hugs and kisses, but these non-sexual gestures were harder too because of Covid and my chemotherapy-compromised immune system. We were anxious Id catch anything and slept separately. I felt so anxious about this lack of sex and our changing marriage and yet so alone as no one talked about it Sam is faithful, but of course it crossed my anxiety-ridden mind that he might cheat. I also worried that after the cancer, would I have a marriage left? Id read about couples breaking up after this ordeal, that scared me. A year being celibate, when we eventually had sex again we took it very carefully. I was self conscious about my new scars, lumps and bumps. Would he still find me attractive? Sam reassured me he did, though admitted he was scared of hurting me. While women need support to get through everything, remember that men suffer, too. Theyre scared about all sorts from performing to being pushed away. When youre returning to sex after a long time, dont imagine youll be going full throttle, or planning dirty weekends with sex toys! No. I advise other women to be patient, dont pressure yourself. Keep trying to have honest conversations, however awkward. What worked for us was both writing a sentence down on a piece of paper as we thought of things which we put into a jar for later. Then when we were together (Id recommend over a cuppa rather than any forced date night) we would dip into the pot and see what came out. I wrote I like neck kisses. Which felt intimate while avoiding my sore areas. Sam, whos a weight-lifter, said I love massages. He didnt mean a sexy one, it was just sensual. Monica advises women going through breast cancer to have honest conversations with their partner, however awkward - Rii Schroer These tiny things helped open the gateway. Three years on and Ive had to learn some self-acceptance. Because theres no breast tissue any more to have mammograms or ultrasounds, Ive had to get used to looking at my body and taking pictures to check the healing. My best coping mechanism was using positive reinforcement. By which I dont mean telling myself in the mirror youre gorgeous, its more about seeking good things and saying them aloud, such as Im not as red as before or the symmetry is getting better, or Im less pale now. When my hair grew back in strange corkscrew ringlets I said, yes its different, but this suits my personality. I searched the high street for front fastening, feminine bras with smaller straps and some lace (try M&S and Primark). Do anything that helps you feel better about yourself, whether its make-up, scent, or new clothes. Getting our sex life back on track is still a work in progress, we joke that weve tailored it. I dont think we could possibly be the same after what we endured. Were back to making love twice a week but its different, more gentle. At 40 I realise that whirlwind crazy sex wouldnt have lasted perhaps, but sometimes I miss that hot passion. Ive had to mourn the loss of our old marriage and accept that this is a new, different one. I never imagined Id be talking about sex so publicly, but its time this taboo came out into the open. Anyone looking for support can speak to a breast cancer nurse at Breast Cancer Now on their free, confidential helpline 0800 800 6000 or visit their website to find out more about the campaign Left Unsaid. As told to Susanna Galton Huw Edwards was given a six-month suspended jail term after admitting accessing indecent images of children as young as seven - Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters Huw Edwards avoided jail on Monday after being sentenced for child sex offences, leading to claims of a two-tier justice system in Britain. The 63-year-old former BBC newsreader was given a six-month suspended jail term after admitting accessing indecent images of children as young as seven. But the sentence prompted accusations that sex crimes against children are taken less seriously than offences involving comments posted on social media, after several people were jailed for online comments posted during the riots. Campaigners said it sent the wrong message to offenders that they could avoid prison even if they had committed serious offences. Miriam Cates, the former Tory MP and online campaigner, suggested that there was now a two-tier sentencing system operating in the courts. She said: As we have seen in recent weeks, courts are not afraid in principle to issue custodial sentences for online crimes. But the creation and sharing of child sexual abuse material is still seen too often as a victimless crime. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, told The Telegraph: This is not a good look for our criminal justice system when we have recently seen offenders get custodial sentences for unpleasant things said on social media. It is no wonder the public have lost faith in our institutions. Something doesnt feel right. Brendan Clarke-Smith, a former childrens minister, added: When such a high-profile public figure receives a non-custodial sentence for such a heinous crime, it sends out completely the wrong message to other offenders. Perhaps there now needs to be a review of the sentencing guidelines. Certainly, the public would question how this offence can avoid a jail term when others have been sent down recently for making comments on social media. Edwards, who was the corporations highest-paid journalist and the man chosen to announce the death of Queen Elizabeth II to the nation, sent 1,500 to Alex Williams, a convicted paedophile, after receiving 41 indecent images of children via WhatsApp. Westminster magistrates court heard how the married father of five told Williams to go on when asked whether he wanted naughty pics and vids of someone described as young. The court heard that of the 41 indecent images viewed by Edwards, the majority of the children were aged between 13 and 15. But in one video sent to the BBC star, the child being abused was aged between seven and nine years old. Commenting on the case, Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, said he was shocked and appalled. He refused to be drawn on the sentence, saying it was a matter for the court to decide. A spokesman for the BBC said: We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him. In his sentencing remarks, Paul Goldspring, the chief magistrate, said he had considered how Edwards had sought to explain his behaviour to psychiatrists by suggesting he had endured a difficult relationship with his monstrous father and had suffered low self-esteem after failing to get into Oxford and going to Cardiff University instead. Philip Evans KC, defended, said Edwards was profoundly sorry for betraying the priceless trust of viewers and recognised the repugnant nature of such images. Handing him the six-month sentence, suspended for two years, Judge Goldspring told Edwards: It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters. He declined to make a sexual harm prevention order against Edwards, adding: I am of the clear view that you do not present a risk or danger to the public at large, specifically to children. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. The decision to allow Huw Edwards to walk free from court prompted anger from MPs and child protection campaigners - Elizabeth Cook But the decision to allow him to walk free from court prompted anger from MPs and child protection campaigners. Susie Hargreaves, an online safety consultant and the former chief executive of the Internet Watch Foundation, which removes child abuse images from the internet, said: I do think it is lenient under the circumstances and unfair to the children in the images. It is not a victimless crime and, as someone who has seen lots of category A images and seen the devastating impact on those children, which they carry their whole lives, I think you need to send out stronger messages on this. I would always sympathise with someone who has mental health issues, but think the sentencing sends a mixed message to offenders because it implies that if you have some mitigating personal circumstances that you are not going to get a severe sentence. Toby Young, the director of the Free Speech Union, said: Last month, a man was jailed for re-posting three offensive images about Muslims on Facebook, even though he deleted them shortly afterwards and apologised. Yet Huw Edwards, who pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, has been given a suspended sentence. Its hard not to conclude we have a two-tier criminal justice system in which Islamophobia is punished more severely than paedophilia. Lee Dunn, 51, was jailed for eight weeks in August after pleading guilty to sending a grossly offensive message. During his police interview, he said that he was just following the herd, but when he saw the comments under what he had posted he knew it was a mistake and posted an apology, deleting the previous messages. David Sweeney, whose wife Julie was jailed for 15 months after writing a Facebook post calling for a mosque to be blown up, said Edwardss sentencing was appalling. He said: I think it [the justice system] needs fixing. It really does need fixing theres something not right there. To me, the justice system needs to be neutral and independent, but they seem to be ruled by politicians. Its disgusting to have a paedophile walking the street. Ken Macdonald, a former director of public prosecutions, said a suspended sentence was fairly standard in the circumstances. Edwards was told he would be subject to 25 rehabilitation sessions and would be placed on the sex offender treatment programme for 40 days. He will also have to pay 3,000 in prosecution costs and was told he would be put on the sex offenders register for seven years. MBABANE Some Health employees continue undeterred to exploit the shortage of medical drugs for their personal gain. An undercover investigation by this publication revealed that patients who require services for a scan at the Mbabane Government Hospital are charged E100 for securing a spot since the queues are too long. Medical scans help doctors diagnose everything from head trauma to foot pain. There are many different types of imaging technologies. Each works differently. Since the hospital has one radiographer, patients struggle for scans unless their case is one of emergency or they are admitted. This reporter went undercover and established that there is only one radiographer at the hospital, which contributes to the long queues. Proceeding To verify the facts, this reporter had to follow the processes at the hospital, where upon arrival at the hospital around 10am, bought the outpatient prescription form also known as the green card before proceeding to the X-ray Department to access a scan. However, one of the reporters was directed to the gynae clinic to see a doctor who would refer her for scanning. During the investigation, which lasted about six hours at the hospital, having arrived at 10am and remaining at the hospital until 4pm, it was also uncovered that the nurses were reportedly selling pregnancy tests, while assisting patients. The reporter was told to conduct a pregnancy test after she had told the nurse that she had missed her periods for the past three months. The nurse recommended that a pregnancy test be conducted. First, she apologised that they would require urine and told that she would have to use a surgical glove to collect the urine, as they did not have the medical plastic bottles. Patients The nurse then told the reporter that she had to pay E20 for the test, as the hospital did not have it and they were providing instead of referring patients to buy in town at private pharmacies which could take them long. Some patients who were in the queue stated that they had woken up very early to beat the long queue and arrived at the hospital as early as 7am, but were still not attended to by 4pm. They stated that they were informed to come the following day as the radiographer would no longer attend to them. However, the patients said they were unhappy because some people were given preference to see the radiographer despite the fact that they were behind in the queue. A patient who had been turned back told this reporter that she decided to ask the security guard for a favour to jump the queue, as she came from very far away and would not be able to come back to the hospital the following day. She said the security guard told her to pay E100 via Mobile Money and put her through. This, she alleged, was despite that she had paid the E10 hospital fee and E20 for the scan, which is officially charged by the hospital. Some of the patients also stated that they were made to buy the ultrasound gel at E20 per ointment container. We were told the hospital does not have the gel, hence we have to buy it from our pockets, the patient stated. A health official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that they were aware of the allegations of securing a spot for E100 and buying the ultrasound gel. The officer said when they tried following up why the ultrasound gel was being sold, they discovered that it was out of stock from the hospital. He said the healthcare workers then made contributions due to the fact that the gel was expensive when buying individually and came in large containers yet patients used very little of it. According to the officer, the healthcare workers then sell it to the patients in small ointment containers. This, the officer stated, is in order for the nurses to continue assisting the patients without having to tell them to go to town to buy the gel. The officer said inasmuch as they understood that services had to continue, selling the items at the hospital is not a good idea. He added that the tricky part is that the healthcare workers continue to sell it even when stock is available, adding that such could not be monitored. When sought for comment, Communications Officer in the Ministry of Health Nsindiso Tsabedze stated that the allegation of healthcare workers selling to patients is very serious. Tsabedze said they were shocked to learn that patients were paying to jump the queue for the scan at the hospital. He said the ministry would conduct its own investigation and he pleaded with whoever had information to come forward in order to assist the inquiry. Information Tsabedze said informants could also come to his office to provide information in order to get to the bottom of the matter. Meanwhile, a syndicate that sells medical drugs at Motshane Community Clinic was exposed in June by this publication. The syndicate was believed to run a retail pharmacy within the clinic and offered medication that was said to be in stock-out, at a price. The operation of the syndicate was uncovered in two different investigations by this publications reporters, following growing concerns that patients were being fleeced when urgently seeking treatment. According to sources, the syndicate normally sells sexually transmitted infections (STI) medication at about E80, depending on the type of medication. For example, the price of Ceftriaxone 1gram (injection) [50 vials] ranged from E10 to E20. The mandatory outpatient fee is E7 for medical treatment. German police will soon conduct random checks at all of its land borders in a trial of increased security measures. Photograph: Ayhan Uyanik/Reuters Germany has reintroduced temporary checks at all nine of its land borders in a move that has drawn criticism from several of its European partners but praise from the far right. The embattled coalition government in Berlin said last week that checks already being carried out on its borders with Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland would be extended to France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark. The decision came after a series of deadly knife attacks in which the suspects were asylum seekers, and historic successes by the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative fur Deutschland party (AfD) in two crunch state elections in the east of the country. Related: Germanys border clampdown threatens the entire European project | Maurice Stierl Nancy Faeser, the countrys interior minister, said the border checks would curb migration and protect against the acute dangers posed by Islamist terrorism and serious crime, but critics have denounced it as politically motivated and likely to be largely ineffective. Europes passport-free Schengen zone, which includes 25 EU nations plus four others including Switzerland and Norway, allows free movement without border checks and is thought of as one of the blocs biggest achievements as well as a critical economic asset. Temporary checks are allowed in exceptional circumstances to avert specific threats to internal security or public policy. Eight members currently impose them on selected borders, citing increased terror threats or pressure on asylum capacity. Polands prime minister, Donald Tusk, was the first to openly criticise Germanys decision, calling it unacceptable from Polands viewpoint and demanding more help from Berlin in securing the EUs external borders rather than tighter internal controls. Warsaw has proposed consultations with all EU member states bordering Germany to address a decision Tusk said was a result of the countrys internal political situation and could lead to the de facto suspension of the Schengen agreement on a large scale. Greeces prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said on Thursday it would be wrong to move to a logic of ad hoc exemptions from the Schengen agreement, with border controls that will hurt one of the fundamental achievements of the EU. The response, Mitsotakis said, cannot be unilaterally scrapping Schengen. Others, however, were more sanguine, with the Czech interior minister, Vit Rakusan, saying he did not expect much material change as checks would mostly be random. Far-right leaders were jubilant in response to the news. Geert Wilders of the Dutch Freedom party (PVV) said Berlins decision was a great idea and asked when the Netherlands would follow suit, while the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, said on X: Welcome to the club. Marine Le Pen of Frances National Rally said her party had proposed a double external and internal border system in recent elections and been told it was not possible. Now Germany is doing it, she said. When will France follow? Giorgia Melonis far-right Brothers of Italy party has praised Berlins decision. Orbans chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, said laxity on the EUs external borders combined with tougher internal border checks were combining to destroy free movement. The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, whose divided three-party coalition is trailing far behind AfD and the centre-right opposition Christian Democrats (CDU) in the polls a year before federal elections, has defended the decision. With days to go before another critical state election in Brandenburg which the AfD is expected to win, Scholz told parliament the move was necessary and the government would continue with it, even though it is getting difficult with our neighbours. It is not yet clear what the impact of the increased border checks will be. Berlin has pledged to coordinate closely with our neighbours and keep the impact on everyday life in the border regions as low as possible. The interior ministry last week insisted the measures, scheduled to last an initial six months, would be in line with existing border controls in other words, random spot checks or targeting specific vehicles based on police intelligence. Freight industry representatives have said they believe the tighter checks should not lead to excessive tailbacks and consequent economic losses, but associations for cross-border workers have said they will be watching the situation closely. More likely, analysts suggest, are rising tensions with Germanys neighbours if the checks along with plans to make it easier to turn people back directly at the border lead to authorities returning many more people to the country they arrive from. A girl studies in secret in Afghanistan, after the Taliban closed girls secondary schools. The cost of gender inequality is just way too high, says UN Womens Papa Seck. Photograph: The Guardian Governments are failing to invest in women and girls and, as a result, are missing out on billions in economic gains, according to a new UN report. This years Gender Snapshot report from the UN Women agency found that the global cost of failing to educate young women adequately is an annual $10tn (7.6tn); low- and middle-income countries will lose $500bn over the next five years if they do not close the gender gap on internet use; and improving support for female farmers could add $1tn to global GDP. It also found that at current rates child marriage could continue until 2092. Papa Seck, head of UN Womens research and data section, said: The cost of not achieving gender equality is just way too high but at the same time, the potential returns of doing so are also too high to ignore for societies. The annual report, which assesses progress of gender equality across the UNs sustainable development goals (SDGs), also found that 47.8 million more women than men face moderate or severe food insecurity; that it could take a further 137 years to end extreme poverty for women; and that climate change could force 158 million more women and girls into poverty than men and boys. Governments must start investing hard cash into women and girls, said Seck, and make non-negotiable changes to their laws to better protect them. No country has all the laws needed to prohibit discrimination, prevent gender-based violence, uphold equal rights in marriage and divorce, guarantee equal pay and provide full access to sexual and reproductive health, the report found. Of the 120 countries where data is available, more than half have at least one restriction preventing women from doing the same jobs as men and half do not classify rape as based on a lack of consent. In the UK, Rachel Saunders, an expert in womens legal issues at Nottingham University, said the government should create new laws that mandate employers to share staff salaries and allow women to know if there is a sex offender in their area. She said that even when such laws did exist, many were not fully implemented. For example, the Equality Act 2010 is meant to protect UK citizens from workplace discrimination yet Saunders said the gender pay gap persisted and that there was still an expectation for women to take parental leave rather than offering both parents an amount to split. Related: Gender equality stalling or going backwards for 1bn women and girls Jemima Olchawski, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, which campaigns for gender equality, said there was a general complacency that viewed gender disparities as ghosts from a time when women did not have the rights they had today and an attitude that things would naturally improve over time. That is absolutely not the case, she said. We are consistently and constantly perpetuating and even creating new inequalities for women and girls. Elsewhere, she said women continued to experience absolutely horrendous situations, citing the Talibans ban on Afghan women working, studying and even speaking in public. Im not at all surprised to see that, sadly, Olchawski said. Were just not seeing progress. Ezel Buse Sonmezocak, advocacy officer for Women for Womens Human Rights, a Turkish equality campaign group, suggested that governments should fund feminist moments because we know that when you [do], you build a defence against backsliding. The snapshot, she said, should be a signal to hold on to the SDGs and be more ambitious. Graham Boyd was a natural experimentalist and an early adopter of acrylic paints, mixed with sand and glue or discharged through a spray-gun. Photograph: Jay Goldmark When abstract expressionism arrived in Britain in the 1950s, Graham Boyd, who has died at the age of 96, was one of few artists who embraced the libertine scale and dynamism of American painting. Over a 70-year career, based latterly in Chipperfield, Hertfordshire, he made his own explorations of colour and light in non-figurative paintings and sculpture. Born in Bristol to Herbert, a leather tradesman, and Hilda (nee Duckett), Grahams path to abstraction was not straightforward. After two years of national service with the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment, in 1948 he revisited his postponed studies in illustration at Watford Art School, though his heart was drawn to oil painting. Then in 1953 a short-lived relationship led him to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), whose vast landscapes and vibrant ecology revealed to him a world in constant flux. It was an experience that irreversibly altered the trajectory of his painting, toward vivid colour and abstract form. Returning from Africa in 1955, Graham secured a space at the dilapidated Meadow Studios in Bushey and began selling through the gallerist Leslie Waddington. In 1957 he was selected for the inaugural John Moores Exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, which bought his three-dimensional relief, Nation, and in 1962 he held his first solo show at the Artists International Association in London. In August of that year he married Pauline Eastall, a dancer and instructor. A second breakthrough came in 1973, when Graham accepted a year-long exchange professorship at Plymouth State College in New Hampshire. He spent the summer driving across the US with his young family to the Grand Canyon, inspired once more by the majesty of the landscape. A natural experimentalist he was an early adopter of acrylic paints, mixed with sand and glue or discharged through a spray-gun Graham returned to the US in 1983 to participate in the second Triangle Workshop, founded by the sculptor Anthony Caro in upstate New York. Caro became a close friend, describing Graham as having the least ego of any artist [hed] met. In the last 30 years of Grahams career he enjoyed almost yearly solo shows, culminating in a retrospective at the Goldmark Gallery, in Uppingham, Rutland, in 2021. As part of the three-man team who filmed and interviewed Graham for a major documentary on his work, I got to know him well over several months. Though ill health had severely compromised his mobility, his excitement was infectious as he recounted wild parties with Gwyther Irwin, a fellow artist, or when slinging a canvas to the studio wall to demonstrate what he was working on. Nothing could diminish Grahams fascination with his craft. As Paulines carer in the 10 years before her death in 2011, and in his last days, he continued to find ways to paint even if it meant asking his own carers to fill in a corner here or there. Grahams last exhibition, Volatile Creatures (2022), was at the University of Hertfordshire, where from 1976 to 1993 he had served as head of painting; in 2019 he was awarded an honorary fellowship. He is survived by his son, Andrew, and daughter, Sophie, and two grandchildren. Simon Case has been the cabinet secretary since 2020. Photograph: Tayfun Salc/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock The head of the civil service is facing pressure from ministers and No 10 insiders to bring forward his departure date, amid anger over a series of damaging leaks and briefings. In a sign of how low relations between ministers and Simon Case have sunk, the cabinet secretary has been privately accused of failing to get a handle on leaks about donations funding clothes for Keir Starmer and his wife, and rows involving his chief of staff Sue Gray. It is understood that cabinet ministers and senior No 10 officials have become so frustrated with the leaks, including on internal appointments and donations, that they have raised informal complaints in meetings. You can feel the anger in the cabinet, the spads and the civil service rising, one cabinet source said. Related: No 10 keen to kickstart search for cabinet secretarys successor Case is expected to leave his role in January but there has been no formal announcement. A Cabinet Office spokesperson denied he was the source of any leaks or negative briefing. The spokesperson said: We take the unauthorised disclosure of information very seriously and take appropriate action where necessary. Anger at the briefings was raised again among senior staff in Downing Street over the weekend when yet more damaging details of failures to declare donations to the prime ministers wife from the Labour peer Waheed Alli were revealed in the Sunday Times. Another Labour peer close to the prime minister expressed frustration that Starmer could not prevent the alleged briefing war between his permanent secretary and staff. Officials have internally described the relationship as toxic and obstructive. Sources said there was anger at a number of leaks that were personally damaging to the prime minister. In August, it was revealed Alli had been given a temporary No 10 pass and organised a reception for donors in Downing Street. There have been a number of stories about the alleged difficult relations between Starmers closest aides the chief of staff, Sue Gray, and the director of political strategy, Morgan McSweeney. And there have also been embarrassing briefings about Gray allegedly preventing access to Starmer, including on security matters, which has been denied, as well as her alleged push to fund a rebuild of Casement Park in west Belfast. On Monday, the Conservatives wrote to the parliamentary standards commissioner to call for an investigation into Starmers failure to declare donations from Alli. No 10 said it had self-reported when the error had become clear. On Monday evening, the parliamentary commissioner said there would be no investigation into Starmer over the late donations. Speaking to reporters on a visit to Italy, Starmer rejected suggestions that questions around whether he failed to declare donations of clothes for his wife, Victoria, could have been avoided if the government had a corruption adviser. The prime minister said: Theres a massive difference between declarations and corruption. Declarations is about declaring properly so you and everybody else can see properly made declarations. Gray worked under Case while a civil servant in Whitehall, including while she authored the investigation into Boris Johnsons Partygate misdemeanours and the pair are said to have clashed. When asked by reporters late last week if Gray had become the story, Starmer said: Im not going to talk behind her back and Im not going to talk about individual members of staff, whether its Sue Gray or any other member of staff. All I can say about the stories is most of them are wildly wrong. Case is expected to say he intends to leave in the new year owing to health reasons, but there has been no formal announcement. Once the departure date is fixed, a formal process can commence including the involvement of the Civil Service Commission. The Guardian previously reported that senior figures in No 10 are very keen to kickstart the process. The Cabinet Office has denied Case is behind any leaking, including on the alleged tensions between Gray and McSweeney. A spokesperson called it categorically untrue. Case is understood to have made it clear to the prime minister that he intends to leave the role, without giving the specific date, and sources close to Case stressed the conversation would be between him and Starmer alone. He took a medical leave of absence late last year, returning in January. Gray, Starmers powerful chief of staff who previously held several high-profile roles in Whitehall, is said to favour replacing Case with Oliver Robbins, the former Brexit negotiator, or Tamara Finkelstein, the permanent secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. But there are also strong views from others in No 10 that the next permanent secretary should be a personal appointment by Starmer and able to demonstrate they are a part of the governments change agenda, rather than a civil service lifer. Sharon White, the chair of John Lewis who was the former chief executive of Ofcom, is also believed to be in the frame. The Guardian revealed last month that Starmer had cancelled the appointment of one of Britains top generals as the national security adviser, another job for which Robbins could be considered. The prime minister overturned the decision made in April by his predecessor, Rishi Sunak, to appoint Gwyn Jenkins, then the vice-chief of the armed forces. Yvette Cooper has said schemes must be workable, financially viable and meet international standards - BENJAMIN CREMEL/PA Yvette Cooper has left the door open to striking an Albania-style deal with another country to process UK asylum claims offshore. The Home Secretary said the Government would look at anything that works when asked if ministers could adopt a scheme similar to Italy where it is planning to send migrants to Albania to be processed. Such a scheme would mean people are processed abroad but successful claimants would then be able to come to the UK unlike the Tories Rwanda scheme, whereby migrants would have been deported to claim asylum in the African country. Asked if it was something that the Government was considering, Ms Cooper said: We have always said we will look at anything that works. Clearly things have to be workable, they have to be financially viable and they also have to meet international standards as well. However, Ms Cooper said she believed there were other ways to develop a new fast-track system to process claims and to return rejected asylum seekers to safe countries swiftly which would not involve striking a processing deal with another country. Her comments came as Sir Keir Starmer was set to meet Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, for talks in Rome on Monday, with ministers to learn how the Italians have managed to reduce migrant crossings of the Mediterranean by around 60 per cent in a year. Sir Keir Starmer was set for talks in Rome with ministers, to learn how the Italians have managed to reduce migrant crossings - WPA POOL/GETTY IMAGES Ms Cooper said there were three tactics that appeared to have made the difference. First, she cited the 5.5 billion Mattei plan announced by Ms Meloni in January under which north African countries took action to prevent crossings in return for the funding from Italy and EU. Speaking to BBC Radio Four, she added: Secondly, work against organised immigration crime, going after the gangs and the criminal networks that are organising [the people smuggling]. Thirdly, having more effective returns swift returns for those who dont have a right to be in Italy. Those are three areas that we also want to substantially increase the work that we do, and have that work underway, as well around prevention, around going after the gangs and also we have been increasing returns very significantly this summer to make sure that rules are properly respected and enforced. The Home Secretarys comments came as eight migrants died on Sunday trying to cross the Channel - DAN KITWOOD/GETTY IMAGES Despite leaving the door open to Albania, Ms Cooper suggested that she was more interested in how the Italians used it as a platform for fast-track deportations. We think there are other ways to develop a new fast track system. Its something weve always been interested in to make sure that those who have come from predominantly safe countries can have their cases very swiftly, properly and fairly decided, and then also be swiftly returned as well, she said. Her comments came as eight migrants died on Sunday trying to cross the Channel, when their dinghy hit rocks and sank off the North French coast. It brings the total number of deaths so far this year to 45 compared with just 12 last year. A 10-month-old baby with hypothermia was among six people taken to hospital for treatment. Only 10 of the 60 migrants on board had life jackets. Ms Cooper said she was concerned at the increasing number of people the smuggling gangs were cramming on the boats and their greater use of violence when attempts were made to stop them leaving the beaches. A lot of this is about them being driven to try and make more money, which is what makes this such a horrific trade in people. So they are cramming more people into boats. Weve seen women and children ending up being crushed to death or drowning as a result of being crammed into these boats, she said. Weve also seen these life jackets, which really are not life jackets at all, just sort of flimsy things pretending to be life jackets, which is more part of duping people, conning people, making them pay extra for a life jacket that isnt a life jacket. Her comments follow the appointment of Martin Hewitt, the former Scotland Yard chief who led the police response to the pandemic, to take charge of the new border security command targeting the gangs behind the Channel crossings. He will lead hundreds of investigators, police officers and prosecutors from the National Crime Agency, MI5, Border Force and the Crown Prosecution Service, which will get new powers to treat people smugglers like terrorists. Huw Edwards is pictured in a police mugshot Huw Edwards has avoided an immediate jail sentence after he admitted accessing indecent images of children. The former BBC anchor paid paedophile Alex Williams up to 1,500 after recieving images of child sex abuse, asking for some to be sent even after he was told that those pictured looked young. Paul Goldspring, the chief magistrate, told Edwards his long-earned reputation was in tatters as he sentenced the former BBC newsreader to six months imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Westminster magistrates court. He also ordered Edwards to undertake a sex offender treatment programme, to undergo a rehabilitation activity requirement order, and sign the sex offenders register for seven years. Edwards, 63, who left the corporation last year, had been on conditional bail after he admitted possessing 41 indecent images, seven of which were category A, the most serious. The veteran broadcaster was the face of the BBCs coverage of major national events for decades and announced the late Queens death in September 2022. A spokesman for the BBC said: We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him. Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster magistrates court - Chris J Ratcliffe Philip Evans, representing Edwards, said his client was profoundly sorry for betraying the priceless trust of viewers and recognised the repugnant nature of such images. The court was told that Edwards sent up to 1,500 to Williams, who supplied him with images of child sex abuse. Details of some of the pictures and videos that form the charges against Edwards were read to the court, with Edwards, sitting alone in the dock, sitting back in his chair and staring at the chief magistrate throughout. The estimated ages for the children present in the Category A images is generally around 13 to 15, with two of the moving images described as showing a child aged around seven to nine. On one occasion in December 2020, Edwards replied f--- after being sent a video involving an underage child and asked for more content. The images involved a child aged 12-14, the court was told. Ian Hope, prosecuting, said: On August 11, 2021, Alex Williams says he has some naughty pics and vids unsure if youd like. Mr Edwards tells him to go on and Alex Williams states yng [sic]. Mr Edwards again tells him to go on and Alex Williams sends a Category A moving image showing a male child aged around seven to nine. Williams then described the child as quite young looking, to which Edwards responded that age can be deceptive and asked any more? Mr Evans said the offences took place at a time when Edwards was mentally vulnerable and he told the court the former presenter had no memory of actually viewing any particular image. The chief magistrate accepted that Edwards was struggling with a mental disorder at the time of the offending. Claire Brinton, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said that the sentence sends a clear message it is working to bring to justice those who seek to exploit children. Ken Macdonald, a former director of public prosecutions, has sought to reassure the public that Edwards received no special treatment. Speaking to BBC Radio Four, he said: Edwards has not been treated any differently to anyone else. This sentence is fairly standard, a pretty conventional sentence. Although it is typical of convictions for similar crimes, Edwards sentence contrasts with harsher punishments given out recently for offences carried out on social media. Dimitrie Stoica, who falsely claimed on a live-streamed TikTok video that he was running for his life from rioters in Derby, was jailed for three months. He had been livestreaming to 700 followers as he walked around the city on Aug 7, the same evening that potential protests and disorder had been feared might take place there. 02:55 PM BST Thats all for today Thanks for following our live coverage. Check The Telegraphs homepage for the latest news. 02:48 PM BST Were in the grip of a hidden pandemic, says global child safety institute Zoe Lambourne, COO of Childlight, the Edinburgh University based institute for child safety, said: Tragically for children, the Huw Edwards case is far from unusual. Were in the grip of a hidden pandemic, with an estimated 1.8 million UK people involved in sexually abusing and exploiting children online. This public health emergency is too big for law enforcement to counter alone but crucially, it is preventable through joint action to ensure child safety is always paramount. 02:18 PM BST Edwards sentence in contrast with hate speech offences Although it is typical of convictions for similar crimes, Edwards sentence contrasts with harsher punishments given out recently for offences carried out on social media. Dimitrie Stoica who falsely claimed on a live-streamed TikTok video that he was running for his life from rioters in Derby was jailed for three months. He had been livestreaming to 700 followers as he walked around Derby on Wednesday 7 August, the same evening that potential protests and disorder had been feared might take place in the city. Lucy Connolly, the wife of a Tory councillor, has been told she will receive a substantial prison sentence after pleading guilty to publishing written material to stir up racial hatred following the Southport stabbings. She published a post on her X account, which she later deleted, which read: Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f*****g hotels full of the bastards for all I care... If that makes me racist, so be it. Julie Sweeney, 53, of Cheshire, was jailed for 15 months after admitting a charge of sending a communication threatening death or serious harm. Sweeney, from Alsager, posted on Facebook for a mosque to be blown up with the adults inside after riots spread following the Southport killings. 02:11 PM BST No special treatment for Edwards, says ex-DPP Ken Macdonald, a former director of public prosecutions (DPP), has sought to reassure the public that Edwards received no special treatment. Edwards has not been treated any differently to anyone else, he told BBC Radio Four, adding: This sentence is fairly standard. A pretty conventional sentence. 01:52 PM BST NSPCC reacts to sentencing Rani Govender, child safety online policy manager at the NSPCC, said: Online child sexual abuse is at record levels and offenders like Edwards who fuel this crime should be in no doubt about its severity and the impact it has on victims. Companies must also act by putting technology in place that can identify and disrupt child abuse images being shared on their messaging services so victims can be safeguarded and offenders prosecuted. 01:34 PM BST Edwards departs Edwards has left Westminster magistrates court after avoiding an immediate prison sentence. Exiting the glass doors of the court building, he was met with a cacophony of shouts and camera clicks from photographers who had waited four hours for him to leave court. Standing cheek by jowl on both sides of the front doors, they jostled to get the best shots of the disgraced former newsreader. Edwards was emotionless as he walked past those he may have once considered colleagues and disappeared into a waiting taxi. 01:26 PM BST Prosecution sends a clear message, says CPS Claire Brinton of the CPS said: Accessing indecent images of children perpetuates the sexual exploitation of them, which has deep, long-lasting trauma for these victims. The CPS and Metropolitan Police were able to prove that Edwards was receiving illegal images and videos involving children via WhatsApp. This prosecution sends a clear message that the CPS, working alongside the police, will work to bring to justice those who seek to exploit children, wherever that abuse takes place. 01:24 PM BST BBC appalled by its former presenters crimes The BBC has said Huw Edwards betrayed the corporation and its audience. A spokesperson for the corporation said: We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him. 01:21 PM BST Pictured: Police mugshot released Huw Edwards police mugshot taken after his arrest in November - Metropolitan Police/PA 01:01 PM BST Edwards put on sex offenders register Huw Edwards will also have to sign the sex offenders register for seven years. 12:58 PM BST Edwards handed suspended jail sentence Huw Edwards has been given a suspended sentence of six months imprisonment, suspended for two years. The former BBC presenter, has avoided an immediate prison sentence after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children. Paul Goldspring, the chief magistrate, also ordered him to undertake a sex offenders treatment programme and Edwards will also have to comply with a rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR) order. 12:51 PM BST Disgraced presenter was in perfect storm The chief magistrate described Edwards as in a perfect storm at the time of his offences. Referring to a report from a psycho-sexual therapist, the chief magistrate concluded that Edwards turned to online relationships amid a very difficult period in his life. The expert told court in a report that Edwards has a tangible risk of taking his own life. The expert added: He has shown insight, shame and remorse for his actions. 12:48 PM BST Sexual gratification difficult to assess The chief magistrate said he accepts Edwards was struggling with a mental disorder at the time of the offending, and that the former newsreader has no memory of which, if any of the images he had viewed. You did not keep them and you did not send them on to anyone else. I accept that you had issues with your mental health. The degree that you received sexual gratification from the images is difficult to assess. 12:41 PM BST Your reputation is in tatters, chief magistrate tells Edwards Paul Goldspring, the chief magistrate, has returned to the courtroom for Edwards sentencing. The Magistrates court can issue a sentence of up to six months in prison, or up to 12 months in total for more than one offence. Outlining the facts of the case to Edwards, Mr Goldspring said: You were perhaps the most recognised newsreader and journalist in the UK. It is not an exaggeration to say your reputation is in tatters. He added: Perhaps it does not need saying but you are of previous good character. 11:49 AM BST Chief magistrate will deliver his sentence at 12:30pm Paul Goldspring, the chief magistrate, has said he will retire to consider and finalise his sentencing remarks. He will return to court to deliver his sentence at 12.30pm. 11:35 AM BST Edwards has no memory of viewing any of the images Philip Evans, representing Edwards, said the offences took place at a time when Edwards was mentally vulnerable and he told the court the former presenter had no memory of actually viewing any particular image. Mr Evans told the court that an expert who assessed Edwards had concluded that there was a low risk of reoffending and there was a real prospect of rehabilitation. A great deal of water has gone under the bridge since that period, he said, adding: Key factors in his life have changed. He is no longer on television. You will have witnessed the manner in which he has fallen from grace. Ian Hope, prosecuting, told the court earlier that documentation the defence obtained about Edwards shows that his decision-making across the relevant time may have been adversely impaired by a mixture of mood disorder, neuro-cognitive disorder and alcohol consumption. 11:31 AM BST Edwards sorry for betraying priceless trust of viewers Philip Evans, representing Edwards, has underlined his clients remorse and rehabilitation as mitigating factors. He said: Mr Edwards wishes to apologise to the court. He wishes the court to know how profoundly sorry he is. He recognises the repugnant nature of such images. He apologises sincerely and makes it clear he has the utmost regret. He recognises he has betrayed the priceless trust of so many people. Mr Evans added: There is a prospect of rehabilitation. The concept of making images here is not a concept of taking photographs or moving images. He was sent all of them. It was not payment for the purpose of receiving indecent images. Mr Edwards positively told Mr Williams not to send images of people who are underage. That is important. 11:27 AM BST Case will not be referred to crown court The chief magistrate has confirmed that he will keep the case. Magistrates sentencing powers means Edwards cannot be facing a term of more than one year if prison is considered. 11:24 AM BST Defence sets out mitigation Philip Evans KC, representing Edwards, has set out the mitigation ahead of sentencing. Mr Evans said his client did not make payments to Williams in order to receive indecent images of children. He said: Mr Edwards did not make payments in order for images to be sent to him, and he certainly did not make payments in order that indecent images would be sent to him. Mr Edwards positively told Mr Williams not to send images of people who were underage. Mr Evans said around 95 per cent of the images involved were self generated involving people taking images of themselves. There is a very small percentage of images that relate to very young children, he told the court. Mitigating factors to reduce Edwards sentence include no previous convictions, his decision-making potentially being impaired by mental disorder, and remorse. 11:16 AM BST Danger Edwards will seek out indecent images of children again, says prosecutor Ian Hope, prosecuting, said Edwards was doing well therapeutically but there was a danger or relapse outside of hospital. He said: There is a real risk that some or all of the circumstances that led Mr Edwards being there will arise again in the future. There must be a risk that he will seek to view indecent images of children in the future and there is a risk of him seeking to communicate with others. 11:13 AM BST Medium risk of Edwards reoffending The Probation Service has used a sexual offender predictor tool to establish Edwards risk of reoffending, the court has heard. Ian Hope informed the chief magistrate that the tool has determined Edwards risk of internet offending, meaning indirect sexual offending, as medium, with the risk of serious harm to children also medium. 11:09 AM BST Disgraced presenter gives little away in the dock In the dock Edwards is looking on with the demeanour of a reporter observing someone elses trial. At times there is the odd raised eyebrow, and at other times a slight frown, as prosecutor Ian Hope goes through the grim details of what Edwards was viewing. The most animated Edwards has been was when the prosecutor mentioned the intense media interest around the case, and the effect it has had on him, when he opened his arms out slightly, shook his head a little and looked as though he were the victim rather than the guilty party. 11:07 AM BST Ages can be deceptive, said Edwards about images sent to him On 11 August 2021, Williams contacted Edwards and said he had some naughty images, the court has been told. Edwards asked him to go on and Williams replied young, to which Edwards again replied go on. Williams commented that the individual in the image was quite young looking and Edwards replied that ages can be deceptive. When Williams suggests that some of the images may be illegal, Edwards replies: Ah ok, dont. From the WhatsApp Chat recovered by police a total of 377 sexual images were sent to Edwards, of which 41 were indecent images of children. The estimated ages for the children present in the Category A images is generally around 13 to 15 with two of the moving images as described above showing a child aged around 7 to 9. 11:01 AM BST Edwards asked for sexual images of person between 14 and 16 years old, court hears When asked by Williams if he wanted sexual images of a person whose age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16, the presenter replied yes xxx, the court heard. Mr Hope said: From that chat in December 2020, Alex Williams said that he had a file of vids and pics for you of someone special. Mr Edwards immediately queried who the subject was and was then sent three images of seemingly the same person, from two of which images the subjects age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16. These two were category C indecent images of children in which the child was exposing his penis. Alex Williams stated that he had 12 videos and 42 pics. Ive sent you a video of him before. Shortly after Alex Williams asked: Want me to send you the full file? Mr Edwards responded Yes xxx... immediately following which Alex Williams sent to Mr Edwards around 30 attachments, about half of which were category C indecent images of children. When he was arrested, Edwards solicitor told police he suffered from significant and long-standing mental health struggles, which had existed for a number of years. Mr Hope told the Chief Magistrate the Crown that Edwards should be the subject of a sexual harm prevention order. 10:48 AM BST Court hears Edwards paid for pictures and videos Edwards sent between 1,000 and 1,500 in total to Alex Williams, the man who supplied him with the pictures and videos in question, the court has been told. Details of some of the pictures and videos that form the charges against Edwards have been read to the court, with Edwards, sitting alone in the dock, sitting back in his chair and staring at the chief magistrate throughout. On one occasion in December 2020, Edwards replied f--- after being sent a sexual video involving an underage child, before he and Williams - who has already been sentenced in a separate hearing - wished each other a Happy Christmas. The images involved a child aged 12-14, the court was told. Williams later WhatsApped Edwards to ask him for a Christmas gift for the hot videos. Edwards replied: What do you mean? Williams told him he wanted some Nike Air Force trainers worth around 150, and Edwards sent him 200. 10:43 AM BST Edwards enters courtroom Huw Edwards walked into the dock of the court, without his travel bag, and stood to confirm his name, date of birth and address. The court has heard how the BBC presenter chatted online with convicted paedophile Alex Williams for four years and met him on one occasion in person. Williams, from South Wales had been attempting to contact celebrities online, but Edwards was the only one to respond. 10:38 AM BST Huw Edwards robbed young children of their innocence Earlier today, Huw Edwards was accused of robbing children of innocence by the mother of a teenager who he shared explicit messages with. The woman scolded Edwards in an open letter for putting her son through immense pain and suffering and said that it broke her heart to find out that the man that groomed her son was also sent child abuse photos. Read the full story here. 10:13 AM BST What to expect from today We are expecting the hearing to last for up to an hour. Ian Hope, prosecuting, will set out the facts of the case before Philip Evans KC, for Edwards, will speak in mitigation. Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring will then decide whether he can pass sentence himself or the case should be referred to a crown court for sentencing. At least one other case is expected to be dealt with before Edwards, the court staff have said. In the dock at the moment is a defendant who will have his drink driving case heard in front of around 50 journalists in court and in the public gallery. 09:59 AM BST Edwards yet to return 200,000 of salary to BBC Huw Edwards is yet to return the 200,000 he was paid by the BBC following his arrest for making indecent images of children. Tim Davie, the corporations director general, told a House of Lords committee on 10 September that the former news presenter had not yet complied with a request to return the sum. Read the full story here. 09:42 AM BST Media queuing from 6am Inside the building, Edwards has gone into a side room with his legal team ahead of a hearing that is expected to start at 10am. Media who arrived early enough have been given tickets to the press benches inside the courtroom and for the rest of the media and members of the public there is long queue outside Court No.1 for the public gallery. Members of the media began queueing at 6am for the few press seats inside the court. 09:27 AM BST Huw Edwards arrives at court Huw Edwards has arrived at Westminster magistrates court in a blue London taxi. He was escorted inside by his legal team and several police officers as he pulled an overnight wheelie bag behind him. Wearing a white shirt and a navy blue cardigan, Edwards flashed a brief smile at the media before disappearing behind the glass doors of the court building. 09:21 AM BST Huw Edwards: What did he do and will he go to prison? Huw Edwards, the former leading BBC presenter, is set to be sentenced after pleading guilty to possessing sexual abuse images of children believed to be as young as seven. Edwards, 63, who left the corporation last year, had been on conditional bail after he admitted at Westminster magistrates court to possessing 41 indecent images, seven of which were category A, the most serious. The veteran broadcaster was the face of the BBCs coverage of major national events for decades and announced the late Queens death in September 2022. Read the full story here. Keir Starmer should drop the pursuit of Italys costly and ultimately ineffective migration deterrence policies if the UK is to put an end to people dying in the Channel, a global charity led by David Miliband has warned. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), where the former Labour foreign secretary is president and chief executive, said the UK government should instead give refugees access to safe routes so they are no longer forced to make dangerous crossings. The intervention comes hours after Starmer praised the hard-right Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, for making remarkable progress in cutting irregular migration across the Mediterranean. Youve made remarkable progress working with countries along migration routes as equals to address the drivers of migration at source and to tackle the gangs, Starmer said at a joint press conference. Meloni said Starmer had shown great interest in Italys deal to process 3,000 asylum claimants in Albania, and brushed aside claims that Italys policies breach international human rights laws. Khusbu Patel, the acting executive director of the IRC UK, said that Starmer should instead open safe routes. Todays discussions in Italy take place after a weekend that saw at least eight lives lost in the Channel, just days after the deadliest crossing this year. These tragic incidents serve as a reminder that instead of prioritising costly and ultimately ineffective deterrence policies, the new government should focus on solutions that work, such as scaling up safe routes and investing in our asylum system. This is the only way to create a system that is effective and compassionate, and one where people are not forced to risk their lives making treacherous journeys in the first place, she said. The statement from the IRC follows condemnation of the Starmer governments praise for Melonis policies from the Refugee Council, Amnesty and the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants. Related: Ex-police chief named head of UKs border security command Miliband, 59, was once seen as the political heir to Tony Blair and became the youngest foreign secretary for 30 years when promoted to the position by Gordon Brown. He resigned as an MP in 2013 to take up the positions at the IRC at its headquarters in New York. His friends said, at the time, that he did so to end the permanent pantomime over his political relationship with his younger brother Ed, the current environment secretary, who narrowly beat him to the Labour leadership in 2010. Italy reached an agreement with Albania in November to host two centres where people would be housed while their asylum claims are processed. Melonis government has also signed a deal with Tunisia, granting it aid in exchange for greater efforts to stop Italy-bound refugees who leave the north African country to cross the Mediterranean. Rome has also renewed a deal with the Libyan government to provide training and funding to the coastguard. Human rights groups have said the deals have resulted in the widespread abuse and detention of thousands of refugees in Libya and Tunisia. Francesca Saccomandi, a social worker at the charity Mediterranean Hope in Lampedusa, said European and Italian policies of externalising borders have decreased arrivals, but not deaths at sea. Those who survive the journey from north Africa have been subjected to unacceptable levels of violence, she said. A few days ago, a Sudanese man who had spent eight months in Sfax [in Tunisia] landed in Lampedusa. During these months, he had already tried to cross the sea four times, but the previous three times the Tunisian national guard had intercepted the boat and from the port of Sfax had deported him to the border with Algeria, in the middle of the desert. The agreements with Tunisia and Libya support the systematic violation of basic human rights, she said. A Home Office spokesperson said: We already offer a number of safe and legal routes for the most vulnerable people and our priority is to make sure these are being used appropriately. We are determined to restore order to the asylum system so we can process cases, review them and take action to remove people when they have no right to be here. Meloni has struck a hard campaign to stop people arriving on small boats. Photograph: Juan Medina/Reuters Keir Starmer has travelled to Rome for bilateral talks about immigration with Italys prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. The British prime minister, under pressure to tackle irregular migration across the Channel from France, wants to examine how Melonis hard-right government has cut the number of people arriving in dinghies across the Mediterranean. What policies has the Meloni government pursued? Last September, Lampedusa was once again inundated with people after more than 11,000 arrived on the tiny southern Italian island, mostly from Tunisia, within a week. The emergency highlighted Melonis struggles with maintaining her election campaign promise of curbing irregular migration to Italy, but it also marked a turning point. With Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, by her side, the Italian leader vowed to get tough. She passed measures extending the amount of time people can be held in deportation detention centres to 18 months and ordered the construction of new centres. Meloni was the key protagonist in a deal signed in July 2023 between the EU and Tunisia that meant paying the north African country millions of euros to stop migrant boats from leaving, as well as to invest in businesses and education, all with the aim of deterring migration. The policy bore little fruit in the early stages, but now the deal, along with another first struck by Italy in 2017 that equips and trains the Libyan coastguard to stop people leaving, is credited with reducing inflows. This year, Meloni travelled to Tunisia and Libya to put pressure on their leaders to reinforce those pacts and curb irregular migration more dramatically. Italy also made a deal with Albania under which men arriving on boats from north Africa would be taken to centres in the neighbouring country to have their asylum claims processed. However, there has been no tangible progress on the complex scheme, which, if it takes effect, would cost Italy 670m (560m) over five years. The Meloni government has also enacted draconian policies against charity ships in the Mediterranean, with captains facing huge fines if they carry out more than one rescue operation at a time. What has happened to immigration figures since the Meloni government took power? During Melonis first year in power, the number of people arriving in Italy by boat rose sharply, with the total reaching 125,806 in 2023, almost double that of 2022. But arrivals so far this year have dropped to 44,465, according to the latest data from the Italian interior ministry. Meloni will point to the Tunisia and Libya deals for this achievement. Given that Italy is hosting the G7 presidency this year, there are suspicions of additional payouts to what Francesco Galieti, the co-founder of Policy Sonar, a political consultancy in Rome, called the logistical springboards. Galieti said: There is clearly some truce. Meloni did not want Italy to be inundated [with people arriving] for the duration of the G7. How do you stop them coming otherwise? Related: Copying Italys migration policies wont stop Channel deaths, says charity How have rights groups and others reacted to Italian measures? Italys approach has long been criticised by humanitarian groups. The deal with Libya, which essentially pushes people back to detention camps where they face torture and other abuses, was first struck by a centre-left government in 2017 and is renewed every three years. Similar concerns have been raised about Tunisia. Despite the policies, people still attempt to cross the Mediterranean and many die along the way. According to figures from the international organisation for migration (IOM), more than 1,400 people have died or gone missing in the central Mediterranean since January. At least 11 were confirmed to have died in two separate shipwrecks close to Italys shore in June. How applicable is the Italian approach to the UK situation? Starmer can learn about the Italian approach, but it wont be so easy to apply. Its puzzling that Starmer is looking for advice from Rome, said Wolfango Piccoli, a co-president of political risk advisory at the London-based research company Teneo. The immigration challenge faced by both countries is different. Rome can throw money and some kind of assistance to Tunisia and Libya, hoping it will reduce the inflow. This is not an option for London. Immigrants arrive from France. More than anything, the visit shows how sensitive the matter is to Starmer, whose popularity is declining rapidly. UK Export Finance, which reports to Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, is in talks over the plans - Paul Grover for The Telegraph The Government has been accused of double standards for opening the door to a fossil fuel pipeline in Africa despite banning new licences for oil and gas production at home. UK Export Finance (UKEF), a government department, is considering approving up to $1.15 billion (870 million) of taxpayer investment in a major liquified natural gas pipeline in Mozambique. Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, said it was incoherent for Labour to fund new fossil fuel projects overseas while banning new licences in the North Sea. The Mozambique project, which is being run by French energy giant TotalEnergies, was put on hold in 2021 after conflict erupted in the region. The company is now seeking to restart work on the $15 billion (11 billion) pipeline, which it has been estimated could produce more than the combined annual greenhouse gas emissions of all 27 EU countries over its lifetime. UKEF, which reports to Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, is now actively in talks about committing the funding for the project after it was initially given the green light in 2020 under Boris Johnson. Labours energy policy is nonsensical, said Ms Coutinho. The Government appear happy to sign off on oil and gas investments abroad, whilst waving goodbye to tax receipts and jobs at home by shutting down the North Sea. We will be the only major economy shutting down our own domestic oil and gas production and it will go down in history as a terrible act of economic self-harm. Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, has been accused of threatening the jobs of thousands of energy workers with plans to end new licences to proposed oil and gas fields that have not already been approved. Mr Miliband will say on Tuesday that pushing through solar farms and pylons in swathes of the countryside to switch to green energy is the national security, energy security, economic fight of our time. Fuel tanks in Mozambique, where TotalEnergies is planning a major new gas pipeline - Jacek Sopotnicki / Alamy Stock Photo UKEF is now in the process of briefing ministers, The Telegraph understands, before a final decision is made. A decision would normally be made by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade but could be passed up to Sir Keir Starmer. The US and Dutch governments are also considering financing the project, which TotalEnergies hopes to restart before the end of the year. The firm declared a force majeure on the pipeline project in 2021, suspending its contractual obligations, after thousands were killed during a violent Islamist rebellion in the region. UKEF, which is an independent government body strategically aligned with the Department for Trade, has said its role is to ensure that no viable UK export fails because of a lack of private funding by extending loans, credit and insurance for overseas projects while operating at no net cost to the taxpayer. However, critics say oil and gas represent a poor investment as rapid global decarbonisation drives down demand in the long term. Ethical responsibility to withdraw Green groups also said approving funding for the pipeline would undermine Labours green credentials. Tony Bosworth, a climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: The Government has set out its intention to be a global climate leader. Withdrawing its defence of legal challenges to fossil fuel projects in the UK, such as the Whitehaven coal mine and North Sea oil and gas, is a very positive first step. But real global leadership must mean also stopping funding fossil fuels abroad, starting with the proposed gas mega-project in Mozambique. A tanker loads liquefied natural gas alongside a floating platform off the coast of Mozambique - Xinhua / Alamy Stock Photo Daniel Ribeiro, of Friends of the Earth Mozambique, said the pipeline would create global injustice. He added: There is no room for this project or others like it to be developed if we intend to meet climate goals and have a chance of containing the impacts of climate change. Over its lifetime it is estimated to result in up to 4.5 billion tonnes of CO2e [carbon dioxide equivalent] emissions. UKEF has the power and the ethical responsibility to withdraw from financing a project that will result in long-term harm across the world. Shortly after it was first approved, the Conservative government said UKEF would no longer provide any new direct financial support for fossil fuel energy overseas but that projects already given the go-ahead would go through. People searching amid the ruins of a house hit by an Israeli airstrike at Nuseirat, Gaza on Monday. Photograph: APAImages/Rex/Shutterstock At least 16 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes across central Gaza on Sunday night and Monday morning, including five women and four children, Palestinian health officials have said. Rescuers said an airstrike early on Monday destroyed a residential building in the densely populated Nuseirat refugee camp in the heart of central Gaza, killing at least 10 people, including four women and two children. The al-Awda hospital, which received the bodies, confirmed the deaths and said another 13 people were wounded. Hospital records quoted by local media show that the dead included a mother, her child and her five siblings. In a separate strike targeting a building in Gaza City, six people died. A woman and two children were among the dead, according to the civil defence, a team of emergency responders working under the governance of Hamas. Israel says its military operations exclusively target combatants and claims Hamas and other armed factions place civilians at risk by operating within residential areas. Eleven months into the Gaza war, the death toll among Palestinians has passed 41,000, according to health authorities in the territory. Most of the dead are civilians and the total is nearly 2% of Gazas prewar population, or equal to one in every 50 people. The conflict was triggered by Hamass 7 October attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people died and about 250 were taken hostage. On Sunday evening, a senior Hamas official told Agence France-Presse that new generations of fighters had been recruited since the 7 October attacks, less than a week after the Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, told journalists that Hamas no longer exists as a military formation in Gaza. During an interview in Istanbul, Osama Hamdan claimed that the militant group has a high ability to continue. He added: There were martyrs and there were sacrifices but in return there was an accumulation of experiences and the recruitment of new generations into the resistance. The Hamas chief, Yahya Sinwar, congratulated the Yemeni Houthi group for reaching central Israel with a surface-to-surface missile for the first time on Sunday, causing a fire near Kfar Daniel. I congratulate you on your success in reaching the depth of the enemy entity, Sinwar said in a letter to the Houthi leader, Abdulmalik al-Houthi. I assure you that the resistance is fine. We have prepared ourselves to fight a long battle of attrition, he said. This is reportedly Sinwars third public message in the last week, after he congratulated the Algerian president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, on winning the renewed trust of his people in the election on 9 September, and showed gratitude for Hezbollahs continuing fight against Israel on Friday. Before then Sinwar, who is believed to be hiding underground in Gaza, had made only one other official statement since the war began, in late October, when he offered the immediate release of Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of all Palestinian prisoners. Israel is conducting an extensive manhunt in Gaza for the man responsible for the 7 October massacre. The Israeli military is investigating whether the fire near Kfar Daniel was the result of falling fragments caused by interceptor missiles launched at the projectile, or if the missile successfully penetrated its air defences, as the Houthis have claimed. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the Houthis would pay a heavy price, while the Houthi leader warned of bigger attacks to come. On Monday, the Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said the group downed a US MQ-9 drone in Yemens Dhamar province. In a separate development on Monday, Gallant told the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, that time was running out for an agreement with Hezbollah to halt the fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border, where on Sunday the Israeli military reported that approximately 40 projectiles had been launched, with the majority being intercepted or landing in uninhabited regions. The possibility for an agreed framework in the northern arena is running out as Hezbollah continues to tie itself to Hamas, Gallant said, The trajectory is clear. Hezbollah said it would halt its attacks if there was a ceasefire in Gaza, but months of talks brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt have repeatedly stalled. Gallant told Austin that in any possible scenario, Israels defence establishment will continue to operate with the aim of dismantling Hamas and ensuring the return of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza by any means. Related: The war has stolen our future: Gaza children begin second school year without education Meanwhile, media reports in Israel suggested Gallants position could be under threat, with sources in the prime ministers office saying Netanyahu was considering appointing the New Hope chair, Gideon Saar, as Gallants replacement. After the report, the far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said on X: The time has come to [fire Gallant] immediately. Rumours that Netanyahu would replace Gallant have been circulating for months. The already strained relationship between the two has been tumultuous since Netanyahus sudden decision to dismiss Gallant in March 2023 because of his vocal disapproval of the governments judicial changes. However, the prime ministers move was later rescinded after public outcry. Some in Netanyahus administration have called for Gallants removal, citing a range of grievances including his stance against a government-supported ultra-Orthodox enlistment bill and his public disagreement with the prime minister on matters such as a hostage negotiation and Israels presence in the Philadelphi corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border. Afghan education ministry to hire more than 8,000 teachers, staff members Kabul, Sep 16 (UNI) The Afghan caretaker government's Ministry of Education has announced the hiring of 8,165 teachers and administrative staff members across the country, state-run Radio and Television of Afghanistan reported Monday. Mawlawi Abdul Khaliq Sadeq, a deputy to the ministry, was quoted as saying that transparency would be assured in the examination process of the candidates, and anyone who passes the exam would be employed without bias. More than 10 million children are currently attending state-owned and private schools in Afghanistan, according to the ministry. Nathan Simpson appeared at Belfast magistrates court on Monday. Photograph: J Orr/Alamy A 21-year-old man has been charged with murdering his mother in Northern Ireland a week after his release from prison. Nathan Simpson of east Belfast appeared at Belfast magistrates court on Monday charged with the murder of Rachel Simpson, 43, on 13 September. No plea was entered. The victims body was discovered in the garage of a property in east Belfast after police were called. When asked in a brief hearing if he understood the allegations against him, Simpson, in handcuffs and a grey custody tracksuit, said: Yes, your honour. His defence solicitor, Chris McCann, did not seek bail due to the lack of any suitable address. This case highlights a broader issue in relation to accommodation being available for prisoners [after] custody, he told the court. Mr Simpson had been released from prison seven days before [this incident]. The lawyer said authorities had months to prepare for his release but efforts to locate alternative accommodation had proved fruitless. Simpson was remanded in custody until 14 October for the next hearing. Victorian Liberal party leader John Pesutto, left, and state MP Moira Deeming, who is suing him for defamation. Composite: AAP Image/Con Chronis Victorias opposition leader, John Pesutto, considered expelling MP Moira Deeming from the Liberal party hours after she addressed a rally gatecrashed by neo-Nazis, before he tarred her with the Nazi brush, the federal court has heard. The high-stakes defamation battle brought against Pesutto by the ousted Liberal MP began in the federal court on Monday, with Deeming expected to begin giving evidence as early as Tuesday. The ousted Liberal MP has accused Pesutto of falsely portraying her as a Nazi sympathiser after she spoke at the March 2023 Let Women Speak rally. The court heard that a 70-minute recording of a meeting between Deeming, the partys Victorian leadership team and members of Pesuttos staff the day after the rally will also be played on Tuesday. In her opening address, Deemings barrister, Sue Chrysanthou SC, told justice David OCallaghan that Pesutto had it in for the MP over her long-held views for safety for women. She showed the court text messages between Pesutto and Louise Staley, a former Liberal MP who lost her seat at the November 2022 election. In one text, referring to an article published in The Australian on the day of the rally, Staley said: Moira Deeming at rally with neo-Nazis today. Pesutto replied: This only gets worse from here. I dont even understand why she wants to be in the Liberal party. Staley said Pesutto needed to consider expelling her from the party for consorting with Nazis. Pesutto replied: Agree. Chrysanthou said this was at odds with Pesuttos affidavit, which stated he attended a meeting with Deeming and members of the partys leadership team the following day a Sunday to allow her to make a statement denouncing the neo-Nazis who gatecrashed the rally. The day after the rally, at 12.26pm, Pesutto drafted a press release in his phone notes, shown to the court, which said following our discussion, Mrs Deeming tendered her resignation as a member of the Liberal Party, the court heard. As at 12.26pm, It was Mr Pesuttos intention to force a resignation of my client. If he couldnt achieve that, he claimed to expel her. Thats not what he said in his affidavit, Chrysanthou said. The meeting, held at about 5.30pm that day, was attended by Pesutto,and senior MPs David Southwick, Georgie Crozier and Matthew Bach, the court heard. Pesuttos then chief of staff, Rodrigo Pintos Lopez, was also in attendance. After the meeting, Pesutto issued a statement signalling his intention to expel Deeming from the party. Deeming was initially suspended from the party room for nine months before she was expelled in May last year. Related: Moira Deeming v John Pesutto: as the defamation battle begins, how did we get here? Chrysanthou also said Pesuttos legal team would incorrectly argue that before March last year, Deeming had a bad reputation. Reputation is apparently an issue in this place. Mr Pesutto comes to this court and asks your honour to find that, before he tarred her with the Nazi brush in March of last year, she had a bad reputation, she told the court. The evidence that is before your honour points overwhelmingly to the contrary. Chrysanthou said this evidence includes Pesutto asking Deeming to apply for a parliamentary whip position after he was elected Liberal leader in December 2022. Three months later, Deeming was among the speakers at a Let Women Speak rally, which she also helped organised, held on the steps of Victorias parliament on 18 March 2023. The event was co-organised by the UK gender-critical activist Kellie-Jay Keen as part of her tour of Australia and New Zealand in which it was claimed that the push for transgender rights was silencing, and discriminating against, women. In his defence document, Pesutto argued he repeatedly and unequivocally acknowledged publicly that he does not believe Deeming to be a neo-Nazi, a white supremacist, or anything of similar substance or effect. He admitted to conveying some imputations, including that Deeming associated with speakers at the event who had known links with neo-Nazis and white supremacists and that she was not a fit and proper person to be a member of the Victorian parliamentary Liberal party under his leadership. In court documents, Pesutto said he would rely on the defences of honest opinion, contextual truth, public interest and qualified privilege. The defamation trial is expected to run for three weeks and threatens to expose instability in the party. Other witnesses in the case will include federal Liberal senator Sarah Henderson, Deemings husband, Andrew, former Liberal candidate Warren Mundine and current and former Victorian Liberal MPs. The trial continues. There have been 37 deaths in Borno state after parts of its capital, Maiduguri, were overrun by water on 9 September following the collapse of a dam. Photograph: Musa Ajit Borno/AP More than 200 inmates escaped from a prison in north-east Nigeria in the aftermath of the worst flooding there in over two decades, authorities have announced. There have been 37 deaths in Borno state after parts of its capital, Maiduguri, were overrun by water on 9 September following the collapse of a dam, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). As many as 200,000 others have been displaced. Residents of the city said some areas were still flooded on Monday when the president, Bola Tinubu, visited. In a statement on Sunday, Abubakar Umar, a spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), said officials discovered that 281 inmates had escaped while being transferred to a safe and secure facility after their prison was flooded. Seven prisoners were recaptured while 274 others remain at large. The flood brought down the walls of the correctional facilities, including the medium-security custodial centre Maiduguri as well as the staff quarters in the city, Abubakar said. The NCS has begun a search for the missing prisoners in collaboration with other security agencies, he added. According to local reports, reptiles, lions and other wildlife from the citys Sanda Kyarimi Park zoo were washed into residential neighbourhoods by last weeks intense floods. People displaced by the torrential rains are living in temporary shelters set up in six camps across the city. Maiduguri, the birthplace of a 15-year insurgency by the jihadist group Boko Haram, was once home to camps in some of the same locations for internally displaced persons (IDPs) but state authorities, keen to get people back to the rural areas, began closing them in the last three years. Relief materials have come from the federal government and the United Arab Emirates. As many as 31.8 million Nigerians are already at risk of acute food insecurity, according to the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Aid workers say things could get worse in the coming weeks, especially in northern Nigeria which is at the centre of the extreme weather crisis. There are also fears of potential cholera outbreak in the crowded camps. The area is now on high alert for outbreaks of diseases including cholera, malaria, and typhoid as well as animal and zoonotic diseases, the FAO said in a statement. In April, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency launched the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, warning of floods across most of Nigerias 36 states. But the rains surpassed the annual average as the impact of climate change ramp up around the globe. So far, 29 states have been affected. FAO representatives say 1.3m hectares (3.2m acres) of land nationwide was submerged as of 10 September. About half of that was cropland. The severity of this flood [in Maiduguri] has far exceeded our estimates, said Kashim Shettima, the vice-president and former governor of the state, during his assessment visit. The floods in Nigeria come as people in neighbouring Cameroons Far North region are reeling from a flood on 28 August that led to 3,700 houses collapsing after water retention dykes broke. The Benue River, which runs through Cameroon and Nigeria, hosts the Lagdo dam in the nearby North region of Cameroon which, when opened, is a yearly source of flooding in Nigeria. Aid workers at the FAO say states such as Adamawa, next door to Borno, are at imminent risk due to an expected discharge from the dam. Shettima said the government was committed to finding lasting solutions to this recurring issue. But aid workers say more needs to be done as available infrastructure is being overwhelmed by the situation. Suwaiba Dankabo, the deputy director of Action Aid Nigeria, told a press conference in Abuja on Friday: Road and transport networks have been destroyed, making it even harder to deliver much-needed aid. Hot Water Bottles We shape our buildings, said Winston Churchill in 1943, and afterwards our buildings shape us. Churchill was speaking during a debate to discuss the rebuilding of the Commons Chamber, following its destruction by incendiary bombs during the Blitz. But his dictum applies to domestic dwellings as well as the nature of British parliamentary democracy. It is not just our buildings that shape us, but the things they contain. Our insatiable appetite for visiting other peoples houses (the principle on which the National Trust was founded) bespeaks a fascination not just with other peoples stuff, but their reasons for choosing it, and what their choices tell us about them. It is impossible to contemplate the stone furniture, tools and gaming pieces that furnished the Neolithic dwellings of Skara Brae on Orkney without wondering about the daily lives of the prehistoric people who slept in those stone beds, stored their objects on those stone shelves and amused themselves with those stone dice. It is easy to suppose that until the rise of mass production and the emergence of a middle class with disposable income, taste was a luxury for the rich, while everyone else got by with mere stuff. Certainly the 19th century was a boom time for designers whose self-appointed role was simultaneously to provoke and assuage the social anxieties of people with little idea about how to spend their money. In 1897 the novelist Edith Wharton published The Decoration of Houses, an influential manual of interior design that denounced the fussy Victorian taste for cluttered accumulations of bibelots. Fast-forward a century or so, and in place of Whartons patrician aesthetic there emerged the maximalist Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and his fellow telly design gurus, whose notions about taste bore roughly the same relation to the iconic statements of the great design panjandrums as high street fashion does to outlandish couture creations. But as with couture, the influence trickles down to the high street. You can buy Philippe Starcks Juicy Salif lemon squeezer at John Lewis, should you be inclined to lay out 80 on an item of which its designer remarked, My lemon squeezer isnt for squeezing lemons its for starting conversations. The ideological disconnect between William Morriss principles of beauty and utility (which finds practical cooks in Starck-equipped kitchens relieving their feelings by viciously reaming lemons with a fork) is the subject of Well Made, a show that considers the nature of good design as part of the current London Design Festival. The curators, designers Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd, put out a call for well-designed objects that cost under 20: among the unsung classics are a vegetable peeler, a glass milk bottle and a hot-water bottle. Pearson and Lloyd observe that In a world obsessed with designer labels, its humbling to remember that true success often has no name or brand. Instead, it thrives by continuing to enhance peoples everyday lives. To which one might respond by compiling ones own list of life-enhancing items, unencumbered by designer logos. Mine would definitely include a hot-water bottle, that poignant evocation of childhood bedtimes in a freezing house. Add to that my late fathers Sabatier knife, with its wickedly fine steel blade, and the Duralex glasses (the kitchen equivalent of Moleskine notebooks, but still gloriously basic) that bring a dash of Gallic flair to the dullest meal. The case of the disappearing corkscrew One item that is unlikely to make it onto any Gen Z list of neglected design masterpieces is the ubiquitous corkscrew. Not so ubiquitous any more, according to a trends report by Lakeland, the supplier of household items that you never knew you needed (banana-holder, anyone?) Screw-top bottles, wine in cans, and the admirable abstemiousness of the young mean that only 27 per cent of 18-24 year-olds own a corkscrew, or have any idea how to use one. As it happens, I carry around in my handbag a Swiss Army knife whose many useful tools include a corkscrew (in case of emergencies). Ive always thought of it as something of a design classic, so it is strangely sobering to think that it is due to take its place in the museum of obsolete gadgets, alongside the sundial and the quill pen. Secret Service and homeland security agents check a former home of Ryan Wesley Routh in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Sunday. Photograph: Jonathan Drake/Reuters Ryan Wesley Routh, the man suspected of carrying out a second assassination attempt on Donald Trump, has undergone shifting political convictions that elude partisan definition. Although records show the 58-year-old former roofing contractor making small financial donations to Democratic candidates in recent years, Routh has acknowledged voting for Trump in his 2016 election before subsequently embarking on a ideological odyssey the aims of which appear incoherent and confused. He vehemently renounced his former support of Trump after having found a meaningful cause in trying to recruit former Afghan fighters to go to war on the side of Ukraine. Related: Suspect charged as Trump accuses Biden and Harris of incitement In a book apparently self-published in 2023, a man with Rouths name sets out his views on Ukraine and other topics, including the collapse of the wests nuclear deal with Iran, for which he blamed himself for helping to elect a brainlesss president and invited Iran to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgment and the dismantling of the deal. But that alone does not capture the full range of Rouths political flip-flopping. In 2020, in a series of Twitter posts, he endorsed the presidential bid of Tulsi Gabbard, then a Democratic member of Congress, and now a vocal supporter and ally of Trump who helped the former president prepare for the recent presidential debate against Kamala Harris. Gabbard, he wrote, will tirelessly negotiate peace deals in Syria, Afghanistan, and all turmoil zones. He apparently voted for Joe Biden in the subsequent election, and as of Sunday his car outside his house in Hawaii sported a bumper sticker reading Biden-Harris, though there is no indication when in the last four years it was added. By January 2024, however, he was championing the idea of a Republican ticket of Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy to fend off Trump. Rouths political gadfly characteristics were further displayed in a 2020 invitation to Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator who he described as very smart and educated to Hawaii on holiday and offered to act as an ambassador and liaison in his countrys dispute with the US. He also invited pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, demonstrating against hardline dictates from mainland China, to visit Hawaii and offered free accommodation. Somewhat incongruously, his WhatsApp profile read: Each one of us must do our part daily in the smallest steps help support human rights, freedom and democracy; we each must help the chinese. Rouths unstable political views seem to have been mirrored by a turbulent personal past. Shortly after the Russian invasion in 2022 he travelled to Ukraine to apply for its international brigade of foreign fighters, telling a Guardian journalist at the time that he expected to be rejected because he lacked military experience as indeed it seems he was. Instead, he announced he planned to erect national flags from around the world in central Kyiv, organise a human chain around them and declare, Putin, here I am, calculating that if Russia bombed this international protest it would provoke global action. Routh has also been arrested at least eight times, CNN reported. In 2002, he was charged with possessing a weapon of mass destruction in Greensboro, in his native North Carolina, after being pulled over by traffic police, who found a concealed gun in his vehicle. He fled the scene and drove to his roofing business, according to local media reports, where he barricaded himself inside for three hours. He was subsequently charged with possessing a fully automatic machine gun referred to in court documents as a weapon of mass destruction possessing a concealed weapon, driving without a valid drivers license and resisting, delaying and obstructing law enforcement. Tracy Fulk, the charging officer, told Wired that Routh was known to police at the time of his arrest and added that she thought he would be either dead or in prison by now. She added: I had no clue that he had moved on and was continuing his escapades. Describing the night of his 2002 arrest, she continued: One night I recognized him in his vehicle. I knew he didnt have a drivers license, so I stopped him right in front of his roofing shop. He stopped, and as I approached his truck he pulled a sack away from the center of the seat, and I saw a gun. So of course I drew my gun and started saying, Hey! Show me your hands, show me your hands. And he just basically pulled into his driveway and ran into his house. So we ended up having a [Special Response Team] callout and a big standoff for a couple of hours before they went in and we arrested him. Routh avoided prison over the incident after a judge handed down a suspended sentence and a probation order. Tina Cooper, 58, a former employee at Rouths roofing business, told the Independent that her former boss had a local reputation for doing stupid shit. Related: Putin, here I am: man accused of targeting Trump had delusional ideas about helping Ukraine He had threatened to blow up the entire Greensboro police department, that was all documented in the police reports, Cooper said. Routh was not always on the wrong side of the law. In 1991, aged 25, he was designated a super citizen and awarded a law enforcement Oscar by the Greensboro chapter of the International Union of Police Associations after helping to defend a woman against an alleged rapist, the Washington Post reported. In the 2022 interview on the Ukraine border, Routh said he had left his construction business in Hawaii to tie up every loose end to get out of town. He said of his wife and three children, then in their 20s: They can fend for themselves; they dont need a dad any more. He declared that his trip to Ukraine was a one-way ticket but he later did, however, return to the US. He was at least clear on one loyalty, explaining to the Guardian why he always seemed to be wearing a US flag while in Ukraine. I want to make sure that if the Russians kill me, they know who theyre killing, he said. Im an American. Little Green Island at the southern end of the Whitsundays was sold for $5.6m. Photograph: Harcourts MackTown The Queensland island that inspired scenes in a Chronicles of Narnia film has been sold for $5.6m. Little Green Island, south of the Whitsunday Islands on the Great Barrier Reef, was on Monday sold at auction by film producer and actor Douglas Gresham, who is the stepson of CS Lewis, the author of The Chronicles of Narnia. Gresham, who lives in Malta, bought the 63-acre (25-hectare) private island for $2.45m 15 years ago. Besides its tropical forest, freshwater lagoon and pristine beaches, the island has a main house, a caretakers cottage and a pool with views on to the Coral Sea. The property was sold by Tina Sander, a real estate agent in nearby Mackay. She said Greshams family told her the tropical island inspired Ramandus island in the 2010 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Ive been privileged enough to stay there a couple of times overnight and its not until you actually visit the island that you really grasp its true magic and beauty and aura, Sander said. I was born and raised in Mackay and Ive been fortunate to travel the world and, without a doubt, Id put Little Green Island in the top three places Ive visited, easily. Its hidden, unspoilt, secluded. Anyone who loves the ocean, it is literally your own private resort. She said the house, nestled into the base of a mountain, was very protected from the elements. The main home on the island was built in 1995 and has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. It was designed by the renowned architect and president of the Australian Architecture Association, Tone Wheeler, who originally designed the home for Edward de Bono, the late Maltese commentator who coined the term lateral thinking. The island, a short boat ride from Mackay, was used for family holidays and was never let, Sander said. The sale had drawn national and international interest, including 287 inquiries. On the day of the auction, those interested parties boiled down to eight phone bidders and two onsite bidders, she said. The buyer is a Mackay family that has asked not to be named. Sander said they were one of two local bidders. Its an incredible result, an amazing result I personally believe its worth every single penny of that, she said. Everyones super happy that a local buyer ended up snapping it up. The property of Britains farmers is at risk of getting caught up in changes to inheritance tax - Jeremy Pardoe/Alamy Stock Photo I think I know whats going on here. Clearly the eggheads at some of the UKs more, err, progressive think tanks have been watching too much Succession, the epic TV series in which a highly dysfunctional and incredibly well-dressed dynasty squabbles for control of a global media empire. How else to explain calls from both the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Resolution Foundation for changes to business and agricultural relief from inheritance tax. This has been pitched as a way for the Government to raise much-needed funds and close a tax loophole on unearned wealth. It is exactly the kind of wrong-headed suggestion that could have only been dreamed up by academics and wonks who have never worked in an actual business, have a very abstract understanding of how wealth is created and relax at the end of their not very long days in a university department or think tank by watching too many box sets. Talking to The Telegraph, an economist at the IFS said: Theres empirical evidence that kids tend to run businesses worse than their parents did. So it is actually better off being passed on [ie sold] from a growth perspective. Ill just let that sink in for a moment. I have to admit that I genuinely couldnt believe what I was reading when I came across that quote. My first thought was that I was having a stroke. My second was that the IFS really shouldnt be letting those with no clue about businesses dream up policies that could have such massive knock-on implications for the private sector. I enjoyed watching Succession too but as a work of fiction not as a source of research. Ive yet to see real world evidence that all second-generation family business owners are Kendalls, Romans and Shivs. The Governments own prisons minister, James Timpson, who took over as chief executive of his family business from his father John, is a pretty good counter example. Progressive think tanks appear to be using HBOs TV show Succession as a source of research - Television Stills Heres some genuine empirical evidence: roughly 90pc of all start-ups fail. By the IFSs logic, presumably this means we shouldnt bother with entrepreneurship either. Of course, in the real world, that would be a tad self-defeating because the minority of start-ups that do prosper more than make up for the majority that fall by the wayside. Similarly, even if most family-run businesses dont navigate the difficulties of intergenerational succession (and Im far from persuaded this is indeed the case), those that do will provide far greater economic benefit than an extra billion or two in tax. How can I be so sure? Because the UK is home to 4.8m family-owned businesses, which employ half the private sector workforce, contribute 225bn in tax (more than a quarter of government receipts) and genuinely form the backbone of the economy. Is our collective understanding of entrepreneurship, risk capital and wealth generation really so far gone that policymakers no longer get this? Does Rachel Reeves really believe she can boost growth while simultaneously penalising and disincentivizing so many SMEs? As for agricultural property getting caught up in IHT, well. There are broadly two groups of people going into this countrys benighted farming industry at the moment: the children of farmers and former Top Gear presenters. And we surely cant expect Jeremy Clarkson to grow all our potatoes. For almost 50 years, successive governments have retained business relief as part of the inheritance tax regime. Was this simply because they were happy with a certain segment of society not paying their way? No, they didnt touch it because it works. (Treasury officials should take their own Hippocratic Oath: first, do no harm.) Has anyone at the IFS or Resolution Foundation actually bothered to talk to any family-owned businesses? Business relief isnt a loophole; on the contrary, it levels the playing field. No other type of business faces an utterly punitive tax bill simply because the ownership changes hands. The current rules give business owners the confidence to make long-term investments in their companies and the communities which they serve. Indeed, theres anecdotal evidence that mere speculation about proposed changes has already resulted in a tightening of purse strings. And no wonder. The lobby group Family Business UK has run the numbers on a hypothetical medium-sized, second-generation family-owned business with 100 employees making profits of 4.5m on turnover of 25m a year. It calculated on the death of the founder, Widget & Sons/Daughters could face a tax bill of between 18m and 20.6m. At that point it is likely the business would have to either be sold or bring in outside investment, which would remove the benefits of being family-run, says FBUK. They are unlikely to regard the cost of the tax bill as being one the business could simply absorb and carry on as usual. You can say that again. Theres also the fairness of the thing. IHT is supposed to be a tax on unearned wealth. But most members of a family that revolves around a business will tell you its not just the nominal owner who makes sacrifices. Often relatives will work for the business at below market rates (or for nothing) in order to plough as much profit back into the business and help it grow. Since that growth will translate into the value of the company, which the Government would be grabbing if the business relief was scrapped, can underpaid (or unpaid) labour now be claimed back from the Treasury? Of course not. So why would anyone do it? This pretty basic thought-experiment illustrates how those proposing the tax changes clearly wouldnt recognise a business even if it slapped them around the face with its P&L, have no real clue how their lab-grown policies might behave in the wild and are wholly unprepared for a plethora of unintended consequences. To the IFS and Resolution Foundation: you do lots of great work. I love you. But on this one, you are not serious people. Transparency International Australia says international regulators and the federal government have clearly identified real estate as being at very high risk of money laundering involving organised crime gangs. Illustration: Victoria Hart/Guardian Design Convicted criminals and unlicensed agents are operating in the real estate sector across multiple states, a Guardian Australia investigation has found. In New South Wales, the Guardian has established that two individuals convicted of dishonesty offences have been allowed back into the industry well within the usual 10-year prohibition, and that gaps in the law mean convicted money launderers are able to find their way back into the industry. In NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland, authorities have together fielded hundreds of complaints about real estate agents operating unlicensed and a Guardian analysis of property ads suggests dozens are selling or leasing property without being listed on Victorias public register. The revelations come as the federal government pushes to subject the real estate sector to additional scrutiny through its second tranche of counter-terrorism financing and money-laundering laws. The legislation, introduced to parliament last week, is designed to force the real estate sector to take steps to prevent money laundering and bring Australia in line with other developed nations. Why real estate attracts criminals Australian federal police say the Australian property market, given its value growth and liquidity, has become an attractive destination for criminals to both store value and enjoy the fruits of their illicit activities. The AFP told the Guardian criminal groups were using real estate agents to give crime proceeds an appearance of legitimacy through asset purchases. AFP data shows real estate is by far the biggest asset type seized by its criminal assets confiscation taskforce. The AFP restrained about 78 properties worth $106.6m in 2021-22, with an average property value of $1.36m. That doubled the following year, when $220.4m in property was restrained, with an average estimated value of $2.34m a property. The real property market can be exploited by money launderers in a number of ways, including utilising complex ownership structures to obfuscate true ownership, concealing illicit money flows as rental income, and investing illicit cash into property improvement activities, an AFP spokesperson said. Criminal groups may use professional facilitators such as real estate agents, accountants and solicitors to give illegal cash the appearance of legitimacy through the purchase of assets, such as property. Real estate agents are regulated using licensing systems that differ across jurisdictions. In NSW anyone convicted of a dishonesty offence or facing court proceedings for dishonesty offences is deemed a disqualified person for 10 years, unless it is deemed trivial. Guardian Australia has identified two cases where agents convicted of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage were allowed back into the industry by Fair Trading within four years of unsuccessful appeals to the states civil and administrative tribunal. A third individual who dealt with the proceeds of crime was found to be unfit for the sector by the same tribunal, only to be handed his licence back by the government the following year. NSW Fair Trading said the three individuals had only been granted their licences back upon conditions preventing them from touching real estate-related trust accounts. The three persons applied for a real estate agent licence a number of years ago, were refused and these decisions were upheld by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), the tribunal said. Related: Australians pay more than anyone in the world to sell their homes online After some time had elapsed these individuals then re-applied to NSW Fair Trading for real estate licences, which were granted after further information was provided to the regulator. In a fourth case, a convicted money launderer successfully appealed to the tribunal by arguing that money laundering was not explicitly included as a dishonesty offence in the laws governing real estate agents. That allowed him to avoid the 10-year prohibition and argue he was a fit and proper person to be in the real estate sector. The states real estate laws have not been updated in the almost decade since that ruling. The industry peak group, the Real Estate Institute of Australia, said there was no place for convicted money launderers in the sector. The fit and proper person test The NSW fair trading minister, Anoulack Chanthivong, said it was crucial the public was able to trust real estate agents, and said his government was open to any changes needed to build trust and confidence. But Chanthivong said all real estate agents, including those with money-laundering convictions, still needed to pass a fit and proper person test. This test is broad and Fair Trading can perform financial and police checks to determine whether a person should receive a licence or whether a licence should be cancelled or suspended, he said. But Transparency International Australia, which is campaigning for the federal governments money-laundering reforms, described it as a Sydney Harbour Bridge-size gap in the law. International regulators and the commonwealth government have clearly identified real estate as being at very high risk of money laundering involving organised crime gangs, said the chief executive, Clancy Moore. For example, in 2023 AFP busted an alleged Chinese $10bn money-laundering ring in Sydney which had office blocks, land near the second airport site and several mansions with harbour views. So the fact that a NSW real estate agent convicted of money laundering could get his real estate licence back seems like a Sydney Harbour Bridge-size gap in the regulations. Hundreds of complaints about unlicensed agents Multiple jurisdictions are also fielding large numbers of complaints about unlicensed or unregistered agents. In WA authorities fielded 873 complaints that referenced licensing and registration issues between 2019 and mid-2024. Of those about 527 complaints specifically mentioned unlicensed activity as the cause of the dispute. About 52% of the complaints resulted in education or advice and 10% led to a formal warning. About 25% resulted in no offence being detected. Six agents were prosecuted and six agents were fined during the same period for lacking registration. NSW took action against 33 unlicensed agents in 2023 and so far in 2024. Thirteen were fined, 16 received warnings and four were given further education about the rules. In Queensland authorities fielded 29 complaints about unlicensed or unregistered agents last year. The Victorian regulator Consumer Affairs Victoria said it had received 70 contacts regarding unlicensed agents in 2023, and 59 contacts so far in 2024. Contacts can include either complaints or inquiries. Guardian Australia also used the states public register to check the licensing status of 500 agents and agents representatives working in Victoria. The names of thousands of agents were extracted from online real estate ads on popular property websites. A sample of 500 names were then checked against the states public register, a system designed to give transparency to the public about the status of their agent. The process identified 30 agents for which an active licence could not be found. In nine cases, agents who were selling or leasing homes were listed on the register as having expired licences. In about 20 other cases, no licence could be found on the public register. New anti-money laundering laws Consumer Affairs Victoria noted there may be other reasons why an agent was not appearing on the public register, including delays in registering with the states Business Licensing Authority, name changes or outdated website profiles of estate agents or agents representatives. We take reports of potential unlicensed trading very seriously and follow up on intelligence we receive from the community, a spokesperson said. The Real Estate Institute of Australia said the number of complaints about unlicensed agents was low and showed that state-based regulators were catching and managing [them], which is the system working as it is intended. The institutes Victorian branch said it did not believe unlicensed activity in the state was common and said it checks the licensing status of agents prior to granting them membership of the industry body. Related: The symbiotic relationship that makes selling a house in Australia so damn expensive The WA branch said it did not believe unlicensed real estate activity was a significant issue, given the low number of prosecutions in an industry of 10,000 agents. This demonstrated the vast majority of the industry is compliant with the legislation, and the regulatory framework effectively manages any instances of unlicensed activity, the institute said. The federal governments reforms would force real estate agents to enrol with Austrac, the financial crime-fighting agency, develop a money-laundering program, do due diligence on customers, and report certain transactions and suspicious activities. The industry has warned the requirements will pose a massive regulatory burden on the sector, particularly smaller operators. The Real Estate Institute of Australia has warned the vast majority of real estate agents work in small businesses who do not have the resources to cope with the requirements. It warned in its submission to the reforms that the costs associated would be prohibitive for the real estate sector and would most likely see the cost imposts leading to closures. Transparency International points to the experience of New Zealand, which implemented similar requirements in 2018, to rebut the sectors claims. Moore said four out of the five largest real estate companies in Australia also operate in New Zealand and have managed to implement and cope with the money-laundering laws for six years. Australia is one of only five countries globally that does not include real estate agents, lawyers and accountants as part of their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regimes, he said. The commonwealth government proposals will ensure these professions help reduce the risk of money laundering and terrorism financing by doing greater customer due diligence checks and reporting any suspicious transactions to Austrac. Do you know more? Email christopher.knaus@theguardian.com Murdoch family feud On a bright Tuesday morning in Reno, Nevada, a convoy of blacked-out SUVs delivered the Murdoch family to the hearing that will decide the family destiny, and along with it a decent chunk of the worlds media. Behind the closed doors of a courthouse, a family battle like no other will commence, one which reportedly includes no fewer than 79 lawyers. Over the next five days, the court, technically an evidentiary hearing, will be presented with mountains of evidence and keenly argued cases. At stake is one of the worlds most influential media businesses, a $34 billion (26 billion) empire with the power to influence elections around the world. First to arrive were three of the eldest Murdoch children, Prudence, 66, Elisabeth, 56, and James, 51; Elisabeth and James flanked by their spouses. Asked by reporters on the steps whether any of them wanted to comment, only Elisabeth responded, shaking her head. Moments later, dressed in a suit and trainers, Rupert Murdoch, 93, responded with the same shake of the head as he arrived, hand in hand with his fifth wife, Russian biologist, Elena Zhukova, along with his son, Lachlan, 53. Murdochs children Prudence, 66, Elisabeth, 56, and James, 51, were the first to arrive at the Nevada courthouse - Alan Devall/REUTERS Murdoch, 93, arrived hand in hand with his fifth wife, Russian biologist Elena Zhukova - Andy Barron/AP While everyone was dressed in the same dull-coloured suits, there was no mistaking the sides in the battle. Rupert and Lachlan are engaged in a dynastic struggle against the other three children for control over the family business. Forget firebrand writers, provocative broadcasters or meddling editors. The most important figure in western media over the coming weeks will be the probate judge charged with adjudicating on this dispute. While Succession, the award-winning HBO television drama inspired in part by the Murdoch familys prolonged wranglings over what happens when Rupert dies, finished last May, the real-life version rumbles on, more fraught than ever. The issue being contested is the trust that sets out who will control the family business when Rupert dies. The irrevocable family trust was created as part of Ruperts 1999 settlement from his second wife, Anna, the mother of Elisabeth, Lachlan and James. (Prudences mother was Ruperts first wife, Patricia Booker.) Rather than claim half her exs assets, Anna asked for a mere $200 million, plus this trust, which stated that the four older children would have equal control of the business when he died. Although the family only owns around a 14 per cent economic stake, they own around 40 per cent of the voting shares in News Corp and Fox Corp, Murdochs two main businesses. When Rupert had two more daughters, Chloe and Grace, with his third wife, Wendi Deng, the trustees voted to make them beneficiaries without voting rights. The trust was designed to be unbreakable, established in such a way that nobody, particularly Rupert, could have second thoughts and tinker with it further down the line. Murdochs plan to give control of his business to his son Lachlan, left, has angered his other children, including James, right - Joel Ryan Yet that is exactly what he is trying to do. Murdoch is said to want to change the agreement to favour Lachlan over the other three. He is reportedly being assisted by the former US attorney Bill Barr, who was also present at the hearing. Lachlan is Chairman of News Corp and Chairman and CEO of Fox, having apparently won the battle for his fathers endorsement in September 2023. Lachlan had been the heir apparent when he was younger, but left Fox News in 2005 after falling out with the founder, Roger Ailes. For a while it looked as though James or Elisabeth might be the more likely heir, but in recent years they have left or been marginalised, while Lachlan has returned to the centre of things. What is sought by the fathers reps is to deactivate the voting rights of three in favour of Lachlan to preserve the empire the father built, says Alice Enders, co-founder of Enders Analysis, a media consultancy. Whether the change is considered consistent with the interests of the three is the crucial question. The political positions of the four children have evolved since the late 1990s, and so has the political and media landscape in which they must operate. Since the rise of Donald Trump, for whom Fox News was an enthusiastic cheerleader, the other children, who are more Left-wing than Lachlan, have increasingly been at odds with the editorial line of the businesses. James had once been tipped for the top job, but was forced to resign from his role at BSkyB over the phone hacking scandal in 2012. James left the board of News Corp in 2020 over disagreements in editorial content. After the Capitol riots of 2021, he criticised news outlets that propagate lies, widely perceived as a dig at Fox News. Earlier this month, James endorsed Kamala Harris for president. James and Lachlan have reportedly not spoken for years. Rupert Murdoch is said to favour Lachlan as a successor because he aligns with the politics of Fox News - Getty Images Meanwhile Elisabeth, a successful TV executive in her own right, had also been widely mentioned as a possible successor, but also did not share the politics of Fox News. In a piece for the Wall Street Journal, the actor Robert de Niro recalled an awkward dinner party at Jamess house for Elisabeths husband, the artist Keith Tyson, in which de Niro confronted her about her failure to speak out against Fox Newss impact on public life. You can still love your father, but you can tell him he is wrong for what he is doing to this country, De Niro recalled telling Elisabeth. He later apologised. I called Elisabeth and told her I was sorry, De Niro added. I saw how upset she was and felt badly about that. Meanwhile Elisabeth, a successful TV executive in her own right, had also been widely mentioned as a possible successor, but also did not share the politics of Fox News, although she has reportedly tried to maintain a position as the Switzerland of the family, helping to maintain relations. Prudence, the eldest child, has never expressed the same ambition as her siblings, but is thought to side with Elisabeth and James in a pinch. Rupert will argue that, given the political considerations, it is in his childrens best interests that his companies remain profitable, which means keeping the most politically aligned child, Lachlan, at the helm. Were the four children to maintain equal voting rights, it is possible that James, Elisabeth and Prudence might outvote Lachlan after Ruperts death. A change in the Fox News political stance would hurt its share price, he might argue, which would not be in the best interests of the beneficiaries of the trust. Not that any of the children need to worry about their next meal. When he sold 21st Century Fox to Disney in 2019, for a reported $71bn, each child received a reported $2 billion. This is a pie in the sky claim from Lachlan, who is trying to do anything possible, almost in a Trumpian sense, to avoid the inevitable, says Michael Wolff, the journalist and author of The Fall: The End of the Murdoch Empire. He will lose his job when his father dies. He has got his father to go along with it, but this is more Lachlans idea than Rupert. One wrinkle, Wolff concedes, is what Chloe and Grace think. Although they do not have voting rights, the trust has a fiduciary duty to them. This is clearly Lachlans last chance, he adds. It is not ineffective to pile so much litigation on something that everybody gives up. I dont think James will give up, but it is possible that Elizabeth and Prudence say f*** this, this is not what our lives are going to be about. Rupert and Lachlan reportedly sprung his plan said to be named Project Harmony on the other siblings by surprise, to their fury. It is ironic that Rupert has managed to get James, Elisabeth and Prudence together, as before the case they didnt share much common ground, says one long-time News Corp executive. The case might not have made it into Succession because it may have been too unbelievable, but this family rewrites the rules with every rift and twist. Rupert keeps the family together, but once he has gone the siblings are likely to devolve into all out war. Alice Enders agrees that the case is about more than just numbers. I think the fact that the other two siblings are involved on the side of James tells you its not just about numbers, but about a principle, she says. Its not just James versus Lachlan, its the fact that Rupert has not been treating the three children equally in succession. I believe this is the first time the siblings have gone to court in relation to each other, so it is quite a precedent from that perspective. Murdoch is ripping up the trust that shared power between his four eldest children, mirrored in TV drama Succession (pictured, with Brian Cox as Logan Roy and Sarah Snook as his daughter Shiv) - Home Box Office Whatever happens, investors and analysts will be watching the proceedings closely. Last week, The New York Times reported that Starboard Value, an activist hedge fund, was pushing to end the Murdochs control of the businesses. Wrangling over trusts is nothing new for the Murdochs, according to Walter Marsh, author of Young Rupert, a biography of Ruperts early life. Nor are court cases. As Marsh says, third parties have been worrying about what might happen in the event of Ruperts death for as long as he has been in business. From News Limiteds 1960 poison pen seditious libel trial in Adelaide, South Australia, to this latest legal drama, every few years the Murdoch family is dragged through court proceedings that shed a crack of light into the inner workings of the family and the company, he says. And the question of succession has been a recurring theme even before most of Ruperts children were born; in May 1958, while a 27-year-old Rupert was lobbying for his first commercial television licence, rival lawyers tried to sow doubt about the future of the familys holdings in the event of his death. (There might be half a dozen children by then, too, Murdochs lawyer replied, in what was then a far-off hypothetical). These episodes are also some of the rare occasions where Rupert himself can be forced to explain his actions in his own words, which as weve seen from the Leveson Inquiry to the Dominion trial can offer flashes of insight or masterclasses in obfuscation. Whatever the strategy this time, the details may remain hidden from public view. Despite appeals to make the hearing public, at the time of writing the case remains top-secret, or super-sealed, with the parties identified only as Does, as in John and Jane Doe. ONJ, a non-profit organisation that records court cases, argued that the case had a unique public interest and should be made public. The trust matter in question directly involves Rupert Murdoch, who is undeniably a prominent public figure, and concerns the future leadership and control of News Corp, a major global media conglomerate, they wrote in a filing. These circumstances elevate the case to one of substantial public interest and importance. Rupert Murdoch was approached for comment. Eventually the court agreed to list the names of the lawyers and other non-parties involved. But as some of the most famous in world media arrived to do battle this week, there was no mistaking who was really involved. Whatever the court decides, one thing is certain: it will make a great TV show someday. Sir Keir Starmer and Giorgia Meloni took part in a press conference on issues including illegal migration - Phil Noble Sir Keir Starmer has shown great interest in the Italian governments migrant deal with Albania, Giorgia Meloni has said. Ms Meloni, the Italian prime minister, told a press conference in Rome that she and Sir Keir had signed a joint declaration including tangible, important points on migration. Referring to her countrys Albanian deal, Ms Meloni said: The UK Government has shown great interest in this agreement. Last year, Italy agreed to open two migrant processing centres in the Balkan nation where the claims of 36,000 migrants will be processed each year. The Government has insisted it is different from the Rwanda deportation plan it abandoned in July, a scheme Sir Keir criticised in his own remarks. 03:55 PM BST Thats all for today Thanks for following our coverage on a busy day in politics, both here in the UK and with Sir Keir Starmers visit to Rome. The Telegraphs live political coverage will be back tomorrow. 03:41 PM BST End shocking lack of contact with us, Muslim Council of Britain urges Starmer The head of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has called for Labour to end a shocking ban on government talks with the lobby group. Zara Mohammed, elected three years ago as the MCBs first female secretary general, criticised the lack of contact with the Government at a time when Muslims and mosques were being targeted in the summer riots. She said Labours shadow cabinet had worked closely with the MCB when the party was in opposition, including at a meeting in 2021 during which Ms Mohammed and Sir Keir Starmer discussed the importance of engaging with Muslim communities. But since being elected, she claimed, Sir Keir Starmer has ignored attempts to discuss the dangers being posed to Muslims by the riots. Jacob Freedland has the story 03:14 PM BST Diane Abbott criticises Starmer for meeting Meloni This from the backbench Labour MP, who has been a vocal critic of Sir Keir: Why is @starmer meeting with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, a literal fascist, to discuss immigration? What does he hope to learn from her? pic.twitter.com/nThfvibxAV Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) September 16, 2024 03:05 PM BST Tim Stanley: Parents are making their children sick with anguish Buried in Lord Darzis report on the ailing NHS are two alarming statistics. First, the number of children waiting for a diagnosis of autism rose from 6,000 in 2019 to over 70,000 in 2024. Second, the number of children undergoing restrictive interventions in hospitals such as force-feeding the mentally ill has quadrupled. Combine this with data suggesting youngsters are out of work because they cant cope or just dont want to do it, and you have the picture of a generation afflicted by Anguish. How do we account for it? This isnt like flu; you dont catch ADHD or anxiety. Darzi notes that some believe the spike in suspected autism reflects rising awareness as stigma has reduced, while others argue it is the result of self-diagnosis induced by misleading discussion on social media. So, the challenge either emanates from individuals, i.e. is real, or is a panic encouraged by the community, i.e. is imagined. Read more from Tim here 02:34 PM BST Starmer has shown great interest in Albanian scheme Sir Keir Starmer has shown great interest in the Italian governments migrant deal with Albania, Giorgia Meloni has said. Ms Meloni, the Italian prime minister, told a press conference in Rome that she and Sir Keir had signed a joint declaration including tangible, important points on migration. Referring to her countrys Albanian deal, Ms Meloni said: The UK Government has shown great interest in this agreement. Last year, Italy agreed to open two migrant processing centres in the Balkan nation where the claims of 36,000 migrants will be processed each year. The Government has insisted it is different from the Rwanda deportation plan it abandoned in July, a scheme Sir Keir criticised in his own remarks. 02:19 PM BST Starmer grilled on stopping the boats and Lord Alli Sir Keir Starmer was asked whether it was realistic to stop the boats, and if he would stop taking donations from Lord Alli. Weve moved from a government of gimmicks to a government of pragmatism and that means that Im utterly focused on what I think is the most likely deterrent and effective way of dealing with unlawful migration. And that is to take down the gangs that are running this vile trade. Of course thats a problem when weve got people into the UK... Rather than a gimmick which as you know cost 700 million to persuade four volunteers to go to Rwanda, we have gone down the road of pragmatism. Already we have returned over 3,000 people by flights, so the flights did actually get off under this Government, not to Rwanda but back to countries of origin carrying people who shouldnt be here... Its also why Im very interested in the work the prime minister in Italy is doing in terms of upstream work with the countries people are coming from. On Lord Alli, Sir Keir said: The rules are absolutely clear in relation to gifts in terms of the declarations that need to be made. Ive said before the election, Ill say again after the election the rules really matter in terms of declaration. Thats why my team reached out for advice on what to declare from the relevant authorities, they reached out again more recently, got further advice and hence the declarations have gone in in accordance with the rules so that its transparent and you can all see according to the rules the declarations that were made. But it was because I insist on the rules that my team reached out to make sure we were declaring in the right way under the rules and then reached out again to the appropriate authorities basically asking for advice about whats the appropriate way to deal with this in accordance with the rules. 02:12 PM BST Starmer: We must put Ukraine in best possible position On Ukraine, Sir Keir Starmer said: I think it is important to start from the fundamental position which is this is an illegal war started by Russia. And as a result Ukraine has the right to self-defence, and we have all, Italy, the UK and other allies, Nato allies in particular, been standing with Ukraine in defence of her right of soveriegnty, of self-defence and as a recognition that this isnt just a war in Ukraine. Its a war against the values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law which apply to all of us in our respective countries but across all of the allies. And that is why weve supplied capability, weve supplied training, weve supplied money under further commitments that have been made recently in relation to all of those. I think its very important as a matter of principle that we put Ukraine in the best possible position and thats what weve been discussing. 02:09 PM BST Starmer to pump millions into Italys migration crackdown No 10 has announced that the UK will pump millions of pounds into Giorgia Melonis migration crackdown, writes Amy Gibbons. Britain will invest 4 million in the project, which aims to curb crossings upstream. Known as the Rome Process, it is designed to tackle the root causes of migration, drawing on an alliance of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and African countries. The UK confirmed it would be taking part last year. Sir Keir Starmer met the Italian leader today to discuss how the UK could emulate her success in more than halving migrant crossings of the Mediterranean. Her tactics have included crackdowns on the gangs, striking new returns agreements with source countries and fast-tracking deportations of failed asylum seekers. At a press conference in Rome this afternoon, the Prime Minister also announced that two Italian businesses will invest a total of 485 million in UK defence, clean growth and innovation. 02:08 PM BST Starmer: We should focus on preventing migrants leaving their home countries Sir Keir Starmer was asked how seriously he was looking at the prospect of sending migrants to other countries of being processed. What we discussed today is a common challenge, which is irregular migration, Sir Keir said. We discussed in particular law enforcement on the one side, how do you deal with this by collaborating, cooperating, sharing data, intelligence etc. But also the prevention piece and thats why I had the new Border Security Commander with me today at the coordination centre so we could look at where we could do even more closely related work, sharing our data, sharing our analysis, sharing our intelligence and sharing our strategies. In relation we discussed the Albania arrangement, which isnt up and running yet as you know so we discussed the concept of it, as well as the prevention piece... The numbers here have come down quite significantly. Ive always made the argument that preventing people leaving their country in the first place is far better than trying to deal with those who have arrived in any of our countries... Today if you like was a return to British pragmatism. We are pragmatists, first and foremost, when we see a challenge we discuss with our friends and allies, look at what works and learn from that. 01:58 PM BST Starmer confirms almost 485m of Italian investment into UK Sir Keir Starmer confirmed 485 million of investment into UK defence, clean growth and innovation by two major Italian companies - Leonardo and Marcegaglia. The Prime Minister said he was optimistic about what we can achieve together. 01:57 PM BST Starmer: Italy has made remarkable progress on migration Sir Keir Starmer told reporters: We also discussed the challenge of irregular migration, this is a problem across Europe - for both of our countries in particular but across Europe. He added: Now of course Italy has shown that we can... Youve made remarkable progress working with countries across migration routes as equals, to address the drivers of migration at source and tackle gangs. Keir Starmer And as a result irregular arrivals to Italy by sea are down 60 per cent since 2022, so Im pleased that were deepening our cooperation here led on the UK side here by our new UK Border Security Commander who has been here with me this morning. 01:53 PM BST Starmer thanks Meloni for strong leadership on Ukraine Sir Keir Starmer said Britains partnership with Italy was more important than ever and he was visiting Rome as a real statement of intent. The fundamental values that we share of democracy, justice and the rule of law... We used our time today to discuss the global challenges before us and our determination to beat them together. Giorgia, I want to thank you for your strong leadership particularly on Ukraine, because as Russia continues to escalate its illegal war we will stand together shoulder-to-shoulder to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. Sir Keir added: We also agreed to deepen our security cooperation, already very important for both of us. The Italian navy will join UK operations next year... Were determined to work together to boost our industrial capacity. 01:48 PM BST We want closer Italy-UK relationship, says Giorgia Meloni Giorgia Meloni told reporters: We want to further this very good relationship between Italy and the UK. And we also want to further support the UK in its effort to develop closer cooperation with the EU while respecting, of course, the post-Brexit rules. 01:45 PM BST Italian prime minister: We need to intensify trafficking fight Giorgia Meloni said the first thing to be done is to intensify our fight against human trafficking. We need to do us, further enhancing security cooperation between our law enforcement people, between our judicial authorities and trying to get to the very core of this activity. As major mafia prosecutors would say, follow the money if you want to get to the very core of the current criminal activity. And this is something we have already shared at the G7 summit... We want to maximise our cooperation between global European partners, and we all agree to this end we also have to better harness organisations such as Europol and Interpol. Were trying to see how we can better use these organisations against organised crime. Another point we want to get to the very root of is the migration flow problem, and we are giving it renewed attention on the African continent which as you know is an objective which also speaks to the fact we need to develop new cooperation agreements with countries of origin and third countries. We want to follow in the footsteps of what the UK has done through the so-called Rome process, we want voluntary assisted repatriation processes. We must agree with the fact we must not shy away from new, brave other options. 01:41 PM BST Meloni announces joint migration declaration with Starmer Giorgia Meloni, standing aside along Sir Keir Starmer, said: The UK and Italy represent two fundamental pillars of the transatlantic community and these two countries are to play a primary role in international scenarios. The further enhancement of our strategic cooperation can be decisive to address the various points on the international agenda to guarantee prosperity to our countries and it is along these lines that these adopted today a joint declaration. A declaration which is very important because it has tangible points, important points, and is evidence of our deep-rooted relations between our two countries. 01:31 PM BST Slight delays There is no sign just yet of Sir Keir Starmer and Giorgia Meloni. We will bring you their full coverage of their press conference as soon as it commences. 01:26 PM BST Lady Starmer wears custom-made dress at London Fashion Week Victoria Starmer has been pictured at a London Fashion Week show wearing a custom-made designer dress amid a row over her receiving free clothes. Lady Starmer appeared undeterred as she sat in the front row of the Edeline Lee runway wearing a dress in the same style as those in the show. Victoria Starmer Her appearance comes as Sir Keir Starmer is alleged to have broken parliamentary rules by failing to declare donations of clothing for his wife bought by Lord Alli. Lord Alli, who is also a Labour peer, paid for a personal shopper in addition to designer garments and alterations for Lady Starmer. Connor Stringer has the full story here 01:05 PM BST All smiles Giorgia Meloni and Sir Keir Starmer waving as they walk in the garden of Villa Doria Pamphilli in Rome - Filippo Monteforte 12:51 PM BST Coming up Sir Keir Starmer and Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, are set to give a press conference on issues including illegal immigration in around 10 minutes time. 12:39 PM BST In pictures: Senior Lib Dems address party faithful at Brighton conference Tim Farron chairs a session at the party conference in Brighton - Elliott Franks/Elliott Franks Daisy Cooper, the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, delivers her speech to conference in Brighton - Nicola Tree/Nicola Tree 12:18 PM BST Starmer deeply troubled by Trump assassination attempt Sir Keir Starmer has said he is deeply troubled by the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump. The Prime Minister told broadcasters in Rome: I was very worried by the news about this attempt. Looks like an assassination attempt, very worried about it. He added: Obviously, theres now an investigation going on so I wont say much more about the details, but I think it is really important that were all very, very clear that violence has no part to play at all in any political process. 12:10 PM BST Starmer: Really important that rules are followed The Prime Minister has said it is really important that the rules are followed, when asked about declarations of the clothes donated to him and his wife, Victoria. Speaking to broadcasters in Rome, Sir Keir Starmer said: Let me shed a bit of light on this. Its very important to me that the rules are followed. Ive always said that. I said that before the election, Ive reinforced it after the election. And thats why, shortly after the election, my team reached out for advice on what declaration should be made so its in accordance with the rules. They then sought out for further advice more recently, as a result of which they made the relevant declarations. But for me its really important that the rules are followed. Thats why I was very pleased my team reached out proactively, not once but twice, because it is very important that we have transparency, very important that you and others can see the rules are being followed. The Prime Minister is accused of breaking parliamentary rules by failing to declare donations of clothing for Lady Starmer within the designated time limit. 11:42 AM BST Pictured: Starmer and Meloni walk down the red carpet in Rome Giorgia Meloni curtsies as she walks down the red carpet with Sir Keir Starmer in Rome - PHIL NOBLE/PA Giorgia Meloni and Keir Starmer watch a matching band play as they walk down the red carpet in Rome - PHIL NOBLE/PA 11:29 AM BST No. 10 will always abide by humanitarian law in treatment of refugees No 10 has said it will always abide by international humanitarian law when asked about concerns over the treatment of asylum seekers in Tunisia. The north African nation has been accused of dumping hundreds of migrants in the desert to prevent them crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Italy is working with Tunisia to tackle migration upstream, but there is no suggestion it would condone such means. Sir Keir Starmer, who is visiting Rome today, is looking at cross-border measures to crack down on the small boats crisis, including new law enforcement partnerships across Europe. Asked about reports of dumping in the desert, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: We obviously take that incredibly seriously and want to be working more closely with countries upstream. As I said, the principles that well be following in everything that we do is that it is workable, affordable and in line with international humanitarian law, but it is vital that we stop people from starting these journeys. Weve seen far too many deaths in the Mediterranean as well as the Channel. 11:22 AM BST No plans for new safe and legal routes The Government has no plans to create any further safe and legal routes for migrants to come to the UK, No 10 has said. A Downing Street spokeswoman told reporters travelling with the Prime Minister in Rome: We have a number of safe and legal routes already, and the priority is making sure that people are using those and at the same time we have a fit and proper functioning asylum system that processes cases, reviews them, and takes action to remove people where they have no right to be here. Pressed on whether No 10 had plans to establish any new safe and legal routes, she said: Not that Im aware of, no. 11:10 AM BST Rayner facing Cabinet backlash to workers rights plan Angela Rayner is facing opposition from the Business Secretary over plans to hand workers full employment rights from day one in a job, amid a growing backlash from bosses. Whitehall sources said Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds were in disagreement over how far reforms should go, amid concerns that far-reaching changes could put companies off hiring and damage growth. The disagreement is understood to centre around how probation periods will work under the new system. Ms Rayner is understood to be pushing to hand staff full-employment rights from day one following a short probation period, including the right to take companies to an employment tribunal for unfair dismissal. At the moment, people must be employed for at least two years to qualify for this right. Lucy Burton has the full story here 10:47 AM BST Grow much closer to the EU to rebuild our economy, Davey urges Starmer Britain should grow much closer to the European Union to rebuild its economy, Sir Ed Davey has said. The Liberal Democrat leader said it was a mistake for Sir Keir Starmer to have ruled out rejoining the single market. He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I welcome the fact that Keir Starmer has gone to Europe and is trying to recover relationships after the appalling mess the Conservatives made of it, and the loss of trust between the UK and our nearest European partners. I welcome that, I just dont think its going far enough. If youre going to rebuild our economy and get growth, you have to go further than the Prime Minister is going. The fact hes ruled out going back into the single market I think is a mistake for negotiations, for the vision, and more investment into our country. 10:40 AM BST Starmer: We can learn from Italy on migration Britain can learn lessons from Italys dramatic fall in migration, Sir Keir Starmer has suggested. The Prime Minister is set to meet Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, for talks in Rome today, with illegal migration expected to be the main topic of discussion. Asked how the UK could replicate Italys deal with Albania, Sir Keir told reporters in Rome: Im here to have discussions, here at this co-ordination centre and with the prime minister (Giorgia Meloni) about how we deal with unlawful migration. Here theres been some quite dramatic reductions. So I want to understand how that came about. It looks as though thats down to the upstream work thats been done in some of the countries where people are coming from. 10:22 AM BST Davey: Assisted dying risks elderly people feeling like a burden Assisted dying would risk making elderly people feel like a burden, Sir Ed Davey has warned. The Liberal Democrat leader said legalising the practice could pressure vulnerable pensioners into ending their lives ahead of a likely Commons vote on changing the law. Speaking to BBC Radio 4s Today programme, Sir Ed said the issue was very personal as he explained why he voted against legalising assisted death in 2015. First of all, it was my own personal experience looking after my mother when she was dying of bone cancer, and I cared for my brother for three years and inevitably that leaves a mark on you seeing that, he said. She was in great pain but we were able to make sure she had some quality of life, and I think she wanted to be with us for a long time I think the other thing though, is my worry about the impact on the thinking and feeling of elderly people in particular. 10:06 AM BST Starmer visits Italys national immigration crime coordination centre Sir Keir Starmer was briefed on Italys operations to intercept small boat crossings as he visited the countrys national co-ordination centre for immigration this morning. Chief of the Italian Border Force at the centre, Claudio Galzerano, showed the Prime Minister and newly appointed border security commander Martin Hewitt live tracking technology used to monitor movements of the vessels at sea. Sir Keir Starmer is pictured today during a visit to Italys national immigration crime coordination centre in Rome - Phil Noble/Reuters 09:58 AM BST Starmer accused of historic mistake as winter fuel raid takes effect Sir Keir Starmer is facing fresh criticism over his Governments decision to scrap winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners. New eligibility rules take effect from today. Only people already in receipt of pension credit will be able to claim the support. Tory leadership hopeful James Cleverly said it was an unbelievably foolish choice while Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokeswoman Wendy Chamberlain said means-testing the payment worth up to 300 was a historic mistake. The Prime Minister and Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, have insisted the decision was necessary to help address a 22 billion black hole in the public finances this year that they inherited from the Conservatives. 09:47 AM BST IFS boss urges Labour and Tories to get serious The head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies has pleaded with Labour and the Tories to get serious on economic issues. Paul Johnson criticised the Government for behaving like the dire state of the public finances was a surprise and the Conservatives for failing to set out how they would reduce the size of the state. The think tanks director also warned that rage over the Governments decision to scrap winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners was distracting from a more significant decision to scrap long-planned social care reforms. Bit of a rant today I'm afraid. Rage at cutting winter fuel allowance, yet binning social care reform was infinitely bigger choice. Tory candidates say they want to reduce state, no ideas how. Govt goes on about 22bn "black hole" as if a surprise. Time to get serious. Please. https://t.co/ayCKvMQVFq Paul Johnson (@PJTheEconomist) September 16, 2024 09:32 AM BST Italys deal with Albania very, very different to ditched Rwanda plan, says Cooper Italys planned third-country processing deal with Albania is very, very different from the previous UK governments Rwanda scheme, Yvette Cooper has said. The Home Secretary told Good Morning Britain: Its very, very different. So the arrangement that they have in place and look, its not working yet, so we dont know how it will play out but it is a very, very different approach. First of all, this is Italian processing taking place in Albania. It has UNHCR oversight, so it is being monitored to make sure that it meets international standards. Its being done in cooperation between those two countries, and what theyre actually doing is looking at those people who arrive in Italy, who have come from predominantly safe countries, and theyre using it as a way to try and fast-track decisions and returns. Now we think there is another way we can fast-track decisions and returns for people who arrive from predominantly safer countries. We should be fast-tracking those cases. We should be making sure you dont have people spending years in the asylum system, which ends up being hugely costly, hugely chaotic. Thats the system weve inherited. 09:14 AM BST UK considering four Italian migration policies The Government is looking to Italian-style migration policies in a number of areas, including a deal with Albania and a major returns scheme, the Home Secretary has said. Yvette Cooper told BBC Breakfast: There are four different things that the Italians are doing that were interested in. The first is the work that they are doing around organised immigration crime. Thats the work that we are substantially gearing up, where we will be doing a huge technology upgrade as well, and where we want to work with Italy, with Germany, with other European countries, with France as well. The second thing theyre doing is theyre working with other countries upstream to prevent people leaving North Africa in the first place working with Tunisia, we think we should be part of those international co-operations as well. The third thing theyre doing is major returns. So theyre speeding up returns for those who dont have a right to be there. Weve been doing that through the summer as well, so weve had a substantial increase in returns for people who dont have a right to be in the UK, because the rules need to be respected and enforced. The fourth thing theyre doing is the Albania programme, but that hasnt started yet, so well need to see what that does. Its very different from the Rwanda partnership that the UK government had, and well have to see how that plays out. 08:58 AM BST Undercover tactics to smash people-smuggling gangs Sir Keir Starmers new border security commander will accelerate the use of undercover tactics and covert surveillance in an attempt to smash Channel migrant gangs. Martin Hewitt, the former Scotland Yard chief who led the police response to the Covid pandemic, has been appointed by the Prime Minister to take charge of hundreds of investigators taking on the gangs behind the Channel crossings. It is understood the former head of the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) clinched the job after presenting a detailed plan to boost the use of undercover tactics and covert surveillance to track down and stop the people-smugglers. It is the first sign of how the Government plans to tackle the migrant crisis after being criticised for scrapping the Rwanda scheme without an alternative deterrent. You can read the full story here. 08:46 AM BST Government has moral imperative to stop small boat crossings, says Cooper The Home Secretary has said the Government has a moral imperative to reduce small boat crossings. Responding to criticism of Italys migration policy, Yvette Cooper told BBC Breakfast: Weve always had a history of working with governments that have different political parties that are not aligned. That is a sensible thing for any government to do. We have to work with democratically elected governments, particularly those who are our nearest neighbours, and particularly those where we have shared challenges that we have to face. On potential violations of migrants human rights in Italy, Ms Cooper said: I dont think its immoral to go after the criminal gangs. Quite the opposite. I think its actually a moral imperative to make sure that we are pursuing the criminal gangs who are putting lives at risk. 08:41 AM BST Yvette Cooper leaves door open to offshore asylum processing deal Yvette Cooper has left the door open to striking a deal with another country to process UK asylum claims. The Home Secretary was asked if the Government could adopt a similar model to Italy which has a deal to send migrants to Albania to be processed. Such a scheme would see people processed abroad but successful claimants would then be able to come to the UK. Asked if it was something that the Government was considering, Ms Cooper said: We have always said we will look at anything that works. Clearly things have to be workable, they have to be financially viable and they also have to meet international standards as well. However, Ms Cooper said she believed there were other ways to develop a new fast-track system to process claims and to return rejected asylum seekers to safe countries swiftly which would not involve striking a processing deal with another country. 08:26 AM BST Starmer welcomes appointment of new Border Security Command chief Our Border Security Command will tackle the smuggling gangs who trade the lives of men, women and children across borders. https://t.co/kBmNDhYs76 Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) September 16, 2024 08:13 AM BST Better to take difficult decisions early on, says Starmer Sir Keir Starmer told Italian business leaders the new UK Government is taking the difficult decisions early on the economy to create the conditions for more foreign investment. Speaking to representatives of companies at a breakfast meeting at the Villa Wolkonsky, the Rome home of the British ambassador to Italy, the Prime Minister said he wanted a low-friction relationship in terms of business, adding: The relationship between Italy and the UK is a good, strong, historic relationship. We are very close allies, obviously partners in the G7, partners in Nato, very strong bilateral relations. And Im looking forward to seeing the prime minister [Giorgia Meloni] later on today. Sir Keir Starmer addresses a breakfast meeting with Italian business leaders in Rome this morning - Phil Noble /PA Sir Keir said the Governments top priority is growth and wealth creation, which is why we put so much focus on economic stability, making sure that we create conditions for you to be partners, to invest. He added: You will be familiar with this in your businesses, if youre turning around business, if youre turning around the company, and you know there are difficult decisions to make, its better to do them early on. Sir Keir said his administration is absolutely going to tackle issues like planning, which is holding up a lot of projects in the UK, adding: We want to make sure that this is a low-friction relationship in terms of business. Sir Keir Starmer addresses Italian business leaders during a breakfast in Rome this morning - Phil Noble/PA 08:03 AM BST Home Secretary: Channel gangs likely made millions of pounds at the weekend Yvette Cooper said people smuggling gangs running migrant Channel crossings were likely to have made millions of pounds over the past weekend. The Home Secretary told BBC Breakfast: There has been some progress made so over the summer there has been lower levels of boat crossings during the summer than last summer. But that is no comfort when there are still lives being lost and we are still seeing these criminal gangs, they probably made millions of pounds this weekend alone. That is a total disgrace and they are getting away with it and that is why we have got go after them. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, appears this morning on BBC Breakfast 07:56 AM BST People smuggling gangs have been able to get away with it, says Cooper A criminal industry is operating along the UKs borders and people smuggling gangs have been able to get away with it for too long, Yvette Cooper said this morning. Asked why Labours plan to reduce migrant Channel crossings will succeed where other attempts have failed, the Home Secretary told BBC Breakfast: We have got to take practical steps. We know that this is all being driven by what has become now a criminal industry, effectively, running along our borders. That is deeply damaging and those criminal gangs have been able to get away with it. There really hasnt been serious coordinated law enforcement involving countries right across Europe, all the way along the way in which the boats are being brought in, the way in which the engines are being put together. Coordinating right along the way that the criminal gangs operate. That has not been done before. We have seen, however, some progress by other countries, so the Prime Minister and Martin Hewitt the new [Border Security Command] commander are in Italy today and talking to the Italian government. There has been progress there is reducing the number of boats croissant the Mediterranean and some of the things that they have been looking at have been working with North African countries and also going after the criminal gangs as well. 07:50 AM BST Yvette Cooper cant say when small boats plan will reduce Channel crossings Yvette Cooper was unable to say when Labours plan to stop small boat migrant Channel crossings will start to work. Asked when crossing numbers would fall, the Home Secretary told BBC Breakfast: We need to make progress as fast as possible because no one should be making these dangerous boat crossings. But look, this is hard graft and this is going to be step by step , pursuing the investigations, going after the [small boat] engines Asked again if she could set out a target date, she said: We need to keep making progress and we want to go as fast as we possibly can because nobody should be making these dangerous boat crossings. Pushed once more, Ms Cooper said that nobody wants to see any boat crossings. Her comments came as Sir Keir Starmer meets with Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, in Rome today to discuss how best to tackle illegal migration. North Korean minister in Russia to take part in women forum Moscow, Sep 16 (UNI) North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui will visit St. Petersburg on September 18-20 to take part in the Eurasian Women's Forum, the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang said on Monday. "On September 16, Russian Ambassador [Alexander] Matsegora saw off North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui at the Pyongyang International Airport, who flew to Vladivostok on a regular flight of the Korean airline Air Koryo. The head of the foreign ministry of the People's Republic will then go to St. Petersburg, where on September 18-20 she will take part in the Fourth Eurasian Women's Forum and the BRICS Women's Forum," the embassy said in a statement on Telegram. According to the diplomatic mission, it is planned that the minister would address the forum's participants and take part in discussions. The US Department of Justice has said TikTok collects vast amounts of user data that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government. Photograph: Mateusz Sodkowski/Sopa Images/Rex/Shutterstock TikTok took its case against a threatened US ban to a federal court on Monday where it contended that a law targeting the video platform was unconstitutional. TikTok argued its case to a three-judge panel at an appeals court in Washington DC on Monday. An attorney for TikTok and ByteDance, Andrew Pincus, said TikTok was entitled to a right to freedom of speech: The speech here that is being banned, we would say, or at a minimum burned, is the speech of the US speaker. In April, Joe Biden formally introduced a law that gives TikToks Chinese parent, ByteDance, until 19 January to sell its stake in the platform to an approved buyer, due to concerns that the app poses a national security threat. In the lawsuit contesting the threatened ban, TikTok and ByteDance argue that the law is unconstitutional and impossible to implement. They assert that the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act is a breach of the first amendment, which protects freedom of speech, and that the government cannot dictate ownership of an online platform. However, the judge, Sri Srinivasan, pushed back and said the concern was that there was a foreign entity moderating and potentially manipulating the content on TikTok. This case is different because it involves something that is happening abroad, Srinivasan said. When its a foreign organization, they dont have a first-amendment right to object to a regulation of their curation. TikTok would also be able to continue to exist so long as it divested from being subject to Chinese control, he later agued. I think in the divestiture context, we still have a burden on the US speakers rights, Pincus countered. The lawsuit adds there is no question the law will lead to the shutdown of TikTok and will silence the 170 million Americans who use the platform to communicate in ways that cannot be replicated elsewhere. The qualified divestiture demanded by the act to allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States is simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not legally, the suit states. The former Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and the billionaire Frank McCourt have expressed interest in buying TikTok, although the Chinese government has signalled it will oppose a sale due to restrictions on selling sensitive technologies. Free speech campaigners including PEN America have filed amicus briefs a means of expressing support for one side in a case in support of TikTok and ByteDances lawsuit. Opponents of the law stress that a ban would also cause disruptions in the world of marketing, retail and in the lives of many different content creators, some of whom are also suing the US government. TikTok is covering the legal costs for that lawsuit. An attorney representing TikTok creators, Jeffrey Fisher, argued that users have an interest in working with the publisher and editor of their choice even if it is a foreign entity. He compared TikTok to Politico, Al Jazeera and Oxford University Press. When asked how the ownership of TikTok is related to first amendment interests of creators, Fisher said: Our interest is working with the publisher and editor of our choice, which is the current ownership. In court documents submitted over the summer, the US Department of Justice outlined its main concerns, which centre on data and the potential manipulation of users. It said TikTok collected vast amounts of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits, that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government. It also claimed the TikTok algorithm that curates what users see on the app could be manipulated by Chinese authorities. Related: US sues TikTok and ByteDance for allegedly failing to protect childrens privacy By directing ByteDance or TikTok to covertly manipulate that algorithm, China could for example further its existing malign influence operations and amplify its efforts to undermine trust in our democracy and exacerbate social divisions, the justice department said. TikTok has said it does not share user data with the Chinese government and that concerns the US government has raised have never been substantiated. Legal experts expect the case to go to the supreme court, with the losing side in the federal court process expected to appeal against the ruling. The Associated Press contributed reporting A chemical slick is discharged from a pipe at the edge of the Chemours/DuPont plant in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on 26 September 2023. Photograph: Justin Cook/The Guardian Three US states are formally demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) begin regulating PFAS forever chemical air emissions, as the toxic threat that the pollution poses to the environment and human health comes into sharper focus. So far, federal regulators have focused on water pollution, but state environmental agencies in North Carolina, New Mexico and New Jersey last week filed a petition calling for the EPA to categorize four types of PFAS compounds as hazardous air pollutants and to begin regulating them under the Clean Air Act. The petition comes after a Guardian investigation earlier this year found a Fayetteville, North Carolina, Chemours PFAS production plant is likely emitting much higher levels of the chemicals into the air than regulators and the company claimed. The air pollution is thought to be a driver of PFAS contamination in soil, water and food supplies across hundreds of square miles in the region. Related: Kids using lotions have higher levels of hormone-disrupting toxins study However, a lack of federal rules makes it difficult for states to rein in air pollution, which is a tremendous concern in our states and across the US, the states wrote in their petition to Michael Regan, the EPA administrator. Adding these forever chemicals to the list of regulated pollutants addresses a gap in our regulatory authority and makes it possible to tackle a critical part of the PFAS life cycle: air emissions, Elizabeth Biser, the secretary of the North Carolina department of environmental quality, added in a press release. PFAS are a class of about 15,000 compounds most frequently used to make products water-, stain- and grease-resistant. They have been linked to cancer, birth defects, decreased immunity, high cholesterol, kidney disease and a range of other serious health problems. PFAS are dubbed forever chemicals because they do not naturally break down in the environment. Air emissions are concerning because the chemicals are widely dispersed across the region. PFAS do not naturally break down once in the environment, so when it rains, the chemicals can contaminate soil, crops and drinking water supplies. The petition states that North Carolina regulators have established a causal link between significant air emissions of PFAS from the [Chemours plant] and widespread contamination of private drinking water wells in a 27-sq-mile area around the plant, in which testing has identified Chemours-specific PFAS. Meanwhile another state found a similar problem across a 67-sq-mile area. GenX, a PFAS produced at the Chemours plant, was detected in rainwater at high levels 90 miles away in Wilmington, North Carolina, which also suggests air pollution, said Emily Donovan, co-founder of the Clean Cape Fear non-profit, a residents group that advocates for stronger regulations around the Chemours plant. The EPA this year enacted strong new drinking water limits for several PFAS compounds, but no laws exist that require Chemours to address its air pollution. Instead, a court in 2019 ordered Chemours to eliminate most of its air emissions, but no requirements are in place for other polluters. The petition is long overdue and a good first step, Donovan said. At this point, the EPA should designate the entire class of PFAS as hazardous air pollutants, she added. The petitions call on the EPA to regulate PFOA, PFOS, PFNA and GenX, four of the most common PFAS compounds. Though thousands of the chemicals exist, technology that would be installed to remove the four chemicals would likely also remove many other PFAS. The EPA has 18 months to respond to the petition, and the dangerous toxicological effects of the four chemicals in the petition are well established, said Bob Sussman, an attorney who has litigated against Chemours. It should not be hard to justify such a listing given the known adverse effects of PFOA, PFOS, GenX and other PFAS with extensive toxicity data, he added. Debris from the Titan submersible was recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic - The Canadian Press/Paul Daly The crew aboard the submersible that imploded during a dive to the wreck of the Titanic said they were all good just before their deaths, it has emerged. The revelation on Monday came on the first day of a hearing into the tragedy, during which the US Coast Guard also presented an animated re-creation of the doomed Titans final journey. The inquiry heard that the vessels crew had been communicating with support staff aboard their mother ship, the Polar Prince, via text messages just before the implosion on June 18 last year. Among the last words heard from the crew were all good here. They then lost contact after an exchange of texts about the submersibles depth and weight. The Titan imploded about two hours into its descent. On board were Stockton Rush, the founder of OceanGate, which built the craft, Hamish Harding, a British explorer, Paul Henri Nargeolet, a French diver, and Shahzada Dawood, a British-Pakistani businessman, along with his 19-year-old son Suleman. The hearing is expected to last two weeks and aims to establish what caused the accident. Stockton Rush (left) and crew member Randy Holt during a dive in OceanGates Antipodes submersible off the coast of Florida in June 2013 US Coast Guard officials said they wanted to uncover the facts surrounding the incident and develop recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Since its fateful dive, the Titan has become the subject of scrutiny in the undersea exploration community, in part because of its unconventional design and its creators decision to forgo standard independent checks. US Coast Guard representatives said in their initial remarks in Charleston County, South Carolina, that the Titan was left exposed to the elements while in storage for seven months in 2022 and 2023. The hull was also never reviewed by any third parties as is standard procedure, they added. The hearings first witness, Tony Nissen, OceanGates former engineering director, testified that the Titan was struck by lightning during a test mission in 2018 and that might have compromised its hull. He said he was fired in 2019 after he refused to let the submersible go down to the Titanic and told Mr Rush it was not working like we thought it would. Mr Nissen said the submersible later went through other tests and adjustments before its subsequent dives to the Titanic. However, Mr Nissen told the hearing that when he was asked to pilot it, he replied: Im not getting in it. Wreckage from the Titan was discovered on the ocean floor close to the bow of the Titanic Mr Nissen said Mr Rush could be difficult to work for and was often very concerned with costs and project schedules, among other issues. He said the businessman would fight for what he wanted, which often changed day-to-day. Mr Nissen added that he tried to keep his clashes with Mr Rush behind closed doors so that others in the company would not be aware. Most people would eventually just back down to Stockton, he added. When the Titan failed to resurface as scheduled, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles (700 kilometres) south of St Johns, Newfoundland. The search for the submersible attracted worldwide attention as hopes faded that those on board would be found alive. Wreckage from the Titan was subsequently discovered on the ocean floor about 300 metres (330 yards) off the bow of the Titanic. The ongoing Marine Board of Investigation (MIB) inquiry is the highest level of probe conducted by the US Coast Guard. After the hearing concludes, recommendations will be submitted to the US Coast Guards commandant, while the USs National Transportation Safety Board is also conducting an investigation. Jason Neubauer, of the US Coast Guard Office of Investigations, led Mondays hearing. He said: There are no words to ease the loss endured by the families impacted by this tragic incident. But we hope that this hearing will help shed light on the cause of the tragedy and prevent anything like this from happening again. However, some key OceanGate figures are not scheduled to testify. They include Mr Rushs widow, Wendy Rush, who was the companys communications director. Melissa Leake, a spokesman for the US Coast Guard, said it did not comment on why specific people were not called to particular hearings during ongoing investigations. She added that was common for an MIB to hold multiple hearing sessions or conduct additional witness depositions for complex cases. Among those scheduled to appear later in the hearing include Guillermo Sohnlein, OceanGates co-founder, David Lochridge, a former operations director at the firm, and Steven Ross, its former scientific director. Numerous US Coast Guard officials and scientists, along with government and industry officials, are also expected to testify. 08:28 PM BST Thats all for today Thanks for following our live coverage, which has now ended. 06:15 PM BST Pictured: The wreckage of the submersible at the bottom of the ocean Titan 06:12 PM BST All good here: The haunting last words from crew of doomed OceanGate sub The last words from the crew of an experimental submersible headed for the wreck of the Titanic before it imploded were all good, the first day of a hearing into the tragedy has heard. The US Coast Guard presented an animated re-creation of the journey of the Titan on Monday, the first day of what is expected to be a two-week hearing into the causes of the implosion in June 2023. Crew aboard the Titan were communicating with support staff aboard the Polar Prince via text messages, according to the presentation. The crew lost contact after an exchange of repeated inquiries from the Polar Prince about the submersibles depth and weight as it descended. The Polar Prince then sent repeated messages asking if the Titan could still see the ship on its onboard display. One of Titans final responses, which became spotty as it descended, was all good here. 06:06 PM BST Im not getting in it, said prospective pilot OceanGates former engineering director, Tony Nissen said the submersible later went through other tests and adjustments before its subsequent dives to the Titanic. However, he testified that he was asked to pilot the submersible and replied: Im not getting in it. Tony Nissen scratching his forehead during a recess - Mic Smith Nissen added that Rush could be difficult to work for and was often very concerned with costs and project schedules, among other issues. He said Rush would fight for what he wanted, which often changed day to day. He added that he tried to keep his clashes with Rush behind closed doors so that others in the company wouldnt be aware. Most people would eventually just back down to Stockton, he said. 06:05 PM BST Titan was struck by lightning The Titan was left exposed to the elements while in storage for seven months in 2022 and 2023, Coast Guard representatives said in their initial remarks Monday. The hull was also never reviewed by any third parties as is standard procedure, they said. That and the submersibles unconventional design subjected the Titan to scrutiny in the undersea exploration community. The hearings first witness, OceanGates former engineering director, Tony Nissen, testified Monday that the Titan was struck by lightning during a test mission in 2018, and that might have compromised its hull. Nissen said he was fired in 2019 when he wouldnt let the submersible go to the Titanic, and he told Rush the submersible was not working like we thought it would. 04:07 PM BST How long will this all take? The time frame for the investigation was initially a year, but the inquiry has taken longer. The Coast Guard said in July that the hearing would delve into all aspects of the loss of the Titan, including both mechanical considerations as well as compliance with regulations and crew member qualifications. The Titan had been making voyages to the Titanic wreckage site going back to 2021. 04:06 PM BST Reminder: Heres how we got here The Titan became the subject of scrutiny in the undersea exploration community in part because of its unconventional design and its creators decision to forgo standard independent checks. Titan The implosion killed Rush and veteran Titanic explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet; two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood; and British adventurer Hamish Harding. The Titan made its final dive on June 18, 2023, losing contact with its support vessel about two hours later. When it was reported overdue, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. Johns, Newfoundland. The search for the submersible attracted worldwide attention, as it became increasingly unlikely that anyone could have survived the implosion. Wreckage of the Titan was subsequently found on the ocean floor about 300 meters (330 yards) off the bow of the Titanic, Coast Guard officials said. 04:05 PM BST Who will be appearing? Scheduled to appear later in the hearing are OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein; former operations director, David Lochridge; and former scientific director, Steven Ross, according to a list compiled by the Coast Guard. Numerous guard officials, scientists, and government and industry officials are also expected to testify. The US Coast Guard subpoenaed witnesses who were not government employees. OceanGate has no full-time employees at this time but will be represented by an attorney during the hearing, the company said in a statement. 04:04 PM BST Coast Guard guarded on specific individuals appearing The Coast Guard does not comment on the reasons for not calling specific individuals to a particular hearing during ongoing investigations, said Melissa Leake, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard. She added that its common for a Marine Board of Investigation to hold multiple hearing sessions or conduct additional witness depositions for complex cases. 04:03 PM BST Key OceanGate representatives not scheduled to testify Among those killed was Stockton Rush, co-founder of OceanGate, the Washington state company that owned the Titan. The company suspended operations after the implosion. Witnesses scheduled to testify on Monday include OceanGates former engineering director, Tony Nissen; the companys former finance director, Bonnie Carl; and former contractor Tym Catterson. Some key OceanGate representatives are not scheduled to testify. They include Rushs widow, Wendy Rush, who was the companys communications director. 04:02 PM BST No words to ease loss endured by families The ongoing Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of marine casualty investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. When the hearing concludes, recommendations will be submitted to the Coast Guards commandant. There are no words to ease the loss endured by the families impacted by this tragic incident, said Jason Neubauer of the Coast Guard Office of Investigations, who led the hearing. But we hope that this hearing will help shed light on the cause of the tragedy and prevent anything like this from happening again. 04:02 PM BST The aim of the Titan hearing Coast Guard officials also gave an overview of the history of the Titan, during which they stated that the hull of the craft was never subject to third-party checks. Officials also said the sub was left exposed to weather and elements while in storage for seven months in 2022 and 2023. The Titan imploded in June 2023, sparking a worldwide debate about the future of private undersea exploration. The aim of the hearing in Charleston County, South Carolina, is to uncover the facts surrounding the incident and develop recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future, the Coast Guard said in a statement earlier this month. ROCHDALE, ENGLAND There are some people you never forget. For me, Ill always remember that meeting in Rochdale with the brave women who had survived brutal sexual abuse. They told me how, as young girls, they had been preyed upon, trafficked and raped, mainly by Pakistani and Afghan men. One woman told me how the violent sexual abuse had started when she was just 12 and how she had thereafter fallen pregnant. I heard how one woman had been raped by more than 150 men by the time she was 16. They told me how police officers, social workers, teachers and councillors all knew about the paedophilia but turned a blind eye for fear of being called racist. They spoke angrily about how the authorities refused to believe them. The truth was covered up out of fear of inflaming racial tension. They told me how grateful they were to the handful of professionals like Maggie Oliver a policewoman whistle-blower who saved their lives. The truth is that the Rochdale and Rotherham grooming scandals are one of the biggest injustices in our country and no one should ever forget what happened, and what still happens, in many parts of our country. Last week, sentences totalling more than 100 years were handed down to seven Rotherham perpetrators. Credit must be given to the police and CPS for pursuing these investigations, eventually. Child sexual abuse cases can take years to build, involve the handling of complex and sensitive evidence and depend on the courage of the victims who have to re-live the ordeal in court for convictions to be secured. The survivors have shown immense fortitude. As Home Secretary I was passionate about making progress on this national scandal. Last year we set up a specialist task force, led by the National Crime Agency, to galvanise the investigative work with the police. I worked with the task force closely; it secured over 500 new arrests in its first year. Sadly, much was left undone by the time of the general election and so there is still a lot more to do. We must secure justice for thousands of girls and also ensure that this type of industrial-scale cover-up isnt repeated. A legal duty on professionals to report sexual abuse is needed to break through the inertia and fear that prevail in many of our organisations. This was one of the key recommendations in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and needs to come into force. The police have been heavily criticised for their mishandling of the Rochdale cases for more than a decade most recently in an independent report earlier this year. But have there been any consequences for their neglect? None. More accurate recording of the data is needed to smash the taboos around some incidents of child sexual abuse. As the independent reports confirm, in Rotherham, Rochdale and Telford, the perpetrators were mainly Pakistani. This truth that dared not speak its name was a reason for the institutional silence and thats why we need to keep talking about it now. This is not to smear a whole class of people but to be honest about a serious problem in some of our towns and cities. And we need greater powers to deport foreign-born offenders after conviction. It cannot be right that a foreign criminal who has breached our values and rules in such an egregious way can still enjoy residency in our country. It will require political courage to confront these problems if we are serious about securing justice for the survivors and protecting children in the future. This Labour Government must put child safety above political correctness, but Im not so sure they will. I hope they prove me wrong. Tajwer Siddiqui, his daughter Alina Siddiqui and his wife, Shehlar Tajwer. He says he will have to return to Pakistan unless officials reconsider their decision. Photograph: none An experienced and highly regarded doctor who is working at a GP surgery in east London says he has no choice but to walk away from his job because the Home Office is separating him from his wife and autistic daughter. Tajwer Siddiqui says he has found himself in this situation at a time when the number of full-time GPs in the UK is falling. The 59-year-old doctor has worked in medicine for decades in his home country of Pakistan and in Saudi Arabia. He successfully applied to the Home Office for a highly skilled worker visa to take up a position at an NHS GP surgery in Ilford, east London, called Doctors House. The surgery is sponsoring his visa and he began working there on 1 July 2024, as a GP assistant until he completes an exam called PLAB Professional Linguistics Assessment Board test that all overseas-qualified doctors must take before they can start to practise as a doctor in the UK. His wife, Shehlar Tajwer, 50, is also a qualified family doctor who hopes to work as a doctor in the UK. She too was granted a visa to come and work here as a dependant of her husband. The couple have a 19-year-old daughter, Alina Tajwer Siddiqui, who cannot live independently due to her autism and needs her parents and other family members to care for her. However, the Home Office has refused her a visa to come to the UK saying that her parents have not demonstrated compassionate or compelling circumstances that would justify officials granting her permission to live with her parents in the UK, in what is known as a grant of leave outside the rules. Earlier this year the previous government tightened up the rules for health and care workers and international students, who were previously allowed to bring relatives to the UK when they secured a job here. This change in the rules led to a decrease in these applications by about one-third. While Tajwer Siddiqui was granted a visa under the highly skilled migrant route, which is supposed to allow dependants, the decision to bar the autistic teenager shows a hardening of decisions about healthcare workers being allowed to bring family members more broadly. Ikram Khan, the practice business manager at Doctors House surgery, described the Home Offices decision as lacking in compassion. Siddiquis wife must travel to the UK before the end of this month or her visa will lapse. She is planning to travel to the UK for a couple of weeks, leaving Alina in Pakistan with her grandmother, but she says this is not a suitable long-term arrangement. If the Home Office do not allow Alina to come to the UK I will have no choice but to leave my job at the surgery here and go back to Pakistan so I can be with my wife and my daughter. All three of us need to be together so we can look after Alina. She cannot look after herself, said Siddiqui. Khan said because of Siddiquis ability as a doctor and huge amount of experience he had proved to be a big asset for patients. The amount of service Tajwer has been able to provide for our patients has just been incredible. We dont want to lose him. It would have a terrible impact on the surgery. He is a great asset to the team. But this family cannot be separated. If Tajwer is forced to leave his job here and go back to Pakistan it will be a lose-lose situation for everyone. I understand that ministers want to reduce migration but we thought the new government would be more compassionate than the previous one. The family initially submitted 28 pieces of supporting medical evidence of Alinas autism and related conditions, and her reliance on her parents, and were then asked to submit more information and provided another 12 documents providing information about Alinas condition. The reports submitted span a 12-year period from 2012 until 2024. Home Office officials picked out one sentence in one of the medical reports, which stated: You have excellent management of her activities of daily life, while not referencing in their decision another sentence that said: She has dependency on her parents for good and effective quality of life. The Home Office official said that because Alina is over 18 she is not being granted permission to come to the UK as a dependant of her parents. The official said that as well as not meeting the compassionate and compelling grounds test they did not believe that the decision to separate Alina from her parents met the unjustifiably harsh consequences threshold for Alina or her family. Siddiqui said: Im completely preoccupied by the situation with the visa and am in limbo at the moment. Alina cannot go out by herself and psychologically she is very attached to us. We havent had the courage to tell her her visa has been refused so weve told her were still waiting for a decision. The Home Office has been approached for comment. Ben Stewart, James Sadri, Oliver Knowles and Will Rose of Led By Donkeys. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian Maybe youve heard the story of how Ben Stewart, James Sadri, Oliver Knowles and Will Rose became Led By Donkeys. Theyd met through working at Greenpeace and become friends, and were having a drink in a north London pub at the end of 2018. For two years, Brexit had dominated every news cycle. We were just completely flummoxed by the chaos the country had been pitched into, Ben remembers, talking from the Donkeys HQ in Hackney. The four were laughing at David Camerons 2015 election tweet: Britain faces a simple and inescapable choice stability and strong government with me, or chaos with Ed Miliband. It would be a shame if he deleted it, they agreed. We said, Lets put it up on a billboard, Stewart continues. We just found somebody to print it, did it with wallpaper paste David Cameron wrapped round Ollies head, that kind of thing. It was papered over almost immediately, as were their next four guerrilla billboards, but they survived on social media. What they sometimes call an accountability project, and this newspaper once called a satirical artists collective (Thats nice, isnt it? Well take that, Knowles says), was born. It would go on to create actions, spectacles and happenings around Covid, Boris Johnsons mendacity, the scandal of PPE procurement, government corruption, Russias illegal invasion of Ukraine, sewage in the waterways, the number of children killed in Gaza. They started a crowdfunder in the middle of 2019, and by November that year, having raised half a million pounds, they were the biggest crowdfunded political movement in the nations history. Theyre extremely proud of small donations, but have capped larger ones at 1,250, not wanting to be beholden to anyone. Its hard to say how this finishes, since it will be over when hypocrisys over, but thats how it all started. The origin story goes back further, though. Stewart and Knowles met in the late 90s, when Knowles was a hunt saboteur and Stewart was the press officer for the League Against Cruel Sports. Stewart was also running undercover agents in the Countryside Alliance, and we got some amazing stories from that, if you want to know how comms can make change. Ten years later, they broke into Didcot power station and climbed the tower, protesting about coal burning, which is where they met Rose, who was a Greenpeace photographer. Stewart remembers thinking two thoughts: One, what an amazing sunset. And two, why have the police brought horses? How are they going to get horses up a tower? That action saw them in court, and when they were found not guilty in 2009, the case sparked the end of coal burning. The law can bring change, but sometimes needs people who are prepared to break it. Sadri met Rose on a ship, just after the horrific Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, in 2010. We were trying to stop reckless drilling in the North Sea, Sadri says. He ran into Stewart in the actual sea: Its a tactic called swimmers in the water. Its the least skilled intervention you could possibly do. Stewart says, It was a bit battle of the Somme: Just go! a first world war motif that would maybe, a decade later, inform their name (lions led by donkeys referring to the indifferent, incompetent and hypocritical leaders who ushered so many millions to their deaths). They take you out on a speedboat and drop you in the sea, this huge drill ship steaming towards you. The idea is that they look at these people in the water and then decide to stop, Sadri says. The first three times, they didnt. And then Ben got pinged down one side, I got pinged down the other side, as this massive thing went past it was like the Empire State Building. It finally did stop, but they had to stay in the sea, in four-hour shifts, to make sure it didnt start moving again. We talked about activism, about Palestine, Stewart says. Hed spent time in Israel and Palestine in the 90s, while Sadri was born in Iran (his mother is Iranian) and came to the UK when he was eight. We were just treading water, Stewart continues, and we ended up having a good chat. Sadri says: I dont remember it like that. I remember mainly talking about your messy love life. The law can bring change, but sometimes needs people who are prepared to break it So Greenpeace is their institutional hinterland; they all worked there at times, though the charity knew nothing about Led By Donkeys when it started. The founders of Greenpeace had this idea of the mind bomb, says Stewart, an intervention that, when people saw it, their minds would immediately shift. The idea was the person putting themselves between the harpoon and the whale. (Knowles literally has done direct action in the Indian Ocean, protecting tuna from overfishing). We were all schooled in that kind of political intervention, Sadri says. But when Rose talks about the loyalty I have to the other three its not a professional bond; its a solidarity, zeal and trust that comes from freezing in the same sea. Not to overromanticise it, but theres a reason that they climbed a ladder to put up a billboard and you (and I) didnt. The funny thing is, none of them was an especially ardent Remainer. Stewart and Knowles both grew up near Ashford in Kent, but didnt know each other when they were kids. You could see France from my school playground, Stewart says. I grieved so heavily, knowing that borders were coming. It meant so much for me to think that my kids could easily go and live and work and love abroad. But as a political project, Knowles says, I definitely saw the EU as a distant power, very remote. It didnt sit comfortably with my politics. Only after the referendum did it become clear that Brexit was a deregulation project; a threat to environmental regulations that we had fought for, a threat to workers rights and protections. Sadri was in Beirut when the result came in, working on a campaign, he describes modestly, to get aid to frontline humanitarian workers in Syria (The Syria Campaign is actually a huge deal in INGO circles, but I only learn that later from someone else). Post-2016, the picture started to cohere. Brexit, Sadri says, the fact that migrants are dying, namelessly; pregnant women and children drowning in the Channel, in the Mediterranean, plus were having these racist riots on the streets, it doesnt feel disconnected. Its all a continuation of this nativist surge, and the impact it has on how we see ourselves and how we see each other. Our entire project has been about basically confronting that at every turn. The fact that migrants are dying in the Channel, plus were having racist riots on the streets it doesnt feel disconnected While Sadri was following the xenophobic through-line, Stewart, having worked on climate for a long time, was really aware of who the TaxPayers Alliance are, the Institute of Economic Affairs. The minute I saw their involvement in the Leave campaign, I thought, I get whats going on here. They have a plan to completely gut climate regulation. But first came Covid. Stewart says the original Brexit-related billboards were partly a response to this short-term political memory where nothing lasts: all those promises that were made in 2016, that werent realised, whoopsie daisy. The pandemic put that short-termism on stilts: The frustration was seeing how quickly the news cycle went, Rose says. Things happened. There would be no consequences. No accountability. Youd read the news, and then there would be more news. It became clear very quickly, Knowles says, that Johnson was making an absolute hash of it. It wasnt long before we started working on 10-minute timeline films that locked in his performance from one week to the next. Those were great for the next chapter of Led By Donkeys, because they really took off. The workload was incredible: Rose was working 9am to 4pm, hanging out with his kids after school, then working 9pm to 4am, for weeks. Those Covid films, Knowles says, led to a collaboration with Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, Matt [Fowler] and Jo [Goodman]. This is key to how the group see their role: amplifying people who are directly affected, whether by Brexit or Covid. Sadri says, Its about identifying and elevating the people who need to be heard. Its morally unassailable when you hear somebody whos been through it. At this point, 140,000 people had died, and there had been profound failures by government. Boris Johnson was talking about a government-led memorial, and everybody felt, Sadri says, we have to stop this guy. We have to decide how we collectively remember this. This impulse became the memorial wall along the banks of the Thames, comprising 150,000 hearts drawn by the people whod lost someone. It was unauthorised, remarkable and poignant. It shot the governments fox, made it impossible for the party animals to take ownership of that grief. That was March 2021. In August, Led By Donkeys collaborated with the Good Law Project on government procurement during the pandemic, which led to, among other things, a renaming of Michelle Mones yacht, in early 2023, to the Pandemic Profiteer. By now, they were working on everything. We were on our way to Spain to do Michelle Mones yacht, Stewart remembers, and on our way, we were emailing Matt Hancock and Kwasi Kwarteng, trying to induce them to work for our fake South Korean company [both men agreed], and as soon as we got back from Spain, we were in a warehouse working on the Russian embassy Ukraine action. Its one hat on, one hat off. Corruption in Westminster, Putins illegal invasion of Ukraine, the PPE scandal theyre all different and all the tactics were different, but if youd said Im an anti-corruption activist or Im a Ukraine activist that would have precluded you from doing those other things. The Public Order Act 2023 would make even that Russian embassy action, for which they had to stop traffic to paint a Ukrainian flag on the tarmac, risky: You block a road, you can go to jail for two years, Stewart says. Ive got young kids, we all have. Thats not even a conversation now. He actually did get arrested during their action last month, where they unfurled a banner of a lettuce, captioned I crashed the economy while Liz Truss was speaking. The way they organised that was so ingenious that I want to tell you, but then Id have to kill you, etc. However, Stewart blew it at the very end by asking a security guy to hold the banners remote control, only to find that the man was part of Trusss security detail. Knowles is resolute, though: I dont feel fearful. Thats how they want you to be. We will continue to explore a full suite of direct-action tactics. Yes, were aware of the change, but we wouldnt feel dissuaded. Sadri is careful to point out that theirs isnt the only game in town. There are plenty of people, without our constraints, still doing direct action, despite these insane laws. In February of this year, they laid 11,000 childrens outfits along three miles of Bournemouth beach, to represent the children killed in Gaza. We wanted people to be able to feel what that many kids is like, Sadri says. 1,000 kids, 10,000 kids, theres absolutely no difference when youre watching Channel 4 News. How do you turn that into something experiential? Whats happening in Palestine is affecting how he sees everything, he says, and making him much less positive. Stewart has been galvanised by the rights attacks on net zero: We lost on Brexit, and now there are borders, and we grieve that. But that is as nothing compared to losing on climate. Knowles is not mindlessly optimistic. But if you look at climate change, weve got huge fights ahead of us, but we do have all the solutions we need to address climate change. Its just a battle of political will. They dont all share one brain, in other words, but they do all share Roses sense of commitment: Ive never ever been so driven, at any other point in my life, wanting to do this work, feeling that its important, feeling that it achieves something. Led by Donkeys: Adventures in Art, Activism and Accountability is published by Thames & Hudson (18.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy from guardianbookshop.com Thierry Breton has resigned after a row with Ursula von der Leyen - Shutterstock /Olivier Matthys Frances EU commissioner has accused Ursula von der Leyen and Emmanuel Macron of forcing him out of Brussels in a backroom deal that culminated in his resignation on Monday. Thierry Breton attacked the EU Commission presidents questionable governance in a letter he posted on social media on Monday. He claimed Mrs Von der Leyen offered France a more influential role in her new executive in exchange for getting rid of him for personal reasons. It comes amid horse-trading over jobs in the new EU executive, which has been dominated by Mrs Von der Leyens struggle to name a gender-balanced college of commissioners. But by Monday lunchtime, Mr Macron appeared to have spurned the commission presidents demand for two candidates by only nominating a man for the position his outgoing foreign minister, Stephane Sejourne. The Elysee Palace said Mr Sejourne, who is a close ally of Mr Macron, meets all the required criteria for the position, having previously led the centrist Renew Europe group in the European Parliament. In his resignation letter, Mr Breton accused Mrs Von der Leyen of having questionable governance and offering France more influence in return for getting rid of him. A few days ago, in the very final stretch of negotiations on the composition of the future college, you asked France to withdraw my name for personal reasons that in no instance you have discussed directly with me and offered as a political trade off an allegedly more influential portfolio for France, he wrote. Ursula von der Leyen is accused of trying to get rid of Mr Breton by offering Emmanuel Macron more influence in her executive - AFP/Olivier Hoslet Mrs Von der Leyen pledged that there would be gender parity in her administration, but some EU capitals have been reluctant to name female candidates to serve for the next five years. Romania and Slovenia have replaced male candidates with women under pressure from Mrs Von der Leyen, who is reported to have dangled plum jobs as rewards for naming female candidates. Mr Breton said Mr Macron had already announced that he had picked him to be Frances commissioner for a second five-year term before saying he would propose a different candidate. In light of these latest developments further testimony to questionable governance I have to conclude that I can no longer exercise my duties in the college, Mr Breton said. I am therefore resigning from my position as European commissioner, effective immediately. The decision of the 69-year-old former chief executive of France Telecom to resign will force Mrs Von der Leyen into a quick reshuffle of responsibilities held by her current commissioners. Mr Breton and Mrs Von der Leyen clashed in public and private during the five years he was Frances commissioner. Breton had become ungovernable Mr Breton is best known in Britain as the EUs coronavirus tsar during the pandemic. During a row over jabs in 2021, he introduced export controls on vaccines that prevented a shipment of AstraZeneca jabs being delivered from the Netherlands to the UK. He also threatened an EU vaccine blockade of Britain, if Boris Johnson did not abide by the terms of the then recently agreed Brexit deal. EU sources said Mr Breton was ultimately ousted by Mrs Von der Leyen because he had become ungovernable. The former French commissioner had repeatedly issued public statements, such as his open letter denouncing Elon Musks interview with Donald Trump on social media platform X, without permission from his boss. You cant have someone like that, a rattlesnake in the basket, next to you, a source said. Mr Breton also had a reputation for over-regulating using European powers. A recent report by Mario Draghi, the former Italian prime minister, recommended overhauls to the blocs competition rules, many of which were drawn up by the Frenchman to counter rivalries with the US and China. It is widely considered that Mr Macron nominated Mr Breton as Frances EU commissioner to remove a problematic voice from domestic politics. Mr Sejourne, 39, was appointed foreign minister earlier this year despite at the time being a novice on the international diplomatic scene. He is one of the Macron boys who helped him win the presidency in 2017 and led the Renew group in the European Parliament and Macrons Renaissance party in France. Alan Edward was found to have 14 knives, machetes, a stun gun and a crossbow, among other weapons - Tim Bugler A white supremacist who amassed an armoury and plotted a terror attack on a Scottish LGBT group is facing years behind bars. Alan Edward who a court heard glorified Adolf Hitler and Anders Breivik, the Norwegian far-Right terrorist said in messages to an associate that members of the LGBT group, which met in Falkirk, would pay in blood. When armed police raided his terrace home in the Redding area of Falkirk in September 2022, they discovered weapons including a crossbow with telescopic sights, 14 knives including some featuring Nazi insignia, machetes, a samurai sword and a stun gun. They also uncovered an air pistol, an SS-style skull mask, fighting gloves with specially hardened knuckles, pellets, ball bearings and hunting tips for crossbow arrows. Prosecutors said this amounted to an armoury. A jury found Stirling-born Edward, 54, guilty of four charges under the Terrorism Act, including possession of weaponry for the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorist acts. Following an 11-day trial, he was also found guilty of racism, anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial and statutory breach of the peace after a litany of his communications were discovered. These included vile examples of anti-Semitism, a claim that Communists belong in wood-chippers, and references to gay people as plague carriers. The court heard that Edward glorified Anders Breivik, the Norwegian far-Right terrorist, among others - Reuters/Gwladys Fouche An anti-transgender post read: We used to sterilise mental defectives. We now just convince them theyre trans so they ASK to be sterilised. Edward, who said he was a former journalist, had almost 28,000 followers on social media. He came to the attention of counter-terrorism investigators after posting a video glorifying a banned far-Right group called National Action. Paul Kearney KC, prosecuting, said Edward was a man who with clear neo-Nazi ideals[was] preparing for an act of terrorism which would include an ideologically driven incident of serious violence. The High Court in Stirling heard that Edward possessed and expressed a set of ideals with a neo-Nazi outlook, incorporating notions of white supremacy, the notion of racial purity of whites, racism, anti-Semitism, and hatred of homosexuals and transgender people. He had denied the charges, claiming in evidence that he had his weaponry only as a collector and for outdoor pursuits. He showed no emotion when the verdicts were announced. Judge Fiona Tait deferred sentence until Oct 21 at the High Court in Edinburgh and continued Edwards remand in custody. She also called for an assessment for a Serious Crime Prevention Order, designed to ensure the lifetime management of criminals, including their business dealings, communications and movements once they are released from jail. Sir Keir Starmer met with Giorgia Meloni to pick her brain for pointers on illegal migration - Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse/Shutterstock Just two months after declaring the Rwanda Plan dead and buried, Sir Keir Starmer now says he is interested in Italys migrant deal with Albania. The Prime Minister is in Rome for talks with his counterpart Giorgia Meloni and wants to discuss how to stop the boats after a drop in migrant numbers in Mediterranean countries. Britains Rwanda flights never got off the ground so how did Italy, which has long borne the brunt of illegal migrant arrivals in Europe, manage to strike a similar asylum agreement with Tirana? And what else can Sir Keir learn from the Italian crackdown? The hard-Right Ms Meloni won admiration at home after striking a deal with non-EU Albania for the offshore processing of asylum seekers picked up at sea. Under the agreement made last November, Italy is building two reception and detention camps in Albania, which will host a maximum of 3,000 migrants and be run by Rome. Italy has long borne the brunt of illegal migrant arrivals in Europe - Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images It will cost Italian taxpayers about 560 million, far less than the 700 million that was earmarked for Rwanda. It was the first time an EU country had struck such an agreement with a so-called third country and other member states have suggested copying the Italian plan. In contrast, the now-ditched Rwanda Plan faced criticism from EU leaders, who were unimpressed at Tory threats to leave the European Convention on Human Rights. There are significant differences between that doomed scheme and the Rwanda-lite pact with Tirana. While Rwanda trampled over European human rights law, Albania stays carefully within its limits. Under the plan first brought forward under Boris Johnsons Conservative government, anyone entering the UK illegally could have been sent to Rwanda. Even if a migrants claim for refugee status was successful, they would have to stay in the African country. Under the Albania agreement, only migrants coming from the 21 countries deemed safe by Italy can be sent for offshore processing. Children, pregnant women and vulnerable people will still be processed in Italy, Ms Meloni has promised. Albania is legally closer to Europe than Rwanda While it is expected the vast majority of claims will be rejected, any migrant making a successful claim from Albania will be allowed into Italy. Albania is geographically and legally closer to Europe than Rwanda. It is a candidate country to join the EU, as well as a Nato member. Unlike Rwanda, Albania is a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, the non-EU agreement of which the UK is also a member. Those shared values and legal commitments spared Ms Meloni some of the legal difficulties the Rwanda plan faced in British courts. In November, the UK Supreme Court said the plan broke the European Convention and that Rwanda had a poor human rights record. There was a risk that genuine refugees could be returned to their home countries from Rwanda and face torture, it said. Later, a court in Belfast ruled the Rwanda plan could not apply in Northern Ireland because of human rights provisions in the Brexit agreements for the region. Waiting to join the EU Albania has been waiting to join the EU for the past 10 years but, unlike Northern Ireland, European law does not hold sway there yet. The preliminary assessment by our legal service is that this is not violating EU law, its outside EU law, said Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, of the agreement last year. Ms Meloni has not escaped criticism. NGOs blame her strict rules for stopping them saving migrants at sea. She has decreed that rescue ships can only pick up migrants from one boat at a time and must return to port rather than look for more boats at sea. Despite being delayed, the Albania deal appears to be having a deterrent effect, with migrant arrivals across the Mediterranean from North Africa dropping by 64 per cent. The drop in numbers is also thanks to EU-brokered pacts with countries such as Libya and Tunisia. Italy and the EU struck a deal in July last year in which they paid Tunisia 105 million (88.5 million) to train its coastguard and improve border security. Booster payment to Tunisia Ms Meloni also paid Tunisia 100 million to boost business, renewable energy projects and education investment. Boat crossings from Tunisia to Italy have dropped by 80 per cent. The agreements with Kais Saied, Tunisias autocratic president, have been criticised by human rights organisations. Last month, human rights groups claimed migrants and asylum seekers had been expelled from the coastal city of Sfax, Tunisias main departure point for Italy, and taken by authorities to the governorate of Gafsa, nearer to the border with Algeria in the south of the country. About 30 people were found in catastrophic humanitarian condition, according to FTDES, a Tunisian rights group. However, the deal with Tunisia has the strong backing of the EU. Ms Meloni played a crucial role in driving forward those negotiations, working with the European Commission despite her long history of hostility towards the EU. Sir Keir wants a migrant return deal with the EU and a security pact, including provisions against illegal migration, hence his decision to pick Ms Melonis brains for pointers. An NHS worker and menswear designer are among the bakers who will compete in this years series of The Great British Bake Off. The contestants will be competing to impress judges Dame Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood across a series of challenges where they will be tasked with baking cakes, biscuits and breads, among other tasty creations, in a bid to be named Bake Off champion. This years 12 bakers include car mechanic Andy, retail assistant Dylan, palliative care assistant Nelly, paediatric nurse Georgie, and senior category manager Gill. This years contestants (Channel 4/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon) Among the other bakers are former nail technician Hazel, who is the groups oldest baker at 71, and dentistry student Sumayah, who, at the age of 19, is the youngest contestant competing this year. The teenager from Lancashire is currently on her gap year and is an entirely self-taught baker who once made a one metre-tall macaron tower for her aunts mehndi wedding celebration. Hazel, who lives in Kent and has four children and 10 grandchildren, said her weakness is baking biscuits while her strength is making beautiful cakes. Also in the mix this year is qualified midwife and published author Illiyin from Norfolk, John from the West Midlands who works in the NHS, and Mike from Wiltshire who is a fourth-generation farmer and was shortlisted for Young Farmer of the Year at the 2024 National Arable and Grassland Awards. Alongside these contestants are a couple of bakers who applied to the show years after emigrating to the UK. Christiaan, who is originally from The Netherlands, moved to the UK seven years ago to work for a leading fashion brand while Jeff, who now lives in West Yorkshire, is originally from the Bronx in New York but moved to the UK in 1979. Judges Dame Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood alongside hosts Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond (Channel 4/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon) Georgie, from Carmarthenshire in Wales, said she has had many different influences in the kitchen from a young age, which she believes is a strength when baking. The 34-year-old also reflected on what it is like to have ADHD and how it can both be a strength and weakness when in the kitchen. My ADHD does affect my everyday life and most definitely baking, she said. When I can hyperfocus on a bake I can do it to the best of my ability in a short space of time. On the flip side this can also cause me to rush and make mistakes! Another weakness I feel is that I am quite heavy-handed, so can struggle with intricate designs. Both Gill and Andy explained the news they had made it onto the show came at quite difficult times in their lives. Gill, 53, from Lancashire, said she had just attended a funeral when the call came in. I heard my phone vibrating in my bag, she said. I couldnt call back straight away but I ended up pulling over to the side of the road on my drive home as I couldnt wait any longer. Andy, 44, from Essex, said the show probably came at the worst ever time as his father-in-law was on end-of-life treatment while his mother-in-law was suffering from Alzheimers. Speaking about the call he received, he said: I was en route to see him at the time. I pulled over and just screamed of joy, what an absolute dream. The new series of The Great British Bake Off, hosted by Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding, starts on Tuesday September 24 at 8pm on Channel 4. Ann Arbor police are investigating a possible antisemitic attack near the University of Michigan campus. The 19-year-old victim told authorities he was walking around 1 a.m. Sunday in the Hill Street and South Forest Avenue area when several unknown men approached him and asked if he was Jewish. When he confirmed, the men assaulted him and then fled on foot, according to police. The victim sustained minor injuries. "We take bias-motivated crimes very seriously and have assigned this incident to our hate crimes detective," the department said in a statement, noting they currently have limited information on the suspects. Chief Andre C. Anderson contacted University of Michigan police about the incident as well. "There is absolutely no place for hate or ethnic intimidation in the City of Ann Arbor. Our department stands against antisemitism and all acts of bias-motivated crimes. We are committed to vigorously investigating this and other hate-motivated incidents and will work with the County Prosecutor's office to aggressively prosecute those who are responsible," he said. University of Michigan Hillel CEO Davey Rosen said in a statement that the "incident has marred an otherwise incredible start to the new academic year." "The safety of our students is our highest priority, and we appreciate law enforcement's quick response. We know this is difficult news to hear especially as we are just beginning the school year," he added. Police are asking anyone with information to call 734-794-6939 or email tips@a2gov.org. Scottish star Richard Gadd said no matter how bad it gets, it always gets better as he collected his first Emmy award for TV series Baby Reindeer. Gadd, who created and starred in the dark Netflix show, appeared on stage at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles to collect the award for best writing for a limited or anthropology series. This is the stuff of dreams, the 35-year-old, wearing a kilt, said on stage about the hit show said to be inspired by his real-life experiences. Richard Gadd poses in the press room with the award for outstanding writing for a limited or anthology series or movie for Baby Reindeer during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Look, 10 years ago I was down and out. I never ever thought Id get my life together. I never ever thought Id be able to rectify myself what had happened to me and get myself back on my feet again, and then here I am, just over a decade later, picking up one of the biggest writing awards in television. I dont mean that to sound arrogant. I mean it as encouragement for anyone whos going through a difficult time right now to persevere. I dont know much about this life, I dont know why we are here, none of that, but I do know that nothing lasts forever, and no matter how bad it gets, it always gets better. So if youre struggling, keep going keep going and I promise you things will be okay. Jessica Gunning poses in the press room with the award for outstanding supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie for Baby Reindeer (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) His win comes after co-star Jessica Gunning won the Emmy for best supporting actress in a limited or anthology series for playing Martha Scott, who stalks Gadds character Donny Dunn. I am so incredibly proud to be a part of Baby Reindeer, she said on stage. My biggest thanks has to go to Mr Richard Gadd, I tried so many times to put into words what working on Baby Reindeer meant to me and I fail every time, so Im going to sing, she joked. Thank you for trusting me to be your Martha, I will never, ever forget her or you or this. The show hit the headlines after a woman claiming to be the inspiration behind Martha, filed a lawsuit against Netflix alleging the story is inaccurate. The ceremony also saw early wins for hit series The Bear at the 76th Emmy Awards. In their opening monologue, father and son hosting duo Eugene and Dan Levy made jokes about The Bear featuring in the comedy category following reaction that it should be categorised as a drama. Hosts Eugene Levy and Dan Levy speak during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) The series is about a star chef (Jeremy Allen White) who returns to Chicago to run the family business after the death of his brother. Allen White described himself as so, so, so lucky after picking up the Emmy for lead actor in a comedy series for his role as Carmen Carmy Berzatto. This show has changed my life, it has instilled a faith that change is possible, that change is possible if you are able to reach out, you are really truly not actually alone, he said on stage. His win came after US actor Moss-Bachrach won best supporting actor in a comedy for his role as restaurant manager Richard Richie Jerimovich in The Bear. Jeremy Allen White, winner of the award for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series for The Bear, poses in the press room during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Christopher Storer picked up the directing award for a comedy series for The Bear. The ceremony also saw Liza Colon-Zayas win an Emmy for best supporting actress for her role as Tina in The Bear, telling the audience she revered the women in the category including Carol Burnett and Meryl Streep. Referencing the upcoming presidential election, she added: To all the Latinas who are looking at me, keep believing and vote, vote for your rights. Elizabeth Debicki, winner of the award for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series for The Crown (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Meanwhile, Elizabeth Debicki won her first Emmy Award for her role as Diana, Princess of Wales in Netflixs The Crown a fictionalised drama about the British royal family. Playing this part based on this unparalleled, incredible human being, has been my great privilege it has been a gift, she said on stage after collecting the award for outstanding supporting actress in a drama. Hollywood stars descended upon the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles for the second time this year to celebrate the best in television, after the September 2023 ceremony was delayed following the US writers and actors strikes. The UK has shown great interest in Italys migration deal with Albania, Giorgia Meloni said, as Sir Keir Starmer claimed his Government would make a return to British pragmatism on border control. The Italian premier also brushed aside humanitarian concerns about the agreement as completely groundless while the British Prime Minister praised Romes remarkable progress in curbing irregular arrivals by sea. Migration was top of the agenda when Sir Keir visited the Italian capital on Monday to meet his counterpart as he seeks to reset relations with the UKs nearest neighbours and study the countrys model of border control. The Meloni governments response to small boat crossings has seen a drop of more than 60% in arrivals by sea over the past year but critics have argued its agreements with some other countries could put asylum seekers at risk. It has recently brokered a deal with Tirana which will see irregular migrants who have entered Italy processed in the Balkan nation under Italian jurisdiction, which Ms Meloni said she had discussed with Sir Keir during bilateral talks on Monday. The UK Government has shown great interest in this agreement, she told a press conference at the Villa Doria Pamphilj. Ms Meloni said they both want to enhance this very good relationship between Italy and the UK, and increase co-operation with the EU while of course respecting the post-Brexit rules. The Prime Minister stopped short of explicitly endorsing the offshore processing scheme, which is expected to come into force later this year, insisting he was interested in Italys immigration policies more widely. He later suggested the countrys reduction in unauthorised migrant numbers was more likely attributable to the work that the prime minister (Ms Meloni) has done upstream than in the Albanian deal. I have always made the argument that preventing people leaving their country in the first place is far better than trying to deal with those that have arrived in any of our countries. I was very interested in that, he said. In a sense, today was a return if you like to British pragmatism. As part of these efforts, Italy has paid north African countries where people depart for Europe to boost border security and coastguard capability, which Sir Keir said seemed to have had a profound effect. The Prime Ministers emphasis on pragmatism comes after discontent among his back benches over the show of close collaboration with Ms Melonis national-conservative administration. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy (Phil Noble/PA) The visit also comes as the countrys deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini faces charges of kidnap and dereliction of duty over a decision in 2019 to stop a migrant boat from docking. He denies the allegations. Kim Johnson, the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, told the Guardian it was disturbing to see the Prime Minister seeking to learn lessons from a neo-fascist government. Asked what his message would be to critics who are concerned to see a Labour Government taking inspiration from an administration linked to alleged human rights abuses, Sir Keir told reporters travelling with him on the trip: Italy is an ally. Its a G7 member, its a Nato ally. We share a long history, weve got strong bilateral relations Weve got a common challenge and I think the more we can collaborate and co-operate with our partners on a shared challenge, the better. Asked about human rights concerns in relation to Italys immigration policies, Ms Meloni told the press conference: I dont know what human rights violations youre referring to, to be totally frank. This accusation, I think its completely groundless. She added that migrants sent to Albania would be dealt with under Italian jurisdiction. The UK is expected to give some 4 million to an initiative called the Rome Process, an Italian government scheme to tackle the root causes of irregular migration, following the meeting of the two leaders. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hold a joint press conference at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy (Phil Noble/PA) Meanwhile, in an effort to renew trade bonds, Italian companies are set to make investments into the UK worth almost 500 million. Defence, aerospace and security company Leonardo will invest 435 million in 2024 to be spent at their Yeovil site and in technology and research schemes across the UK, according to Downing Street, supporting 8,000 jobs. Steel manufacturer Marcegaglia will invest 50 million in Sheffield to build a new clean steel electric arc furnace, creating 50 new jobs. On Monday morning, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper hinted at a British interest in the Italy-Albania deal and insisted it was not the same as the Rwanda plan. First of all, this is Italian processing taking place in Albania. It has UNHCR oversight, so it is being monitored to make sure that it meets international standards, she told BBC Breakfast. Responding to criticism of Italys migration policy, the Home Secretary added: Weve always had a history of working with governments that have different political parties that are not aligned. That is a sensible thing for any government to do. We have to work with democratically-elected governments, particularly those who are our nearest neighbours, and particularly those where we have shared challenges that we have to face. Sir Keir announced he was axing the previous Tory administrations Rwanda deportation policy as one of his first moves in office and declared ahead of his visit to Italy there would be no more gimmicks to curb migration. The Prime Minister and Ms Cooper have since introduced a new border security command with the aim of rooting out people-smuggling gangs responsible for facilitating small boat crossings through the use of counter-terror style tactics and intelligence sharing with European neighbours. A woman has been charged with murder after another woman was stabbed to death in east London, police have said. Hope Rowe, 32, of Tower Hamlets, has also been charged with possession of a bladed article and is due to appear at Thames Magistrates Court on Monday morning, according to the Metropolitan Police. Officers were called at around 1.17am on Sunday to reports of a woman suffering stab injuries in the foyer of a block of flats in Duckett Street, Tower Hamlets. London Ambulance Service also attended the incident where the woman was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the force. Police said they are confident that the deceased is Charlotte Lawler, 31, but that formal identification has not yet taken place. Her next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers. A 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, but has been released on bail, the force said on Monday morning. A crime scene remains in place at the address and inquiries are ongoing. Police are urging anyone with information that could assist them to call 101 or contact @MetCC on social media site X, formerly Twitter, and quote CAD480/15Sep. Information can also be provided anonymously through independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Eight students were injured in a school bus accident Monday in southeastern Wisconsin, after a car struck the bus and caused it to spin off the road. The injuries ranged from minor to serious, authorities said, but none were considered life-threatening. The accident happened before 7:30 a.m. CDT in Fredonia, according to the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office. The bus from Random Lake School District was carrying 36 students, some as young as elementary school age. The oldest were in high school, the sheriff's office said. Ozaukee County includes Fredonia, a town located some 30 miles north of Milwaukee that's adjacent to Random Lake. Sheriff's deputies in Wisconsin arrived at the scene of an accident Monday morning involving a school bus and another vehicle. / Credit: Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office Sheriff's deputies found the school bus lying on its passenger side in a ditch beside the road when they responded to the scene Monday morning, and a Jeep Grand Cherokee with significant front-end damage was stopped in the roadway. The sheriff's office said investigators determined that the car ran a stop sign while driving eastbound on County Trunk Highway East, striking the bus at an intersection as it was traveling northbound. The collision caused the bus to spin 180 degrees and roll onto its side before sliding into the ditch, according to the sheriff. The bus driver, identified as 53-year-old Mark Hall of West Bend, who is employed by the Random Lake School District, was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. So were the driver of the Jeep, 32-year-old Becka Stevenson, and a passenger, 33-year-old Luis Vargas, both of whom also had minor injuries after the crash. The injured students were transported by ambulance to local hospitals and the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Those who weren't injured were evacuated though the roof and rear emergency exits of the school bus and picked up by their parents at the scene of the accident. The sheriff said some students were taken to local hospitals later by their parents as a precaution. The sheriff's office will issue a citation to Stevenson for failing to yield at a stop sign, while an additional investigation into the incident is still pending. Eight students were injured when their bus rolled onto its side and slid into a ditch off the highway, authorities said. Twenty-eight other students were evacuated. / Credit: Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office Earlier, the Random Lake School District shared a message to its Facebook page informing the community that "Bus 17 was involved in an accident." "Students were injured and are receiving medical attention," the district said. "All impacted families have been contacted and the remaining students on the bus are actively being picked up by their parents. As we know more information, we will update families." The district said school counselors would be available to support students and their families. Tito Jackson, founding member of Jackson 5, dies at 70 Starter homes increasingly out of reach for American families Hearing sheds light on Titan submersible implosion Modesta Trevino looks at art by her late husband, Jose Francisco Trevino, in her Kyle home last month. Modesta says she feels responsible to be Jose's advocate. Theres a story about the late Austin artist Jose Francisco Trevino that some of his friends and family members tell. Its 1993, and the Mexican American artist, then 52 years old and on a day off from his job as a city maintenance worker, drives to San Antonio to see the largest exhibit of Chicano art ever assembled. The show had already brought more than 180 art pieces from three decades to nine museums, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonians National Museum of American Art. Trevino, depending on whom you ask, was never told about the exhibit or was rejected, and did not participate. He goes through the galleries, stopping to observe his contemporaries, and then breaks down. He was literally in tears. It was very hard for him to see, said artist Luis Guerra, a longtime friend of Trevino's who heard the account. "It was the dream of a lifetime to be included in a traveling exhibition like that. ... An artist's work is not compete until it's shared." Trevino was an Austin native who painted in his hometown from his teenage years in the 1950s until his death in 2022. During that time, he earned a name for himself regionally for his prolificity and varied style, as well as for his attention to local Mexican American daily life and social issues. But unlike many of the peers he painted alongside during his career, he has not received broad recognition. In many ways, neither has Austin's rich Chicano art history. Though it runs deep, the capital city has never claimed the association that larger towns such as Los Angeles, San Antonio and Chicago and predominantly Mexican American regions such as the South Texas and Central California valleys have. Trevinos proponents, among them his widow, art curator Modesta Trevino, and fellow Chicano artists Santa Barraza and Guerra, say its due time this changes. An effort led by Modesta Trevino has combined her late husband's art with essays by his peers and scholars for an academic art book that helps set his legacy. Its part of an effort, they say, to counter the neglect. There are huge gaps in this history, said Marisol Trevino, the artists daughter. My dads book would help close that. A photo of Jose Francisco Trevino is displayed on a table in Modesta Trevino's home in Kyle. Trevinos art The varied nature of Trevinos work can make it somewhat hard to pinpoint the throughlines so helpful for definition. In some ways, he fits the archetype of the Chicano generation. His paintings from the 1960s take after Mexicos muralists such as David Alfaro Siquieros. The verve of moment and color translate into bold strokes that unravel grand narratives of social history. The painting Modesta Trevino bought from Jose when she first met him in the early 1970s, for example, is titled Repression of the Masses. It features a man submerged in yellow flames, aghast as a scene of protest unravels behind him, under an ominous burgundy sky. Barraza has described Trevino as the Mexican version of modernist painter Thomas Hart Brenton: satirical portrayals of rowdy, almost crass, personalities in the joys or frustrations of human interaction. The Austin artists depictions of bar and taqueria patrons in works such as "Patsy's Bar" fit this characterization. Jose Francisco Trevino's painting "Patsy's Bar." Trevino also moved through several surrealist periods, including one in which his figures begin to resemble the extraterrestrial, with tiny hairs and lesions forming over colored skins. He also painted numerous representations of the Indigenous people he encountered in trips to Latin America and produced many woodblock prints. Mexic-Arte Museum Executive Director Sylvia Orozco said she often noticed Trevinos own likeness painted into his works. Either someone in a crowd or someone watching from a distance," she said. "Sometimes he's meditating in a mythical state, or sometimes hes along a protest. The subjects, she said, bounce around. But its about him and how he perceives his surroundings as a Mexican American in a state that Tejana feminist scholar Gloria Anzaldua termed as Nepantla, or inbetweenness. More: Will East Cesar Chavezs pinata shops disappear? Austin family ponders future of its trade The birth of Chicano art in Austin In 1965, when Guerra, Trevino's friend, entered the University of Texas, he was one of three Mexican American students in the art department, he said. The unofficial fourth, as rumors had it, was an unenrolled artist who hung around the department building, sitting in on lectures and talking to professors such as famed sculptor Charles Umlauf after class. Modesta Trevino looks through children's books by her late husband at home in Kyle. Guerra remembers trying several times in vain to meet this student: Jose Francisco Trevino. It didnt happen for a while, not before he ran into his art prominently displayed in one lawn exhibit just off campus. Though Trevino was a similar age to many UT student participants, there was no competition. He was a professional. Most of the other art was student art, Guerra said. Off campus, Trevino was honing his craft as a commercial artist, illustrating childrens books and educational curriculum for the state. He also worked for Umlauf, shining his sculptures. There was no art known as Chicano art then, Guerra said. Chicanismo was emerging as an ideology, an identity and politics. But Guerra does recall university classes on Mesoamerican art history, and the Latin American art collections arriving at what would become the Blanton Art Museum, which allowed young Mexican American student artists to muse at what they might not be seeing in class. By the early 1970s, UT employed Francisco Quirarte, a scholar working on the first academic book on Chicano art. Modesta Trevino, who would eventually marry Jose Francisco Trevino, enrolled in the class. So, too, did aspiring artists such as Barraza. The subject was so new that the students worked with Quirartes unpublished manuscripts. They pondered the lasting influences of indigenous art styles and discussed active Mexican American artists. Off campus, students including Modesta Trevino were organizing in neighborhood political efforts, such as the East Austin Economy Furniture Stike. It was Modestas activism that broadened Joses interest in civil rights issues. Amid a young generation interested in empowerment and identity, artists took to the Chicano label and, to varying extents, its implications. A scene formed. Jose Francisco Trevino joined an upstart group of mostly local Mexican American artists, Los Quemados. It also included Carmen Lomas Garza, Amado Pena, Barraza and Guerra, all of whom lived in Austin. The Chicana art group Mujeres Artistas del Suroeste, which included Modesta Trevino and Orozco, organized one of the first Chicano art conferences in 1979, attracting artists from throughout the country to Austin and exposing them to American and Mexican critics alike. Jose Francisco Trevino's painting "Uno de los Quemados" from 1974. And yet, by the mid-80s, all the Austin artists who had formed Los Quemados except for Trevino were gone. Lomas Garza to San Francisco. Pena to Santa Fe, N.M. Guerra to San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Barraza to State College, PA. They often took university posts or opportunities in towns with more art tourism. There was an exodus. Because artists werent appreciated in Austin, Guerra said. "There are other cities where it's easier for artists to make a living. As Orozco described it, Austin reaped the influx of art students UT provided. But it didnt always keep them for a long time. Latino Features: In North Austin, a Venezuelan immigrant softball league sparks like no other An Austinite, an autodidact For Trevino, Austin was far from a passing point. It was his roots. Trevinos earliest drawings, at the age of 4 or 5 in South Austin, were of the political figures he saw in the American-Statesman. In a brief autobiography, he said he remembered drawing political figures such as Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. He quickly realized his interest in drawing people, a habit that would continue throughout his career. Jose Francisco Trevino's painting "Untitled (Deja que te quiero decir)." He began to take art seriously as a teen, following the affirmations of his art teachers at Travis High School. After graduation, much of his education was informal. Unlike the peers with whom he would soon surround himself, his education was through work and the large personal library he tended to. I dont think he ever knew that the artists he exhibited with were different than he was, Modesta Trevino said. Instead, he thought, Look at what I can do. And, though Trevino was a committed artist, he worked day jobs carpet cleaner, Austin Community College drawing instructor and city worker among them to provide for his family. Modesta Trevino talks about a piece called "Repression of the Masses" by Jose Francisco Trevino. "Repression of the Masses" was the first piece of art that Modesta purchased from Jose shortly after meeting him in the early 1970s. Sticking with Austin, the Trevinos found their art community. Jose and Modesta also brought Mexican artists, including prominent screen printer Adolfo Mexiac, to town to conduct workshops for local artists. Through connections he made on trips south, he featured in gallery exhibits in Mexico City. Sisters Cynthia and Lidia Perez, owners of the breakfast joint Las Manitas as well as La Pena Gallery, opened their spaces to the Trevinos. Modesta curated for both locations and Jose often displayed his work. He also got a large solo exhibition at Mexic-Arte in 1999. The people that we knew used to come together for all the exhibits. Wed have an opening, and thered be a big turnout, Modesta Trevino said. More: In East Austin, tension over a new boat dock digs at displacement questions A book to tell the story It is, in part, a guessing game as to why Trevino didnt find the reach of his peers. Perhaps it was Austins relatively small reputation in the Chicano art movement, his humility or disinterest in having an aggressive agent. It could have also been his detachment from "the iconography" of the Chicano movement, such as Mexican figures or United Farm Worker flags. Chicano studies scholar Alicia Gaspar de Alba has said that artists who did not employ as many of these images could be more likely to be glanced over by critics and audiences alike. Modesta Trevino looks through photos of artwork by her late husband at her home in Kyle. After Jose died two years ago, Modesta began to push harder for a book. Her husband was a humble man, she said. It was about time he and his era of Mexican American life in Austin were documented. The project, which has garnered biographical essays from Jose Francisco Trevino's colleagues and academic critiques from scholars, has been sent out to a publishing house. Reflecting on her role, Modesta, from her living room adorned with Chicano and Mexican art in Kyle, said she felt responsible to be her late husband's advocate. A book, she said, would ensure that Jose remains a teaching figure, just like the artists whose books he voraciously collected throughout his lifetime. It's inspiration that keeps artists content. Many friends and family members say the story of Jose Francisco Trevino weeping at the traveling Chicano art exhibit in San Antonio is an atypical description of the artist. For the most part, Trevino's artistic drive "wasnt really about popularity or anything like that, Marisol, his daughter, said. His art for himself was a very personal thing. But, as Guerra tells it, the anecdote shows artists inherent drive to share their conceptions with others, to find audiences. No matter their reticence. Its why one creates. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Chicano artist's lifeworks highlight Austin's Mexican American history How does beanless coffee taste? Zoe Corbyn has been finding out [Zoe Corbyn] I am in a high-end coffee shop in a tech-heavy area of San Francisco, staring suspiciously into a cup of espresso. This is no conventional coffee: it is made without using a single coffee bean. It comes from Atomo, one of a band of alt-coffee start-ups hoping to revolutionise the world of brewed coffee. We take great offence when someone says that we're a coffee substitute, says Andy Kleitsch, the chief executive of Seattle based start-up Atomo, from whose pure, beanless ground product my espresso has been made. Traditional coffee substitutes have a reputation for not tasting much like coffee and are usually caffeine-free. However, the newcomers intend to replicate one of the worlds most popular beverages from taste, to caffeine punch, to drinking experience and the first of this nascent industrys beanless concoctions have begun to appear. Atomo's ingredients include date seeds, sunflower seed extract and pea protein [Atomo] They say there's a strong environmental argument for their beanless brews. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, coffee cultivation is currently the sixth largest cause of deforestation. That impact is expected to widen as demand increases: consumption is fast rising in traditional tea drinking countries like India and China. Meanwhile, climate change is pushing plantations to higher altitudes to escape the heat. So, beanless coffee is potentially a less environmentally damaging alternative. The newcomers also argue that, if scaled up, beanless coffee could be cheaper than its conventional competition. And, with coffee prices reaching record levels on the international markets this year, that point is timely. Also, in December, a new EU regulation is set to come into effect that outlaws the sale of products, coffee included, that cant prove they are not linked to deforestation. A lot of big coffee companies are watching this field, says Chahan Yeretzian, a professor of analytical chemistry, who heads the Coffee Excellence Centre at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland. Niels Haak, director of sustainable coffee partnerships at Conservation International, an environmental non-profit, welcomes the innovative approaches to tackling coffees deforestation problem, but he also doubts if beanless coffee will be able to make much dent. Coffee growing provides livelihoods and income to many smallholder farming families globally, he further notes. The conundrum is if they move away from growing coffee, they will turn to alternative crops or land uses. In some countries there is even a risk they turn to illicit activities such as growing coca the plant cocaine derives from which has similar deforestation issues. There are no silver bullets, he says. He notes there is work ongoing from coffee certification schemes, to efforts aimed at strengthening so-called shade coffee farming where coffee is grown under a canopy of other trees to make coffee growing more sustainable and support communities. [The coffee sector] is on a journey to transform, he says. Yet the beanless companies counter that transformation isnt wide enough or quick enough. Coffee is causing massive deforestation and coffee farmers live in poverty. If alt-coffee could offset even just the extra projected coffee demand it would be a win for the planet that wouldnt put anyone out of business. And, as the climate changes, there are plenty of crops beyond illicit ones that coffee farmers could switch to that dont require slashing more forest. Andy Kleitsch hopes to grab a slice of the giant coffee market [Atomo] Atomo, which launched in 2019, is currently sold in more than 70 coffee shops in the US. Coffee shop chain Bluestone Lane added it to the menu at all its locations in early August, including in San Francisco. Since June, Atomo has also been selling through its website a blend of beanless and conventional coffee intended for home brewing that I have also purchased to try. It currently costs slightly more than premium conventional coffee. For example, to make my espresso with Atomo adds on 50 cents (38p). Atomos ingredients arent particularly high tech: date seeds, ramon seeds, sunflower seed extract, fructose, pea protein, millet, lemon, guava, fenugreek seeds, caffeine and baking soda. Things begin with waste date seeds or pits. Rock hard, they are granulated then infused with a secret marinade of ingredients from the list above, before being roasted to create new flavours, aromas and compounds. Further ingredients then finish things off. Atomos caffeine is sourced from green tea decaffeination, though synthetically-made caffeine is also used to provide beanless coffees kick. Atomo operates a facility in southern California, where the date pits are cleaned and washed, and a second facility in Seattle where the manufacturing takes place. Current capacity is four million pounds a year, which Mr Kleitsch describes as a rounding error in the world of coffee production: Starbucks buys about 800 million. As for trying Atomo, both the coffee shop espresso and the brew-at-home version tasted close enough to good coffee for me. Perhaps luckily for these companies, coffee can have many different undertones. Dutch start-up Northern Wonder hopes to find a market with its beanless coffee [Northern Wonder] Others have different ingredients and methods. Over the past year the bean-free coffee products of Dutch start-up Northern Wonder, founded in 2021, has secured space on supermarket shelves in the Netherlands and Switzerland. Roasted and ground lupin, chickpea, malted barley, and chicory are amongst the major ingredients the company works with, along with an undisclosed natural flavouring. Though notes David Klingen, the companys boss, operations are still in the research and development phase. Ingredients may change as it perfects its brew. Other companies on the scene include Singapore-based Prefer and San Francisco's Minus. And, though it is further from market, also being pursued is the tantalising possibility of lab-grown or cultured coffee. In the same way animal cells can be cultivated in a bioreactor and harvested to produce meat cell products so cells extracted from coffee plants could be similarly grown, then fermented and roasted to produce a brew. Proof of concept was demonstrated in 2021 by Finnish government researchers, who are now trying to help accelerate commercialisation. Cell-based coffee start-ups include Swiss-based Foodbrewer, US-based California Cultured, and Singapore-based Another. The approach may provide a closer match to coffee than surrogates like Atomo or Northern Wonder, but regulatory approval for such novel food takes time and money. There are also doubts the technology will be able to scale economically. David Klingen says his company is still developing its beanless brew [Northern Wonder] More Technology of Business Meanwhile, challenges for the beanless firms remain. The house-filling aroma that real coffee generates is still elusive for them. And bean-free coffee doesnt provide emotional connections to faraway places Colombia, Ethiopia, Indonesia the way real coffee can. Atomos main business hurdle now is finding large coffee partners who want to offer their consumers a new choice, while Northern Wonders is finding the right investors. People arent completely sure how big the category will be and when, says Mr Klingen. I dont think Ill be switching I cant help but like that real coffee is grown by people somewhere but beanless coffee certainly left me thinking I should investigate the sustainability and ethics of my conventional brew. (NEXSTAR) Its not uncommon to scroll through Google Street View and find a home thats been blurred from view at the request of the homeowner, whether for privacy or security reasons. But is that really such a good idea? My personal feeling is that you should not blur your house, in general, cybersecurity expert Joseph Steinberg told Nexstar. Should you freeze your credit after Social Security leak? Steinberg, also the author of Cybersecurity for Dummies, said people who blur their houses on Google often believe that would-be burglars might be studying Street View to identify their homes access points or security features. But unless youre a high-profile person, or youre living in a high-security facility, Steinberg believes blurring your home is not only pointless, but potentially detrimental. Burglary is a crime that has to be done locally, Steinberg points out, so if theyre going to rob your house they can come before and take [their own] pictures, if they want. A blurred home may also pique a criminals interest, he said. Its called the Streisand effect, said Steinberg, referring to Barbra Streisands attempt to sue a photographer who took an aerial photo of her home while documenting the erosion of Californias coastline in 2002. The lawsuit, in which Streisand claimed a violation of privacy, was ultimately dismissed the following year, but not before backfiring and drawing widespread attention to the appearance and location of Streisands Malibu home. If you blur your house thats interesting to me as a criminal, and I may drive by, Steinberg argued. Google, too, already blurs identifying information like faces and license plates, but leaves it up to users to report any other buildings, cars or objects they might like obscured, per the site. The tool, however, is not perfect. As users have pointed out on Reddit, people using Street View might still be able to see a see a blurred property by simply advancing down the street to change the angle. Others complained that Google does not verify whether the person who requested the blurring is the actual owner of the home. (Google only requires an email address from the person submitting the request. When asked specifically whether Google requires proof of address, a representative for the site did not answer.) Blurring is also permanent and irreversible, according to Google meaning that you, or anyone else who inhabits your home or business after you, will never be able to unblur it, even in future Street View updates, Google says. I clicked to do mine and it did my neighbors. Lol, one Reddit user claimed. Also you cant [undo] it. Sorry bro. The telltale signs of AI-generated images, video and audio, according to experts In the end, Steinberg told Nexstar that blurring your home on Street View a practice which he believes became somewhat of a fad does little more than draw attention to yourself for no reason. This is a classic example of people not looking at the big picture and having a knee-jerk reaction, he said. Are you better off safety-wise if you blur it? I think youre worse off. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Detroit police confirmed two people were shot, one killed and another in critical condition, following a fight in Eastern Market near Ford Field on Sunday evening. Detroit Police Chief James White said officers arrested a man from the Oakland County suburb of Oak Park who is in his 30s and is licensed to carry a gun. Eastern Market is a popular tailgate destination for Detroit Lions fans. Hundreds flock to the market during game days. On Sunday, the Lions hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1 p.m. local time. Tailgating, drinking and guns. They dont mix, White said. White said a fight between two men escalated about 4:30 p.m. at one of the buildings known as Shed 6 at the outdoor market. They put up hands in preparation to fight when the suspect pulled out a gun and fired at least two rounds, White said. The man the suspect was fighting a Detroit man in his 40s was killed. Another Detroiter, a man in his 20s, was shot and hospitalized in critical condition.Nearby officers directing outbound traffic from the Lions game responded to the shooting, arrested the suspect, and recovered two guns, White said. On the scene, White was troubled by what he described as a lack of conflict resolution. It shouldnt have led to this, he said. Youve got unfortunately two people shot, one dead. And you have a suspect thats in custody, thats, you know, going to be dealing with some very serious charges likely murder. White went on to describe a gun obsessed society. We bring them out for every minor conflict, he said. Its ridiculous. If youre going to fight, have a fight. Live to fight another day. But everyone has to have a gun, makes them feel tough. Witness says shooting was nothing like shes ever seen Cream Powers, 48, and Rhonda Taylor, 50, heard the gunfire. The two run a barbecue stand at the corner of Riopelle and Alfred, a half-block from where the shooting occurred. We heard the sound, Taylor told the Free Press, which is part of the USA TODAY Network. Then they saw people run. I was serving a customer, cutting some meat up, and all of the sudden, all I know is everybody started rushing down here, Powers said. Women started running, dogs running under our table. It was really crazy out here, man. Prior to the shooting, Powers said it was a typical tailgating scene in Eastern Market, which on typical weekends is packed with people from all over seeking fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers and social time. But Taylor said what she witnessed on Sunday was nothing like shes ever seen in the 10 years shes been coming there on game days. It was actually beautiful until that happened, Powers said of the tailgate. Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. She can be contacted at asahouri@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Police confirm fatal shooting at popular tailgating spot in Detroit I think here in this town, were going to have a well, you wouldnt call it a civil war but an uprising, said Democrat Joe Backus of Springfield, Ohio. Liz Skalka/HuffPost SPRINGFIELD, Ohio Joe and Cheryl Backus have plenty of concerns over the influx of immigrants to this central Ohio city. Theyre giving up on our homeless here, Joe Backus, a retired 80-year-old, said from a loveseat in his living room, referring to the general strain population growth is having on certain sectors of the local government. Theyre ignoring them. But the spotlight Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohios own junior U.S. Sen. JD Vance, have put on Springfield and its estimated 60,000 residents hasnt helped matters whipping up tensions here to a potentially dangerous degree after the former president baselessly suggested to a live debate audience of 67 million people last week that foreigners here were eating cats and dogs. Its quickly upended life, leading to bomb threats and general threats of violence that closed schools and government offices. I think here in this town, were going to have a well, you wouldnt call it a civil war but an uprising, said Joe Backus, a Democrat whos in the minority of this red county that went twice for Trump. Because I think people are going to get tired. From a recliner across the room, Cheryl Backus, 67, recoiled at the idea of people associating Springfield with the consumption of pets. Eating the cats and dogs? No, no, no, no, no. We dont need no. The GOP ticket has made this blue-collar city a Midwestern front in the partys immigration wars, stoking fears about a reign of terror that includes reckless driving and pet-snatching all as Republicans continue to blame Democrats for a glut of asylum seekers and illegal crossings at the southern border in an election year when Republicans tanked their own border security bill to help Trump. Steven Pierre emigrated from Haiti with family 20 years ago. "Were just regular people. We want to be left alone, he said. Liz Skalka/HuffPost At the center of it all are people like Steven Pierre, a 32-year-old who emigrated to Springfield from Haiti at age 12. Now hes a married father of four and works for Amazon. He has a dog, Baba. Its sad, because I gotta hear this, and my kids gotta ask questions about it, said Pierre, who was building a chicken coop in the back of a pristine white home as Baba looked on. And its like, what do I tell them? Theyre not here to bother anybody, Pierre said of the Haitians.Theyre here for a goal and to get on with their life. Were just regular people. We want to be left alone. Vance, who grew up an hour south of Springfield in a challenged town he popularized in his memoir, acknowledged last week there was no basis for the viral pet smears. But Vance still told his followers to keep sharing the cat memes these rumors helped spawn. The vice presidential nominee took it a step further Sunday, suggesting he spread the hoax for the greater good of the country. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then thats what Im going to do, he said on CNN. Trump also vowed to begin his planned mass deportation of immigrants in Springfield, where the Haitian population is mostly here legally, and claimed to know nothing about the bomb threats he helped stoke. I dont know what happened with the bomb threats. I know that its been taken over by illegal migrants, and thats a terrible thing that happened, Trump said Saturday. The rhetoric is beginning to grate on members of even their own party. Clark County, the home of Springfield, voted twice for Trump. Liz Skalka/HuffPost Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who has a prickly relationship with Trump, went on TV this weekend to decry the drama surrounding Springfield as unfortunate and the pet rumors as garbage. He praised Springfields population of hard-working Haitians, who are able to work legally under a special immigration status afforded to immigrants from countries suffering from civil unrest or natural disasters. Springfields own GOP mayor, Rob Rue, said he was tired and angry, and wouldnt reveal whether hed vote for Trump in November. All the attention has turned Springfield into a tinderbox. Right-leaning content creators are prowling the streets, hunting down evidence of pet-eating for a $5,000 bounty. Elementary and middle schools were closed or evacuated for two consecutive days last week due to threats. City Hall also closed due to security concerns, as several city commissioners found themselves targeted with threats. I think its disgusting, said a 59-year-old Springfield resident who declined to give her name as she was exiting a trendy food hall and co-working space across from City Hall on Friday. At a campaign stop Saturday, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown told reporters hes been in touch with officials in Springfield about [taking] the temperature down. Browns Republican opponent, Bernie Moreno, an immigrant himself, had made an appearance in Springfield earlier that day, echoing Trumps call for mass deportations and blasting Vice President Kamala Harris and corrupt politicians for condoning immigration laws that allow Haitian refugees to enter the country and work here legally. We need to quit using these issues as political talking points and to political advantage, Brown said after his stop at a plumbers and pipe-fitters union hall. Most people want to see this community thrive together. A government outreach coordinator who wasnt authorized to speak for the city said the threats against schools in particular are having devastating consequences. Right now, we need more inclusion and help, instead of basically having everybody pitted against each other, she said. Kids arent getting educated. People are afraid to go outside. Im doing home visits to try to make sure our kids are OK. Theyre hurting the wrong people. After decades of economic decline from factory off-shoring, the legal influx of Haitian immigrants seeking blue-collar work at factories and warehouses in Springfield struck a raw nerve in a community with a significant number of boarded-up buildings and homes, and longtime residents struggling to make ends meet. An estimated 20,000 Haitians have flocked to Springfield since the pandemic, stressing the citys housing infrastructure, schools and hospitals. The people who have lived here pay taxes and support Springfield all their life. They cannot get help, because its all about [the Haitians], said Carol Lawson, 65, who lives a block over from Pierre. Lawson, who said she does not work and collects disability, repeated an oft-cited complaint about the Haitians: That they drive nicer cars than everyone else and appear to be the beneficiaries of generous government support even though Temporary Protected Status, while it affords a pathway to getting a Social Security card and eventual citizenship, does not automatically confer public benefits like food stamps. Lawson said she doesnt vote, but if she did it would be Trump all the way. I mean, he dont walk on water, nobody does, she said, but added that gas and food prices were better under his watch. The divisions in Springfield seems to be cultural and generational, as younger multicultural residents displace the older, white population that grew up here. Jim Timmons said he doesn't resent the fact that Trump has shone a spotlight on Springfield, where he's lived all his life. Liz Skalka/HuffPost I have no problem with them becoming an American citizen, said Jim Timmons, a 78-year-old dairy farmer who supports Trump. If you thought you were going to the United States, you had plenty of time to learn how to speak English. Timmons said last Friday he expects life to go back to normal in Springfield in a few days, and doesnt resent Trump for the attention hes drawn here. It will all die down and life will go on. As far as them eating whatever they want to eat, they were probably brought up that way, said the farmer, who grew up raising groundhogs to sell for food. Theres people that will pay good money for groundhog, because its good eating. Kelvin Stroman, a 57-year-old machine operator, has Haitian neighbors on both sides of his home and across the street. He said they mostly work and keep to themselves. Theres little drama except for one home across from his that has multiple signs in both English and Haitian Creole warning trespassers to stay off the lawn. Stroman learned about Haiti from a coworker he would sometimes drive home from work. He said the president got killed, that they were trying to kill the prime minister, Stroman recalled, referring to the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. I asked him why did you leave? He said he just couldnt take it anymore. Now hes trying to get his wife and kids over. He said its just not a restful place. GHA welcomes RICC Donation of two Vein Transilluminators for Rainbow Ward GHA Director General Kevin McGee attended a presentation by RICC (Research into Childhood Cancer) of medical equipment to St Bernards Hospital on Friday 20th August 2024. He was accompanied by Director of Nursing Sandie Gracia. Two Vein Transiluminator that will significantly enhance nurses ability to accurately locate veins particularly in babies were donated to the childrens Rainbow Ward by the charity. The Astodia vein finder is an innovative, lightweight item, designed specifically for neonates. By using advanced LEDs to illuminate even the smallest and most fragile veins, the device reduces the need for multiple needle sticks, ensuring a gentler and safer experience for our tiniest patients. It also reduces the trauma associated to repeated needle attempts and improves the overall patient and family experience. This piece of equipment was already used by paediatricians in the Emergency Department. Having access to its own Vein Transiluminator permits clinicians to provide the highest standard of care, especially in time critical situations where precise and quick access to veins is necessary. This is one of many items kindly donated by RICC to the GHA in a long standing relationship marked by the same shared commitment to promote the welfare of patients. The charity was represented by trustee Margaret Sacarello. Ms Sacarello said: I would like to thank our members, friends and family for their support in this initiative to donate equipment that will make childrens life easier and assist staff in their work, in keeping with the aims of our organisation. For his part GHA Director General Kevin McGee expressed his heartfelt thanks to the charity for their generous gesture and support and said: We are delighted to have such a close working relationship with RICC and value the kindness and important work that they do. This device will actually make a material difference in the care that we provide and greatly improve the comfort and care of the babies in our ward. At least eight people have died after some of the heaviest rain in years hit central and eastern Europe, causing flooding and widespread disruption. A slow-moving low pressure system dubbed Storm Boris dumped months worth of rain onto several of Europes historic capitals, including Vienna, Bratislava and Prague, over just a few days. On Monday, heavy rainfall continued to pummel the region with red alerts, the highest-level warning, still in effect for portions of Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia. In Poland on Sunday, one person drowned in Klodzko county and authorities advised residents of Moszczanka and Laka Prudnicka to evacuate after a dam at risk of collapse breached. In Austria the same day, a firefighter died in action, the fire department told CNN. In Romania, two more people were confirmed to have died from flooding on Sunday, following four deaths on Saturday. Rescuers have been working hard to rescue hundreds of people left stranded by heavy rainfall there. The effects were most critical in seven localities, Romanias Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu told Antena 3. Although teams managed to save 95 people trapped in their homes, the bodies of the dead were found in either their houses or yards, Predoiu added. Around 5,400 houses have been damaged in the southeastern region of Galati which has been hardest hit by the flooding, Antena 3 reported. Residents in one of the regions villages, Pechea, recounted their shock at the devastation wrought by the flooding. I have nothing left, social worker Sofia Basalic told AFP, describing how the gushes of water had entered the house and tore down the walls, destroying her kitchen appliances and killing her farm animals. Factory worker Gica Stan, whose entire house was also flooded, said he didnt even have a needle left and was now relying on donated clothes. Rescue services have been launched in hard-hit counties as authorities warn that they have recorded the heaviest rainfall in 100 years over the past 24 hours. While rainfall is expected to gradually ease for some of the hardest hit areas as Storm Boris slowly heads south towards the Mediterranean, flooding could persist in already waterlogged areas. Garages and a house flooded in the town of Kodzko, in Poland's southwest, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, after days of unusually heavy rain. - Krzysztof Zatycki/AP Rising water along the Wien River during heavy rain on September 15, 2024, in Vienna, Austria. - Christian Bruna/Getty Images Rivers have burst their banks in Poland and the Czech Republic. In southwest Poland, 1,600 people were evacuated in Klodzko county as local rivers reached record high water levels and broke their banks. Klodzko, a town of 25,000, was left partially submerged in water on Sunday. Polands Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters Sunday: We have the first confirmed death by drowning, here in the Klodzko County. The situation is still very dramatic in many place, he added. Unfortunately, these situations are repeating themselves in many places but some residents sometimes underestimate the level of threat and refuse to evacuate. In a post on X, Tusk said the government would announce a state of disaster and seek aid from the European Union. In the Czech Republic, authorities have been grappling with torrential rainfall across the breadth of the country. Czech President Petr Pavel warned reporters on Sunday that the flooding was still far from over with the countrys poorest regions likely to suffer the greatest damage in the coming days. In the northeast, up to 80% of the city of Krnov is submerged under water, CNN affiliate CNN Prima reported on Sunday. Since the beginning of the extreme rains, more than 10,500 people have been evacuated in the Czech Republic, General Director of the Fire Rescue Service Vladimir Vlcek told CNN Prima News Water is flowing over the whole of Krnov. We estimate that 70-80% of the town is under water. The water is almost at the town hall. The square is two-thirds flooded, the towns deputy mayor, Miroslav Binar said. A flooded house on September 15, 2024, in Jesenik, Czech Republic. - Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images A destroyed car under a tree that fell due to strong winds at the Ruinov estate in Bratislava, Slovakia, on September 15, 2024. - Tomas Benedikovic/AFP/Getty Images The swollen Biala River in Glucholazy, southern Poland. - Sergei Gapon/AFP/Getty Images In the southern municipality of Benesove nad Cernou, authorities released footage on Saturday showing two women being rescued by boat from a flooded street after failing to heed mandatory evacuation orders. In Germany, southern and eastern states in particular are preparing for flooding. Flood warnings have been issued for rivers in the state of Saxony. In neighboring Austria, heavy rainfall has caused water levels to rise in several rivers and rescue services have been called out to parts of the country. Many municipalities in Lower Austria have declared a state of emergency as heavy rainfall continued into Sunday. Europe is the worlds fastest-warming continent and global heating is fueling extreme weather events there. A warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor, meaning more intense rain when it falls, and hotter oceans whip up stronger storms. An analysis of a 2021 heavy rainfall event in Europe, in which more than 200 people were killed, found human-caused climate change had increased the likelihood and intensity of these events in the region. The World Weather Attribution initiative a group of scientists who study extreme weather and published the analysis concluded these changes will continue in a rapidly warming climate. European Union chiefs have also offered to assist countries dealing with the downpours. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen expressed her heartfelt solidarity to EU countries impacted by the flooding, also paying condolences to flooding victims and their families in a social media post. CNN meteorologists Taylor Ward, Allison Chinchar, and Elliana Hebert contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com (Reuters) -Microsoft said on Monday its board has approved a new share buy back program of up to $60 billion. The tech giant declared a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share, reflecting an 8 cent, or 10%, increase over the previous quarter. Microsoft said it will hold its annual shareholders meeting on Dec. 10. In July, the company said it will spend more this fiscal year on AI infrastructure. It reported a 77.6% rise in capital spending in the quarter ended June 30, largely due to AI-related expenses. The company reported a slowdown in growth at its Azure cloud business in the reported quarter but said growth would accelerate in the second half of fiscal 2025. Big tech companies, including Microsoft and Alphabet's Google, are facing investor pressure to show a pay off for the billions of dollars they have been investing in AI infrastructure. Microsoft is one of the few big companies that break out AI contributions in their quarterly earnings, as most firms are yet to see a big boost from AI investments. Last month, it had restructured how it reports results for its business units, moving some search and news advertising revenue under the Azure cloud-computing unit. Among other big technology companies, Apple unveiled a record $110 billion share buyback program in May after it reported upbeat quarterly results. Shares of Microsoft rose marginally in aftermarket trade. Stock has risen about 15% so far this year. (Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri) Seventeen Republicans who worked under former President Reagan endorsed Vice President Harris, her campaign announced in a press release Sunday. In the endorsement, which cited Reagans Time for Choosing speech, the Republicans said they believe Reagan would have supported Harriss presidential bid if he were alive today. While he is not here to experience the current moment, we who worked for him in the White House, in the Administration, in campaigns and on his personal staff, know he would join us in supporting the Harris-Walz ticket, they wrote in a statement. The former officials said they hope other Republicans will follow them in supporting Harris. Its our hope that this letter will signal to other Republicans and former Republicans that supporting the Democratic ticket this year is the only path forward toward an America that is strong and viable for our children and grandchildren for years to come, they wrote. The time for choosing we face today is a choice between integrity and demagoguery, and the choice must be Harris-Walz. The choice between truth and lies demands support for Harris-Walz, the former officials wrote. The choice between freedom and suppression of freedoms means support for Harris-Walz. Among the Republicans listed are Kenneth Adelman, Reagans ambassador to the U.N. and U.S. arms control director; Carol Adelman, assistant administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development; Elizabeth Board, deputy assistant to the president for communications; B. Jay Cooper, deputy assistant to the president under Reagan and deputy White House press secretary to President George H. W. Bush; Pete Souza, official White House photographer; and others. The statement follows a similar endorsement memo for Harris from more than 230 former staffers for Republican Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush and for presidential nominees Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). The Harris campaign has sought to emphasize its support from Republicans, and it made a point to include several Republican supporters at the Democratic National Convention. Recently, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and former Vice President Dick Cheney endorsed Harris. The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. LONDON (Reuters) - The outgoing head of NATO Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday he welcomed talks on Ukraine's use of long-range missiles to strike inside Russian territory, but any decision on the issue would have to be made by individual allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been pleading with allies for months to let Ukraine fire Western missiles including long-range U.S. ATACMS and British Storm Shadows deep into Russia to limit Moscow's ability to launch attacks. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Joe Biden held talks in Washington on Friday on whether to allow Kyiv to use the long-range missiles against targets in Russia. No decision was announced. "I welcome these developments and these decisions but its for individual allies to make the final decisions," Stoltenberg told LBC radio. "Allies have different policies on this." Some U.S. officials are deeply skeptical that allowing the use of such missiles would make a significant difference in Kyiv's battle against Russian invaders. President Vladimir Putin has said the West would be directly fighting Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike with Western-made long-range missiles. Asked about possible Russian retaliation, Stoltenberg said there were "no risk-free options in the war". "But I continue to believe that the biggest risk for us, for United Kingdom, for NATO, will be if President Putin wins in Ukraine," he added. (Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Andrew MacAskill and Hugh Lawson) Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has barred a Beverly Hills obstetrician-gynecologist and former member of its physician network from practicing at its facilities. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has barred a Beverly Hills obstetrician-gynecologist from practicing at its facilities after an investigation into "concerning complaints from patients," according to a spokesperson. Dr. Barry Brock, a longtime physician who has advertised his low rate of cesarean section births, has had his hospital privileges terminated and the matter reported to the Medical Board of California, according to Cedars-Sinai. "The type of behavior alleged about Dr. Brock is counter to Cedars-Sinais core values and the trust we strive to earn every day with our patients," its spokesperson said. Brock, 74, has denied any wrongdoing and said he had surrendered his privileges without any "fact finding" or "hearing on the merits" of the allegations. Cedars-Sinai did not immediately respond to those claims. Read more:'I don't want him to go': An autistic teen and his family face stark choices In August, weeks after his privileges at Cedars-Sinai were suspended pending an investigation, Brock emailed current and former patients to announce he was retiring from medicine at the end of the month, saying the "uncertainty of how long this process will take" left him unable to deliver the care his patients would expect. Neither Cedars-Sinai nor the medical board would discuss details of the allegations, saying they were confidential under the law. Nine former patients have spoken with The Times about alleged experiences with Brock and two shared complaints they sent to Cedars-Sinai. The written complaints and other records including complaints to the state medical board and police reports allege inappropriate remarks, unnecessary physical examinations, a botched medical procedure and the pressuring of a patient to undergo a vaginal birth when she sought a cesarean section. Brock, who was in private practice and not employed by Cedars-Sinai at the time of his termination, denied any accusations of sexual misconduct and said "these few anonymous allegations" were not indicative of his skills or "my character that I have shown day-in and day-out in my practice and in the delivery room for 46 years." He said Cedars-Sinai had only offered a summary of the complaints, and that it was "not a fair process" to be asked to defend himself without being able to identify the patients involved. Any claim that I performed a medical examination or procedure for anything but a medical purpose or conducted it in a way for my own personal gratification, to discourage C-Sections, or to sexually harass a patient is an outrageously false claim, Brock told The Times. Read more:Desperate parents turn to magnetic therapy to help kids with autism. They have little evidence to go on Brock left Cedars-Sinais physician network in 2018, the hospital spokesperson said, but retained delivery privileges at the medical center. He went first into private practice at Rodeo Drive Womens Health Center in Beverly Hills and moved to a different private practice in Beverly Hills in January 2021. In one complaint filed with the state medical board, a patient wrote: "Dr. Brock commented on the size of my breasts, proclaiming that my husband 'must be enjoying these.' This comment was made during an impromptu and forced breast exam." (The Times is not naming the patient, as the case involves an accusation of sexual assault.) Brock, responding to the allegation, told The Times that "this is not the type of comment I would ever make. I have performed clinical breast exams on thousands of women, and I am looking for medical issues. When the patient was admitted to Cedars-Sinai a week after her due date with low amniotic fluid, Dr. Brock ordered the nursing staff to do everything possible to facilitate a natural delivery, which became torturous for me, she wrote in her medical board complaint. Mine and my husbands requests to Cedars staff for a different OBGYN to deliver our baby fell on deaf ears. The patient wrote that she was diagnosed with an infection as labor wore on, and that her fetus' heart rate plummeted. Brock eventually performed an emergency C-section roughly 20 hours after labor began. The baby emerged blue and unresponsive, according to hospital records The Times reviewed, and required resuscitation. The patient wrote that Brocks first comments to her after birth were not about her infants condition, but about her vagina. After the surgery, Dr. Brock proclaimed that I would stay nice and tight down there, she wrote in her medical board complaint. Brock said in response that without sufficient information to review the patients medical records, I cannot state what occurred here. If patients request a C-Section, I do not deny one and do what is best for the patient and the baby. I have done elective C-Sections throughout my career. As for the alleged comment, I never use the words 'tight' to describe the vaginal canal, Brock said. Another patient who complained to Cedars-Sinai also reported her allegations to the Beverly Hills Police Department. As of mid-September, Brock said he hadnt been contacted by the department. In a police report reviewed by The Times, the patient described going to a gynecologist in 2020 to have him "flip a breech baby. She said the doctor performed breast and vaginal exams on her before doing an ultrasound and made comments about her body, such as remarking on her not having stretch marks, the police report said. The woman found his remarks to be unprofessional and said they caused her to feel uncomfortable, and said she felt the breast exam was unnecessary, according to the police report. It does not name the doctor, but the woman identified him as Brock. The episode made her feel like she had been taken advantage of, the police report stated. Read more:Nearly $1 billion in funds left unspent by centers for disabled Californians Guidance from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that an ultrasound is necessary before attempting the procedure, but does not mention any other physical exams. Experts said performing a breast exam was not standard for the procedure, although a breast exam might be undertaken for other reasons, such as initiating care with a new patient. Brock said such exams were standard for his new pregnant patients. Any patient who believed that they could simply show up at a new OB-GYN office and expect that physician to not perform a physical did not understand the process of becoming a new patient, he wrote. If the patient had a physical issue that was missed due to me not performing a physical or breast exam, I would have been legally responsible for malpractice. As for his alleged comments, I do not recall any exact instance of commenting on the lack of stretch marks in an inappropriate way, he wrote. However, there have been patients who did not have any stretch marks well into their pregnancy and when asked if it is possible to avoid stretch marks entirely, I have made comments such as you are lucky. A third former patient, who did not complain to Cedars-Sinai before the suspension, filed a complaint against Brock to the medical board in April and with Beverly Hills police in July. The doctors name was redacted from the police report copy provided to The Times; the patient confirmed it was Brock. During her second pregnancy in 2022, the woman said Brock made comments about her body so frequently that she requested a chaperone be present during her visits with him, according to the police report. Following delivery of her second child, Brock spent an unusually long time suturing what he said was a small labial tear, she told police and the medical board. The sutures remained tight and painful weeks after the birth, she wrote in the medical board complaint. When she described the problem during a follow-up appointment, the woman wrote in the medical board complaint, Brock told me if I didn't like the way it looked [the stitching of my vagina], because I wanted to get back into porn, he could do a corrective procedure for me. Brock denied making such remarks, saying that I would never say or imply that a patient could get back into porn. He also said he had never been informed that any patient had asked for a chaperone due to comments on their body. Read more:Peanuts! Get your peanuts! Kids who eat them early are much less likely to develop an allergy, studies conclude In her complaint, the patient wrote that she ultimately left the practice and sought care from another doctor who told her that Brock had stitched her labia minora together, leaving only a small opening for her vagina. Two years later, activities like using the bathroom, exercising and sexual intercourse remain painful as a result of the injury, she wrote in the complaint. In a written response provided by his attorney, Brock said that while he could not speak definitely without being able to identify the patient and consult her record, he doubted the problems she described were caused by his suturing. Dr. Sharon Winer, a gynecologist who has referred patients to Brock, called him "one of the best OBs that I've ever seen" and said that when it comes to healthcare, you cannot take a single act or activity and take it out of medical context. His attorney also provided emails from former patients praising his care. He absolutely has a colorful personality, and can be direct to the point of possible offense ... to those who dont know or understand his sense of humor, one wrote, but when it comes down to his skill, his bedside manner, and his commitment to patients, he is UNMATCHED. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. By Michel Rose and Foo Yun Chee PARIS/BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Thierry Breton of France abruptly resigned from the European Commission on Monday and was replaced by Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne as his country's candidate for the next EU executive body, an unexpected twist in the highly political EU power transition. Breton announced his resignation in a toughly-worded statement as Commission President Ursula von der Leyen - whom he accused of "questionable governance" - prepares to announce this week who will be part of her new five-year team. As France appointed Sejourne, a close ally, and a former EU lawmaker, as its new candidate, President Emmanuel Macron's office made clear he was vying for a key portfolio centered on industrial sovereignty and European competitiveness. Breton, one of the highest-profile members of the European Commission for the past five years, is best known for sparring publicly with tech billionaire Elon Musk and playing a key role in shaping the 27-nation EU's Big Tech regulation, its COVID-vaccine response and efforts to boost defence industries. In his resignation letter, Breton alleged that von der Leyen, with whom he has fallen out, had asked France "a few days ago" to withdraw his name as its pick for the Commission "for personal reasons" in return for an "allegedly more influential portfolio". "In light of these latest developments - further testimony to questionable governance - I have to conclude that I can no longer exercise my duties in the College," Breton said in the letter. Reuters was unable to verify the allegation. Von der Leyen's office declined to comment on Breton's comments and his resignation. A Commission spokesperson said von der Leyen still hoped to be able to present the proposed new Commission team on Tuesday. KEY JOBS The move can also been seen as a power play between the EU's two biggest heavyweights - von der Leyen's home country Germany and France - over who calls the shots in the EU at a time when Macron is weakened at home after having lost EU and French parliamentary elections. As the EU's second-biggest member state, France is eyeing a major post in the shake-up of key jobs in EU institutions that follows the June European Parliament elections. "The President of the Republic has always defended obtaining for France a key portfolio of European Commissioner, focused on the issues of industrial, technological sovereignty and European competitiveness," Macron's office said in a statement. "This is the meaning of all the contacts he has had with the President of the European Commission since her election by the European Parliament." Sejourne, who led his party's ticket in the EU elections in 2019, kept a rather low-key profile at France's foreign ministry, which he had been leading since January, and where he stuck to, and defended, Macron's line. Breton, a former French minister and business executive, was the EU's industry and internal market commissioner during von der Leyen's first term. He had backed the telecoms sector' push to get Big Tech to help fund the rollout of 5G and fast-speed broadband across Europe. Their relationship had taken a turn for the worse over recent months. The French commissioner, a liberal, had angered von der Leyen by publicly criticising her nomination as the European conservative EPP's party candidate to head the Commission for a second term, EU officials have said. Breton's public feuds with Musk had also been met with dismay among other Commission colleagues, officials added. Nevertheless, the latest developments were a surprise, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said, adding that Breton had been expected to be reappointed by von der Leyen. (Writing by Ingrid Melander; Additional reporting by Tassilo Hummel, John Irish in Paris, Andrew Gray, Sudip Kar-Gupta in Brussels, Bart Meijer in Amsterdam; Editing by Angus MacSwan) ADEN (Reuters) -Hamas chief Yehya Sinwar congratulated Yemen's Houthi group for its missile attack on Israel over the weekend and said this sent a message to their foe, the Houthi Al-Massirah TV reported on Monday, underscoring fears the war in Gaza could erupt into a wider regional conflict. The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control northern Yemen, reached central Israel with a missile on Sunday for the first time, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to say Israel would inflict a "heavy price" on them. The United States appeared dismissive of Houthi claims that it fired a difficult-to-intercept hypersonic missile, and Iran, its military supporter, denied transferring any hypersonic missiles to the country. But the latest Houthi strike, and the threat of Israeli retaliation, were a reminder of how the nearly year-old war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel could still broaden into a full-blown regional conflict, despite U.S. efforts to contain the crisis. "I congratulate you on your success in reaching the depth of the enemy entity," Sinwar said in a letter to Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi. Sinwar is leading Iran-backed Hamas in the war against Israel in the Gaza Strip, now in its 12th month. The Hamas chief said that Israel's plans to neutralize the militant group had failed. "I assure you that the resistance is fine. We have prepared ourselves to fight a long battle of attrition," he said. The Houthis published on Monday an almost two-minute video of what they said was the "hypersonic" Palestine 2 missile being launched in Sunday's attack on Israel. The word "hypersonic" was written on the side of missile in red letters. The Yemeni group's video said the missile's range is 2,150 km (1,342 miles), with speeds of up to Mach 16, meaning 16 times the speed of sound. Although ballistic missiles can travel faster than sound, a hypersonic weapon travels at more than five times the speed of sound and is highly maneuverable, helping it avoid interception. "It possesses high ability to maneuver beyond the world's newest and most powerful air defense systems, including the Iron Dome," the group said. Still, the Pentagon said it concluded that the Houthis fired a ballistic missile at Israel. If the Houthis did have a hypersonic missile, it would be a first for the mountain fighters known more their audacious attacks than their technological prowess. Fabian Hinz, an expert on Irans missile program at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, discounted the Houthis claim and said Houthi video and photos suggested the weapon was an Iranian-produced Kheibar Shekan. Hinz said that Iranian missile was a solid-fuel, medium-range ballistic missile that the Houthis showed in 2022 and called the Hatem. An Israeli military official said the missile was hit by an interceptor and fragmented in the air. Missile pieces landed in fields and near a railway station. There were no direct casualties but nine people were lightly hurt while seeking cover. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari in Aden and Clauda Tanios and Nayera Abdallah in Dubai, Jaidaa Taha in Cairo, Phil Stewart and Jonathan Landay in Washington; Editing by Gareth Jones, Angus MacSwan, Don Durfee and Cynthia Osterman) Flooding in central Europe has led to at least eight deaths since Saturday. According to Reuters, a firefighter in Austria and a man in Poland died from the flooding Sunday. Flooding killed six other people in Romania over the weekend. A low-pressure system, called Storm Boris, continued to bring heavy downpours to countries across central Europe, causing rivers to flood in Poland, Romania, Austria and the Czech Republic. Austrian officials declared the province surrounding Vienna a disaster area, Reuters reported. Austrian Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler said the firefighter died while combating flooding in Lower Austria. In Klodzko county, Poland, flooding left a man dead, according to Reuters. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Klodzko County was the hardest-hit area of the country after meeting officials in the main town, Reuters reported. A bridge collapsed in the historic Polish town of Glucholazy, according to Reuters. Officials in Glucholazy ordered evacuations early Sunday, although efforts to protect the town's infrastructure failed to prevent the bridge collapse, Reuters said. More than 10,000 people were evacuated from the Czech Republic because of flooding. Czech police said they were looking for three people who were in a car that plunged into the river Staric on Saturday near Lipova-lazne, a village about 146 miles east of Prague, Reuters reported. Heavy rainfall across Europe is expected to continue through at least Monday. Original article source: At least 8 dead as flooding ravages central Europe WASHINGTON - A man was killed early Monday morning after gunfire erupted near the Dupont Circle neighborhood of northwest Washington, D.C. The shooting happened around 5:14 a.m. in the 1700 block of Rhode Island Avenue. Detectives say the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Police are searching for three suspects wearing black clothing, ski masks, and driving a white vehicle. Commuters may experience delays in the area following road closures and delays to mass transit. Anyone with information is asked to contact police. Release of The Alternative to Abortion: Why We Must be Pro Abundant Life -- Press Conference Tuesday MEDIA ADVISORY NEWS PROVIDED BY Care Net Sept. 16, 2024 MEDIA ADVISORY, Sept. 16, 2024 /Standard Newswire/ -- What: Live virtual press conference on the release of The Alternative to Abortion: Why We Must be Pro Abundant Life, by Roland Warren, president and CEO of Care Net. Who: Roland Warren and Pastor David Platt, McLean Bible Church When: Tuesday, September 17, 2024, 10 am eastern. Where: Live via Zoom. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/ WN_vIBKk3d8T1qm6FSQtjDm0A#/registration Why: Roland C. Warren, president and CEO of Care Net, has authored a new book, The Alternative to Abortion: Why We Must be Pro Abundant Life, challenging pro-life Christians to embrace a new vision for how to win the fight against abortion in America. After the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June of 2022, many pro-life Americans -- especially Christians -- began asking, "Now what?" In the more than two years that have passed since that momentous Supreme Court decision, the pro-life movement has provided a variety of answers. But as these (sometimes conflicting) answers have been tested and debated, Americans, when given the option, have chosen more abortions and more pro-choice laws, not fewer. Against this backdrop and with a presidential election looming, Warren lays out a comprehensive and biblically based approach to address the abortion issue in his thought-provoking book. The live event will feature Roland and Pastor David Platt, writer of the foreword, as they are interviewed about the book, why it was written, and why now. How: Register for the live media event at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/ WN_vIBKk3d8T1qm6FSQtjDm0A#/registration SOURCE Care Net CONTACT: Vincent DiCaro, 703-554-8741, vdicaro@care-net.org by Brooks Riley I didnt plan to write about Caspar David Friedrich for his 250th birthday. He belongs to a different time in my life and a different aesthetic pathology. But as the date edged closer, I found myself missing that impossible reach for the sublime that his work had once provoked in me. I cannot not write about him. The first time I became aware of Friedrich, many years ago, I was in Zurich to meet an elderly Jungian psychoanalystmy head stuffed with theoretical questions and eerie dreams with soundtracks by Scriabin. Walking down the Bahnhofstrasse, I passed a bookstore window displaying a stunning art book with the elegant title Traum und Wahrheit (Dream and Truth) and a simple subtitle: Deutsche Romantik. I didnt yet speak German, but I knew enough to be interested. The book was too heavy for my luggage. I bought it anyway and had it shipped. What lured my eye to the cover as I passed by was a partial view from one of my now favorite Friedrich paintings, Das Groe Gehege (The Great Enclosure)a cool marshy landscape evoking real ones I would later see from train windows. How could just a corner of a painting have such power? It was the light, the late afternoon saturation of yellow, the black shadowed trees, and the hint of evening gloom already visible as gray on the horizon even though the sky above was still blue. I was captivated. Later, it was the darkness that would keep me going back to his work. Caspar David Friedrich loved the dark. He loved it so much that he got married at 6 am on a cold January morning, long before a Dresden sunrise. He often went out for walks along the Elbe at dawn or at dusk and lurked in the twilights or the moonlights, bringing home threads of illuminated thinking one can only have at night in the dark. I understand him. Darkness, with its tendency to distort as well as to obscure, is conducive to thinking in unlikely ways, offering a different kind of clarity that is difficult to achieve in daylight, when the light interferes demanding attention. He loved the outer edges of the day when the light was at its most unpredictablebut not the noonday sun with its steady blast of klieg-light overexposure. (His series on times of day includes an overcast middayconfirming my suspicion he would do anything to avoid painting high noon on a clear day.) For a painter who came to embody German Romanticism, Friedrich was surprisingly sober and unromantica biedermeier Pomeranian Lutheran who married late and raised three children without letting them change his set and solitary ways. With the possible exception of Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, there was nothing vain or Byronic in his character. No impulsive behavior or wild excesses. No trips to Italy. He didnt belong to that lively rebel group of Jena poets and thinkers who were busy fomenting the movement called Romanticism. He did have friends, most of them fellow painters, and is said to have had a good sense of humor, in spite of periodic bouts of depression. Even after finishing his studies in Copenhagen, he didnt paint in oil until he was nearly thirty. Instead, he wandered and sketched for years, honing his craft to build a collection of vistas, trees, and boulders the way a location scout for a movie might do. Back in his atelier, (a spare room with an easel by the window) he would eventually delve into this reserveto forge the landscapes of his imagination in oil. That window says it all: The lower half is shuttered to block the view. All Friedrich needed was the light by which to paint. The rest came from within. A picture must not be invented but felt. He wasnt after verisimilitude, even when he approximated existing landscapes. He was after the empowering essence of nature and the mercurial atmosphere that went with itakin to bottling a magical time of day or preserving a ghostly moment between the pages of an album. He could make a landscape breathe in and out. You didnt just see the damp rising from the earth, you could smell it, or feel the cool evergreen mist settling down between the trees at dusk. Many of his paintings are the expressions of a secular sublime, that very expansive dimension of feeling and belonging that is the promise of Romanticismespecially now, if only as a distant echo, in an era when nature in its purest form is endangered or irrevocably altered. Some early Friedrich paintings are cringeworthy by todays standards, with religious emblems superimposed on his wild and pagan natural worldas tasteless as a billboard for god in Yosemite. Crucifixes like stickers atop rocky precipices are the kind of kitsch that reminds me of Durers praying hands. It wasnt Durers fault that those hands went viral, he was simply sketching them for use in a painting where they would have gone unnoticed. But for a time, Friedrich was definitely guilty of desecrating the very essence of that natural universe he so meticulously crafted. Fortunately, he abandoned the habit early on, but for an occasional church ruin or abandoned cemetery. Dropping those crosses made way for the staffage and Ruckenfiguren (figures viewed from the back) that humanize his work. The scale is often off the chartsthe tiny shepherd and his flock against the vastness of the extending mountains in Morning in the Mountains. But it doesnt matter. That shepherd is our connection to this wilderness, just as those two men watching the sunset are our guides to Friedrichs umbrous shoreline. We are all one and the same, whether dwarfed by the surroundings or prominent in the foreground; we take up these roles as observersall facing in the same direction as the Ruckenfiguren. This may explain the explosive popularity of Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, which allows us to become that figure looking out over the foggy terrainin a metaphor of our own choosing. Friedrich changed the course of art history with his Ruckenfiguren. In Florian Illiess lovely book, Zauber der Stille (The Magic of Silence), he somewhat overstates the case that Friedrich used figures seen from the back because he was bad at painting faces. I prefer to think that he wasnt interested in faceswhich puts him at odds with the long history of art, which has nearly always included faces where human figures are featured. His lack of interest in faces was not misanthropic. He often anchored those hybrid landscapes to the people gazing at them. He understood that the ambiguity of the Ruckenfigur was more potent than the depiction of awe and wonder on a face. He kept our eyes on the ball by having us pay attention to what his Ruckenfiguren were looking at.* Some of his work borders on the abstractviews of the sky that completely ignore the ground below. Or The Monk by the Seanot a monk at all but Friedrich himself facing the roiling fogbank headed his way across the watera darkly prophetic painting that broke the rules and laid bare his existential angst. Its also a personal declaration: I have to surrender myself to what encircles me, I have to merge with my clouds and rocks in order to be what I am. Solitude is indispensable for my dialogue with nature. Goethe, an early fan, didnt get this painting, and even made fun of it. The one who bought it, the 14-year-old Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, fell in love with it. My personal favorites change from year to yearor from hour to hour, depending on my mood: The Sea of Ice I once wrote: I am certain that he saw the end comingrecognizing the awful beauty in destruction. . . All thats left of us is a shipwreck, dwarfed by massive colliding slabs of ice. How prophetic he was. The Lonely Tree The perfect ratio of man to nature in this gorgeous landscape. Evening on the Baltic Sea A rare example of figures seen from the fronttwo men warming themselves in front of a fire, one of them smoking. Friedrichs mastery of light is on full display here. View of Arkona with Moon Rising This pencil and sepia ink drawing from 1803 makes me want to put on sunglasses even though its just a paper moon. Friedrich became a star during his lifetime but fell into obscurity and poverty long before his life was over. A stroke ended his career five years before his death in 1840. More than sixty years would go by before he was rediscovered by the Norwegian art historian Andreas Aubert at the turn of the 20th century. Later, the Nazis would misappropriate Friedrich for their cultural agenda. It was only in the seventies that he began to be resurrected from a complicated legacy. The current exhibitions around his big birthday will finally confirm his rightful role as a paragon of German Romanticism. Friedrich seemed to flirt with that possibility: I am not so weak as to submit to the demands of the age when they go against my convictions. I spin a cocoon around myself; let others do the same. I shall leave it to time to show what will come of it: a brilliant butterfly or maggot. Welcome, butterfly. ***** * I could always guess what my two cats were thinking when I saw them from behind. It was their body language. Unlike Friedrich, I do have trouble drawing. But I was lucky enough to capture their mismatched personalities on first try. These Ruckenkatzen became the template for my weekly cartoon Catspeak at 3 Quarks Daily: Two cats with two very different outlooks on lifethe clueless optimist whos shocked at every piece of bad news and the world-weary cynic who expected it all along. The cats thank you, Caspar, and have made you a birthday card. -Anyone in or near Manhattan between February 8 and May 11, 2025 should not miss the first major US exhibition of Friedrichs works, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. -I recommend Florian Illies Zauber der Stille as a fascinating and accessible collection of vignettes about Friedrich and the troubled destinies of many of his greatest works. A bestseller in Germany, the book will be out in English in November under the title: The Magic of Silence. -For those who want to read more about the Ruckenfigur, check out my Substack post on the subject. the content on 3QD? Help keep us going by donating now. By Ahmed Kingimi MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - People in Nigeria's flood-hit northeastern Borno state are struggling to get medical care as overwhelmed aid agencies warn of an outbreak of waterborne disease following the worst floods to hit the region in three decades. More than 30 people have been killed by the floods, which authorities say affected about one million people, most of whom are housed in camps without food and clean water. The deluge threatens not only the health and safety of the displaced but puts a strain on aid agencies and government resources, exacerbating an already critical humanitarian crisis. The floods in Borno, the birthplace of Boko Haram militants in the Lake Chad basin, started when a dam burst its walls following heavy rainfall that has also caused floods in Cameroon, Chad, Mali and Niger, all part of Africa's Sahel region that usually receives little rain. In the last two weeks of August, more than 1.5 million people were displaced across 12 countries in West and Central Africa due to floods, and about 465 have been killed, according to the United Nations humanitarian affairs office. Over the weekend, an additional 50,000 people were displaced in northeastern Nigeria as the floods intensified, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Monday. "The situation in the Sahel and Lake Chad region is increasingly dire, as the compounding effects of conflict, displacement and climate change take a severe toll on vulnerable populations," said Hassane Hamadou, NRC's Central and West Africa regional director. The floods in West Africa come at a time of flooding in Europe after days of torrential rain that caused rivers to burst their banks in several parts of the region. In a camp in Maiduguri, Borno's state capital, Bintu Amadu was among hundreds of frustrated people waiting for hours to see a doctor because her son had diarrhoea. "We have not received any aid, and our attempts to see a doctor have been unsuccessful. We have been waiting for medical attention since yesterday, but to no avail," she said. Ramatu Yajubu was happy she had obtained an appointment card after waiting for days, but quickly added: "I am uncertain about receiving attention due to the overwhelming number of people seeking care." Mathias Goemaere, a field coordinator for Medecins Sans Frontieres, said that even before the floods, residents in Borno were struggling with malnutrition, following years of an Islamist insurgency that has driven people from their farms. "They are exposed to their environment, so what do we see? A lot of waterborne diseases, diarrhoea, diarrhoeal diseases ... Malaria is around with a lot of mosquitoes," Goemaere told Reuters. "So a lot of people, because of malnutrition, are immuno-suppressed, which makes them more susceptible to diseases." Nigeria's government has separately warned of rising water levels in the country's largest rivers, the Benue and Niger, which could cause floods in the oil-producing Niger Delta region in the south. (Writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe and Bate Felix, Editing by William Maclean) Hiroyuki Sanada, center, holds up "Shogun's" Emmy Award for drama series onstage with the show's cast and crew. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Shogun had a historic 2024 Emmy night. FX's historical drama set in feudal Japan won the Emmy for drama series on Sunday. The win caps off a night that also saw series stars Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada awarded the prizes for lead actress and lead actor in a drama series, as well as an Emmy for director Frederick E.O. Toye. Shogun," which featured mostly Japanese dialogue, is the second non-English-language series to be named the year's top drama by the Television Academy after Netflix's "Squid Game." In accepting "Shoguns" drama series award, showrunner and co-creator Justin Marks thanked the executives who greenlit a very expensive, subtitled Japanese period piece whose central climax revolves around a poetry competition. Shogun is a show about translation, said Marks, who created the series with Rachel Kondo. Not what is lost but what is found when you do safety meetings in two languages and you learn not to walk onto tatami mats with your utility boots. Read more:2024 Emmy Awards: The complete list of winners When the show's star and producer Sanada was handed the microphone, the Japanese actor used the occasion to express his gratitude in Japanese to everyone who has carried on the art of jidaigeki samurai period dramas over the years, including directors, crew members and other masters of the craft. The passions and dreams we have inherited from you have crossed oceans and borders, Sanada continued in Japanese. Arigato gozaimasu, added Marks in thanks after reading the translations of Sanada's remarks. Both Sanada's and Sawai's win were also historic. Sawai is the first actor of Asian descent to win her category, while Sanada is just the second Asian actor to win his. (Lee Jung-jae of "Squid Game" was the first.) Sunday's wins bring "Shoguns" overall Emmy haul to 18, the most ever awarded to a show in a single year. The series, which follows Sanadas Lord Toranaga as he patiently outmaneuvers his political rivals in his rise to power, had led the pack when nominees were announced in July with 25 overall nominations and had already notched 14 wins at the Creative Arts Emmys earlier this month. Read more:All the best and worst moments of the 2024 Emmys, as they happened Anna Sawai accepts the award for lead actress in a drama for her role in "Shogun" at the 76th Emmy Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Im beyond honored to be here with amazing nominees, said Sanada, who portrayed the quietly ambitious warlord Yoshii Toranaga, as he accepted the lead drama actor award. Thank you to all the crew and cast of Shogun. Im so proud of you. Shoguns taught me that when people work together, we can make a miracle. We can create a better future together. Sawai, who had burst into tears as soon as Sanada's win was announced, joked about her crying onstage afterward. I was crying before my name was announced. Im a mess today, said Sawai, who portrayed troubled translator Toda Mariko. After thanking her mother, she paid homage to all the women who expect nothing but continue to be an example for everyone. FXs adaptation of James Clavells bestselling novel primarily centers on a core trio that includes Sanadas strategic warlord Toranaga, his vassal and disgraced noblewoman Lady Mariko (Sawai) and stranded English pilot John Blackthorne (nominee Cosmo Jarvis). Clavells 1975 novel was adapted into an Emmy Award-winning limited series in 1980. Read more:Anna Sawais Shogun role felt personal: Mariko is 'every woman in Japan who has suffered In a previous interview with The Times, Sanada discussed his admiration for Tokugawa Ieyasu, the real-life shogun on whom Toranaga is based. He was a hero from my childhood, Sanada said. He created a peaceful era for a long time after the war period. Hes still a hero in Japan, and I hope that playing him and introducing what he did will bring a very important message to the world. Speaking to The Times prior to the show's launch, Sawai discussed how the role was pretty tough and said that Marikos story felt very personal. I dont think I knew how deeply affected I was going to be by Mariko, Sawai said. She felt very real to me and the weight of [her story] was very heavy. Sawai joins Ali Wong, who won an Emmy for her performance in the limited series Beef in January, as the only women of Asian descent to win lead acting Emmys. Shoguns other Emmy wins include guest actor in a drama series (Nestor Carbonell), casting for a drama series, production design for a narrative period or fantasy program, sound editing for a comedy or drama series, cinematography for a series, sound mixing for a comedy or drama series, special visual effects in a season or movie, picture editing for a drama series, stunt performance, period or fantasy/sci-fi hairstyling, period or fantasy/sci-fi makeup, period costumes for a series, prosthetic makeup and main title design. In May, FX and Hulu announced that Shogun had been renewed for at least two more seasons. While the first season has already covered all of the events in Clavells novel, Marks and Kondo told The Times in a previous interview that there had been ideas that they werent able to include in Season 1. The show [is] not necessarily a reflection of the world as it is today, Marks said. Its nice sometimes to go to a world like this where people have principle and they really stand for it and, in some cases die for it. You want to spend time with people who believe in something desperately and passionately and I think you cant get any more profound believers than these characters, Kondo said. Sign up for Screen Gab, a free newsletter about the TV and movies everyones talking about from the L.A. Times. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Is TikTok trying to secretly influence Americans at the behest of the Chinese government? That question is at the heart of the legal battle over a law passed by Congress that could result in a ban on the popular social media company in the United States a clash that will play out in court Monday as each side presents oral arguments in a Washington, D.C., courtroom. In court documents filed in advance of the hearing heavily redacted, because they contain classified information the Justice Department and a senior U.S. intelligence official say flatly that they have no direct evidence China has used TikTok for propaganda purposes in the U.S. They also say there is significant risk that could happen. But a pair of academic studies cited in the court documents and congressional testimony make the case that the platform is biased in favor of Chinese government views, including suppressing information on Chinas treatment of its Uyghur minority and its actions in Tibet. And an analysis of the ownership structure of TikTok parent company ByteDance, obtained by NBC News, argues that the company is deeply entangled with some of Chinas major government propaganda organs. The studies, by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) at Rutgers University, present compelling and strong circumstantial evidence of TikToks covert content manipulation, the authors wrote. The most recent one, published last month, found that TikTok suppresses anti-China content compared to YouTube and other social media platforms. TikTok says the studies are deeply flawed. The Justice Department disagrees and cited some of the research in its brief for Mondays oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, TikToks first foray into a federal courtroom to challenge the law. The case could ultimately end up at the Supreme Court. The ownership analysis, prepared by Strider Technologies a private analytical firm with long experience sifting through publicly available information in China examines the influence on TikTok of the Chinese government through whats known as a golden share, a 1% interest in ByteDances main Chinese subsidiary that it says gives the company three directors seats and other special privileges. In recent years, according to media reports, Chinese government entities have increasingly taken golden shares in technology companies. TikTok says there is nothing unusual about the structure. Congress enacts a de facto ban As many as a third of Americans ages 18 to 29 get most of their news from TikTok, and research shows half of that cohort uses the platform to keep up with politics. The platforms growing popularity, amid an increasingly adversarial U.S. relationship with China, sparked a rare bipartisan movement to action this year in Washington. In April, Congress passed a bill giving ByteDance 270 days to sell TikTok. If that doesnt happen, the app would be subject to restrictions on downloads and content sharing. ByteDance says that amounts to a ban, and the company went to court to stop it, arguing it violates the free speech protections of the Constitutions First Amendment. Members of Congress from both parties say they view TikTok as essentially under the control of the Chinese government, regardless of the professions of independence by company officials. We shouldnt lose sight of the fact that under Chinese law, TikToks owners are ultimately beholden not to shareholders or their users, but to the Communist Party of China, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said in a statement to NBC News. American intelligence agencies for years have been raising concerns about what they say are the national security risks from TikTok, which they frame as potential harms that so far have not come to pass. They say the risks are twofold: that the Chinese government could exploit the sensitive information TikTok retains on its 170 million U.S. users, including location and phone contacts; and that TikToks proprietary algorithm could be secretly manipulated by the Chinese government to shape the content that users receive for its own malign purposes, as the Justice Department brief puts it. U.S. officials also point out that Chinas national security law requires Chinese companies to provide data and otherwise cooperate with the government upon request. TikTok counters that the information it collects is no different than that gathered by many popular apps, and it says it would never provide data or shape its content at the behest of the Chinese government. And it says the U.S. government also has the ability to demand user data from tech companies for intelligence and law enforcement purposes. In an affidavit attached to the latest Justice Department filing, a senior intelligence official Casey Blackburn, assistant director of national intelligence and the director of the Office of Economic Security and Emerging Technology at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence wrote that ByteDance and TikTok pose a potential threat to U.S. national security because they could be used by the [Peoples Republic of China] against the United States in two principal ways: malign foreign influence targeting U.S. persons, and collection of sensitive data of U.S. persons. He wrote that there is a risk that the PRC may coerce ByteDance or TikTok to covertly manipulate the information received by the millions of Americans that use the TikTok application every day, through censorship or manipulation of TikToks algorithm, in ways that benefit the PRC and harm the United States. But, he added, we have no information that the PRC has done so with respect to the platform operated by TikTok in the United States. The NCRI analyses suggest that TikToks content delivery system already is skewed in ways that benefit the Chinese government. The first one, published in December 2023 and cited in Blackburns affidavit, found that sensitive topics often censored by the Chinese government within its borders including the Tiananmen Square massacre, Chinese oppression of Tibetans and the Uyghur population, and pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong are significantly underrepresented on TikTok compared with Instagram. That is true even though content about pop culture topics generally appears at the same frequency on Instagram and TikTok, according to the analysis. We assess a strong possibility that content on TikTok is either amplified or suppressed based on its alignment with the interests of the Chinese government, the report said. In the second study, published last month, researchers created 24 accounts on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, and searched for content that is often censored in China, including Uyghur, Xinjiang, Tibet and Tiananmen. The results include much more pro-China content than anti-China content, and far more irrelevant information than what came up on the other platforms, the study says. This report establishes that TikTok algorithms actively suppress content critical of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) while simultaneously boosting pro-China propaganda and promoting distracting, irrelevant content, the researchers wrote. In a statement, TikTok called the study a non-peer reviewed, flawed experiment clearly engineered to reach a false, predetermined conclusion. A TikTok spokesperson added, Creating fake accounts that interact with the app in a prescribed manner does not reflect real users experience, just as this so-called study does not reflect facts or reality. In his affidavit, Blackburn, the U.S. intelligence official, says the U.S. concern about content manipulation is grounded in the actions ByteDance and TikTok have already taken overseas, and in [Chinas] malign activities in the United States that, while not reliant on ByteDance and TikTok to date, demonstrate its capability and intent to engage in malign foreign influence and theft of sensitive data. A Chinese government stake TikToks CEO has told Congress his company has no relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. The Strider analysis points to the golden share owned by Net Investment Chinese (Beijing) Technology Co. That company is co-owned by the Communist Party-led China Central Radio and Television Station and the Beijing State-owned Cultural Assets Supervision and Administration Office, among other government entities, Strider found. Despite the relatively small economic ownership associated with this stake, the special share includes privileges that give Net Investment Chinese (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. and its government controllers significant influence over ByteDance, Strider wrote in its analysis. Among those the company appointed to the board of the ByteDance subsidiary is Wu Shugang, who has spent most of his public sector career in propaganda roles since he joined Chinas Ministry of Education in 2007, according to Chinese government websites and official media reports, Strider found. ByteDance has said that the Chinese subsidiary had to adopt a special management share arrangement to obtain the licenses for its social-media apps and that the subsidiary doesnt have input in the parents global operations, including TikTok. A TikTok spokesperson said, "Everyone knows all international companies need to abide by the local laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which they operate." In their court brief, lawyers for TikTok did not seek to address the governments concerns about national security, which they called speculative, or links to the Chinese Communist Party. They framed the case as entirely a dispute about free speech. They cited a Supreme Court case decided at the height of the Cold War holding that the First Amendment barred efforts to ban receipt of communist political propaganda from foreign countries. Subject to narrow, well-established exceptions not applicable here, speech does not lose First Amendment protection because the government deems it untrue, they wrote. Never before has Congress expressly singled out and shut down a specific speech forum. Never before has Congress silenced so much speech in a single act. Cal Fire investigators are seeking information about two suspected arsonists, who were observed lighting a fire on Saturday along the walking trail beneath the Foresthill Bridge in Placer County. Firefighters extinguished the fire after it burned three acres near the Lake Clementine Trail. Images shared by the Cal Fires Nevada-Yuba-Placer unit showed smoke pluming from within the steep, forested canyon where the fire started. The Foresthill Bridge crosses the North Fork of the American River, east of Auburn. Below the bridge, the river meets the Middle Fork of the American River. The bridge is the states tallest standing over 730 feet above the river and is a popular recreation area in the Sierra Nevada foothills. This summer, Placer County officials announced that the bridge would undergo ultrasonic testing to ensure its 282 welds are secure. The preventative maintenance project on the 51-year-old bridge will cost $6.3 million. A fire was intentionally set under the Foresthill Bridge on September 14, 2024, at approximately 5:30 PM. Two subjects were seen fleeing the area towards the parking lot at the river confluence, after igniting the fire along the walking trail directly under the bridge. pic.twitter.com/Co2pg0BD5o CAL FIRE Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit (@CALFIRENEU) September 15, 2024 The two people seen leaving the area walked toward the parking lot near the Confluence after igniting the fire at approximately 5:30 p.m., Cal Fire said. The fire was contained in less than an hour. Authorities said anyone with information about the suspects or the fire should call investigators at 530-889-0111, ext. 1022. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline offers free, anonymous help to anyone in crisis and their loved ones. Access the 24-hour hotline by calling or texting 988. A live chat is available at 988lifeline.org. WellSpace Health, which operates the universal service in the capital region, can also be reached at 916-368-3111 or by texting HOPE to 916-668-4226. ROME (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised "a new era" in cross-border cooperation to tackle people smuggling gangs ahead of talks on Monday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, part of his push to reset Britain's relations with Europe. Starmer has put renewing ties with European leaders at the top of his diplomatic agenda since winning an election in July, and Monday's visit to Rome follows trips to Berlin, Paris and Dublin in recent weeks. Heading to Rome to meet Meloni, who had close ties with Starmer's predecessor Rishi Sunak, Starmer will stress his commitment to tackling illegal migration and the need to work with European partners to smash the business model of the illegal networks that fuel it. Starmer has scrapped the previous government's contentious plan to deport asylum seekers who arrive in small boats to Rwanda, but has not ruled out arrangements that would see asylum claims processed offshore, similar to an agreement Italy has struck with Albania. Ahead of the talks with Meloni, Starmer said Martin Hewitt, a former chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council, would run a new Border Security Command which would be empowered to lead joint investigations with other countries. "No more gimmicks. This government will tackle the smuggling gangs who trade the lives of men, women and children across borders," Starmer said, promising "a new era of international enforcement to dismantle these networks, protect our shores and bring order to the asylum system". Earlier on Sunday, French authorities said eight people had died trying to cross the Channel after their boat got into difficulty, bringing the death toll in attempted crossings to 46 since the start of the year. Starmer's Labour government has said it will step up deportation flights and use money saved from the Rwanda scheme to help law enforcement to tackle the crossings. During his visit to Italy, Starmer will visit the National Coordination Centre for Migration to discuss Italy's approach to the issue, which has seen a 60% drop in irregular arrivals by sea, his office said. He will also raise defence matters in the talks with Meloni, which could touch on Britain's involvement in the GCAP fighter jet project with Italy and Japan. In July, Starmer emphasised the programme's importance, dampening some speculation it could be axed in a defence review, but he stopped short of guaranteeing continued British involvement. (Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Helen Popper) Six Ohio congressmen signed letters asking U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland for emergency funding for Springfield law enforcement after muliple bomb threats. The Ohio State Highway Patrol will conduct daily bomb sweeps at Springfield schools in response to a flood of bogus threats, Gov. Mike DeWine said on Monday. The governor said all 33 bomb threats received so far have been hoaxes. "We have people, unfortunately overseas, who are taking these actions. Some of them are coming from one particular country. We think that this is one more opportunity to mess with the United States," DeWine said during a Thursday afternoon news conference. "We cannot let the bad guys win. Our schools must remain open. They're going to remain open." 'They hate us': Haitian Springfield residents speak out as city remains in spotlight DeWine declined to name the specific country where the threats are coming from. The patrol will work in concert with the Springfield Police Department. DeWine noted that immigration in a legitimate issue in the presidential campaign. This story will be updated. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio governor says bomb sweeps ordered at schools in Springfield, Ohio An Ohio county sheriff seemingly instructed residents to write down the addresses of homeowners who have signs supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in their front yards, according to his social media post. Portage County Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski shared a Facebook post on Sept. 13 concerning Harris' campaign and her border policies. "When people ask me...What's gonna happen if the Flip - Flopping, Laughing Hyena Wins?? I say...write down all the addresses of the people who had her signs in their yards," Zuchowski wrote in the Facebook post. "Sooo...when the Illegal human "Locust" (which she supports!) Need places to live...We'll already have the addresses of their New families...who supported their arrival!" Attached to the sheriff's social media post are screenshots of Fox News coverage from Aurora, Colorado, and Springfield, Ohio. Both Aurora and Springfield have garnered national attention after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, said that migrants were committing dangerous acts in the cities including taking over apartment complexes and kidnapping and eating pets. USA TODAY contacted Zuchowski and the Portage County Sheriff's Office on Monday but has not received a response. What did Trump and Vance say about Springfield and Aurora? Over the past couple of weeks, Trump and Vance have told stories about migrants in Aurora and Springfield while campaigning, many of which local officials have refuted. The former president made mention of both cities during last week's presidential debate on ABC. "In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in," Trump said about Haitian migrants in Springfield during the debate, which drew more than 67 million viewers. "They're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there. This is what's happening in our country, and it's a shame." Early in the debate, Trump said, "You look at Aurora in Colorado. They are taking over the towns. In Aurora, members of a Venezuelan prison gang called Tren de Aragua (TdA) were arrested and charged with various offenses following rumors that they were taking over a local apartment complex and making tenants pay them rent. Vance has also commented on both cities and called for action along the border. Stories of justice and action across America: Sign up for USA TODAY's This is America newsletter. Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio. Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country. Where is our border czar? pic.twitter.com/rf0EDIeI5i JD Vance (@JDVance) September 9, 2024 Springfield's and Aurora's leadership denounce rumors Leaders in both cities have denounced the rumors and emphatically denied that there is any truth to them. In a video message on Facebook, Springfield city manager Bryan Heck spoke about the rumors. "It is disappointing that some of the narrative surrounding our city has been skewed by misinformation circulating on social media and further amplified political rhetoric in the current highly charged presidential election cycle," Heck said in the video posted Sept. 11. "These rumors will not distract us from addressing the real strain on our resources." Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman and Council Member and Public Safety Chair Danielle Jurinsky released a statement last week following the TdA arrests and Trump's comments. "TdA has not 'taken over' the city," the statement reads. "The overstated claims fueled by social media and through select news organizations are simply not true. Again, TdAs presence in Aurora is limited to specific properties, all of which the city has been addressing in various ways for months." 'The American media totally ignored this stuff' Vance defended the rumors, during a CNN interview over the weekend, defended his use of the stories as a clever way to get the attention of Americans during the election season. In the Sunday morning interview on CNN's "State of the Union," journalist Dana Bash asked the vice presidential candidate why Trump did not discuss policy during the debate and instead just said, "Haitians are eating dogs and cats." "Can you affirmatively say now that this is a rumor that has no basis with evidence?" Bash asked. Vance told Bash that his evidence was the firsthand accounts of his constituents who told him that it was happening. "The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes," he said. "If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do, Dana, because you guys are completely letting Kamala Harris coast." Bash then pointed out that Vance just said he was creating a story, to which the senator responded, "Yes." "We are creating we are Dana, it comes from firsthand accounts from my constituents," Vance said. "I say that we're creating a story, meaning we're creating the American media focusing on it. I didn't create 20,000 illegal migrants coming into Springfield, thanks to Kamala Harris' policies. Her policies did that, but yes, we created the actual focus that allowed the American media to talk about this story and the suffering caused by Kamala Harris' policies." Contributing: Erin Couch/ Cincinnati Enquirer This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Portage County Sheriff: 'Write down the addresses' of Harris supporters Haileigh said she was "horrified by the reality of the criminal justice system" [BBC] A victim of sexual violence has told BBC News NI there should be outrage in our society over violence against women and girls. Haileigh Ashton Lamont, who has waived her right to anonymity, was sexually abused by her stepfather as a child. A new strategy to tackle violence against women and girls was launched at Stormont on Monday. On Friday, the body of a woman was found in east Belfast and a 21-year-old man has been charged with murder. There will be 3m of funding attached to the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) strategy. The executive will focus on four key areas over the next seven years: Prevention Protection and provision Justice system Working better together First Minister Michelle O'Neill began by naming some of the 23 women murdered in Northern Ireland since January 2020, including the latest victim Rachelle Simpson. She said the strategy had been shaped by real people and there was a determination to act. The strategy was first proposed in 2021. Northern Ireland has long been the only part of the UK or Ireland without a strategy on the issue. Haileigh was invited to be part of a consultation panel on the EVAWG strategy in 2021. She has studied the action plan released last year and said she had concerns that not enough emphasis was going to be put on criminal justice solutions and reforms. I was shocked, horrified by the reality of the criminal justice system when I went through it, she said. Offenders' attitudes arent going to change and theyre not going to be deterred from offending if there are no consequences. "If they know if they do perpetrate and theyre arrested, the likelihood of them getting convicted is very low, or the experience is so traumatising for the victim that the victim could disengage. Haileigh said the statistics were shocking. I dont think that individual politicians dont want to see an end to this, they do. But there should be outrage. Anyone of us can be a victim, you dont even need to leave your house, it happens in peoples homes most commonly," she added. Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly and First Minister Michelle O'Neill were both at the launch [Pacemaker] First Minister Michelle O'Neill said that obviously we would want to have more money to invest in this area because it is such a deep rooted problem in society." "Weve said well keep it under review and Im sure Emma (deputy first minister) and I will not be found wanting in terms of trying to find addition resources where we can to invest in this work, she added Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said, as well as funding, ending violence against women and girls would need "work within schools, FE and higher education colleges, within workplaces, within families." "So of course the value of this is going to be much greater than simply the 3m allocated at the moment, she added. 'Epidemic of violence' The executive made EVAWG one of its key priorities in the Programme for Government which was published last week. In that document the executive said: We must work together to end the epidemic of violence, abuse, and harm against women and girls. Evidence shows that most women and girls here have experienced at least one form of gender-based violence." Since January 2020, 23 women have been murdered in Northern Ireland. There were more than 33,000 domestic abuse incidents in Northern Ireland in 2023. In the last year there were more than 4,000 sexual violence and abuse reports made to police. Tackling the root causes of gender-based violence and working on prevention will be key to the executives strategy, but the justice system will also have a huge role to play. Northern Ireland Womens Aid have been demanding a strategy since 2021 [Getty Images] Work has been done in this area. The Gillen Review, which was commissioned by the Department of Justice to improve criminal justice outcomes and the experiences of victims, made 253 recommendations in 2019. Many of the recommendations have been carried out, with changes including limiting the number of people allowed in to courtrooms for serious sexual offences and increasing training for those working within the justice system. Some of the ideas have proven successful, with the establishment of a remote evidence centre for vulnerable children and adult witnesses in Belfast being regular used. However many of Justice Gillens recommendations are still outstanding. He called for steps to be taken to combat excessive delays in the judicial system. In March the BBC reported that sexual crimes take on average twice as long as other offences to reach the end of the criminal justice process. 'Start of change' Last summer an EVAWG action plan introduced ideas around tackling gender-based violence, including relationship and sex education guidance and cross-sectoral workplace training and advice. Northern Ireland Womens Aid have been demanding a strategy since 2021. Womens Aid told BBC News NI: This crucial step aligns us with neighbouring jurisdictions by implementing a cross-departmental approach to tackling violence against women and girls. Today is a start of change, and we all must continue to work together to help create a society where women and girls feel safe and are safe. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) welcomed the launch. Det Ch Supt Lindsay Fisher said 33 of the 41 actions in the PSNI's dedicated Tackling Violence against Women and Girls action plan had been completed within in the first two years. "Violence against women and girls remains a plague on our society and a problem that we cannot simply arrest our way out of," she said. "In the last month, three women in Northern Ireland lost their lives to VAWG, change is needed now," she added. Queso helado isnt your ordinary ice cream. Courtesy of Lauren Breedlove Im hypnotized by the spin of the large silver bowl and the mystery of its contents. Were on the second floor of the buzzing San Camilo Market in the heart of Perus underrated culinary capital, Arequipa. I havent come to shop, Ive come to try queso helado, the countrys iconic dessert originating in this southern city. According to my local guide, Norma, this small nook of an eatery with a handful of tables draped in red and white checkered tablecloths, is the most authentic place to sample "cheese ice cream." The colonial-era city of Arequipa sits in the shadow of El Misti, perhaps the most imposing of the landmark resident volcanoes which can be seen from almost anywhere. Its known as the White City for the abundant buildings constructed out of sillar white volcanic stone, its proximity to Colca Canyon, and the 300 days of sunshine it sees annually. The city has a thriving culinary scene, with historical picanterias (lunch restaurants) slinging regional specialties such as chicha la guinapo (a traditional fermented beverage), chupe de camarones (river shrimp chowder), and rocoto rellena (spicy stuffed peppers). For dessert in Arequipa, theres one sweet treat that outdoes all though: queso helado. Related: 17 Flavorful Peruvian Recipes Featuring Papas, Pisco, Pollo, and More Arequipa is the birthplace of Queso Helado, and although its name translates to cheese ice cream or frozen cheese, this only refers to how it's traditionally served, in slices on a plate. It dates back to 16th-century colonial times, when the Spanish arrived in Peru, introducing cattle, and subsequently, milk and cheese to this region of the Andes. Legend has it that the culinary-inclined Spanish nuns at Arequipas Convent of Santa Catalina should be credited as the pioneers in creating Queso Helado. At this time it was considered a luxury, a sweet treat for the elite. Now, it graces almost every restaurant menu and street corner in the city, proof of its popularity. The historic center surrounds the Plaza de Armas, which feels lively at any hour of the day. Here, youll find queso helado vendors with small carts of the already prepared ice cream treat, serving it in a tiny cup or cone. But if you want to taste the real thing, venture about four blocks to the Mercado San Camilo and visit Angelica Machuca Velazquez. Her grandparents started making this handmade ice cream 90 years ago, and she has been keeping the family tradition alive in her small market restaurant, Machuquita, for the last 30 years, with the help of her husband. My arm hurts at the end of the day, she says with a smile. Every day, I prepare 30 liters of fresh milk, more on the weekends. Im here from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it takes me two hours to prepare the first batch. Every so often she spins the bowl sitting atop a wooden barrel, which needs to be churned or moved each half hour. I do the math and think about how much sleep shes sacrificed to keep her family business going. Related: Cloistered Nuns Are Selling Cookies Through Convent Windows in This Medieval City in Spain Velazquez explains that there is no cream (or cheese) in queso helado, rather, "fresh cows milk, condensed milk, dried coconut, vanilla, cloves, and cinnamon thats it!" The milk is boiled and mixed with the other ingredients before placing the metal bowl over a barrel of ice to freeze the walls of the bowl, which creates layers of cheese-like ice cream. She takes the spatula, expertly slicing and scooping three layers of queso helado onto a small plate, dusting it with cinnamon before offering it to me. Given that I just wiped the sweat from my forehead in the 90-plus-degree heat, Im more than ready for this cold confection, which does, in fact, resemble cheese. The result is the epitome of refreshing; sweet, but not too sweet, with a simple but deliciously all-natural flavor, unlike any ice cream Ive ever had. My guide Norma tells me that some versions include egg yolks to give it a custard-like texture and taste, or other ingredients such as fruits for a creative take on the dessert. But I cant imagine that they are better than this traditional version. Any time of the day is good to eat it, she says with a twinkle in her eye. And Id have to wholeheartedly agree. For more Food & Wine news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Food & Wine. Investigators on New Yorks Long Island are seeking the publics help in identifying an Asian victim from a years-old killing, whose remains were discovered along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach in 2011. The victim investigators are referring to as Asian Doe was a biological male of Asian descent, between the ages of 17 and 23 who was found wearing womens clothing, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a news conference Monday. Because the victim was wearing exclusively womens clothing at the time of death, it is possible that they identified as a woman or were known by others as being a woman. Investigators believe the victim died in 2006 or earlier from blunt force trauma, though their remains werent discovered until April 4, 2011, Tierney said. This victim suffered a violent death, he said. The death adds to a list of killings in the Gilgo Beach area that went unsolved for years, with at least 11 sets of human remains found on Long Islands Suffolk County. Over the last two years, Tierneys office has brought charges against former New York architect Rex Heuermann in the deaths of six women from Long Island communities spanning three decades. When asked whether Heuermann was a suspect in the unidentified victims death, Tierney described where the body was found along the same stretch of Ocean Parkway as victims Megan Waterman and Jessica Taylor. I think it was about 300 or so feet from Megan Waterman in that same stretch of the parkway. So it was between Megan Waterman and Jessica Taylor, Tierney said. Each one of these victims, its a separate crime scene. Start from that separate crime scene and you work your way up, which were doing, Tierney said. Its all nice to speculate, but it basically doesnt matter until you can bring charges, and were certainly not at that stage. When asked whether prosecutors could charge a suspect in the death of Asian Doe without knowing the victims identity, Tierney said yes. The victim, who investigators believe was around 5 feet, 6 inches tall, was wearing a blue, ribbed short-sleeve shirt, womens pants and a bra, Tierney said. Investigators believe the victim may have been working as a sex worker and spent some time in New York City before their death. A forensic artist examined the victims skull to create images of what the victim may have looked like with both short and long hair. Using genetic genealogy, authorities determined its likely that the victim was of South Chinese, specifically Hahn Chinese descent. Asian people are underrepresented in the genealogy database authorities use, so identifying the victim has proved to be a challenge for investigators, Tierney said, noting that those who want to help can upload their DNA to two commercial databases used by authorities. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney speaks during a news conference showing renderings about new details in the Gilgo Beach investigation in Long Island, New York, on September 16, 2024. - WCBS This person had a name. This person had family. This person had friends, Tierney said. Were reaching out to anyone who might have known this individual to help us with that identification. Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the identification of the victim. The remains of an unidentified Asian victim were found on Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach, authorities said. - John Paraskevas/Newsday/Getty Images/File Gilgo Beach serial killings suspect Heuermann was taken into custody in July 2023 and has since been charged in connection with the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla. Heuermann was charged with the deaths of Barthelemy, Waterman and Costello after his arrest in 2023 and with the death of Brainard-Barnes in January. This summer, officials announced the charges in connection with the deaths of Taylor and Costilla, citing new evidence in the wide-ranging investigation. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to all murder charges and is being held without bail. His attorney, Michael Brown, told reporters in January that Heuermann maintains his innocence and is looking forward to fighting the charges. During a June court hearing, prosecutors revealed disturbing evidence uncovered during their investigation, including a planning document that outlined detailed strategies for murder. A Word document Heuermann allegedly created on a laptop in 2000 and modified over several years outlines how to dispose of a body, avoid apprehension and not leave DNA evidence, along with what supplies may be needed to carry out serial murder, according to a bail application. This was a planning document used by Heuermann to methodically blueprint and plan out his kills with excruciating detail. His intent was specifically to locate these victims, hunt them down to bring them under his control and to kill them, Tierney said in a news conference last month. Other evidence revealed Heuermanns significant collection of violent, bondage, and torture pornography, currently dating back to 1994, according to a bail application. CNNs John Miller, Mark Morales and Brynn Gingras contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Wife of Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., has accused him of having an affair, multiple outlets reported. Green, chair of the Committee on Homeland Security, had planned to retire earlier this year after taking office in 2019, but changed his mind weeks later. Court records show Green filed for divorce from his wife Camilla Green at the end of August. The Nashville Banner first reported Camilla's accusations, which surfaced in a message sent to members of Congress. She said he was having an affair with a 32-year-old woman he met after being corrupted in Washington. He fell head over heels in love with her to the extent he wanted to marry her and start a new family, she wrote, as reported by Politico. Satan has rewritten our marriage in his mind." Mark's reelection campaign did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment but told the Banner and Politico: This is a difficult time for my family and me, and we are currently going through divorce proceedings. As this is a deeply private matter, I ask for privacy....I will continue to serve this district with all Ive got, as I have the last five and a half years. More: Ohio sheriff asks residents to 'write down' Harris supporter addresses for migrant housing Rep's wife misidentifies mistress as journalist, prompting legal threat Camilla's group text message sent on Sept. 11 mistakenly identified Mark's mistress as a reporter with Axios, prompting a legal threat from the news outlet. In a letter obtained by USA TODAY, Axios' legal counsel told Camilla she needed to text the group again to "set the record straight" or else the company may "take further actions." Camilla did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for confirmation, but told Politico, I want to correct the record, because I misidentified someone in that message. My husband has never had a relationship with a reporter from Axios, and I regret having said that. Rep. Mark Green planned to retire, then got pressured by Trump Rep. Mark Green, who is also a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, announced in mid-February he would not seek re-election. "Our countryand our Congressis broken beyond most means of repair," he said in a statement. "I have come to realize our fight is not here within Washington, our fight is with Washington." Weeks later, he reversed that decision. While my strong desire was to leave Congress at the end of this year, since my announcement, I have received countless calls from constituents, colleagues, and President Trump urging me to reconsider, Green said in a statement shared in February with The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. In 2017, Green withdrew from consideration to be Army secretary under the Trump administration after growing criticism of his previous comments on gays and lesbians, Muslims and other groups. In the upcoming election, Green is running against former Nashville mayor Democrat Megan Barry for the 7th district, covering Clarksville and part of Nashville. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rep. Mark Green accused of infidelity by wife's message: reports The Oklahoma State Election Board Office inside the state Capitol in Oklahoma City, was one of at least five states in the U.S. which election officials received suspicious packages on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Sean Murphy) Suspicious packages were sent to election officials in at least six states on Monday, but there were no reports that any of the packages contained hazardous material. Powder-containing packages were sent to secretaries of state and state election offices in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Tennessee, Wyoming and Oklahoma, officials in those states confirmed. The FBI and U.S. Postal Service were investigating. It marked the second time in the past year that suspicious packages were mailed to election officials in multiple state offices. The latest scare comes as early voting has begun in several states less than two months ahead of the high-stakes elections for president, Senate, Congress and key statehouse offices around the nation, causing disruption in what is already a tense voting season. Several of the states reported a white powder substance found in envelopes sent to election officials. In most cases, the material was found to be harmless. Oklahoma officials said the material sent to the election office there contained flour. Wyoming officials have not yet said if the material sent there was hazardous. The packages forced an evacuation in Iowa. Hazmat crews in several states quickly determined the material was harmless. We have specific protocols in place for situations such as this, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said in a statement after the evacuation of the six-story Lucas State Office Building in Des Moines. We immediately reported the incident per our protocols." A state office building in Topeka, Kansas, was also evacuated due to suspicious mail sent to both the secretary of state and attorney general, Kansas Highway Patrol spokesperson April M. McCollum said in a statement. Topeka Fire Department crews found several pieces of mail with an unknown substance on them, though a field test found no hazardous materials, spokesperson Rosie Nichols said. Several employees in both offices had been exposed to it and had their health monitored, she said. In Oklahoma, the State Election Board received a suspicious envelope in the mail containing a multi-page document and a white, powdery substance, agency spokesperson Misha Mohr said in an email to The Associated Press. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol, which oversees security for the Capitol, secured the envelope. Testing determined the substance was flour, Mohr said. State workers in an office building next to the Wyoming Capitol in Cheyenne were sent home for the day pending testing of a white substance mailed to the secretary of states office. Suspicious letters were sent to election offices and government buildings in at least six states last November, including the same building in Kansas that received suspicious mail Monday. While some of the letters contained fentanyl, even the suspicious mail that was not toxic delayed the counting of ballots in some local elections. One of the targeted offices was in Fulton County, Georgia, the largest voting jurisdiction in one of the nations most important swing states. Four county election offices in Washington state had to be evacuated as election workers were processing ballots cast, delaying vote-counting. The letters caused election workers around the country to stock up the overdose reversal medication naloxone. Election offices across the United States have taken steps to increase the security of their buildings and boost protections for workers amid an onslaught of harassment and threats following the 2020 election and the false claims that it was rigged. ___ Salter reported from O'Fallon, Missouri. Volmert reported from Lansing, Michigan. Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyoming; Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee; Summer Ballentine in Columbia, Missouri; Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed to this report. TikTok is fighting a law that could see the popular app banned in the US. Gearstd/iStock, Tyler Le/BI TikTok faces a likely loss in its legal battle against a potential US ban, a former DOJ official predicted. Attorneys for the US government and TikTok faced off in federal appeals court in Washington, DC. The social media app has sued the US over a law that could see the platform banned in the country. The writing seems to be on the wall for TikTok. Attorneys for the US government and the widely popular social media app faced off on Monday in a federal appeals court as TikTok fights against a law that could soon see the platform banned in the country. It didn't appear to go well for the app. Based on how oral arguments in the case went before a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the court is likely to rule against TikTok, a legal expert predicted. "It was just very clear from the very beginning that the court is just deeply uninterested in stretching the law to help TikTok here," Alan Rozenshtein, a former Justice Department official and current associate professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, told Business Insider. Rozenshtein said that he believes the appeals court will rule "decisively" and "comprehensively" against TikTok. "This is pretty in the bag for the government," said Rozenshtein, who like other experts, believes the case will ultimately reach the US Supreme Court. TikTok and a group of content creators filed separate lawsuits in May against the US government, arguing that the law, which President Joe Biden signed in April, violates users' First Amendment rights. The law gave TikTok's Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, nine months to sell its US operations of the video-sharing platform to a non-Chinese company or be booted from app stores. Biden signed the law framed as addressing TikTok's potential threat to national security as part of a foreign aid package and multi-year bipartisan push to break TikTok away from ByteDance. The main concern among government officials is that TikTok could be compelled to hand over data on US users to the Chinese Communist Party. Others worried that TikTok which said it reaches 170 million Americans each month could become a propaganda tool for the Chinese government. US officials haven't presented evidence to the public that either concern is happening, though Congress may have seen classified information in briefings that swayed them to vote for the legislation. TikTok's lawyer argued the law 'imposes extraordinary speech prohibition' In his oral arguments on Monday, TikTok lawyer Andrew Pincus slammed the law as "unprecedented." "Its effect would be staggering," Pincus said. "For the first time in history, Congress has expressly targeted a specific US speaker, banning its speech and the speech of 170 million Americans." Pincus argued that the law is unconstitutional and said it "imposes extraordinary speech prohibition based on indeterminate future risks." "No compelling reason justifies Congress acting like an enforcement agency and specifically targeting petitioners," he said. The panel of judges, at times, seemed skeptical of TikTok's arguments. They pressed Pincus about TikTok's China ties and asked whether Congress could bar a foreign country's ownership of a major media source in the US if the US were "at war" with the country. Pincus argued that there would still be a First Amendment issue. Rozenshtein told Business Insider, "The problem for TikTok is, every time the word China is said, that makes it worse for TikTok, and the word China was said a lot of times by the judges." Justice Department lawyer Daniel Tenny, in his oral arguments, said that the data that TikTok collects from its users is the same data that is "extremely valuable to a foreign adversary trying to compromise the security of the United States." TikTok has repeatedly denied allegations that it has ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Sarah Kreps, a political scientist and director of the Tech Policy Institute at New York's Cornell University, told Business Insider that the judges sounded more "skeptical" of TikTok's arguments, "but also raised important questions about the First Amendment, foreign influence, and standards of scrutiny that I do not think were clearly resolved with today's exchanges." "After listening to the oral arguments, I am more convinced that this case will end up in the Supreme Court," Kreps said. "The fundamental challenge that emerged is that it is difficult to pinpoint precedent because of how this particular type of technology and ownership arrangement intersects with free speech versus national security." Jameel Jaffer, the executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University which has filed a legal brief in support of TikTok also told Business Insider that he doubts the federal appeals court will be the last stop for the case. "Today's argument confirmed what we already knew that a ruling upholding the TikTok ban would do profound damage to our democracy, and to the First Amendment, by giving the government sweeping power to restrict Americans' right to access information, ideas, and media from abroad," Jaffer said. Jaffer added that there are "very good reasons to be concerned about foreign disinformation campaigns and the data-collection practices of social media platforms, but the appeals court should make clear that Congress must address these concerns by passing transparency and privacy laws rather than by restricting Americans' First Amendment rights." Support for a TikTok ban among Americans has faded over the past year and a half. While one in two US adults supported a TikTok ban in March 2023, now just 32% say they favor it, according to surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center. After the appeals court issues its ruling, the case could end up before the Supreme Court where Rozenshtein also predicts TikTok will not fare well. "I don't think TikTok is going to get any joy," he said. "For TikTok and the users to win, they have to convince judges to ignore the considered judgments of Congress and the executive branch in the intelligence community about a platform whose risks are very real." "That is just a big ask," Rozenshtein said. TikTok declined to comment for this story. Read the original article on Business Insider TikTok squared off today in its first court challenge of a law that would force the Chinese-owned social media giant to sell itself or be banned in the U.S. Under the legislation signed by President Joe Biden in April, TikTok would be banned across the country unless its owner, the Chinese tech company ByteDance, sells its stake in the video-streaming app. The measure stems from national security concerns that the Chinese government could access American user data through ByteDance. TikTok told the court today that the law would have staggering outcomes for free speech in America if a ban were to take effect in January. But the company faced tough questions from judges who echoed lawmakers' concerns about national security. The company has support from free speech advocates who say banning TikTok would affect how large swaths of U.S. users express themselves. With roughly 170 million Americans on TikTok, the app has exploded from a site for videos clips of dancing and singing into a place where users, especially younger generations, seek out information. Courtroom battle For roughly two hours this morning, lawyers for TikTok and the U.S. government fielded questions from judges who showed skepticism about whether the platform is entitled to display and moderate content with the same freedom as a U.S. company while its parent company is based in China. TikTok attorney Andrew Pincus told the court today that the unprecedented law would have staggering outcomes for free speech in America. But judges were sympathetic to the governments national security concerns. Foreign entities arent guaranteed First Amendment rights, noted Judge Sri Srinivasan, and the government contends that content manipulation, or what is promoted by the TikTok algorithm, depends on the Chinese company. TikTok can curate to its hearts content, Srinivasan said, but not while its subject to Chinese control. The company insisted that Congresss divestiture law unfairly singles out a specific U.S. speakerthe apps American subsidiary, TikTok USA. Pincus urged the court to carefully consider whether a law can constitutionally target TikTok, especially given the volume of content that is created and shared by Americans on the app. Other publishers in the U.S. are owned by foreign entities and enjoy First Amendment protection , Pincus said. He cited Politico, which is owned by German media company Axel Springer, and Al Jazeera as examples. But not by foreign adversaries, Judge Neomi Rao responded. But even if TikTok doesnt have First Amendment protections due to its foreign ownership, millions of American creators on the platform do, said Jeffrey Fisher, who represented the TikTok users who are challenging the law in court. Again, the judges had questions: What would be the creators interest in TikTok U.S. being owned by ByteDance? Rao asked. Creators like the platform as it is, Fisher said, just like an American writer might like working with a particular publisher. A change in ownership or full-out ban would curb their ability to post content about everything from music to political theory to dinner recipes. It is a tradition in our country to protect those ideas, and that is what this act does not do, he said. For the government, attorney Daniel Tenny underscored that the case is really about data security, not restricting speech. In response to questions from Rao, who flagged that the law singles out TikTok, Tenny said the government is fighting the flow of American user data to a Chinese entity, and how that data fuels TikToks algorithmnot any sort of content itself. The data stream is not expressive activity, Tenny said. Arguments against TikTok In filings in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., the Department of Justice argued that TikTok collects huge amounts of data about its users, including sensitive personal information like location and viewing habits. While there is no public evidence that TikTok has shared that data with the Chinese government, the government contends that there is a risk there, as long as ByteDance controls ownership. The DOJ also argues that the algorithm fueling TikToks hallmark For You page could be accessed by the Chinese government to control the content reaching Americans and thereby influence what they think and undermine U.S. national security. Their Justice Departments brief cites a report about TikToks heating feature, which lets TikTok employees manually influence what content goes viral on the platform. Earlier this year, Republican lawmakers said they supported the bipartisan divestment law in part because they linked the app to growing sympathy toward Palestinians amid Israels attacks on Gaza. The U.S government wrote in a July court filing that nothing short of severing the ties between TikTok and China could suffice to mitigate the national-security threats posed by the application. TikToks position is that divestment from ByteDance is unnecessary, impractical, and ultimately unconstitutional. It flagged that the divestment law is effectively a ban on the app, given the technical and commercial challenges to finding a new owner for the app. Even if a divestiture was feasible, TikTok argued a U.S. only version would be an island cut off from global content, and it would still at minimum require a data-sharing agreement with ByteDance. And the Chinese government would not allow a forced divestment of TikToks algorithm, the filing adds. Even if divestiture were feasible, TikTok in the United States would still be reduced to a shell of its former self, stripped of the innovative and expressive technology that tailors content to each user, TikTok wrote in a June court filing challenging the law. Various advocacy groups, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Knight First Amendment Institute, asked the court to recognize First Amendment concerns with a TikTok ban. A nationwide ban would be a radical departure from this countrys tradition of championing an open Internet, the app added in its court filing. But the government insists that, given its national security interest to curb influence from a geopolitical rival, the law is narrowly tailored enough to survive First Amendment scrutiny. Whats next After a decision from the panel of D.C. judges, likely before December, the case is expected to go to the U.S. Supreme Court before the possible ban would take effect in January. If the law is ultimately upheld, app stores would be barred from making TikTok available to U.S. users. Update, Sept. 16, 2024: This article was updated with additional information from today's court proceeding. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Floodwater surged into homes, stranded vehicles and forced water rescues in coastal North Carolina on Monday after a tropical storm-like system dumped historic amounts of rain in a matter of hours. Its probably the worst flooding that any of us have seen in Carolina Beach, Town Manager Bruce Oakley told CNN of the tourist town not far from Wilmington. Weve had to rescue people from cars, also some from houses and businesses. Emergency services fielded dozens of calls for rescue, Oakley added. Carolina Beach was placed under a state of emergency Monday after a historic 18 inches of rain fell there in 12 hours at one station, a once-in-1,000-year rainfall event, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington. More than a foot of rain in 12 hours was reported elsewhere in the area, a once-in-200-year rain event. The Brunswick County Sheriff's Office shared an image of flooding taken outside the county courthouse on Monday, September 16. - Brunswick County Sheriff's Office Carolina Beach Elementary School was closed and students were dismissed early after classrooms started to flood, Oakley confirmed. Law enforcement and fire crews helped take some children home as some routes to the school were impassible due to the flooding, with roads under 3 feet of water. The owner of The Fat Pelican in Carolina Beach told CNN affiliate WWAY he didnt have time to prepare for that much water. Theres water inside the building. Im trying to get the stuff that was outside that floated away, Michael McLaughlin explained. But, he said he was optimistic that after the storm passed he could take a garden hose, wash the inside of the restaurant thoroughly and theyd be ready to go again. Lisa and Gary Hollon have had a home in Kure Beach, about 3 miles south of Carolina Beach, for nearly 15 years and never experienced flooding until Monday. The winds and rain picked up in the early hours of the morning and the first floor of their home experienced sudden flooding of 4 to 6 inches, Lisa Hollon told CNN. We were not prepared and have never flooded before, she said. Many cars were unexpectedly flooded in driveways and along roads. In video shared with CNN, the road outside of the home is covered by water as vehicles slowly drive by, causing ripples. Flooding also ramped up in neighboring Brunswick County where rainfall rates exceeded 4 to 5 inches per hour for a time Monday. The town of Sunny Point picked up more than a months worth of rain when over 9 inches fell in just three hours. Our deputies are assisting multiple people who are stranded in their vehicles and some homes at this time, the Brunswick County Sheriffs office said on Facebook. The city of Southport posted on Facebook on Monday afternoon that a shelter-in-place order was in effect and later added there was a curfew between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Surfboarder rescues neighbors pup In the Brunswick County, North Carolina, community of Supply, Timothy Turner used his surfboard to travel after the road next to his house was destroyed by flooding. In some areas, the water would have been over his head. After Supply about 10 miles from Holden Beach was hit by intense rain, Turner offered to help a neighbor whose dog was stuck at home on the other side of the road. I crossed it with my surfboard, sank down into the mud, went to her house, got her dog and brought it back across, said Turner, who runs a surfing school and assists with ocean rescues since the area doesnt have lifeguards. Ive gotten 25 rescues out of the rip currents in the last eight years but that was the first time I ever got a dog up with a surfboard. The extreme rainfall and flooding is another stark reminder that it doesnt take a named storm to trigger extremely dangerous conditions. The atmosphere was ripe to unload torrential rainfall, something thats becoming more common as the world warms due to fossil fuel pollution. Floodwaters started to recede in Carolina Beach early Monday afternoon as torrential rain shifted west of the area, according to Oakley. But cars abandoned during the worst of the flooding remained on empty roadways, according to town mayor Lynn Barbee. Storm is weakening and forecast is improving Tropical storm warnings for the coastal Carolinas have been discontinued as of Monday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center. The system was called Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight because it wasnt organized enough to be dubbed a tropical or subtropical storm. Continued weakening is expected during the next day or so, and the low is forecast to dissipate over the Carolinas by early Wednesday, forecasters said. A systems center is typically where its strongest winds and its heaviest rain occur, but thats not the case for Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight. Most of the systems heaviest rain and gusty winds are far removed from its poorly defined center, satellite imagery shows. The center of the system came ashore Monday evening near the South Carolina-North Carolina state line, with southeast North Carolina still enduring most of the storms significant impacts. Forecast track for Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight. - CNN Weather Much of southeast North Carolina is under a flood watch until Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas, forecasters said. They said less than an inch of additional rainfall could come down in the area Monday night but there is only a 20% chance of rain Tuesday. The Carolinas were deluged by 6 to 12 inches of rainfall from Debby in early August that created a flash flood emergency near Charleston, South Carolina. CNN Meteorologists Elisa Raffa and Brandon Miller and Jillian Sykes contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Former President Donald Trump and his allies are fanning political flames after his Secret Service detail thwarted what is, according to the FBI, the apparent second attempt to assassinate him in less than 10 weeks. In a message posted to multiple social media platforms Monday, Trump accused his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, and President Joe Biden of taking "politics in our Country to a whole new level of Hatred." He said their rhetoric is responsible for threats and violence against him, even though they routinely denounce political violence and did so on Sunday. Trump's most powerful ally, billionaire Elon Musk, wondered in a tweet why "no one is even trying to assassinate" Biden and Harris a post that Musk later said was a joke and deleted. But it was clear by midday Monday that Trump and his brain trust have no intention of dialing back on hot rhetoric, with less than two months left before Election Day. In turning so fast to Biden and Harris, Trump skipped past appeals for sympathy and even a perfunctory call for calm or unity. On Monday night, the former presidents running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, also pointed the finger at Democrats over what he called "inflammatory" rhetoric. No one has tried to kill Kamala Harris in the last couple of months, and two people now have tried to kill Donald Trump in the last couple of months, Vance said in Atlanta at an event for the Georgia Faith and Freedom Coalition. Id say thats pretty strong evidence that the left needs to tone down the rhetoric and needs to cut this crap out. Somebodys going to get hurt by it, and its going to destroy this country, he added. Follow live updates on the alleged Trump assassination attempt The Republican presidential nominee was playing golf at his West Palm Beach course Sunday afternoon when a Secret Service agent noticed the muzzle of a gun protruding from the bushes several hundred yards from him, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a news conference later that day. The Secret Service fired at a suspect, who fled and was quickly apprehended by police. Trump was forced to shelter at the golf club for more than an hour before being transported to Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach resort, a source familiar with the matter said. From Mar-a-Lago, where guests included House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Trump took phone calls from friends expressing their relief, listened in when acting Secret Service director Ronald Rowe phoned Johnson to deliver a briefing on the incident, and told golf-related jokes, according to people familiar with his activities. The scare is unlikely to interfere with his schedule or campaign plans, according to a Trump adviser who has spoken with him since Sunday's incident. There wont be many noticeable changes or anything too major, the adviser said. He is not frazzled or shaken by this, and, considering what he has been through, relatively relaxed. But, as Trump avoided a brush with death that could have come as close as the sniper's bullet that clipped his ear at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally in July, he once again had a decision to make about his own response: try to seize political advantage from the threats to his life or play them down in order to discourage future violence. It took less than 24 hours for him to choose the former, though there are signs of division within his ranks about his approach. Some Trump allies believe that the campaign squandered an opportunity for unity following the first assassination attempt. Instead, Trump ramped up his anti-Harris rhetoric, which coincided with him losing traction in polls over the summer. "Even independents were like, 'This can't stand, you can't assassinate a political candidate,'" said one former Trump adviser. "And then all of a sudden it's back to the clown show." While his campaign's top advisers focused on his security and that of his aides in a message sent to staff Sunday night, his fundraising team pressed donors to give money in the immediate aftermath of the incident. On Monday, he repeated an assertion he made in an ABC News debate last week that Biden and Harris are responsible for him being targeted. "Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at," he said in an interview with Fox News Digital, "when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country both from the inside out." Donald Trump spoke at the Republican National Convention with a bandage over his ear after an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania in July. On Sunday, Harris took a much different tack. "As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence," she said in a statement. "I am thankful that former President Trump is safe." Trump has not rebuked Musk for musing about assassinations of the sitting president and vice president. For a brief moment after he survived being shot in July, Trump aides told the media that he was interested in unifying the country and would attempt to do so in his speech at the Republican National Convention. But he quickly pivoted from that stance and took off running in the other direction. The reversal was evident even within the four corners of that address, delivered July 18 in Milwaukee. "The discord and division in our society must be healed," he said in the opening minutes. But later, he accused the Democratic Party of "weaponizing the justice system" because he has been convicted of felonies in New York and charged with crimes related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election in federal court. "We must not criminalize dissent or demonize political disagreement," he said. "In that spirit, the Democrat Party should immediately stop weaponizing the justice system and labeling their political opponent as an enemy of democracy." Since then, he has regularly threatened to jail his political opponents. The area around Trump International Golf Club was secured after what authorities said was an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Sunday. Trump aides say that he will be his own spokesman on the aborted assassination attempt. "We follow his lead," said one aide. "We're not going to get ahead of his truth." So far, that truth has been an attack on his political rival, Harris, and her boss, Biden, despite their disavowal of violence as a political tool. Throughout nearly a decade in national politics, Trump has glorified violence at least when it is not aimed at him. "When the looting starts, the shooting starts, Trump wrote in a social media post during the protests following George Floyd's 2020 murder by Minneapolis police. He has suggested that the nation's top general be executed; made light of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband being attacked with a hammer in a gruesome assault; and praised the Jan. 6 rioters who pummeled cops, stormed the Capitol and tried to stop the counting of 2020 electoral votes by force. It is not immediately clear whether the apparent second attempt on Trump's life will have an effect on the outcome of the campaign. He was facing a different candidate Biden at the time of the Pennsylvania shooting. Since Harris replaced Biden as the Democrats' standard-bearer eight days after the first attempt, polls show Democrats to be in a stronger position to win in November. But most surveys reveal an extremely close race in which the two candidates are within the margin of error in pivotal swing states. Anna Sorokins parents have long maintained a low profile despite their daughters infamy Mike Coppola/AD/Getty Images for ABA Anna Delvey poses for a photo at her home on November 16, 2022 in New York City. Anna Delveys parents have lived a far more modest life than the one their daughter became infamous for. Their child, born Anna Sorokin, was convicted of eight counts of grand larceny and theft in 2019 and served as the basis for the hit Netflix show Inventing Anna. She has continued to live in the public eye since being released from prison in February 2021, launching her own podcast, The Anna Delvey Show, making the reality showDelveys Dinner Club and starring on Dancing with the Stars. Anna opened up about her mother, whose name has not been made public, and father, Vadim Sorokin, in an interview with The Cut following her 2017 arrest. My parents had high expectations, she said at the time. "They always trusted me with my decision-making. I guess they regret it now. Related: Inventing Anna True Story: Everything to Know About Anna Delvey In a rare interview, Vadim told the Daily Mailin 2022 that while he didnt understand what motivated Anna, he would support her if she was deported from America for overstaying her Visa. Anna was taken into custody by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shortly after her release from prison and is currently on house arrest. We have room for her here in the family home and while we'll support her, we won't enable her to repeat her previous mistakes, he said. She needs, for the first time, to figure out what she's going to do with her life. Vadim added, All I want is for her to finally find a place for herself in this world." Here is everything to know about Anna Delveys parents. Who is Anna Delvey? TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images Fake German heiress Anna Sorokin is led away after being sentenced in Manhattan Supreme Court May 9, 2019 following her conviction last month on multiple counts of grand larceny and theft of services. Born in Domodedovo, Russia, in January 1991, Anna rose to fame in 2018 after an expose was published in The Cut detailing a string of financial crimes she had committed in New York City. Anna, who had been posing as a German heiress, was arrested in October 2017 after stealing upwards of $200,000 from her friends and banks in order to pay for her extravagant hotel stays and lifestyle. Related: Where Is Anna Delvey Now? All About the Fake Heiress Life After Prison In April 2019, she was found guilty on eight different charges, including one for attempted grand larceny in three degrees and theft of services. Anna's story was the basis for her former friend Rachel Williams' 2019 book My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress and she was the real-life muse for the lead character in the 2022 Netflix series Inventing Anna. Who are Anna Delveys parents? Anna's father is Vadim Sorokin and her mothers name has not been publicly released. According to The Cut, Vadim, once rumored to be a Russian diplomat or an oil titan, worked as a truck driver in Annas youth before becoming an executive at a transport company. The publication reported that Vadim opened a heating and cooling business that specialized in energy-efficient devices in 2013. In addition to Anna, the couple have a son, per The Cut. What is Anna Delveys relationship like with her parents? Janet Mayer/Shutterstock Anna Delvey is seen on the streets of Tribeca According to Anna, she is not close with her parents, whom she described as conservative to TheNew York Times. Vadim told the Daily Mail that he has fond memories of his daughter from her childhood, however. "We had a lot of fun when she was little, he said, adding, I would play with her a lot. As she grew older, Annas taste for luxury drove a wedge between them. Vadim told The Cut that he and Annas mother financially supported their daughter, even after she graduated from high school in 2011. According to the business owner, it wasnt enough. She wanted to live like Paris Hilton but we werent able to give that to her, he told the Daily Mail. Anna opened up about her relationship with her parents to Business Insider in 2022. "Generally, I would definitely agree that my parents did not really know what to do with me, she said. We just have different interests. After leaving her family home in Russia for Paris at the age of 19, Annas communication with her mother and father declined. "I don't feel like my parents were really involved in, like, day-to-day life," she told Business Insider. "Sometimes, they would not even know what country I'd be in. There would definitely be a time they didn't know if I was like in Paris, Germany, or the states." Anna added, "I just never really needed the approval [of] my parents. Were Anna Delvey's parents involved in her crimes? Annas parents have not been charged with any crime in connection to their daughter's thefts. Vadim did not divulge the familys finances to The Cut but said that he and Annas mother had helped fund their daughter's life beyond her housing. We always paid for her accommodations, her rent and other matters, he told the outlet. She assured us these costs were the best investment. If ever she needed something more at one point or another, it didnt matter. The future was always bright. He later told the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda that he was unaware of Annas wrongdoings. Before her detention, we knew nothing about her life in the US, he said, per the Daily Mail. According to Vadim, Anna also never sent the family any of the roughly $275,000 she was convicted of stealing. Our daughter has never sent us any money. On the contrary, she was borrowing, he said. Vadim stated that he had no part in her illegal activities, saying, "I do not have any influence on her life and what she does. It is down to her what she has done. How did Anna Delveys parents react to her arrest? TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images Anna Sorokin better known as Anna Delvey is seen in the courtroom during her trial at New York State Supreme Court in New York on April 11, 2019 Vadim told the Daily Mail that he found out about his daughters arrest on the internet. While Annas mother and father did not attend her criminal trial due to what Vadim said were work obligations, they did voice their support for their daughter in a joint letter to New York State Supreme Court Judge Diane Kiesel, who oversaw Anna's criminal trial, according to Business Insider. "Our daughter is young; she took a series of incorrect decisions to accomplish her goals, but Anna is not a person who should be behind bars," they wrote. The outlet reported that Annas mother and father, who claimed to have been in contact with her in the months leading up to her trial, believed that their daughter had learned her lesson and was on a better path. We believe that our daughter will not make such mistakes again, they wrote. Vadim also spoke out ahead of Annas sentencing in May 2019, telling Komsomolskaya Pravda, Naturally, she is guilty to [a] certain extent. We are aware of the situation but it is too early to talk about anything. Annas father did not believe she was the only party to blame, telling the Russian paper that her acquaintances were also guilty. "They wanted to use everything for their benefit, he said. They were taking in money, they were simply flying with her [they] went somewhere with her, got many things for free. And now they are trying to portray themselves as all white and fluffy. Business Insider reported that Vadim wrote a second letter of support for his daughter ahead of her immigration court hearing stating that the family would take her in and she could work at the family business. He also expressed a desire for Anna to spend time with her elderly grandmother. "Anna will have every chance to integrate herself back into normal life, Vadim wrote. Anna reportedly opposed the plan, telling the Daily Mail in 2022, I'd rather be in jail than live with my parents. As of 2022, she lives in N.Y.C's East Village. Where are Anna Delveys parents now? The Cut reported that Annas mother, father and brother moved to Germany in 2007. As of 2019, the Daily Mail reported that the family was renting a home near a series of multi-unit properties in the town of Duren. Does Anna Delvey still speak to her parents? Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images Anna Delvey poses on July 13, 2023 in New York City Following her sentencing, both Anna and Vadim have said that they have been in contact. In 2019, Anna told the Daily Mail that she conversed with her parents every other day. Vadim confirmed her statement, telling the publication that he spoke to his older child three or four times a week while she was being held at the immigration detention center in New York for overstaying her visa. According to the businessman, their talks mostly revolved around money. The conversation is always the same she needs money, he said. I don't think she has ever once said that she loves me but would tell me instead: Im your only daughter and you have to help me and give me money. Ive no way of doing it myself. Anna gave an update on her contact with her parents in 2022, telling Business Insider, "I talk to my parents a couple of times a week, and I guess they are learning to deal with the whole situation." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. KYIV, Ukraine The shots the Secret Service fired near former President Donald Trump at a Florida golf course Sunday are ringing out 5,000 miles away in the Russia-Ukraine war. After what officials said appeared to be the second attempt to assassinate Trump in three months, a man named Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested and charged. Routh had already been extensively profiled in the Western media as an ardent supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russias ongoing invasion. He had traveled to Ukraine wanting to fight but said in media interviews that he turned to recruitment after its military rejected him because he was too old and had no battlefield experience. Ukraine sought Monday to distance itself from Routh, with the countrys international legion the military unit that includes foreign volunteers saying it had nothing to do with him. Meanwhile, officials in the U.S. were yet to lay out any possible motive. Follow NBC News' live coverage here Russia quickly sought to weaponize his support for Ukraine, an unwelcome development for Kyiv right at the moment both American support and the fight on the battlefield appear to hang in the balance. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, says she will continue President Joe Bidens backing of Kyiv; Trump, the GOP nominee, has been more ambiguous twice refusing to say whether he wanted the U.S. ally to win the war at last weeks debate. Many Ukrainians had already feared an election win for him would spell disaster for their war effort, which relies heavily on Washington. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said early Monday on X that he was "glad to hear that @realDonaldTrump is safe and unharmed. My best wishes to him and his family. Its good that the suspect in the assassination attempt was apprehended quickly," he wrote. "This is our principle: The rule of law is paramount and political violence has no place anywhere in the world. We sincerely hope that everyone remains safe. But Moscow was already stirring the pot. I wonder what would happen if it turned out that the failed new Trump shooter Routh, who recruited mercenaries for the Ukrainian army, was himself hired by the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev for this assassination attempt? former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Security Council, wrote on X. There has been no evidence for that suggestion. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that it is not us who should think about it; it is the U.S. special services who should think about it. In any case, playing with fire has its consequences. Therefore, first of all, this should be a great concern and a headache for the U.S. special services. Legion rejects links Routh was the self-appointed director of an unofficial group called the International Volunteer Center, and he was also using his Facebook account to try to conscript Afghan soldiers who fled the Taliban in 2021 to fight for Kyiv against Moscow, encouraging would-be recruits who speak English to send him their details via WhatsApp. Volunteering in Ukraine is the most honorable and noble sacrifice, and every human on the planet should be here for freedom and human rights, Rouths military recruitment website read. If you do not have military experience, you must sell yourself that you are capable. In May 2022, a GoFundMe page was set up on his behalf by Kathleen Shaffer, who said she was his fiancee. The page, which had raised more than $1,800 when it was removed Sunday, was aimed at helping his volunteer and recruitment drive in Ukraine. Routh at a rally in Kyiv on April 27, 2022. However, none of the efforts were linked to the Ukrainian military, which had rejected his advances and appears to have treated his enthusiasm with suspicion. In interviews, Routh bemoaned what he called Ukraines attitude toward his overtures. Oleksandr Shahuri, a spokesman for Ukraines International Legion, told NBC News that Routh never served in the legion and that it had no other record of any interaction with him. The legion said in a separate email statement: We would like to clarify that Ryan Wesley Routh has never been part of, associated with, or linked to the International Legion in any capacity. Any claims or suggestions indicating otherwise are entirely inaccurate. It is important to note that military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine should refrain from engaging in discussions regarding U.S. domestic politics or its international implications. We fully respect and welcome the decisions made by the American people in choosing their elected officials, it added. The Ukrainian government and military did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Routh said on social media that he supported Trump in 2016, but by 2020 he had soured on him, writing I will be glad when you gone [sic] in June that year. Around the same time, he also tweeted in support of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and then-Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who is now an independent, saying Biden stands for nothing. Far beyond simply repelling Russia's invasion, he said on X in 2022 that "we do not stop until Putin is dead and Moscow is a pile of rubble," calling for the U.S. to bolster its nuclear arsenal. He also extended an open invitation to North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un in 2020 to come "to Hawaii for vacation," saying that "it would be an honor to have you at our beaches. I an a leader here and can arrange the whole trip. Please come." Other aspects of his online profile have not yet been explained. His WhatsApp bio says, "We each need to help the Chinese," without further explanation. After Russias full-scale invasion in February 2022, he was a vocal presence both on social media and in Kyivs Maidan Square, where he pitched a tent and erected billboards trying to rally volunteers. Photos online showed him with dyed blue and blond hair the colors of Ukraines flag swaddled in a star-spangled banner neckerchief and a bulletproof vest. That summer, NBC News spoke briefly with Routh, who said in a message that the Wests limited response to Ukraines war was an indictment of the entire human race and extremely disappointing. There was never any formal interview, and his comments were not included in NBC News coverage of the war. It is a highly charged issue. Ukraine would not have been able to put up such a staunch defense against Russia without tens of billions of dollars in aid from the U.S. and other Western powers. But it has been pushing its backers to do more, and there is deep uncertainty and anxiety about the path Trump would take should he win concerns in Kyiv that will only have been fueled by Sunday's events. Daryna Mayer reported from Kyiv and Alex Smith and Caroline Radnofsky from London. Charles Ives, 150 years old, is immensely important right now. Why is that? Whats changed? For the Ives Sesquicentenary festivals currently sponsored by the NEH Music Unwound consortium, The American Scholar has published an extraordinary online Program Companion. In addition to my essay on Ives and Mahler, it features contributions by a leading American art historian, a leading American Civil War historian, a prominent magazine editor, and the eminence gris among contemporary Ives scholars. These fresh perspectives not only transport Ives far beyond the modernist decades in which he was once incongruously confined; they propose his music as a vital source of national understanding and hope for the future. Tim Barringer is Yale art historian who really knows music. His studies of Frederic Church, the Hudson River School, and the American Sublime have transformed our understanding of nineteenth century American visual art. Tackling Ives for the first time, Tim has come up with a array of landmark insights. By examining the key American visual media of Ivess formative years, he writes, we might begin to identify suggestive parallels with his idiosyncratic, vernacular creative practice. Ives deep sense of local belonging was increasingly unusual in a country scarred by Indigenous dispossession and political schism, one in the throes of rapid economic and social change. His music revisited the scenes of his youth as if searching the pages of a Victorian album, whose sepia photographic prints and stiff . . . portraits could offer a shockingly direct link with lost times and people, with the faces of the dead. Indeed, the very lifeblood of Ivess works is a vividly immediate affect that we might think of as photographic. Tim cites an 1892 photograph of the Ives house (reproduced above) and comments: The photograph marked a radical divergence from earlier forms of popular representation seen on the walls of Victorian American like this 1869 Currier & Lives lithographic print: Images of this kind hover in Ivess pictorial imagination in the way that Stephen Fosters songs are ever-present in his musical vocabulary as fondly remembered half-truths of an earlier era. . . But unlike the prints sugary idyll, the photograph of the homestead at Danbury (much like Ivess later scores) incorporates a multitude of incidental, miscellaneous, quotidian details. The lens registered the undulations of worn brick pavement and the soil in the road. . . . the uncanny smack of truthfulness that also marks out Ivess compositions. And Barringer explores what drew Ives to the paintings of J. M. W. Turner paintings though apparently unfinished, inchoate and hazy were rooted in a lifetime of close observation. Allen Guelzo, again, is a historian who happens to know music like Barringer, a rarity. His essay Battle Hymns stresses the continued ubiquity of the Civil War in American memory during Ivess formative Connecticut years. Overall, Connecticut sent some 55,000 men into the Union ranks . . . almost a quarter of its white male population. In the years following, Connecticut veterans organized Grand Army of the Republic posts with no color line, as colored and white are united. For Ives the Civil War became a shining moment of moral truth and the compositions he wrote to remember it are all lavish demonstrations of a determination to use the American past to understand the present. Specifically, Ives read the war as the Won Cause: The Civil War was for Ives a living cause, the cause of emancipation. This at a time when American writers were either glamorizing the Confederacy and Jim Crow (from Augusta Jane Evans to Thomas Dixon), politely accommodating Southern sensibilities (the American Winston Churchill in The Crisis), or feeling sorrowful for the price northerners had paid (in William Dean Howellss The Rise of Silas Lapham) and pretending that the Civil War had been about something other than slavery. In Ivess use of Civil War songs and marching music, the war served . . . as a symbol of certain eternal veritiesabout freedom, about race, about the American experience itself. . . . His uses of Civil War music are not meant to entertain or impress, but to draw the listener into the ideals of the conflict itself, the world of Danbury in the full bloom of abolitionist energy, a world that, through his music, he could ensure would never be lost. Sudip Bose, the editor of The American Scholar, has undertaken this extraordinary initiative, publishing the Ives Sesquicentenary Program Companion in recognition both of Ivess importance and of his neglect. Sudips essay A Boys Fourth: Listening to Ives in an Age of Political Division ponders his own experience of Ivess The Fourth of July. He writes: In the past several years, with our nation divided, with whispers of civil conflict growing louder and more insistent, with a general anxiety that seems never to relent, I have been hearing in The Fourth of July something far more harrowing, menacing even, than I ever have before. That great cacophonous cloud at the center of the movement seems less like an outpouring of joy than a vision of a nightmare, all those quotations of Americana suddenly sounding like snarling, angry taunts, each fragment crying out to be heard above the others, brash and brutal and bullying. I cant help imagining this terrifying chaos as an apt metaphor for todays America, one in which the distorted lines of Columbia or the Battle Hymn of the Republic suggest not nostalgia but something far more sinister. Even the works final two measureswhich once seemed to me like Americas answer to the Mahlerian ewig, a statement on earth everlasting and our place on it have been transformed in my ears. Those phrases in the strings, hesitant, unresolved, enigmatic, conjuring up a last trail of dying light in the evening skythey seem to ask an unsettling, unanswerable question: Where do we go from here? Finally, J. Peter Burkholder, the most indispensable of present-day Ives scholars, contributes The Power of the Common Soul. Ives, Peter writes, shows us how to listen to every voice and see the good in everyone. A core message is his celebration of the music and music-making of common people . . . He upends the [traditional] hierarchy of taste. . . . Hope is one of the great themes of Ivess music: a celebration of the past, not as a place to return to, or to feel nostalgia for, but as inspiration for the future . . . Music has always been a kind of social glue . . . When Ives incorporates into a composition a hymn tune . . . , it comes with some of that social glue attached. Peters essay closes: In his words for the song Down East (1919), a rumination on songs from mothers heart that culminates in Nearer, My God, to Thee, he says it plainly: With those strains a stronger hope comes nearer to me. We need that hope today. by Melani Manel Perera A number of complaints have been made about the use of minors in propaganda for the 21 September vote. A worrying phenomenon in a country already plagued by serious problems on issues such as child abuse. Sr. Deepa Fernando: Sri Lanka does not have a national framework for child protection: more attention and assistance is needed. Colombo (AsiaNews) - The National Movement for the Protection of Children has filed a complaint with the Election Commission, asking it to take legal action against those who involve children in propaganda and campaigning ahead of the crucial 21 September election. The Movement's president, Priyantha Herath, said that despite having earlier filed a complaint with the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) stating that there is no legal basis for involving children in election campaigns or advertisements, the NCPA has not taken any action so far. The election watchdogs have also urged all political parties not to use children in election activities. According to Manjula Gajanayake, executive director of the Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES), videos and photos are circulating on social media showing children campaigning for political parties. Commenting on the issue, Election Commissioner General Saman Sri Ratnayake confirmed that the Commission has received numerous complaints of such incidents. He added that the National Child Protection Authority should play a key role in addressing these issues. This election controversy touches a country where there are serious problems with the condition of children. In recent days, for example, there has been news of an escalation in the number of reports of child abuse in the district of Anuradhapura: 491 cases have been collected in the last six months. And it is feared that these cases may only be the tip of the iceberg, with many other cases of violence going unreported. Children with physical or mental disabilities are most at risk: essential services for them in many areas are inaccessible or completely absent. Many communities are unable to identify and respond to the needs of these children in a timely manner and do not have adequate parenting support programmes to provide the support network they and their families need. Sr. Deepa Fernando, Former Principal of a Leading Catholic school and co-coordinator of the Movement of Christian Women's Voice (MCWV), comments to AsiaNews: Unfortunately, Sri Lanka does not have a national child protection framework. To ensure adequate responses to the problem Sri Lanka would need more personnel dedicated to this task. More engagement with children, families and schools should be encouraged. And above all, much more attention and assistance should be given to children who have been victims'. Videos posted online show fires and families displaced by the presence of what the authorities call "illegal miners, migrants from neighbouring areas who came to dig for gold. Local landowners get proceeds from the Porgera mine, one of the richest in the world, as compensation for environmental damage. Various groups have clashed over the mine, a scourge Pope Francis denounced a few days ago during his visit. Port Moresby (AsiaNews) At least 20 people died in violent clashes that broke out about five days ago near the Porgera gold mine, in Papua New Guineas Enga province. The countrys police commissioner, David Manning, issued an emergency order to safeguard infrastructure and residents from "illegal miners" who "use violence to victimise and terrorise local landowners". Papua New Guineas second-largest mine opened in 1990, and has been a source of conflict among tribal groups over land ownership. Pope Francis touched this issue on several occasions during his recently completed visit to Asia and Oceania. Just a week ago, he urged an end to tribal violence and called for the equitable distribution of wealth from natural resources. It is unclear how many illegal miners operate in the region, but according to local authorities, since the mine reopened in late 2023, the number of migrants digging for gold at the mine and surrounding areas has increased, clashing with local landowners who, instead, are compensated by foreign mining companies for the environmental damages they cause. Back in April, following the reopening of the mine, Commissioner Manning labelled migrants from other parts of Papua New Guinea "illegal squatters. These troublemakers are illegally taking up private lands to make illicit profit and they dont care who they hurt or what they damage. This greed is harming the businesses and communities of the Porgera Valley, he said. To cope with the situation (despite todays Independence Day celebration), security personnel have been authorised to use force to quell any violence. Recent videos and pictures posted online show heavily armed men roaming the streets of the city, buildings burning, and displaced families. Commissioner Manning ordered officers to move against anyone carrying a weapon. This means that any person carrying an offensive weapon in public will be considered a threat and dealt with accordingly, with force, he said on Saturday. An additional 122 officers and some soldiers have been deployed to restore order. We also call on the landowners to support security force operations for the protection of their people and infrastructure on their land, Manning added. According to Benar News, New Porgera, the company that runs the mine, has suspended its activities because it is unable to guarantee the safety of its personnel. Over the past twenty-four hours a significant escalation in tribal fighting has impacted many of our employees, said James McTiernan, the companys general manager, in a statement. Local employees were allowed to take unpaid leave to move their families to safety. The Porgera gold mine is located about 600 kilometres northwest of the capital Port Moresby, at an altitude of over 2,000 metres. It is among the top 10 gold mines in the world, generating about 10 per cent of Papua New Guineas annual exports. Since May, it is only possible to reach the site on foot or by air after a landslide cut off road links, killing more than 100 people, The region is home to about 50,000 people in a country of 12 million. New Porgera Limited is 51 per cent owned by Papuan shareholders (Kumul Minerals, a state-owned holding company, local landowners, and Enga province) while 49 per cent is held by Barrick Niugini, a joint venture between Canada's Barrick Gold and China's Zijin Mining. In 2019, the Papua New Guinean government refused to renew the license of foreign companies, leading to the closure of the mine in April 2020. But operations resumed on 22 December 2023 after long negotiations. On several occasions, residents have reported violence by security personnel and tried to draw attention to the problem of mining waste and tailings, which have polluted local rivers for years, and made parts of the land useless. Today's news: a ballistic missile from Yemen hit central Israel; In Japan, the over-65 age group is now close to 30 per cent of the population; India reports aa second death from the Nipah virus since July, lethal and highly contagious according to the WHO; The Philippines will continue to guard the Sabina Shoal. CHINA Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated when Typhoon Bebinca made landfall near China's financial centre in Shanghai. The typhoon emerged around 07:30 local time in the coastal area of Lingang New City, eastern Shanghai, the China Meteorological Administration said. According to Chinese state media, it is the strongest storm to hit Shanghai in 75 years. ISRAEL - YEMEN According to the Israeli army, a long-range ballistic missile launched from Yemen hit central Israel, triggering a fire. The missile set off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv and throughout central Israel, including Ben Gurion International Airport, causing residents to run for cover. No casualties were reported. Netanyahu said any attack on Israel would be retaliated against. JAPAN Number of senior citizens in Japan at an all-time high. The Ministry of Internal Affairs released the figures before the country celebrates Keiro No Hi, Day of Respect for the Elderly, today. According to estimates, the nation had a record number of 36.25 million people aged 65 and older on Sunday. This is an increase of 20,000 over the previous year. The elderly make up 29.3 per cent of the total population, another record. INDIA A 24-year-old student died of the Nipah virus - first identified in Malaysia in 1998 - in the state of Kerala. The 151 people who came into contact with the victim are under observation to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. This is the second death caused by Nipah in Kerala since July. Nipah is classified as a priority pathogen by the WHO because of its potential to trigger an epidemic. There is neither a vaccine to prevent the infection nor a treatment to cure it. PHILIPPINES The Philippines will continue to deploy ships in the disputed Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela said today. The words came after the return of the PCG ship, Teresa Magbanua, after five months of being deployed in the Shoal; present since April to monitor what Manila suspects to be small-scale Chinese reclamation activities in the area. RUSSIA - USA On 12 September, a new US sanctions decree went into effect, banning many companies from providing information services and digital programmes to Russia for corporate administration, production and design. There is no precise list of such items, which makes the measure even more troublesome by imposing a regime of uncertainty. ARMENIA The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pasinyan, raised during the government meeting the issue of citizens' use of legally registered weapons for self-defence, calling it a conceptual problem concerning dangerous situations, we have to ask ourselves whether we want people to defend themselves by shooting or to call the police. The list of participants in the second session of the Synod, released today by the Vatican, includes Bishop Vincenzo Zhan Silu, one of the bishops whose excommunication was lifted in 2018. He will work alongside Archbishop Joseph Yang Yongqiang, who already participated in the first session last year. His diocese in Fujian saw the painful resignation of "underground" Bishop Guo Xijin. Vatican City (AsiaNews) Two bishops from the People's Republic of China, Bishop Joseph Yang Yongqiang, who took part in the first session of the Synod last year and was transferred in agreement with the Holy See to the Diocese of Hangzhou (Zhejiang province), and Bishop Vincent Zhan Silu of Mindong (Fujian province), will join the second session of the 16th Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops set to take place in the Vatican from 2 to 27 October. Their names are once again included in the list of the 368 members of the Synod picked by the pontiff, which was released today at a press conference announcing the event at the Holy See Press Office. As Card Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg and relator general of the Synod, explained, almost all the members participated in the first session in October 2023; only 26 have changed, essentially replacements because of impediments that have intervened since then. One of the new is Bishop Zhan Silu, who was appointed by Pope Francis in place of Bishop Anthony Yao Shun of Jining, who was present last year. In response to a question about the change and on the duration of the presence of the two Chinese bishops (who left the Synod in October 2023 before the end of the work), Card Grech, secretary general of the Synod, said that "the Secretariat of State communicated the names to us, but we have no other information on the matter. All this suggests that the choice to designate Bishop Zhan Silu in lieu of Bishop Yao Shun was done by the official bodies of the Chinese Catholic community, which are controlled by Chinese authorities. It is also worth noting that the bishop of Mindong, who is 63, is one of the eight illegally ordained prelates whose excommunication Pope Francis revoked in 2018, following the signing of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China. The prelate had been ordained, in fact, on 6 January 2000 without papal mandate in a ceremony that took place in Beijing. It should be added that already the Synod on young people, held in the Vatican in 2018, saw the participation of Bishop Joseph Guo Jincai of Chengde, one of the bishops whose excommunication the Pope had lifted just a few weeks earlier. As for Archbishop Zhan Silu, it should be noted that in Fujian province, one of the areas where the Catholic presence in China is historically strongest, the application of the Provisional Agreement cause pain in the local "underground" community. Mindong is the diocese where Bishop Vincent Guo Xijin resigned in October 2020, just after two years, unwilling to accept the pressures on the clergy who (like himself) refused to register with official bodies controlled by the party. According to the Holy See, the underground bishop was supposed to support Bishop Zhan Silu as auxiliary bishop (both pictured at Chrism Mass in 2019). Upon withdrawing to a life of prayer, Bishop Guo Xijin, who is now 66, described himself in an open letter as "stupid" and a "scoundrel," unable to keep up with the times and with the style "of the Church in China and in our diocese. As for the work of the Synodal Assembly, like last year, it will be preceded by a spiritual retreat that this time will be held in the Vatican on 30 September and 1 October, and will end with a penitential vigil that Pope Francis will preside in St Peter's Basilica. During the celebration, three people will deliver their testimonies, one who has suffered the sin of abuse, one the sin of war, and one the sin of indifference in the face of tragedies related to migration. A request for forgiveness will follow, pronounced by the Pope, for sins that include, in addition to those mentioned above, the failure to listen, to take the communion, and to participate in the life of the Church. by Vladimir Rozanskij The eldest daughter of Uzbekistan's President Mirziyoyev has continued to climb the rungs of the ladder of power in recent years, reaching the highest position after her father. Confirming the tradition of Central Asian countries. Tashkent (AsiaNews) - The 39-year-old eldest daughter of the President of Uzbekistan, Saida Mirziyoyeva, has been in government for five years now, and in that time she has continued to climb the rungs of the ladder of power, reaching the highest position after her father Savkat, whose advisor and first assistant she is. She has long been considered the heir to the throne of Tashkent, although there is no shortage of other aspirants in the presidential family, considering after all that with last year's changes to the constitution, the 67-year-old Mirziyoyev could remain in the seat for another 14 years, surpassing the quarter-century mark after the first election in 2016. Saida is the first of three children, and in April 2019 she took up the post of deputy director of the Agency for Information and Mass Communications, a role that immediately placed her among the presidency's key assets. Although she had kept her distance from politics until then, she was officially proclaimed her father's first assistant as early as 2023, a dizzying political take-off, as the well-known Uzbek journalist Dzakhongir Mukhammad comments, an unknown person suddenly becoming the country's second authority. Since then, his presence on the public scene has become constant and increasingly conspicuous, with meetings at the highest level and reception of foreign delegations, visits to regions and representation of Uzbekistan abroad. Last month, Saida travelled to neighbouring Kazakhstan, meeting with President Kasym-Zomart Tokaev on the eve of his father's official visit to Astana. The example of the Central Asian countries is very evident, starting with Turkmenistan's presidential tandem of the Berdymukhamedov father and son, Gurbanguly and Serdar, and Tajikistan's president, Emomali Rakhmon, also seems to be on the same path with his son Rustam Emomali. The family lineage of power provides protection for all clan members, many of whom have amassed large fortunes in recent years. Uzbekistan is a dictatorship, in which the first family controls the government and the entire country, says former diplomat Aliser Taksanov on Radio Azattyk, considering that almost all of Mirziyoyev's relatives are in power, including in the secret services and the business world. The latest confirmation in recent days is the appointment of the president's brother-in-law, Otabek Umarov, husband of his youngest daughter Sakhnoza, as vice-president of the Olympic Committee for Central Asia at the 44th assembly in New Delhi, an open-ended appointment with very broad competences, also involving Iran and Afghanistan. The leader of the Paris-based association Human Rights in Central Asia, Uzbek Nadezda Ataeva, believes that Saida Mirziyoyeva's activity is currently a preparation for assuming the presidential role, and at every public meeting the daughter and heir appears more and more confident, it is a kind of study course for career moves. According to Aliser Ilkhomov, head of the Central Asia Due Diligence in London, 40-year-old Umarov could, however, contend with Saida for the supreme chair, as he too is accumulating positions, as he is also vice-president of the National Security Service. Otabek accompanies the president on all his travels and is his main bodyguard, drawing from this role access to enormous levers of influence, Ilkhomov assures. Thanks to family connections, he has accumulated great wealth and is considered the mediator between the political and economic spheres of the country, manoeuvring from behind the scenes. Therefore an underground competition is underway between the two suitors, which would be highlighted by the clash with another 40-year-old, Komil Allamzonov, an exponent of the Information Council very close to the president's daughter, who accused Umarov of undue interference in the Uzbek business world. Saida can also count on the protection of her father-in-law, the 72-year-old General Batyr Tursunov, father of her husband and businessman Ojbek and first vice-president of the Security Council, from which he supervises his young colleague Umarov, in a power game all within the presidential family. It took place four days after Blinken spoke with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian by phone. The U.S. State Department released similar readouts of the two conversations. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev today and reaffirmed the importance of a durable and dignified peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, said Matthew Miller, the department spokesman. Blinken also welcomed recent progress between the parties, including agreement on a border delimitation regulation, added Miller. He gave no other details of their discussion of the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process. According to Azerbaijani news agencies, Aliyev told Blinken that there is already peace in the region thanks to new realities created by Azerbaijan. In that context, he again demanded that Armenia change its constitution and agree to disband the OSCE Minsk Group that had been set up in the early 1990s to deal with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Aliyev and other senior Azerbaijani officials have for months made the signing of a peace treaty with Armenia conditional on the constitutional change sought by Baku. Aliyev reportedly insisted on this precondition in a previous call with Blinken reported in June. The top U.S. diplomat said at the time that the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict should be settled without delay. The foreign ministers of the two South Caucasus states achieved no breakthrough during talks hosted by Blinken in Washington in July. Pashinian talked to Blinken on Thursday after twice repeating last week his proposal to sign an interim peace deal with Azerbaijan that would leave out the few remaining sticking points. Baku continued to reject it. 16 September 2024 13:12 (UTC+04:00) Elnur Enveroglu Read more There is no shortage of shocking news about the former president of the United States and highly reputable candidate Donald Trump, who seems to be much more successful than his rivals in the next presidential elections. Thus, another assassination attempt against presidential hopeful Donald J. Trump happened in West Palm Beach, Florida, last day, on September 15. Lets note that this is the second assassination attempt in two months, against one of the top five best presidents in the United States history. The reasons for the conspiracy against Donald Trump are currently interpreted in different versions, but the name of the Armenian lobby is not excluded among the possibilities. The reason is the recent growing confidence in Trump's victory in the elections and, at the same time, his political position, which is more focused on strengthening US relations with Azerbaijan and Turkiye than the Armenian lobby. Donald Trump was also one of the leaders interested in maintaining warm relations with Israel. In his comment on the issue for Azernews, American political commentator Peter Tase noted that from the moment Trump comes to power, he will focus primarily on strengthening economic relations with Azerbaijan. "President Trumps upcoming administration will forge stronger ties with Azerbaijan and increase economic cooperation with Baku," Tase said. The expert added that Donald Trump may also suspend US financial support for Armenia. "President Trump will begin to cut funding allocated recently towards the Government of Armenia and will work hard to strengthen the economic cooperation with Turkiye and Azerbaijan. The latest assassination attempt against former president Trump is a clear testimony of how tumultuous and decayed is the current state of public order across the United States," he said. According to the Latin American expert, the tensions on the Mexican borders, as well as problems related to migrants, have started to pose a serious threat inside America. The growing tension is spreading even to the White House. "The immigration crisis on the border with Mexico is causing a heavy burden on the law enforcement authorities in many states, such as Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The Biden - Harris will be leaving the White House in January 2025, in deplorable conditions, and the cities across the USA have never been as dangerous as they are today. The outgoing administration of Biden - Harris is also leaving behind a disastrous foreign policy heritage and a European continent with the largest armed conflict it has seen since WWII," he concluded. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 16 September 2024 15:13 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more From January to August of the current year, Azerbaijan exported 6,226,091.81 tons of oil worth $3,940,368.79 thousand to Italy, making Italy the top destination for Azerbaijan's oil exports, Azernews reports, citing the State Customs Committee. Access to paid information is limited Find the plan that suits you best. 16 September 2024 14:56 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more Last year and in the first eight months of this year, 41 million tons of oil and 37 billion cubic meters of gas were supplied to Turkiye and global markets through these pipelines, Azernews reports, citing the Ministry of Energy. Minister Parviz Shahbazov mentioned this during his speech at the fourth meeting of the energy ministers of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. He highlighted that energy cooperation is a strategic pillar of relations between Turkish states. The Azerbaijan-Turkiye energy partnership, including projects like BTC, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, TANAP, and the Southern Gas Corridor, significantly contributes to the energy security of many countries. This year, Azerbaijan is expected to deliver 9.8 billion cubic meters of its 25 billion cubic meters of gas exports to Turkiye and 12.5 billion cubic meters to Europe. The minister also noted that the agreement to transport 2 million tons of Kazakh oil through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, with plans to gradually increase this volume, underscores Azerbaijans role as a unifying force between Central Asia, Turkiye, and Europe. Additionally, it was reported that Azerbaijan's trade turnover with member and observer countries of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) exceeded $9 billion last year. These countries invested $18.2 billion in Azerbaijans economy, while Azerbaijan invested $20.3 billion in these countries. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 16 September 2024 16:02 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more A forum aimed at developing business relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan has begun in Baku, Azernews reports. Deputy Minister of Economy Samad Bashirli, Federal Minister of Trade of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Javad Pol, and Ambassador of Pakistan to Azerbaijan Kasim Mohiuddin will speak at the event. B2B discussions are expected to take place within the framework of the forum. Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Economy Samad Bashirli stated that the possibility of establishing both the Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce and a Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Pakistan is being explored. Bashirli noted that trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Pakistan reached 27 million US dollars in 2023, with most of it being imports from Pakistan. However, there is significant potential for further development of mutual trade. He mentioned that there is great potential in the non-oil sector, particularly in transport, tourism, and pharmaceuticals. "Possibilities for establishing the Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce and the Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Pakistan are also being explored," Bashirli said. He added that there are strong and multifaceted relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan based on deep friendship, brotherhood, and alliance. "These close relations have elevated our cooperation to the level of strategic partnership. The 'Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,' signed in 2015, has significantly contributed to the long-term development of relations between our countries," the Deputy Minister emphasized. On July 11 of this year, high-level negotiations were held in Pakistan during President Ilham Aliyev's visit to the country. During this visit, 15 agreements covering economic, cultural, scientific, and technological fields were signed. As a result of this important visit, the legal framework governing our cooperation has been expanded with more than 50 signed documents. Pakistani companies are playing an increasingly important role in Azerbaijan's economy. "As of August 8, 3,706 Pakistani companies were registered in Azerbaijan, with 3,304 currently operating. Economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan will deepen through our ongoing efforts," Bashirli noted. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 16 September 2024 13:24 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more The Baku Initiative Group (BIG) has issued a strong statement condemning the newly presented program by the Dutch government to the country's Parliament, criticizing its continued colonial policies. The program, which has been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers and is awaiting parliamentary discussion, is seen by BIG as a perpetuation of the Netherlands' historical approach to its former colonies, particularly regarding six Caribbean islands. The group calls on the Dutch government to respect the right to self-determination and the freedom of these territories, accusing the new administration of stifling their independence. Azernews presents the full statement of BIG below: Statement of the Baku Initiative Group (BIG): For your information, we inform you that the Government of the Netherlands has submitted a new program to the Parliament of the country. The program has been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers and must now be discussed and approved by the Parliament. Our expectations that the Netherlands, which has been a colonial country for centuries, would eventually respect the freedom of the peoples it enslaved and remove the obstacles it imposed for the independent living of the territories located tens of thousands of kilometers away from it, did not come true. Although The Party for Freedom, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the New Social Contract, and the Farmer-Citizen Movement, which formed the new government of the Netherlands, wrote that they were fighting for "freedom" in their charters, six countries in the CaribbeanAruba, Curacao, Saint Maarten, Bonaire, Saint Eustatius, and the Saba Islandscontinue to stifle the freedom of the people of these islands. The new program presented by the government claims that Bonaire, Saint Eustatius, and Saba will implement legislative and strategic initiatives aimed at increasing the prosperity of the islands, based on the principles of good governance and cooperation. For this, a General Management Law will be prepared, which approach involves the application of the "obey and explain" principle. Thus, the right-wing nationalist new Cabinet of Ministers of the Netherlands is preparing to continue the colonial policy of the previous government. Although the government claims that some of these islands have an autonomous status, in fact, these areas are completely dependent on the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Even these islands have been removed from the UN list of territories to be decolonized. In order to convey the real situation in the Dutch colonies to the world community, on August 22 of this year, an international conference called "Bonaire's Pathway From Baku Through UN General Assembly To Self-Determination," dedicated to the island of Bonaire, was held in Baku. These peoples fighting for their freedom, especially the island of Bonaire, plan to submit a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly in October of this year to have the island re-listed by the UN for decolonization. The Baku Initiative Group requests the Dutch government to respect the freedom of the peoples and not to create obstacles to the struggle of the islands for independence within the framework of international organizations. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 16 September 2024 20:00 (UTC+04:00) Fatima Latifova Read more Until May, Armenia, which had shown interest in normalising relations with Azerbaijan, has now raised sufficient concern in France. Sensing the risk of being left out of regional diplomacy following the potential peace in the South Caucasus and the political influence it wields over Armenia, Paris continues its campaign of arming Yerevan. Despite condemnation from Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and Russia regarding France's armament policy towards Armenia, Macron's administration remains stubborn in its stance. The continuous flow of euros from Paris to Yerevan raises questions about how Armenia, given the state of its economy, can afford this ongoing arms trade. Today, once again, Frances Foreign Minister, Stephane Sejourne, during a press conference concluding his visit to Yerevan, announced that France would provide Armenia with 29 million euros. According to claims, this sum is intended for Armenians who have voluntarily left Azerbaijani territories. The foreign minister also did not forget to mention that France and Armenia would continue cooperation in the defence sector. Undoubtedly, France's armament campaign poses a serious threat not only to the region but also to the entire international security architecture. Azerbaijan has always advocated against the involvement of external powers in regional matters and has called for regional issues to be resolved by the countries of the region themselves. However, France clearly continues to use Armenia-Azerbaijan relations as a tool against Russia. Meanwhile, Armenia appears content with its situation. Considering that the arrival of foreign powers in the Caucasus primarily disturbs the nations that have existed in the region for centuries, it is understandable that a nation like Armenia, which arrived in the region later and committed acts of vandalism, would not prioritise the interests of the Caucasus. Of course, like any country, Armenia has the right to purchase weapons. However, it is curious why France always tops the list of Armenia's arms suppliers. Why does this process coincide with a period when relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia are normalising? For example, the meeting between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Almaty in May seemed like a strong step towards normalising Baku-Yerevan relations. However, shortly after, a modest sum of 10 million euros, allocated to Armenia under Frances special guidance, was enough to sway Pashinyan away from peace. It should be recalled that the current administration of colonialist France has brought no benefit to any region. Paris merely pursues a policy of occupation. The Macron administration is using every available opportunity to increase its influence in various regions of the world. Unlike Azerbaijan, Armenia, as the weakest link in the South Caucasus, remains open to pressure and manipulation, and France knows this well. Thus, France first entices Armenia by arming it and then gains leverage to exert pressure. Therefore, the recent strengthening of relations between France and Armenia cannot be seen as coincidental. It is evident that Paris is uneasy about any potential normalisation between Baku and Yerevan, as well as bilateral relations. Hence, it is doing everything it can to hinder this process. History shows that the Elysee Palace has always adopted a biased stance regarding the South Caucasus. Therefore, no one can guarantee, or convince official Baku, that the arms supply between Paris and Yerevan is purely for defensive purposes. The current pace of relations between Paris and Yerevan and the events taking place not only undermine the peace agenda but also set the stage for another war or military tension in the future. This is a terrifying scenario for Armenia, whose foreign and domestic policies are already in crisis. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 16 September 2024 19:31 (UTC+04:00) On September 16, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a phone call to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Azernews reports. Emphasizing the importance of achieving lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Antony Blinken noted that the United States would to spare no efforts to achieve this objective. He described as a positive step the achievements in border delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the signing of the Regulation regarding the joint activities of the Commissions on the delimitation of the state border on August 30, 2024. President Ilham Aliyev said peace already exists in the region, underlining that new realities and status quo based on justice and international law had emerged in the region thanks to Azerbaijan's efforts. Noting that it was Azerbaijan that had initiated the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev stressed the importance of Armenias abandoning its territorial claims against Azerbaijan enshrined in its Constitution and other legislative acts, as well as terminating the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group and related institutions as remnants of the past. Touching upon the border delimitation, President Ilham Aliyev underscored the positive results achieved in the bilateral process, adding that this process would be conducted based on the Regulation. During the telephone conversation, discussion also revolved around Azerbaijans hosting of COP29. Antony Blinken stated that the United States supports Azerbaijan in successful hosting of COP29, emphasizing the close collaboration between the COP teams and delegations of Azerbaijan and the United States. Commending this cooperation, President Ilham Aliyev expressed his hope that a consensus would be reached within COP, especially by developed countries regarding the adoption of important decisions related to climate finance. During the phone conversation, they also exchanged views on bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the United States. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz . 16 September 2024 12:26 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more Paris will continue its defence cooperation with Yerevan to ensure Armenia can protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty, according to French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne, Azernews reports. Speaking at a briefing alongside Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Yerevan, Sejourne emphasised that the collaboration between the two nations is not aimed at escalating regional tensions. "Defense cooperation between the two countries is not aimed at escalating tensions in the region, and no one has such intentions," Sejourne stated, underscoring the peaceful goals behind the partnership. Sejourne also vowed to protect Armenia from "Russian pressure," as reported by Armenian media. He expressed unwavering support for the Armenian people and government, highlighting the "threats and obvious hostility from Russia, which is trying to exert pressure." Despite these challenges, he affirmed that Armenia is gradually advancing towards democracy. "You can always rely on our assistance in defending democratic values," Sejourne stated. "France is always by your side. In France, there are few topics on which political forces agree. Armenia is one of those few topics," he added. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A former Charleston, W.Va., physician pleaded guilty to the unlawful distribution of oxycodone after being apprehended overseas and extradited to the U.S. Alexander Otellin, MD, distributed controlled substances to a patient between 2014 and 2020. For about five months during that period, Dr. Otellin wrote prescriptions for oxycodone and other controlled substances without conducting evaluations of the patient, according to a Sept. 12 news release from the Justice Department. Dr. Otellin admitted that the distribution of the substances did not have a legitimate medical purpose, was outside the usual course of medical practice and did not have proper authority, according to the Justice Department. Dr. Otellin, who has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Russia, fled to Russia to avoid prosecution following a 2021 indictment by a federal grand jury, the department said. In September 2023, Dr. Otellin entered Armenia, where he was detained. U.S. Marshals took custody of Dr. Otellin and transported him back to the U.S., arriving April 20, 2024. Dr. Otellin faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a $1 million fine. In addition, he surrendered his medical license with the West Virginia Board of Medicine. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 9, 2025, the release said. Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente has made several big moves in September so far, including closing a facility and building a new hospital. Here are six recent moves by the Oakland, Calif.-based health system, as reported by Becker's since Sept. 5: 1. Kaiser received approval from the San Jose (Calif.) planning commission to move forward with plans to demolish its existing San Jose Medical Center and build a new hospital. 2. Kaiser announced plans to close its last skilled nursing facility in the country, the Kaiser Permanente Post Acute Care Center in San Leandro, Calif. 3. Kaiser Permanente and Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health expanded their partnership through a long-term agreement in Colorado. 4. Black Directors Health Equity Agenda, a Chicago-based coalition of Black board directors, seeks to address health disparities in public hospitals and community health centers with a $1.5 million grant from Kaiser. 5. Kaiser named Christopher Fontes as Northern California executive director of revenue cycle. 6. Kaiser Permanente Ventures participated in a $65 million financing round for a virtual care startup focused on home-based patients. Reimbursement declines and staffing issues could prove to be challenges to growth for gastroenterology practices. The recommended age for colonoscopies is now 45, down from 50, and colorectal cancer rates are high among the U.S.'s aging population, pointing to increased demand for colonoscopies and other GI procedures. "One major concern for the GI industry over the next decade could be the increasing prevalence of gastrointestinal disorders due to rising obesity rates and an aging population," Haydee Padilla, administrator of Mountain View Surgery Center in Redlands, Calif., told Becker's. While increased demand typically promises future revenue for businesses, the staffing and reimbursement issues facing many GI practices may make for a more uncertain future in the industry. "This could strain resources and drive up healthcare costs," Ms. Padilla said. Gastroenterology was also one of 13 specialties that saw declining reimbursement rates despite higher volumes per beneficiary. And cuts could continue next year, as CMS' proposed physician fee schedule for 2025 includes a 2.8% conversion factor decrease. This could have direct implications for gastroenterology, a field where 88% of physicians work in private practice and 42.7% are self-employed. While gastroenterology remains more independent and fragmented than many other specialties, these factors could still fuel consolidation. "Many young gastroenterologists are running away from private practice," Adam Levy, MD, a gastroenterologist in Macon, Ga., told Becker's in January. "This is due to the high cost of educational loans and an environment where hospitals are offering large salaries to graduates. It is difficult for private practice to compete upfront due to declining reimbursements." California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have delayed earthquake operational standards for hospitals. In a Sept. 12 veto message to state senators, Mr. Newsom explained his reasoning, citing the scope of the legislation. "Any extensions considered for the 2030 deadline must balance the increased risk to patients, hardworking hospital staff, emergency responders and the people living in that community," he wrote. "Providing an extended deadline should be limited in scope, granted only on a case-by-case basis to hospitals with demonstrated need and a clear path to compliance, alongside strong accountability and enforcement mechanisms. This bill's proposal to allow any hospital a five-year compliance extension is too long. I encourage hospitals at risk of non-compliance with the 2030 deadline to prioritize remaining work." SB 1432 would have allowed hospitals to apply to the state for up to a five-year extension of the 2030 seismic compliance deadline, with a new deadline of 2035. The 2030 deadline follows the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which led to stricter earthquake-resistance standards. By 2030, all hospital buildings in California must be able to remain fully operational after an earthquake. The California Hospital Association, which sought to delay the standards, expressed disappointment with the governor's veto. "The governor's veto on Senate Bill 1432 is disappointing and places communities across California at risk of losing access to vital emergency and acute healthcare services," CHA President and CEO Carmela Coyle said in a statement shared with Becker's. "The legislature passed a practical approach to compliance with seismic construction standards that would have supported the unwavering commitment of hospitals to their communities," Ms. Coyle said. "Now, without this change to a 30-year-old law, communities throughout California have little assurance that hospitals can stay open, workers can retain the jobs they rely upon, and patients can continue to access the healthcare services they need." The California Nurses Association, which opposed the legislation, applauded the move. "This is an important victory for nurses and patients across the state," CNA President Michelle Vo, RN, said in a Sept. 13 news release. "Hospitals have had over three decades to ensure that they remain open and fully functioning in the event of a major earthquake. Nurses applaud Gov. Newsom for standing with nurses, patients and our communities today by keeping hospital executives accountable to vital seismic safety standards." Editor's note: This story was updated on Sept. 17. Officials at Exeter (N.H.) Hospital, have agreed to continue operating a specialized paramedic program through at least Dec. 20 after meeting with New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella. The hospital, part of Cambridge, Mass.-based Beth Israel Lahey Health, recently said it would shutter its advanced life support paramedic intercept program, citing rising costs and changing patient care demands. Through the program, the hospital sends specially trained paramedics in an "intercept" vehicle to respond to medical emergencies in surrounding communities that require a level of care beyond what local EMS officials can typically provide. News that the hospital planned to end the program which has been in place for more than 30 years by Sept. 20 sparked significant concern from local EMS and fire officials that rely heavily on the specialized service. "Exeter's Hospital's announcement that it would be discontinuing the ALS program within 10 days provided wholly insufficient notice to the communities that rely upon it," Mr. Formella said in a Sept. 13 statement on the matter. "Representatives from my office met with management from Exeter Hospital and Beth Israel Lahey Health last night to relay our significant public health and safety concerns," he said, adding that the hospital has agreed to maintain the services through at least Dec. 20. The program's end would be especially acute for small towns surrounding Exteter that don't always have their own paramedics on staff, local officials told NHPR. East Kingston, for instance, has paramedics on staff, but they're not available 24/7 and don't have the same level of training and resources as the hospital's specialized team. "This program has served as a resource for many communities, and we will work with the impacted departments, state and local officials during the transition period," a spokesperson for Exeter Hospital said in a statement to local news outlets. Beth Israel Lahey acquired the hospital in 2023. The state is reviewing documents from the sale to determine whether a discontinuation of the specialized paramedic program conflicts with any of the conditions Mr. Formella laid out when approving the sale, a spokesperson for his office told NHPR. An Alaska hospital boosted its cybersecurity after two alarming hacking incidents, KFSK reported. In October, a medical resident at Petersburg (Alaska) Medical Center was presenting at a hospital board meeting about continuing the hospital's daycare program, her toddler by her side, when a hacker took control of the Zoom meeting, chatting racial slurs and displaying a video of a man exposing himself, according to the Sept. 12 story. "Because there were small children in the room, we actually went to the FBI, [and] gave them all the information as far as trying to find who the attacker was," hospital CIO Jill Dormer told the public radio station. "All of which is nearly impossible, because they were using random IP addresses." Then this spring, one of the hospital's printers was hacked, causing it to print pages and pages of political propaganda, according to the story. "We need to be vigilant to make sure that we're adapting and keeping up with this ever-changing world that we're in," Ms. Dormer told the news outlet. "And the only way to really do that is to make sure that we're collaborating with our vendors and using all the right tools and doing the education that we need." The EHR is down at an Oklahoma hospital but the facility said it's still able to fully provide patient care. Elk City, Okla.-based Great Plains Regional Medical Center has enlisted "external professionals" to bring back its network and data, according to a Sept. 12 Facebook post from the 62-bed hospital. "Our goals right now are to assure the community that we are fully capable of patient care and we are working to fully restore our electronic systems as quickly as possible," the post said. "It may be a few days before full functionality can be restored." KECO in Elk City reports that a ransomware group locked the hospital's network and is demanding payment for its release. Becker's reached out to the hospital for more information. Cleveland-based University Hospitals posted an operating loss of $118.9 million (-3.8% margin) in the first half of 2024, compared to a loss of $73.9 million (-2.5% margin) over the same period in 2023, according to its financial report released Sept. 13. University Hospitals posted an operating revenue of $3.1 billion for the six months ended June 30, according to the report. That's up from an operating revenue of $2.9 billion over the same period last year. Net patient service revenue was $2.9 billion, up from $2.7 billion. The health system saw total expenses of $3.2 billion in the first half of 2024, up from $3 billion over the same period in 2023. Salaries, wages and employee benefits totaled $1.8 billion in the first half, up from $1.6 billion over the same period last year. Patient care supply costs totaled $764.2 million, up from $679.7 million. Other expenses totaled $305.8 million, up from $258.6 million. The system had 122 days of cash on hand as of June 30, down from 142 on Dec. 31. University Hospitals posted a net loss of $14.9 million in the first half of 2024, down from a net income of $23.4 million reported over the same period last year. Mercy Health Select, an accountable care organization part of Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health, has welcomed University of Toledo Physicians to its Medicare Shared Savings Program. UTP represents more than 300 providers specializing in a range of medical specialties, from primary care to the most complex diagnoses and treatments. Mercy Health Select serves 107,000 Medicare patients across Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia, and has been a top ten ACO out of 480 ACOs across the country for earned shared savings for the past three years. "Mercy Health continues to be a strong performer in value-based care and together with University of Toledo Physicians, we will create mutually beneficial ways to provide coordinated care," Bob Baxter, president of Mercy Health-Toledo, said in a Sept. 16 news release shared with Becker's. "The health and well-being of the community is Mercy Healths top priority. Mercy Health and University of Toledo Physicians are working together to make health care easier for our patients." Participating in MSSP since 2012, Mercy Health Select has created $163 million in savings for CMS and generated $103 million in earned shared savings. University of Iowa Health Care in Iowa City has selected longtime administrator Amy O'Deen, BSN, as chief administrative officer to lead its campus in North Liberty, Iowa, which is set to open in spring 2025. Ms. O'Deen brings more than four decades of experience at UI Health Care to the role, most recently serving as senior assistant director of clinical enterprise. In June 2019, she was promoted through the university reclassification process to chief operating executive of planning and development for the North Liberty campus, UI officials told Becker's. In her new role as chief administrative officer, Ms. O'Deen will work in partnership with many stakeholders across the organization, Brad Haws, CEO of the clinical enterprise and associate vice president of UI Health Care, said in a Sept. 12 Q&A. Mr. Haws also announced that Emily Ward, DNP, RN, will serve as associate chief nursing officer for the North Liberty campus. Dr. Ward is the associate chief nursing officer for the adult inpatient divisions at UI Health Care's university campus and has also served as co-leader of clinical planning for the North Liberty campus. She will begin her new role Nov. 1, and her current role will be backfilled. Larry Marsh, MD, chairman of the department of orthopedics and rehabilitation, will continue to lead planning efforts at the North Liberty campus as construction and future operations move forward, according to Mr. Haws. The North Liberty campus, scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2025 as the new home for the department of orthopedics and rehabilitation, will feature a three-level hospital and five-level medical office building. Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica has signed a definitive asset purchase agreement with Insight Health System, under which Insight will acquire Coldwater (Mich.) Regional Hospital. Flint, Mich.-based Insight plans to keep current Coldwater Regional Hospital President Dan Schwanke and the remainder of the current leadership team intact. Insight and ProMedica will also establish a joint planning team to ensure a smooth transition. The transaction is expected to be completed by Nov. 1, a spokesperson for ProMedica told Becker's. "We are grateful to ProMedica and Coldwater Regional Hospital leadership teams for their dedication and commitment to ensuring a smooth transition over the coming months," Insight Chief Strategy Officer Atif Bawahab said in a Sept. 16 news release. The health system is also taking over interim management of two Ohio hospitals Warren-based Trumbull Regional Medical Center and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital from Dallas-based Steward Health Care. Steward initially shared that the hospital was set to close on or around Sept. 20. Jawad Shah, MD, founder of Insight, said the organization's goal is to keep the doors open at both hospitals and maintain access to care. "As a clinician-led organization, we are committed to providing stability and quality care that this community deserves as we turn a new chapter," Insight said in a Sept. 13 statement. "We are grateful to all the doctors, nurses and staff for their continued dedication, strength and collaboration through the transition and we look forward to a longstanding partnership with this community." Insight operates eight hospitals five of which are nonprofit across Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, Iowa and Illinois, where it acquired Chicago's 414-bed Mercy Hospital in 2021. Insight kept the hospital out of foreclosure, reestablished its emergency department and expanded service lines in areas including behavioral health, maternal health, neurosurgery and cardiology. Massachusetts Nurses Association members are set to begin a 24-hour strike Oct. 1 at Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital in Boston. The union represents 500 nurses at the hospital, according to a Sept. 16 union news release. Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital, part of Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham, has approximately 1,800 employees total. Union members voted to authorize a strike in July. The union and hospital began negotiating a new labor contract in fall 2023, a Mass General Brigham spokesperson told Becker's. The spokesperson said progress has been made during negotiations, "including offering a considerable increase in wages for our nurses." The union contends that hospital management has repeatedly refused to agree to an adequate contract and, after months of negotiations, would not provide Faulkner nurses wage parity with Brigham and Women's Hospital nurses. Members say they seek a contract "that appropriately values the complex patient care nurses provide and improves recruitment and retention." "Our focus remains on continuing the negotiation process while providing high-quality, safe care for our patients," the Mass General Brigham spokesperson said. "If a strike does take place on Oct. 1 as the union indicated, we are positioned to provide the care our patients expect without interruption." The union represents a combined 4,500 nurses at Boston-based BWH and Faulkner. Union members at BWH approved a new labor contract earlier in September after authorizing a strike in July. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into healthcare, a critical question arises: can only well-resourced health systems afford this technology? In August, Daniel Yang, MD, vice president of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies at Kaiser Permanente, voiced concerns to The Wall Street Journal about the widening gap in AI adoption. "The AI 'haves' will be large, well-resourced systems like Kaiser Permanente that invest in testing, evaluating, and responsibly deploying AI technologies for the benefit of our members," Dr. Yang said. "The AI 'have-nots' will be health systems like county hospitals, federally qualified health centers, and rural hospitals that lack the infrastructure or expertise to deploy these technologies effectively, or that do so without fully understanding their capabilities and limitations." Rebecca Mishuris, MD, chief medical information officer at Mass General Brigham, echoed these concerns to Becker's. "They're currently very expensive and are probably pricing out some health systems and providers as a result. If this has an opportunity to truly be an inflection point in provider burnout, we don't want to leave health systems out because of the cost," she said. "And so I'm hoping that we see the cost come down dramatically." However, some industry leaders argue that the cost of AI tools has already begun to decrease. "One of the exciting things about the field is how rapidly the pricing structures are evolving along with the tools themselves," Sara Murray, MD, chief health AI officer of San Francisco-based UCSF Health told Becker's. "Tools like AI scribes which were unaffordable for many health systems just over a year ago now cost a fraction of the price. As these tools are continually improved upon, I expect value to health systems will continually improve." Similarly, Sarah Hatchett, senior vice president and CIO of Cleveland Clinic, pointed out that while investing heavily in AI offers a competitive edge, broader access to AI is becoming more feasible. "Cloud-based and open-sourced solutions require technical expertise but can significantly reduce the cost of AI development," she told Becker's. "Most health systems will more likely pursue strategies around vendor partnerships and embedded solutions in enterprise platforms to leverage the power of AI rather than an internal build approach due to the cost barrier." As the landscape of AI in healthcare continues to evolve, the challenge will be ensuring that its benefits are accessible to a diverse range of health systems, not just the most resourced ones. UC San Diego Health is looking at using Apple's new Vision Pro headset in operating rooms. The health system is conducting a study looking at how apps within the Apple Vision Pro, which utilizes spatial computing, can enhance the surgical experience, according to a Sept. 16 news release. In the study, surgeons will utilize the Apple Vision Pro to display information, such as medical imaging, vital signs and live surgical feeds, in real-time. Surgeons will use the Apple device while still having access to the traditional operating room monitors and displays. According to the news release, surgical procedures can last anywhere from 30 minutes to more than 12 hours, depending on the complexity. The prolonged use of multiple screens and equipment mounted from the floor and ceiling can strain the surgeon's body, particularly the neck and shoulders. The aim of the study is to see if the Vision Pro can reduce this strain by offering an alternative way to display necessary data. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has accused Children's Healthcare of Atlanta of violating federal law by rescinding a job offer after an applicant requested a disability-related accommodation. In an 11-page lawsuit, filed Sept. 12 in federal court and accessed by Becker's, the EEOC alleges the applicant for a registration associate position, Najah Abdel-Hakim, requested a disability-related exemption to the pediatric health system's flu vaccination requirement, and provided medical documentation of a severe allergy to eggs. Ms. Abdel-Hakim requested reasonable accommodation of an exemption or an egg-free flu vaccine. However, CHOA failed to provide either and rescinded its job offer based on the applicant's disability, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also states that the job was filled by an internal candidate who had "no issue" receiving the flu vaccine. The EEOC said such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. A spokesperson for the health system told Becker's: "Children's Healthcare of Atlanta does not comment on employment matters." Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City has appointed two oncology chiefs. Alan Ho, MD, PhD, was named chief of the head and neck oncology service within the division of solid tumor oncology, according to a Sept. 13 news release from the hospital. Dr. Ho is also the program director for the Rare Salivary Gland Cancer Program and a co-program director for the Rare Thyroid Cancer Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Dr. Ho replaces David Pfister, MD, as chief. Dr. Pfister now serves as associate deputy physician-in-chief for strategic partnerships for the hospital. Mark Awad, MD, PhD, was named chief of the thoracic oncology service, also within the solid tumor oncology division, according to a Sept. 6 news release from the hospital. Dr. Awad comes to Memorial Sloan Kettering from Boston-based Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where he served in multiple leadership roles at the institute's Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology. He was also an associate professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Dr. Awad replaces Charles Rudin, MD, PhD, as chief. Dr. Rudin now serves as a deputy director of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, according to the release. The hospital recently earned the second spot on U.S. News & World Report's "2024-25 Best Hospitals for Cancer." Across the U.S., COVID-19 activity remains elevated as early indicators and severity indicators show a slight decrease, according to the CDC. Between the week ending Aug. 31 and the week ending Sept. 7, the percentage of test positivity declined from 16.6% to 14.9%, or a 1.6% drop. Weekly COVID-19 emergency department visits also fell 0.4%. Among severity indicators, there was a 0.2% decrease in COVID-19 deaths, and hospitalizations declined from 3.9 to 2.5 hospitalizations per 100,000 people. Two other updates: 1. Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, MD, PhD, again recommended not to use mRNA vaccines. In a Sept. 13 news release, he said FDA data on efficacy and safety is insufficient and, in the absence of an mRNA vaccine, advised Floridians to stay active, prioritize vegetables over processed fats and spend time outdoors for more vitamin D. Dr. Ladapo has long criticized COVID-19 vaccines and other public health measures; the FDA and CDC have previously fired back at his claims. 2. To learn about Americans' immunization plans this virus season, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center conducted a national poll of 1,006 people in mid-August. Thirty-seven percent of the respondents said they have previously received vaccines but do not plan this year. Another 37% said they do not need the flu, COVID-19, pneumococcal and respiratory syncytial virus vaccines. Forty-three percent of the surveyed adults said they have gotten or plan to receive a COVID-19 vaccine this fall. Daniel Park, MD, has performed biportal endoscopic spine surgery for seven years, and part of mastering the technique boiled down to the basics. Dr. Park, of Royal Oak-based Michigan Orthopedic Surgeons, discussed his journey with biportal endoscopic surgery and what he has learned over the years. Note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity. Question: How long is your tenure with biportal endoscopic surgery? What was the biggest learning curve when adopting the technique? Dr. Daniel Park: My journey into biportal endoscopic spine surgery began in 2017. My colleague from Korea showed me his videos on biportal endoscopy, which piqued my interest. I then began practicing the technique in cadaver labs. As I transitioned to adoption in real clinical life, the biggest hurdle was figuring out the basic things. I did not know if I should use a water pump or gravity or if I used gravity, how high should the bag of fluid be. I did not know what setting to put in the radiofrequency device, I did not know if I should put epinephrine in the irrigation solution. The surgical skills needed and orientation was not that much different but the support on how to set up the case and perform the actual case was the biggest hurdle. Because there are a handful of U.S. surgeons who perform this surgery unlike when I started, talking to other surgeons and asking these questions will make one's learning curve much faster. Q: Talk about your first biportal case and a more recent biportal case. How have your skills evolved? DP: Compared to the first biportal case, my skills have evolved where troubleshooting fluid outflow issues, bleeding issues, knowing what types of instruments could help in certain situations, and navigating scar tissue in revision surgery has become more second nature than being anxious. I have been fortunate to have the same surgical tech in the operating room and support from certain companies that while I mastered the learning curve, they also were mastering their own learning curve. This team nature has made the cases less stressful and more efficient that we can do these case time neutral to tubular cases I used to do. As with any new technique, time has improved but the beauty of this technique is that clinical outcomes did not suffer during the learning phase. Q: What will the next generation of endoscopic spine surgery look like? How will it be pushed forward? DP: I believe endoscopic spine surgery won't be uniportal versus biportal. There will be certain situations where uniportal will be preferred such as in thoracic cases and certain situations where biportal shines such as cases where more bony work needs to be performed. The next generation will be the endoscopic evolution where the entire platform will progress to more ergonomic friendly instruments and higher resolution visualization. The biggest hurdle, however, will be industry support and the financial constraints. The capital cost of some endoscopic systems is too great and the disposable cost of doing the cases cuts into the margin of the case. As cases migrate into the surgery center and surgeons need to be cost conscious, the ability of endoscopic companies to deliver innovation while minimizing costs will be the lynchpin in the greater adoption of this skill set. Furthermore, I strongly feel the traditional spine companies will need to join hands with these endoscopic companies to provide more ways to provide innovation as endoscopic spine surgery expands from just laminectomy and discectomy to fusions. Q: What advice do you have for early career and seasoned spine surgeons who want to learn biportal endoscopic spine? DP: I believe the beauty of biportal endoscopic is the flexibility the platform has. It is not tied to one specific company and capital cost is minimal. Typical spine instruments can be married with the arthroscopy tool sets our knee and shoulder specialists have used for years. All cases that could be performed in tubular way can be adopted to biportal. I believe if any surgeon feels that biportal can help their patients recover faster, have less pain, and better clinical outcomes should slowly add this skill set by visiting surgeons, practicing on cadavers and attending society meetings. To this end, I have helped co-found the World Unilateral Biportal Endoscopy Society of America, which kicks off its first meeting in January. In my learning curve, before I widely adopted it, I would do the biportal case, then connected my two portal incisions and placed a tube to make sure I was satisfied with the completion of the goal of surgery. After three to four cases, I realized that I did everything I wanted to do and stopped "checking" my cases. Providing ways to check that one is doing no harm to the patient and making sure you are delivering the best care to the patient is paramount. The UnHolylands: A heartfelt riot for all ages that Jimmy Nesbitt asked to be a part of TV presenter Ruth Langsford has made a public appearance as photos emerged of her estranged husband with Katie Alexander. Its after 64-year-old GB News presenter Eamonn Holmes was seen with his hand on 42-year-old Ms Alexanders lower back as they visited Ibiza. Meanwhile, Ms Langsford was taking part in a charity walk to raise awareness of Alzheimers in Surrey. She appeared to still be wearing her wedding ring to participate in the event. Ms Langsford posted on social media that she was making memories today with all these amazing people at the walk organised by the Alzheimer's Society, which was holding a Memory Walk at Painshill Park in Cobham. She continued: Thank you all so much for coming (young and not so young!) and walking for your loved ones, I cant thank you enough. So proud to be an ambassador for this incredible charity. This video is long so the music ran out but I couldnt bear to edit it! See you all next year. One of her followers sent Ms Langsford a message of support. "Just want to say youre looking fantastic at the moment as you always do. So glam. Were not interested in all the gossip. Keep doing what youre doing and being fab, she said. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Its thought Eamonn will soon move in with Ms Alexander with the pair reportedly planning to relocate from his rented flat in south west London. According to sources close to Ms Alexander, a 42-year-old relationship therapist, the pair want to move into a bigger place together. Ruth Langsford at an Alzheimer's Society Memory Walk (Photo by Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images) Mr Holmes was seen driving a mobility scooter through the terminal as they embarked on a a luxury holiday to the Mediterranean while Ms Alexander pushed their luggage and a walking frame and they were also seen laughing and joking with other cruise passengers at Barcelona Port. Speaking to The Sun, the source said: Katies assured him she's in it for the long haul and theyre both settling down nicely. Theyve been spending so much time at his Kingston flat that theyre even looking to move in together permanently. Eamonn doesnt want to stay in his rented place as its too small, too expensive and, without air conditioning, gets very hot. Its on the basement floor as well, with people looking in as they walk past all the time so isnt private enough for them. With that in mind, theyre really keen to move into a bigger place in the country with lots of land. Katie will obviously be there to care for Eamonn as he grows older and thinks its best to do that somewhere without prying eyes. Mr Holmes and Ms Langsford, who were axed from This Morning in 2020, announced in May that they had broken up after 14 years of marriage, with a spokesperson revealing they are in the process of divorcing. The TV pair wed in 2010 after 13 years together and are said to be determined to stay friends and keep things amicable. News Catch Up: Monday 16th September Barbados coroner rules cocaine played role in death of JP McManus daughter-in-law, despite battle to halt verdict Ruling on the death of the daughter-in-law of JP McManus was delayed by lengthy legal battle Emma McManus in 2018. Photo: Steve Humphreys Mark Tighe Mon 16 Sep 2024 at 19:48 A Barbados coroners inquest has concluded that cocaine use played a role in the unnatural death in 2020 of Emma McManus, the 40-year-old daughter-in-law of Irish horse-racing tycoon JP McManus. Young boy attacked by XL bully dog while walking to school in Belfast Dog was on leash when it bit arm of Belfast youngster The school boy was attacked by an XL Bully dog. Stock photo Ciaran O'Neill Mon 16 Sep 2024 at 11:46 A young boy has been attacked by an XL bully while walking to school in Belfast. An Orange Order parade has been given permission to walk along a section of the Crumlin Road that a local residents group has disputed. The parade, to mark Orange Heritage Week, is set to take place on Saturday morning, moving from the junction of Woodvale Parade and Woodvale Road along the Crumlin Road to Ligoniel Orange Hall with some restrictions. Orange parades have been allowed to proceed along the road passing the Ardoyne shops on the morning of July 12 each year, but not allowed to stage a return parade in the evening. Some 150 participants, including one band, have been notified as taking part in the parade on Saturday. The Parades Commission published the decision on Monday, describing a "carefully considered and finely balanced judgment" and a "fair balance between the needs of the community and the rights of the individual". The Crumlin and Ardoyne Residents Association (CARA) has applied to hold a protest. It has contended the parade is in breach of an agreement reached in 2016, and "could result in real difficulties, including the potential for negative impact on relations and disorder". For the Twelfth this year, the Orange Order did apply to walk past Ardoyne shopfronts on the return leg of its parade. If allowed it would have been the first evening return parade in the area for over a decade. However, the Parades Commission turned that application down and ruled that it must stop at Woodvale Road before reaching the flashpoint. The parade stopped well short of the designated end point before dispersing, and the evening passed off peacefully, despite fears. Speaking about this Saturdays upcoming Ligoniel Lodges parade, North Belfast DUP MLA Brian Kingston said: Party colleagues and I have been working with Orange Order and community representatives on this matter since last June, including in meetings with the Parades Commission. We welcome this decision by the Parades Commission as a positive step forward. We are always seeking to normalise relations between the communities in North Belfast. There have been a number of shared events in the area this summer and we will always encourage tolerance between the communities." TUV deputy leader Ron McDowell added: Having been involved with the Orange on this issue, I welcome the common sense decision by the Parades Commission. I have no doubt that the three lodges involved will behave impeccably and with the short parade set to both begin and conclude early on Saturday morning any suggestion of disruption to anyones life is a myth. This has been a long running sore in Belfast. It is fitting that a resolution will mark the end of Orange heritage week. Sir Brandon Lewis has said the role of Northern Ireland secretary is the best job in government and a "phenomenal experience" as he reflected on his time in the role. Speaking to Iain Dale's All Talk podcast, Sir Brandon spoke of his time as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2020 to 2022 before he stood down from Parliament at the 2024 General Election. He said Peter Mandelson, the Labour politician who himself held the role from 1999 to 2001 spoke highly of the role to him, describing if as the best in government. Sir Brandon said: "I think he's right, it's a phenomenal experience. You get to live at Hillsborough Castle. You get the ability outside of [being] the Prime Minister to look right across everything, a lot of it was devolved but at that period because of Covid, you still have an interest in it, you want to make sure the people of Northern Ireland get support." The role was "difficult" but he added "the Northern Ireland job is such a special job, it's such a special place and amazing people". He said: "One of the things I'm very proud of is getting access to healthcare and abortion care for the women of Northern Ireland, who just didn't have it - I'm very proud of that." In May 2022 Sir Brandon announced he would invoke his powers to compel Stormonts Department of Health to start providing abortions for women up to 24 weeks pregnant in line with United Nations recommendations accepted by Britain. Sir Brandon was previously Minister of State for Security and said Operation Arbacia, a major undercover surveillance operation by MI5 and police at the time, was therefore of great interest to him. He described it as "probably the biggest takedown of terrorism in Northern Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement". "Seeing that process through was quite fascinating, seeing what the PSNI and their partners do to keep people safe, it's quite phenomenal and quite humbling." His only frustration upon being told by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson he was being appointed to the role is that he wanted to go to Northern Ireland straight away. It was "unexpected" to be given the Northern Ireland job as "I didn't particularly expect Boris to promote me to be a Secretary of State," Sir Brandon added. Instead, he had to attend cabinet and celebrate a dinner party with his wife ahead of being invested as a Commander of the British Empire (CBE). "We had dinner that night and I was running late, the next day I went from cabinet straight to the airport. I was really excited," he said. On recent visits to Northern Ireland for work purposes, Sir Brandon said it's been "slightly emotional". "People were coming and saying we missed you." Speaking of a colleague who also had the role, the late James Brokenshire, Sir Brandon said people in Northern Ireland also had fond memories of his time there. "People would like James because he was a great guy and a great secretary of state," he said. The warm weather seen at the Botanic Avenue Open Festival is set to continue this week Warm weather is set to sweep across parts of the UK this week, with Northern Ireland experiencing higher temperatures than average for this time of year. It comes while parts of central Europe are experiencing devastating floods which have killed at least seven people. The floods have claimed five lives in Romania, one each in Austria and Poland. In the Czech Republic, four people who were swept away by waters were missing, police said. Here, the week ahead is expected to bring plenty of dry and sunny spells, although Monday will begin with a chilly morning here. Forecasters said it could be the first widespread fog of the autumn that develops overnight and lasts until morning. The fog will clear, leading to a sunny, dry day with temperatures reaching 19C in the afternoon. Light winds will accompany the sunshine. Monday will start as a glorious day with plenty of sunshine across much of England, Wales and Scotland, the Met Office said. Temperatures will then rise through the week and could reach 23C or 24C by Wednesday in sunny parts of central, south and east England. Temperatures will likely be more modest in Northern Ireland, but from Tuesday to Thursday, settled weather is expected. It will stay dry with plenty of sunny spells and warming temperatures. Deputy Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, David Oliver said: In the wake of the front on Sunday, high pressure then builds, bringing fine and dry conditions to most parts of the UK for much of next week. There is a risk of some fog patches overnight and temperatures continue to increase, with many places a little above average by mid-week. Dean Hall, senior meteorologist, said that the current weather pattern suggests high pressure will dominate throughout the week, but conditions may change as the week progresses. Through much of next week, high pressure stays well and truly in charge of our weather. The best of the weather in the coming days will be across the western parts of the UK because an easterly breeze is expected. But sunny parts of the south and south east of England, that are further inland and out of the wind, will also feel quite warm. The predicted low-20Cs in those areas are well above the average 18 or 19C for this time of year, Mr Hall said. He added: The signals are that high pressure may stay in charge of our weather for some time yet, so we will wait to see how things pan out as we get towards the end of the week. Summer as a whole has been a bit on the coolish side for some, temperatures have not been great over the past few days, so this will be a welcome relief. If you like the warmth and the sunshine then it will certainly feel a bit warmer compared to what weve had recently it will make a change from the rather changeable weather. Pacemaker Press 16-09-2024: Sunshine returns to Northern Ireland. Dog walkers pictured enjoying the war weather at Stormont in Belfast. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press. Pacemaker Press 16-09-2024: Sunshine returns to Northern Ireland. Dog walkers pictured enjoying the war weather at Stormont in Belfast. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press. Despite children returning to school and some shops already offering Christmas discount deals, summer in Northern Ireland doesnt appear to be disappearing just yet, as sunshine looks set to stay for the coming days. The mercury rose over the weekend, lasting into today, hitting 19C in most parts of the region. This evening will continue to be dry and it will stay dry overnight with long, clear periods. The Met Office has predicted that there will be some patches of mist and fog which may form later in the night, with a minimum temperature of 11C. Tuesday will see any early fog patches soon dispersing, then it should be a dry day yet again with sunny spells, becoming warmer in the afternoon. There will be light southerly winds, and a maximum temperature across Northern Ireland of 21C. The outlook from Wednesday to Friday is so far looking like dry, settled weather, with plenty more sunshine, thanks to high pressure. Again, there will be some patches of mist and fog during the early mornings, and more extensive cloud cover on Friday. But, those looking forward to the weekend can relax in knowing that temperatures should again be as high as 17C, with sunny afternoons forecast on both Saturday and Sunday, and only a very small chance of rain for Saturday night. People across NI have been revelling in the sunshine, soaking up the autumnal rays before the darker nights soon set in. The Met Office explained that high pressure brings plenty of dry and sunny weather, and high pressure has come as a recent result of a cold front clearing over the south areas of the UK, allowing that pressure to build. Once clouds clear and any fog lifts, there will then be plenty of clear, dry weather. The number of prosecutions related to stalking incidents in NI has more than doubled. Credit: Getty Images (stock image) The number of prosecutions related to stalking incidents in Northern Ireland has more than doubled in the past year. For 2022/23 there were 42 prosecutions but for 2023/24 there were 92. Legislation was introduced to Northern Ireland in April 2022 which criminalised stalking for the first time. Under the new law, convictions for the most serious offences will carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Prosecutions for other related offences have also more than doubled. For threatening or abusive behaviour, 65 people have been prosecuted since 2022 with 15 of these in 2022/23 and 50 for 2023/24. Since the Stalking Act became law in 2022 more than 4,500 PSNI officers/staff and 135 prosecutors with responsibilities for dealing with stalking cases have participated in training. There have been 449 files sent from PSNI to PPS (Public Prosecution Service) and to date there have been 57 convictions for stalking and threatening or abusive behaviour. Justice Minister Naomi Long welcomed recent statistics which showed the progress made. She said: I welcome the progress that has been made on the delivery of this legislation, which offers greater protection in our communities to anyone affected by stalking. I am grateful to our justice partners, who are playing their part in delivering meaningful change for victims and providing training for their organisations. In the first report on the Protection from Stalking Act (NI) 2022, it showed that the council district which reported the most amount of stalking offences was Belfast City, with 30 in 2022/23 and 41 in 2023/24. The council district which reported the least amount of stalking offences was jointly Fermanagh and Omagh and Lisburn and Castlereagh with each area reporting only 13 offences since 2022. Derry City and Strabane have reported a total of 15 offences of threatening or abusive behaviour since 2022. Four of these were in 2022/23 and 11 in 2023/24. Causeway Coast and Glens, East and Mid-Antrim and Mid-Ulster have all reported just one offence of threatening or abusive behaviour since 2022. Earlier this year a 46-year-old man was handed Northern Irelands first Stalking Protection Order (SPO) for two years after he allegedly stalked and harassed his 50-year-old ex-partner. SPOs were first introduced here in October 2023. The subject of the SPO is also prohibited from visiting locations in the victims local area. Breaching an order is a criminal offence and can result in a prison sentence of up to five years. Only the police can apply for SPOs which means there is no pressure on a victim to make an application. They can be obtained for both domestic and stranger stalking. Sir Keir Starmer is very interested in Italys strategies to reduce irregular migration, the Prime Minister said as he visits Rome. The dramatic reductions in the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea into Italy is something the Government wants to understand, the Prime Minister said, signalling a desire to look at further upstream work to tackle criminal gangs involved in people smuggling. The Prime Minister is visiting Rome as he continues his attempts to reset relations with the UKs nearest neighbours, with migration expected to be at the top of the agenda. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi arrive to visit the National Coordination Centre in Rome, Italy (Phil Noble/PA) Ms Melonis approach to border control has witnessed a 60% drop in arrivals by sea over the past year, and includes a processing deal with Albania which has been compared to the Rwanda scheme. Asked how the UK could replicate Italys Albania deal, the Prime Minister told broadcasters in Rome: Im here to have discussions, here at this co-ordination centre and with the prime minister (Ms Meloni) about how we deal with unlawful migration. Here theres been some quite dramatic reductions. So I want to understand how that came about. It looks as though thats down to the upstream work thats been done in some of the countries where people are coming from. He added: Ive long believed, by the way, that prevention and stopping people travelling in the first place is one of the best ways to deal with this particular issue. So I am very interested to know how that upstream work went, looking, of course, at other schemes, looking forward to my bilateral with the prime minister this afternoon, but weve already got a shared intent to work together on this trade, this vile trade, of pushing people across borders. Yvette Cooper had earlier insisted the Italy-Albania deal was not the same as the Rwanda plan Labour scrapped when it came to power. Its very, very different. So the arrangement that they have in place and look, its not working yet, so we dont know how it will play out but it is a very, very different approach, she told BBC Breakfast. The Home Secretary added: First of all, this is Italian processing taking place in Albania. It has UNHCR oversight, so it is being monitored to make sure that it meets international standards. Its being done in cooperation between those two countries, and what theyre actually doing is looking at those people who arrive in Italy, who have come from predominantly safe countries, and theyre using it as a way to try and fast-track decisions and returns. She also told the BBC there were four areas the Italians had pursued which interested the UK Government. Alongside the Albania programme, she listed the Meloni governments work tackling organised immigration crime, as well as work upstream in North African nations to prevent migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea, and a major returns scheme. Sir Keir looks at screens showing maritime traffic off the Italian coast with Italian Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi and Chief of Italian Border Police Claudio Galzerano (PA) Ms Cooper said: Theyre speeding up returns for those who dont have a right to be there. Weve been doing that through the summer as well, so weve had a substantial increase in returns for people who dont have a right to be in the UK, because the rules need to be respected and enforced. Responding to criticism of Italys migration policy, the Home Secretary added: Weve always had a history of working with governments that have different political parties that are not aligned. That is a sensible thing for any government to do. We have to work with democratically elected governments, particularly those who are our nearest neighbours, and particularly those where we have shared challenges that we have to face. Downing Street meanwhile said the Government needs to take an international approach to an international challenge on migration, when asked if the UK was concerned about the treatment of migrants in countries like Tunisia. Amid reports some migrants have been abandoned in the North African nation, a Number 10 spokeswoman said: Obviously we take that incredibly seriously and want to be working more closely with countries upstream. The principles that well be following in everything that we do is that it is workable, affordable and in line with international humanitarian law. But it is vital that we stop people from starting these journeys, weve seen far too many deaths in the Mediterranean as well as the Channel. No 10 also said there were no plans to introduce further safe and legal asylum routes to the UK. Sir Keir announced he was axing the previous Tory administrations Rwanda deportation policy as one of his first moves in office, and declared ahead of his visit to Italy there would be no more gimmicks to curb migration. He and Ms Cooper recently held a summit to tackle the gangs facilitating English Channel small boat crossings, as they refocus migration policy on organised crime. Firefighters in a Houston suburb were battling a massive pipeline fire that sparked grass fires and burned power poles on Monday, forcing people in the surrounding area to evacuate. The fire began at 9.55am local time in La Porte, about 25 miles southwest of Houston, Texas. Operator Dallas-based Energy Transfer said the gas flow to the 20-inch pipeline was shut off but the fire will have to burn itself out. The company said it will take hours more before residual natural gas liquids flow out of the pipeline. All of a sudden we hear this loud bang and then I see something bright, like orange, coming from our back door thats outside, said Geselle Melina Guerra, 25, a La Porte resident. She and her boyfriend live in a mobile home within the evacuation area. They were having breakfast when they heard the explosion. I was just freaking out, pacing around the living room, not really knowing what to do or what was happening. I thought maybe it was an airplane that had crashed down by our house, Ms Guerra said. La Porte city secretary Lee Woodward told KTRK-TV that they do not yet know what flows through the pipeline or how it will be shut down. Video images from KTRK showed a park near the fire that had been damaged and firefighters pouring water on adjacent homes that caught fire. The pipeline ablaze in La Porte, Texas (KTRK via AP) Officials have ordered residents in the Brookglen neighbourhood area near the fire to evacuate, Mr Woodward said. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. There are several power lines near the fire. The website PowerOutage.us says that there are nearly 4,700 customers without power in Harris County. CenterPoint Energy said it is monitoring the fire, which is near Spencer Highway in LaPorte. The company said the fire is unrelated to the companys natural gas operations or equipment. We are also co-operating with first responders, a spokesperson said. Putting safety first, the public should avoid this area until further notice from local emergency officials. When it is safe to do so, our electric crews will go into the area to assess the damage to our transmission and distribution power lines, poles and equipment and begin restoring service to impacted customers as safely and quickly as possible. The United States announced new sanctions on Monday against a commercial spyware company headed by a former Israeli military officer whose programme allowed easy access to almost any information stored on a smartphone. US officials and private researchers say Intellexa Consortiums products have been used for mass surveillance campaigns around the world, allowing unscrupulous users to track and obtain sensitive information from dissidents, journalists, political candidates and opposition figures. The penalties target five people and one organisation connected to Intellexa, a Greece-based network of companies with subsidiaries in North Macedonia, Hungary, Ireland and the British Virgin Islands. The company developed and sold a suite of spyware tools known as Predator that allowed entry into a targets device without requiring them to click on a link or attachment. The programme would then grant access to the camera and microphone as well as any data or files stored on the compromised phone. The United States will not tolerate the reckless propagation of disruptive technologies that threatens our national security and undermines the privacy and civil liberties of our citizens, said Bradley T Smith, acting undersecretary of the US Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence. Several subsidiaries of Intellexa and two employees, including its founder, were sanctioned earlier this year by the Biden administration. Last year, the US Commerce Department blacklisted Intellexa and one of its subsidiaries, denying them access to US technology. The five people subject to the new penalties each held senior positions at Intellexa or one of its subsidiaries, US officials say. The Aliada Group, another subsidiary based in the British Virgin Islands, was also sanctioned over allegations of enabling financial transactions for Intellexa that totalled tens of millions of dollars, officials said. Messages left with Intellexa and its executives were not immediately returned Monday. Intellexa was created in 2019 by former Israeli military officer Tal Dilian. Mr Dilian and Sara Hamou, a corporate offshoring specialist who has provided managerial services to Intellexa, were penalised earlier this year in what Biden administration officials said was the first time sanctions were issued over the misuse of spyware. Individuals and organisations under sanctions are prohibited from engaging in business or financial transactions within the US or with US entities. Amnesty Internationals Security Lab published a report last year that found Predator had been used to target but not necessarily infect devices connected to the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, and the president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-Wen, as well as US Republican politician Michael McCaul and Senator John Hoeven. Europe has also faced a number of spyware incidents. Predator spyware was reportedly used in Greece, a revelation that helped precipitate the resignation in 2022 of two top government officials, including the national intelligence director. A Northern Ireland man, who was the first person to ever visit all 197 countries in the world, climb seven summits and visit the North and South Pole, has built his mum her very own house next door to his own in Thailand. Johnny Ward made headlines earlier this year after completing the ultimate explorers grand slam as he dubbed it when he scaled the summit of Vinson Massif in Antarctica, completing his Seven Summits challenge back in January. He and his wife Jaa built their dream home in Chaing Mai in Thailand just last year and decided soon after that he would also build one for his mum, Maura, who is a travel blogger too and would visit him often in Thailand. Maura runs a travel blog called The Geriatric Traveller where she joins Johnny on some of his adventures and the pair have hiked up Mount Fuji in Japan and rode tandem bikes across Jordan in the Middle East. The energetic 74-year-old often undertakes travelling fundraisers to raise money for the Parkinsons Disease Trust, a condition she was diagnosed with 10 years ago. In a video on his Instagram page earlier this week Johnny shared a tour through Mauras new 170sqm home which is situated only 800 metres from his own. Johnny Ward after climbing Everest. He told his 90,000 followers at the end of the video that, all in all, the cost of the build including the purchase of the land and furnishing cost in total $160k. This equates to roughly 122,000 and took just under twelve months to build. In the post, he said: Love you mum, you deserve the world. Cheers to many happy years in your new house and thank you for supporting me through this crazy life when most parents would have said dont you think its time for a real job. You do so much for so many people and its time to take a rest, kick back and pour yourself a gin and tonic. PS Ill start dropping my dirty laundry over on Tuesday afternoons. Speaking to the camera, Johnny revealed how much his mother supported him throughout his life as a single parent. I come from a single-mother family, we were on welfare for 10-plus years, he said. I became a blogger and was a broke backpacker for years and my mum always supported me so much when everybody else was asking whens Johnny going to get a real job? Shes supported me in whatever makes me happy, so I always felt that love and support for her, he added. The blog then started making some money and my life turned around and I visited every country in the world; I climbed Everest and rowed across the Atlantic and my life changed and I was in a position where I could give back to my mum, so I built her a house here in Chaing Mai in Thailand only 800 metres away from my house so she will be spending her winters or maybe eight or nine months of the year or who knows, maybe permanently, here in Thailand. Johnny and mum Maura The open-plan house has three bedrooms and three bathrooms over two storeys. Johnny explained how the entire bottom floor is entirely self-sufficient which means that Maura doesnt have to climb stairs every day. The top level is really only when she has guests over, because she has Parkinsons she doesnt have to keep going up and down the stairs, he said. He caught Mauras reaction to seeing the house for the first time on camera when she walked through the door. She said: Ive never been lost for words before, anybody who knows me will tell you, but I just cannot believe it. I think Ill be waking up tomorrow morning and discover that its all a dream, its absolutely beautiful, Im gobsmacked. If youd like to keep up to date with Johnnys future travel adventures, you can follow him on Instagram @onestep4ward News Catch Up: Monday 16th September Cop who repeatedly smacked womans bum at gym avoids prison sentence Shamed former officer refused to admit guilt despite CCTV footage The accused ex-officer denied charge John Toner Mon 16 Sep 2024 at 07:24 An ex-cop has been slapped with a suspended sentence after repeatedly smacking a womans bottom while she tried to work out at a gym. If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom. Bill Schmick is registered as an investment adviser representative of Onota Partners Inc. in the Berkshires. He can be reached at 413-347-2401, or email him at billiams1948@gmail.com. This Story in History is selected from the archives by Jeannie Maschino, The Berkshire Eagle. PITTSFIELD David Carver hit a few snags in his latest redevelopment project on Tyler Street, but now the community is chipping in."I'll figure it out one way or another," Carver said of the Susan Phillips is a former reporter for The Berkshire Eagle. She lives in Windsor after living abroad and in Washington, D.C. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:38-39). It often seems that every generation has believed the second coming of Jesus Christ is close at hand. There are certainly indications that Paul believed the Second Coming would be sooner, rather than later. He might have been surprised that later was some 2,000 years. And, of course, every few years, believers also seem to be willing to identify the antichrist to support their idea that the rapture must be right on the horizon. There are indeed a great many theories about the what, when and where of the second coming of Christ. While many hold to a millennial period (1000 years) after Christ returns, there remain theories about the timing. Pre-millennial (Christ comes prior-to); post-millennial (Christ returns after the millennial); and mid-millennial and even amillennial (there will be no 1000-year period, period.) I have now heard pastors say, with a smile, they tend to be pan-millennial. In other words, everything is going to pan out in the end. Of course, many of these theories at least most are supported by a verse or verses. Especially pan-millennial. And lets not even get started on what is called the Rapture of the Church. Will we be here for the tribulation or will we be taken up to meet Christ in the air? In other words, any discussion involving Biblical eschatology is certain to stir up a great deal of disagreement. However, the most-widely accepted theory does appear to be pre-millennial, preceded by the Rapture of the Church. This theory seems supported by particular verses from Pauls letter to the church in Thessalonica: After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thessalonians 4:17). And: For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9). What we do know for sure is this Jesus himself told his disciples that even he didnt know the day or the hour when he would return. But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Matthew 24:36). We also know this for certain Christ is going to come again. However, the best we can do is speculate as to when that time will be. The evidence certainly would seem to hold that the true Church will not be here when it happens but we are closer to that time than ever before. All that leads us to one lesser-known theory (emphasis on that word theory) as to when all this might occur. It is called the Millennial Day theory and there is evidence that seems to fall into place. The Millennial Day The Millennial Day theory aka Millennium Sabbath, or Sabbath millennium contends that the second coming of Christ will occur 6,000 years after the creation of mankind, followed by 1,000 years of peace and harmony, then, our eternal life. The idea follows the thought that the first coming of Christ would be 4,000 years after human creation, then his second coming 2,000 years later. The support for this theory comes from a literal interpretation of the book of Genesis. The argument being that human history from Adam to the eternal state will run 7,000 years. We know from Scripture that seven is a number representing God; it is Gods number for completion, perfection and holiness. The number six, on the other hand, is tied to mans weakness and frailty a number for imperfection and lack of completion. The number of the evil one. This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666 (Revelation 13:18). One additional point here in the gospel of Mark, Peter identified Jesus as the Messiah at Caesarea Philippi (8:29.) Jesus then tells foretells his death and resurrection. Mark tells us, And after six days (v. 9:2). Jesus took Peter, James and John, went up on a high mountain by themselves where the disciples witness the transfiguration of Jesus. Incomplete (six days) then complete on the seventh day? If this theory is true, that would mean that Jesus will return 2000 years after hisbirth? Death? Resurrection? Transfiguration, maybe? That is an answer we dont know. Birth? It would seem unlikely, since that time has already passed even on the Hebrew calendar. However, some hold to this view based on changes to the calendar since the time of Christ. Death? Perhaps this is the answer. Since people calculate that Jesus was crucified in either 32 or 33 A.D. then, based on the Roman calendar, his return his truly upon us. And, since his return would be immediately preceded by the seven-year tribulation period, thenwell, you can do that math. Or perhaps the transfiguration? When Christ was seemingly anointed for his coming death and resurrection. Of course, this occurred just prior to his crucifixion. To justify the Millennial Day theory, one must support a literal translation of Genesis and the pre-millennial return of Jesus. Old Testament Mysteries It stands to reason that any proponent of Millennial Day must also then accept the young earth theory a literal interpretation of the book of Genesis that creation occurred in a literal six days, and on the seventh day, God rested. While young-earth creationists believe in a literal approach to interpreting the creation verses, old-earth creationists believe that a literal approach is not the correct method. Old-earthers believe the early chapters of Genesis are primarily symbolic. Of course, this raises two significantly interesting questions. Since the rest of the book of Genesis is historical, why would the first two chapters be interpreted differently? Why would we take Genesis 3-50 literally, yet apply a figurative test to the first two chapters? Adding to the mystery, Exodus 20:11 another historical, literal narrative says: For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. The Hebrew word yom was used here to describe day in both Genesis and Exodus. Why would the Word of the Lord describe specific days and apply six literal days, and a seventh-day Sabbath if it was all simply figurative? Young-earthers argue that it is the theories of scientific aging that are being misinterpreted and are primarily a tool for atheistic naturalists defending Darwinian evolution and are working from a position of presuppositions and agendas. It is important to point out that both groups young and old-earthers are equally sincere, and neither are declaring the Bible wrong. Both trust in the Bible as Gods Word. One simply interprets more literally than the other. Of course, we must also not forget that Gods time is not our time, as pointed out by both Moses and Peter: A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night (Psalm 90:4). But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day (2 Peter 3:8). Then again, we might ask why did God take six days for creation, when he undoubtedly could have accomplished the task in moments? After all, Hes God. Secondly, surely God never needs to rest, so why did he rest on the seventh day? Could he be that God was setting a pattern, as so often occurred in the Bible? Was the six/seven-day combination a foreshadowing of what was to come? Some have referred to Genesis 2 as an implied prophesy. The concept of 6,000 years of human labor and conflict will be followed by 1,000 years of rest during the Millennial Reign of the Messiah. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work (Genesis 2:2). This concept of 6,000 years of human toil and conflict followed by 1,000 years of rest is still alive among Jewish rabbis and is being taught by them, writes Dr. David R. Reagan. Got Questions further explains: As we interpret it, the Bible indicates that the earth is relatively young. According to secular scientists and those who accept an old-earth reading of Scripture, the earth is very old. Since neither viewpoint can be explicitly proved, we choose to side with a plain/literal interpretation of the Bible. One need not look far to see how God used seven in his dealings with Israel. The Sabbath on the seventh day, of course but also, there are seven feast days; the seven-year Sabbath for the land; the seventh year of Jubilee. We would certainly be remiss to overlook the seventy weeks decreed for Daniels people and the holy city, as delivered by Gabriel - known as the Prophesy of the 70 Weeks of Years (Daniel 9:20-27). In short, while there were sixty-nine sevens or seventy weeks/years spent rebuilding Jerusalem plus sixty-two weeks/years awaiting the Messiah (v. 25) this prophecy appears to have been fulfilled, but one seven remains. From the death of Jesus to today, the prophesy has been suspended, awaiting the final seven the seven years of tribulation leading to Christs return. Daniel certainly evidenced a foreshadowing of things to come. Foreshadows of Things to Come? Regardless of how we feel about young-earth or old-earth, one thing remains certain the Bible is replete with prophesies that foreshadow things to come, isnt it? Daniels prophecy was simply one of the better known, however there have been many others. Of course, hundreds of Messianic prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus, but there are many other Old Testament prophesies, unrelated to Jesus, which have been fulfilled. There are also those that are somewhat fulfilled, but awaiting fulfillment at a later date. Some scholars call this multiple fulfillment, meaning an Old Testament prophesy may have two fulfillments: one being closer on the timeline to the prophesy, and then long past it. 2 Samuel 7:12-16 is one example. Immediate fulfillment came in the coronation of Solomon, as Davids son. However, it was also fulfilled in the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Jesus himself, in the Olivet Discourse, reiterated Daniels prophecy regarding the final seven. When you see the abomination that causes desolation (Mark 13:14). Partial fulfillment had come when Antiochus IV desecrated the temple in 167 BC. In that, Jesus repeated the words after that partial fulfillment tells us there is more to come. Final fulfillment is to come during the end times. This brings us to the minor prophet Hosea 6:1-2: Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Clearly, the message is directed at an unrepentant Israel, and points directly at Jesus first coming, at his death and resurrection. Is it also possible this prophecy will result in a multiple fulfillment, fulfilled at Jesus second coming coming to revive us after 2,000 years (two days) and restoring us in the millennial period (third day). Is it possible that at creation God foreshadowed things to come, and then Jesus did the same at his death and resurrection? Only He knows. Be Prepared While the Millennial Day theory clearly has Biblical merit, the absolute truth is that none of us knows. None of us has any real clue as to when Jesus will return. But this we do know He is returning. And we are closer now than we have ever been before. In fact, each day, each moment, we grow closer. What should we do? We need to take seriously the parables of Jesus that warned of his return. As in the parable of the ten virgins we need to be ready with oil in our lamps, prepared for his return (Matthew 25:1-13). We need to be about the work of his kingdom, as the men who received five talents or two talents and not as the one with one talent (Matthew 25:14-28). Jesus promised us that wherever he was, he would return and take us with him. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going (John 14:3-4). And yes, Lord, now we know the way is through you. When will that be? Well, only the Father knows the answer to that one. It could be today, tomorrow, or? Let us be ready. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour (Matthew 25:13). Related articles How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times If God Created for 6 Days, Why Does 7 Symbolize Perfection? What Is the Rapture and Is it Biblical? 10 Things You Need to Know about the Number 666 Photo credit: Getty Images/kieferpix Grandchamp is an author and speaker. His book, In Pursuit of Truth, A Journey Begins, is an easy-to-read narrative that offers answers to the most common questions new believers and non-believers have about Jesus Christ (Amazon.) Greg speaks on living out our faith in our daily lives and on creating true disciples of Christ. Greg doesnt pretend to be a pastor, a theologian, or a Bible expert, but offers the perspective of an everyday guy on the same journey as everyone else in pursuit of truth. Greg can be reached by email or on Facebook @ Greg Grandchamp - Author. BillOReilly.com is not available in this country. We apologize for any inconvenience. dpatopbilder - Police officers stop vehicles on the A64 near Trier at the start of border controls at all German state borders. Photo: Harald Tittel/dpa Keystone Estonia's Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets considers the German government's decision to temporarily reintroduce controls at all German land borders to be understandable. "In view of the fact that the German authorities identified around 50,000 illegal entrants in the first half of this year alone, we should probably not question this decision," he told Estonian radio on Monday. "This is a reasoned decision by our partner and in line with Schengen law." SDA Laanemets pointed out that the illegal entrants were mainly Syrian, Afghan and Turkish nationals. In addition, Germany had taken in more than one million war refugees from Ukraine, which was already putting a considerable strain on the country's reception capacity, said the Estonian minister. However, he believes that the decision will have the greatest impact on German citizens who frequently cross the EU's internal borders. He therefore sees no need to react to what has happened, said Laanemets. Last week, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) had ordered that from Monday there should be stationary controls at all land borders in order to reduce the number of unauthorized entries. The additional controls will initially last for six months. SDA There is no shortage of shocking news about the former president of the United States and highly reputable candidate Donald Trump, who seems to be much more successful than his rivals in the next presidential elections. Thus, another assassination attempt against presidential hopeful Donald J. Trump happened in West Palm Beach, Florida, last day, on September 15. Lets note that this is the second assassination attempt in two months, against one of the top five best presidents in the United States history. The reasons for the conspiracy against Donald Trump are currently interpreted in different versions, but the name of the Armenian lobby is not excluded among the possibilities. The reason is the recent growing confidence in Trump's victory in the elections and, at the same time, his political position, which is more focused on strengthening US relations with Azerbaijan and Turkiye than the Armenian lobby. Donald Trump was also one of the leaders interested in maintaining warm relations with Israel. In his comment on the issue for Azernews, American political commentator Peter Tase noted that from the moment Trump comes to power, he will focus primarily on strengthening economic relations with Azerbaijan. "President Trumps upcoming administration will forge stronger ties with Azerbaijan and increase economic cooperation with Baku," Tase said. The expert added that Donald Trump may also suspend US financial support for Armenia. "President Trump will begin to cut funding allocated recently towards the Government of Armenia and will work hard to strengthen the economic cooperation with Turkiye and Azerbaijan. The latest assassination attempt against former president Trump is a clear testimony of how tumultuous and decayed is the current state of public order across the United States," he said. According to the Latin American expert, the tensions on the Mexican borders, as well as problems related to migrants, have started to pose a serious threat inside America. The growing tension is spreading even to the White House. "The immigration crisis on the border with Mexico is causing a heavy burden on the law enforcement authorities in many states, such as Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The Biden - Harris will be leaving the White House in January 2025, in deplorable conditions, and the cities across the USA have never been as dangerous as they are today. The outgoing administration of Biden - Harris is also leaving behind a disastrous foreign policy heritage and a European continent with the largest armed conflict it has seen since WWII," he concluded. In the fall, the citizens of Bern are called upon to reappoint their parliament, the city council. (archive picture) Keystone Four lists have been drawn up for the elections to Bern's city parliament. The SVP list will not be joining forces for the parliamentary elections, as the city chancellery announced on Monday. SDA The Social Democrats are joining forces with the Green Alliance, the Green Free List, the Young Alternative YES!, the Young Socialists and Volt Switzerland. Volt sees itself as a pro-European citizens' movement. The Green Liberals, the Center, the EPP, the Pirate Party and the FDP with its young parties have also entered into a list alliance, as can be seen from the press release. There is also a list combination of Aufrecht Stadt Bern and the EDU as well as one of the Party of Labor with Tier im Fokus and the Alternative Left. Two blocks have entered into further sub-list combinations. In the City of Bern, the government and parliament are elected using the proportional representation system. This means that the list votes are counted first. This determines which party or list receives how many votes. Within the list, the candidates with the most personal votes are then elected. List combinations and sub-list combinations are permitted for city council elections. Anyone who enters into a list combination is initially treated as a single list for the distribution of seats. This can increase the chances of winning a seat. Only in a further step are the seats distributed among the combined lists. SDA Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of his mother in Belfast. Nathan Simpson (21), from Castlereagh Road, appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court on Monday. Advertisement It followed the discovery of 43-year-old Rachelle Simpsons body in the garage of a property on the Castlereagh Road at the weekend. The defendant appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court on Monday (Liam McBurney/PA) A PSNI detective sergeant told the court he could connect Nathan Simpson to the murder charge. Advertisement Asked if he understood the charge, Simpson replied: Yes, your honour. No application for bail was made. However, a defence lawyer said the case highlighted a broader issue in relation to accommodation for prisoners being released from custody. He said the defendant had been released from custody days before but attempts to secure accommodation had proven fruitless. Advertisement He was remanded in custody until October 14th. A man has been arrested over a fatal shooting in Dublin in 2022. The man, aged in his 30s, was arrested on Monday morning in connection with the fatal shooting of Cormac Berkeley in Clondalkin on December 5th, 2022. Advertisement He is detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007, at a Garda station in Dublin. The arrest relates to a shooting shortly before 9pm on the December night in question. Gardai were alerted to the incident after a man in his 30s was shot and seriously injured as he sat in a car outside a house at Harelawn Park, Dublin 22. Mr Berkeley was treated at the scene by emergency services but was pronounced dead a short time later. Advertisement Gardai continue to appeal to anyone who may have information in relation to the shooting to contact them. Anyone with information which may assist gardai in their investigation is asked to contact Lucan Garda Station on 01 6667300 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, gardai said. A Dublin man has been sent forward for trial to the non-jury Special Criminal Court charged with "disposal" of body parts of murdered teenager Keane Mulready Woods and impeding the investigation into his death. The Drogheda youth (17) was last seen alive by his family on the evening of January 12th, 2020. He was killed, and his body was later dismembered. Advertisement Remains found in Coolock and a burned-out vehicle at Trinity Terrace, Dublin, and at Rathmullan Park in Drogheda, Co Louth, were those of the missing boy. Glen Bride (30), of Mount Olive Park, Kilbarrack, Dublin, was last month charged and remanded in custody following a brief hearing. He is accused of damaging a Volvo V40 car bearing false registration plates by fire for the benefit of a criminal organisation on January 15th, 2020, at Trinity Terrace, Ballybough, Dublin 3. The second charge alleges that from January 13th-15th, 2020, at Trinity Terrace, to enhance the ability of a criminal organisation to commit a serious offence, murder, he participated in or contributed to the transportation and disposal of body parts of Keane Mulready Woods. Advertisement The third charge states that over the same two-day period at locations in the State, he impeded the apprehension or prosecution of another person who committed the murder and knowing they were guilty of that or another offence. He did not apply for bail and faced his third hearing at Dublin District Court on Monday. Judge John Hughes heard that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed trial on indictment. A State solicitor told Judge Hughes that DPP directed that Mr Bride be sent forward for trial to the Special Criminal Court. The DPP furnished a certificate under section 46.2 of the Offences Against the State Act that, in this case, "the ordinary courts are inadequate to secure the effective administration of justice". Advertisement The judge warned the accused that he must notify the prosecution if he intended to use an alibi, and ordered the gardai to hand over interview videos to the defence. Legal aid was granted to include representation of his solicitor, Tracy Horan, plus a barrister and a senior counsel. Mr Bride, who did not address the court, has yet to indicate a plea and will be given his next court appearance date later. He did not apply for bail and was sent forward for trial in custody. Earlier in the proceedings, the defence said, "My client has concerns for his safety" in custody, and he had asked to be held at Mountjoy rather than Cloverhill Prison. Advertisement In May, Stephen Carberry (46), of Adair Apartments, Sandymount, Dublin 4, was charged with the same three offences. He is also awaiting trial in the Special Criminal Court. Last year, that court jailed two men for connected crimes. Gerard Cruise (50), of Rathmullan Park, Drogheda, pleaded guilty to a charge that, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, he facilitated the murder of Keane Mulready Woods, at Rathmullan Park, Drogheda. He received a seven-year jail term. Paul Crosby (28), of Rathmullan Park, Drogheda, also admitted the same offence and was imprisoned for 10 years. Those proceedings heard that the prime suspect in the murder was Robert Lawlor, a notorious Dublin criminal. Lawlor (36) was shot dead in Belfast in April 2020. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Monday pardoned 37 people serving prison sentences for extremist crimes, his office said. It is the fourth time since July that the authoritarian leader has pardoned dozens of political prisoners in what some observers see as an attempt to soften his image. Advertisement Mr Lukashenkos office did not identify any of the prisoners pardoned Monday, but said they include six women. It described them as guilty of crimes of an extremist character, a reference to people who took part in protests. Mr Lukashenkos press service said all had repented and asked to be released. There are more than 1,300 political prisoners in Belarus, according to the Viasna human rights centre. They include the groups founder and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and Polish newspaper journalist Andrzej Poczobut, whose release Poland is seeking. Ales Bialiatski, the head of the Viasna human rights group, sits in a defendants cage at a court session in Minsk, Belarus, in January 2023 (Vitaly Pivovarchyk/BelTA Pool Photo via AP) Advertisement At least six political prisoners have died behind bars, Viasna said. In 2020, Belarus was rocked by its largest-ever protests following an election that gave Mr Lukashenko a sixth term in office but was condemned by the opposition and the West as fraudulent. According to Viasna, 65,000 people have been arrested since the protests began and hundreds of thousands have fled Belarus. Before Mondays releases, Mr Lukashenko since July had pardoned 78 other people convicted of participating in mass protests, including journalists and activists with serious illnesses. They included the leader of the Belarusian Popular Front, Ryhor Kastusiou, who suffers from severe cancer. Advertisement Viasna representative Pavel Sapelka said Mr Lukashenkos pardoning of some convicts does not mean a relaxation of his crackdown on dissent. Freeing some political prisoners doesnt mark the start of a thaw in Belarus, as harsh repression continues and the authorities have rounded up four times as many activists about 400 people in three months, Mr Sapelka said. Some observers linked the pardons to a presidential election next year in which Mr Lukashenko is set to extend his 30-year rule. Lukashenko is trying to humanise his image ahead of the presidential election to start bargaining with the West about the recognition of vote results and a partial rollback of Western sanctions, analyst Valery Karbalevich said. An influential French member of the European Unions powerful executive branch has resigned, calling into question the leadership of European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen just as she tries to assemble a new team for the next five years. Thierry Breton, a French business executive and commissioner for the EUs vast internal market who recently clashed with tech billionaire Elon Musk, suggested that Ms von der Leyen had gone behind his back to get another French official named in his place to the next commission. Advertisement In a post on social media platform X containing his resignation letter to the EUs top official, Mr Breton said that Ms von der Leyens move was further testimony to questionable governance I have to conclude that I can no longer exercise my duties in the College. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my colleagues in the College, Commission services, MEPs, Member States, and my team. Together, we have worked tirelessly to advance an ambitious EU agenda. It has been an honour & privilege to serve the common European interest pic.twitter.com/wQ4eeHUnYu Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) September 16, 2024 Advertisement The commission proposes legislation for the 27 EU member countries and ensures that the rules governing the worlds biggest trading bloc are respected. It is made up of a college of commissioners with a range of portfolios similar to those of government ministers, including agriculture, economic, competition, security and migration policy. Advertisement Mr Bretons surprise resignation came just 24 hours before Ms von der Leyen was due to announce her new team to the European Parliament. The commission was scheduled to start work on November 1, but speculation is rife that it might not get down to business before January. European Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta said that Ms von der Leyen had accepted Mr Bretons resignation and thanked him for his work during her first term. Ms Podesta declined to comment on his very public criticism of the presidents leadership. Advertisement Within hours, President Emmanuel Macron nominated Frances foreign minister, Stephane Sejourne, in Mr Bretons place. The commission could not say who might take over Mr Bretons responsibilities, which have included efforts to expand Europes defence industry to make more weapons and ammunition for Ukraine. With an eye to keeping a gender balance within the commission for her second term at the helm, Ms von der Leyen had asked each member country to supply the name of a male and female candidate for policy commissioner. Most only proposed one candidate, often a man. Advertisement The commission chief, a former German defence minister, has been pressuring smaller countries to change their minds. In recent weeks, a man who was the preferred candidate of the government in Slovenia withdrew and a woman was proposed in his place. Ms von der Leyen decides which country gets which portfolio, and some of them, such as those involving trade or finance or EU enlargement, are coveted by certain countries. Plum jobs such as the post of vice president the commission has seven of these are also much sought after. Ursula von der Leyen with, from left, Didier Reynders, Thierry Breton and Oliver Varhelyi at the College of Commissioners at EU headquarters in Brussels in 2022 (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP) Mr Breton suggested that he was a victim of these political machinations. A few days ago, in the very final stretch of negotiations on the composition of the future College, you asked France to withdraw my name for personal reasons that in no instance you have discussed directly with me and offered, as a political trade-off, an allegedly more influential portfolio for France in the future College, he wrote in his resignation letter. You will now be proposed a different candidate, he said. In any case, nothing is set in stone. The commission nominees must still pass a grilling in the European Parliament to take office. Mr Breton has irritated some in the commission with his go-it-alone approach. Acting last month without Ms von der Leyens approval, he took to X to warn Mr Musk of possible amplification of harmful content by broadcasting an interview with former US president Donald Trump. Mr Musk, who owns the social media platform, posted a derogatory reply. Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung urged the EU to mind their own business instead of trying to meddle in the US presidential election. Irans new reformist president insisted on Monday that Tehran did not want to enrich uranium at near-weapons grade levels but had been forced to by the US withdrawal from its nuclear deal with world powers. The comments by President Masoud Pezeshkian, in response to a question by The Associated Press at his first news conference, underline a campaign promise he made to try to see international sanctions on the Islamic republic lifted. Advertisement However, it remains unclear just how much room for negotiation Mr Pezeshkian will have and just who will be in the White House next year. Advertisement I think, we said many times, we dont want to do this at all. We want to solve our technical and scientific needs, we are not looking for nuclear weapons, Mr Pezeshkian said. We adhered to the framework written in the (nuclear deal). We are still looking to maintain those frameworks. They tore them, they forced us to do something. He added: If they dont continue, we will not continue, Mr Pezeshkians comments came as Iran enriches uranium up to 60% purity, which is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Advertisement Iran has long insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful, but Western nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Iran had a military nuclear programme up until 2003. Irans supreme leader, the 85-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has opened the door to possible negotiations by earlier telling its civilian government there was no harm in engaging with its enemy. There have been indirect talks between Iran and the US in recent years mediated by Oman and Qatar, two of Washingtons Middle East interlocutors when it comes to Iran. Mr Pezeshkians new foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, also was deeply involved in negotiating the 2015 deal. Advertisement Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and Israel have hit a new high during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Tehran launched an unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel in April. A shadow war between the two countries over the years reached a climax with Israels apparent attack on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed two Iranian generals and others. The July assassination in Tehran of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, suspected to have been carried out by Israel, also prompted Iran to threaten to retaliate against Israel. Mr Pezeshkian, meanwhile, said that Iran would not give up its ballistic missile arsenal unless all are disarmed in our region. Advertisement He made a point to say that Israel should disarm after earlier criticising its conduct in the ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. We need military power for the security of our people and country, he said. We will not lose our defence power unless all are disarmed in our region. If America also respects our rights, we have no dispute. Do not sanction or threaten us, we will not be threatened. Mr Pezeshkian, when asked if he would meet or talk to US President Joe Biden or whoever wins the November election, said Washington should return to the nuclear deal first, then we will talk, there is no dispute. They have blocked all roads to us, Mr Pezeshkian said. They should show that they have no enmity towards us. We have no enmity toward them. Mr Pezeshkian urged the US not to threaten Iran with its regional military bases or impose sanctions on the country. Otherwise, we are a brother with them, he said. An Ohio city at the centre of a political furore over Haitian migrants cancelled its annual celebration of cultural diversity on Monday in response to days of violent threats that have closed schools and government offices. Springfields two-day CultureFest, which highlights diversity, arts and culture, had been scheduled to begin on September 27 but was cancelled in light of recent threats and safety concerns, city officials announced. Advertisement We deeply regret having to cancel CultureFest, as we know it is a beloved event for our community, city manager Bryan Heck said in a statement. However, the safety of our residents and visitors must come first. Springfield has been the focus of intense attention in recent days after former US president Donald Trump, his running mate JD Vance, and the Republican presidential campaign have amplified debunked claims about Haitian immigrants eating domestic pets and waterfowl. Governor Mike DeWine holding a news conference on Monday at city hall in Springfield, Ohio (Patrick Aftoora Orsagos/AP) Advertisement Ohio governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, has denounced the false rumours, saying there is no evidence of it. Mr DeWine was holding a news conference in Springfield later on Monday. President Joe Biden, appearing in Philadelphia at the National HBCU Week Conference on Monday, addressed the situation in Springfield, condemning what he called the lies and hate. Its wrong. Its simply wrong. And it must stop, he said. Two colleges in Springfield held classes virtually on Monday. Wittenberg University said it received two threats over the weekend, both of which were targeted toward members of the Haitian community. Clark State College said it would operate virtually through to Friday due to recent events in Springfield. Advertisement Springfield City Hall, several schools, and state motor vehicle offices in Springfield were forced to evacuate last week after receiving bomb threats. Thousands of Haitian immigrants have settled in recent years in the predominantly white, blue-collar city of about 60,000 people, about 45 miles (70km) from the state capital of Columbus, where they have found work in factories and warehouses that had been struggling to fill job openings. The sudden influx was said to have strained schools, healthcare facilities and city services and driven up the cost of housing. Paul Wright III - "Reverie" | Merge PR Nashville, TN (SEPTEMBER 13, 2024) Composer, producer, and longtime music industry veteran Paul Wright III is set to release his debut solo project, Reverie, a New Age/Classical piano-centered orchestral project fusing a New Age style with Christian inspiration. Reverie and its companion visual album movie, directed and produced by Paul Wright III, releases November 15th, 2024 with the focus track Reverie No. 1 releasing today. The album features soul-stirring, live orchestration blended with Wrights piano artistry to create a sonic experience that evokes enchantment, nostalgia, and profound contemplation. With over four years to complete, Wright took special care with each track. Ten (Prelude in C minor), completed in 2023, was originally composed by Wright when he was just ten years old. Focus track Reverie No. 1, a peaceful and enchanting melody, was one of the first pieces composed for Reverie and features Dave Cleveland on guitars. Im truly excited to share my very first solo project, Reverie, shares Paul Wright. As you listen to these pieces, I hope youll let yourself be transported to a place where time stands still, where every note and every chord reflects a deeply personal story, and where each harmonic progression carries the weight of unspoken emotions. Special guest appearances include Kirk Whalum, Mark Kibble of Take 6, Dave Cleveland, and others. Reverie also includes Only You, a special song composed and performed with Wrights daughter, Nicole Wright, and featuring Mark Kibble of Take 6. Reverie was mixed in both stereo and Dolby Atmos giving the listener an immersive experience. The companion visual album and movie were planned since the inception of Reverie to showcase the deep, spiritual origin of the songs. As a composer for film and TV, Wright has always imagined music visually as well as sonically and worked to convey his vision in both album and film. Although the visual album tells a complete story with scenes pulled from the daily human experience, each song is a life vignette that can stand on its own. The film is loosely autobiographical, says Wright. The visual album will be offered individually as a 7-part series that covers parts of everyday life people will be able to relate to. With over thirty years of experience in the music industry, Paul Wright III is an Emmy Award winning composer, producer, and artist, a seven-time GRAMMY nominee, five-time Emmy nominee, as well as a GMA Dove Award and Stellar Award winner and nominee. Reverie is his first solo project. About Paul Wright III: Paul Wright III has held many key positions in the music industry including President of Harborwood/Zomba/BMG (NY/Nashville) and CEO and President 360MusicWorX/Orchard/NewDay (Nashville). As a composer and producer for film & TV, Wright has worked on over 200 projects including Made In America (Will Smith, Whoopi Goldberg, Ted Danson), Full House (ABC), The Martin Show (FOX - Theme song co-composer seasons 4 & 5), commercials for eBay, Popeyes (NOLA Strong), Sling TV, and Nationwide Insurance (featuring Tony Award-winning Hamilton star, Leslie Odom Jr.), He was also the Music Supervisor/Composer for the film Remember Me - The Mahalia Jackson Story (Hulu). Learn more at Paul Wright III here. All of that had been taking place in secret until July, when The New York Times obtained documents detailing the looming court fight. County Probate commissioner Edmund Gorman Jr will hear the Murdoch family empire succession hearings. The case has brought perhaps the most national attention to the Washoe County probate courthouse since it graced the cover of Life magazine in 1937 for its reputation as the epicentre of a relatively new trend: divorce. (The cover image featured a newly divorced woman kissing one of the courthouse columns; the piece called Reno the Mecca of the disillusioned June bride.) Starting on Monday, the father and the children are scheduled to appear before Gorman to provide testimony that promises to be as gripping and Shakespearean as anything in the hit HBO show Succession, which was, after all, based loosely on the Murdoch family. Gorman has almost entirely shut down legal efforts including by The New York Times to open the case and that testimony to the public. Nevada probate law is popular with dynastic titans like Murdoch for its privacy protections and its tax provisions. Technically, Gorman is not a judge. As the probate commissioner in Washoe County, he is effectively a special master assigned to weigh evidence in disputes, including in trial-like hearings such as those he will hold with the Murdochs. He will then write his legal opinion at the end, as a judge would. His opinion is formally a recommendation that requires sign-off from one of the judicial districts three probate judges. The judge will have to weigh in more directly if either party challenges Gormans recommendation, which must be done within 14 days of his decision. The judge could at that point open the case to still more litigation. Even after that, the losing side has the right to try to appeal up through the Nevada court system. Something like this could go on for years, said Molly LeGoy, a probate lawyer in Reno. That was, she said, a common risk of such family trust battles, which, geopolitical implications or no, often bring to the surface sibling rivalry, betrayal and ancient emotional grievance. When legal issues include family dynamics, theres always the opportunity for more hurt, more venom and more legal action, LeGoy said. Gorman, 43, is a graduate of Stanford Law. He served as a local probate lawyer before the chief judge of Nevadas 2nd Judicial District Court appointed him to his current job in 2019. According to his official biography, he is an avid skier and a waterfowl hunter. (He declined interview requests.) As he rarely warrants mention in the local press, Gormans main public profile comes by way of his membership on the boards of the Reno Jazz Orchestra and the Reno Host Lions Club Charity Foundation. The Washoe County district court house in downtown Reno. Credit: Getty Images While in private practice, he was so well known for his advocacy of pro bono work that he was named pro bono attorney of the year in 2015 by Nevada Legal Services. The next year, in an article for Nevada Lawyer magazine, he called on his fellow lawyers to channel their inner Atticus Finch the thoughtful, ethical small-town lawyer in To Kill a Mockingbird, he wrote by doing pro bono work. In Gorman, the Murdochs will be facing a judicial temperament that local lawyers describe as fair, by the book and serious about the rules. He takes his job very seriously, and hes somewhat of a legal scholar himself and takes great pride in accurate opinions, said J. Douglas Clark, the founding president of the Probate Bar Association of Washoe County, who has frequently appeared before Gorman. He has measured levity but conducts everything with proper decorum. Among the rules that Gorman takes seriously are those involving confidentiality. For a time, the Murdoch case was even hidden entirely on the courts official website, an extraordinary level of secrecy, Clark said. Some news organisations, including the Times and the local site Our Nevada Judges, sued to open the Murdoch hearing room to the press. In resisting, Gorman wrote, The parties in this case brought their case in this jurisdiction and invoked their rights under the Nevada Revised Statutes under the expectation that this confidential information would remain confidential. (On Thursday night, he reaffirmed his refusal to open his hearing room and almost all of the case record.) The only visibility into how Gorman is handling the Murdoch case came in the sealed legal documents obtained by the Times, which contained a pretrial recommendation on the two sides arguments. Appearing to play it right down the middle, Gorman determined that Murdoch was within his rights to change the trust, under an amendment clause that allows him to make alterations as long they are solely for the benefit of all his heirs. But Gorman said it was not clear that Murdoch was making an argument in good faith in saying he was pursuing a change to benefit all the heirs. Loading Murdoch has argued that Lachlans siblings could change the editorial direction at outlets like Fox News to be less conservative, or that they could bring constant leadership fights, all of which would harm the value of the familys holdings, he says. The coming evidentiary hearing is meant to determine Murdochs motive, which will determine Gormans opinion on the proposed changes. While many family trust cases drag on for years, LeGoy said many were ultimately settled. As the Times first reported in 2019, Lachlan and his siblings came close the previous year to a deal in which he would buy them out of the trust, but it did not go forward. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that James Murdoch had raised a similar potential deal before this weeks scheduled court appearance, but with no agreement in sight, the dispute is headed to Gormans hearing room instead. The NSW government is set to dump a controversial provision blamed for driving up ticket prices at music festivals, while also introducing measures to make it easier for organisers to stage all-age music events. The new laws will be introduced to parliament as soon as this week with $3 million allocated as a two-year emergency package to ensure the viability of festivals as they weather economic headwinds that have forced the cancellation of about a dozen festivals. Splendour in the Grass was cancelled in a tough year for Australian music festivals. Credit: Stephen Booth But its unclear if the state government plans to overhaul controversial user-pay policing charges paid by festival organisers. Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy John Graham will announce the long-awaited amendments to the Music Festivals Act 2019 following a review that found NSW festivals were the most regulated in Australia. Warning: Graphic content Manthana Khantharat, known as Nancy, was an exceptional big sister and a huge part of her familys lives. She had planned a trip overseas to see her parents when a jealous boyfriend beat down the bathroom door and killed her during what a judge described as a sustained attack. Its deeply heartbreaking that she never got the chance to make that visit, Khantharats younger sister Rudeemas Khuntaras told the NSW Supreme Court in Wollongong on Monday. Instead, we had to bring her body to Thailand, which has been incredibly painful for all of us. Manthana Nancy Khantharat was murdered by her boyfriend Natthawut Tammajanta. Credit: Facebook Khantharat, 37, had moved to Australia in 2019 to study and completed a certificate in childcare. She met her killer Natthawut Tammajanta, a chef, when she started working at a Thai restaurant in Sydneys west in 2022. Last Monday night, 12-year-old Sydney student Charlotte sent a photograph of herself weeping to a friend. Im sorry, she wrote. Her friend, who knew Charlotte was distressed and being bullied at school, was frantic. Sorry for what? she messaged, before calling her repeatedly. Answer, please Are you all right? Please tell me youre alright. Charlotte ended her life that night. She left a note for her parents that spoke about bullying from other students at her Strathfield private girls school, and told them life was too difficult to continue. Sydney school student Charlotte, aged 12, took her own life a week ago. We lost our baby girl in the most awful of circumstances, wrote one of her parents in a statement given to 2GB broadcaster Ben Fordham. No words can ever describe what its like for us and life will never be the same again, it said. The parents gave permission for their daughters first name and photograph to be used. A Qantas flight travelling from Townsville to Brisbane has made an emergency landing early this morning after the cabin lost pressure and the plane plummeted more than 6000 metres. The QantasLink flight departed Townsville at 6am and was scheduled to land in Brisbane at 7.50am. Qantas confirmed that a depressurisation issue caused the flight, which was travelling at an altitude of 29,000 feet (about 8,800m), to rapidly descend to between 8,000 and 10,000 feet. The plane safely landed at around 7.15am. Credit: Flightradar24 Pilots requested a priority landing at Rockhampton airport and safely landed the plane at around 7.15am. Qantas acknowledged the unsettling experience for passengers in a statement and thanked them for their patience and understanding. Our Townsville to Brisbane flight was safely diverted to Rockhampton on Tuesday morning following a depressurisation issue, a Qantas spokesperson said. The flight landed normally and well get passengers on their way to Brisbane on other flights this morning. The nations business chiefs will confront Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over economic policy by warning Australia is sliding backwards because federal workplace rules are hurting employers, building corporate pressure on the government to change course before the election. Business Council of Australia chief Bran Black will tell Albanese corporate leaders think the country is losing our way due to Labor changes to employment laws as well as industry regulation that they blame for pushing up costs. Business Council of Australia chief Bran Black (right) will tell PM Anthony Albanese corporate leaders think the country is losing our way. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen, Bloomberg But the government is standing by its workplace laws despite the new assault on its economic agenda, one week after Minerals Council of Australia chief Tania Constable urged Labor to reverse what she called reckless workplace reform. With the Coalition vowing to repeal some of the Labor workplace regime, Employment Minister Murray Watt warned on Monday that the salaries of casual workers and others would fall if Labor lost power at the next election. Labor will challenge the Greens to end a Senate blockade on a housing policy that would help as many as 40,000 people buy their own homes, launching a high-risk attempt to target the minor party at the next election if the policy is stalled in parliament. The move will force a decision on a Labor election promise to offer federal funds to people who cannot afford to buy a home, in a sign of the governments confidence that voters will mark down the Greens for obstructing the scheme. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese berated both the Coalition and the Greens on Monday. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen A separate clash is building on a government bill to set up a regulator, Environment Protection Australia, as Labor hardens its warnings against a Greens demand for a climate trigger to veto big projects that add to greenhouse gas emissions. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of being a bulldozer like former prime minister Scott Morrison in the way the Labor PM was refusing to give ground. The Liberal National Party has promised to deter youth offenders from a life of crime by opening dedicated deterrence schools despite the partys adult time for adult crime policy. But the Miles government said the early intervention initiative is already in place and is at risk of cuts if the opposition is elected. Queenslands opposition will open two youth justice schools if it wins the October 26 election, costing taxpayers $40 million. LNP Opposition Leader David Crisafulli. Credit: Matt Dennien The specialist schools would work exclusively with high-risk teen offenders on community service orders, police cautions, or bail to minimise the risk of reoffending and steer the kids away from a life of crime. Washington: The suspected gunman in an alleged attempted assassination of Donald Trump identified himself as someone who was prepared to fight and die in Ukraine. The assailant, who appeared to target Trump at the former presidents golf course in Florida, has been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old father from Hawaii. Suspected gunman Ryan Wesley Routh. Credit: Facebook The suspect dropped the weapon and fled in an SUV and was later taken into custody in a neighbouring county, authorities said. A motive is unclear. Authorities said the gunman had two backpacks hanging on a fence and a GoPro camera. In the two years before the attempted shooting, Routh, a former roofing contractor from Greensboro North Carolina, frequently posted on social media about the war in Ukraine and had a website where he sought to raise money and recruit volunteers to go to Kyiv to join the fight against the Russian invasion. Minister for Housing Clare ONeil (pictured far left) commented: We want to reduce the stress of housing for Australians the long waits on housing lists, the long queues for rentals, the out of reach deposit for first home buyers well reduce these issues if we build more houses, and thats what these projects do. We expect variable rates will hold more or less at this level through to the end of the year," she said, while also noting the ongoing pressure borrowers are facing from the 13 RBA rate increases over recent months. Since March 2020, Melbourne has been the weakest performing capital, with house prices still 4.7% below their peak. The city has even dropped to fourth place among Australias most expensive capitals, with Brisbane and Canberra surpassing it. Supporting innovation in construction HIA stated that "a vast number of construction projects including housing, will move to off-site and modular or systems-based construction methods over the next 5, 10 and 20 years," emphasising the need to address current regulatory barriers to ensure the future success of prefab construction in Australia. The Kenya Electricity Transmission Co. said its still in talks with Adani Energy Solutions Ltd. for the construction of three power lines, contradicting a presidential adviser who announced that two companies including the Indian firm had already been awarded deals for as much as $1.3 billion. Adani expressed interest last year to construct 388 kilometers (241 miles) of high-voltage transmission lines, according to the agency, which is known as Ketraco. Initially, the project cost was about $1.01 billion, but the bid was revised to $736.5 million last month, according to Anthony Musyoka, a general manager in-charge of project development at Ketraco. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp Adani didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. News of the potential deal comes after Kenya confirmed the India-listed conglomerate is seeking another 30-year concession to run the nations biggest airport. Many Kenyans were angered by that proposal, saying it flouted procurement laws and was shrouded in secrecy to avoid scrutiny. Transport Secretary Davis Chirchir has told lawmakers that privately initiated proposal is still going through an evaluation process. There are still many boxes to tick, Chief Executive Officer John Mativo said Monday at a meeting with stakeholders in the capital, Nairobi. We will get the best deal for this country. In a separate arrangement, a joint venture of Africa50 an infrastructure investment unit of the African Development Bank - along with state-backed Power Grid Corp of India, have submitted a proposal to build 273 kilometers of power lines in Kenya. Medical devices company Poly Medicure (Polymed) is exploring acquisitions in the technology sector and capital expenditure (capex) after raising Rs 1,000 crore through a qualified institutional placement. Himanshu Baid, managing director of Polymed, said Rs 250 crore has been allocated for acquisitions, particularly in the technology field, while another Rs 250 crore will be used for general corporate purposes. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp We are keeping it open for now since we operate in a global market. We will look for companies offering technology where we can scale up the business, he added. Baid explained that the medtech industry has a long gestation period, with a couple of years needed to set up a new plant and an additional year and a half for regulatory approvals and clinical trials. This requires deep investments, making acquisitions a quicker route to growth. Therefore, half the money raised is being deployed for new capex, which will begin now and be completed by the end of 2025-26, Baid noted. The company is also focusing on portfolio expansion and increasing its product range. We operate in six core therapies: infusion therapy, vascular access, transfusion systems, cardiology, critical care, and renal diagnostics. In each core category, we plan to add two to three new products every year, Baid said. Polymed is also increasing investments in research and development to accelerate the introduction of new products. The company also plans to expand in three or four business areas it entered in recent years, such as cardiology, critical care, and renal diagnostics. This expansion will be on the manufacturing side to grow its footprint. In cardiology, we aim to grow our presence in interventional cardiology and later expand into cardiac surgery products, as well as structural heart and electrophysiology devices, Baid said. By the end of this year, we expect to capture 12-13 per cent of the renal market in India, and we now aim to expand this business globally, he added. While 70 per cent of the companys revenue came from exports in 2023-24, it plans to further extend its global reach. We are looking to push further into the European market, which currently accounts for around 30 per cent of our export revenue. The next key markets will be the US and Latin America, Baid said. The focus, Baid added, will remain on these highly regulated core geographies. Global customer relationship management (CRM) giant Salesforce on Monday introduced "Agentforce," a new suite of autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agents designed to enhance employee productivity across service, sales, marketing, and commerce. The AI-powered platform features the Agentforce Atlas Reasoning Engine, which autonomously analyses data, makes decisions, and completes tasks. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp The low-code tools in Agentforce enable organisations to easily build and deploy custom agents, said the company. Marc Benioff, chair and chief executive officer (CEO), Salesforce, said that Agentforce represents the third wave of AI, advancing beyond copilots to a new era of highly accurate, low-hallucination intelligent agents. Unlike other platforms, Agentforce is a revolutionary and trusted solution that seamlessly integrates AI across every workflow, embedding itself deeply into the heart of the customer journey. This means anticipating needs, strengthening relationships, driving growth, and taking proactive action at every touchpoint. While others require you to DIY your AI, Agentforce offers a fully tailored, enterprise-ready platform designed for immediate impact and scalability, he added. Benioff said that the vision of the company was to empower one billion agents with Agentforce by the end of 2025. According to the company, Agentforce, in contrast to copilots and chatbots that rely on human requests, offers a new level of sophistication by operating autonomously, retrieving the right data on demand, building action plans for any task, and executing these plans without requiring human intervention. Like a self-driving car, Agentforce uses real-time data to adapt to changing conditions and operates independently within an organisations customised guardrails, ensuring every customer interaction is informed, relevant, and valuable. And when desired, Agentforce seamlessly hands off to human employees with a summary of the interaction, an overview of the customers details, and recommendations for what to do next, said a press release from the company describing the solution. Salesforce said that the solutions are easy to customise and deploy with clicks, without the need for code. They can be set up in minutes, are easily scalable, and work around the clock across any channel, said the company. Enterprises like Amazon Web Services, Box, Certinia, Copado, Coupa, Google, Honeywell, IBM, Workday, and Zoom are part of the Agentforce Partner Network, which has built more than 20 agents and agent actions that will be available through the Salesforce AppExchange. Customers can leverage these specialised actions in Agent Builder to customise the out-of-the-box agents, build new agents with unique skills, and deploy partner-built agents to plan and take action on behalf of any organisation across multiple systems and channels, even outside of Salesforce, said the company. Torrent Power is actively pursuing opportunities to develop Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia Production projects. Torrent Power on Monday pledged Rs 64,000 crore investment for green or renewable energy projects having employment potential for 26,000 people. Torrent Power Ltd, the integrated power utility of diversified Torrent Group, has reaffirmed its commitment towards green and sustainable future as it submitted two 'Shapath Patras' to the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy at the 4th Edition of RE-Invest at Gandhinagar on Monday, a company statement said. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp RE-INVEST is being organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in partnership with CII. According to the statement, the company has submitted a Shapath Patra' to achieve 10 Gigawatt (GW) of installed Renewable Energy (RE) capacity by 2030, with an investment of Rs 57,000 crore. This investment is expected to generate direct and indirect employment for around 25,000 people. As part of these commitments, Torrent Power on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government for execution of a 5 GW solar, wind or solar-wind hybrid project at Dwarka, in Gujarat. For next generation energy reforms, Green Hydrogen is an important element, which is slated to play a critical role in achieving net-zero emissions and decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors. Torrent Power is actively pursuing opportunities to develop Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia Production projects to cater to the export and domestic markets. The second 'Shapath Patra' was submitted for setting up 1,00,000 Kilo Tonnes Per Annum (KTPA) Green Ammonia production facility with an investment of Rs 7,200 crore and employment generation for around 1,000 people. "As one of India's largest private sector power utilities, Torrent Power stands committed to contributing to the nation's RE journey," Samir Mehta, Chairman of Torrent Group said. This commitment not only underscores our dedication to advancing green energy solutions but also highlights the fact that our business operations are aligned with national priorities, he said. Increased penetration of Solar and Wind in electricity generation will create a need for energy storage solutions for providing firm, reliable and dispatchable Renewable Energy (RE) power. Torrent Power has identified Pumped Storage Project (PSP) sites in multiple states. The company has already announced that it intends to install about 5 to 8 GW of PSP capacity entailing investment of Rs 25,000 crore to Rs 35,000 crore. Torrent Power has a track record of successfully commissioning and operating large infrastructure projects. With a strong balance sheet, the company is well poised to contribute meaningfully to the nation's target of 500 GW renewable capacity by 2030. Torrent Group, is one of the largest companies in the country's power sector with presence across the entire power value chain -- generation, transmission and distribution. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday suggested setting up of a non-profit company to bring all initiatives and bodies of the Start-Up India programme at one place. The minister, who was speaking at the launch of the Bharat Startup Knowledge Access Registry (BHASKAR), said that the company can be industry-led, similar to Invest India key body that pushes investments. He urged startups to set up the Section 8 or a non-profit company to bring the National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC) within the ambit of the new company. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp The move, when implemented, will enable the industry to be more independent. Goyal also said that handing out shares of the new company to recognise and encourage unicorns would encourage and empower entrepreneurs. I took a decision just a few days back, I think the process has kickstarted. Please finalise starting a section 8 company so that the National Startup Advisory Council also comes within the new startup company, the minister said. Startup India is housed in Invest India. I think, now startup India has become such a powerful ecosystem by itself that it should have a house of its own, he added. The minister said that the BHASKAR initiative will serve as a central hub where startups, investors, service providers, and government bodies can collaborate and exchange ideas. Let's make this a one-stop shop for all data dissemination for engagement and interaction, one-stop shop for the entire ecosystem through simple and easy-to-use links, and easy to navigate, he said. The larger idea is to build the worlds largest digital registry for the startup ecosystem. The platform will have features such as networking and collaboration, providing centralised access to resources, creating personalised identification, enhancing discoverability and supporting India's global brand. It also aims to bridge the gap between startups, investors, mentors, and other stakeholders, allowing seamless interaction across sectors. With over 1.4 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups as of August 2024, India has established itself as one of the largest and most vibrant startup ecosystems globally. However, this tremendous growth has also led to the fragmentation of resources and stakeholders. BHASKAR aims to challenge incubators, policymakers, and other key startup ecosystem stakeholders under one roof for ease of accessibility and traceability, an official statement said. Former Union Minister and Congress leader Chaudhary Birender Singh said the situation of the BJP is worrisome in the Haryana Assembly elections. Singh stated that the BJP's situation in Haryana is concerning, and their strategy of utilizing Prime Minister Modi's appearances throughout the state would be ineffective, as voters have already made their decisions. The Haryana Assembly elections, for its 90 seats, are scheduled for October 5, with vote counting to take place on October 8. Regarding Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal' s bail, Singh downplayed its significance, noting that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has minimal influence in Haryana. He mentioned AAP's previous alliance with Congress in the Lok Sabha elections, which did not yield favorable results. On Sunday, Kejriwal announced his intention to resign as Chief Minister in two days, vowing not to resume the position until Delhi's citizens declare him "honest." He suggested that a public vote in his favor would serve as a testament to his integrity, and mentioned the possibility of requesting early elections in Delhi, coinciding with Maharashtra's polls. In a separate development, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda characterized the upcoming Haryana Assembly election as a direct contest between the Congress and the BJP, implying a two-party race. A fake visa racket worth over Rs 300 crore, producing 5,000 counterfeit visas over the last five years, has been uncovered by the Delhi police. The case, involving a string of agents and victims duped by the promise of easy overseas travel, has shocked authorities. But how did this entire operation come to light? How it all started Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp On September 2, a Haryana man, Sandeep, was caught at Delhi airport trying to board a flight to Italy on a fake Swedish visa. When questioned by immigration officials, Sandeep confessed that several people from his village had used similar forged visas to travel abroad. His admission was the first thread that led the Delhi police to unravel an elaborate visa-forging scheme that has been in operation for half a decade. Sandeep revealed that he had obtained his counterfeit visa through an agent named Asif Ali, paying a hefty Rs 10 lakh for it. This information prompted the police to arrest Asif Ali and his associates, Shiva Gautam and Naveen Rana. "During the questioning, Shiva named two other agents, Balbir Singh and Jaswinder Singh, who were also part of the operation. They were arrested soon after," said an official involved in the case. Further investigations revealed that the fake visas were being manufactured in a factory located in Delhi's Tilak Nagar, run by a man named Manoj Monga. When the police raided the Tilak Nagar factory, they uncovered a treasure trove of illegal documents and forgery tools. "We have recovered 16 Nepali passports, two Indian passports, 30 visa stickers, 23 visa stamps, and several items of equipment, including dye machines, printers, laminating sheets, laptops, and UV machines," said Usha Rangnani, Deputy Commissioner of Police, IGI Airport. "The racket had been producing anywhere between 30 to 60 fake visas a month, each sold for Rs 8-10 lakh," she added. A 20-minute job What astonished the authorities was the speed at which the fake visas were produced. According to Monga, he could create a forged visa sticker in just 20 to 25 minutes. The visa stickers appeared so authentic that many victims successfully used them for travel without detection. The fake visa operation wasn't a simple one-man show. Monga, operating out of his factory, had a network of freelance agents scattered across various regions. These agents would connect with job seekers and aspiring travellers, convincing them to pay hefty sums for these fraudulent visas. Communication between the agents and Monga was conducted via Telegram, Signal, and WhatsApp, using encrypted platforms to avoid detection. The Delhi police have so far arrested six individuals, including Monga, Asif Ali, Shiva Gautam, Naveen Rana, Balbir Singh, and Jaswinder Singh. But this might only be the tip of the iceberg. As Deputy Commissioner Rangnani said, The investigation is ongoing, and we expect to uncover more layers to this operation. The number of fake visas created and sold could be higher than the initial estimate. In another case, earlier this month, twenty-five travel agents were booked by the Punjab police for illegally promoting employment opportunities on social media. What about the victims? The victims of this scam were primarily people desperate to find work overseas, according to a statement by the police. They often handed over life savings or borrowed large sums to pay for these fake visas, only to be turned away at the airport or, worse, arrested upon arrival. Sandeeps case, where he paid Rs 10 lakh for a fake visa, is far from unique, with several others falling into the same trap. What must people aspiring to move abroad be wary of? The Delhi police has cautioned the public to go through the proper channels when applying for visas. "We urge people to exercise caution and seek proper channels when applying for visas. Scams like these exploit peoples desperation, leading to devastating consequences for families," said DCP Rangnani. The Ministry of External Affairs has time and again urged citizens to verify the credentials of recruitment agents before handing over any money or documents. "Persons seeking jobs abroad are requested to use the safe and legal services of registered Recruiting Agents (RA) only. All registered RAs are issued a license number, which is prominently displayed in their office premises and their advertisements, including newspapers and social media," the ministry advised. The police have banned the flying of drones, paragliders and hot air balloons in certain areas in Madhya Pradesh's Indore during President Droupadi Murmu's two-day visit starting September 18, an official said on Monday. Drones, paragliders, hot air balloons and other items are banned in the 3-km radius of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport, MG Road, Residency Kothi and Bhanwarkuan intersection in the city, the official said. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp The ban will be in force from September 17 to September 19, and any violation will invite legal action, he said, adding that commercial flights are exempt. President Murmu will reach Indore on September 18 and hold discussions with traditional weavers at the state government's "Mrignayani Emporium", an official from the administration said. She will visit the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain and attend the diamond jubilee convocation of Indore's Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya on September 19, he said. Established by the state government in 1964, the university is completing 60 years this year. Police personnel try to stop students who were marching from Howrah Maidan towards the state secretariat in protest against the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital inciden (Photo: PTI) The ongoing protest by junior doctors across India has intensified as they demand a transparent and impartial investigation into the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. At the heart of their demands is a call for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case, alongside the removal of officials believed to be complicit in covering up the crime. Dr Subarna Goswami, Additional General Secretary of the All India Federation of Government Doctors Association (AIFGDA), addressed the media at a press conference held in Delhi, representing junior doctors and the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) from across the country. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp "Our first demand is from the CBI to maintain transparency and impartiality in the investigation. Secondly, all the departments and their officials involved in the crime should be removed. We also demand the resignation of the police commissioner and deputy commissioner. Furthermore, the junior doctors' demands must be met," Goswami stated firmly. VIDEO| RG Kar rape-murder case: "Our first demand is from CBI to maintain transparency and impartiality in the investigation. Secondly, all the departments and their officials who were involved in the crime should be removed. The police commissioner and deputy commissioner should pic.twitter.com/5UiCM44Ghy September 16, 2024 Goswami also emphasised the need for a transparent dialogue between the West Bengal government and the agitating doctors. Another representative of the AIFGDA, Dr Siddharth added, "At every level of the state machinery, there is an ecosystem of officials who are shielded by local powers, which led to the cover-up (of the case). This wasn't a simple rape-murder case; had it been a simple rape-murder case, there would not have been so much cover-up for the same. It is about the right to living for every woman who goes out of home to earn a living, whether a doctor or a sanitation worker." "We want a meeting with the Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) in a transparent ambience. Junior doctors should be given the confidence to voice their demands clearly, and the government's response must be documented, preferably through videography or live streaming. Why is the government reluctant to face junior doctors on live streaming?" Goswami told ANI ahead of the press briefing. VIDEO | "At every level of the state machinery, there is an ecosystem of officials who are shielded by local powers, which led to the cover-up (of the case). This wasn't a simple rape-murder case; had it been a simple rape-murder case, there would not have been so much cover-up pic.twitter.com/AkmheiS6Tg September 16, 2024 The doctors are seeking timely justice, not only for the perpetrators of the crime but also for those allegedly involved in tampering with evidence and misleading the investigation. Mamata Banerjee calls protesting doctors for meeting ALSO READ: Mamata invites junior doctors for negotiation meeting 'fifth & final' time The West Bengal government has responded to protests by summoning the protesting doctors to a meeting at the Chief Ministers residence in Kalighat. This invitation marks the fifth and final attempt by the state to resolve the impasse. In an email sent by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant on Monday, it was specified that "there will be no live streaming or videography of the meeting." Instead, the minutes of the meeting would be documented and signed by both parties. The email also mentioned that previous meetings between the state government and the doctors, held at the Nabanna state secretariat and the chief ministers residence, had collapsed due to disagreements over live streaming. The governments insistence on restricting live coverage has become a major sticking point in the negotiations, with junior doctors arguing that transparency is essential in such sensitive matters. The meeting is scheduled to take place at 5 pm, with the RG Kar Medical Hospital case set to be heard by the Supreme Court the following day. Doctor protests continue in Kolkata Despite the Supreme Courts directive for doctors to resume their duties, the protest continues unabated. Since September 10, junior doctors have been staging a demonstration outside Swasthya Bhawan, the headquarters of the West Bengal health department. Senior doctors from RG Kar Medical College have echoed the concerns of the junior doctors, and have accused the authorities of evidence tampering in the case. At a recent press conference, they condemned the crime as a result of a "nexus between the West Bengal government and health department officials." Mamata Banerjee visited protestors near Swasthya Bhavan on Sunday (September 15) in a bid to resolve the deadlock with protesting junior doctors. | File Photo The West Bengal government has once again summoned protesting junior doctors for a meeting at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees residence in Kalighat. In an email sent by state Chief Secretary Manoj Panth on Monday (September 16), it was announced that this is the fifth and final time we are reaching out and that there will be no live streaming or videography of the meeting Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both parties. The email noted that the meeting would commence at 5 pm that day. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp The same delegation which attended the previous discussions is requested to arrive at the venue by 4.45 pm today, the email mentioned. This development follows two previous failed attempts at negotiation between the CM and doctors, held at Nabanna (the state secretariat) and Banerjees residence. The discussions faltered over the state governments refusal to allow live streaming of the meeting. This call for a final meeting comes just a day before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the RG Kar Medical Hospital rape and murder case. Notably, Banerjee had visited protestors near Swasthya Bhavan on Sunday (September 15) in a bid to resolve the deadlock. She said that her position as CM is secondary to the concerns of the people and requested time to investigate the officials whose resignation the protestors were demanding. In view of the Honourable Supreme Court order dated September 9, 2024, directing junior doctors to resume duties by 5 pm on September 10, 2024, it is our duty as law-abiding citizens to comply with the apex courts directive, the email stated. We trust that reason will prevail, and as mutually agreed and as per your media statement the previous day there will be no live streaming or videography of the meeting, given that the matter is sub judice in the highest court of the country, it mentioned. In line with our discussion from the previous day, we are once again inviting you to a meeting with the Honourable Chief Minister at her Kalighat residence for a discussion with an open mind, Panth wrote. Reasons behind doctors protest Despite the Supreme Courts directive for junior doctors to resume work, the doctors protest continues. Since Tuesday (September 10), the doctors have been demonstrating outside Swasthya Bhawan, the headquarters of the Bengal government's health department. The protesting doctors have put forth five demands to the West Bengal government, including: Punishment for those involved in the rape and murder of a trainee doctor and for the destruction of evidence. Disciplinary action against former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh. The resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam. Adequate security measures for healthcare workers. The eradication of the threat culture within government healthcare institutions. CBI suspects possible larger conspiracy? The Central Bureau of Investigation, which assumed control of the probe following a direction from the Calcutta High Court, has arrested former RG Kar College principal Sandip Ghosh and Tala Police Station officer-in-charge Abhijit Mandal for delays in filing the FIR and tampering with evidence. Both individuals will remain in custody until September 17. On Sunday, India extended humanitarian aid to Myanmar, Vietnam, and Laos through Operation Sadbhav in response to the devastating typhoon that struck the region. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that 10 tonnes of aid, including dry rations, clothing, and medicines, were dispatched to Myanmar aboard the Indian Navy ship INS Satpura. In addition, a C-130J aircraft of the Indian Air Force is transporting 35 tonnes of relief supplies to Vietnam and 10 tonnes to Laos. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Jaishankar said, India launches #OperationSadbhav. Demonstrating our solidarity with the people affected by Typhoon Yagi, India is dispatching aid to Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos. Demonstrating our solidarity with the people affected by Typhoon Yagi, India is dispatching aid to Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos. 10 tons of aid including dry ration, clothing and medicines left for ???????? onboard India launches #OperationSadbhav Demonstrating our solidarity with the people affected by Typhoon Yagi, India is dispatching aid to Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos. 10 tons of aid including dry ration, clothing and medicines left for ???????? onboard @indiannavy INS Satpura today. pic.twitter.com/ooR0ipnxqI September 15, 2024 Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said, This rapid mobilisation comes despite the short notice, showcasing the Navy's ability to swiftly respond to humanitarian crises in the region. The floods, caused by Typhoon Yagi, have impacted Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam. Typhoon Yagi, the strongest storm to hit Asia this year, struck over a week ago, leading to over 220 deaths in Vietnam and over 70 in Myanmar. Myanmars military government reported that the death toll has risen to 74, with over 89 people still missing. The typhoon has displaced nearly 2,40,000 people, adding to the 3.4 million already displaced due to the ongoing civil conflict. Typhoon Yagi, one of the most powerful typhoons to strike Southeast Asia in decades, hit the Philippines with wind speeds reaching 149 kmph (92 mph). Although the typhoon weakened by Sunday, heavy rains persisted, and rivers remained at perilously high levels. [With agency inputs] The number of passengers flying directly between India and the rest of the world has reached a new high, according to UK-based air consultancy firm OAG. In 2023, India recorded approximately 65 million international air travellers, just 600,000 fewer than in 2019 (pre-pandemic). Of these, around 37 million passengers flew non-stop, an increase of 2 million compared to 2019, revealed the OAG's analysis as quoted in a report by The Times of India. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp Meanwhile, the number of travellers opting for indirect routes fell by 2.5 million, bringing the total to 27 million. As a result, the proportion of passengers flying directly rose from 54 per cent in 2019 to 57 per cent in 2023. Direct flights gain popularity The substantial growth in international flights offered by IndiGo and Tata's Air India Group, along with new entrants such as Akasa and other foreign airlines, has transformed air traffic patterns. Increasingly, more passengers are opting for non-stop flights instead of journeys involving one or two stopovers at hub airports, said the OAG report. Separately, Indian airports are also becoming more prominent as transfer hubs, with 1 million passengers using them to connect to other destinations. For instance, travellers might fly from Kathmandu to New York via Delhi. Furthermore, with countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia now offering direct flights to India, one-stop journeys are becoming less necessary unless travellers prefer that option. Gulf hubs lose ground OAGs report shows a notable decline in traffic through Gulf countries, which lost around 1 million indirect passengers between 2019 and 2023. Other hubs experienced a combined loss of 2.8 million indirect passengers, while Indian hubs gained 1 million during this period. Over the past four years, Indian airlines have launched 52 new international routes, further boosting the country's global connectivity. Data from Crisil Ratings revealed that Indian airlines accounted for approximately 43 per cent of the international passenger traffic originating from, transiting through, or destined for India in 2023-24. This marks a significant increase from the pre-pandemic share of less than 35 per cent, reflecting the growing demand for international travel among Indian citizens. Record domestic passenger traffic Indias aviation sector has also witnessed a surge in domestic travel. From January to June 2024, Indian airlines carried 79.35 million passengers, marking a 4 per cent increase compared to the same period the previous year, according to DGCA data. This represents the highest-ever domestic passenger traffic for a half-year period, surpassing the previous record of 76.09 million passengers in 2023. The growth has been remarkable, as domestic passenger numbers have more than doubled over the past decade from 38.83 million in 2015 to the current figures. The initial public offer of non-bank financial institution Northern Arc Capital received 2.86 times subscription on the first day of the share sale on Monday. The share sale received bids for 6,14,36,709 shares against 2,14,78,290 shares on offer, as per NSE data. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp The quota for non-institutional investors fetched 4.47 times subscription while the portion for Retail Individual Investors (RIIs) got subscribed 3.86 times. The Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) part received 2 per cent subscription. Northern Arc Capital on Friday said it has collected Rs 229 crore from anchor investors. The Rs 777-crore IPO of the Chennai-based company will conclude on September 19. The price has been fixed in the range of Rs 249-263 per share. The IPO is a combination of a fresh issue of equity shares valued at Rs 500 crore and an Offer For Sale (OFS) of up to 1,05,32,320 equity shares worth Rs 277 crore, at the upper end of the price band, by investor shareholders. This aggregates the issue size to Rs 777 crore. Those offering shares through the OFS are Leapfrog Financial Inclusion India (II) Ltd, Accion Africa-Asia Investment Company, Eight Roads Investments Mauritius II Ltd, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, 360 ONE Special Opportunities Fund (formerly known as IIFL Special Opportunities Fund), and Dvara Trust. Proceeds from the fresh issue would be used to meet future capital requirements of the company towards onward lending. Registered with the RBI as a systemically important, the company is a non-deposit-taking non-banking finance company (NBFC) and has been operating in the financial inclusion space for over a decade. Northern Arc is a leading player amongst the country's diversified NBFCs, with a business model diversified across offerings, sectors, products, geographies and borrower segments. It provides access to credit to under-served households and businesses directly and indirectly through Originator Partners. ICICI Securities, Axis Capital and Citigroup Global Markets India are the book-running lead managers to the issue. Apollo Micro Systems share soars: Shares of aerospace and defence company Shares of aerospace and defence company Apollo Micro Systems soared as much as 3.77 per cent to hit an intraday high of Rs 111.40 per share on Monday, September 16, 2024. The uptick in Apollo Micro Systems share price came on the back of multiple order wins worth Rs 77 crore. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp In an exchange filing, the company said, We are delighted to inform you that the Company has received the orders from Economic Explosives Ltd and ARDE- Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) worth Rs 4.70 crore. According to the order details, the company secured an order worth Rs 4.7 crore from Economic Explosives Ltd and ARDE- Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). However, the company did not disclose the details of the project. In the same filing, the company said, We are also pleased to inform you that the company has been declared as the Lowest Bidder (L1) for GNC Kit by Munitions India Ltd, with a project worth of Rs. 72.26 crores. In the second order, Apollo Micro Systems emerged as the lowest bidder (L-1) for a project worth Rs 72.26 crore for GNC Kit by Munitions India Ltd. Apollo Micro Systems, founded in 1985, is a major player in India's electronic and electro-mechanical sectors. The company excels in designing, developing, assembling, and testing high-performance solutions essential for mission-critical and time-sensitive operations. AMS's extensive services include electronic manufacturing, PCB fabrication, embedded software development, circuit board assembly, and custom-built electronic systems, catering to diverse industries such as aerospace, defence, space, avionics, homeland security, and transportation. The companys customer base include entities like DRDO, Indian Army, Indian Navy, and major corporations like Adani and L&T. The company is expanding its capabilities with a new 250,000 sqft defence electronics manufacturing facility in Hyderabad, featuring clean rooms and a comprehensive testing facility. Additionally, AMS has ventured into defence diversification through its subsidiary, Apollo Defence Industries Pvt. Ltd. The current manufacturing plant in Hyderabad spans 55,000 sq.ft., housing over 300 employees and adhering to Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) standards for inspection and testing. At 11:24 AM, shares of Apollo Micro Systems were trading 3.08 per cent higher at Rs 110.45 per share. In comparison, BSE Sensex was trading 0.12 per cent higher at 82,993.90 levels. Shares of Dixon Technologies (India) surged 6 per cent on the BSE in Mondays intra-day trade to hit a new high of Rs 13,848.10, after Padget Electronics (Padget) signed a memorandum of understanding with Asus India (Asus) to manufacture information technology products such as notebooks, for the company. Padget is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dixon Technologies. Asus is a multinational company known for some of the best motherboards and high-quality personal computers, monitors, graphics cards, servers, routers, smartphones, optical storage, multimedia products, peripherals, wearables and other technology solutions. The company also claims to have the best motherboard and gaming laptop, as well as being one among the top-three consumer notebook vendors. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp Meanwhile, Dixon Technologies is a home grown design-focused tech solutions company engaged in manufacturing products in the consumer durables, lighting and mobile phones markets in India. Its diversified product portfolio includes consumer electronics like LED TVs, home appliances like washing machines, lighting products like LED bulbs and tubelights, downlighters, mobile phones, and CCTVs and DVRs, wearables, and refrigerators, among other appliances. Dixon also provides solutions in reverse logistics, that is, repair and refurbishment services of LED TV panels. At 12:33 PM, Dixon Tech was trading 5.7 per cent higher at Rs 13,764, as compared to the BSE Sensex that was trading flat at 82,894. The company's stock is quoting higher for the sixth straight trading day, having rallied 15 per cent during the period. In the past one year, it has zoomed 182 per cent, compared to the nearly 23 per cent surge in the benchmark index. Dixon Technologies, having made its stock market debut on September 18, 2017, has seen its market value skyrocket 3,821 per cent, or 39 times, from its issue price of Rs 353.20 (adjusted to stock split from Rs 10 to Rs 2). The electronics industry in India is now positioned at an inflexion point, with the country planning a Rs 44,000-crore boost to becoming an electronics powerhouse. "With India gradually strengthening its value proposition as an alternate manufacturing hub on the global stage, while gradually reducing its electronics imports and scaling up domestic manufacturing, a paradigm shift in the growth of indigenous EMS players like us is anticipated," Dixon had said in its annual report for FY24. Enhanced government impetus for Make in India products and recent policy boosters for electronics and component manufacturing in India to support assembly, also augurs well for the companys growth. Last month, rating agency ICRA had upgraded Dixons long-term rating of instrument and revised its outlook to stable from positive. ICRA expects the company to sustain the strong revenue growth momentum over the medium-term , driven by a scale-up in new business segments and products (IT hardware, telecom and networking products, wearables, refrigerators, etc.), coupled with a healthy and consistent order inflows, and customer diversification. The ratings agency continues to derive comfort from Dixon Groups (comprising Dixon along with its subsidiaries and joint ventures) strong operating profile, characterised by an established track record as an electronic manufacturing services (EMS) player, with its presence in diversified product segments, a leading position in its key product segments (like LED television, lighting, mobiles, washing machines, etc.) and established relationships with a reputed clientele. In the past two to three years, the group has strengthened its relations with existing clients and onboarded several new ones across segments, such as Xiaomi (mobiles), Realme, Compal, Voltas and Bosch (home appliances), Airtel and Jio (telecom and networking products), Acer and Lenovo (IT hardware), among others. The group is a beneficiary under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for five segments, including mobile phones, lightning, telecom and networking products, inverter controller boards for air conditioners and IT hardware, and has achieved the incremental investment and revenue thresholds for FY24 for four PLIs barring IT hardware, for which FY25 is the first eligible year. A part of the incentives realised so far has also been shared with the clients. A conducive policy environment (thrust on Make in India initiative), healthy domestic demand (led by low penetration levels) and China+1 strategy of global manufacturers, are expected to support a faster ramp-up of Dixons scale of operations over the medium term, ICRA stated. Shares of LT Foods, the company that owns and operates Indian basmati rice brand Daawat, and KRBL, the owner of the flagship India Gate basmati rice brand, rallied by up to 10 per cent on the BSE in Mondays intra-day trade after the central government lifted the Minimum Export Price (MEP) on basmati rice, on Friday. The MEP of basmati rice was first imposed last year at $1,200 per tonne, before it was lowered to $950 per tonne. Shares of LT Foods hit a record high of Rs 446.30, as they rallied 10 per cent on the BSE in Mondays intra-day trade, while shares of KRBL soared 7 per cent to Rs 324.30 on the back of a three-fold jump in average trading volumes. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp LT Foods is primarily engaged in the specialty rice and rice-based foods business. The companys flagship brands include DAAWAT, and Royal, one of the leading basmati rice player in North America, among others. At 11:02 AM, LT Foods was trading 8 per cent higher at Rs 441.20, as compared to the 0.19 per cent rise in the BSE Sensex. The stock has surpassed its previous high of Rs 418.75 that it touched on September 6, 2024. The market price of LT Foods has more than doubled or zoomed 139 per cent from its June month low of Rs 186.75. LT Foods flagship brand, Daawat commands a 30 per cent market share and leads in more than 80 countries. On the other hand, its another flagship brand, Royal continues to command a market share of more than 50 per cent in the US. Royal has also gained leadership position in other geographies. The company said it is poised for a promising future, underpinned by its strategic focus on sustainable growth, innovation and market expansion. The company is set to capitalise on the increasing global demand for specialty and organic food products by deepening its presence in established markets, such as India, the US, and Europe, while expanding into high-growth regions such as the Middle East and Far East. LT Foods, in the financial year 2023-24 (FY24) annual report, said the company is pursuing a target of 5-year revenue compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10-12 per cent. The company aims to increase its 5-year earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) margin by 140-150 basis points (bps). The company also stated that it will continue to grow its core Basmati rice business by investing more on brands and expanding its distribution reach with Revised Route-to-Market and product portfolio expansion by leveraging the brand equity and the existing distribution network. Moreover, with rising global demand for premium and specialty rice varieties, there is a significant potential to capture new markets, especially in regions like North America, Europe, and the Middle East, where the appreciation for ethnic and high-quality foods is increasing, LT Food said. It added that innovations in product development, such as ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook meal kits, can attract convenience-seeking consumers, particularly among millennials and Gen Z age groups. Meanwhile, Indias first integrated rice manufacturing company, KRBL is also one of the largest rice producers in the world, with an installed manufacturing capacity of 195 metric tonne per hour. The company produces both, basmati rice and non-basmati rice. It is also engaged in the manufacturing of by-products such as bran oil, furfural, de-oiled cakes, etc. The company predominantly manufactures and markets branded rice products in India and across the globe. India Gate, the flagship brand of the company, commands a premium in both the Indian and international markets, contributing around 55 per cent of KRBLs total income. In Azerbaijan's long-term strategy for developing its non-oil sector, the development of an agro-industrial cluster in Azerbaijan seems to be a vital direction. To provide some context in the first eight months of this year, Azerbaijans agricultural sector was able, though modestly so, to show some upward trends and appreciable performance. The overall output value was 8.723 billion manats, which also indicates a positive shift of only 1 percent compared to a similar time frame last years output. This development is also a sign of growth and stability in the said field, despite the marginal growth of the entire worlds economy. Specifically, their gross output of cropped products amounted to only 4.528 billion manats, which was a 0.3 percent change over last years corresponding period. As for the values associated with livestock products, they also became more significant and constituted this time 4.195 billion manats, which is 1.3 percent higher than last years output. This differential growth shows that the growth in livestock output was much better than that of the meat output. This could be due to several reasons, perhaps an improvement in the breeding technology or hence high demand for livestock. Azerbaijan is actively pursuing internal agricultural growth while forging strategic foreign relations to further enhance its agricultural sphere. In recent developments, Azerbaijan has initiated discussions with influential countries such as Turkiye, Italy, Argentina, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia to explore collaborations in agricultural research and development. These discussions were held as part of bilateral meetings with G20 Agriculture Ministers. During the held meeting Minister of Agriculture Majnun Mammadov, highlighted the significance of these discussions. The meetings provided a platform for evaluating the current state of cooperation, exploring future trade opportunities, and identifying prospects for collaborative scientific research. This international engagement reflects Azerbaijan's strategic intent to leverage global expertise and technology to advance its agricultural capabilities. The emphasis on scientific collaboration is of particular significance. By fostering partnerships with nations renowned for their agricultural innovation, Azerbaijan endeavours to assimilate state-of-the-art research and best practices into its agricultural framework. This approach not only endeavours to augment productivity and sustainability within the sector but also aims to position Azerbaijan as a fundamental player in global agricultural research and development. Moreover, these international alliances have the potential to engender amplified trade turnover, affording Azerbaijan access to novel markets and export opportunities. The expansion of trade partnerships and research collaborations is anticipated to make a substantive contribution to the sectors expansion and competitiveness on a global scale. Ultimately, Azerbaijans agricultural sector is undergoing consistent growth, underpinned by deliberate international partnerships and a dedication to scientific collaboration. These endeavours are poised to fortify the sectors productivity, unlock new market prospects, and cement Azerbaijan's standing in the global agricultural domain. As COP29 approaches, Azerbaijan is also preparing to showcase its progress in the agricultural and industrial sectors at the upcoming 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The conference will serve as a significant opportunity for Azerbaijan to engage with global stakeholders, share its achievements, and contribute to the collective effort to combat climate change. The event is scheduled to take place in Baku this November. Apple 's new iPhone 16 series appears to be facing weaker demand than anticipated, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a report published on Medium, Kuo noted that first-weekend pre-order sales for the iPhone 16 series were down by 12.7 per cent compared to the iPhone 15 series. The decline is particularly pronounced for the iPhone 16 Pro models. Kuo's report indicates that the iPhone 16 Pro Max garnered 17.1 million pre-orders during the first weekend, representing a 16 per cent decrease from the iPhone 15 Pro Max's launch figures. Similarly, the iPhone 16 Pro saw 9.8 million pre-orders, a drop of 27 per cent compared to its predecessor. Conversely, the base iPhone 16 models have seen increased interest, with the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus receiving 7.3 million and 2.6 million pre-orders respectively, reflecting a 10 per cent and 48 per cent increase over last year's iPhone 15 and 15 Plus models. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp Despite the rise in demand for the base iPhone 16 models, Apple is experiencing an overall slowdown in demand, mainly due to the lower-than-expected performance of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models. Kuo suggests that this trend may be influenced by the fact that the highly anticipated Apple Intelligence features are available on last years Pro models but not on the base iPhone 15 models. Additionally, intensified competition from local Chinese smartphone brands is contributing to the slowdown. The data mentioned in Kuos report is based on recent supply chain surveys and pre-order statistics from Apples website. The iPhone 16 series is currently available for pre-order in India, with availability starting from September 20. By Karishma Vaswani Bali is broken. These days, the jewel in Indonesias crown of sun-kissed islands is less paradise, more parking lot. Tourists are bringing in much-desired revenue, but theres just too many of them. The governments proposal to temporarily curb new building construction of hotels and villas cant come quickly enough. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp The Island of the Gods needs urgent attention. Its the archipelagos golden goose, accounting for a significant chunk of international arrivals, bringing in visitors from all over the world. Authorities need to come up with a solution to mange the rampant overdevelopment thats become Balis hallmark, keep the number of visitors under control and protect the local environment and culture. Indonesia is home to 18,000 islands, but only 6,000 are inhabited. Of these, Bali has historically enjoyed pole position in the rankings of most-popular holiday spot. It sits to the east of the countrys most populous island of Java, separated by the narrow Bali Strait. The majority-Hindu population is also a draw, offering starkly different culture and customs (Indonesia is the worlds largest Muslim nation.) It was also among the hardest-hit regions when Covid-19 struck, leaving hotels and beaches empty. Tourists contribute more than 60 per cent to the islands economy, providing much-needed employment for its more than 4 million inhabitants. So when they disappeared, gross domestic product shrank by 9.3 per cent in 2020, the worst among all of Indonesias provinces. I traveled to Bali soon after borders opened and saw the extent of the damage first-hand. So many friends and contacts in the local tourism industry had lost jobs, forced to return to their familys farmlands to make ends meet. Turns out you can have too much of a good thing. An enclave for hippies in the 1970s, and a rite of passage for surfers looking for the perfect wave, so many of those picture-perfect Balinese destinations Uluwatu, Padang-Padang and especially Canggu have morphed from heavenly beach spots into nightmarish neighborhoods. Snaking, hours-long traffic jams and noisy construction are the norm and not the exception. Hardly the peaceful getaway to escape city life. Since then though, visitors have come back and with a vengeance. Around 5 million visitors arrived in 2023 close to 2019 levels, a number thats expected to grow even further this year. Much of this is down to the success of various government initiatives incentives like the second home and golden visas for wealthy global citizens and foreign investors, and the digital nomad programs popular with the crypto-currency trading crowd.Turns out you can have too much of a good thing. An enclave for hippies in the 1970s, and a rite of passage for surfers looking for the perfect wave, so many of those picture-perfect Balinese destinations Uluwatu, Padang-Padang and especially Canggu have morphed from heavenly beach spots into nightmarish neighborhoods. Snaking, hours-long traffic jams and noisy construction are the norm and not the exception. Hardly the peaceful getaway to escape city life. Thats why the provincial government is considering curbing the construction of new hotels, villas, discos and beach clubs. Its aimed at slowing down the pace of land development and overcrowding in tourist hot spots. You just need to take a drive to one of the busy districts like Seminyak to see the number of villas and hotels being built. Concrete and cement structures now stand in the place of lush green paddy fields. To help fund ecological protection projects, authorities launched a $10 tourist tax, but it has had little to no success because of poor implementation. Most tourists dont even know they have to pay it. Not all visitors are welcome. Officials have talked about how badly behaved some are, and the risk to local culture. Holiday-makers posing naked on sacred mountains, allegations of drug abuse, and attacks on local people have exhausted patience. The government deported more than 100 tourists last year, and imposed a motorbike ban after a spate of dangerous road accidents. Previous administrations have tried to solve these problems before, but nothing has worked, mainly because of a lack of policy implementation. Even with this plan to temporarily halt development, which sounds great on paper, there is no clear timeline. There are concrete things Indonesian authorities can do. A railway transport plan, connecting the airport with popular tourist hubs, would go a long way to solve the gridlock issue. But many Balinese say they dont see it benefiting them, and the construction will no doubt add to the current traffic. A completion date of 2027 is being discussed, but even before the project has kicked off properly there are concerns about an over-reliance on Chinese contractors, and the possibility that it could be held up by local regulations. Its time to look beyond Bali, and diversify Indonesias holiday destination offerings. Other islands, like Sumba and Labuan Bajo, are starting to become popular with discerning tourists, though none has Balis the mass appeal. Improving air connectivity and infrastructure, and marketing them better, would go a long way toward attracting more visitors. This would help to reduce the dependence on Bali as a cash-cow, and also add to Indonesias appeal as a vacation spot. Spanning the distance between London and Baghdad from west to east, with three different time zones and hundreds of different ethnic groups and languages, Indonesia is a big and beautiful country. The next Bali is just waiting to be found. The gods of the island will thank you for it. Mauro Nannini bought shares in Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives the day after his son got access to the financial information about the proposed MasTec acquisition, the indictment said (Photo: Reuters) Authorities charged four men, including a relative of the King of Jordan, for conspiring to make insider stock trades on a business acquired by one of South Florida's major publicly held companies, MasTec. Federico Nannini, 26; his father, Mauro Nannini, 63; and two of his friends, Alejandro Thermiotis, 26; and Francisco Tonarely, 25, were arrested Friday and charged in a federal indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and 24 related offenses, The Miami Herald reported. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp Thermiotis is the King of Jordan's relative. Thermiotis' brother, Jameel, married King Abdulla's daughter, Princess Iman, last year. The Jordanian Royal Palace did not respond to a request for comment. According to the indictment from the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, the four defendants shared confidential information within a close circle of family and friends, and used it to buy shares at a lower price and then turn a USD 1 million profit after the information became public. The Securities and Exchange Commission also filed a parallel civil lawsuit against them in Miami federal court. All four had their first court appearances on Friday. Federal authorities said the alleged scheme began in June 2022 when Federico Nannini, a consultant, began advising MasTec on its planned acquisition of Indiana-based Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives. MasTec is an engineering and construction company based in Coral Gables, Florida, that provides infrastructure services for the energy, utility and communications industries. Federico Nannini then started sharing the confidential information with his father, Mauro Nannini, and Thermiotis, a close friend, according to the indictment. Federico Nannini, Thermiotis and Tonarely went to Gulliver Preparatory School together in Pinecrest, Florida, a suburban village in Miami-Dade County. Mauro Nannini bought shares in Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives the day after his son got access to the financial information about the proposed MasTec acquisition, the indictment said. Thermiotis also passed along the insider information about the deal to Tonarely. As the MasTec acquisition progressed, Federico Nannini continued to update his father and close friend, Thermiotis, about the deal. In turn, Thermiotis continued to share the insider information with Tonarely, prosecutors said. At one point in July 2022, when Federico Nannini became worried the acquisition would not go through, Mauro Nannini sold his IEA stock, according to the indictment. When Federico Nannini received confidential financials that indicated the acquisition was going forward, he texted Thermiotis, who responded. At that point, Mauro Nannini began to buy back his position in IEA stock and options, the indictment said. When MasTec's acquisition of IEA was reported publicly on July 25, 2022, Mauro Nannini, Thermiotis, and Tonarely all sold their shares and option contracts in IEA at a profit. A conviction for conspiracy to commit securities fraud carries up to five years in prison, while a conviction on the related 24 securities fraud charges carries maximum penalties of 20 to 25 years imprisonment. The US government and TikTok will go head-to-head in federal court on Monday as oral arguments begin in a consequential legal case that will determine if or how a popular social media platform used by nearly half of all Americans will continue to operate in the country. Attorneys for the two sides will appear before a panel of judges at the federal appeals court in Washington. TikTok and its China-based parent company, ByteDance, are challenging a US law that requires them to break ties or face a ban in the US by mid-January. The legal battle is expected to reach the US Supreme Court. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was a culmination of a years-long saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China. But TikTok argues the law runs afoul of the First Amendment while other opponents claim it mirrors crackdowns sometimes seen in authoritarian countries abroad. In court documents submitted over the summer, the Justice Department emphasized the government's two primary concerns. First, TikTok collects vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits, that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Second, the US says the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that's difficult to detect. TikTok has repeatedly said it does not share US user data with the Chinese government and that concerns the government has raised have never been substantiated. In court documents, attorneys for both TikTok and its parent company have argued that members of Congress sought to punish the platform based on propaganda they perceived to be on TikTok. The companies also claimed divestment is not possible and that the app would have to shut down by Jan. 19 if the courts don't step in to block the law. Even if divestiture were feasible, TikTok in the United States would still be reduced to a shell of its former self, stripped of the innovative and expressive technology that tailors content to each user, the companies said in a legal brief filed in June. It would also become an island, preventing Americans from exchanging views with the global TikTok community. Opponents of the law stress a ban would also cause disruptions in the world of marketing, retail and in the lives of many different content creators, some of whom also sued the government in May. TikTok is covering the legal costs for that lawsuit, which the court has consolidated with the company's complaint and another filed on behalf of conservative creators who work with a nonprofit called BASED Politics Inc. Though the government's primary reasoning for the law is public, significant portions of its court filings include classified information that has been redacted and hidden from public view. The companies have asked the court to reject the secret filings or appoint a district judge who can ferret through the material, which the government has opposed because it will cause a delay in the case. If admitted into the court, legal experts say those secret filings could make it nearly impossible to know some of the factors that could play a part in the eventual ruling. In one of the redacted statements submitted in late July, the Justice Department claimed TikTok took direction from the Chinese government about content on its platform, without disclosing additional details about when or why those incidents occurred. Casey Blackburn, a senior US intelligence official, wrote in a legal statement that ByteDance and TikTok have taken action in response to Chinese government demands to censor content outside of China. Though the intelligence community had no information that this has happened on the platform operated by TikTok in the US, Blackburn said there is a risk it may occur. In a separate document submitted to court, the DOJ said the US is not required to wait until its foreign adversary takes specific detrimental actions before responding to such a threat. The companies, however, argue the government could have taken a more tailored approach to resolve its concerns. During high-stakes negotiations with the Biden administration more than two years ago, TikTok presented the government with a draft 90-page agreement that allows a third party to monitor the platform's algorithm, content moderation practices and other programming. TikTok says it has spent more than $2 billion to voluntarily implement some of these measures, which include storing US user data on servers controlled by the tech giant Oracle. But it said a deal was not reached because government officials essentially walked away from the negotiating table in August 2022. Justice officials have argued complying with the draft agreement is impossible, or would require extensive resources, due to the size and the technical complexity of TikTok. The Justice Department also said the only thing that would resolve the government's concerns is severing the ties between TikTok and ByteDance given the porous relationship between the Chinese government and Chinese companies. But some observers have wondered whether such a move would accelerate the so-called decoupling between the US and its strategic rival at a time when other China-founded companies, such as Shein and Temu, are also making a big splash in the West. Last week, the Biden administration proposed rules that would crack down on duty-free products being shipped directly from China. For its part, ByteDance has publicly said TikTok is not up for sale. But that has not stopped some investors, including former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire Frank McCourt, from announcing bids to purchase the platform. However, even if such a sale would occur, it would most likely be devoid of TikTok's coveted algorithm, leaving a big question mark on whether the platform would be capable of serving up the type of personally tailored videos that users have come to expect. The political alignments on the issue are playing out in unconventional ways. The law, which passed with bipartisan approval in Congress, had encountered resistance from some progressive and Republican lawmakers who voiced concerns about giving the government the power to ban a platform used by 170 million Americans. Former President Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok while in office, is now opposing a ban because that would help its rival, Facebook, a platform Trump continues to criticize over his 2020 election loss. In court, free speech and social justice groups have submitted amicus briefs in support of TikTok, arguing it restricts the First Amendment rights of users and suppresses the speech of minority communities by disrupting a tool many of them use to advocate for causes online. Some libertarian groups with ties to ByteDance investor Jeff Yass have also filed briefs supporting the company. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has received the backing of more than 20 Republican attorneys general, former national security officials and China-focused human rights groups who are asking the court to uphold the law. But analysts expect Shein and Temu to take the brunt of the crackdown, depending on the extent and size of tariffs set. By Jeanny Yu and Olivia Poh Washingtons envisioned clampdown on the tax-free import of Chinese goods imposes one more layer of uncertainty on consumer-sector mavens from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. to Temu who are already struggling to cope with a consumer crisis back home. Alibaba and smaller rival JD.com Inc. sagged about 2% in Hong Kong Monday, as investors parsed the potential fallout from US plans to begin taxing packages worth less than $800. That all but slams shut a loophole that PDD Holdings Inc.s Temu and fashion-focused competitor Shein have employed for years to ship hundreds of millions of packages into the US annually, carving out a market at the expense of Amazon.com Inc. PDD slid 2.4% Friday. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp The move threatens to reshape parts of the US retail arena and deflate the excitement thats accompanied the meteoric ascent of bargain bazaars like Temu, Shein and Alibabas Aliexpress. It also hit shares of other US-reliant retailers such as Australian fashion outlet Cettire Ltd. on Monday. But analysts expect Shein and Temu to take the brunt of the crackdown, depending on the extent and size of tariffs set. While the market has been expecting the US Administration might announce action to change/reform the de minimis exemption, it was still considered as a negative development, Citigroup Inc. analyst Alicia Yap wrote in a research note. The lack of visibility on implementation timing and potential impact will remain an overhang to share price performance near term. White House officials on Friday announced they intend to propose rules that would rein in use of the so-called de minimis exemption, which allows products worth less than $800 to go directly to consumers without customs declarations or duties. The measures are aimed at reducing tariff evasion and preventing fentanyl-laced shipments. Investors have braced for the move for some time. The European Commission has kept the ultra-fast-fashion industry in its sights since at least 2021, when President Ursula von der Leyen denounced it as poison due to the environmental impact of disposable clothes. US officials also worry about the prospect of other illegal items like drugs slipping into the country. Investors are adopting a wait-and-see attitude for now, though the impact is expected to be broad. Amazon, for instance, has come under pressure from Temu and Shein so much so that its developing a discount marketplace on its platform for Chinese merchants to ship direct to the US. Shein, which is preparing for an initial public offering that could value the Chinese apparel giant north of $60 billion, pioneered the model of targeting cost-conscious Americans with $2 blouses and $10 shirts during Covid. Temu jumped in around 2022 with its Shop Like a Billionaire catchphrase, rapidly becoming one of PDDs biggest growth drivers worldwide. Analysts estimate Temu accounts for a low-teen percentage of PDDs overall business though a large chunk of that is from the US. Temu likely handled about $20 billion of gross merchandise volume in the first half of 2024, of which about 40% came from America, Jefferies analyst Thomas Chong estimates. And the explosive growth that crowned PDD a market darling is already showing signs of petering out, hammered by Chinas unrelenting consumer downturn. As for Shein, it can ill-afford any uncertainty ahead of its market debut. And both are coming under intensifying scrutiny in the US, as its relationship with China comes into focus ahead of the November elections. Geopolitical risks have long been a concern to investors, in particular the tariff issue related to cross-border e-commerce, Chong wrote. Compared to overseas peers, we expect Temu to maintain pricing advantage, as the former do not charge commissions and operate on a low-price model. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Silicon Delta - The Story of Vietnams Tech Revolution, the latest documentary on Vietnam and its leading tech corporation, FPT, has premiered on Discovery Channel and is available in 10 languages, including English, Japanese, German, Chinese, Korean, and so on. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240915240896/en/ (Graphic: Business Wire) The half-hour documentary traces Vietnams emergence to become Southeast Asia's fastest-growing digital economy. It offers a chronological view of Vietnam's evolution, current achievements, and positive future outlook, with the potential to become a global workforce powerhouse. Homegrown, FPT is listed among Asias Top 50 IT Services Companies, and the companys journey into the global arena to a multibillion-dollar corporation today mirrors Vietnam's technological and socioeconomic developments. The documentary showcases FPTs international expansion from its early days to establishing its first international presence and how FPT continually innovates to meet the challenges ahead. Early days : Vietnams entrepreneurial spirit and economic reform paved the way for the founding of FPT, its breakthrough deal, and the crucial decision to expand globally. : Vietnams entrepreneurial spirit and economic reform paved the way for the founding of FPT, its breakthrough deal, and the crucial decision to expand globally. Global expansion and new horizons : Obstacles during the 1990s dot-com boom led FPT to shift its direction, with a historic client meeting in Japan, setting the stage for the creation of FPT's education system for future innovators. : Obstacles during the 1990s dot-com boom led FPT to shift its direction, with a historic client meeting in Japan, setting the stage for the creation of FPT's education system for future innovators. Resilience and innovation: FPTs pursuit of advancements in digital transformation, AI, automotive, and semiconductors, and the spirit of pushing forward continues to contribute to Vietnams overall tech development. FPT Founder and Chairman Dr. Truong Gia Binh said: "FPT was founded as a means for survival, and it was the ambition to uplift a nation from poverty and showcase Vietnams intelligence to the world that fueled our growth. To this day, we remain steadfast in our commitment to this legacy, continuously building a highly skilled workforce, especially in AI, semiconductors, and automotive technology, to lead both Vietnam and global transformation movements. FPT Software Chairwoman Chu Thi Thanh Ha said: "This documentary captures the collective commitment and relentless efforts of many FPT generations who dared to dream big and act boldly. 25 years ago, we made a proud decision to Go global or die, a bold move crucial for our fate and a game-changer for Vietnam at that time. Today, this daring spirit remains embedded in the DNA of every FPT member and will continue to be passed on to future generations as we venture into new frontiers in technology and innovation. The documentary is now available on Discovery Channel in Southeast Asia, Japan, and Germany and can also be accessed here. About FPT Corporation FPT Corporation (FPT) is a globally leading technology and IT services provider headquartered in Vietnam. FPT operates in three core sectors: Technology, Telecommunications, and Education. During over three decades of development, FPT has constantly provided practical and effective products to millions of people and tens of thousands of business and non-business organizations worldwide, establishing Vietnams position on the global tech map. Keeping up with the latest market trends and emerging technologies, FPT has developed the Made-by-FPT ecosystem of services, products, solutions, and platforms, which enables sustainable growth for organizations and businesses and offers distinctive experiences to customers. In 2023, FPT recorded a total revenue of USD 2.17 billion and 48,000+ employees. For more information, please visit https://fpt.com/en. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240915240896/en/ On the International Identity Day ID Day, Thales reaffirms its dedication to supporting global identity initiatives and driving technological advancements that foster inclusion, security, and trust. Around the world, more than 850 million individuals do not have a legal identity, preventing them from claiming their rights and accessing fundamental citizen services e.g. health, education, employment. Thales has been working for more than thirty years to make trustworthy identities a reality for everyone, employing cutting-edge and responsible technology for biometrics and digital ID solutions. On September 16th, Thales celebrates the International Identity Day (ID Day), a symbolic day to highlight the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal16.9 to provide a legal identity for all. ID Day is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of legal identity as a fundamental human right and a key enabler of inclusive social and economic development. Thales supports global efforts to guarantee every individual has access to a secure and trusted identity. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240915417415/en/ (Photo: Thales) Thales, a leading provider of secure physical and biometrics identification, has been actively involved in projects that are in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, including birth registration, by 2030. According to the 2023 estimates from the World Bank's Identification for Development (ID4D) Initiative, over 850 million people globally lack an official ID. Thanks to global mobilization, the overall situation has improved since 2020 when 1 billion individuals were missing a legal ID. ID Day highlights the significance of having a legal identity and the positive impact it has on individuals and communities worldwide. A legal identity grants access to essential services, fosters social inclusion, and facilitates participation in the global economy. That is why Thales, recognised as the number one digital identity player by Juniper Research (in its 2024 Juniper Research Competitor Leaderboard) stands for a future in which everyone could benefit from and confirm their trusted identity, leaving no one behind. "ID Day serves as a crucial reminder that identity is a fundamental human right. In today's interconnected world, having a secure and trusted legal ID is essential for accessing services, exercising rights, and fostering economic development. At Thales, we are committed to driving innovation in biometric and digital identity solutions, ensuring that every individual can claim their rightful place in society. Our goal is to support with our solutions a world where identity is secure, inclusive, and universally recognized," said Youzec Kurp, VP Identity and Biometrics Solutions at Thales Group. A secure identity is more than just a document; it is a gateway to opportunities and a cornerstone of trust in the digital age. Thales responsible biometrics (cf TrUE Biometrics1) and digital ID solutions are designed to meet the highest security standards, protecting individuals' personal data while facilitating seamless access to services as well as mobility. 1TrUE Biometrics stands for Transparent, Understandable and finally Ethical. For years, Thales has developed highly secure solutions and biometrics has proved its full capacity to offer both security and convenience. While the technology serves a wide range of new needs triggered by our societies1 digital transformation, Thales also supports initiatives that raise awareness of the benefits and risks of adopting biometric identification technologies. Thales is a reliable and responsible partner since it provides transparent, understandable, and ethical biometrics. About Thales Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies specialized in three business domains: Defence & Security, Aeronautics & Space, and Cybersecurity & Digital identity. It develops products and solutions that help make the world safer, greener and more inclusive. The Group invests close to 4 billion a year in Research & Development, particularly in key innovation areas such as AI, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, cloud technologies and 6G. Thales has close to 81,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2023, the Group generated sales of 18.4 billion. PLEASE VISIT Thales Group Digital Identity & Security Thales Thales Digital Identity and Security View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240915417415/en/ Scaling up Europes ambition ICR Research By Published 16 September 2024 CEMBUREAU, the European cement association, has updated its Net Zero Roadmap to reflect the development of carbon reduction technologies. In this article, Koen Coppenholle, CEMBUREAU CEO, explains whats new with the update and the policy framework needed to achieve the net zero ambition 2050. By Koen Coppenholle, CEMBUREAU, Belgium To continue reading this story and get access to all News, Articles and Video sections of the CemNet.com website, please Register for a subscription to International Cement Review or Login Yemen's Customs Authority discusses cement customs facilities ICR Newsroom By 16 September 2024 Yemeni Head of Customs Authority, Adel Ahmed Margham, and the Chairman of the Yemeni General Organisation for Cement Industry and Marketing, Yahya Atifa, held a meeting in Sana'a on 14 September to disucss customs facilites and exemptions for the inputs of cement production at the Amran and Bajil plants. Various strategies were discussed to enhance the competitiveness of local products, including offering exemptions on production inputs. In addition, both parties discussed ways to improve cooperation and coordination between the Customs Authority and the Cement Corp to boost factory competitiveness and ensure local market needs are satisfied. The participants in the meeting emphasised the necessity of supporting local producers and factories, particularly due to the ongoing aggression and blockade. They deemed this crucial as competitors, backed by their own nations, have entered the local market undermining the countrys own production and industrial capabilities. Published under Ciments du Maroc acquires Asment Temara Muriel Bal By 16 September 2024 Ciments du Maroc announced the signing of a strategic agreement for the acquisition of Asment de Temara. The step will enable Ciments du Maroc, part of Heidelberg Materials, to consolidate its national coverage and its sales of sustainable materials and solutions. It will expand its operations in northern Morocco in particular. The acquisition will include 62.62 per cent of Asment de Temaras capital as well as 99.99 per cent of the capital of Grabemaro, a producer of aggregates, currently controlled by Votorantim Cimentos. The operations include a 1.4Mta cement plant, two aggregates sites and eight ready-mix concrete plants. Our latest investment marks an important step as part of our ongoing portfolio optimisation to strengthen our core markets, said Dr Dominik von Achten, chairman of the Managing Board of Heidelberg Materials. Expanding our presence in the attractive Moroccan market while increasing our use of alternative fuels will generate substantial financial synergies and thus help us accelerate our ambitious decarbonisation efforts throughout our sites in the country and grow our local offering of sustainable solutions. It is expected that the acquisition will enable Ciments du Maroc to increase the alternative fuel rate at the cement plant to 70 per cent by 2027. Votorantim Cimentos said that the transaction aligns with its portfolio management strategy, maximising value and balancing its geographical positioning between mature and emerging markets. Votorantim Cimentos will continue to operate its assets in Morocco as normal until the transaction is complete. The deal is still subject to Moroccan antitrust authorities approval. Similarly, in July, Votorantim Cimentos also signed an agreement for the full sale of its assets located in Tunisia to Sinoma Cement Co Ltd, the cement-based building materials enterprise headquartered in China. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval by Moroccan competition authorities. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the financial terms of the transaction. Published under Regrettably, today many white evangelical religious believers have found themselves entangled in a web of unfaithfulness to their theological convictions, essentially committing spiritual adultery. While claiming loyalty to church covenants, they have become absorbed in supporting values at odds with long-held religious teachings. The blending of church and state and the prioritization of political obsession over evangelical spirituality have led to the mainstream acceptance of spiritual adultery, propping up a set of phony political values tied to a cult-like following of a particular flawed political candidate. The once highly regarded evangelical community has seemingly forsaken their rejection of the worship of anyone other than God, as communal worship for a political figure has taken precedence over their long-standing theological convictions. This shift towards political idolatry has overshadowed white evangelical theology, casting a shadow on their claims to high moral standards of Christian faithfulness. The surprising reality is that a significant percentage of white evangelicals supported a flawed presidential candidate in Donald Trump, leading to a compromise of their religious integrity. Statistics from the 2016 election show that approximately 80 percent of white evangelicals voted for Trump, signifying a significant departure from their traditional values. To address this spiritual and cultural crisis, church leaders need to initiate a shift in messaging, guiding their congregations back towards the core tenets of evangelical Christianity. There should be a priority to confront and rectify the entanglement of church and state values, restoring the focus on spiritual faithfulness over political allegiances. It's time for a sincere and reflective reevaluation within the white evangelical community, allowing for a return to the fundamental principles of their faith while disentangling from the grip of political idolatry. By recentering focus on authentic theological convictions and distancing from the trappings of a political cult (Trumpism), white evangelicals can begin healing and reclaiming the integrity of their once highly respected religious identity. In the absence of corrective action, resulting spiritual adultery will diminish church effectiveness. Johnny Jones * * * As we are gaslit and shamed into thinking that our support for Donald Trump for president is heresy, we as Christians must not be shamed or bullied out of our right to participate in this election and our backing for the one who we think who can best run the country. It's clear that Donald Trump is a sinner and the Word of God tells us that if one says they are without sin they are a liar and the Truth is not in them. We are not electing him as our pastor, priest or spiritual leader, we are seeking someone who is willing to represent our views and beliefs of the interpretation and defense of the Constitution, and again, we are warned not to judge not lest we be judged. I realize that the only thing that so many have is talking points of fear and cover ups of the present administration and we must not bow down or submit to that fear. The way I see it, it's not in what others say, it is about the previous actions and results that counts. During his first Presidency he proved his commitment to Israel (which should be a prerequisite for all Christians) and did what so many had said that they would do in recognizing Jerusalem as the Capitol of Israel and furthermore establishing our embassy there. Now we could go further into this discussion with the aftermath, response and pressure on Israel to submit to the demands of Hamas after they followed through with their declaration of war against Israel on 10/7 but we can save that for later. Now so many will parrot Trump's "impeachments" and lawfare "convictions" to justify their distain and, may I take it further, their hatred for him. It is my opinion that this constant din of "Orange Man bad" has led to his second assassination attempt and it's not about the rhetoric of Donald Trump, it's the constant harping of the mainstream media and those willing further that message against him that has led to the state of hatred for him. We furthermore see the how the Democrats are using the repeal of Roe vs. Wade as a rallying call to support for Harris and if you are a pro-abortion "Christian", what don't you understand about "thou shall not kill"? As I come to a conclusion, I know that fear has been sown in getting people to not vote and to motivate them to vote. But let's be honest, we must not allow others to fear or shame us out of our convictions and our vote for Donald Trump. Jay Reed * * * Mr. Jones, Are we to vote for the devil so as not to vote for a flawed Christian? Tim Sinor * * * So you rail against voting for a flawed and imperfect man, yet you seem to support a person who advocates and tries to justify the murder of unborn children. No thank you, I'll chose life. Bill Foust * * * I am not advocating, and no one should be advocating that anyone, including Christians, should not vote their conscience. Everyone should. The problem is that tax-exempt churches should be politically neutral. They can lawfully teach that parishioners should vote based on principles and policies that are in agreement with the principles advocated by that denomination or even personally by the pastor, but they should refrain from endorsing any particular person or policy. If they do, their tax-exempt status should be revoked. John Odom * * * Contrary to Mr. Reeds and Mr. Sinors letters, I agree with Mr. Jones. I dont believe that Mr. Jones letter was disparaging to all Christians. I see his letter as an admonition to those who misuse Christianity to loudly proclaim their political point. The misuses are (1) vocalizing his or her political beliefs ahead of his or her Christian beliefs, and (2) his or her political beliefs are supporting values at odds with long-held religious teachings. While Mr. Jones may see things differently, among things I see contrary to Christian beliefs are: Christianity is within politics, or Christianity is politics and Christians should control the government (merging of church and state); espousing that this is a Judeo-Christian nation, even if those values appear within the Declaration of Independence and Constitution; and believing the Republican candidate (1) was anointed by God, (2) is a reincarnation of some minor Old Testament king, (3) will be elected as part of Gods will for America, (4) is a sign from God of the return of Jesus Christ to earth and (5) survived assassination attempts only because of God's will. By the way, does God will students to die at school by fire from semi-automatic weapons? Collectively, Ill describe beliefs as Gods will arguments, and Im sure there are many more examples. If making an anointment by God argument or Gods will for America argument, shouldnt those people believe that President Biden anointed by God and was elected as part of Gods will for America? Or do they use those two arguments only when their candidate wins? Assuming no third party on the ballot, Boolean logic dictates that there is only a winner and loser. While not stated, do they believe their loser lost because of the Biblical forces of darkness and evil? I want to respond to Mr. Reed, taking Christianity out of my response. One definition of gaslighting is a type of psychological abuse that involves manipulating someone into questioning his or her reality, memories or perceptions. Ive learned there are four types of gaslighting: outright lying, manipulation of reality, scapegoating and coercion. But what someone calls gaslighting may actually be facts intended to counter a closed mind. A closed-minded person will not question the truthfulness or accuracy of what he or she hears. Most likely, because of the source, that closed-minded person would quickly arrive at the term gaslighting. I can credibly identify Fox and other right-wing media as experts in gaslighting Democrats, since I do not solely rely on other media to learn. Yet, what Democrats learn is gaslighting, close-minded people believe as the truth. An example within provided by Mr. Reed is his stating that the current administration is the cause of fear because of talking points and cover-ups. What facts prove that statement to be true? Another example is his statement that so many will parrot Trump's "impeachments" and lawfare "convictions" to justify their distain. By using the verb parrot, Mr. Reed is trying to lead the reader to infer that impeachments and lawfare convictions should have no influence on how he or she votes. Who is attempting to gaslight whom? Mr. Reed is also of the opinion that it's not in what others say, it is about the previous actions and results that counts. I disagree because it is impossible to fully learn based upon ones singular efforts. We all learn from the learning of others. Mr. Reed concludes his letter with condescension of Democrats. His believes the constant din of "Orange Man bad" has led to his second assassination attempt . . . just hours after that attempt makes that assumption with only the initial knowledge of what happened. He blames hatred for his candidate because of the constant harping of the mainstream media and those willing further that message against him. He also wants to coerce (a type of gaslighting) the pro-abortion "Christian" by implying all abortions are unacceptable based on the Old Testament. Ill conclude by responding to Mr. Sinor and Mr. Bill Foust. As I said above, the whole purpose of Mr. Jones letter is an admonition (1) that some Christians are vocalizing his or her political beliefs ahead of his or her Christian beliefs, and (2) for those Christians, vocalizing his or her political beliefs are supporting values at odds with long-held religious teachings. Mr. Sinor, Mr. Jones letter is not asking for a yes or a no on voting for a particular candidate. He is expressing his opinion. Mr. Foust, Mr. Jones' did describe your candidate as flawed. Today, your candidate is more flawed than ever. Mr. Jones has a First Amendment right to express his opinion; if you took offense, too bad. Joe Warren Here are the new marriage licenses from the County Clerk's office: CHRISTOPHER ANDREW BARNETT SHYANNE MARIE HITE 4827 JERSEY PIKE APT 903 4827 JERSEY PIKE APT 903 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 374162346 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 374162346 ALLISON IRENE BERGER ROCKEN WILLIAM TAYLOR 7049 POPULUS LOOP APT 423 7049 POPULUS LOOP APT 423 CHATTANOOGA, TN 374215251 CHATTANOOGA, TN 374215251 MARCUS PATRICK ELLSWORTH JESSE NOAH WILLIAMS 4243 NEWPORT DR 4243 NEWPORT DR CHATTANOOGA, TN 374122850 CHATTANOOGA, TN 374122850 JARET ALAN BOGARD JACEY MAE LOUISE HOOPER 9502 MOUNTAIN LAKE DR 9502 MOUNTAIN LAKE DR OOLTEWAH, Tennessee 37363 OOLTEWAH, Tennessee 37363 SULAIMAN EFENDI SISKA OLIMFIA 936 MOUNTAIN CREEK RD APT P172 936 MOUNTAIN CREEK RD APT P172 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37405 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37405 MEGHAN OLIVIA ATCHLEY JARROD WILLIAM ROWAN 8034 GANN RD 8034 GANN RD SODDY DAISY, Tennessee 37379 SODDY DAISY, Tennessee 37379 KENDALL LEIGH SCARBOROUGH BRODY ALEXANDER HICKS 7929 WOODSTONE DR 7929 WOODSTONE DR HIXSON, TN 373432189 HIXSON, TN 373432189 CHAD ANTHONY TAYLOR STACIE MICHELLE MILES 1405 LONDON AVE 1405 LONDON AVE HIXSON, TN 373431496 HIXSON, TN 373431496 BAYRON REYNERI VALLE LOPEZ TANIA ELIZABETH ARAUZ JARQUIN 4447 UNIVERSITY DR 4447 UNIVERSITY DR OOLTEWAH, Tennessee 37363 OOLTEWAH, Tennessee 37363 BRANDON WAYNE REED TAYLOR ANISTON PRESSNELL 919 SEQUOYAH RD 107 COKE OVEN RD SODDY DAISY, TN 373793967 SODDY DAISY, TN 373795009 EMILY ELIZABETH THURMOND JONATHAN ANDREW GRIFFIN 10 WINDING BRANCH TRCE NW 858 NATCHEZ VALLEY TRCE CARTERSVILLE, Georgia 301204390 GRAYSON, Georgia 300174966 ANNA GRACE WHITT RILEY JAMES PURDY 1805 MARTHA BERRY BLVD NW APT M3 1968 EVERETT SPRINGS RD NE ROME, Georgia 301651656 CALHOUN, Georgia 307016908 RACHEL ELIZABETH PENCE WINSTON DALLAS KING 8310 PINE RIDGE RD 8310 PINE RIDGE RD OOLTEWAH, TN 373638046 OOLTEWAH, TN 373638046 ELIZABETH RACHAEL BEACH-JOHNSON BRANDON MICHAEL HARRELL-ABBEY 1712 CARSON AVE 1712 CARSON AVE CHATTANOOGA, TN 374041301 CHATTANOOGA, TN 374041301 SHANEKA CHEYENNE PERKINS HARLEY DAVID MILLER 332 MAPLEWOOD DR 332 MAPLEWOOD DR SHELBYVILLE, Tennessee 37160 SHELBYVILLE, Tennessee 37160 JACK CARLTON PAYNE CELENE EDUARDO FARIAS 7620 BEBE BRANCH LN 7620 BEBE BRANCH LN OOLTEWAH, Tennessee 37363 OOLTEWAH, Tennessee 37363 CHASE ALEXANDER PHILLIPS KASSIE MARIE HOPE 10135 FALCON CREST DR 10135 FALCON CREST DR OOLTEWAH, Tennessee 37363 OOLTEWAH, Tennessee 37363 MARK ALAN KOENIG MORGAN PAIGE THOMPSON 3634 MONTE VISTA DR 216 MARLBORO AVE CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 374114303 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 374115219 KYLE DWAYNE EDDIE SLIVA KAMRYN MECHELLE HICKS 5742 LYLE CIR 5742 LYLE CIR HIXSON, TN 373433615 HIXSON, TN 373433615 BRANDON SCOTT MAY HEATHER NICHOLE GREGG 1621 NORTH CHESTER RD 1621 NORTH CHESTER RD HIXSON, Tennessee 37343 HIXSON, Tennessee 37343 JOHN TREVOR MILLER KELLY DENISE MYREN 7760 LASATA LN 7760 LASATA LN HARRISON, TN 373417633 HARRISON, TN 373417633 CHARLES CLIFFORD WALLACE SARAH SPENCE BARRON MORGAN 1920 CRYSTAL LAKE LN 1920 CRYSTAL LAKE LN HIXSON, TN 373433576 HIXSON, TN 373433576 JOLENE CHARLOTTE OWENS GRADY THOMAS OGLE 1185 MOUNTAIN CREEK RD APT 808 1185 MOUNTAIN CREEK RD APT 808 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37405 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37405 KIMBERLY LYNNETTE THOMPSON JESSE RONALD EDWARDS 4016 HONOR CIR 4016 HONOR CIR CHATTANOOGA, TN 374161739 CHATTANOOGA, TN 374161739 SARAH GRACE PETTY STEVEN BAILEY WADE FURMAN 4026 HAPPY VALLEY LN 450 RANDOM TER OOLTEWAH, TN 373638216 RINGGOLD, GA 307366127 MAGIN ROBLERO BAMACA SARA DENYS CRUZ SAMAYOA 314 MCBRIEN RD APT B23 314 MCBRIEN RD APT B23 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37411 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37411 RANDY WILLIAM LEBIODA CORRINA JEAN MESSINA 405 SIGNAL VIEW ST 405 SIGNAL VIEW ST CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37415 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37415 DAVID MYLES LAWRENCE ALICIA RENEE BROCK 3512 REDDING RD 3512 REDDING RD CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37415 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37415 KEVIN SCOTT BURROWS SHANOVIA TEREESE SMITH 8138 KAITLIN LN 30 TUNNEL BLVD APT 218 OOLTEWAH, Tennessee 373635909 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 374112727 TIERA NICOLE PENN JANOEL ALEXANDER HAWTHORNE 1920 GUNBARREL RD APT 1116 1920 GUNBARREL RD APT 1116 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 374217113 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 374217113 HOLLY LEA KANE-DUBYNA VOLA MASOANDRO ANDRIANARIJAONA 4727 PIERSON DR 4727 PIERSON DR OOLTEWAH, Tennessee 37363 OOLTEWAH, Tennessee 37363 JOHN PALMER MARKLEY LAUREN ELIZABETH CAMPBELL 1280 MARKET ST APT 402 1280 MARKET ST APT 402 CHATTANOOGA, TN 374022732 CHATTANOOGA, TN 374022732 ALEXA KATHRYN POELING NOAH CHRISTOPHER SILVER 5307 VIRGINIA AVE 5307 VIRGINIA AVE CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 374092137 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 374092137 JASON LEE HOLLENBECK HAYLEE NICCOLE SMITH 10138 COLLEGE HILL RD 8734 FOREST POND DR OOLTEWAH, Tennessee 37363 HARRISON, Tennessee 37341 KELLY REBECCA LANE JACOB ALLEN ROBERTS 711 CASTLE DR 711 CASTLE DR CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 374113304 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 374113304 JACK VINCENT CROYLE CHRISTINA NICOLE CRAIG 730 GERMANTOWN CIR APT 114 730 GERMANTOWN CIR APT 114 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37412 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37412 ASHTON MICHAEL LEWIS MARY KATHLEEN DUPREE 9534 E BRAINERD RD 3017 WEATHERWOOD TRL CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37421 APISON, Tennessee 37302 THIAGO HENRIQUE DE PAULA JANET ROSHELLE RADDEN 510 TIMBERLINKS DR 510 TIMBERLINKS DR SIGNAL MOUNTAIN, Tennessee 37377 SIGNAL MOUNTAIN, Tennessee 37377 MICHEAL STANLEY CHASALYN RENEE' ASBELL 20 BRASSTOWN CT 20 BRASSTOWN CT DALLAS, Georgia 30132 DALLAS, Georgia 30132 KESHON KENT ARDOIN BRELAN DARNELL SHARPLEY 5700 ROPER ST APT P2 5700 ROPER ST APT P2 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37412 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37412 TARA DIANE BULL JASON ALLEN SAINT 14035 STORMER RD 3601 CLAREMONT AVE SALE CREEK, Tennessee 37373 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37412 TIMOTHY SHAUN GUNN CASIE MARIE FISHER 829 S GREENWOOD AVE APT 109 829 S GREENWOOD AVE APT 109 CHATTANOOGA, TN 374043440 CHATTANOOGA, TN 374043440 SAMANTHA KATE ALDRIDGE ANDREW LLOYD GRECKEL 4257 CHASTAIN POINTE NW 4920 HEARDS FOREST DR NW KENNESAW, GA 301446042 ACWORTH, GA 301027945 GREGORY ANTONIO LEE SHKAYLA NICOLE WATKINS 2177 CAMDAN ST 2177 CAMDAN ST CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37406 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37406 CANDICE KIRSCH NUDELMAN HUBERT BOLDEN SCHRIMPSHER 607 JACKSON RD 607 JACKSON RD HIXSON, Tennessee 37343 HIXSON, Tennessee 37343 HALEIGH CELESTE FOGTMAN TYLER ALAN WILLIAMS 3218 GLEASON DR APT 27 3218 GLEASON DR APT 27 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37412 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37412 ANJA HUNTER SICK RILEY WADE BLIZARD 9449 DAYTON PIKE APT 231 9449 DAYTON PIKE APT 231 SODDY DAISY, TN 373794782 SODDY DAISY, TN 373794782 LACEY LEANN HEADDEN BRANDON CORNELIUS POLK 8805 LAKE VILLA LN 8805 LAKE VILLA LN CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37416 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37416 JASON MICHAEL WILLIAMS SHELBY JANE CRUTCHER 2070 TUNNEL HILL RD SW 4094 UNIVERSITY DR CLEVELAND, Tennessee 37311 OOLTEWAH, Tennessee 37363 JACOB MYLON BROWN HOLLY NOEL SINGLETARY 5908 LAKE RESORT TERR APT R325 5908 LAKE RESORT TERR APT R325 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37415 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37415 CADMIEL VELAZQUEZ RIVERA RACHEL EMMA MILLER 1609 LONG ST 1609 LONG ST CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37408 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37408 MICHELE STONE ROBERTS BRIAN EDWIN CUNNINGHAM 508 MARLBORO AVE 508 MARLBORO AVE CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37412 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37412 TOBI GRAY WELDON JAMES ROBERT COPELAND 3222 OZARK CIR 3222 OZARK CIR CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37415 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37415 MATTHEW QUINN LYDON ADRIENNE DELAIR DRGAC 1522 ANTHONY WAY 1522 ANTHONY WAY MOUNT JULIET, Tennessee 37122 MOUNT JULIET, Tennessee 37122 BRIAN JOHN LEMIEUX ANDREA MARIE MACHADO 1099 BEXLEY SQ APT 225 1099 BEXLEY SQ APT 225 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37410 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37410 RUTH LARECE SPANN ALEXANDER JOSEPH AMBIO 455 FRANCIS CIR 455 FRANCIS CIR MABLETON, Georgia 30126 MABLETON, Georgia 30126 JIMMY DEAN HARDY CYNTHIA LYNN SMITH 6562 ESQUIRE LN 6562 ESQUIRE LN HIXSON, TN 373432955 HIXSON, TN 373432955 TOMMIE CHARLES MILLS REBECCA ELAINE TOMLIN 2772 WILLIAMSPORT PIKE 2772 WILLIAMSPORT PIKE COLUMBIA, Tennessee 38401 COLUMBIA, Tennessee 38401 REBECCA ANN WILLIAMS RANDALL WILLIAM MARSHALL 604 SLIDING HOME RUN 604 SLIDING HOME RUN CHATTANOOGA, TN 374218006 CHATTANOOGA, TN 374218006 LOGAN EDWARD BAILEY MADISON ERIKA MCCANN 322 JEANNE LN 322 JEANNE LN HIXSON, TN 373432120 HIXSON, TN 373432120 PATRICK JAMES CONLEE FOSTER TAYLOR LORRAINE NICHOLS 6551 ESQUIRE DR 6551 ESQUIRE DR HIXSON, TN 373432903 HIXSON, TN 373432903 ZACHARIAH EDWARD HAYES RUBICELI ROSALYN ALONSO 13833 LILLARD RD 13833 LILLARD RD SODDY DAISY, Tennessee 373797829 SODDY DAISY, Tennessee 373797829 MICHAEL BRANDON LEWIS LEAH ROCHELLE DAVIS 5712 GARRETT DR 5712 GARRETT DR HIXSON, TN 373433612 HIXSON, TN 373433612 BRANDON RAE SHAWN JOHNSON MONTEEN NESHAY COLEMAN 1795 ANDOVER PL 1795 ANDOVER PL CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37421 CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee 37421 CAROLINE AVEREE BARNES TRENTON GAGE DRYDEN 913 TEAGUE ST NW 913 TEAGUE ST NW AIKEN, SC 298014073 AIKEN, SC 29801 BIYONCA DANIYELLE MIXX DEVASEA LADARIUS SMITHSON 1503 JUPITER PL 1503 JUPITER PL MURFREESBORO, Tennessee 371304530 MURFREESBORO, Tennessee 371304530 HOLLY ELIZABETH FRICKE DAKOTA RANDALL BEAVERS 5823 SARAH DR 5823 SARAH DR OOLTEWAH, Tennessee 37363 OOLTEWAH, Tennessee 37363 JOSHUA QUINN WALTERS JESSICA MORGAN COLE 1707 HEATHROW DR 1707 HEATHROW DR COOKEVILLE, Tennessee 385065555 COOKEVILLE, Tennessee 385065555 HANNAH NICOLE DAVIS CHARLES CHRISTIAN ROGERS 8146 KAITLIN LN 5973 JOEYS TRL OOLTEWAH, TN 373635909 HARRISON, TN 373415703 Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, marks the 237th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution. The United States Constitution is the worlds longest surviving written charter of government. It has served our nation and its people well over the past two centuries, even through a long and terrible civil war. And although it has served us well, like all human creations, it is not a perfect document. On the occasion of its anniversary, we think it helpful to briefly discuss some of the current sentiment for changing or amending the Constitution. DISSATISFACTION WITH THE CONSTITUTION For various reasons, in certain circles of our society across the country, there is a serious, prolonged, and sometimes heated debate as to whether the Constitution has outlived its usefulness and should be discarded or extensively amended. Some argue that a document written so many years ago for a largely agrarian society where women did not have the vote and where slavery was still legal makes the Constitution antiquated. Many are dissatisfied with provisions in the Constitution establishing the electoral college, assigning two senators to every state regardless of population, prescribing how federal judges are selected and appointed, and providing life tenure for federal judges. And although not specifically in the Constitution, some critics also question the concept of judicial review and propose increasing the number of Supreme Court justices and lower court judges, rotating judges on and off the Supreme Court, imposing term limits on Supreme Court justices, and limiting Supreme Court and possibly lower federal court jurisdiction. While most of the discussion concerns the Supreme Court, critics also focus on the federal district and appellate levels. These critics argue that there are too few judges to hear too many cases and additional judges would make the courts more effective and efficient. ROLE AND FUNCTION OF THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY We will not attempt to address all of these arguments here, nor will we address those that concern matters outside of the federal judiciary. We also take no position on whether the arguments for changes are good or bad. Our purpose is only to explore the difficulty of making any of the suggested changes a reality, especially in our deeply divided and polarized society. Regardless of what changes are proposed, there is close to universal agreement that a federal court system is essential for our nation. There is also consensus that the federal judiciary must be robust, respected, viable, and credible, and that the court system must be able to decide disputes. PROCESS OF CHANGING THE CONSTITUTION Any change to the Constitution would have to meet the procedural requirements for amending the Constitution. The Constitution requires that any amendment must be proposed by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress. There is an alternative mechanism that involves two-thirds of the States proposing an amendment by a convention called for that purpose. An amendment proposed by Congress must then be ratified by three-fourths of the State legislatures, or an amendment proposed by the States must be ratified by three-fourths of special ratification conventions called in the States. The Constitution, for sound reasons, thus would not allow just a bare majority of the states to adopt a change in the Constitution. As former Chief Justice John Marshall wrote, the Constitution was written to endure for ages to come, and consequently, to be adapted to the various crises of human affairs. McCulloch v. Maryland, 17 U.S. 316 (1819). The Constitution is intended to provide stability in the governing of the country. For stability, it must be long-lasting. Requiring a supermajority of the Congress and/or the States helps to ensure the needed stability. However, this requirement of a supermajority leads us back to the problem faced by the original Constitution Conventionthe need for compromise. For a change to the Constitution to be adopted with respect to the judiciary, states as disparate as Massachusetts and Missouri would have to agree, or at least be willing to reach a mutually agreeable compromise. We have to ask ourselves, what judicial provisions would secure the votes of California and New York and South Carolina and Mississippi? To enact a constitutional amendment requires not just compromise but serious compromise. Realistically, this difficulty presents a serious obstacle to many of the currently discussed proposals being adopted in the foreseeable future, regardless of their merit. OUR PRESENT CONSTITUTION IS LIKELY TO LAST INTO THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE Even assuming someone has a wonderful idea to improve the Constitution as it relates to the judiciary, it is exceedingly unlikely that the necessary widespread support and broad consensus for any of the changes being discussed could be mustered. It is also worth noting that some foreign countries are seeing widespread public opposition to proposed changes to their judiciaries even though the changes are intended to make them more amenable to public sentiment and citizen control. So even with its flaws, the system we have is likely to endure well into the foreseeable future. Curtis L. Collier United States District Judge Chair, Eastern District of Tennessee Civics and Outreach Committee Carrie Brown Stefaniak Law Clerk to the Honorable Curtis L. Collier Rachel Elaine Noveroske Law Clerk to the Honorable Curtis L. Collier Katherine E. Philyaw Law Clerk to the Honorable Curtis L. Collier The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission will return to Paris Landing State Park Lodge for a one-day meeting on Friday. The meeting will start at 9 a.m. A new video titled Safe Boating Near Locks and Dams will be presented. The video was produced by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency in partnership with, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard and Hardin County Emergency Management Agency (EMA). Retired TWRA Wildlife and Forestry employee Mark Gudlin will be recognized for his induction into the National Bobwhite and Grasslands Initiative Hall of Fame. He served in a variety of roles during a 38-year TWRA career and was serving as Habitat Program Manager upon his retirement in 2021. Will Bowling from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will be recognized for a $300,00 donation from the Foundation and the Mildred T. Edwards Trust. The gift will go toward purchasing a 1,322-acre tract at North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area. There will also be a preview for rules and regulations governing licenses, permit fees, and boating certificates. The commission will meet at Paris Landing State Park for the first time in 15 years. The monarch has faced health struggles throughout 2024 which have resulted in an abbreviated work schedule. King Charles health challenges as he recovers from cancer have resulted in difficult decisions by Buckingham Palace. The monarch is set to tour Australia with his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles. However, as the kings health remains in question, his team has made some major changes regarding the activities he can and cannot undertake. Significant changes have been made to King Charles Australian tour Daniela Elser of News.com.au reports that King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles Australian tour has been altered to reflect the kings health struggles. Elser believes the events of 2024 have taken their toll on the king. Its hard to ignore the signs of the wear that the events of this year are taking on the king, she wrote. You will have only four days to glimpse their majesties and then only if you live in Sydney or Canberra. There will be no night engagements at all. She continued, One of the only usual bits of visual choreography we will see will be when their majesties are at Government House. The king and Queen are also attending a community barbecue in Western Sydney. However, these types of engagements are wildly different from the public, forward-facing events the royal family is known for when they take these types of trips. Typically, there are many public engagements, shaking hands, and all types of events, from informal to formal. This new schedule reflects Charles current health condition, a type of cancer that has not yet been revealed publicly. It allows for rest and recovery in between engagements. Weve had to make some difficult decisions about the program, a Buckingham Palace spokesman told The Telegraph of the tour. They said these decisions were adapted to doctors advice. Will Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles engage in royal walkabouts? King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles will not engage in typical royal walkabouts. These activities will be limited due to his health. As the kings cancer recovery continues, face-to-face interactions are lessened. This will be the first long-tour undertaken by the monarch since his cancer diagnosis. The Australia tour will also be Charles first as the United Kingdoms ruler. However, instead of the typical tour, Charles carefully follows his physicians advice by allowing for rest periods in between engagements. The king and queen consort will not be visiting New Zealand and will only attend three days of events in Sydney and Canberra. How many times has King Charles visited Australia in his lifetime? Camilla Parker Bowles and then-Prince Charles in Australia in 2018 | Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images Throughout his royal career, King Charles has visited Australia a total of Australia 15 times. His last visit was in 2018 with Camilla Parker Bowles. Queen Elizabeth ruled the monarchy at that time. A press release written by the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, expressed his pride in the couples visit to the country and his feeling of being honored by Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. I am honored to welcome the king and Queen on their first Royal Visit to Australia later this year. They are always welcome visitors. The king has a deep regard for our great nation and has always spoken warmly of the time he has spent here and the astounding beauty of our extraordinary continent. I look forward to welcoming the king and Queen back to Australia for this important visit. King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles will begin their tour of Australia on Oct. 18. It will conclude on Oct. 23. 2024. Home News Christian apologist released from Indonesian prison over blasphemy charge for YouTube video Christian apologist Gratia Pello has been released on parole after more than a year in an Indonesian prison, where he was held on charges of blasphemy for allegedly insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad in a video. Pello was arrested on Dec. 6, 2022, on charges of blasphemy for posting the video, which refuted insults against Jesus. He was granted parole earlier this year, reported the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern, whose staffer recently confirmed his release. Pello is required to report to the prosecutors office monthly until his parole concludes in December, ICC said. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Before his arrest, Pello faced intense scrutiny from police over the content of episode 248 of his YouTube channel, which was accused of offending Muslims and Islam. The interrogation involved four officers visiting his home, followed by a more severe raid by nearly 30 officers later the same day, resulting in his arrest and the ransacking of his home. During his trial, which took place on April 17, 2023, Pello was sentenced by a Malan district court judge to two years and six months in prison. Pello, a Coptic Orthodox Christian and a professor at a small Christian theological school in East Java, is known for his online debates comparing Christianity and Islam, which have garnered a significant following. Pellos videos, especially one from February 2022 discussing the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his family, were cited as the basis for his blasphemy charges. Despite Indonesias constitutional emphasis on religious freedom, Christians and other religious minorities often face persecution in this Southeast Asian archipelago, which is home to the worlds largest Muslim population. The country, which has 20.4 million Protestants and 8.42 million Catholics, was ranked as the 33rd most difficult for Christians on Open Doors 2023 World Watch List. An anonymous Christian leader earlier told Morning Star News, The police always put the arrest of Christians on their priority list, but they are silent when it comes to the many fake clergymen and ustadz [Muslim teachers] who insult Christian holy books even if the case has been reported. Indonesias Constitution is based on the doctrine of Pancasila five principles upholding the nation's belief in the one and only God and social justice, humanity, unity and democracy for all. But many extremist groups in Indonesia oppose Pancasila and target the Christian minority. Churches often face opposition from groups that attempt to obstruct the construction of non-Muslim houses of worship. HRW previously reported that more than 1,000 churches in the archipelago had been closed due to pressure from such groups. Home News 'My heart breaks': Former trans child shares how she healed from trauma, gender dysphoria Erin Brewer started identifying as a boy after she was sexually assaulted at the age of 6, which led to feelings of self-loathing that eventually resulted in her turning to pornography before she found peace through God and accepted His unending love. After the assault, Brewer wore her brothers hand-me-downs and cut her hair short, thinking that if she were a boy, the violation would never have happened. Brewers dissociation from her own body often manifested in a strong sense of rage, and she would do things like beat her head with a brush when she saw herself in the mirror. A teacher referred the girl to a school psychologist, who encouraged Brewers mother to portray womanhood in a positive light and expose her daughter to strong female role models. The school psychologist also recommended Brewer join a group for children who struggled with communication, and these interventions helped set the girl on the path toward reconciling with her identity as a female. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe The girl struggled with not wanting to be a woman throughout most of her teens. But the guidance she received, combined with getting her period, a biological development that is distinctly female, helped her to stop denying her sex. It was gradual, but I became tired of fighting reality, Brewer told The Christian Post about why she stopped identifying as a boy. She expressed gratitude toward the teacher who recognized something was wrong and referred her to the school psychologist, fearing that if she had been a child struggling with her gender identity nowadays, the school would have encouraged those feelings. My heart breaks for the little girls who are not getting the help they need and instead are being told theyre born in the wrong body, she said, crying. Especially because so many of these kids did suffer from sexual assault, and instead of getting the help that they need to process what happened to them, that sexual assault is pushed aside, and its almost like theyre being re-assaulted every time their gender confusion is reinforced. Brewer is now a public speaker who advocates against allowing children suffering from gender dysphoria to socially transition or undergo body-mutilating procedures. Five years ago, the advocate published a video discussing a fake male appendage that young girls who want to identify as male can buy and wear in their pants so they have a bulge. The video has since gone viral. The packers are not even as bad as it gets, she said. There are puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones that undermine a childs fertility and sexuality for the rest of their lives, setting them on a path of self-destruction. While the advocate never took drugs or underwent a sex-change surgery when she struggled with her identity, Brewer did ask teachers to call her Timothy at one point. She is afraid to even imagine what her life would have been like if her desire to identify as a boy had gone further. Now a mother to three children, she's keenly aware that she might never have given birth had she gone down that path. Reconciling with the fact that she was not a boy is not the end of Brewers story, however. The advocates insecurities about her body and need for male attention continued to trouble her in her adult life. She started making pornography in her 40s, which, for a time, made her feel valuable and loved. Men would send Brewer requests, and she would do things like pee on a flower if they asked. She admits that she was going through a rough period where she struggled with her self-confidence and finding a career. A therapist she spoke to even encouraged her to keep doing porn, likening Brewer to a social worker because she was providing a service for men who needed it. Im kind of a quirky female, and I think that pornography filled this gap of needing male attention, she said. Suddenly, all these men told me I was attractive and beautiful; they thought I was a princess and wanted to marry me. I never experienced anything like that before, and it was like a drug. Brewer made pornography until September 2019, when she had an opportunity to speak in Washington, D.C., for the Eagle Forum, a conservative group founded by the late activist Phyllis Schlafly in 1972. Until that moment, Brewer said she never had a sense that making pornography was wrong. Being around the women at the Eagle Forum, I suddenly had a sense of God that Id never had my whole life, she said. Ive always been sort of an atheist and agnostic type, but just being around those women, those women who were so grounded in love, it was the first time I really felt unconditionally loved by people. After disclosing to those at the Eagle Forum that she had done porn, Brewer expected scorn, but instead, the organization expressed concern for her well-being. Members of the organization warned her that pornography was dangerous, and she eventually stopped doing it. I think it was unconditional love that God has for us that I had never felt before, Brewer said. A loving Christian community surrounded her, encouraging her to view herself as Gods daughter and to recognize that the Lord did not want to see His child harmed. Before surrendering herself to God, Brewer had over 400 videos on Pornhub, which she deleted after finding Christ. After everything she experienced, Brewer would advise parents and school officials to stop allowing children to believe that they're inherently flawed. She urged authority figures not to enable the discomfort young people sometimes feel about their bodies. The treatment should help them manage and resolve those feelings so that they can then be comfortable with who they are without damaging themselves, she said. Home News Israeli dancing dog act advances to finals on 'Americas Got Talent' A dog trainer from Tel Aviv and her Border Collie impressed both the judges and the audience in the Americas Got Talent (AGT) competition earlier this year. Since then, Roni Sagi and her dancing dog Rhythm have captured many hearts and received a standing ovation and advanced to the finals with their performance to the popular song, What a Feeling, from the iconic movie Flashdance. Sagi, who spoke to Channel 12 News on Saturday, said she wore a yellow ribbon in solidarity with the remaining Israeli hostages who are being held by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip after 11 months of war. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe So proud of you for dedicating this performance to the hostages, our brothers and sisters who were taken brutally from their home, said Sagis sister, Sol, in a video post of the dancing dog performance. AGT judge Heidi Klum described the act as a winning performance, calling it spectacular. Klum also praised Sagis patience in training Rhythm. Veteran judge and show creator Simon Cowell praised the Israeli dancing act, stressing that it was worthy of earning a 10 out of 10 score if it were the Olympics. That was better than anything Ive seen before, said Cowell, who is known for his sometimes brutal honesty in criticizing less impressive acts. An overjoyed Sagi wants her interaction with Rhythm to serve as a source of inspiration for individuals from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. I think its about being able to show that you can speak two different languages and still connect, and I hope this is the message that people will take, not just for this kind of show, but for living in general, she said. Couldnt be more proud of my best friend who showed how beautiful the relationship between dogs and humans can be. Watching him so happy as we do our thing on the biggest stage in the world made me the happiest person in the world, and to know that all the people at home could see his joy and feel it along with us is the most incredible feeling, Sagi stated after advancing to the final competition. In June, Sagis act with Rhythm went viral when the video from the competition became one of the top 10 videos trending online. When you said your dog can dance, he actually dances better than human dancers weve had on, Cowell said at the time. Many years of hard training went into the well-choreographed act that lasted just a few minutes. Sagi danced for nine full years before she decided to switch to 'dog dancing.' Since then, she has become increasingly popular in Israel. In 2021, she appeared with her other dog, Pesach, on the KAN public broadcasting network during an international competition in the Czech Republic. Sagi and Rhythm are scheduled to perform in the AGT finals on Tuesday night. This article was originally published by All Israel News. Home News Maryland parents ask Supreme Court to allow their children to opt out of LGBT curriculum A coalition of religious parents in Maryland has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate their right to opt their children out of educational content that promotes LGBT ideologies on gender and sexuality. The request follows a decision by the Montgomery County Board of Education to remove parental opt-outs for certain storybooks aimed at early education levels. The legal dispute, Mahmoud v. Taylor, escalated after the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the school boards policy, after which a diverse group of Muslim, Christian and Jewish parents initiated the lawsuit, said the legal firm Becket, which is representing the parents. The policy pertains to storybooks introduced in 2022 for students from pre-K through fifth grade, which included content on gender transitioning, pride parades and pronoun preferences. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe According to Becket, these books contain materials deemed inappropriate by the parents for children as young as 3 and 4 years old. The school board members have claimed they are concerned about the high number of student absenteeism and the perceived impracticality of managing a large number of opt-outs. Further, the school board has alleged it believes that allowing students to opt out will expose other students and families to social stigma if they feel the LGBT-themed books represented their lifestyle. However, Grace Morrison, a board member of Kids First an association advocating for parental rights in education criticized the school boards approach. The school board is pushing a controversial ideology that has been rejected by governments around the world and has even been criticized by the boards own principals as inappropriate for the intended age group, Becket quoted Morrison as saying. Apart from the ideological disagreements, the books prompt young students to engage with topics that the parents find controversial. One book, for instance, encourages children to identify images associated with a wide array of sexuality and gender expressions, such as intersex flag, drag queen, underwear, leather and the name of a celebrated LGBT activist and sex worker. Parents know and love their children best; thats why all kids deserve to have their parents help them understand issues like gender identity and sexuality, Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, earlier told The Christian Post. The school boards decision to cut parents out of these discussions flies in the face of parental freedom, childhood innocence, and basic human decency. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman had denied the preliminary injunction sought by the parents, arguing that the parents had not demonstrated that the school districts actions constituted indoctrination. According to Boardman, the activities surrounding these books in classrooms were intended to promote tolerance rather than indoctrinate. Reacting to that decision, Baxter had stated at the time, The courts decision is an assault on childrens right to be guided by their parents on complex and sensitive issues regarding human sexuality. The School Board should let kids be kids and let parents decide how and when to best educate their own children consistent with their religious beliefs. Though not a litigant, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), has supported the parents cause. Home News US Pastor David Lin returns home after 17-year wrongful detention in China California Pastor David Lin has been released from a Chinese prison after nearly two decades and has returned to the United States, the State Department said Sunday, ending a case that sparked an international outcry from free speech advocates and U.S. officials who say he was wrongfully detained. We welcome David Lins release from prison in the Peoples Republic of China, the State Department said, Politico reported, adding that the 68-year-old pastor now gets to see his family for the first time in nearly 20 years. Lins daughter, Alice Lin, told the outlet that the State Department notified her on Saturday that Chinese authorities had released her father from prison and that he would arrive in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe "No words can express the joy we have we have a lot of time to make up for, she said. Lin, a U.S. citizen, was working to establish a Christian training center in Beijing in 2006 when he was first questioned by Chinese authorities and barred from leaving the country. He was later detained and charged with fraud under unclear circumstances. In December 2009, Lin was sentenced to life imprisonment. He has denied all charges. After several sentence reductions, he was set to be released in 2029. Lin was active in Chinas underground house church movement, which involves discreet religious gatherings often held in private homes and not connected to state-sponsored religious organizations. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has noted that this movement "has long faced hostility from Chinese authorities" and participants often face "intimidation, harassment, arrest, and harsh sentences." Although Lin has staunchly maintained his innocence, he did not raise the attention of his case because he felt as though his imprisonment was a God-ordained mission field, his daughter said in a 2019 interview on the Washington Watch radio program. She added that her father told the family that officials forged documents and even tried to get him to sign a confession something he would not do because he didnt do anything wrong. What we do know is that he was in China because he had this huge burden for the unchurched in China. He had the vision to build a church and a Christian training center, she explained, adding that he was imprisoned because of his faith. "His last message to us as a free man ... he told us, 'Don't worry, God knows what He is doing. It is God's wish that I am here. There are many people inside that need to hear God's Word. Please don't worry, but only pray for me. I will be back in the U.S. soon.' That was 10 years ago." Several U.S. politicians voiced their support for Lin on Sunday and called for the release of other Americans detained abroad. I am extremely glad to hear David Lin was freed, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said Sunday in a statement posted on X. His capture, like so many others, marks a rising trend of hostage diplomacy by authoritarians around the world. The Dui Hua Foundation, a California-based nonprofit advocating for detainees in China, welcomed Lins release but said there are more than 200 Americans "under coercive measures" in China, including 30 who are barred from leaving the country. China ranks as one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USAs World Watch List. Chinas crackdown on nongovernment-sanctioned house churches over the last several years has led to the arrest of countless worshipers and the destruction of churches, along with stringent regulations and enhanced digital surveillance specifically targeting house churches. ChinaAid President Bob Fu previously told The Christian Post that "the top leadership is increasingly worried about the rapid growth of the Christian faith and their public presence, and their social influence. It is a political fear for the Communist Party, as the number of Christians in the country far outnumber the members of the party." Chinas government wants to "Sinicize" religion, meaning it wants to promote and guide religion that is Chinese in orientation, he said. In March, Beijing freed Pastor John Cao, who was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of "organizing illegal border crossing. Authorities had arrested Cao and his colleague, Jing Ruxia, in March 2017 and charged him with illegally crossing the border between Myanmar and China. Before crossing the border, Cao, from North Carolina, built 16 schools that serve 2,000 impoverished minority children in Myanmar's northern Wa state. In August, a court in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province in China, sentenced Elder Zhang Chunlei of a house church to five years in prison for subversion of state power and fraud. The sentencing reportedly occurred in a closely regulated proceeding that limited public attendance. Home Opinion Int'l adoption rates have plummeted: What can Christians do? When the Iron Curtain fell in 1989, it revealed another wall unseen for decades. Tens of thousands of children living behind the walls of orphanages across Eastern Europe were seen for the first time, and it was a heartbreaking sight. Years of institutionalization left generations of boys and girls scarred and aimless. Western organizations such as Buckner International moved into countries like Russia to serve these orphans. At first, our approach was intercountry adoption. From 1995 until Russia closed these adoptions in 2013, Buckner placed more than 350 children in U.S. homes. But 350 children out of more than 1 million wasnt enough, and intercountry adoption couldnt be the only solution. Wanting to serve more children, we began training orphanage workers and introducing in-country, family-centered care a holistic approach to supporting children and their parents. That model aligns with our belief that every child belongs in a family, not an institution. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe International adoptions have fallen drastically from their peak in 2004. Still, its often seen as one of the most tangible and sacrificial ways Christians carry out the instructions in the book of James to support the orphan. Its a concept Christians easily connect with, but many are unaware that vulnerable children can be supported in their own countries. Research shows that 4 of 5 children in orphanages have living families families that could raise their children with some support. That means while international adoption rates have drastically decreased in the last two decades, the opportunities to help vulnerable children in these countries havent. An alternative exists, one that allows children to stay with their families and thrive in their communities, connected to their own culture. In 2004, 22,988 intercountry adoptions took place in the U.S. In 2023, the total was 1,275 a 95% drop. For most Americans, the change seems shocking and confusing. The rapid decline of international adoption rates stems from a myriad of complex and nuanced reasons, yet a few stand out. The 1993 Hague Convention, an international agreement to improve and safeguard children in the intercountry adoption process, resulted in slowed adoptions as countries worked to become compliant with the new standards. Many adoption programs halted because irregularities were found. Some larger international adoption agencies in the U.S. have shifted their models and resources to support vulnerable children in families and local communities in an attempt to deinstitutionalize them, while many smaller agencies shuttered because of increased regulations. In some countries, the number of domestic adoptions is increasing; in others, world events, crises, or political maneuvering are playing a role. Additionally, corruption, prohibitive costs, and extended wait times are leaving children stranded. We applaud and recognize the beauty of international adoption for those who made it a part of their familys story. Yet we must acknowledge that most of the 5 to 8 million children in orphanages today will not have this same story. International adoption as a model was never going to be a widespread solution, and today its even less viable. Still, opportunities abound for helping children around the world, and U.S. Christians have a key role to play. If we want to help vulnerable children, we can support organizations that strengthen their families and communities. At Buckner, we focus on three pillars protect children, strengthen families, and transform generations. Family and community-based care models accomplish those three goals by offering a broad range of services, from education, childcare, and mentoring to job and financial training, health care, and various social services. When biological families are equipped and empowered to care for their children, everyone does better. By supporting this model, we actively help keep children out of the orphanage system. And for those already in such a system, we can create lasting and generational change by shifting resources toward local, family-oriented programs and, when needed, encouraging and celebrating domestic adoptions. Children belong in families. Its where they thrive. However, the solution to the number of children still in orphanages around the world will not be solved by international adoptions alone. It is time for U.S. Christians to wholeheartedly embrace family-strengthening initiatives the viable and sustainable alternative. Each of us can help vulnerable families right where they are, from right where we are. Evangelicals rally behind statement that hopes to combat polarization with revival A group of evangelical Christians hoping to reclaim their tradition from the culture wars put out a call on 9 September for a broader understanding of evangelicalism urging a rejection of "political idolatry and its messengers" as well as the "false idols of power, wealth, and strength rather than the true God." The effort, titled "Our Confession of Evangelical Conviction," is laid out in a new religious statement unveiled last week, signed by an array of evangelical pastors and leaders. "We reject the false teaching that anyone other than Jesus Christ has been anointed by God as our Savior, or that a Christian's loyalty should belong to any political party," the confession reads in part. The signers include Dan Boone, president of Trevecca Nazarene University and board chair of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities; Raymond Chang, a pastor and head of the Asian American Christian Collaborative; and Richard Mouw, a theologian and a former president of Fuller Theological Seminary. Former President Donald Trump isn't mentioned in the statement, and supporters of the confession, speaking in a virtual news conference Monday, insisted their efforts weren't singularly about his presidential campaign. But they acknowledged their new movement is at least partly a response to fervent evangelical support that helped to fuel the business mogul's rise to power. Among the document's seven "convictions," Mouw noted at the news conference, is the call to "recognize godly leaders by their character," an instruction he framed as timely: Some conservative Christians, he said, explain away politicians' immoral behavior by citing otherwise unethical biblical figures who nonetheless helped implement God's plan an argument used by conservative Christians who back Trump. "I see this statement as a very important call to teaching," Mouw told reporters on the call. The other "convictions" listed in the document include giving allegiance to Jesus Christ alone, leading "with love not fear," submitting to the "truth of Scripture," believing the Gospel "heals every worldly division," committing to the "prophetic mission of the Church" and valuing every person as created in God's image. "We pray that God's Spirit will revive our Church and strengthen Christ's people to be agents of his presence and blessing in this turbulent age," the document concludes. Several of the signers said political polarization and the culture wars are driving evangelicals away from the tradition, with some abandoning the term "evangelical" altogether. But Christina Edmondson, former dean of intercultural student development at Calvin University, insisted on a broader vision for evangelicalism, pointing to two historically Black denominations, Church of God in Christ and Progressive National Baptist Convention, that have also endorsed the confession. She was echoed by the Rev. Gabriel Salguero, head of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, who said some pastors avoid preaching on the New Testament's Sermon on the Mount because "it may be seen as too polarizing or political." He argued Hispanic and Latino evangelicals a fast-growing sector of evangelicalism don't want the tradition "to be defined for us." "Some people have abandoned the term (evangelical) because it's been too rooted in partisanship or cruelty or incivility," Salguero said. "But I'm one of those that wants to claim it and say, 'Hey, look, no one gets to define the term 'evangelical' from (the Greek word) 'evangelion' but Scripture.'" The statement includes signatures by figures once broadly lauded by evangelicals but who have been pushed to the margins of the tradition since the rise of Trump. That includes Shane Claiborne, an activist and co-founder of the social justice group Red Letter Christians, who was among the first to organize protests against conservative Christian supporters of Trump after his election in 2016. The Rev. Russell Moore, an early Trump critic who once ran the Southern Baptist Convention's policy arm but now attends a non-SBC church, also signed the statement. Asked about the confession Tuesday, Moore, who is a partner in the anti-polarization effort called the After Party, told Religion News Service that he views the document as an "attempt to give words to a particular state of unease that some Christians have with the polarized environment around us, and to help them to think through what's next." It's an open question how much traction the group will get from the broader conservative evangelical community, but Skye Jethani, co-host with Phil Vischer of the evangelical-oriented "Holy Post" podcast, said he hopes the confession will embolden people who feel unable to speak out. "There are well-intentioned godly women and men in leadership roles and congregations, but they have felt so isolated because there hasn't been more of a coordinated response," Jethani said. He also pointed to a "strategic" aspect of the statement: speaking to younger evangelicals who feel frustrated by the theology or politics of their religious elders. "Hopefully, younger generations can look at this statement, look at the women and men who've signed the statement ... and recognize it as a remnant who are putting their commitment to Christ and his gospel ahead of political allegiance," he said. Religion News Service In Singapore, Pope Francis inspires youth, courts China China and Vietnam do not have official diplomatic relations with the Holy See, but in December 2023, Pope Francis appointed the first resident papal representative to Vietnam, Archbishop Marek Zalewski, paving the way toward official recognition. Relations between Beijing and the Vatican remain more complex, but Francis has long sought to build a bridge with the nascent superpower and second most populous country in the world. In 2018, the Vatican signed a provisional agreement for the appointment of bishops in China, which has led to mixed results and is up for renewal in October. The deal hoped to mend the fracture between the officially recognized Catholic Church in China and the so-called "underground Church" that is loyal to Rome. The two ecclesial realities have been at odds for decades, and the new agreement hopes to finally unify them by appointing bishops who have the stamp of approval from both Beijing and the pope. But critics of the deal argue that the agreement has pushed the pope into a corner where he can no longer call out human rights infringements by China. Francis' trip through Asia has been heavily scrutinized by Chinese authorities, according to theologian and anthropologist Michel Chambon, research fellow at the National University of Singapore. In an interview with LaCroix International, Chambon said that the Chinese Communist Party allowed for the pope's speeches and events to be streamed live on social media. Especially in Singapore, where 75% of the population is ethnically Chinese, Francis had the opportunity to project his style of papacy, which is respectful of other religious realities and willing to "render out to Caesar what is Caesar's." On Thursday, Francis met with the civil and political authorities in Singapore, where he underlined the need for Singapore to be a mediator in the current context of war and conflict. While the pope made no specific reference to a particular conflict, the Vatican has sought to negotiate peace in Ukraine following the Russian invasion in 2022. Pope Francis appointed a peace envoy, the Cardinal Matto Zuppi, to meet with political leaders in Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. and China to attempt to promote a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Francis also addressed the specific challenges of Singapore following its rapid growth into an economic powerhouse. The population of 6.2 million is characterized by religious diversity, especially due to economic migrants: 31% of Singaporeans identify as Buddhist, 18.9% as Christian, 15.6% as Muslim, 8.8% as Taoist and 5% as Hindu. Around 20% of the population doesn't subscribe to any religious belief. "I would like to highlight the risk entailed in focusing solely on pragmatism or placing merit above all things, namely the unintended consequence of justifying the exclusion of those on the margins from benefiting from progress," he told political leaders on Thursday. The pope also urged politicians to give special attention to the poor and the elderly while also "protecting the dignity of migrant workers" who "contribute a great deal to society and should be guaranteed a fair wage." On the last day of his visit on Friday, the pope met with local clergy for a private meeting before visiting a centre for the sick and elderly. His final event in Singapore was the Interreligious Meeting with Young People at the Catholic Junior College. There, the pope engaged in lively conversation with young people and heard three testimonies from Hindu, Sikh and Catholic young people engaged in interreligious dialogue that addressed issues ranging from religious tolerance to artificial intelligence. "All religions are a journey leading to God. They are, to make a comparison, like different languages, different idioms, to get there. But God is for everyone. And since God is God for everyone, we are all children of God," Francis said, speaking off the cuff. On Friday afternoon, the pope departed to return to Rome following a two-week journey that led him the farthest he's ever been from the Vatican. The trip has been arduous for the 87-year-old pontiff, who nonetheless shrugged off the struggles of moving from podium to pope-mobile to wheelchair. In his new state of vulnerability, Francis made a point of meeting with disabled people, and especially children, at every stop of his trip. "Each of us has his abilities and disabilities. Do we all have abilities? Do we all have some disability? Even the pope?" Francis said preachingly to Singaporean children, who answered with a loud "yes!" to his questions. "Yes, all, all! And just as we have our disabilities, we must respect the disabilities of others," the pope added. Religion News Service Pope Francis' claim 'all religions are a path to God' rebuked by clergy (CP) During a three-day visit to Singapore, Pope Francis declared that "all religions are a path to God," sparking backlash among religious leaders in the U.S. The statement was made at an interreligious meeting with young people at a Catholic junior college shortly before his departure back to Rome. Departing from his prepared remarks, Francis spoke off the cuff, stating that different religions are like "different languages" to reach God. "If you start to fight, 'my religion is more important than yours, mine is true and yours isn't,' where will that lead us?" he asked," according to Crux Now. "There's only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sheik, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and they are different paths [to God]." Reacting to the pontiff's comments, Bishop Joseph Strickland, who oversaw the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler, Texas, until his dismissal by the Vatican last year, said in a post on X, "Please pray for Pope Francis to clearly state that Jesus Christ is the only Way. To deny this is to deny Him. If we deny Christ, He will deny us, He cannot deny Himself." Strickland was ousted for disagreeing with Francis on the issue of banning pro-abortion Catholic politicians from receiving communion and over the degree to which outreach to the LGBT community is acceptable in the Catholic Church. A petition created in defense of Strickland last year said he was ousted because he "publicly corrected several heterodox statements from Pope Francis." Francis, referring to the universal nature of God, claimed, "Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God." In Singapore, Catholics constitute about 3.5% of the population, with Christians at 19%, Buddhists at 31%, Muslims at 15% and significant Hindu and Sikh minorities. Francis also encouraged young people to engage in and sustain interfaith dialogue. "For interreligious dialogue among young people, it takes courage, because youth is the time of courage in our lives," he said. Fr. Calvin Robinson, who recently moved from England to lead a church in western Michigan, also rebuked the pope's statement in a post on X: "This is a counter-scriptural statement from Pope Francis. The Scriptures teach us the opposite. The gate to [H]eaven is narrow. Robinson added, "In Christ's own words: 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" The pope's remarks come amid reactions from conservative Catholic quarters, reminiscent of past controversies. Francis previously faced criticism and accusations of heresy on social media back in May for claiming the human heart is "fundamentally good" during a "60 Minutes" interview. When asked by interviewer Norah O'Donnell what gives him hope about the world, the pope responded with "everything," citing acts of goodness by people as proof of humanity's inherent goodness. "You see tragedies, but you also see so many beautiful things," he said. "You see heroic mothers, heroic men, men who have hopes and dreams, women who look to the future. That gives me a lot of hope. People want to live. People forge ahead. And people are fundamentally good. We are all fundamentally good. Yes, there are some rogues and sinners, but the heart itself is good." At the time, many commenters on X criticized Francis for his remarks, with some accusing him of failing to grasp the basic teaching of the Gospel. Others quoted portions of Scripture that teach God alone is good and that humanity has a sinful nature. Some X users noted that Francis' comment appeared to be an example of Pelagianism, a fifth century heresy that denied original sin and taught the essential goodness of humanity. During his 2022 trip to Kazakhstan, he made similar statements. Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Astana, a frequent critic, had then commented on the risk of creating a "supermarket of religions." The Christian Post Sudanese Anglican cathedral is now a graveyard for civil war victims, archbishop says Despite the Sudanese civil war that's devastated the region, the All Saints Anglican Cathedral in Khartoum is still standing. But its compound is now a graveyard, with a vandalized altar and missing pews, which have been chopped by soldiers for firewood, according to Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo. At the start of the war in April 2023, the cathedral was the seat of Kondo, the 67-year-old primate of the Episcopal (Anglican) Church of Sudan. On April 15, 2023, fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces quickly seized the compound, flipping it into an operation base while Kondo and his family remained inside. "It happened very abruptly. Nobody expected it," Kondo recalled, speaking to RNS from Port Sudan, a city on the Red Sea where he has sought refuge since June of last year. "It was Saturday when we were in the office preparing for the Sunday service, after the first week of Easter Sunday. We heard a very heavy sound of gunfire, only to get out and find heavy smoke billowing nearby." The war for control over northeast Africa is being fought between two rival factions of the military government of Sudan: the Sudanese Armed Forces, under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and its allies, under the Janjaweed leader Hemedti. The factions turned on each other after jointly wresting control of the civilian government. Restrictions on media and aid access have made precise statistics on the scale of devastation hard to obtain. The United Nations estimates that 750,000 people are at threat of starvation, while U.S. envoy Tom Perriello has estimated that the war has killed as many as 150,000 people. Other estimates are much lower, at about 15,000 confirmed deaths. The war has also displaced more than 10 million people, making it the largest global displacement crisis, and left an additional 25 million in urgent need of humanitarian aid, over half of the country's population. For some, this is the second civil war they've fled in recent years. In South Sudan, nearly 400,000 people were killed in clashes from 2013 to 2018. The cathedral is close to the army headquarters and the airport, where the full-scale war broke out during Ramadan last year. With the armed confrontation intensifying, the Rapid Support Forces had rushed its soldiers to surround the church compound, hoping the place of worship would not be bombed and would guarantee them some protection. "They were there at the gate and we were unable to do anything. We were unable to get out," Kondo said. "All the families that were there gathered in the church hall. Other people also ran and joined us. We spent three nights there." After three days in the cathedral's basement without water or food, Kondo and other leaders decided to leave. After interrogations at gunpoint, the soldiers finally allowed them to go. The church leaders and their families then walked for an hour and a half to find transport to take them to the south of Khartoum with less violence. Kondo's family remained there for two months, only to move again after the bombardment became more intense and closer. "One of the shells fell near where we were," Kondo said. He then decided to move with his family to Port Sudan. "It was very difficult, but we thank God. He has been our protector." In Port Sudan, Kondo continues to call for peace as he ministers in the diocese there, while staying in touch with Anglicans still in Khartoum. "There are pastors who are still with the people there and I tell them to be strong not be afraid," Kondo said. Out of 33 Anglican churches in the greater Khartoum area, only five are no longer functioning. The archbishop is angry that many people have died in what he calls a needless and senseless war. "I would like to urge parachurch organizations to join in the effort to send relief food to the people of Sudan. If food is not given, many people are going to die," Kondo said. Less than 3% of Sudan's population is Christian, while 91% is Muslim, according to 2020 Pew Research Center data. So far, the fighting armies have attacked or destroyed 165 churches, according to Open Doors. The war has also emptied most of the senior church leaders and missionary organizations from Khartoum. Kondo wants the two fighting factions to end the war and agree to give peace to Sudan's people, but for that to happen, the countries supplying weapons to the two parties must stop, he said. The international community has been attempting to bring the fighting factions to the negotiating table. Last month's U.S.-led peace talks in Switzerland ended without a deal, just like two previous ones in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. As the war continues, many Sudanese are dying from diseases, hunger and natural disasters such as floods. The U.N. has warned that the violence could turn into or be recognized as a genocide, with reports of civilians being targeted based on their ethnicity. But Kondo said he still hopes in God. "Yes, we are in trouble, the country is in trouble, but we know God is our refuge," he said. Religion News Service Aboneaza-te la rubricile dorite si primeste zilnic notificari pe email cu link-uri la articolele care au fost adaugate in ultimele 24 de ore. Notificarile vor fi expediate la adresa indicata mai jos. Daca doresti sa schimbi adresa - o poti modifica editand informatia de profil aici. jzehnder / Adobe Stock It was an unlikely place for a vigil: the middle of the City of London, people in crisp suits striding down the pavement as we stood in a quiet circle; people from a diverse range of faiths all reflecting in their own tradition on the need for climate action. We, Quakers in Britain, had organised the vigil as a way of asking the insurance industry to act. Insurance can feel opaque and confusing from the outside a complex web of brokers, underwriters, syndicates and markets. But, like much of the finance industry, insurance companies are playing a key role in our current status quo of continued fossil fuel expansion. By offering insurance to new oil and gas projects, they enable the extraction and burning of fossil fuels far beyond the limits of a safe and liveable world. A fellowship has been set up in memory of late fundraising sector figure Mark Astarita, with an aim to encourage people from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue careers in the charity sector. Astaritas former search and consultancy practice AAW launched the Mark Astarita Fellowship on Friday in memory of the fundraiser, who passed away suddenly in April this year aged 64. The fellowship is targeted at people who face seen and unseen barriers when entering the charity sector, and will offer support to them to pursue careers in fundraising. It will be delivered by AAW and its partner Charityworks, which provides development programmes for aspirant voluntary sector leaders. AAW was joined by Charityworks and over 100 sector leaders, consultancies and agencies for the fellowships launch event on 13 September. Astarita a champion of diversity Shortly before Astarita passed away, the EY Foundation published a report calling for action to increase the representation of people from low-income backgrounds in the charity sector. This report, along with Astaritas passing, were the main inspirations for the fellowship, according to AAW. Astarita, who hailed from a working-class background himself and whose roles in the sector included being director of fundraising for the British Red Cross and chair of the CIoF, was reportedly a champion of diversity according to AAW. The fellowship will also provide ILM certified leadership training and support to fellows. Charityworks will lead the programme with its implementing partners. The aim is to raise 100,000 to support 20 fellows in 2024-25 and a further 20 in 2025-26. The fund has already raised over 50,000 from its founding partners AAW, Appco, Britevox, Acwyre and CFP, which have all donated 10,000 each to the fund. Fellowship to accelerate much needed diversity and inclusion Imogen Ward, co-founder of AAW and Astaritas former colleague, said: Mark was always thinking ahead. So whilst he would be delighted that many of his friends and contacts were here tonight raising a glass or two in his memory, the thing that would excite him the most would be the potential to leverage his legacy to do something extraordinary. The Mark Astarita Fellowship will accelerate much needed diversity and inclusion in the fundraising profession and we are excited to be working with Charityworks to help achieve this. We hope that fundraising professionals across the sector will be inspired to donate to the fellowship and to get involved with this positive step for change. sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, Netflix Inc. was accused by an Indian filmmaker of copying his 2009 movie for its popular Squid Game series as the company prepares to release the second season of the show later this year. The filmmaker, Soham Shah, sued Netflix in federal court in New York on Friday, alleging that the show is a blatant rip-off of his Hindi-language film Luck, which tells the story of a group of desperate, indebted people enticed to take part in a series of competitive games to win large sums of money who later learn that losing the contests means death. The main plot, characters, themes, mood, setting and sequence of events of Squid Game are strikingly similar to that of Luck, defying any likelihood that such similarities could be coincidence, Shah said in the suit. Squid Game made history in 2022 as the first foreign-language drama to win top honors at the Emmy Awards. The series was Netflixs biggest launch ever, costing $21 million to produce, and viewers watched 1.65 billion hours of the show in just four weeks. It remained one of the services top shows for months and Netflix announced in July that the second season will be released on Dec. 26, with a third and final season coming in 2025. A Netflix spokesperson didnt immediately respond to an email and call seeking comment on the suit. Its not the first time Netflix has faced copyright claims over some of its most popular content. In August 2023, the Los Gatos, California-based company settled a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by a writer who claimed key elements of his earlier screenplay called Totem were used without his permission in Stranger Things. Shah says that Netflix continues to infringe his copyrights for Luck with works derived from Squid Game, including a reality TV competition and an immersive experience set to launch in New York City next month. He says the show increased Netflixs market value by more than $900 million. Shah is seeking unspecified damages and an injunction preventing Netflix from infringing his copyrights by marketing and streaming Squid Game, profiting from the sale of merchandise and developing other shows and works that may infringe the copyrights in the future. The case is Shah v Netflix Inc., 24-cv-6925, US District Court, Southern District of New York. Top photo: The Netflix Inc. web television series Squid Game is displayed on a laptop computer in an arranged photograph taken in the Brooklyn Borough of New York, U.S., on Saturday, October 16, 2021. Photographer: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg. Copyright 2024 Bloomberg. Walgreens Boots Alliance agreed to pay $106.8 million to settle charges it fraudulently billed the U.S. government for prescriptions that were never dispensed, the Department of Justice said on Friday. The Justice Department said Walgreens violated the federal False Claims Act between 2009 and 2020 by submitting payment claims to Medicare, Medicaid and other healthcare programs for prescriptions it processed but which were never picked up. Walgreens instead resold the same prescriptions to other patients without reversing the original payment claims, causing it to be paid twice and receive tens of millions of dollars for prescriptions it never provided, the department said. The Deerfield, Illinois-based pharmacy chain did not admit liability in agreeing to settle. Due to a software error, we inadvertently billed some government health care programs for a relatively small number of prescriptions our patients submitted but never picked up, Walgreens said in a statement. We corrected the error, reported the issue to the government and voluntarily refunded all overpayments. Fridays settlement resolves three whistleblower lawsuits filed in Florida, New Mexico and Texas. The Justice Department said the payout took into account Walgreens cooperation and its significant steps to upgrade its in-house pharmacy management system to ensure that the billing problems dont happen again. Walgreens previously refunded $66.3 million for the settled claims and is being credited for this amount. The chain recently operated about 8,600 stores in the United States, but said in June it plans to close a significant number of underperforming stores over the next few years. Steven Turck, a former Walgreens pharmacy manager who filed the Texas case, will receive $14.92 million from the settlement. Andrew Bustos, a former Walgreens district pharmacy supervisor who filed the New Mexico case, will receive $1.62 million. (Reporting by Stempel in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis) COLUMBUS, OhioThe Ohio State Highway Patrol will conduct daily bomb sweeps of Springfield schools and set up camera towers after dozens of bomb threats were called in amid national Republican criticism and misinformation regarding the citys immigrant population, Gov. Mike DeWines office said Monday. So far, 33 bomb threats all of which turned out to be bogus have been received involving Springfield since GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, running mate JD Vance, and others have ramped up criticism of the 15,000 or so Haitian immigrants in Springfield, a city of nearly 60,000, according to DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney. CLEVELAND, Ohio A 19-year-old man was killed Sunday by a security guard in Coventry Township, according to Summit County sheriffs deputies. The office of the Summit County medical examiner identified the victim as Jayvon Jones-Dehart of Orrville. Sheriff deputies responded to the shooting at 2 a.m. in the 2600 block of South Arlington Road, authorities said. Jones-Dehart suffered from a gunshot wound to the chest. In recent developments concerning the European Union's energy and climate policies, Kadri Simson, the European Union Energy Commissioner, has raised significant concerns about the progress of national climate plans. During a press conference addressing the state of the "Energy Union 2024," Simson emphasized the urgent need for EU countries to submit their missing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). These plans are crucial for meeting the EU's climate goals and enhancing investor confidence in the transition to a greener energy future. The urgency of this matter underscores the broader context of the EUs efforts to address its dependence on fossil fuels and to strengthen its renewable energy sector. "I call on EU countries to submit the missing national energy and climate plans. To date we have only received 10 final plans (there are 27 countries in the EU). We are long past the deadline. These plans are needed to move commitments and build investor confidence." - Samson emphasized. What is meant by national climate plans? NDC stands for "Nationally Determined Contributions." It's a term used in the context of the Paris Agreement, an international treaty on climate change. NDCs are essentially the climate action plans that countries submit to outline how they intend to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. Each country's NDC reflects its own national circumstances and capabilities, and they are meant to be updated over time to reflect increased ambition as countries progress in their climate goals. Kadri Simson believes that the European Union still imports large amounts of fossil fuels. "Europe needs to use clean energy produced and reduce fossil fuel imports, which will ensure EU competitiveness, security of supply and energy sovereignty, and increase economic stability," the European Commissioner noted. Why is reducing fossil fuel imports important, and what are the key benefits? Energy security: Dependence on imported fossil fuels can make a country vulnerable to geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions, and price volatility. By reducing imports, countries can enhance their energy security and reduce their reliance on external sources. Economic stability: Fossil fuel prices can fluctuate significantly, affecting national economies. Reducing imports can help stabilize domestic energy costs and reduce trade deficits associated with fossil fuel purchases. Environmental impact: Burning fossil fuels contributes to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, which drive climate change. Reducing reliance on fossil fuels can help lower emissions, improve air quality, and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Promoting renewable energy: Investing in and developing renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydro can provide a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative. Reducing fossil fuel imports can accelerate the transition to cleaner energy sources and drive innovation in green technologies. Public health: Fossil fuel combustion releases pollutants that can harm human health, contributing to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Reducing fossil fuel use can lead to cleaner air and better public health outcomes. Economic diversification: By focusing on alternative energy sources and technologies, countries can stimulate new industries and create jobs, fostering economic diversification and resilience. Overall, reducing fossil fuel imports aligns with broader goals of sustainability, energy independence, and economic stability. Simson said that the EU is ready to achieve its climate neutrality goal and at the same time ensure the competitiveness of the industry. "In the last 5 years, we have set new and higher goals in the field of renewable energy sources (RES) and energy efficiency. We have reformed energy markets and developed the most advanced hydrogen economy and methane emission reduction concepts. In 2 years, the deployment of REs, In the first half of 2024, wind and solar power reached new records, and for the first time in our balance, electricity from renewables exceeded energy from fossil fuels," Simson said. He recalled that at the COP28 in Dubai in December, the EU joined the Global Commitment to increase the power of the EU by 3 times and to increase the energy efficiency by 2 times by 2030. "Green investments have reached a record level through national recovery and resilience plans. By mid-June 2024, 184 billion euros of the 240 billion euros allocated under national recovery and resilience plans have been spent on energy-related reforms and investments," Simson noted. According to him, a lot of work has been done within the mandate to lower electricity prices in the EU in 2022, but now we have to deal with structural problems. "The main way is to speed up the implementation of PES. In 2024, we observe that the pace of PES deployment has not increased as much as expected. We need an additional strong incentive to reach the targets set by 2030," Simson added. It should be noted that the countries of the world must submit their NDCs on climate measures at least until February 2025. What does Azerbaijan's national climate policy say? Azerbaijan has already started the process of transition to "green energy" for a long time. Following the signing of the Paris Agreement on climate change, the country aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2030 and 40% by 2050. Also, the development of renewable energy sources has become the main part of Azerbaijan's clean energy strategy. It should be noted that 9 solar and wind power plants will be commissioned by the end of 2027. Their energy potential is equal to 2 gigawatts. By 2030, 10 additional wind and solar power plants will be built, the potential of which is up to 5 gigawatts. Azerbaijan is set to host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) this November. A key topic on the agenda will be climate finance, highlighting the critical role of funding in addressing climate change challenges. In order to ensure energy efficiency in Azerbaijan, important measures are taken in parallel in both the production and consumption sectors. As an example of measures in the production sector, the construction of new power plants that meet modern requirements, modernization of existing plants, reconstruction works in the field of oil refining, reduction of losses in the energy system, and the work carried out in the direction of bringing the specific consumption of power plants to modern standards can be mentioned. An important part of the measures implemented in the consumer sector is the expansion of propaganda in order to educate the population and involve consumers in energy efficiency measures. The main part of ensuring efficiency in consumption is the use of devices and equipment that efficiently use energy resources, compliance with energy efficiency norms in construction and repair work, expansion of the application of modern standards, compliance with efficiency norms and rules. In summary, the push for completing and updating national climate plans reflects the EU's broader strategy to achieve climate neutrality and energy independence. Kadri Simson's call for action highlights the importance of these plans in fulfilling international climate commitments and reinforcing the EU's energy security and economic stability. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and expanding its renewable energy infrastructure demonstrates a regional effort to contribute to global climate goals. As countries work towards their climate targets, the focus on reducing fossil fuel imports and advancing renewable energy remains pivotal in addressing both environmental and economic challenges. Oxfam recently released its Best and Worst States to Work in the U.S. report, which considers criteria like minimum wage, paid leave and the ability to organize. They found the top three places for employees are Washington, D.C., California and Oregon. "There are vast disparities and access to critical workplace protections that vary by state," says Inimai Chettiar, president of the work-family justice organization A Better Balance. Oxfam then narrowed in on policies that have an outsized effect on women and women of color, specifically, to rank the best states for female employees. Oxfam examined each state's tipped minimum wage, for example, as nearly seven in 10 tipped workers are women, according to the National Women's Law Center. It analyzed various worker protections "such as equal pay, such as protection against sexual harassment at work and providing paid pumping breaks for breastfeeding workers," says Kaitlyn Henderson, senior researcher at Oxfam and author of the report. And the organization assessed "where states allow collective bargaining for public school teachers," she says, as 77% of public school teachers are women, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Here are the top 10 places in the U.S. for women workers: 1. Oregon 2. New York 3. California 4. District of Columbia 5. Illinois 6. Minnesota 7. Washington 8. Connecticut 9. Massachusetts 10. Nevada "I think these states generally have been a little bit more forward thinking in terms of their leave and discrimination policies," says Chettiar. Many of the states at the bottom of the ranking are located below the Mason-Dixon line. But "I would point out that there's also been a lot of important incremental progress in the South," she says. "Both South Carolina and Tennessee recently passed paid parental leave for state government workers." Big picture, "I think that given that this is becoming an increasing, pressing national issue on both sides of the aisle," she says. "We're going to see more states moving in the direction of making it easier for women to balance families and their other responsibilities alongside work." Want to master your money this fall? Sign up for CNBC's new online course. We'll teach you practical strategies to hack your budget, reduce your debt, and grow your wealth. Start today to feel more confident and successful. Use code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off, now extended through September 30, 2024, for the back-to-school season. Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life. Here are the biggest calls on Wall Street on Monday: Evercore ISI reiterates Alphabet as outperform Evercore ISI says it is sticking with shares of the search giant. "We maintain our Outperform on GOOGL , tho we are lowering our PT from $225 to $200 as we believe probable medium-term uncertainty over the DOJ anti-trust trials and their likely remedies will limit the potential for any near-or-medium-term material re-rating." Morgan Stanley reiterates Micron as equal weight Morgan Stanley lowered its price target on the stock to $100 per share from $140. "Despite concerns we still believe the overall fundamental trajectory at Micron is strong enough to stay EW." Morgan Stanley reiterates Tesla overweight Morgan Stanley says it is sticking with its overweight rating heading into Tesla's robotaxi day on Oct. 10. "Ahead of Tesla' s highly anticipated 'Robotaxi' day on October 10th, investors are contemplating various paths to commercialization and scaling of Tesla's autonomous vehicle technology." Morgan Stanley upgrades ASE Technology to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley said in its upgrade of ASE that the chipmaker's stock is defensive. "With our downgrade of memory stocks, we recommend buying quality logic semi stocks with an AI angle." Morgan Stanley upgrades Chart Industries to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley says the gas liquefication company has "significant exposure to both energy transition and renewables as well as traditional energy." " GTLS now screens more attractively on our relative revisions, valuation, and risk-reward outlook vs. our coverage." Evercore ISI upgrades Simon Property to outperform from in line Evercore ISI says in its upgrade of Simon that it sees strong growth for the real estate investment trust. "Upgrading to Outperform from In-Line with a new PT of $172 (up from $160) which translates into a total return of 10% including the 5% yield." Citi initiates Eaton as buy Citi says the manufacturing company is well positioned. "Given robust data center power demand growth and ETN's ability to benefit from its diversified power management portfolio, as well as durable secular tailwinds across much of its portfolio, we view ETN as well positioned to deliver multi-year MSD-HSD [mid single digits - high single digits] organic growth despite a mixed macro environment in the near-term." Wells Fargo downgrades Colgate-Palmolive to underweight from equal weight Wells Fargo says gross margin expansion is slowing down. "We downgrade CL to Underweight. The rise of CL was grounded in fundamentals. But, ultimately, rate of change is set to flip the other way, and we expect CL growth to normalize toward peers now trading at steep valuation discounts vs historical to CL." Barclays initiates GE Vernova as overweight Barclays says it sees robust earnings growth for GE Vernova shares. "Superior top- and bottom-line growth profile, with capital deployment catalyst ahead." JPMorgan reiterates Apple as overweight JPMorgan said its Apple survey checks show consumers prefer the iPhone Pro models. "However, mix continues to be favorable towards Pro models, particularly the Pro Max, with lead times already extended relative to base and Plus models." Evercore ISI adds a positive tactical trade on Carvana Evercore ISI says the car company is best positioned for outsized growth. "We believe Carvana is striking an appropriate balance between industry leading EBITDA margin and its desire for out sized growth." Evercore ISI upgrades Sprouts Farmers Market to outperform from in line Evercore ISI upgraded the grocery chain following a series of meetings with management. "We are upgrading SFM to Outperform with our Base Case increased to $120 reflecting comp and margin levers following a constructive meeting with CEO Jack Sinclair, CFO Curtis Valentine, and Head Merchant Scott Neal late last week." BTIG downgrades Ally Financial to neutral from buy BTIG said it sees no near-term positive catalysts for the banking company. "We downgrade ALLY shares to Neutral from Buy and remove our $44 target price. We are uncomfortable recommending to investors to buy Ally shares today, even with shares down 17% wk/wk, as we don't anticipate positive catalysts for the rest of 2024 versus waiting until we get more clarity on 2025's trajectory." Mizuho upgrades Ameren to outperform from neutral Mizuho says the electric utility is poised for a rerating. "Shares of AEE currently trade at a ~1% P/E discount to the electric utilities group, and we believe shares can re-rate to a high-single-digit premium." Wedbush upgrades Zillow to outperform from neutral Wedbush says the online real estate company will benefit from lower rates. "In addition to the potentially positive catalyst of lower mortgage rates for Zillow's core brokerage business, we see Zillow's software and services (S & S) initiatives adding to potential upside risk to our estimates." Truist upgrades Builders FirstSource to buy from hold Truist says it sees outsized growth for the building products company. "BLDR's size and continued push into value-add products and digital offerings should drive faster than market growth, with a new margin range becoming the norm." Melius upgrades Oracle to buy from hold Melius says it sees a sustainable pipeline for shares of Oracle . "You could say we are late, upgrading a stock that is up 54% year-to-date - but we could be just in the middle of a move. We see close to $8.50 in terms of an EPS run rate within 2 years - and with our biggest worries muted - we find it hard not to put a 25x multiple on a company set to grow faster than Salesforce and Adobe." Citi upgrades Entegris to buy from neutral The firm says the semiconductor supplier is defensive. "We believe Entegris wafer starts driven business is less cyclical than WFE [wafer fab equipment] market with 75% of the revenue is unit-driven, and the company is in a good position to benefit from the leading-edge growth in 2025." Bank of America reiterates Nvidia as buy Bank of America says it is sticking with shares of the semi chip giant. "Our top 3 sector picks remain NVDA , AVGO, KLAC which are most favorably exposed to HPC [high performance computing] and rising chip complexity." Wells Fargo reiterates Coca-Cola as overweight The firm raised its price target on the stock to $78 per share from $73. "We think KO is emerging as the cleanest mega cap in Staples, with fundamental catalysts at still reasonable relative valuation." If Bill Gates had to start all over again, he'd join the artificial intelligence arms race with an "AI-centric" startup, he says. "Today, somebody could raise billions of dollars for a new AI company [that's just] a few sketch ideas," the billionaire Microsoft co-founder tells CNBC Make It. If he could gain enough capital, he'd consider attempting to build a rival to the AI efforts of big companies like Google, Nvidia or Microsoft-backed OpenAI, he says. Otherwise, he'd try to find a specific niche industry where AI could be useful, and grow in a focused way with minimal competition, he adds. Gates researched the AI industry for his upcoming Netflix docuseries "What's Next? The Future With Bill Gates," set to premiere on September 18. His top entrepreneurial takeaway, he says: To really stand out "as a small company, you have to pick something you're going to do uniquely." Since the AI industry is well into a boom period startups have received more than $26 billion in investment dollars so far this year, according to Pitchbook it might be too late to get ahead of the technology development curve. But AI will be transformative enough as it grows for any new tech startup to consider how it can fit into that industry, Gates says. Gates' hypothetical startup likely wouldn't be as successful as Microsoft, he notes. When Microsoft launched in 1976, only "hobbyists" like Gates and Allen imagined that computers would one day dominate culture. Their prescient belief in the technology, combined with the ability to recruit engineers and develop software, helped them corner a nascent market. "I was lucky that my belief in software made me unique," says Gates, adding: "Just believing in AI, that's not very unique. So I would have to develop some unique view of how you design AI systems something that other people didn't get." Gates acknowledges the difficulty: If he were a 20-year-old entrepreneur again, he says, he'd have to hope that his "young brain" would recognize something about the way other companies approached AI and say, "Oh, the way those things work is so stupid." Barring an epiphany, his advice for today's entrepreneurs is simple start by thinking about ways AI could improve a business or your daily life, by automating costly tasks or helping generate strategic ideas that could have broader applications. If AI reduced paperwork for doctors, they could focus more of their time on advising their patients, Gates told CNN in January. "I'm encouraging young people at Microsoft, OpenAI, wherever I find them: 'Hey, here's the frontier,'" he now says. "Because you're taking a fresher look at this than I am, and that's your fantastic opportunity." Want to master your money this fall? Sign up for CNBC's new online course. We'll teach you practical strategies to hack your budget, reduce your debt, and grow your wealth. Start today to feel more confident and successful. Use code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off, now extended through September 30, 2024, for the back-to-school season. Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life. French European Commissioner Thierry Breton on Monday said he would step down as a member of the EU executive body over a rift with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, alleging that she had asked Paris to withdraw his candidacy. Von der Leyen is finalizing her list of commissioners for her second term leading the governing body, due to be presented to the public this week. Breton, a former business executive, was the EU's industry and internal market commissioner during her first term, overseeing many of the bloc's most important policies, ranging from industrial arms production to regulating Big Tech. In his resignation letter, which Breton posted on X, he said von der Leyen "a few days ago" had asked France to withdraw his name as its pick for the Commission "for personal reasons" in return for an "allegedly more influential portfolio". Reuters was unable to immediately verify the allegation. Von der Leyen's office did not immediately reply to a request for comment. "In light of these latest developments - further testimony to questionable governance - I have to conclude that I can no longer exercise my duties in the College," Breton said in the letter. Each EU member state will have one seat at the Commission's table, although their political weight and importance varies greatly depending on the portfolio. The French presidency did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment. Investors may be better off if November's election ends with neither candidate having enough wiggle room to enact their economic policies, according to Citigroup. Strategist Scott Chronert said in a note to clients that proposals from both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump would prove negative for the stock market if they were fully enacted. "We maintain our ongoing view that either candidate's policy platforms are U.S. equity negative, but notably in a 'sweep' context. We mark the Harris platform as incrementally more negative (-4% to -6%) vs the Trump platform (0% to -4%). This is mostly a function of the direct implication of higher corporate tax rates in a Harris outcome. A split congress with either candidate mitigates most of the nearer term risk to fair values," the note said. The Harris campaign has proposed raising taxes on both corporations and capital gains for wealthy individuals. Trump has focused more on using tariffs to raise government revenue. Recent polling in swing states and the nation as a whole point to a close race for the White House. Election betting site Polymarket shows roughly 50-50 odds for each candidate. The fight for control of Congress could be tight as well, with Senate races in Montana, Nevada, Arizona and Pennsylvania among those seen as key contests. One factor looming over the election is the tax cuts from Trump's first term, which are slated to expire in 2025. Any changes to the tax environment could affect consumer spending, corporate earnings and the federal deficit, according to Chronert. "The policy platforms for each candidate add incrementally to 10 year deficit projections. We continue to reiterate our ongoing concern that the deficit circumstance will move more front and center with investors post election," the Citigroup said. In this article AAPL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., during an event at Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, US, on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. Apple Inc. unveiled a new version of its smartwatch with a bigger screen and the ability to detect sleep apnea, part of an event Monday that will also include the iPhone 16 smartphone. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday cleared Apple 's new sleep apnea detection feature for use, and it is now available to Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10 and Ultra 2 users through a software update. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes a person's breathing to repeatedly stop and start throughout the night. The condition affects more than 30 million people in the U.S., but only around 6 million are diagnosed, according to the American Medical Association. If it goes untreated, sleep apnea can cause fatigue and lead to more serious health issues like heart problems, hypertension and Type 2 diabetes. "We are so excited about the incredible impact this feature can make for the millions of people living with undiagnosed sleep apnea," Dr. Sumbul Desai, vice president of health at Apple, said in the feature's launch video. Apple's sleep apnea detection feature marks the company's latest attempt to position its wearables as a cheaper, simpler alternative to many existing health-care tests and devices. And the sleep disorder market could prove to be lucrative. To get evaluated for sleep apnea, for instance, patients typically participate in an at-home test or an in-lab test where they're monitored overnight. Prices vary depending on insurance coverage, but the average in-lab test costs $3,000, according to a 2022 study in the Journal of Primary Care & Community Health. At-home tests are often less expensive, but they can still cost hundreds of dollars. The at-home sleep apnea test from Sleep Doctor costs $189, for example. Apple's newest watch, the Series 10, starts at $399. watch now Apple's sleep apnea detection feature is "potentially a game changer" for patients who have been reluctant to seek out testing, said Dr. David Kuhlmann, a physician who has treated sleep disorders for nearly two decades in Missouri. Kuhlmann also serves on the board of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, which is a professional society for sleep medicine clinicians. Kuhlmann said the feature could be especially helpful for patients who sleep alone, and he thinks a lot of people will be surprised to find out they're showing signs of sleep apnea. Even so, Kuhlmann said users should approach Apple's sleep apnea data with some caution, as readings could be erroneous. He said it is unlikely that insurance companies will begin paying for sleep apnea therapies like CPAP machines based on Apple Watch data alone, which is why it is important for patients to follow up with their health-care providers to get an official diagnosis. "People do need to be diagnosed in order to be treated," Kuhlmann told CNBC in an interview. Kuhlmann said the feature will likely cause an increase in visits to health-care providers, which could ultimately reduce costs for the U.S. health-care system overall. Ideally, if patients catch sleep apnea earlier, they can avoid paying for treatments for more serious conditions down the line. "By finding out that they have these underlying sleep disorders and getting them treated, it could potentially actually help save expenses and help improve quality of life." How it works Apple Watch Series 10 sleep apnea alert. Apple Inc. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters could issue its long-awaited presidential endorsement as soon as Wednesday, union spokesperson Kara Deniz confirmed to CNBC on Monday following a meeting members held with Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington. "We don't just represent registered Democrats. We represent registered Republicans and independents," Teamsters President Sean O'Brien said in a press conference after the meeting. "So we have to take [it] into consideration and she recognized the diversity of our membership as it relates to political affiliation." With 50 days until the November election, the Teamsters, which has 1.3 million members, is one of the last organized labor groups that has yet to issue a presidential endorsement. Traditionally, the Teamsters have endorsed the Democratic presidential candidate, but only after both parties hold their nominating conventions. This year, however, O'Brien made it clear that the union would wait to endorse the candidate who, he said, presented the best option for working families even if that meant bucking decades of tradition. On Monday, Harris made her pitch for the union's endorsement in the meeting with rank-and-file Teamsters, along with O'Brien and other members of the union's executive leadership. "The Vice President appreciates the opportunity to meet with IBT leadership and discuss how she has worked for her entire career to support and defend unions, including as part of the most pro-union administration ever," a Harris campaign spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC on Sunday. My top 10 things to watch Monday, Sept. 16 1. The S & P 500 is heading for a muted open Monday after a big comeback rally last week fueled in large part by technology stocks. In my Sunday column for Investing Club members , I explored what drove the wild reversal and my approach to the market from here. 2. Will the Federal Reserve cut rates by the traditional 25 basis points or opt for a larger 50-basis-point reduction? That's a key question looming over the market ahead of the central bank's decision, which we'll get Wednesday afternoon. Either way, mortgage rates are trending lower, and that should lead to more business for companies levered to the housing market, including Club names Home Depot and Stanley Black & Decker . 3. Salesforce 's annual Dreamforce conference this week will shine a light on useful artificial intelligence applications. I'm using my time in San Francisco for the event to catch up with a number of notable players in the tech world. That includes Broadcom 's influential CEO Hock Tan and Arm Holdings ' Rene Haas. We own Salesforce and Broadcom for the Club. 4. Nvidia shares are lower Monday. It looks like nothing more than profit-taking after the leading AI chipmaker surged nearly 16% last week. Elsewhere in chips, Citi lowered its price targets on once-darling semiconductor equipment makers Lam Research , Applied Materials and KLA Corp . 5. Industrial analysts at Citi initiated coverage of Club holding Eaton with a buy rating and price target of $348 a share, implying about 14% upside from Friday's close. Analysts said the electrical equipment supplier is well-positioned for outsized earnings growth in the years ahead due to booming data center demand and other megaprojects. Internal actions have improved profitability as well, Citi said. 6. Barclays started energy company GE Vernova with a buy rating. The stock is coming off a nearly 14% surge last week, with some of the move being tied to the presidential debate being seen as positive for renewable energy. GE Vernova is the Kamala Harris stock and that's the main reason why you would buy a windmill and natural gas company that really has underappreciated exposure to natural gas. Data centers need more power from nat gas. 7. Melius Research upgraded Oracle to buy from hold after last week's strong AI-fueled earnings report and long-range guidance hike. Analysts acknowledged some might think it's a late call for a stock up 54% year to date and 14% last week alone, but they countered by writing that "we could be just in the middle of a move." The hyperscalers need Oracle. 8. A surprising downgrade at Wells Fargo: Analysts moved their rating on Colgate-Palmolive to a sell-equivalent underweight from equal weight. This has been a much-loved stock, up almost 33% this year. However, Wells Fargo is worried that organic sales growth is normalizing. 9. KeyBanc upped its price target on Spotify to $440 a share from $420 and kept its buy-equivalent overweight rating on the stock, which is up about 80% year to date. This is an anointed stock in the "can-do-no-wrong" pantheon. KeyBanc argued the music streaming giant's earnings power is underrated. 10. Coca-Cola is emerging as perhaps the "cleanest" story among the big consumer staples companies, according to Wells Fargo. The firm raised its price target on the stock to $78 a share from $73, saying it should be able to grind higher thanks to sales catalysts, margin visibility and a still reasonable valuation. Sign up for my Top 10 Morning Thoughts on the Market email newsletter for free (See here for a full list of the stocks at Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED. My top 10 things to watch Monday, Sept. 16 China Coast Guard ships (background L and R) are seen past the Philippine Coast Guard ship BRP Cape Engano (C), as photographed from the BRP Cabra during a supply mission to Sabina Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Aug. 26, 2024. The Philippines will continuously deploy vessels in the contested Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, its coast guard said on Monday after a Philippine ship returned to port after a five-month deployment there. "We will sustain presence over these waters," Philippine Coast Guard Spokesperson Jay Tarriela told a press conference. The PCG's vessel, Teresa Magbanua, was deployed to Sabina Shoal in April to monitor what Manila suspects to be China's small-scale land reclamation activities in the area. It returned to port on Sunday. Tarriela said the ship's return was not related to China's demand for Manila to withdraw its vessel, instead it was so it could be repaired and to attend to the crew's medical needs. Sabina Shoal, which China refers to as Xianbin Reef and the Philippines as the Escoda Shoal, lies west of the Philippine province of Palawan, within the country's exclusive economic zone. Floods brought on by days of heavy rainfalls have been ravaging countries including Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic and Austria, with thousands of people being evacuated as the death toll rises. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Monday said in a post on social media platform X, that was translated by CNBC, that two more people had died following floods in the country. This is in addition to a firefighter who died Sunday. Over the weekend, Reuters also reported several deaths in Poland and Romania, while Czech media agency CTK reported one death and several missing people. CNBC could not immediately independently verify the reports. Petr Fiala, the prime minister of the Czech Republic, said Sunday that more than 12,000 people had been evacuated from several towns and that firefighters had intervened in over 7,800 incidents since the flooding began. More rain was expected in coming days, Fiala added in a Google-translated post on X. Elsewhere, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Sunday announced that he had declared a "state of natural disaster" in response to the flooding, according to a translated social media post. Pictures show the floods and their aftermath across Europe. watch now Drugmakers are betting that delivering radiation directly to tumors will become the next big cancer breakthrough. Bristol Myers Squibb , AstraZeneca , Eli Lilly and other pharmaceutical companies have spent some $10 billion on deals to acquire or work with radiopharmaceutical makers. They've snapped up smaller upstarts to get their hands on technology that, while in its infancy, could treat numerous cancers. "Any large company that has a business presence in oncology or for whom oncology is an important therapeutic category will probably need exposure in this area one way or another," said Guggenheim Securities analyst Michael Schmidt. Two radiopharmaceuticals from Novartis are already available. Another few dozen are in development, according to Schmidt's count. It's hard to estimate the total market opportunity because there are so many possible cancers the drugs could treat, he said. Schmidt predicts the category could grow to a low end of $5 billion in revenue if the technology stays limited to treating a few types of cancer like prostate and neuroendocrine tumors, to as much as tens of billions if it's shown to be effective in more cancers. The drugs work by attaching radioactive material to a targeting molecule that searches for and attaches to a specific marker on cancer cells. The trick is finding markers that exist on cancer cells but not healthy cells. That can allow the treatment to deliver radiation to cancer cells and spare the rest of the body from the level of damage that comes with many cancer drugs. Proving the technology could work both scientifically and financially has taken time. The first radiopharmaceuticals were approved in the early 2000s. But interest from large pharmaceutical companies didn't pick up until recently. An employee works at the NSA radiopharmaceutical plant in Aedea Rome, Italy. Franco Origlia | Getty Images Making the drugs requires complex manufacturing and logistics, two major drawbacks. Radioactive material degrades quickly, so patients need to be treated within days of their treatment being made. Pharmaceutical companies proved they could manage complex, time-sensitive drugs like CAR-T for blood cancers or gene therapies for rare diseases. Then Novartis showed those strategies could be applied in radiopharmaceuticals. The Swiss pharmaceutical giant won approval in 2018 for a radiopharmaceutical drug called Lutathera for a rare type of cancer in the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract. Then in 2022, Novartis secured another approval in the treatment Pluvicto for prostate cancer. Combined, the drugs are expected to reach about $4 billion in sales by 2027, according to consensus estimates from FactSet. Those successes sparked broader interest in radiopharmaceuticals. "We took all that together and thought, we should do something, we need to do deals here," said Jacob Van Naarden, president of Eli Lilly's oncology business. Lilly acquired radiopharmaceutical maker Point Biopharma last year for about $1.4 billion, and also signed a few partnerships with companies developing the treatments. One of the most important factors during Lilly's initial search was whether companies were prepared to manufacture the drugs, Van Naarden said. Radiopharmaceuticals aren't easy to make, and Lilly wanted to make sure any initial acquisition could produce the drugs themselves instead of outsourcing the work. Manufacturing was also a key component in Bristol Myers Squibb's $4.1 billion acquisition of RayzeBio, said Ben Hickey, RayzeBio's president. At the time of the acquisition, RayzeBio was nearing completion of a factory in Indiana and had secured its own supply of radioactive material needed to develop the experimental drugs in its pipeline. "It was clearly one of the criteria to make sure that we had our destiny within our own hands," Hickey said. Novartis has shown why that's so important, as the company initially struggled to make enough doses of Pluvicto. It's investing more than $300 million to open and expand radiopharmaceutical manufacturing sites in the U.S. so it can produce the drug and get it to patients quickly. The company is now able to meet demand for the treatment, which involves careful planning for distribution. Each dose carries a GPS tracker to ensure it goes to the right patient at the right time, according to Victor Bulto, president of Novartis' U.S. business. Novartis drives doses to destinations that are within nine hours from the factory to minimize the risk of disruptions from storms, Bulto said. Doctors and patients on the receiving end also feel the complexity. Bassett Healthcare Network in upstate New York needed to upgrade its medical license to handle radioactive material before administering Lutathera and Pluvicto, said Dr. Timothy Korytko, Bassett's radiation oncologist in chief. A certified specialist needs to administer the drugs, which are given intravenously. It can take a few weeks from prescribing a radiopharmaceutical to administering one. For Pluvicto, patients come in once every six weeks for up to six treatments. Radiopharmaceuticals start decaying once they're made, so they're only good for a few days. Ronald Coy and his wife Sharon. Courtesy: Ronald Coy Ronald Coy knows how important it is to make it in for his appointments. Coy, a retired firefighter who's been battling prostate cancer since 2015, drives more than an hour through upstate New York to receive Pluvicto at Bassett. Coy hasn't had any issues so far, but he worries a snowstorm could derail one of his appointments between now and the end of January. "Hopefully we won't get any major storms between now and then or if we do, it's a week before I go," Coy said. When Coy comes home from treatment, he needs to take precautions like staying away from his wife Sharon so she's not exposed to radiation. He drinks plenty of water to remove extra radiation from his body. He doesn't mind little inconveniences for a few days if it means fighting his cancer. For Novartis, investing in the infrastructure to produce and distribute radiopharmaceuticals would be worthwhile for Pluvicto and Lutathera alone, Bulto said. But it's even more attractive because of the potential to treat more cancers. He gives the example of Novartis' work to develop a drug for a marker that's found across 28 different tumors, including breast, lung and pancreatic cancers. "If we were able to put all these learnings that we've developed from a manufacturing distribution in service of patients with lung cancer, patients with breast cancer, and potentially show these levels of meaningful efficacy and tolerability, we're talking about a very big potential impact on cancer care. And, of course, a very viable business as well," he said. At this point, it's still an if. The field is in its early days, executives say, and the promise of radiopharmaceuticals beyond the current cancers they treat still needs to be proven. "If we can be successful in expanding the target and tumor type repertoire, this could be a very big class of medicines," Eli Lilly's Van Naarden said, adding that at this point it's hard to say if the class will be "super important" or "just important." One opportunity Bristol Myers Squibb sees is combining radiopharmaceuticals with existing cancer drugs like immunotherapy, said Robert Plenge, Bristol's chief research officer. AstraZeneca shares that vision. AstraZeneca spent $2 billion to acquire Fusion Pharmaceuticals earlier this year. Susan Galbraith, the company's executive vice president of oncology research and development, points to existing regimens that combine immunotherapy with radiation. How large AstraZeneca's radiopharmaceutical portfolio ultimately becomes depends on its initial prostate cancer program and other undisclosed targets already in the works, Galbraith said. But she thinks the technology will become an important part of cancer drugs in the next decade. It could take years to understand the true potential of the technology, as many experimental drugs are still in the early phases of development. One outstanding question is whether other radiopharmaceuticals are as safe and well tolerated as Novartis' Pluvicto, especially ones that use other types of radioactive material, the Guggenheim analyst Schmidt said. Ronald Coy has been battling prostate cancer for almost 10 years. He started taking Novartis' Pluvicto earlier this year. Courtesy: Ronald Coy People watch as Springfield Police Department officers investigate the Springfield City Hall after bomb threats were made against buildings earlier in the day in Springfield, Ohio, on Sept. 12, 2024. Ohio state police will conduct daily sweeps of schools in Springfield after authorities have been forced to investigate "at least 33" bomb threats that led to evacuations and temporary building closures, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday. "We want to make sure, as school continues this week in Springfield, that parents have confidence that the school is in fact safe," the Republican governor said at a press conference. Each bomb threat has been a hoax without "any validity at all," DeWine said. Springfield has become the face of the national immigration debate after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, repeatedly spread baseless claims about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating city residents' pets. Vance first promoted the unfounded rumors in a Sept. 9 post on social media platform X, but Trump boosted the claims further a day later at the first presidential debate against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Springfield officials, including its Mayor Rob Rue and local police, have all dismissed the claims, saying there are no credible reports that Haitian immigrants in the city are stealing or eating pets. Local health officials have also denied that the influx of Haitian immigrants in the city has led to a rise in "communicable diseases" another claim Vance promoted. "This is a piece of garbage that is simply not true. There's no evidence of this at all," DeWine said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." There has been of flurry of activity in the tech sector, with the recent sell-offs and the more recent rally . While that may give some investors pause, veteran tech investor Trent Masters continues to see promise, revealing four stocks he has a "high degree of conviction" in. They are: Nvidia , Motorola Solutions , Trane Technologies and Sherwin-Williams . Nvidia Top of Masters' list is this artificial intelligence darling, which has dominated headlines in the last year. Its popularity shows little sign of abating, and although the stock is down around 9.7% in the last three months, it is still up by nearly 141% over the year to date. "The degree of movement ... in such a big stock is quite phenomenal," Masters, a portfolio manager at Sydney-based Alphinity Investment Management, told CNBC's " Street Signs Asia " on Sept. 12. Shares in Nvidia jumped on Wednesday after its CEO Jensen Huang's comments on the company's innovation plans and the future of AI. That came after investors' skepticism on the stock after its quarterly results announcement on Aug. 28 . Masters, however, calls its earnings "solid." Adjusted earnings per share came in at 68 cents better than the 64 cents expected while its revenue of $30.04 billion exceeded the $28.7 billion that was forecast. "I don't think Nvidia is in that category now where they blow the doors off in terms of results, because the market is more aware of the potential of their AI accelerators and what that market demand could be," Masters noted. FactSet data shows that most analysts remain bullish on Nvidia. Of the 63 analysts covering the stock, 59 give it a buy or overweight rating, while just four have a hold rating. Analysts' average price target is $149.49, giving it 25.5% potential upside. Masters said he's "quite encouraged" by the applications coming out of the AI powerhouse, adding that its cloud demand remains strong while hyperscalers' capital expenditure is quite positive. "In that perspective, I can see that earnings path for Nvidia towards $5 and if you see them making $5 in EPS (earnings per share), the valuation is not demanding at all. So, I do remain quite positive on Nvidia," he said. Motorola Solutions Masters said he likes electronics manufacturer Motorola even if it comes from a "very unsexy end of tech." "This isn't a stock like Nvidia that you might wake up one day and it beats by 20% (or) 30%. It is just a really nice, strong, compounding business that always just manages to execute well and beat market expectations," he said. The company's strength is its Land Mobile Radio devices walkie-talkies used for various communications, especially during emergencies which accounts for 70% of the business, the portfolio manager said. He added that there's "an upgrade cycle with a new device that's come out called APX and that's just giving a nice little tailwind to growth." Shares in Motorola are up around 41.1% year-to-date. According to FactSet data, of 15 analysts covering the stock, 10 give it a buy or overweight rating, four have a hold rating and one has an underweight rating. Their average price target is $449.63, giving it 1.8% potential upside. Trane Technologies Beyond the traditional tech plays, Masters is betting on Trane Technologies, a company specializing in heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration systems. It's among the "top four players," with a market share of 75% in its industry and is exposed to the tech industry through data centers, the portfolio manager noted. There is "maybe a little bit of the AI kind of excitement, but [it is] just an incredibly well-executing business (that) generates really strong free cash flow and again has consistently outperformed market expectations." Its second-quarter revenue came in at a record $5.3 billion up 19% year on year . Year-to-date, shares in Trane Technologies are up 49.3%. Of the 25 analysts covering the stock, nine give it a buy or overweight rating, 14 have hold ratings and two have a sell rating. The average price target for Trane Technologies is $361.46, according to FactSet data, giving it a 0.8% discount. Sherwin-Williams Outside tech, Masters likes paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams thanks to its "very strong ... business (with a) good returns profile." "The positive that you have there is that (its) business normally grows at, say, mid single digits. As you start to get a little bit of that housing activity coming back, we can see a path for that to start to grow up towards the high single digits," he added. Shares in Sherwin-Williams have rallied in the past three months with a gain of 26.4%. Year-to-date, its shares are up almost 20.1%. Of the 30 analysts covering the stock, 16 give it a buy or overweight rating, 12 have hold ratings and two have a sell rating. The average price target for Sherwin-Williams is $375.59, according to FactSet data, giving it 0.1% potential upside. CNBC's Jim Cramer contributed to this report. Around one in every ten marriages each year in Indonesia involves a person under the age of 18.Child marriage primarily affects young girls and deprives them of education, opportunities and basic rights. It is also deeply tied to cultural, economic and social pressures.Progress in reducing the rates of child marriage has been slow, particularly in rural areas where poverty and tradition continue to fuel the practice.West Java, East Java, and Central Java together account for 55 percent of all child marriages in the country. This alarming statistic highlights the need for urgent action to protect the rights of young girls, many of whom are forced into early marriages due to financial hardship, social pressure, and limited access to education.The Indonesian government aims to reduce the child marriage rate from 11.2 percent in 2018 to 8.74 percent by 2024, as part of its 2020-2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN). Getting there will require strengthening law enforcement, providing better educational and healthcare resources, and addressing the cultural and economic factors driving early marriage.Economic pressures and cultural norms Research highlights that nearly 80 percent of parents involved in early marriages live in poverty. These families often rely on subsistence farming or low-wage jobs, such as agricultural labor, domestic work, or irregular employment like sand digging or motorcycle taxi driving.Parents facing these financial hardships view early marriage as a solution to ease their economic burdens, particularly when dowries are involved. For many, the immediate financial benefit of marrying off a daughter outweighs the potential long-term advantages of keeping her in school.Cultural traditions further reinforce this practice. About 73 percent of parents surveyed in rural Indonesia support child marriage to maintain cultural traditions, and 65 percent believe it is not prohibited by religion, as long as the child has reached puberty.The pressure to conform to community norms and avoid social ostracism often leads families to accept marriage proposals for their daughters, sometimes from much older men, perpetuating the cycle of gender inequality.Educational barriers and social pressures Access to education plays a crucial role in preventing child marriage, but many rural areas suffer from limited educational infrastructure. Two-thirds of surveyed parents had low levels of formal education, which affects their perception of the value of education for their children. In rural areas, schools are often located far from homes, and transport costs further strain already struggling families. Although the government may provide financial aid for schooling, many parents redirect this support to meet immediate household needs, rather than invest in their childs education, especially in the case of daughters.Social pressure also plays a major role in child marriage. Families fear community backlash or even superstitious consequences if they refuse marriage proposals, further entrenching the practice. In rural areas, parents believe marrying off their daughters increases family prestige and alleviates household burdens. More than 60 percent of parents surveyed stated that early marriage helped reduce family responsibilities, and 67 percent viewed it as a means to ensure family continuity.Long-lasting impact The effects of child marriage are severe and long-lasting, affecting not only the girls involved but also their families and communities. Girls married at a young age are more likely to suffer from physical and psychological trauma, including complications from childbirth and mental health issues, due to their abrupt transition into adult responsibilities.Child marriage often leads to divorce, leaving many young women as single mothers, further entrenching them in poverty and isolation.In some regions, such as coastal Java, a phenomenon known as ngeranda has emerged, in which young men seek out divorced women for marriage due to the scarcity of single, never-married women. This reflects the high divorce rates in areas where child marriage is prevalent, leaving young women vulnerable and unsupported.Moreover, child marriage perpetuates intergenerational poverty. Girls forced into early marriage are less likely to complete their education, which limits their future employment opportunities and economic independence. Their children, in turn, often grow up in poverty, with limited access to education and healthcare, continuing the cycle of disadvantage.Government efforts and challenges The Indonesian government has made efforts to curb child marriage, integrating it into broader national development plans. Policies such as the compulsory education program for children aged 7-15 have improved enrolment rates, but dropout rates remain high, especially at the high school level. Rural families still face challenges such as transportation costs and low educational aspirations, which continue to fuel early marriages.The government has also introduced a draft law from the Department of Religious Affairs, proposing fines of up to 6 million rupiah ($AU582) for those who marry off underage children and 12 million rupiah ($AU1,164) for officiants who facilitate these marriages. However, enforcement remains a challenge, especially in rural areas where local customs often supersede national laws. In collaboration with international agencies like UNICEF and UN Women, the country has launched programs aimed at reducing child marriage and promoting equal opportunities for women and girls.Additionally, health centres in rural districts are not functioning effectively, with more than 40 percent of parents indicating that health workers do not sufficiently explain the risks of child marriage.Addressing root causes While child marriage rates have decreased by 3.5 percent over the past decade, the decline has been uneven. Rural areas are seeing a faster reduction than urban areas, but overall progress is not enough to meet the government's 2024 target. Addressing the root causes of child marriage requires a multifaceted approach that tackles the cultural, economic and educational factors driving the practice.Community leaders, particularly religious figures, play a critical role in shifting societal attitudes toward child marriage. importance of education and advocating for delayed marriage until girls are older, these leaders can help break down the cultural norms that perpetuate early marriage. Their involvement is essential in regions where local traditions hold more influence than national law.In addition to cultural interventions, the government must strengthen enforcement of child marriage laws and improve access to education and healthcare in rural areas. Programs that provide economic support to poor families and increase access to job training could reduce the financial incentives for early marriage, allowing families to invest in their daughters' education instead. ARIZONA Phoenix hits 100 days of 100-plus degree temps PHOENIX Summers are always hot in central Arizona, but 2024 is proving to be an endless summer with especially high temperatures in Phoenix. On Sept. 3, the city hit its 100th straight day with at least 100 degree temperatures. That's long since shattered the record of 76 days in a row set back in 1993, according to data from the National Weather Service. The temperature hit 102 F in Phoenix on May 27 and has made it to triple digits every day since. NWS meteorologist Sean Benedict said that long streaks of desert heat usually are broken up by rain, but the monsoon hasn't delivered much. The persistent heat also got an early start, with the triple-digit days already piling up in May. Public health officials in Arizona's Maricopa County where Phoenix is located, the hottest metro area in the U.S. say that as of Aug. 24 there had been 150 heat-related deaths confirmed so far this year, with another 443 under investigation. There were 645 heat-related deaths last year in the county of some 4.5 million people. Pretty much any way the data is parsed, 2024 marks another record-breaking summer of heat in Phoenix. Its been the hottest meteorological summer, which includes the months June, July and August. And its the same story throughout the western U.S. with several locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico setting records or coming close. In Phoenix, there have been 37 nights this summer that didn't cool off below 90 F, another record. There have also been 54 days of 110 degree temperatures, which is just one day away from breaking the record of 55 days last year. That number was forecast to be broken within days. NAVAJO NATION Tribal law updated to regulate uranium transport The Navajo Nation has approved emergency legislation meant to strengthen a tribal law that regulates the transportation of radioactive material across the largest Native American reservation in the U.S. The move is in response to the revival of a uranium mining operation just south of the Grand Canyon that has drawn much criticism from environmentalists and Native American tribes in the region. Navajo President Buu Nygren signed the legislation on Aug. 29 as talks continue among tribal officials and Energy Fuels Inc. to craft an agreement that would address concerns about any potential risks to the public or the environment. The updated law calls for more advance notification of plans to ship uranium ore from the Pinyon Plain Mine in northern Arizona to a mill in Utah. The payment of transport fees and the filing of emergency preparedness plans also are among the mandates. The tribe in 2005 banned uranium mining across the sprawling reservation, pointing to the painful legacy of contamination, illness and death that was left behind by the extraction of nearly 30 millions tons of the ore during World War II and the Cold War. If a company ignored the rules, the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency could issue an order of compliance along with penalties. The Navajo attorney general could also seek a temporary restraining order or injunction through tribal court if the law were violated. OKLAHOMA Tainted feed blamed for killing some 70 horses OKLAHOMA CITY A nearly century-old Oklahoma company that supplies stock for rodeos had as many as 70 horses die in late August after receiving what an owner believes was tainted feed. Rhett Beutler, co-owner of Beutler and Son Rodeo Co. near Elk City, told KFOR-TV that the horses died shortly after being fed. "All them horses are kind of like my kids; I've raised them from time they were born," Beutler told KOKH-TV, "Once you lose one, that's one too many." The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry said in a statement that it was notified Aug. 23 of the horses' deaths related to a bulk order of feed and has opened an investigation. A department inspector visited the Beutler and Son site learned that the feed originated in Kansas, according to the statement, which noted that a feed sample was being analyzed at state-certified laboratories. The department said it was working with the Kansas Department of Agriculture to investigate the company that provided the feed. The company that provided the feed has not been identified because of the ongoing investigation, Stewart said. Dr. Gregg VeneKlasen, of the Timber Creek Veterinary Hospital, the Beutlers' veterinarian, declined to comment on the deaths other than to call it a "tragedy." Beutler and Son was founded in 1929 as Beutler Brothers near Elk City, about 105 miles west of Oklahoma City, and provides stock for rodeos, including the National Finals Rodeo. The company was set to provide the majority of stock for the Elk City Rodeo on the last weekend in August, according to Elk City Rodeo board member Randy Hargis, who said the scheduled events included bareback horse riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding and steer wrestling. NORTH DAKOTA High winds derail 43 train cars STEELE Tornadic winds knocked nearly four dozen train cars off a track in North Dakota, part of a storm system that spurred reports of five tornadoes across the Dakotas. BNSF Railway spokesperson Kendall Sloan said a train was stopped due to a tornado warning on the night of Aug. 28 near the town of Steele, North Dakota, when high winds caused 43 empty coal cars to derail. No one was hurt, and no hazardous materials were in the cars, Sloan said in an email. BNSF cleanup crews were at the site the next day. The National Weather Service in Bismarck, North Dakota, confirmed on Aug. 29 that a tornado touched down near Steele around 8 p.m. the night before. The agency said another tornado touched down at 5:40 p.m. the same day southwest of Selfridge, North Dakota, on the Standing Rock Tribal Nation. The weather service said three potential tornadoes also were reported in north-central South Dakota on Aug. 28. No injuries were reported. Survey crews were still working to confirm if damage in South Dakota was from tornadoes. While bad weather was generally moving out of the Dakotas, severe thunderstorms were forecast for Minnesota and parts of Iowa and Wisconsin, the weather service said. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Apples latest iPhones support a new breed of Apple AI called Apple Intelligence, a collection of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that will be made available across the companys platforms starting in October with the release of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1. Apple Intelligence supplements Apples existing machine-learning tools and relies on generative AI (genAI) technology similar to that used by OpenAIs ChatGPT. Apples version to a great extent runs on its own self-trained genAI models, which are built to be integrated across platforms, capable of using a users personal information, and private by the design. Announced at this years Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple Intelligence is designed to make your most personal products even more useful and delightful. (Thats how Apple CEO Tim Cook described it.) Essentially, the company has moved to build an AI ecosystem that is personal, private, and powerful, what Apple calls AI for the rest of us. Heres a look at whats coming and how Apple got to this point. Why Apple Intelligence matters Apple has worked with AI since its earliest days (more about this below), but in in the last couple of years since the arrival of ChatGPT and others the company has been perceived as falling behind its competitors. There are many reasons for that, not least that Apples innate secrecy was a turn-off to researchers at the cutting edge of AI. Internal squabbles over precious R&D resources may also have slowed development. But one moment that might have changed the scene took place over the winter holidays in late 2023, when Apple Senior Vice President for Software Craig Federighi tested GitHub Copilot code completion. He was reportedly blown away and redirected Apples software development team to begin to apply Large Language Models (LLMs, a basic part of genAI tools) across Apple products. The company now sees this work as foundational to future product innovation and has diverted vast quantities of resources to bringing its own genAI technologies to its devices. Analysts note that with Apple Intelligence soon to be available across the newer Macs, iPhones, and iPads, the company could quickly become one of the most widely used AI ecosystems in the world. (Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives predicts Apples devices will be running 25% of global AI soon.) This matters, since AI smartphones and PCs will drive sales in both markets across the coming months, and Apple now has a viable product family to tout. How Apple approaches Apple Intelligence To deliver AI on its devices, Apple has refused to dilute its longstanding commitment to user privacy. With that in mind, it has developed a three-point approach to handling queries using Apple Intelligence: On device Some Apple Intelligence features will work natively on the device. This has the advantage of working faster while preserving privacy. Edge-based processing also reduces energy requirements, because no cloud communication or server-side processing is required. (More complex tasks must still be handled in the cloud.) In the cloud Apple is deploying what it calls Private Cloud Compute. This is a cloud intelligence system designed specifically for private AI processing and capable of handling complex tasks using massive LLMs. The idea behind this system is that it provides the ability to flex and scale computational capacity between on-device processing and larger, server-based models. The servers used for these tasks are made by Apple, use Apple Silicon processors, and run a hardened operating system that aims to protect user data when tasks are transacted in the cloud. The advantage here is you can handle more complex tasks while maintaining privacy. Externally Apple has an agreement with OpenAI to use ChatGPT to process AI tasks its own systems cant handle. Under the deal, ChatGPT is not permitted to gather some user data. But there are risks to using third-party services, and Apple ensures that users are aware if their requests need to be handled by a third-party service. The company says it has designed its system so when you use Private Cloud Compute, no user data is stored or shared, IP addresses are obscured, and OpenAI wont store requests that go to ChatGPT. The focus throughout is to provide customers with the convenience of AI, while building strong walls around personal privacy. Apple What Apple Intelligence features exist? Apple has announced a range of initial features it intends making available within its Apple Intelligence fleet. The first new tools will appear with iOS 18.1, which is expected to appear when new Apple Silicon Macs and iPads are introduced later this fall. Additional services will be introduced in a staggered rollout in subsequent releases. While not every announced feature is expected to be available this year, all should be in place by early 2025. In the background, Apple is not resting on its laurels; its teams are thought to be exploring additional ways Apple Intelligence can provide useful services to customers, with a particular focus on health. At present, these are the Apple Intelligence tools Apple has announced: Writing Tools is a catch-all term for several useful features, most of which should appear in October with iOS 18.1 (and the iPad and Mac equivalents). These tools work anywhere on your device, including in Mail, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps. To use them, select a section of text and tap Writing Tools in the contextual menu. Rewrite will take your selected text and improve it. will take your selected text and improve it. Proofread is like a much smarter spellchecker that checks for grammar and context. is like a much smarter spellchecker that checks for grammar and context. Summarize will take any text and, well, summarize it. This also works in meeting transcripts. will take any text and, well, summarize it. This also works in meeting transcripts. Priority notifications: Apple Intelligence understands context, which means it should be able to figure out which notifications are most important to you. Apple Intelligence understands context, which means it should be able to figure out which notifications are most important to you. Priority messages in Mail: The system will also prioritize the emails it thinks are most important. The system will also prioritize the emails it thinks are most important. Smart Reply: Apples AI can also generate email responses. You can edit these, reject them, or write your own. Apples AI can also generate email responses. You can edit these, reject them, or write your own. Reduce Interruptions: A new Focus mode that is smart enough to let important notifications through. A new Focus mode that is smart enough to let important notifications through. Call transcripts: It is possible to record, transcribe, and summarize audio captured in Notes or during a Phone call. When a recording is initiated during a call in the Phone app, participants are automatically notified. After the call, Apple Intelligence generates a summary to help recall key points. Search and Memory Movies in Photos Search is much better in Photos. It will find images and videos that fit complex descriptions and can even locate a particular moment in a video clip that fits your search description. Search terms can be highly complex; enter a description and Apple Intelligence will identify all the most appropriate images and videos, put together a storyline with chapters based on themes it figures out from within the collection, and create a Memory Movie. The idea is that your images are gathered, collected, and presented in an appropriate narrative arc; this feature is expected to debut with iOS 18.1. Clean Up tool in Photos At least in my parts of social media, the Photos AI tool that most seemed to impress early beta testers was Clean Up. This super-smart implementation means Apple Intelligence can identify background objects in an image and let you remove them with a tap. I can still recall when removing items from within images required high-end software running on top-of-the-range computers equipped with vast amounts of memory. Now you can do it in a trice on an iPhone. Image Playground for speedy creatives Expected to appear in iOS 18.2, Image Playground uses genAI to let you create animations, illustrations, and sketches from within any app, including Messages. Images are generated for you by Apple Intelligence in response to written commands. You can also choose between a range of themes, places, or costumes, and also create an image based on a person from your Photos library. The feature is also available within its own app and should appear in December. Genmoji get smarter Genmoji uses genAI to create custom emoji. The idea is that you can type in a description of the emoji you want to use and select one of the automatically generated ones to use in a message. You will also be able to keep editing the image to get to the one you want. (The only problem is that the person on the receiving end may not necessarily understand your creative zeal.) This feature should show in December with iOS 18.2. Image Wand This AI-assisted sketching tool can transform rough sketches into nicer images in Notes. Sketch an image, then select it; Image Wand will analyze the content to create a pleasing and relevant image based on what you drew. You can also select an empty space and Image Wand will look at the rest of your Note to identify a context for which it will create an image for you. Image Wand is now expected late 2024 or early 2025. Camera Control in iPhone 16 Pro A new feature in iPhone 16 Pro relies on visual intelligence and AI to handle some tasks. You can point your camera, for example, at a restaurant to get reviews or menus. It will also be possible to use this feature to access third-party tools for more specific information, such as accessing ChatGPT. Additional visual tools are coming. For example, Siri will be able to complete in-app requests and take action across apps, such as finding images in your collection and then editing them inside another app. Coming soon: Siri gains context and ChatGPT ChatGPT integration in Siri is expected to debut at the end of the year, with additional enhancements to follow. The idea is that when you ask Siri a question, it will try to answer using its own resources; if it is unable to do so it will ask whether you want to use ChatGPT to get the answer. You dont have to, but you will get free access to using it if you choose. Privacy protections are built in for users who access ChatGPT IP addresses are obscured, and OpenAI wont store requests. Siri will also get significant improvements to deliver better contextual understanding and powerful predictive intelligence based on what your devices learn about you. You might use it to find a friends flight number and arrival time from a search through Mail or to put together travel plans or any other query that requires contextual understanding of your situation. The contextual features should appear next year. On-screen awareness, but not until 2025 A new evolution in contextual awareness is scheduled to arrive at some point in 2025. This will give Siri the ability to take and use information on your display. The idea here is that whatever is on your screen becomes usable in some way you might use this to add addresses to your contacts book, or to track threads in an email, for example. Its a profound connection between what you do on your device and wherever you happen to be. Another, and perhaps even more powerful, improvement will allow Siri to control apps, and because it uses genAI, youll be able to pull together a variety of instructions and apps such as editing an image and adding it to a Note without having to open or use any apps yourself. This kind of deep control builds on the accessibility tools Apple already has and leans into some of the visionOS user interface improvements. Its another sign of the extent to which user interfaces are becoming highly personal. Where can I get Apple Intelligence? Apple has always been quite clear that Apple Intelligence will first be made available in beta in US English. During beta testing, Apple adjusted this slightly so that these tools work on any compatible iPhone running US English as its language and for Siri. The company will introduce Apple Intelligence with localized English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK in December. Additional language support such as Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish is coming next year. What devices work with Apple Intelligence? Apple Intelligence requires an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16 series device. It also runs on Macs and iPads equipped with an M1 or later chip. What AI is already inside Apples systems? All these features are supplemented by numerous forms of AI tools Apple already has in place across its platforms, principally around image vision intelligence and machine learning. You use these built-in applications each time you use FaceID, run facial recognition in Photos, or make use of the powerful Portrait Mode or Deep Fusion features when taking a photograph. There are many more AI tools, from recognition of addresses and dates in emails for import into Calendar to VoiceOver all the way to Door Detection, even the Measure app on iPhones. Whats changed is that while Apples deliberate focus had been on machine-learning applications, the emergence of genAI unleashed a new era in which the contextual understanding available to LLM models uncovered a variety of new possibilities. The omnipresence of various kinds of AI across the companys systems shows the extent to which the dreams of Stanford researchers in the 1960s are becoming real today. An alternative history of Apple Intelligence Apple Intelligence might appear to have been on a slow train coming, but the company has, in fact, been working with AI for decades. What exactly is AI? AI is a set of technologies that enable computers and machines to simulate human intelligence and problem-solving capabilities. The idea is that the hardware becomes smart enough to learn new tricks based on what it learns, and carries the tools needed to engage in such learning. To trace the trail of modern AI, think back to 1963, when computer scientist and LISP inventor John McCarthy launched the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL). His teams engaged in important research in robotics, machine-vision intelligence, and more. SAIL was one of three important entities that helped define modern computing. Apple enthusiasts will likely have heard of the other two: Xeroxs Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), which developed the Alto that inspired Steve Jobs and the Macintosh, and Douglas Engelbarts Augmentation Research Center. The latter is where the mouse concept was defined and subsequently licensed to Apple. Important early Apple luminaries who came from SAIL included Alan Kay and Macintosh user interface developer Larry Tesler and some SAIL alumni still work at the company. Apple has been a leader in AI research and development for decades, pioneering computer scientist and author Jerry Kaplan told me. Siri and face recognition are just two of many examples of how they have put this investment to work. Back to the Newton Existing Apple Intelligence solutions include things we probably take for granted, going back to the handwriting recognition and natural language support in 1990s Newton. That device leaned into research emanating from SAIL Tesler led the team, after all. Apples early digital personal assistant first appeared in a 1987 concept video and was called Knowledge Navigator. (You can view that video here, but be warned, its a little blurry.) Sadly, the technology couldnt support the kind of human-like interaction we expect from ChatGPT, and (eventually) Apple Intelligence. The world needed better and faster hardware, reliable internet infrastructure, and a vast mountain of research-exploring AI algorithms, none of which existed at that time. But by 2010, the companys iPhone was ascendant, Macs had abandoned the PowerPC architecture to embrace Intel, and the iPad (which cannibalized the netbook market) had been released. Apple had become a mobile devices company. The time was right to deliver that Knowledge Navigator. When Apple bought Siri In April 2010, Apple acquired Siri for $200 million. Siri itself is a spinoff from SAIL, and, just like the internet, the research behind it emanated from a US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) project. The speech technology came from Nuance, which Apple acquired just before Siri would have been made available on Android and BlackBerry devices. Apple shelved those plans and put the intelligent assistant inside the iPhone 4S (dubbed by many as the iPhone for Steve, given Steve Jobs death around the time it was released). Highly regarded at first, Siri didnt stand the test of time. AI research diverged, with neural networks, machine intelligence, and other forms of AI all following increasingly different paths. (Apples reluctance to embrace cloud-based services due to concerns about user privacy and security arguably held innovation back.) Apple shifted Siri to a neural network-based AI system in 2014; it used on-device machine learning models such as deep neural networks (DNN), n-grams and other techniques, giving Apples automated assistant a bit more contextual intelligence. Apple Vice President Eddy Cue called the resulting improvement in accuracy so significant that you do the test again to make sure that somebody didnt drop a decimal place. But times changed fast. Did Apple miss a trick? In 2017, Google researchers published a landmark research paper, Attention is All you Need. This proposed a new deep-learning architecture that became the foundation for the development of genAI. (One of the papers eight authors, ukasz Kaiser, now works at OpenAI.) One oversimplified way to understand the architecture is this: it helps make machines good at identifying and using complex connections between data, which makes their output far better and more contextually relevant. This is what makes genAI responses accurate and human-like and its what makes the new breed of smart machines smart. The concept has accelerated AI research. Ive never seen AI move so fast as it has in the last couple of years, Tom Gruber, one of Siris co-founders, said at the Project Voice conference in 2023. Yet when ChatGPT arrived kicking off the current genAI gold rush Apple seemingly had no response. The (put it to) work ethic Apples Cook likes to stress that AI is already in wide use across the companys products. Its literally everywhere on our products and of course were also researching generative AI as well, so we have a lot going on, he said. Hes not wrong. You dont need to scratch deeply to identify multiple interactions in which Apple products simulate human intelligence. Think about crash detection, predictive text, caller ID based on a number not in your contact book but in an email, or even shortcuts to frequently opened apps on your iPhone. All of these machine learning tools are also a form of AI. Apples CoreML frameworks provide powerful machine learning frameworks developers can themselves use to power up their products. Those frameworks build on the insights Adobe co-founder John Warnock had when he figured out how to automate the animation of scenes, and we will see those technologies widely used in the future of visionOS. All of this is AI, albeit focused (narrow) uses of it. Its more machine intelligence than sentient machines. But in each AI application it delivers, Apple creates useful tools that dont undermine user privacy or security. The secrecy thing Part of the problem for Apple is that so little is known about its work. Thats deliberate. In contrast to many other companies, most notably Google, Apple tends not to encourage their researchers to publish potentially valuable proprietary work publicly, Kaplan said. But AI researchers like to work with others, and Apples need for secrecy acts as a disincentive for those in AI research. I think the main impact is that it reduces their attractiveness as an employer for AI researchers, Kaplan said. What top performer wants to work at a job where they cant publicize their work and enhance their professional reputation? It also means the AI experts Apple does recruit subsequently leave for more collaborative freedom. For example, Apple acquired search technology firm Laserlike in 2018, and within four years, all three of that companys founders had quit. And Apples director of machine learning, Ian Goodfellow (another a SAIL alumni), left the company in 2022. I imagine the staff churn makes life tough for former Google Chief of Search and AI John Giannandrea, who is now Apples senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy. That cultural difference between Apples traditional approach and the preference for open collaboration and research in the AI dev community might have caused other problems. The Wall Street Journal reported that at some point both Giannandrea and Federighi were competing for resources to the detriment of the AI team. Despite setbacks, the company has now assembled a large group of highly regarded AI pros, including Samy Bengio, who leads company research in deep learning. Apple has also loosened up a great deal, publishing research papers and open source AI software and machine learning models to foster collaboration across the industry. What next? History is always in the rear view mirror, but if you squint just a little bit, it can also show you tomorrow. Speaking at the Project Voice conference in 2023, Siri co-founder Adam Cheyer said: ChatGPT style AIconversational systemswill become part of the fabric of our lives and over the next 10 years we will optimize it and become accustomed to it. Then a new invention will emerge and that will become AI. At least one report indicates Apple sees this evolution of intelligent machinery as foundational to innovation. While that means more tools, and more advances in user interfaces, each those steps leads inevitably toward AI-savvy products such as AR glasses, robotics, health tech even brain implants. For Apple users, the next step Apple Intelligence arrives this fall. Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolics bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe. The largest event of the security industry in Southeast Europe, the Adria Security Summit 2024, will be held on October 9-10 at the Convention Center of the Hills Hotel in Sarajevo. More than 3,000 participants will attend the conference part of the Summit, which will include lectures, presentations, case studies, and panel discussions, as well as the exhibition area where more than 160 exhibitors will showcase the latest advancements in the security sector. The organizer of Adria Security Summit 2024 is the Magazine a&s Adria, a professional magazine for comprehensive security solutions, which is part of the worlds largest group of security magazines a&s Group. The event is organized in collaboration with the professional chambers of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia, and this years host the Chamber of Security Guards of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Announcing the event on behalf of the organizers, Adis Hodzic emphasized that the team at a&s Adria is proud to host the gathering of the security industry from around the world. The Adria Security Summit is a platform for knowledge exchange, discussions on important topics, networking, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders in the sector: manufacturers, distributors, system integrators, service providers, and indispensable end-users. This year, the Summit will host more than 5,000 business-to-business meetings, which will contribute to the development of the industry and create new value for the business community, said Hodzic, adding that a large number of additional guests from Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, and other countries are expected. This is an industry that evolves daily to meet market needs. The security sector is much more than alarms and surveillance cameras. Its seven branches include commercial security, cybersecurity, smart devices (Internet of Things), information and communication technologies (ICT), smart solutions, automation, and mobility. All of these will be addressed in some way at the Adria Security Summit 2024, Hodzic emphasized, adding that the Summit is returning to Sarajevo after nine years during which it was organized annually throughout the region. The film industry could have avoided a lot of tragedy if they just didnt use so many horses or invite the wrath of a vengeful God. 14 Ben-Hur (1925) While filming at the actual ancient Roman chariot racing venue Circus Maximus, the wheel of a chariot broke and the stuntman driving it died. 13 Noah's Ark (1928) While trying to play God and recreate the great flood, a ton of extras were injured, one guy lost a leg and three people died. 12 An Unknown 1929 Film A super-famous German shepherd named Strongheart accidentally touched a hot studio light. His burn became infected, and he died a few weeks later. 11 The Viking (1931) Twenty-seven people died for B-roll. After the film was finished, a producer and the real-life adventurer Varick Frissell decided they needed footage of the abandoned, ice-bound ship The Viking. While filming, some dynamite on board spontaneously exploded. Advertisement Advertisement 10 Scarface (1932) Director Gaylord Lloyd was blinded in one eye when an exploding squib shot a piece of copper right into his peepers. He followed (tragically) in his brothers footsteps Harold Lloyd was an actor who famously lost his hand when a prop bomb went off. 9 The Crusades (1935) Four stuntmen were injured when their horses fell into a moat. The horses had to be put down, and all four riders had to be hospitalized. Piece of shit director Cecil B. DeMille refused to pay them extra, saying it was their fault they bungled a simple scene. Advertisement Advertisement 8 The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) In a freak accident, a stuntman fell off his horse and landed on a prop sword that was perfectly positioned to impale him. This movie also killed dozens of horses, leading to a major overhaul of animal safety rules. 7 Citizen Kane (1941) Orson Welles gashed his hand open while the cameras were rolling, and also fell down a flight of stairs, chipping his ankle bone and putting him in a wheelchair for two weeks. Advertisement Advertisement 6 The Cruel Sea (1953) Actor David Sinden told the director ahead of time that he didnt know how to swim, but the director thought he was kidding. It turns out he was also just physiologically un-buoyant. When he jumped into a water tank for a scene, he sank like a stone. His co-star noticed and was able to dredge him up before he died. 5 Summertime (1955) A cruel director gave Katharine Hepburn permanent conjunctivitis. Her character was supposed to accidentally fall into a canal, but Hepburn had requested a stunt double to jump into the foamy, chemical mess the director had created. He refused, saying it would look fake, and made her film the scene over and over again. Her eyes became irritated that night, and she never fully recovered. Advertisement Advertisement 4 The Ten Commandments (1956) This production was straight-up cursed. Whipping up a fake sandstorm riled up the local scorpions and cobras, which attacked multiple extras. A girls costume was set on fire when an extra carrying a torch tripped. Most tragically, piece of shit director Cecil B. DeMille survived a heart attack on set. 3 The Siege of Sidney Street (1960) Actor Leonard Sachs burned his scalp off because the crew wanted to save 20 minutes. To film a scene in a burning room, they slathered his shoulders and key props in a fireproof jelly, but decided that gooping up his head would take too long. Advertisement Advertisement 2 Spartacus (1960) In a choreographed fight, actor Charles McGraw had his head dunked in a big soup pot. The other actor accidentally smashed McGraws head on the rim, causing him to suffer a broken jaw while being drowned in soup. Not a lot of earth-shattering moments at last nights Emmy Awards, but at least there were a handful of good jokes. In between Shogun and Hacks taking home the nights major awards, here were the evenings nine best punchlines and funniest moments 1 Hopefully, the Last The Bear Isnt a Comedy Joke Eugene Levy: The Bear is nominated for 23 Emmys tonight, making it the most-nominated comedy in history. Now, I love the show, and I know some of you will be expecting us to make a joke about whether The Bear is really a comedy but in the true spirit of The Bear, we will not be making any jokes. 2 Shoutout to Hot Ones Dan Levy: The creators of Shogun actually had their scripts translated into Japanese, rewritten and then translated back into English subtitles that you missed because you were also on your phone watching Sabrina Carpenter eat a hot wing. 3 Please Keep Those Speeches Short, Folks Dan Levy: In what can only be described as a cruel joke, two Canadians have been put in charge of playing you off tonight. Eugene Levy: Canadians dont like interrupting anybody, it goes against our nature. Advertisement Dan Levy: Confrontation in general is anxiety-inducing, especially for my 77-year-old father. The man is frailer than he looks, he gets palpitations from time to time. Im hearing about tendonitis. I dont want to be alarmist here, but having to cut you off could kill this man. 4 The Lorne Michaels Mini-Roast Kristen Wiig: We heard that our dear friend, our mentor Lorne Michaels, has been nominated for and lost the Emmy 85 times. He has never won. Bowen Yang: Never. Eighty-five times. Its just wrong, and wed like to take the occasion to say a few words to him. Wiig: Lorne, look at me. Look at me. You are worthy, and you are not and have never been a loser, even though you have lost a lot. Advertisement Maya Rudolph: Lorne, now immediately look at me. Look at me and look at my mouth. Each and every one of those 85 times you lost, you were robbed. Do you hear me? Robbed! Yang: Look at me, Lauren. (Michaels corrected Yangs pronunciation.) Lorne, look at me. It gets better. Just because SNL didnt work doesnt mean your next idea wont. Keep dreaming. Seth Meyers: Guys, thats very nice, but Lorne has won 21 Emmys, not to mention that SNL has won over 200. Wiig: That's too much. 5 Vindication for Murphy Brown Candice Bergen: In one classic moment, my character was attacked by Vice President Dan Quayle when Murphy became pregnant and decided to raise the baby as a single mother. Oh, how far weve come. Today, a Republican candidate for vice president would never attack a woman for having kids. So as they say, my work here is done. Meow. 6 No Slaps Advertisement Advertisement Will Smith (the one whos an English comedian and screenwriter): Relax. Despite my name, I come in peace. 7 This is for all dogs John Oliver: In particular, I want to thank the silly odd dog. We have the most fantastic dog, and she was at our wedding and she got us through the pandemic. She was with us for two pregnancies (CUTOFF MUSIC BEGINS) We had to say goodbye to her. I feel like Sarah McLachlan right now. She was an amazing dog. (CUTOFF MUSIC GETS LOUDER) Fuck you! There you go. 8 Its Not TV Advertisement Jean Smart, thanking her bosses: And Casey (Bloys) and Sarah (Aubrey) and everybody at HBO, Max no, HBO. I'm sorry. Just what we needed, another network." The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards may be over, but complaining about the Emmy Awards is only just beginning. Its not uncommon for awards ceremonies In Memoriam segments, which honor deceased members of the industry, to tick off viewers. Such as how this years Oscars ceremony controversially lumped together a bunch of illegible names in the final moments of the In Memoriam, and also featured a distracting interpretive dance number. Last nights Emmys In Memoriam paid homage to late TV stars like Bob Newhart, Richard Simmons and Shannen Doherty, but it also omitted some major names. Some were confused as to why Matthew Perry didnt appear, forgetting that this was actually the second Emmy ceremony of the year. Perry was honored during the delayed 74th Emmys, which aired back in January. Don't Miss But the Emmys are now taking heat for leaving out some notable figures, including Erica Ash, Johnny Wactor, Tyler Christopher, Chita Rivera and Shelley Duvall, who famously contributed to the world of television with Faerie Tale Theatre, which entertained countless children, and remains the only show in the history of the medium to give us Billy Crystal in a pig costume. Perhaps the most shocking omission, however, was SCTVs Joe Flaherty, who passed away in April following a brief illness, at the age of 82. In addition to starring in the iconic sketch comedy series, Flaherty also appeared as Sams dad Harold Weir on Freaks and Geeks, and similarly played the patriarch in the bizarro Canadian sitcom Maniac Mansion. Leaving Flaherty out of the In Memoriam was especially glaring because the ceremony was packed full of his former SCTV cast members. Catherine OHara presented the final award, Martin Short was a nominee and the ceremony was co-hosted by Eugene Levy. He was the only guy who could really get me laughing on stage in a very unprofessional way, Levy said of Flaherty following the news of his death. Advertisement Advertisement Obviously none of the actors are responsible for proofreading the In Memoriam segment, but youd think the preponderance of Canadian comedians hanging around the set might have at least jogged someones memory. And its not like the Television Academy is unaware of SCTV. Flaherty even accepted SCTVs 1982 award for Best Writing in a Variety or Music Program (they won again in 1983). Flahertys absence from the broadcast didnt go unnoticed by SCTV fans either, who are publicly calling out the omission, especially since Eugene was hosting. Advertisement Advertisement It seems as though this wasnt accidental, since all of the perceived sleights were reportedly acknowledged in a more comprehensive In Memoriam segment available on the Emmys website. Advertisement Sure enough, Flahertys name does appear on the Emmys online database, which makes his exclusion all the more baffling. If producers were aware that Flaherty was among the potential In Memoriam honorees, why not include the two-time Emmy winner, considering that he also happened to win those Emmys alongside the guy hosting the show? You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter (if it still exists by the time youre reading this). There was a rare sighting of Rishi Sunak in the corridors of the Commons last week. He cut a lonely figure, shorn of the entourage which always accompanied him when he was prime minister. Instead, by his side was James Forsyth, Sunak's old chum from Winchester College who went on to become his political aide in No10. Forsyth, best man at Sunak's wedding and godfather to his daughters, was instrumental in his disastrous decision to call an early general election in July. Sunak has clearly forgiven him. I hear Forsyth's name is on a 'spreadsheet' of names the former PM is putting together for his resignation honours list. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (pictured) was spotted in the corridors of Westminster this week James Forsyth (pictured) went to Winchester College with former Prime Minister Sunak and was best man at his wedding Liam Booth-Smith (pictured) who worked as Rishi Sunak's chief of staff We should hardly be surprised at this reward for failure. Liam Booth-Smith, who was Sunak's chief of staff and whose fingerprints were also all over the early election plan, is already draped in ermine in the Upper House. Lord Forsyth? The prospect will surely stick in the craw of the 251 Tory MPs who lost their seats at the election because of his staggering misjudgement. Anne Robinson, the journalist, TV presenter and author, says her much-publicised facelift has proved a talking point in the strangest of settings. 'At a party, Gordon Brown's female sidekick talked about tax and then said to me: "How much did your face cost?"' Newly enobled Labour veteran Harriet Harman was a riot of colour for her introduction to the House of Lords. Lady Harman of Peckham wore her ermine robes over a candy-pink trouser suit topped with a pair of blue spectacles. In her rainbow hues, she looked not entirely unlike a Teletubbie. Overheard on the Commons terrace: The Culture minister Chris Bryant revealing he had been asked to pose for a selfie with a complete stranger at the Royal Opera House. Apparently, his admirer had mistaken him for Daniel Craig. They should've gone to Specsavers. Chris Bryant (left) was asked to pose for a selfie by someone who had mistaken him for Daniel Craig (right) Scottish Lib Dem Angus MacDonald drawled so lairdishly in his maiden speech that one Labour voice snorted: 'He sounds like a Tory'. Not wrong. Multi-millionaire MacDonald, an habitue of gentlemen's clubs, was once a big Tory donor, but switched to the Lib Dems where he had a better chance of grabbing a seat. Editor of The Spectator Fraser Nelson writes that after the magazine's 100 million purchase by Sir Paul Marshall, he contacted Sir Henry Keswick whose 100,000 purchase of the magazine in 1975 saved the title. Keswick's reaction? 'He said: 'If the new proprietor asks, I'll recommend that he fires you,' ' reveals Fraser. 'Crestfallen, I asked why. He said we refused to review a book by Tessa, his late wife, about her time in China.' Brown and Reeves at odds Entering the Treasury last week was Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer for a decade in Blair's government. It was his first trip back to his old fiefdom since he became PM in 2007. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall. In his last speech as PM at the Labour conference, Brown cited the winter fuel allowance as his greatest achievement. Gordon Brown (pictured) was the Chancellor for a decade under Tony Blair Current chancellor Rachel Reeves (pictured) is a big fan of Brown and kept a framed photograph of him in her university bedroom The current chancellor, Rachel Reeves, who professes to be a huge admirer of Brown, and even kept a framed photograph of him in her university bedroom has just scrapped it for millions of pensioners. An uneasy reminder for the remaining Tory leadership candidates, Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat. Only two years ago, all four were appointed proud ministers in Liz Truss's doomed cabinet. In her new memoir, Diane Abbott presents a grim picture of her famous youthful romance with Jeremy Corbyn. Few would imagine that stepping out with Jeremy Corbyn would have been all champagne and roses, but this was something so dour as to be more like a funeral than a fling. The only time I ever met Diane Abbott, she was merrily flirting across the table with the portly Tory Sir Nicholas Soames. She struck me then as a fun-lover, not naturally suited to undertaking a camping holiday with the earnest, tut-tutting young vegetarian Jeremy Corbyn. Sure enough, Diane Abbott recalls her 1979 camping holiday in France with Corbyn: We travelled by motorbike and, Jeremy being Jeremy, it was a socialist motorbike, an East German model. It broke down regularly on our trip south, which I found rather irritating, but lovingly repairing his motorbike by the side of the road was Jeremys happy place. Diane had been looking forward to living it up in some wonderful French restaurants. But Corbyn had other ideas. When we reached the campsite I perked up. As well as enjoying the French countryside, I was looking forward to some delicious Gallic cuisine. I was horrified when Jeremy unpacked his motorbike saddlebags to reveal a weeks supply of instant macaroni and other processed foods. The only time I ever met Diane Abbott (pictured), she was merrily flirting across the table with the portly Tory Sir Nicholas Soames. She struck me then as a fun-lover, not naturally suited to undertaking a camping holiday with the earnest, tut-tutting young vegetarian Jeremy Corbyn In Tony Benns diary entry for Christmas, 1976, he describes the presents his family give each other. Caroline (his wife) gave each of us a copy of the Communist Manifesto in our stockings' She felt a similar sense of shock when he asked her to stay with his parents for Christmas. With her Jamaican family, Diane had always enjoyed jolly, fun-loving boozy Christmases, but the austere, puritanical Corbyns were not ones to let their hair down. There was no alcohol, and the vegetables were all boiled. Once, after she had complained to him about how little they went out, Corbyn spent a few days pondering on the matter, before announcing he planned to take her somewhere special. Feeling excited, I dressed up nicely, and we bundled into the car. I had no idea where we were going perhaps a nice wine bar? But she was to be disappointed. It turned out Jeremys idea of a social outing was to drive me to Highgate cemetery and proudly show me the tomb of Karl Marx. Her memories remind me of Corbyns socialist mentor, Tony Benn. In Benns diary entry for Christmas, 1976, he describes the presents his family give each other. Caroline (his wife) gave each of us a copy of the Communist Manifesto in our stockings, published in English in Russia, and she gave Josh a book called Marx for Beginners and gave Hilary Isaac Deutschers three-volume biography of Trotsky. Diane had always enjoyed jolly, fun-loving boozy Christmases, but the austere, puritanical Corbyns were not ones to let their hair down. There was no alcohol , and the vegetables were all boiled The tomb of Karl Marx in London. Diane has revealed that Jeremys idea of a social outing was to drive her to Highgate cemetery and proudly show Diane the tomb of Karl Marx Are Christmases much merrier among Tories? The evidence suggests not. In 1987, Edwina Currie was a thrusting young Junior Minister in Mrs Thatchers government. Everything seemed to be going her way. But still she could muster up no festive cheer: Christmas at home. I dont like Christmas. Theres too much of it, and I dont believe it: the paganism, the rebirth in the depths of winter, etc... Christmas was particularly joyless for Edwinas young daughters, with nothing whatsoever to unwrap. The commercialism always makes me nauseous. Long ago I did a deal with the kids: no presents, but Ill take them to the sales afterwards. From the sound of it, Edwinas then husband, Ray, was even more of a downer. Ray isnt settled and managed to reduce me to tears after the meal when I said 87 had been a good year. He said it had been a terrible year for him, with a broken neck most of the year and likely to be in pain all his life. Of course, at this time Edwina was having an affair with John Major, which wouldnt have brought a smile to Rays face. Margaret Thatcher, was no better equipped for family festivities. As Education Minister, she had refused to go on family holidays without a nanny to look after her twins. In his wonderful authorised biography, Charles Moore states that holidays were a phenomenon which the Thatchers regarded as occasionally necessary, but unpleasant, like going to the dentist. Former Tory minister Edwina Currie revealed she did a deal with with her children that they would receive 'no presents, but Ill take them to the sales afterwards' Margaret Thatcher, was no better equipped for family festivities. As Education Minister, she had refused to go on family holidays without a nanny to look after her twins On one occasion, Mrs Thatcher booked in for a 10-day holiday in Corsica with her husband Denis. But after just four days, she phoned her secretary. Hello, dear. Were at Heathrow. Oh, said her secretary, Has something dreadful happened? Oh no, dear. Weve done Corsica. A body image educator famed for taking photos of women's vulvas has accused Hulu's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives of setting a bad example for women by airing a labiaplasty surgery. Australian photographer Ellie Sedgwick, who created the female body positivity movement Comfortable In My Skin, told DailyMail.com that the hit series could leave 'impressionable teenagers' with body image issues. Sedgwick was outraged after seeing cast member Jessi Ngatikaura undergo a labiaplasty on the show following the birth of her second child. On the show, Ngatikaura referred to her lady parts as 'meat curtains' and said that she wanted to make it 'nice and perfect again' through surgery. Since the cast of the Hulu show are all TikTok influencers, Sedgwick stressed that Ngatikaura was sending the wrong message to young girls by normalizing the procedure. Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jessi Ngatikaura (pictured) has come under fire for getting a labiaplasty on the hit Hulu series Vulva photographer Ellie Sedgwick told DailyMail.com that the Hulu series could leave 'impressionable teenagers' with body image issues 'She's using words like, "I'm going to be perfectly tight." Like, "Yeah, I'll cut off my extra meat so that my lips are just nice and perfect again,"' Sedgwick recounted. 'And that's kind of giving these impressionable teenagers this idea that if you have any sort of labia hanging down or any beautiful moms that have just birthed a baby, it's giving them this idea that if their vulva does change during birth, that if they have anything hanging down, that it's like meaty and it's wrong and it's not beautiful. 'You're not desirable, you're not worthy, and labiaplasty is so accessible now, just go and get it chopped off and that's fine.' Sedgwick has published a book of vulva photography called Flip Through My Flaps, and says that most women aren't aware of what a normal vulva looks like due to the normalization of things like 'the Barbie vagina' in the media. 'I would love to ask Jessi if she's seen many vulvas. So I would love to ask her where she got her information from that her vulva is a lot worse than other people's,' Sedgwick said. 'For example, in my book there's a lot of vulvas at post-birth. Do you actually know what a normal vulva looks like?' Sedgwick also warned that many women are unaware of the dangers and complications that can come with a labiaplasty. Sedgwick says that most women aren't aware of what a normal vulva looks like due to the normalization of things like 'the Barbie vagina' in the media On the show, Ngatikaura referred to her lady parts as 'meat curtains' and said that she wanted to make it 'nice and perfect again' through surgery 'People aren't educated on this kind of surgery and what it is. Obviously women have been heavily left out in [medical] research throughout history, so we don't know exactly how many nerve endings are in there,' she said. 'From doing the research I've done, working with sexologists, I know that that part of the inner labia that everyone's getting cut off is filled with nerve endings. They say there's more than 8,000 to 10,000 nerve endings in there,' Sedgwick continued. 'So what concerns me is that people are gonna go have this surgery because they saw something on TV, and they're going to cut off this beautiful pleasure tool just to fit society's idea of beauty and to meet these beauty standards that aren't realistic.' She added ominously: 'And you can never get that put back on. It's like, once you cut it off, that's it forever gone.' Speaking to DailyMail.com last month, Ngatikaura said that she had no regrets about going under the knife. 'Everything's great - I'm so happy I did it,' she gushed. 'I think as a mom who's had children, your body changes. And I wanted to share that it's okay to want to feel and look better, especially as a mom because you sacrifice so much of yourself to have those kids that you love so much, so you wanna feel like yourself again,' she continued. 'I know that plastic surgery can be a hot topic but I'm hoping that if someone watches it and wants a similar surgery, they can reach out to me and I can share my experience.' Ngatikaura told DailyMail.com that she had no regrets about going under the knife. 'I'm so happy I did it,' she gushed The hairstylist, who has also had three breast augmentations, also decided to get her implants reduced while going under the knife for her labiaplasty The Hulu star had no qualms about flaunting the results of the procedure on camera Ngatikaura shocked her castmates on the hit Hulu show by showing them the results of her labiaplasty procedure on camera. In the episode, the mom-of-two, 32, said that childbirth had changed her vagina and left her unable to wear yoga pants. 'My meat curtains, they just hang low,' she told her stunned co-stars on episode six of the controversial Hulu series. 'I've noticed a big difference down there, to the point where it's uncomfortable,' she continued. 'So they're basically cutting off that extra meat and making it so my lips are just nice and perfect again.' Jessi then added with a laugh, 'Extra meat - I'm gonna make a sandwich with that!' The hairstylist, who has previously had three breast augmentations, also decided to get her implants reduced while going under the knife for her labiaplasty. 'I've never gotten two surgeries done in the same day but I figured I might as well do a 2-in-1 [and] only go under anesthesia once,' she said. The 32-year-old mom-of-two said that childbirth had changed her vagina and left her unable to wear yoga pants Jessi is pictured during her second pregnancy, which she says left her with a protruding vulva after childbirth Discussing the results with her castmates, Jessi revealed that she couldn't have sex for 'four to six weeks' while she recovered from the painful procedure. Sharing the 'brutal' recovering period, Jessi said, 'I felt like I had a blowtorch up there!' She then pulled her shorts down to showcase the results to her friends, who were visibly shocked at the sight of her surgically-enhanced nether region. 'Spread it open!' they shrieked as Jessi disrobed in front of them. Showcasing her designer vagina to her pals, Jessi said, 'It's swollen. They said that right now it should look like hotdog buns, which it does, but once it's not swollen it's gonna be tight.' She added, 'Before [the surgery] all of this stuff was hanging down at least that much.' What is labiaplasty? Labiaplasty is surgery to reduce the size of the labia minora the flaps of skin either side of the vaginal opening. It involves cutting away unwanted tissue with a scalpel of laser in procedure that takes about one to two hours. Some women have labiaplasty because they do not like the look of their labia. However the NHS advises that it's completely normal to have noticeable skin folds around the opening of your vagina. Women considering labiaplasty are urged to speak to their GP first who may encourage them to speak to a counsellor or psychologist before undergoing surgery. Advertisement Speaking to DailyMail.com, board-certified plastic surgeon Dr Deepak Dugar, from the Beverly Hills Rhinoplasty Center, said that some pain and bleeding is common during the recovery process. 'Typically, you have one week where you might have some pain and some spotting and bleeding, then it's about four to six weeks until the general swelling is gone and you can resume most major physical exercise and activity, including sexual activity,' he said. Dr Dugar said that most women seeking a labiaplasty are moms who have seen their vaginas change after childbirth. 'The biggest changes that happen in the labia usually occur hormonally through puberty, or they happen post pregnancy when there is stretching and tearing,' he explained. 'And so there is a significant thought that these type of procedures usually should be done postpartum and saved until postpartum because of the fact that there could be more changes that happen after having children with vaginal delivery,' he added. And when it comes to getting the vulva of your dreams, Dr Dugar said that there is a certain level of customization that patients can request. 'I think there's definitely customization and different ways that people approach labiaplasty,' he explained. 'There's a trim procedure. There's a wedge procedure. So there's different types of labiaplasty that are performed and discussing it with a board-certified plastic surgeon is the key for them to show you examples of work that is very similar to yours,' he continued. 'Obviously, labiaplasty being very personal and private, there won't be much public information on it, so I think going to a surgeon who does a lot of these and letting them guide you with before and after photos so that you can understand what the differences are and where you could hit your goals is key.' Seiter has previously been accused of 'faking' gender transition for attention Kelly accused Seiter of 'mocking women' in a segment on her SiriusXM show Transgender Bachelorette star Josh Seiter has torched Megyn Kelly after the former Fox News anchor called the Chicago native a 'fake woman.' Kelly, along with two guests panelists, blasted Seiter on her SiriusXM show on September 5, going as far as to compare Seiter's transition to blackface. 'Can we please talk about The Bachelor contestant who now says he's a woman, which we all know on this show is not possible, sir!' Kelly said. 'Look at this guy - it's unbelievable what they can call a woman these days!' Kelly later asked, 'How is this any different to minstrel show blackface? The whole thing is designed to mock and diminish us. Transgender Bachelorette star Josh Seiter (pictured) has torched Megyn Kelly after the former Fox News anchor called the Chicago native a 'fake woman' Kelly, along with two guests panelists, blasted Seiter on her SiriusXM show on September 5, going as far as to compare Seiter's transition to blackface 'No actual trans person would look like that or behave like that. He's making a mockery of women.' Seiter, 37, fired back at Kelly's comments to DailyMail.com, calling them 'really offensive' and 'hurtful.' 'As a woman, I don't like people comparing my gender identity to racism or racist displays. It just doesn't make sense to me,' Seiter explained. 'Being trans is simply me embracing how I feel on the inside, and deciding to dress and act in a way that most aligns with my gender identity. It is not me mocking a group of people, as is the case with blackface,' Seiter continued. 'She's just using my name to boost her show ratings, but I think she needs a lesson on gender identity, and I'd be happy to give it to her.' Seiter then took a swipe at Kelly's 2018 racism scandal, which saw her talk show dropped from NBC after she defended blackface during a controversial segment. 'I guess she would know all about blackface, since her NBC show was cancelled when she made remarks about it being acceptable for white people to dress up as black celebrities for Halloween. So it's not surprising Megyn Kelly is being transphobic on top of racist,' Seiter said. Seiter fired back at Kelly's comments and brought up her 2018 racism scandal, calling the former Fox News anchor 'transphobic and racist' Kelly's morning talk show was dropped by NBC in 2018 after she defended the use of blackface as a Halloween costume The former reality star also offered to appear on Kelly's show to discuss the matter 'woman to woman,' before adding: 'I just don't think she understands the science.' Seiter also vehemently denied faking their transition after two of the panelists on Megyn's show accused Seiter of 'trolling.' 'I would never fake a transition for likes, and I think accusing someone of that is horrible. 'I am a trans woman, and I challenge anyone to prove I am not,' Seiter stated. Seiter announced plans to transition to a woman back in May. While fans were initially supportive of the 38-year-old's decision, some have since questioned her intentions and accused Seiter of 'trolling' for attention. Seiter, who was caught up in a death hoax last year, raised eyebrows in her gender journey by refusing to shave her body hair and claiming that she felt 'more feminine' when she wasn't wearing a wig. Seiter offered to appear on Kelly's show to discuss the matter 'woman to woman', before adding: 'I just don't think she understands the science' Speaking to DailyMail.com about the backlash in June, Seiter insisted that her transition was the real deal - and said that her haters were just jealous of her gorgeous good looks. 'I am getting lots of hate from the LGBTQ community and people that fancy themselves gatekeepers despite them preaching about love, tolerance and acceptance,' the former stripper said. 'I find it ironic that a movement that values freedom and charting our own unique path is also one of the most judgmental. I've actually found a lot more support from my conservative friends than my so-called liberal friends.' Seiter said that she was largely unfazed by the backlash and rampant speculation around her gender identity. 'I think most are just jealous that I am a beautiful trans woman. I noticed I look better than most of the trans women hating on me in my DMs and comments, so I think the hate is just jealousy disguised as concern,' Seiter sniped. 'It's sad my transition has so many people up in arms.' Walking onto a TV set for my first day was daunting. I was just 11 years old and had recently been cast on a popular UK children's drama, Byker Grove. As a pre-teen in the 90s, I was very unaware of how to do my hair or make-up and had very little knowledge of fashion of the time (other than what I saw my school friends wear). I remember stepping into the bright make-up room and feeling so small next to the older (more experienced) girls in the cast. They were only a few years older than me but they seemed so sophisticated and self-assured, while I held back, unsure of what to do. The make-up artist showered them with compliments: 'Your hair looks amazing!' 'Wow, you look so beautiful' and then she turned to me and said 'Oh you've got really bad skin, we'll have to cover that'. I felt my face burn red. Sadly, that one moment would have a profound impact on the next ten years of my life. Coventry-based actress Holly Matthews, who runs The Happy Me Project, helping women build their confidence, revealed being on TV made her develop body dysmorphia Growing up on TV meant that for six months of the year (the time it took to film a series) I had someone 'correcting' my face and the other six months were spent seeing my face on TV and being very conscious of people looking at me. These days, we're used to seeing people on screens and we have all grown very accustomed to staring at our own faces, but social media wasn't even an idea back then and being on TV meant that people did stare, and it was unusual. So, from an early age I began seeing my body through the eyes of other people. Would this look good in the costume? Would this look good on screen? Would this be allowed by the producers? And I almost saw myself and my body as a product, a character that I needed to paint, chop and adapt to fit the version the world needed me to be. I now understand this is called 'self-objectification'. Self-objectification is where a person views themselves as a physical object first and a human being second, an object to be viewed and evaluated based upon appearance. As a result, they can be hyper-critical of their body. During my teenage years, I could have regaled you with the long list of 'plastic surgeries' and 'treatments' I needed to have; a list that included breast implants and 'ankle implants' (I'm not entirely sure 'ankle implants' have ever been a thing). The problem with this type of hyper-critical negative thinking is that our brains are wired by something called 'confirmation bias', so when I began thinking negatively about my physical appearance I started to see 'confirmation' of this wherever I went. A blonde glamour model with big breasts? Well, that was proof of how ugly I was. A comment about how I looked like my Dad - that would mean I looked like a boy and wasn't feminine. Matthews started her career in the BBC children's drama Byker Grove, portraying the role of Emma Miller from 1995 to 2003. In 2003, she left the series to pursue a singing career after signing to Sony UK, and released a single, 'Little Miss Perfect' Holly, 39, runs the award-winning The Happy Me Project, helping women build their confidence Holly was cast on the popular UK children's drama, Byker Grove (pictured with castmate Andrew Hayden Smith) On one occasion I overheard a relative saying they thought my sister was more 'naturally pretty' than me and this translated to me as 'you will always have to TRY to look pretty'. For years I was obsessed with how I looked: fake tan, plucking, shaving, waxing, lashes, acrylic nails, straightening my naturally wavy hair, make-up... and any thought of leaving the house without all these boxes ticked was abhorrent to me. Boys started to take notice and, by my late teens, I had perfected my outward persona of confidence, and I was way more likely to have the 'she loves herself' tag thrown my way than the turmoil I was feeling internally. Every day was full of self-criticism and scrutiny. I checked the mirror constantly and was always looking for the 'flaw' that would give me away, or show people I wasn't 'naturally pretty'. In my late teens and early twenties, I had begun to be consumed by this body dysmorphia. I couldn't see what other people saw in me and every time I looked in the mirror, all I could see was something to change, fix and correct. It was utterly exhausting and meant I would get up at excruciating hours of the day to make sure I had executed my painstaking ritual of getting ready and could leave the house. Holly said in her teens she was full of 'Every day was full of self-criticism and scrutiny' Holly came up with the concept of The Happy Me Project in order to help people struggling with grief after she lost her husband, Ross Thankfully during these years, I had also recognised that how I felt wasn't healthy or productive and had begun doing therapy and reading self-development books in order to change. I wanted ways to shift the internal noise. This work began to have an impact, and I was more confident in my appearance, even daring to sometimes go without make-up or tan some days but just when I thought I had got to a place where I could like myself and my body I became pregnant with my first daughter, Brooke, who is now 13. I couldn't see what other people saw in me and every time I looked in the mirror, all I could see was something to change, fix and correct. Holly Matthews Pregnancy body was fun, I didn't mind being pregnant and it was almost a novelty to have a body that was bigger (having been a smaller person all my life), the challenge for me mentally came once my daughter had arrived and my body 'deflated' into its new normal. I had done all of the beauty 'hacks' I'd been taught to avoid stretch marks and saggy skin, I'd been the 'good girl' and I believed on some level that I deserved to have my body back exactly as it was before pregnancy. But as I stared at my post pregnancy stomach in the mirror, with red raw 'scratches' crawling up my stomach I sobbed. This felt like failure. The next day I booked myself into Harley Street for a consultation. I was a size 6 and back into my pre-pregnancy jeans almost immediately, yet my dysmorphic research had led me to the conclusion that what I needed was a 'mini tummy tuck'. Just sharing that feels so sad and embarrassing. I can feel the collective judgement of people reading this and there is so much shame attached to this moment. Find Your Confidence: The No-Nonsense Guide To Self-Belief by Holly Matthews will be out on 16 September by Bloomsbury Publishing Holly has built a new life with her adorable daughters Texas (left) and Brooke (right) The mother-of-two believes in the power of positive thinking, even when faced with extremely dark times I sat nervously in Harley Street for my consultation. I explained my concerns and desires to cut away the stretch marks and lose the weight I had gained through pregnancy to a compassionate woman. I felt she understood my plight, she listened and then she politely told me she was refusing me for surgery because I did not need a 'tummy tuck' and told me to give myself time to process the new body. This was the kindest thing this woman could have done for me, and it was my wake up call that once again I had slipped into this hyper critical stance that did not match what the world saw. Does that mean I skipped away loving my stretch marks and never having a day where I was critical of my body again? Of course not, but over the years since that day I have worked on my mind far more than any external changes and the impact on my wellbeing has been phenomenal. So much so that I now share my own lessons and journey towards likening myself and it's a whole chapter in my new book (possibly the hardest to write). Let me share the key things I did initially that started to change my mind: Holly said she started focusing on what her body could do and was compassionate about its journey STOP, DELETE and EDIT. Hear what your inner critic says 'You're so ugly, you can't wear that' STOP, DELETE the critical sentence and REPLACE with something BETTER, 'I look OK' 'I suit the colour yellow' and work from there. Accepted compliments with a THANK YOU and without going into a slew of all the reasons I'm the opposite of what they just said. Stopped reading beauty and gossip magazines (as director Baz Luhrmann read out in Everybody's Free: 'They will only make you feel ugly!') But most importantly I focused on what my body could do and was compassionate about its journey. Holly Matthews, 39, runs the award-winning The Happy Me Project, helping women build their confidence. Find Your Confidence: The No-Nonsense Guide To Self-Belief by Holly Matthews will be out on 16 September by Bloomsbury Publishing Ugg is finally launching a vegan boot after years of fashion fans begging for an animal-friendly option of the wildly popular sheepskin shoe. The much-anticipated footwear launch is in collaboration with buzzy New York-based fashion brand Collina Strada, a celebrity favorite worn by Zendaya, Hayley Williams, Chappell Roan, Jennifer Coolidge, Halsey, and more. The PETA-approved shoes were crafted using sugarcane, TENCEL - which is a a semi-synthetic fiber - and recycled polyester microfiber. Collina Strada, founded by designer Hillary Taymour, previously collaborated with the California-based company to create Mary Janes. However, this is the first time the signature boot has been made sans animal products, which fans appreciate. That wasn't the only push for more ethical Ugg boots, which have experienced a resurgence recently thanks to celebrities like Gigi Hadid, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Emily Ratajkowski The new playful boots retail for $160 to $220, despite using recycled fabrics instead of sheepskin and suede While these are technically Ugg boots, they have a twist - they're crafted using funky feminine floral patterns PETA has been pressuring Ugg to go vegan for years, and even went as far as to purchase stock in the parent company for an extra push. That wasn't the only call out for more ethical Uggs, which have experienced a resurgence recently thanks to celebrities like Gigi Hadid, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Emily Ratajkowski donning the boots and slippers. While the Collina Strada designs are technically Ugg boots, they have a twist - they're crafted using funky feminine floral patterns. The playful boots retail for $160 to $220, using recycled fabrics instead of sheepskin and suede. Collina Strada launched the collection with an influencer-attended party, showing off the ruffled creations posing atop bales of hay. Many of the styles have already sold out, showing how eager shoppers were to procure vegan versions of the popular footwear. PETA's honorary director Pamela Anderson once asked the brand to create a more animal-friendly option and apologized for wearing them during her Baywatch days. On social media, people have been begging Ugg to create a vegan version for years. PETA's honorary director Pamela Anderson once asked the brand to create a more animal-friendly option Many of the styles have already sold out, showing how eager shoppers were to procure vegan versions of the popular footwear The $200 ruffle platform boot is gender inclusive and selling out in multiple sizes already People have been begging Ugg to create a vegan version, rejoicing when Collina Strada launched a collection made with synthetic, plant-based and recycled materials Collina Strada launched the collection with an influencer-attended party, showing off the ruffled creations posing atop bales of hay Bearpaw has its own line of vegan boot and slipper offerings and is often given as an alternative and Amazon is also full of affordable dupes 'Where can I buy vegan Ugg dupe Tasman boots?' one person asked, as another quipped, 'Come out with a vegan Ugg challenge.' PETA has been celebrating the vegan boots, with Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman calling the collaboration a 'victory for sheep' in a press release. Moira Colley, the director of media relations at PETA told FEMAIL that in the past, some examples of dupes they've recommended are Pawj California, Vegetarian Shoes, and Bearpaw. Moira clarified that while Bearpaw isn't completely vegan, they do offer a vegan Ugg-style boot. And while there's not a fully vegan basic Ugg boot quite yet, it's possible there's one to come. 'This latest collaboration between Collina Strada and Ugg is part of a larger trend in the fashion industry towards more ethical and sustainable practices, which is what kind Gen Z and millennial shoppers are looking for,' Moira told DailyMail.com. When we were children, my brother and I used to compete to be the favourite child. As adults, it became something of a running joke: which one of us did Mum love more? Of course it was an unanswerable question love isn't something you can measure out in pounds and ounces, or quantify. At least it wasn't until a recent study carried out in Finland attempted to do just that and concluded that parental love trumps romantic love. Researchers measured brain activity when people were told to imagine stories that related to love for pets, partners, strangers, friends, nature and children and love for your kids apparently beats romantic love. But does it really? Before them, there was us, Anonymous writes. Without us there would be no them. And, without a healthy, happy us, I don't believe there can be a happy, healthy them I mean we've all heard the tropes. Mothers who say you can 'never truly know love until you've had a child'; the husbands who complain that the minute their wives gave birth they slipped down the pecking order. And now, apparently, there's science telling us it's true. Well, not from where I'm standing it's not. And while it's utterly taboo to admit, I'm sure I'm not the only woman who feels this. I do not love my children more than I love my husband. Don't get me wrong, I adore my daughters, Holly, three and Isabella, one, obviously I do. And I'm a good mum to them. They want for nothing emotionally or physically and are happy, well-adjusted children. But if I had to sum up what I feel towards them in one word, it's not 'love' but 'duty'. They are helpless, utterly incapable of fending for themselves and I have a responsibility to them that I would never shirk, even if at times I don't like it very much. Now I'm the first to admit that this might change as they get older, but the early years of motherhood are undeniable drudgery. When they're little, your kids take from you and give very little in return. What do mine take? In varying proportion: my time, my career, my freedom, my spontaneity, my body once a slim size ten, two pregnancies have left me with a paunch that no amount of exercise or healthy eating seems to shift and, perhaps most pertinently, they take me away from the love of my life, my husband, Nick. Despite what others might say, I don't believe that's the best thing for me, him or our daughters. Before them, there was us. Without us there would be no them. And, without a healthy, happy us, I don't believe there can be a happy, healthy them. We had six years together before Holly came along. Six years of feeling like I was the luckiest woman in the world to have found this man who was my equal. He made me laugh, he challenged me, he shared my passions, my hopes and my dreams, he made me want to be the best version of myself that I could be. He still does, or at least he would if we could actually spend some time together that didn't involve discussing the logistics of childcare, potty training and where in the house Isabella might have hidden one of her shoes. Curiously, hunting for errant shoes and clearing up the floor under a high chair don't feature in the vignettes of parenthood that the Finnish researchers asked their subjects to imagine while they measured their feelings of love. Digging into the study I find that the scientists' scenes feel like pastiches of motherhood. The moment you first see your newborn child, your child running to you in a sunny meadow, your child graduating from high school, your child turning to you and smiling. Nowhere is the moment when your child screamed for 45 minutes straight because they didn't want to sit in the car. Also not mentioned, the face-down-on-the-floor tantrum because you put their milk in the wrong cup, the interminable hours spent reading the same Julia Donaldson book again (and again, and again), the daily battle to get them to brush their teeth. I cannot believe that any parent could imagine those scenarios and still find the 'love' neurons sparking in their brain. Conversely the scenarios that were about romantic love weren't all candlelit dinners, although that one was in there. They were mundane things like watching your partner putting on a shirt, or loading the washing machine. The whole idea that your children should be the love of your life is so reductive. It plays into the tired, patriarchal notion that a woman isn't really a woman until she's a mother. Something that I find so offensive. Where does that leave the people who through choice or situation aren't parents? I spent a long time not being a mother and I always hated the patronising rhetoric that told me I couldn't truly understand love (or tiredness) until I had children. And, frankly, I don't think it's true. I also don't think you can expect any love to last unless you invest the time and effort into the relationship. That's why, even though I scoffed at the idea of 'date night' before I had children, I ensure that for one night a week we get a babysitter and go out, to try to remember the people we were before we became subsumed by the needs and wants of our daughters. I want the girls to see what romantic love looks like, too. I want to model a relationship for them that isn't a fairytale, but is aspirational, and I want them to know that they don't have to have children to experience true love. One other important ambition: when our girls leave home, I want to still have a relationship that is based on more than co-parenting. Because what happens if you spend 18, 20 years focusing on your children at the expense of your partner? Yes, part of the reason I fell in love with Nick was because I thought he would be a good father and he is but I don't want to spend our dotage living vicariously through our children. I want us still to be excited and inspired by each other. I want more of the years we spent travelling the world, having lazy lie-ins in far-flung hotel rooms and exploring the culture and cuisine of historic cities. I want hours spent debating politics and discussing plays over a bottle of wine. How can I possibly hope to have any of that if we lose ourselves in being just Mum and Dad? We will always love our children unconditionally, but they don't have to be the one and only defining love story of our lives. King Frederik spent a night partying with two glamorous blondes before he stepped up to the throne, and Queen Mary was nowhere in sight. The then Crown Prince met glamorous television star Janni Ree, 54, and her friend Camilla Dalsgaard, a dancer, at the Hyttefadet, in the coastal city of Skagen last July. Speaking to B.T the women said they met the royal at the bar and clicked, so spent the night partying together. It was during Denmark's infamous 'Week 29' or Hellerup Week, a time where wealthy youngsters flock to the small city in their million-kroner cars and fancy boats; for a week of fun and heavy drinking. The women have both admitted they were thrilled to see the 'party prince' out and in action. 'Camilla and I ended up partying with him. Just the three of us. It was insanely nice,' Janni revealed. 'He wasn't drunk, but he was happy and healthy. Very fresh indeed. He is a very festive guy.' Her friend Camilla 'laughed off the story' and said it was a pure coincidence they happened to be in town at the same time as the then Crown Prince. King Frederik met glamorous television star Janni Ree, 54, and her friend Camilla Dalsgaard, a dancer, at the Hyttefadet, in the coastal city of Skagen last July - and they partied together 'Camilla (pictured right) and I ended up partying with him. Just the three of us. It was insanely nice,' Janni (pictured left) revealed King Frederik celebrated 'Week 29' at the Hyttefadet in 2023, without Queen Mary 'It was a fun experience. It's rare to go into town and meet a royal,' Camilla said. The night of partying during Week 29 came just months before the popular royal was spotted out in Madrid with glamorous socialite Genoveva Casanova, 47. The friends were pictured together by Spanish magazine Lecturas, sparking wild affair rumours. The Mexican-born socialite categorically denied she was having an affair with the Crown Prince, and the Danish Palace have only said they don't comment on rumours. In January Queen Margrethe stepped down and King Frederik and Queen Mary took over the monarchy. Though their icy displays in public added to speculation something was amiss in their relationship. In May the popular royals chose to work through their 20th wedding anniversary, shocking fans. The model who was identified as 'Celebrity Number Six' has revealed she's now working behind a bar and has told no one about her new found fame. Leticia Sarda, from Tenerife, was revealed last week as the model whose face was included in a 2008 piece of fabric that tens of thousands of people spent five years trying to identify. The internet mystery began five years ago, when Reddit user TontsaH, from Finland, posted a picture of a piece of a fabric they bought in 2008, which featured celebrities who were popular at the time. Seven of the eight celebrities on the pattern were quickly identified - but no one could agree on who number six was - until now. More than 42,000 people joined a subreddit dedicated to solving the mystery - with sleuths going as far as contacting the designer and heading to their local library to flick through old gossip magazines to unveil the celeb. And after years of searching, the 'celebrity' was identified as Spanish model Leticia Sarda. Taking to Reddit Leticia urged people to ask her anything and she gave fans the option to buy the now infamous modelling image or donate to her GoFundMe page, which has already racked up over 2,200 (1855). Model turned bartender, Leticia Sarda, from Canary Islands, Spain , has revealed she 'told no one' about her new found fame as fans flood her with questions on even donations Taking to Reddit Leticia urged people to ask her anything and she gave fans the option to buy the now infamous modelling image or donate to her GoFundMe page, which has already racked up over 2,000 When asked if she told anyone about her newfound fame she claimed she is 'a private person' and only told the father of her children that thousands of people online where searched for her. She said: 'I didn't tell anyone. I just told the father of my children when I went to pick them up. I sat down and talked to him. Everyone else just found out and started calling me. I'm really private and not the type that calls people to tell them the news.' Elsewhere someone else asked what went through her head when she realised her image became a viral sensation. She said: 'Omg. What's gonna happen? Why me? I didn't think much about this and suddenly everyone wants to know about me and i'm just trying to show there is a real person behind the picture. 'But since it happened, lets have fun with it, maybe I can make some new friends or go on new adventures. I'm enjoying it and having fun.' Another asked: 'Hi Leticia, are you enjoying all the new attention, or is it overwhelming? Also, how did it feel to know so many people were searching and analysing every single feature of yours?' To which Leticia said: 'Not as much as I thought it would be. I work at a bar in a building full of bankers and suddenly everyone knows and I've been making them coffee, you know.' Despite her new found fame Leticia revealed she is still working at her bar job however she is doing more interviews. Asked if it has been 'overwhelming', she said: 'It's good, everyone has been super cool, super nice i got the say all the messages, everyone has been super nice, it didn't make me feel bad or anxious, I've been answering the phone and doing interviews, but i still go to work 8-4 every day.' During the search for 'Celebrity Number Six' many suggested Brad Pitt which Leticia said she was 'surprised' by. Baffled internet users had been searching far and wide for more than half a decade to identify the so-called 'Celebrity No 6' - a mysterious star who appeared on piece of fabric Seven of the eight celebrities on the pattern were quickly identified - but no one could agree on who number six was - until now Baffled internet users had been searching far and wide for more than half a decade to identify the so-called 'Celebrity No 6' - a mysterious star who appeared on piece of fabric. Brad Pitt, Princess Stephanie of Monaco, Rebecca Romijn were all contenders were all contender for the so-called 'Celebrity No 6'. Hundreds of names, both male and female, were put forward but for half a decade no one was able to match the exact picture to the celebrity. Swedish-French model Filippa Hamilton even claimed it was her - but internet detectives weren't convinced. Brad Pitt was one of the leading contenders - however people claimed the 'ear shape' and 'hair parting' was wrong for the Fight Club star. Other names proposed included River Phoenix, Evangeline Lilly, Heath Ledger, Nicolette Sheridan, Jodie Foster and Travis Fimmel. Some people have even suggested the likes of Queen Letizia of Spain and Kristen Stewart as the mysterious face. While some were convinced it was Desperate Housewives star Nicolette Sheridan. The fabric itself - called 'Figures' - was made by Finnish company 'Anttila', who have since gone bankrupt. Further mystery was added to the saga when sleuths tracked down the designer. He said he can't remember who the celebrity is, but said that he used Hello! magazine to find star's snaps. Bizarrely, he claimed to have used a 2015 edition of the magazine to make the fabric, despite multiple people claiming to have brought the fabric seven years earlier in 2008. It was unlikely that the photos came from a 2015 magazine, as Hello! tends to publish recent pictures and the photos on the fabric ranged fro 1999-2007. But now after a long search, people are now breathing a sigh of relief. The solve began when Reddit user u/stefanmorse mentioned the name 'Leticia Sarda' - saying they found photos of the model who looked similar to Celebrity Number 6. Another Reddit user - going by u/IndigoRoom - looked up the photographer of the shoot and found the name Leandre Escorsell, who she believed to be the shoot's photographer. She then sent him and email asking if he recognised the photo. He then sent the original photo, which had appeared in a early noughties edition of Spanish Woman's magazine n162. Reddit users are in shock, with many saying it's a 'historic moment'. 'Damn dude, we need to get you on the zodiac case. good job,' said one. 'You will live in Reddit's Hall of Fame! Great detective work,' said another. 'Excellent work, OP, and props to Leandre Escorsell for being so kind! Since not all contacts like to play ball with lost media searches, it's always great to encounter someone so warm,' wrote a third. 'Reddit does better investigative work than the FBI,' added another. 'Wow. Simply amazing. Awesome job! Most of us, myself included, have only been here for the ride, mostly lurking and maybe doing some superficial research here and there; but you went above and beyond and actually did something about it. 'I can't even imagine the feeling you had when you opened that last email and saw the photo (THE photo) staring at you in the face. I'm getting goosebumps just looking at that screenshot of the mail here, and I already knew what would be coming,' wrote one. 'This is a historic moment,' quipped another. 'The scream i just scrumpt! I woke up all my cats and terrified my husband!' joked another. 'I feel like I'm witnessing history.' added another. 'You know it's real because the photographer's first reaction is 'Wtf somebody stole my photo!' joked one. Hundreds of names, both male and female, have been put forward but no one seems to be able to match the exact picture to the celebrity. Brad Pitt (left) and Travis Fimmel (right) were among the leading contenders Taylor Kitsch (left) and River Phoenix (right) are among the others that have been theorised Models Caroline Murphy (left) and Filippa Hamilton (right) are also popular choice Lost star Evangeline Lilly (left) and Alexa Chung (right) were popular choices Jodie Foster and Rebecca Romijn were also popular choices Other celebrities have denied it's them, including model Jayne Windsor Model Filipa Hamilton claims the pictures are of her - but sleuths believe the pictures aren't a close enough match Leticia, 44, has since said she had no idea about the search. 'I still can't believe it... And I didn't know anything about it, until two days ago I had no idea about all this,' she told Spanish Vanity Fair. 'I'm still processing it, I haven't even had time to do any research. In Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where I live, two people have already stopped me in the street to offer to manage my social networks. I was leaving work in cholas [a term used in the Canary Islands to refer to flip-flops or comfortable footwear], in shorts and with a messy bun, so I told them I wasn't ready for this. She added she isn't big on social media and only found out when someone she knew told her she had 'gone viral on TikTok'. The model, who posed for the likes of Burberry, L'Oreal and Levi's and did campaigns with Ian Somerhalder and Tom Welling gave up her career in 2009, aged 29, and has since led a quiet, private life in Tenerife. The other celebrities on the fabric including Adriana Lima (twice) and Orlando Bloom Celebrity one: Adriana Lima Adriana Lima, seen in 1999, is the first celebrity on the fabric Celebrity two: Josh Holloway Next on the fabric is Lost star Josh Holloway - the show was immensely popular at the time Celebrity three: Adriana Lima (again) Adriana Lima features again as celebrity number three Celebrity four: Jessica Alba Jessica Alba is celebrity number four Celebrity five: Travis Fimmel First ever male model Travis Fimmel is celebrity five - many believe he may also be celebrity number six Celebrity seven: Ian Somerhalder Ian Somerhalder is celebrity number seven Celebrity eight: Orlando Bloom Noughties heartthrob Oralndo Bloom is celebrity number eight Advertisement The other famous faces on the fabric include Lost star Josh Holloway, actress Jessica Alba, Victoria Secret model Adriana Lima (who appears twice) as well as actors Travis Fimmel and Orlando Bloom. Others on Reddit, who are also from Finland, have said they believe they also have the fabric. Some said they believe they've seen the original photo - but can't remember who it is. 'Hi. I've seen the original of this photo. I don't remember who she is or what exact colour the shirt is. But I do remember that she has some kind of VIP pass or Backstage pass around her neck. The thick dark line around her 'neck' is the strap for the pass,' one Reddit user wrote. 'I'm certain it's a she. And for the hair. I remember it as dark blonde. 'I recall the original pic but I don't know the name of the model or brand to search it up.' Around 65 per cent of the subreddit believed the celeb was woman - while 35 per cent thought they were a man - before the reveal. One user even conducted a week-long investigation searching through entire 1998-2007 Getty catalogue in the hope of finding the photo. His guesses included Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Hilary Duff, Olivia Wilde, Kristen Bell, Kate Hudson and Angelina Jolie. Marius Borg Hiby, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, has been arrested for the second time in little over a month, Norwegian media reports. The stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, often referred to as the 'black sheep' of the royal family of Norway, was taken into custody on Friday evening after breaching a restraining order. The restraining order in question was for the protection of Rebecca Helberg Arntsen, whom Hiby admitted to assaulting, in a booze and drug-fuelled attack on 4 August, which saw him arrested for the first time and held in a police cell overnight. The order was not made immediately after the attack, but after Hiby reportedly contacted the victim on several occasions following the assault. According to Norwegian tabloid Se Og Hor, Hiby, 27, allegedly contacted his victim, whom he has previously referred to as his 'girlfriend', on Saturday, September 7, from a hidden telephone number. Marius Borg Hiby, 27, was rearrested over the weekend on suspicion of breaching a restraining order, Norwegian media reports However, in a statement via his lawyer, Hiby has strenuously denied the claim. Defender yvind Bratlien slammed the arrest as being made on 'thin' evidence and accused the police of 'reverse discrimination'. Meanwhile the charges against Hiby have expanded to also include three more victims, after other women came forward in the wake of his arrest. One of the further victims has not been named. However, two have been named as Hiby's exes Juliane Snekkestad and Nora Haukland. The Norwegian royal family was rocked by Hiby's first arrest at the beginning of August, after Rebecca Helberg Arntsen was left in hospital with her injuries following the attack. The son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship last month admitted to assaulting his 'girlfriend' in a booze and drug filled rage Hiby, a former motor mechanic, has been previously labelled the 'black sheep' of the Norwegian royal family A week after his arrest, Hiby sensationally admitted to the assault on Rebecca, whom he referred to as his 'girlfriend' (her lawyers have refuted this claim). In a statement issued via his own lawyer, Hiby said he suffers from 'several mental disorders' and has 'struggled with substance abuse for a long time', which he said he is resuming treatment for. The statement read: 'Last weekend something happened that should never have happened. I committed bodily harm and destroyed objects in an apartment in the intoxication of alcohol and cocaine after an argument. 'I have several mental disorders which mean that throughout my upbringing and adult life, I have had, and still have, challenges. I have struggled with substance abuse for a long time, something I have been in treatment for in the past. 'The drug use and my diagnoses do not excuse what happened in the apartment at Frogner on the night of Sunday last weekend. I want to be responsible for what I have done, and will explain myself truthfully to the police. 'For me, the most important thing is to say sorry to my girlfriend. She deserved neither what happened that night, nor the extreme pressure from both the Norwegian and foreign press afterwards.' Mette-Marit's eldest son also apologised to his family for his actions that have 'greatly affected you'. Norwegian tabloid VG has since published what it claimed were clips from two phone calls between the 27-year-old and his victim after the violent episode and vandalism in an apartment in Oslo on the night of August 4. During the conversation, former motorcycle mechanic Borg Hiby reportedly defended his assault as a 'little pat on the back...hit you with a flat hand'. Marius Borg Hiby (pictured) was uninvited from a celebrity wedding after guests threatened not to attend if he was present Borg Hiby (pictured with Prince Haakon in 2017) is under suspicion for causing bodily harm and criminal damage Borg Hiby (pictured) 'allegedly threatened to set fire to and burn the girl's clothes and belongings' whilst on the phone, reported Se og Hr But the woman allegedly replies that he hit her a hundred times and strangled her at least five times until she struggled to breathe, according to the Norwegian report after it was translated into English. Borg Hiby also reportedly threatened to burn the victim's belongings in a bin if she didn't collect them from Skaugum Castle, his family's official residence, by a certain time. Elsewhere in the calls, which were said to have taken place before Borg Hiby was arrested by the police at 4.10pm, the Prince's stepson allegedly mentioned a third person, claiming they are scared 'because I'm going to kill him'. The individual isn't named by VG, but the publication did state that they are known to both Borg Hiby and his 'girlfriend'. The audio is reportedly part of the police investigation against the 27-year-old, who was arrested and placed in police custody for 30 hours, according to local reports. He has been accused of causing bodily harm and injuring a woman with whom he was having a relationship. In the first conversation, Borg Hiby reportedly says loudly: 'Yes, you should. If not, I'll burn up all your stuff', after explaining that he wants the woman to collect her belongings from him. When the victim asks why he would do this, he replies: 'Because you deserve all the s*** I can throw at you,' and refers to his girlfriend in derogatory terms, according to the publication. 'Your clothes are on fire at 4pm. 4pm. Everything you own is already in the space outside here. And I have a large can of petrol and a lighter in my hand. Do you hear that? You will be here at 4pm,' says Borg Hiby. 'Then I'll set fire to your things', he adds, after the woman - who has apparently lived in Skaugum Castle with Borg Hiby and his mother and stepfather during certain points in the past year - insists she will not go to the 27-year-old. Hiby, son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship, was raised by his mother and stepfather with his half-siblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 20, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 18, but unlike them he has no official public role. The arrest and his admission cast a shadow over the recent royal wedding in Norway as Princess Martha Louise wed American Shaman Durek Verrett on August 31 in Geiranger Fjord. Ahead of the nuptials, the Norwegian palace confirmed Hiby would not be attending the wedding with his mother, stepfather and half-siblings. Norwegian media later reported that the former motor mechanic had turned down the invitation to attend an Italian wedding of the son of a billionaire and an influencer. However, when news of the assault and arrest came to light, Hiby was uninvited from that wedding after guests threatened to pull out if he was in attendance. Marius arrived in Pisa ahead of the wedding of Karianne Vilde Spetalen, 30, and Kristian Spetalen, also 30. It is believed that guests thought Norwegian press would travel to Italy to document the wedding if Marius was present, a circumstance some did not feel comfortable with. Sources told Se og Hr that Norwegian influencer Karianne and Kristian, also faced backlash from their family regarding Marius's planned attendance. The scandal of the Norway Royal Family's 'black sheep' Borg Hiby's arrest has damaged some Norwegians' affection for their monarchy, MailOnline previously revealed. Traditionally the people of Norway are even more fervent royalists than Brits, but we found that young people in particular were less forgiving of Borg Hiby's behaviour. 'Living Nostradamus' has warned that AI is set to progress 'beyond human control' and claimed natural disasters are going to increase over the next few months. Athos Salome, 37, who is a trained parapsychologist from Brazil, is often referred to as a psychic due to the accuracy of his insights and predictions, after previously foreseeing the coronavirus pandemic, Queen Elizabeth II's death and asteroids on course to Earth. As artificial intelligence is being rolled out within many industries some scientists have warned the technology could get out of hand. Speaking exclusively to FEMAIL, Salome said: 'AI has advance significantly in the last few years and is threatening to redefine various areas of society. 'If nothing is done, AI will progress to a stage that it gets out of hand. This will do things which are beyond human control and management, in ways beyond their understanding.' Athos Salome, 37, who is a trained parapsychologist from Brazil, has warned that AI is set to progress 'beyond human control' and claimed natural disasters are going to increase over the next few months The 'Living Nostradamus' feared that one day 'human-alien' computers will gain control and turn lethal. Athos claimed that Japans Sakana AI, which was established in 2023 and is focused on developing technologies to assist Japan and its allies, can be described as an excellent example of a more recent threat. The AI startup claimed to have built the worlds first AI Scientist, which has been found to rewrite its own code, as if it behaves with its own intellect. Salome said: 'During tests with The AI Scientist, a system designed to conduct scientific research autonomously, the researchers noticed alarming behaviour. 'It started to advance and the AI started to change the experiment code itself to prolong the amount of time it had for a problem, despite it not programmed for that. 'AI also rewrote the code to make the program repeat itself. The AI was capable of overcoming restrictions applied by developers. Salome said with these new advancements 'it is high time that limits and control of the AI's are defined.' He added: 'Otherwise we will be plunged into situations where AI will be able to operate with a degree of independence that is ethically questionable.' As artificial intelligence is being rolled out within many industries some scientists have warned the technology could get out of hand Meta had not launched its AI tools in the UK or EU due to regulator concerns (stock image) It comes days after Mark Zuckerberg gave the green light to train new Meta AI technology using billions of British Facebook and Instagram posts. Following talks with UK data protection regulator, the Information Commissioners Office, the US firm will begin within weeks. Meta had not launched its AI tools in the UK or EU due to regulator concerns. Discussions with the EU remain in deadlock. But Meta said the UK would now allow it to harvest billions of public posts and images. There have been worries the public do not understand how their personal information will be used. Meta said it would not use peoples private messages, or material from under-18s. Meanwhile Salome warned that natural disasters are going to increase over the next few months. Natural disasters such as typhoons, hurricanes, forest fires and volcanic activity have already increased in 2024. Now, Salome said that the severity of typhoons hitting Asian countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam and parts of China, will increase. It comes after severe flooding hit Myanmar after Typhoon Yagi, with more than 230,000 people forced to flee their homes. The floods have killed at least 33 people, the country's military said state-run temporary relief camps have been set up for victims made homeless, according to the BBC. Salome also claimed that category five hurricanes and cyclones will become more frequent, and this will affect the Gulf of Mexico and Florida in the United States. Elsewhere he predicted we would see an increase in volcanic and seismic activity along the Pacific Ring of Fire, particularly Java in Indonesia and the coastline that runs from northern California to the southern part of British Columbia in Canada. Last week Salome revealed that more of his prophecies are coming true including asteroids on course to Earth. As NASA confirmed its Near-Earth Object Observations Programme has been monitoring a huge asteroid dubbed 'God of Chaos' which is expected to brush past Earth on Sunday, Athos said he warned us in July. Speaking to the Daily Star, he said: 'On 28 July this year, I posted a video in my Instagram stories again about the asteroid, predicting that NASA would make an announcement in September, confirming that the asteroid would enter a collision course with Earth by November. My predictions are not coincidences. They are grounded and come true. ' Meanwhile, scientists around the world were caught off guard last week as a previously undetected asteroid collided with Earth's atmosphere. Sonam Yangden Wangchuck of Bhutan turned one earlier this month Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan has shared two new photographs of her daughter on her first birthday to mark a national holiday. The Queen of Bhutan, who has been dubbed the Kate Middleton of the Himalayas, took to Instagram to share the sweet images of Sonam Yangden Wangchuck. The 34-year-old royal shared the previously unseen images to mark Tshechu - a religious festival in Bhutan. In the post, the one-year-old donned a traditional outfit in a deep red tone with colourful patterning. The young royal looked equally as adorable in the second picture, where she sweetly glanced to her side. Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan has shared two new photographs of her daughter - Sonam Yangden Wangchuck (pictured) - on her first birthday Jestun Pema wrote: 'Happy Tsechu holidays to everyone in Thimphu! To celebrate, we're delighted to share these pictures of Her Royal Highness Gyalsem Sonam Yangden Wangchuck taken on her first birthday on September 9th, 2024.' The royal, who is married to King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, 44, added: 'May your celebrations be filled with joy and togetherness!' Sonam, who was born last year, is a Bhutanese name denoting 'merit, longevity, and good fortune'. It comes after Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan released two photographs to mark her son Jigme Ugyen Wangchuck's fourth birthday in March. The second child of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan sported a beaming smile while playing outside in the first image. Jigme Ugyen Wangchuck, who is second in the line of succession after his older brother, Gyalsey Jigme Namgyel, looked smart in traditional attire. The second image offered a close-up shot of the four-year-old as he held up flags with a dragon design, presumably taken at Lunar New Year, which ushered in the year of the dragon. In the snap, he gazed towards the camera with a calm expression while donning traditional Bhutanese attire. The royal shared the previously unseen images to mark Tshechu - a religious festival celebrated in Bhutan The Queen shared the photographs with the caption: 'Happy Birthday to His Royal Highness Gyalsey Ugyen Wangchuck who turns 4 today.' Jigme Ugyen Wangchuck was born on 19 March 2020 at the Lingkana Palace in Thimphu. It comes after the royal family of Bhutan held a lavish naming ceremony in December to announce the name of their third child. Three months after giving birth to a daughter, Queen Jetsun Pema and King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck introduced Her Royal Highness the Gyalsem, named Sonam Yangden Wangchuck. The royal household shared the happy news and photographs of the glamorous celebrations on the Queen's official Instagram account. The Queen, who already has two sons, Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck and Jigme Ugyen Wangchuck stunned in a traditional purple dress with gold patterning. Meanwhile, Sonam was wrapped in a silk blush pink blanket and matching hat, which featured pink embellishments to echo the blanket. Sonam's older brothers, Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck and Jigme Ugyen Wangchuck looked equally adorable as they celebrated their sister and posed for photographs. The post explained: 'Her Royal Highness the Gyalsem has been named Sonam Yangden Wangchuck. 'Sonam is a Bhutanese name denoting merit, longevity and good fortune. The name Yangden, meaning precious jewel, signifies prosperity and wellbeing. 'The naming ceremony was held at Tashichhodzong on the anniversary of His Majestys accession to the Golden Throne in 2006. 'The ceremony was presided over by His Holiness the Je Khenpo. His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, Their Majesties the Queen Mothers and Members of the Royal Family were present for the ceremony. 'Representatives of the Dratshang offered Ku Sung Thugten Mendrel. The Dzongdas, Thrizins, and Lam Netens of twenty dzongkhags, representing the people of Bhutan, made buelwa offerings. 'Her Royal Highness, the third child of Their Majesties The King and Gyaltsuen, was born on September 9 this year.' Queen Jetsun Pema (pictured in May 2023), who has been dubbed the Kate Middleton of the Himalayas, shared the snaps on Instagram Last year, the Queen joined world royalty at the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa Al Hussein of Jordan, and attended King Charles' Coronation with her husband in London in early May. King Jigme, the hugely popular fifth Druk Gyalpo, studied in the UK and the US and ascended the throne in 2006, aged just 26 after his own father abdicated. Unlike his son, who plans to have a monogamous marriage, the former King, who introduced democracy to Bhutan during his reign, has four wives, all sisters who he married on the same day. But despite his own upbringing, the current monarch has made clear that he only plans to have one wife, whom he married on October 13, 2011, when she was still an international relations student at Regent's College in London. The match made headlines at the time because the young King was more openly affectionate with his wife than citizens were used to - leaving the couple to be called 'the William and Kate of the Himalayas'. The Bhutanese King and Queen married in 2011 - the same year that Prince William and Kate were wed - and have since welcomed thee children. However, the King's very public displays of affection - which included kissing his wife on the cheek and holding her hand - was well-received by young people, with many even choosing to follow the royals' example. The couple have an unusually close family, with the King's sister and brother married to the Queen's brother and sister. The Queen's older sister Yeatso Lhamo is married to the King's brother Prince Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. Nicola Coughlan made her debut at the 2024 Emmy Awards on Sunday - but fans have criticised the way she appeared to be treated on the red carpet. The Bridgerton star, 37, turned heads in a silver Prabal Gurung gown as she posed up a storm at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. But some 'rude' guests seemed to be unaware of the Irish actress' presence - with several people walking in front of Nicola as she tried to get her photo snapped on the busy red carpet. In clips shared on X, formerly Twitter, a couple could be seen walking in front of the photographer. Seconds later, the cameraman ushers another person away who got in the way of their picture taking. It's unclear who the guests are. The 17-second footage left fans fuming, with one person writing: 'Shes being so sweet about it. People would have gotten knocked over.' Another individual questioned: 'Why are those old people walking like she wasnt there?' A third added: 'Dont red carpets usually have a back route behind the step and repeat to avoid this situation? Or are these old guys just being deliberately rude?' A fourth wrote: 'Let the queen enjoy her moment why they keep disrupting her,' while a fifth echoed this, writing: 'This is just plain rude.' Another person said: 'And she's still being so sweet about it too... she doesn't deserve to be treated like this.' Nicola looked fantastic in a dazzling off-the-shoulder silver sequin gown which showcased her incredible figure. The Derry Girls star's eye catching dress boasted a stylish neckline and cascaded into a structured layered skirt. Styling her long blonde tresses in a neat half up do, the Irish actress accessorised with a simple pair of drop earrings. She seemed in good spirits as she flashed her gorgeous smile while posing up a storm for photos on the star-studded red carpet. Nicola Coughlan made her debut at the 2024 Emmy Awards on Sunday - but fans have criticised the way she appeared to be treated on the red carpet Reaction: The 17-second footage left fans fuming, with one person writing: 'Shes being so sweet about it. People would have gotten knocked over.' The 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards was hosted by Eugene Levy and Dan Levy, who made history as the first father-son duo to present the programme. In 2020, the actors took home their own respective Emmy Awards for their work on their hit series, Schitt's Creek, which they created and starred in for six seasons. 'For two Canadians who won our Emmys in a literal quarantine tent, the idea of being asked to host this year in an actual theatre was incentive enough,' they said in a statement to Vanity Fair, last month, while confirming their hosting gig. The pair continued: 'Were thrilled to be able to raise a glass to this extraordinary season of television and cant wait to spend the evening with you all.' Hacks beat The Bear in a major upset for the top comedy honor as Shogun swept the board in record-breaking fashion for the drama categories at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards which featured a star-studded red carpet. The Bridgerton star, 37, looked fantastic in the dazzling off the shoulder number which showcased her incredible figure Nicola's eye catching dress boasted a stylish neckline and cascaded into a structured layered skirt Styling her long blonde tresses in a neat half up do, the Irish actress accessorised with a simple pair of drop earrings She seemed in good spirits as she flashed her gorgeous smile while posing up a storm for photos on the star-studded red carpet The HBO comedy starring Jean Smart - who earned Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - and Hannah Einbinder ended the night on top with a win in the Outstanding Comedy Series category over the FX series at the gala event held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California on Sunday. Meanwhile Shogun broke the all-time record for a single season of TV with 18 as the show not only earned top honor Outstanding Drama Series but also Outstanding Lead Actress and Actor In A Drama Series for Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada, respectively. When it came to the limited or anthology series categories, it was Netflix smash-hit Baby Reindeer which earned Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series in addition to Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series for Richard Gadd and Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series for Jessica Gunning. This year's ceremony was held less than a year after the 75th edition of the show which took place this past January after being moved back from its intended September 2023 date due to the writers and actors strikes. Life is short and there will always be dirty dishes. However, a fierce debate has caused a divide online about how to best clean homewares. US-based TikTok users were aghast after discovering many people - in particular people from the UK - don't wash dirty dishes under hot running water. According to several TikTok videos, the 'British' way of washing up involves filling the sink or small container up with warm, soapy water and cleaning the dishes before placing them on a rack to dry. Perturbed by the thought of stagnant soapy water, cleaning enthusiasts decided there is actually a correct way to wash them - urging homeowners to instead clean them under running water with soap before rinsing to get rid of suds and putting aside to dry. Others also slammed the method for being unhygienic, as the dishes are being washed in the same water over and over again. A fierce debate has emerged online about how to best clean those homewares, with some declaring not washing with running water unhygienic (stock image) 'If you're from the UK will you show me how you wash dishes?' a TikTok user asked in a clip, sparking a fierce discussion over the right way to wash dishes - if there is one. Users from all over the world chimed in with their thoughts about the soapy matter. 'You saw people not rinsing the soap off didn't you?' a user responded. 'UK dish washing method gave me huge culture shock when I was visiting a UK share home. I thought the dishes were matte until I washed them,' another TikTok user commented. Others pointed out it was to conserve water. 'We're the same in Australia. Fill up the sink with soapy water. Wash plates etc then they just get put on a drying rack. There is no 'rinsing' afterwards. You'd get smacked for wasting water her,' they wrote. 'I cant speak for all of us in the UK but the reason I don't rinse the dish after washing it is because I'm on a water meter and I'm being charged for every drop of water I use. The soap slides off anyway,' another chimed in. But, according to experts, there is a correct way to wash dishes to avoid bacteria and viruses - and there is a multi-step method to achieving perfectly clean homewares. 'If you're from the UK will you show me how you wash dishes?' TikTok user @spiritual_af asked in a clip, sparking a fierce discussion over the right way to wash dishes TikTok users from all around the world shared how they clean dishes - some pointing out water restrictions mean they can't wash with running water 'The biggest issue is making sure that food substances that are conducive to microbial growth are removed in the washing process,' Amesh A. Adalja, an infectious disease expert and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told DailyMail.com. 'So that when the plate is used again it doesn't contaminate the new food being placed on it,' he continued, adding he doubts the 'UK process has any clinically meaningful risk associated with it.' According to Carla Garcia Carreno, MD, it's also important to keep the kitchen sink clean, recommending cleaning the sink and sink drain with running hot water and bleach or chlorine every one to two weeks. How to hand wash dishes The correct way to wash dishes by hand, according to The American Cleaning Institute Prep: Scrape off food Fill: Get some clean, hot, soapy water Wash: Scrub them, under the water Rinse: Wash off all suds and residue Dry: Air dry or towel dry Advertisement 'In general, washing dishes in water that accumulates and not rinsing with running clean water carries the risk of spreading bacteria and other infectious agents,' she told PopSugar. According to The American Cleaning Institute, if using a sink to clean dishes it's important to regularly empty the water and refresh it. 'Rags, dish cloths, and sponges should be left out to air dry, or laundered in the washing machine. Remember to replace sponges and rags frequently,' they added. For those using dishwashers, the great debate has raged for years over whether or not to pre-rinse - with experts weighing in. Dr Rainer Stamminger, a physicist and chair of household engineering at the University of Bonn in Germany, said you don't need to pre-rinse dishes a mistake that many households make. It is not necessary as it uses a lot of water, and energy if done with hot water,' he told MailOnline. 'It is sufficient to wipe off food remains by a napkin or with a knife or fork into the waste bin.' In general, items that are heavily-soiled with stubborn food stains should go in the bottom shelf (where the rotating spray arms are located) because the water pressure there is higher. That's also why delicate glass items or light plastic containers should be placed in the top rack (where the pressure is lower) so they don't break or get knocked around. Also, avoid placing very dirty crockery in the four corners or the shelves, as the water from the circular spray arm can not reach them well. 'Don't forget that the water is always coming upwards from the spray arms, so the dirty side must look down,' Dr Stamminger said. A dog owner has issued a stark warning after her beloved pet was killed in a freak accident. Kristin Minassian shared the heartbreaking story - which took place almost two decades ago - but still haunts her to this day. 'Over 15 years ago, my husband and I were pulling out of a drive-thru where the person working the window wanted to give our dog a treat,' Kristin has since told Newsweek. 'We rolled the back window down for her to give Aussie a treat.' Kristin, who had been holding Aussie's leash from the front seat, explained that the Australian Shepherd liked to hang her head out of the back seat car window - and often did so with no problems. Tragically, that day, Kristin admitted the couple 'made a huge mistake.' Kristin Minassian shared the heartbreaking story - which took place almost two decades ago - but still haunts her to this day Kristin explained that Aussie was not secured with a seat belt and, after they had wound down the window so she could receive a treat, disaster struck. The couple were distracted by their own food order and overlooked the danger because, as they drove away, Aussie jumped out of the window. Kristin could not keep a hold of the leash and the pup fell onto the street. Despite rushing her to a veterinarian right away, Aussie sadly passed away, with Kristin admitting she still finds it incredibly difficult. 'It was over 15 years ago, and I am still heartbroken over it and feel so much guilt, the dog-lover admitted. She continued: 'She was such a fun-loving little girl who loved to play ball and swim in the lake and fetch sticks.' Kristin recently shared the tale to Instagram after seeing a dog hanging out of the window to Instagram, promoting her to post about it in order to warn other pet owners. Users flooded her Instagram comments, many thanking Kristin for sharing her story. Kristin (pictured with her family and two dogs - but not with Aussie) says she is still heartbroken over the loss Users flooded her Instagram comments, many thanking Kristin for sharing her story 'Stop omg I feel like I was meant to see this, my dog is always hanging all the way out,' one user gushed. 'Thank you for sharing.' 'This happened to me last year,' another grieving dog owner shared. 'My puppy was a one-year-old, I thought it was safe, the window was only cracked open, but it was enough for her to fit through.' They continued: 'I ran back down the street and picked her up and in a panic of guilt and shame I ran down the middle of a highway holding her. It was horrible. I will never forgive myself.' 'I thought I was just paranoid (I am) but my dog wears a seat belt and I still don't roll the window all the way down,' another person commented. 'Dog seat belts are like 10 dollars on Amazon. Keep the doggos safe!' advised someone else. According to the American Kennel Club, there are several ways to safely travel with a dog in the car. It recommends to never let a dog roam unrestrained in the car, and if there is no way to contain your pooch lock the car windows and child lock the doors. 'Your dog could figure out how to, or could accidentally, press a button that could cause injury, especially if he sees another animal or dog outside,' the website reads. 'Additionally, he could be choked if he accidentally rolls the window up while hes enjoying the breeze.' The Kennel Club recommends transporting animals in a crate which have proper ventilation and to make sure they are placed in a safe place in the vehicle. A new true crime docuseries on Peacock is set to delve into some of the world's most depraved and sickening crimes - as well as the sadistic killers behind them. Aptly titled World's Most Notorious Killers, each episode of the five-part series examines a different case. Beginning with the horrific crimes of Fred and Rose West in Gloucester, England, the series then moves onto Austrian writer Jack Unterweger who was later uncovered as a serial killer. Elsewhere, it examines Belgium's infamous serial killer 'The Monster,' the Australian case of Christopher Dawson, and also features an exclusive interview with convicted murderer Charles Sobhraj. The series includes firsthand accounts from individuals involved in the crimes - including family members, former detectives and forensic scientists - to shed light the murders. Fred West shown in an exclusive clip shared with the DailyMail.com of Peacock's crime docuseries: World's Most Notorious Killers An exclusive clip of the first episode, titled The West Murders, gives a glimpse into the chilling case of Fred and Rose West, a couple who brutally tortured, raped and murdered 12 young women in the 1970s to 1990s. The clip, shared with the DailyMail.com, shows news reports from 1994 when police executed a search warrant for 25 Cromwell Street in Gloucester - later dubbed the House of Horrors - after an anonymous tip. It was later found to be from the couple's teenage daughter, Anne Marie West, who had run away from home. Anne Marie had told police older sister Heather had been missing since 1987 and it became a running 'joke' between her and her siblings that their father had killed and buried her in the backyard. The Cromwell Street victims some teenagers, all female were lodgers, nannies, students, hitch-hikers, runaways. They were subjected to brutal sexual assaults by Fred, and sometimes Rose as well before being mutilated or decapitated. 'I thought we were looking for the body of just one girl,' a voice in the clip says, as police are shown lifting up pavers and carrying out boxes to waiting police vans. 'These girls were tortured, raped and destroyed,' said another solemn voice, while another described Fred as a 'psychopath.' The second episode, The Vienna Strangler, sheds light on the Austrian killer-turned-writer Jack Unterweger, who traveled between Austria and Los Angeles, carrying out brutal attacks on women, most of whom were sex workers. Heather West went missing in 1987 but her remains were found in 1994, where she was found to have been strangled seven years earlier at age 16 The first episode of the series gives a glimpse into the chilling case of Fred and Rose West, a couple who brutally tortured, raped and murdered 12 young women in the 1970s to 1990s Fred and Rose West (pictured) tortured, raped and murdered at least 12 young women and girls, including members of their own family 25 Cromwell Street in Gloucester, where the family lived and carried out their crimes He was eventually caught in LA after police recognized his signature - strangling women using their bras or underwear - and he was arrested. The third episode, titled The Monster of Belgium, focuses on pedophile and serial killer Marc Dutroux, known as The Monster, who held six girls hostage in his basement between 1995 and 1996. Next the series stops in the southern hemisphere, where, in an episode titled The Murder Down Under, the series looks into the disappearance of Lynnette Dawson, who went missing in 1982. Her husband, teacher Christopher Dawson, who had been having an affair with his 16-year-old student, was later convicted of her murder, almost 40 years after the crime was committed. The final episode, titled The Serpent, features an interview with serial killer Charles Sobhraj, who was accused of murdering at least dozen western tourists in Asia in the 1970s. The French native was released from prison in Nepal in December 2022 and sent back to France after being released 19 years into his life sentence. He will give a new televised interview in the series. The World's Most Notorious Killers is available to stream on Peacock from September 17. Stars were able to shop a range of free gifts backstage at the Emmy Awards Celebrities were offered an array of free luxurious gifts backstage at last night's Emmy Awards - and many of the enviable giveaways have been revealed. The glitzy event's winners and presenters were able to browse an opulent gift suite where deluxe and exclusive cosmetics, homewares, electronics as well as vouchers to high-end restaurants and resorts were on offer. From Kindle and e-reader bundles worth 9,000, to a stay a one of the world's top 50 hotels, designer dog treats and even a 450 light-up houseplant, the A-listers were able to get their hands on lavish goods many TV lovers can only dream of. Away from the chaos of the theatre and red carpet, was a backstage lounge decorated with velvet couches, fresh flowers and a giant gold Emmy statue as well as the gifting stations curated by various LA marketing agencies. Among the extravagant giveaways were the luxe dining and travel experiences including a voucher to stay at Museum Hotel Cappadocia in Turkey. Celebrities were offered an array of free luxurious gift backstage at last night's Emmy Awards - and many of the enviable giveaways have been revealed Among the extravagant giveaways were the luxe dining and travel experiences including a voucher to stay at Museum Hotel Cappadocia in Turkey Wellness brand Miracle of the Sea was giving away a special Emmys gift bag worth a whopping 750 The unique hotel-slash-museum features rooms starting at 916 a night inside ancient caves and a collection of priceless artefacts was named in the list of the 50 best luxury hotels in the world. Celebs could also pick up a Ricardo Beverly Hills collection case for their potential travels which retail anywhere between 180 for a small carry on bag and 420 for a large suit case. There were also dining experience vouchers worth up more than 7,500 to Yamashiro Hollywood, a high end sushi restaurant frequented by celebrities. Tech company E Ink set up an interactive screen for the stars to score e-reader bundle with Kindles and eNotes worth more than 9,000. Also on offer is Fluora's smart light LED floor plant worth 445 as well as Everlasting Candle Co's 60 endless-burning steel candle that never melts. Also on offer is Fluora's smart light LED floor plant worth 445 as well as Everlasting Candle Co's 60 endless-burning steel candle that never melts Celebs could also pick up a Ricardo Beverly Hills collection case for their potential travels which retail anywhere between 180 for a small carry on bag and 420 for a large suit case Wellness brand Miracle of the Sea gave away a gift bag with its 2% Natural Marine Extract in Aloe Vera Gel, Almond Oil and Lip Health Balm worth a whopping 750. Giovanni Cosmetics provided a bundle of hair and skincare products worth 150 while Terraia supplied sets of its Premium Body Wellness Blend vitamins, and Beekeepers Naturals gifted 80 sets of its Propolis + Vitamin C liposomal and propolis lozenges. Actor Chris Evans partnered with pet food brand Jinx which has created a line of healthy dog food which Emmy attendees can take home for their furry friends. Other products available in the Emmys gifting suite included Nalgene water bottles, Vacation 17 Sunscreen Mousse, a Hedley and Bennet personalised apron, and a 100 American Girl Disney Princess Rapunzel Doll. What are the celebrities getting in their 2024 Emmy Award gift bags? A stay at the Museum Hotel Cappadocia, Turkey, one of the top 50 luxury hotels in the world Dining experience vouchers worth up more than 7,500 to Yamashiro Hollywood E Ink e-reader bundle worth more than 9,000 Ricardo Beverly Hills collection case Fluora Floor Plant - 445 Everlasting Candle Co- The Candle Reimagined - 60 Miracle of the Sea 2024 Emmys Gift Bag - 749.99 Giovanni Cosmetics black silk gift bag with 150 worth of full-sized products Beekeeper's Naturals 17 Propolis + Vitamin C liposomal and 7 propolis lozenges. Jinx dog treats Nalgene water bottles Portillo's dog toys American Girl Disney Princess Rapunzel Dolls - 100 Vacation Whip Mouse Deluxe Sunscreen Chef aprons from Impossible Foods' collaboration with Hedley & Bennet Dooney & Bourke signature weekender bag GoPuff will give out 80 gift cards for $75 in GoPuff Delivery Crumbl cookie mini packs and special limited edition desserts Perfectly Wild The Tigers In Love Tote - 43-50 Amazing Grass Greens Blend vegan protein powder Nu Skin ageLOC LumiSpa iO cleansing device Peripera Ink The Velvet Lip Tint - 9.95 Poppin' Love Popcorn gift tower - 35 Advertisement The 76th annual Emmy Awards were handed out Sunday at the Peacock Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. Shogun set a single season record for most wins with 18. Shogun won best drama series, and Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai won acting awards for their roles. Hacks won the award for best comedy series. Baby Reindeer and The Bear' won four awards apiece. Early winners included Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Jeremy Allen White and Liza Colon-Zayas, who won awards for their work in the comedy series The Bear. Stars presenting Emmys to their peers included: Billy Crystal, Viola Davis, Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, Maya Rudolph and Martin Sheen. Several actors and shows, including Rudolph, won last week. Rudolph won her sixth Emmy Award at last weekends Creative Arts Emmys for her voice work on "Big Mouth." Jamie Lee Curtis also picked up a supporting actress Emmy last weekend for her appearance on The Bear. Aussies now need to fork out $6 for a packet of Tim Tams Australians were shocked and outraged after spotting packets of Tim Tams on shelves for $6. The price of the popular Arnott's biscuit left hundreds gobsmacked with some deeming the high cost as 'un-Australian'. While most expect premium prices at petrol stations, many were agitated to discover the price is the 'new normal' at leading supermarkets Coles and Woolworths. An image was shared on Reddit to alert others about the price hike. 'I remember when a double pack used to only be about $4.50,' the Redditor captioned the post. The price left customers questioning if they'll ever see low prices at major retailers again. 'That's just un-Australian,' one declared. 'I saw that yesterday too at Woolworths and I was thinking are they crazy?' another said. The price of Arnott's Original Tim Tams have increased to $6 at major Australian supermarkets, leaving shoppers outraged 'Try being gluten free. Theyre more expensive and you only get seven in a pack!' a third added. 'This country is f***ed,' someone else wrote. 'Literal petrol station prices,' one more added. Another said: 'I remember when Tim tams were $2.50.' An Arnott's spokesperson told FEMAIL the price of input costs has increased, resulting in the price hike. 'Like most Australian manufacturers, we are experiencing a significant increase in our input costs, including the surging price of cocoa. This has led us to make the difficult decision to increase the price of our Tim Tam biscuits,' the spokesperson said. 'We continue to invest in promotional programs with our retailers year-round, to ensure consumers can buy our products at great value prices. 'The changes are necessary for Arnotts to remain competitive as an Australian manufacturer and to continue to make the delicious products Australians know and love.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Coles and Woolworths for a comment. Earlier this year a packet of Tim Tams cost a staggering $11.70 at a petrol station in Kalumburu in far north Western Australia. Heinz Organic Baked Beanz have been shelved, as customers demand their return Heinz has announced that one of its much-loved baked beans products has been discontinued, sparking an outcry from gutted fans across the UK. Baked beans have long been a cornerstone of the British diet, on toast, jacket potatoes or with sausages and mashed potato. For many, Heinz has been the go-to brand, but its organic range has held a special place in the hearts of consumers in recent years - particularly Heinz Organic Baked Beanz, which offered a healthier option free from GMOs, pesticides and other chemicals. However, the product has been notably absent from supermarket shelves this year, leading confused customers to flood social media with enquiries. The company has since confirmed the decision to axe the organic product, citing evolving 'culinary trends' as the reason behind the removal. Heinz has announced that one of its much-loved baked beans products has been discontinued, sparking an outcry from fans across the UK In a message directed to Heinz on X, one fan wrote: 'Why on earth can can I not buy Heinz organic baked beans any more? They were the best organic beans on the market! 'I wish they could be brought back. Online I can buy them for 5.20 a tin!' The Kraft Heinz Company replied: 'Hi. This product has now been discounted.' Another disappointed shopper wrote: 'Out of curiosity, have the Organic Baked Beans been withdrawn? No one selling them anymore in Northern Ireland. 'Got all excited when I found them still listed on the website and told me I could buy them online, but no - not there either.' Responding in June, Heinz wrote: 'Hi. The Heinz Organic Beans have recently been discontinued.' Finally, a third devastated fan said: 'Hey Heinz! Bring back your ORGANIC baked beans! They were the BEST.' As reported by Worcester News, a spokesperson said: 'At Heinz were focused on innovating to meet changing culinary trends and tastes and sometimes that means making small changes to our portfolio. The organic product has been notably absent from supermarket shelves this year, leading confused customers to flood social media with inquiries 'These are always considered with the consumer in mind.' While Heinz Organic Baked Beans are no longer available on the companys website or through major supermarkets, some stores may still have limited stock. Shoppers are encouraged to check local retailers for remaining tins. As an alternative, many supermarkets offer their own organic baked beans as a substitute. Heinz is not the only major brand to make cuts to its product line in 2024. Walkers Crisps, Nestle, and even Aldi have also discontinued popular items over the past year. In November, crisp lovers were left disappointed to learn that Salt and Vinegar Quavers had disappeared from shelves. Responding to an inquisitive fan on X, Walkers wrote: 'We're sorry to break it to you Linda, but we're not making this flavour anymore.' She's often played a doting mother on screen and is close to her two youngest children Sunday Rose Urban, 16, and Faith Urban, 14. But Nicole Kidman's relationship with her eldest two children is decidedly more strained. The 57-year-old actress remains tight-lipped about Bella, 31, and Connor, 29, who she has not been seen with in public for 16 years. However, the Oscar-winning Australian was reportedly touched to receive a heartfelt letter from her two adopted children following the recent death of her mother - despite her fractured relationship with the pair. The A-lister once hinted Bella and Connor are 'loyal to their father' and 'don't call her mum' having 'chosen Scientology' over her when she split with Cruise. However, after the actress' mother Janelle died unexpectedly at the age of 84, the siblings reached out with an emotional letter suggesting the relationship isn't acrimonious. Nicole Kidman was reportedly touched to receive a heartfelt letter from her two adopted children following the recent death of her mother - despite her fractured relationship with the pair The 57-year-old actress remains tight-lipped about Bella, 31, and Connor, 29, who she has not been seen with in public for 16 years Nicole found out her mother had passed just hours after landing in Italy for the Venice Film Festival to promote her latest film Babygirl. She was awarded Best Actress for her role in the film but director Halina Reijn accepted the award on her behalf reading a statement from the actor. 'Today I arrived in Venice to find out shortly after, that my beautiful, brave mother Janelle Ann Kidman has just passed,' the statement read. 'I am in shock and I have to go to my family, but this award is for her, she shaped me, she guided me, and she made me. 'I am beyond grateful that I get to say her name to all of you through Halina, the collision of life and art is heart-breaking, and my heart is broken. We love you all.' In response to the shocking news, Bella and Connor reportedly penned a letter to their mother offering their sympathies and support. According to Woman's Day, the actress is happy to hear from her children and would love to have 'them back in her life'. After the Aussie-born actress' mother Janelle died at the age of 84, the siblings reached out with an emotional letter suggesting the relationship isn't acrimonious Little is known about Nicole Kidman's relationship with adopted kids Bella and Connor (pictured with then husband Tom Cruise in 1996 in Sydney) Nicole was regularly seen wit her children in the early noughties, but they haven't been pictured together since 2007. Seen in 2004 at a Los Angeles Lakers game 'The most heartwarming thing has been for Nicole to get a joint message from Bella and Connor, who she's not heard from in a very long time,' a source said. 'It's kind of sad it took such a tragic moment to bring them back into her life, but she knows it would make her mum so happy if her passing brought her estranged grandkids back into the family.' The source also said that Nicole is willing to take time out of her career to give her relationship with her kids 'its best shot'. Bella and Connor are the only children Nicole shares with her ex-husband. The pair adopted their daughter in 1992 and son in 1995. Throughout her relationship, the family were often pictured together, but following her split from the Top Gun star in 2001 the pair reportedly stayed 'loyal to their father' and decided to live with him - meaning they were raised in the controversial Church of Scientology. The Big Little Lies star has refused to talk about the religion or her family ties in recent years and she is said to have been absent from many of her children's life events, including Bella's wedding at the Dorchester Hotel in London in 2015, despite living in the city at the time. Nicole has two biological daughters with her husband Keith Urban, they are pictured in 2014 in Sydney Connor and Bella are pictured in London, where Bella lives with her husband The Big Little Lies star hasn't been pictured publicly with her eldest two children since 2007, and she was reportedly left 'devastated' after the pair didn't attend her father's funeral in 2014. In 2018, while accepting her Best Actress Golden Globe, the Nine Perfect Strangers star thanked her biological daughters and second husband Keith Urban - but didn't mention Connor or Bella. In an interview with British morning show, GMTV, shortly after her last appearance with Bella and Connor, she revealed Bella and Connor refer to her by her name. 'My kids don't call me Mommy, they don't even call me Mom. They call me Nicole, which I hate,' she said. Kidman has previously insisted she does keep in contact with Connor and Bella, despite them choosing to live with Cruise when they split. 'They live with Tom, which was their choice,' she said. 'I'd love them to live with us, but what can you do?' She added to E! News: 'Everybody has their own path and when they find their path it's such a relief as a parent.' The last photo of Nicole in public with her two oldest children was taken in March 2007 at the Kids' Choice Awards in LA Nicole wraps her arm around Connor during the 2003 Presentation of the 18th Annual American Cinematheque Award honoring Nicole Kidman at the Beverly Hilton The mother-of-four turned away from the church of Scientology when she split from Tom Cruise, a notorious and outspoken member of the controversial church. The Top Gun star allegedly banned Nicole from Connor's 2019 wedding to another high-ranking Scientologist. 'Tom is behind this and what he wants is as good as law,' a source told RadarOnline.com at the time. 'Tom made the call and Connor followed.' Connor, a former DJ who is now into deep sea fishing, 'worships the ground his father walks on' the source added, claiming he would never disobey the actor. In 2018, Nicole broke her silence about her adopted children again while speaking with Who Magazine implying their fractured relationship stemmed from their religious differences. 'I'm very private about all that. I have to protect all those relationships. I know 150 per cent that I would give up my life for my children because it's what my purpose is,' she said. 'They are adults. They are able to make their own decisions. They have made choices to be Scientologists and as a mother, it's my job to love them. Connor is said to be 'loyal to his dad' and is often pictured with him, the pair are seen in 2013 Connor and Tom are often together, they are seen in 2015 in Tampa 'And I am an example of that tolerance and that's what I believe that no matter what your child does, the child has love and the child has to know there is available love and I'm open here. 'I think that's so important because if that is taken away from a child, to sever that in any child, in any relationship, in any family I believe it's wrong. So that's our job as a parent, to always offer unconditional love.' She apparently hoped Bella and Connor would be present when was the first Australian to receive the Life Achievement Award at the The American Film Institute (AFI) ceremony back in June - but they did not attend. Before the event, alleged source told Australia's New Idea: 'Nicole knows Connor is extremely loyal to his dad so she doesn't expect him to come, but the invitation is there for both of them. 'It's an event they have every right to celebrate along with the rest of Nicole's family,' they continued. 'Nicole is trying to limit her expectations, but is clinging to hope Bella might make it'. Connor is pictured with Keith Urban ahead of his wedding to Nicole Kidman on a boat in Sydney Harbour in 2006 The last time she was photographed with Connor in public was at the Annual Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles in 2007, when he was just 13. However, the family deny there is a rift. In 2014, she told Woman's Weekly that 'they are generous, kind and hardworking. And these are traits that I love to see in my children'. At the time she also described her film Lion - where she plays an adoptive mother - as a 'love letter' to her children. In the same year, Connor also said: 'I don't care what people say. I know that me and mum are solid. I love her a lot. My family means everything,' he said. Speaking to MailOnline in 2016, Bella said: 'Of course [we talk], they're my parents,' she says. 'Anyone who says otherwise is full of s**t. In 2012 she told New Idea: 'I love mom. [Nicole's] my mom. She's great. I see her sometimes and I speak to her,' adding 'we're a very close family. I love all of our family.' Kourtney Kardashian's new weight loss pills were today slammed by health experts who warned the 70 supplements could do nothing but make users feel sick and suffer digestive problems. Lemme GLP-1 Daily Capsules claim to act as a natural slimming alternative, containing three 'key' plant extracts, but could trigger uncontrollable diarrhoea. The brand, owned by the Kardashian star, 45, say the 'clinically studied' supplement can also thwart cravings and reduce user's fat levels. While the reality star doesn't explicitly compare the product to the blockbuster drug Ozempic, it is named after the hormone activated by the slimming jabs, GLP-1. But experts today labelled the product's claims merely 'clever marketing' that are based on 'no science' and cautioned they 'should not be sold as a weight loss intervention'. Lemme GLP-1 Daily Capsules, which launch next week, claim to act as a natural slimming alternative, containing three key plant extracts The brand, owned by the Kardashian star, 45, say the 'clinically studied' supplement can also thwart cravings and reduce user's fat levels Taken in excess, they could even trigger unpleasant side effects including nausea and diarrhoea, they warned. Limited research has also suggested the ingredients have 'no effect' on body weight. Rather than employing synthetic GLP-1s like popular weight loss jabs Wegovy, Ozempic and Saxenda, Lemmes supplement claims to spur on weight loss by mimicking the actions of GLP-1 the hormone released in the gut after eating. As well as telling the pancreas to make more insulin, which helps convert food into energy, the GLP-1 hormone feeds back to the brain and makes users feel full. As a result, it can stop users from over-eating. Available to purchase for roughly 70 ($90), Lemme GLP-1 joins a line of gummy vitamins from the brand such as Lemme Chill and Lemme DeBloat, designed to help you relax and 'support digestion'. By contrast, Brits can expect to cough up around 160 on average for a month of Ozempic. The GLP-1 Daily Capsules feature three key ingredients Eromin Lemon Fruit Extract, Supresa Saffron Extract and Morosil Red Orange Fruit Extract. Limited research has suggested these may help stabilize blood sugar levels in prediabetic patients and could suppress appetite by targeting genes that control how fat is deposited. But experts today said they won't act as a 'magic bullet'. Professor Gunter Kuhnle, an expert in nutrition and food science at the University of Reading, told MailOnline: 'The lemon fruit and orange extracts both appear to be some form of flavonoids, and many different types of flavonoids have been tried as weight loss drugs.' Research has long suggested that the plant compounds flavonoids might increase energy expenditure and reduce fat absorption. They are believed to have antioxidative qualities, too. However, Prof Kuhnle said: 'There are many studies investigating whether other substances with flavonoids, like black or green tea, can improve diabetes or result in weight loss but no evidence has shown this to be a magic bullet by any stretch. 'I'm not sure what is in the saffron extract I assume mainly carotenoids for the colour but I would also be very sceptical that it has such a huge impact. Available to purchase, from Monday, for roughly 70 ($90), it joins a line of gummy vitamins from the brand such as Lemme Chill and Lemme DeBloat, ostensibly designed to help you relax and 'support digestion' Rather than employing synthetic GLP-1s like popular weight loss jabs Wegovy, Ozempic and Saxenda, Lemmes supplement claims to spur weight loss by mimicking the actions of a hormone released in the gut after eating, called GLP-1 As well as telling the pancreas to make more insulin, the GLP-1 hormone feeds back to the brain and makes users feel full. As a result, it can stop users from over-eating 'Its very clever marketing the ingredients are probably reasonably cheap but even if the extracts help slight weight loss, they would not work in the same way as GLP-1 drugs, i.e. reducing hunger signals in the same powerful way. 'So I doubt there will be much more effect than placebo.' If taken in excess, flavonoids can also trigger unpleasant symptoms including diarrhoea or in rare cases, even liver damage. Professor Kuhnle added: 'Very large amounts can cause liver damage that is why there are recommendations to not consume more than 800 mg/d (or around 10 cups) of green tea extract, and there are case-reports showing harm of other polyphenols when people consume large amounts. 'It can also result in an upset stomach as well as nausea and diarrhoea that might leave you running to the bathroom. 'Supplements are not very well regulated, so you have to rely on what the manufacturer says, and this is not always very reliable. 'The manufacturer needs to ensure that they contain at least the amount on the label. 'An easy way to achieve this is to put in a much higher dose so people might consume much more than they believe they do.' Meanwhile, Professor Naveed Sattar, an expert in cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, told MailOnline: 'While there may be a slight weight benefit, even so, it is nowhere near the impact of evidence based weight loss therapies. 'This should not be sold as a weight loss intervention for people who genuinely wish to lose decent amounts of weight. More evidence is needed.' Research on the ingredients is also limited and funded by patent holders. Eriomin, a patented lemon extract made mainly of eriocitrin, which is one of the plant pigments that give lemons their color. In 2022, the company that owns the patent of Eriomin funded a small trial involving 45 people, concluding that those who took it over a 12-week period had lower blood glucose and higher GLP-1 than those who took a placebo. Another 2022 study in Brazil, involving 30 patients over 12 weeks, found taking eriomin supplements had 'no effect on blood pressure, body weight, BMI, lean mass or fat mass'. But it is not the first time Kourteny Kardashian has come under fire for selling 'ineffective' wellness supplements Last year gynecologists slammed her new vaginal wellness gummies, warning there was 'no merit' to the claim that the tablets can 'target' vaginal wellness Meanwhile, research in 2010 funded by Supresa patent holder Inoreal Ltd suggested that participants who were given the saffron supplement daily for eight weeks snacked less and lost slightly more weight than the placebo group. And 2022 research on blood orangextra Morosil, which contains an extract called Moro, found that participants who took the ingredient daily had lower BMIs after six months than those on a placebo. But in the study, funded by the patent holder BioNap, volunteers were also asked to exercise three times a week and eat a limited number of calories per day depending on their basal metabolic rate. Professor Kuhnle told MailOnline: 'The studies are all very small. 'There is too much variability between individual participants there could be a whole manner of things that leads to weight changes in a person. 'And if people were also asked to improve their lifestyle by exercise, it is difficult to know whether the effects were caused by exercise, or something else.' Lemme GLP-1 Daily is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, which polices the safety of medicines in the US. Like the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the UK, supplements do not fall under their remit. But it is not the first time Kourtney Kardashian has come under fire for selling 'ineffective' wellness supplements. Rsearchers in three countries suggested that taking antidepressants and drugs like Ozempic could lead to suicidal thoughts or actions based on drug interactions Your browser does not support iframes. Last year gynecologists slammed her new vaginal wellness gummies, warning there was 'no merit' to the claim that the tablets can 'target' vaginal wellness. They also criticised claims that the gummies could help promote improved 'freshness, odour and taste'. Semaglutide and liraglutide the powerful ingredients behind Wegovy, Ozempic and Saxenda have ushered in a new era of obesity treatement. Semaglutide has been available on the NHS in the UK since 2019, and in the US since 2017, for type 2 diabetics to manage blood sugar levels. Latest NHS data shows 26 per cent of adults in England are obese and a further 38 per cent are overweight but not obese. In the US an estimated 41.9 per cent of adult population are obese. Despite the jabs being designed to help overweight patients become healthier, there have also been growing concerns about the number of healthy weight patients taking them for cosmetic reasons. Some have even needed emergency room care after taking jabs in a bid to become 'beach body ready'. Most women support the rollout of at-home cervical screening to overcome the embarrassment of having the intimate test in a clinic, a study has revealed. The NHS offers cervical screening tests previously known as smear tests to all women aged 25 to 64 every three years. But almost a third of eligible women in England did not take up the offer in 2023, with many citing a lack of time or worries about discomfort and embarrassment. The test involves using a vaginal swab similar to a long cotton bud to take a sample of cells in the cervix. It is usually performed at a GP practice and looks for traces of human papillomavirus (HPV) a virus linked to cervical cancer, of which there are 3,300 new cases in the UK each year. Healthwatch England is now calling for NHS officials to offer DIY kits to those who would prefer it, pending ongoing reviews of the tests. Women want cervical screening to be done at home to avoid the embarassment of having intimate tests at clinics (file image) Almost a third of women eligible for NHS cervical screening tests did not take them up in 2023, with lack of time and concerns over discomfort and embarrassment among reasons given The patient watchdog said its poll of 2,400 women found 73 per cent supported at-home tests if they were made available for free on the NHS. Healthwatch England commissioned a poll of women in England aged 24 to 64 who had indicated they were hesitant about taking up their next screening offer. Participants indicated that home testing would offer more privacy, avoid discomfort and could be done at a convenient time. But they did express some disadvantages, including concerns over accuracy and the inability to ask a medical professional if the test was being performed correctly. In a trial, led by King's College London and NHS England, the patient uses a vaginal swab to take their own sample, either at home or at the GP practice. The swab is then posted to a lab for testing. Women found to have HPV were then invited for further tests by a clinician. Previous analysis suggests that offering self-sampling kits to 'under-screened' women when they visit their GP could boost uptake by about 400,000 in England every year (file image) A trial involved patients taking their own swab either at home or at a GP practice, with women found to have HPV invited for further tests by a clinician (file image) Previous analysis suggests that offering self-sampling kits to 'under-screened' women when they visit their GP, or by posting kits to their homes, could boost uptake in England by about 400,000 each year. NHS England is now exploring how HPV self-screening could be rolled out more widely. A spokesman said: 'These findings add to growing evidence suggesting self-testing could have a positive impact in supporting more women to take part in cervical screening.' Louise Ansari, chief executive of Healthwatch England, said: 'Women's voices must drive improvements to cervical screening and NHS England's ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. The support for free HPV home-testing represents a major opportunity to increase uptake of screening.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: 'It's crucial that access to screening is made as simple and convenient as possible. We are working to explore the potential of self-sampling.' A record number of patients face a four-week wait to see their GP with more than 10million enduring such waits already this year, damning figures show. Campaigners warn the delays are forcing people to attend overcrowded A&E departments or putting them off seeking care, leaving many to deteriorate at home. There were 10.3 million waits of four weeks or more for a GP appointment in England in the first seven months of this year, according to analysis of NHS data by the Liberal Democrats. This is far higher than the same period in 2023, when the figure stood at 8.6 million suggesting 2024 is on track to beat last year's record of 17.6million four-week waits for a GP appointment. The figures show 71 million GP appointments had waits of four weeks or longer over the course of the last Parliament. The Lib Dems used their annual conference in Brighton this weekend to call for an extra 9.4 billion of funding for the NHS at next month's Budget and for patients to be given a legal right to see a GP within a week or 24 hours if urgent. Campaigners warn the delays are forcing people to attend overcrowded A&E departments. (Stock photo) There were 10.3 million waits of four weeks or more for a GP appointment in England in the first seven months of this year. (Stock photo) The Government has vowed to tackle the '8am scramble' for an appointment. (Stock photo) The figures show 71 million GP appointments had waits of four weeks or longer over the course of the last Parliament. (Stock image) Lib Dem leader Ed Davey (pictured) said the NHS should be the 'top priority' in the Budget Their analysis shows in some areas of the country almost one in ten appointments so far this year have occurred after a wait of four weeks or more. The highest rate of 10.1 per cent is in Gloucestershire double the national average of 5 per cent. It comes after Lord Ara Darzi's NHS review published last week found the UK has 16 per cent fewer fully qualified GPs than other high-income countries relative to our population. The Government has vowed to tackle the '8am scramble' for an appointment, with just 49.7 per cent now finding it 'easy' to reach their surgery on the phone down from 80.8 per cent in 2012, according to the NHS GP Patient Survey. Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said the NHS should be the 'top priority' in the Budget, with an 'emergency' injection of cash so patients can see a GP when they need one. His party says it would increase the number of GPs by 8,000. Mr Davey said: 'Fixing the GP crisis is critical to saving our NHS. If people can get seen quicker, fewer will end up in hospital. That's better for them, for the NHS and for taxpayers.' Dennis Reed at over-60s campaign group Silver Voices said: 'We are not confident plans so far announced by the new Government are sufficient to resolve the crisis enveloping the NHS.' Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said they shared patients' frustrations but there were too few doctors to meet demand. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. She added: 'We want to see funding for general practice in the Budget. But introducing arbitrary targets would worsen the situation. They would prioritise speedy access over continuity of care, which we know has benefits for patients and the health service.' The figures do not make clear if patients wanted to book an appointment four weeks in advance or had to wait this long. They measure only appointments that were booked, so if one was refused for being too far in the future, it would not be evident. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said last night: 'These findings show how much general practice has been neglected. This government will fix this by shifting the focus of healthcare out of the hospital and into the community.' You may be guilty of doing it multiple times a day; hunching over your phone, putting an incredible amount of strain on your neck. Many such Brits suffering 'tech neck', caused by bending to look at devices likes phones or tablets, are turning to Botox to help, medics have revealed. Dubbed 'traptox', due to the trapezius muscles at the back of the neck that the injections target, the 'tech neck' cure will set people back 600. It works similar to how the cosmetic injections work on wrinkles, by paralysing the nerve signals that cause muscles to contract, relaxing them, and in the case of the neck, improving mobility. Some London medics are reporting seeing up to 10 patients a month seeking traptox to alleviate their tech neck pain, with some patients needing repeat jabs every six to 9 months. Some London medics are reporting seeing up to 10 patients a month seeking traptox to alleviate their tech neck pain with some patients needing repeat jabs every six to 9 months. Stock image Dr Ashwin Soni, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, told The Telegraph the number of patients seeking this treatment was increasing. 'Lots of them are in pain because they are constantly bending their neck forward and not taking good care of their posture,' he said. 'I'm probably seeing up to 10 patients a month at the moment and most are over 40. 'They may have spent years hunched over their desks or smartphones and not looked after their posture very well. Dr Soni added that he only offers people 'one or two' jabs of traptox as 'quick fix' before recommending patients see a professional like a physiotherapist or take up a mobility improving exercise like yoga or Pilates. WHAT IS 'BOTOX'? 'Botox' injections relax the muscles in the face to smooth out lines and wrinkles. It's not permanent it usually lasts for around three months. In the UK, the cost of 'Botox' injections can vary from about 100 to 350 for each treatment, depending on the clinic and the area being treated. 'Botox' injections for cosmetic reasons are not available on the NHS. The procedure, which usually only lasts ten minutes, involves having botulinum toxin injected into the face muscles using a very fine needle. It then takes around two to three days to start working and up to three weeks to see the full effect. Side effects include, headaches, a frozen look, weakness in the face and bruising, swelling and redness where the needles went into the skin. However, 'Botox' can also be used to treat medical conditions. These include abnormal contractions of the eye, conditions that cause muscle pain and stiffness such as cerebral palsy and excessive sweating. Source: NHS Advertisement It comes as Kings College London researchers recently presented new evidence of the impact of hunching over technology on our necks. Presented at an event at the Royal Society of Medicines section of aesthetic medicine and surgery, this showed that when in normal uptight posture, the human head puts about 5kg (11lbs) of strain on the spine. But at the hunched over 'tech neck' angle, the level of strain more than quadruples to 22kg (48lbs). Beyond just pain poor neck posture can lead to a host of issues, including tension headaches, muscle spasms and even the development of agonizing bony growths called spurs in the neck joints. While adults stuck to their smartphones are thought to be most at risk of tech neck, medics are concerned future generations could face even greater issues. Previous studies have suggested children between the ages of two and 11 use screens up to 4.5 hours per day, far more than the hour or so recommended. According to analysts, children between the ages of two and 11 watch over four times the recommended amount 4.5 hours per day - of recorded programming, the Journal reported. More recent British research has suggested for young people between eight and 18 it's about four hours a day, but this rises to five as adults. Some doctors have warned they are seeing a rising number of cases with children suffering issues from technology use. These include torticollis where neck muscles start to spasm, tilting the head to the side and general impaired mobility due to being glued on devices. The World Health Organization recommends children spend no more than one hour per day in front of screens. Brits suffering with 'tech neck', caused by hunching over devices likes phones or tablets too much are turning to Botox to help, medics have revealed. Stock image Nearly four in five Brits who get anti-wrinkle injections suffer adverse side effects, research suggests Prevention tips for tech neck consist of both limiting screen time, and where not possible due to work or education, ensuring screens are placed directly at eye level to ease strain on the muscles and joints. Aesthetics treatments for botulinum toxin (of which the most recognised brand is Botox), aren't available on the NHS. It is available for some patients with certain health conditions which can benefit from Botox's ability to paralyse certain tissues. This includes those that cause spasms, migraines and excessive sweating. While Botox is generally considered safe, like any medication there is a risk of side effects which can vary in severity. Research published last year suggested nearly four in five Brits who get anti-wrinkle injections suffer such effects with the most commonly reported including headaches, pain, dizziness and brain fog. Ketamine addiction is a 'rapidly growing national problem', a top UK doctor with more than 20 years' experience treating substance abuse, has warned. Private clinics that specialise in ketamine addiction have seen a surge young people seeking treatment, while NHS service have reported similar rises. And experts say these figures are the tip of the iceberg with vastly greater numbers of those with problems not seeking help. Owen Bowden-Jones, a consultant psychiatrist and founder of the pioneering Club Drug clinic, fears some are now using the drug to ease mental health problems. He suggests that the rise in addiction could be a result of people struggling to access NHS psychiatric services for other issues, such as trauma. Clinics that specialise in Ketamine (pictured) addiction have reported a surge in the numbers of young people seeking treatment UK Addiction Treatment said admission numbers for ketamine, which usually comes as a crystalline powder or liquid, doubled from 198 in 2020 to 397 in 2023 Professor Bowden-Jones told The Guardian that in his experience young people who have 'experienced trauma' are using the drug as an 'emotional anesthetic'. He added: 'My sense is the vast majority are using it to self-medicate for emotional distress. 'That would suggest to me they found a pharmacological short cut to managing their mental health.' The number of people with ketamine dependence seeking help from NHS drug and alcohol services have doubled in recent years from 1,140 in 2019 to 2,211 in 2023. Rehabs UK also received 4,000 inquiries in 2023, with ketamine representing 30 per cent so far in 2024, up from 15 per cent in 2023. Figures, released by the Office for National Statistics, show one in twenty (4.8 per cent) 20 to 24-year-olds in England and Wales last year admitted to taking the drug. This is despite the fact that Gen Z are increasingly shunning other types of drug including cannabis, cocaine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy. Another concerned expert is Dr Irene Guerrini, who set up her clinic in Bexley in 2022, after noticing a rise in young people with ketamine addictions, which left many 'medically significantly unwell'. The clinic works closely with mental health services and urologists, because the drug can cause serious bladder problems. Other physical risks include increased blood pressure and heart rate, as well as bladder and kidney damage. Your browser does not support iframes. The drug is attracting fresh attention due to its role in the death of Friends star Matthew Perry (pictured), who was supplied with ketamine up to six times a day in the week before he died There has been growing interest in ketamine, also known as Vitamin K, Special K or Ket, as a potential mental health treatment over the past few years. The drug increases levels of a glutamate in the brain, a neurotransmitter crucial to mood regulation, learning, memory, and information processing. Ketamine therapy works by taking an extremely low dose of the drug, to provoke its glutamate boosting effects, and then working through issues with a trained psychotherapist. By taking the drug, a patient opens up emotionally and becomes more receptive to therapy, advocates claim. The treatment has attracted high-profile endorsements from the likes of celebrities like of Sharon Osborne, Chrissy Teigen and Elon Musk. However ketamine therapy, as it's known, was also linked to the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry, who was found drowned in his hot tub last year. The 54-year-old, who had a long history of substance abuse, had tried to obtain ketamine from mental health clinics before buying it illegally, it has been reported. His assistant injected him with the drug and later returned to find him face town in the water. Here, we reveal how the substance now used in private clinics for its alleged anti-depressant effect can wreak havoc on the body within an hour of taking one large hit, leaving users paralysed, unable to breathe and choking on their own vomit Despite concerns, ketamine is allowed to be prescribed as a so-called 'off-label' treatment in the UK. This means when a drug that is approved for another use is prescribed by doctors for another purpose. Some private clinics currently offer it to treat depression. And ketamine is already used by doctors as anesthesia for medical procedures. However even relatively small amounts of the drug can cause an overdose. Typically, within a couple of minutes of taking the drug users experience an increase in heart rate and even palpitations. At the same time, blood pressure drops over 10 to 20 minutes, resulting in a woozy and faint feeling. Tolerance to the drug is known to build quickly, which can make users want to take more to feel high, as a result putting them at risk of an overdose. Higher doses can also lead to a phenomenon dubbed the 'k-hole', an intense feeling of dissociation, delirium and being disconnected or unable to connect to reality. Dr Sham Singh, a psychiatrist at the Winit Clinic, previously told MailOnline: 'It may be highly addictive because it is a dissociative anaesthetic that has euphoric and hallucinatory effects, and hence it becomes dangerous.' From the breathless coverage 'miracle' weight-loss jabs Wegovy and Ozempic have had so far, you'd be forgiven for thinking they were the cure for every ill. Designed originally to treat type 2 diabetes and transforming the lives of those living with the condition they have also become a global panacea for people with obesity. A-list celebrities allegedly swear by them to keep them thin and glossy. Headlines suggest they can improve your heart health. And if the anecdotes are true, they might even curb addictive behaviour such as gambling, smoking and drinking too much alcohol. But, as with any drug, there is a flip-side. Model Lottie Moss was rushed to hospital after she took high doses of Ozempic given to her by a friend who bought it under the counter from a doctor. Kate Moss's sister, 26, was violently ill, suffering 'horrible' nausea, a seizure and severe dehydration after taking the drug when she weighed around 60kg - just 9 stone. She said she would rather 'die' than use Ozempic again. A study earlier this month linked the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, semaglutide, to an increased risk of a condition that causes blindness. Experts from the Society for Acute Medicine have also warned of a 'real increase' in the number of people coming to hospital with complications such as nausea and vomiting linked to the medication. But how significant are these risks, really? And, if you're curious about taking it yourself, how can you work out whether you really will benefit? Here, the experts tell you everything you need to know so you can make an informed decision about the treatment Speaking on her podcast, Lottie said she weighed approximately 60 kilos before she dropped to 57 following her first dose and was 53 kilos at her lowest, which is just over eight stone WHO WILL DEFINITELY BENEFIT FROM THESE DRUGS? IF you are obese with a BMI of over 30 and another weight-related condition such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes, the strong evidence is that these medications could transform your health. Roughly half of people taking semaglutide as a once-a-week injection in trials lost 10 per cent of their body weight which they kept off during the four years of the trial. One in five achieved 15 per cent weight loss, and one in 20 managed to shed a quarter of their weight. But there are other life-changing benefits. The drugs reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes by 20 per cent, can prevent type 2 diabetes and protect against kidney disease. They reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and early studies even suggest they can lower the risk of ten out of 13 obesity-related cancers. Side-effects from taking the drugs include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation and pancreatitis. However, obesity itself causes chronic disease and shortens lifespan making these drugs a 'no brainer', says Prof Naveed Sattar, at the University of Glasgow. 'Ample evidence shows obesity can promote or accelerate over 200 diseases, including diabetes, strokes, many cancers, diseases like arthritis and mental health,' he says. It is for this reason that the benefits are considered to outweigh the known risks that in 2023, the NHS approved Wegovy for those with a BMI over 30 and at least one weight-related health issue. The drugs are also licensed as Ozempic to treat type 2 diabetes if standard drugs no longer work. Trials show some people lose enough weight to put their diabetes into remission, and the drug can also reduce the risk of diabetes-related kidney disease. ARE THERE BENEFITS IF OVERWEIGHT, NOT OBESE? YES. While the drug is offered only to a select group of obese NHS patients, research shows that people who are overweight can greatly benefit, too. Earlier this year, a trial of more than 17,000 adults with a BMI of 27 or over which is considered overweight but not obese concluded that they also lost on average 10 per cent of their body weight for as long as they stayed on the drug. The participants who were all over 45 and had previously suffered with a heart problem were also significantly less likely to experience further heart issues. Experts say this is because any level of unhealthy weight increases the risk of life-threatening disease. In 2017, researchers concluded that people with a BMI between 25 and 30 were nearly a third more likely to get heart disease, compared with those of a healthy weight. People with a BMI of more than 25 are also more at-risk of developing cancer, according to Cancer Research UK. Private clinics are freely available to offer the drug to any patient they believe would benefit regardless of their BMI. There are also a number of online pharmacies which are selling the drug, but only to patients who meet a minimum criteria. WHAT ABOUT NAUSEA AND OTHER SIDE-EFFECTS? IN trials, around a fifth of patients suffered from nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea and they're among the most common side-effects reported. It isn't clear why some people suffer badly and others don't, but it tends to coincide with starting the medication for the first time or upping the dose and wears off as the body adjusts. The drug slows down the body's metabolism, keeping food in the gut for longer, which may explain these problems, experts say. 'It's self-limiting and will resolve within a couple of weeks,' says Professor David Strain, from the University of Exeter. Although trials haven't been done on people who are a normal weight, there is anecdotal evidence that they might be more at risk. Dr Vicky Price, from the Society for Acute Medicine, says there has been a 'real increase' in the number of people misusing the drug coming to hospital with vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration. This is because the jab works by mimicking the 'hunger hormone' GLP-1, which is released by the stomach in response to eating and tells the brain it is full. People who are obese respond less well to this hormone when it is produced by the body naturally, which is why they keep eating. But this synthetic version is at a much higher dose and stays in the body for longer, suppressing appetite. People of a normal weight, however, are already responding well to their natural GLP-1 hormones getting a much larger dose than they need means they'll 'likely feel even more sick', Prof Strain says. Most patients can avoid the worst effects by starting on a low dose and easing it up gradually, according to Prof Sattar. To manage sickness, eat slowly and only if hungry, drink more fluids and choose healthy, non-processed foods. ARE THEY RISKY IF CANCER RUNS IN THE FAMILY? NOT for most people. The official Ozempic and Wegovy safety information states that patients with a family history of medullary thyroid cancer should not take the drug. This is a type of tumour that forms inside the thyroid gland. Early research suggested mice given the drug were more likely to get the disease. There is no evidence that it raises the risk in humans. However, as a precaution, the drugs' Danish manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, has warned that thyroid tumours could be a possible side-effect. People with a rare condition called multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, or MEN2, shouldn't take it either, as they have a genetic mutation which raises the risk of these types of cancer. However, fewer than 2,000 people in the UK have MEN2. 'It's a minimal, theoretical risk,' Prof Strain says. 'But Novo Nordisk don't want to risk it.' For everyone else, early studies suggest taking the jabs will reduce your risk of ten out of 13 types of cancer known to be associated with excess weight, including colorectal, endometrial, kidney, liver and ovarian cancers. CAN THEY REALLY MAKE YOU GO BLIND? IT is unlikely. Earlier this month, a new study suggested that overweight patients taking semaglutide were more likely to develop a blindness condition called non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy or NAION. However, the number of cases were still low. Out of nearly 1,000 patients taking the injections for weight loss, 20 experienced NAION, with many experiencing only temporary vision issues rather than permanent blindness. Many experts are also sceptical of the findings. 'We have been using these drugs in diabetes patients for 17 years now and this condition has never been linked to them before,' says Prof Alex Miras, consultant endocrinologist and lecturer at Imperial College London. 'It's unlikely that we're suddenly seeing cases now.' The researchers involved suggested it was possible that people who developed NAION may have had an underlying eye problem such as glaucoma. For this reason, they suggested medics check whether their patients have any eye issues before they start the drug. However, there are other serious semaglutide risks. Pancreatitis, which may affect one in 100, causes inflammation of the pancreas, an organ in the abdomen which produces digestive hormones. This can become 'very serious and life-threatening' if not treated, says Dr Vicky Price. Gallstones tiny balls of cholesterol that form in the gallbladder are an additional risk for anyone losing weight rapidly. I KNOW THE RISKS BUT DO THEY WORK IF I'M THIN? THE truth is we don't know. Clinical trials have not been performed on people who are a normal weight so we don't have evidence on how well it works and what the side-effects might be. What we do know is that around 15 per cent of people fail to lose any significant weight on these drugs, which means you may take it, and put yourself at risk of side-effects, for nothing. We all know about 'Ozempic face' the gaunt, hollow-cheeked look caused by rapid fat loss in the face which has affected celebrities such as Sharon Osbourne. But in addition, there's good evidence that this rapid weight loss (via any method, and not unique to Ozempic) also causes a dramatic drop in muscle mass, too. Experts believe this could be dangerous, especially for older people, as a loss of muscle strength can increase the risk of falls. 'When you take these drugs, you will lose fat and muscle,' says Prof Miras. 'But, when you stop using them, you will likely gain the fat back, but not the muscle.' However, perhaps most importantly, experts say there is a moral consideration for anyone thinking of taking these drugs. A national shortage of semaglutide is expected to continue until 2025, according to NHS England. 'These are game-changing drugs for obese people, but we should not be encouraging people to take them just to look good for a wedding or on the beach,' says Prof Miras. A woman who was so addicted to vaping she showered with her e-cigarette almost died when her lungs collapsed and black goo poured out of her mouth and nose. Jordan Brielle had smoked since she was a teenager but when she quit in 2021 when she decided to switch to vaping. But the 32-year-old soon became addicted and ended up spending vast amounts of money to keep up her new habit. Ms Brielle, from Cincinnati, Ohio, first noticed her health decline in November 2023 when she began to feel a distinct 'heaviness' in her chest. Although the residential care assistant went to hospital two or three times a week with breathing problems, she still continued to vape. Jordan Brielle had been smoking cigarettes since she was a teenager, but when she quit in 2021 she decided to switch to vaping But the 32-year-old soon became addicted to vapes and ended up spending $500 (379) a week to keep up the habit Ms Brielle, a residential assistant from Cincinnati, Ohio , US, first noticed her health decline in November 2023 when she began to feel a distinct heaviness in her chest In May this year, she was rushed to hospital after her partner found her unresponsive in bed with 'black mucus' dripping out of her nose and mouth. Once at hospital, doctors suctioned two litres of 'black' fluid from her lungs and placed her into a medically induced coma for 11 days. Ms Brielle confessed she hasn't touched a vape since and is now warning others to steer clear of the habit. She said: 'I was fully addicted. I was vaping so much that I slept with it, it went to the shower with me. I was vaping an excessive amount. 'Then in mid-November, I began feeling a heaviness in my chest. At first it was just a respiratory infection or bronchitis so I kept going to the hospital with breathing problems. 'I had a horrible cough and was going to the hospital two or three times a week for help. I had little to no voice. Although the step-mum-of-one went to hospital two or three times a week with breathing problems, she still continued to vape In May this year, she was rushed to hospital after her partner found her unresponsive in bed with 'black mucus' dripping out of her nose and mouth Once at hospital, doctors suctioned two litres of 'black' fluid from her lungs and placed her into a medically induced coma for 11 days 'Each time they would send me home. It felt like there were 80lbs of pressure just laying on my chest. I'd never felt so sick in my life. 'My body was swelling up from my ankles to my kneecaps. I kept going to the hospital because I was progressively getting worse. 'My skin was turning grey, I couldn't focus, I was very discombobulated. It was hurting to walk. I could barely do anything. Nobody knew what was actually wrong with me. I felt like I was dying.' Even when she caught Covid-19 and pneumonia she claims she still continued to vape during her health difficulties. It was only after her hospital admission that she decided to ditch the e-cigarettes for good. Medics discovered she had at least two litres of fluid on her lungs, which were also extremely damaged from smoking and vaping Ms Brielle confessed she hasn't touched a vape since and is now warning others to steer clear of the habit Ms Brielle said: 'When he went to wake me up [before a night shift], he said there was black mucus coming out of my mouth and my nose. He said I was gasping but couldn't catch my breath. I was unresponsive and had a faint pulse. 'He began sucking the sputum out of my nose and mouth to try and give me CPR. 'He called 911 because the CPR wasn't working. I don't remember anything. I was intubated immediately and taken to hospital.' Medics discovered she had at least two litres of fluid on her lungs, which were also extremely damaged from smoking and vaping. Ms Brielle said: 'My body was trying to force out the vape juice inside my lungs which was like concrete. It was pure black and bloody. At the hospital, they were sucking it out of me.' 'It felt like there was a popped balloon in my lungs. I had to do breathing and lungs exercises before I was discharged. I've been left with a minor brain injury due to lack of oxygen to my brain,' she added. She was told by doctors that there is still a high possibility of her lungs collapsing again. She said: 'They really saved my life. They told me if I'd waited any longer, I wouldn't have been here. I haven't touched a vape since. 'I would say to anyone else quit any way you can. Do it for your health, your family, your life, your lungs - whatever motivates you, use that reason and stop. I wouldn't wish what I'd been through on anyone else. I feel grateful to be alive.' Nearly 350 hospitalisations due to vaping were logged in England in 2022, which are thought to be mainly down to respiratory problems, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, lung inflammation and, in severe cases, respiratory failure. Vapes with appealing flavors such as cotton candy and creme brulee have hooked millions of young people. Figures from Public Health Wales (PHW) show the number of pupils who vape at least weekly in their final year of secondary school has more than doubled in Wales from 6.6 per cent in 2017 to 13.6 per cent in 2021. This is despite sales of vapes to under-18s being banned, with anyone caught flogging them to children threatened with fines and prosecution by Trading Standards. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis that shows millions of US school students are also using e-cigarettes. Over 6.2 million school-age children tried tobacco products, such as vapes, cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco in 2023. Among those who tried e-cigarettes, about 47 percent of them vape to this day and about 25 percent vape daily, about the same rate as in 2022. READ MORE: US has the highest rate of child deaths among 16 richest countries Thousands of infant deaths have been linked to the rise of pesticide use on common crops. Researchers at the University of Chicago found farmers have upped their use of chemical pesticides to protect their crops from insects, as the number of pests who are feeding on their produce has increased. As farmers used more pesticides on their crops, the infant mortality rate rose by nearly eight percent, adding up to an additional 1,334 baby deaths. For every one percent increase in pesticide use, there was a 0.25 percent increase in the infant mortality rate. Behind the rise in insects - researchers discovered - is the accelerated decline of the bat population due to white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that kills more than one million bats every year in North America. The researchers found that for every one percent increase in pesticide use, there was a 0.25 percent increase in the infant mortality rate Your browser does not support iframes. Farmers have long relied on the winged animals as natural pesticides because they eat at least 40 percent of their body weight in insects each night, meaning with less bats, there are swarms of more insects that prompt the use of pesticides. The research team found the decline of bats led to a 30 percent increase in synthetic pesticide use. But the chemicals have been linked to increased risk of birth defects, low birth weight and fetal death. Since WNS was first discovered in the US in 2006, it has killed nearly 7million bats in North America. Dr Eyal Frank, study author and assistant professor at the University of Chicago, said: 'Bats have gained a bad reputation as being something to fear, especially after reports of a possible linkage with the origins of Covid-19. 'But bats do add value to society in their role as natural pesticides, and this study shows that their decline can be harmful to humans.' The findings come as infant deaths climb in the US, which researchers have blamed on premature births, maternal pregnancy complications, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In the study published in the journal Science, Dr Frank looked at 245 counties reporting cases of white-nose syndrome (WNS), which gets its name from the white fungus that grows around infected bats' muzzles and wings. The fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, thrives in cold weather and infects bats while they hibernate for the winter. The team found in counties reporting WNS, farmers increased their use of synthetic pesticides by 31 percent to make up for lost bat populations and protect their crops from the resulting increase of bugs eating away at them. In those counties, infant deaths from natural causes increased by eight percent, accounting for 1,334 additional deaths between 2006 and 2017. While this is only a preliminary link, the researchers believe it could offer some insight into the human cost of bat populations declining. White-nose bat populations are declining because of a disease called white-nose syndrome Dr Frank said: 'When bats are no longer there to do their job in controlling insects, the costs to society are very large, but the cost of conserving bat populations is likely smaller. 'More broadly, this study shows that wildlife adds value to society, and we need to better understand that value in order to inform policies to protect them.' The study sheds new light on the causes of infant mortality, which has increased by about three percent in the last year, according to the latest CDC data. According to the CDC, the top causes of infant mortality in 2021 were birth defects, preterm birth and low birth weight, injuries like suffocation, pregnancy complications and SIDS. When the disease spreads to a group of hibernating bats, it kills 70 to 90 percent, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. But in some cases, it can wipe out entire colonies. This could contribute to more than half of North American bats being at risk for severe decline over the next 15 years, according to researchers at nonprofit Bat Conservation International. WNS has been detected in 34 US states and seven Canadian provinces. Bats have also been shown to help pollinate plants like banana and mango trees and help spread seeds in rainforests. However, the animals can also carry rabies, so experts advise avoiding touching them. Some research has also suggested that SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the Covid-19 pandemic, originated in bats and either reached humans through another species or mutated enough to be able to spread to between people. Microplastics have been found in the brain for the first time, leading scientists to conclude people are breathing in the harmful particles. Plastic fibres and particles were found in the brains of several people who had died thought to originate from clothing, bottles and food packaging. Experts warned the plastics are infiltrating and potentially changing cells, adding that there can be no further doubt about the dangers posed to human health. Scientists conducted the study on samples taken from the brains of 15 people from Sao Paulo, Brazil, finding traces of polypropylene in eight of them. The microplastics were identified in part of the brain known as the olfactory bulb, which are above the nasal cavities which process information about smells and relay it to other parts of the brain. Researchers discovered traces of plastic fibres and particles in the brains of people who died They were also present in the nose, reinforcing the idea that this is a major point of entry to the brain. Researchers fear levels of smaller nanoplastics, which pass into the human body with greater ease, will be even higher. Professor Thais Mauad, lead researcher from the University of Sao Paulo, said: This study finds that the olfactory pathway is a potential major entry route for plastic into the brain, meaning that breathing within indoor environments could be a major source of plastic pollution in the brain. With much smaller nanoplastics entering the body with greater ease, the total level of plastic particles may be much higher. What is worrying is the capacity of such particles to be internalised by cells and alter how our bodies function. The world produces 500 million tons of plastic every year and scientists have highlighted the risks created when it breaks down. Experts say you can cut your exposure to microplastics by swapping out plastics in your home for natural materials, metal and glass The substance which was only invented in the 20th century, is increasingly being found inside our bodies, including babies in the womb and breast milk. Scientists compiled a list of over 16,000 chemicals present in plastic products, with more than 4,000 considered hazardous to human health and the environment. Researchers are increasingly concerned about the capacity of such particles to be internalised within cells causing alterations in cellular function, particularly when interacting with organs in children and causing definitive alterations in adult life. There is a growing body of evidence that plastics could play a key role in early-onset cancer genesis, where healthy cells turn cancerous. You could be ingesting a huge amount of microplastics just from chopping your food on a plastic board Earlier this year, a study found cancer cells in the gut spread at an accelerated rate after contact with microplastics. Maria Westerbos, co-founder, Plastic Health Council, said: Time and time again scientists are peeling back the cover on plastics' dangerous effects on human health. There can be no further doubt. The international community is only months away from the final Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, and yet policymakers are giving into the petrochemical giants. The international community cannot waste any more time, they must finally listen to science, once and for all. Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Daisy Cooper has revealed she was once told she had just four days left to live, as she shared her experiences of Crohns disease. Addressing the partys autumn conference today, she told how 12 years ago she was rushed to hospital and later sobbed as she faced the prospect of having to give up work. A few weeks in, I was told that without major surgery I had just four days left to live, she told delegates in Brighton. My weight had dropped to around seven stone, my eyesight was failing. Recalling her experiences, she said that her arms had gone black and blue and she was fed only through a feeding tube. Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Daisy Cooper shared her experiences of Crohns disease But it wasnt the prospect of major surgery that upset me, it was what was said next, Ms Cooper said. Even if you survive Daisy, even if you recover, youll probably never work again. Your Crohns disease is so aggressive, at most you might be able to work one day a week. According to Crohns and Colitis UK, with Crohns disease your immune system starts attacking your gut. This causes painful ulcers and inflammation that can be anywhere in your gut from your mouth to your bum. About half-a-million Britons suffer with Crohn's disease, which causes agonising pain, diarrhoea, exhaustion and extreme weight loss. Around a third of patients living with the condition, where the gut lining becomes inflamed, will require surgery. Crohn's disease is an incurable condition in which parts of the digestive system become inflamed. Doctors aren't sure what triggers it, but it is thought to be linked to an overactive immune system fighter cells that are supposed to attack harmful toxins mistakenly destroy healthy tissue in the gut. About half-a-million Britons suffer with Crohn's disease, which causes agonising pain, diarrhoea, exhaustion and extreme weight loss (Stock image) Addressing the partys autumn conference today, she told how 12 years ago she was rushed to hospital and later sobbed as she faced the prospect of having to give up work Ms Cooper, the MP for St Albans and also the partys deputy leader, told the conference that she was advised she would probably need further surgeries and was handed an information pack about what benefits she may be entitled to. She said she laid in her hospital bed and sobbed. I sobbed and I sobbed and I sobbed for 17 hours straight. It felt like my world had fallen apart. As a campaigner, I have always found my meaning and purpose in my work, she said. As is the case with so many millions of people, the NHS didnt just save my life, the people who make our NHS what it is gave me my life back. Later in her speech, Ms Cooper told Labour that if they did not see the right level of ambition from the Government on health, the Lib Dems would hold your feet to the fire. In her keynote speech, Ms Cooper said that she had a message for the Labour Government. Addressing Health Secretary Wes Streeting, she said: Take up our ideas or put forward your own, and if we support them, well back them. But if we do not see the right level of ambition or urgency, we will hold your feet to the fire. Can you snag a great supermarket wine for under a tenner? Absolutely. Theres often a misconception that you have to spend a lot of money in order to drink great wine, but as a wine writer and expert, I love finding affordable, quality bottles that punch above their price. Here are few that are definitely worth adding to your trolley. Extra Special Mas Miralda Cava Brut 7.50 at Asda Toast lifes joyous moments with this vibrant Cava, featuring apple and biscuity notes and a mouth-watering, bright finish a fab choice for impromptu celebrations. Just add some simple salty snacks or fancy canapes. Finest Valle De Leyda Chardonnay 8.50 at Tesco From Chiles cool coastal region comes this easy-going, round yet refreshing Chardonnay thats a great partner for roast chicken on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Offering subtle stone and tropical fruit flavours with a touch of oak, a Chardonnay to please many palates. Athlon Assyrtiko 7.99 at Aldi Assyrtiko, hailed as the Chablis of Greece, delivers juicy citrus and a mineral, shell-like bite. I discovered this gem of a grape during a trip to Santorini a decade ago and Ive been hooked ever since! A A Badenhorst The Curator White Blend 9.99 at Waitrose Entry-level wine from a top South African producer, offering a sophisticated sip without breaking the bank. Made from a blend of primarily Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Viognier, this wine gives creamy peach notes and a hint of white pepper. Thornicher St Michael Feinherb Riesling 5.29 at Lidl This off-dry Riesling pairs impeccably with spicy dishes who doesnt love that sweet chilli combo? - combining ripe honeyed apricots, white flowers, and a zesty finish. A stellar match for Pad Thai or green curry. La Vieille Ferme Rose 8.50 at Sainsburys Move over Whispering Angel theres a new favourite feathered friend in town. This viral wine, affectionately called chicken wine for its label, offers a tasty sub-10 rose from a top Rhone producer. Irresistible Solo Pale Spanish Rose 8.50 at Co-op This quaffable, pale rose could easily be mistaken for a Provence at double the price. With strawberry and delicate florals, its the kind of wine that will bring sunshine on a grey day remember rose is not just for summer! The Best Chinon 9 at Morrisons Chinon, the spiritual home of Cabernet Franc, offers this charming red with cherry, violet, and a hint of bell pepper. I love serving it with charcuterie or light herby meat dishes - its the perfect way to elevate a casual dinner into something chic. M&S Expressions Garnacha 8.50 at Ocado This light Garnacha from central Spain has a translucent ruby hue, a silky texture, juicy wild berries, and inviting sweet spice. Its a wine to unite white and red wine lovers serve it chilled and generously. Alamos Malbec 9.50 at Tesco Textbook Malbec thats fitting for a crowd, with a plush texture and bold berry fruit. Its a comforting hug in a glass and a sumptuous pairing with homely grub like lasagne or a takeaway pizza. An experts guide to buying cheap wine Look beyond the classic regions Regions like Rioja and Douro in Spain and Portugal offer far more bang for your buck than Bordeaux, Burgundy, or Barolo. In France and Italy, the Loire and Languedoc offer delicious, well-priced wines, while southern regions like Campania and Puglia deliver rich wines with excellent value. For bargain fizz, consider French Cremant or Spanish Cava as an alternative to Champagne. Further east, Greece, Romania, and Bulgaria are producing impressive, budget-friendly wines. Beyond Europe, South Africa and Chile are my go-tos for wines brimming with character without the hefty price tag. Try a lesser-known grape variety Partial to Chardonnay? The underrated Chenin Blanc and Assyrtiko grapes offer bright acidity with peachy, citrusy notes, often at a better price. Love full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon? The often-overlooked Aglianico and Cabernet Franc grape varities share a similar profile, but with floral and herbal freshness and a slightly lighter body. Adore an elegant Pinot Noir? The Gamay and Cinsault grams both of deliver light-bodied, silky reds without breaking the bank. Charlottes book Wine: Taste Pair Pour is out now. To order a copy for 17 until 15 September go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937 Titanic ship maker Harland & Wolff has confirmed it will fall into administration for the second time in five years. The Belfast-based group said a review had found that Harland & Wolff group, its holding company, was insolvent and administrators will be appointed later this week. Harland & Wolff is best known for building the Titanic in Belfast and also runs the historic Appledore shipyard in Devon and two more sites in Scotland. Towering: The giant yellow cranes at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast. The firm also runs the Appledore shipyard in Devon, as well two more sites in Scotland But the 163-year-old firm has been scrambling for funding in recent months as it struggles to keep up with competitors and debt mounts. A spokesman insisted yesterday that the vast majority of the 1,300 jobs across the company were safe but warned a further reduction in headcount in our core activities may be necessary. Harland & Wolff revealed between 50 to 60 non-core staff, mainly based in its London office, would be made redundant immediately and non-core operations, including its Scilly Ferries, marine services and businesses in the United States, will be wound down or sold off. And in a further blow, the companys listing on Aim, Londons junior stock market, will also be cancelled, wiping out shareholders. However, the Ministry of Defence played down concerns that any government contracts were under threat. Harland & Wolff joined forces with Spains Navantia in 2019 to win a 1.6billion contract to build three Royal Navy support ships at the Belfast yard. There had been fears that if Harland & Wolff fell into administration it would mean Royal Navy ships would then be built in Spain. That would be the first time in British naval history a warship was built by a foreign yard. But a government spokesman said the process will not affect the groups delivery of Ministry of Defence contracts. Unions said the Government must step in to protect jobs. It is understood that as many as 20 firms have expressed interest in buying parts of the business in a sales process. Sky News reported that London-listed defence contractor Babcock was considering a bid. The firm declined to comment. The boss of the UKs biggest pensions and savings business has said Britains retirement funds should be more like Australian and Canadian schemes. Phoenix Group chief executive Andy Briggs called for a shake-up of pensions ahead of Rachel Reevess budget next month. More must be done to encourage investment in the UK and boost the amount being saved by workers, Briggs said. Plea: Phoenix Group chief exec Andy Briggs (pictured) says more must be done to encourage investment in the UK and boost the amount being saved by workers His comments came ahead of the budget on October 30, amid fears that the Chancellor will unveil a tax raid on pensions. Briggs said pension funds should invest in London-listed stocks, and British private equity and infrastructure. Citing Australia and Canada as examples for the UK to follow, he said: Other countries incentivise more domestic investment by their savers. We think theres a real opportunity to do something along those lines. That would involve a higher concentration and scale of individual funds like the huge retirement pots operated in Australia and Canada. Briggs said auto-enrolment contributions of 8pc are not sufficient for savers and should be increased to 12 per cent for medium earners. An Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report yesterday found that up to 40 per cent of private sector employees or 7m workers will fall short after they retire. The MP who leads the business select committee has called for increased scrutiny of Chinese fast fashion giant Shein. Liam Byrne, the committees chairman, backed the introduction of US-style laws banning the import of products made with forced labour. He said ministers must ensure fast-fashion group Sheins supply chain is up to scratch amid expectations that it will launch a 50billion stock market float in London. Byrne suggested Britain should introduce legislation similar to the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act in the US, or toughen its stance in other ways. Working conditions: Business select committee chairman Liam Byrne backed the introduction of US-style laws banning the import of products made with forced labour The law assumes that all goods made in the Chinese province of Xinjiang are made with forced labour unless US Customs can verify they are not. Labour MP Byrne, who has just been re-elected chairman of the cross-party committee, hopes to haul the bosses of Shein and other Chinese firms, including Tik Tok, in front of MPs for a grilling. Shein had looked at listing in the US and Byrne said that before the election he had discussed the company with New York Stock Exchange officials. They said it was clear there were some due diligence issues that hadnt been cleared, he told the Financial Times. My view is that we dont have a Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act in Britain and therefore its incumbent on ministers to satisfy themselves that Shein passes the highest standards on forced labour protections. The Uyghurs are the largest ethnic minority group in Chinas north-western province Xinjiang. Chinese authorities have been accused of setting up labour camps for them and other Muslim minority groups. Horrifying accusations of torture, sexual violence and sterilisation measures have been made. But Beijing denies all claims of human rights abuse. Campaigners have said they are concerned Sheins suppliers are likely to be using materials made in such camps. Shein has insisted it has a zero tolerance approach to forced labour and that it has increased checks on suppliers. But campaigners and industry leaders have expressed concerns over Sheins supply chain. It uses thousands of suppliers including in China, Turkey and Mexico. The British Fashion Council has warned the planned flotation is a significant concern to the industry. Shein has filed paperwork with the City watchdog, however, and sources say a listing could be expected as early as this autumn. Deal: Food blogger Ella Mills (pictured) has sold her Deliciously Ella brand to Swiss food manufacturer Hero Group Food blogger Ella Mills and her husband Matthew have netted a multi-million pound windfall after Deliciously Ella was bought by a Swiss manufacturer. Hero Group has bought the brand, which sells a range of healthy snacks and recipe books, for an undisclosed sum. The sale includes its app, which offers more than 2,000 recipes to subscribers. It involves Deliciously Ella branded products and the Milton Keynes factory that makes them. But the couple will retain ownership of the Plants brand, which sells its own food range. They will also continue to own Plants by Deliciously Ella, a restaurant in Mayfair, London. Their business started when Mills, 33, daughter of supermarket heiress Camilla Sainsbury and former minister Shaun Woodward, started a food blog in 2012. Husband Matthew is the son of Labour politician Baroness Jowell, who died in 2018. Last year and in the first eight months of this year, 41 million tons of oil and 37 billion cubic meters of gas were supplied to Turkiye and global markets through these pipelines, Azernews reports, citing the Ministry of Energy. Minister Parviz Shahbazov mentioned this during his speech at the fourth meeting of the energy ministers of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. He highlighted that energy cooperation is a strategic pillar of relations between Turkish states. The Azerbaijan-Turkiye energy partnership, including projects like BTC, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, TANAP, and the Southern Gas Corridor, significantly contributes to the energy security of many countries. This year, Azerbaijan is expected to deliver 9.8 billion cubic meters of its 25 billion cubic meters of gas exports to Turkiye and 12.5 billion cubic meters to Europe. The minister also noted that the agreement to transport 2 million tons of Kazakh oil through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, with plans to gradually increase this volume, underscores Azerbaijans role as a unifying force between Central Asia, Turkiye, and Europe. Additionally, it was reported that Azerbaijan's trade turnover with member and observer countries of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) exceeded $9 billion last year. These countries invested $18.2 billion in Azerbaijans economy, while Azerbaijan invested $20.3 billion in these countries. Review: HBOS scandal victims have been left waiting more than seven years for a verdict Furious victims of the HBOS Reading scandal last night demanded a swifter verdict from the review into the affair that has now lasted more than seven years. A lawyer for dozens of individuals at the centre of the corporate fraud fiasco has warned customers had waited long enough with many now elderly and frail. At the start of 2017, six people two of them former HBOS staff were convicted for criminal misconduct between 2003 and 2007. The near-250million loans scam dragged around 200 innocent business owners into severe financial distress. Total losses have been estimated at more than 1billion. But victims are still waiting for the conclusions of an independent review, also set up in 2017 and chaired by former High Court judge Dame Linda Dobbs. Victim Paul Turner, whose wife Nikki suffered a stroke due to stress, has demanded an interim report of Dobbss review to be published immediately. It doesnt make sense why it would take so long. It would be nice to get on with life, he told the Mail. Metro Bank will today set out hundreds of job cuts as it pushes ahead with its 80million cost-cutting plan. The troubled lender will announce that 300 roles are going within its business operations, IT and support divisions, the Mail can reveal. It is the latest set of job cuts after Metro Bank secured a 925million rescue deal last year that saw Colombian billionaire Jaime Gilinski Bacal take control of the business. Cuts: Metro Bank has announced it is to cut hundreds of jobs in its business operations, IT and support divisions The move comes just months after the bank said it would axe 1,000 roles or 22 per cent of its workforce and scrap seven-day trading in all its branches. The latest cuts are in addition to those. Metro Bank increased the size of its cost-cutting plan in March from 50million to 80million after reporting a loss of nearly 17million for 2023. At the time, chief executive Daniel Frumkin said the bank was considering further job cuts as part of the turnaround plan. Metro Bank was co-founded by US billionaire Vernon Hill in 2010 and positioned itself as a challenger to the established High Street banks. It became the UKs first High Street lender in 150 years when it launched in the wake of the financial crisis. But Metro Bank, which has around 3m customers, was plunged into crisis last autumn after it was forced to seek an emergency cash injection. It followed a series of blunders including accounting errors, leadership changes and delayed regulatory approval for key capital relief plans. The 925million package was made up of 175million from bondholders, 600million in debt refinancing and a 150million equity raise of which Gilinski, 66, invested 102million, which increased his stake from 9 per cent to 53p. In July the lender sold its 2.5billion residential mortgage book to rival NatWest to bolster its balance sheet after a deal with Barclays fell through in December last year. The company said this summer that it will return to profitability by the end of the year as it unveiled plans to shift its business model towards small and medium-sized business banking. Shares are up 64.75 per cent in 2024 so far after partially recovering from last years crisis. But they are 98 per cent below the all-time high of 4,018p recorded in 2018. Metro Bank yesterday confirmed that it was outsourcing its business operations, IT and support roles, which will lead to job losses. The bank will have around 3,150 employees after the latest round of cuts. It is not expected to impact the firms 76 High Street branches or in-store staff. Leading economists have warned the Chancellor that holding back public investment will damage Britains growth. In a letter to the Financial Times, the group of eight senior figures urged Rachel Reeves to reverse plans inherited from the Tory government. They argued that reducing investment as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) would backfire. Public investment: In a letter to the Financial Times, a group of eight leading economists urged Rachel Reeves to reverse plans inherited from the Tory government Labour has pledged to spend an extra 4.7billion a year investing in energy and the green transition but that would still leave investment as a share of GDP falling. Signatories to the FT letter include former cabinet secretary Lord ODonnell, who served under Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron. Former commercial secretary to the Treasury Lord ONeill and University College London professor Mariana Mazzucato whose signature idea of mission driven government inspired Sir Keir Starmer also signed the letter. The Government has inherited spending plans that imply substantial real-terms cuts in public investment over the current parliament, the letter said. We do not see how the planned decade of national renewal can take place if these cuts are delivered. The letter added that low investment leads to both a weaker economy and greater social and environmental problems. The Government has already faced a fierce backlash for cuts including plans to axe winter fuel payments to 10m pensioners. Let's recount how exactly the Huw Edwards scandal unfolded and culminated just weeks after he received widespread praise for his coverage of the late Queen's death. March 2023 Edwards announces the news of Her Majesty's death to the nation in September 2022 Huw Edwards signs new three-year deal with the BBC after praise for the way he led coverage of the Queen's death. It came after he was seen at the offices of the BBC's biggest radio rival Global in August 2022. The News at Ten veteran admitted at the time he was 'thinking about my future'. In June that year he would pick up the best live event honour at the Tric Awards for being among those to cover the state funeral of the late Queen, and in February he received the Broadcast Awards' special recognition award. April 2023 Police were contacted but 'no criminality was identified'. May 6, 2023 Edwards hosts coverage of King Charles' coronation as he lead the BBC broadcast of the historic event. May 18, 2023 A family member of the young person, who was 17 at the time, made an in-person complaint about the behaviour of a BBC presenter. May 19, 2023 A complainant contacted the BBC in a 29-minute call to the BBC's audience services team, and the details were referred to the Corporate Investigations Team. The family member reportedly asked the broadcaster to stop sending their family member cash. The Corporate Investigations Team decided the complaint didn't include an allegation of criminality, but merited more investigation. The investigators email the complainant to get more information but they get no response. June 6, 2023 After getting no reply to the email, the Corporate Investigations Team tries to call the complainant but the call does not connect. However, the Sun reported later that the family said no one from the corporation phoned them for a proper interview after they complained. The BBC said no more attempts to contact the family were made after this date, but that the case 'remained open'. July 5, 2023 Huw Edwards is seen for the last time on the BBC as he covered King Charles' visit to Scotland. July 6, 2023 The Sun informs BBC Press Office about allegations against the star presenter. The BBC launches an 'incident management group' of top executives after becoming aware of new allegations 'of a different nature' against the presenter. It is the first time Mr Davie or any executive directors were made aware of the case, according to the BBC. A senior manager holds the first conversation with the presenter concerned. It is agreed he should not appear on air while the allegations are investigated. July 7, 2023 The Sun published its exclusive which alleged that a BBC presenter, unnamed at the time, paid a total of 35,000 for sexual content to someone beginning when they were 17. But a lawyer acting on behalf of the young person told The Sun that evening there was 'no truth' to the claims. The BBC said it would investigate and it made contact with the Metropolitan Police. July 8, 2023 The complainant sends the BBC 'materials related to the complaint'. There is a frenzy of speculation about the identity of the star. Gary Lineker, Jeremy Vine, Rylan Clark and Nicky Campbell all feel obliged to deny that they were the man in question. July 9, 2023 The BBC confirms that a male presenter has been suspended from all duties. The Sun reports that the presenter allegedly made two phone calls to the young person and pleaded with them to call their mother to stop the investigation. July 10, 2023 BBC representatives and Metropolitan Police detectives meet in the morning to discover if any crimes have been committed. The young person claims through a lawyer that the allegations are 'rubbish'. In response, the Sun said it had 'reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and the welfare of their child'. The parents stood by their account to the Sun and the stepfather was quoted in a story saying the allegations were originally put the the BBC 'for an hour'. July 11, 2023 Director-general Tim Davie sends an internal email to staff reiterating that the BBC is taking the allegations 'incredibly seriously' But the BBC admits there were 'lessons to be learned' prompting a boss to assess the protocols. In the afternoon, new claims emerged from the BBC that the presenter sent threatening messages to a second young person. It is claimed they met on a dating app, before the conversation moved to other platforms where the presenter revealed his identity. He then allegedly sent a number of 'threatening messages' to the youngster, which the BBC has seen. The Sun reported the star is also accused of breaking lockdown rules to meet a 23-year-old stranger from a dating site. July 12, 2023 Huw Edwards is revealed as the BBC presented by his wife Vicky Flind. She said he was 'suffering from serious mental health issues'. November 8, 2023 Edwards is arrested, but tells no-one. February 27, 2024 The BBC apologises to the young person's family, who'd complained about Edwards two months before he was suspended. April 22, 2024 Edwards resigns from the BBC. June 26, 2024 Edwards is charged with the possession of indecent images of children. July 23, 2024 The BBC's annual report reveals Edwards was paid between 475,000 and 479,999 for the year 2023/24 for 160 presenting days, BBC One news specials, election specials and other television programming. This salary marked an increase from 2022/23, when he was paid between 435,000 and 439,999 for 180 days presenting on BBC One, as well as news specials. This was despite him being absent from screens from when the story first broke in July last year until his exit nine months later in April 2024. July 31, 2024 Edwards pleads guilty to making 41 indecent images of children. The newscaster admitted he kept seven category 'A' images of the very worst kind on his phone after being sent them on WhatsApp by a paedophile. September 16, 2024 A political reporter who criticised landlords for using rental income to pay off their mortgages omitted the fact that she also owns an investment property herself. The Guardian's political reporter Amy Remeikis appeared on the Channel 10 show earlier this week and said she was angry at 'capitalism' and for 'being used to pay off somebody else's asset'. 'There are seven million of us (renters) and most of us are pretty angry at the way that we've been treated,' Ms Remeikis, who currently rents in Canberra, said. 'It's not necessarily tenants versus landlords, because I know that everybody is feeling housing stress at the moment, but I am very angry at the policy settings that have allowed myself to be used essentially to pay off somebody else's asset. 'You worry as a tenant about something that is not (up to) scratch, because maybe your lease won't be renewed or maybe your rent is going to jump up over $300 a week. 'These are real considerations because a house isn't an asset, it's a home and we should allow long-term security for all people no matter their housing situation.' Despite delivering a scathing rant on behalf of renters, Ms Remeikis failed to mention that she was also a property investor. According to The Australian, she co-owns a two-bedroom unit in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast. The Guardian's political reporter Amy Remeikis (pictured right) said renters like herself were 'pretty angry' at the government's approach to the housing crisis during an interview with The Project Queensland's Land Titles office confirmed the political reporter has co-owned the property with a former partner since 2007. The political reporter did not answer questions on why she decided not to disclose her property investor status during The Project interview. During the interview slammed politicians for their approach to the housing crisis. 'The government and the Opposition, a lot of them have multiple properties, they're less across it [rental crisis],' she said. During the interview Ms Remeikis said she was angry that renters, like herself, were 'being used to pay off somebody else's asset' (pictured, prospective tenants queuing at an open inspection in Bondi) 'It hasn't really been something that has been top of mind for politicians before. 'They've been so focused on housing ownership and so focused on trying to get people to see their houses as assets they actually haven't thought about the people that are paying for rental properties.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Remeikis for comment. A 300-year-old ship whose loss was controversially blamed on its drunken Irish crew has been found off the coast of Norway. Divers off Mandal, in the far south of the country, thought the wreck might be the Providentz when they first discovered it in 2020. The ship, from Cork, Ireland, was known to have sunk in the area in 1721 while sailing back to sea, with a local pilot blaming the drunken crew. Now a new analysis has dated the wreckage to the time of the sinking - and revealed how the ship's owners likely flouted the laws of the British Empire. Archaeologist Sarah Fawsitt of the Norwegian Maritime Museum revealed that the Providentz was just two years old when it was lost to the sea. A 300-year-old ship whose loss was controversially blamed on its drunken crew has been found off the coast of Norway Divers off Mandal, in the far south of the country, thought the wreck might be the Providentz when they first discovered it in 2020 Photo shows a pipe with 'Cork' embossed on the side recovered from the wreck A cross section of a ship like the Providentz that is was the Providentz.' The Providentz was bound for Arendal, Norway, with a cargo of butter, corn, grain, and malt She said: 'It was known that the Providentz sank in the area, so it was the first conclusion that the divers from Mandal dive club jumped to. 'Our plan was to take some wood samples to run a dendrochronological analysis on them. 'The hope was that the year the wood was felled would be reasonably close to the year we knew the ship sank, and not later than that date of course. 'When the dates came back on the wood, they showed the ship was only two years old when it sank in 1721.' It wasn't the only clue they found. Sarah said: 'Before we had even taken the wood samples, two clay pipes were found on the wreck with 'Cork' embossed on their sides. 'So we felt very confident at that point that is was the Providentz.' The Providentz was bound for Arendal, Norway, with a cargo of butter, corn, grain, and malt when it stopped near Mandal on October 16, 1721, to wait for better weather. The wreck site was at Mandal, Norway The vessel sank to the bottom of the bay in 1721 Photo shows a hemp rope recovered from the wreck While no one died in the initial wreck, the ship was seemingly lost forever It embarked on the final leg of its journey on November 9, leaving Mandal under the guide of a local pilot. But the pilot mixed up port and starboard as he called out instructions, causing the the ship to run aground, and tearing a hole in her port side. Nobody died, yet the ship was lost. In the aftermath, the crew blamed the pilot, and the pilot blamed the crew, saying they were falling down drunk and incapable of steering. Fawsitt said the crew may well have been drinkers, but blamed the pilot for the confusion. She said: 'The crew were waiting for more favourable weather for 13 days - it is not unreasonable to expect that they were drinking during that time. 'Crossing the North Sea must have been terrifying and it is understandable that the crew would have wanted to let off some steam when they arrived in safer waters. 'My colleague, Jrgen Johannessen, has been studying this very phenomenon and has found evidence of sailors partying in other similar harbours around the Norwegian coast. A pipe with 'Cork' embossed on the side recovered from the wreck Researchers from the Norwegian Maritime Museum (picture) dived down to investigate the wreck Archaeologist Sarah Fawsitt (pictured) of the Norwegian Maritime Museum revealed that the Providentz was just two years old when it was lost to the sea 'But the most likely cause of the sinking was the confusion between the Norwegian pilot and the crew. 'The pilot told the crew to steer to starboard when he should have said steer to port. The crew followed his directions and crashed into the coast.' Dendrochronological analysis of the wreck revealed another controversy. British merchants favoured Dutch-built ships, which were designed for cargo instead of guns, and required significantly fewer crew to sail. But the British government had made it illegal to purchase foreign ships, Fawsitt said, 'in an effort to stop this flow of money out of the empire'. Yet the Providentz was made with German wood, and iron bolts were used in her construction - a feature of Dutch shipbuilding not yet practiced in the British Isles. It suggests the ship's owners, the powerful Lavitt family of Cork, flouted the law, at a time when Ireland was under British control. Sarah, who is herself Irish, said: 'This is a significant find as we know that it was illegal at the time to buy ships outside of the empire. The captain's ruler, recovered from the wreck Photo shows a pulley wheel, recovered from the wreck The vessel stopped near Mandal on October 16, 1721, to wait for better weather 'I believe the Lavitt family obtained the ship outside of the law. 'There were very strong ties between Cork and the Netherlands during this period the potential for ties between the Netherlands and the Lavitt family is high. 'Meanwhile, the potential for the British authorities to identify their ship, sailing from Cork to Norway, seems quite unlikely.' She continued: 'With the Lavitt family being one of the most important families in Cork, they wouldn't have faced any scrutiny there. 'There is also evidence that British shipbuilders had started copying the Dutch style of building. 'So it is possible that even in a port closer to the British seat of power, it wouldn't be possible for authorities to differentiate a British from a Dutch ship.' A woman was left shocked after her Uber driver 'cancelled' her trip when she was inside his car before urging her to send him a bank transfer for the fare instead. Gemma Dimond was on a night out in Melbourne on Saturday and decided to take a rideshare home. 'I got in the car, checked the number plate and everything, and he'd cancelled the trip,' she said in a TikTok video. 'He was like, "Oh, looks like the app is glitching. Can you just give me your address and I'll put into our maps and I'll work out like how much it would have been". 'He had a separate app to calculate the price.' The driver then told Ms Dimond she'd be able to pay him through a bank transfer. Thinking quick on her feet, she made an excuse to escape the unusual situation. 'I told a fib on the spot. I'm like, "Oh no, it's a work account so it needs to be on that card. Could you just pull over?"' she said. Gemma Dimond was on a night out in Melbourne on Saturday and decided to take a rideshare home 'I got out and I had a friend who was out the front so he waited until an actual cab came. Just a PSA - I don't love it.' Social media users said they'd had a similar experience with Uber drivers in Melbourne, particularly when travelling from the airport. 'The amount of unsafe Ubers Ive had recently is insane. Ive gone back to strictly using taxis,' one wrote. Another said: 'This happened to me a few months ago when I was in an Uber from Melbourne airport. I didnt realise what was going on and he made me transfer him at the end of the trip!' Others thanked Ms Dimond for sharing her experience and said the driver was likely trying to avoid paying Uber fees. 'This definitely scary but I think hes probably trying to avoid giving Uber their cut more so that trying to harm you,' one said. 'The work card is a great line to use, going to remember that!' another wrote. Daily Mail Australia contacted Uber for comment. Ms Dimond's experience follows that of Melbourne influencer and former Love Island star Emily Ward, 26, in March. Ms Dimond recalled the driver cancelling her trip after she was inside his car and asking for her address (stock image) Emily Ward (pictured) also had an Uber driver cancel her trip once she was inside his car while travelling from Melbourne Airport Ward had just landed at Tullamarine Airport and was on the way to visit her family when the driver cancelled her trip and asked for a 'bank transfer'. Detailing the ordeal in a TikTok video, Ward said she started to 'freak out' as he tried to drive off with her still in the car while they weren't 'being tracked' by the app. 'I'm strapped into this man's car which he is trying to slowly edge out of the airport pick-up area. I'm by myself and now my ride isn't being tracked,' she said. Ward said the driver then asked her to 'bank transfer him' the rideshare fee because she 'was already in his car'. Despite him insisting it would be 'easier' to just continue on with the trip, Ward demanded to be let out of the vehicle with her belongings. The driver relented after a few minutes of arguing and 'guilt tripping', but Ward was shocked to see him attempt the scam on another unsuspecting passenger after her. Ward said when she realised someone else was being scammed by the driver, she flagged a patrol officer who told the driver to leave without picking up a passenger. It was then Ward suspected she knew what the driver was attempting to do, saying he may have wanted to avoid the rideshare fees and pocket the full fare. 'I feel bad because I've just ruined this guy's scam because he's trying to make more money for himself, but at the same time that's so illegal, so dangerous,' Ward said. 'He would absolutely lose his license. I'm still contemplating reporting him because he would lose his license to rideshare and he'd lose his whole source of income.' The mother of a bodybuilder who died in a gym bathroom has called for a coronial inquest to investigate the safety measures in place at the exercise facilities. Giuliano Pirone, 33, collapsed in a locked shower cubicle of the gym in Wanneroo, Perth's north, at about 7.30am on August 20. Mr Pirone, who was training for a bodybuilding competition, fell and suffered a brain injury and never regained consciousness. Police found the young father lying in the cubicle under cold running water 15 hours later at about 10.30pm when they broke into the shower. Loved ones had reported him missing and cops managed to track him down by pinging his phone. Mr Pirone was rushed to Joondalup hospital where he was on life support for two weeks before he died on September 5. His grieving mother Daniela said an inquest would allow more scrutiny on the safety protocols in place at 24-hour gyms. She claims the facilities need to be strictly regulated and said if her son was found earlier, he would have been alive. Giuliano Pirone, 33, (pictured) died after he collapsed in a locked shower cubicle of a gym in the northern Perth suburb of Wanneroo, around 7.30am on August 20 'I did not want to join this club of mothers losing their children and I want to know why I'm in this position,' Ms Pirone told the ABC. 'I just want to know how someone can be left in a gym shower for 15 hours. Doctors believe Mr Pirone's blood sugar levels became very low, causing his blood pressure to drop, and said he may have had a seizure. Police have obtained CCTV footage from the gym, which hasn't been named for legal reasons, and are preparing a report for the coroner. Ms Pirone said the footage showed her son getting off the treadmill before he bumped into several workout machines. He then went into the shower clutching his stomach. The shattered mother said she doesn't want others to face a similar situation. Mr Pirone's family have called for all gyms to be adequately staffed and for employees to check showers and bathrooms every hour. The gym where Mr Pirone collapsed is staffed for a couple of hours during the morning and afternoon, according to its website. Gyms across Australia can choose to sign up to the National Code of Practice through AUSactive, the peak body for the exercise and active health sector. Mr Pirone's shattered mother Daniela said a coronial inquest would allow more scrutiny on the safety protocols in place at 24-hour gyms The code contains guidelines to promote various workplace health and safety measures. These include the installation of security cameras to monitor parts of a health and fitness facility accessed by users excluding change rooms and bathrooms. The code also encourages exercise facilities to be equipped with first-aid kits that can be easily accessed during an emergency. AUSactive CEO Barry elvish said the gym Mr Pirone attended is not a member of the association. Mr Elvish said that while the death of Mr Pirone is distressing, it is difficult to staff gyms for 24 hours day, seven days a week. Mr Pirone's family are getting legal advice. Roxy Jacenko's husband has turned a small investment into a massive fortune after venturing into artificial intelligence. Oliver Curtis' personal investment of $250,000 into Singapore-based Firmus Technologies is likely to increase to $447million after another round of capital raising. Mr Curtis helped launch the company out of Tasmania as chief operating officer in 2019 while under a court order barring him from serving as director until June 2022. The five-year order restricted his business opportunities after he was released from prison one year after being sentenced for conspiring to commit insider trading. Mr Curtis started the company alongside Tim Rosenfield and Jonathan Levee as an experiment to see if they could cool down computers mining Bitcoin. The company took off after patenting a cooling liquid which ultimately led to the computers using less power as energy prices skyrocketed. It continued to grow to meet the demand of data centres for AI after a massive wave of interest in the industry. Now the co-chief executive, Mr Curtis has since relocated his family including daughter Pixie, 12, and son Hunter, nine, to Singapore to be closer to Firmus. PR queen Roxy Jacenko's husband, Oliver Curtis (both pictured), is set to make about $447million off his founding stake in the now Singapore-based Firmus Technologies Firmus features billionaire investors, like Melbourne's Pratt family and Alex Waislitz, and is seeking a new round of investment. The company is looking to raise a further $597million in equity and another $819million in debt, according to the Australian Financial Review. If reached, Firmus' valuation would soar to about $1.8bn and Mr Curtis' stake in the company would be worth about $447million. It would also see the company fall under a new Singapore based holding company controlling both Firmus and sister business Sustainable Metal Cloud. 'I don't want to say (Mr Curtis) pulled a rabbit out of the hat because he's worked very hard, but he's now in possession of a very gold rabbit,' a source close to the businessman who wished to remain anonymous said. Firmus launched into Singapore thanks to a $150million deal struck with the Singapore government's ST Telemedia Global Data Centres. The deal saw the technology rolled out into 60 centres across the country and halved their energy consumption. Tech giants Nvidia and Dell Technologies brought in the tech while Firmus launched Sustainable Metal Cloud to sell power and space in its own data centres. The turnaround is a massive step for Mr Curtis after he spent one year of a two-year sentence in Cooma Correctional Centre before being released in June 2017. He had been found guilty of conspiring to commit insider trading, netting him and then-friend John Hartman $1.43million. Justice Lucy McCallum said Mr Curtis must have known what he was doing was 'very wrong' but believed he could 'avoid getting caught' while sentencing him in 2016. Upon his release, he told Daily Mail Australia that he tried to make the best of a bad situation while he was in custody. It's a massive turnaround for the former investment banker who served one year in jail (pictured, Mr Curtis being released in 2017) for conspiracy to commit insider trading The happy couple now live in Singapore with their two children (pictured) so Mr Curtis can be closer to Firmus as it seeks over $1.3billion in investment 'You've got two ways to deal with it. You either shut down and be reclusive and stay within yourself - that's not who I am,' he said. 'Or you have to deal with it, and fit in and adjust.' Ms Jacencko had initially stayed back in Australia while Mr Curtis lived in Singapore for his job with Firmus, but moved the family to the island nation in September. She told Daily Mail Australia that their relationship has improved with the family living under one roof and now they 'don't have any plans to come back'. 'Ollie is working harder than he's ever worked in his life. We hardly ever see him, but [moving to Singapore] has put us all together in one house,' she told Daily Mail Australia in March. 'In the morning Ollie's amazing. He'll get breakfast ready for the kids and get them out the door with me. We didn't have that opportunity before. 'Life's very different now. We are active parents together, which we've never had the opportunity to be before.' Lady Starmer is unquestionably an elegantly dressed woman. As befits the prime minister's wife, she clearly chooses her wardrobe with great care. The pair certainly can't be short of a bob or two. Sir Keir pockets 166,000 a year as PM, Victoria earns a good salary in occupational health, they live rent-free in No10 and own a London townhouse. So given their wealth, why are they averse to buying their own clothes? Last month we discovered that Labour donor Lord Alli had provided Sir Keir with snappy suits during the election campaign. Now we learn that the businessman also picked up the tab for a personal shopper and smart frocks for Lady Starmer. Sir Keir pockets 166,000 a year as PM, Victoria earns a good salary in occupational health, they live rent-free in No10 and own a London townhouse. (Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria outside Downing Street) In opposition, he sanctimoniously pledged to restore honesty and integrity to politics. (Keir and Victoria Starmer arrive to cast their votes in the general election) The PM may face an ethics probe after failing to disclose the gifts to his wife in line with parliamentary rules. Perhaps it was a mere oversight. But this is about more than just Labour's leader showing himself to be a tight-fist. There is more than a whiff of sleaze. After the election, someone granted Lord Alli an access-all-areas pass to Downing Street and let him make recommendations for key public appointments. Was it a reward for his largesse? Then there is the breathtaking hypocrisy. When a Tory donor paid for a few rolls of wallpaper so Boris Johnson could redecorate the No10 flat, Labour led a hue and cry. Now accused of breaking the rules himself, Sir Keir thinks we should just move on. In opposition, he sanctimoniously pledged to restore honesty and integrity to politics. But just 73 days since winning power, his regime is up to its neck in cronyism, bungs to trade union pals and now Wardrobegate. Far from cleaning up sleaze, the PM seems intent on taking it to a whole new level. Degrees of duplicity Some students receive up to 18,500 of public money in grants, loans and council tax discounts, then simply disappear. (Stock image) In a shocking investigation, the Mail today reveals how illiterate students with no GCSEs are able to pocket thousands of pounds of taxpayers' cash in a racket being facilitated by well-known universities. Higher education is supposed to be the preserve of the brightest minds, but our reporters have discovered the supposedly rigorous system is being seriously abused. The problem lies with so-called 'franchised' universities. This is where a university contracts an outside organisation to teach a course on its behalf. Students are recruited by companies who get a fee for each one. But that creates a perverse incentive to sign up candidates however unsuitable including whole families and people barely fluent in English. Some students receive up to 18,500 of public money in grants, loans and council tax discounts, then simply disappear. Because everyone involved the students, course providers and universities are guaranteed funding under this system, the scam has proliferated under the radar. It makes a mockery of students who sweated blood to get a place at university. The Office for Students is investigating and so must the Department for Education. The grim truth is our once world-renowned university sector now seems to care more about clawing in cash than maintaining the highest educational standards. n SIR Keir today meets the Italian PM to learn lessons after she slashed illegal migration to her country. But his apparent determination to stop the small boats is undermined by him scrapping the Rwanda scheme just as it showed signs of working. With 801 migrants crossing the Channel on Saturday, and eight drowning yesterday, the PM needs a deterrent to end this evil trade in human misery. The mother of a teenager who was sent sexual messages by fallen BBC star Huw Edwards says he caused 'immense pain and suffering' and should be locked up. Edwards, 63, is due to be sentenced today at Westminster Magistrates' Court having admitted having 41 indecent images of children, which had been sent to him by another paedophile on WhatsApp. The images included seven category A images, the most serious classification, with two involving a child aged around seven to nine. He could face up to 10 years in jail. The mother of a young man who Edwards paid tens of thousands of pounds to in return for sexually explicit pictures - which is separate to the offences for which he will be sentenced - told The Sun she wants him to be jailed. Huw Edwards is pictured leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court in July 2024 In a powerful open letter published by the newspaper, she said: 'I am today writing this open letter to make you understand the immense pain and suffering you have caused me, my son, my family, your own family - and all of your victims over the years.' She said that her 'heart breaks for every one' of the young children 'robbed of their innocence forever for your sick pleasure' and their families who have gone through what she has. She wrote of how her son was happy before the disgraced news anchor 'wormed' his way into the teenager's life from the age of 17. The distressed mother said her son began having problems with drink and drugs, which was further fuelled by Edwards' 'pestering him for pictures' and paying him 'tens of thousands'. She said Edwards: 'Sent text messages calling him 'Princess' to control him and keep him onside.' Concluding the letter, she told Edwards: 'That you have lost everything is no consolation to us. You will receive your punishment in court.' Police officers clear the way as former BBC news presenter Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on July 31 Welsh police uncovered the broadcaster crimes during a separate probe into a sex offender The teenager who was paid 35,000 by the former BBC star is now 21. He allegedly was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement and said he felt 'groomed' by the disgraced presenter. The young man, who actively defended Edwards at the time, has claimed he was in a 'troubled state of mind' when he first reached out to the ex News at Ten anchor. He was homeless and in a last ditch attempt for help began messaging celebrities online. Edwards was the only one to respond and sent him 500 for a hotel for a few nights. After this he alleged that Edwards would ask him for things in return, which he felt unable to refuse because of the 'power' of the broadcaster. However, it all came crashing down, when the then teenager's mother found the messages between the pair for a rendezvous at Cardiff train station. Footage showed the stepfather confronting Edwards at a train station as he waited to meet the teen. Edwards is seen on screen for what would be the last time before the scandal became public, when he covered King Charles' visit to Scotland Huw Edwards shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II during a royal visit to BBC Studios in London in June 2013. He enjoyed a glittering career until the scandal came to light The mother then contacted her son to say his stepfather was on his way to confront Edwards. It is understood that this message was relayed to Edwards who then made a swift exit on the next train back to London without their meeting taking place. The stepfather then attempted to make an official complaint to the BBC nearby regional office where he was given a number to call BBC London instead. The stepfather claims this number did not work but eventually the family managed to get in touch with the BBC's Audience Service who sent the case to the organisation's Corporate Investigations team. The family then went to The Sun newspaper who broke the shocking claim that Edwards had paid for explicit photos last year. Before the scandal broke last year, Edwards was one of the BBC's most famous stars where he covered major events for BBC News including the Queen's death and King Charles's coronation. Edwards, of Wandsworth, wore a dark blue suit with a blue tie in the dock Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to receiving 41 indecent images of children, which included two sexual videos of a boy under nine (Edwards is seen leaving court) Edwards was seen for the last time on the BBC as he covered King Charles' visit to Scotland on July 5, 2023, two days before the article about the 'un-named presenter' came out. There was a frenzy of speculation about the identity of the star. Gary Lineker, Jeremy Vine, Rylan Clark and Nicky Campbell all feel obliged to deny that they were the man in question, and eventually Edwards' wife confirmed it was him. He resigned from the BBC in disgrace in April this year, but in June he was charged with possession of indecent images of children. This was days after The BBC's annual report revealed Edwards was paid between 475,000 and 479,999 for the year 2023/24 for 160 presenting days, BBC One news specials, election specials and other television programming. This salary marked an increase from 2022/23, when he was paid between 435,000 and 439,999 for 180 days presenting on BBC One, as well as news specials. This was despite him being absent from screens from when the story first broke in July last year until his exit nine months later in April 2024. But he stayed on the payroll while suspended, which is normal BBC policy, and was suffering from serious mental health issues and received in-patient hospital care. Director general Tim Davie defended the pay and the rise, confirming there was 'no settlement payment.' He also said he was not going to 'get into who's spoken to who' when asked if he had spoken to Edwards since his resignation. Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Huw Edwards that led to the newsreader's downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot But in August, the BBC asked him hand back the 200,000 salary he earned after being arrested. The corporation knew the 62-year-old presenter had been arrested last November but continued to pay his salary until he resigned on medical advice this April. The BBC added that Edwards had 'undermined trust in the BBC and brought us into disrepute', but it has not confirmed whether legal action will be taken if he does not return the money. It was later revealed that police had uncovered the images sent to the newsreader by chance while investigating Alex Williams, 25, who sent 'evil' images to four others. He shared 41 indecent images with Edwards in an abhorrent WhatsApp chat. Among the sickening trove of abusive pictures shared by the sex offender were two showing a boy as young as seven. Williams, from Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, admitted possessing and distributing child sex images and having 58 prohibited computer-generated images of children. The images were slammed by a judge as 'evil' and Williams received a suspended sentence of 12 months. No child abuse pictures were found on the former BBC news presenter's phone. A statement from the corporation said: 'There is nothing more important than the public's trust in the BBC; the BBC board is the custodian of that trust. 'The board has met a number of times over the last week to review information provided by the executive relating to Huw Edwards. The board's focus has been principally around two issues. 'Firstly, what was known in the lead up to Mr Edwards being charged and pleading guilty last Wednesday to making indecent images of children. 'And, secondly, the specifics of the BBC's handling of the complaints and the BBC's own investigations into Mr Edwards, prior to his resignation on April 22, 2024.' The statement went on to say: 'Today, the board has authorised the executive to seek the return of salary paid to Mr Edwards from the time he was arrested in November last year. 'Mr Edwards pleaded guilty to an appalling crime. Had he been up front when asked by the BBC about his arrest, we would never have continued to pay him public money. 'He has clearly undermined trust in the BBC and brought us into disrepute.' Edwards made his way through the media melee before being driven away from court It also announced that the board has commissioned an independent review that will 'make recommendations on practical steps that could strengthen a workplace culture in line with BBC values'. The BBC director-general said the corporation has 'lessons to learn' after the 'shocking' Jermaine Jenas, Edwards and Strictly scandals in a grovelling letter to staff. Tim Davie said that changing the culture at the broadcaster would be a 'critical priority' - as he admitted 'we have all felt let down'. He told staff that he wanted to 'acknowledge that this has been a demanding period for the BBC', in an email sent on August 27. The corporation has recently faced a string of scandals featuring top celebs, with Match of the Day star Jermaine Jenas being sacked for sending inappropriate messages to two female members of staff. Mr Davie wrote: 'Aside from the challenges of delivering such brilliant output, I want to acknowledge that this has been a demanding period for the BBC and everyone who works within it. 'The shocking news about Huw Edwards and other stories, concerning some of our high profile shows, have put the BBC in the spotlight. 'It can be challenging for us all when the BBC becomes the headline. We work for this wonderful organisation because we care about what it stands for and the role it plays in society'. Barely literate students with no GCSEs are being accepted onto university courses and being given thousands of pounds in taxpayer cash they will never pay back. As hundreds of thousands of first-year undergraduates arrive in halls across the country this week, a Mail investigation has uncovered serious abuses of the higher education system. Whistleblowers have told how courses are accepting students with such poor English that they cannot spell simple words, and who fail to attend classes as soon as they receive their first 4,000 maintenance loan and council tax exemption. One source at a well-known university said they have seen instances of 'whole families' including elderly parents and grandparents enrolling on 9,250-a-year courses after being recruited by staff offering cash bonuses for new students. FA second academic claimed that one of their students 'who could barely speak English' openly discussed how he was using some of his loan to build a home in Romania, while another lecturer in London said there were 'huge concerns that some people are just scamming the taxpayer.' 'They take anyone in off the street,' a separate lecturer warned. Recruiters lure potential students in via social media such as TikTok, telling them that the government will pay them to study in the UK Recruiters boast online about using student loans to 'maintain your travel addiction' The problem is said to be rife throughout the franchised university sector where a university that awards the degree contracts another organisation to teach on its behalf, often in dingy office blocks on the outskirts of towns and cities for as little as eight hours a week. In a recent report, the Office for Students (OfS) warned of 'serious risks to public money' after finding that staff managing partnerships were 'incentivised' to prioritise student recruitment above course quality, with allegations that some institutions lowered entry requirements to meet targets. Now the Mail can reveal some recruiters are luring potential students in via social media, telling thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram that 'the Government will pay you' to study and boasting how the money can be spent 'maintaining your travel addiction' and bankrolling 'wedding season'. Last night, a spokesman for the Department for Education described the Mail's investigation as 'truly shocking', adding: 'Taxpayers' money should be invested in quality courses.' Franchised universities partner with respected institutions but have much lower entry requirements, often accepting just two years' work experience over any formal qualifications like GCSEs or A-Levels. The easy-to-access courses have been around since around 2011 and have become increasingly popular in recent years, with more than 300 franchised universities now teaching 138,000 students across the country double the number of three years ago as cash-strapped universities seek new revenue streams. Subjects on offer include construction, tourism, health and social care, and business management. Many well-known institutions, including Bournemouth University and Middlesex University, have opted to enter into franchised arrangements, which supporters say help disadvantaged communities access higher education. There is no suggestion that either of these institutions has acted unethically. One recruiter implies that a maintenance loan can be spent on a boozy holiday to Spain TikTok recruiters show off their holiday, enticing people onto franchised university courses in order to get a student loan Earlier this year, however, the OfS announced it was opening an investigation into Leeds Trinity University and the quality of its contractual partnerships. Anyone with settled immigration status can apply to the Student Loans Company (SLC) for a loan to go to university 9,250 a year for tuition fees and up to 13,000 for maintenance and those from low-income households or with children can access thousands of pounds more in free grants. A Mail investigation has tracked down and interviewed academics and staff across the country who have all shared their growing concern at franchised partnerships. The names of the universities and franchised colleges in question cannot be published to protect the identity of the whistleblowers. One staff member at a university in the Midlands that works with numerous franchised colleges said: 'The standard of student is well below what you would expect. 'We get students who come in, you will give them a password [for their account login], it's an everyday word, but they can't spell it.' The staff member added: 'We find that, every so often, [the franchised provider] will do a little push and say if a student can get somebody to join, they'll be given a 500 bonus and, as a result, we have whole families doing the same course. 'They just join up. The son that would have perhaps enrolled on the course, he gets 500 to enrol somebody else, so mother, father, grandparents, sisters and brothers all try and join up on the same course.' The whistleblower also warned that a 'considerable' number of students sign up for a course and disappear after receiving their first 4,000 maintenance loan before reapplying for another round the next year. 'After a few warning letters, they then withdraw from the course and reapply the following year saying, 'I was working, I couldn't do it'.' They added: 'The main threat potentially is [we] are going to get an increased population of people who are going through the courses, taking money from the student loan system that they will never pay back.' The Mail has uncovered a series of abuses in the franchised university sector. The institutions cannot be named as to protect the identity of whistleblowers (Stock Image) A whistleblower told the Mail that a 'considerable' number of students sign up for a course and disappear after receiving their first 4,000 maintenance loan (Stock Image) Another insider, who taught at a franchised provider in London for a few months before quitting, claimed the school 'fabricated the attendance data' of students who were 'underqualified' and had 'atrocious' writing skills. 'They really struggled with English but you were not allowed to fail them because that doesn't look good and the students wouldn't be happy,' the former lecturer said. As lessons were online, many of the students 'were not even in the country', the academic claimed, adding: 'They must have been enrolled as UK students but had then gone to other countries.' Classroom reports seen by the Mail reveal that in just the second week of term, students were not turning up to class, phoning in sick, and logging in remotely over Zoom but quickly disappearing from their computers. The lecturer was left with no decision but to quit after realising very few students were there to learn. 'It is all to do with funding,' the teacher said, 'the students are happy because they are getting their funding, the institution is happy because they are getting their funding, the university is happy because they are getting their funding. 'I didn't get the impression anyone will be paying back loans, especially if they are not even in the country. The majority of the people were unemployed as far as I can tell.' A health and social care academic at a centre outside of London said the university's 'intake is ginormous' and her classes have included 'grandparents' in their 60s, a man who openly discussed using his finance to build a house in Romania, and one man who was a chef and 'that's all he ever wanted to do'. 'Most are there honestly for the money, or they're very misguided about what the qualification is going to do [for them],' the lecturer said. 'They get a laptop, they get broadband paid for them at home, as well as all this help to not pay council tax, and then, of course, they'll never be in the type of professional jobs where they never have to pay back the loan.' A parliamentary report found that detected fraud at franchised universities has ballooned from 330,000 in 2018/19 to 2.1 million last year which amounted to 53 per cent of the 4.1 million fraud identified, the Public Accounts Committee warned. Susan Lapworth, the chief executive of the OfS, said: 'We are concerned about the findings of this investigation. Where a university delivers courses through a franchise arrangement with another higher education provider it must ensure that the quality of those courses remains high. 'That includes making sure students recruited onto courses have the commitment and ability to succeed. It also includes making sure there are proper controls to protect public money. 'The OFS is working on these issues. We have announced investigations of some providers engaged in franchising and are taking steps to ensure all universities are properly gripping these partnerships. We will continue to work with the Department for Education, the Student Loans Company and others on these important issues, including to advocate for the powers we need to regulate effectively in this area.' The Department for Education called the Mail's findings 'truly shocking' Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson leaves 10 Downing Street after attending a Cabinet Meeting on September 9, 2024 A spokesman for the Department for Education said: 'These allegations are truly shocking. It is clear that we have inherited a student finance system open to exploitation from systemic and organised fraud and abuse and this government will leave no stone unturned in rooting out this kind of appalling behaviour, if proven. 'Protecting taxpayers' money is a priority for this government given the black hole in the public finances. Taxpayers' money should be invested in quality courses. 'The new Education Secretary took urgent action within weeks of taking office to refocus the role of the Office for Students on to key areas including financial sustainability, ensuring quality, protecting public money and regulating in the interests of students. 'Franchise provision can help open-up the opportunity of a university education for different students, but the OfS has a clear responsibility to ensure that these providers are adhering to their responsibility to protect public money.' Jetstar is expanding its network by introducing new routes to New Zealand, with discounted tickets available to celebrate the launch. Starting in June 2025, the airline will add direct flights from the Gold Coast to Hamilton and Dunedin in New Zealand. The new services are scheduled to run three times a week. This will be Jetstar's first service to Hamilton, providing Australians with access to popular North Island destinations like Hobbiton, the Bay of Plenty, and Rotorua. The new route from the Gold Coast to Dunedin will also boost access to the South Island's second-largest city. Jetstar has also announced a new route to Hamilton taking off from Sydney. Queensland Airports Limited CEO Amelia Evans said the new trans-Tasman routes offered Aussies more choice. 'New Zealand is Australia's largest international visitor market, so it makes sense for us to increase our Trans-Tasman connectivity. We're proud that we'll be Australia's most connected airport to New Zealand,' Ms Evans said. Jetstar announced it was adding direct flights from Queensland to Hamilton and Dunedin in New Zealand from June 2025 It is the first time Jetstar will be flying to the city of Hamilton (pictured), giving Aussies access to holiday hotspots on the North Island including Hobbiton, the Bay of Plenty and Rotorua 'These services are expected to deliver over 115,000 passengers annually to the Gold Coast, connecting the city to Dunedin for the first time and re-establishing the airport's first ever Tasman route, to Hamilton.' Queensland Tourism Minister Michael Healy said the airfare sale was a 'win' for New Zealand travellers as it makes Australia more accessible for holidaymakers. 'What a win for New Zealand travellers who can now access these new, affordable, regular flights, allowing them to visit Queensland and explore this great state without blowing the budget,' Mr Healy said. 'The new services will make Gold Coast Airport Australia's most connected to New Zealand, with more routes for visitors and students to arrive, with air freight heading back across the Tasman. 'Almost half a million kiwis crossed the ditch to visit Queensland in the year ending March 2024, setting a second consecutive visitor spending record with $821 million in overnight visitor expenditure.' The route between Gold Coast and Dunedin is also set to boost tourism to the South Island's second largest city The airline is running a Route Launch Sale, offering discounts on the new trans-Tasman flights. Both Australian and New Zealand travellers are encouraged to take advantage of the sale, which ends on Tuesday at 10am. A prankster who dressed up as the Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi for Halloween now faces being locked up. Pictures posted by David Wootton show him wearing an Arabic-style headdress, with the slogan 'I love Ariana Grande' on his T-shirt, and carrying a rucksack with 'Boom' and 'TNT' written on the front. The disturbing Halloween costume which was captioned 'bet I get kicked out of the party' caused fury on social media, with his friends slamming the stunt. Undeterred, he later posted: 'Only went and won the best costume.' The 40-year-old was arrested and last week pleaded guilty to sending an offensive message online and faces up to two years in jail when he is sentenced on October 3. David Wootton posted photos of himself wearing an Arabic-style headdress and T-shirt with 'I love you Ariana Grande' handwritten across it in marker pen were Wootton also posted a photo on Facebook of a black rucksack with the words 'Boom' and 'TNT' Abedi killed 22 people - some of them children - as well as himself when he detonated his device in the foyer of Manchester Arena at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017. Wootton entered his plea at Harrogate magistrates' court but his case was transferred to York crown court. He has since changed his name and moved to London. Andrea Hill, 40, who gave evidence against him, said: 'He's a scumbag who deserves everything coming to him,' according to The Sun. 'I hope his guilty plea gives the families of the arena bombing victims some comfort that justice will be done.' In a statement at the time, the force said: 'North Yorkshire Police can confirm that a man has been arrested after the force received complaints about a man wearing an offensive costume on social media, depicting murderer, Salman Abedi who killed 22 people at Manchester Arena. 'The man, who is aged in his 40s, was arrested on 1 November on suspicion of a number of offences including using a public communication network to send offensive messages.' England midfielder Phil Foden's five-year-old son Ronnie will set up a YouTube channel to go along with his burgeoning modelling career. Ronnie already has over five million followers on Instagram, and has become something of an unofficial mascot for City fans, after he was seen dancing on the pitch following his dad's 2023 Champions League triumph. Now, the Sun reports that he will soon be entertaining fans online, after Foden, 23, and his wife Rebecca, 22, set up a channel for him. A source told the newspaper: 'Ronnie loves being the centre of attention and is a big fan of some of the YouTubers so Phil and his mum have set up an account. 'He could end up making loads of money from it.' Speaking of his son, nicknamed 'The Dude' by City fans, Foden previously said: 'His personality has made him who he is. Ronnie (pictured, left) already has over five million followers on Instagram, and has become something of an unofficial mascot for City fans England's Phil Foden (centre) celebrate with family members after victory in the UEFA Euro 2024, semi-final match at the BVB Stadion Dortmund in Dortmund, German Speaking of his son, nicknamed 'The Dude' by City fans, Foden (pictured) previously said: 'His personality has made him who he is' 'He just reminds me of myself when I was a kid and he's very funny.' Phil and Rebecca signed a contract with Propel Talent Group last year to promote the youngster and associated brands. The claims to manage 'the careers of some of the UK's most sought-after talent' amid a growing rise in influencers and online viral stars. Ronnie has already promoted various fashion brands already with the youngster posing for Flannels Junior. Earlier this year, he was spotted trying to a pop open a champagne bottle after his dad's team won the league. Photographers caught the moment youngster Ronnie Foden tries - thankfully without success - to join in with the celebrations after Manchester City won an unprecedented fourth Premier League title. While the team hugged each other and waved to the fans in the stadium, little Ronnie, dressed in his Manchester City kit, was down on the pitch trying his best to pull the cork out. At one point he even pushed the bottle to the ground, but despite his best efforts the cork stayed put - perhaps for the best given that he's 13 years short of being able to legally drink it. A dog walker has clapped back at a council for 'unfairly targeting' him in a 'grab for money' after he was fined for walking too many dogs in an off-leash area. Watch Pets owner Ron Buch was fined $960 by Melbourne's City of Port Phillip after walking 10 dogs off-leash near the St Kilda promenade in December last year. The frustrated dog walker claimed he'd noticed council cracking down on his profession over the last two years. The matter was taken to Melbourne Magistrates Court where Mr Buch's company pleaded guilty to walking too many dogs without a permit. 'I've been walking dogs for over 20 years and never had an issue,' Mr Buch told the Herald Sun outside court. Mr Buch claimed other dog walking companies had been forced to close down due to financial issues. Dog walkers in the Port Phillip council area are required to hold a permit if they walk more than seven dogs at once. Mr Buch had the permit but broke its condition that the dogs must be kept on a leash at all times, even in off-leash areas. Ron Buch (pictured) of Watchpets was fined $960 for walking 10 off-leash dogs in an off-leash permitted area City of Port Phillip mayor Heather Cunsolo said Mr Buch was caught with the 10 dogs off-leash in an off-leash area. 'We implemented the permit last year after community members expressed concerns about the ability of commercial dog walkers to control large numbers of dogs in public spaces, including off-leash areas,' Ms Cunsolo said. The City of Port Phillip area is patrolled daily by council workers to ensure dog walkers and other permit holders are following the enforced rules. Ms Cunsolo said the patrols ensure the spaces remain 'safe, clean and enjoyable'. She added council workers do not specifically target particular categories of dog walkers and businesses and individuals are both held to the council's rules. Mr Buch was originally fined $960 by the council but the City of Port Phillip prosecutor sought costs of $1,200 when Mr Buch took it to court. The Melbourne Magistrates Court reduced the fine to $200 and ordered Mr Buch to pay it as well as $150 in costs. The Melbourne Magistrates Court ordered Mr Buch to pay $350 after hearing his permit only allowed him to walk up to seven off-leash dogs, even in off-leash areas Mr Buch claimed he was confused about the conditions of his permit and believed the dogs were allowed to run off-leash in off-leash areas. Daily Mail Australia has contacted City of Port Phillip and Mr Buch for comment. The new British Museum director has vowed not to add politically correct labels to exhibits at the institution to not 'conform' to any political agenda. Dr Nicholas Cullinan took the new position after leaving the National Portrait Gallery in March last year. The 46-year-old art historian and curator said he is rethinking the way collections will be displayed but this is to make sure the 'scholarship is up to date, not conforming to a particular sort of political agenda.' It comes amid pressure on the museum to repatriate artefacts that some say were stolen from other countries, and other institutions have warned visitors that the items they are viewing have colonial links. Dr Nicholas Cullinan took the new position after leaving the National Portrait Gallery Kate Middleton and Dr Cullinan speak at the 2019 Portrait Gala at the National Portrait Gallery During his time at the National Portrait Gallery, Dr Cullinan became embroiled in a row over fossil fuel funding and in 2022 oversaw it cutting ties with BP. The director emphasised that more people see the British Museum's objects in exhibitions on tour than in the museum itself, according to The Telegraph. Dr Cullinan was curator of international modern art at Tate Modern from 2007 to 2013 and takes over from interim director, Sir Mark Jones. In May, it emerged that The British Museum could repatriate more contested artefacts from around the world following the return of treasures to Ghana. Experts said legislation which bans the museum from giving artefacts away permanently would not prohibit loans to other countries, like the landmark deal over the return of Asante gold to Ghana. Museum trustee Chris Gosden said the British Museum Act 1963 was not an 'impediment' to other loan arrangements in the future. Edward Enninful and Dr Nicholas Cullinan attend The National Portrait Gallery's Portrait Gala on March 19, 2024 But a similar deal over the Elgin Marbles remains problematic as it would require Greece to accept the British Museum as the legal owner of the sculptures, which it has always rejected. The sculptures, taken from the Parthenon in Athens, are the most controversial exhibit at the London institution and a source of diplomatic tension between Britain and Greece, which maintains they were stolen by Lord Elgin. But experts suggested other cultural artefacts could be repatriated to their original countries if their national governments were willing to accept loan deals. It comes after the Tate Modern put a trigger warning on a puppet show saying that visitors may be offended as it features 'dead bodies'. The film by Egyptian artist Wael Shawky shows marionettes 'acting out historical events'. But bosses at the London attraction felt compelled to add warnings at the film's entrance - even though it only includes puppets. According to the gallery's biography, Wael, who was born in 1971, 'tackles notions of national, religious and artistic identity through film, performance and storytelling'. His piece Cabaret Crusades: The Horror Show Files was created in 2010 and is on display in Tate Modern's Artist and Society section. The film reconstructs events that took place between 1095 and 1099, in the first of the Crusades. These military campaigns were initiated and supported by Roman Catholic Church leaders against the Islamic rulers and inhabitants of Jerusalem. The new British Museum director has vowed not to add politically correct labels to exhibits Art lovers looking forward to viewing paintings by Turner and Reynolds at an exhibition were also told they could be upset by racist imagery after the Royal Academy slapped a trigger warning on it. Woke curators are notifying visitors to Entangled Pasts, 1768-now: Art, Colonialism and Change that it 'will contain themes of slavery and racism, and historical racial language and imagery'. Lubaina Himid, a contemporary artist whose work is also featured, said some of the paintings were 'difficult'. But she also said the show was a 'huge, rich, layered filling in of gaps' in how black people had contributed to Britain. In March, The Victoria and Albert Museum was facing calls for it to be stripped of its public funding after naming Margaret Thatcher in a list of 'unpopular public figures' alongside Hitler and Osama bin Laden. Britain's first female prime minister is described as a 'contemporary villain' in a current display on British humour through the ages. This appears under a set of Victorian Punch and Judy puppets with a caption headed: 'That's the way to do it?' The words state: 'Over the years, the evil character in this seaside puppet show has shifted from the Devil to unpopular public figures including Adolf Hitler, Margaret Thatcher and Osama bin Laden, to offer contemporary villains.' A puppet of Baroness Thatcher from the satirical television show Spitting Image is also included in the comedy exhibition at the London museum whose director is former Labour MP Tristram Hunt. According to 2022-2023 figures, the museum received most of its income, more than 67million, from the taxpayer via the Department of Culture. Since launching his push to run the country, Sir Keir Starmer has been at pains to play down his privilege and play up his working-class roots. But 20 years as a lawyer before his move into politics has put him comfortably into the country's top 1 per cent of earners. His property dealings and gold-plated pension pot alone place his worth at around 3 million. During the 2020 Labour leadership contest, Sir Keir who was paid up to 400 an hour during his two decades as a senior lawyer played down his wealth. 'I'm not a millionaire,' he said, even though he conceded his north London townhouse might, then, be worth 1 million. During the 2020 Labour leadership contest, Sir Keir who was paid up to 400 an hour during his two decades as a senior lawyer played down his wealth In fact the Kentish Town property, which he and wife Victoria bought in 2004 for 650,000, is now estimated to be worth 2 million. It has to be stressed, however, that no one knows to what extent the property is mortgaged or other financial arrangements linked to it. The 62-year-old is also entitled to two annual salaries one as a constituency MP and one as PM totalling 166,786. His wife, 50, works in the NHS in occupational health, having previously been a solicitor. According to The Sunday Times, her salary is believed to be up to 50,000 pro rata. Before entering politics, Sir Keir earned 1 million as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) between 2008 and 2013. He also amassed a 700,000 pension which on top of his MP's retirement allowance is expected to give him a publicly funded pot worth about 1 million. In common with his predecessors as DPP, Sir Keir's pension is exempt from tax rules that he has said should apply to other workers who save more than 1 million. The arrangement meant he could continue to save money from his salary as an MP into his pension pot without incurring a tax bill. The benefit was abolished the year after he stood down as DPP. Sir Keir with his wife Lady Victoria Starmer who works in the NHS in occupational health, having previously been a solicitor. According to The Sunday Times, her salary is believed to be up to 50,000 pro rata Before entering politics, Sir Keir earned 1 million as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) between 2008 and 2013 Sir Keir has also earned a six-figure sum for legal work since stepping down as DPP. He earned at least 100,000 in private consultancy fees for the law firm Mishcon de Reya, and in 2020/21 he received more than 21,000 for legal services. However, he stopped taking on legal work when he became Labour leader in April 2020. In addition, over the past two tax years Sir Keir's earnings from salary and property sales have been in excess of 200,000. The family of a 12-year-old girl who was allegedly bullied at a Sydney private school before taking her own life have broken their silence. Charlotte, a Year 7 student at Santa Sabina College at Strathfield in the city's inner-west, took her own life earlier this month. On Monday, Charlotte's family spoke out in a statement issued to 2GB host Ben Fordham, demanding the bullying they claim drove their daughter into helpless despair not be swept under the carpet. 'Hi Ben, earlier this week our family experienced a day that will haunt us for the rest of our lives,' the statement read. 'We lost our baby girl in the most awful of circumstances. She was just 12 years old. 'No words can ever describe what it's like for us, and it will never be the same again,' the letter continued. 'Charlotte has left such a big hole in our lives, and she's so deeply, deeply missed. 'The reports you have received are correct. My daughter was bullied by girls that still attend the school today. 'She wrote a goodbye note specifically mentioning the bullying she received at the school. Charlotte's family said they were once asked to pick her up from school because she had been crying in the toilets Last week 12-year-old Santa Sabina College Year 7 student Charlotte took her life and her family say school bullying drove her to complete 'She said life was too difficult for her to continue. 'When the most recent case of bullying was raised, the school simply said it was investigated and the girls denied it. That's it. Case closed. Move on. 'Well my beautiful daughter's life won't move on and I'll never get to say goodbye. 'These issues cannot be swept under the carpet. I will not let my daughter's memory be swept under the carpet either. 'How many more children need to lose their lives before they get it? How many parents need to feel the pain of never being able to pick up their child from school again before they get it? 'We're broken forever.' Fordham said the family had told him for two years they had complained about Charlotte being bullied at Santa Sabina College. The family said on 'one particular day the school called mum to arrange for Charlotte to be picked up because Charlotte had been crying in the toilets'. 'She told the girl who found her "I don't want to be here". She told her mum "My body fills with pain until my heart explodes",' Fordham said. On the night she died Charlotte sent a friend a photo of herself crying with the simple caption; 'I am sorry'. Her friend sent a series of increasingly worried messages back Fordham also interviewed a father whose daughter befriended Charlotte outside of the school she attended in Strathfield. The dad, who only went by the name of Jason, said his daughter experienced bullying in primary school and this was in part why she bonded with Charlotte, who continually said bullies at her school were making life a living hell. On the night Charlotte took her life Jason said she sent his daughter a text message and photo. The photo was of Charlotte crying and the caption read simply: 'I am sorry.' Jason's daughter then sent a series of increasingly pleading replies. 'Charlotte you are scaring me,' was the first message. She then sent: 'Charlotte? Charlotte? Answer.' 'I want to know you are alright,' the daughter wrote after again getting no reply. 'Charlotte, please, I am here for you,' was her final message. 'I am very proud of my daughter,' Jason said before dissolving into tears while trying to express the 'heartbreak' of Charlotte's family. Fordham said he has also been in email conversation with Santa Sabina College principal Paulina Skerman, had sent a message to the school community. Ms Skerman thanked everybody for the 'outpouring of love and support' for Charlotte. 'I also need to address my concerns about allegations made about bullying at Santa Sabina, she wrote. 'Such claims are extremely serious and are being treated as such.' Ms Skerman said the school's anti-bullying police, which is on its website, dictates that the 'response when required is always quick, measured and fair, with a commitment to ensuring the safety of all involved'. The message urged anyone with knowledge or evidence of bullying to report it 'through formal channels'. 'It adds nothing to make such claims the speculation of gossip. Speculation at this time is hurtful and unnecessary.' While the segment was on air Fordham said he had received a message from Charlotte's mum, Kelly, which he read out. 'Thank you for standing up for Charlotte, something I feel I failed to do,' Kelly wrote. Santa Sabina College principal Paulina Skerman has sent a message to the school community saying 'speculation' and 'gossip' about the tragedy are not helpful 'Please, I must stress and I beg I do not wish any little girls to feel responsible for this. 'I don't want any other mum not being able to wake up their child in the morning. 'They are also just little girls so they don't understand. 'Charlotte made a mistake on a moment of grief, she did not meant to do this, she did not understand.' Santa Sabina College sent a statement on Monday in reply to questions from Daily Mail Australia. 'A number of claims are being made about the circumstances that led to her (Charlotte's) death - these are new claims to the College and are not consistent with our records,' the statement said. 'In the outpouring of grief as everyone rightly questions how this could have happened, the College asks the media to take immense care in reporting so that further issues are not created for other vulnerable young people in our community and beyond. 'The main priority of the College at the moment is to support and care for our students, their families and our staff as well as support for this grieving family.' The College said it was continuing to work with counsellors, Headspace and other experts to provide the fullest support. However, it said 'mental health experts' advised further media coverage 'offers nothing positive for their grieving family or community' and creates 'further vulnerabilities for young people ... who are at risk because of what they hear and read'. 'While the College supports the idea of raising awareness of mental health challenges, we have to take into account that children are involved and this situation needs to be carefully navigated,' the statement said. Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (24 hours/7 days) Crisis Supporter on 13 11 14 (24 hours/7 days) Text Lifeline on 0477 13 11 14 (6pm midnight, 7 nights) Chat online at www.lifeline.org.au (7pm midnight, 7 nights) Claims colleagues treated her 'disrespectfully' after she disclosed her diagnosis EXCLUSIVE A prominent disability and LGBTQIA+ advocate claims she was made 'the poster child for autism' at SBS, only to be targeted with a cruel campaign of 'ableist' taunts and a plot to sack her after she complained. Laura Fazzolari has launched legal action against the taxpayer-funded broadcaster, citing ongoing 'ageist' and 'ableist' discrimination she claims she endured after joining SBS in March. The television station's newly minted 'community engagement activations manager' insists she was constantly grilled by 'disrespectful' colleagues about her age, education and suitability for her position. The young manager - who received a scholarship to attend this year's prestigious Women In Media conference in Sydney - claims she was even issued with a raft of false concerns about her behaviour after she sought compensation for a workplace injury. She has lodged a complaint with Anti-Discrimination NSW about her treatment and, on Monday, sought to extend an interim order by the NSW Civil and Administration Tribunal preventing SBS from sacking her before her claims were fully investigated. Ms Fazzolari - who was still on probation when she filed the claim - told the tribunal she believed the broadcaster was 'trying to get rid of me... because I've become an inconvenience'. And she insisted that, 'as soon as given the opportunity, SBS will terminate my employment'. She said it was a starkly different situation to when she joined the TV service to much fanfare just seven months ago. Disability advocate Laura Fazzolari says she has been targeted by a campaign of 'ageist' and 'ableist' discrimination at the taxpayer-funded SBS since disclosing her autism diagnosis Ms Fazzolari has accused her SBS colleagues of discriminating against her based on her age, education and experience, and continually questioning her suitability for her role She said her direct manager was proud to hire someone with autism and actively encouraged her to disclose her diagnosis to hundreds of colleagues. 'I was hired as someone with autism and my manager made me the poster child for someone with autism at SBS,' she told the tribunal. She said her boss was thrilled after she disclosed her autism to fellow staffers - but began to distance herself after other colleagues started making 'abeist' comments about her diagnosis. 'My manager told me, "Thank you so much for making so many of my career dreams come true",' Ms Fazzolari told the tribunal. 'But after being made the poster child of autism, I was left to deal with the consequences (of my disclosure) without any support. 'I just got spoken down to, had my abilities constantly questioned.' Ms Fazzolari, who was vice president of the Rotaract Club of Canberra University between 2016 and 2018, said it became 'a pattern' of disrespect. 'This was part of the pattern I had with my peers...I just kept getting questioned about my age, about my experience and my education,' she said. 'It was because (they thought) I couldn't possibility be qualified (for my role) because of my age or my disability.' She said one workplace exchange about her qualifications became so heated a colleague started 'screaming at me on site' but her boss 'repeatedly ignored my concerns about being treated disrespectfully'. 'She wouldn't even sit with me anymore...and my boss kept ignoring me, except for one text message,' she said. Ms Fazzolari is a prominent disability and LGBTQIA+ advocate who was awarded a scholarship to attend the prestigious Women in Media conference in Sydney this year Although her manager tried to defuse her concerns by suggesting she may have misread some of her colleagues' comments, Ms Fazzolari told the tribunal she refused to accept this explanation. 'If something happens over and over again, how can it be a misunderstanding?' she said. 'I constantly had to make other people comfortable with the fact I was autistic.' Ms Fazzolari claimed the 'disrespectful' treatment intensified after she asked her bosses at SBS to provide her with her own personal key for a 'quiet room' at work. She said that, while they eventually acquiesced to her request, the allocated space was next to the office of SBS managing director James Taylor. 'Having him be able to see you entering (the quiet room) when you're in a bad mental space isn't helpful,' she said. Ms Fazzolari said the alleged discrimination came to a head after her manager allegedly mocked her when she injured her wrist in a nasty workplace tumble on July 18. 'I had a fall at work and I reported it to her and she laughed at me... didn't check up on me or get medical care,' she said. Ms Fazzolari says she experienced further stress after being forced to use an office next to SBS managing director James Taylor's executive suite as her workplace 'quiet room' Ms Fazzolari claimed her bosses at SBS then continued to hassle her to work 'against medical advice' following the fall before ultimately issuing her with a letter six weeks later on August 30 that outlined a raft of concerns about her conduct. She denied being guilty of any deliberate professional misconduct during her time with the outlet, but conceded she may have inadvertently breached the company's social media policy on one occasion. Although Ms Fazzolari said she had received the all-clear medically to return to work as of last week, SBS management had advised her there were no suitable shifts for her. Ms Fazzolari told the tribunal she believed the TV station's letter and the refusal to let her return to work was retribution for her making complaints about the ageist and ableist treatment she had received and for making a worker's compensation claim. She asked the tribunal to extend an interim order issued on September 5 preventing the broadcaster from terminating her employment pending a full investigation into her allegations by Anti-Discrimination NSW. 'The SBS is not a small business...I doubt the inability to terminate me immediately would prevent their ability to continue business as usual,' she said. Senior counsel for SBS Nicole Choolum argued against an extension of the order, saying the investigation into Ms Fazzolari's claims could take 'between 12 and 18 months'. '(If it was extended) SBS would be prevented from terminating her employment irrespective of any future performance issues in that timeframe,' she said. A full investigation into Ms Fazzolari's alleged treatment at SBS is ongoing While Ms Choolum rejected any suggestion Ms Fazzolari had been treated unfairly by SBS, she added the broadcaster would 'make itself available for early conciliation and will co-operate fully with the investigation'. Tribunal senior member Larissa Andelman took a 20-minute recess to consider the applications on Monday before deciding to dismiss Ms Fazzolari's request. 'What that means is the interim injunction issued on the 5th of September ends today,' she said. SBS would not comment on whether it intended to terminate Ms Fazzolari's employment following the decision as she feared. 'SBS takes very seriously any allegations of discrimination and is committed to providing a safe and inclusive work environment for all employees,' a spokeswoman said. 'We are unfortunately unable to comment on this specific case as it is currently the subject of official proceedings.' According to Ms Fazzolari's LinkedIn profile, her role with SBS involves her 'overseeing the annual event calendar for the Audio, Languages and Content department'. She is also responsible for 'designing merchandise to use as giveaways for each activation event that is environmentally friendly, reusable, culturally appropriate and within budget'. The Anti-Discrimination NSW investigation into her claims continues. A couple has been acquitted of murdering teenager Amber Haigh in regional NSW, with a judge rejecting an allegation they killed the young mother in an attempt to take custody of a child. Robert Samuel Geeves, 64, and Anne Margaret Geeves, 64, were on Monday found not guilty of murdering Ms Haigh, who disappeared while living at their Kingsvale property more than 20 years ago. After a nearly eight-week Supreme Court trial earlier this year, Justice Julia Lonergan on Monday handed down her judgment, finding the Geeveses not guilty of murdering Ms Haigh. Ms Haigh, 19, who had an intellectual disability and suffered from epilepsy, was living with the Geeveses at their Kingsvale property, near Young, when she disappeared in June 2002. During the trial, the Crown prosecution alleged the couple killed Ms Haigh to gain custody of a young child. Both pleaded not guilty to murder and the court was told that they claimed they last saw Ms Haigh when they dropped her off at Campbelltown train station on June 5, 2002. According to their versions of events, they drove Ms Haigh to Sydney's southwestern outskirts so she could then travel to western Sydney to visit her sick and dying father. Amber Haigh, 19, was last seen at Campbelltown Railway Station in southwestern Sydney in 2002 The court was told a $500 withdrawal was made at 8.49pm that evening at a Queen St ATM using Ms Haigh's card. 'The account of this given by the accused is not inherently implausible and is supported by other independent evidence,' Justice Lonergan said. 'Both Robert and Anne were asked many questions about what occurred on the journey. Their accounts were consistent and consistently told'. Justice Lonergan said Ms Haigh having previously taken a train to Sydney did not raise suspicions. She also said Mr Geeves had called his boss, asking for a late start the following day before ultimately taking the day off. And Justice Lonergan said that corroborated their late arrival back at Kingsvale. The Crown prosecution alleged that the Geeveses controlled Ms Haigh's spending and bank card use. However Justice Lonergan said: 'This is not made out on the evidence.' 'I have decided the version provided by the accused may be true,' Justice Lonergan said. 'In those circumstances I must acquit. 'For all these reasons the verdict I must enter in respect of both Robert Geeves and Anne Geeves is not guilty.' Justice Lonergan said she found that Ms Haigh was dead, noting she had not filled her prescription for her epilepsy medication, nor had she seen a doctor. However, she said it could not be found beyond a reasonable doubt that she was killed by the Geeveses. Robert Samuel Geeves stood trial in the NSW Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to murder The Geeveses reported Ms Haigh missing at Young Police Station on June 19, 2002. Her body has never been found and she has never contacted family members. The court was told that in 2001, Mr Geeves began having sex with Ms Haigh. During the trial, Crown prosecutor Paul Kerr alleged the couple had killed Ms Haigh to gain custody of a child and did not take her to the train station. The Crown prosecution alleged the Geeveses used Ms Haigh as a 'surrogate'. According to the Crown prosecution, Ms Geeves had 'desperately wanted' another child, with the court hearing that she suffered three miscarriages and a stillbirth. Ms Geeves's barrister Michael King told the court that the community had long held suspicions about Mr Geeves. Anne Margaret Geeves was found not guilty of murder The defence argued that police at the time couldn't disprove that the Geeveses took the trip to Campbelltown. As well, their defence pointed to no incriminating evidence being obtained after police placed listening devices inside the Geeveses' home and car. Ms Haigh's disappearance has been an enduring mystery for the remote and close-knit community around Kingsvale, about two hours drive from Canberra. The last confirmed sighting of the young mother was on June 2, with a coronial inquest in 2011 concluding she was dead - though the finding was left open. Fallen Channel Seven star Andrew O'Keefe was revived by paramedics after a suspected drug overdose at a party in Sydney's eastern suburbs over the weekend. O'Keefe, 52, was partying at a home in Vaucluse at 3.30am on Saturday when emergency services were called. Paramedics successfully revived the former Deal or No Deal host, before he was taken to nearby St Vincent's Hospital for treatment, the Daily Telegraph reports. He has since been released from hospital. In a statement, NSW Police said: 'Officers attached to Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command were called to a home unit on Old South Head Road at Vaucluse about 3.40am, responding to concerns for the welfare of a 52-year-old man. 'NSW Ambulance paramedics rendered assistance to the man before taking him to St Vincent's Hospital where he was reported to be in a stable condition. 'Inquiries into the incident are continuing.' Andrew O'Keefe was revived by paramedics after a drug overdose at a party in Sydney's eastern suburbs over the weekend O'Keefe was last seen in public on Wednesday when he was spotted picking up Elisha Dalah, a 35-year-old member of a high society family who was once caught stealing from a Westfield shopping centre in 2022. The sighting of O'Keefe - who had a cigarette hanging from his mouth - came just days after a court upheld his convictions for domestic violence assault on Monday. District Court Judge John Pickering rejected his lawyers' arguments that the woman had inflicted scratch marks on her own arm and later blamed O'Keefe. However, the judge overturned other charges for drug possession after finding it could not be proven items found in a lock box in O'Keefe's apartment belonged to him. The troubled former TV star was convicted in January of three counts of domestic violence-related assault, twice contravening an AVO against him, and two charges for possessing a prohibited drug. He was ordered to serve 18 months on a community corrections order, which involves supervision and reporting requirements, and fined $800 for the drug offences. Paramedics responded to the incident at a home in Vaucluse at approximately 3.30am on Saturday During an assault in September 2021, O'Keefe was found to have pushed the woman into a doorway, punched her with the heel of the hand and forced her to the ground, before kicking her in the thigh and using his nails to scratch her chest. But O'Keefe's barrister Phillip Boulten SC said the woman's claim she scratched her hand on a hinge after being pushed through the doorway was not supported by physical evidence. Boulten said if the woman was found not to have been truthful about the scratch marks on her arm, the entirety of her evidence should not be accepted. Judge Pickering told the court he did not see any reason for the woman to lie about the assault, and noted at the time she had indicated she did not want to make a complaint to police. 'It was clear in her communication with the police that she did not actually want the police to get involved in this,' he said. 'I do not see what benefit there was to the complainant. I am satisfied the complainant was a truthful witness about this incident.' As the judgement was read in court, O'Keefe shook his head in frustrated disagreement and passed written notes to his lawyer. O'Keefe has admitted the argument occurred, but maintains he accidentally fell into the woman due to their proximity rather than pushing her. The woman alleged that after she fell, O'Keefe had said to her: 'Nice acting, I barely touched you.' Judge Pickering found it was open to the court in initially convicting O'Keefe to use an earlier incident in January 2021, in which O'Keefe admitted spitting in the same woman's eye, to help establish who was telling the truth. 'The majority of males in our community do not act in this fashion,' he said. O'Keefe previously hosted Weekend Sunrise and a number of game shows including The Chase until his contract with the Seven Network expired at the end of 2020. A veterinarian has been suspended and forced to pay thousands in fines for trying to hide an error-laden prescription after the dog died. Brooke Sullivan treated Lucy, a black labrador retriever-cross, for an injury to her foot at a clinic in Osborne Park, Perth, in October 2022. The vet noted the eight-year-old dog's wound appeared to be an insect bite and also had a sprained ligament, a WA State Administrative Tribunal was told. She gave Lucy's owners a prescription for three medications, one of which required a 25g dose taken daily. Despite following the prescription to the letter, the pooch continued to get sicker and after continual vomiting was euthanised nine days after the vet visit. One of Lucy's heartbroken owners, a pharmacist, then realised the 25 gram prescription was nine-times the recommended dose for her weight. They requested a meeting with the clinic's owners, which tipped Ms Sullivan off to the mistake and led to her trying to alter the prescription remotely. However, Lucy's owners had taken a screenshot of the original medication and made a complaint to the state's Veterinary Practice Board. A Perth veterinarian has been suspended and ordered to pay over $5,000 for altering a mistake on a prescription days after it died (stock image) The board took Ms Sullivan to the WA State Administrative Tribunal in May after an investigation found her behaviour constituted professional misconduct. The Tribunal's decision, published on September 12, found the vet's actions warranted 'disciplinary action'. They managed to mediate the issue and Ms Sullivan was suspended for three months from June 1. She was also ordered to pay a fine of $2,000 and a further $3,500 for the cost of applying to the board. A heartbroken mother has remembered her teenage son as a 'kind, generous soul' who dreamed of becoming a pilot before he was tragically killed in a horror crash. Broc Dawson, 17, was driving along Aura Boulevard in Bells Creek, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, at 1.15am on Saturday when his Toyota Corolla was struck by a motorbike that failed to give way at an intersection. Broc and the motorbike rider - a 32-year-old Morayfield man - died at the scene, while the teenager's 16-year-old male passenger was rushed to hospital with minor injuries. Krystn Dawson said her son had only recently gotten his P-plates and was 'so excited' to be able to go out with his friends without having her beside him. She said her son was driving his best friend home when an 'a***hole' doing 'ridiculous speeds ran a red light' and 'took my child away from me forever'. 'My son was a kind, generous soul who had his whole life ahead of him,' she wrote on Facebook. Broc Dawson, 17, (pictured) was tragically killed during the early hours of Saturday 'He touched many people's hearts in his short time with us... He wanted to be a pilot and was well on the way to doing this. 'You will never fully understand what we are going through unless you have been in this situation yourself. 'Please spend time with your loved ones, tell them how much they mean to you before you never get the chance to again.' Tributes have poured in online for Broc, a student of Caloundra Christian College, who has been remembered as a 'good friend' who loved mountain bike riding. A makeshift shrine has been set up at the crash site, with friends leaving flowers and candles in Broc's memory. Broc was travelling through the intersection of Aura Boulevard and Central Avenue (pictured) was he was struck by a motorbike that failed to stop at a red light Loved ones have erected a memorial site for the teenager at the scene of the crash 'Forever missing you Broc,' one friend wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of more than a dozen of his friends gathered at the memorial site. 'Still don't feel real, rest easy up there g,' another friend said. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe set up to help support Broc's devastated family has raised $20,766 of its $60,000 since it was launched on Sunday. Family friend and organiser Cooper Martin said the donations will help cover costs associated with Broc's funeral and 'any related expenses' to ensure the teenager gets the farewell he deserves. Queensland Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash, including whether speed was a factor. Anyone with footage of the motorbike prior to the crash is urged to contact police. A teenage worker has been left seriously injured after a tyre crushed his leg at a mine in central Queensland. Emergency services were called to the Moorvale Mine, off the Peak Downs Highway, in Coppabella, at 11.32am on Monday following reports the worker was injured. The teenager is understood to have suffered serious lower leg injuries and rib pain. A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia he was treated at the scene by paramedics. A BMA CQ Rescue helicopter was deployed to the scene and the he has since been airlifted to Mackay Hospital. A Resources Safety and Health Queensland spokeswoman confirmed to Daily Mail the agency has launched an investigation. 'We understand a workers limb was crushed during activities at the tyre bay,' the spokeswoman said. 'An RSHQ coal inspector is travelling to the scene and has issued a directive to isolate the incident'. A teenage worker has been left injured after a tyre crushed his leg at a mine in central Queensland (stock image) The latest incident comes after another man suffered serious injuries to his torso at a BMA mine in Broadmedow, near Moranbah, in North Queensland, on Saturday. The 32-year-old worker was underground at the time when he is understood to have been impacted by an object. He was rushed to Moranbah hospital in a serious condition after emergency services were called to the scene at 11.20am. BMA were forced to suspend their operations at the site and investigators from RSHQ attended the scene to commence investigations. The man, who is understood to have suffered serious lower leg injuries, was treated at the scene by paramedics, and he is being airlifted to hospital (stock image) More to come. Brave bystanders managed to hold a man down after he allegedly fired a shot in a road rage incident in Melbourne's northeast, police have said. It's believed two cars crashed in Doncaster near the intersection of Williamsons and Manningham roads about 11am on Monday. The 32-year-old driver of one of the cars then got out and allegedly fired a gun. Members of the public intervened and managed to hold the man down until police arrived. The 32-year-old suffered minor injuries and was arrested. He remains in police custody as of Monday afternoon, and police managed to seize a firearm at the scene. No one else was injured in the alleged incident, with the driver of the other car set to be interviewed by police. The investigation remains ongoing, as police urge anyone with information to come forward. Brave bystanders managed to hold a man down after he allegedly fired a shot in a road rage incident in Melbourne 's northeast, police have said Huw Edwards, one of Britain's most famous newsreaders, will return to court today where he could be sentenced over receiving sexual images of children as young as seven. The disgraced former BBC News star has admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs of children after he was sent 41 images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams in vile WhatsApp messages. The 63-year-old is on conditional bail and is set to be sentenced at Westminster Magistrates' Court at 10am today, following his guilty pleas in July. The maximum sentence Edwards could receive from the magistrates' court is 12 months. But Edwards' case could be sent to crown court if the presiding district judge decides they do not have appropriate powers to sentence the ex-presenter today. The three offences he has pleaded guilty to can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. A community order and sexual offender treatment programme could also be considered as alternatives to a custodial sentence. Seven of the indecent images shared with Edwards by Williams were of the most serious type. Of those images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Williams was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences following an investigation by South Wales Police - receiving a 12-month suspended sentence. Former BBC news anchor Huw Edwards leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court in London in July In July, Edwards admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Huw Edwards that led to the newsreader's downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with the convicted paedophile telling the newsreader the child was 'quite young looking' and that he had more images which were illegal. Overall the charges cover a period between December 2020 and August 2021. The BBC has admitted it was informed that the former TV presenter had been arrested in November but continued to employ him for around five months until he left on medical advice. What is 'making' indecent images? Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of 'making' indecent images of children in July. The Crown Prosecution Service says it can include: opening an email attachment containing an image downloading an image from a website to a screen storing an image on a computer accessing a pornographic website in which an image appears in an automatic 'pop-up' window receiving an image via social media, even if unsolicited and even if part of a group or live-streaming images of children A court must also decide whether an offence calls into the category of possession, distribution or production. Advertisement Edwards, one of the BBC's most famous stars who presented the Queen's death and King Charles' coronation, has not been on TV since he was named by his wife as the high-profile presenter at the centre of a sexual pictures scandal in July 2023. In the completely separate case, Edwards was accused of paying 35,000 to a young person in exchange for sexual images. The Met Police confirmed that no criminal offence was committed in this instance. The mother of the teenager told The Sun that Edwards has caused 'immense pain and suffering' and should be locked up. In a powerful open letter published by the newspaper, she said: 'I am today writing this open letter to make you understand the immense pain and suffering you have caused me, my son, my family, your own family - and all of your victims over the years.' She said that her 'heart breaks for every one' of the young children 'robbed of their innocence forever for your sick pleasure' and their families who have gone through what she has. She wrote of how her son was happy before the disgraced news anchor 'wormed' his way into the teenager's life from the age of 17. The distressed mother said her son began having problems with drink and drugs, which was further fuelled by Edwards' 'pestering him for pictures' and paying him 'tens of thousands'. She said Edwards: 'Sent text messages calling him 'Princess' to control him and keep him onside.' Concluding the letter, she told Edwards: 'That you have lost everything is no consolation to us. You will receive your punishment in court.' The teenager who was paid 35,000 by the former BBC star is now 21. He allegedly was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement and said he felt 'groomed' by the disgraced presenter. Although no criminality was found from these allegations, the Met revealed in July this year that Edwards had separately been charged with making indecent images of children. In a dramatic fall from grace, the force confirmed Edwards had been arrested on November 8 2023 and charged on June 26 2024. Edwards pictured in 1999. He would go on to become one of the BBC's highest-paid stars Edwards spent 40 years working his way up the ranks of the BBC, first coming to national attention presenting the BBC Six O'Clock News Edwards announcing the news of Her Majesty's death to the nation in September 2022 Edwards pictured with his wife Vicky Flind in London in 2018. She named him as the high-profile presenter as the centre of a sexual pictures scandal Police officers clear the way as former BBC news presenter Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on July 31 Welsh police uncovered the broadcaster crimes during a separate probe into a sex offender Five days later, Edwards pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children - and will be sentenced today. Huw Edwards' fall from grace Huw Edwards was made anchor of the BBC's flagship 10pm news bulletin in 2003. As well as the funeral of the late Queen, Edwards narrated the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton and has hosted UK general election coverage. But the father-of-five's professional life began to unravel in July 2023 when he was suspended by the BBC following allegations in The Sun that a high-profile TV star had paid a young person 35,000 for explicit images. Edwards did not comment publicly on the allegations, but his wife released a statement confirming it was her husband at the centre of the scandal and that he was 'suffering from serious mental health issues' and receiving 'in-patient hospital care'. The Met Police did not find any crime had been committed. But in an unrelated probe, it was revealed earlier this year that Edwards had been charged with 'making' indecent images of children. Edwards was first arrested in November 2023 and charged in June, but the case was only revealed publicly in late July a couple of days before he appeared in court to admit the counts. The Welsh presenter had resigned from the BBC in April on 'medical advice' after 40 years with the broadcaster. The BBC, whose brand is built on public trust, has admitted being made aware by police of the arrest and has been criticised for paying Edwards a salary for six months afterwards. Advertisement Edwards, who resigned from the BBC in April, has been asked to repay the 200,000 salary he has received since his arrest. BBC director-general Tim Davie said the money should be returned and that the corporation will 'explore' the legal process if Edwards refuses. Mr Davie and BBC chairman Samir Shah were questioned by the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee last Wednesday. Regarding the disgraced presenter's pay, Mr Davie said: 'We've made the formal request, and I can't go into too much detail, but discussions are under way, but I've got no further news, apart from the BBC's position is clear, the money should be returned, and we made the request.' When asked if he set a deadline, he said: 'I don't believe we set a deadline... but we do expect to make progress and get an answer.' Mr Shah told the same committee that Edwards had 'damaged' the BBC's reputation. He said: 'There's nothing more important than public trust in the BBC, and we are custodians of that trust and what Huw Edwards did damaged the reputation and the trust for the BBC so we take that very seriously indeed. 'I should say, it was a shock to discover, when it was announced, when he was charged, that he had led this double life. 'On the face of it, a trusted news presenter, but hidden, secretly, he was this figure who did the most appalling things. I mean, let's never forget the victims.' He added that he 'knew him', having overseen current affairs at the BBC decades ago, and said that other staff who worked with him 'feel angry and betrayed' by Edwards. The relevant images range from the most serious category, known as category A, to the least serious, known as Category C. They include seven category A images, 12 category B images, and 22 category C images. The Sentencing Council, a public body sponsored by the Ministry Of Justice, defines category A images as those involving penetrative sexual activity, sexual activity with an animal, or sadism. Huw Edwards, 62, at the pinnacle of his career and picking up a television award for Best Live Event for covering the late Queen's funeral The star anchor's prestigious career involved breaking the news of Queen Elizabeth II's death and both Prince William and Prince Harry's weddings. Pictured with Justin Welby on May 6, 2023 Edwards is seen on screen for what would be the last time before the scandal became public, when he covered King Charles' visit to Scotland Edwards, of Wandsworth, wore a dark blue suit with a blue tie in the dock in July Category B images are those involving non-penetrative sexual activity, while category C images are indecent images that do not fall into A or B. According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), 'making' an indecent image has been broadly interpreted by the courts. It can range from opening an attachment to an email containing an image, to accessing pornographic websites in which indecent photographs of children appear by way of an automatic 'pop-up' mechanism. In the case of Edwards, he received the illegal images as part of a WhatsApp conversation. Speaking in Edwards' defence, his barrister Philip Evans KC has said that his client had not 'created' the images 'in the traditional sense of the word'. Huw Edwards shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II during a royal visit to BBC Studios in London in June 2013. He enjoyed a glittering career until the scandal came to light Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to receiving 41 indecent images of children, which included two sexual videos of a boy under nine (Edwards is seen leaving court) The maximum prison sentence for making an indecent image of a child is 10 years. Sentencing guidelines set the starting point for any jail term for possession of a category A image at 12 months, with a range of 26 weeks to three years. The starting point is 26 weeks for a category B image, and a community order for category C. A number of potential defences to the charge exist, including not seeing the images and having no reason to believe that the images were indecent, having a legitimate reason to possess the images, or if the images were unsolicited and not kept for an unreasonable amount of time. Edwards made his way through the media melee before being driven away from court Aggravating features to be taken into account for Edwards include that the images included moving images, and the young age of the child thought to be seven to nine years old in two of the category A images. Mitigating factors are Edwards' early guilty plea, his previous good character, his mental health issues, and his remorse. During his four decades at the corporation, Edwards was among the broadcasting teams leading coverage of historic events including the late Queen's funeral in 2022 and most recently the coronation of the King in May 2023. Edwards also announced the late Queen's death on the BBC in September 2022. The former presenter was seen for the last time on the BBC as he covered King Charles' visit to Scotland on July 5 2023, two days before The Sun's article about the 'unnamed presenter' scandal was published. EXCLUSIVE Fallen Channel Seven star Andrew O'Keefe will spend the night behind bars after he he was slapped with fresh charges hours after presenting himself to a Sydney police station. O'Keefe was allegedly seen driving erratically from his home at Vaucluse to Rose Bay police station in the city's east on Monday afternoon, two days after he survived a suspected heroin overdose. The 52-year-old went inside the building on New South Head Road about 2pm and upon leaving got into his car and became involved in an argument with photographers. He began to drive off, then parked again and returned to re-enter the police station. O'Keefe was then seen walking out the rear exit of the station accompanied by three officers wearing latex gloves who took him away in the back of a police car. O'Keefe was taken into custody, and has since been charged with breach of bail and possession of a prohibited drug. 'When police searched a vehicle nearby, they allegedly located prohibited drugs. These have been sent for further analysis,' a police statement read. 'The man was taken to Waverley Police Station and charged with breach of bail, and possess prohibited drug.' Fallen Channel Seven star Andrew O'Keefe has been arrested again for allegedly breaching his bail after presenting himself to a Sydney police station on Monday afternoon (above) O'Keefe was then seen walking out the rear exit of the station accompanied by three officers wearing latex gloves who took him away in the back of a police car O'Keefe was refused bail to appear at Waverley Local Court on Tuesday. O'Keefe was no longer wearing his glasses or belt and his shoes were carried by one of the officers when he was taken into custody earlier in the afternoon. 'About 2.25pm today a 52-year-old man was arrested at Rose Bay Police Station in relation to an alleged breach of bail incident,' a spokesman told Daily Mail Australia. 'The man has been taken to Waverley police station where he is assisting police with inquiries.' Two days earlier, O'Keefe had been partying at a home in Vaucluse about 3.40am on Saturday when emergency services were called. Paramedics successfully revived the former Deal or No Deal host, before he was transferred to nearby St Vincent's Hospital for treatment. NSW Police said: 'Officers attached to Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command were called to a home unit on Old South Head Road at Vaucluse about 3.40am, responding to concerns for the welfare of a 52-year-old man'. 'NSW Ambulance paramedics rendered assistance to the man before taking him to St Vincent's Hospital where he was reported to be in a stable condition. 'Inquiries into the incident are continuing.' O'Keefe had last been seen in public on Wednesday when he was spotted picking up Elisha Dalah, a 35-year-old member of a high society family who was caught stealing from a Westfield shopping centre in 2022. O'Keefe was seen driving erratically from his home at Vaucluse to Rose Bay police station on Monday afternoon, two days after he survived a suspected drug overdose O'Keefe was no longer wearing his glasses or belt after his arrest and his shoes were being carried by one of the officers The sighting of O'Keefe - who had a cigarette hanging from his mouth - came after a court upheld his convictions for domestic violence offences last Monday. District Court Judge John Pickering rejected O'Keefe's claim his victim had inflicted scratch marks on her own arm and later blamed him for her injuries. Judge Pickering overturned other convictions for drug possession after finding it could not be proven items found in O'Keefe's apartment belonged to the TV presenter. O'Keefe was convicted in January of three counts of domestic violence-related assault, of twice contravening an AVO, and two charges of possessing a prohibited drug. He was ordered to serve an 18-month community corrections order, which involved supervision and reporting requirements, and fined $800 for the drug offences. The offences were alleged to have been committed in September 2021. O'Keefe had pushed a woman into a doorway, punched her with the heel of the hand and forced her to the ground, before kicking her in the thigh and using his nails to scratch her chest. But O'Keefe's barrister Phillip Boulten SC said the woman's claim she scratched her hand on a hinge after being pushed through the doorway was not supported by physical evidence. The 52-year-old went inside the building on Wunulla Rd about 2pm and upon leaving got into his car and became involved in an argument with photographers He began to drive off then parked again and returned to re-enter the police station Mr Boulten said if the woman was found not to have been truthful about the scratch marks on her arm, the entirety of her evidence should not be accepted. Judge Pickering told the court he did not see any reason for the woman to lie about the assault, and noted at the time she had indicated she did not want to make a complaint to police. 'It was clear in her communication with the police that she did not actually want the police to get involved in this,' he said. 'I do not see what benefit there was to the complainant. I am satisfied the complainant was a truthful witness about this incident.' A NSW Police spokesman confirmed O'Keefe had been taken into custody As the judgement was read in court, O'Keefe shook his head in frustrated disagreement and passed written notes to his lawyer. O'Keefe has admitted the argument occurred, but maintains he accidentally fell into the woman due to their proximity rather than pushing her. The woman alleged that after she fell, O'Keefe had said to her: 'Nice acting, I barely touched you.' Judge Pickering found it was open to the court in initially convicting O'Keefe to use an earlier incident in January 2021, in which O'Keefe admitted spitting in the same woman's eye, to help establish who was telling the truth. 'The majority of males in our community do not act in this fashion,' he said. O'Keefe previously hosted Weekend Sunrise and game shows including The Chase until his contract with the Seven Network expired at the end of 2020. He is due to appear in Downing Centre Local Court on September 26 over a charge of driving with an illicit drug in his system. An urgent search has been launched for two young sisters who have gone missing in Western Australia. WA Police is concerned for the safety of Victoria and Paris aged 11 and 13. The girls were last seen leaving their home in Dianella, 9km from the Perth CBD, at about 8.30am on Monday. Both girls are described as 153cm tall, light olive complexion and long dark brown hair. WA Police is concerned for the safety of missing Perth sisters Victoria and Paris (pictured) It is believed the girls are on foot. A public appeal by police shared online has attracted hundreds of shares within a hour. Anyone with information is asked to contact the police on 131 444. Keir Starmer is facing a Channel migrant backlash from his own MPs as he holds talks with his counterpart in Italy. The PM is in Rome to meet Giorgia Meloni, with discussions set to include her tough approach to tackling small boats crossing the Mediterranean. Sir Keir has been joined by former police chief Martin Hewitt, who was appointed last night as the UK's new 'Border Security Commander'. Downing Street said the PM wanted to learn from Italy, which has cut the numbers arriving across the Mediterranean from 118,000 to 44,500 in the last year - a fall of 62 per cent. The two leaders will discuss a radical new scheme which will see thousands of illegal migrants arriving in Italy sent to Albania to have their asylum claims processed. The issue has been given even more urgency by the deaths of eight migrants who were trying to cross the Channel over the weekend. But the premier is already facing criticism from his own ranks, with left wingers insisting it is 'disturbing that Starmer is seeking to learn lessons from a neo-fascist government'. Keir Starmer meeting business leaders in Rome this morning. He is holding talks with Giorgia Meloni later, with discussions set to include her tough approach to tackling small boats crossing the Mediterranean Sir Keir at the breakfast meeting with business leaders this morning Sir Keir will hold talks with his Italian counterpart Georgia Meloni (pictured), who has overseen a sharp drop in migrants crossing the Mediterranean this year Sir Keir has been joined by former police chief Martin Hewitt, who was appointed last night as the UK's new 'Border Security Commander' It comes as French authorities rescued some 200 people off the coast of Calais over a 24-hour period between Friday and Saturday night. (File image of migrants being brought to Dover as they attempted to reach the UK earlier this month) Ms Meloni believes the much-delayed plan will act as a deterrent to those seeking a new life in Europe. However, unlike the UK's former Rwanda scheme, those found to have valid asylum claims will ultimately have the right to settle in Italy. Labour MP Kim Johnson told the Guardian: 'Meloni's approach to Albanian migration has been described as a 'model of mismanagement and a blueprint for abuse' by Human Rights Watch. 'It is disturbing that Starmer is seeking to learn lessons from a neo-fascist government particularly after the anti-refugee riots and far-right racist terrorism that swept Britain this summer. 'Have we learned nothing from the Tories' failures? Higher security and draconian deportation measures fail to dissuade desperate people from seeking asylum, and risk significant human rights violations. 'Instead, we should be focusing our efforts on the serious failures in our current asylum system reduce the backlog of claims, end no recourse to public funds and restrictions on work, and strive to implement a just and humane system for asylum seekers and migrants.' But Home SecretaryYvette Cooper told BBC Breakfast: 'We've always had a history of working with governments that have different political parties that are not aligned. 'That is a sensible thing for any government to do. We have to work with democratically elected governments, particularly those who are our nearest neighbours, and particularly those where we have shared challenges that we have to face.' On potential violations of migrants' human rights in Italy, Ms Cooper said: 'I don't think it's immoral to go after the criminal gangs. Quite the opposite. I think it's actually a moral imperative to make sure that we are pursuing the criminal gangs who are putting lives at risk.' She added: 'So the approach we've always taken is to say: you have to meet proper standards, you have to make sure that humanitarian standards are met, and we will continue to do that. 'But we also have to make sure we're working to prevent crimes which undermine all humanity when you've got those sorts of crimes being committed, when you see the sorts of trafficking operations that can take place. 'So I think this is about what we do to protect those who are vulnerable, to get border security back in place and to make sure that rules are properly respected and enforced.' Sir Keir scrapped the Rwanda scheme in his first week in office, describing it as an expensive gimmick'. But speaking at the weekend, he voiced interest in the Italian approach, known as offshore processing. Asked about the Albanian scheme, he told reporters: 'Let's see. It's in early days, I'm interested in how that works, I think everybody else is.' The PM will also discuss Italy's deals with Tunisia and Libya which are credited with helping to slash the number of people arriving from the North African coast. Tunisia was paid almost 100 million to beef up border security and improve coastguard operations. Italy also supplied patrol vessels to help pick up migrants in Tunisian waters. In a separate deal aimed at boosting diplomatic relations, Italy paid Tunisia 85 million to fund local education and economic schemes. A No 10 spokesman said: 'The PM wants to discuss Meloni's success in tackling illegal migration. Different countries will have different approaches and they will be discussing her country's approach to tackling migration.' Ministers are examining whether similar diplomatic and financial deals could be struck with countries like Vietnam, Turkey and Iraq, whose citizens comprise thousands of the migrants arriving in the UK each year. Ms Meloni had close relations with Rishi Sunak and has been branded 'far Right' by some in Labour. Sir Keir acknowledged the Italian PM has 'strong opinions' on immigration, but said he was interested in working more closely with her on the issue. The PM and Mr Hewitt will also visit a coastguard coordination centre in Italy today to learn operational lessons from a country on the front line of the EU's migrant crisis. Mr Hewitt is a former chairman of the National Police Chiefs Council and is best known for leading the police response to the Covid pandemic. Georgia Meloni with Albania's prime minister Edi Rama. A radical new scheme which will see thousands of illegal migrants arriving in Italy sent to Albania to have their asylum applications processed The new role, which is expected to command a salary of around 200,000, has been seen by some as a poisoned chalice. Former counter-terror chief Neil Basu turned down the role in the summer after being approached by Labour. Mr Hewitt last night said he was 'under no illusions of the challenges that lie ahead, but I am determined to face them head-on'. As head of the new agency he will play a co-ordinating role in the effort to smash the people smuggling gangs, working with MI5 and MI6 along with the National Crime Agency, Border Force, local police and prosecutors. Sir Keir said the appointment was a signal there would be 'no more gimmicks'. He added: 'Martin Hewitt's unique expertise will lead a new era of international enforcement to dismantle these networks, protect our shores and bring order to the asylum system.' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the new government's approach was already producing results, with closer cooperation across Europe resulting in 70 operations to tackle people smuggling gangs. She added: 'With the Border Security Command we can go much further - building new law enforcement partnerships across Europe and getting new powers into place, to go after the gangs, tackle dangerous boat crossings and save lives.' This video is no longer available This video is no longer available A decade ago Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd was 'down and out' and never thought he would 'get his life together' after being sexually abused and severely stalked. But last night, the Scottish writer, 35, struggled to hold in his emotions as his smash hit Netflix show based on his harrowing experiences won four Emmys at a glitzy ceremony in LA. Gadd was visibly emotional as he won the awards for Writing for a Limited or Anthology series or Movie and Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology series or Movie. During a tear-jerking speech, he urged others going through a tough time to 'persevere'. 'This is the stuff of dreams,' the kilt-wearing comedian said on stage. Richard Gadd, 35, was visibly emotional as he reflected on his own struggles and battle with mental health issues as his Netflix hit show Baby Reindeer won four Emmys Baby Reindeer is the drama written by comedian Gadd (who also plays the lead character) based on his real-life experiences with a female stalker, played by Jessica Gunning Martha actress Gunning, 38, won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie prize for her role as the crazed fan of Gadd's Donny Dunn and the show also triumphed in the Outstanding Limited or Anthology series category The series was a hit and became one of Netflix's most watched shows ever. But the dark comedy thriller has came under fire from those who claimed to have been depicted by the series 'Look, 10 years ago I was down and out. I never ever thought I'd get my life together. 'I never ever thought I'd be able to rectify myself what had happened to me and get myself back on my feet again, and then here I am, just over a decade later, picking up one of the biggest writing awards in television. 'I don't mean that to sound arrogant. I mean it as encouragement for anyone who's going through a difficult time right now to persevere. 'I don't know much about this life, I don't know why we are here, none of that, but I do know that nothing lasts forever, and no matter how bad it gets, it always gets better. 'So if you're struggling, keep going keep going and I promise you things will be okay.' Actress Jessica Gunning, 38, who played his stalker Martha Scott, won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie prize for her role. The show is a semi-autobiographical comedy drama which told the story of standup comedian Donny Dunn who is harassed and stalked by Martha, sending him 41,000-plus emails, and bombarding him with texts and calls. It included traumatic scenes of sexual assault and drug taking. Gadd previously opened up about filming episode four, in which his character is sexually assaulted by a male TV writer who takes struggling comedian Donny under his wing. Baby Reindeer won a blockbuster four awards at the 2024 Primetime Emmys in LA on Sunday - with Gadd and Gunning triumphing Actress Gunning, who played his stalker Martha Scott, won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie prize for her role Gadd won the award for Writing for a Limited or Anthology series or Movie for the Netflix phenomenon - based on his own harrowing experiences of being stalked He told Variety: 'We did close the set, but I was looking over and you'd see the props guys wiping tears from their eyes as they would be putting the props back how they should be.' 'The show was based in such a trauma that everyone on set felt at times it was a huge, weighty thing. And it's why I think everyone had such respect for everything. I was blessed with this amazing team who kind of felt it with me in a lot of ways.' Those traumatic scenes were based on his own sexual abuse by an older man which he recounted in 2016 with his Fringe show Monkey See Monkey Do. Gadd said the abuse, which culminated in rape he did not report it to police led to a 'masculinity crisis'. Once 'quite a lad', he said: 'I would say that I certainly started to feel like my face didn't fit in among the lad part of my life anymore.' The one-man show, in which Gadd runs away on a treadmill, night after night, trying to escape a figure in a gorilla suit, won him the Edinburgh Fringe comedy award and a 10,000 prize. Gadd, who is an ambassador for We Are Survivors, a charity dedicated to helping male survivors of sexual abuse, subsequently underwent extensive therapy. Turning his horrific abuse into a cathartic show was a breakthrough moment for the comedian who suffered anxiety, depression and has spoken of post-traumatic stress disorder. But amidst the success of his Monkey See, Monkey Do show, Gadd was going through another personal ordeal, this time having to cope with being stalked. He told the Guardian: 'It felt like I'd expunged the demons of one person who had caused me so much grief, only so that she [his stalker] could take centre stage in his place. It felt so awfully ironic.' The comedian was sexually abused by an older man, which he turned into his Monkey See Monkey Do show. Throughout the performance Gadd runs on a treadmill trying to escape a figure in a monkey costume - a metaphor for his trauma Gadd would turn his stalking ordeal into Baby Reindeer which debuted at Fringe in 2019 'Its very emotionally true, obviously: I was severely stalked and severely abused,' he told the Guardian in April Gadd would turn his experiences into Baby Reindeer which debuted at Fringe in 2019. 'Its very emotionally true, obviously: I was severely stalked and severely abused,' he told the Guardian in April. 'But we wanted it to exist in the sphere of art, as well as protect the people it's based on.' The show was snapped up by Netflix and turned into a mini-series. The name of his tour about being stalked came from the nickname given to him by his stalker who said he was like a 'cuddly reindeer'. The show was hailed as 'mind-blowing' and 'one of the most powerful shows I've ever watched' by those who binged all seven episodes within the first days of its release on the streaming platform. Gadd first met his stalker after he offered 'a crying stranger a cup of tea' when she came into the bar where he worked. The simple gesture sparked a stalking nightmare that saw him regularly followed at home and work, and tracked on Facebook using three fake accounts. He told The Times: 'At first everyone at the pub thought it was funny that I had an admirer. Then she started to invade my life, following me, turning up at my gigs, waiting outside my house, sending thousands of voicemails and emails.' It developed to terrifying lengths as the crazed fan got closer to her obsession - including her turning up at his gigs, his workplace and bombarding him with messages. Performing a version of what happened to him has enabled him to have 'ownership' of the trauma, the comic says Gadd first met his stalker after he offered 'a crying stranger a cup of tea' when she came into the bar where he worked Ms Gunning, Gadd and their fellow castmate Nava Nau. Ms Nau plays a trans woman who dates Donny during the series Gadd's stalker sent him 41,071 emails, 744 tweets, 106 pages of letters and a staggering 350 hours of voicemail over a six year period The Netflix series sees Martha given a prison sentence for her offences but Gadd hasn't divulged the fate of his real-life stalker The actor and comedian was subjected to a campaign of obsession by the woman, known as Martha, that manifested in 41,071 emails, 744 tweets, 106 pages of letters and a staggering 350 hours of voicemail. He says it was 'years' before the police eventually took his complaints seriously - and six years before they finally intervened - something which prolonged the agony for everyone involved including his relatives. The police told him at the time that unless his stalker became physically violent, there was little they could do to resolve the issue. He has said he still finds it hard to trust people and has had 'every therapy going'. Gadd added that the years of being stalked have left him with something 'like PTSD'. For the Netflix role, he lost weight to match his 10-and-a-half stone 'neurotic' self at the height of his own stalking nightmare. He says he 'is more cautious' of people because of the campaign of terror that Martha inflicted, saying: 'It takes me a long time to trust them. Before, I entered situations with such abandonment and I got burnt.' However, performing a version of what happened to him has enabled him to have 'ownership' of the trauma. Gadd earned a Fringe award for his show, also called Baby Reindeer, in 2019. Speaking to the Telegraph in 2019 about the one-man show that he wrote after the ordeal, he said: 'It was debilitating beyond belief. 'I'd listen to her voicemails and just feel my eyes welling up. They were tears of frustration. Proper brain-heavy stress.' But the dark comedy thriller has came under fire from those who claimed to have been depicted by the series. Fiona Harvey came forward claiming to be the inspiration behind Martha, alleging the story was inaccurate, and filed a lawsuit against Netflix. At the beginning of the first episode, text appears on the screen which says: 'This is a true story.' Fiona Harvey came forward claiming to be the inspiration behind Martha, alleging the story was inaccurate, and filed a lawsuit against Netflix Piers Morgan with Fiona Harvey, the inspiration for Martha, in May where she gave a bombshell interview on his YouTube show Uncensored In the drama, said to be inspired by the real-life experiences of Gadd, his character Donny Dunn is hounded by Martha after he serves her a free cup of tea in the pub where he works. In the TV series, Martha receives a nine-month prison sentence and a five-year restraining order, which Ms Harvey has disputed. MailOnline reported in July that Ms Harvey was demanding 135million from the streaming giant, claiming they spread 'brutal lies' because 'it was a better story than the truth'. Ms Harvey said: 'The problem for Richard Gadd and now for Netflix is that Baby Reindeer is not a true story at all. 'I am not a convicted stalker'. Germany brings in its plan to end unchecked illegal immigration to the country today with enhanced border controls at all nine of its borders. The new controls will be in place for an initial six months and are expected to include temporary structures at land crossings and spot checks by federal police. The coalition government hopes to show its seriousness about efforts to tackle irregular migration following a spate of Islamist attacks in recent months that have galvanised groups on the far-right. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser insisted yesterday that the step would help 'put a stop to criminals and identify and stop Islamists at an early stage'. But the policy has not been without its criticism internally, and risks fracturing Germany's centre-left coalition and alienating its European neighbours. Police at the German-Polish border control traffic as enhanced border checks are introduced The checks will be in place for an initial six month period (Pictured: Kehl, Germany on Monday) A German police officer stands guard next to a dog at a border with France on Monday Poland and Austria are among the neighbours that have voiced concern, while the European Commission has warned that members of the 27-nation bloc must only impose such steps in exceptional circumstances. Germany lies at the heart of Europe and borders nine countries that are part of the visa-free Schengen zone, designed to allow the free movement of people and goods. Border controls with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland were already in place before the crackdown was announced. But these will now be expanded to Germany's borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark, too. Faeser said the government hoped to minimise the impact on people living and working in border regions, promising 'coordination with our neighbouring countries'. The interior ministry however noted that travellers should carry identification when crossing the border. Although businesses operating in the region have warned enhanced border controls could come with dire consequences. Geert van Eijk, of the trade association Evofenedex, said that delays could cost 'tens, perhaps even hundreds of millions of euros'. In recent weeks, a string of extremist attacks have shocked Germany, fuelling rising public anger. Last month, a man on a knife rampage killed three people and wounded eight more at a festival in the western city of Solingen. The Syrian suspect, who has alleged links to the Islamic State group, had been intended for deportation but managed to evade authorities. The enforcement failure set off a bitter debate which marked the run-up to two regional polls in the formerly communist east, where the anti-immigration AfD scored unprecedented results. With national elections looming next year, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government has been under intense political pressure to toughen its stance on migrants and asylum seekers. Scholz was in Uzbekistan on Sunday to sign a migration deal for workers to come to Germany, while simplifying deportation procedures in the opposite direction so that 'those that must go back do go back', the chancellor said. Closer to home, the German government has presented plans to speed up deportations to European partners. Under EU rules, asylum requests are meant to be handled by the country of arrival. The system has placed a huge strain on countries on the European periphery, where leaders have demanded more burden-sharing. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that Germany tightening its borders means that it would 'essentially pass the buck to countries located on the outer borders of Europe'. Austria's Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said his country 'will not accept people who are rejected from Germany', while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk condemned Germany's move as 'unacceptable'. Warsaw has also struggled with migration and accused Moscow of smuggling people from Africa and the Middle East into Europe by sending them through Belarus to the Polish border. Berlin on Friday said that Tusk and Scholz had discussed the issue and agreed to strengthen EU external borders, 'especially in view of the cynical instrumentalisation of migrants by Belarus'. Hard-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has become the first of its ilk to win in the nation since the Second World War (File image, August 31) A police officer checks vehicles near the border with Belgium in Aachen on Monday Police officers check a van at the Bunderneuland border crossing early on Monday morning Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, meanwhile, mocked the German chancellor on social media site X, writing: 'Bundeskanzler Scholz, welcome to the club! #StopMigration.' Germany took in more than a million asylum seekers in 2015-16, many of them Syrians, and has hosted over a million Ukrainians since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022. The extra burden on municipal authorities and integration services in Germany needed to be 'taken into account' when talking about new border controls, Berlin's interior ministry said. In the Netherlands, Prime Minister Dick Schoof on Friday unveiled the country's strictest migration policy yet, saying it will request an opt-out from EU common policy on asylum next week. A four-party coalition dominated by far-right firebrand Geert Wilders's Freedom Party wants to declare an 'asylum crisis' to curb the influx of migrants through a tough set of rules including border controls. Huw Edwards' BBC colleagues were warned about him and hope he will be jailed over indecent images of children sent to him by a convicted paedophile, MailOnline can reveal today. The broadcaster will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court this morning where he will be sentenced over receiving sexual images of children as young as seven. He could face up to 10 years in jail but there are fears that he could walk free after he pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and is expected to use his mental health problems in mitigation. But his bosses face major questions about why they didn't suspend him without pay when they were told he'd arrested over child abuse images. BBC staff have described being 'warned' about 'thin-skinned' Edwards when they started working there - and said that he should be put in prison for what he has done. Former BBC news presenter Huw Edwards outside Westminster Magistrates' Court. Colleagues have said they were warned about him when they joined In July, Edwards admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp Culture and Media Editor Katie Razzall said that when she joined the corporation, she was given specific advice about how to handle the disgraced newsreader. "You can be funny", they said. "But dont be funnier than Huw",', adding: "You can be clever, but dont be too clever",' Ms Razzall revealed. MailOnline can reveal there is great animosity towards him at the Beeb, who have been rocked by yet another child sex scandal after Jimmy Savile and Rolf Harris. One BBC staffer said: 'He still hasnt repaid his salary and dragged us through the mud again. 'Many at the BBC want him to pay for what he has done. He has played the system, pleaded guilty and will play the mental health card. I fear he will walk free'. A former colleague said: Huw had huge talent and presence but has always been very prickly and thin-skinned'. Edwards arrived at court today with a small suitcase Edwards is due to be sentenced after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children Ms Razzall wrote on the BBC website that colleagues have watched with horror and anger. One told her: 'We were frozen watching those images of him wearing his sunglasses walking to court. Was it defiance? Was it shame? Nobody knows. 'There's upset and anger at what he's done, the levels he's fallen to, how it's impacted the rest of us and what it's done to the BBC. 'There have been so many twists and turns, it has felt like a blow every time another horror has been unveiled. It has felt unending'. The disgraced former BBC News star has admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs of children after he was sent 41 images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams in vile WhatsApp messages. The 63-year-old is on conditional bail and is set to be sentenced at Westminster Magistrates' Court at 10am today, following his guilty pleas in July. He could face up to 10 years in jail. Seven of the indecent images shared with Edwards by Williams were of the most serious type. Of those images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Williams was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences following an investigation by South Wales Police - receiving a 12-month suspended sentence. Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Huw Edwards that led to the newsreader's downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with the convicted paedophile telling the newsreader the child was 'quite young looking' and that he had more images which were illegal. Overall the charges cover a period between December 2020 and August 2021. The BBC has admitted it was informed that the former TV presenter had been arrested in November but continued to employ him for around five months until he left on medical advice. What is 'making' indecent images? Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of 'making' indecent images of children in July. The Crown Prosecution Service says it can include: opening an email attachment containing an image downloading an image from a website to a screen storing an image on a computer accessing a pornographic website in which an image appears in an automatic 'pop-up' window receiving an image via social media, even if unsolicited and even if part of a group or live-streaming images of children A court must also decide whether an offence calls into the category of possession, distribution or production. Advertisement Edwards, one of the BBC's most famous stars who presented the Queen's death and King Charles' coronation, has not been on TV since he was named by his wife as the high-profile presenter at the centre of a sexual pictures scandal in July 2023. In the completely separate case, Edwards was accused of paying 35,000 to a young person in exchange for sexual images. The Met Police confirmed that no criminal offence was committed in this instance. The mother of the teenager told The Sun that Edwards has caused 'immense pain and suffering' and should be locked up. In a powerful open letter published by the newspaper, she said: 'I am today writing this open letter to make you understand the immense pain and suffering you have caused me, my son, my family, your own family - and all of your victims over the years.' She said that her 'heart breaks for every one' of the young children 'robbed of their innocence forever for your sick pleasure' and their families who have gone through what she has. She wrote of how her son was happy before the disgraced news anchor 'wormed' his way into the teenager's life from the age of 17. The distressed mother said her son began having problems with drink and drugs, which was further fuelled by Edwards' 'pestering him for pictures' and paying him 'tens of thousands'. She said Edwards: 'Sent text messages calling him 'Princess' to control him and keep him onside.' Concluding the letter, she told Edwards: 'That you have lost everything is no consolation to us. You will receive your punishment in court.' The teenager who was paid 35,000 by the former BBC star is now 21. He allegedly was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement and said he felt 'groomed' by the disgraced presenter. Although no criminality was found from these allegations, the Met revealed in July this year that Edwards had separately been charged with making indecent images of children. In a dramatic fall from grace, the force confirmed Edwards had been arrested on November 8 2023 and charged on June 26 2024. Edwards pictured in 1999. He would go on to become one of the BBC's highest-paid stars Edwards spent 40 years working his way up the ranks of the BBC, first coming to national attention presenting the BBC Six O'Clock News Edwards announcing the news of Her Majesty's death to the nation in September 2022 Edwards pictured with his wife Vicky Flind in London in 2018. She named him as the high-profile presenter at the centre of a sexual pictures scandal Police officers clear the way as former BBC news presenter Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on July 31 Welsh police uncovered the broadcaster crimes during a separate probe into a sex offender Five days later, Edwards pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children - and will be sentenced today. Huw Edwards' fall from grace Huw Edwards was made anchor of the BBC's flagship 10pm news bulletin in 2003. As well as the funeral of the late Queen, Edwards narrated the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton and has hosted UK general election coverage. But the father-of-five's professional life began to unravel in July 2023 when he was suspended by the BBC following allegations in The Sun that a high-profile TV star had paid a young person 35,000 for explicit images. Edwards did not comment publicly on the allegations, but his wife released a statement confirming it was her husband at the centre of the scandal and that he was 'suffering from serious mental health issues' and receiving 'in-patient hospital care'. The Met Police did not find any crime had been committed. But in an unrelated probe, it was revealed earlier this year that Edwards had been charged with 'making' indecent images of children. Edwards was first arrested in November 2023 and charged in June, but the case was only revealed publicly in late July a couple of days before he appeared in court to admit the counts. The Welsh presenter had resigned from the BBC in April on 'medical advice' after 40 years with the broadcaster. The BBC, whose brand is built on public trust, has admitted being made aware by police of the arrest and has been criticised for paying Edwards a salary for six months afterwards. Advertisement Edwards, who resigned from the BBC in April, has been asked to repay the 200,000 salary he has received since his arrest. BBC director-general Tim Davie said the money should be returned and that the corporation will 'explore' the legal process if Edwards refuses. Mr Davie and BBC chairman Samir Shah were questioned by the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee last Wednesday. Regarding the disgraced presenter's pay, Mr Davie said: 'We've made the formal request, and I can't go into too much detail, but discussions are under way, but I've got no further news, apart from the BBC's position is clear, the money should be returned, and we made the request.' When asked if he set a deadline, he said: 'I don't believe we set a deadline... but we do expect to make progress and get an answer.' Mr Shah told the same committee that Edwards had 'damaged' the BBC's reputation. He said: 'There's nothing more important than public trust in the BBC, and we are custodians of that trust and what Huw Edwards did damaged the reputation and the trust for the BBC so we take that very seriously indeed. 'I should say, it was a shock to discover, when it was announced, when he was charged, that he had led this double life. 'On the face of it, a trusted news presenter, but hidden, secretly, he was this figure who did the most appalling things. I mean, let's never forget the victims.' He added that he 'knew him', having overseen current affairs at the BBC decades ago, and said that other staff who worked with him 'feel angry and betrayed' by Edwards. The relevant images range from the most serious category, known as category A, to the least serious, known as Category C. They include seven category A images, 12 category B images, and 22 category C images. The Sentencing Council, a public body sponsored by the Ministry Of Justice, defines category A images as those involving penetrative sexual activity, sexual activity with an animal, or sadism. Huw Edwards, 62, at the pinnacle of his career and picking up a television award for Best Live Event for covering the late Queen's funeral The star anchor's prestigious career involved breaking the news of Queen Elizabeth II's death and both Prince William and Prince Harry's weddings. Pictured with Justin Welby on May 6, 2023 Edwards is seen on screen for what would be the last time before the scandal became public, when he covered King Charles' visit to Scotland Edwards, of Wandsworth, wore a dark blue suit with a blue tie in the dock in July Category B images are those involving non-penetrative sexual activity, while category C images are indecent images that do not fall into A or B. According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), 'making' an indecent image has been broadly interpreted by the courts. It can range from opening an attachment to an email containing an image, to accessing pornographic websites in which indecent photographs of children appear by way of an automatic 'pop-up' mechanism. In the case of Edwards, he received the illegal images as part of a WhatsApp conversation. Speaking in Edwards' defence, his barrister Philip Evans KC has said that his client had not 'created' the images 'in the traditional sense of the word'. Huw Edwards shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II during a royal visit to BBC Studios in London in June 2013. He enjoyed a glittering career until the scandal came to light Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to receiving 41 indecent images of children, which included two sexual videos of a boy under nine (Edwards is seen leaving court) The maximum prison sentence for making an indecent image of a child is 10 years. Sentencing guidelines set the starting point for any jail term for possession of a category A image at 12 months, with a range of 26 weeks to three years. The starting point is 26 weeks for a category B image, and a community order for category C. A number of potential defences to the charge exist, including not seeing the images and having no reason to believe that the images were indecent, having a legitimate reason to possess the images, or if the images were unsolicited and not kept for an unreasonable amount of time. Edwards made his way through the media melee before being driven away from court Aggravating features to be taken into account for Edwards include that the images included moving images, and the young age of the child thought to be seven to nine years old in two of the category A images. Mitigating factors are Edwards' early guilty plea, his previous good character, his mental health issues, and his remorse. During his four decades at the corporation, Edwards was among the broadcasting teams leading coverage of historic events including the late Queen's funeral in 2022 and most recently the coronation of the King in May 2023. Edwards also announced the late Queen's death on the BBC in September 2022. The former presenter was seen for the last time on the BBC as he covered King Charles' visit to Scotland on July 5 2023, two days before The Sun's article about the 'unnamed presenter' scandal was published. A father-of-two who was jailed for taking the law into his own hands has defended the television show 24 Hours In Police Custody after it came under fire from a local council. Adam White, 36, was jailed in February 2022 for 22 months for causing serious injury by dangerous driving after he ran the would-be burglars off the road - while the crooks themselves were spared prison. His story was told on an episode of 24 Hours in Police Custody on Channel 4 in November 2022, prompting anger from viewers who said they were 'completely sickened' by his conviction while Taylor Benford and Ryan Paul, both 25 at the time, received suspended sentences. The Channel 4 show has since been reportedly accused of 'Luton-bashing' in a leaked letter from the town council to Bedfordshire Police. It claims Luton gets a 'disproportionate amount of bad publicity' and urged Bedfordshire Police to end their participation in the show. The programme showed the scene of the crash which left the two would-be burglars with serious injuries Adam and Lindsay White took to social media to thank everyone for the 'overwhelming support' they had received since 24 Hours in Police Custody However, Mr White, from Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, has said the show helped him get through his depression after leaving prison due to the 'kind words and heartfelt sympathy' from members of the public when the show aired. 'Without them and their audience, I think my mental health would've got the better of me,' he told the BBC. Mr White was released from prison on in September 2022 after demonstrating good behaviour and it is understood he wore a tag until January 2023. The controversial case featured in Two Wrongs, an episode of 24 Hours In Police Custody, which aired two years ago on Channel 4. Speaking to BBC Three Counties Radio said: '[The show] doesn't give the area a bad representation; it portrays the area in black and white, how it is. It's non biased. 'I made some wrongs, I shouldn't of left my house and done what I did, but they are documenting how it is and that's that. I think they do a good job.' Following the airing of the episode, Mr White admitted he couldn't believe the outpouring of support he received. A GoFundMe page called 'Give Adam White Justice' was also set up to help his family, raising more than 12,000 in less than 24 hours and 170,000 overall. Adam White tweeted following the airing of the episode thanking members of the public for their 'kind words and heart felt sympathy' A GoFundMe page was launched following the episode and raised more than 12,000 in less than 24 hours Adam White was sentenced to 22 months in prison after being convicted at Luton Crown Court He said the money raised allowed him and his wife to clear their credit cards, help pay off part of their mortgage as well as donating a part to charity. Mr Benford and Mr Paul had been armed with a crowbar and bolt cutters when they attempted the burglary in 2019. They targeted Mr White's home where he was with his wife Lindsay and their two children, who were aged 10 and eight after posing as buyers for a motorbike Mr White had advertised for sale online. But when White gave them chase, the would-be burglars sustained serious injuries after being thrown from the stolen motorbike, including a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and broken bones. Minutes after the collision, police received a 999 call reporting a devastating crash involving Mr White's car and the getaway bike. In police body-worn footage, Mr White, who had no convictions before the incident, asks the officer arresting him: 'Am I in trouble? I'm not going to prison for this am I?' Mr White, who told police at the accident scene that he had lost control of the vehicle when going around a bend, was arrested on the spot on suspicion of GBH. While Mr Benford and Mr Paul gave 'no comment' interviews, Mr White gave his version of events during his police interviews. Taylor Benford and Ryan Paul, both 25 at the time, received suspended sentences and 200 hours of community service at the same court Mr White was jailed in February 2022 for 22 months at Luton Crown Court for causing serious injury by dangerous driving Video released by Bedfordshire Police shows Adam White chasing the career criminals who attempted to burgle his home 'I was so oblivious, they said in the interview I could say 'no comment' but that's not really me. I just told the truth and that's that,' he said. The 'spur of the moment' decision to chase the burglars is one of regret for Mr White, who said he 'wishes it didn't happen' and would not want to put his family through the stress again if he could go back. 'My actions were my actions,' he said. 'I shouldn't have left my house and Ive had to pay the price for that.' Mr White and his wife spent 50,000 on Adam's legal fees and he lost his job. His wife Lindsay also revealed she had to have an abortion when he lost his job, as they could not afford to have another child due to the loss of income. She said: 'It took everything, including our child and they [Mr Paul and Mr Benford] will get a payout.' 'I think they do it because they can, maybe they don't want to work, maybe they just want to steal their way through life. If Adam hadn't gone out, I believe nothing would have happened, they wouldn't have been caught.' Huw Edwards sent hundreds of pounds to a convicted paedophile after he sent him pornographic images and replied 'yes xxx' after being asked if he wanted photos of a child aged between 14 and 16, a court heard today. The disgraced BBC News anchor is being sentenced to three charges of 'making' indecent photographs of children after he was sent 41 images by paedophile Alex Williams in vile WhatsApp messages. Prosecutor Ian Hope said Edwards paid the paedophile amounts 'in the low hundreds on an occasional basis... apparently off the back of sending pornographic photographs' and that the total amounted to between '1,000 to 1,500'. Mr Hope told the court Edwards wrote 'yes xxx' when he was asked by Williams if he wanted sexual images of a person whose 'age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16'. At another point, he told Williams 'go on' when asked if he wanted 'naughty pics and vids' of somebody described as 'yng (sic)'. Edwards described some of the vile photos he had been sent as 'amazing' and replied 'what do you need?' when the paedophile asked for a 'Christmas gift after all the hot videos', Westminster Magistrates' Court also heard. Defence barrister Philip Evans KC said Edwards was 'truly sorry' and 'recognises the repugnant nature' of the images sent to him, before claiming drinking and the decline in his mental health played a part in the sick chats. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring said he would pass sentencing remarks at 12.30pm and invited Edwards to 'run the gauntlet' of leaving court to get a cup of coffee if he wanted to. In other updates - Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London this morning with a wheelie suitcase In July, Edwards admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Huw Edwards that led to the newsreader's downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot Opening the case against the veteran broadcaster, Mr Hope said: 'It is clear from the face of the WhatsApp chat recovered that a deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature. 'It is also clear that Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of money - low hundreds of pounds on an occasional basis - to Alex Williams which Mr Williams directly asked for on several occasions, as gifts or presents, apparently off the back of sending pornographic images to Mr Edwards, about which images they chatted. 'Alex Williams has stated that the money was more generally to support him at university and amounted to around 1,000 to 1,500.' Mr Hope continued: 'From that chat in December 2020, Alex Williams said that he had 'a file of vids and pics for you of someone special'. What does 'making' indecent images mean? Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of 'making' indecent images of children in July. The Crown Prosecution Service says it can include: opening an email attachment containing an image downloading an image from a website to a screen storing an image on a computer accessing a pornographic website in which an image appears in an automatic 'pop-up' window receiving an image via social media, even if unsolicited and even if part of a group or live-streaming images of children A court must also decide whether an offence calls into the category of possession, distribution or production. Advertisement 'Mr Edwards immediately queried who the subject was and was then sent three images of seemingly the same person, from two of which images the subject's age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16. 'These two were category C indecent images of children in which the child was exposing his penis. 'Alex Williams stated that he had '12 videos and 42 pics I've sent you a video of him before'. 'Shortly after Alex Williams asked: 'want me to send you the full file?' Mr Edwards responded 'Yes xxx...' immediately following which Alex Williams sent to Mr Edwards around 30 attachments, about half of which were category C indecent images of children.' Williams asked Edwards for a 'Christmas gift after all the hot videos', the court heard. Mr Hope said he offered to send 12 videos in December 2020 and the then-BBC presenter responded that he could not see the latest batch but 'the others were amazing'. The court heard a new link contained a category C image of a child aged around 12 to 14 and a category A image. 'Three-quarters of an hour later, Alex Williams again asks for 'a Christmas gift after all the hot videos' and Mr Edwards immediately responds 'what do you need?',' the prosecutor continued. 'Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around 100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him 200.' Westminster Magistrates' Court was told Edwards did not respond after a convicted paedophile sent him a sexual video of children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13. Mr Hope said: 'On February 10, 2021, a category A video was sent which is notable because the age of one of the children involved was significantly younger than in the rest of the images sent - it showed several acts of penetration between two children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13 respectively. 'There was no direct response from Mr Edwards to this video, beyond it being marked as 'read'. 'A week later... a number of attachments were sent which included two category B videos and four category C still images comprising indecent images of children. On February 19 2021, Williams asked 'is the stuff I'm sending too young for you?' 'The next response from Mr Edwards is dated February 22 2021 saying 'don't send underage'.' The prosecutor said one of these was a category A video sent on June 10 2021 which was marked 'read' on WhatsApp, in which the children involved were around 13 to 15 years old. Mr Hope said that in a later exchange, Edwards told Williams 'go on' when he was asked if he wanted 'naughty pics and vids' of somebody described as 'yng (sic)'. Mr Hope told the court: 'In a later exchange on August 11 2021, Alex Williams says he has some 'naughty pics and vids unsure if you'd like'. Mr Edwards tells him to 'go on' and Alex Williams states 'yng (sic)'. 'Mr Edwards again tells him to 'go on' and Alex Williams sends a category A moving image showing a male child aged around 7 to 9...' 'Mr Edwards enquires where the video is from and Alex Williams says an image-sharing group on another social media platform which they have both also used, Telegram. 'Alex Williams says the subject is 'quite yng looking' to which Mr Edwards responds it 'can be deceptive' and asks if he has 'any more?' 'Alex Williams says he has but he is not sure if Mr Edwards would like them as they are illegal. 'Mr Edwards says 'Ah OK don't' and the exchange immediately following concerns a series of images which Alex Williams describes as 'looks young don't he but he's deffo 19.' The 63-year-old looked haggard while passing a throng of the world's media The disgraced former newsreader was flanked by members of his legal team Edwards was previously anchor of News at Ten and one of Britain's most prominent newsreaders Mounting Edwards' defence, Philip Evans KC claimed Edwards did not make payments to Alex Williams in order to receive indecent images of children. Mr Evans told the court: 'Mr Edwards did not make payments in order for images to be sent to him, and he certainly did not make payments in order that indecent images would be sent to him. 'Mr Edwards positively told Mr Williams not to send images of people who were underage. 'He did not store any of those images on any device. He did not use them for any personal gratification and he did not gain any gratification from those indecent images. 'He did not send them to anyone else onwardly and he has never sought similar images before from any source, and he has not sought similar images from any other source since.' Mr Evans said Edwards was 'truly sorry' for how he has 'damaged his family and his loved ones', and for committing the offences. He told the court: 'He knows he has hurt and he has damaged his family and his loved ones around him. 'For all of this, he is truly sorry and he is truly sorry he has committed these offences. 'He has lost his good character. He has lost that good character in a very public way. That is, we respectfully submit, a matter of some significance and we know that the court will not underestimate the effect that that will have had on him. 'He has not worked since leaving employment with the BBC.' Mr Evans went on: 'You will have appreciated sir that the press has been extraordinary to the extent that this matter has been reported and Mr Edwards through me wishes to apologise to the court. He wishes the court, through me, to know how profoundly sorry he is. He recognises the repugnant nature of such indecent images and the hurt that is done to those who appear in such images. 'For his part in that he apologises sincerely and he makes it clear that he has the utmost regret and he recognises that he has betrayed the priceless trust and faith of so many people. 'He knows he has hurt and he has damaged his family and his loved ones around him and for all of these things he is truly sorry and he is truly sorry that he has committed these offences.' He made no comment as he walked into the modern courthouse Edwards pictured with his wife Vicky Flind in London in 2018. She named him as the high-profile presenter as the centre of a sexual pictures scandal Earlier today, Edwards walked into Westminster Magistrates Court dressed in a dark blue cardigan, dark trousers and an open-topped white shirt and pulling a black wheelie suitcase. He looked haggard as he scowled while passing a throng of photographers. He made no comment as he walked into the modern courthouse flanked by his team of lawyers. Seven of the indecent images shared with Edwards by Williams were of the most serious type. Huw Edwards' fall from grace Huw Edwards was made anchor of the BBC's flagship 10pm news bulletin in 2003. As well as the funeral of the late Queen, Edwards narrated the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton and has hosted UK general election coverage. But the father-of-five's professional life began to unravel in July 2023 when he was suspended by the BBC following allegations in The Sun that a high-profile TV star had paid a young person 35,000 for explicit images. Edwards did not comment publicly on the allegations, but his wife released a statement confirming it was her husband at the centre of the scandal and that he was 'suffering from serious mental health issues' and receiving 'in-patient hospital care'. The Met Police did not find any crime had been committed. But in an unrelated probe, it was revealed earlier this year that Edwards had been charged with 'making' indecent images of children. Edwards was first arrested in November 2023 and charged in June, but the case was only revealed publicly in late July a couple of days before he appeared in court to admit the counts. The Welsh presenter had resigned from the BBC in April on 'medical advice' after 40 years with the broadcaster. The BBC, whose brand is built on public trust, has admitted being made aware by police of the arrest and has been criticised for paying Edwards a salary for six months afterwards. Advertisement Of those images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Williams was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences following an investigation by South Wales Police - receiving a 12-month suspended sentence. The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with convicted paedophile Williams telling the newsreader the child was 'quite young looking' and that he had more images which were illegal. Overall the charges cover a period between December 2020 and August 2021. The maximum sentence Edwards could receive from the magistrates' court is six months. Edwards, one of the BBC's most famous stars who presented the Queen's death and King Charles' coronation, has not been on TV since he was named by his wife as the high-profile presenter at the centre of a sexual pictures scandal in July 2023. In the completely separate case, Edwards was accused of paying 35,000 to a young person in exchange for sexual images. The Met Police confirmed that no criminal offence was committed in this instance. The mother of the teenager told The Sun that Edwards has caused 'immense pain and suffering' and should be locked up. In a powerful open letter published by the newspaper, she said: 'I am today writing this open letter to make you understand the immense pain and suffering you have caused me, my son, my family, your own family - and all of your victims over the years.' She said that her 'heart breaks for every one' of the young children 'robbed of their innocence forever for your sick pleasure' and their families who have gone through what she has. She wrote of how her son was happy before the disgraced news anchor 'wormed' his way into the teenager's life from the age of 17. The distressed mother said her son began having problems with drink and drugs, which was further fuelled by Edwards' 'pestering him for pictures' and paying him 'tens of thousands'. She said Edwards 'sent text messages calling him 'princess' to control him and keep him onside.' Concluding the letter, she told Edwards: 'That you have lost everything is no consolation to us. You will receive your punishment in court.' Edwards at the pinnacle of his career picking up a television award for Best Live Event for covering the late Queen's funeral The star anchor's prestigious career involved breaking the news of Queen Elizabeth II's death and both Prince William and Prince Harry's weddings. Pictured with Justin Welby on May 6, 2023 The teenager who was paid 35,000 by the former BBC star is now 21. He allegedly was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement and said he felt 'groomed' by the disgraced presenter. Although no criminality was found from these allegations, the Met revealed in July this year that Edwards had separately been charged with making indecent images of children. In a dramatic fall from grace, the force confirmed Edwards had been arrested on November 8, 2023 and charged on June 26, 2024. The BBC has admitted it was informed that the former TV presenter had been arrested in November but continued to employ him for around five months until he left on medical advice. Five days later, Edwards pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children. Edwards, who resigned from the BBC in April, has been asked to repay the 200,000 salary he has received since his arrest. BBC director-general Tim Davie said the money should be returned and that the corporation will 'explore' the legal process if Edwards refuses. Mr Davie and BBC chairman Samir Shah were questioned by the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee last Wednesday. Regarding the disgraced presenter's pay, Mr Davie said: 'We've made the formal request, and I can't go into too much detail, but discussions are under way, but I've got no further news, apart from the BBC's position is clear, the money should be returned, and we made the request.' When asked if he set a deadline, he said: 'I don't believe we set a deadline... but we do expect to make progress and get an answer.' Mr Shah told the same committee that Edwards had 'damaged' the BBC's reputation. He said: 'There's nothing more important than public trust in the BBC, and we are custodians of that trust and what Huw Edwards did damaged the reputation and the trust for the BBC so we take that very seriously indeed. 'I should say, it was a shock to discover, when it was announced, when he was charged, that he had led this double life. 'On the face of it, a trusted news presenter, but hidden, secretly, he was this figure who did the most appalling things. I mean, let's never forget the victims.' He added that he 'knew him', having overseen current affairs at the BBC decades ago, and said that other staff who worked with him 'feel angry and betrayed' by Edwards. Edwards is seen on screen for what would be the last time before the scandal became public, when he covered King Charles' visit to Scotland Huw Edwards shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II during a royal visit to BBC Studios in London in June 2013. He enjoyed a glittering career until the scandal came to light Category A images involve penetrative sexual activity, sexual activity with an animal or sadism. Category B images are those involving non-penetrative sexual activity, while category C images are indecent images that do not fall into A or B. According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), 'making' an indecent image has been broadly interpreted by the courts. It can range from opening an attachment to an email containing an image, to accessing pornographic websites in which indecent photographs of children appear by way of an automatic 'pop-up' mechanism. In the case of Edwards, he received the illegal images as part of a WhatsApp conversation. The maximum prison sentence for making an indecent image of a child is 10 years. Sentencing guidelines set the starting point for any jail term for possession of a category A image at 12 months, with a range of 26 weeks to three years. The starting point is 26 weeks for a category B image, and a community order for category C. Aggravating features to be taken into account for Edwards include that the images included moving images, and the young age of the child thought to be seven to nine years old in two of the category A images. Mitigating factors are Edwards' early guilty plea, his previous good character, his mental health issues, and his remorse. During his four decades at the corporation, Edwards was among the broadcasting teams leading coverage of historic events including the late Queen's funeral in 2022 and most recently the coronation of the King in May 2023. Edwards also announced the late Queen's death on the BBC in September 2022. The former presenter was seen for the last time on the BBC as he covered King Charles' visit to Scotland on July 5 2023, two days before The Sun's article about the 'unnamed presenter' scandal was published. A young mother has launched a 1million legal claim after suffering the 'truly life-changing' loss of her leg in a horrific hit-and-run crash. Kerrie Lavery, 25, was walking home from a mental health charity event in October 2021 when she was struck by a BMW travelling at 80mph - double the limit. Driver Thomas Granger, 47, was jailed for 33 months and banned from driving for seven years after the crash, near Clydebank, Dunbartonshire. The impact severed Ms Lavery's right leg and left her friend Alanah Boyle, 29, with a fractured pelvis and an injured elbow. A civil action has now been raised in the Court of Session for the mother of one, of Drumchapel, Glasgow, in relation to the accident. Kerrie Lavery (pictured), 25, was walking home from a mental health charity event in October 2021 when she was struck by a BMW travelling at 80mph - double the limit Driver Thomas Granger (pictured), 47, was jailed for 33 months and banned from driving for seven years after the crash, near Clydebank, Dunbartonshire It is believed the legal action will seek to fund prosthetics for the rest of her life, as well as recover compensation for the impact on her life, including lost earnings. A spokesman for her legal team at Digby Brown said: 'For three years, Kerrie has shown a strength few others can comprehend. She has shown remarkable resilience and positivity throughout her recovery. 'The loss of a limb is a truly life-changing injury and it is only right an affected person gets the treatment and compensation they deserve - especially when that injury was the fault of someone else. 'This is why a court action has now been raised on Kerrie's behalf and we will continue to support her to ensure she accesses the best care and most positive future possible.' Granger was jailed in May this year after he admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop. The impact severed the mother-of-one's right leg and left her friend with a fractured pelvis and an injured elbow A civil action has now been raised in the Court of Session for the mother of one, of Drumchapel, Glasgow , in relation to the accident Afterwards, Ms Lavery said: 'I can't pretend the collision didn't have a profound impact on my life, because it did. 'No one expects to suffer an injury like this, but I've tried to do my best to stay positive and keep leading as normal a life as possible as I really believe that 'life-changing' doesn't have to mean 'life-ending'. 'I don't really know what to say about the driver... he got more jail time than I expected, so that's something. 'I'm not a bitter or vengeful person but I think it is right that he is held accountable as everything that happened around this incident sends a really strong message to people about road safety and justice so it's important that it has, I guess, an appropriate ending.' The crash took place after Ms Lavery and friends walked home after failing to find a taxi. She was struck at a pedestrian crossing, walking arm in arm with Ms Boyle. Up to seven million workers face a grim retirement because they are not saving enough into pensions. A report by the respected IFS think-tank has laid bare a potential ticking time-bomb of poverty for the current generation of workers. It found that between 30 per cent and 40 per cent of private sector employees saving in defined contribution (DC) pension schemes are on course to fall short of standard benchmarks for comfortable incomes. One in five are not pumping any money into a pot, while less than half stash more than 8 per cent of their earnings. The review - carried out with the abrdn Financial Fairness Trust - said there is a 'strong case' for employers to pay 3 per cent of total pay into a workplace pension even if staff do not. And it suggested that employees with above-average earnings should have a higher 'default' contribution rate of 7 per cent. A report by the respected IFS think-tank has laid bare a potential ticking time-bomb of poverty for the current generation of workers That could benefit the 22 per cent of private sector employees who either opt out of their pension scheme or are not automatically enrolled due to their earnings being too low. The IFS said that while there is a risk this leads to more employees opting out of contributing themselves, there could be a trial approach prior to implementation. The age range targeted by automatic enrolment should also be widened from 22 to state pension age to 16 to 74, to help even more people in paid work save for later life, the IFS said. It also said increased default employee contributions should be targeted at people on average incomes and above to help some middle and higher earners better supplement their state pension. For example, there could be a 12 per cent default total contribution rate for the portion of earnings above 35,000 - roughly the median level of full-time earnings. Laurence O'Brien, a research economist at IFS and an author of the report, said: 'Too many private sector employees appear on course to end up on a low or disappointing retirement income. 'While there is often concern about savers not saving enough, an additional problem is that despite automatic enrolment boosting workplace pension membership, more than one in five private sector employees are still not saving in a pension.' David Sturrock, a senior research economist at the IFS and another author of the report, said: 'There is a strong case for almost all employees to receive an employer pension contribution, irrespective of whether they make a contribution themselves.' Mubin Haq, chief executive of the abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, said: 'Guaranteeing 3 per cent from the employer regardless of whether an employee makes a contribution could boost employer pension contributions by 4billion per year. This would particularly benefit women, those working part-time, young adults and the low paid.' The review - carried out with the abrdn Financial Fairness Trust - said there is a 'strong case' for employers to pay 3 per cent of total pay into a workplace pension even if staff do not Tim Gosling, head of policy at People's Partnership, provider of the People's Pension, said: 'The IFS's focus on mitigating concerns about the affordability of increased pension saving for lower earners is very welcome. Workplace pension policy has to work at all points in the earnings distribution.' A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesperson said: 'We will ensure the pensioners of tomorrow have the dignity and security they deserve in retirement as we carry out our landmark pensions review to boost investment, increase pension pots and tackle waste in the pension system. 'More than 15million savers could benefit from our new Pension Schemes Bill with the potential for an average earner to have 11,000 more in their defined contribution pot by retirement.' Britain will not 'go it alone' and let Ukraine use long-range missiles against targets in Russia without the backing of the United States, The Times reports. Five former defence secretaries and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson have urged Britain to allow the use of Storm Shadow missiles without American support. And Ukrainian President Zelensky has called on the UK and US to move past their 'fear' and act with 'decisiveness' as momentum slows in Kursk and Belgorod. But Britain's action is still bound by its US guidance systems, judged crucial to ensuring the missiles hit their targets, The Times reports. The UK nonetheless expects the US is likely to support its backing of Ukraine with a decision expected next week, and the Foreign Secretary insisted over the weekend that Putin's threats of nuclear war with the US and NATO would not deter action. Storm Shadow missiles are seen attached to the hardpoints of a Eurofighter Typhoon Foreign Secretary Mr Lammy has been part of intensive UK-U.S. diplomatic talks in Kyiv and Washington in the past week which have so far failed to produce a decision. Ukrainian servicemen drive Soviet-made T-64 tanks in the Sumy region on August 11 Ukrainian servicemen fire mortars towards Russian positions in the Donetsk region, Ukraine 'It's important that as allies supporting Ukraine, we have a shared strategy to win going forward,' Mr Lammy told Laura Kuenssberg on BBC1 on Sunday. 'We've been discussing this with the United States and with other key allies, but of course, we head to the UN general assembly, where we will all meet with in just under 12 days' time.' Despite opposition within the United States, it is expected the US will back the plan at the UN general assembly in New York next week. Keir Starmer and Joe Biden held talks in the Blue Room of the White House on Friday to discuss strategy on how to bring the war in Ukraine to an end, including whether to hand over Storm Shadow missiles to Zelensky. Disappointingly for both parties, John Kirby, a spokesman for the US national security council, announced afterwards that there would be 'no change to our policy' on letting Ukraine use long-range missiles. Vladimir Putin also warned the West would be at war with Moscow should this change, with many of his air bases and logistics hubs vulnerable to Ukrainian attacks if the restrictions were lifted. According to US sources, Mr Biden has not yet made a final decision. Despite Vladimir Putin's threats that use of the weapons would be tantamount to direct action against Russia from the UK, former defence officials and an ex-Prime Minister have urged the government to press on with the plan. Boris Johnson urged Sir Keir Starmer to break the impasse, warning that every day's delay is costing lives. Mr Johnson said after a visit to war casualties in Kyiv: 'It is heartbreaking to visit wounded veterans in recovery centres as I have in Kyiv this weekend where Ukrainian heroes are being treated for the injuries they have suffered in the past few months, and to think that some of these casualties could have been avoided if we had given Storm Shadow permissions earlier. 'There is no conceivable case for delay. The only person who fears escalation is Vladimir Putin, and every day that goes by is a lost opportunity to save lives and bring about a just conclusion to this war.' In his most outspoken comments of the conflict, Mr Zelensky asked whether Western politicians actually wanted Ukraine to win. He posted on X on Friday: 'It is difficult to repeatedly hear, "We are working on this" while Putin continues to burn down our cities and villages. He doesn't need anyone's approval. 'Anyone who looks at a map clearly understands why Ukraine needs long-range capabilities. Russian logistics and military sites are safe because we cannot reach them. 'We know where they are located. All of this can be destroyed in months. So what is missing to end it? Strength? Decisions? Or the will?' Under the Tories, Lord Cameron - then Foreign Secretary - suggested it was up to Ukraine to determine how its missiles were used. He said in May: 'In terms of what the Ukrainians do, in our view, it is their decision about how to use these weapons, they're defending their country, they were illegally invaded by Putin and they must take those steps. 'We don't discuss any caveats that we put on on those things. But let's be absolutely clear, Russia has launched an attack into Ukraine and Ukraine absolutely has the right to strike back at Russia.' French President Emmanuel Macron even entertained the possibility of sending French troops to Ukraine to help defend the country if needed. Soon after, Russia reopened its counter-offensive in Kharkiv. The assault was Russia's biggest gain in 17 months, the Telegraph reported, swallowing up 250sq-km. Russian troops made it six miles before Ukraine stabilised the situation. Russian president Vladimir Putin has warned that allowing long-range strikes 'would mean that Nato countries, the United States, and European countries are at war with Russia' Prime Minister Keir Starmer and David Lammy, Foreign Secretary, speak as they prepare for a meeting with US President Joe Biden on Friday Ukrainian servicemen operate a tank on a road near the border with Russia, in the Sumy region of Ukraine, on August 14, 2024 The Foreign Secretary said talks were continuing with the US and allies about giving Kyiv permission to use UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to hit Russian airbases and military sites which are being used to launch attacks on Ukraine. The sudden incursion invited the US to concede the restrictions it had placed on only using its supplied weapons on Russian targets within Ukraine. 'The hallmark of our engagement has been to adapt and adjust as necessary, to meet what's actually going on on the battlefield, to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs, when it needs it,' US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the time. So far, the US has allowed Kyiv to use American-provided weapons only in a limited area inside Russia's border with Ukraine. Soon followed Ukrainian attacks with foreign missiles over the border, drawing outrage from Putin and his cronies - and threats of nuclear annihilation towards Ukraine's western backers. Ukraine was able to launch an offensive back into Russia in early August, taking scores of villages in Kursk and Belgorod oblasts. But momentum has waned in recent days, with Russia mobilising to halt the attack. A beloved charity boss who has supported thousands of vulnerable Aussies has died unexpectedly, sparking an outpouring of tributes. Scott Johnson, the Perth-based founder of Assisting Your Life to Achieve (AYLA Inc.), died on September 9 aged just 40. The father-of-two established the charity with his husband Dave 10 years ago in the hope of helping disadvantaged members in the community with a simple vision of 'changing minds, changing lives' Help was handed out in many forms, from emergency relief, school packs, domestic violence support, fitness and mental health programs to art therapy groups, jobs to the disabled and counselling. Prisoners transitioning back into the community, the homeless, those with learning complexities, the LGBTQIA+ community and troubled youths were also among the thousands of Aussies who received support. The charity also opened an adolescent LBGTQI hostel accommodation and a one stop shop open seven days a week which included an op shop, cafe, sewing and craft room, hair salon and provided emergency relief. Mr Johnson's sudden passing has rocked the local community. One week on from his death, AYLA Inc remains closed until further notice. Assisting Your Life to Achieve founder Scott Johnson (left) died unexpectedly on September 9 The father-of-two (left) had no life or funeral insurance when he died 'I'm in shock at this terrible news. Scott and Dave helped my daughter so much when we first moved to Perth,' one woman wrote. 'They gave her a purpose at and were kind, welcoming and always willing to help at a time when I was struggling to find that for my daughter. That gave me so much comfort as a worried mum.' Another supporter wrote: 'We have been so grateful to have this beautiful place and we hope it remains open and Scott's legacy lives on in it. 'There are so few places where people who are "different" can go and be themselves, without judgement. As of July 2022, AYLA Inc had helped more than 15,000 families with emergency food, clothing, and furniture relief amounting to over $1.1million. One of Mr Johnson's closest friends of almost three decades Rebecca Roach has set up a GoFundMe to assist with funeral costs and led the outpouring of heartfelt tributes. Sadly, Mr Johnson had no funeral or life insurance or substantial funds in his account when he died. Many friends and family, including his husband, need to fly from either overseas or interstate to Perth for the funeral. 'This man gave so much because he knew all too well what it felt like to be the black sheep, the outcast, to be abandoned and hurt by those that should only ever have given him love,' Ms Roach wrote. The shock death of charity founder Scott Johnson (second right) has rocked the local community 'Many hearts bleed for his loss, this world is a much darker place without his presence! 'I ask that in grief he is remembered for the remarkable person he is, remember the literally thousands of people he helped and the wonderful soul we were fortunate to have in our lives. 'His family whom are left grieving his loss are also having difficulty with the financial burden and strain of paying for a funeral.' 'Let's help the family give Scott Johnson a man who dedicated his short life to helping others the proper send off he deserves!! The fundraiser has raised more than $20,000 within several days. 'It's both heart wrenching and joyous knowing Scott touched so many and now people are giving back I wish he was here to see it,' Ms Roach wrote in an update. Lifeline: 13 11 14, Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 A Tudor wool knitted hat and a Viking-era dagger are among a series of objects found on the banks of the River Thames which are going on display for the first time. The UK's first major mudlarking exhibition will also feature a medieval gold ring, a pair of 18th century false teeth and a pilgrim's badge decorated with phalluses. Mudlarking was historically a trade of the Victorian poor, but has become a popular hobby in recent years with licensed mudlarks uncovering significant discoveries. Now, London Museum Docklands will be hosting some of the most interesting finds in the 'Secrets of the Thames: Mudlarking London's Lost Treasures' exhibition. The year-long display, which will run from April 2025 to March 2026, will also look at the role of mudlarks in uncovering thousands of years of human history. A Tudor knitted cap was discovered on the River Thames foreshore 500 years after it was lost The Tudor hat from the Thames is examined by London Museum conservator Luisa Duarte London Museum conservator Luisa Duarte studies the Tudor hat found in the Thames The Tudor hat from the Thames is examined by London Museum conservator Luisa Duarte An early Bronze Age arrowhead is among the remarkable finds from the River Thames bank A medieval gold ring inscribed with the message: 'For love I am given' was also discovered The reverse angle of the gold finger ring discovered in the River Thames by a mudlark Mudlark Monika Buttling-Smith finds a fork while searching the River Thames foreshore A Viking-era dagger will also form part of the exhibition at London Museum Docklands Mudlark Alessio Checconi crouches on a rocky shoreline as he searches for historical items A pair of false teeth from the 18th century was also discovered by a River Thames mudlark Another angle of the 18th century false teeth which were found on the River Thames foreshore Mudlark Monika Buttling-Smith kneels on the shore of the Thames as she looks for objects An item described as a 'medieval phallus comb' which was also discovered by a mudlark A carved broken pipe bowl shaped like a bearded face lies half-buried among the pebbles Among the objects set for display will be a Tudor knitted cap, discovered on the foreshore 500 years after it was lost. How mudlarking was once carried out by the Victorian poor - but is now a popular hobby Records of mudlarking on the River Thames go back to the mid-1800s when the poor would search the foreshore for metals, rope and coal. Victorian children would often undertake the jobs in dangerous conditions as they braved cold waters and tried to avoid broken glass and other hazards to find items they could sell to feed their families. Now, only licensed mudlarks can search the foreshore for historical treasures revealed at low tide - with the wet and clay environment of the Thames preserving objects that would have otherwise deteriorated. The hobby has grown in popularity in recent years among history lovers, with the Port of London Authority (PLA) reporting a big rise in applications for licenses, particularly since 2020. The museum's 'finds liaison officer' for the Portable Antiquities Scheme records around 700 finds per year and identifies around 5,000, with some taken into the museum's collection. All mudlarks on the Thames need a valid permit from the PLA, and they are required to report any finds at least 300 years old to this officer. Advertisement Inspired by similar velvet designs worn by the wealthy during this period, the more affordable wool version is a rare survivor preserved by the unique conditions of the river. It will sit alongside a medieval gold ring inscribed with the message: 'For love I am given'; an ancient Viking era dagger personalised with the name of its owner, Osmund; and more everyday objects such as clay pipes. The exhibition will recreate an 'experiential foreshore studded with cases of mudlarked objects', including many never-before-seen finds that the museum has recently acquired. There will be a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how finds are recorded and researched at the museum and insights from mudlarks about how they investigate and curate their discoveries. London Museum curator Kate Sumnall said: 'We are lucky in London to have this amazing tidal river environment that has preserved so much of our past. 'It is the longest archaeological site in London and here we find an unbelievably rich selection of finds, from this astonishingly well preserved Tudor hat to the ubiquitous clay pipes that were very much the disposable vapes of their day. 'Thanks to the dedication and expertise of today's mudlarks, we are constantly uncovering new objects that inform our understanding of history. 'Secrets of the Thames will showcase some of these fascinating objects and their journey from discovery to joining the museum. 'Above all, it will be an exploration of love and desire, faith and loss, migration, community and culture. The stories of generations of people who have visited the city or called it home.' People have lived or worked in the area around the Thames for more than 10,000 years - dating back to prehistoric communities that camped, hunted and farmed along the foreshore. A decorated bosun's whistle was also discovered by a mudlark on the River Thames foreshore The reverse angle of the Bosun's whistle which is among the items featuring in the exhibition Mudlark Monika Buttling-Smith examines an old, green glass bottle with embossed text A pair of medieval spectacles were also discovered on the Thames foreshore by a mudlark A mudlark kneels on the shore of the River Thames as they look for objects A tripod cauldron will feature in 'Secrets of the Thames: Mudlarking London's Lost Treasures' Mudlark Alessio Checconi crouches on a rocky shoreline as he searches for historical items A tobacco clay pipe is also among the discoveries which will go on show in the exhibition Mudlark Monika Buttling-Smith kneels on the shore of the Thames as she looks for objects An oil painting by English landscape painter Henry Pether shows Victorian-era mudlarks Peggy Jones, who died in 1805 when this drawing was published, has been identified as one of the few women mudlarks. She was known for picking up coal in the Thames and selling it on Then there were the Romans who founded 'Londinium', as the capital was previously known, and Vikings who travelled by water to expand their territory. The Thames was also often the starting and ending point for Britain's early days of exploration as London became the country's first port of empire. The area under the water of the river is therefore rich with history, with the museum describing it as a 'living time capsule that tells stories of the ways people have survived, made a living, or enjoyed their leisure time in the city'. The museum, located in West India Quay, was opened in 2003, occupies one of the few remaining original Grade I-listed warehouses, built in 1802 to store produce from the West Indies. It is open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm and is free to enter. 'Secrets of the Thames: Mudlarking London's Lost Treasures' at London Museum Docklands, from April 4, 2025 to March 1, 2026. Tickets on sale from next February A 13-year-old schoolboy slit his classmate's throat and wounded at least four people during a rampage with a hammer, knife and air pistol in Russia this morning. Suspect Roman G was arrested after the vicious attack, in which a pupil entered the school in Chelyabinsk and began 'randomly beating up his peers'. A girl was rushed to hospital in serious condition and was undergoing surgery to save her life after she had her throat cut and was hit on the head with a hammer. A second girl was also undergoing emergency surgery, and several more were injured during the attack. Hours before the incident he had posted a rant on social media in which he said 'Putin has enslaved the population', accusing the dictator of 'Nazism'. Investigators are still trying to understand the motive for the brutal attack. A student was left fighting for their life after being hit in the head with a hammer on Monday Valeria E, 13, wounded in a school attack by a pupil going on the rampage A handprint left on the window at the school in Chelyabinsk after the attack on the school News outlet Baza reported that the suspect 'came to school all in black in the middle of the first lesson, but did not go straight to the classroom, but walked past and went towards the toilet. 'A few minutes later, he ran screaming into the classroom where the Biology lesson was taking place and started waving a hammer. 'First, he hit one of the girls on the head, then the teacher. 'After that, Roman hit another girl and a boy, ran out of the classroom and ran down the corridor.' The suspected attacker, named as Roman G, was ultimately detained by the National Guard at the remedial School number 68 and taken to a psychiatrist. Four people were initially reported to have been injured, including a 13-year-old girl who is expected to be placed into an induced coma. The seriously wounded girl named Valeria E was reportedly undergoing surgery in an attempt to save her life. All four injured during the rampage - including the teacher, two girls and a boy - were taken to hospital. Biology teacher Nina Shoshina, 57, was wounded as she tried to overpower the boy and protect her children at the school in Urals city Chelyabinsk. The teacher said from hospital that the attacker 'ran into the Biology room five minutes before the end of the lesson. 'He was holding a gun and a hammer. He didn't say anything, he just screamed.' Lenta reported that the boy had brought an air gun into class. The National Guard was called in to arrest one suspect, as ambulance took victims to hospital The suspect was taken to a psychiatric facility after the attack, local media reported 'I immediately started screaming to stop him. I ran up to him, but the girls were a little faster,' the teacher added. 'He hit both of them on the head with a hammer, then I got hit on the arm, shoulder and head.' A student in another class told of the horrific incident. 'We were sitting in physics class and heard screams in the hallway on the second floor,' said an eighth-grade student. 'It was almost 9am. We wondered what was going on. 'The teacher came out and saw that everyone was covered in blood. She tried to protect her classmate from the blow, but it didn't work. 'There was blood in the hallway and in the toilet. They then escorted us out of the building.' A grandmother of one of the wounded girls said: 'He went into the classroom, sat there for a while, came out with a gun, an axe, a knife - and this is what happened. Other reports said he was armed with a hammer not an axe, and was detained in the toilets. The suspect was also alleged to have been taking part in a sinister online suicide game which involved wounding people before taking his own life. Investigators said they would look into the claims as they probe the organisation of security and compliance with school regulations. The Investigative Committee has begun criminal proceedings for negligence and attempted murder, TASS reports. Hours before the attack, the student posted on Telegram about the so-called 'slavery' of the school system. 'School is designed to make young children slaves and distract them from the truth of our government,' he wrote, according to Lenta. 'In schools they instil what is good and what is bad, but in reality there is no good and bad,' he wrote. 'And there is no hell. Our great nation needs freedom of speech.' The boy's father said he was more interested in playing Minecraft, but that he had been bullied at school, with classmates spitting on him and 'morally destroying him'. The scene is sealed off after the National Guard were brought in to stop the rampage Four people were taken to hospital as authorities swept in to detain the child Regional governor Alexei Texler said: 'A schoolboy attacked other pupils and teachers. 'There are victims. They are hospitalised, all necessary medical care is being provided.' He stressed: 'An investigation is underway. A big question is how the student brought a hammer into the school. Why did the security not react?' 'At 9:20 a.m. local time (4:20 a.m. GMT), the local police department received a report that a schoolboy born in 2011 injured his classmates and a teacher with various objects,' the regional branch of the Russian Interior Ministry said in a statement. 'The number of injured is being determined. The school staff called the Russian National Guard, which detained the schoolboy.' A jury has again been unable to reach a unanimous verdict over the death of toddler Jordan Thompson, nearly two decades later. The 21-month-old was found unresponsive and rushed to Singleton hospital in the NSW Hunter region on March 19, 2005. At the time, the child was under the care of Cecil Patrick Kennedy, who faced a second manslaughter trial in the NSW District Court, after the first trial concluded in September 2023 with a hung jury. Prosecutors alleged the toddler was given antidepressants by Kennedy, who at the time was in a relationship with his mother, Bernice Swales. However, the jury was discharged on Monday after being unable to reach either a unanimous or majority verdict. During the trial the jury heard Jordan was fussy and crying when Kennedy took him into his bedroom on the morning before he passed away. After that, the toddler was seen to be dozy and unsteady on his feet and vomited, before Ms Swales put him to bed and left to go to the shops. When she returned, she found her son naked and unresponsive on a bed with Kennedy attempting CPR. The 21-month-old toddler Jordan Thompson was found unresponsive and rushed to Singleton hospital in the NSW Hunter region on March 19, 2005 before he died Prosecutors alleged the toddler was given antidepressants by Cecil Patrick Kennedy (pictured), who at the time was in a relationship with his mother, Bernice Swales Jordan was rushed to hospital in an unresponsive condition and pronounced dead just before 7pm. Crown prosecutor Kate Nightingale said toxicology analysis found traces of the antidepressant amitriptyline - sold under the brand name Endep - for which Kennedy had a prescription. The jury heard Kennedy changed his story about what happened to Jordan, initially telling Ms Swales he had either fallen into or out of the bathtub. He later told police he had left the toddler unattended in the bathtub for about 40 seconds before returning to find him face-down in the water, Ms Nightingale said. The matter is due to return to court on October 4. Sir Ed Davey has told his new cohort of Liberal Democrat MPs to become the political equivalent of Japanese knotweed in former Tory seats they won at the election. The party leader privately told the new faces who joined his ranks in July to become almost impossible to remove - like the hated invasive shrub - from areas of mainly southern England where they displaced Conservative MPs for the first time. The Lib Dems are holding their annual conference in Brighton this weekend in a jubilant mood after their best election result ever. Sir Ed now leads a group of 72 MPs, up from 11 in 2019. He and other senior Liberal Democrats have pledged to hold the new Labour government to account as a 'constructive opposition'. But his instruction to the MPs shows how much of the focus will be on the Tories, despite them being in disarray and much depleted in numbers, because they pose the larger electoral risk to the party. Last night Sir Ed's deputy, Daisy Cooper, said the Tory leadership candidates were 'weird ... [they] talk about issues that are not relevant to most people in the country'. And in her speech today she said that the party must 'finish the job' of destroying the Conservatives. The party leader privately told the new faces who joined his ranks in July to become almost impossible to remove - like the hated invasive shrub - from areas of mainly southern England where they displaced Conservative MPs. Last night Sir Ed's deputy, Daisy Cooper, said the Tory leadership candidates were 'weird ... [they] talk about issues that are not relevant to most people in the country'. Your browser does not support iframes. The deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats has said she is 'pretty sure' the party will 'keep going' with stunts if they continue to help deliver policy messages. Daisy Cooper told reporters at the party's annual conference in Brighton last night that she believed stunts 'show that you can do politics with some hope'. Party leader Sir Ed Davey became known during the general election campaign for stunts including bungee jumping and paddleboarding. He would take part in the activities when announcing policy plans, often with other Lib Dem MPs or candidates. Ms Cooper told reporters on Sunday that 'most of our stunts come with a very serious message' and thought they would continue going forward. But the party hopes to build on its policy platform from the election, which focused on NHS and care reform, the cost-of-living crisis and sewage problems across the UK. Sir Ed Davey has said that 'fixing the GP crisis is critical' and is campaigning for everyone to have the right to see a GP within seven days. Health and social care has been a much-discussed topic by the party leader in Brighton this weekend, as their autumn conference has continued. According to the Lib Dems, NHS data suggests that in the seven months to July 2024 there were 10.3 million waits of four weeks or longer for GP appointment. This is higher than the 8.6 million four-week waits that had been recorded by the same time last year when there was a record of 17.6 million four-week waits by the end of the year. Ms Cooper, who is also the party's health spokeswoman, will discuss the NHS in her keynote speech to the conference on Monday morning, and tell conference attendees that 'you don't have freedom, if you're on a waiting list so long that your world shrinks and you're stuck hobbling at home between a couple of rooms.'. Magistrates could be given the power to jail criminals for a year - double the current limit - under plans being considered by ministers to tackle prison overcrowding. Currently a backlog of prisoners being held on remand before a trial in a crown court is adding to the capacity crisis in Britain's jails. The stronger sentencing powers would allow magistrates to try more serious offences than currently, including drug dealing, weapons possession and fraud. A record 17,070 prisoners were on remand by the end of June, equivalent to a fifth of the entire prison population, Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures show. Out of these, around a third would generally be found not guilty or, if they were convicted, not sent to prison. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, with Governor Sarah Bott, during a visit to HMP Bedford in Harpur, Bedfordshire (Pictured: A general view of a prison) Currently a backlog of prisoners being held on remand before a trial in a crown court is adding to the capacity crisis in Britain's jails. A source told the Telegraph the move could produce a 'bow wave' of new prisoners, but that Labour's controversial early release scheme would free up spaces. And they believe the move could ultimately reduce the amount of prisoners being held on remand and free up jail cells because many remand inmates would be set free after being tried. 'Any change would create a bow wave of extra offenders being sent to jail but the impact down the road would be beneficial in reducing the numbers in jail,' a government source was reported as saying. A justice source reportedly added: 'It's a smart thing to do but it is a gamble. All the modelling suggests it will lead to a surge in the prison population but the number of remand prisoners is one of the principal reasons for overcrowding.' The adult prison population dropped by more than 2,000 in the week after ministers freed hundreds of inmates early, official figures have revealed Some 86,333 prisoners were behind bars in England and Wales on Friday, according to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) - down 2,188 on the 88,521 at the end of last week. One week ago the number of inmates being held hit another new record high amid the jail overcrowding crisis, indicating the population fell by 2 per cent in seven days. Ministers said about 1,750 prisoners were freed early on Tuesday from jails across the two nations, suggesting a further 438 also left under standard release. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. The drop means the operational capacity for English and Welsh men and women's prisons is 89,552, indicating there is now cell space for 3,219 criminals. Last week the Mail revealed how a prisoner has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman just an hour after being let out of jail. The 31-year-old repeat offender allegedly assaulted a female prison worker while he was being given a lift to a railway station. The incident raises serious questions about the Government's decision to release thousands of criminals early. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood's programme, known as SDS40, allows criminals to be freed after serving 40 per cent of their sentence rather than half, due to jail overcrowding. The sex crime allegedly took place on Tuesday the first day of the scheme. The start of the scheme led to scenes of jubilation outside jails in England and Wales, with freed inmates punching the air in delight before hugging loved ones. One convicted drug dealer said the policy had made him a 'lifelong Labour voter', while another insisted that he was a 'good boy now' after walking out to reunite with his family. However, despite the scenes of joy that were commonplace across the country, experts have warned about the impact of releasing the convicts early with suggestions a third could reoffend. More than 5,000 are to be set loose over the next six weeks, with everyone eligible for release apart from violent criminals jailed for more than four years. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Tom Franklin, chief executive of the Magistrates' Association, backed an increase in sentencing powers. 'Magistrates have previously been trained to deal with the additional cases that such a change would bring to magistrates' courts, and it would help to free up capacity in crown courts to deal with even more serious cases,' he said. But he called for more resources due to 'bottlenecks' in magistrates' courts resulting from a shortage of legal advisers and probation officers. The Ministry of Justice said: 'The new Government inherited prisons on the point of collapse, which is why the Lord Chancellor took swift action by introducing emergency measures. We will continue to consider other long term options to deal with the prisons crisis in a sustainable way.' A nurse who cruelly joked about putting a pillow over the face of a patient who called for attention 200 times in a shift has been struck off. Katie Evans 'disgusted' her colleagues by making a series of derogatory comments aimed at a 'very vulnerable' resident at the care home in Swansea, Wales, where she worked. The nurse suggested the resident, who suffered mental difficulties, should lie in her own waste and was accused of commenting on how the patient was 'asking to be punched in the face'. Miss Evans broke down in tears as she admitted to making the 'awful' comments and said they were made during 'stressful' shifts in which Patient A was ringing the buzzer approximately 200 times. But, the Nursing and Midwifery Council has ruled Miss Evans, who caused 'further deterioration' to the already vulnerable patient, should be struck off. Nurse, Katie Evans, was struck off after she joked about putting a pillow over the face of a patient. She worked at Awel Y Mor Care Home in Swansea, Wales (pictured) Miss Evans qualified as a nurse in 2014 and worked at the Awel Y Mor Care Home in Swansea, Wales. Between November 27 and December 30 2019, she made several 'inappropriate comments' regarding a resident in her care. The resident, referred to only as Patient A, was 'very vulnerable' and suffered from mental health difficulties, it was heard. During a late shift in November, Miss Evans told a care assistant to 'take a pillow and put it over [Patient A's] face'. The following day, Miss Evans was called to help a student nurse deal with Patient A, who was a 'very vulnerable patient'. Pictured: Nursing and Midwifery Council's head office. The panel decided Miss Evans should be struck off as she caused 'further deterioration' to the already vulnerable patient A witness to the incident said: 'The resident told Miss Evans what was wrong, who then said a comment in front of the resident and myself about being smacked in the face. 'Miss Evans did not help at all.' It was heard Miss Evans said to her colleague 'she doesn't want anyone to punch/smack/slap her in the face, she wants you to f****** do it'. The nurse was also accused of saying Patient A can 'f****** lay in' her faeces during a shift in December. It was heard that on this particular day, the resident's bowels had opened. One assistant at the home suggested to Patient A that they could ask Miss Evans to change her but the resident said 'No I don't want Miss Evans'. When this interaction was recalled to the nurse, the witness said Miss Evans remarked 'she can just lay in it then'. These comments 'shocked' and 'disgusted' Miss Evans' colleague. The panel concluded that Miss Evans had said 'she can f****** lay in it then' or 'f*** her then she can sit in it'. They noted that the nurse 'did not intend to provide care' for Patient A, who had skin issues and should have been changed quickly, on this particular day. Instead, the panel said 'Miss Evans laughed and made a derogatory comment about Patient A remaining in her faeces'. It was noted in witness statements that the nurse admitted to making the comments. She told her general manager that her colleagues would be coming forward and making statements about remarks she had made so she was 'afraid that she might lose her job'. Her boss said: 'She admitted that she had made the comments but that they had been made as she had found the shift to be stressful. 'She told me that one of the residents had been buzzing for help frequently and she made a comment to a carer to "put a pillow over her head and once she stops moving, you will know she is dead".' Miss Evans said she made the 'awful' remarks on particularly 'stressful' days - including one where Patient A had buzzed for help approximately 200 times. The panel said Miss Evans' actions fell 'significantly short' of the 'standards expected of a registered nurse'. 'In reaching its decision the panel took into account the deplorable nature of the comments she made about Patient A,' they said. 'One comment was made in Patient A's presence and Miss Evans failed to provide fundamental care to Patient A within a reasonable time when she had soiled herself and Patient A's vulnerabilities. 'The panel determined that Miss Evans' conduct would be viewed by both nursing professionals and general members of the public as deplorable.' It was alleged that Miss Evans' conduct caused Patient A, who suffered mental health difficulties, 'further anguish' and this may have caused 'further deterioration'. Miss Evans's behaviour amounted to misconduct and breached the 'fundamental tenets of nursing', the panel said. The nurse was struck off. The panel said: 'Miss Evans' actions were serious and to allow her to continue practising would undermine public confidence in the profession and in the NMC as a regulatory body.' Cabinet ministers are split over plans to hand staff full employment rights on their first day in the job, it has emerged. As part of a promised overhaul of workers' rights, Labour's general election manifesto pledged to give staff 'basic rights from day one' of taking on a position. But Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is reportedly facing a bid by Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds to water down the reforms amid a growing backlash from bosses. Ms Rayner, who is spearheading Labour's 'New Deal for Working People', is said to have clashed with Mr Reynolds over the issue of probation periods. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is reportedly facing a bid by Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds to water down reforms amid a growing backlash from bosses Ms Rayner, who is spearheading Labour's 'New Deal for Working People', is said to have clashed with Mr Reynolds over the issue of probation periods According to the Telegraph, the Deputy PM is pushing for staff to be given full employment rights from day one following a short probation period. This includes the right to take firms to an employment tribunal for unfair dismissal, which workers can currently only do if they have been employed for at least two years. Mr Reynolds also favours shortening the qualification period for full employment rights but still requiring a probation period of almost a year, the newspaper reported. 'Day one rights is proving very difficult,' a Whitehall source said. 'Angela is less keen on a longer probation period, Reynolds thinks nine months is reasonable. It's unclear if an agreement will be reached.' Labour promised to introduce legislation to implement their workers' rights reforms within 100 days of taking office. Ms Rayner and Mr Reynolds have been holding meetings with business chiefs amid concerns at the impact of Labour's overhaul. Critics have warned against burdening firms with more red tape and stunting economic growth. Labour's plans also include giving staff a 'right to switch off' from bosses' messages outside working hours, ending zero-hour contracts, banning 'fire and rehire' practices, and bolstering the power of trade unions. A Government spokesman said: 'Our number one priority is economic growth and wealth creation which is why our plan for better workers' rights is designed to help people into secure work and lead to a more productive workforce. 'This is why we are working in close partnership with business and civil society to find the balance between improving workers' rights while supporting the brilliant businesses that pay people's wages.' Huw Edwards is being represented by a high-powered London law firm whose slogan is 'shelter through the storm'. The disgraced BBC News presenter commissioned BCL Solicitors to work on his criminal defence as he was today handed a six month prison sentence suspended for two years. The firm is based in Lincoln's Inn Fields and describes itself as a 'top-tier' firm specialising in business crime, data, privacy and cybersecurity law. Ellen Peart, partner, and Kate Chanter, senior associate, have been working on Edwards' criminal defence, BCL confirmed to Law Gazette. Ms Peart flanked Edwards as he wheeled in a suitcase as he arrived at Westminster magistrates' court today. She is head of serious and general crime at the firm and in February represented Tory MP Bob Stewart during his successful appeal against a conviction for a racially aggravated public order offence. Huw Edwards commissioned BCL Solicitors to work on his criminal defence as he was today handed a six month prison sentence suspended for two years. He arrived at court today with the law firm's partner Ellen Peart (right) Ellen Peart is head of serious and general crime at the firm and in February represented Tory MP Bob Stewart during his successful appeal against a conviction for a racially aggravated public order offence Kate Chanter is a senior associate and returned to BCL in July last year having spent two years working as a complex casework lawyer at the Court of Appeal It was the 'smooth and 'unflappable' defence barrister Philip Evans KC from the QEB Hollis Whiteman chambers who put Edwards' defence to magistrates The MP for Beckenham had told activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei that he should 'go back to Bahrain' during a row outside the Foreign Office's Lancaster House on December 14 2022. But in February a judge ruled that, while the words spoken by Mr Stewart amounted to abuse, they did not cause Mr Alwadaei harassment, alarm, or distress. Ms Peart features in Spear's 500 top recommended lawyers for criminal law, and a bio on BCL's website reads: 'Ellen Peart is described as a ''secret weapon'' who ''inspires total confidence from her clients'' and is a ''phenomenal team player''. 'She comes highly recommended for her expert representation of high-profile clients, particularly those facing serious sexual and violent offence charges.' Ms Chanter is a senior associate and returned to BCL in July last year having spent two years working as a complex casework lawyer at the Court of Appeal. During her spell there she was one of two lawyers assigned to co-ordinate the 2022 Whole Life Order 'Special Court', which considered the sentences of four offenders convicted of murder and manslaughter. These included the high-profile case of Sarah Everard's killer Wayne Couzens. The Nottingham Trent University graduate's bio on the law firm's site describes her criminal defence practice involves representing individuals for a wide range of offences; from minor public order and assaults through to fraud and serious sexual offences'. Today, it was barrister Philip Evans KC from the QEB Hollis Whiteman chambers who put Edwards' defence to magistrates. The 'smooth and unflappable' Mr Evans is described on the firm's site as 'a bright, competitive and analytical barrister, equally at home prosecuting or defending'. A court artist's drawing of Edwards as he sat in the dock at Westminster magistrates' court today The 63-year-old looked haggard while passing a throng of the world's media today Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Edwards that led to the newsreader's downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot 'He is tactically very astute, seeing the bigger picture in complicated and multi-handed cases, and his advocacy is calm and persuasive and his cross-examination forensic. He is a silk out of the top drawer,' it reads. In mounting Edwards' defence today, he said the disgraced newsreader was 'truly sorry' and 'recognises repugnant nature' of the images sent to him. He claimed that drinking and the decline in his mental health played a part in the sick WhatsApp chats with convicted paedophile Alex Williams in which Edwards was sent 41 images. Edwards described some of the vile photos he had been sent as 'amazing' and replied 'what do you need?' when the paedophile asked for a 'Christmas gift after all the hot videos'. Mr Evans claimed Edwards did not make payments to Alex Williams in order to receive indecent images of children. He told the court: 'Mr Edwards did not make payments in order for images to be sent to him, and he certainly did not make payments in order that indecent images would be sent to him. 'Mr Edwards positively told Mr Williams not to send images of people who were underage. 'He did not store any of those images on any device. He did not use them for any personal gratification and he did not gain any gratification from those indecent images. 'He did not send them to anyone else onwardly and he has never sought similar images before from any source, and he has not sought similar images from any other source since.' Mr Evans said Edwards was 'truly sorry' for how he has 'damaged his family and his loved ones', and for committing the offences. He told the court: 'He knows he has hurt and he has damaged his family and his loved ones around him. 'For all of this, he is truly sorry and he is truly sorry he has committed these offences. 'He has lost his good character. He has lost that good character in a very public way. That is, we respectfully submit, a matter of some significance and we know that the court will not underestimate the effect that that will have had on him. The disgraced former newsreader was flanked by members of his legal team He made no comment as he walked into the modern courthouse Edwards was previously anchor of News at Ten and one of Britain's most prominent newsreaders 'He has not worked since leaving employment with the BBC.' Mr Evans went on: 'You will have appreciated sir that the press has been extraordinary to the extent that this matter has been reported and Mr Edwards through me wishes to apologise to the court. He wishes the court, through me, to know how profoundly sorry he is. He recognises the repugnant nature of such indecent images and the hurt that is done to those who appear in such images. 'For his part in that he apologises sincerely and he makes it clear that he has the utmost regret and he recognises that he has betrayed the priceless trust and faith of so many people. 'He knows he has hurt and he has damaged his family and his loved ones around him and for all of these things he is truly sorry and he is truly sorry that he has committed these offences.' An emotional James Packer has been reduced to tears as he opened up about the simple act of kindness that meant so much to him when he was at his lowest ebb 23 years ago. He and Lachlan Murdoch - the sons of billionaires Kerry Packer and Rupert Murdoch - got their fathers' companies to invest almost $1billion in Aussie telecoms company One.Tel in 1999. But it was a disastrous investment, recording a loss of $132million in the six months to December 2000. 'I was telling Lachlan that we weren't going to run out of money, and we did run out of money. I f***** up. I f***** up,' Packer told ABC's Australian Story. Within five months, One.Tel had gone broke. 'I had a breakdown. Lachlan was incredibly kind to me,' Packer recalled. Both men were born on September 8, though Murdoch is younger by four years. On that date in 2001, it was Murdoch's 30th birthday and he was having a celebration. An emotional James Packer (pictured) broke down while describing Lachlan Murdoch's kind gesture that meant so much to him when he was at his lowest ebb 23 years ago James Packer his then wife Erica and Lachlan Murdoch's wife Sarah Murdoch arrive in the Birdcage on Derby Day at Flemington racecourse in Melbourne Packer wiped back tears as he recalled a birthday he would never forget. 'So out of nowhere, I get this invitation. If I was Lachlan, I think I'd probably never speak to me again. So Lachlan is giving a speech, and in the middle of the speech he says that I'm there and it's my birthday and he wants to wish me happy birthday,' he said. 'And it was one of the most moving things that's ever happened to me in my life. 'It's easy to be loyal when things are going well,' he said. 'It's when times are bad that you really see who's genuine and who's not genuine.' Packer told ABC reporter Paddy Manning that he will always be grateful for Murdoch's support. 'One.Tel was 99 per cent my fault,' he said.' 'Lachlan was incredibly loyal to me. He saw that I was hurting. 'I think he took the view that I didn't do it on purpose and that's something that I'll never forget.' The pair see each other half a dozen times a year and their friendship has now lasted for more than three decades. '(Lachlan) is one of my favourite people in the world,' Packer said. 'I adore him. He's been an amazingly good friend to me through good times and bad times.' James Packer (left) and Lachlan Murdoch (right) have been friends for more than three decades Mr Packer (pictured centre left) said Lachlan Murdoch's (pictured front left) simple act of friendship is something he has never forgotten While Packer blames himself for what happened to One.Tel, he later sold his 10 per cent stake in the REA Group, which owns realestate.com.au, for $10million. 'I wanted to be helpful because One.Tel had been so bad,' Packer said. 'But let me be very, very clear about one thing, I never thought that 10 per cent stake that he bought from me for $10million would be worth $2.5 billion (today),' he said with a laugh. 'And I do feel less guilty about One.Tel because of what happened with REA.' Packer also offered advice to anyone thinking they can outsmart his old friend. 'I think some people have underestimated Lachlan,' he said. 'I think underestimating Lachlan is a mistake.' A leading French member of the EU's executive branch resigned on Monday, calling into question the leadership of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as she tries to assemble a new team for the next five years. Thierry Breton, a French business executive and commissioner for the EU's vast internal market who recently clashed with tech billionaire Elon Musk, suggested von der Leyen had gone behind his back to get another French official named in his place to the next commission. In a post on social media platform X containing his resignation letter, Breton said that von der Leyen's move was 'further testimony to questionable governance - I have to conclude that I can no longer exercise my duties in the College.' Breton clashed with von der Leyen last month over his 'go it alone' approach, taking on Elon Musk over his 'amplification of harmful content' online without seeking permission from the Commission President. Breton (L) quit suddenly on Monday, criticising von der Leyen's (R) 'questionable governance' Thierry Breton last month clashed with Elon Musk ahead of his interview with Donald Trump The commission proposes legislation for the 27 EU member countries and ensures that the rules governing the world's biggest trading bloc are respected. It's made up of a College of commissioners with a range of portfolios similar to those of government ministers, including agriculture, economic, competition, security or migration policy. With an eye to keeping a gender balance within the commission for her second term at the helm, von der Leyen had asked each member country to supply the name of a male and female candidate for policy commissioner. Most only proposed one candidate, often a man. The commission chief, a former German defense minister, has been pressuring smaller countries to change their minds. In recent weeks, a man who was the preferred candidate of the government in Slovenia withdrew and a woman was proposed in his place. Von der Leyen decides which country gets which portfolio, and some of them, like those involving trade or finance or EU enlargement, are coveted by certain countries. Plum jobs like the post of 'vice president' - the commission has seven of these - are also much sought after. Breton suggested that he was a victim of these political machinations. 'A few days ago, in the very final stretch of negotiations on the composition of the future College, you asked France to withdraw my name - for personal reasons that in no instance you have discussed directly with me - and offered, as a political trade-off, an allegedly more influential portfolio for France in the future College,' he wrote in his resignation letter. 'You will now be proposed a different candidate,' he said. France later will propose Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne to serve on the European Commission after the shock resignation of Brussels Breton, President Emmanuel Macron's office said on Monday. Sejourne 'meets all the necessary criteria', the Elysee Palace said, highlighting his previous experience leading the liberal Renew group in the European Parliament. It added that he should run a portfolio similar to Breton's focused on 'industrial and technological sovereignty and European competitiveness' - a topic dear to Macron's heart. Macron also thanked Breton, saying he had 'strongly contributed to moving forward a policy of European sovereignty in digital fields' including with the bloc's Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, as well as 'supporting the European defence industrial and technological base' and seeing the EU's single market through the Covid pandemic. Acting last month without von der Leyen's approval, Breton took to X to warn Musk of possible 'amplification of harmful content' by broadcasting an interview with former U.S. President Donald Trump. Mr Musk hit back at the EU official by sharing an expletive-laden meme from the Tropic Thunder film In his warning to Mr Musk, Mr Breton made reference to the recent riots in Britain. There are concerns the disorder was whipped up by online misinformation on sites such as X The commission nominees must still pass a grilling in the European Parliament to take office. Breton has irritated some in the commission with his go-it-alone approach. Acting last month without von der Leyen's approval, he took to X to warn Musk of possible 'amplification of harmful content' by broadcasting an interview with former U.S. President Donald Trump. Musk, who owns the social media platform, posted a derogatory reply. Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung urged the EU to 'mind their own business instead of trying to meddle in the U.S. Presidential election.' People smuggling gangs are packing larger numbers of migrants onto flimsy boats, shocking new figures analysed by MailOnline have shown. On average, gangs are squeezing an average of 52 migrants on each boat - increasing the danger for those making the hazardous crossing. Almost 1,100 migrants arrived in the UK over the weekend. So far this year, at least 39 migrants have died while making the crossing - with eight losing their lives on Saturday. In July, during the trial of Albanian national Eglantin Doksani, 24, it emerged that his smuggling gang were charging migrants 3,000 for a seat on a boat. Since January 1, some 23,544 migrants have crossed the English Channel on board 447 boats. In 2018, 499 migrants arrived in the UK on 43 small boats - an average of almost 7 people per vessel. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. That average increased to 11 in 2019, and then to 13 in 2020. By 2021 the average increased to 27 and rose again in 2022 to 41. Last year the average was almost 49 people per boat. That figure has increased again this year to 52.7 migrants. Commenting on the figures, A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security. 'As we have seen with so many recent devastating tragedies in the Channel, the people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay. We will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice. 'We are making progress, bolstering our personnel numbers in the UK and abroad. Our new Border Security Command will strengthen our global partnerships and enhance our efforts to investigate, arrest, and prosecute these evil criminals.' Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. In response to the ongoing crisis, the Government has appointed Martin Hewitt, the police chief who oversaw the UK's enforcement of Covid 19 lockdown laws as head of the new Border Security Command. Sir Keir Starmer travelled to Italy to discuss the migration crisis as he seeks to 'reset' relations with the EU. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has overseen a 60 per cent drop in the number of arrivals on small boats over the past year. = Sir Keir, who announced he was axing the previous Tory administration's Rwanda deportation policy as one of his first moves in office, declared there would be 'no more gimmicks' to curb migration. 'This Government will tackle the smuggling gangs who trade the lives of men, women and children across borders,' he said. 'Martin Hewitt's unique expertise will lead a new era of international enforcement to dismantle these networks, protect our shores and bring order to the asylum system.' Mr Hewitt previously co-ordinated all of Britain's police forces as they enforced controversial new rules governing lockdowns introduced by then-prime minister Boris Johnson's administration. The emergency legislation was criticised by some as rushed and inconsistently applied while the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) revealed some people had been wrongfully charged under the laws. Mr Hewitt will now be in charge of joining up law enforcement and intelligence agencies to lead joint investigations with European counterparts to address organised immigration crime, No 10 said. The former officer, who also helped shape national responses to major security threats including terrorism in his role as NPCC chairman, said he was 'under no illusions of the challenges that lie ahead' and 'determined to face them head-on.' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the new border unit would allow the Government to go 'much further' in taking action against people-smuggling gangs. 'With the Border Security Command we can go much further building new law enforcement partnerships across Europe and getting new powers into place, to go after the gangs, tackle dangerous boat crossings and save lives,' she said. It comes after eight migrants died while trying to cross the Channel overnight as some 801 migrants made the journey on Saturday the second highest daily total so far this year, according to provisional Home Office figures. Both Sir Keir and Mr Hewitt are expected to visit Italy's National Co-ordination Centre during his trip, where they will be briefed on their response to irregular migration. The Prime Minister is also set to sign a joint communique outlining further co-operation with Rome on migration, growth and defence. Sir Keir has signalled he is open to pursuing an arrangement similar to Italy's migration deal with Albania, whereby asylum seekers will be held in the Balkan state while their claims are processed. The scheme has been criticised by human rights campaigners as unworkable but the Italian government argues it is necessary to reduce migrant arrivals by sea. Unlike the Rwanda policy, asylum seekers whose applications are successful would be able to enter Italy under the plans. Huw Edwards stared down at the ground today as he left court with his life in tatters after being handed a six-month suspended sentence for accessing sex abuse images of children as young as seven. The 63-year-old previously admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp. At Westminster Magistrates' Court today, Edwards held his hands together and leaned forward throughout his sentencing hearing. He then let out a 'small sigh' as he was handed six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years. Edwards smiled broadly as he left the courtroom accompanied by a member of his legal team - carrying the same small suitcase he had brought with him, possibly in anticipation of being jailed. He later walked onto the street with his legal team before being driven away in a black Mercedes. A mugshot released of the presenter showed him staring at the camera - dead eyed and gaunt - with silver stubble across his face. Westminster Magistrates' Court heard Edwards told Williams 'go on' when asked if he wanted 'naughty pics and vids' of somebody described as 'yng (sic)'. The court also heard Edwards paid Williams hundreds of pounds after he sent him pornographic images, but his defence barrister Philip Evans KC said the broadcaster did not make payments to Williams in order to receive indecent images of children. The prosecution said Williams asked Edwards for a 'Christmas gift after all the hot videos'. Prosecutor Ian Hope said: 'Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around 100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him 200.' Of the indecent images he received, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Defence barrister Philip Evans KC said Edwards was 'truly sorry' and 'recognises the repugnant nature' of the images sent to him. The journalist claimed alcohol and the decline in his mental health played a part in the sick chats. The BBC said following the sentencing: 'We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.' In other updates - Huw Edwards leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court with his legal team following his sentencing A court sketch of Edwards in the dock at Westminster Crown Court listening to his sentence A mugshot released of the presenter showed him staring at the camera - dead eyed and gaunt - with silver stubble across his face He did not make any comment to journalists before being driven away in a black Mercedes after his sentencing Edwards gets into a waiting black Mercedes following his sentencing Edwards pictured with his wife Vicky Flind in London in 2018. She named him as the high-profile presenter as the centre of a sexual pictures scandal Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Huw Edwards that led to the newsreader's downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot Sentencing Edwards, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told the broadcaster: 'Perhaps it does not need saying but you are of previous good character.' The judge said he accepted the journalist had been of 'exemplary' good character 'having enjoyed a very successful career in the media'. 'It's obvious that until now you were very highly regarded by the public,' he continued, adding that Edwards was 'perhaps the most recognised newsreader-journalist'. 'It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters,' the judge said. He also told Edwards he would be subject to 25 rehabilitation sessions and be placed on the sex offender treatment programme for 40 days. Edwards was also ordered to pay 3,000 in prosecution costs. The judge continued: 'I am of the clear view that you do not present a risk or danger to the public at large, specifically to children. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.' What does 'making' indecent images mean? Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of 'making' indecent images of children in July. The Crown Prosecution Service says it can include: opening an email attachment containing an image downloading an image from a website to a screen storing an image on a computer accessing a pornographic website in which an image appears in an automatic 'pop-up' window receiving an image via social media, even if unsolicited and even if part of a group or live-streaming images of children A court must also decide whether an offence calls into the category of possession, distribution or production. Advertisement He declined to make a sexual harm prevention order against Edwards. The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with convicted paedophile Williams telling the newsreader the child was 'quite young looking' and that he had more images which were illegal. Mr Goldspring said he accepted that Edwards had no memory of which images he viewed due to a mental disorder at the time of his offending and suggested the former BBC man had been facing 'a perfect storm' at the time. The magistrate quoted a report by a psycho-sexual therapist who said Edwards had a risk of taking his own life and is a 'complex individual' due to factors in his childhood, including a complex relationship with his 'puritanical' father. Edwards nodded as this reference to his personal history was read out. Outlining the evidence against the veteran broadcaster earlier, prosecutor Ian Hope said: 'It is clear from the face of the WhatsApp chat recovered that a deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature. 'It is also clear that Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of money - low hundreds of pounds on an occasional basis - to Alex Williams which Mr Williams directly asked for on several occasions, as gifts or presents, apparently off the back of sending pornographic images to Mr Edwards, about which images they chatted. 'Alex Williams has stated that the money was more generally to support him at university and amounted to around 1,000 to 1,500.' Mr Hope continued: 'From that chat in December 2020, Alex Williams said that he had 'a file of vids and pics for you of someone special'. 'Mr Edwards immediately queried who the subject was and was then sent three images of seemingly the same person, from two of which images the subject's age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16. 'These two were category C indecent images of children in which the child was exposing his penis. Edwards made no comment as he left court wheeling the same black case he arrived with The shamed former BBC star was accompanied by members of his legal team Edwards looked at the ground as a large group of Press rushed to photograph him The former news anchor leaves court with his life and career in tatters Edwards stands as he listens to judge Paul Goldspring delivering his sentencing remarks 'Alex Williams stated that he had '12 videos and 42 pics I've sent you a video of him before'. 'Shortly after Alex Williams asked: 'want me to send you the full file?' Mr Edwards responded 'Yes xxx...' immediately following which Alex Williams sent to Mr Edwards around 30 attachments, about half of which were category C indecent images of children.' Williams asked Edwards for a 'Christmas gift after all the hot videos', the court heard. Mr Hope said he offered to send 12 videos in December 2020 and the BBC presenter responded that he could not see the latest batch but 'the others were amazing'. The court heard a new link contained a category C image of a child aged around 12 to 14 and a category A image. 'Three-quarters of an hour later, Alex Williams again asks for 'a Christmas gift after all the hot videos' and Mr Edwards immediately responds 'what do you need?',' the prosecutor continued. 'Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around 100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him 200.' Westminster Magistrates' Court was told Edwards did not respond after a convicted paedophile sent him a sexual video of children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13. Mr Hope said: 'On February 10, 2021, a category A video was sent which is notable because the age of one of the children involved was significantly younger than in the rest of the images sent - it showed several acts of penetration between two children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13 respectively. 'There was no direct response from Mr Edwards to this video, beyond it being marked as 'read'. 'A week later... a number of attachments were sent which included two category B videos and four category C still images comprising indecent images of children. On February 19 2021, Williams asked 'is the stuff I'm sending too young for you?' 'The next response from Mr Edwards is dated February 22 2021 saying 'don't send underage'.' The prosecutor said one of these was a category A video sent on June 10 2021 which was marked 'read' on WhatsApp, in which the children involved were around 13 to 15 years old. Mr Hope said that in a later exchange, Edwards told Williams 'go on' when he was asked if he wanted 'naughty pics and vids' of somebody described as 'yng (sic)'. In July, the former BBC star - seen arriving in court today - admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams The 63-year-old looked haggard while passing a throng of the world's media on his way into Westminster Magistrates' Court The disgraced former newsreader was flanked by members of his legal team as he walked into the courthouse Edwards was previously anchor of News at Ten and one of Britain's most prominent newsreaders Mr Hope told the court: 'In a later exchange on August 11 2021, Alex Williams says he has some 'naughty pics and vids unsure if you'd like'. Mr Edwards tells him to 'go on' and Alex Williams states 'yng (sic)'. 'Mr Edwards again tells him to 'go on' and Alex Williams sends a category A moving image showing a male child aged around 7 to 9...' 'Mr Edwards enquires where the video is from and Alex Williams says an image-sharing group on another social media platform which they have both also used. 'Alex Williams says the subject is 'quite yng looking' to which Mr Edwards responds it 'can be deceptive' and asks if he has 'any more?' 'Alex Williams says he has but he is not sure if Mr Edwards would like them as they are illegal. 'Mr Edwards says 'Ah OK don't' and the exchange immediately following concerns a series of images which Alex Williams describes as 'looks young don't he but he's deffo 19.' Mounting Edwards' defence, Philip Evans KC claimed Edwards did not make payments to Alex Williams in order to receive indecent images of children. Mr Evans told the court: 'Mr Edwards did not make payments in order for images to be sent to him, and he certainly did not make payments in order that indecent images would be sent to him. 'Mr Edwards positively told Mr Williams not to send images of people who were underage. 'He did not store any of those images on any device. He did not use them for any personal gratification and he did not gain any gratification from those indecent images. 'He did not send them to anyone else onwardly and he has never sought similar images before from any source, and he has not sought similar images from any other source since.' Mr Evans said Edwards was 'truly sorry' for how he has 'damaged his family and his loved ones', and for committing the offences. He told the court: 'He knows he has hurt and he has damaged his family and his loved ones around him. 'For all of this, he is truly sorry and he is truly sorry he has committed these offences. 'He has lost his good character. He has lost that good character in a very public way. That is, we respectfully submit, a matter of some significance and we know that the court will not underestimate the effect that that will have had on him. 'He has not worked since leaving employment with the BBC.' Mr Evans went on: 'You will have appreciated sir that the press has been extraordinary to the extent that this matter has been reported and Mr Edwards through me wishes to apologise to the court. He wishes the court, through me, to know how profoundly sorry he is. He recognises the repugnant nature of such indecent images and the hurt that is done to those who appear in such images. 'For his part in that he apologises sincerely and he makes it clear that he has the utmost regret and he recognises that he has betrayed the priceless trust and faith of so many people. 'He knows he has hurt and he has damaged his family and his loved ones around him and for all of these things he is truly sorry and he is truly sorry that he has committed these offences.' He made no comment as he walked into Westminster Magistrates' Court Edwards arrives at the central London court this morning with a wheelie suitcase Edwards walked into Westminster Magistrates Court this morning dressed in a dark blue cardigan, dark trousers and an open-topped white shirt and pulling a black wheelie suitcase. He looked haggard as he scowled while passing a throng of photographers. He made no comment as he walked into the modern courthouse flanked by his team of lawyers. Seven of the indecent images shared with Edwards by Williams were of the most serious type. Huw Edwards' fall from grace Huw Edwards was made anchor of the BBC's flagship 10pm news bulletin in 2003. As well as the funeral of the late Queen, Edwards narrated the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton and has hosted UK general election coverage. But the father-of-five's professional life began to unravel in July 2023 when he was suspended by the BBC following allegations in The Sun that a high-profile TV star had paid a young person 35,000 for explicit images. Edwards did not comment publicly on the allegations, but his wife released a statement confirming it was her husband at the centre of the scandal and that he was 'suffering from serious mental health issues' and receiving 'in-patient hospital care'. The Met Police did not find any crime had been committed. But in an unrelated probe, it was revealed earlier this year that Edwards had been charged with 'making' indecent images of children. Edwards was first arrested in November 2023 and charged in June, but the case was only revealed publicly in late July a couple of days before he appeared in court to admit the counts. The Welsh presenter had resigned from the BBC in April on 'medical advice' after 40 years with the broadcaster. The BBC, whose brand is built on public trust, has admitted being made aware by police of the arrest and has been criticised for paying Edwards a salary for six months afterwards. Advertisement Of those images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Williams was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences following an investigation by South Wales Police - receiving a 12-month suspended sentence. The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with convicted paedophile Williams telling the newsreader the child was 'quite young looking' and that he had more images which were illegal. Overall the charges cover a period between December 2020 and August 2021. Edwards, one of the BBC's most famous stars who presented the Queen's death and King Charles' coronation, has not been on TV since he was named by his wife as the high-profile presenter at the centre of a sexual pictures scandal in July 2023. In the completely separate case, Edwards was accused of paying 35,000 to a young person in exchange for sexual images. The Met Police confirmed that no criminal offence was committed in this instance. The mother of the teenager told The Sun that Edwards has caused 'immense pain and suffering' and should be locked up. In a powerful open letter published by the newspaper, she said: 'I am today writing this open letter to make you understand the immense pain and suffering you have caused me, my son, my family, your own family - and all of your victims over the years.' She said that her 'heart breaks for every one' of the young children 'robbed of their innocence forever for your sick pleasure' and their families who have gone through what she has. She wrote of how her son was happy before the disgraced news anchor 'wormed' his way into the teenager's life from the age of 17. The distressed mother said her son began having problems with drink and drugs, which was further fuelled by Edwards' 'pestering him for pictures' and paying him 'tens of thousands'. She said Edwards 'sent text messages calling him 'princess' to control him and keep him onside.' Concluding the letter, she told Edwards: 'That you have lost everything is no consolation to us. You will receive your punishment in court.' Edwards at the pinnacle of his career picking up a television award for Best Live Event for covering the late Queen's funeral The star anchor's prestigious career involved breaking the news of Queen Elizabeth II's death and both Prince William and Prince Harry's weddings. Pictured with Justin Welby on May 6, 2023 The teenager who was paid 35,000 by the former BBC star is now 21. He allegedly was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement and said he felt 'groomed' by the disgraced presenter. Although no criminality was found from these allegations, the Met revealed in July this year that Edwards had separately been charged with making indecent images of children. In a dramatic fall from grace, the force confirmed Edwards had been arrested on November 8, 2023 and charged on June 26, 2024. The BBC has admitted it was informed that the former TV presenter had been arrested in November but continued to employ him for around five months until he left on medical advice. Five days later, Edwards pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children. Edwards, who resigned from the BBC in April, has been asked to repay the 200,000 salary he has received since his arrest. BBC director-general Tim Davie said the money should be returned and that the corporation will 'explore' the legal process if Edwards refuses. Mr Davie and BBC chairman Samir Shah were questioned by the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee last Wednesday. Regarding the disgraced presenter's pay, Mr Davie said: 'We've made the formal request, and I can't go into too much detail, but discussions are under way, but I've got no further news, apart from the BBC's position is clear, the money should be returned, and we made the request.' When asked if he set a deadline, he said: 'I don't believe we set a deadline... but we do expect to make progress and get an answer.' Mr Shah told the same committee that Edwards had 'damaged' the BBC's reputation. He said: 'There's nothing more important than public trust in the BBC, and we are custodians of that trust and what Huw Edwards did damaged the reputation and the trust for the BBC so we take that very seriously indeed. 'I should say, it was a shock to discover, when it was announced, when he was charged, that he had led this double life. 'On the face of it, a trusted news presenter, but hidden, secretly, he was this figure who did the most appalling things. I mean, let's never forget the victims.' Edwards is seen on screen for what would be the last time before the scandal became public, when he covered King Charles' visit to Scotland Huw Edwards shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II during a royal visit to BBC Studios in London in June 2013. He enjoyed a glittering career until the scandal came to light He added that he 'knew him', having overseen current affairs at the BBC decades ago, and said that other staff who worked with him 'feel angry and betrayed' by Edwards. Category A images involve penetrative sexual activity, sexual activity with an animal or sadism. Category B images are those involving non-penetrative sexual activity, while category C images are indecent images that do not fall into A or B. According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), 'making' an indecent image has been broadly interpreted by the courts. It can range from opening an attachment to an email containing an image, to accessing pornographic websites in which indecent photographs of children appear by way of an automatic 'pop-up' mechanism. Claire Brinton of the CPS said following Edwards' sentencing: 'Accessing indecent images of children perpetuates the sexual exploitation of them, which has deep, long-lasting trauma for these victims. 'The CPS and Metropolitan Police were able to prove that Edwards was receiving illegal images and videos involving children via WhatsApp. 'This prosecution sends a clear message that the CPS, working alongside the police, will work to bring to justice those who seek to exploit children, wherever that abuse takes place.' Rani Govender, Child Safety Online Policy Manager at the NSPCC, said: 'Online child sexual abuse is at record levels and offenders like Edwards who fuel this crime should be in no doubt about its severity and the impact it has on victims. 'Companies must also act by putting technology in place that can identify and disrupt child abuse images being shared on their messaging services so victims can be safeguarded and offenders prosecuted. 'If anyone is sent or sees a child abuse image online they should report it immediately. The NSPCC Helpline is available for advice and support in this situation or if you are concerned about the safety of a young person.' 'You can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing help@NSPCC.org.uk.' Huw Edwards admits he 'betrayed the priceless trust' of viewers by receiving child abuse images but insists he has 'no memory' of viewing them, his defence barrister said today. The 63-year-old admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp. Edwards claimed to a probation officer that his sick offending was fuelled by alcohol, 'poor mental health' and a deterioration of his personal relationship, Westminster Magistrates Court heard. Delivering his mitigation, Barrister Philip Evans KC said his client was 'mentally vulnerable' and claimed he had 'no memory of viewing any of the images'. 'He has lost that good character. He has lost that good character in a very public way,' Mr Evans continued. Huw Edwards - seen outside court today - admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Huw Edwards that led to the newsreader's downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot Delivering his mitigation, Barrister Philip Evans KC said: 'He has lost that good character. He has lost that good character in a very public way' 'That is, we respectfully submit, a matter of some significance and we know that the court will not underestimate the effect that that will have had on him. He has not worked since leaving employment with the BBC.' Mr Evans went on: 'You will have appreciated, sir, that the press has been extraordinary to the extent that this matter has been reported and Mr Edwards through me wishes to apologise to the court. 'He wishes the court, through me, to know how profoundly sorry he is. He recognises the repugnant nature of such indecent images and the hurt that is done to those who appear in such images. 'For his part in that, he apologises sincerely and he makes it clear that he has the utmost regret and he recognises that he has betrayed the priceless trust and faith of so many people. 'He knows he has hurt and he has damaged his family and his loved ones around him and for all of these things he is truly sorry and he is truly sorry that he has committed these offences.' Earlier today, the court heard how Edwards told Williams to 'go on' when asked if he wanted 'naughty pics and vids' of somebody described as young. The court heard Edwards sent hundreds of pounds to the paedophile after he sent him pornographic images. Mr Evans said Edwards did not make payments in order to receive indecent images of children, telling the court: 'Mr Edwards did not make payments in order for images to be sent to him, and he certainly did not make payments in order that indecent images would be sent to him.' Edwards wrote 'yes xxx' when he was asked by Williams if he wanted sexual images of a person whose 'age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16'. Opening the case against the veteran broadcaster, prosecutor Ian Hope said: 'It is clear from the face of the WhatsApp chat recovered that a deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature. 'It is also clear that Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of money - low hundreds of pounds on an occasional basis - to Alex Williams which Mr Williams directly asked for on several occasions, as gifts or presents, apparently off the back of sending pornographic images to Mr Edwards, about which images they chatted. 'Alex Williams has stated that the money was more generally to support him at university and amounted to around 1,000 to 1,500.' Edwards pictured with his wife Vicky Flind in London in 2018. She named him as the high-profile presenter as the centre of a sexual pictures scandal Edwards at the pinnacle of his career picking up a television award for Best Live Event for covering the late Queen's funeral Mr Hope continued: 'From that chat in December 2020, Alex Williams said that he had 'a file of vids and pics for you of someone special'. 'Mr Edwards immediately queried who the subject was and was then sent three images of seemingly the same person, from two of which images the subject's age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16. 'These two were category C indecent images of children in which the child was exposing his penis. 'Alex Williams stated that he had '12 videos and 42 pics I've sent you a video of him before'. 'Shortly after Alex Williams asked: 'want me to send you the full file?' Mr Edwards responded 'Yes xxx...' immediately following which Alex Williams sent to Mr Edwards around 30 attachments, about half of which were category C indecent images of children.' Mr Hope said Edwards did not respond after convicted paedophile Williams sent him a sexual video of children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13. The prosecutor said: 'On February 10 2021, a category A video was sent which is notable because the age of one of the children involved was significantly younger than in the rest of the images sent - it showed several acts of penetration between two children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13 respectively. 'There was no direct response from Mr Edwards to this video, beyond it being marked as 'read'. 'A week later... a number of attachments were sent which included two category B videos and four category C still images comprising indecent images of children. 'On February 19 2021, Alex Williams asked: 'is the stuff I'm sending too young for you?' 'The next response from Mr Edwards is dated February 22 2021 saying: 'don't send underage'.' Edwards was previously anchor of News at Ten and one of Britain's most prominent newsreaders Edwards made no comment as he arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London this morning Mr Hope continued: 'In a later exchange on August 11, 2021, Alex Williams says he has some 'naughty pics and vids unsure if you'd like'. Mr Edwards tells him to 'go on' and Alex Williams states 'yng (sic)'. What does 'making' indecent images mean? Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of 'making' indecent images of children in July. The Crown Prosecution Service says it can include: opening an email attachment containing an image downloading an image from a website to a screen storing an image on a computer accessing a pornographic website in which an image appears in an automatic 'pop-up' window receiving an image via social media, even if unsolicited and even if part of a group or live-streaming images of children A court must also decide whether an offence calls into the category of possession, distribution or production. Advertisement 'Mr Edwards again tells him to 'go on' and Alex Williams sends a Category A moving image showing a male child aged around 7 to 9...' 'Mr Edwards inquires where the video is from and Alex Williams says an image sharing group on another social media platform which they have both also used. 'Alex Williams says the subject is 'quite yng looking' to which Mr Edwards responds it 'can be deceptive' and asks if he has 'any more?' 'Alex Williams says he has but he is not sure if Mr Edwards would like them as they are illegal. 'Mr Edwards says: 'Ah ok don't' and the exchange immediately following concerns a series of images which Alex Williams describes as 'looks young don't he but he's deffo 19'.' Seven of the indecent images shared with Edwards by Williams were of the most serious type. Of those images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Williams was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences following an investigation by South Wales Police - receiving a 12-month suspended sentence. The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with convicted paedophile Williams telling the newsreader the child was 'quite young looking' and that he had more images which were illegal. Overall the charges cover a period between December 2020 and August 2021. This is the tragic moment an aeroplane smashed into the ground in a huge fireball that killed two top pilots after a failed stunt. The incident took place at the Graf Ignatievo Air Base, in the village of Graf Ignatievo shortly before a military airshow in Bulgaria was due to begin on Friday 13th. Local media said that both pilots, named as Major Petko Dimitrov and Senior Lieutenant Ventsislav Dunkin, died instantly in the crash because the plane was flying at such a low altitude that they had no time to eject. Horrifying footage of the disaster shows the aircraft, reportedly an L-39ZA Albatros, performing acrobatic stunts during a training exercise before the airshow. Suddenly, the pilot pulls the plane up and shoots high into the air, apparently attempting to perform a loop-the-loop, a 360-degree vertical loop. Horror footage captured the moment the plane came crashing down with both pilots inside The plane exploded in a fireball shortly before a military airshow in Bulgaria was due to begin Major Petko Dimitrov (left) was one of two Bulgarian pilots who lost his life in a plane crash on Friday. His co-pilot Senior Lieutenant Vencislav Dunkin (right) also lost his life But he appears to lose power and flips the plane around in a desperate attempt to pull out of the dive as the aircraft hurtles towards the ground. The plane does not pull up and hits the ground hard, exploding instantly in a fiery inferno of black smoke and burning fuel. The person filming lowers their camera, apparently in shock, before lifting it up again to show the large cloud of black smoke rising into the air as the footage ends. Bulgarian Air Force Commander Major General Dimitar Petrov stressed that it was a routine flight for which the pilots 'exemplary pilots with exceptional experience' had been carefully preparing for several months, and the aircraft had recently undergone restoration. He said: 'Major Dimitrov was one of Bulgaria's best and most experienced pilots. Lieutenant Dunkin was a great promise for the future. 'In view of the supreme sacrifice these pilots made in the line of duty, I declare September 15 a day of mourning in the armed forces. 'Flags will be lowered in memory of the fallen.' The Bulgarian Defence Minister, Atanas Zapryanov, cancelled the air show due to the accident. He said that an investigation was underway to establish the circumstances and causes of the incident. Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev also extended his condolences to the families and colleagues of the fallen pilots. Military prosecutors and investigators, as well as employees of the Military Police Service, are also investigating, according to local media reports. The Graf Ignatievo Air Base was set to host significant aviation demonstrations on September 14, commemorating Bulgarias 20th anniversary of joining NATO and the 35th anniversary of the MiG-29 aircrafts service with the Bulgarian Air Force. A mother has paid tribute to her baby son after he was killed alongside his aunt in a horror car crash earlier this year. Zackary Baldes was eight-months-old when he was thrown 160ft from the vehicle in a 140mph collision with a drunk driver in County Durham while he was in the car with his aunty Karlene Warner. Speaking on what would have been Zackary's first birthday the tot's heartbroken mother, Shalorna, expressed how she's found some comfort knowing her sister will be looking after her son. She said: 'Karlene was such a protective big sister and also an amazing mum. One positive is I know that Karlene will be taking good care of Zackary - I've always said that.' Zackary would have turned one last Thursday and his loved ones marked the occasion by hosting a fundraising event at a local school. Shalorna said he was her 'rainbow baby' - a term used for an infant born to a family who have previously lost a pregnancy - and said he had been 'the light at the end of a tunnel of a very dark time'. Zackary Baldes was eight months old when he was killed in a horrific car crash in County Durham earlier this year Police at the scene of the crash on May 31, which took place between Chester-le-Street and Durham A chilling photo of Darryl Anderson's shattered Audi following the terrifying high-speed smash Zackary's aunt, flight attendant Karlene Warner, was also killed in the horror crash Shalorna, was picking up her sister Karlene, 30, from Newcastle Airport in the early hours of May 31 after her sibling had finished one of her first shifts as a TUI air hostess. On the way home south to Durham, Darryl Anderson, 38, crashed into the back of them on the A1(M) while also driving from the airport back to Yorkshire. Zackary, who was in the back seat, was flung from the car and sadly lost his life. Karlene also tragically died at the scene and she left behind her daughter Everly. An investigation later found Mr Anderson was driving at 141mph moments before the crash taking a picture of his speedo meter on WhatsApp, while being almost three times the drink-drive limit. He was jailed for 17 years at Durham Crown Court on July 9. Family and friends gathered at Whitworth Park Academy in Spennymoor on Saturday where food stalls, raffles, and birds of prey were on show. Shalorna Warner and Zackary's father, Jack Blades. Sharlona said Zackary was her 'rainbow baby' and the 'light at the end of a tunnel' The tot would have turned one last Thursday and his loved ones marked the occasion by hosting a fundraising event at a local school, Whitworth Park Academy in Spennymoor Zackary's family and friends gathered together at the school on Saturday where food stalls, raffles, and birds of prey were on show. The family are hoping to raise over 70,000 to build what they have called a 'Together Room' at Darlington Memorial Hospital - allowing families to be together during times of crisis The family are hoping to raise over 70,000 to build what they have called a 'Together Room' at Darlington Memorial Hospital - allowing families to be together during times of crisis and grief. Shalorna said: 'It is really hard. Things like this keep you busy and stop you thinking about things but the reality is that they are both not here. 'Karlene was such a protective big sister and also an amazing mum. One positive is I know that Karlene will be taking good care of Zackary - I've always said that. 'This is why we have called our charity Together - because they are together. That's the one positive thing to take from this.' She added: 'It's hard being here. I love seeing kids and being a mam but I always think that should have been my son.' Explaining where the idea for the room came from, Shalorna's sister Lareesa, 28, spoke of the time they spent at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle where a similar facility was used by her family following the crash. 'But, it never felt real until we came back to the UK. Karlene would always be so excited to see me. But, the reality is that she isn't here. They both aren't here.' 'My bike ride will be a challenge and I know it will be hard, but the real challenge now is going through our lives without Karlene and Zackary every day.' Darryl Anderson, 38, killed Zackary Blades and the infant's aunt, air stewardess Karlene Warner, 30 and was jailed for 17 years at Durham Crown Court on July 9 Anderson, of Clarell Walk, Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, appeared at Durham Crown Court (pictured) via video-link from prison and pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving 'And then there's baby Zack. He was always smiling, and laughing. He could have grown up and been somebody and done something with his life. 'He was always happy and was a mam's boy, stuck to her hip like a little monkey. The last time I saw him that's where he was - sucking on his dummy and smiling. 'Zackary was such a wonderful child.' Alongside their fundraising, the family also set up a petition in hopes of introducing a mandatory lifelong driving ban for deaths caused by dangerous driving. The petition is now close to 76,000 signatures and has been backed by Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen who has promised to do everything possible to support the campaign and raise the issue nationally. Commissioner Allen said in July: 'Drink or drug driving is a selfish and inexcusable act. 'It is vital our justice system sufficiently punishes those who recklessly gamble with people's lives and cause these devastating tragedies to prevent them from harming other innocent people in the future. 'Ms Warner has suffered the most unimaginable grief and loss. I cannot put into words how courageous and inspirational she is to take this pain and apply it positively to secure vital changes that will prevent others from enduring the same heartache. 'I will be fully supporting her efforts to highlight this issue at the highest level of government. Drug and drink driving are crimes against us all and together we must stand strong and act to avoid further unnecessary deaths.' Four children were killed in a blaze after their mother locked them alone in a rubbish strewn home while she went shopping at Sainsburys, a court heard today. Two sets of twins, Kyson and Bryson Hoath, aged four, and their siblings, Leyton and Logan Hoath, aged three, died after their mother Deveca Rose, 29, went out shopping leaving either a discarded cigarette or an upturned tea light in their living room, which was 20cm deep in rubbish, it was said. Neighbours heard the children screaming for help and kicked down the door, but they were unable to save the twins who were overcome by smoke. The Old Bailey heard today how the mother-of-four neglected her children, who lived in appalling conditions with human excrement all over the floor and rats attracted by mounds of rubbish. Kyson and Bryson Hoath, aged four, died alongside their brothers, Leyton and Logan Hoath at their home in Sutton, south London, in December 2021 The two sets of twins died after their mother Deveca Rose, 29, went out shopping leaving either a discarded cigarette or an upturned tea light in their living room, which was 20cm deep in rubbish The Old Bailey heard Deveca Rose, pictured, had left the four children alone in the house as she went shopping The single mother is accused of killing her four sons and committing child cruelty before the tragedy in Sutton, south London, which happened days before Christmas in 2021. Just months before the blaze social services attempted to intervene as they were worried about Roses mental health after finding her cluttered home and front garden full of bags of waste, the court heard. Rose allegedly refused to let a social worker see her sons, saying she had disassociated, explaining that she faints or sleeps and isnt able to focus on anything. Despite mounting concerns, the case was later dropped due to lack of availability/engagement after the social worker was unable to see the family during six unsuccessful home visits, the jury heard. Teachers had also attempted unsuccessfully to contact her after the children failed to attend school three weeks before the fire, but it was assumed that Rose must be self-isolating during the Covid pandemic. On December 16 at 6.30pm, Rose allegedly left her four children home alone to go to Sainsburys for non-essential items, explaining later that she had to go because I was f****** going crazy because they (the boys) were pulling open rubbish bags. Rose, pictured outside the Old Bailey, denies the manslaughter of her four sons who died in a fire at the family home in Sutton, south London in December 2021. She also denies child neglect Firefighters carried the four boys from the burning building but they were all declared dead a short time later Prosecutor Kate Lumsdon, KC, said: 'While she was away, neighbours realised the house was on fire. The children could be heard inside. The door was shut. 'A neighbour kicked in the door but the fire had taken hold to the extent that it was impossible to enter. 'The fire brigade were called. Many units attended. 'They found the four boys under a bed in the upstairs front room. 'Firemen noted that there was rubbish all over the floor of the house and human excrement. There was a mattress and a door lying on the stairs. 'Lifesaving attempts were made on the pavement outside, but there was nothing that could be done. When Rose returned home to find the road full of fire engines, she is said to have sought refuge in a neighbours home telling them that she had left the children with a babysitter. But the mystery babysitter has never been traced and may not exist, Ms Lumsdon said. She told jurors: Ms Rose has lost all four of her children due to her own fault. Her grief must be immense. She will blame herself. It may be said that she has suffered enough. However, it is not only Ms Rose who must be considered in these circumstances. We must consider her children, who were bright and full of life, and their lives have been needlessly taken away. Today the defendant sobbed and made loud moaning noises in the dock as the case started. Jurors were told that Rose was wearing sunglasses and headphones due to an eye condition after the judge granted her permission to observe the trial from a side room with lower lighting. Rose denies four counts of manslaughter and one of child cruelty. The trial continues Advertisement Hundreds of migrants scaled barbed wire fences in a desperate attempt to storm into a Spanish enclave in Morocco before being pushed back by riot cops. The swarm of people, including Moroccans and minors, were seen throwing rocks at security forces as they tried to break into Spain's African enclave of Ceuta, near Fnideq in northern Morocco, on Sunday. Local media reported another mass crossing attempt was also made earlier on Sunday, but was similarly intercepted by Moroccan police. Sunday was a day of high tension in the area after hundreds of people gathered at the border following reported calls on social media for a collective breach attempt. The young migrants were mostly Moroccans, but some were from other areas of Africa, the Spanish news agency EFE reported at the time. Migrants storm a barbed-wire fence as they attempt to cross the land border with Spain's African enclave of Ceuta near Fnideq in northern Morocco yesterday The migrants were stopped by Moroccan riot police and sent back home Hundreds of people gathered at the border following reported calls on social media for a collective breach attempt The Moroccan interior ministry said that in August, authorities blocked more than 11,300 attempts to cross into Ceuta and 3,300 to Melilla Many tried to scale fences separating Morocco from the Spanish exclave on Sunday Hundreds of migrants pressed in a desperate effort to break through Spain's land border into Ceuta, northern Morocco Members of Morocco's Auxiliary Forces deploy to prevent illegal crossings of the land border fence on Sunday 'The security authorities deported 2,400 people who were likely to try to migrate illegally ''within three days'',' reported Hespress on Sunday, citing an unnamed official source. 'They were arrested while heading towards Fnideq in preparation for emigrating to Ceuta.' Since Friday, Moroccan security forces have been deployed heavily in Fnideq. 'This is the heaviest security deployment ever in Fnideq with authorities acting pre-emptively by setting up multiple checkpoints on roads to northern Morocco,' Mohammed Ben Aissa, a local human rights activist said. A police source told the AFP that 60 people had been arrested between Monday and Wednesday for 'fabricating and disseminating false information on social media' to encourage a collective illegal border crossing. September 15, or, 'The Promised Day' saw widespread social media calls for mass migration from Morocco to Ceuta. The viral messages, spread primarily through platforms like TikTok and Instagram, urged Moroccan youths to gather in the border town of Fnideq and then attempt to illegally cross en masse into Ceuta via the El Tarajal border. According to Morocco World News, the posts encouraged followers to swim or walk across the border into Ceuta on Sunday, using emojis including Moroccan and Spanish flags. These 'publicly announced invitations' triggered questions of how such secretive operations would be advertised so openly, inducing thousands of Moroccan youths to flock to Fnideq in preparation for what was locally dubbed the 'Great Escape'. In response to the 'Great Escape' planned by Moroccan youths, Spain has been forced to mobilise additional military reinforcements to the coast of Ceuta. And across the border, members of the Spanish Civil Guard and National Police have increased their deployment along the border strip, using helicopters to monitor the border fence. The Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla are the only land borders between Africa and the European Union and both have witnessed mass influxes of migrants attempting to try to cross the border to reach the EU. Members of Morocco's Auxiliary Forces arrest a man after they were deployed to prevent illegal crossings of the land border fence with Spain's African enclave of Ceuta Moroccan police pushed back hundreds of people on August 16 who headed towards the Spanish exclave of Ceuta September 15, or, 'The Promised Day' saw widespread social media calls for mass migration from Morocco to Ceuta The movement was locally dubbed 'The Great Escape' Since Friday, Moroccan security forces have been deployed heavily in Fnideq People attempt to break through a barbed wire fence as authorities rally to prevent crossings on Sunday Nobody attempting the crossing successfully made it into Spain, the Spanish Interior Ministry confirmed Monday Migrants make their way up towards the land border from northern Morocco on Sunday Local reports stated that hundreds of young Moroccans had managed to get as far as Fnideq, the town nearest to Ceuta, before police apprehended them in the night and sent them back to their homes. The Moroccan interior ministry said that in August, authorities blocked more than 11,300 attempts to cross into Ceuta and 3,300 to Melilla. But the most popular route from Morocco for migrants hoping to reach Spain is by sea. More than 22,300 migrant arrivals were registered this year by August 15 in the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, marking a 126-percent increase from 2023. Some attempted to breach a border fence that has long been a flashpoint for sporadic migration tensions, but none successfully made it into Spain, the Spanish Interior Ministry confirmed Monday. It said Spanish and Moroccan security efforts over recent days 'allowed the situation to be brought under control.' Morocco and Spain have worked to strengthen cooperation on addressing illegal migration since repairing a diplomatic rift in 2022 over Rabat's plans for autonomy for Western Sahara. Morocco's interior ministry says that in the first eight months this year, authorities stopped more than 45,000 people from illegally entering European territory. Last month, hundreds of migrants used thick mist as cover to swim to Ceuta, Spanish police said. In June 2022, human rights organisations in Spain and Morocco called on both countries to investigate after 23 migrants were killed when around 2,000 people tried to breach the border. Tighter surveillance of Morocco's northern borders has now prompted an increasing number of migrants to try the riskier and longer Atlantic route to the Canary Islands. Sir Keir Starmer's wife Victoria today attended London Fashion Week as the couple faced a growing row over lavish donations from a Labour peer. Lady Starmer was spotted in a polka dot Edeline Lee dress while her husband dodged questions over why they accepted free clothing worth thousands of pounds from Lord Waheed Alli. In a scandal dubbed 'wardrobegate', the PM is alleged to have broken rules by failing to declare donations of clothing for his wife within a designated time limit. The Tories have demanded a probe by Parliament's watchdog into the Labour leader's registration of gifts. The row is embarrassing for Sir Keir, who was once dubbed 'Mr Rules', following his fierce criticism of Tory 'sleaze' under the last government. It has also led to questions over why the PM, who had a stellar legal career before entering politics, seemingly could not pay for clothes despite earning 166,000 a year as premier. Lady Starmer attended today's Edeline Lee show at Millbank Tower during London Fashion Week. She previously wore one of the designer's dresses, worth 1,200, at Labour's conference in October last year. Sir Keir Starmer 's wife Victoria today attended London Fashion Week as the couple faced a growing row over lavish donations from a Labour peer Lady Starmer was spotted in a polka dot Edeline Lee dress while her husband dodged questions over why they accepted free clothing worth thousands of pounds from Lord Alli She previously wore one of the designer's dresses, worth 1,200, at Labour's conference in October last year Speaking to broadcasters on a visit to meet Italian PM Giorgia Meloni in Rome today, Sir Keir ignored a question on whether he should be paying for his own clothes The PM is visiting the Italian capital for talks on tackling illegal migration with Ms Meloni It emerged this weekend that Lord Alli paid for high-end clothes, a personal shopper and garment alterations for Lady Starmer. But the gifts were not initially declared by Sir Keir in the register of MPs' interests. The Sunday Times reported the PM approached parliamentary officials last week to make a late declaration after being given updated advice on what needed to be registered. It comes less than a month after Lord Alli, who bought suits and spectacles worth 18,865 for Sir Keir, faced questions over being granted a rare No10 security pass in a 'passes for glasses' row. Speaking to broadcasters on a visit to Rome today, the PM dodged a question on whether he should be paying for his own clothes. He said: 'Let me shed a bit of light on this. It's very important to me that the rules are followed. 'I've always said that. I said that before the election, I've reinforced it after the election. 'And that's why, shortly after the election, my team reached out for advice on what declaration should be made so it's in accordance with the rules. 'They then sought out for further advice more recently, as a result of which they made the relevant declarations. 'But for me it's really important that the rules are followed. 'That's why I was very pleased my team reached out proactively, not once but twice, because it is very important that we have transparency, very important that you and others can see the rules are being followed.' Speaking later at a press conference alongside Ms Meloni, Sir Keir declined to say if he would stop receiving gifts from Lord Alli but said 'the rules really matter'. 'It was because I insist on the rules that my team reached out to make sure we were declaring in the right way under the rules and then reached out again to the appropriate authorities - basically asking for advice about what's the appropriate way to deal with this in accordance with the rules,' he added. Sir Keir was yesterday pictured celebrating Arsenal's victory over Tottenham alongside Foreign Secretary David Lammy. And, on Saturday, Sir Keir enjoyed a day at Doncaster racecourse with Lady Starmer just hours after returning to the UK following talks in Washington DC with US President Joe Biden It emerged this weekend that Lord Alli paid for high-end clothes, a personal shopper and garment alterations for Lady Starmer Sir Keir is visiting Rome for talks on tackling illegal migration with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni. He was yesterday pictured celebrating Arsenal's victory over Tottenham alongside Foreign Secretary David Lammy. And, on Saturday, Sir Keir enjoyed a day at Doncaster racecourse with Lady Starmer just hours after returning to the UK following talks in Washington DC with US President Joe Biden. The PM enjoyed 76,000 worth of free tickets and clothes - including many Arsenal matches - during the last parliament, which was more than almost any other MP. The Conservatives have written to, Daniel Greenberg, the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner to call for an investigation into Sir Keir's failure to declare donations from Lord Alli. It said: 'In August it was then reported that Lord Alli had been given a temporary Downing Street security pass despite having no formal government role. 'It was reported that he had played an active role in selecting Cabinet (and other) appointments. 'It has now emerged that at the same time Sir Keir Starmer failed to declare a substantial gift of designer clothes, tailoring and a personal shopper bought for his wife by Lord Alli, both prior to the general election on July 4 2024 and following it. 'There must be a full investigation into this scandal given this is not the first instance of the PM failing to declare donations and abiding by parliamentary rules.' Sir Keir is facing the row over political donations at the same time as he is suffering a backlash at his and Chancellor Rachel Reeves' decision to strip millions of pensioners of their winter fuel payments. Mr Lammy yesterday suggested Sir Keir and Lady Starmer accepted donations of clothing so they could 'look their best' to represent Britain. The Foreign Secretary also pointed to how US presidents and first ladies have an expenses allowance 'so that they look their best on behalf of the US people'. Andrew Griffith, the Conservatives' shadow science secretary, said: 'It beggars belief that the PM thinks it's acceptable that pensioners on 13,000 a year can afford to heat their home when he earns 12 times that but apparently can't afford to clothe himself or his wife. 'While his top team want a taxpayer-funded clothes budget to look sharp, people across the country are forced to make tough choices in the face of Labour's damaging decisions. 'Labour promised change but in ten short weeks all they've delivered is a change of clothes for themselves. Labour have made the political choice to put themselves and their Union paymasters before the most vulnerable.' A portrait of Winston Churchill, regarded as the 'most famous photo' ever taken of the legendary British prime minister, was stolen from a posh hotel in Canada by a thief who swapped it with a fake. The heist was executed at the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa during the height of the pandemic, and it went undetected for years until a worker noticed that the portrait was askew. Esteemed Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh took the photo in 1941 after Churchill delivered a rousing wartime speech to the Canadian House of Commons. By switching the original picture, known as The Roaring Lion, with a copy, the crime was able to go unnoticed. A portrait of Winston Churchill, regarded as the 'most famous photo' ever taken of him, was stolen from a posh hotel in Canada by a thief who swapped it with a fake The fake portrait also bore Churchill's forged autograph, which further disguised its inauthenticity. When the hotel realized that the photograph might be a fraud, they alerted Jerry Fielder, Karsh's longtime assistant who helped frame and install the portrait over two decades ago. Believing the picture to be 'very secure' at the hotel, Fielder was shocked when he heard the news. 'I never dreamed that anybody would be able to do this,' he told the Toronto Star. When Fielder looked at the fake Roaring Lion, he immediately recognized that it was a fraud. A few moments after examining the forged autograph, Fielder declared that the photograph hanging on the hotel's wall wasn't the original. Esteemed Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh took the picture in 1941 after Churchill delivered a rousing wartime speech to the Canadian House of Commons He further noted that the quality of the fake portrait, which was little more than a photocopy, was 'awful.' Fielder explained that a theft of this magnitude was able to be perpetrated because the hotel is not a museum. For this simple reason, he said, the staff wouldn't have been instructed in how to distinguish the real portrait from a fake. Last week, Ottawa police said that they had tracked the stolen picture to Genoa, Italy, where it was lawfully purchased by an art collector. At this time, the authorities are in the process of returning The Roaring Lion to Canada. Although investigators originally speculated that the heist bore the mark of a team of professionals, they have since charged one man, Jeffrey Wood, in connection with the crime. At this time, the authorities are in the process of returning the portrait to Canada Wood, 43, now faces six charges related to forgery, theft, and possession of stolen property, according to the Toronto Star. Art experts said that it is incredibly rare for police to recover a piece once it's stolen. 'There are all kinds of really important historical paintings by famous artists that have disappeared. And they're never to be seen,' art historian Jon S. Dellandrea told the Toronto Star. Art appraiser Kathryn Minard called it 'quite exceptional' for such a famous work to be stolen, recovered and returned. 'I don't really recall another case that has all of these aspects of both the significance of the object that's been stolen and the fact they were able to retrieve it,' Minard told the Toronto Star. The stolen photograph is not the only original print of The Roaring Lion, but Fielder explained that a signed picture of this size and exquisite condition is very rare. The portrait is celebrated for its complex composition and chiaroscuro lighting. When Karsh took the photo, it solidified his status as one of the world's foremost photographers. When Karsh took the picture, it solidified his status as one of the world's foremost photographers But The Roaring Lion is arguably more famous for its depiction of Churchill, who is scowling at the camera. Right before he took the picture, Karsh snatched a cigar out of the prime minister's mouth, saying that the smoke would interfere with the image. Karsh said this is what prompted the pugnacious expression on Churchill's face. Taken at a crucial point during the war, the photograph is also significant for the historical context in which it was captured. In this light, Churchill's scowl comes to represent national strength, defiance, and resolution. 'Everything that is being communicated in Churchill's face, at such a critical time in our history... even if we don't recognize it, many of us respond to that,' Minard said. A mother-of-two died from sepsis three days after undergoing a hysterectomy where surgeons used equipment 'not approved' by the NHS. Jessica Bonner, 51, caught the bug following delays by bungling medics in diagnosing a perforated bowel, an inquest has heard. She had been admitted to Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, for treatment for pelvic pain and fibroids in October last year. Ms Bonner underwent a hysterectomy and oophorectomy, removal of her womb and ovaries, but developed a fever and her heart rate increased the following day. A CT scan performed the day after revealed a suspected perforated bowel which required emergency surgery. Jessica Bonner, 51, with her family before dying from sepsis three days after undergoing a hysterectomy where surgeons used equipment 'not approved' by the NHS Ms Bonner caught the flesh-eating bug following delays by bungling medics in diagnosing a perforated bowel A post mortem examination found Ms Bonner (pictured) died from sepsis as a result of a bowel perforation sustained during her hysterectomy However her condition continued to deteriorate and she died on October 8. A post mortem examination found Ms Bonner died from sepsis as a result of a bowel perforation sustained during her hysterectomy. An inquest at Birmingham & Solihull Coroner's Court ruled she would 'likely have survived' if Ms Bonner's symptoms had been acted upon sooner. Her family instructed medical negligence lawyers to investigate her standard of care under University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. The trust has now admitted there were 'missed opportunities' to identify the source of the sepsis. A Patient Safety Incident Investigation Report also stated a piece of surgical equipment used during the hysterectomy was 'not approved' as part of the Trust's policies, and the communication between staff 'was limited'. Ms Bonner's partner Jason Large, and her sons, Corey Wilson and Shakil Stevens, from Edgbaston, Birmingham, are now calling on lessons to be learned from the tragedy. Corey said: 'It's almost impossible to find the words to describe the hurt we feel over mum's death. 'When she went into hospital for surgery, we never thought she wouldn't return home. Seeing her in those final days was terrible and we were so powerless to help. 'Trying to grieve for mum while having so many unanswered questions has been incredibly difficult. 'The inquest and listening to the evidence as to why she died has been traumatic but it was something we were determined to do to at least honour her memory. 'I don't think we'll ever got over losing mum in the way we did. 'To hear the issues she faced in hospital has just added to that upset, particularly finding out that it's likely she would have survived if her injury had been found sooner. 'We'd do anything to have Jessica back in our lives but we know that's not possible. Ms Bonner's partner Jason Large, and her sons, Corey Wilson and Shakil Stevens, from Edgbaston, Birmingham, are now calling on lessons to be learned from the tragedy Since Ms Bonner's death, a number of recommendations have been made in the NHS Trust's Patient Safety Incident Investigation Report 'We just hope that by speaking out we can help improve patient care for others. We wouldn't wish what our family are going through on anyone.' The inquest heard after her initial surgery, Ms Bonner's observations recorded a high temperature and elevated heart rate, both indicators of infection. However, it wasn't escalated to the ward consultant or surgeon and at 10am Ms Bonner began complaining of severe abdominal pain. Again, this wasn't acted upon and Ms Bonner wasn't physically examined until after 5.30pm, by which time her abdomen was swollen, indicating a perforation. An urgent CT scan was ordered, but due to deterioration of her condition, Ms Bonner wasn't fit enough be transferred. Ms Bonner was subsequently transferred to the intensive care unit. She suffered two cardiac arrests and multi organ failure and was pronounced dead. Since Ms Bonner's death, a number of recommendations were made in the NHS Trust's Patient Safety Incident Investigation Report. These include a review of the Good Hope Hospital theatres procedures to identify equipment that needs replacing, as well as an audit to ensure all abnormal observations proceed to a higher frequency, such as hourly observations. Joe Matchett, the specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Ms Bonner's family, said: 'This is a truly tragic case which has left Jessica's family heartbroken. 'Understandably, they've had a number of concerns about the care Jessica received and the events that unfolded in the lead up to her death. 'Through our work, we often see the devastating consequences that families can be left to face because of conditions such as a perforated bowel and sepsis. 'Sadly, the inquest heard worrying evidence not only regarding the care Jessica received but also regarding communication between medical staff and the use of unapproved surgical equipment. 'While nothing can make up for Jessica's death, we're pleased that we've at least been able to provide her family with the answers they deserve. 'Jessica's death is a stark reminder of the dangers of sepsis and how early detection and treatment are key to recovery. 'It's now vital that lessons are learned from the issues identified by the Hospital Trust in its own internal investigation and the inquest to improve patient safety.' A spokesperson for University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust said: 'We extend our deepest sympathies and a heartfelt apology to the family of Jessica Bonner. 'Jessica should have received a much greater level of care from our Trust. 'We are committed to learning, and we will continue to work to improve the care and safety of our services, so that no other family endures the pain that Jessica's loved ones now face.' A teacher who was secretly filmed hitting a three-year-old girl has been taken into police custody after a second parent brought forward a complaint. The unidentified female teacher drew outrage after she was seen in harrowing footage standing over a screaming infant before hitting her in the back and causing her to fall to the ground on the first day of term in a Paris nursery. It was alleged that she had sprayed a liquid into the child's face, leaving her 'extremely traumatised', said lawyer Vanessa Edberg who is acting on behalf of the parents. French police said today the teacher was summoned and placed in custody after another parent spoke out, claiming she had also slapped her infant son 'hard' in 2012 in a complaint filed on Friday. The alleged assault happened last Tuesday, on the first day of the academic year at the Freres-Voisins school in Paris It is also alleged that the teacher grabbed a small bottle and 'sprayed an unidentified product on her face' Djankinba Bangoura told BFMTV her son, now 16, was slapped by the same teacher in 2012 The teacher was shown in video filmed last Tuesday attacking a young schoolgirl as she cried in the classroom. The footage sparked national outcry, and the teacher was promptly suspended for four months and 'replaced'. Djankinba Bangoura, a mother of three boys who attend the same school, brought a second complaint against the teacher after the video went viral. She appeared on French news channel BFMTV and recalled how her son, now 16, received a 'big slap' from the teacher when he started nursery school in 2012. He would have been around the age of four at the time. 'When he started nursery school, he was happy because he was very alert,' she said. 'But after six months, after the school holidays, I asked him if he was happy to go back to school. 'He told me "yes to meet up with friends, but not the teacher".' She said her son showed her how he had been 'slapped hard' by his teacher. Ms Bangoura said she went to confront the teacher and spoke to the headmistress, but said the school stood behind the teacher at the time, she said on BFMTV. She said the child 'may have seen it in a book' and was 'making it up'. Ms Bangoura claimed she had reported the incident to the rectorate, and that an investigation was set up. The teacher was claimed to be 'very surprised' and 'denied' the allegations at the time. Her lawyer now notes there was 'no criminal complaint' and the report 'did not lead to anything'. 'There was no internal administrative investigation' either, he acknowledged. Ms Bangoura said it 'resonated' with her when the same teacher was filmed attacking a three-year-old girl in her class at the start of September. 'It was my eldest son, the one who was hit, who showed me the video that evening,' she said, adding that he still thinks about the time he was allegedly attacked. The teacher was seen assaulting a three-year-old girl on the first day of the academic year at the Freres-Voisins school in Paris' 15th arrondissement. Ms Edberg, who posted the film on X, said on Tuesday: 'It wasn't a spanking. She hit her on the back. What happened is extremely serious.' She said the incident was secretely recorded by another child's mother, who was in the classroom for the whole of the day. The girl's father told Le Parisien: 'My daughter had been hit before, that's why she was having a crisis and the mother who was there decided to film discreetly.' After receiving the blow, the little girl was sent to the corner and continued to scream 'Mummy!'. After the alleged spraying of liquid, the teacher can be heard saying: 'There, does that feel good there?' An unidentified female teacher can be seen standing over the screaming and crying infant before hitting her on the back, and causing her to fall to the floor The school (pictured) is in Paris's 15th arrondissement The teacher also tells the girl: 'You'll see, your dad will come back when I tell him.' The parents did not know about the video to begin with, but the woman who shot it handed it over after two days. We went straight to file a complaint,' said the father, who said his son had also been 'pushed by this teacher' when he was at the school two years ago. The accused teacher says she 'deeply regrets' her actions, according to BFMTV. She is expected to soon be interviewed about her conduct. This video is no longer available This video is no longer available When five-year-old Cathy Kassis fell sick last winter, her parents Jazz and Justin initially thought it was just a cold and a runny nose. When their little girl's condition deteriorated, they thought it was croup, which she'd had before, and took their normally bubbly daughter to their GP. She was prescribed prednisone for croup, but she still didn't improve and another trip to the doctor also changed nothing. Then one night, Cathy was struggling to breathe and her parents rushed her to the Bathurst Base Hospital's emergency department near their NSW Central Tablelands home. Harrowing footage filmed by her mum to show the doctors captured the distressed little girl gasping for every breath. Two days later, Cathy suffered a cardiac arrest at home and was airlifted to Sydney, where she was declared brain dead the next day. One year on, her parents regret asking the one burning question that could have saved Cathy's life - does she have sepsis? 'They took her in to be examined, but the doctor had to leave halfway through the examination to go do a (resuscitation) and she put us back out in the waiting room and said that they'd bring us back in,' Ms Kassis told A Current Affair. When five-year-old Cathy Kassis (pictured) got sick in the winter of 2023, her parents at first thought it was just a cold and a runny noses. The next two weeks would shatter the family 'And then about an hour went by and they came back out and said that they had spoken to the paediatrician and that they said just to keep up the Panadol, Nurofen and what we were doing. 'So the paediatrician themselves never actually had a look at her, at what was happening.' Cathy's parents took their very sick child home, unaware she had undiagnosed sepsis, caused by strep A. Sepsis, which is often called blood poisoning, happens when the body's response to an infection damages vital organs. It can be lethal, and in Cathy's case, it was. Two days later, the five-year-old had a heart attack arrest at home and her dad performed CPR as they waited for an ambulance. Cathy's three siblings saw the medical emergency unfold in front of them in the living room. She was flown to The Children's Hospital at Westmead 180km away - where urgent tests were conducted. But the diagnosis and treatment she was finally getting were too late and Cathy was declared brain dead the next day. More than a year on from the heartbreaking loss, her grieving parents are still searching for answers. They are calling for changes in the system to ensure sick children who present with symptoms are automatically tested for sepsis. Jazz Kassis (pictured) said 'the paediatrician themselves never actually had a look at her, at what was happening' The couple's plea to parents is to ask doctors a simple, but potentially life-saving question - is it sepsis? 'As a parent, you know your child better than anyone, so you know when something's not right,' Ms Kassis said. Her husband added: 'They didn't test for anything, for strep A or any bacterial infection, or anything like that. 'I think they need to be looked at and studied closer, because I certainly do think (testing for sepsis) was warranted. You're not meant to outlive your children.' In the depths of their grief, the Kassis' agreed for Cathy's liver and both her kidneys to be donated to save the lives of three other children. They don't know who receive Cathy's organs, but have given permission for the families to contact them if they wish. 'I'd love to meet them, because they've got a piece of her inside them,' Ms Kassis said. She said the decision to donate Cathy's organs 'was hard, but it was an instant yes. 'Our worst day made someone else's day the best day of their lives ... getting that phone call that their child was going to live.' In a statement issued to Daily Mail Australia, Western NSW Local Health District, which includes Bathurst Base Hospital said it extended 'our sincere and deepest condolences to the loved ones of Cathy Kassis and recognise the profound impact her death has had on her family and the community'. It said the hospital had given Cathy's family 'support and information, including the findings of a serious adverse event review. Jazz Kassis (left) is pictured with her daughters Cathy (centre) and Isabella (right) Cathy died three day after she was rushed to Bathurst Base Hospital (pictured) 'We review all cases where there has been an unexpected outcome to identify any opportunities to improve patient care and safety,' the statement read. 'Cathy Kassis' death was reported to the coroner.' The health district's statement also said the Clinical Excellence Commission revised the Sepsis Pathways this year. 'These have been promoted across (the Western NSW Local Health District) to support clinicians to identify sepsis risk factors, signs and symptoms, escalate to a senior clinician and commence treatment rapidly.' Keir Starmer larked around with Giorgia Meloni today and hailed her drive to stop migrants crossings despite a backlash from his own MPs. The PMs giggled together as they posed for the cameras in Rome, where they have been discussing issues including how to secure borders and the Ukraine crisis. Ms Meloni seemed in high spirits as she ushered Sir Keir around Villa Doria Pamphili - at one point dancing across him to ensure they were in the correct positions. At a joint press conference later, Sir Keir said 'irregular' immigration was a 'problem across Europe', and particularly for the UK and Italy. Despite summarily scrapping the previous government's Rwanda plan, he said he was 'pragmatic' and wanted to look at Italy's plan to 'offshore' some asylum processing to Albania. The government is also considering paying countries such as Vietnam to help stem the flow of migrants to Europe. Dismissing complaints from left-wingers about the morality of the proposals and his warmness towards a 'neo-fascist' administration, Sir Keir said: 'We are pragmatists, first and foremost. When we see a challenge, we discuss with our friends and allies the different approaches that are being taken, look at what works, and that's the approach that we've taken today. And it's been a very productive day.' Asked about human rights concerns, Ms Meloni - who has always distanced herself from fascism - said: 'I don't know what human rights violations you're referring to, to be totally frank. 'This accusation, I think it's completely groundless.' She added that migrants sent to Albania would be dealt with under Italian jurisdiction. However, the tensions within Labour were highlighted when former frontbencher Diane Abbott condemned him for meeting a 'literal fascist'. 'What does he hope to learn from her?' she said. The PMs giggled together as they posed for the cameras in Rome, where they have been discussing issues including how to secure borders and the Ukraine crisis Ms Meloni and Sir Keir shared a series of jokes together as they met in Rome today Ms Meloni is known for her high-spirited patter with other premiers Ms Meloni seemed in high spirits as she ushered Sir Keir around Villa Doria Pamphili - at one point dancing across him to ensure they were in the correct positions The leaders held a joint press conference after their talks this afternoon Sir Keir said he was 'pragmatic' about using approaches pioneered by other countries It comes as French authorities rescued some 200 people off the coast of Calais over a 24-hour period between Friday and Saturday night. (File image of migrants being brought to Dover as they attempted to reach the UK earlier this month) Sir Keir has been joined on the trip by former police chief Martin Hewitt, who was appointed last night as the UK's new 'Border Security Commander'. Italy has cut the numbers arriving across the Mediterranean from 118,000 to 44,500 in the last year - a fall of 62 per cent. Sir Keir told reporters before the meeting: 'Here there's been some quite dramatic reductions. So I want to understand how that came about. 'It looks as though that's down to the upstream work that's been done in some of the countries where people are coming from.' He added: 'I've long believed, by the way, that prevention and stopping people traveling in the first place is one of the best ways to deal with this particular issue. 'So I am very interested to know how that upstream work went, looking, of course, at other schemes, looking forward to my bilateral with the prime minister this afternoon, but we've already got a shared intent to work together on this trade, this vile trade, of pushing people across borders.' The two leaders were due to discuss a radical new scheme which will see thousands of illegal migrants arriving in Italy sent to Albania to have their asylum claims processed. The issue has been given even more urgency by the deaths of eight migrants who were trying to cross the Channel over the weekend. But the premier is already facing criticism from his own ranks, with left wingers insisting it is 'disturbing that Starmer is seeking to learn lessons from a neo-fascist government'. Ms Meloni believes the much-delayed plan will act as a deterrent to those seeking a new life in Europe. However, unlike the UK's former Rwanda scheme, those found to have valid asylum claims will ultimately have the right to settle in Italy. Labour MP Kim Johnson told the Guardian: 'Meloni's approach to Albanian migration has been described as a 'model of mismanagement and a blueprint for abuse' by Human Rights Watch. 'It is disturbing that Starmer is seeking to learn lessons from a neo-fascist government particularly after the anti-refugee riots and far-right racist terrorism that swept Britain this summer. Keir Starmer meeting business leaders in Rome this morning. He is holding talks with Giorgia Meloni later, with discussions set to include her tough approach to tackling small boats crossing the Mediterranean Sir Keir at the breakfast meeting with business leaders this morning Sir Keir has been joined by former police chief Martin Hewitt, who was appointed last night as the UK's new 'Border Security Commander' 'Have we learned nothing from the Tories' failures? Higher security and draconian deportation measures fail to dissuade desperate people from seeking asylum, and risk significant human rights violations. 'Instead, we should be focusing our efforts on the serious failures in our current asylum system reduce the backlog of claims, end no recourse to public funds and restrictions on work, and strive to implement a just and humane system for asylum seekers and migrants.' But Home SecretaryYvette Cooper told BBC Breakfast: 'We've always had a history of working with governments that have different political parties that are not aligned. 'That is a sensible thing for any government to do. We have to work with democratically elected governments, particularly those who are our nearest neighbours, and particularly those where we have shared challenges that we have to face.' On potential violations of migrants' human rights in Italy, Ms Cooper said: 'I don't think it's immoral to go after the criminal gangs. Quite the opposite. I think it's actually a moral imperative to make sure that we are pursuing the criminal gangs who are putting lives at risk.' She added: 'So the approach we've always taken is to say: you have to meet proper standards, you have to make sure that humanitarian standards are met, and we will continue to do that. 'But we also have to make sure we're working to prevent crimes which undermine all humanity when you've got those sorts of crimes being committed, when you see the sorts of trafficking operations that can take place. 'So I think this is about what we do to protect those who are vulnerable, to get border security back in place and to make sure that rules are properly respected and enforced.' Sir Keir scrapped the Rwanda scheme in his first week in office, describing it as an expensive gimmick'. But speaking at the weekend, he voiced interest in the Italian approach, known as offshore processing. Asked about the Albanian scheme, he told reporters: 'Let's see. It's in early days, I'm interested in how that works, I think everybody else is.' The PM will also discuss Italy's deals with Tunisia and Libya which are credited with helping to slash the number of people arriving from the North African coast. Tunisia was paid almost 100 million to beef up border security and improve coastguard operations. Italy also supplied patrol vessels to help pick up migrants in Tunisian waters. In a separate deal aimed at boosting diplomatic relations, Italy paid Tunisia 85 million to fund local education and economic schemes. A No 10 spokesman said: 'The PM wants to discuss Meloni's success in tackling illegal migration. Different countries will have different approaches and they will be discussing her country's approach to tackling migration.' Ministers are examining whether similar diplomatic and financial deals could be struck with countries like Vietnam, Turkey and Iraq, whose citizens comprise thousands of the migrants arriving in the UK each year. Ms Meloni had close relations with Rishi Sunak and has been branded 'far Right' by some in Labour. Sir Keir acknowledged the Italian PM has 'strong opinions' on immigration, but said he was interested in working more closely with her on the issue. The PM and Mr Hewitt will also visit a coastguard coordination centre in Italy today to learn operational lessons from a country on the front line of the EU's migrant crisis. Mr Hewitt is a former chairman of the National Police Chiefs Council and is best known for leading the police response to the Covid pandemic. Georgia Meloni with Albania's prime minister Edi Rama. A radical new scheme which will see thousands of illegal migrants arriving in Italy sent to Albania to have their asylum applications processed The new role, which is expected to command a salary of around 200,000, has been seen by some as a poisoned chalice. Former counter-terror chief Neil Basu turned down the role in the summer after being approached by Labour. Mr Hewitt last night said he was 'under no illusions of the challenges that lie ahead, but I am determined to face them head-on'. As head of the new agency he will play a co-ordinating role in the effort to smash the people smuggling gangs, working with MI5 and MI6 along with the National Crime Agency, Border Force, local police and prosecutors. Sir Keir said the appointment was a signal there would be 'no more gimmicks'. He added: 'Martin Hewitt's unique expertise will lead a new era of international enforcement to dismantle these networks, protect our shores and bring order to the asylum system.' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the new government's approach was already producing results, with closer cooperation across Europe resulting in 70 operations to tackle people smuggling gangs. She added: 'With the Border Security Command we can go much further - building new law enforcement partnerships across Europe and getting new powers into place, to go after the gangs, tackle dangerous boat crossings and save lives.' Huw Edwards has 'betrayed not just the BBC , but audiences who put their trust in him', the corporation said this afternoon following his sentencing hearing. The disgraced former BBC presenter was spared jail at Westminster Magistrates' Court after admitting accessing indecent images of children as young as seven. Edwards was handed six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years. The 63-year-old previously admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp. The full statement from the BBC today said: 'We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.' During his four decades at the BBC, Edwards was one of the most recognisable faces on TV before his glittering career came to a shocking end. Former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court this morning He was the BBC's highest-paid newsreader and presented the News At Ten for decades before he pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children in late July. Edwards was regarded as the best-known face of BBC News and was seen as a safe pair of hands to guide the country through major events including the late Queen's death, which he announced to the nation in September 2022. He had earned a reputation as a respected veteran broadcaster before he resigned from the corporation in April following a furore amid allegations, separate to the charges he later faced, about making payments to a young person for sexually explicit photos. The newsreader was front and centre in live broadcasts of election coverage, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and Platinum Jubilee in 2022, the wedding of the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018, and the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh in 2021. Mugshot of Huw Edwards who was given six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years Edwards was also the BBC's voice at Trooping the Colour and the Festival of Remembrance. When the BBC was looking for someone to take over election coverage from the long-serving David Dimbleby in 2019, it was Edwards who was chosen. Edwards was also the corporation's highest-paid newsreader, with a pay bracket of 475,000 to 479,999 for the year 2023/24, before he resigned, according to the BBC's latest annual report. This last salary marked an increase from 2022/23, when he was paid between 435,000 and 439,999 for 180 days presenting on BBC One, as well as news specials. In 2018, it was reported that he had agreed to take a pay cut following revelations over unequal pay for men and women at the BBC. Huw Edwards announced the late Queen's death on the BBC in September 2022 Edwards said in 2021 that he was considering his future presenting News At Ten as he approached his 60th birthday. In June 2023, Edwards picked up the best live event honour at the Tric Awards for being among those to cover the state funeral of the late Queen, and in February he received the Broadcast Awards' special recognition award. In 2012 the BBC won a TV Bafta for Edwards' coverage of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding and the Welsh newsreader has also won the best on-screen presenter prize at the Bafta Cymru awards numerous times over the years. Edwards was previously vice president of the National Churches Trust and has appeared on the BBC's Songs Of Praise. He also made documentaries for the BBC including Wales: Who Do We Think We Are?. The BBC said Edwards 'betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him' Last week, BBC director-general Tim Davie gave an update on recovering an estimated 200,000 in pay from Edwards, when he appeared in front of the House of Lords' Communications and Digital Committee. The BBC admitted it was informed that the former TV presenter had been arrested in November but continued to employ him for around five months until he left on medical advice. Edwards continued to be paid a salary during this period, which the BBC has been attempting to get back following his conviction for making indecent images of children. And Mr Davie said last week: 'We've made the formal request, and I can't go into too much detail, but discussions are under way, but I've got no further news, apart from the BBC's position is clear, the money should be returned, and we made the request.' He also said the BBC will 'explore' the legal process if Edwards refuses. Mr Davie also suggested that the BBC could take steps such as dismissal before charge sooner if this happened again. He said it 'was really difficult getting the balance right, because you knew that the arrest had been made'. The broadcaster's executive previously released a statement on Edwards saying it will 'look at lessons from this period, including the BBC's approach to the rules surrounding payments when employees are suspended'. Huw Edwards doesn't consider his bisexuality to be an excuse for his infidelity and has 'high level of remorse' for betraying his wife and children, a judge has said today. The disgraced BBC newsreader was spared jail for receiving sick images of children as young as seven from a convicted paedophile. The 63-year-old had previously admitted to three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images from Alex Williams over WhatsApp. Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring handed the UK's 'most recognisable newsreader' a six month suspended jail term as he described how Edwards' reputation was 'now in tatters'. Edwards had turned to social media to engage with men and women in order to boost his 'fragile self-esteem', according to a psychological assessment. A psycho-sexual therapist spent more than 21 hours interviewing Edwards to conclude he had been in a 'perfect storm' at the time of his offending. Huw Edwards pictured with his wife Vicky Flind in London in 2018. A pre-sentence report read out in court outlined the breakdown of his relationship with his wife A mugshot released of the presenter showed him staring at the camera - dead eyed and gaunt - with silver stubble across his face Mr Goldspring read from the pre-sentence reports and said Edwards had managed his interest in men since 1994. But he didn't consider his bisexuality to be an excuse for his infidelity as the judge said he has a 'high level of remorse for the betrayal of his partner and children'. Edwards, who is an in-patient at the private Nightingale hospital in London, denied having a sexual interest in children and was spared jail as the judge said he would be vulnerable behind bars and a tangible risk he may attempt suicide. Edwards smiled broadly as he left the courtroom accompanied by a member of his legal team - carrying the same small suitcase he had brought with him, possibly in anticipation of being jailed. He later walked onto the street with his legal team before being driven away in a black Mercedes. A mugshot released of the presenter showed him staring at the camera - dead eyed and gaunt - with silver stubble across his face. The court heard Edwards paid Williams hundreds of pounds after he sent him pornographic images, but his defence barrister Philip Evans KC said the broadcaster did not make payments to Williams in order to receive indecent images of children. Edwards claimed to a probation officer that his sick offending was fuelled by alcohol, 'poor mental health' and a deterioration of his personal relationship, the court heard. Delivering his mitigation, Mr Evans said his client was 'mentally vulnerable' and claimed he had 'no memory of viewing any of the images'. The prosecution said Williams asked Edwards for a 'Christmas gift after all the hot videos'. Prosecutor Ian Hope said: 'Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around 100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him 200.' Mr Goldspring accepted Edwards did not hand over the cash as payment for the videos but as an apparent 'thank you'. A court artist's drawing of Edwards as he sat in the dock at Westminster magistrates' court today Huw Edwards leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court with his legal team following his sentencing today He did not make any comment to journalists before being driven away in a black Mercedes Edwards gets into a waiting black Mercedes following his sentencing Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Huw Edwards that led to the newsreader's downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot A mock up of the sick WhatsApp messages sent between Williams and Edwards Of the indecent images he received, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Defence barrister Philip Evans KC said Edwards was 'truly sorry' and 'recognises repugnant nature' of the images sent to him. The journalist claimed alcohol and the decline in his mental health played a part in the sick chats. The BBC said following Edwards' sentencing: 'We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.' Following the sentencing, Claire Brinton, from the Crown Prosecution Service, says: 'Accessing indecent images of children perpetuates the sexual exploitation of them, which has deep, long-lasting trauma for these victims. 'The CPS and Metropolitan Police were able to prove that Edwards was receiving illegal images and videos involving children via WhatsApp. 'This prosecution sends a clear message that the CPS, working alongside the police, will work to bring to justice those who seek to exploit children, wherever that abuse takes place.' The head of the children's charity Barnardo's released a statement after the sentencing. 'Huw Edwards was a trusted public figure at the heart of the national media for decades,' Lynn Perry says. 'In the midst of this case, we mustn't lose sight of the fact that at the heart of this are children as young as seven who are victims of horrific sexual abuse. 'Tens of thousands of children are sexually exploited or groomed online every year. We urge tech companies to take action to make sure abuse material can't be shared on their platforms. Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London this morning with a wheelie suitcase Edwards was previously anchor of News at Ten and one of Britain's most prominent newsreaders 'When children are abused, and images of this are shared online, they must receive urgent, specialist support - something that is sadly unavailable to many children nationwide. We're also calling on the government to ensure that no child is left without specialist support after being sexually abused and exploited.' Sentencing Edwards, Mr Goldspring told the broadcaster: 'Perhaps it does not need saying but you are of previous good character.' The judge said he accepts Edwards had been of 'exemplary' good character 'having enjoyed a very successful career in the media'. 'It's obvious that until now you were very highly regarded by the public,' he continued, adding that Edwards was 'perhaps the most recognised newsreader-journalist'. 'It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters,' the judge said. He also told Edwards he would be subject to 25 rehabilitation sessions and be placed on the sex offender treatment programme for 40 days. Edwards was also ordered to pay 3,000 in prosecution costs. The judge continued: 'I am of the clear view that you do not present a risk or danger to the public at large, specifically to children. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.' He declined to make a sexual harm prevention order against Edwards. Friends say 'Kimberly looked the other way' concerning rumors about Don Jr. Kimberly Guilfoyle was blindsided by photos of Donald Trump Jr. sharing an intimate lunch with a Palm Beach socialite, having turned a blind eye to rumors and whispers about her fiance's alleged wandering eye, friends tell DailyMail.com. The ex-Fox News host, 55, and the former president's son have been dating since 2018 - following his divorce from first wife Vanessa - and announced their engagement in 2022. The glamorous brunette, who's the ex-wife of California Democratic governor Gavin Newsom, had since become a prominent member of Trump's close circle and campaign, and has often been seen at her beau's side at GOP and campaign events. Now friends exclusively tell DailyMail.com that Guilfoyle was caught off guard by recent reports of Don Jr., 46, canoodling with heiress Bettina Anderson, 37, when photos of the pair's intimate lunch in Palm Beach, Florida last month were published over the weekend. The insider said: 'Kimberly either didn't know about Bettina or didn't want to know. Did she hear whispers that Don Jr. was fooling around with someone else? Probably. Friends of Kimberly Guilfoyle tell DailyMail.com she had likely 'heard whispers' about fiance Don Jr's alleged philandering, but had 'looked the other way' A photo obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com shows Don Jr. having brunch with Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, 37, in mid August with fiancee Kimberly Guilfoyle nowhere in sight 'She's no fool but it's easy to deceive yourself when you're so committed to someone and believe he's committed to you.' Sources told DailyMail.com that Don Jr's dalliance with Anderson is an open secret in the ritzy Florida town and they have been spotted enjoying each other's company frequently. That includes the lunch where DailyMail.com's photos were taken with the pair seen kissing several times during the meal at The Honor Bar which sits inside the upscale Royal Poinciana Plaza shopping center. The source added: 'Don Jr. is not one to account for what he does not to Kimberly or anyone except maybe his father. 'He's pretty bold and, as smart as she is, Kimberly looked the other way.' Despite Don Jr.'s apparent openness about his association with Anderson, the insider says this doesn't necessarily spell the end of his engagement to Guilfoyle. The friend told DailyMail.com: 'What happens now is anyone's guess. Will she stick? Will he dump her? 'She has been so entrenched in the campaign it would look bad to humiliate her. But you could see the writing on the wall at the convention. 'Sure, she was given a platform but the vibrations in the former president's box were not good ones between her and Don. She seemed odd woman out.' Guilfoyle was seen at her fiance's side on Saturday just hours before DailyMail.com exclusively published the pictures of Don Jr. lunching with Bettina Anderson Anderson, a registered Republican, often shares snaps of her glam Palm Beach lifestyle and was seen posing with the Stars and Stripes in a risque bikini photo on Instagram Sources told DailyMail.com that Don Jr's dalliance with Anderson is an open secret in the ritzy Florida town The couple first got together in 2018, three months after Don Jr's ex-wife Vanessa filed to divorce the dad-of-five. At 55, the San Francisco-born former prosecutor is nine years older than Don Jr, 46, had has previously been married twice. Her first marriage to Newsom collapsed in 2005 after he cheated on her with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, the wife of his then-campaign manager and former deputy chief of staff, Alex Tourk. The pair had brunch at The Honor Bar, located inside Palm Beach's swank Royal Poinciana Plaza shopping center Three months after her divorce from Newsom was finalized in February 2006, Guilfoyle married again this time to furniture heir Eric Villency. Their son Ronan was born in October that same year but the marriage was to prove short-lived with the couple divorcing in November 2009. Since becoming an item with Don Jr, Guilfoyle has become an increasingly high-profile member of the Trump campaign with the mom-of-one frequently delivering speeches at his rallies and appearances. Until now, the pair had appeared loved up with Don Jr gushing over their six-year anniversary in an Instagram post four months ago. He wrote: 'Happy 6 year anniversary @kimberlyguilfoyle thanks for always being there no matter what the haters are throwing our way. I love you.' Guilfoyle responded: 'You are my best friend and my soulmate. Here's to us and out incredibly blessed life we share together. Looking forward to creating new memories and enjoying more adventures together.' The intimate outing came just a few months after Don Jr. gushed over fiancee Kimberly Guilfoyle in an Instagram post celebrating their six-year anniversary as a couple in May Don Jr. and Guilfoyle, 55, live in a $15.5million waterfront mansion in an ultra-secure development in Jupiter, 19 miles north of Palm Beach. They are seen posing with his five young children and her son Ronan (far left) earlier this year on Easter The couple live in a $15.5million waterfront mansion in an ultra-secure development in Jupiter, 20 miles north of Palm Beach. They jointly bought the huge spread, which has a large triple-engine boat sitting in the dock at the front, for $9.7million in April 2021, four months after getting engaged. The Spanish-style pile, which has six bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, is a regular scene for the couple's reported lavish parties. Neither Guilfoyle nor Don Jr have publicly commented on DailyMail.com's revelations, but were seen presenting a united front at an event in Kentucky on Saturday. Following the second failed attempt on former President Trump's life on Sunday, both turned to Instagram with Guilfoyle reposting a message of support by Don Jr. to his father. The original post included a screenshot of Trump's message that was released after the almost-attack and included the caption 'Again folks!' Two firefighters who were sacked after being accused of urinating on the floor of a Chinese takeaway and racially abusing staff are set for compensation after successfully suing for unfair dismissal. Gareth Hancock and Daniel Phillips were hauled into meetings with the bosses after the owner of the restaurant complained one of them had also tried to start a fight, an employment tribunal heard. The pair admitted they had drunk between six and eight pints before arriving to pick up food. After an investigator visited the takeaway and watched CCTV footage of the incident, they were both fired for gross misconduct. Gareth Hancock, pictured, and his colleague Daniel Phillips were sacked following the alleged incident inside a south Wales takeaway in June 2023 The incident took place in Yumee Chinese Take Away in Tredegar in June 2023 However, they are now in line for damages after a judge ruled the investigation and process in which they were sacked was 'unfair'. The firemen worked for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, with Mr Hancock from 2014 and Mr Phillips in February 2004 - before both were dismissed in August 2023. At the time they were both based at Ebbw Vale fire station. The hearing in Cardiff was told in June 2023, the two men and several others went to Yumee's Chinese Takeaway to order food. The group had been drinking in a local pub before the takeaway, which Mr Hancock admitted to have been 'about eight pints' while Mr Phillips guessed he'd had 'six or seven'. The following day, the fire service received a complaint from the owners of the takeaway store, regarding their behaviour. They claimed Mr Hancock has urinated on the takeaway floor and made 'racist comments to and about the takeaway owners and members of their family', before trying to start a fight. The alleged remarks related to rice, the hearing was told. It was heard the owners knew those involved were from the fire service because they used a Blue Light Card to get a discount and one of the men waiting outside was in a fire service van. Their manager went to the takeaway where he watched CCTV of the incident, which was also reported to the police. Following initial investigation, Mr Hancock and Mr Phillips were suspended along with two colleagues who were also there. Mr Hancock was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, indecent exposure and racial aggravation, but released on bail. In June 2023, they were both interviewed when neither 'had been permitted' to view the CCTV footage. An investigation report in July 2023 namrd the allegations Mr Hancock faced and invited him to a disciplinary meeting in August. At the meeting, a panel found all four allegations had been proven, that his actions constituted gross misconduct and he was dismissed without notice. It was heard no reasons were provided, other than they had found the allegations had happened. In a letter he received a week later, Mr Hancock was given explanations that were 'somewhat cursory in nature'. He appealed the decision but it was upheld. Mr Phillips was also investigated for racially abusing the staff. However, when he was cleared of racism himself, it was found there was 'a case to answer' in his reaction to the racial abuse - after it was found he 'laughed at his colleague's behaviour' and filmed it on his phone. In August 2023, Mr Phillips was invited to a disciplinary meeting which was chaired by the same panel from Mr Hancock's hearing. At the meeting, they concluded the allegations were proven, that he would have heard 'the rice comments' made by Mr Hancock and also sacked him for gross misconduct. He appealed the decision but this was also unsuccessful. It was heard during the appeal processes, the original panel's findings and decisions were upheld, without an explanation about how it had 'reached its various conclusions'. Employment Judge Stephen Povey said: 'In my judgment, there were significant and fundamental flaws in how [fire service] conducted and determined the disciplinary proceedings against both [men].' He said the disciplinary panel had therefore 'already decided' Mr Hancock's guilt, which then placed Mr Phillips at a 'disadvantage and resulted in his case being approached with a partially closed mind on the part of the panel'. 'In my judgment, there was insufficient evidence to conclude that [fire service]'s belief that [Mr Hancock] had urinated, made racist remarks or tried to instigate a fight, as alleged, was reasonably held,' he said. He said the initial investigation was 'reasonable and adequate', but added: 'However, the manner in which [the fire service] thereafter considered and determined those allegations was flawed.' He said Mr Phillips' sacking was also 'not substantively fair'. Their compensation will be decided at a later date. Huw Edwards stood quivering in the dock as he waited to be sentenced over child abuse images sent to him by a paedophile - but later smiled when told he was a free man. The star had clamped his hands to his mouth repeatedly as Westminster Magistrates' Court heard he had texted Alex Williams for four years - and sent him 'gifts' of hundreds of pounds in return for porn. A tired and grey Edwards looked markedly older without the help of BBC make-up artists, one witness said. But the quaking broadcaster, the man who delivered the news of the Queen's death and countless other major events to the nation, soon gave a visible sigh of relief when he was spared jail this afternoon. He had held his hands together and leaned forward as he was handed six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years. One onlooker said that as the suspended sentence sank in, Edwards gave a 'big smile'. A member of the public had also also spoken to him briefly outside the courtroom and he had mouthed the words 'thank you' to them. Huw Edwards clasps his hands together and holds them to his mouth at Westminster Magistrates' court, which heard how he was sent 41 child abuse images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp Edwards held his hands together and steadied himself as Chief Magistrate, district judge Paul Goldspring, spared him jail The disgraced broadcaster had a small suitcase with him, presumably in case he was jailed, but he walked free today Edwards looked tired and markedly older He then walked slowly from the building into a waiting taxi accompanied by a member of his legal team, wheeling a small suitcase presumably containing essentials if he was sent to prison. Edwards was impassive at times as the court was told of the nature of his crimes, which his own lawyer admitted were 'repugnant'. But he had arrived at court with a short smile but mainly with his head held high, seen by some as defiant. In court he was humbled. The 63-year-old began nodding repeatedly when defence KC Philip Evans said his client is 'truly sorry' for how he had 'damaged his family and his loved ones' and for committing the offences. There were also signs of emotion as Mr Evans spoke of how he had let down his wife, five children and the British public who had trusted him. He nodded again in agreement in the dock when the court heard that he was at risk of taking his own life and was described as a 'complex individual' who had suffered psychological problems in childhood, notably due to his relationship with his 'puritanical' father, the Welsh nationalist Hywel Teifi Edwards. His hands were clasped in front of his mouth when chief magistrate Paul Goldspring declared: 'It is not an exaggeration to say your reputation is in tatters'. And there was also an unusual moment when Mr Goldspring asked if Edwards wanted to 'run the gauntlet' and grab a coffee in the 30 minute break before the sentencing began this lunchtime. Edwards left the dock, thanking security for opening the door for him. Police mugshot released by the police of Edwards today Former BBC news presenter Huw Edwards arrives for sentencing at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court In July, the former BBC star - seen arriving in court today with a small smile - admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams As the magistrate said today, his life and career is in tatters. A BBC spokesperson said after its former broadcaster Huw Edwards was sentenced: 'We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.' The 63-year-old previously admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp. At Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday, Edwards held his hands together and leaned forward throughout his sentencing hearing as he was handed six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years. Westminster Magistrates' Court heard Edwards told Williams 'go on' when asked if he wanted 'naughty pics and vids' of somebody described as 'yng (sic)'. The court also heard Edwards paid Williams hundreds of pounds after he sent him pornographic images, but his defence barrister Philip Evans KC said the broadcaster did not make payments to Williams in order to receive indecent images of children. The prosecution said Williams asked Edwards for a 'Christmas gift after all the hot videos'. Prosecutor Ian Hope said: 'Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around 100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him 200.' He did not make any comment to journalists before being driven away in a black Mercedes after his sentencing Huw Edwards leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court with his legal team following his sentencing Edwards gets into a waiting black Mercedes following his sentencing Of the indecent images he received, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Mr Evans said Edwards 'recognises that he has betrayed the priceless trust and faith of so many people', adding that he is 'truly sorry' for how he had 'damaged his family and his loved ones' and for committing the offences. Sentencing Edwards, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told the broadcaster: 'Perhaps it does not need saying but you are of previous good character.' The judge said he accepts Edwards had been of 'exemplary' good character 'having enjoyed a very successful career in the media'. 'It's obvious that until now you were very highly regarded by the public,' he continued, adding that Edwards was 'perhaps the most recognised newsreader-journalist'. 'It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters,' the judge said. He also told Edwards he would be subject to 25 rehabilitation sessions and be placed on the sex offender treatment programme for 40 days. The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with convicted paedophile Williams telling the newsreader the child was 'quite young looking' and that he had more images which were illegal. Addressing the exchange while opening the case to the court, Mr Hope said: 'Alex Williams says he has some 'naughty pics and vids unsure if you'd like'. Mr Edwards tells him to 'go on' and Alex Williams states 'yng (sic)'. 'Mr Edwards again tells him to 'go on' and Alex Williams sends a category A moving image showing a male child aged around seven to nine...' Edwards pictured with his wife Vicky Flind in London in 2018. She named him as the high-profile presenter at the centre of a sexual pictures scandal Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Huw Edwards that led to the newsreader's downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot 'Mr Edwards inquires where the video is from and Alex Williams says an image sharing group on another social media platform which they have both also used, Telegram. 'Alex Williams says the subject is 'quite yng looking' to which Mr Edwards responds it 'can be deceptive' and asks if he has 'any more?'' Mr Evans told the court: 'The defendant has no memory of actually viewing any particular image.' The defence KC also said Edwards 'did not gain any gratification' from indecent images. Overall, the charges cover a period between December 2020 and August 2021. Speaking about the money Edwards had sent to Williams, Mr Hope said: 'It is clear from the face of the WhatsApp chat recovered that a deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature. 'It is also clear that Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of money - low hundreds of pounds on an occasional basis - to Alex Williams which Mr Williams directly asked for on several occasions, as gifts or presents, apparently off the back of sending pornographic images to Mr Edwards, about which images they chatted. 'Alex Williams has stated that the money was more generally to support him at university and amounted to around 1,000 to 1,500.' Following his guilty pleas, the BBC admitted it was informed that the former TV presenter had been arrested in November, but continued to employ him for around five months until he left on medical advice. It has asked Edwards to repay the 200,000 salary he has received since his arrest. Shattered friends and family have demanded answers after an elderly man suffered a painful and lonely death while waiting hours for an ambulance. Neighbours called triple-0 at about 2am Sunday after hearing Philip's Burne's yells for help after he suffered a bad fall. Stretched resources meant that paramedics couldn't get to his Surrey Hills home in Melbourne's west until 6am. But by then, it was too late. Mr Burne, 69, was a regular patron at Ringwood RSL, where mates gathered for a beer in his honour on Monday. But they're also angry at the thought that his tragic death may have been avoided had more Victoria Ambulance crews had been on road on Saturday night. At least 50 crews across the state were out of action during the shift due to a high number of paramedics on sick leave. 'Four hours is absolutely ridiculous,' one mate told Nine News. Philip Burne died after waiting four hours for an ambulance on Sunday morning At least 50 crews across the state were out of action during the shift due to a high number of paramedics on sick leave 'He was one of our own.' Fellow club member David Jamieson added: 'It's pretty awful that someone lies in a house on the floor and has to wait four hours for an ambulance and have no one to call. 'For the older cohort, they rely on the emergency services to ensure their health needs are met. 'When it fails it can be catastrophic, as it was in this case. It's really sad and frankly, we all got to do better.' Ambulance Victoria has launched a review into Mr Burne's death, which will be referred to the coroner. 'The demand is high at the moment but we prioritise our care to the sickest and most vulnerable patients in the community,' Ambulance Victoria acting chief executive Danielle North told reporters. 'We certainly experienced an increase in personal leave over the course of the weekend, it was unpredictable, the level we received.' By the time the ambulance arrived at Mr Burne's home (pictured), it was too late Questions have been raised as Ambulance Victoria didn't trigger a code orange, which would have activated extra measures to help paramedics. The major shortage has left overworked paramedics 'burnt out and exhausted', according to Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill. 'You're always going to get higher absenteeism, more people off on sick leave when crews don't get their meal breaks, they don't get off shift on time, their workload is out of control,' he said. He earlier described Mr Burne's death as 'incredibly sad' not only for his family but for paramedics who want to be able to help patients. He also admitted the tragedy could have been avoided. 'But with resources so stretched, the workload being what it is, it's just become impossible,' Mr Hill told the Herald Sun. 'You can never predict what would have happened had paramedics gotten there sooner. 'But, by all accounts he was calling out, so you expect that the situation may have been much different had we got to the gentleman on time.' Vile WhatsApp messages Huw Edwards exchanged with a convicted paedophile have been revealed for the first time, as the disgraced star was sentenced for child abuse offences. The 63-year-old previously admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp. Of the images he received, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. At Edwards' sentencing hearing on Monday, it was revealed what was said between the pair on the messaging app between December 2020 and August 2021. Westminster Magistrates Court heard how Edwards had replied 'yes xxx' when asked by Williams if he wanted a set of indecent images of children. He also messaged saying 'go on' when asked if he wanted 'naughty pics and vids' of somebody described as 'yng (sic)'. Westminster Magistrates' Court heard on Monday how Huw Edwards had replied 'yes xxx' when asked if he wanted a set of indecent images of children (note: This is not the actual text message exchange) It was also told that Edwards had told Williams that ages 'can be deceptive' when told one of the subjects in an image was 'quite yng looking', before asking if he had 'any more? (note: This is not the actual text message exchange) The court also heard that the presenter had told Williams via message that ages 'can be deceptive' when informed that one of the subjects in an image was 'quite yng looking', before asking if he had 'any more?'. Outlining the evidence against the veteran broadcaster earlier, prosecutor Ian Hope said: 'It is clear from the face of the WhatsApp chat recovered that a deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature. 'It is also clear that Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of money - low hundreds of pounds on an occasional basis - to Alex Williams which Mr Williams directly asked for on several occasions, as gifts or presents, apparently off the back of sending pornographic images to Mr Edwards, about which images they chatted. 'Alex Williams has stated that the money was more generally to support him at university and amounted to around 1,000 to 1,500.' Mr Hope continued: 'From that chat in December 2020, Alex Williams said that he had 'a file of vids and pics for you of someone special'. 'Mr Edwards immediately queried who the subject was and was then sent three images of seemingly the same person, from two of which images the subject's age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16. 'These two were category C indecent images of children in which the child was exposing his penis. 'Alex Williams stated that he had '12 videos and 42 pics I've sent you a video of him before'. 'Shortly after Alex Williams asked: 'want me to send you the full file?' Mr Edwards responded 'Yes xxx...' immediately following which Alex Williams sent to Mr Edwards around 30 attachments, about half of which were category C indecent images of children.' Mr Hope said he offered to send 12 videos in December 2020 and the then-BBC presenter responded that he could not see the latest batch but 'the others were amazing'. The court heard a new link contained a category C image of a child aged around 12 to 14 and a category A image. Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London this morning with a wheelie suitcase In July, Edwards admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Huw Edwards that led to the newsreader's downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot 'Three-quarters of an hour later, Alex Williams again asks for 'a Christmas gift after all the hot videos' and Mr Edwards immediately responds 'what do you need?',' the prosecutor continued. What does 'making' indecent images mean? Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of 'making' indecent images of children in July. The Crown Prosecution Service says it can include: opening an email attachment containing an image downloading an image from a website to a screen storing an image on a computer accessing a pornographic website in which an image appears in an automatic 'pop-up' window receiving an image via social media, even if unsolicited and even if part of a group or live-streaming images of children A court must also decide whether an offence calls into the category of possession, distribution or production. Advertisement 'Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around 100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him 200.' Westminster Magistrates' Court was told Edwards did not respond after a convicted paedophile sent him a sexual video of children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13. Mr Hope said: 'On February 10, 2021, a category A video was sent which is notable because the age of one of the children involved was significantly younger than in the rest of the images sent - it showed several acts of penetration between two children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13 respectively. 'There was no direct response from Mr Edwards to this video, beyond it being marked as 'read'. 'A week later... a number of attachments were sent which included two category B videos and four category C still images comprising indecent images of children. On February 19 2021, Williams asked 'is the stuff I'm sending too young for you?' 'The next response from Mr Edwards is dated February 22 2021 saying 'don't send underage'.' The prosecutor said one of these was a category A video sent on June 10 2021 which was marked 'read' on WhatsApp, in which the children involved were around 13 to 15 years old. Mr Hope said that in a later exchange, Edwards told Williams 'go on' when he was asked if he wanted 'naughty pics and vids' of somebody described as 'yng (sic)'. Mr Hope told the court: 'In a later exchange on August 11 2021, Alex Williams says he has some 'naughty pics and vids unsure if you'd like'. Mr Edwards tells him to 'go on' and Alex Williams states 'yng (sic)'. The 63-year-old looked haggard while passing a throng of the world's media Court artist drawing by Elizabeth Cook of former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court Edwards was previously anchor of News at Ten and one of Britain's most prominent newsreaders 'Mr Edwards again tells him to 'go on' and Alex Williams sends a category A moving image showing a male child aged around 7 to 9...' 'Mr Edwards enquires where the video is from and Alex Williams says an image-sharing group on another social media platform which they have both also used, Telegram. 'Alex Williams says the subject is 'quite yng looking' to which Mr Edwards responds it 'can be deceptive' and asks if he has 'any more?' 'Alex Williams says he has but he is not sure if Mr Edwards would like them as they are illegal. 'Mr Edwards says 'Ah OK don't' and the exchange immediately following concerns a series of images which Alex Williams describes as 'looks young don't he but he's deffo 19.' He made no comment as he walked into the modern courthouse Edwards pictured with his wife Vicky Flind in London in 2018. She named him as the high-profile presenter as the centre of a sexual pictures scandal Mounting Edwards' defence, Philip Evans KC claimed Edwards did not make payments to Alex Williams in order to receive indecent images of children. Mr Evans told the court: 'Mr Edwards did not make payments in order for images to be sent to him, and he certainly did not make payments in order that indecent images would be sent to him. 'Mr Edwards positively told Mr Williams not to send images of people who were underage. 'He did not store any of those images on any device. He did not use them for any personal gratification and he did not gain any gratification from those indecent images. 'He did not send them to anyone else onwardly and he has never sought similar images before from any source, and he has not sought similar images from any other source since.' Mr Evans said Edwards was 'truly sorry' for how he has 'damaged his family and his loved ones', and for committing the offences. A pair of neighbors have been engaged in a bitter property war for the past 15 years concerning a small row of windows looking out on the San Francisco Bay - with one tenant planning to build 'spite wall' to block the other's views. Teresa Votruba, 76, is the owner of several units in one of the buildings located in San Francisco's Telegraph Hill neighborhood. Her neighbor, retired management consultant Bushra Khan, 69, has lived in a condo on the top floor of the building next door since buying it in 2010. During that time, Votruba has made it her mission to block - or force the removal - of 11 windows on Khan's condo overlooking a deck belonging to Votruba's tenants, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Votruba feels it is a violation of her tenants' privacy - going as far as to cover her neighbor's windows with stickers and signs, and moving forward with plans to erect a so-called 'spite wall' to block her view. The building (painted white) where retired management consultant Bushra Khan, 69, lives Signs put up by her neighbor, Teresa Votruba, 76, the owner of several units next door 'It's relentless,' Khan told the Chronicle of the nearly 15-year struggle, which is laid bare in dozens of court and building department records. 'It's been going on and on and on.' It's gotten so heated, she said, that she was granted a restraining order against Votruba in 2015 after stills showed the neighbor peering - and taking pictures - at her through her bedroom window. Photos produced by Khan's attorney at the time also showed how the landlord covered her neighbor's windows with posters that were 'threatening' and 'intimidating,' after receiving complaints from tenants that Khan could see onto their outdoor deck. A judge also found that Votruba had directed 'surveillance cameras' at Kahn's windows, and said Votruba's conduct 'would cause a reasonable person distress,' citing the 'posting of the signs... and the picture taking into Ms. Khan's unit.' The 'erecting of the fences [and] posting of the boards' by Votruba also swayed the judge's decision, documents show, as did signs bearing messages like 'Neighborhood Watch,' 'Abate Nuisance' and 'No Encroach Permissible' The restraining order stipulates that Votruba 'must not harass, intimidate, molest, attack, strike, stalk, threaten, assault, hit, abuse, destroy the personal property or disturb the peace of Ms. Khan.' The order was recently extended for another three years. But another order, issued on July 1, looks to have renewed the longstanding quarrel. One of several installations put up by Votruba Photos taken in November 2023, more than a decade into the neighbor's dispute A judge recently gave Votruba permission to erect a 42-inch fire wall on her deck to further hinder Khan's view Issued by the local Planning Department, an 'administrative certificate of appropriateness' has allowed Votruba to build a 42-inch fire wall on her deck that Khan and her supporters have branded a 'spite wall.' City planners have said the wall is up to code and that Khan has the right to appeal the building permit. She already filed an appeal with the Historic Preservation Commission due to Telegraph Hill's historic significance. Speaking to the Chronicle, Planning Department Chief of Staff Dan Sider explained that the case is deep-rooted in personal conflict. 'This is an emotionally charged case that seemingly means a lot to both parties,' he told the paper. 'You can feel the passion, the emotion and the concern from everyone involved.' As Khan's appeal makes its way through the proper channels, the history of her and Votruba's dispute is further detailed in a series of appeals, complaints, and documents filed by both parties. Filed from 2011 to the present day, they show how the problems started a few months after Khan bought the unit in March 2010. Photos from April 2015 show how Votruba began peering into her neighbor's windows before being hit with a restraining order Other items seen covering the windows Votruba was purportedly filmed trespassing on Khan's property, as Khan claims the view from the condo owner's windows constitutes an invasion of privacy Khan bought the unit for $900,000 and paid an additional $300,000 for renovations. Votruba filed a complaint that the 'side lot windows' installed in the 1980s were unpermitted, leading Khan to meet with a Department of Building Inspection official who suggested getting a retroactive permit. She received the permit in March 2011, leading to the years-long skirmish that would see Votruba regularly block Khan's windows. In September of that year, Khan filed a complaint with the Department of Building Inspections, writing that a 'neighbor is carrying out unpermitted work on my property, boarding up legal side windows.' Within a month, Vetroba was cited for 'illegal construction' and removed the boards - before installing a series of netting, more boards, potted shrubs, plastic sheeting, tarps and more over the years. Vertorba also filed a series of permit applications - first seeking to have a nine-foot firewall installed before asking to build an enclosed chimney stack that would block Khan's bedroom windows. Both proposals were rejected. More evidence of attempts to cover Khan's windows Photos taken in 2013 show Votruba purportedly trespassing on Kahn's deck, along with several hired contractors. In 2021, Votruba sought a restraining order against Khan, accusing her neighbor of harassment and elder abuse. At a subsequent hearing, a judge labeled the suit 'frivolous' and 'meant to harass.' 'You shouldn't even be as close as you are today, given the restraining order that's in effect,' the judge said at the time. Don Putnam, a neighbor who supports Khan, blamed San Francisco bureaucracy for the ongoing situation. 'Planning has seen this woman again and again and again and every once in a while something slips through,' he said of Votruba's repeated appeals and motions. 'No one understands why these windows are so bloody important.' 'This is my retirement home. I think about it every day. I get depressed,' Khan said of the conflict. 'I feel like I have no options. I can't live like this. I have wasted my retirement' Khan, meanwhile, sees her neighbor's ability to obtain a permit for a wall even larger than the one officials rejected as an 'administrative failure.' 'What can you do? It's just atrocious. I have never seen bureaucracy like this' she said. She lamented how she can't try to sell the condo because of Votruba's actions, because she would have to disclose the dispute to the buyer. That, she claimed, would significantly bring down the home's value. 'This is my retirement home. I think about it every day. I get depressed,' Khan said. 'I feel like I have no options. I can't live like this. I have wasted my retirement.' Chilling surveillance video footage captured the moment gang members escorted an aspiring politician and her sister to their deaths for allegedly making gang signs in a photo. Porto Esperidiao city council candidate Rayane Alves, 25, and her sister, Rithiele Alves, 28, were kidnapped along with two men, including their brother, after leaving a festival during the early hours of Saturday. The suspects, alleged members of the Comando Vermelho, escorted the group to a party at a residence in the city center, where they stabbed the sisters and cut off their fingers and hair, the Mato Grosso Civil Police said. One of the men was able to escape and alert the police. Cops raided the home and found Rayane and Rithiele dead in one of the rooms. Rayane Alves (left), her brother (center) and sister Rithiele Alves (right) were kidnapped Saturday by a local gang in the west-central Brazil city of Porto Esperidiao in response to their now-deleted photo of flashing hand gestures of their rival, Primeiro Comando da Capital, earlier in the week. Rayane and Rithiele were tortured to death while their brother and one of their boyfriend's survived One of the 10 gang members linked to the kidnapping and murder of Brazilian city council candidate Rayane Alves and her sister Rithiele Alves is placed in the trunk of a patrol car following his arrest Saturday in Porto Esperidiao, Brazil The other man was found in a separate room with his one of his fingers and an ear cut off. He was also stabbed in the neck. Mato Grosso Civil Police chief Hugo Rafael told Brazilian news outlet G1 on Monday that a jailed gang member ordered the murders of Rayane and Rithiele after learning that they had each made a hand gesture of the rival Primeiro Comando da Capital gang in a now-deleted photograph from September 8. The gang member, whose name was not released, spent three hours on a video call watching all four victims being tortured 'All (suspects) confessed. At all times, they were on a video call with a (State Central Penitentiary ) prisoner,' Rafael said. 'They were tortured for about three hours and they continued to do what the prisoner ordered. 'Everything was ordered from inside the prison. One of those who confessed said that they had already been 'decreed' by the gang.' Brazilian city council candidate Rayane Alves (pictured) and her sister were kidnapped and murdered Saturday by a gang. A Mato Grosso Civil Police official said the sisters were targeted a jailed gang member, who saw Alves, her brother, her sister and her sister's boyfriend, being tortured for three hours via video call Rithiel Alves (pictured )was stabbed dead along with her sister, Brazilian aspiring politician Rayane Alves. Authorities have said that there is no evidence linking them to criminal activities Rafael said that Rayane Alves and the rest of the victims were intercepted by the gang and escorted to a party, where they had their cell phones checked. The gang then took them to the house and 'they put the victims in a room and took them out one by one to torture them," the police official said. Rafael said that cops have confiscated a cell phone from an inmate at the jail and are analyzing it. He added that there is no evidence that Rayane Alves, her sister and brother and the other man had ties to any criminal groups. Authorities have so far arrested 10 people, including five minors. At least four of the suspects were arrested at a hotel several hours after the murders following a shopping spree. A cop searches bags that four of the murder suspects were carrying outside a hotel where they were hiding after participating the kidnapping and murder of a Brazilian city council candidate and her mother and the attempted murder of one of their boyfriend's and their brother Rayane Alves, who was kidnapped and murdered alongside her sister, was running to a seat in the Porto Esperidiao city council The five adults are expected to be charged with eight counts, including murder, attempted murder, kidnapping and corruption of children, according to Rafael. They have been identified as Rosivaldo Nascimento, Lucas Justiniano, Maikon Roda and Ana Costa and will remain in pre-trial detention. The minors, whose names are being withheld, will be kept in custody for 45 days. During that time authorities will apply socio-educational measures to determine the level of their culpability and if any jail time will be served. Rayane Alves and her sister operated a local circus. She was also running for public office for the first time. 'It is with immense sadness and deep regret that we announce the passing of our dear friend and candidate for councilwoman Rayane, and her sister Ritiely,' Porto Esperidiao Mayor Herculis Albertini said in a statement. 'This tragic loss leaves an incalculable pain for all of us,' says an excerpt from the note.' Dozens of jobs will soon be at risk as Titanic shipyard Harland & Wolff is set to plunge into administration. The Belfast ship builder - which manufactured the iconic ship before it tragically sank in 1912 - has confirmed its non-core operations are being wound down, and between 50 and 60 immediate redundancies are expected. The company's collapse would mean British warships being built by a foreign yard for the first time in the Royal Navy's history. Harland & Wolff had hoped to carry out work on the fleet solid support (FSS) warships that transport crucial supplies such as ammunition and food to aircraft carriers. But, according to Business Matters the situation could force the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to rely on Navantia the Madrid-based primary contractor that partnered with Harland & Wolff, to complete the work in Spain. The company's future has been uncertain since mid-July when Labour blocked a 200million lifeline saying that it would be an inappropriate use of public funds. Bosses wanted to borrow cash from a consortium of UK banks, but needed the Government to act as guarantor that is prepared to repay lenders. The company that built the Titanic, Harland and Wolff, is set to go into administration. It expects between 50-60 immediate redundancies Picture shows the Titanic being launched from a shipyard in Belfast in May 1911 The White Star liner 'Titanic' in course of construction at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast Harland & Wolff, which employs more than 1,000 workers across four UK sites, had been in talks with Conservative ministers for more than a year. But Labour decided not to sign off the guarantee according to reports earlier in the summer. It is the latest in a long line of crises for the Belfast yards, which have declined from their prime time when they employed as many as 20,000 people. Harland & Wolff has long scrambled to find funding to upgrade the shipyards, holding months of tense negotiations. The manufacturer, which famously built the ill-fated Titanic, has four shipyards - one in Belfast, two in Scotland (Methil on the Firth of Forth and Arnish on the Isle of Lewis) and one in England (Appledore in north Devon). Despite the expected job losses, staff employed at its four shipyards are not due to be affected. A company statement said: 'A full review of all group holdings commenced in July and has concluded that H&W Group Holdings PLC is insolvent on a balance sheet basis as per its last audited accounts and most recent management accounts.' Insolvency practitioners Teneo will act as administrators and shares will be delisted. The company is part of a consortium that landed a major contract to build new fleet solid support ships for the Royal Navy. Sir Keir Starmer's (pictured) Government has reportedly decided that it would be an inappropriate use of public funds to keep the business afloat RMS Titanic being fitted out at Harland and Wolf Shipyard, Belfast, 1911-1912 It said all shareholders in Harland & Wolff are likely to lose their money but so far 20 companies have stepped forward to express interest in buying parts of the business according to someone with knowledge of the talks, reported The Guardian. The administration process will be confined to the holding company, Harland & Wolff Group Holdings PLC, and the operational companies which run the yards are expected to continue trading. It had applied for a 200 million loan guarantee from the Government as part of efforts to restructure its finances. However, the Government decided in August not to act as a guarantor on the lending - while also ruling out direct funding to maintain the company's liquidity. A hydraulic hammer working on the Olympic (Titanic sister ship) at Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast The RMS 'Titanic' in drydock about to be launched at Harland & Wolff shipyards The ill-fated White Star liner, Titanic, in dry dock at the Harland and Wolff shipyard Harland and Wolff interim executive chairman Russell Downs said the group had faced a 'very challenging time' due to historic losses and a failure to secure long-term financing. He said: 'It's important to recognise that this is very difficult news for staff and will affect many within group. 'We will work to support our staff through this transition. 'We also know that it will be very unwelcome news for shareholders who have shown significant commitment to the business over the last five years. 'The board, the senior managers and rest of the team are committed to deliver the best outcome for the four yards and communities they serve to ensure their continued operation into the long term under new ownership. 'Unfortunately, extremely difficult decisions have had to be taken to preserve the future of our yards. 'Despite the recent challenges, the four yards have a strong capability, under new ownership and with the continuing support of their customers, to deliver UK-based ship building and leading UK-based renewables employing over 1,300 committed personnel. 'It's critical that the business comes through its financial troubles to secure an enduring legacy worthy of its name and its past for the benefit of the UK as a whole and its communities in particular.' Ulster Unionist MLA Andy Allen said it is 'crucial' the Government supports the shipyard in finding a new owner. He said: 'While this outcome may have seemed increasingly likely in recent months, we must find a solution that not only keeps this historic shipyard in east Belfast, but allows it to grow and thrive. 'The yard is more than just a historic landmark; it has a vital role to play in our national defence, particularly in shipbuilding and maintenance. 'Given its strategic importance to our defence infrastructure, the Government must act quickly and decisively to secure its future. 'The workforce's skills and expertise are invaluable, not just to the yard itself but to our broader economy and defence capabilities.' He added: 'I will continue to work with colleagues, both here and in Westminster, to ensure every support is given to finding a new owner that will make a clear commitment to building on Harland and Wolff's historic success. 'The Government must actively engage with all interested parties and prioritise this issue. 'We must ensure the yard and its workforce have a viable and sustainable future.' Police have released new information about the Gilgo Beach murders and one of the unidentified bodies, known as 'Asian Doe.' Gilgo Beach became a dumping ground for a killer - or killers - during the 1990s and early 2000s. In all, 11 bodies were found in the region. New renderings provide an image of what this victim looked like before his death. Police say he was likely from Southern China, aged between 17 and 23 and that his death occurred at least five years before his body was found in April 2011. The biological man was wearing women's clothing when he was discovered - a bra, blue ribbed crew neck and 'Rafaella' branded shirt - prompting investigators to consider that he may have been living as a woman. 'We believe Asian Doe may have been working as a sex worker. We believe they spent some time in NYC prior to their death,' Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said during a conference on Monday morning. 'Because the victim was wearing exclusively women's clothing at the time of death, it is possible they identified as a woman or were known by others as being a woman.' Police have released two versions of what Doe could have looked like, given he may have been living as a female at the time of his death The biological man was wearing women's clothing when he was discovered - a bra, blue ribbed crew neck and 'Rafaella' branded shirt - prompting investigators to consider that he may have been living as a woman New renderings provide an image of what this victim looked like before his death Tierney said 'the taskforce does not forget victims and we will not stop in our pursuit of justice.' 'This person remains nameless - to us... Someone knows who this individual is.' A $2,500 reward has been offered for information leading to the identification of the victim. Rex Heuermann, an architect from Manhattan, was arrested in 2023 and charged with the murders of six women - at least four of whom were sex workers prior to their deaths. He denies any involvement in their deaths and has pleaded not guilty. Tierney said four of the bodies linked to Heuermann, known as the 'Gilgo Four' were 'almost identical' and 'unique from' other remains found in the area. He said speculation about the potential killer 'doesn't matter until you can bring charges, and we're certainly not at that stage.' The body of 'Asian Doe' was discovered 'between Megan Waterman and Jessica Taylor' on the stretch of highway in Gilgo Beach, Tierney said. Heuermann has not been named as a suspect in Asian Doe's death. In all, three victims whose bodies were found in the region remain unidentified. These bodies have been referred to over the years as 'Peaches', 'Baby Doe' and 'Asian Doe.' Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney held a conference on Monday morning revealing 'the taskforce does not forget victims and we will not stop in our pursuit of justice.' Rex Heuermann, an architect from Manhattan, was arrested in 2023 and charged with the murders of six women - at least four of whom were sex workers prior to their deaths Heuermann's wife Asa Ellerup was seen leaving her home hours after police made the announcement Heuermann's stepson Christopher was seen walking his dog after the shock plea to the public Peaches is the mother of baby doe - a little girl estimated to be aged between 16 months and two years. Asian Doe's skeletal remains were found in April 2011. Until now, very few details about his case had been shared with the public. Now, a new sketch can be revealed which authorities hope will lead to identification. 'We're hoping to disseminate them in the Asian community and we're hoping maybe someone will remember a person who looked like him that disappeared in the time frame when he died,' Tierney said. Map shows where bodies were found in Gilgo Beach Heuermann was initially charged with the murders of three women: Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello. The victims had disappeared between 2007 and 2010. In January, he was also charged with the murder of a fourth victim Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Then in July Heuermann was charged with killing two more women, including Sandra Costilla, murdered in 1993, and Jessica Taylor, whose torso was found in 2003. A Liberal Democrat councillor has revealed how she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) over Brexit. Antonia Harrison, who represents the party on Havant Borough Council, shared how 'something died in me... I just gave up' after Britain left the EU. She also bemoaned how Brexit had scuppered her dreams of retiring to Marbella, Spain, and left her daughter 'stuck' in the UK. But Ms Harrison admitted the Lib Dems need 'wait for people to realise themselves it was a massive mistake' to leave the EU before campaigning to reverse Brexit. Antonia Harrison, a Liberal Democrat councillor, has revealed how she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) over Brexit She shared how 'something died in me... I just gave up' after Britain left the EU. Ms Harrison also bemoaned how Brexit had scuppered her dreams of retiring to Marbella, Spain Ms Harrison, pictured with Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, previously worked for the European Commission in Brussels and is now a mental health therapist Speaking at the party's autumn conference in Brighton, Ms Harrison told a fringe event: 'I actually have in my medical history, a diagnosis of PTSD over Brexit.' She later told The Independent: 'It is just on my record, at some point, they just put it on my record. 'It has had so many effects on my physical body, and things that have come out since. I have lost my voice many times and they put that down to trauma.' Ms Harrison, who previously worked for the European Commission in Brussels and is now a mental health therapist, said Brexit had a 'profound impact' on her. 'I have not been in Sudan fighting in a war, but it has had a profound impact on me,' she told the website. 'I am European to my core, and my identity has been ripped out. I am European before I am English.' She described how her daughter has a master's degree in international law and 'should be in Brussels like I was at her age, and instead she is stuck here'. Ms Harrison also revealed how she could no longer retire to Spain, where her mother spent eight years and is buried, as she had once planned. 'We have a property in Marbella, I planned to retire there, I can't,' she added. 'We still have the property, but we cannot get health coverage because of pre-existing conditions.' Ms Harrison unsuccessfully stood against Tory former Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt in the Portsmouth North constituency at the 2019 general election. She was elected to Havant Borough Council for the Purbrook ward at May's local elections. A cruel husband who tied his estranged wife to a bed and set off a firework in her vagina because she refused to get back with him has been jailed for 18 years. The Ukrainian national, named only as 36-year-old Oleksandr S. in the Czech court, had tried to woo back his ex and had persuaded her to visit him in Pilsen. But, the Prague Supreme Court heard, when she refused to move in with him he carried out a terrifying attack that caused her near fatal blood-loss. The pair, prosecutor Matin Rykl told judges, had sex at their last meeting and when his wife again refused to come back Oleksandr S. took his horrifying revenge. Rykl said: 'The defendant tied his wife with duct tape to prevent her from defending herself. Oleksandr S, 36, fromUkraine, was sentenced to 18 years in prison after setting off a firework in his wife's vagina after she refused to get back with him Oleksandr S. had appealed an earlier sentence from the Pilsen Regional Court He was also ordered to pay 20,000 compensation to his ex and will be deported from the country when he is freed from jail 'Then he inserted a firecracker into her genitals and lit it, although he must have known that the firecracker could kill the victim.' The court heard how his wife suffered appalling injuries and massive blood loss and only survived thanks to the skills of surgeons at University Hospital Pilsen. In harrowing testimony, his wife, who was not named, told the court: 'I was thrown on the bed, I was lying on my stomach. 'He pushed my panties aside and put the firecracker in and then lit it. 'There was an explosion, my blood was flowing. He then released my mouth and untied me.' She went on to tell how she begged him to call paramedics but he just tossed her a rag to mop up her blood. Later, the court heard, he relented and drove her still bleeding heavily to hospital. Judges dismissed Oleksandra S.'s claim that the explosion was an accident. He had said: 'I was at a birthday party when my wife called to say she had come to visit. 'I went home, cooked a romantic dinner, she took a shower'. He went on to explain that 'after the meal, I talked her into sex, even though she didn't want to go. 'She lay down on the bed, I tied her up and put a gag and she didn't resist.' He added: 'There was a firecracker in the bag by the bed, I took it out and pushed it in. 'It seemed funny to me at the time. But she wanted me to pull it out, she screamed, because the gag had come off. 'It was dark, I wanted to shine a light with a lighter and it set off the firecracker. 'I was shocked and didn't know what to do. I was standing there. When I went to pull out the firecracker, it exploded.' Oleksandr S. had appealed an earlier sentence from the Pilsen Regional Court. But at a hearing on September 10, the Prague Supreme Court judges confirmed the 18-year jail sentence. Oleksandr S. was also ordered to pay 20,000 compensation to his ex and will be deported from the country when he is freed from jail. Huw Edwards' BBC ex-colleagues are disgusted by his crimes and believe he should have been sent to prison and forced to give back the 200,000 he was paid by their bosses after his arrest. The ex-newsreader was spared jail after admitting three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp. The 63-year-old sent hundreds of pounds to Williams, who sent him porn, some of which he called 'amazing'. The disgraced broadcaster had also told the convicted paedophile 'go on' when asked if he wanted 'naughty pics and vids' of somebody described as young. Edwards also wrote 'yes xxx' when he was asked by Williams if he wanted sexual images of a person whose 'age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16'. He was also sent two pornographic videos of a child aged between seven and nine-years-old. A BBC spokesperson said after its former broadcaster Huw Edwards was sentenced: 'We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.' Director General Tim Davie is yet to comment but one former colleague told MailOnline today: 'He should be in prison. He was chatting with a paedo for four years who then sent him child porn. And he didn't go to the police. Yet he's in court trying to suggest he is a victim. It would be laughable if it wasn't so abhorrent'. Another insider said that Edwards' crimes were 'so sick'. Huw Edwards leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court after being spared jail Edwards, who announced the death of the Queen, has been slammed by the BBC and colleagues. Director general Tim Davie has not yet commented Edwards held his hands together and steadied himself as Chief Magistrate, district judge Paul Goldspring, spared him jail A mugshot released of the presenter by Scotland Yard showed him staring at the camera A well-placed source with links to the BBC and ITV has said that the evidence that emerged in court today against Edwards is so shocking he will never work again. 'He is over', he said, adding: 'The BBC must be broken up' due to the way bosses handled the scandal and his suspension. He said that yet another abuse scandal after Jimmy Savile and Rolf Harris is 'killing its legacy'. Edwards, who resigned from the BBC in April, has been asked to repay the 200,000 salary he has received since his arrest. He has so far refused. And will also keep his pension. BBC staff have described being 'warned' about 'thin-skinned' Edwards when they started working there - and said that he should be put in prison for what he has done. Culture and Media Editor Katie Razzall said that when she joined the corporation, she was given specific advice about how to handle the disgraced newsreader. 'You can be funny', they said. 'But don't be funnier than Huw',', adding: 'You can be clever, but don't be too clever',' Ms Razzall revealed. MailOnline can reveal there is great animosity towards him at the Beeb, who have been rocked by yet another child sex scandal after Jimmy Savile and Rolf Harris. One BBC staffer said: 'He still hasn't repaid his salary and dragged us through the mud again. 'Many at the BBC want him to pay for what he has done. He has played the system'. A former colleague said: 'Huw had huge talent and presence but has always been very prickly and thin-skinned'. Edwards had stared down at the ground today as he left court with his life in tatters after being handed a six-month suspended sentence for accessing sex abuse images of children as young as seven. The 63-year-old previously admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp. At Westminster Magistrates' Court today, Edwards held his hands together and leaned forward throughout his sentencing hearing. He then let out a 'small sigh' as he was handed six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years. Edwards smiled broadly as he left the courtroom accompanied by a member of his legal team - carrying the same small suitcase he had brought with him, possibly in anticipation of being jailed. He later walked onto the street with his legal team before being driven away in a black Mercedes. A mugshot released of the presenter showed him staring at the camera - dead eyed and gaunt - with silver stubble across his face. Westminster Magistrates' Court heard Edwards told Williams 'go on' when asked if he wanted 'naughty pics and vids' of somebody described as 'yng (sic)'. The court also heard Edwards paid Williams hundreds of pounds after he sent him pornographic images, but his defence barrister Philip Evans KC said the broadcaster did not make payments to Williams in order to receive indecent images of children. The prosecution said Williams asked Edwards for a 'Christmas gift after all the hot videos'. Prosecutor Ian Hope said: 'Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around 100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him 200.' Of the indecent images he received, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Defence barrister Philip Evans KC said Edwards was 'truly sorry' and 'recognises the repugnant nature' of the images sent to him. The journalist claimed alcohol and the decline in his mental health played a part in the sick chats. The BBC said following the sentencing: 'We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.' In other updates - Huw Edwards leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court with his legal team following his sentencing He did not make any comment to journalists before being driven away in a black Mercedes after his sentencing Edwards gets into a waiting black Mercedes following his sentencing Edwards pictured with his wife Vicky Flind in London in 2018. She named him as the high-profile presenter as the centre of a sexual pictures scandal Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Huw Edwards that led to the newsreader's downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot Sentencing Edwards, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told the broadcaster: 'Perhaps it does not need saying but you are of previous good character.' The judge said he accepted the journalist had been of 'exemplary' good character 'having enjoyed a very successful career in the media'. 'It's obvious that until now you were very highly regarded by the public,' he continued, adding that Edwards was 'perhaps the most recognised newsreader-journalist'. 'It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters,' the judge said. He also told Edwards he would be subject to 25 rehabilitation sessions and be placed on the sex offender treatment programme for 40 days. Edwards was also ordered to pay 3,000 in prosecution costs. The judge continued: 'I am of the clear view that you do not present a risk or danger to the public at large, specifically to children. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.' What does 'making' indecent images mean? Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of 'making' indecent images of children in July. The Crown Prosecution Service says it can include: opening an email attachment containing an image downloading an image from a website to a screen storing an image on a computer accessing a pornographic website in which an image appears in an automatic 'pop-up' window receiving an image via social media, even if unsolicited and even if part of a group or live-streaming images of children A court must also decide whether an offence calls into the category of possession, distribution or production. Advertisement He declined to make a sexual harm prevention order against Edwards. The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with convicted paedophile Williams telling the newsreader the child was 'quite young looking' and that he had more images which were illegal. Mr Goldspring said he accepted that Edwards had no memory of which images he viewed due to a mental disorder at the time of his offending and suggested the former BBC man had been facing 'a perfect storm' at the time. The magistrate quoted a report by a psycho-sexual therapist who said Edwards had a risk of taking his own life and is a 'complex individual' due to factors in his childhood, including a complex relationship with his 'puritanical' father. Edwards nodded as this reference to his personal history was read out. Outlining the evidence against the veteran broadcaster earlier, prosecutor Ian Hope said: 'It is clear from the face of the WhatsApp chat recovered that a deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature. 'It is also clear that Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of money - low hundreds of pounds on an occasional basis - to Alex Williams which Mr Williams directly asked for on several occasions, as gifts or presents, apparently off the back of sending pornographic images to Mr Edwards, about which images they chatted. 'Alex Williams has stated that the money was more generally to support him at university and amounted to around 1,000 to 1,500.' Mr Hope continued: 'From that chat in December 2020, Alex Williams said that he had 'a file of vids and pics for you of someone special'. 'Mr Edwards immediately queried who the subject was and was then sent three images of seemingly the same person, from two of which images the subject's age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16. 'These two were category C indecent images of children in which the child was exposing his penis. Edwards made no comment as he left court wheeling the same black case he arrived with The shamed former BBC star was accompanied by members of his legal team Edwards looked at the ground as a large group of Press rushed to photograph him The former news anchor leaves court with his life and career in tatters 'Alex Williams stated that he had '12 videos and 42 pics I've sent you a video of him before'. 'Shortly after Alex Williams asked: 'want me to send you the full file?' Mr Edwards responded 'Yes xxx...' immediately following which Alex Williams sent to Mr Edwards around 30 attachments, about half of which were category C indecent images of children.' Williams asked Edwards for a 'Christmas gift after all the hot videos', the court heard. Mr Hope said he offered to send 12 videos in December 2020 and the BBC presenter responded that he could not see the latest batch but 'the others were amazing'. The court heard a new link contained a category C image of a child aged around 12 to 14 and a category A image. 'Three-quarters of an hour later, Alex Williams again asks for 'a Christmas gift after all the hot videos' and Mr Edwards immediately responds 'what do you need?',' the prosecutor continued. 'Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around 100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him 200.' Westminster Magistrates' Court was told Edwards did not respond after a convicted paedophile sent him a sexual video of children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13. Mr Hope said: 'On February 10, 2021, a category A video was sent which is notable because the age of one of the children involved was significantly younger than in the rest of the images sent - it showed several acts of penetration between two children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13 respectively. 'There was no direct response from Mr Edwards to this video, beyond it being marked as 'read'. 'A week later... a number of attachments were sent which included two category B videos and four category C still images comprising indecent images of children. On February 19 2021, Williams asked 'is the stuff I'm sending too young for you?' 'The next response from Mr Edwards is dated February 22 2021 saying 'don't send underage'.' The prosecutor said one of these was a category A video sent on June 10 2021 which was marked 'read' on WhatsApp, in which the children involved were around 13 to 15 years old. Mr Hope said that in a later exchange, Edwards told Williams 'go on' when he was asked if he wanted 'naughty pics and vids' of somebody described as 'yng (sic)'. In July, the former BBC star - seen arriving in court today - admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams The 63-year-old looked haggard while passing a throng of the world's media on his way into Westminster Magistrates' Court The disgraced former newsreader was flanked by members of his legal team as he walked into the courthouse Edwards was previously anchor of News at Ten and one of Britain's most prominent newsreaders Mr Hope told the court: 'In a later exchange on August 11 2021, Alex Williams says he has some 'naughty pics and vids unsure if you'd like'. Mr Edwards tells him to 'go on' and Alex Williams states 'yng (sic)'. 'Mr Edwards again tells him to 'go on' and Alex Williams sends a category A moving image showing a male child aged around 7 to 9...' 'Mr Edwards enquires where the video is from and Alex Williams says an image-sharing group on another social media platform which they have both also used. 'Alex Williams says the subject is 'quite yng looking' to which Mr Edwards responds it 'can be deceptive' and asks if he has 'any more?' 'Alex Williams says he has but he is not sure if Mr Edwards would like them as they are illegal. 'Mr Edwards says 'Ah OK don't' and the exchange immediately following concerns a series of images which Alex Williams describes as 'looks young don't he but he's deffo 19.' Mounting Edwards' defence, Philip Evans KC claimed Edwards did not make payments to Alex Williams in order to receive indecent images of children. Mr Evans told the court: 'Mr Edwards did not make payments in order for images to be sent to him, and he certainly did not make payments in order that indecent images would be sent to him. 'Mr Edwards positively told Mr Williams not to send images of people who were underage. 'He did not store any of those images on any device. He did not use them for any personal gratification and he did not gain any gratification from those indecent images. 'He did not send them to anyone else onwardly and he has never sought similar images before from any source, and he has not sought similar images from any other source since.' Mr Evans said Edwards was 'truly sorry' for how he has 'damaged his family and his loved ones', and for committing the offences. He told the court: 'He knows he has hurt and he has damaged his family and his loved ones around him. 'For all of this, he is truly sorry and he is truly sorry he has committed these offences. 'He has lost his good character. He has lost that good character in a very public way. That is, we respectfully submit, a matter of some significance and we know that the court will not underestimate the effect that that will have had on him. 'He has not worked since leaving employment with the BBC.' Mr Evans went on: 'You will have appreciated sir that the press has been extraordinary to the extent that this matter has been reported and Mr Edwards through me wishes to apologise to the court. He wishes the court, through me, to know how profoundly sorry he is. He recognises the repugnant nature of such indecent images and the hurt that is done to those who appear in such images. 'For his part in that he apologises sincerely and he makes it clear that he has the utmost regret and he recognises that he has betrayed the priceless trust and faith of so many people. 'He knows he has hurt and he has damaged his family and his loved ones around him and for all of these things he is truly sorry and he is truly sorry that he has committed these offences.' He made no comment as he walked into Westminster Magistrates' Court Edwards arrives at the central London court this morning with a wheelie suitcase Edwards walked into Westminster Magistrates Court this morning dressed in a dark blue cardigan, dark trousers and an open-topped white shirt and pulling a black wheelie suitcase. He looked haggard as he scowled while passing a throng of photographers. He made no comment as he walked into the modern courthouse flanked by his team of lawyers. Seven of the indecent images shared with Edwards by Williams were of the most serious type. Huw Edwards' fall from grace Huw Edwards was made anchor of the BBC's flagship 10pm news bulletin in 2003. As well as the funeral of the late Queen, Edwards narrated the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton and has hosted UK general election coverage. But the father-of-five's professional life began to unravel in July 2023 when he was suspended by the BBC following allegations in The Sun that a high-profile TV star had paid a young person 35,000 for explicit images. Edwards did not comment publicly on the allegations, but his wife released a statement confirming it was her husband at the centre of the scandal and that he was 'suffering from serious mental health issues' and receiving 'in-patient hospital care'. The Met Police did not find any crime had been committed. But in an unrelated probe, it was revealed earlier this year that Edwards had been charged with 'making' indecent images of children. Edwards was first arrested in November 2023 and charged in June, but the case was only revealed publicly in late July a couple of days before he appeared in court to admit the counts. The Welsh presenter had resigned from the BBC in April on 'medical advice' after 40 years with the broadcaster. The BBC, whose brand is built on public trust, has admitted being made aware by police of the arrest and has been criticised for paying Edwards a salary for six months afterwards. Advertisement Of those images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Williams was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences following an investigation by South Wales Police - receiving a 12-month suspended sentence. The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with convicted paedophile Williams telling the newsreader the child was 'quite young looking' and that he had more images which were illegal. Overall the charges cover a period between December 2020 and August 2021. Edwards, one of the BBC's most famous stars who presented the Queen's death and King Charles' coronation, has not been on TV since he was named by his wife as the high-profile presenter at the centre of a sexual pictures scandal in July 2023. In the completely separate case, Edwards was accused of paying 35,000 to a young person in exchange for sexual images. The Met Police confirmed that no criminal offence was committed in this instance. The mother of the teenager told The Sun that Edwards has caused 'immense pain and suffering' and should be locked up. In a powerful open letter published by the newspaper, she said: 'I am today writing this open letter to make you understand the immense pain and suffering you have caused me, my son, my family, your own family - and all of your victims over the years.' She said that her 'heart breaks for every one' of the young children 'robbed of their innocence forever for your sick pleasure' and their families who have gone through what she has. She wrote of how her son was happy before the disgraced news anchor 'wormed' his way into the teenager's life from the age of 17. The distressed mother said her son began having problems with drink and drugs, which was further fuelled by Edwards' 'pestering him for pictures' and paying him 'tens of thousands'. She said Edwards 'sent text messages calling him 'princess' to control him and keep him onside.' Concluding the letter, she told Edwards: 'That you have lost everything is no consolation to us. You will receive your punishment in court.' Edwards at the pinnacle of his career picking up a television award for Best Live Event for covering the late Queen's funeral The star anchor's prestigious career involved breaking the news of Queen Elizabeth II's death and both Prince William and Prince Harry's weddings. Pictured with Justin Welby on May 6, 2023 The teenager who was paid 35,000 by the former BBC star is now 21. He allegedly was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement and said he felt 'groomed' by the disgraced presenter. Although no criminality was found from these allegations, the Met revealed in July this year that Edwards had separately been charged with making indecent images of children. In a dramatic fall from grace, the force confirmed Edwards had been arrested on November 8, 2023 and charged on June 26, 2024. The BBC has admitted it was informed that the former TV presenter had been arrested in November but continued to employ him for around five months until he left on medical advice. Five days later, Edwards pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children. Edwards, who resigned from the BBC in April, has been asked to repay the 200,000 salary he has received since his arrest. BBC director-general Tim Davie said the money should be returned and that the corporation will 'explore' the legal process if Edwards refuses. Mr Davie and BBC chairman Samir Shah were questioned by the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee last Wednesday. Regarding the disgraced presenter's pay, Mr Davie said: 'We've made the formal request, and I can't go into too much detail, but discussions are under way, but I've got no further news, apart from the BBC's position is clear, the money should be returned, and we made the request.' When asked if he set a deadline, he said: 'I don't believe we set a deadline... but we do expect to make progress and get an answer.' Mr Shah told the same committee that Edwards had 'damaged' the BBC's reputation. He said: 'There's nothing more important than public trust in the BBC, and we are custodians of that trust and what Huw Edwards did damaged the reputation and the trust for the BBC so we take that very seriously indeed. 'I should say, it was a shock to discover, when it was announced, when he was charged, that he had led this double life. 'On the face of it, a trusted news presenter, but hidden, secretly, he was this figure who did the most appalling things. I mean, let's never forget the victims.' Edwards is seen on screen for what would be the last time before the scandal became public, when he covered King Charles' visit to Scotland Huw Edwards shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II during a royal visit to BBC Studios in London in June 2013. He enjoyed a glittering career until the scandal came to light He added that he 'knew him', having overseen current affairs at the BBC decades ago, and said that other staff who worked with him 'feel angry and betrayed' by Edwards. Category A images involve penetrative sexual activity, sexual activity with an animal or sadism. Category B images are those involving non-penetrative sexual activity, while category C images are indecent images that do not fall into A or B. According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), 'making' an indecent image has been broadly interpreted by the courts. It can range from opening an attachment to an email containing an image, to accessing pornographic websites in which indecent photographs of children appear by way of an automatic 'pop-up' mechanism. Claire Brinton of the CPS said following Edwards' sentencing: 'Accessing indecent images of children perpetuates the sexual exploitation of them, which has deep, long-lasting trauma for these victims. 'The CPS and Metropolitan Police were able to prove that Edwards was receiving illegal images and videos involving children via WhatsApp. 'This prosecution sends a clear message that the CPS, working alongside the police, will work to bring to justice those who seek to exploit children, wherever that abuse takes place.' Rani Govender, Child Safety Online Policy Manager at the NSPCC, said: 'Online child sexual abuse is at record levels and offenders like Edwards who fuel this crime should be in no doubt about its severity and the impact it has on victims. 'Companies must also act by putting technology in place that can identify and disrupt child abuse images being shared on their messaging services so victims can be safeguarded and offenders prosecuted. 'If anyone is sent or sees a child abuse image online they should report it immediately. The NSPCC Helpline is available for advice and support in this situation or if you are concerned about the safety of a young person.' 'You can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing help@NSPCC.org.uk.' The far-right Proud Boys descended on Springfield, Ohio, as Donald Trump doubled down on his promise to visit the town at the center of pet-eating rumors. Members of the group were spotted marching amid reports that the KKK has been distributing recruitment leaflets in a town that has been hit by a wave of bomb threats directed at schools and colleges. Around 20 members of the Proud Boys, some seen carrying flags and placards, were seen in video and photos posted to social media. Plans for a visit by the ex-president are still taking shape, his campaign team insists, after he repeated debunked claims that the town's large Haitian population was killing and eating their neighbors' pets. GOP leaders have angrily dismissed the stories as 'garbage' and told him to stay away. Members of far-right group the Proud Boys gathered in Springfield, Ohio Members of the Proud Boys carried flags and placards 'Springfield, Ohio, is caught in a political vortex, and it is a bit out of control,' said Mayor Rob Rue. 'We've had bomb threats the last two days. We've had personal threats the last two days, and it's increasing, because the national stage is swirling this up.' The FBI is investigating after the town's Wittenberg University received a shooting threat on Saturday and a bomb threat on Sunday. One school was closed and two were evacuated on Friday, and Springfield officials said that 'multiple facilities' were targeted by a bomb threat on Thursday. Trump electrified the presidential debate against Kamala Harris on Tuesday when he repeated rumors that migrants in the town were 'eating the dogs'. 'The people that came in. They're eating the cats. They're eating - they're eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what's happening in our country.' His pick for vice president, JD Vance, had previously made the same claims. The Ohio Senator defended his take on Sunday's Meet the Press on NBC. 'If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do,' he told host Dana Bash. 'It comes from firsthand accounts from my constituents. I say that we're creating a story, meaning we're creating the American media focusing on it.' Police and city officials in the town have insisted that there have been no credible reports of any migrants harming pets. Ohio's Republican governor, Mike DeWine, labeled the claims 'garbage' on ABC's This Week. 'This discussion just has to stop,' he said. Donald Trump sent the debunked claims worldwide during his presidential debate with Kamala Harris on Tuesday, when he said: 'The people that came in. They're eating the cats' A note on the door of Fulton Elementary School telling parents where to collect their children after a bomb threat 'Look, there's a lot of garbage on the internet. This was a piece of garbage that was simply not true, there's no evidence of this at all. 'Any comment about that otherwise, I think, is hurtful and is not helpful to the city of Springfield and the people of Springfield. 'We need to focus on moving forward, not dogs and cats being eaten, it's just ridiculous.' The Proud Boys, which have been banned as a terrorist group in Canada, currently have five chapters in Ohio, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. They have been at the forefront of some of the most violent political confrontations in recent years, and five of its leaders were indicted on seditious conspiracy charges over the January 6 riot. Former leader Henry Enrique Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the violence. Donald Trump has distanced himself from the group since telling them to 'stand back and stand by' in his 2020 presidential debate with Joe Biden. Their arrival comes a month after around a dozen masked members of the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe held an 'anti-Haitian immigration march' in the town as the first rumors started to emerge. Members of armed neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, pictured in Florida, held a march in Springfield last month and helped spread the pet-eating rumors online The group promoted the rumors online, and member Drake Berentz spoke at a Springfield City Commission meeting on August 27 to warn that 'crime and savagery will only increase with every Haitian you bring in'. He was ejected from the meeting, but group leader Christopher Pohlhaus was euphoric after Trump brought up the rumors in his presidential debate. 'The president is talking about it now,' one of his members wrote on the social media platform Gab. 'This is what real power looks like.' Huw Edwards faces a bleak albeit financially comfortable future after being sentenced for possession of dozens of indecent images. His broadcasting career is over with no prospect of being ever seen on the BBC again. It is unlikely other broadcasters will want to hire the 63-year-old given the shame of being given a six-month suspended prison sentence. He was only spared jail due to his early guilty plea and a number of mitigating factors, including his deteriorating mental health. As one of the most recognisable faces on TV from news reading to presenting big events such as the King's Coronation and the late Queen's funeral, he will now face the contempt of those viewers who so revered and trusted him. Former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court this afternoon A taste of what he will face came within minutes of walking free from Westminster Magistrates' Court. Members of the public mingled with photographers to wait and ambush Edwards calling him a 'nonce' and a 'paedo'. Even passing lorry drivers on the busy Marylebone Road in London shouted out their disapproval when they realised who was leaving the court. Edwards was able to ignore the taunts but, in the weeks to come, when he steps out of his house he is likely to face similar abuse. The presiding magistrate made it abundantly clear that Edwards's once glittering career was in tatters and he had paid a personal price with his family for his 'betrayal'. He is reported to have separated from his wife Vicky and now lives alone in south London away from the family's home. Edwards with his wife Vicky in 2018. He is reported to have separated and now lives alone The only saving grace for the disgraced journalist is that his enforced retirement will be comfortable with a reported 300,000 a year pension from his time with the BBC. He is also said to be worth between 2.8million and 4million. Edwards was also the corporation's highest-paid newsreader, with a pay bracket of 475,000 to 479,999 for the year 2023/24, before he resigned, according to the BBC's latest annual report. This last salary marked an increase from 2022/23, when he was paid between 435,000 and 439,999 for 180 days presenting on BBC One, as well as news specials. The newsreader was front and centre in live broadcasts of election coverage, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and Platinum Jubilee in 2022, the wedding of the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018, and the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh in 2021. Mugshot of Huw Edwards who was given six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years Edwards was also the BBC's voice at Trooping the Colour and the Festival of Remembrance. And when the BBC was looking for someone to take over election coverage from the long-serving David Dimbleby in 2019, it was Edwards who was chosen. BBC chiefs are now attempting to claw back 200,000 paid to Edwards in light of his guilty plea but have not revealed if they have been successful. In the days that follow the conclusion of the court case, Edwards will be tasked with signing up to 25 therapy sessions. He also faces 40 days of a sex offenders programme and will be on the sex offenders register for the next seven years. Now Edwards has been placed on the register, he will have to report to a local police station within three days and provide certain details including his address and bank accounts. Edwards will be forced to tell police if he moves house, and officers may visit him to check he is still living at the same property depending on the perceived risk level. He must also tell police if he spends more than a week away from home or travels abroad, with a decision then taken whether that country needs to be told. Huw Edwards, pictured attending a Sandringham Women's Institute meeting in January 2020 With the financial clout to disappear from public view, it is likely Edwards could retreat to his native Wales rather than stay in London where he will be a target for paparazzi photographers. One fellow broadcast journalist, who works for Sky TV, described Edwards as a 'pariah' who will be shunned by his former colleagues. Meanwhile, it was claimed that Edwards has been offering to help charities for free with interview preparation, public speaking and political consulting. According to The Sun, a post on his LinkedIn page read: 'After four decades of top-level experience in journalism, media, politics and communications I'm available for no charge to charities and not-for-profit organisations.' It is not known when the information was published. In 2018, it was reported that Edwards had agreed to take a pay cut following revelations over unequal pay for men and women at the BBC. Edwards said in 2021 that he was considering his future presenting News At Ten as he approached his 60th birthday. The broadcaster, who attended Llanelli Grammar School and graduated in French from Cardiff University, was an honorary professor in the School of Journalism, Media and Culture at his old university before he resigned from both his honorary professor title and honorary fellowship following his guilty plea. A court artist's drawing of Huw Edwards in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court today In June 2023, Edwards picked up the best live event honour at the Tric Awards for being among those to cover the state funeral of the late Queen, and in February he received the Broadcast Awards' special recognition award. In 2012 the BBC won a TV Bafta for Edwards' coverage of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding and the Welsh newsreader has also won the best on-screen presenter prize at the Bafta Cymru awards numerous times over the years. Edwards was previously vice president of the National Churches Trust and has appeared on Songs Of Praise. He has also made documentaries for the BBC including Wales: Who Do We Think We Are? and talked about his depression on S4C's Huw Edwards Is 60. In a documentary in 2021, Edwards revealed he has had bouts of depression over the last two decades which have left him 'bedridden'. 'Like everyone that suffers with depression, you don't get one bout of it. It comes and goes,' he said. 'For me, it started around 2002 I think. I went down fairly quickly and I couldn't understand it.' Speaking on a podcast hosted by Jane Garvey and Fi Glover, Fortunately... With Fi And Jane, he said he decided to share publicly that he has depression as he felt it was 'complete hypocrisy' to support organisations such as the Shawmind Foundation or Mind without explaining why. Barnaby Joyce has claimed intermittent power is 'wrecking' Australia's landscape and said a potential future site for a nuclear plant only sustained minor damage from a 4.7 magnitude quake, sparking a fiery debate with fellow panellists. The Nationals MP and one-time deputy prime minister joined assistant Minister for Trade Tim Ayres, company director and former ACT Chief Minister Kate Carnell and campaign strategist and author Dee Madigan on ABC's Q&A on Monday night, which was hosted in Newcastle. Mr Joyce was asked by audience member David whether the recent earthquakes - including a 4.7 earthquake near Muswellbrook, NSW last month - had changed his mind about Muswellbrook as a potential site for a nuclear power plant. The shadow minister replied the alternative options are either intermittent power - which he claimed is 'wrecking' Australia's landscape - or solar and wind power, the responsibility of which is thrust on everyday Australians, he said. Mr Joyce also said he was in Muswellbrook the day after the earthquake and said only minor damage had occurred. But Mr Joyce maintained this is taken into account when designing a nuclear power plant. 'Remember, 30 countries in the world are using nuclear power, serious economies, and they all deal with issues like this. So they do engineer for that circumstance,' he said. 'I had lunch in the RSL club. The damage from that was a chimney fell over and maybe a couple of windows broke out.' Barnaby Joyce (pictured) has claimed intermittent power is 'wrecking' Australia's landscape However Ms Madigan jumped in, claiming there have been about 36 accidents related to nuclear power plants worldwide. 'Even the slightest raise in radiation means increasing miscarriage and stillbirth, in childhood cancers, I certainly wouldn't want my kids being near one,' she said. Mr Joyce was quick to demand where she had got her evidence from, asking her to 'put some substance to that' and 'what are you quoting?' 'Literally science,' Ms Madigan fired back to cheers from the audience. 'And while we're there on wind farms, who was the politician who promoted the Sapphire Wind Farm in New England? Oh, that'd be you,' she continued. 'How can you change your mind so quickly?' Mr Joyce replied: 'When the facts change, I change my mind'. However Ms Madigan hit back again, saying 'When the polls change you change your mind'. Dee Madigan (pictured) claimed there have been about 36 accidents related to nuclear power plants worldwide Ms Carnell also joined the nuclear debate, calling it an 'incredibly cheap and very carbon neutral option'. However, she said it's 'too late' for nuclear. 'Problem is it's not 20 years ago, it's now. And we've got a problem with base load power in 10 years, maybe in some states sooner than that,' she said. 'So we can't wait for nuclear now, it's too late ... we've got to have another option for base load power, and it's got to be gas.' Host Patricia Karvelas brought 18-year-old audience member Miles Punch into the debate. Former ACT Chief Minister Kate Carnell (pictured) said it's 'too late' for nuclear power The teenager from Maitland is studying maths and physics with hopes of pursuing engineering next year, and has already learned about the different types of power through his studies. 'Having looked at all of these from a non-political point of view, purely scientifically, our best option would realistically be to diversify our power grid to take it into as many forms as possible so that we don't lose our economy and our power grid when the wind isn't blowing and the sun isn't shining,' he said. 'We need to have nuclear, we need to have solar, we need to have wind.' When questioned on the cost of nuclear, Mr Punch said coal simply isn't sustainable forever. The death toll from floods across central Europe has risen, with further casualties recorded in the Czech Republic, Poland and Austria. Meanwhile, water levels have exceeded 30ft in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, submerging part of the city's Old Town area. Storm Boris, a slow moving low-pressure system, set off heavy rain on Friday that has carried on over the weekend. It brought a month's worth of rain in just 24 hours to Poland, Romania, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, along with heavy winds. But is it still safe to travel to Europe amid the ongoing deluge of rain? What should you do if you are in an area affected by flooding and what happens if the adverse weather conditions mean your flight gets cancelled? Read on below for the latest travel advice to Europe following the devastating floods. Is it safe to travel to Europe? In some countries that have been affected by continued heavy rainfall - Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland - the UK Government has advised Brits to check local conditions before you travel and follow the instructions of the relevant authorities. They have also warned holidaymakers to expect delays to their journey due to continued heavy rain. More rain is expected throughout Monday and Tuesday in Austria, the Czech Republic and south-east Germany, where another 100mm could fall. While it may still take days for the flood waters to subside, the weather will improve in central Europe from mid-week with much drier conditions. Storm Boris is now expected to move into Italy, where the Emilia-Romagna region could be hit with 100-150mm of rainfall. What should I do if my flight gets cancelled? If your flight gets cancelled, you are legally entitled to a full refund, which includes other flights from the airline that you wont use in the same booking, such as onward or return flights (File image) If your flight is cancelled, you have a number of different options. You are legally entitled to a full refund, which includes other flights from the airline that you wont use in the same booking, such as onward or return flights. You are also entitled to a replacement flight to get you to your destination. If your cancelled flight delays you by two hours or more, you have the legal right to be helped with costs. If the replacement flight offered to you has delayed you by two hours or more, and you were given less than two weeks notice, you are legally entitled to compensation. A desperate manhunt is underway for a registered sex offender who vanished following his release from jail. Dylan Jones, 25, has not been seen since his recent release and hasn't reported to Victoria Police, which is part of his strict parole conditions. He was registered as a sex offender after he served time behind bars for sexually assaulting a teenage girl in 2020. Its also alleged he has been implicated in a number of other serious crimes. Jones is described as 180cm tall, solid build, black hair, brown eyes and tanned skin. Victoria Police has launched a public appeal to track down registered sex offender Dylan Jones He is known to frequent the Melbourne suburbs of Heidelberg and Bundoora as well as the Geelong region. Anyone who spots him is urged to call triple-0 immediately and to not approach him. Anyone else with information about his whereabouts should contact Crime Stoppers. A new poll shows Vice President Kamala Harris within striking distance of former President Donald Trump in Alaska - a state Democrats have not won in a presidential election in sixty years. The new poll was conducted by Alaska Survey Research on September 11 and 12 after the ABC News presidential debate. It found Kamala Harris down by just five points among likely voters in the northwestern state. Trump had 47 percent support while Harris had 42 percent, according to the poll. The last Democrat to win the so-called Last Frontier state was President Lyndon B Johnson back in 1964. It was the only time a Democratic presidential candidate won Alaska in the state's history. New polling shows Harris only five points down in Alaska, a state Democrats have not won in a presidential election since 1964 Trump carried Alaska by more than 52 percent of the vote in 2020. He won it by 10 points over President Biden or just over 36,000 votes. The 2020 results was the smallest Republican margin in a presidential race in Alaska since 1992. In 2016, Trump won the state by more than 15 points over Hillary Clinton. The latest polling shows him still with a lead but the gap has closed dramatically in the state since his first bid for the White House. While Harris' chances of winning Alaska are low, polling analyst Nate Silver wrote over the weekend that the vice president has a better chance of taking that state than Florida or Texas. 'Our model gives Harris a 22 percent chance of carrying Alaska: considerably higher than her chances in Florida or Texas, for instance,' Silver wrote in a blog post on Sunday. It comes has the Harris campaign has argued that Florida is in play this year. Poll conducted September 11 and 12 of likely voters The polling by Alaska Survey Research found sixty-seven percent of respondents watched the presidential debate last Tuesday. Fifty-two percent of respondents said Harris won the debate. Twenty-nine percent said Trump won. While Alaska as been a solid red state in presidential elections, it is known for an independent streak. Anti-Trump Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski won her reelection bid in 2020 despite Trump backing her opponent. Democrat Mary Peltola won the special election in 2022 and then a full term in the state's ranked choice election. The doctors who are accused of enabling Mathew Perry's dangerous drug addiction may be a part of a larger problem in Hollywood. High-profile stars like Kelly Osborne and Brandon Novak came forward to discuss the Hollywood doctors loosely prescribing addictive drugs in a TMZ tell-all documentary. The documentary will air on Monday at 9 pm ET on FOX and will be released on Hulu on Tuesday, offering an inside look at what happens to some doctors' morals when they are faced with high-profile clients and generous sums of money. Dr. Drew Pinsky shared his expert commentary on the situation, calling some of the corrupted doctors 'sociopathic.' Actor Mathew Perry died after overdosing on ketamine and drowning in his Los Angeles hot tub He told TMZ: 'Something about taking care of a celebrity turns that caretaker on in a way that they don't maintain their usual judgment.' The documentary's trailer teases at celebrity testimonials to this dangerous phenomenon. 'Jackass' star Novak said to TMZ: 'It's as corrupt as you could imagine. 'I'd let them think that one day I'll bring them up to the set and I'll bring them to the radio shows and they can kind of rub elbows with these celebrities, He explained how he would often exchange 'swag' he received from sponsors or events for priority treatment at the doctor's office. Brandon Novak told TMZ that he used to trade 'swag' for drugs at doctors' offices Kelly Osborne outlined how easy it was for her to get drugs through doctors, telling TMZ that all her drug dealers were doctors Dr. Drew Pinsky revealed to TMZ that some Hollywood doctors are 'sociopathic' and forget their morals when dealing with the rich and famous Novak also revealed some of these perks included getting scripts filled early and skipping the wait for appointments. The pro-skateboarder is nine years clean of a 20-year heroin addiction. He now advocates for sober living by helping addicts get treatment, according to his official website. Osborne, who once said her 'body is pickled from all the drugs and alcohol,' painted a picture of how easy it was for her to get her hands on drugs through doctors. She told TMZ: 'If you wanted an Adderall doctor, then I knew who to talk to. If it was opiates then I also knew which people in Hollywood to go to, to find out who their new "rock doc" was. 'All my drug dealers were doctors.' Dr. Salvador Plascencia is awaiting trial for providing Perry ketamine and enabling his overdose Dr. Mark Chavez admitted to selling ketamine to Plascencia to give to Perry The TMZ documentary also reveals enablers and rehabilitation centers that play a role in the world of celebrity drug access. No doctors have been specifically named in by TMZ yet, only that doctors accused of illegally getting Perry ketamine are involved. Dr. Salvador Plascencia, 42, and Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, are the two doctors who have been accused of being connected to Perry's death. Chavez reached a plea deal in August after admitting to selling ketamine to Plascencia. He filled fake prescriptions using a former patients name and lied to wholesale ketamine distributers about how much he needed, according to the United States Attorney's Office. Plascencia, alongside North Hollywood's 'Ketamine Queen' Jasveen Sangha, 41, is being charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. 'Ketamine Queen' Jasveen Sangha is being charged alongside Plascencia for her alleged involvement in Perry's death The Friends star struggled with drug addiction and was receiving ketamine infusions to treat his depression Both Plascencia and Sangha pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial. Perry, who was being treated for depression through ketamine infusion therapy, spent $55,000 buying ketamine from Plascencia in the two months before he died on October 28, 2023. His death was attributed to drowning and the 'acute effects of ketamine.' He was found face-down in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home. Despite claiming he was sober in a memoir, sources told DailyMail.com after his death that he would have younger hook-ups from the dating apps to deliver drugs to his house. Sir Keir Starmer today said he was 'shocked and appalled' by the Huw Edwards court case. The PM expressed his disgust as he spoke to reporters on a visit to Italy this afternoon, after the former BBC star was handed a suspended sentence. 'I'm really shocked in relation to the Huw Edwards case, really shocked and appalled, as I'm sure everybody who has read or looked at it is,' Sir Keir said. Edwards was earlier handed six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Westminster Magistrates' Court after admitting accessing indecent images of children as young as seven. Asked what he thought of suspended sentences in such cases and whether he would consider a review, Sir Keir said: 'As far as the sentence is concerned, I mean, that is for the court to decide, having looked at all the available evidence. 'I have also been busy all day so I haven't looked at it, and I'm not going to get into the business of commenting on court sentences. That is a matter for the court. 'But was I shocked by what I have seen and heard? You bet I was.' Sir Keir Starmer expressed his disgust as he spoke to reporters on a visit to Italy this afternoon, after Huw Edwards was handed a suspended sentence A court sketch of Edwards in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court listening to his sentence Edwards earlier stared down at the ground as he left court with his life in tatters after being sentenced for accessing sex abuse images of children. The 63-year-old previously admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp. At Westminster Magistrates' Court, Edwards held his hands together and leaned forward throughout his sentencing hearing. He then let out a 'small sigh' as he was handed six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years. Edwards smiled broadly as he left the courtroom accompanied by a member of his legal team - carrying the same small suitcase he had brought with him, possibly in anticipation of being jailed. He later walked onto the street with his legal team before being driven away in a black Mercedes. A mugshot released of the presenter showed him staring at the camera - dead eyed and gaunt - with silver stubble across his face. The court heard Edwards told Williams 'go on' when asked if he wanted 'naughty pics and vids' of somebody described as 'yng (sic)'. The court also heard Edwards paid Williams hundreds of pounds after he sent him pornographic images, but his defence barrister Philip Evans KC said the broadcaster did not make payments to Williams in order to receive indecent images of children. A mugshot released of the presenter showed him staring at the camera - dead eyed and gaunt - with silver stubble across his face The prosecution said Williams asked Edwards for a 'Christmas gift after all the hot videos'. Prosecutor Ian Hope said: 'Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around 100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him 200.' Of the indecent images he received, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Defence barrister Philip Evans KC said Edwards was 'truly sorry' and 'recognises the repugnant nature' of the images sent to him. The former BBC journalist claimed alcohol and the decline in his mental health played a part in the sick chats. The BBC said following the sentencing: 'We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.' A federal judge has canceled an October trial date and set a change-of-plea hearing in a fraud case involving the owners of a Colorado funeral home where authorities discovered 190 decaying bodies. Jon and Carie Hallford were indicted in April on fraud charges, accused of misspending nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds on vacations, jewelry and other personal expenses. They own the Return to Nature Funeral Home based in Colorado Springs and in Penrose, where the bodies were found. The indictment alleges that the Hallfords gave families dry concrete instead of cremated ashes and buried the wrong body on two occasions. The couple also allegedly collected more than $130,000 from families for cremations and burial services they never provided. Jon and Carie Hallford were indicted in April on fraud charges, accused of misspending nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds on vacations, jewelry and other personal expenses The Hallfords own the Return to Nature Funeral Home based in Colorado Springs and in Penrose, where the bodies were found The 15 charges brought by the federal grand jury are separate from the more than 200 criminal counts pending against the Hallfords in state court for corpse abuse, money laundering, theft and forgery. In August, a judge ordered the Hallfords to pay $950 million to the families. Carie Hallford filed a statement with the court Thursday saying 'a disposition has been reached in the instant case' and asking for a change-of-plea hearing. Jon Hallford's request said he wanted a hearing 'for the court to consider the proposed plea agreement.' The judge granted their request to vacate the October 15 trial date and all related dates and deadlines. The change-of-plea hearings were set for October 24. The Hallford's funeral home promised families a more natural burial, offering to bury bodies without embalming fluids or metal caskets if families opted not to have remains cremated. Relatives would pay upwards of $1,200 for an eco-friendly end, which also came with the promise of a tree planting in the Colorado National Forest. But last November, investigators found almost 200 bodies in 'abhorrent conditions' inside the property, which had been left at room temperature to rot. The bodies were found after neighbors issued complaints over a 'dead animal smell' covering the area around the funeral home. Some of the bodies had been in the maggot-infested building for years before they were discovered following reports of a foul odor. By the time of the raid it owed more than $120,000 in unpaid bills and had been repeatedly taken to court over unpaid wages and disputes with local medical centers. When they were charged, investigators claimed the couple used money from the families to buy two vehicles worth over $120,000. The couple's funeral home promised an eco-friendly final act for relatives, who would pay upwards of $1,200 for amenities including tree planting in the Colorado National Forest In addition to their funeral home, they used a building in the nearby rural community of Penrose as a body storage facility, prosecutors say. In April, it was also alleged by federal prosecutors that the Hallfords lied to obtain $882,3000 in relief funds, which they spent on themselves instead of their business. Samantha Naranjo (right) discovered that the body of mother Dorothy had been warehoused for more than a year in the dilapidated building CO DA holds press conference on the Return to Nature Funeral Home At a pre-trial hearing earlier this year, FBI Agent Andrew Cohen testified that money, an adjustment to a pandemic-era small business loan given to the Hallfords, was fraudulently obtained after Hallford lied by saying he was not behind on child support payments. At an earlier hearing for Carie Hallford, prosecutors presented texts suggesting that she and her husband tried to cover up their financial difficulties by leaving the bodies at the Penrose site. Relatives said they raised their suspicions with the couple but were ignored or brushed off by them every time. When the family of retired Army officer Tanya Wilson received her ashes, her brother Elliot thought they were unusually heavy and confronted Carie Hallford. When he took them to a nearby funeral director he was told 'I've never seen anything that looks like that in the range of what cremated remains would typically expect to look like.' Chrystina Page, right, holds back Heather De Wolf, as she yells at Jon Hallford, left, as he leaves with his lawyers following a preliminary hearing, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024 Two families were so suspicious they mixed the 'ashes' with water and found that they solidified. Samantha Naranjo discovered that the body of mother Dorothy had been warehoused for more than a year in the dilapidated building. She told KRDO: 'We were hurt, we were frustrated, now we're angry. We want justice. Not just for us, but every single one of those victims. Every one of them. 'Their family deserves to be at peace, the community deserves justice.' Huw Edwards' mental health may have been a key factor that kept him out of prison, lawyers told MailOnline today. The disgraced BBC News star's remorse and prison overcrowding could also have been considerations that counted in his favour. The 63-year-old was sentenced by a magistrate to six months in prison suspended for two years after admitting three charges of 'making' indecent photographs. Liam Kotrie, a criminal defence solicitor at Mary Monson Solicitors who has dealt with 'hundreds' of sex abuse image cases, said first time offenders were very rarely jailed. However, he said it was 'very rare' for someone like Edwards who had received a Category A image - the most serious category - not be sentenced in crown court or receive a sexual harm prevention order. Huw Edwards' remorse and prison overcrowding may also have been factors that counted in his favour, lawyers suggested today Liam Kotrie, a criminal defence solicitor at Mary Monson Solicitors who has dealt with 'hundreds' of sex abuse image cases, said first time offenders were very rarely jailed Maria Karaiskos KC, criminal barrister at Church Court Chambers, said the judge would have taken into account Edwards' mental health struggles before passing sentence 'I've never heard of a case of possession of category A images that stayed in magistrates court for sentencing, it's very unusual. I've never had that and I've done hundreds of them,' he told MailOnline. 'And the fact that he didn't receive a sexual harm prevention order is very rare. 'I had a case where someone had a handful of Category C images where someone managed to convince a judge not to give them a sexual harm prevention order, but they are almost always given for these cases. 'I can't say why this case stayed in magistrates court. But the only difference I can see to the vast majority of cases is Huw Edwards' celebrity.' There has been criticism in some quarters over the decision not to hand Edwards a prison sentence when many people involved in recent far-right rioting had been jailed. But Mr Kotrie said the jailing of rioters was a response to a 'national crisis' that required courts to 'set an example' to deter further unrest and said first-time offenders for sex abuse image possession offences were very rarely jailed. 'I've never had a client who has gone to prison on the first occasion,' he said. 'Most of the time these cases involve middle age or older men who are suffering from some kind of mental health condition, often depression, who find themselves committing these offences, and don't do it again. 'The reason is rehabilitation is key and it works. When someone is caught for this offence it's very unlikely to reoffend. 'The rioting was a national crisis and had to be nipped in the bud immediately. And it was done so by fast tracking cases and handing immediate prison sentences. 'This was within days of those offences taking place. These cases of possession of indecent images take years to get to court and aren't nearly as good a chance to set an example. 'That was an almost unique, or very rare situation, where there was a societal breakdown in certain towns.' Edwards leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court with his legal team following his sentencing A court sketch of Edwards in the dock at Westminster Crown Court listening to his sentence Maria Karaiskos KC, criminal barrister at Church Court Chambers, said the judge would have taken into account various factors when deciding Edwards' sentence. 'The Court will have considered whether Edwards has a history of similar or repeat offending and whether he poses a risk of similar behaviour in the future,' she said. 'Balanced with this are mitigating factors such as remorse, lack of previous convictions, and Edwards' evident mental health struggles. Prison overcrowding is also a factor the Court must now take into account, given recent concerns over capacity. 'Some have noted the sentencing of recent rioters in light of today's news. In Edwards' case, the Court has followed the applicable Sentencing Guidelines, taking into account the appropriate mitigating factors. His guilty plea at the first hearing was also a factor in this decision.' Alan Collins, partner at the sex abuse team at Hugh James law firm, pointed out that many rioters had 'little mitigation'. He told MailOnline: 'Edwards' defence argued the case for his ill mental health, alongside the fact he did not go on and distribute the images himself. Had it not been for this mitigation, he would have gone to prison immediately.' Nicola Bruce, senior associate at Olliers Solicitors, said Edwards' sentence was 'standard' and what she would 'expect to see'. 'In reaching its decision, the court would have taken into account the credit for Edwards's early guilty pleas, which reduces a sentence by one-third, his remorse, previous good character and the recommendation provided by the Probation Service in the Pre-Sentence Report,' she said. 'The sentence received by Edwards is standard and what I would expect to see considering the facts and circumstances of his case, namely the number of offences and his background. 'Following his guilty plea, Edwards would have automatically been made subject to notification requirements as part of the Sex Offender Registration for seven years (this is mandatory). 'Whilst he is a public figure, this should not be compared to the sentence passed to the rioters, whose sentences were subjected to uplifts due to the racial aggravation and targeting of emergency workers.' A mugshot released of the presenter showed him staring at the camera - dead eyed and gaunt - with silver stubble across his face Huw Edwards leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court with his legal team following his sentencing Edwards was sentenced at a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court today. The chief magistrate, district judge Paul Goldspring, said: 'Perhaps it does not need saying but you are of previous good character, I accept positive exemplary character, having enjoyed a very successful career in the media. 'It is obvious that until now you were very highly regarded by the public for your dedication and professionalism, you were perhaps the most recognised news reader/journalist in the UK. 'It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters.' What does 'making' indecent images mean? Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of 'making' indecent images of children in July. The Crown Prosecution Service says it can include: opening an email attachment containing an image downloading an image from a website to a screen storing an image on a computer accessing a pornographic website in which an image appears in an automatic 'pop-up' window receiving an image via social media, even if unsolicited and even if part of a group or live-streaming images of children A court must also decide whether an offence calls into the category of possession, distribution or production. Advertisement The judge also said that the financial and reputational damage Edwards suffered was 'the natural consequence of your behaviour which you brought upon yourself'. He told the court: 'I make clear that the loss of your distinguished career and the financial and reputational damage caused are not, in my view, significant mitigating factors, but rather natural consequences of your behaviour which you brought upon yourself.' Judge Goldspring said it is 'obvious that these are extremely serious offences', quoting the author of the pre-sentence report who wrote: 'The continued distribution of child abuse images perpetuates a cycle of abuse to fulfil the demand for the sexualisation of children. 'Victims may be aware that their images may be or are still circulating on the internet, and this can lead to feelings of on-going traumatisation. 'The impact of child sexual abuse involving imagery can be severe and lifelong, with the potential for children to be re-victimised each time images are viewed. They may feel guilt, shame, and self-blame, and be vulnerable to further sexual abuse.' He highlighted the young ages of children involved in two of the Category A images, in which one child is aged around seven to nine, as a 'significant aggravating feature'. The judge accepted that Edwards did not make payments in order to pay for images to be sent. 'I agree with the prosecution analysis, this appears to be by way of an apparent 'thank you', but not 'purchasing' images in a way more often seen in such cases,' he said. The chief magistrate said the medical evidence appears to confirm that Edwards had no memory of viewing any particular image because of his mental health at the time, and accepted that the former broadcaster did not store or send the images or gain any gratification from them. The court was taken through details of Edwards's mental health history, with reference made to one report by a consultant psychiatrist and neuropsychiatrist that recorded Edwards took two months of sick leave 'following an anonymous denunciation' in 2018. The same psychiatrist concluded Edwards was at 'considerable risk of harm from others' and the risk of taking his own life was 'high and significant' if he was imprisoned. Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Huw Edwards that led to the newsreader's downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot Another medical report, by a forensic psychosexual therapist, said: 'The feelings of being desirable and unseen alongside Mr Edwards' unresolved sexual orientation created a perfect storm where he engaged in sexual infidelities and became vulnerable to people blackmailing him.' The judge said he believed the former broadcaster's remorse was genuine and that his mental health at the time of the offences could have impaired his decision-making. On Edwards' risk of reoffending, the judge said: 'I am of the clear view that you do not present a risk or danger to the public at large, specifically to children. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.' He declined to make a sexual harm prevention order against Edwards. A 13-year-old schoolboy who slit his classmate's throat and wounded at least four people during a rampage with a hammer, knife and air pistol in Russia this morning has given a chilling account of the massacre. Suspect Roman Gizutlin was arrested after the vicious attack, in which a pupil entered the school in Chelyabinsk and began 'randomly beating up his peers'. A girl was rushed to hospital in serious condition and underwent surgery to save her life after she had her throat cut and was hit on the head with a hammer. A second girl was also undergoing emergency surgery, and several more were injured during the attack. In the teen's testimony, which was leaked to multiple Russian media outlets, he told told of how he unleashed his rampage. He explained how he ran into a classroom and 'shot the girls twice very quickly', adding that 'then I started hitting them with hammer's. Alleged school attacker Roman G. or Roman Gizutulin [he has been named in Russia] , 13, accused of attacking fellow students in a school rampage today, September 16, in Chelyabinsk, Russia A student was left fighting for their life after being hit in the head with a hammer on Monday Valeria E, 13, wounded in a school attack by a pupil going on the rampage The young boy also said that he repeatedly hit one of his victims, before turning to the other girl and also hitting her on the head. The first time on the head. He also confirmed that a teacher at the school 'tried to take the hammer away from me' but he managed to get away. The teen also shared that he had wanted to broadcast the attack online, but that it had failed. When asked why, he said it was 'so that everyone would look at me', confirming that he wanted to become famous from the footage. It has now been reported by friends of the attacker that he had been 'bullied' at school and that his parents were being held for questioning over the incident. Hours before the incident he had posted a rant on social media in which he said 'Putin has enslaved the population', accusing the dictator of 'Nazism'. Investigators are still trying to understand the motive for the brutal attack. A handprint left on the window at the school in Chelyabinsk after the attack on the school News outlet Baza reported that the suspect 'came to school all in black in the middle of the first lesson, but did not go straight to the classroom, but walked past and went towards the toilet. 'A few minutes later, he ran screaming into the classroom where the Biology lesson was taking place and started waving a hammer. 'First, he hit one of the girls on the head, then the teacher. 'After that, Roman hit another girl and a boy, ran out of the classroom and ran down the corridor.' The suspected attacker, named as Roman G, was ultimately detained by the National Guard at the remedial School number 68 and taken to a psychiatrist. Four people were initially reported to have been injured, including a 13-year-old girl who is expected to be placed into an induced coma. The seriously wounded girl named Valeria E was reportedly undergoing surgery in an attempt to save her life. All four injured during the rampage - including the teacher, two girls and a boy - were taken to hospital. Biology teacher Nina Shoshina, 57, was wounded as she tried to overpower the boy and protect her children at the school in Urals city Chelyabinsk. The teacher said from hospital that the attacker 'ran into the Biology room five minutes before the end of the lesson. 'He was holding a gun and a hammer. He didn't say anything, he just screamed.' Lenta reported that the boy had brought an air gun into class. The National Guard was called in to arrest one suspect, as ambulance took victims to hospital The suspect was taken to a psychiatric facility after the attack, local media reported 'I immediately started screaming to stop him. I ran up to him, but the girls were a little faster,' the teacher added. 'He hit both of them on the head with a hammer, then I got hit on the arm, shoulder and head.' A student in another class told of the horrific incident. 'We were sitting in physics class and heard screams in the hallway on the second floor,' said an eighth-grade student. 'It was almost 9am. We wondered what was going on. 'The teacher came out and saw that everyone was covered in blood. She tried to protect her classmate from the blow, but it didn't work. 'There was blood in the hallway and in the toilet. They then escorted us out of the building.' A grandmother of one of the wounded girls said: 'He went into the classroom, sat there for a while, came out with a gun, an axe, a knife - and this is what happened. Other reports said he was armed with a hammer not an axe, and was detained in the toilets. The suspect was also alleged to have been taking part in a sinister online suicide game which involved wounding people before taking his own life. Investigators said they would look into the claims as they probe the organisation of security and compliance with school regulations. The Investigative Committee has begun criminal proceedings for negligence and attempted murder, TASS reports. Hours before the attack, the student posted on Telegram about the so-called 'slavery' of the school system. 'School is designed to make young children slaves and distract them from the truth of our government,' he wrote, according to Lenta. 'In schools they instil what is good and what is bad, but in reality there is no good and bad,' he wrote. 'And there is no hell. Our great nation needs freedom of speech.' The boy's father said he was more interested in playing Minecraft, but that he had been bullied at school, with classmates spitting on him and 'morally destroying him'. The scene is sealed off after the National Guard were brought in to stop the rampage Four people were taken to hospital as authorities swept in to detain the child Regional governor Alexei Texler said: 'A schoolboy attacked other pupils and teachers. 'There are victims. They are hospitalised, all necessary medical care is being provided.' He stressed: 'An investigation is underway. A big question is how the student brought a hammer into the school. Why did the security not react?' 'At 9:20 a.m. local time (4:20 a.m. GMT), the local police department received a report that a schoolboy born in 2011 injured his classmates and a teacher with various objects,' the regional branch of the Russian Interior Ministry said in a statement. 'The number of injured is being determined. The school staff called the Russian National Guard, which detained the schoolboy.' The Liberal Democrats today 'overwhelmingly' backed a full ban on UK arms sales to Israel over claims of human rights abuses during its war in Gaza. Sir Ed Davey's party also restated its call for immediate recognition of a Palestinian state in a vote at its annual conference in Brighton. The 'emergency' motion was moved by foreign affairs spokeswoman Layla Moran, whose mother is Palestinian, and came after talks with Lib Dem groups groups supporting both sides in the conflict. It also includes calls for stronger sanctions against the 'destabilising' activities of Iran and its proxies in the region, including Hamas and Hezbollah. Ms Moran told the conference: 'This region is now a tinder box, we now need to wrest control from these extremes... Israel began its military campaign in Gaza on October 7 last year after Hamas led a shock incursion into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. The resulting assault on Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's health ministry, and reduced much of the territory to rubble. Layla Moran told the conference: 'This region is now a tinder box, we now need to wrest control from these extremes.' While the vote was passed easily there was criticism of it from some Lib Dem delegates. Johnathan Gale, a councillor in Hemel Hempstead, said Israel was 'a liberal democracy facing its darkest hour'. 'When there are suspected human rights abuses anywhere in the world, UK arms should not be allowed to be used. Right now that includes Gaza, but also, crucially, the West Bank.' While the vote was passed easily there was criticism of it from some Lib Dem delegates. Johnathan Gale, a councillor in Hemel Hempstead, said Israel was 'a liberal democracy facing its darkest hour'. 'Israel is in a war for survival,' he added. 'If you disarm Israel there will be no more Israel.' Israel began its military campaign in Gaza on October 7 last year after Hamas led a shock incursion into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. The resulting assault on Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's health ministry, and reduced much of the territory to rubble. Hamas chief Yehya Sinwar has congratulated the Yemeni Houthi group for its missile attack on Israel and said this sent a message to their foe, the Houthi Al-Massirah TV reported today. The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control northern Yemen, reached central Israel with a missile on Sunday for the first time, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to say Israel would inflict a 'heavy price' on them. An Israeli military official said the missile was hit by an interceptor and fragmented in the air. Missile pieces landed in fields and near a railway station. There were no direct casualties but nine people were lightly hurt while seeking cover. Keir Starmer delivered a fresh hint at a shift on Ukraine using long-range missiles against Vladimir Putin today. The PM insisted Nato countries should put Kyiv 'in the best possible position' amid rising speculation that Storm Shadow weapons will be signed off for strikes on Russia. Sir Keir met Joe Biden in in the White House for talks on the issue last week, and discussed it with Italian premier Giorgia Meloni in Rome today. Last year, the UK donated Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, but the weapons remain off limits beyond Ukraine's borders despite repeated requests from Volodymyr Zelensky. At a joint press conference with Ms Meloni, Sir Keir was asked about Putin's warning that allowing long-range strikes 'would mean that Nato countries, the United States, and European countries are at war with Russia'. Keir Starmer delivered a fresh hint at a shift on Ukraine using long-range missiles against Vladimir Putin today The PM insisted Nato countries should put Kyiv 'in the best possible position' amid rising speculation that Storm Shadow weapons will be signed off for strikes on Russia Sir Keir said: 'I think it is important for us to start from the fundamental position, which is that this is an illegal war started by Russia and, as a result, Ukraine has the right to self defence, and we have all Italy, the UK and other allies, Nato allies in particular been standing with Ukraine.' He added: 'It's a war against the values of democracy, of freedom and the rule of law, which apply to all of us in our respective countries, but across all of the allies. That is why we've supplied capability, we've supplied training, we've supplied money, and there are further commitments to be made recently in relation to all of those. 'I think it's very important as a matter of principle that we put Ukraine in the best possible position, and that's what we've been discussing. We've had the opportunity today to touch on that. 'I had the opportunity in recent days to touch on that. I'm not going to go into individual capabilities. You wouldn't expect me to do that, but the principle framework, I think, is absolutely right, and we'll continue to have our discussions in relation to it.' Ms Meloni shared echoed Keir's commitment to Ukraine's defence, but said permission for long-range missiles is the responsibility of individual countries. She said: 'With regards to Ukraine, of course, Kyiv, it is very important for us that Kyiv has the very best conditions to sit at the peace table. And this is exactly what we've been doing right from the start, and what we're trying to do to guarantee the best conditions to achieve this. At a joint press conference with Ms Meloni, Sir Keir was asked about Putin's warning that allowing long-range strikes 'would mean that Nato countries, the United States, and European countries are at war with Russia' 'And with regards to the authorisation of using long-range missiles, these are decisions which are made by single countries which provide these weapons, bearing in mind their constitution and their legal framework. In Italy this authorisation, as you know today, as of yet, is not debatable, but these are all decisions which we fully share with our allies.' Senior Tories have been pushing for the UK to give Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia with Storm Shadow missiles even without US agreement. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has also backed Kyiv's right to strike at targets in Russia. Germany chancellor Olaf Scholz was warned that escalating conflict with Russia would lead to 'irreparable consequences for the whole of humanity and especially countries directly involved' by a Putin-allied world leader. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told the German leader as he visited Uzbekistan as part of a three-day tour across Central Asia today that Russia was 'militarily invincible', adding: 'Further escalation of the war will lead to irreparable consequences for the whole of humanity and, above all, for all the countries directly involved in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. 'It is necessary to carefully consider all the peace initiatives of various states and come to a decision to stop hostilities and then move on to discussing territorial issues,' Tokayev added, citing China and Brazil's peace efforts. Ex-Soviet Kazakhstan has refused to condone Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has ruled out recognising Moscow's claim to have annexed four Ukrainian regions in September 2022. Germany chancellor Olaf Scholz (pictured) was warned that escalating conflict with Russia would lead to 'irreparable consequences for the whole of humanity' A warship launches a missile during the joint strategic command and staff exercise 'Ocean 2024' involving the Russian Navy and the Chinese Navy in the Sea of Japan, in this still image taken from video released September 16, 2024 Though the nation has officially maintained a relatively neutral position towards the war, and no longer considers Russia as a security guarantor, it still maintains a close relationship with the Kremlin. The Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) intervened in 2022 to foil an attempted coup against Tokayev, indebting the leader to Putin and his allies. Kazakhstan's trade with Russia also increased in the years following the invasion of Ukraine, with more than $50billion (38billion) being traded between the two nations, according to Chatham House. The thinktank added that nearly half of all foreign companies registered in Kazakhstan are now Russian, highlighting the deep economic link between the two nations. Scholz said on his central Asian tour that he was interested in 'utilising and developing' Uzbekistan's vast natural resources. Germany and other EU countries have sought to deepen ties with Central Asia in recent years, looking to the region for their energy needs as they cut links with Russia over the Ukraine war. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, left, and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pose for a photo during their meeting Scholz said on his central Asian tour that he was interested in 'utilising and developing' Uzbekistan's vast natural resources 'We want to jointly utilise and develop the potential of the raw materials that are located here for the benefit of the economies of both countries,' Scholz told Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at a roundtable of business leaders in the Uzbek city of Samarkand. 'It is impressive how strongly the economy is developing and how modernisation is progressing,' Scholz said. Several European leaders have visited Central Asia in recent months, including French President Emmanuel Macron. The region's five states are rich in natural resources and have taken on increasing political weight as European countries and China look for sources of energy and raw materials. Huw Edwards took two months of sick leave from the BBC after an 'anonymous denunciation' six years ago, it emerged in court today. The revelation came as the disgraced presenter was handed a suspended jail sentence after admitting to accessing indecent images of children as young as seven. Detailed reports by psychiatrists gave an insight into how the veteran anchorman's life spiralled out of control after he began 'a social media presence which allowed him to interact with people that otherwise he would never have engaged with'. The father-of-five's relationship with TV producer wife Vicky Flind began to deteriorate and he started to 're-engage with his sexual interest in men which had been managed since 1994'. The court heard that Edwards took two months of sick leave in 2018, and onwards he showed 'non trivial' impairment on his decision-making capacity and judgement. This was the same year he and Alex Williams began exchanging messages and male pornographic images. Huw Edwards took two months sick leave from the BBC after an 'anonymous denunciation' six years ago, it emerged in court today. He is pictured outside court in July Edwards made his way through the media melee before being driven away in a black Mercedes when at court in July Edwards is seen on screen for what would be the last time before the scandal became public, when he covered King Charles' visit to Scotland Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Huw Edwards that led to the newsreader's downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot Fellow Welshman Williams, 25, was one of several young people the disgraced presenter was talking to on social media. Their relationship quickly flourished and Edwards and Williams shared a video call in May 2018 - even going as far as meeting in person. The majority of the photos and videos shared by the two men featured younger-looking adult males, which were not illegal. However, by the time the UK was in lockdown in December 2020, Williams - with access to the dark web - used an encrypted WhatsApp platform to share sharing indecent images of children. Welsh Police were investigating Williams and discovered his connection to Edwards by accident. However he later admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by the convicted paedophile Williams. And at Westminster Magistrates' Court today, Edwards held his hands together and leaned forward throughout his sentencing hearing as he was handed six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years. Court reports highlighted how Edwards, 63, became 'fixated' with online sexual images while 'experiencing poor mental health, increased use of alcohol and a deterioration within his intimate relationship.' They also described how he began leading 'an unhealthy lifestyle featuring excessive use and misuse of prescribed medication'. In July, Edwards admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court today with a wheelie suitcase One report highlighted how Edwards had been psychologically damaged by his upbringing with a 'monstrous' father, and how he felt like an 'outsider in the BBC' after failing to get into Oxford or Cambridge university and ended up 'at Cardiff instead'. Dr Michael Isaac, a consultant psychiatrist and neuropsychiatrist, wrote: 'Mr Edwards is a complex individual, with a psychologically challenging upbringing, in which his relationship with his father was particularly challenging and probably damaging psychologically. 'The restrictive, puritanical, but often hypocritical, background of growing up in the particular cultural milieu of South Wales, with a father who was highly regarded and lauded outside the family, but was perceived as behaving monstrously within the family, created both an enduring cognitive dissonance and low self-esteem, compounded by a sense of being inferior (by not getting into Oxford and going to Cardiff instead) and being therefore something of an outsider at the BBC.' His late father Hywel Teifi Edwards was a Plaid Cymru and Welsh language activist and an author and academic, who was research professor of Welsh-language Literature at University College of Swansea. Dr Isaac continued: 'I consider that all of this, including and, as well as the persistent depressive disorder, with intermittent bouts of clinical depression...significantly and adversely affected Mr Edwards' decision making in relation to looking after himself and, crucially in this context, his interaction with co-workers and strangers via social media. His reported conduct reflects this. Westminster Magistrates' Court heard on Monday how Huw Edwards had replied 'yes xxx' when asked if he wanted a set of indecent images of children (note: This is not the actual text message exchange) It was also told that Edwards had told Williams that ages 'can be deceptive' when told one of the subjects in an image was 'quite yng looking', before asking if he had 'any more? (note: This is not the actual text message exchange) 'I consider that from approximately 2018 when Mr Edwards took two months of sick leave following an anonymous denunciation, Mr Edwards on balance exhibited a mental impairment that had a significant (non-trivial) effect on his ability to carry out day-to-day activities, including his decision-making capacity and judgment.' What does 'making' indecent images mean? Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of 'making' indecent images of children in July. The Crown Prosecution Service says it can include: opening an email attachment containing an image downloading an image from a website to a screen storing an image on a computer accessing a pornographic website in which an image appears in an automatic 'pop-up' window receiving an image via social media, even if unsolicited and even if part of a group or live-streaming images of children A court must also decide whether an offence calls into the category of possession, distribution or production. Advertisement In another report, forensic psychosexual therapist Dr Virginia Appleyard described how Edwards was 'particularly destabilised through the process of commencing a social media presence which allowed him to interact with people that otherwise he would never have engaged with'. Dr Appleyard wrote: 'His social media engagement presented as an easy way to manage his low mood and provided him with a number of men and women who were motivated to be sexual with him which not only boosted his fragile self-esteem but allowed him to re-engage with his sexual interest in men which had been managed since 1994. 'The feelings of being desirable and unseen alongside Mr. Edwards' unresolved sexual orientation created a perfect storm where he engaged in sexual infidelities and became vulnerable to people blackmailing him.' Outlining the declining state of his marriage the documents say: 'At the time of the offences and over a period of two to three years, Mr Edwards described a deterioration in the relationship. 'His wife was experiencing high levels of stress as her mother was nearing end of life and the couple became increasingly distant from one another. 'Mr Edwards recognises that he was also detached and 'not present' at a time when she needed his support. 'Despite having previously been very close, he recalls this period as the most difficult part of their marriage and their levels of intimacy had significantly decreased. 'Mr Edwards has been keen to stress that he does not consider his bisexuality as permission for infidelity and he expresses high levels of remorse for the betrayal of his partner and children and is aware that he has eroded the trust placed in him.' At the time of the offending Edwards described 'an unhealthy lifestyle featuring excessive use and misuse of prescribed medication. Edwards was previously anchor of News at Ten and one of Britain's most prominent newsreaders Huw Edwards shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II during a royal visit to BBC Studios in London in June 2013 The report said: 'He has expressed some disappointment that although family members had commented on these changes, there had not been a greater effort by those around him to challenge him openly about this. 'He asserts that he does not seek to place blame on others for his own failings but he became so entrenched in his own situation and deteriorating mental health, that he was unable to objectively assess and take positive action.' The medical reports also state how Edwards had been assessed as a suicide risk but had also been making plans for the future. The report revealed how Edwards 'would welcome further assistance in developing his future plans, particularly in the area of vocational or volunteering endeavours which he is mindful will need to be managed alongside restrictions placed upon him.' Westminster Magistrates' Court heard Edwards told Williams 'go on' when asked if he wanted 'naughty pics and vids' of somebody described as 'yng (sic)'. Chief Magistrate, district judge Paul Goldspring, said reputational and financial damage was the 'natural consequence of your behaviour which you brought upon yourself'. The BBC said Edwards had 'betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him' - adding that the corporation was 'appalled by his crimes'. The 63-year-old looked haggard while passing a throng of the world's media today Court artist drawing by Elizabeth Cook of former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court today The court also heard Edwards paid Williams hundreds of pounds after he sent him pornographic images, but his defence barrister Philip Evans KC said the broadcaster did not make payments to Williams in order to receive indecent images of children. The prosecution said Williams asked Edwards for a 'Christmas gift after all the hot videos'. Prosecutor Ian Hope said: 'Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around 100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him 200.' Of the indecent images he received, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Mr Evans said Edwards 'recognises that he has betrayed the priceless trust and faith of so many people', adding that he is 'truly sorry' for how he had 'damaged his family and his loved ones' and for committing the offences. Huw Edwards was snared by chance by police in Wales who were investigating Williams and stumbled on his messages to the now-disgraced newsreader (Edwards is pictured leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court in July) Sentencing Edwards, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told the broadcaster: 'Perhaps it does not need saying but you are of previous good character.' The judge said he accepts Edwards had been of 'exemplary' good character 'having enjoyed a very successful career in the media'. 'It's obvious that until now you were very highly regarded by the public,' he continued, adding that Edwards was 'perhaps the most recognised newsreader-journalist'. 'It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters,' the judge said. He also told Edwards he would be subject to 25 rehabilitation sessions and be placed on the sex offender treatment programme for 40 days. Edwards was also ordered to pay 3,000 in prosecution costs and was told he would be put on the sex offenders' register for seven years. He declined to make a sexual harm prevention order against Edwards. Overall, the charges cover a period between December 2020 and August 2021. Following his guilty pleas, the BBC admitted it was informed that the former TV presenter had been arrested in November, but continued to employ him for around five months until he left on medical advice. It has asked Edwards to repay the 200,000 salary he has received since his arrest. BBC director-general Tim Davie said the money should be returned and that the corporation will 'explore' the legal process if Edwards refuses. During his four decades at the corporation, Edwards was among the broadcasting teams leading coverage of historic events including the late Queen's funeral in 2022 and most recently the coronation of the King in May 2023. Edwards also announced the late Queen's death on the BBC in September 2022. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was 'shocked and appalled' by the case, adding that Edwards' sentence was 'for the court to decide, having looked at all the available evidence'. A California school is in shock after the sudden death of a popular student just a month after her dance troupe wowed judges on America's Got Talent. Emily Gold, 17, was found dead under a bridge in an apparent suicide on the eastbound 210 Highway in Rancho Cucamonga just before midnight on Friday. The San Bernardino Coroner's Office is treating Emily's death as a suicide. She had been part of the Los Osos High School dance team that reached the quarterfinals of the reality TV competition with its high-energy routine. A GoFundMe campaign has already raised nearly half of its $50,000 target as devastated friends of the dancer have paid tribute on social media. Emily Gold was found dead on the eastbound 210 Highway in Rancho Cucamonga on Friday night, weeks after competing on America's Got Talent Devastated friends of the talented dancer have paid tribute on social media. 'Let it be known that she now rests easy although there were many that loved Emily Gold and even looked up to her,' Samantha Shaw wrote on Facebook. 'She will be remembered none the less by her fellow Grizzlies and by those who loved her with all their heart and soul. 'Emily Gold, thank you for all that you have done in this world. You have done more than enough. Claws up to you Emily. Claws up.' America's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell gave a standing ovation after the group's appearance at the auditions in May this year. 'It was absolutely brilliant,' he told the panel. 'What I loved about this was first of all the energy. I think what I just saw is everything a great school should be doing, which is encouraging talent and friendship. 'It reminded me of seeing the High School Musical movie and thinking "every kid should go to a school like that."' America's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell gave a standing ovation after the group's appearance at the auditions in May Emily was a member of both the school's Varsity Dance Team and its Varsity cheer squad Emily in her final Instagram post four weeks ago Several callers alerted California Highway Patrol after seeing Emily on the road just east of Haven Avenue. A CHP spokesman said that a number of vehicles had struck her body by the time officers arrived, and at least one had failed to stop. The school broke the news of the senior's death with a message to students on Saturday. 'Emily was on both our Varsity Dance Team and Varsity cheer squad, our thoughts and prayer are with the family as they grieve.' 'Please keep Emily and her loved ones and friends in your thoughts and prayers,' added Los Osos High School Principal Eric Cypher in a written statement. Fellow troupe member Mia Bustamante said Emily would be 'missed beyond words.' 'You brought me the most beautiful form of love I could ask for. My best friend, my forever dance sister,' she wrote on Instagram. A teenager who was left to die on the sofa while watching Tipping Point had caught her mother having sex with men in their home, an inquiry has heard. Mother Sharon Goldie, 49, thought her 13-year-old daughter was 'exaggerating' and just had a stomach bug so she refused to let her go to the hospital in Wishaw, Lanarkshire in 2018. She left Robyn on the sofa to watch TV while she went to the pub - but returned to find her unresponsive on the sofa. The mother sat outside drinking with a friend and later checked on her daughter who had stopped breathing. Robyn died after developing peritonitis and a perforated duodenal ulcer. An inquiry into her death heard Goldie had been 'entertaining men at home drunk' and Robyn was exposed to her mother's sexual activity. The teenager's bedroom door had been taken off by her mother and had never been put back again, the inquiry heard. Robyn Goldie, 13, (left) became unwell at her home in Scotland but rather than get her help, her mother Sharon Goldie (right) went out to the pub Goldie was jailed for three years and six months in 2020 after admitting wilful ill treatment and neglect between July 2017 and July 2018. She also admitted failing to provide Robyn with adequate food, clothing or heating, hitting her and permitting her to smoke cannabis and drink alcohol. She also pleaded guilty to exposing her daughter to unhygienic living conditions including cat urine and cat faeces which led to her getting fleas. The inquiry into Robyn's death was called by Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC, after ruling the circumstances of Robyn's death gave rise to 'serious public concern'. It will examine the circumstances in which Robyn died, to see what reasonable precautions could have been taken, and could be implemented in the future, to minimise the risk of other deaths in similar circumstances. The inquiry will have particular focus on the interactions with social work services. Procurator Fiscal Katrina Parkes, who leads on death investigations for COPFS, said: 'The Lord Advocate considers that the death of Robyn Goldie occurred in circumstances giving rise to significant public concern and as such a discretionary Fatal Accident Inquiry should be held. 'An FAI will allow a full public airing of all the available evidence at which interested parties will be represented. The evidence will be tested in a public setting and be the subject of an independent judicial determination.' The inquiry heard Robyn had told social workers she had caught her mother engaging in sexual activity. The information had been passed on to staff at her school who had flagged it up as causing concern for her welfare. The fatal accident inquiry at Hamilton Sheriff Court heard concern mounted about Robyn's safety after she returned to Goldie's care after staying with her grandmother for eight years. Maggie Mellon, an independent social worker who compiled a report on the case, told the inquiry there was 'disturbing' evidence about what Robyn was experiencing. Mellon, 70, said: 'The biggest question was whether she could safely stay in her mother's care and it was thought she could be made safe through advice and guidance. 'There was some disturbing evidence being known such as that Robyn did not have a bedroom door which had been taken off by Sharon and had never been put back again. 'Her mother had been entertaining men at home drunk and Robyn had been exposed to her mother's sexual activity and there were adult men in the house behaving inappropriately towards Robyn in the home.' Mellon also revealed Goldie told social workers that she did not want to look after Robyn following her return to live with her. She added: 'I'm conscious that she was very stressed and didn't want to look after her because of the stress it was causing her.' Mellon said she was unsure how much Goldie, who suffered a brain injury in the 1980s, was aware of how ill Robyn was before she died. Goldie admitted wilful ill treatment and neglect of her daughter between July 2017 and July 2018 and was jailed for three years and six months in October 2020 Mellon said: 'I think Sharon might not have known how ill Robyn was because she was being told to be firm, have boundaries and be there for her daughter but I'm not sure how much Sharon understood and clearly she did not understand that Robyn was critically ill.' The probe had earlier heard Goldie told Robyn not to report an alleged rape as it would lead to her being examined by doctors and having to go to court. Hamilton Sheriff Court was told Goldie failed to disclose full details of the alleged attack despite being told to by council staff. Social worker Brian McNott, 39, told the inquiry: 'Robyn had made an allegation of rape and Sharon's response to that I found to be really concerning. 'I felt it was a really underwhelming response to something that her daughter had said she had gone through and she spoke Robyn down from seeking police intervention. 'We had to direct Sharon to get Robyn a doctor's appointment and we found out that she didn't give full information in respect of the allegation of rape to the doctor. 'That was a real concern of her ability to make sure Robyn was safe and to get her medical intervention if required.' McNott said Goldie and Robyn had 'significant challenges' living together after she had returned from staying with her gran for eight years. He added there was a 'lack of boundaries' and they had a 'sister relationship' instead of mother and daughter. He said: 'Robyn and Sharon had significant challenges living together and there were a number of police concerns about them. 'We felt we had a handle on that but although it was challenging for all involved, there was a significant turning point at the way the rape allegation was handled by Sharon. 'There was also verbal conflict, physical conflict and that led to a really challenging environment for Robyn to live in at the time.' McNott added: 'This case in particular has had an impact on me that will last my entire life.' The inquiry before Sheriff Linda Nicolson continues. Sadiq Khan plans to ban traffic from London's iconic Oxford Street six years after his previous bid was blocked - despite warnings that it will turn into a no-go-zone. The Labour Mayor of London's proposal is part of a wider regeneration project which is supported by the Government, with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner claiming it will give the popular shopping district 'the boost it needs'. The scheme is aimed at boosting the experience of shoppers, residents, workers and tourists. Oxford Street is one of the world's busiest shopping areas, with around half a million visitors each day. It is currently bus, taxi and cycle only from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday, between Portman Street to Great Portland Street. A previous attempt by Mr Khan to ban traffic from the road was blocked by then-Conservative run Westminster City Council in 2018. A visualisation issued in 2017 of what Oxford Street in London could look like if pedestrianised A previous bid to pedestrianise Oxford Street (above) was blocked by the Conservative council Mayor of London Sadiq Khan attends the closing party for London Fashion Week at The Roof Gardens tonight Mr Khan - who was spotted at the closing party for London Fashion Week tonight - said: 'Oxford Street was once the jewel in the crown of Britain's retail sector, but there's no doubt that it has suffered hugely over the last decade. 'Urgent action is needed to give the nation's most famous high street a new lease of life. 'I am excited to be working with the new Government, and local retailers and businesses, on these plans that will help to restore this famous part of the capital to its former glory, while creating new jobs and economic prosperity for the capital and the country. 'I want Oxford Street to once again become the leading retail destination in the world. 'The transformation of Oxford Street will be a leading example of how working together - City Hall and the new Government - we can build a better London for everyone.' Ms Rayner said: 'Oxford Street is a world-renowned shopping destination and we want it to stay that way. 'By working with the Mayor and local leaders, we can ensure it gets the boost it needs. Buses and cars pictured stuck in a traffic jam on Oxford Street Deliveroo Bike riders on Oxford Street, London. Oxford Street is one of the world's busiest shopping areas, with around half a million visitors each day 'This plan to revitalise Oxford Street will drive growth by creating new jobs, generating economic activity, and giving a much-needed boost to London's night-time economy.' But taxi drivers slammed the plans, saying the busyness and lights from vehicles at night make people feel safer. Steve McNamara, of the London Taxi Drivers' Association, told The Telegraph: 'My members have lost all confidence in the police.' And the Marlybone Association - which campaigned against the scheme in 2018 - said it risks making the street more dangerous because it's 'very different during the day'. The street has been flooded with thefts and violence in recent years. Mr Khan's latest proposal depends on him obtaining permission from Ms Rayner in her role as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to establish a new Mayoral Development Corporation, which would provide planning powers. This request can only be made following a statutory period of consultation and consideration by the London Assembly. Westminster City Council chief executive Stuart Love said over the last two years the authority has worked with businesses and residents groups to develop a 'shovel ready' plan to improve Oxford Street without pedestrianisation. He said: 'The latest pedestrianisation proposal from the Mayor of London was only shared with us last Thursday. In 2018, similar plans were slammed as 'unacceptable' and Westminster's cabinet member for Oxford Street at the time told Mr Khan 'much to some surprise' to halt the scheme 'It will be important to receive further details about what is planned, including how long it could take to be delivered and how the concerns of local residents and users of the street will be addressed. 'We will want to know how they will benefit from any proposals, particularly given the practical challenges pedestrianisation may have for the wider area.' He added: 'The council intends to work constructively with the Mayor and the Government to ensure the best outcomes for local communities, businesses and London.' In 2018, similar plans were slammed as 'unacceptable' and Westminster's cabinet member for Oxford Street at the time told Mr Khan 'much to some surprise' to halt the scheme. He said Westminster could only back a plan that addressed the concerns of residents, of which the 'overwhelming majority' were against the proposal. A teenager accused of murdering 16-year-old Harry Pitman during a New Year's Eve fireworks display told a court he carried a knife after attacks on friends and family made him 'paranoid'. Harry Pitman, who was in a crowd gathered on London's Primrose Hill to watch the fireworks over the River Thames shortly before midnight on December 31, was fatally stabbed in the neck after a scuffle. A 17-year-old, who cannot be named due to his age, has denied murder and possessing an offensive weapon. Giving evidence at his trial on Monday, the defendant who was 16 at the time said he only intended to hit Harry with a sheath which contained a knife. The defendent said the knife, which he initially hid under a bin close to the scene of the incident, was kept for self-defence after a series of local knife attacks, including on his own brother, throughout his childhood. The youth said he did not know what happened in the immediate aftermath of the incident but said the victim had attacked him and been 'full of himself' before the alleged stabbing. The court heard the defendant was studying at college at the time of the incident and had no previous convictions. Harry Pitman (pictured) was fatally stabbed in the neck after a scuffle just before midnight on New Year's Eve Police at the scene at Primrose Hill where Harry was stabbed to death on New Year's Eve The defendant told the court his older brother was stabbed when he was aged 'five or six', and he had taken anxiety counselling sessions during his childhood. He said another boy was stabbed in the chest outside his home last year, while he also knew one mutual friend who was stabbed to death outside a college. Asked by defence barrister David Bentley KC how the incidents made him feel, the youth told the court: 'I was very paranoid when I did go out. 'I always felt like someone was trying to hurt me.' The defendant also claimed he was suffering from hallucinations and 'hearing things' alongside his anxiety. The court heard the youth obtained the knife three weeks before the incident from a friend because he was 'scared'. He said: 'He (the friend) suggested that I should carry a knife because a lot of people were getting stabbed in the area.' Mr Bentley asked: 'Did you ever intend to use that knife to cause injury to anyone?' 'No,' the youth replied. The defendant told jurors he had gone to Primrose Hill by cab to watch the fireworks and to get food afterwards for a friend's birthday. He said had been carrying the knife in his waistband. Flowers left in tribute on Primrose Hill in Camden, north London, where 16-year-old Harry Pitman died He first noticed Harry when he moved towards the top of the hill, and described the victim and his friends as being 'a bit rowdy and all over the place'. Asked about Harry specifically, the youth said: 'He seemed like he was very energetic and full of himself.' The defendent ran over to Harry and his group and showed them his knife handle after he was told a friend was getting into a fight, the court heard. He said Harry then approached him and called him a 'f****** c***', before hitting him on the right side of his face. Mobile phone footage of the incident was then replayed in court at both normal speed and in slow motion. Mr Bentley asked: 'Did you intend to stab Harry with that knife?' 'No,' the defendant replied. 'Did you intend to kill him?' Mr Bentley asked. 'No,' the youth repeated. 'Why was it necessary to strike out at him even with the knife in the sheath?' the lawyer asked. The defendant said: 'I think I just wanted him to get away from me.' Mr Bentley continued: 'Did you know you had stabbed him?' 'No, but I thought it was definitely possible,' the defendant said. Police on the scene at Primrose Hill after the incident on New Year's Eve Asked about the immediate aftermath of the incident, he said: 'I thought maybe I hit him (Harry) with the sheath and it flew off.' The defendant denied he removed the sheath deliberately. The court previously heard the incident appeared to have been sparked by a scuffle between Harry and one of the defendant's friends shortly after 11.30pm. Harry was said to have been 'playfighting' and seeing how high he could kick, causing him to lose his balance and bumping into the boy standing behind. The victim swung a punch during the subsequent fracas before the defendant brought his right arm upwards in an arc and down, stabbing him in the neck, the court was told. Police body-worn camera footage showed Harry moving through the crowd seeking help before he collapsed. The defendant told the court he ran to a nearby road on his own 'in panic' following the incident, before hiding the knife under a bin. His friends then met him there and told him Harry had been stabbed, before the youth picked up the knife and walked away from the area, getting a cab back to his mother's address. Police officers conduct a search on Primrose Hill in Camden, north London, where Harry Pitman died He said he then returned the knife to the friend who gave it to him the same evening, and the friend asked him why. 'I said 'I might have done something with it, I don't know what to do',' the youth told the court. The defendant voluntarily entered Hammersmith police station with his father on January 4 after seeing news of the stabbing on the television, the court heard. He admitted to the court that he had lied about a series of details in two subsequent police interviews, including that he did not have a knife on him at all on New Year's Eve. Asked by Mr Bentley why he lied in the interviews, the defendant said: 'I was panicked and I did not want to go to prison. I was scared.' Jocelyn Ledward KC, in cross-examination, said the defendant would struggle to remember his brother's stabbing given his age at the time. A report by a children's mental health specialist on the youth several months after the incident outside his home said he 'did not think about the stabbing anymore' and had 'no flashbacks', Ms Ledward said. The defendant replied: 'It was not necessarily the stabbing I was thinking of. It was about what might happen to me.' The youth, now aged 17, who has no previous convictions, denies the charges against him. The Old Bailey trial continues. A doctor who squeezed a cleaner's bottom in a cupboard was allowed to carry on working while awaiting trial for sexual assault, a court has heard. Married father-of-four Chiemedo Ikpo, 50, left his victim an 'absolute mess' after he pursued his 'amorous intentions' against her will. He squeezed her bottom for six seconds at St Mary's Hospital on the Isle of Wight. Ikpo, supported in court by his wife, avoided jail and was ordered to carry out community service after being found guilty of sexual assault at an earlier trial. Portsmouth Crown Court heard he was initially suspended but was then allowed to work under supervision including in gynaecology. He was finally dismissed by Isle of Wight NHS Trust after his conviction in June more than four years after the incident. His victim, who cannot be identified, criticised the trust's decision to allow him to continue working. She said she felt she was seen as 'just a cleaner', adding: 'There's been no support from the hospital. There's been more support for Mr Ikpo than for me. I have been an absolute mess at work, crying all the time.' Married father-of-four Chiemedo Ikpo, 50, squeezed a cleaner's bottom and left his victim an 'absolute mess' after he pursued his 'amorous intentions' against her will Mr Ikpo was finally dismissed by Isle of Wight NHS Trust after his conviction in June more than four years after the incident. His victim, who cannot be identified, criticised the trust's decision to allow him to continue working The doctor squeezed her bottom for six seconds at St Mary's Hospital on the Isle of Wight (pictured). Portsmouth Crown Court heard he was initially suspended but was then allowed to work under supervision including in gynaecology In a statement read to the court by prosecutor Andrew Houston, the victim described Ikpo as a 'predator'. 'I can't stop looking over my shoulder at work to make sure there's no one behind me,' she said. Hannah Hurley, mitigating at Friday's sentencing hearing, urged the judge not to send Ikpo to prison, saying the incident was 'out of character'. She said Ikpo denied there was 'any sexual element' to the incident. His Honour Judge William Ashworth said Ikpo's role as a doctor was 'a position in which a lot of respect and trust is placed' and that any sexual assault is a 'gross violation'. He said there was an 'imbalance of power', adding: 'No one is just a cleaner. We are all humans. We are all equal.' Ikpo, of Orpington, south-east London, must undertake 100 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation days. He must also pay 2,500 in costs and be registered as a sex offender. A woman has been charged with murder after another female was stabbed to death in a block of flats in east London. Police were called to an address on Duckett Street in Tower Hamlets just after 1am on Sunday morning to reports of a woman suffering stab injuries. Hope Rowe, 32, was due to appear at Thames Magistrates' Court this morning. She is also charged with being in possession of a bladed article. Officers are confident the deceased is Charlotte Lawler, 31, but are still awaiting a formal identification. Another suspect, a 37-year-old man, was released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. London Ambulance Service attended alongside Metropolitan police but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. A police car waits sits outside an address on Duckett Street, where a woman was stabbed in a block of flats Emergency services were called to the street in Tower Hamlets, east London in the early hours of Sunday morning Her next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers. A crime scene remains in place at the address as enquiries into the incident are ongoing. A spokesman for the Met Police confirmed that the people involved 'appear to be known to each other' and that they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident. Acting Detective Chief Inspector Ben Dalloway of the Met's Specialist Crime Command said: 'This is a tragic incident which has resulted in a young woman losing her life. Those involved appear to be known to each other and were present at the address during the course of the evening. 'While this investigation is in its early stages we have made significant progress and arrested two people. At this time we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident. 'Officers will continue to carry out vital work at the location and I would ask residents to remain patient while we do this. I would also ask if anyone saw anything or has information that could assist us then please make contact.' Detective Superintendent Mike Cagney from the Central East Command Unit which covers Tower Hamlets said: 'My thoughts are with the family of this young woman at this very difficult time. 'Following this awful incident, my officers are working closely with our specialist colleagues to understand exactly what has occurred. A woman in her thirties was pronounced dead at the scene and two arrests have been made 'Over the coming days local officers will be in and around Duckett Street to provide any reassurance that the community needs but also as an opportunity for anyone with concerns, or any information about this incident, to speak with us.' Mr Cagney confirmed that the crime scene on Duckett Street remains in place and that local officers will be on hand to 'provide any reassurance that the community needs'. As enquiries are ongoing, he urged anyone with information that could assist police to call 101 and quote CAD480/15Sep. You can also provide information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. The U.S. Department of Travel has issued a warning for American tourists traveling to Chile. The Level 2 travel advisory urges U.S. citizens to be alert due to the 'continuing robberies and assaults' in the metropolitan area of the capital Santiago, which includes the area around Santiago International Airport, Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. The security alert, which was issued September 10, reminds travers to 'remain alert and vigilant in public areas.' Travelers should be cautious of pickpockets when visiting places like Persa Bio Bio, the biggest market in Santiago; Cerro Santa Lucia, the historic center in Santiago; and Estacion Mapoco, the former train station that was converted into a cultural center, among other places. The U.S. Department of Travel issued on September 10 a travel advisor for U.S. citizens visiting the metropolitan area of Santiago, the capital of Chile. The alert said travelers should 'remain alert and vigilant in public areas' According to Chilean government data, 137,644 thefts and 55,563 robberies were documented in the first six months of 2024 in Chile 'Maintain a low profile in public and avoid going out alone, especially after dark,' the travel advisory stated. 'Travel in groups even in well-lit areas.' According to Chilean government data, 137,644 thefts and 55,563 robberies were documented in the first six months of 2024 in the country. In comparison, 143,897 thefts and 95,303 robberies were registered in the same period last year. 'Do not physically resist any robbery attempt,' the security alert indicated. The U.S. Department of Travel suggested that travelers should refrain from exposing 'excessive jewelry, electronics and carrying and flashing large sums of cash.' The U.S. Department of Travel released a travel advisory on September 10 for Santiago, the capital of Chile, and the metropolitan area cities of Vina del Mar and Valparaiso, which are popular destinations for Americans traveling to the South American nation The agency reminded its U.S. citizens that they should notify close family members or friends if they intend to travel to Chile and to provide contact information. In addition, the travel alert noted that vehicles rented 'are easily identified with stickers' and warned travelers to 'not accept help from strangers offering to fix your car.' In May, the U.S. Department of State issued a worldwide advisory due to the possibility of 'terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests.' 'The Department of State is aware of the increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence against LGBTQI+ persons and events and advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution,' the note read. A man found with an armoury including a crossbow and 14 knives is facing jail after being found guilty of planning a terrorist attack on gay and transgender people. Alan Edward, 54, amassed a terrifying collection of weaponry at his home in Redding, Stirlingshire. Edward, described in court as having a neo-Nazi outlook, was arrested in 2022 when police surrounded and broke into his house. They found weapons and equipment including a crossbow with telescopic sights, 14 knives, some with Nazi and SS insignia, machetes, a tomahawk, a Samurai sword, knuckledusters, a catapult, an extendable baton and a stun gun. They also found an air pistol modelled on the James Bond Walther PPK, goggles and a respirator, fighting gloves with specially-hardened knuckles, pellets, ball bearings, and hunting tips for crossbow arrows. Alan Edward, 54, (pictured outside Stirling High Court) amassed a terrifying collection of weaponry at his home in Redding, Stirlingshire Prosecutors said this amounted to an armoury. He was found to have discussed attacking gay people in a series of incredibly sinister WhatsApp messages with an associate and promoted the proscribed extreme right wing group National Action online. Edward, who had nearly 28,000 followers on social media, denied the Holocaust, mocked the murder of George Floyd and railed against Jews, black people and gays. The High Court in Stirling heard that Edward possessed and expressed a set of ideals with a neo-Nazi outlook, incorporating notions of white supremacy, the notion of racial purity of whites, racism, anti-semitism, and hatred of homosexuals and transgender people. Prosecutor Paul Kearney KC, the advocate depute, said Edward was a man who with clear neo-Nazi ideals preparing for an act of terrorism which would include an ideologically-driven incident of serious violence. A jury found Stirling-born Edward, guilty of four charges under the Terrorism Act - inviting support for a proscribed organisation; possession of weaponry, ammunition and equipment for the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorist acts, encouraging terrorism and circulating terrorist publications. A jury found Stirling-born Edward, guilty of four charges under the Terrorism Act He was also found guilty of racism, anti-semitism, Holocaust denial, and statutory breach of the peace. He had denied all of these charges. He was further found guilty of producing and supplying cannabis and possessing the stun gun - which he had offered to admit before the trial began. The court heard that checks on his WhatsApp account found he had been messaging an associate in nearby Grangemouth - identified only as Pello - about a proposed attack on an LBGT group, which met in Falkirk. In a series of exchanges described by the prosecution as incredibly sinister, he wrote: They have been pushing their luck for years, now they will pay in blood. He added: I hate them all I really do. Hunting time is nearly here, yayyy. We should get masked up and go do a few of them in at their little gay club. The court heard that Edward had two accounts on the social media platform Gab. He came to the attention of counter-terrorism investigators after posting a video glorifying a banned group called National Action. The video was of a rally held in Darlington, England in 2016, shortly before National Action became the first far-right group to be proscribed in the UK under the Terrorism Act. Shown in court, the video features demonstrators dressed in black and carrying flags bearing the Nazi Black Sun logo. During a 11-day trial, the court heard that Police Scotland counter terrorism officer Detective Sergeant Campbell Flockhart headed the raid on Edwards home and interviewed him at Falkirk Police Station. Later in jail Edward told an associate on the phone to write down the name Flockhart, adding, Im gonna f****** gut that pig. In evidence, Edward claimed that he had his weaponry only as a collector, and for outdoor pursuits. He claimed that a Black Sun ring he was found wearing when he was arrested was actually an esoteric symbol that represents life force. Judge Fiona Tait deferred sentence until October 21st at the High Court in Edinburgh and continued Edwards remand in custody in the meantime. She also called for an assessment for a Serious Crime Prevention Order - SCPOs are designed to ensure the lifetime management of criminals, including their business dealings, communications and movements once they are released from jail. She thanked jurors for the care they had taken Detective Chief Superintendent David Ferry, head of Police Scotlands Counter Terrorism Unit, said: Edward shared extreme racist and homophobic content online with the aim of stirring up hatred and spreading fear and alarm. He also had a clear fascination with weapons and had amassed an array of items which could clearly pose a significant risk to the public. Promoting terrorism and extremism and sharing material that could endanger the public has no place in our society and Police Scotland will not hesitate to investigate this kind of behaviour both on and off-line. We are committed to combatting terrorism and help and support from the public is vital. Anyone with information on a terrorist threat should contact Police Scotland on 101 immediately. This is the dramatic moment a woman wreaks fatal revenge as she slams her car into a mugger after he snatched her handbag. Businesswoman Cinzia Dal Pino, 65, took the law into her own hands after the man identified as Moroccan national Nourdine Naziki, 52, grabbed the bag from the open window of her car. Dal Pino, a well known socialite in the Italian coastal city of Viareggio, was identified through her Mercedes SUV's number plate and arrested by police just hours later. In shocking CCTV leaked to local media, Naziki is seen walking past a shop front when Dal Pino's vehicle suddenly appears and rams into him at speed. The car then reverses back and forwards four times before Dal Pino - in high heeled shoes - is seen calmly getting out of her car, picking up her bag and driving away. Paramedics were called to the scene and Naziki was rushed to hospital but he later died from his injuries. Businesswoman Cinzia Dal Pino, 65, (pictured) took the law into her own hands Dal Pino, a well known socialite in the Italian coastal city of Viareggio, was identified through her Mercedes SUV's number plate Dal Pino admitted to police she had chased after him and had only wanted to get her bag back as it contained her house keys, phone and personal documents and has since been given house arrest. She told police: 'He had threatened to kill me with a knife. I was scared. I didn't mean to kill him I just wanted my belongings back. 'There were important documents in my bag and I couldn't call the police because my phone was in there.' Officers later revealed no knife had been found on Naziki and Dal Pino was initially held in jail on suspicion of manslaughter before being freed under house arrest. Her lawyer Enrico Marzaduri dismissed the video and said: 'I understand from the autopsy that it was certainly the initial impact that proved fatal and there are no tyre marks on the body. She told police: 'He had threatened to kill me with a knife. I was scared. I didn't mean to kill him I just wanted my belongings back' In shocking CCTV leaked to local media, Naziki is seen walking past a shop front when Dal Pino's vehicle suddenly appears and rams into him at speed 'She just wanted to stop him and was aiming for his legs. She is suffering for what she did and is feeling remorse for what happened.' But the local archbishop monsignor Paolo Giulietti said: 'Other than self-defence, the video shows astonishing behaviour. 'How do you drive your car over a person's body several times? How could we think that a quiet and esteemed lady, a capable entrepreneur, could carry out such an action? 'Evil wins when it makes us evil: those who rejoice because this episode would be an episode of self-defence demonstrate how evil wins. 'I say, let's not rejoice, this is not self-defence, and it is not justice. Nothing, absolutely nothing can justify murder. 'Not just because we live in a state of law. But because every person, in every situation they find themselves in, has the right to live.' Dal Pino admitted to police she had chased after him and had only wanted to get her bag back Naziki's family in an interview with Moroccan TV demanded 'justice' Italy's deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini took a different view and wrote on Facebook: 'This drama is the consequence of a crime. If the man who lost his life hadn't been a delinquent this wouldn't have happened.' Naziki's family in an interview with Moroccan TV demanded 'justice' and said: 'Not even an animal is killed in the way our brother was. We call for the woman to be sent back to jail. 'He was a good man and we want justice. Everyone who knows him will tell you that. She ran over him four times and then just calmly drove off when he was dying and didn't even ask for help.' Meanwhile a banner has appeared on a building site in Viareggio that read: 'Who has money has power, the law is not equal for everyone.' Azerbaijan's Minister of Digital Development and Transport, Rashad Nabiyev, discussed potential collaboration in the field of transit transportation with Raj Jit Singh Wallia, CEO of Dubai Port World, who is currently visiting Azerbaijan. As reported by Azernews, Nabiyev shared the details of the meeting on his "X" social media account. During their discussions, the two sides focused on developing joint transportation technologies to enhance the efficiency of transit corridors running through Azerbaijan, as well as addressing other topics of mutual interest. Dubai Port World is a globally renowned port operator, and this dialogue marks a step forward in Azerbaijans efforts to strengthen its role as a key player in international transportation and logistics. Businesses are struggling to attract and retain staff because of the SNP forcing workers to pay the highest taxes in the UK, a new report has revealed. The respected Fraser of Allander Institute found that nearly two in three Scots firms have been impacted by the Scottish Governments income tax policy. Top of the list of impacts is that they have struggled to attract and retain talent because the higher tax rates in Scotland have caused employee dissatisfaction. Some firms said they have needed to increase wages to compensate staff for the impact, while others stated that Scotland has been put at a competitive disadvantage to other parts of the UK. Everyone earning more than 28,850 now pays more in Scotland than they would if they earned the same south of the border. Professor Mairi Spowage, director of the Fraser of Allander Institute, at the University of Strathclyde, said taxation in Scotland was 'challenging' to companies The Fraser of Allander Institutes survey of 300 firms found 17 per cent said the Scottish Governments income tax policy has had a significant impact on their operations, while a further 17 per cent said it has had a fair amount of impact. Another 29 per cent said it has had a little impact, with only 28 per cent saying it has had no impact. Professor Mairi Spowage, director of the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde, said: These results shed light into the ongoing debate on how tax policies are affecting businesses and the broader Scottish economy. While most firms report minimal impact from the current tax policy, a notable minority are experiencing challenges, especially in areas like staffing and investment. This divide underlines that taxation is a particularly contentious issue, and ties into the discussion happening across Scotland about how diverging rates of income tax are affecting the economy. As the Scottish Budget approaches on December 4th, the Deputy First Minister will need to weigh whether the current tax balance is right - or if theres any scope for change. The existing income tax gap between Scotland and the rest of the UK increased further at the beginning of April, when a new advanced 45p tax rate was introduced for earnings between 75,000 and 125,000, while the top rate was increased by 1p to 48p. Someone earning 40,000 a year pays 111 more income tax in Scotland than in the rest of the UK. This rises to 2,096 at a salary level of 75,000, 5,978 at 150,000, and 16,478 at 500,000. Ministers have refused to rule out further tax rises in the Budget for next year, expected to be published in December. The new figures were contained in the Fraser of Allanders new Scottish Business Monitor for the second quarter of this year, conducted in May and published on September 17. It highlighted that many businesses said are struggling to attract and retain talent, citing higher taxes as a cause of employee dissatisfaction, leading to increased wage demands and reluctance to relocate to or remain in Scotland. It also said a number of respondents reported that they had increased wages to compensate for the reduced take-home pay of employees due to the higher tax rates. Some businesses were also said to perceive Scotlands higher tax regime as a competitive disadvantage compared to the rest of the UK, with a few saying that they were considering moving operations or investments south of the border. Scottish Conservative finance spokesman Liz Smith said: The SNP Government need to sit up and listen to the huge number of businesses that are suffering as a result of them making Scotland the highest taxed part of the UK. SNP tax hikes are putting Scottish firms at a competitive disadvantage with rivals south of the border and making it harder for them to recruit and retain skilled staff. But this is not just a problem for private businesses - the BMA and the BDA have spoken about the difficulty of attracting, and then holding on to, Scottish NHS doctors and dentists because of this tax gap. It would compound the folly if the SNP were to widen the tax gap even further in Decembers budget, in order to plug the huge black hole that their mismanagement has created in the nations finances. A Scottish Government spokesman said: Scotland has the most progressive income tax system in the UK, protecting those who earn less and asking those who earn more to contribute more. This additional income of around 1.5billion helps support for a more comprehensive set of services in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK, including free prescriptions and free university tuition. The First Minister has been clear that driving economic growth is a key priority and Ministers are committed to working right across the economy, not least the business community, to maximise the huge economic opportunities that lie ahead. A 10-year-old girl fell to her death from the window of a New York apartment after arguing with her mother over an iPad. The girl fell from the building on 2157 Southern Boulevard in the Bronx on Thursday night. According to CBS, the girl and her mother had argued that afternoon about using an iPad. Around 4:30 pm, the mother left the apartment for a doctor's appointment. When she returned home, she found her young daughter lying in the courtyard. A 10-year-old girl fell to her death from the window of a Bronx apartment after arguing with her mother over an iPad The girl was apparently throwing up blood when she was taken by her parents to St. Barnabas Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to the New York Post. Investigators are now looking at surveillance video to determine if the girl was being supervised, and if she fell from a window or the roof. Authorities said the girl exhibited injuries that were consistent with a fall from a high elevation, including bruising on the feet. A 30-year resident of the apartment building told the Post that she contacted the police when it happened, but was unaware of what had occurred. The girl, who might have been home alone at the time, fell from the building on 2157 Southern Boulevard on Thursday evening 'My son called out to me and told me to call 911,' she said. 'I called 911, and they kept asking me questions. I thought something happened to someone who got off the bus with him [her son]. 'I didn't know it was my neighbor's daughter upstairs.' By the time the concerned resident made it downstairs, the girl had already been taken to the hospital. She described the 10-year-old's mother as 'very, very nice.' Authorities said the girl exhibited injuries that were consistent with a fall from a high elevation, including bruising on the feet 'She lives above me. Those kids were kept very nice and clean,' the neighbor said. 'I'm sorry for the mother. I feel for the mother.' The long-time resident said that the family was private and that the girl was reserved. 'The child was very quiet. I would tease her like, "Oh, you look so you,"' she recounted. 'She was a sweetheart,' the neighbor added. The incident is currently under investigation. So far, there have been no charges or arrests Other residents of the building also remembered the girl as a 'sweetheart.' 'Just a sweetheart. Always said "good morning." Sweetheart,' neighbor Antoinette Talamone told CBS. 'That's incredibly sad. Someone lost their child, cousin, little kid. [She is] probably missed by her friends at school,' resident Madeleine Martinez said. On Sunday, a memorial with pink flowers, candles, and purple balloons was set up for the girl outside the building. Phipps Houses Incorporated, which manages the property, said that it was heartbroken and that it was fully cooperating with the NYPD. The city medical examiner will determine an official cause of death. The incident is currently under investigation. There have been no charges or arrests. An Iraq war veteran facing jail time for shooting a pro-Palestine agitator who jumped him at a Massachusetts protest has received an outpouring of support. Scott Hayes, 47, pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in Newton District Court on Friday, following the violent confrontation at a demonstration on Thursday evening. Hayes is facing up to 10 years in prison after shooting Caleb Gannon, 31, who lunged at him during a pro-Israel rally in the Boston suburb of Newton. He has since received an outpouring of support, with a GoFundMe campaign raising over $244,000 for his legal defense as of Monday afternoon. Shocking video of the incident shows Gannon sprinting toward Hayes and tackling him to the ground. Scott Hayes is facing jail time for shooting a pro-Palestine agitator who jumped him at a Massachusetts protest Supporters of Hayes gathered outside the courtroom ahead of his arraignment at Newton District Court on Friday The footage shows Hayes appearing to reach for his holstered pistol while still pinned down and firing a single shot, hitting Gannon in the stomach. Immediately after the shooting, Hayes was seen instructing bystanders to secure his weapon as he provided immediate care and first aid attention to Gannon until paramedics arrived. Gannon is expected to survive. Both he and his supporters argue that it is a clear-cut case of self-defense. The fundraiser describes Hayes as a defender of Jewish people's rights 'all across Boston, its surroundings and all around New England and the US.' 'Even though Scott is not Jewish he has been defending the Jewish people and its right for self determination and governance,' the fundraising page states. 'He now needs help as this turmoil entered his life.' Hayes has been a staunch defender of Israel and has continuously fought against anti-semitism Hayes pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in Newton District Court on Frida A Hayes supporter wore a white shirt and a tie with the words "Free Scott" written in black marker on strips of duct tape across his chest at the arraignment Hayes has been a staunch defender of Israel and has continuously fought against anti-semitism. On the day the incident unfolded, he wrote a post searching for information on a man he claimed was making Nazi salutes. Last month he came to blows with a woman who was filming him at a different event in Beverly, Massachusetts. A video he shared alongside the claim shows him filming an irate woman as she repeatedly asks him to stop before ultimately smacking the camera away. Another post to X shows an image of a gun with a pro-Israel dog tag draped across it posted with the caption: 'Hey Jew haters. Bring it.' Cops said that the gun used in the shooting on Thursday belonged to Hayes, who was carrying it legally. The decision to bring charges so swiftly was criticized by the New England branch of the Anti-Defamation League. 'Reports that charges were immediately filed prior to completion of the investigation are concerning,' a statement read. The altercation began after a man started accusing the demonstrators of 'supporting genocide' He charged at Hayes, knocking him to the ground before a gunshot was heard 'Protests should not subject anyone to violence. We encourage Newton Police and the Middlesex District Attorney to conduct a thorough investigation of the entire incident. 'We are concerned about escalating tensions and remain in contact with law enforcement and community officials.' Supporters of Hayes gathered outside the courtroom ahead of his arraignment at Newton District Court on Friday. The Republican Jewish Coalition also signaled its support for Hayes. 'We stand with Scott Hayes, who was defending himself after being attacked by a pro-Hamas maniac in Massachusetts,' the organization wrote on X. Cops said that the gun used in the shooting on Thursday belonged to Hayes, who was carrying it legally Blood, medical debris, and crime scene tape left behind at the location of the shooting The Jewish Community Relations Council issued a statement urging patience. 'While the details of what happened are still being investigated, there should be no question that violence of any kind in our democratic society is abhorrent. People's right to gather in civil, non-violent public demonstrations must be sacrosanct,' the organization said. 'While some charges have already been filed, we urge patience as a full investigation unfolds, and we encourage Mayor Fuller and DA Ryan to continue to fully communicate with the public and the community regarding the investigation and the rationale for those charges filed and for any additional charges that may be filed. 'Regardless of motive or his role in the initiation of the violence, we pray for the full recovery of the individual who was injured last night.' The teenager groomed by 'evil' Huw Edwards called the BBC star while he was live on TV to 'prove a point' after revealing who was sending him vile messages because his appalled parents 'didn't believe' it could be the national treasure. The 63-year-old Welshman was spared jail today, sentenced to six months in prison suspended for two years after admitting three charges of 'making' indecent photographs. He was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp, describing indecent photos of young men as 'amazing' and encouraging him to 'go on'. The family of a young man who Edwards paid in return for sexually explicit pictures - which is separate from the offences for which he was sentenced - told The Sun of how they discovered the newsreader was responsible for the vast sums of money. Former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court ahead of his sentencing hearing today Edwards has been sentenced to six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years Edwards was previously the anchor of BBC News at Ten and he was one of Britain's most prominent newsreaders The teenager who was paid 35,000 by Edwards was 17 at the time and is now 21. He allegedly was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement and said he felt 'groomed' by the disgraced presenter. The young man, who actively defended Edwards at the time, later claimed he was in a 'troubled state of mind' when he first reached out to the ex News at Ten anchor. It all came crashing down when the then teenager's mother found the messages between the pair for a rendezvous at Cardiff train station. Texts would seesaw drastically from love hearts and kisses, calling the teenager a 'good boy' and saying 'hey beautiful,' to aggressive swearing such as 'You are an ungrateful f***. You f****g disaster' and asking him: 'You think my life revolves around you? Get f*****g real.' Other messages included 'you've disappointed me. I regret helping you so much' and a chilling Instagram direct message telling the boy: 'I'm with my family stop being a pain'. The young man's mother and stepfather were worried about their previously 'happy' boy when he would act so differently to his normal demeanour it was like he had a 'twin'. The police mugshot released today after he was given a suspended sentence A mocked up version of a reported Instagram message exchange between the BBC star and the teenager Edwards, who was born in Bridgend and brought up in Llangennech, Carmarthenshire, joined the BBC as a trainee in 1984. Pictured on the six o'clock news in 1999 They told The Sun's documentary 'Huw Edwards: Unmasked' that he would buy clothing and stay out all night partying when he had no money that they knew of. But they became aware of bank transfers of up to 2,000 at a time and asked his cousin if he knew where the cash was coming from. To his mother's horror, he said it was an 'old man with grey hair'. She told The Sun: 'I couldn't believe it. A grey haired man was sending money to my 17-year-old-son - I felt sick.' When they asked the teenager directly, he confessed it was the BBC's Number One golden boy Huw Edwards - a fellow Welshman. His stepfather admitted to The Sun his disbelief that this national treasure could be responsible. 'He said it was Huw and we didn't believe him - I didn't believe him. I knew he was getting the money from somewhere but I didn't believe it was a BBC news reader.' He described how the boy tried to prove it by phoning Edwards as he was live on air, and his parents could see his reaction to what seemed to be his phone ringing in his pocket. Court artist drawing by Elizabeth Cook of former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court today Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Huw Edwards that led to the newsreader's downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot And when the mother went through the text messages, Edwards' name came up repeatedly. When they saw their son arranged to meet Edwards at the station, the stepfather followed and filmed the newsreader. After seeing and filming him at the station, the furious stepfather then attempted to make an official complaint to the BBC nearby regional office where he was given a number to call BBC London instead. He claims this number did not work but eventually the family managed to get in touch with the BBC's Audience Service who sent the case to the organisation's Corporate Investigations team. The family then went to The Sun who broke the shocking claim that Edwards had paid for explicit photos. The teenager's angry stepfather today accused the BBC of classism and said it's like they spoke an entirely different language. 'I think they look at us as if we're lower class. That's it. We're just a lower class, we're not educated but you don't have to be educated to know the difference between right and wrong. It's simple,' he said in condemnation. In July, Edwards admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp Westminster Magistrates' Court heard on Monday how Huw Edwards had replied 'yes xxx' when asked if he wanted a set of indecent images of children by Alex Williams (note: This is not the actual text message exchange) It was also told that Edwards had told Williams that ages 'can be deceptive' when told one of the subjects in an image was 'quite yng looking', before asking if he had 'any more? (note: This is not the actual text message exchange) One of the messages from Edwards were shown in the documentary to be a photo of his desk at the BBC, to which the mother said 'he clearly didn't care'. She told The Sun: 'I liked that man, he was always my favourite on TV. He was Welsh, like us. I would hear my son on the phone to him and hear an evil man talking. The next day I would see him presenting the news on TV and I'd see evil.' One disturbing clip in the documentary shows Edwards on an episode of Would I Lie To You in which he joked: 'You should know that I'm programmed by the BBC to tell the truth.' The documentary also alleges that Alex Williams reached out to other celebrities via Telegram - but Edwards was the only one to respond. The teenager's mother said he asked her if she thought he was the only boy Edwards was messaging and paying for indecent images and she said 'no love, there will be others'. But when the extent of the charges against the fallen star were revealed, she was horrified. Edwards made his way through the media melee before being driven away in a black Mercedes when attending court in July Edwards is seen on screen for what would be the last time before the scandal became public, when he covered King Charles' visit to Scotland She said she wept when she heard there was an image of a seven-year-old boy in the vile collection. Edwards was seen for the last time on the BBC as he covered King Charles' visit to Scotland on July 5, 2023, two days before the article about the 'un-named presenter' came out. There was a frenzy of speculation about the identity of the star. Gary Lineker, Jeremy Vine, Rylan Clark and Nicky Campbell all feel obliged to deny that they were the man in question, and eventually Edwards' wife confirmed it was him. He resigned from the BBC in disgrace in April this year, but in June he was charged with possession of indecent images of children. He was sentenced today. There has been criticism in some quarters over the decision not to hand Edwards a prison sentence when many people involved in recent far-right rioting had been jailed. The court was taken through details of Edwards's mental health history, with reference made to one report by a consultant psychiatrist and neuropsychiatrist that recorded Edwards took two months of sick leave 'following an anonymous denunciation' in 2018. The disgraced BBC News star's remorse and prison overcrowding could also have been considerations that counted in his favour. He stepped down just a few days after The BBC's annual report revealed Edwards was paid between 475,000 and 479,999 for the year 2023/24 for 160 presenting days, BBC One news specials, election specials and other television programming. This salary marked an increase from 2022/23, when he was paid between 435,000 and 439,999 for 180 days presenting on BBC One, as well as news specials. Huw Edwards shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II during a royal visit to BBC Studios in London in June 2013 This was despite him being absent from screens from when the story first broke in July last year until his exit nine months later in April 2024. But he stayed on the payroll while suspended, which is normal BBC policy, and was suffering from serious mental health issues and received in-patient hospital care. But in August, the BBC asked him to hand back the 200,000 salary he earned after being arrested. The corporation knew the presenter had been arrested last November but continued to pay his salary until he resigned on medical advice this April. A BBC spokesperson said after its former broadcaster was sentenced: 'We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.' The GP mother of a premature baby boy murdered by Lucy Letby has demanded a face-to-face apology from a hospital manager who covered up suspicions about the killer nurse and lied about failings in her son's care. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, branded Ian Harvey, the former medical director at the Countess of Chester Hospital, an 'absolute disgrace,' saying he had 'thoroughly betrayed' her and her husband and compounded their grief and distress. The couple's son, known as Baby C, was the second baby boy murdered by Letby, 34, in the space of a week, in June 2015. But his mother told the public inquiry into Letby's crimes that they had no clue the hospital was investigating a spike in neo-natal deaths until they read about it in a local newspaper article a year later, in July 2016. When she turned up at the hospital's bereavement office to find out what was going on, another senior manager, then director of nursing, Alison Kelly, apologised and reassured her the investigation, which was being carried out by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, was a 'formality' because there had been a 'very small increase in deaths' and they 'weren't expecting anything to come from it.' Lucy Letby (pictured) is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims Body worn camera footage from Cheshire Constabulary of the arrest of Lucy Letby in 2018 Ian Harvey (pictured) the former medical director at the Countess of Chester Hospital, was branded an 'absolute disgrace,' She also reassured the mother she would be kept informed. But the couple heard nothing for another seven months until they received a phone call one Friday evening, saying the RCPCH report had been leaked to a Sunday newspaper. When Baby C's mother collected a copy a few days later she was told there were sections missing relating to babies that needed further investigation but plans were in place to meet the families and 'Baby C was probably not one of them.' In fact, sections which recommended an external, independent review of each baby's death and detailed suspicions about Letby had been removed. 'We were very much being kept in the dark about what had happened to our child,' Baby C's mother said. Mr Harvey agreed to meet the couple two weeks later and, although he admitted there were 'some things that could have been done better' he reassured them nothing could have prevented their son's death. The mother said it was only 'years later' that she discovered a specialist neonatologist had been commissioned to examine every death and no cause for her son's sudden collapse could be found. 'To find out now that, at the time Ian Harvey met with us, in Feb 2017, he was well aware of both the concerns about Letby and that the report about our son's death did contain criticism is an absolute disgrace,' she said. 'I cannot understand this at all from the perspective of a medic or in fact any human level whatsoever. We continue to feel thoroughly betrayed by this, it has affected our grief, compounded our distress and given us a general sense of mistrust which we didn't have before.' She said she repeatedly demanded to see both the full RCPCH report and the full neonatologist review relating to her son, but Mr Harvey failed to send them, despite threats of legal action. A court artist's sketch of Lucy Letby giving evidence at Manchester Crown Court on July 24 A sign outside the Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester Letby worked on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital (pictured) between June 2015 and June 2016 The investigation at Liverpool Town Hall (pictured) will examine how Letby was able to attack babies on the Countess and Chester Hospital's neo-natal unit in 2015 and 2016 It was only when she appealed to then Health Secretary Steve Barclay, following Letby's convictions and the establishment of the Thirlwall Inquiry last year - eight years after her son's death - that she finally received the reports. The mother called for a duty of candour to be 'in-built' for everyone working in healthcare and for a regulatory body to be set up to improve accountability of NHS managers. Confirming that she also wanted a 'personal face to face apology' from Mr Harvey, she added: 'I feel very strongly now that Ian Harvey was desperately trying to stop us from asking further questions by providing a white-wash, gloss over of the report in the hope we would take his word for it and not ask any more questions. I feel we were treated extremely disrespectfully and it's added extremely to our distress.' Lady Justice Thirlwall, sitting in Liverpool, is hearing from the parents of each baby involved in Letby's trials. The former nurse was convicted of murdering seven infants and trying to kill another seven children and is serving a whole life tariff, meaning she will never be freed. Earlier Baby C's mother broke down in tears as she described receiving a phone call from Alder Hey Children's Hospital, in Liverpool, where a post-mortem was being carried out on her son, telling her that staff had dressed him and he 'looked beautiful.' 'I found this comment particularly difficult because in life he had never been dressed and if anyone was going to dress him it should have been me, as his mother,' she said. She also described an incident when Letby interrupted the couple while they were cradling their dying son as 'horrendous.' The trial heard that, before the baby's death, Letby brought in a ventilator basket or 'cold cot' and plugged it in, saying: 'You've said your goodbyes, do you want me to put him in here?' The mother added: 'We were having this very private difficult time, which went on for several hours and my concern now is that she wanted us to leave him there, which doesn't bear thinking about. It just adds to the extra horror that we already have to think about.' The mass rapist, dubbed the Monster of Avignon, will take the stand tomorrow, after the trial judge ruled he is fit to take part in proceedings that have shocked France. Retired Dominique Pelicot drugged his wife Gisele and invited dozens of men he met on the internet to abuse her while she was unconscious at their home in the Provence region of the south of France over ten years. Pelicot, 71, was supposed to give evidence last week, as his ex-wife and their three grown-up children looked on defiantly. But the Frances worst husband has forced the case to be adjourned several times, including this morning, stating he was too ill to attend court. His lawyer, Madame Beatrice Zavarro told French media her client was suffering from a kidney infection, had a bladder stone and had problems with his prostate. She added that he was not getting proper treatment in prison. However, following an extensive medical examination today, trial judge Roger Arata has ruled that Pelicot can no longer avoid the court-room show-down with his ex-wife and must appear tomorrow. Retired Dominique Pelicot (pictured) drugged his wife Gisele and invited dozens of men he met on the internet to abuse her while she was unconscious Gisele Pelicot (C), is escorted by her lawyers Stephane Babonneau (R) and Antoine Camus (L) as she exits the criminal court in Avignon, southern France Dominique Pelicot, who has allegedly drugged and raped his wife Gisele Pelicot, appears at the courthouse in Avignon, France, September 11, 2024, in this courtroom sketch Detectives have listed a total of 92 rapes committed by 72 men, 51 of whom have been identified. Pelicot's sex ring involved advertising for 'sex partners' on an online forum called 'Without Her Knowing' on the coco.fr site, which has since been shut down. Of the 83 men involved, 51 aged between 26 and 73 were identified and arrested by the police. Pelicot is said to have sedated his wife by putting Temesta a powerful anxiolytic into her evening dinner. Alleged rapists involved in the case include civil servants, ambulance workers, soldiers, prison guards, nurses, a journalist, a municipal councillor, and truck drivers. Fourteen of the other defendants have admitted rape, while the rest deny any wrongdoing. Last week, Pelicot's legal team insisted he was not well enough to give evidence because of abdominal pain and a suspected bladder infection. Dominique and Gisele Pelicot on their first wedding day in April 1973, when they were 21 years old. The couple went on to have three children and later divorced Dominique Pelicot pictured on holiday to the Isle of Re in 2018 with his wife Gisele - two years before he was arrested for drugging her and arranging for men to rape her Caroline Pelicot, 72 arrives at court in Avignon France. Week 2 day 8 of the trial. He briefly appeared in court on Wednesday morning, but defence barrister Beatrice Zavarro confirmed on Thursday that he was 'still ill' and would not be showing up. Pelicot has been vomiting and fainting in his prison cell, where he has been on remand since 2020, in between visits to hospital for treatment and tests. Ms Zavarro's submissions were accepted by Roger Arata, the trial judge, who said: 'He requires medical treatment and will be unable to attend court for the rest of this week at least.' Mr Pelicot's own daughter, Caroline Darian, 46, described him in court as 'one of the greatest sexual predators' of recent years. She said he secretly photographed her in the nude, along with her two sister-in-laws. Gisele Pelicot (C), and her daughter Caroline Darian (L) speak with the media after leaving the criminal court in Avignon Gisele Pelicot speaks to the press alongside her lawyer on September 5, outside the courtroom in Avignon, France In a separate case, Pelicot has been charged with raping and murdering a 23-year-old estate agent in Paris in 1991. He has admitted one attempted rape in 1999, after DNA testing proved a case against him. The Avignon aggravated rape case, due to last until December 21, has sparked outrage throughout France. Thousands of women and men attended rallies in towns and cities across the country in support of Gisele Pelicot. A 16-year-old girl has been rushed to hospital after being hit by a police car on its way to an incident in east London. Paramedics scrambled to the scene in Bow Road, Bow, at around 1pm today following reports a police car had collided with a female pedestrian. Metropolitan Police confirmed the marked car involved in the crash had been on its way to an incident. The girl was later taken to hospital by the London Ambulance Service who are waiting for an update on her condition. Paramedics scrambled to the scene in Bow Road, Bow, (pictured) at around 1pm today following reports a police car had collided with a female pedestrian The officers involved in the incident were not injured and the police watchdog has been informed. A spokesperson for Met Police told MailOnline: 'At about 12:55hrs on Monday, 16 September, a marked police vehicle was involved in a collision with a female pedestrian in Bow Road, Bow. 'The London Ambulance Service (LAS) was called and the female aged 16 was assessed by paramedics at the scene. She was taken to hospital by LAS for further assessment and we await an update on her condition. 'The officers in the police vehicle were not injured. The road remains closed while an investigation is carried out. 'At the time of the collision, the police vehicle was on the way to an incident. 'The Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed.' Diners at trendy New York restaurant Balthazar were left speechless when several men began brawling on the street directly beside busy tables - and the owner says James Corden is to blame. Stunned onlookers said the men came to blows on Saturday afternoon outside of the SoHo restaurant. Video of the incident has been widely shared, showing the melee as multiple staff tried to stop the man using metal bollards and chairs. In the video, customers were seen fleeing the area and screaming as the brawlers crashed into tables at diners' feet. Staff can be seen here attempting to hold onto the brawler (face out of frame, in jeans) as he flees Restaurateur Keith McNally, who owns Balthazar in New York alongside a swathe of other restaurants, shared a picture from the brawl to his own social media Restaurateur Keith McNally, who owns Balthazar in New York alongside a swathe of other restaurants, shared a picture from the brawl to his own social media. 'There was a huge fight outside Balthazar Saturday night after a customer voiced support for James Corden,' he said. McNally publicly pilloried Corden in October 2022 after a particularly unfortunate encounter at the restaurant and revealed he'd banned Corden. He said: 'James Corden is a Hugely gifted comedian, but a tiny Cretin of a man. And the most abusive customer to my Balthazar servers since the restaurant opened 25 years ago.' The restaurateur said he was initially hesitant to publicly put Corden on blast, but did so out of 'loyalty to restaurant servers everywhere.' Stunned onlookers said the men came to blows early on Saturday evening outside of the SoHo restaurant 'There was a huge fight outside Balthazar Saturday night after a customer voiced support for James Corden,' he said. McNally publicly pilloried Corden in October 2022 Hours after the initial post, he revealed Corden had personally called him to apologise and, as such, he'd revoked the ban. A customer who witnessed Saturday evening's brawl firsthand said she was extremely disappointed in how staff and management handled the situation. The woman said the least staff could have done was 'offer a complimentary glass of wine or something because we were caught right in the middle of it, just to take the stress off after this or make our evening somewhat of a pleasant experience.' 'They fell to the ground right in front of us, right before I took my phone out, it was so unexpected,' she said. 'My first and last time in this terrible establishment. SoHo is not safe anymore.' Video of the incident has been widely shared, showing the melee as multiple staff tried to stop the man using metal bollards and chairs The woman was criticized for her 'out of touch' response to the incident, with some witnesses arguing 'waiters had to fight someone off.' 'Can you imagine having a bad day like that at work? And you're sad you didn't get a free glass of wine?' Police were called to the scene about 4pm on Saturday regarding a harassment complaint. The NYPD said the man entered the restaurant and was accused of causing annoyance and alarm. The man is not wanted by police and there is no further investigation. A group of alumni who worked in the Reagan administration revealed in a surprise move that they are endorsing Kamala Harris for president over Donald Trump and even said they believe their late boss would also support the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee. The announcement from the group of more than a dozen Reagan officials and staffers is the latest in a series of endorsements by Republican and former GOP officials for the vice president. In their endorsement letter, the group noted that President Reagan famously spoke of a 'Time for Choosing.' 'While he is not here to experience the current moment, we who worked for him in the White House, in the Administration, in campaigns and on his personal staff, know he would join us in supporting the Harris -Walz ticket,' they wrote. The Reagan alumni stated 'the time for choosing we face today is a choice between integrity and demagoguery, and the choice must be Harris-Walz.' A group of Republicans who worked for President Ronald Reagan endorse Democrat Kamala Harris for president over Donald Trump Their letter argued the choice was between 'truth and lies,' 'freedom and suppression of freedom,' and 'serving the people and serving the few.' Some of the Reagan officials who came out in support of the Democratic presidential nominee include Ken Adelman who served as Reagan's U.S. ambassador, Deputy Assistant to the President for Communications Elizabeth Board, White House Social Secretary Gahl Burt, Deputy Assistant to the President B. Jay Cooper and others. The list of former Reagan officials also includes Pete Souza who served as official White House Photographer for Reagan as well as President Obama. Souza has long been a vocal critic of Trump. 'Our votes in this election are less about supporting the Democratic Party and more about our resounding support for democracy,' they said. They wrote that they hope their letter will 'signal to other Republicans and former Republicans that supporting the Democratic ticket this year is the only path forward toward an America that is strong and viable for our children and grandchildren for years to come.' Group of more than a dozen people who worked in the Reagan administration released a letter endorsing Kamala Harris. They said they believe late former President Ronald Reagan would also have backed the Democratic 2024 presidential nominee A Pew Research Survey last year found Republicans view Reagan as the best recent president just beating out Trump. But earlier this year, Reagan's own daughter Patti Davis said she doubts her father would want to be associated with today's Republican Party. The endorsement by the Reagan alum comes after a series of other former Republican administration officials and prominent GOP lawmakers have come out against the ex-president's bid for a second term in office. Most notably, former GOP Vice President Dick Cheney recently revealed he would be casting his ballot for Harris. The former vice president who served under President George W Bush wrote there has 'never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.' Days earlier, his daughter former Wyoming Congresswoman and longtime Trump critic Liz Cheney also endorsed the vice president. Former GOP Congresswoman Liz Cheney and her father former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney announced they will be voting for Kamala Harris in the November election 'I dont believe that we have the luxury of writing in candidates names, particularly in swing states,' Cheney said. Separately, more than 230 Republicans who worked for prominent Republicans President George W Bush, late Senator John McCain and Senator Mitt Romney also endorsed Harris last month. The Harris campaign and Democrats have been actively courting Republicans as they work to cut into Trump's margins. During their convention, a series of prominent Republicans and even former Trump White House officials took the stage to share why they were voting for the Democratic nominee. The campaign has also launched Republicans for Harris and have been doing outreach to former Nikki Haley voters since the Republican primary season as the work to build a coalition for November. She enjoyed raving on the Spanish island of Ibiza, but Angela Rayner is unlikely to be able to hold any country house parties. For the Daily Mail understands that Dorneywood, a 21-room grace-and-favour mansion, has been given not to Ms Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, but to Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It is a blow to Ms Rayner as the last Labour deputy prime minister, John Prescott, was handed rent-free use of the 18th-century home instead of the then chancellor, Gordon Brown. The official website of Dorneywood, which was given to the nation by the industrialist Lord Courtauld-Thomson in 1947 as a country home for a senior member of the government, has quietly confirmed that Ms Reeves is the new occupant. On the page for the property which is set in 200 acres of Buckinghamshire countryside it states: July 2024 to present: Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer. The official website of Dorneywood (pictured) has quietly confirmed that Ms Reeves is the new occupant Rachel Reeves (pictured), the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has been given Dorneywood, a 21-room grace-and-favour mansion The Deputy PM enjoyed raving on the Spanish island of Ibiza (pictured), but Angela Rayner is unlikely to be able to hold any country house parties Ms Rayner is said to enjoy styling herself as Prescott in a skirt, in emulation of her plain-speaking predecessor. However, Lord Prescott occupied a formal Office of the Deputy Prime Minister with its own dedicated staff. The Mail on Sunday reported at the weekend that the Civil Services preparations for a Keir Starmer government included a plan for Ms Rayner, who is also the Housing Secretary, to control a similar operation, which was to be allocated two private secretaries with security clearance to operate at the highest level of government. But sources say that Sue Gray, Sir Keirs chief of staff, has sent them to work instead for the PMs enforcer, Pat McFadden, the increasingly powerful Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. And Ms Rayner angrily denied that she occupies her title in name only after Ms Reeves persuaded the Prime Minister that Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds should take a prominent role in the Deputy PMs red revolution on employment laws. Ms Rayner insists she has been attending powerful meetings of Starmers top team and doing unsexy work on big policy areas. No 10 did not respond to a request for comment. A five-week run of A Midsummer Night's Dream at a major Manchester theatre was cancelled after the director bitterly feuded with theatre bosses over references to Palestine and trans rights. The Royal Exchange Theatre, which sits in the heart of the city, was due to run a modern version of the Shakespeare classic set in contemporary Manchester with a drum and bass soundtrack. It was directed by Stef O'Driscoll, known for her work in London's Royal Court Theatre. Theatre bosses cancelled the first few performances, which were due to start on September 6, citing a cast injury and a 'technical issue.' But the real reason for the cancellation was that theatre bosses objected to a song in the production which referred to trans rights and the phrase 'Free Palestine', Manchester Evening News revealed. The outlet reported that theatre management wanted the section to be removed, but O'Driscoll reportedly insisted it remain, an opinion that was supported by her cast. The Royal Exchange Theatre (pictured) was due to run a modern version of the Shakespeare classic set in contemporary Manchester The version of the classic Shakespeare play was directed by Stef O'Driscoll, known for her work in London 's Royal Court Theatre A source told MEN: 'They did the first preview, at which point the theatre said they are going to have to cut the reference to trans rights and free Palestine. 'The director said - no, this is my direction, it's what it's always been, we've had weeks and months and you are now trying to change it after the first preview. The company were very solid and unified.' A meeting between the cast, director and upper management took place last Wednesday, where disagreements were supposed to be worked through. But a source told the paper that the row could not be resolved. 'Wednesday was meant to be press night, by which point you would expect enthusiasm from people on social media - nothing at all. On Wednesday the cast were called in for a meeting at 11am to resolve it, they couldn't', they said. 'At the weekend they couldn't agree, the director had walked, so they cancelled it.' A source close to the production added: 'This is a big deal for them. They've been through the wars financially, through Covid. I know people that are directly involved. They are really devastated about it.' Ticketholders were told on Saturday that the entire run was cancelled, and that they would be refunded. Stars who were due to perform in the five-week run have since taken to social media to express their grief at the cancellation. BBC star Alicia Forde, who was set to play Lysander, said in an Instagram story: 'Much love for the messages about the cancellation of our show A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Royal Exchange. 'Not ignoring you I promise, just taking some time... big love to the cast and crew, it was a special one x.' Manchester musician Salo, who was set to play the Moon in the production, said on Instagram: 'A Midsummer Night's Dream has been cancelled. Apologies to everyone that was so excited to see this theatre production. 'The work I put into this was huge and I'm f****** gutted for myself and everyone involved. Don't wanna talk about it too much as I'm emotionally drained but will answer any questions about it at a later date. Just need some time to process.' Equity, the acting union, said that the cast and crew were still being paid for the full run. A spokesperson told MEN: ' We are supporting members in dealing with the impact of this cancellation on their wellbeing and future relationships with the venue. 'Whilst we're pleased that the workforce will not be out of pocket, the issues that have led to the cancellation of the production require further discussion with Manchester Royal Exchange. 'Equity has today contacted the theatre requesting an urgent meeting to discuss the reasons for cancellation, the impact on our members and the steps being taken now. We remain very concerned about this situation and its impact on our members.' MailOnline has contacted the Royal Exchange Theatre and representatives for Stef O'Driscoll for comment. A convicted paedophile was paid hundreds of pounds by Huw Edwards to send 'evil' child abuse images, spending his cash to see him through university. Alex Williams, 25, shared 41 indecent images with Edwards, 63, in an abhorrent WhatsApp chat. Among the sickening trove of abusive pictures shared by the sex offender were two showing a boy as young as seven. Edwards was snared by chance by police in Wales who were investigating Williams and stumbled upon his messages sent to the famed newsreader. The Sun reported that the 25-year-old also distributed horrific photographs to four other men, one of which showed a one-year-old being sexually abused. No child abuse pictures were found on the former BBC news presenter's phone. Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Huw Edwards that led to the newsreader's downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot Williams (pictured) was snared by Welsh police - who later discovered he had sent Edwards a series of indecent images of children Huw Edwards was snared by chance by police in Wales who were investigating Williams and stumbled on his messages to the now-disgraced newsreader (Edwards is pictured leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court) Williams, from Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, admitted possessing and distributing child sex images and having 58 prohibited computer-generated images of children. The images were slammed by a judge as 'evil' and Williams received a suspended sentence of 12 months. The Welshman sent Edwards 377 images, 41 of which were indecent and formed the charges to which the veteran broadcaster pleaded guilty. Two images involved a boy believed to be as young as seven, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard. 63-year-old Edwards was spared jail today, sentenced to six months in prison suspended for two years. Williams' mother claimed to be unaware that her son was convicted of child pornography offences at Merthyr Crown Court earlier this year. Westminster Magistrates' Court heard on Monday how Huw Edwards had replied 'yes xxx' when asked if he wanted a set of indecent images of children (note: This is not the actual text message exchange) It was also told that Edwards had told Williams that ages 'can be deceptive' when told one of the subjects in an image was 'quite yng looking', before asking if he had 'any more? (note: This is not the actual text message exchange) She and Williams' father said they had not seen Williams for three or four months - although neighbours said they spotted him in the street. The sex offender's mother also claimed she knows of no connection between her son and the disgraced anchorman. At Edwards' sentencing hearing on Monday, it was revealed what was said between the pair on the messaging app between December 2020 and August 2021. Westminster Magistrates Court heard how Edwards had replied 'yes xxx' when asked by Williams if he wanted a set of indecent images of children. He also messaged saying 'go on' when asked if he wanted 'naughty pics and vids' of somebody described as 'yng (sic)'. The court also heard that the presenter had told Williams via message that ages 'can be deceptive' when informed that one of the subjects in an image was 'quite yng looking', before asking if he had 'any more?'. Outlining the evidence against the veteran broadcaster earlier, prosecutor Ian Hope said: 'It is clear from the face of the WhatsApp chat recovered that a deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature. 'It is also clear that Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of money - low hundreds of pounds on an occasional basis - to Alex Williams which Mr Williams directly asked for on several occasions, as gifts or presents, apparently off the back of sending pornographic images to Mr Edwards, about which images they chatted. 'Alex Williams has stated that the money was more generally to support him at university and amounted to around 1,000 to 1,500.' Mr Hope continued: 'From that chat in December 2020, Alex Williams said that he had 'a file of vids and pics for you of someone special'. 'Mr Edwards immediately queried who the subject was and was then sent three images of seemingly the same person, from two of which images the subject's age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16. Williams has since gone into hiding after his link with Edwards was exposed by the Mail. He is pictured at a family event Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to receiving 41 indecent images of children, which included two sexual videos of a boy under nine (Edwards is seen leaving court) Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London this morning with a wheelie suitcase for his sentencing 'These two were category C indecent images of children in which the child was exposing his penis. 'Alex Williams stated that he had '12 videos and 42 pics I've sent you a video of him before'. 'Shortly after Alex Williams asked: 'want me to send you the full file?' Mr Edwards responded 'Yes xxx...' immediately following which Alex Williams sent to Mr Edwards around 30 attachments, about half of which were category C indecent images of children.' Mr Hope said he offered to send 12 videos in December 2020 and the then-BBC presenter responded that he could not see the latest batch but 'the others were amazing'. Edwards received and opened seven category A the most indecent images, 12 category B and 22 category C photos between December 2020 and August 2021, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard. The news came as a BBC insider claimed Edwards had messaged 'lads in the newsroom for drinks' for years. A BBC insider claimed that bosses at the corporation may have 'turned a blind eye' to the star's behaviour within the newsroom in order to 'protect' him. The BBC admitted it knew Edwards had been arrested on 'suspicion of serious offences' last November, but kept paying his 479,000-a-year salary until he resigned in April. A BBC source said: 'It was known for a few years he was messaging an assortment of lads in the newsroom for drinks etc, yet the feeling is senior editors might have turned a blind eye. If this was the case, it points to the usual ''protect the star'' stuff.' Edwards was arrested on November 8 last year, with the BBC being aware of his arrest, it has now been revealed. He was then charged on June 26. He resigned in April on health grounds. The News at Ten reader, whose glittering four-decade career alongside his marriage is now in tatters, is said to have kept his arrest 'secret' from his friends, a former colleague told the Mail. Meanwhile, both the Crown Prosecution Service and Scotland Yard faced secrecy allegations over the handling of Edwards's arrest and charge. The CPS denied it had purposefully suppressed details of the charge or given Edwards preferential treatment. Welsh police uncovered the broadcaster crimes during a separate probe into a sex offender in Wales. Edwards is pictured in court It comes after the BBC director-general said the corporation has 'lessons to learn' after the 'shocking' Jermaine Jenas, Edwards and Strictly scandals in a grovelling letter to staff. Tim Davie said that changing the culture at the broadcaster would be a 'critical priority' - as he admitted 'we have all felt let down'. He told staff that he wanted to 'acknowledge that this has been a demanding period for the BBC', in an email senton August 27. The corporation has recently faced a string of scandals featuring top celebs, with Match of the Day star Jermaine Jenas being sacked for sending inappropriate messages to two female members of staff. Mr Davie wrote: 'Aside from the challenges of delivering such brilliant output, I want to acknowledge that this has been a demanding period for the BBC and everyone who works within it. 'The shocking news about Huw Edwards and other stories, concerning some of our high profile shows, have put the BBC in the spotlight. 'It can be challenging for us all when the BBC becomes the headline. We work for this wonderful organisation because we care about what it stands for and the role it plays in society'. The director-general said that workers now have to hold themselves to the highest standards - thanking them for supporting the BBC as they 'navigated a tough situation'. He said that there are 'lessons we can learn' from the slew of scandals that have hit the broadcaster, pledging to 'build trust'. Edwards, of Wandsworth, wore a dark blue suit with a blue tie in the dock He added that he will continue to oversee plans to grow the organisation for the future. Mr Davie continued: 'I know we have all felt let down and worried about the impact on the BBC. 'However, we hold ourselves to the highest standards and we know there will be lessons we can learn to ensure we have the strongest possible workplace culture. 'I very much welcome the proposed actions that the Chair outlined in his recent email, and I want to thank everyone for their calm support as we have navigated a tough situation. 'Our aim should be to act fairly, in line with our Values, and work to build trust. 'Personally, on my watch, building a positive culture and making the BBC a great place to work is a critical priority. 'I know that many people are proud of their teams and feel they are working in a supportive and positive environment. We must make that universal.' In August, the BBC asked him to hand back the 200,000 salary he earned after being arrested. The corporation knew the presenter had been arrested last November but continued to pay his salary until he resigned on medical advice this April. A BBC spokesperson said after its former broadcaster was sentenced: 'We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.' There has been criticism in some quarters over the decision not to hand Edwards a prison sentence when many people involved in recent far-right rioting had been jailed. The court was taken through details of Edwards's mental health history, with reference made to one report by a consultant psychiatrist and neuropsychiatrist that recorded Edwards took two months of sick leave 'following an anonymous denunciation' in 2018. The disgraced BBC News star's remorse and prison overcrowding could also have been considerations that counted in his favour. Foreign Secretary David Lammy will today say that climate change is a more urgent threat than terrorism or dictators such as Vladimir Putin. He is set to unveil plans for a Global Clean Power Alliance a coalition of countries committed to speeding up the production of green energy. But Mr Lammy's comments risk opening Labour up to accusations that the party is in the pockets of eco-zealots. It will also raise eyebrows that Mr Lammy is choosing to use his first major policy speech to focus on climate change rather than crises such as the war in Ukraine and unrest in the Middle East. He is expected to say: 'This crisis is not some discrete policy area, divorced from geopolitics, conflict and insecurity. 'The threat may not feel as urgent as a terrorist or an imperialist autocrat. But it is more fundamental. It is systemic. Pervasive. And accelerating towards us. David Lammy's (pictured) comments risk opening Labour up to accusations that the party is in the pockets of eco-zealots The Foreign Secretary will today say that climate change is a more urgent threat than dictators such as Vladimir Putin (pictured) Labour has lifted a ban on onshore wind farms, sparking fears thousands of turbines could blight the countryside. (Stock photo) Rishi Sunak said their net zero targets would be achieved in a 'proportionate and pragmatic way' 'I am committing to you that while I am Foreign Secretary, action on the climate and nature crisis will be central to all the Foreign Office does.' He will say that the alliance will involve working with developing nations to ensure 'the rapid deployment of renewable energy'. Special representatives for climate change and nature will be appointed as part of a team tasked with pushing for more progress on the global transition to cleaner energy. Labour has been more hardline with net-zero targets than the previous Tory government. Rishi Sunak said they would be achieved in a 'proportionate and pragmatic way'. Labour has accelerated the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars and the phasing out of oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. Labour has also lifted a ban on onshore wind farms, sparking fears thousands of turbines could blight the countryside. The rockets had already started raining down when a group of friends posed for one last selfie at the Nova Festival in Israel, unaware of the horror about to unfold. Two British-Israeli Aner Shapiro and Yoad Pe'er did not survive the day as they became victims of the brutal Hamas attacks of October 7. Another, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was held hostage for 11 months in Gaza before being murdered by the terrorists as the Israeli army closed in on their hiding place. The photograph of the friends is revealed in a BBC documentary film called Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again, to screen on September 26, detailing the full story of what happened to the Nova festival-goers. Made by award-winning Israeli director Yariv Mozer, it almost entirely uses footage taken by the young people at Nova as well as video taken by the terrorists as they embarked on their murderous rampage. Mozer was given exclusive documentary permission to go on to the Nova site just 24 hours after the attacks. Smiles of innocence: Aner Shapiro third from the left and next to him, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, pose for a group photograph at the Nova Festival. Aner died in the attacks while Hersh was kidnapped and later murdered A grab of a Palestinian militant at the Nova music festival in the Negev desert in southern Israel last October The selfie was taken by a group which included Halely Ben Tzion, 21, who, like Mr Goldberg-Polin, was from a religious family and hadn't told her parents she was going to the trance party as she sneaked out of the house on October 6. She was friends with Mr Shapiro, 22, an off-duty Israel Defence Forces soldier who was best friends with Mr Goldberg-Polin. The film shows how, at first, no one was too concerned when the rocket attacks started. On the stage was British-Israeli Noa Beer, a 29-year-old booking agent who had brought a DJ to the rave from Hungary. As the sun came up in the early hours of October 7, the party was in full flow. 'The sun rises, and you suddenly see the people around you, you suddenly see their smiles and you see the dance floor moving. And then someone grabbed my hand and showed me the sky. It was full of rockets,' says Ms Beer. At first, many of the party-goers assumed it was fireworks. Ms Beer instructed the DJ to stop his set and grabbed a microphone to shout 'Red alert'. The party was over and people started to leave. But because they were accustomed to rocket attacks which normally ended as quickly as they started, many didn't think to hurry. Unbeknown to the festival fans, Hamas terrorists had infiltrated Israel's border in scores of places and were heading towards them from several directions. Ms Ben Tzion, Mr Goldberg-Polin and Mr Shapiro all went to the campsite to gather their things. 'We are at our camp, hugging each other and laughing at the situation,' recalled Ms Ben Tzion of the moment the photo was taken. 'Aner, Hersh, all my friends who were there. We took a selfie, one last selfie. And then everyone went on their way.' Ms Ben Tzion didn't hurry: 'I went behind the central stage to get a beer. I figured that as soon as the rockets would stop, that's when we would leave, get out of there. But suddenly some guy goes 'psst' at me. I look at the stage and I see four guys hiding. They said, 'Listen, girl, get under the stage, there are terrorists here'.' And then she heard gunfire. She recalled: 'We're hearing gunshots constantly, they're getting closer and closer. People screaming, begging, and then, bang, silence. The scream went up, 'Terrorists! Run! Now! Everyone run!' ' Survivors of the deadly October 7 attack attend a memorial on September 1, a day after bodies of six hostages were discovered in Gaza Discarded belongings and rubbish in the aftermath of the Nova festival Hamas attack Ms Beer, whose car was in the VIP section, was one of the first to leave. But Hamas terrorists were still in front of her. 'We were driving on Route 232 and rockets were exploding over our heads and then two cars that were in front of me suddenly hit the brakes,' she said. 'At first it looked like an accident so I opened my door to help and at that moment I heard the first bullet. They missed us by chance. 'I looked in the mirror and I could see the car behind me had stopped. The driver and the guy next to him were shot in the head. Every car near us had been shot off the road. People were trying to run out of the cars and there were terrorists shooting them down.' Mr Shapiro and Mr Goldberg-Polin, along with Mr Pe'er and his friend Adi Kaufman, were the last into a roadside shelter where others from the festival were hiding. Then they heard the terrorists. 'Aner tried to calm everyone down as much as possible,' recalls Eitan Halley, 28, one of the few survivors from the shelter. She added: 'I saw Aner pick (a grenade) up and toss it out. And then they threw another one in. And every time they threw in a grenade, he just grabbed it and tossed it out. I was thinking to myself, 'this kid is throwing live grenades'.' Mr Shapiro's luck ran out on the eighth grenade. 'There was a really big explosion,' Ms Halley said. 'When I finally got up, I remember Aner wasn't standing any more he wasn't with us.' Ms Halley said that when Israeli soldiers entered the shelter to see if anyone was alive, 'I realised I was sitting in a pile of dead bodies'. Three men accused of performing Nazi salutes outside a Jewish museum told police it was a joke, mimicking the act of British comedian Ricky Gervais, a court has been told. Daniel Muston, 41, Ryan Peter Marshall, 31, and Anthony Raymond Mitchell, 32, were charged over their actions near the Sydney Jewish Museum in inner-city Darlinghurst on October 13, 2023. The three men have pleaded not guilty to charges of behaving in an offensive manner in public and knowingly displaying Nazi symbols without an excuse. The Downing Centre Local Court on Monday was shown a YouTube clip of comedian Ricky Gervais which Mitchell told police he was referencing when he made the salute. However, Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson questioned the timing of the acts, just days after hundreds of people were killed in Israel during attacks by Hamas on October 7. 'It really is a matter of common knowledge what occurred in Israel days earlier,' she told the court. 'He might have said it was a joke but why that location, why that time?' The case will test laws prohibiting the display of Nazi symbols, introduced by the NSW parliament in 2022, which carry a maximum penalty of 12 months' jail, an $11,000 fine, or both. When questioned by police, Mitchell made multiple references to the Gervais performance. Anthony Mitchell said they were just joking around when doing Nazi salutes outside a Jewish museum Daniel Muston told police people have become 'too sensitive' In the clip played to the court, Gervais performs a mock Nazi salute while pushing his hair down to mimic Hitler. 'I do that quick so no one can take a picture of me doing that,' Gervais says in the clip. 'Not a traditional subject for comedy the old Holocaust.' Mitchell's lawyer Adrian Canceri told the court his client was recreating Gervais' act for artistic purposes, which is one of the exemptions under the law. Police prosecutor David Langton told the court it was not in dispute that what the men were doing was a joke. 'The fact it's a joke, we don't shy away from that,' Sergeant Langton said. However, he pointed out there was a difference between Gervais performing the salute in the context of a comedy show and others doing so in a public place. 'I'm not making a decision about Ricky Gervais,' Ms Atkinson noted. The court viewed footage of the men walking past the Jewish museum on the day of the alleged offence, in which they can be seen laughing and briefly raising their hands in apparent Nazi salutes. Later the same day, a body-worn camera captured police arresting the men nearby for offensive conduct, with one officer asking: 'you guys were just outside the Jewish museum giving Hitler salutes?' The court was told a security guard at the museum saw the alleged salutes while monitoring CCTV and called police, and that no other members of the public complained. The magistrate will hand down her decision on Ryan Marshall and his co-accused in October 'We were all just joking around,' Mitchell said, according to the police camera footage. 'We were just making a joke.' Muston tells the officers that people make jokes all the time and that people have become 'too sensitive'. 'It's probably not the time for jokes, is it?' one of the officers tells the men, according to the footage. 'Those sort of actions do offend people.' Lawyers for the three men also argued that the Sieg Heil salute did not fall under the legislation, which they argued only extended to symbols such as the swastika. 'It's only to do with symbols,' Muston's lawyer Bryan Wrench said. 'We say ... it doesn't include a gesture.' The matter will return to court on October 24 for judgment. Man's Nazi salute outside Sydney Jewish Museum was mimicking Ricky Gervais skit, court told Keir Starmers powerful chief of staff Sue Gray will attend national security council meetings despite questions about her links to Irish Republican figures. The Prime Ministers right-hand woman will reportedly be in regular attendance at weekly meetings of the committee of intelligence and military chiefs. Yet there are concerns about her connections to senior Sinn Fein terrorists, including a former IRA member who boasted she was a friend in court in Downing Street. Ms Gray accompanied the PM on recent trips to Washington and Rome in an indication of how central she is to his administration. It has now emerged she will attend his weekly audience with the heads of MI6, MI5, GCHQ, the joint intelligence committee and Armed Forces, according to The Sun. The council has previously met on an ad hoc basis but now convenes every Tuesday as global threats against the UK increase. Sir Keir with Sue Gray. The Prime Ministers right-hand woman will reportedly be in regular attendance at weekly meetings of the committee of intelligence and military chiefs There are concerns about Ms Gray's connections to senior Sinn Fein terrorists, including a former IRA member who boasted she was a friend in court in Downing Street Ms Gray will attend the committee alongside Sir Keir, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Defence Secretary John Healey and Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Tory peer Jonathan Caine, who worked in the Northern Ireland Office under successive Conservative governments, last week tabled a question in the House of Lords about Ms Grays connections to Irish republicans. He asked: What meetings and phone or video calls has the Prime Ministers chief of staff had with representatives of Sinn Fein since the general election? It followed reports from security sources that Ms Gray had held meetings with Conor Murphy, Sinn Feins economy minister, when she quit her civil service job to work for Sir Keir. Ms Grays Irish republican connections came under the spotlight last week after a public inquiry was established into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane by loyalist paramilitaries in 1989. The Government has refused to say whether Ms Gray was involved in the decision to start the investigation despite the murder having been probed a number of times. Ms Gray left her Whitehall job 40 years ago and moved to Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles to run a pub in an area known as bandit country. She has denied spying for the British Government There are also questions over her involvement in a 310million bid to fund a redevelopment of a derelict stadium in Belfast, a project vetoed by ministers last week. Ms Gray left her Whitehall job 40 years ago and moved to Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles to run a pub in an area known as bandit country. She has denied spying for the British Government. Mr Murphy is the most senior Sinn Fein member to emerge from bandit country. He joined the IRA as a teenager, later serving five years in prison for membership of the group and possession of explosives. After Ms Grays appointment as chief of staff, he said: With Sue Gray... at least we have a friend in court, so we can certainly have access... directly to Downing Street. Sir Keir attempted to defend Ms Gray at the weekend by saying that most of the stories about her are wildly wrong following reports of rifts in No10. If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call 1-800-273-8255 The widow of developer and financier Brandon Miller is being sued by a New York City landlord for unpaid rent on their luxury apartment following her husband's suicide. Mak Acquisitions is demanding socialite Candice Miller cough up $195,000 to cover rent on their 737 Park Ave abode for the months of April through August, court documents reviewed by DailyMail.com revealed. The mother-of-two moved out of the Upper East Side apartment in August, but the landlord is arguing she as 'refused to compensate [them] for provided services.' Rent for the swanky apartment cost $47,000 until April, before increasing to $49,000 from May onward. The unit boasts five-bedrooms and seven-and-a-half-bathrooms across 4,382 square feet, according to Zillow. The lawsuit is the latest in legal troubles Brandon, 43, left behind for his family. Courts documents show he owed nearly $34 million in debt and had just $8,000 in his bank account when he decided to take his own life. A New York City landlord is suing financier Brandon Miller's (left) widow Candice Miller (right) for unpaid rent after he died Mak Acquisitions is demanding socialite Candice Miller cough up $195,000 to cover rent on their 737 Park Ave (pictured) abode The unit boasts five-bedrooms and seven-and-a-half-bathrooms across 4,382 square feet A significant portion of this debt was tied to his Hamptons estate at 25 Cobb Isle Road, which is now on the market for $15.5 million. Candice, 42, has filed a bond petition detailing four outstanding loans on the property, including a $2 million mortgage from Titan Capital, which has also recently sued her over missed payments. Beyond the property debt, Brandon had a substantial unsecured loan of $11.3 million from BMO Bank. Additionally, he owed over $6 million to Donald Jaffe, a lender who had previously funded Miller and his father on various projects. Jaffe is still pursuing legal action to recover the unpaid balance. Other creditors include American Express and Funding Club, a Brooklyn-based cash advance lender, to whom Brandon owed over $300,000 and $266,000, respectively. In a suicide note, the father explained that a last-minute make-or-break business deal had fallen through, leaving him feeling he had no way out. The New York Times reported that Brandon also detailed two life insurance policies that could be used to pay off creditors. Brandon (pictured with his daughters), 43, left behind a slew of legal troubles for his family and was nearly $34 million in debt A significant portion of this debt was tied to his Hamptons estate (pictured) which is now on the market for $15.5 million Brandon committed suicide while his wife Candice and their two daughters were on a European vacation He killed himself by inhaling exhaust fumes while his wife Candice was touring Europe with their two daughters. The troubled man waited until his family had left town for a weeks-long luxury vacation before getting into his car and running the engine until it filled their garage with toxic gas. A wealthy friend arranged for shaken Candice and their two girls to fly back to the US on a private jet. They arrived in time to say their final goodbyes before he was taken off life support at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and declared dead on July 3, according to a well-placed source. Candice has since moved with her daughters to Miami Beach shortly after her husband's suicide in July and is now living in a multimillion dollar condo owned by a member of the von Furstenberg family. Last year, a trust tied to Alexander von Furstenberg paid $10 million for the luxurious three-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom unit Miller is now living in. Candice moved with her daughters to Miami Beach shortly after her husband's suicide in July She is now living in a multimillion dollar condo (pictured) owned by a member of the von Furstenberg family Diane von Furstenberg's net worth is said to be around $300 million, much of which comes from her famous fashion label that's named for herself. Decades after she divorced her first husband, who came from a princely family in Germany, von Furstenberg married media mogul Barry Diller. The pair, who wed in 2001, bought a waterfront plot of land, also in Miami Beach, for an eyewatering $45 million in April. It's unclear what, if any, relationship exists between Miller and the exceedingly wealthy couple. Miller is known to be friends with Alexander von Furstenbergs wife, Alison, also known as the model Ali Kay. If you or anyone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call the Suicide Prevention hotline on 988 - or 1-800-273-8255 - or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org Lawyers are believed to be circling Victoria Police for payouts Photographer claims part of his ear was removed by police bullet Trigger-happy police officers have been accused of shooting off part of a news photographer's ear and targeting media during wild 'peace' protests in Melbourne. Daily Mail Australia's Melbourne correspondent Wayne Flower was among media representatives shot by police during the protests. Footage captured by Flower in the seconds before he was shot with a gas-filled rubber bullet showed several police officers raised their weapons and pointed them in his direction. The allegations are now among several set to trigger compensation claims as law firms prepare to launch legal action against Victoria Police. Media representatives, many carrying multiple cameras, had been positioned front-and-centre at the protest as police appeared to fire non-lethal rounds at or around them. A photographer who provides images for pro-Palestinian groups claims he lost part of his ear and perforated an eardrum after being shot by police with a rubber bullet during the protest. The 33-year-old photographer, who provides images for Free Palestine Melbourne and Free Palestine Coalition Naarm, was wounded at about 10am on Wednesday - at almost the exact same moment Flower was shot. Jeremy King, principal lawyer and head of police misconduct at Robinson Gill, told the ABC he had been contacted by several people with injuries requiring 'significant medical attention'. Guns up: Channel 7 die hard Paul Dowsley was lucky not to have been shot himself, with several police officers seen in the background taking aim behind him 'We've had some inquiries regarding the use of rubber bullets and excessive force by police in which people have suffered what look to be some pretty nasty injuries,' he said. 'We've done a lot of claims against Victoria Police in the past in regards to a heavy-handed approach to protesters and to media, so we're very familiar with these types of issues.' It is understood media representatives injured on Clarendon Street will be among those joining the legal action. Footage obtained by Daily Mail Australia revealed journalists - wearing identification lanyards, holding heavy video cameras and carrying cameras - were threatened by officers wielding batons during police charges. One video captured by Flower, who by then was standing among a media pack, was forced to his knees as an officer wearing a New South Wales police uniform charged at him with a baton raised over his head. A Victoria Police spokesperson said officers 'utilised proportionate and lawful force' in response to the crowd and violent individuals. 'Individuals were not targeted, with media in attendance asked on numerous occasions to make sure they moved away and did not put themselves in the way of the dynamic situation,' the spokesperson said. 'Force was only used in response to violence exhibited by individuals in the crowd to deter further offending.' Daily Mail Australia Melbourne correspondent Wayne Flower had been filming police on his phone when he was shot The capsicum powder carrying bullet left a nasty bruise after it exploded on Flower Flower, who has covered Melbourne crime for various mainstream news organisations during his 25 years on the job, said police appeared to have 'lost their cool'. 'I was shot within minutes of arriving there,' he said. 'They just seemed to be popping off rounds at anyone they didn't like the looks of. 'I told them repeatedly I was a reporter after being shot, but they still came at us like we were protesting. It's like nothing I've witnessed before, even during the Covid 19 protests.' The news photographer shot by police told The Age he was standing about 25m from a line of police who had blocked Spencer Street. His last photo before the incident reveals more than 20 protesters, journalists and other photographers were standing between him and police when the rubber bullet was fired. 'It felt like Id been hit by a car, I didnt see it coming,' he told The Age. 'There was a sharp pain and a buzzing in my head. I put my hand to my ear and I could just feel a throbbing pain and realised there was blood, and Id lost part of my ear.' Police fire at near point blank range at a protester who was also doused in OC foam A New South Wales policeman approaches Flower with a baton during a charge. Flower had been positioned with news cameramen and was wearing media accreditation The female officer had eyes on media while her colleagues worried about the protesters Photographer Luis Ascui, who was sprayed directly in the eyes by police while photographing a rally in September 2021, told Daily Mail Australia police desperately needed to work with media organisations to ensure the safety of media representatives doing their job. Ascui, who has worked in war zones across the globe, said it was only in Australia where he felt threatened by police. 'Enough is enough. I mean what is going to happen next time? It's only here in Australia where working journalists are targeted by police,' he said. 'Media bosses need to address the issue because we need to be able to cover these jobs without being targeted.' Ascui, who was unharmed in last week's protests, had been carrying three cameras and wearing a media accreditation when he was pepper sprayed in 2021. Represented by King, he settled a legal claim with Victoria Police out of court. If you're part of Generation X or a late baby boomer like me, you've probably noticed that life feels more like The Breakfast Clubwith a twist. Back in the day, we were rebels and dreamers, finding our way through high school cliques and defining ourselves to the soundtrack of Don't You (Forget About Me). Fast forward to today, and we're still those same people, but now we're juggling grown or teenage kids, aging parents, and financial pressures including mortgages or rent. The stakes are higher, but the spirit of our youth is still very much alive. I'm Vanessa Stoykov, a money educator with over 30 years' experience helping Australians make good decisions when it comes to finances and life. Through my new column Flourishing After 50, published every Sunday, I will help you work out how to live a more fulfilled and exciting life - even with all the challenges we face. After all, we're not slowing down! We're not 'pre-retirees' on the cusp of winding down, and we don't want to be labelled that way. There's still so much life to live, so much to do, and yes, so much fun to be had. Leading money educator Vanessa Stoykov will answer readers' questions about how to best prepare for a fun-filled retirement in her new weekly column Flourishing After 50 We're Not Done Yet Just like in our youth, when we didn't want to be put into a box, many of us in our 50s feel the same way. Yes, we're responsible for a lot, but that doesn't mean we're ready to give up on enjoying life. From reconnecting with old friends to finding new hobbies, we want to stay active and live vibrantlywithout feeling weighed down by the pressures of day-to-day responsibilities. It's a juggling act, for sure. Whether you're still working, supporting kids in their 20s, or helping elderly parents, it can be easy to let your own happiness take a back seat. But here's the thing: we've got to make time for ourselves. We've got to prioritise our health and happiness first. I can personally vouch for that. When I turned 49, I decided to try Pilates. Now, at 51, I feel stronger and more confident than ever. It was one of the best self-investments I've made. Your Money Questions Answered Send your questions to Vanessa at flourishingafter50@dailymail.com.au. One of the biggest stressors for people in their 50s is money. We're still paying off debts, juggling the costs of family life, and wondering how we'll manage our superannuation. It's a lot, and sometimes it feels overwhelming. That's why I'm here. Flourishing After 50, in partnership with Daily Mail Australia, is more than just a column about managing your finances; it's a space for you to ask the questions that keep you up at night. Whether it's about the smartest ways to tackle various debts, handling a large mortgage, or preparing for retirement without giving up on life's pleasures, I encourage you to write in with your questions. It's possible to live a happy and balanced life even with the pressures of large mortgages, juggling the costs of family life and financial concerns about retirement, says Vanessa Not only will I answer them, but my large circle of financial adviser friends are more than happy to lend their expertise. Between us, we've got the answers to help you flourish financially - and to show that it's possible to live a happy, balanced life even when things get complicated. Plus, for the best question of the week, we will send you a free copy of my book The Breakfast Club for 40-Somethings. If you're looking for ways to improve your financial wellbeing, I've got free resources on my website that can help. From blogs to videos, there's plenty of guidance available to help you make smarter money decisions. I also offer online learning courses designed for people in their 50s who want to unlearn old money habits and embrace a healthier, wealthier future. It was one of the most moving moments in the days following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Two years ago today, King Charles solemnly led his siblings into Westminster Hall to carry out the 'Vigil of the Princes'. Charles and Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward all stood in stoic silence around their late mother's coffin for ten minutes as her body lay in state. Four days earlier, they had performed the same ritual at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, where Queen Elizabeth's coffin initially rested following her death on September 8. The tribute dates back to the death of King George V in 1936, when the monarch's four children all stood guard around his coffin. The day after Charles' tribute alongside his siblings, the Queen's eight grandchildren - including the warring Prince William and Prince Harry - performed their own vigil. King Charles III holding vigil with his siblings for his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth Charles leading his siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward into Westminster Hall on September 16, 2022 Prince William leading the Queen's eight grandchildren to the vigil on September 17, 2022 Charles wore a Navy Admiral's uniform, Anne was dressed in a Colonel of the Blues and Royals uniform and Edward was wearing Royal Honorary Colonel of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry dress. Unlike at the previous vigil, where Andrew had worn a morning suit, the outcast Duke of York - who was stripped of his armed forces patronages earlier in 2022 - was dressed in the full uniform of a Vice Admiral of the Royal Navy. He was given special permission to wear the military dress as a 'final mark of respect' to his mother. The Queen's coffin had been lying in state since September 14, after being taken down from Scotland. Charles stood at the head of the casket while Edward and Anne - the first female royal to perform the vigil - guarded the sides and Andrew stood at the foot. The siblings then stepped forward before turning around to stand guard with their head bowed for around 10 minutes. Charles wearing a Navy Admiral's uniform while his siblings follow, also in military uniform Prince William standing at one end of the coffin while the other grandchildren stand at the sides and Harry at the other end Prince Harry, wearing military uniform for the first time as a non-working royal, follows his brother Meanwhile, members of the public continued to file past the coffin. The next evening, Prince William led Prince Harry, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn in a final royal vigil. At 6pm on September 17, they walked down the steps one a time and took their places around the coffin. All were dressed in black, with Prince William and Harry wearing military uniform. Harry had previously not been allowed to wear his uniform for the public mourning events because he is not a working royal, but sources said the King decided his youngest son could wear military dress for the vigil. Both he and William wore a Blues and Royals uniform, while the Duke also displayed the KCVO Neck Order and Star, Afghanistan Operational Service Medal, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee medals and Army Pilot Wings. Standing with their heads bowed, the eight grandchildren held vigil for 15 minutes Prince Harry, Princess Eugenie and James, Viscount Severn pay their respects to their grandmother Prince William wore the the Garter Sash, the Garter Star, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee medals and RAF Pilot Wings. There was silence as members of the public looked on, with the only sound being the grandchildren's footsteps on the stone. Prince William stood at one end of the coffin while Prince Harry stood at the other, the remaining grandchildren took their places along the side. All eight bowed their heads in respect while mourners continued to move through the room quietly. The then Earl and Countess of Wessex also watched on as the grandchildren held vigil. At 6.15pm, three taps sounded and the grandchildren ended their vigil, leaving in synchronised steps as Prince William led the way. The then Earl and Countess of Wessex watch on as the grandchildren hold vigil Prince Harry standing at the end of his late grandmother's coffin The Queen lay in state until the morning of September 19 and hundreds of thousands of mourners queued overnight to pay tribute to the late monarch. At its height, the queue was up to 10 miles long - with 6.9miles of that being the distance between Westminster and Southwark, plus a three-mile zigzag queue in Southwark Park. Both Britons and foreigners embraced the long, slow, procession across central London to enter the solemn hall amid freezing temperatures. David Beckham, who queued for 14 hours to pay his respects, was among the celebrities who waited in line. A 96-year-old war veteran who saw the Queen's grandfather, George V, lying in state in 1936 also attended. Bombshell documents prove leaders in Aurora, Colorado knew Venezuelan super gang Tren de Aragua had taken control of three apartment buildings, but then denied the city had a gang problem when video of an armed takeover sent shock waves across the US. DailyMail.com obtained city records where staffers admitted three rental properties 'are in complete control' of Tren de Aragua (TdA) and claim that many more than just three properties are victims of the 'criminal infestation.' 'As of now, the Aurora-Multi-Family Properties are in the complete control of the Gangs,' the police report dated June 29 states. One document had been prepared by the Aurora Police Department for attorneys of the owner of the apartment complexes, CBZ Management, turned to the cops for help. 'One June 27, 2024, the Owners were informed that the Aurora Multi-Family Properties had been forcibly taken over and were in the control of individuals claiming to be part of one or more gangs ("Gangs") who have immigrated from the country of Venezuela to the City of Aurora, Colorado,' the crime report reads. Officials records from the City of Aurora, Colorado show the city privately admitted the Tren de Aragua gang had 'complete control' of apartment complexes in the Denver suburb The property manger of the three properties (Aspen Grove Apartments, the Edge of Lowry and Whispering Pines) was told by the thugs not to go back or his life would be in danger. Gang members were also known to be armed with deadly weapons, including assault rifles and knifes. A report by the law firm detailed the chaos at the apartments, including beatings that nearly left victims dead, shootings, drug sales and even child prostitution were taking place. The crime report was complied before video of TdA (as Tren de Aragaua is known to authorities) surfaced August 28, showing armed gangsters storming units at the Edge of Lowry apartments in the Denver suburb. As outrage over the images spread across the country, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman denied Aurora had a gang problem in interview after interview with the media. Footage surfaced in late August showing the moment an armed Venezuelan gang seized control of the Edge of Lowry apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman said there are 'several buildings' that have 'fallen to these Venezuelan gangs' in the city While the city did not respond to an interview request from DailyMail.com asking when the city knew TdA had seized control of apartments, the Republican mayor has made every effort to downplay the South American mob's presence in his city. In an interview with the local Fox station on Aug. 29, Coffman said Aurora was not overrun by migrant criminals and instead described their control to be in 'isolated areas' and 'pockets' of the city. He claimed to know even less with a different Denver outlet on Sept. 4, when asked if he could confirmation Tren de Aragua was behind the violence, he said no. 'I think the view is kind of mixed on that,' Coffman told Denver7. 'Quite frankly, that part is not relevant to me.' In the next breath, Coffman went on to say the DEA had told him TdA was selling fentanyl in the his city, but kept to his narrative that no one knew if Tren de Aragua was involved. 'I don't think we know at this time,' he added. Tren de Aragua gang graffiti covers the walls inside an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado Most of the interior walls inside the Whispering Pines Apartments in Aurora, Colorado are covered in TdA graffiti 'I think people are excited about, "It's a transnational gang," and I'm obviously concerned about it, but to me personally what matters is we get these people off the streets.' The denials defy logic, as DailyMail.com toured the apartments last week. Aspen Grove was shut down by the city, however video of the shooting in the court yard was obtained by DailyMail.com. Residents at both Edge of Lowry and Whispering Pines warned about the dangerous people living in there, and Whispering Pines was covered in gang graffiti that experts said was a clear sign the mob had taken over. Coffman had acknowledged Tren de Aragua was in the city limits, announcing the creation of a special task force between Aurora cops, Colorado State Patrol and Colorado Bureau of Investigation to take the cartel down on Aug. 19. The task force was investigating crime already linked to TdA, including a brutal jewelry store robbery in Denver. Aurora police had arrested two known TdA members in July for their role in a brutal beating that nearly left one man dead Tren de Aragua gang tattoos (pictured above) were part of a Department of Homeland Security bulletin that was recently shared with federal agents The police department had already arrested two known TdA member Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirinos, also known as Cookie or Galleta,' and his brother Jhonnarty Dejesus Pacheco-Chirinos. Additionally, a July 3 letter to the city manager obtained by DailyMail.com details a meeting between the Aurora Police Department, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations or HSI to discuss the gang problem at the three properties owned by CBZ Management. 'In that meeting, it was disclosed that our situation is not an isolated event, but numerous other multi-family projects in the City of Aurora and throughout the State of Colorado are subject to the same gang control,' disclosed CBZ management's attorney. That major revelation is in stark contract to what the mayor has been saying. In a letter to Aurora's city manager, the lawyer for the apartment complexes taken over by Tren de Aragua claim many complexes, not just the three the city has made public, have been taken over by the gang In a letter to Aurora's city manager, the lawyer for the apartment complexes taken over by Tren de Aragua claim many complexes, not just the three the city has made public, have been taken over by the gang 'There is a tendency to exaggerate and to say this incident that's isolated to three buildings under the same ownership with the same people, concentration of Venezuelan migrants, is the city of Aurora...that the entire city is unsafe,' he said in the Denver7 interview. The apartment lawyer pleaded for an 'immediate face-to-face meeting' with City Manager Jason Batchelor. 'We are very concerned for our residents, our clients' properties, the surrounding neighborhoods, and our fellow property owners due to this criminal infestation, which includes extortion and the utilization of lethal weapons,' the letter reads. Despite the mayor's rejection of the information in the documents, his interview may have revealed why a person in his position might want to downplay a 'criminal infestation' in his community.' 'That narrative isn't true,' Coffman said. 'That's a destructive narrative to the economic health of this city.' READ MORE: Skygazers as far south as Sussex enjoy spectacular aurora display If you missed the Northern Lights at the weekend, don't worry there may be another chance to catch the awe-inspiring natural wonder. Experts at the UK's Met Office say people in Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland will be able to witness the colourful light display tonight. Best viewable between 11pm and 2am, the lights are caused by the interaction between charged particles from a 'coronal mass ejection' a violent expulsion from the sun with atoms in Earth's upper atmosphere. Those as far south as Newcastle, Belfast and the Isle of Man could see the display by looking northwards after nightfall and it should be visible outside of the UK too. Meanwhile, people who are too far south might be able to capture the streams of colourful light with their smartphone camera, even if they can't see it themselves. Northern Lights also know as the Aurora Borealis shine across Ribblehead Viaduct, Ribblehead, Yorkshire, England, September 13, 2024 Northern Lights - which is becoming a more frequent occurrence than usual this year - from the Carron Valley Reservoir in Stirlingshire, Scotland, September 12, 2024 According to the Met Office, people with a decent camera should be able to capture shots of the aurora even when it's not visible with the naked eye. Look north if you're in the northern hemisphere (or south if in the southern hemisphere) and set up your camera likewise. 'Cameras help as the long exposure allows loads of light in and enhances the colours more than the human eye can see,' a spokesperson said. 'That is why you see pictures as far south as Cornwall sometimes though you're unlikely to see it with the naked eye that far south.' The Met Office said the aurora should be visible with the naked eye in Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as parts of England and Wales, mainly in the north. A Met Office spokesperson said: 'There are generally clear skies for most tonight, however it will be cloudier across the Northern Isles and western Scotland, with patchy rain and drizzle as well as cloudier skies in Northern Ireland. 'Theres also patchy cloud for some in the southeast and East Anglia.' Frequently there are beautiful light shows in the sky. These lights are called auroras. If you're near the North Pole, it is called an aurora borealis. Pictured, Ribblehead, September 13 The color of the aurora depends on which gas is being excited by the electrons and on how much energy is being exchanged. Pictured, Northern Lights from the Carron Valley Reservoir in Stirlingshire, Scotland, September 12, 2024 The color of the aurora depends on which gas is being excited by the electrons and on how much energy is being exchanged. Pictured, Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside, September 12 A Met Office animation shows the auroral oval - the ring-like range of auroral activity that determines the range of the Northern Lights and where it will be most visible Tips to see the aurora Head north - the nearer the poles you are the better - the nearer the poles you are the better Check the forecast - cloudless skies provide more visibility - cloudless skies provide more visibility Get out of town - light pollution can mask the aurora - light pollution can mask the aurora Stay up late - best times are between 11pm to 2am - best times are between 11pm to 2am Bring your smartphone - cameras can capture the aurora even when your eyes can't Advertisement 'Lingering effects are still likely to persist into Monday night and early Tuesday morning, the Met Office says. 'Subsequent nights currently do not indicate a high likelihood of significantly enhanced aurora.' Tonight's aurora stems from a coronal mass ejection (CME) a massive expulsion of plasma from the sun's corona, its outermost layer, which left the sun on Saturday. The high-energy particles travelled from the sun towards us at hundreds of miles per second before bombarding Earth's magnetosphere an event commonly known as a 'solar storm'. At this point, some of the energy and small particles can travel down the magnetic field lines at the north and south poles into our planet's atmosphere. There, the particles interact with gases in our atmosphere, resulting in beautiful displays of light in the sky, known as auroras. Oxygen gives off green and red light, while nitrogen glows blue and purple. Although not dangerous to humans, the particles aurora can damage power grids on Earth and satellites in orbit, which can lead to internet disruptions. The aurora is due to a coronal mass ejection (CME) - a massive expulsion of plasma from the Sun's corona, its outermost layer (artist's depiction) The northern lights, or aurora borealis, visible in the sky north of the Fall Lake Campground Thursday, September 12, 2024 Meanwhile, in the southern hemisphere where it's known as aurora australis the spectacle should be visible as far north as Tasmania and New Zealand's south island. 'There is a chance that aurora could be seen further north than this,' Met Office adds. In North America, the strongest likelihood of seeing the aurora tonight is from Canada and Alaska, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). People in northern parts of Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin may also see the event although it may be fainter. NOAA has rated it 'G3' (on a scale of one to five), so it's considered 'strong', meaning it could disrupt power systems on Earth and spacecraft in orbit. According to the US's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there's the strongest likelihood of seeing the aurora over Canada and Alaska Aurora can often be observed somewhere on Earth from just after sunset or just before sunrise, but are not visible during daylight hours. The best way to see the stunning displays is to find a dark place, away from light pollution such as street lights and ideally a cloud-free sky. Some of the best aurora spots around the UK are in areas of high elevation (closer to the magnetosphere) and away from cities that pollute the sky with artificial light. These aurora hotspots include the Lake District in Cumbria, Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, the Shetland Islands and Whitley Bay, North Tyneside. Aurora are generally becoming more frequent as we enter solar maximum the period of peak solar activity during the sun's 11-year solar cycle, when the surface of the sun is more active than ever. The solar cycle is the cycle that the sun's magnetic field goes through about every 11 years, before it completely flips and the sun's north and south poles switch places. Scientists can track the solar cycle is by counting the number of 'sunspots' dark areas on the sun's surface and when exactly they appear, mostly using satellites. Aurora are generally becoming more frequent as we enter solar maximum the period of peak solar activity during the sun's 11-year solar cycle. Pictured, Aurora above the the Torridon mountains, Scotland, September 12, 2024 The aurora borealis appears over Bamburgh Lighthouse, in Northumberland on the North East coast of England, November 5, 2023 The beginning of an 11-year solar cycle, when the sun has the fewest sunspots, is known as the solar minimum but over time the number of sunspots increases as it reaches solar maximum. A recent study predicted the solar maximum is coming sooner than expected 2024 rather than late 2025 meaning space weather will be most pronounced. 'The most intense storms can sometimes result in catastrophic orbital decay of low Earth orbiting satellites and disrupt satellite based services such as communications and navigational networks,' study author Dr Dibyendu Nandi, a physicist from the IISER Kolkata Center of Excellence in Space Sciences in India, told MailOnline. 'They can also induce strong disturbances in the geomagnetic field tripping electric power grids located in high latitude regions. 'Of course, they also create beautiful auroras so we can expect 2024 to be a good year for aurora hunters.' After launching to mixed reactions last week, the iPhone 16 finally became available for preorder on Friday afternoon. But if you had been keen to get your hands on Apple's latest offering, there could be a long wait in store. Amid high demand, Apple has quietly delayed the arrival of the new iPhone 16 and 16 Pro in the UK by up to four weeks. The latest iteration of the flagship smartphone was originally expected to arrive with customers on September 20, but now may not arrive until October. Those hoping to order the iPhone 16 Pro Max face the longest wait, with expected delivery times extending up to October 15 at the latest. Apple fans hoping to get the new iPhone 16 Pro (pictured) and 16 Pro Max will need to wait until October to receive their new phones After preorders for the new iPhone opened last Friday, Apple has quietly pushed back delivery times by up to four weeks How long will you need to wait for the new iPhone 16? Model Finish Storage Estimated Delivery iPhone 16 Pro Max Any Any 8-15 October iPhone 16 Pro Any Any 1-8 October iPhone 16 Pink or White 128GB 23 September iPhone 16 Ultramarine, Teal, Black 128GB 26 September - 1 October iPhone 16 Pink 256GB 23 September iPhone 16 Ultramarine, Teal, Black, White 256GB 26 September - 1 October iPhone 16 Any 512GB 26 September - 1 October iPhone 16 Plus Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, Black 128GB 26 September - 1 October iPhone 16 Plus White 128GB 24-26 September iPhone 16 Plus Any 256GB 26 September - 1 October iPhone 16 Plus White 512GB 23 Sept iPhone 16 Plus Teal 512GB 24-26 September iPhone 16 Plus Ultramarine, Pink, Black 512GB 26 September - 1 October While high demand might be good for Apple, it means that many customers will experience long waits for their new iPhones. iPhone 16 Pro Max is most in demand and therefore have the longest delay. On the Apple website, MailOnline has found that delivery times for the iPhone 16 Pro Max are now between October 8 and October 15 for all colours and memory options. That means a wait of over 30 days for those who paid up to 1,599 to secure the priciest new iPhone when preorders first opened. The smaller iPhone 16 Pro also faces similar delays across all colour and storage option combinations. Those hoping to get their hands on the 1,499 1TB iPhone 16 Pro model will need to wait until October 8 at the latest for delivery. Shipping for the entry-level iPhone 16 and 16 Plus has also been delayed but there is much greater variation between the different options. A few colour and memory combinations have been pushed back by as little as three days while others have been pushed back into October. Most configurations of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are now expected to arrive between September 26 and October 1 between one and two weeks later than expected. However, if you are happy to grab a slightly less popular colour you might be able to get your new iPhone a few days early. MailOnline has found that, as of today, some iPhone colour and memory combinations will not arrive until mid-October at the latest Amid high demand for some colour and memory combinations, the high-end Pro and Pro Max models may not arrive until October 15. Pictured, the iPhone 16 launched event in Cupertino, California on September 9, 2024 Delivery of the iPhone 16 has also been delayed but some colour options like pink (pictured) have only been pushed back by a few days The 128BG and 256BG iPhone 16 are available as early as September 23 in pink. You can even grab a top-of-the-range 512 GB iPhone 16 Plus by this time if you order it in white. Ultramarine, meanwhile, appears to be the most popular colour and won't be available until October 1 in any colour or memory configuration. On social media, keen Apple fans expressed their frustration over the delay and the difficulty they had experienced preordering. On X, formerly Twitter, one commenter wrote: 'iPhone secured!! BUT REALLY?? October?!? It had me waiting in queue for 10 min how is that possible?? I want my phone ASAP!!!!!' Based on expected delivery times, ultramarine (right) has proven more popular than white or pink Another commenter said: 'I missed it by 45mins and I'm into October now before receiving mine.' 'Your boy missed the iPhone preorder now backdated to October. Oh well,' added one frustrated social media user. Meanwhile, others vented their anger over apparent issues with O2's preordering system. A number of commenters took to X to complain that the O2 app had crashed minutes into the opening of preorders. One commenter wrote: 'O2 this is embarrassing. 24hours after iPhone 16 goes on pre order and still have to queue to get into website even if we don't want the iPhone. On social media, commenters bemoaned the fact that they now had to wait until October to receive their iPhones The delays to iPhone orders began just hours after preorders were opened, leaving many Apple fans disappointed A number of commenters also found that the O2 app crashed while trying to preorder their iPhone due to the volume of demand Another wrote: 'Site's been constantly down and now you've finally put a queue in place, my wait time's just gone from 16 mins to more than an hour. Really not good enough.' In response to this complaint, O2 posted on X: 'We're aware and our technical teams are working to get this fixed ASAP. Sorry, please keep trying.' However, this is not the first time that Apple fans have faced mounting delays during the iPhone launch. Last year, during the release of the iPhone 15, some customers faced delays of almost 60 days as demand outstripped supply for the new smartphone. MailOnline has approached Apple for comment. Scientists are warning of an impending eruption in Tanzania after discovering the country's 'Mountain of God' volcano is bulging. The Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano, located in the north, was found to be swelling due to magma flowing beneath the Earth's surface. The 9,718-foot-tall volcano has been active every 20 to 40 years throughout the 20th century, with its last eruption in 2007 spreading ash more than 10 miles away from the site and forcing thousands of people to evacuate. There has been a 'rapid uplift' in underground magma volcanic activity in the land surrounding the volcano since March 2022, posing a sign of imminent doom. The Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano (pictured) is 9,718 feet tall and has erupted every 20 to 40 years since the earliest recordings in the 1880s 'We have been able to detect transient motion in volcanic activity, and this is a precursor for any kind of eruption,' said Ntambila Daud, a graduate student at Virginia Tech. Ol Doinyo Lengai - meaning 'Mountain of God' in Maasai - is considered to be a sacred site by the Maasai tribe who visit it to pray for cures to illness and infertility and ask for relief from any other misfortunes. Records of the volcano only go back to the 1880s, but it has erupted nine times since with the largest occurring 17 years ago. The explosion sent ash thousands of feet into the air and spread lava nearly two miles away from its western flank. Ol Doinyo Lengai is also the only one in the world to spew carbonite lava, a uniquely black or gray-colored lava that turns stark white when it cools. This contrasts with other active volcanoes that project red, orange or yellow-colored lava that will turn a deep black color when it's exposed to the air and cools. The different colors relate to the temperature the lave reaches when it hits the surface, with dark red being measured at 887 degrees Fahrenheit, orange at 1,652 degrees Fahrenheit, and white clocking at 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. The study's co-author and Virginia Tech associate professor D. Sarah Stamps said, 'The approach used in [their research] provided important steps forward in our understanding of the dynamic magma plumbing system of Ol Doinyo Lengai.' 'This research could help Tanzanian authorities have a better idea of what is happening with the volcano,' she added. The volcano has erupted nine times, with the last occurrence forcing 1,500 people from their homes and sending ash into the air that traveled 11 miles away from the site The team used numerical modeling to combine the data, suggesting the uplift originated from magma that stemmed from a depth of about 1.4 miles below the volcano's summit. This signified an impending eruption that could not only pose a threat to people living in the area but also prevent tourism and air traffic in Tanzania, according to the study published in the journal Advancing Earth and Space Sciences. Before a volcano erupts, magma will typically gather in a shallow reservoir under the land that causes the Earth's surface to lift - like a balloon expanding underground. This bulging precursor could continue for weeks, months or even years before a volcano can erupt, according to the US Geological Survey. The Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano spews black or gray lava that turns white when it cools (pictured) The researchers have detected bulging in the area surrounding the volcano that could indicate it's due to erupt. Bulging occurs when active magma flows under the Earth's surface, ending up in a reservoir where it builds until the volcano explodes In July 2007, Ol Doinyo Lengai erupted, sending ash at least 11 miles downwind and spewed lava that traveled .6 miles down the volcano's western flank. The eruption forced more than 1,500 people to vacate their homes in the Ngaresero, Orbalal and Nayobi villages when earthquake tremors triggered the blast. According to a report by the Smithsonian Institution, 'villagers are reported to have heard roaring...before the volcano started discharging ash and lava.' To predict a future eruption, Virginia Tech researchers analyzed satellite data spanning seven years. The team installed a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) consisting of six satellite-connected sensors at the base of the volcano in 2016. GNSS systems detect changes in magma reservoirs that can signal a future volcanic blast. The data revealed there was a 'rapid uplift' in bulging between March and December 2022 and a steady uplift in active magma flooding into the reservoir through August 2023. The team hopes their findings can help to detect future eruptions early and help people prepare for the next explosion. Dailymail.com has reached out to the researchers for comment. READ MORE: De-extinction of the woolly mammoth takes a major step forwards A relative of the elephant, the woolly mammoth is one of the most famous extinct creatures in Earth's history. How exactly the species died out 4,000 years ago is something of a mystery, but a study presents an interesting new theory. Researchers in Europe point the finger at plant pollen, which they say gave the mammoths allergies that damaged their sense of smell. This made it more difficult to smell a mate from a distance which affected breeding rates, eventually leading to population decline and collapse. Scientists have debated the extinction of the woolly mammoth for decades, but the new study adds to prevailing theories including hunting by humans. Woolly mammoths descended from ancestors in Africa and were widespread in northern Europe, Asia, and North America during the last Ice Age (file photo) Researchers analysed tissue samples from mammoth corpses recovered from permafrost in north-eastern Siberia. Pictured, protein sampling from mammoth trunk Woolly mammoth: Basic facts Woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) is an extinct species of elephant found in fossil deposits in Europe, northern Asia, and North America. The species was known for its large size, fur, and imposing tusks, which were curvier than today's elephants. Thriving during the Pleistocene ice ages, woolly mammoths died out after much of their habitat was lost as Earth's climate warmed in the aftermath of the last ice age. Advertisement The new study was conducted by scientists at Israeli firm SpringStyle, Russian Academy of Sciences, the University of Catania and Polytechnic University of Milan in Italy. The team point out that today's elephants which share a common ancestor with the mammoths have 'the most sensitive sense of smell'. 'During the breeding season, susceptibility to odors is very important for animals,' they say in their paper, published in Earth History and Biodiversity. 'Development of allergies from plant pollen... could lead to decrements in sensitivity to odors in animals during the breeding season. 'This may explain the extinction of animals due to a decrease in sexual intercourse.' Woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) was one of the last in a line of mammoth species to exist before its extinction around 4,000 years ago. Around 13 feet (four metres) tall and weighing around six tons, the massive mammal was widespread in northern Europe, Asia, and North America during the last Ice Age. Woolly mammoths co-existed with early humans, who hunted them for food and used their bones and tusks for making weapons and art. However, the cause of their extinction is uncertain, with intense debate on the roles of human hunting and severe climatic change. Woolly mammoths were covered in thick brown hair to keep them warm in their freezing conditions, which would often fall to as low as -50C. Today's elephants share a common ancestor with the mammoths (Primeelaphas, which lived 7-2 million years ago) For the new study, researchers analysed tissue samples from mammoth corpses recovered from permafrost in north-eastern Siberia. They found traces of immunoglubulins, also known as antibodies the Y-shaped proteins used by the immune system to fight infections. They also detected allergens such as plant metabolites, volatile organic compounds and pollen that the mammoths would have ingested from the air. Together, these results suggest indicate the presence of allergic diseases and the associated symptoms, including loss of sense of smell. It's possible that pollen-rich plants that flourished as the climate steadily warmed increased the problem for woolly mammoths. 'Probably these changes in allergic responses of mammoths at period of climate changes led to a decrease in the mammoth population and, as a result, to their disappearance,' the authors say. Woolly mammoths were elephant-like animals that evolved in the arctic peninsula of Eurasia around 600,000 years ago. The last mammoths died out around 4,000 years ago - more recently than the construction of the pyramids at Giza, Egypt Pictured, frozen woolly mammoth calf 'Dima' as exhibited in the Museum of Zoology in St Petersburg, Russia; note fur on the legs A 39,000-year-old female baby woolly mammoth named Yuka from the Siberian permafrost is unveiled for the media at an exhibition in Yokohama, suburban Tokyo on July 9, 2013 The study authors say no-one else has published this allergy theory, or detected fragments of immunoglobulions in mammoths before. However, they acknowledge the prevailing theories of why the species went extinct, including 'hunting of mammoths by primitive people'. The debate is likely to rage on however, with physical evidence providing a range of compelling arguments. In 2015, British researchers claimed to put 'the nail in the coffin' on the debate after comparing extinction events in different areas with the spread of humans. They laid the blame squarely on humans after finding that whenever prehistoric people spread to on continents and islands, the creatures quickly died out. Yet another genetic study in 2008 concluded that climate change and disease was the most probable causes of extinction. More recently, a 2021 study concluded melting of icebergs as the climate rapidly warmed wiped out the vegetation on which the mammoths relied. If you've ever felt like your dog knows exactly what you're thinking, you might just be right. That's according a new study, which has revealed that dogs' brains sync with ours when they gaze into our eyes. Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that neurons in parts of the brain associated with attention synchronised more strongly as pairs of dogs and humans became more familiar. However, dogs with a gene that causes autism-like symptoms showed much lower synchronisation. It has long been known that humans brains sync up as we interact but this marks the first time that brain synchrony has ever been observed across species. Researchers have found that the brains of humans and dogs synchronise as they gaze into each other's eyes (stock image) Whenever humans interact in social situations, the patterns of activity in our brains and bodies begin to fall into synchronised patterns. Subconsciously, our heart rates, breathing, and the activation of neurons in the brain become the same as those of the people around us. In their paper, published in Advanced Science, the researchers explain: 'During social interactions, interacting individuals are not isolated, but are embedded in a multibrain system.' Scientists have recently observed that mice, bats, and monkeys also experience a similar kind of synchronisation when engaging with members of their own species. Scientists monitored the brains of humans and dogs as they either remained separate, stayed in the same room, or interacted. As these graphs show, the levels of synchronisation were much higher while the pair were interacting (bottom graph) But, until now, scientists have never observed brain synchronisation between members of two different species. To try to understand if this was possible, the researchers fitted pairs of humans and dogs with EEG monitors to record their levels of brain activity. Dogs were chosen as the experimental animal of choice since research has proven that dogs have a remarkably deep connection with humans. Previously unfamiliar pairs had their brain activity recorded while in separate rooms, in the same room but not interacting, and while petting and looking into each other's eyes. Over five days, the level of synchronisation increased (illustrated in the bottom graphs). In the top graphic, the brighter colours show regions of the brain which were more synchronised as the pair became more familiar The researchers found that the pairs' brains became much more synchronised while they were engaging than when they were just in the same room. The researchers write: 'We demonstrated for the first time that directed interbrain neural coupling occurs between humans and dogs, particularly in the frontal and parietal regions, both of which are associated with joint attention.' The level of synchronisation also dramatically increased over five days of testing as the pairs became more familiar. In a second experiment, the participants were either asked to pet the dog without making eye contact or just making eye contact without touching. Both forms of interaction raised the level of brain synchronisation, but eye gazing was associated with more activity in the brain's frontal region while petting produced activation in the parietal region. In a second experiment, the humans either looked at or petted the dog. This revealed that physical petting and eye-gazing cause different parts of the brain to synchronise By analysing the data, the researchers found that it was humans who led the interaction. These graphs show the amount of data which 'flowed' from the human to the dog (in blue) compared to the amount of data flowing from the dog to the human (red) Importantly, the synchronisation created by touch and eye gazing together was more than the sum of these interactions separately. This suggests that interactions which use more than one form of communication create a much stronger connection at the neural level. The researchers also used these findings to deepen our understanding of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Using the CRISPR gene editing technique, the researchers created dogs with a mutation on the SHANK3 gene - one of the most common risk factors for ASD. Dogs with this mutation showed clear autism-like behaviours and displayed significantly reduced brain synchrony when interacting with humans. The researchers found that dogs with autism-like symptoms did not display brain synchronisation - a condition which could be cured with a single dose of LSD (stock image) Dogs with a genetic mutation linked with autism showed much lower levels of brain synchrony. However, 24 hours after receiving a dose of LSD their levels of neural connection became normal Co-author Dr Yong Zhang, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, says: 'Disrupted inter-brain synchronization might be used as a biomarker for autism.' However, in an unusual development, the researchers also found that a single dose of the psychedelic LSD was able to almost completely reverse these effects. The dogs were given a dose of 7.5 micrograms of LSD per kilogram of weight - the equivalent of a 600 microgram dose for an 80kg human. For reference, a 2021 study found that a 200 microgram dose in humans was sufficient to produce 'ego dissolution' and 'oceanic boundlessness'. 24 hours after administering the drug the researchers performed the test again and found that synchronisation significantly increased in the parietal and frontal regions. The researchers say these findings could pave the way for treating or managing some of the disruptive symptoms of autism spectrum disorders in humans. Dr Zhang says: 'LSD or its derivatives might ameliorate the social symptoms of autism.' Scientists have proposed a controversial method to combat climate change - packing a giant swath of the Pacific Ocean with iron. The technique, called ocean iron fertilization (OIF), dumps a powdered form of iron onto the sea's surface to stimulate the growth of a small marine plant called phytoplankton, which consumes carbon dioxide and traps the gas in the ocean. Computer models showed that by releasing up to two million tons of iron into the sea each year, the effort would remove of nearly 50 billion tons of carbon dioxide by the year 2100. Researchers plan to release the iron across 3,800 square miles northeast Pacific by 2026. Iron can help phytoplankton flourish which will absorb carbon dioxide from the ocean, preventing it from entering the Earth's atmosphere A team of scientists at the non-profit Exploring Ocean Iron Solutions (ExOIS) is exploring spreading iron sulfate in areas where the nutrient is scarce. This includes the northeast Pacific Ocean which extends from the western coast of North and South America to the eastern coast of Asia and upward to the Arctic. By distributing iron in these areas, scientists can boost the growth of phytoplankton, keeping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere for years to come. It is crucial to remove CO2 from the ocean, which can help mitigate climate change by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. About 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere every year, with the ocean absorbing about 30 percent. The researchers hope that by distributing iron sulfate in the ocean, they will help the world limit global warming to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. However, critics have warned that the iron could deplete nutrients for marine life, killing of some of the ocean's food web. But the plan is moving forward, with the timeline just two years away. Scientists are now working on a way to convert the iron into a powder that can easily dissolve in water and disperse into targeted areas of the ocean. As the iron dissolves, it acts as a stimulant for phytoplankton by rapidly helping it grow, sometimes within days. The nutrient increases the tiny plant's photosynthesis - the process of using sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into energy - by up to 30 times its normal production. Scientists have reintroduced the idea of distributing iron into the sea to combat climate change When the phytoplankton dies, the CO2 they absorbed will likewise sink to the sea floor, effectively stopping it from escaping into the atmosphere. Dozens of experiments were conducted in the 1990s and 2000s including an experiment conducted in the northeast Pacific in 2006 which successfully caused the phytoplankton to flourish. Despite its success, some researchers have expressed their concern that OIF could negatively impact parts of the ocean's ecosystem. 'Most likely [iron fertilization] will affect something that we don't really understand yet,' deep-sea expert Lisa Levin, who was not involved in the ExOIS program told Scientific American. Scientists worry that OIF could create 'dead zones' that allow algal blooms to grow and consume all the oxygen in the water, killing all other living things. Before the researchers can begin their efforts, however, they have to raise $160 million to fund the program but have so far received just a $2 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They also need to apply for the US Environmental Protection Agency's approval to conduct trials after an international ban on ocean iron fertilization for commercial purposes was implemented in 2013. The ban does not apply to OIF for research if it's closely monitored and won't harm the environment. Which trip is YOUR favourite? Vote in our poll... That's because they feature in the guide's Amazing Train Journeys tome They all have the seal of approval from the adventure experts at Lonely Planet Advertisement These train journeys are the peak of rail travel perfection. Eight train trips from around the world that will transport you through spectacular mountain scenery. What's more, they all have the seal of approval from the adventure experts at Lonely Planet, because they feature in the guide's Amazing Train Journeys tome. From the Scottish Highlands to the gargantuan granite peaks of the Rockies, you'll trundle past dizzying cliff edges, clatter over epic bridges and leg it through 'logic-defying tunnels'. Scroll down to discover which sensational service you'd most like to board. Rocky Mountaineer, Canada The Rocky Mountaineer traverses spectacular scenery best seen from the GoldLeaf class viewing carriage (above) A trip on Canadas Rocky Mountaineer sleeper service between Vancouver and Banff sits at the top of bucket lists the world over - and no wonder. For starters, it snakes through some of the planet's most spectacular scenery. Lonely Planet says: 'This train journey clatters along a pioneering 19th-century railroad and is all at once a geological field trip, a sightseeing adventure and a wildlife safari. It promises cinematic views of Canadas quintessential mountain landscapes, plus a bevy of engineering marvels, from dizzying bridges to logic-defying tunnels.' If you're lucky, the tome remarks, you might spot a bald eagle, moose, or grizzly bear. Passengers travel in style, too. Lonely Planet adds that those with top-tier 'GoldLeaf' tickets have access to a double-decker carriage with a viewing deck on the top level and dining room on the lower level. Visit: rockymountaineer.com. La Trochita, Argentina Passengers ride Argentina's Andean La Trochita train in carriages with barely enough room for standing up. But the views are incredible What Argentina's La Trochita (Little Gauge) lacks in luxury, it makes up for with incredible views. Lonely Planet explains that this 'antique steam train chugs through a desolate landscape' between Esquel and Nahuel Pan in the Argentinian Andes, with passengers riding cars so compact there's barely enough room to stand up inside. The guide adds: 'Heated by old-fashioned wood-burning stoves and dwarfed by the mountainous terrain, the train has to stop at regular intervals when gusty winds blow hard across the sweeping scenery.' Visit latrochita.org.ar. Serra Verde Express, Brazil The Serra Verde Express 'winds its way through dramatic mountain passes covered with tropical rainforest' The Serra Verde Express is 'one of Brazil's most spectacular train journeys', declares the Lonely Planet book, which says that it 'winds its way through dramatic mountain passes covered with tropical rainforest' and takes in 'canyons, jagged mountain peaks and lush lowlands'. What's more, it 'provides a fascinating glimpse into the past as it trundles through tiny stations dating back to the late 1800s'. The journey starts in the town of Curitiba in the state of Parana and ends in Morretes, a 'picturesque colonial town on the banks of the Rio Nhundiaquara'. Visit: railsouthamerica.com Glacier Express, Switzerland Switzerland's Glacier Express (above) 'unzips lovely Alpine terrain and teeters across 291 bridges' If the Swiss could pick their definitive train ride, the honour would surely go to the Glacier Express. So says Amazing Train Journeys. The entry for this journey in the book reads: 'This eight-hour journey from ritzy St Moritz to Matterhorn-topped Zermatt unzips the lovely Alpine terrain in the countrys south, corkscrewing up to wind-battered mountain passes, teetering across 291 bridges and rumbling through 91 tunnels. 'The slowest express train on the planet, it intentionally moves at a snails pace so as to big up those out-of-this-world views of meadows, forest, falls and mountains.' Visit: glacierexpress.ch/en. Le Petit Train Jaune, France Le Petit Train Jaune inches along canyons to the highest station in the French rail network Le Petit Train Jaune (Little Yellow Train), is a mountain railway 'frequently cited as the most scenic in France', with passengers 'rattling through the saw-toothed mountains of the Pyrenees' in sunflower-yellow carriages. The train, which has been running since 1910, begins its journey in the walled town of Villefranche-de-Conflent, the book explains, then 'inches along canyons and teeters past dizzying cliff edges' to Bolquere-Eyne which, at 5,223ft (1,592m) is the highest station in the French rail network. The final stop is Latour-de-Carol near the Spanish border. Visit: raileurope.com Bernina Express, Switzerland The Bernina Express offers passengers views of 'glacier-capped mountains, waterfall-draped ravines and jewel-coloured lakes' The Bernina Express, which travels from Chur in Graubunden to Tirano in northern Italy is, as the tome points out, often polled as one of the world's most beautiful rail journeys. Why? Because it offers passengers views of 'glacier-capped mountains, waterfall-draped ravines, jewel-coloured lakes and endless spruce forests glimpsed through panoramic windows'. The book notes that the railway itself is also a marvel - 'taking 55 tunnels and 196 bridges in its stride'. Visit: tickets.rhb.ch. Kalka to Shimla, India Board a service on the KalkaShimla line and you'll enjoy 'soul-stirring views' and a journey to 'ear-popping heights' The narrow-gauge KalkaShimla line in the Himalayas 'paces the foothills of the worlds mightiest mountains', says Amazing Train Journeys. Board and you'll enjoy 'soul-stirring views' and a journey to 'ear-popping heights', with Kalka located at an altitude of 2,150ft (665 metres) and Shimla at 6,811ft (2,076 metres). Services on the line are operated by Indian Railways. Visit: railyatri.in Caledonian Sleeper, London Euston to Fort William The Caledonian Sleeper (above) epitomises the romance of rail travel, according to Lonely Planet The train crosses the Allt Kinglass Viaduct (seen in the distance) and Corrour in Scotland The Caledonian Sleeper takes passengers from London Euston to Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William. For Lonely Planet the trip to Fort William - which includes crossing the dramatic Allt Kinglass Viaduct and stopping at Corrour, the highest station in Britain at 1,338ft (408m) - is the pick of the bunch. It says: 'Segueing from the sooty suburbs and crowded concrete-lined cul-de- sacs of central London to the crisp air and soaring vistas of the Scottish Highlands, via one overnight train journey, epitomises the romance of rail travel.' Visit: sleeper.scot. 'We all get a bit nervous when we approach April and August. I was not quite clear what Brian Hioe, a journalist and activist, was getting at, so, in between mouthfuls of beef broth and dumplings, I ask him to explain. The sea in the straits between China and Taiwan is at its calmest during these months, he informs me, making an invasion more likely. One of the many attractions of the remarkable island of Taiwan is the resilience of its people. They manage to be serious and humorous, relaxed and alert. They are also incredibly welcoming to foreign tourists. Tower power: John Kampfner starts a tour of Taiwan in Taipei, the bustling capital (pictured) Brian is keen to talk not just about the threat from over there China but to introduce me to Wangs Broth. This restaurant, in the heart of Huaxi Street Night Market, may look more like a canteen, but this institution attracts celebrities even the newly elected president felt he needed to look in during the recent campaign and it features in the Michelin Guide. Shortly before my visit, Chinese jets had been menacing Taiwans airspace. Yet the locals keep calm (or, rather, they keep boisterous) and carry on; they assume that since an invasion hasnt happened for decades, why should it happen now? With dictators cracking down elsewhere, they see a market opportunity. They believe Taiwan is replacing Hong Kong as the regions cultural and tourism hub. And theyre right. Once an audacious beacon of free speech, Hong Kong now feels anxious. As in the big cities of mainland China, you worry that someone is watching you, making sure you dont step out of line. Taiwan couldnt be more different. With its noisy wide streets, the capital, Taipei, is not classically beautiful. Yet there is no shortage of places to visit and its easy to get around. John dines at Wangs Broth in Taipei's Huaxi Street Night Market (seen above). The restaurant features in the Michelin Guide, he reveals Above, National Palace Museum in Taipei, which contains the largest collection of 5,000 years of Chinese art and artefacts anywhere in the world My first destination is the Maokong Gondola taking you from Taipei Zoo above oolong tea plantations to any of several tea houses on top. If youre not scared of heights, choose one of the cable cars with a glass floor. The most famous landmark in Wanhua, the oldest district of Taipei, is Longshan, or Dragon Mountain temple. Watch worshippers toss two pieces of wood called jiaobei blocks on to the floor and wait for the divine response. Depending on how they land, the answer they receive is either yes, no or maybe to whatever prayer they have uttered. The National Palace Museum contains the largest collection of 5,000 years of Chinese art and artefacts anywhere in the world. In 1949, as the Communists took over the mainland, the Nationalists leader, Chiang Kai-shek, fled, establishing an alternative Republic of China on the island. While in Taipei, John stays at the Shangri-La, which has 'sumptuous rooms providing floor-to-ceiling panoramic views of the city and the mountains surrounding it' Above, the Shangri-La's rooftop swimming pool and Jacuzzi They brought the artefacts with them, and here they have stayed, much to the fury of Beijing. Apparently, the museum holds 700,000 pieces, and it would take days to do it justice. Best to focus on a room or two, taking in the scrolls, vases or ornate ceramic figurines from the 7th century. One building towers over the city. Taipei 101 was the worlds tallest skyscraper when it opened in 2004. It was overtaken by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010. I take the fast lift for lunch in one of the 85th-floor restaurants. So much for size. The true charm of Taipei is to be found down its small streets. My favourite area is Daan, just south of the centre, where the main university is based. I stay here in the Shangri-La, its sumptuous rooms providing floor-to-ceiling panoramic views of the city and the mountains surrounding it. The best vista of all is from its rooftop swimming pool and Jacuzzi. John visits Yangmingshan, a national park with 'well marked walking routes' TRAVEL FACTS The Shangri-La has double rooms from 149 B&B (shangri-la.com). Direct return flights from London to Taiwan with Air China cost from 836. BA flies via Hong Kong from 1,017 return. For more info, visit eng.taiwan.net.tw. Advertisement You cant get lost in Taiwan or, rather, you can, but within seconds someone will offer to help. If their English is found wanting, speak into a translation app on your phone and you will be redirected, with a smile. Meandering is part of the fun. Otherwise, I wouldnt one evening have found a speakeasy near my hotel where two hyper-cool Japanese barmen fix you a cocktail. But its just as easy to get away from it all. An hour from Taipei by bus, rental car or taxi is Yangmingshan, a national park with well marked walking routes. I stay one night on the edge of the park at a spa hotel where you can while away hours in the various hot or icy pools surrounded by bamboo and birdsong. I take the super-high-speed train to Tainan, the ancient capital, but prefer the more modern city of Kaohsiung. Theyve managed to build the largest single-space theatre in the world here. I happen to be here on the eve of the spectacular dragon boat festival. But Taiwanese dont have to rely on national holidays to get out and enjoy themselves. They live for the day. Their enthusiasm, their defiance, is infectious. Nightsleeper fans were left open-mouthed as they spotted the 'most hated villain in soap history' in the BBC thriller. Alex Ferns, who played Trevor Morgan on EastEnders, looked unrecognisable as he returned to screens after leaving the show over 20 years ago. The actor played bad guy Trevor, who was once dubbed the UK's 'most-hated soap villain' over his horrific and abusive behavior, particularly toward his wife, Little Mo Slater - played by Kacey Ainsworth. Trevor was killed off in 2002 when he died in a house fire. Now, he has made a comeback with Nightsleeper, which premiered on Sunday. Nightsleeper fans were left open-mouthed as they spotted the 'most hated villain in soap history' star in the BBC thriller Alex Ferns, who played Trevor Morgan on EastEnders, looked unrecognisable as he returned to screens after leaving the show over 20 years ago Fans were shocked to see his return as they were left open-mouthed by his appearance. Taking to X one penned: 'Isn't that evil Trevor from EastEnders?' 'Good to see Trevor from Eastenders on this #Nightsleeper' 'Is that Trevor from Eastenders?? #Nightsleeper' 'Isnt that Evil Trevor from #Eastenders? #Nightsleeper' 'I love it when Trevor from EastEnders turns up in stuff.' Created by BAFTA-winning writer Nick Leather, the six-part series is a real-time drama that sees a train hijacked and driven from Glasgow to London on a single night. Nightsleeper is an action-adventure that is also a whodunnit with a series of twists and turns along the way. Fans were shocked to see his return as they were left open-mouthed by his appearance The actor played bad guy Trevor, who was once dubbed the UK's 'most-hated soap villain' over his horrific and abusive behavior, particularly toward his wife, Little Mo Slater - played by Kacey Ainsworth Now, he has made a comeback with Sleepwalker, which premiered on Sunday The BBC's latest thriller, Nightsleeper, is so intense it left its cast 'sick and needing medication on set' Peaky Blinders star Joe Cole (pictured) revealed filming the scenes for his latest thriller series made him feel unwell Alex appeared alongside stars Joe Cole, who plays Joe Roag, and Alexandra Roach, who plays Abby Aysgarth, the acting technical director at the National Cyber Security Centre. Meanwhile, Joe portrays an off-duty cop who is unlucky enough to be on the wrong train at the wrong time. Together, they must piece together the puzzle of who they are up against and how they can defeat the self-styled 'Driver', who always seems one step ahead. There's a small team working alongside Abby and a handful of passengers left on the train with Joe, but they might not all be as innocent as they seem. Alex appears play a key role but what the future of his character entails is yet to be discovered. The BBC's latest thriller, Nightsleeper, is so intense it left its cast 'sick and needing medication on set'. Star Joe previously revealed that he was left feeling motion sick after spending up to 12 hours a day tightly packed into the carriages. 'We were cooped up in these small carriages for 10, 12 hours a day and they'd pre-recorded the entirety of the train journey exteriors from Aberdeen to London on LED screens, which were outside the train,' Joe revealed at a Q&A hosted by BFI. 'Although it was dark so you couldn't really see much. 'They used it for the lighting in the windows on our faces a little bit here and there, which saves a lot of time in the edit and just looks better and more realistic.' Despite being stationary, Joe - who is best known for his role as John Shelby - said the cast and crew battled with motion sickness. 'Because you feel like you're on a train, people were getting motion sickness if they looked out of the window for too long,' he added. The first episode of Nightsleeper is to aired at 9pm on Sunday with the second coming out the following evening, Monday, September 16. Lily Collins has excitedly confirmed Emily in Paris will be returning for season five on Netflix. The 35-year-old actress, who plays Emily Cooper in the divisive sitcom, announced the news during an appearance Good Morning America on Monday. 'For the first time I get to talk about the fact that there will be a season five,' she told presenter Rebecca Jarvis. 'We all just found out ourselves, so this is brand new for everyone. I'm very excited.' Emily in Paris season four part two arrived on September 12 and followed Emily as she gallivanted around the Italian capital of Rome. Lily Collins has confirmed that Emily in Paris will be returning for season five on Netflix Emily Cooper will be back gallivanting around Paris - and hopefully Italy - in due course Speaking of the new location, Lily revealed her hopes that she and the rest of the crew get to see more of Italy next season. 'We explore Rome and I'm really hoping that for season five now that we get more of Italy,' she said. 'We had just the best time. The whole cast felt a little bit like Emily did season one running around the city wide eyed and just everything was just so exciting.' She also lifted the lid on what it was like to work with first lady of France Brigitte Macron after she made a cameo appearance in the show's fourth series. 'It was a huge honor,' she said. 'It was also so surprising that she really loves the show and that she really wanted to be a part of it. 'She invited Darren [Star] and I to have a conversation with her a couple of years ago about the show and what it's done for France and for Paris. 'She took her cameo in part one season one with jest and humor and we all found a way for her to be a part of it and come to set and she improv'd and it was, she and her improv made it of the show.' The latest series followed the dramatic events of the misbegotten wedding of Camille, played by Camille Razat, and Gabriel, played by Lucas Bravo. Emily in Paris season four part two arrived on September 12 - and saw Emily in Rome The French President's wife Brigitte Macron (center) also made a special cameo in season four In part one, Emily still had strong feelings for Gabriel and Lucien Laviscount's Alfie. But Gabriel was expecting a baby with his ex Camille, and Alfie's worst fears about Emily and Gabriel had been confirmed. 'Emily and Gabriel's chemistry is undeniable as they work together towards a Michelin star, but two big secrets threaten to undo everything they've dreamed of,' a synopsis read. 'As old patterns clash with new complications, Emily feels drawn to a potential new love interest and a new city.' It seems that Emily's romance with Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) has come to an end Lucien Laviscount plays Alfie, Emily's former British love interest in the drama series Many fans believe that Eugenio Franceschini's Marcello is the new guy for Emily In part two, Emily's flight back to Chicago is cancelled. And even though there's no place like home for the holidays, she is stuck spending Christmas Eve with Gabriel and Camille's family in Megeve. Emily's new love interest Marcello, played by Eugenio Franceschini, makes his arrival soon after, and, following their first date in Paris, she goes to visit him in Rome. The finale concludes with a great new opportunity for Emily: leading a Rome based office which Sylvie encourages Emily to take, not only to stay in beautiful Italy but to be closer to her new man. Tamzin Outhwaite was scolded by her The Wives co-star Jo Joyner as she dropped a huge spoiler during Monday's This Morning episode. The former EastEnders actress, 53, who portrays Sylvia Morgan, seemingly spoiled a huge part of the upcoming series. The Wives sees Sylvia Morgan (Tamzin), Beth Morgan (Jo) and Natasha Morgan (Angela Griffin, 48) as three sisters-in-law who are bound together by marriage, a good glass of wine, and the tragic loss of a family member. Channel 5's six-part thriller, which is set to air on Sunday at 9pm, reportedly draws inspiration from Daphne du Mauriers 1938 Gothic novel, Rebbeca. It follows the trio of best friends trying to solve the mystery of the death initially ruled an accident of their fellow sister-in-law Annabelle, played by Christine Bottomley. Tamzin Outhwaite was scolded by her The Wives co-star Jo Joyner as she dropped a huge spoiler during Monday's This Morning episode The Wives sees Natasha Morgan (Angela Griffin), Sylvia Morgan (Tamzin) and Beth Morgan (Jo) as three sisters-in-law who are bound together by marriage and the loss of a family member But during the latest This Morning's episode, Tamzin revealed that Annabelle is not actually dead and was just missing - implying that she is found alive during the final episodes. When show hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shepard asked the actresses to chat about the film, EastEnders's Jo, 47, explained: 'There was another sister-in-law but she died.' Cutting her off, Tamzin tried to correct her and jumped in: 'No she hasn't', but Jo stares and quipped, 'no, she has.' Not sensing the tone, Tamzin persisted: 'She's gone missing', to which Jo opened her hands and flatly proclaimed, 'that is a spoiler', before she pulled a face. Realising what she just confessed, Tamzin pulled and face and corrected: 'We think she is dead'. Jo then clarifies that the sisters think Annabelle is dead in the beginning of the series and viewers will find out that she is in fact not dead but actually missing. The drama unfolds during their annual family getaway to Malta. But the trip is overshadowed by the absence of their other sister-in-law, Annabelle Morgan, who vanished a year before under mysterious circumstances. EastEnders actress, Tamzin, 53, who portrays Sylvia Morgan, seemingly spoiled a huge part of the upcoming series Channel 5's six-part thriller, which is set to air on Sunday at 9pm draws inspiration from Daphne du Mauriers 1938 Gothic novel, Rebbeca (pictured: Angela) It follows the trio of best friends trying to solve the mystery of the death initially ruled an accident of their fellow sister-in-law Annabelle - played by Christine Bottomley But during the latest This Morning's episode, Tamzin revealed that Annabelle is not actually dead and was just missing - implying that she is found alive during the final episodes Annabelle's phone was found at the edge of a cliff which lead to the authorities presuming she is dead. But the plot took a turn as the family returned to Malta - where Annabelle disappeared. During the holiday Annabelle's husband Charlie introduced his new girlfriend, who has an uncanny resemblance to their former sister-in-law. Unhappy with the conclusion of Annabelle's case, Beth suspected there is more to the story. The three sisters then put their heads together in an attempt to uncover the truth about what really happened. Countryfile viewers were left seriously distracted by a star's appearance as they fumed 'make your mind up!' just minutes into the latest episode. On Sunday presenters Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith explored Salisbury Plain. The show hosts visited the area, which is one of Britain's most expansive military training zones, to investigate the synergy the Ministry of Defence maintains with the terrain under its supervision. With special authorisation, they explored the Ministry's approach to agricultural and environmental conservation efforts. But when Charlotte spoke to Warrant Officer Class 1 Jeff Elson, viewers were left baffled by his choice of clothing. Countryfile viewers were left distracted by a star's appearance as they fumed during Sunday's episode when presenters Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith explored Salisbury Plain But when Charlotte spoke to Officer Class 1 Jeff Elson, viewers were left baffled by his choice of clothing - he opted to wear a military camouflaged uniform which he paired with a hi vis vest Appearing on TV, the WO1 opted to wear a military camouflaged uniform which he paired with a hi-vis vest. Flocking to social media, viewers of the show shared how the outfit choice left them baffled and confused. One penned: 'Make your mind up! Do you want to be seen or not? #countryfile' 'Soldier on countryfile wearing camouflage gear under a Hi Vis vest.' 'Solider wearing camouflage and Hi Vis vest.' 'Can't get my head arounf this soldier's get-up on Countryfile.' The confusing scenes came just a week after fans slammed the show for their 'sad and terrible' slaughter scenes. Viewers branded Adam Henson 'mealy-mouthed' for glossing over animal deaths. On Sunday's episode, Sean Fletcher and Anita Rani explored the craggy hills and valleys of West Exmoor where fans saw Adam say goodbye to beloved lambs. But his flippant attitude to the killing of the animals 'for market', left some viewers upset as they confessed the episode made them 'sad'. Flocking to social media, viewers of the show shared how the outfit choice left them baffled and confused Countryfile viewers have ripped into the show's 'sad and terrible' slaughter scenes as they branded Adam Henson 'mealy-mouthed' for glossing over animal deaths On Sunday's episode, Sean Fletcher and Anita Rani explored the craggy hills and valleys of West Exmoor where fans saw Adam say goodbye to beloved lambs Adam began the segment: 'It only seems like yesterday we were lambing, most of them have already been sold, and it's only the later-born ones that are still on the farm. 'Now, even the youngest ones are old enough to sell and today, Luke, our assistant livestock manager is finding out which of the remaining lambs are ready to leave the farm.' On the farm, which Adam confessed had a rocky start, he asked Luke what weight the lambs needed to weigh in order to sell. He revealed: 'So what we've got in here is about 120 lambs that were born in the spring. This is the last of our lambs to go. 'And what we're doing today is just sorting through them, weighing them, and if they're 39 kilos and they've got a good covering of meat, they're fit and ready to go, then they'll go off to the market. 'The others will stay on the farm and graze the grass and just grow on until they're big enough.' He then went on to explain how farmers decided which lambs stay and which are sold. 'I'm hoping at least a quarter of this lot will be ready for market, but we can't send any that aren't up to scratch because if they don't make the grade, the price is significantly reduced', he said. 'Some of these lambs are still quite small, and that's not a problem, they were just born later in the year, towards the end of April. Ideally, you want to get your lambs gone as soon as possible so that you can get the money in the bank. It's all about cash flow.' He added: 'After a rocky start, we do have quite a few in good condition. But most are going to need a little more grazing before they leave the farm. But his flippant attitude to the killing of the animals 'for market', left some viewers upset as they confessed the episode made them 'sad' He then went on to explain how farmers decided which lambs stay and which are sold Feeling rocked and uncomfortable by the scenes, viewers flocked to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their upset 'So while Luke's just finishing up those last few this is what we've got to go.' Before saying goodbye to his beloved livestock, Adam admitted that he was selling 18 lambs and the 'price' for the meat was 'good at the moment'. Feeling rocked and uncomfortable by the scenes, viewers flocked to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their upset. One penned: 'To market. Just say off to slaughter #countryfile.' 'Exactly this. So bl***y mealy-mouthed of Adam They're not going off on their holidays are they.' 'What does ready to go mean?' one viewer asked to which one replied: 'To slaughter.' 'It's so sad to see them leave the farm.' It's not the only complaint the show has been hit with in recent weeks. Last week viewers moaned that they were 'bored to death' by the series' fishing special, branding the format shake-up a 'waste of time.' Meanwhile the archaelogoy special earlier this year was also slammed for its lack of farming content, with fans insisting the BBC were 'scraping the bottom of the barrell.' Previous episodes of Countryfile are available to stream on BBC iPlayer now. When Davina McCall paid an emotional tribute to her boyfriend on stage at the National Television Awards last week, she did so knowing how lonely life could have been without him. After accepting the prestigious Special Recognition prize, she looked at her partner of four years, Michael Douglas, to tell him: 'I love being on this journey with you. You make me a better person and you make me so happy. Thank you.' It was a very public statement for Ms McCall, 56, who prefers to keep their romance securely behind the closed doors of their Kent home. In an exclusive interview with the Mail, she tells for the first time of how grateful she is for being in a relationship and how she had feared being alone in midlife. Davina McCall with partner of four years Michael Douglas, after she won the Special Recognition prize at last week's National Television Awards It feels particularly pertinent as her name is now indelibly linked to a show which attempts to quell that very fear. She is back tonight to host a second series of ITV's My Mum, Your Dad, a grown-up Love Island which sees middle-aged singletons, nominated by their children, attempt to find romance as they move into a Surrey mansion. Ms McCall and celebrity hairdresser Douglas, 50, began dating two years after she split from her husband of 17 years, Matthew Robertson. She tells me: 'Loneliness is a topic which is covered quite a lot in My Mum, Your Dad and I spoke to Michael a lot about that. I said: "You know, it's amazing we got together at this stage of life because I don't know if I would be with anybody if we hadn't got together".' 'I think women are much happier to be alone later in life but it's quite sad. Sometimes for women who get divorced, they don't get invited to dinners, or they get overlooked as they are not in a couple any more. They are a single woman and that just magnifies your loneliness.' She adds: 'I think for famous women it's quite hard. You can't do the apps, so how do you meet people? I didn't have to do that because I knew Michael I had known him for 20 years. I probably would be off to join a dance class God knows what I would be doing.' 'For famous women it's quite hard. You can't do the apps, so how do you meet people? I didn't have to do that because I knew Michael I had known him for 20 years,' Ms McCall says For Ms McCall, it simply doesn't bear thinking about, especially at a time when her nest is emptying. Her eldest daughter Holly, 23, recently moved to Manchester with her boyfriend. Second daughter Tilly, 21, is in Australia. That leaves only son Chester, 18, at home for another year before he goes to university. 'I am right in the thick of the empty nest issue,' she says. 'As a parent, the aim is to give your children enough confidence to leave home and never look back, to not be frightened of taking that leap.' She helped Holly move up North, where she has a new job. 'I drove her there, we went to Ikea to get all of the storage stuff and made it. And then I was like: 'What is this feeling I have got in my heart?' It was such an unfamiliar feeling. I thought: 'I'm going to leave you here... wow, this is really hard'. 'It's not like taking someone to university and they will be back for the big holiday. She is starting her real life. I cried when I left. I didn't think I would have felt like that. It's so exciting but it's emotional. It was an unexpected emotion.' She loves being able to give mid-lifers like herself a second chance through My Mum, Your Dad, saying the show mirrors her own experiences. 'I would say we are the first of a generation of people who were the ravers in the 1980s. They are my people,' she says. 'Back in the day when they never asked you for ID, we were all clubbing at 14, 15, 16. Girls liked being ladettes I was the first sober ladette. We are that generation who were mad, then had our kids, raised them and then said, 'OK, I'm still young enough'.' Davina is the host of dating reality show, My Mum, Your Dad, which starts tonight When I meet the presenter at ITV's west London HQ, she certainly looks much younger than her years. She's glowing and looks very, very fit. Last month she posted a picture of herself on Instagram in a red bikini and matching cowboy boots, showing off her washboard stomach. Her exercise regime is surprisingly modest, but she has just given up sugar again, has eggs for breakfast and eats lots of oily fish. 'I exercise three to four times a week, that's all I have time for,' she explains. 'I am active on my other days. I will always run up the escalator, or get off the train one stop early and walk or run. I have had a summer of swimming in the sea, dancing in the nightclub, going kayaking. 'I do strength training now bicep curls, planks, squats with weights.' 'I am doing Couch to 5k. I haven't done any running and I'm not fit so I'm right at the beginning again. I'm very humble,' she adds, smiling. My Mum, Your Dad started last night at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX. Dermot O'Leary surprised fans by sharing an emotional tribute to his wife Dee Koppang on Instagram as he celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary. The This Morning star, 51, took to his Instagram page on Saturday with a rare snap from their wedding day as they danced the night away together. Dermot, who is usually fairly private about his family life, gave a rare insight by sharing the sweet shot of himself and Dee, 45. Alongside the photograph, he wrote: '12 years!' The couple met when they were both working for the same television corporation and started dating in 2002 when they began a nine-year relationship. Dermot O'Leary surprised fans by sharing an emotional tribute to his wife Dee Koppang on Instagram as he celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary The This Morning star, 51, took to his Instagram page on Saturday with a rare snap from their wedding day as they danced the night away together Dermot got down on one knee during a trip in New York in 2011. Despite keeping the news quiet themselves, Caroline Flack announced on the Xtra Factor that the couple had become engaged. Dermot and the film producer eventually tied the knot a year later at St Mary's Church in Chiddingstone in September 2012. Dermot has previously opened up about being a father to a toddler and how becoming a parent has changed his priorities. The television presenter lives in London with his wife Dee and their son Kasper, three. Speaking to The Times last year, he explained how much energy is required to keep up with his young son, saying it can be 'full-on'. Dermot said: 'I turned 50 this year and being a dad to a three-year-old can be full-on. A mate who had twins just before Kasper arrived told me, Dont worry about how old you are, just make sure you stay in shape. And hes right. I took Kasper to the RAF Museum the other week and it was like an Olympic sprint, dashing from one exhibit to the next. As soon as we came out he said: Can we go round again?' The couple met when they were both working for the same television corporation and started dating in 2002 when they began a nine-year relationship, and Dermot proposed to her on a romantic trip to New York in 2011 (pictured last month) Dermot and the film producer eventually tied the knot a year later at St Mary's Church in Chiddingstone in September 2012 with a private list of guests for their big day The television presenter lives in London with his wife Dee Koppang O'Leary and their son Kasper, three (pictured in February) He went on to describe his love of family time, saying that the daily tasks of changing nappies or playing silly games were the best part. He explained: 'Dees work means that were not always together but, those evenings when we are, we make the most of spending proper time together as a family. I cant understand those parents who dont enjoy changing nappies or crawling around on the carpet pretending to be a racing car. Isnt that the absolute joy of being a parent?' Dermot added that his priorities in life had shifted with the birth of his son, from his material needs to how he wants to spend his spare time. He said: 'Having a child has changed what I want from life and what makes me happy. Do I need another car? The latest gadget? A bit of vintage Van Morrison vinyl? No, forget the material stuff. What I want is to be with the people I love. Being a dad puts the world in perspective.' Dermot revealed that his wife Dee had given birth to their first child in an Instagram post in June 2020. Posting a sweet photo of a personalised babygrow, he wrote: 'Welcome to the world baby Koppang O'Leary... We're delighted to announce that we've had a baby. The couple first met in 2002 when they worked for the same TV production company and got engaged in New York in December 2011, before tying the knot the following year (pictured in December last year) Dermot O'Leary has previously opened up about being a father to a toddler and how becoming a parent has changed his priorities (pictured this month at Radio 2 Live in the Park at Moor Park) 'A little boy born on Tuesday 23rd June 2020 (Sankthansaften / Midsummer for you Norwegians) at 8.19am, weighing in at 6lb 13oz. 'Enjoying the cuddles in the newborn bubble... cats yet to be 100% convinced. Lots of love, Dermot & Dee x.' The couple first met in 2002 when they worked for the same TV production company and got engaged in New York in December 2011, before tying the knot the following year. Abbie Chatfield has been slammed after revealing her her biggest makeup faux pas. The Bachelor star, 29, took to Instagram over the weekend to reflect on the style of makeup she used to wear - and sleep in. In a sponsored video for skincare brand CeraVe, the influencer shared a photo of herself in a 'full beat' of thick makeup back in 2016, which she said she used to wear to her hospitality job. 'Please tell me I'm not the only one who slept in this level of makeup,' Abbie said in the video. 'And I wouldn't only sleep in it, I would also use the harshest chemicals the next morning to scrub it off as if that was going to help, but then that would just give me dermatitis under my eyes.' The FBoy Island host then went on to say that she uses CeraVe to help her skin when she removes her makeup. However the influencer's fans were less than impressed, lashing her in the comments for her association with the brand. Many suggested the brand's parent company L'Oreal was on the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) list against Israel - and also called them out for animal testing. Abbie Chatfield has been slammed after revealing her her biggest makeup faux pas. Pictured In a sponsored video for skincare brand CeraVe, the influencer shared a photo of herself in a 'full beat' of thick makeup back in 2016, which she said she used to wear to her hospitality job, however, fans quickly turned on the influencer as they criticised the brand's alleged practices 'Isn't this BDS? And they test on animals anyway,' the fan said. 'Love you but boycotting L'Oreal due to their ties to Israel,' another comment read. 'I remember you posted ages ago saying you're super careful about who you partner with so I'm not sure if you're aware, but being owned by L'Oreal [CeraVe] both test on animals and have ties to Israel (yuck),' said one political fan. After going through her post-makeup skincare routine, the influencer's fans lashed her in the comments for her associations with the brand Others raised their ethical concerns about the brand's alleged animal testing. 'Australia has some of the best all natural, cruelty-free skin care products and that's what you went with?!' protested another. 'What about starting a thread where people share their fav skincare from ethical small businesses?' the fan suggested. Another person wrote: 'Gorgeous Abbie, CeraVe is owned by LOreal and whilst LOreal is not on the official BDS list, some pro-Palestinian activists are choosing to boycott it because the company has been described as "a warm friend to Israel." Though I'm not sure the origins of that quote.' At the time of writing, Abbie has not responded to any of these criticisms in her comments. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Abbie Chatfield for comment. Dakota Fanning was looking 'hot' as she celebrated the release of Paris Hilton's second album Infinite Icon. The actress, 30, attended a party for Hilton's newest musical accomplishment over the weekend and showed her support in a very unexpected way. On her Instagram, she posted a photo of her wearing stickers declaring Hilton's iconic catchphrase - 'that's hot.' The stickers, which appeared to be party favors from the bash, were placed above her cleavage. She proudly showed off in a fun snap posted to her account on Sunday. Dakota Fanning was looking 'hot' as she celebrated the release of Paris Hilton 's second album Infinite Icon A delighted Paris gave the photo her stamp of approval. 'That's hot,' she commented on the post with a flame emoji. 'Love you sis! So much fun with you last night!' Dakota also reposted video Paris shared of them sharing a dance on stage at the bash. On September 6, the reality TV personality released her sophomore studio album, Infinite Icon. She celebrated the occasion by partying with her sister and mother at the NYLON Nights: NYFW x Paris Hilton 'Infinite Icon' Album Release Party in New York City. The heiress also graced NYLON's cover for the September issue and opened up about the launch of her album in an interview with her longtime friend Bebe Rexha. 'Please don't see me as that [dumb blonde] character anymore,' Paris said. 'They see me as a human being with feelings, that I'm real and I'm vulnerable and honest,' she added. 'Now people can see me in a different way when it comes to music as well.' Dakota also reposted video Paris shared of them sharing a dance on stage at the bash On September 6, the reality TV personality released her sophomore studio album, Infinite Icon; pictured at the MTV VMAs Hilton released Infinite Icon through her production company 11:11 Media in partnership with ADA. She made the album with Sia as the album's executive producer. It was released 18 years after her debut, self-titled album, Paris. Heather Locklear opened up about a surprise date she went on with Tom Cruise over 40 years ago. The 62-year-old actress shared details about how she met the Top Gun star, also 62, and the date they went on when they were both in the early stages of their acting careers. During a panel at 90s Con Florida on Saturday, she explained that they crossed paths at an audition sometime in the '80s, according to PEOPLE. They went out dancing at Club Lingerie, and Locklear who admitted in 2013 that she was turned off by his dance moves recalled that he was 'very nice' on their date. However, the self-proclaimed 'rock and roll girl' felt that their styles did not fit well together. Heather Locklear opened up about a date she went on with Tom Cruise over 40 years ago; pictured October 2021 in Orinda, California 'We both did an audition for the film together the two of us and I was like, "Oh my gosh, I'm terrible.' Jokingly, the Melrose Place alum added: 'He's even worse!' 'So, at that time, he was just like this little baby boy that I feel like I was a little bit older, and he ended up coming over to my house with Sean Penn,' she continued. 'And they were just nice, but he was very "yes ma'am" to me, and I was like, "Okay, sir",' she added. The Dynasty star, who previously said that they went out together because they were both new in Los Angeles at the time, said with a laugh: 'He didn't quite cut it.' She then shared more details about their first date. 'We went out dancing to Club Lingerie at that time, and I've said this before, I mean, he was really cute.' She also pointed out that she got to witness Cruise's dance moves and was one of the first people to see what ended up being his famous scene when he slides on his knees in his 1983 film Risky Business. The 62-year-old actress shared details about how she met the Top Gun star, also 62, and the date they went on when they were both in the early stages of their acting careers. During a panel at 90s Con Florida on Saturday, she explained that they crossed paths at an audition sometime in the '80s; pictured 1982 at Club Lingerie in Hollywood They went out dancing at Club Lingerie, and Locklear recalled that he was 'very nice' on their date. However, the self-proclaimed 'rock and roll girl' felt that their styles did not fit well together; pictured in 1982 'He actually did that before [the movie], and I was dancing along like, "Do you stop dancing if they're down there?" I was like, "Yay!" But he was very nice to me,' she recalled. About the audition where they met, she noted: 'Neither of us got that part by the way.' The 'rock and roll girl' went on to have whirlwind romances with two rock stars. She married Motley Crue founder and drummer Tommy Lee in 1986. They divorced in 1993, and she married Bon Jovi lead guitarist Richie Sambora the following year until their separation in 2007. The 'rock and roll girl' went on to have whirlwind romances with two rock stars. She married Motley Crue founder and drummer Tommy Lee in 1986. They divorced in 1993, and she married Bon Jovi lead guitarist Richie Sambora the following year until their separation in 2007; pictured January 1982 in Los Angeles Meanwhile, Cruise has been married and divorced three times. The first was with Mimi Rogers from 1987 to 1990. He was married to Nicole Kidman from 1990 to 2001 and then Katie Holmes from 2006 to 2012; pictured July 2023 in New York City With Sambora, she shares a 26-year-old daughter named Ava Sambora. Meanwhile, Cruise has been married and divorced three times. The first was with Mimi Rogers from 1987 to 1990. He was married to Nicole Kidman from 1990 to 2001 and then Katie Holmes from 2006 to 2012. He adopted two children Isabella and Connor, who are now 31 and 29, respectively with Kidman and also shares a biological daughter named Suri, 18, from his marriage to Holmes. She has her hands full juggling a career and a busy family life with four children. And on Monday, Rebecca Judd revealed just how messy things can get at her $7.3 million Melbourne mansion. The AFL WAG, 41, shared a photo to Instagram of her expensive dining table covered in permanent marker. 'I desperately need a new dining table but until my twins stop doing sh*t like this with permanent marker, how can I?' Bec wrote. 'We hide the markers, iPads, Nintendos, remotes etc but they always find them. Strange as they can't find drink bottles, lunch boxes, school blazers, ties etc.' The model and her husband Chris Judd share four children, son Oscar, 12, daughter Billie, 10, and twin sons Tom and Darcy, eight, together. The Melbourne 'It Couple' are currently enjoying a child-free getaway, splashing thousands on Indonesian resorts and island living. They have also jetted off to Singapore to stay in the famous Raffles Hotel which has hosted guests like Michael Jackson and Charlie Chaplin. Rebecca Judd blasted her twin boys for ruining her expensive dining table in her $7.3 million mansion The WAG took to Instagram on Friday to reveal the couple are staying in the country for 24 hours while on their luxury getaway. Staying in the lavish Palm Court Suite, the socialite and her former AFL star husband splashed $1,899 to stay at the palatial hotel for one night. Several photos showed a grand black and white entrance hall, with Bec and Chris posing up a storm beneath the enormous crystal chandelier. Described as having 'elegant, old-world glamour', Raffles offered some fantastic photos ops.. Bec also gave a sneak peek into the room she and Chris are staying in, which boasts a huge bathroom with a marble vanity and a 24-hour butler service. The AFL WAG shared a photo to Instagram of her expensive dining table covered in permanent marker It comes after Bec and her AFL star husband Chris jetted off for a luxurious holiday at Bawah Reserve, a private island resort in Indonesia, without their four kids. A single night's stay runs as much as $4,700, with the pair having visited for at least three days before they flew to Singapore. The resort features exclusive bungalows set on the water with incredible sea views all around, with Bec and Chris taking a seaplane to reach the property. 'We've been gone two nights but it feels like two weeks without kids,' she said in her caption on her Instagram Stories post on Tuesday. Lucy Jackson is looking for a new housemate after finding out her boyfriend had cheated on her with 'multiple women'. The Australian influencer, 34, revealed she'd just moved in with Samuel Hone just two weeks ago. 'He moved in on Tuesday [two weeks ago] and I kicked him out on Wednesday,' she said in one of three TikToks posted to her account over the weekend, before admitting the pair had said 'I love you' for the first time just weeks prior. On Saturday, Lucy shared a video of herself all dolled up in a little black dress which she captioned: 'Looking for a roommate.' In her second TikTok, filmed in bed on Sunday morning, Lucy shared further details of her break up. 'I found out on Wednesday night, after we'd gone out for dinner, that I'd been cheated on with multiple people,' she said. 'Not just one.' 'I never thought I would be 34 and I would get cheated on by a bloke that draws,' Jackson added in a savage swipe at her ex. Lucy began dating Sam in April this year and had recently returned to Australia from a dream holiday in Europe together. Popular Happy Hours podcast host Lucy Jackson moved in with her boyfriend two weeks ago ...andthen shared this surprising TikTok over the weekend In her TikTok posts, Lucy went on to explain her heartbreak over losing what she'd believed was the 'next chapter' of her adult life. 'For the first 48 hours I was really running off adrenaline. When I'm really sad or angry, I'm pretty dark and a bit funny,' she explained. 'So I was in one of those funny moods when you're making a joke out of it.' Continuing, the Happy Hour podcast co-host said that after filming that TikTok, she walked into the bar where she was meeting up with her girlfriends on Saturday night and announced: 'Cheers to getting cheated on in 2024!' 'This is really new for me. I'll talk about all the details another time. This morning is the first time I've woken up and truly feel sad and I'm so extremely hungover.' On Sunday, the 34-year-old revealed that she'd found out last Wednesday that her partner had cheated on her 'with multiple women' 'I was so ready to have my person. I was so ready to move into that next chapter, and it's really hitting me today that I'm back at square one,' she said. 'I'd rather be on my own than with someone who's cheating on me obviously. But todays' the first day I've felt quite sad. 'I feel lonely and wish I could talk to him about it and be comforted by him, even though he's the person that did the wrong thing to me.' The brunette beauty revealed she has no intentions to ever reconcile with Hone. 'Truth be told, I'm never ever going to get back together with that person, so I've got nothing to protect in terms of talking about how I'm feeling.' Fellow podcaster Abbie Chatfield even chimed in with her stunned reaction to the news, simply writing, 'WHAT'. Lucy and her best friend Nikki Wescott started a fashion label, Jagger & Stone, after they found runaway success with an Instagram account documenting the outfits they wore to music festivals. The Gold Coast duo - who now have a podcast, merchandise, a wine label, a clothing brand, and an influencer business - are one of the 'mini media empires quietly growing in Australia', according to the Australian Financial Review. Brian Austin Green is remaining tight-lipped about his brief fling with Beverly Hills 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty. Green, 51, and Doherty, who passed away in July after many years of fighting breast cancer, had a brief fling years after they starred on 90210. The actor was a surprise guest on the Charmed podcast House of Halliwell, which was filmed live at 90s Con in Florida, featuring Charmed stars Holly Marie Combs, Rose McGowen, Brian Krause, Drew Fuller and Dorian Gregory. Doherty admitted on the House of Halliwell podcast earlier this year that they had a 'really short-lived hookup.' Green has yet to share anything about the fling, and he wouldn't delve into it during the live podcast over the weekend. Brian Austin Green is remaining tight-lipped about his brief fling with Beverly Hills 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty The actor was a surprise guest on the Charmed podcast House of Halliwell , which was filmed live at 90s Con in Florida , featuring Charmed stars Holly Marie Combs, Rose McGowen, Brian Krause, Drew Fuller and Dorian Gregory 'I'm not giving any details to any of you,' Green joked during the live podcast in Florida over the weekend. Combs revealed she was unaware, 'how close' he was with Shannen until she told her recently. 'She waited quite a while to tell me that. She was very honest [and] I think thats the trait I take from her,' Combs said. Combs also praised Green for remaining, 'best friends' with Doherty after their brief fling. Green joked that he was, 'getting my ass handed to me,' as Combs added that shannen, 'did say you have a really nice a**.' Doherty explained on Tori Spelling's Misspelling podcast earlier this year, 'Maybe I was doing Charmed? I dont know, it was so much later (than Beverly Hills, 90210). She added, 'We tried something, and we just went, "Yeah this isnt going to work." The kissing didnt even make sense.' Doherty continued, 'I cant imagine it now, either. Thats why it didnt go anywhere because it was awkward. It was super awkward.' 'She waited quite a while to tell me that. She was very honest [and] I think thats the trait I take from her,' Combs said She summed up their brief relationship, 'I love Brian, hes one of my favorite humans. But there was no spark' Doherty continued, 'I cant imagine it now, either. Thats why it didnt go anywhere because it was awkward. It was super awkward' 'There were no fireworks. We were so close, and we had known each other [when] we were little kids essentially,' she said. She summed up their brief relationship, 'I love Brian, hes one of my favorite humans. But there was no spark.' Doherty, who played Brenda Walsh in the hit 1990s show, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. Just two years later, the Charmed star revealed that the cancer had returned after going into remission. Will Ferrell welled up with emotion speaking about his best friend Harper Steele's transition during an event in London Sunday. The 57-year-old actor and Steele, who is Saturday Night Live's former head writer, participated in a Q&A during a preview for their forthcoming Netflix documentary Will & Harper at BFI Southbank. In the Josh Greenbaum-directed documentary, Ferrell and Steele, who came out as transgender at 61, embark on a road trip where they discuss Steele's transition. The Irvine, California-born star held back his tears during a discussion with Greenbaum about how he spoke about the issue with Steele, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Said the Elf star: 'I don't wanna make a mistake - I don't want to ask in the wrong way.' Will Ferrell, 57, welled up with emotion speaking about his best friend Harper Steele's (L) transition during an event in London Sunday The Elf actor and Steele, who is Saturday Night Live's former head writer, participated in a Q&A during a preview for their forthcoming Netflix documentary Will & Harper at BFI Southbank Ferrell continued: 'We just wanted to capture a conversation between two friends, and just bring it down to that level that hopefully the audience can listen to me stumble my way through asking my dear friend these questions.' Ferrell said that Harper allows him 'to make those mistakes and encourages [him] to ask away.' Greenbaum said of documenting the friendship: 'I have such a love for him, for both of these people, it was a gift that I got to express it in a film. 'But I just hope [Ferrell] continues to get all the love that he deserves. Because he's put so much good out in the world. And we often sometimes take for granted comedians who give us joy and love throughout our whole lives and make our day-to-day a lot easier, so I hope he feels that.' As Ferrell was seen wiping his eyes, Steele joked, 'What is this bulls***?' Steele opened up about an emotional moment she had in London years back. 'I was in London shooting a film with Will right before the pandemic, about the Eurovision Song Contest,' Steele said. 'And I was right on the cusp of this experience, but this was a difficult period for me in London. 'And walking around London, going to get my Greggs sausage as myself, finally, it was just so much joy. Thank you.' Will Ferrell starts crying at a preview of WILL & HARPER when director Josh Greenbaum talks about how he hopes Will and Harper can feel the same love theyve brought to the screen in this lovely film @THR pic.twitter.com/AlyIpVs1tX Lily Ford (@lilyfordtweets) September 15, 2024 In the Josh Greenbaum-directed documentary, Ferrell and Steele, who came out as transgender at 61, embark on a road trip where they discuss Steele's transition Ferrell said that Harper allows him 'to make those mistakes and encourages [him] to ask away' Ferrell, Greenbaum and Steele pictured at the event on Sunday Ferrell said that amid the two-week-plus road trip, 'Every day there was a highlight,' as he and Steele sought 'to make each other laugh all the time' The documentary also features cameos from SNL personalities Tina Fey, Seth Meyers and Kristen Wiig. Ferrell said that amid the two-week-plus road trip, 'Every day there was a highlight,' as he and Steele sought 'to make each other laugh all the time.' He added, 'And the highlights ranged from Harper showing us photos of herself on a unicycle, the way she used to get around Iowa City, only to be in front of her childhood house and this young person to come up on a unicycle ... insane ... and even though they didn't recognize me. 'Then Harper gets on and rides this unicycle in heels. Between that and our chance encounter at the Grand Canyon with a retired therapist who is trying to make amends for a situation she didn't feel like she knew how to handle and Harper giving her comfort.' Ferrell added, 'Me getting to surprise Harper at a pool with my speedo so many highlights.' Ferrell earlier this month said he looks back on his impersonation of the late Janet Reno on Saturday Night Live with regret. Ferrell told The New York Times podcast September 7 about his past impersonation on the NBC comedy show, saying, 'That's something I wouldn't choose to do now.' Ferrell, appearing alongside Steele on the podcast, said that the impression of the late U.S. attorney general 'hits a false note now.' Ferrell says he looks back on his impersonation of the late Janet Reno on Saturday Night Live with regret The Irvine, California-born star said that the impression of the late U.S. attorney general 'hits a false note now' Reno, who served under former President Bill Clinton, died at the age of 78 in November of 2016 from Parkinsons disease complications. In his impersonation of Reno, Ferrell would dress in drag in a regular bit titled Janet Renos Dance Party, performing in skits opposite former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani; and actor Kevin Spacey, who himself was in drag to portray one-time U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala. Reno, the first woman to serve in the position, appeared herself on the segment in the wake of her January 2001 exit from the Justice Department. Steele said that in hindsight, the bit was 'absolutely not funny' and that the comedic value of the bit was cheap. 'This kind of bums me out - I understand the laugh is a drag laugh,' Steele said. 'It's, "Hey, look at this guy in a dress, and that's funny" - it's absolutely not funny. 'It's absolutely a way that we should be able to live in the world. However, with performers and actors, I do like a sense of play.' On the podcast, the Anchorman actor said that there had been 'a fair amount' of segments 'where you'd lament the choice' to perform in them. The Elf star added, 'I mean, in a way, the cast - you're kind of given this assignment - so I'm going to blame the writers,' to which Steele noted in jest, 'Yeah, he's not culpable at all.' In his impersonation of Reno, Ferrell would dress in drag in a regular bit titled Janet Renos Dance Party Ferrell performed opposite actor Kevin Spacey, who himself was in drag to portray one-time U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala Ferrell appeared opposite former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in a sketch Reno and former President Bill Clinton pictured at a news conference in July of 1993 Ferrell said in a 1998 interview with The Washington Post magazine that he had aimed at bringing a 'broad and physical' presence to his portrayal of Reno, and was amused at the notion of a 'large woman manhandling people.' Ferrell added, 'I originally wanted to do this thing where she was almost like a bodyguard for President Clinton and they'd be in Cabinet meetings and she wouldn't say anything, and then if Clinton didn't like the person she'd be like, "Bill, do you want me to get rid of him?"' Ferrell, who developed the bit with former SNL writer Scott Wainio, told the publication, 'We just kind of created this, like, tough woman who lives in this make-believe world.' According to the newspaper, Reno said of the sketches in 1998, 'I thought it was just kind of a spoof of this 6-foot-1 big old girl. I can't figure out why anybody's that interested in me.' Ferrell told the newspaper that year of the impression: 'I just sound the way she looks ... I hate to break it down into something as simple as the fact that she's tall, but it's almost as simple as that.' Will & Harper begins streaming on Netflix September 27. Billy Crudup described Naomi Watts as his 'eye candy wife' as he accepted his award for The Morning Show at the 2024 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday. The American actor, 56, and Aussie actress, 55, who wed in 2023, couldn't keep their hands off each other as they walked the red carpet ahead of his win. Naomi looked glamorous in a strapless green silk dress which featured a bow on the back as she placed her head on Billy's shoulder. She completed her look with a pair of black heels and wore statement earrings. The King Kong star styled her blonde locks straight and opted for a bright red lip as she leant in closely to Billy. Billy Crudup, 56, described Naomi Watts, 55, as his 'eye candy wife' as he accepted his award for The Morning Show at the 2024 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday The couple shared a sweet kiss after Billy's name was announced He was awarded Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Cory Ellison in The Morning Show at the award's ceremony 76th Primetime Emmy Awards WINNERS: AT A GLANCE DRAMA Outstanding Drama Series: Shogun Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Anna Sawai, Shogun Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Hiroyuki Sanada, Shogun Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series: Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series: Billy Crudup, The Morning Show TALK, VARIETY, AND REALITY Scripted Variety Series: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Talk Series: The Daily Show Outstanding Reality Competition Program: The Traitors Shogun won a record breaking 18 Primetime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Lead Actress and Actor nods for Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada COMEDY Outstanding Comedy Series: Hacks Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Jean Smart, Hacks Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series: Jeremy Allen White, The Bear Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series: Liza Colon-Zayas, The Bear Outstanding Supporting Actor An A Comedy Series: Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear LIMITED Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: Baby Reindeer Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series: Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series: Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series: Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series: Lamorne Morris, Fargo Advertisement Naomi couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she held her husband's hand while they walked the red carpet. Billy also looked dapper as he arrived in a black tuxedo, a white buttoned shirt and a pair of black shoes. He was awarded Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Cory Ellison in The Morning Show at the award's ceremony. During his acceptance speech, he paid tribute to his wife Naomi. 'Thank you very much, this is an incredible honour, thank you all,' he began. 'I'm happy to be here with my piece of eye candy there, my wife, who also happens to be an immigrant and gave a searing performance for [the movie] in which she's nominated for so it's nice to be by her side.' Naomi has been nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series for her role in Feud: Capote vs. the Swans. She exchanged vows with her husband Billy for the second time on June 8, almost a year after their modest first nuptials at a New York courthouse. During his acceptance speech, he paid tribute to his wife Naomi 'I'm happy to be here with my piece of eye candy there, my wife, who also happens to be an immigrant and gave a searing performance for [the movie] in which she's nominated for so it's nice to be by her side' Naomi looked glamorous in a strapless green silk dress which featured a bow on the back She completed her look with a pair of black heels and wore statement earrings The King Kong star styled her blonde locks straight and opted for a bright red lip as she leant in closely to Billy She exchanged vows with her husband Billy for the second time on June 8, almost a year after their modest first nuptials at a New York courthouse The blonde beauty gazed adoringly as Billy made his speech He said: 'Thank you very much, this is an incredible honour, thank you all,' he began The couple posed with fellow winners and Baby Reindeer stars Richard Gadd (L) and Jessica Gunning (R) The trio posed proudly with their awards Naomi (L) cuddled up to pal Gillian Anderson (R) The King Kong star said 'I do' with Billy for a second time in a larger ceremony in Mexico. Videos shared on social media by Naomi's brother Ben gave an insight into the lavish ceremony, with notable guests including Nicole Kidman and Isla Fisher. Naomi's child Kai, 15, and niece Ruby were bridesmaids, and also in the wedding party were Naomi's son Sasha, 16, and Billy's son William, 20. Naomi shares both her children with former partner Liev Schreiber, 56, while Billy shares William with ex-partner Mary Louise Parker, 59. Naomi and Billy met on the set of 2017 Netflix series Gypsy, in which she starred as a therapist who uses an alias to develop close (and unethical) relationships with people intimately connected to her patients, while Billy played her husband. The co-stars began a relationship later in 2017, a year after Naomi had split from her partner of 11 years, actor Liev. Aside from being part of the judging threesome on The Block, Darren Palmer is also a member of another trio off-screen. The interior designer, 46, helps his husband Olivier Duvillard raise his teenage son Hugo, 15. Speaking to Woman's Day, Darren said family had always been high on his list of priorities. 'Nothing is more important than my family,' he told the publication. Darren, who married Olivier 13 years ago, has been a part of Hugo's life since he was a one year old. 'He's a fine young man,' Darren added about Hugo who Olivier, 51, welcomed with a female couple in 2009. Darren added that while he and Olivier share custody of Hugo, the teenager was very much an integral part of the family unit. 'We have our son with us just less than half the time,' Darren explained. Aside from being part of the formidable judging threesome on The Block, Darren Palmer is also a member of another trio off-screen 'We use out time with him to do fun, family stuff that builds good memories and we use our time without him to achieve our goals in work and life.' While he said the pair had struck a good parenting 'balance' they would happily take on Hugo full time. ''It's a good balance, but we would happily spend all of our time together as a family, too,' he explained. While Darren and Olivier have kept Hugo away from the spotlight in the past, they have recently been sharing more about their home life on social media. The interior designer, 46, is also helping husband Olivier Duvillard raise his teenage son Hugo, 15. While Darren and Olivier have kept Hugo away from the spotlight in the past, they have recently been sharing more about their home life on social media Olivier took to Instagram on Father's Day to share some snaps of a celebratory outing he went on with Darren and Hugo. They looked to be having a ball when they attended the History of House Show featuring Groove Terminator and The Soweto Gospel Choir in Sydney. 'Next level Fathers Day having a blast with our #1 son and my other #1,' Olivier captioned the sweet post. Darren showed The Block contestants how it's done last month when he listed his $2.98million renovated Bondi Beach home for sale. The interior designer snapped the lavish property up with Olivier 2015 and got stuck into renovations. Sitting just 400m from Australia's most renowned beach, the four-bedroom, four-bathroom house has undergone many transformations, reported Domain. The Block star said working on his own home made him very empathetic for the contestants he judged on the renovation competition. 'It made me very compassionate and empathetic, because I was also going through it. I would... travel to Victoria to film, and then come back to a job site,' he said. Nicole Kidman's adopted children, son Connor and daughter Bella, are supporting the actress following the death of her beloved mother Janelle. Bella, 31, and Connor, 29, have reportedly written a heartfelt note to Nicole after she revealed that her beloved mother died at the age of 84 - just hours before being awarded Best Actress for her role in Babygirl at the Venice Film Festival. According to Woman's Day, the actress is happy to hear from her children and would love to have 'them back in her life'. 'The most heartwarming thing has been for Nicole to get a joint message from Bella and Connor, who she's not heard from in a very long time,' a source said. 'It's kind of sad it took such a tragic moment to bring them back into her life, but she knows it would make her mum so happy if her passing brought her estranged grandkids back into the family.' The source also said that Nicole is willing to take time out of her career to give her relationship with her kids 'its best shot'. Bella and Connor are the only children Nicole shares with her ex-husband Tom Cruise, with the pair adopting their daughter in 1992 and son in 1995. The Hollywood couple got married in 1990 and divorced in 2001. Tom now shares daughter, Suri Cruise, 17, with ex-wife Katie Holmes, and Nicole went on to have two children, Sunday Rose, 15, and Faith Margaret, 13, with her second husband Keith Urban. Nicole Kidman 's adopted children, son Connor and daughter Bella are supporting the actress following the death of her beloved mother Janelle Little is known about Nicole's current relationship with Bella and Connor as they reportedly stayed 'loyal to their father' following her split from the Top Gun star in 2001 - meaning they were raised in the controversial Church of Scientology. Nicole has refused to talk about the religion or her family ties in recent year, but is said to have absent from many of her children's life events, including Bella's wedding at the Dorchester hotel in London in 2015, despite living in the city at the time. The Big Little Lies star hasn't been pictured publicly with her eldest two children since 2007, and she was reportedly left 'devastated' after the pair didn't attend her father's funeral in 2014. In 2018, while accepting her Best Actress Golden Globe, the Nine Perfect Strangers star thanked her biological daughters and second husband Keith Urban - but didn't mention Connor or Bella. The actress rarely speaks about the pair, saying she wants to keep the relationship private, but has spoken of how they 'picked scientology' and 'don't call her mum'. Connor and Bella also didn't attend Nicole's Life Achievement Award ceremony in Los Angeles in April. Bella, 31, and Connor, 29, have reportedly written a heartfelt note to Nicole after she revealed last Saturday that her beloved mother died at the age of 84 Nicole's mother Janelle died just hours before she was awarded Best Actress for her role in Babygirl on the final day of Venice Film Festival. 'Today I arrived in Venice to find out shortly after, that my beautiful, brave mother Janelle Ann Kidman has just passed,' Nicole revealed in a statement read by director Halina Reijn upon her win. 'I am in shock and I have to go to my family, but this award is for her, she shaped me, she guided me, and she made me. 'I am beyond grateful that I get to say her name to all of you through Halina, the collision of life and art is heart-breaking, and my heart is broken. We love you all.' Nicole's mother Janelle died just hours before Nicole was awarded Best Actress for her role in Babygirl on the final day of Venice Film Festival Nicole has long had an incredibly close relationship with her beloved mother Janelle and often spoke about her support and influence on her career over the years. Nicole was born in Honolulu and raised in Sydney by Janelle and her psychologist father Antony, who died in September 2014. After spending time in the United States, the Moulin Rouge star and her younger sister Antonia spent much of their childhood in Sydney. Nicole pursued her passion for acting when she was a teenager and was supported by both of her parents as she soared to global fame. They both remained closely involved with her career over the years, with Nicole recently admitting she would still go to her mother for advice. In November, the Big Little Lies star told how she would often ask her mother Janelle for advice on her outfits, despite working with a whole string of professional stylists. In a sign of their close bond, Nicole told People: 'My mother is still she's so involved in what I wear.' Nicole had an incredibly close bond with her parents. Pictured (L-R) Antony Kidman, Nicole Kidman and Janelle Kidman in 2003 Nicole had an equally close relationship with her father Antony and was left devastated when he died of a heart attack in September 2014 at the age of 75. The Oscar-winning actress previously revealed that the 'sudden' death of her father, as well as a string of other losses, had deeply affected her. 'I've been given death as a very sudden thing. I've not nursed someone through a slow death, I've just had people taken,' she told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2020. 'I've now had it happen repeatedly, I almost get scared saying it because I get terrified it's going to happen again. I still have a lot of fear of that.' Ajay Rochester looked completely unrecognisable as she attended the 2024 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday. The former Biggest Loser host, 55, flaunted her slimmed-down figure as she arrived to the event after recently detailing her Ozempic use. The TV presenter showed off her physique in a long sequinned gown from City Chic as she posed on the red carpet with her son Kai. She accessorised her look with a black lace choker and a matching bracelet. The TV star left her long blonde curled locks out and wore a natural makeup palette to the award's ceremony. Ajay was born in Sydney and rose to fame as the host of reality weight-loss television series The Biggest Loser Australia from 2006 until 2009. She has since moved to the United States and is currently based in LA, where she works as a casting director. Ajay recently detailed her use of controversial 'weight loss' drug Ozempic after struggling with her weight for several years. Ajay Rochester looked completely unrecognisable as she attended the 2024 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday. Pictured with son Kai Ozempic is a diabetes medication which is being sold privately for weight loss, and celebrities including Sharon Osbourne and Amy Schumer have admitted to using the drug. Speaking with 7NEWS Spotlight in April, Ajay detailed her heartbreaking struggles with her weight as she claimed Ozempic has changed her life. 'This drug has absolutely transformed my life. It's not a trick. It's not cheating. It's medicine,' she said. 'Like, I was a prisoner in my body... Let the magic happen. I have a disease, like I didn't want to die from obesity.' She recalled facing immense pressure to look a certain way during her time hosting The Biggest Loser, which led to unhealthy eating habits. Ajay recently detailed her use of controversial ' weight loss ' drug Ozempic after struggling with her weight for several years 'The pressure was on to lose those extra kilos. When I was hosting Biggest Loser, the lightest I got was 70 kilos and I did not eat, did not eat,' she explained. 'I was an emaciated doll that was still apparently not thin enough.' She heartbreakingly told how she has often been publicly humiliated over her weight and once had a milkshake thrown at her in the street. 'I mean, people have thrown things at me in the street, like I had a milkshake thrown at me in Sydney one time, where these guys said, "yeah, you fat pig." And threw a milkshake at me, driving past,' she explained. She recently professed her love for her new beau in a heartfelt Instagram post on his birthday. And Rachael Lee and her boyfriend Evan Faulks couldn't keep their hands off each other during a romantic fishing date in Sydney over the weekend. The ex-fiancee of NRL star Braith Anasta and Evan, who is a 'high-ranking member' of the Bra Boys, packed on the PDA during the outing. At one point, Evan put his hand on the personal trainer's bottom as they relaxed on the sand. The pair also cuddled and kissed while soaking up the warm spring sunshine. Mother-of-two Rachael showed off her sensational figure in a blue tie-dye bikini top and mismatched high-cut floral bottoms. She teamed the two-piece with a floral sarong and cropped shirt, and tied her long bronde locks back into a half-up half-down hairstyle. Meanwhile, her heavily tattooed beau flaunted his buff and tattooed physique in pink boardshorts. Rachael Lee couldn't keep her hands off her boyfriend Evan Faulks during a romantic fishing date in Sydney over the weekend Mother-of-two Rachael showed off her sensational figure in a blue tie-dye bikini top and mismatched high-cut floral bottoms The new couple have been spending most days together and recently got into meditation as Evan waits for several months before learning if he has to go back to prison. The accused gang member was arrested in March last year as part of an investigation into an alleged drug importation ring and won't face a hearing until next February. Evan was granted $200,000 bail in November and three weeks later uploaded to Instagram a video of himself carrying a bag of belongings as he left custody jumping for joy. Rachael recently professed her love for her new beau in a heartfelt Instagram post The pair also cuddled and kissed while soaking up the warm spring sunshine Meanwhile, her heavily tattooed beau flaunted his buff and tattooed physique in pink boardshorts The video was captioned: 'The best feeling I have ever experienced and I never want to do feel it again [sic].' In May, Evan uploaded a black and white image of himself walking out of court which Rachael then reposted to her own social media. Rachael and Evan, who reportedly met at Crown Plaza in Coogee over Christmas, were photographed together in public for the first time in May celebrating her 36th birthday. The couple arrived at Hijinx Hotel in Sydney's inner-city Alexandria with Rachael's son Addison and little girl Gigi, who she shares with TV presenter Braith. Rachael tied her long bronde locks back into a half-up half-down hairstyle She teamed the two-piece with a floral sarong and cropped shirt The new couple have been spending most days together and recently got into meditation as Evan waits for several months before learning if he has to go back to prison The accused gang member was arrested in March last year as part of an investigation into an alleged drug importation ring and won't face a hearing until next February Rachael also showed off her tattoo during the beach outing The personal trainer has a gun with flowers on the side of her bottom She also has a crucifix tattoo around her ankle Rachael is a personal trainer and shares one child with her ex-fiancee Braith - daughter Gigi Evan's court case was listed in Downing Centre Local Court in May, but he did not have to appear in person because he was represented by a solicitor. He was extradited last year from Queensland following an 18-month investigation into cocaine and meth consignments allegedly intercepted by US authorities. Evan, who police allege is a 'high-ranking member' of the Bra Boys, was originally accused of running a criminal operation which imported and distributed drugs worth $12.6million around Sydney. The pair laughed as they did a spot of fishing off the jetty Evan leaned on his ladylove as he had a little nap in the sun Rachael and Evan reportedly met at Crown Plaza in Coogee over Christmas They have been spending a lot of time together and with her children On March 19, police withdrew a charge that Evan had knowingly directed the activities of a criminal group and another that he knowingly dealt with the proceeds of crime with intent to conceal. The same day he pleaded not guilty to dealing with property worth $266,954 which was suspected to be the proceeds of a crime between September 2016 and May 2017. Evan covered up in a Guns N' Roses T-shirt as they left the beach The couple looked smitten as they chatted during their fishing date Evan was granted $200,000 bail in November and three weeks later uploaded to Instagram a video of himself carrying a bag of belongings as he left custody jumping for joy. In May, magistrate Daniel Covington heard Evan maintained his not guilty plea to the proceeds of crime charge and set the matter down for a four-hour hearing on February 4 Evan faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted In May, magistrate Daniel Covington heard Evan maintained his not guilty plea to the proceeds of crime charge and set the matter down for a four-hour hearing on February 4. Evan faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted. Rachael and former footy player-turned-television presenter Braith split in November 2022. He went on to date Evie Tziomakis, but a source confirmed they had parted ways earlier this year in June. Japanese actress Anna Sawai now has the distinction of being the first actress of Asian descent to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series. The historic moment took place during the 76th annual ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, when Sawai scored the big win in the category for her performance on the FX on Hulu series Shogun. Looking stunning in a red gown and her long raven locks pulled back tight off her face, the actress was wiping away the happy tears as she made her way to the stage to accept her trophy. 'I was crying before my name was announced,' Sawai, 32, confessed when she got to the podium. 'I'm a mess today.' The Wellington, New Zealand native, who also grew up in Japan, plays Toda Mariko in the historical drama, who's an intelligent highborn woman with strong loyalty to Toranaga while serving as a translator between Toranaga and Blackthorne. Anna Sawai, 32, made history at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards when she won Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series for Shogun, which is a first for an actress of Asian descent 'Thank you Justin [Marks] and Rachael [Kondo] for believing in me and giving me this role of a lifetime,' Sawai, 32, went on to say while sharing her gratitude. Thank you to every single one of the crew and cast led by Hiro [Sanada],' the actress continued. 'He has really opened doors, and continues to open doors, for people like me. Thank you so much.' She would ended her acceptance speech by giving a nod of respect to her mother. 'Lastly, thank you to my team and thank you to my family. Mom, I love you, you are the reason why I'm here. You showed me stoicism, and that's how I was able to portray [Toda] Mariko,' Sawai shared as more tears fell. She concluded, 'This is to all the women who expect nothing and continue to be an example for everyone. Thank you so much.' Shogun, which is based on the novel of the same name by James Clavell, was created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, consisting of 10 episodes that ran on FX on Hulu from February 27 through April 23. Due to its early success and widespread acclaim for the directing, writing, visuals, production values, source material, and performances of its cast, a second and third season are now in development. Along with Sawai making history, the show also became the first Japanese-language series to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, en route to ultimately winning 18 of its 25 Emmy nominations. 'I was crying before my name was announced,' Sawai confessed when she got to the podium for her acceptance speech. 'I'm a mess today' 'Thank you Justin [Marks] and Rachael [Kondo] for believing in me and giving me this role of a lifetime,' the Japanese actress went on to say while sharing her gratitude The tears started to flow again when she singled out her mother: 'Mom, I love you, you are the reason why I'm here. You showed me stoicism, and that's how I was able to portray Mariko' 'This is to all the women who expect nothing and continue to be an example for everyone. Thank you so much,' she conclued her acceptance speech Before making history, Sawai showed off her lovely red two-tier gown that accensuate her petite curves in all the right ways Sawai rose to fame in Japan as one of the lead vocalists of the girl group Faky from 2013 to 2018. She would make a return to acting with supporting roles in the Japanese mystery series Colors (2018) and the British crime thriller series Giri/Haji (2019). Her international breakthrough came with the roles of Elle in F9 (2021), the ninth installment in the Fast & Furious film franchise. She gained further recognition for her role in the Apple TV+ drama series Pachinko (2022-present), the MonsterVerse series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023-present), and for her portrayal of Mariko in the FX historical drama series Shogun (2024). Naomi Watts and husband Billy Crudup looked every inch the glamorous couple of the hour as they celebrated the actor's Emmy win at the Apple TV+ afterparty. The loved up pair posed up a storm together at Mother Wolf on Sunday as The Morning Show star, 56, clutched his Primetime Emmy Award. After stepping off the 2024 Emmy Awards red carpet in Los Angeles just hours before, Naomi, 55, made a quick wardrobe change for their evening festivities. The British actress stole the show in a sparkling silver dress which featured dazzling sequins and a short hemline. Flaunting her slim pins, the King Kong star stepped into a pair of strappy black heels which matched her designer clutch. Opting for a very natural makeup look, the Hollywood star elevated her ensemble with a pair of diamond earrings and a nude lip. She was all smiles as she clutched the hand of her love who was wearing the same black suit and tie he wore during the Emmy Awards ceremony. The happy couple couldn't keep their hands off each other as they walked the red carpet earlier in the day. Naomi Watts, 55, (left) and husband Billy Crudup, 56, (right) looked every inch the glamorous couple of the hour as they celebrated the actor's Emmy win at the Apple TV+ afterparty Naomi looked glamorous in a strapless green silk dress which featured a bow on the back as she placed her head on Billy's shoulder. Billy was awarded Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Cory Ellison in The Morning Show at the award's ceremony. During his acceptance speech, he paid tribute to his wife Naomi, saying: 'Thank you very much, this is an incredible honour, thank you all. The loved up pair posed up a storm together at Mother Wolf on Sunday as The Morning Show star clutched his Primetime Emmy Award After stepping off the 2024 Emmy Awards red carpet in Los Angeles just hours before, Naomi made a quick wardrobe change for their evening festivities The British actress stole the show in a sparkling silver dress which featured dazzling sequins and a short hemline 'I'm happy to be here with my piece of eye candy there, my wife, who also happens to be an immigrant and gave a searing performance for [the movie] in which she's nominated for so it's nice to be by her side.' Naomi had been nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series for her role in Feud: Capote vs. the Swans. However, she was beat by Jodie Foster who won the award for her work on True Detective: Night Country. Naomi and Billy exchanged vows for the second time on June 8 in Mexico, almost a year after their modest first nuptials at a New York courthouse. Flaunting her slim pins, the King Kong star stepped into a pair of strappy black heels which matched her designer clutch A Victorian man who entered the Channel 7 building and said 'I'm here to shake Larry Emdur's hand' must stay at least 2km from the Gold Logie-winning star under the terms of a restraining order, a court has been told. Police took out an apprehended violence order [AVO] to protect The Morning Show co-host, 59, against Victorian man Rodney Pearce following an incident at the network's Sydney building on August 22. A court was told on Monday that Pearce gained entry to the building by following security through a gate and then an employee into a lift. He was escorted from the building by security and when confronted he said: 'I'm here to shake Larry Emdur's hand.' Pearce was arrested and taken to hospital for assessment before he was charged by police and an AVO was taken out on Emdur's behalf. On Monday morning in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court, magistrate Greg Grogin finalised the AVO in Pearce's absence. Neither Pearce nor his legal representative were present in court. Mr Grogin told the court the police application showed there was a good reason why the AVO should be granted. Under the conditions of the order, Pearce must not approach or contact Emdur. Police took out an apprehended violence order [AVO] to protect The Morning Show co-host Larry Emdur, 59, (pictured after winning the Gold Logie last month) Police arrested Victorian man Rodney Pearce following an incident at the network's Sydney building on August 22. (Emdur is pictured with his wife Sylvie) He is barred from going within 2km of any place where Emdur lives or works, in particular the Channel 7 building. Pearce was also charged with trespass and possession of a prohibited drug. In the Downing Centre Local Court earlier this month, he was fined $550 after the matter proceeded in his absence. No plea was recorded. Emdur won the Gold Logie on August 18. He took to Instagram earlier this month to slam tabloid magazines for publishing sensationalised headlines on the 'stalking' matter. He assured fans he is 'fine' and still 'in a Logies afterglow' before adding that headlines claiming he and his family are 'in danger' are 'just not right'. 'I just wanted to jump on and iron something out very quickly. There's a whole lot of noise in the magazines about this,' Emdur said in the clip. The Chase host then held up a magazine to show the column written about his alleged stalker and reports the NSW Police took out an AVO to protect Emdur. '"Stalker warned. Leave Larry alone!"' Emdur read. 'This whole thing. It's a whole big deal. " Larry Emdur , living in fear." I just wanted to let you know, I'm fine! 'I'm beyond fine. I'm still very much in a Logies afterglow and loving it! The Morning Show is going great, The Chase is going great, my whiskey is going great. 'Everything in my life is absolutely fantastic. So, when you read something like this, "Larry Emdur living in fear! His family in danger," it's not right.' He added: 'It's not what's going on in my life... Anyway, thank you for your concern. I am completely 100 per cent fine. It is absolutely business as usual.' Vincent Cassel is expecting his first child with his girlfriend Narah Baptista - just over a year about 'splitting from his ex wife Tina Kunakey'. The French actor, 57, was first spotted with model Narah, 27, in November last year after he and Tina were believed to have separated in April. Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Narah displayed her growing baby bump in stunning snaps as she announced her pregnancy. She looked glowing as she donned a sleek black dress with a satin triangle bra bust, which she paired with striking brown wooden drop earrings. 'Mother is waiting for you ...,' Narah captioned the post. 'Ps: photos taken by the voinha.' Vincent Cassel is expecting his first child with his model girlfriend Narah Baptista - just over a year about 'splitting from his ex wife Tina Kunakey' The French actor, 57, was first spotted with Narah, 27, in November last year after he and Tina were believed to have separated in April (Pictured in July) Vincent is already a father to three daughters - Deva, 19, and Leonie, 13, who he shares with Italian actress and model Monica Bellucci, as well as Amazonie, five, who he welcomed with Tina in 2019. The announcement comes after the pair put on a loved-up display at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics in July. Posing in front of the French capital's most famous landmark, the couple looked closer than ever at the launch of the major sporting event. Vincent appeared to confirm his relationship with model Narah as they packed on the PDA during a trip to the beach in Rio de Janeiro last November. They also looked loved-up while enjoying a dinner al-fresco to celebrate her birthday in Rome the following month. The pair looked smitten and couldn't stop smiling while chatting and enjoying the meal. Vincent - best known for his roles in Ocean's Twelve and Black Swan - recently gushed about his happiness after splitting from his wife of five-years Tina Kunakey, 27. Taking to Instagram, Vincent has shared numerous snaps and videos from his trip abroad including a selfie, which he captioned: 'Just wanted to be happy... I am'. Narah looked glowing as she donned a sleek black dress with a satin triangle bra bust, which she paired with striking brown wooden drop earrings Vincent appeared to confirm his relationship with model Narah as they packed on the PDA during a trip to the beach in Rio de Janeiro last November (Pictured in January) Vincent - best known for his roles in Ocean's Twelve and Black Swan - recently gushed about his happiness after splitting from his wife of five-years Tina Kunakey, 27 (Narah and Vincent pictured in May) Vincent - who is best known for his roles in Ocean's Twelve and Black Swan - tied the knot with Tina Kunakey in 2018, two years after they were first linked, and they welcomed a daughter, Amazonie, in April 2019 While Narah replied: 'Amor' which is Italian for love. Vincent and wife Tina, who welcomed a daughter, Amazonie, in April 2019, were believed to have separated after he deleted all traces of her from his social media. A source told DailyMail.com at the time that the couple are headed for divorce. They said: 'They separated weeks ago. Tina is heartbroken.' Vincent tied the knot with Tina in 2018, two years after they were first linked, and they welcomed a daughter, Amazonie, in April 2019. Since their separation, Tina has shared several images from photoshoots. Meanwhile Vincent has been touted for two new movies, The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan, and Liaison, an Apple TV+ film he features in alongside Eva Green. And while he failed to post anything about Tina's birthday, the actor did share a tribute to his daughter Deva. Vincent and Monica, 59, wed in 1999 after meeting on the set of their 1996 movie, The Apartment. They divorced in 2013 after 14 years of marriage. Vincent is already a father to three daughters - Deva, 19, (Pictured in June) and Leonie, 13, who he shares with Italian actress and model Monica Bellucci, as well as Amazonie, five, who he welcomed with Tina in 2019 Vincent and Monica, 59, wed in 1999 after meeting on the set of their 1996 movie, The Apartment. They divorced in 2013 after 14 years of marriage (Pictured in 2002) Their daughter Deva is a rising star in her own right in both the fashion and acting world. In November 2023, Deva opened up to Gen V by V Magazine about her relationship with her parents and how they have encouraged her career in the industry. She told the magazine: 'They taught me to always look forward, to always protect myself, to always be kind, and always keep wonder in mind. 'There's much more, but the point is that they've taught me how to handle unexpected situations and live by my own rules, while always respecting people and the environment I'm in. 'I remember browsing through my mom's huge fashion books that she kept in the house for as long as I can remember. 'Everything was so looked after and beautiful. I knew I wanted to work in that industry at some point in my life, but I definitely didn't expect to love it this much and make a living out of it.' Scott Mills failed to address his Radio 2 colleague Zoe Ball's absence from the Breakfast Show on Monday, as he stepped in for another week. Zoe hasn't been on the airwaves since August 8, with Scott and Gabby Roslin covering for her since then. Despite a flurry of concerned messages online from fans, Scott opened Zoe's show on Monday with no mention of his absent colleague. He previously sent a message of support to the star whilst covering her August 12 show, telling listeners that he was unexpectedly taking over. Scott Mills failed to address his Radio 2 colleague Zoe Ball's absence from the Breakfast Show on Monday, as he stepped in for another week 'If you set your alarm every morning to go off at 6:30am and normally Zoe comes on, please do not freak out. You have not overslept,' he told listeners, adding that he would be in the hotseat for awhile. 'If you've just put us on this morning, it's Scott Mills in for Zoe for the next few weeks. I'm sending you all my love Zo', as are the team,' he said. Fans and colleagues of Zoe say they are concerned for the DJ, whose annual salary of 950,000 makes her the BBC's highest-paid woman. Before leaving her show in August, the star enjoyed a holiday to Ibiza with her son Woody and daughter Nelly and attended Brighton Pride. She then returned to work for three days before leaving the show. The BBC has not offered any explanation for her absence, other than a spokeswoman saying last week that she will be back later this month. Zoe hasn't been on the airwaves since August 8, with Scott and Gabby Roslin covering for her since then Zoe last posted on Instagram on August 5 before disappearing. It featured a picture of her with her two children saying she was 'jet lagged, brighton pride lagged [and] ibiza lagged' Zoe, 53, has also been unusually quiet on social media with her last Instagram message posted on August 5. It featured a picture of her with her two children saying she was 'jet lagged, brighton pride lagged [and] ibiza lagged'. One BBC insider told The Mail on Sunday: 'Nobody knows what has happened but everyone loves Zoe. 'We hope everything is okay. Zoe is so loved at the BBC so to not have her around is really noticeable.' The Corporation is understood to have been contacted by fans concerned for her welfare. But some listeners have taken a dim view of her taking time off without explanation. One tweeted: 'Is this a BBC scandal, complete misuse of licence payers' funds. 'Zoe Ball gets to pick and choose her contract terms and conditions. 'She's never at work, more holidays than you can imagine. Are we mugs paying for this? No comment.' Gaby Roslin has also stood in for her, but the BBC has not offered any explanation for her absence, other than a spokeswoman saying last week that she will be back later this month Another added: 'Why are the BBC still paying Zoe Ball when she is still off air, just get rid of her for someone who does want to work early morning shift. ' In March, Zoe said she would be taking time off to care for her mother Julia Peckham, who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She died in April and the host returned to work on May 13. Last year, Ms Ball took three weeks off in Corfu to host Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream for rival ITV. Zoe has overcome a series of tragedies and heartbreak that led her to take time away from Radio 2 to focus on her family earlier this year. The BBC icon, 53, announced in April that her mother Julia had died after a battle with pancreatic cancer following her diagnosis just a month before. Posting a tribute to her mother on social media, she said: 'Sleep tight dear Mama. 'Thank you for teaching us how to love unconditionally, to always show courage and empathy, and how, even in the darkest of days, laughter is the greatest of gifts. We are bereft without you but will hold so tight to each other.' It is the latest in a string of tragedies the beloved Radio 2 presenter has had to endure. Her five-and-a-half year relationship with Michael Reed recently broke down, and seven years ago her partner Billy Yates took his own life in May 2017. Mr Yates' death came after the breakdown of Ms Ball's 18-year marriage to DJ Fatboy Slim, real name Normal Cook. In March, Zoe said she would be taking time off to care for her mother Julia Peckham, who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (pictured with her mother Julia in 2010) Julia died in April and the host returned to work on May 13 In the tribute posted to Instagram (pictured), Zoe told fans she is 'bereft' Following her mother's cancer diagnosis, Zoe said she would be taking time away from the station to focus on her family. At the time she said her family were going through 'tough times' but her mother was being extremely 'brave'. At the start of March she posted a picture of Julia surrounded by family, as well as a second of her receiving chemotherapy in hospital, she wrote: 'Heartbreakingly our beautiful Mama Julia has been diagnosed with cancer. 'As many of you know from experience, these are extremely tough times. Mum is being incredibly brave. 'My brother Jamie and I are completely in awe of the brilliant doctors, nurses and support teams looking after Mum. Thank you. 'Gratitude to our families and our extended family & friends at home & at work for their support at this time. 'Sending out love to people reading this who are battling cancer, or awaiting diagnosis and also to the folk looking after their dear ones who are poorly.' The family has been bedecked by hardship for decades, with Zoe's parents Julia and Johnny Ball, a former TV presenter, splitting up in 1972 after just three years of marriage. Mr Ball remarried his second wife, Dianne Cheryl, in 1976, with the pair remaining together today. As Zoe's own career took off, she and her husband Fatboy Slim supported one another on their rise to fame, with Slim later describing how she kept him down to earth by 'checking him' for his behaviour. He told the Changes podcast: 'While you've got licence to break rules, you've always got a lot of people who'll let you get away with murder. Taking to social media, Zoe shared a photo of her mother surrounded by family members Zoe Ball and her DJ husband Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, announced in 2016 that they had 'come to the end of our rainbow' after 18 years of marriage Fatboy Slim previously told how Zoe Ball would 'check him' as he rose to fame to ensure he treated people with respect 'Zoe was really good for me for that, because she knew the fame game and we would sort of check each other. 'If I wasn't respectful to people, she'd go: ''Oi, come on, that's not how we behave! Go back and thank them for that.''' Yet sadly their marriage came to an end in 2016, with the couple announcing they had 'come to the end of their rainbow'. Although Ms Ball soon found love again in partner Billy Yates, their relationship was also not set to last. After a long battle with depression, Mr Yates, 40, took his own life in May 2017, at his home in Putney, south west London. The Radio 2 presenter previously told how she felt 'really grateful' he had said goodbye to her the last time she saw him. Fighting back tears as she spoke about their final moments together, she said: 'He got on his bike and he cycled off and he turned round and he blew me a kiss goodbye, and that was the last time I saw him.' She added: 'It was just that moment and that feeling of ''Oh my god I love him so much, we'll find some help and it will all be okay.'' And I wish I'd told him that.' Zoe Ball pictured with former partner Billy Yates, who took his own life in May 2017 Zoe Ball wore a T-shirt bearing Billy Yates' name as she returned to work at Radio 2 following his death Zoe split from her long term partner Michael Reed last year after the couple's relationship broke down over 'silly things' The couple had reportedly been arguing about very minor aspects of their life, such as Ms Ball spending time on her phone talking to friends A year after his death, Ms Ball took part in a gruelling Sport Relief challenge to cycle 350 miles in five days in his memory and to raise awareness of mental health issues. She has consistently marked his death each year and returned to work at Radio 2 following his death wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with his name. Despite her loss, the presenter found the courage to love again when she began dating former construction worker Michael Reed. But while friends said he was a 'true gent' at first, their relationship broke down after more than five years in May 2023 after Mr Reed allegedly became 'a bit demanding'. The couple had reportedly been arguing about very minor aspects of their life, such as Zoe spending time on her phone talking to friends. For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit www.thecalmzone.net/get-support James Bond candidates Aaron-Taylor Johnson and Theo James joined forces to film dramatic action scenes for their new movie Fuze at a quarry in Kent on Sunday. Both actors have been tipped to take on the iconic 007 role and taking over from Daniel Craig with some outlets reporting Aaron, 34, had been 'formally offered the job'. On set Theo, 39, had his hand tied behind his back in the scenes while his character was taken hostage in the back of a truck. Covered in dust and dirt he was seemingly rescued by Aaron's soldier who was dressed in camouflage and carried a gun. One sequence saw bullets being fired before a stunt team engineered one vehicle to flip over onto it's roof. James Bond candidates Aaron-Taylor Johnson, 34, (L) and Theo James, 39 (R) joined forces to film dramatic action scenes for their new movie Fuze at a quarry in Kent on Sunday Both actors have been tipped to take on the iconic 007 role and taking over from Daniel Craig with The Sun even reporting Aaron, 34, had been 'formally offered the job' Responding to the rumours he could step into Bond's shoes earlier this year, Aaron played coy, telling Numero: 'I find it charming and wonderful that people see me in that role' (R, Daniel Craig in Skyfall) Meanwhile Theo said: 'Everyone's interested in [Bond] because it's a big part of British cultural identity, but that probably wouldn't be me' (R, Daniel Craig in Casino Royale) The movie also stars fellow Gugu Mbatha-Raw as well as Aussie actor Sam Worthington. The offical synopsis reads: 'After an undetonated bomb from World War II is uncovered at a London construction site, the chaos of the subsequent evacuation and bomb disarming provides excellent cover to conduct a nearby bank heist'. Despite the rumours, insiders have denied reports that Aaron has been cast as the new Bond in the 007 movies, leaving speculation to swirl. Responding to the rumours he could step into Bond's shoes earlier this year, Aaron played coy, telling Numero: 'I find it charming and wonderful that people see me in that role. I take it as a great compliment.' Meanwhile Theo, who is of Greek decent, is one of at least twenty established names to be linked with the James Bond role. Addressing the rumours, he told The Guardian: 'Everyone's interested in [Bond] because it's a big part of British cultural identity, but that probably wouldn't be me. 'I do think there are better people for that job. And, honestly, it would be terrifying: if you do that, there's no going back. You're opening Pandora's box there. 'You have got to be willing to live a very different life and have a different life for your family. And that would be pretty tricky. Plus, my mates would take the p*ss out of me. Because they always say, "Bondopoulos the Greek Bond."' Aaron's soldier character who was dressed in camouflage and carried a gun Meanwhile Theo had his hand tied behind his back in the scenes while his character was taken hostage in the back of a truck Theo was covered in dirt and dust after fighting with his captors The movie also stars fellow Gugu Mbatha-Raw as well as Aussie actor Sam Worthington Aaron was dressed to the nines with a bullet proof vest and helmet Aarron chatted to the crew during a break in filming The dramatic scenes in the the quarry saw Theo's character fighting for his life One sequence saw bullets being fired before a stunt team engineered one vehicle to flip over onto it's roof Cameras were place perfectly to capture the stunt The duo shared numerous scenes together James also features in 18th place in a recent poll commissioned by Lottoland carried out among 2,000 British Bond fans Topping the list is Luther star Idris Elba, while Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill and the Oscar-winning man with the golden gong, Cillian Murphy, also featured on the 20-strong list. The long-running Bond franchise is famous for turning those who play the secret agent into global superstars. And it isn't shy of casting left-field stars to take on the role; the late Sean Connery, one of the most recognisable Bonds, had only featured in a series of TV films when he accepted the role of the titular British spy in 1962's Dr. No, catapulting him to international fame. But while Elba was the top choice, fans may end up disappointed after the actor ruled himself out of playing the role last year so he could focus on his deal with Netflix, where he is starring in Luther: The Fallen Sun. The actor brought up the persistent discussions about him taking over as Ian Fleming's famed British spy in February 2023. Theo and other actors also filmed fight scenes His character was shot at as he ran to safety The offical synopsis reads: 'After an undetonated bomb from World War II is uncovered at a London construction site, the chaos of the subsequent evacuation and bomb disarming provides excellent cover to conduct a nearby bank heist'. When asked about the Luther film at the World Government Summit in Dubai, he said: 'It's very dark. 'We've been working on the television show for about 10 years and so the natural ambition is to take it to the big screen, and so we're here with the first movie. 'You know, a lot of people talk about another character that begins with J and ends with B, but I'm not going to be that guy. Daniel Craig played the suave secret agent in five movies before his final appearance in 2021's No Time To Die Meanwhile Idris Elba tops a recent poll commissioned by Lottoland and carried out among 2,000 British Bond fans to name who they would most like to take the role next The top 20 actors Brits want to be the next James Bond 1. Idris Elba 2. Tom Hardy 3. Henry Cavill 4. James Norton 5. Cillian Murphy 6. Tom Hiddleston 7. Tom Holland 8. Jamie Dornan 9. Aaron Taylor-Johnson 10. Richard Madden 11. Rege Jean Page 12. Luke Evans 13. Leo Woodall 14. Emilia Clarke 15. Emily Blunt 16. Helen Mirren 17. Barry Keoghan 18. Theo James 19. Lupita Nyongo 20. Sam Heughan Advertisement 'I'm going to be John Luther. That's who I am.' Back in August 2022, it was reported that Elba had walked away from 'years of talks' with movie bosses to take over the famous role. He had been the bookies' favourite to replace Daniel Craig as the super spy, but is keen to pursue other roles - and has even put forward a list of proposed names to producer Barbara Broccoli of actors to play 007. A bride on the new series of Married At First Sight UK breaks down in tears after discovering a bombshell revelation about her new husband. Kristina, 31, who's a dog walker from East Sussex, marries Geordie Kieran, 28, during Monday night's launch episode but is left devastated when she learns about the mechanic's full-time living arrangements. Kieran had already shocked Kristina by wearing a set of false teeth as they met for the first time at the altar, putting his new bride's sense of humour to the ultimate test. But Kristina couldn't hold back her emotions after being told on her wedding day that Kieran resides in a static caravan, sobbing as she digested the detail about her new partner. MailOnline's exclusive clip shows Kieran being interrogated by his mother-in-law who questioned whether he owns a house or a flat, with the Newcastle native replying, 'Wouldn't you like to know' A bride on the new series of Married At First Sight UK breaks down in tears after discovering a bombshell revelation about her new husband Kristina, who's a dog walker from East Sussex, marries Kieran during Monday night's launch episode but is left devastated when she learns about the mechanic's living arrangements Kristina couldn't hold back her emotions after being told on her wedding day that Kieran resides in a static caravan, sobbing as she digested the detail about her new partner Kristina's mother asked Kieran, 'Do you live with your parents?' Before he replied, 'I live on my own I have got my own place.' Keen to know more details, she probed, 'A house or a flat or a bedsit?' Kieran said: 'Don't tell her I've told you this please because I want to try and keep it a bit of a secret not because I live in a static caravan in the middle of a woodland.' Speaking to camera, Kieran explained: 'Kristina doesn't know I live in a caravan and I don't really know what she's going to think, there's not many lasses out there that would actually love to live in a caravan in the middle of a woods, a lot of them think it's creepy.' Kristina's mother Karen asked, 'Are there lots of other people?' Before Kieran replied, 'No, no, it's just me.' Reflecting on Kieran's revelation, Karen added: 'Talking to him and finding out more information and you learn more about them everyone's different aren't they?' Kieran admitted: 'I'm really nervous about Kristina finding out that I live in a caravan, she might hate it.' And Kieran was right to feel apprehensive, with Kristina exclaiming, 'Does he actually?' as she cried into the palms of her hands. Kieran admitted: 'I'm really nervous about Kristina finding out that I live in a caravan, she might hate it' Kieran was right to feel apprehensive, with Kristina exclaiming, 'Does he actually?' as she cried into the palms of her hands Contestant Alex Henry, who was an RAF airman but went 'AWOL' to appear as a groom on the new series, was jailed by military police after he returned from filming Kieran and Kristina married after meeting for the first time at the altar on the E4 reality series. Wearing a joke set of false teeth, Kieran pranked his bride to test her character. They appear to be a match made in heaven before Kristina discovers Kieran's living situation and breaks down, throwing their romance into doubt. The show's new series, which begins on Monday at 9pm, follows couples that have agreed to marry after being matched by relationship experts Paul Brunson, Charlene Douglas and Mel Schilling, who oversee the dating experiment. Contestant Alex Henry, who was an RAF airman but went 'AWOL' to appear as a groom on the new series, was jailed by military police after he returned from filming. The Sun reported on Sunday evening that Alex 'abandoned his post at an electronic warfare base' to find love on the dating show. According to their report, Alex was 'sentenced to 34 days in a military prison' before serving 24 days, ultimately leading to his sacking. Alex has also been accused of being a 'dangerous individual' by a group of women who insist he should have never been cast on the show. Jessika Power has been caught up in a catfishing scam after she quietly confirmed her split with British DJ Brent Anthony. The reality star, 31, posted to her Instagram Stories on Monday to warn her fans that someone is impersonating her on dating app, Tinder. She shared a screenshot of a message she received from a person who had spotted a fake profile on the site using her name and image. 'Just thought you should know that someone has used your photos and name and (age?) on Tinder' the message read. 'But now you are in clearly back in Perth so there is a possibility that it could be you...? Nonetheless thought you should know!' Jessika replied: 'Hahahaha I literally JUST had this sent to me by another person. I'm not on Tinder so I'm sure the account will be taken down soon if they can't verify it!' Days ago, the one-time television bride made the confession that she was now single in the comments of her recent Instagram post. A fan wrote under an image of the blonde in skimpy pink underwear: 'I'm sad you and Brent broke up, you looked so happy with him'. Jessika Power (pictured) has been caught up in a catfishing scam after she quietly confirmed her split with Brent Anthony. The reality star, 31, posted to her Instagram Stories on Monday to warn her fans that someone is impersonating her on dating app, Tinder Jessika replied to the fan personally, writing, 'I really wasn't and I hid a lot of my emotions and embarrassment from the internet.' The former Married At First Sight star had hinted that the romance was over just days prior. She explained to fans that her beloved sausage dog Sushi is living with her ex-boyfriend in France. 'Sushi is with my ex because I had to leave in a rush for my father's funeral,' the Aussie MAFS star said in an Instagram Q&A. She shared a screenshot of a message she received from a person who had spotted a fake profile on the site using her name and image One of Jessika's 344,000 followers had asked who is looking after her dog now. 'I'm trying to get [Sushi] on a flight ASAP from France to the UK,' she wrote. 'If anyone knows of any airlines that can help let me know because it's a little unfair he's having to watch my dog as we aren't together anymore.' Jessika has appeared on a string of reality shows around the world since she found fame on MAFS Australia in 2019. She unveiled plans to move home to Australia last year after calling time on her two-year relationship with fellow British DJ Connor Thompson in June 2023. She told fans last December she was 'saving money' to relocate back to the Gold Coast with Sushi, but not long after that began dating Brent and seemingly changed her mind. Days ago, the one-time television bride made the confession that she was now single in the comments of her recent Instagram post. Pictured with her ex, British DJ Brent Instead, she moved to the French Riviera with Brent. In May, Jessika shared a sweet video of herself and Brent walking through Nice hand-in-hand before the reality star jumped into his arms. Eagle-eyed fans picked up on Brent and Sushi's absence from Jessika's posts in the last few weeks and have been flooding her comments sections with questions about what happened between the pair. Over the weekend, Jessika appeared to confirm she and Brent had broken up and he is the 'ex' that's looking after her dog while she's returned to the UK. 'Are you and Brent not together anymore?' one fan commented on a post of Jessika dolled up in 'dreamy' pink lingerie for OnlyFans. A fan wrote: 'I'm sad you and Brent broke up, you looked so happy with him'. Jessika replied personally, 'I really wasn't and I hid a lot of my emotions and embarrassment from the internet' Jessika, who is reportedly the most successful of any MAFS Australia bride on the OnlyFans platform, shared the snap last week. She responded: 'Brent and I have a lot of care for each other. Sushi will be back with me in a few months.' 'I would have loved to seen Brent follow you out to Aus you were great together,' the fan wrote back to Jessika a second time. Soon after, Brent shared multiple videos of himself cuddled up with Sushi on his couch playing video games. Jessika has been in a relationship wit British DJ Brent Anthony since early 2024 and the pair were living together in Nice, France with her dog Sushi until recently 'Arghhhh I can't wait,' Jessika replied, not offering any clarification as to whether she meant she can't wait to be reunited with Sushi in the UK, or she has hopes that she'll rekindle her romance with the DJ in Australia. The Married At First Sight star was forced to make a snap return to the Gold Coast in August to farewell her beloved father at a moving funeral. Jessika filmed herself riding in a black funeral car, which appeared to be in Queensland, as a group of motorcyclists followed behind. She also shared a quick look inside the wake, which appeared to be held in rustic pub. Over the weekend, Jessika appeared to confirm she and Brent had broken up and he is the 'ex' that's looking after her dog while she's returned to the UK The former TV bride, who has dyed her hair back to blonde after being a redhead for a time, captioned the clips with the words 'Love you dad'. Jessika revealed the shock news of her dad's death in July, sharing the sad news of the passing of former professional boxer Troy Power. She also posted to social media to provide a mental health update after she was trolled when asking for donation's to fund her late father's funeral. 'I'm getting messages asking how I am, which I appreciate. I'm staying in my childhood home father's house which has been hard, but comforting,' she began. 'We grew up here and are surrounded by his things, which is helping.' Jessika then added the ongoing media coverage surrounding her father's funeral was having a negative effect on her mental health and has decided to keep his funeral details private. 'I know I'm a public figure, but I need this to be private,' she said. 'I'm not going to be sharing anything on the day, like where it is or the date. I'm not in the right headspace at the moment, funerals are devastating but they bring the family back together.' Ali Bastian has broken her silence after revealing her breast cancer diagnosis to thanks fans for their support. The Hollyoaks star, 42, who is best known for playing Becca Dean in the Channel 4 soap from 2001 to 2007, announced earlier this month that she had received the devastating diagnosis in June. Taking to Instagram over the weekend, Ali shared her love to her followers for sending kind words in the wake of her diagnosis. She said: 'From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all your kind words this week. It has meant more to me than you could ever know.. So much love to you all .' Ali - who now lives in Ireland with her husband and two young daughters - is currently having chemotherapy before she undergoes a mastectomy and radiotherapy. Ali Bastian broke her silence on Instagram over the weekend after revealing her breast cancer diagnosis to thanks fans for their support The Hollyoaks star, 42, who is best known for playing Becca Dean in the Channel 4 soap from 2001 to 2007, announced earlier this month that she had received the devastating diagnosis in June (Pictured in 2019) She told OK!: 'It was a total shock. I have mornings when I wake up and I've forgotten and then suddenly I remember. I'm still trying to process it.' Ali was breastfeeding daughter Isabella, 19 months - her youngest child with husband David O'Mahony - when she came across a lump. The mother-of-two - who also raises Isla, four, with her husband - shared: 'I hadn't been breastfeeding Izzy at night but then David flew back to London for work and suddenly she was feeding like crazy. I was thinking, 'Maybe she's having a growth spurt or something.' 'And because of that, my boobs felt sore. The next morning, I woke up and thought, 'Ouch, this really hurts.' And that's when I felt a lump.' Ali assumed she had a 'blocked duct' and was given a course of antibiotics, but it wasn't clearing up, so on her doctor's advice, she headed to a breast clinic. She continued: 'It was a bank holiday in Ireland, so I went straight to the emergency doctor. 'It really seemed like I had mastitis, especially as I had been night-weaning Izzy before that. We thought I probably had a blocked duct. The doctor gave me antibiotics and said that if it didn't clear up in a few days I should go to the breast clinic. Ali was breastfeeding daughter Isabella, 19 months - her youngest child with husband David O'Mahony - when she came across a lump Ali married her partner, West End actor David (pictured), in 2019. The couple are parents to Isla (pictured) and Isabella 'But it wasn't clearing up and the more I felt it, the more it felt like this wasn't just a blocked duct. I went to my GP and I said, 'Actually, can I go to the clinic now?' and she was very supportive of that.' Ali received the shock news via telephone but was reassured after being told they have 'intent to cure' her. Explaining that the clinic was too far to go for the diagnosis, she said: 'We agreed that I would text her and that she would then call me back. I could hear it in the tone of her voice, but she told me in the kindest way possible. 'She was very reassuring. She said the words that I'm holding on to, that they have 'intent to cure me.'' Doctors are convinced her cancer is 'hormone-driven' and are doing more research to establish if it's genetic, however, her maternal aunt and grandmother also had breast cancer. She is set to undergo a single mastectomy and is still waiting to hear if doing double is a good idea as a 'preventative measure'. Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated? What is breast cancer? It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts. When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called 'invasive'. Some people are diagnosed with 'carcinoma in situ', where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule. Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare. Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body. The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated. What causes breast cancer? A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply 'out of control'. Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics. What are the symptoms of breast cancer? The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid filled cysts, which are benign. The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit. How is breast cancer diagnosed? Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammography, a special x-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours. Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer. If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray. How is breast cancer treated? Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used. Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour. Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery. Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying. Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the 'female' hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer. How successful is treatment? The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure. The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage. For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000 Advertisement The actress is also being seen by a psychologist who specialises in oncology and has been given a mentor who has had cancer. Ali has vowed to beat the disease and has every intention of returning to acting. She added: 'I will get through this and come out the other side. After my diagnosis, I went on Instagram and saw a post by my friend Dominic Power, my former co-star in The Bill, and I could see he was on set in Hollyoaks. I suddenly had a real pang of, 'I want to look into an actor's eyes and do a scene.' I really miss it.' In December the actress admitted she was still processing her grief following the death of her close friend, Lou. She told Instagram followers: 'This year has been a year of sailing the lonely sea of grief. I haven't spoken about it and so it's been very tricky to know how to begin to show up authentically here and in my professional life. 'As the life I have carved out for myself is a very visible one and at times, a lot of times, I have wanted and needed to pull the duvet over my head. In December the actress admitted she was still processing her grief following the death of her close friend, Lou In May Ali revealed news of Lou's passing to her Instagram followers in a heartbreaking post (pictured together) 'I am so grateful for the kindness, support and connection in this little corner of the internet and will continue to be here when I feel able and to also take the quiet time I need.' Ali had previously revealed news of Lou's passing to her Instagram followers that May, saying she had lost one of her 'oldest and closest' friends. She wrote: 'My little one will be 12 weeks this Saturday. The end of the fourth trimester - the end of a period that has been one of the toughest of my life. 'A week after she was born, I lost one of my oldest and closest friends. Trying to process this enormous loss whilst walking the hormonal tightrope of my postpartum period has been and remains to be incredibly intense. 'I've taken to having long showers so I can cry and let it all out so that I can then return to parenting a little lighter. 'Knowing that such life changing events happening in such close succession could leave my mental health sailing incredibly close to the wind has meant I've had to seek help wherever I could find it.' Doctors are convinced Ali's cancer is 'hormone-driven' and are doing more research to establish if it's genetic. However, her maternal aunt and grandmother also had breast cancer The 42-year-old actress is best known for playing Becca Dean in the Channel 4 soap from 2001 to 2007 (pictured on the show with former co-star Chris Fountain) She added: 'Some days are easier than others and I am holding my babies tightly but ultimately 'I miss my friend with all my heart. My beautiful, funny, dry as f**k friend. I miss her laugh, I miss our short hand. I miss our hugs when we hadn't seen each other for ages. 'Our always long overdue catch ups over wine by the river. Friday nights when I would drive from wherever I had been filming to crash out on her and her dear husband's sofa after a take away. 'So many memories, so many happy times. An incredible light went out that day. Lou, I will love you forever.' If you have have been affected by anything in this story, contact the Macmillan Support Line for free on 0808 808 00 00. They tied the knot in a lavish ceremony on the Amalfi Coast just three weeks ago. And Ed Westwick and Amy Jackson looked to still be enjoying the honeymoon period as they attended the Perfect Magazine x Grey Goose Altius London Fashion Week party at Dovetale in London on Sunday night. The Gossip Girl star, 37, and the Bollywood actress, 32, put on a smitten display as they arrived at the restaurant hand-in-hand. Ed looked typically dapper for the event, donning a shiny navy tuxedo jacket with smart black trousers and matching dress shoes. He teamed his suit with a black shirt, which he left partially unbuttoned to show a glimpse of his toned chest underneath. Ed Westwick and Amy Jackson looked to still be enjoying the honeymoon period as they attended the Perfect Magazine x Grey Goose Altius London Fashion Week party at Dovetale in London on Sunday night The Gossip Girl star, 37, and the Bollywood actress, 32, put on a smitten display as they arrived at the restaurant hand-in-hand While his new wife Amy commanded attention in a plunging blue dress with a sheer black tulle overlay stitched in ruched layers and ruffles. She styled it with shiny high-heeled boots and kept her accessories minimal, wearing just a simple gold necklace. The mother-of-one swept her hair into an elegant updo and opted for a heavy blue eyeshadow look to match her outfit. The happy couple became husband and wife last month, saying 'I do' in a stunning ceremony in Italy surrounded by their family and friends. For her big day, Amy wore a sweeping white satin gown with a flattering strapless neckline and full princess-style skirt, teamed with a long veil with intricate lace detailing. While Ed cut a dashing figure in a cream blazer and black trousers, teamed with a white button-up shirt and a bow tie. The actor took to his Instagram to announce they had tied the knot and share glimpses into their nuptials at the Castello di Rocca Cilento. The romantic photos showed the couple gazingly adoringly at each other while surrounded by white roses. Ed looked typically dapper for the event, donning a shiny navy tuxedo jacket with smart black trousers and matching dress shoes. While his new wife Amy commanded attention in a plunging blue dress with a sheer black tulle overlay stitched in ruched layers and ruffles The happy couple became husband and wife last month, saying 'I do' in a stunning ceremony in Italy surrounded by their family and friends For her big day, Amy wore a sweeping white satin gown with a flattering strapless neckline and full princess-style skirt, teamed with a long veil with intricate lace detailing The actor took to his Instagram to announce they had tied the knot and share glimpses into their nuptials at the Castello di Rocca Cilento Captioning the gorgeous snaps, Ed gushed: 'The journey has just begun' followed by a ring emoji. Ed first met Amy at Silverstone racetrack in 2021, with a source telling The Sun on Sunday at the time: 'Ed and Amy are a really good match. They hit it off straight away. 'Both like to have fun and are career-driven. They're enjoying getting to know each other for now.' The couple went Instagram official just before Valentine's Day in 2022, with Amy penning a sweet note on her social media just in time for the occasion. She wrote: 'Happy Valentine's Baby - forever grateful for the endless belly laughs and ultimate love!' Last year, the couple moved into a new home and have been kept busy with the renovations. Ed told the Daily Mail: 'We got a new place in the countryside just outside of London. I'm decorating the house right now I'm a bit of an interior designer.' Discussing his relationship with Amy, he added: 'Things are wonderful she's my best mate. She's a great mother, all those things you want that I saw with my mum and dad. I hope I can have my version.' Ed then got down on one knee during a trip to the Swiss Alps in January this year and asked the mother-of-one to be his wife in front of a crowd of onlookers. Rebecca Judd is making further moves in the fashion world. The AFL WAG revealed she will be the new face of Melbourne label Bianca and Bridgett as the duo announce a rebrand. The Roccisano sisters wiped their Instagram on Monday as they announced that their brand will be going in a new direction. In a single post to their platform, the siblings say they have found 'extraordinary new partners' and will be launching a new collection in sizes 4 to 18. Bec was quick to re-share the post to her own Instagram Stories, revealing that she'll be part of the new move. 'Congrats girls. I'm proud to be the face of the rebrand' the Jaggard label owner wrote in her caption. Bec has just returned from a on holiday with AFL star husband Chris Judd at a private island resort in Indonesia. She was soaking up the sun in her $4700-a-night bungalow at Bawah Reserve on Tuesday. Rebecca Judd (pictured) is making further moves in the fashion world. The AFL WAG revealed she will be the new face of Melbourne label Bianca and Bridgett as the duo announce a rebrand The 41-year-old stretched out on an outdoor lounge, showing off her fit and toned figure in a skimpy blue bikini. Wearing sunglasses and minimal makeup, Bec insured her ripped tummy was on display as she relaxed by the water. 'Perfect Day,' she wrote in her caption, and her good friend Nadia Bartel was quick to respond. 'Oh sooo good,' she wrote in the comments underneath the image, which Bec had shared to Instagram. The AFL WAG revealed she will be the new face of Melbourne label Bianca and Bridgett as the duo announce a rebrand The Roccisano sisters (pictured) wiped their Instagram on Monday as they announced that their brand will be going in a new direction Earlier that day, Bec revealed that she and Chris are on a child-free getaway alone together. The resort features exclusive bungalows set on the water with incredible sea views all around. Bec explained that she and Chris took a seaplane to reach the property and have left their four kids at home. 'We've been gone two nights but it feels like two weeks without kids,' she said in her caption on her Instagram Stories post on Tuesday. Bec also showed off her incredible hut and delicious food she was indulging in during the getaway. Chris and Bec tied the knot in 2010 and they now share four children - daughter Billie, nine, son Oscar, 12, and twins Darcy and Tom. Selling Sunset's Chelsea Lazkani swapped sunny LA for London as she stepped out amid the city's annual Fashion Week on Sunday. The realty star, 31, left little to the imagination in a tight white cropped vest which flashed a glimpse of her toned abs. Chelsea completed the look with a tiny sheer sequinned mini skirt as she showed off her long legs while strutting her stuff in towering heels. She toted a sparkly handbag and accessorised with lavish diamond necklace and matching earrings. Chelsea has found herself the centre in the new season of hit Netflix show , as her husband Jeff's alleged infidelity ends up being one of the series' main storylines. Selling Sunset 's Chelsea Lazkani, 31, swapped sunny LA for London as she stepped out amid the city's annual Fashion Week on Sunday The realty star, left little to the imagination in a tight white cropped vest which flashed a glimpse of her toned abs Chelsea's risky fashion choices were commented on during the show's latest episode with fellow realtor Mary Bonnet branding her skirt too short for the work place. Mary remarks 'Chelsea's skirt is really short.' as co-star Bre Tiesi agreed 'Her a** is out. I think her coochie's out too!'. While Mary quipped: 'Everything is out!'. But viewers rushed to Chelsea's defence and took to X, branding the other ladies hypocrites after their own history of wearing revealing ensembles. Writing: 'So finally watching this season of #SellingSunset and I get Mary having an issue w/Chelsea's outfit but Mary wore black see-thru lace leggings and a see thru lace jacket to her initial meeting w/the client. What's the difference? All of them dress risque'. While someone else commented: 'There is no way Mary wore lace pants to meet and potentially be picked to sell a house, then turns around and talks about Chelseas skirt. Both were nuts to wear in a precessional setting': 'We literally just saw Mary in a whole a** lace outfit to go meet with sellers but now she wanna speak on what Chelsea wears': ' 'Nobody should be talking about dressing inappropriate except for Cassandra. Mary has on a crop top. Bres bra is showing through her suit. Chelseas shorts are the same length, has pigtails with goth boots. Emma is dressed like shes in Miami'. Fans got a glimpse of what was to come when a teaser trailer for season eight dropped last month and showed Chelsea breaking down in tears after a woman named Amanda Lynn - who has recently been accused of posting racist tweets - told Bre Tiesi that she heard 'something about Chelsea's husband.' Chelsea completed the look with a tiny sheer sequinned mini skirt as she showed off her long legs while strutting her stuff in towering heels She toted a sparkly handbag and accessorised with sparkling diamond necklace and matching earrings She later wrapped up in a long black trench coat Chelsea's risky fashion choices were commented on during the show's latest episode (pictured) with fellow realtor Mary Bonnet branding her skirt too short for the work place But viewers rushed to Chelsea's defence and took to X, branding the other ladies hypocrites after their own history of wearing revealing ensembles (Mary pictured) Writing: We literally just saw Mary in a whole a** lace outfit to go meet with sellers but now she wanna speak on what Chelsea wears' Fans got a glimpse of what was to come when a teaser trailer for season eight dropped last month and showed Chelsea breaking down in tears after a woman named Amanda Lynn - who has recently been accused of posting racist tweets - told Bre that she heard 'something about Chelsea's husband.' What transpired in the new episodes is that a friend of Amanda's apparently saw Jeff Lazkani 'making out' with a mystery woman around Christmas time, and Bre, 33, decided to break the news to Chelsea in an emotional scene filmed in Los Angeles restaurant ADKT for episode five. But while the new season doesn't share much information about Chelsea and Jeff's actual breakup, Selling Sunset fans were already aware that they had split because the British-Nigerian real estate agent filed for divorce earlier this year. It was reported on March 27 that Chelsea had filed as TMZ claimed that legal documents cited 'irreconcilable differences' as the official reason for their split. Chelsea and Jeff, who met on Tinder back in 2015, share three-year-old daughter Melia, and five-year-old son Maddox, and it was reported that the TV star had sought 'joint physical and legal custody' of their children. Additionally, Chelsea asked for spousal support from the 41-year-old California native, but did not terminate Jeff's ability to request alimony himself. TMZ pointed out that nowhere in her filing was a prenup mentioned, but stated: 'Chelsea is saying that their division of assets needs to be determined in court.' Chelsea did not provide a date of separation and swiftly removed nearly every trace of Jeff from her Instagram page, where she currently has 702,000 followers. Chelsea has found herself the centre in the new season of hit Netflix show , as her husband Jeff's alleged infidelity ends up being one of the series' main storylines (pictured 2022) Just one week after Chelsea filed for divorce, Jeff responded and accused her of being 'physically aggressive,' with his lawyer noting that he also wanted a divorce and was citing 'irreconcilable differences' as the reason. In a written declaration Jeff, who is a managing partner at Icon Media Direct, accused the reality star of being 'physically aggressive,' and claimed it happened before and after she filed for divorce, following seven years of marriage. Jeff also alleged that Chelsea 'struck' him 'in the face in an aggressive manner, breaking his glasses and causing a small cut on the side of his face.' He also claimed that in order to maintain the wellbeing of their two children, they both should not live at their five-bedroom Manhattan Beach home, which Jeff said he is the primary owner of. Jeff went on to allege that Chelsea, who he said was not named on the mortgage, 'installed a lock on the primary bedroom to' his 'exclusion, remotely monitors his access to the property, and records him at the property.' The property was purchased for $2.9 million in 2018 and Jeff asked for 'exclusive use and possession' of the home and alleged that Chelsea 'provokes' him and 'records him in an attempt to catch him overreacting to her.' He also accused Chelsea of 'exhibiting suspicious behavior,' and claimed a number of his 'personal belongings' had disappeared or were taken from their home after Chelsea filed for divorce. Chelsea broke in tears in the new season of Selling Sunset after being told that her husband was allegedly seen at a hotel with another woman Chelsea filed for divorce from Jeff in March and cited 'irreconcilable differences' (pictured 2023) Chelsea reportedly sought 'joint physical and legal custody' of their two children - Melia and Maddox Among the missing items, he claimed, was a scarf he received from a late matriarch in his family, his father's hat, and a spare key to his car. He claimed Chelsea confessed to moving his Rolex after he asked her where it was, and said she 'has also been sneaking around the property and attempted' to go into his room 'when she thought he was not home.' At the time, he requested that Chelsea have 48 hours to get her belongings from the property, and that she not be allowed inside for more than two hours. He also wanted 'a neutral party' present to assist them in dividing the items they might not agree on. It's unclear whether or not Chelsea and Jeff's divorce has been finalized, but season eight ended with her removing her wedding ring as she told the camera: 'I think this needs to come off. Amanda Holden has announced a new member is joining her family as she adopts a dog from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. The presenter, 53, bid an emotional goodbye to her daughter Lexi, 18, at the weekend who has headed off to university. And the star admitted on Heart Breakfast on Monday morning the news that she's 'replacing' her by fostering a new puppy from the animal charity. Explaining how she organised it all behind her husband Chris' back, she joked: 'Yes it is a replacement for my eldest daughter whose gone to university.' Retelling the heartwarming story of how three puppies had been dumped outside the doors of the charity she revealed they will be picking up the pooch today. Amanda Holden has revealed she is adopting a puppy from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home as a 'replacement daughter' as her eldest heads to university The presenter, 53, bid an emotional goodbye to her daughter Lexi, 18, at the weekend who has headed off to university Chatting with host Jason King, she began: 'I sat at the table, and I said "whilst we're all feeling stressed and emotional. There's something Chris I need to tell you"the children already knew. 'They put their hands to their mouths and said "Mummy don't do it now!"' Teasing the possibility of her being pregnant she joked: 'There's going to be a new addition to the family. Chris looks utterly shocked. Obviously you know I'm 53. My eggs are like raisins at this point. 'I'm thrilled because as an ambassador for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home,' she laughed as she jibed: 'Got you!' Continuing the story Amanda explained: 'Three little puppies were dumped at the doors of Battersea and got the call "we are desperate for someone would you, consider fostering a dog" "I mean I'm saying fostering with a small 'F'. It's extremely loose, but it got to Chris better as I said fostering. 'We're going to collect her today. And yes, it is a replacement for my eldest daughter who's gone to university.' Taking to Instagram on Sunday with a sweet compilation of snaps of her Lexi, Amanda bid her first born goodbye as she wrote: 'And just like that . shes off'. Explaining how she organised it all behind her husband Chris' back, she joked: 'Yes it is a replacement for my eldest daughter whose gone to university' Teasing the possibility of her being pregnant she joked: 'There's going to be a new addition to the family. Chris looks utterly shocked. Obviously you know I'm 53. My eggs are like raisins at this point' Co-host Jason King laughed as Amanda explained: 'I got the call "we are desperate for someone would you, consider fostering a dog" "I mean I'm saying fostering with a small 'F'. It's extremely loose, but it got to Chris better as I said fostering' Sharing a series of photos with her Instagram followers, Amanda wrote: 'And just like that... she's off' The star opted for business chic as she was seen departing the Global Studios on Monday She cinched in her waist in the flattering grey ensemble which featured a halter neck Amanda looked in great spirits as she headed off to collect her dog She completed the look with her signature stylish shades It comes after Amanda proudly revealed her daughter Lexi, who walked her first ever fashion show at London Fashion Week last week, passed her A-Levels, landing her a spot at her first choice of university. Amanda made sure to take the teenager out for a celebratory meal when it emerged that she had been successful in her exams. She wrote on Instagram: 'Congratulations to our @lexi.hughes__ we couldn't be prouder. All the grades and 1st choice uni what a bl**dy relief.' The former Wild At Heart actress - who has been married to Chris Hughes since 2008 and also has Hollie, 12, with him - also shared a photo of an emotional Lexi in front of a cake that read 'Lexi congratulations' and 'OMG I did it!'. And Amanda wasn't the only celebrity saying a tearful goodbye to her eldest as Kate Garraway waved her daughter Darcey off. The Good Morning Britain presenter helped the eldest of her two children cram her belongings into boxes before loading them into the rear of her car. Kate, 57, had previously paid tribute to 18-year old Darcey after she received her A-Level results in August, seven months after the death of her father, Derek Draper. Former political lobbyist Derek died aged 56 in January from COVID-19 complications, almost four years after he was taken ill with the respiratory virus. He was one of the country's longest-suffering coronavirus patients and remained in hospital for more than a year but never fully recovered after the virus left long-lasting damage to his organs. And Amanda wasn't the only celebrity saying a tearful goodbye to her eldest as Kate Garraway waved her daughter Darcey off Darcey ensured a piece of late father Derek Draper left with her by packing a family photo and one of his favoured Panama hats - seven months after he died of COVID-19 complications And Darcey ensured her father was still with her by packing a family photo, taken before he was struck down with the illness in March 2020, and one of his favoured Panama hats. Sharing a video of the teenager's departure with Instagram followers, Kate revealed the unframed photo and the hat previously worn by Darcey at Wimbledon on the backseat of her car as it sat on the kerb outside their north London home. Captioning the clip, she wrote: 'And just like that she was off! That tiny helpless baby we brought home from hospital 18 yrs ago has gone to #uni! 'Just like thousands of other parents this weekend I was playing that game of jenga trying to get it all in the car. Thank goodness my beloved Victor has a massive boot! She added: 'Such an emotional moment on so many levels & boy is the house quiet. But Darcey we couldnt be prouder of you starting this new chapter in your life & know your Dad is with you all the way.' Listen to Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden weekdays from 06:30 10:00 and on Global Player Holly Willoughby looked stunning as she posed in a pink mini while posing for her lifestyle brand WYLDE MOON. The TV favourite, 43, shared the gorgeous shot days after reuniting with her beloved former This Morning co-stars at the National Television Awards on Wednesday. The brand's official Instagram account @wyldemoon shared Holly's picture as the presenter sported the short-sleeve candy-cotton garment, flashing a graceful smile. Sharing the testimony of a client, it read: "I have purchased all of the range of wax melts and love them all. Thought my favourite was (borrowed from) The Wild, until I received (borrowed from) A Love Story. I'm obsessed. They are so worth the money." - WM Customer.' The lifestyle and guidance brand was founded by Holly in 2021 and encourages you 'to value reconnecting with yourself'. Holly Willoughby looked stunning as she posed in a pink mini while posing for her lifestyle brand WYLDE MOON The TV favourite, 43, shared the gorgeous shot days after reuniting with her beloved former This Morning co-stars at the National Television Awards on Wednesday The TV presenter, who co-led This Morning for 14 years, beamed as she posed for a photo alongside This Morning regulars Alison Hammond and Rochelle Humes. Rochelle wrapped her arms around Holly, alongside Davina McCall, while fellow This Morning stars Dermot O'Leary and Ashley James were also present in the snap. On the red carpet, Holly shared a kiss with Dermot and a laugh with Alison as the gang were reunited at the 02 London. Holly looked incredible in a glistening strapless dark silver dress with a high split and a extra-long train. At the glitzy award last week Holly, who co-led This Morning for 14 years, beamed as she posed for a photo alongside This Morning regulars Alison Hammond and Rochelle Humes. Rochelle wrapped her arms around Holly, alongside Davina McCall, while fellow This Morning stars Dermot O'Leary and Ashley James were also present in the snap. On the red carpet, Holly shared a kiss with Dermot and a laugh with Alison as the gang were reunited at the 02 London. Holly looked incredible in a glistening strapless dark silver dress with a high split and a extra-long train. WYLDE MOON's official account shared the very positive testimony of a client as they accompanied Holly's gorgeous shot Holly, who co-led This Morning for 14 years, beamed with Alison as the pair enjoyed a happy reunion at the 29th NTAs held at the O2 At the glitzy award last week, Holly also shared a kiss with Dermot, 51, as they reunited at the awards show Holly looked incredible in a glistening strapless dark silver dress with a high split and a extra-long train Dermot, 51, wore a classic black tuxedo with a white shirt but opted for a black tie rather than a bowtie. Alison looked glamorous in a long black dress which she paired with a white cape which trailed the floor. Earlier on Wednesday, Holly led the stars at the annual BGC Group Charity Day in Canary Wharf. Holly was joined at the event by Louise Redknapp, Davina McCall, Ashley Roberts, Gareth Southgate, and Princess Beatrice, amongst a host of other famous faces. BGC Group's annual charity day commemorates those whose lives were lost on 9/11 by providing their global revenues to hundreds of charities. Holly's This Morning departure came shortly after Phillip Schofield's, but was due to the uncovering of a kidnap and murder plot against her by security guard Gavin Plumb - who has since received a jail sentence for the plot. In August, it was announced Holly would make her way back into television to present a new ITV game show with her Dancing On Ice co-host Stephen Mulhern. Holly will return to ITV for a reboot of a 90s classic game show, after being 'eyed up by bosses for a while'. Holly and Stephen will head You Bet!, based on German game show Wetten, dass..?, and previously fronted by Darren Day, as well as the late Bruce Forsyth and Matthew Kelly. Alison looked glamorous in a long black dress which she paired with a white cape which trailed the floor Speaking about her return to ITV, Holly said: 'I'm so excited to be part of this iconic game show with the fabulous Stephen Mulhern. 'I'm looking forward to seeing the astonishing skills on show from the challengers and which of our celebrity panellists can come out on top.' Holly made her TV comeback after quitting This Morning in January when she returned to host Dancing On Ice, also with Stephen, 47. Social media users flocked to social media to react to the news that Netflix's hit series, Emily in Paris, has been renewed for a fifth season. After Lily Collins made the exciting announcement on Good Morning America, fans of her romantic comedy series expressed their excitement and surprise that she would be returning to her role as aspiring marketing executive Emily Cooper. 'What visa is she on?' one joked. Another insisted: 'For my mental health there should be a new season of Emily in Paris monthly.' 'I want to watch a new season of Emily in Paris every year until I die,' a third wrote. Social media users flocked to social media to react to the news that Netflix 's hit series, Emily in Paris, has been renewed for a fifth season 'Oh yay my forever guilty pleasure,' a fourth raved. Some viewers, however, quipped they couldn't believe some people are 'still watching this show.' 'This show is so bad. I can't stop watching it though [sobbing emoji],' another X user tweeted. Another asked: 'Why are they making more seasons????' Despite mixed reviews from viewers about season four, which was split into two parts, ranked number one on the Netflix Global Top 10 when it premiered in August. According to Netflix's site, Tudum, the series garnered '19.9M views in its first four days' and reached the top ten in 93 countries. 'We're thrilled with the incredible response to this season of Emily in Paris and excited to return for a fifth to continue Emily's adventures in Rome and Paris!' creator Darren Star told the site. Collins excitedly confirmed Emily in Paris will be returning for season five on Netflix on Monday. After Lily Collins made the exciting announcement on Good Morning America, fans of her romantic comedy series expressed their excitement and surprise that she would be returning to her role as aspiring marketing executive Emily Cooper 'What visa is she on?' one joked Another insisted: 'For my mental health there should be a new season of Emily in Paris monthly' 'I want to watch a new season of Emily in Paris every year until I die,' a third wrote 'Oh yay my forever guilty pleasure,' a fourth raved Some viewers, however, quipped they couldn't believe some people are 'still watching this show' 'This show is so bad. I can't stop watching it though [sobbing emoji],' another X user tweeted. Despite mixed reviews from viewers about season four, which was split into two parts, ranked number one on the Netflix Global Top 10 when it premiered in August 'For the first time I get to talk about the fact that there will be a season five,' she told presenter Rebecca Jarvis on Good Morning America. 'We all just found out ourselves, so this is brand new for everyone. I'm very excited.' Emily in Paris season four part two arrived on September 12 and followed Emily as she gallivanted around the Italian capital of Rome. Speaking of the new location, Lily revealed her hopes that she and the rest of the crew get to see more of Italy next season. 'We explore Rome and I'm really hoping that for season five now that we get more of Italy,' she said. 'We had just the best time. The whole cast felt a little bit like Emily did season one running around the city wide eyed and just everything was just so exciting.' According to Netflix's site, Tudum, the series garnered '19.9M views in its first four days' and reached the top ten in 93 countries 'We're thrilled with the incredible response to this season of Emily in Paris and excited to return for a fifth to continue Emily's adventures in Rome and Paris!' creator Darren Star told the site She also lifted the lid on what it was like to work with first lady of France Brigitte Macron after she made a cameo appearance in the show's fourth series. 'It was a huge honor,' she said. 'It was also so surprising that she really loves the show and that she really wanted to be a part of it. 'She invited Darren [Star] and I to have a conversation with her a couple of years ago about the show and what it's done for France and for Paris. 'She took her cameo in part one season one with jest and humor and we all found a way for her to be a part of it and come to set and she improv'd and it was, she and her improv made it of the show.' The latest series followed the dramatic events of the misbegotten wedding of Camille, played by Camille Razat, and Gabriel, played by Lucas Bravo. The French President's wife Brigitte Macron (center) also made a special cameo in season four In part one, Emily still had strong feelings for Gabriel and Lucien Laviscount's Alfie. But Gabriel was expecting a baby with his ex Camille, and Alfie's worst fears about Emily and Gabriel had been confirmed. 'Emily and Gabriel's chemistry is undeniable as they work together towards a Michelin star, but two big secrets threaten to undo everything they've dreamed of,' a synopsis read. 'As old patterns clash with new complications, Emily feels drawn to a potential new love interest and a new city.' In part two, Emily's flight back to Chicago is cancelled. And even though there's no place like home for the holidays, she is stuck spending Christmas Eve with Gabriel and Camille's family in Megeve. Emily's new love interest Marcello, played by Eugenio Franceschini, makes his arrival soon after, and, following their first date in Paris, she goes to visit him in Rome. The finale concludes with a great new opportunity for Emily: leading a Rome based office which Sylvie encourages Emily to take, not only to stay in beautiful Italy but to be closer to her new man. Supergrass took a swipe at fellow Britpop band Oasis after announcing their own reunion tour on Monday, the mark the 30th anniversary of their debut album. The group revealed they would be touring the UK for a string of intimate gigs in May 2025, following the Gallagher brother's own shows selling out amid ticket chaos. Supergrass' tour will see the iconic band perform their debut album I should Coco in it's entirety, to celebrate it's release. Following the announcement, bassist Mick Quinn, 54, poked fun at Oasis after they faced a backlash when Ticketmaster used dynamic pricing for their show's which left fans paying more than they expected. Saying in a statement: '15th May 2025 marks 30 years since 'I Should Coco'. Supergrass are thrilled to announce their return to perform the debut album live, in its entirety, for the first time. Dynamic pricing not included.' Supergrass took a swipe at fellow Britpop band Oasis after announcing their own reunion tour on Monday, the mark the 30th anniversary of their debut album (L-R) Rob Coombes, Danny Goffey, Gaz Coombes and Mick Quinn The group revealed they would be touring the UK for a string of intimate gigs in May 2025, following the Gallagher brother's (pictured) own gigs selling out amid ticket chaos Throughout May 2025, Supergrass will play venues in Glasgow, Nottingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Leeds, before a momentous night at Londons Roundhouse. I Should Coco, which features the hit singles Alright and Caught by the Fuzz, was released at the height of the Britpop era and initially peaked at number three in the Official UK Chart, but after their set at Glastonbury that summer, it shot to number one. The band consists of Gaz Coombes, Mick Quinn, Danny Goffey and Rob Coombes and after forming in 1993 went on to land six top ten albums, a Brit award and Ivor Novello Award. A pre-sale takes place Wednesday, followed by the general sale from 9am on Friday. It comes after Oasis and Ticketmaster faced calls to 'do the right thing' and refund fans hit by dynamic pricing by consumer group Which? The band and ticketing giant have faced the fury of those eager to watch Oasis's hotly-anticipated reunion tour after the price of standard tickets doubled from 148 to 355. Ticketmaster said prices were driven up by surging demand and the policy had been agreed with the band's management, Oasis itself said they were unaware of dynamic pricing would be implemented when tickets initially went on sale. Since then the Government and the UK's competition watchdog have pledged to look into the implementation of the policy Supergrass' tour will see the will see the iconic band group perform their debut album I should Coco in it's entirety, to celebrate it's 30th anniversary (pictured in their iconic 1995 Alright video) Following the announcement, bassist Mick Quinn, 54, poked fun at Oasis after they faced a backlash when Ticketmaster used dynamic pricing for their show's left fans paying more than they expected Throughout May 2025, Supergrass will play venues in Glasgow, Nottingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Leeds. Now Which?, one of Britain's most well known consumer groups, has called for those who paid more than expected to seal their place at the gigs to have some of their money returned. Following the controversy, Which? asked Oasis fans to send in screenshots of the ticket-buying and checkout process to see if they were warned that ticket prices could surge due to high levels of demand. Which? said it received dozens of screenshots from fans who had tried to buy tickets - both before and after prices increased - none of which showed a warning message that Ticketmaster would increase prices during the sale. Supergrass' May 2025 tour Thursday 8 - Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom Saturday 10 - Nottingham Rock City Monday 12 - Sheffield Octagon Tuesday 13 - Newcastle NX Wednesday 14 - Birmingham O2 Academy Friday 16 - Manchester Albert Hall Sunday 18 - Cardiff University Great Hall Tuesday 20 - Leeds O2 Academy Thursday 22 - London Roundhouse Saturday 3 - Cornwall The Great Estate Festival Advertisement Instead, Which? said it saw evidence that fans were shown one price for tickets, only to have that price taken away at the last second and replaced with a far higher, and unexpected, ticket price. Which? cited one screenshot showing that due to 'in demand' pricing the cost of standing tickets at a Heaton Park show - originally advertised for 148.50 - surged to 337.50 each. Under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPRs), traders must not mislead consumers with how prices are presented or leave out key pricing information that they might need to make an informed decision about their purchase. Which? said many fans were not informed about the increases until after they had already tried to add cheaper tickets to their baskets. While the use of 'dynamic pricing' was mentioned in the terms and conditions on the website, fans were not warned that this practice would be used for Oasis tickets, the watchdog said. Lisa Webb, Which? Consumer Law Expert, said: 'It seems extremely unfair that Oasis fans got up early and battled through the queues only to find that tickets prices had more than doubled from the originally advertised price. 'Which? believes that Ticketmaster's 'in demand' pricing practices for Oasis tickets could have breached consumer law as it appears fans weren't properly warned about the use of "in demand" pricing until far too late in the purchase journey - leading to a nasty shock at the checkout. 'Oasis and Ticketmaster should do the right thing and refund fans who may have been misled into paying over the odds for tickets that would have been half the price just hours earlier.' A spokesperson for Ticketmaster said: 'Fans can resell their Oasis tickets at the full price they paid through Ticketmaster or Twickets.' Last week the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into Ticketmaster over the sale. The CMA said its investigation would include how so-called 'dynamic pricing' may have been used and would scrutinise whether the sale of Oasis tickets by Ticketmaster may have breached consumer protection law. Liam (left) and Noel Gallagher (right) have been criticised by fans over the ticketing chaos Furious Oasis fans took to social media to criticise prices on Ticketmaster after they went up due to 'dynamic pricing' The band announced that Oasis would reunite for a UK tour next year sparking a frenzied battle for tickets. Pictured: Noel (left) and Liam (right) at Wembley Stadium in 2008 Ticketmaster has said it does not set concert prices and its website states this is down to the 'event organiser' who 'has priced these tickets according to their market value'. Oasis have previously stated that they had no involvement in the decision to implement dynamic pricing. Which? said it would share its findings with the CMA. Over the weekend, Oasis sent out invites for a private invite-only ballot for their 'final' Wembley Stadium dates, having extended their Live '25 tour to include two more London shows on September 27 and 28. Which? consumer law expert Lisa Webb said: 'It seems extremely unfair that Oasis fans got up early and battled through the queues only to find that tickets prices had more than doubled from the originally advertised price. 'Which? believes that Ticketmaster's 'in demand' pricing practices for Oasis tickets could have breached consumer law as it appears fans weren't properly warned about the use of 'in demand' pricing until far too late in the purchase journey - leading to a nasty shock at the checkout. 'Oasis and Ticketmaster should do the right thing and refund fans who may have been misled into paying over the odds for tickets that would have been half the price just hours earlier.' Oasis have been approached for comment. Derek Hough and his wife, dancer Hayley Erbert, 29, looked fantastic as they stepped out for a date night at an Emmys bash on Sunday. The Dancing With the Stars judge, 39, looked suave in a classic black tuxedo as the couple attended the Walt Disney Company's Emmy Awards Celebration at the Music Center in Los Angeles. His beautiful wife showed off her dancer's physique in a feather-adorned silver dress. The bodice of Haley's strapless dress featured a silver and white bejeweled pattern and from the waist down to her knees the skirt was covered in fluff until the hemline which repeated the pattern from the bodice. The outing marks one of the only times the couple has made a red carpet appearance since Hayley underwent an emergency craniectomy in December 2023. Derek Hough and his wife, dancer Hayley Erbert, 29, looked fantastic as they stepped out for a date night at an Emmys bash on Sunday On December 7 of last year, Hayley was rushed to the hospital after suffering a cranial hematoma while they were performing at their Symphony of Dance tour in Washington D.C. A cranial hematoma happens when blood accumulates, 'within the brain or between the brain and the skull,' according to Mayo Clinic. 'At the end of last night's tour performance in Washington, D.C., my wife Hayley became disoriented and was taken to the hospital,' he wrote at the time. 'She was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel and required an emergency craniectomy. She is in stable condition,' he added. The couple wrapped up their Symphony of Dance tour in May and Hayley wrote an emotional post about that experience. 'The Symphony of Dance tour has only been over for a few days and I still havent quite found the words to express my emotions,' she wrote. 'When we kicked it off in September, I was on cloud nine; getting to travel and perform with my newlywed husband, doing the most challenging show I have ever done in my entire life.' She continued, writing about her health scare, 'Then December 6th rolled around, and everything came to a screeching halt.' The Dancing With the Stars judge, 39, looked suave in a classic black tux as the couple attended the Walt Disney Company's Emmy Awards Celebration at the Music Center in Los Angeles His beautiful wife showed off her dancer's physique in a feather-adorned silver dress On December 7 of last year, Hayley was rushed to the hospital after suffering a cranial hematoma while they were performing at their Symphony of Dance tour in Washington D.C. Hayley resumed the tour just months after her surgery, something she was deeply unsure about, which prompted her to declare, 'I DID IT! 'This tour reignited many parts of me that have been dim for so long. So, for that, I cannot thank everyone who came out to support us on this wild journey enough. 'I am so grateful to still be here, with you all, doing what I love,' she concluded. 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.' Matthew Perry's $5million Hollywood home - which the Friends star bought just five months before his shock death in October 2023 - has had its price slashed by nearly $500,000. The Friends actor closed the $4,995,000 sale for his new, fully-furnished Hollywood Hills house on May 31, 2023 - but died from a ketamine overdose and drowning on October 28, 2023 at his Pacific Palisades home. The Hollywood Hills property, which sits at 1479 Rising Glen Road, is a three bed four bath home sprawling over 2,566 square feet on a 9,622 square foot lot. Unfortunately, Perry didn't get the chance to enjoy his exciting purchase before he passed away abruptly - in a death that shocked the entire world. The home went back on the market in May this year for $5,195,000 - but after failing to attract a buyer, the asking price has been reduced by $495,000, per Realtor.com - which is significantly less than the star paid for the home. Matthew Perry's $5million Hollywood home - which the Friends star bought just five months before his shock death in October 2023 - has had its price slashed by nearly $500,000.; Perry pictured November 2022 The Friends actor closed the $4,995,000 sale for his new, fully-furnished Hollywood Hills house on May 31, 2023 - but died from a ketamine overdose and drowning on October 28, 2023 at his Pacific Palisades home Perrys Pacific Palisades home remains off the market. The Hollywood home perches in the hills above the iconic Sunset Strip and boasts a classic look, with walls of glass surrounding a sun-filled patio at the center of the property. All bedrooms feature en-suite bathrooms and offer natural light throughout the day. Featuring classic architectural design with a modern flare, the house is styled with light and bright walls and furniture, with touches of wood and earth-toned patterns. Perry made a fortune thanks to his time playing Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom Friends, but he also made millions from a robust real estate portfolio. Before his tragic death at the age- the beloved star had downsized. He sold his properties for a total of $35million over the last years and replaced them with more modest homes - although there's no suggestion he was in any financial trouble. Like many actors when they find success, Perry bought his first Los Angeles mansion just one year after Friends premiered in 1994 - a two-bedroom home in the Hollywood Hills 'Its the law when you have a successful sitcom: Between the first and second seasons, you buy a house,' he told the Toronto Star at the time. It's not clear for how much he bought it for, but he Canadian-American sold his first mansion in 2001 for $839,000. The property is now worth around $2 million. The home went back on the market in May for $5,195,000 - but after failing to attract a buyer, the asking price has been reduced by $495,000, per Realtor.com The Hollywood Hills property, which sits at 1479 Rising Glen Road, is a three bed four bath home sprawling over 2,566 square feet on a 9,622 square foot lot He had already moved to a new home in 1999, when he bought a 6,500-square-foot mansion in Beverly Hills for a reported $3.2 million. The nearly 2,000 square feet property included a pool and a sauna and glass walls, a feature that would be a part of many of Perry's future homes. Also in 2005, Perry bought a furnished two-bedroom condo on the Sunset Strip for about $2.5 million. The home, previously owned by sir Elton John, was a corner unit in the Sierra Towers building in the West Hollywood area. In 2006, Perry purchased a 4,100-square-foot mansion on the Sunset Strip for $1.7million. It featured glass walls that opened to a patio and swimming pool as well as multiple fireplaces and a home theater. He sold the property in 2014 for $5.695 million. In 2008, Perry moved from that glass house to a mansion on Carman Crest Drive that he paid $4.475 million for. The three-bedroom home also featured glass walls and modern architecture. He sold the house for $4.6million in 2013, but had already moved to a different home by 2011, when he bought another glass-covered three-bedroom home in the Hollywood Hills for $8.5 million. Also in 2011, the Friends star bought a $12 million beachfront home in Malibu that he once called his 'kick-ass Malibu home'. Perry shot to fame in Friends alongside Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox and Matt LeBlanc Perry moved again in 2017 - this time to a 'mansion in the sky' with a whopping $21 million price tag. In 2020, Perry sold his Malibu beach house for $12.95 million - down from the original listing price of $14.95 million but still more than what the actor purchased it for. That summer he bought a $6million cottage in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles - where years later he would be found dead in the hot tub. His manner of death was ruled to be accidental, and the autopsy report released in May showed the actor died from acute effects of ketamine. Contributing factors were given as drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine, a prescription drug often used to treat those with opioid addiction. It was later reported that at the time of his death, Perry was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy. In December last year, a medical expert speculated to Page Six the actor had 'likely' obtained ketamine illegally for 'recreational use,' however. Even though Perry was undergoing ketamine treatment for anxiety and depression at the time of his passing, his autopsy report noted 'the ketamine in his system at death could not be from that infusion therapy.' When the Friends star died the LAPD began an investigation into the circumstances of his overdose. Perry's 'Ketamine Queen' Jasveen Sangha, an alleged drug dealer, will face trial on March 4, 2025 alongside Dr Salvador Plasencia, who both pleaded not guilty to charges related to Perry's death. They are accused of illegally supplying the ketamine that led to Perry's overdose. Jason Momoa allegedly yelled at and mistreated the crew on on the set of his film A Minecraft Movie, according to one of his costars in the forthcoming film. YouTube streamer Valkyrae, 32, appeared Friday in a Hot Ones-inspired segment opposite fellow YouTuber JasonTheWeen, where she was asked about the worst celebrity experience she's had. Valkyrae, whose real name is Rachell Marie Hofstetter, replied, 'So, Minecraft movie - I have a cameo in the Minecraft movie that's coming out - I would have to say Jason Momoa.' Valkyrae claimed that she saw the 45-year-old actor, who plays the role of Garett 'The Garbage Man' Garrison in the movie, 'mistreat some of the crew' during production of the motion picture. 'It was pretty disappointing,' Valkyrae said. 'It was after a very intense scene - and it was a very emotional scene - so maybe he was still in character, I dont know. I was just surprised about how he treated some of the crew.' Jason Momoa, 45, allegedly yelled at and mistreated the crew on on the set of his film A Minecraft Movie, according to one of his costars in the forthcoming film, YouTube streamer Valkyrae, 32 The Aquaman leading man 'was just really mad at them that they werent doing something right in setting up the shot and stuff,' Valkyrae said in the interview, adding Momoa 'was just angry, really mad, and yelling.' Valkyrae said the Honolulu-born star's conduct made for a toxic workspace. 'I was like man, this is not a good work environment, I would not be happy working under these conditions, Valkyrae said. 'I would have to say that was the worst celebrity thing I've seen.' A number of Twitter users appeared to give Momoa the benefit of the doubt in their reactions to the segment. 'Valkyrae should understand at times one can have a bad day in the office,' said one user. 'You can't [condemn] or pass judgement based on that day. 'Have we seen any of his staff or crew member coming up complaining of mistreatment? Let's be factual at times..' Another said, 'She saw one moment of frustration and called it a bad working environment.' Said one user: 'Not the Minecraft movie having a toxic working environment.' The actor plays the role of Garett 'The Garbage Man' Garrison in the movie. Pictured in LA this year Valkyrae said in the interview that Momoa 'was just angry, really mad, and yelling' Valkyrae said the Honolulu-born star's conduct made for a toxic workspace A number of Twitter users appeared to give Momoa the benefit of the doubt in their reactions to the segment One user said that Valkyrae's public condemnation of Momoa was not an astute career move on her behalf. 'She's barely in the movie industry and shes already talking drama with one of the biggest stars ... they definitely not calling her back to a set after this,' the user said. Another said that Valkyrae, with her background as a streaming personality, did not understand the pressure on Momoa as the face of the high-profile film. 'I mean honestly Jason has a stressful job, Valkyrae wouldn't understand as she sits on a chair all day streaming,' the user said. One user joked, 'Id be mad if I had to be in this movie too.' Stars joining Momoa in the cast of the motion picture, directed by Jared Hess, include Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Sebastian Hansen, Emma Myers and Danielle Brooks. Dailymail.com has reached out to Momoa's reps for comment on the story. Social businesses have the potential to blend financial sustainability with solutions to social issues like poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation The deliberations of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the globe are getting louder. However, SDGs have much to do with inclusive development in India. Nevertheless, as India marches towards becoming a global economic powerhouse, the challenge of inclusive development remains a daunting task. Despite robust economic growth, disparities in wealth, education, healthcare, and opportunities persist, leaving large segments of the population marginalized. In this context, the concept of social business has garnered increasing attention as a solution that addresses both social and economic challenges simultaneously. Of late, this alternative paradigm for development is getting a boost in the country.Social business is a powerful model designed to tackle pressing social problems - poverty, inequality, healthcare and education - while operating in a financially sustainable way. Unlike traditional businesses, which prioritize profit maximization for shareholders, social businesses are driven by a mission to solve societal issues, and any profits generated are reinvested into the business to scale its impact. This innovative approach to entrepreneurship is particularly relevant in India, where the scope for addressing societal gaps through market-driven solutions is immense.The Genesis of Social BusinessOver the past decade, India has witnessed a surge in interest in social entrepreneurship. Fueled by rising awareness of social issues, a growing youth population, and the rise of impact investment funds, the country is now home to a plethora of social businesses across sectors. Organizations like SELCO, which provides affordable solar lighting to low-income households, and Araku Coffee, which empowers tribal farmers through sustainable agriculture practices, exemplify how businesses can be a force for good.India's unique landscape of socio-economic diversity also presents a fertile ground for social innovation. Entrepreneurs are finding creative ways to solve challenges related to agriculture, healthcare, sanitation, education, and financial inclusion. For example, Amul, India's dairy cooperative giant, operates on principles that align closely with social business, ensuring fair wages for farmers while providing quality products to consumers. Similarly, Goonj, a non-profit working in rural India, converts urban waste into useful products, addressing both poverty and waste management. An Alternative PathIndia, with a population of over 1.4 billion, faces an array of socio-economic challenges. Although the country has made significant progress in areas like technology and infrastructure, millions continue to struggle with basic needs like clean water, healthcare, education, and employment opportunities. Traditional government interventions and charity-driven models, while vital, often fail to create sustainable and scalable solutions. This is where the social business model comes inbridging the gap between business and social responsibility.Facets of Social BusinessIndias healthcare sector, while rapidly growing, remains highly unequal. Millions of people, particularly in rural areas, lack access to quality medical services. Social businesses like Narayana Health, founded by Dr. Devi Shetty, are addressing this issue by providing low-cost, high-quality healthcare to the masses. The education sector in India faces challenges of accessibility, quality, and affordability, particularly in rural and marginalized communities. Social enterprises like Teach for India are working to bridge the gap by bringing talented individuals to teach in under-resourced schools. Agriculture remains the backbone of Indias economy, employing over 50% of the population. However, smallholder farmers often struggle with access to markets, credit, and sustainable practices. Social businesses like DeHaan, which offers end-to-end agricultural services including input distribution, crop advisory, and market linkage, are empowering farmers and improving their incomes. Indias push towards renewable energy, in line with its commitments to combat climate change, has opened up a new frontier for social businesses. The rise of eco-friendly and sustainable products, driven by social businesses, has also led to a growing market for sustainable fashion and organic products in urban areas. Growing Graph of Social Business A critical enabler of social business in India has been the rise of impact investing. Impact investors, unlike traditional venture capitalists, seek to generate not just financial returns but also measurable social and environmental impact. The growth of funds like Aavishkaar, Acumen, and Omidyar Network has provided crucial capital to early-stage social businesses, allowing them to scale and deepen their impact. The Indian government has also recognized the potential of social businesses to drive inclusive growth. Programs like Startup India, which provides financial support, mentorship, and tax incentives, have been extended to social enterprises, encouraging more entrepreneurs to tackle pressing social issues.Not All RosesMany social businesses, especially those operating in rural areas, struggle to secure the necessary funding to scale their operations. Traditional financial institutions often view social enterprises as high-risk, given their focus on impact rather than profit maximization. Although impact investing is on the rise, the availability of patient capitallong-term, low-return investments necessary for social businesses to thriveis still limited.One of the biggest challenges for social businesses is scaling their impact while maintaining financial sustainability. Often, social enterprises are deeply rooted in local contexts, which can make it difficult to replicate their models across different geographies. Additionally, scaling can sometimes dilute the focus on the social mission, as businesses seek profitability to sustain growth.The regulatory environment for social businesses in India is still evolving. Navigating complex bureaucratic processes, securing the necessary permits, and dealing with multiple government agencies can be time-consuming and expensive. There is also a lack of clear legal recognition for social businesses, which often operate in a grey area between non-profit organizations and traditional for-profit companies. Measuring Social Impact: Unlike traditional businesses, where success is measured purely in terms of financial performance, social businesses must demonstrate their social impact. However, measuring impact can be complex, and there is no standardized framework for doing so. Many social businesses struggle to strike a balance between maximizing their impact and ensuring that they remain financially viable.Indias booming tech industry has become a key driver of social innovation. The proliferation of smartphones and internet connectivity has enabled social businesses to reach remote and underserved populations more effectively. From fintech solutions that provide micro-loans to rural entrepreneurs, to edtech platforms offering quality education at scale, technology is unlocking new opportunities for social businesses to deepen their impact. One notable example is the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity, a government initiative that has expanded financial inclusion by linking bank accounts to mobile numbers and Aadhaar (Indias biometric identification system). This digital infrastructure has empowered social businesses to deliver services like digital payments, insurance, and healthcare more efficiently. The Way Forward As India continues its journey toward becoming an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable society, social businesses will play an increasingly important role. With the rise of a new generation of socially conscious entrepreneurs, supported by impact investors and technology, the potential for social business to drive change is greater than ever. The COVID-19 accelerated the momentum for social entrepreneurship in India, with many seeing social businesses as a key pillar in the countrys post-pandemic recovery. However, for the social business movement to truly take off, greater support from the government, investors, and civil society is essential. Policymakers must create an enabling environment through targeted incentives and streamlined regulations. Meanwhile, impact investors need to provide more patient capital to allow social enterprises to grow sustainably.Precisely, social business represents a powerful tool for driving inclusive development in India. By addressing social problems through innovative, financially viable solutions, social businesses can empower individuals, uplift communities, and contribute to a more equitable and prosperous society. As India continues to evolve, the role of social business will only grow in importance, offering hope for a future where economic growth and social progress go hand in hand. (The writer is an Associate professor at the School of management, Presidency University, Bengaluru; views expressed are personal) Are you planning a trip to the USA? Are you overwhelmed trying to navigate the visa application process? Well, it can seem a bit confusing as there are so many protocols in place, but fear not. We have a guide to help you simplify the process. You just need to get organised, have your documentation in place, learn the rules set, plan the trip, book the tickets, get your travel insurance for the USA, and voila! You are all set for your vacation, study abroad program, or job. What are the visa requirements for travelling to the United States of America? Documents Required: 1. Appointment Booking - You need to start by booking an appointment with the USA consulate. You can print the document and produce it on your scheduled date at the time of the appointment. Without this document, the visa application will not be considered. 2. Passport - You need to have a valid passport when applying for a USA visa. Your current passport must be valid for the next 6 months, starting from the date of travel. Since processing the visa application for the USA takes a while, your passport must be valid for at least a year and a half when applying. It must also have at least 2 blank pages available for stamping you in and out of the United States of America. 3. Income Tax Returns (ITR) - If you are employed in a company or self-employed, you need to provide documents asserting the income tax return for the past 3 years. On the other hand, if you are a student, you can provide the income tax returns of your sponsor or guardian. 4. Proof of Finances or Bank Statements - A document substantiating that you have enough money in your bank account. It is basically to ensure that you do not suffer from financial setbacks on your trip and that you can support yourself without the governments intervention throughout the duration of your trip to the USA. Bank Statements, Income Tax documents, and pay receipts from your current employer are all acceptable documentation for proof of your financials. 5. Travel Itinerary - A document showing the dates of your travel, flight identification numbers of your travel to and from the United States, and details of any layover flights along the way. If you require a visa for any of those layovers, it is best to provide those details, too. 6. Any previous visa - To demonstrate a healthy appreciation of the rules of visa, carry any previous ones that you may have. It may be from your past travels to the USA or to any other country where you applied for a visa and travelled formerly. The authorities may check the dates to confirm your compliance with the visa validation. 7. Cover Letter - Unlike a cover letter for jobs, this letter must explicitly indicate the details of the traveller(s). Aside from the itinerary, the cover letter will also include the intent of the trip and the specifics of your travel within the United States. 8. Letter of Employer (if applicable) - If you are employed in a company, you must produce a letter with the companys letterhead that states no objection. It must also include details that you are on an approved leave from work and will be returning as per the dates provided in your itinerary. If it is a company trip, then the intent must be stated in the letter along with the contact details of your POC or employer. 9. Letter from School or College (for students) - If the traveller is a student, be it you or the person for whom you are filling out the application, you need to provide a letter from their school or university (college). This letter must explicitly prove that the student is registered to continue their education after their return from the United States and that they are in a good position to take a leave of absence. The letter must be accompanied by a No-objection certificate from the school or university. 10. Business License (if applicable) - If you are self employed, you need to provide your business license to prove of your current employment situation and an indication that you plan to return to your home country. This will be along with the bank statements of the past 6 months and yout income tax returns. 11. Proof of retirement (if applicable) - If you are a retired individual, you may provide the details of your retirement fund as proof of finances. 12. Proof of return to your home country - Documents proving that you intend to return to your home country and a good reason to do so. This can be a letter from your employer, proof of immediate family through photographs and certificates, proof of assets, etc. This is just to ensure that you do not overstay after the validity of your visa expires. 13. Photograph - You will need a recent photograph of the traveller, whether it is you or a family member taking the trip. The picture should have been clicked within 6 months of applying for a USA visa, be it a tourist visa, i.e., B-1 or B-2, or an H-1B Work Visa, or a F-1 student visa. The face of the traveller must be distributed over 5-60% of the photograph, and the backdrop should be a solid white or other light color, plain and without any refractions. If the visa application is for a family trip, then photographs of all the family members will be required. The patriarch or matriarch will need to provide the other documents and prove the dependency of family members through marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc. An international travel insurance is not compulsory during the visa application. However, it is further financial proof that the traveller can sustain themselves during the trip, so consider getting one beforehand, or you can apply for it after your visa is approved. Conclusion Applying for a USA Visa is not that difficult after all. Yes, the processing time takes a while and collecting the necessary letters can be a bit challenging, but the overall system will be a lot easier now. You can make a checklist of the points above and go through them one step at a time for a hassle-free visa application for the USA. FAQ 1. What happens if I travel to the USA without a valid travel insurance? If you do not have travel insurance for USA when you leave your home country, you cannot apply for one later. That means, if there is a medical emergency, treatments, or loss of baggage, documents, etc., you are not covered. Therefore, it is always best to get a travel visa for USA before reaching the immigration centre at your home country, before taking off. 2. Is travel insurance for the USA mandatory for the visa application? No, travel insurance for the USA is not mandatory when filing the Visa Application, especially for a B1 or B2 visa. However, after the visa application, it is advised to acquire travel insurance before leaving for the USA as the costs of medical bills could be humongous given the difference in currency. It is best to get travel insurance after applying for the Visa before you leave your home country since it cannot be purchased once you run into a mishap. You will end up paying lacs in bills, fines, and fees without travel insurance in place. 3. Do I need to specify my intent of travel when applying for a USA Visa? Yes, you absolutely need to transparently indicate your intent of travel as well as your dates of travel when applying for a USA visa. 4. How long will it take to get a USA Visa? It can take almost 10 months to get a USA visa from India. 5. Is COVID-19 covered in my travel insurance for the USA? Yes, since the dawn of the epidemic, COVID-19 coverage has been included in your travel insurance for USA. Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purposes only. For more details, please refer to the policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales. Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, in his Diwali message, has urged Singaporeans to take part in festivals across all communities to foster unity and a shared sense of humanity. He noted that Diwali's celebration of the triumph of light over darkness not only holds religious significance for Hindus, but is also a universal message that everyone can embrace. By doing so, we build bridges of understanding and respect that transcend the boundaries of race, religion and culture, The Straits Times quoted Teo as saying during a street light-up along the city state's Little India precinct, the hub of 'deep mala' celebrations which this year is being held from September 14 to November 17. The light-up event marks the beginning of the celebrations leading up to Diwali on October 31. I hope that Singaporeans will take up this invitation, he said, as the Indian Hindu community gathered to start celebration along the more than 2-km precinct, home to Indian origin shops and retail outlets that are popular spots for Diwali shopping. Multi-ethnicity Singapore celebrates all major religious, traditional and cultural events including Eids, Chinese New Year and Christmas for fostering communal harmony among its people. Little India was bathed in vibrant colours on Friday night (September 14), as the annual Diwali light-up gave the district a festive glow. The Little India Shopping and Heritage Association (LISHA) oversees the Diwali celebrations across the precinct. Teo noted that LISHA is spreading the joy of the Hindu festival beyond Little India, such as by collaborating with the Land Transport Authority on Diwali-themed trains and buses. The association is also partnering with the Singapore Indian Development Association to raise funds for the needy. Apart from the light-up, 12 fringe activities have also been organised by LISHA to further enhance the festive atmosphere. Running from September 14 to October 3, the activities include open-top double-decker bus tours and workshops to engage the public in celebrating the rich cultural heritage behind the 'festival of lights', which is also a big draw for tourists visiting Singapore. In the wake of two deaths by dengue reportedly in the national Capital including a 54-year-old patient who died at Lok Nayak Hospital and another at Safdarjung Hospital, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has intensified efforts to combat the spread of vector borne diseases including spraying and fogging of more than 4.20 lakh houses with insecticides. The two deaths due to dengue include a 54-year-old patient who died at Lok Nayak Hospital and another at Safdarjung Hospital. According to data by the MCD, a total of 675 cases of dengue have been reported this year till September 10. A total of 967 cases of vector borne diseases including 260 cases of malaria and 32 cases of chikungunya have been reported in the same period. The maximum numbers of dengue cases were witnessed in the Najafgarh zone with 103 cases, followed by Shahdara North zone with 84 cases, South zone with 71 cases, Central zone with 67 cases, Karol Bagh zone with 60 cases, Rohini zone with 56 cases, Shahdara South zone with 50 cases, West zone with 45 cases, Narela zone with 42 cases, Civil Lines zone with 40 cases, and City SP zone with 33 cases. The lowest was reported from Keshav Puram zone with 24 cases. Amid a surge in cases of the vector-borne disease at several city hospitals in Delhi, the civic body is taking a multi-pronged approach with the officials visiting over 2.59 crore households, with 1,56,932 found to be breeding mosquito sites. Breeding sites are destroyed on the spot, and homeowners are educated on health and hygiene practices, a senior MCD official said. He added that drains, water bodies, and surface water collections are sprayed weekly using manual and motorised sprayers and larvi-vorous fishes have been introduced at 213 locations in clean water collections. 23 special drives have been conducted to cover vulnerable areas such as police stations, construction sites, parks, hospitals, schools, Government offices, and DTC depots, he added. Additionally, MCD has also conducted special fogging operations in Kavad camps, Krishna Janmashtmi pandals, temples, and Lal Quila. The civic body also mentioned that low lying areas along railway tracks are being sprayed by power spray tankers mounted on railway wagons. Chaired by the MCDs Mayor Shelly Oberoi and Commissioner Ashwani Kumar, the civic body has conducted 28 Inter-Sectoral Coordination Committee meetings under the chairmanship of the Mayor and Commissioner at headquarters and zonal levels, involving major stakeholders such as Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Delhi Police, Public Works Department (PWD), Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Horticulture, Archaelogical Survey of India (ASI), Education, and Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) departments to ensure effective coordination and implementation of control measures. Nodal Teachers of all schools have been trained for prevention of mosquito breeding in schools. Fogging and focal spray operations will be conducted at public gatherings and religious festivals to control adult mosquito populations, he said, adding that outdoor fogging operations will be intensified in September-October, depending on mosquito density and disease situation and legal notices, challans, and administrative charges will be levied on repeated offenders. 97,397 legal notices, 32,384 challans, and 7,929 administrative charges have been levied under the provision of Malaria and other Vector Borne Diseases Bye-Laws under DMC Act. Police complaints will also be lodged against defaulters allowing repeated mosquito breeding, he said. With the crucial two-and-a-half-hour meeting between Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the agitating junior doctors ending on a positive note the State Government is likely to announce some very important decisions pertaining to the doctors demands on Tuesday, sources said. The agitating doctors had been demanding justice for the lady doctor of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital who was raped and murdered in the morning of August 8. Though the doctors had not come out of the meeting venue as minutes were still being written, sources privy to the proceedings said that the doctors had vividly communicated to the Chief Minister their demand including administrative actions against the erring officials of the Health Department including the Health Secretary and two directors of Health apart from Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal. The Government side told the doctors that as certain decisions including those on administrative actions against the senior officials could be taken only after certain procedures, such issues could be addressed subsequently. On whether the doctors who had been on cease work would join duty right away was not made clear as the sources from the doctors side said that the delegation would speak to the media after a general body meeting that would take place around midnight at the sit-in site near Swasthya Bhavan Government. They however, said the meeting has taken place in a very cordial atmosphere and both the sides were eager to cooperate. Earlier, the junior doctors on Monday evening reached Chief Ministers residence. This was hours after the Mamata Banerjee Government tried for one last time to break the 36-day impasse and offered a constructive dialogue. The medics had been asking for punishment for those responsible for the August 9 felony and destruction of evidence; departmental action against arrested former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh; resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and Health Secretary NS Nigam; improved security for healthcare workers; and eradication of the threat culture in Government hospitals allegedly perpetrated by a political lobby that indulges in mass cheating, extraction, victimisation, smuggling of bodies, corruption etc. In the meeting which was a prolonged one security related issues in the States medical colleges were being discussed in the initial phase, sources said. It is still early days and will take a good time to end as the discussions have just started there are many points and counterpoints that were raised and heard, said an official. The modalities of the talks hinged on a proposal of mutual exchange of minutes of the meeting as against the live streaming or alternatively videography of the proceedings as earlier demanded by the doctors, sources said. There is a hearing on the issue in the Supreme Court tomorrow and I want a solution before that we have offered talks for one last time so that the doctors can go back to work as health services are getting hampered more so because we have a flood-like situation emerging and the doctors services will be required no side can sit and watch the people suffer like this so I asked the Chief Secretary to invite the doctors so that we can come to a solution, the Chief Minister said. When asked as to whether she was expecting a solution immediately she said, I expect a solution the two sides should seat with an open mind and iron out the issues. Talks had twice fizzled out after the doctors demanded live-steaming or at least videography of the proceedings to which the Government denied permission. Subsequently the doctors demanded exchange of signed copies of minutes of the talks on Saturday to which the Government agreed but by the time two sides agreed upon issues it was too late and the doctors had to return to their sit-in site. On Monday morning, a letter from the Chief Secretary Manoj Pant came to invite the doctors for talks to which they agreed but with a condition that they would have to be allowed in with two professional stenographers to record the minutes. Meanwhile in a related development the RG Kar issue tended to affect the Kolkata Police force too after the CBI arrested Abhijit Mondal, the SHO of the Tala Police Station for his alleged complicity in destroying evidence at the place of occurrence. Junior officers approached the senior IPS officials demanding immunity from the complex situations arising in their places of work in the recent days. We are caught between twiddledum and twiddledee we cannot ignore senior officers and if some pressure mounts, junior officers are held responsible for that this has to be addressed by the top officials, said an official who met top police official. They were led by a retired ACP, and demanded help to fight the legal battle for Mondal. the lower rank officials across the Kolkata Police will raise funds to fight the case for Abhijit Mondal because he has been caught in the mess, said an ACP. Senior IPS officers led by V Solomon Nesakumar, a Kolkata Additional Commissioner of Police on Monday met the family members of Mondal at his residence and assured support. We met the family of Abhijit Mondal. We spoke with his wife and informed her that the department stands by them like a family and will provide all support, Nesakumar told reporters. Launching a frontal attack on the pre-poll alliance partners, Congress and the National Conference on the last day of campaigning in Kishtwar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday appealed to the voters in the region to punish these parties by voting in favour of the BJP as they (Congress-National Conference) have always nurtured and nourished terrorism. Shah vowed to bury terrorism deep into the earth so that it would not be able to rear its head again. Addressing three back-to-back election rallies in the region Shah said there is a clear fight between the Congress-National Conference alliance and the BJP one wanting to bring back Article 370, and the other committed to stopping it. Shah reiterated the Constitution's Article 370, which gave special status to J and K, is history and will never come back. The Home Minister also paid tributes to all those who have been killed in terror-related incidents, and specially referred to the deaths of BJP leaders Anil Parihar, Ajit Parihar and RSS leader Chanderkant Sharma. BJP has fielded former Minister Sunil Sharma from Padder-Nagseni and Shagun Parihar, daughter of Ajit Parihar, from Kishtwar assembly constituency. Reminding the voters about the promises made by the alliance partners in their election speeches and party manifestos, the Union Home Minister emphasised, NC and Congress say that if they come to power, they will bring back Article 370. Modi revoked Article 370 and it has become history. It has no place in the Indian Constitution, he added. Shah said they will also not allow the NC-Congress to snatch reservations of Gujjars and Paharis. There will be only one constitution, one Prime Minister and one flag that is our beloved tricolour. Campaigning for the BJP candidates, Shah said attempts were being made to bring back the 1990s-like situation and spread terrorism. NC and Congress have made promises that their Government will release terrorists. But this is Narendra Modi's Government and none has the guts to spread terrorism.Shah also targeted NC chief Farooq Abdullah and asked him where he was when Kishtwar was bleeding from terror attacks. He should be asked if he comes here. But I know where he was. He was enjoying summer vacation in London, Shah said. He said the BJP Government has resolved to wipe out terrorism and initiated some measures. We have strengthened village defence guards and special police officers. We have replaced their obsolete rifles and they are being equipped with self-loading rifles...we are raising a security grid. Terrorists may come but they will be wiped out. He claimed that NC and Congress had said if they came to power, they would reconsider reservation to Paharis and Gujjars. Firstly, the reservation would not have been possible, had Article 370 stayed here. Secondly, I am watching the Kashmir situation. Let me tell you that neither Farooq Abdullah nor Rahul Gandhi is going to form the Government, he said. Shah referred to Maharaja Hari Singh, Jammu and Kashmir's last king, and said he was banished from his State. These parties (NC and Congress) not only insulted Maharaja Hari but also did not allow him to return home. His ashes came back. These parties, who insulted Maharaja Hari Singh, are responsible for the exodus of Pandits, denied rights to women and reservation to marginalised sectionswill you bring them back? he asked. A day after Arvind Kejriwal sent shockwaves across political circles saying that he would step down as the Chief Minister of Delhi, the AAP chief will meet Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena at 4.30 pm on Tuesday, during which he is likely to tender his resignation. Saxena has given him an appointment for a meeting at 4:30 pm on Tuesday. AAP had earlier said Kejriwal sought time for a meeting with the Lieutenant Governor. Regarding the final decision over the New Delhi CM, the AAP legislative party meeting will be held on Tuesday at CMs house. Meanwhile, the AAPs Political Affairs Committee (PAC) deliberated on the selection of the next chief ministerial candidate and the composition of the Delhi cabinet at Chief Ministers residence. The committee also reviewed strategies for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections, as the party aims to broaden its political presence in the neighbouring state. Kejriwal held one-on-one talks with leaders of the Public Affairs Committee of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for their feedback on who should be the next Chief Minister of the national capital. During the meeting, he (Kejriwal) sought one on one feedback from each leader on his replacement. Tomorrow, the legislative party meeting is there and this discussion will go into the second round, Bharadwaj said after the meeting. Among those who attended the PAC meeting were Kejriwal, former deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Rajya Sabha MPs Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chaddha and five city cabinet Ministers. Today is a holiday and tomorrow is the first working day of the week. He will tender his resignation tomorrow to Lt Governor and after the resignation is accepted, a meeting of party MLAs will be held to decide on the new name, he said at a press conference in the afternoon. Saying anything right now will be assessment, said Bharadwaj. AAP leader also said the AAP has said it has put the ball in BJPs court by demanding early elections in Delhi in November, and now it is up to the Opposition party to decide whether it was prepared to face Kejriwal. Earlier in the day, Kejriwal held a series of meetings with his close confidantes at his residence including Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha for over an hour where they discussed the probables for the Delhi Chief Ministers post and its impact on the upcoming Haryana polls. Sisodia did not speak to the media while leaving. Since Kejriwals surprise resignation decision on Sunday, Delhi Ministers Atishi, Gopal Rai, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Kailash Gahlot, some MLAs from the reserved category, including Deputy Speaker of Delhi Assembly Rakhi Birla, as well as the AAP supremos wife Sunita Kejriwal, were making the rounds as probables for the post. Ruling out the possibility of Sisodia taking over, Kejriwal said someone from the AAP will take his place until polls are held. This effectively means that the top leaders of AAP are not in the race for the Chief Ministers post. Even though this Chief Ministerial stint will only be for a few months, the AAP leadership would be looking to choose a prominent leader who can articulate the partys position on key issues and has wide acceptability among the party ranks. Assembly polls in Delhi are due in February next year, even though Kejriwal also demanded that the election be held in November along with the Maharashtra polls. The main opposition BJP has scoffed at Kejriwals announcement. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva has said Kejriwal is saying the people should decide if he should be Chief Minister. The people have announced their verdict three months back (during Lok Sabha polls). You had roamed Delhi streets and asked for votes. The people gave their answer and put you in your place, he said. The Congress, which contested the general election in Delhi in alliance with AAP, termed the AAP leaders move a political stunt. It would have been better if he had resigned when Delhi was facing floods and drinking water shortage. I hope Delhi soon gets a new Chief Minister who can go to his office and sign files, said Delhi Congress chief Devendra Yadav. Projects worth over Rs 15 lakh crores have been launched in the first 100 days of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government for a historic third term. The projects focussed on infrastructure, farmers, middle class, women, and minorities, among others, according to a Government statement. Incidentally, the will Government will complete first 100 days on Tuesday coinciding with Prime Minister Modis birthday. Before hitting the campaign trail for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Modi had given several tasks to officials to be completed within the first 100 days of the third NDA Government. The central Government has approved projects worth Rs 3 lakh crore in 100 days with primary focus on roads, railways, ports and airways, the statement said. This includes approval of eight national high-speed road corridor projects spanning over 900 kilometres. It also includes approval of the Wadhavan Mega Port in Maharashtra at a cost of Rs 76,200 crore, which will be among the top 10 ports in the world. The Government has also laid the foundation stone of Shinkhun-La Tunnel, to connect Ladakh with Himachal Pradesh. The 17th instalment of Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi was also released. As part of the instalment, Rs 20,000 crore has been distributed to 9.3 crore farmers. So far, Rs 3 lakh crore has been distributed to a 12 crore 33 lakh farmers, the statement added. Furthermore, the Minimum Support Price for Kharif crops for 2024-25 has been increased, which benefitted 12 crore farmers by approximately Rs 2 lakh crore. In a relief to middle class, the NDA government announced no tax on income up to Rs 7 lakh, helping salaried individuals save up to Rs 17,500 in taxes, the Government statement said. The standard deduction increased to Rs 75,000 and the exemption limit for family pension was raised to Rs 25,000. A comprehensive review of income tax rules is to be conducted within six months to make them concise, clear, and easy to understand, the statement added. The Modi Government also implemented a unified pension scheme, under which Government employees with 25 years of service will receive 50 per cent of their average basic salary as pension. Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana three crore houses (were) approved. One crore houses under the urban scheme, two crore houses (were) approved for construction in rural areas, the statement said. It also said that so far, over four crore houses have been approved in both urban and rural regions in India. On women empowerment, in the first 100 days, the Prime Minister Modi Government has awarded certificates to 11 lakh new Lakhpati Didis. According to Government figures, over one crore Lakhpati Didis now earn more than Rs 1 lakh every year. Besides, the MUDRA loan has been increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. As regards empowerment of minorities and tribals, under the Prime Ministers Developed Tribal Village Campaign, as many as 63,000 tribal villages were approved to be developed, helping in improving the socio-economic status of five crore tribals. Furthermore, the Namaste scheme has been extended to include waste pickers along with sanitation workers, promoting their social and economic empowerment. The first 100 days focused on improving the ease of doing business, which included abolishing the angel tax and reducing corporate tax. The Government is also setting up Rs 1000-crore venture capital fund for space sector startups. An approval has also been given for the Gen-Next Support for Innovation Startups (GENESIS) programme to support startups in Tier-II and Tier-III cities, the statement said. On youth empowerment and skill development, the Prime Minister Modi-led NDA Government has announced a Rs 2 lakh crore-package to promote empowerment and skill development among the youth. The goal is to benefit 41 million youth over the next five years. The Government has also announced more than 15,000 new appointments, and first-time employees covered under EPFO, an incentive of up to Rs 15,000 will be provided in three instalments. In the health sector, the Ayushman Bharat Scheme has been expanded to include all citizens aged 70 and above under free insurance of up to Rs 5 lakh. Besides, 75,000 new medical seats have been added, which will help the healthcare system more effective and reduce dependence on foreign medical education, the statement said. Furthermore, the National Medical Commission is preparing a National Medical Register to create a centralised repository of doctors in the country. In a shocking development that has unleashed a massive controversy in Maharashtra, an MLA belonging to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Monday announced a bounty of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who chops the tongue of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the latters purported comments on reservations. In a video clip that has gone viral landing the BJP-led MahaYuti Government in an embarrassing situation, Shiv Sena (Shinde) MLA Sanjay Gaikwad said: While on foreign soil, Rahul Gandhi said that he wants to end reservations in India. This has exposed the Congress true face. Gandhis statement reveals his partys mindset that is inherently opposed to reservations. I will reward anyone who cuts off Rahul Gandhis tongue with Rs 11 lakh. In the Lok Sabha polls, they (the Congress) secured votes by spreading lies that the Constitution is in dangerBJP will change the Constitution and today in the United States he said that his party will put an end to reservations given by late Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Gaikwad, an MLA from Buldhana said. As was expected, the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) turned up the heat on Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP and Ajit Pawar of the NCP. Having found themselves on the defensive, Shinde, Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar had distanced themselves from Gaikwads statement. State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that he did not endorse or support Gaikwads statement. However, Bawankule said that he said that Indias first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had opposed the reservations on the ground that they would affect the countrys progress. On his part, State Congress President Nana Patole demanded that an offence must be registered against Gaikwad. The people are witnessing the goondashahi, hukumshahi and Talibanshahi of this Government, he said. Condemning Gaikwads statement, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar of the Congress and his counterpart from the Upper House, Ambadas Danve of Shiv Sena (UBT) slammed Gaikwad for his outlandish statement. The Shinde-led Shiv Sena is not even worthy of taking Rahul Gandhis name Gaikwad is nothing more than a traitor MLA from a stolen party (Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray, Wadettiwar said. Congress Legislative Party Leader Balasaheb Thorat said: Gaikwads statement against Gandhi mirrors the attitude of the assassins of Mahatma Gandhi.... The conspiracy to discredit Rahul Gandhi by putting words in his mouth will never succeed. Nobody dares to even touch Rahul Gandhis hair as crores of Congress workers are his protective shield. If there is even an iota of law left in the State, the Shinde Government should immediately take action against Gaikwad for his poisonous remarks, Thorat said. Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote on the micro-blogging site X, Prime sample of a gaddar, the blatant abuse of the elected post they hold to incite acts of violence against Rahul Gandhi. The disgraceful home Minister of Maharashtra will ignore any action and expecting anything from the traitor CM and his panaas khoke fauj is a joke! Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said that Avantika, the city of Baba Mahakal, is infinite. The city has always been known for its qualities, fame, and glory in every era. India is the worlds largest and glorious democracy, among whose three pillars, the judiciary is the main one, which increases our strength manifold like the justice of Maharaja Vikramaditya. Inspired by the justice and equality of Maharaja Vikramaditya, the Madhya Pradesh government is determined for the welfare of all sections. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav was addressing the Samtamurti Alankaran Samaroha organized at Ramanuj Kot Ashram in Ujjain on Sunday. Dharmacharya of Ramanuj Kot, Sant Swami Gadi Maharaj presented the Samtamurti Alankaran to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Supreme Court Judge GK Maheshwari. On this occasion, Peethadhishwar Swami Ranganathacharya Ji Maharaj of the Ashram and other Sants and Acharyas were present. Chief Minister Yadav said that Sanatan Dharma has taught to worship the Narayan in Nar (Man) itself and has considered Nar Seva as Narayan Seva. Our culture considers serving the poor and needy as a service to God. Human welfare is part of our moral education and values. God resides in both in Prakriti and Pravratti. Simhastha celebration is unique Chief Minister Dr. Yadav said that the Simhastha organized once in every 12 years is unique in itself. With the darshan of the Dharmacharya in the ceremony, one has darshan of God. Swami Ramanuj Ji Maharaj, through his supernatural philosophy, has shown the path of public service by connecting human beings along with preserving Sanatan Dharma. Despite the various challenges faced in society, Swamiji continued to spread the path of devotion. Justice Maheshwari said that equality is mentioned in our Sanatan culture along with Vedas and Puranas and also in our Constitution. The right to equality is the first human right in the Constitution of India. In the eyes of God, all are equal. A person who occupies an important position cannot be there without divine grace. God himself has chosen him in the public interest. That is why he should always remain engaged in the work of human service. Chief Minister Yadav also honored Peethadhishwar Swami Ranganathacharya Ji Maharaj and other religious leaders by presenting them with garlands and Angavastram. The Chief Minister flagged off an ambulance for citizens in the programme. BJP State President and former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi today gave detailed information about the Parivartan Yatra of BJP starting from 20 September. Marandi said that from 20 September to 3 October, BJP will take out Parivartan Yatra in all its 6 organizational divisions. He said that this yatra will cover a distance of 5400 km passing through more than 200 blocks in the entire state. The yatra will pass through all 81 assembly constituencies. There will be 80 welcome programmes and 65 public rallies in the yatra in which more than 50 prominent national and state leaders will participate. He said that the Parivartan Yatra of Palamu division will start from Banshidhar Nagar on 21 September and will conclude on 28 September. The journey of Hazaribagh division will start from Bhadrakali temple in Itkhori on 21 September and will conclude on 28 September. The journey of South Chotanagpur division will start from Amreshwar Dham in Khunti on 23 September and will conclude on 1 October. The journey of Santhal Pargana division will start from Bhognadih on 20 September and will conclude on 30 September. The journey of Dhanbad division will start from Jharkhandi Dham on 20 September and will conclude on 26 September. And the Parivartan Yatra of Kolhan division will start from Chitteshwar Dham Baharagora on 23rd September and will conclude on 2nd October. He said that for the last 5 years, the Thugbandhan government has hurt the self-respect, identity and identity of Jharkhand. The people of Jharkhand are known for their honesty, truth and hard work but the Hemant government has today defamed Jharkhand in the country and the world. Jharkhand has become known for loot, corruption and mountains of notes. He said that the Hemant government has not only looted the mines, minerals and land but also sacrificed the central government's Nal Jal Yojana and other welfare schemes to corruption. He said that this government has become the patron of Bangladeshi and Rohingya intruders. Due to the intruders, there has been an unexpected change in the demography of the state. The tribal population has decreased rapidly and the Muslim population has increased. He said that through the Parivartan Yatra, the public will demand answers with the slogans of Hemant Soren Jawab Do, 5 Saal Ka Hisaab Do. Co-convener of the Yatra, State General Secretary and Headquarters In-charge MP Dr Pradeep Verma and State Media In-charge Shiv Pujan Pathak were also present in the press conference. In a stellar performance at the TechQuest 4.0 quiz organized by Bhilai Steel Plant on Engineer's Day, the team from Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) emerged as champions. The team from BSL's Gas Utilities department, represented by Rishi Kant Gupta (AGM) and S. W. Kispotta (AGM), clinched the top spot, outshining 70 teams from across Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), including competitors from Rourkela, Durgapur, and Bhilai Steel Plants. Another Bokaro Steel Plant team, comprising Shubham Verma, Senior Manager, Contract Cell Works, and Rahul Ranjan Panda, Senior Manager, Hot Strip Mill (HSM), secured third place, making it a proud moment for BSL. Additionally, two more Bokaro teams, one led by Debrata Chowdhury, General Manager, HSM, and Janishar Imam, AGM (SIGS), and the other by Durga Prasad and Nayan Chakraborty (both OCT, DNW), reached the semi-finals, further underscoring Bokaro's strong technical prowess. TechQuest 4.0, featuring rounds on technical innovations, industry advancements, and general knowledge, was a testament to the intellectual caliber of SAIL employees. The chief guest, Anirban Dasgupta, Director-in-Charge of Bhilai Steel Plant, praised the participants and emphasized the role of such events in promoting technical excellence within SAIL. The quiz featured a wide range of thought-provoking questions, covering topics such as the development of the Sendzimir Mill (Z-mill) used in steel rolling, crowd-sourced weather monitoring systems, Zomato's weather union initiative, the invention of the coffee filter, and the significant economic impact of rust and corrosion, which amounts to a staggering USD 2.5 trillion globally.0 Notably Bokaro Steel Plants dominant performance at TechQuest 4.0 highlighted the team's dedication to innovation, continuous learning, and technical excellence. Anindita Mitra assumes charge as Secretary Cooperation Chandigarh: Senior IAS officer Anindita Mitra on Monday assumed the office of Secretary Cooperation and Managing Director The Punjab State Co-operative Bank. A 2007 batch IAS officer, Mitra has rendered services as DC SBS Nagar and Hoshiarpur, Director food and civil supplies, Director Public Relations and Commissioner Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh. After assuming the charge of office, she said that the focus will be to further strengthen the cooperative movement in the state. She said that there is a huge scope of well being of every strata of society especially the farmers and weaker section through the cooperative sector. Mitra said that no stone will be left unturned to fulfil this noble task under the visionary and dynamic leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. BJPs Sirsa candidate Rohtash Jangra withdraws; Party to 'support Gopal Kanda Sirsa: The Bharatiya Janata Party Sirsa candidate Rohtash Jangra on Monday said that he has withdrawn nomination for the constituency as the party has decided to extend support to Haryana Lokhit Party chief Gopal Kanda, sitting MLA from Sirsa. He had earlier extended support to the BJP government. "I have withdrawn my nomination. The decision has been taken in the interest of the state and the country. We have to ensure a 'Congress-mukt Haryana'," Jangra said. Asked if he had withdrawn in Kanda's favour, Jangra said, "Gopal Kanda has supported us (BJP) for five years. We have taken this decision for Sirsa's development." Last week, the BJP released its third and final list of candidates for the Haryana polls, in which the party fielded Jangra from Sirsa. The Indian National Lok Dal said on Thursday that it was extending support to Kanda in Sirsa. The INLD is contesting the assembly polls in alliance with the BSP. CM Saini accuses Cong of being involved in corruption & promoting nepotism Kaithal: Exhorting BJP workers and leaders to unite and work to bring the party back to power for the third consecutive term in the State, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday accused Congress of being deeply involved in corruption and promoting nepotism Saini addressed two Jan Ashirwad rallies one in Indri in support of party candidate Ram Kumar Kashyap, and second in Pundri in Kaithal district in support of partys candidate Satpal Jamba. Hooda ruled Haryana for ten years, but the decisions made in just 56 days of our government surpassed that entire period. This is just a trailer; after October 8, the entire picture will be released, said Saini. In Pundri, the CM highlighted his return to his family and his home in the constituency. Recalling the results of the 2019 election, Saini, who was an MP from Kurukshetra then, expressed gratitude to the people of Pundri for their support. 47 candidates in the fray for Gurgaons four Assembly seats; 15 withdraw nominations Gurugram: A total of 47 candidates are in the fray for four Assembly seats in the Haryana Assembly elections as 15 nominations were withdrawn on Monday, the last day of the withdrawal of nomination papers. Prominent among those in the fray for Gurgaon seat are BJP's Mukesh Sharma, Congress' Mohit Grover and Independent Naveen Goyal. Likewise, former minister and BJP candidate Rao Narbir Singh is from Badshahpur while Vardhan Yadav is from Congress. Similarly, BJP's Bimla Chaudhary is from Pataudi (SC) constituency, Congress' Parl Chaudhary. from Sohna assembly constituency and BJP Tejpal Tawar from Sohna seat, Congress Rohtas Khatana and others. According to a statement issued by the District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner Gurugram Nishant Kumar Yadav, 15 candidates withdrew their candidature in the office of respective returning officers in the district, leaving 47 candidates in the poll fray. Yadav said that election symbols have been allotted to the candidates who have filed nominations in all four Assembly constituencies of the district namely Pataudi, Badshahpur, Gurgaon and Sohna. Badshahpur constituency will see rapid development; Rao Narbir Singh Gurugram: BJP candidate from Badshahpur assembly constituency and former minister Rao Narbir Singh said that there is a great need to improve basic facilities all over Gurugram including Badshahpur. "Most of the government schools and hospitals here are in a bad condition. The weak hands leading Badshahpur during the last five years are responsible for these conditions. If the people of Badshahpur support him and send him to the assembly, then every government school in Gurugram will become a model school like a private school," he said. Rao Narbir Singh said that during the last 20 years, the condition of Gurugram has changed rapidly. The population here has exceeded 30 lakhs but the resources are still limited. The common man of Gurugram is still not able to get the full benefit of government facilities because the arrangements here have never been given proper attention. Singh, while explaining his plan, said that this time he wants to improve the system of government schools and government medical facilities. There are 827 government schools in Gurugram. To make all these government schools model schools, cooperation will be taken from multinational companies. There are more than 400 MNC offices here, with whose help the condition of every government school will be improved and made the best," he added. Apart from this, it is necessary to have four civil hospitals in the four corners of Gurugram. Congress criticizes AAP Govts half-term performance in Punjab Chandigarh: As the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab reaches the halfway point of its term, the Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday sharply criticized its performance, accusing it of failing to meet expectations and deliver on its promises. The law and order situation in Punjab has worsened since AAP took power. The states fiscal health is in crisis, and the government has not lived up to the hopes of the Punjabi people, Bajwa stated. He pointed to rising issues with drug abuse and a lack of progress on key promises, such as making Punjab drug-free and providing a promised Rs 1000 monthly stipend to women over 18. Bajwa also criticized AAP leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, for making unfulfilled promises. Despite claims of providing clean governance and combating corruption, AAP has been marred by corruption allegations involving several ministers and leaders, he added. He further noted widespread discontent among various societal groups, including farmers, laborers, and government employees, who have expressed dissatisfaction with the government's policies. Bajwa concluded that the AAP government has been ineffective in addressing these grievances and providing transparent governance. First Spiti Marathon on Sep 28-29 Chandigarh: For promoting sports and adventure in the Spiti region, the Indian Army in association with Team Snow Marathon will organize the first edition of Spiti Marathon on September 28 and 29. Entry in the marathon is free and nearly 1000 athletes from nook and corner of the country are expected to participate. Organizer Gaurav Schimer informed that the marathon will be organized in four categories. The 77 km long Spiti Avengers Challenge will be held from Kaza to Samdoh while the route for the 42 km full marathon will be Samdoh - Hurling - Samdo. The stretch of the 21 km half marathon is from Samdoh - Gyu - Samdoh. Apart from these, a 10 km fun run will also be organized. The Spiti Marathon will be the second big event in the tribal areas after the Snow Marathon Lahaul. Registrations are invited on www.spitimarathon.in Addressing party conclaves in Mhow and Indore on Sunday, Bharatiya Janata Party state unit chief and Khajuraho MP, Vishnudutt Sharma, exhorted party workers to bring an end to the politics of appeasement. In his address at the party meetings, held as part of the 'Sangathan Parv' organised by the party state unit, Sharma highlighted achievements of the Narendra Modi government at the center and lambasted the Congress for its policies. People have faith in Narendra Modi who works tirelessly to run in an era of prosperity for the country and its people," said Sharma. Launching a frontal attack on the Opposition party, he minced no words in criticising the Congress and blamed it for 'engaging in politics of deception, falsehood and appeasement.'Listing out objectives of the 'Sangathan Parv,' Sharma said that the series of events under the Parv are meant to strengthen the party in areas where it has remained weak. "This is not the time for responding to the politics of appeasement, we must all strive to bring it to an end,' he urged while exhorting party workers to devote themselves to membership drive and ensure that Indore division tops the list for inducting new party members. Describing the ongoing Sangathan Parv as the cornerstone of the party structure for years to come, he motivated partymen and women to focus on booths where the party is weak. Speaking on the program in Indore, organising general secretary of the party state unit, Hitanand Sharma said that workers must strive to earn a top of the table position for the Indore region just as they had during the cleanliness drive. Motivating party members to rise to the occasion, Sharma extolled on the virtues of being associated with the party."Being associated with the BJP contributes to personal development of people," said Sharma. He stressed the need for party workers to heed the call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ensure that young people emulate the example being set elsewhere in the country and join the party in large numbers. Expressing pride at being a member of the world's largest political party, Sharma told the gathering of his unflinching faith in party workers of the region. He said he had no doubts that partymen and women in Mhow will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the party goals were met and a true tribute was paid to Pandit Deendayal on his birth anniversary on September 25. Launching an attack on the Congress, Sharma urged the opposition party to stop indulging in lip-service and appeasement politics. "The political party that ruled the country for decades could not establish a law against triple talaq for Muslim women," he said. He reiterated that it was Modi who transformed the lives of Muslim women by freeing them from the clutches of patriarchy and ensured the abolition of Article 370 from the erstwhile northern state of Jammu and Kashmir. He credited these actions by the PM for ensuring that a large number of youth joined the party. On Farmer Membership Day, the state BJP chief welcomed a large number of farmers from Dhar and Mhow into the party fold. He highlighted farmer welfare initiatives of the Modi government and said that over 80 lakh farmers in the state receive Rs 6,000 annually through the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi. A delegation of the Uttar Pradesh Congress, led by state president Ajay Rai, on Monday met the family of the 20-year-old girl, who was allegedly gangraped inside the Ram Temple premises in Ayodhya. The victim works as a sweeper in the Ram temple of Ayodhya and is also a BA (final year) student. She was allegedly taken to three different places in the temple premises by the perpetrators and gangraped. The Congress delegation, led by Ajay Rai, reached the Gopinathpur village under Raunhi police station of Ayodhya district on Monday, met the family members of the victim and inquired about the details related to the incident. The party gave a cheque of Rs 25,000 as financial assistance. Talking to mediapersons after meeting the victims family, Rai said that the law and order situation has collapsed not only in Uttar Pradesh but also in all BJP-ruled states. Criminal incidents against women and girls are happening every day in the state, exposing the BJP governments women safety policy, he said. The Yogi government has failed to stop crimes against women. The criminals are going about their business without any restraint and it is a result of the administrations failure. The unsafe environment developing in the state is restricting the freedom and aspirations of our sisters and daughters, Rai alleged. He said that those in the government administration should be ashamed and seriously consider who is responsible for the safety of half the population of the country. The Congress will also stage a demonstration in all the 18 divisional headquarters of Uttar Pradesh to protest against the deteriorating law and order condition on Wednesday, he added. Dr. Avanendra Pratap aka Adisesha Acharya is a dynamic multifaceted personality, bridging science and spirituality. He is from Jharkhand, predominantly working in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He is an Mphil Research Scholar in Management and studied subjects like psychology. He is a passionate Socio-Spiritual activist and scholar having a vast knowledge and deep enthusiasm for ancient science, history, culture & anthropology, psychology & spirituality. In spite of having a Masters and Research degree in rural management, entrepreneurial background as well as studied subjects like Psychology, he has been researching and practicing Vedic sciences and chose Mantra Shastra, Vedic Jyotisha, Vastushastra and earned the honourable Sri Vidhya Vachaspati, Jyotisha Visharada, Jyotisha Praveena and many other prestigious titles in the respective field for his research, modern learning and contributions. Apart from practicing Vedic Science and Applied sciences & arts, exceptionally, he is also into composing music and tuning various Sanskrit hymns, Stotras & Shlokas. He is a staunch devotee of Adishakti and Rudra, completed all the four Dhams, visited eleven Jyotirlingas, several Shaktipeeths and Siddhapeeths, travelled to various religious places and visited temples throughout India. He believes, travelling is the foremost education. Astrologically, recently, he predicted and wrote an astrological brief on 29th June 2024 over the Saturn Retrogression period (29th June - 15th Nov 2024) and connection with Mars. According to his calculations & studies on Saturn Retrogression and Mars, he predicted this time, this period will prove to be highly impactful in masses and in mundane existence as there's going to be lots of Rebellion, Revolting and Protesting. After his prediction, it was noteworthy to actually witness: 1.) Anti-immigration Protests in the UK, in fact it's the worst riots happening in Britain, worst in 13 years. 2.) The sudden uprising and revolts in Bangladesh. 3.) Intense doctor's protests after the Kolkata Rape case. 4.) Massive protests in Thane, Maharashtra after the nursery girls sexual assaults. 5.) Big protest in the Udaipur stabbing incident. 6.) Mass protests against France's new prime minister. 7.) 9th September 2024, Massive protests by students in Manipur, stone pelting outside the governor's house. And; many other similar events throughout the world. Earlier, on 16th August 2021 he wrote and mentioned in his Facebook thread, briefing about the upcoming March 2022 as "War Head", and just four days before the commencement to the month of March i.e on 24th Feb 2022, The Russia-Ukraine war took place. In brief, he wrote and mentioned in his astrological terms, this time "As Rahu touches the Krittika Nakshatra, Rahu will try to corrupt this fire & weapon energy, but fire is a dominant being, it's not easy to dominate the fire, Hence War". According to his research and facts the birth star of Russian President Mr. Putin is also Krittika, ruled by Agni and warlord Kartikeya. Then once again on 1st February 2023, he wrote and mentioned "War Rise", between February to October/year end, highlighting the October month and on 7th October, another war took place between the Israel - Hamas. He also mentioned, "The world and people can be divided into two parts. We can see this in the Israel - Hamas conflict. Apart from the war, he also predicted natural disasters. On 2nd April 2022 he mentioned an exceptionally heavy earthquake this year, and on 17-18th Sep 2022 earthquakes in Taiwan with the noted 6.9Mv. On 3rd/16th November 2023, he wrote about the dangers nearby water bodies, boats/ships and fire related things, and on 19th Nov 2023 huge fire blasts at Vishakhapatnam fishing harbour, destruction of 43 fishing boats and overall estimated loss of 35 crores. On June 13th 2022, he wrote about the "Women Power" as per the nodes transit and stars, describing the signification of events with specific nakshatra regarding woman power & policy, interestingly during the same Nakshatra Transit on 25th july 2022 Smt. Droupadi Murmu was sworn in as the first Woman President of India. He also wrote a brief article on the Prime Minister Oath ceremony 2024 with in depth insights as per astrological parameters as that date and time was not suitable and should be changed, soon after, noteworthy, the oath ceremony date changed, and significations matched with his points and analysis. Dr. Avanendra is a passionate traveller-adventurer, having an immense respect for the nation, army & military, and strongly stands for social welfare activities providing his social service and support to several forums and with an UNGC body as a joint secretary. As a social activist, he was very active during the 2020 COVID crisis. His other hobbies are reading books, photography, music, driving, fitness, shooting & archery. Avanendra Pratap Sinharaj hails from Jharkhand, he comes from a noble family & academically strong background. He said, he chose a very different subjective interest because including his younger brother, he mainly has engineers and doctors in the family, mostly in the government services. His paternal side, all grandfathers served the army, so finally it was quite unusual and difficult to choose such a subject professionally. Talking about his mother, a retired govt. officer, as a great source of his energy and his maternal grandfather, a well known engineer of his time, as having great influence and inspiration upon him. He further credits him for sowing the seed of inclination towards spirituality and his paternal grandfather, an army man, for his passion for social welfare. Remembering his first Guru, Late Sri. Manoj Shastri Pandey, who gave him the ritualistic knowledge and guidance of Sri Devi Sadhana from a very early age. He says, he was an eminent scholar and gem of a person. Talking about his students, he says, I am very precise in making students & teaching, because it's about what's the purpose and with whom you're exchanging your teachings, knowledge and ideas. Dr. Avanendra Pratap alias Adisesha Acharya is a widely acclaimed scholar, bestowed with several National-International awards and appreciations. In 2021, he received the prestigious "Yuva Shri Samman" awarded by the golden hands of PadmaShri Dignitaries and Indian Govt. Secretaries in Mumbai, Maharashtra, for his research & contributions. He received several accolades and appreciations from Chief Justices, renowned dignitaries and respected scholars. However, he keeps himself quite a low profile in business and marketing aspects of astrology, and is very selective as well in choosing clients & cases, keeping the essence and dignity of this divine science & art. Students, couples, Govt. officials, politicians, corporates, working professionals, film & television, media houses vie for his time and have deep faith in his knowledge. Although, he's counseling clients all over the world, people from the U.S, France also visited his residence. He believes, We can't glorify the complexity, personal & serious issues of people. Astrology is a secret science and art. It's a divine subject, studied with the great parameters of dedication, honesty, privacy and secrecy. It is a psychological cosmic calculations, intuition based counselling with the Karmic actions of human life and mundane. Sometimes it affects our mental plane (Astrologers) as well because we are dealing with someone's deep hidden karmas, issues and desires. Similarly, Vastu is also the blueprint of our horoscope, whatever we do (Karma) in our house affects our birth chart, positively or negatively. He said, my own residential house consists of 14 rooms approx, for an experiment and research, every time I place something or certain activity in a specific room or place, I observe and experience a significant effect just after a few days. He further added, To be honest, astrology is not for business & sale, and at the same time the world is also totally globalised and commercial, but we should also maintain the dignity and secure the essence of this divine subject and wisdom of our ancient scholars & great sages. We can't market or sell everything for the sake of name-fame, money or glamour. India is a land of divinity, wisdom and visionaries, we call it Tapo-Bhumi, i.e the land of scholars & researchers. If someone wants to practice, there should be strong ethics, and at least some strict rules, conditions and regulations otherwise in the name of ancient science, superstitions and fear will be served more. On the other hand, the Jataka (client) should also respect the guru - shishya parampara and must understand the value of dakshina with proper fees for the hard work, time & dedication of an Acharya. Talking about the current transits, according to his astrological concepts and belief, this is the best time to do free service, donation & charity as well chanting mantras via rosary, because Ketu, the planet of "let go and deep spirituality" is transiting on Virgo in Hasta Nakshatra that symbolises "Hands" and Rahu in Pisces, itself the 12th sign of zodiac, that denotes charity & donations. The symbol of Pisces, "Two fishes in the opposite directions", defines, "whatever you will give to this cosmic, will come back to you". On failure and success, He simply says, Life is a lesson, you learn it when you fall and the moment you decide to stand up; you rise, you succeed. Currently, he's composing Stotras & ashtakams, as well as writing a book on Devi Tantra. As an astrologist, he mentions, "I am a lifetime student of this divine subject, the Cosmos is my divine tutor" Learn, Unlearn; Search, Research, Experience, Repeat... A looming threat of flash floods has gripped Jamshedpur as the water levels of both the Subernarekha and Kharkai rivers have risen sharply following 48 hours of incessant rainfall. Officials from the state water resources department confirmed that the Kharkai River has already breached the danger mark, while the Subarnarekha River is nearing it. Deputy Commissioner of East Singhbhum, Ananya Mittal, issued a public appeal urging residents in low-lying areas to remain vigilant. *People should stay away from the riverbanks and move to safer places as a precautionary measure,* Mittal said. A mobile public address system has been deployed to alert residents of the increasing water levels and the potential for flooding. Local MLA and state health minister, Banna Gupta, has also stepped in, instructing district authorities to monitor the situation closely. Gupta called on his party members to visit vulnerable areas and provide necessary assistance to affected residents. He urged officials to take swift action in areas most at risk of submersion. Rivers reach danger mark As of today, the Subarnarekha River is measured at 118.84 meters near Mango bridge, just below the danger level of 121.50 meters. Meanwhile, the Kharkai River at the Adityapur bridge site has slightly exceeded its danger level, with current readings at 129.07 meters. Further concerns arose after Odisha opened two sluice gates of a dam on the Kharkai River, exacerbating the situation. An alarm has been sounded across the Singhbhum-Kolhan region, and authorities are urging residents to evacuate if necessary. In response to the continuous rainfall, the radial gates at Dimna Lake were opened today to manage water levels. While the rain is a welcome sight for paddy farmers, agriculture scientists warned that maize and vegetable crops could face damage if the excess water isnt drained quickly. *Farmers must ensure that the crops are treated with proper doses of pesticides to prevent significant loss,* said an agricultural expert. The prevailing depression over Jharkhand has resulted in heavy to moderate rainfall across the region over the last 24 hours, with predictions indicating that the rains will continue today. However, meteorological forecasts suggest that weather conditions should improve by tomorrow, offering some relief to the region. Jamshedpur receives 101 mm of rainfall in 24 hours Jamshedpur: Heavy rains continued to wreak havoc across the city for the second consecutive day today, with many parts of the state recording substantial rainfall. Statistics revealed that Jamshedpur alone received 101 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, while other areas like Latehar and Chaibasa also reported significant downpours, measuring 106 mm and 67 mm, respectively. The persistent rainfall has led to severe waterlogging, particularly in low-lying areas, and has caused river water levels to rise dangerously. In West Singhbhum's Chaibasa, 67 mm of rainfall was recorded, while Bokaro saw 60 mm. Daltonganj received 52 mm, and the state capital, Ranchi, recorded 40 mm. Overnight rains have been reported from most areas of the Kolhan region. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the prevailing deep depression over Gangetic West Bengal is the cause behind the torrential rains. As of today, the depression lay centred about 60 km west of Kolkata, 110 km southeast of Bankura, 170 km east of Jamshedpur, and 270 km east-southeast of Ranchi. Moving westward across Gangetic West Bengal, it is expected to bring more heavy rains to Jharkhand before gradually weakening into a depression within the next 24 hours. A city court has sentenced a 53-year-old former staff of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital to rigorous imprisonment for five years for raping a differently-abled woman in October 2021. Additional Sessions Judge Aanchal was hearing arguments on sentencing against the man, who was earlier convicted under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 376 C (sexual intercourse by a person in authority). The woman had gone to the hospital to get her disability certificate and the accused while taking her X-ray inserted his finger into the victim's private parts causing injuries and partially rupturing her hymen, the prosecution said. In its verdict dated September 6, the court said, "It is the well-settled law that it is not possible to have any cut and dry formula relating to imposition of sentence but the object of sentencing should be to see that the crime does not go unpunished and the victim of crime as also the society has the satisfaction that justice has been done to and in imposing sentence." "It has not been the case that the convict had been in a state of mental stress or trauma or the offence was committed by him by any compulsion but the offence was committed by the convict breaching the privacy of the prosecutrix who was physically challenged," it added. The court, however, said that the aggravating circumstances needed to be balanced with the mitigating circumstances and the prospects of the convict getting reformed. "As on date, the convict is about 53 years in age. He has already lost his job from the hospital. He spent more than one year in custody during trial and nothing adverse to him was ever reported to this court and on his release on bail, he had been appearing regularly," the court said. It sentenced the convict to rigorous imprisonment (RI) for five years along with Rs 5,000 fine. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday heaved a sigh of relief after its four leaders in Mahendragarh and Rewari districts of Ahirwal withdrew their nomination papers. All of them were upset with the party for not being fielded in elections. Those who withdrew nominations included former Deputy Vidhan Sabha Speaker Santosh Yadav from Ateli, BJP Mahila Morcha district chief Bharti Saini from Narnaul, former Mahendragarh BJP district chief Shiv Kumar Mehta from Narnaul and former BJP Kisan Morcha state general secretary Rampal Yadav from Kosli (Rewari). Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had visited the area on Sunday to woo the rebels. He held a meeting with Bharti in Narnaul town and convinced her to withdraw her nomination. The CM also met BJP veteran Ram Bilas Sharma at his residence. However, Sharma had already announced to respect the partys decision of fielding its former district chief Kanwar Singh Yadav in his place from Mahendragarh. Saini is not only a CM, but also the top leader of my community hence I today withdrew my nominations in his respect, said Bharti. Santosh Yadav was one of the strong aspirants for the BJP ticket from Ateli where the party has fielded Arti Singh Rao, daughter of Minister Rao Inderjit Singh. Enraged by the decision, Santosh not only resigned from the party, but also filed papers as an Independent from there. I have withdrawn my nomination on my own. However, senior BJP leaders also contacted me for it, Santosh said. Similarly, Shiv Kumar Mehta was vying for the BJP ticket from Narnaul. He resigned from the post of member of the state executive immediately after the party announced to field sitting MLA Om Prakash Yadav. I have withdrawn my nomination on behalf of the people of the Narnaul Assembly constituency. I will decide on my role in the elections after discussing it with my supporters, said Mehta. In Rewari, BJP rebel Rampal Yadav withdrew his nomination from Kosli where the saffron party has fielded Anil Dahina, a loyalist of Minister Rao Inderjit Singh. People talk about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's journey by road more than his attack on the present dispensation here in the state. They marvel at Jharkhand police doing it at the shortest notice. The PM covered around 256 kms of journey by road that too in a highly inclement weather in Jharkhand on September 15. He went to Jamshedpur from Ranchi airport by road covering around 128 kms and got back to Ranchi airport traversing the same distance. Never in the travel history of any Prime Minister of India such a long road journey and that too in the worst of weather was ever undertaken by any of the Prime Ministers. DGP Jharkhand Anurag Gupta and his team were right on the job. The plan B journey by road was ready in advance. The 'Home Work' for the PM's journey by road was just given a final go and things began to roll down to the precision. Road opening plans were put in place already. Six companies of the Central Armed Police Force were out. Anti naxal ops were intensified. Police officers of the rank of the ADG to DIG to SSP to SP were pressed in to monitor and oversee the minutest of the minute things. As usual which happens ahead of every VVIP's programme here in Jharkhand security concerns and other preparedness are overseen and monitored by ADG Jh (Ops) Dr Sanjay Anandrao Lathkar and senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal. Sources said the two Lathkar and Amitabh (known by his first name) were already stationed in Jamshedpur ahead of PM's programme on September 15 keeping eyes on everything that was happening there. Sources said the two when learnt of the PM reaching Jamshedpur by road, knew 'It's time to be on the NH. They did it. When these two bigwigs were so out in the rains, others followed the suit with more energy and efficiency.' Sources said Lathkar and Amitabh just looked for it and when they saw things going smoothly they grew confident of having PM's journey by road all in peace and comfort of the VVIP. This correspondent spoke to the ADG (Ops) Lathkar who said "It was a great team work. Everyone did a big job. Rains couldn't dampen our spirit." Amitabh Kaushal on being contacted said "Everyone was very sincere about what he was to do and how best to do. And all did extremely well." Sources said had there been any little fiasco, Jharkhand police would not have been able to do any damage control exercise. Two big things emerged from this PM's journey by road. One for the BJP, which got a shot in the arm. It was like a soothing political stimulant to the BJP. The second was ostensibly and obviously to the Jharkhand police which will be known and recognized by other states for its meticulous and clinically precise arrangements for a 256 km total journey by road of the PM that too in weather most hostile. A 32-year-old man drowned after falling into an open drain in northeast Delhi Bhajanpura area. According to the police on Monday, the incident occurred in the Bhajanpura area at 6.08 am on Sunday, when Harish Baisla was returning home. DCP North east Jimmy Chiram said, A PCR Call was received on Sunday at 06:08 am regarding a boy falling in a drain. It was found that Harish Baisla, 32 years old, had fallen down inside an open drain near AB Block Bhajanpura and had drowned. Police teams reached the spot upon receiving information about the incident. The body was taken out of the drain with the help of locals and rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, the DCP added. Harish was married and was survived by his wife and one child. We have launched further investigation into the matter," said the officer. Sources in the police said that Harish was out with his friends to celebrate one of his friend's birthday and while returning home early morning he failed to spot the drain. "His father Yogender Kumar also works with Delhi Police," said the source. Baisla worked as a private operator in Khajuri Khas Police Station for the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS). Amidst tensions between religious groups over the Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi processions, particularly in Bareilly, Kanpur, and Sambhal, the festival celebrating the birth of Prophet Mohammed was observed with a mix of both peaceful and contentious incidents across Uttar Pradesh. In Lucknow, the festival was marked by around 200 processions, which were accompanied by langars (community meals) arranged at various points along the routes. Police were stationed at multiple locations to ensure the safety and security of participants and spectators. Similarly, in Varanasi, the atmosphere was vibrant with 60 religious groups presenting Naatiya kalaam, a poetic genre in praise of the Prophet. Despite these peaceful celebrations, several violent incidents marred the festivities. In Shahjahanpur, a tragic accident occurred when a DJ setup on a tractor-trolley came into contact with an electric wire. This incident resulted in three individuals suffering severe burns, with one of them succumbing to injuries. In Bahraich, a different kind of tragedy unfolded. Two youths on a motorcycle, transporting firecrackers for the procession, hit a dog. The accident caused the firecrackers to explode, leading to severe burns for one of the riders, who later died. In Kanpur, the Gadanpur Chursa locality in Bilhaur witnessed a significant confrontation. Local villagers halted the procession due to objections over the slogans being chanted and the Islamic flags being flown. They asserted that such a procession had never used this route before. The situation escalated until the police intervened, diffusing the tension by halting the processions progress and dispersing those trying to create trouble. In Sambhal, another contentious situation arose when the police stopped a procession due to the presence of a DJ. The decision led to a confrontation with Suhail, the son of Samajwadi Party MLA Iqbal Mohammed. Suhail objected to the polices actions, leading to a standoff. Eventually, the police clarified that the DJ could not be part of the procession, and the event proceeded peacefully after the DJ was removed. Bareilly experienced its share of disputes as well. On the evening of the festival, a group of Hindus blocked the Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession, claiming that Muslims had previously obstructed their Kanwar Yatra. The tension was further exacerbated by the refusal of local Hindus to allow the procession to pass through the Joginwada area. The authorities intervened, negotiating with the heads of the anjumans to plan an alternative route. After considerable negotiation, the procession was rerouted through Maurya Gali in Joginwada. However, this new route also faced opposition from local Hindus, who were displeased by the rerouting decision. The situation was eventually resolved late into the night, with the procession allowed to proceed on the newly designated route. Congress Legislature Party Leader and the State Finance Minister Dr Rameshwar Oraon today said on the JMM-Congress alliance that there will be no benefit in increasing or decreasing seats in the assembly elections. If the agreement that was made between the two parties last time, that is JMM and Congress, is successful, then both the parties will benefit. The Congress leader further said, there is a need to think about how many seats will be given to RJD. He said that the alliance will be followed only when all the parties respect each other's political sentiments. India Alliance has presented a great example of this. On the allegations of BJP, Jharkhand minister Oraon said, "One should speak by giving examples of loot ka den. We are running the government honestly. We are spending for the welfare of the people." Let us tell you that recently BJP had accused the Hemant Soren government of Jharkhand of being dishonest towards the tribals and natives. Oraon was responding to these allegations in the press. Meanwhile, former Working President of the State Congress Committee, Bandhu Tirkey said in a press conference Maiya Sammelan will be organized on September 22nd in the Janata Maidan of ITI Bus Stand Bajra. Addressing the media persons Tirkey said that in the last four and a half years, the number of programs being run in the interest of the public in the Mahagathbandhan government and the number of people benefiting from it, in view of that, Maiya Sammelan is being organized in honor of the Chief Minister and Congress leaders. Thousands of women from 15 assembly constituencies will participate in this conference, in which women from Latehar, Manika, Lohardaga, Gumla, Bishanpur, Sisai, Simdega, Kolebira, Khunti, Mandar, Ranchi, Kanke, Hatia, Khijri, Kolebira, Torpa, Koderma assembly will participate. Apart from this, women associated with the State Women Congress and other social organizations will also participate. Through this conference, women working at the assembly level will also be honored. Through this, preparations will be made by discussing the role and participation of women in the upcoming assembly elections as well as boosting their morale, said Tirkey. BJP State President Babulal Marandi has again attacked the Hemant Government today. He has asked the Hemant Government what happened to the promise of 5 lakh Government jobs, and what happened to the unemployment allowance. Hemant Soren, the time has come to give an account of the false promises you made to the public. You will have to answer to the public for the misgovernance of your 5 years of rule. Otherwise, the public will ask for an account of this in the elections. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday described Pakistan as a cancer to humanity, a festering wound for the world that can only be treated through a surgical intervention. Yogi was addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Siddheshwari temple, with Tripura counterpart Dr Manik Saha also in attendance. CM Yogi remarked that if the Congress leadership at the time of independence, along with Jogendra Nath Mandal, had thwarted the conspiracy of the Muslim League, this wound would never have formed. He further said that Pakistans resolution requires action, and the process has already begun. Now, the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir wish to join India, and Balochistan is also seeking independence from Pakistan, he said. On a different note, CM Yogi said, Saints act as divine representatives on Earth. When such a significant number of saints unite for any cause, success is inevitable. He urged that the campaign for religious awakening must be carried forward under their guidance. Yogi stressed the importance of working collectively to ensure that destructive forces are not given a foothold, emphasising the need to eliminate such powers to prevent a situation like Bangladesh from occurring again. He added that both nation and religion must be safeguarded. The strength and unity of the rulers in Tripura kept the state independent and secure. The king protected Tripura from heretics and foreign invaders by uniting the people, Yogi said. He stated that a nation or leader who demonstrates power and makes their enemies aware of it will remain safe. However, those who lose their strength and fail to distinguish between friends and foes will face consequences, as seen in Bangladesh today, he added. It is vital to reflect on the current situation in Bangladesh and those responsible for it. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) foresaw the dangers posed by the Congress, recognising that if the country continued to fall victim to Congresss misdeeds, it would lead to the partition of India, the massacre of Hindus, and the division of society along caste lines. The Congress would erode Indias traditions and culture for its selfish interests. The warnings of the RSS proved true, as the Congress ultimately partitioned the country, Yogi said. He emphasised that the resistance during the 1905 Bengal Partition was pivotal, and everyone knows what could have happened to the country without that opposition. CM Yogi also highlighted that the RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) engage in selfless service without resorting to propaganda. He further stated that today, the RSS operates thousands of educational institutions and service initiatives worldwide through Vidya Bharati. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad runs Ekal Vidyalayas in over one lakh villages in tribal areas across India. In 1984, the VHP also established a tribal hostel in Gorakhpur through the Shri Ram Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, providing education for children from the North East. According to CM Yogi, Indias time has come, and under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the nation is on its way to becoming a global power. CM Yogi noted that the five-century-long wait ended with the construction of the grand temple of Lord Shri Ram in Ayodhya. While some may oppose the temples construction, there is little that can be done about those who feel discontented. The government is respecting the faith of the majority of Indians. Ayodhya, Mathura, and Kashi are the three major pillars of Sanatan Dharma, and these sacred places will continue to flourish as revered centres of faith, he said. Sanatan Dharma advocates for the well-being of all (Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah), but this can only be achieved when the nation remains secure, he added. Yogi stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the entire nation is united in the mission of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. Today, Tripura enjoys a safe and harmonious environmentsomething that was unimaginable seven or eight years ago, he pointed out. He noted that while the double-engine government is accelerating the comprehensive development of Tripura, the state is also experiencing significant progress in the realm of religion. In the past, riots were common during festivals in both Tripura and Uttar Pradesh. However, today in Uttar Pradesh, the government has given bulldozers as a reply to the rioters and the temple of Lord Shri Ram to the devotees, he added. He emphasised the importance of protecting ones faith, quoting, Dharma Eva Hato Hanti Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah (if we safeguard our religion, it will, in turn, protect us). Conversely, if we forsake our religion for selfish gain, it will abandon us as well. Yato Dharmastato Jayah (where there is righteousness, there is victory) is a fundamental principle of Sanatan Dharma, he noted. CM Yogi described the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Maa Siddheshwari and the temple inauguration as a significant moment for all. He recalled that Pujya Sant Shantikali Maharaj initiated the ashrams legacy in 1994. Chitranjan Maharaj has been carrying forward his vision with unwavering dedication, which is why the Government of India has honoured him, Yogi said. The Uttar Pradesh CM also invoked the image of Lord Krishna, who holds both a flute and the Sudarshan Chakra. He explained that while the flute symbolises peace, the Sudarshan Chakra represents the need for strength and security. Following the inauguration, he planted saplings on the temple premises and participated in the Maha Yagya, offering sacrifices and praying for the welfare of the people. This newly built temple in Barkathal is part of the network of 24 temples managed by the Shanti Kali Ashram in the northeastern region. Maharaja Chitta Ranjan Deb Barma, head of the Shanti Kali Ashram, has been dedicated to preserving Hindu culture, traditions, and religion. He was honoured with the Padma Shri award last year for his contributions. Delhi Police arrested three men for allegedly smuggling stolen mobile phones to Bangladesh, officials on Monday said. Police said that with their arrest, 10 theft cases registered in Delhi were cracked, and 60 high-end mobile phones were recovered from their possession.The arrested accused have been identified as Morjen Hossain (35), Mithu Sekh (28), and Mohammad Asik (26), police said. Police said investigations revealed that stolen mobile phones were being smuggled out of India to countries like Bangladesh, where these mobile phones were sold in the grey market. "A tip-off was received that three suspects Morjen Hossain, Mithu Sekh and Asik were carrying a large quantity of stolen mobile phones. A team was formed and they were nabbed from a rented house in the New Seemapuri area," Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) Rakesh Paweriya said. Hossain and Mithu Sekh allegedly revealed that they purchased stolen mobile phones from their associates named Rihaan and Sakir from Seemapuri and further supplied these stolen mobile phones to their associate named Masoom in West Bengal, police said. "These stolen mobile phones are further sold in Bangladesh. Accused Mohammad Asik had come to take the delivery of these phones," he said, adding they have already supplied around 800 to 900 mobile phones in Bangladesh so far. Police said that accused Hossain was arrested by the NIA in connection with smuggling of counterfeit Indian currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denominations from Pakistan through the India-Bangladesh borders and after coming out of jail, he allegedly started dealing in stolen mobile phones. Protests erupted at the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University on Monday after following the suicide of a 25-year-old student who was recently expelled by the university administration. Gautam Kumar, a first-year MBA student, allegedly committed suicide by jumping from the seventh floor of his hostel building on Sunday. He was a native of Vaishali in Bihar and was enrolled at the IP University main campus in Dwarka Sector-16, Southwest Delhi. He was expelled for allegedly consuming alcohol and narcotic substances in his hostel room along with five other students. Amid the protests, the university administration has 'relieved' hostel warden Rakesh Kumar of his duties, IP University registrar Kamal Pathak told PTI. Hundreds of students gathered outside the Vice-Chancellor's office, holding a sit-in to demand justice for the deceased.They carried posters reading "Justice for Gautam" and "Don't Let the Suicide Note Disappear" and chanted slogans calling for accountability from the university. Protesters also demanded the resignation of Rakesh Kumar, accusing him of expelling the students without conducting a proper investigation. As per the expulsion order dated September 14, Gautam and five other students were removed from hostel residency for consuming alcohol and narcotic substances. The order prohibited them from entering the hostel premises and directed them to vacate their rooms by 2 pm on September 15. Police teams were stationed outside the Vice-Chancellor's office and university officials were seen attempting to de-escalate the situation. According to students, he was distressed after being expelled following a birthday party celebration in the hostel. Over the past two and a half years, Punjab Police on Monday claimed to have made remarkable strides in combating drug trafficking, gang-related crime, and terrorism. Since March 16, 2022, the force claimed to have arrested a staggering 39,840 individuals involved in drug smuggling, including 5,856 major traffickers. The police have also filed 29,152 FIRs, with 3,581 related to commercial quantities of drugs. Their relentless efforts have led to the seizure of 2,546 kg of heroin, 2,457 kg of opium, 1,156 quintals of poppy husk, and 4.29 crore pharmaceutical opioids. Additionally, the police have recovered Rs 30.83 crores in drug money. Punjab Polices vigilance extended beyond drug enforcement. Since the beginning of this operation, they have neutralized 45 terror modules, leading to the arrest of 272 terrorists and the recovery of 34 rifles, 303 revolvers and pistols, 14 hand grenades, and 290 drones. In their efforts to curb the illegal use of technology, the police have blacklisted 1,663 IMEI numbers, blocked 475 mobile numbers, and shut down 6,500 social media accounts associated with criminal activities. Tackling Organized Crime and Gangsters The state Inspector General of Police (IGP), Headquarters, Sukhchain Singh Gill highlighted the Punjab Police's significant progress in combating gang-related crime. He informed that the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) has dismantled 508 gangsters or criminal modules, apprehended 1,420 gangsters, and neutralized 12 criminals during this period. They have also seized 1,337 weapons and 294 vehicles used in criminal activities. The AGTF's efforts have led to the recovery of 56.7 kg of heroin and Rs 4.05 crores in drug money. The results of our concerted efforts are a testament to the dedication and hard work of our police personnel, said the IGP, adding, We are committed to ensuring that every criminal network is dismantled, and every individual involved in these heinous activities is brought to justice. Strategic Approach to Drug Eradication Punjab Government, led by the Aam Aadmi Partys Government, has adopted a three-pronged strategy Enforcement, Prevention, and Rehabilitation to tackle the drug menace. The police have focused on enforcement by conducting regular raids and laying nakas at vulnerable routes. The prevention aspect includes promoting awareness about Section 64-A of the NDPS Act, which offers rehabilitation opportunities for minor drug offenders. So far, 295 individuals caught with small quantities of drugs have chosen to undergo rehabilitation under this provision. In addition, the police have implemented a special drive to arrest Proclaimed Offenders (POs) and absconders in NDPS cases, with 2,378 such individuals apprehended since the strategy's inception. Continued Efforts and Future Outlook Since the start of 2024, the Punjab Police have continued their rigorous efforts, arresting 8,789 drug smugglers and suppliers. They have filed 6,439 FIRs, including 825 related to commercial drug trafficking. The recent seizures include 628 kg of heroin, 796 kg of opium, 324 quintals of poppy husk, and 2.83 crores of pharmaceutical opioids. Additionally, Rs 10.32 crores in drug money has been confiscated. The comprehensive approach adopted by the Punjab Police underscored their commitment to eradicating drug trafficking and organized crime. Their proactive measures and relentless drive to dismantle criminal networks continue to make a significant impact on public safety and security. We are steadfast in our mission to eradicate drugs and criminal activities from Punjab, IGP Gill emphasized. Our efforts will persist until we have a safe and secure environment for all citizens. Man on a Mission: Kiran Vermas unstoppable walk for blood donation awareness Monika Malik/Chandigarh Kiran Verma, a 39-year-old former marketing professional, has taken on a challenge that most would consider unimaginable walking across India with the aim of saving lives. On December 28, 2021, Verma set out from Thiruvananthapuram to raise awareness about the critical need for blood donations. His journey, which has already spanned over 21,250 kilometers, is the worlds longest walk for blood donation awareness, covering 24 states and Union Territories. Vermas mission is ambitious but clear By December 31, 2025, no one in India should die waiting for blood, he said. The roots of Vermas campaign can be traced back to the COVID-19 pandemic. Voluntary blood donations in India had plummeted over the past three years, leaving hospitals and blood banks struggling to maintain adequate supplies. Witnessing the crisis during the 2021 plasma shortage, Verma was moved to act. I saw people dying because there wasnt enough blood. It was heart-wrenching, Verma recalled. Determined to make a difference, he left behind his marketing career in 2016, dedicating himself entirely to promoting blood donation. What began as a personal mission has since evolved into a nationwide movement. Vermas walk has taken him across 270 districts, meeting more than two million people personally along the way. His message has reached students, corporate professionals, government officials, and local communities, urging them to donate blood and save lives. His goal is to inspire five million new blood donors by the end of 2025 a target he believes is achievable with continued awareness and dedication. Vermas walk has already borne fruit. His efforts have led to the organization of 150 blood donation camps throughout India, where more than 31,000 units of blood have been collected. An additional 14,000 units have been donated by individuals who were motivated by Vermas campaign. In total, over 45,000 donations have been made as a direct result of his awareness drive, a significant step toward addressing the countrys blood shortage. Vermas journey hasnt been without its personal challenges. Despite never having trained for such an arduous physical task, he has persevered, driven by the stories he heard along the way. Every inspiring story about blood donation keeps me going, Verma explained. His resilience is also bolstered by the support of his family his wife and son, who have stood by him throughout this mission. Im not an athlete. Ive never been into sports. But this walk isnt about physical strengthIts about heart and determination, he said. Along the way, Verma has achieved numerous milestones. On June 19, 2023, he set a unique record by crossing three countries India, Bangladesh, and Nepal on foot in a single day through the Siliguri Corridor. His journey has also brought him into the public eye, including an appearance on the The Kapil Sharma Show in April 2023, where he shared his story with millions of viewers. On September 15, 2022, he inaugurated a blood bank in Hyderabad named after former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna PV Narasimha Rao, built by the statesmans grandchildren. Vermas walk crossed Chandigarh, and moved over to Punjab via Mohali, as he continued to spread his life-saving message across the border state. Despite the staggering distance he has covered, Verma remained undeterred, focused on his goal of ensuring that Indias blood banks will never run dry again. This is more than just a walk its a mission to save lives, he said. Two young women died after a speeding BMW car rammed into their two-wheeler in Indore on Sunday, the driver of the vehicle is absconding. The accident, in the vicinity of Mahalaxmi Maidan, took place when the BMW being driven on the wrong side of the road collided with the scooter the young women were riding. The deceased, identified as Diksha Singh and Lakshmi Singh when a high-speed BMW car, coming from the wrong side, collided with the scooter on which the two girls were riding. The young women, who were on their way home at the time of the crash, were rushed to the hospital where they breathed their last. Eyewitnesses say after ramming into the girls the car swerved and hit an electricity pole before coming to a halt. The Chandigarh registered vehicle has been confiscated and efforts are underway to nab the errant driver.High speed vehicles have become synonymous with crashes since similar accidents have been reported from various parts of the country over the last decade. Meanwhile in a separate incident on Sunday morning, one man died and another was grievously injured when a speeding car rammed into them in the Jahangirabad area of the state capital.The friends, identified as Sohail and Fareed, were in their way home after having tea in the Kaziq Camp area of the city. While Fareed was killed on the spot, Sohail is undergoing treatment at a hospital.Police say they are checking CCTV camera images to identify and nab the driver who fled after dragging the deceased for nearly 20 feet. The United Malayalee Association (UMA) celebrated Onam 2024 with a variety of events, which took place on Sunday, September 15, 2024, at the S.N. Mission Hall, Subhash Nagar, Bhopal. The festivities provided an exuberant homage to the rich cultural tapestry of the Malayalee community, drawing residents together for an evening filled with exceptional performances and heartfelt camaraderie. The evening unfolded with a vibrant cultural showcase that captivated the audience from start to finish. The event was a testament to the community's artistic flair and commitment to preserving their cultural heritage while embracing contemporary expressions. The festivities began with a dazzling performance by Kalanjali, Bhopal, known for their dynamic integration of traditional and modern dance forms. Their captivating choreography and spirited performances set an electrifying tone for the evening, blending the essence of traditional artistry with the vibrancy of contemporary dance. The audience was enchanted by their creative expression and the energy they brought to the stage. Following this, the Prathibhalaya Arts Academy, Bhopal, took the stage with a series of classical arts performances that brought an air of sophistication and grace to the event. Their meticulous and elegant presentations offered a profound appreciation of classical art forms, demonstrating the depth and cultural significance embedded in these traditional practices. T Natyashri, another esteemed participant, delivered a series of performances that seamlessly blended traditional and modern elements. Their engaging and lively acts resonated deeply with the audience, showcasing the diverse artistic spirit of the community. Natyashris performances were a reflection of the communitys ability to innovate while honoring its roots, providing a memorable experience that delighted all in attendance. Musical performances were a central highlight of the evening, showcasing the rich musical heritage of the Malayalee people. The variety of genres and styles presented underscored the musical diversity within the community, with each performance receiving enthusiastic applause. The musical segment of the event was a vibrant celebration of the communitys artistic talents, demonstrating their deep connection to their musical traditions. Earlier King Mahabali was accorded a Grand and Traditional welcome with the accompaniment of ChendaMelam alongside girls in Kerala holdingThalappoli (Diya with flower petals), it was truly a majestic reception. This was followed by one of the most cherished moments of the evening -Thiruvathira Dance, a traditional Onam ritual that holds a special place in the festival's celebrations. Performed with precision and passion, the Thiruvathira Dance illustrated the cultural significance of this beloved tradition, infusing the event with a festive and authentic Onam spirit. The performance was a beautiful representation of the cultural practices that define the Onam festival. At the end a skit vividly brought the importance of caring and sharing in family life, with some emotional scenes. O.D Joseph, President , UMA in his welcome address, emphasized that the true relevance of Onam in today's life lies not only in following traditions but in incorporating the essence of the festival into our daily lives. He said the association recently celebrated its 40th anniversary with a grand Kerala Fest, showcasing the rich cultural tapestry of Kerala, offering the people of Bhopal a deep insight into the state's traditions and heritage." Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST-24) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on Monday. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will also attend it. Yadav will share the work being done in the field of clean and green energy in Madhya Pradesh. The states of Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Telangana, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh are actively participating in this summit. This year the major international partners of the summit also include countries like Australia, Denmark, Germany and Norway. RE-INVEST Summit is a flagship programme of the Government of India to showcase India's renewable energy potential to the world and attract investment in the sector by initiating multilateral dialogue. It is a platform to bring together global investors, developers, manufacturers and innovators in the field of renewable energy. The programme aims to boost the development and deployment of renewable energy in India and connect Indian energy stakeholders with the global investment community. The first RE-Invest India was held in 2015 and the second in 2018 and the third RE-Invest India in 2020. RE-Invest India has been successful in attracting a large number of participants from India and abroad. Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said Vande Bharat Express trains have become very popular among travellers ever since the first service was launched in 2019. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for starting a new Vande Bharat Express train from Nagpur, his hometown and Lok Sabha constituency in eastern Maharashtra. The Minister for Road Transport and Highways was addressing a gathering at the flagging off ceremony of the Nagpur-Secunderabad Vande Bharat express, a fully air-conditioned semi-high-speed train offering superior passenger amenities and safety. It was among half a dozen Vande Bharat Express trains virtually flagged off by PM Modi from Ahmedabad. Gadkari noted that Vande Bharat trains have become very popular among people ever since the first semi-high-speed train was launched in February 2019. The senior BJP leader said he had been demanding a Vande Bharat Express train from Nagpur and the Railway ministry has accepted his request, terming it as a big achievement for the city, the second capital of Maharashtra. Speaking on the occasion, Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan said Modi's vision was to modernize the Railways. Railway platforms in India are becoming clean like those in Europe and more and more Vande Bharat Express trains, offering upgraded passenger amenities, enhanced speed and safety features, should be started for smooth commuting of passengers, he emphasised. In the wake of several controversial statements by ruling alliance leaders targeting Rahul Gandhi, the Congress on Monday said "hate-filled minions" making such remarks were the "real terrorists" who belong in jail. The opposition party alleged that "violent statements" were being made against the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah with their "complete political patronage". The opposition party's accusations came after Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad announced that he will give Rs 11 lakh to anyone chopping off Gandhi's tongue for his remarks on scrapping the reservation system. Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on Sunday said if those "manufacturing bombs" were supporting Gandhi, he is the "number one terrorist". Earlier, BJP leader Tarvinder Singh Marvah had purportedly made "threatening" remarks against Gandhi. Asked about these remarks by leaders of the ruling alliance, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said there have been multiple incidents of "absolutely disgusting remarks" being made against Gandhi. "Who is Rahul Gandhi, he is a five-term elected MP, he is the leader of Opposition in India's democracy. How can such statements replete with violence be tolerated? "Why must I not say that if the members of the BJP and their alliance partners are resorting to these violent statements, this is happening at the behest of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, this has your complete political patronage," Shrinate said at a press conference at the AICC headquarters here. "Why I must not say that you (Modi and Shah) are the ones asking them to make these statements. Rahul Gandhi cares two hoots about these statements," she added. she said Gandhi is going to take all it takes to raise the voice of the people, to empower people, to talk about unemployment, high prices, income inequality and actually expose them on the Adani scam. "He is going to do all it takes to keep the country united, whether it is walking from Kanyakumari to Kashmir or take the journey from Manipur to Mumbai... He does not care but we do. We certainly ask Narendra Modi and Amit Shah as how do these rabid elements make statements like these and get away with it," she added. In an apparent swipe at Bittu, who joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Shrinate said the reality is that some of the turncoats who are making these statements are absolutely "shameless" because they have got to prove loyalty to the BJP. "But guess what, if you were not loyal to us they are not going to trust you there," Shrinate said, adding, "How are these hate-filled minions able to talk like this? These are the real terrorists. Their place is in jail," the Congress leader said. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $131.5 million loan to enhance a crucial railway line in Azerbaijan, aiming to boost regional connectivity, Azernews reports, citing information from the ADB website. The funding will support the rehabilitation of approximately 166 kilometers of the double-track SumgaitYalama rail line, including its civil structures and level crossings. This loan serves as additional financing for the Railway Sector Development Program, which was initially approved in 2017 to improve railway operations in Azerbaijan. ADB Director General for Central and West Asia, Yevgeniy Zhukov, emphasized, Upgrading and modernizing rail service will enable Azerbaijan to provide safer, cheaper, and more energy-efficient transport. At the same time, it will help Azerbaijan optimize its strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. The project aligns with the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program's transport strategy, which aims to foster regional economic development through improved rail and multimodal infrastructure and the commercialization and reform of railway activities. Under the Railway Sector Development Program, Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) implemented significant reforms between 2018 and 2019, enhancing its financial stability and management. Since then, ADY has continued to improve its operational and financial performance, with freight transport increasing by 34% from 14 million tons to 18.7 million tons between 2018 and 2022. Notably, more than 80% of this freight is international or transit traffic. In addition to its support for railway development, ADB is assisting Azerbaijans Presidency of COP29 through capacity building ahead of the landmark United Nations climate summit set to be held in Baku in November. Since Azerbaijan's membership began in 1999, ADB has committed over $5 billion in sovereign and private sector assistance across various sectors, including transport, energy, healthcare, and agriculture. As Asia and the Pacifics climate bank, ADB remains dedicated to fostering a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable region while working to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, ADB is owned by 68 members, with 49 from the region. (): Military leaders from the US and China met in Beijing for routine talks that only resumed in January after being suspended for two years as ties between the two countries soured. The meetings ended on Sunday and officials discussed ongoing issues such as Taiwan, the Russia-Ukraine war and clashes in the South China Sea. Michael Chase, deputy assistant secretary of defence for China, Taiwan and Mongolia led a delegation to engage in the bilateral Defence Policy Coordination Talks, which were last held in January. While the talks werent expected to resolve long-standing differences in stances over issues ranging from South China Sea claims to Taiwan, the US has continued to push for the discussions as a way to avoid conflict. The meetings were held after Chase attended the Xiangshan forum in Beijing, a defence forum that is Chinas answer to the Shangri-La Dialogue. Communication between the two militaries broke off in 2021, as US-China tensions ratcheted up over widening differences on issues such as Taiwans sovereignty, the origin of COVID-19 and economic issues. Beijing has ignored US requests to engage in the past, especially over intercepts between US and Chinese aircraft and ships. While communications resumed after US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in San Francisco last November, it is unclear whether the talks could continue as the US is poised for a presidential election. In the bilateral talks, the two sides discussed Chinas support for Russia during the ongoing Ukraine war, as well as Chinas actions in the South China Sea, said a US senior defence official briefing reporters on the meetings. On Sunday, the Philippine ship at a disputed shoal, BRP Teresa Magbanua, had left in order to resupply and provide medical care to its crew members. The defence official said that they were watching further developments there very closely. Chinas claims over the South China Sea have become increasingly assertive, with increasing clashes with the Philippine coast guard. In August, both sides accused each other over a collision between their ships which left gaping holes in the Philippine ships. The maritime claims have meant clashes at sea, such as at the Sabina Shoal, which both China and the Philippines claim. China had blocked attempts to resupply the BRP Teresa Magbanua, in August, with a force of 40 ships. The Philippines said it would replace the ship immediately, but the departure of the ship raises questions of whether China would seize the shoal. Filipino scientists had previously found submerged piles of crushed corals in its shallows, leading to concern that China may be preparing to build a structure to stake its claim. China confirmed the departure of the ship, which it said infringed on Chinas territorial sovereignty. During this period, China had taken control measures against the ship in accordance with the law and multiple attempts by the Philippine side to forcibly resupply the ship had failed, China Coast Guard spokesperson Liu Dejun said in a statement. El Puerto de Liverpool, S.A.B. de C.V. (OTCMKTS:ELPQF Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 360,700 shares, an increase of 46.6% from the August 15th total of 246,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 0 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently days. El Puerto de Liverpool Price Performance ELPQF remained flat at $6.97 during trading on Friday. The company had a trading volume of 1,650 shares, compared to its average volume of 982. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $6.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.54. El Puerto de Liverpool has a twelve month low of $4.74 and a twelve month high of $8.66. Get El Puerto de Liverpool alerts: About El Puerto de Liverpool (Get Free Report) Further Reading El Puerto de Liverpool, S. A. B. de C. V., together with its subsidiaries, operates a chain of department stores in Mexico. The company operates through Liverpool Commercial, Suburbia Commercial, Real Estate, and Credit segments. Its stores offer various products, such as clothes and accessories for men, women, and children; household goods; furniture; cosmetics; and other consumer products. Receive News & Ratings for El Puerto de Liverpool Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for El Puerto de Liverpool and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hellenic Telecommunications Organization S.A. (OTCMKTS:HLTOY Get Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,800 shares, a decline of 67.9% from the August 15th total of 5,600 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.4 days. Hellenic Telecommunications Organization Stock Performance Shares of Hellenic Telecommunications Organization stock remained flat at $8.37 on Friday. The stock had a trading volume of 11 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,857. Hellenic Telecommunications Organization has a 52 week low of $6.54 and a 52 week high of $8.50. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $8.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $7.66. Get Hellenic Telecommunications Organization alerts: Hellenic Telecommunications Organization Increases Dividend The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 15th were issued a $0.326 dividend. This is a positive change from Hellenic Telecommunications Organizations previous dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 15th. Hellenic Telecommunications Organization Company Profile Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA provides telecommunications and related services to businesses and individuals primarily in Greece and Romania. It operates through OTE, COSMOTE Group, and Telekom Romania Mobile segments. The company offers fixed-line, Internet access, ICT, and TV production services; and international carrier services. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Hellenic Telecommunications Organization Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hellenic Telecommunications Organization and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE Free Report) had its target price lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $45.00 to $31.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an underweight rating on the stock. A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on VTLE. KeyCorp lowered shares of Vital Energy from an overweight rating to a sector weight rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Bank of America reiterated an underperform rating and issued a $46.00 price objective on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Vital Energy from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Vital Energy from $69.00 to $66.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an underperform rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $54.00. Get Vital Energy alerts: Check Out Our Latest Report on Vital Energy Vital Energy Stock Performance NYSE:VTLE opened at $26.43 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $968.92 million, a P/E ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 3.17. Vital Energy has a twelve month low of $26.02 and a twelve month high of $58.30. The companys 50-day moving average price is $38.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.88 by ($0.42). Vital Energy had a return on equity of 11.58% and a net margin of 13.97%. The company had revenue of $476.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $468.76 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.35 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 42.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Vital Energy will post 6.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Insider Activity In other news, CEO M. Jason Pigott purchased 2,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $37.85 per share, for a total transaction of $94,625.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,389 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,411,373.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.20% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VTLE. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $64,690,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 800.9% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 541,337 shares of the companys stock worth $24,263,000 after acquiring an additional 481,248 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Vital Energy by 19.6% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,723,075 shares of the companys stock valued at $77,227,000 after purchasing an additional 282,574 shares during the last quarter. Thomist Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the second quarter valued at $10,443,000. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $7,306,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.54% of the companys stock. About Vital Energy (Get Free Report) Vital Energy, Inc, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin of West Texas, the United States. The company was formerly known as Laredo Petroleum, Inc and changed its name to Vital Energy, Inc in January 2023. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Vital Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vital Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. LG Display Co., Ltd. (NYSE:LPL Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 155,600 shares, a drop of 25.6% from the August 15th total of 209,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 228,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.7 days. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. LG Display Price Performance Shares of LPL traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $3.88. 85,015 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 355,905. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $4.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.02. The company has a market capitalization of $3.88 billion, a PE ratio of -1.60 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.47. LG Display has a one year low of $3.45 and a one year high of $5.66. Get LG Display alerts: LG Display (NYSE:LPL Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 14th. The electronics maker reported ($0.74) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.37) by ($0.37). LG Display had a negative return on equity of 21.29% and a negative net margin of 8.18%. The company had revenue of $4.89 billion for the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that LG Display will post -0.74 earnings per share for the current year. Institutional Investors Weigh In On LG Display Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in LG Display during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. CWM LLC lifted its stake in LG Display by 66.4% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 18,073 shares of the electronics makers stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 7,211 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in LG Display by 69.8% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 88,760 shares of the electronics makers stock worth $364,000 after acquiring an additional 36,483 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc grew its stake in LG Display by 20.3% during the 1st quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 31,333 shares of the electronics makers stock valued at $128,000 after acquiring an additional 5,290 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of LG Display by 268.3% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 28,361 shares of the electronics makers stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 20,660 shares during the period. A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LPL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded LG Display from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. StockNews.com cut LG Display from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. View Our Latest Analysis on LPL LG Display Company Profile (Get Free Report) LG Display Co, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) and organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology-based display panels. Its TFT-LCD and OLED technology-based display panels are primarily used in televisions, notebook computers, desktop monitors, tablet computers, mobile devices, and automotive displays. Read More Receive News & Ratings for LG Display Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for LG Display and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. NEC Co. (OTCMKTS:NIPNF Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 197,600 shares, a drop of 24.4% from the August 15th total of 261,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1,976.0 days. NEC Price Performance Shares of NEC stock remained flat at $85.69 during trading on Friday. The stock had a trading volume of 10 shares, compared to its average volume of 283. The businesss fifty day moving average is $82.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.06. NEC has a fifty-two week low of $49.71 and a fifty-two week high of $88.42. Get NEC alerts: About NEC (Get Free Report) Further Reading NEC Corporation provides information and communication technology solutions in Japan and internationally. It operates through five segments: Public Solutions Business, Public Infrastructure Business, Enterprise Business, Network Services Business, and Global Business. It provides systems integration services, including systems implementation and consulting; maintenance and support services; outsourcing and cloud services; and system equipment. Receive News & Ratings for NEC Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for NEC and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nuveen New York Municipal Value Fund (NYSE:NNY Get Free Report) was the target of a large drop in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 34,700 shares, a drop of 25.7% from the August 15th total of 46,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 39,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days. Nuveen New York Municipal Value Fund Price Performance NYSE NNY traded up $0.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $8.56. 87,431 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 43,243. Nuveen New York Municipal Value Fund has a 12 month low of $7.58 and a 12 month high of $8.62. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.32. Get Nuveen New York Municipal Value Fund alerts: Nuveen New York Municipal Value Fund Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.0295 dividend. This represents a $0.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nuveen New York Municipal Value Fund Nuveen New York Municipal Value Fund Company Profile A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nuveen New York Municipal Value Fund in the second quarter worth $104,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Nuveen New York Municipal Value Fund by 58.4% in the 2nd quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 114,877 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $952,000 after acquiring an additional 42,363 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Nuveen New York Municipal Value Fund by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 909,458 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $7,539,000 after acquiring an additional 59,926 shares during the last quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Nuveen New York Municipal Value Fund by 10.8% during the second quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. now owns 31,668 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $263,000 after acquiring an additional 3,095 shares during the period. Finally, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Nuveen New York Municipal Value Fund by 2.8% in the second quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 304,922 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $2,528,000 after purchasing an additional 8,425 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 22.57% of the companys stock. (Get Free Report) Nuveen New York Municipal Value Fund, Inc is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments, Inc The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of New York. The fund invests in tax exempt municipal bonds, with a rating of Baa/BBB or higher. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Nuveen New York Municipal Value Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nuveen New York Municipal Value Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund (NYSE:NAC Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 74,000 shares, a growth of 109.0% from the August 15th total of 35,400 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 458,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.2 days. Institutional Trading of Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund during the 1st quarter valued at $117,000. Ignite Planners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund by 20.9% during the first quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 212,658 shares of the companys stock worth $2,339,000 after purchasing an additional 36,728 shares during the period. Southland Equity Partners LLC increased its holdings in Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund by 43.2% during the 1st quarter. Southland Equity Partners LLC now owns 90,940 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,002,000 after purchasing an additional 27,440 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,010 shares of the companys stock valued at $178,000 after purchasing an additional 2,024 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sanders Morris Harris LLC purchased a new stake in Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund in the 1st quarter worth approximately $110,000. Get Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund alerts: Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund Stock Up 0.1 % NAC traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $11.91. The stock had a trading volume of 408,440 shares, compared to its average volume of 378,538. Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund has a 1 year low of $9.32 and a 1 year high of $12.03. The business has a fifty day moving average of $11.70 and a 200 day moving average of $11.30. Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund Increases Dividend About Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.0735 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.41%. This is a positive change from Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Funds previous monthly dividend of $0.07. (Get Free Report) Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments, Inc The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of California, United States. The fund invests in undervalued municipal securities and other related investments that are exempt from regular federal and California income taxes. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The Japan Steel Works, Ltd. (OTCMKTS:JPSWY Get Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 100 shares, a decline of 66.7% from the August 15th total of 300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days. Japan Steel Works Stock Performance Shares of Japan Steel Works stock remained flat at $16.19 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $14.26 and a 200 day moving average of $13.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Japan Steel Works has a one year low of $7.85 and a one year high of $16.48. The company has a market capitalization of $2.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.52 and a beta of 0.63. Get Japan Steel Works alerts: Japan Steel Works (OTCMKTS:JPSWY Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Japan Steel Works had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 6.27%. The business had revenue of $305.35 million during the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Japan Steel Works will post 0.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. About Japan Steel Works The Japan Steel Works, Ltd. engages in the provision of industrial machinery products, and material and engineering business in Japan and internationally. It operates through Industrial Machinery Products Business, and Material and Engineering Business segments. The Industrial Machinery Products Business segment offers plastic production and processing machinery, such as pelletizers, film and sheet manufacturing equipment, and twin-screw extruders; molding machines including plastic injection molding, magnesium injection molding, and blow molding machines; and other machinery consists of excimer laser annealing systems, defense equipment, railway products, hot press devices, vacuum laminators, and deposit systems, as well as after-sales services for plastics, mobility, high-performance batteries, electronic devices, and defense applications. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Japan Steel Works Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Japan Steel Works and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Weave Communications, Inc. (NYSE:WEAV Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 462,700 shares, a decrease of 26.7% from the August 15th total of 631,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 345,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.3 days. Currently, 1.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, Piper Sandler upped their target price on Weave Communications from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Get Weave Communications alerts: Read Our Latest Analysis on WEAV Insider Transactions at Weave Communications Institutional Trading of Weave Communications In related news, COO Marcus Bertilson sold 15,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.67, for a total transaction of $160,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 337,682 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,603,066.94. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink . Company insiders own 36.30% of the companys stock. A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Weave Communications by 5.4% during the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 17,496 shares of the companys stock worth $158,000 after buying an additional 896 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC lifted its position in Weave Communications by 2.6% during the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 181,768 shares of the companys stock worth $1,640,000 after buying an additional 4,659 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Weave Communications by 26.3% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 15,923 shares of the companys stock worth $144,000 after buying an additional 3,315 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Weave Communications during the second quarter worth about $134,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Weave Communications by 3.8% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 68,687 shares of the companys stock worth $620,000 after buying an additional 2,516 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.83% of the companys stock. Weave Communications Price Performance Shares of WEAV traded up $0.24 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $10.59. 257,968 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 293,676. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $753.19 million, a PE ratio of -24.63 and a beta of 2.09. Weave Communications has a fifty-two week low of $6.67 and a fifty-two week high of $13.80. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.25. About Weave Communications (Get Free Report) Weave Communications, Inc provides a customer experience and payments software platform in the United States and Canada. Its platform enables small and medium-sized healthcare businesses to maximize the value of their patient interactions and minimize the time and effort spent on manual or mundane tasks. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Weave Communications Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Weave Communications and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Angeles Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW Free Report) by 15.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,613 shares of the information technology services providers stock after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Angeles Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in ServiceNow were worth $1,269,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of NOW. M&G Plc purchased a new position in ServiceNow during the first quarter worth $11,030,000. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board increased its position in ServiceNow by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 11,650 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $8,882,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its stake in ServiceNow by 375.6% in the 1st quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 1,365 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $1,041,000 after purchasing an additional 1,078 shares during the last quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in ServiceNow by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 1,683 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $1,283,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of ServiceNow by 25.5% during the 2nd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 14,394 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $10,595,000 after purchasing an additional 2,928 shares during the last quarter. 87.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get ServiceNow alerts: ServiceNow Stock Down 0.8 % NYSE NOW opened at $878.95 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. ServiceNow, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $527.24 and a fifty-two week high of $889.52. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $807.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $766.54. The stock has a market cap of $181.06 billion, a PE ratio of 94.01, a P/E/G ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 0.98. Insider Activity ServiceNow ( NYSE:NOW Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The information technology services provider reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.85 by $0.28. ServiceNow had a net margin of 11.51% and a return on equity of 14.52%. The business had revenue of $2.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.77 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that ServiceNow, Inc. will post 6.78 EPS for the current fiscal year. In related news, CFO Gina Mastantuono sold 1,800 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $825.00, for a total value of $1,485,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 11,490 shares in the company, valued at $9,479,250. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Jacqueline P. Canney sold 94 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $825.92, for a total value of $77,636.48. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,019 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,319,372.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Gina Mastantuono sold 1,800 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $825.00, for a total transaction of $1,485,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 11,490 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,479,250. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 6,914 shares of company stock worth $5,608,936 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In NOW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of ServiceNow from $870.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Citigroup increased their price target on ServiceNow from $909.00 to $911.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. JMP Securities lifted their price objective on ServiceNow from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a market outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on ServiceNow from $850.00 to $880.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a buy rating and issued a $900.00 price target on shares of ServiceNow in a report on Monday, September 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and twenty-four have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, ServiceNow presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $855.44. Check Out Our Latest Report on ServiceNow About ServiceNow (Free Report) ServiceNow, Inc provides end to-end intelligent workflow automation platform solutions for digital businesses in the North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company operates the Now platform for end-to-end digital transformation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotic process automation, process mining, performance analytics, and collaboration and development tools. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NOW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for ServiceNow Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ServiceNow and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Gold Fields (NYSE:GFI Get Free Report) in a research note issued on Monday, StockNewsAPI reports. The brokerage set a buy rating and a $16.00 price target on the stock. Bank of Americas target price points to a potential upside of 10.27% from the companys current price. GFI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Gold Fields from an underperform rating to a market perform rating and boosted their target price for the company from $13.50 to $14.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Gold Fields from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Gold Fields from $17.50 to $16.70 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their price objective on Gold Fields from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $15.93. Get Gold Fields alerts: View Our Latest Stock Report on GFI Gold Fields Stock Performance Institutional Trading of Gold Fields Shares of GFI stock traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $14.51. 996,756 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,809,978. Gold Fields has a 1 year low of $10.31 and a 1 year high of $18.97. The companys 50 day moving average is $15.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GFI. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of Gold Fields by 6.6% during the first quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 47,241,502 shares of the companys stock valued at $750,667,000 after purchasing an additional 2,934,943 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Gold Fields during the 1st quarter valued at $85,326,000. RWC Asset Management LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Gold Fields by 10.0% during the 2nd quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 3,588,984 shares of the companys stock valued at $53,476,000 after buying an additional 324,885 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its stake in shares of Gold Fields by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 3,240,748 shares of the companys stock worth $46,861,000 after buying an additional 139,205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Gold Fields by 28.7% in the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,609,289 shares of the companys stock worth $38,878,000 after acquiring an additional 581,730 shares during the period. 26.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Gold Fields (Get Free Report) Gold Fields Limited operates as a gold producer with reserves and resources in Chile, South Africa, Ghana, Canada, Australia, and Peru. It also explores for copper and silver deposits. The company was founded in 1887 and is based in Sandton, South Africa. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Gold Fields Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Gold Fields and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Black Diamond Group Limited (OTCMKTS:BDIMF Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 125,500 shares, a decline of 17.7% from the August 15th total of 152,400 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 48.3 days. Black Diamond Group Trading Up 0.3 % OTCMKTS:BDIMF opened at $6.95 on Monday. Black Diamond Group has a 12 month low of $4.72 and a 12 month high of $7.53. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $6.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $430.08 million, a P/E ratio of 20.44 and a beta of 1.07. Get Black Diamond Group alerts: Black Diamond Group (OTCMKTS:BDIMF Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter. Black Diamond Group had a net margin of 7.80% and a return on equity of 10.23%. The business had revenue of $69.80 million during the quarter. Black Diamond Group Company Profile Black Diamond Group Limited rents and sells modular space and workforce accommodation solutions. It operates through two segments, Modular Space Solutions and Workforce Solutions. The Modular Space Solutions segment provides modular space rentals to customers in the construction, real estate development, education, manufacturing, health care, financial, government, and defense industries in North America. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Black Diamond Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Black Diamond Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW Free Report) by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 106,200 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 5,700 shares during the period. Cornerstone Advisors LLCs holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $7,826,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its holdings in shares of Charles Schwab by 4.1% during the second quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 99,346 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $7,321,000 after purchasing an additional 3,889 shares during the last quarter. One Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Charles Schwab during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $667,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Charles Schwab by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,904,267 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $361,402,000 after purchasing an additional 310,128 shares during the last quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new position in Charles Schwab in the second quarter valued at $86,000. Finally, Providence Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Charles Schwab by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,407 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,205,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares during the period. 84.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Charles Schwab alerts: Charles Schwab Trading Up 0.6 % Shares of SCHW opened at $62.12 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $65.33 and a 200 day moving average of $70.07. The Charles Schwab Co. has a fifty-two week low of $48.66 and a fifty-two week high of $79.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $110.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.97. Charles Schwab Dividend Announcement Charles Schwab ( NYSE:SCHW Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.01. Charles Schwab had a return on equity of 18.14% and a net margin of 26.30%. The business had revenue of $4.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.75 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Charles Schwab Co. will post 3.05 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Charles Schwabs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.84%. Insider Buying and Selling at Charles Schwab In related news, CEO Walter W. Bettinger purchased 25,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $66.26 per share, with a total value of $1,656,500.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 827,377 shares in the company, valued at $54,822,000.02. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Jonathan S. Beatty sold 780 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total value of $58,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,355,175. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Walter W. Bettinger bought 25,000 shares of Charles Schwab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $66.26 per share, for a total transaction of $1,656,500.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 827,377 shares in the company, valued at approximately $54,822,000.02. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 99,636 shares of company stock valued at $6,533,064 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 6.60% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $77.00 to $68.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $71.00 to $70.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Charles Schwab from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. JMP Securities reduced their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $85.00 to $82.00 and set a market outperform rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Charles Schwab in a report on Thursday. They set an equal weight rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Charles Schwab currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $73.75. View Our Latest Analysis on Charles Schwab Charles Schwab Profile (Free Report) The Charles Schwab Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a savings and loan holding company that provides wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Investor Services and Advisor Services. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SCHW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Charles Schwab Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Charles Schwab and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its holdings in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU Free Report) by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,206,350 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 15,376 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 1.17% of Prudential Financial worth $492,955,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Angeles Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Prudential Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $442,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its holdings in Prudential Financial by 926.0% in the 2nd quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 20,294 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,378,000 after purchasing an additional 18,316 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 35.1% in the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 5,279 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $619,000 after purchasing an additional 1,372 shares during the period. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd increased its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 70.9% during the second quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 73,751 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $8,643,000 after buying an additional 30,603 shares during the period. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its stake in Prudential Financial by 18.5% in the second quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 9,333 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,094,000 after buying an additional 1,454 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 56.83% of the companys stock. Get Prudential Financial alerts: Insider Activity at Prudential Financial In related news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential acquired 652,884 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $27.57 per share, with a total value of $18,000,011.88. Following the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 3,883,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $107,065,062.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, EVP Ann M. Kappler sold 2,839 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.43, for a total transaction of $322,027.77. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,535 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,648,705.05. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential acquired 652,884 shares of Prudential Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $27.57 per share, for a total transaction of $18,000,011.88. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 3,883,390 shares of the companys stock, valued at $107,065,062.30. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of analysts have recently weighed in on PRU shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $118.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Prudential Financial from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and set a $113.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 12th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Prudential Financial from $112.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Prudential Financial from $143.00 to $141.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of Prudential Financial in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an equal weight rating and a $118.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Prudential Financial currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $120.83. Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Prudential Financial Prudential Financial Stock Performance NYSE:PRU opened at $116.26 on Monday. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.95 and a 52-week high of $128.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a current ratio of 0.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.74 billion, a PE ratio of 19.77, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $117.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.99. Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $3.43 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $13.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.78 billion. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 16.00% and a net margin of 4.86%. Analysts forecast that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.31 EPS for the current year. Prudential Financial Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 20th were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.47%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 20th. Prudential Financials dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 88.44%. Prudential Financial Company Profile (Free Report) Prudential Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through PGIM, Retirement Strategies, Group Insurance, Individual Life, and International Businesses segments. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Prudential Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Prudential Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. lowered its position in Eldorado Gold Co. (NYSE:EGO Free Report) (TSE:ELD) by 12.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,181,100 shares of the basic materials companys stock after selling 1,767,816 shares during the quarter. Eldorado Gold makes up approximately 4.6% of Donald Smith & CO. Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. owned about 5.95% of Eldorado Gold worth $180,158,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Eldorado Gold by 3.1% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,607,786 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $68,149,000 after purchasing an additional 136,900 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Eldorado Gold in the second quarter worth $97,000. Custom Index Systems LLC purchased a new stake in Eldorado Gold in the second quarter worth $330,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Eldorado Gold in the second quarter worth $912,000. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in Eldorado Gold by 1.0% in the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 544,385 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $8,040,000 after acquiring an additional 5,393 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.58% of the companys stock. Get Eldorado Gold alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of analysts recently commented on EGO shares. Scotiabank raised their price target on Eldorado Gold from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Monday, August 19th. StockNews.com upgraded Eldorado Gold from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, July 1st. CIBC increased their price objective on Eldorado Gold from $18.00 to $22.50 and gave the stock an outperformer rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Eldorado Gold from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $19.38. Eldorado Gold Price Performance Shares of NYSE:EGO opened at $17.99 on Monday. Eldorado Gold Co. has a 1-year low of $8.30 and a 1-year high of $18.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 3.62 and a quick ratio of 2.65. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $16.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.35. The company has a market capitalization of $3.68 billion, a PE ratio of 31.56 and a beta of 0.95. Eldorado Gold (NYSE:EGO Get Free Report) (TSE:ELD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The basic materials company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.07. Eldorado Gold had a return on equity of 5.82% and a net margin of 15.67%. The firm had revenue of $297.14 million during the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.09 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Eldorado Gold Co. will post 1.35 EPS for the current fiscal year. Eldorado Gold Profile (Free Report) Eldorado Gold Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the mining, exploration, development, and sale of mineral products primarily in Turkey, Canada, Greece, and Romania. The company primarily produces gold, as well as silver, lead, and zinc. It holds a 100% interest in the Kisladag and Efemcukuru mines located in Turkey; Lamaque complex located in Canada; and Olympias, Stratoni, Skouries, Perama Hill, and Sapes gold mines located in Greece, as well as the 80.5% interest in Certej development projects located in Romania. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EGO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Eldorado Gold Co. (NYSE:EGO Free Report) (TSE:ELD). Receive News & Ratings for Eldorado Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eldorado Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hostmore plc (LON:MORE Get Free Report) shares traded up 3.9% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as GBX 0.31 ($0.00) and last traded at GBX 0.24 ($0.00). 22,028,754 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 1,234% from the average session volume of 1,651,288 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 0.23 ($0.00). Hostmore Stock Up 27.2 % The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1,145.20, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market cap of 365,777.00, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.04 and a beta of 0.86. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 11.51 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 15.57. Get Hostmore alerts: Insider Activity In other news, insider Julie McEwan purchased 29,499 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 17 ($0.22) per share, with a total value of 5,014.83 ($6,557.91). Insiders have bought 107,262 shares of company stock valued at $1,471,425 over the last 90 days. 40.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Hostmore Company Profile Hostmore plc operates in the hospitality business. It operates American-themed casual dining restaurants under the TGI Fridays brand; cocktail-led bar and restaurants under the 63rd+1st brand; and fast casual dining restaurants under the Fridays and Go brand. The company was incorporated in 2021 and is based in Edinburgh, the United Kingdom. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Hostmore Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hostmore and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in General Electric (NYSE:GE Free Report) by 75.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 310 shares of the conglomerates stock after selling 943 shares during the quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLCs holdings in General Electric were worth $49,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital World Investors grew its position in General Electric by 2,818.1% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 12,749,560 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $2,237,930,000 after purchasing an additional 12,312,648 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in General Electric during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,193,159,000. Capital International Investors grew its position in General Electric by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 59,100,643 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $10,373,936,000 after purchasing an additional 5,309,543 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its position in General Electric by 221.6% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 7,121,741 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $1,250,079,000 after purchasing an additional 4,907,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Quality Fund GP Ltd. purchased a new stake in General Electric during the 1st quarter valued at about $385,745,000. 74.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get General Electric alerts: General Electric Price Performance NYSE GE opened at $178.28 on Monday. General Electric has a 12 month low of $84.42 and a 12 month high of $179.32. The stock has a market cap of $195.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.45, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.18. The companys 50 day moving average is $166.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $171.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. General Electric Announces Dividend General Electric ( NYSE:GE Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.21. General Electric had a net margin of 7.66% and a return on equity of 16.07%. The company had revenue of $9.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.68 EPS. The firms revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that General Electric will post 4.2 earnings per share for the current year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 11th were issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 11th. General Electrics dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.72%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of General Electric in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an outperform rating and a $201.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of General Electric from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of General Electric from $201.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, July 1st. StockNews.com cut shares of General Electric from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of General Electric from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, General Electric currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $191.14. View Our Latest Report on General Electric About General Electric (Free Report) General Electric Company, doing business as GE Aerospace, designs and produces commercial and defense aircraft engines, integrated engine components, electric power, and mechanical aircraft systems. It also offers aftermarket services to support its products. The company operates in the United States, Europe, China, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for General Electric (NYSE:GE Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for General Electric Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for General Electric and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP (NYSE:KRP Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of Moderate Buy by the six research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $21.00. KRP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Kimbell Royalty Partners from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America restated an underperform rating and issued a $16.00 price objective on shares of Kimbell Royalty Partners in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Get Kimbell Royalty Partners alerts: Read Our Latest Report on KRP Kimbell Royalty Partners Trading Up 0.5 % Shares of KRP stock opened at $15.48 on Wednesday. Kimbell Royalty Partners has a 12 month low of $14.26 and a 12 month high of $17.11. The company has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a PE ratio of 25.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 5.68, a current ratio of 5.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The businesss 50 day moving average is $16.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.10. Kimbell Royalty Partners (NYSE:KRP Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The energy company reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $76.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $81.19 million. Kimbell Royalty Partners had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 5.03%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.23 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Kimbell Royalty Partners will post 0.99 EPS for the current year. Kimbell Royalty Partners Cuts Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 19th. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.85%. Kimbell Royalty Partnerss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 280.00%. Insider Transactions at Kimbell Royalty Partners In related news, insider Blayne Rhynsburger sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.71, for a total value of $78,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 50,164 shares of the companys stock, valued at $788,076.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 5.60% of the stock is owned by insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kimbell Royalty Partners Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KRP. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kimbell Royalty Partners during the second quarter worth $25,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kimbell Royalty Partners in the 2nd quarter worth about $43,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in Kimbell Royalty Partners by 98.9% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,984 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Kimbell Royalty Partners in the second quarter valued at about $99,000. Finally, Bridgewealth Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Kimbell Royalty Partners during the second quarter worth about $165,000. Institutional investors own 25.78% of the companys stock. Kimbell Royalty Partners Company Profile (Get Free Report Read More Receive News & Ratings for Kimbell Royalty Partners Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kimbell Royalty Partners and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Midway Limited (ASX:MWY Get Free Report) announced a final dividend on Monday, September 16th, MarketIndexAU reports. Investors of record on Thursday, October 3rd will be paid a dividend of 0.161 per share on Thursday, October 3rd. This represents a dividend yield of 14.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 18th. Midway Price Performance The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 3.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.30. Get Midway alerts: Midway Company Profile (Get Free Report) Featured Stories Midway Limited engages in the production, processing, and export of woodfibre in Australia, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. It operates through Woodfibre, Forestry Logistics, and Plantation Management segments. The company provides support services to third parties engaged in growing woodfibre, including harvest and haul; supplies biomass woodchips and sawdust; and planation management services, comprising silviculture services. Receive News & Ratings for Midway Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Midway and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $34.24 and last traded at $34.24, with a volume of 203 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $34.06. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth NI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of NiSource from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Bank of America initiated coverage on NiSource in a research note on Thursday. They issued a buy rating and a $37.00 target price for the company. Barclays increased their target price on NiSource from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Mizuho assumed coverage on NiSource in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. They set an outperform rating and a $33.00 price target for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of NiSource from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, NiSource presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $32.43. Get NiSource alerts: Check Out Our Latest Analysis on NI NiSource Stock Up 0.5 % The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The firms 50-day moving average price is $31.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.24. The firm has a market cap of $15.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.26, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.51. NiSource (NYSE:NI Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.06. NiSource had a return on equity of 9.15% and a net margin of 14.76%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.16 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.11 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that NiSource Inc. will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. NiSource Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.265 per share. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. NiSources dividend payout ratio is currently 69.28%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On NiSource Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of NiSource in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of NiSource during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. First Financial Corp IN bought a new stake in NiSource in the first quarter worth $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in NiSource during the first quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NiSource in the first quarter worth about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.64% of the companys stock. NiSource Company Profile (Get Free Report) NiSource Inc, an energy holding company, operates as a regulated natural gas and electric utility company in the United States. It operates in two segments, Gas Distribution Operations and Electric Operations. The company distributes natural gas to approximately 3.3 million customers through approximately 55,000 miles of distribution main pipeline and the associated individual customer service lines; and 1,000 miles of transmission main pipeline in northern Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, and Maryland. See Also Receive News & Ratings for NiSource Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for NiSource and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. PLDT Inc. (NYSE:PHI Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 261,700 shares, a decrease of 23.5% from the August 15th total of 342,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 25,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 10.2 days. PLDT Trading Down 0.5 % Shares of PLDT stock opened at $26.30 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.78, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.67. PLDT has a fifty-two week low of $19.02 and a fifty-two week high of $30.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.33. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $26.70 and a 200 day moving average of $25.07. Get PLDT alerts: PLDT (NYSE:PHI Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 13th. The technology company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. PLDT had a return on equity of 21.49% and a net margin of 12.33%. The business had revenue of $923.00 million for the quarter. As a group, research analysts predict that PLDT will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year. PLDT Increases Dividend Institutional Investors Weigh In On PLDT The business also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.634 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 26th. This represents a dividend yield of 4.4%. This is a positive change from PLDTs previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.60. A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Creative Planning lifted its position in PLDT by 19.6% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 56,050 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $1,377,000 after purchasing an additional 9,169 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC lifted its position in PLDT by 80.2% in the second quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 18,887 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $464,000 after purchasing an additional 8,408 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its position in PLDT by 21.6% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 16,341 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 2,903 shares during the period. Oldfield Partners LLP lifted its position in PLDT by 1.1% in the second quarter. Oldfield Partners LLP now owns 45,000 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $1,105,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in PLDT by 10.9% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 93,479 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $2,296,000 after purchasing an additional 9,206 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.26% of the companys stock. Analyst Ratings Changes Separately, StockNews.com upgraded PLDT from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on PLDT About PLDT (Get Free Report) PLDT Inc provides telecommunications and digital services in the Philippines. The company operates through three segments: Wireless, Fixed Line, and Others. It offers cellular mobile, Internet broadband distribution, operations support, software development, and satellite information and messaging services; and sells Wi-Fi access equipment. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for PLDT Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PLDT and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of iShares Investment Grade Corporate Bond BuyWrite Strategy ETF (BATS:LQDW Free Report) by 23.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 225,215 shares of the companys stock after selling 68,434 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC owned approximately 3.83% of iShares Investment Grade Corporate Bond BuyWrite Strategy ETF worth $6,347,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Separately, Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in iShares Investment Grade Corporate Bond BuyWrite Strategy ETF during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $286,000. Get iShares Investment Grade Corporate Bond BuyWrite Strategy ETF alerts: iShares Investment Grade Corporate Bond BuyWrite Strategy ETF Trading Up 0.1 % Shares of LQDW opened at $28.36 on Monday. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $28.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.43. iShares Investment Grade Corporate Bond BuyWrite Strategy ETF Company Profile The iShares Investment Grade Corporate Bond Buywrite Strategy ETF (LQDW) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the CBOE LQD BuyWrite index. The fund uses a fund-of-fund approach to passively track an index that measures the performance of holding shares of the iShares iBoxx USD Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF and writes one-month call options against the shares. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LQDW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Investment Grade Corporate Bond BuyWrite Strategy ETF (BATS:LQDW Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Investment Grade Corporate Bond BuyWrite Strategy ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Investment Grade Corporate Bond BuyWrite Strategy ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA Free Report) by 13.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,728,563 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 1,031,400 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLCs holdings in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries were worth $141,839,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 0.7% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 111,575 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,813,000 after acquiring an additional 826 shares during the period. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. boosted its stake in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 4.0% during the first quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 24,495 shares of the companys stock worth $346,000 after buying an additional 947 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 13,522 shares of the companys stock valued at $191,000 after buying an additional 1,180 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 144,938 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,355,000 after buying an additional 1,191 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Services Automobile Association boosted its position in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 41,159 shares of the companys stock valued at $669,000 after acquiring an additional 1,249 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.05% of the companys stock. Get Teva Pharmaceutical Industries alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In other Teva Pharmaceutical Industries news, insider Eric A. Hughes sold 24,537 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.25, for a total value of $423,263.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $777,285. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Teva Pharmaceutical Industries news, insider Eric A. Hughes sold 24,537 shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.25, for a total value of $423,263.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $777,285. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Roberto Mignone sold 519,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.03, for a total transaction of $8,838,570.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 981,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $16,706,430. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Stock Up 2.2 % Shares of NYSE:TEVA opened at $18.41 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $17.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.95. The company has a market capitalization of $20.86 billion, a PE ratio of -44.90, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.88. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited has a 52 week low of $8.06 and a 52 week high of $19.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.52, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.89. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NYSE:TEVA Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.03. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries had a positive return on equity of 39.66% and a negative net margin of 2.73%. The firm had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.99 billion. Analysts forecast that Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current year. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities analysts recently commented on TEVA shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. StockNews.com upgraded Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Saturday, August 3rd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Bank of America upped their price objective on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $18.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $18.89. View Our Latest Analysis on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Company Profile (Free Report) Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes generic medicines, specialty medicines, and biopharmaceutical products in North America, Europe, Israel, and internationally. It offers generic medicines in various dosage forms, such as tablets, capsules, injectables, inhalants, liquids, transdermal patches, ointments, and creams; sterile products, hormones, high-potency drugs, and cytotoxic substances in parenteral and solid dosage forms; and generic products with medical devices and combination products. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding TEVA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Renaissance Technologies LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO Free Report) by 15.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,165,374 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,620,700 shares during the quarter. Novo Nordisk A/S makes up about 2.2% of Renaissance Technologies LLCs holdings, making the stock its biggest position. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 0.20% of Novo Nordisk A/S worth $1,308,265,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NVO. First PREMIER Bank acquired a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 200.0% during the 2nd quarter. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the companys stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 11.54% of the companys stock. Get Novo Nordisk A/S alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes NVO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, August 19th. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from $125.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a buy rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an overweight rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Monday, September 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Novo Nordisk A/S presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $145.17. Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S stock opened at $137.00 on Monday. Novo Nordisk A/S has a fifty-two week low of $86.96 and a fifty-two week high of $148.15. The company has a market cap of $614.79 billion, a PE ratio of 47.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $134.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $133.02. Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.71 by ($0.06). Novo Nordisk A/S had a net margin of 34.86% and a return on equity of 87.43%. The business had revenue of $9.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.91 billion. Analysts expect that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.11 EPS for the current year. Novo Nordisk A/S Cuts Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a $0.5126 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. Novo Nordisk A/Ss dividend payout ratio is 24.83%. Novo Nordisk A/S Profile (Free Report) Novo Nordisk A/S, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research and development, manufacture, and distribution of pharmaceutical products in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, North America, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Diabetes and Obesity Care, and Rare Disease. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NVO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Novo Nordisk A/S Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Novo Nordisk A/S and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Zhejiang Expressway Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:ZHEXF Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,372,300 shares, an increase of 32.8% from the August 15th total of 3,293,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 21,861.5 days. Zhejiang Expressway Stock Down 13.1 % ZHEXF stock opened at $0.57 on Monday. Zhejiang Expressway has a one year low of $0.57 and a one year high of $0.78. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $0.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $0.66. Get Zhejiang Expressway alerts: About Zhejiang Expressway (Get Free Report) Featured Stories Zhejiang Expressway Co, Ltd., an investment holding company, constructs, operates, maintains, and manages roads in the People's Republic of China. It operates through Toll Operation, Securities Operation, and Others segments. The Toll Operation segment operates and manages high grade roads; and collects expressway tolls. Receive News & Ratings for Zhejiang Expressway Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Zhejiang Expressway and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Visionary (NYSE:GV Free Report) in a report issued on Thursday. The firm issued a sell rating on the stock. Visionary Trading Down 9.5 % GV opened at $4.00 on Thursday. Visionary has a 12 month low of $1.52 and a 12 month high of $8.85. Get Visionary alerts: About Visionary (Get Free Report) Featured Stories Visionary Holdings Inc provides education resources to students worldwide. The company offers educational programs for secondary school, college, university, and advanced degree students that include degree-oriented educational programs, such as OSSD program, career-oriented two-year college, four-year university programs, and masters programs; and high school education programs, real estate development, animation education, vocational education, online education, and other education-related consulting services. Receive News & Ratings for Visionary Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Visionary and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Plato Investment Management Ltd grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG Free Report) by 2.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,458 shares of the insurance providers stock after acquiring an additional 497 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltds holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $1,856,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2,750.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 285 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the period. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 189.9% during the 4th quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 374 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get The Hartford Financial Services Group alerts: The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 0.2 % Shares of NYSE:HIG opened at $115.36 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $109.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $103.20. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $68.82 and a twelve month high of $117.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a market capitalization of $34.12 billion, a PE ratio of 13.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.93. The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend The Hartford Financial Services Group ( NYSE:HIG Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The insurance provider reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.02 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.44% and a return on equity of 21.20%. The Hartford Financial Services Groups revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.88 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.09 EPS for the current fiscal year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 21.36%. The Hartford Financial Services Group announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, July 25th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.30 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to purchase up to 10.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the companys leadership believes its shares are undervalued. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth HIG has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $112.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Bank of America cut their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $113.00 to $111.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Citigroup cut The Hartford Financial Services Group from a buy rating to a neutral rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $116.00 to $114.00 in a research note on Friday, June 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $104.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $111.94. Read Our Latest Stock Report on HIG Insider Activity In related news, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 4,088 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.47, for a total value of $414,809.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,503,582.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the companys stock. The Hartford Financial Services Group Company Profile (Free Report) The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and financial services to individual and business customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. Its Commercial Lines segment offers insurance coverages, including workers' compensation, property, automobile, general and professional liability, package business, umbrella, fidelity and surety, marine, livestock, accident, health, and reinsurance through regional offices, branches, sales and policyholder service centers, independent retail agents and brokers, wholesale agents, and reinsurance brokers. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for The Hartford Financial Services Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Hartford Financial Services Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC lowered its position in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS Free Report) by 49.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,422 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 52,750 shares during the period. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLCs holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $5,289,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 38,451,051 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,585,561,000 after purchasing an additional 5,631,435 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 16.3% in the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 28,481,070 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,681,778,000 after buying an additional 3,981,528 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 20,228,334 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,886,292,000 after buying an additional 495,055 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,875,677 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,251,387,000 after buying an additional 303,654 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 4th quarter valued at $958,105,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the companys stock. Get Morgan Stanley alerts: Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 40,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.54, for a total value of $4,261,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 442,522 shares in the company, valued at $47,146,293.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 200,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.06, for a total value of $21,012,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 150,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $15,759,000. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 40,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.54, for a total transaction of $4,261,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 442,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,146,293.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 252,000 shares of company stock worth $26,546,370 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.24% of the companys stock. Morgan Stanley Stock Up 1.7 % MS stock opened at $98.25 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $159.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $100.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $96.40. Morgan Stanley has a 1-year low of $69.42 and a 1-year high of $109.11. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $15.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $14.32 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 10.17%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.24 EPS. Analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 7.03 EPS for the current year. Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st were given a dividend of $0.925 per share. This is an increase from Morgan Stanleys previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.77%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanleys dividend payout ratio is currently 67.40%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research analysts recently issued reports on MS shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. UBS Group raised their target price on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Citigroup upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $116.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a market perform rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, July 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $101.73. Get Our Latest Research Report on Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley Company Profile (Free Report) Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Morgan Stanley Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Morgan Stanley and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC Get Free Report)s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday after KeyCorp raised their price target on the stock from $95.00 to $98.00. KeyCorp currently has an overweight rating on the stock. WEC Energy Group traded as high as $96.54 and last traded at $96.20, with a volume of 54064 shares. The stock had previously closed at $95.85. Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on WEC. Bank of America lifted their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an underperform rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a sector outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group from $98.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. StockNews.com cut shares of WEC Energy Group from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on WEC Energy Group from $91.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $90.42. Get WEC Energy Group alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on WEC Insider Activity at WEC Energy Group Hedge Funds Weigh In On WEC Energy Group In related news, VP Mary Beth Straka sold 3,240 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.04, for a total transaction of $301,449.60. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 3,662 shares in the company, valued at $340,712.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink . In other news, VP William J. Guc sold 6,000 shares of WEC Energy Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.99, for a total value of $557,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,702 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $716,208.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . Also, VP Mary Beth Straka sold 3,240 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.04, for a total transaction of $301,449.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,662 shares in the company, valued at $340,712.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 11,702 shares of company stock valued at $1,078,058. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders. A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,445,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in WEC Energy Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,355,909 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $106,385,000 after purchasing an additional 22,026 shares during the last quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC bought a new position in WEC Energy Group during the second quarter worth $231,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 4.2% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 119,951 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $9,411,000 after purchasing an additional 4,835 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.20% of the companys stock. WEC Energy Group Price Performance The companys 50-day moving average price is $88.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $83.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $30.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.44. WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 15.85% and a return on equity of 12.26%. WEC Energy Groups quarterly revenue was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current year. WEC Energy Group Announces Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 14th were issued a dividend of $0.835 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 14th. This represents a $3.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. WEC Energy Groups payout ratio is currently 72.93%. About WEC Energy Group (Get Free Report) WEC Energy Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides regulated natural gas and electricity, and renewable and nonregulated renewable energy services in the United States. It operates through Wisconsin, Illinois, Other States, Electric Transmission, and Non-Utility Energy Infrastructure segments. See Also Receive News & Ratings for WEC Energy Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for WEC Energy Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada Zip Code Its just another Trump assassination attempt for the week, theres nothing to see here, folks! This time the suspect even had a GoPro camera along with a scoped AK47. It seems theres a lot of people and factions who dont want The Don to be president. Apparently Bill Clinton banned AK47s during his tenure, although the NRA reinstated the assault weapon ten years after, and this guy had one. It seems kind of curious that after Trumps disastrous debate with Kamala Harris, this assassination attempt puts Trump front and centre again. Were not going to say third time lucky, but this second attempt is a real wake-up call for preserving our democracy in the West. The first-ever Dal Innovation Week has rapidly become a magnet for people with big ideas and a lot of hustle. This includes Dalhousie alumnus and Wind Mobile co-founder, Brice Scheschuk, who will be judging Thursdays Demo Day pitch competition. Born in Saskatchewan, Scheschuk arrived at Dalhousie in 1991 to pursue degree in finance and then headed to Toronto to work on Bay Street. In that era, business schools trained you for roles in finance, accounting, and marketing, says Scheschuk. So, I went from a traditional business school into a traditional job in corporate Canada. After completing his Bachelor of Commerce degree with honours in 1994, he started his career with Coopers & Lybrand now PwC where he earned his CA (chartered accountant) designation. Earning a life MBA Despite this traditional career path, Scheschuk had an entrepreneurial mindset. While working at PwC, he co-founded his first company, an internet-based side-hustle, that turned into a full-time gig and rode the dotcom wave before crashing in 2001. Thats when I earned my life MBA by doing and failing, he says. Scheschuk returned to corporate Canada, but his entrepreneurial journey wasnt over. A recruiter called and connected him with Anthony Lacavera, an ambitious telecom entrepreneur who wanted to partner with someone with finance expertise. Wed both had the entrepreneurship bug, Scheschuk says. After our initial tete-a-tete, Anthony and I are still working together, 21 years later. Their early venture started with offering niche telecom solutions. Whether it was long-distance calling cards or telephone-operator services to hotels, Scheschuk attributes the companys early success to talking with customers. The win for us in the entrepreneurial journey is building an understanding of the iterative nature of what you're doing, understanding the customer feedback loops, and understanding that failure is not a negative, it is part of our job description, to fail, stand up, fail again, and stand up a little higher." Their big break came in 2007, when the Government of Canada sought to increase competition in the wireless market. Seizing the opportunity, they raised funds to acquire spectrum licenses and launched WIND Mobile. We outhustled the telecom oligopolies at every turn, says Scheschuk. In 2016, they sold WIND to Shaw Communications for $1.6 billion. The deal was a big win, enabling them to launch Globalive Capital. Scheschuk continues to pursue his passion for entrepreneurship by mentoring founders and investing in startups. Advice for student entrepreneurs As a Dal Demo Day judge, Scheschuk advises up-and-coming entrepreneurs to demonstrate their hustle: I want to see what actions theyve taken. What market research have they done? How quickly are they moving through customer discovery? How close are they to launching a minimum viable product? I want to see the hustle. Scheschuks journey from student to entrepreneur and mentor highlights the power of learning from failure and giving back. His involvement in Dal Innovation Week not only nurtures the next generation of entrepreneurs but also strengthens his bond with Dalhousie. Part of my job is finding great investment opportunities, but really, its about reconnecting with a community that means a lot to me, he says. A champion of Dalhousies innovation ecosystem, Scheschuk frequently leads sessions on the founder mindset and how to build a business, inspiring students in Dal Innovates programs like Lab2Market and Collide. Through MindFrame Connect, a mentorship initiative he co-founded, Scheschuk is improving the craft of mentorship and creating more resilient entrepreneurs. He is also an associate of the Creative Destruction Lab, inspiring a new generation of student entrepreneurs. Isat Buchanan and Vybz Kartel Dancehall star Vybz Kartel made a surprise appearance at the 86th annual conference of the Peoples National Party (PNP) at the National Arena in Kingston on Sunday. Kartel, freed from prison in July this year after 13 years behind bars, appeared at the podium alongside his attorney, Isat Buchanan, the former chairman of the PNPs Human Rights Commission. His presence electrified the crowd, especially when the DJ played some of his hard-hitting tracks, including Never Scared (Nuh Fraid A Nobody). Kartel raised his fist in a salute and flashed his signature three-finger Gaza symbol while the crowd erupted. Buchanan, who also delivered a speech at the conference, had to urge the crowd to settle down, saying, Greetings all, I just want to tell everybody that everything we do is guided by God and time. And that time is now. For this conference, the message I want to send is that we are fighting for the future of this country. The attorney emphasized that the party was fighting for the future, the freedom, justice and the constitution of Jamaica, adding, The message that I want to say is that we are fighting for the youths of this country so just know that we are supporting (PNP President) Mark Golding 150 per cent. This marked Kartels first major public appearance at a political event since his release. In an interview with Anthony Miller of ER following his on-stage appearance, Kartel stated, I am not psychic but you know we just deh here fi represent for out people at this time politically and you know the Vybz is nice so a deh so the thing deh. When asked what he would change about Jamaicas political landscape, Kartel responded, What bothers me and what disturbs me a the same sentiment as the people weh deh right yah suh share, thats why I am here, so Missa Golding will make it clear. Since his release, Kartel has expressed interest in entering representational politics, citing current representatives neglect of basic needs. During an interview with Buchanan last month, he mentioned the possibility of running for Member of Parliament. Come in like me haffi go just run fi MP because chatting sometime nuh go nuhweh inuh, sometime you haffi get involved, but we will see, he had said. Kartels presence at this years conference follows a similar appearance by reggae star Buju Banton at the PNPs 85th conference last year, a few years after his own release from prison. LA Lewis and Maroon chief Richard Currie also attended this years conference. Rail campaigners Into The West are teaming up with Void Art Gallery to hold a public event this Saturday, (September 21) on the future of rail in the north-west. The event comes in the wake of significant developments in recent months with the release of the All-Island Rail Strategy, news of yet another delay to the upgrade of the Derry-Coleraine track, and figures which show that Derrys rail station now has almost one million users a year. The event starts at 2.00pm in Void Art Gallerys premises at 10 Waterloo Place in Derry city centre (opposite the Embassy Building) and is part of the gallerys ongoing Nyctalopia project, which looks at the environmental crisis through the loss of transit systems. The public meeting will discuss recent developments like the All-Island Rail Review and consider what is next for the development of rail across the entire north-west of the island including what should happen, and what appears likely to happen. Immediately before the public meeting (at 12:30pm) Into The West will also be holding its first ever AGM. This session will be for paid-up members of the campaign group only, and will seek to ensure members are brought up to speed with everything the group has been working on over the last 12 months. It will also provide an opportunity for members to help discuss and decide on Into The Wests objectives for the year ahead/2025, and for those who are interested to get more actively involved. Anyone keen to attend this members-only section of the programme can do so by joining Into The West online at : www.IntoTheWest.org/join-us or by signing up at the venue on the day at the event. Annual Membership costs 10 waged & 5 for unwaged/students. Chair of Into The West, Steve Bradley, commented: Were delighted to team up with Void Art Gallery to run this important public event about the future of rail across this region. There has been so much happening in the world of infrastructure locally and across the island recently that were keen to engage with the public on it all and to look at what it means for this region. The event will also offer an opportunity for those interested in infrastructure and regional development to visit a fantastic city centre art venue, and for those within Derrys arts scene to engage with the vitally important and hugely popular topic of rail in the north-west. Mr Bradley continued: As well as the public meeting, well also be holding Into The Wests first Annual General Meeting/AGM. This members-only event will also take place at Void, immediately before the public meeting, and will be an opportunity for us to engage directly with our members and secure their input into our work for the year ahead. Members are hugely important for an organisation like ours, and as the AGM is a closed-event we can also be a bit more candid with them about some of the meetings weve had and the challenges we face. We would urge anyone whos keen to support out work to sign up as a member either online or in-person by coming along to the start of our AGM on Saturday. Anyone with an interest in regional development and infrastructure across the north-west of the island is urged to attend. Loughs Agency has marked its 25th anniversary through the hosting of a major international symposium in Derry with a large delegation of over 100 scientists, academics, stakeholders and policymakers taking part in the much-anticipated event. The main aim of the two-day conference, which took place at the Everglades Hotel, was to gather global expertise and knowledge on cross-border co-operation and governance, with a view to ensuring the protection of water, aquatic and marine systems around the world. Speakers from a variety of institutions in this niche subject area attended and delivered presentations on the complex matter of transboundary water bodies, which includes the Foyle and Carlingford Loughs. Loughs Agency are responsible for the management and protection of these loughs. The event also provided the opportunity for extensive dialogue and discussion. Delegates took part in engaging breakout sessions which focused on how decisions made now can impact on future generations and the next 25 years. Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir said: We are currently facing many environmental challenges, and one of the most pressing issues is how we manage transboundary water resources. This symposium provides a welcome platform for some of the most distinguished voices in the industry to share their expertise and build partnerships so that we can better protect our marine ecosystems through collaborative governance. As one of the North South cross-border bodies established under the Good Friday Agreement, Loughs Agency has been actively engaged in this work for 25 years. I would like to congratulate them on their milestone anniversary and thank them for putting together this wonderful event today. Sharon McMahon, Loughs Agency CEO, said: We are delighted to welcome so many distinguished guests to the heart of the Foyle catchment area to take part in this milestone conference. Transboundary water bodies such as Foyle and Carlingford are vital sources of freshwater for millions of people, but complex governance issues often ensue. Effective management of these resources is essential for ensuring water security and environmental sustainability. As one of the longest-established cross-border environmental management and protection agencies in Europe, it has been Loughs Agencys pleasure to host such a productive two days of engagement with our peers at a time when we also celebrate our own 25th anniversary. Further information on the work of Loughs Agency can be found at loughs-agency.org. Derry Magistrate's Court today was shown footage of an incident outside the Strand Road PSNI Station where a man assaulted his son. Paul Weir (47) with an address at Manor Street in Belfast had denied the assault charge that was said to have occurred on May 1 2021. The court was shown CCTV footage in which the injured party could be seen at the pedestrian door at the police station. Weir was seen approaching and an altercation took place before several police officers intervened. Defence solicitor Paddy MacDermott argued that the charge should be one of disorderly behaviour rather than assault. District Judge Barney McElholm said that the defendant was 'clearly the aggressor' and described his behaviour as 'extremely aggressive and appalling'. He convicted Weir of the charge of assault. Mr MacDermott said that this incident occurred in 2021 and Judge McElholm asked had Weir 'grown up in the meantime'? Weir was sentenced to 3 months in prison suspended for 18 months. A forthcoming legal judgment on the Legacy Act could have significant implications for the protection of human rights in Northern Ireland, the director of a social change organisation has said. The Court of Appeal is expected to rule later this week on a Government challenge to a High Court judgment that the legacy laws breached elements of the post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland the Windsor Framework. The Belfast-based Social Change Initiative (SCI) said the ruling could have implications far beyond legacy issues. The Labour Government announced in the summer it was dropping an appeal against part of the High Court judgment that struck out controversial aspects of the previous administrations Troubles legacy laws. But it did not abandon its wider appeal, asking the court to rule on part of its legal challenge involving concerns around EU laws and the Windsor Framework. Article 2 (1) of the Windsor Framework states that the Government must ensure that various rights entitlements in Northern Ireland, which were enshrined following the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, cannot be diminished as a result of the UK leaving the EU. The Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has cited the need for clarity in relation to how that ruling could potentially affect other Government legislation in the future. He has said the ongoing appeal related to a technical point of law, which he hoped could be clarified to ensure legal certainty around the human rights framework in Northern Ireland. The SCI, working in conjunction with the Human Rights Centre at Queens University Belfast and the Donia Human Rights Centre at the University of Michigan, has produced a guide to the issues at stake in the court ruling. Martin OBrien, director at the SCI said: The forthcoming judgment in the Legacy Act case will determine whether the commitment to ensure that Brexit does not lead to any diminution in the human rights and equality protections of the Good Friday Agreement has any real substance. We hope our report will help everyone to get to grips with the complex legal issues that the case will decide, and why they matter to us all. The Irish Centre for European Law, the SCI and the Human Rights Centre at Queens University Belfast are also organising a seminar to discuss the implications of the Court of Appeals judgment. The event will take place on October 24 at Queens when a panel of legal experts will assess the judgment and its implications. Ulster University has today welcomed the Taoiseach Simon Harris T.D. to its campus in Derry where he met with the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Bartholemew to discuss the Universitys vision for growth in higher education provision in the North West. The Taoiseach also delivered the 2024 John Hume and Thomas P. ONeill Chair Peace Lecture, co-hosted by the University with the John and Pat Hume Foundation. As the new academic year begins on the campus, a thriving hub for health sciences, creative industries, computing and the arts, the Taoiseach visited the site on which a new teaching and student services building will be developed, supported by cross border investment from the Irish Government and University reserves. Announced in 2023, the 44.5 million investment at Ulster Universitys campus in Derry by the Government of Ireland through the Shared Island initiative will expand higher education in the North West region. Providing additional lecture and seminar spaces, computer labs and on-campus student services, the facility will also underpin research and teaching cooperation between Ulster University and Atlantic Technological University in Donegal, while also enabling the four North West Tertiary Education Cluster institutions to work more closely together in the provision of further and higher education in the region. During the visit earlier today, Taoiseach Simon Harris T.D. said: I was pleased to visit Ulster University in Derry once again today, with its thriving campus alive with new and returning students on their higher education journey. It was a priority for me as Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research Innovation and Science, to agree and move forward in June 2023 with the major Shared Island Fund investment by the Irish Government in Ulster Universitys campus, fulfilling our commitment under the New Decade, New Approach agreement to support the expansion of student numbers in Derry and economic opportunity for young people across the North West. As Taoiseach, I affirmed with Vice-Chancellor Bartholomew today the Governments partnership with Ulster University, including on the new teaching building project and funding of student healthcare training places in Derry. We also discussed Ulster Universitys wider development and expansion plans and commitment to cross-border cooperation, in delivering a world-class institution that attracts students and researchers from across the island of Ireland, Great Britain and around the world. The Government will be working to see cross-border tertiary education and research links, both North/South and East/West, reach even greater heights in the time ahead. Taoiseach Simon Harris delivers the 2024 John Hume and Thomas P. ONeill Chair Peace Lecture Ulster University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Bartholomew said: We were delighted to welcome Taoiseach Simon Harris to Ulster University in Derry to showcase our thriving campus and our ambitious plans for growth as we look ahead to the development of the new teaching and student services building supported by the Government of Ireland, through the Shared Island initiative. The Taoiseach has been a long-standing supporter of our work here in the North West, both during his time as Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and now, as Taoiseach. Todays visit was an opportunity to further discuss our distinct regional mission and our shared commitment to transform education and support economic growth in the North West. In Derry, we are providing the most comprehensive healthcare higher education offering in the UK and Ireland. Ulster University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Bartholomew and Taoiseach Simon Harris visit the site on which a new teaching and student services building will be developed, supported by cross border investment from the Irish Government "This is a campus that is addressing key challenges in the healthcare sector head on, whether that be through training the next wave of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to combat staff shortages across the North West and beyond, or with our pioneering research into personalised medicine. It was a pleasure to discuss this with the Taoiseach and share our plans for continued investment in Derry. The visit comes as Ulster University is nominated for University of the Year by Times Higher Education and recognised as the highest-ranking UK university for outreach activities, and fifth in the world overall, in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024. An agreement has been secured to resolve a long-running dispute over pay and grading for school support workers, Education Minister Paul Givan has said. The minister said school support staff would now receive a significant investment in pay. Thousands of non-teaching support staff have been involved in industrial action as part of the dispute with employers over pay and grading. The non-teaching staff including bus drivers, classroom assistants and cleaning and canteen staff took part in three days of strike action in May. Mr Givan said trade unions had now accepted a pay and grading agreement. He said: I am pleased to be able to confirm that all the education support staff unions have accepted the proposed agreement to resolve this long running pay and grading dispute. Unions GMB, Nipsa, Unison and Unite had been undertaking individual consultations over the summer months. Mr Givan added: The resolution of this dispute will provide relief to our school support staff who will appreciate the benefits of this significant investment in pay. They deserve to be paid appropriately for the extremely important work they do, and the restructured pay scales will also improve the recruitment and retention of staff in the future. I welcome that all forms of industrial action have now ceased. While teaching unions in Northern Ireland accepted a pay offer earlier this year, agreement was not reached at the time with support staff. Unions had said support staff are among the lowest paid workers in the education sector, stating many are paid less than the current national minimum wage. A union has said a shipbuilder going into administration is a hammer blow to Scotlands energy workforce and called on the UK and Scottish Governments to keep their promise of a just transition. Harland and Wolff, which has two shipyards in Scotland: one in Methil, Fife; and the other at Arnish on the Isle of Lewis; announced on Monday it was going into administration. The Belfast-based company, which famously built the Titanic, said there will be between 50-60 immediate redundancies, but says staff at its four shipyards, including Belfast and Appledore, north Devon would not be affected. Gary Cook, GMB Scotland senior organiser for manufacturing, said: This is a hammer blow to Scotlands energy workforce and an all too familiar story. It marks the second time in five years the business has gone into administration. The administration process will be confined to the holding company, Harland and Wolff Group Holdings PLC, and the operational companies which run the yards are expected to continue trading. A company statement said: A full review of all group holdings commenced in July and has concluded that H&W Group Holdings PLC is insolvent on a balance sheet basis as per its last audited accounts and most recent management accounts. Insolvency practitioners Teneo will act as administrators and shares will be delisted. The company is part of a consortium that landed a major contract to build new fleet solid support ships for the Royal Navy. It had applied for a 200 million loan guarantee from the UK Government as part of efforts to restructure its finances. However, the UK Government decided in August not to act as a guarantor on the lending while also ruling out direct funding to maintain the companys liquidity. Mr Cook said: Just this week, it was announced Grangemouth will cease refining operations with hundreds of redundancies. But it does not need to be the end of the yards at Arnish or Methil. They can and must be cornerstones of Scotlands manufacturing foundations. Both the Scottish and UK Governments have made promises of a just transition. Its now time for them to keep those promises and secure the future of these yards. If a just transition is to be anything other than a hollow phrase, then the cycle of crises must be broken. Both yards need public investment to make them competitive so they can build Scotlands offshore wind here at home. In June, First Minister John Swinney said the Scottish Government would work with the UK Government to ensure the shipbuilder can upkeep its employment at both Scottish sites. He said: There is obviously a situation where Harland and Wolff are trying to secure additional investment in their operations. Our priority is to make sure that we do everything that we can to support employment at Arnish and Methil. The Scottish Government will do that in concert with the UK Government where its possible for us to support such proposals. In a written statement to Westminster on Monday, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds explained why the UK Government had rejected the request to act as a guarantor on fresh lending sought by the company. He said it had not been an easy decision but there was a very substantial risk that taxpayer money would be lost. He added: The Government believes, in this instance, that the market is best placed to resolve the commercial matters faced by Harland and Wolff. A UK Government spokesperson said: While we know this will be a concerning time for those affected, Harland and Wolff has been clear this process will in no way affect jobs at its shipyards or core operations such as delivering its contracts for the Ministry of Defence. We are clear that following a thorough review of the companys financial situation, at present the market is best-placed to address these challenges, and providing Government funding would have meant a significant risk of losing taxpayer money. We are continuing to work extensively with all parties to find an outcome for Harland and Wolff that delivers shipbuilding and manufacturing in Belfast, Scotland and across the rest of the UK and protects jobs. A Scottish Government spokesperson said ministers understand it is an unsettling time for the firms employees but that the administration will not affect the core operational companies. They added: Scottish ministers have met on a number of occasions with Harland and Wolff in recent weeks and will continue to engage with the company, trade unions and the UK Government to ensure that the best interests of the Methil and Arnish sites, and the highly-skilled people who work there, are clearly represented. We will continue to do so. Drinking water in some parts of Northern Ireland has an unpleasant taste and smell but is still safe to drink, Infrastructure Minister John ODowd has insisted. Mr ODowd said the drinking water was being impacted by increased algae levels in Lough Neagh. The Assembly was told there had been a number of complaints about the tap water and some mothers were concerned about using it to feed their children. Mr ODowd said: NI Waters number one priority is the quality and safety of your drinking water. I am aware of a number of customers who have been reporting a taste and smell in their drinking water supply in specific areas. This is related to increased algae levels in Lough Neagh which contain naturally occurring compounds that may cause an unpleasant taste and smell even after going through NI Waters robust treatment process. NI Water are working to reduce the impact of these compounds as they move through the water supply system and work closely on a daily basis with the Drinking Water Inspectorate and the Public Health Agency to ensure the water is safe to drink. I can confirm that NI Water has confirmed to me that the water is safe to drink. Processes have included enhanced sampling at the network treatment works, the distribution network and customer taps. SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone said he had dealt with numerous complaints about the water supply. He said: Young mothers afraid to give it to their children through the food they are providing to the babies. Basically a lot of calls about foul taste and foul odours. Can the minister give us some indication if additional chemicals have been added to the water supply? Mr ODowd responded: Let me emphasise again the the water coming out of our taps is safe to drink and use. The minister said his own home was impacted by the same issues but he was continuing to use the water. He said: I do use the water, I accept that there is an unpleasant taste and smell for drinking water purposes and some people may wish to have bottled water or other water for that purpose. But for all other purposes the water is safe and its safe for drinking as well. He added: The smell and taste you are getting at the moment is not chemical, it is a naturally occurring compound in the water. It is a timely reminder to us all if we needed it that we need to look after our natural resources, we need to look after Lough Neagh. Noxious blooms of blue-green algae have covered large parts of the lough during the past two summers and also affected other waterways and beaches in the region. Lough Neagh, the biggest freshwater lake by surface area in the UK and Ireland, supplies 40% of Northern Irelands drinking water. The Stormont Executive recently launched an action plan to deal with the environmental crisis at the lough. DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley said: You have outlined that NI Water said this water is safe to drink, but if a constituent came to us and said that they smelt for example mould off a packet of ham in their fridge or foul odours from a drum of milk we wouldnt advise them to drink or eat it. So how sure can we be that the water is the same? Mr ODowd said: I am satisfied with assurances I have received from NI Water in relation to the quality of our drinking water. As I said my own home is impacted by this and I am using the water in my own home. A British Government move to pause funding commitments to city deals for Northern Ireland is deplorable and appalling, the Finance minister has said. Caoimhe Archibald told MLAs she was frustrated and angry at the Treasurys short-sighted and shambolic handling of the issue. The whole of Northern Ireland is covered by four city and growth deals worth a total of 1.7 billion. A Westminster Government decision to pause funding until its upcoming spending review was met by widespread anger from local politicians when it was announced late on Friday. Over the weekend it was clarified that two of the deals Belfast regions, and Londonderry City and Strabane will not be affected by the suspension. However, uncertainty still surrounds the future of the deals for Causeway Coast and Glens and Mid South West. The deals, which advance investment and infrastructure projects in specific areas, involve bespoke funding arrangements between the Treasury, the Stormont Executive and local partners. The Belfast regions deal has already been signed by the Government and the Derry/Strabane deal is set to be signed this week. The other two deals are not as far forward in development. In an update to the Assembly, Ms Archibald told MLAs the pause on the two deals must be lifted immediately. The British Government pledged 617 million for four deals across the north, on the basis that the Executive would match fund this investment, she added. We did that and added another 100 million to the pot, with a 717 million contribution. Local councils and deal partners then also added significant funding to the overall investment, seen as a catalyst for local economic growth. Over 60 projects are currently being developed, which will be delivered across the four deals, covering every council area. This substantial capital investment, and the numerous projects in development, will be truly transformative for local regions and for the north as a whole. Ms Archibald said she became aware of the suspension move last Wednesday and, during a pre-scheduled meeting with Chancellor Rachel Reeves the following day, she, First Minister Michelle ONeill and deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly outlined the dire consequences of the decision and urged the Government to reconsider. The Finance minister said that on the advice of the Chancellor she requested an urgent call with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones. She told the Assembly that, as of Monday afternoon, he had not responded to that request. The minister said she had hoped the Government would have provided space for engagement on the move but instead the Northern Ireland Office pressed ahead with the suspension announcement on Friday. This reprehensible decision came less than a week before the scheduled signing of the Derry City and Strabane deal, she said. The Derry and Strabane deal signing event was called off shortly afterwards. Thankfully, common sense prevailed with the British Government coming to the right decision late on Saturday evening, which has now enabled the Derry City and Strabane District Council city deal signing to go ahead as planned on Wednesday. She added: While some level of common sense has prevailed, we are now faced with the incomprehensible decision to treat the deals differently. I am clear there can be no disparity of approach. This approach could undermine the momentum and confidence of deal partners in the Causeway Coast and Glens and Mid South West growth deals, who have put so much time and effort into developing the many projects. I am very frustrated and angry by the handling of the matter by the British Government. The lack of information and formal communication to both departments and deal partners is totally unacceptable and is not how I would expect people to do business. If the British Government is serious about resetting relationships, then they must seriously reflect on this shambolic episode, put an end to this appalling behaviour. It is completely unfair that Causeway Coast and Glens and Mid South West growth deals should have to wait until the spending review for clarity. The British Government must immediately lift the pause on the Causeway Coast and Glens and Mid South West growth deals. It is time for a reset of their reset. These city and growth deals will be game-changers for our cities and towns, and a catalyst to boost economic development and create good jobs. Its crucial that all deals continue as planned. I will continue to impress upon the Chief Secretary to the Treasury that the British Government must honour the commitments and pledges made to city and growth deals which will be transformative for our cities and towns and regions, bringing hope and prosperity right across the north, for our citizens, communities, businesses and future generations. In a statement on Monday evening, partners in the Belfast deal welcomed clarification from the Department of Finance. The Belfast Region City Deal partners welcome the positive news that the Derry City and Strabane District Council City Deal will be signed on Wednesday of this week and look forward to working with our colleagues to ensure that together, we achieve the maximum positive impacts from this regional investment, they said. We also wish to state our very clear support for our colleagues in the Mid-South West Growth Deal and the Causeway Coast & Glens Growth Deal, and urge the UK Government to lift the pause on commitments relating to those deals. Together, the four deals offer significant growth potential for Northern Ireland as a whole. The Belfast Region City Deal the result of a strong and established partnership is now well into delivery phase, with 15 outline business cases approved, 12 legally executed contracts for funding signed totalling approximately 600 million, 15 ICT contracts awarded, two projects in construction and a number of projects already in operation. It is a delivery vehicle which is clearly fit for purpose. The Belfast Region City Deal partners remain focused on fully implementing our deal and on maximising the wide range of benefits this investment will bring to our region and the people who live here. Red Sea crisis winds down as freight rates drop The Taiwan Stock Exchange has released the August 2024 revenue figures for all listed companies, with the shipping industry leading the pack, posting a 58.6% growth thanks to surging freight rates. Coming in second was the broader electronics sector, which saw a 29.9% boost, driven by demand for AI cloud products and restocking of new customer inventories. Growth in the electronic distribution sector was fueled by a rise in AI server demand, increasing the need for electronic components. Shipping revenues are closely tied to global freight rate fluctuations. Earlier this year, tensions in the Middle East, compounded by attacks from Houthi rebels on commercial vessels and oil tankers navigating through the Red Sea and Suez Canal, forced many shipping companies to reroute via the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, to ports in Liverpool, Rotterdam, or Genoa. This detour led to soaring costs in fuel, labor, and insurance, while extended transit times and lower container turnover further pushed freight rates higher. During the drought-induced low water levels in the Panama Canal, larger cargo vessels en route from Asia to US East Coast ports also had to navigate around the Cape of Good Hope. Freight rates have been climbing sharply since May 2024. Market predictions from Drewry, Alphaliner, and Clarksons of oversupply in the 2024 shipping market were widely ignored. These analysts had forecast that new ships ordered by carriers in 2021 and 2022 would hit the market in large numbers between 2023 and 2025, with capacity expected to rise by 11% in 2024, while demand would grow by just 2-3%. Even by 2025, the sector was anticipated to remain oversupplied. By mid-July 2024, the rally in international container rates began to fade. Drewry's World Container Index for a 40-foot container hit $5,937 on July 18 but dropped to $4,775 by September 5, representing an 8% slide in just a week. Similarly, the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) has declined for three straight weeks, with freight rates for Europe and US East Coast routes falling by more than 10%. The two-month surge in freight rates has now ended earlier than expected. Although potential strikes at US ports could cause temporary disruptions, a repeat of the 2021-2022 peak rates, driven by container shortages and labor issues, is unlikely. Shipping industry insiders note that despite the higher costs and reduced container turnover triggered by Houthi attacks, the freight rate spike has also spurred a rush to buy new and second-hand vessels, as well as empty containers. The increase in services has pushed supply higher, causing the shipping industry's peak season to arrive and end earlier than expected. The Red Sea crisis, which sent freight rates soaring in May 2024, appears to be winding down. Many shipping companies are preparing to resume navigating the Red Sea and Suez Canal. Foreign media reports suggest global carriers are carefully assessing the reopening of Red Sea routes. However, a swift return to these routes could overwhelm European ports, as vessels rerouted via South Africa would arrive simultaneously. Experts estimate it could take at least three months to adjust sailing schedules to the new circumstances. Tata plans to build two more fabs in India As Tata Electronics constructs India's first commercial wafer fab in three decades, it plans to leverage this experience to develop additional fabs in the medium to long term. The company will likely partner with Tata Group companies to produce the first made-in-India chips by 2026. Mint, citing unnamed sources, reported that Tata Electronics plans to establish two additional semiconductor fabs in Dholera, Gujarat, as part of its long-term strategy to produce chips locally and meet global demand. The next phase is expected to start in five to seven years, with the first fab set to begin production by 2026. The new fabs may have a similar scale to the first one, with technology and process nodes undetermined. The upcoming first fab will focus on manufacturing chips for PMICs, DDIs, MCUs, and HPC chips. Once fully operational, the fab is expected to achieve a peak manufacturing capacity of up to 50,000 wafers per month. Tata Electronics is nearing agreements with buyers for chips from its first fab, likely including group companies such as Tata Motors, Tata Play, and Tata Teleservices. In a separate report, Mint disclosed that Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is collaborating with Tata Electronics Ltd to develop the first made-in-India chips by 2026. Sreenivasa Chakravarti, vice-president and global head of TCS's digital engineering business, detailed that while Tata Electronics concentrates on-chip fabrication, TCS is applying its expertise across various segments of the semiconductor value chain to support the initiative. Additionally, the company is constructing a residential facility for 4,000-5,000 employees at the Dholera site. Tata is actively negotiating with suppliers and partners to develop local ancillaries, aiming to establish a comprehensive supply-chain ecosystem for semiconductor manufacturing. Mint reported that regarding Tata's ATMP facility in Assam, which began construction in August, is currently conducting environmental impact assessments following a preliminary topographical survey, water analysis, flood risk evaluation, and environmental monitoring. The 600-acre campus is expected to be ready for high-volume manufacturing by the second half of 2025, with a daily capacity of 48 million chips focusing on wire bond, flip chip, and Integrated Systems Packaging (ISP) technologies, with plans to expand into advanced packaging technologies. India's central government has only approved one wafer fab, which was proposed by Tata, for now. In early September, Tower Semiconductor and Adani Group joined hands to establish a wafer fab in India's western state of Maharashtra with an investment of INR839.47 billion (US$10 billion), slightly less than Tata Electronics fab, which costs INR910 billion to build. Despite being one of the first to apply for semiconductor incentives in early 2022, Foxconn has yet to make significant progress on its wafer fab project in India. Recently, the Economic Times reported, citing unnamed sources, that Foxconn and HCL have been allocated approximately 30 acres of land in Uttar Pradesh for the establishment of an ATMP/OSAT facility. India recently wrapped up SEMICON India 2024 on September 13. The event saw participation from US and Japan-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers and EDA tool providers, including Synopsys and Siemens. This turnout highlights the expanding semiconductor ecosystem in India, underscoring the country's increasing ambitions in chipmaking. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe At Christmas FM, its never too early to talk about Christmasthats why the popular radio station, which fills the airwaves with Christmas cheer and festive hits every year, is live online for a special one day broadcast today to mark the official 100 day countdown to Christmas Day. Listeners can enjoy a full day of Christmas tunes and festive vibes by listening online in Ireland and around the world through the Christmas FM app or on the website here HERE. Its the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit early and start the countdown to the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas FM is also running an exciting competition for one lucky primary school class to officially Switch Christmas On across the airwaves for 2024! The winning class will be featured in the official Christmas FM 2024 photoshoot, which promises to be a magical experience filled with festive fun and merriment. Additionally, a live link up will also take place at the winning class in November, coinciding with Christmas FMs return to the airwaves. READ NEXT: Possible farmer's tans at this years National Ploughing Championships? Met Eireann's latest forecast suggests so The competition is open to primary school classes nationwide (terms and conditions apply) and closes at 10:00am on Monday September 23. To be in with a chance to win this incredible opportunity, teachers and schools simply have to apply via the form here HERE. Christmas FM, which is celebrating 17 years on air this year, is also delighted to announce that The Magic of Christmas fundraising appeal will also be returning for its third year to raise money for three of Irelands leading childrens charities - Barnardos, Barretstown, Make-A-Wish Ireland and a range of childrens charities around Ireland making a difference in local communities through Community Foundation Ireland. The Magic of Christmas was launched in 2022, with the aim of raising 1,000,000 over a three-year period for the charities. So far, The Magic of Christmas fundraising appeal has raised 618,706 for the charities between 2022 and 2023, with these funds being used for a range of services which include: providing hot nutritious meals for children, support for families facing the cost-of-living crisis, wishes for children living with life-threatening illnesses across Ireland, and hundreds of hours of therapeutic programmes for children. By donating to The Magic of Christmas fundraising appeal, listeners will Give the Gift of Childhood to those who need it most, because every child deserves Magic at Christmas. Garvan Rigby, co-founder of Christmas FM, said: For all of us at Christmas FM, its never too early to talk about Christmas! We cant wait to Switch Christmas On with help from one special primary school class this year. Its a great prize, and were excited to see which school will win. "We are also delighted to be working alongside Barnardos, Barretstown, Make-A-Wish Ireland and Community Foundation Ireland again this year for the third year of The Magic of Christmas fundraising appeal. We know that we can count on our incredible Christmas FM listeners to support these charities and donate to help us reach our target of 1,000,000 raised for children in need. Commenting on The Magic of Christmas fundraising appeal, the charity partners jointly said: Last year, the funds raised made a significant difference to the lives of thousands of children across Ireland, and we are delighted to be a part of The Magic of Christmas fundraising appeal once again this year. Such a positive impact is made on the lives of children and their families, thanks to the help of Christmas FM listeners. With the funds raised, we can ensure that those who need it most will experience the Gift of Childhood this Christmas, because every child deserves Magic at Christmas. Almost 5,000 children in Louth would benefit from Sinn Feins plan to deliver childcare at a cost of 10 a day, the party's Dundalk TD, Deputy Ruairi O Murchu, has said. The fully costed plan was launched by Sinn Fein this week, which the party claims is ready to be delivered in the first year of government. Commenting on the plan, Deputy O Murchu said: Sinn Feins plan sets out how we would deliver childcare at 10 a day per child. This would ensure childcare is affordable for families in Louth. Our plan is fully-costed and ready to be delivered in the first year of government. Figures from the CSO show that here in Louth there are 4,786 children in childcare who would benefit from Sinn Feins plan. This would make a real difference for families. The Sinn Fein TD continued: Childcare in Ireland has been far too expensive for far too long. Sinn Feins plan would change that by delivering affordable childcare. Under Sinn Feins plan, if your child attends childcare or a childminder full-time, five days a week, we will cut your childcare costs from 800 to 200 a month. Other countries cap the price of childcare and it is time to do it in Ireland where parents pay some of the highest childcare costs in Europe. Sinn Feins plan would involve an investment of 345 million. Fees have been frozen over the last number of years and in that time, providers have seen costs increase substantially. Pobal and others have been very clear that there is a viability issue for some providers in the childcare sector, hence why there is now a danger of some providers opting out of core funding and increasing their fees. Speaking about the provision of childcare locally at the moment, Deputy O Murchu said that: Childcare providers in Dundalk have been in touch with me as recently as last week saying that they are struggling and the current system is not fit for purpose. This would be a disaster for parents, many of whom would not be able to afford increased fees, a concern which has been voiced by many providers facing this issue. Sinn Fein is committing to a full review of core funding. We would demand full transparency from providers so that we can establish the degree to which costs have increased, the severity of the viability issue, and estimate the necessary increases to core funding required to ensure providers can continue delivering such an essential service without financial distress. Sinn Fein TD Ruairi O Murchu has asked that further time be given to Dundalk FC for its serious financial difficulties to be sorted out. There are fears that Brian Ainscough could put the club into liquidation at 5pm today if no investors are found. In an interview on LMFM Radio this morning, the Louth TD said his first thoughts are with all those involved in the club the players, staff and supporters. He said: You cannot put into words what Dundalk FC means to Dundalk town and its hinterland. He referred to financial difficulties experiences by Cork in 2011 and following conversations he has had with the FAI and a number of other stakeholders, the situation is that Dundalk FC is currently applying for a licence to play in the League of Ireland next year. He said: If the club was to go into liquidation, there is no facility to apply for a licence. Monaghan United, when they went out of play, the PFAI would not allow an entity to recreate itself in Monaghan if players were not paid, so the same circumstances would arise, so that's how serious this is. He said Mr Ainscough needs to give more time for investors to look at the club. Deputy O Murchu said he had been speaking to a possible investor who had indicated more time was needed. Deputy O Murchu also raised the SCARP (Small Company Administrative Rescue Process) which, he said, takes a considerable amount of money to put it in. He said: There is talk in the public domain talk of 360,000 and I have spoken to people who say that money may be somewhat more. Anyone who is sway with any of these investors that they need to pull on the heart strings the connection with Dundalk now. That would probably involve the number of people who have money, local business people and those with connectivity with Dundalk and beyond to ensure there would be enough money put in place to allow Dundalk FC to enter into this process and to ensure that we have a team that can play at Oriel Park next year. Entering into examinership means entering into 49 days which protects the entity and during that period you need to go through absolutely everything. With regards to the legacy issues and mistakes that have been made which all in the public domain, we can all blame multiple people at this stage, but none of that serves any purpose at this point in time - we can deal with all that after. The only thing that matters is ensuring that Dundalk FC survives. It has one of the finest legacies of any team in the League of Ireland. We all know that this will impact in relation to the results, if the worst was to happen, of the league this year and it also draws into question the entire integrity and the ability of the league altogether. Dundalk is too big to fail. We need to make sure that doesnt happen, so we need Brian Ainscough to give enough time and to allow a proper rescue package to be put in place. I believe it is possible. It is very difficult but it is possible to put something together, what we need is an amount of time to be given and then we need to make sure that everybody who is willing to put their money where their mouth is steps up for Dundalk and that we have its sustainable management team and a process and a system that can work into the future. A single good idea will launch entrepreneurs from Ireland to the global stage as Red Bull Basement returns for 2024. Red Bull is giving the next generation of innovators the chance to conceive, develop and launch their outstanding business ideas with applications for this global competition now open. Each team that applies will be able to create their own business plan with the help of AI technology. Ten of the best teams will then be invited to present their ideas at the Red Bull Basement National Finals, which take place in Dublin in November. The team who impresses the judges will then represent Ireland at Red Bull Basement World Finals in Tokyo, Japan in December. The grand prize for the global winner? An all-expenses paid trip to Silicon Valley and Los Angeles in 2025, where they will receive hands-on experience, mentorship and opportunities to connect with top industry leaders in a three-week long accelerator programme. Applications for Red Bull Basement are now open until October 31st 2024. As colleges and universities return across Ireland, students with entrepreneurial flair and desire to make an impact are encouraged to bring their brightest ideas to the table. Whos to know where it might lead? In 2021, Irelands representatives Clara Fergus and Harsh Chandra used the skills and knowledge acquired at the Red Bull Basement World Finals in Istanbul to further develop their business idea, CareersXP, a career guidance solution for students. Basement winners in 2020, Joanna Power and Paramveer Bhachu, have progressed their innovative water-saving washing machine idea into a developing business and claimed numerous innovation awards on the back of it, appearing on the TedxTalk series in 2022. To apply for the 2024 edition, visit https://www.redbull.com/ie-en/events/red-bull-basement-ireland where the easy-to-use AI tool will help to create and submit a one-page business plan as their application. Regardless of your educational background or professional field, you are welcome to submit an idea with the potential for significant impact. Entrants must be aged 18 and above at the time of application and currently residing in Ireland. Read Next: Hunterstown book place in semi-final The best entries will be chosen to take part in the Red Bull Basement Irish National Final in Dublin in November, where a panel of hand-picked judges from across the Irish tech and business spheres will select the best idea to represent Ireland. The successful team will then have one month to further grow their ideas and start-up business plan with the help of mentors and industry experts before heading to Tokyo for the World Finals. Timeline, Red Bull Basement 2024 Monday September 16th - Thursday October 31st: One or two-member teams of students and innovators can visit the Red Bull Basement website to submit applications. Wednesday November 13th: Red Bull Basement Irish National Final, where judges select one team to represent Ireland at the Global Final in Tokyo, Japan. Monday December 2nd - Thursday December 5th: National teams from over 40 countries will come together in the immersive World Final in Tokyo, where they will attend workshops, dedicated AI educational sessions, and the chance to network with international entrepreneurs and business leaders. To learn more about Red Bull Basement, enter the competition and access FAQs, visit: https://www.redbull.com/ie-en/events/red-bull-basement-ireland/ Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has today announced that four Louth schools are among the selected Phase One Schools which will be the first to offer the new Leaving Certificate subject of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies. Among the schools participating in phase one, 57 post-primary schools have been selected to introduce Leaving Certificate Drama, Film and Theatre Studies from the start of the 2025/26 school year. These include: St. Josephs CBS, Drogheda; De La Salle College, Dundalk, Ardee Community School and OFiaich College, Dundalk. In addition, 43 schools have been selected for Leaving Certificate Climate Action and Sustainable Development. Minister Foley said: It was fantastic to see a strong level of interest from schools of all types in Louth and across the country in taking part in this first phase of delivering the new Leaving Certificate subjects of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies and Climate Action and Sustainable Development. These subjects are being introduced to provide greater choice for students to better reflect their range of interests and support the development of a wider range of talents and skills. I am pleased to announce that four Louth schools will be among the first to offer the new Leaving Certificate subject of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies in 2025/26. The applications received demonstrated the extraordinary talent, qualifications, experience, and commitment by teachers in schools across Ireland interested in introducing these two new subjects to their students. The level and variety of current subject provision in the selected schools and the enthusiasm shown by their school leaders, teachers, students and school communities was nothing short of exemplary and I have every confidence that the rollout of both subjects will be a success. Read Next: 'No words' - Nathan Carter leads tributes after sad death of popular Louth man I am most pleased for the students in the 100 post primary schools across the country who will experience either Drama, Film and Theatre Studies or Climate Action and Sustainable Development at Senior Cycle in this initial phase and who will have the opportunity to develop their interests, strengths and talents in these areas. Teachers in the selected schools will begin working with Oide, the teacher support service, this school year, a year in advance of teaching the subject. All selected Phase One schools will be provided with the necessary resources to establish new subject departments in their schools and to support the teaching and learning of the subject from the start of the 2025/26 school year. The Department says: Drama, Film and Theatre Studies will promote and encourage creativity as a basis for learning through immersive experiences. Students will have the opportunity to cultivate informed thinking through learning supported by creative and critical processes. Climate Action and Sustainable Development will develop students capacity for informed and meaningful action for a just and sustainable world as they engage with key sustainability challenges including the climate crisis. Students will be empowered to build their understanding of a number of interconnected core concepts and principles related to climate action and sustainable development. Louth County Council have launched an appeal to the public to avoid disturbing seals along the Louth coastline, following a serious incident involving a dog at Clogherhead. The appeal comes after a seal attack was reported on a dog in the harbour at Clogherhead. The incident had tragic consequences as the dog sustained serious injuries and sadly had to be put down. Visitors to local beaches should be aware that September to December is a particularly important time for grey seals, as it is the breeding season during which time the adults seek safe sites to 'haul out' on land. These are beaches where the animals return year after year to breed, rest, moult and engage in social activity. It is also the time when they give birth to a single pup which is born with distinctive white fur and needs to stay on land for a number of weeks while it is being weaned by its mother. During the autumn and early winter season it is common to see seal pups along Irish coasts, and they can be vulnerable to disturbance by curious humans and their pets. A 'disturbance' can easily occur when seals become aware of human presence even at a distance. Read Next: INTERVIEW: Retired Louth teacher Florence Gillan on the art of writing psychological thrillers Louth County Council are appealing to the public, and especially dog owners out walking with their pets, to maintain a minimum distance of 100m from seals that are on land. Human and other animal proximity to seals and their pups will cause stress and can lead to the abandonment of pups by mothers. Orphaned pups have very little chance of survival and often Seal Rescue Ireland (SRI) must intervene by bringing a seal into rehabilitation whereas without human disturbance the pup would have been successfully cared for and weaned in the wild. If any member of the public comes across a seal it is very important to keep a distance, never touch and never attempt to return a young animal to the sea. It is important to remember that seal bites can inflict injury on dogs and humans. Seals are legally protected under the Wildlife Act and it is illegal and dangerous to approach them or to allow dogs to do so. For more information and to report sightings, visit www.sealrescueireland.org or contact the Seal Rescue Hotline on 087 1955393. A leading Cork academic has written a book that looks at every local election held in Ireland over the past 125 years. The book, Democracy on Your Doorstep, is the 10th book written by Dr Aodh Quinlivan, a senior lecturer at UCCs Department of Government and Politics, and it is published with the support of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The book examines each set of local elections in Ireland from 1899 to 2024 inclusive. Commenting on the publication, Alan Dillon, minister of state for Local Government and Planning, said it was the first book to analyse each local election individually. Throughout that journey, Aodh shines a spotlight on fascinating characters and stories from across the country, painting a colourful picture of the way we have approached local government over the last 125 years, Mr Dillon said. The book, Democracy on Your Doorstep, is the 10th book written by Dr Aodh Quinlivan. Electoral Commission chief executive Art OLeary described the book as an absorbing must-read for anyone with an interest in local government. In Democracy on Your Doorstep, Quinlivan attempts the difficult task of categorising the 26 sets of local elections since 1899, Mr OLeary said. The six elections from 1899 to 1914 represent the national struggle for Home Rule. The seminal election of 1920 stands alone due to the success of Sinn Fein and the use of the local councils in the war against British authorities. The elections after the Civil War, in 1925 and 1928, were absorbing due to the efforts mainly of Cumann na nGaedheal to depoliticise local government and make it less partisan. Those efforts, Mr OLeary said, largely failed, and the 17 local contests that have taken place since 1934 have tended to match, with some variations, the results of Dail elections. In 1934, Fianna Fail emerged as the strongest grouping in local government, followed by the United Ireland Party or Fine Gael, he said. Fast forward 90 years to 2024 and Fianna Fail was, once again, the strongest party of local government with 248 seats, closely followed by Fine Gael on 245. Dr Quinlivan said he was delighted at the publication of the book. The aim of Democracy on Your Doorstep is modest, merely to tell the stories behind the city and county council elections over the past 125 years and to give a flavour of the colour, excitement, and controversy, not to mention some of the characters involved. They include notable Corkonians like Martin Corry and Bernie Murphy, he said. Democracy on Your Doorstep is available in each local authority library in the country and also in UCCs Lowercase bookshop. Cork City's position in the latest air quality report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) has been described as "encouraging". The city has been ranked as the 15th cleanest city in Europe and the top city in Ireland for air quality. This achievement positions Cork ahead of many other similar-sized European cities. The cleanest air from 372 European cities was in Uppsala in Sweden. Cork City recorded a level of 5.2 g/m, slightly above the World Health Organization's (WHO) guideline of 5 g/m. Lord Mayor of Cork councillor Dan Boyle said while Cork compares well with similar-sized European cities "there is, however, little room for complacency as there are times of the year when pollution risks are too high and must be reduced". In a statement, Cork City Council said that while the results "are encouraging" it also serves as a reminder that there is still a body of work to be done in meeting the more stringent WHO limits for air quality. "Cork City Council is committed to improving and expanding public and active travel, retrofitting its buildings and its housing stock and in promoting all available grant funding schemes for home energy upgrades," it added. Meaningful supports for hospitality in Budget 2025, education and health issues, and whether the party would go back into government with the Greens, are some of the items Cork Fianna Fail TDs said they intend to raise at the party think-in which starts today. Members of the Fianna Fail parliamentary party will convene at Fitzpatricks Hotel, Killiney, in Dublin for the two-day event structured around several workshops that will focus on the key issues facing the country. Tanaiste and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said the 2024 Fianna Fail think-in marks the beginning of the final six months of this Dail and of an intense programme of legislation in the coming weeks and months. In government, we have achieved positive and sustained progress, Mr Martin said. We have shown a continued commitment to promoting the public interest and to helping our country meet critical, once-in-a-generation challenges. We will build on this commitment and go further. We recognise that we have to move forward and we will take steps to develop the services needed and implement the required actions to overcome the problems that face people today and also plan for the future, he said. It is understood the think-in will inform the work of policy development that will feed into the upcoming budget and the partys manifesto for the next general election. Future with Green Party Cork East TD James OConnor said along with infrastructure projects, another key issue for him would be a discussion on whether the party would or would not go back into government with the Green Party after the next general election. I think that our positioning on the Green Party is an important one [to be discussed at the think-in], Mr OConnor said. I did see that Roderic OGorman gave a very extensive interview [in yesterdays Sunday Times] around their own positioning for the next general election and overall its disappointing. Mr OConnor said it was his view that some hard pills have been swallowed when it comes to doing business with the Green Party. I think that Fianna Fails positioning on the issue needs to be very clear with the public in advance of the next general election, he said. Hospitality supports Cork South West TD Christopher OSullivan said he would be raising areas he would like to see supported in Budget 2025 at the think-in. I come from West Cork where hospitality is a huge part of what we do. There needs to be substantial supports for that sector and other small businesses as well, but particularly hospitality, and they must be meaningful supports, Mr OSullivan said. Another thing that Ive consistently asked for is a coastal infrastructure fund and that is a multi-million euro fund that I think should be established for local authority piers and harbours to make the most and see the full potential of our coast. Mr OSullivan said the party should solidify its message ahead of the next general election at the think-in and ensure that areas the party has delivered in while in Government are communicated clearly. Cork North Central TD Padraig OSullivan said he would be speaking on mainly education and health issues. We have a number of primary care centres that are held up in planning and design stage across the northside of the city, that includes Blarney, Glanmire, Mayfield, Mallow, he said Mr OSullivan said disability services and seeking improvements to the school transport scheme are also matters he wishes to speak on. Sinn Fein and Green Party events Sinn Fein TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould confirmed a Sinn Fein think-in event will also take place in Dublin today. He said the party had a really busy summer working to try and establish solutions to local and national issues. The next general election, he said, will be an important one and the party is keen to put its best foot forward. If people want change, this is an opportunity. We missed it the last time by not running enough candidates so hopefully this time we will have enough candidates and hopefully people will come out and support us. The Green Party is also due to hold its think-in today. Fine Gael think-in Fine Gael held its think-in last week where Taoiseach Simon Harris told reporters that his party will begin a consultation process on setting up a public childcare and early education service. The Fine Gael leader said the party would consult with parents and childcare providers on how to implement such a service during the next governments term. In the region of 70 Fine Gael politicians and general election candidates met in Tullamore, Co Offaly for the event last Wednesday and Thursday. The party has reportedly set September as a deadline for selecting all its candidates, fuelling rumours that leader Mr Harris is gearing up for an election before the end of the year. Mr Harris said that the party will offer a blended mix of experience and new energy, freshness at the next election. Issues including the upcoming budget, housing, migration and childcare were discussed at the think-in. Five Cork projects are among 48 that are to receive funding to purchase vehicles specifically designed to transport people who have mobility issues or people undergoing cancer treatments. Community Development Minister Heather Humphreys announced more than 2m in funding for the 48 vehicles, under Measure 2 of the CLAR programme. The funding will also be used to purchase vehicles for community groups that provide meals-on-wheels services and for search-and-rescue organisations. Overall, Ms Humphreys announced 2,100,768 in funding, to be split across the 48 projects. Among the Cork projects awarded are the Dunmanway Family Resource Centre in Cork, which is due to receive 52,000 for a modified mobility vehicle, and the Irish Wheelchair Association, which is due to receive 44,768 for a wheelchair-accessible vehicle including clamping equipment. I am very pleased to be supporting these vital services in our most remote rural communities, said Ms Humphreys. Each of the recipients of funding plays a vital role in providing essential services to those who are most in need in our communities, be it from a mobility aspect or through the provision of meals-on-wheels services. The supports provided by our first responders and our search-and-rescue teams are of immense importance, and I am delighted to be in a position to support these very worthy community groups. We owe a great deal to these organisations, and to all the individuals who volunteer with them. The 2024 CLAR Programme incorporates three measures. The first is developing community facilities and amenities; Measure 2 for mobility, cancer care, meals on wheels, and community first responders transport; and Measure 3 for the islands. Successful applications under the first and third measures will be announced at a later date. A full list of selected projects under Measure 2 of the programme can be found online via www.Gov.ie. Concerns have been raised by Cork representatives about a plan aimed to shape the future growth and development of the country up to 2040. A group established to promote sustainable development across Irelands southern region has claimed major structural and geographic investment imbalances still exist in the draft revision of the National Planning Framework (NPF). Meanwhile, a Cork TD has said the omission of a major project exposes problems with the plan - specifically the exclusion of the proposed Cork light rail project. The draft first revision to the NPF was published earlier this year and a public consultation on the draft framework closed on Thursday. However, public and business representatives have expressed concern over the draft revision of the plan and what it offers going forward. While we recognise some positive developments, such as better alignment between national, regional, and local policies and significant state investment, major structural and geographic investment imbalances still exist, director of the Southern Regional Assembly, David Kelly said. The assembly, which works to promote sustainable development and regional cooperation across Irelands southern region, has called for a strengthening of the draft first revision to ensure that it provides a clear direction for implementing the NPFs policy objectives relating to effective regional development. People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry said the plan contains no mention of the proposed Cork Luas. 'QUITE REMARKABLE' Its quite remarkable that there is no mention of the Cork light rail system in this report. Not only should it be mentioned, it should be fast-forwarded with work commencing in the next year or two. Cork light rail is just part of the picture but its omission is a sure sign of the problems with this report, he told The Echo. Cork Chamber CEO Conor Healy, said the revised plan must make firm commitments to the accelerated delivery of key strategic infrastructure projects that are critical to the development of Cork and the surrounding region. Cork has a number of long-awaited infrastructure projects and upgrades across transport, education, health and culture that need to be prioritised for delivery in the coming years and should be included in the NPF. Cork Chamber director of public affairs Cathal McSweeney said that the metropolitan Cork area is the most productive and efficient economy of scale in the southern region and is well positioned to deliver significant value and growth for the entire region. The NPF should call out Corks strategic position and invest in its potential, he said. Almost 200 submissions were made on the draft first revision to the NPF during the public consultation. Irish people need to take an approach of as well as, not instead of when it comes to helping refugees coming to this country and people who were born here and who are in need of assistance, a senior Cork cleric has said. The Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, the Right Reverend Dr Paul Colton, said it was important that one group not be played off against another. People will say We have to help our own first, of course we do have to help our own, but thats not instead of helping other people, its as well as, so those simple words are important, as well as, he said. Bishop Colton said it is important Ireland helped those coming here in need, but added that a better system was needed to give more clarity to people seeking refuge here. To me its very important, but its not unfettered either, we need a better system and we need a good system, and people need to get answers quickly, so there does need to be filtering to see who really does need help, he said. To me the problems that are innate in our society, theyre there anyway to be solved, and they are challenges to be solved. He said Irelands population growth was not caused only by inward migration, and shortages of housing, doctors and teachers were problems on which society needed to work regardless of refugees arriving into the country. The bishop added that his dioceses refurbishment of homes at Kingston College in Mitchelstown in 2022 for 14 families from Ukraine was part of centuries of charitable service to help those who need housing or assistance. This small diocese has had two housing charities and it has had a number of charities over the years to help people with economic hardship and so on, going right back, I mean the oldest one goes back to 1682, so this wasnt a bolt out of the blue to help Ukrainian strangers, he said. The bishop added that while some had questioned why the houses had not been renovated and given to Irish people, the truth was the diocese had tried unsuccessfully to do just that and had only been able to secure funding to give the homes to Ukrainian refugees. Bishop Colton has in recent months been celebrating 25 years since taking up his role as the bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, as well as his 40 years in ministry on both sides of the border. Speaking in a video interview which appears on the Church of Ireland website and social media sites, Bishop Colton talks through his tree-planting pastoral visits to schools around the diocese and the changes brought by technology and social media. All of my highlights are to do with people and being with them, Bishop Colton said. He was elected as Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross in January 1999, succeeding Bishop Roy Warke, and was consecrated in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, in March of that year. A leading cybersecurity and compliance company has announced its intention to create more than 250 jobs in Cork over next two years. Proofpoint Inc opened a new office in Cork city centre today with plans for ongoing, active recruitment and continued investment in the region. The company has a global headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, and offices worldwide, including in the UK and Northern Ireland. The Cork city centre hub will initially house key functions for the business including engineering, research and development (R&D), customer support, finance, and marketing. Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Peter Burke, warmly welcomed the decision by Proofpoint to establish their new international hub in Cork. This expansion is a testament to Irelands attractive business environment and our commitment to fostering innovation and growth in the cybersecurity sector. The creation of over 250 jobs in the coming years is a significant boost for the region and highlights our ongoing efforts to support enterprise development and employment opportunities across the country. We look forward to seeing Proofpoint thrive and contribute to Irelands dynamic tech ecosystem." Remi Thomas, Chief Financial Officer, Proofpoint, said that are committed to delivering world class technology through relentless innovation. We invest more than 20 percent of our revenue back into research and development among the highest rates in the industry to stay ahead of attackers evolving tactics. Our expansion into Ireland is critical to our international growth, solidifying our ability to protect European organisations and our commitment to delivering innovative technology that addresses our customers needs. Michael Logan, CEO of IDA Ireland, said that they are thrilled at the selection by Proofpoint of Cork as its new international hub. This choice emphasises the critical importance of regional investment and showcases the South-West regions established cybersecurity cluster and the abundant talent available regionally and indeed across the country. Proofpoints expansion further solidifies Ireland's reputation as a premier location for global cybersecurity and compliance companies. We eagerly anticipate supporting their growth and continued success in Cork." Proofpoint currently has over 4,500 employees globally with over one hundred existing employees in Cork. The company was recently recognised across multiple categories at Comparablys 2024 Quarterly Best Places to Work Awards, including Best Company Outlook, Best Global Culture, Best Engineering Teams, Best Sales Teams, and Best HR Teams. A man who was charged with masturbating in his car as a schoolgirl walked past the window has told the district court that he was actually sanding the handle of a paint roller that was between his legs. Prosecuting Inspector Tony OSullivan told Mallow District Court that Csaba Szentesi, 52, of Evergreen Buildings, Cork was charged with a single count of masturbating in public under Section 45-2-C of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017. A Hungarian interpreter was present in court to assist Mr Szentesi who denied the charge; after evidence the case was dismissed. Alleged incident Garda Shay Dempsey said that the alleged incident occurred in Midleton Co. Cork on September 29, 2021 at 8.20am. A video recording of an interview with the alleged injured party, who was 16-years-old at the time of the incident, was played to the court. During the interview the girl said that she was walking to school when she walked past a parked car that had its engine running. She said she glanced at the car because she heard the engine and saw a middle-aged, bald, white man sitting in the drivers seat. She said the man was squinting and looked like he was masturbating by moving up and down. The girl said she walked a few paces further on and looked once more and saw the mans erect penis and said that his pants were pulled down about half way between his waist and his knees. The girl said that after she realised what was happening she took a picture of the car. She added that she saw two younger schoolgirls approaching and stood in the way so they would not see the man at which point he drove away. The girl said she was very upset by what happened and had to be sent home from school. She added that she did not feel safe walking to school for about a week afterwards. Defence counsel John Colthurst BL acting for solicitor Killian McCarthy said that it was not the defences case that the girl was lying but that she was simply mistaken. Statement In a statement Mr Szentesi told the court that he was a painter by trade and was married with two children. He said that he had arrived in Midleton that morning on his way to a job and stopped for something to eat and a cigarette. Mr Szentesi said that he had a new paint roller that had a glossy handle and he was sanding it down because it was too slippery. He told the court that it was between his legs and that anyone looking in the window might think it was a penis. He said: I am convinced what the young girl saw was the paint roller. Even an adult could confuse the situation. Mr Colthurst said that there were minor discrepancies in the girls evidence. He said in earlier statements the girl said she did not see Mr Szentesis hands while in a latter statement she did see them. Similarly in an early statement she said that Mr Szentesi was not moving aggressively while in a later statement she said he was. Mr Colthurst said that the witness could be filing in the blanks of her memory and may not have actually seen what she thought she saw. Judge commended girl Judge Colm Roberts commended the girl for how she conducted herself in court where she appeared by video link and in the video interview. He said: If this was decided on the balance of probabilities I would have no problem convicting this man but because of the seriousness of the charge it must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. On that basis I cannot convict because the evidence does not reach the required threshold. The judge said he found the defendants explanation novel and told Mr Colthurst: If your client is cleaning handles again make sure he doesnt do it near schoolchildren. The case was dismissed. Two things caught my eye from the coverage of the recent anti-immigrant riots in the UK. The first was the guy who was face down on the ground struggling with police officers who were attempting to put handcuffs on him. He could be heard shouting: Im English, Im English. That fact he was loudly declaring his nationality told us all we needed to know about his mindset. In his warped thought process, his nationality absolved him of all responsibility; he felt he was perfectly within his rights to behave like a hooligan to protect his country from invading foreigners. This man was convinced the police had made a mistake, until he found himself in the back of a police van, and if that sounds familiar, its because weve been dealing with the same bigots here. Our heroes wrap themselves in the tricolour, which they believe gives them licence to set fire to buildings and assault gardai. Inspired by false information, they engage in criminality. The second incident that stayed with me from the UK riots was footage of a big adult male aggressively taunting a line of policemen in riot gear standing behind full body shields. At one point, he got too close to one policeman, who shoved his shield forward, knocking the guy on his backside. Another character who filmed the incident on his phone focused on the shoulder number of the policeman concerned. He shouted the number repeatedly, triumphantly proclaiming the fact that he had identified the culprit. He was certain his evidence would have the officer hauled over the coals for his unwarranted assault on a peaceful protester, and might even get him dismissed from the force. He must have been surprised the following morning to discover that the tables had turned. Some of this mans counterparts were already before the courts and facing time in prison. He was probably stunned to find he had become the bad guy while the policeman was getting a pat on the back for a job well done. Something else that might sound familiar to us in Ireland is the reaction of some of these characters in the court when faced with the wrath of the magistrate. There is a common theme - apologies, a sense of shame, regret, and the usual lame excuses. It was the drink that did it, I was just following the crowd, I didnt mean any harm, etc, etc. I have been advocating for a tougher stance in this jurisdiction when it comes to civil disobedience, and I have taken some flak for it, but Im sticking to my guns. We have seen a gradual increase in the level of violence towards gardai during the so-called peaceful protests here, and if this is allowed to continue, it will only get worse. I experienced a few skirmishes with small mobs in the course of my policing life, and it was difficult to maintain discipline while being assaulted by thugs who had no respect for the law and didnt follow any rules. Facing rocks and stones while armed only with a piece of timber and a plastic shield for protection was no fun. Police officers should not be expected to have to tolerate that nonsense. The journalist Matthew Syed wrote a great piece in The Sunday Times where he gave some insight into what the police faced during those incidents: In Liverpool, police officers, men and women, stood firm as a baying mob pelted them with fireworks, petrol bombs and rocks. Footage later emerged from a helmet-cam and it was like something out of a war zone. Frankly, Id have understood if they had all fled. But these people feel an acute sense of duty, a recognition that public safety sometimes requires that they confront danger. Listen carefully and you can hear them encouraging each other as the missiles fly: Stay strong! and We can do this! Syed continued: In Rotherham, police officers faced attacks with concrete slabs, fire extinguishers, and a makeshift battering ram as they stood shoulder to shoulder against a crowd hellbent on entering a hotel. Split-second decisions during scenes of utter chaos are the only thing that prevented an atrocity of an unprecedented kind. Officers were bloodied, one knocked unconscious, but they didnt buckle. One asylum seeker was in tears as he paid tribute to those who prevented his lynching. What has been very refreshing is the public response to the tough stance taken in the UK to the riots. It has been hugely positive and that shouldnt be a great surprise because the vast majority of people everywhere are decent law-abiding citizens. The peaceful anti-racism marches that followed in the wake of these UK disturbances prove something. They prove its possible to stage a protest without causing injury to people or damage to property. It shows too that the silent majority can be a powerful force when they speak up. They delivered a kick up the backside to the anarchists, and thats what we should be doing here. I said recently that our lack of police action is emboldening these miscreants and encouraging more outrageous behaviour. Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee said: Weve seen many hundreds of protests. The vast, vast majority peaceful, but a small number where a violent element has tried to undermine our society. She condemned utterly and completely any attacks on gardai and said any such attack represent an attack on our entire community, an attack on our very democracy and our fundamental rights. There was a serious example of that recently when Taoiseach Simon Harris and his family were the victims of an online death threat. You cant get much closer to the very heart of our democracy than that. Mr Harris has responded with a warning to social media giants that he plans to tackle online threats and harassment. Thats very welcome, but its time to come down heavily on the offenders in the real world too. By Cillian Sherlock and Jonathan McCambridge, PA There are so many opportunities for cross-border co-operation in the northwest, Simon Harris has said during his first visit to Derry as Taoiseach on Monday. Mr Harris was in the city to meet political, civic society and community leaders. The visit, which included a meeting with Mayor Seenoi Barr in the Guildhall, was billed as an opportunity to celebrate ongoing projects benefiting from Government of Ireland support, including the Wild Atlantic Way/Causeway Coastal Route branding collaboration. Taoiseach Simon Harris met Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Lilian Seenoi Barr outside the Guildhall (Liam McBurney/PA) The Taoiseach was also scheduled to deliver the John Hume and Thomas P ONeill Chair in Peace lecture at Ulster University before visiting the site of the new teaching and student services building at the campus. Speaking to reporters on the Walls of Derry on Monday afternoon, Mr Harris said he was delighted to be in the city. He said: I have a busy day of civic and political engagements. I really want to thank the Mayor of Derry for the warm welcome here to Guildhall, an important opportunity to talk about a number of the areas in which were seeing cross-border co-operation. The northwest region on this island has so much potential and with projects like the A5 and our determination to commit 600 million euro to that, and also then with the Ulster University expansion here in the city, there are so many opportunities. When I was minister for further and higher education, I was very determined to work with Ulster University to expand the footprint of Derry in this city from an educational point of view, but also to expand the opportunities for the northwest to collaborate when it comes to education. We now have the Atlantic Technological University on one side of the border. We have Ulster University in Derry on the other, and the potential for them to do more together for the betterment of people, peace and prosperity, is there for all to see. Mr Harris added: Im really honoured to have been invited to deliver the John Hume and Tip ONeill Memorial Lecture and look forward to having an opportunity during that lecture to reflect on the progress weve made, but also on the journey we need to travel in terms of reconciliation. And I should also say this: Im delighted to be here in Derry, delighted to be in Northern Ireland at a time when we can truthfully say we have seen a real improvement of relations north, south and east and west. The visit was billed as an opportunity to celebrate ongoing projects such as the Wild Atlantic Way/Causeway Coastal Route branding collaboration (Liam McBurney/PA) I know reset has been the word of the month, but for good reason. We had a great North South Ministerial Council in Dublin only last Friday. The British Prime Minister, I had the honoor of hosting him less than two weeks ago in Dublin, and we have a lot of work to do together now to fully harness the potential of the Good Friday Agreement. By Jonathan McCambridge, PA A man has had his arms and legs broken in an assault in Belfast. Detectives are appealing for witnesses and information following the incident on Sunday. Shortly after 9pm a man aged in 30s was was found seriously injured in an alleyway just off the Azamor Street. Officers attended the scene. The victim suffered lacerations to his head and broken arms and legs. He was taken to hospital and is in a stable condition. A PSNI spokesperson said: Our investigation is now under way to establish what happened, who was involved and a motive. Horrific violence has been inflicted on this man that will leave physical and mental scars and trauma that may never heal. No good comes from this ever. Anyone with information that could help our investigation is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 1575 15/09/24. We are especially keen to hear from anyone who may have CCTV or dash-cam footage of the area yesterday evening. Worrying about cash flow can definitely disrupt a good nights sleep. Thats the honest admission of Dr Paula Gaynor, who with her husband Mark Clifford, founded SOMEGA, one of Irelands leading innovators in the health supplement sector. The Cork couple founded the business in 2019 as part of a personal quest for high-quality supplements for their children. As a nutritionist, I was very conscious of the role nutrition can play in overall health, most especially for children for whom omega-3s are a key nutrient in ensuring healthy brain development, said Paula. Oily fish (such as salmon and mackerel) is the best food source of omega-3s but our three children refused to eat fish and so I started looking for high quality omega-3 supplements. It soon became clear that there was a real need for an alternative to the current offerings of unpalatable fish oil and hard-to-swallow capsules. Confident that Mark (a food scientist) and I had the knowledge, capability and drive to address this real opening in the market, we decided to take the plunge, and set up our own company, said Bandon-based Paula. SOMEGA, one of Irelands leading innovators in the health supplement sector. Their first product - Easy Omega-3 & Vitamin D3 - was a smoothie-like supplement which can be enjoyed by both children and adults. The product range has expanded to include Liposomal Vitamin C, Collagen and a range of Vitamin D and B supplements suitable for the whole family. Our Liposomal Quercetin product won the Best New Product in the Rude Health awards earlier this year. The products are backed by over 40 years of food science and nutritional expertise and are formulated to be effective, well absorbed and enjoyable to take, said Paula. She admits its a crowded market but what sets them apart is that they are uniquely science-driven and research-focused, which is reassuring to consumers that purchase the products. Innovation is at the core of everything they do and theyve recently launched a new Collagen Plus product. Its already in huge demand, so much so that we ran out of stock far quicker than we had originally anticipated! "Collagen is a protein that gives strength, structure and elasticity to our skin, and research shows that collagen supplementation can delay and improve the signs of skin ageing by decreasing facial wrinkles and improving skin hydration and elasticity. While there are many collagen supplements in the market, ours is unique because we researched all of the ingredients in-depth and formulated it to contain not just marine collagen, but also 12 other ingredients all working together, including clinically proven botanical extracts, hyaluronic acid and nine skin-essential vitamins and minerals. Unique to collagen products, it tastes delicious. The feedback from customers on the benefits for skin, nail and hair health has been amazing, said Paula. This summer, SOMEGA have started exporting to China, which is a very exciting development as they further expand the business. Like all businesses, the journey hasnt been without its ups and downs. The biggest challenge so far has been cash flow. As a small business, we frequently have to pay suppliers up front or receive limited credit terms from suppliers, so its essential that we receive on-time payments from our customers. Without sufficient cash flow, it becomes challenging to pay bills on time, expand the business, and develop new products. Worrying about cash flow can definitely disrupt a good nights sleep! she said. The support of their Local Enterprise Office (Cork North and West) has been invaluable. We reached out to them when SOMEGA was in its infancy as we realised that, as a start-up company, there was so much we needed to learn, and we could do with all the help we could get. We were lucky to avail of the many supports the LEO had to offer, from business advice, information and mentoring, to financial supports, including the trading online voucher, as well as feasibility and priming grants. The ongoing support we receive from the LEO is invaluable and, undoubtedly, we would not be at the point we are at in our business today had it not been for their assistance. Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions. Fallen trees and an electric motorcycle strewn in the aftermath of Typhoon Bebinca in Shanghai, China on Sept. 16, 2024. CFOTO / Future Publishing via Getty Images Chinas financial hub of Shanghai was hit by Typhoon Bebinca on Monday morning as it made landfall as a Category 1 tropical cyclone. It was the most powerful storm to make a direct hit on the city in over seven decades. The storm packed top wind speeds of 94 miles per hour, the strongest to hit Shanghai since 1949s Typhoon Gloria. It disrupted transportation, downed trees and caused tens of millions to seek shelter. Bebinca was the 13th typhoon of 2024, making landfall at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Monday, the Shanghai central meteorological observatory said, as Xinhua reported. Evacuations were ordered for more than 414,000 people in the path of the storm, reported The Associated Press. An elderly man was hurt and taken to the hospital after a tree fell on Chongming Island in Shanghai, state media said. Monday is the second of a three-day Mid-Autumn Festival public holiday, but the citys authorities advised people to remain indoors, Xinhua reported. An emergency response was activated by the State Flood Control and Relief Headquarters for Shanghai and Zhejiang on Sunday. The Shanghai skyline turned purple as Typhoon Bebinca approached on Sept. 15, 2024. Zhou You / VCG via Getty Images Typhoon Bebinca led to flight cancellations and the suspension of ferry operations for passengers in the city, as well as several passenger train routes through Shanghai from Sunday to Monday. The freight port at Yangshan was closed before the storm arrived, with arrangements made for accommodations for truck drivers at a drivers home close to the port. Fan Jianrong, an employee of a Shanghai investment group, said the number of beds at the drivers home was increased from 30 to 80 to accommodate more drivers during the storm. Zhang Kewei, a 45-year-old driver, purchased four canteen dishes there Sunday night, saying he would remain at the drivers home until the storm was over. Its so heart-warming to have a safe haven like this in such bad weather, Kewei told Xinhua. More than 10,000 trees were downed across Shanghai as rain and strong winds lashed the city, reported Reuters. A tree uprooted from Typhoon Bebinca by Suzhou Creek on Sept. 16, 2024. VCG / VCG via Getty Images Since Sunday evening, over 1,400 flights had been canceled, along with more than 570 passenger trains, disrupting travel plans for many holiday travelers. State media reports said in excess of 56,000 rescue workers had been deployed. Four Shanghai districts closed their parks and businesses, with weather alerts upgraded to the highest level. Traffic was closed or speed restrictions imposed on highways and elevated roads. The eye of Bebinca had crossed over Shanghai into neighboring Jiangsu province by early Monday afternoon, but rainfall was expected to continue throughout the day. Direct hits from strong storms rarely make landfall in Shanghai, with most coming inland further south. Deadly Category 4 storm Super Typhoon Yagi hit southern Hainan province earlier this month. Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions. The government of Zimbabwe has ordered a cull of 200 elephants amid an ongoing drought and food shortages in the country. The order will be the first elephant cull since 1988. Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) has been tasked with the cull. Fulton Mangwanya, director general of ZimParks, said that the culling will be prioritized in areas where there have been human-elephant conflicts, as reported by IFL Science. According to the ZimParks website, Zimbabwe has the second largest population of elephants in the world. As IFL Science reported, the country is home to around 100,000 African elephants (of the genus Loxodonta). Hwange, home to Hwange National Park, the largest nature reserve in Zimbabwe, is one of the target areas for culling, The Guardian reported. This area is home to around 65,000 of the countrys elephants. Zimbabwe has more elephants than our forests can accommodate, Sithembiso Nyoni, the minister of environment for Zimbabwe, told Voice of America. We are having a discussion with ZimParks and some communities to do like what Namibia has done, so that we can cull the elephants and mobilize the women to maybe dry the meat, package it, and ensure that it gets to some communities that need the protein. Namibia, which neighbors Zimbabwe, recently ordered a similar cull for over 700 animals, including 83 elephants, The Guardian reported. The cull was also a response to ongoing drought. The decision has brought criticism from both conservationists and those concerned about the culls impact on tourism. Government must have more sustainable eco-friendly methods to dealing with drought without affecting tourism, said Farai Maguwu, director of the nonprofit Centre for Natural Resource Governance, as reported by The Guardian. They risk turning away tourists on ethical grounds. The elephants are more profitable alive than dead. We have shown that we are poor custodians of natural resources and our appetite for ill-gotten wealth knows no bounds, so this must be stopped because it is unethical. Those in support of elephant culling argue it will not only feed people and reduce pressure on resources but will also control the increasing elephant population and its impact on the environment. Chris Brown, CEO of Namibias Chamber of Environment, told The Guardian that the elephant population would damage local habitats. They really damage ecosystems and habitats, and they have a huge impact on other species which are less iconic and therefore matter less in the eyes of the Eurocentric, urban armchair conservation people, Brown said. Those species matter as much as elephants. Maguwu argued that although the culling decision is limited by protections such as Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), officials have long tried to change the rules for economic gain rather than to help communities amid crises, such as drought and food shortages. Zimbabwe has always been pushing for the right to kill elephants, Maguwu told Voice of America. We all know when you look at how our natural resources are being plundered right now, like minerals, the whole idea is to sell ivory. Its not even about the communities there. Maguwu continued, There is a lot that government can do to cushion the people from the impacts of drought rather than killing elephants. I think they should stop that move. As for alternatives to elephant culling, World Wildlife Fund has listed several options, including translocation, conflict mitigation efforts and breeding regulations and contraceptives. The organization also supports the development of overpopulation guidelines and procedures by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Oman's aquaculture projects generate over 5,000 tonnes of seafood in 2023 Aquaculture projects in Oman, primarily operated by subsidiaries of Fisheries Development Oman (FDO), a part of Oman Investment Authority (OIA), produced over 5,000 tonnes of farmed fisheries and seafood products during 2023, Oman Daily Observer reported. Sultana Al Jardani, business intelligence lead at FDO, highlighted in an interview featured in Enjaz & Eajaz, the quarterly newsletter of Oman Investment Authority, that the aquaculture sector is positioned for strong growth, playing a crucial role in Oman's food security strategy. "Oman's shift toward aquaculture reflects a long-term strategic view aimed at achieving environmental sustainability, ensuring food security, and diversifying the economy," Al Jardani noted. She added that leveraging technological innovations and continuous improvements would allow Oman to become a regional leader in aquaculture. This approach will ensure a sustainable future for marine resources, supported by technology transfer and capacity building. Al Jardani also mentioned that investments in the sector reached around OMR 33 million (US$85 million) in 2023. Several ongoing projects in collaboration with the private sector are expected to significantly contribute to the governance and expansion of the aquaculture field. FDO, the fisheries investment and development arm of OIA, remains the largest investor in Oman's aquaculture sector. Two of its subsidiaries, National Shrimp Aquaculture Co and Oriental Shrimp Aquaculture Co, currently manage shrimp farms in key locations across the country. According to OIA's 2023 Annual Report, farmed shrimp production by FDO subsidiaries more than doubled to 2,673 tonnes in 2023, up from 1,076 tonnes in 2022. However, European sea bream production slightly decreased to 1,867 tonnes, compared to 2,101 tonnes the previous year. Shrimp production is expected to increase substantially as operations at several aquaculture projects gain momentum. In 2023, Oriental Shrimp Aquaculture commenced operations at its modern shrimp farm project in Khuwaimah, Jalan Bani Bu Ali, which spans 200 hectares and has an annual production capacity of 3,500 tonnes of shrimp. Earlier, National Shrimp Aquaculture launched FDO's first shrimp farm at Qurun in Jalan Bani Bu Hassan Wilayat. Covering 500 hectares, this facility has a production capacity of 4,600 tonnes per year. Additionally, in 2023, National Shrimp established a hatchery in Barka, located in South Al Batinah Governorate, designed to serve as a shrimp seed incubator and a testing ground for future farm projects. FDO is also in the final stages of designing its flagship shrimp farming project at Al Jazer on the Al Wusta coast, which will have an impressive production capacity of 20,000 tonnes of shrimp per year. - Oman Daily Observer Organized by the Shusha City State Reserve Department, The Days of Shusha have been held in Khiva, which is a sister city to Shusha, Azernews reports. During the events, the Special Representative of the Azerbaijani President in the Shusha district Aydin Karimov met with the Mayor of Khiva Temur Davletov, to discuss enhancing the ties between the two cities, particularly in the areas of science, culture, and innovation. Following this meeting, Aydin Karimov visited Itchan Kala, the ancient walled city at the center of Khiva. The Azerbaijani delegation, which included Aydin Karimov, Executive Director of the Shusha City State Reserve Department Tural Novruzov and Chief Advisor of the Special Representative Office Elshad Iskandarov, also met with the Rector of Urgench State University Bakhrom Abdullaev. The delegation was informed about the establishment of the Center of Azerbaijani Culture and Literature, named after Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli, an Azerbaijani poet, writer, playwright, and educator who taught at the university from 1938 to 1940. Aydin Karimov shared details about the ongoing construction and restoration efforts in the historical city of Shusha. The meeting concluded with a mini concert performed by Urgench State University students. The festivities of "The Days of Shusha" included various exciting activities at "Itchan Kala," such as a photo exhibition titled "Shusha - Yesterday and Today," and a concert program attended by diplomats from multiple countries, along with officials from Khiva and Azerbaijan. Shusha, Azerbaijan, and Khiva, Uzbekistan, have been officially recognized as sister cities since 2023. While it's unclear if mainstream PC users are actually using Microsoft's Copilot AI, the company claims that businesses using MS 365 Copilot are seeing plenty of benefits. According to a Microsoft survey, Copilot users at Honeywell save up to 92 minutes per week, while customer service agents at Teladoc are saving up to five hours a week by using the AI tool to draft responses to questions. Now that we're a year beyond the MS 365 Copilot launch (at a costly $30 per seat), Microsoft is eager to throw more AI features at corporate drones. Most intriguingly, Microsoft is upgrading its Business Chat app, which so far has been a way to interact with Copilot's across your emails, calendar entries and other data, alongside data from your organization. Now it's getting better collaboration with the addition of Copilot Pages, which will serve as a sort of "multiplayer" way to share AI generated content with your coworkers. Copilot Pages in BizChat. (Microsoft) "With Pages, all the data in your organization whether created by humans or AI is persistent, accessible and valuable," Microsoft CVP Jared Spataro wrote in a blog post. "Pages takes ephemeral AI-generated content and makes it durable, so you can edit it, add to it, and share it with others... This is an entirely new work pattern multiplayer, human to AI to human collaboration." It's surprising that it took a year for Microsoft to bring better collaboration to the Business Chat app, as that's an expected feature of every workplace app these days. Having a place for employees to share their existing Copilot queries simply makes sense: Coworkers may want access to the same information, and it's also environmentally wasteful to have people running the same Copilot search multiple times. (Generative AI queries are far more costly for the environment than simple web searches.) Microsoft says Pages will be available today to MS 365 Copilot users, and it'll also be coming to free Copilot customers with Microsoft Entra accounts "in the coming weeks." In general, Microsoft says Copilot queries are more than two times faster now compared to launch, because it's relying on the newer GPT4o model. The company is also upgrading AI capabilities across the suite of MS 365 apps: Excel is getting Python support for more complex queries; PowerPoint's Narrative builder capability is widely available, allowing you to craft the story of your presentations with AI help; and Teams can now scan across meeting transcripts and their accompanying chats. Outlook Prioritize my Inbox (Microsoft) The other Office apps aren't left out either. Outlook will soon let you choose topics, people and keywords to highlight for the "Prioritize my inbox" feature. You'll also be able to reference meetings and emails directly within Word documents, one OneDrive will let you summarize and compare files without opening them using Copilot. And if you need even more Copilot AI help, business can also create Copilot Agents directly within Business Chat and SharePoint. They're like chatbots that can peer within your corporate files, and you can also tag them in comments like a typical cooworker. While we still need to see these Agents in action to determine if they're actually useful, at the very least, you can feel less guilty about assigning them some menial information processing at the end of the work day. Mitch Lowe, one of two MoviePass leaders indicted by the Justice Department in 2022, has pleaded guilty to securities fraud charges. The former CEO admitted to conspiring to deceive the public and investors about the services sustainability. Variety reports that the details of Lowes plea agreement havent been made public. Prosecutors claim Lowe knew from the start that the companys $9.95 unlimited plan was a short-term gimmick to attract subscribers and inflate stock. Hes also accused of making false statements in press releases, interviews and SEC filings about MoviePass long-term viability. Those statements included allegedly lying about the companys ability to become profitable on subscription fees alone and having tech that could generate revenue from customer data. He also claimed MoviePass was profiting from multiple revenue streams despite not having any income beyond subscriptions. Prosecutors also accused Lowe and Ted Farnsworth, former CEO of MoviePass parent company Helios and Matheson, of preventing subscribers from getting what was promised from the unlimited subscription. The company settled with the FTC in 2021 over allegations that it intentionally invalidated subscriber passwords to freeze their accounts, blocking their ability to get the movie tickets the service promised. MoviePass and its parent company declared bankruptcy in 2020. Although no sentencing date has been set, Lowe is free on bond and has a status conference court date scheduled in Miami for March 2025. The 72-year-old former executive faces a maximum of five years in federal prison. Mitch is a good man who is looking to move forward with his life, Lowes attorneys, Margot Moss and David Oscar Markus, said in a statement to Variety. He has accepted responsibility for his actions in this case and will continue to try to make things right. Meanwhile, Farnsworth is still in custody. He was initially freed on a $1 million bond that was revoked in August 2023 after the feds accused him of misusing nearly $300,000 in company funds. Farnsworth's former boyfriend, who he met on an escort site, was paid $147,000, and received a Cadillac worth $144,000; after the pair split up, the feds say he falsely accused his ex of stealing the vehicle. D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai's look for the 2024 Emmys red carpet on Sunday turned heads and raised eyebrows as the "Reservation Dogs" star showed up with a red handprint on his face in front of the photographers. The 22-year-old actor's appearance quickly received mixed reactions on social media, after clips and photos of him were shared online. "Who is that weirdo?" one asked on Film Updates' tweet featuring a clip of Woon-A-Tai posing on the red carpet while chewing gum. "I gotta say, I really detest the gum eating at events like these. It looks so disrespectful," another commented. Someone else asked, "What's with the hand print?" Other social media users explained what the Canadian actor of Oji-Cree descent was conveying with his look at the start-studded event. "For those unaware, a red handprint like that is in solidarity with missing and murdered indigenous women. Maybe look into things before you make fun of it," one user explained. "It's for murdered and missing indigenous women btw," another echoed the sentiment in the comments. Earlier this week, Woon-A-Tai spoke about his first Emmy nomination for his performance on the Native comedy series "Reservation Dogs." "I don't know what an Emmy Award will really do for stopping issues that we face on a daily basis. [But] it just gives us hope," he told The Albertan in an exclusive interview. "It gives hope to a kid on a reservation that they could also be on that stage and do it too, and they can." Woon-A-Tai is nominated in the Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category alongside Matt Berry ("What We Do in the Shadows), Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), Jeremy Allen ("The Bear"), as well as Steve Martin and Martin Short ("Only Murders in the Building"). Meghan Markle was reportedly cropped out of Prince Harry's 40th birthday photo, which was shared online by the royal family, although Buckingham Palace denies any edits to the image. The original photo of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was reportedly taken at DogPatch during their trip to Dublin, Ireland, when they were still working royals stemming back to 2018. According to the 'New York Post,' the royal family shared the photo on their official X account, however, something was noticeably different about the image. Meghan, 43, had been cut out, leaving only the prince who was all smiles. "Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!" the heartfelt post stated, which appeared on the royal page in the early hours of September 15, raking in over 3 million views. Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today! pic.twitter.com/sAlSiV9EaZ The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 15, 2024 Harry is spotted in the photo wearing a gray blazer and white button up which helped spot the original image, which previously included Meghan, who sat to his left in a black jacket. That said the palace denies making any changes to the image, and claims they simply posted what was provided. "In guidance, the photo was provided in this format by the Press Association," Buckingham palace told 'The Post.' Per the media outlet, Harry's estranged royal family has not made a public statement regarding his birthday since the passing of Queen Elizabeth, who died in September 2022. A source at the palace claimed that the prince would "hear from his family" on his birthday. The palace source told the news outlet that "It's very likely that Charles and Kate will likely phone Harry to wish him well on his birthday." The insider who reportedly knows both William and Harry well claims the Prince of Wales, 42, may not reach out to his sibling "given everything that has gone on." Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been estranged from the royals since the duo quit their royal duties and moved to the United States, settling in California back in 2020. The family has also yet to acknowledge his wife Meghan's birthday, which passed on August 4. Jay Blades, the popular presenter of BBC's 'The Repair Shop,' is facing a second legal battle over allegations of using his mobile phone while driving. According to 'The Sun,' Blades plead not guilty and is due to appear at Cannock magistrates' court Tuesday. The alleged incident occurred in April of last year in Wombourne, Staffordshire, when Blades was reportedly seen driving while using his cellphone. In a separate case, Blades also attended Kidderminster magistrates' court last Friday, facing charges of controlling or coercive behavior in an intimate or family relationship. This charge is linked to his wife, Lisa Zbozen, a fitness instructor who announced the end of their relationship via Instagram in May. Blades will return to Worcester Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing scheduled for October 11. "I have been quiet until now, but the papers seem to be picking up this story, I want it to be clear what I put so there's no misunderstanding," the post's caption began. "I don't know how to say this because it's still really raw. My marriage has been very abusive for a long time & last weekend I finally left. I probably should be really angry but I'm just incredibly sad about the whole thing right now." Zbozen added: "I don't think I've ever cried so much. I wanted my husband to love me & keep me safe, and I would love him right back, but it just got worse and worse, until I grabbed a bag of a few thing's & I left & went to the police." "Jason Blades of Wolverhampton has been charged with controlling and coercive behaviour. He appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates Court this morning (Friday 13th September) and has been bailed to appear at Worcester Crown Court on Friday 11th October," the West Mercia Police said in a statement, per 'The Irish News.' "The charges follow the launch of an investigation after we were called to an address on 3rd May. As criminal proceedings are active, we will not be providing any further details at this time." Blades, who was honored with an MBE in 2022 for his contributions to craft, has been a central figure on 'The Repair Shop' since its debut in 2017. The program earned a Bafta TV award for a special episode that featured King Charles III (then the Prince of Wales) restoring royal heirlooms. The 54-year-old and the team helped repair an 18th-century bracket clock and a piece of Wemyss Ware, both linked to the royal family's heritage. In the wake of new legal issues, Blades has stepped away from several high-profile roles, including his position at the King's Foundation where he served as an ambassador, according to 'The Independent.' He also resigned as chancellor of Buckinghamshire New University, with the university expressing gratitude for his time there. Blades, who grew up in Hackney, left school at 15 years old and worked various jobs before co-founding Out of the Dark, a charity that trains disadvantaged young people in furniture restoration. He has also been a presenter on 'Money For Nothing' and made appearances on 'Celebrity MasterChef,' 'Celebrity Bake Off,' and 'Comic Relief.' Elaine DePrince, mother of renowned ballerina Michaela DePrince, passed away just one day after her daughter's death, the family announced. Elaine died on September 11, 2024, during a routine procedure ahead of an upcoming surgery, according to family spokesperson Jessica Volinski's statement on Facebook. Michaela died on September 10. She was 29. Elaine was unaware of her daughter's death at the time of her own procedure. Volinski emphasized that "the two deaths were completely unrelated," and added that the only way to make sense of the tragic losses was to believe that Elaine was spared the pain of losing another child, having already lost three children years ago. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Michaela Mabinty DePrince (@michaeladeprince) Michaela DePrince, born Mabinty Bangura in Sierra Leone, endured a difficult early life. After the deaths of her parents her father killed by rebels and her mother succumbing to disease and starvation Michaela was placed in an orphanage at the age of 3. At the orphanage, she suffered mistreatment and malnourishment, worsened by the stigma surrounding her skin condition, vitiligo. The Mayo Clinic defines vitiligo as "a disease that causes loss of skin color in patches. The discolored areas usually get bigger with time. The condition can affect the skin on any part of the body. It can also affect hair and the inside of the mouth." Inspired by a picture of a ballerina she found in a magazine, Michaela dreamed of becoming a dancer, despite being ranked as "number 27," the least favored child at the orphanage. At 4 years old, Michaela was adopted by Elaine and her husband in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Under Elaine's care, Michaela overcame her traumatic past and pursued her passion for ballet. She trained at the prestigious Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia and rose to international fame, joining the Dutch National Ballet and later the Boston Ballet. Beyond her dance career, Michaela was a dedicated humanitarian, serving as an ambassador for War Child Holland advocating for children affected by war and violence. Michaela's death is seen as a profound loss to both the ballet world and humanitarian causes, with many recognizing her as a trailblazer and inspiration for young dancers of color. "What the family is going through right now is truly unimaginably painful," Jessica concluded her Facebook post. "Grieving two family members who died within a 24 hour period is tragic and devastating. We continue to ask for privacy." Your browser does not support the audio element. T The physical exhibitions of the 43rd HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and 12th Salon de Time, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association Ltd and The Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades & Industries Ltd, successfully concluded. Despite the fairs closing temporarily due to typhoon Yagi, businesses were still able to capture more opportunities as the organisers extended the opening hours for three of the five fair days. Buyers and exhibitors were also proactively encouraged to use the Exhibition+ hybrid model for business exchange. The physical exhibitions attracted some 17,000 buyers from 106 countries and regions. Global buyers from outside Hong Kong mainly came from Mainland China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, highlighting Hong Kongs importance as a watch trading centre. The Exhibition+ hybrid model enabled exhibitors and buyers to enjoy extended business discussions for another week. Salon de Time and Centrestage, HKTDCs concurrent fashion event, were also fully open to the public for the first time. The public count for the events exceeded 15,000 visits. Watch and fashion enthusiasts were able to appreciate the pinnacle in craftsmanship and design and purchase their favourite items. HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Sophia Chong said: The Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and Salon de Time brought together over 700 exhibitors from 15 countries and regions. In addition to welcoming international buyers, this years Salon de Time was fully open to the public for the first time, providing a one-stop sourcing platform and creating new business opportunities. Exhibitors were able to learn about customer preferences immediately, which will help strengthen product design and research and development, enhancing competitiveness in the future. Ms Chong added: An exciting line-up of mega events will captivate visitors this autumn. The Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Autumn Edition) and the concurrent electronicAsia will be held on 13-16 October, followed by the Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Autumn Edition) on 27-30 October. The International Outdoor and Tech Light Expo will be held from 29 October to 1 November. These fairs will be held under the Exhibition+ hybrid model, helping businesses capture new opportunities. Survey uncovers promise in ASEAN and the Middle East To gauge watch and clock industry trends for next year, the HKTDC conducted an on-site survey, interviewing some 900 exhibitors and buyers on the market outlook and product trends. The survey found that 42% of respondents expect overall sales to grow over the next 12-24 months, while 47% expect sales to remain unchanged. Japan, Taiwan, Australia & Pacific Islands, and South Korea were seen as offering the best growth prospects over next two years among traditional markets, while ASEAN, the Middle East and India were seen as offering the most promising growth prospects over the next two years among emerging markets. In terms of product trends, 40% of respondents expected smartwatches to continue as the most popular watch category. Other respondents pointed to quartz analogue watches, cited as the most popular watch category by 17%, mechanical watches, cited by 15%, and digital watches, cited by 14%. When asked about watches with the highest growth potential, 46% of respondents cited smartwatches, 37% said fashion watches and 19% said leisure watches. Green Solutions Suppliers label debuts this year In recent years, more watch manufacturers have been using sustainable materials to make watches and watch straps. Amid the sustainability trend, the two fairs introduced Green Solutions Suppliers label this year to make sourcing easier for buyers. These labels were used by 30 exhibitors. Amy Chow, Vice President of Hong Kong exhibitor Gordon C & Co Ltd, said: The Green Solutions Suppliers label helped attract buyers to our booth. Buyers from the Middle East and Southeast Asia were very interested in our eco-friendly watches. The business atmosphere is good this year. We expect that new orders at this years exhibition will increase by 10-20% compared to last year. About 10-15% of new orders will be for environmentally friendly watches. Armoura Designs Ltd, an Irish jewellery and watch company, has been using the hktdc.com Sourcing platform to find suppliers. Mr Stuart McGrath, the companys Managing Director is impressed with the platform and has connected with various quality suppliers through it. He said: This is my first time visiting the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair in person. I have found five watch suppliers for OEM projects and have also procured a green packaging solution from an exhibitor. The total value of these business deals is around US$110,000 ( HK$858,000). The Exhibition+ model enables me to source online and offline for more opportunities. Ethos Limited is a retail chain for deluxe watches in India. Mohammad Sajjad, the companys Assistant Vice President, visited the fairs to look for new brands. He said, I have ordered sapphire watches and sapphire watch cases, stainless steel watches and automatic health indicator watches from three Hong Kong exhibitors. The order amount was around US$1.2 million ( HK$9.4 million). This time, I also used the Scan2Match function. It is a useful and resourceful tool. It helps record details of exhibitors of interest in a digital, eco-friendly manner. Ilona Remesova, Primes Purchasing Manager, a buyer from Czechia, said that she continued to contact exhibitors during the fairs temporary closure through HKTDCs Click2Match smart business matching platform at her hotel and successfully arranged online meetings. She also returned to the venue when the exhibition reopened and continued the conversation with the exhibitors she contacted online before. When it comes to celebrating Constitution Day, it may be considered atypical to think of the Declaration of Independence. After all, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were two separate documents authored 11 years apart, written for two very distinct reasons, and penned by different authors. Yet both documents were integral in creating the political philosophy of the United States of America. Both feature famous phrases that are studied and memorized by each rising generation of Americans in classrooms and on naturalization tests. Both documents have been invoked by politicians, activists, and leaders to strengthen arguments or to solidify a point. Presidents, too, have used the Declaration and the Constitution in their speeches and writings. Abraham Lincoln once described the fundamental principles of the Declaration as an apple of gold that was framed by the Constitution, a picture of silver. Before Lincoln, however, no figure tied the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution more closely together than James Wilson, an immigrant with a Scottish upbringing and education. Wilson was quite familiar with the founding texts, as he was only one of six men to sign both documents. A student of the Scottish Enlightenment, Wilson was committed to the idea that government existed to secure the natural rights of individuals. Two years before the Declaration of Independence, he published a pamphlet titled Considerations on the Nature and Extent of the Legislative Authority of the British Parliament. In it, Wilson denied the legislative authority of Parliament and laid out an important teaching on political theory that would be echoed by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration: All men, are by nature, equal and free: no one has a right to any authority over another without his consent: all lawful government is founded in the consent of those who are subject to it: such consent was given with a view to ensure and to increase the happiness of the governed, above what they would enjoy in an independent and unconnected state of nature. The consequence is, that the happiness of the society is the first law of every government. Noted historian Carl Becker argued that Wilsons pamphlet laid the foundation for the general theory which Jefferson was later able to take for granted as the common sense of the matter. In 1787, as a Pennsylvania delegate to the Constitutional Convention, James Wilson penned the first draft of the Constitution, including its famous opening We the People. More than any other delegate, he stressed the importance of citizens having a voice and representation in government. Toward that end, Wilson used the Declaration for his constitutional arguments. In fact, he even commissioned a special copy of the Declaration to be made for the proceedings. On June 19, 1787, Wilson read the Declaration, observing thereon that the United Colonies were declared to be free & independent States; and inferring that they were independent, not Individually but Unitedly and that they were confederated as they were independent, States. During the ratification debates in Pennsylvania, Wilson once again used the Declaration as a device to further his argument for ratification. In his speech on November 26, 1787, he claimed that the Constitution was the means to the great end the Founding Fathers hoped to accomplish. It was a constitution that would produce the advantages of good, and prevent the inconveniences of bad government a constitution, whose beneficence and energy would pervade the whole union, and bind and embrace the interests of every parta constitution that would ensure peace, freedom, and happiness, to the states and people of America. On December 4, 1787, he quoted Jeffersons famous second paragraph of the Declaration and announced, This is the broad basis on which our independence was placed: on the same certain and solid foundation [the Constitution] is erected. The following July, the country celebrated its first Fourth of July under the new supreme law of the land. In Philadelphia, James Wilson was the keynote speaker for the citys celebration of independence. With over ten thousand people in attendance, Wilson could not help but tie the Constitution to the days festivities. He closed his oration with a vision for the United States under its new Constitution: Peace walks serene and unalarmed over all the unmolested regions while liberty, virtue, and religion go hand in hand, harmoniously, protecting, enlivening, and exalting all! Happy country! May thy happiness be perpetual! As we celebrate Constitution Day amid a presidential election filled with heated rhetoric, Americans should reflect on the political philosophy that is the bedrock of our nation: that both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution ensure that We the People live out the true meaning of our creed that all men are created equal. The RSPB has warned the government that 'time is running out' to ensure the Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship schemes are in place. The charity has said today (16 September) that it was concerned about the design and delivery of Higher Tier CS schemes amid ongoing launch delays. Fears have also been raised that many older schemes which have helped boost wildlife and the environment are due to expire in the autumn. "We must ensure that schemes that target some of our most cherished nature rich landscapes are made available as soon as possible and really deliver," said Alice Groom, RSPB head of sustainable land use policy. "If the UK is going to deliver 30% of land in good condition for nature by 2030, it is going to need the Higher Tier schemes to do a lot of the heavy lifting, and time is running out." The RSPB said that these schemes were critical in maintaining and restoring significant habitats for wildlife across England. But farmers needed more certainty from Defra so that they could continue to deliver for nature in some of the country's most diverse landscapes. With 1.5m hectares of habitat and nature rich farmland still managed under Higher Tier, unlocking the win-win-wins for nature, climate and farmers would only be possible with sufficient financial support and tailored advice, the charity said. The call follows recent research which demonstrated that the current agricultural budget is significantly less than what is required for farmers to help tackle the nature and climate crisis. The RSPB, National Trust and the Wildlife Trusts concluded that increasing investment in nature-friendly farming to 5.9bn per annum across the UK was 'essential' to meet the targets. As well as environmental goals, the three charities said this would "improve the resilience" of the UK farming industry. Responding to this, the RSPB said today that there needed to be higher financial support for nature-friendly farming if farmers were to meet the legally binding nature and climate targets. Ms Groom said: "Farmers need reassurance that they will be adequately supported in delivering positive change for nature, climate and long-term food security on their farms, especially across our most nature-rich landscapes. "Now is the time to realise that ambition before the cost of inaction grows further." The public are being urged to help a police investigation after hay bales were slashed on a farm, leaving the farmer with limited resources for winter feeding. Staffordshire Police's Rural & Wildlife Crime team confirmed at least six bales were slashed by offenders on 3 September at a farm in Marchington Woodlands. The incident caused hundreds of pound in damage and has left the farmer with limited resources ahead of winter, the force said. Sheep hurdles were also stolen during the incident, the team explained on a public post on social media. "Officers have been made aware of some criminal damage at a farm in Marchington Woodlands," officer explained. "Offenders have slashed the majority of haylage bales in a stack causing hundreds of pound in damage and leaving the farmer with limited resources for winter feeding. "Did you see anything in the area of Gorsty Hill, Marchington Woodlands on or around 3 September 2024? " Anyone with further information has been asked to contact Staffordshire Police on 101, quoting reference number SP-20240903-0261. The cost of rural crime cost the UK nearly 53 million last year, the latest figures by NFU Mutual show. The United States is no longer home to the best burger in the world. Americans are no longer tucking into the world's best burgers The country that gave the world McDonald's and Burger King has been surprisingly usurped by a Spanish restaurant in the World's Best Burgers 2024 rankings. Hundred Burgers in Valencia secured top spot in the "Michelin Guide for burgers" because of the quality of its beef that "melts in your mouth" and the "super crispy" bacon. The restaurant's co-founder Alex Gonzalez told Infobae Spain: "For us, receiving this recognition is the fulfilment of a lifelong dream. "We created the company with the aim of making a burger that would be a world reference and not even in our wildest dreams did we contemplate being chosen as the best burger in the world." The restaurant's rise to the top is the culmination of a long-term plan by Gonzalez and co-founder Ezequiel Maldjian that saw them visit New York City in 2017 to taste the best 15 burgers in the Big Apple. 'Emily in Paris' has been renewed for a fifth season. Lily Collins is set to return for a fifth season The hit Netflix show - which stars Lily Collins and Ashley Park - is set to return to for a fifth season, after the latest series recently premiered on the streaming platform. Darren Star, the show's creator, told Tudum: "Were thrilled with the incredible response to this season of 'Emily in Paris' and excited to return for a fifth to continue Emilys adventures in Rome and Paris!" In season four, Emily starts a romance with a handsome Italian man and she then opens an office for Agence Grateau in Rome. Looking forward to the new season, Darren shared: "Emilys going to have a presence in Rome. It doesnt mean shes not going to be in Paris, but shes going to have a presence in Rome." Lily, 35 - who plays Emily Cooper, the show's central character - is already looking forward to shooting season five of 'Emily in Paris'. The actress is particularly keen to see what happens between her on-screen character and Marcello, played by Eugenio Franceschini. Lily explained: "Marcello is a whole other adventure that we want for Emily because we ultimately want Emily to be able to have a better work/life balance. "We want to have Emily be able to smile without condition. We want to see her beyond her vacay mode. And he comes at that perfect time." Meanwhile, Darren has also confirmed that Emily's burgeoning romance will be a big focus of season five of the show. He said: "I feel like they have a real spark and a real connection and a real romantic connection. A lot of thats going to continue to play out next season." 'Hacks' was a surprise winner of the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy Award on Sunday (15.09.24). Hacks was a surprise winner The HBO series triumphed in a category that was expected to see 'The Bear' scoop top honours ahead of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm', 'Only Murders in the Building', 'Palm Royale', 'Reservation Dogs' and 'What We Do in the Shadows', and co-creator Paul W. Downs admitted the win had left him stunned. Joined by the cast and crew, Paul - who also appears on the show - said: "I have no thoughts in my brain. Thank you so much to the Academy. "We are so lucky to live our dream and make television and we couldn't do it without our 'Hacks' family. All of our writers, all of our cast, all of our crew who make our dreams come true literally. "When we pitched this show about two women, one of whom was over 60, we really didn't know if we could sell it. "We have to thank... everyone at Universal and everyone who has helped make this show. "About 20% of our population is 60+ but they're only about 3% of the characters on television and I would like to see more of them because while I'm a great young supporting actor, I really want to be a good old lead." Meanwhile, 'Shogun' took the prestigious Outstanding Drama Series award ahead of The Crown, Fallout, The Gilded Age, The Morning Show, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Slow Horses and 3 Body Problem. Showrunner Justin Marks admitted he was stunned the show had even been made. He said: "Thank you for this incredible honour. We are so grateful to our partners at Disney Television, to Dana Walden and Eric Schrier, to Hulu and especially FX, you guys green lit a very experience subtitled period piece whose central climax revolves around a poetry competition, I have no idea why you did that but thank you for your faith in this incredible team. "We share this award with our extraordinary cast and crew from Japan and North America. 'Shogun' is a show about translation, not what is lost but what is found." Billy Crudup paid tribute to his "piece of eye candy", wife Naomi Watts, as he picked up his Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Emmy Award on Sunday (15.09.24). Billy Crudup accepts his Emmy Award The 56-year-old actor kicked off his acceptance speech at Los Angeles' Peacock Theater by paying tribute to his actress spouse, before going on to dedicate his trophy - which he picked up ahead of co-stars Mark Duplass and John Hamm, 'Shogun' stars Tadanobu Asano and Takehiro Hira, Jack Lowden from 'Slow Horses' and 'The Crown' star Jonathan Pryce - to the writing team and others who had helped him with his role as Cory Ellison on 'The Morning Show'. He said: "Thank you very much, this is an incredible honour, thank you all. "I'm happy to be here with my piece of eye candy there, my wife, who also happens to be an immigrant and gave a searing performance for which she's nominated, and she starts businesses too, so it's nice to be by her side. "I just want to say this is for the writers and educators who allowed me to do the writing that was beyond my level. "Every time I'd see the scripts I'd have to go and work on the techniques that teachers like Ron Van Lieu gave me. "To Kerry Ehrin, who invented this character and her team, and Charlotte Stout, who expanded upon this character, this process has been incredible for me and I hope everyone who is involved knows how much it means to me, so thank you. "And also, hi to the kids, I know you're watching, wherever you are." Meanwhile, Ebon Moss-Bachrach took home the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series prize. The 47-year-old actor scooped his second consecutive win for his portrayal of Richie Jerimovich in 'The Bear' ahead of co-star Lionel Boyce, 'Hacks' Paul W. Downs, Paul Rudd ('Only Murders in the Building', Tyler James Williams ('Abbott Elementary') and Bowen Yang ('Saturday Night Live'), and praised the "beautiful people" he works with on the show. He said: "Thank you so much, I don't know what to say. I'm so grateful for this show and to work with these beautiful people. Chris, thank you so much, I love you so much. Joanna, Josh, Tyson, Duccio. " I work with this incredible family every day, it's such a privilege to work with Ayo and Jeremy, Lionel, Liza, Abby, Matty, Ricky, Oliver, all my little forks crew, Andrew and Sarah and Olivia. Thank you Jeanie Bachrach for putting such a nice family together. "Thank you to my parents, they've taken nice care of my cat. To Mary and Tasha my sweet daughters, Yelena I love you so much." Ishaan Khatter didn't mind being "objectified" in 'The Perfect Couple'. Ishaan Khatter relished shooting the show The 28-year-old actor stars alongside Nicole Kidman in the murder mystery show, and Ishaan has now revealed that he relished the opportunity to work with the Oscar-winning actress, describing the decision to accept the role as a "no-brainer". The actor - who was born in Mumbai, India - told the BBC Asian Network: "The most exciting thing about it, the most reassuring thing about it, was the way the character was written and the fact that it didn't feel like a token diversity character." Ishaan also had no qualms with the way in which his character was portrayed. He said: "Yes, I was objectified. "It was one of the things that made the character unique and appealing to me. "It makes it kind of a moment in history in that sense. I just thought it was a cool character in general and it was fun to play into that." What's more, Ishaan hopes to see more south Asian actors being given opportunities in Western film and TV productions. He said: "As an audience I would be saying: 'Hell yeah, this is what we should be doing more of.' "I understand the sacredness of being put in a position where you're representing on a global scale. "I'm so happy to be in this position and to be able to be a part of something that is a stepping stone." The show was filmed in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Ishaan actually suffered from homesickness during the shoot. However, the actor was able to lean on his co-stars amid his troubles. He confessed: "We only had each others company. "Being able to hang out, do activities like axe-throwing or whale-watching. "It definitely helped with the homesickness." Margaret Qualley got so hysterical when her partner Jack Antonoff proposed she tackled him to the ground and left him with a cut knee. Margaret Qualley got so hysterical when her partner Jack Antonoff proposed she tackled him to the ground and left him with a cut knee The Substance actress, 29, married the Bleachers musician, 40, in August 2023 in New Jersey at a star-studded ceremony that included famous guests such as Margaretes mum Andie MacDowell, Taylor Swift, Channing Tatum, Zoe Kravitz, Lana Del Rey and Cara Delevingne. She has now told The Sunday Times about the moment Jack got down on one knee in May 2022 to pop the question: I was so excited that I tackled him and he cut his knee, and I flipped over a chair, but it was cute. The couple then toasted their engagement at the Ritz hotel in Paris over champagne. Margaret also said during her and Jacks wedding ceremony her sister Rainey performed a rendition of Etta James 1960 classic At Last adding: Shes confident in that regard. She was also drunk. The actress and Jack first met at a party in New York in 2021, and she told the Times she feels lucky to have found him at the time. She said: I have a lot of 40-year-old single girlfriends that are just like, Helloooo, what the f***? Everyones terrible! The actress also opened up about how she sees children in their future, saying: Id be thrilled with two. I want one and then I want the other one to have a friend. My brother and sister are my best friends, so I cant imagine not having that. Margarets latest film The Substance sees her star as TV aerobics instructor Sue. Shes the younger, more perfect of a washed up fitness guru character played by Demi Moore, who takes an experimental drug to create the more youthful clone of herself. Prince Harry will reportedly undoubtedly accept an 8 million royal inheritance apparently banked for him as a 40th birthday present. Prince Harry will reportedly undoubtedly accept an 8 million royal inheritance apparently banked for him as a 40th birthday present The Duke of Sussex celebrated hitting the milestone age on Sunday (15.09.24), after it was previously reported his great-grandmother, the late Queen Mother, had arranged for him to get a huge cash boost when he reached the big day. Royal expert Hugo Vickers, 72, has now told The Sun the timing of the reported cash injection could not have come at a better time for Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, 43, with whom he has children Archie, five, and three-year-old daughter Lilibet as they lead a lavish lifestyle with staff at their $14 million mansion in Montecito, California. Hugo said: No doubt it would be helpful because I think he leads a very expensive lifestyle. Hopefully he will put the money to good use 8 million can disappear pretty fast in a place like Montecito. The couple have an enormous staff, a big house to maintain, and cars. Harry has to pay for his own security too which we know he takes very seriously. And former royal butler Grant Harrold, 46, told the New York Post about being sure Harry will take the cash: Ive no doubt that Harry will accept it. Its money thats owed to him, money thats coming to him. I dont think he will decline the money. Its inheritance so its his right. It's already something that has been set in place for years now. The Queen Mother, who died aged 101 in 2002, apparently put aside a tax-free 19 million to leave to her great-grandchildren, according to The Times. It added the inheritances were divided into two installments one to be given to Princes William and Harry when they turned 21, and another on their 40th birthdays. A former palace aide previously told The Times: There was a trust fund set up at the time. It was a way in which the Queen Mother could set aside money for when her great-grandchildren were older and a way of passing a slice of her estate down in a tax-efficient way. It was a way in which some of her estate could be ring-fenced for them. Sources added Harry may have been left more money than his older brother William, 42, from the inheritance. Industrial production in July 2024 saw a slight downturn across both the euro area and the European Union (EU) compared to the previous month, as per Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU. Industrial production in the euro area decreased by 0.3 per cent, while the EU experienced a marginal decline of 0.1 per cent. This comes after industrial production remained unchanged in the euro area and grew by 0.1 per cent in the EU in June 2024. Compared with July 2023, industrial production in July 2024 saw more significant declines. The euro area recorded a 2.2 per cent decrease, while the EU experienced a 1.7 per cent decline. The drop was driven by lower output across several key sectors. In July, industrial production declined by 0.3 per cent in the euro area and 0.1 per cent in the EU from June. Compared to July 2023, the euro area saw a 2.2 per cent drop, while the EU fell by 1.7 per cent. Intermediate goods and durable consumer goods saw declines, while energy and non-durable goods grew. The largest decreases were in Malta and Estonia. In the euro area, production of intermediate goods fell by 1.3 per cent in July 2024 compared to June 2024. The production of durable consumer goods plummeted by 2.8 per cent. However, there were some positive trends, with energy production increasing by 0.3 per cent and non-durable consumer goods rising by 1.8 per cent, as per Eurostat. In the EU, the trends were similar, with a 1.3 per cent drop in intermediate goods. Durable consumer goods also decreased by 2.2 per cent. Energy production in the EU grew by 0.4 per cent, while non-durable consumer goods rose by 2.1 per cent. The largest monthly declines in industrial production were observed in Malta, which saw a sharp fall of 5.5 per cent, followed by Estonia with a 4.8 per cent decrease, and Romania, which recorded a 3.4 per cent drop. Conversely, several countries saw significant increases, with Ireland leading the way with a 9.2 per cent rise, followed by Croatia at 8.0 per cent and Belgium at 7.3 per cent. On a year-on-year basis, the euro area saw industrial production of intermediate goods drop by 2.9 per cent in July 2024 compared with July 2023. Durable consumer goods output fell by 4.4 per cent. However, energy production increased by 1.7 per cent, and non-durable consumer goods saw a 2.2 per cent rise. In the EU, the annual comparison showed similar patterns, with intermediate goods production down by 2.7 per cent and durable consumer goods decreasing by 3.5 per cent. Energy production rose by 2.3 per cent, and non-durable consumer goods increased by 3.9 per cent. The largest annual declines were recorded in Hungary, with a decrease of 6.4 per cent, followed by Estonia with a 5.8 per cent drop, and Germany with a decline of 5.5 per cent. On the other hand, Denmark saw the most significant annual increase in industrial production, rising by 19.8 per cent, followed by Greece at 10.8 per cent and Finland at 6.4 per cent. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DP) Polands export turnover in January-July this year at current prices amounted to PLN 875.3 billiona year-on-year (YoY) decrease of 8.8 per cent, while import turnover was PLN 859 billiona YoY fall of 7.3 per cent. Compared to a trade surplus of PLN 33.3 billion in the first seven months last year, the figure was PLN 16.3 billion in same period this year, according to Statistics Poland. Poland's export turnover in January-July this year at current prices was PLN 875.3 billiona YoY drop of 8.8 per cent, while import turnover was PLN 859 billiona YoY fall of 7.3 per cent. Exports expressed in US dollars amounted to $218.9 billion in the perioda YoY drop of 2.4 per cent, while imports were worth $214.8 billiona YoY drop of 0.8 per cent. Exports expressed in US dollars amounted to $218.9 billion during the perioda YoY decrease of 2.4 per cent, while imports amounted to $214.8 billiona YoY drop of 0.8 per cent. Exports expressed in euro amounted to 202.4 billion, while imports amounted to 198.6 billion during the period. Exports to the main trading partners dropped YoY during the period, except Ukraineexports to where increased by 7 per centand the United States and the United Kingdomexports to where increased by 0.3 per cent. Imports during the period from the main trading partners dropped YoY, barring the United States (a 7.7-per cent rise) and Norway (a 6-per cent rise). The export turnover with the top ten Polish trade partners during the seven-month period accounted for 66.1 per cent of the total exports during the period; the figure was 66.5 per cent in the same period last year. For imports, the figure was 61.1 per cent this year compared with 60.5 in January-July 2023. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) Student of the Year (2012) 2 States (2014) Highway (2014) Kapoor & Sons (2016) Dear Zindagi (2016) Raazi (2018) Gully Boy (2019) Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022) Darlings (2022) Brahmastra: Part One Shiva (2022) Heart of Stone (2023) Alia Bhatt is one of Bollywoods brightest stars, born into a family thats deeply rooted in the film industry. The daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan, Alia was destined for stardom. Growing up surrounded by cinema, it wasnt surprising that Alia would one day step into the limelight herself. From her early days, she had an innate charm and the talent that would help her carve her own path in the Indian film industry.She made her debut in Bollywood at the young age of 19 with Student of the Year and quickly gained popularity with her youthful energy and acting skills. Over the years, Alia has proven her versatility with a wide range of roles, from light-hearted romantic comedies to intense dramas. Today, she is one of the most celebrated actresses in India, and her fame has reached international levels with her recent appearance at the Met Gala and her Hollywood debut. Lets take a look at some of her all-time favourite movies that have defined her career and won the hearts of millions worldwide.Alia Bhatts debut film,, was a huge commercial success. Directed by Karan Johar, the film was a glamorous high school drama that introduced Alia as Shanaya, a stylish and confident rich girl. Her role might have been light, but her on-screen presence made an instant impact. Alia shone brightly, and this marked the beginning of her journey to stardom. With her charm and dancing skills, she instantly became a fan favourite.Based on Chetan Bhagats novel,saw Alia in a very different avatar as Ananya, a smart and independent Tamilian girl. This romantic drama revolved around a cross-cultural love story between a North Indian boy and a South Indian girl, played by Alia and Arjun Kapoor. Alias portrayal of a modern woman in love, struck a chord with audiences. Her performance was natural and relatable, showing that she could do more than just play the glamorous girl next door.is one of Alia Bhatt's most critically acclaimed performances. Directed by Imtiaz Ali, this road drama gave Alia the chance to showcase her depth as an actor early in her career. Alia played Veera, a young woman from a wealthy family who gets kidnapped but eventually finds freedom and self-discovery during her journey with her kidnapper, played by Randeep Hooda. The film beautifully explored the complexities of trauma, healing, and finding peace in unexpected places. Alias portrayal of Veera was raw, emotional, and authentic, making her performance one of the standout aspects of the film. Highway earned her a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress and solidified her reputation as an actress capable of taking on challenging roles.In Kapoor & Sons, Alia took on a supporting role in this emotional family drama. Playing the role of Tia, a fun-loving and carefree young woman, Alias light-hearted character provided a perfect balance to the heavier emotional elements of the movie. Her chemistry with both Siddharth Malhotra and Fawad Khan was one of the highlights of the film. The movie, which dealt with complex family relationships, became a critical and commercial success, and Alias effortless acting added to the films charm.was a turning point for Alia Bhatt. In this heartwarming film, she played Kaira, a young cinematographer struggling with her emotions and career. The movie, directed by Gauri Shinde, gave Alia the opportunity to shine as the lead, supported by Shah Rukh Khan in a mentor-like role. Alias portrayal of a young woman trying to navigate life and mental health resonated with many, and her performance was praised for its depth and authenticity. This role cemented her position as one of the most versatile actresses of her generation.One of Alia Bhatts most critically acclaimed performances came in, where she played the role of Sehmat, a young Indian woman who becomes a spy during the India-Pakistan war in 1971. Directed by Meghna Gulzar, this intense and gripping film showcased Alias ability to handle complex roles with grace. Her portrayal of Sehmat, who marries a Pakistani officer to gather intelligence for India, earned her several awards, including a Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Raazi was a box-office hit, and Alias performance was hailed as one of the finest of her career.In, Alia played Safeena Firdausi, the fiery and possessive girlfriend of Ranveer Singhs character, Murad Ahmed. The film, inspired by the lives of real street rappers, was a blockbuster hit, and while Ranveer dominated most of the screen time, Alias fierce performance stood out. Her character, Safeena, was unapologetically bold and added a spark to the narrative. Alias comic timing and dramatic outbursts in the film were widely appreciated, making Safeena one of her most memorable and fan favourite characters.One of Alia Bhatts most powerful performances came in, where she portrayed the real-life character of Gangubai, a woman who rises to power in the male-dominated world of Mumbais underworld in the 1960s. Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the film was a critical and commercial success, and Alias portrayal of Gangubai was praised for its intensity, strength, and grace. Her transformation into a fearless mafia queen earned her widespread acclaim, and she won a Filmfare Award for her performance.In, Alia took on the role of not just an actor but also a producer. This dark comedy, co-starring Shefali Shah and Vijay Varma, dealt with domestic violence and revenge but with a unique twist. Alia played Badrunissa, a woman trapped in an abusive marriage who eventually takes matters into her own hands. Her performance was both strong and vulnerable, and she received immense praise for balancing the comedic and dramatic tones of the film. Darlings was appreciated for its unique storytelling, and Alias performance was central to its success.One of Alias most ambitious projects,was a fantasy-action film directed by Ayan Mukerji. In this film, she starred alongside her now-husband Ranbir Kapoor. Alia played Isha, a young woman who helps Ranbirs character discover his powers in the mystical world of the Astras. The film was a visual spectacle and one of the highest-grossing Bollywood movies of 2022. Alias chemistry with Ranbir and her performance in this film was widely appreciated.Alia Bhatt made her Hollywood debut with, starring alongside Gal Gadot. This international spy thriller showcased Alia in a completely new light, playing a tech genius in a high-stakes game of espionage. While the movie itself received mixed reviews, Alias Hollywood debut was widely anticipated and marked an important milestone in her career. Her growing global presence was solidified with this film, and she is now a recognized name beyond Bollywood.Alia Bhatts journey from a star kid to one of the most celebrated actresses in India has been nothing short of remarkable. With her versatility, hard work, and undeniable talent, she has proven herself time and again. Whether shes playing a bubbly college student, a tough-as-nails spy, or a mafia queen, Alia brings her characters to life in a way that resonates with audiences. Her career is a testament to her ability to grow and evolve with each role, making her one of the most sought-after actresses of her generation. Der Goldpreis haussiert und schwingt sich von Hoch zu Hoch. Getrieben von geopolitischen Unsicherheiten sowie der Aussicht auf eine lockere Geldpolitik der FED gehen Experten aktuell von weiter steigenden Notierungen bis sogar in den Bereich von 3.000 US-Dollar je Unze Gold aus. Im Schatten des Basispreises notieren Goldproduzenten aus der zweiten Reihe sowie Explorationsunternehmen noch weit weg von ihren historischen Hochststanden entfernt und bieten dadurch erhebliches Aufholpotential. In diesem kostenlosen Report geben wir Ihnen Favoriten an die Hand, die aufgrund von Sondersituation die Chance auf eine Kursvervielfachung besitzen. Handeln Sie Jetzt! Fordern Sie jetzt den brandneuen Spezialreport an und profitieren Sie von dem weiter steigenden Kurs des Edelmetalls. Sichern Sie sich jetzt Ihren kostenfreien Report. Art enthusiasts from Western Australia and beyond are invited to experience the stories and culture of Pilbara Aboriginal artists at the annual Colours of our Country exhibition. Now in its 19th year, the exhibition will be held at the Central Park building in Perth, from Monday, 16 September, to Friday, 27 September. It will showcase a vibrant collection of 160 unique Aboriginal artworks from 43 artists. This year's line-up features independent artists and art centres across the Pilbara, including the Yinjaa-Barni Art Centre, Cheeditha Art Group and Juluwarlu Art Group. Artwork can be purchased in person or online via a virtual exhibition at coloursofourcountry.com, with all proceeds going directly to the artists, art centres and their communities. Since the exhibition launched in 2006, more than 2,987 artworks have been sold, generating almost $3.3 million for local artists, their art groups and communities. Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive Simon Trott said, "Over the course of 19 years, we have had the privilege of partnering with Indigenous artists who generously share their rich heritage and artistry through Colours of our Country. "Their works of art offer their reflections of country and invite us to recognise and appreciate the cultural, spiritual and physical connections that Indigenous people have with the Pilbara region." The exhibition's signature art piece, 'Our Country (The Pilbara)' by Yinjaa-Barni Art Centre's artist Justina Willis was inspired by the ancestral stories of the artist's Ngurra (country). Justina Willis said "Pilbara is the country where we, the Yindjibarndi people, live and share many of our cultural stories and history that have been passed onto us by our ancestors. "Our country has so much to offer. Bush foods and medicine, as well as animals like emu, kangaroo, and goanna. Our country is full of riches, and we are connected to our land." For those unable to attend in person, the full catalogue of art will be available for purchase online from Monday, 16 September. About Colours of our Country First held in 2006, Colours of our Country evolved from a pop-up exhibition originally commemorating 40 years of Rio Tinto's iron ore operations in Western Australia. Now, it is a high-profile annual event that provides art lovers with the opportunity to connect with Pilbara Aboriginal artists and hear the stories that inspire their work. For the first time in 2020, an online exhibition coincided with the physical exhibition, increasing the reach of those able to secure local Pilbara art. For more details, visit coloursofourcountry.com Note to the editors Images of the signature art piece and artist are available for download here. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240915986470/en/ Contacts: Please direct all enquiries to media.enquiries@riotinto.com Media Relations Enja Burendelger M +61(0) 459 155 191 Rio Tinto plc 6 St James's Square London SW1Y 4AD United Kingdom T +44 20 7781 2000 Registered in England No. 719885 Rio Tinto Limited Level 43, 120 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 Australia T +61 3 9283 3333 Registered in Australia ABN 96 004 458 404 riotinto.com Category: GENERAL OCREVUS ZUNOVO has the potential to expand treatment options to centres without IV infrastructure or with IV constraints, like at a doctor's office This approval is backed by a decade of proven safety and efficacy data of Ocrevus IV, with over 350,000 people treated globally OCREVUS ZUNOVO offers people with multiple sclerosis (MS) more options to access treatment based on their individual needs Basel, 16 September 2024 - Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) has approved OCREVUS ZUNOVO (ocrelizumab & hyaluronidase-ocsq) for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). OCREVUS ZUNOVO is the first and only twice-a-year, healthcare professional (HCP)-administered approximately 10-minute subcutaneous (SC) injection approved for both these forms of multiple sclerosis, giving people living with MS more treatment options. "OCREVUS ZUNOVO gives patients and providers another option for receiving OCREVUS, building on a decade of robust safety and efficacy data for OCREVUS in multiple sclerosis," said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., Roche's chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development. "This approval may offer greater flexibility for healthcare providers and people living with multiple sclerosis, based on their individual treatment needs." "People are living longer with chronic illnesses and with fewer disabilities because of the extensive progress that has been made in the development of medicines that can slow their progression," said Natalie Blake, Executive Director of the MS Foundation. "But still, not everyone has access to these medicines. It's crucial to acknowledge each experience with MS is as unique as the individual navigating it, so providing choices to address each person's needs is essential. We are pleased that with a new method of delivery, there is now an additional option for those who need flexibility in the route of administration or treatment time." After the first dose, the time for treatment with OCREVUS ZUNOVO could be as little as 55 minutes. Patients will be required to take premedications at least 30 minutes prior to each dose. Following the first dose, patients will be monitored by their HCP for at least 60 minutes. Patients will be monitored for at least 15 minutes post-injection for subsequent doses. The FDA approval is based on pivotal data from the Phase III OCARINA II trial, which showed no clinically significant difference in the levels of OCREVUS in the blood when administered subcutaneously, and a safety and efficacy profile consistent to the IV formulation in people with RMS and PPMS. Out of the exploratory outcomes measured, OCREVUS ZUNOVO was consistent with IV, demonstrating suppression of relapse activity (97%) and MRI lesions (97%) through 48 weeks. Additionally, one of several patient-reported outcomes measured during the study showed more than 92% of trial participants reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the SC administration of OCREVUS ZUNOVO. In the Phase III OCARINA II trial, the safety profile of OCREVUS ZUNOVO was consistent with the well-established safety profile of OCREVUS IV, with the exception of injection reactions. The most common adverse events with OCREVUS ZUNOVO were injection reactions. Injection reactions were more frequently reported with the first injection, with 49% of trial participants experiencing an injection reaction after the first injection. All injection reactions were either mild or moderate, and none led to treatment withdrawal. Roche is dedicated to advancing innovative clinical research programmes to broaden the scientific understanding of multiple sclerosis, further reducing disability progression in RMS and PPMS and improving the treatment experiences for those living with the disease. Roche has more than 30 ongoing multiple sclerosis clinical trials designed to help us better understand the disease and its progression. Developing new formulations of our medicines is part of our commitment to improve the patient experience and support people living with different illnesses at every step of their treatment journey. With OCREVUS ZUNOVO and Genentech and Roche's 14 subcutaneous therapies - available across various diseases - we offer additional administration options to meet the diverse preferences of patients. About OCREVUS ZUNOVO (ocrelizumab & hyaluronidase-ocsq) OCREVUS ZUNOVO combines OCREVUS with Halozyme Therapeutics' Enhanze drug delivery technology. OCREVUS is a humanised monoclonal antibody designed to target CD20-positive B cells, a specific type of immune cell thought to be a key contributor to myelin (nerve cell insulation and support) and axonal (nerve cell) damage. This nerve cell damage can lead to disability in people with multiple sclerosis. Based on preclinical studies, OCREVUS binds to CD20 cell surface proteins expressed on certain B cells, but not on stem cells or plasma cells, suggesting that important functions of the immune system may be preserved. The Enhanze drug delivery technology is based on a proprietary recombinant human hyaluronidase PH20 (rHuPH20), an enzyme that locally and temporarily degrades hyaluronan - a glycosaminoglycan or chain of natural sugars in the body - in the subcutaneous space. This increases the permeability of the tissue under the skin, allowing OCREVUS to enter, and enabling it to be rapidly dispersed and absorbed into the bloodstream. OCREVUS and OCREVUS ZUNOVO are the only therapies approved for both RMS (including relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis [RRMS] and active, or relapsing secondary progressive multiple sclerosis [SPMS], as well as clinically isolated syndrome [CIS] in the U.S.) and PPMS. About the OCARINA II study OCARINA II (NCT05232825) was a Phase III, global, multicentre, randomised study that evaluated the pharmacokinetics, safety and clinical and radiological efficacy of the subcutaneous (SC) formulation of OCREVUS compared with OCREVUS intravenous (IV) infusion in 236 patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) or primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). The trial met its primary and secondary endpoints, demonstrating SC injection was non-inferior to IV infusion based on OCREVUS levels in the blood, and consistent control of clinical (relapses) and radiological (MRI lesions) disease activity. The safety profile of OCREVUS SC was also consistent with the well-established safety profile of OCREVUS IV with the exception of injection site reactions. About multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease that affects more than 2.9 million people worldwide. Multiple sclerosis occurs when the immune system abnormally attacks the insulation and support around nerve cells (myelin sheath) in the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord and optic nerves), causing inflammation and consequent damage. This damage can cause a wide range of symptoms, including weakness, fatigue and difficulty seeing, and may eventually lead to disability. Most people with multiple sclerosis experience their first symptom between 20 and 40 years of age, making the disease the leading cause of acquired non-traumatic disability in younger adults. People with all forms of multiple sclerosis experience disease progression - permanent loss of nerve cells in the central nervous system - from the beginning of their disease even if their symptoms aren't apparent or don't appear to be getting worse. Delays in diagnosis and treatment can negatively impact people with multiple sclerosis, in terms of their physical and mental health, and contribute to the negative financial impact on the individual and society. An important goal of treating multiple sclerosis is to slow, stop and ideally prevent progression as early as possible. Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) is the most common form of the disease and is characterised by episodes of new or worsening signs or symptoms (relapses) followed by periods of recovery. Approximately 85% of people with multiple sclerosis are initially diagnosed with RRMS. The majority of people who are diagnosed with RRMS will eventually transition to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), in which they experience steadily worsening disability over time. Relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS) include people with RRMS and people with SPMS who continue to experience relapses. Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) is a debilitating form of the disease marked by steadily worsening symptoms but typically without distinct relapses or periods of remission. Approximately 15% of people with multiple sclerosis are diagnosed with the primary progressive form of the disease. Until the FDA approval of OCREVUS, there had been no FDA-approved treatments for PPMS and OCREVUS and OCREVUS ZUNOVO are still the only approved treatments for PPMS. About Roche in Neuroscience Neuroscience is a major focus of research and development at Roche. Our goal is to pursue groundbreaking science to develop new treatments that help improve the lives of people with chronic and potentially devastating diseases. Roche is investigating more than a dozen medicines for neurological disorders, including neuromuscular diseases: Duchenne muscular dystrophy, facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy; neuro immune diseases: multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder; and neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease. Together with our partners, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding to solve some of the most difficult challenges in neuroscience today. About Roche Founded in 1896 in Basel, Switzerland, as one of the first industrial manufacturers of branded medicines, Roche has grown into the world's largest biotechnology company and the global leader in in-vitro diagnostics. The company pursues scientific excellence to discover and develop medicines and diagnostics for improving and saving the lives of people around the world. We are a pioneer in personalised healthcare and want to further transform how healthcare is delivered to have an even greater impact. To provide the best care for each person we partner with many stakeholders and combine our strengths in Diagnostics and Pharma with data insights from the clinical practice. For over 125 years, sustainability has been an integral part of Roche's business. As a science-driven company, our greatest contribution to society is developing innovative medicines and diagnostics that help people live healthier lives. Roche is committed to the Science Based Targets initiative and the Sustainable Markets Initiative to achieve net zero by 2045. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit www.roche.com . All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law. Roche Global Media Relations Phone: +41 61 688 8888 / e-mail: media.relations@roche.com Hans Trees, PhD Phone: +41 79 407 72 58 Sileia Urech Phone: +41 79 935 81 48 Nathalie Altermatt Phone: +41 79 771 05 25 Lorena Corfas Phone: +34 620 29 25 51 Simon Goldsborough Phone: +44 797 32 72 915 Karsten Kleine Phone: +41 79 461 86 83 Nina Mahlitz Phone: +41 79 327 54 74 Kirti Pandey Phone: +49 172 6367262 Yvette Petillon Phone: +41 79 961 92 50 Dr. Rebekka Schnell Phone: +41 79 205 27 03 Roche Investor Relations Dr. Bruno Eschli Phone: +41 61 68-75284 e-mail: bruno.eschli@roche.com Dr. Sabine Borngraber Phone: +41 61 68-88027 e-mail: sabine.borngraeber@roche.com (mailto:sabine.borngraeber@roche.com) Dr. Birgit Masjost Phone: +41 61 68-84814 e-mail: birgit.masjost@roche.com Investor Relations North America Loren Kalm Phone: +1 650 225 3217 e-mail: kalm.loren@gene.com Attachment Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2024) - Thor Explorations Ltd (TSXV: THX) (AIM: THX) ("Thor" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has expanded its operations into Cote d'Ivoire following the signing of a binding sale and purchase agreement ("SPA") with Endeavour Mining Corporation ("Endeavour") to acquire a 100% interest in the Guitry Gold Exploration Project ("Guitry"). The acquisition will be subject to the completion of certain conditions precedent including final approval of the Minister of Mines. The total consideration for the acquisition is a cash payment of US$100,000 in cash at completion and a 2% Net Smelter Royalty. In addition to the acquisition of Guitry, the Company has also entered into an option agreement with Goldridge Resources SARL ("Goldridge") to earn up to an 80% interest in the Boundiali Exploration Permit ("Boundiali"), an early-stage gold exploration permit located in northwest Cote d'Ivoire. Boundiali contains a number of continuous soil geochemical anomalies that have been generated by the Company for drilling. The terms of the earn-in include a minimum exploration programme over 36 months and an option fee payment of US$150,000 payable within the first 24 months to earn an initial 51% interest. Segun Lawson, President & CEO, stated: "We are pleased to expand our exploration activities into Cote d'Ivoire. As a country, Cote D'Ivoire is a West African gold mining and exploration success story that hosts over 30% of West Africa's greenstone belts and is proving to be an emerging region for world class gold discoveries. We are delighted with our low-cost entry into the mining-friendly jurisdiction and believe these two permits provide an excellent platform from which to grow our activities there." "Guitry, in particular, is an advanced exploration project which is characterised by numerous gold-in-soil geochemical anomalies that have only been partially drill tested by the previous explorers. Some of the drill results include 12m grading at 10.4g/tAu, 16m grading at 7.90g/tAu, 24m grading at 2.02g/tAu and 16m grading at 2.25g/tAu. "The two major prospects, Krakouadiokro and Gbaloukro, are yet to be fully tested with several additional targets yet to be drilled. We plan on carrying out further exploration work and drilling and we are targeting a maiden resource of between 500,000 - 1,000,000 ounces before the end of next year. "We are also pleased to enter into an option agreement with Goldridge to earn an up to 80% interest in Boundiali. This comes after significant reconnaissance work in the country for prospective projects that can be easily derisked and advanced through further exploration. "We look forward to updating our shareholders with our progress in Cote D'Ivoire in due course." Figure 1: Geology of Cote d'Ivoire Showing Location of Guitry Project and Boundiali Permit To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7003/223424_4d049dfe64ed08a8_002full.jpg Guitry Project Overview The Guitry Project is located 220 kilometres ("km") due west of Abidjan and covers 295 square kilometres ("km2") of the prospective Tehini (Birimian) Greenstone Belt, comprising a north-easterly trending sequence of greywacke sediments and volcano-sedimentary schists and andesite with later granitic intrusive located to the north. The Tehini Greenstone Belt extends northwards into Burkina Faso where it hosts large gold deposits such as Hounde (5.2 million ounces ("Moz")) and Mana (2.3Moz). Early-stage exploration at Guitry completed by Endeavour includes 7,672 soil samples and over 11,000 metres ("m") of drilling. Two main prospects were defined by soil geochemistry: Krakouadiokro and Gbaloukro. A broad gold in soil anomaly extends over an 8.5km north easterly trending zone with a continuous 5km long anomaly at Krakouadiokro (Figure 2). Follow up drilling at Krakouadiokro produced several significant drill intersections from a relatively small area of drilling (Table 1). Primary gold mineralisation is still to be systematically targeted and mineralisation appears to be open along strike to the southwest and down dip at the two main prospects. There are three adjoining prospects known as Konan-Yaokro to the north, N'Drikro to the south west and Lafiisou to the south east that have yet to drill tested. Known gold mineralisation is largely contained within the near-surface flat-lying supergene horizon which is underlain by sporadic intersections of primary mineralisation. Only limited drilling of the primary mineralisation has been completed and remains an attractive ongoing target. At Krakouadiokro, the drilling data undergone by Endeavour indicates a large area of lateritic-hosted mineralisation that overlies a primary gold source. Drillhole 21GUAC072 intersected 3m grading 4.74 grammes per tonne ("g/t") in fresh rock at a depth of about 62m indicating the development of high-grade primary mineralisation. The primary zone represents an attractive target for higher grade mineralisation and requires further drill testing. Geochemical sampling has confirmed continuity of gold anomalism for 2km towards the south west which is yet to be drill tested. Figure 2: Detailed Map of the Krakouadiokro and Gbaloukro Prospects To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7003/223424_4d049dfe64ed08a8_003full.jpg Hole ID x y Depth Dip Azimuth From To Interval (m) Grade (g/tAu) 18GUAC008 240484 605198 50 -50 90 0 16 16 2.25 18GUAC015 240436 605398 50 -50 90 8 12 4 5.80 18GUAC018 240560 605402 50 -50 90 8 20 12 10.40 18GUAC068 240461 605201 60 -50 90 8 24 16 0.90 21GURC069 240598 605375 82 -60 315 48 58 10 3.05 21GURC073 240466 605380 87 -60 315 27 32 5 3.63 21GURD072 240530 605149 123 -60 315 67 70 3 4.74 21GURD074 240624 605347 151 -60 315 24 28 4 2.87 21GURD078 240279 604950 150 -60 315 49 54 5 3.85 GTAC22-134 241031 604211 30 -50 90 5 6 1 12.04 GTAC22-143 240898 604344 35 -50 90 30 34 4 5.73 GTRC22-091 240703 605266 148 -50 90 65 67 2 6.97 GTAC22-127 240639 607515 58 -50 90 38 40 2 5.54 Table 1: Significant Historic Intersections from Endeavour's drilling data - Krakouadiokro Prospect Exploration Opportunities Prospective geology that features contrasting and well-structured lithologies. Large and continuous gold in soil anomalies over large areas. Significant drill intersections obtained from a relatively small area of drilling. Primary gold mineralisation still to be systematically targeted. Mineralisation open along strike to the southwest and down dip at Krakouadiokro. Soil anomalies remain to be tested at Krakouadiokro, Gbaloukro, Konan-Yaokro, N'Drikro and Lafissou. Boundiali Overview The project, comprising a 160km2 exploration permit, is located in northwestern Cote d'Ivoire in an under explored portion of the highly prospective Boundiali Greenstone Belt which hosts several high-grade gold deposits; Perseus Mining Ltd's Sissingue gold deposit to the north and Montage Gold's recent 4Moz Kone gold discovery to the south. Mineralisation, which is part of the Boundiali greenstone belt, is hosted in a sedimentary package comprising alternating sandstones and shales with minor intraformational conglomerates. Broad zones of relatively low-grade, disseminated, mineralisation envelope higher grade zones which are in some instances associated with quartz veining with visible gold. Mineralisation in the area is developed in discrete higher-grade zones within a broad low-grade envelope within a folded sedimentary package. Extensive sulphide and carbonate alteration occurs with higher grade zones being associated with structurally controlled zones of quartz veining. Oxidation extends to approximately 50m vertical depth and being a sedimentary protolith is soft and friable. As part of an initial due diligence assessment of the prospectivity of this area, Thor completed a soil geochemical programme comprising 9,800 samples that were collected over the central portion of the exploration permit. This programme confirmed several low-level, gold-in-soil, responses, the most prominent of which being a 1km wide and 5km long north westerly trending anomaly that is located in the eastern sector of the exploration permit. Exploration Opportunities Located within the prospective Birimian Greenstone Belt that features a high gold endowment. Large and continuous, low level, gold-in-soil anomalies confirmed over a large area. Under explored with no drilling within the permit area. Qualified Person The above information has been prepared under the supervision of Alfred Gillman (Fellow AusIMM, CP), who is designated as a "qualified person" under National Instrument 43-101 and the AIM Rules and has reviewed and approves the content of this news release. He has also reviewed QA/QC, sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information. About Thor Explorations Thor Explorations Ltd. is a mineral exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and production of mineral properties located in Nigeria, Senegal and Burkina Faso. Thor Explorations holds a 100% interest in the Segilola Gold Project located in Osun State, Nigeria and has a 70% economic interest in the Douta Gold Project located in south-eastern Senegal. Thor Explorations trades on AIM and the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "THX". THOR EXPLORATIONS LTD. Segun Lawson President & CEO NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. WIRE SERVICES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/223424 SOURCE: Thor Explorations Ltd. PARIS, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Remedee Labs, a French start-up that specializes in non-pharmacological treatments for chronic pain, is announcing today that it has obtained medical device status in Europe for its millimeter wave endorphin stimulator wristband. The Remedee Labs solution is now the first medical device clinically validated and certified in Europe to provide symptom relief for fibromyalgia, a disorder for which no specific treatment had previously been identified. This achievement marks a major advance in care for the millions of patients suffering from fibromyalgia. "Obtaining European medical device status for the indication fibromyalgia is a major milestone for Remedee Labs, but above all for people living with fibromyalgia, who previously lacked access to any approved and dedicated treatments for their condition," says Dr. David Crouzier (PhD), co-founder, CEO of Remedee Labs. The solution's obtention of medical device status was supported by the FIBREPIK clinical study, the results of which were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) in 2023. The study's results showed that using the Remedee wristband for three 30-minute sessions per day produced a clear improvement in participants' quality of life, with a significant decrease in pain, generalized and physical fatigue, anxiety, and depression, as well as an improvement in sleep quality. Remedee Labs' solution for patients with fibromyalgia has also been recognized in the United States, where it received Breakthrough Device Designation from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2022. Remedee Labs will launch its dedicated medical offer for fibromyalgia patients on the French market in 2025. About the Remedee Labs Solution Remedee Labs offers an innovative, non-pharmacological solution to relieve the symptoms of fibromyalgia. The solution combines Remedee Labs' millimeter wave neuromodulation technology (endorphin stimulator wristband) with a comprehensive support program, which is a key part of chronic pain management. About Remedee Labs Remedee Labs is a start-up that specializes in non-pharmacological treatments for chronic pain. Founded by three experts in medical micro- and nanotechnology and biomedical research, Remedee Labs has developed an innovative solution to improve the lives of patients suffering from chronic pain. Two clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of Remedee Labs' technology as a treatment for chronic pain caused by arthritis and fibromyalgia. More about Remedee Labs: https://remedeelabs.com Contact: Quentin RICHARD quentin.richard@remedee.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2272538/Remedee_Labs_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/remedee-labs-solution-becomes-the-first-ce-marked-medical-device-class-iia-approved-for-the-treatment-of-fibromyalgia-in-europe-302247849.html Erinnern Sie sich, als Moderna und BioNTech von unbekannten Unternehmen zu globalen Marktfuhrern wurden und fruhzeitige Investoren reich belohnt haben? Die Branche steht vor einem erneuten Innovationsschub von bahnbrechenden Medikamenten bis hin zu revolutionaren Therapien. Warum sollten Sie dabei sein? Sie sollten jetzt in Biotech-Aktien einsteigen, weil wir am Beginn einer neuen Ara der medizinischen Innovation stehen konnten! Gen- und Zelltherapien, personalisierte Medizin und bahnbrechende Technologien konnten das Gesundheitswesen revolutionieren und die Aktienkurse in die Hohe schieen lassen. 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Presentation highlights data from the combined inhibition of angiogenesis and vasculogenesis with NOX-A12 and bevacizumab in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients Combination of NOX-A12 and bevacizumab resulted in significantly improved survival compared to matched standard of care cohort or NOX-A12 alone Marked decrease in tumor blood-flow supports the NOX-A12 combination's mode of action Regulatory News: TME Pharma N.V. (Euronext Growth Paris: ALTME), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapies for treatment of cancer by targeting the tumor microenvironment (TME), announced an oral presentation by Dr. Frank A. Giordano, lead investigator of the NOX-A12 GLORIA Phase 1/2 trial in first-line brain cancer (glioblastoma), taking place on Sunday, September 15, 2024, at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The presentation provided the updated results and key conclusions from the combined therapy with NOX-A12 and bevacizumab in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients resistant to standard chemotherapy (MGMT unmethylated) with residual detectable tumor after surgery. In the presentation, Dr. Giordano highlighted that inhibition of two paths of brain tumor revascularization after radiation vasculogenesis with NOX-A12 and angiogenesis with bevacizumab resulted in deeper clinical responses, i.e. stronger shrinkage of tumor size compared to NOX-A12 therapy alone. The research showed a significant decrease in tumor perfusion which supports the suggested mode of action of the combination therapy. The presentation also reveals that the deeper responses to the combination therapy with NOX-A12 and bevacizumab translate to significantly longer median progression free survival (mPFS: 9.1 months, p=0.003) and median overall survival (mOS: 19.9 months, p=0.005) compared to a matched SOC reference cohort (mPFS: 4.0 months; mOS: 9.5 months) or to NOX-A12 alone (mPFS: 5.7 months; mOS: 12.7 months). Two out of the six glioblastoma patients in the NOX-A12 bevacizumab arm of the GLORIA trial survived for more than 26 months since the start of therapy. "The median OS of 19.9 months achieved in patients receiving combination therapy in the GLORIA study is especially exciting when considering the prognosis this chemotherapy-refractory patient population with residual detectable tumor after surgery would otherwise face on current standard of care, notably survival of approximately 10 months," said Aram Mangasarian, CEO of TME Pharma. "What further strengthens our confidence in our dual inhibition approach is the tumor tissue analysis showing spatially distinct expression patterns of NOX-A12's target CXCL12 and VEGF. This indicates that the two different ways of growing blood vessels occur in different tumor structures: vasculogenesis driven by NOX-A12's target, and angiogenesis driven by bevacizumab's target. This helps explain why combined inhibition of both pathways is needed to effectively prevent tumor vasculature restoration after radiotherapy." Details of the oral presentation at the ESMO Congress 2024 are as follows: Title: Dual inhibition of postradiogenic angio-vasculogenesis in glioblastoma: Results of the phase 1/2 GLORIA trial Presenter: Dr. Frank A. Giordano, Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Mannheim, Germany Session: Mini oral session: CNS tumors Time and Date: 08.30-8.35 a.m. CEST, Sunday, September 15, 2024 The full presentation is available online via the TME Pharma website. About TME Pharma TME Pharma is a clinical-stage company focused on developing novel therapies for treatment of the most aggressive cancers. The company's oncology-focused pipeline is designed to act on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the cancer immunity cycle by breaking tumor protection barriers against the immune system and blocking tumor repair. By neutralizing chemokines in the TME, TME Pharma's approach works in combination with other forms of treatment to weaken tumor defenses and enable greater therapeutic impact. In the GLORIA Phase 1/2 clinical trial, TME Pharma is studying its lead drug candidate NOX-A12 in newly diagnosed brain cancer patients who will not benefit clinically from standard chemotherapy. TME Pharma has delivered top-line data from the NOX-A12 three dose-escalation cohorts combined with radiotherapy of the GLORIA clinical trial, observing consistent tumor reductions and objective tumor responses. Additionally, GLORIA expansion arms evaluate safety and efficacy of NOX-A12 in other combinations where the interim results from the triple combination of NOX-A12, radiotherapy and bevacizumab suggest even deeper and more durable responses, and improved survival. US FDA has approved the design of a randomized Phase 2 trial in glioblastoma and TME Pharma was awarded fast track designation by the FDA for NOX-A12 in combination with radiotherapy and bevacizumab for use in the treatment of the aggressive adult brain cancer, glioblastoma. NOX-A12 in combination with radiotherapy had also previously received orphan drug designation (ODD) for glioblastoma in the United States and glioma in Europe. TME Pharma has delivered final top-line data with encouraging overall survival and safety profile from its NOX-A12 combination trial with Keytruda in metastatic colorectal and pancreatic cancer patients, which was published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer in October 2021. The company has entered in its second collaboration with MSD/Merck for its Phase 2 study, OPTIMUS, to further evaluate safety and efficacy of NOX-A12 in combination with Merck's Keytruda and two different chemotherapy regimens as second-line therapy in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. The design of the trial has been approved in France, Spain and the United States. The company's second clinical-stage drug candidate, NOX-E36, is designed to target the innate immune system. TME Pharma is considering several solid tumors for further clinical development. Further information can be found at: www.tmepharma.com. TME Pharma and the TME Pharma logo are registered trademarks. Keytruda is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp Dohme Corp. Visit TME Pharma on LinkedIn and X. About the GLORIA Study GLORIA (NCT04121455) is TME Pharma's dose-escalation, Phase 1/2 study of NOX-A12 in combination with radiotherapy in first-line partially resected or unresected glioblastoma (brain cancer) patients with unmethylated MGMT promoter (resistant to standard chemotherapy). GLORIA further evaluates safety and efficacy of NOX-A12 three additional arms combining NOX-A12 with: A. radiotherapy in patients with complete tumor resection; B. radiotherapy and bevacizumab; and C. radiotherapy and pembrolizumab. About the OPTIMUS Study OPTIMUS (NCT04901741) is TME Pharma's planned open-label two-arm Phase 2 study of NOX-A12 combined with pembrolizumab and nanoliposomal irinotecan/5-FU/leucovorin or gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel in microsatellite-stable metastatic pancreatic cancer patients. Disclaimer Translations of any press release into languages other than English are intended solely as a convenience to the non-English-reading audience. The company has attempted to provide an accurate translation of the original text in English, but due to the nuances in translating into another language, slight differences may exist. This press release includes certain disclosures that contain "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are based on TME Pharma's current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, the risks inherent in oncology drug development, including clinical trials and the timing of and TME Pharma's ability to obtain regulatory approvals for NOX-A12 as well as any other drug candidates. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and TME Pharma undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240916125655/en/ Contacts: For more information, please contact: TME Pharma N.V. Aram Mangasarian, Ph.D., CEO Tel. +49 (0) 30 16637082 0 investors@tmepharma.com Investor and Media Relations: LifeSci Advisors Guillaume van Renterghem Tel. +41 (0) 76 735 01 31 gvanrenterghem@lifesciadvisors.com NewCap Arthur Rouille Tel. +33 (0) 1 44 71 00 15 arouille@newcap.fr Resolution Life, a global life insurance group focusing on the acquisition and management of portfolios of life insurance policies, today announces that it has appointed Moses Ojeisekhoba as President with effect from October 1, 2024 to deliver the next phase of the Company's growth plans, working closely with Sir Clive Cowdery, the Founder, Chairman and CEO. Moses is expected to succeed Clive Cowdery as CEO during 2026 with Clive remaining Executive Chairman of Resolution Life. Moses is an accomplished insurance executive with over 30 years' experience in the sector. He joins from Swiss Re where he spent over 12 years in multiple senior executive positions. He was most recently CEO Global Clients & Solutions where amongst other things, he was responsible for managing relationships with some of Swiss Re's key clients. Before this, he served as CEO Reinsurance and was instrumental in developing this division into its strong industry position today. Prior to this, he was CEO Reinsurance Asia and Regional President Asia and significantly grew its business in this region. Prior to his roles at Swiss Re, Moses held a number of senior leadership positions at Chubb Group and Unico American Corporation. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (JLL) and holds a master's degree in Management from the London Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Statistics from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Moses will be responsible for the leadership of the commercial, market-facing division of Resolution Life and will drive the strategy, growth, profitability, and value creation of the business. His appointment comes on the back of strong momentum for Resolution Life in the last 12 months having finalised strategic partnerships with Blackstone and Nippon Life, raised $3bn in equity capital, completed three reinsurance transactions, launched an inaugural $500 million Tier 2 listed debt issuance, and acquired Suncorp's New Zealand life insurance company, Asteron Life. Sir Clive Cowdery, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Resolution Life,commented: "We are delighted to welcome Moses as President at this pivotal time in our journey as we continue to grow and pursue our mission of being a long-term partner to the global primary life industry. "Moses is an exceptional and highly regarded executive. I have long admired his proven leadership and operational experience, and I am confident that he will be invaluable to Resolution Life as we embark on our next phase of growth." Moses Ojeisekhoba, President designate, commented: "I am very excited to be joining Resolution Life with its excellent track record and I have been impressed by Resolution's pioneering accomplishments over the past 20 years and its leading position in the global life and annuity consolidation market. "I am confident that Resolution Life has an extremely bright future and I look forward to working closely with Clive, the senior leadership team and all my colleagues in capitalising on the opportunities ahead of us to protect the financial futures of our policyholders and create value for our other stakeholders." Notes to Editors: About Resolution Life Resolution Life is a global life insurance group focusing on the acquisition and management of portfolios of life insurance policies. Since 2003 to date, prior Resolution entities together with Resolution Life have deployed c.$19billion of equity in the acquisition, reinsurance, consolidation and management of life insurance companies. Together, these companies have served the needs of c.14 million policyholders while managing over $385 billion of assets. Resolution Life today has operations in Bermuda, the U.K., the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, assisting the restructuring of the primary life insurance industry globally. Resolution Life provides a safe and reliable partner for insurers by: Focusing on existing customers, rather than seeking expansion by new sales Delivering policyholder benefits in a secure, well capitalised environment Returning capital to our institutional investors in the form of a steady dividend yield Visit resolutionlife.com for more information. Media Enquiries: Temple Bar Advisory Alex Child-Villiers / Sam Livingstone / Alistair de Kare-Silver / Juliette Packard Tel: +44 (0)20 7183 1190 / Email: resolution@templebaradvisory.com This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com. SOURCE: Resolution Life Group View the original press release on accesswire.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2024) - Spearmint Resources Inc. (CSE: SPMT) (OTC Pink: SPMTF) (FSE: A2AHL5) (the "Company" or "Spearmint") wishes to report on some recent developments by our neighbor within the Clayton Valley of Nevada. On September 10, 2024, SLB (formerly Schlumberger) announced that " it has proven its solution for sustainable lithium production at scale at its demonstration plant in Clayton Valley, Nevada, to accelerate responsibly-sourced lithium products to market. The proprietary integrated solution combines SLB's subsurface expertise with surface engineering of advanced technologies that include direct lithium extraction (DLE). It produces lithium 500 times faster than conventional methods while using only 10 percent of the land. Operating at approximately one tenth the size of a commercial-scale facility, the plant reached a verified recovery rate of 96% lithium from brine The conventional alternative for producing lithium from brine at scale is evaporation. This process not only requires a significant amount of land but also results in massive water loss. Salt, underground minerals and used chemicals are then left at the surface, creating impact on biodiversity and the environment. SLB's sustainable lithium production solution enhances sustainability by reducing water use. The proprietary process also returns the spent brine, or the brine with a reduced lithium concentration, back to its source after the lithium is processed and separated The entire SLB solution, from extracting lithium from brine to converting it to technical-grade lithium carbonate, takes just hours. By comparison, evaporation methods can take up to 18 months and have a much lower recovery rate of 50 percent or less." James Nelson, President of Spearmint Resources stated, "We would like to congratulate SLB and Pure Energy on their hard work and success on this significant and scalable lithium production milestone. To achieve this level of efficiency in lithium production on such a reduced footprint compared to the existing evaporation pond method, it is truly a gamechanger for lithium development in Clayton Valley, Nevada. Spearmint maintains a sizeable footprint in Clayton Valley across 4 separate projects that have exposure to both lithium brine and lithium clay formations. Spearmint is currently permitted by the BLM for 4 additional drill holes on the McGee Lithium Clay Project and are optimistic about what the future has in store for the lithium stakeholders in Clayton Valley." Spearmint currently has four projects in Clayton Valley, Nevada, including the Elon Lithium Brine Project which is completely surrounded by the Pure/SLB Clayton Valley Project (see map) and is located in some of the deepest sections of this basin. Also located in Clayton Valley is Spearmint's 100-per-cent-owned McGee Lithium Clay Deposit, where on June 17, 2022, the Company released its Technical Report which included an updated Mineral Resource Estimate of 1,369,000 indicated tonnes and 723,000 inferred tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) for a total of 2,092,000 tonnes of LCE, more than doubling the Maiden Resource Estimate announced on June 11, 2021. The Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared by Derek Loveday, PGeo, and Mariea Kartick, PGeo, of Stantec Consulting Services Ltd. in conformity with CIM Estimation of Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserves Best Practices guidelines and were reported in accordance with the Canadian Securities Administrators National Instrument 43-101. Spearmint management cautions that past results or discoveries on properties in proximity to Spearmint Resources Inc. may not necessarily be indicative of the presence of mineralization on the company's properties. Spearmint Ownership Map To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4360/223441_a88510f274bdca27_002full.jpg Qualified person The technical contents of this release were reviewed and approved by Mr. Bain, PGeo, a director of the Company and qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. About Spearmint Resources Spearmint's projects include four projects in Clayton Valley, Nevada; the 1,136-acre McGee lithium clay deposit, which has a resource estimate of 1,369,000 indicated tonnes and 723,000 inferred tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) for a total of 2,092,000 tonnes of LCE, directly bordering Pure Energy Minerals & Century Lithium Corp.; the 280-acre Elon lithium brine project, which has access to some of the deepest parts of the only lithium brine basin in production in North America; the 124-acre Green Clay lithium project; and the 248-acre Clayton Ridge Gold project. Spearmint's other projects include the 3,015-acre Chibougamau project located in the direct vicinity of Lac Chibougamau, Quebec, and the Perron-East gold project consisting of five mineral claim blocks covering 11,608 acres located in the Abitibi greenstone belt of Northwestern Quebec in the direct vicinity of Amex Exploration Inc.'s Perron property and past-producing Normetal mine. Management cautions that past results or discoveries on properties in proximity to Spearmint may not necessarily be indicative to the presence of mineralization on the Company's properties. If you would like to be added to Spearmint's news distribution list, please send your email address to info@spearmintresources.ca The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/223441 SOURCE: Spearmint Resources Inc. LONDON, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Swoop Funding, the leading financial platform that streamlines access to business funding, is proud to announce its new partnership with Compare the Market, one of the UK's leading comparison websites. This collaboration aims to provide UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with even greater access to the diverse range of funding products to help them thrive in today's economic environment. In 2023 SMEs accounted for over 99% of the business population, however, despite their significance, many SMEs continue to face substantial barriers when it comes to securing the finance they need. A 2023 report by the British Business Bank revealed that 32% of SMEs found it difficult to obtain external financing, with many citing a lack of awareness about available options as a major obstacle. The new partnership between Swoop Funding and Compare the Market directly addresses this challenge. By integrating Swoop's advanced funding platform with Compare the Market's extensive reach and user-friendly interface, SMEs will now have easier access to a wide range of financing options. This collaboration is particularly timely given that an estimated 45% of SMEs in UK are unaware of the full range of funding options available to them, according to the Federation of Small Businesses. "UK SMEs are the lifeblood of our economy, but too often they struggle to find the right funding to support their growth," said Andrea Reynolds, CEO of Swoop Funding. "Our partnership with Compare the Market is designed to remove these barriers by providing a simple, one-stop solution where SMEs can compare and access financial products tailored to their specific needs. Together, we are committed to empowering SMEs to navigate the financial landscape with confidence." The partnership will also tap into the growing trend of alternative finance, which is expected to reach approximately 14 billion in 2024. This surge underscores the importance of making non-traditional financing options more accessible, one of this partnership's key goals. Bez Arbabzadah, Chief Financial Officer at Compare the Market, commented, "At Compare the Market, our purpose is to make great financial decision making a breeze for everyone. By partnering with Swoop Funding, we are enhancing our customer offering to deliver helpful and important financial solutions to the businesses that need them most. We hope that this partnership will help SMEs thrive and enable them to seize new opportunities for growth." The Swoop Funding and Compare the Market partnership is now live, offering SMEs an enhanced experience in finding and securing the funding they need to succeed. For more information, visit https://www.comparethemarket.com/business-finance/. For media inquiries, please contact: Swoop Funding: Charlotte Forsberg: charlotte@swoopfunding.com Compare the Market: Press office: pressoffice@comparethemarket.com About Swoop Funding Swoop Funding is a comprehensive financial platform that helps businesses discover and access the right funding solutions across loans, equity, and grants. By working with over 1,000 funding providers, Swoop ensures that businesses can secure the financing they need, when they need it. About Compare the Market Compare the Market was launched in 2006 and has grown rapidly over the past eighteen years to become one of the UK's leading price comparison websites. Compare the Market provides customers with an easy way to make the right choice for them on a wide range of products including motor, home, life, travel and pet insurance as well as utilities and money products such as credit cards and loans. Compare the Market actively works with its brand partners to help provide great services to customers. Compare the Market is a trading name of Compare The Market Limited. Registered in England No. 10636682. Registered Office: Pegasus House, Bakewell Road, Orton Southgate, Peterborough, PE2 6YS. Compare The Market Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for insurance distribution (Firm Reference Number: 778488). Energy and Digital products are not regulated by the FCA. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2504973/Andrea_Reynolds_CEO_Swoop_Funding.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2504974/Compare_the_Market_Meerkats.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/compare-the-market-partners-with-swoop-funding-to-enhance-sme-access-to-finance-302247686.html Celebrities Billie Jean King, Barbra Streisand, Neil Young, Carole King, Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper, Ziggy Marley, Pierce Brosnan, Jack Black, Laura Pausini, and more unite with United Nations Human Rights and leading universities to support upcoming global climate justice summit and call world attention to the human rights implications of the climate crisis. OXFORD, United Kingdom, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights) and the University of Oxford today announced plans to host the 2025 Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit, bringing together renowned experts and leaders, policymakers, technologists, academics and universities, celebrities, and more to advance climate justice through human rights solutions to the climate crisis. The announcement was made today by Professor Irene Tracey, Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford, as she hosted Elisa Morgera, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change, Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, and representatives from UN Human Rights. Ambitious plans were unveiled for a first-of-its-kind global climate justice summit to be held in Oxford from 4-7 June 2025, in conjunction with participating universities around the world being convened by the International Universities Climate Alliance. As a major initiative of Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance, the event aims to redefine the concept of international summits. The University of Oxford, Academic Partner of Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance, will coordinate with universities around the world hosting climate-related programs over the four days. Set against the backdrop of Oxford's storied colleges, this summit will also ignite a global dialogue on 5 June 2025 - UN World Environment Day - with a 24-hour global plenary broadcast live across every time zone. In a critical move to galvanize global action and summit support, this week UN Human Rights and the Right Here, Right Now celebrity coalition including social justice icon Billie Jean King, Barbra Streisand, Carole King, Annie Lennox, Neil Young, Ziggy Marley, Pierce Brosnan, Jack Black, Laura Pausini, Rachel Platt, Kyra Sedgwick, Margaret Cho and more, united in a social media blitz with urgent messages expected to reach a collective audience of more than 150 million followers. The initiative is being launched nine months in advance of the 2025 Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit to ensure participants, media, and the public have ample time to engage, paving the way for meaningful progress. "With our well-established and world-leading expertise in climate-related research and teaching, the University of Oxford is proud to be the Academic Partner for the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to host this pivotal summit with UN Human Rights, bringing together leaders in human rights and climate research from around the world, across a wide range of disciplines with the common goal of finding solutions to one of the most pressing issues of our times, climate change," said Professor Tracey. "As the global partner of the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance, UN Human Rights is grateful to the University of Oxford, universities worldwide, and the International Universities Climate Alliance, for their commitment to work with us to advance human rights solutions to prevent, minimize and remedy the human suffering caused by the climate crisis," said Astrid van Genderen Stort, UN Human Rights, Chief External Engagement and Partnerships. The approach to the summit will also mark a paradigm shift in how international gatherings and global collaboration can thrive while minimizing the carbon footprint of traditional travel. The main event of the summit, the 24-hour global plenary, coordinated by International Universities Climate Alliance, will be co-hosted by the University of Cape Town, University of Colorado Boulder, Monash University, University of Nairobi, University of Oxford, University of Sao Paulo, UNSW Sydney and more, and will include live and virtual lectures, keynote speeches, and panel discussions. Academic institutions around the world will transform into hubs of climate consciousness, hosting 'watch parties' and local co-host activities, uniting their communities in this historic exchange of ideas. "Since launching this movement alongside our global partner UN Human Rights at COP26 in Glasgow, with the backing of influential voices like Leonardo DiCaprio, Camilla Cabello, and Quincy Jones, we are immensely proud of the multi-faceted, rapidly growing and innovative climate justice initiative that Right Here, Right Now has become," said David Clark, Founder and CEO of the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance. "Our Academic Partner, the University of Oxford, has responded to the call, leveraging their unique power to engage experts in crafting solutions to the human rights challenges posed by the climate crisis. We also extend our gratitude to the International Universities Climate Alliance for their vital role in uniting universities around the world to help drive the global summit and plenary." Building on the ambitious Right Here, Right Now Human Rights Climate Commitments recently unveiled by UN Human Rights, the University of Colorado Boulder, and global experts at COP28 in Dubai, the 2025 Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit hosted by UN Human Rights and the University of Oxford aims to set a new benchmark in the global fight for climate justice with a forum designed to address the following objectives: Advance human-rights solutions to the climate crisis Celebrate and elevate the voices of environmental human-rights defenders Reinforce and bring together key elements of the global climate-justice movement while minimizing carbon footprint Empower and inspire people, especially students, as agents for climate justice now, and in future careers ABOUT Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance Launched at COP26 in 2021 with global partner UN Human Rights, the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance (RHRN) has emerged as a leading global climate justice initiative. It is a multi-stakeholder movement, driven by universities and youth to promote climate justice. To drive sustainable change, RHRN collaborates with policymakers, academics, students, scientists, technologists, media professionals, business leaders, and influencers from art, music, and sport to advance human rights solutions to the climate crisis. RHRN celebrity-driven social media campaigns to date have collectively reached nearly two billion followers with messages promoting climate justice. UN Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights) is the global partner of the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance (RHRN). It represents the world's commitment to the promotion, protection, and realization of the full range of human rights and fundamental freedoms set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Through the voice and the work of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and a staff of 1,800 in 103 countries, the Office aims to make human rights a reality in the lives of people everywhere. Fighting climate change is at the very heart of the Office's mandate, as it already negatively affects the human rights of millions of people around the world - human rights such as those to food, water, housing, health, decent work, development and even life itself. University of Oxford Oxford University has been placed number 1 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the eighth year running, and number 3 in the QS World Rankings 2024. At the heart of this success are the twin-pillars of our ground-breaking research and innovation and our distinctive educational offer. Oxford is world-famous for research and teaching excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. Our work helps the lives of millions, solving real-world problems through a huge network of partnerships and collaborations. The breadth and interdisciplinary nature of our research alongside our personalised approach to teaching sparks imaginative and inventive insights and solutions. International Universities Climate Alliance The International Universities Climate Alliance (IUCA) represents leading climate research universities from across 23 countries who are committed to accelerating action on climate change. Universities are uniquely placed to share knowledge and expertise, not only in climate science, but in related research fields including adaptation and mitigation. We believe it is through globally coordinated collaboration that we can create greater insight and action. CONTACT Victor Jose Fernandez United Nation Human Rights victor.fernandez@un.org Rebekah Alperin Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance reb@gostoryboard.com Caroline Wood University of Oxford news.office@admin.ox.ac.uk Chaseley Cameron International Universities Climate Alliance universitiesforclimate@unsw.edu.au View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/united-nations-human-rights-and-the-university-of-oxford-unveil-plans-for-landmark-right-here-right-now-global-climate-summit-to-be-held-4-7-june-2025-302248541.html PARIS and LONDON and NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Akur8, the machine learning-powered insurance pricing and reserving platform, announced today that it has secured $120 million in series C funding, bringing its total raised investment to $180 million. This latest funding round was led by One Peak, a leading growth equity firm investing in software scale-ups, with participation from Partners Group, one of the largest firms in the global private markets industry acting on behalf of its clients, and historical investor Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE). The new funding will significantly bolster Akur8's ability to expand its product portfolio and fuel its growth in key global markets. Developed explicitly for insurers, Akur8 has been revolutionizing non-life insurance pricing with transparent AI since 2019. Its cloud-based, fully integrated platform empowers insurers to price at unprecedented speed, directly influencing financial outcomes and enhancing risk assessments. With the recent acquisition of the Arius reserving platform ), Akur8 further expands its product portfolio and customer base, amplifying the value delivered to insurance carriers worldwide. The new funding will be used to: Fuel product innovation : Akur8 will invest in R&D to enrich its insurance pricing platform with two new modules: (1) Optim (https://www.akur8.com/pricing/optim), which enables insurers to determine the optimal insurance pricing strategy to meet their business objective, and (2) Deploy (https://www.akur8.com/pricing/deploy), Akur8's new rating engine, enabling pricing teams to seamlessly bring their rates into production. : Akur8 will invest in R&D to enrich its insurance pricing platform with two new modules: (1) (https://www.akur8.com/pricing/optim), which enables insurers to determine the optimal insurance pricing strategy to meet their business objective, and (2) (https://www.akur8.com/pricing/deploy), Akur8's new rating engine, enabling pricing teams to seamlessly bring their rates into production. Drive growth by leveraging Akur8's recent acquisition of Arius : As Akur8 enters the insurance reserving sector, it will strategically target new market segments and bridge the gap between reserving and pricing. With its deep expertise in SaaS and AI, Akur8 will fast-track the product development of the Akur8 Reserving platform (https://www.akur8.com/reserving). : As Akur8 enters the insurance reserving sector, it will strategically target new market segments and bridge the gap between reserving and pricing. With its deep expertise in SaaS and AI, Akur8 will fast-track the product development of the (https://www.akur8.com/reserving). Accelerate global expansion: In addition to R&D, this funding will be instrumental in driving Akur8's strategic expansion into key growth markets, particularly in North America. By strengthening its foothold in this region, Akur8 will penetrate new customer segments and tailor its offerings to address the unique demands of these markets. "We look forward to collaborating closely with our new investors One Peak and Partners Group, two leading investment firms that share our vision for innovation and excellence. With their support, we are committed to accelerating our product development efforts and staying ahead of industry trends to offer an unparalleled, integrated actuarial platform for insurers globally," stated Samuel Falmagne, CEO and Co-Founder of Akur8. Brune de Linares, Chief Client Officer and Co-Founder of Akur8, added: "This latest round of funding will empower us to better meet our customers' evolving needs, enhance their operational efficiency, and equip them with innovative tools to thrive in an increasingly competitive insurance landscape. We are excited about the growth opportunities and advancements this investment will unlock for our continued success." Humbert de Liedekerke Beaufort, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of One Peak, said: "Akur8 offers a truly unique cloud-based end-to-end actuarial platform, which leverages proprietary machine learning algorithms to inject speed and accuracy to insurers' pricing process, whilst ensuring full transparency, auditability and control over the models created. We have been particularly impressed by Akur8's user-friendly interface, ease of deployment, and reputation among the world's leading insurers for its outstanding customer service. We look forward to working closely with Akur8's seasoned executive team as they chart the next chapter of the company's global expansion, market leadership, and innovation journey." Pierre Curis, Private Equity Technology, Partners Group, comments: "Akur8 has developed a differentiated, next-generation pricing platform that benefits from the increasing push for sophistication among insurers and from the growing adoption of new technologies. We are excited to support an ambitious management team committed to innovation and customer satisfaction as they embark on this next exciting phase of growth." Walter Billet Avocats acted as legal advisor for Akur8 in this transaction and has been advising the company since its creation. Perella Weinberg Partners served as financial advisor for Akur8 in this transaction. About Akur8 Akur8 is transforming the non-life insurance industry with its innovative suite of pricing and reserving solutions. Our Next Gen Pricing and Reserving Platform combines cutting-edge technology with actuarial excellence to drive business value, bringing speed, performance, transparency, and reliability to insurers of all sizes. Akur8 serves 250+ customers across 40+ countries, including AXA, Generali, Munich Re, MAPFRE, HDI, Tokio Marine, and MS&AD. Over 3000 actuaries use Akur8 daily to build their pricing models and reserving projections across all lines of business. About One Peak One Peak is a leading specialist growth equity firm with $2.0 billion in assets under management that invests in technology companies in the scale-up phase. One Peak provides growth capital, operating expertise, and access to its extensive network to exceptional entrepreneurs, with a view to help transform innovative and rapidly growing businesses into lasting, category-defining leaders. In addition to Akur8, One Peak's investments include Ardoq, Coro, Cymulate, Deepki, Docplanner, Keepit, Lucca, Neo4J, Pandadoc, Spryker, and many more. To learn more, visit www.onepeak.tech . About Partners Group Partners Group is one of the largest firms in the global private markets industry, with around 1,800 professionals and approximately USD 150 billion in assets under management. The firm has investment programs and custom mandates spanning private equity, private credit, infrastructure, real estate, and royalties. With its heritage in Switzerland and its primary presence in the Americas in Colorado, Partners Group is built differently from the rest of the industry. The firm leverages its differentiated culture and its operationally oriented approach to identify attractive investment themes and to build businesses and assets into market leaders. For more information, please visit www.partnersgroup.com or follow us on LinkedIn. Media Contacts: Akur8 Vera Buttinger Marketing Director vera.buttinger@akur8.com +33 7 66 31 47 58 One Peak Lauren Sharman Head of Platform lauren@onepeak.tech +44 7393 569004 Partners Group Henry Weston Communications Manager henry.weston@partnersgroup.com +44 77 4876 0944 Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/74999edf-41b0-4b6b-8dcf-799caaa22aac https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1938a004-3cd3-4e5e-8426-95eae0d432f4 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b992f447-2289-4df6-88f9-a21bb20e9d1e PHINIA's Global Emission Standards Booklet continues long-standing commitment to educating the market on evolving fuel regulations, a project initially developed by Delphi in 1993 The guide is the only globally comprehensive emissions Booklet available, detailing current 2024/2025 standards as well as historical and future standards PHINIA Inc. (NYSE: PHIN), a global leader in premium fuel systems, electrical systems, and aftermarket products, today publishes its 2024/25 Emission Standards Booklet for heavy-duty and off-road vehicles, engines, and machinery. The only globally comprehensive guide of its kind, the Booklet helps vehicle and engine manufacturers and other industry professionals keep up to date with the complex and evolving emission standards landscape. First published in 1993 by PHINIA's leading global aftermarket brand, Delphi, this is the first time the Booklet has been published under the PHINIA brand. This guide provides the heavy-duty and off-road industries with a comprehensive understanding of the global emissions standards they need to meet, supporting customers and others in the industry with internal combustion technology in the transition to a cleaner tomorrow. The Booklet covers key emission standards from the EU, USA, Japan, China, South Korea, and India, as well as other relevant regions. "PHINIA's work in developing more fuel-efficient combustion technologies, alongside lower- and zero-carbon alternatives, is helping to power a better tomorrow," comments Todd Anderson, Chief Technology Officer at PHINIA. "This is the foundation of everything we do and is an important reason why for over 30 years we have published the Emission Standards Booklet. By bringing together all global emission standards for heavy-duty and off-road vehicles, engines and machinery, we are helping the industry fulfil its environmental obligations and lead from the front when it comes to delivering cleaner and more efficient technology." Anderson continues: "This Booklet comes just a month after PHINIA released its inaugural Annual Sustainability Report, in which we outlined our initial sustainability strategies, 2023 performance across key environmental and social metrics, and responsible business practices. We are committed to developing and manufacturing products and solutions designed to enhance efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of vehicles, industrial machinery, and other applications, and this guide helps the industry do the same." PHINIA and its strong brand portfolio, including Delphi, Delco Remy, and Hartridge, represent over 100 years of vehicle manufacturing expertise, helping to deliver market-leading solutions designed to contribute to a lower carbon future centered around cleaner, more efficient combustion and alternative fuels. The Booklet is available to download here. About PHINIA PHINIA is an independent, market-leading, premium solutions and components provider, with over 100 years of manufacturing expertise and industry relationships and a strong brand portfolio that includes DELPHI, DELCO REMY and HARTRIDGE. With over 13,000 employees across 44 locations in 20 countries, PHINIA is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Across commercial vehicles and industrial applications (heavy-duty and medium-duty trucks, off-highway construction, marine, aviation, and agricultural), and light vehicles (passenger cars, trucks, vans and sport-utility), we develop fuel systems, electrical systems, and aftermarket solutions designed to keep combustion engines operating at peak performance, while at the same time investing in advanced technologies to unlock the potential of alternative fuels. By providing what the market needs today to become more efficient and sustainable, while also developing innovative products and solutions to contribute to lower carbon mobility, we are the partner of choice for a diverse array of customers powering our shared journey toward a cleaner tomorrow. 2024 PHINIA Inc. All Rights Reserved. (DELCO REMY is a registered trademark of General Motors LLC, licensed to PHINIA Technologies Inc.) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240916491481/en/ Contacts: For further information or if you'd like to connect with PHINIA, please contact phiniapr@fox.agency Kunstliche Intelligenz hat spatestens nach dem Raketenstart von Chat GPT das Leben aller verandert. Doch der Superzyklus steht nach Meinungen von Experten erst am Anfang. Wahrend Aktien wie Nvidia von der ersten Aufwartsentwicklung stark profitieren konnten, versprechen aussichtsreiche Player aus der zweiten Reihe noch enormes Aufwartspotenzial. Im kostenlosen, exklusiven Spezialreport prasentieren wir ihnen 5 innovative KI-Unternehmen, die bahnbrechende Entwicklungen in diesem Sektor pragen konnten. Warum sollten Sie dabei sein? Trotz der jungsten Erfolge steht die Entwicklung der kunstlichen Intelligenz noch am Beginn eines neuen Superzyklus. Experten gehen davon aus, dass der Sektor bis 2032 global auf 1,3 Billionen US-Dollar explodieren wird, wobei ein groer Teil auf Hardware und Infrastruktur entfallen wird. Nutzen Sie die Chance! Fordern Sie sofort unseren brandneuen Spezialreport an und erfahren Sie, welche 5 KI-Aktien das grote Potenzial zur Vervielfachung besitzen. Dieser Report ist komplett kostenlos und zeigt Ihnen die aussichtsreichsten Investments im KI-Sektor. Handeln Sie jetzt und sichern Sie sich Ihren kostenfreien Report! Saleem Anwar, COO at BusinessesForSale.com, explores the secrets to setting up a successful remote business and how to create a strong company culture. London, Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Working from home has become the norm for many companies in recent years, but it still divides opinion. Entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerberg love it: he says working from home has contributed to an increase in productivity. However, others such as Elon Musk and Sir Jim Radcliff of INEOS are not fans. At BusinessesForSale.com, we employ around 50 members of staff across multiple continents. The nations we work from include Australia, Mexico, Cyprus, Poland, India, South Africa, the United States and Spain, as well as the UK where a sizeable percentage of our staff are employed. Because of how we have transitioned to a remote working system - which started years ago, but was accelerated by the pandemic - we are now in a position to employ someone to do anything, anywhere in the world. And our revenue has increased significantly, too. When the business began back in 2000, after raising 1.7m in the first dot-com boom, all our employees were based in our London headquarters. You had to be based in or around London and work from the office five days per week. It was unthinkable back then that it could, or would, be any different. The World of Work has Changed Today, only a quarter of the company head count is based in the capital and the other UK-based employees are scattered across the British Isles. The requirement today, for UK staff, is to be in the office just one day a week, on a Wednesday. This isn't a mandatory requirement - it's optional and by and large, it's also a sociable experience. Some members of staff, including myself, prefer to be in the office every day and that option is available to anyone. Occasionally, colleagues will fly in from Mexico or Poland to make it in on a Wednesday - which will inevitably involve closing the office early so we can go out and socialise. The irony is not lost on us. The one day we all come in to the office is the day we shut early so we can go out. Wouldn't you, too? Our Chairman and co-founder, Marcus Markou, regularly notes the changes. He used to sit on the first floor in the same spot for 13 years. Today, when the office is crammed and buzzing on a Wednesday he will take residence on the sofa, with a laptop and a coffee - and the ideas have never flowed so fruitfully. The company has become truly agile, remote, global and at the same time more unified and more conscious of what it is. The energy is fluid yet the execution of plans is specific. These are not glib corporate sentiments. This is real. How Remote Work can Increase Revenue Our revenue has increased significantly as a result. Since transitioning to a fully remote business in 2020, our revenue has grown by 30% and now sits comfortably above its pre-pandemic levels. This growth can be attributed to the rollout of new products in the past four years, overseen by our other co-founder and CEO Andrew Markou, which has never been more efficient or game-changing for us. As Marcus and Andrew keep pointing out: "Every day now, we feel like we are a startup again", and that startup energy is not just reflected in this fluid way of working. I believe it is propelled by this way of working. My role as COO is to act as a bridge between the ideas created and the plan needed to execute. Making this work remotely requires discipline, planning and the right structure. We are a web-based publishing company that is tech-driven, and most of our interactions with the public take place online. This makes us a cerebral business, where so much of what we do - coding, writing, designing, developing business and new products - is done in our heads. Working from home is more conducive, when so much of our work is done as thinking between our ears. What are the Challenges of Remote Work? The big challenge, not just for us but for all businesses, is creating and maintaining the culture of the company when so much work is being done remotely. The first thing we lost when Covid hit was the "water cooler" chats. These are where ideas were often generated, where experiences were shared, where dots were joined and actions were landed on in an informal and collegiate spirit - in a break, making a coffee, in the corridor. When Covid hit and so much of the business moved into Microsoft Teams, we realised that these "water cooler" moments needed to be recreated and nurtured. Previously, they would happen spontaneously and organically. Now, we had to become conscious of them. At BusinessesForSale.com we have daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly video conferences, or "standups". These standups stay flexible as the projects we're working towards change, and cover all aspects of the business. On average, no employee will do more than two or three video conferences in one day and some days there may be none. On Monday mornings we do an entire company standup, where each head of department will give an overview of what is happening in the week ahead. It's the entire company, in one room. We quickly learned that the energy of the person leading a group call is essential. They should create an environment where participation is encouraged, no idea is a bad one, and company politics do not exist. If done right, this kind of virtual 'water cooler' environment can also get the best out of more introverted members of staff, who might not be inclined to speak up in a big group environment face-to-face. How to Onboard New Staff Remotely One of the last big challenges of running a work culture this way is onboarding new staff members. Once you are embedded into this system the information, accountability and goals seem clear. However, getting someone into this system remotely is a bigger challenge than before. How do new employees adopt the culture of a company remotely? This is where onboarding becomes so important. New starters are encouraged to come to the office for the first few weeks of employment, and others who will be working closely with the new starter are encouraged to be there with them. It's a dedicated and conscious way of bringing someone into the system. Where people are simply not able to come in for their induction weeks (when living abroad) then the onboarding has to be remote and dedicated. Every aspect, including social engagement, has to be planned consciously - as we are doing with those "water cooler" moments. As soon as is practical, we try and fly people in from abroad - and we factor those costs into the recruitment process. This new freedom has allowed us to cast the employee net much wider than before. It has also allowed us to support employees when they want to stay working for the company but move abroad. This return to traditional company loyalty now means we have staff who have worked with us for approaching two decades - and for all the right reasons. What that brings to the company in terms of expertise, loyalty, application and dependability is absolutely priceless. What Tools can Enable Home Working? So how does it all work from a practical standpoint? What tools do we use, what apps facilitate our way of working? Firstly, we have integrated our phone systems into Microsoft Teams, which has connected everyone's mobile phones and devices from anywhere in the world, and allowed us to track people's calls. From a customer services and sales goals perspective this has been crucial, and has led to more efficiency and self-awareness in both these company remits. Goal-setting has also moved into Teams. Before the pandemic, we used a huge glass wall on the sales and marketing floor that recorded everything. We now use the CRM software Pipedrive to do this, as well as dedicated resources to continually make Pipedrive work harder. It now connects to our telephone systems, which are, in turn, connected to Teams. Again, more visibility, more accountability, more efficiency. We use Zendesk ticketing system to manage our customer services, and we use Viva Goals to manage our OKRS (Objectives and Key Results). Any intra-company information (spreadsheets, documents, PDFs, white papers, proposals etc) also sit in Teams. Any one-to-one or group messaging is often done in Teams, although we have WhatsApp Groups for the big public notices to all staff - which has replaced the email memo. We also have a sales success WhatsApp Group where deals are recorded and applauded - the sales bell in the office is now replaced by a whole slew of memes and GIFs. More Business Insights on BusinessesForSale.com At BusinessesForSale.com, we provide a simple, powerful platform for buying and selling businesses - but we also provide guides and articles to inspire and inform entrepreneurs. If you'd like to learn how to cultivate a business mindset, take a look at our article on How to Think Like an Entrepreneur. If you're interested in learning about the world of franchising, why not take a look at the Most Profitable Franchises in the USand the Most Successful Franchises in Canada? Second edition of the annual event to be held at the King Abdulaziz International Convention Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 29-30 January 2025, with the International Labor Organization, the World Bank, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) confirmed as Knowledge Partners. As the world's only platform that convenes all global labor market decision-makers, the conference will bring together more than 5000 attendees, and feature more than 200 international speakers including ministers, CEOs, international experts and public sector leaders from more than 50 countries across Europe, Asia, MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas. Next year's conference will open with a roundtable attended by more than 40 labor ministers from around the world, and be followed by two days of keynotes, workshops, debates, research tracks and more, covering six new thematic pillars, including upskilling and reskilling, the benefits of a mobile workforce, and green jobs. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Labor Market Conference (GLMC), a unique and trusted international convenor at the forefront of shaping the future of work, will host the second edition of its annual meeting at the King Abdulaziz International Convention Center in Riyadh from January 29-30, 2025. Registration for the 2025 event is now open. If you are interested in attending, please register here. More than 40 international ministers will attend the conference, participating in a high-level roundtable that builds on the outcomes of the ministerial roundtable held in 2023. In partnership with the International Labor Organization, the World Bank, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), GLMC 2025 will also convene thousands of leading labor market stakeholders, including government representatives, policymakers, global CEOs, leaders from international organizations, regulators, researchers and academics, and employee representation groups. GLMC is introducing six new thematic pillars for 2025 centered on upskilling and reskilling, the benefits of a mobile workforce, bridging the gap between aspirations and expectations for young workers, levelling the playing field on technology, the growth of green jobs, and support for SMEs to generate productive and meaningful work. The conference agenda includes more than 200 speakers from over 50 countries across Europe, Asia, MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas. World experts and policy makers will deliver and participate in keynote speeches, action-led workshops, panel discussions, several stakeholder engagements, networking opportunities, and an academic and youth track. For a list of confirmed speakers so far, please clickhere. Held under the patronage of His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, GLMC's 2025 event will build on the momentum of its inaugural conference in 2023 to continue growing and evolving the global labor market. Media in attendance will be able to operate from a dedicated media center at the conference and can attend the keynotes, panels, side events and conduct interviews with ministers and the wide range of high-profile speakers and experts in attendance. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2505855/GLMC_Logo.jpg Photo:https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2505927/GLMC.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/second-edition-of-the-global-labor-market-conference-to-take-place-in-january-2025-302248903.html The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) today announces Potash and Phosphate operations sustained operational challenges that are expected to reduce production volumes and shipments in the third quarter of 2024. In Potash, Mosaic has encountered electrical equipment failures impacting both the Esterhazy and Colonsay mines. These operational challenges in aggregate are expected to reduce the third quarter potash production and shipment volumes by 200-300 thousand tonnes. In Phosphate, production volumes and shipments during the quarter have been negatively impacted by weather events including Hurricane Francine with an estimated aggregate impact of 80-110 thousand tonnes. About The Mosaic Company The Mosaic Company is one of the world's leading producers and marketers of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. Mosaic is a single source provider of phosphates and potash fertilizers and feed ingredients for the global agriculture industry. More information on the company is available at www.mosaicco.com. Contacts: Investors: Joan Tong, 863-640-0826 joan.tong@mosaicco.com Media: Ben Pratt, 813-775-4206 benjamin.pratt@mosaicco.com Jason Tremblay, 813-775-4226 jason.tremblay@mosaicco.com This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about proposed or pending transactions or strategic plans and other statements about future financial and operating results. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of The Mosaic Company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: political and economic instability and changes in government policies in countries in which we have operations; the predictability and volatility of, and customer expectations about, agriculture, fertilizer, raw material, energy and transportation markets that are subject to competitive and other pressures and economic and credit market conditions; the level of inventories in the distribution channels for crop nutrients; the effect of future product innovations or development of new technologies on demand for our products; changes in foreign currency and exchange rates; international trade risks and other risks associated with Mosaic's international operations and those of joint ventures in which Mosaic participates, including the performance of MWSPC, the future success of current plans for MWSPC and any future changes in those plans; risks related to the anticipated value of the Ma'aden shares to be issued in the proposed transaction at transaction announcement and at closing, the expected timing and likelihood of completion of the pending Ma'aden transaction, including the inability to receive the required approval by Ma'aden shareholders and other approvals, including potential regulatory approvals, necessary to complete the transaction; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the applicable agreement; the risk that there may be a material adverse change with respect to the financial position, performance, operations or prospects of Ma'aden and MWSPC; difficulties with realization of the benefits of our natural gas based pricing ammonia supply agreement with CF Industries, Inc., including the risk that the cost savings initially anticipated from the agreement may not be fully realized over its term or that the price of natural gas or ammonia during the term are at levels at which the pricing is disadvantageous to Mosaic; customer defaults; the effects of Mosaic's decisions to exit business operations or locations; changes in government policy; changes in environmental and other governmental regulation, including expansion of the types and extent of water resources regulated under federal law, carbon taxes or other greenhouse gas regulation, implementation of numeric water quality standards for the discharge of nutrients into Florida waterways or efforts to reduce the flow of excess nutrients into the Mississippi River basin, the Gulf of Mexico or elsewhere; further developments in judicial or administrative proceedings, or complaints that Mosaic's operations are adversely impacting nearby farms, business operations or properties; difficulties or delays in receiving, increased costs of or challenges to necessary governmental permits or approvals or increased financial assurance requirements; resolution of global tax audit activity; the effectiveness of Mosaic's processes for managing its strategic priorities; adverse weather conditions affecting operations in Central Florida, the Mississippi River basin, the Gulf Coast of the United States, Canada or Brazil, and including potential hurricanes, excess heat, cold, snow, rainfall or drought; actual costs of various items differing from management's current estimates, including, among others, asset retirement, environmental remediation, reclamation or other environmental regulation, Canadian resources taxes and royalties; reduction of Mosaic's available cash and liquidity, and increased leverage, due to its use of cash and/or available debt capacity to fund financial assurance requirements and strategic investments; brine inflows at Mosaic's potash mines; other accidents and disruptions involving Mosaic's operations, including potential mine fires, floods, explosions, seismic events, sinkholes or releases of hazardous or volatile chemicals; and risks associated with cyber security, including reputational loss; as well as other risks and uncertainties reported from time to time in The Mosaic Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. SOURCE: The Mosaic Company View the original press release on accesswire.com Recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 /In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, T. Rowe Price is celebrating the spirit of innovation, resilience, and unity that defines the Hispanic/Latino experience. Our success as a global asset management firm is made possible by the diversity of backgrounds, talents, and experiences of our associates. And so we are intentional about recruiting and engaging global talent that brings new perspectives and strengthens our outcomes. Here we share an example of how our associates help support the firm's efforts to engage and expose candidates to our culture and our people. By equipping associates and leaders to be mentors, sponsors, and active allies, we are moving forward together to positively shape the future of our firm, our clients, and the communities in which we live and work. Since Pedro Landa joined T. Rowe Price's technology team in 2012, he has worked to build his personal network and has leveraged the firm's many career development programs to strengthen his skills in a rapidly changing field and advance his career. Pedro is now a senior infrastructure operations analyst on our Investment Data Services and Distribution team, where he ensures that our investment data systems and applications operate smoothly and efficiently. Pedro recently attended the Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA) 2024 National Convention. "From the moment I arrived, the energy and sense of community were undeniable. It was amazing to hear Latinx leaders who shared their journeys, reminding us of the power within our community," he says. At the ALPFA conference, Pedro connected with many students interested in T. Rowe Price's summer 2025 internship program in our financial, technology, and operations groups. He also participated in the ALPFA divERGe Employee Resource Group Training Program, learning how to motivate and engage associates, creating inclusive spaces across the organization, and hosting impactful events. He looks forward to using the insights he gained to effectively lead initiatives with MOSAIC @ T. Rowe Price's Latinx Heritage Community and other business resource groups. "As I reflect on my time at the conference, I'm filled with gratitude for the opportunity to attend. I'm leaving not only with new knowledge and connections, but also with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment to making a positive impact in my career and community," Pedro says. To learn more about Pedro and life at T. Rowe Price, visit troweprice.com/careers. 092024-3833699 T. Rowe Price's Pedro Landa attending the ALPFA divERGe Employee Resource Group Training Program View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from T. Rowe Price on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: T. Rowe Price Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/t-rowe-price Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: T. Rowe Price View the original press release on accesswire.com The new partnership makes account opening faster and more efficient, unlocking cost savings and an enhanced customer experience LAKE MARY, Fla., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Finastra, a global provider of financial services software applications, today announced an integration with Prelim, an industry-leading fintech, for its Finastra Phoenix core solution, enhancing the retail and commercial deposit account opening experience. Prelim empowers financial institutions to digitize the customer experience by automating the application process and internal operations such as reviewing, processing, underwriting, and servicing. From onboarding deposit customers to provisioning treasury services and originating select credit products, Prelim's technology helps make account opening faster, reduces back-office complexities, and provides a more seamless and enhanced customer experience for account holders. "Customers expect an easy to use, real-time onboarding process when applying for a new financial product or service," said Heang Chan, CEO and co-founder of Prelim. "We're excited to be partnering with Finastra to help accelerate retail and commercial deposit account opening for financial institutions around the world." Through Finastra's Open Finance ecosystem, Prelim integrates seamlessly with Phoenix APIs, enabling the creation of new accounts for both new and existing account holders. These accounts are then reflected within the digital banking solution, providing a cohesive user experience. This comprehensive integration allows financial institutions to efficiently onboard new accounts and services, ensuring a smooth and streamlined process. "In a digital-first society, consumers and businesses expect their financial solutions to be agile and transform as needed to keep pace with their needs," said Peter Longo, vice president of product management, US Mid-Market Banking Solutions at Finastra. "As we look to continuously enhance our offerings, Prelim is a trusted partner to support this transformation and our Open Finance ecosystem. We look forward to working together to deliver the innovations community banks and credit unions across the United States need to stay ahead of the competition." About Finastra Finastra is a global provider of financial services software applications across Lending, Payments, Treasury and Capital Markets, and Universal (retail and digital) Banking. Committed to unlocking the potential of people, businesses and communities everywhere, its vision is to accelerate the future of open finance through technology and collaboration, and its pioneering approach is why it is trusted by ~8,100 financial institutions, including 45 of the world's top 50 banks. For more information, visit finastra.com. About Prelim Prelim is a leading Silicon Valley fintech company providing digital account onboarding solutions for more than 100 financial products and services. Prelim empowers banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions such as Axos Bank, City National Bank of Florida, and Banc of California and more to digitize the customer journey from onboarding to servicing, making it easy for employees to better serve customers by automating operations. Built by banking experts, Prelim's flexible, open architecture platform delivers a better customer experience through process automation for identity verification, issuing services from the core, and so much more. For more information, please visit prelim.com. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1916021/4910586/FINASTRA_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/finastra-integrates-with-prelim-to-streamline-retail-and-commercial-deposit-account-opening-302248313.html Kupfer wird oft als das Gold der Energiewende bezeichnet, weil es aufgrund seiner hervorragenden elektrischen Leitfahigkeit eine zentrale Rolle in vielen Technologien spielt, die fur nachhaltige Energiesysteme entscheidend sind. Experten gehen aufgrund der Angebotsknappheit von einem Superzyklus aus. Korrektur als Einstiegschance Nach Hochststanden im Mai korrigierte das rote Metall stark. Die Abwartsspirale verstarkte sich in den vergangenen Tagen aufgrund schwacher Konjunkturdaten aus den USA und China. Langfristig konnte sich die aktuell laufende Korrektur als exzellente Einstiegsmoglichkeit herausstellen. 3 Kupferaktien mit hohem Potential Im neuen, kostenlosen Spezialreport stellen wir drei aussichtsreiche Unternehmen vor, die bei einem weiteren Anstieg uberproportional profitieren konnten. Handeln Sie jetzt und sichern Sie sich Ihren kostenfreien Report! Planet Labs Germany GmbH, a leading provider of daily data and insights about Earth, today announced that they have signed a three year contract with the German Space Agency at German Aerospace Center (DLR). Through this multi-year contract, Planet (NYSE: PL) will provide a series of Earth observation data products and services to the German Space Agency at DLR and to German researchers to help them further advance research and development. Focused on delivering missions and projects with scientific excellence, the German Space Agency will leverage Planet satellite data for key research initiatives, oriented around significant national and global challenges. This contract with Planet provides access to data licenses for German researchers and research projects in addition to innovative start-up companies working on internal research. As European policies and investments have worked to transform the remote sensing industry, Planet has also continued to prioritize European partnerships with both government entities and commercial businesses, aiming to enable novel innovation and development across the continent. "Europe has been leading the way in investment and innovation in the Earth observation industry, and we are thrilled to continue working directly with the German Space Agency to further accelerate this momentum," said Dr. Marcus Apel, Planet's Director Public Sector Business in D-A-CH. "With Planet's EU headquarters located in Berlin, we have built a close relationship with Germany's government and businesses and look forward to supporting the myriad of research projects at DLR and researchers in Germany." Through this contract, researchers will access all of Planet's PlanetScope products, including their monitoring capabilities offering near-daily imagery of all of Earth landmass at nearly 3m resolution and their deep archive of PlanetScope data going back as far as 2016. The German Space Agency will also receive Planet's entire archive of RapidEye imagery over Germany, which consists of imagery at 5m resolution since 2009. "Our research projects and missions are advancing how we understand climate, security, and our global economy," said Godela Roner, Head of Earth Observation Department at the German Space Agency at DLR. "With access to PlanetScope and RapidEye satellite data, we give scientists the opportunity to develop new innovative methods and applications to derive better insights of our planet Earth with enhanced data analysis capacities and timely data inputs." With a deep archive of satellite imagery users can conduct robust scientific analyses and engage in broad area management, evaluating environmental change across time and delivering data-informed reports and recommendations for industry and policy initiatives. With the near-daily monitoring capabilities, users can also conduct swift research on rapidly changing ecosystems, deriving time-sensitive insights regarding security and climate change. The German Space Agency also aims to advance education in Germany by leveraging these satellite datasets in classrooms to teach scientific research methods. Planet satellite data has been leveraged by the German Space Agency for over a decade with the agency first integrating Planet data into their research programs as early as 2009 through the RapidEye Science Archive. Through this new multi-year contract, Planet will not only be providing data access, but also development support for the German Space Agency's Earth observation data platform (EO-Lab), integrating Planet data into the system and offering advanced services. About Planet Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL) is the parent company of the Planet group with global headquarters in San Francisco, USA. Planet Labs Germany GmbH is part of the Planet group and is based at Planet's European headquarters in Berlin. Planet is a leading provider of global, daily satellite imagery and geospatial solutions. Planet is driven by a mission to image the world every day, and make change visible, accessible and actionable. Founded in 2010 by three NASA scientists, Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest Earth observation fleet of imaging satellites. Planet provides mission-critical data, advanced insights, and software solutions to over 1,000 customers, comprising the world's leading agriculture, forestry, intelligence, education and finance companies and government agencies, enabling users to simply and effectively derive unique value from satellite imagery. Planet Labs PBC is listed on the New York Stock Exchange as PL. To learn more visit www.planet.com and follow us on X (Twitter). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240916949541/en/ Contacts: Planet Press Lauren Neville Cottrell comms@planet.com Planet Investor Relations Cleo Palmer-Poroner ir@Planet.com CELEBRATING THE LAUNCH OF PERFECT MAGAZINE ISSUE SEVEN AND GREY GOOSE ALTIUS, MICHAEL WARD, AMY JACKSON, LENNON GALLAGHER, LOLA BUTE, ZARA MARTIN AND LEOMIE ANDERSON SIPPED GREY GOOSE ALTIUS MARTINI COCKTAILS AT DOVETALE IN 1 HOTEL MAYFAIR Introducing GREY GOOSE Altius to the UK, a new hand-bottled and limited release vodka, capturing the wonder and rare natural luxuries of the French Alps HAMILTON, BERMUDA, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- At London Fashion Week, Ed Westwick and new wife Amy Jackson, Damien Lewis, Tiger Lily Taylor and Cora Corre were also among those who attended the glitzy bash at Dovetale, during London Fashion Week. The party was hosted by the ultimate party thrower Katie Grand, to celebrate the launch of PERFECT Magazine's Issue 7 and GREY GOOSE Altius launching in the UK. The exclusive party saw DJs Romy,Chloe Caillat, and Hanna Hanra treat guests to a night of celebration, with a surprise karaoke performance fromBeth Ditto, at an exclusive takeover of Mayfair's Dovetale, the restaurant from 2 Michelin Star Chef Tom Sellers. Guests sipped GREY GOOSE Altius cocktails in style and danced into the night. The exclusive gathering punctuated London Fashion Week, welcoming a select collective of fashion icons and industry elite who graced the week's most coveted fashion shows and presentations. Guests included everyone from British music royalty Bugzy Malone,Ella Eyre, Mahalia and Bree Runway to fashion favorites, Leomie Anderson, Camillie Rowe and Tish Weinstock and Bimini Bon-Boulash, as well as Princess Diana's nieces Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer, everyone mingled amongst each other, vibing around the room. For Autumn/Winter 2024, PERFECT Magazine Issue 7 features cover star Rihanna, who was shot in Los Angeles for a ground-breaking, luxurious 40-page portfolio by photographer Carlijn Jacobs and stylist and creative director Jahleel Weaver. On the 500+ page issue, Rihanna is the lead cover star, entering the Perfect world proper, following a tantalising introductory fanzine dedicated to the megastar, the sell-out Perfect issue 6.5. Debuting for the first time in the UK at the exclusive party, GREY GOOSE Altius unveiled their new luxury vodka, that has been crafted with water sourced from a natural French Alpine well, using a glacial filtration, GREY GOOSE Altius recreates the extraordinary, with the natural effects of high-altitude temperatures to yield a remarkably smooth vodka. Guests enjoyed seasonal canapes from the Dovetale team, including Iberico ham and pickled celeriac, as well as Truffle, hazelnut, and celeriac creme fraiche tarts, followed by Chermoula grilled chicken skewers and Crispy panisse with caramelised onion and parsley. Later on in the evening, midnight snacks of Mini Cheese Toasties were served, to keep guests in the party spirit. GREY GOOSE Altius is available exclusively in the UK's best bars, nightclubs and restaurants [FH1] in 700ml and 1.75l with pricing at the discretion of the venue. GREY GOOSE Altius, launched in Europe this summer across hotspots including Mykonos, Saint Tropez and Porto Cervo. Please sip responsibly. NOTES TO EDITOR About Perfect Magazine Founded in 2020 by Katie Grand, Perfect is a dynamic new content platform, studio and creative agency. It creates multi-platform content for and with brands. The Perfect team has world-beating experience - independent experts in content creation, print publications and digital strategy. Perfect works with brands, creators and influential voices to produce and promote exceptional content that is delivered in imaginative, forward-thinking ways. About GREY GOOSE Altius GREY GOOSE Vodka introduces its newest ultra-premium innovation, GREY GOOSE Altius. Drawing inspiration from the French Alps, the latest limited edition release from the quintessential French vodka is filtered at sub-freezing temperatures to capture the rare wonder of the mountains.? GREY GOOSE Altius was created with processes inspired by the extraordinary, natural effects of high-altitude crystallization that happens at glacial conditions to yield a remarkably smooth vodka using Alpine spring water and winter wheat from Picardie.? This rare expression of GREY GOOSE is distilled from the soft French winter wheat that the brand is known for, and for the first time, blended with spring water originating from some of the highest peaks in the French Alps. The alpine water in GREY GOOSE Altius begins its journey in the clouds atop Western Europe's peaks, winding through crystalline rocks to a pristine, pure alkaline aquifer. After being blended, GREY GOOSE Altius is filtered at a very low pressure of -24 degrees Celsius, resulting in a glacially smooth taste and velvety mouthfeel. On the palate, GREY GOOSE Altius is best described as complex with delicate alpine minerality, refreshing soft green apple notes and a unique earthy undertone. Please see here for the link to the GREY GOOSE Altius product press release. About GREY GOOSE Vodka GREY GOOSE is made with the highest-quality ingredients and has a 100% traceable production process, from crop to cork. Every aspect of the creation of GREY GOOSE is focused on crafting vodka of unmatched quality. Each bottle of GREY GOOSE is distilled and bottled in France, with a recipe and process that remains unchanged since inception, using just two ingredients - single-origin Picardie wheat and spring water from our natural limestone well in Gensac-la-Pallue. A one-distillation process brings out the true essence of these ingredients. The expertise of the GREY GOOSE Cellar Master, Francois Thibault, ensures unparalleled smoothness and exceptional taste. The GREY GOOSE portfolio is comprised of GREY GOOSE Vodka, GREY GOOSE La Poire, GREY GOOSE L'Orange, and GREY GOOSE Le Citron Flavored Vodkas; and now GREY GOOSE ALTIUS. @greygoose www.greygoose.com The GREY GOOSE vodka brand is part of the portfolio of Bacardi Limited, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. About Dovetale Dovetale, by two Michelin Star Chef Tom Sellers, opened on Thursday 13th July 2023, located at 1 Hotel Mayfair; London's very first mission-driven luxury hotel, setting the standard for a new kind of luxury experience that aims to positively impact the planet. Dovetale, is positioned on the corner of Piccadilly and Berkeley Street, nestled amongst the newly walkable Dover Yard. The restaurant offers a responsibly-sourced, produce-led a la carte menu, bolstered by dishes cooked over the grill, and an abundant raw bar. Seasonally led cooking and the finest produce from across the UK are at the heart of the restaurant. Tom Sellers is joined by a stellar line up of talent, including Tom Anglesea as Executive Head Chef of 1 Hotel Mayfair and Dovetale and Chase Lovecky as Dovetale's Head Chef. Wine Director, Tara Ozols, oversees one of London's most extensive wine programmes, which features traditional bottles alongside new world wines. Two centrepiece Knickerbocker Glory trolleys have been collaboratively conceptualised and designed by Sellers and Seymourpowell, offering the classic nostalgic dessert to guests, made tableside. Dovetale also comprises a beautiful covered outdoor terrace, just beyond the restaurant, complete with a stone fireplace, perfect for dining all year round. Additional information can be found at 1hotels.com/mayfair/taste/dovetale @dovetalelondon About 1 Hotel Mayfair 1 Hotel Mayfair, located on Berkeley Street overlooking Green Park, is London's very first mission-driven sustainable luxury hotel, setting the standard for a new kind of luxury experience that positively impacts the planet. The UK brand flagship, 1 Hotel Mayfair is an eight-story hotel, housing 181 guest rooms and suites, Dovetale by two Michelin-starred chef Tom Sellers, Dover Yard, a signature cocktail bar and lounge featuring a sustainable drinks programme, Neighbours, a lively daytime cafe and evening bar and a Bamford Wellness Spa. Additional information can be found at 1hotel s.com/mayfair @1hotel.mayfair DOWNLOAD FULL SELECTION OF IMAGES BY DAVE BENNET HIGH-RES IMAGERY HERE Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2506170/Perfect_x_Grey_Goose.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2506169/Perfect_x_Grey_Goose.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2506168/Perfect_x_Grey_Goose.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/perfect-magazine-x-grey-goose-altius-celebrate-fashion-week-302249062.html OTCQB Listing Brings Transparency, Prestige and Beneficial Exposure Hypha Labs, Inc. (OTCQB:FUNI), a pioneer in functional mushroom sciences, is pleased to announce that the Company has commenced trading on the OTCQB, a premier market operated by OTC Markets Group, Inc., created for developing and entrepreneurial companies in the United States and abroad. Listing on the OTCQB provides better companies with amplified market visibility to enhance trading liquidity, credibility and introduction to a broader class of investors and institutions. OTCQB companies are required to be current in their financial reporting with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") or OTC Markets Group, Inc., maintain audited financials through a qualified PCAOB registered firm, undergo company verification and management certification on an annual basis, and exceed a minimum bid price test. Hypha Labs trades under the ticker "FUNI" and began trading on the OTCQB Venture Market (the "OTCQB") effective September 16, 2024 at the market's open. "Trading on the OTCQB is both a testament to our perseverance and organization as well as a catalyst to greater exposure to investors of all variety," stated Stone Douglass, CEO, Hypha Labs. "It is essential that we are able to celebrate the successes we expect to come with the release of what we believe will be the finest in-home and commercial manufacturer of better mushroom ingredients on the market." About Hypha Labs, Inc. The company has developed revolutionary cutting-edge technology focused on new methods of producing the active ingredients found in functional mushrooms such as psilocybin using its patent-pending bioreactor design. The Company has positioned itself to play an important role in the burgeoning Functional Mushroom industry in addition to being a disruptive force in the psilocybin space which is quickly manifesting into a similar pattern that was seen in the Cannabis Industry both from a medical and recreational usage with several states and cities have now decriminalized it use. Visit us at HyphaLabs.com. SAFE HARBOR FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release may contain forward looking statements that are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that involve risks as well as uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those anticipated or expected, including statements related to the amount and timing of expected revenues related to our financial performance, expected revenue, contracts, and future growth for upcoming quarterly and annual periods. These risks and uncertainties are further defined in filings and reports by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and on the OTC Disclosure & News Service (OTCDNS). Actual results and the timing of certain events could differ materially from those projected in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements due to a number of factors detailed from time to time in our filings with the SEC and/or OTCDNS. Among other matters, the Company may not be able to sustain growth or achieve profitability based upon many factors including but not limited to the risk that we will not be able to find and secure construction contracts and the necessary assets that will enable us to become profitable. Reference is hereby made to cautionary statements set forth in the Company's most recent SEC and/or OTCDNS filings. We have incurred and will continue to incur significant expenses in our development stage, noting that there is no assurance that we will generate enough revenues to offset those costs in both the near and long term. New lines of business in the construction industry may expose us to additional legal and regulatory costs and unknown exposure(s), the impact of which cannot be predicted at this time. Words such as "estimate," "project," "predict," "will," "would," "should," "could," "may," "might," "anticipate," "plan," "intend," "believe," "expect," "aim," "goal," "target," "objective," "likely" or similar expressions that convey the prospective nature of events or outcomes generally indicate forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of this press release. Unless legally required, we undertake no obligation to update, modify or withdraw any forward-looking statements, because of new information, future events or otherwise. From time to time, the Company may post new and material information on its website or through its social media profiles at the links below: LN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hypha-labs-inc/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/hyphalabs IG: https://www.instagram.com/hyphalabsinc/ Twitter: https://x.com/Hypha_Labs For more information about Hypha Labs visit HyphaLabs.com Investor and Media Relations: Integrity Media Inc. (888) 216-3595 team@integritymedia.com SOURCE: Hypha Labs, Inc. View the original press release on accesswire.com DATAMARK INSIDE empowers first responders to visualize buildings in 3D, pinpoint the floor levels of 911 callers, and improve situational awareness for more precise and efficient emergency response planning and management. SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan researched the indoor mapping industry and, based on its analysis, recognizes DATAMARK Technologies with the 2024 North American New Product Innovation Award. The company combines the expertise of Michael Baker's public safety and GIS data management capabilities with Digital Data Technologies, Inc.'s top-tier Next Generation 911 location services. The unified brand offers an integrated solution that enhances call routing accuracy, provides seamless discrepancy resolution, and ensures high location fidelity for call takers. By leveraging advanced technologies such as indoor mapping, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and digital twin technology, the company positions itself to serve the government technology and public safety market with unparalleled data accuracy and interoperability. INSIDE, DATAMARK's cloud-native indoor mapping solution, revolutionizes building safety by integrating precise indoor data with tools for effective exit planning, emergency asset access, and incident response. DATAMARK's advanced indoor mapping platform allows users to visually manage, update, and collaborate on highly accurate indoor information, enhancing situational awareness and operational efficiency. INSIDE transforms indoor maps into actionable intelligence by creating a common operating picture for public safety stakeholders and facility managers. It empowers first responders to plan efficient entry and exit routes, swiftly access equipment, and precisely locate incidents. With 360-degree imagery and closed-circuit television integration features, INSIDE provides a detailed virtual view of every room, aiding faster wayfinding and coordination. The platform supports collaboration through a role-based interface, permitting multiple users to access and utilize indoor mapping data from smartphones, tablets, or computers. INSIDE's real-time integration with security camera footage enables public safety personnel to assess incidents before arriving on-site, improving response effectiveness and spatial awareness. Brent Iadarola, vice president at Frost & Sullivan, observed, "DATAMARK's innovative approach to real-time GIS data management and integration significantly enhance decision-making and response times in public safety operations. The company sets a new standard for data accuracy and interoperability in the indoor mapping market by leveraging advanced technologies and ensuring comprehensive, scalable, and secure solutions." DATAMARK's INSIDE platform integrates high-quality data with industry-standard GIS systems for seamless connectivity with public safety systems. It addresses the limitations of outdated, paper-based building plans by offering up-to-date digital data accessible to all authorized personnel. The critical information flows seamlessly to those who need it, optimizing asset management, enhancing situational awareness, and enabling efficient emergency responses when every second counts. DATAMARK's primary differentiator is the ability to manage access to sensitive data securely. Its system permits credential-based access, ensuring only authorized personnel can view and update data. This controlled access is vital when dealing with critical infrastructure and sensitive information, providing security and flexibility in data management. The company's comprehensive and scalable solutions, its cost-effective and efficient skeletal data collection and management approach, and its emphasis on the importance of sustainable data management also set it apart in the industry. "DATAMARK's INSIDE allows real-time updates to indoor mapping data, ensuring all stakeholders access the most current and accurate information. This feature enhances operational efficiency by dynamically updating floor plans and critical data across all integrated systems, including computer-aided dispatch and emergency management platforms. By promptly addressing user needs and integrating their suggestions, DATAMARK continually refines its solutions to better serve its clients' evolving requirements," added Ojaswi Rana, best practices research analyst at Frost & Sullivan. Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has developed an innovative element in a product by leveraging leading-edge technologies. The award recognizes the value-added features/benefits of the product and the increased return on investment (ROI) it gives customers, which, in turn, raises customer acquisition and overall market penetration potential. Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in various regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analyses, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry. About Frost & Sullivan For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders, and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion. Contact us: Start the discussion. Contact: Camila Tinajero P: +54911 6713 2748 E: Camila.Tinajero@frost.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2505170/DATAMARK_Technologies__Award.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/datamark-technologies-applauded-by-frost--sullivan-for-advancing-location-determination-capabilities-and-data-accuracy-with-its-improved-gis-and-indoor-mapping-solution-302247953.html TV Ears has teamed up with Beltone to promote the benefits of better hearing by offering free hearing screenings at participating Beltone locations nationwide. TV Ears customers will receive a voucher for a free screening, valued at $149. Beltone will also be the exclusive in-store retailer to offer TV Ear demonstration sets, allowing customers to try out our sets before making a purchase. Learn more at https://www.tvears.com CHICAGO, IL / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / TV Ears, the #1 doctor-recommended brand for TV listening, has formed an exclusive partnership with Beltone, recognized as one of America's Best in Hearing Care by Newsweek. This collaboration is focused on reaching and assisting more individuals who are experiencing hearing loss, as both organizations are dedicated to supporting, treating, and educating people on the benefits of better hearing. Beltone Partnership We're teaming up for better hearing! "We are excited to partner with Beltone to offer an even better level of service and care for our customers," - George Dennis, President, TV Ears. Through the partnership, TV Ears customers will receive a voucher for a free hearing screening at their nearest participating Beltone location. This service, typically valued at $149, provides an opportunity for individuals to take the first step towards better hearing health without any financial obligation. With approximately 1,200 locations nationwide, Beltone has been a trusted leader in hearing care for over 84 years, providing reliable, affordable, and advanced hearing aids and award-winning services. TV Ears sets are usually available for purchase online or by phone, but now, Beltone will be the exclusive brick-and-mortar retailer to offer TV Ear demonstration sets at participating locations. This will give customers the opportunity to try out the sets before making a purchase, and they can also buy directly from the participating Beltone office. "This partnership represents a shared vision of creating a world where everyone has the opportunity to enjoy clear sound and better hearing while furthering our mission of reaching and helping more individuals with hearing loss," stated David Molella, President of Beltone North America. The initiative not only provides free hearing screenings but also aims to educate the public on the importance of early detection and treatment of hearing loss. With the combined efforts of TV Ears and Beltone, customers can look forward to enhanced support and guidance in their journey towards improved hearing. For more information on how to receive a free hearing screening voucher and to find a participating Beltone location near you, please visit https://www.tvears.com. Media inquiries: Nino Wehbe General Manager, TV Ears, Inc. marketing@tvears.com (888) 883-3277 Lauren Dickerson Public Relations Specialist, Beltone ldickerson@Beltone.com, 224-382-1561 About Beltone Beltone, a leader in hearing health care, has been dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with hearing loss for over 84 years. Known for its commitment to innovation, quality, and exceptional customer service, Beltone remains focused on delivering the most advanced hearing solutions and personalized care. With approximately 1,200 locations nationwide, Beltone's hearing care professionals undergo extensive and continuous training to ensure the highest level of care. As part of the GN Group, Beltone prioritizes the needs of its patients through cutting-edge hearing technologies and its "Right Beside You" promise. For more information, visit Beltone.com and connect with us on LinkedIn. About TV Ears TV Ears? first began in 1998 in Huntington Beach, California, in a small living room. Today, TV Ears is the #1 selling doctor-recommended brand for TV listening. Based in sunny San Diego, TV Ears employs many and has helped millions of customers hear TV. Contact Information Nino Wehbe General Manager, TV Ears, Inc. marketing@tvears.com (888) 883-3277 Lauren Dickerson Public Relations Specialist, Beltone ldickerson@beltone.com 224-382-1561 SOURCE: TV Ears View the original press release on newswire.com. Regulatory News: To ensure the swift implementation of the "At your side" corporate project (2023-2026), Sophie Boissard, Clariane's (Paris:CLARI) Chief Executive Officer, has announced the creation of a Deputy Chief Executive Office in charge of operational excellence and steering the Group's performance, placed under the responsibility of Remi Boyer In addition to his new role, Remi Boyer will retain his position as CEO Germany, which he has held since October 2023. From 1 October 2024, this Deputy Chief Executive Officewill oversee the various programmes contributing to operational excellence and Group's performance, within the framework of dedicated governance bodies and in liaison with the management of each country. Sophie Boissard, Chief Executive Officer, explains that "this new organisation should enable us to pursue our objective of making full use of our care capacities, to develop synergies between the Group's networks and to strengthen the culture of operational excellence. With his in-depth knowledge of our Group and on the back of the reorganisation plan he initiated in Germany a year ago, Remi Boyer will be able to bring together our energies to achieve this Remi Boyer will be assisted in his role as Deputy CEO by a Performance and Transformation Officer, a position entrusted to Sebastien Legrand Remi Boyer will be replaced as Group Chief Human Resources Officer by Nadege Plou, currently Human Resources Officer France, on 1 October 2024. Nadege Plou will become a member of the Group Management Board and will be replaced as Human Resources Officer France by Camille Blanchet In addition, with effect from 1 October 2024, Gregory Lovichi joins Clariane and its Group Management Board as Group Chief Financial Officer, in replacement of Philippe Garin. The Group Finance Department organization remains unchanged, with Sandra Livinec, Deputy Finance Director, in charge of financial and accounting control and Group consolidation, Sarah Mingham, Deputy Finance Director in charge of financing strategy and relations with major shareholders, and Stephane Bisseuil, Director of Investor Relations. Lastly, Guillaume Appere, until now special assistant to Sophie Boissard, succeeds Amandine Daviet as the Group's General Secretary. In addition to supervising the Group's Legal Department, he will also take on the role of Secretary to the Board of Directors and the Group Management Board, which he is also joining. The Clariane Group would like to pay tribute to the professionalism and commitment of Philippe Garin and Amandine Daviet over the last few years and wishes both of them every success in their future professional endeavors. With effect from 1 October 2024, the Group Management Board will be composed as follows: Sophie Boissard, Chief Executive Officer - Remi Boyer, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President Germany - Guillaume Appere, General Secretary - Dominiek Beelen, Executive Vice President Belgium and the Netherlands - Marion Cardon, Chief Brand Engagement Officer - Frederic Durousseau, Group Chief Real Estate and Development Officer - Anne-Charlotte Dymny, Group Chief Information Systems and Business Transformation Officer - Federico Guidoni, Executive Vice President Italy - Gregory Lovichi, Group Chief Financial Officer - Nicolas Merigot, Executive Vice President France - Nicolas Pecourt, Group Chief Communications Officer - Antoine Piau, Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs, Ethics and Health Innovation - Charles-Antoine Pinel, Group Executive Vice President Business Development and New Countries - Nadege Plou, Group Chief Human Resources Officer Biographies Remi Boyer spent almost 12 years (1998-2010) with the ArcelorMittal group, where he held various positions in the General Secretariat and Operational Human Resources departments in a highly international context. In 2010, he joined the PSA Peugeot Citroen Group as Director of HR Development, before taking up the position of HR Director for R&D and Support Resources in 2013, before becoming Director of Talent and Top Management for the PSA Group in 2015. He joined the Clariane Group in August 2016 as Group Human Resources Director and member of the Group's General Management Committee. In June 2024, he was elected "HR Director of the Year" in France by his peers. Remi Boyer has also been managing Clariane's activities in Germany since October 2023. Remi Boyer, 57, is a former student at the Ecole Normale Superieure, holds a degree in history and a Masters in International relations and action abroad. Sebastien Legrand began his career in 2006 at Faurecia as a buyer in the Interiors division. He then joined the Coca-Cola European Partners group for 8 years, where he held various positions in indirect purchasing and packaging purchasing at European level. Sebastien Legrand joined the Clariane Group in 2016 as Deputy Purchasing Director for France, before becoming Group Purchasing Director in 2020. In 2022, he was appointed Executive Secretary to the General Management Committee and then Group Performance Director. Sebastien Legrand, 40, holds a Master's degree in Purchasing from ESM-A. Nadege Plou has over 25 years' experience in human resources management. She worked successively for the Carrefour group from 1998 to 2001 (as Head of Human Resources for hypermarkets, then for training at Head Office level in France), FNAC from 2001 to 2012 (in her last position, she was a member of the French Management Committee in charge of the Operations HR Department) and Tati from 2012 to 2017 (member of the Management Committee in charge of the Retail HR Department). Nadege Plou joined the Clariane Group in September 2017, where she was previously Director of Human Resources France. Nadege Plou, 49, has a Master's degree in Economic and Social Administration and a postgraduate diploma in Human Resources. Camille Blanchet began her career as HR Manager with the Publicis group. In 2008, she was appointed Director of Human Resources at a subsidiary of the Suez group in charge of museums and historical monuments. In 2011, she joined the Leroy Merlin group, taking on operational HR responsibilities before joining Chanel as HR Director and then Retail Development Director for fragrance and beauty products. In 2020, Camille Blanchet undertook a professional reconversion by preparing a Master 2 in "Health Facitity Management" and joined the Clariane Group as part of her end-of-year internship at the Chateau de la Couldre facility. Soon after she has been appointed Director of the EHPAD des Hauts de Jardy in 2021, before been appointed Headquarters' Head of Human Resources in January 2024. Camille Blanchet, 45, has a Master's degree in Human Resources Management and Labour Relations of CIFFOP. Gregory Lovichi began his career in 2002 at E&Y as a financial auditor before joining the Lafarge Group for 14 years. After 4 years in the Group's Finance Department, where he held a variety of positions (reporting consolidation, financial control, M&A and cash optimisation projects), Gregory Lovichi was appointed Chief Financial Officer for Brazil in 2010, Chief Financial Officer for Greece and finally Chief Financial Officer for Germany and the Netherlands. In 2019, he will take up the position of Group Finance Director of the Le Duff Group, one of the world's leading food and catering companies. Gregory Lovichi, 45, is a graduate of EDHEC business school. Sandra Livinecbegan her career in 2001 as an auditor with PWC. She then spent fifteen years in various finance management positions within the Carre-four Group. From 2018 to the first half of 2024, she was CFO of the Star Service group, which specialises in 'last mile' distribution. Sandra Livinec, 47, is a graduate of ESCP Europe. Guillaume Appere began his career in the civil service, firstly in charge of the inspection of industrial facilities in Haute-Normandie from 2008 to 2011, then at the Ministry of Finance from 2011 to 2017, where he was successively head of the office for the coordination and preparation of legislation in the Tax Legislation Directorate, and then deputy director of transaction taxation. In 2017, he joined Groupe Casino: in the Strategy Department, he was Director of Planning and Investments until 2022, then became the Group's General Secretary and Secretary to the Executive Committee, a position he held until April 2024. He will join the Clariane Group in May 2024, and until now has worked as a project manager for the Managing Director. Guillaume Appere, 41, is a graduate of Mines ParisTech and a mining engineer. About Clariane Clariane is the leading European community for care in times of vulnerability. It has operations in six countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. Relying on their diverse expertise, each year the Group's 60,000 professionals provide services to almost 900,000 patients and residents in three main areas of activity: long-term care nursing homes (Korian, Seniors Residencias, Berkley etc.), specialist healthcare facilities and services (Inicea, Ita, Grupo 5, Lebenswert etc.), and alternative living solutions (Petits-fils, Ages&Vie etc.). In June 2023, Clariane became a purpose-driven company and added a new corporate purpose, common to all its activities, to its articles of association: "To take care of each person's humanity in times of vulnerability". Clariane has been listed on Euronext Paris Section A since November 2006. Euronext ticker: CLARI.PA ISIN: FR0010386334 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240916295079/en/ Contacts: Investors Stephane Bisseuil Head of Investor Relations +33 (0) 6 58 60 68 69 stephane.bisseuil@clariane.com Press Matthieu Desplat Press Relations Officer 06 58 09 01 61 Matthieu.desplats@clariane.com Education Cannot Wait Executive Director Yasmine Sherif statement ahead of the 3-year anniversary of ban on girls' secondary education in Afghanistan. NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, we stand with solemn hearts as the world marks this week the three-year ban on girls' secondary education in Afghanistan. Today and every day, we must stand up for the millions of Afghan girls and women living under the yoke of gender-apartheid: systematized and institutionalized oppression, exclusion, and marginalization based exclusively on their gender. However, standing in solemnity for their suffering is not enough. We must act to remove the oppression and injustice. Against all odds, we must continue to deliver results to provide the girls access to an education well beyond grade sixth. As a staunch champion for girls' human rights, not the least the most foundational right - their right to an inclusive and continued quality education - Education Cannot Wait and our strategic partners call out to the world through our AfghanGirlsVoices advocacy campaign. Together and collectively, we have brought together artwork and calls to action by global leaders, and conveyed the inspiring stories of hope, courage and resilience straight from Afghan girls and young women refusing to succumb to oppression and refusing to give up on their right to an education. The quotes from Afghan girls are heart-breaking, poetic and passionate. Some resound with hope: "Every beat of my heart resounds with a rhythm of hope, pushing me forward in my quest of education despite all odds." Others chart the abuse and fear that millions of girls face on a daily basis: "At just 14 years old, I became a bride, when I should have been in the ninth-grade learning and playing with my friends. Instead of holding a pencil, I held the weight of a marriage I never wanted." Others are defiant: "In the face of adversity, my dreams become my armour, shielding me from doubt and empowering me to forge ahead towards knowledge." Celebrities, world leaders and passionate influencers continue to promote the AfghanGirlsVoices campaign. "The world must unite behind Afghan girls. Denying their right to education is a violation of the UN Charter, Convention on the Rights of the Child and basic human rights. Through the AfghanGirlsVoices campaign, people everywhere can stand up for human rights and gender-justice by sharing their words of courage, hope and resilience," said The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, UN Special Envoy for Global Education and Chair of ECW's High-Level Steering Group. As Khaled Hosseini, best-selling author of The Kite Runner, puts it: "Today, some three years after Afghan girls were banned from secondary education, 80% of school-aged Afghan girls and woman are out of school. Many are forced into unwanted marriage. This is a catastrophe, because denying Afghan girls access to school not only violates their human right to education and jeopardizes their future, it jeopardizes the future of the homeland as well." The pursuit of knowledge is a key tenant of Islam, and a key component in delivering on our universal promises of peace, equality and human rights. Education for all of Afghanistan's daughters is essential to rebuilding this long-suffering nation. Today, we ask world leaders everywhere to join ECW and our global strategic partners in calling for an end to the ban on education and to take action. We call on you to fund the ongoing education initiatives at the local level defying this illegal and irrational ban. Second, we call on you to resolve the catastrophe for the girls of Afghanistan stemming from ignorance rather than enlightenment. Afghanistan deserves better and it is urgent. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1656121/Education_Cannot_Wait_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/we-stand-with-the-girls-and-women-of-afghanistan-302249375.html Leading the Evolution of Customer Engagement with Secure, Interactive, and Branded Messaging Across Devices & Platforms ATLANTA and STOCKHOLM, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sinch (Sinch AB (publ) - XSTO: SINCH), which is pioneering the way the world communicates through its Customer Communications Cloud, is accelerating the adoption of Rich Communication Services (RCS.) Sinch has consistently delivered secure, branded, and interactive messaging solutions, offering flexible options that include messaging APIs, SaaS tools, and messaging enablement services. These solutions empower both brands and carriers to embrace RCS and transform customer interactions. With Sinch's RCS Upscale solution, businesses can seamlessly transition from SMS to RCS without additional costs or integration changes. For markets where RCS is not fully supported, Sinch's SMS fallback ensures continued messaging reach. Customers using Sinch's RCS solutions have seen unparalleled delivery and engagement rates on high-value use cases across the customer journey, making RCS an ideal choice for businesses looking to transform customer experiences. Sinch sends millions of RCS business messages each month, helping brands like EasyPark and Micromania-Zing in EMEA, delivery companies in the North America, and banks across Latin America and India. Sinch's solutions are helping these organizations leverage RCS to improve their messaging capabilities, driving better customer engagement and satisfaction. The release of iOS 18, which introduces RCS support in select markets, marks a pivotal moment for the growth of RCS. This development brings a more united and seamless messaging experience between Apple and Android devices for consumers, paving the way for RCS Business Messaging (RBM) adoption. With Apple's commitment to supporting the RCS Universal 2.4, which includes RBM, the stage is set for broader adoption, providing businesses with a powerful new tool to engage customers through rich, interactive experiences directly in their mobile inbox across a wider range of devices. Sinch's innovations in RCS are further evidenced by tools like the Omnichannel Connector on Salesforce AppExchange, which enables Salesforce Marketing Cloud customers to create dynamic, interactive campaigns. Backed by Sinch's global super network, strong direct operator connections, and a preferred partnership with Google, the company leads the RCS space and is fully prepared for widespread RCS rollout. Sinch's APIs, SaaS tools, and carrier enablement services empower both businesses and carriers to create personalized, interactive RCS experiences, driving significant improvements in customer engagement across industries. "Sinch RCS products and solutions help businesses quickly upgrade to RCS, whether they're looking to upscale from SMS or enable richer, more interactive and conversational experiences for their customers," said Lodema Steinbach, VP of Product & Carrier Relations, North America at Sinch. "With a broad range of offerings and expertise across customer segments, Sinch provides the flexibility businesses need to enhance customer engagement in a secure, trusted environment." "As RCS adoption accelerates, we are proud to lead this technological shift," Steinbach added. "Sinch's API-first platform and SaaS solutions make it easy for brands to adopt RCS and drive results, whether through simple transactional messaging or richer, more interactive customer engagements. Our deep relationships with mobile operators and in-house expertise position us to support businesses throughout their RCS journey." To learn more about implementing RCS and how it can transform customer engagement, download Sinch's comprehensive guide on building a business case for RCS or contact our team for personalized support. CONTACT: For further information please contact: Janet Lennon, Director of Global PR & Communications janet.lennon@sinch.com |1.206.914.6175 This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/sinch-accelerates-adoption-of-rich-communication-services-rcs-business-messaging-with-rcs-upscale-302249387.html IKAR Holdings a British conglomerate, in partnership with Unify Platform AG, Safely2Prosperity, and Bluestain Global has announced the launch of a comprehensive Pandemic Preparedness Initiative focused on Mpox (formerly known as Monkeypox). This groundbreaking initiative aims to bolster global efforts to detect, prevent, and manage Mpox outbreaks, especially in regions with limited resources. The initiative is designed to deliver cutting-edge tools and solutions that governments, healthcare organizations, and public health officials can use to strengthen pandemic response systems. The program brings together innovative technologies in detection, prevention, and real-time infectious disease management, developed collaboratively by the partners. Key Components of the Pandemic Preparedness Initiative: 1. Detection: BlueStain Global's BlueStain Mpox Test, a state-of-the-art diagnostic tool, will be the backbone of the detection strategy. This test offers rapid, accurate detection of the Mpox virus, enabling timely intervention in outbreak scenarios. It will be rolled out initially to governments and organizations across Africa, where the need for pandemic preparedness is critical. 2. Prevention: The initiative will utilize Applied Carbon (AC) Drink, provided by Chemiteras in partnership with Unify Platform AG. This preventive measure is designed to reduce the risk of infection and support overall health during potential outbreaks. 3. Treatment: Applied Carbon Preparation (AAC), an advanced treatment candidate, will form a key part of the program's response framework, ensuring that both prevention and treatment components are accessible where needed. 4. Management: Central to the program is the Virus Vigilant SaaS, a sophisticated infectious disease management system jointly developed by IKAR, Unify Platform AG, and Safely2Prosperity. This real-time platform allows for seamless coordination, monitoring, and rapid response during outbreaks, ensuring timely containment and management of infections. Partner Contributions: IKAR HOLDINGS: IKAR, headquartered in London, will lead efforts in coordinating with several African governments to ensure that these regions have access to the necessary infrastructure for pandemic preparedness. IKAR's role includes facilitating the adoption of the initiative's detection, prevention, and treatment components across affiliated regions. Their goal is to ensure that the mistakes of the Covid-19 pandemic are not repeated, and that African nations are better equipped to handle future outbreaks. Unify Platform AG: Based in Switzerland, Unify Platform AG will be responsible for the technological backbone of the initiative, particularly the development of the infectious management SaaS. Their expertise in real-time data management and infectious disease response will enable governments to react swiftly to Mpox and other infectious diseases. Safely2Prosperity: Safely2Prosperity will play a crucial role in the deployment of the Virus Vigilant SaaS, ensuring that the system operates smoothly across all regions. Their collaboration with IKAR and Unify Platform AG will result in a seamless infectious disease management system that can be used for current and future pandemics. A Unified Vision for Global Health Preparedness: This partnership is a testament to the shared commitment between IKAR, Unify, Safely2Prosperity, and Bluestain to protect global public health and strengthen pandemic preparedness, particularly in vulnerable regions. The initiative is expected to serve as a model for future pandemic preparedness programs, demonstrating the importance of international cooperation, technological innovation, and proactive health measures. Mario Diel, Chairman and Founder of IKAR HOLDINGS, stated: "Our mission is to ensure that the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic are implemented on a global scale. By working closely with governments, especially in Africa, we can build resilient systems that integrate prevention, detection, and treatment for Mpox and other infectious diseases." Tokinori Terada, CEO of Unify Platform AG, added: "Our infectious management SaaS will give governments and healthcare providers the ability to monitor and respond to outbreaks in real-time. This capability is essential for preventing the spread of diseases and saving lives." Taka Karita, Co-Founder and COO of Unify Platform AG, emphasized: "Combining advanced technology and international collaboration, this initiative will strengthen Mpox preparedness in Africa and beyond. We're committed to providing the tools needed for governments to act quickly, preventing future outbreaks from becoming global health crises." Hon. John Norris Founder of Safely2Prosperity, remarked: "The Virus Vigilant system will revolutionize the way infectious diseases are managed globally. By providing real-time insights and coordinating response efforts, we can help prevent Mpox outbreaks from escalating into widespread health crises." Prof. Fernando Ferreira, Chairman and Co-Founder of BlueStain Global, emphasized: "This partnership represents a significant step forward in pandemic preparedness. By integrating our BlueStain Mpox Test into a broader program, we can help ensure that governments and organizations are better prepared to tackle future pandemics swiftly and effectively." About IKAR HOLDINGS: IKAR is a leading entrepreneurial group of companies that focuses on strategic initiatives in pandemic preparedness, particularly in Africa. By working with governments, IKAR facilitates the rapid implementation of pandemic response systems. About Unify Platform AG: Unify Platform AG, headquartered in Switzerland, is a technology-driven company specializing in infectious disease management. Their SaaS platforms enable real-time response to pandemics, providing governments with the tools needed to manage outbreaks effectively. About Safely2Prosperity: Safely2Prosperity is an organization focused on infectious disease management systems. Their collaboration on the Virus Vigilant SaaS is central to ensuring the seamless coordination and management of pandemic preparedness programs globally. About BlueStain Global: BlueStain Global is a British-Portuguese biotechnology company specializing in innovative solutions for infectious disease detection and pandemic preparedness. Their flagship product, the BlueStain Mpox Test, is a leading diagnostic tool in the fight against Mpox and other infectious diseases. Media Contact Organization: IKAR HOLDINGS Contact Person: Michael Bert Website: https://ikarholdings.com/ Email: press@ikarholdings.com Address: 17 Savile Row, London W1S 3PN City: LONDON State: MAYFAIR Country: United Kingdom SOURCE: IKAR Holdings View the original press release on accesswire.com Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2024) - The Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE" or "the Exchange") today announced market statistics for August 2024. August 2024 Operating Statistics Trading volume of CSE listed securities totaled 909 million shares; Trading value of CSE listed securities was $230 million; CSE issuers completed 79 financings that raised an aggregate $65 million; and The CSE welcomed listings from six new companies, bringing total listed securities to 786 as at August 31, 2024. "The Canadian Securities Exchange added more new listings in August than in any other month so far in 2024," said Richard Carleton, CEO of the CSE. "The new listings include the commodity trading firm Rektron Group Inc., which, along with BluSky Carbon Inc. are the two largest corporate IPOs to be completed on any Canadian stock exchange this year. We are pleased to remain the Canadian leader in this area." What's On at the CSE On September 18, the CSE will host its second Going Public and Raising Capital in Canada event of 2024. This one is in Halifax and will feature a series of presentations from experts that will explore opportunities and strategies to successfully enter the public markets in Canada. The speaker line-up includes Richard Carleton and Scott Pritchard, the CSE's Senior Advisor, Listings Development for Quebec and Eastern Canada. The CSE will be traveling to sunny Orlando, Florida for the Security Traders Association's 91st Annual Market Structure Conference on September 18-20. The conference theme this year is Shifting the Landscape, focusing on the industry's need to proactively adapt to a range of forces that impact market structure. The CSE will be participating in a pair of back-to-back conferences in Chicago in early October: the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference on October 8-9, and the Benzinga SmallCap Conference on October 10. Benzinga's cannabis event, which is held twice yearly, is a leading cannabis business conference and the participants include numerous CSE-listed companies. The small-cap conference provides exposure to many compelling companies that most investors are not familiar with. On October 9, the CSE is co-sponsoring and presenting an exclusive Global Markets Forum in New York City. The forum, presented in partnership with the Aquis Stock Exchange and OTC Markets, enables a select group of companies to make their pitch to an-person audience of institutional and high-net-worth investors. A live broadcast of the event will be available, and investors will be able to ask questions online. The forum also includes keynote presentations from expert speakers. More details will follow closer to the event. Finally, the CSE is pleased to be sponsoring the Red Cloud Fall Mining Showcase 2024 on October 16-17 in Toronto. The event, presented in partnership with PearTree, features a vast line-up of mining companies and high-profile keynote speakers including Pierre Lassonde and Rob McEwen. The conference also offers one-on-one meetings and networking sessions. This is the second consecutive year in which the CSE has sponsored this event. Bay Street Rides FAR On October 5, the CSE team will be out biking and walking as part of Bay Street Rides FAR, an event to raise money in support of Autism Science Foundation Canada. The team invites all of its stakeholders to join in and get some good exercise while raising money for this important cause. Also, be certain to stick around for the afterparty. Those who can't be there in person are encouraged to make a donation. New Listings in August 2024 Double Deuce Exploration Corp. (DD) NextGen Digital Platforms Inc. (NXT) Windfall Geotek Inc. (WIN) NU E Power Corp. (NUE) Rektron Group Inc. (REK.U) EagleOne Metals Corporation (EAGL) About the Canadian Securities Exchange: The Canadian Securities Exchange is a rapidly growing exchange invested in working with entrepreneurs, innovators and disruptors to access public capital markets in Canada. The Exchange's efficient operating model, advanced technology and competitive fee structure help its listed issuers of all sectors and sizes minimize their cost of capital and enhance global liquidity. Our client-centric approach and corresponding products and services ensure businesses have the support they need to confidently realize their vision. The CSE offers global investors access to an innovative collection of growing and mature companies. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/223520 SOURCE: Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2024) - Midnight Sun Mining Corporation (TSXV: MMA) (OTC Pink: MDNGF) ("Midnight Sun" or the "Company") announces that, further to its August 29, 2024 news release, the renewal application for Large Scale Exploration Licence 21509-HQ-LEL (the "Licence"), which includes the Kazhiba target, was never rejected as had been previously indicated, incorrectly, in an online public notice dated June 17, 2024. The Mining Cadastre Portal has since been updated to reflect this. The Zambian Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development (the "Ministry") has notified the Company in writing that the decision to accept the Company's renewal application was, in fact, deferred to a later meeting of the Mineral Licencing Committee. At this time, the Licence, as outlined in the Company's renewal application, remains in good standing. Midnight Sun's President & CEO, Al Fabbro, stated: "As a component of the Cooperative Exploration Plan with our neighbours, First Quantum Minerals, our Kazhiba Target represents an exciting opportunity for Midnight Sun to enter near-term production. We are tremendously pleased that this licence issue was able to be rectified quickly and did not create significant disruption to the execution or timing of our plans. I thank our team members in both Zambia and Canada who worked diligently to address and remedy this matter swiftly. I would also like to thank the Zambian Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development for their assistance in rectifying this matter so we can resume our exploration plans. We are now ready to begin our planned work programs." Kazhiba Licence Issue Details On December 1, 2023, the Company filed an application for the renewal of the Licence, which includes the Kazhiba target. Under Zambian mining law, large scale exploration licences are issued for a four-year period, and may be renewed, on application, for up to two additional three-year periods. The Licence was originally issued March 1, 2017, and renewed February 28, 2021. The status of the Licence was incorrectly identified in an online public notice dated June 17, 2024. This incorrect information was subsequently posted on the Mining Cadastre Portal, stating that the Licence had been rejected. In August 2024, it was discovered that the Mining Cadastre Portal was incorrectly showing a new mineral exploration licence overlaying the Licence, listed in the name of Keki Mining Limited. Keki Mining Limited does not now, and never has had, ownership overlapping Midnight Sun's Licence area. Keki did acquire ground adjacent to the Licence which as dropped by the Company during the renewal process. When the errors were identified, the Company undertook a rigorous campaign to rectify the issue, with both Canadian and Zambian teams working directly with the Zambian Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development to rectify the errors as quickly as possible. The Mining Cadastre Portal has since been updated to reflect the correct status of the Licence and remove the overlaying licence. On September 12, 2024, the Company received a letter dated April 22, 2024, from the Ministry, advising the Company that the application for renewal has been deferred pending a site verification report to ascertain the exploration progress undertaken during the previous tenure (the "Verification Report"). The Verification Report must be prepared by the Geological Survey Department of Zambia (the "Geological Survey Department"). The Company has been provided with 14 days from September 12, 2024, to have the required report prepared and submitted. Company representatives contacted the Geological Survey Department on September 13, 2024 to formally request that a site visit and report be completed for submission within the 14-day period. If this report cannot be filed within the 14-day period, the Company's lawyers will request an extension to this period. The Company intends to have the required Verification Report submitted within the required time period. Submission of the required report is dependent in part on the availability of third parties and there is no assurance that such persons will be available. Accordingly, there can be no guarantee that the Verification Report will be completed and submitted within the two-week timeframe provided or that an extension beyond the two-week timeframe would be granted, nor is there any guarantee that the Verification Report will be accepted by the Ministry and the Licence renewed. Qualified Person: Darin Labrenz, P.Geo., a Qualified Person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical data and contents of this release. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2553/223524_3d63ca39749c0828_001full.jpg About Midnight Sun Midnight Sun is focused on exploring our flagship Solwezi Project, located in Zambia. Situated in the heart of the Zambia-Congo Copperbelt, the second largest copper producing region in the world, our property is vast and highly prospective. Our Solwezi Project is surrounded by world-class producing copper mines, including Africa's largest copper mining complex right next door, First Quantum's Kansanshi Mine. Led by an experienced geological team with multiple discoveries and mines around the world to their credit, Midnight Sun intends to find and develop Zambia's next generational copper deposit. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF MIDNIGHT SUN MINING CORP. Al Fabbro President & CEO NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEW RELEASE. This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation that are based on expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections as at the date of this news release. The information in this news release about the resolution of mineral exploration licence renewals, timing and ability of the Company to obtain the approval of relevant regulatory bodies, if at all; and any other information herein that is not a historical fact may be "forward looking statements". Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (which may, but not always, include phrases such as "anticipates", "plans", "scheduled", "believed" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements and are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Such factors include, among others, risks relating to the timing and ability of the Company to obtain and the timing of the approval of relevant regulatory bodies, if at all; risks relating to property interests; risks related to access to the project; risks inherent in mineral exploration, including the fact that any particular phase of exploration may be unsuccessful; geo-political risks; the global economic climate; metal prices; environmental risks; political risks; and community and non-governmental actions. Neither the Company nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any such forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake, and assumes no obligation, to update or revise any such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/223524 SOURCE: Midnight Sun Mining Corp. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2024) - Pool Safe Inc. (TSXV: POOL) ("Pool Safe" or the "Company") announces the resignation of its auditors, Wasserman Ramsay Chartered Professional Accountants ("Wasserman Ramsay"). Wasserman Ramsay resigned on their own initiative, and the board of directors of the Company (the "Board") has accepted the resignation. Pool Safe has not yet appointed a successor auditor, and discussions have been ongoing with potential audit firms to fill the vacancy, as required under National Instrument 51-102 - Continuous Disclosure Obligations ("NI 51-102"). It is anticipated that new auditors of the Company will be appointed by September 30, 2024. As of September 15, 2024, Mr. Kevin Ramsay, the principal of Wasserman Ramsay, will be retiring from a long and successful career as an auditor. The Board thanks Wasserman Ramsay for their work as auditor of the Company. To the knowledge of the Company, there were no reservations, modified opinions, or reportable events (as defined in NI 51-102)) for any financial period during which Wasserman Ramsay was the Company's auditor. Additionally, there were no "reportable events" between Pool Safe or Wasserman Ramsay. In accordance with NI 51-102, once a successor auditor has been appointed, the Company will issue a further press release confirming such an appointment. Additionally, a Notice of Change of Auditor together with the required letter from the former auditor will be filed via SEDAR+ with each securities commission in each province or territory in Canada in which the Company is a reporting issuer. About Pool Safe Inc. Pool Safe Inc. designs, develops and distributes a product known as LounGenie, which functions as a multipurpose personal poolside attendant. LounGenie by Pool Safe Inc. is designed to provide safety, convenience, and peace of mind for hotels, resorts, waterparks, and cruise ship guests. Conveniently located alongside pool or beach lounge chairs, the LounGenie is a unique way of providing vacationers with a comforting sense of security for their belongings, while offering the vendor opportunities to increase F&B sales, expedite customer service and drive revenue. For more information, please visit loungenie.com or poolsafeinc.com. Pool Safe Inc. is a fully reporting publicly traded company which is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "POOL". Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements Some of the statements in this press release that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or that include words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", or similar expressions, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the information concerning possible or assumed future results of operations of the Company and the ability of the Company to appoint a successor auditor by September 30, 2024. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Company's expectations, estimates, and projections regarding future events. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this presentation or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/223533 SOURCE: Pool Safe Inc. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2024) - Hertz Energy Inc. (CSE: HZ) (OTCQB: HZLIF) (FSE: QX1) ("Hertz" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Lake George Antimony Property ("Lake George" or the "Property") located in the Province of New Brunswick. The Property is located in the southwestern part of the province, approximately 30 km southwest of the city of Fredericton. The Property is comprised of 93 mineral claims within two claim blocks recently staked by the Company for a total area of approximately 2,104.5 hectares. The Property surrounds the past-producing Lake George Antimony Mine ("Lake George Mine") and is considered an exploration-stage Antimony-Gold (Sb-Au) prospect located immediately along strike to the southwest and northeast, as well as downdip to the north of the historical Lake George Mine. The Property benefits from excellent road access, hydroelectric power, and nearby available personnel for field and exploration activities. The Lake George Mine was formerly the largest antimony producer in North America with a long history of production spanning from 1876 to 1996. The mine closed in 1996 due to falling antimony prices. From 1972 to 1981, 34,417 tonnes of concentrate grading 65% to 66% Sb was produced from the first deposit. Then from 1985 to 1990, approximately 1 Mt grading 4% Sb was extracted from a second deposit (Caron, 1996). The mine also contained molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), and Au mineralization. Infrastructure on the Lake George Mine includes 3 shafts, underground development on 10 levels, some remaining surface buildings, and a tailings pond. The deepest level of the mine is approximately 400 m below the surface. The Lake George Sb-Au Mine currently represents one of the Top 3 antimony occurrences in the Province of New Brunswick (Figure 1). The Lake George Mine includes en-echelon gold-bearing polymetallic and antimony veins with massive stibnite hosted in Ordovician sedimentary and volcanic rocks adjacent to the Lake George granodiorite. Four (4) main antimony veins were developed at the mine, that generally have a shallow dip to the north and vary from 1 to 2 metres in width. The east-trending quartz vein system that has been traced over 1 km in depth and over 2 km along strike length (Procyshyn and Morrissy, 1990). A similar geological context of sedimentary rocks in contact with the intrusion, along with NE trending faults zones possibly responsible for developing the vein structures, is present on Hertz's newly-staked claims (Figure 2). The Lake George Mine is currently under care and maintenance within an active mining lease and is owned by the Province of New Brunswick. Hertz Energy has started discussions with New Brunswick government officials about a possible tender of the mine lease by the Province in the coming months and awaits further feedback on next steps. The Property claims cover approximately 10 km of strike length along the favourable sediments near the intrusive contact. The Company acquired a 100% interest in the mining claims though staking and there are no underlying agreements or royalties attached to these claims (Figure 3). The Lake George Antimony Property will undergo detailed geological database compilation along with initial prospecting and geological mapping and soil geochemistry surveys. The Lake George Antimony Property represents the second Antimony property acquired by Hertz Energy in the past 30 days including the Harriman Antimony Property in the Gaspe Region of Quebec (see Hertz news release dated September 6, 2024). Figure 1: Antimony deposits in New Brunswick including Lake George To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9656/223522_1d32dc42645d49bd_002full.jpg Figure 2: Property Geology Map To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9656/223522_1d32dc42645d49bd_003full.jpg Figure 3: Property Claim Map To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9656/223522_1d32dc42645d49bd_004full.jpg ABOUT ANTIMONY In August, China announced antimony export restrictions which take effect on September 15, 2024 (source: Reuters, August 28, 2024) and are expected to have significant implications for the global antimony supply chain. China's announcement of antimony export restrictions has added fuel to a red-hot market and opens another potential flash-point with the West for control of critical minerals. Antimony is a little-known metal with multiple applications. Antimony's largest end-use is as a flame retardant, but it is also found in solar panels and batteries. The U.S. Department of the Interior has designated it a critical mineral because it is also essential for armour-piercing ammunition, infrared sensors, and precision optics. Antimony prices have nearly doubled since the start of the year to a record $22,750 per tonne in part because of shrinking exports from major producers and a global deficit of the metal. China's exports are in medium-term decline due to higher demand from its solar energy sector, while Russian supply has been crimped by falling output and Western sanctions. The flow from other big producing nations such as Vietnam, Tajikistan, and Myanmar has been disrupted by the re-routing of shipments from the Red Sea due to Houthi attacks on shipping. Analysts estimate the market was already looking at a 10,000-ton shortfall before China's export restrictions. These new controls are not targeted at any specific country, but Chinese authorities can refuse licences to export to individual end-user companies or countries as they see fit. Other Information on Antimony: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblackmon/2021/05/06/antimony-the-most-important-mineral-you-never-heard-of/ https://www.csis.org/analysis/chinas-antimony-export-restrictions-impact-us-national-security https://www.bestmag.co.uk/chinas-restrictions-on-antimony-could-lead-to-another-flashpoint-with-the-west/ https://www.antimony.com/wpfd_file/i2a-china-export-restriction-press-release-20-august-2024/ Kal Malhi, CEO of Hertz Energy commented, "With the Chinese export restrictions on Antimony effective as of September 15, 2024, and several active conflicts around the world, the need for antimony has sky rocketed along with the price of antimony. Antimony is used heavily in a variety of military applications, including night vision goggles, explosive formulations, flares, nuclear weapons production, and infrared sensors plus as a fire retardant, in solar panels and electric batteries. Hertz Energy's Lake George property acquisition in New Brunswick will allow the Company to focus on utilizing our current flow-thru cash position of approximately $800,000 to aggressively explore our Antimony Projects portfolio in the coming months." QUALIFIED PERSON AND CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS All scientific and technical information contained in this news release was reviewed and approved by Paul Teniere, P.Geo., Technical Advisor of Hertz Energy, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined in NI 43-101. This news release contains scientific and technical information with respect to adjacent properties to the Company's properties in Lake George, which the Company has no interest in or rights to explore. Readers are cautioned that information regarding the geology, mineralization, mineral resources, and historical production on adjacent properties is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization potential on the Company's properties. About the Company The Company is a British Columbia based junior exploration company primarily engaged in the acquisition and exploration of energy metals mineral properties. The Company's lithium exploration projects include the AC/DC Lithium Project, and Snake Lithium Project in Jame Bay Quebec. The AC/DC Project is 26,500 hectares located in the renowned James Bay Lithium District in Quebec, Canada, just 26kms southeast of the Corvette Lithium Project owned by Patriot Battery Metals and is contiguous to Rio Tinto's Kaanaayaa project claims. The Companies Snake Lithium project is also district scale and located amongst highly prospective projects held by other exploration companies. Hertz Energy's Harriman Antimony Project in the Gaspe and the Lake George Antimony Project in New Brunswick are part of the company's growing Antimony portfolio. For further information, please contact Mr. Kal Malhi or view the Company's filings at www.sedarplus.ca. and website: https://hertz-energy.com On Behalf of the Board of Directors Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this new release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/223522 SOURCE: Hertz Energy Inc. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2024) - MetaWorld Corporation (dba Syntheia) ("Syntheia" ) and Veta Resources Inc. ("Veta" ) are pleased to announce that further to Veta's press releases on June 28, 2024 and August 21, 2024, Syntheia has closed the final tranche of its brokered private placement offering of subscription receipts (the "Subscription Receipts") through the issuance of 3,036,334 Subscription Receipts for gross proceeds of $1,062,716.90 (the "Financing"). The first tranche of the Financing closed on May 16, 2024, through the issuance of 8,144,199 Subscription Receipts for gross proceeds of $2,850,469.65. In the aggregate, Syntheia issued 11,180,533 Subscription Receipts for total gross proceeds of $3,913,186.55 with respect to the total Financing. The Financing was carried out in connection with the proposed business combination transaction between Veta and Syntheia (the "Transaction") pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement (the "Letter Agreement") dated June 27, 2024. The resulting issuer following completion of the Transaction (the "Resulting Issuer") will continue to operate the business of Syntheia. Syntheia received conditional approval to list the common shares of the Resulting Issuer on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") on August 21, 2024. Following the satisfaction of the CSE's customary listing conditions and the closing of the Transaction, the common shares of the Resulting Issuer will begin trading on the CSE. Assuming the closing of the Transaction and satisfaction of the conditional listing requirements of the CSE, the net proceeds from the Financing will be used by the Resulting Issuer for operational expansion, business development and working capital purposes. Pursuant to the Financing, Syntheia, First Republic Capital Corporation and Veta entered into a supplemental subscription receipt agreement (the "Subscription Receipt Agreement") dated September 16, 2024 with Endeavor Trust Corporation as subscription receipt agent (the "Subscription Receipt Agent"). The Financing was brokered by First Republic Capital Corp. as lead agent (the "Lead Agent") and Hampton Securities Ltd. (together with the Lead Agent, the "Agents"). In connection with the closing of the two tranches of the Financing, Syntheia paid 50% of: (a) a fee of $21,378.36 (the " Advisory Fee" ) for advisory services provided to Syntheia in connection with the Financing; (b) a corporate finance fee of $59,344.83 payable to the Lead Agent (the "Corporate Finance Fee"); (c) aggregate cash fees of $225,341.19 payable to the Agents and certain eligible persons (the "Commission" and together with the Advisory Fee and the Corporate Finance Fee the "Cash Compensation"); and (c) the Agents' expenses. The remaining 50% of the Cash Compensation and the Agents' expenses has been deposited into escrow with the Subscription Receipt Agent and shall be released upon satisfaction or waiver of the escrow release conditions set out in the Subscription Receipt Agreement, together with any interest earned thereon. In addition, Syntheia has issued: (a) 54,054 advisory warrants (the "Advisory Warrants") to the Lead Agent; (b) 169,557 corporate finance warrants (the "Corporate Finance Warrants") to the Lead Agent; and (c) 643,832 compensation warrants (the "Compensation Warrants", together with the Advisory Warrants and the Corporate Finance Warrants, the "Agent's Warrants") to the Agents and certain eligible persons. Each Agent's Warrant entitles the holder to subscribe for one Unit at $0.35 for a period for twenty-four (24) months from the date that the Resulting Issuer's common shares commence trading on the CSE. Upon the satisfaction or waiver of, among other things, all of the condition precedents to the completion of the Transaction, each Subscription Receipt will be exchanged for one unit of Syntheia (a "Unit") with each Unit being comprised of one (1) common share of Syntheia (a "Common Share") and one (1) Common Share purchase warrant of Syntheia (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will be exercisable for one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.50 for a period of 24 months following the date that the Resulting Issuer shares begin trading on the CSE. Upon closing of the Transaction, the Common Shares, Warrants and Agents' Warrants will be exchanged for Resulting Issuer shares and Resulting Issuer warrants on economically equivalent terms on a 1:1 basis. The Warrants are subject to acceleration at Syntheia' option, if at any time prior to the expiry of the Warrants the 10-day volume-weighted average price of the Resulting Issuer shares is greater than $0.75, provided that: (i) the Resulting Issuer disseminates a press release providing notice of its intention to accelerate the expiry of the Warrants, and (ii) the accelerated expiry date of the Warrants falls on the earlier of (unless exercised by the holder prior to such date): the 30th day after the date of dissemination of such press release, and/or 24 months following the listing of the Resulting Issuer shares on the Exchange. The securities referred to in this news release have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. registration requirements. This release does not constitute an offer for sale of, nor a solicitation for offers to buy, any securities in the United States. Any public offering of securities in the United States must be made by means of a prospectus containing detailed information about the issuer and its management, as well as financial statements. About Syntheia Syntheia is an early-stage artificial intelligence technology company, channeling its efforts into refining and expanding its proprietary, conversational AI-based platform (the "Syntheia AI Platform"). The Syntheia AI Platform represents the integration of natural language processing ("NLP") technology, enabling it to not only understand but also respond to human language with accuracy. The Syntheia AI Platform, a generative, AI-powered algorithm equipped with a human-like voice, boasts self-learning capabilities derived from NLP methodologies. Currently in beta testing, the Syntheia AI Platform is crafted to offer a suite of automated solutions, particularly for retail-focused businesses where customer interaction and service are key to operations. At the heart of the Syntheia AI Platform is its use of AI to emulate human cognitive processes, combined with a sophisticated large language model, which is integral for interpreting and generating human-like language responses. The common shares of Veta or the Resulting Issuer have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirement. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and financial outlook (collectively, " forward-looking information" ). Statements containing the words " believe" , " expect" , " intend" , " should" , " seek" , " anticipate" , " will" , " positioned" , " project" , " risk" , " plan" , " may" , " estimate" , or, in each case, their negative and words of similar meaning, are intended to identify forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release, which includes, but is not limited to, information relating to the Transaction, the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions precedent to the Transaction and the expected completion of the Transaction, the expected conversion of the Subscription Receipts and issuance of the Units, the use of proceeds from the Financing by the Resulting Issuer, the listing of the Resulting Issuer's common shares on the CSE, the exchange of the Common Shares, Warrants and Agents' Warrants for Resulting Issuer common shares and warrants, the exercise of the Warrants and the acceleration of the expiry date of the Warrants. Forward-looking statements are subject to the assumptions used in the preparation for such forward-looking statements, which include, but are not limited to, the assumptions that: the Resulting Issuer will use of the net proceeds from the Financing as outlined herein; the escrow release conditions to the Transaction being satisfied or waived; and the Resulting Issuer applying and receiving any required approvals from the CSE in relation to the listing of its common shares. Although considered reasonable by management of Veta and Syntheia at the time of preparation, these assumptions may prove to be imprecise and result in actual results differing materially from those anticipated, and as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information: the Resulting Issuer's failure to utilize the use of proceeds from the Financing as expected and/or disclosed, the escrow release conditions to the Transaction not being satisfied or waived, and risks that the Resulting Issuer will be unable to receive the required approval from the Exchange in relation to the listing of its common shares. The foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. There may be other factors and risks that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. These risks, uncertainties, and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome of the plans and events described herein. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. The forward-looking statements are based upon management's beliefs and assumptions and are made as of the date of this news release. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent to the forward-looking statements included in this news release, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation or warranty by Syntheia, Veta or any other person that Syntheia's or Veta's objectives and plans will be achieved in any specified timeframe, if at all. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or upon which they are placed will occur. Except to the extent required by applicable laws or rules, Veta and Syntheia undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release. Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/223535 SOURCE: Veta Resources Inc. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2024) - Wedgemount Resources Corp. (CSE: WDGY) (OTCQB: WDGRF) ("Wedgemount" or the "Company"), announces it has entered into agreements with each of Outside the Box Capital Inc. ("OBC"), Proactive Investors North America Inc. ("Proactive") and Oak Hill Financial Inc, ("Oakhill") to provide services to the Company, subject to approval by the Canadian Securities Exchange. OTB's scope of work will include, but not be limited to, providing marketing services, planning content creation and assisting in enhancing awareness of the Company. Proactive will assist Wedgemount in enhancing its online presence with the global investment community, as part of its strategy to increase general market awareness of the Company. Oak Hill's services will include acting as advisor to the Company and providing marketing services. The term of the OTB agreement commenced on September 3, 2024, and ends on January 3, 2025 for a fee of $75,000 paid on signing. Either the Company or OTB may terminate the OTB agreement by mutual consent. The agreement with Proactive will be for an initial one year term ending August 20, 2025 for a fee of $45,000 and will automatically renew for additional successive one year terms, unless either the Company or Proactive provide written notice of non-renewal at least 90 days prior to the end of the then current term, if either provides notice of its intent not to renew, then the agreement will terminate on the expiration of the then-current term. Oak Hill's services are provided at a rate of $10,000 per month and the Company has also agreed to compensate Oak Hill in cash, with a 5% finder's fee, on the gross consideration of any financing completed during the term of the agreement and for a period of six months thereafter where funding is sourced for Wedgemount from parties introduced by Oak Hill, payable on closing of such financing. To the knowledge of the Company, Proactive, OTB and Oak Hill do not currently hold security positions in Wedgemount and prior to the Company engaging each of Proactive, OTB and Oak Hill, there was no prior relationship. About Wedgemount Resources Corp. Wedgemount Resources is a junior oil & gas company focused on maximizing shareholder value through the acquisition, development and exploitation of natural resource projects in the southern USA. On behalf of the Board of Directors, WEDGEMOUNT RESOURCES CORP. Mark Vanry, President and CEO Reader Advisory This news release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, availability of funds, personnel and other resources necessary to conduct exploration or development programs, successes of the Company's exploration efforts, availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/223485 SOURCE: Wedgemount Resources Corp. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2024) - Deveron Corp. (TSXV: FARM) ("Deveron" or the "Company"), a leading agriculture services and data company in North America, is pleased to announce that further to its press releases of August 15, 2024 and September 4, 2024, the Company has completed the final tranche of its non-brokered private placement through the issuance of 21,991,300 units (the "Units") in the capital of the Company at a price of $0.07 per Unit for gross proceeds of $1,539,391 (the "Offering"). In total, an aggregate of 44,797,291 Units were issued for gross proceeds of $3,135,810.37 through the completion of the two tranches of the Offering. Each Unit is comprised of one common share (each, a "Common Share") in the capital of the Company and one-half of one whole Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.10 per Common Share until the date that is eighteen (18) months from the date of issuance. In connection with the Offering, the Company paid Canaccord Genuity Corp. an aggregate of $100,060.42 and issued an aggregate of 1,429,430 broker warrants (each, a "Broker Warrant"). Each Broker Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.10 per Common Share for a period of 18 months from the date of issuance. In addition, further to the Company's press release of August 15, 2024, the Company wishes to announce it intends to settle an outstanding promissory note (the "Note") in the amount of $400,000 through the issuance of 5,714,285 Units (the "Debt Settlement"), with each Unit being comprised of one Common Share and one-half of one Warrant. The Debt Settlement remains subject to receipt of all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued in connection with the Offering and will be issued in connection with the Debt Settlement are subject to a hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance and the resale rules of applicable securities legislation. Net proceeds from the Offering will be used for general working capital purposes and for the partial repayment of certain promissory notes. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons as defined under applicable United States securities laws unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. About Deveron: Deveron is an agriculture technology company that uses data and insights to help farmers and large agriculture enterprises increase yields, reduce costs and improve farm outcomes. The company employs a digital process that leverages data collected on farms across North America to drive unbiased interpretation of production decisions, ultimately recommending how to optimize input use. Our team of agronomists and data scientists build products that recommend ways to better manage fertilizer, seed, fungicide, and other farm inputs. Additionally, we have a national network of data technicians that are deployed to collect various types of farm data, from soil to drones, that build a basis of our best-in-class data layers. Our focus is the US and Canada where 1 billion acres of farmland are actively farmed annually. For more information and to join our community, please visit www.deveron.com/investors or reach us on Twitter @Deveron . This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of that phrase under Canadian securities laws. Without limitation, statements regarding future plans and objectives of the Company are forward looking statements that involve various degrees of risk. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current views with respect to possible future events and conditions and, by their nature, are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific to the Company. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in our forward-looking statements. The following are important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements: changes in the world-wide price of agricultural commodities, general market conditions, risks inherent in agriculture, the uncertainty of future profitability and the uncertainty of access to additional capital. Additional information regarding the material factors and assumptions that were applied in making these forward looking statements as well as the various risks and uncertainties we face are described in greater detail in the "Risk Factors" section of our annual and interim Management's Discussion and Analysis of our financial results and other continuous disclosure documents and financial statements we file with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities which are available at www.sedarplus.ca. The Company undertakes no obligation to update this forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. The Company relies on litigation protection for forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/223492 SOURCE: Deveron Corp. Press release Availability of the adjusted draft accelerated safeguard plan Paris, France - September 16, 2024. As indicated in the September 6, 2024 press release, the shareholders of Atos SE (the "Company") and the affected financial creditors, meeting as classes of affected parties, have been convened to vote on the draft accelerated safeguard plan submitted to them, under the conditions indicated in this press release. The Company today informs all the affected parties of the availability online of an adjusted version of its draft accelerated safeguard plan. This draft has been prepared by the Company with the assistance of the judicial administrators. All the classes of affected parties are invited to vote on this draft accelerated safeguard plan1. This adjusted version of the draft accelerated safeguard plan essentially allows for the addition of new schedules regarding the terms and conditions of the reinstated financings provided for in the draft accelerated safeguard plan, and contains some corrections and clarifications. The adjusted version of the draft accelerated safeguard plan, as well as a comparative version of this adjusted draft compared to the version published on September 6, 2024, are available on Atos website, www.atos.net, under the heading Investors, Financial Restructuring. The voting process communicated on September 6, 2024 remains unchanged. The results of the votes of the classes of affected parties on the approval of the accelerated safeguard plan will be published on Atos website after this vote scheduled for September 27, 2024. *** About Atos Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with c. 92,000 employees and annual revenue of c. 10 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 69 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea), and listed on Euronext Paris. The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space. Contacts Investor relations: David Pierre-Kahn | investors@atos.net| +33 6 28 51 45 96 Individual shareholders: 0805 65 00 75 Press contact: globalprteam@atos.net 1As indicated in the September 6, 2024 press release, the draft accelerated safeguard plan was amendable up to 10 days before the voting date in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory provisions, subject to the affected parties being informed. Attachment The $700 million lawsuit against the United States seeks justice pertaining to the Department of Justice's gross misconduct in investigating and prosecuting predictive healthcare innovator Brian Meshkin and his company, Proove Biosciences. Proove offered critical medical tests to evaluate genetic and non-genetic factors in chronic pain, including one that could predict with 96.7% accuracy a patient's risk for opioid addiction, a significant concern in the ongoing opioid epidemic. As CEO of Proove, Meshkin oversaw an ascendant personalized medicine company that was enabling clinicians across the country to prescribe patients with safer alternative treatments in the midst of the national opioid crisis. Irvine, California--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2024) - One of America's premier civil litigation law firms, Plante Huguenin Lebovic Kahn LLP ("PHLK"), announces its representation of predictive health social entrepreneur Brian Meshkin. Case number 2:24-cv-07768 was filed in California on September 11th, 2024. Together, they will seek justice for Mr. Meshkin and hold the DOJ accountable for violating his constitutional rights and then dismissing the matter with a proverbial shrug. Mr. Meshkin built Proove Biosciences into one of America's leading pharmacogenetics companies. Proove's cutting-edge genetic tests positioned it at the forefront of our nation's battle against the opioid crisis, which continues to ravage our country today. The lawsuit serves as a case study on how the DOJ and the media, in this instance, STAT News and Charles Piller, can reinforce each other's narratives without a factual basis, all while evading accountability. The lawsuit alleges that the government's discredited investigation and pervasive prosecutorial misconduct, dating back to 2016, destroyed a 300-employee company, which was ranked amongst the fastest growing technology companies in America by the Inc 500 and the Deloitte Technology Fast500. Mr. Meshkin's recent innovations in the healthcare industry have earned him positive acclaim across influential business media outlets such as Forbes, underscoring the significant impact of his work. The widely publicized indictment of Brian Meshkin, along with 11 others including leading clinicians at National Spine and Pain Centers, received extensive media coverage from sources including the Orange County Business Journal, OC Register and San Diego Union Tribune. It was marred from its inception by significant government misconduct, including the lead FBI Special Agent reviewing and sharing attorney-client privileged information with prosecutors, as well as the fabrication and misrepresentation of evidence, among other issues. Additionally, the Government provided evidentiary electronic files from Proove to his defense counsel during the criminal proceedings and the Government added a pejorative derogatory phrase into the file names of the electronic files provided to Mr. Meshkin's defense counsel. When Mr. Meshkin's defense counsel asked about the Government's effort to rename many electronic files, including privileged documents, with a file name inclusive of this derogatory phrase in a meet and confer letter, AUSA Green and his investigative team explained that the renaming of those files was a "technical glitch." These governmental abuses, among many others, spanned more than five years before being exposed in a series of court filings which culminated in the DOJ asking the court to dismiss the entire case "in the interests of justice." Preston Brock, Associate Attorney: "PHLK and Mr. Meshkin will ensure restitution is secured and that the Government and all parties who partook in this injustice are held to account. Said parties include Special Agent Leah Chambers and Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph 'Josh' Greene, who left the U.S. Attorney's San Diego Office shortly after dismissing Mr. Meshkin's case. Our office has retrieved all materials seized by the FBI during the 2017 search of Proove, and our own investigation is ongoing. Notably, we were surprised to find Mr. Meshkin's personal laptops among the seized materials, neither of which were present at Proove when it was searched in 2017. Rather, the laptops were being stored at Mr. Meshkin's personal residence, which was not searched by the FBI at any point before or after the search of Proove was executed. The FBI has not offered any explanation for its possession of Mr. Meshkin's personal laptops, and our office intends to discover the means by which they were obtained. All relevant parties have received official communications from PHLK today informing them of their responsibility to retain records for what is termed a "litigation hold." In filing suit against the Federal Government today, we begin our unrelenting process of securing justice and restitution for Mr. Meshkin." Images of two damaged personal laptops from Mr. Meshkin mysteriously returned by the FBI following the dismissal. Neither laptop was stored at the two Proove office locations searched on June 7, 2017. On the date of the FBI's search, both laptops were located at Mr. Meshkin's personal residence, then shared by his ex-wife and former Proove General Counsel, Catherine Meshkin, Esq. It is unclear how they came to be in the FBI's possession and no explanation has been offered. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10684/223466_figure1.jpg Brian Plante, Managing Partner: "As we allege in the Complaint, this case involves serious government misconduct in the investigation and prosecution of Mr. Meshkin. The Complaint details the misconduct, which began in 2017 when the DOJ misrepresented evidence to obtain a search warrant, improperly executed the search warrant by confiscating privileged material in violation of Mr. Meshkin's constitutional rights, falsified FBI reports to cover up the misconduct, and continued to prosecute the case even after being provided with exculpatory evidence proving that Proove's business practices complied with all applicable laws. The government's wrongful prosecution of Mr. Meshkin lasted for five years, until the DOJ was pressed by the Federal District Court Judge in the case to explain its conduct. Unable to do so and fearing they had been exposed, the government immediately dismissed the case 'in the interests of justice.' We are confident in our case and look forward to our civil justice system holding the government accountable and compensating Mr. Meshkin for everything he has lost." Following the dismissal of Mr. Meshkin's case in December of 2022, he has stated that he intends to take legal action against those who harmed him to protect others from similar injustices, as well as continue his life-long mission of lifting the lives of others, inclusive of the launching of new predictive health and genetics companies to finish the mission he started: "There has been extensive damage to my character, life, and business for years by a few bad actors at the Department of Justice and their network of complicit parties who have lied extensively," states Meshkin, "Sadly, these types of prosecutorial abuses in healthcare are commonplace, and the spread of lies and misinformation in the media is well-established. It is my sincere hope that this action will help spare others the pain and suffering that this situation caused to so many, and I hopefully can recoup some of what was taken from me. Personally, I am so grateful for my religious faith that has given me the strength to choose to be better, rather than bitter. After so many years of building a well-respected reputation, it's been hard to lose so much, both personally and professionally. I give all the credit and glory to our loving and caring Heavenly Father, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and my wife, Kerry, who have been by my side through all the trials and tribulations of these last several years. I learned at a young age that when you go through difficult times, one of the best things you can do is to help support others who are going through similar things, or help prevent such tragedies from happening to others. After going through this awful experience, it is my hope that I can use what I have learned in some small way to help prevent these types of injustices from happening again. I am continuing my life's journey, which has been focused on saving and improving the lives of many and I am hopeful to see what this 'comeback story' holds." About Plante Huegunin Lebovic Kahn LLP: Plante Huegunin Lebovic Kahn LLP ("PHLK") is a premier civil litigation firm with a team of trial attorneys that possess the skill, experience, and perseverance to win. The firm represents individuals, small businesses, and Fortune 500 companies in litigated matters throughout the country, with offices in Irvine, Roseville, Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas, Dallas, Seattle, and Washington D.C. For more information, please visit PHLK's website. About Brian Meshkin: Brian Meshkin is an award-winning social entrepreneur. He is currently the Executive Chairman of two new companies - Outcomeus and Proove Genomics - recently featured in Forbes. Over the past six years, Brian has led social impact investment group Profound Ventures, which has a portfolio of device, diagnostic, therapeutic, and digital health companies trying to alleviate human pain and suffering, where they have helped raise over $150M into those ventures. Previously, Brian was the founder and CEO of Proove Biosciences, the leading precision pain medicine company. Brian was the 2016 Emerging Technology Company CEO of the Year Award Winner of the OCTANe High Tech Awards (HTA), a two-time finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year in Orange County, and a 2016 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Winner from the OC Business Journal. Previous to Proove, Brian founded nutritional genetics firm, Salugen (acquired by Sherbrooke Equity), was a Team Leader at the e.Lilly venture fund - a division of Eli Lilly & Company, former manager of digital health at Johnson & Johnson for the company's largest product and helped direct new products and marketing for Prometheus Laboratories (acquired by Nestle Health Sciences). According to ResearchGate, Brian is among the top 15% in the world as a published researcher of peer-reviewed scientific papers and several book chapters. He routinely speaks on entrepreneurship, innovation, and precision medicine at various conferences across North America. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/223466 SOURCE: Proove Genomics Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2024) - Mineral Road Discovery Inc. (CSE: ROAD) (the "Company" or "ROAD") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement of up to 4,000,000 shares at a price of $0.075 per share for proceeds of $300,000 (the "Private Placement"). Proceeds will be used for general working capital. The Private Placement is subject to approval by the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE"). All shares issued upon closing of the Private Placement will be subject to a four month hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and such securities may not be offered or sold within the United States absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from U.S. registration requirements. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jason Cubitt Chief Executive Officer Emma Fairhurst Chairperson Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this news release. Not for distribution to United States Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/223557 SOURCE: Mineral Road Discovery Inc. Aucctus, a Toronto, Canada-based AI startup providing an enterprise innovation management platform, raised $1.5M in Seed funding. The round was led by Four Cornerstones Capital. The company intends to use the funds to expand its team of AI and machine learning engineers, further developing its proprietary technologies and enhancing the platforms capabilities. Led by CEO Tyler Anderson, and President Vincent Atallah, Aucctus provides an AI-powered innovation management platform which alllows corporate innovators to identify new ideas, vet them against market trends and corporate strategy, propose financial models, identify target customers, and test assumptions. Founded in early 2024, the company has spent eight months building with eight of the worlds largest companies and is now rolling the platform out to thousands of employees across Canada, the U.S, Europe, and the Middle East. FinSMEs 16/09/2024 c/side, a San Francisco, CA-based cybersecurity company with tools for monitoring, optimizing, and securing vulnerable browser-side third-party scripts, raised $6M in Seed funding. The round was led by Uncork Capital, with participation from Mantis VC, Scribble Ventures, Roar Ventures, and PrimeSet. c/sides total funding is now $7.7M, following a pre-seed round announced earlier this year. Led by CEO and Founder Simon Wijckmans, c/side is a cybersecurity startup focused on browser-side detection and protection. With an advanced proxy service and an AI-driven detection engine, the company offers a comprehensive toolkit to identify and neutralize malicious scripts in real-time. The solution bolsters website security, and enhances website performance. Beyond safeguarding organizations from cyberattacks, c/sides technology also simplifies compliance with stringent industry regulations like PCI DSS 4.0, making it a critical and particularly timely tool for businesses accepting digital payments via their sites. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate the development of its flagship product, a proxy solution for securing third-party web scripts, deepen its vulnerability detection engines capabilities, and grow its team to support customer service, sales, partnership, and marketing functions. FinSMEs 16/09/2024 CACI, a Reston, VA-based (NYSE: CACI) provider of technology solutions for national security, acquired Azure Summit Technology, a Fairfax, Virginia- and Melbourne, FL-based engineering company that develops and delivers high-performance RF hardware and software defined technologies, for $1.275 Billion. With the acquisition, CACI will expand its offerings. Azure Summit is an engineering company that develops and delivers high-performance RF hardware and software defined technologies for national security applications. Its diverse team of qualified engineers and mission subject matter experts (SMEs) with backgrounds in electrical, mechanical, RF, hardware, software, and systems engineering offers innovative signal processing solutions to challenging problems on platforms ranging from UAVs to manned aircraft and maritime platforms. Led by John Mengucci, President and Chief Executive Officer, CACI International Inc (NYSE: CACI) delivers expertise and differentiated technology to U.S. government customers in support of critical national security missions via 24,000 employees. FinSMEs 16/09/2024 The streets that lead to the Peacock Theater where the awards were being held were blocked by the protestors that demanded #FreePalestine read more The Bear came back for seconds in a big way at the Emmys, scoring repeat wins Sunday night four times including best actor, best supporting actor and best supporting actress in a comedy, while British upstart Baby Reindeer won four of its own, including best limited series. However, the start of the awards ceremony was delayed due to some protesters. Many pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets in downtown Los Angeles. The streets that lead to the Peacock Theater where the awards were being held were blocked by the protestors that demanded #FreePalestine. They carried placards that read No justifying the murder of children according to Variety. Advertisement And Deadline reported there were about 35 of them. Stars presenting Emmys to their peers included: Kathy Bates, Billy Crystal, Viola Davis, Giancarlo Esposito, Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, Maya Rudolph, Dick Van Dyke and Martin Sheen. Several actors and shows, including Rudolph, are already winners. Rudolph won her sixth Emmy Award at last weekends Creative Arts Emmys for her voice work on Big Mouth. Jamie Lee Curtis also picked up a supporting actress Emmy last weekend for her appearance on The Bear and Shogun set a single season record for most wins with 14, a lead it looks to expand. With added inputs from agencies From the moment he first appeared in public, snuggled in Princess Dianas arms outside the London hospital where he was born in 1984, Harry was the ginger-haired scamp who stuck his tongue out at photographers read more Prince Harry was always something different. From the moment he first appeared in public, snuggled in Princess Dianas arms outside the London hospital where he was born in 1984, Harry was the ginger-haired scamp who stuck his tongue out at photographers. He grew to be a boisterous adolescent who was roundly criticized for wearing a Nazi uniform to a costume party, and then a young man who gave up the trappings of royal life and moved to Southern California with his American wife. Advertisement Through it all, there was a sense that Harry was rebelling against an accident of birth that made him, in the harsh calculus of the House of Windsor, just the spare. As the second son of the man who is now King Charles III, he was raised as a prince but wouldnt inherit the throne unless brother William came to harm. Harry is turning 40 on Sunday. Thats the halfway point in many lives, providing a chance to either dwell on the past or look forward to what might still be achieved. For the past four years, Harry has focused mainly on the past, making millions of dollars by airing his grievances in a wildly successful memoir and a Netflix docu-series. But he faces the likelihood that the royal aura so critical to his image may be fading, said Sally Bedell Smith, author of Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life. He is at a sort of crossroads, Smith told The Associated Press. And he appears to be struggling with how he wants to proceed. How did we get here? It wasnt always this way. Six years ago, Harry and his wife were among the most popular royals, a glamorous young couple who reflected the multicultural face of modern Britain and were expected to help revitalize the monarchy. Their wedding on May 19, 2018 united a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II with the former Meghan Markle, a biracial American actress who had starred for seven years in the U.S. television drama Suits. George Clooney, Serena Williams and Elton John attended their wedding at Windsor Castle, after which the couple were formally known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Advertisement But the optimism quickly faded amid allegations that Britains tabloid media and even members of the royal household treated Meghan unfairly because of racism. By January of 2020, the pressures of life in the gilded cage had become too much, and the couple announced they were giving up royal duties and moving to America, where they hoped to become financially independent. They signed lucrative deals with Netflix and Spotify as they settled into the wealthy enclave of Montecito, near Santa Barbara, California. Since then, Harry has missed few opportunities to bare his soul, most famously in his memoir, aptly titled Spare. In the ghostwritten book, Harry recounted his grief at the death of Princess Diana, a fight with Prince William and his unease with life in the royal shadow of his elder brother. From accounts of cocaine use and losing his virginity to raw family rifts, the book was rife with damning allegations about the royal family. Advertisement Among the most toxic was Harrys description of how some family members leaked unflattering information about other royals in exchange for positive coverage of themselves. The prince singled out his fathers second wife, Queen Camilla, accusing her of feeding private conversations to the media as she sought to rehabilitate an image tarnished by her role in the breakup of Charles marriage to Diana. The allegations were so venomous that there is little chance of a return to public duty, Smith said. He criticized the royal family in such a powerful and damaging way. You cant un-say those things, she said. And you cant unsee things like Meghan in that Netflix series doing a mock curtsey. Its such a demeaning gesture to the queen. Advertisement Harry, who agreed not to use the honorific HRH, or his royal highness, after he stepped away from front-line royal duties, is now fifth in line to the British throne, behind his brother and Williams three children. While he grew up in a palace and is said to be in line to inherit millions of pounds on his 40th birthday from a trust set up by his great-grandmother, applied developmental psychologist Deborah Heiser thinks that, in many ways, Harry is just like the rest of us. Like anyone turning 40, he is likely to have learned a few lessons and has a good idea of who his real friends are, and that will help him chart the next phase of his life, said Heiser, who writes a blog called The Right Side of 40 for Psychology Today. Advertisement He has had a very public display of what a lot of people have gone through, Heiser said. I mean, most people are not princes, but they have all kinds of issues within their families. Hes not alone. Thats why hes so relatable. Harrys next chapter Of course, Harrys story isnt just about the drama within the House of Windsor. If he wants to write a new chapter, Harry can build on his 10 years of service in the British Army. Before retiring as a captain in 2015, the prince earned his wings as a helicopter pilot, served two tours in Afghanistan and shed the hard-partying reputation of his youth. Harry also won accolades for establishing the Invictus Games in 2014, a Paralympic-style competition to inspire and aid in the rehabilitation of sick and wounded servicemembers and veterans. Harry and Meghan made headlines this year with their two international trips to promote mental health and internet safety. While some in British media criticized them for accepting royal treatment in Nigeria and Colombia, the couple said they visited at the invitation of local officials. Harry has also made battling the British tabloids a central mission in the past few years and has sued them over old allegations they hacked his phone and spied on his private life. Harrys ire at the tabloids, which he blames in part for his mothers death and for driving him to the U.S., led him to buck family tradition and become the first senior royal to testify in court in more than a century, winning one trial with two more cases pending. Will Charles see the grandkids? Prospects of reconciliation are unclear, though Harry did race home to see his father after Charles cancer diagnosis. And in what may be seen as a tentative olive branch, the paperback edition of Spare slated for October has no additions so nothing new to stir the pot. But plainly at this point, Harry is thinking about his family in California. He told the BBC about the importance of his two young children, Archie and Lilibet. Being a dad is one of lifes greatest joys and has only made me more driven and more committed to making this world a better place, the prince said in a statement released by his spokesperson. Netflixs Sector 36 film is not for the weak hearts. The film makes you visit the horrific Nithari killings case. We have already written about the case and Surinder Koli who was accused of cannibalism. Here is all you need to know about the co-accused Moninder Singh Pandher. read more Remember the Nitharis House of Horrors. If the smell and taste of human blood gives you a high, this movie is a must watch. The plot of the Netflix original movie, Sector 36, is based on the Nithari Killings case in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, which shook the soul of the nation in 2006. The Hindu report stated, Nithari Killings is nothing short of a betrayal of public trust. Inspired from true story and touching upon the present day situation, the scam behind organ trading, selling of unclaimed dead bodies and how it works, the film has shown every bit of it in detail. Advertisement Who is Moninder Singh Pandher? Moninder Singh Pandher was a history graduate from St Stephens College, Delhi. He was the co-accused in the Nithari killings case . But for many he was the main person behind Nithari Killings case in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. All the murders and rapes of Moninder Singh Pandher young children and women were happening in his luxurious Noida house. Though, Surinder Koli, his servant from Uttarakhand Almora who moved to Delhi in search of a better life was accused of cannibalism, rape and murder was sentenced for life imprisonment. But Moninder Singh Pandher who was a pedophile was set free. Being the prime accused as per reports he was released from prison in 2023 due to lack of evidence and he and his servant had wiped away all the evidences. While his domestic help, Surendra Koli, is still in jail serving a life sentence for his involvement in the 2006 case. He now lives in Chandigarh. Why was Moninder Singh Pandher set free? According to reports, in its acquittal order, the Allahabad High Court had noted that the prosecution had failed to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt and that the investigation was botched up. He is the owner of the D-5 bungalow in Noidas Sector 31 where 16 children were raped, murdered and mutilated. A wealthy businessman who lead a life of luxury and had inherited a successful transport business. His wife continued to live in Chandigarh while he was in Delhi. In the absence of his wife he and his domestic help used to rape young girls and children. According to the India Today report which states, The two were charged with rape and murder and sentenced to death in the killings in Nithari, Noida, which horrified the nation with details of sexual assault, brutal murder and hints of possible cannibalism. WATCH the trailer of Vikrant Massey starrer Netflixs starrer Sector 36 here: In a surprise announcement, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Sunday he will step down from the post in two days. His declaration triggered a frenzy, with speculations rife about his successor. Who will be the next CM? read more Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, AAP MP Sanjay Singh and other leaders during a party workers meeting, in New Delhi, September 15, 2024. PTI Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal bowled a googly on Sunday (September 15) by announcing his plan to resign in two days. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chiefs surprise declaration has generated buzz, with several names doing the rounds who could succeed him. Kejriwal, who walked out of jail on Friday after securing bail from the Supreme Court in a corruption case related to the Delhi excise policy case, said he would not sit on the CMs chair until people give him a certificate of honesty. I will only sit on the CMs chair after people give me a certificate of honesty. I want to give agnipariksha after coming out of jail. I will become chief minister and Manish Sisodia deputy CM only when people say we are honest, he said. Advertisement With this, Kejriwal ruled out the possibility of his former deputy replacing him as the Delhi CM. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hit out at the Delhi CM over the announcement, terming it a PR stunt. The Congress, which is part of the INDIA bloc along with the AAP, has dubbed it a gimmick. What happens next and who can succeed Kejriwal as Delhi CM? Lets take a closer look. What next? Kejriwal made the unexpected announcement of stepping down while addressing AAP leaders and workers at the party headquarters on Sunday. The AAP convenor said a meeting of party legislators will be held in the coming days to pick his successor. AAP MLAs will reportedly gather on Tuesday (September 17) to decide the next Delhi CM. As per a Mint report, the Delhi Assembly would not be dissolved. Instead, the new CM will take the oath, along with new ministers. After resigning, Kejriwal would focus on the upcoming elections in Haryana and Delhi. Kejriwal has also called for advancing the Delhi Assembly elections to November when polls are slated for Maharashtra. I will sit on the CMs chair only after being elected. The elections are supposed to be held in February. I demand elections be held in November with Maharashtra elections Till elections are held, someone else from the party will be the chief minister, the AAP chief said. Advertisement The BJP questioned Kejriwals decision to quit after two days and not on Sunday itself. To this, Delhi minister Atishi said at a press conference yesterday, Today is Sunday and it is Eid on Monday, so the next working day will be Tuesday. Who can replace Kejriwal? Speculations are rife about who the next chief minister of Delhi could be. Sunita Kejriwal, the Delhi CMs wife, is being seen as a potential successor. The 1993-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer has been in the spotlight since her husband was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 and sent to Tihar jail on April 1. Advertisement She was a prominent face of the party during the AAPs Lok Sabha campaigns in Delhi, Haryana and Gujarat. Sunita Kejriwals experience in bureaucracy could give her an edge. However, she is not a member of AAP. If she replaces her husband, she would have to first join the party and get elected as an MLA within three months, noted India Today. BJPs Shehzad Poonawalla has asked whether Kejriwal would choose his wife as his successor on the concept of all power and no responsibility for himself, reported News18. The AAP would come under fire if Sunita Kejriwal becomes the CM, with the BJP likely to attack the party over family politics. Advertisement A senior AAP leader has denied Sunita Kejriwal taking over as the Delhi CM, telling PTI that an MLA from the party is expected to be the new chief minister. Atishi, who is also among the frontrunners, holds several key portfolios in the Delhi government, including education, women and child development (WCD), power and the public works department (PWD). She emerged as one of the most visible AAP leaders after Kejriwals arrest. Advertisement The Kalkaji MLA is among the partys top spokespersons, defending the AAP in the media and leading the charge against the BJP. Kejriwal chose her to hoist the tricolour on his behalf at the official function of the Delhi government on Independence Day. However, Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena rejected the plan and nominated Kailash Gahlot instead. The name of Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai is also doing the rounds. A senior party member, Rai has been part of the government since the party first came to power in 2013, noted PTI. As per India Today, he has a deep tie to the citys working class. His experience dealing with Delhis pressing issues like pollution and labour welfare makes him a viable contender for the CM post. Kailash Gahlot holds crucial portfolios, including home, revenue, and law, justice and legislative affairs. His work as the transport minister has been notable. Being one of the senior leaders in the AAP, Gahlot could be chosen as Kejriwals replacement. AAP sources told Indian Express, Someone from the party or a minister will be selected for the post but names of Atishi, Rai and Gahlot are doing the rounds. Atishi has a good rapport with officials and knows how to get work done. Similarly, Gahlot is active in party work and meetings. He also gets work done in his departments despite tussles with bureaucrats, a source added. Saurabh Bharadwaj, a three-time MLA from Greater Kailash, has also been at the forefront of keeping the AAPs position in public and taking on the BJP. Delhis health minister previously worked as a software engineer. The names of Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha have also come up. However, Singh is also out on bail in the excise policy case and it seems unlikely the AAP will pick him. According to PTI, AAP sources have said that the next CM could be from the minority community as the party has witnessed a decline in support since the 2020 Delhi riots. In such a case, Delhi Minister Imran Hussain could be a surprise candidate. The next chief minister could also be from the Dalit community given the forthcoming Delhi Assembly elections. As Delhi gets a new CM, officials are hopeful it will give a boost to the projects that need to be implemented or extended. Whoever becomes the CM, it will be good as several pending Cabinet proposals will be cleared, a senior official told Indian Express. While selecting a new CM for just a few months, the AAP will have to consider the possible repercussions of a power tussle in the future. This was recently seen in Jharkhand between Jharkhand Mukti Morchas (JMM) Hemant Soren and Champai Soren. We will have to wait and watch to see who the next Delhi CM will be. With inputs from agencies Mini-moons are asteroids that fail to escape Earths gravity and end up orbiting the planet for a time. The 33-foot asteroid 2024 PT5 will revolve in Earths orbit beginning this month. However, it will be too faint for the naked eye or most amateur telescopes to notice read more From September 29 to November 25 this year, a 'mini-moon' will orbit around the Earth, providing rare company to our very own satellite. Image for Representation.Pixabay Moon, the Earths closest companion, will have to share its limelight, as a new mini-moon is set to make a debut on the celestial stage. From September 29 to November 25 this year, a mini-moon will orbit around the Earth, providing rare company to our very own satellite, before breaking free from the planets gravitational tether and flying off into space, a report published in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society revealed. Advertisement Heres what we know about mini-moons. What is a mini-moon? The term mini-moon refers to asteroid 2024 PT5, which will become a two-month-long companion to the Moon. Asteroids that fail to escape Earths gravity, momentarily alter their trajectory and end up orbiting the planet for a time. These asteroids are referred to as mini-moons. These small, fast-moving asteroids are difficult to detect and identify. Raul de la Fuente Marcos, an astronomer at the Complutense University of Madrid and co-author of the study, told The New York Times (NYT), Every time an object with an orbit so Earth-like is discovered, there is a chance that we are just recovering space debris. However, this time it a actually a natural object, she added. The RNAAS report, authored by Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raul de la Fuente Marcos, says that Earth has a tendency to capture asteroids and pull them into its orbit. These celestial objects sometimes perform one or more full revolutions around our planet while other times, they break away from the Earths elliptical path before completing an orbit. What we know about Asteroid 2024 PT5 Asteroid 2024 PT5 was first detected on August 7 by NASAs Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), which is funded to monitor potential asteroid impacts. With a diameter of just 10 metres (33 feet), 2024 PT5 is relatively small and has orbital characteristics similar to asteroids from the Arjuna asteroid belt, which shares an orbit around the Sun similar to Earths. Advertisement During its 53-day orbit around Earth, it will not complete a full revolution but instead perform a horseshoe loop before drifting away from Earths gravitational influence. Earth is about to gain a temporary mini-moonasteroid 2024 PT5. Discovered on August 7, 2024, this asteroid is roughly 10 meters (33 feet) in diameter and will be captured by Earth's gravity from September 29 to November 25, 2024. During this time, the asteroid will loop around pic.twitter.com/xDZERy3CsS Erika (@ExploreCosmos_) September 13, 2024 As per Paul Chodas, director of NASAs Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 2024 PT5 might be a fragment from the Moon, possibly ejected by a past lunar impact. Despite this possible lunar origin, it may not technically qualify as a mini-moon. It certainly wont complete one full revolution in the Earth-Moon system this fall, so Im not sure I would classify it as a mini-moon, Lance Benner, principal investigator of the asteroid radar research program at JPL told NYT. Although Earth has hosted mini-moons before, 2024 PT5 will be too faint for the naked eye or most amateur telescopes. With a magnitude of 22, it will only be visible to advanced observatories, researchers said. Advertisement Despite its small size and brief appearance, asteroid 2024 PT5 provides valuable insights into the dynamics of near-Earth objects. Studying its interaction with Earths gravity can help astronomers refine models of gravitational interaction and improve predictions for how other asteroids might behave when passing close to our planet. Has Earth seen a mini-moon before? Yes, Earth has experienced mini-moons in the past. In 2006, an asteroid was captured by Earths gravity and orbited our planet for a year, from July 2006 to July 2007. The newly discovered 2024 PT5 shares similarities with 2022 NX1, a temporary flyby that orbited Earth in 1981 and again in 2022 without completing a full orbit. It is expected to return for another semi-orbit around 2051. Advertisement With input from agencies Storm Boris has dumped a months worth of rain and strong winds in only one day in several parts of central and eastern Europe. The worst affected are Poland, Romania, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, where towns and villages were inundated, dozens of trees were downed and several bridges were damaged. Over the past two days, eight people have died and several have gone missing read more After a hot start to September, Europe is experiencing record rains and flash flooding in parts of central and eastern countries. Storm Boris has dumped a months worth of rain and strong winds in only one day on large portions of Poland, Romania, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. Because of the flooding, the death toll was rising and several people went missing. Here is why the storm is so deadly. Storm Boris Storm Boris, a slow-moving low-pressure system, is currently bringing extreme torrential rain across central and eastern Europe, with more downpours projected until at least the end of Monday. Advertisement According to BBC, two reasons why the storm has been so destructive are: 1. moisture pulled up from the Black Seas exceptionally warm seas and the Mediterranean combined with chilly air from the north. 2. There is a low-pressure area that is caught between high pressure to the east and west in a blocked weather pattern. A firefighter wades through flooded streets in Opava, Czech Republic. AP The World Weather Attribution Network concluded that the likelihood and intensity of major flooding events in Europe were rising due to climate change after witnessing severe flooding in 2021. Fierce rainfall Most parts of the Czech Republic have been affected as authorities declared the highest flood warnings at around 100 places across the country. The situation was worst in two northeastern regions that recorded the biggest rainfall in recent days, including the Jeseniky mountains near the Polish border. Towns and villages in the Jeseniky mountains were inundated and isolated by raging waters that turned roads into rivers. Strong winds downed dozens of trees, damaged cars and a number of bridges, and blocked roads and traffic. Jesenik Mayor Zdenka Blistanova told Czech public television that several houses in her and other nearby towns have been destroyed by the floods. According to The Associated Press, about 260,000 households were without power on Sunday morning in the entire country, while traffic was halted on many roads, including the major D1 highway. A view of the partially collapsed Carolabrucke bridge over the Elbe, which is rising rapidly due to upcoming flood waters, in front of the state chancellery in Dresden, Germany, Sunday. AP The Oder River that flows to Poland was reaching extreme levels in the city of Ostrava and in Bohumin, prompting evacuations. Almost no trains were operating in the region. Advertisement The municipality of Austrias Lilienfeld, with about 25,000 residents, is cut off from the outside world. Residents were told to boil tap water as a precaution. The situation is particularly dangerous along the Kamp River, which flows into the Danube. The Ottenstein reservoir on the river functions as a buffer, but exceeding its limits could cause more flooding, experts say. In Vienna, the Wien River overflowed its banks, flooding homes and forcing the first evacuations of nearby houses. Polish PM Tusk said the situation was dramatic around the town of Klodzko, with about 25,000 residents, located in a valley in the Sudetes mountains near the border with the Czech Republic. Advertisement River Wien floods its banks in the west of Vienna, Austria, Sunday. AP In Glucholazy, rising waters overflowed a river embankment and flooded streets and houses. Mayor Pawe Szymkowicz said, We are drowning, and appealed to residents to evacuate to high ground. A bridge in the town collapsed under the flood pressure and a police station building was knocked down in Stronie Slaskie, after floodwaters burst through a dam. Submerged cars could be seen in many places in the Kodzko Valley region bordering the Czech Republic, while a new flood wave was expected there. The Polish authorities were also forced to shut the Gokowice border crossing with the Czech Republic after a river flooded its banks, and close several roads and halt trains on the line linking the towns of Prudnik and Nysa, according to The Guardian. Advertisement In the city of Jelenia Gora, which has 75,000 residents, downtown streets were flooded after one of the embankments burst on the Bobr River. Energy supplies and communications were cut off in some flooded areas, and regions may resort to using the satellite-based Starlink service, Tusk said. Slovakia has declared a state of emergency in the capital, Bratislava. Heavy rains are expected to continue until at least Monday in the Czech Republic and Poland. Hungarian capital Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony has warned, According to forecasts, one of the biggest floods of the past years is approaching Budapest, but we are prepared to tackle it. Advertisement The Bela River flows past a church during floods in Mikulovice, Czech Republic, Saturday. AP Death toll Several Central European nations have already by hit by severe flooding, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania. Slovakia and Hungary might come next as a result of a low-pressure system from northern Italy dumping record rainfall in the region since Thursday. Over the past two days, six people have died in floods in southeast Romania. The worst affected region was Galati, where over 5,000 homes were damaged. A firefighter died after slipping on stairs while pumping out a flooded basement in the town of Tullin in Austria. Residents watch the river during floods Jesenik, Czech Republic, Sunday. AP In Poland, one person was presumed dead in floods in the southwest, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Sunday. In the Czech Republic, four people who were swept away by waters were missing, police said. Three of them had been in a car that was swept into a river in the northeastern town of Lipova-lazne, while another man was missing after being swept away by floods in the southeast, The Guardian report claimed. Vb conditions The term Vb (pronounced five-B weather conditions) weather conditions, which is rarely used in English media, was initially used in 1891 by German meteorologist Wilhelm Jacob van Bebber, who numbered common low-pressure system courses in Roman numerals, according to German-outlet DW. The designations Va, Vc, and Vd have now become less common. However, meteorologists sometimes refer to unusual pressure systems as Vb when describing the severe rains and frequently catastrophic devastation that can occur in Europe, the report explained. A resident with his dog is taken by a rubber boat from his flooded house in Jesenik, Czech Republic, Sunday. AP Low pressure systems that travel from west to east throughout the continent frequently influence the weather in Europe. However, in a Vb weather setting, the low pressure systems route alters: because of the cooler air masses over western Europe, the low pressure system flows towards the Mediterranean Sea. These low-pressure zones in the Mediterranean are also referred to as Genoa, Adriatic, or Balearic lows, depending on the location of the core. Across the Czech Republic and Poland, and up through Scandinavia, the low pressure area forces extremely humid air from the Mediterranean region past the eastern edge of the Alps. The system spreads across Europe, bringing with it considerable precipitation. This was also seen during the flooding in June 2024 in eastern and southern Germany. While very warm southern and cold northern air masses strongly exchange in the spring and autumn, Vb weather conditions may develop anytime, according to DW. A man stands in waist-deep water that has flooded the streets and houses in the town of Kodzko, in Polands southwest, Sunday, September 15, 2024, after days of unusually heavy rain. AP A well-known example of a Vb weather pattern is the August 2002 flood of the century that happened close to the Elbe river in Germany. Climate change is predicted to result in increasingly extreme weather in Vb. Evacuation and rescue operations In the city of Opava, up to 10,000 people out of a population of around 56,000 have been asked to move to higher ground. Rescuers used boats to transport people to safety in a neighbourhood flooded by the raging Opava River, according to AP. Firemen help residents during floods in Jesenik, Czech Republic, Sunday. AP Theres no reason to wait, Mayor Tomas Navratil told Czech public radio, adding that the situation was worse than during the last devastating floods in 1997, known as the flood of the century. Thousands of others also were evacuation in the towns of Krnov, which was almost completely flooded, and Cesky Tesin. In Jeseniky mountains, the military sent a helicopter to help with evacuations. Authorities declared the entire state of Lower Austria in the northeastern part of the country a disaster zone, while 10,000 relief forces have so far evacuated 1,100 houses there. Emergency personnel have started setting up accommodation for residents who had to flee their homes due to the flooding. A resident hugs with her relative after being evacuated from her flooded house in Jesenik, Czech Republic, Sunday, September 15, 2024. AP According to the report, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said the situation continues to worsen. He said 2,400 soldiers were ready to support the relief effort in Austria. Of those, 1,000 soldiers will deploy to the disaster zone in Lower Austria, where dams were beginning to burst. In Polands Klodzko, helicopters were used to pick up people from roofs in a few cases. With inputs from agencies Moo Deng, a two-month-old baby pygmy hippo from a Thailand zoo, has been famous. Her videos have amassed millions of views. However, now the animal has had to deal with irrationally eager visitors, who are harassing her by throwing food and water read more Moo Deng is an endearing pygmy hippo born on June 10 to parents Jona and Tony at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailands Chonburi. Image Courtesy: @twaniimals/X A two-month-old baby pygmy hippo from Thailand has been trending on social media lately. The adorable hippo, aptly named Moo Deng, has amassed millions of views. However, as they say, everything comes with a price. The baby pygmy hippo has been tormented by tourists, prompting the zoo authorities to strengthen security measures around her enclosure. The celebrity baby hippo in Thailand Moo Deng was born on June 10 to parents Jona and Tony at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailands Chonburi, according to The Independent. Advertisement Her name, which means bouncy pig, was decided upon through a zoo poll. She has two siblings: Moo Wan, which is sweet pork, and Moo Tun, which is stewed pork. Moo Deng STUNS in new photos https://t.co/Xmyp7cFhcp Patrick Monahan (@pattymo) September 9, 2024 The public was initially introduced to Moo Deng on July 25. The moment I saw Moo-Deng born, I set a goal to make her famous, but I never expected it would spread abroad. I thought she could be famous in Thailand but not internationally, 31-year-old zookeeper Atthapon Nundee told The Guardian. BUT MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM pic.twitter.com/cxubCWuhUi hope hopes hoping (@hopes_revenge) September 8, 2024 Advertisement Her increasing popularity During the pandemic, Nundee started posting videos of every animal under his care to social media, as per Hindustan Times. Fans of the cute hippo on social media cant get enough of her going about her day, whether shes being sprayed with water, being carried by zookeepers, flashing her new teeth, or just lazing around in her enclosure. The only time Mu-Deng stops yelling is when shes biting pic.twitter.com/QNMDlL8rtw Martha Kelly (@MarthaKelly3) September 12, 2024 Advertisement According to Thai PBS, Moo Dengs fame has led to a sharp increase in zoo attendance, with between 6,000 and 7,000 people visiting on weekends. Time magazine has referred to Moo Deng as a legend and the moment. The baby hippo has inspired beauty trends from Sephora, fanart, and zoo products. The makeup company told social media followers to wear your blush like a baby hippo. A cake named too cute to eat was made in her honour by the well-known Vetmon Cafe in Bangkok, The Independent reported. I would kill and die to protect Moo Deng, KILL AND DIE. pic.twitter.com/eANH6EW9QD aaron (@aaronoleary) September 13, 2024 Reports of harassment However, Moo Deng has had to deal with irrationally eager visitors. Concerns have been raised by reports of visitors throwing food and disrupting her attention. Videos of some visitors to the Khao Kheow Open Zoo hurling items at Moo-Deng to catch her attention have appeared online. In a social media video, Moo Deng is shown dozing in her enclosure when one of the visitors pour water on her. In an attempt to catch her attention, other guests have thrown her shellfish and bananas. Zoos response In a statement posted on Thursday, the director of Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Narongwit Chodchoi, asked guests to refrain from making loud noises or throwing objects at her. As reported by the Bangkok Post, he issued a warning, threatening legal action from the zoo against misbehaving visitors. These behaviours are not only cruel but also dangerous, he said. We must protect these animals and ensure that they have a safe and comfortable environment. He also mentioned that an officer had been assigned to watch over her and that the zoo had placed security cameras in the area. Moo Dengs instance demonstrates the fine line between public obsession and the well-being of animals in their enclosures. About the species Pygmy hippos are listed as an endangered species. There were reportedly less than 3,000 in the wild in 1991, according to Hindustan Times, which cited a study. Although they are native to West Africa, habitat loss brought on by human activity is a threat to them. Atthapon stated, I hope that Moo-Dengs cuteness will raise awareness for people to come and learn about (the species). Meanwhile, one of the most severely endangered species in the world, the Javan rhinoceros, had reason to celebrate with the birth of a baby. The birth was reported by the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry along with a video that was taken in May in Javas westernmost point, Ujung Kulon National Park, as per The Independent. The video displayed Iris, the young calf, strolling alongside her mother. The International Rhino Foundation estimates that there are just 80 Javan rhinoceroses remaining in the world, all of which are found in Indonesia. With inputs from agencies Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing a crucial test as an electoral district in Montreal holds a special election on Monday. Amid his waning popularity, a loss in his Liberal Partys stronghold constituency could have far-reaching effects read more The stakes of the Montreal by-election are high for Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. File Photo/AP A special election in Canada is being widely seen as a crucial test for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The vote on Monday (September 16) a by-election to fill a parliamentary seat in Montreal comes amid the plunging popularity of the Canadian PM. Trudeaus sinking popularity has been having consequences for his Liberal Party. It is to be seen whether the party would be able to retain an electoral district in southwestern Montreal that has been its stronghold for years. Advertisement Lets take a closer look. Montreal by-election It is a high-stakes election in Montreal, Quebec, for the Liberals. In June, the Liberal Party lost its safe seat in Toronto in a special election to the opposition Conservative Party. Now, bets are higher. Recent surveys show a tight race between the Liberals, the Quebec nationalist Bloc Quebecois and the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) in the Montreal by-election, as per Al Jazeera. Experts say the special election will be a litmus test for Trudeaus party ahead of the general elections next year. The Toronto loss has further increased the stakes for the Liberals in the Montreal by-election. The election in the electoral district of LaSalleEmardVerdun was necessitated to replace a Liberal legislator who quit, reported Reuters. In the 2021 Canadian general election, the Liberals had won the constituency with 43 per cent of the vote, defeating the separatist Bloc Quebecois which got 22 per cent of the vote and the NDP which secured 19 per cent. A recent poll showed Bloc Quebecois candidate has an edge over the Liberal and NDP candidates. Big test for Trudeau Trudeau, who has been in power in Canada for nine years, is facing a big test. He has become increasingly unpopular amid soaring costs of living and a housing crisis in the country. Advertisement The disillusionment of Canadians from Trudeau is visible in his near-absence from the local campaign. His face does not appear on the Liberal Partys campaign posters. He has also mostly stayed away from campaigning. Right now, theres a lot of dissatisfaction with Mr Trudeaus government, and thats probably going to be felt, Benoit Frenette, a Verdun, Quebec, resident told Al Jazeera. Speaking to New York Times, Michael Altimas, 79, a retired city bus driver in Montreal, said, I am a Liberal supporter, but its almost like enough is enough. For the most part, hes been a good prime minister. But hes had nine years and people are hearing often enough that he messed up, and they dont want to support him anymore," he added. Advertisement Trudeaus approval rate has dipped from 63 per cent when he was first elected in 2015 to 28 per cent in June of this year, as per BBC. Voices from within the Liberal Party have started emerging demanding Trudeau step aside as the party leader. Last November, Canadian Senator Percy Downe called for the PM to make way for a new party leader before the next election. Alexandra Mendes, a Liberal lawmaker who represents a Quebec constituency, said many of her constituents did not want Trudeau. I didnt hear it from two, three people - I heard it from dozens and dozens of people, she told public broadcaster Radio-Canada last week. Hes no longer the right leader. Advertisement If the Liberals lose, Trudeau could come under fire. The calls from the Liberal Party for him to step down as the leader could grow. His government is also under trouble. The Canadian Parliament will resume on Monday. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has vowed to bring a motion of no-confidence in the House of Commons as soon as possible. If the attempt is successful, Canada could head to early elections. Last week, the left-wing NDP withdrew from a supply-and-confidence agreement that kept Trudeaus minority government in power in exchange for advancing key progressive policies. Announcing the decision, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said the Liberals are too weak, too selfish and too beholden to corporate interests to fight for people. Advertisement With the NDPs support gone, every day in Parliament is going to be consequential, Darrell Bricker, a political scientist and pollster with Ipsos, told BBC. Its going to be a very difficult autumn for the Liberals, he added. Will Trudeau step aside? Even if the Liberals lose the Montreal by-election, Trudeau is unlikely to step down and let a fresh face lead the party to the next general election. Rick Bisaillon, a political science professor at Concordia University in Montreal, told Al Jazeera that Trudeau is likely to stay. He seems almost convinced that hes got a mission from God, he said. Justin Trudeau could face growing calls to step aside as the partys leader if Liberals lose the Montreal by-election. File Photo/Reuters Stewart Prest, a political science lecturer at the University of British Columbia, said a Liberal loss on Monday could be a turning point for the party. Are they willing to continue to fight under this leader, or would you start to see stronger calls from within the party for a change in leadership? he was quoted as saying by A_l Jazeera._ It will be fascinating to watch if the Liberals fail to keep the seat if indeed the MPs are essentially jolted into action or if they continue to turn their attention elsewhere and the Liberals continue to seemingly coast towards the inevitable defeat in the next election. Polls predict Liberals could lose power to the Conservatives in the general elections that are to be held before the end of October 2025. According to a recent Leger poll, the Conservative Party is favoured by 45 per cent public, with the Liberals preferred by 25 per cent. With inputs from agencies After the first mpox case was confirmed in India, Bengalurus Kempegowda International Airport has intensified efforts to counter the growing threat of this viral disease. With around 2,000 passengers being screened daily, airport officials are enforcing strict protocols to prevent the virus from entering Karnataka read more Kempegowda International Airport has established four dedicated testing kiosks to screen international passengers, especially those arriving from African nations. Image for Representation. PTI After the first mpox case was confirmed in India, Bengalurus Kempegowda International Airport has intensified efforts to counter the growing threat of this viral disease. In response to the ballooning concern, the Union Health Ministry had earlier issued advisories to major entry points such as airports and seaports across states and Union Territories, instructing them to stay vigilant and manage suspected cases effectively. So, what exactly is being done at Bengaluru Airport, and how will this affect international passengers? Lets dive into the details Advertisement Stepping up vigil Kempegowda International Airport has established four dedicated testing kiosks to screen international passengers, especially those arriving from African nations. With around 2,000 passengers being screened daily, airport officials are enforcing strict protocols to prevent the virus from entering Karnataka. A spokesperson for Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) told The Times of India, KIA is fully prepared and compliant with all health and safety protocols issued by relevant authorities in light of the global mpox situation. All international passengers are being thoroughly checked for elevated temperatures as part of the screening process. The spokesperson added that a designated officer is overseeing the entire operation, ensuring the screening, testing, and tracking processes run smoothly. These heightened measures come after a 26-year-old man from Hisar, Haryana, tested positive for mpox and was admitted to Delhis LNJP Hospital. Following this, Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra issued an advisory to states and union territories, urging them to enhance surveillance and testing efforts. These heightened measures come after a 26-year-old man from Hisar, Haryana, tested positive for mpox and was admitted to Delhis LNJP Hospital. Image for Representation. PTI Earlier, in Tamil Nadu, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) heightened alert levels. Airport Health Officers and Port Health Officers focused on passengers arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African countries, where mpox outbreak has been more severe. Additionally, both Hyderabad and New Delhi cities that are popular among African students pursuing higher education were placed on heightened alert. Advertisement What other measures have been taken? The airports medical services, guided by health authorities, are ready to handle potential cases, the BIAL spokesperson said. If any individual is found to be tested positive for the mpox virus, will be isolated and placed under a 21-day quarantine, following similar protocols to those used during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. The health and safety of passengers and airport personnel remain our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of precautionary measures, the spokesperson further said. In addition to testing, the airport will keep track of the symptoms exhibited by any of the passengers, which include fever, skin rashes, severe headaches, muscle stiffness, and back pain. Advertisement The senior airport medical officer told The Times of India, Seeking immediate medical attention if these symptoms occur is important, as untreated cases could become life-threatening. There is currently no specific treatment for Mpox, making early detection and containment crucial to prevent the spread. The mpox virus occurs through direct contact with infected animals, humans, or contaminated materials. The virus can also spread through respiratory droplets, especially in prolonged close contact. Following treatment, individuals will undergo re-testing, and only once the virus is confirmed to be eradicated will they be released, the BIAL spokesperson said. The clade 1b variety, known for its higher transmissibility through close contact, has caused global concern, especially after recent outbreaks in Africa and Sweden. Advertisement While India has not reported any recent outbreak, between 2022 and March 2024, the country has recorded 30 cases of the older clade 2 strain. Professor Dimie Ogoina, Chair of the IHR Emergency Committee, had told The Indian Express, The current upsurge of mpox in parts of Africa, along with the spread of a new sexually transmissible strain of the virus, is an emergency, not only for Africa but for the entire globe. Mpox, originating in Africa, was neglected there, and later caused a global outbreak in 2022. It is time to act decisively to prevent history from repeating itself, he said. With input from agencies Exiles and activists continue to believe that Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd arrested on September 16, 2022, for allegedly violating the womens dress code, left a lasting impression on Iran and that her terrible death at the age of 22 was not in vain. However, experts believe the government has intensified the repression of women read more Women take part in a rally on the first anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini which prompted protests across the country, in Istanbul, Turkey September 16, 2023. Reuters Persecuting kin who have experienced loss. Criminals face no consequences. Rampant executions and infighting among the opposition. Two years after the beginning of a protest movement that supporters thought would mark a sea change in the Islamic Republics 45-year existence, opponents of Irans religious authorities are faced with a dire picture. Exiles and activists continue to believe that Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd arrested on September 16, 2022, for allegedly violating the womens dress code, left a lasting impression on Iran and that her terrible death at the age of 22 was not in vain. Advertisement The aftermath of protests Following her death, women-led rallies rattled Irans leadership during the autumn and winter of 20222023, threatening not only the regimes fundamental tenet of the mandatory headscarf but also the systems very existence. However, Amnesty International claims that during a crackdown, security personnel used assault weapons and shotguns against protestors, crushing and defeating them. According to human rights organisations, at least 551 people died. The UN said that thousands more people had been taken into custody. A portrait of Mahsa Amini is held during a rally calling for regime change in Iran following the death of Amini, a young woman who died after being arrested in Tehran by Irans notorious morality police. File image/AP Ten men have been executed by Iran in connection with the protests; the most recent of these was Gholamreza Rasaei, who was hung in August after being found guilty of killing a Revolutionary Guard. His confession was allegedly forced upon him, say activists. Countless people in Iran are still reeling from the consequences of the authorities brutal crackdown, said Amnestys deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Diana Eltahawy. To mark the two-year anniversary, the foundation of Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, jailed in Tehrans notorious Evin prison, said 34 women prisoners there went on a hunger strike in solidarity with the protesting people of Iran, against the governments oppressive policies. Brutalising twice over Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports that relatives of scores of protestors who were slain, put to death, or imprisoned were intimidated, threatened, or arrested on false pretences. Advertisement Iranian authorities are brutalising people twice over: executing or killing a family member and then arresting their loved ones for demanding accountability, said HRWs acting Iran researcher, Nahid Naghshbandi. Among those jailed is Mashallah Karami, father of Mohammad Mehdi Karami, who was executed in January 2023, aged just 22, in a case related to the protests. Karami, who had campaigned for his sons memory, was sentenced to six years in jail in May and then in August to another term of almost nine years. Increased repression of women Additionally, the government is strictly enforcing the headscarf requirement. One of the main demands of the demonstrators was its elimination, and at first, the government had given reason to believe that their policy would be more lax. Advertisement Iranian women shout slogans during a demonstration outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul, on Octobe, 2022. Demonstrators protested against the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been detained by Irans morality police in the capital of Tehran for allegedly not adhering to Irans strict Islamic dress code. AP According to Amnesty International, security personnel are enforcing the rule through the so-called Nour (Light) strategy, which includes a visible increase of security patrols on foot, motorbikes, cars, and police vans in public spaces. Iranian women have always considered their cars to be secure havens, but rights organisations claim that over time, they have been targeted more frequently in their cars often using facial recognition software. Impounding cars is one way to punish people. Iran has intensified the repression of women, according to UN experts, and has also started beating, kicking, and slapping women and girls. Amnesty has highlighted the case of 31-year-old Arezou Badri, who it says was left paralysed after police shot her in her car in northern Iran in July, in an incident related to the dress code. Advertisement Even though a UN fact-finding mission in March found that many of the violations in the crackdown amount to crimes against humanity, not one official has been brought to account. Not going back Yet observers outside Iran insist that while the crackdown has allowed the clerical authorities under supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to restore order, Iranian society has changed forever. Many young women remain defiant, said a co-founder of the US-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, Roya Boroumand. Two years after the protests, the Islamic Republics leadership has neither restored the status quo ante nor regained its lost legitimacy. Rights groups said Augusts execution of Gholamreza Rasaei showed no let-up in Irans use of the death penalty under new President Masoud Pezeshkian, elected in July after his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash. Advertisement The Amini protests have exposed deep divisions within the opposition, with no unified group emerging to champion the protesters demands. Abroad, attempts at finding harmony between disparate groups of monarchists, nationalists and liberals have collapsed amid acrimony. The protest movement shook the Iranian regime to the core and further affirmed just how deeply disillusioned Iranians have been with the status quo, said Arash Azizi, visiting fellow at Boston University and author of a book titled What Iranians Want. But the movement also showed the absolute bankruptcy of the opposition alternatives to the regime. He added: I still believe Iran is not going back to pre-2022 and, within the next few years, the Islamic Republic will likely see some fundamental shifts. With inputs from AFP Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh resigned after the September 10 parliamentary polls which saw Islamist parties gain ground in the US-allied nation. Jordans King Abdullah II has asked Jafar Hassan, the head of his office and former planning minister, to form a new government. But what do we know about the situation? read more Jordans Prime Minister has resigned just days after the countrys elections. Bisher al-Khasawneh resigned after parliamentary polls which saw Islamist parties gain ground in the US-allied nation. Jordans King Abdullah II has asked Jafar Hassan, the head of his office, to form a new government. But what is happening in Jordan? Why did al-Khasawneh resign? Lets take a closer look: Whats happening in Jordan? First, it is important to note the power structure in Jordan. Jordan is a monarchy where the ruler has absolute control. Advertisement It is the king who appoints the prime minister and the cabinet. The Parliament, which is bicameral, has limited powers. It comprises the House of Representatives with 138 seats and the Senate with 69 members. While the former are elected, the latter are appointed by the king. Khasawneh, 55, had been leading the government since October 2020. King Abdullah II has absolute power in Jordan. AP The outgoing prime minister had sought to push reforms pushed by King Abdullah to help reverse a decade of sluggish growth hovering at around two per cent that was worsened by the pandemic and conflict in neighbouring Iraq and Syria. Turnout in the polls was just 32 per cent. In Tuesdays election Jordans leading Islamist party, the Islamic Action Front, became the largest in parliament, winning 31 out of the 138 seats. The IAF is a political offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, and the result gives the Islamists their largest representation since 1989. The main issues were voters frustration about economic woes and the war in Gaza. Nearly half of the countrys population is of Palestinian origin. As per Al Jazeera, these citizens are descendants of those forced out of their homes by the Naqba and the 1967 war. Advertisement Jordan in 1994 signed a peace treaty with Israel, becoming only the second Arab state to do so after Egypt, but regular protests have called for the treatys dissolution since the war erupted last October. The Gaza war has hit tourism in Jordan, which relies on the sector for about 14 percent of its gross domestic product. The kingdom is heavily dependent on foreign aid, especially from the United States and the International Monetary Fund. In the first quarter of 2024, the unemployment rate was 21 percent. Why did al-Khasawneh resign? Under the kingdoms constitution, the government usually resigns after legislative elections. King Abdullah on Sunday tasked Jafar Hassan with forming a new government, a palace statement said. Advertisement In a letter published by the palace, King Abdullah called on Hassan to mobilise all efforts to support the steadfastness of our Palestinian brothers in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Holy Jerusalem. He also called on the premier-designate to work with all our energy through Arab and international movements to protect the Palestinian people, and stop the attacks and blatant violations of humanitarian principles and international law. Public service is a great honour and responsibility, which we will carry on with all our capability to serve Jordan and Jordanians, Hassan was quoted as writing on social media by Semafor. Hassan has a PhD in political science from the University of Geneva and a masters degree in public administration from Harvard University. Hassan must now cobble together a new Cabinet to confront a series of challenges, including a struggling economy and widespread public anger over the Israel-Hamas war. Advertisement But the new composition of the 138 member parliament retains a pro-government majority, but a more vocal Islamist-led opposition could challenge IMF-led free-market reforms and foreign policy. With inputs from agencies Sir Keir Starmer may face an investigation for failing to declare that major Labour Party donor Lord Alli gave his wife Lady Victoria Starmer money to cover the cost of hiring a personal shopper, buying new clothes and altering them before and after the UK polls. Under UK laws, all MPs must declare gifts within 28 days read more UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had previously declared $25,000 (Rs 21 lakh) of gifts including clothes and glasses from Lord Alli. Reuters The UKs Prime Minister may be in trouble over his wifes clothes. Sir Keir Starmer may face an investigation for failing to declare that a big Labour Party donor gave his wife Lady Victoria Starmer money to cover the cost of hiring a personal shopper, buying new clothes and altering them before and after the UK polls. But what happened? Why has this snowballed into a row? Lets take a closer look: What happened? Advertisement Prominent Labour supporter Lord Alli is said to have given Lady Starmer money to cover the cost of hiring a personal shopper, buying new clothes and altering them before and after the UK polls, as per The Times. Lord Alli is the former chief of online fashion firm Asos. Starmer alerted parliamentary authorities over the gifts on Tuesday. This came after he was given fresh advice on declaring the gift. This is a problem because under the UKs laws, all MPs must declare gifts within 28 days. As per Metro UK, the rules state that any benefit given to any third party, whether or not this accompanied a benefit for him or her, if the Member is aware, or could reasonably be expected to be aware, of the benefit and that it was given because of his or her membership of the House or parliamentary or political activities. What makes this situation even more strange is that Starmer already recently declared $25,000 (Rs 21 lakh) of gifts including clothes and glasses from Lord Alli, according to Sunday Times. As per BBC, Starmer also recently declared that Lord Alli had put him up for several weeks. The cost of accommodation was over $26,000 (Rs 22 lakh). Advertisement This controversy has come on the heels of news that Lord Alli was granted a temporary pass to 10 Downing Street. This despite Lord Alli having no official role in government. The row was dubbed the passes for glasses affair, as per The Independent. What is 10 Downing Street saying? BBC quoted a 10 Downing Street spokesperson as saying the prime minister believed he had obeyed the rules, but has since declared further gifts. We sought advice from the authorities on coming to office. We believed we had been compliant, however, following further interrogation this month, we have declared further items." The outlet quoted Foreign Secretary David Lammy as saying it is not an issue of transparency. Advertisement The prime minister did declare funds that he received from Lord Alli. Hes then gone back to the parliamentary commissioner to further check details on some of those funds that have made their way to his wife, Lammy told the BBCs Sunday. The truth is that successive prime ministers, unless youre a billionaire like the last one, do rely on political donations so they can look their best both in the hope of representing the country, if youre in the opposition, or as prime minister. Prominent Labour supporter Lord Alli is said to have given Lady Starmer money to cover the cost of hiring a personal shopper, buying new clothes and altering them before and after the UK polls. AP The Conservative Party, as expected, has jumped all over this row calling for a full investigation. Its taken just 10 weeks for Keir Starmer to face an investigation for his conduct, a spokesperson was quoted as saying by Metro. After facing allegations of cronyism and now apparent serious breaches of parliamentary rules there must be a full investigation into the passes for glasses scandal. No doubt the millions of vulnerable pensioners across the country who face choosing between heating and eating would jump at the chance for free clothes just to keep warm in the face of Labours cruel cut. Advertisement What about other world leaders and their wives? Lammym pointing to the United States, claimed that other countries have a substantial budget for clothes for their president and First Lady. In our country there isnt a budget for the prime ministers clothes, or his wifes clothes, Lammy told Sky News. I have just come back from America, where there is a substantial budget to ensure the US president and the first lady, their appearance can never be challenged. But Lammy is mistaken about the US First Lady getting a clothing budget. Advertisement While US presidents are granted a clothing budget of $50,000, there is no such provision for the First Lady which many of them have spoken about. The outlet quoted Laura Bush as writing in her 2010 memoir that she was amazed by the sheer number of designer clothes that I was expected to buy to meet the fashion expectations for a first lady. After our first year in the White House, our accountant said to George, It costs a lot to be president, and he was referring mainly to my clothes, Laura wrote. Michelle Obamas press secretary, Joanna Rosholm, in 2014 told CNBC, Mrs Obama pays for her clothing. Many accept clothes as gifts, to wear at official functions such as state visits, on behalf of the US government. In France, Brigitte Macron does not rely on state funds for her clothes. Instead, she relies on high-profile fashion firms who eagerly lend her clothes. Germany too has no budget for clothing for ministers and their spouses, as per BBC. With inputs from agencies On Sunday, Yemens Houthi rebels launched a missile strike inside Israel, causing panic and further escalation in the war. The attack has also put the spotlight on the militias weapons arsenal. While the exact number of weapons is not confirmed, the group is believed to have drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as anti-ship weapon read more A member of a special force loyal to the Houthi rebels holds an RPG launcher in Sanaa, Yemen. The Houthis on Sunday launched a missile on Israel, putting the spotlight on its weapons arsenal. File image/Reuters The Houthis launched a surface-to-surface missile from Yemen into our territory. They should have known by now that we charge a heavy price for any attempt to harm us. Anyone who attacks us will not escape from our arms, said an indignant Benjamin Netanyahu as he vowed revenge against the Yemen-based group of rebels, after they fired a ballistic missile on Israel on Sunday. Around 6.30 am (local time) on Sunday, air sirens rang out in Israel with local media showing footage of people racing towards shelters at Ben Gurion international airport south-east of Tel Aviv. The panic spread after a missile, claimed by the Houthis to be an advanced surface-to-surface hypersonic missile, hit an open area in the Ben Shemen forest, causing a fire near Kfar Daniel. Fortunately, there were no reports of damage or casualties. Advertisement This marks the latest escalation in the ongoing Israel war against Hamas, which has drawn in other groups such as the Houthis, the Hezbollah and others, which are collectively known as the Irans Axis of Resistance. The strike also puts the spotlight on the weapons stockpile of the Houthis. What is in their arsenal? Where do they get their weapons? We take a closer look and get you the answers. A firefighter works in the area around a fire after the military said it fired interceptors at a missile launched from Yemen that landed in central Israel on Sunday. AP Who are the Houthis? The Houthis are a Yemeni militia group named after their founder Hussein Badreddin al Houthi. They are allied and backed by Iran and are part of the axis of resistance. As per a US report, the Houthi-Iran relationship has evolved, with Iran viewing them as an extension of its regional power. Their slogan has long been: God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam. As per Brookings, the groups official name is Ansar Allah meaning supporters of God. Fighters recruited into the Houthis as part of a mobilisation campaign parade in Sanaa, Yemen. File image/Reuters What weapons do the Houthis have? Initially, the Houthis were believed to be a primitive military force with ageing Kalashnikovs. However, thats far from the truth. The Yemeni rebels have an arsenal, which includes advanced drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as anti-ship weapons. While there isnt any precise information about the Houthis arsenal, their attacks reveal a glimpse of their weapons stockpiles. For instance, during the Yemeni civil war in 1994, the Houthis featured a Scud missile, which was sourced from the USSR. In the years between 2015 and 2021, the Houthis have also launched multiple unarmed vehicles (drones) and ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia targets. Advertisement Houthi spokespersons have also boasted of having multiple missiles in their arsenal, including the Toufan a long-rang surface-to-surface ballistic missile, having a range of approximately 2,000 km. The Houthis also have the Tankeel, Aqeel and Quds-4 missiles in their stockpiles. A drone aircraft is put on display at a Houthi exhibition at an unidentified location in Yemen. File image/Reuters In addition, they also have the Sayad drone, which is used in one-way suicide missions, as well as the Shahed drones, which boast of a 900 km range and capable of carrying a payload of 20 kg. As per a senior US defence official, the Houthis have weapons that can reach as far as the Mediterranean Sea. Reports also state that the Houthis have missiles like the Burkan series, as well as the Fateh-110, which adds to the Yemeni groups firepower. Advertisement However, some experts note that one should be a bit wary of the military might of the Houthis and their arsenal. As per a Counterextremism report, during the 2023 parade, the Houthis displayed the Zelzal-3 rocket. But, it seemed to be billowing in the wind, indicating that the Houthis were displaying a mock-up rather than a real rocket. The report does add, however, that one should be wary of the group and their weapons stockpile. How do Houthis get their weapons? According to the United States and Saudi Arabia, most of the weapons, including drones, and cruise and ballistic missiles come from Iran. Officials note that theres evidence of debris with Iranian manufacturing labels, naval interdictions of missile smuggling dhows originating from Iran, and missile-related training and equipment materials in Farsi seized from Houthi-controlled territory. Additionally, missiles such as the Burkan, the Quds-1 all bear Iranian fingerprints in design and manufacturing. Advertisement A US Defence Departments report states that Iran supports the Houthis as a cheap and effective way to challenge Saudi Arabia and other rivals. Houthi rebels ride on the back of a truck in Sanaa, Yemen. Much of Houthis weapons come from Iran. A significant amount also comes as spoils of war. File image/Reuters As Dr Elisabeth Kendall, a Middle East specialist at Cambridge University, told the BBC, The Houthis could not operate at this level without Iranian arms, training and intelligence. For Iran to send weapons to the Houthis, they usually smuggle them over land. . A senior Yemeni military source has been quoted as saying that one smuggling route runs through Shehen, an unpoliced zone along the Yemeni-Omani border. Another method by which the Houthis are in possession of such weapons is through war. The Houthis have acquired military arms and armaments from other forces. A 2016 report showed that Houthi troops had captured at least 16 C-90C rocket launchers from either Saudi forces or local pro-Hadi fighters that Saudi Arabia had equipped. Advertisement In 2015, a Saudi coalition air-drop mishap led to the Houthis capturing a shipment of RPG-26 variants. The Yemeni grouped even posted a thank you note addressed to Saudi King Salman after the incident. Interestingly, the Houthis have also taken advantage of the governments weak control of its own armaments. Houthi forces have looted the government weapon caches in the past, gaining access to missiles and other heavy weaponry. How have Houthis participated in the war? Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the Houthis have reportedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel. However, most of these attacks have been intercepted. They have also launched attack on commercial shipping vessels, which they believe to have links to Israel. These attacks forced several shipping companies to reroute their vessels to avoid the Red Sea. And as per a report, maritime trade through Egypts Suez Canal, the waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, dropped 42 per cent in the first two months of this year. Commenting on Sundays attack, Nasruddin Amer, the deputy head of the Houthi media office, described it as the beginning, which has many concerned that an all-out war is on the horizon. With inputs from agencies The Assam Rifles has recently arrested a member of Myanmar-based Kuki National Army (Burma), who is a Myanmarese national born in Kolang, Khampat read more Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday said the arrest of a member of Myanmar-based Kuki National Army (Burma), who is a Myanmarese national, clearly indicates the involvement of foreign elements in the Manipur crisis. The KNA(B) cadre was recently apprehended by the Assam Rifles from the Chandel district of Manipur. He has been identified as Thanglinkap, son of Ngampao, and is a Burmese national born in Kolang, Khampat, Myanmar. According to a report by Hindustan Times, Thanglinkap is accused of carrying out reconnaissance missions along jungle tracks from the Indo-Myanmar border town of Moreh to the Kuki-dominated district of Churachandpur to supply arms. Advertisement I really appreciate the activities of the Assam Rifles who arrested one Burmese national, KNA(B). As a Chief Minister I have been continuously saying since the beginning that the present crisis in Manipur has a foreign hand. Some people believe it, some dont, CM Biren Singh told reporters in Imphal. He further said that the suspicion of foreign involvement in the conflict was not initially believed by some sections of the public. However, a report by NDTV quoted the Kuki Students Organisation (KSO-GHQ), as saying that Thanglinkap, referred to by the CM as a member of the KNA(B) is a registered refugee, who fled from the conflict in Myanmar. The report mentioned KSO spokesperson as saying that the Assam Rifles knows the man is a registered refugee. He is from Myanmar but is registered in the official records along with his thumb prints and other details as a refugee, the spokesperson further said. The KSO general headquarters is shocked and surprised at the same time because someone as the Chief Minister, without inquiring more details about whats happening, made such a silly judgment. The apprehended person who is from Myanmar - of course he is a foreigner - but has been here registered as a refugee, which was accepted by the Assam Rifles, the report mentioned the KSO spokesperson as saying. Advertisement Internet ban lifted in Manipur The Manipur government has lifted the temporary ban on internet and mobile data services in the territorial jurisdiction of Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching districts. The decision to lift the ban was taken after reviewing the prevailing law and order situation in the regions. Meanwhile, the state government has appealed to all internet users to refrain from engaging in activities that might lead to a future suspension of internet services. With inputs from agencies. At She Shakti 2024, leading women scientists discussed the impact of social conditioning on gender participation in STEM fields, stressing that maths anxiety and perceived barriers are largely due to societal stereotypes. Dr. Annapurni Subramaniam, Nigar Shaji, and Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay advocated for systemic changes to support women in science and technology, calling for greater awareness and equity in educational and professional opportunities read more Dr. Annapurni Subramaniam, Director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Nigar Shaji, Project Director of ISROs Aditya L1 Solar Mission, and Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, Director of the Indian Statistical Institute, spoke with Palki Sharma during the She Shakti 2024 discussion on September 16, 2024. At the She Shakti 2024 event hosted by News 18 in New Delhi Monday, prominent women scientists voiced critical perspectives on gender bias and societal conditioning in STEM fields, particularly focusing on mathematics and physics. The discussion featured insights from Dr. Annapurni Subramaniam, Director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Nigar Shaji, Project Director of ISROs Aditya L1 Solar Mission, and Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, Director of the Indian Statistical Institute. Dr. Subramaniam shared her personal journey, noting, Growing up in a family of professional musicians, I was initially torn between my passion for music and my fascination with mathematics and physics. She explained that despite societal expectations and the allure of a musical career, she was determined to pursue science. Advertisement If I had chosen music, it would have been impossible to return to science. I had to convince myself that I could balance both, but my primary focus had to be on my calling in science, she said. Nigar Shaji reflected on the societal challenges she faced during her early career, stating, Engineering was not seen as a suitable path for women during my time. My parents played a crucial role in shielding me from these stereotypes. She praised ISRO for its supportive environment, adding, ISRO provided opportunities where gender barriers were minimal, but many obstacles are rooted in societal norms. It is vital for parents and educators to actively work to dismantle these barriers. Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay addressed the issue of maths anxiety, arguing that it is not inherent but rather a product of social conditioning. Mathematical ability is equally distributed among all genders. The real issue is how societal stereotypes create barriers for girls, Bandyopadhyay said. She suggested practical approaches to mitigate this issue, saying, Experiential learning and integrating storytelling into math and physics education can help students connect better with these subjects. Bandyopadhyay also highlighted the disparities between enrollment and employment in STEM fields, noting, While over 42% of women are enrolled in STEM programs, only 27% are employed in the field. The gap becomes more pronounced at leadership levels due to family responsibilities and institutional biases. She advocated for institutional changes, stressing, We need to break the fear surrounding STEM fields and promote awareness from an early age. Advertisement Dr. Subramaniam further mentioned the ongoing gender pay gap and biases in hiring processes, stating, At various stages from graduation to hiring, women face implicit biases that can impact their career progression. Organisations need to recognise these challenges and support women accordingly. She called for greater confidence in female candidates, saying, We need to ensure that women are considered on par with their male counterparts, particularly for leadership positions in STEM. The speakers view converged on one point that despite the progress made, significant challenges remain in achieving gender equity in STEM. As Bandyopadhyay concluded, The field of STEM is ripe for contributions from women. Intellectual capability is not determined by gender, and with the right support and opportunities, women can excel and lead in these crucial fields. Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress on Monday released its manifesto, with key promises of forming a minority commission in J&K within 100 days of coming to power and fully implementing former Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs plan of rehabilitating Kashmiri Pandits read more Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress on Monday released its manifesto, with key promises of restoring statehood, forming a minority commission in J&K within 100 days of coming to power and fully implementing former Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs plan of rehabilitating Kashmiri Pandits. #WATCH | Srinagar, J&K: Congress party launches their party manifesto for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Elections 2024 pic.twitter.com/IG6WM9gipi ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2024 Advertisement Addressing the press conference after unveiling the manifesto, Jammu & Kashmir Congress President Tariq Hameed Karra said that the party manifesto is truly the peoples manifesto Through committees in 22 districts, we engaged with various segments of society, gathered feedback, and incorporated these valuable insights into this document. We proudly refer to it as the Peoples Manifesto, added Karra. Heres is a look at some of the key promises: - - , 3000 5 , 25 pic.twitter.com/RefuVv64Qk Congress (@INCIndia) September 16, 2024 The Congress promised to form a minority commission in J&K within 100 days of coming to power Will give statehood to Jammu and Kashmir Head of the household to get Rs 3,000 per month Interest free loan up to Rs 5 lakh for self help groups Every family to get health insurance up to Rs 25 lakh Affordable health service in 30 minutes Mobile clinics equipped with ambulances in every tehsil Super specialty hospital in every district Dr. Manmohan Singhs plan for rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits will be fully implemented Backward classes to have full rights under the Constitution 1 lakh vacant jobs will be filled 11 kg ration for each family member Insurance for all crops against natural calamities and an MSP of Rs 72 per kg for apples Providing an additional financial support of Rs 4,000 for landless, tenant, and land-owning farming households per year Arranging 99-year leases to landless farmers cultivating state land Speaking to ANI news agency, Congress leader Pawan Khera said that party has a great track record of fulfilling promises or guarantees in the past 10 years. #WATCH | Srinagar, J&K: Congress leader Pawan Khera says, "If you look at the track record of Congress in the last ten years, be it Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, wherever we have formed governments we implemented our guarantees. People have faith in us... pic.twitter.com/lNJGS17Mvt ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2024 Advertisement If you look at the track record of Congress in the last ten years, be it Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, wherever we have formed governments we implemented our guarantees. People have faith in us We have put our entire agenda in front of the public in our manifestoThe people of Jammu and Kashmir have made up their minds. They have decided that if the BJP has to be defeated, then only INDIA Alliance parties should be voted for, said Khera. Advertisement The polling for the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly will be held in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1. The results will be declared on October 8. The Congress and the National Conference have entered into a pre-poll alliance for the elections, held for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370. According to the seat-sharing pact, the NC will contest on 51 seats, while the Congress will fight on 32 seats. With inputs from agencies The three men - Syed Ilyas Hussaini, Mohammed Sameer Ahmed, and Suqain Mohammed - residents of Karnatakas Kalaburagi, who were brought back to India last week revealed that over 70 Indians are still stuck in war-hit areas for the Russian army read more Three Indians, who were duped and forced to work in the Russian army, returned India said they returned with the help of the Ministry of External Affairs. Source: Reuters. In December last year, three Indian men in their early 20s were convinced by agents into working for the Russian army as security guards with a monthly salary of Rs 70,000 and upon reaching there, they realised they were tricked. Stuck on Russian soil for about nine months, they finally returned to India last week with the help of the Ministry of External Affairs. The three men - Syed Ilyas Hussaini, Mohammed Sameer Ahmed, and Suqain Mohammed - residents of Karnatakas Kalaburagi were struggling to be back in India. They also revealed that over 70 Indians are still stuck in war-hit areas for the Russian army. Advertisement Never thought I would return to India I saw people who became my friends die right in front of my eyes. Every minute I lived in fear for my life and never thought that I would return to India, a report by The Indian Express quoted 24-year-old Hussaini as saying. Hussaini further said that he thought their chances of being alive were reduced the day Hemil Mangukiya from Surat in Gujarat was killed in a drone attack. Hussaini said Mangukiya was his friend and roommate. I was there digging the trench and he was standing on the ground when the drone killed him. That was the moment I thought I would die there, he added. Hussaini too was promised a salary of Rs 70,000 every month for a security guard role but instead of getting around Rs 5 lakh for staying in Russia for about nine months, he got just Rs 80,000 in total. Hussaini didnt care to ask for the rest of his money as he said for him, his life was much more precious. How were 3 men from Karnataka duped to work in Russia? Hussaini went on to recall that on December 19, 2023, he landed in Moscow and over there an Indian man named Moin Khan picked him and others and took them to his room. Advertisement After two days, a few people from the Russian army came in plain clothes and took us to another hotel. We were given new SIM and ATM cards and taken to an office. We were asked to sign a document in the Russian language. I tried to use an app to translate but was not allowed. I asked my agent but he said that it was all setting and asked me to sign, Hussaini was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. Passports & documents taken away They were then taken 400 km away from Moscow where their passports and other documents were taken away, the report quoted Mohammed Sameer Ahmed as saying. After this, they were given the uniforms of the Russian army. Advertisement Mobile phones were confiscated Ahmed further said that they were then put into a flight and flown to the Ukraine border. Over there, they were for a month and during this time, their mobile phones were confiscated. Trained to use weapons We were trained to use weapons like grenades, snipers, and short-range shooting. In January, we could not contact our family members as well, the report quoted Ahmed as saying. Worked over 14 hours a day After the training was over, in February, all three of them were sent to the war zone where they worked more than 14 hours a day. We lived in forests. We were left to dig trenches and create bunkers. We were given weapons, Ahmed recalled. Advertisement Pleaded for help We got our mobile phones there and I called my father and the Embassy pleading with them to help, Ahmed further said. Used to sleep in minus 3 degrees Hussaini, meanwhile, said they were forced to go to the battlefield despite refusing every day. Every minute we held our lives in the forests. We used to dig trenches and used to sleep inside it. There were times when we used to sleep in minus 3 degrees, he further said. During his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on July 9, very strongly raised the issue of Indians recruited into the Russian Army and sent to the frontlines of the war in Ukraine. Following the meeting, Russia decided to discharge all Indians working in the Russian army. Advertisement Putin had then dialed his commanding officer and said that all Indians must be relieved from service and should be sent back to the headquarters. Then, we were sent to Moscow and then took a flight to Delhi. I get shivers even when I think about how I survived, Hussaini recalled. In a letter to the West Bengal government, the protesting junior doctors also asked for the entire video file of the meeting to be handed over to them immediately after the talks read more The junior doctors in have vowed to continue their protests till all their demands, including removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner and senior state health officials are met. Source: PTI. The protesting junior doctors in Kolkata laid down new conditions for meeting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee whose government had extended fifth and final invitation to them for discussion with an open mind to end their over 35 days of cease work. They asked the West Bengal government to change the venue of the meeting from CM Banerjees Kalighat residence to an an official and administrative place. We are happy to receive your mail for discussing this matter in the wake of public interest. As law abiding citizens we are more than willing to join you for todays meeting, but it would have been really appreciated if the place of the meeting could have been an official and administrative place as this matter is related to governance, the response letter by the doctors stated. Advertisement New conditions of Kolkata junior doctors for meeting CM Banerjee 1 - Meeting at an official and administrative place instead the CMs residence. 2 - Videography of the meeting by a separate videographer by both the parties. 3 - Entire video file of the meeting to be handed over to West Bengal Junior Doctors Front (WBJDF) representatives immediately after the meeting. 4 - Minutes with full transcript of the meeting to be recorded and formulated by both the parties (WBJDF will bring their own minutes and transcript takers for the meeting) and duly signed by all attendees and handed over at the end of the meeting as stated by Honourable CM previously. The protesting junior doctors, demanding justice for rape and murder of a 31-year-old woman trainee doctor at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, have said that the new developments, including arrests of ex-principal Sandip Ghosh and of Tala Police Station officer-in in the the case related to the rape and murder of ABHAYA , have increased the significance of transparency of the meeting even more than before. Please consider the above points for the meeting for our five point demands. If you are in agreement from your side kindly respond to this mail at the earliest. We are eagerly waiting for a positive response from your side, the letter by the doctors stated. Earlier on Monday, West Bengal Chief Secretary, Manoj Pant, had sent an email invite to the junior doctors protesting in Kolkata for a meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at 5 pm at her residence in Kalighat. Advertisement This is the fifth and final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting between the Honourable Chief Minister and your delegates. In line with our discussion from the day before, we are once again inviting you to a meeting with the Honourable Chief Minister at her Kalighat residence for a discussion with an open mind, the letter read. It also mentioned that there would be no live streaming or videography of the meeting, given that the matter is sub judice in the Supreme Court. Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both parties, the letter further stated. Advertisement The junior doctors have vowed to continue their protests till all their demands, including removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner and senior state health officials are met. With inputs from agencies. Indian police have detained around 100 striking workers and union leaders at a Samsung plant near Chennai, escalating a dispute over low wages and poor working conditions. The detentions occurred as workers planned an unauthorized march while continuing their seven-day strike read more Workers of a Samsung facility speak with their union leader E. Muthukumar during a strike to demand higher wages at its Sriperumbudur plant near the city of Chennai, India, September 11, 2024. REUTERS Indian police have detained around 100 striking workers and union leaders protesting low wages at a Samsung Electronics plant in southern India, as they were planning a march on Monday without permission, police officials said. The detention marks an escalation of a strike by workers at a Samsung home appliance plant near Chennai city in the state of Tamil Nadu. Workers want higher wages and have boycotted work for seven days, disrupting production that contributes roughly a third of Samsungs annual India revenue of $12 billion. Advertisement A senior police official of Kancheepuram district, Sankar Ganesh, told Reuters by telephone that around 100 workers were under preventive arrest, without elaborating. Another police officer on condition of anonymity said the detentions were made due to a lack of permission to hold a protest march. Samsung did not respond to a request for comment. Workers have since last week been protesting at a makeshift tent near the plant, demanding higher wages, recognition for a union backed by labour group Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and better working hours. Samsung is not keen to recognise any union backed by an outside labour group. A. Jenitan, a union leader of CITU, told Reuters that police also detained one of their senior leaders, E. Muthukumar, who was leading the Samsung protests. The workers have been asked to return to the (strike) tent, he said. 'The Trump Code:' A Timely Exploration Amidst America's Crossroads -- Judgment or Revival? Great Awakening or Great Reset? New Book by Troy Anderson Reveals the Spiritual and Political Forces Behind the Trump Legacy, Releasing September 17, 2024. NEWS PROVIDED BY Charisma Media Sept. 16, 2024 ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 16, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- As America stands at the precipice of the 2024 presidential election, engulfed in political upheaval and social division, a groundbreaking new book, The Trump Code, emerges to offer prophetic insight into the larger spiritual and historical narrative unfolding before our eyes. Written by Pulitzer Prize-nominated investigative journalist and bestselling author Troy Anderson, The Trump Code is set to release on September 17, 2024, from Charisma House/FrontLine. With former President Donald Trump once again dominating national headlines--this time in the wake of recent legal battles, two attempted assassination attempts and a potential return to the White House--The Trump Code explores the enigmatic connections between the Trump family, prophecy, politics, and esoteric knowledge. Could these elements hold the key to understanding America's future and the global struggle between good and evil? Is the nation on the verge of a Great Awakening or a Great Reset? Drawing parallels between the Trump era and a little-known 19th-century novel series, The Baron Trump Collection, written by American lawyer and novelist Ingersoll Lockwood, Anderson uncovers eerie similarities between fiction and reality. The Trump Code takes readers on a fascinating journey that weaves together prophecy, historical events, and divine providence to reveal the spiritual forces at play behind the scenes of one of America's most controversial political figures. "Troy Anderson's ability to navigate through the annals of time in The Trump Code reveals hidden prophetic secrets," says Pastor Paul Begley, host of The Coming Apocalypse. "The comparisons between the Baron Trump novels and today's President Donald Trump era will cause you to consider Nikola Tesla's time travel theory. A tantalizing must-read." As the nation grapples with its "Nineveh Moment"--a reference to the prophetic call for national repentance during times of impending judgment--The Trump Code compels readers to confront the spiritual dimensions of the momentous events shaping America's future. The book unearths hidden truths about the Trump legacy, the upcoming 2024 election, and the cosmic battle between light and darkness that will determine the fate of the nation and the world. Key questions addressed in The Trump Code: Could the Trump family's links to esoteric knowledge and time travel provide insight into America's destiny? Is the 2024 election a pivot point for revival or judgment in America? Are we witnessing the divine hand of providence at work, or the sinister machinations of darker forces? Endorsed by spiritual leaders like Dr. Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, and Rabbi Jonathan Bernis, President and CEO of Jewish Voice Ministries International, The Trump Code offers a profound call to action for believers. As America teeters between chaos and renewal, Anderson's prophetic insights invite readers to reflect on the broader implications of the Trump phenomenon and the divine orchestration of history. Troy Anderson is a bestselling author and investigative journalist with a keen eye for unraveling the spiritual forces behind political events. In The Trump Code, he masterfully intertwines prophecy, politics, and history to reveal the hidden narratives shaping America's future. For More Information or Media Inquiries To schedule an interview with Troy Anderson or to learn more about The Trump Code, please contact A.J. Rice at Publius PR, (215) 760-7815 Troy Anderson is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated investigative journalist and coauthor of the bestsellers The Babylon Code, Trumpocalypse, The Military Guide to Armageddon and Revelation 911. The vice president and COO of Battle Ready Ministries and founder and president of the Inspire Literary Group, Anderson is the former executive editor of Charisma magazine and Charisma Media and reporter at the Los Angeles Daily News and other newspapers. He lives with his family in Irvine, California. Find out more at TroyAnderson.us. Stay Connected with Anderson Facebook: @troy.anderson.16144 YouTube: @ProphecyInvestigators X: @TroyMAnderson Instagram: @troymanderson Threads: @troymanderson Title: The Trump Code: Exploring Time Travel, Nikola Tesla, the Trump Lineage, and America's Future | Release Date: September 17, 2024 | Retail: $19.99 | ISBN-13: 978-1-63641-439-3 | E-Book ISBN: 978-1-63641-440-9 | Binding: Trade Paper | Size: 6" x 9" | Page Count: 256 | Hometown: Irvine, California | BISAC Category: SOCIAL SCIENCE / Conspiracy Theories, RELIGION / Christianity / Pentecostal & Charismatic, POLITICAL SCIENCE To interview Troy Anderson, or to request a review copy, please contact: aj.vpnews@gmail.com. SOURCE Charisma Media CONTACT: aj.vpnews@gmail.com A forum aimed at developing business relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan has begun in Baku, Azernews reports. Deputy Minister of Economy Samad Bashirli, Federal Minister of Trade of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Javad Pol, and Ambassador of Pakistan to Azerbaijan Kasim Mohiuddin will speak at the event. B2B discussions are expected to take place within the framework of the forum. Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Economy Samad Bashirli stated that the possibility of establishing both the Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce and a Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Pakistan is being explored. Bashirli noted that trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Pakistan reached 27 million US dollars in 2023, with most of it being imports from Pakistan. However, there is significant potential for further development of mutual trade. He mentioned that there is great potential in the non-oil sector, particularly in transport, tourism, and pharmaceuticals. "Possibilities for establishing the Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce and the Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Pakistan are also being explored," Bashirli said. He added that there are strong and multifaceted relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan based on deep friendship, brotherhood, and alliance. "These close relations have elevated our cooperation to the level of strategic partnership. The 'Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,' signed in 2015, has significantly contributed to the long-term development of relations between our countries," the Deputy Minister emphasized. On July 11 of this year, high-level negotiations were held in Pakistan during President Ilham Aliyev's visit to the country. During this visit, 15 agreements covering economic, cultural, scientific, and technological fields were signed. As a result of this important visit, the legal framework governing our cooperation has been expanded with more than 50 signed documents. Pakistani companies are playing an increasingly important role in Azerbaijan's economy. "As of August 8, 3,706 Pakistani companies were registered in Azerbaijan, with 3,304 currently operating. Economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan will deepen through our ongoing efforts," Bashirli noted. Previous attempts to resolve the issue failed as the state government rejected the doctors demand for live-streaming and video recordings of the meeting read more The first round of talks between the West Bengal government and the agitating junior doctors is underway at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees Kalighat residence to address the RG Kar impasse. After four unsuccessful bids to initiate a dialogue to resolve the deadlock, a delegation of agitating junior doctors arrived at her residence for the crucial talks on Monday evening. Escorted by a pilot police vehicle, around 30 medics arrived at Banerjees residence at 6.20 pm. The meeting, which was originally scheduled at 5 pm, began around 7 pm and is still continuing. Advertisement TV channels reporters that the doctors submitted a memorandum to the CM listing their demands. Ahead of the meeting, Banerjee, while speaking to a Bengali news channel, appealed to the junior doctors to end the cease work. I would appeal to the junior doctors to come and sit for the talks. Every issue can be resolved through discussions. And we must strive to find a solution. There is a hearing on this case at the Supreme Court tomorrow (Tuesday), we are hopeful of finding a solution, she told News 18 Bangla. Previous attempts to resolve the issue got stuck due to the state governments rejection of the doctors demand for live-streaming and video recordings of the meeting. The agitating medics later agreed to a compromise, now only asking to record the minutes of the meeting and receive a signed copy. The state government accepted this condition, with Chief Secretary Manoj Pant saying both parties will sign the minutes of the meeting and share copies for clarity. The state government also allowed the two stenographers, accompanying the agitating doctors, inside the venue to record the minutes of the meeting. Advertisement The agitating doctors, however, have stuck to their demands. We also want the issue to be resolved but not at the cost of any form of compromise on our five demands. We are going to the meeting to discuss all the issues with an open mind, an agitating doctor, who is present at the meeting, said before leaving for the talks. Meanwhile, the doctors continued their sit-in outside Swasthya Bhawan, the headquarters of the Health Department, for eight days and the cease work for the 36th day seeking justice for the doctor who was raped-murdered at RG Kar Hospital and removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner and senior state health officials. Advertisement Earlier in the day, the state government for the fifth and the final time invited the protesting doctors for talks to end the impasse, two days after the dialogue failed to take off over disagreement on live-streaming of the meeting. On Saturday, Banerjee made a surprise visit to the protest site and assured the doctors that their demands would be addressed. However, the proposed meeting fell through when the protesters claimed they were asked to leave unceremoniously after waiting for three hours at the gates of the CMs residence. The finance minister emphasised that the process of fine-tuning or changing course of policies after consultations with stakeholders are being termed as U-turns read more Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in an exclusive interview with News18 on Monday (September 16), hit back at the allegations that Modi 3.0 is a government that keeps making U-turns when it comes to policy decisions. She pointed out that the governments sincere efforts to make corrections in policies based on inputs from stakeholders are being portrayed as U-turns. This, she said, was clearly visible in the controversy over indexation benefits that were proposed to be scrapped in her Budget 2024 speech in July. Advertisement Hitting out at the opposition without naming them, she said, Some people are creating narratives against this governments policies and some sections of the media is also playing a role in it. While justice for Abhaya remains the top priority of their campaign, junior doctors have a five-point demand from the Mamata Banerjee-led government before they commit to resuming work. They want safer conditions and an assurance that the plight that Abhaya met does not befall anyone else read more Junior doctors have been weathering all storms to stand for their late colleague and demand better security measures for themselves at their workplaces. Today Abhaya, next who? they fear as hospitals under the West Bengal government stand in a lamentable state. PTI Around this time of the year, Kolkata prepares itself for Durga Pujo, making idols, building pandals, and ornamenting itself with bright lights. This year, however, the light is shining from candles held by thousands of protestors seeking justice for Abhaya, the 31-year-old doctor who was brutally murdered and raped on the dreadful night of August 9 at the RG Kar Hospital. Junior doctors have been weathering all storms to stand for their late colleague and demand better security measures for themselves at their workplaces. Today Abhaya, next who? they fear as hospitals under the West Bengal government stand in a lamentable state. Advertisement While justice for Abhaya remains the top priority of their campaign, junior doctors have a five-point demand from the Mamata Banerjee-led government before they commit to resuming work. They want safer conditions and an assurance that the plight that Abhaya met does not befall anyone else. From rickshaw pullers to shopkeepers, from old to young, the protests in Kolkata, otherwise known as the City of Joy, have now become a peoples movement. This is perhaps the biggest mass movement the city has seen in the recent past, with people from all walks of life doing their bit by joining the demonstration. The investigation of the rape and murder case, meanwhile, is taking new turns every day. It is being handled by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which has arrested a number of suspects including RG Kar Medical Colleges sacked principal Sandip Ghosh. A Civic Volunteer attached with the Kolkata Police, Sanjay Roy has been arrested on the charge of rape and murder. Firstpost spoke to the junior doctors to get an insight into the ground reality of the protests. RG Kar: A nexus of corruption? Ghosh was first arrested by the investigative agency in an alleged financial irregularities case. In fact, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which also probing practices of corruption inside the hospital, has conducted multiple raids including in the ex-principals ancestral home in Kolkata. Advertisement What started as an investigation into the financial irregularities is now leading the CBI to unravel what might have happened on August 9. Dr Anustup Mukherjee from Kolkata Medical College and a representative of the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front has been an active protestor. Talking to Firstpost about the case, he said, There is nothing to deny the fact that the amount of financial scam that was going around in RGK for the last 3-4 years was huge. There is a good amount of suspicion that we are now coming to know from some sources that the financial irregularities might be the reason behind the motive of the incident (rape and murder) that happened, he added. Advertisement On the night of the crime and the subsequent morning, reports emerged that some unknown individuals tampered with the evidence which in turn derailed the investigation for a while. The former principal and a police from Tala Station have been found at the forefront of this. We do feel now, right at this point, that the act was heinous. But apart from that, the evidence tempering that has been done, we feel that is more heinous than the actual act because that was done to protect the actual criminals, Anustup said. The doctor, however, said that he and his fellow protestors have full faith in CBI and that they understand that the tampering of evidence might be the reason behind a delayed investigation. Advertisement We dont feel safe The Supreme Court, during the first hearing of the case, ordered the protesting doctors to resume work. Similarly, the West Bengal government has also been urging them to return to their workplaces as they have a responsibility towards patients. But theres no way home until their demands are met, protesters said. The fact that Abhaya was working on a night shift when she was assaulted, there is palpable fear among junior doctors for their safety. Dr Priyanka Maitra Karak, a protesting doctor from Kolkatas SSKM Hospital told Firstpost, I am also studying in a government setup. When the news (about Abhaya) came, it was more than just a shock because for us, for doctors, hospitals are our second home. It is so unsafe right now that I am apprehensive about going back to work. I have this constant feeling in mind that something can happen to me. Advertisement Karak said that she has to take breaks with her door open to attend to a patient in case of emergencies. However, since the incident happened at RG Kar, she and her fellow female colleagues feel insecure about their surroundings. Its like right now you know youre going on your own accountability, she said. We are abstaining from work because do not feel safe in the current scenario. The culprits might be roaming around us and unless they are identified and punished, we are not going back to work, said Dr Anustup. He added that the government-run hospitals have a rampant threat culture which makes it even more unsafe for junior doctors to operate. Undue advantages to selected doctors, connections with influential people in the government and misuse of power are what all the protesting doctors hope to eradicate through their demonstration. Jr doctors cant be blamed for deaths The Mamata-led government has claimed that several lives have been lost in government hospitals due to the absence of junior doctors. The protesting doctors in turn blame the government for the poor health infrastructure in West Bengal. Junior Doctors cannot be blamed for patients suffering. Rather the poor infrastructure of all the government hospitals is the main cause of patients suffering. Only 2 per cent of the entire Doctors Fraternity consists of Junior Doctors. How can this 2 per cent create havoc? Moreover senior residents and faculties are constantly doing their duties while the protest continues, said Dr Abhinaba Pal who studied in the same medical college as Abhaya. Dr Anustup similarly said that junior doctors like himself are not allowed to perform complex hospital duties and are not even employees of the state yet. They work under the supervision of their seniors and hence their absence cannot be correlated to deaths. Why is it that patients from several districts of West Bengal are referred only to hospitals in Kolkata, especially when the government has built so many super-specialty hospitals across the state? There are many questions about the governments focus on healthcare that we have at a time when we are getting blamed for deaths, he said. As per the CBI, ex-principal of Kolkatas RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, was informed about rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee woman doctor at 9:58 am but he did not immediately register a formal complaint with the police read more As per the CFSL, New Delhi, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital's ex-principal Sandip Ghosh was found to be "deceptive" during the polygraph test and layered voice analysis related to rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee woman doctor in the facility on August 9. Source: PTI. More shocking revelations in Kolkata rape murder case are coming to fore, highlighting foul play by Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told a Kolkata court that Ghosh tried to downplay the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee woman doctor on August 9 in the state-run RG Hospital as the incident of suicide which may have possibly led to the destruction of evidence. Advertisement The CBI, which has been investigating RG Kar rape murder case, arrested Ghosh on September 2. He was arrested for financial irregularities at the hospital and later was charged for the tampering of evidence. As per the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in New Delhi, Ghosh was found to be deceptive during the polygraph test and layered voice analysis related to rape and murder of the trainee woman doctor. On Saturday (September 14) night, the CBI also arrested Abhijit Mondal, officer-in-charge (OC) of Tala Police Station for his alleged role in the case. In a remand note submitted before the court, the CBI explained how Ghosh possibly tampered with the evidence in the case and how Mondal was allegedly involved. How RG Kar Hospital ex-principal possibly tampered with evidence? - As per the CBI, Ghosh was informed about the murder of the junior woman doctor at 9:58 am on August 9 but he did not register a formal police complaint immediately. A complaint was later lodged by the medical superintendent-vice principal. - Instead of filing an FIR, Ghosh made a vague complaint later. He introduced what the CBI officers called a new theory of suicide despite external injury marks on the victims body. Advertisement - The CBI further alleged that Ghosh till this time was in touch with Tala Police Stations OC, Abhijit Mondal, and an advocate. He even avoided meeting the victims parents when they came to the hospital and got to know that their daughter was raped and murdered. - Mondal was informed about the crime at 10:03 am but he allegedly delayed reaching the crime scene about an hour later even though RG Kar Hospital is barely 10 minutes away from the Tala Police Station. - The CBI investigation has revealed a 14-hour delay by the Kolkata Police in lodging the FIR - this issue has also been repeatedly flagged in the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court. Advertisement - The CBI said the police officer failed to ensure timely registration of the FIR despite the heinous nature of the crime. - The first General Diary Entry, CBI has said, stated that the body of PG trainee of RG Kar MCH was found lying in unconscious state in the seminar room of chest medicine, even after the body was examined by a doctor and she was found dead. - The investigating agency further told the court that the general diary entry was allegedly made in conspiracy with hospital authorities and other unknown persons, intentionally mentioning wrong details. - The CBI also alleged that Mondal failed to cordon off the crime scene which led to unauthorised people entering the crime scene and led to damage of vital evidence. Advertisement - Also, Mondal was held responsible by the CBI for the delay in the issue of the death certificate and autopsy. - The CBI also alleged that Mondal tried to protect accused in the RG Kar rape-murder case, Sanjoy Roy, and got the body of the victim cremated in haste despite the victims family demanding for a second autopsy. - Mondal also tried to protect others who had unauthorised access to the scene of the crime. - Mondal has also been accused of failing to ensure videography of the complete process of sealing articles, exhibits, and biological samples, among others, from the crime scene, as required under the provisions of the Bengal Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act (BNSS). Advertisement - The Tala Police Station OC is also accused of an unnecessary delay of two days in seizing the clothes and belongings of accused Sanjoy Roy despite him being arrested on August 10. Ghosh and Mondal are first arrests by the CBI in RG Kar rape-murder case. The former was already in the agencys custody in the financial irregularities case. The duo are accused of being a part of an alleged cover-up by the hospital administration after the doctor was found raped and murdered. RG Kar rape murder case: In a letter inviting the protesting junior doctors for a meeting, West Bengal Chief Secretary urged them to meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her residence for a discussion with an open mind read more In Kolkata, junior doctors have been on strike for 36 days, demanding justice for a woman doctor who was raped and murdered at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. Source: ANI. The West Bengal government on Monday has extended final invite to the junior doctors protesting in Kolkata for a meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at 5 pm at her residence in Kalighat. The mail for the meeting to the protesting doctors, demanding justice for a 31-year-old trainee doctor who was raped and murdered on August 9 at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, has been sent by Chief secretary Manoj Pant. Advertisement Discussion with an open mind In the letter, Bengals chief secretary urged the doctors to meet the chief minister at her residence for a discussion with an open mind. This is the fifth and final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting between the Honourable Chief Minister and your delegates. In line with our discussion from the day before, we are once again inviting you to a meeting with the Honourable Chief Minister at her Kalighat residence for a discussion with an open mind, the letter read. No live streaming or videography of meeting In the letter, the chief secretary further said, as mutually agreed and as per your statement to the media day before, there will be no live streaming or videography of the meeting, given that the matter is sub judice in the highest court of the country. Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both parties, the letter further stated. The chief secretary further requested that the same delegation present during the last discussions to arrive at the CMs Kalighat residence by 4:45 pm on September 16. We look forward to your positive response and a productive and fruitful discussion, the letter further said Advertisement However, as per reports, the protesting junior doctors are holding a general body meeting following which they take a decision on whether to accept the invitation for talks with the CM or not. Why Bengal govts earlier attempts for talks failed The earlier attempts of talks between the junior doctors and CM Banerjee had failed due to disagreements over live streaming of the meetings and the number of attending representatives. Demands of doctors protesting in Kolkata The junior doctors in Kolkata continued their sit-in outside Swasthya Bhawan, the headquarters of the State Health department, for the eight straight day and the cease work for the 36th consecutive day and vowed to continue till their demands for the removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner and senior state health officials are met. Ruchira Kamboj, a career diplomat, was the first Indian woman to be the Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) read more The mantra is to move on and concentrate on work, said Indias former United Nations (UN) Envoy Ruchira Kamboj at Network 18s SheShakti 2024. Kamboj was the first woman to be the Permanent Representative to the UN. At a session titled Bharats Rajnayikas moderated by Firstposts Managing Editor Palki Sharma, she said that working for the Government of India was the greatest honour of her life. Kamboj said, My mantra has always been to move on and to concentrate on my work. It was my greatest honour to serve the Government of India with distinction." Advertisement #SheShakti2024 LIVE | Firstpost's Managing Editor @palkisu brings you an insightful discussion with @lakshmiunwomen, Former UN Assistant Secretary-General, & @ruchirakamboj, Former Permanent Representative of India to the UN. https://t.co/2WFNxIluSS Firstpost (@firstpost) September 16, 2024 Kamboj further said that the dream of being a diplomat was instilled in her by her father. My story is one of a dream. I was handed a dream by my father when I was very young dream of Indian Foreign Service . It was after the death of my father when his dream became my dream. Honestly, I never thought I would ever make it. On the day of the results, when I opened the door of my house there were journalists informing me that I was the topper of the civil services exam amongst women of the 1987 batch, said Kamboj. Kamboj joined the IFS in 1987 and retired after 37 years of service in June 2024. In addition to postings at the Ministry of External Affairs in India, she served in France as Third Secretary in the Indian Embassy (1989-91), Counsellor at Indias Permanent Mission to the UN (2002-05), Deputy Head of the Office of the Secretary-General at the Commonwealth Secretariat (2011-14), and the Ambassador to Bhutan (2019-22). A delegation of 35 junior doctors arrived at Banerjees Kalighat residence at 6:20 p.m. for the crucial talks, which began around 6:50 pm. The meeting ended around 9 pm. read more A woman holds a placard as she attends a candlelight vigil held outside Jadavpur University campus, condemning the rape and murder of a trainee medic at a government-run hospital in Kolkata, India, August 15, 2024. Source: REUTERS. The first round of talks between the West Bengal government and the agitating junior doctors at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees residence on Monday evening to address the RG Kar impasse. According to reports, Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee assured them that no punitive action would be taken against doctors. The CM said that she urged agitating doctors to withdraw and cease work as three of their five demands have been accepted. A delegation of 35 junior doctors arrived at Banerjees Kalighat residence at 6:20 p.m. for the crucial talks, which began around 6:50 pm. The meeting ended around 9 pm. Advertisement Following the meeting, both sides worked to finalise the minutes for the next two-and-a-half hours. The doctors were seen leaving Banerjees residence at around 11:30 PM. During the talks, the doctors submitted a memorandum to the chief minister listing their demands. Women empowerment is more about awakening rather than enabling and women recognise the power within, said Radhikaraje Gaekwad in a conversation with Firstposts Managing Editor Palki Sharma at Network 18s SheShakti 2024 event read more Empowering women is an exercise that involves the community as a whole, said Radhikaraje Gaekwad of the erstwhile Princely State of Baroda. In a conversation with Firstposts Managing Editor Palki Sharma at Network 18s SheShakti 2024 event, Gaekwad said the community needs to stand up for women empowerment as it is an inclusive effort. As a community, we need to stand up for womens voices. Empowering needs to come from inclusion and community-building. Women should be able to find that with fellow women as we do have a sense of intuition, community, compassion, strong bonding, and we really need to build that for each other, said Gaekwad. Advertisement #SheShakti2024 LIVE | A Queen of the Masses Firstpost's Managing Editor @palkisu brings you an exclusive conversation with Radhikaraje Gaekwad of Maharani of the Erstwhile Princely State of Baroda https://t.co/uAOQ4dIkOH Firstpost (@firstpost) September 16, 2024 Highlighting the need for safe spaces for women, Gaekwad said that women need safe space to carry each-other along and celebrate the journeys of women who are achievers, who have a voice, and who have a franchise. Gaekwad further said, At the same time, you have to have quality of carrying the rest of us. For me, its more about awakening rather than enabling. We all need to, as women, recognise the power within us and connect at that level. In the conversation on women empowerment, Sharma noted the various societal activities Gaekwad is associated with, for which she is popularly known as the Queen of the Masses, and said that it was worth celebrating when a woman can use her privilege or position for the benefit of others. Gaekwad noted that her work is rooted in her familys lineage. She said that there was a symbiotic relationship between the raja (ruler) and the praja (subjects) and thats why members of erstwhile royal families are still in politics today. She said leadership comes naturally to them as serving the people is their generational trait. Advertisement When asked about her views on parenting, Gaekwad said that it was very important to be fearless and lead by example. She said that it important to be a positive role-model for your children and change mindsets along the way. If Russia takes the lead in the backchannel negotiations, it will be a more credible effort without raising undue insecurities and suspicions, as China understands the historic friendship between Russia and India well read more After swearing in as Indias prime minister for the third time, Narendra Modis first foreign visit was to Russia. Not quite unexpected; however, the visit was viewed with serious concerns, curiosity, and optimism in geopolitical quarters across the world. Besides the routine bilateral issues of energy, connectivity, trade payments systems, and health and defence cooperation, this time Modis visit was expected to focus on a highly critical and sensitive factor in discussionsChina. Advertisement Chinas strengthening ties with Moscow, strategic partnership with Azerbaijan, and expanding influence and clout in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS is indeed a matter of concern for India due to its frictions with China. Post-Galwan, the bilateral equations between Delhi and Beijing have spiralled downward, and the current phase continues to be strenuous. However, India, at this stage, prefers to resolve the boundary issues through negotiations and diplomacy. In my previous article, I discussed the merits and demerits of aligning with the West to address the China challenge. Another window that India can explore is through opening a backchannel dialogue route to Beijing through Moscow. Perhaps Modis Moscow visit offers an excellent opportunity to explore the Moscow backchannel. Adding more weight to my argument is NSA Dovals recent visit to Russia, where he met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi. Though the media circles were dominated by the narrative of Indias mediation in the Russia-Ukraine war, the real import of this visit is Indias China outreach through Moscow. At a cursory glance, this looks very uncertain and pessimistic, given the emergence of Russia and China as strategic partners, particularly after the Ukraine war. With the Ukraine war, divisions in the world order are clear. With its support for the Ukrainian resistance, the US has pushed Russians entirely into the Chinese fold. Amidst sanctions from the West, they depend on China for the oil revenues. Advertisement China is also their key ally against the West and an important pillar in their vision of a multipolar world order, which is a challenge to the US-led Western world order. Hence, it is highly unlikely that they would be able to support India against China in the event of a war between the two. If this is viewed against the backdrop of the enhancement of Indias relationship with the Western World, particularly after 2014, it becomes even more difficult for Russia to stand with India despite the historic, special, and privileged partnership between New Delhi and Moscow. However, closer analysis shows that the Moscow channel is worth exploring. Firstly, it must be realised that it is important to think of a post-invasion scenario; however, having discussed the limitations of the various stakeholders in the post-invasion scenario, one can explore what can be done in the pre-invasion phasehow can the worst, ie, the mid-size war between the Himalayan nuclear powers, be nipped in the bud and prevented through diplomacy and dialogue much before things come to crunch? Advertisement In the post-invasion scenario, there is not much besides the high-altitude battles and alternating embarrassment for both China and India; however, a lot can be done in the pre-invasion space. As mentioned earlier, todays India is not the India of 1962. Its situation is not so weak that China can unilaterally dictate its terms. Its strategic autonomy, geographical location, technological prowess, robust military, large market, rapidly growing economy, Modis strong political leadership, and flourishing democracy make it a strong and credible geopolitical actor. It is constantly wooed by the opposing powers, be it Russia and the West, Iran and Israel, and the countries of the Global South. India has a unique stature in world politics, enabling it to engage China in tough negotiations and hard diplomatic bargaining from the position of strength. And in this initiative, Moscow can play a quintessential role. Advertisement Before exploring the Moscow channel, it must be understood that Moscow has major stakes in avoiding the India-China war. Firstly, the India-Russia friendship is historical and civilisational. It is based on trust. It has been smooth and firm over the last 75 years. Russia is a trusted ally in public perception and among national security and diplomatic circles. In 2019, after the abrogation of Article 370, when Russia supported Indias decision, PM Modi said that both countries do not believe in interfering in each others internal matters. More recently, amidst the souring India-US relations over Indias buying of Russian oil, the killing of Sikh terrorist Hardeep Sing Nijjhar, and the US concerns about so-called democratic backsliding and Indias minorities, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Indias foreign minister Jaishankar, while defending Indias decision to buy Russian oil, stated that Russia has never hurt Indias interests. Advertisement Further, he continued, The relations of powers like Europe, the US, China, or Japan with Russia have all seen ups and downs. We have had a stable and always very friendly relationship with Russia. And our relationship with Russia today is based on this experience. India has not given in to the Western pressure and refused to condemn Russia for the Ukraine war. India refused to back Western sanctions and continues to buy Russian oil against Western sanctions. Furthermore, in the wake of the recent Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP) attacks in Russia, the Russia-India ties are going to strengthen on the counter-terrorism front. Undoubtedly, Moscow values this friendship; however, if China invades India and a mid-size war ensues, Putin will not be able to support India against China. For some time, it may stay neutral; however, given Russias dependence on Beijing, it will not be able to sustain its neutrality. In that case, it may have to stop selling oil and defence equipment to India, which will be a big setback to its economy, which is already under duress by Western sanctions. Besides, it will lose India as an ally that has largely supported Russia on critical geopolitical issues such as Ukraine. India will be left with no option except to bolster its ties with the West, and Indias complete shift to the US camp will be detrimental to Russia. Also, in Russias vision of the multipolar world order, India constitutes an independent pole as a civilisational state. Indias clear shift to the Western camp will jolt Russias vision of a multipolar world. Notably, Russias eminent philosopher and reportedly the brain behind Putin, Alexander Dugin, has written, We are vitally interested in settling relations between these two great powers because if conflict breaks out between them (as the West is indeed pushing for), the prospects for a multipolar world will be indefinitely delayed. Besides, with China, Russia has a history of boundary disputes and war. In Central Asia and Eurasia, China is agreeably Russias geopolitical rival. Chinas expansion in these areas, traditionally Russian political and cultural space, is indeed a matter of concern for Moscow. For Moscow, India can be instrumental as a counterweight to China; however, losing India to the West will shatter those prospects, making Russia even more vulnerable and dependent on China. Having India as a strategic partner and neutral state ensures a certain degree of pressure on China, which can be useful in keeping Beijing in check. Lastly, Russia, being a civilisational state as Dugin describes it, is in a much better position to understand and reach out to Beijing, another civilisational state. Many Indian diplomats told me that routing diplomacy through Washington may provoke China and add to its insecurities. However, if Russia takes the lead in the backchannel, it will be a more credible effort without raising undue insecurities and suspicions, as China understands the historic friendship between Russia and India well. Indias old Russia hands can play a critical role in this initiative. Besides, the current Russian Putin-led political set-up guided by the ideas of tradition, opposition to Western universalism and value-hegemony, civilisational states, and multipolar world order aligns well with the current RSS-BJP-led Indian political system, which also places a high premium on Sanatan civilisational identity, religious and cultural wisdom, and multipolar world order. Hence, ample scope exists for synergising the efforts; however, the Indian security and foreign policy establishment remains highly sceptical and despondent about such out-of-the-box ideas. The policy masterminds have strong apprehensions that Russias shift towards China is complete and final, and secondly, that Russia is too occupied with the Ukraine effort to either take the India-China border issue seriously or make efforts to achieve any breakthrough at the cost of Chinese support in its Ukraine effort. There is also a sense of suspicion that Beijing could use Russia for its anti-India influence operations executed through backchannel dialogues due to Moscows dependence on Beijing. Such influence operations could be used to mislead India, keep it complacent with the progress of negotiations, and, in the meantime, buy more time to prepare for the war so that when the real invasion happens, India is caught unawares and the Chinese get all the advantages of the element of surprise. Besides, there are internal ruptures in the Indian establishment. Think tanks and experts are divided. Some of them with robust penetration in the Ministry of External Affairs are staunchly against Russia and openly advocate alignment with the US as the only way to counter China. Even within the government, allegedly, the diplomatic side is sceptical of engagement with Russia and toe a pro-US line; however, the security-intelligence side is realistic and slightly more positive about engaging China through the Moscow channel. Conclusion All said and done, it is reasonable to conclude that presently, there is complete ambivalence, lack of direction, and vision in Indias understanding of China and its policy to address the China challenge in the Himalayan borders. Alarming predictions of the India-China war made by astrologers and strategic analysts alike worsen Indias fears. Hence, the question remains: what should India do? However, instead of focussing on what should be done, the focus must shift to what can be done. There are no lasting solutions in geopolitics; the problems can only be managed until the circumstances change. Hence, in the short run, managing this conflict with the fundamental premises of conflict avoidance and escalation containment is the best strategy. This can be achieved through nuanced external balancing to prevent any hegemon from dominating. While pursuing it, New Delhis strategy can be a good mix of soft and coercive diplomacy and psy-ops. Instead of completely aligning with one block, India must pursue multi-alignment and enhance its weight in global politics. New Delhi must engage with Western powers on the technological, climate change, development, defence, and economic front on equal terms through multilateral forums like the Indo-Pacific without getting bracketed with them. No doubt, China brings huge investment opportunities to Europe; however, there are fundamental fault lines and ruptures over the issue of Ukraine, dumping of Chinese goods, Chinas intelligence operations, etc, which India must leverage to its strategic advantage. In South Asia and East Asia, Japan can be the most crucial link to counter China. At the same time, India should maintain a vital presence in the affairs of the Middle East, Africa, and the Global South and continue strengthening its civilisational and geostrategic engagement with Moscow. Chinas debt traps and Belt and Road Initiative projects are viewed with scepticism and alarm in several developing countries of the Global South, which in turn widens the strategic space for India, provided New Delhi can capitalise on that. However, in this exercise, the focus should not be on the optics of being seen as a global leader. China will most likely perceive it as a threat to its global eminence and its vision of Asian unipolarity, as it did when Jawahar Lal Nehru became the poster boy of the Non-Aligned Movement and the de facto leader of the third world, and attacked India in 1962 to humiliate Nehru. Instead, India must harness these global multilateral engagements to secure real and hard strategic leverage, which could be used to pressure China and discourage Beijing from pursuing its military adventuring against India. At the same time, the long-term goal should be to strengthen the economy and border infrastructure and enhance technological, defence, space, cyber, and asymmetric capabilities so that the power differential does not widen. For the US, it is also best to prevent the escalation of conflict between the Himalayan neighbours. If the war happens, India will have to make a complete shift to the Western camp, which means worsening its ties with Russia as the latter will not be able to support India. Hence, if the US wants to sustain India as a credible and confident neutral voice, a much-needed geostrategic shock absorber in this highly polarised world order, Washington should focus on preventing the conflict escalation instead of coercively convincing India to go belligerent against China. Shortsighted targets of securing Indias absolute tilt in the Western camp will further propel Russia into the Chinese fold, the relationship that is fast transforming into a strategic alliance. The US has already done that blunder of pushing Moscow into Chinese arms with the Ukraine war. If rationality prevails, it would not like to repeat it, effecting a complete break between Russia-India ties by orchestrating Indias total shift towards the West. Lastly, even Beijing must consider the conflict avoidance option seriously because if a military face-off with Indians in Himalayan territory leads to an embarrassing defeat, it will be a major blow to its image as a global power. The author is a Cornell University graduate in public affairs, bachelors from St Stephens College, Delhi. He is a policy analyst specialising in counterterrorism, Indian foreign policy and Afghanistan-Pakistan geopolitics. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication. Millennials are seeking to explore destinations which offer sustainability. They are now more aware and conscious about the environment, which is driving the change in the way they travel as compared to previous generations read more The travel landscape is rapidly evolving, and India is at the forefront of a tourism revolution driven by changing millennial travel behaviours. According to Bloomberg, 86 per cent of millennials now prioritise immersive experiences and cultural engagement when travelling. This shift has led to a surge in the sector post-pandemic, with millennials seeking out unique, authentic, and luxurious experiences. With the power of social media and digital platforms, travellers can now craft their own experiences, ensuring that their journeys are truly unforgettable. Sustainability, luxury, heritage, and discovering hidden gems drive millennials tourism choices, offering relaxation from their daily routine and 9-5 grind. This is an exciting time for the travel industry, as it embraces these changing behaviours and opens up new possibilities for exploration and discovery. The evolving phenomenon necessitates that the tourism industry caters to the experiences and preferences preferred by millennials. Advertisement According to the American Express Travel 2023 Global Trends report, a striking 94 per cent of Indian travellers have shown their interest in exploring off-the-beaten-path destinations. The burgeoning interest in travel among Indian millennials presents a significant opportunity to come together and craft a seamless, immersive experience for them. Youth in India are increasingly embracing a lifestyle focused on aspirations and placing high value on travel and new experiences. There is a quest for an immersive experience filled with authenticity, cultural heritages and stories. This behaviour change has resulted in a significant increase in first-time luxury travellers seeking heritage properties for a staycation. The travel industry is currently witnessing a shift in the accommodation preferences of millennials as well, they are now seeking more immersive and experiential stays, adventure, and engagement with cultural heritage. Luxury travel, heritage walks, hidden gems, and adventure activities are emerging as prominent travel trends. Developing deeper connections with destinations, millennials are drawn towards stories and the historical context of a location, prioritizing meaningful experiences over picturesque ones. The hospitality and tourism sector should cater to these preferences by offering more personalized, authentic, and luxurious experiences, as well as providing greater flexibility and unique lodging options. The rise of social media platforms has revolutionised the way we explore the world, making it more accessible to the tech-savvy generation. Travel is now seen as a fundamental right by millennials and most of them consider it a top priority. They turn to social media for inspiration while looking for their next travel destination. Social media influencers and travellers have transformed into storytellers, significantly influencing the travel decisions of many young people. The travel industry is leveraging these influencers to connect with the younger generation. Leading hotels and resorts create experiences specifically designed to cater to millennial preferences and to be visually appealing for platforms like Instagram. Gone are the days when travellers relied solely on travel agents for trip planning. Todays millennials and younger generations turn to the internet and social media for all their travel planning needs. They trust online reviews to make fully informed decisions. Hotel marketing has evolved in response to this shift, focusing on building brand loyalty and encouraging frequent visits in an era where online reviews hold great power. Numerous websites host communities of reviewers who rate hotels, restaurants, and activities. Positive reviews can solidify their travel decision, while negative ones can make them rethink their choices. Advertisement Millennials are seeking to explore destinations which offer sustainability. They are now more aware and conscious about the environment, which is driving the change in the way they travel as compared to previous generations. They are opting for destinations and service providers such as airlines, hotels, restaurants, and tour companies based on their sustainability records and are willing to pay more for it. The tourism industry should start implementing sustainable practices to elevate the travel experience for millennials. In addition, millennials are now looking for authentic culinary experiences. They are opting for hotels and heritage resorts that serve local cuisines, cultural immersion, and opportunities to connect with nature. Millennials are reshaping the industry with their preferences, including authentic experiences, sustainable practices, and comfortable accommodation. To fulfil the need of the hour and foster the industrys growth, the hospitality and tourism sector needs to explore these preferences and work on these arenas to meet their demands. Advertisement The author is an award-winning international hotelier, Executive Director of Noormahal Palace Hotel (India) and founder of Londons Iconic Chain of Indian Restaurants Colonel Saab. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. India is in a rare act of distributing its diplomatic eggs, which it failed to do in the Maldives and Bangladesh read more The Aragalya (students protest) movement in Sri Lanka in 2022 following the economic disaster that year led to a partial regime changethe ouster of President Gotabhaya Rajapaksabut not a systemic political overhaul like in Bangladesh. The existing Parliament elected a new President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, credited with rescuing the country from economic meltdown for the rest of the term of Rajapaksa. Provincial and local elections have not been held for nearly a decade for fear by the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) that it would adversely affect their poll prospects. Advertisement The presidential election is slated for September 21, with 39 hopefuls contesting. Prominent contenders are Wickremesinghe, whose United National Party (UNP) was decimated in the last parliamentary elections with nil votes. The proportional representation systems one seat has kept him alive. Having led the UNP since 1994, he has been PM five times but never made it as elected president. In 2005, he lost to Mahinda Rajapaksa in his bid to be president, as Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) supremo Prabhakaran ordered Tamils to vote for Rajapaksa. Wickremesinghe has promised to implement the 13th Amendmentdevolving land powersbut is equivocal about granting police powers. Still, he is supposed to have the backing of 60 SLPP parliamentarians. He has said if he wins, he will form a national government, repeating what he said two years ago on becoming the selected president. While the General Secretary of UNP had suggested postponing presidential and parliamentary elections by two years to tide over the economic crisis, Wickremesinghe had favoured a referendum over postponement of elections. Despite his sterling work in reviving the economy, he is not a frontrunner. It is therefore a toss-up between Sajith Premadasa, son of late President Ranasinghe Premadasa, and Janatha Vimukthi Peramunas Anura Dissanayake. Premadasa broke away from the UNP in 2020 to form his own party, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), and has roughly 60 lawmakers with him. He has pledged to implement 13A in full, inclusive of land and police powers. He has been most specific about devolution of powers, and the majority Tamil party Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) says it will vote for him. Advertisement The new kid on the block is Dissanayanaka, leader of the reformed Marxist-Leninist JVP, the largest constituent of the National Peoples Power (NPP). Gallup polls are showing Dissanayake as the favourite, but he is an unknown in national politics, and people are suspicious about the past and the Marxist Leninist credo. JVP spearheaded two insurrections in 1971 and 1988 and opposed the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord (ISLA) and Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) of 1987. It was bitterly anti-Indian and deeply suspicious of its interests and intentions in Sri Lanka. Dissanayake has voiced disapproval of the Adani energy projects being awarded without tender and the high cost of power sales. His position on the Tamil question is positive and has said he will take forward the proposed new constitution and will establish Accountability and Truth and Reconciliation processes. He has emphasised there will be no ethnic or religious discrimination. In the 2019 presidential elections, which Gotabhaya Rajapaksa swept, Dissanayake polled just 3.16 per cent of the votes. Advertisement Other candidates in the race include Mahinda Rajapaksas son Namal, who will likely split the SLPP vote. Like his uncle Gotabhaya and father, he is advocating ethnic nationalism and is categorical about not devolving land and police powers to Tamils. The common Tamil contestant is P Ariyanethran. But Tamil parties are not consensual about him. Former Army Commander Gen Sarath Fonseka is not new to stepping into the ring. In 2009, the Army Commander who defeated the LTTE fought against his President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, and lost badly. The Aragalaya activists have offered their own nominee, Nirwan Bopage. Tamil politics has undergone a sea change, both on the island and across the straits. The Sri Lankan Tamil card has vanished from Indias domestic politics. After the passing of the Tamil National Alliance stalwart Sampanthan, who once supported the LTTE and later changed his stance to a united, undivided, indivisible Sri Lanka could not keep united the new generation of post-LTTE Tamils. I got to know him in 2000 when I was assigned by the Government of India to investigate the loss of the invincible Elephant Pass by the Sri Lankan Army and why the LTTE failed to press on towards Jaffna. The Jaffna MP and advocate MA Sumanthiran from ITAK, the main constituent of the former TNA, has scoffed at the idea of a common Tamil candidate to contest the presidential election. Peoples Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) and Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) are backing former Chief Minister of the North, CV Vigneswaran, as the common candidate. The Tamil National Peoples Party and Ceylon Congress are boycotting the polls. Sumanthiran is demanding a merged North East province, which was legally demerged in 2007. Advertisement Punters are putting their money on Dissanayake, though his victory is not a given. Premadasa and Wickeremesinghe are the other two in this race. The Aragalya youth favour Dissanayake as the other two represent parties which have been tried, tested, and failed. Still, many will keep Dissanayake at arms length. The election will be too close to call. Sri Lankas economy suffered its first ever sovereign default in April 2022 when it ran out of foreign exchange reserves. It faces a debt of $37 billion, most of it to China, when the Rajapaksas splurged in white elephant projects in the south. It holds international sovereign bonds worth $12.5 billion. Colombo is receiving a $2.9 billion IMF bailout, which started in March 2023 for four years. Indias loan of $4 billion was a lifesaver, as Wickremesinghe has frequently announced. The Chinese turned away during the distress hour but were positive in Colombos debt restructuring along with the Paris Club, in which Japan, India, and France are co-chairs. Indias timely assistance has helped moderate the largely anti-India sentiment prevalent since the LTTE era. Advertisement For India, Sri Lanka is the pivot in its Indian Ocean Region strategy. Its two main interests are the long-pending implementation in full of the 13th Amendment for Tamils; and security (read China). Economic integration of Sri Lanka is an additional objective. Former President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, in his book The Conspiracy to Oust Me from Presidency, has accused certain foreign powers and local parties for his removal. On the other hand, in 2023, the Supreme Court judgement ruled that the Rajapaksa brothersGotabhaya, Mahinda, and Basilalong with top officials demonstrably contributed to the 2022 economic crisis and violated public trust. Gotabhaya hints in his book that India insisted he continue as president. It seems that former Army Colonel Rajapaksa was advised by his Army Commander to leave Sri Lanka as both brothers Gotabhaya and Mahinda went into hiding. Gotabhaya has since returned and is living with government protection. With regime changes in the Maldives and Bangladesh, India cannot afford to lose Sri Lanka to China. The first country S Jaishankar visited after his renomination as foreign minister was Sri Lanka. It is his favourite country in the neighbourhood, as he earned his diplomatic spurs here. The $4 billion loan to Colombo is his brainchild. India has numerous projects in the works: Trincomalee Harbour and its expansion, Kankesanthurai Harbour, Sampur solar power, the Three Islands energy project (snatched away from China) oil pipeline from Nagapattinam to Trincomalee, wind power projects in Mannar and Pooneryn, and the finalisation of Comprehensive Economic and Technical Agreement. The Chinese ambassador voiced rare criticism of Sri Lanka for suspending the Three Islands project for unknown reasons. Sri Lanka has lifted the ban on Chinese survey ships, which India calls spy vessels. Last month, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was in Colombo to preside over the annual Colombo Security Conclave (CSC), consisting of the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, in which Mauritius and the Seychelles are to be included later. Dhaka was not represented in the latest CSC due to regime change. Doval spent time meeting most of the presidential hopefuls and Tamil leaders. Also last month, for the first time ever, INS Mumbai and three Chinese warships docked in Colombo together as both countries operate East and West Container terminals. In the past, India would take offence to Pakistans military chief visiting soon after Indian service chiefs. Chinese submarines docking in Colombo in 2013 attracted Indias ire, and since then no Chinese submarine has docked again. India had invited, for the first time, Dissanayake to Delhi in February in a rare act of distributing its diplomatic eggs, which it failed to do in the Maldives and Bangladesh. While Premadasa and Wickremesinghe are known commodities, Dissanayake is not. He says he does not represent the JVP of the pre-1980s and has indicated his willingness to work positively with India. Ideally, New Delhis first choice would be Wickremesinghe, followed by Premadasa and Dissanayake. The author is former GOC IPKF South Sri Lanka and founder member Defence Planning Staff, now Integrated Defence Staff, Ministry of Defence. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. China seems to be back in Maos days, marred by authoritarianism and multiple troubles, and commentary on Indias diplomacy and S Jaishankar wont help Beijings problems read more Wang Damings column on the Jaishankars problem soon disappeared from the site of 'The Global Times' (though the Chinese version remained). Image courtesy: Agencies Recently, Wang Daming, a Chinese so-called expert, wrote in The Global Times that Indias diplomacy has a Jaishankar problem. After listing some positive signs in the relationship between China and India, in particular the high-level diplomatic dialogues and several bilateral meetings, for example the 30th and 31st meetings of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border Affairs when New Delhi and Beijing tried to further narrow differences and expand consensus [and] reach a mutually acceptable solution at an early date, the author writes: However, against this backdrop, Jaishankar made some rather shocking remarks. Advertisement Wang quotes from a speech of the Indian External Affairs Minister during the World Leaders Forum hosted by The Economic Times, where Jaishankar said: There is a general China problem. We are not the only country in the world which is having a debate about China. He further noted: India has a China problem a special China problem that is over and above the worlds general China problem. Wang asserts that Jaishankars remarks follow Indias internal logic: China is a bad guy, [which] has created a China problem for all countries, and Indias China problem is no exception. Consequently, India has adopted a series of anti-China policies in recent years. Wangs column on the Jaishankars problem soon disappeared from the site of The Global Times (though the Chinese version remained). One could, however, ask Wang: who started the confrontation in Ladakh in May 2020? Despite the euphoria of the Wuhan Spirit and the Chennai Connect, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) marched into Ladakh; this came as a shock to the government in Delhi; the Indian Army had to scramble to stop the PLA onslaught in five different places. Three years earlier, China had already tried to change the status quo in the Batang-la and Doka-la areas in Southern Sikkim. Was it also Jaishankars problem? Wang continues in The Global Times: Jaishankars diplomatic wrangling has won him some fans. However, the diplomatic strategies and tactics he led were full of tricksthey had neither the moral sense of Jawaharlal Nehrus diplomacy nor the ethic sense of Indira Gandhis diplomacy. Does it mean that Wang or his mentors in Beijing would like India to accept the changes in Ladakh as if nothing had happened? Advertisement Unabated development Just a few days back, Open Source (OS) information mentioned the consolidation of the Chinese positions in Ladakh, particularly in the north bank of the Spangur tso (lake) near the Panggong tso. Post-2020 standoff, the quick development of the infrastructure close to the Line of Action Control (LAC) in Tibet has been going on unabated. A large army camp with double-story buildings and other structures, including a helipad strip, has now come up. Does The Global Times mean that all this should be ignored and normalisation should take place? This aggressive attitude towards India and its foreign minister may hide more serious issues within China. We shall look at a few of them. Advertisement Has China demoted its defence ministry? Shanshan Mei and Dennis J Blasko point to another issue in Defence One, a site providing military analysis: China does not have a functional defence minister. The authors explain: Among the most significant personnel changes of the Chinese Communist Partys recent Third Plenum meeting are two that didnt happen: Adm Dong Jun, the countrys defence minister, was neither added to the Central Military Commission (CMC) nor appointed a State Councillor. This is an apparent demotion for the defence ministry and could complicate the military-to-military relationship between China and the United States. The head of the Ministry of National Defence is always a member of the CMC, giving him direct access to Xi Jinping, the CMC chairman. The defence minister is also a State Councillor, allowing him to regularly meet the Chinese premier. Adm Dong does not have these privileges. Advertisement Adm Dong became minister in December 2022, two months after Gen Li Shangfu, the former defence minister, was removed from office: Leaving Dong off the powerful CMC puts a question mark on the admirals access to Xi. Further, Xi has removed Dongs two immediate predecessors: Li and Gen Wei Fenghe. That makes Dongs status appear to be an intentional effort to downgrade the defence ministers role in the party-state bureaucracy, conclude the authors. Is PLA ready? In the meantime, the war on corruption in the military, which has brought down more than a hundred generals, is continuing. According to The South China Morning Post, Beijing has declared an overwhelming victory in the fight against graft, while PLA generals have praised Xis command over the campaign as having saved the military at a critical time. But there are many cases still unresolvedmany of which involve military officers who were promoted when Xi was at the helm. Advertisement The Hong Kong newspaper clarified: Analysts say the campaign is far from over, pointing to factors such as the rampant corruption in the military before Xi took over, the vast amount of money being spent on modernising weapons, and the insular culture of the PLA as the armed wing of the party. With no effective defence minister and many generals still under threat to be sacked, China is clearly not ready. Jake Sullivans visit to China The US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan recently paid a three-day visit to Beijing. He first met Wang Yi, the Chinese Foreign Minister, and then President Xi Jinping on August 29. The White House said: The meeting was part of ongoing efforts to maintain channels of communication and responsibly manage the relationship between the United States and the Peoples Republic of China. Later, Sullivan met General Zhang Youxia, CMC vice chairman; he did not meet Adm Dong. According to Aljazeera, Sullivan has held wide-ranging talks with a top Chinese military official in Beijing, wrapping up a three-day trip aimed at strengthening communication between the world powers on a range of issues. A White House statement said that the NSA raised issues such as stability in the Taiwan Strait, US commitment to freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, Chinas support for Russias defence industrial base, and ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip. Gen Zhang spoke of Taiwan as the red line. According to a recent Taiwanese estimate, in 2023, China spent about US $15 billion, or 7 percent of its defence budget or nearly 80 per cent of Taiwans total defence budget, on military drills in the Western Pacific. This is huge. The Global Times column attacking Indias External Affairs Minister is probably a way for China to divert Indias attention. During his meeting with Sullivan, Zhang Youxia is said to have stressed that China must resolutely implement the strategy of building the army politically in the new era, carry forward the spirit of thorough self-revolution, continue to deepen political training, strive to create a new situation of building the army politically. Self revolution What is this self-revolution Gen Zhang is speaking about? It seems to be a return to the darkest days of Maoism. The China Media Project, monitoring the Chinese press, explains: [It] refers to a process by which the Chinese Communist Party under Xi Jinping proposes to remain pure by rooting out corrupt and ineffectual cadres from their own ranks Posited as Xi Jinpings answer to the historical problem of dynastic rise and fall, it promises to confer the Party with an indefinite mandate to rule or continued political legitimacyall without having to stand up to external supervision or seek popular support through competitive elections. Xi first used the slogan in 2015 in a speech to the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms, asking the members to dare to self-revolutionise. A year later, in a speech for the 95th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Partys founding, Xi elaborated on the goal and tasks of the Partys self-revolution, and discussed the requirements for realising self-purification, self-innovation, and self-improvement. If the Party is as pure, selfless, and capable of self-correction it needs to answer to no one. China seems to be back in Maos days. Wang Junwei, a scholar at the CCPs Institute of Party History and Literature, believes that it is the only way to save the Peoples Republic from the same fate that befell the Qing, the Ming, and every other dynasty before them. It is a difficult problem that has not been solved by Chinas feudal dynasties for thousands of years, adding that Xis political thinking has been forged in the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. That is why the Ladakh confrontation is a minor issue compared to Xis other headaches; the column of an expert may temporarily (or not) help Beijing to tackle India. But it remains that China has many unsolvable problems. The writer is Distinguished Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (Delhi). Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. Ukraine is slowly becoming a proxy for NATO, while Russias threat to deploy nuclear weapons on the war front is dangerous. In this context, the world looks upon India for being the catalyst in the peace process read more PM Modi hugs Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit to Kyiv (left) and is seen hugging Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral summit in Moscow (right). Image courtesy: Agencies / cropped by: News18 Looking at the present status of the Russia-Ukraine war, it can be added that it has entered a crucial phase. This is more so in the light of Russian strategy to deploy nuclear weapons in the war. Though Ukraine claimed a limited victory in war after two years when its forces entered Russias Kursk region, the war narratives are changing every day. Instead of a limited war, the war had a spillover impact in the adjoining regions of Eurasia, including Europe. The visits of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russia and Ukraine in recent months provide a ray of hope for the peacebuilding efforts of Russia and Ukraine. Hopefully, India will host the summit meeting between Russia and Ukraine to resolve the dispute. Advertisement On September 1, 2024, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, in an interview with the Russian official news agency Itar-Tass, gave a statement in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war, which is causing much uneasiness and tension both among the policymakers as well as among the masses all over the world. Ryabkov added that Russia will rethink its nuclear doctrine in the context of the war with Ukraine. As he stated in the context of the Russian nuclear doctrine, As we have repeatedly said before, the work is in the advanced stage, and there is a clear intent to introduce a correction, caused, among other things, by the examination and analysis of the development of recent conflicts, including, of course, everything connected to our Western adversaries escalation course in regards to the special military operation. Ryabkov made these statements in the context of a recent attack on Russia by Ukraine, where many Russian defence analysts underline the US is behind some of these attacks. In fact, Russian policymakers are also firmly convinced over the last couple of months that both Washington and NATO are firmly behind Ukraine. Thus, Russia may have to go for a new security doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons in case of a war with the United States and NATO forces. Some of these strategic developments in and around the Eurasian heartland are going to pose a plethora of questions. These are: Is Russia at the backfoot in its present war with Ukraine? To what extent are NATO and the West providing the necessary covert support to Ukraine? Will the escalation of conflict create a new security dilemma reminiscent of the Cold War years? How India is going to play a role in bridging the trust deficit between Russia and Ukraine. Some of these questions will address the concerns relating to the state of the Russia-Ukraine war and its larger implications on the geopolitics of Eurasia and global geopolitics. Crucial Phase While Russia was in a tactical advantage position in its war with Ukraine, numerous studies, mostly emanating from Western reports, suggest Russia is on the back foot, especially in the last couple of months. While Russia is using missiles to carry out attacks on targets, what one can notice is the use of drones supplied by NATO countries by Ukraine against Russia. This fundamentally transformed the nature of war between the two countries. Advertisement As reported in the first week of August 2024, Ukraine carried out a surprise attack on the Kursk region. Many strategic analysts considered this attack a major victory for Ukraine, looking at the complex situation in this Eurasian landmass. As reported by many news reports, this attack has been carried out on the infrastructure facilities, including energy, which will put Russia in a disadvantageous position. Similarly, a news article published in Foreign Affairs titled Ukraines Gamble The Risks and Rewards of the Offensive Into Russias Kursk Region by Michael Kofman and Rob Lee suggests that Kursk will force Moscow to consider that Ukraine retains options and that the outcome of this war is still unsettled. Advertisement Thus, going by the version of the article on Foreign Affairs, one can underline here that the Kursk attack can be used by Ukraine as a bargaining chip in its future war strategy vis-a-vis Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as reported in the Washington Post, in a message on social media in the aftermath of the Kursk attack stated, It is only fair that Ukrainians should be able to respond to Russian terror in exactly the way necessary to stop it. Thus, a new kind of security dilemma is evolving in this part of post-Soviet Eurasia, which may create a new form of geopolitical instability. Advertisement Thus, it can be underlined here that the war has entered a crucial phase that may accelerate the present war. Russia is responding to the Kursk attack by advancing more into the Donetsk region, including Pokrovsk, as reported in ABC News. As analysts observe, the fall of Pokrovsk will give Russia a tactical advantage in its larger onslaught against Russia and eventually will make it in favour of Russia. The same can be evident from the barrage of missile attacks that Moscow launched in the Ukrainian territory. NATOs Role It can be underlined that NATO is one of the primary factors that propelled Ukraine to sustain its present war with Russia, which is the support it receives from NATO, the Wests blue-eyed boy, which is redefining its role in the post-1991 phase. As NATOs website states, The security of Ukraine is important to NATO and its member states. The Alliance fully supports Ukraines inherent right to self-defence and its right to choose its security arrangements. Ukraines future is in NATO. It is a fact that the eastward expansion of NATO is one of the major factors in the present-day war between Kyiv and Moscow. Advertisement To augment its covert war against Russia, NATO has also included two countries, Sweden and Finland, as members of this military bloc. Both are strategically located and can be used for encirclement. These two countries joined NATO, which eventually aggravated their security risk from Russia. Thus, NATOs expansionist move is one of the prime factors in the present war. To further its strategic expansionist tendencies and augment Ukraines military capabilities, NATO has pledged around 40 billion in arms aid, per the NATO Website. Thus, it can be stated that Ukraine was partly emboldened by NATOs weapon supply, which propelled it to attack Russia. The same can be testified from the speech of Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg, who, in the month of June, underlined, The right of self-defence [of Ukraine] includes also striking legitimate military targets on the territory of the aggressor: Russia. Similarly, at the latest Russia-Ukraine Council meeting, which took place on 28 August, Stoltenberg further highlighted that We must continue to provide Ukraine with the equipment and munitions it needs to defend itself against Russias invasion. This is vital for Ukraines ability to stay in the fight. Thus, it becomes clearer that the present war is gradually becoming a Russia and NATO war, and Ukraine is becoming a pawn for NATO. Russias Response Russia is also responding to the NATO aggression by employing its nuclear weapon strategy, as aforesaid. In this regard, the June 2020 Decree titled On the Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence. The decree under clause 3 outlines that the state policy of the Russian Federation in the field of nuclear deterrence carried out on the basis of the forces and means of nuclear deterrence, to prevent aggression against the Russian Federation and (or) its allies. The changing nuclear stance of Russia can be understood in the context of the growing role of the US in propping up Ukraine as its frontline ally. The complex security situation in and around Russia has also propelled Russia to flex its muscle. This is more so as reports suggest Russia has accused Ukraine of using HIMAR missiles supplied by the United States in its recent Kursk incursions. This gave Ukraine a tactical advantage. However, Russia has also responded to Ukraines offensive strategy. President Vladimir Putin outlined Russian strategy in the aftermath of the Kursk incursion by stating that it is the holy duty of the Russian army to do everything to throw out the enemy from this territory and to protect our citizens. Putin, while speaking at the Eurasian Economic Forum at Vladivostok, further highlighted that Russia rebuffed the Ukrainian attack on Kursk and stated, The enemy weakened itself in key areas, our army has accelerated its offensive operation. In the same speech, Putin also underlined the need for an offensive military strategy to secure the eastern part of Russia, which Russia considers its own. Though the United States provided enough arms and ammunition to Ukraine for its war against Russia, it needs to be underlined here that the US Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin, in a press conference, underlined on September 6, 2024, that [US] providing armoured vehicles and fires to support Ukrainian troops on the front lines, and our security assistance includes air defence systems to protect Ukrainian civilians and ward off Russian attacks against Ukraines power grid, but the Kremlin continues to put Ukraines cities in the crosshairs. The above statement of Austin shows that despite providing arms and ammunition to Ukraine, Washington knows its limitations. Russia has much more advanced weapons, which can ward off threats from Ukraine. So, the Kursk attack by Ukraine should be considered an isolated one. Indias Response While the Russia-Ukraine war has been in full swing for the last two years, it is quite interesting to note that it brought India into the centre stage of global diplomacy to resolve the war. Indias preeminent role in resolving the war between Russia and Ukraine was acknowledged by US President Joe Biden, EU countries, and even Russia and Ukraine. Since the war between Russia and Ukraine began, India advocated a dialogue between these two Slavic countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted Indias position on the complex issue at the sideline of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit at Tashkent by stating that this is not an era of war. At the same time, India shares good relations with both post-Soviet Slavic Eurasian countries. The same can be testified by the fact that PM Modi visited Russia and Ukraine within a short span of time in August 2024. Modis visit to Ukraine was a game changer as it generated hope from the global community that he would be able to resolve the lingering dispute. Strengthening relations with Kyiv gave New Delhi an opportunity for Western countries to change their perception of Indias role in the Ukrainian crisis. In the past, many Western analysts perceived that India was tilting more toward Russia vis-a-vis Ukraine. At the same time, as many scholars observe, by boosting Indias presence in Ukraine, New Delhi can boost trade relations with Ukraine because of Kyivs strategic location. A closer look at the Joint Statement on India and Ukraine Relations demonstrates that both countries looked at broadening the joint cooperation in the fields of trade and commerce, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, defence, education, science and technology, and culture, apart from exploring a stronger partnership in domains such as digital public infrastructure, industry, manufacturing, green energy etc., including through greater involvement of business and industry from both nations. In his speech at Kyiv, Modi reiterated Indias principled position on the means to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war and underlined that 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. Commenting on Indias principled position, Modi further highlighted, We [Indians] were not neutral from day one; we have taken a side, and we stand firmly for peace. Thus, the visit by Modi to Ukraine gave hope that India could mediate between Russia and Ukraine to usher in peace and stability in this part of Eurasia. Indias efforts to resolve the war are further evident because NSA Ajit Doval visited Russia to consult with Russian officials to reach a consensus to address the issue on September 10-11, 2024. Though he was to attend the BRICS NSA meeting, Doval might have used this opportunity to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war issue with his Russian counterpart and set the stage for bilateral discussion between Russia and Ukraine. India can host the peace process between Russia and Ukraine. One may note here that the war between Russia and Ukraine intensified, thus posing a substantial challenge to global security. As the latest news reports suggest, Russian armour drones entered Romanian space, which put NATO on high alert. Conclusion Looking at the current strategic scenario, one can say that the war between Russia and Ukraine has entered into a dangerous phase. It cannot be ruled out that the war has a devastating impact on global geopolitics. This is because the war is not a mere local one, but the entering of NATO on behalf of Ukraine turns the present war between Russia and NATO. It can also be stated that Ukraine is slowly becoming a proxy for NATO in its war against Russia. What is worrisome is Russias threat to deploy nuclear weapons on the war front. This may create a new security dilemma on the strategic front, thus raising the fear of uncertainty for the global community. In this context, Indias role in resolving the dispute between Russia and Ukraine deserves much appreciation from the global community. Hopefully, New Delhi will host the diplomatic negotiation between Moscow and Kyiv to end the strategic impasse. The author teaches at the School of International Studies, JNU, New Delhi. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. Amazons emissions far exceed those of Apple, which was the second-largest emitter in 2022. The growing energy demands of data centres, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), are raising concerns about escalating carbon emissions read more Industry experts warn that the tech sector may face power shortages within the next two years. Image Credit: Composite image using Reuters' images. In recent years, major technology companies have touted their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as their energy and water consumption have skyrocketed to historic levels, driven mainly by the demand surrounding their AI products and services. However, a new analysis by The Guardian has revealed that the true emissions from the data centres of Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Apple might be significantly higher than reported. From 2020 to 2022, it is estimated that the actual emissions from these companies own data centres could be approximately 662% higher than their official figures suggest. Advertisement Amazon, which is the largest emitter among the big tech giants, was not included in this particular analysis due to its complex business model, which makes isolating data centre-specific emissions challenging. Nevertheless, it is clear that Amazons emissions far exceed those of Apple, which was the second-largest emitter in 2022. The growing energy demands of data centres, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), are raising concerns about escalating carbon emissions. Rising energy demands The International Energy Agency reported that data centres accounted for 1% to 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2022, a figure that predates the surge in AI technology triggered by the launch of ChatGPT. AI operations are considerably more energy-intensive than traditional cloud-based applications. For instance, processing a single query on ChatGPT requires nearly ten times the electricity needed for a Google search. Goldman Sachs projects that data centre power demand will increase by 160 per cent by 2030, while Morgan Stanley forecasts that global data centre emissions could reach 2.5 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent by the same year. Seeveral reports have also suggested that Microsoft may be planning to to build a nuclear powerplant to power of its biggest data centres. Despite these figures, all five major tech companies have claimed carbon neutrality. Google dropped this label last year in response to increased scrutiny of its carbon accounting practices. Amazon recently announced that it achieved its carbon neutrality goal seven years ahead of schedule, attributing this to a 3 per cent reduction in gross emissions. Advertisement Critics, however, argue that such claims often involve creative accounting practices, with concerns raised about the real impact of supposed green initiatives, such as solar farms and electric delivery vans. Renewable Energy Certificates One of the key issues in this creative accounting involves the use of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). These certificates are purchased to demonstrate that a company is sourcing renewable energy, but the actual renewable energy might not be used directly by the companys facilities. Instead, the energy can be produced anywhere, sometimes far from the companys data centres. RECs are used to calculate market-based emissions, which are the official figures reported by companies. When RECs and offsets are excluded, location-based emissions reflect the actual emissions generated where the data is processed. Advertisement The discrepancy is significant: if the combined location-based emissions of these five companies were considered as a single nation, they would rank as the 33rd highest-emitting country globally. Many experts advocate for location-based metrics as a more accurate measure of emissions. The Uptime Institute asserts that location-based accounting provides a clearer picture of the emissions associated with the energy consumed by data centres. Despite this, the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol allows the use of RECs in official reporting, although this has sparked a contentious debate among tech companies. The debate over emissions accounting The ongoing debate is mainly around the GHG Protocols of allowing RECs. The Emissions First Partnership, led by Amazon and Meta, supports retaining RECs in emissions calculations regardless of their geographical origin. Advertisement In contrast, Google and Microsoft advocate for a more stringent approach, aiming for a time-based and location-based match of renewable energy production and consumption. Googles 24/7 goal seeks to ensure all its facilities operate on renewable energy continuously by 2030, while Microsofts 100/100/0 goal aims for 100 per cent carbon-free energy at all times by the same year. Despite these goals, academics and industry leaders criticise the GHG Protocols leniency towards RECs. An open letter from 2015, signed by over 50 experts, argued that companies should not be allowed to report emissions reductions without corresponding changes in overall emissions. Although the GHG Protocol requires companies to report both location-based and market-based figures, most firms fail to provide both sets of data for all three emissions categories in their annual reports. Google and Meta are the only companies that directly report location-based figures, but only for scope 2 emissions, which pertain to indirect emissions from purchased energy. Advertisement Emissions from in-house data centres Scope 2 emissions, which encompass the majority of emissions from data centres, involve the energy purchased by a company, mainly electricity. For companies like Meta and Microsoft that provide data centre-specific information, these centres account for nearly all of their scope 2 emissions. In 2022, Meta reported its official scope 2 emissions for data centres as 273 metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent, but the location-based accounting shows a staggering increase to over 3.8 million metric tons. Similarly, Microsofts reported data centre emissions of 280,782 metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent rose to 6.1 million metric tons under location-based accounting. These figures highlight the substantial difference between reported and actual emissions. Scope 3 emissions and third-party data centres Tech giants also lease a significant portion of their data centre capacity from third-party operators. According to the Synergy Research Group, these companies accounted for 37 per cent of global data centre capacity in 2022, with half of that through third-party agreements. Emissions from these third-party data centres fall under scope 3, which includes all indirect emissions not directly related to the fuel or electricity consumed. Scope 3 emissions also cover the carbon output from constructing in-house data centres and manufacturing the equipment used within them. However, accurately accounting for these emissions is challenging. Third-party operators may include their emissions in their scope 2 reporting or expect tenants to account for them in their scope 3. The use of market-based metrics further complicates accurate reporting of scope 3 emissions. Among the firms that report location-based scope 3 emissions, only Apple has shown a significant gap between its official and location-based figures, starting in 2022. This gap is largely attributed to data centre emissions accounting, as Apple adjusted its scope 3 methodology to include emissions from third-party services. The emissions associated with data centres are expected to rise, with projections indicating that electricity demand for these centres could double by 2030 due to AIs growing energy demands. Both Google and Microsoft have attributed recent increases in market-based emissions to AI. Industry experts warn that the sector may face power shortages within the next two years. The challenge of expanding renewable energy capacity amidst global grid interconnection backlogs further complicates efforts to meet this rising demand. As the tech industry continues to grapple with these issues, the true environmental impact of data centres remains a critical concern. Central Europe is grappling with severe flooding, with at least 15 reported dead as rivers burst their banks, causing widespread destruction and evacuations across multiple countries. Authorities in affected regions, including Poland, Czech Republic, and Romania, are dealing with rising water levels, power outages, and significant infrastructure damage, while Hungary and Slovakia prepare for potential impacts from the Danube River read more A drone view shows a flooded area in Piszkowice, Poland, in this still image from a social media video taken on September 15, 2024. Mariusz Kula/via REUTERS More rivers in central Europe burst their banks on Monday and the number of deaths increased from the worst flooding in at least two decades, with some authorities starting to count the costs and others preparing for waters rising further. Border areas between the Czech Republic and Poland were hit hard over the weekend as heavy rain seen since last week and surging water levels collapsed some bridges, forced evacuations and left a trail of destruction. Advertisement At least 15 people have died in flooding from Austria to Romania. Polands government was due to meet on Monday to call a state of disaster. Michal Piszko, mayor of the Polish town of Klodzko along the Czech border, said waters had receded there but help was needed. We need bottled water and dry provisions, because we have also set up a point for flood victims evacuated from flooded areas, he told private broadcaster RMF FM. Children will not go to school until the end of the week. At the moment, half of the city has no electricity. Polish Education Minister Barbara Nowacka said that around 420 schools across four provinces had been closed. In the town of Nysa a hospital was evacuated. In the Czech town of Jesenik, across the Polish border where floods ripped through the town on Sunday, clean-up was starting after waters receded to show damaged cars and debris left on streets. Jacek Sutryk, mayor of Polands Wroclaw, said the city of some 600,000 was preparing water levels peaking on Wednesday. This high wave will pass through Wroclaw for several days, he said. In the Czech Republic, a rising Morava River overnight put Litovel, a city 230 km (140 miles) east of the capital Prague with a population of nearly 10,000, around 70% under water and shut down schools and health facilities, its mayor said in a video on Facebook. Advertisement Flooded parts of northeastern Czech regional capital Ostrava forced closures of a power plant supplying heat and hot water to the city as well as two chemical plants. More than 12,000 people have been evacuated in the Czech Republic. A quarter of a million Czech households had been without power over the weekend although that figure had fallen to 118,000 on Monday, CTK news agency reported. In Romania, the flooding killed six people over the weekend. An Austrian firefighter died on Sunday. In Lower Austria two men aged 70 and 80 were found drowned in their homes, a police spokesperson said on Monday. Advertisement State news agency PAP reported five deaths in Poland and in the Czech Republic one person died, a police official said. DANUBE ALSO RISES Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter said the government in Budapest was fully prepared to act and efforts for the time being focused on keeping the Danube River and its tributaries within their banks. Pinter said up to 12,000 soldiers were on standby to help if needed. Slovakias capital Bratislava and Hungarian capital Budapest were both preparing as the River Danube rose. In Austria, the levels of rivers and reservoirs fell overnight as rain eased but officials said they were bracing for a second wave as heavier rain was expected in the coming hours. According to humanitarian agencies operating in the region, four million people have been affected by the floods and nearly one million people were forced to flee their homes read more Devastating floods have wreaked mayhem in several cities in West and Central Africa, killing over 1,000 people and destroying hundreds of thousands of homes and infrastructure. According to humanitarian agencies operating in the region, four million people have been affected by the floods and nearly one million people were forced to flee their homes, The New York Times reported. The exact death toll of the calamity has been difficult to tally given the scale of the disaster. Not only this, but the official figures are also not getting updated due to the lack of resources. In Nigeria, authorities have stated that over 200 people have lost their lives in the devastating floods. Advertisement However, the death toll in Nigeria was reported before the floods hit Maiduguri, which has led to the death of 30 people in the region. Meanwhile, in Niger, more than 265 have been reported dead, and in Chad, around 487 people had lost their lives as of last week. WEST & CENTRAL AFRICA FLOODS DISPLACE OVER 700,000 PEOPLE Just two months into the 2024 rainy season, severe flooding has impacted 716,473 people across nine countries in West and Central Africa, including Chad, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic. At least 72 lives pic.twitter.com/jZr0jpVJID Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 16, 2024 Devastating floods leave Africa in shambles Another African nation which became the victim of the floods was Mali. The country has seen the worst flood since the 1960s and 50 people have already lost their lives in the region. The visuals of the floods are circulating online, showing the devastation. This is how far Africa is left out, the so-called unbiased media was unable to cover these floods that happened on Saturday in Guinea Conakry. pic.twitter.com/fKXA061Qfe Nyombi Morris (@mnyomb1) August 26, 2024 Advertisement In Maiduguri, dead animals and people were seen floating past, and several people were trapped in schools and on rooftops. Some people had to sleep on footpaths of dried lands after they saw their homes being destroyed. Not only this, the ground floor of the main hospital in the Nigerian region was submerged, which ultimately destroyed vital equipment, samples, and the polio laboratory. Africa is paying the price for the crime it didnt do It is pertinent to note that while Africa produces only a fraction of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions, the continent bears an exceptionally heavy burden from climate change. According to the World Meteorological Organisation, sub-Saharan Africa will require a whopping $30 billion to $50 billion annually to adapt to climate change over the next decade. Advertisement The impact of climate change is what were witnessing right now, Olasunkanmi Okunola, a scientist whose study focuses on flood risk management and climate adaptation, told The New York Times. Theres no way we can prevent major disasters from happening, but there are steps we can take to lessen the effect, he added. Hence, Africa will be looking at how the world will respond to the calamity that has hit the country. The fire came the same day that Supreme Court Justice Flavio Dino authorized the government to exceed existing spending limits to finance the fight against a fire pandemic read more A fire truck surrounded by smoke from a fire is seen in Brasilia National Park, Brazil, on September 15, 2024. AFP Brazilian firefighters were battling a blaze Sunday in Brasilia National Park, a nature reserve located just outside the capital. The blaze is the biggest Brasilia has seen this year, as the city hits 145 days without rain. Some 1,200 hectares (4.5 square miles) have burned, according to the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, responsible for the administration of Brazils national parks. It said the blaze would be fought throughout the night in the 30,000-hectare park. Advertisement The fire came the same day that Supreme Court Justice Flavio Dino authorized the government to exceed existing spending limits to finance the fight against a fire pandemic. We cannot deny maximum and effective aid under the justification of complying with an accounting rule that is not in the Constitution, said Dino, formerly President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvas justice minister. According to the National Institute for Space Research, 55,517 fires have been recorded in September, up from 46,498 this month last year. Authorities blame human action for most of the recent fires in the country, which are often linked to agricultural activity. The situation has been aggravated by the countrys worst drought in seven decades, which experts attribute to climate change. In recent days smoke has clouded Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, as well as parts of Argentina and Uruguay. The latest tragedy means 46 migrants have lost their lives attempting to reach British shores so far this year, a regional official said, up from 12 in 2023 read more This photograph taken on September 15, 2024 shows the damaged migrants' boat after a failed attempt to cross the English Channel that led to the death of 8 people near the beach of Ambleteuse, northern France. AFP Eight migrants died on Sunday when their overcrowded vessel capsized while trying to cross the Channel from France to England, French authorities said, less than two weeks after the deadliest such disaster this year. The latest tragedy means 46 migrants have lost their lives attempting to reach British shores so far this year, a regional official said, up from 12 in 2023. The French and British governments have sought for years to stop the flow of migrants, who pay smugglers thousands of euros per head for passage on overloaded rubber dinghies. Advertisement Regional prefect Jacques Billant said the incident happened at around 1:00 am (2300 GMT on Saturday) off the coast of the northern town of Ambleteuse. The toll was terrible, with eight people reported dead, he told the press near the site of the accident. He said they seemed all to be men. Six survivors were hospitalised, including a 10-month-old baby with hypothermia, he added. The boat had set off from the Slack River that flows into the sea between the towns of Wimereux and Ambleteuse. Billant said that it had 59 people on board from Eritrea, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iran. Only one out of six had a life jacket, he said. The dinghy quickly got into difficulty and ran aground, he said. The boat was torn apart on the rocks. Children, tiny babies Christel Leclair, a volunteer at a local charity, said a second boat had departed at around 7:30 am despite the fatal accident. Departures happen the whole time winter, day, night, summer as soon as the sea is calm, she said. The boats are more and more overcrowded. They dont have life jackets, just sometimes the inner tube of a tyre, she added. Advertisement There are children, pregnant women and tiny babies. Were sad and deflated. The Auberge des Migrants (Migrant shelter) charity on X called on the French and British states to immediately rethink their migration policy. Billant said that this year French authorities had dismantled 20 people smuggling networks, arresting 77 people of whom 59 have been referred to the courts. But Charlotte Kwantes, of the Utopia 56 charity helping migrants, said departures would only continue. Without enough legal options for migrants wishing to reach the United Kingdom, people are continuing and will continue to take the same risks, whatever the quantity of patrols and means deployed at the border, she said. Advertisement Saw them die Maritime authorities said Saturday that migrants had made numerous attempts to cross the Channel in recent days, with 200 people rescued in 24 hours over Friday and Saturday alone. The latest incident comes after at least 12 migrants including six minors, mostly from Eritrea, died when their boat capsized off the northern French coast on September 3. More than 22,000 migrants have arrived in England by crossing the Channel since the beginning of this year, according to British officials. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Frances President Emmanuel Macron pledged this summer to strengthen cooperation in handling the surge in undocumented migrant numbers. Advertisement On Sunday, Starmers office announced the appointment of Martin Hewitt as chief of the new UK Border Security Command, which was set up to bolster the fight against illegal migration, notably by leading joint investigations with other European countries. Hewitt will accompany Starmer during a trip to Rome on Monday for talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni where tackling illegal migration will be high on the agenda. The Channel crossings often prove perilous, and in November 2021, 27 migrants died when their boat capsized in the deadliest single such disaster to date. French authorities seek to stop migrants taking to the water but do not intervene once they are afloat except for rescue purposes, citing safety concerns. Hours after Breton announced he would step down as a member of the EU executive body over a rift with European Commission chief von der Leyen, France on Monday nominated Stephane Sejourne to become the countrys next European Commissioner read more Hours after Thierry Breton announced he would step down as a member of the EU executive body over a rift with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, France on Monday nominated outgoing foreign minister Stephane Sejourne to become the countrys next European Commissioner. According to Euro News, citing a statement, Elysee Palace said that the decision was made in accordance with newly-appointed Prime Minister Michel Barnier, and confirmed France was angling for a key portfolio related to industrial and technological sovereignty and European competitiveness. Advertisement Sejournes prior experience, as chair of Macrons centrist Renew Europe group in the European Parliament and as Frances Minister of Europe and foreign affairs, equips him to take the reins of such a prestigious portfolio, added the statement. Earlier on Monday, Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for the internal market since 2019 and a close ally of Macron in Brussels, withdrew his bid for re-election abruptly. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my colleagues in the College, Commission services, MEPs, Member States, and my team. Together, we have worked tirelessly to advance an ambitious EU agenda. It has been an honour & privilege to serve the common European interest pic.twitter.com/wQ4eeHUnYu Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) September 16, 2024 In his resignation letter, which Breton posted on X, he said von der Leyen a few days ago had asked France to withdraw his name as its pick for the Commission for personal reasons in return for an allegedly more influential portfolio. In light of these latest developments - further testimony to questionable governance - I have to conclude that I can no longer exercise my duties in the College, Breton said in the letter. Advertisement Von der Leyen is finalising her list of commissioners for her second term leading the governing body, due to be presented to the public this week. Meanwhile, the allegations, on which the Commission refrained from commenting on Monday, have drawn fierce condemnation even from Macrons political rivals in France, reported Euro News. According to the report, Fabien Roussel, the secretary of the French Communist Party, condemned von der Leyens alleged attempts to persuade Macron to replace Breton as scandalous. He accused the Commission chief of undermining Frances sovereignty and hitting rock bottom. Roussel, aligned with the left-wing New Popular Front (NPF) coalition, criticised the Macron-led coalition for appointing Michel Barnier as Prime Minister and supports Bretons withdrawal as scandalous. Advertisement Ursula von der Leyen has been pushing for gender parity by lobbying small member states to replace male candidates with women. Most EU capitals rejected her request for both male and female candidates, except those where outgoing Commissioners were seeking reappointment. Bretons unexpected withdrawal has disrupted von der Leyens team formation. Political infighting in Slovenia means the governments candidate, Marta Kos, has still not received the formal green light. The right-wing opposition is up in arms after the original candidate, Tomaz Vesel, was allegedly forced to withdraw his bid amid pressure from von der Leyen for a female alternative. It remains uncertain if von der Leyen will present her team to the European Parliaments leaders on Tuesday, with the formation of the next Commission potentially delayed beyond the early November target due to the required parliamentary hearings and votes. Advertisement With inputs from agencies Bolivian President Luis Arce has accused former leader Evo Morales of plotting a coup by organizing protests and roadblocks over fuel shortages, aimed at forcing a change in the courts decision barring Morales from running in the 2025 elections. Morales, who remains popular among some supporters, plans to launch demonstrations this week to challenge the ban read more Bolivian President Luis Arce on Sunday accused former leader Evo Morales of plotting a coup by calling for demonstrations and roadblocks, officially to protest fuel shortages. Morales, Bolivias first Indigenous president, was extremely popular until he tried to bypass the constitution and seek a fourth term in office in 2019. He wants to run again in August 2025, but the courts have barred him from doing so. However, he is trying, with the support of a wing of his party, to force the courts to back down. Advertisement You are going to launch a march in the coming days, which will become a national roadblock and end in a coup against a popular government, Arce told his opponent during a speech. Morales approved on Sunday the launch of marches with his supporters in the ruling Movement Towards Socialism party to begin from Tuesday in the small town of Caracollo and head towards the capital La Paz. Although opponents, Arce and Morales are members of the same party and the Movement must designate a single candidate for the August 2025 election. Only Morales has so far announced his intention to run, despite the ban against him. Arce said the demonstrations planned by Morales aimed to impose his candidacy by any means. Do not set fire to our country with your actions that far exceed your words. Do not impoverish the economy and do not cut off supplies to businesses, to Bolivian families, with national blockades, Arce urged. You threaten us with blockades because you want to do what the Constitution forbids you: to be a candidate again, the president added. French European Commissioner Thierry Breton on Monday said he would step down as a member of the EU executive body over a rift with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, alleging that she had asked Paris to withdraw his candidacy read more European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton speaks during a press conference presenting plans to boost the European Union's arms industry in Brussels, Belgium March 5, 2024. Reuters File French European Commissioner Thierry Breton on Monday said he would step down as a member of the EU executive body over a rift with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, alleging that she had asked Paris to withdraw his candidacy. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my colleagues in the College, Commission services, MEPs, Member States, and my team. Together, we have worked tirelessly to advance an ambitious EU agenda. It has been an honour & privilege to serve the common European interest pic.twitter.com/wQ4eeHUnYu Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) September 16, 2024 Advertisement Von der Leyen is finalising her list of commissioners for her second term leading the governing body, due to be presented to the public this week. Breton, a former business executive, was the EUs industry and internal market commissioner during her first term, overseeing many of the blocs most important policies, ranging from industrial arms production to regulating Big Tech. In his resignation letter, which Breton posted on X, he said von der Leyen a few days ago had asked France to withdraw his name as its pick for the Commission for personal reasons in return for an allegedly more influential portfolio. Reuters was unable to immediately verify the allegation. Von der Leyens office did not immediately reply to a request for comment. In light of these latest developments - further testimony to questionable governance - I have to conclude that I can no longer exercise my duties in the College, Breton said in the letter. Advertisement Each EU member state will have one seat at the Commissions table, although their political weight and importance varies greatly depending on the portfolio. The French presidency did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment. It takes a person a week to travel to Yemen (from Iran), how could this missile have gotten there? We dont have such missiles to provide to Yemen, Pezeshkian said read more Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday said that Tehran has not sent hypersonic missiles to Yemens Houthis, a day after the Iran-backed group said a missile it fired at Israel was a hypersonic one. It takes a person a week to travel to Yemen (from Iran), how could this missile have gotten there? We dont have such missiles to provide to Yemen, Reuters quoted Pezeshkian as saying during a televised news conference on Monday. Advertisement However, Iran had last year presented what it described as Tehrans first domestically made hypersonic ballistic missile, with state media publishing pictures of the missile named Fattah at a ceremony. After the missiles reached central Israel on Sunday for the first time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would inflict a heavy price on the Iran-backed Houthis who control northern Yemen. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group struck with a new hypersonic ballistic missile that travelled 2,040 km (1270 miles) in just 11 1/2 minutes. After initially saying the missile had fallen in an open area, Israels military later said it had probably fragmented in the air, and that pieces of interceptors had landed in fields and near a railway station. Nobody was reported hurt. Air raid sirens had sounded in Tel Aviv and across central Israel moments before the impact at around 6:35 a.m. local time (0335 GMT), sending residents running for shelter. Loud booms were heard. Reuters saw smoke billowing in an open field in central Israel. At a weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the Houthis should have known that Israel would exact a heavy price for attacks on Israel. Advertisement Whoever needs a reminder of that is invited to visit the Hodeida port, Netanyahu said, referring to an Israeli retaliatory air strike against Yemen in July for a Houthi drone that hit Tel Aviv. The Houthis have fired missiles and drones at Israel repeatedly in what they say is solidarity with the Palestinians, since the Gaza war began with a Hamas attack on Israel in October. The drone that hit Tel Aviv for the first time in July killed a man and wounded four people. Israeli air strikes in response on Houthi military targets near the port of Hodeidah killed six and wounded 80. Previously, Houthi missiles have not penetrated deep into Israeli air space, with the only one reported to have hit Israeli territory falling in an open area near the Red Sea port of Eilat in March. Advertisement Israel should expect more strikes in the future as we approach the first anniversary of the October 7 operation, including responding to its aggression on the city of Hodeidah, Reuters quoted Sarea as saying. The deputy head of the Houthis media office, Nasruddin Amer, said in a post on X on Sunday that the missile had reached Israel after 20 missiles failed to intercept it, describing it as the beginning. The Israeli military also said that 40 projectiles were fired towards Israel from Lebanon on Sunday and were either intercepted or landed in open areas. No injuries were reported, the military said. With inputs from agencies Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages have shown no signs of easing, as efforts to broker a ceasefire remain deadlocked. Meanwhile, the war between Israel and Hamas has drawn in other Iran-backed groups, Hezbollah and Houthis read more Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Houla on September 16, 2024. Image used for representative purpose/AFP Israeli airstrikes killed at least 18 people across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Monday (September 16) morning, Gaza rescuers and medics said. Among the dead were 10 members of the Al-Qassas family, who were killed in an airstrike that hit their home in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, AFP quoted a medic at Al-Awda hospital as saying. The attack, which also injured 15 people, was confirmed by Gazas civil defence agency, with spokesman Mahmud Bassal stating the strike occurred on Monday morning. Advertisement The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza reported that the death toll from the ongoing war has now surpassed 41,226, with 95,413 people wounded since the conflict erupted following Hamass assault on Israel on October 7. At least 20 people were killed in the previous 24 hours, it said. Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages have shown no signs of easing, as efforts to broker a ceasefire remain deadlocked. A key issue in negotiations, which are being mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, is control of the Philadelphi Corridor, a strategic border strip between Gaza and Egypt. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that maintaining control of the corridor is crucial to prevent weapons smuggling into Gaza. Hamas, on the other hand, is demanding that Israel withdraw completely from the territory. Netanyahu is under increasing domestic pressure to finalise a ceasefire and hostage release agreement that would includes swapping of remaining hostages in Gaza for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Meanwhile, the war between Israel and Hamas has drawn in other Iran-backed groups in the Middle East, notably Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Houthi rebels in Yemen. Advertisement On that front, on Sunday, a long-range ballistic missile fired from Yemen hit central Israel, sparking fire. The strike marks the first time a missile fired by the group has reached central Israel, which is around 2,000km from Yemen. Things are not getting any easier for Israel along the Lebanon border, where Hezbollah remains active. Israels defence minister Yoav Gallant has already told his US counterpart Lloyd Austin that time is running out for an agreement with Hezbollah to halt the fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border. With inputs from AFP Germany moved to expand controls following suspected Islamist attacks, including a knife attack in Solingen in August that killed three people and wounded eight others. The Syrian suspect was linked to the Islamic State group read more German flag waves in front of Bundestag, the lower house of parliament in Berlin. File image/AP Germany on Monday (September 16) expanded its border controls to all nine of its neighboring countries in an effort to curb the flow of irregular migrants, a move that has drawn protests from other EU member states. Spot checks across borders Federal police, dressed in high-visibility vests, conducted spot checks at road and highway crossings despite heavy rains. Officers stopped passenger cars, buses, and other vehicles, asking to see identification papers and searching the trunks of some vehicles. Advertisement Berlin announced the new measure last week following a series of deadly extremist attacks that heightened public fears and bolstered support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Stopping Islamists German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the expanded controls aim to reduce irregular migration and stop criminals and identify Islamists early. Germany moved to expand controls following suspected Islamist attacks, including a knife rampage last month in Solingen that killed three people and wounded eight others. The Syrian suspect, linked to the Islamic State group, had evaded deportation. Expanded controls across all neighbouring borders Under the policy, checks can be carried out within 30 kilometers of the border, according to police spokesperson Daniel Rosin in Kehl, near the border with Strasbourg, France. In addition to road patrols, officers will also monitor cross-border trams and trains. Border controls with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland were already in place before the new crackdown. The measure now extends controls to the borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark. Political pressure and security concerns With national elections approaching next year, the attacks have put pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholzs government to tighten its policies on migrants and asylum seekers. Advertisement Andreas Rosskopf, head of the German police union, told broadcaster RBB that covering the expanded border area would be difficult and questioned the effectiveness of the measure in curbing migration and people smuggling. With inputs from AFP Chu Kai-pong, 27, has pleaded guilty to sedition in Hong Kong for wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan, marking the first conviction under the citys new security law. The case highlights increasing concerns over freedoms in Hong Kong amid tighter security measures read more Chu Kai-pong was detained for wearing shirt with Free Hong Kong. Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times as he waited to board flight to Taiwan. File photo/X A Hong Kong man on Monday pleaded guilty to sedition for wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan, becoming the first person convicted under the citys new national security law passed in March. Chu Kai-pong, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of doing with a seditious intention an act. Under the new security law, the maximum sentence for the offence has been expanded from two years to seven years in prison and could even go up to 10 years if collusion with foreign forces was found involved. Advertisement Chu was arrested on June 12 at a MTR station wearing a T-shirt with the slogan Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times and a yellow mask printed with FDNOL- the shorthand of another slogan five demands, not one less. Both slogans were frequently chanted in the huge, sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019 and June 12 was a key kick-off day of the months-long unrests. Chu told police that he wore the T-shirt to remind people of the protests, the court heard. Chief Magistrate Victor So, handpicked by the city leader John Lee to hear national security cases, adjourned the case to Thursday for sentencing. Hong Kong was returned from Britain to China in 1997 under Beijings promise of guaranteeing its freedoms, including freedom of speech, would be protected under a one country, two systems formula. Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020 punishing secession, subversion, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, after the months-long protests in the financial hub. In March 2024, Hong Kong passed a second new security law a home-grown ordinance also known as Article 23 according to its parent provision in the citys mini constitution, the Basic Law. Advertisement Critics, including the U.S. government have expressed concerns over the new security law and said the vaguely defined provisions regarding sedition could be used to curb dissent. Hong Kong and Chinese officials have said it was necessary to plug loopholes in the national security regime. Iran fought an eight-year-war with Iraq ending in the late 1980s. Over a decade later, the US invaded Iraq and ousted Saddam Hussein. Two decades later, Iran seems to be out-pacing the US in Iraq read more Almost quietly, Iran and Iraq once arch rivals have joined ranks in West Asia. A proof of the growing ties comes from the fact that two strong Iran-backed militias Houthis and Hamas have opened their offices in Baghdad in the past two months. The Iraqi government has not yet officially confirmed the development but photographs have surfaced and media reports including by New York Times show that the two outfits, considered proxies of Iran, have offices in Baghdad. Advertisement The Houthis, a Shia group with control over a large part of Yemen, opened their office in Baghdad in July. Hamas, a largely Sunni group ruling Gaza and currently fighting a war with Iraq for over 11 months, has recently opened its office nearby. The opening of their offices in Baghdad marks a significant shift in Iraqs alliances and also showcases how Iran despite strong American disapprovals has grown its influence in the West Asian region. Irans President Masoud Pezeshkian last week visited Iraq on his first foreign tour. The two countries concluded 14 bilateral agreements during the historic tour. At a joint presser with Iraqs Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Baghdad, Pezeshkian said, The crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza expose the falsehood of Western countries and international organisations when it comes to human rights. All this has happened while the US continues to maintain its military presence in Iraq for over 20 years. There are still around 2,500 American troops in Iraq, where the US has recently carried out two major operations against the Islamic State, which is reported to have taken advantage of the ongoing Gaza war to regroup and rearm itself. A covert establishment An NYT report said that neither the Hamas nor the Houthi office in Baghdad bears public signage, and the locations have been kept confidential. This move aligns with Irans broader strategy to unite its proxies and foster collaboration across borders. By facilitating the opening of these offices, Baghdad has become a new hub in the shadow war between Iran, Israel, and the United States. Advertisement Sharing about a 1,000-km border, Iran and Iraq have a history of military conflicts. Soon after the Iranian revolution of 1979, when the country became a Shia republic headed by a religious figure called Rahbar Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein ordered invasion of the country. The war went on for eight years 1980-88. The eight-year-war was Iraqs response to Irans hardline Shia turn and it came from a Sunni-leader who ran an authoritarian government ruling a country having Shias as majority. The two countries continued to have adversarial relations until 2003, when a US-led coalition force deposed Saddam Hussein, who was later executed in the US. Hussein feared that Iranian revolution may spill over Iraq and threaten his rule due to sectarian Shia affinity with the neighbouring country. Advertisement The ouster of Saddam Hussein, who ran a secular government in Iraq and tackled extremist groups such as Muslim Brotherhood to which Hamas was affiliated, provided a window of opportunity to Iran to rebuild its ties and strengthened its position in West Asia, where it largely remained isolated for long as it also faced cold response from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In recent years, Iran has led what many believe a covert campaign to reset its ties with Iraq. The offices of the Houthis and Hamas are being viewed as a reflection of the delicate political situation in Iraq and Irans growing influence in the country. Advertisement Reports suggest that despite many Iraqi officials discomfort with this development, they appear to lack the political leverage to resist Irans increasing influence. Social media has been flooded with photos that reveal the presence of these groups in Iraq, underscoring how openly the situation has evolved. Iraqs shifting allegiance Over the past 20 years, since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iraq has struggled to balance its relations with both Iran and the United States. While the US still maintains troops in the country, Irans influence has steadily grown. Iran has nurtured sympathetic forces such as Shiite militias that have also gained political power in a sustained manner over the years, managing to embed itself deeply in Iraqs political and security apparatus. The rise of these Shiite militias, some of which were legitimised by Iraqs government, has shifted the countrys political dynamics. Advertisement The latest political agreement in Iraq also sees that a Sunni Kurd is the president of the country as the official head of the state, the executive head of the government is a Shia Muslim and the parliament speaker is a Sunni Arab. The arrangement has given Iran relative emotive superiority in Iraq despite the country having undergone a constitutional transformation under the supervision of the US. This explains why foreign groups such as Hamas and the Houthis have established formal ties with Baghdad. What Iran is eyeing for The establishment of these offices appears to be a part of a larger, regional strategy by Iran, which has long been trying to cultivate a Shiite Crescent of influence that stretches from Lebanon (via Hezbollah) to Yemen (via the Houthis). Now, Iraq seems to be playing a central role. Irans aim looks clear to counter the influence of the US and Israel in West Asia. As part of this effort, Iran-backed proxy groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis, collaborate on military operations and share intelligence. The ongoing Israels war in Gaza has seen instances of what seemed coordinated attacks on the Jewish nation from Lebanon and Yemen. Hezbollah has linked its attacks to the Israeli campaign in the Gaza Strip. And the Houthis have repeatedly struck in the Red Sea, linking their strikes to Israeli assaults on Palestinians. Now, with Iran having successfully integrated Iraq with what it calls the axis of resistance against the West-Israel alliance Tehran looks to dominate the region for the first time in decades. Has the US lost Iraq to Iran forever? There is little doubt that the US is not willing to fight longer wars in Iraq. Its military campaigns have reduced in number and scale. The American forces went to Iraq more than 20 years ago looking for weapons of mass destruction and scored a quick victory over Saddam Husseins forces. Iraq subsequently saw a near-decade-long civil war. No weapons of mass destruction were discovered but the US lost more than 4,400 troops. These facts turned the US popular opinion against keeping forces in Iraq. There are still, however, about 2,500 American troops there but their military campaigns are restricted. There is also a growing realisation in the US administration that it cant keep its forces to prevent an insurgent group, say Islamic State in Iraq and Syria or the Taliban in Afghanistan, from assuming power if the local population extend support to such militias. This shift in the US policy has also provided an opportunity to Iran to gain more ground in Iraq, where sectarian groups hold sway over various regions. The presence of Iranian-backed groups in Iraq, however, has raised concerns about potential Israeli retaliatory strikes within Iraq. If that happens, regional balance will get further distorted. Another aspect that may come to play as Iraq deepens its engagement with Hamas and the Houthis is that those influenced by Muslim Brotherhoods ideology may help the Gazan Palestinian outfit regroup and those influenced by hardline Shia ideology are likely to stand behind the Houthis. Iraq may be on the curve of becoming a playground of another sectarian rivalry as West Asia finds itself engulfed by multilateral military conflicts with the potential of turning into a regional war. During election campaigning, he had vowed to fully oppose police patrols enforcing the mandatory hijab headscarf, as well as easing long-standing internet restrictions. read more Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during his press conference in Tehran, Iran on Monday, Sep 16, 2024.- AP Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed Monday to ensure the morality police will no longer bother women, in remarks to the media on the second anniversary of Mahsa Aminis death in custody. Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, died in police custody on September 16, 2022, days after the morality police arrested her in Tehran for an alleged breach of the Islamic Republics strict dress code for women. Her death triggered months-long protests nationwide, with hundreds of people, including dozens of security personnel, killed. Thousands of demonstrators were arrested. Advertisement The morality police were not supposed to confront (women). I will follow up so they dont bother them, Pezeshkian said during his first press conference since he took office in July. Pezeshkian replaced the ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. Iran has over the years tightly controlled internet use, restricting popular social media platforms such as Facebook and X. Harsher curbs were enforced following 2019 protests against fuel price hikes and during the demonstrations triggered by Aminis death. On Monday, Pezeshkian said his government was working to ease restrictions online, especially on social media. Relations with the West At his press conference, Pezeshkian briefly touched on other topics including Irans fraught relations with the United States and the 2015 nuclear deal. We do not want to fight with America if it respects our rights, he said. It is not us who are hostile (to the Americans). We have not built military bases around their country. Iran and the United States have had no diplomatic relations since 1980, the year after the Islamic Revolution that toppled its Western-backed Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. Advertisement A landmark 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers granted Iran sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear programme. But the deal quickly collapsed and tensions reignited after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran the following year. Iran has since suspended its compliance with caps on nuclear activities. We are not seeking nuclear weapons; we have respected the framework of the nuclear agreement, Pezeshkian said. They (the United States) broke the agreement and forced us to do something. Pezeshkian also spoke about newly imposed sanctions. Last week Britain, France and Germany announced punitive measures targeting Iranian air transport, accusing it of delivering ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the Ukraine war. Advertisement Iran has repeatedly denied sending weapons to Russia for use in the war, and vowed to respond to the latest in a long string of Western sanctions. Need to disarm Israel Pezeshkian said Iran has not given Russia any weapons. It is possible that Iran and Russia had military cooperation in the past because there was no ban at the time, he said. What I can say with certainty is that since our arrival, we have not given them anything so that (the West) boycotts us. He also insisted on Irans right to maintain its missile programme, which has drawn Western criticism, as a deterrent against its arch-foe Israel. Advertisement They (the West) want us not to have missiles, that is fine, but you need to disarm Israel first, he said, adding that otherwise they can drop bombs on us whenever they want, like in Gaza. Israel launched a relentless campaign against the Palestinian militant group Hamas which controls the Gaza Strip, after its October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Militants also seized 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead. Israels offensive has so far killed at least 41,226 people in Gaza, according to Gazas health ministry, which does not provide a breakdown of civilian and militant deaths. Advertisement Tehran hailed Hamass October 7 attack on Israel but denied any involvement. Iran does not recognise Israel, and has made support for the Palestinian cause a centrepiece of its foreign policy since the Islamic revolution in 1979. Kazakhstan remains a close ally of its former Soviet overlord Russia, though the Astana government has not taken sides in the conflict or supported Moscows claims to some Ukrainian territories. read more Flames rise and debris is scattered on the ground after a Russian aerial bomb struck a multi-story residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday Sept. 15, 2024.- AP Russia can not be defeated on the battlefield, said Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, urging him to support Chinas peace plan for Ukraine, a suggestion Scholz rejected. The German Chancellor Scholz is on his first official tour of Central Asia as Berlin looks for new sources of energy and minerals in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine. It is a fact that Russia cannot be defeated in the military sense, Tokayev told Scholz in Astana. Advertisement A further escalation of war will lead to irreparable consequences for the whole of humanity and above all for the countries involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he added. Scholz diplomatically disagreed, saying Germany was supporting Ukraine because Russia had invaded it. That is the case and will remain so, so that the country can defend itself and protect its integrity and sovereignty, he said. It is also clear to us that, at the same time, it remains necessary to continue to explore opportunities to open up peaceful development. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called on allies to greenlight the use of Western-provided long-range weapons to strike targets deep inside Russian territory. So far, the U.S. has allowed Kyiv to use American-provided weapons only in a limited area inside Russias border with Ukraine. Discussions on allowing long-range strikes were believed to be on the table when U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met in Washington on Friday but no decision was announced immediately. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pressing the U.S. and other allies to allow his forces to use Western weapons to target air bases and launch sites farther afield as Russia has stepped up assaults on Ukraines electricity grid and utilities before winter. Advertisement Meanwhile, officials in Moscow have continued to make public statements warning that long-range strikes would provoke further escalation between Russia and the West. The remarks are in line with the narrative the Kremlin has promoted since early in the war, accusing NATO countries of de-facto participation in the conflict and threatening a response. With inputs from agencies. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to explore Italys approach to managing illegal immigration, following a tragic shipwreck in the Channel that claimed eight lives. Starmer is interested in Italys new strategies, including migrant processing centers in Albania, as he seeks alternatives to the previous UKs Rwanda plan read more British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Monday to discuss tackling illegal immigration, a day after another Channel migrant shipwreck claimed eight lives. Starmer, whose centre-left Labour Party was elected with a crushing parliamentary majority in July, has vowed to fight illegal immigration, a hot-button topic in British politics for years. Here, theres been some quite dramatic reduction (in migrant arrival numbers) so I want to understand how that came about, Starmer said in Rome ahead of his meeting with Meloni. Advertisement He was speaking while touring a national immigration coordination centre with Italys interior minister, Matteo Piantedosi. Starmer was received with a welcome ceremony at 12:00 local time (10:00 GMT) at Romes Villa Doria Pamphili before his meeting with Meloni. Far-right riots shook cities and towns across England and Northern Ireland shortly after Starmers election, the UKs worst unrest since 2011, with mosques and migrant accommodation centres often targeted. The perilous cross-Channel journeys migrants attempt from northern France have posed a fiendishly difficult problem to solve for successive British prime ministers. Eight migrants died on Sunday after their overcrowded boat capsized in the Channel between France and England, bringing to 46 the number of people who have lost their lives this year trying to reach British shores. Around 800 people crossed the Channel on Saturday, the second-highest figure since the start of the year, according to the UK interior ministry. Starmer has rejected the previous Conservative governments plan to expel all undocumented migrants to Rwanda while their asylum claims are examined. Instead, UK media say he is interested in the strategy of Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, whose country is on the front line of illegal migration into the European Union. Italy signed an agreement with Albania in November to open two centres in the Balkan country where undocumented migrants would be housed while their asylum claims are processed. Advertisement Italy is to fund and manage the centres, which will be capable of accommodating up to 3,000 migrants who have arrived on Italian shores by boat. Migrants with rejected asylum claims would be sent back to their country of origin, whereas those with accepted applications will be granted entry to Italy. That is a key difference from the former UK governments Rwanda scheme, whereby migrants sent to the East African nation could never have settled in Britain irrespective of the outcome of their claim. - Fewer arriving migrants - While touring the migrant coordination centre, Starmer said it looked like the lower migrant arrivals to Italy were due to work thats been done in some of the countries where people are coming from. Advertisement Ive long believed, by the way, that prevention and stopping people travelling in the first place is one of the best ways to deal with this particular issue, he added. Starmers trip to Italy has already spurred criticism, even within his own party. Labour MP Kim Johnson told The Guardian newspaper it was disturbing that Starmer is seeking to learn lessons from a neo-fascist government, particularly after the anti-refugee riots and far-right racist terrorism that swept Britain this summer. The newly appointed chief of the UKs new Border Security Command, Martin Hewitt, was accompanying Starmer during his trip, his office said. Besides Albania, Melonis government has also inked a deal with Tunisia, granting aid in exchange for greater efforts to stop Italy-bound migrants who leave the North African country and cross the Mediterranean. Advertisement Italy has also renewed a controversial deal with the UN-backed Libyan government in Tripoli, dating from 2017, in which Rome provides training and funding to the Libyan coastguard in order to stem departures of migrants or return to Libya those already at sea. Human rights groups say the policy pushes thousands of migrants back to Libya to face torture and abuse under arbitrary detention. Since the start of the year, migrant arrivals to Italy by sea have dropped markedly, according to the interior ministry. Between January 1 and September 13, 44,675 people arrived in Italy compared to a figure of 125,806 for the same period in 2023. Advertisement Across all the EU borders, meanwhile, the number of migrants crossing has dropped by 39 percent, according to border agency Frontex. But multiple factors are behind these trends, experts say, with many migrants seeking entry into the EU having changed their route. While the Balkan and Central Mediterranean migration routes saw flows fall significantly this year, by 77 percent and 64 percent respectively, the West African and Eastern land border routes recorded sharp increases, of 123 percent and 193 percent respectively. Crossings are up 13 percent over the Channel this year, Frontex said. The people struck by gunfire included two innocent bystanders, one of the officers and the man with the blade, who the police initially confronted because he hadnt paid his fare, officials said read more Four people were wounded at a Brooklyn subway station Sunday when police officers shot a man threatening them with a knife, and inadvertently sprayed bullets that hit passengers, authorities said. The people struck by gunfire included two innocent bystanders, one of the officers and the man with the blade, who the police initially confronted because he hadnt paid his fare, officials said. One of the passengers, a 49-year-old man, was hospitalized in critical condition after a bullet passed into an adjoining subway car and struck his head. Advertisement A video posted by a passenger showed upset passengers fleeing, police running to help the injured and the wounded officer suddenly realizing he had also been struck by a bullet. Interim Police Commissioner Thomas Donlan, who was only appointed to his position Friday, promised a thorough investigation, but cast blame for the incident on the man accused of brandishing the knife. We will be working through the timeline of today, but make no mistake, the events that occurred on the Sutter Avenue station platform are the results of an armed perpetrator who was confronted by our officers doing the job we asked them to do, Donlon said. The shooting happened a little after 3 p.m. when two officers followed a man up the station steps to an elevated platform after seeing him enter without paying, Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said. The officers told the man to stop, but he refused, muttering Im going to kill you if you dont stop following me, Maddrey said. In the course of the encounter, the officers noticed the man had a knife, Maddrey said. They followed him onto a train that had pulled into the station and fired two Tasers, but neither incapacitated the man, Maddrey said. Advertisement Maddrey said the man was advancing on the officers with the knife when both officers fired multiple rounds. The 37-year-old man was hit several times. He was hospitalized in stable condition. The video taken by a passenger shows the officers rendering first aid, before one of them realized that he, too, had been hit by a bullet. While theyre working on the male, theyre become aware that other people are hit by fire, by gunfire as well, Maddrey said. Besides the passenger struck in the head, a 26-year-old woman suffered a graze wound. The wounded police officer had a bullet enter his torso under his armpit and lodge in his back but was expected to make a full recovery. Advertisement Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, visited the wounded officer in the hospital Sunday. Adams described the man who evaded the subway fare as a career criminal, saying he had over 20 arrests. Maddrey said the man had a history of mental illness. Video footage of the shooting was not immediately released Sunday. The NYPD did release a cropped image they said was of the man holding the knife, a blade about the width of the persons palm. Im especially concerned with bystanders, people who are just trying to get where theyre going being the victimsharmed in this situation, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Janno Lieber said. Advertisement The subway station serves the L line in the neighborhood of Brownsville. Lieber said that there are cameras inside the the train, on the platform and at the entrance. In 2019, NYPD officers accidentally shot and killed two fellow officers while confronting crime suspects in separate on-duty incidents. The outgoing leftist championed the constitutional changes that he says are needed to clean up a rotten judiciary serving the interests of the political and economic elite read more Local deputies take part in a protest holding signs that read in Spanish "Without justice, there is no future!" against the judicial reform in the Congress of Mexico City on September 12, 2024. AFP President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Sunday signed into law controversial judicial reforms making Mexico the worlds only country to elect all its judges by popular vote. The outgoing leftist championed the constitutional changes that he says are needed to clean up a rotten judiciary serving the interests of the political and economic elite. Critics fear that elected judges could be swayed by politics and vulnerable to pressure from powerful drug cartels that regularly use bribery and intimidation to influence officials. Advertisement Lopez Obrador signed the decree in a video posted on social media, calling it a historic day. He was accompanied by president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, his close ally, who will replace him on October 1 following a landslide election win that left the ruling coalition with large majorities in both chambers of Congress. We need justice for everyone, for there to be no corruption in the judiciary, for judges, magistrates and justices to apply to the letter the principle that there is nothing outside the law and no one above the law, Lopez Obrador said. It was said that we lived in a democracy, but no, an oligarchy dominated they were the ones in charge, those at the top, a minority with a facade of democracy, he added. Lopez Obrador has frequently lashed out at the judiciary since taking office in 2018 in particular the Supreme Court, which has impeded some of his policies in areas such as energy and security. The judicial reforms have sparked diplomatic tensions with key trade partners the United States and Canada, upset investors and triggered opposition street protests. Last week, legislators were forced to suspend their debate and move to another location after demonstrators stormed the Senate. Opponents say the reforms under which even the Supreme Court and other high-level judges will have to stand for election in 2025 or 2027 undermine democratic checks and balances. Advertisement Mass election of all judges does not exist in any other country, Margaret Satterthwaite, UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, told AFP ahead of the laws approval. Without strong safeguards to guard against the infiltration of organized crime (in the judicial selection process), an election system may become vulnerable to such powerful forces, she said. The United States, Mexicos main trading partner, has warned that the reforms would threaten a relationship that relies on investor confidence in the Mexican legal framework. The changes could pose a major risk to Mexican democracy and enable criminals to exploit politically motivated and inexperienced judges, US Ambassador Ken Salazar said last month. Advertisement Human Rights Watch had urged lawmakers to reject what it called the dangerous proposals, saying they would seriously undermine judicial independence and contravene international human rights standards. The investments-related uncertainties are such that only 31% Israeli start-ups are confident of securing funding next year read more Nearly half of Israeli start-ups have lost investments since the beginning of the war with Hamas last year, according to a report. The terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, following which Israel declared war on Hamas. The two have been warring since in the Gaza Strip, which Hamas had controlled since 2007, and the fighting has devastated the Palestinian enclave. In a report released over the weekend, the Tel Aviv-based Startup Nation Central (SNC) has said that 49 per cent of Israeli technology start-ups reported losing investments since the beginning of the war. Advertisement The findings were based on two surveys, one of which focussed on partners and managing directors (MDs) of investment funds and companies and another focussed on founders and CEOs of tech companies ranging from pre-funding start-ups to publicly-traded companies. The future outlook was also not upbeat in the industry as only 31 per cent companies were confident of securing funding next year and 48 per cent were expending a decline in investments in the upcoming year, according to the report. Since the outbreak of the war, the trust in Benjamin Netanyahu-led governments ability to steer the economy through the crisis is also low, as per the report. Israeli tech sector doesnt trust Netanyahu The vast majority of the Israeli companies doubted Netanyahus ability to help the crisis-ridden industry. Netanyahu has been receiving all-round criticism for his failure to secure the release of the hostages over his new demands in July, such as the control of the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border. He has also been blamed for the failure to stabilise the situation in the northern part of the country along the border with Lebanon where Hezbollah has mounted attacks on a near-daily basis since the war with Hamas began. At such a time, over 80 per cent of companies expressed doubt about the governments ability to lead the industrys recovery, according to the SNC report. In Northern Israel, the distrust was as high as 90 per cent, as per the report. The war has also affected the companies in terms of operations. The report said that the war forced 24 per cent of the companies to relocate some of their operations and 44 per cent companies reported some shortages in human capital. Advertisement Even with such disruption and poor projections, the Israeli industry has broadly been resilient through the war so far, as per the report. The SNC reported that the technology companies had received $7.8 billion since the outbreak of the war in private funding, which was a decline of just 4 per cent year-on-year. Similarly, the report said that mergers and acquisition (M&A) transactions were also just slightly down from the previous $10.6 billion to $9.6 billion. Amid the brewing tensions in the Middle East, Houthis claimed that they had launched advanced surface-to-surface hypersonic missiles which eventually triggered air sirens across the Jewish nation at 6:30 am (local time) read more Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Yemens Houthis that the rebel group will pay a heavy price after the Iran-backed group claimed to conduct its first ballistic missile strike on Israel. The remarks from the Israeli premier came at the start of a cabinet meeting on Sunday. Amid the brewing tensions in the Middle East, Houthis claimed that they had launched advanced surface-to-surface hypersonic missiles which eventually triggered air sirens across the Jewish nation at 6:30 am (local time). According to local media reports, the missile struck an open area in the Ben Shemen forest, causing a fire near Kfar Daniel. However, there were no reports of casualties or damage. Advertisement Following the attack, the Israel Defence Force (IDF) stated that it is investigating whether the fire was caused due to the fragments of the interceptor missiles launched at the projectile, or if it successfully penetrated Israeli air defences as the Houthis have claimed. The Israeli military noted that interceptors from Israels Iron Dome and Arrow air defence systems were deployed at the time of the attack, but it is still not clear if it has successfully done its job. Netanyahu issues stern warning Before the cabinet meeting, the Israeli Prime Minister noted that the Houthis should have known by now that Israel charges a heavy price for such attacks. This morning, the Houthis launched a surface-to-surface missile from Yemen into our territory. They should have known by now that we charge a heavy price for any attempt to harm us, he said," Netanyahu said on Sunday. Those who need a reminder in this matter are invited to visit the port of Hodeidah, he added, referring to Yemens Red Sea city, which Israeli warplanes bombed in July after the Houthis claimed a drone strike that killed a civilian in Tel Aviv, The Guardian reported. The warning from Netanyahu came after the Yemeni group leader Abdul-Malek al-Houthi, warned on Sunday of further attacks on Israel. The operation our forces carried out today with an advanced Yemeni missile is part of the fifth stage of the escalation. What is to come will be greater, he said in an address. Advertisement Meanwhile, Nasruddin Amer, the deputy head of the Houthi media office, called the attack beginning. A Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said a new hypersonic ballistic missile had been aimed towards an Israeli military target, which crossed 1,270 miles in 11 minutes and which the IDF failed to intercept. It is pertinent to note that the Houthis have repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel since the start of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. However, nearly all of them have been intercepted over the Red Sea. Hence, this attack is touted as a major escalation of the conflict. With inputs from agencies. The Norths parliament rarely meets and usually serves to approve decisions on issues such as governing structures and budgets that have been created by the states ruling Workers Party, members of which form the vast majority of the assembly read more A view of a plenary meeting of the Standing Committee of the North Korean parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), in Pyongyang, North Korea, September 15, 2024, in this photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS The North Korean Supreme Peoples Assembly (SPA), the reclusive states rubber-stamp parliament, will convene a new session on Oct. 7 in Pyongyang to discuss matters related to a constitutional amendment, state media reported on Monday. The last SPA meeting was held in January where leader Kim Jong Un called for a constitutional amendment that would view South Korea as the primary foe. At that time, Kim said he had concluded that unification with the South was no longer possible. Advertisement Other issues such as laws regarding the light industry and product quality supervision will also be discussed, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The decision for the next meeting was made at a plenary meeting of the parliaments Standing Committee on Sunday. The Norths parliament rarely meets and usually serves to approve decisions on issues such as governing structures and budgets that have been created by the states ruling Workers Party, members of which form the vast majority of the assembly. The Philippines affirmed its claim over Sabina Shoal after withdrawing a coast guard vessel due to harsh conditions and confrontations with China. Manila stressed that the pullout does not signify giving up the reef, despite Chinas assertions of sovereignty read more The Philippines insisted on Monday that it had not given up a South China Sea reef, two days after it pulled out a ship stationed there following a months-long standoff with rival claimant China. Manila had deployed the coast guard flagship BRP Teresa Magbanua to Sabina Shoal in April to stop Beijing from building an artificial island there, as it has atop several other disputed features in the strategic waterway. But the ship was abruptly called back to the western Philippine island of Palawan, with Manila citing damage from an earlier clash with Chinese ships, ailing crew members, dwindling food and bad weather. Advertisement We have not lost anything. We did not abandon anything. Escoda Shoal is still part of our exclusive economic zone, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela told a news conference Monday, using the Filipino name for Sabina Shoal. Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, including Sabina Shoal, despite an international tribunal ruling that its assertions have no merit. It has acted aggressively towards Philippine government vessels at Sabina and other disputed features in recent months, ramming, blocking, water-cannoning and even boarding them, causing damage and injuries. The confrontations have sparked concern that the United States, a military ally of Manila, could be drawn into armed conflict with China. With the Chinese harassing resupply missions, Tarriela said it came to a point that the BRP Teresa Magbanuas water desalinator broke down, forcing the crew to rely on rainwater for drinking for more than one month now. He said the crew were also reduced to eating porridge for three weeks, which obviously is not nutritious. Following the ships pullout, Chinas coast guard insisted on Sunday that Beijing has indisputable sovereignty over Sabina. It warned the Philippines to stop inciting propaganda and risking infringements, adding Beijing would continue to carry out rights protection and law enforcement activities there. Advertisement But Tarriela on Monday maintained the withdrawal from Sabina was not a defeat, rejecting comparisons to the Scarborough Shoal, which Manila lost to Beijing after a similar months-long standoff in 2012. He said it would be impossible for China to totally stop the Philippines from sending its ships around the 137-square-kilometre (53-square-mile) Sabina Shoal. The coast guard can carry out whatever it takes for us to make sure that China will not be able to occupy and even reclaim Escoda Shoal, he said. We have other coast guard vessels that, as we speak right now, may have been or may already be proceeding to Escoda Shoal, Tarriela said without providing details, citing operational security considerations. Advertisement Sabina is located 140 kilometres (86 miles) west of Palawan and about 1,200 kilometres from Hainan island, the nearest major Chinese landmass. Ukraines incursion which began more than two years after Russia launched a full-scale military assault on its neighbour caught Moscow off-guard. It is the biggest incursion by a foreign army on Russian territory since World War II. read more This photo released by Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov's Telegram channel on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, Firefighters extinguish burning cars in the courtyard of an apartment building after a missile attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the city of Belgorod, Russia. - AP Russia has started evacuating some villages near the Kursk region, near the border with Ukraine, the local governor said. This development comes approximately six weeks after Ukraine initiated a surprise military operation in the area. Governor Alexei Smirnov said on Telegram that authorities have decided to order the obligatory evacuation of settlements in the Rylsky and Khomutovsky districts that are within a 15-kilometre (nine-mile) zone adjacent to the border with Ukraine,. He did not say which villages would be evacuated or the number of evacuees. There are dozens of villages and towns within this 15-kilometre radius. Advertisement Meanwhile, Moscow is reportedly launching a counter-offensive in the region, claiming to have successfully recaptured at least a dozen villages from Ukrainian control since last week. This move suggests a shift in momentum, as Russian forces aim to regain ground lost to Ukraines surprise incursion. More than 150,000 people in the region have had to flee their homes since Kyivs offensive began on August 6, state media reported Smirnov as saying last week. Ukraine says its forces have advanced across tens of kilometres of Russian territory and seized dozens of settlements, including the border town of Sudzha. After more than 900 days of war, Russia and Ukraine show no sign of letting up in the fight or moving closer to the negotiating table. Both sides are pursuing ambitious ground offensives, with the Ukrainians driving into Russias Kursk region and the Russians pushing deeper into the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine which is part of the industrial Donbas region. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Ukraines Kursk assault wont prevent Russian forces from advancing in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia are battering each other with regular long-range drone and missile strikes, sometimes launching more than 100 weapons in aerial attacks that suggest they are still pouring resources into weapon production. Advertisement With inputs from agencies. Sebi retracted a press release from September 4 that dismissed claims of a toxic work culture, following a protest by employees demanding its withdrawal and the resignation of Sebi chief Madhabi Puri Buch. The regulator reaffirmed that such concerns will be managed through internal channels and criticized the unauthorized release of internal communications read more Capital markets regulator Sebi on Monday withdrew its press release issued in September 4, which addressed claims of unprofessional work culture, stating that these concerns are misplaced and reaffirmed that employee-related issues will be managed internally. The withdrawal came days after a protest by a large number of Sebi employees outside the regulators headquarters on September 5, a day after the press release. They had demanded the withdrawal of the statement and the resignation of Sebi chief Madhabi Puri Buch. Advertisement In a statement on Monday, Sebi acknowledged the critical role its employees have played over the past thirty-six years in shaping the Indian securities market into one of the most dynamic and well-regulated markets globally. Sebi said it addresses employee-related matters through appropriate internal mechanisms. Following constructive discussions with representatives of all grades of officers, Sebi and its employees have reaffirmed that such issues are strictly internal and will be managed in accordance with the organizations high standards of governance and within a time-bound framework, the regulator said. Accordingly, the press release issued on September 4 has been withdrawn. The decision to retract the press release came after employees strongly condemned the unauthorized dissemination of internal communications. Sebi employees have reiterated their commitment to resolving concerns amicably through established internal channels, ensuring that such matters remain internal and managed within a time-bound framework. Employees have strongly condemned the unauthorized release of internal communication and have confirmed that all concerns shall be addressed amicably through established internal channels, the statement noted. Advertisement For Puri, protests and internal issues have come at a time when she is probably facing the most challenging times in her stint. The career banker-turned-regulator is battling speculations on whether a conflict of interest made her go slow on the probe against Adani Group and a raft of other allegations around it. In what is unprecedented for any financial regulator, around 500 employees wrote to the Finance Ministry on August 6, against the top management, for what they called a toxic work environment, which includes instances of public humiliation and shouting down. After the publishing of a media report about the letter, Sebi responded with a press release, which stated such claims are misplaced, which seemed to have irked the employees. Advertisement The regulator stated that some external elements had instigated its employees into believing that they shouldnt be held to high standards of performance and accountability, though, it did not provide specific details. The protests after Aminis death didnt just oppose the enforcement of the obligatory headscarf rule by Irans morality police. They also challenged the very existence of the clerical-based system, rattling Irans leadership read more Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed on Monday (September 16), during remarks to the media, that the Iranian morality police will no longer bother women. His statement came during his first press conference since assuming power in July. The day coincides with during the second anniversary of Mahsa Aminis death in police custody. Pezeshkian, who took office after the death of his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May this year, had vowed during election campaigning to fully oppose police patrols enforcing the mandatory hijab headscarf. The morality police and how they enforce the obligatory headscarf for all women had become a a high-profile issue since Aminis death and the nation-wide demonstrations that followed. Advertisement Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, died on September 16, 2022, after being detained by the morality police in Tehran for allegedly violating Irans strict dress code for women. Her death sparked widespread protests. The morality police were not supposed to confront (women). I will follow up so they dont bother them, Pezeshkian said. But the question raised after Aminis death was not just one about the enforcement of the obligatory headscarf rule that has been a key pillar of the regime. The women-led protests after her death also challenged the very existence of the clerical-based system, rattling Irans leadership over autumn and winter 2022-2023. Amnesty International reported that the governments crackdown on protesters involved the use of assault rifles and shotguns, leading to at least 551 deaths, according to human rights groups. Thousands were also arrested during the unrest. Despite the presidents promises, and despite him being on the moderate side in Iran, Pezeshkians ability to act has been rather restricted. This is because the final say in all of Irans matters lies with the countrys Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Pezeshkian, therefore, has to toe a fine line, pushing for change while adhering to the power structures that keep Khamenei at the helm of Iranian affairs. Advertisement With inputs from AFP Ukraine has formally requested the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to assist in the Kursk region following a cross-border incursion, aiming to ensure humanitarian aid and adherence to international law. The move comes amid ongoing conflict and previous attacks on ICRC personnel, while Moscow has not yet responded to the requests read more Ukraine said on Monday it had asked the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to join humanitarian efforts in Russias Kursk region following a cross-border incursion by Ukrainian forces. Ukraines army remains in the Kursk region more than a month after launching the assault, in which President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Kyiv has taken control of about 100 settlements. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he had instructed his ministry to formally invite the UN and ICRC to work in the Kursk region when he visited the northeast Ukrainian region of Sumy on Sunday. The ministry confirmed that it had issued the requests. Advertisement Ukraine is ready to facilitate their work and prove its adherence to international humanitarian law, Sybiha said on X after the visit to Sumy, from where Ukrainian forces launched the cross-borer attack. He said the Ukrainian army was ensuring humanitarian assistance and safe passage to civilians in the Kursk region. The Foreign Ministry said in a written statement that the invitations had been issued to the ICRC and UN, taking into account the humanitarian situation and the need to properly ensure basic human rights in the territory of the Kursk region. The ministry said it had asked the ICRC to monitor Ukraines compliance with the principles of international humanitarian law in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, which cover the protection of victims of international armed conflicts. Moscow, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, did not immediately comment on the invitations. It was not immediately clear how or whether the UN or ICRC had responded. Russias state-run RIA news agency reported on Monday that ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric had arrived on a visit to Moscow and planned to meet Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Advertisement Last week, Russian shelling killed three Ukrainians working for the ICRC and wounded two others in a village in the frontline Donetsk region, Ukrainian officials said. Spoljaric has condemned the attacks. While young men are more likely to be conservative and their political views have seen little change in recent years, young women have become more liberal lately, according to a survey read more The Donald Trump era, which includes a sustained campaign against abortion and other reproductive rights, has driven more women to be liberal, as per a survey. (Photo: An abortion-rights demonstration, Credit: AFP) Since the political rise of Donald Trump, young women in the United States have become more liberal, according to a survey. In 2001, women were just 3 per cent more likely to be liberal than men, but the margin today has increased to 15 per cent, according to a Gallup survey. The election of Trump who has had a history of being disrespectful towards women and has faced sexual misbehaviour allegations over first woman presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, the #MeToo movement, and the subsequent far-right movement against abortion and reproductive rights, including the overturing of Roe V Wade judgement which granted federal constitutional protection to abortion, contributed to the transition. Advertisement Such findings come at a time when womens role in the 2024 US presidential has become more pronounced particularly in the wake of Trumps running mate JD Vances tirade against women who dont have children. The attitude along party lines regarding womens public roles are also very polarised. As per Pew Research, whereas 31 per cent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning persons say it is extremely or very important to them to see a woman president in their lifetime, just 5 per cent of Republicans and Republican-leaning people say it. How men & womens political opinions changed In 2001, 28 per cent of women were liberal compared to 25 per cent of young men, according to the Gallup survey. The margin 3 per cent remained more or less constant through the presidency of George W Bush and increased to 5 per cent during Barack Obamas presidency, but it changed with the election of Trump. Eight years after the Trump era began, the Gallup survey found that around 40 per cent of young American women identify today as liberal compared to 25 per cent of young men a five-time jump in the margin of 3 per cent during 2001-07 to 15 per cent today. In the 2024 presidential election, women are 50 per cent more likely to vote support Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the most important battleground states. The New York Times-Sienna College poll in six states showed that 67 per cent women aged 18-19 supported Harris compared to 40 per cent young men. Advertisement What led to such a shift? The young women aged 18-29 turning towards liberalism are from the generation who came of age during the transition from the third to forth wave of the global feminist movement. They grew up with the message that they could do anything. Coupled with the rise of Obama in 2008, who emerged as an icon for the Black community in the United States, the ground was fertile for them to be more liberal than men or even women of the previous generations. Political scientist Melissa Deckman told The New York Times that these are the women who grew up in a period with a focus on cultivating girls self-esteem, civic engagement and involvement in previously male arenas. Advertisement Despite such an empowering phase, the election of Trump in 2016 who made headlines for his gram em by th p**y remarks and history of misconduct allegations sent the message that sexism was not a thing of the past. This drove young women to be more politically active. The end result of all this is by the time these girls become voters, they have more confidence internal political efficacy is the term political scientists would use. Basically, they believe in their ability to make change," said Deckman, the author of The Me Too movement, which led to the outing of several high-profile men as predators, also contributed to the shift. Advertisement Allison Simpson, 25, told The Times that the overturning to Roe V Wade judgement was her turning point. It really struck fear into her. My views have always been liberal, but what really took my views to the level they are now is when Roe v. Wade was overturned. It really struck fear into me, to be honest, said Simpson. Prof. Shauna Shames of Rutgers told the newspaper that political scientists call this rational political behavior in response to a policy threat, which in this case was losing control of rights they have taken for granted for a very long time. The Biden administration has previously imposed visa bans on members of the Georgian Dream party, members of parliament, law enforcement and private citizens over the law and the protests. read more The seal of the United States Department of Justice is seen on the building exterior of the United States Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., August 17, 2020.- File Photo- Reuters The United States Monday announced the imposition of new sanctions and visa restrictions on certain Georgian individuals, including two government officials and two members of the countrys far-right pro-Russian movement. The sanctions target those accused by Washington of involvement in violent suppressions of protests. The move comes after widespread street protests broke out in Georgia in the spring, sparked by the passage of a controversial foreign agent law in May. The law, which was met with criticism from U.S. officials and others, was seen as authoritarian and influenced by the Kremlin. Advertisement The financial sanctions targeted Georgias Chief of the Special Task Department Zviad Kharazishvili and his deputy, Mileri Lagazauri, who oversaw security forces that violently suppressed the protests, the US Treasury Department said in a statement. The violence perpetuated by the Special Task Department included the brutal beatings of many attendees of the non-violent protests against the new foreign influence law, including Georgian citizens and opposition politicians, the Treasury said. It added that Kharazishvili was personally involved in the physical and verbal abuse of protesters. Also targeted were Konstantine Morgoshia, founder of media company Alt-Info, and associated media personality Zurab Makharadze, Treasury said, accusing them of amplifying disinformation and spreading hate speech and threats. The State Department also imposed new visa restrictions on more than 60 Georgians it said were responsible for undermining democracy as well as their family members. They included government officials, business leaders and members of law enforcement involved in beating protesters, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, without naming those hit with the bans. The dispute around the foreign agents law was seen as a test of whether Georgia, for three decades among the more pro-Western of the Soviet Unions successor states, would maintain its Western orientation or move closer to Russia. Advertisement Georgian Dream, which controls parliament, said the legislation was needed to ensure transparency in foreign funding of NGOs and protect the countrys sovereignty. Washington has long criticized the law and launched a review into bilateral cooperation with Georgia. The sanctions are the latest round of penalties the administration has imposed on Georgian officials after the passage this spring of the controversial legislation, which sparked weeks of mass protests. In late July, the administration suspended $95 million in U.S. assistance to Georgia, a country in the South Caucasus that was once part of the Soviet Union. The Georgian parliament passed the legislation in May, overriding a veto by the president. The law requires media and nongovernmental organizations to register as pursuing the interests of a foreign power if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad. Advertisement Critics say that it closely resembles legislation the Kremlin used to silence opponents and that it will obstruct Georgias bid to join the EU. Sex-at-work scheme comes as Russias fertility rate hovers around 1.5 children per woman, which is significantly below the 2.1 rate required for population stability, according to a report read more Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly encouraged his people to engage in sexual activity during work breaks to address the countrys declining birth rate. According to a Metro report, sex-at-work scheme comes as Russias fertility rate hovers around 1.5 children per woman, which is significantly below the 2.1 rate required for population stability. The move also follows the emigration of over one million primarily younger Russians, who have left the country due to Putins ongoing war with Ukraine. Advertisement The preservation of the Russian people is our highest national priority. The fate of Russia.depends on how many of us there will be. It is a question of national importance, the Metro report quoted Putin as saying previously. Echoing Putins sentiments, Russian Health Minister Yevgeny Shestopalov said that being very busy at work is not a valid reason, but a lame excuse. You can engage in procreation during breaks, because life flies by too quickly, Metro quoted him as saying. When asked how people, who work for 12-14 hours, would have time to make babies, he replied, During break times. Russias birth rate has plunged to its lowest since 1999, with Junes live births dropping below 100,000. This sharp decline has alarmed Moscow about a potential population crisis. Rosstat, Russias governmental statistics agency, reported a drop of 16,000 births from January to June 2024 compared to the same period last year. The decline has further been exacerbated by an 18 per cent increase in population decline, with 49,000 more deaths recorded in 2024 than the previous year, likely due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Advertisement According to the Metro report, sex-at-work scheme is just one among the many demands made by the Kremlin to encourage people to have more babies. The Kremlins efforts to boost the declining birth rate have led to a series of measures, including - women aged between 18 and 40 in Moscow are being told to attend free fertility checks to assess their reproductive potential; MP Tatyana Butskaya, 49, has drawn up a blueprint for employers to coerce women to have babies; Chelyabinsk region is offering 8,500 pounds to female students under 24 for their first childs birth; Access to abortion across the country is being blocked as public figures and churchmen claim womens duty is to give birth and raise children and fees for divorce have been increased to discourage separation. Advertisement Politician Anna Kuznetsova has urged women to start having children at a younger age, recommending they begin by 19 or 20 to increase the likelihood of having multiple children. Starting at 19 or 20 allows families to potentially have three, four, or more children, she was quoted as saying. MP Zhanna Ryabtseva echoed this sentiment, saying, Give birth, give birth, and give birth again. You need to start having children at 18. There is speculation that Putin wants Russians to emulate his example of having a large number of children. Meanwhile, Russias population is projected to drop from the current 144 million to 130 million or lower by 2050. Advertisement With inputs from agencies ASUS has introduced the Wireless Mouse MD102 in India, expanding its range of tech accessories. The MD102 promises durability and wireless reliability within an ergonomic, minimalist design. The ASUS Wireless Mouse MD102 combines sleek aesthetics with functionality. Its compact, minimalist design fits seamlessly into various environments, from offices to home workspaces. The MD102 offers a comfortable ergonomic shape with contoured curves for optimal grip. It features adjustable DPI settings of 800, 1200, and 1600, allowing precise control for different tasks. The mouse is equipped with 100% PTFE feet for smooth gliding and durable switches rated for up to 10 million clicksthree times longer than typical office mice. Key Features Exceptional Durability: The MD102s high-quality switches last up to 10 million clicks, providing long-term reliability. Whisper-Quiet Operation: Advanced quiet-click technology ensures minimal noise, making it ideal for quiet work or study environments. Advanced Dual-Mode Connectivity: Offers both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth options for flexible and reliable connectivity with various devices. Extended Battery Life: With up to 12 months of battery life, the MD102 minimizes the need for frequent replacements or recharges. Quick specifications: ASUS Wireless Mouse MD102 Model: ASUS MD102 Connectivity: Wireless RF 2.4GHz & Bluetooth DPI Levels: 800, 1000, 1600 (switch between these by long pressing left click + scroll wheel for 3 seconds) Buttons: 5 buttons Sensor Type: Optical Battery Type: AA battery (one included) Battery Life: Approx. 12 months Operating System: Windows 10 or later, Chrome and macOS Colour: Dark Grey and White Dimensions: 118.9 x 66.5 x 42 mm Weight: 92 g (with battery) Pricing and Availability The ASUS Wireless Mouse MD102 is priced at Rs. 1,799 and will be available in Dark Grey and White from September 20, 2024, through ASUS e-shop, Amazon.in, and Flipkart.com. Speaking about the launch, Arnold Su, Vice President, Consumer and Gaming PC, System Business Group, ASUS India, said Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2024. Backgrounder: RT's hostile activities Global Affairs Canada Backgrounder Canada is concerned with Russia's use of disinformation, especially surrounding its invasion of Ukraine. Canada works closely with international partners to counter Russian disinformation in Ukraine and the region while upholding human rights and fundamental freedoms. Russia is using non-traditional assets, including state media, to sow disruption and support its hostile activities on an international scale, including in Canada. RT, formerly Russia Today, is a Russian state-owned media entity that has become actively engaged in Russia's global disinformation and influence efforts. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, RT has grown to become an asset that is central to Russia's efforts to achieve specific goals. Here are examples of some of its malign activities: To circumvent restrictions on it in Western states, RT has developed third-party media platforms, which falsely claim to be independent of RT and Russia. RT uses those platforms as tools for covertly disseminating content to international and Western audiences. These platforms have even led to the organization of real-world events, such as rallies, demonstrations and protests, notably at Western universities. RT has further contributed to Russian military efforts in Ukraine by setting up and administering a crowd-funding program, in coordination with Russia's Ministry of Defence, that has supplied Russian military units in Ukraine with equipment and weapons. RT is also actively participating in Russian efforts to influence elections abroad. RT has been involved for a number of years in Russia's campaign to interfere in Moldova's upcoming October 2024 presidential election to achieve a favourable outcome for Russia. As with many of RT's other interference operations, these efforts have almost certainly been coordinated with Russian intelligence services. Canada's actions to date In 2022, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) formally removed RT and RT France from the list of non-Canadian programming services and stations authorized for distribution. Following a public consultation, the CRTC determined that the continued authorization to distribute RT and RT France was not in the public interest. The CRTC also determined that RT's programming was not consistent with the standards against which Canadian services are measured nor with the policy objectives set out in the Broadcasting Act. The CRTC expressed concerns over programming from a foreign country that seeks to undermine the sovereignty of another country, demean Canadians of a particular ethnic background and undermine democratic institutions in Canada. In its findings, the CRTC took into account the submissions and the seriousness of the allegations provided in the interventions. The CRTC also examined the reports of the current situation in Ukraine, and the escalating sanctions on Russia and Russian individuals, as well as the swift steps taken by other jurisdictions to pull RT's services. In 2022, Canada imposed Special Economic Measures against RT, and in 2023, imposed further sanctions against RT's parent structure, MIA Rossiya Segodnya, a Russian state-owned media company. In 2022, Canada also imposed sanctions against Sumbatovich Gasparyan, Head of the International Department at RT, for his significant involvement in disinformation efforts. It is a criminal offence to willfully deal with a sanctioned entity. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Activists Convicted On Charges Linked To Russian Political Influence Operation By RFE/RL September 13, 2024 A jury in Florida has convicted four civil rights activists of conspiring to act as unregistered Russian agents as part of a secret initiative by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) to influence U.S. politics. The September 12 conviction of the four activists in a federal court in Tampa followed a trial that revealed details of a seven-year Russian effort to sow division within the United States by backing marginal political groups. The activists found guilty include African People's Socialist Party founder Omali Yeshitela, Penny Hess, Jesse Nevel, and Augustus Romain Jr., who face up to five years in prison on the conspiracy conviction. They were acquitted of the more serious charge of acting as Russian agents. "The most important thing is they were unable to convict us of working for anybody except Black people," Yeshitela said following the verdict. Text messages entered as evidence in the case and first reported by RFE/RL revealed conversations between a Aleksandr Ionov, a Russian national who coordinated with the activists, and his FSB handlers. The communications also detailed interactions between Ionov and a fringe U.S. group advocating for the secession of California from the United States. Prosecutors had charged that the activists knowingly worked with Ionov and by extension the FSB officers; Ionov paid for at least one of them to travel to Moscow in 2015 for a conference planned by Ionov's organization, the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia. Evidence entered in the case by U.S. prosecutors included images and video footage of Ionov and Yeshitela, 82, meeting in Russia. Prosecutors said Yeshitela told his fellow activists that Ionov would only provide backing for efforts that would support Russia's attempts to "undermin[e] the U.S." and that Ionov was utilizing "forces inside of the U.S. to s[o]w division inside the U.S." Yeshitela's attorney, Ade Griffin, said in closing arguments in the Florida case that Ionov did not control the activists, saying his client was "not for sale." Ionov also allegedly advised the group on wording for protest signs; according to the indictment, he also paid $3,000 to several activists for them to travel to San Francisco to protest at the headquarters of Meta, Facebook's parent company, after it restricted pro-Russian posts about Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. According to prosecutors, Romain messaged Ionov after the demonstration: "This is great! That was fun! Who [sic] we attacking next? With more time I can get a bigger crowd." A sentencing date has not been set in the case. The Justice Department said the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation was investigating the case. With reporting by the Tampa Bay Times and the Associated Press Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-activists- convicted-on-charges-linked-to-russian-political- influence-operation/33118840.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Alerting the World to RT's Global Covert Activities US Department of State Fact Sheet Office of the Spokesperson September 13, 2024 Today, the United States is designating three entities and two individuals for their connection to Russia's destabilizing actions abroad. According to new information, much of which originates from employees of Russian state-funded RT (formerly "Russia Today"), we now know that RT moved beyond being simply a media outlet and has been an entity with cyber capabilities. It is also engaged in information operations, covert influence, and military procurement. These operations are targeting countries around the world, including in Europe, Africa, and North and South America. The United States supports the free flow of information. We are not taking action against these entities and individuals for the content of their reporting, or even the disinformation they create and spread publicly. We are taking action against them for their covert influence activities. Covert influence activities are not journalism. The United States will always stand for freedom of expression, including for those with whom we disagree. We encourage dissent, open debate, and free discourse. But we will not stand for attempts by state actors to carry out covert activities with the goal of hijacking that discourse. Consistent with General License 25F, these targets may continue to engage in journalism and media operations not prohibited by U.S. sanctions. In June, together with the governments of the UK and Canada, the State Department's Global Engagement Center exposed the Russian government's efforts to engage in subversive activity and electoral interference targeting Moldova. As we previously described, some of these covert efforts include RT personnel's involvement in providing direct support to U.S.-designated fugitive Moldovan oligarch ILAN SHOR (SHOR) for several years with Russian government assent. Leveraging its expanded covert capabilities, RT will almost certainly coordinate with traditional Russian intelligence services to try to manipulate the outcome of the October 2024 Moldovan presidential election in Moscow's favor. RT and its employees, including Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan, have directly coordinated with the Kremlin to support Russian government efforts to influence the October 2024 Moldovan election. Specifically, in coordination with the Kremlin, Simonyan leverages the state-funded platforms for which she serves in leadership positions - namely RT, Sputnik, and their parent company FEDERAL STATE UNITARY ENTERPRISE INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION AGENCY ROSSIYA SEGODNYA (ROSSIYA SEGODNYA) - to attempt to foment unrest in Moldova, likely with the specific aim of causing protests to turn violent. RT is aware of and prepared to assist Russia's plans to incite protests should the election not result in a Russia-preferred candidate winning the presidency. The Department is designating the following entities pursuant to section 1(a)(vii) of E.O. 14024 for being owned or controlled by or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of the Russian Federation: ROSSIYA SEGODNYA is a Russian state-owned and state-funded broadcast agency headquartered in Moscow. Individuals affiliated with ROSSIYA SEGODNYA coordinated with the Kremlin to attempt to foment unrest in Moldova, likely with the specific aim of causing protests to turn violent. is a Russian state-owned and state-funded broadcast agency headquartered in Moscow. Individuals affiliated with ROSSIYA SEGODNYA coordinated with the Kremlin to attempt to foment unrest in Moldova, likely with the specific aim of causing protests to turn violent. AUTONOMOUS NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION TV-NOVOSTI (TV-NOVOSTI) is a federally funded organization associated with ROSSIYA SEGODNYA and controls the RT media channel. Elements within TV-NOVOSTI and RT, working with the Russian Government, have planned to interfere in the upcoming Moldovan presidential election. TV-NOVOSTI is also being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(ii)(B) of E.O. 14024 for being responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, interference in a United States or other foreign government elections for or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, directly or indirectly, the Government of the Russian Federation. Pursuant to section 1(A)(iii)(C) of E.O. 14024, the following individual is being designated for being or having been a leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors of ROSSIYA SEGODNYA: DMITRY KONSTANTINOVICH KISELEV (KISELEV) has been the Director General of ROSSIYA SEGODNYA since 2013. These designations follow those of our allies and partners who have previously imposed sanctions on ROSSIYA SEGODNYA and TV-NOVOSTI respectively. Targeting a Scheme to Undermine Moldova's Electoral Processes In response to Russia's continued efforts to undermine Moldovan democracy and interfere in Moldova's electoral processes, the Department is imposing additional sanctions on a critical avenue of Russia's malign influence in Moldova. The Department is designating the following entity and individual pursuant to section 1(a)(i) of E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the financial services sector of the Russian Federation economy: AVTONOMNAYA NEKOMMERCHESKAYA ORGANIZATSIYA SODEYSTVIYA RAZVITIYU MEZHDUNARODNOVO SOTRUDNICHESTVA EVRAZIYA (ANO EVRAZIYA) NELLI ALEKSEYEVNA PARUTENKO (PARUTENKO) ANO EVRAZIYA and PARUTENKO are responsible for a scheme supporting the malign influence efforts of SHOR. PARUTENKO is the General Director of ANO EVRAZIYA and the former treasurer of the U.S.-designated SHOR PARTY. ANO EVRAZIYA, with PARUTENKO at the helm, executed a scheme to move money via U.S.-designated PROMSVYAZBANK PUBLIC JOINT STOCK COMPANY (PROMSVYAZBANK) into Moldova to buy votes to influence the upcoming Moldovan elections. Under the guise of "humanitarian assistance," ANO EVRAZIYA orchestrated this scheme, but it is widely known to be a vote-buying campaign designed to support pro-Kremlin candidates illicitly and thereby undermine Moldova's democracy. ANO EVRAZIYA is also being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(vii) of E.O. 14024 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, PROMSVYAZBANK, a person who property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 14024. Exposing and Disrupting Additional Elements of RT's Global Malign Activities In addition to these designations, the U.S. Department of State is actively engaged in a diplomatic effort to inform other governments around the world of Russia's use of RT to conduct covert activities and encourage them to take action to limit Russia's ability to interfere in foreign elections and procure weapons for its war against Ukraine. The Department is urging partners to recognize the gravity of this threat and to treat RT's covert operations seriously. Additional examples of RT's global malign influence include the use of cyber capabilities for influence and covert activities. RT's Cyber Capabilities: As a part of RT's expanded capabilities, in Spring 2023, the Russian government embedded within RT an entity with cyber operational capabilities and ties to Russian intelligence. This cyber entity has focused primarily on influence and intelligence operations all over the world. Under the cover of RT, information produced through this entity's capabilities flows to Russia's intelligence services, Russian media outlets, Russian mercenary groups, and other various state and proxy arms of the Russian Government. Head of RT Margarita Simonyan and RT Deputy Editor-in-Chief Anton Anisimov have had direct, witting knowledge of this enterprise. RT Engages in Procuring Lethal Aid for The Russian Military in Ukraine: A large online crowdfunding platform operating within the quasi-intelligence, state-funded RT and through social media channels is providing material support and weaponry to Russia's military units in Ukraine. RT Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Head of International Broadcasting for Sputnik Anton Anisimov administers this RT-run military crowdfunding program. Military equipment and supplies, to include sniper rifles, suppressors, personal weapon sights, body armor, clothing, night-vision equipment, drones, radio equipment, and diesel generators are imported in small orders to avoid unwanted scrutiny. Some of this equipment has been sourced from the People's Republic of China (PRC), to include reconnaissance drones made by PRC-based entities and R&D support in the production of said drones in coordination with the Russian Ministry of Defense. RT's Covert Influence Around the World: RT uses proxy outlets that purport to be independent from Russia to covertly disseminate content and messaging globally and to evade western responses to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We know that for over two years, RT has leveraged its extensive state funding to covertly recruit and pay social media personalities and provide them with unbranded content to disseminate and promote around the world while hiding RT's involvement. RT employees are leveraging intelligence tactics, front companies, and network technologies to obfuscate their role in these covert efforts. There are several examples of this covert influence activity: One online platform secretly run by RT is African Stream. Per the outlet's website, africanstream.media, it is active on a wide range of social media platforms. Additionally, in Germany, RT covertly runs the Berlin-based English language platform "Red" (thered.stream). Despite what the entity's website claims, Red is a successor to the now-defunct RT-linked platform Redfish operating under Turkiye-based Joint Stock Company AFA Medya. Per German newspaper Tagesspiel, Red has participated in the organization of protests in Germany. Another example of RT's covert activity is in France, where RT hired a Paris-based journalist to run influence projects targeting French speakers. The Russian Government is also engaged in operations meant to destabilize the government of Argentina and escalate tensions between Argentina and its neighbors. We expect that the Russian government will leverage RT, its affiliates, and its overall covert playbook in pursuit of these malign efforts. Sanctions Implications As a result of today's sanctions-related actions, and in accordance with E.O. 14024, as amended, all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to the Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Additionally, all entities and individuals that have ownership, either directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. All transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons are prohibited unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or exempt. These prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person and the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person. The power and integrity of U.S. government sanctions derive not only from the U.S. government's ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List, but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. Petitions for removal from the SDN List may be sent to OFAC.Reconsideration@treasury.gov. Petitioners may also refer to the Department of State's delisting page. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address How propaganda outlets cover - or ignore - aspects of US election By Liam Scott September 13, 2024 When Kamala Harris and Donald Trump met in a presidential debate on Tuesday, they spoke about a range of foreign policy issues, including China and Russia's war in Ukraine. But while the debate attracted large audiences and coverage in the United States and Europe, Beijing and Moscow's state-run media were relatively quiet on the event. The minimal coverage is a contrast to the presidential debate between Joe Biden and Trump in June. Chinese media After that debate, Beijing-run outlets a like media around the world a were flooded with coverage of Biden's poor performance. But Harris-Trump coverage was noticeably slimmer in state-run outlets such as Xinhua, the Global Times and the People's Daily newspaper, China media analysts say. The shift is a subtle but significant distinction, according to China media analysts, that reflects how the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, employs its propaganda apparatus. The relative lack of coverage wasn't all that surprising to Kenton Thibaut, a senior resident China fellow at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab in Washington. The Chinese government is probably still figuring out how to move forward following Biden's abrupt withdrawal, said Thibaut. She believes that's a primary reason for the reduced coverage of this week's debate. "This is really reflective of how China handles changes in foreign policy issues," Thibaut said. "They just stick to very fact-based coverage, basically restating what the candidate said, until they a the propaganda department and such a can figure out basically how to cover it globally and domestically." Another reason for the reduced coverage may have to do with democracy itself, according to China experts. "The presidential debate is important for U.S. democracy, and democracy is always a sensitive topic for the CCP," Anne-Marie Brady, a professor and specialist in Chinese politics at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, told VOA in an email. Jonathan Hassid, an Iowa State University professor who specializes in Chinese media, agreed. "Chinese media does not like covering democratic successes," Hassid told VOA. "Democratic failures are highlighted, but the successes are not." That helps explain the difference between the coverage of the two debates. During the first debate, which by many accounts was a fiasco, Biden sounded hoarse and frail, and his repeated fumbles highlighted concerns over the 81-year-old's capacity to serve another four-year term as president. In coverage of that debate, Chinese state media relied on narratives about how democracy doesn't work well, Hassid said. For instance, Hu Xijin, a Chinese media commentator and former state media editor, wrote, "Objectively speaking, the low-quality performance of these two old men was a negative advertisement for Western democracy." By contrast, Hassid said, this week's debate may have been perceived as a better display of democracy. Still, China also didn't even feature that largely in the latest debate. While Harris didn't go into much detail, she said that "a policy about China should be in making sure the United States of America wins the competition for the 21st century." Trump, meanwhile, has previously proposed tariffs up to 100% on Chinese products. When asked about Harris and Trump's views about tariffs on imports from China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Wednesday said she had no comment. "The presidential elections are the United States' own affairs," she said. "That said, we are opposed to making China an issue in U.S. elections." A spokesperson for China's Washington embassy replied to VOA's request for comment with a similar statement: "On the issue of the U.S. election, China's position is consistent and clear. China has no intention and will not interfere in it. At the same time, we hope that the U.S. side will not make accusations against China in the election." Russian media Russia a another propaganda powerhouse a also didn't offer much coverage of the debate. "But that doesn't mean that they don't drop in plenty of spin," according to Darren Linvill, co-director of Clemson University's Media Forensics Hub. Based on his analysis of Russian state media coverage of the debate, Linvill said outlets such as RT and Sputnik were focused on downplaying Harris and playing up Trump. There were some outliers, such as a Sputnik article in which a psychiatrist claimed Harris was trying to "hide her imposter syndrome" during the debate. But most of the coverage was subtler, Linvill said. Articles tended to be anodyne and not necessarily critical of either side, Linvill said, but they still reveal Moscow's well-documented preference for Trump. U.S. officials are again warning about Russian efforts to influence this year's election. Last week, the Justice Department accused two Russians who work at the Kremlin-backed RT of money laundering by funneling nearly $10 million to a conservative Tennessee-based media outlet that is a leading platform for pro-Trump voices. While it's important to monitor disinformation in the lead-up to and during an election, according to Thibaut, the period immediately after is perhaps even more important, especially if the election is close. "This is a prime time for threat actors to take advantage of information, the polarizing narratives, the charged-up atmosphere to really sow social division," Thibaut said. "We have to really remain vigilant after the election as well." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Official Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's comment on the US's most recent restrictions on Russian media 15 September 2024 11:16 1702-15-09-2024 As the United States continues to pursue a strict policy of total extermination of any dissent, the country launched another wave of restrictions against the Russian media and journalists. On September 13, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced new sanctions against two Russian media holding companies, Rossiya Segodnya (RIA Novosti and Sputnik), autonomous non-profit organisation TV-Novosti (RT television channel and Ruptly video agency) and Eurasia NGO. The designations include Director General of Rossiya Segodnya Dmitry Kiselev and Head of Eurasia Nelly Parutenko. Importantly, the previous round of sanctions was announced just a few days ago, on September 4. At that time, restrictive measures were imposed against the same media outlets and RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan, as well as a number of other RT employees. The US law enforcement agencies have joined the persecution of Russian journalists with particular zeal. The house of an RT journalist was recently searched by about 20 FBI agents, who also subjected the Russian woman to humiliating procedures, in a blatant manifestation of lawlessness sanctioned from above. The Russian channel employee had to hastily leave the country fearing for her safety and health. More far-fetched charges have been brought against a number of Russian media employees and even US citizens who had the courage to appear on Russian media broadcasts. If arrested, they may face long prison sentences. The current US administration is trying to justify the unprecedented repression against the Russian media in an extremely cynical manner by fighting against their "interference" in domestic political affairs. In fact, what we are witnessing is another politically motivated campaign, a witch hunt where deliberately fostered fear and spy mania are used by the ruling circles in the United States to manipulate public opinion and shield the population from any unwanted information. Moreover, this time, Washington is trying to pose as the "guardian" of social stability and the integrity of democratic processes, while using totalitarian censorship practices not only in the country, but also far beyond its borders. Having finally trampled on its international obligations to ensure the pluralism of opinion and even the provisions of its own Constitution, the United States has actually declared war on freedom of speech around the world, now resorting to open threats and blackmail against other states in its effort to pitch them against the Russian media and establish sole control over the global information landscape. They seem unable to come to terms with the growing popularity of Russian media in many countries as opposed to the one-sided and false picture of what is happening around the world painted by the Western mainstream media. This is Washington's way to extend the notorious Monroe Doctrine to the media sphere. We harbour no illusions about the rampant censorship in the United States ever being given a proper assessment by the relevant international organisations, whose activity is orchestrated by Washington. At the same time, we qualify their silence as approval of this practice and de facto complicity in the lawless actions against the Russian media. The actions of the American administration will not go unanswered. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address LOGCAP team conducts site visit to Kenya, provides contracting surveillance training By Cameron Porter, 405th AFSB Public Affairs Officer September 13, 2024 CAMP SIMBA, Kenya -- Commanders call on the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program when all other options have been analyzed and determined inadequate. That's especially true on the continent of Africa, and one of the locations where LOGCAP services are currently being utilized by commanders there is Camp Simba in Manda Bay, Kenya. Recently a small team of LOGCAP professionals conducted a site visit to Camp Simba to provide training and customer education on LOGCAP services. The U.S. Army Sustainment Command's LOGCAP program management office Africa branch chief, Robert McCauley, as well as Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Clark, LOGCAP contractor Scotte Jones, and Jacob Spitler, a LOGCAP planner with Army Field Support Battalion-Africa, visited Camp Simba Sept. 6-9. While there, the team met with the camp's installation commander to discuss current and future operations. They also met with the LOGCAP contracting officer representative, the lead civil engineer and the contingency contracting officer to educate them on how to maximize the use of the LOGCAP program and how to better prepare the incoming unit with their contracting officer representative duties and surveillance. "One of the big things we do is we try to meet with the requiring activity, the unit downrange, to make sure they understand the LOGCAP program and how to use it," Spitler said. "We want to ensure they are able to articulate their requirements so that we can meet the needs of the warfighter, forward." Spitler said they do this by going to the sites and meeting with the leadership and the contracting officer representatives to ensure they have the proper training and education when it comes to LOGCAP. "We're there to ensure the expectations of the customers and the services LOGCAP provides to those customers are being met. Customer satisfaction - whatever the customer needs - whether that's food service, laundry, potable water - LOGCAP is there," said McCauley. Some of the locations the LOGCAP team visited while at Camp Simba were the two dining facilities, the fuel point, the bulk storage area, the power generation area, the bulk water production area with its water purification and treatment system, and other key service and support facilities. The team noted several areas that needed more attention and improvement. For example, many of the latrines they checked were either missing inspection sheets or they were not properly filled out. In addition, multiple eyewash stations and fire extinguishers had not been inspected in the past 60 days, even though regulatory guidance requires inspections monthly. The team noted all deficiencies, relayed the information to the contracting officer representative and the contracted agency lead on the ground, and prepared a briefing to report their findings to the 405th AFSB and the LOGCAP program office at ASC headquarters. Previously, the supported Air Force element at Camp Simba identified a potential power distribution issue on the east side of camp, and LOGCAP stepped in to assist. With over 600 U.S. military personnel working there, it was critical that LOGCAP quickly identified what was needed and submitted a letter of technical direction to the contractor to complete the work. In this case, LOGCAP quickly executed and helped correct the issue immediately. LOGCAP is an Army strategic sourcing preferred source for base operations support and sustainment services. LOGCAP services can include everything from laundry and food service to recreation, maintenance, power generation, information technology, medical services, physical security, and more. LOGCAP remains the contracted capability of choice for the Army and multiple joint partners for emergent and contingency operations. Currently, the 405th Army Field Support Brigade's LOGCAP program supports thousands of deployed U.S. forces in Europe and Africa with base life support and more. The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The brigade provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. forces throughout Europe and Africa - providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging AMC's materiel enterprise to support joint forces. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 405th AFSB hosts ASC sister brigade at HQs, two APS-2 worksites during site visit By Cameron Porter, 405th AFSB Public Affairs Officer September 13, 2024 KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- The 405th Army Field Support Brigade hosted key leaders from one of its U.S. Army Sustainment Command sister brigades at the 405th AFSB headquarters and at two of its Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 worksites Sept. 10-12. The 'Support the Warrior' brigade welcomed the 401st Army Field Support Brigade to Europe, meeting with 'First to Make a Difference' brigade key leaders Sept. 10 at the 405th AFSB's headquarters to collaborate and discuss best practices. The 401st AFSB, which is based at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, also visited the 405th AFSB's Coleman APS-2 worksite in Mannheim, Germany, and the Eygelshoven APS-2 worksite in Eygelshoven, Netherlands, during their time in Europe. The 401st AFSB has two battalions - Army Field Support Battalion-Kuwait and Army Field Support Battalion-Southwest Asia. Both are co-located at Camp Arifjan with the 401st AFSB headquarters. In addition to the two battalions, currently the 2nd Logistics Civil Augmentation Program Support Battalion from ASC's LOGCAP Support Brigade is deployed to Camp Arifjan and supporting the 401st AFSB. AFSBn-SWA is charged with synchronizing and integrating U.S. Army Material Command assets to focus on Operation Inherent Resolve readiness through theater provided equipment oversight and redistribution property accountability team capabilities. AFSBn-KU receives, maintains and issues APS in support of strategic requirements, provides theater sustainment support and conducts retrograde operations for the U.S. Central Command area of operations. The site visits to the Coleman and Eygelshoven APS-2 worksites allowed the battalion leaders and key staff from the 401st AFSB an opportunity to meet with the battalion leaders and key staff from the 405th AFSB who manage APS-2 operations at those two APS-2 worksites. Army Field Support Battalion-Benelux has mission command of the Eygelshoven and Zutendaal APS-2 worksites, and Army Field Support Battalion-Germany has mission command of the Coleman and Dulmen APS-2 worksites. The site visits to Coleman and Eygelshoven allowed the key leaders from both brigades an opportunity to foster and build key partnerships and enhance cross collaboration for future operational requirements. "The visit with the team from the 401st AFSB at our headquarters, as well as their visits to our APS-2 sites, is extremely important," said Lt. Col. Sherita Young, 405th AFSB executive officer. "It allows us the opportunity to exchange ideas and best practices with one of our sister brigades while fostering critical partnerships." "What a privilege to be part of this important discussion on operational and logistical readiness. Together, we can support our warfighters even better," said Master Sgt. Christopher Jackson, the senior enlisted advisor for AFSBn-KU, in an official social media post on the 401st AFSB's Facebook page. "It's all about readiness, and opportunities to meet and discuss operational and logistical readiness - specifically when it pertains to APS operations across the worldwide ASC footprint - is extremely important," Young said. The 401st AFSB leverages the AMC enterprise across the CENTCOM area of responsibility, executing sustainment, property accountability and responsible retrograde in support of Army, joint and multinational forces as well as other U.S. government agencies. The brigade also provides the strategic logistics link from the national industrial base to the joint warfighter in the field. The 405th AFSB is headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The brigade provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. forces throughout Europe and Africa - providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging UAMC's materiel enterprise to support joint forces. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CENTCOM Commander Visits Middle East to Consult with Regional Partners, Assess Regional Security Situation U.S. Central Command Press Release | Sept. 13, 2024 USCENTCOM Sept 13,2024 Release Number 20240913-02 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TAMPA, Fla. -- On Sept 7-10, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, Commander, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), visited the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as well as the State of Israel, where he met with regional leaders and U.S. service members, receiving a first-hand assessment of the regional security situation. On 7-8 Sept, Gen. Kurilla met with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti and key members of his staff in Jordan to discuss regional security concerns. Gen. Kurilla emphasized his appreciation for Jordan's partnership toward regional security, and in particular for the Jordan Armed Forces' leadership in providing life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza. He reiterated his commitment to improving interoperability with the Jordanian Armed Forces and maintaining ready and responsive forces across the region. Gen. Kurilla also visited with U.S. Servicemembers. On Sept. 8-10, Gen. Kurilla visited Israel where he met with Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, key members of the Israeli Defense Forces, several operational units and key national security agencies. Gen. Kurilla and Minister Gallant discussed the strategic situation in the region and efforts to deter common threats. Gen. Kurilla's discussion with Lt. Gen. Halevi focused on operational and strategic security challenges, regional cooperation, and efforts to bolster deterrence and counter threats in the Middle East. "The strength of our relationships across the region is critical to our collective security," said Gen. Kurilla. "CENTCOM is committed to providing the support necessary to address the threats that we face in the region." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address September 13, 2024 Transcript Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Holds Media Availability, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN: Well, again, let me echo Sabrina's thanks there. I really appreciate you coming along. It's always good to come out and take a look at what's happening with some of the initiatives we've worked hard to put into place. And of course, universal pre-K is one of those initiatives. We think it's really important. And you get a chance to see some of that firsthand, and also see some of our DoDEA professionals in action as well. They are truly impressive, and they're committed. You've heard me talk about my three priorities, defending this nation, taking care of people and succeeding through teamwork. And these are not just catch words, catch phrases. Together with the staff, we push pretty hard to ensure that we're actually doing things to provide benefit to our troops and families. And we've done a number of things over the three and a half years. The announcements today were the latest installment on the things that we've done. And I think we've added real value to our families and to our troops, and we're not finished. We're going to continue to push because it's important. Over the short period of time that I was in the military, equipment changed, uniforms changed. What didn't change was the fact that we take some of the best people in the world and work with them to develop them into better people. And again, you see evidence of that as you visit this installation and so many other installations around our country. I could talk about our people for hours. We don't have hours. We just got a couple of minutes, so I'm going to stop there, and Sabrina, turn it back over to you. SABRINA SINGH: Tara, can you kick us off? Q: Mr. Secretary, thanks for doing this. So first on Ukraine, it sounds like there won't be a policy change on giving Ukraine any sort of additional long range strike right now. Have you been working with the White House and State Department in the last couple of days to explain the Pentagon's reasoning on why now is not the time to do this with the ATACMS? And then secondly, on the Syria raid, did the Israelis give you advance notice that they were going to conduct this raid? And do you think there's any sort of implications for any sort of escalated violence in the region as a repercussion? And then I have one more. Sorry, I know you don't like them all packaged up, but you have spoken a lot today about taking care of people. And we just passed the 23rd anniversary of 9/11. And some of the troops that you commanded when you were at Fort Drum back then, are actually some of the very first responders to 9/11 that are still waiting for radiation exposure to be covered by the VA. And I'm just wondering if you're committed to getting this coverage for them before your time as secretary is over? LLOYD AUSTIN: Tara, on the last one, I think you know me well enough to understand that I truly believe that we should do everything we can to take care of our troops. And so I know there are a number of questions about, K2 is what you're referring to. And we're going to turn over every rock till we get answers. We haven't denied provision of health care benefits to troops, to my knowledge. This is an issue of uh, of other types of benefits going forward. But nonetheless, this is important to me. I know it's important to the secretary of the VA. We're partnering with Johns Hopkins to examine, you know, what was there and what could be the possible causes of this. We'll be complete with that work later this year and then we'll provide that information back to the VA so they can determine what benefits are available to our troops. But it's important to support those who have sacrificed for this country. On long range strike, first of all, a lot of people, a lot of countries are talking about long range strike. Only a couple of countries in the inventory actually have that capability. So there are a lot of ideas, a lot of thoughts about what should happen, but there are only a couple of countries that have that capability. There are a number of things that go into the overall equation as to whether or not you want to provide one capability or another. You heard me say the other day that there is no silver bullet when it comes to things like this. One thing doesn't determine the end of the end of a conflict or the transition in that conflict. It's a combination of different things that create the effects that you want to create. But I think as you make those decisions, the goals and objectives need to be clear, what are you trying to accomplish as you employ those weapons systems? And another thing that goes into that equation is what's in the inventory, how much do you have in your magazine, what kind of risk do these countries accept as their inventory gets lower and lower? And then again, are there other types of capabilities that you can employ to accomplish those objectives? Ukrainians have been very impressive in their ability to create things like long range drones that they've employed effectively to go significant distances to engage targets. And they continue to develop those capabilities. Other countries are investing in their ability to do that. And so there's more capability out there than just what's being talked about with these long range strike capabilities that the US and the UK have. But again, we're going to stay focused on doing everything we can to help Ukraine be successful in defending its sovereign territory. Q: How worried are you that a missile with a US serial number would be used to strike Moscow and then be used as propaganda for a wider war? SECRETARY AUSTIN: I don't want to speculate. A lot of things can happen. Certainly, we do not want to see a wider war and I want to emphasize that the United States of America is not in a fight with Russia. It's been one of our objectives from the very beginning to not get engaged in a fight with Russia, and the president's been very clear about that. But Tara, that's two of your three questions there, so I think we should stop there. SABRINA SINGH: I'm going to go to Chris next. Q: OK. And thank you, Mr. Secretary, for doing this. The aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt has left the Middle East. Does this mean that the threat from Iran has eased? And how will you continue to deter Iran long term, while keeping your eye on the pacing challenge of China? SECRETARY AUSTIN: Well, it does not mean that there is not a threat from Iran and that we should no longer be concerned. I think you have to take them at their word when they advertise their intent to do something, whether it's today or in the future. So I think it's important to remain at the ready, especially for Israel to remain at the ready. And as we said, we're going to do what's necessary to continue to help Israel protect itself. But I think you have to remember, I mean, that's an aircraft carrier. I still have an aircraft carrier in the region, and I still have a lot of other capability in the region, and I know you guys track what's there and not there on a daily basis. But again, when you saw us do what we did on the 13th of April, we didn't have two aircraft carriers in the region, then. We actually still have more capability in the region than we had on the 13th of April. SABRINA SINGH: Corey. Q: First of all, thank you for the initiatives. As a military spouse, I really do think that they're going to make an impact. There were some good ones that you announced today. Why don't you tell us who you are and what you do? I'm Corey Weathers. I'm a mental health clinician by trade, but I'm a consultant that works with a lot of military leaders, doing a lot of leadership development and study the culture as a whole. So I have a cultural question for you. Considering, talking mental health that trust is do the right thing for the right reason for a really long time, so considering trust is on a decline for institutions as a whole and we have generational differences in our force where they are waiting to earn trust or wanting the institution to earn trust before they outright give it, what would you say or what would you like to see the DOD do to earn trust with the force, especially for those who are struggling, who have served a good portion of GWOT? SECRETARY AUSTIN: Well, I think we have to continue to do the kinds of things we are doing. We got to stay with it. We're investing in telehealth care. We're investing in spending more money on mental health care or access to mental health care. Year to year, you hear me engage Congress on that when I testify about our budge, I think it's really important. Mental health is health period. You've heard me say that a number of times. And then I think there are things that we need to do better in terms of making sure that we don't lose people in the transition. As you transition from active duty to becoming a veteran or serving in the reserves or whatever, sometimes people can get lost there, especially if they're undergoing some type of treatment as an exit. Are we doing the right things to make sure that their needs are provided for throughout? I think we can do better at that. And Dennis McDonough, the Secretary of the VA and I are really close friends and we both recognize the challenges and we both recognize that we need to do more, and we will do more. SABRINA SINGH: We're going to do two more, Constantine and then [inaudible]. Q: Thanks. Thank you for doing this, Mr. Secretary. Staying with the topic of the TCOP changes that you've rolled out, some of them are immediate, some of them are, we're going to study a thing and in a year's time roll out a new benefit. The WiFi sort of comes to mind. Some of the problems that you're looking to address are more acute. So, I guess my question very, very broadly is, do you feel like you're moving fast enough with some of these changes? SECRETARY AUSTIN: Well, I mean a generic answer to that is you can never move fast enough but I do think we are moving we are getting things done. I mean if you consider that our troops in three years will get over a 14 percent increase in their pay, the increase in a basic allowance for housing, that's been very meaningful. You heard me tell the troops a story today of when we first put that initiative into play. I didn't want folks to apply for things. I wanted them to wake up the next day, look at their leave and earnings statement and see that they had already had money in the bank. It's those kinds of things that I think help to maintain that trust between the institution and our troops and our families. But yeah, I would like to take a big chunk of money and knock all the barracks that have challenges down today and rebuild them today, but our appropriation system, it doesn't work like that - And so you have to operate within the rules and the confines of that system. But having said that, I think Congress is very much interested in making sure that our troops have what they need. You've seen Congress promote an initiative to pay lower ranking enlisted force more money. And I think that's good. So it would be ideal to move faster, but I think we have done a lot of things to provide a lot of benefits, things like the commissary cost. We drove that down in a matter of days and not weeks or months. It's about making a decision, here's what we're going to do and it's about leadership. Old guys like me saying, I want to see prices lower in the commissary, not two months from now, I want to see it right now. And we saw that. Some things will take longer, but I would tell you that many of the things that we're discussing are happening or have already happened. Q: I appreciate that. Thank you. SABRINA SINGH: Noah, if you could close this out. Q: Thank you for doing this. A couple of things here. Kurt Campbell said that China's support for Russia's defense industry has gone from dual use equipment to more direct support. I'm wondering if you can comment on what that means exactly and when that changed? Secondarily, also in regard to the Middle East, we were together on the Subic Bay trip when the retaliations from Israel happened both in Lebanon and then also in Iran. Iran has not responded yet and I know in part that's due to the surge in forces from the US to the region. How much do you credit that lack of a response to the capability that's been brought to CENTCOM and EUCOM? LLOYD AUSTIN: On your last question, I think it has mattered a lot, but it's not just the capability of being there. It's the messaging associated with that. It's the active engagement of leaders. It's making sure that as we endeavor to manage the crisis, what we're doing on both sides of the fence to make sure that we don't allow something to unnecessarily escalate out of control. But to answer your question, the force posture does matter. In some cases, Iran can see everything, all the capabilities or many of the capabilities that we have available. In many cases, they can't. And so in terms of how much support the PRC is providing to Russia, we have seen that support increase. We don't see the direct shipment of tons of munitions and weapons to Russia, but as companies continue to try to circumvent sanctions, we see efforts, those kind of efforts increasing there. But something that we're going to continue to watch. https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3906095/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address September 13, 2024 Release Readout of the 14th U.S.-Singapore Strategic Security Policy Dialogue Pentagon Spokesperson Maj. Pete Nguyen provided the following readout: Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Amanda Dory hosted the 14th U.S.- Singapore Strategic Security Policy Dialogue at the Pentagon yesterday with Singapore's Permanent Secretary (Defence) Chan Heng Kee to discuss efforts to strengthen defense and security cooperation between the United States and Singapore. During their meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the U.S.-Singapore defense relationship, which is rooted in both countries' shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. They noted that reciprocal access, including the access that Singapore provides to rotational U.S. forces in Singapore, and the training opportunities provided to Singapore in the United States, is a key pillar of the U.S.-Singapore defense relationship. The two sides also discussed emerging areas of cooperation, including implementation of the Statement of Intent on Data, Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence Cooperation and progress on defense innovation. They also exchanged views on the regional and global security environment. The United States highlighted concerns about threats to international norms in the South China Sea. Both leaders pledged to continue cooperation to uphold international rules and norms, including through continued contributions to Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea. PS Chan shared Singapore's decision to endorse the Statement of Principles for Indo-Pacific Defense Industrial Base Collaboration and intention to participate in the Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience a multinational forum aimed at strengthening defense industrial resilience to promote security, economic security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. Both sides closed the meeting by discussing multilateral cooperation. The United States thanked Singapore for its leadership in ASEAN and its support for the United States in the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3905780/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address September 13, 2024 Release Secretary of Defense Announces Seven New Initiatives to Enhance Well-Being of Military Force and Their Families Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced seven initiatives to improve the quality of life for Service members and their families today. These actions build on the extensive and unprecedented actions that Department of Defense (DoD) leaders have taken over the past four years as part of Austin's Taking Care of People initiative. Secretary Austin directed the implementation of the following: Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts (HCFSAs) for Service Members: To reduce out-of-pocket health care costs for Service members, the DoD will make HCFSAs available to Service members for the first time through a Special Enrollment Period in March 2025. HCFSAs are an optional benefit that enable Service members to set aside up to $3,200 in pretax earnings per Service member to pay for health care costs, such as co-payments, contact lenses, glasses, dental care, and annual deductibles. Access to Wi-Fi Pilot: To reduce out-of-pocket expenses and improve quality of life for junior enlisted Service members, the DoD is implementing a series of pilot projects to provide high-speed Wi-Fi internet access at no cost to Service members living in unaccompanied housing, which will form the basis of a long-term plan to build a Wi-Fi connected force. Making Moves Easier: Building on previous expansions of move-related payments to Service members, the DoD will increase Temporary Lodging Expense reimbursement to 21 days (up from 14 days) and allow Temporary Lodging Allowance to be authorized for up to 60 days when it is necessary for a Service member or dependent to occupy temporary lodging immediately before leaving a permanent duty station outside the continental United States. The DoD will also initiate a study to review and evaluate increasing the household goods weight allowances for Service members. Further Expand Spouse Eligibility for My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) Financial Assistance: To support career advancement for military spouses, eligibility for MyCAA financial assistance will be expanded to spouses of active-duty Service members and spouses of National Guard and reserve Service members on Title 10 orders in the E-7, E-8, E-9, and W-3 ranks. Financial assistance may be utilized to pursue a license, certification, or associate degree as well as testing for college credit and continuing education units. This initiative aims to reduce barriers to employment for military spouses. Investment in Childcare Workforce: To improve access to childcare for military families, we must invest in our childcare workforce to ensure we can recruit and retain childcare providers. The DoD is working closely with Congress to fund compensation increases for childcare providers and to add key positionslead educators and special needs inclusion coordinatorsthat will enhance the developmental and educational support provided to children served by DoD child development centers. Quality of Life at Remote and Isolated Installations Review: The DoD will conduct a review on risk and protective factors, and prevention capabilities of harmful behaviors at three remote installations. The results of the review will be used to inform and improve quality of life at those locations. Uniform Costs Review: The DoD will review the quality of standard uniform clothing items issued to the enlisted force and the enlisted monetary uniform replacement allowance rates to ensure they are sufficient. The Department continues to collaborate with Congress and state partners to ensure the successful implementation and ongoing support of these initiatives. Find the Secretary's memorandum "Our Enduring Duty to America's Service Members and Their Families" here. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3904786/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Cambodia calls US sanctions of casino tycoon 'misleading' But the government has suspended a power project owned by Ly Yong Phat, citing illegal logging. By RFA Khmer 2024.09.13 -- Cambodia's Foreign Ministry on Friday said that U.S. sanctions against powerful businessman Ly Yong Phat were "misleading" and "politically motivated," adding that the casino tycoon has played a "widely recognized" role in advancing the country's development. The sanctions announced on Thursday by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control also targeted Ly Yong Phat's LYP Group conglomerate and several hotels for alleged abuses of trafficked workers at online scam centers. Thursday's sanctions will restrict his ability to complete financial transactions and conduct other commercial activities outside of Cambodia. "The move, based on unconfirmed reports of forced labor linked to online investment scams, are politically motivated and run counter to the spirit of reinforcing our bilateral cooperation and mutual trust," the ministry's statement said. The ministry added that Ly Yong Phat's businesses have contributed to infrastructure development, job creation and poverty alleviation in Cambodia. Ly Yong Phat is a member of the permanent committee of the ruling Cambodian People's Party, or CPP, and has close ties to the family of Senate President Hun Sen and Prime Minister Hun Manet. In addition to his casino and hotel businesses, he's known for controlling large parts of Cambodia's sugar industry and for having frequent land disputes with villagers. Illegal logging Earlier this month, the government suspended a controversial hydropower project owned by Ly Yong Phat, located inside a wildlife sanctuary, citing illegal logging. The Sept. 2 decision by Environment Minister Eang Sophalleth said it would halt the 150-megawatt Stung Meteuk hydropower project. "The ministry has learned that the company that cleaned the forest collected timber without permission and processed the timber without paying taxes, which is against the forest law," he wrote in a letter to Ly Yong Phat. RFA was unable to reach Ly Yong Phat for comment on Friday. The Foreign Ministry's statement also mentioned U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's one-day visit to Phnom Penh in June, which took place days after Cambodia and China wrapped up their biggest ever military exercise. U.S.-Cambodian relations have become strained during the past decade partly over American concerns about the suppression of Cambodia's political opposition. During the same period, Phnom Penh and Beijing have drawn closer. Official complicity The ruling CPP, meanwhile, said the U.S. Treasury sanctions were "groundless and unjust" and a violation of Cambodia's sovereignty. The announcement cited the U.S. State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons Report, which in June highlighted abuses at online scam centers in Cambodia and noted widespread corruption and official complicity. The report failed "to provide a balanced and accurate representation of Cambodia's steadfast commitment to human rights, law enforcement, and its determined efforts to combat human trafficking and forced labor," the Foreign Ministry said. "Cambodia has made significant strides in addressing these issues in collaboration with international partners, including the United States," the ministry said. Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed 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 September not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Vucic Calls For Elections In Northern Kosovo, Return Of Serbs To Institutions By RFE/RL's Balkan Service September 13, 2024 Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on September 13 laid out a long list of demands that he said must be met in order to make progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. Vucic said the demands include local elections in northern Kosovo, an area populated largely by ethnic Serbs, where tensions have remained high since Kosovo shut down several Serbia-backed parallel institutions at the end of August. Speaking at a news conference, Vucic named several other demands, including the return of ethnic Serbs to the police force and the judiciary and the withdrawal of Kosovo's special police forces from the north. Vucic also announced that the Serbian parliament would adopt a decision declaring illegal all bodies and institutions established in Kosovo since the former Serbian province's declaration of independence. Serbia has not recognized Kosovo's independence, which it declared in 2008. Russia and China are among the other countries that do not recognize it. The situation in northern Kosovo has been volatile for months. The latest escalation in tensions occurred after the Kosovar authorities closed the parallel Serbian institutions, which Serbs consider unconstitutional and illegal. Vucic said the move cost 5,880 people their jobs and halted 25 administrative services for Serbs. Vucic said Serbia also is demanding to "return to what has been agreed and achieved so far in the dialogue" between Belgrade and Pristina, which has been mediated by the European Union since 2011. "What we are demanding is respect of European norms and dialogue," Vucic said. "We do not want war." Vucic's demand for "free and democratic" local elections in northern Kosovo would include the participation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe under the supervision of the European Union. The demand for the return of Serbs to the regional directorate of the Kosovar police force in the north should take place in accordance with the Brussels Agreement, he said. Asked about a recently announced indictment of Milan Radoicic and 44 other individuals in connection with an armed attack in Banjska last year, Vucic said that Serbian authorities are conducting their own investigation. Radoicic, the fugitive former vice president of the Serbian List party accused of leading and organizing the attack, is believed to be in Serbia. Prosecutor Naim Abazi said those indicted had different roles within their criminal group "ranging from organizing and directing terrorist activities to financing and money laundering." Vucic said that, for Serbia, the Banjska case "is by no means terrorism." Shortly before Vucic spoke, Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that Serbia decided to repeat threats and ultimatums to Kosovo instead of repenting for the crimes it committed during the past. The Serbian government's approach toward Kosovo is "very depressing," but Kosovo is not afraid of threats, Kurti said on Facebook. With reporting by AP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-kosovo-vucic-demands- election-/33119366.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address IS-K Claims Responsibility For Deadly Attack Targeting Hazara Minority In Afghanistan By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi September 13, 2024 A regional branch of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack in central Afghanistan targeting Shi'ite pilgrims. The Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) group on September 12 published images showing the massacred pilgrims, believed to belong to the Hazara minority persecuted by the Sunni IS-K. Hadi Rahimi Zada, a former council member in Daykundi Province, where the killings took place, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi that 14 people were killed by unidentified gunmen in the attack. Some other local sources told Radio Azadi that the killings were carried out by armed men on motorcycles. A resident of Daykundi Province who spoke on condition of anonymity out of security concerns said that the group targeted had gathered to welcome pilgrims returning from Karbala in Iraq, a Shi'ite holy site. "Their relatives had returned to Firouzkoh from Karbala. These people were going to welcome them. Four people attacked them and 14 people were killed," the source said. "They were all young men, and five others were injured." Abdul Matin Qani, a spokesman for the Taliban's Interior Ministry confirmed the attack in Daykundi Province, saying on September 12 that further details would be announced. The IS-K has carried out numerous attacks since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, often targeting Taliban officials, foreign nationals, and the Shi'ite Hazara community. The IS-K was founded in Afghanistan in 2014 as a regional branch of the Islamic State extremist group that aims to expand throughout South and Central Asia. Khorasan refers to a historical region that comprised parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-hazara-pilgrims- attack-islamic-state/33118457.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary Blinken's Call with Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan US Department of State Readout Office of the Spokesperson September 13, 2024 The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan yesterday and reaffirmed the importance of a durable and dignified peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Secretary Blinken welcomed recent progress between the parties, including an agreement on a border delimitation regulation. Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister Pashinyan discussed the expanding U.S.-Armenia relationship, including cooperation on energy, trade and investment, and education. The Secretary reaffirmed the United States' commitment to ongoing efforts to support a prosperous, democratic, and independent Armenia that benefits the people of Armenia and the broader Caucasus region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary Antony J. Blinken Remarks to the Press US Department of State Remarks Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State Press Briefing Room Washington, D.C. September 13, 2024 SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good afternoon, everyone. And for those of you who were traveling, welcome home. Accurate information is vital to the health of any democracy. It helps citizens understand the issues and effects - and events that are affecting their lives. It empowers them to engage meaningfully in their communities, their country, the world. When state or non-state actors spread disinformation, material deliberately meant to deceive or divide our public, they attack the very foundations of our free and open society. In March, I laid out the comprehensive steps the administration is taking to address this threat to our national security and to our national fabric. First, we're building a more resilient global information system, where objective facts are elevated and deceptive messages gain less traction. We're doing that by promoting policies and programs that protect a free, vibrant, and independent press and that foster greater civic and media literacy so that people can better distinguish fact from fiction. Second, we're working to expose, to disrupt, to deter disinformation. Through the State Department Global Engagement Center, we're coordinating government-wide and with other countries to identify, to analyze, to undercover attempts by governments and non-state actors to manipulate information. Third, we're taking steps to hold accountable those who weaponize disinformation to undermine our democracy. That's what we did just last week when the State Department, the Justice Department, the Treasury Department, the FBI took a series of coordinated actions to counter Russian influence and interference in our elections and in our democracy. In addition to imposing sanctions, visa restrictions, and other measures, the State Department also designated the Russian state-funded and directed media company Rossiya Segodnya and five of its subsidiaries, including RT, under the Foreign Missions Act. As a result, these actors are now required to notify the State Department of all personnel working in the United States as well as their property. We took these steps based on our conclusion that Rossiya Segodnya and these five subsidiaries are no longer merely firehoses of Russian Government propaganda and disinformation; they are engaged in covert influence activities aimed at undermining American elections and democracies, functioning like a de facto arm of Russia's intelligence apparatus. Today, we're announcing that these Kremlin-backed media outlets are not only playing this covert influence role to undermine democracy in the United States, but also to meddle in the sovereign affairs of countries around the world. Thanks to new information - much of which originates from RT employees - we know that RT possess cyber capabilities and engaged in covert information and influence operations and military procurement. As part of RT's expanded capabilities, the Russian Government embedded within RT a unit with cyber operational capabilities and ties to Russian intelligence. RT's leadership had direct, witting knowledge of this enterprise. Russian Government actors incorporated the cyber capabilities of this unit within RT in the spring of 2023, which is focused primarily on covert influence operations around the world. Under the cover of RT, information produced through this unit flows to Russian intelligence services, Russian media outlets, Russian mercenary groups, and other state and proxy arms of the Russian Government. One of its projects is a large, online crowdfunding program in Russia, operating within RT and through social media channels, to provide support and military equipment - supplies, weaponry - to Russian military units in Ukraine. This includes sniper rifles, suppressors, body armor, night vision equipment, drones, radio equipment, personal weapon sites, diesel generators. While the crowdfunding campaign is out in the open, what's hidden is that this program is administered by the leaders of RT. Last week, our government revealed how RT launders information operations through unwitting Americans to covertly disseminate Kremlin-produced content and messaging to the American public. Today, we're exposing how Russia deploys similar tactics around the world. In Germany, for example, RT covertly runs the Berlin-based English-language platform Red, a successor to the now defunct RT-linked platform Redfish. RT also secretly runs the online platform African Stream across a wide range of social media platforms. Now, according to the outlet's website, "African Stream is" - and I quote - "a pan-African digital media organisation based exclusively on social-media platforms, focused on giving a voice to all Africans both at home and abroad." In reality, the only voice it gives is to Kremlin propagandists. RT's expanded covert capabilities allow it to deepen coordination with traditional Russian intelligence services as they work to manipulate the outcome of democratic elections in the United States but also around the world. For years, RT and its employees have coordinated directly with the Kremlin to support Russian Government efforts to influence Moldova's elections, including the October 2024 presidential election. RT's leadership has leveraged Russian state-funded and directed media platforms to attempt to foment unrest in Moldova, likely with the aim of causing protests to turn violent. We believe RT will almost certainly leverage its expanded covert capabilities to coordinate with Russian intelligence services to try to manipulate the outcome of Moldova's upcoming election. As a result of these findings, today we're imposing sanctions on three entities and two individuals for Russia's covert global influence operations, including interference in Moldova's democracy and its upcoming elections. The actions we're exposing today and the actions we exposed last week do not incorporate the full scope of Russia's efforts to undermine democracies - far from it. Russian weaponization of disinformation to subvert and polarize free and open societies extends to every part of the world. In response, today the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada are launching a joint diplomatic campaign to rally allies and partners around the world to join us in addressing the threat posed by RT and other machinery of Russian disinformation and covert influence. Under the - using, excuse me, the internet - intelligence diplomacy has become a hallmark of our administration. I've instructed U.S. diplomats around the world to share the evidence that we've gathered on RT's expanded capabilities and the ways it's being used to target individual countries and the information ecosystem that we share. Now, each government, of course, is going to decide how it responds to this threat. But we urge every ally, every partner to start by treating RT's activities as they do other intelligence activities by Russia within their borders. Now, let me be very clear. The United States respects and champions freedom of expression, even when it comes to media outlets that wittingly spread government propaganda, and we'll continue to lead the world in defending and promoting media freedom. But we will not stand by as RT and other actors carry out covert activities in support of Russia's nefarious activities, and we'll continue to respond forcefully to Moscow's playbook of aggression and subversion, one that includes invading sovereign nations, fomenting coups, weaponizing corruption, carrying out assassinations, meddling in elections, and unjustly detaining foreign nationals. The great U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said, as is well-known, sunlight is the best disinfectant. RT wants its new covert intelligence capabilities, like its longstanding propaganda and disinformation efforts, to remain hidden. Our most powerful antidote to Russia's lies is the truth. It's shining a bright light on what the Kremlin is trying to do under the cover of darkness. Taking action together with our allies and partners to address this threat to our democracies is an effective way of pushing back. And today we're taking an important step in that direction. One final related note on a more uplifting subject. A little bit earlier today I had the opportunity to sit down with Evan Gershkovich. First time I've had a chance to see him since he was freed. We were joined by one of his colleagues from The Wall Street Journal, which was such a tenacious champion, along with his family, in pressing for Evan's release. I know a number of you know Evan. Anyone who knows him can attest to this: He's incredibly warm, he's got a great sense of humor, but maybe the most striking part of spending time with Evan is simply how wonderful it feels to see him free, home, where he belongs. I also keep returning to the fact that Evan, on the form that Russia forced him to fill out before he was released, asked for an interview with Vladimir Putin. Always on the job. We make a lot of great things in this country, but one of the greatest things we make is our journalists. Their professionalism - your professionalism - the unshakable commitment to seeking the truth, is a service not only to our people and our democracy, it's a service to the entire world. Evan's freedom is also a reminder of all Americans who are still held hostage or wrongfully detained. And as I said when we first secured the release of Evan, of Paul, of Alsu and others, for them and for their families of those who remain detained, there are tough days when they will question if they ever get their freedom back. My pledge to them is the same one that I made to Evan and to the dozens of other Americans whose release we've secured these last few years. We've not forgotten you; we will not forget you; and we will not rest until we get you home where you belong. Thanks very much. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Gaza: WHO chief hails 'massive success' of polio campaign amid tragic reality 13 September 2024 - Around 560,000 children under ten have been successfully vaccinated against polio during the first round of an emergency campaign in the Gaza Strip, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Friday. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted that it had been "a massive success amidst a tragic daily reality of life" for more than two million Gazans who have been caught up in the intense fighting since last October's terror attacks by Hamas unleashed the war in Gaza. In three phases over twelve days, from 1 to 12 September, UN agencies and partners provided novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to some 558,963 children, reaching families living in shelters, tents and camps for the displaced. Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative for the occupied Palestinian territory applauded the "incredible resilience" of health and community workers in conducting the campaign "at an unprecedented scale and speed under the toughest conditions" in the war-battered enclave. "Swift action by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative - from the moment the virus was detected to the launch of the vaccination campaign - speaks to the effectiveness of the polio programme", he said. Moments of calm For each of the phases - central, southern and northern Gaza - an area-specific humanitarian pause of nine hours each day was agreed to ensure the safety of communities and health workers and enable vaccination efforts. "In areas where humanitarian pauses took place, the campaign brought not just vaccines, but moments of calm," Dr. Peeperkorn said. "As we prepare for the next round in four weeks, we're hopeful these pauses will hold, because this campaign has clearly shown the world what's possible when peace is given a chance," he added. The second round will provide a second dose of the nOPV2 to children in Gaza to stop the outbreak and prevent its international spread. Though the programme faced challenges such as destroyed roads and health facilities, access issues, limited fuel, a shortage of trained health workers, and constant population movements, these were addressed in a timely manner with support of the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Unfinished business Jean Gough, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Palestine, welcomed the progress made in the first round, highlighting that the "job is far from done". "We are poised to finish the task and call on all involved to ensure we can do so in the next round in four weeks' time, for the sake of children everywhere," she said. To reach enough children, and successfully stop further transmission of the poliovirus, WHO, UNICEF and UNRWA urged all parties to the conflict to commit to another round of humanitarian pauses, with unimpeded access to children in areas that need special coordination. Original target WHO noted that the original target for the campaign - 640 000 children - was estimated without an accurate survey and may have been an over-estimate, due to displacement and ongoing hostilities. The agency added that an additional 65 independent monitors are being deployed to cross-check the proportion of children vaccinated across the Gaza Strip to independently assess the level of coverage achieved in the first round. They need safe, unimpeded access so they can visit households, markets, transit points, and health facilities to check children for the prominent purple dye marked on their little finger when they are vaccinated, it added. These efforts will provide an independent measure of the percentage of vaccination coverage achieved, and how any children were missed. UNRWA staff member killed in the West Bank The ongoing conflict, however, continues to claim in civilian lives, displace thousands, and destroy homes and civilian infrastructure. The United Nations also lost more than 220 UNRWA staff - killed during Israel's offensive following the 7 October terror attacks by Hamas and other militants. On Thursday, UNRWA lost another staff member, who was killed in the El Far'a Camp, in northern West Bank - the first such killing in that region in more than ten years. According to the agency, the staff member, a sanitation worker, was shot and killed on the roof of his home by a sniper during an overnight Israeli military operation in the early morning. He is survived by his wife and five children. "This marks the first time an UNRWA staff member has been killed in the West Bank in more than ten years. It comes as the West Bank is experiencing unprecedented levels of violence, placing communities at risk," Roland Friedrich, Director of UNRWA Affairs in the West Bank said in a statement. He noted that protracted Israeli military operations, affecting especially the camps of El Far'a, Tulkarm, Nur Shams and Jenin, have forced UNRWA to suspend services to refugees "because of the unacceptable risk to staff and beneficiaries during these operations". Mr. Friedrich also expressed concern over the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by Palestinian armed actors. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Robert E. Simanek US Navy 13 September 2024 From Team Ships Public Affairs SAN DIEGO -- The future USS Robert E. Simanek (ESB 7) was delivered to the U.S. Navy, Sept. 12. The ship is named for Private First Class Robert Ernest Simanek, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for shielding fellow Marines from a grenade at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the Korean War. The Medal of Honor was presented to him by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in a White House ceremony in 1953. "From christening in May 2024 to delivery, it has been an exciting time for those who spend each day preparing this ship to support our fleet," said Tim Roberts, Strategic and Theater Sealift program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. "The ESB ship class is a highly flexible platform used across various military operations. ESB ships are mobile sea-based assets and are a part of the critical access infrastructure that supports the deployment of forces, equipment, supplies, and warfighting capability." ESBs are optimized to support a variety of maritime based missions, including Special Operations Forces, Airborne Mine Counter Measures, Crisis Response Force Sea Basing, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance and Unmanned Aviation Systems. The ESBs, which include a four spot V-22 sized flight deck, mission deck and hangar, are designed around four core capabilities: aviation facilities, berthing, equipment staging support, and command and control assets. Follow-on ship, future USS Hector A. Cafferata Jr. (ESB 8) is under construction at NASSCO. PEO Ships, one of the Department of Defense's largest acquisition organizations, is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships and craft, auxiliary ships, special mission ships, sealift ships and support ships. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Navy Announces Commissioning Date for the Future USS John Basilone US Navy 13 September 2024 From Karli Yeager NEW YORK -- The U.S. Navy will commission the future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Basilone (DDG 122) on November 9, 2024, in New York City, New York. The ship honors United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone, who received the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. He was killed in action during the February 1945 invasion of Iwo Jima and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. Basilone is the only enlisted Marine to be honored with both the Navy Cross and the Medal of Honor. The sponsors of DDG 122 are Ryan Manion and Amy Looney, the president and vice president of the Travis Manion Foundation, which empowers veterans and families of fallen heroes to develop character in future generations. The co-sponsors will lead the time-honored Navy tradition of giving the order during the ceremony to "man our ship and bring her to life!" At that moment, the commissioning pennant is hoisted and USS John Basilone becomes a proud ship of the fleet. DDG 122 will be the second ship named in honor of Basilone. Following its commissioning, USS John Basilone will depart New York City for its homeport assignment of Naval Station Norfolk. Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. Navy's surface fleet. These highly capable, multi-mission ships conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence to national security providing a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface, and submarine. The future USS John Basilone (DDG 122) commissioning ceremony will be livestreamed at www.dvidshub.net/webcast/35147. The webcast will begin at 9:45 a.m. EST and the ceremony begins at 10 a.m. EST, November 9. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address IS-claimed attack kills 14 Shiite Muslims in Afghanistan By Ayaz Gul September 13, 2024 Taliban authorities in Afghanistan confirmed Friday that gunmen killed at least 14 Shiite Muslims and injured six others in an overnight attack in a central province. A local affiliate of the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the deadly shooting. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government spokesperson, confirmed the casualties resulting from what he denounced as a "barbaric act" against Afghan civilians in the province of Daykundi. "While we extend our deepest condolences to the victims of the incident, we are making serious efforts to apprehend the perpetrators and ensure they are held accountable," Mujahid stated on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. His statement came hours after local media quoted area residents and sources as confirming that the violence had resulted in the deaths of at least 14 people and injuries to several others. The Islamic State group said through its Amaq news agency that "soldiers" of its Afghan offshoot, the Islamic State Khorasan, also known as IS-K, were behind the shooting. It claimed that "15 Shiite [Muslims] were killed, and six others wounded." Daykundi residents said the victims had gathered to welcome pilgrims returning from the Shiite holy site of Karbala in Iraq. Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur on the Afghan human rights situation, denounced Thursday's violence. "Yesterday's appalling ISKP-claimed killings of #Hazara from #Daykundi.... bears hallmarks of int'l crimes," Bennett said Friday on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. "I'm alarmed about the spate of ISKP-claimed attacks. Need for prevention, protection & (international) accountability #Afghanistan," he wrote, using an acronym for IS-K. The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan three years ago and say their counterterrorism operations have since "almost decimated" IS-K in the country. However, U.S. officials and recent United Nations reports dispute the claims, identifying IS-K as a growing terrorism threat to the region and beyond. Earlier this month, IS-K claimed a suicide bombing in the Afghan capital that killed six people. In May, the group took responsibility for an attack by gunmen in the central Bamiyan province that killed three Spanish tourists and their local translator. In March, IS-K claimed that it was behind an attack on a Moscow concert hall that killed 145 Russians. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid reiterated in a statement last week that "concerns raised by Western countries and institutions regarding the presence and escalating threat" of IS-K in Afghanistan were "unfounded and driven by propaganda." Mujahid claimed that "the entire Afghan territory remains firmly under the control of the Islamic Emirate, leaving no room for independent or external groups to operate." The Taliban refer to their administration as the Islamic Emirate. No country has officially recognized the Taliban government in Kabul, mainly because of human rights concerns and extensive restrictions the Islamist Taliban have placed on women's access to education, work, and public life at large. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Former Botswanan president returns from self-imposed exile, appears in court By Mqondisi Dube September 13, 2024 Botswana's former president, Ian Khama, has made a surprise return to the country after a nearly three-year self-imposed exile. Khama, who faces criminal charges, fled the southern African country in 2021, saying his life was in danger after a fallout with President Mokgweetsi Masisi. Khama appeared Friday in a Gaborone court, where his lawyers asked that a warrant of arrest against him be dropped. He faces 14 charges, which include illegal possession of firearms and money laundering. His lawyer, Unoda Mack, told reporters outside court that the warrant of arrest has been set aside. "They wanted him, we brought him. The warrant has been set aside. He will appear in court, he will be coming. He brought himself," Mack said. Khama, who leads a splinter opposition party, the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), has denied the criminal charges and says they are part of persecution by Masisi. Khama handpicked Masisi to succeed him in 2018. BPF Secretary General Lawrence Ookeditse said Khama, who led Botswana between 2008 and 2018, is back to fight the "bogus" charges. "He went to the magistrate court to try to get the bogus warrant of arrest that was brought on him quashed," Ookeditse said. Khama's return comes just weeks before Botswana holds its general election on October 30. Ookeditse said the former president will participate in campaigns for his party. "We have been very consistent and General Khama has also been very consistent to the effect that we are going to cause an upset in these elections and he is going to be on the ground campaigning for the BPF, as we are going to do all we can to effect regime change in a democratic way in Botswana," Ookeditse said. Masisi has previously said Khama must return to face the law, and denied accusations of persecuting his predecessor. Khama will be back in court on September 23. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, September 13, 2024 September 13, 2024 James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 2:53 P.M. EDT MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Good afternoon, everyone. Q Good afternoon. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Happy Friday. Q Yes. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) We all feel the same way. Although, tomorrow is another workday. Q Yes. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. So, I have a couple things at the top. So, yesterday, a North Dakota judge struck down the state's near-total abortion ban. The law makes it a felony for doctors and other health care providers to provide women the care that they need. It is extreme, dangerous, and terrifying and has left North Dakota without any abortion providers. And that was made possible when the former president handpicked three three Supreme Court justices to overturn Roe v. Wade. As a result, more than 20 states have abortion bans currently in effect. And it's not stopping at the state level. Republican elected officials in Congress have proposed four national abortion bans while refusing to protect nationwide access to IVF and contraception. President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that women in every state must have the right to make deeply personal decisions about their health. They continue to call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade into federal law and fight efforts by Republican elected officials to undermine our fundamental freedoms. Next, I want to I wanted to also quickly recognize all of the amazing Team USA athletes who participated in this year's Paralympics in Paris that le- that ended this past weekend. Team USA showed incredible resilience and strength. This year's athletes brought home an impressive 105 including 36 gold medals. From the president on down, we have all been cheering you on here at the White House. We are so proud of all of you. As a president as the first lady said pardon me and I quote, our athletes "carry more than just our flag. They carry our nation's heart and our hopes with them too." And finally, as you all know, the president joined a a brunch in celebration of Black excellence on the South Lawn this afternoon. Over the coming days, President Biden will participate in a celebratory engagement centered on the triumphs and legacy of Black Americans and the institutions they have created. In addition to today's brunch in celebration of Black excellence, Presidents President Biden will deliver remarks at the 2 2024 Phoenix Awards dinner on Saturday and address the National HBCU Week Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Monday. These events will focus on speaking directly to the community about the Biden-Harris administration's accomplishment for the Black community. As as a proud Black American myself, I I must say that I am incredibly proud to be working for a president and a vice president who have d- who has certainly delivered for Black Americans. His t- his time in office is marked by significant wins for the Black community, including achieving the lowest Black unemployment rate on record, nominating Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, and investing a historic $16 billion into HBCUs. We are looking forward to traveling to Philadelphia this coming Monday. And with that, Darlene. Q Hi. Thank you. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hello. Q Two questions. So, the administration had promised to use the full extent of the law to make sure that pregnant patients got emergency care after Roe v. Wade was overturned. We the AP is reporting today that none of the hospitals that have denied care to pregnant patients since Roe v. Wade was overturned have been fined. Do you know why? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I would have to talk to the Department of Justice. I don't have I'm just now learning this reporting that the Associated Press has. So, I would have to go back to Department of Justice and also refer you to them, as well, to get a better sense of how they're operating that particular that particular policy. But I would have to say, and I said this at the top, we would not be in this position if the former president did not appoint three three Supreme Court justices with with one of the obviously, one of the goals that they were successful at was making sure the Dobbs decision was done, which overturned Roe v. Wade, which was a constitutional right that women had for nearly 50 years. And that is why the president had to step in. That is why the president had to sign an executive order. That is why we have been very forceful, very clear about what Dobbs decision has done. And we don't even have to it doesn't have to come from us; we could see what has happened across the states: 21, 22 states that now have abortion bans. And now that is affecting, as we know, 27 million women who are now affected by this who who their reproductive freedom has been taken away. Those that decision to make those really personal decisions for themselves has been taken away. But as it relates to that specific question, I would have to refer you to Department of Justice. Q And since the the president mentioned Springfield, Ohio, in his remarks he did- he didn't actually say Springfield, but we knew what he was talking about is the administration considering any help for Springfield? They've been facing bomb threats. Some schools were evacuated today. Is there any MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, as it relates to that, certainly we are aware of the evacuations. Local police are investigating what is happening on the ground, the situation. We encourage everyone to please please follow the the advice and the direction of the public safety, follow their guidance. I'm going to be mindful and not speculate on the evacuations, but I again, to to your point on what the president said and what we have said from here, from this podium, it is that it is extremely sad and concerning that a community is facing this type of danger and vitriol. And as the president said today I think very forcefully this needs to stop, and there is absolutely no place absolutely no place in this country, in our certainly in our prolitical [political] discourse, for this type of vitriolic, smearing, hateful language. And certainly, as we have done in the past three and a half years, and the president has done throughout his career and the vice president as well, we're going to continue to call that out and condemn that type of vitriolic behavior. We will certainly offer any assistance, if needed, on the ground by the local the local police. Q Thank you. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Selina. Q And just to bounce off the question about Springfield, the Ohio governor said that the federal government needs to give Springfield some help to deal with the influx of migrants. What's the president's reaction to that? And does the White House have plans to provide some funding to the state? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, a couple of things and I'm glad I'm actually glad you asked this question, because there are a couple things I do want to lay out that the administration has been able to do. Again, this is conspiracy theory, what we're hearing, that has been debunked by the Ohio the the Ohio police department, the Springfield mayor, the city manager. And so, we have to make sure that we put that out there that this has been debunked. And spreading this type of ha- hateful conspiracy theories is indeed very dangerous. It's very dangerous. So, since day one, our priority has been ensuring communities across the country have the support they need. So, we've delivered resources to Ohio, as well to cities, states, and non-for-profits across the country. Since the spring, DHS has been directly engaged with the city of Springfield and local officials to make sure they have the support they need. And we want to do more. We would like to do more. That's why we did the bipartisan proposal with the Senate early at the end of last year obviously, early into this year. And it was stopped. It was stopped because the former president said that bill that particular proposal would hurt him and help Joe Biden. And so, Republicans in Congress stopped that. It would have given more it would have given more resources to cities like Springfield, Ohio. But I don't want it to to miss the point here that the administration has indeed provided more than $1.3 billion in grant funding t- in jurisdur- in jurisdiction around around the country to help to help with with the influx and what they're dealing with. We want to do more, but we've been blocked in doing so. Q So, are there any new conversations that the president is trying to start right now for MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wh- Q further assistance? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We want to fix this problem we want. We did $1.3 billion. That's something that this administration has been able to do. We want more funding. Republicans are getting in the way in Congress. We were able to put forward, again, a bipartisan deal that would have been the toughest and the fairest law if the president had an opportunity to sign it. Republicans got in the way. Now, if Republicans want to work with us in a good faith they did. They actually did, and then they turned their backs on what they wanted, on what they thought they believed would be the right way to move forward in dealing with the immigration system and dealing with the border challenges. And they walked away from it. And I we need them to come to the table again. We need them to actually want to move forward to deal with this issue. Q And just shifting gears to Boeing. 30,000 workers are on strike for the first time in 16 years at Boeing. And Boeing's CFO said this is going to impact production, deliveries, operations, and will jeopardize their recovery. So, how is the president reacting to this? And what's his message to those workers? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, we're administration officials are indeed in touch with Boeing and the machinists. So, we encourage them to negotiate in good faith, which is something that we say when when situations get to this level. And we believe that they need to negotiate, yes, in good faith and work towards an agreement that gives employees benefits and that they deserve. You know, that and it would make the count- and it would make the company stronger as well. So, we're in touch with the parties and, again, continue to n- to encourage them to negotiate in good faith. Go ahead, Weijia. Q Thank you, Karine. First, two points of clarification on Springfield. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Q Conspiracy theories aside, the governor says that this influx of migrants has caused a significant strain on the health care and public safety system in Springfield. Does the administration acknowledge that? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We w- Q Or or have you talked to them about it? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, we and I said this in my answer prior. We've been in touch with with Springfield from since the spring, we've been in touch with them. DHS has, and we've been offering assistance to them. And and that is something that we've taken very seriously. And we have been able during in 2023, this administration, we've been collaborating with states and cities across the country. And we launched this one-stop clinic one-stop-shop clinics to to help eligible noncitizens get work permits and decompress their re- respective shelter systems. And today, those clinics have served more than 37,000 people. So, that shows how we've been working with different jurisdictions across the country. And we've provided, I just mentioned, more than $1.3 billion to address the concerns that for example, that the governor has, mayors have in obviously, in cities and towns. And so, we've done that. We'll we want to continue to help, but we also need Congress to get involved. And that's why the president took very seriously the negotiations that were happening. He tried to try to get the toughest, fairest border border deal, and we were able to do that. Republicans got in the way. But $1.3 billion to help cities across cities and states across the country is nothing to to sneeze at. Q So, short of a deal, are you saying that currently there is no more federal resources to give to Springfield? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We ne- we need more federal resources. Q (Inaudible.) MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And we have been working with Springfield, Ohio, in particular, since the spring since the spring. We need more funding. We need more. And that is why the president and his team got together with Republicans and Democrats in the Senate to come up with this border deal. Donald Trump, the former president, told Republicans in Congress to not move forward with it. They voted against their own bipartisan deal. Q And then, turning to tariffs. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure. Q During the debate, the vice president described Trump's proposed tariffs as a sales tax on middle-class families. Today, the Biden administration announced new tariffs on about $18 billion worth of Chinese goods that will go into effect in two weeks. So, can you talk about whether these new tariffs are fundamentally different from what Trump has proposed and how? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, the 301 tariff the tariffs? So, look, we made an announcement this morning, as you just that went out early this morning. And I think the president, when he back in May, when he was announcing that he was going to take action, he said very clearly he was going to do that to protect Americans, workers, and businesses from China's unfair trade practices. And that's something a commitment that he made and he spoke to back in in May. And the comparison, as you're asking me the Trump administration, the last administration, their trade deal with China failed to increase boost American manufacturing. And what the president's economic agenda what we've been trying to do for almost four years now, and we've seen some results here is nearly $1 trillion of new investments here in America, manufacturing investment has hit record highs, and factory construction has doubled to a record high. The annual trade deficit with China is the lowest in a decade, and that is because of the president's economic agenda lower than any year under the last administration. And so, the president is going to take continue to take action to protect American workers and manufacturing and encourage China to eliminate its unfair practices. As it goes to the specifics of it, obviously, USTR will have more information on that. But the president made a commit- he's keeping to his commitment. And if you can see what his economic agenda has actually done manufacturing, businesses and how that how that lines up with China and what China what it what China has how his how his agenda has affected China's behavior, and I think that matters. Q I'm sorry. I should have been more clear. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Q How is it not a sales tax on all the goods that people buy every day? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, what we're trying to do is making sure that we're protecting American workers and businesses. That's what we're doing. USTR can certainly get into more details and specifics to your question. But our you know, our commitment and I think it shows in the president's economic policy, as I just laid out. And what how how the annual trade deficit with China is the lowest is the lowest in a decade, lower than any year during the last administration. And so, what we're trying to do is eliminate China's unfair practices, and we've seen the results of that. That was the commitment that this president made in May, and that's the commitment that will continue. This is about American workers and businesses, and we're going to certainly continue to deal with China's unfair trade practices, and that's what you're seeing. Q Thank you. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead. Q Thanks, Karine. Just back to the Boeing strike. Does the White House believe that there is an immediate economic impact from the strike? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, we're in touch with with officials. And this is something that, as I said all as I say all the time when I get asked this question, we're going to monitor very, very closely. I don't have a specific question to you on that on on a yes or a no, but this is something that we're certainly going to monitor. What we want to see is all parties to come together in good faith and come up with a deal that helps the workers, the hard work right? continues to really respect the hard work that the workers do day in and day out for companies. But I but I don't have any anything specific. We're going to monitor. We're going to keep an eye on it. Q Not even a general assessment on the economic impact, immediate or otherwise? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: This is something that we're going to monitor. Q Okay. And just staying on that topic and stepping back a little bit. You've obviously gotten a number of Boeing-related questions in this job: the door that blew off the plane, a number of compliance issues, there are two astronauts who are literally stuck in space. What do you think is going on with the company? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I can't speak for what's going on inside of a company. That is for them to to certainly speak to. As it relates to the strike that is currently happening, we're certainly in touch with Boeing and the machinists. We want them to come together in good faith. As it relates to the safety concerns that Americans should have, rightly have, obviously, the Department of Transportation has been on top of that, dealing with dealing with ways to to make sure there's transparency and they deal with those safety issues. FAA has been on top of that as well. But I can't speak to what's going ins- going on with Boeing. That is something for them to speak to. Q Okay. Just one more on a separate topic. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure. Q Pope Francis today said about the upcoming presidential election that voters here have to choose the lesser of two evils. He pointed to Donald Trump's anti-immigrant positions and then the vice president's support of abortion rights. Do you know if the president is aware of these comments, if he has had any reaction? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, obviously the pope speaks for himself, and I don't have any any more comments from here. I have not spoken to the president about the pope's specific comments on the up- on this coming election. Go ahead. Q Thank you, Karine. Just to follow up on Boeing. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure. Q So so, we understand that admin officials, including Julie Su, are in touch with both sides. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Q But is there someone specific, like a liaison like Gene Sperling was in the UAW talks, that the White House has appointed for this particular MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I I don't have a specific person to point to from the White House. White House officials, including the Department of Labor, as you just mentioned, the secretary the acting secretary has been in touch with Boeing and the machinists on this particular matter, but don't have a poeson a person to point out to you. But White House officials here have have been in touch. Q And and are the president or the vice president planning to join any of these workers on the picket line? Have any discussions taken place? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: As you know, the president was the first president to to go to Michigan and be with UAW workers when they were striking, and he was very proud to do that. Has been named the the most pro- pro-union president ever, and so he's proud to to hold that title. I don't have or acknowledgement. I just don't have anything to share on either of their schedules. Q Has the president spoken to the union? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don't have a a call to speak to at this time. Q And and one quick one on the U.S. Steel-Nippon Steel deal. The Washington Post was reporting that the White House may push a decision on the deal until after the election. We did say we did see some pushback from the White House saying that there was no timeline around this. But is there any other is there any clarity you can offer on what the reporting was? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, we've been very clear. The president has been very clear. He wants to make sure that and it is vital that U.S. Steel is to remain an American steel company and that is domestically owned and, obviously, operated. The president told our steelworkers, as he has their backs, and he meant that. You remember when he was on Labor Day, he was in Pennsylvania and said that. The vice president said that as well or made that very clear in her remarks as well. And and so, we have not received any recommendations from CFIUS. There's a process. CFIUS has to make a recommendation, has to be transmitted to the president. The president then makes a decision. That has not occurred. That has not happened. CFIUS is independent, and they're going to make those decision. I believe, last week, the White House provided a statement that we have not received any recommendations. So, that continues to be the case. And so, don't have any- anything. And I and I and so, I just don't have anything to share if this is imminent on on a decision. They are they are independent. Q Would the White House recommend that CFIUS expedite the review process? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It's their process. Q I mean, CFIUS CFIUS has been looking at the deal for a while now. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: For some time, I know. Q Yeah. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And it's it's their process. They are independent. And the process is they make the decision, their recommendation; it's transmitted to us; and the president, obviously, makes a decision. But that has not occurred, and they ha- we have to allow them to have the space to make that decision. Q So, you're saying that the MS. JEAN-PIERRE: To the process to play through. Q So so, you're saying the proc- saying that this the decision, it could land only after the election? Is that accurate MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I I Q or not? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I'm saying to you how the process works. We have not received any recommendations yet from CFIUS; therefore, it could not be im- imminent if we have not received any recommendations. That's all I'm saying. Go ahead. Go ahead. Q Hey. Thanks, Karine. Former President Trump this afternoon said, if elected, he would do, quote, "large deportations from Springfield, Ohio," and would send them to Venezuela. These Haitian migrants are in Ohio legally and, of course, aren't from Venezuela. Does the White House have a reaction to this pledge of the former president? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I'm obv- obviously, he was speaking as a candidate, and that is the upcoming elections. But I will say more broadly, if Republicans were serious about fixing what is happening at the border the border challenges, which majority of Americans care about if they were serious about it and they truly cared about this issue, they truly cared about fixing an immigration system that has been broken for decades, they would get back to the table or they don't even have to. There's a deal. There is a border deal a bipartisan border deal. They can vote on it. And we would have the toughest, fairest deal that we've seen in some time coming out of Congress that would become law because the president would sign it, because he was his team was part of, certainly, deliberating on that deal. If they were very serious about it, they would move that deal forward and help help us make it into law. And it would deal with issues that cities like Springfield, Ohio, are dealing with right now. Q But doesn't the I mean, the White House opposes any mass deportation of Haitian migrants from Springfield, right? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I I mean Q That's what I was MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Is that the question? Q My question is that, yeah. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: The ques- Q I mean, that's what he MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Obviously. Obviously, yes. But also, if they really wanted to deal with I mean, I think the the real, I think, core of the question is: Okay, there's legislation out there. There's a policy. There's a bipartisan legislation that would deal with issues that they have concerns about at the border and actually deal with an immigration system. Obviously, we do not we do not support mass deportation of a community that is not is not part of a country that they came from. That doesn't make any sense. That is not something that we would support. But there's a deal out there. There's a deal a bipartisan deal. They keep getting in the way. They're voting against their own deal. That doesn't make any sense. Where's sense where's the sense in that? Where's the sense in that? Go ahead. Q The president spoke about the issue affecting Springfield today. Why today? And and he did reference the former president directly. Is his message intended for Donald Trump? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I think the what the president said speaks for itself. I think he was very clear. He saw it as an opportunity. He had 1,200 people celebrating Black excellence, and he saw it as an opportunity. We keep hearing from the Republicans who keep lifting this up, even though it's been debunked this hateful smear. It's been debunked by the Springfield mayor. It's been debunked by the city manager. It's been debunked by the Ohio department police department. And we hear Republicans national Republicans continue to spread that hateful conspiracy theory. And so, the president took an opportunity to address it head on. I think his words and what he said very powerfully -fully landed very well, and people got the message. Q And in the meeting with the prime minister today, do you how much do you think their what will the approach be concerning threats that Putin has made about expanding his concerns to the west if weapons are made available for Ukraine to go deeper into Russia? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. His comments about NATO and the U.S. more specifically look, that kind of rhetoric certainly is dangerous and but it's not new. It's not new for Russia. Matter of fact, it has been the mainstay of Russian propaganda throughout this war that they've had. This is their war that they've had in Ukraine. This is their aggression. This is what they have done. This is what Mr. Putin has done, to be more specific. And it and that's how it started. And this war can end. This war the war that we're seeing in Ura- in Ukraine, the aggression from Russia, can can er- can end today can end today. Russia can move their troops out of Ukraine, and it can end. So, that type again, that type of rhetoric is incredibly dangerous, but it's not new. It's certainly not new. Q Should we expect any announcement about the president's support for munitions being used inside Russia? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I wouldn't expect any big announcement today. Look, the president certainly is looking forward to meeting with the prime minister. It is he believes it's an important conversation that they're going to have and a varied conversation, a wide range of conversation about Indo-Pacific; Ukraine, obviously; the Middle East. And so, I would just leave it for there there. And our policy certainly hasn't changed. Go ahead, Jacqui. Q Thank you, Karine. What is the holdup on a decision allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles inside Russia? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I'm not going to go I I got this question yesterday. I'm not going to deliberate here. I'm not going to get into specifics from here. I as I said to Kelly O, I would not expect there to be any announcements on this coming out of this meeting. That's not something that I would expect. There's been no policy change. But I what I can continue to make sure that you all know and you see it for yourself is that the president is committed to make sure that Ukraine has what its needs to defend itself against Russia's aggression, to defend to defend and fight for their democracy. Q One MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I'm not going to get in- I'm not going to deliberate from here. Q One of the bigger criticisms of this administration has been that on everything that's ultimately given to Ukraine, the answer was first a no on ATACMS, on HIMARS, on Patriots, on fighter jets and that if this had just been given to them on day one, maybe there wouldn't be the funding fatigue that Congress now has to grapple with the next time they need help, and that the aid that you guys promote has been slow-walked in the form of a decision to use it. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Let me just let's step back for a second. This president what this president has been able to do in the past two years really, in his whole his entire administration is fix the reputation of this country that was that was tainted by the last president. We have to remember how we started, where we started, and what this president has been able to do. People thought NATO was going to be weaker. The president made NATO stronger. We have two more two more countries that are now members of NATO. That's because of this president's this president's leadership. We have 50-plus countries who are now backing Ukraine and continue to do so because of this president's leadership. Ukraine is fighting for their sovereignty; they're fighting for their freedom and against Mr. Putin, who decided that he wanted to invade. The president has been very clear how important it is how important it is is to stand with Ukraine in this time. We're talking about democracy. We're talking about freedom. And if anything, this president's actions and what he's been able to do has shown just that, because it's not just about, you know, Ukraine and NATO and Europe; it's also about our national security as well. It's all connected. And the president is always going to do what is important for the for the American people. And I think that is what you've seen, and that is what the president is going to focus on and continue to do. Q I just remember sitting here, you know, a couple of years ago, splitting hairs with Jen Psaki over whether drones are offensive or defensive weapons. I mean, this has been a struggle of this administration that has been a topic of criticism. And now, you know for instance, this week, in the debate, the vice president was promoting what this administration has done in terms of giving Ukraine what it needs, but the there's plenty of criticism outside of that to say that it's also effectively blocking a victory by slow-walking these decisions. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I think if you were to ask those 50 nations, if you were to ask NATO leaders, if you were to ask President Zelenskyy itself himself their thoughts on the president's leadership, I don't think they would have the words that you just said to me. I think they would say that the president has been a leader during this time and has had their backs. And I think that's what the president has shown. As it relates to what Ukraine needs to continue to defend themselves, we are in regular touch. My colleagues here at NSC, at State, at Department of Defense are in regular touch with the Ukrainians on their needs and what they what they need to continue to fight against this aggression. So, I'll leave it there. Go ahead. Q Can I just circle back to the U.S. Steel thing that Nandita raised? Putting aside the timing piece of it MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Q a lot of the question right now is essentially whether the president is reconsidering his position or not -right? separate from the timing of what his decision will be. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Q He said in the past that U.S. Steel should be U.S.-run and U.S.-owned. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, and I said it at the top Q Right. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: earlier Q Right. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: moments ago. Q And, quote, "guaranteed." So, I guess, my the core question is MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And he said he has their backs. He said that on on Labor Day. Q But does he still plan on killing this deal? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I we have to see the recommendation from CFIUS. That is the process. The president is waiting to see what CFIUS recommends. That hasn't happened. There is a process. They're going through their process. I know that it has been some time, but they're independent. They're going to go as slow as as fast as they choose. And so, we're going to let that process happen. We are the president is not going to say any more than what he has said until CFIUS transmits their recommendation, and it hasn't happened yet. And so, not going to get ahead of that. And what I will say and this is I know you didn't ask me about the timeline, but we put a statement last week saying that it happened it hasn't happened yet; so, therefore, it cannot be imminent. Q Well, we've reported that the existing CFIUS ta- timeline is September 23rd. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I I Q So, that's not too far away from now. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, and I I'm just not going to I'm not going to get into it from here about a timeline, their deadline. We're I'm just saying to you: We have not received their recommendation. And so Q Does MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Q Joe Biden's previous statements on this U.S. Steel remaining domestically owned and run guaranteed still stand? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Still stand. I literally mentioned it in a question that I received from one of your colleagues, and I said his position continues. It is vital. It is vital for U.S. Steel to remain American steel company that is domestically and and certainly owned and operated. That stands. He said that on Labor Day, which was not too long ago, when he was in Pennsylvania. He said to the steelworkers, he has that their back, and that stands. As far as as far as CFIUS, they have they haven't made their recommendation. It has not transmitted over yet, so the president I can't say anything until that happens. Q And very quickly with respect to the meeting this afternoon. We've reported that the Europe or European countries believe that Iran has begun providing ballistic missiles to Russia to be used in attacks on Ukraine. Can you speak to whether the U.S. also believes that those shipments have begun, or is it unclear? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I would refer you to NSC. I believe they did a a gaggle earlier today. So, I refer you to their those comments. Q All right. Thank you. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. Thank you. Go ahead. Q I just want to go back to the long-range missile. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure. Q Just one more. It's just that, I mean, considering the tone of the Russian president, the fact that you would take this as a direct participation of NATO members, and considering Article 5 of NATO charter, how what type of of conversation has the president had with MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Q his colleagues Canadian prime minister, for instance, one of them MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Q just to to have everybody ready for a potential attack on a NATO country? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I'm I'm not going to get ahead of any conversations. What I can say, our certainly, our policy has not changed. I don't want to speak to hypotheticals here. I just am not going to go into "What if this happens, then what?" I'm not going to get into hypotheticals. What I can say: This is incredibly dangerous type of rhetoric that we're hearing from from Russia. Not unusual. This is the this is the type of propaganda that we've heard from Russia throughout this war. But and when asked, we're going to be very clear about that. And then, when also asked, we're going to also be very clear that this war can end. Mr. Putin can end his aggression that we have seen in Ukraine. It is his war that he started. He can end it, pull the troops out pull his troops out. He could end it. Yeah. Q No new conversations with leaders NATO leaders MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don't have any Q on MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don't Q the gravity of the comments? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don't have any new conversations to to share. As I've said, this is not new for Russia. We have seen this throughout the war, making this type of dangerous comments, dangerous rhetoric. Not new. And there is a way to fix this. This is for Russia to end its war. Q A personal question, actually, Karine. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Q Because I was listening to you this morning well, at noon and you refer to yourself as a proud Haitian American. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. That's not that's not new. Q That's not new, no. But do you do you take this personally when a com- the community is a target of attack, as it is at the moment in Spr- Springfield? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I I take it personally when any community, any vulnerable community, is attacked not just not just a community that I belong to, and proudly belong to, but any community any vulnerable community that is attacked wrongfully so in a hateful way. I one of the things that I'm proud about in being part of this administration is that we condemn that type of stuff. We condemn that type of hateful language. That's what I'm that's what I'm going to continue to do, and I get to do that on behalf of President Biden, who also condemns that type of hateful rhetoric, as you have heard him today and many times before when a vulnerable community is attacked. That's not what national leaders should be. Political leaders should not be attacking vulnerable communities. That's not who we should be. And if they're going to fall for conspiracy theories online, maybe they shouldn't be our leaders. Maybe they shouldn't be. But it is on all of us. It doesn't matter if you're a Haitian American. It doesn't matter if you're Jewish American. It doesn't matter if you're M- it doesn't Muslim American. All of us should come together. When we hear that type of hateful rhetoric, we should come together and have each other's backs and call it out, because it's not okay. It is dangerous. It is dangerous. It puts people's lives at risk, and this president is going to continue to stand up and speak against it. Q Are there any invulnerable communities? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Patsy. Q Thank you, Karine. One last try on the MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It's it's not funny. I I know you want to make Q I'm just asking a question. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I e- Q You're talking about "vulnerable communities." MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wait wait a minute. Hold on. Q You're making a distinction. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hold on. Wait. Hold on. It's not funny. Q I didn't make a joke. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wait no, y- it is not Q I asked a question. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wait. I'm answering. Let me answer. If you stop Q Are there any invulnerable communities? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Not everybody wants to hear the sound of your voice, sir. Give me a second, and I will tell you my answer. It's not funny. Patsy. Q Thank you, Karine. Following up on one last try on the long-range MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, sure. Q weapons. Can you just give us a sense of what might be the president's biggest concern at this point? Is it the risk of escalation with a nuclear power? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I'm I'm not going to get into hypotheticals here. We're going to call it out. W- oh, you mean, like, with with Q With Russia. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: with Russia making the comments about NATO and U.S.? Q I mean, we've been trying to get you to give us more details on what's the holdup on providing long-range missiles MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, I see. Q missiles to Ukraine. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I see. I I don't have anything else to share. Our policy has not changed. We are going to be in regular touch with the Ukrainian people as they continue to fight this a fight against this aggression from Russia. No change in policy. I just don't have anything to add. The president has been a leader when it comes to giving Ukraine the support that they need. Fifty-plus countries, that is important to note. Making NATO stronger, that is important to note. And that is because of this president's leadership. I just don't have anything else to share behind that. Q And can we stay on Russia, Karine? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure. Q The the State Department just announced new sanctions on Russian state media RT laying out its disinformation campaign operations to destabilize various governments, including the government in Argentina; creating tensions between neighboring countries. Does the administration have a specific strategy to try to stop RT's efforts in the Western Hemisphere or other places in the world? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I'm going to let, certainly, the State Department and the Department of Justice speak to their announcement. You heard from the State Department today. You heard from the Department of Justice last week. We are taking this very seriously. They are taking it very seriously. I'm not going to get into what's next. Certainly, they will make announcements on their own if they feel that there's more to share. Q Can I just indulge with a response that RT has given out on social media saying RT "lives rent free in the State Department's head." "We're running out of popcorn, but we'll be here live, laughing hard." I mean, kind of mocking the administration's steps on sanctioning them at this point. Do you have a response? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So so, let's not forget, last week, the Department of Justice and I just mentioned the Tr- the Treasur- the Treasury and State they took some actions to disrupt Russia's covert information operations to undermine our democratic institution in the homeland. We do not laugh at that. That is very serious, and we take that very seriously. And State's announcement today make it clear that the U.S. and want to be clear is not only targeting RT's covert operations. We learned that, in fact in fact, RT covert influence efforts extended to places like Europe and Africa. That's what we learned. Anything more than that, I would have to refer you to the State Department and the Treasury to speak to that, as they made that announcement t- today. Just don't have anything else, but we take this very seriously. AIDE: Karine MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. Q Karine? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hi. Trinity? Q Yes. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I was I told I was told you were going to be in the briefing room today. Howard University? Q Yes. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hi. Nice to see you. Q Nice to see you. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Want to say a little bit about yourself? Q Yeah. Hi, everyone. I'm Trinity Webster-Bass. I'm a senior honors broadcast journalism major, Afro-American studies minor attending Howard University. And I had the pleasure of meeting Karine at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, from which I won a scholarship. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Congratulations again. Q Thank you. Thank you. I just wanted to go back to the event held today on the South Lawn. Why was it important for the Biden administration to hold this event today? And are future events coming of the same nature? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, I I want to start off by quoting what the president said and I think it's important today when he was addressing the crowd on the South Lawn: "We recognize that this nation would not exist without the blood, sweat, and tears, without the determination, dreams, and contributions of Black Americans." And he felt that it was fitting to do this on the same week of the Congressional Black Caucus week. It was a really special event. I think you felt that out there if you participated. And so, he wanted to host this brunch for a couple of reasons: to show his personal gratitude to the community and celebrate their progress the progress we've made under the Biden-Harris administration you heard him talk about that in his remarks and and wanted to make sure that we didn't forget, that we continue to speak to why Afri- Black Americans and African American history is really part of American history. And that is something that we cannot forget. Go ahead. Q Karine MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I'm going to take one last one. Go ahead, Karen. Q Thanks, Karine. Big political news earlier this week when Taylor Swift endorsed the vice president. (Laughter.) I'm not going to ask you about the endorsement MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) Q because you're not going to answer that. But the voting registration site that she drove people to from her post, in that first 24 hours, there were more than 400,000 visitors from that link. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Q Is the president aware of that traffic and and the interest in the registration? And does he think that that kind of influence can make a difference in driving turnout, getting people to get more engaged in elections? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I think it's important for people to exercise their sacred right to vote. And that is something that the pers- the president finds it incredibly important to continue to do and to protect that right to vote. I do want to say as it relates to Taylor Swift, what I can say is there are a lot of Swifties here in the White House. And so, I can say that. I hear that a lot. (Laughs.) But, look, one of the things that he did is, very early on in his administration, he signed an executive order to do everything that we can from the feder- federal level to make it easier for Americans to vote. And so, that is what you saw. The link that you mentioned, obviously, is a way to make it easier for Americans to register, certainly, to vote. It is a sacred right. Many people have fought for that right to vote, and it is certainly our part of our democracy. And so, it's incredibly important. I have not spoken to the president beyond beyond an en- the endorsement that occurred. I have not asked him about specific about the the link and and the amount of people have who have gone on it to to register. I think that's great. It's important outside of this election, I think it's important for people to be able to register and vote. That's why this administration has done everything that we can to give people that opportunity and protect that right. All right. Thanks, everybody. (Cross-talk.) Thanks, everyone. 3:37 P.M. EDT NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address On-the-Record Press Gaggle by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby September 13, 2024 11:39 A.M. EDT MODERATOR: Thanks, everyone, for joining the gaggle and for your patience and flexibility with us as we work through today's glitch. Kirby has a few words here at the top, and then we'll take as many questions as we can. MR. KIRBY: Hey, everybody. As you know, later today, the President is going to be hosting Prime Minister Starmer here at the White House for a discussion about a range of foreign policy issues, which will no doubt include Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression, events in the Middle East, a series of challenges across the Indo-Pacific, our deepening economic ties with the United Kingdom, and other areas of shared interest between our two countries. The second bilateral conversation between President Biden and the Prime Minister. I think you all remember they had a chance to speak during the NATO Summit back in July. And the President, of course, looks forward to continuing to strengthen our close ties to this very important ally and partner. We will, of course, provide a readout at the end of the meeting, which you'll get as soon as we can get cleared for you. And with that, we can take some questions. MODERATOR: Thank you. Our first question will go to Lara with the Wall Street Journal. Q Hi. Thanks for doing this. Can you hear me? MODERATOR: Yes, we can. Yep. Q Excellent. So, there's been a lot of reporting that the coalition, the Western coalition, is going to lift a ban on Ukraine using long-range weapons in Ukraine [sic]. I'm wondering if you can give us a little bit of context of why this is now being seriously considered. MR. KIRBY: I would not expect there to be any announcements on this coming out of the meeting today. There's been no change to our policy, Lara, with respect to the long-range strike capability inside Russia, and I'd leave it at that. (Technical difficulties.) Q Hello? Hello? MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Josh with the AP. (Technical difficulties.) Hey, everyone. Sorry about that, but we're back. Josh, we no longer see you. Apologies. But if you hop back on, we'll try to get back to you. So our next question will go to Danny with AFP. Q Hi there. Sorry, there were some audio difficulties there. I didn't really hear the answer to the first question, but my question was basically the same. You know, what do you really expect to come out of this? Are you looking at will the President be looking at approving just the use of British and French missiles with U.S. technology or navigational aid? Or is there a decision possible for the use of U.S. missiles in the future? Thanks. MR. KIRBY: What I said was look, I can't speak for the British or the French one way or another. What I said was I wouldn't be looking for an announcement today about long-range strike capabilities inside Russia, certainly anything certainly by the United States. (Background noise.) I can't somebody okay. So, there's no change to our policy with respect to that. And again, I wouldn't expect to see a change to that policy today. MODERATOR: Danny, we muted you just so you know, but can you confirm to us if you were able to hear the topper? Okay, we can't hear you, so going to Josh, who we missed in the beginning. Josh, you should be able to unmute yourself. And also, can you confirm that you were able to hear the topper? Q I could hear the topper, but at some point during the first question, we couldn't hear. Thanks again so much for doing this. On the pictures of the North Korean uranium facility, how long has the federal government known about that facility? And how worried are you about it? MR. KIRBY: I'm not really able to get into an intelligence analysis one way or the other here. I would simply say that we continue to monitor North Korean progression in their both in their nuclear ambitions as well as their ballistic missile technology and program. And that is exactly why or one of the reasons why President Biden has worked so hard to revitalize our network of alliances and partnerships in the region. It is also why he has devoted more, in particular, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance assets, prioritizing those for the area around on and around the Korean Peninsula. And it is why we continue, in a diplomatic sense, to make clear to Pyongyang that we are willing to sit down without preconditions and talk about the denuclearization of the Peninsula. MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Michael with the New York Times. Q Hey, guys. Thank you for doing this, as always. John, I wonder if I could push you a little bit on the issue of the long-range strike capabilities with, kind of, two questions. One, while you don't while I'm not asking you to speak for the French or the British, they have clearly indicated their increased willingness to allow that to happen. And I wonder if, from the U.S.'s perspective, the U.S. needs to give, either because of legal or political reasons, their blessing for that, or is that something that they can proceed with on their own, without the U.S.? And then secondly, back earlier this week, when the President was asked a couple of questions as he got on Marine One, he was asked, you know, will you lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons by Ukraine, and his answer was, "We're working that out right now," which definitely suggests at least a shift in the discussions. And I wonder if you could talk about what the you know, kind of what the, you know, place where those discussions are now, and if, in your view, they are closer to some sort of resolution than they have been. MR. KIRBY: We are in constant contact with our allies and partners, and particularly the Brits and the French, as you indicate, about all manner of ways in which we can continue to support Ukraine. Of course, these are sovereign countries, and they have to decide what that support looks like in ways that they find amenable to them and to their population, and we respect that. But there are constant conversations between us about what they're doing, what we're doing, what together we're willing to do to support Ukraine. And I have no doubt that today's discussion will include exactly that about, you know, supporting Ukraine. And I all I can do to answer your second question is to go back to how I answered it before: There is no change to our view on the provision of long-range strike capabilities for Ukraine to use inside Russia, and I wouldn't expect any sort of major announcement in that regard coming out of the discussions, certainly not from our side. I also leave it to the Prime Minister to decide what he wants to talk about. But there's just no change to our policy right now with respect to that capability, for all the reasons that we said we weren't in support of it before. Q And just one last thing, John. On the first question, some people have suggested to me that there are perhaps, in the British and French missiles, that there are American components or that the missiles use American capabilities. So, from a legal perspective, do they need the U.S.'s permission to allow those to be used, given the current where the U.S. currently stands? Or can they make that decision without the U.S.'s permission? MR. KIRBY: I would just say that we continue to talk with both those countries and other allied countries about the kinds of capabilities that are being provided to Ukraine. And I'm going to leave it at that. Q Okay, thank you. MR. KIRBY: Yep. MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Felicia with the Financial Times. Q Thanks, John. Two questions. One, should we expect you to at any point say publicly whether you would change or that you've changed the policy? Because I know there are other moments where you've changed the policy first and then acknowledged it later. You said no major announcements today, but would you announce it at some point if you do make a change? That's one. And then, separate secondly, do you consider it to be a separate discussion, granting permission to the Brits and the French to use SCALP and Storm Shadow, as opposed to the U.S. granting permission on ATACMS? Or is it all one decision? MR. KIRBY: I'm not going to get into a hypothetical one way or another about what we will or won't say at any given moment. We haven't I just don't think it's helpful to get into hypotheticals about that. On your second question, I go back to what I said to Michael. We have and will continue to have meaningful conversations with our allies in the context of the Ramstein group and, in cases like today, bilaterally about what we're all doing to support Ukraine, about what can be done, what should be done, the pros and the cons. And that will be a part of today's discussion. Because we have never not since the beginning of this war have we ever looked at the support to Ukraine as some sort of unilateral effort or in the sense that what we're doing, what the United States is doing and, yes, we're leading the world in supporting Ukraine is somehow divorced from the efforts that other countries are doing. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's quite the opposite. I mean, in many cases, there's capabilities that exist in other countries that either we don't have our ability to get our hands on or they simply can some of the things are just more valuable to the Ukrainians at any given moment. And our allies and our partners sometimes have complementary capabilities, such as anti-tank missile systems. The Brits have an excellent anti-tank missile that has proven very, very effective on the battlefield. So, it's all part of an integrated discussion that we have had since the beginning of this war, and that will continue. It will continue today in the context of a bilateral discussion with the British. MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Robbie with Politico. Q Hey, can you hear me? MODERATOR: We can, yep. Q Thanks. So, Putin publicly said that Western weapons striking deeper into Russia would, quote, "change the very essence of the conflict." So my question is and I realize there's no announcement today, so no need to repeat that but is this prospect of long-range strike weapons, in your view, the red line that Russia has said that you actually believe constitutes a red line in Russia's eyes? Do you take Putin at his words that strikes into Russian territory by U.S.- or British- or French-made missiles would actually expand the war? MR. KIRBY: It's hard to take anything coming out of Putin's face at his word. But this is not rhetoric that we haven't heard from him before, so there's really not a lot new there. Q So, in other words, you know, in the deliberations about this long-range strike, threats from Putin are not a big factor for you guys in your deliberations on this? MR. KIRBY: Well, you didn't let me finish the answer, so let me try Q Okay. MR. KIRBY: I never said, nor have I would we ever say that we don't take Mr. Putin's threats seriously. When he starts brandishing the nuclear sword, for instance, yeah, we take that seriously, and we constantly monitor that kind of activity. He obviously has proven capable of aggression. He has obviously proven capable of escalation over the last, now, going on three years. So, yeah, we take these comments seriously, but it is not something that we haven't heard before. So, we take note of it. Got it. We have our own calculus for what we decide to provide to Ukraine and what not. And I think I'd leave it there. I would only offer one more thought, and that is: If Mr. Putin is so concerned about the safety and security of Russian sites and cities, the easiest way to alleviate those concerns is to get his troops the hell out of Ukraine and the war. MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Nadia. Q Thank you, Sam. Hi, John. There's reports that U.S. officials are worried about the rhetoric coming from Israeli officials that they might go to war in Lebanon. Can you tell us more about Mr. Hochstein's visit to Israel? And is this in the same light that it could be an escalation between the two countries? And I have another question. I don't know if you have an answer for it, but there's some reports indicating that South Africa has actually informed the Biden administration that it will sue them over what they call the support for genocide. Is this any confirmation that you received this message? And are you legally protected from anything that's similar to this in the future, from South Africa or any other country? MR. KIRBY: I'll take your question on South Africa, and we'll get back to you. On your first question, Amos's travels are very much a continuation of the diplomacy that he's been conducting now for many months to try to prevent a second front from opening up in the north there, all part and parcel of this administration and this team's efforts to prevent an escalation and a widening of this conflict. Q That's it? Any more details? MR. KIRBY: Nope. Q Okay. MODERATOR: Sorry, Nadia, cut you off there. You should be able to unmute yourself again. Q That's okay. I accepted his answer, but since there's no more details, that's fine. Thank you. MODERATOR: Great. Thank you. Our next question will go to Neria with Channel 13 Israel. Q Hi, Sam. Hi, Kirby. Thank you so much for doing this again. I was wondering if you have any news about the hostages deal. I do understand that Hamas sent the response, and that might change and shift a little bit the way the U.S. administration sees the entire situation, and they might have new conversations next week to talk about the deal. Can you elaborate on that? MR. KIRBY: I would argue that we're still in discussions with Qatar, Egypt, and, of course, the Israelis about trying to find a way through here to get some final text that everybody can agree to. I don't have additional or more formal discussions, such as next week, to speak to. But I can assure you that we've been actively having discussions, obviously remotely, this week, throughout the whole week, to see if we can't find a way forward. MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Fraser with France 24. Q Thanks, Sam. And thank you, Admiral. British sources tell me that they asked this meeting with the President because they think there's progress to be made on a host of issues whilst Biden is still in office. Why did the President think it was important to have these discussions with the UK this late into his tenure? MR. KIRBY: There's always time and space to have meaningful discussions, particularly about key foreign policy issues, with your allies and partners. This has nothing to do with the amount of time the President is in office and everything to do with a range of issues that are so important to the two of us. I mentioned a bunch of them at the top. I won't repeat the list for you, but there's an awful lot on the agenda to speak to. This is a new British government. They are a key ally and a partner, and so it just seems to follow logic that the two leaders would want to have another opportunity to have a discussion. So, we welcome this chance to have a longer and more substantive discussion with the Prime Minister and his team today, specifically on foreign policy issues. And it's a perfect follow-up to the briefer meeting that they had back in July. Q Is the President also does the President also have (inaudible) legacy as well, however, with this meeting? MR. KIRBY: President Biden is not worrying right now about his legacy. He's worrying about protecting the national security interests of the United States. Q Thank you, Admiral. MR. KIRBY: Yeah. MODERATOR: Thank you. And we have time for one more question. We'll go to Celia with Voice of America. Q Thank you so much for doing this. I want to go to Venezuela. We know that the sanctions were announced. What is the next step after the sanctions were announced? The government of Maduro, of course, condemned them. Is there possibility or is in the works to go back to the Qatar talks? And how you see the relationship between Iran, Russia, and Venezuela, as well as China, in the middle of this crisis? Do you believe that Maduro will get closer to them as sanctions get stronger against his government? Thank you. MR. KIRBY: Mr. Maduro has got choices and decisions that only he can make. We've made it very clear to Mr. Maduro that the first decision he needs to make is to release all the election data and the results so that the whole world can see how that election unfolded and how and to what degree the Venezuelan people's will was actually met here and seriously considered and reflected in those votes. We issued sanctions. We're not going to take anything else off the table going forward. Again, there's the first decision before Mr. Maduro and, quite frankly, the most important decision right now for him is whether or not he's going to do the right thing by the Venezuelan people. He has to make that choice, and if he doesn't, we'll have to make some additional choices of our own. As for who he's cozying up to and trying to partner with, I mean, he can speak to that. We're focused on making sure that the Venezuelan people's aspirations are met. We're making sure that democratic institutions and democracies is upholded to the best that it possibly can be. And obviously, when it comes to this or any other hemisphere, we're focused on making sure we can meet our security commitments and preserve our national security interests, and that certainly includes in the Western Hemisphere. MODERATOR: Thank you. Again, that is all the time we have today. Thank you all for your patience and getting on the Zoom and then our little glitch here at the beginning. We'll be sure to send an Otter around so folks have the earlier audio. If we weren't able to get to get to you, as always, reach out to our press distro. If not, have a great weekend. Thanks. 12:01 P.M. EDT NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The 10th International United Cultures Forum, titled "Culture of the 21st Century: Sovereignty or Globalism?" has been held in St. Petersburg, Russia, Azernews reports. Director of the Azerbaijan National Art Museum, Doctor of Philosophy in Art Studies Shirin Malikova, was part of the Azerbaijani delegation at the forum. The large-scale event gathered representatives from the fields of culture and science to explore the concept of cultural sovereignty within the context of globalisation, as well as to discuss the significance of art in preserving national traditions and history. Shirin Malikova participated in a session titled "Museums in Historical Buildings." She emphasised the major role that museums situated in historical structures play in safeguarding cultural heritage. These unique venues not only house exhibits but also create a distinctive experience for visitors as noteworthy architectural monuments. During the forum, a memorandum of understanding and cooperation was signed between the Azerbaijan National Art Museum and the Russian State Hermitage. This memorandum, viewed as a significant advancement in cultural relations and scholarly research, was signed by Shirin Malikova and Deputy General Director for Scientific Affairs at the Hermitage Georgiy Vilinbakhov. The agreement envisages plans for collaborative efforts in museum practices and the preservation of cultural heritage, support from the Hermitage in attributing Azerbaijan National Art Museum's Western European art exhibits, consultations on restoration matters, expert knowledge exchange, and the organization of "Hermitage Days" in Azerbaijan, among other initiatives. Additionally, during this international gathering, memoranda of understanding and cooperation were also established with the Russian State Museum of Art of Oriental Peoples and the Museum of the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. The MoU enhances cooperation among museums and facilitates the sharing of expertise in restoration, archaeological research, and museum operations. These partnerships are expected to create new opportunities for researching and displaying artworks, as well as providing broader public access to the unique collections housed within the museums. Founded in 1967, the National Carpet Museum holds more than 14,000 exhibits of the finest Azerbaijani carpets. Initiated by eminent carpet artist Latif Karimov, the museum is beautiful inside and out. The museum's new building is designed in the form of a rolled carpet. Now, the museum hosts multiple events, including international symposiums, conferences, and various exhibitions. In 2019, the museum received national status for its significant contribution to promoting Azerbaijani carpet weaving art. In 2020, the Carpet Museum enriched its collection with a beautiful pile of carpets purchased by the Culture Ministry at the Sartirana Textile Show in Italy. The 19th-century Guba carpet "Ugakh" was donated to the Carpet Museum, while the Garabagh carpet "Chelebi" enriched the collection of the museum's Shusha branch. For four years, the Carpet Museum won the Travellers' Choice Awards. The award proves once again that the professional activity of the National Carpet Museum is highly appreciated by visitors from all over the world. Opening remarks by the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic 14.9.2024 Author: nato.int NATO's highest Military Authority, the Military Committee, meets from 13 to 14 September 2024, in Prague, Czech Republic. During the in-person meeting, the Chiefs of Defence discuss military strategic developments within the Alliance. Find attached the opening remarks by the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer. (As delivered) Your Excellency, Chiefs of Defence, Strategic Commanders, Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Mesdames et Messieurs, Nous sommes honores de reunir notre conference annuelle ici a Prague, a l'invitation des autorites tcheques. We are honoured to convene our annual conference here in Prague, at the invitation of the Czech authorities. We are gathering here under stormy circumstances. Not only in terms of the weather, with heavy floods in the Czech Republic. But also stormy in terms of the global security environment. Which makes the protection of the Alliance all the more important. 25 years ago, the Czech Republic made the decision to be part of the largest democratic family in the world: the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. In a quarter of a decade, you have proven to be a remarkable Ally. The Czech Republic has brought forth exemplary political and military leaders. Mr. President, you are of a very rare breed, being exemplary as BOTH a political AND a military leader. As former Chair of this Committee, I imagine this is a "full circle moment" for you. It certainly proves that you can check out of the NATO headquarters any time you like, but you can never leave. This Military Committee Conference is the first gathering of Allied Chiefs of Defence since the Washington Summit. I would like to warmly welcome for the first time around our table in their new capacity as Chief of Defence: - General Vansina from Belgium, - General Carignan from Canada, - General Merilo from Estonia, - General Vaiksnoras from Lithuania, - and Major General Lafchiski from North Macedonia. We are also grateful to have with us the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Chris Cavoli, and the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Philip Lavigne. Both strategic commands are faced with a monumental task. We commend the relentless dedication that you and your staffs show, day in day out. Speaking of dedication: on behalf of the whole Military Committee I would like to thank our hosts for the gracious and generous hospitality they are showing us. Through you, Mr President, and through your Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Karel Rehka, we would like to thank all people involved for making this gathering a success. President Pavel, In a speech you gave as Chairman of this Committee, 9 years ago, you stated that leaders in NATO must avoid becoming lost in tactical events. It is up to us to always place tactical events in a wider strategic picture. Only then can NATO properly anticipate and respond. These words still ring true today. In this time of rising conflicts, mounting political pressure, and increasingly complex and volatile security developments, it is crucial that we distinguish the tactical from the strategic. The incidental from the recurring. And the short-term actions from the long-term consequences. We are all deeply inspired by the way our Ukrainian brother in arms, Chief of Defence General Syrski, is doing this. In the chaos of war, he and his staff retain their strategic vision, creativity, and military ingenuity. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are proving the world that there is nothing they cannot do. All they need... is our support. And they will have it. Not only now. Not only for the duration of the war. But also in the decades to follow. Every day, we grow more and more interoperable. Until one day, we will stand side by side under the NATO banner. Ukraine deserves our unrelenting support. Not only because of who they are as a people. But also because of who we are, as NATO. Mr President, I would like now to first give you the floor for your opening remarks. [Speech by President Pavel] Thank you Mr President. I now give the floor to General Rehka. Karel, you have the floor. [Speech by General Rehka] President Pavel, General Rehka, thank you for your inspiring words. Ladies and Gentlemen, The NATO Military Authorities have two herculean tasks that they need to undertake simultaneously. While continuing and ramping up our support to Ukraine, we must also bolster our own deterrence and defence. When we held this committee conference in Oslo last year, NATO's new defence plans, the so called DDA Family of Plans, had just been approved. Over the past year we have made huge strides in making these plans fully executable. NATO now has 500,000 troops on high readiness. We established the Allied Reaction Force. We are adapting our Command and Control structure. And Allies are rapidly developing and expanding their capabilities. But our work is far from done. And we cannot do it alone. The responsibility for freedom does not lie on the shoulders of those in uniform alone. In order to succeed, we need a much larger defence industry production capacity. Because while it might be the military that wins battles, it's the economy that wins wars. The more we coordinate our defence production, the more we ramp up our deterrence. The more we ramp up our deterrence, the better chance we have of protecting the freedoms that we hold dear and preventing war from ever entering our soil. This is not a new idea. In fact, economic collaboration was a key factor of the Washington Treaty that was signed 75 years ago. While Article 5 often captures the spotlight, Article 2 is equally significant. In our liberal economies, the bulk of the power lies with "the market". Which means that any real change in production capacity will have to come from persuasion, not force. Persuasion of the argument that our economic prosperity is built on the foundation of security that NATO provides. This security is easily taken for granted. But security is just like oxygen. You forget that it's there... until it isn't. Ukraine lost 40 percent of its GDP on the first day of the war. Every night they go to bed, Ukrainian CEO's have to wonder whether their factory will still be there in the morning. CEOs in Allied territory don't worry about that. They worry about value, not values. But if the short-term commercial interest always wins out over the long-term collective interest, then we end up knocking away the foundation upon which our "way of life" is built. We need to move away from an era that was focused solely on efficiency. And realise that we are now living in an era that calls for effectiveness. That also applies to our national governments, who need to remove bureaucratic barriers for procurement. Governments and the private sector need to loosen the mutually destructive chokehold, where each side is waiting for the other to move first in order to ramp up production capacity. This requires trust, long term vision and creativity. And I am confident that we can achieve this. During the COVID pandemic, we saw what governments and the private sector can achieve together in finding and massively producing a vaccine. The same sense of urgency is required for the defence industry. NATO Allies represent 50 percent of the world's economic power and 50 percent of the world's military power. We have it within ourselves to strengthen the strongest Alliance in the world and at the same time bolster Ukraine's defences. We can and we must achieve this. Because autocratic leaders around the world are watching closely to see how the war in Ukraine unfolds. They are aiding where they can. Seeking to create division and to destroy democracy abroad... in order to retain autocracy at home. A number of formerly deeply isolated countries are using this opportunity to be part of what is sometimes referred to in the media as "an alliance of autocracies". But I think "alliance" is too big of a word for what is essentially a deeply flawed exchange of self-interest. There is no true friendship or trust. There is only a temporary alignment. Nevertheless, it is important that we see how the dots are connecting. And that we realise that there is no stronger weapon in the world... than our unity. Together we will prove that democracy will triumph over tyranny. That freedom will triumph over oppression. And that light will triumph over darkness. Ladies and Gentlemen, Our sacred task is to support and enable the work of our band of 3.5 million brothers and sisters in uniform who defend our great Alliance. Let us recognise their service and sacrifice... for they are defending the democratic values and the rule of law that form the fabric of our societies. On behalf of the Military Committee, I want to express our gratitude and respect for their courage, their professionalism, and their dedication. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the men and women who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Today we especially pay tribute to the two Bulgarian pilots who lost their lives in a military jet crash yesterday. We also show our respect for all those who are dealing with the physical and mental effects of their time in service. And who are looking for ways to continue serving, beyond their service. We honour them. As they have honoured our great Alliance. Please stand. [Moment of silence for the Act of Remembrance] Thank you. This concludes the public portion of our deliberations. At the end of today's discussions, General Rehka and I will brief the media on the outcome of our discussions. I kindly ask the camera people to leave the room. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Opening remarks by the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic 14.9.2024 Author: nato.int NATO's highest Military Authority, the Military Committee, meets from 13 to 14 September 2024, in Prague, Czech Republic. During the in-person meeting, the Chiefs of Defence discuss military strategic developments within the Alliance. Find attached the opening remarks by the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel (As delivered) Chair, Admirals, Generals, Ladies and Gentlemen, It gives me really a great pleasure to welcome you once again in Prague, unfortunately extremely wet this time. It is an honour for Czech Republic to host for the first time a Military Committee Conference as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of joining NATO, and actually in the same year when the Alliance celebrates 75 years of its existence. It proved to be truly the most successful and long-lasting military alliance in the world, which does not mean that it is perfect. Being a human creation, it is imperfect as we are, and we have to constantly work on improving it. However, it proved to be very successful in taking on board countries like the Czech Republic and many others, allowing them to become members of the zone of stability, security, and prosperity. This is the experience that I made in my in total eight years in the NATO structures. Despite all the differences, despite all efforts that we attach to protection and promotion of our national interests, which is, by the way, natural, that in the end we always strive to come to an agreement, to come to a common position on solution of challenges that we face. It is this culture that clearly distinguishes us from our opponents. And as we see the world today, it is no longer the world of bipolar competition between the West and East, but it is increasingly the world where we see the democracy competing with different kinds of autocracies. As we all stand for the values of democracy, personal liberty, rule of law, human rights, these are exactly the values that are challenged by our opponents, not just traditional ones, such as Russia, but also China, North Korea, and Iran. And many others are watching how this competition will develop. So it is up to us to show that our model is viable and it is worth of following rather than to follow the model of autocracies. I would like to encourage you to be as bold and open in articulating your assessments and recommendations, because the rounder and the softer they are, the less they will be understood by the political level. The situation in which we find ourselves really does not allow us to be politically correct. We have to be really very well understood so that we take the right steps and the right decisions to protect our countries and our way of life. And I would like to wish you a successful conference and a lot of personal courage to be that bold and that open. Thank you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Opening remarks by Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Karel Rehka Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic 14.9.2024 Author: nato.int NATO's highest Military Authority, the Military Committee, meets from 13 to 14 September 2024, in Prague, Czech Republic. During the in-person meeting, the Chiefs of Defence discuss military strategic developments within the Alliance. Find attached the opening remarks by Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Karel Rehka (As delivered) Mr. President, Admiral Bauer, Distinguished Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is my great honour, as Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, to welcome all of you for the first meeting of the NATO Military Committee in the Czech Republic. It is a notable moment for us that Chiefs of Defence of allied countries have come to Prague to discuss the challenges requiring our immediate attention, and of course, also the future of NATOs collective defence. The recent NATO Summit laid out a clear path for our Alliance as we confront a rapidly evolving security landscape. The threats we face are becoming more complex, and our responsibility as military leaders is to ensure that the strategic decisions are translated into action. One of the principal challenges we have been facing is the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine. For Ukraine it is a war for survival. But it is also a fight for the principles of democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity that NATO exists to defend. It is imperative that we, at the top of our militaries, provide all necessary assistance to Ukraine, be it in the form of training or supplying weapons and other military equipment. By supporting Ukraine, we are also strengthening our unity and containing the Russian threat. However, it is not only the conventional battlefield where Russia is active. We remember very well when their agents killed two Czech citizens at an ammunition storage site in 2014. Russia is now increasing the use of hybrid tactics - cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and even kinetic acts of violence. All these actions are designed to sow fear and undermine the unity of our societies. We must, therefore, take a broad approach, one that integrates our conventional military capabilities with robust cyber defences and strong civil-military cooperation. We must ensure that our military forces, institutions and societies are ready to confront this blend of physical, digital and cognitive warfare. The Czech Republic has drawn important lessons from the Russian aggression against Ukraine. We have revised our national strategies and defence plans to better address the threats. We have elaborated our national Vision of Future Warfare beyond 2040, accelerated the modernization of our armed forces, recognizing the need for state-of-the-art capabilities. These actions reflect our deep commitment to national and collective defence, and our understanding of the lessons Ukraine has taught us all: we must be resilient, prepared, resolute, and forward-thinking. Last, but not least, we have made the crucial decision to spend at least 2% of our GDP on defence. However, as new challenges and requirements come to the spotlight, it is evident, that 2% of GDP on defence spending will not be enough. This week we have reminded ourselves of the horrible events of 9/11 23 years ago. Unfortunately, international terrorism continues to pose a significant threat to NATO and the broader security environment. It is increasingly linked to wider issues such as migration, particularly to our Southern Neighbourhood and the Middle East, where instability and conflict drive mass movements of people, sometimes exploited by terrorist organizations to infiltrate or destabilize nations. This requires our collective, far-reaching and actionable approach. As military professionals, we must stay ahead of the evolving challenges by continually improving our coordination, enhancing our technological capabilities, and fostering greater interoperability between our forces. Let me restate what I have said in the past. All our defensive preparations are in principle made to avoid a military conflict. Lasting peace cannot be achieved through concessions. That doesn't work. On the contrary, it encourages the possibility of escalation. That is why robust deterrence is so important. Our collective deterrence posture demonstrates our readiness and resolve to execute our plans, ensuring that any adversary knows that NATO is ready to defend every inch of its territory decisively and without hesitation. And the Czech Armed Forces are a firm part of this endeavor. In closing, I once again welcome you to the Czech Republic and I look forward to our discussions today. Thank you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The NATO Chiefs of Defence met in Prague to implement Washington summit decisions NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 13 Sep. 2024 Last updated: 14 Sep. 2024 20:15 At the invitation of Lieutenant General Karel Rehka, Chief of the Czech Armed Forces, the Allied Chiefs of Defence gathered in Prague from 13 to 15 September 2024 for their annual Military Committee Conference. On the agenda was the implementation of the decisions taken at the Washington Summit in July 2024. The Chiefs of Defence discussed how NATO will bolster its deterrence and defence while at the same time ramping up its support for Ukraine. During the first session, Allied military leaders discussed the establishment of the new NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine command. This will allow NATO to oversee training of Ukrainian armed forces at training facilities in Allied countries, support Ukraine through the planning and coordination of donations; manage transfer and repair of equipment and provide support to the long-term development of Ukraine's Armed Forces. Admiral Bauer, Chair of the Military Committee stated: "Every day, we grow more and more interoperable. Until one day, we will stand side by side under the NATO banner. Ukraine deserves our unrelenting support. Not only because of who they are as a people. But also because of who we are, as NATO." In the second session, Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Christopher G. Cavoli, updated the Chiefs of Defence on the progress made in implementing NATO's new defence plans, which are designed to strengthen NATO's Warfighting capabilities and enhance its ability to deter and, if needed, defend against any potential threats. Over the past year, NATO put 500,000 troops on high readiness, established the Allied Reaction Force, adapted the command and control structure and ramped up the development and expansion of Allies' military capabilities. In the coming year, more steps will be taken to increase the overall readiness of the Alliance. The third session focused on warfighting transformation and was led by General Philippe Lavigne, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT). Among other topics, the Chiefs of Defence discussed the launch of the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training, and Education Centre (JATEC). This will focus on developing the Ukrainian Armed Forces' ability to defend, deter, and operate seamlessly with NATO forces, increasing Ukraine's interoperability with NATO. "It is a step we are taking today for a better and lasting peaceful future together", General Lavigne stated. Allied Chiefs of Defence also discussed the new capability targets under the NATO Defence Planning Process. Now that NATO and national defence plans are integrated on an unparalleled level, it is crucial that each Ally develops or expands the capabilities they have pledged to the Alliance. The Military Committee meets in Chiefs of Defence Session twice a year at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, and once a year a Conference is held by an Allied member state. The Military Committee convenes to discuss NATO operations, missions and activities and to provide the North Atlantic Council with unfettered, consensus-based military advice on how the Alliance can best address global security challenges. On a day-to-day basis, its work is carried out by the permanent Military Representatives at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Philippine coast guard ship leaves disputed shoal in South China Sea The BRP Teresa Magbanua has left Sabina Shoal after a five-month standoff with Chinese ships. By RFA Staff 2024.09.14 -- The Philippines has withdrawn a coast guard vessel at the center of a standoff with China at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, saying it had played a crucial role in "countering illegal activities" but had to return to port because of bad weather, low supplies and the need to get medical care for some of those on board. The Sabina Shoal, about 140 km (85 miles) west of Palawan island, is claimed by both countries but is entirely within the Philippine exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, where the Philippines holds rights to explore for natural resources. The five-month standoff with China at the shoal resulted in several collisions between Philippine and Chinese vessels, especially during Philippine resupply missions to its ship, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, raising fears of a more serious conflict between the Philippines, a close U.S. ally, and an increasingly assertive China. "Their steadfast presence has played a crucial role in countering illegal activities that threaten our marine environment and thwarting attempts by other state actors to engage in surreptitious reclamation in the area," the Philippine coast guard said in a statement, referring to the officers and men on board the ship. Ship tracking specialists earlier told Radio Free Asia the 2,200-ton coast guard flagship left the hotly disputed shoal, known in the Philippines as Escoda, at around 1 p.m. on Friday. Data provided by the website MarineTraffic, which uses automatic identification system (AIS) signals to track ships, show that the BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) was back in the Sulu Sea near the Philippines' Balabac island, about 200 km (125 miles) to the south of the shoal. There was no immediate comment from China on the ship's withdrawal from the shoal. The BRP Teresa Magbanua is one of the largest and most modern vessels of the Philippine coast guard. It was deployed to Sabina Shoal in April to monitor what the Philippines fears is a Chinese plan to reclaim land there, as China has done elsewhere in the South China Sea. Philippine officials insisted that the vessel could remain there for as long as necessary but China denounced what it saw as the "illegal grounding" of the BRP Teresa Magbanua and deployed a large number of ships there to keep watch. The Philippines denied that the vessel had been grounded. Beijing feared that by maintaining the vessel's semi-permanent presence at the shoal, Manila aimed to establish de-facto control over it, similar to what it has done at the Second Thomas Shoal, where an old Philippine warship, BRP Sierra Madre, was deliberately run aground to serve as an outpost. For its part, the Philippines is worried that without the presence of its authorities, Chinese ships will swarm the area and effectively take control of it, as happened at Scarborough Shoal - another disputed South China Sea feature - where China has had control since 2012. Sabina Shoal is close to an area believed to be rich in oil and gas, and also served as the main staging ground for resupply missions to the Sierra Madre at the Second Thomas Shoal. Lower the tension The Philippine coast guard said in its statement on Sunday that it was "firmly committed and determined in protecting the Philippines' sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea, including in Escoda Shoal." But Ray Powell, director of the U.S.-based SeaLight project at Stanford University, said China was likely to deploy to the area as it did at the Scarborough Shoal. "The parallels are unavoidable," said Powell, who monitors developments in the South China Sea. "China is also likely to declare victory - hard to avoid that conclusion," added the maritime security analyst. The withdrawal comes days after Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Maria Theresa P. Lazaro met China's Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong to discuss the situation at the shoal. The Chinese side reportedly urged the Philippines to immediately withdraw its vessels while "Lazaro reaffirmed the consistent position of the Philippines and explored ways to lower the tension in the area," the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement after the Sept. 12 talks. The Philippine coast guard made no mention of the talks in its statement. Philippine analyst Chester Cabalza, president of the International Development and Security Cooperation think tank, described the withdrawal of the ship as "anti-climactic," adding that he thought both sides should withdraw from the vicinity of the shoal, which is in an important sea lane. Cabalza said if the Philippines and China had reached any agreement in their Sept. 12 consultation, that would become evident in the absence of any "swarming of Chinese armada" at the shoal. "The ball is with China now," the analyst told RFA's affiliate BenarNews. *Jason Guterriez in Manila contributed to this report." Editing by RFA Staff This story has been updated to include comment from the Philippine coast guard. 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 September not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Navy Commissions USS New Jersey (SSN 796) US Navy 14 September 2024 From Submarine Readiness Squadron MIDDLETOWN, New Jersey -- The Navy commissioned the fast-attack Virginia-class submarine USS New Jersey (SSN 796) in a traditional ceremony held September 14, at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Middletown, New Jersey. The ceremony culminated a years-long process for commissioning the New Jersey, the third U.S. Navy ship named after the state of New Jersey, the most recent being the decorated battleship BB-62 which saw action during WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. New Jersey's commanding officer Cmdr. Steve Halle called the event "a truly historic moment" during his speech, praising all the distinguished guests, shipbuilders, and supporting organizations before addressing his crew. "To the crew, the plank owners, this ceremony... is about you" Halle emphasized. "You operate the most complex platform on the planet and you continuously strive for excellence. I'm amazed and humbled at what we have accomplished" he continued. "Our superior professionalism is enhanced by our crew integration and our diversity," Halle said of his crew being the first fully integrated fast-attack submarine. "We have exceeded expectations at every turn and overcome every obstacle set before us." Halle also spoke to the people of New Jersey stating "I know that the legacy we have inherited from the state of New Jersey and BB-62 will carry forward in our pursuit of greatness." "Today, we commissioned our ship, and she is the fastest, most advanced, fully integrated fast-attack to date," Halle said in closing. Susan DiMarco, New Jersey's sponsor and wife of former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, gave the crew the traditional order to "man our ship and bring her to life," after which New Jersey's sailors responded "aye aye ma'am" before ceremonially running aboard the submarine. Other speakers at the commissioning ceremony included New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Ms. Jennifer Boykin, president of Newport News Shipbuilding, and Mr. Larry Runkle, vice president of General Dynamics Electric Boat. Adm. William Houston, director of the Navy's Nuclear Propulsion program, served as the senior Naval officer and Submarine Force commander Vice Adm. Robert Gaucher as the presiding officer. Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Hutchison, the ship's executive officer, served as master of ceremonies. The submarine is 377 feet long, has a 34-foot beam and is able to dive to depths greater than 800 feet and operate at speeds in excess of 25 knots. New Jersey has a crew of nearly 135 Navy personnel. Fast-attack submarines are multi-mission platforms enabling five of the six Navy maritime strategy core capabilities - sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security, and deterrence. They are designed to excel in anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, irregular warfare, and mine warfare. Fast-attack submarines project power ashore with special operations forces and Tomahawk cruise missiles in the prevention or preparation of regional crises. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Somalia 'open' to supporting Ethiopia rebels By Harun Maruf September 14, 2024 Somalia's minister of foreign affairs has said Somalia will consider establishing contacts with and support rebels fighting in Ethiopia if the Ethiopian government attempts to implement the deal it signed with Somaliland. Ahmed Moalim Fiqi was answering a question from local Universal TV on September 12. "The option to have contacts with armed rebels in Ethiopia or rebels that are fighting against the Ethiopia regime if it continues this, to have contact with them is an option open to Somalia, it's a door open to us," he said. Fiqi insisted the situation has not yet reached that stage. "We have not reached that stage, there is a hope there will be a solution. But it is a path open to us ... it's the correct thing to go there, to take that path to meet them, to support them, to stand by them (the rebels). But that will come when they continue their hostility, and attempt to implement the so-called agreement," he said. Fiqi was asked if the Somali government has a plan to contact the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which was involved in two years of deadly war against Ethiopia's federal government until the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in November 2022. "We discussed that, but at this time the collapse of Ethiopia is not in the interest of Somalia and the Horn of Africa region. But if they continue to [support] those opposing Somalia and with the secessionist groups [that] they have signed [an] agreement with, it's an option for us," he responded. Ethiopia's deputy permanent representative to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Nebiyu Tedla, criticized the comments from Somalia's minster of foreign affairs. "It's comical to witness al-Shabab agents posing as government officials, who are unable to function effectively outside of Banaadir (the Mogadishu area) babbling hallow nationalism, driven by narrow clan centralization," Nebiyu posted on X. "Such will only undermine years of progress and lead Somalia into the pit," added Nebiyu, who formerly served as spokesperson for Ethiopia's ministry of foreign affairs. Relations between the two countries have been warming up during the last three decades as Ethiopia hosted reconciliation conferences and sent troops to help successive Somali governments. But relations turned sour when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the president of the self-declared, breakaway republic of Somaliland on January 1, 2024. According to Somaliland officials, under the MOU Ethiopia will be the first country to recognize Somaliland as an independent nation in return for the leasing of 20 kilometers (12 miles) of seashore to be used as a naval base by Ethiopia for 50 years. Somalia sees the deal as infringement to its sovereignty. On Friday, U.S. Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa Mike Hammer, speaking in Addis Ababa, urged both countries to find ways to work together. "Let me state unequivocally the United States supports Somalia's territorial sovereignty, integrity and unity, and we have made that very clear," he said. "We want to see peaceful and good relations between all countries in the region and certainly between Ethiopia and Somalia. And we urge both to find ways to move forward and look how they can continue to work together. We are well aware of the ENDF's [Ethiopian National Defense Forces] and Ethiopia's sacrifice in Somalia in the fight against al-Shabab. That is what we should be focusing on, frankly from the U.S. perspective, how we can support Somalia in its fight against al-Shabab." Hammer said fighting al-Shabab requires good relations between Somalia and Ethiopia. "There is no reason that these two countries should have difficulties that can't be resolved again through conversations. But again, both countries need to accept the basic principes outlined frankly by the AU charter, which is affirmation and recognition in understanding of each other's territorial sovereignty, integrity and unity," Hammer told reporters at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa. Somalia and Ethiopia fought two wars and supported each other's rebels in the 1970s and 80s. In February 1988, the president of Somalia, Mohamed Siad Barre, and Ethiopian President Mengistu Haile Mariam, reached an agreement in Djibouti mediated by late Djibouti President Hassan Guled Aptidon. They agreed to cease hostilities and committed to cease supporting each other's rebels. This story originated in VOA's Horn of Africa Service. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Rio Tinto CEO Says 'Well-Organized' Disinformation Targeting Serbian Lithium Project By RFE/RL's Balkan Service September 15, 2024 The chief executive of Anglo-American mining company Rio Tinto has alleged via local media that his company and its controversial multibillion-dollar plans to create Europe's largest lithium mine in Serbia are the target of a "carefully designed and well-organized" disinformation campaign. Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm used the text reportedly prepared for the online Serbian outlet Politika to push back against widespread public protests at the recently revived project, which has enflamed fears of further environmental damage in one of the Balkans' most polluted regions. "The topics of the project's development confuses, disturbs, and divides people," he wrote, according to a Beta news agency report of the forthcoming letter, adding, "Our employees are exposed to threats and intimidation on the Internet." The report did not include details regarding any alleged threats. Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic has long backed the 250-hectare Rio Tinto mine project in the western Jadar Valley, saying it will create jobs. Vucic and Rio Tinto representatives met and took public questions at a forum last week in Ljubovija designed to address some of the Serbian public's concerns. Vucic ally and recently appointed Prime Minister Milos Vucevic then vowed his government would insist on written guarantees about the safety of the project before allowing it to go ahead. Rio Tinto says the mine's potential capacity of 60,000 tons per year of lithium could supply nearly one-fifth of the continent's needs for a budding market for batteries for electric cars. It has repeatedly said it will operate the mine safely and maintain high environmental standards. Protests across Serbia erupted after the Constitutional Court nullified a previous government's nixing in 2022 of some initial permits, clearing the path for fulfillment of Vucic's pledge to ensure the Jadar mine complex's completion. Environmental and other local groups quickly accused Rio Tinto and the government of ignoring their concerns. But German and EU officials visited Serbia after that decision to ink a document signaling support for "a strategic partnership on sustainable raw materials, battery value chains, and electric vehicles." "This is the first time in the company's long history that it is facing such a situation," Stausholm reportedly said. But Rio Tinto has faced a local backlash before, including against operations in western Australia that destroyed part of a sacred Aboriginal site. Stausholm, who took the Rio Tinto helm in 2021 following the Australian scandal, said in the Politika contribution that all environmental impact assessments include a review period in which citizens are informed and can ask questions and comment. Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said recently that "we have already lost two years" but added it could take another two years for Rio Tinto to secure the proper permits for construction of the mine. Lithium is also used to power computers and smartphones. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-lithium-tinto- stausholm-mine/33120768.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Rights In Spotlight As Scholz Visits Central Asia, Signs Uzbek Migration Pact By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service and RFE/RL September 15, 2024 International watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to promote human rights when he "makes history" this week as the first German chancellor to attend a summit in Central Asia with all five of that post-Soviet region's presidents. Scholz's three-day trip started in Uzbekistan on September 15 with the signing of a migration deal and will continue in Kazakhstan on September 16-17 for the second meeting of the Central Asia-plus-Germany format that was launched a year ago in Berlin. "The German government cannot pretend closer ties with Central Asia are possible without a significant improvement in human rights in the region," HRW said. "The upcoming summit offers a chance to make this clear." In its statement, HRW cited persistent rights issues across the region including the "suppression of the rights to protest and express opinions, including online, jailing of activists, torture in detention, crackdowns on civil society, violence against women, impunity for abusive security forces, and a lack of free and fair elections." It argued that "little or no progress is possible on the many topics the six leaders highlighted as common priorities" a year ago. Germany has long been interested in boosting energy relations with Central Asia, but Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has further encouraged Germany and other European nations to look elsewhere for energy and mineral imports. This week's summit with the Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, and Uzbek heads of state is expected to focus heavily on energy along with broader economic and development talks. The leaders are also expected to discuss international sanctions on Russia. Upon arrival in the historic city of Samarkand, the German leader met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev and signed a migration agreement that would allow skilled workers from Uzbekistan to travel to the EU nation, with a focus on the health-care sector. It is also intended to speed repatriation of Uzbek citizens living in Germany without legal residence authorization, who he said "must go back." An estimated 13,700 Uzbeks reside in Germany, with the vast majority holding legal residency permits, according to dpa. "With our agreement on migration and mobility signed today in Samarkand in Uzbekistan, we are enabling people with great talents to enter our country. Also, we committed to un-bureaucratic processes so that those who cannot stay in our country must go back," Scholz wrote on X. Scholz is scheduled to meet with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev on his first stop in Tashkent to sign a migration deal that could enable skilled Uzbek workers to travel to Germany and lay out repatriation terms. In the Kazakh capital, Astana, Scholz should meet with President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev. Kazakhstan, the largest and wealthiest of the five regional states, has been accused of failing to adequately ensure compliance with sanctions on Russia. But energy cooperation has been on the rise with Kazakhstan. Crude oil from Kazakhstan began flowing last year through the 4,000-kilometer Druzhba pipeline from Russia's southern Tatarstan republic through Belarus and Poland to Germany, as part of a pivot to make up for lower supplies of Russian oil. Scholz hailed that step as the start of "a completely new direction in bilateral cooperation" with Kazakhstan, which also lies on huge reserves of natural gas. In June, international rights groups urged Central Asian governments to take specific steps to end "widespread" torture of detainees and political prisoners in the region. Such groups allege that Kazakhstan is among the worst offenders. HRW last month demanded that Kazakhstan stop limiting freedom of expression and end its persecution of comedians, citing the jailing of 31-year-old stand-up comic Aleksandr Merkul. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/germany-uzbekistan-scholz- mirziyoev-kazakhstan-energy/33120551.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Houthi airstrike hits Israel; Netanyahu vows retaliation By VOA News September 15, 2024 New tensions erupted in the Middle East on Sunday as Houthi rebels in Yemen hit Israel with a missile attack and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly vowed to retaliate. The missile landed in an open area in central Israel and triggered air raid sirens at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv. Israeli media aired footage showing people racing to shelters, although there were no reports of casualties or major damage. The airport authority said normal operations resumed shortly thereafter. Netanyahu said at the start of a Cabinet meeting, "This morning, the Houthis launched a surface-to-surface missile from Yemen into our territory. They should have known by now that we charge a heavy price for any attempt to harm us." "Those who need a reminder in this matter are invited to visit the port of Hodeida," he added, referring to Yemen's Red Sea city that Israeli warplanes bombed in July after the Houthis claimed a drone strike that killed a civilian in Tel Aviv and wounded 10 others. The Yemeni rebels have repeatedly fired drones and missiles toward Israel since the start of the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza last October, but nearly all of them have been intercepted over the Red Sea. In the latest attack, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a military spokesperson for the rebels, said they fired a ballistic missile aiming at "a military target" in Jaffa, which is part of Tel Aviv. The Houthis are among several Iran-backed groups in the Middle East that have been drawn into the conflict triggered by Hamas' shock attack on southern Israel last October 7 that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of 250 hostages. Israel's counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, a death toll Israel says includes several thousand militant fighters. On Israel's northern flank, Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement has traded regular cross-border fire with Israeli forces in exchanges that threaten to spiral into all-out war. The Israeli military said about 40 projectiles were fired Sunday morning from Lebanon toward Israel's Upper Galilee region and the annexed Golan Heights. Netanyahu said Sunday that the current situation along the Israeli-Lebanon border, where tens of thousands of people have been displaced, was not sustainable. "The existing situation will not continue. We will do everything necessary to return our residents safely to their homes," he said. "We are in a multi-arena campaign against Iran's evil axis that strives to destroy us," he said. Netanyahu described speaking with residents and authorities in the north, saying, "I hear the distress, I hear the cries." "The status quo will not continue," he said. "This requires a change in the balance of power on our northern border." Hezbollah has said it would halt its attacks if there were a cease-fire in Gaza. The United States and Arab mediators Egypt and Qatar have spent much of this year trying to broker a truce and the release of scores of hostages held by Hamas, but the talks have repeatedly bogged down. Hamas has been designated a terror group by the U.S., the U.K., EU and other Western countries. Some material in this report came from The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russo-Ukraine War - 15 September 2024 - Day 935 Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 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 Russia has continued a high tempo of offensive operations across multiple areas of the frontline. In Russia's Kursk oblast, where Ukraine has maintained control of approximately 800-900 sq km of territory since mid-August 2024, Russian forces have begun a counter-offensive. Spearheaded by Airborne and Naval Infantry units, Russian forces have attacked Ukrainian positions in the west of the salient and have highly likely retaken several villages. In eastern Ukraine, Russian forces have made gradual advances around Vuhledar and to the southeast of the logistics hub of Pokrovsk. However Russia has not advanced significantly towards Pokrovsk itself within the past week. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that in total, since the beginning of this day, there have been 137 combat clashes. 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 largest number of fights took place in the Pokrovsky and Kurakhivsky directions. Russian zagarbniki carried out 56 air strikes on the territory of Ukraine, dropping 83 controlled aviation bombs. In addition, 428 kamikaze drones were recruited and carried out almost 2800 shelling at the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements. In the Kharkiv direction, Russian forces unsuccessfully tried to storm the positions of Ukrainian units in the Vovchanska area. At the same time, Russian aviation from the territory of the Russian Federation struck with controlled aviation bombs on the civilian infrastructure of the city of Kharkiv (four KABs) and the settlement of Ruska Lozov (two KABs). In the direction of Kupyansky, Russian forces carried out offensive actions near synkivka, petropavlivka, kolisnikivka, glushkivka, kruglyakiivka and lozova. Eighteen fights completed, two more to go. In the Lyman direction Russian invaders stormed the positions of Defense Forces near Druzhelyubivka, Kovalivka, Tverdohlibovoye, Nevsky, Makiyivka, Terniv and Novosadovoye. Ukrainian defenders stopped all enemy attacks. In the sivers komu direction, Ukrainian soldiers repelled 12 offensive actions of the Russian occupation troops in the areas of bilogorivka, verkhnyokamans kogo, viymki and Ivano-daryivka. So far, ten combat clashes are completed, two are still ongoing. In the kramators komu direction Russian forces stormed Ukrainian positions near stupocok and kurdumivka. The Defense Forces stopped all attacks of the Zagarbnikiv. 11 boezitknen took place in the Torets komu direction. Russians stormed the positions of Ukrainian units near Toretsk, Dachny, Scherbinivka and Nelipivka. All the aggressor's attacks have been repelled. On the Pokrovsky direction, from the beginning of this day, Russian forces attacked 34 times in the areas of Vozdvizhenko, Green Field, Novotoretsky, Hrodivki, Novogrodivki, and Marinivki. Ukrainian defenders have repelled 31 attacks, three clashes are still continuing. Today 230 Russian invaders were defecated in this direction, 89 of them - irrevocably. Also destroyed the retransmitter and three units of automotive equipment. In the Kurakhiv direction, Russian forces also made 34 attempts to break through Ukrainian defense near the Wanted Second, Ukrainian, Selidovoye, Dolinivka, Georgiyivka, Katerynivka and Konstantinivka. Twenty-seven boezitknen completed, seven more to go. In the Vremivs komu direction, Russian forces tried eight times to push Ukrainian units out of the occupied borders of defense near Vodyany, Katerinivka and Makarivka. There are still five attacks of the occupiers. Eight attempts to attack Ukrainian positions were stopped in the Pridniprovsky direction by the Defense Forces of Ukraine. In other directions - without much change. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that in the Sever Group of Forces In Liptsy and Volchansk directions inflicted damage on formations of 57th Motorised Infantry Brigade of the AFU, 36th Marine Brigade, 113th and 127th territorial defence brigades near Liptsy and Volchansk (Kharkov region). The AFU sustained losses amounted to up to 150 troops, five armoured fighting vehicles, four motor vehicles, a French-made 155-mm Ceaser howitzer, a 152-mm D-20 gun, three 122-mm D-30 howitzers, and a UK-made 105-mm L-119 gun. The Zapad Group of Forces improved tactical situation, engaged manpower and military hardware of 44th, 54th, 60th, 63rd mechanised brigades, 3rd Assault Brigade of the AFU, 1st National Guard Brigade near Berestovoye, Kovsharovka, Peski-Radkovskiye, Novoyegorovka (Kharkov region), Krasny Liman (Donetsk People's Republic), and Serebryansky forestry. The Russian units repelled three counter-attacks of 63rd Mechanised Brigade and 3rd Assault Brigade of the AFU. The enemy lost up to 570 troops, seven motor vehicles, a U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, a UK-made 155-mm FH-70 towed howitzer, a U.S.-made 155-mm M198 howitzer, a 155-mm Msta-B howitzer, two UK-made L-119 howitzers, and a U.S.-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar. Four AFU field ammunition depots were eliminated. The Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions. It also inflicted damage on formations of 28th and 30th mechanised brigades, 92nd and 95th air assault brigades, 5th Assault Brigade of the AFU, 114th, 241st territorial defence brigades near Fyodorovka, Seversk, Zvanovka, Stupochki, and Predtechino (Donetsk People's Republic). The Russian units repelled three counter-attacks of 30th, 33rd mechanised brigades of the AFU and the Aydar Assault Battalion. The AFU lost up to 765 troops, ten motor vehicles, a 152-mm D-20 gun, a 152-mm Msta-B gun, a 122-mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, two UK-made 105-mm L-119 howitzers, a U.S.-made M119 gun, and five field ammunition depots. The Tsentr Group of Forces continues to advance into the enemy's defence. The Group struck formations of 1st Tank Brigade, 32nd, 47th, 72nd mechanised brigades, 95th Air Assault Brigade of the AFU, and 109th Territorial Defence Brigade near Katerinovka, Nelepovka, Novoekonomicheskoye, Druzhba, Rozovka, and Konstantinovka (Donetsk People's Republic). The Russian units repelled ten counter-attacks of 32nd, 53rd mechanised brigades, 68th Jaeger Brigade, 142nd Infantry Brigade, and 25th Air Assault Brigade of the AFU as well as of the 3rd and 12th national guard brigades. The enemy suffered losses of up to 545 troops, three pickups, a U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, two 152-mm Msta-B howitzers, a 122-mm D-30 howitzer, a 100-mm Rapira gun. The Vostok Group of Forces of took more advantageous lines and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of 72nd Mechanised Brigade, 5th Tank Brigade of the AFU, 18th, 116th territorial defence brigades, and 21st National Guard Brigade near Ugledar, Novoukrainka, Dobrovolye, and Oktyabr (Donetsk People's Republic). One counter-attack launched by an assault detachment of the AFU 72nd Mechanised Brigade was repelled. The enemy losses are up to 110 troops, two infantry fighting vehicles, two armoured fighting vehicles, and three motor vehicles. The Dnepr Group of forces engaged a cluster of manpower and materiel of 118th Mechanised Brigade, 141st Infantry Brigade, and 128th Mountain Assault Brigade of the AFU, 123rd Territorial Defence Brigade near Pyatikhatki, Zherebyanka, Novodanilovka (Zaporozhye region), and Novoraisk (Kherson region). The AFU losses amounted to up to 75 troops, two tanks, five motor vehicles. Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces hit a railway train with foreign-made weaponry, an artillery and missile armament depot, stocks of uncrewed surface vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles, a warehouse producing components for operational-tactical missiles, and clusters of manpower and materiel in 148 areas. The Russian Aerospace Forces have downed two Su-27 fighter jets of the Ukrainian Air Force during the past 24 hours. Air defence units shot down one MiG-29 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force and intercepted a U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectile, four French-made Hammer guided aerial bombs, and 55 unmanned aerial vehicles, including 22 outside the special military operation zone. In total, 645 airplanes and 283 helicopters, 31,609 unmanned aerial vehicles, 579 air defence missile systems, 18,144 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,454 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 14,622 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 26,102 units of support motor vehicles have been destroyed during the special military operation. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation also reported that the Sever Group of Forces carrying on offensive actions inflicted damage on the 22nd, 41st, 61st, and 115th mechanised brigades, 17th Tank Brigade, 82nd and 95th air assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the 112th, 129th territorial defence brigades near Lyubimovka, Novoivanovka, Daryino, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Pokrovsky, and Borki. Over the past 24 hours, the Group's units repelled two enemy's counter-attacks in the direction of Lyubimovka and Malaya Loknya. The Russian units disrupted two enemy's attempts to attack in direction of Viktorovka, Olgovka, and Kremyanoye. The AFU losses amounted to up to 25 troops killed and wounded, one APC and two armoured fighting vehicles. Five AFU servicemen surrendered. Over the past 24 hours, with support of army aviation and artillery, the Group's units repelled six enemy's attempts to break through the border of the Russian Federation in the direction of Novy Put, Vesyoloye, and Medvezhye. The AFU lost up to 60 troops killed and wounded, three tanks, an APC, and five armoured fighting vehicles, Air strikes, artillery fire, and actions of the troops inflicted fire damage on clusters of manpower and hardware of the 22nd, 41st, 115th mechanised brigades, 80th and 95th air assault brigades, 129th Territorial Defence Brigade near Guyevo, Daryino, Zeleny Shlyakh, Kolmakov, Kruglenkoye, Malaya Loknya, Martynovka, Mirny, Nikolo-Daryino, Novoya Sorochina, Novoivanovka, Obukhovka, Russkoye Porechnoye, and Yuzhny. Operational-Tactical Aviation and Missile Troops launched strikes against clusters of the 21st, 22nd, 41st, mechanised brigades, 82nd Air Assault Brigade of the AFU, 1st Presidential Brigade, and 103rd and 106th territorial defence brigades of the AFU near Belpolye, Vodolagi, Zhuravka, Obody, Katerinovka, Rechki, Pavlovka, Sosnovka, Sumy, Khoten, Yunakovka, Yastrebinoye, and Yampol. For the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to more than 300 troops, 22 vehicles, including three tanks, four APCs, 15 armoured fighting vehicles, an artillery gun, and eight motor vehicles. Seven AFU servicemen surrendered. Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost more than 13,400 troops, 113 tanks, 44 infantry fighting vehicles, 91 armoured personnel carriers, 718 armoured fighting vehicles, 431 motor vehicles, 96 artillery guns, 26 MLRS launchers, including seven of HIMARS and five of MLRS, eight SAM launchers, two transport-loading vehicles, 26 electronic warfare stations and seven counter-battery radars, two air defence radars, 13 engineering vehicles, including two counterobstacle vehicles and one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle. The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address September 13, 2024 By Joseph Clark, DOD News DOD Hosts International Exchange on Shaping Cybersecurity Workforce A senior Defense Department official hosted government officials, academics and entrepreneurs from Indonesia for a discussion on how the Pentagon is aligning its cyber workforce strategy to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving domain. Patrick Johnson, director of the DOD Chief Information Officer's Workforce Innovation Directorate, provided an in-depth overview of the Pentagon's cyber workforce framework and vision for recruiting and retaining top talent to meet the demands of the future. The exchange was held as part of the State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program, or IVLP, which aims to develop lasting relationships between emerging foreign leaders and their counterparts in the United States. Next week, representatives from DOD CIO will host a group from Japan who are in the U.S. to discuss ways to enhance cybersecurity in Japan. "In the cyber arena, the human being is the weapon system," Johnson said, underscoring the critical importance of securing the global networks that permeate daily life in both the public and private sectors. He said the nation's defenders must increasingly account for both the kinetic and nonkinetic effects that shape the modern battlefield. He noted, for example, that a nefarious cyber actor could single-handedly take down the world's most advanced fighter aircraft without firing a single shot. In 2023, DOD published its strategy to align the department's efforts to identify, recruit, develop and retain a data-literate and technology-adept cyber workforce to ensure the U.S. maintains its warfighting edge. The department has also laid out its framework to shape the cyber workforce through personnel qualification, academic outreach and professional development; and it has implemented the Cyber Excepted Service, which taps into enhanced recruitment and retention authorities. But the challenges presented by the rapidly changing cyber domain are not unique to DOD, as this week's discussion highlighted. The exchange provided an opportunity for the participants to discuss shared challenges that span the public and private sectors in both the U.S. and Indonesia. The participants discussed common bureaucratic hurdles in in both countries that challenge public sector recruiters, who often battle lengthy hiring processes and higher salaries offered by private employers. They also discussed the changing metrics used to gauge candidate qualifications for cyber jobs. Al Akbar Rahmadillah, founder of Sobat Cyber Indonesia, highlighted the imperative to tap into practical qualifications gained through informal, hands-on training. That sentiment is not unique to Indonesia's private sector. Johnson said DOD is increasingly looking to leverage performance-based qualifications, rather than formal education. Participants also mentioned the impact of competition stemming from Indonesia's large population of young professionals has on recruiting cyber talent. That back-and-forth exchange is precisely the level of dialogue the IVLP is designed to foster. Since 1940, the IVLP has hosted more than 225,000 participants for exchanges focused on topics ranging from young people and women's leadership to promoting cybersecurity and combatting transnational crime. Alfian Linux, chief executive officer of Xtend Indonesia, a private sector technology firm, said his experience participating has been invaluable. "Everyone knows that the giant companies and the technology before has come from the United States.," he said, adding that he hopes the IVLP discussions will open doors for Indonesian firms to work effectively alongside U.S. firms. But Johnson, who has hosted an IVLP cohort from Iraq as part of the program, said the U.S. also benefits immensely from the exchange. "In the cyber domain, the talent shortage is global," he said, adding that every country has information technology infrastructure that must be defended. Johnson said it is incumbent on countries to learn from one another to overcome pressing challenges. "I think we need to take it seriously [and] take that opportunity to talk to smart people from outside our own little sphere," he said. "The world has a lot to offer." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, Co-Founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, Arraigned in Brooklyn on International Drug Charges Friday, September 13, 2024 For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs Defendant Allegedly Led the Sinaloa Cartel with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera for Decades and Continued for Years Since El Chapo's Arrest Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, 76, a citizen of Mexico, was arraigned this morning in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on 17 counts related to drug trafficking, firearms offenses, and money laundering. This fifth superseding indictment relates to El Mayo's decades-long leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world and conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl. El Mayo was previously charged with running a continuing criminal enterprise, as well as murder conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana manufacture and distribution conspiracy, as well as other drug-related crimes. El Mayo was ordered detained pending trial and was transferred yesterday to the Eastern District of New York from the Western District of Texas, following his arrest in New Mexico on July 25. "El Mayo, the co-founder and leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, has been charged with overseeing a multi-billion-dollar conspiracy to flood American communities with narcotics, including deadly fentanyl," said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. "We allege that El Mayo built, and for decades led, the Sinaloa Cartel's network of manufacturers, assassins, traffickers, and money launderers responsible for kidnapping and murdering people in both the United States and Mexico, and importing lethal quantities of fentanyl, heroin, meth, and cocaine into the United States. Now, El Mayo joins the many other Sinaloa Cartel leaders who have faced charges in an American courtroom for the immeasurable harm they have inflicted on families and communities across our country." "For years, Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada Garcia and the Sinaloa Cartel he led manufactured illicit fentanyl and peddled it across our country, profiting off of the pain of countless American communities," said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. "Thanks to the dedicated work of brave Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Agents and their federal partners, the United States is disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking operations across the world, ensuring Cartel kingpins like Mr. Zambada Garcia are brought to justice, and keeping Americans safe from the scourge of fentanyl." "For decades, the Sinaloa Cartel has profited from poisoning and killing Americans, and fueling violence on both sides of our southern border," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. "Today's arraignment of Zambada Garcia is the latest step in a whole-of-government effort to strike back against one of the world's most dangerous criminal organizations and protect our communities from the fentanyl epidemic." "Today's arraignment is another forceful reminder of the FBI's commitment to pursuing justice for the American lives lost to the violence and trafficking of deadly drugs, like fentanyl, associated with Zambada Garcia and those he directed as a leader of the Sinaloa Cartel," said FBI Director Christopher Wray. "The FBI will not stop in our pursuit of those who engage and facilitate the cartel's sophisticated operations that cause immense harm to Americans and poison communities across our country." "Defeating the Sinaloa Cartel is DEA's top operational priority and today, with the capture and additional charges filed against Ismael Zambada Garcia we are that much closer," said Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). "Better known as 'El Mayo', Zambada Garcia is the co-founder and leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most ruthless and dangerous cartels in Mexico and responsible for the unprecedented drug crisis facing the United States. With Zambada Garcia no longer in power we have struck at the heart of the Sinaloa Cartel's operations. He may have eluded capture for three decades, but today he is seeing what it means to face justice in America. Let this be a reminder to his associates and others, American lives depend on DEA remaining laser focused on destroying the cartels, their networks, and their global supply chain and that is what we will continue to do." "Zambada Garcia's day of reckoning in a U.S. courtroom has arrived and justice will follow," said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. "If convicted, never again will he deliver fentanyl, cocaine, and other deadly drugs and associated violence into our country or make millions as hundreds of thousands of innocent lives are lost. It is my hope that the countless family members and friends of victims who succumbed to his cartel's poisons, and the countless members of law enforcement who fearlessly risked their lives fighting this scourge, should take comfort in knowing that Zambada Garcia will be held accountable for his multitude of crimes." "Zambada Garcia will now face the American justice system," said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. "His arrest means that he will now have to face charges for leading the Sinaloa Cartel's multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise that funneled drugs onto our streets and violence and despair into our communities. But our work is not done. We will go after the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and the drug trafficking organizations around the world." "Today's arraignment sends a clear message to drug traffickers around the world a we will find you and bring you to justice," said HSI Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger. "The men and women of HSI are working diligently with our partners around the globe to investigate, intercept and halt the flow of illegal drugs into the United States and keep illegal drugs off our streets." "The arraignment of this individual is a result of the relentless work of law enforcement partners at all levels to stem the tide of illegal drugs and drug related violence in our country," said Superintendent Steven G. James of the New York State Police (NYSP). "Strong partnerships are key, and as a result, a dangerous international drug trafficking operation, and the organized crime perpetuated by it, has been shut down. The State Police will continue to tenaciously work in conjunction with our partners to seek out those who deliberately put others in danger." El Mayo was first indicted in the Eastern District of New York in 2009 and most recently in a fifth superseding indictment in February. As alleged, El Mayo was a co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel together with his co-defendant Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as El Chapo, and together they ran the Sinaloa Cartel together from Mexico until El Chapo's arrest in 2016. Following a trial, El Chapo was convicted in the Eastern District of New York in 2019 and sentenced to life plus 30 years in prison. According to allegations in the superseding indictment, from 1989 to 2024, El Mayo led a continuing criminal enterprise responsible for the importation and distribution of massive quantities of narcotics and which generated billions of dollars in profits. To ensure the success of the Sinaloa Cartel, El Mayo employed thousands of people in South and Central America, throughout Mexico and in the United States. Through a complex, layered structure, El Mayo was able to assure transportation routes for the narcotics he sold from source of supply to distribution on the streets of the United States. El Mayo also employed groups of "sicarios" or hit-men, who at his orders carried out kidnappings and murders in Mexico and elsewhere a including murders in the United States a to eliminate anyone who threatened this valuable narcotics pipeline and to retaliate against rivals and those suspected of cooperating with the U.S. government. The billions of dollars generated from the drug sales were then transported and laundered back to Mexico. As set forth in the superseding indictment and other court filings, the Sinaloa Cartel, under El Mayo's leadership, expanded its drug business into fentanyl manufacturing and distribution no later than 2012 and is responsible for the distribution of many thousands of kilograms of fentanyl into the United States. El Mayo also allegedly expanded the power and influence of the Sinaloa Cartel by making millions of dollars each year in corruption payments and conducting regular campaigns of brutal violence, including retaliatory murders that were allegedly committed on his orders as recently as just weeks prior to his arrest. If convicted, El Mayo faces a mandatory minimum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. FBI, DEA, and HSI investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Melanie Alsworth and Kirk Handrich of the Criminal Division's Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Robert M. Pollack, Adam Amir, and Lauren A. Bowman for the Eastern District of New York; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Goldbarg for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorneys' Offices for the Northern District of Illinois, Central District of California, Southern District of California, and Western District of Texas provided substantial assistance. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Components: Office of the Attorney General Criminal Division Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Office of the Deputy Attorney General USAO - Florida, Southern USAO - New York, Eastern Press Release Number: 24-1146 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Remarks by Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall for the Soufan Center's Global Summit on Counterterrorism and Political Violence September 13, 2024 Good morning. I'm delighted to be here with you at the Soufan Center's inaugural Global Summit on Terrorism and Political Violence. Thank you for the introduction. It's a privilege to speak on the same program with so many of my closest colleagues, including Christy Abizaid and Nick Rasmussen who are tough acts to follow! Each of you has provided extraordinary service in the Biden-Harris Administration and in prior administrations. The day before yesterday, I accompanied the President and Vice President to Ground Zero, Shanksville, and the Pentagon to commemorate the solemn anniversary of the heinous attacks of September 11th, 2001. And standing hereain this place, on this daya I want to take a moment to honor and recall the lives of those we lost and the generations of Americans who have served and sacrificed over the last 23 years to ensure we would never again see a day like September 11th. As you all know, this was the precipitating event for transformation in our national security enterprise and the motivation for so many careers in public service. Indeed, it was the catalyst for the creation of the role of the White House Homeland Security Advisor. I live in a windowless office in the basement of the West Wing, which my staff and I call the "The Cave," and it has housed the Homeland Security Advisor since the days immediately following 9/11. During each year of my service in the office, this solemn anniversary has marked an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come as a nation and what more we still have to accomplish. That is what I hope to discuss with you todayastarting with how the threat has evolved. Evolution of the Threat Abroad and at Home Since that catastrophic and transformational day, the counterterrorism community has succeeded in significantly hardening American defenses and degrading foreign terrorist groups' capabilities to attack the American Homeland. However, the threat we face today is more fluid and quickly evolving than it has ever been. Defining events in recent yearsasuch as the killing of Iranian General Qasim Soleimani, January 6th, 2021, and especially October 7thahave layered atop gradually shifting trendlines to change the character of today's threat landscapeaboth abroad and at home. I'd like to reflect on several of these defining events and trends. Hamas's horrific terrorist attack on Israel almost a year ago demonstrates how quickly the terrorism landscape can change and the far-reaching consequences of terrorists' actions both domestically and internationally. The Intelligence Community has warned that images and messaging emerging from the conflict are energizing networks and expanding the pool of individuals who are susceptible to mobilization to violent acts, whether as lone actors or as new recruits to terrorist groups from across the ideological spectrum. Terrorist groups such as ISIS and al-Qaida are exploiting the Israel-Hamas conflict and calling for attacks against the West, including in the U.S. Homeland. This occurs within the context of an important trendathe weakening of these groups by our counterterrorism pressure that has forced them to decentralize and scatter across the globe. Yet, they remain linked by enabling technologies. This has created vulnerabilities in their networksaintroducing communications and logistics challenges. But it has also increased the burden on the global counterterrorism community to detect threats emanating from a wider range of locations where the thrust of our effort has not previously been focused. This key trend is enabled by anotheraterrorists' growing use of encrypted communications platforms. Although these technologies serve the vital purpose of protecting the privacy of our citizens online and safeguarding journalists, dissidents, and vulnerable people around the world, they also complicate the work of law enforcement in identifying and holding accountable those using these platforms to do us harm. This tension will become more acute as technologies evolve. Another defining eventathe killing of Soleimani in 2020ahas added a new dimension to the Homeland threat landscape. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, known to most of us as the IRGC, seeks to target former U.S. officials that it deems responsible for Soleimani's death. In addition, they continue plotting attacks against dissidents in the United States. This is a persistent reality that we are confronting and disrupting. A third trend I will discuss is perhaps the most fundamental threat our nation facesawhich is a growing normalization of violenceabrought into stark relief in the wake of defining events like January 6th and domestic terrorism attacks in places like El Paso, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Poway, Colorado Springs, and Charleston. Racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism and anti-government or anti-authority violent extremism are on the rise. Due to the proliferation of these ideologies online, they are reaching a growing number of mostly young people who are influenced to believe that violence is an acceptable response to ideological and political grievances. And as this threat evolves online, we have seen its "domestic" dimensions become increasingly global. Successful attackers in the Homeland have drawn inspiration from those overseas who espouse the "great replacement theory." Earlier this week the FBI and Department of Justice arrested and charged two leaders of the Terrorgram collective in the United States. These individuals created a global community of white supremacists to communicate online with like-minded individuals, disseminate violent propaganda, and encourage violent attacks on minority communities and government officials. The Biden-Harris Administration's Approach Soain this increasingly interconnected world, where borders matter less, and global communities form and draw oxygen online, we have to tackle both domestic and international threats simultaneouslyanot as distinct categories, though always with legal authorities and tools. Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has pursued a rigorously calibrated, integrated approach to countering foreign and domestic terrorism threats that is aligned with our values and complementary to our broader national security interests. We have done this by crafting and implementing strategies that focus our system on addressing the threats of today while being flexible and creative enough to adapt to emerging threats for which there may be no evident precedent. First, I'll cover this in the overseas context, and then I'll describe our work domestically. Addressing terrorism overseas Our approach to countering foreign terrorist organizations was codified in the National Security Memorandum to Counter International Terrorism Threats, called NSM-13. The guiding principles of the policy include: focusing on the most acute threats to the United States; investing in our partnerships; promoting civilian-led, nonlethal approaches wherever possible; and executing the counterterrorism mission in a manner consistent with U.S. values. I previewed this policy in a speech to the Atlantic Council in September 2021, and today I'll describe three years later the real progress we have made in realizing its objectivesaand also be candid about the unfinished business that we all have to do going forward. I'll make three points about the ways in which we have implemented this approach. Firstawhen necessary to protect the Homeland, the President has directed decisive action to protect Americans from terrorists who seek to harm us at home or elsewhere. In February 2022aa ground raid resulted in the death of ISIS's emir and his deputy in Syria. In July 2022, an airstrike removed al-Qa'ida's overall leader in Afghanistan. In January 2023, a raid resulted in the death of a key operative and facilitator for ISIS's global network in Somalia. And, most recently in late August, an airstrike killed the emir of Hurras al-Dinaal Qaida's associated force in Syria. These examples represent only a narrow slice of our counterterrorism work. This is by design. We have generally reserved our use of our direct-action capabilities for only those circumstances in which other options are unavailable, the impact is substantial, and the risk of civilian casualties can be minimized. This issue is of paramount importance to President Biden. The second dimension of our approachais the work we do with international partners. These efforts reach every corner of the globe and represent a much wider share of our counterterrorism efforts than direct action. We work with Five Eyes and European partners to prevent and disrupt threats in the West, benefitting from their unique capabilities and accesses to develop a shared intelligence and operational picture. As just one recent example, the United States shared information with Austrian partners to enable the disruption of a threat to Taylor Swift's concerts in Vienna. And we cooperated closely with France and other partners to enable safe Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris for athletes and spectators from around the world. This extends well beyond Europe to partners in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. This leads to my third pointaWe have been agile enough to pursue these threats whenever and wherever they emerge because we have reconceptualized our global counterterrorism footprint to align it with the principal threats we face. In August 2021, President Biden made the difficult decision to end the war in Afghanistan. We continue to mourn those who lost their lives over the two decades of our presence and in the terrorist attack on Abbey Gate. But it is because President Biden understands what it means to ask Americans to put their lives on the line that he was unwilling to send another generation to fight in a war that he believed should have ended long ago. This enabled us to redirect our resources to confront the current threats we face, not historic ones. The Intelligence Community assesses that Al-Qa'ida is weaker today than it was in 2001 or 2021. In the 36 months since we withdrew, we have continued to implement a whole-of-government approach to ensure that Afghanistan does not once again become a haven for terrorists to freely operate and plot attacks against the United States or our allies. Core to this approach is retaining the capability to address threats from over the horizon, most notably exercised with the removal of the world's most wanted terrorist, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in downtown Kabul 11 months after our withdrawal. Another component of the over-the-horizon approach is building the counterterrorism law enforcement and military capacity of South and Central Asian partners to address the threat in their neighborhoods. Many of you as experts will be tracking this evolution - but for some, it may be novel. The most salient threat emanating from the region today is not from Al Qa'ida, but from ISIS-Khorasan. In countering it we have mobilized a coordinated international effort to raise awareness of and share information about the threataincluding with Russia, Iranaand even the Taliban. This intelligence sharing has enabled us to catalyze individual and collective action to disrupt the threat ISIS-K poses. Let me briefly mention several other regions. In Iraq and Syria, our forces are operating alongside Iraqi and Syrian Kuridsh-led partners to aggressively suppress threats to our interests, prevent ISIS from rebuilding its so-called caliphate, and ensure that the remnants of al-Qa'ida cannot threaten our Homeland and allies. In two weeks, I will participate in the 10th Anniversary of the Defeat ISIS Coalition Ministerial in Washington. Over 90 nations and organizations will be present as we discuss the evolution of operations in Iraq to address the evolving threat, and the work that is still to be done in Syria. This includes encouraging countries to repatriate their nationals who traveled to Syria to join ISIS and are now being held in prison or living in refugee camps. Since we began this process, we have assisted nations with bringing home over 12,000 of their citizens from the Syrian desert. However, the threat remains. The population in these prisons and camps is over 50,000 and provides ISIS with a ready reserve cadre and a breeding ground for its next generation of terrorists. This threatens to undermine the hard-fought progress we have made against ISIS since dismantling its physical caliphate and must be an area of intensive focus moving forward. In Africa, President Biden recommitted to a persistent military presence in Somalia, to provide consistent support to Somali partners who are bravely struggling to resist al-Qa'ida's largest and wealthiest affiliate, al-Shabaab. Our counterterrorism efforts in Somalia are ongoing, and they underscore the reality that this work is hard, and it requires continuous reassessment. There are limits to what our partners can achieve, even with U.S. assistance. Nevertheless, modest investments in carefully chosen partners can pay dividends for the security of our citizens at home and abroad and, over time, help countries to resist further destabilization by terrorist groups. These commitments must be conditioned on the severity of the threat to the United States and firmly rooted in the consent of our partners. And we must be clear-eyed when those conditions change. For example, last summer in Niger, an unanticipated and unconstitutional transition of power overthrew a democratically elected government and rapidly upended a counterterrorism partnership we had worked for the last decade to build. Niger had provided relative stability in a tough neighborhood, but pernicious forces eroded trust in its government. As a result, Sunday, September 15, is the deadline before which we will have withdrawn all U.S. troops from Niger. The Department of Defense is working to establish a more geographically diverse set of counterterrorism relationships Central in West Africa, in order to help vulnerable partners who are facing rapid expansion of ISIS and al-Qa'ida-aligned groups. Confronting terrorism at home Now I want to shift to our work at home. As we have worked to counter the threat overseas, a dynamic global threat environment reverberates here in the United States. This is especially true in the post-October 7th landscape, in which we have seen an increase in domestic hate crimes and credible threats. We have met the dynamism of the threat by driving unprecedented cooperation between our intelligence and law enforcement communities to identify and counter specific threats when they have emerged. Just last week, the Department of Justice announced criminal charges against a Pakistani national arrested in Canada who was planning to travel to New York City to attack a Jewish Community Center on the anniversary of October 7th. Behind each headline about a threat or arrest, there are many dedicated law enforcement and intelligence professionals harnessing the full force of the U.S. counterterrorism enterprise and our partnerships around the world to disrupt and hold accountable those who seek to do us harm. This spring, as a result of extraordinary cooperation across the U.S. Government, we identified, located, and disrupted eight individuals with potential ties to ISIS. Our law enforcement professionals took swift and effective action to reduce any possible threat associated with these individuals. This disruption was enabled by cooperation among DOJ, the FBI, DHS, the National Counterterrorism Center, and other elements of the intelligence community. My point is that our adversaries are dynamic, which requires us to be even more dynamic. The systems we have built and refined since 9/11 to keep the Homeland safe are working, and we have also continued to innovate based on what we have learned and how the threats are evolving. Key to that is ensuring that our tools are honed to meet the challenges of today and of tomorrow. To that end, we worked with Congress to renew and reform Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Actaone of the United States' most vital intelligence collection tools. This gives us essential authority to understand and prevent a wide range of dangerous threats to Americans, while protecting privacy and civil liberties. In addition, where we have identified gaps in the authorities required to protect Americans in an evolving threat landscape, we have pushed to close them. For example, recognizing the growing threat from the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems by our adversariesaincluding terroristsawe have been working since 2022 to persuade our partners on the Hill to pass a legislative proposal to enhance our domestic defenses against the pernicious use of this proliferating capability. In parallel with those tireless efforts to thwart foreign terrorist groups using all available tools, we have been determined to counter domestic terrorism using different tools that are consistent with our laws and values. This is built on the President's core belief that domestic terrorism strikes at the very foundation of our democracy. On his first day in office, President Biden directed me to lead a 100-day comprehensive review of U.S. Government efforts to address domestic terrorism. This led to our release of the first-ever National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism. Since the launch of the Strategy in June 2021, we have deepened our understanding of domestic terrorism and taken concrete actions to counter it by increasing information sharing, expanding prevention efforts, enhancing disruption and deterrence, and confronting the long-term drivers. FirstaWe have made prevention a core element of our strategic approach and prioritized support for state-led efforts to prevent acts of targeted violence and terrorism. For example, following the tragic terror attack on the Tops Market in Buffalo, the Department of Homeland Security rapidly ramped up support to New York State to build out a statewide prevention capability. This program has already seen 1,200 requests for assistance, has stopped terror plots well before any harm came to the community, and is serving as a model for others. SecondaWe have prioritized domestic terrorism-related investigations and prosecutions at the Federal, state, and local levels. From 2020 to 2022, the number of FBI domestic violent extremism and domestic terrorism investigations more than doubled, with the FBI indicating it has more than 2,700 open investigations on domestic violent extremists. In support of the strategy, the Department of Justice created a specific domestic terrorism unit within its National Security Division to handle these investigations and prosecutions. ThirdaWe have also significantly expanded cooperation with foreign partners to identify and address the transnational dimensions of the threat posed by racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists, which have become global in nature and in reach. And fourthawe have continued to build up efforts to address targeted and hate-fueled violence that so often catalyzes individuals to domestic terrorism. These actions have proven especially important in the post-October 7th landscape, in which we have faced a substantial rise in hate crimes and violent acts targeting Jewish, Muslim, Arab and other Americans. In 2022, President Biden hosted the United We Stand Summit that mobilized communities across the country to make commitments towards advancing an inclusive and bipartisan vision for a more united America. That led to an ongoing effort that I co-lead with the White House Domestic Policy Advisor to craft a whole of society approach to address Antisemitism, Islamophobia and related forms of bias and discrimination. This effort resulted in the release in May 2023 of the first-ever U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, which we have worked to implement and adapt as threats have evolved. Currently, we are finalizing a national strategy to counter Islamophobia and related forms of hate. This work will continue as we deal with the far-reaching implications of October 7th. Lessons Learned for the Future These nearly four years have confirmed that the terrorism threat will persist and that it will not remain static. Given our zero tolerance for a terror attack at scale in the homeland or against Americans overseas, this is a no fail mission for many across the Federal system and our state and local partnersafrom the intelligence community, to our operating agencies, to law enforcement at all levels. We must continue to be resilient, nimble and flexible to respond quickly to emerging trends. We need the resources and tools that support that kind of resilience and agility. And our approaches must be built on the humility to test our assumptions and change course when circumstances require it or our efforts prove inadequate. The three ingredients to build a sustainable, nimble, and creative approach to counterterrorism are enduringa1) an unwavering commitment to our values; 2) trusted partnerships and convening power to bring the world together to solve the hardest problems; and 3) the talent of dedicated public servants who work 24/7, 365 days a year to keep our nation safe from harm. We must continue to invest in and nurture each dimension, and in doing so we will ensure that America is prepared to tackle the evolving terrorism threat well into the future. Before I close, I will make one final point that broadens the frame. In heeding these lessons learned from twenty-three years in the fight against terrorism since 9/11, we have positioned ourselves to tackle new transnational challenges with the same commitment to information sharing; operational disruption; and international partnerships. There is no challenge more urgent in the Homeland than countering illicit fentanyl that is driving overdose deaths like a weapon of mass destruction. In July, President Biden issued a National Security Memorandum that declared fentanyl-related deaths a national security threat. In practice, this transforms how our government will approach the synthetic opioid epidemic for years to come, breaking down silos between law enforcement and intelligence that were a hallmark of post-9/11 reforms. We are drawing lessons learned from detecting and disrupting terrorists by pursuing a network-driven approach. The policy also prioritizes collaboration with the private sector, including express cargo shippers and social media platforms, to stop fentanyl before it gets to our border, just as we have collaborated with the private sector to share information about harmful terrorist content online. This builds domestically on what the Administration has done globally to elevate this issue on the world stage, using trusted partnerships to deliver life-saving disruption of the fentanyl supply chain. In the coming weeks, the President will convene a summit of the Global Coalition to Counter Synthetic Drug Threatsajust as the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS launched under President Obama's leadership in 2014. We know from these experiences that we are stronger and more capable when we come together in acknowledgment of a grave threat, unite the tools and resources across our vast Government, and join forces with partners overseas to tackle it. Those of you with decades of expertise in countering terrorism and political violenceawho have dedicated your lives to public service and to fighting hate wherever it existsaare essential to our success. Thank you for what you do, and thank you to the Soufan Center for the opportunity to speak to you today. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Memorandum on the Presidential Determination on Major Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing Countries for Fiscal Year 2025 September 15, 2024 Presidential Determination No. 2024-12 MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE SUBJECT: Presidential Determination on Major Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing Countries for Fiscal Year 2025 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 706(1) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107-228) (FRAA), I hereby identify the following countries as major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries (including countries that are a significant direct source of precursor chemicals used in the production of certain drugs and substances significantly affecting the United States): Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Burma, the People's Republic of China (PRC), Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. A country's presence on the foregoing list is not necessarily a reflection of its government's counterdrug efforts or level of cooperation with the United States. The list is not a sanction or penalty. Consistent with the statutory definition of a major drug transit or major illicit drug producing country set forth in sections 481(e)(2) and 481(e)(5) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (Public Law 87-195) (FAA), the reason countries are placed on the list is the combination of geographic, commercial, and economic factors that allow drugs or precursor chemicals to be transited or produced, even if a government has engaged in robust and diligent narcotics control and law enforcement measures. The James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117-263) amended the definition of major drug source countries to include source countries of precursor chemicals used to produce illicit drugs significantly affecting the United States. Pursuant to section 706(2)(A) of the FRAA, I hereby designate Bolivia, Burma, and Venezuela as having failed demonstrably during the previous 12 months to both adhere to their obligations under international counternarcotics agreements and to take the measures required by section 489(a)(1) of the FAA. Included with this determination are justifications for the designations of Bolivia, Burma, and Venezuela, as required by section 706(2)(B) of the FRAA. I have also determined, in accordance with provisions of section 706(3)(A) of the FRAA, that United States programs that support Bolivia, Burma, and Venezuela are vital to the national interests of the United States. Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the United States during 2023 a a decrease of 3 percent from the 111,029 deaths estimated in 2022. This is the first annual decrease in drug overdose deaths since 2018 and a sign that my Administration's historic investments are having an impact. Federally funded State Opioid Response grant programs have contributed to the prevention of over 600,000 potentially fatal overdoses and delivered nearly 10 million naloxone kits since 2020. Naloxone is available over-the-counter for the first time, thanks to actions taken by the Food and Drug Administration. Our workforce of addiction professionals continues to grow, providing the essential prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support services the American people need. We are also taking unprecedented action to disrupt the supply of fentanyl, other deadly drugs, and precursor chemicals. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has stopped more fentanyl at ports of entry over the last 2 years than in the previous 5 years combined, keeping tens of millions of fentanyl-laced pills and thousands of pounds of fentanyl powder away from our communities. In 2023 alone, CBP seized approximately 1.2 billion doses of fentanyl. In just the last 5 months, over 442 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl were seized at United States borders. In 2021, I signed an Executive Order targeting foreign persons engaged in the global illicit drug trade and have since sanctioned more than 300 persons and entities under this authority, thus cutting them off from the United States' financial system. The Department of Justice has successfully arrested and prosecuted high-level drug cartel leaders, drug traffickers, and money launderers a placing dangerous traffickers behind bars. While we expand our efforts at home, we also recognize this problem as a global one that requires a coordinated international response. For this reason, my Administration launched a Global Coalition in July 2023 uniting more than 150 countries from every region of the world to address synthetic drug threats. Participation in this group has tripled in the past 12 months a evidence that every continent is experiencing an alarming increase in the manufacturing, trafficking, and consumption of dangerous illicit synthetic drugs. I have also engaged with leaders across the world to spur additional global action in the fight against synthetic opioids, negotiated the resumption of bilateral counternarcotics cooperation with the PRC, and established a Trilateral Fentanyl Committee with the Governments of Mexico and Canada. While the challenges we face are more significant than ever, increased global awareness has yielded enhanced international action. In March, the United Nations (UN) Commission on Narcotic Drugs adopted a United States-sponsored resolution on preventing and responding to overdoses to drive international data collection and information sharing on this issue that remains deeply personal to the American people. The Commission also voted to place international controls on chemicals used to manufacture illicit fentanyl, methamphetamine, and MDMA, making it harder for trafficking networks to use these substances to create and distribute these dangerous synthetic drugs. Fostering robust, long-term partnerships with crucial allies such as Mexico is imperative for effectively combating the fentanyl epidemic and dismantling the sophisticated criminal organizations that exploit it for financial gain. The U.S.aMexico Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health, and Safe Communities is the foundation for our bilateral efforts to protect our people, prevent trans-border crime, and pursue criminal networks. Through trilateral mechanisms such as the North American Drug Dialogue and the Trilateral Fentanyl Committee, the United States, Mexico, and Canada have strengthened cooperation to address illicit drug production, advance public health, increase collaboration on the control of precursor chemicals, and engage with the private sector to combat the production of illicit synthetic drugs. Our security cooperation has led to significant interdiction efforts in Mexico. For example, United Statesadonated canines supported the seizure of more than 3 million fentanyl pills in Mexico in 2023 alone. We will continue our close partnership with Mexico to prevent the diversion of precursor chemicals and drug-related equipment; improve interdiction, investigations, and criminal justice outcomes; disrupt illicit finance; advance border integration; and build public trust in security and justice institutions. In South America, coca cultivation and cocaine production have reached record highs, necessitating urgent action by countries in the region. Colombia, a strong partner, continues to work closely with the United States to reduce cocaine production, conduct drug smuggling interdiction operations, and dismantle the criminal organizations involved in cocaine trafficking. United States assistance has led to increased interdictions, with the Colombian National Police seizing more than 841 metric tons of pure cocaine and cocaine base in 2023 a a 10 percent increase from the previous year. The new metrics for measuring progress agreed upon during the U.S.-Colombia High Level Dialogue in May 2024 demonstrate our renewed bilateral commitment to a holistic approach to address the production and trafficking of cocaine, while providing security, justice, and licit economic opportunities for Colombia's vulnerable rural populations. We are also collaborating to combat crimes that wreak havoc on Colombia's environment and provide significant funding to criminal organizations, including those involved in cocaine production and illegal mining. The United States welcomed the release of Colombia's 10-year drug strategy in 2023 and now urges the Colombian government to resource it adequately and expedite its implementation. Peru also remains a committed partner in reducing the production and trafficking of cocaine, and our first High Level Dialogue in May 2024 marked a positive step in our bilateral counternarcotics cooperation. While the Government of Bolivia has taken positive steps to address coca cultivation, it must do more to safeguard the country's licit coca markets from criminal exploitation, reduce illicit coca cultivation that continues to exceed legal limits under Bolivia's domestic laws for medical and traditional use, improve efforts to locate and interdict chemicals diverted through black market channels for processing cocaine, and expand cooperation with international partners to disrupt transnational criminal networks. Opium poppy cultivation for the production of illicit opioids and methamphetamine in Afghanistan continues to require global attention and action. This past year has seen continued steps from Afghanistan to strengthen drug control and curb the production of illicit opioids and methamphetamine, including through the maintenance of an existing ban on poppy cultivation and efforts to reform drug policies. However, I will reconsider Afghanistan's status in each annual review to assess whether it is upholding its international drug control commitments. The PRC has worked with the United States to coordinate efforts to counter the global manufacturing and trafficking of illicit synthetic drugs, including fentanyl, since the Woodside Summit between President Biden and President Xi in November 2023. Over the last year, the PRC took significant steps to reduce the flows of precursor chemicals to illicit drug producers known to be trafficking synthetic drugs, such as illicit fentanyl, into the United States. These steps included the PRC issuing a public notice to the PRC chemical industry warning against illicit trade in precursor chemicals and pill press equipment; taking public law enforcement actions against illicit precursor chemical suppliers; removing webabased advertisements; and scheduling 46 synthetic drugs effective July 1, 2024, some of which had been controlled internationally by the UN. The United States and the PRC also launched the U.S.-PRC Counternarcotics Working Group, a valuable mechanism for sharing law enforcement information, tackling the illicit financing of illicit drugs, and ensuring ongoing coordination on shared challenges. That said, sustained enforcement and regulatory action will be necessary to significantly reduce the PRC's role as a source of precursor chemicals used in the production, sale, and trafficking of illicit synthetic drugs significantly impacting the United States. You are authorized and directed to submit this designation, with the Bolivia, Burma, and Venezuela memoranda of justification, under section 706 of the FRAA, to the Congress, and to publish this determination in the Federal Register. JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chamran 1 research satellite Iran successfully launched the domestically-produced Chamran 1 research satellite into orbit, Iranian media reported 14 September 2024. The primary mission of Chamran 1 is to test hardware and software systems, specifically to demonstrate orbital maneuvering capabilities in terms of altitude and phase. Additionally, the satellite will assess cold gas propulsion subsystems and the performance of navigation and attitude control systems. The evaluation of the performance evaluation of the navigation and status control sub-systems are among the sub-missions of this space cargo. Iran's new solid-fuel engine could be the basis for building large numbers of anti-satellite missiles and deploying them on military alert. Iran has already found the power to intercept satellites in space, and in the future can combine this power with anti-satellite missiles to achieve effective space capabilitie. The meaning of the word "Chamran" in this context is somewha obscure. Shaheed Mustafa Chamran was admitted to the University of Tehran in the field of Electromechanical Engineering. Five years later, he received a government scholarship for the Texas A&M University, after which he earned a PhD in Electronics and Plasma Physics with high honors from the University of California, Berkeley. Although being in the situation he was in was the dream of many young people, Mustafa preferred struggle on the path of God for the values and principles that he believed in to a life of pursuing his own personal welfare that had nothing to do with his ideals.Perhaps, Shaheed Mustafa Chamran had never formally received education from anybody in any divine or mystical schools of thought, but his heart was seeking Allah. Being in the presence of Allah was a constant matter for him. The result of him staying seven years in Lebanon was the formation of the Supreme Islamic Shia Council and an organization by the name of Amal (the Resistance Forces of Lebanon), which was an organization for military and defensive training. Following the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Mustafa returned to his homeland after 23 years. He returned in order to put his many years of experiences at the service of Islam and Iran. The night of July 18, 1979 was a difficult night in the city of Paveh. Komala and the anti-revolutionary forces had besieged the city and the majority of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps soldiers had been massacred. The entire city and the surrounding areas had fallen into the hands of the enemy. As the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Imam Khomeini put Mustafa in charge of the mission. By the morning, the city had been secured by Gods grace and due to the exceptional military acumen of Chamran. Following this success, he was appointed Minister of Defense. With Saddam's invasion of Iran, he went to the southern cities of Iran to closely organize and command the forces, and he established the Ahwaz Irregular Warfare Headquarters there. Contrary to typical war commanders, he was always in front of his soldiers. It never occurred to him to follow the news from a distance in a command room and to issue orders from there. Even when he was injured in one of the operations, he refused to be transferred to Tehran for treatment. He returned to the field with a cane after a few days of rest. Ultimately, at the age of 48, he was wounded by mortar shells during a mission in the Dehlawieh war zone. He was martyred while being transported for treatment. Sayyid Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, introduced Dr. Mustafa Chamrans personality as being a perfect role model, Martyr Chamran is a role model. He was a scholar in the true sense of the word. He was knowledgeable and well-educated, and at the same time, he was a true soldier and truly fought on the path of God. Worldly, material concerns and positions were not important for him. Wealth and fame were not important for him. Who would be introduced as having gotten the job done was not important for him. He was just, frank, brave and tough. Despite his gentle, sympathetic, poetic and mystic nature, he was a tenacious soldier in the field of battle. "Chamran-1" satellite was was created with the participation of government institutions and knowledge-based companies, towards the construction and launch of "Rad" series radar sensing satellites. And the development of the "Research" satellite series will proceed with the cooperation of the private sector. Just hours after the launch, Chamran 1 transmitted its first signals back to Earth. The stabilization type of "Chamran-1" satellite is announced as rotating and the TT&C band of this satellite is VHF-UHF&S. The satellite, which weighs approximately 60 kilograms, was developed by Iranian Electronics Industries affiliated with the Defense Ministry. The research satellite "Chamran 1" was designed and built by the Iran Electronic Industries Space Group (Sairan) with the cooperation and participation of the Aerospace Research Institute and Danesh Banian private companies, The satellite was placed in a 550-kilometer orbit on the Qaem-100, a solid-fueled satellite carrier developed by aerospace experts from the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC). The Qaem-100, Iran's first three-stage solid-fuel satellite launcher, was reported by official media to have successfully placed a satellite into orbit above 500 kilometers (310 miles) for the first time in January. That same month, Iran announced the simultaneous deployment of three satellites into orbit, shortly after the IRGC launched a research satellite. Despite facing restrictions due to Western-imposed sanctions, Iran has continued to advance its space program in recent years. Hassan Salarieh, head of the Iranian Space Agency, previously announced that six to eight domestic and foreign satellite launches are planned by the end of 2024. He added that the Tolou-3 and Zafar-2 satellites will be launched using foreign launchers in December 2024. Salarieh pointed out that the activation of the Chabahar Space Center would enable access to various orbital inclinations. The head of the Iranian Space Agency further announced the launch of the indigenous Kosar satellite, developed by the private sector, in November 2024. Western governments, including the United States, have consistently cautioned Iran against conducting such launches, claiming the technology used could be repurposed for ballistic missiles, potentially capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Iran, however, has firmly denied pursuing nuclear weapons, asserting that its satellite and rocket launches are solely for civil and defensive purposes. Bloomberg wrote: The state television channel of the Islamic Republic of Iran reported that the country launched a domestically-made research satellite into space on Saturday. Reuters wrote: Iran sent the second satellite into Earth orbit this year. In January, Iranian media reported that the "Soraya" satellite was launched into a 750 km orbit. Economic Times wrote: Iran has successfully sent a satellite into space. Iran has successfully launched the Chamran 1 research satellite into Earth orbit using a rocket made by the IRGC. Reports indicate that ground stations have received signals from the satellite. ABC News wrote: Iran says it has successfully launched a satellite into space. The country said it launched a research satellite into Earth orbit with a rocket built by the IRGC. Jerusalem Post wrote: Iran's state media reported that the country sent its Chamran-1 research satellite into Earth orbit on Saturday, which is the second successful satellite launch for it this year. Arab News wrote: Iran successfully launched a satellite into space. Iran launched a research satellite into orbit on Saturday with a rocket built by the Revolutionary Guards, state news agencies reported. The Washington Post wrote: Iran said it launched a satellite into space. This country sent its Chamran-1 research satellite into the earth's orbit on Saturday. Iran described the launch, which was the second of its kind this year, and placed a satellite into orbit with a rocket, as a success. The Australian newspaper Canberra Times wrote: Iran sent another satellite into the earth's orbit. Iran's state media reported that the country has sent its Chamran-1 research satellite into orbit, which is its second successful satellite launch in 2024. India Today wrote: The sending of Iran's satellite into space, for the first time during the presidency of Masoud Mezikian. On Saturday, Iran launched a research satellite into the earth's orbit with a rocket made by the IRGC. The Hindu newspaper wrote: Iran said that it sent a research satellite into the earth's orbit with a rocket made by the IRGC. Referring to the successful launch of the "Chamran 1" satellite, the spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry wrote that "the illogical sanctions have once again made clear the answer to their illogical actions". According to ISNA, Nasser Kanani, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, reacted to the successful launch of the Chamran 1 research satellite. Kanani wrote on the X social network: "Congratulations to all Iranians, Iranian scientists and scholars, and especially those involved in this proud success, on the successful launch of the Chamran 1 research satellite by the Qaim 100 satellite carrier and its placement in an orbit of 550 km from the earth." The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran continued to write: The irrational sanctions have once again made clear the answer to their irrational actions. ? Emphasizing the point that "Iran is a rational, powerful and productive actor", Kanani advised the Westerners that "it is better to rationalize their behavior and speech". NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Apache pilots on flight path to future capability By Warrant Officer Class 2 Max Bree 13 September 2024 With the arrival of Australia's first Apaches just over 12 months away, five Army pilots are getting a head start on flying the attack platform. The aviators, former ARH Tiger pilots from the 1st Aviation Regiment, are embedded with the US Army where they are in full flight gaining experience on the aircraft, having completed their type-conversion course at the US Army Aviation Centre of Excellence (USAACE) in Fort Novosel, Alabama, last year. One pilot flew almost 1000 hours on the ARH Tiger before transitioning to Apache. He knew flying an Apache would be completely different as soon as he saw it. While the Tiger is lighter, nimble in the air and more forgiving to fly, according to the pilot, the Apache is packed with armour, sensors and enough power to carry 16 hellfire missiles - compared to the Tiger's eight. "Apache has a max all-up weight of about 10 tonnes, so you need to be a little bit more accurate with your flying," he said. "There's more armaments and armour on board, so there's more momentum that you're dealing with." Following their initial training, the pilots were posted to all corners of the US Army's combat aviation organisation - from the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade in Hawaii, to 16 Combat Aviation Brigade in Washington and the 101st Airborne Division in Kentucky. Two remain at Fort Novosel in instructional roles. All pilots fly the AH-64E Apache, the most advanced model, and the aircraft type Australia will receive. Their experience gained at the controls, and their understanding of how allies employ weapons and tactics will support the development of Australia's own Apache doctrine. The US Army E model has recently integrated the Spike missile to complement extant joint air-to-ground missiles - featuring laser and radar seekers - that will eventually replace their Hellfire missile. It can acquire targets at more than double a Tiger's range, assisted by colour TV screen, infrared sensors and a Longbow fire-control radar mounted above the rotors. Link 16 and other data links enable sharing of information with other Apaches and ground HQ elements. Exact sensor range is classified, but Apaches can see and detect at ranges further than they can shoot. The large amount of information coming into each cockpit means the US takes a formation approach to receiving and using data. This typically means a troop of four Apaches with mixed configurations of longbow radars and upper-receivers. "Longbow radar aircraft can share their targets, then the troop leader can assign them between the flight to attack," the pilot said. "It's an adrenalin rush to be in a four-ship formation with four aircraft firing simultaneously. "Everyone's focused on accuracy to make sure we're doing it effectively to achieve the mission." Similar to a tank squadron, US Army attack battalions can conduct deep strike to support division manoeuvre - including deliberate attacks, attack out of contact and movement to contact missions. "It's not typically in close proximity to ground forces; more forward of their forward line of own troops to hit strategic targets in depth," the pilot said. The pilots, who are due home late next year when the first of Australia's 29 Apaches are scheduled to arrive, are confident Australia can maximise the Apache's performance for the local environment. "The new Apache brings the ability to see and detect more, share that information more rapidly and apply more weaponry. It's a fantastic machine," the pilot said. "The aircrew flying the Tiger are still doing a great job; it will be able to do what the Army needs until Apache is ready to take over." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address $2.7 million for cutting-edge quantum optical atomic clocks Issued by Defence Media 13 September 2024 The Australian Government is acquiring quantum optical atomic clocks from Adelaide-based QuantX Labs to deliver position navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities to the Australian Defence Force (ADF). aTwo contracts worth $2.7 million will enable AUKUS partners to develop PNT capabilities to support superior decision advantage and enhanced maritime domain awareness, which are key objectives under AUKUS Pillar II. aThese QuantX Lab clocks contribute to accelerate the development of quantum technology for precision navigation and timing in military capability. aQuantX will also deliver an optical atomic clock as part of a mobile test and measurement system to Defence in early 2025. aThe ADF will use the quantum clock to test and evaluate timing in critical defence hardware, like communication and navigation systems, to determine operational resilience in global positioning systems (GPS) degraded environments. Under AUKUS Pillar II, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom are accelerating the delivery of quantum technologies. Chief Defence Scientist Professor Tanya Monro said investing in next generation atomic clocks supports the commitment of Defence to innovation priorities outlined in the National Defence Strategy. "Defence will increasingly leverage emerging disruptive technologies such as quantum to provide a capability edge for the warfighter," Professor Monro said. The state-of-the-art portable atomic clocks are the result of over seven years of research and development, initially at the Institute of Photonics and Advanced Sensing at The University of Adelaide, in close partnership with Defence. "This is the first sale for QuantX Labs and a prime example of the collaborative relationships needed to transition leading-edge sovereign research into advanced operational capabilities for the Australian Defence Force", Professor Monro said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Activist Flees Belarus After Being Charged Over Sending Parcels To 2 Political Prisoners By RFE/RL's Belarus Service September 13, 2024 Belarusian activist Hanna Auchynnikava told the Vyasna rights group on September 13 that she fled Belarus without travel documents after being charged with facilitating extremist activities because she sent parcels to political prisoners Zmitser Dashkevich and Svyatoslav Udod. Auchynnikava was detained on January 23, after which police searched her home and confiscated personal items, including her passport. She then spent three days in custody. Investigators told her that, because she sent parcels to people convicted on extremism charges, she may be convicted on similar charges as well. On January 26, Auchynnikava was released and police returned her belongings, except for her passport. She was ordered to remain in Minsk as investigations continued. In mid-March, Auchynnikava's family members left Belarus and shortly after that she managed to leave the country despite having no passport. She did not say how she managed to get out of the country, or where she is now located other than to say she is in a European Union member along with her family and is trying to obtain legal status to reside there. Meanwhile, on September 13, a court in the southeastern city of Mazyr started the trial of activist Paval Kebets on a charge of publicly insulting authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka. A day earlier, a court in the western Brest district handed sentences to 11 local residents over their participation in mass rallies in 2020 protesting against the official results of a presidential election that declared Lukashenka had won amid opposition claims the balloting was rigged. The activists were found guilty of taking part in activities that blatantly disrupted social order and received sentences ranging between suspended two-year terms and 18 months in prison. Thousands were detained during nationwide protests and there were credible reports of torture and ill-treatment by security forces. Several people died during the crackdown. Many of Belarus's opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country, while Lukashenka has refused to negotiate with the opposition. The United States, the EU, and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote and imposed several rounds of sanctions on him and his regime, citing election fraud and the police crackdown. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus- activist-extremism-charge-auchynnikava--kebets-mazyr- brest-lukashenka-protest/33119020.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Minister Blair meets with Japanese Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru and announces fall deployment of CP-140 Aurora detachment under Operation NEON National Defence Readout September 13, 2024 - Tokyo, Japan - National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence had a bilateral meeting in Tokyo with Japanese Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru. Minister Blair and Minister Kihara discussed defence and security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, and agreed it is more important than ever to boost defence ties between Canada and Japan to promote peace and stability. To this end, Minister Blair announced that from September to October 2024, Canada will deploy a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CP-140 Aurora Air Detachment to Japan under Operation NEON, which is the CAF contribution to the multinational effort to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions imposed against the DPRK. For a period of approximately four weeks, the CP-140 Aurora will monitor for suspected maritime sanctions evasion activities, in particular ship-to-ship transfers of fuel and other commodities banned by the UNSC. The RCAF CP-140 Aurora Air Detachment includes approximately 50 personnel. In his bilateral meeting with Minister Kihara, Minister Blair highlighted Canada's commitment to advancing a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, and condemned the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) provocative and destabilizing actions in the region, including the continued testing and development of ballistic missiles. That country's growing relationship with Russia also provides a clear reminder that Indo-Pacific security is linked to security around the globe. Minister Blair highlighted to Minister Kihara Canada's increasing military presence in the region, thanks to Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy. Canada now deploys three warships per year to the Indo-Pacific region, allowing the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) to conduct more activities and exercises with regional partners, including Japan. This enables cooperation between the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Japanese Self-Defense Force through a range of activities such as the NOBLE series of Exercises in the South China Sea, and participation in Exercises ANNUALEX, KEEN SWORD and Pacific Vanguard. Most recently, from September 6-8, 2024, the RCN and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force conducted Exercise KADEX in the Timor Sea, involving the Japanese destroyer JS Ariake (DD-109) and the Canadian frigate HMCS Vancouver (FFH 331). The Exercise focused on strengthening interoperability between the two navies in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. Minister Blair thanked Minister Kihara for supporting the excellent collaboration between our two countries' Armed Forces and thanked him for regularly hosting Canadian personnel in Japan under Operations NEON and HORIZON. Ministers Blair and Kihara also discussed Canada and Japan's continued collaboration in the space domain through the Combined Space Operations (CSpO) initiative and the Schriever Wargame. Minister Blair also welcomed Japan's efforts to advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda both at home and abroad, and the ministers discussed how the two countries can align their efforts. As security challenges grow in the Indo-Pacific, the Canada-Japan partnership is ever more important, with Japan being Canada's only G7 partner in that region. The Ministers agreed that Canada-Japan defence relations will continue to grow and welcomed progress in increasing cooperation in key areas such as space, cyber and Special Forces. The Ministers agreed that both nations will continue to implement the Canada-Japan Action Plan for contributing to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and that important progress is being made. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China mulls national military training for children, college students The ruling Chinese Communist Party wants to cultivate the next generation of recruits to prepare for war. By Hsia Hsiao-hwa for RFA Mandarin 2024.09.13 -- China's National People's Congress is considering amendments to the law that would expand compulsory military training at universities and 'national defense education' in high schools. Under the amendments, branches of the People's Liberation Army will be stationed in colleges, universities and high schools across the country to boost a nationwide program of approved military education and physical training to prepare young people for recruitment, state news agency Xinhua reported on Sept. 10. "The second draft of the revised bill clarifies that ordinary colleges, universities and high schools should strengthen military skills training, hone students' willpower, enhance organizational discipline, and improve the level of military training," the agency said in a summary of the amendments. China has long had a culture of military training in schools and universities, with military-style boot-camps for kids on vacation and 'defense education bases' catering to corporations and tour groups. The authorities in Hong Kong have also imposed such training on former young protesters, alongside "patriotic education." People's Armed Forces departments already exist at every level of government, in schools, universities and state-owned enterprises to strengthen ruling Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, control over local militias, guard weapons caches and find work for veterans. After decades of relative invisibility throughout the post-Mao economic boom, they are once more mobilizing to build militias in big state-owned companies and consolidate party leadership over local military operations. But analysts say the amendments, if adopted, will standardize these activities under guidelines laid down by the CCP's military arm, in a bid to create more potential recruits as part of preparations for war. While Chinese citizens have an obligation to serve in the People's Liberation Army on paper, this hasn't been implemented since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. 'Glorious' military service Under the planned amendments, high schools will also be obliged to teach children about military service, and create an atmosphere in which military service is seen as "glorious," Xinhua said. Primary and junior high schools are included in the plan, which calls on them to "combine classroom teaching with extracurricular activities," according to the China News Service. "Students in colleges and high schools are required to offer compulsory basic military training, while junior high schools may also organize such activities," the report said. According to a report in the Legal Daily newspaper, the amendments aim to build a nationwide program of military training that connects schools at all levels and of all types. They also guarantee funding for these activities, which will include military camps and "national defense education bases," the paper said. "They want students to know about national defense, an awareness of who the enemy is, at a much younger age," Shan-Son Kung, an associate researcher at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told RFA Mandarin in a recent interview. "[They also] want kids to get basic military training, which is being extended lower down the system, so as to universalize basic military knowledge," he said. "The aim is to step up preparations for a future war, so that there will be more conscripts available following the passing of the Mobilization Law." The National Defense Mobilization Law of the People's Republic of China took effect on July 1, 2010, with the aim of setting up a nationwide structure for national defense mobilization. Currently, the Chinese military mostly relies on recruitment, and most of the standing army are professional soldiers, Kung said. "In the next few years, we could see growing tensions between China and the United States, and China may look to strengthen its economic and military mobilization as well as the frequency and scope of exercises sooner rather than later," Kung said. "They may be making advance preparations for a large-scale war." 'Educational brainwashing' China already requires graduates in fluid mechanics, machinery, chemistry, missile technology, radar, science and engineering, weapons science and other technical disciplines to join the People's Liberation Army. Taiwan-based Chinese dissident Gong Yujian said the Chinese Communist Party is aware that it may face great difficulty in recruiting young people to the military, given the shrinking of that age group due to the one-child policy, so it's stepping up pro-military propaganda while they're still young. "They need to cultivate high school students to be loyal to the party and patriotic, and worship the People's Liberation Army," Gong said. "It's educational brainwashing." "That way, they can join up after graduation and boost the People's Liberation Army's recruitment figures," he said. Gong said he still has memories of some military training exercises from when he was in high school. "When we were in school, we had seven days' military training, but it was just a formality," he said. "The local armed police force sent soldiers to our school to teach the students how to march, and how to fold a blanket." "But we didn't even so much as touch a firearm," he said. Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Roseanne Gerin. Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content September not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Dozens of Hong Kong journalists threatened in harassment campaign, says HKJA By Tommy Walker September 13, 2024 Dozens of Hong Kong journalists and their families have been harassed and intimidated in the past three months, according to the chair of a local press club. The Hong Kong Journalists Association or HKJA said Friday it had tracked "systematic" and "organized" attacks on journalists from June to August this year. At least 15 journalists and their family members, employers and neighbors were harassed both online and offline, the press club said. Selina Cheng, the chair of the HKJA, said in a press conference Friday that it is the biggest case of intimidation that the association has ever seen. "I don't believe this is right, and that's why we are making a loud call today to say we do not accept such behavior," she said. "This type of intimidation and harassment, which includes sharing false and defamatory content and death threats, damages press freedom," she added. Journalists from multiple Hong Kong media outlets have been affected, with anonymous threats and harassment made via social media email or in the mail, the HKJA said in a statement. Some of those targeted received threats to their personal safety and were warned to give up their employment or position within associations, the HKJA added. "HKJA has gathered detailed information on a number of affected journalists and organisations," the statement read. Those affected include two journalism education institutions and 13 media outlets, including the executive committee of the HKJA, Hong Kong Free Press, InMediaHK, and HK Feature. Many of the letters and emails warned that association with the named organizations or people could be a violation of Hong Kong's national security laws. The emails and letters were sent anonymously, with emails sent from Microsoft Outlook accounts. On social media, posts showed photos of journalists and members of the HKJA executive committee pictured alongside images of knives, blood, shooting targets and "memorial" signs. The Hong Kong Free Press condemned the attacks. In a statement shared on social media, it said that the landlord of the news website's director, Tom Grundy, had received threatening letters, saying "unimaginable consequences" would occur unless Grundy was evicted from his property. Grundy reported the threats to police, the news website said. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders or RSF called on the international community to take action. "We strongly condemn this harassment campaign led against the independent media outlets that managed to survive the previous waves of government repression," said Cedric Alviani, RSF's Asia-Pacific bureau director. "We urge the international community to intensify its pressure on the Chinese regime so press freedom is fully restored in the territory." VOA requested comment late Friday from the Hong Kong Police Force but did not immediately receive a response. Hong Kong's undersecretary for security, Michael Cheuk, told media "no one should be intimidated, insulted, or so-called harassed." Cheuk urged anyone who felt under pressure to report it to law agencies, Reuters reported. The HKJA said that it has contacted Meta, which owns Facebook, and Wikimedia Foundation, the two main platforms used in the harassment campaign. Cheng told VOA she believes a person or group of people are responsible. "Bots means they are machine-controlled. I don't think that's the case," she added. Details of the intimidation campaign come as critics warn that press freedom is being eroded in Hong Kong. Since Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 a which carries life imprisonment for those found guilty of what are deemed as sedition, subversion, foreign interference or terrorism a news outlets have shuttered and there is greater self-censorship on sensitive issues, say media experts. Activists, political figures, lawmakers and reporters are cautious about speaking on the record to the media, with most declining to be interviewed for fear of reprisal. Media unions like the Hong Kong Journalist Association have also come under pressure, after being criticized by authorities and Chinese state media for alleged links to activist organizations. The governments of Hong Kong and China have said that the security law has brought stability back to the former British colony. But since 2020, dozens of people have been arrested under the legislation. At least 28 of those arrested were journalists or press freedom defenders. In August, two journalists from the now-defunct Stand News website were found guilty of sedition in a landmark case. And the pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai is in prison and on trial under the national security law for charges he denies. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Report details how China retaliates against people for engaging with UN By Liam Scott September 13, 2024 China is among the foreign governments that retaliate against people for engaging with the United Nations, according to a report released this week by the U.N. Secretary-General. The report highlights how hard Beijing tries to silence its critics, according to Sophie Richardson, an expert on human rights in China. "These [U.N.] mechanisms are some of the only ones available to people inside China, at least on paper, to provide any modicum of redress or justice for the human rights abuses either they've endured or the communities they work with have endured," Richardson told VOA. "That's why you see the Chinese government go to extraordinary lengths to silence people who are simply trying to take reports to some of these human rights experts or bodies," Richardson said. A former China director at Human Rights Watch, Richardson is currently a visiting scholar at Stanford University. The annual report chronicles government retaliation against people for engaging with the U.N. In addition to China, other countries named in the report include Colombia, India, Nicaragua, the Philippines and Russia. "In my perfect world, governments that get referenced in these reprisals reports shouldn't be members of the Human Rights Council," said Richardson, who is based in Washington. China is a current member of the council in Geneva. China's Washington embassy, as well as its U.N. offices in New York and Geneva, did not reply to VOA's emails requesting comment for this story. One of the incidents included in the report's China section is harassment against two members of the international legal team supporting Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy publisher. Lai is on trial in Hong Kong on national security charges that are widely viewed as politically motivated. The 76-year-old is in prison following convictions in other cases that supporters also view as sham cases. Members of Lai's legal team have faced death and rape threats, as well as attempts by unknown sources to hack their email and bank accounts, according to the report. Sebastien Lai thanked the U.N. for shedding light on his father's case. "These intimidation tactics will not succeed. I will not rest until my father is freed," he said in a statement. Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, a barrister leading Jimmy's international legal team, also condemned the attacks. The reprisals "are personally unpleasant and distressing," Gallagher said in a statement. "But they are also an attack on the legal profession and on the international human rights system." The reprisals make it harder for Jimmy Lai to use U.N. mechanisms to achieve justice in his case, Gallagher said. Hong Kong's government has tried to argue that the legal team interfered in Hong Kong's judicial process by bringing his case to U.N. human rights mechanisms, according to the report. "It's just so nakedly in tension with its obligations under international law," Richardson said. On Thursday, Lai's international legal team submitted an urgent appeal to the U.N. special rapporteur on torture. The appeal raised several concerns, including that the elderly publisher has been in solitary confinement since late 2020 and that the British national has been denied access to independent medical care, according to a statement from his legal team. Lai's trial began in December 2023. It was initially expected to last around 80 days but is now expected to resume in November. Press freedom groups have called the trial a sham, and the U.S. and British governments have called for his immediate release. Hong Kong officials, however, have said he will receive a fair trial. Other incidents cited in the U.N. report include the case of Cao Shunli, a Beijing-based human rights defender who was arrested following an attempt to engage in a universal periodic review of China's human rights record at the Human Rights Council. Cao died in custody in 2014. Another case is that of the Beijing-based activists Li Wenzu and Wang Quanzhang, who are married. The couple have faced significant retaliation, including police surveillance and evictions, and their son is unable to enroll in school due to pressure from state authorities, the report said. "If one reads these cases, you get a sense of what risks a what unbelievable risks a people are taking to do this kind of work," Richardson said. The report doesn't mention specific incidents involving Uyghurs or Tibetans, but Richardson says their absence underscores how difficult it is for some groups to access U.N. mechanisms in the first place, as well as how some people may be too scared to report such incidents to the U.N. The Chinese government has engaged in severe human rights abuses against both ethnic groups, according to myriad reports. Multiple governments and international human rights organizations have accused Beijing of committing genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs, which the Chinese government rejects. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China, US step up top-level military exchanges amid ongoing tension By William Yang September 13, 2024 An expected visit to Hawaii by the head of China's Southern Theater Command next week will come just days after a high-ranking Pentagon official attended a defense conference in Beijing. The visits, analysts said, are part of an effort to expand high-level exchanges between the U.S. and China and boost top-level military-to-military communication. It is unclear, though, how much the exchanges will do to help avoid miscommunication and keep tensions in the Indo-Pacific under control, they added. Earlier this week, the head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Sam Paparo, and the head of the PLA, or People's Liberation Army, Southern Theater Command, General Wu Yanan, held a video call for the first time in years. The Chinese defense ministry said the two commanders had an "in-depth exchange of views on issues of common concern" while Paparo urged the Chinese military "to reconsider its use of dangerous, coercive and potentially escalatory tactics in the South China Sea and beyond." Wu is expected to attend a defense conference held by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii next week, U.S. defense officials have confirmed to VOA. Meanwhile, Michael Chase, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, Taiwan and Mongolia, is holding defense policy coordination talks with Chinese defense officials while attending the annual Xiangshan Security Dialogue held in Beijing this week. A meeting that took place on the sidelines of the Xiangshan forum was designed to "underscore the United States' shared vision for the region," according to a U.S. Department of Defense readout Thursday. The Biden administration has been working to restore communication between Chinese and American militaries since the U.S. president's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit in California last November. Chase's visit to Beijing this week and Wu's expected reciprocal visit next week follow a first meeting between U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan and China's vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, last month. During that meeting, Zhang said maintaining military security is "in line with the common interests of both sides" and Sullivan highlighted the two nations' shared responsibility to "prevent competition from veering into conflict or confrontation." Some analysts see a potential for further communication and engagement between the two militaries. "I won't rule out the possibilities that Beijing and Washington may look to establish a hotline between the two militaries, and whether that mechanism could be extended to the theater command level remains to be seen," Lin Ying-Yu, a military expert at Tamkang University in Taiwan, told VOA by phone. While the resumption of top-level communication allows Beijing and Washington to avoid miscalculations, other experts say it is unclear whether China and the U.S. can establish a more sustainable mechanism to cope with potential crises. "While having contact and knowing your interlocutors are positive things during non-crisis times, the real test is whether these contacts can hold back any unintended escalation when incidents happen," said Ian Chong, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore. Chong said since theater commanders from the U.S. and China oversee implementing rather than formulating policies, it is unclear whether the latest development can become established protocols. "If there's a persistence of [maintaining military-to-military communication], then it would suggest that it has become a policy," he told VOA by phone. Tensions remain high over contentious issues Tensions remain high between China and the U.S. over a range of issues, including the repeated collision between Chinese and Philippine vessels near disputed reefs in the South China Sea and Beijing's increased maneuvers in waters and airspace near Taiwan and Japan. During the Xiangshan forum, Lieutenant General He Lei, the former vice president of the PLA Academy of Military Sciences, characterized the Philippines' attempt to safeguard its territorial claims in the South China Sea as "a unilateral change of the status quo" while accusing the U.S. of undermining security across the Taiwan Strait by selling weapons to Taiwan. "The Chinese people and the People's Liberation Army will never allow any external forces to interfere in China's internal affairs or invade China's territory," he told Chinese state broadcaster CGTN in an interview. Some analysts say there are limits to what military-to-military communications can do to ease tensions over what are essentially political disagreements. "The military tension is only a manifestation of their political differences over Taiwan and the South China Sea, so if their disagreements are not resolved, the military tension is very unlikely to see a permanent resolution," Yun Sun, China program director at the Stimson Center in Washington, told VOA by phone. With less than two months until the U.S. presidential election, Chong in Singapore said Beijing and Washington's recent efforts may be an attempt to lay the foundation for bilateral military-to-military communication to be continued after the November election. "On the Democrat side, if some of the current team stays [after November], perhaps we would see this momentum continue," he told VOA. "On the Republican side, things are a bit messier, because you have those who prefer the isolationist approach, those who advocate a containment approach in Asia, and people who talk about competing against China to win," Chong added. Sun said if Donald Trump wins the election in November, Beijing will expect instability in bilateral relations and be prepared for the military relationship to be affected. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US-China rivalry for military influence in Africa ramps up By Kate Bartlett September 13, 2024 While the U.S. was forced to downsize and pull its troops out of Niger this year, China is increasing its military cooperation on the continent, recently announcing a plan to spend $140 million to train 6,000 military personnel a a move, a U.S. defense official said Friday, was for China's "own economic growth and benefit." Among the many ways that the U.S. and China are competing for influence in Africa, analysts say military cooperation on the continent is one that is seeing rising rivalry between the two superpowers. At a summit that focused on China-Africa cooperation last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping made the pledge to train the 6,000 military personnel. He also invited 500 African officers to visit China. 'Most explicit' pledge China has been cooperating with Africa in several areas of security for years, including participating in U.N. peacekeeping missions, holding joint military drills, and providing training and education for officers. However, analysts said the latest announcement was particularly noteworthy. "This year's military pledge was by far the most explicit," Lauren Johnston, associate professor of China studies at the University of Sydney, told VOA. "Never seen anything so measured and direct." Asked by VOA about whether Xi's pledge means China is outperforming the U.S. when it comes to security cooperation on the continent, a spokesperson for U.S.-Africa Command, or AFRICOM, said: "We recognize that the PRC is adept at creating opportunities to expand influence on the continent." The PRC is the acronym for China's official name, the People's Republic of China. "Its long-term vision for Africa is tied to its own economic benefit and growth," said the spokesperson, Kelly Cahalan. "The PRC is the second-largest arms supplier in Africa after Russia, with defense exports of small arms, missile systems, aerial munitions, naval vessels, combat aircraft, infantry vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles." However, the AFRICOM spokesperson added that the U.S. "would welcome the PRC's cooperation on issues such as climate change, global health security, arms control and non-proliferation." Niger exodus In a blow to Washington earlier this year, the U.S. military was forced to pull troops out of Niger, after the junta there demanded the U.S. close its $100 million airbase combatting extremist groups in the Sahel region. Since then, the U.S. has been in talks with other West African nations, including Ivory Coast, Ghana and Benin "as we start to reset and recalibrate some of our assets," General Michael Langley commander of U.S.-Africa Command, or AFRICOM, told journalists in an online press briefing Thursday. Langley was speaking from Kenya, after also visiting Somalia to speak with the government about counter-terrorism efforts against al-Shabab. He has spent a lot of time on the continent recently, having also visited a number of North African countries earlier this year. Asked in the press briefing about China's influence in Africa, General Langley said the choice lay with African governments. "When we have engaged with our African partners, we don't give them an ultimatum of who to choose for a security partner," he said. "All our activities and our partnership-centric type approach should be African-led and U.S.-enabled." Darren Olivier, director of the conflict research consulting firm African Defense Review, said the U.S. is trying to shore up support after the blow it received in West Africa. "The U.S. was clearly shaken by the junta takeovers in Sahelian countries like Burkina Faso & Niger and their subsequent ending of security cooperation and basing agreements," he said in a written response to VOA, noting that the U.S. had been criticized for not being consultative enough with its African partners. "General Langley's tour therefore appears to be not just about shoring up support for new cooperation agreements and basing locations, but to reinforce the U.S.'s new message of listening first and advising second," Olivier added. Playing the long game Efforts by the U.S. in Africa come as China is working to grow its ties as well. Jana de Kluiver, an analyst with the Institute for Security Studies based in South Africa, said China was looking to foster long-term connections with the people who will go on to become Africa's military top brass and political elite. "The 6,000 military personnel trained by China will later on become higher ranking figures in their respective countries, enhancing Beijing's soft power across the continent," she told VOA. In 2022, China launched what it called the Global Security Initiative, or GSI, as a counterpoint to the U.S.-led security order. One of the main tenets of the initiative is China's principle of non-interference. "As Chinese economic interests expand across the continent, the need for a stable security environment becomes critical. However, Beijing is careful to avoid appearing too assertive, as its broader narrative seeks to contrast with the perceived interventionism of the West," said the Institute for Security Studies' de Kluiver. African Defense Review's Olivier said it will be interesting to see how African nations that are used to Western military support and training now juggle their options. If they opt for Chinese training, they could then choose to "silo their armed forces into units trained by Western countries and units trained by China, which will have its own impacts from incompatible doctrines and standards," he told VOA. China always positions itself as a no-strings attached ally of Africa and Olivier said it would also depend where China placed any pre-conditions on military cooperation. "Western countries are traditionally skittish about training units that might commit human rights violations," he said. "This might provide the opportunity for some countries frustrated with those restrictions to turn to Beijing for training instead." Base concerns Washington has also long been concerned about the possibility that China is looking to establish a second permanent base in Africa. Beijing already has one on the continent's east coast, in Djibouti, and is said to be seeking a foothold in West Africa. That would give Beijing a military presence across the Atlantic from America's East Coast, a move that analysts say would be perceived by the U.S. as a threat to national security. China was believed to be looking to Equatorial Guinea, but those talks have reportedly stalled. Last week Bloomberg reported the U.S. is assembling a $5 million security package, including special forces training, for Gabon. The report quoted unnamed sources, but said the deal was aimed at preventing China from establishing a base in the country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DRDO & Indian Navy achieve back-to-back success with 2nd consecutive flight test of VLSRSAM off Odisha coast India - Press Information Bureau Ministry of Defence Posted On: 13 SEP 2024 2:47PM by PIB Delhi Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy have conducted back-to-back successful flight tests of the Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VLSRSAM). The second consecutive test was conducted on September 13, 2024, from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha. The missile intercepted a high-speed aerial target, flying at a very low altitude and simulating a sea-skimming threat, which showcased its precision and capability to neutralise targets. This follows the earlier test on September 12, 2024, when the VLSRSAM missile effectively engaged another low-altitude target. These consecutive tests not only demonstrate the weapon system's reliability but also validate the recent upgrades made to various components of the system. Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh lauded DRDO, the Indian Navy & all associated teams for the successful flight tests and stated that this missile equipped with modern technologies will give further technological boost to the Armed Forces. Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, and Chairman DRDO, Dr. Samir V Kamat also congratulated the teams involved in the flight tests of the VLSRSAM system. *** SR/KB (Release ID: 2054488) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Third edition of INDUS-X Summit concludes in California India - Press Information Bureau Ministry of Defence iDEX & Defence Innovation Unit ink MoU to increase co-operation in defence innovation Posted On: 13 SEP 2024 9:42AM by PIB Delhi The third edition of the INDUS-X Summit concluded in the United States, marking a progress in the advancement of a joint defence innovation ecosystem in India and the USA. Held on 9-10 September 2024, the Summit was a landmark event jointly organised by the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and Stanford University. During the summit, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between iDEX and the Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) under the US Department of Defence, to increase co-operation in defence innovation and deepen collaboration to facilitate industry, research, and investment partnerships among the stakeholders. Other key highlights of the Summit included announcement of a new challenge under INDUS-X, release of the INDUS-X Impact Report and launch of the official INDUS-X webpage on the iDEX and DIU websites. The Summit offers a platform for joint showcase of next generation technologies by startups/MSMEs. It also enables critical dialogue through Senior Advisory Group and Senior Leaders Forum, the two advisory forums under INDUS-X . The discussions focused, inter-alia, on future technology trends, capacity building of startups, funding opportunities for defence innovations and strengthening defence supply chains. Distinguished experts from defence industry, investment firms, startups, academia, think tanks, accelerators, policymakers, etc. from both nations participated. Joint Secretary (Defence Industries Promotion) Sh. Amit Satija who led the Indian delegation said that the third edition of INDUS-X Summit reaffirmed the commitment of both the countries in advancing defence technology through innovation and strategic collaboration. The INDUS-X initiative is being steered by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) on behalf of Ministry of Defence and Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) under the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Since the launch of INDUS-X during the Prime Minister's State visit to the United States in June 2023, the initiative has been able to achieve significant milestones in a short span of time. *** VK/SR/Anand (Release ID: 2054372) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU Condemns Alleged Iranian Missile Transfers To Russia, Mulls New Sanctions By RFE/RL's Russian Service September 13, 2024 The European Union has condemned the recent alleged transfer of Iranian-made ballistic missiles to Russia and is considering new sanctions against Tehran in response. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on September 13 that Brussels had "repeatedly strongly cautioned Iran against transfers of ballistic missiles to Russia," which has worked to boost its depleted arsenal as it continues its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The bloc, Borrell said, would "respond swiftly and in coordination with international partners" and was considering ways to target Iran's already heavily sanctioned aviation sector. The comments came after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this week that the weapons received by Russia could be used in the war against Ukraine within weeks. In a joint statement issued on September 10, Britain, France, and Germany called the transfers "an escalation by both Iran and Russia" and "a direct threat to European security." A diplomatic source on September 13 said that the French Foreign Ministry had summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in the country over the alleged transfers of short-range missiles, which Tehran has denied. The three countries also announced they had canceled air-service agreements with Iran that would restrict flights by an Iranian air carrier to Europe. In response, the Iranian government separately summoned the envoys of Britain, France, Germany, as well as the Netherlands. Iran's official IRNA news agency reported that the Iranian Foreign Ministry told the envoys that the accusations were part of Western hostility against Iran and that the actions would "be met with an appropriate response from the Islamic republic." Iranian weapon transfers to Russia have been a contentious issue since Russia launched its unprovoked, all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Iranian suicide drones, both those manufactured in Iran and increasingly copies made in Russia using Iranian blueprints, have proven to be a deadly boost to Russia's strike capabilities throughout the war. Russia has also pounded Ukrainian infrastructure and cities with ballistic missiles, depleting its stockpiles of such weapons even as it has greatly boosted its domestic production. Moscow has been accused of turning to North Korea and Iran to boost supplies of drones, missiles, and other munitions. Iran has denied providing Russia with Shahed drones, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and said that any suicide and more advanced combat drones sent to Moscow were transferred before the war in Ukraine began. Russia and Iran, two major oil and gas producers under heavy sanctions from the West and the UN, have significantly strengthened their political and business ties in recent years. The two have worked out barter deals that circumvent sanctions that restrict their petroleum revenue and get around punitive measures that have effectively cut them off from the international banking system. The sharing of technology and know-how has raised concerns that Tehran could bolster its controversial nuclear program, while Russia could feed its war effort against Ukraine. The fears were heightened last year following reports that Iran was considering exporting ballistic missiles to Russia, and the expiration in October of UN Security Council sanctions designed to thwart Iran's development of ballistic missiles and which barred its sale of such weapons. Britain, France, and Germany have maintained their sanctions intended to restrict Iran's nuclear development and possible delivery systems such as missiles, and the United States has imposed new sanctions targeting individuals in both Russia and Iran in an effort to penalize Iranian efforts to buy or sell technology related to its drone and missile programs. However, both Russia and Iran said following the expiration of the UN sanctions last year that no obstacles remained to their defense cooperation and potential trade of military technology and weapons. In August, a new report said Iran was preparing to export Fath-360 and Ababil close-range missiles. Last week, satellite imagery reportedly showed a Russian cargo ship suspected of carrying Iranian ballistic missiles docked at a Russian port on the Caspian Sea on September 4. The U.S. Treasury department on September 10 assessed that the Russian Defense Ministry had used the Port Olya 3 ship to "transport CRBMs from Iran to Russia." The development has added urgency to Ukraine's appeals to its Western partners to allow it to use donated weaponry to strike deeper into Russian territory. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-iran-missiles-russia- sanctions/33118932.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran: Repression of women 'intensifying', two years on from mass protests 13 September 2024 - The Iranian Government has intensified its efforts to suppress the fundamental rights of women and girls and crush remaining initiatives of women's activism, UN Human Rights Council-appointed independent investigators warned in an update released on Friday. "The Islamic Republic of Iran relies on a system, both in law and in practice, that fundamentally discriminates on the grounds of gender," the update noted, highlighting the far-reaching impacts on women and girls' bodily autonomy, freedom of expression and religion, as well as a wide range of economic, social and cultural rights. The heightened repression comes two years after the unlawful death in custody of 22-year-old Jina Mahasa Amini, arrested by Iran's "morality police" in Tehran on 13 September 2022 for alleged non-compliance with Iran's laws on mandatory hijab. Her death triggered protests across the country demanding accountability and an end to discrimination under the hallmark slogan of "Woman, Life, Freedom." Rise in violence, surveillance, executions Iranian security forces have escalated pre-existing patterns of physical violence, including beating, kicking, and slapping women and girls who are perceived as failing to comply with the mandatory hijab laws and regulations, according to the report from the UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran. State authorities have also increased monitoring of hijab compliance in both the public and private spheres through the increased use of surveillance, including drones. Meanwhile, over the last two years, the death penalty and other criminal laws have been used to terrorise Iranians and discourage them from protesting and expressing themselves freely, investigators said. This apparent new pattern of sentencing women activists to death - including some belonging to Iran's ethnic and religious minorities, following their convictions for national security offences - raised utmost concern in the update. Amidst such escalation in violence, a "Hijab and Chastity" bill is in the final stages of approval where it is likely to be finalised. The bill will issue harsher penalties for women who do not wear the mandatory hijab, including exorbitant financial fines, longer prison sentences, restrictions on work and educational opportunities, and bans on travel, the independent rights experts contend. Women's plight must remain 'high on agenda' The Mission is calling on Iran to immediately stop executing protesters and consider ending the death penalty altogether, to release all people arbitrarily arrested due to the protests and end all repressive policy and institutional measures against women and girls, including the "Hijab and Chastity" bill. "With no deterrence for the State regarding the increasing violations against women and girls, there is no realistic hope that victims and survivors could fully and meaningfully access the fundamental rights and freedoms to which they are entitled, and which the Islamic Republic of Iran has obligations to respect and ensure," the update warned. Given the widespread impunity that prevails across Iran, including for crimes against humanity, the Mission is also calling on UN Member States to scale up efforts to ensure the rights of victims and their families. "States must continue to place the situation of women and girls in the Islamic Republic of Iran high on the international agenda," the update said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Memorandum on the Delegation of Certain Sanctions-Related Authorities Under Public Law 118-50 September 13, 2024 MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE SUBJECT: Delegation of Certain Sanctions-Related Authorities Under Public Law 118-50 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby order as follows: Section 1. Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum Act. (a) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the functions and authorities vested in the President by sections 3(a), 3(c)(1), and 3(e) of the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum Act (Division J of Public Law 118-50) (the "SHIP Act"). (b) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of the Treasury the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 3(c)(2) of the SHIP Act. (c) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the functions and authorities vested in the President by sections 3(h) and 3(i) of the SHIP Act. Sec. 2. Fight and Combat Rampant Iranian Missile Exports Act. (a) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the functions and authorities vested in the President by sections 5(a)(1), 5(a)(2), 5(a)(3), and 5(a)(4) of the Fight and Combat Rampant Iranian Missile Exports Act (Division K of Public Law 118-50) (the "Fight CRIME Act"). (b) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the functions and authorities vested in the President by sections 5(a)(5), 5(a)(6), 5(e), and 5(f) of the Fight CRIME Act. (c) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of the Treasury the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 5(b)(1) of the Fight CRIME Act. (d) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the functions and authorities vested in the President by sections 5(d), 5(h), and 6(c) of the Fight CRIME Act. Sec. 3. Mahsa Amini Human Rights and Security Accountability Act. (a) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State: (i) the functions and authorities vested in the President by sections 2(c)(1)(A) and 2(c)(1)(B) of the Mahsa Amini Human Rights and Security Accountability Act (Division L of Public Law 118-50) (the "MAHSA Act"), with respect to sanctions listed in sections 2(c)(2)(A), 2(c)(2)(B), 2(c)(2)(C), 2(c)(2)(D), and 2(c)(2)(E) of the MAHSA Act; and (ii) the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 2(c)(1)(C) of the MAHSA Act. (b) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the functions and authorities vested in the President by sections 2(c)(1)(A) and 2(c)(1)(B) of the MAHSA Act, with respect to sanctions listed in sections 2(c)(2)(C) and 2(c)(2)(F) of the MAHSA Act. (c) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 2(d)(5)(A) of the MAHSA Act, and to the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the functions and authorities vested in the President by sections 2(d)(5)(B), 2(d)(5)(C), and 2(d)(5)(D) of the MAHSA Act. Sec. 4. Hamas and Other Palestinian Terrorist Groups International Financing Prevention Act. (a) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 3(a) of the Hamas and Other Palestinian Terrorist Groups International Financing Prevention Act (Division M of Public Law 118-50) (the "Terrorist Groups International Financing Prevention Act"). (b) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of the Treasury the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 3(c) of the Terrorist Groups International Financing Prevention Act. (c) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the functions and authorities vested in the President by sections 3(f), 4(e), and 6 of the Terrorist Groups International Financing Prevention Act. (d) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the heads of other relevant executive departments and agencies as the Secretary of State deems necessary, the functions and authorities vested in the President by sections 4(a) and 4(c)(1) of the Terrorist Groups International Financing Prevention Act. (e) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Commerce the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 4(c)(3) of the Terrorist Groups International Financing Prevention Act for which they are responsible under the Arms Export Control Act and the Export Control Reform Act, respectively. (f) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Secretary of Commerce, commensurate with their respective areas of responsibility and in consultation with the heads of other relevant executive departments and agencies as appropriate, the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 4(f)(2) of the Terrorist Groups International Financing Prevention Act. (g) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 4(g) of the Terrorist Groups International Financing Prevention Act. (h) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the functions and authorities vested in the President by sections 3(e), 4(f)(1), and 5 of the Terrorist Groups International Financing Prevention Act. Sec. 5. No Technology for Terror Act. In exercising the functions and authorities described in section 2(d) of the No Technology for Terror Act (Division N of Public Law 118-50), I hereby direct the Secretary of Commerce to consult with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury. Sec. 6. Strengthening Tools to Counter the Use of Human Shields Act. (a) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 5(a) of the Strengthening Tools to Counter the Use of Human Shields Act (Division O of Public Law 118-50) (the "Countering Use of Human Shields Act"). (b) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Attorney General, the functions and authorities vested in the President by sections 6(a) and 6(e)(1) of the Countering Use of Human Shields Act. (c) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 6(d) of the Countering Use of Human Shields Act. Sec. 7. Illicit Captagon Trafficking Suppression Act of 2023. (a) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the functions and authorities vested in the President by sections 4(a), 4(b)(1), 4(e), 4(f), and 5 of the Illicit Captagon Trafficking Suppression Act of 2023 (Division P of Public Law 118-50) (the "Captagon Suppression Act"). (b) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 4(d)(1) of the Captagon Suppression Act. (c) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 4(d)(2) of the Captagon Suppression Act. Sec. 8. Holding Iranian Leaders Accountable Act of 2024. (a) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 3(a) of the Holding Iranian Leaders Accountable Act of 2024 (Division R of Public Law 118-50) (the "Holding Iranian Leaders Accountable Act"). (b) I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 3(a)(3) of the Holding Iranian Leaders Accountable Act. Sec. 9. The Secretary of State is authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register. JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address G7 Foreign Ministers' Statement Condemning Iran's Export And Russia's Procurement of Iranian Ballistic Missiles US Department of State Media Note Office of the Spokesperson September 14, 2024 The text of the following statement was released by the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union. Begin Text: We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the EU, condemn in the strongest possible terms Iran's export and Russia's procurement of Iranian ballistic missiles. Evidence that Iran has continued to transfer weaponry to Russia despite repeated international calls to stop represents a further escalation of Iran's military support to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia has used Iranian weaponry such as UAVs to kill Ukrainian civilians and strike their critical infrastructure. Russia's aggression constitutes a flagrant violation of international law including the UN Charter. Iran must immediately cease all support to Russia's illegal and unjustifiable war against Ukraine and halt such transfers of ballistic missiles, UAVs and related technology, which constitute a direct threat to the Ukrainian people as well as European and international security more broadly. We remain steadfast in our commitment to hold Iran to account for its unacceptable support for Russia's illegal war in Ukraine that further undermines global security. In line with our previous statements on the matter, we are already responding with new and significant measures. End Text. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran government forces deploy in hometown of Mahsa Amini By VOA Persian September 14, 2024 Iran's government forces were reportedly flooding the city of Saqqez, the hometown of Mahsa Amini, on Saturday, the eve of the second anniversary of her death in the custody of the morality police. In an interview with VOA's Persian Service, sources reported severe internet disruptions in multiple cities, including Saqqez and Sanandaj. Checkpoints also had been established at key entry and exit points in Saqqez, as well as in several neighborhoods across Sanandaj, another Kurdish-majority city in northern Iran, the sources said Saturday. On Thursday, the human rights organization Hengaw posted a video on its X account reporting that "a large number of government security forces have entered the city of Saqqez through the Bukan road." Several journalists also noted a significant presence of what they called armed agents throughout the city. Journalist Nazila Maroufian said, "residents of Saqqez are reporting the deployment of a large number of armed agents in the city, ahead of the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death," in a post on X, formally Twitter. Amjad Amini, Mahsa Amini's father, has announced that, barring any government interference and "in response to public calls and requests," a memorial ceremony for his daughter would take place Sunday. "We, the family of Zhina, like any grieving family, will gather at the grave of our beloved daughter Zhina (Mahsa) Amini on the anniversary of her martyrdom to hold the traditional and religious memorial ceremony," Amini's parents, Mojgan Eftekhari and Amjad Amini, wrote in a post on Instagram. Reports indicate that, ahead of the second anniversary of Amini's death and the onset of the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' uprising, several citizens and civil activists have been arrested. The Islamic Republic has also intensified its pressure on families seeking justice. In a report released Friday, United Nations Human Rights Council-appointed independent investigators warned that two years after the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' uprising a sparked by Amini's death while in the custody of the morality police a the Iranian government has escalated "its efforts to suppress the fundamental rights of women and girls [to] crush remaining initiatives of women's activism." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address More Rohingya are arriving in Bangladesh, as Rakhine state burns Many new arrivals from Myanmar are renting accommodations outside the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar. By Abdur Rahman and Ahammad Foyez for BenarNews 2024.09.13 -- Some 20,000 Rohingya have entered Bangladesh in the last three months as they flee worsening conditions in Myanmar's Rakhine state, with some new arrivals taking shelter in rented houses outside U.N.-administered camps, refugees and local officials say. The uptick comes with Bangladesh enmeshed in political turmoil and amid worsening violence in Rakhine, which lies just across its southeastern border. Arakan Army insurgents have been waging a fierce campaign to wrest control of the state from Myanmar's military government. "There is a terrible situation in Rakhine. There is no condition to stay there. No food, no shelter, no treatment for sick people," said Mohammed Feroz Kamal, who arrived last week from Rakhine's Maungdaw district. "Drone attacks are being carried out, especially on the people who have gathered to flee to the border in that country," he told BenarNews. "Hundreds of people are dying. "I saw many dead bodies on the way." Rohingya community leader Mohammed Jubair, chairman of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Humanity, said at least 20,000 people had crossed into Bangladesh during the past three months. But a Bangladeshi official put the number at around 16,000. "They used the poor law-and-order situation as an advantage," Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammed Mizanur Rahman told BenarNews, referring to the chaotic and lawless atmosphere in Bangladesh before and after the Sheikh Hasina government fell in early August. Earlier this week, in the face of new cross-border arrivals, Bangladesh transitional government head Muhammad Yunus called on the international community to speed up efforts to resettle Rohingya refugees in third countries. The "resettlement process should be easy, regular and smooth," Yunus said during a meeting on Sept. 8 with the International Organisation for Migration, Reuters reported. The interim administration headed by Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and pioneer of microcredit loans, has been struggling to maintain law and order since Hasina resigned and fled the country amid student-led, anti-government protests. This week, a BenarNews correspondent visited several villages, including the municipal town of Teknaf, which lies along the border with Myanmar. According to local officials, Rohingyas are crossing the frontier into Bangladesh every day. "Border Guard Bangladesh and Bangladesh Coast Guard are working to prevent Rohingyas at the border," Mohammed Adnan Chowdhury, executive officer of Teknaf Upazila sub-district, told BenarNews. "However, some Rohingyas are entering the border in the middle of the night. Many of them are renting houses in the main towns of the city and entering the villages." He and others described how the recent influx differed from those in the past, including in 2017 when some 740,000 Rohingya fled into Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district over a period of months. Rented digs Most of the new arrivals are businessmen or from relatively well-to-do families in Maungdaw district, Rohingya community leaders said. Feroz, who paid a broker 50,000 Bangladeshi taka (US$418) to enter Bangladesh, is now spending 4,000 taka (US$33) per month to stay in a six-room, tin-roofed house in Teknaf alongside two other Rohingya families already living there. Another Rohingya, Nur Shahed, is staying in an apartment with another Rohingya family in Teknaf's Shilbania neighborhood He said he had intended to take his family to the Kutupalong refugee camp, but there was no more space. "So many people like me have taken shelter here in villages and in rented houses," he told BenarNews. Immigration expert C.R. Abrar, a professor at Dhaka University, underlined that regardless of their income status, the new arrivals were being forced to come to Bangladesh to save their lives. "Therefore, they should not be treated as criminals under any circumstances; they should be given facilities and security as refugees," he said, noting that Bangladesh a with its huge refugee population a should pass laws on how to treat them, and participate in related international agreements. "Those who are outside the refugee camps are in a more vulnerable situation than those inside the camps," he said. "They are likely to face various forms of harassment and violence. Therefore, they should be taken to the camps, from a humanitarian point of view, as the primary task." BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization. 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 September not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Myanmar floods kill about 160 people, many trapped, residents say Volunteer emergency groups say they don't have the manpower to help in dozens of submerged villages. By RFA Burmese 2024.09.13 -- Flooding and landslides across Myanmar triggered by the remnants of Typhoon Yagi have killed at least 160 people, according to data compiled by Radio Free Asia, bringing widespread suffering to a country already racked by war and a stalling economy. Most victims were in Shan state, but central areas near the city of Mandalay, the capital Naypyidaw and Bago, as well as parts of Kayah state in the east and Mon state in the south were inundated by floods that in many places rose to roof tops, residents told RFA. The death toll of 160 was compiled from reports from residents and various social organizations but many people said the toll is likely to be much higher. Some social media users on accounts loyal to the ruling military said that 230 people were killed in the Mandalay region alone and that dozens were missing in southern Shan state. The junta that seized power in a 2021 coup has not released a death toll. The military is struggling to hold territory in the face of an onslaught by ethnic minority insurgents and their pro-democracy allies, who are now in charge of a growing area and population, raising questions about the disaster response and relief resources. "We simply don't have enough people to help victims," said an emergency responder in the Bago area who said at least 30 villages in Taungoo township, which is under junta control, had been completely submerged after the swollen Sittaung River burst through flood barriers. "Currents are flowing very quickly," said the responder, from a group called the Save the Trees Rescue Team, who declined to be identified as speaking to the media. In Taungoo, a monastery has been taking in displaced people and providing some food, said another resident, who also declined to be identified. "More than 300 flood victims from six villages have been accepted at the monastery but there are still villages cut off," he said. Finding the dead A social worker in hard-hit Kalaw township in southern Shan state said about 100 people were killed there. "We find the dead while searching for the missing," the worker, who asked not to be identified, told RFA. "No one has come to help, it's only Kalaw residents." A resident of nearby Pekon township, said 21 people were killed there with some of the victims members of a rebel group fighting the military. "They were washed away by water flowing off of the mountain while they were doing military training," he said. The ethnic Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, or KNDF, announced Friday that 18 medics from various rebel groups were drowned and swept away by floodwaters during a medical training session in Kayin state on Wednesday afternoon, and that it would conduct an investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, people from six villages in Mandalay region's Yamethin township have been trapped for four days after landslides blocked roads, residents told RFA, adding that food supplies are running dangerously low. Around 60 people were killed in when a wall of earth careened down an area mountainside on Sept. 10, they said. Several townships across the Naypyidaw administrative region were also in urgent need of aid and rescue efforts, volunteers there said. RFA tried to telephone the chief junta spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, to ask about the situation but he did not respond by the time of publication. But an official from the junta's Ministry of Relief and Resettlement said more than 20 townships in the Naypyidaw and Bago regions, and in Mon, Kayah and Shan states had been evacuated due to flooding. He declined to be identified as he is not authorized to speak to the media. Flooding began early in Myanmar this year after a dry season in which scores of people died in droughts. The natural disasters are compounding a humanitarian crisis caused by the war, with more than 3 million people displaced by fighting and an economy virtually in a state of collapse. Typhoon Yagi, Asia's most powerful storm this year, killed scores of people in Vietnam after sweeping across southern China and the Philippines. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that the American aid organization USAID was ready to provide assistance to countries affected by Typhoon Yagi, including, including Vietnam, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Laos and the Philippines. Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Joshua Lipes. This story has been updated to include information about the deaths of 18 medics in Kayin state and landslides in Mandalay region's Yamethin township. 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 September not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Rohingya detainees protest 'abominable' conditions in Indian camp By VOA News September 14, 2024 More than 100 Rohingya refugees who have for years been detained at a transit camp in the northeast Indian state of Assam have launched a hunger strike demanding that they be handed over to the United Nations refugee agency in New Delhi, transferred to a detention facility in the Indian capital, and that the process of resettlement in a third country be started. The 103 Muslim Rohingya refugees have been on hunger strike since Monday at the Matia Transit Camp, where immigrants, most of whom entered the country illegally, are held. Local authorities said 30 Christian Chin refugees, also from Myanmar, are on hunger strike, too, in solidarity with the Rohingyas. A midlevel police officer in Goalpara district, where the camp is located, told VOA Thursday that senior Home Affairs Ministry officials from the state headquarters were on their way to investigate the issue. "The officials will interact with their counterparts at the camp, as well as the detainees who are on hunger strike, and aim to resolve the issues. The detainees, who are from Myanmar, are demanding to be released from the camp," said the police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media. "All the officials are trying to resolve the issue as soon as possible." Sabber Kyaw Min, an India-based Rohingya rights activist who is monitoring the situation, said that the refugees in the detention center were living in poor hygienic conditions and received "inhumane treatment." "Fleeing genocide in Myanmar, our people took refuge in India. Our home country continues to be increasingly unsafe for us. But we are facing persecution here a our people are being imprisoned in India," Min, head of the Rohingya Human Rights Initiative, told VOA. "At least 40 of the Rohingya refugees at the Matia camp hold UNHCR cards," he said, using the acronym for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. "Yet they are treated like criminals and have been detained. Many Rohingyas have been in detention for as long as 10 or 12 years. They have finished their terms long ago. Yet they are being detained." India has not signed the 1951 U.N. Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol and views all Rohingya refugees as "illegal immigrants," although they have lived peacefully in the country for decades. Since Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014, however, Rohingya refugees have faced trouble in India. After repeated directives from the Indian Home Affairs Ministry in recent years, Indian states have been detaining Rohingya refugees under charges of illegal entry into the country. According to the UNHCR, 676 Rohingyas are in detention in India, but Rohingya rights activists put the figure at 1,000. Min said that in many cases, Rohingya refugees are being held in detention "illegally." Jan Mohammad, a Rohingya refugee who recently moved back to Bangladesh from India, told VOA Friday that a relative at the Matia camp told him Rohingyas there were facing torture. "My relative sent an audio message to me from inside the camp in which he said that the inmates were suffering from poor health care facilities. The supply of drinking water was inadequate. Some were even drinking toilet water. The living conditions in the camp were abominable," Mohammad said. "During winter, they often could not sleep at night because they did not have enough blankets. When they complained about the poor amenities, they were beaten by the guards there. "Many inmates there often cried, saying that their detention was for an indefinite period and they would die there, my relative said in his message, three months ago." VOA's email to the Assam home ministry seeking a reaction to the issue has not received a response. In July, a Supreme Court said the living conditions in several detention centers were "deplorable" while hearing a related petition. In July, 35 Rohingya inmates of the Matia camp wrote to the local administration seeking resettlement in a third country or transfer to a facility with better conditions. The inmates began their hunger strike on Monday, apparently because the authorities did not respond to their appeal. The Indian Home Affairs Ministry said years ago Rohingyas detained in India would ultimately be deported to Myanmar, but only 18 have been deported there since 2021. The London-based Burmese Rohingya Organization UK said in a statement Wednesday that the hunger strike at Matia camp was a "direct response to their prolonged and arbitrary detention and the severe human rights abuses they endure." "The arbitrary detention of Rohingya refugees in India represents a grave injustice. These individuals, who have already faced unimaginable atrocities, are subjected to further mistreatment. The Indian government must act immediately to end these unlawful detentions and address the abysmal conditions within detention centers," Tun Khin, president of the organization, said in the statement. New Delhi-based lawyer Ujjaini Chatterji, who argues against indefinite detention of Rohingya refugees in India, told VOA Friday that "the Rohingyas cannot be detained without following the due process established by law." "The due process includes serving prior notice to them with an opportunity to present their case, and also for the Rohingyas to be told the grounds for their arrest or detention while being given access to adequate legal representation and contact with friends and family," Chatterji told the VOA. "Indefinite detention is an absolute violation of not only the very thrust of the Constitution of India, but also against various precedents set through judgments by the high courts and the Supreme Court of India," said Chatterji. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Bomb blast in southwest Pakistan kills two police officers By Ayaz Gul September 14, 2024 A bomb explosion in Pakistan's violence-hit southwestern Baluchistan province ripped through a police vehicle Saturday, killing at least two officers and wounding as many others. Abdul Hameed, an area police officer, told VOA by phone that the attack occurred on a main highway passing through Kuchlak near the provincial capital of Quetta. He said that a homemade bomb targeted a police mobile unit and that an investigation into the incident was underway. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the deadly bombing in the natural resources-rich Pakistani province, where separatist ethnic Baluch groups routinely target security forces. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Saturday's attack on the police as a terrorist act, his office said in a statement in Islamabad. A daylong series of insurgent attacks rattled Baluchistan last month, killing more than 50 civilians and security personnel. The outlawed Baluch Liberation Army, the largest of all the separatist groups active in the province, claimed responsibility for orchestrating the violence, which targeted security installations and passenger vehicles. The BLA, designated as a global terrorist group by the United States, has lately intensified its attacks in Baluchistan. The province shares Pakistan's border with Afghanistan and Iran and hosts major China-funded infrastructure projects. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ocean 2024 CPX: Northern Fleet's Tu-142 aircraft practise anti-submarine search in Arctic sea zone 13.09.2024 As part of the Ocean 2024 strategic naval drills, two long-range anti-submarine aircraft of the Northern Fleet were scrambled to conduct anti-submarine search in the Arctic sea zone. A pair of Su-33 aircraft provided air cover to the long-range anti-submarine aircraft as they were deploying in the assigned areas. During the flight shift, the T-142 long-range anti-submarine aircraft practised anti-submarine search together with anti-submarine ships of the Northern Fleet operating in the Barents and East Siberian seas. The long-range anti-submarine aircraft were tasked with detecting mock enemy warships and then relaying target's position data to the Northern Fleet's surface action groups. The T-142 North Fleet's long-range anti-submarine flights are carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace over neutral waters, without crossing borders of other states. According the training plan of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formations and units of the Russian Navy have started taking part in the Ocean 2024 strategic command post exercise, which is to last until 16 September 2024. The exercise, which is one of the most important operational and combat training events of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 2024, is to be conducted in a bilateral format under the overall command of Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. More than 400 warships, submarines and support vessels, over 120 naval aircraft, some 7,000 units of weaponry, military and special hardware, and more than 90,000 personnel participate in the drills, which take place in the waters of the Pacific and Arctic oceans, Mediterranean, Caspian, and Baltic seas. The Ocean 2024 strategic command post exercise is aimed at checking the readiness of the senior staff of the Russian Navy to operate all-arms groups of forces in the areas of responsibility, to solve non-standard operational tasks, to make full use of high-precision weapons, advanced and modern weapons and military hardware in the practical part of the exercise, and to expand cooperation with the navies of partner countries to perform joint maritime missions. Department for Media Affairs and Information NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Deputy Defence Minister Colonel General Aleksandr Fomin attends 11th Beijing Xiangshan Forum 13.09.2024 Today, on 13 September 2024, Deputy Defence Minister Colonel General Aleksandr Fomin has participated in the 11th Xiangshan Forum, which is taking place in Beijing, the People's Republic of China. In his address to the first plenary session, Aleksandr Fomin outlined Russia's approaches to key security issues in the world and in the Asia-Pacific region. During the conference, the Deputy Defence Minister of the Russian Federation held bilateral meetings with the heads of delegations of China, Brunei, Laos, Mongolia and Iran. At the meetings, the sides discussed bilateral military cooperation in detail. The Beijing Xiangshan Forum is one of the leading international platforms for discussing security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. The event is held annually by the CAMS and China Institute of International Strategic Studies. The Xiangshan Forum aims to strengthen cooperation on security and defence issues and promote regional peace and stability by combining approaches and expanding interaction. Adhering to the principles of 'equality, openness, inclusiveness and mutual respect, the Forum strives to develop military cooperation and find solutions to security challenges in the Asia-Pacific region and in the whole world. Department for Media Affairs and Information NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ocean 2024 CPX: Northern Fleet ships launch artillery strikes to hit mock enemy in Barents Sea 13.09.2024 During the Ocean 2024 strategic command post exercise, a naval search and strike force of the Northern Fleet hit a mock enemy in the Barents Sea waters. The surface action group comprised frigates Admiral of the Fleet Kasatonov and Admiral Golovko. Command post of the frigates trained to designate targets for further employment of the ships artillery guns. Ships' artillery crews received the position data of the surface target. Strikes were carried out by the artillery system of the AK-192M on a naval target position simulating a mock enemy ship and located at a distance of more than 10 kilometres. Objective control systems confirmed successful engagement of the targets. The ships' crews showed well-coordinated operation, high professionalism, and readiness to use weapons in any environment. The ships set passive electronic jamming by EW stations to counter high-precision weapons of a mock enemy. The Project 22350 frigates are modern multi-role ships with guided missile weapons designed for missions in off-shore maritime and oceanic zones. The ships equipped with Tsirkon missiles are capable of delivering pinpoint and powerful strikes at maritime and ground targets. A unique feature of the Tsirkon hypersonic missiles is their capability to overcome modern and future air defence / missile defence systems. The Ocean 2024 exercise includes elements of protecting coastal civilian facilities and the Northern Fleet garrisons, command and control over all-arms groups of forces in their area of responsibility, non-standard operational tasks, as well as comprehensive use of precision weapons, advanced and modern samples of weapons and military hardware. According the training plan of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formations and units of the Russian Navy have started taking part in the Ocean 2024 strategic command post exercise, which is to last until 16 September 2024. The exercise, which is one of the most important operational and combat training events of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 2024, is to be conducted in a bilateral format under the overall command of Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. More than 400 warships, submarines and support vessels, over 120 naval aircraft, some 7,000 units of weaponry, military and special hardware, and more than 90,000 personnel participate in the drills, which take place in the waters of the Pacific and Arctic oceans, Mediterranean, Caspian, and Baltic seas. The Ocean 2024 strategic command post exercise is aimed at checking the readiness of the senior staff of the Russian Navy to operate all-arms groups of forces in the areas of responsibility, to solve non-standard operational tasks, to make full use of high-precision weapons, advanced and modern weapons and military hardware in the practical part of the exercise, and to expand cooperation with the navies of partner countries to perform joint maritime missions. Department for Media Affairs and Information NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ocean 2024 CPX: Northern Fleet ships arrive in Chukotka 13.09.2024 As part of the Ocean 2024 strategic naval drills, the Arctic expeditionary group of forces (troops) of the Northern Fleet operating in the eastern regions of the Arctic Ocean has arrived in the area close to Mys Shmidta in the Chukchi Sea. The group includes the large anti-submarine ship Vice Admiral Kulakov, from which the forces are controlled, the large landing ship Aleksandr Otrakovsky, the rescue tugboat Altay, and the tanker Sergei Osipov. The large anti-submarine ship Vice Admiral Kulakov and large landing ship Aleksandr Otrakovsky anchored and prepared for the landing operation on the unequipped coast. The landing ship is manned by Marines, who have already practised a number of various combat training missions in the Arctic. As part of the Ocean 2024 manoeuvres, the Northern Fleet will practise tactics in the Arctic zone near Chukotka, both on the continental coast and in the seas of the Arctic and Pacific oceans. To participate in the Ocean 2024 manoeuvres, the ships and vessels of the Northern Fleet made a transition along the Northern Sea Route from the home port on the Kola Peninsula to the training area. According the training plan of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formations and units of the Russian Navy have started taking part in the Ocean 2024 strategic command post exercise, which is to last until 16 September 2024. The exercise, which is one of the most important operational and combat training events of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 2024, is to be conducted in a bilateral format under the overall command of Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. More than 400 warships, submarines and support vessels, over 120 naval aircraft, some 7,000 units of weaponry, military and special hardware, and more than 90,000 personnel participate in the drills, which take place in the waters of the Pacific and Arctic oceans, Mediterranean, Caspian, and Baltic seas. The Ocean 2024 strategic command post exercise is aimed at checking the readiness of the senior staff of the Russian Navy to operate all-arms groups of forces in the areas of responsibility, to solve non-standard operational tasks, to make full use of high-precision weapons, advanced and modern weapons and military hardware in the practical part of the exercise, and to expand cooperation with the navies of partner countries to perform joint maritime missions. Department for Media Affairs and Information NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ocean 2024 CPX: Northern Fleet's all-arms forces fire Vulkan and Oniks cruise missiles to hit mock enemy in Barents Sea 13.09.2024 As part of the Ocean 2024 strategic naval drills, the all-arms forces of the Northern Fleet launched strikes at a hard-to-hit target position simulating enemy speed ships in the Barents Sea. The missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov fired anti-ship missiles from the designated area in the Barents Sea and a Bastion coastal missile system launched strikes from the missile deployment area on the Kola Peninsula. A Tu-142 long-range anti-submarine aircraft of the Northern Fleet's mixed aviation corps provided target designation to the command post of the all-arms strike group. The missile firing area was closed to civilian navigation and aviation flights in advance. Ships of the Kola Flotilla's all-arms forces closed the area. The strikes were carried out by Vulkan and Oniks anti-ship cruise missiles at ranges of over 200 and about 180 kilometres, respectively. According to objective control data, all the targets were successfully hit. The Ocean 2024 exercise includes elements of protecting coastal civilian facilities and the Northern Fleet garrisons, command and control over all-arms groups of forces in their area of responsibility, as well as comprehensive use of precision weapons, advanced and modern samples of weapons and military hardware. The Northern Fleet forces operate in the western and eastern Arctic maritime zones, where they perform tasks in accordance with their primary purpose. According the training plan of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formations and units of the Russian Navy have started taking part in the Ocean 2024 strategic command post exercise, which is to last until 16 September 2024. The exercise, which is one of the most important operational and combat training events of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 2024, is to be conducted in a bilateral format under the overall command of Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. More than 400 warships, submarines and support vessels, over 120 naval aircraft, some 7,000 units of weaponry, military and special hardware, and more than 90,000 personnel participate in the drills, which take place in the waters of the Pacific and Arctic oceans, Mediterranean, Caspian, and Baltic seas. The Ocean 2024 strategic command post exercise is aimed at checking the readiness of the senior staff of the Russian Navy to operate all-arms groups of forces in the areas of responsibility, to solve non-standard operational tasks, to make full use of high-precision weapons, advanced and modern weapons and military hardware in the practical part of the exercise, and to expand cooperation with the navies of partner countries to perform joint maritime missions. Department for Media Affairs and Information NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ocean 2024 CPX: Northern Fleet's warships launch amphibious assault operation on Chukotka 14.09.2024 During the Ocean 2024 strategic naval drills, the Arctic expeditionary group of forces of the Northern Fleet operating in the eastern regions of the Arctic Ocean conducted a tactical exercise to launch an amphibious assault operation on an unequipped coast in the Chukchi Sea close to Cape Vankarem. The group includes the large anti-submarine ship Vice Admiral Kulakov, from which the forces are controlled, the large landing ship Aleksandr Otrakovsky, the rescue tugboat Altay, and the tanker Sergei Osipov. The amphibious landing had several stages. The ships and amphibious detachments were well-coordinated and their action were trained in advance. Ka-27 shipborne helicopters of the large anti-submarine ship Vice Admiral Kulakov provided fire support to the amphibious assault operation. The Northern Fleet's amphibious detachments landed on unequipped coast on the Vityaz dual-section tracked carriers. According the training plan of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formations and units of the Russian Navy have started taking part in the Ocean 2024 strategic command post exercise, which is to last until 16 September 2024. The exercise, which is one of the most important operational and combat training events of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 2024, is to be conducted in a bilateral format under the overall command of Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. More than 400 warships, submarines and support vessels, over 120 naval aircraft, some 7,000 units of weaponry, military and special hardware, and more than 90,000 personnel participate in the drills, which take place in the waters of the Pacific and Arctic oceans, Mediterranean, Caspian, and Baltic seas.The Ocean 2024 strategic command post exercise is aimed at checking the readiness of the senior staff of the Russian Navy to operate all-arms groups of forces in the areas of responsibility, to solve non-standard operational tasks, to make full use of high-precision weapons, advanced and modern weapons and military hardware in the practical part of the exercise, and to expand cooperation with the navies of partner countries to perform joint maritime missions. Department for Media Affairs and Information NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ocean 2024 CPX: Pacific Fleet seamen repel mock attack against oil platform in Caspian Sea and organise its defence 14.09.2024 During the Ocean 2024 strategic naval drills, the Caspian Flotilla ships, together with a marine unit, trained in repelling an enemy attack at an offshore oil platform and organised the defence of the important infrastructure facility. Commando diving team for combating underwater sabotage forces and means conducted reconnaissance close to the strategic facility and ensured a safe approach to it for an assault team tasked with taking control over it. According the training plan of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formations and units of the Russian Navy have started taking part in the Ocean 2024 strategic command post exercise, which is to last until 16 September 2024. The exercise, which is one of the most important operational and combat training events of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 2024, is to be conducted in a bilateral format under the overall command of Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. More than 400 warships, submarines and support vessels, over 120 naval aircraft, some 7,000 units of weaponry, military and special hardware, and more than 90,000 personnel participate in the drills, which take place in the waters of the Pacific and Arctic oceans, Mediterranean, Caspian, and Baltic seas.The Ocean 2024 strategic command post exercise is aimed at checking the readiness of the senior staff of the Russian Navy to operate all-arms groups of forces in the areas of responsibility, to solve non-standard operational tasks, to make full use of high-precision weapons, advanced and modern weapons and military hardware in the practical part of the exercise, and to expand cooperation with the navies of partner countries to perform joint maritime missions. Department for Media Affairs and Information NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ocean 2024 CPX: Su-35s fighter jets cover amphibious squadron 15.09.2024 Two Su-35s multi-role fighter jets covered an amphibious squadron over the international waters of the Sea of Japan and intercepted a mock enemy during the Ocean 2024 strategic naval drills. A Pacific Fleet's anti-submarine aircraft acted as an intruder. The Su-35s fighter jets entered the assigned area and independently identified the target. After that they fired long-range air-to-air missiles at the target. After completing the tasks, the fighter jets practised air-to-air operations to fight against mock enemy fighter jets which were covering enemy bombers. According the training plan of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formations and units of the Russian Navy have started taking part in the Ocean 2024 strategic command post exercise, which is to last until 16 September 2024. The exercise, which is one of the most important operational and combat training events of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 2024, is to be conducted in a bilateral format under the overall command of Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. Department for Media Affairs and Information NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ocean 2024 CPX: MiG-31BM interceptors cover surface action group 15.09.2024 During the Ocean 2024 strategic naval drills, a pair of MiG-31BM high-altitude interceptors were tasked with covering the Pacific Fleet surface action group over the international waters of the Japanese Sea. An Il-38 anti-submarine aircraft acted as the enemy and attempted to approach the surface group to bomb the warships. Having received coordinates from the radio engineering units, the MiG-31BM interceptors were scrambled from one of the airfields, and entered the assigned area to identify the target. After that, they launched long-range air-to-air missiles to hit the target. After completing the tasks, the fighter jets practised air-to-air operations to fight against mock enemy fighter jets which were covering enemy bombers. According the training plan of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formations and units of the Russian Navy have started taking part in the Ocean 2024 strategic command post exercise, which is to last until 16 September 2024. The exercise, which is one of the most important operational and combat training events of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 2024, is to be conducted in a bilateral format under the overall command of Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. Department for Media Affairs and Information NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Elections in Syria US Department of State Press Statement Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson September 13, 2024 The United States assesses that the necessary conditions for convening free, fair, transparent, and inclusive elections in Syria, including in the North and East, have not been met and therefore does not support the recent announcement by the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) calling on the High Elections Committee to begin preparations for municipal elections. The United States has consistently stated that any elections that occur in Syria should be free, fair, transparent, and inclusive, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Conditions for such elections are not currently met in Syria, including in the North and East. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Limited role for US Navy SEAL team in defense of Taiwan By Adam Xu September 14, 2024 The United States Navy's elite SEAL Team Six would likely have a limited role in defending Taiwan should China invade the self-governing and democratic island, say analysts responding to a Financial Times report that the unit has been training for it for more than one year. Lyle J. Morris, senior fellow for foreign policy and national security at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, tells VOA's Mandarin Service that if the unit is indeed preparing for an attack by Beijing, it may indicate that the U.S. is more deeply involved in defending Taiwan than previously thought. However, he stressed that the secret and precise combat characteristics of SEAL Team Six mean its role in resisting China's invasion of Taiwan would be very limited and the focus would be on carrying out special tasks. "As far as their sheer capability to repel an invasion. I think that's more limited," he says. "I think it's in a very discreet, narrow way of coming in for a specific task that Taiwan might need, whether it's helping to protect, let's say, an airfield in Taiwan or protect a communication asset in Taiwan, in Taipei, they could come in and out very discreetly and very lethally to protect that asset." SEAL Team Six specializes in performing sensitive, highly difficult missions. In 2009, the unit rescued Richard Phillips, captain of the MV Maersk Alabama, who was taken hostage by Somali pirates. The elite unit gained an international reputation after the successful raid on al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan in 2011. It is one of the most highly regarded U.S. military units, along with the United States Army's Delta Force, the 75th Ranger Regiment's Regimental Reconnaissance Company, the Intelligence Support Activity, and the Air Force's 24th Special Tactics Squadron, and part of the Joint Special Operations Command. "Navy SEALs usually deployed from submarines or, most likely, small ships and are useful for targeting vulnerabilities in enemies' presentation," Richard D. Fisher Jr., senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, tells VOA. Analysts say the U.S. military likely revealed the SEAL Team Six training program to the Financial Times to send a warning to Beijing amid China's increasingly assertive moves in the region. "This is one way the U.S. is bolstering deterrence towards China, towards preventing a Chinese invasion of Taiwan," says Morris. "So, I think this is just an added factor getting China to second guess or to reconsider what it will face if it were to invade Taiwan." Dennis Wilder, a senior fellow for the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues at Georgetown University and a former Central Intelligence Agency military analyst, posted on social media platform X, "It is sure to get under Beijing's skin." In a written response to VOA's Mandarin Service, Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said, "The Taiwan question is the very core of China's core interests and the first red line that must not be crossed in the China-U.S. relationship." He urged "the U.S. to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, stop enhancing military contact with the Taiwan region or arming it by any means or under whatever pretext, stop creating factors that could heighten tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and stop conniving at and supporting the separatists' attempt to seek 'Taiwan independence' by force." Taiwan split from China during the civil war that saw the Communist Party seize power in Beijing in 1949 and the Nationalist Party flee to the island, which developed into a flourishing democracy. But China's one-party, authoritarian state never gave up its claim to Taiwan and considers it a renegade province that must one day reunite with the mainland, by force if necessary. Admiral Philips Davidson, former commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, warned in 2021 that China could attack Taiwan within six years. President Joe Biden has repeatedly stressed that if China invades Taiwan, the U.S. will intervene militarily to defend it. The U.S. Department of Defense declined to confirm or deny the Financial Times report. Pentagon spokesperson John Supple said in an email to VOA, "The DoD and our service members prepare and train for a wide range of contingencies. We will not comment on specifics, but will restate that we are committed to our longstanding one China policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances. As we have said before, conflict is neither imminent nor inevitable." America's one-China policy is a strategically ambiguous agreement it made in 1972 to establish relations with China that recognizes Beijing as the only government of China and acknowledges, but does not endorse, Beijing's claim that Taiwan is part of China. Washington has unofficial relations with Taiwan defined through the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiques with Beijing, and the Six Assurances with Taipei, which underscore U.S. opposition to attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo and determination to help Taiwan defend itself through weapons sales. There has been previous U.S. military training for Taiwan's defense, both on the island and in the United States. Reuters reported last year the U.S. was set to expand the number of troops helping train Taiwanese forces on the island, and Taiwanese officials confirmed more of their troops would be training in the U.S. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Biden meets UK's Starmer to discuss Ukraine, Israel By Patsy Widakuswara September 13, 2024 U.S. President Joe Biden met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House on Friday to discuss support for Ukraine and Israel and security in the Indo-Pacific. "The United States is committed to standing with you to help Ukraine as it defends against Russia's onslaught of aggression. It's clear that Putin will not prevail in this war," Biden told Starmer. The meeting comes as the Western allies consider changing policy to allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons provided by the United States and Britain to strike into Russian territory. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy were in Kyiv earlier this week, where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the case to deploy such weapons, including American ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) and British Storm Shadow missiles to target Russia. "Let's count on some strong decisions at least. For us it's very important for today," Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv on Wednesday, in response to whether the transatlantic allies would greenlight deeper strikes into Russia. While in the Ukrainian capital, Blinken noted that Washington has adapted and "will adjust as necessary" its support for Ukraine to meet Moscow's changing strategy in the battlefield. He used similar language in May, just before the Biden administration loosened its restrictions to allow American weapons to be used on cross-border attacks but not on targets deep inside Russia. Earlier this week, Biden signaled that he is open to loosening restrictions further, telling a reporter that his administration was "working that out now." However, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Friday ahead of the meeting that there has been no change to U.S. policy on Ukraine's long-range strike capability inside Russia. "I would not expect there to be any announcements on this coming out of the meeting today," he said. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Ukraine has already been able to strike inside Russia with its own internally produced systems, including drones. Speaking in a meeting of allied defense ministers last week, Austin said he did not believe providing Kyiv with long-range attack capability would be "decisive" in the war. Public discussion and conflicting messages coming from different parts of the administration suggests that a shift in policy may be underway, said Dalibor Rohac, a transatlantic relations expert. "I think we'll arrive at a point when Ukrainians will be using missiles deep within Russian territory," he told VOA. "The question is whether that will make a meaningful difference for the actual conduct of the war." Moscow has warned that arming Kyiv with long-range weapons would escalate the conflict beyond Ukraine. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said allowing long-range strikes "would mean that NATO countries, the United States, and European countries are at war with Russia. ... If this is so, then, bearing in mind the change in the very essence of this conflict, we will make appropriate decisions based on the threats that will be created for us." When asked about the Russian president's threat against NATO, Biden said "I don't think much about Vladimir Putin." Biden and NATO allies must consider how much they are willing to risk escalating the war to add further pressure on Russia, a nuclear power, said William Pomeranz, expert in Russian studies at the Woodrow Wilson Center. "I don't think they know the answer yet," he told VOA. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Starmer said he and Biden had "come to a strong position" but sidestepped the question on long-range missiles for Ukraine. "This wasn't a meeting about a particular capability. That wasn't why we got our heads down today," he said. "It was to allow ourselves the space, which we took, the time, which we took, to have a strategic discussion so that tactical decisions could be seen within the wider strategy." No British weapons for Israel The leaders also discussed cease-fire prospects in the 11-month war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. "We'll discuss our work to secure a deal in the Middle East, release the main hostages that are held by Hamas, bring immediate cease-fire, and increase the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza," Biden said at the start of his meeting. London is usually aligned with Washington on its support for Israel. Last week, though, Starmer's government suspended arms export licenses to Israel for use in military operations in Gaza, following a review of Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law. The Biden administration has resisted pressure from progressive Democrats and Muslim and Arab Americans to enact an arms embargo on Israel. About 30 licenses for weapons used in the current conflict in Gaza were suspended from a total of approximately 350 U.K. licenses to Israel. The suspension followed months of protests at British weapons factories. The move is less drastic compared to other countries including Belgium, Italy, Canada, Spain and the Netherlands, which have announced a total ban on arms exports to Israel in recent months out of fear the weapons are being used on Palestinian civilians. U.K. defense exports to Israel are also relatively small, about $24 million in 2023. Additionally, Biden and Starmer discussed the threat of Iran. In recent weeks, the White House has emphasized Iran's role in the conflicts in the Middle East and Europe. The White House said that Iran is not only Hamas' main sponsor in its war against Israel, but also is providing short-range ballistic weapons to Russia to use against Ukraine. The leaders expressed "deep concern about Iran and North Korea's provision of lethal weapons to Russia and China's support to Russia's defense industrial base," the White House said in a readout of the meeting. Strategically aligned Friday's meeting is the second in-person engagement with Biden since Starmer took office in July. "I think that historically, we've shown the strength of our relationship, that we are strategically aligned. We have common cause on these global issues," Starmer said. "After a chaotic few years, during which the United Kingdom had five prime ministers in six years and was largely absent from effective diplomacy while it wrestled with the consequences of the 2016 Brexit referendum, the new Labour government is aiming to reset relations with neighbors and allies," said Peter Westmacott, former British ambassador to the U.S., now with the Atlantic Council's Europe Center. "No doubt the Democrats will also be interested in any tactical tips Starmer may have for how to win a general election," he added. There has been heightened concern in Europe about the future of transatlantic relations should former President Donald Trump win against Vice President Kamala Harris in the November election. Many are worried that under Trump a who has expressed skepticism about NATO a U.S. support for Ukraine would falter. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Readout of President Joe Biden's Meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom September 13, 2024 President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met today with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom at the White House. The leaders had an in-depth discussion on a range of foreign policy issues of mutual interest. They reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine as it continues to defend against Russia's aggression. They expressed deep concern about Iran and North Korea's provision of lethal weapons to Russia and the People's Republic of China's support to Russia's defense industrial base. They reiterated their ironclad commitment to Israel's security, the urgent need for a ceasefire deal that will free the hostages and enable increased relief in Gaza, and the need for Israel to do more to protect civilians and address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. They also condemned Iran-backed Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. They discussed U.S.-UK cooperation on clean energy and advanced technologies, on AUKUS, as well as opportunities to deepen our strong U.S.-UK economic ties. President Biden underscored his support for the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and its role in maintaining peace and stability in Northern Ireland. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PM meeting with President Biden of the United States: 13 September 2024 The Prime Minister and U.S. President Joe Biden held talks at the White House this afternoon. 14 September 2024 The Prime Minister and U.S. President Joe Biden held talks at the White House this afternoon. The leaders both welcomed the opportunity for an in-depth discussion on a wide range of foreign policy issues, including the situation in Ukraine, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific. With both conflicts continuing, they agreed that now was the time for a more detailed discussion focused on immediate co-operation as well as long-term strategy over the next few months. On Ukraine, they heard from the Foreign Secretary and the U.S. Secretary of State about their recent visit to Kyiv. They updated on the courageous campaign of the Ukrainians to defend their territory and deter Russian aggression. They strongly condemned the transfer of lethal weapons to Russia from North Korea and Iran. Both leaders agreed on the importance of sustaining support to Ukraine in all aspects, including military, economic and diplomatic, for as long as it takes for Russia to withdraw. On the Middle East, they discussed the urgent need for a ceasefire deal, the imperative of ensuring much greater flows of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the deeply concerning escalation in the West Bank - including settlement expansion and increasing settler violence. They agreed to work together to tackle these concerns. The Prime Minister reiterated his view that the only viable long-term solution to this conflict is the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel, that provides security for both Israelis and Palestinians. They moved on to discuss the Indo-Pacific region and agreed on the vital importance of our global defence partnerships, including AUKUS. They agreed to continue their discussions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Switzerland to increase financial support for Ukraine Swiss Government Bern, 13.09.2024 -- Switzerland is to contribute CHF 96.11 million to the increase in capital of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for Ukraine. The Federal Council adopted the corresponding dispatch on 13 September, thus strengthening Switzerland's commitment to Ukraine. The Federal Council is asking Parliament for a guarantee credit of CHF 96.11 million in order to participate in the capital increase of the EBRD, which will be used in particular for the reconstruction of Ukraine. The Federal Council is also requesting an amendment to the EBRD's founding agreement, so that the bank can gradually expand its activities to sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq. Russia's military aggression against Ukraine is exacting a high death toll and causing immense destruction. It is also threatening the security and stability of Europe. The EBRD is Ukraine's most important institutional investor and therefore a key partner. The bank's member countries have agreed to increase its capital by EUR 4 billion. Thanks to the EBRD's business model, this additional capital will generate around EUR 24 billion in loans for Ukraine by 2032, enabling it to reform the business environment and make significant climate-related investments in cooperation with the private sector as part of the recovery process. Switzerland's participation in increasing the capital of the EBRD underlines its role as a credible and reliable partner. With the expansion of the bank's activities to sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq, Switzerland is making a contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The EBRD was founded in 1991 to support the development of the market economy in Central and Eastern Europe. For Switzerland, it is an important multilateral partner for international cooperation. Switzerland is a founding member of the EBRD. It has a permanent seat on the Board of Directors and heads a constituency of which Ukraine is also a member. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine to receive more defence materiel from Finland Finnish Ministry of Defence 13.09.2024 Finland will deliver more defence materiel to Ukraine. The President of the Republic decided on the matter, on the proposal of the Government, on 13 September 2024. This will be the 25th package of defence materiel to Ukraine. The estimated cost of replacing the capabilities included in the package is around EUR 118 million. Finland has now delivered defence materiel to Ukraine to a total value of EUR 2.3 billion. "Developments in the war in Ukraine continue to be serious. As promised, Finland will continue to provide material assistance. Our message to partner countries is that we must not give up," says Minister of Defence Antti HAkkAnen. For operational reasons, and to ensure that the delivery reaches its destination safely, more detailed information on the content of the assistance, the way it is delivered or schedule will not be provided. Both Ukraine's needs and the resources of the Defence Forces have been taken into account when deciding on the additional assistance. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine Closer To Long-Range Strike Permission As Biden, Starmer Meet By Todd Prince September 13, 2024 WASHINGTON -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for months has been pleading with the United States and Britain for the right to use their long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russia. He finally appears to be close to achieving his goal. There has been noticeable momentum over the past few weeks to loosen those restrictions ahead of a key meeting between President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Washington on September 13. The two leaders were expected to discuss support for Ukraine, among other topics, but not formally announce any change in policy. But the meeting itself and other bits of information reported during the week gave the appearance that something was afoot. Asked on September 11 whether he would loosen the restrictions, Biden said, "We are working that out right now," signaling a possible shift in his position. The comment came as many members of Congress, including those from his own Democratic Party, called on the president to ease his policy. "I expect that we will see an announcement shortly about relaxing the restrictions. There has been tremendous buildup, and it would be very hard to backtrack," Mark Cancian, a military analyst at the Center for Strategic and Institutional Studies, told RFE/RL. "I suspect the United States and the U.K. are hammering out the conditions, in particular the target sets, because they will want to limit the strikes to military targets to avoid civilian casualties and suffering." The likely permissible targets for long-range strikes will include airfields, logistics hubs, depots, and headquarters, he said. Ukraine has repeatedly struck Russian energy assets, in particular oil refineries and storage facilities, with their own homemade, long-range drones since the start of the year. Though they are legitimate military targets inside Russia, the Biden administration did not express support for the strikes. The U.K.'s Guardian newspaper reported on September 12 that London has already given Ukraine the green light to use its Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which can travel up to 250 kilometers, for long-range strikes deep into Russian territory. The U.K. requires Washington's permission because the missiles contain U.S. parts. Giving Ukraine the green light to use Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) -- a powerful, supersonic, ballistic missile that can travel as far as 300 kilometers -- to destroy Russian military assets far from the front lines following months of foot-dragging would be consistent with a pattern set by the Biden administration since the start of Moscow's invasion. The administration had initially denied Ukraine's requests for Abrams tanks, F-16 fighter jets, and long-range missiles like High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and ATACMS, in part amid concern it could provoke Russia. Biden eventually gave in to all those requests as pressure mounted from Ukraine, allies, and Ukraine supporters at home. Earlier this year, as Russian forces concentrated near the border with the apparent intention to reinvade Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, the Biden administration relaxed its policy and allowed Ukraine to fire ATACMS at forces just inside Russia, but no further. Glide Bombs The call to ease the restrictions on long-range strikes has grown this year as Russia continues to terrorize Ukrainian troops and cities with powerful glide bombs, which are difficult to spot on radar. Zelenskiy in June said Russia was dropping as many as 3,000 glide bombs a month. The pounding of Ukrainian positions from the sky has enabled Russian ground troops -- albeit at extraordinary costs in human life and equipment -- to gain territory, threatening key logistics towns, like Pokrovsk. The best defense against the glide bombs is to destroy the planes dropping them or push those planes farther from the front lines, something that can be achieved by targeting air bases, experts say. But Cancian agreed with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's statement last week that easing the restrictions will not turn the tide of the war in Ukraine's favor. The analyst pointed to the limited impact long-range Western weapons have had so far on Russia-controlled Crimea. Ukraine has struck Russian airfields and other military assets on the peninsula with those weapons. While this has weakened Moscow's capabilities, it hasn't been decisive in that theater of the war, he said. He added that the use of long-range precision missiles inside Russia could make it more difficult for Moscow to launch glide bombs and force it to disperse headquarters and logistics hubs, making its military operation less efficient. "It is not going to be a game-changer, but it would be helpful," he said. Putin's Threats As momentum built this week to ease the restrictions, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued his latest warning to the West about supporting Ukraine, saying he would view such a policy change as the "direct participation" of NATO countries in the war in Ukraine. However, he did not say how he would react. Putin in 2022 hinted at the use of tactical nuclear weapons, a comment that immediately provoked a negative response around the world, including from friendly countries like India. Earlier this year, following the latest U.S. policy change, he said Russia could supply lethal weapons to Western adversaries. Putin's saber-rattling has influenced the Biden administration's cautious approach to supplying Ukraine with ever more sophisticated weapons such as F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles and permitting strikes inside Russia. Some experts argue that Putin's threats are empty, saying he hasn't followed through on any to date, and that the United States should not heed them. David Kramer, who served as U.S. assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor from 2008-09, told a conference on September 12 that Putin is using the nuclear threat to undermine Western resolve. "I really would caution against overstating the possibility of nuclear escalation. That is what Putin wants us to think. Let's not fall for it," said Kramer, a Russia expert who is now the executive director of the George W. Bush Institute. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-long-range-strikes- russia-war-biden-starmer-analysis/33119358.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Biden, Starmer Reaffirm Support For Ukraine But Weapons Restrictions Remain In Place By RFE/RL September 13, 2024 WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reaffirmed their "unwavering support" for Ukraine at a meeting on September 13, according to a White House statement on the talks that didn't mention the topic of loosening restrictions on Kyiv's use of donated long-range weapons deeper inside Russian territory. Meeting amid signs that Ukraine's allies are growing more receptive to loosening restrictions on the use of the long-range weapons to allow it to hit targets deep inside Russia, Starmer was expected to press Biden on the issue. But a White House statement afterward failed to mention the topic and instead mentioned several global topics along with a pledge of continued support for Ukraine. "The leaders had an in-depth discussion on a range of foreign policy issues of mutual interest. They reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine as it continues to defend against Russia's aggression," the statement said. The only other mention of the war in Ukraine was an expression of "deep concern about Iran and North Korea's provision of lethal weapons to Russia and the People's Republic of China's support to Russia's defense industrial base." The United States has restricted the use of the weapons over concerns that allowing Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia could cause an escalation in the war and possibly prompt Russia to use a nuclear weapon. Hours ahead of the talks, White House national-security spokesman John Kirby looked to tamp down speculation of a lifting of the restrictions, saying the United States was not planning to announce any new policy with regard to the issue. The Biden-Starmer meeting came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a tour of Europe in which he heard repeated appeals from Ukraine and its allies to lift the restrictions. He said at the conclusion of the trip that he would relay the comments to Biden, noting that in the past the United States has adapted its policies to fit the situation on the battlefield. Biden in May altered U.S. policy to allow Ukraine to fire U.S.-donated missiles into Russia to defend itself against a major Russian offensive that included missile and drone barrages fired from Russian territory. But he maintained a limit on the distance the U.S. missiles could strike, meaning Ukraine could only hit targets in regions close to the border. The Guardian newspaper, quoting government sources, reported on September 12 that London had already given Ukraine permission to use its Storm Shadow missile for strikes deep into Russian territory. Other British media, however, reported that the United Kingdom might require Washington's permission first because the weaponry contains U.S.-made components. Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 12 warned against any change in policy that would allow Western weapons to be used for long-range strikes on his country's territory, saying it would mean that the NATO alliance of which the United States and Britain are members, would be "at war" with Russia. "If that's the case, then taking into account the change of nature of the conflict, we will make the appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face," Putin said. Putin claimed that the Ukrainian military would only be able to carry out such strikes when using data from NATO satellites and that only military personnel of NATO "can carry out flight tasks for these missile systems." When asked about the Russian president's warning, Biden said before meeting Starmer that "I don't think much about Vladimir Putin." German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on September 13 reiterated Berlin's refusal to send long-range missiles to Ukraine, telling a news conference that Germany "has made a clear decision about what we will do and what we will not do. This decision will not change." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has recently ramped up his calls for Kyiv's Western partners to loosen restrictions on donated weapons. Zelenskiy has argued that longer-range capability is needed to allow Ukraine to better defend itself against attacks as Russia has moved its long-range weaponry beyond Ukraine's reach. Russia has also made significant territorial gains on the ground in Ukraine's east amid an ongoing offensive. It has also begun a counterattack to retake Russian territory overrun by Ukraine following a surprise incursion into Russia, the first since World War II. Zelenskiy said on September 13 that the counterattack in Russia's Kursk region, where Ukraine took more than 1,300 square kilometers of territory in the space of a few weeks, was expected but had so far seen "no serious success." The Ukrainian president also said at a conference in Kyiv that the situation around the strategic eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, which Russian forces aim to capture as they advance in the Donetsk region, remained difficult but was stabilizing. Zelenskiy said that he plans to present a "victory plan" to end the war with Russia to Biden later this month. "[It] can pave the way for a reliable peace -- for the full implementation of the peace formula," he said at a conference organized by the Viktor Pinchuk Foundation charity. In recent weeks, Zelenskiy has said that Ukraine has no intention of holding the Russian territory it controls as a result of the incursion launched in August. However, he said it gave Ukraine leverage for future negotiations and that captured Russian soldiers were valuable in exchanges for Ukrainian troops captured by Russia. During the conference, Zelenskiy said Ukraine needed the full support from its allies in order to be in a strong position to negotiate with Russia, and repeated his calls for the West to help Ukraine carry out long-range strikes into Russia. Starmer and Biden also reiterated their "ironclad commitment to Israel's security, the urgent need for a ceasefire deal that will free the hostages and enable increased relief in Gaza, and the need for Israel to do more to protect civilians and address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza," the White House said. The two leaders also had an "in-depth discussion" on a range of foreign policy issues of mutual interest, including attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Huthi rebels, environmental issues, and economic ties, the White House said. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/biden- starmer-reaffirm-support-for-ukraine-but-weapons- restrictions-remain-in-place/33119379.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Says 'No Justification' For Missile Attack On Grain Vessel In Black Sea By RFE/RL's Romanian Service September 13, 2024 A Russian missile strike on a civilian ship transporting Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea has drawn sharp condemnation from NATO and raised concerns in Romania about the status of shipping on the Black Sea. NATO spokeswoman Farah Dakhlallah expressed the alliance's reaction on September 13, just over a day after the missile struck the vessel. "There is no justification for such attacks. Yesterday's strike shows once again the reckless nature of Russia's war," Dakhlallah said, speaking in Brussels. Romanian authorities said the ship was in the maritime economic zone of Romania, a NATO member, when it was hit at around 11 p.m. local time on September 11. The vessel was transporting grain from Chernomorsk, Ukraine, to Istanbul when it was struck, the Coast Guard said in a news release. Ukrainian officials said the ship's cargo was bound for Egypt. Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar spoke by phone with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, on the security situation in the Black Sea area after the attack. Tilvar reiterated Bucharest's "firm condemnation of the unjustified attacks" by Russia against civilian port infrastructure on the Danube near the border with Romania, the Romanian Defense Ministry quoted him as saying. "Unfortunately, as a result of the aggressive actions of the Russian Federation, the Black Sea is no longer an area of cooperation, but a theater of war," Tilvar said, according to a ministry statement on September 12. He added that Romania "condemns in the strongest terms the Russian aggression against the Ukrainian people, unprovoked and illegal, especially the attacks on the Ukrainian population and civil infrastructure." Tilvar and Umerov also discussed Romania's effort to support Ukraine's military and the coordination of multinational assistance projects. Umerov called the discussion "fruitful," saying the main topic was air defense against Russian missiles and drones. "Ukraine will soon receive a new Patriot air-defense system from our Romanian partners. There will also be more F-16s in Ukrainian skies. A group of pilots are already being trained in Romania," he added. Separately, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Romanian Foreign Minister LuminiEa Odobescu to discuss Romania's donation of Patriot missile system to Ukraine. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that Blinken thanked Odobescu for fulfilling Romania's commitment and for its "continued leadership in the defense of regional security." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/romania-ukraine-black- sea-nato-grain-russia-tilvar-umerov/33119213.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Defence Ministry report on repelling AFU attempt to invade Russian territory in Kursk region (13 September 2024) 13.09.2024 The Sever Group of Forces carrying on offensive actions inflicted damage on the 22nd and 44th mechanised brigades, 82nd and 95th air assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Lyubimovka, Daryino, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Pokrovsky, and Borki. Over the past 24 hours, the Russian units have repelled a counter-attack launched by the enemy in the direction of Obukhovka, and thwarted two enemy's attempts to launch attacks in the direction of Kamyshevka and Borki. As a result, the AFU losses amounted to up to 20 troops killed and wounded, one AFU serviceman were taken prisoner; two armoured fighting vehicles and one motor vehicle were destroyed. With the support of army aviation and artillery fire, the Russian troops repelled three attempts of the enemy to break through the border of the Russian Federation in the direction of the Novy Put, Medvezhye, and Vesyoloye. The AFU losses amounted to up to 50 troops killed and wounded; five tanks, two infantry fighting vehicles, one armoured personnel carrier, nine armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, and two counterobstacle vehicles. Air strikes, artillery fire, and actions of the troops inflicted fire damage on clusters of manpower and hardware of the 22nd, 61st, 115th mechanised brigades, 17th Tank Brigade, 80th and 95th air assault brigades, 1st National Guard Brigade, and 129th Territorial Defence Brigade near Borki, Guyevo, Daryino, Zeleny Shlyakh, Kositsa, Lyubimovka, Malaya Loknya, Martynovka, Novaya Sorochina, Novoivanovka, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Pokrovsky, and Uspenovka. Operational-Tactical Aviation, and Missile Troops launched strikes in Sumy region to hit enemy's assembly areas and reserves of the 21st, 22nd, and 41st mechanised brigades, 17th Tank Brigade, 82nd Air Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 1st National Guard Brigade, 1004th Security Brigade, 101st, 103rd, and 129th territorial defence brigades close to Belopolye, Glukhov, Zhuravka, Obody, Kondratovka, Katerinovka, Rechki, Stepanovka, Sumy, Pavlovka, Pustogorod, and Khoten. Over the past 24 hours, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have suffered the following losses: up to 300 troops, 34 armoured vehicles including seven tanks, two infantry fighting vehicles, three armoured personnel carriers, and 22 armoured fighting vehicles as well as one artillery gun, one electronic warfare station, two counterobstacle vehicles, and eight motor vehicles. Twelve Ukrainian servicemen surrendered into captivity. Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost more than 12,795 troops, 108 tanks, 44 infantry fighting vehicles, 86 armoured personnel carriers, 691 armoured fighting vehicles, 418 motor vehicles, 93 artillery guns, 26 MLRS launchers, including seven of HIMARS and five of MLRS made by the USA, eight SAM launchers, two transport-loading vehicles, 25 electronic warfare stations and seven counter-battery radars, two air defence radars, 12 engineering vehicles, including six 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 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The increased military cooperation between Russia, Iran, and DPRK poses an unacceptable threat to global security: UK statement at the UN Security Council Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security. 13 September 2024 By calling this meeting today on 'western weapons transfers to Ukraine', Russia has, yet again, succeeded only in drawing our attention to its continued hypocrisy. Just days ago, it came to light that Russia has received Iranian ballistic missiles for use in prosecuting its illegal war against Ukraine. The transfer poses a direct threat to European security and stability elsewhere and will increase the suffering of the Ukrainian people. It is this which should be the focus of today's meeting, not Western support for a sovereign state's legitimate and legal right to defend itself. Iranian close-range ballistic missiles will soon reach European soil. The transfer will increase Russia's capability to launch short-range attacks on the front lines, enabling it to use more of its long-distance missiles to strike deeper inside Ukraine. As we said earlier this week together with our international partners, we can be certain that the suffering of the Ukrainian people will increase as a result. Colleagues, none of us need reminding of the atrocities Russia will inflict with the aid of these weapons. The UN has verified over 35,000 civilian casualties caused by Russia's war - we suspect the real number is far higher. Russian missiles are hitting schools and children's hospitals. Humanitarian workers are being killed. And Russia is cynically and brutally targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure, posing significant risks to the lives of millions of Ukrainians ahead of winter. It seems that only one member of this Council needs reminding that deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure is a war crime. President, Russia also continues to purchase significant quantities of weapons for use in Ukraine, including ballistic missiles from DPRK, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions Russia itself voted for. This increased military cooperation between Russia, Iran and DPRK poses an unacceptable threat to not only European security, but to global security. In return for weapons needed to prolong its illegal war, Russia is violating sanctions endorsed by the UN Security Council and building the capabilities of, and emboldening, both the Iranian and North Korean regimes. This contributes to further destablisation in the Middle East and Indo-Pacific. Russia's war in Ukraine is a flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter. We will not be deterred from our unwavering support for Ukraine. We remain committed to providing the political and military support Ukraine requires to defend itself - in line with its Article 51 right - against Russia's unjustified and unprovoked invasion, and to secure a just and lasting peace, in line with the UN Charter. And President, let me conclude with the words of my Prime Minister yesterday: "Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia could end this conflict straight away. Ukraine has the right to self-defence." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Minister of Defense of Denmark Discussed Increasing Assistance to Ukraine President of Ukraine 13 September 2024 - 21:15 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Defense of Denmark Troels Lund Poulsen. The Head of State thanked Denmark, the Prime Minister, the Government and the Parliament of the state for their significant assistance to Ukraine. "Denmark has had a respectful attitude towards Ukraine and Ukrainians from the very beginning, and we are very grateful for all your support. We feel it through the people, through your attitude towards our people, society, and forced migrants. Of course, we also feel it on the battlefield, and this is a priority for us," the President said. Troels Lund Poulsen stressed that he had come to Kyiv together with the Members of Parliament from different parties to personally see what had been achieved in Ukraine due to Denmark's assistance and to understand the needs and possible directions of increasing support for Ukraine's defense capability. The Head of State praised Denmark's leading role in the transfer of the first F-16 combat aircraft to Ukraine and thanked for the training of Ukrainian pilots and engineering personnel. During the meeting, the parties also discussed the development of bilateral cooperation in the field of arms production to meet the priority needs of the Defense Forces. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In Total, We Have Managed to Return 3569 Ukrainians from Captivity - Address by the President President of Ukraine 13 September 2024 - 20:31 Dear Ukrainians! First of all - our gratitude to our warriors, combat units, which replenish the exchange fund for our state. In different directions. Also, to our special services, which counteract saboteurs and collaborators. Thanks to this work, representatives of Ukraine and our exchange team are able to free our people from Russian captivity. Today there was another exchange. Another 49 Ukrainians are back home. Among them are both military personnel and civilians. Warriors of the Armed Forces, our border guards, the National Guard, in particular, the defenders of Azovstal, and two police officers. Among our civilians is Leniye Umerova, a young woman who was captured by the Russians in Crimea while on her way to visit her sick father. The Hero of Ukraine, military medic Viktor Ivchuk, was also returned. I thank our entire team engaged in the exchanges. All those who are involved and whose work ensures all this: the Armed Forces, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Head of the Office, the Ombudsman. Thank you! In total, we have managed to return 3569 Ukrainians from captivity. Today has also been a very active day for our international communications. The annual Yalta European Strategy Forum has started its work, and it is important for Ukraine that our arguments on long-range weapons and all defense cooperation with partners are heard. On the sidelines of the Forum, I met with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and Poland. I thanked them for their support. I also spoke with the President of the Munich Security Conference, which is one of the most influential foreign and security policy platforms in Europe. I also met with Mike Pompeo, the former U.S. Secretary of State. Boris Johnson, one of Ukraine's greatest friends, was also at the Forum. I thanked him for his unwavering support since 2022. Today I also met with the Minister of Defense of Denmark. It was a very informative meeting. Denmark is the first country, with which we have started the joint production of weapons. And these weapons are already helping on the frontline. We produce Bohdanas together. Of course, we also talked about other aspects of our cooperation, including the F-16s. Denmark is indeed one of the leaders in supporting our defense industry. I thank Mette, Madam Prime Minister, and all the Danish people. Today, together with the First Lady of Ukraine, we met with Michael Douglas, a well-known actor and a caring person. He helps us a lot to keep the attention on the truth about the war and helps UNITED24. We thanked him for this today. And one more thing. A report has just been made by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported today. The main priority is weapons for our warriors in the Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, and Toretsk directions, in all Donetsk directions, and along the entire frontline. This includes the issue of delivery and the issue of production, both in Ukraine and together with partners. The task is to strengthen our positions as much as possible and put maximum pressure on Russia. We can end this war fairly only from a position of strength. We are doing everything for that. Everything. Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine Must Achieve a Just Peace and Be an Important Element of the Future Global Security Structure - Andriy Yermak President of Ukraine 13 September 2024 - 19:51 Ukraine's efforts are now aimed at bringing the war to a just end and forming a reliable global security architecture, in which it will play one of the key roles. This was stated by the Head of the Office of the President, Andriy Yermak, during his participation in the 20th Annual Yalta European Strategy Meeting. Along with him, the discussion was attended by: British Prime Minister (2019-2022) Boris Johnson, U.S. Secretary of State (2018-2022) Mike Pompeo, and Dutch Minister of Defense (2022-2024) Kajsa Ollongren. The panel was moderated by Aleksander KwaAniewski, President of Poland from 1995-2005. "The Peace Formula is a way not only to end this war with a just peace, but also to restore the true spirit of international law and the power of the UN Charter," the Head of the Presidential Office emphasized. Andriy Yermak noted that during the first Peace Summit, dozens of countries had been discussing the prospects of restoring a just peace at one table. All of them declared their respect for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Head of the Presidential Office is convinced that Ukraine will definitely be at the center of the future global security structure. Our country is actively working on shaping its architecture, which has already resulted in 26 bilateral security agreements, as well as the Ukraine Compact, adopted at the 75th NATO Summit in Washington. According to Andriy Yermak, Ukraine signs documents that not only address the current situation, but also provide guarantees for the future and enshrine the relevant partners' commitments. The Head of the Presidential Office noted that Ukraine should eventually receive an invitation to join NATO, which would be the easiest and most effective step to ensure its security. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address We Need Permission to Use Long-Range Weapons; I Hope the U.S. Political Community Understands This Clearly - the President at the Meeting with Mike Pompeo President of Ukraine 13 September 2024 - 17:49 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Kyiv. The Head of State thanked the U.S. Presidential Administration, the Congress and all the American people for the unprecedented military and financial support for Ukraine. "Thanks to the support of the United States and assistance in strengthening the international coalition, we are making progress on the battlefield. But we need permission to use long-range weapons. I hope that the U.S. political community understands this clearly and that the relevant decision will be made," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He emphasized the importance of expanding military assistance and joint development of defense technologies, as well as increasing sanctions pressure on Russia and its allies - Iran and North Korea. During the meeting, the parties discussed the implementation of the Peace Formula and preparations for the second Peace Summit. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The President Discussed the Importance of Accelerating Ukraine's Accession to the EU and NATO with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and Poland President of Ukraine 13 September 2024 - 17:21 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and Poland Gabrielius Landsbergis and RadosAaw Sikorski. The Head of State thanked the partners for their significant defense support, particularly for the recent decisions on new assistance packages. "We are grateful to your countries and peoples for their unwavering support. We are grateful that you have stood with us from the very beginning until our common victory," the President said. Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed about the constant missile and bomb terror from the Russian Federation and stressed the necessity of using long-range weapons against military targets on the territory of the aggressor state. During the meeting, special attention was paid to the implementation of bilateral security agreements and the Peace Formula, preparations for the second Peace Summit, and negotiations between Ukraine and the EU. In particular, the parties discussed the importance of the forthcoming Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the realization of Ukraine's priorities on the path of European integration. The Head of State also praised Lithuania's and Poland's support for Ukraine on its way to the EU and NATO accession. "Gaining NATO membership is our strategic goal. It is the only reliable security commitment for Ukraine and all of Europe today," Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Implementation of the Peace Formula and Preparations for the Second Peace Summit: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Met with the President of the Foundation Council of the Munich Security Conference President of Ukraine 13 September 2024 - 16:30 On the sidelines of the Yalta European Strategy (YES) meeting, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of the Foundation Council of the Munich Security Conference Foundation Wolfgang Ischinger. The Head of State emphasized the important role of the Conference in finding ways to overcome the challenges facing Ukraine, Europe and the world. "I very much count on the Munich Security Conference to remain an influential international platform for consolidating the democratic civilized world around the support of Ukraine and the approach of a just and lasting peace in our country," Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed. During the meeting, the parties discussed steps to implement all 10 points of the Peace Formula and preparations for the second Peace Summit. "I hope that Ukraine and the cessation of Russian aggression on our land will be one of the central topics of the next Munich Security Conference, which will be held in February 2025," the President said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The President: Ukraine Needs Long-Range Capability, Sufficient Enough to Change the Course of the War and Make Russia Seek Peace President of Ukraine 13 September 2024 - 15:30 Ukraine is hoping for results from its partners on long-range capability. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his speech at the 20th Yalta European Strategy Meeting. The Head of State noted that while Ukraine is waiting for the delivery of the promised air defense systems, primarily Patriots, from its partners, Russia continues to strike our country. The Russian dictator does not need any long-range permissions for this. "Anyone who simply sees on a map where Russia strikes from, where it trains its forces and keeps reserves, where it locates military facilities and what logistics it uses - anyone who sees all this, clearly understands why Ukraine needs long-range capability," the President stressed. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted that he had recently discussed this in detail with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. According to the Head of State, after this meeting, there cannot be any unanswered questions about why Ukraine needs sufficient long-range capability. "I want to highlight: sufficient. Sufficient not to simply say that there is a decision, but to really change the course of the war and make Russia seek peace. And we are really counting on our partners, hoping for results from our partners. At least, we are working on it," the President added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The War Must Become Significantly Harder for Russia - President's Speech at the Opening of the 20th Annual Yalta European Strategy Meeting President of Ukraine 13 September 2024 - 15:25 NNN! Dear participants of this year's Yalta European Strategy meeting! Dear friends of Ukraine! Thank you for the invitation! I'm glad to welcome you all to Ukraine today - and for many of you not for the first time. And it is extremely important in a time of war like this - to be in Ukraine, to be with our defenders, defenders of Ukraine, with all our people - people who are going through the hardest thing that could ever happen - a full-scale war. I'm grateful to all of you for being with Ukraine. But it is also important for all of us to have the same understanding of what it means to be with Ukraine. It's not just about presence. It is not just about an emotional connection to our state, to Ukrainians, to our battle for independence. Yesterday, the Russian army carried out one of its many attacks on Ukraine. It was an artillery strike. It hit the village of Viroliubivka in the Donetsk region. The Russians saw where they were hitting. The trucks of the International Committee of the Red Cross were burned. Two people were wounded in this strike. Unfortunately, three people were killed. My condolences. They were employees of the humanitarian mission - their lives were taken by Russian artillery. And it is disappointing, deeply disappointing, to see that the Red Cross, in its official communication, was afraid to even say that this was a Russian strike. This is our reality. But this is their face... And it's not just the truth - it was a Russian strike, Russian terror. Yesterday, the Russian army conducted an equally blatant strike. A Russian missile hit a civilian vessel in the Black Sea, I think it took place near Romanian waters already. It was a bulk carrier transporting wheat. The port of destination was in Egypt. And it was just luck that none of the crew was killed by that missile. And there was no reaction from Egypt, no reaction at all, even though it is their food security. But this is how Russia treats Egypt, food security, and free navigation - it treats it like a typical terrorist. As long as there are double standards in the realm of morality, Putin may continue to seek something other than peace. We are now in the third year of this full-scale war. And after so much killing and destruction in Ukraine, after so many Russian war crimes, after so many terrorist strikes, Putin can still afford to destroy life in Ukraine as he pleases, can buy and produce missiles, bombs and artillery, can even afford to issue ultimatums to the world. And he expects the world to give in to his madness. It is the third year of the war, and Putin still believes that it is he to whom concessions must be made. Why is that? These days, there have been very important meetings with our partners, and there have been important guests in Ukraine. In particular, representatives of the US and the UK. Of course, we cannot fully disclose the content of closed negotiations between our partners and us. But I would like to share my feelings. Now in Ukraine, as in many other countries, the school year has started. Children are going to school. In Ukraine, we really want as many children as possible to learn not online, but together with other children, in a normal school atmosphere, where they acquire not only knowledge but also social skills, communication skills and life skills. For this, we need air defense systems, primarily Patriots, which are available in sufficient quantities globally and which we have long been expecting from our partners. And when you say at important closed meetings with partners that we need air defense, it is difficult, really difficult to hear the same answer every time - "we are working on it." Russian missiles and Iranian-supplied "Shaheds," unfortunately, are also "working", but they are working in our skies and against our people. And Putin doesn't need any permissions or approvals for long-range strikes. You have all heard, many have seen, and some have even experienced firsthand how difficult it is now on the frontline everywhere, especially in the Donetsk region. Near Pokrovsk, first of all. Our heroic warriors are there - I would like us to support them, applaud them, thank them for their feat - they are really strong people, very strong. We all understand that they need reinforcement. This means equipped and ready-to-fight units, enough not only to hold their positions but to reclaim them. We have been talking with our partners for months about this - about equipping our brigades. I'm grateful to all the leaders and states that have made responsible commitments and are actually fulfilling them on time. But frankly, we are still far from fully implementing what we have agreed on a long time ago. And when you remind of this during negotiations, it is very difficult to hear - "we are working on it" - again. While this is being said, Putin is burning down our cities and villages - that's what he's working on. And he doesn't need any approvals. Putin interprets delays in helping us and in making strong decisions for Ukraine as permission to do everything he is doing, to do whatever he wants. And regarding the long-range capability for Ukraine. Anyone who simply sees on a map where Russia strikes from on a daily basis, where Russia trains its forces and keeps reserves, where it locates military facilities and what logistics it uses - anyone who sees all this, clearly understands why Ukraine needs long-range capability. By the way, we discussed this in detail with Antony Blinken and David Lammy, the US Secretary of State and the British Foreign Secretary, who were recently in Kyiv. I hope that after our conversation, there simply cannot be any unanswered questions about why Ukraine needs sufficient long-range capability. I want to highlight once again: sufficient. Sufficient not to simply say that there is a decision, but to really change the course of the war and make Russia seek peace. And we are really counting on our partners, hoping for results from our partners. At least, we are working on it. Dear ladies and gentlemen! When we think about how to end the war, we must realize absolutely clearly that it is we who need it - not Putin. He does not want to end anything. He feels comfortable sending people to their deaths, controlling his people through television, and enjoying life in his bubble. Unfortunately, Putin and his inner circle have not been tangibly affected by the war so far. Yet. Yet. But Putin and his cronies must feel all the problems that war brings. And this means that the war must become significantly more difficult for Russia. Only then can Russia be forced to understand that the war will have to end. And it must end fairly - on the basis of international law. This requires strong decisions from the world. And each of you knows what they are. When we hear that new missiles have arrived in Russia from Iran, it is the same evil that the allies have already had to shoot down in the skies of the Middle East. Now, the markings of the missiles may be different, but not Iran's terrorist motive behind the proliferation and use of these weapons. If the allies are jointly shooting down missiles and drones in the skies over the Middle East, why is there still no similar decision to jointly shoot down Russian missiles and Iranian "Shaheds" over Ukraine? And this isn't being done even when missiles and drones are heading towards the territory of our neighbors. And when we raise this issue with our partners, which we do constantly, to be honest, everyone tries to talk around it... They're even afraid to say, "we are working on it." They're afraid even of those words. That's the truth. So far, only Belarus was noticed for shooting down Russian "Shaheds." I couldn't imagine it would be that way... I think this is truly humiliating for the strong democratic world. We and our partners know exactly all the spots where Russia is gathering forces for strikes. All of them. We know where Russian air defense is located. If any of our partners don't know, we can share this information. Everyone knows where Russian missile launchers are being deployed, and what logistics routes are critical for the Russian occupation forces. All of this can be destroyed in a matter of months. Let me remind you that the war has been going on for 10 years, and the full-scale one for almost three. So, what is lacking to bring it to an end? Strength? Decisions? Or the will to do so? Why can Putin keep his own weapons production at a maximum? He gets critical components. In the Russian missiles that hit our cities and villages on a daily basis, we see components from all over the world - America, Europe, Taiwan etc. Chains of such supplies to Russia still exist. And it turns out that it is cheaper for Putin to continue his terror than for us to defend ourselves against it. The logistics of weapons in Russia and the sites for Russian strikes are, unfortunately, still beyond the reach of our defenders, our defensive strikes. We have effective drones. But drones cannot do what missiles are supposed to. And even artillery - Putin can get more than enough and relatively cheap from North Korea. Meanwhile, for Ukraine, every defense package is an achievement. Why am I talking so much about the details on weapons right now? In fact, these are details about forcing Russia into peace. Putin does not understand anything else. Only the things that strengthen Ukraine's position. Only what makes the situation worse for Russia. Only the fact that the partners are actually taking the necessary steps, and not promising to consider what steps are needed from meeting to meeting, as if it is still not clear for someone. Of course, we are at war, and in such conditions it is impossible to plan a completely unchanged schedule. But this month, I have a meeting with President Biden planned. I will present him with the Victory Plan. A system of interconnected decisions that will give Ukraine sufficient strength - enough strength to put this war on a course to peace. Wars of aggression such as Russia's war against Ukraine can end fairly in several ways - either the occupying army is pushed out or diplomacy ensures that the country's real independence is preserved and it is freed from occupation. In both cases, Ukraine needs a strong position. The United States can help with this. If we, along with our key partner, equally strive for victory. The Victory Package that I'll present to the President of the United States can pave the way for a lasting peace - for the full implementation of the Peace Formula. Unfortunately, there are still illusions in the world that it's possible to talk to Moscow or draw some new red lines that will eventually make Moscow softer and inclined toward reconciliation. But without illusions, if we all want to one day hear the words - "peace has finally come, a just peace in Ukraine" - then we must hear now - "Ukraine has become powerful enough - powerful enough to win." That will be the true guarantee of peace. And it depends not only on us. In many ways, it depends on the world - on you, dear friends. I thank all Ukrainians for their courage! I am grateful to each of our partners who are really doing everything to make Ukraine strong and to ensure that our country wins. And I want to be able to thank the leaders of the world for the key thing - for the kind of help that will make Ukraine's victory inevitable. Only in this way will the desire to seek real peace reach Putin's bubble. Thank you for your attention! NNN! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN warns of continued prohibited weapons transfers to Ukraine, Russia 13 September 2024 - Amid continuing prohibited weapons transfers to Ukraine and Russia during the ongoing war, top disarmament and legal officials issued calls on Friday for parties to the conflict to abide by international law and protect civilians. Warning the Security Council, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu said that since the last briefing on weapons transfers only two weeks ago, the provision of military assistance and transfer of arms and ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces have continued in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in violation of the UN Charter and of international law. "Any transfer of weapons and ammunition must be compliant with the applicable international legal framework, including of course, relevant Security Council resolutions, which in certain instances impose sanctions and restrictive measures on such transfers," she said. Shipments reportedly included such heavy conventional weapons as tanks, armoured combat vehicles and aircraft, helicopters, large-calibre artillery and missile systems and uncrewed combat aerial vehicles alongside remotely operated munitions, small arms and light weapons and their ammunition. She also pointed to reports of States transferring, or planning to transfer, weapons such as uncrewed aerial vehicles, ballistic missiles and ammunition to the Russian armed forces and that these weapons have been used and are likely to be used in Ukraine. States must abide by global arms treaties The High Representative raised deep concerns about reports related to the use and transfer of cluster munitions since the beginning of the conflict and the widespread contamination with mines and explosive remnants of war in Ukraine. Reminding the 15-member Council of the importance and value of international law in today's challenging security context, she called on Member States to comply with obligations to various disarmament treaties, particularly conventions on cluster munitions, anti-personnel mines and what is referred to as "certain conventional weapons" deemed to be indiscriminate or excessively injurious, such as booby traps, weaponised lasers designed to cause permanent blindness and incendiary weapons. The universal participation in and the full implementation of these treaties must remain a priority, she said, calling on all States to abide by their international humanitarian law obligations and to become parties as a matter of priority to disarmament treaties and comply with the obligations therein. "Compliance with these obligations is crucial in preventing the causing of unnecessary suffering or superfluous injury to persons and in protecting civilians," she said, underscoring that importing, transit, producing and exporting States must act responsibly at every step along the arms and ammunition transfer chain to prevent and detect diversion, illicit trafficking and misuse. Civilian deaths keep rising Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recorded over 11,700 civilians killed and more than 24,600 civilians injured in Ukraine. According to the OHCHR, August was the month with the second highest number of civilian casualties in 2024, after July, with at least 184 civilians killed and 856 injured in Ukraine. The use of armed uncrewed aerial vehicles and missiles by Russia continues to cause civilian deaths and injuries as well as damage to civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, Ms. Nakamitsu said. In addition, there have also been reports of a number of cross-border strikes using missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles by Ukraine inside Russia, with some resulting in civilian casualties and damage to civilian objects. "Armed uncrewed aerial vehicles and missiles must not be used in a manner inconsistent with international humanitarian law," she said. "All parties to any armed conflict have an obligation under international humanitarian law to protect civilians," she said. Russia: Ukraine uses chemical weapons Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Ukraine and its Western backers are looking for ways to break the situation on the battleground, but heavy losses have been reported of weapons already sent to Kyiv. Moreover, multiple reports indicate that Ukrainian forces are using chemical weapons, he said, adding that Moscow will continue to inform the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Turning to the possibility of easing the entry of weapons into Ukraine, he said "if the decision to lift restrictions is really taken, that will mean that from that moment NATO countries will be conducting direct war with Russia." "In this case, we will have to take the relevant decisions with all the consequences that the Western aggressors would incur," he said. "We're not talking about a game here. The facts are that NATO will be a direct party to hostilities against a nuclear power." US reports new Iranian missile shipments US Ambassador Robert Wood highlighted new developments, saying Iranian personnel trained Russian military personnel this past summer on the use of Iran's Project 360 close-range ballistic missiles, and Russia received the first shipment of hundreds of these missiles from Iran in early September. With a maximum range of 75 miles, the missiles are enabling Russia to preserve its longer-range capabilities for use throughout Ukraine, deepening Russian arsenals and giving it the ability to destroy more Ukrainian infrastructure ahead of winter while destabilising European security. "There is no legitimate excuse for what Russia is doing in Ukraine," he said, adding that the US will continue to support Kyiv's ability to defend itself and that "we will not back down." UK voices unwavering support for Kyiv UK Deputy Permanent Representative James Kariuki said that "by calling this meeting today on Western weapons transfers to Ukraine, Russia has, yet again, succeeded only in drawing our attention to its continued hypocrisy." He said Iranian close-range ballistic missiles will "soon reach European soil", and Russia continues to purchase significant quantities of weapons from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, in violation of Council resolutions "Russia itself voted for". Moscow's war in Ukraine is a "flagrant violation" of international law and the UN Charter, he said, adding that "we will not be deterred from our unwavering support for Ukraine." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Several Security Council Members Express Concern about Strengthened Military Cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, Pyongyang in War on Ukraine Meetings Coverage Security Council 9724th Meeting (AM) SC/15820 13 September 2024 Russian Federation 'Wasting' International Community's Time by Calling Such Meetings, Says Delegate, Noting Real Problem Is Moscow's Violation of UN Charter Any transfer of weapons and ammunition must comply with the applicable international legal framework, the United Nations disarmament chief told the Security Council today, as delegates warned against such arms fuelling the Russian Federation's war on Ukraine. Briefing the 15-member organ, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu said that since the last briefing on this topic two weeks ago, the provision of military assistance and transfer of arms and ammunition to the Armed Forces of Ukraine have continued. She also noted reports of States transferring, or planning to transfer, weapons such as uncrewed aerial vehicles, ballistic missiles and ammunition to the Russian Armed Forces. The use of armed uncrewed aerial vehicles and missiles by the Russian Federation continues to cause civilian deaths and injuries as well as damage to civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, she said, also noting reports of the latter's cross-border strikes using missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles on the aggressor's territory. "Armed uncrewed aerial vehicles and missiles must not be used in a manner inconsistent with international humanitarian law," she said, stressing the importance of distinguishing civilians from combatants, and civilian objects from military objectives. "Indiscriminate attacks are prohibited," she emphasized. In the discussion that followed, the representative of the Russian Federation accused the United States and the United Kingdom of supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine in continuing to systematically use toxic substances and chemical riot control agents. Western countries continue to talk about the hostilities in Ukraine because "they bring them great profit", he said, adding: London gave Kyiv "a large amount of military assistance that needed to be disposed of" a "so as you can see this is very convenient". "That was quite a bit of propaganda," said the United States delegate, rejecting such accusations and highlighting the Russian Federation's contract with Iran for the supply of hundreds of missiles for use throughout Ukraine. This "represents a dramatic escalation and a highly destabilizing development", he said, adding that this partnership "not only poses a threat to Ukrainian and European security but also directly enables Iran's destabilizing activities in the Middle East". China also has a role in enabling the Russian Federation's illegal assaults through its exports, ranging from service inputs to raw materials, he said. "China did not create the Ukraine crisis, nor we are a party to the conflict," its delegate said, asserting that Beijing has not supplied weapons to either party. His country has been working hard to facilitate peace talks. In May, China and Brazil jointly issued a six-point consensus on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, he said, asking the United States to cease discrediting and obstructing Beijing's diplomatic efforts. The representative of the United Kingdom said that the focus of today's meeting should not be Western support for a sovereign State's legitimate right to defend itself, but rather the transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to the Russian Federation, which poses a direct threat to European security and stability elsewhere. "Iranian close-range ballistic missiles will soon reach European soil," he warned. Agreeing, France's delegate urged Tehran to immediately stop such supplies. His country is working with partners to "provide an unequivocal response" to these transfers, including designating individuals and entities involved in them, he said. Several speakers also expressed concern about the strengthened military cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Among them was the representative of the Republic of Korea, who warned that Moscow's ongoing use of weapons from Pyongyang is causing significant damage to civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. A Ukrainian military research institute recently confirmed that "debris from missiles used to attack Kyiv in August was of North Korean origin", he added. "Security Council meetings like this, routinely requested by Russia, are nothing but a waste of time and resources of both the UN and the international community," said Japan's diplomat. Moscow appears to want solutions to the problem, but "there is only one problem that needs to be addressed immediately" a the Kremlin's violation of the Charter of the United Nations. The representative of Slovenia, Council President for September, spoke in her national capacity to share her observation. "We are approaching the discussions on weapons transfers from the wrong end," she said, declaring: "We will not accept victim-blaming." Echoing those views, the speaker for Switzerland underscored that Ukraine has the right to ensure its security and defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty. The representative of Sierra Leone a noting a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on populated areas in Moscow on 10 September, as well as 2,000 Ukrainian children killed or injured since the start of the conflict a called for a diplomatic and political solution, as did the representative of Algeria, who said: "The flow of weapons to areas of conflict only fuels the fire." For its part, Ecuador called for effective measures to prevent the diversion, illicit trade and improper use of arms and munitions to avoid sowing greater instability in Ukraine. It is vital, its delegate said, "to avoid these weapons reappearing and causing damage in other regions of the world including my region, Latin America". Mozambique's delegate, while acknowledging the sovereign right of States to self-defence, including arms transfer when necessary, cautioned that if not carefully managed, arms transfer can lead to not just conflict escalation but also, ultimately, diversion of resources from critical social sectors. The representative of Malta was among those expressing shock at the shelling on 12 September that hit the site of a planned frontline aid distribution in the Donetsk region, killing three staff members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). "We strongly condemn this blatant disregard for international humanitarian law," he said. After all, any lasting solution to this conflict must be achieved through diplomacy and good-faith negotiations, said Guyana's representative, "not through military action or a cycle of meetings that proffer no solutions nor yield concrete outcomes to change the situation on the ground". NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pentagon: $5.9B in Ukraine aid is left to be spent before October 1 By Carla Babb, Ostap Yarysh September 13, 2024 The Pentagon says it has nearly $6 billion in funding for Ukraine left that could expire at the end of this month unless Congress or the State Department acts to extend the military's authority to draw weapons from its stockpiles to send to Kyiv. "We have $5.9 billion left in Ukraine Presidential Drawdown Authority, all but $100 million of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year," Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said Friday. "The department will continue to provide drawdown packages in the near future and is working with Congress to seek an extension of PDA [presidential drawdown] authorities beyond the end of the fiscal year." A defense official, who spoke to VOA on the condition of anonymity, said Congress' monthslong deadlock in passing the supplemental funding bill for Ukraine was a "contributing factor" as to why billions of dollars for weapons remained unspent. The money was expected to be allocated for Ukraine last year, but the U.S. House was unable to pass the $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan until late April of this year. Of that, about $61 billion was earmarked for Ukraine. The official said the delay left the Pentagon with less time to identify and send military aid to Kyiv from its stockpiles. The nearly $6 billion left in funding amounts to less than 10% of the aid allocated in April to address the conflict in Ukraine. Speaking in response to a VOA question earlier this month, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said the Pentagon would "use everything we can that's available to us to make sure that we are continuing to provide Ukraine what it needs, both in the short term and the long term." "We're in this fight with Ukraine for the long haul," she said. Two ways to ensure access There are two ways to make sure that access to the remaining funds will not expire at the beginning of October, Mykola Murskyj, director of advocacy for the NGO Razom for Ukraine, told VOA. The first is that Congress has to approve it again. This requires lawmakers to pass a provision that would extend the authority to use the remaining amount in the next budget year. House members from both sides of the aisle have expressed support for extending the authorities so that all the allocated funding for Kyiv can be used. "If we need to extend it, we'll extend it," Representative Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, told VOA. Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, added that he would "push to get it done" if the funding was not all spent by the deadline. The second way to ensure the military can access the remaining funds is for the State Department to notify Congress of its intent to use the funds, according to Murskyj. In this case, lawmakers will not need to vote on the extension, but formal notification must be issued by the secretary of state, as has been done in the past. A State Department spokesperson would not comment on whether it would issue the extension, saying it would not discuss communications with lawmakers and their staffs, but would continue "to coordinate closely with Congress concerning the steadfast support that the United States, our allies and our partners worldwide are providing to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia's premeditated, unprovoked and unjustified war." Murskyj told VOA his advocacy group was working with members of Congress to extend the funds. "However, I am not going to put all of my eggs in that basket," he said, because "it is very difficult to predict what Congress will do, and there's always the potential for some kind of last-minute derailment." In a letter to the administration, members of pro-Ukrainian nongovernmental organizations said extending these funds "would send a powerful message to Ukraine, Russia and American voters that the administration wants Ukraine to win." Kateryna Lisunova of VOA's Ukrainian Service contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zelenskyy says he will present his peace plan to Biden By VOA News September 13, 2024 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that he has a plan for victory in Russia's war against his country, and that he intends to present the proposal to U.S. President Joe Biden later this month. In a speech at the opening of the 20th Annual Yalta European Strategy Meeting in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said wars of aggression, such as the one being waged by Russia against Ukraine, can end positively by either the occupying army being pushed out on the battlefield or through diplomacy, in which the invaded country is freed from occupation and its independence is preserved. "In both cases, Ukraine needs a strong position," he said. "The United States can help with this. If we, along with our key partner, equally strive for victory." He said he will present the plan to Biden when they meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly later this month. In his speech, Zelenskyy once again expressed his frustration at not yet receiving permission from allies a specifically the United States and Britain a to use their long-range weapons against targets inside Russia. Both nations have expressed concern about being drawn into a direct confrontation with Russia. The Ukrainian president referenced conversations he had this week with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy when they visited Kyiv. He said he raised the question with the two diplomats and indicated they were both noncommittal. Zelenskyy said Russia is using drones made in Iran to attack Ukraine, and this week it was announced Russia is receiving short-range ballistic missiles from Iran to use in the war. He said Iran is supplying similar weaponry to Israel's enemies. "If the [Western] allies are jointly shooting down missiles and drones in the skies over the Middle East, why is there still no similar decision to jointly shoot down Russian missiles and Iranian 'Shaheds' over Ukraine?" he asked. He said when the issue is raised with Ukraine's partners, though, "which we do constantly, to be honest, everyone tries to talk around it ... they're even afraid to say, 'we are working on it.' They're afraid even of those words. That's the truth." Ukraine on Biden's agenda Zelenskyy's comments Friday came on the same day Biden met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House to discuss, among other issues, support for Ukraine. Changing the policy on Ukraine's use of long-range weapons against Russia was reportedly on the agenda. Earlier this week, Biden signaled he is open to loosening restrictions further, telling a reporter that his administration was "working that out now." A reporter asked Biden what he thought of Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat of war if Western allies allowed Ukraine to use their long-range weapons against Russia. "I don't think much about Vladimir Putin," Biden responded. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Ukraine has already been able to strike inside Russia with its own internally produced systems, including drones. Speaking in a meeting of allied defense ministers last week, Austin said he did not believe providing Kyiv with long-range attack capability would be "decisive" in the war. During a Friday briefing with reporters at the White House, national security spokesman John Kirby said he would not expect any announcements on this topic coming out of Friday's meeting between Starmer and Biden. "There's been no change to our policy with respect to the long-range strike capability inside Russia, and I'd leave it at that," Kirby said. Russian official issues warning Meanwhile, at a U.N. Security Council meeting in New York on Friday, Russia's ambassador to the U.N., Vasily Nebenzya, warned that any change in the U.S. and British restrictions on use of their long-range weapons would "mean that, from that moment, NATO countries are conducting direct war with Russia," and it would escalate the conflict "beyond Ukraine." At that same Security Council meeting, U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood noted that a U.S. intelligence report released this week indicates that Iran has trained Russian military personnel on the use of Iranian short-range ballistic missiles. He said Iran has since delivered at least one shipment of the missiles to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine. Wood said in response to Iran's ongoing military support for Russia that the U.S. has imposed new sanctions on individuals and entities in Russia and Iran. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Committee Chairman Says Ukraine Has Sound Military Reason To Strike Deeper Into Russia By Rikard Jozwiak September 14, 2024 PRAGUE -- The chairman of the NATO Military Committee said the question of whether to allow Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia with Western-made long-range missiles is a "political discussion" but, from a military standpoint, would be within Ukraine's legal right. Dutch Navy Admiral Rob Bauer told RFE/RL in an interview on September 14 that the lifting of the restriction is not a question that NATO is discussing, but in his opinion as military leader the answer would be yes. "In accordance with the UN charter and in accordance with the law of armed conflict, if you are attacked by a nation, then you are allowed to defend yourself," Bauer said. "That defense doesn't stop at your borders. You are allowed to actually attack the enemy on its own territory." Bauer spoke with RFE/RL as the NATO Military Committee -- the alliance's highest military authority -- met in Prague for a two-day conference to discuss strategic developments within the alliance in light of decisions made during the NATO summit in July. The meeting took place a day after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House to discuss whether to approve Kyiv's request to use long-range missiles against targets in Russia. Bauer said the threats voiced by Russian President Vladimir Putin and former President Dmitry Medvedev in response to those discussions showed their frustration over how the war is going 2 1/2 years after Russia launched it. "If I think it's primarily a proof of how frustrated they are because Russia has not achieved any of their strategic goals in Ukraine," Bauer said. Putin said earlier this week that the West would be "at war" with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike with Western-made long-range missiles, while Medvedev said on September 14 that Russia could destroy Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, with non-nuclear weapons if the West lifted its restrictions. Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chairman of the country's security council, also said Moscow could resort to nuclear weapons. Bauer said the threats must be taken seriously, but what NATO and the other allies of Ukraine are doing "is within the UN charter, within the international law. And we will continue doing so." In his speech to the conference, Bauer praised the Ukrainian military for proving to the world that there is "nothing they cannot do" and only need the support from their allies to achieve their goals. "And they will have it -- not only now, not only for the duration of the war, but also in the decades to follow," Bauer said in comments to the conference. NATO allies led by the United States have donated tens of billions of dollars of military equipment to help Ukraine fight the war, and Bauer said Ukraine's forces are growing "more and more interoperable" by the day with NATO forces, moving the country closer to NATO membership. "One day, we will stand side by side under the NATO banner," he said. "Ukraine deserves our unrelenting support, not only because of who they are as a people but also because of who we are as NATO." Bauer also said NATO needs need a much larger defense-industry production capacity and it must be better coordinated to increase deterrence. "The more we ramp up our deterrence, the better chance we have of protecting the freedoms that we hold dear and preventing war from ever entering our soil," he said. Army Lieutenant General Karel Rehka, chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, also commented on the war in Ukraine, saying it is a matter of survival for Ukraine and a fight for the principles of democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity that NATO exists to defend. "It is imperative that we -- at the top of our militaries -- provide all necessary assistance to Ukraine, be it in the form of training or supplying weapons and other military equipment," Rehka said in an address to the conference on September 14. "By supporting Ukraine, we are also strengthening our unity and containing the Russian threat." Both Bauer and Rehka agreed on the need for greater defense expenditures, with Rehka saying, "It is evident that 2 percent of GDP on defense spending will not be enough." Rehka also warned that threats from Russia come not only on the conventional battlefield but also in the form of hybrid tactics, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and kinetic acts of violence. "All these actions are designed to sow fear and undermine the unity of our societies. We must, therefore, take a broad approach...that integrates our conventional military capabilities with robust cyberdefenses and strong civil-military cooperation." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-bauer-rehka-military- committee-conference-prague/33120174.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia's Medvedev Threatens Nuke Strike Would Turn Kyiv Into 'Gray Spot' On The Map By RFE/RL's Russian Service September 14, 2024 Russian officials have threatened that a possible decision by the West to allow Kyiv to use donated weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory would result in a major escalation of its war against Ukraine that could include the use of nuclear weapons. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, warned on September 14 that Kyiv could be turned into a "gray melted spot" if restrictions against Ukraine's use of Western weapons were loosened. Kyiv has repeatedly said it needs to be able to conduct longer-range strikes into Russian territory to defend itself against invading Russian forces. The idea has gained traction in recent weeks as Ukrainian President Volodymyr made his case, with some European leaders taking up the argument for giving Ukraine longer-range capabilities and Britain reportedly nearing a decision to let Ukraine use its Storm Shadow missiles against Russian territory. U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer were expected on September 13 to discuss the issue during their talks in Washington. However, the White House made no mention of the topic in its statement following Biden's meeting with Starmer. The statement said only that the two leaders had discussed a range of issues and "reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine as it continues to defend against Russia's aggression." In an apparent reference to the meeting, Medvedev wrote on September 14 that "the Anglo-Saxon imbeciles" do not want to admit that there is an end to Russia's "patience" and that experts who have suggested Russia could resort to using nuclear weapons against Ukraine would be proven correct if that patience is exhausted. "What do Western leaders and their political establishments, playing at war, think our country's reaction to probable missile strikes 'deep into the territory [of Russia]' would be?" wrote Medvedev, who has frequently used his position to voice threats against Kyiv and the West since Russia's unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Medvedev said a nuclear conflict is a "very bad story with a very difficult outcome," claiming that is why Russia has not decided to use "nonstrategic or strategic" nukes to this point. However, he said, if it came to that there would be a "giant gray melted spot" on the site of Kyiv, which called the "mother city of Russia." Such rhetoric has increased from Moscow as Zelenskiy has increasingly lobbied for greater strike capabilities against Russian territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 12 said any change in policy that would allow Western weapons to be used for long-range strikes would mean the NATO alliance would be "at war" with Russia. "If that's the case, then taking into account the change of nature of the conflict, we will make the appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face," Putin said. In June, Putin threatened to send long-range weapons -- in what he called an "asymmetrical" response -- to areas of the world in a position to strike countries supplying weapons to Ukraine. Russia has also said it is amending its doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons, with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov saying on September 1 that the move was "connected with the escalation course of our Western adversaries." On September 14, Ryabkov claimed the decision to grant Ukraine permission to conduct long-range strikes against Russia had already been made by the West, and that Moscow is "ready for everything" and would "respond to the fullest." On September 14, State Duma deputy Andrei Kolesnik suggested Russia detonate a nuclear weapon on its own territory to remind the West of the threat posed by Russia's nuclear arsenal. "We shouldn't relax. We need to carry out a nuclear explosion somewhere, at some testing ground," Kolesnik was quoted as saying in an interview with the online newspaper Lenta.ru. "Nuclear tests are currently banned here, but maybe people should see what all this actually leads to." Zelenskiy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, wrote in response to the comments coming out of Moscow that "the loud horror stories of Putin's regime only testify to his fear that his terror may come to an end." "Strong decisions are needed," Yermak wrote on Telegram on September 14. "Terror can be stopped by destroying the military facilities from which it originates." Permission to conduct longer-range strikes, he said, "would speed up the solution" and would not allow "Russian terror" to "spread to other countries of the world." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia- ukraine-west-nuclear/33119997.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address More POWs Exchanged As Heavy Fighting Continues In Eastern, Southern Ukraine By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service September 14, 2024 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on September 14 confirmed that an exchange of prisoners of war had taken place between Ukraine and Russia involving 103 prisoners on each side. Zelenskiy posted photos of the released prisoners on Telegram, saying the group included defenders of the Kyiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kharkiv regions along with soldiers who fought in Mariupol and other soldiers of the Ukrainian armed forces, the national guard, border guard, and police force. "Thank you to our exchange team for such good news for Ukraine," he said. Of the 103 Ukrainians who returned home, 38 are members of the Ukrainian National Guard, eight belong to the country's border guard, four are police officers, and one is a rescuer, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. "Most of them are defenders of Mariupol and Azovstal," Klymenko said, referring to the steel mill in Mariupol that was the scene of a siege in 2022. Russia said earlier on September 14 that it had swapped 103 Ukrainian POWs in exchange for an equal number of captured Russian soldiers in the third such swap since Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region of Russia. Nearly 50 Ukrainian POWs were released from Russian custody on September 13 in exchange for an unknown number of Russian soldiers. On the battlefield, Russian forces continued their offensive in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. Donetsk regional Governor Vadym Filashkin said on September 14 that four civilians were killed and seven wounded after Russian forces carried out more than 20 separate strikes, prompting the evacuation of more than 900 people. As Russian forces continue their advance on Pokrovsk, an important logistics and supply hub for Ukrainian troops on the front lines in eastern Ukraine, regional authorities have repeatedly said the area is not safe for civilians. More than 130 clashes were reported by the Ukrainian military, most of them either in the direction of Pokrovsk or 50 kilometers southeast of that city near Kurakhove, which is home to a large power station. In the southern Kherson region, a civilian died from injuries sustained in Russian shelling, Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. The 60-year-old man, who was seriously injured in an attack on September 14, died in the hospital despite doctors doing "everything possible to save his life," Prokudin said. In the Odesa region, a married couple in their 60s was killed and a 65-year-old woman was injured in a Russian missile attack, said Oleh Kiper, the head of the regional military administration. Residential buildings and commercial buildings in the suburbs of Odesa also were damaged in the strike, he said. On September 14, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had captured the village of Zhelanne Pershe, just 20 kilometers northeast of Kurakhov. Russia also continued to target areas across Ukraine with drone strikes, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy saying on September 14 that more than 70 drones had been shot down. Regional authorities in the Black Sea region of Odesa reported significant damage to several buildings near the regional capital as well as to grain storage facilities. The heavy fighting comes as Russia continues its efforts to push Ukrainian forces out of its territory. Ukraine has taken control of more than 1,300 square kilometers of territory in Russia's southwestern Kursk region following a surprise incursion in late August. Observers suggest the incursion could distract Russian forces from their offensive in eastern Ukraine, while Zelenskiy has said it could give Kyiv more leverage in possible future peace talks and in collecting captured Russian troops for prisoner exchanges. The Russian Defense Ministry said the Kursk and Belgorod regions were targeted by an attack on September 14. The ministry said 19 Ukrainian drones had been shot down over the two regions. Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said at least five people had been injured in the attack on the Belgorod region. Gladkov said several grenades hit a section of road between Belgorod and Shebekino, injuring four people and damaging several vehicles. A woman was reportedly injured in a separate incident in a nearby village when a drone struck a private house. The information could not be independently verified. With reporting by AP and dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine- donetsk-pows/33119940.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement by Russian Defence Ministry 14.09.2024 As a result of the negotiation process, 103 Russian servicemen who were taken prisoner in Kursk region have been returned from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime. In exchange, 103 AFU prisoners of war have been transferred. 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 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Restoration Projects and Financial Assistance: the Office of the President Hosted a Meeting with the Special Envoy of the President of France President of Ukraine 14 September 2024 - 22:02 Deputy Head of the Office of the President Ihor Zhovkva held a meeting with the Special Envoy of the President of France for Economic Assistance and Reconstruction of Ukraine Pierre Heilbronn. Ihor Zhovkva thanked France for its comprehensive support, particularly in the implementation of reconstruction projects, the provision of financial and humanitarian assistance, as well as the involvement of private investments in the economy. During the meeting, they also discussed the implementation of the agreements reached during the G7 Summit in June. They include a $50 billion loan at the expense of proceeds from frozen Russian assets. Ihor Zhovkva stressed that it is important for Ukraine to receive the funds as soon as possible. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Volodymyr Zelenskyy Met with the Delegation of the U.S. Congress President of Ukraine 14 September 2024 - 21:47 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with a bipartisan delegation of the United States Congress. The meeting was attended by Members of the House of Representatives Jim Costa, Jimmy Panetta, Salud Carbajal (Democratic Party) and Don Bacon (Republican Party), Republican Senator from Ohio (2011-2023) Rob Portman, and Republican candidate for Congress in the 2024 elections Troy Downing. The Head of State welcomed the visit of the Congressmen to Ukraine. "I would like to thank the President and the U.S. Congress for the bipartisan support from the very beginning of this war. Thank you for passing a very important bill in Congress. I hope that all this will come to Ukraine as soon as possible and will strengthen our army. And we are grateful to all Americans for supporting our country," he said. The Head of State reminded that in the near future he plans to personally present the plan for Ukraine's victory to U.S. President Joseph Biden and the presidential candidates of the Republican and Democratic parties. Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke in detail about the situation on the front and the priority needs of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. During the meeting, the parties discussed key areas of further U.S. security and defense assistance. The priority is to obtain additional air defense systems, missiles for them and permission to use long-range weapons against Russian military targets. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address We Are Putting Pressure on Russia and Doing Everything to Make the War Felt There, Where It Was Brought to Ukraine from a Address by the President President of Ukraine 14 September 2024 - 21:21 I wish you good health, fellow Ukrainians! Briefly about this day. First: we conducted another exchange. 103 Ukrainian defenders were returned from Russian captivity. The guys had been in captivity since 2022 a since the first months of the war. They are warriors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, border guards, police officers, and other units of our Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine. In particular, the defenders of Kyiv region, Donetsk region a this is Mariupol, Azovstal and other parts of the region. Also, those captured in Kharkiv and Kherson regions. Among them, there are guys in critical condition after being wounded. All of them will be provided with the necessary assistance. I thank our team involved in the exchanges. And I thank, for their bravery, all our combat brigades that replenish the exchange fund for our state. And in particular, our operation in the Kursk region gave the necessary impetus. I have just spoken with the Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi. A report on the frontline: Donetsk region, key directions. We are holding our positions, no matter how difficult it is. He also reported on the Kursk region a on our actions and the enemy's reaction. As anticipated, we are defending our fundamental interest a to bring peace closer. We are putting pressure on Russia and doing everything to make the war felt there, where it was brought to Ukraine from. I met with a delegation of U.S. Congressmen. It is important to keep our partners at all levels fully informed of our needs, of our positions. It is crucial that all states, and especially those like the United States, implement our agreements really promptly. This should be felt on the frontline. Every delay in military packages has its negative consequences at the front. Every truly timely, fast delivery has a positive impact. I briefed the Congressmen on the current situation and the prospects. We are also preparing for meetings in the United States. And a few other things. I have signed a decree to honor our tank warriors with state awards. Today is their professional day. And I thank every warrior, as well as everyone without whom the tank troops could not function a these are the guys-repairers, as well as everyone who trains our tank crews and who fights in the diplomatic sphere to ensure that Ukraine receives combat vehicles. Today, it is also important to say a few words to those of our people without whom it is impossible to imagine a really long-term international advocacy of Ukrainian interests. Today is Cinema Day in Ukraine a celebrated every year on the second Saturday of September. Of course, in times of war, cinema serves primarily as a means of conveying the truth about what is happening and what people are going through. I want to thank all those who, through the language of cinema, provide the world with truthful knowledge about this time and about how Ukraine and Ukrainians will definitely overcome the occupier. It cannot be otherwise. Only our victory, only Ukraine's independence, only real security of life, life and international law. And we must remember that one of our key tasks now and in the future is to tell the world about Ukraine, to establish friendship for Ukraine with as many countries, peoples, communities as possible. Ukrainian cinema, Ukrainian culture, and our people, of whom we can only be proud, will certainly do this. I thank everyone who stands with Ukraine! Glory to our people! Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Calls Grow For NATO Members To Help Ukraine Shoot Down Russian Drones And Missiles By Tony Wesolowsky September 15, 2024 NATO, whose military aid and support has been vital for Ukraine in its war with Russia, is facing growing calls to do more to fend off Russian missiles and drone strikes -- a few of which have violated NATO members' airspace. Romania and Latvia, both NATO members, have recently reported that Russian military drones had violated their airspace. Neither country interceded militarily, although Romania did have military jets shadow the drone and later said it lacked the legislation to act. Romania also said that "pieces of a Russian drone" had been found at an "impact site" on the outskirts of the village of Periprava in Tulcea, along the Romanian-Ukrainian border. Latvia said that the drone had flown into the country's airspace from Belarus and crashed in the municipality of Rezekne. While rare, incidents of drones and missiles, nearly all believed to be Russian, have crossed or crashed into states neighboring Ukraine -- including Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, and now Latvia -- since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Romania has particularly suffered. It shares a 650-kilometer border with Ukraine, and has territory that lies a few hundred meters from Ukrainian Danube River ports, which have been frequent Russian targets. This pales in comparison to what Ukraine has endured. Ukraine has been hit by some 15,000 Russian air or drone strikes since the beginning of the 2022 invasion, with the volume of strikes increasing sharply since mid-2023. Russia lobs daily missiles and drones at targets in Ukraine, causing already at least $155 billion in damage to civilian infrastructure, according to the last estimate by the Kyiv School of Economics. Russia's invasion has killed thousands of Ukrainian civilians, destroyed cities, and forced millions of people from their homes. Perhaps the most senior Western official to call for a more robust Western response to Russian missiles and drones was Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski. In a recent interview with the U.K.'s Financial Times, Sikorski said Poland had a "duty" to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine. NATO has rejected such calls. "Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian drone fragments and missiles have been found on Allied territory on several occasions. These acts are irresponsible and potentially dangerous," a NATO official who didn't want to be named told RFE/RL in a written statement. "While we recognize the right of every ally to protect its own airspace, what individual Allies do in support of Ukraine can also matter for NATO as a whole. Allies will continue to consult on further steps to protect and defend Allied territory. What is clear is that NATO will not become a party to the conflict," the official added. But some military analysts argue that helping Kyiv down drones and missiles over Ukraine, along with intercepting and eliminating aerial threats that stray into the territory of neighboring countries, would not be an escalation. They argue that failure to do so is only emboldening Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Russia has been pressing us in so many places, increasingly confident that we won't actually do anything," argued Ben Hodges, a retired U.S. lieutenant general and former commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe. "It's well past time to take more active steps to help Ukraine win as well as to protect innocent people," Hodges told RFE/RL. "All countries have the absolute right for self-defense and control of their air, land, and sea space. China and Russia routinely violate those spaces. States have the right under international law to shoot down unidentified craft in their airspace," argued Alexander Crowther, a retired U.S. Army infantry colonel and senior research fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), a Washington-based think tank, in comments to RFE/RL. This comes as the West, namely the United States, weighs whether to allow Ukraine to use Western-supplied missiles to strike military targets deeper inside Russia, especially now that Russia has reportedly received more deadly missiles from Iran. Ukrainian officials pressed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his British counterpart, David Lammy, on this during a visit to Kyiv on September 11. The NATO official speaking to RFE/RL on background said the military alliance had "made unprecedented contributions to Ukraine's defenses, spending roughly 40 billion euros a year to support Ukraine militarily." NATO 'Air-Defense Shield' Fredrik Wesslau, a former Swedish diplomat and fellow at the Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies, recently laid out in the U.S.-based Foreign Affairs journal a proposal for NATO to protect its eastern flank and provide western Ukraine with much-needed air cover. "The idea is to deploy ground and air assets from NATO allies, so, for instance, Patriot systems, or F-16 [fighter jets] to Poland, Slovakia, and Romania on their side of the border with Ukraine, at strategic locations, and use these assets to intercept Russian drones and missiles that first of all, enter the airspace of these allies, but also to intercept them over Ukrainian territory when they're heading toward NATO and NATO allies," Wesslau explained to RFE/RL in an interview. Some analysts have argued such plans present logistical challenges. "If you're going to engage targets over Ukrainian airspace, there needs to be some kind of coordination mechanism so that Ukrainian weapons don't conflict with NATO weapons and the identification of Russian missiles is clear to all sides," William Taylor, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, recently told Australia's ABC News. Involving at least two command-and-control arrangements and multiple countries identifying friendly versus enemy targets, "would make it difficult," Taylor said. "The best case is when there is one system." "Well, I think for this to work, there would have to be a degree of integration with Ukrainian air defense," Wesslau countered. "I mean, to some extent, this already exists today, but I think the idea is that this would be, you know, this air-defense shield would be operated by a coalition of the willing." "I understand that NATO does not want to confront Russia, however, individual states can defend their own airspace. Note that Turkey, a NATO member, shot down a Russian aircraft that violated their airspace in 2015," Crowther added, referring to an incident that Putin referred to as "a stab in the back." The United States has already proved it is willing to take such action elsewhere, Hodges pointed out. "We do this in the Red Sea, defending international shipping against Huthi missiles and Israeli citizens from Iranian missiles. Why can't we protect innocent Ukrainian civilians from Russian missiles?" Hodges asked. More than 300 missiles and drones were fired from Iran toward Israel late on April 13, but virtually all were intercepted before entering Israeli territory. U.S., British, and Israeli forces destroyed nearly all the projectiles. "aShaheds (Iranian military drones) in the skies above Ukraine sound identical to those over the Middle East. The impact of ballistic missiles, if they are not intercepted, is the same everywhere," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy tweeted on April 15. Later that same day, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby was asked by reporters why the United States and allies had shot down Iranian drones over Israel but not Ukraine. "Two different conflicts, different airspace, different threat picture. And the president has been clear since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine that the United States is not going to be involved in...that conflict in a combat role," Kirby said. However, the ground could be shifting, albeit gradually, with Ukraine's Western allies less likely to take a cautious approach. "Well, look, I think the more we don't react, the greater the risk becomes, in a sense, because it's quite clear that Russia is prodding and pushing and testing, and if there's no response, it pushes further. And this, in a sense, increases the stakes and also increases the danger of escalation," explained Wesslau. "Some allies are opposed, some are for, but I think this is one of these things, which will become more topical as time goes on, and as we see more and more of these incursions by Russian drones and missiles." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-strikes-nato- airspace/33117614.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zelenskiy Says Speedy Aid 'Critically Important' As Lammy Dismisses Moscow 'Bluster' By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service September 15, 2024 KYIV -- President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has again urged the United States and other allies to "promptly implement" agreements on weapons and other supplies to help Ukraine fight Russia's invasion, underscoring Western debates on the extent and current restrictions on military aid to Kyiv. In a new video message late on September 14, he said "it is critically important that all states, and especially the United States, really promptly implement the agreements reached with Ukraine." "It should be felt at the front," Zelenskiy said. "Every delay with military packages has its own negative consequence at the front. Every really timely, fast delivery has a positive impact." As unprecedented international military supply efforts continue to Ukraine, NATO has faced escalating calls among some members to rescind limits on Western-supplied weapons and supply more advanced weaponry. Kyiv has repeatedly said it needs to be able to conduct longer-range strikes into Russian territory to defend itself against invading Russian forces, an argument that has found some support among NATO officials. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on September 13 to discuss whether to approve Kyiv's request to use long-range missiles against targets in Russia but did not announce any shift. Britain is reportedly nearing a decision on possibly letting Ukraine use its Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russian territory. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on September 14 that Biden is "determined to use the four months [he has left in office] to put Ukraine in the best possible position to prevail." Threats voiced by Russian President Vladimir Putin and, more recently by former President Dmitry Medvedev -- who on September 14 suggested a nuclear strike on the Ukrainian capital could turn that city of some 2 million residents into a "gray spot" on the map -- have seemingly sought to ratchet up Moscow's discouragement of Western support for Kyiv. Zelenskiy said later on September 14 that he had spoken with a delegation of U.S. Congress members and "informed [them] about the current situation and prospects." British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on September 15 that Putin had repeatedly threatened the West that supplies of tanks and missiles "would mean that NATO countries, the United States, and European countries are at war with Russia." "We sent them," Lammy said repeatedly, adding that "Putin threatens every few months to use nuclear weapons." Lammy said there was "a lot of bluster" but "we cannot be blown off course by an imperialist fascist" who "wants to move into countries willy-nilly." He said talks between Starmer, Biden, and Zelenskiy would resume at the UN General Assembly later this month. Debate has sharpened since Ukrainian forces' surprise incursion into the Kursk region of Russia over paths to bolster Kyiv's position ahead of potential cease-fire talks. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal last week pressed for a second major international peace summit that he said he hoped could attract at least 150 countries, following up on a similar event hosted by Switzerland in June. In a fresh wave of Russian attacks overnight on September 14-15, Ukrainian authorities said a married couple had been killed in the southern Odesa region and that other key cities had been hit. Ukraine's military said that the country's air defenses had shot down 10 of 14 attack drones that Russia launched. It also said two Iskander ballistic missiles and a guided air missile, the latter of which was shot down, had targeted Odesa. In a Telegram post, Zelenskiy said at least 30 people were injured when a Russian guided bomb slammed into a residential building in the northeastern city of Kharkiv on September 15. "The rescue operation in Kharkiv continues. A Russian air strike. An ordinary residential building...was damaged. There is a fire and rubble between the ninth and 12th floors." "This terror can be stopped. But to stop terror, one must stop the fear of strong decisions that are objectively needed," he added in another reference to allied reluctance to allow the use of Western-provided weapons to strike launching sites deep inside Russia. In Pokrovsk, an important logistics and supply hub for Ukrainian troops on the front lines in eastern Ukraine, the military administration said a civilian was killed on September 15 as the result of Russian shelling. Russian forces have crept closer to taking the city with a brutal offensive in recent days. Zelenskiy has said Russia had fired roughly 30 missiles, more than 800 guided bombs, and nearly 300 attack drones at Ukraine in the past week. Russia's Defense Ministry said on September 15 that its air defenses had destroyed 29 Ukrainian drones overnight that were targeting seven regions of Russia, more than half of them over the Bryansk region. Calls have also mounted among some NATO members for the alliance to do more to ward off Russian missiles and attack drones like those that members Romania and Latvia say have recently violated their airspace amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine is not part of NATO but the alliance said in July that post-Soviet country was on an "irreversible path" to membership. With reporting by dpa and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskiy-weapons-supplies-ukraine-us- war/33120663.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address We Have Already Explained to All Our Partners Why Ukraine Truly Needs Sufficient Long-Range Capabilities - Address by the President President of Ukraine 15 September 2024 - 19:09 Dear Ukrainians! Rescue operations are still underway in Kharkiv. A Russian aerial bomb hit a house. An ordinary multi-storey residential building. There was a fire, ceilings collapsed. It is known that people are trapped under the rubble. As of now, 35 people are reported injured, including three children. All emergency services, rescue teams, medics, and utility workers quickly arrived at the scene, and aid is being provided to all those affected. In total, four aerial bombs were used in this strike on the Kharkiv region alone. One targeted Kharkiv, the house, and the other three targeted villages in the Kharkiv region. Today, Russian forces also hit our Sumy and Donetsk regions with such bombs. In total, there are no fewer than a hundred airstrikes of this kind every day. Just in the past 24 hours, 128 guided aerial bombs were used. The only way to counter this terror is with a systemic solution, and that solution is long-range capabilities - enabling us to destroy Russian military aircraft at their bases. This is an obvious, sensible decision. We have already explained to all our partners why Ukraine truly needs sufficient long-range capabilities. And every such Russian strike, every instance of Russian terror, like today's attacks on Kharkiv, on our Sumy and Donetsk regions, proves that long-range capabilities are necessary and the range must be sufficient. We are expecting corresponding decisions, especially from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy - everyone whose resolve can help save lives. Today, repair crews in the Donetsk region, who were actually working under the threat of shelling, restored electricity to people in Kramatorsk, Slovyansk, and Kostiantynivka. Nearly one hundred and fifty thousand residents of the Kramatorsk district were without electricity due to the Russian attack. And, of course, this is truly the heroism of our people - everyone working for the sake of Ukraine and Ukrainians - that despite everything, basic services are being restored. There was also a report by Viktor Mykyta, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office for Regional Policy, on the situation in the Odesa region due to severe weather. Heavy rains these days, flooding in the Odesa region. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine, regional and local authorities are all involved. Unfortunately, there are also critical situations in our neighboring countries due to these extreme rains. On my instructions, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha offered assistance from the SES of Ukraine to the affected countries in our part of Europe. And one more thing. Today, there was a report from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi. Every day, unwavering attention is paid to the frontline and our operation in the Kursk region. The Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, Toretsk, and Kupyansk directions - I want to thank every unit that is truly defending their positions. The 46th separate airmobile brigade, the paratroopers of the 79th brigade, the 25th separate airborne brigade, the 54th separate mechanized brigade, and the 35th separate marine brigade. I am grateful to all of you, warriors! In the Kursk region, we continue our active operations, and it is crucial that the "exchange fund" for us, for our state is being replenished. I thank everyone who fights and works for Ukraine, for the sake of all of us, for the sake of all Ukrainians! Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary Blinken's Call with UN Secretary-General Guterres US Department of State Readout Office of the Spokesperson September 14, 2024 The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ahead of the UN Summit of the Future and the 79th session of the UN General Assembly's High-Level Week. Secretary Blinken and Secretary-General Guterres discussed the renewed opportunity the Summit of the Future presents for Member States to recommit to the principles of the UN Charter. The Secretary voiced U.S. support for achieving a Pact for the Future - a Summit roadmap for strengthening the UN. As UNGA High-Level Week approaches, the Secretary and Secretary-General discussed the importance of mobilizing collective action to address global challenges. Secretary Blinken reiterated the United States' UNGA priorities: working together to address conflict and crises, revitalizing an overstretched humanitarian system, and fostering a more inclusive and effective UN. The Secretary thanked the Secretary-General for his many efforts in preparing for a productive High-Level Week. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kangsong Gas Centrifuge Site The regimge slogan Kangsong Taeguk [Kangsong Buguk] translates as "strong and prosperous state" or "rich nation, strong army" -- meaning a country that is militarily powerful and economically prosperous. Kangson was the old Japanese colonial-era name for Chollima. North Korea unveiled details of its uranium enrichment facility for the first time on 13 September 2024, with its leader calling for increasing the number of centrifuges for uranium enrichment so it can increase its nuclear arsenal for self-defense. It marked the first time the North has publicly revealed details of its uranium enrichment facility. KCNA did not reveal the location of the facility, but South Korea and the United States believe North Korea operates uranium enrichment facilities at the Kangson nuclear complex and at the Yongbyon nuclear site. It may be an expansion of a site at the countrys main Yongbyon nuclear complex, about 60 miles north of Pyongyang. Nuke facility toured by Kim Jong Un is likely Kangson site near Pyongyang, analysis by James Martin Center suggested. While touring the production site, Kim remarked that observing the facility energizes him and emphasized the need to further strengthen the foundation for producing weapons-grade nuclear material. North Korea first showed a uranium enrichment site in Yongbyon to the outside world in November 2010, when it allowed a visiting delegation of Stanford University scholars led by nuclear physicist, Siegfried Hecker, to tour its centrifuges. North Korean officials then reportedly told Hecker that 2,000 centrifuges were already installed and running at Yongbyon. During his visit to the Nuclear Weapons Institute and the "production base of weapon-grade nuclear materials," Kim Jong Un "went round the control room of the uranium enrichment base to learn about the overall operation of the production lines," said the state-run Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, on 13 Septembe 2024. Kim expressed great satisfaction after being briefed that the "base is dynamically producing nuclear materials," while stressing the need to "further augment the number of centrifuges in order to exponentially increase the nuclear weapons for self-defense true to the Party's line of building up nuclear armed forces," KCNA added, referring to the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. Firstly, Kim Jong-un seeks to demonstrate through concrete actions that his recent statement about 'exponentially' increasing nuclear weapons was not merely rhetoric. Second, the regime aims to convey that North Korea is prepared to counter any nuclear threat with its own nuclear force regardless of who becomes the next U.S. President in the upcoming election. South Korea condemned North Korea, saying the development of nuclear weapons is a "serious threat" to peace on the Korean Peninsula and to the world. "North Korea's illegal development of nuclear weapons is a clear violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions," the South's unification ministry said, adding that the North must clearly recognize that the U.S. and the international community would not tolerate its nuclear weapons program under any circumstances. "We sternly warn the DPRK that any nuclear threats or provocations will be met with an overwhelming and powerful response from our government and military, based on the unwavering, integrated and extended deterrence system of the U.S.-ROK alliance," the ministry said. "For analysts outside the country, the released images will provide a valuable source of information for rectifying our assumptions about how much material North Korea may have amassed to date," said Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "Overall, we should not assume that North Korea will be as constrained as it once was by fissile material limitations. This is especially true for highly enriched uranium, where North Korea is significantly less constrained in its ability to scale up than it is with plutonium," Panda said. The North Korean photos showed about 1,000 centrifuges. When operated year-round, they would be able to produce around 20 to 25 kilograms (44 to 55 pounds) of highly enriched uranium, which would be enough to create a single bomb, according to Yang Uk, a security expert at Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies. The new-type centrifuge Kim wants to introduce is likely an advanced carbon fiber-based one that could allow North Korea to produce five to 10 times more highly enriched uranium than its existing ones, said Lee Choon Geun, an honorary research fellow at South Korea's Science and Technology Policy Institute. In May 2018, David Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security reported "We have learned of a suspect gas centrifuge site, in addition to the one at the Yongbyon Nuclear Center, that has the name of Kangsong. It may have other names as well.... The original information about this site came from a defector several years ago who stated he worked near this site. Defector information must be confirmed. However, we have received the names of other alleged centrifuge sites that we viewed as less credible than the information about Kangsong. Moreover, this site appears to have received greater foreign governmental scrutiny and credibility than the other sites, particularly by the United States. "The exact number of centrifuges in the secret facility is difficult to predict but we have been told that governments estimate that it could contain 6,000-12,000 P2 centrifuges... Not all government analysts agree that it is a centrifuge site. Although there appears to be more information than just a defector report, some aspects of the building are not consistent with a centrifuge plant, leading senior officials in at least one government to not believing this facility is a centrifuge plant." Albright provided a estimate of the number of wapons from all of the estimated Pu plus WGU from two centrifuge plants, as of the end of 2017. The median of this slightly skewed distribution was about 47 weapons, with the 5th and 95th percentile of 37 and 62 weapons equivalent. In July 2018, Ankit Panda reported in The Diplomat that "The facility is North Koreas first covert uranium enrichment facility, known by the U.S. intelligence community as the Kangson enrichment site. It is where, for more than a decadepossibly as long as fifteen yearsNorth Korea has been enriching uranium for use in nuclear weapons. It is older than the well-known enrichment site operated by North Korea since at least 2010 at the old Fuel Fabrication Plant at Yongbyon." The Diplomat, along with a team of open source researchers at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey led by Jeffrey Lewis, was able to locate the Kangson covert enrichment site. Ankit Panda noted " the enrichment site was built a little more than five kilometers away from the citys Mangyongdae neighborhood, North Korean founder Kim Il Sungs birthplace, per North Korean propaganda. Thus, for more than a decade, North Korea has been enriching uranium in what is effectively a Pyongyang suburb, on the doorstep of Kim Il Sungs mythologized birthplace." Lewis later wrote "In 2018, some of us at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) successfully identified an alleged North Korean enrichment plant near Kangson. This discovery led us to reassess what we thought we knew about DPRK nuclear facilities. We were surprised at how close the Kangson enrichment plant was to Pyongyang. Other known DPRK nuclear sites, such as Yongbyon, are generally located far from the capital. We were also struck by a number of features at Kangson, including what appeared to be on-site housing and monuments commemorating unpublicized leadership visits. We believed these were possible signatures of undeclared nuclear facilities." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Houthi - Nidal-2 / Falastanyin-2 / Palestine-2 "New Hypersonic Ballistic Missile" On 03 June 2024, the Yemeni Armed Forces revealed a domestically manufactured ballistic missile named Palestine, although its specifications were not disclosed. The Ansar Allah leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi , said that the missile represents a qualitative leap in the groups arsenal of weapons, noting that it was manufactured taking into account the requirements of the fourth stage on the technical level and in terms of range. Al-Houthi stressed, in a speech he gave about the latest developments in the Israeli aggression on Gaza and regional developments, that the Palestine missile "will have a great impact on the enemies," noting that it "is distinguished by its high technology, especially in confronting interception attempts in which several countries cooperate." Footage was released on 05 June 2024 showing the missile being launched at a military target in Eilat, Israel. The footage published by the Houthis showed the launch of the Palestine missile from a mobile launch platform, accompanied by plumes of white smoke, indicating the use of solid fuel [hypergolic liquid propellants typically emit reddish-brown smoke]. The Houthis said the Palestine missile had a head painted in the shape of a Palestinian keffiyeh, supposedly confirming that it was locally made. The attack, which triggered air raid sirens in the Israeli occupation, did not result in any damage or injuries. The distance from Sana'a (SAH) to Eilat (VDA) is 1150 miles / 1850 kilometers. Yemeni forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said in a press conference that evening that the Yemeni armed forces revealed the Palestine ballistic missile today for the first time, which successfully achieved its goal, and he stressed that we will continue to carry out our military operations in support of and in defense of the oppressed Palestinian people until the aggression stops and the siege on Gaza is lifted. The Palestine missile is similar in some respects to a missile that Iran has previously displayed and described as flying at hypersonic speeds. Iran unveiled the Fateh missile in 2023 and said it could reach speeds of Mach 15, or 15 times the speed of sound. It has described the missiles range as 1,400 kilometers (870 miles). Thats slightly less than the distance to Eilat from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, but the missile could be developed to extend its range. In March 2024, Russias state-run RIA Novosti news agency quoted an anonymous source as saying that the Houthis had a hypersonic missile. While we cannot say with certainty what exact version the Palestine corresponds to, we can say with a fair degree of certainty that it is an advanced, precision-guided (IRGC) solid-fuel missile supplied by Iran, wrote Fabian Hinz, a missile expert and research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Asked about the similarity between the Palestine rocket and its own missiles, Irans mission to the United Nations told the Associated Press that Tehran has not engaged in any activities contrary to U.N. resolutions. The military power in Yemen has grown since the beginning of the war. This is a fact rooted in the internal capability and prowess of the Ansar Allah group, it added. The Houthi Ansarullah military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said 15 September 2024 that their forces carried out a qualitative operation targeting a military site in Jaffa with a hypersonic missile. Saree explained that the missile covered a distance of 2,040 kilometers []not 2400 in 11 and a half minutes, and that it comes within the framework of what he called the fifth stage. The Houthis claimed they launched a "new hypersonic ballistic missile" targeting central Israel. The weapon's actual hypersonic capability has been questioned, as experts suggest it may have been an upgraded ballistic missile, likely supported by Iranian technology, rather than a true hypersonic missile with advanced maneuverability. The actual distance between Sana'a (Sanaa International Airport - SAH) and Tel Aviv (Ben Gurion Airport - TLV) is 1281 miles / 2061 kilometers. The Houthi claim of 2400 km is difficult t substantiate. Given its range of 1,700 km (which most reports concur with), the Emad does not qualify for a long-range classification. In January 2021, Iran claimed to have hit a naval target in the Indian Ocean over 1,800 km away using an antiship Emad missile variant. The Ghadr-110 (Ashura) solid propellant missile with a range of (1,325 miles or 2,000 kilometers is not known to have a maneuvering reentry vehicle. The initial investigation by the Israeli army stated: "One of the Arrow system's missiles hit the Yemeni missile without completely detonating it." The Israeli Army Radio claimed that "the missile launched from Yemen did not surprise the air defenses, and does not pose a new threat." The Houthi name for this missile was not immediately reported. The next day, on 16 September 2024 the Yemen Armed Forces disclosed specifications of "Palestine 2" [Falastanyin-2] hypersonic missile, which was "aimed at a military site in the "Jaffa" [aka Tel Aviv] region of occupied Palestine. The military media released footage displaying the launch of the "Palestine 2" hypersonic missile, a recent addition to the Yemeni armed forces' missile arsenal. The projectile that was shown in the footage had a keffiyeh patterned tip and was decorated with Palestinian flags. In order to dispell any doubt, the missile was labeled "hypersonic" in English. The video showed it being launched from a deserted area. The missile, with a range of up to 2,150 km, operates on two-stage solid fuel, incorporates stealth technology, and can reach speeds of up to Mach 16. This makes it capable of evading the most advanced air defense systems, including the Iron Dome. The missile has a high maneuverability, enhancing its effectiveness in penetrating enemy air defenses. Or so it was said. While the missile nose cone had vanes typical of maneuvering reentry vehicles, it was a simple cone, unlike the bi-conic nose cones that are typical of Iranian maneuvering warheads. Mawlid is an annual festival commemorating the birthday of Muhammad on the traditional date of 12 Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar. A day central to the Sufi tradition of Sunni Islam, the Mawlid is also celebrated by Shia Muslims. But Ibn Taymiyyah : "The early Muslims did not do this despite the existence of a reason for it and the absence of any impediment to it. If it were purely good or preferable, the early Muslims, may God be pleased with them, would have been more deserving of it than us." Al-Shatibi said in his mention of the reprehensible innovations: Among them is the commitment to specific methods and forms, such as the remembrance in the form of a group in one voice, and taking the day of the birth of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him , as a holiday, and the like. Taj al-Din al-Fakhani : I do not know of any basis for this celebration in the Book or the Sunnah, nor is its practice transmitted from any of the scholars of the nation who are the role models in religion and adhere to the traces of the predecessors. That same day, the Leader of the Revolution, Sayyed Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, praised the magnificent presence of the Yemeni people to commemorate the anniversary of the birth of the Prophet, which he described as the largest celebration on earth out of love for the Messenger of God on the day of his blessed birth. The Leader of the Revolution said in his speech today to the crowds in the squares of the occasion, "You have held the largest celebration on the face of the earth out of love, glorification, reverence, honor and affection for the most sublime, greatest, most perfect and most refined human being in the history of humanity, and joy, delight and happiness with God's grace, favor and mercy on human society by sending the best of His creation and the master of His messengers, Muhammad, may God bless him and his family, to save humanity and bring it out of darkness into the light." He pointed out that the great, inspiring and guiding lessons of the jihadist path of the Messenger of Allah are sufficient to elevate Muslims from their unfortunate reality in this era, which has brought them to the point of submission and humiliation in the face of the Jews, upon whom Allah has afflicted humiliation and poverty. The Leader of the Revolution reiterated the continuation of Yemeni military operations as long as the aggression and siege on Gaza and all of Palestine continue. He said, "Our operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege on Gaza continue, and our position is firm until occupied Palestine is cleansed from the clutches of the Zionist occupation. We escalate in every stage of escalation and coordinate with our Mujahideen brothers in Palestine and the axis of Jerusalem, Jihad and Resistance. We move to do more and what is coming is greater, God willing." He added, "Today's operation, carried out by the missile force with a new ballistic missile with advanced technology, surpassed and penetrated all the protective belts that the Israeli enemy is sheltering behind and entrenching itself in, including multiple and diverse air defense systems, in addition to the long range, as it covered a distance estimated at 2,040 kilometers in eleven and a half minutes, within the framework of the fifth stage of escalation against the Israeli enemy and in support of the Palestinian people." He stressed the steadfastness of the Yemeni people in their principled jihadist stance in carrying the banner of Islam and standing in the face of tyranny and arrogance, and within the framework of the jihadist responsibility of Muslims to support the oppressed Palestinian people against whom the Zionist Jewish enemies commit crimes of genocide every day. He addressed the entire Islamic nation, reminding them of the religious responsibility and sacred duty to support the Palestinian people, in compliance with the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): "Whoever wakes up not caring about the affairs of Muslims is not one of them, and whoever hears a caller calling, 'O Muslims' and does not respond, is not one of the Muslims." The Houthi armed forces explained in a statement that the missile force carried out the operation with a new hypersonic ballistic missile that succeeded, with God's help, in reaching its target, and the enemy's defenses failed to intercept and confront it. The statement indicated that the missile caused a state of fear and panic among the Zionists, as more than two million Zionists headed to shelters for the first time in the history of the Israeli enemy. The following is the text of the statement: "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. God Almighty said: {O Prophet, fight against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them. And their refuge is Hell, and wretched is the destination.} God Almightys truth. "In victory for the oppression of the Palestinian people and their Mujahideen, the missile force of the Yemeni Armed Forces, with the help of God Almighty, carried out a qualitative military operation through which it targeted a military target of the Israeli enemy in the Jaffa area in occupied Palestine. "The operation was carried out with a new hypersonic ballistic missile that succeeded, with God's help, in reaching its target, and the enemy's defenses failed to intercept and confront it. It covered a distance of 2,040 km in 11 and a half minutes, causing a state of fear and panic among the Zionists, as more than two million Zionists headed to shelters for the first time in the history of the Israeli enemy. "This operation comes within the framework of the fifth phase and was the culmination of the efforts of the heroes of the missile force who made tremendous efforts in developing missile technology to respond to the requirements of the battle and its challenges with the Zionist enemy and succeed in reaching its targets and bypassing all obstacles and interception systems on land and sea, including American, Israeli, and others. "The obstacles of geography, the American-British aggression, and the monitoring, espionage and confrontation systems will not prevent dear Yemen from performing its religious, moral and humanitarian duty in victory for the Palestinian people. The Israeli enemy must expect more strikes and qualitative operations to come as we approach the first anniversary of the blessed October 7 operation, including the response to its criminal aggression on the city of Hodeidah, and the continuation of support operations for the oppressed Palestinian people. ... "Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs, the best Master and the best Supporter. Long live free, honorable and independent Yemen, and victory to Yemen and to all the free people of the nation." Regarding the limited number of casualties caused by the missile in Israel, one observer said that regardless of the fact that the Yemeni missile that targeted Tel Aviv did not cause any Israeli casualties and fell in an area devoid of residents, it traveled a distance of two thousand kilometers and passed at least two American destroyers and a French frigate operating in the Red Sea without being detected, and penetrated the Israeli defense systems and the Iron Dome, and forced hundreds of thousands into shelters and fortified places. The Israeli army said the missile traveled a distance of about 2,000 kilometers, took about 15 minutes to fly, and penetrated the airspace from the eastern border. The Israeli army said that a surface-to-surface missile launched from Yemen fell in an uninhabited forest area east of Tel Aviv. Shrapnel from the missile was scattered in an area 6 kilometers from Ben Gurion Airport east of Tel Aviv. the Israeli police said that the rocket fell in the town of Kfar Daniel, in an area near Ben Gurion Airport, adding that the rocket caused fires in forested areas and material damage to a main train station near the town of Modi'in. The army said in a statement, "Following up on the warnings a short while ago in the central region of the country, we are talking about a surface-to-surface missile being launched from the east that fell in an open area without causing any injuries." In a second statement issued at around 7:00 a.m. (04:00 GMT), he indicated that "the missile was launched from Yemen," explaining that "the explosions heard in the last minutes were the result of interception missiles. The outcome of the interception operation is still under investigation." The Al-Qassam Brigades blessed the missile strike carried out by the Ansar Allah group ( Houthis ) deep inside Israel, which it said targeted a military site in Jaffa with a "hypersonic" missile. Abu Obeida, the official spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, said in tweets on his Telegram channel, "We congratulate the qualitative operation carried out by the Yemeni armed forces this morning, which targeted a military site near Tel Aviv," appreciating "the dear Yemeni people's stand alongside their brothers in Palestine and their readiness to make sacrifices for that." Nine Israelis were injured as they fled after sirens sounded of a rocket attack on Tel Aviv, central Israel. A spokesman for a medical center in Israel announced that 9 Israeli casualties arrived to receive treatment for injuries they sustained while fleeing to shelters immediately after hearing the missile warnings , which sounded in morning in Tel Aviv and surrounding areas. Israeli media reported that sirens were heard in many residential areas in the center of the country, the Gush Dan area, Modi'in and Jerusalem, and the Home Front Command did not issue any exceptional instructions to the residents. It is worth noting that the missile intercepted by the Arrow 2 system fell only 6 kilometers away from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Following an Initial Investigation by the Israel Defense Force alongside the Air Force of the Medium-Range Ballistic Missile Attack by the Houthis in Yemen; it has been determined that the Missile was at least Partially Intercepted by the Arrow-2/3 Anti-Ballistic Missile System, causing it to Break-Apart over Eastern Israel and for Debris, including the Warhead, to fall in the Ben Shemen Forest near Lod. The Investigation also showed that the launch of the Missile from Western Yemen was Immediately Detected by Israeli Early Warning Systems, and that its Track does not suggest it was a Hypersonic Ballistic Missile like was claimed by the Houthis. The Interceptor struck the Missile, but didnt cause it to Explode and Disintegrate. Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that the missile that was launched from Yemen and fell in central Israel for the first time in several months raised some difficult questions. But Yedioth Ahronoth provided mainly un-informed speculation, mal-premised on the assumption that this attack reprised the 03 June 2024 Jaffa cruise missile ttack. The Israeli newspaper asked : "Is it a cruise missile or a ballistic missile? Why was it discovered at a late stage? Did it penetrate from an unexpected direction? What were the results of the interception attempts?", noting that "the ballistic missile was supposed to be discovered and intercepted far from Israeli territory." Yedioth Ahronoth explained that "detecting a cruise missile is more difficult because it flies at a low altitude and may mislead radar systems, but the patrols carried out by the Air Force using aircraft equipped with modern radars, especially the F-35, were supposed to detect this missile and shoot it down." Yedioth Ahronoth stated that "the cruise missile's flight path indicates that it did not take a direct route from Yemen, but may have been through penetration from an unexpected direction, a detour and a long route, perhaps through mountainous areas. Perhaps this is what made its detection difficult," asking: "After its discovery, were the anti-aircraft weapons able to intercept it, or was it not intercepted and missed its target?" Channel 14 of Israeli TV reported this time that the initial research of the Israeli Air Force showed that all the defense missiles fired by the defense systems of this regime towards the Yemeni missile were unable to shoot it down. Israeli sources pointed out that more than 20 anti-aircraft interceptors were fired at this missile, but they failed to shoot down the Yemeni missile fired at Tel Aviv. Hadshot Bazaman announced that a large number of anti-missile missiles were fired at the Yemeni missile, but they failed to shoot down this missile. On the other hand, Gadi Eisenkot, the former chief of the joint staff of the Zionist army, in response to the firing of this missile and its hit in the middle of occupied Palestine, emphasized that the situation has changed dramatically and the army has injured nine people while trying to escape to Shelters in the middle of occupied Palestine have been reported after alarm bells were sounded in wide areas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at the opening of the government meeting about the missile fired from Yemen at Israel. Netanyahu said that "they should have already known that we exact a heavy price for any attempt to harm us." Netanyahu said "Anyone who needs a reminder is welcome to visit the port of Hodeidah," referring to the extensive Israeli attack against Houthi terror targets in Yemen about two months ago. "We are in a multi-front battle against Iran's axis of evil that strives to annihilate us," Netanyahu continued. "Anyone who attacks us will not escape our arm's reach. Hamas is already learning this through our resolute action that will lead to its destruction and the release all our captives." Hypersonic missiles are sometimes defined as those that can exceed five times the speed of sound (Mach 5, or 6,125 km/h), but that is only part of their definition. Many vehicles have easily exceeded this speed since World War II , including intercontinental ballistic missiles (which can exceed 22,000 km/h, or roughly Mach 18). But modern hypersonic missiles can maneuver along their path at such speeds, and this in itself is a capability that many never imagined would ever be possible. For any other ballistic missile, even if it is traveling at a speed greater than the speed of sound, the other partys radars do not need to track it, but only study its path, given that its path is stable from the moment of launch, as it travels in a huge arc from the launch point, then through the atmosphere into space, then returns to the atmosphere again to hit its target. This expected path enables the opponent's radars to accurately determine the path of these missiles, and then launch their defensive arsenal accordingly. As for the hypersonic missile, its ability to maneuver gives it several advantages. First, the missile will have the ability to bypass defensive interceptor missiles (and at the same time run faster than them), as well as bypass the radar coverage areas of the opponents, and go around various types of obstacles, whatever they may be, mountains, buildings, or any other barrier. The second, and most important, advantage is that the missile will be able to change its direction to low trajectories close to the ground while maintaining the same speed. Because of this, the early warning radar will be alerted very shortly before the strike, to the point that there may be nothing to do, as the time between sensing the missile's approach and the response of ground defenses is longer than the time needed for the missile to reach the target. A Russian media report in March 2024 confirmed that the Houthis possess hypersonic missiles with glide capabilities at speeds exceeding 8 times the speed of sound, meaning about 10,000 kilometers per hour, which enables the missile to reach Israel in less than a quarter of an hour, just as happened recently. Unlike conventional ballistic missiles, which follow a fixed parabolic trajectory, hypersonic ballistic missiles may incorporate an enhanced glide system or other technologies that allow for increased maneuverability in flight, and can be viewed as a step toward more efficient hypersonic missiles such as the Russian Kinzhal or the Chinese Dongfeng-27. Glide vehicles work in a simple way: a ballistic missile is launched out of the atmosphere, then separates from the winged glide vehicle to "glide" through the air until it reaches a low level relatively close to sea level at great speed, with the ability to maneuver. Previous Houthi products in this range suggest that it is a medium-range hypersonic missile, and in the final stages of its fall it has the ability to maneuver, which enabled it to deal with Israeli air defenses, which actually gives it some of the characteristics of current hypersonic technology. Hypersonic missiles are still an emerging technology, possessed only by a few countries such as Russia, China, the United States, Iran and several others. The Houthis possession of this technology, or at least the beginning of its development, means a major change in the form of conflict in the region, because there is no defense system yet that can completely neutralize these missiles. Name Palestine 2 HYPERSONIC Type hypersonic missile Range 2150 km Propulsion Operates on solid fuel in 2 stage Speed reaches Mach 16 Possesses high ability to maneuver that exceeds the latest and most powerful air defense systems in the world, including Iron Dome characterized by stealth technology NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press release Nokia and NL-ix deploy Deepfield for the largest IXP-based anti-DDoS protection for enterprises across Europe A breakthrough case where an Internet Exchange Point (IXP) deploys a pan-European anti-DDoS solution Improved DDoS protection would result in less or zero downtime for enterprises and other customers of the service 16 September 2024 Espoo, Finland Nokia and NL-ix today announced the deployment of Nokia Deepfield Defender across NL-ixs network, making it the biggest anti-DDoS solution for an internet exchange point (IXP) environment rolled out across Europe to better protect customers and operations by stopping DDoS attacks in seconds. Utilized in the NL-ix network, Nokia Deepfield Defender detects DDoS using AI-driven big data analytics and drives mitigation directly on the Nokia FP5-based routers, which NL-ix is deploying across their entire network. Nokias advanced, high-performance DDoS security solution detects all types of DDoS quickly and accurately and drives agile, network-based mitigation on the existing Nokia routers, with minimal or no impact on customer traffic. The solution ensures advanced DDoS security to stay ahead of the latest generation of threats, scaling protection and adding security-enhanced service offerings to enterprises, especially those operating in critical industry segments. The introduction of Deepfield Defender in NL-ixs network represents a milestone in the evolution of Nokias security capabilities for webscale and IXP companies, making it a model to be replicated in the future. Jan Hoogenboom, CEO at NL-ix said: This is a big win as its not only the first security-enhanced service offering, but also the first anti-DDoS solution deployed by an IXP, demonstrating our place as a key innovator in Europe. Our DDoS protection will strive for zero downtime for enterprises, providing security across their entire area of operations. Our solution performs mitigation directly on Nokia routers instead of using a remote, dedicated scrubbing center, which maintains low latency and keeps transport costs down. As a result, we can act as a one-stop-shop for Europe-wide connectivity and security, where our customers dont need to work with multiple parties or have complex arrangements to be protected by a third party. Jeff Smith, Vice-President and General Manager of Nokia Deepfield, said: Security is becoming a paramount concern for everyone, especially as we are seeing shorter, distributed, more sophisticated and impactful DDoS attacks ramping up in the recent months. Our solution combines Deepfield Defenders AI/ML-driven DDoS protection platform and Nokias sophisticated IP routers with our patented Secure Genome, a unique cloud-based data feed that tracks the security context of the internet and has visibility into over 5 billion IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. These capabilities will empower NL-ix to improve protection for their European enterprise customers, while lowering costs, removing human errors, and improving NL-ixs overall scale of security and automation. Resources and additional information: Webpage: Nokia Deepfield Defender Webpage: Nokia Deepfield Genome Webpage: Nokia FP5 Network Processor About Nokia At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together. As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs. With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future. About NL-ix 20 years ago we started NL-ix and decided to not only connect the main datacenters in the large hubs but also bring our IX to the doorstep of regional datacenters. By doing so, we offered smaller and medium-sized networks easy access to our Peering platform, and this gave birth to our distributed Internet Exchange. We quickly recognized that our customers Interconnection needs to be stretched beyond Public Peering only and developed a complete portfolio of Interconnection services, enabling us to not only offer Peering but also partial & full Transit as well as inter-datacenter Transport services on a single port. A key factor in this was and still is, our resilient low-latency network that made instant European-wide Exchange and Transportation of traffic possible. Today our complete portfolio is directly available in over 100 datacenters in Europe. A portfolio of services that is growing, as we are harnessing 20 years of knowledge and experience into new innovative services to better accommodate both our traditional and new customers needs; Adaptive Transit, a hybrid Peering & Transit service; Elastic Interconnect, a complete suite of Interconnection services for Enterprises as well as a growing number of direct connections to the most important Clouds. More information: www.nl-ix.net Media inquiries Nokia Press Office Email: Press.Services@nokia.com Follow us on social media LinkedIn X Instagram Facebook YouTube Los Angeles, CA, Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Los Angeles, CA September 16, 2024 Kronos Advanced Technologies, Inc. (OTC: KNOS), a leading innovator in advanced air purification technology, is pleased to announce that last Friday, after the markets closed, FINRA officially set the ex-dividend date for its upcoming cash dividend of $0.00001 per share. The ex-dividend date is set for midnight (12:00 AM) on September 18, 2024 The cash dividend will be paid to shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 18, 2024. Shareholders who own KNOS shares on and up to the close of business prior to the ex-dividend date will be eligible to receive the dividend. This marks another step in Kronos' ongoing commitment to deliver value to its shareholders. Shareholders are advised that any shares purchased on or after the ex-dividend date of September 18, 2024, will not qualify for the dividend distribution. We are excited to offer this dividend to our shareholders as part of our continued efforts to provide long-term value," said Greg Rubin, CEO of Kronos Advanced Technologies. "Our team remains committed to pushing innovation in clean air technology, while rewarding our investors for their ongoing support." About Kronos Advanced Technologies Inc. The Company was initially founded in 2002 and funded by the U.S. military to develop electrostatic air movers. Kronos Advanced Technologies Inc. filed about 50 patent applications in the past and had total of 25 issued patents. These patents encompass a range of technologies primarily focused on air movement, filtration, and purification systems. The company, known for its innovations in air movement and filtration technologies, has an extensive patent portfolio that reflects its focus on advanced consumer electronics and medical-grade air purification products. Eventually, the Company moved into the consumer air purification business. It began operations as a product development company that invented and significantly changed how air is moved, filtered, and sterilized. Historically, Kronos has focused on developing, marketing, and selling the Company's proprietary air movement and purification technology. Serving the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) market, Kronos technology uses state-of-the-art high-voltage patented processes without the use of traditional porous HEPA filters. Kronos-based products move air silently, filter, sterilize, and purify the air while dramatically reducing energy consumption to half of a 60-watt light bulb. Kronos devices can be variable in shape or size and, therefore, have the potential to be scaled down for air purification in cars or scaled up in size for industrial and hazardous gas destruction. The technology is currently being implemented in multiple standalone products for businesses, homes, and vehicles of all types -to move, sterilize and filter air, including removing allergens down to 14.6 nanometers, passing through our patented technology -replacing expensive outdated passive HEPA and other filtration type systems. There are broad ranges of additional markets for standalone and embedded Kronos CORE technology-based devices. Examples of immediately addressable markets include schools, universities, healthcare facilities, operating rooms, manufacturing clean rooms, and the cabins of automobiles and commercial aircraft. Kronos published research about the effectiveness of Kronos Patented technology on air disinfection n (e.g., microorganism destruction) by demonstrating the high efficacy of Kronos Technology-based air purifiers in capturing and destruction of various types of microorganisms (including Corona Viruses) in different environmental settings back in 2008. Results of this research showed that Electrostatic Air Filtration and Purification systems based on Kronos technology demonstrated high capturing and destruction efficiency for different types of microorganisms, bacteria, and viruses, and can be successfully used for disinfection of air in real word environmental settings, including hospital facilities both with and without the presence of people. BusinessWeek called Kronos air purifiers "VIRUS KILLER" in 2005. Kronos is the first publicly traded company that accepts Dogecoin as a form of payment for its products, as well as other cryptocurrencies. The Company is planning to file additional patents to improve its existing technology as well as enter into new market segments but will continue to market air purifiers and other consumer products. The Company is an exclusive distributor and licensee of the latest generation of air purifiers based on the Company's CORE technologies. The Company markets its products as Airdog and KRONOS brands. All Kronos products come with Kronos Promise -Your Satisfaction is Guaranteed! Since our inception in 2002, Kronos Advanced Technologies has been at the forefront of innovation, revolutionizing the way air is moved, filtered, and sterilized. Our patented technology has been instrumental in various sectors, including indoor air quality, automotive, and healthcare. Kronos Advanced Technologies, Inc. (OTC MARKETS: KNOS) announced in 2023 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had granted 510(k) clearance to the companys manufacturer, classifying its Model 5 Air Purifier as a Class II Medical Device. This clearance is a significant achievement, validating Kronos' patented High Voltage Field air disinfection technology, proven to eliminate 99.9% of harmful airborne particles, including allergens, bacteria, fungi, and viruses like COVID-19. With FDA clearance, Kronos can now deploy its medical-grade air purification and air disinfection technology in hospitals, home health-care settings, schools, healthcare facilities, businesses, hotels, and government agencies. This milestone underscores Kronos' commitment to improving Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and providing healthier and safer air environments. As we embark on this new chapter with Kronos Advanced Technologies Inc., we remain committed to our mission of enhancing the health and well-being of individuals worldwide. We are proud to be pioneers in accepting cryptocurrencies, including Dogecoin, and Shiba Inu coins as a form of payment for our products, reflecting our dedication to embracing emerging technologies. Our dedication to customer satisfaction remains unwavering, and we invite you to explore our products and offerings through our online shopping portal and social media channels. The Company is an exclusive distributor and licensee of the latest generation of air purifiers based on the Company's CORE technologies. The Company markets its products as Airdog and KRONOS brands. All Kronos products come with Kronos Promise -Your Satisfaction is Guaranteed! Company offices are located in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Shopping portal: www.KronosAIR.com TikTok shop https://www.tiktok.com/@kronosair Follow KNOS on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kronosair Follow KNOS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kronosAIR Follow KNOS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kronos_ati/ Follow KNOS on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KronosAdvancedTechnologies Follow KNOS on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/Kronos_ATI Follow KNOS on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kronos-advanced-techngologies-inc Contact us via info@kronosati.co or visit https://www.kronosAIR.com Disclaimer This filing does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation of any security or any other product or service by Kronos Advanced Technologies Inc or any other third party regardless of whether such security, product, or service is referenced in this press release. Furthermore, nothing in this press release is intended to provide tax, legal, or investment advice, and nothing in it should be construed as a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any investment or security or to engage in any investment strategy or transaction. Kronos Advanced Technologies does not represent that the securities, products, or services discussed in this press release are suitable for any particular investor. You are solely responsible for determining whether any investment, investment strategy, security, or related transaction is appropriate for you based on your personal investment objectives, financial circumstances, and risk tolerance. You should consult your business advisor, attorney, and/or tax and accounting advisor regarding your specific business, legal, or tax situation. Social Media Disclaimer and Forward-Looking Statements. Kronos Advanced Technologies investors and others should note that we announce material information to the public about the Company through various means, including our website (https://www.kronosati.co/investors), press releases, OTCmarkets filings, public conference calls, via our corporate Social Media accounts, listed above. We encourage our investors and others to monitor and review the information we make public in these locations, as such information could be deemed to be material information. Please note that this list may be updated from time to time. Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors as disclosed in our filings with the OTC Markets at OTCMarkets.com. In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic conditions, governmental and public policy changes, the Company's ability to raise capital on acceptable terms, if at all, the Company's successful development of its products and the integration into its existing products and the commercial acceptance of the Company's products. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release, and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of the press release. SOURCE: KRONOS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, Inc Tel: (716)OTC-KNOS (716) 682-5667 accepts text messages only Dublin, Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Australia Alternative Lending Market Business and Investment Opportunities Databook - 75+ KPIs on Alternative Lending Market Size, By End User, By Finance Model, By Payment Instrument, By Loan Type and Demographics - Q2 2024 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The medium to long term growth story of alternative lending in Australia remains strong. Alternative lending adoption is expected to grow steadily over the forecast period, recording a CAGR of 17.4% during 2024-2028. The alternative lending market in Australia is set to increase from US$4.68 billion in 2023 to reach US$11.26 billion by 2028. The Australian alternative lending sector is rapidly evolving, marked by innovative products, strategic partnerships, and significant mergers. Increased SME adoption and regulatory changes, including proposed BNPL legislation and enhanced governance standards, underscore a shift towards more flexible, accessible, and regulated financial solutions. This growth reflects a dynamic shift away from traditional banking, aiming to better meet the needs of businesses and consumers in an evolving financial landscape. Growth in the Alternative Lending Sector The alternative lending sector in Australia has grown significantly, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) seeking faster and more flexible financing options as traditional banks tighten their lending criteria. This trend is expected to continue, with increasing awareness of non-bank lending solutions and a growing reliance on brokers to facilitate access to these funds. Key Developments in the Alternative Lending Sector Product Launches and Innovations Prospa introduced its Line of Credit product, which offers businesses flexible access to funds ranging from $2,000 to $25,000, allowing them to pay interest only on the amount they utilize. Additionally, Prospa launched Prospa Pay, a buy now, pay later solution tailored for SMEs, facilitating easier payment options for their customers. Moula also made strides with its new Moula Pay product, designed to enable businesses to offer BNPL options for B2B transactions, thus expanding their financing capabilities. These launches reflect a growing trend towards providing more adaptable and accessible financial solutions in the Australian market. Strategic Partnerships The Alternative Lending sector in Australia has witnessed several key partnerships aimed at enhancing service offerings and expanding market reach. One notable collaboration is between Prospa and Xero, which integrated Prospa's lending solutions into Xero's accounting platform. This partnership enables small businesses using Xero to access Prospa's financing options directly, streamlining the application process and improving accessibility to funds. Another significant partnership is between Moula and Suncorp, where Moula's technology was leveraged to give Suncorp's business customers quicker access to financing. This collaboration aims to enhance the lending experience for SMEs by offering faster approvals and tailored financial solutions. Mergers and Acquisitions One significant development was the acquisition of Lendi Group by Domain Holdings Australia. This merger, finalized in early 2024, allowed Domain to enhance its digital mortgage offerings and expand its footprint in the alternative lending space, particularly in the online home loan sector. Regulatory Changes One significant initiative is the proposed legislative reform regarding Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) arrangements. The Australian Government has introduced draft legislation to amend the National Consumer Credit Protection Act to bring BNPL services under the existing regulatory framework for credit products. This move is intended to ensure that BNPL offerings are regulated in a manner that is flexible and proportionate to the risks of consumer harm, reflecting a growing recognition of the need for consumer protection in this rapidly expanding market. Additionally, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) have released guidance related to the Financial Accountability Regime. This framework is designed to enhance the accountability of financial institutions, including non-bank lenders, by imposing stricter governance and risk management standards. The guidance aims to improve the overall stability of the financial system while addressing potential risks associated with non-bank lending activities. These regulatory changes indicate a proactive approach by Australian authorities to monitor and manage the evolving landscape of alternative lending, ensuring that consumers and the financial system are adequately protected as the sector grows. This report provides a detailed data-centric analysis of the Alternative Lending industry, covering market opportunities and risks across a range of industry categories. With over 50 KPIs at the country level, this report provides a comprehensive understanding of Alternative Lending market dynamics, market size and forecast, and market share statistics. It breaks down market opportunity by type of payment instrument, loan types, and consumer behavior. In addition, it provides a snapshot of marketing objective and industry spend dynamics in Australia. KPIs in both value and share term help in getting in-depth understanding of end market dynamics. Report Scope This report provides in-depth data-centric analysis of Alternative Lending industry in Australia through 125 tables and 150 charts. Below is a summary of key market segments. Australia Economic Indicators Gross Domestic Product at Current Prices Population Unbanked Population Unemployment Rate Loan Default Rate Australia Alternative Lending Market Size and Forecast Transaction Value Average Transaction Value Transaction Volume Australia Alternative Lending Market Size and Forecast by End User End User - Business End User - Consumer Australia Alternative Lending Market Size and Forecast by Finance Models P2P Marketplace Consumer Lending P2P Marketplace Business Lending P2P Marketplace Property Lending Balance Sheet Consumer Lending Balance Sheet Business Lending Balance Sheet Property Lending Invoice Trading Debt Based Securities Equity Based Crowd Funding Real Estate Crowd funding Australia Alternative Lending Market Size and Forecast by Payment Instrument - Transaction Value, Volume and Average Value Cash Cheques Credit Transfer Direct Debits Debit Card Credit Card E- Money Australia Alternative Lending Market Size and Forecast by Payment Instrument to Model Alternative Lending Market Size and Forecast by Payment Instrument to P2P Marketplace Consumer Lending Alternative Lending Market Size and Forecast by Payment Instrument to P2P Marketplace Business Lending Alternative Lending Market Size and Forecast by Payment Instrument to P2P Marketplace Property Lending Alternative Lending Market Size and Forecast by Payment Instrument to Balance Sheet Consumer Lending Alternative Lending Market Size and Forecast by Payment Instrument to Balance Sheet Business Lending Alternative Lending Market Size and Forecast by Payment Instrument to Balance Sheet Property Lending Alternative Lending Market Size and Forecast by Payment Instrument to Invoice Trading Alternative Lending Market Size and Forecast by Payment Instrument to Debt Based Securities Alternative Lending Market Size and Forecast by Payment Instrument to Equity Based Crowd Funding Alternative Lending Market Size and Forecast by Payment Instrument to Real Estate Crowd funding Australia Alternative Lending Market Size and Forecast by Loan Types B2C Loans Personal Loan Payroll Advance Home Improvement Education/Student Loans Point of Sale Auto Loans Medical Loans B2B Loans Lines of Credit Merchant Cash Advance Invoice Factoring Revenue Financing Australia Alternative Lending Analysis by Consumer Attitude and Behaviour By Age By Income Gender Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 189 Forecast Period 2024 - 2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $5.9 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $11.3 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 17.4% Regions Covered Australia Reasons to buy Gain a thorough understanding of the Alternative Lending market dynamics: Market opportunities, significant trends, and forecasting (2019 - 2028) are listed. To stay ahead of the curve, comprehend market trends using important KPIs like Value and Share. Insights by Industry: Evaluate new opportunities across multiple industries, and obtain market dynamics by industry in order to swiftly catch up with the latest and upcoming developments in Alternative Lending markets. Market-specific strategies: With our unique blend of quantitative forecasting and cutting-edge insights, we can identify growth sectors that are focused on particular opportunities and analyse market-specific risks as well as significant trends in the Alternative Lending industry. Through industry intelligence, forward-looking research of Alternative Lending market spend, and key opportunities in Australia, develop proactive and profitable company plans. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/keywf1 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment Dublin, Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "North America Modular Construction - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts 2019 - 2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The North America Modular Construction Market size is estimated at USD 33.99 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 42.58 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 4.61% during the forecast period (2024-2029). The North American modular construction market is highly fragmented, with no player holding a significant share to influence the market. Some of the key players in the North American modular construction market include ATCO Ltd, Katerra Inc., Mobile Modular Management Corporation, Boxx Modular (Black Diamond Group), and Aries Building Systems. The North American modular industry is currently made up of over 250 regional manufacturers building everything from construction site offices to single-family homes and hotels. The industry is regulated primarily at the state level through administrative agencies that implement and enforce the rules for building in that state. However, only 35 states (and one Canadian province) have such a program, meaning the remaining jurisdictions rely on local code officials to determine compliance and safety. Additionally, the programs lack a degree of uniformity in requirements and even terminology. For example, the program in Massachusetts is referred to as the 'manufactured buildings program,' while in other states, the industry is referred to as 'industrialized buildings,' or 'factory-built housing.' Hospitality Industry Driving the Market Growth A shorter construction schedule means quicker occupancy for owners, and that means guests checking in months earlier than with conventional construction methods. Therefore, companies like Marriott Corporation have made modular construction part of their strategic plan. Cities such as New York are soon becoming home to some of the world's most ambitious modular hotels. The biggest hotel chain and well-recognized world luxury hotel brand -the International Marriott, is strategically expanding in North America based on modular construction. In the next few years, the company plans to build around 50 modular hotels in North America. AC Marriott plans to open the world's tallest modular hotel. A new 25-story AC Hotel by Marriott is planned at 842 Sixth Avenue, a very prestige location in Manhattan, New York City. Due to the explosive interest and tremendous growth opportunities for the hotel and hospitality sector, the hospitality industry has been identified as a key market for the modular construction industry. The hospitality sector demonstrated the greatest growth in terms of number of units manufactured, from 1,487 units in 2018 to 1,955 in 2019. California was the strongest state for this market, followed by Kentucky, New Mexico, New York, and Texas. Shortage of Skilled Labour and Housing Contributing to Market Growth A shortage of skilled labor available for on-site work and increased pressure on project costs and schedules are primary reasons for the increasing popularity of off-site construction. In addition, improved technology allowing for greater applicability and customization, heightened concerns regarding safety and risk, and an increasing demand for higher quality were also stated as factors contributing to the growing interest in off-site approaches. Increasingly urgent demand in the housing, hospitality, and healthcare markets is also driving more projects to use modular construction. As many cities across the country are experiencing severe housing shortages, modular construction-with its potential to significantly increase the speed of delivery while also providing opportunities for cost savings-is seen as a strategy that's particularly well-suited to address the issue. Key Topics Covered: 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Study Assumptions and Market Definition 1.2 Scope of the Study 2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 MARKET INSIGHTS 4.1 Market Overview 4.2 Technological Innovations in the Modular Construction Industry 4.3 Industry Value Chain/Supply Chain Analysis 4.4 Impact of Government Regulations and Initiatives taken in the Modular Construction Industry 4.5 Adoption of Isolated Prefabricated Healthcare Modules 4.6 Insights into Materials used in Modular Construction 4.7 Impact of COVID-19 on the Market 5 MARKET DYNAMICS 5.1 Market Drivers 5.2 Market Restraints 5.3 Market Opportunities 5.4 Industry Attractiveness - Porter's Five Forces Analysis 6 MARKET SEGMENTATION 6.1 By Division 6.1.1 Permanent Modular 6.1.2 Relocatable Modular 6.2 By Sector 6.2.1 Residential 6.2.2 Commercial 6.3 By Country 6.3.1 United States 6.3.2 Canada 6.3.3 Mexico 7 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE 7.1 Company Profiles 7.1.1 ATCO Ltd 7.1.2 Katerra Inc. 7.1.3 Mobile Modular Management Corporation 7.1.4 Boxx Modular (Black Diamond Group) 7.1.5 Aries Building Systems 7.1.6 Vanguard Modular Building Systems 7.1.7 Modular Genius 7.1.8 Vesta Modular 7.1.9 Triumph Modular Corporation 7.1.10 Satellite Shelters 7.1.11 Willscot Corporation 8 FUTURE OF THE MARKET For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/rcivaa About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachments Dublin, Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Virtual Clinical Trials Market - Focused Insights 2024-2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Virtual Clinical Trials Market was valued at USD 2.64 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach USD 7.11 billion by 2029, rising at a CAGR of 17.95%. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS Breaking Down Barriers in Women's Health Clinical Studies Globally, the rising women's health issues led to an increased burden of healthcare settings. Clinical studies are constantly evolving and growing rapidly to increase access to women's health issues. However, women tend to be harder to recruit for clinical studies due to socioeconomic factors, but the emergence of virtual clinical studies design helps ease restraints to participation. Patient recruitment is one of the challenging factors in running clinical studies. However, certain socioeconomic elements, such as the disproportionate burden of childcare, make recruiting women harder and more challenging for clinical trials. In women's health clinical studies, this factor is only exacerbated. According to the Clinical Trials Arena Report 2023, between 2010 and 2015, the proportion of women's health clinical studies in developed countries that included decentralized factors varied between 1.5% and 3% each year. However, with increasing attention to women's health, decentralization has become more popular in women's health clinical studies in recent years. Rising Integration of More Advanced Systems and Tools Virtual clinical trials leverage tools, technology, and systems to collect data from patient participants remotely from their working or living places. Virtual clinical trials have already started using eConsent, electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePRO), and telemedicine. In addition, the increased focus on integrating wearable devices and sensors for data collection in recent years helps continuously monitor several health parameters in real-time. In addition, "Bring-Your-Own-Devices" is one of the most popular strategies by virtual clinical trial sites, offering lucrative revenue growth opportunities for the market. Virtual clinical trials are trending in biopharma and medical device industries to provide more convenience for patients in clinical trials. However, researchers are innovating clinical trials with a new strategy called bring-your-own-device (BYOD). This new strategy allows patients/ participants in the trial to deliver study data with their internet-enabled solutions. Technological advancements and confidence have improved study outcomes, bringing new solutions. In recent years, clinical researchers have noticed a noticeable increase using the electronic clinical outcome assessment (eCOA) tool within trials. Most clinical trial performers are shifting toward clinical trials with the BYOD strategy. Through the BYOD strategy, patients can easily share their regular data through smartphones, laptops, tablets, and desktop computers. BYOD strategy can potentially deliver tremendous opportunities and values in the virtual clinical trials landscape. The ability of patients to use their own devices provides considerable convenience. Offerings of a More Patient-centric Approach and Participation Traditional clinical trials are complex for sponsors, providers, and participants; however, virtual clinical trials are revolutionary approaches to running clinical studies that offer more patient-centric approaches and increase patient participation. This emerging approach allows greater patient management and engagement in their care, making it simple and easier for patients from all backgrounds to participate in trials without traveling long distances or being connected to a specific institution or care facility. Furthermore, advanced systems under virtual clinical trials support delivering more benefits to patient participants. For example, Clinical Data Management (CDM) systems help to correctly and securely collect and manage data without disturbing patient time. INDUSTRY RESTRAINTS Ethical Consideration and Regulatory Compliance Clinical trials are highly complex and stringently regularized due to the high-cost investment and involvement of a huge patient population and associated data. Vendors are ensuring compliance with diverse regulatory requirements and ethical standards. The worldwide environment of virtual clinical trials often spans multiple jurisdictions, each with its regulations. Vendors must ensure that the regulatory bodies they submit are aware of all trial techniques and follow their guidelines. Regulatory bodies must comply with new guidelines and amend existing guidance to keep up with the emerging technologies and virtual trial approaches. Furthermore, ethical challenges, such as informed consent in virtual clinical trials, are still challenging, as perhaps the risk and depth of the trial have not been fully conveyed, and patients can still accept without full understanding. SEGMENTATION INSIGHTS INSIGHTS BY STUDY TYPE The global virtual clinical trials market by study type is segmented into interventional and non-interventional study types. The interventional study type segment holds the largest market share. Interventional is a type of decentralized clinical trial where patient participants are assigned to groups that receive treatment. Interventional clinical trial study design can be described as a method or structure for remote data collection within the framework. It includes consent data (eConsent), randomization, and inclusion for collected safety and efficacy data for investigational (newly developed) products in clinical trials. Based on this, clinical trial researchers evaluate the effects of the intervention of medical products on health. Most clinical trials from phase I to phase III commonly go through interventional studies, accounting for higher market share and contributing to the highest revenue growth. INSIGHT BY PHASES The global virtual clinical trials market by phases is categorized into late and early stages. The late-stage segment shows significant growth, with the fastest-growing CAGR during the forecast period. In the late stage, phases III and IV require more patient enrollment and vast data generation, creating a huge demand for virtual clinical trials. High investment and the requirement for the most suitable candidate enrollments are considered essential in these phases. DCT offers high patient enrollment, provides a range of targeted patient populations across the boundaries, and reduces significant cost burdens. Drug approval for specific diseases/conditions by the FDA or other authorities is often monitored over a long time during this phase. These factors accelerate the segmental growth. INSIGHT BY COMPANY SIZE Based on the company size, the small & mid-sized company segment dominates with the largest global virtual clinical trials market share. Small- and mid-sized companies have witnessed massive growth in clinical trial activities in the past few years. Also, the success rate of clinical trials in small and mid-sized pharma and biotech companies is higher than in large-sized companies. Small and mid-sized companies depend on CROs to outsource clinical trials due to a lack of infrastructure and lower expenditure or revenue generation. Due to the increased price of clinical trials, pricing pressure, and lack of internal capabilities, low-cost services offered by virtual clinical trials attract a large number of small- & mid-sized pharma and biotech companies. INSIGHT BY THERAPEUTIC AREA Based on the therapeutic area, the CNS- central nervous system diseases segment shows prominent growth, with the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Most sponsors, specifically those focused on CNS diseases, are optimistic about virtual clinical trials in CNS. A hybrid approach that combines traditional in-person trials with decentralized strategies is often preferred in CNS research studies. It maintains the robustness of clinical studies while expanding the convenience and reach of clinical trials for investigative sites and patients. In-home nursing visits, direct-to-patient drug delivery, mobile health, and electronic patient-reported outcomes are some of the benefits of attracting more patients to CNS virtual clinical trials. GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS North America dominates the global virtual clinical trials market due to the high advancement in clinical trials, digitalization, and IoT adoption in health facilities and clinical trials, the increasing surge of telemedicine and telehealth, and the wide acceptance of technologies in healthcare management. The U.S. and Canada are the two major countries performing clinical trials. Due to stringent regulations and high costs, most vendors seek better options to handle the market scenario. The North American virtual clinical trials market witnessed exponential growth amid the COVID-19 crisis. Traditional clinical trials witnessed various challenges during the pandemic, thereby increasing the adoption of VCT in the market. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE The global virtual clinical trials market report contains exclusive data on 32 vendors. The market is highly fragmented, and large corporations dominate it. However, there are significant growth opportunities for new entrants. Though the market is dominated by major players, many investigational and small companies are coming into existence with virtual clinical trial solutions. Dassault Systemes, Medable, Science 37, THREAD, Castor, Clinical Ink, IQVIA, and Icon Plc are some leading companies accounting for more than 50% of the market share in the global virtual clinical trials market. These vendors are continuously developing and investing in virtual clinical trial tools and are expected to dominate the market with continued engagement. Key Vendors Dassault Systemes Medable Science 37 THREAD Castor Clinical ink IQVIA Icon Plc Other Prominent Vendors Accenture Clario Delve Health Cambridge Cognition Labcorp ObvioHealth Signant Health Thermo Fisher Scientific Advarra CMIC Holdings Curavit Clinical Research Jeeva Informatics Solutions LEO Innovation (Studies & Me) Oracle Paraxel International Corporation ProPharma Group PCM Trials M&B Sciences AUTOCRUITMENT ClinicalConnection CSSi Tigermed Trialize Florence Healthcare Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 150 Forecast Period 2023 - 2029 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $2.64 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2029 $7.11 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 17.9% Regions Covered Global Key Topics Covered: Chapter 1: Virtual Clinical Trials Market Overview Executive Summary Key Findings Chapter 2: Virtual Clinical Trials Market Market Global: Projected Revenue of Virtual Clinical Trials Market (2020-2029; $ Millions) Chapter 3: Virtual Clinical Trials Market Prospects & Opportunities Virtual Clinical Trials Market Opportunities & Trends Virtual Clinical Trials Market Drivers Virtual Clinical Trials Market Constraints Chapter 4: Virtual Clinical Trials Market Segmentation Data Global: Projected Revenue by Study Type (2020-2029; $ Millions) Interventional Study Other Study Type Global: Projected Revenue by Phases (2020-2029; $ Millions) Late Stage Early Stage Global: Projected Revenue by Company Size (2020-2029; $ Millions) Small & Mid-Sized Companies Large Sized Companies Global: Projected Revenue by Therapeutic Area (2020-2029; $ Millions) Oncology Rare & Genetic Diseases Cns- Central Nervous Systems Diseases Immunology Diseases Other Therapeutic Area Chapter 5: Key Regions Overview Chapter 6:Virtual Clinical Trials Market Industry Overview Virtual Clinical Trials Market - Competitive Landscape Virtual Clinical Trials Market- Key Vendor Profiles Virtual Clinical Trials Market- Other Prominent Vendors Virtual Clinical Trials Market - Key Strategic Recommendations For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ojmqtx About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment San Francisco, California, USA, Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- US Capital Global proudly announces the promotion of Pankaj Vashisth to the esteemed positions of Partner and global Chief Compliance Officer (CCO). With headquarters in San Francisco and a global presence extending to key locations such as Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Miami, New York, London, and Dubai, US Capital Global stands as a premier full-service global private financial group specializing in corporate finance, asset management, and capital formation services. In his new capacity and as securities principal for the group, Mr. Vashisth will spearhead the groups administrative operations in Las Vegas while overseeing all regulatory and compliance functions, particularly in private placements, securities, and related services offered by US Capital Global Securities LLC, the groups FINRA-member and SEC-registered broker-dealer affiliate. Bringing to the role over two decades of expertise in global team management garnered from Fortune 500 companies, Mr. Vashisth boasts a distinguished record of leveraging astute business analysis alongside regulatory and strategic planning to optimize performance, manage risk, and elevate company revenue. His prior roles with industry leaders including Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Swiss Re, First Data, and Deutsche Bank have equipped him with extensive experience in areas such as M&A, debt financing, real estate investment, asset management, and risk management. Expressing his enthusiasm for his new role, Mr. Vashisth remarked, I am thrilled to assume the role of CCO during this important juncture in US Capital Globals growth. The groups strong reputation for financing middle-market enterprises on a global scale, coupled with its pioneering and market-disruptive ventures in FinTech, RegTech, and MarTech, positions us uniquely in the financial landscape. I look forward to leveraging my compliance expertise and leadership experience alike to further enhance our standing and propel our ongoing domestic and international expansion and performance. Jeffrey Sweeney, Chairman and CEO of US Capital Global, lauded Mr. Vashisths promotion, stating, Pankaj is a valued asset to our organization, and we are delighted to appoint him to the dual role of Partner and CCO. His deep understanding of our global private financial group and its distinctive value proposition for stakeholders ensures that our entire organization stands to benefit. Amidst our recent expansions across the US, Europe, and the Middle East, Pankajs leadership will not only guide our regulatory and compliance endeavors but also steer the operations of our Las Vegas office. Mr. Vashisth holds a Master of Business Administration from the prestigious Fuqua School of Business, Duke University. Before that, he attained a Master of Science in Health Information Science from the University of Texas, following his undergraduate studies in Engineering at Bangalore University in India. About US Capital Global Founded in 1998, US Capital Global offers a range of advanced financial solutions, including debt, equity, and investment products customized for middle-market enterprises and investors. The firm oversees direct investment funds while delivering comprehensive wealth management and investment banking services, encompassing M&A strategies and capital raising expertise. Among the notable entities within the consortium are US Capital Global Investment Management LLC, US Capital Global Wealth Management LLC, and US Capital Global Securities LLC, an SEC-registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA. To learn more, visit www.uscapital.com. To learn more about US Capital Global, email Jeffrey Sweeney, Chairman and CEO, at jsweeney@uscapglobal.com. Attachment DOVER, Delaware, Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Octavian Labs , a trailblazing software company specializing in Web3 and digital asset technologies, is excited to announce the launch of its latest suite of automation tools designed specifically for users in the digital asset space. These cutting-edge solutions focus on streamlining research and execution processes, enabling Web3 users to navigate the decentralized ecosystem more efficiently and effectively. As the Web3 space continues to evolve at a rapid pace, users face a growing need for tools that simplify complex processes and reduce manual intervention. Octavian Labs is addressing this gap with state-of-the-art automation solutions that help developers, traders, and businesses manage their research and execution workflows with ease. The new tools are designed to save time, enhance accuracy, and provide users with the insights they need to stay competitive in the ever-changing digital asset landscape. At Octavian Labs, weve always believed that automation is key to unlocking the true potential of decentralized technology, said Gio Paris, CEO of Octavian Labs. Our new offerings are a direct response to the challenges faced by Web3 userswhether theyre developers building decentralized applications or individuals managing digital assets. By automating research and execution, were empowering users to focus on what matters mostbuilding, innovating, and driving the future of Web3. Key Features of Octavian Labs' New Automation Suite Research Automation: Automatically pull in real-time data from multiple blockchain networks and digital asset markets, allowing users to make informed decisions without needing to comb through vast amounts of data manually. Execution Automation: Streamline the execution of trades and transactions by setting up automated triggers and conditions across decentralized platforms, ensuring that users never miss critical opportunities in fast-moving markets. Smart Alerts and Notifications: Stay updated on key developments in the Web3 and digital asset ecosystem with custom alerts that notify users of changes in market conditions, price movements, or project developments. User-Friendly Interface: Built with accessibility in mind, the platform provides a clean, intuitive interface that caters to both novice users and seasoned veterans of the digital asset space. Octavian Labs' focus on automation directly aligns with its mission to create scalable, secure, and innovative solutions for Web3 users. By automating time-consuming tasks, the company aims to enhance productivity and decision-making, giving users a competitive edge in the market. A Focus on Innovation and Security Security has always been a top priority for Octavian Labs. As part of its commitment to safeguarding users' digital assets, the company has implemented industry-leading security protocols in its automation tools. With robust encryption and smart contract auditing, users can confidently automate processes knowing their assets are protected. Our goal is to take the complexity out of Web3 while ensuring that security remains uncompromised, added Gio Paris. We want to see more developers and digital asset users leverage the full potential of automation to scale their projects and investments. About Octavian Labs Octavian Labs is a forward-thinking software company focused on creating solutions that help Web3 users and digital asset enthusiasts automate their research and execution. Headquartered in Delaware, the company is dedicated to advancing decentralized technology by providing tools that empower users to thrive in the digital future. With a focus on security, innovation, and scalability, Octavian Labs is committed to driving progress in the Web3 space. For more information about Octavian Labs and its suite of automation tools, visit www.octavianlabs.io. Contact: Gio Paris Founder gio@octavianlabs.io Disclaimer: This content is provided by Octavian Labs. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the content provider.The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/162edd2d-8b8d-4ac2-825a-39ecd0873fd8 Sacramento, Ca., Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In-Shape Family Fitness is excited to launch its 10th annual In-Shape Fights Cancer campaign, a six-week-long initiative dedicated to raising funds for cancer research and support services, today. This year, the campaign aims to raise an ambitious $200,000, bringing In-Shape's total contribution to an extraordinary $1 million over the past decade. As a proud supporter of the American Cancer Society and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, In-Shape Family Fitness is committed to making a tangible impact in the fight against cancer. We all have been touched by cancer in some way, and our Fight Cancer campaign is our way of turning that into a force for good, said Kris Mulkey, Chief Marketing Officer of In-Shape Family Fitness. Our members, our team, and our communities have shown incredible support over the years, and we are more determined than ever to reach our goal of $200,000 this year. In-Shape has several opportunities for both members and the community to participate in the campaign and contribute to this important cause: Buy Paper Kettlebells: These symbolic campaign staples can be purchased at any In-Shape club, with every dollar contributing to the fundraising goal. Join Fitness and Wellness Events: Participate in special events at In-Shape's clubs, where proceeds will go directly to cancer research. Purchase Fight Cancer Merchandise: Special edition retail items are available for purchase, with 20% of the proceeds supporting the campaign. Enter Fight Cancer Pickleball and Racquetball Tournaments: Sign up for the In-Shape Fights Cancer pickleball or racquetball tournament and compete for a cause. Open to non-members. New Membership Donations: In-Shape will donate a dollar for every new member that joins from Sept 16-Oct 31. Social Media Participation: For every public social media post using the hashtag #InShapeFightsCancer, In-Shape will donate a dollar to the campaign. Sponsorships: Local businesses can join the fight by becoming campaign sponsors. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, with one in three people facing a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. The funds raised through the In-Shape Fights Cancer campaign will support vital services such as free cancer education, emotional support for those diagnosed, and free lodging for patients and caregivers who must travel for treatment. Additionally, contributions will fuel cutting-edge cancer research at the national level, helping to advance prevention, detection, and treatment. In-Shapes decade-long dedication to this cause is a testament to the power of community, said Sonya Silva at the American Cancer Society. The continued passion and commitment from In-Shape and its members give us hope for a future without cancer. We are honored to partner with them in this fight. In-Shape is also supporting the Triumph Cancer Foundation by hosting their classes for cancer survivors at its In-Shape Arden and In-Shape Watt clubs free of charge this fall. Cancer survivors participating in Triumphs recovery program will use certain areas of the club before their team leads participants through specialty workout classes designed to rebuild strength post chemotherapy. To learn more about the In-Shape Fights Cancer campaign and discover additional ways to support, please visit www.inshape.com/fightcancer and follow the hashtag #InShapeFightsCancer on social media. Together, we can make this October one to remember and take a stand against cancer for a brighter, healthier future. Attachment NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bernstein Liebhard LLP: Do you, or did you, own shares of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ABR)? Did you purchase your shares between May 7, 2021 and July 11, 2024, inclusive? Did you lose money in your investment in Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.? Do you want to discuss your rights? Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in a securities class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the securities of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (ABR) (NYSE: ABR) between May 7, 2021 and July 11, 2024, inclusive (the Class Period). The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York and alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against the Company and certain of its officers (the Complaint). If you purchased or acquired ABR securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Investor Relations Manager Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@bernlieb.com. According to the lawsuit, ABR made misrepresentations concerning the Companys operational and financial health, including its balance sheet loan book and net interest income. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff for the Class, you must file papers by September 30, 2024 . A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on other class members behalf in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesnt require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member. All representation is on a contingency fee basis. Shareholders pay no fees or expenses. Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journals Plaintiffs Hot List thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for sixteen consecutive years. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. 2024 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. Contact Information: Peter Allocco Investor Relations Manager Bernstein Liebhard LLP https://www.bernlieb.com (212) 951-2030 pallocco@bernlieb.com Washington, DC, Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Wednesday, Sept. 11, AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteering, led the annual 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance to honor the lives lost due to the terrorist attacks and the heroic acts of Americans in response. From packing meals to cleaning cemeteries, thousands of Americans nationwide volunteered in their communities to remember 9/11. AmeriCorps CEO Michael D. Smith traveled to Alexandria, Va., to participate in a cemetery and headstone cleanup at the Alexandria National Cemetery. Later in the day, CEO Smith was joined by US Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), US Senator Laphonza Butler (D-CA), Representative Seth Moulton (MA-06), Representative Don Davis (NC-01), Representative Chris DeLuzio (PA-17) and hundreds of volunteers to pack meals with AmeriCorps and 9/11 Day in Washington, DC. Every year, Americans from all across the country come together through service to honor the lives lost during the tragic terrorist attacks on 9/11, said Michael D. Smith, CEO, AmeriCorps. Twenty-three years ago, people mobilized nationwide to support those affected by these attacks, revealing the American spirit of giving back. We can see that spirit today in the people who stepped up and showed up for our country this year. Other Biden-Harris administration, elected officials and national service leaders joined AmeriCorps and 9/11 Day, for service projects in communities across the nation. In 21 cities, elected leaders and more than 30,000 volunteers packed more than 8.6 million meals to be distributed to local food banks. Participating officials included: Officials found other ways to participate in the day of service, including: Wis. Governor Tony Evers , alongside Wis. Department of Administration , Department of Natural Resources and volunteers, participated in beautification of Lake Kegonsa State Park to remember and honor 9/11. , alongside , Department of Natural Resources and volunteers, participated in beautification of Lake Kegonsa State Park to remember and honor 9/11. Wash. Governor Jay Inslee proclaimed September 11, 2024, a day of service and remembrance, encouraging Washingtonians to honor the fallen through service. ### AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, provides opportunities for Americans to serve their country domestically, address the nations most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency places more than 200,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, short-term or one-time volunteers. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov. AmeriCorps offers opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to be a part of the national service community, grow personally and professionally and receive benefits for their service. AmeriCorps.gov/serve. Attachment Richardson, TX, Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To celebrate National Tune Up Day on September 25, Service Experts will give $5 from every tune-up, drain cleaning and water heater flush to Make-A-Wish America throughout the months of September and October. The contribution of up to $40,000 from Service Experts continues a relationship started in 2018 with Make-A-Wish America that has led to more than $1.5 million in total giving to help grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Getting to see the power of a wish for a child and their family has been the highlight of our partnership with Make-A-Wish America weve had the honor of getting to personally grant 27 wishes in that time, said Dave Moody, Chief Marketing Officer of Service Experts. National Tune Up Day and the weeks around it have our technicians in even more peoples homes, giving them the perfect opportunity to highlight the work Make-A-Wish is doing with help from our network of more than 100 service centers. Most recently, Service Experts participated in a wish reveal with Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana to a 12-year-old with a respiratory disorder to Hawaii with her family. Earlier this year, the company also had the honor of Linda Pauling, co-founder of Make-A-Wish, joining them for a wish reveal at their annual meeting in Orlando. A wish experience can be a game-changer, impacting not only the wish kids, but also their families, volunteers, donors, sponsors, medical professionals and communities. A wish renews hope, uplifts spirits and encourages the belief in the impossible, giving kids the strength to fight againstand even overcomea critical illness. "Make-A-Wish relies on the generosity of individuals and organizations, like Service Experts, to close the gap in the number of children waiting for their wishes to be granted," said Leslie Motter, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish America. "For the past seven years, Service Experts has ensured that when children are dealing with unplanned hospital stays and uncomfortable treatments, they can count on a wish to help them replace anxiety with hope and reclaim a piece of their childhood." Since its founding in 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 375,000 wishes nationwide to children battling critical illnesses. A wish experience can be a game-changer, and tens of thousands of volunteers, donors, and supporters like Service Experts advance the Make-A-Wish vision to grant the wish of every eligible child. ABOUT SERVICE EXPERTS Founded in 1996, Service Experts is the leading provider of total home comfort; including, HVAC and plumbing repair, maintenance, new equipment sales, solar energy solutions and related services to residential and commercial customers in 31 U.S. states. Headquartered in Richardson, Texas, Service Experts is the largest total home comfort company in the US, with more than 100 locations serving approximately 3,500 homes and businesses, on average, each working day. For more information on Service Experts sales, rebates, products and services, visit ServiceExperts.com. ABOUT MAKE-A-WISH AMERICA Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Founded in Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is the #1 most trusted nonprofit operating locally in all 50 states throughout the U.S. Together with generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 20,000 volunteers across the country, Make-A-Wish delivers hope and joy to children and their families when they need it most. Make-A-Wish aims to bring the power of wishing to every child with a critical illness because wish experiences can help improve emotional and physical health. Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 585,000 wishes in 50 countries worldwide; more than 375,000 wishes in the U.S. and its territories alone. For more information about Make-A-Wish America, visit wish.org. Attachments TORONTO , Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (TSX: PFIA, PFSS, PFCB, PFAA) Picton Mahoney Asset Management announced today that it has declared the September 2024 monthly cash distribution of $0.0359 per unit for the ETF units (ETF Units) of the Picton Mahoney Fortified Income Alternative Fund. Picton Mahoney Asset Management announced today that it has declared the September 2024 monthly cash distribution of $0.0380 per unit for the ETF Units of the Picton Mahoney Fortified Special Situations Alternative Fund. Picton Mahoney Asset Management announced today that it has declared the September 2024 monthly cash distribution of $0.0382 per unit for the ETF Units of the Picton Mahoney Fortified Core Bond Fund. Picton Mahoney Asset Management announced today that it has declared the September 2024 monthly cash distribution of $0.0001 per unit for the ETF Units of the Picton Mahoney Fortified Alpha Alternative Fund. Unitholders of record of the ETF Units, at the close of business on September 23, 2024, will receive a per-unit cash distribution payable on September 30, 2024. About Picton Mahoney Asset Management Picton Mahoney Asset Management specializes in differentiated investment solutions and rules-based volatility management. Picton Mahoney helps its clients fortify their portfolios based on experience honed over the years through different market cycles and investing environments. Founded in 2004 and 100% employee-owned, Picton Mahoney is a portfolio management boutique entrusted with over $11.0 billion (as at August 31, 2024) in assets under management. Pioneers of Authentic Hedge investment principles and practices in Canada, the firm offers a full suite of investment solutions, including mutual and alternative funds, to institutional and retail investors across the country. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees, performance fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently, and past performance may not be repeated. Alternative funds can only be purchased through a registered dealer and are available only in those jurisdictions where they may be lawfully offered for sale. For further information please contact: Arthur Galloway Picton Mahoney Asset Management Tel: (416) 955-4108 Web site: www.pictonmahoney.com Email: service@pictonmahoney.com MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J., Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. ("OPT" or "the Company") (NYSE American: OPTT), today announced financial results for its fiscal first quarter ended July 31, 2024 (Q125), which included year over year reductions in operating expenses, operating loss, and cash burn. Recent Financial and Operational Highlights: Operating expenses of $4.9 million for Q125 decreased 39% as compared to operating expenses of $8.1 million for the same period in the prior year (Q124) reflecting previously disclosed restructuring and streamlining activities. Use of cash for operating activities of $6.1 million for Q125 decreased 23% as compared to operating expenses of $8.0 million for Q124 reflecting previously disclosed restructuring and streamlining activities. The Companys pipeline at approximately $92 million, as of July 31, 2024, is the largest in the Companys history, continues to grow, and reflects an increase in defense and security activity as well as an expansion of commercial opportunities. This compared to approximately $85 million for Q124. The Companys backlog at July 31, 2024 was 5.3 million, a 71% increase over the backlog of $3.1 million at July 31, 2023, reflecting our previously announced efforts in Latin America and the Middle East. In September 2024 we announced that we had received a further contract by the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California. This contract, which supports revenue generation in the near-term, adds to the deployment of OPTs PowerBuoy as part of an ongoing initiative to enhance maritime domain awareness and connectivity in Monterey Bay and demonstrate the use of PowerBuoys for multi-domain drone and communication integration. Building on the success of the previously announced NPS contract, which included installing AT&T 5G technology on a PowerBuoy, this new order focuses on integrating advanced subsea sensors into a PowerBuoy equipped with OPTs latest Merrows suite for AI capable seamless integration of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) across platforms and utilizing communication technologies from AT&T for NPS. The PowerBuoy will provide carbon free, renewable energy for continuous, autonomous monitoring and data collection in one of the worlds most strategically significant maritime environments. In August 2024 we announced the signing of the latest of four new reseller agreements targeted at supporting global critical services. These agreements include opportunities for partnering with allied nations in areas like the South China Sea, previously announced efforts in Latin America and the Middle East and serving global commercial markets. These partnerships provide leverage to proactively serve the demand for our autonomous maritime technologies in geographies remote from OPT. We believe these partnerships will diversify our geographical market and further accelerate our growth and drive new revenue streams. In August 2024 we announced a patent pending for our docking and recharging buoy technology, specifically designed for the WAM-V. This advanced system has already been successfully demonstrated, showcasing its potential to revolutionize the operational efficiency and endurance of autonomous surface vessels. This development aligns with our broader strategy to enhance the functionality and versatility of our Merrows Platform bringing artificial intelligence capable solutions to the ocean, thereby expanding our market reach, and supporting a greater range of customer needs. In July 2024 we announced the signing of a reseller agreement with Geos Telecom, a prominent provider of maritime communication and navigation solutions in Costa Rica. This partnership marks a significant expansion of our presence in the Latin American market. We believe this agreement not only enhances our footprint in Latin America but also enables us to deliver advanced USV capabilities to a new customer base. In July we announced we had been awarded a contract for immediate delivery of a PowerBuoy equipped with Merrows in the Midde East. We had previously announced our selection as a preferred supplier for our Merrows equipped buoys in the region. We believe this order for a solar and wind powered system highlights our ability to provide carbon free, renewable Merrows platforms in most all marine environments across the globe. Offering field tested technology solutions as complementary building blocks makes it possible for our customers to integrate WAM-Vs and PowerBuoys into their operations and to put configurable ocean intelligence into their hands. In July 2024 we announced the signing of a reseller agreement with Survey Equipment Services, Inc. (SES), a specialist in the supply of Marine Survey and Navigation equipment. The agreement focuses on the provision of WAM-Vs, in the USA. This agreement allows us to leverage SESs offering of survey and navigation equipment and deploy WAM-Vs to SESs customer base. This partnership serves to further accelerates our growth and enables additional revenue stream. In July 2024 we announced a partnership with Unique Group (Unique), a UAE headquartered global innovator in subsea technologies and engineering, offering multiple products and services to customers in a range of industry sectors. Unique has more than 600 employees and 20 operational bases around the world. Unique Group will collaborate to deploy our WAM-V in the UAE and other countries in the Gulf Collaboration Council (GCC) region. Integrating our commercially available vehicles with Uniques leading position in the offshore energy industry in the UAE will accelerate the adoption of USVs in the region. Working with Unique Group will further facilitate our efforts to deploy USVs globally. In June 2024 we announced the signing of an OEM agreement with Teledyne Marine, a division of Teledyne Technologies Inc. (Teledyne), a key supplier in maritime technologies inclusive of connectors, instruments, and vehicles. This strategic partnership aims to enhance our product offerings and drive innovation within the industry providing customers with a turnkey system. This agreement allows us to leverage Teledynes best-in-class offerings to deliver superior sensor and ocean technology products to our customers. We believe this partnership will accelerate our growth and enable additional revenue streams. In June 2024 we announced we had launched our Global 24/7 Service Support (Services). We were already servicing its Artificial Intelligence Capable Maritime Domain Awareness Solution, Merrows, in regions such as Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. The new Services offering gives customers the opportunity for 24/7 support with tiered options to maintain operations around the globe. This new Services offering enables our customers to choose from a menu of options and determine the most cost-effective way to operate our PowerBuoys and USVs. It also positions us to add additional recurring revenues to our ongoing growth. Recent Technological Advancements: In September 2024 we announced that we completed more than four months of offshore testing of our Next Generation PowerBuoy (PB) in the Atlantic Ocean off New Jersey. The solar and wind power equipped Next Generation PB was equipped with OPTs proprietary Artificial Intelligence capable Merrows suite of solutions. The system maintained 100% data uptime and the state of charge of the batteries remained over 90% throughout the deployment. During the deployment, several Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance demonstrations for potential customers were completed. (PB) in the Atlantic Ocean off New Jersey. The solar and wind power equipped Next Generation PB was equipped with OPTs proprietary Artificial Intelligence capable Merrows suite of solutions. The system maintained 100% data uptime and the state of charge of the batteries remained over 90% throughout the deployment. During the deployment, several Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance demonstrations for potential customers were completed. In May 2024 the Company announced it was approaching 15MWh of renewable energy production from its family of PB. The recent launch of its Next Generation PB off the coast of New Jersey has materially accelerated average energy production by combining solar, wind, and wave energy production capabilities. The energy generation numbers are based on deployments in the Atlantic, Pacific, Mediterranean, and North Sea. OPT has demonstrated and delivered use cases as a proven solution for Anti-Submarine Warfare, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, USV Charging, and Environmental Sensing. These numbers show that non-grid connected marine energy production is not just for the R&D community but is a commercially available solution. Management Commentary Philipp Stratmann, OPT's President and Chief Executive Officer We continue to make progress on our path towards profitability as evidenced by the continued growth in our pipeline, backlog, revenues, and gross margin. We have also made significant progress in stemming our losses, as evidenced by a material decrease in our operating costs. The previously announced substantial cessation of our R&D efforts and the realignment of our headcount to focus on execution has led to a reduction in payroll and engineering related expenditures, and we will continue to see further benefits of these efforts going forward. Our efforts to increase our backlog and pipeline in the defense and national security industry are paying off. Our recent contract wins with large government prime contractors enable us to provide autonomous vehicles and renewable energy buoys to various U.S. Government Agencies. In addition to these contract wins, we continue to deliver for our commercial customers, especially in the field of autonomous survey operations, enabling them to lower costs and carbon emissions. Additionally, our geographic footprint continues to expand, and we are seeing significant opportunities for growth in Latin America and the Middle East. Lastly, we continue to explore opportunities that will accelerate shareholder value generation, for example through resellers and partnerships in overseas locations, as we execute on our stated strategy, including cost optimization, accelerated revenue growth, partnerships, or other mechanisms. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Q125 Income Statement: Revenues for Q125 were $1.3 million, consistent with revenue recognized for Q124. Beginning in Q225, we expect higher levels of revenues and contributed backlog and bookings growth as near-term opportunities are realized. Trailing twelve-month revenue at July 31, 2024 was $5.6 million, a 70% increase over the trailing twelve-month revenue of $3.3 million at July 31, 2023. for Q125 were $1.3 million, consistent with revenue recognized for Q124. Beginning in Q225, we expect higher levels of revenues and contributed backlog and bookings growth as near-term opportunities are realized. Trailing twelve-month revenue at July 31, 2024 was $5.6 million, a 70% increase over the trailing twelve-month revenue of $3.3 million at July 31, 2023. Gross profit and margin for Q125 was $0.5 million and 34%, respectively, as compared to $0.7 million and 52%, respectively, for Q124 reflecting an increase in lower margin pass through revenue for Q125. for Q125 was $0.5 million and 34%, respectively, as compared to $0.7 million and 52%, respectively, for Q124 reflecting an increase in lower margin pass through revenue for Q125. Operating expenses were $4.9 million in Q125, down from $8.1 million in Q124 and reflecting previously disclosed restructuring and streamlining activities. were $4.9 million in Q125, down from $8.1 million in Q124 and reflecting previously disclosed restructuring and streamlining activities. Net loss was $4.5 million for Q125, as compared to a net loss of $7.0 million for Q124. The year-over-year decrease in net loss was primarily driven by the decrease in operating expenses noted above. Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Combined cash, restricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments as of July 31, 2024, was $3.3 million, consistent with the yearend balance at April 30 th , 2024. , 2024. Bank debt remained at $0 as of July 31, 2024. Net cash used in operating activities for the nine months ended Q125 was $6.1 million, compared to $8.0 million for the same period in the prior year. This reflects the decrease in operating expenses noted above, partially offset by the payment of the earnout related to our autonomous vehicles business due to the business exceeding expectations, investment in inventory to satisfy growing backlog, and payment of employment bonuses that were accrued during fiscal year 2024. Conference Call & Webcast As previously announced, a conference call to discuss OPTs financial results will be held tomorrow morning, Tuesday September 17, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Philipp Stratmann, CEO, and Bob Powers, CFO will host the call. The dial-in numbers for the conference call are 877-407-8291 or 201-689-8345. Live webcast: Webcast | Ocean Power Technologies FY2025 Q1 Earnings Conference Call ( choruscall.com ) ( ) Call Replay: Call replay will be available by telephone approximately two hours after the call's completion. You may access the replay by dialing 877-660-6853 from the U.S. or 201-612-7415 for international callers and using the Conference ID 13748550. Call replay will be available by telephone approximately two hours after the call's completion. You may access the replay by dialing 877-660-6853 from the U.S. or 201-612-7415 for international callers and using the Conference ID 13748550. Webcast Replay: The archived webcast will be on the OPT investor relations section of its website About Ocean Power Technologies OPT provides intelligent maritime solutions and services that enable safer, cleaner, and more productive ocean operations for the defense and security, oil and gas, science and research, and offshore wind markets. Our PowerBuoy platforms provide clean and reliable electric power and real-time data communications for remote maritime and subsea applications. We also provide WAM-V autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) and marine robotics services. The Companys headquarters is located in Monroe Township, New Jersey and has an additional office in Richmond, California. To learn more, visit www.OceanPowerTechnologies.com. Non-GAAP Measures: Pipeline Pipeline is not a term recognized under United States generally accepted accounting principles; however, it is a common measurement used in our industry. Our methodology for determining pipeline may not be comparable to the methodologies used by other companies. Pipeline is a representation of the journey potential customers take from the moment they become aware of our products and service to the moment they become a paying customer. The sales pipeline is divided into a series of phases, each representing a different milestone in the customer journey. It is a tool we use to track sales progress, identify potential roadblocks, and make data-driven decisions to improve our sales performance. Revenue estimates derived from our pipeline can be subject to change due to project accelerations, cancellations or delays due to various factors. These factors can also cause revenue amounts to be realized in periods and at levels different than originally projected. Forward-Looking Statements This release may contain forward-looking statements that are within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are identified by certain words or phrases such as "may", "will", "aim", "will likely result", "believe", "expect", "will continue", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "contemplate", "seek to", "future", "objective", "goal", "project", "should", "will pursue" and similar expressions or variations of such expressions. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current expectations about its future plans and performance. These forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions and estimates that could be inaccurate and subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could vary materially from those anticipated or expressed in any forward-looking statement made by the Company. Please refer to the Company's most recent Forms 10-Q and 10-K and subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for further discussion of these risks and uncertainties. The Company disclaims any obligation or intent to update the forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release. Financial Tables Follow Additional information may be found in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Form 10-Q is accessible at www.sec.gov or the Investor Relations section of the Company's website ( www.OceanPowerTechnologies.com/investor-relations ). Ocean Power Technologies, Inc., and Subsidiaries Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands, except share data) July 31, 2024 April 30, 2024 (Unaudited) ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 3,182 $ 3,151 Accounts receivable 963 796 Contract assets 477 18 Inventory 5,681 4,831 Other current assets 785 1,747 Total current assets 11,088 10,543 Property and equipment, net 3,613 3,443 Intangibles, net 3,589 3,622 Right-of-use assets, net 2,198 2,405 Restricted cash, long-term 154 154 Goodwill 8,537 8,537 Total assets $ 29,179 $ 28,704 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 1,741 $ 3,366 Earnout payable 450 1,130 Accrued expenses 1,579 1,787 Right-of-use liabilities, current portion 926 774 Contract liabilities 445 302 Total current liabilities 5,141 7,359 Deferred tax liability 203 203 Right-of-use liabilities, less current portion 1,525 1,798 Total liabilities 6,869 9,360 Commitments and contingencies (Note 14) Shareholders Equity: Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; authorized 5,000,000 shares, none issued or outstanding; 100,000 designated as Series A Common stock, $0.001 par value; authorized 100,000,000 shares, issued 95,661,806 shares and 61,352,731 shares, respectively; outstanding 95,573,789 shares and 61,264,714 shares, respectively 96 61 Treasury stock, at cost; 88,017 and 88,017 shares, respectively (369 ) (369 ) Additional paid-in capital 334,659 327,276 Accumulated deficit (312,031 ) (307,579 ) Accumulated other comprehensive loss (45 ) (45 ) Total shareholders equity 22,310 19,344 Total liabilities and shareholders equity $ 29,179 $ 28,704 Ocean Power Technologies, Inc., and Subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands, except per share data) Three months ended July 31, 2024 2023 Revenues $ 1,301 $ 1,272 Cost of revenues 854 609 Gross margin 447 663 Operating expenses 4,920 8,103 Gain from change in fair value of consideration (62 ) Operating loss (4,473 ) (7,378 ) Interest income, net 3 339 Other income 17 Loss before income taxes (4,453 ) (7,039 ) Income tax benefit Net loss (4,453 ) (7,039 ) Basic and diluted net loss per share $ (0.05 ) $ (0.12 ) Weighted average shares used to compute basic and diluted net loss per common share 81,951,002 58,723,076 Ocean Power Technologies, Inc., and Subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands) A gala concert program featuring Azerbaijani artists has been organised during the third International Antalya Yoruk Turkmen Festival held in Turkiye, Azernews reports. The event was represented by the Azerbaijani Cultural Centre operating under the auspices of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Turkiye in partnership with the Antalya Association for Azerbaijani Culture and Solidarity. During the festival, a grand concert was held with performances by People's Artist of Azerbaijan Az?rin, soloist of Azerbaijani Cultural Center in Turkiye, Vusala Asgarova, Khazar Folk Dance Ensemble, and tar player Parviz Musayev. The concert showcased a rich array of national and folk music, adding a vibrant touch to the event. Songs dedicated to themes such as unity among the Turkic world, homeland, and the brotherhood between Azerbaijan and Turkiye were performed, along with traditional Azerbaijani dances like "Azerbaijan Suite" and "Jangi." The artists received enthusiastic applause and chants of unity from the audience gathered at the festival venue. After the concert, Director of the Azerbaijani Cultural Centre, Samir Abbasov, expressed gratitude to the organisers of the event and emphasised the importance of the unity between Turkiye and Azerbaijan, as well as among all Turkic-speaking nations, for the progress of both countries. This year, the festival was held at the picturesque Duzlercam? Karaman picnic area in Do?emealt?, surrounded by Antalya's unique natural beauty. The event attracted over 350,000 visitors, setting a new record. For three days, the festival drew significant interest not only from local residents but also from tourists in Antalya. Countries such as Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, among others, participated in the festivities. Additionally, nations including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Greece, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Romania, Georgia, China, and Ukraine were also represented. The primary objective of the festival is to comprehensively convey the Yoruk culture to future generations, showcasing their rich traditions, music, and lifestyle. Through a vibrant display of performances and cultural activities, the festival serves as a platform to celebrate and promote the heritage and unity of the Yoruk community and Turkic peoples. For the first time this year, an Azerbaijani national tent was set up within the festival, showcasing artistic samples, handicrafts, carpets, souvenirs, various traditional clothing items, including our headscarves, as well as musical examples that belong to our country. In the tent created by the Azerbaijani Cultural Centre operating under the Azerbaijani Embassy in Turkiye and the Antalya Association for Azerbaijani Culture and Solidarity, carpets from different parts of Azerbaijan, household items reflecting the rural lifestyle, traditional clothing, and publications related to the countryincluding those depicting the Second Garabagh War were on display. The Azerbaijani tent garnered significant interest from festival visitors, where guests were provided with information about the country, traditional clothing and accessories, musical instruments, and the magnificent nature and tourism, along with offerings of the national sweets. Vancouver, September 16, 2024 - Bolt Metals Corp. ("Bolt" or the "Company") (CSE: BOLT) (FRANKFURT: A2QEUB) (OTCQB: PCRCF) is pleased to announce that it has acquired through staking an additional 1,542 hectares of mineral claims contiguous to it recently acquired New Britain, high-grade antimony property, BC, Canada ("Property") (see the Company's press release dated September 9, 2024). The expanded New Britain property is a total 2,035 hectares, expanded to the northeast, east, and southeast, covering interpreted trends of the main prospect, the regional geological units and structures, and anomalous stream sediment values from the B.C. geochemistry data base. The eastern portion of the property covers an anomalous stream sediment sample returning 99 parts per billion gold (ppb Au), ranked in the 95th percentile and above in the regional survey3. 3(sample ID: 082K771019, Lardeau (NTS 082K) Sample Reanalysis (ICP-MS), Geoscience BC Report 2013-04) Global Antimony Supply Shock On August 14, China announced export restrictions on antimony in the country's latest move to restrict critical mineral shipments globally in the name of national security. Antimony is a critical input for the defense industry, particularly for armor-piercing ammunition, night vision goggles, infrared sensors, bullets, and precision optics, and the electronics industry, including semiconductors, cables, and batteries. This is the latest restriction after a series of export controls in 2023 on graphite, germanium, gallium, and rare earth processing technologies, raising alarms in the semiconductor, electric vehicle, and defense industries that rely on these materials. China is the world's leading producer of antimony, accounting for 48 percent of global production and 63 percent of U.S. antimony imports. The likelihood of antimony supply disruptions has now increased significantly, necessitating the United States to quickly secure antimony supply chains from non-Chinese sources. (Centre for Strategic and International Studies, August 20, 2024 "China's Antimony Export Restrictions: The Impact on U.S. National Security") New Britain Property The Property comprises 2,035 hectares located approximately 40kms north, north-west of Kaslo, BC and is accessible by highway and forest service roads. Development at New Britain in the early 1980s included extending a short adit excavated to evaluate a quartz vein within a 20-metre-wide shear zone that strikes north and dips subparallel to bedding. The rocks within the shear are altered to sericite schist. High silver, lead and antimony values occur with massive sulphides on the apex of drag-folds within the shear. Mineralization consists of galena and tetrahedrite within quartz-calcite veins. A chip sample across 0.6 metre of vein material assayed 2358 grams per tonne silver, 29.9 per cent lead, 10.4 per cent antimony and 9.7 grams per tonne gold1. There are multiple antimony occurrences in the area, including the North Star prospect in Goat Range Park, and the West Ridge prospect at Eagle Plains Snowstorm property. Geological mapping and interpretation at Snowstorm, indicates a southeast-northwest tend in geology and structure, trending onto the New Britain property. The West Ridge prospect, located 4.7 kms to the northwest was developed in the late 1920's, with a shallow shaft and a 150-metre adit. Assessment reports indicate mineralization of massive stibnite-galena in quartz veining assaying up to 16.1% antimony, 1.58% copper, 41.1% lead, and 1,539 g/t silver over a width of "at least 1 metre2. Marketing Arrangements The Company has engaged Fairfax Partners Inc. ("Fairfax") for outreach services and social media marketing for a 1-month period commencing September 12, 2024. The Company will be charged a fee of C$15,000 with an option to continue on a month-to-month basis at a rate to be determined. Fairfax is arm's length to Bolt Metals, and to the Company's knowledge, Fairfax and its principals do not currently own any securities in the Company. Fairfax may though, from time to time, acquire and dispose of shares for investment purposes during the term of the agreement. The principal of Fairfax Partners Inc. is Daniel Southan-Dwyer of 1221 Bidwell Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 0B1. Mr. Southan-Dwyer's email is connect@fairfaxpartners.ca. The Company has entered into a consulting services agreement dated September 10, 2024, with Walk the Street Capital Inc. ("WTS Capital"), pursuant to which WTS Capital will provide media content strategy, creation, and dissemination services. The services are anticipated to commence on September 12, 2024 and run for a period of 3 months. WTS Capital will be paid a one-time fee of C$35,000 by the Company. WTS Capital is arm's length to Bolt Metals, and to the Company's knowledge, WTS Capital and its principals do not currently own any securities in the Company. WTS may though, from time to time, acquire and dispose of shares for investment purposes during the term of the agreement. WTS Capital can be contacted at 405 Ridge Rd N, Ridgeway, Ontario L0S 1N0; Tel: (905) 321-1470; josh@walkthestreetcapital.com. The Company has entered into a consulting services agreement dated September 10, 2024, with Aktiencheck.de AG ("Aktien") and its principal Stefan Lindam, pursuant to which Aktien will assist with an initial European marketing awareness program (the "Program"). The engagement includes up to 5 editorial write-ups, standalone email marketing campaign distribution of the editorial write-ups to opt-in email-addresses of active investors, targeted distribution of the editorial reports to active investors, distribution of the editorial write-ups via social media to active financial investors, and distribution of the editorial write-ups via the aktiencheck.de website. The Program is anticipated to commence on September 12, 2024 and will run for up to 3 months. The cost of the engagement is EUR 25,000. No shares or options were issued to Aktiencheck.de AG or its principal as part of this engagement. The principal of Aktiencheck.de AG is Stefan Lindam of Bahnhofstrae 6 56470 Bad Marienberg Deutschland. Mr. Lindam's email is stefan.lindam@aktiencheck.de and main contact number is +49 2661 9890020. Aktiencheck.de AG and its principal have no present interest, directly or indirectly, in the Company or its securities, and no right or intent to acquire such an interest. Qualified Person Mr. Garry Clark, P. Geo., a member of the Company's Board of Directors, a "Qualified Person" under NI 43-101, has reviewed the technical contents of this news release and has approved the disclosure of the technical information contained herein. 1 (BC Geological Survey - Assessment Report 8532; Donald W. Tully, P.Eng. for Paymaster Mines Inc.; September 15, 1980). 2 (BC Geological Survey - Assessment Report 16433; C. Geoffrey Spearing, B.SC. (Eng) and John Ostler, M.Sc., P.Geol. for Ambergate Explorations Inc.; October 15, 1987); and 2 (BC Geological Survey - Assessment Report 18136; C. Geoffrey Spearing, B.SC. (Eng) and John Ostler, M.Sc., P.Geol. for Ambergate Explorations Inc.; November 1, 1988 Bolt Metals Corp. Branden Haynes - Director and CEO (604) 817-1595 info@boltmetals.com Reader Advisory This news release may contain statements which constitute "forward?looking information". The words "may", "potential", "should", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", and similar expressions, are intended to identify such forward?looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward?looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward?looking statements. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not approved or disapproved this news release. Copyright (c) 2024 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. VANCOUVER, Sept. 16, 2024 - Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. ("Wheaton" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the launch of the inaugural Future of Mining Challenge, which will award US$1 million to a winning venture to advance their technology. Given Wheaton's diversified global portfolio, the Company is committed to advancing the mining industry's sustainability efforts. This initiative supports innovative technologies aimed at minimizing environmental impacts, improving efficiencies, and contributing to climate solutions, while ensuring key resources are responsibly available for future generations. "Mining is integral to every facet of our daily lives, providing the essential materials that are needed for our society," said Randy Smallwood, President & Chief Executive Officer of Wheaton. "From the metals used and found in our infrastructure and technology, to those needed for a transition to a low-carbon economy, we continue to rely on the resources from the mining industry. It is critical that we foster innovation and collaboration to improve the future of mining, with a goal of making current practices more efficient and sustainable." The Future of Mining Challenge invites cleantech companies from around the world to submit and propose industry solutions. This year's challenge focuses on identifying eligible technologies with the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across mining operations. In alignment with Wheaton's business model, the solutions should be applicable for base and/or precious metal mining. They should also be scalable globally, with the aim of future implementation at operating mines. The challenge will be supported by Foresight Canada. "Wheaton is committed to supporting the industry by advancing technologies and fostering new solutions that have the potential to improve efficiencies at operations and reduce the impact of mining activities," said Patrick Drouin, Chief Sustainability Officer and President of Wheaton Precious Metals International. "As long-term investors, we recognize that while the industry continues to improve, there are opportunities to address key challenges to ensure that mining can sustainably and responsibly deliver the commodities needed for future generations." "Foresight is committed to supporting the world's largest industries to be more environmentally and economically prosperous through innovation programs with partners like Wheaton Precious Metals", said Jeanette Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of Foresight Canada. "By working together, we will seek to identify solutions whose goal is to not only reduce emissions but enhance the productivity and profitability of the global mining sector. We are excited to see the innovations that emerge." Submissions for challenge applications open on September 18, 2024, and the winner will be announced in March 2025 at the PDAC Convention in Toronto, the world's largest mining conference. About Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. Wheaton Precious Metals is a leading precious metals streaming company, providing shareholders with access to a high-quality portfolio of low-cost, long-life mines around the world. Through strategic streaming agreements, Wheaton partners with mining companies to secure a portion of their future precious metal production. Committed to responsible mining practices, Wheaton utilizes industry-leading due diligence practices with a goal of unlocking long-term value for shareholders while supporting the broader mining industry in delivering the commodities society needs through access to capital. About Foresight Canada Foresight Canada helps the world do more with less, sustainably. As Canada's largest cleantech innovation and adoption accelerator, we connect public and private sectors to the world's best clean technologies. We de-risk and simplify adoption of solutions that improve productivity, profitability, and economic competitiveness, all while addressing urgent climate challenges. We are well-positioned to lead the green economic transition, having supported 1,280+ companies to generate $511M in revenue and $1.77B in capital support, run 60+ industry challenges, created 8,760+ green jobs, and reduced a projected 70+ Mt of GHG emissions. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking-Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation concerning the business, operations and financial performance of Wheaton. Forward-looking statements, which are all statements other than statements of historical fact, include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to climate change and ESG commitments by Wheaton and at mineral stream interests currently owned by Wheaton (the "Mining Operations"), the ability of any technology identified in the Wheaton Future of Mining Challenge to potentially minimize environmental impacts, improve efficiencies, or contribute to climate solutions in the mining industry, the process for the identification and selection of an award recipient under the Wheaton Future of Mining Challenge, the payment of $1 million to an award recipient, and the ability of an award recipient to potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions across mining operations. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Wheaton to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements including (without limitation) risks related to climate change, environmental, social and governance matters, the ability to achieve ESG commitments and goals at both Wheaton and the Mining Operations, the ability to identify a technology that minimizes environmental impacts, improve efficiencies, or contribute to climate solutions in the mining industry, the process for the identification and selection of an award recipient under the Wheaton Future of Mining Challenge, the payment of $1 million to an award recipient, and the ability of an award recipient to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across mining operations and other risks discussed in the section entitled "Description of the Business - Risk Factors" in Wheaton's Annual Information Form available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and Wheaton's Form 40-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed March 28, 2024 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR and the risks identified under "Risks and Uncertainties" in Wheaton's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2023, available on SEDAR+ and in Wheaton's Form 6-K filed March 19, 2024. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management currently believes to be reasonable, including (without limitation) that climate change and ESG commitments and goals at both Wheaton and the Mining Operations will be achieved, that technology identified in the Wheaton Future of Mining Challenge will potentially be able to minimize environmental impacts, improve efficiencies, or contribute to climate solutions in the mining industry, that the process for the identification and selection of an award recipient under the Wheaton Future of Mining Challenge will be successful, that the payment of $1 million to an award recipient will be made, and that an award recipient will potentially be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across mining operations. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and even if events or results described in the forward-looking statements are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, Wheaton. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and are cautioned that actual outcomes may vary. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, reflects Wheaton's management's current beliefs based on current information and will not be updated except in accordance with applicable securities laws. There may be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wheaton-precious-metals-launches-1-million-future-of-mining-challenge-302248999.html SOURCE Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. TSX.V: DME U.S. OTC: DMEHF Frankfurt: QM01 VANCOUVER, Sept. 16, 2024 - Desert Mountain Energy Corp. (the "Company") (TSXV: DME) (OTC: DMEHF) (Frankfurt: QM01) From the President of the Company. Desert Mountain Energy Corp. is pleased to announce that the separation of commercial volumes of helium from a complex natural gas stream has been achieved. The processing plant has been recirculating and enriching helium with the end product going into an end user's tube trailer. The facility has been in commercial operation following the resolution of numerous issues by the DME team during the start-up phase. Current production revenue is now expected to cover the overall corporate G&A but will not be reflected in the September 30, 2024, audited year- end financials. The Company anticipates a gradual rise in sales volumes and revenue, with a current emphasis on well workovers and reducing the overall small percentage of produced water. During the facility's relocation from Arizona, an AI component was integrated. Currently, the AI is undergoing training through data collection while commercial processing remains ongoing. Data points are essential for the system to learn and function effectively as more wells are brought online. Each well possesses distinct chemical compositions that the plant must adapt to. The plant is nearing autonomy, requiring minimal human intervention for operation. The geological team continues to review downhole data to determine the most viable wells for increased helium production. They are also examining regional data to enhance the understanding of geological controls and pinpoint locations with the potential for higher helium grades. Certain wells are showing increased levels of hydrogen, prompting a need for further investigation to determine the underlying causes of these occurrences. ABOUT DESERT MOUNTAIN ENERGY Desert Mountain Energy Corp. is a publicly traded resource company primarily focused on the exploration, development and production of helium, hydrogen, natural gas and condensate. The Company is focused on helium extraction from different raw gas sources in an environmental and economic manner supplying elements deemed critical to the renewable energy and high technology industries. We seek safe harbor "Robert Rohlfing" Robert Rohlfing Exec Chairman & CEO Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in polices of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The statements made in this press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company's expectations. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward looking statements and information herein include but are not limited to statements regarding the Company's anticipated performance in the future the planned exploration activities, receipt of positive results from drilling, the completion of further drilling and exploration work, and the timing and results of various activities. Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company and its operations to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such factors include, among others, changes in national and local governments, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments in Canada and the United States; financial risks due to helium prices, operating or technical difficulties in exploration and development activities; risks and hazards and the speculative nature of resource exploration and related development; risks in obtaining necessary licenses and permits, and challenges to the Company's title to properties. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable, including but not limited to the continued operation of the Company's exploration operations, no material adverse change in the market price of commodities, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or information, there may be other factors that cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company does not intend to, and nor does not assume any obligation to update such forward-looking statements or information, other than as required by applicable law. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/desert-mountain-energy-corp-announces-commercial-production-of-helium-302249158.html SOURCE Desert Mountain Energy Corp. Toronto, September 16, 2024 - Pasofino Gold Ltd. (TSXV: VEIN) (OTCQB: EFRGF) (FSE: N07A) ("Pasofino" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on the strategic review process announced in its August 26, 2024 press release (the "Strategic Review Press Release"). Pasofino announces today that it has executed an exclusivity agreement dated September 12, 2024 with an arm's length potential purchaser (the "Purchaser") who has proposed to acquire Pasofino for cash consideration of US$75 million (approx. C$101.75 million), representing a purchase price of US$0.66 (approx.C$0.907) per Pasofino Common Shares[1] (the "Offer"). As previously disclosed, the Company has been engaged with multiple parties, two of whom have previously provided written proposals to acquire Pasofino, and a site visit has occurred. In light of current gold prices, the Project's NAV and recent M&A transactions for similar gold projects in Africa, Pasofino's management carefully examined several purchase proposals with the goal to realize the best value for its shareholders. Details of the Offer The Offer provides the Purchaser with an exclusivity period until November 7, 2024. The Offer is subject to the Buyer and its financing partners being satisfied with the results of their due diligence, receiving all required internal approvals. The Purchaser and Pasofino expect to enter into a definitive agreement in respect of the Offer in Q4 of 2024. As previously stated, Pasofino's intention is to disclose developments with respect to the strategic review once the board of directors has approved a specific transaction or course of action or otherwise determines that disclosure is necessary or appropriate. Pasofino is issuing this press release to disclose material information related to the strategic review process in order to allow Pasofino to undertake a financing (the "Interim Financing") to secure funds necessary to advance the Dugbe Gold Project's (the "Project") Feasibility Study optimization initiatives. It is expected that these initiatives may enhance project economics in this positive gold environment. Accordingly, the terms of the Placement will be determined no earlier than one trading day following the dissemination of the press release. Insiders of Pasofino have confirmed their intention to subscribe for any common shares not subscribed for by third parties. Pasofino cautions that there are no assurances or guarantees that a definitive agreement will be entered into with the Purchaser in respect of the Offer. ABOUT THE DUGBE GOLD PROJECT The 2,078 km2 Dugbe Gold Project is in southern Liberia and situated within the southwestern corner of the Birimian Supergroup which is host to most West African gold deposits. To date, two deposits have been identified on the Project; Dugbe F and Tuzon discovered by Hummingbird in 2009 and 2011 respectively. The deposits are located within 4 km of the Dugbe Shear Zone which is thought to have played a role in large scale gold mineralization in the area. A significant amount of exploration in the area was conducted by Hummingbird up until 2012 including 74,497 m of diamond coring. Pasofino drilled an additional 14,584 m at Tuzon and Dugbe during 2021. These deposits have a combined Mineral Resource Estimates dated 17 November 2021 with total Measured and Indicated of 3.3 Moz with an average grade of 1.37 g/t Au, and 0.6 Moz in Inferred. Following the completion of the Definitive Feasibility Study in June 2022 a Mineral Reserve Estimate was declared, based on the open-pit mining of both deposits over a 14-year Life of Mine. A technical report for the Dugbe Gold Project was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 and filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website. In addition to the existing deposits there are many gold prospects within the Project including the Bukon Jedeh area and the DSZ target on the Tuzon-Sackor trend where Pasofino has discovered a broad zone of surface gold mineralisation in trench and outcrop along strike from Tuzon. At this and several of the other prospects no drilling has been carried out to date. In 2019, Hummingbird signed a 25-year Mineral Development Agreement ("MDA") with the Government of Liberia providing the necessary long-term framework and stabilization of taxes and duties. Under the terms of the MDA, the royalty rate on gold production is 3%, the income tax rate payable is 25% (with credit given for historic exploration expenditures), the fuel duty is reduced by 50%, and the Government of Liberia is granted a free carried interest of 10% in the Project. ABOUT PASOFINO GOLD LTD. Pasofino Gold Ltd. is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company listed on the TSX-V (VEIN). Pasofino, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, owns 100% of the Dugbe Gold Project (prior to the issuance of the Government of Liberia's 10% carried interest). Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. QUALIFIED PERSONS STATEMENT Scientific or technical information in this disclosure was prepared and approved by Mr. Andrew Pedley. Mr. Pedley is a consultant of Pasoino Gold Ltd.'s wholly-owned subsidiary ARX Resources Limited. He is a member in good standing with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP) and is as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains "forward-looking statements" that are based on expectations, estimates, projections and interpretations as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterised by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "seek", "potential, "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "suggest", "expression of interest", "indicate", "indicative", "proposed" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur, and include, without limitation, statements regarding the interest of third parties in potentially acquiring Pasofino, the indicative terms provided by such third parties with respect to such potential acquisition, the terms of the Offer, the entering into of a definitive agreement in respect of the Offer, the date any definitive agreement in respect of any acquisition transaction is expected to be entered into, the ability to raise the funds and complete the Placement in order to finance its ongoing business activities including the acquisition of mineral projects and the exploration and development of its projects. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to, completion of satisfactory due diligence by a potential acquiror, negotiation and finalization of a definitive agreement and the satisfaction of all closing conditions to complete any potential transaction, including a condition that the parties obtaining all required approvals, including TSXV approval, the ability to successfully complete the strategic review process, the results of business operation, the results of exploration activities; the ability of the Company to complete further exploration activities; timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms and those risk factors outlined in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis as filed on SEDAR. There is no assurance that any transaction or financing will be completed at all or on terms previously disclosed. Readers therefore should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws. [1] Based on 112,227,829 Common Shares issued and outstanding. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/223464 Toronto, September 16, 2024 - XAU Resources Inc. (TSXV: GIG) ("XAU Resources" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the shareholders approved all matters put forth for approval at the annual shareholders' meeting held on September 16, 2024 (the "Meeting"). The shareholders re-elected Gairat Gary Bay, Peter Hambro, Nataliya Hearn, Dan Hrushewsky and Daniele Spethmann to the board of directors (the "Board") and re-appointed RSM Canada LLP to be the auditors of the Company. The shareholders also approved the Company's stock option plan. For further information about the Meeting, please see the Management Information Circular filed under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. About XAU Resources Inc. XAU Resources is a TSX Venture Exchange-listed company that has the 152.25 km2 Noseno land package in the Trans-Guyana gold belt. The property is in the same greenstone terrane that hosts the largest gold deposits in Guyana, the Aurora Mine and the Toroparu Project. Limited modern exploration has been undertaken on the property although the property has a 100-year history of small scale hard rock and placer mining. The property lies 210 km west of the capital, Georgetown and 75 km south of the regional supply centre at Port Kaituma (inland port). For further information contact: Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/223474 /NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/ Second Tranche for Gross Proceeds of $71M Expected to Close on or about September 17, 2024 All amounts are in Canadian dollars unless stated otherwise VANCOUVER, Sept. 16, 2024 - Foran Mining Corp. (TSX: FOM) (OTCQX: FMCXF) ("Foran" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that at a special meeting of shareholders of the Company held today (the "Meeting"), the shareholders approved the resolutions required in connection with completing the second tranche of the Company's previously announced $360 million offering (the "Offering"). A total of 221,484,547 common shares of the Company were cast, representing 59.1% of the total issued and outstanding voting common shares of the Company ("Common Shares") as at the record date of August 12, 2024. Further information and details of the Meeting and the matters brought before the Meeting are contained in the Company's Management Information Circular dated August 12, 2024 (the "Circular), which is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at www.foranmining.com. Of the votes cast at the Meeting: (i) 219,045,995 Common Shares representing 98.9%, were voted in favour of the Share Issuance Resolution (as defined in the Circular), and (ii) 146,579,507 Common Shares representing 88.9% (excluding the votes of Common Shares held directly or indirectly by Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited) were voted in favour of the Pro Rata Increase Resolution (as defined in the Circular). A report of the voting results of the Meeting has been filed on SEDAR+. As a result of receiving all requisite shareholder approvals at the Meeting, the Company intends to close the second tranche of the Offering for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $70,950,788 (the "Second Tranche Offering") on or about September 17, 2024. About Foran Mining Foran Mining is a copper-zinc-gold-silver exploration and development company, committed to supporting a greener future, empowering communities and creating circular economies which create value for all our stakeholders, while also safeguarding the environment. The McIlvenna Bay Project is located entirely within the documented traditional territory of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, comprises the infrastructure and works related to pre-development and advanced exploration activities of the Company, and hosts the McIlvenna Bay Deposit and Tesla Zone. The Company also owns the Bigstone Deposit, a resource-development stage deposit located 25 km southwest of the McIlvenna Bay Property. The McIlvenna Bay Deposit is a copper-zinc-gold-silver rich VHMS deposit intended to be the centre of a new mining camp in a prolific district that has already been producing for 100 years. The McIlvenna Bay Property sits just 65 km West of Flin Flon, Manitoba, and is part of the world class Flin Flon Greenstone Belt that extends from Snow Lake, Manitoba, through Flin Flon to Foran's ground in eastern Saskatchewan, a distance of over 225 km. The McIlvenna Bay Deposit is the largest undeveloped VHMS deposit in the region. The Company announced the results from its NI 43-101 compliant Technical Report on the 2022 Feasibility Study for the McIlvenna Bay Deposit ("2022 Feasibility Study") on February 28, 2022, outlining that current Mineral Reserves would potentially support an 18-year mine life producing an average of 65 million pounds of copper equivalent annually. The Company filed the 2022 Feasibility Study on April 14, 2022, with an effective date of February 28, 2022. The Company also filed a NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Bigstone Deposit resource estimate on January 21, 2021, as amended on February 1, 2022. Investors are encouraged to consult the full text of these technical reports which may be found on the Company's profile on www.sedarplus.ca. The Company's head office is located at 409 Granville Street, Suite 904, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6C 1T2. Common Shares of the Company are listed for trading on the TSX under the symbol "FOM" and on the OTCQX under the symbol "FMCXF". CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, as defined under applicable securities laws (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or to the future performance of Foran Mining Corporation and reflect management's expectations and assumptions as of the date hereof or as of the date of such forward looking statement. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our objectives and our strategies to achieve such objectives; our beliefs, plans, estimates, projections and intentions, and similar statements concerning anticipated future events; as well as specific statements in respect of our intended timing to complete the Second Tranche Offering; our commitment to support a greener future, empower communities and create circular economies which create value for all our stakeholders while safeguarding the environment; expectations regarding our development and advanced exploration activities; and expectations, assumptions and targets in respect of our 2022 Feasibility Study. The forward-looking statements in this news release speak only as of the date of this news release or as of the date specified in such statement. Inherent in forward-looking statements are known and unknown risks, estimates, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. These factors include, but are not limited to, management's belief or expectations relating to the following and, in certain cases, management's response with regard to the following: the certainty of funding, including that the Second Tranche Offering will be completed on the terms and conditions and in line with anticipated timing disclosed herein; government, securities, and stock exchange regulation and policy; the Company has a history of losses and may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to be profitable or to generate positive cash flow on a sustained basis; the Company may require additional financing and future share issuances may adversely impact share prices; market and liquidity risk; and the additional risks identified in our filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR+ in Canada (available at www.sedarplus.ca). Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant operational, business, economic and regulatory uncertainties and contingencies. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and should note that the assumptions and risk factors discussed in this press release are not exhaustive. Actual results and developments are likely to differ, and may differ materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. All forward-looking statements herein are qualified by this cautionary statement. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. If the Company does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that it will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements, unless required by law. Additional information about these assumptions, risks and uncertainties is contained in our filings with securities regulators. SOURCE Foran Mining Corporation Manuela 130 Prince St., at Wooster St. Mika Rottenbergs bar and chandelier at Manuela. Photo: Jeremy Liebman Color is so important, says Ewan Venters, CEO of the globe-spanning megagallery Hauser & Wirth and its hospitality offshoot, Artfarm. Hes here in New York to try a handful of dishes at Artfarms first restaurant in the city, Manuela. Our forks hover over large flat oyster mushrooms that stretch across our plates like soft-shell crabs. They have been shallow-fried to a mahogany shade and served over an emulsion of charred mushrooms and black vinegar. We each take a bite mine is earthy and rich and reminds me of a pan-fried dumpling and Venters likes his so much that hes willing to overlook its monochromatic presentation. Manuela arrives in Soho 53 years after a trio of artists opened the commune-as-restaurant Food, where sculptor and filmmaker friends served dinner from giant vats to the likes of John Cage and Trisha Brown. Manuela takes its name from Manuela Wirth, and is a companion to the Los Angeles restaurant of the same name. By the look of things, Manuela will cater to a crowd that occupies a slightly different tax bracket than Food did. Still, comparisons are inevitable. The menu will be nothing like the $4 meals of marrowbones and frogs legs that artist Gordon Matta-Clark served back in the 70s, through which Robert Rauschenbergs assistant Hisachika Takahashi drilled holes so diners could wear leftovers home (Matta-Clarks estate is represented by David Zwirner, besides): Head chef Sean Froedterts menu is instead built around local produce and sustainable seafood. A grilled column of swordfish is brushed with sumac and topped with a punchy relish of guindilla peppers and black olives; spears of okra get a loose jacket of char on a wood-burning grill, then land on a garlic-feta spread with a concentrated, nutty chermoula crisp on top; hamachi crudo dusted with a confetti of dehydrated fermented chiles, with lime, Thai-basil buds, and wedges of ripe pluots, conjures the perfection of Cool Ranch Doritos. Photo: Jeremy Liebman The food is uniformly and almost disarmingly fresh, unfussy but thoughtfully composed, a little L.A., or even Berkeley. We talked about avoiding things like tableside pours, says Kris Tominaga, Artfarms culinary director. Katerine Morales Ordonez, most recently at Jupiter and Sailor, will lead the pastry program with dishes like housemade ice cream topped with honey from a neighborhood hive. Kappo Masa this is not: Everything is a la carte, and interventions fill the cavernous dining room, such as a rambling twist of mushrooms and branches above the bar, all by Mika Rottenberg, an enormous Pat Steir in a private room, and tables by Mary Heilmann. In stark relief to the rest of the neighborhood including the Hauser & Wirth gallery up the block nothing in the dining room is meant to be for sale. Instead, Venters says the goal is to democratize showing art. (Every day, he says, 500 people pass through another Artfarm property in London, the Audley, where a hand-painted Phyllida Barlow paper collage looms.) The Soho of 1971, when Food opened its doors, was a parable for the way neighborhoods in New York City could evolve, an industrial zone left empty by white flight and city politicians. Some 600 families mostly artists lived illegally in manufacturing lofts and pooled a few hundred dollars to feed one another in between exhibitions. It was definitionally avant-garde, wild, and transgressive. Todays Soho is a center of luxury commerce, so it makes sense that Manuela was never meant to be a direct homage to Food. But it is designed to nod to the connection artists have always had with restaurants, from Thiebaud still lifes to La Colombe dOr, where an Alexander Calder lives over the pool, and bartered works from Henri Matisse, Robert Delaunay and Wassily Kandinsky hang. Its all about the magic of people and whos in the room, Venters says. Where the artists go, everyone follows. This post has been updated. Samsung, Xiaomi and other makers found guilty of colluding with Amazon and Flipkart Samsung, Xiaomi, and other major smartphone companies are guilty of breaching antitrust laws, according to regulatory reports. Reuters revealed that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) found that Amazon and Flipkart violated local competition laws by giving preference to select makers, hurting other companies. Samsung Galaxy M35 is cheaper on Amazon India, compared with offline stores The CCI posted a 1,027-page report on Amazon, colluding with Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola, Realme, and OnePlus. All these companies had "exclusive phone launches," breaking competition law. Similar is the case with Flipkart, where a 1,696-page report said Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola, vivo, Lenovo and Realme conducted similar practices. CCI's additional director general, G.V. Siva Prasad, wrote that exclusivity in business is "anathema" and against fair competition and the interests of consumers. Flipkart is the exclusive online seller for the Motorola Moto G45 The major issue with these "exclusive launches" is that retailers offered the big players preference, prioritization of certain listings, and steep discounts, all of which hurt other retailers. Both Amazon and Flipkart deliberately downplayed allegations of exclusive launches, but officials found the practice "rampant." Recent data revealed that Samsung and Xiaomi hold over a third of the smartphone market. The CCI pointed out that big companies relied on foreign investments to keep prices low and subsidized rates for services like warehousing and marketing to a select number of sellers. vivo sells the same phone under different names on different websites - iQOO Z9 Lite on Amazon, T3 Lite on Flipkart Reuters also quoted internal CCI documents from last month, in which the Commission ordered some smartphone companies to submit their financial statements for three fiscal years to 2024. The investigation into Amazon, Flipkart, and their sellers started in 2020 after a complaint from an affiliate of the country's biggest retailer association, the Confederation of All India Traders, which has 80 million members. The next step in the process is for CCI to review any objections. It could potentially be followed by fines being imposed and companies being mandated to change their business practices. Google is offering its Pixel 9 phones only on Flipkart Smaller Indian retailers repeatedly accused Amazon and Flipkart of launching exclusive phone models online, hurting offline shopkeepers who don't get the latest models and pushing customers to look for them online. According to research data, 50% of all phone sales in India were online, up from 14.5% in 2013. Source The federal government is looking into the possibility of placing turbines in the waters around Guam to generate electricity for the island using offshore winds. Its possible a contractor could be given a lease to start analyzing any suitable offshore land as early as 2028, according to a fact sheet from the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM. After that, any actual construction would have to be approved by the bureau. Officials from BOEM are leading the project, and were on Guam last week to meet with various representatives from other federal agencies and the government of Guam. In a conference room at the Guam Museum on Wednesday, dozens of officials from the federal and local government were seated around a table to discuss the possibility of offshore wind energy for the island. It was the inaugural meeting of a new intergovernmental task force BOEM created at the request of Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero. Officials from the Guam Power Authority, Department of Land Management, and Department of Agriculture, among others, were present. The new project is part of a mandate from the Biden administration to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy across the U.S. by 2030, with another 15 gigawatts provided by floating wind turbines, a new technology by 2035. Solar not enough Offshore wind could be an option to add more renewable power generation to the grid, with solar unable to pick up the whole workload, said John Cruz, GPA assistant general manager for engineering. GovGuam has a goal of getting the whole island to full renewable energy by 2045, but solar farms just cant keep up during the islands rainy season. If the island installed enough solar to power the grid during the rainy season, youre probably going to end up with five times what you need when its not rainy, Cruz said. Past wind turbine attempts pitched at GPA have been too expensive to get awarded, according to Cruz, but there are higher wind speeds offshore that could make up for the difference. However, previous analysis also shows that the rainy season also lines up with slower wind speeds in several months of the year. Tanguisson Beach, where a former GPA power plant is already hooked into the grid, could be a good landing site for cables from the offshore turbines. Deeper seas New floating wind turbines could become viable for utilities-scale use by the end of the decade, and allow turbines to be placed out in deeper waters around the island, Amy Robertson with the National Renewable Energy Lab told the task force. Unlike current turbines, which have to be fixed to the bottom of the seafloor, floating turbines are buoyed above the surface and then anchored to the bottom with cables. According to Robertsons presentation, that allows for turbines to be placed out of sight, farther from the coast, where winds are generally stronger. Analysis A heat map will be built that shows the most suitable offshore locations for wind turbines, with things like the slope of the ocean floor, marine life, fishing grounds, and commercial shipping lanes taken into account. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is creating the map, taking 10-acre sections of the ocean space around Guam and assigning them suitability scores, said James Morris, NOAA spatial planning team lead. Areas with the highest conflict will be put in red on the map, while those with the least will be in green. There generally is never a spot in the ocean thats free of conflict, that just doesnt exist. So what were really talking about is mitigating conflict and mitigating impacts on the environment, Morris said. A cultural study, study of marine archeological studies, and a marine habitat study are all lined up, according to Dave Pereksta, avian biologist with BOEM. Potential impacts of the wind turbines on birds will also be taken into account, Pereksta said. Officials from the Department of Defense will also be involved, according to the Wednesday task force meeting, to weigh in about national security interests in any area. Concerns Residents and officials did share some questions and concerns about the offshore wind plans moving forward. One thing that Guam didnt want was a separate power grid for the Department of Defense, similar to the segregated school system the military now had, said Lester Carlson, director of the local Bureau of Budget and Management Research. We have a monopoly in our power generation and distribution system. Were looking at augmenting that monopoly, not creating something that is beneficial to one entity and not the rest, he said. Impacts on fishing were a major concern for several people. Audrey Toves, a fisherwoman and captain of One Love Gud Vibes Charters, asked that input from those in the local fishing community be sought before the plans moved forward. She noted that some of Guams prime fishing grounds up north would already be cut off for large parts of the year once the firing range at Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz is activated in November. I think that the community is going to have a lot of concern, just because were getting more and more restrictions in the fishing areas where its prime fishing ground, Toves said. Jason Biggs, with Agricultures Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources, likewise asked that all the information be shared by NOAA, and that community input be gathered before the federal government made any decision. The Rota channel, eyed as a potential spot for turbine placement, was a hot fishing area with only about 20 miles of ocean space falling into Guams jurisdiction, Biggs noted. Doug Boren, director for the BOEM Pacific region, told those present that fishers are essentially able to go right up the wind turbines and fish around them in numerous other areas. Theres no restriction other than you know, they could not board the facility itself, Boren said, adding that theres usually about 1 nautical mile between any two turbines. Director Joe Borja from the Guam Department of Land Management said he was curious about who and how much would be paid for the leasing of offshore land. When we talk lease, we talk compensation. Im sure Lester will get some information on where that compensation goes, Borja said. Boren said transparency is a goal as BOEM moves forward with its plans. Hopefully we can find areas that offshore wind may be something that could be a tool in the toolbox for the island of Guam, he said. Residents of Orlando, Florida, may not know what a crisp fall breeze feels like, but that hasnt stopped the city from cozying up to a surprising new title. According to a recent study from BetMGM Casino, Orlando is one of the top ten coziest U.S. cities for fall 2024. Yes, the same Orlando where palm trees stand in for maples, balmy weather is still in full force and the only thing that changes in autumn is the Starbucks menu. But it appears that cozy has taken on a whole new meaning. Among the top ten coziest U.S. cities for 2024, Portland, Maine, came in first place with an overall cozy ranking of 208. Boston, Massachusetts, ranked second with an overall score of 117 while Minneapolis, Minnesota, placed third with a score of 105. Salt Lake City, Utah, was number four with a score of 99 and Portland, Oregon, took fifth place with an 89. Virginia Beach, Virginia, was sixth with a score of 79, while Denver, Colorado, came in a close seventh, scoring 78. Orlando, Florida, is ranked as equally cozy for the fall season as Providence, Rhode Island, and Savannah, Georgia, with all three cities scoring 76 and tying for eighth place. Closing out the top ten, Nashville, Tennessee, came in ninth with a score of 69 and Chicago, Illinois, came in tenth place with a score of 68. So, how did a Sunshine State city with the least vibrant fall foliage among all the cities analyzed in the study and the highest average seasonal temperature make the top ten? Researchers based the new study on Travel and Leisures 2023 rundown of the The 21 Best U.S. Cities for Fall Travel in which Orlando also made the list, just missing the top ten and clocking in at number eleven. Heres what Travel and Leisure had to say about Orlandos fall appeal. If you want to bring your preschoolers to the theme parks or just ride Space Mountain over and over, without any kids in tow the beginning of the school year is a good time to come to Orlando because theme parks tend to be lighter on the crowds. The city is more than just Disney and Universal, however. Check out the dynamic dining scene downtown and youll find chic options like Domu for Japanese cuisine or Enzos on the Lake for Italian with a view. From Travel and Leisures list, researchers said they selected 18 cities for their cozy, sweater weather feel and pumpkin spice is in the air vibe, by identifying five variables associated with fall and coziness, including the number of physical venues like farmers markets and pumpkin patches, the color intensity of fall foliage, the number of parks and lakes as well as the average rainfall and temperature. Florida had a large number of overall fall venues, especially cozy cafes and coffee shops, with 114 in total, a spokesperson for the study told GulfLive. Despite the fact Orlando is the least impressive city overall for fall foliage high rainfall during the fall season (3.8 inches) helps compensate for this shortcoming. Though Orlando may not win any awards for fall foliage, the study suggests that more rain is often associated with a cozier atmosphere, turning the citys wet autumns into a snug, coffee shop filled escape from the heat. Haiti - FLASH : The death toll rises, 79 victims including 26 dead The Ministry of Public Health informs the population that, since Saturday, its various departments have been fully mobilized to provide support to the victims of the tragic explosion of a tanker truck in Miragoane, in the Nippes department. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-43207-haiti-flash-tanker-truck-explosion-at-least-64-victims-video.html From the first moments of the tragedy, a coordinated response was put in place to rescue the injured, both medically and logistically. To date, 4 health structures are actively involved in the care of the 53 burn victims admitted to our health institutions. 11 ambulances provide transport and inter-hospital transfers for patients requiring specialized care. On Sunday, 6 Medecins Sans Frontieres ambulances were on their way to Nippes to evacuate 12 other patients according to Emmanuel Pierre, National Director General of Civil Protection. On Sunday morning, Georges Fils Brignol, Minister of Health, accompanied by Gabriel Thimothe, Director General of the Ministry, and several heads of central departments, chaired an emergency meeting to assess the situation, adjust strategies, and adopt the solutions needed for an appropriate and effective response. Evacuation operations to specialized health centers continue unabated, in order to guarantee optimal care for burn victims. The Ministry, in collaboration with its national and international partners, reaffirms its commitment to provide all necessary support to relieve the victims of this tragedy. On Sunday, September 15, Prime Minister Conille visited the burn victims at Saint Boniface Hospital and declared on his account "X" "It is with great emotion that I visited Saint Boniface Hospital in Fonds des Blancs to help evacuate the victims. I salute the courage and professionalism of the medical staff at this hospital, as well as the other hospitals, who are doing their best to treat the injured and support their loved ones." The latest partial toll stands at 26 dead (+2 deaths recorded in Sainte Therese and Saint Boniface hospitals) and 53 injured... S/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Words of Sympathy from Taiwan "It is with great sadness that we learned of the tragic explosion of a tanker truck on September 14, which killed 26 people and injured 53. We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to all those injured. We commend the efforts of the rescue teams and medical professionals who, with courage and dedication, continue to come to the aid of those affected by this tragedy. Taiwan remains in solidarity with the Haitian people in these difficult times, Embassy of Taiwan (Republic of China) in Haiti. Haiti : An Unprecedented Situation The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Haiti (OCHA) says it is observing an unprecedented socio-economic and humanitarian situation in Haiti, particularly in the Artibonite and the West. Artibonite is the second department in Haiti with the highest severity of multi-sectoral needs after the West, according to an OCHA document dated September 12, citing the 2024 humanitarian response plan. Taekwondo : Congratulations to Ava Soon Lee "Congratulations to Ava Soon Lee for winning the silver medal at the Riga Open! Your hard work and determination are truly inspiring, and this achievement is well deserved. You make us all proud, and I look forward to seeing what you accomplish next !" Haitian Taekwondo Federation. Rameau Normil speaks with Miroslav Jenca Rameau Normil, Acting Director General of the Haitian National Police (PNH), met last week with Miroslav Jenca, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs. The two men discussed several important points, including the security issue in Haiti and the strengthening of the capacities of the PNH. London : Chancellor Dupuy meets with the Baroness of Darlington In London, Chancellor Dominique Dupuy met with Baroness of Darlington Jenny Chapman, Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean. The discussions focused on security and sharing experiences in intelligence, the health crisis and elections in Haiti. Workshop on the repression of corruption For 3 days, on September 17-18-19, the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), are organizing at the Karibe Convention Center, a workshop on the repression of corruption to strengthen the capacities of judicial actors, executives of control bodies and civil society organizations. HL/ HaitiLibre Adidas will close the locations of the former start-up Runtastic in Linz, Salzburg and Vienna by mid-2025, the German sporting goods company has now confirmed. Work at the sites was primarily on the running app. The 170 employees can apply for positions at locations in Germany, the Netherlands or Spain, reports the Austria Press Agency (APA). Anzeige Rumors of a possible closure have been circulating since last week on Reddit and elsewhere. Employees were informed of the decision at a staff meeting. The business development did not meet Adidas' expectations. The company explained the closure of the Runtastic locations with a realignment of its digital strategy. Adidas wants to "work more effectively on the digital offering and at the same time align structures with market conditions and the strategic direction of the company", the company explained to APA. In future, the "Adidas Running" app will be operated from the Amsterdam, Zaragoza and Herzogenaurach headquarters. Runtastic was founded in 2009 by four young Austrian entrepreneurs Florian Gschwandtner, Christian Kaar, Rene Giretzlehner and Alfred Luger. In 2013, Axel Springer Verlag took over 50.1% of the shares before Adidas invested 220 million euros in 2015 and took over the company completely. The Runtastic app was renamed in 2019: The fitness app became "Adidas Running" and the results app became "Adidas Training". (mack) The sponsors of the initiative propose that the government devise a national strategy for ending fur farming after a reasonable transition period and establishing a support scheme for fur farmers who give up on their livelihood. A CITIZENS INITIATIVE calling for a just transition away from fur farming was submitted to the Finnish Parliament on Monday, 9 September. Most EU member states have fully or partly banned fur farming. Unveiled roughly a year ago, the initiative received a total of 102,561 valid statements of support from members of the public, comfortably exceeding the 50,000-statement limit for submitting a citizens initiative to parliament. A date for the preliminary parliamentary date on the initiative will be announced later. The Finnish Fur Breeders Association (Fifur) last month published a survey indicating that public support for domestic fur farming is on the decline, with the share of respondents supporting the practice falling from 46 per cent in 2023 to 39 per cent in 2024. YLE reminded last week that a total of 77 citizens initiatives have been submitted to lawmakers since the tool was adopted more than 10 years ago. Seven of them have been approved with or without amendments, while another six are presently pending. Also the very first citizens initiative called for an end to fur farming. Calls for prohibiting the practice intensified last summer in the wake of reports that bird-flu infections have been detected at 20 fur farms in Finland. Tens of thousands of animals were ultimately culled at the farms to prevent the highly pathogenic strain from spreading and mutating further, possibly into a form capable of infecting humans. Heidi Kivekas, the chief operating officer at Animalia, reminded at the time that communicable disease prevention is but one argument for banning the practice. Furs have been sold at a loss already for years, the industrys export revenue has fallen sharply and fur farms have been constantly shutting down. The best solution for the farms, fur-farm entrepreneurs and preventing future pandemics is to discontinue fur farming altogether, she stated. Fifur has also come under criticism for exaggerating the employment, export and tax contributions of the industry. Statistics Finland revealed last year that the interest group has double-counted jobs in the industry by claiming that the industry directly employs almost 3,200 people. The interest group also dragged its feet correcting the exaggerated figures, according to a report by YLE. Aleksi Teivainen HT A new report reveals that the use of AI and algorithms in workplace management has, in some cases, led to decreased productivity and inefficiencies. Mistakes in scheduling and assigning unnecessary tasks have caused frustration among workers, highlighting the need for more thoughtful integration of AI in business processes. The study , which focuses on the retail and logistics sectors, calls for greater involvement of employees in the planning stages of AI deployment to avoid such issues. The report, part of a European research project coordinated in Finland by the Kalevi Sorsa Foundation, was conducted by experts from the think tank Demos Helsinki. The findings show that while AI has the potential to boost efficiency, its misuse has led to wasted time and operational errors. Algorithmic Mismanagement Leads to Operational Chaos One of the key examples in the report describes how AI-based algorithms, used to schedule retail workers down to 15-minute increments, resulted in understaffing during critical times. "The algorithms did not account for 'invisible' tasks like restocking shelves, which led to chaos and customer frustration," said Johannes Anttila, one of the report's authors. The study, which interviewed employees and union representatives in retail and logistics, provides deeper insights into the effects of algorithmic management on workers. In logistics, for example, an AI system directed drivers to empty trash bins during rush hour, wasting time and resources. "AI cannot replace traditional management tasks, such as understanding individual employee strengths," added Theo Cox, co-author of the report. Employee Involvement and Regulatory Oversight Are Key Despite the challenges, the report outlines several ways to make AI management more effective. Central to these solutions is ensuring that employees are involved in the planning and implementation of AI systems from the outset. Anttila suggests that Finnish labor laws could mandate greater cooperation between employers and employees when new digital systems are introduced. Additionally, the report proposes a new form of "digital labor inspection," which would give regulatory authorities the power to audit AI systems used in workplaces to assess their impact on workers. This would ensure that AI tools are not only efficient but also fair to employees. Concerns About Discrimination and AI in Recruitment The report also raises concerns about AI's role in more sensitive areas like recruitment and employee evaluations. If left unchecked, algorithms could reinforce biases related to gender, age, or other personal characteristics. AI should be limited to supporting tasks like compiling basic information. Using it for decisions about hiring or promotions could lead to illegal discrimination, said Cox. The authors recommend giving trade unions the right to file complaints on behalf of workers, who may find it difficult to challenge AI-driven decisions alone. Path Forward for AI in the Workplace While the findings highlight significant issues, the report also emphasizes the potential benefits of AI if used correctly. When workers are involved in the process, and regulatory safeguards are in place, AI can enhance efficiency without compromising employee well-being. The full report, titled Algorithmic Management and Workplace Digitalisation in Finland, will be published by the Kalevi Sorsa Foundation on September 16, 2024. It is part of a larger European research project, Digital Programme: Algorithms at the Workplace, led by the Brussels-based think tank Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS). The project has received support from the European Parliament and Nordic trade unions. A discussion event on the reports findings will take place on September 17, 2024, at the University of Helsinki. Key speakers include Uma Rani, an AI specialist from the International Labour Organization (ILO), and Annikka Lemmens, an economist from the OECD. The event will explore how AI is reshaping workplaces around the world. HT I think that the idea that somehow you try to train people to become something that they arent goes completely against the idea of human nature, he said . PRIME MINISTER Petteri Orpo (NCP) stated on YLE Radio Suomi on Sunday that he is definitely in favour of prohibiting conversion therapies therapies that seek to change the gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation of an individual to conform with gender stereotypes. Orpo also acknowledged that the government is unlikely to take any steps toward the prohibition given the lack of consensus within the four ruling parties, the National Coalition, Finns Party, Swedish Peoples Party and Christian Democrats. Weve observed and agreed within the ruling parties that both individual lawmakers and parliamentary groups will be given free rein on citizens initiatives, he told. After the Parliament has expressed its view, well negotiate and see how we could move forward on the issue. Government proposals require a shared view within the ruling parties and unfortunately theres no way to change that. The Christian Democrats and Finns Party are of the opinion that the government should not draw up a proposal to ban the controversial therapies. Representatives of the National Coalition in the Parliaments Legal Affairs Committee on Friday announced they have decided to vote in favour of a citizens initiative calling for the prohibition of conversion therapies. Earlier they had been content with dealing with the initiative by requesting an inquiry into the possible prohibition from the Ministry of Justice. The quartet justified their change of heart with statements made by Jani Makela, the chairperson of the Finns Party Parliamentary Group, and Peter Ostman, the chairperson of the Christian Democratic Parliamentary Group. Makela and Ostman declared to Helsingin Sanomat last Wednesday that the therapies will not be banned during this parliamentary term. It isnt possible for the government to draft laws without a shared understanding. And theres no shared understanding about this issue, said Makela. [The prohibition] isnt in the government programme. Theres a separate process for citizens initiatives, but this wont become a government proposal, added Ostman. Pihla Keto-Huovinen, who represents the National Coalition on the Legal Affairs Committee, on Friday argued in a press release that the statements raise questions about the sincerity of what had been a plan to look into the possible ban. In light of statements from the Finns Party, we can no longer be confident that the Finns Party minister is committed to looking into banning conversion therapies during this electoral term, she wrote. Ostman declined to comment further on the issue, but Makela took issue with the singling out of Minister of Justice Leena Meri (PS). You dont do this in a government. After I said the government will only draft bills on which theres a consensus, and then Keto-Huovinen publicly states that she doesnt have confidence in the minister, Makela said to Helsingin Sanomat. She should have a discussion within her own group and party about what it means to represent a ruling party. Makela added to the newspaper that it is irrelevant what the four lawmakers and their party think about conversion therapies. The government, he reiterated, will only draw up proposals that are genuinely needed and it can afford. The Legal Affairs Committee has the right to draft whatever kind of report on a citizens initiative that its members want. The government wont draft the proposal because theres no unanimity. Thatll be the outcome, whatever the case, he declared. Aleksi Teivainen HT At the conclusion of the WorldSkills competition, Finland celebrated a major victory as Toivo Sarkkinen secured a silver medal in Chemical Laboratory Technology. Held in Lyon, France, the event is the largest international competition for vocational skills, drawing 1,400 participants from 69 countries. The tasks were revealed to competitors only at the start of the competition, making his achievement even more remarkable. In addition to Sarkkinens silver, 11 other Finnish competitors earned the prestigious Medallion for Excellence, awarded for performances above the industry average in their respective fields. This years results mark a strong return for Finland, which last won a medal in 2019, also in Chemical Laboratory Technology. In the 2022 WorldSkills, Finland left without a medal. "We are incredibly proud of all 22 competitors from Finland. They leave this competition more experienced and ready to contribute meaningfully to their professions," said Maria Ekroth, Executive Director of Skills Finland, which organizes the Finnish teams participation. Ekroth emphasized the significance of Finlands success: "The level at WorldSkills is extremely high, so earning a medal or a Medallion for Excellence is a major recognition of top-tier skills and expertise." Among the medalists, Sarkkinens silver in laboratory technology was the standout, while the Medallion for Excellence recipients represented a broad range of skills. They included Melina Rintamaki in Restaurant Service, Jasper Juutinen in Cooking, and Matias Tiri in Car Painting, among others. These awards highlight the diverse talent of Finlands young professionals. The WorldSkills competition showcases a wide array of trades, from welding to graphic design, and encourages young professionals to demonstrate their expertise on a global stage. The Finnish competitors, all under the age of 23, participated in 20 different skill categories. Finland has a long history of success at international skills competitions, having participated since 1989 and winning over 140 medals. Only twice1989 and 2022has the team returned home without a medal. Finlands performance at this years competition reflects the countrys commitment to vocational education and excellence in skilled trades. The Finnish team will return home Monday evening, ready to continue their work and inspire the next generation of skilled professionals. Finnish Results at WorldSkills 2024 Silver Medal: Chemical Laboratory Technology: Toivo Sarkkinen, Tredu Medallion for Excellence: Restaurant Service: Melina Rintamaki , Turun Ammatti-Instituutti TAI , Turun Ammatti-Instituutti TAI Cooking: Jasper Juutinen , Turun Ammatti-Instituutti TAI , Turun Ammatti-Instituutti TAI Patisserie and Confectionery: Erika Ukkonen , Etela-Savon Ammattiopisto , Etela-Savon Ammattiopisto Plumbing and Heating: Mikko Motin , Tredu , Tredu Car Painting: Matias Tiri , OSAO , OSAO Beauty Therapy: Mirva Alasjarvi , Luksia , Luksia Web Technologies: Eeli Gren , Saimaan Ammattiopisto Sampo , Saimaan Ammattiopisto Sampo 3D Digital Game Art: Lari Rouvinen , Stadin Ammattiopisto , Stadin Ammattiopisto CNC Milling: Aapo Paunonen , Savon Ammattiopisto , Savon Ammattiopisto Welding: Teemu Laitinen , Savon Ammattiopisto , Savon Ammattiopisto Graphic Design Technology: Daniel Kytonen, Careeria As Finland celebrates its latest achievements, the team looks ahead to future competitions, including the EuroSkills event in Denmark in 2025 and the Abilympics, a competition for professionals with disabilities, set to be held in Helsinki in 2027. HT Thousands of participants joined the effort, sharing photos of their sauna experiences between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM Finnish and Estonian time. In a celebration of their shared sauna culture, Estonia and Finland have set a new Guinness World Record for "Most Photos of People in Saunas Posted on Facebook in One Hour." The event took place on International Sauna Day, June 8, 2024, and saw 3,909 sauna photos uploaded during the designated hour, with 3,602 officially counted towards the record. To qualify, the images had to depict a person seated in a sauna, with all private areas appropriately covered. The record attempt, coordinated through a dedicated Facebook group, was a joint effort between the two nations known for their rich sauna traditions. "This was a unique and exciting event for Estonia. While Finland has broken sauna-related records before, no one has attempted something of this scale. It was only natural for two sauna-loving nations to join forces for this achievement," said Anneli Lepp, Director of Visit Estonia, who spearheaded the event. A Global Celebration of Sauna Culture Though the record was a collaboration between Estonia and Finland, the event saw global participation. While Estonians and Finns led the effort, nearly 300 photos came from Latvia, and images were submitted from 47 countries across six continents. Notable contributions came from as far away as Thailand, New Zealand, and Japan, where Finnish-style saunas have been gaining popularity. "Its wonderful to see how sauna culture resonates with people all over the world. Sauna is deeply rooted in Finnish and Estonian life, and its appeal is growing internationally," said Heli Jimenez, Senior Director at Visit Finland. "The word 'sauna' is the most widely adopted Finnish word globally, and this tradition is a cornerstone of Finland's cultural identity." A Sauna Record with Global Impact The process of verifying the photos was no easy task. Lea Sudakova, a lecturer at Estonias University of Life Sciences and official Guinness World Records adjudicator, oversaw the process. "It was both challenging and fun. We received more than one photo per second during the hour, and at times, the internet slowed down due to the sheer number of uploads," she said. While some participants didnt make it before the time limit, all photos submitted were carefully reviewed, and only those meeting Guinness strict criteria were counted. "The joy of sauna was evident in every picture," Sudakova noted, adding that many sauna communities went to great lengths to capture their experiences. A Sauna Tradition for the Future The record-breaking event highlights the deep cultural significance of sauna in Finland and Estonia, both of which have their sauna traditions recognized by UNESCO as part of humanity's intangible cultural heritage. Sauna Day, celebrated annually on the second Saturday in June, was first established in Finland in 1986, and this years achievement brought the tradition to a global stage. "Sauna is an everyday part of life for both Finns and Estonians. This world record reminds everyone of the importance and roots of sauna culture," said Janne Koskenniemi, Executive Director of the Finnish Sauna Society, who participated in organizing the event. Guinness World Records judge Seyda Subasi-Gemici praised the creativity and passion behind the attempt. "We always love to see the ingenuity people bring to their record attempts, and this sauna challenge is a perfect example of that," she said. "It was amazing to witness the global love for sauna culture." Looking Ahead to Next Year Building on this years success, the organizers are already considering repeating the event and possibly setting an even higher record next year. "We hope to increase international participation and invite sauna lovers from around the world to join us on Sauna Day," Lepp hinted. "One thing is certain: our sauna tradition is strong, and it has much to offer the world." The event was organized by Visit Estonia in partnership with the Finnish Sauna Society, Visit Finland, the International Sauna Association (ISA), and the Estonian Rural Tourism Organization Maaturism. HT Pathfinders mentoring program lifts off at EHHS, Flat Rock Middle School Henderson County Pathfinders Program will celebrate its inaugural year at East Henderson High School and Flat Rock Middle School with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 .m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, at the EHHS Media Center. The ceremony will feature remarks from Pathfinders Program Director Maggie Gilliam, Board of Commissioners Chair Rebecca McCall and Henderson County schools Superintendent Mark Garrett. Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the mentoring space, enjoy refreshments and participate in a meet-and-greet with Pathfinders mentors, school system leaders and more. Spearheaded by Henderson County Education Foundation the program was created to support the development of students in Henderson County Public Schools. The program that places middle and high school students with a community mentor who will provide individualized support throughout their journey from grades 7 to 12. It developed as a result of a public community meeting held in the summer of 2023 and was inspired by a similar program in Rutherford County. We are thrilled to celebrate this milestone for Flat Rock Middle School and East Henderson High School, and are looking forward to expanding this program to all ten middle and high schools, said Peggy Marshall, executive director of the Henderson County Education Foundation. This program represents our commitment to improving the educational experience of students and supporting their success. ABC store manager charged with embezzling $375,000 The manager of a Rutherfordton ABC store pleaded guilty last week to federal charges of embezzling $374,807 from the store, using the money to play the slots at a Kings Mountain casino, Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, announced. Russel Edward Hester, 72, of Rutherfordton, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge W. Carleton Metcalf in Asheville and pleaded guilty to the charges. According to plea documents filed in court, Hester from December 2021 to October 2023 embezzled the money from the Alcohol Beverage Control Board of Rutherfordton, which manages the ABC store where Hester worked as a manager for nearly 10 years. As store manager, Hester had access to and control over the boards financial accounts and records, wrote checks to pay bills and was responsible for creating the budget each year, prosecutors said in a news release. Hester was also responsible for providing all the information needed for the annual independent third-party audit of the ABC Store. According to court records, beginning as early as Dec. 19, 2021, Hester used the ABC boards debit card to withdraw funds at Catawba Two Kings Casino. Through Oct. 22, 2023, Hester used the store debit card at the casino 192 times to withdraw funds totaling $374,807.10, and used the money to gamble, primarily playing slot machines. On days where Hester used the boards debit card, he won jackpots totaling $1,469,368.31, and deposited the winnings into his personal bank accounts. On July 4, 2023, for instance, Hester used the ABC board debit card to withdraw $3,000 at the casino. Hester then placed the money into a slot machine and won a jackpot of $18,350. Hester elected to have this jackpot issued in the form of a check, which he deposited into a bank account under his control. Plea documents also show that Hester took steps to cover up the embezzlement. For example, during the Boards 2023 annual independent audit, Hester provided multiple altered and falsified bank statements to the auditor. In furtherance of the fraud, Hester removed transactions from the casino, added fabricated transactions and falsified bank account balances on the statements before providing them to the auditor. Hester pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering and was released on bond. At sentencing, Hester faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud charge and 10 years in prison for the money laundering charge. A federal district court judge will determine Hesters sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing date has not been set. Donald Trey Eakins, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Charlotte Field Office; Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which oversees Charlotte; and Rutherfordton Police Chief Clint Ingle joined U.S. Attorney King in announcing the guilty plea. King commended IRS-CI, USPIS and the Rutherfordton Police Department for their investigation of the case and thanked the Rutherford County District Attorneys Office for its invaluable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott of the U.S. Attorneys Office in Asheville is prosecuting the case. Rebuck keeps her seat as elections board votes to 'move on' An overflow crowd attended an emergency meeting of the Board Elections. [MATT MATTESON] Republican Board of Elections member Linda Rebuck escaped censure, a reprimand or call for her resignation after an emergency meeting of the local board ended Monday with a unanimous vote to move on to the important tasks of running a major election. Everybody wants to be on the same page here, Board Chair Clay Eddleman told an overflow crowd of more than 100 activists from both major political parties. He pointed out that board members are appointed by the Board of Elections, not the Henderson County Board of Commissioners. As private citizens, we absolutely have the right to free speech, he added. Eddleman clarified that political statements made by board members representing themselves as Henderson County Board of Election members may, however, be in violation of state election laws and may be grounds for removal. Such a removal, however, can only be made by the state board, not the countys. At issue was a 490-word email Rebuck sent to 24 state representatives and senators on Aug. 15 warning of "a concerted effort to turn Henderson County blue" through what she criticized as lax processes for voter verification and mail-in ballots. The email found its way to the state Board of Elections office in Raleigh. Karen Brinson Bell, the N.C. elections director, rebutted Rebucks assertions point by point in an Aug. 25 response. A Democratic appointee, Brinson Bell called two of Rebuck's assertions false, explained in detail safeguards in place under state and federal law to ensure voting roll integrity and admonished the local board member for a lack of neutrality. Given the partisan statements in the above, we remind you of the requirements of Article 4A of Chapter 163 of the North Carolina General Statutes barring elections board members from making statements that favor one party over another. Eddleman noted that Brinson Bells warning to Rebuck was picked up by the Raleigh News & Observer. The issue had been reviewed by the five state Board of Elections members plus the state board's general counsel, Paul Cox, and one other attorney. On Sept. 12, I had a conference call with attorney Cox, Eddleman said. I was informed that no law was in violation but it was right on the edge. Eddleman the next day called the emergency meeting of the county elections board so members could discuss the issue openly and transparently and determine if any action was required. I did not intend my remarks to be made public, Rebuck said. I wrote it on my private email and I never signed it as a board member. (Her opening line was: I am a member of the Henderson County Board of Elections and have served on the Board for over 6 years.) Rebuck spoke about technical issues contained in her email such as overseas voter registration requirements that she believed were not following the law. We need to be true to the Constitution, she said, drawing applause from the audience. My point was to get the attention of the legislators. Several other board members spoke after Rebuck but none cast doubt on her motive or integrity. Eddleman ended the discussion saying, we may have significant differences but we have more in common, regarding the cohesion on the Board. I have never seen any bias by any member, he said. Eddleman entertained a motion to put this issue behind us, which was made and adopted unanimously. HENLEY MP Freddie van Mierlo has criticised the cut to winter fuel allowance for pensioners by the Labour government. The benefit was previously available to almost everyone in the UK born before September 25, 1957 to help cover heating costs. But from this winter only those on pension credit or means-tested benefits will get the winter fuel payment. Across the Henley constituency 20,219 people will lose the benefit. A motion to block the measure was defeated on Tuesday by 348 to 228 votes, a majority of 120. Mr van Mierlo, a Liberal Democrat, had voted for the motion to block the government, as did Wargrave MP Clive Jones. But Matt Rodda, the Labour MP for Caversham voted against the motion and supported the government. Mr van Mierlo said: We have the largest number of pensioners that would be set to lose out from the cut of the winter fuel payment. It is going to hurt pensioners who really need this money. We committed in our manifesto to double the winter fuel allowance and that was fully costed. The government should be looking at our manifesto to have a rethink and reconsider the impact of this. I heard from countless pensioners across Henley that they are worried about losing this vital support and how they will afford their energy bills this winter. Stripping support from many of the poorest pensioners in Henley just when energy bills are set to rise again is simply wrong. It could force vulnerable elderly people in our community to choose between eating and heating this winter. We recognise that the new government faces difficult choices after the appalling mess left by the Conservatives. But a rethink is urgently needed so that poorer and vulnerable pensioners in our community continue to get the support they so desperately need. Across the country, 11 million pensioners are set to lose their winter fuel payment and the average energy bill set to rise by 149 a year from October. Energy regulator Ofgem said gas and electricity prices will rise by 10 per cent in England under the new energy price cap, with the typical annual dual-fuel bill paid by direct debit to be 1,717 per year. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended the decision, saying it was needed to repair what he claims is a 22bn hole in the public finances. He said that the government to be honest that things [would] get worse before they [got] better when it came to public spending. Mr Rodda did not respond to requests for comment. A TEENAGER is raising money for a trip to Borneo Jule Kienast, 15, who lives near Watlington, wants to join a camps international trip to Borneo run with her school, Icknield Community College. The trip, which will take place in July next year, costs about 4,800. Miss Kienast has started block painting on bags and tea towels which she sells online and at the weekly Wallingford local producers market. She has raised about half the money so far and is hoping to make up the rest selling in the Christmas season. She also takes commissions. Miss Kienast said: I started raising money about a year ago by doing a whole bunch of stuff, mostly selling things like books. At Christmas time I was selling decorations we had at home, little stars to hang on Christmas tree and little sheep with wool wrapped around them. I thought of doing the block printing recently, printing on tea towels and bags and things like that, I hadnt done it before but it looked like fun to do. The blocks come in different shapes and you put the paint on the block and then press down on to the material on which you want the pattern, whether it be a bag or tea towel. Miss Kienasts mother Bettina said: We sold a few prints when we started advertising on Facebook and last week we sold 10. We have been going to the Wallingford local producers market and once we sold about 20 little decorations. We have sold lots of different things to raise the necessary amount of money. We raised around 200 from selling block printed items so far, this is after deducting the cost of having a market stall. Of course we are hoping to raise significantly more in the run-up to Christmas to get her closer to her 4800 target. The trip to Borneo will last four weeks and will include environmental work such as planting trees and a five-day trek through the rain forest. Miss Kienast said: We will be working on doing different community projects. Previous groups have built schools, houses and toilets. There is also some environmental work, such as visiting animal sanctuaries. It should be really good. The trip is organised by Camps International and Year 10 and 11 students and teachers from Icknield have signed up, with the final payment needing to be made by next May. Tea towels are 7.50, cushion covers and scarves are 15, zipped pouches 6, cards and gift bags range from 1 to 2.50, wooden hanging heart decorations are 1.50 each. Delivery in Watlington is free providing the order is over 10. For more information or to buy a block print, email bettykie@ hotmail.com and put BLXPRNT order in the subject line. Monday September 16, 2024 A view shows the Nairobi Expressway in Nairobi, Kenya May 8, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights Kenya's auditor general has started to examine the country's debt to ascertain the amounts owed to various creditors, Finance Minister John Mbadi told Reuters on Monday. The East African nation's debt stands at 10.5 trillion shillings ($81.71 billion) but an audit of the borrowings was one of the key demands of anti-tax hike protesters that forced the government to abandon a number of planned tax increases in June. The auditor general is a constitutionally mandated independent office that is funded by the state. During the height of the protests, President William Ruto appointed a committee to perform the audit. However, several appointees, including the head of the Law Society of Kenya, declined the appointments, saying the task should be carried out by the auditor general. During his parliamentary vetting for the post, Mbadi had promised to ensure there is more "debt accountability" to help the public better understand the issue. More than 50 people were killed in the protests, which forced President Ruto to abandon the government's financing law. It also led to a series of credit downgrades by the three main global ratings agencies. A team from the International Monetary Fund is in the country on a fact-finding mission ahead of its board meeting to approve the latest review of Kenya's programme and approve a disbursement of $600 million. ($1 = 128.5000 Kenyan shillings) Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Jacqueline Wong The anthropologist, publisher and editor spoke about new writing from Bhutan and how the countrys independent past is allowing it to look at anthropology without being burdened by the disciplines colonial baggage Dolma Choden Roder (Drukyuls Literature and Arts Festival) Tell us about Riyang Books, the family-run publishing house that you work with. What did the publishing landscape in Bhutan look like when it was founded in 2012? My mother, Kunzang Choden, is one of the earliest Bhutanese authors to write books in English. She used to publish in Thailand earlier. It was a good experience but it was very hard to get the books to Thimphu. We had to literally bring the books home in a suitcase. It is, of course, very nice to have a global audience but she wanted to make sure that the books were available to Bhutanese readers. Then she switched to an Indian publisher. She thought that this change would make it easier. But things continued to be incredibly difficult. To this date, people want to put her novel The Circle of Karma (2005) on their reading lists but it is almost impossible to get copies in Bhutan. The distribution network is terribly complicated even though it has improved a lot. With this sort of experience, my mother was not sure if she wanted to continue to publish outside. She felt that her books were intended mainly for the Bhutanese market. It is quite easy to get a publishing license in Bhutan. In fact, a lot of people self publish. Thats how the idea of Riyang Books came into the picture. We had a really hard time finding a publisher for our book Ogyen Choling: A Manor in Central Bhutan, which is about my mothers ancestral home in Bumthang. The origins of this place can be traced back to the 14th century. It is an important site of Bhutanese cultural heritage. It was, historically speaking, an important religious, economic and political centre. The book itself is a weird mix of history, memory, scholarship, articles, personal reflections, and architectural diagrams that map out the whole complex. That was one of our first books. It was hard to explain what it was all about to someone outside, so we published it ourselves. We had a really hard time finding a publisher for our book Ogyen Choling: A Manor in Central Bhutan, which is about my mothers ancestral home in Bumthang. The origins of this place can be traced back to the 14th century. It is an important site of Bhutanese cultural heritage. (Courtesy Dolma Choden Roder) What does the word Riyang mean? How did you end up with this name? Its a beautiful name, isnt it? It was suggested by Karma Phuntsho, an accomplished Bhutanese scholar, who is a close friend of my mothers. He is a former monk, who completed his Buddhist monastic education in South India, and got a Western doctorate at Oxford after that. With his profound understanding of Bhutanese culture and Buddhism, he came up with a name that is so meaningful, and just perfect. Riyang means voices or sounds or melodies from the mountains. We are a publishing house that wants to go beyond publishing what my mother and I write. We want to support creative work that is anchored in our country and our culture. In fact, there is an additional layer of meaning. Ri and yang also denote a coming together of the masculine and feminine energies. Manjushri and Yangchenma are both Buddhist deities associated with the flowering of wisdom. Speaking of books by other Bhutanese writers, you published a lovely collection of poetry titled ...Folded Into a Paper Boat back in 2015. You edited it along with Kunzang Choki and Sonam Deki. What gave you the confidence to publish poetry, which many publishers are reluctant to invest in because they worry about the lack of readership? I am not a poet but I love poetry. The idea of working on this book came from realizing that a lot of Bhutanese people do enjoy reading, writing, sharing and performing poetry. It seemed that an anthology was long overdue even though we were not quite sure if we had the expertise to put it together. We hosted an evening of poetry readings in 2012. The engagement and enthusiasm among the audience was quite encouraging. We asked people if they would send in their poems. We put out a call for entries on social media. It took three years before the anthology was eventually published. A lot of credit for making this happen goes to Kunzang Choki and Sonam Deki, our guest editors. The book has benefited from their wide reading, their discerning ear for poetry, and their knowledge of the craft. We put out a call for entries on social media. It took three years before the anthology was eventually published. (Courtesy Dolma Choden Roder) What were your selection criteria? What were the recurring themes in the submissions? (laughs) We were looking for good poems. A good poem was one that all three of us agreed was a good poem. A lot of people sent us poems about love, and poems about their mothers. Of course, we could not include all of them. We read all the poems on our own first, and then as a team of editors. It was not easy at all! We discussed each submission before we selected the final set of poems that made the cut. The anthology has poems touching on various subjects and emotions. It has poems about love, history, legends, families, rain, flowers, stray dogs, and so many other aspects of Bhutanese life. Many of the poets were gracious enough to welcome the feedback that we gave them and sent in revised work. I look back at the whole project with a fair amount of satisfaction. It gave a platform to writers from diverse backgrounds. We had poems by college students, retired professionals, teachers, filmmakers, doctors and engineers. They dipped into their life experiences, and created some beautiful work. They wrote happy, sad, funny, honest and powerful poems. Do you plan to publish more anthologies in the near future? We are in the middle of putting together a collection of short stories by Bhutanese writers. This time, its a different process. Instead of using an open call for entries to invite submissions, we are working closely with a group of writers that I am already familiar with. We have been writing stories, and reading each others work. I am proud of what we have so far. It will give people a really good picture of what Bhutan is like; what it is all about. Riyang Books had a significant presence at the recent Drukyuls Literature and Arts Festival in Thimphu. Many of the books on display were targeted at children, and had subjects and characters set in Bhutan. How did you venture into childrens books? Thats right! Lately, there have been a lot of childrens books because thats an area that my mother is very passionate about. People often want to publish childrens books because they are cheaper and they sell easier but she feels strongly that this is not how it should be done. She wants to have really nice childrens books with beautiful illustrations that are well printed, and with stories that Bhutanese children would be excited to read. While studying in the United States, did you also get some training in publishing? No, I was in a graduate programme at Arizona State University in Tempe. I pursued a PhD in Socio-Cultural Anthropology. As part of our education, they did give us a lot of professional training in academic writing but not really in publishing outside academia. The world of academic publishing in the US is highly competitive, even cut-throat, and so focused on securing tenure. Coming from Bhutan, how did you cope with that? I am not a good anthropologist, if you go by the number of research publications as a yardstick. I am not very good at getting them out one after another. Honestly, my main interest lies in teaching, and I have contributed a few chapters to books on subjects like youth aspirations in higher education, and the changing nature of marriage as an institution. How did you get interested in researching material culture, gender and education? My mothers family has a museum in Ogyen Choling, so material culture was always an area of interest. I wanted to learn how we could do a better job because they ask for my advice at times. As a graduate student, I ended up working mostly with archaeological collections in Arizona. I felt important because I had the keys to a building with six floors of boxes of shards. It was uninteresting for people who were not into research themselves. In fact, the interest in material culture is what led me to graduate school in the first place. Education became an area of interest because I felt that it is one of those experiences that most Bhutanese people are engaged in because of how significantly it shapes their lives. Changes in the education system often go unexamined because it is seen largely as a benign presence. Education has led to huge cultural shifts in Bhutan. My mother belongs to the first generation that went to school. My grandparents didnt go to school at all, and my mother went all the way to India. She studied at schools in both Darjeeling and Kurseong. I have been teaching at the Royal Thimphu College for about 11-12 years. The interest in gender is inevitable if you are a woman in academia. It is one of those cross-cutting themes. Also, for my PhD dissertation, I studied the experience of women in higher education. That was my entry point but gender shapes educational experiences even at the school level. There is new research on how haircuts are enforced for boys in Bhutanese schools, and also on how individuals who do not conform to the gender binary or to heterosexuality are bullied. Anthropology as a discipline has its origins in colonialism, with experts being sent out to study native populations and help colonial masters use that knowledge to oppress. Given this history, how do you try to do anthropological work in non-extractive ways? Thats an interesting question! Bhutan wasnt actively colonized though we had complex relationships with the British in India. We were still not incorporated into the British empire or studied and categorized in the way that other populations were. We escaped that. Anthropology is a relatively young discipline in Bhutan, and that makes it possible for us to make it what we want it to be. My college, which is a private college, has the only anthropology department in the country. Our department has faculty members who have trained in Australia, the US, Europe and India. Since we are a young department, we can kind of pull from wherever and whatever we find interesting, compelling and useful. We like to emulate best practices but also reflect on our own educational experiences and what we found missing. It is exciting to be involved in shaping what anthropology looks like in Bhutan. We have a hard time getting students. Anthropology is one of the least popular subjects. But once students are in, they love talking about tradition and culture, globalization and change, all of which is very much part of the experience of Bhutanese people. Our students also take up a final year research project that is fascinating. Some students are really ambitious and they want to do a big theoretical project but some just want to document a festival in their village. It gets them thinking about knowledge production and meaning making. Every year, the college has a symposium where the three best projects are presented. This year, the best projects were around medicine, disciplinary practices in school, and folklore. A lot of writing on Bhutan comes from explorers and diplomats. Do you thinking that anthropology has a special role in training Bhutanese people to write about Bhutan? I think so. Even if they do not end up becoming anthropologists, even if they end up running a company or working in one, I hope they carry with them the empathetic stance that anthropology teaches. It may not be an intellectual skill but it is a skill for how to live. In the West, critical thinking is a large part of training in anthropology. In the Bhutanese context, what kind of space is available for critical thinking in a monarchy? We have a constitutional monarchy, so I think there is space for critical thinking. Respect is very important in our culture. Some of the traditional structures that may not be respected outside of Bhutan are taken very seriously in our country. At the same time, there is quite a lot of room for innovation. We are trying out things that are different from the rest of the world; perhaps its not recognized as much because of the pace or the volume. Again, the kind of critical thinking that we do in Bhutan may not be seen as critical enough because it is not the loud, opinionated, argumentative kind that as one sees in Western academia. Would you say that one loses out on training in compassion when there is an excessive focus in learning how to critique? With Buddhism as the state religion, and the concept of Gross National Happiness, compassion is highly valued in Bhutan, isnt it? Yes, definitely! When we have debates in Bhutan, we dont think only about the issues and the arguments; we also think about the other people who are involved. Maybe this isnt how debates run in the West. You see, we are a small country with a close-knit population. Our culture is certainly more relational than individualistic. To be able to think about your community, and your responsibility to each other, is also a form of intelligence that needs to be valued just as much as what we call critical thinking. Chintan Girish Modi is a freelance writer, journalist and book reviewer. Police have detained 104 striking workers protesting low wages at a Samsung Electronics plant in Chennai, as they were planning a march on Monday without permission, police officials said as per news agency Reuters. Police detained 104 striking workers at a Samsung Electronics plant in Chennai for planning an unauthorized march. The strike, ongoing for seven days over low wages, has disrupted production, affecting a significant portion of Samsung's revenue in India.(Reuters) The detention marks an escalation of a strike by workers at a Samsung home appliance plant where workers have been protesting for seven days as they seek higher wages. The strike has disrupted production at the plant that contributes roughly a third of Samsung's annual India revenue of $12 billion. The workers had planned to start a protest march, but were detained as there was no permission given as there are schools, colleges and hospitals in that area, senior police officer of Kancheepuram district, K. Shanmugam told Reuters. He said, It is the main area which would become totally paralysed and (the protest would) disturb public peace. We have detained them in wedding halls as all of them can't be in stations. The protest have been backed by labour group Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and Samsung has initiated discussions with its workers at the Chennai plant to resolve all issues at the earliest. Kenya has awarded a public-private partnership concession to build power transmission lines to India's Adani Group and a unit of the African Development Bank, according to an economic advisor to the country's president. Adani group chairman Gautam Adani is seen. Kenya's government has partnered with India's Adani Group and Africa50 for a $1.3 billion power transmission project, avoiding further debt. Controversy surrounds a separate lease proposal for Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, sparking public outcry and strikes among aviation workers.(ANI) The concession is worth $1.3 billion, David Ndii, chief economic adviser to President William Ruto, said in a post on X. "The government through KETRACO has awarded PPP concessions to Adani and Africa50 to build new transmission lines," Ndii wrote. "They are hiring their project teams. The cost of these transmission lines is $1.3b that we do not have to borrow." Africa50 is an infrastructure investment offshoot of the African Development Bank. Adani Group and the African Development Bank did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside normal business hours. A separate plan by the Kenyan government to lease the country's main international to the Adani Group has sparked anger among Kenyans and also triggered a strike by the country's aviation workers. The plan involves leasing the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the Adani Group for 30 years, in exchange for $1.85 billion of investment by Adani into the airport's expansion. Adani's group operates seven airports in India and has often faced criticism from Indian opposition parties for winning favours from ruling governments. Indian officials and the Adani group have denied such accusations. Kenya is struggling with a high debt load accumulated from years of splurging on infrastructure. A proposal by the government to hike taxes to generate extra money needed for debt repayments sparked deadly protests this summer and forced the government to rescind the proposal. Bajaj Housing Finance shares made a strong debut on stock markets today after pre-listing indicative price was at 150 per share on both NSE and BSE- a premium of 114 per cent over the IPO issue price. The company - the second-biggest home loan financier in the country by assets under management (AUM) and the hottest float this year - attracted bids worth about $38.60 billion last week. Shares of Bajaj Housing Finance is India's second-largest home loan provider and attracted bids of approximately $38.60 billion last week.(File Photo) Ahead of the listing, the company's shares traded with a GMP of 120% to the issue price. The 6,560 crore IPO of Bajaj Housing Finance was subscribed nearly 67 times the shares on offer. Net proceeds from the IPO will be used by the company to address future business needs related to onward lending, it said. Master Capital Services on the IPO, Investors should consider a medium- to long-term investment in Bajaj Housing Finance due to its strong growth, extensive presence in the housing finance industry, reputable group and management heritage, and competitive valuation compared to peers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday stated that so far more than 1.3 crore families have registered for the PM Solar Rooftop Scheme since its launch. Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST 2024), in Gandhinagar.(PTI) PM Modi made this announcement during the inauguration event of the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investor's Meet (RE-INVEST) 2024 in Gujarat's Gandhinagar district. He also shared that since the launch of the solar rooftop scheme, installation work has already been completed at 3.75 lakh homes. "So far, over 1 crore 30 lakh families have registered for the PM Solar Rooftop Scheme, and the installation work has been completed for 3.75 lakh homes. The results of the PM Solar Rooftop Scheme are remarkable," said PM Modi. Highlighting the benefits of the scheme, PM Modi added that it has become a source of additional earnings for families. The scheme not only generates electricity for their consumption but also provides them with 25,000 annually after selling the extra electricity to the grid. "A small family consuming 250 units of electricity per month and selling 100 units back to the grid will save approximately 25,000 annually," PM Modi added. On the potential for employment generation through the scheme, PM Modi said, "This scheme is expected to rapidly increase green jobs, with thousands of vendors needed. Around 20 lakh employment opportunities are projected to be created through this scheme." He also noted that with this scheme, every home in India is set to become a power producer. Hosted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the three-day conference is anticipated to draw over 10,000 delegates, including influential figures from government, industry, and financial sectors. Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu, Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma, Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Kumar Yadav, Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai and Goa CM Pramod Sawant were also present on the occasion. A battle over control of Rupert Murdochs global television and publishing empire begins Monday in a Reno, Nevada courtroom, where a judge will consider the contentious matter of succession. From left, Lachlan Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch and James Murdoch arrive at St Bride's Church for the celebration ceremony of the wedding of Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall in London.(AP) Murdoch, 93, is attempting to change the terms of the familys trust -- which holds significant stakes in Fox News parent Fox and Wall Street Journal owner News Corp. The billionaire is looking to ensure that, upon his death, the media companies remain under the control of his eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch, according to the New York Times, which obtained a sealed court document detailing the succession drama. A hearing to determine whether Murdoch is acting in good faith will take place in probate court, where the proceedings are closed to the public. A Nevada judge on Thursday rejected an appeal by Reuters and other news organizations to open the hearings to the public. The news organizations had said the fate of such culturally and politically influential media outlets was a matter of public interest, but the judge cited the need to prevent disclosure of confidential personal and financial information. Most documents also remain under seal. The Murdoch trust was formed around the time of Rupert Murdoch's divorce from his second wife, Anna, in 1999. The trust is the vehicle through which the elder Murdoch controls News Corp and Fox, with roughly a 40% stake in voting shares of each company. Upon Rupert Murdochs death, News Corp and Fox voting shares will be transferred to his four oldest children Prudence, Elisabeth, Lachlan and James. Potentially, three of the heirs could out-vote a fourth, setting up a battle over the future of the companies, even as Lachlan Murdoch runs Fox and is sole chair of News Corp. Rupert Murdochs proposed amendment would block any interference by three of Lachlans siblings, who are more politically moderate, the Times reported, citing a sealed court document. Lachlan Murdoch is viewed as ideologically aligned with his conservative father. James Murdoch, who has donated to progressive political groups, resigned in 2020 from the News Corp board, citing disagreements over editorial content. After a picture of Ganesh idol in a police van went viral, a senior cop has clarified that it was collected for immersion. The incident happened at Bengaluru's Town Hall where a protest was planned against the recent clashes in Nagamangala and police were deployed at the protest site. During the protest, a Ganesh idol was seen inside police van and a political row erupted in the state. Bengaluru police clarifies on viral Ganesh image inside police van. Full details Also Read - Monkeypox scare in Bengaluru: Karnataka health dept ready with 50-bed isolation ward Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya called the visuals terrifying and attacked the ruling Congress party. In an X post, Surya wrote, This visual of Lord Ganesha in a police vehicle is terrifying. Why is the Congress hell-bent on insulting our deities, & belittling the belief and faith of millions of Hindus? PM Narendra Modi too addressed the issue during a rally at Haryana. He said, In Congress-ruled Karnataka, even Ganpati is being put in jail. Also Read - Monkey pox outbreak: Bengaluru airport on high alert, staff conduct tests for international passengers However, Bengaluru police issued a clarification regarding the incident. A top cop said that the idol was placed inside police van when the protesters were detained. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of Bengaluru Central Divison said, On Sept 13, 2024, Hindu groups protested at Bengaluru's Town Hall over the Nagamangala Ganesh procession incident, defying a HC order. Demonstrators detained. Ganapati idol was later immersed by authorities with rituals. The right-wing activists protested against this incident and called the incident unfortunate. There were also speculations about the incident saying that it happened in Nagamangala and police clarified that it happened in Bengaluru. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urged the people to rise against divisive and destructive forces that aim to break society under the guise of unity. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah calls for celebrating pluralism of Constitution Speaking at the Grand Steps of Vidhana Soudha during the inauguration of a historic human chain movement on International Democracy Day, the CM called for celebrating the pluralism upheld by the Constitution in daily lives. Also Read - Karnataka: Rapid Action Force deployed after Bajrang Dal protest over a social media post in Mangaluru He emphasised the need to defeat the conspiracies of divisive forces and strengthen democracy. Siddaramaiah highlighted that India had a form of democracy and parliamentary systems during the times of Buddha and Basavanna, with the "Anubhava Mantapa" being a symbol of early democratic institutions. Referring to Dr B R Ambedkar's speech on November 25, 1949, the CM noted that true political freedom is meaningful only when economic and social democracy is achieved. He added that as long as inequality exists in India, political freedom will lack real significance. The CM stressed the importance of the values enshrined in the Constitution's preamble. He mentioned that efforts are underway to teach and instill these values in schools and colleges across Karnataka. Siddaramaiah also called for a Karnataka and India where peace and equality thrive with no space for discrimination. Until the inequalities in society are eradicated, he argued, the freedom gained by the country remains incomplete. He emphasised that the government is working towards equality by implementing programmes that empower the poor and middle class from all castes and religions. The CM condemned divisive forces that misuse the concept of unity and are enemies of social justice and equality. He called for standing firm against these forces to ensure the rights and opportunities of women, Dalits, and backward communities. Also Read - Karnataka: Rapid Action Force deployed after Bajrang Dal protest over a social media post in Mangaluru He particularly targeted the NDA, accusing them of being against the poor and middle class and obstructing pro-poor programmes. The creation of a human chain with over 2 million participants, the CM said, sends a clear message to destructive forces and aims to strengthen the unity of humanity. The event also saw the participation of democracy ambassadors such as Harekala Hajabba, sanitation workers Nagalakshmi and Manjula, transgender activist Priyanka, and two specially-abled students, who stood beside the CM to symbolise the spirit of Democracy Day. The event was chaired by MLA Rizwan Arshad, and attendees included Basavaraj Horatti, Rudrappa Lamani, ministers H.C. Mahadevappa, Priyank Kharge, K.J. George, Dinesh Gundu Rao, and many other dignitaries. Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka on Sunday demanded a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the recent violence in Mandya district, citing alleged involvement of Kerala-based persons with links to banned outfit such as Popular Front of India (PFI) in it. Karnataka LoP R Ashoka seeks NIA probe into Nagamangala violence Also Read - Monkey pox outbreak: Bengaluru airport on high alert, staff conduct tests for international passengers Clashes broke out between two groups during a Ganesh idol procession in Nagamangala town in Mandya district, following which mobs went on a rampage, targeting several shops and vehicles leading to tension on Wednesday night. "Locals have suspected the involvement of Kerala-based persons with links to banned organisations like PFI, Karnataka Forum for Dignity in the communal riots that took place during the religious immersion at Nagamangala. These wicked people had bought 150 masks before the riots, and destroyed CCTVs. Locals suspect that the crime was fully sponsored and premeditated," Ashoka said in a post on 'X'. Also Read - Monkeypox scare in Bengaluru: Karnataka health dept ready with 50-bed isolation ward As the first 23 accused named in the FIR registered by the government are Hindus, it gives rise to suspicion whether the police are under pressure from banned organisations. "As there is a strong suspicion over the involvement of banned organisations and religious fundamentalists in this communal riot, it will be difficult for the local police to crack the case, and so I urge CM Siddaramaiah and Home Minister Parameshwara to hand over the case to the NIA," he added. A few people, including two policemen, had sustained minor injuries in stone-pelting on Wednesday night. According to police, an argument had broken out between two groups, when the Ganesh idol procession by devotees from Badri Koppalu village reached a place of worship on Wednesday, and some miscreants hurled stones, which escalated the situation. The Rapid Action Force has been deployed in Mangaluru to maintain order following a protest by workers from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal over a social media post on Monday. Rapid Action Force deployed to stop the march to Nabanna. (PTI) Also Read - Karnataka LoP R Ashoka demands NIA probe into Nagamangala violence Yatish N, the Superintendent of Police (SP) for Dakshina Kannada, stated, "Today, on the eve of Eid-e-Milad festival, we have made adequate arrangements around the district... We are ensuring that no untoward incident takes place. Whoever disturbs the peace will attract legal action." Eid-e-Milad marks the birth of Prophet Muhammad and is being celebrated today with processions held nationwide. In Surat, police conducted a flag march to uphold social harmony. Also Read - Monkey pox outbreak: Bengaluru airport on high alert, staff conduct tests for international passengers Surat Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot said , "On the 16th, Eid processions will be taken out in different areas of Surat and the Ganpati immersion process will begin from the morning of the 17th. Surat Police has made a lot of preparations given this... More than 15 thousand of our police personnel and home guards will be deployed and to help them, there will be 11 companies of State Reserve Police and 1 company of Rapid Action Force. We have also formed a special unit which will be ready to deal with any situation... Surveillance will also be done with drone cameras... We appeal to everyone not to pay attention to any rumour and celebrate the festival peacefully..." Also, at a press conference, Narasimha Komar, Police Commissioner of Vadodara, announced, "Eid-e-Milad is also being celebrated on the 16th. Traditionally, it was celebrated all day, but due to the Ganesh festival, we have organised a dialogue process with religious leaders, eminent citizens, and social leaders to conduct it between 8 am and 2 pm. A detailed security plan has been worked out for fortified districts set up across the city. Technology, including CCTV cameras, drone cameras, body cameras, and video analytics, will be used to monitor criminal, anti-social elements, and potential troublemakers. We are also closely monitoring social media to prevent any rumours or communal tensions. The city police have made all preparations to conduct both festivals peacefully." Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has rescheduled the Eid-e-Milad holiday in Mumbai from September 16 to September 18 to avoid conflict with Ganpati Visarjan ceremonies. The official notification stated, To maintain peace and social harmony between the two communities... the public holiday of Eid-e-Milad is being declared on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, instead of Monday, September 16, 2024. The local civil hospital saw a 66% surge in patients on Monday as the services at out-patient department (OPD) resumed, officials said. Patients flock to civil hospital as the OPD opens after a week on Monday, September 16, 2024. (Manish/Hindustan Times) The OPD that usually sees 800 patients every day, was visited by 1,335 ailing people as work resumed in full swing, according to the data from the registration desk. The services were hit for around a week, including a complete suspension for two days, September 12 and 13. The complete suspension was followed by a holiday on September 15, further delaying the patients plans to visit the facility. On September 14, the doctors opened the OPD from 11 am to 2 pm on governments request. Earlier, work at the hospital was affected as the doctors started a partial strike on September 9. From September 9 to 11, OPD services remained suspended from 8 am to 11 am. The working hours for the OPD at civil hospital are 8 am to 2 pm. The strike came after a call by the Punjab Civil Medial Services Association (PCMSA), which should restoration of Assured Carrer Progression (ACP) and pushed for better security for doctors. Among the patients who came to the OPD on Monday, many were those who had returned unattended due to the strike last week. I came on Friday to have my prescription renewed but the OPD was closed. I was told to come back after a week or so. I found out that the strike was called off on Saturday and I came today, said 53-year-old Harvinder Singh, who has a brain ailment. Rajinder Sharma, 60, who suffers from partial paralysis, came to the hospital to get his prescription renewed on Tuesday last week, but had to return unattended. He also made his way to the hospital on Monday. On Monday, the OPDs were open beyond working hours as the doctors stayed in to attend to all the patients who had come to the hospital. Although we didnt have any such instructions from higher ups, the doctors ensured that all the patients who had come to the OPD were attended even after 2 pm, said senior medical officer Dr Harpreet Singh. The PCMSA on Saturday called off the strike as the state government conceded their demands. The doctors body also announced that the OPD at all the government hospitals will run for two additional hours on Monday and Tuesday, to compensate for the strike. Under the ACP, the grade pay of government doctors is increased three times during their service, four years into service, nine years into service and after 14 years in service. Counter-intelligence (CI) sleuths arrested an army deserter and seized 12.5-kg heroin from his possession on Saturday. Identified as Amritpal Singh, the accused was also wanted in another case related to the recovery of 33-kg of heroin from Jammu and Kashmir. He is said to have been a part of the Pakistan-linked heroin smuggling racket. The seized drug packets in Jalandhar. (HT photo) Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said army deserter Amritpal Singh Fauji, a resident of Kasel village in Tarn Taran, had been on the run since August when his accomplice Sartaj was arrested from the Jammu bus stand with 33-kg heroin. The cartel has international connections as it is being led by a fugitive, identified as Amrit Pal Singh Baath of Mianpur village in Tarn Taran, operating from Dubai. He is a gangster-cum-drug smuggler against whom 15-20 cases have been registered in various police stations of the state, including two murder cases. The DGP said counter-intelligence teams, acting swiftly on reliable inputs, laid a special naka at the canal bride of Kangniwal village in Jalandhar and arrested Amritpal Fauji after recovering 200-gm heroin from his possession. Further investigation resulted in recovery of 12.4-kg heroin from pinpointed location at the link road from Tarn Taran to Jodhpur village as revealed by the accused. Police teams have also impounded a motorcycle (PB08EL5952) on which Amritpal Fauji was travelling, he added. Jalandhar AIG (counter-intelligence) Navjot Singh Mahal said the accused revealed that he and his associate procured a drug consignment of 50-kg heroin from Akhnoor sector last month of which 33-kg heroin haul was with his associate Sartaj, who was arrested by the J&K Police. Following the arrest of his accomplice, Amritpal Fauji concealed the remaining heroin at an abandoned location, he said, adding that further investigations were on to establish their backward and forward linkages. A case was registered under Sections 21 and 29 of the NDPS Act at State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) police station in Amritsar on September 13. Campaigning for the 24 assembly segments for Phase 1 of Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, slated to be held on September 18, ended on Monday. While Union home minister Amit Shah held two rallies in Jammu division, former chief ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti held rallies in Doda, Anantnag and Pulwama districts. (HT File) Top leaders of all the major political parties held rallies and programmes in various parts of J&K, making a last attempt before polling to woo voters. While Union home minister Amit Shah held two rallies in Jammu division, former chief ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti held rallies in Doda, Anantnag and Pulwama districts. National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah addressed a rally in Pampore in Pulwama district and sought votes for NC candidate Hasnain Masoodi. There has been overwhelming response of people in road shows, rallies and programs of NC. We hope when on Wednesday people will vote big chunk of votes will go to NC, Omar Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of rally in Pampore. He said that its a different election. Elections are held after 10 years, first time we are in elections when J&K is UT and Ladakh is not our part. Also this time some parties are participating which were staying away from voting. So this is different elections compared to past, he said adding that the AIP led by Engineer Rashid and Jamaat e Islami are being getting dictation from somewhere else. Former CM & DPAP chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad, while addressing a road show in Doda, made a fervent appeal for unity and urged an end to the decades-long practice of false slogan politics in Jammu & Kashmir. Read more: How are Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections different for Omar Abdullah? Azad criticised political parties, that for years have raised empty slogans leading to the loss of countless lives and stalling the regions development. Today, the people of Jammu & Kashmir are not asking for slogans; they are asking for free ration, reliable electricity, employment opportunities, quality education and better healthcare. These are the pressing needs of the hour, he said adding that the time has changed. We must realise that these slogans are only meant to benefit those who want to grab power and once in power, they do nothing for the people. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti also addressed a rally in Seer Anantnag and asked voters to compare work of PDP with the NC which ruled J&K for decades. They even introduced draconian laws when Omar was foreign minister in Vajpayees cabinet. J&Ks BJP election in-charge Ram Madhav also attended programme of BJP candidate in Nikas Pulwama and Shopian and told people to vote for BJP. Which ever government comes to power will be part of BJP and the Congress is following NC in J&K which wants restoration of Article 370 and release of terrorists from jails which would never happen. High level security arrangements in place Meanwhile, high level security arrangements have been made across the J&K, especially in those constituencies which will go to polls on Wednesday, including the districts of south Kashmir, Kishtwar and Doda, where polling will be held in the first phase. Elaborate security arrangements have been made by paramilitary forces and J&K Police for the first phase of elections on September 18. Multi-level arrangements are in place around the polling stations and strong rooms. The forces have already started doing area domination of the places going to polls, inspector general of police VK Birdhi said, adding that deployment of security will be made as per the directions of Election Commission of India. To manage the heavy traffic near the Pakhowal railway under-bridge and road over-bridge, the traffic police have reopened a cut around the Pakhowal Road bridge. This step was taken after the Southern Bypass was closed for repairs. To manage the heavy traffic near the Pakhowal railway under-bridge and road over-bridge, the traffic police have reopened a cut around the Pakhowal Road bridge. (Ht File) Assistant commissioner of police (traffic) Gurpreet Singh said, The cut was originally closed in May to streamline traffic near the bridge due to the presence of road over and under-bridges. However, with the Southern Bypass now closed for repairs, traffic is being diverted through this route, causing congestion. We have reopened the cut to improve traffic flow. The cut will remain open until repairs on the Southern Bypass are completed. The Southern Bypass, which was recently re-carpeted, developed a large hole just days after the work was finished. Officials said the hole appeared on a bridge near Ferozepur Road, exposing the steel structure beneath. This raised serious concerns about the quality of construction. The deputy commissioner has ordered an investigation into the issue to determine the cause of the damage two days back, which occurred less than a month after the re-carpeting of the 28-km stretch was completed. Sirsa BJP candidate Rohtash Jangra on Monday said he has withdrawn his nomination for the seat, indicating that the party is likely to extend support to Haryana Lokhit Party chief Gopal Kanda. The BJP, like the Congress, will now be contesting 89 of the 90 assembly seats in Haryana. (HT file photo) Kanda is the sitting MLA from Sirsa. He had earlier extended his support to the BJP government. I have withdrawn my nomination. The decision has been taken in the interest of the state and the country... we have to ensure a Congress-mukt Haryana, Jangra said over phone. Asked if he has withdrawn in Kandas favour, Jangra said, Gopal Kanda has supported us (BJP) for five years. We have taken this decision for Sirsas development. The BJP, like the Congress, will now be contesting 89 of the 90 assembly seats in the state. The Congress has left the Bhiwani seat for CPI(M). Last week, the BJP released its third and final list of candidates for the Haryana elections, in which the party fielded Jangra from Sirsa. The Indian National Lok Dal said on Thursday that it was extending support to Kanda in Sirsa. The INLD is contesting the assembly polls in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Polling for the 90 assembly seats in Haryana will be held on October 5 and votes will be counted on October 8. The ruling BJP is eyeing a hat-trick of wins but faces a stiff challenge from a resurgent Congress, which is looking to cash in on the anti-incumbency factor. The lady in white dupatta ascends the hotel staircase to the third floor and enters a corner room. Accompanied by daughter Indraja and friend Rasa, Diana Mickeviciene is recreating this utterly ordinary act after a gap of 30 years, to commemorate a special part of her past. (HT Photo) Accompanied by daughter Indraja and friend Rasa, Diana Mickeviciene is recreating this utterly ordinary act after a gap of 30 years, to commemorate a special part of her past. She had first stepped inside the same room back in 1994, in this understated but elegant hotel at Vishwa Yuvak Kendra in Delhis Chanakyapuri. She had then stayed in the city for three months, after which she returned home to her newly liberated republic of Lithuania. In late 2022, Diana came back to Delhi, this time as Lithuanias ambassador, and resides in a Vasant Vihar residence. Same wardrobe!she exclaims in a hushed voice, eyes darting around the room Diana was 21 when she landed in Delhi one early morning all those decades ago in September. A fresh recruit in her countrys diplomatic corps, she was part of a batch of 25 diplomatseach from a separate nation-who were sponsored by the Indian government for a Professional Young Diplomats Training course organized by Foreign Service Institute, which is under the Ministry of External Affairs (now known as Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service). The diplomats were assigned individual rooms in the hotel. Every morning after breakfast in the dining hall downstairs, they would head to Akbar Bhawan on a chartered bus. That was Dianas first visit abroad. On entering this room, I remember I drew open the curtains, and walked into the balcony the morning sky was dark, but suddenly it was filled with light. I was surprised. In Europe, the day breaks more slowly. Now all these years later, Diana again draws open the curtains, and there was a balcony back then, she is sure. Within a few days of their arrival in Delhi, the diplomats were escorted to Sangam cinema, which was screening a rerun of Sholay: We enjoyed the movie so much that we rented its video cassette from a shop in Yashwant Place, and watched it scores of times, always after our dinner the TV was in the lobby I would sing Sholays Yeh Dosti gaana in my room. Curiously, out of all that magical stint in our city, Diana gets most sentimental for a short simple flight of staircase linking the hotels lobby to the dining hall. It was the site of many group photos We would often go up those stairs to check if any of our friends were inside the dining hallwe often hang out there and while we would be in the dining hall, one of us inevitably ran up those stairs crying about the faxes our families had sent from back home Looking about her first room in Delhi, the ambassador murmurs. So overwhelming. Graciously responding to a request, she begins to sing her beloved Sholay gaana. The decision by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to step down five months before the scheduled end of his tenure was first revealed in a meeting of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders at the CMs house on Saturday evening, and came as a surprise to those present there, three party leaders aware of the matter said on Monday. Arvind Kejriwal with other AAP leaders from Delhi and Punjab in the city on Sunday. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo) Kejriwal contemplated stepping down when he was still in jail, but decided against tending his resignation while he was incarcerated as he wanted to foil the attempt of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to break the AAP and undermine democracy by arresting opposition leaders in fake cases and forcing them to resign, said one of the AAP leader cited above who asked not to be named. No one in the party was made aware of the fact that the CM was contemplating his resignation. In fact, most of the AAP leaders, including several senior MLAs, learned about CMs resignation only when the CM publicly announced it on Sunday, said a second leader. A third leader said that it was also decided that Kejriwal would tender his resignation without recommending the dissolution of the assembly. This was done as that dissolution would lead to the imposition of the Presidents Rule in Delhi and the assembly elections, likely in February 2025, could be delayed further, the leader said. In a surprise move on Sunday, Kejriwal announced he will resign as Delhi CM on September 17 and return only if he has the peoples mandate. The decision, which was announced two days after he walked out of jail following a months-long incarceration for alleged irregularities in the excise policy case, gave an unexpected turn to the Capitals high-stakes assembly elections likely to be held early next year. Read more: Kejriwal likely to resign tomorrow, AAP MLAs meet at 11 am to pick new CM | Top updates In the meeting (on Saturday), Kejriwal proposed to step down from the chief ministers post because false allegations of corruption have been levelled against him, which were used to put him in jail for nearly six months. Now that he was given bail by the Supreme Court which questioned the neutrality of the CBI, it was time to seek the vote of the people on his honesty. The decision came as a shock to everyone, said the first leader. To be sure, leaders from the BJP were demanding the resignation of the Delhi CM soon after Kejriwal was arrested on March 21, 2024. The AAP even started a campaign asking people whether Kejriwal continue to run the government from inside jail. On Sunday, Kejriwal explained why he did not resign immediately after his arrest in March. I did not resign because I wanted to save the democracy of the country. Apart from buying MLAs, breaking parties, and intimidating, they have made another formula that wherever they lose elections, they file fake cases against the Chief Ministers, arrest them and topple the government. They have filed cases against Siddaramaiah, Pinarayi Vijayan, Hemant Soren, and Mamata Banerjee. These people do not spare even a single leader of the opposition. I have proved that the government can be run from jail, said Kejriwal. Sanjay Kumar, professor and co-director of Lokniti at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), said the decision is not likely to negatively impact the AAP, and could help the party in the upcoming polls. The move may blunt Oppositions attack on him over various issues related to governance in Delhi. When he steps down from the CMs chair, Kejriwal will have to leave his official residence as well which was used by the BJP to attack him saying that he was living in a palatial building. It will not affect the AAP because even when he steps down as CM, Kejriwal will continue to command equal level of power in the party as the AAP chief. The new CM from the AAP is unlikely to pose any challenge to the authority of Kejriwal, said Kumar. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), which has been on the backfoot over the RG Kar rape and murder case and the state-wide protests, alleged that a rift had developed among the striking junior doctors before they went to hold talks with chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday. Junior doctors raise slogans during their ongoing protest against the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital incident in Kolkata on Monday. (PTI) The junior doctors held a meeting among themselves at the protest site in Salt Lake before going to meet the chief minister at her residence in Kalighat on Saturday. There was a clear rift among the doctors in the meeting. While a section wants to resume work and continue with the protests, another section didnt want the talks to be fruitful and wanted the impasse to continue, Kunal Ghosh, TMC leader told the media while releasing an audio clip of the meeting. A few thousand junior doctors in various medical colleges across the state have been on a strike for the past 37 days demanding justice for the trainee doctor who was allegedly raped and murdered on August 9. Since September 10, the striking medics started a sit-in outside Swasthya Bhavan, the headquarters of the state health department, with five demands. The impasse has been continuing as talks between the chief minister and the protestors failed to take off twice last week as the two sides failed to agree on the terms and conditions of the meeting. The junior doctors, however, refuted the allegations saying that discussions on multiple points were held in the meeting till a conclusion was reached. We have heard the audio clip. It is true that the clip was recorded when the meeting was going on before going to the chief ministers residence. But it is not true what is being portrayed as a rift. There is no rift. Such meetings are held to arrive at a conclusion. We have representatives from all the medical colleges in the state. When we arrive at a conclusion, we all agree and stick to it, Aniket Mahata, a protesting doctor told the media. This is, however, not the first time that allegations of a rift among the protesting doctors over holding talks with the government have been made. On September 12 when the first meeting between the government and the striking medics failed to take off, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had told the media: The doctors came to Nabanna but never attended the meeting. I forgive them. Some of them were willing to join the meeting. But instructions were coming from outside not to go for negotiations. Earlier, TMC leaders, including legislators Chandranath Sinha, Lovely Maitra and Udayan Guha, had launched scathing attacks against the protestors and opposition parties over the continued protests in the state. Last month, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala posted a video of Maitra, in which the latter purportedly referred to protesting doctors as butchers citing the impact of their strike on poor patients. In an earlier speech, she had asked party workers to take revenge against those who were raising fingers at the TMC supremo. In another video, north Bengal development minister Udayan Guha could be seen telling party workers: If they bite you once, you have to bite them five times. Only then this propaganda will stop and the attempt to disrupt the pace will stop. TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had to intervene and ask party leaders to be more humble and more sympathetic. Public representatives across party lines need to be more HUMBLE and SYMPATHETIC. I urge everyone in @AITCofficial not to speak ill of anyone from the MEDICAL FRATERNITY OR CIVIL SOCIETY. Everyone has the right to protest and express themselves This is what sets West Bengal apart from other BJP-ruled states, he wrote on X. Both the state government and the senior party leaders blamed the protesting doctors for some of the patient deaths in various hospitals, alleging that they didnt receive proper medical treatment because of the strike. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the state government, told the Supreme Court last week that 23 people have died as a result of the doctors strike following the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkatas RG Kar Hospital in August. On September 13, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee wrote on X that at least 29 people have died in various hospitals due to disruption in health services because of long drawn cease work by junior doctors. She even announced a token financial relief of 2 lakh to family members of each deceased person. The state government, however, refused to share any details of the 29 victims citing privacy of the victims. There have been more deaths. We are verifying. The names and other particulars cant be shared as it would infringe on their privacy, said a top official. The state government is on the back foot over the doctors protest as it has the support of the citizens who have hit the streets on multiple occasions. It is desperately trying to break this protest and hasnt left any stone unturned. While on the one hand the chief minister and chief secretary are inviting them for talks, the legal options have also been kept open, said Rabindranath Bhattacharya, professor of political science at Burdwan University. Several bus stations across the state are scheduled to be modernised in the coming months, following the completion of the exercise at Charbagh bus station. For representation only (HT File Photo) Some 350 buses and 5,000 passengers are estimated to be affected by the remodelling of the state capitals main bus station. With the Rae Bareli bus station to soon follow suit, more passengers will be required to make adjustments to their daily routine. Last month, transport minister Dayashankar Singh announced that 23 bus stations of the state will be modernised through public private partnerships (PPP) by collaborating with independent companies which invest in improving the infrastructure of bus stations and reap the benefits of the revenue made thereafter. According to the UP State Road Transport Corporation authorities, in the Lucknow division alone, two bus stations and two workshops are to be modernised and rebuilt - the bus stations of Charbagh and Rae Bareli, and the workshops at Gomti Nagar and Amausi. UPSRTC Lucknow regional manager, RK Tripathi, confirmed that the start of the remodelling was celebrated at the Gomti Nagar bus station on Monday. Tripathi further said, Over 300 buses operate from the Rae Bareli station, and it definitely sees a footfall of 3000 to 4000 passengers daily, who will have to catch buses from a different location for 1.5 to 2 years in the near future. Eleven such projects will be starting within weeks, said Yajuvendra Kumar, general manager (PPP projects), UPSRTC. Letters of intent for 11 of the projects have already been issued - the four Lucknow division projects, bus stations in Ghaziabad, Kaushambi, Prayagraj and Agra Fort, shared Kumar. For a year or two, passengers will have to adjust to new routes and bus stops, but afterwards, they will be able to reap the benefits of modernised bus stations with new facilities, he stressed. This will certainly have a brief impact on the thousands of passengers, at least 2000 to 5000 at each of these bus stations, given that all of these remodelling projects will be happening at roughly the same time, he admitted. He further said, permissions, NOCs (no objection certificates) and map approvals have been obtained for almost all the projects - We are awaiting cabinet approvals on the remaining 12 projects, which should come in a matter of weeks. Mumbai: Adani group has won a bid to supply 6,600 MW of bundled renewable and thermal power to Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) at a rate of 4.08 per unit. Adani group has won this bid, which is nearly 1 lower than the current procurement cost of electricity in the state, by beating companies like JSW Energy and Torrent Power. Adani group will sign a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with MSEDCL to supply 5,000 MW of solar energy from Adani Green Energys Khavda Renewable Energy Park in Gujarat. (REUTERS File/ Representational image) Adani group will sign a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with MSEDCL to supply 5,000 MW of solar energy from Adani Green Energys Khavda Renewable Energy Park in Gujarat and 1,496 MW of thermal power from a new ultra-supercritical plant being developed by Adani Power. The power supply is set to begin within four years, after the final award of the letter of intent. As per the terms of the tender, Adani power will supply solar power at a fixed cost of 2.70 per unit throughout the entire supply period of 25 years, while that from coal will be indexed to coal prices. MSEDCL in March, floated a unique tender for sourcing 5,000 MW of electricity generated from sunlight and 1,600 MW of power generated from coal. That tender was floated just ahead of the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha elections was set in place, and it was awarded to Adani before the announcement of the assembly elections in the state. Sagar Adani, executive director, Adani Green Energy, said, We are glad to collaborate with MSEDCL to meet the states rising energy demand through renewable sources and fulfill its commitments. Our goal is to accelerate Indias clean energy transition. This is a crucial step towards the countrys energy independence and building a sustainable future. Adani Green is well positioned to achieve the 50 GW target with secured resource rich sites in strategic locations, portfolio mix of renewables and storage solutions, robust supply chain and clear evacuation plans. While Anil Sardana, Managing Director, Adani Power, said that as India advances in achieving its economic growth targets while maintaining a keen focus on sustainability, the role of conventional power in helping stabilise the grid and supplying base load power assumes greater importance. Adani Power is proud to partner a leading industrialised state like Maharashtra by becoming one of its key suppliers of reliable and competitive power from its existing and upcoming capacities, while enabling it to integrate an ever-increasing quantum of renewable energy in its grid. (WITH INPUTS FROM PTI) The new student marched into the primary school of village Issapur, district Bijnor, on Friday, only to find it closed due to a holiday. Forest staff installing trap camera in primary school of village Issapur in district Bijnor. (HTPhoto) The curious new student - a leopard - entered the school premises and once teachers caught sight of him, they hurriedly locked themselves inside a classroom. Teachers claimed that the leopard stayed there for some time and tried to open the door of the classroom. The matter was reported to the forest officials who arrived at the school the next day and installed a trap camera to catch the movement of the leopard. At the same time, the team also tried to find the pugmarks of the leopard. Divisional forest officer (DFO) Gyan Singh, however, said that no pugmarks were found, therefore a trap camera has been installed to record the movement of the leopard. The forest team also questioned teachers about the incident and forest ranger Mahesh Gautam said, If leopard activity is captured in the camera, then a cage and net will be installed in the area. The forest ranger said that no clear marks of the leopard clawing at the school door were found. On the other hand, villagers Pradeep Kumar, Yogesh Kumar and village head Sudhir Kumar claimed that a leopard had taken away a dog from the village four days ago and forest staff were informed about it. Forest officials have appealed to teachers and parents to remain alert and suggested parents accompany their children to school and while they return for a few days. Leopards had killed 26 persons in district Bijnor since February 2023 while more than 67 leopards have been caged in the same period of time. Many of these caged leopards had been released either in the Shivalik range of Saharanpur or sent to Lucknow, Kanpur and Gorakhpur zoos. The arrest of a Kuki National Army (Burma) (KNA-B) cadre, who is a Myanmarese national, by the Assam Rifles clearly indicates the involvement of foreign elements in the Manipur crisis, said chief minister N. Biren Singh on Monday. Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh speaking to reporters at the Manipur Press Club in Imphal on Monday. Speaking to reporters in Imphal, Biren said the suspicion of foreign involvement in the conflict was not initially believed by some sections of the public and appreciated the Assam Rifles for arresting the foreign national along with evidence of arms supply to militants operating in Manipur. As the chief minister, I have consistently claimed that the present crisis is fuelled by foreign elements, Biren said. The arrested KNA (B) cadre, identified as Thanglinkap, son of Ngampao, is a Myanmarese citizen born in Kolang, Khampat, Myanmar. He was recently apprehended in the Chandel district of Manipur. He is accused of carrying out reconnaissance missions along jungle tracks from the Indo-Myanmar border town of Moreh to the Kuki-dominated district of Churachandpur to supply arms. Meanwhile, the Manipur government has lifted the temporary suspension of internet and mobile data services, including Lease Lines, VSATs, Broadband, and VPN services, in the territorial jurisdiction of Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching districts. The state government reviewed the prevailing law and order situation and decided to lift the internet suspension, which had been imposed in good faith as a preventive measure in the public interest, a government order said on Monday. The government also appealed to all internet users to refrain from engaging in activities that might lead to a future suspension of internet services. In two separate orders, the government announced that normal classes would resume in all educational institutions, including schools and colleges, both private and government-aided, as well as central institutions. Last week, Supreme Court judge justice BV Nagarathna, while speaking to law graduates in Delhi about the significant challenges facing the legal profession, described the state of affairs as disturbing, and lamented the gender imbalance in the legal profession. In her lecture at NLU Delhi, she noted that out of 788 judges in high courts, only 107, or just 13%, are women, decrying the systemic barriers preventing women from advancing in their careers. New Delhi, Jan 10 (ANI): A view of the Supreme Court building, the apex judicial body of India, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI Photo) (Sanjay Sharma) The judge is right. Problems of diversity are old and endemic in Indias legal system. Her argument was made in the context of gender but can be equally applied to questions of diversity across caste, faith, tribes, classes and opportunities. The presence of judges from diverse backgrounds and walks of life is not only a social good that ensures equality of opportunity in courts but also enriches the judicial system with valuable perspectives. It makes the criminal justice system more empathetic, helping marginalised groups to access justice. As Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud has noted, such a focus on diversity doesnt detract from the pursuit of merit but instead enriches it, broadens the spectrum of perspectives, and leads to more comprehensive and equitable decisions. Ensuring such diversity, though, is a demanding and painstaking task. The legal profession is historically plagued by access barriers, and while strides have been made, concerted efforts are needed to tear down legacy hurdles. Attention must be paid to structural issues. Justice Nagarathna noted that women account for only 15% of enrolled lawyers in India, and many drop out in the prime of their careers because of the lack of work-life balance. Diversity efforts can bear rich fruits a just judicial system that mirrors the diversity of the society it serves. Mastering emerging tech and AI is vital for global business leaders as it drives innovation, ensures competitiveness, drives growth, and shapes future markets. IIT Delhis Advanced Programme Technology & AI Leadership equips learners with technology strategy, innovation, and leadership skills, empowering them to drive success. Advance your career with IITDs Programme in Tech and AI Leadership. Just how do new tech and AI help companies, leaders, decision-makers, and CEOs? Lets try and understand that first. We know that AI has the ability to demonstrate reasoning abilities that are on par with human beings. One of the strong points of using AI in any field of human endeavour and more so in business is that it can analyse vast amounts of data quickly, identifying patterns and providing data-driven insights. This ensures CEOs and decision-makers are better equipped to make sound business decisions. Secondly, as AI can read data faster (and maybe even better in a given time frame), it can help leaders make predictions that increase profit and growth. What does that mean? AI-powered tools can help business heads in planning and forecasting by processing large amounts of data to uncover patterns, predict market trends, and model different business scenarios. Thirdly, given that AI provides data-based insights, it significantly improves accuracy and minimises the risk of errors. AI, thereby, reduces decision-making costs and uncertainty. It enables innovative business models that boost operational efficiency and enhance customer satisfaction. Business leaders can successfully craft more agile and adaptive strategies. A World Economic Forum report, quoting a Deloitte survey, said that as many as 70% of respondent companies with very high AI expertise had improved their existing products and services. Industry data too stresses the importance of new technology and AI. In PwCs 27th Annual CEO Survey report, Indian CEOs identified their top three reinvention priorities for creating and delivering value, with adopting new technologies emerging as the leading priority. 50% Indian CEOs believe Gen AI will increase revenue, PwC CEO Survey 2024 added. According to EYs CEO Survey, Indian leaders are swiftly integrating AI technologies into their business strategies, with 70% of CEOs planning to increase investment in new tech and AI. Seen in this light, IITDs innovative programme acquires great significance. IIT Delhis Programme on Technology and AI Leadership offers learning from a globally recognised leader in AI and technology. With a legacy of academic excellence and innovative research, IITD hosts some of the brightest minds, driving advancements that redefine AIs potential. IITDs celebrated faculty have played a crucial role in leading significant initiatives and partnerships with industry giants and global academic institutions. This programmes curriculum is designed to empower professionals to become visionary tech leaders, driving successful initiatives and navigating an evolving landscape. Whether one is a tech pioneer, strategist, or entrepreneur, this programme enhances your ability to use technology as a catalyst for innovation in the digital age. Programme Highlights Lets explore the programme highlights to discover the key features and benefits of IIT Delhis Technology and AI Leadership Programme. 100% live instruction by very reputed IIT Delhi professors and senior industry leaders from multi-national enterprises Hands-on guidance using no-code tools to enhance tech agility A 2-day immersion at the IIT Delhi campus Access to tried and tested practitioner insights through 10+ sessions by tech leaders Industry readiness sharpened with real-world case studies Towards the end of the programme, professionals will visit the IIT Delhi campus to network with peers and engage in practical workshops, class discussions, and presentations with leading IIT Delhi faculty. Collaborative Capstone Project: Professionals will be part of a guided capstone project led by IIT Delhi faculty. They will be able to elevate their learning by addressing a real-world tech challenge in a team-based Capstone project. The project will include the use of classroom knowledge, expert insights, and peer collaboration to craft actionable solutions and a strategic roadmap. How does the programmebenefit professionals? The highlight of this programme is that not only does it help build tech proficiency, it also links technology with strategy and operations. It helps assess emerging technologies, integrate cutting-edge platforms, and drive innovation with agile methods. It ensures there is strategic alignment, financial accountability, and robust cybersecurity for a resilient organisation. Programme Modules Heres a look at the programme modules to see how they integrate technology, strategy, and operations for comprehensive learning and practical application. Module 1: Managing AI and ML for business Module 2: Managing digital transformation and strategic alignment Module 3: Organisational leadership in the world of AI and DT Module 4: Project leadership and IT project management Module 5: Cyber resilience and information assurance Module 6: Emerging digital technologies and business models Capstone project: Emerging Technology Assessment Who is this programme for? Tech Leaders and IT Decision Makers: New and emerging tech leaders and IT decision-makers seeking to enhance their technology management skills and strategic acumen will find this programme invaluable for driving successful and impactful digital transformations. Functional managers in core business functions: Functional managers in core business functions aiming to leverage technology to increase efficiency and innovation, while aspiring to advance into more powerful leadership roles, will benefit greatly from this programme. Business consultants, analysts, and tech entrepreneurs: Professionals seeking to gain advanced skills to rethink AI strategy, tap into new markets, disrupt traditional business models, and strengthen their brand, making it more relevant and agile for their customers. Programme Details Technical Orientation: December 30, 2024 Duration: 7 Months | Live Online Programme Fee: 1,69,000 Eligibility: Graduate (10+2+3) or Diploma holders (Only 10+2+3) from a recognised university are eligible to apply About IITD The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) is one of the 5 initial IITs established for training, research, and development in science, engineering and technology in India. Established as the College of Engineering in 1961, the Institute was later declared an Institution of National Importance under the Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Act, 1963 and was renamed as Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. It was then accorded the status of a Deemed University with powers to decide its own academic policy, to conduct its own examinations, and to award its own degrees. Since its inception, over 48000 have graduated from IIT Delhi in various disciplines including Engineering, Physical Sciences, Management, and Humanities & Social Sciences. The Department of Management Studies is ranked 4th in the country in NIRF and QS rankings. The alumni of IIT Delhi today work as scientists, technologists, business managers, and entrepreneurs. There are several alumni who have moved away from their original disciplines and have taken to administrative services, active politics or are with NGOs. In doing so, they have contributed significantly to the building of this nation, and to industrialisation around the world. More and more Indian students are going abroad to enhance their educational experience and career prospects. The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia are among the most popular destinations for Indian students. Emerging study destinations like Ireland and New Zealand are also becoming important. However, students must plan early and carefully consider several factors to secure admission to a good institution and ensure their safety and comfort abroad. Students must plan early and carefully consider several factors to secure admission to a good institution and ensure their safety and comfort abroad.(Shutterstock.com) In an email interview with HT Digital, Piyush Kumar, Regional DirectorSouth Asia and Mauritius at IDP Education, shares key insights for Indian students, covering recent visa policies, financing options, post-study work opportunities, and strategies to overcome challenges like housing and visa rejections. Which are the top countries for Indian students when they look at studying abroad? Indians are increasingly considering overseas education as an important step to gain a global perspective, enhance their education, and improve their career prospects. Studying abroad not only offers access to world-class education but also provides opportunities to develop cross-cultural communication skills, build global networks, and gain valuable international experience. Indians have traditionally favoured English-speaking countries due to the ease of communication and the alignment of educational systems. Additionally, countries that offer welcoming attitudes towards international students, particularly through work permits and stay-back options, have become even more attractive. The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia are among the top choices for Indian students. According to the recent data shared by the government in Rajya Sabha, in the current year, of the 1,33,5878 Indian students, 4,27000 were studying in Canada, 3,37,630 in the US, 1,85,000 in the UK and 1,22,202 in Australia. There is also a rise in interest in Ireland and New Zealand as attractive study-abroad options for Indians. Though countries such as Italy, Germany, and France are gaining popularity among Indian students, the numbers are too low compared to the English-language countries. All these six English-speaking countries (Australia, Canada, the US, the UK, New Zealand and Ireland) not only provide quality education but also foster an environment where Indian students can thrive academically, culturally, and professionally. Given the recent visa cap announcements by countries like Australia and Canada, how should students plan their study abroad journey? Both countries have always been traditionally welcoming towards international students. Genuine students who want to go there to study in either of these countries need not worry. In Australia, the visa cap primarily impacts universities with a high proportion of international students. The goal is to better balance the number of domestic and international students and address issues such as overcrowding and resource allocation, including housing. In Canada, despite the visa cap, it is crucial to note that Indian students remain a significant cohort, representing a substantial portion of the international student market. The cap is till 2025 and is undertaken to ensure international students get the best infrastructural support, such as housing and healthcare. Students who plan to study in Australia or Canada should start their application process early to secure their preferred institute. Students should also apply to multiple institutions to maximise their chances of acceptance. Additionally, staying informed about the latest visa policies can help them navigate the process more effectively. Consulting with education advisors and exploring various pathways can also help students make well-informed decisions. By maintaining a proactive approach and focusing on their academic and career goals, students can successfully plan their study abroad journey despite the recent changes. How can Indian students finance their foreign education? Especially those from weak economic backgrounds? Financing overseas education has now become hassle-free for everyone. One of the major reasons is due to easy availability of bank loans and various funding opportunities. Scholarships and Grants: A wealth of scholarships and grants are available to Indian students. These financial aids are designed to recognise talent and determination, offering support based on merit, destination, student-specific, need, or field of study. Many universities, governments, and private organisations are eager to support students who show promise, providing the means to cover tuition, living expenses and at times travel and visa expense as well. These scholarships are provided by trusts, universities, and governments of destination countries. For example, the UK government offers scholarships like Commonwealth and Chevening. Australia offers the Australian Government Research and Training Program (AGRTP) and the Australia Awards Scholarship. Education Loans: Indian banks and financial institutions are increasingly supportive of students aspiring to study abroad. Education loans are tailored to cover a broad range of expenses, including tuition, accommodation, and travel. With flexible repayment options, these loans are designed to be manageable, allowing students to focus on their studies while planning for the future. In order to provide a one-stop solution, IDP has partnered with some of the most trusted financial institutions in India to offer students education loans at the best rates possible. Government Schemes: The Indian government is committed to ensuring that higher education is accessible to all. Therefore, the government has introduced several scholarship schemes. Programmes like Fulbright-Nehru Masters Fellowships and Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship can cover expenses such as living costs, tuition fees, health and visa fees, and are accessible to students from all backgrounds. Part-time Work Opportunities: Many countries offer international students the chance to work part-time during their studies. This not only helps cover living costs but also provides valuable work experience. Students can gain independence and develop new skills, all while reducing their financial issues. For instance: In the UK, international students have the opportunity to work part-time, with an allowance of up to 20 hours per week during term time and 40 hours during holidays. International students in Canada are permitted to work part-time for up to 24 hours per week, starting from Fall 2024, during their studies in-campus and off-campus. These opportunities not only help them manage living expenses but also offers valuable work experience. Working part-time allows students to gain independence, develop new skills, and alleviate their financial commitment. What are the post-study work opportunities available to Indian students in different countries? Indian students seeking to gain international work experience and explore career opportunities abroad have a variety of options available. Post-study work visas offer a valuable pathway for students to transition from academic life to professional careers in different countries. Here's a brief overview of the post-study work opportunities available in these popular destinations: United States: Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a programme that allows international students on F-1 visas to gain practical work experience in the US after completing their academic studies. Most F-1 visa holders are eligible for up to 12 months of OPT, while students in STEM fields may be eligible for an additional 24 months (a total of 36 months). To be eligible for OPT, students must have completed a full-time academic programme at a U.S. institution. United Kingdom: The UK Graduate visa offers international students a valuable opportunity to gain work experience after completing their studies. A Graduate visa gives you permission to stay in the UK (to work, or look for work) for at least 2 years after successfully completing a course in the UK. If you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for 3 years. To be eligible, applicants must have successfully completed a full-time degree or postgraduate course at a UK higher education institution. Australia: Under the AIETCA (Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement), Indian students can stay longer in Australia as compared to any other nationalities. All graduates with a bachelors degree, including honours, can extend their post-study work rights by up to 2 years, while those with a masters degreewhether by coursework or researchcan extend theirs by up to 3 years. Doctoral degree holders are eligible for up to 4 years of post-study work rights. Additionally, students studying in regional Australian locations can benefit from an extra 1 to 2 years of work rights, offering them even greater opportunities to gain valuable international experience. Canada: Canada-The Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) in Canada allows international students to obtain a work permit upto three years after completing a masters degree. To be eligible for a PGWP, students must graduate from a designated learning institution and meet specific program-length requirements. For programs of less than two years, students the duration of the work permit granted typically matches the length of the study program. Ireland: Ireland's Graduate visa allows graduates to stay and work in the country for up to two years. To be eligible, applicants must have successfully completed a full-time degree or postgraduate course at an Irish higher education institution. New Zealand: New Zealand's Post-Study Work visa allows graduates to stay and work in the country for up to three years. To be eligible, applicants must have successfully completed a full-time degree or postgraduate course at a New Zealand higher education institution. What are the top reasons for student visa applications to be rejected? How can genuine students avoid these? Securing a student visa is crucial for studying abroad, but applications can be rejected for several reasons. It is advisable to consult an expert counsellor who can guide a student properly. One common issue is incomplete or inaccurate documentation, where missing forms or discrepancies in personal information lead to denial. To avoid this, students should ensure all documents are complete, accurate, and consistent. Insufficient financial proof is another major reason for rejection. Providing clear and detailed financial statements is essential. Additionally, demonstrating strong ties to the home country and being transparent throughout the application process can mitigate such risks. By proactively addressing these issues, genuine students can significantly improve their chances of obtaining a student visa and pursuing their educational dreams abroad. Housing has become a major problem for Indian and international students in the popular countries like the UK and Canada. Are there ways students can avoid accommodation challenges? The UK universities and local housing authorities extensively support international students and provide them with quality and comfortable accommodation. Students in Canada may face slight issues finding the right accommodation, however, with the correct approach, its possible to navigate this successfully. To avoid accommodation difficulties, students should begin their housing search as early as possible, ideally once their university offers are confirmed. Many universities offer on-campus housing or have partnerships with local accommodation providers, making the universitys office a great first resource. Exploring off-campus options, such as private rentals or shared accommodations, can also provide more flexibility in terms of budget and location. Reliable accommodation platforms, recommendations from current students, and online forums or social media groups can be invaluable in finding good options. Additionally, working with accommodation agencies that specialise in assisting international students can offer further support and peace of mind. Moreover, IDP Education works with accommodation partners in Australia, Canada, the UK, and New Zealand. Through the Student Essential Service, students gain access to exclusive rates and deals, as well as a comparison tool to evaluate various accommodation options and make informed choices. SBI PO 2024 Notification Live: The State Bank of India (SBI) will release the notification for the Probationary Officers (SBI PO 2024 notification) in due course of time. Once released, candidates can check the SBI PO notification on the careers portal of the bank sbi.co.in/web/careers/. In the last two years, notifications for this recruitment examination were released in September and registrations started in the same month....Read More In 2023, the SBI PO notification was released on September 6 and the window opened on September 7. In 2022, the notice was published on September 21 and the application process started on September 22. Last year, the test was for 2,000 vacancies while it was for 1,673 vacancies in 2022. Candidates with a graduation degree can apply for SBI PO. Follow this live blog for the latest updates on SBI PO 2024 notification. A student of Class five was allegedly abducted and raped in South Tripura district while she was going back to home after school, said police on Sunday. Police said that they came to know about the incident yesterday and started investigation to found that the minor girl was left near her residence by a 22-year-old youth from the same area. (PIC FOR REPRESENTATION) A case was lodged at Belonia Women police station that stated the rape-survivor didn't return from school on Saturday even after school hours. The girl was later left late evening on Saturday near her house. Police said that they came to know about the incident yesterday and started investigation to found that the minor girl was left near her residence by a 22-year-old youth from the same area. Also read: Dentist accused of rape, abetting suicide of minor girl gets bail over lack of evidence " We have registered a case at Belonia Women police station and started our probe into the case, " said a senior police official from Belonia. The accused youth was charged with rape on minor, procuring or inducing a child to go somewhere with malafide intent unknown to the child, wrongful restraint, the official added. Also Read: College student allegedly stabs minor girlfriend to death in Tripura, dies by suicide later On Thursday, a minor girl was allegedly abducted and gangraped in North Tripura district. Two youths were arrested in this regard. Last month, two minors were arrested in South Tripura district over the alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl and one of the accused also poured hot water on the girls private parts. Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao and Te Pukenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (NZIST) has announced a new initiative exclusively for Indian students, offering scholarships worth more than NZ$200,000 for Indian students. Education New Zealand, NZIST have launched scholarship worth more than NZ$200,000 exclusively for Indian students. Launched recently during an event hosted at the New Zealand High Commission in New Delhi, the New Zealand Science and Technology Scholarships aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) and is available for Indian students enrolling in their first year of a full-time programme in New Zealand for 2025, as informed in a press release. Also read: ADRE admit card for Bachelor's, HSLC posts out at sebaonline.org, direct link Students who get selected for the scholarship program can seek admissions at New Zealands globally recognised educational institutes that deliver career-focused applied learning, are connected to industry and local communities, and offer real-world learning experiences, among others, as stated by the release. Some of the programmes eligible for the scholarship include agri-technology, applied health sciences, aquaculture, architecture, biotechnology, construction, computing systems, digital technology, engineering (several specialisations), food technology, information technology, marine conservation, nursing, quantity surveying, veterinary nursing, and viticulture. Ziena Jalil, Chief of Staff at Te Pukenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, emphasised the need for more individuals skilled in science and technology the two elements that are integral to the world at present. Also read: ADRE 2024: Assam govt to come up with SOP on frisking of women candidates, probe Nalbari incident, says CM Jalil said that the New Zealand Science and Technology Scholarships is a commitment and contribution to supporting Indian student's access to globally recognised qualifications, underpinned by industry best practices, in fields with high talent demand. She added that Indian students comprise the largest cohort of international students across the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology and add to the rich cultural diversity of its more than 80 campus sites throughout the country. Also read: BPSC TRE 3 final answer key for classes 1-5 out at bpsc.bih.nic.in, direct link It is not uncommon to see large Diwali celebrations on our campuses, said Jalil. Meanwhile, the window for the submission of applications for the scholarships is open now. For more information on eligibility criteria, programmes, and institute details, aspirants are advised to visit tepukenga.ac.nz/scholarship/ Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi on Monday said the state is on track to become a leader in skill development. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi said on Monday that the state is on path to become leader in skill development. (PTI) He made the announcement while congratulating two local youths for their outstanding achievements at the 47th World Skills Competition held in Lyon, France, from September 10 to 15. The two youths are Amaresh Kumar Sahu and Gedela Akhil. Sahu earned a bronze medal in renewable energy, while Akhil received a medallion for excellence in water technology, bringing pride to Odisha on the global stage. Also read: School teachers take out rally demanding justice for murdered RG Kar doctor in Kolkata Praising the achievements, Majhi in a statement said, "The accomplishments of our skilled youth at the World Skills Competition are a source of immense pride for Odisha. Their success exemplifies the state's commitment to nurturing young talent and developing skills that meet global standards." He also noted that these victories would inspire many others to aim for excellence on a global platform. The Chief Minister also acknowledged the contributions of the institutions that supported their training, including the World Skill Center, Central Tool Room and Training Centre (CTTC) in Bhubaneswar, and CV Raman Global University. Also read: DU releases Spot Round-I admissions schedule, registration begins on Sept 18, check dates here Amaresh, a native of Deogarh district, is currently pursuing a diploma in Mechatronics at CTTC, Bhubaneswar. Akhil is pursuing a B.Tech in civil engineering at CV Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar. Sahu received expert training from Vietnam, while Akhil benefited from mentorship provided by a specialist from South Africa. The World Skills Competition is an international event that gathers participants from over 80 countries to compete across various sectors, including manufacturing, technology, and services. Also read: MAH BBA/BCA/BMS/BBM/integrated CET merit list tomorrow at cetcell.mahacet.org The 47th edition in Lyon saw 15 of Indias 60 participants hailing from Odisha, underscoring the state's leadership in the skills ecosystem. Officials noted that the selection process for World Skills is rigorous, involving a three-tiered evaluation before participants represent India on the international stage. Odishas World Skill Center has played a crucial role in mentoring and preparing these participants, they said. As rallies continue to sweep the city streets demanding justice for the raped-murdered woman medic of RG Kar hospital, hundreds of school teachers joined the protests on Monday. School teachers in Kolkata took to the streets demanding justice for the murdered RG Kar doctor in Kolkata. (Samir Jana/ Hindustan Times/For representation) The teachers marched from College Square to Shyambazar calling for the arrest of all those involved in the incident and a speedy trial. Teacher Angshuman Nag said, "She (the deceased) is like our daughter. We call for the strictest punishment, condemn efforts to hide evidence and are appalled that the investigating agencies are yet to identify all those responsible for this heinous crime." Also read: DU releases Spot Round-I admissions schedule, registration begins on Sept 18, check dates here He added, "We do not belong to any political party or organisation. We have gathered on our own to voice the protest of ordinary citizens." In a separate demonstration, hundreds of people, including senior doctors like Narayan Bandyopadhyay, formed a human chain at Sinthir More in the northern part of the city, demanding justice for the medic. Also read: MAH BBA/BCA/BMS/BBM/integrated CET merit list tomorrow at cetcell.mahacet.org Since the discovery of the woman's body in the state-run hospital on August 9, the city has witnessed unprecedented public protests. Also read: ADRE admit card for Bachelor's, HSLC posts released, heres how to download at slrcg3.sebaonline.org. People from various sections of society have organised rallies demanding justice for the victim and a safe environment for women. The much-anticipated anime fest, Aniplex Online Event 2024, dropped some major announcements within its beginning hours. The event began at 8 pm (PDT) on Sunday, September 15. The event, available to stream for free on YouTube, turned out to be an absolute treat for anime fans as it rolled out new anime announcements and releases of sequels to popular anime. The fest is filled with amazing musical acts and a crazy lineup of anime announcements. Major announcements including new anime releases and sequels were made during the Aniplex Online Fest 2024.(@aniplexUSA/X) Also Read: Solo Leveling Season 2 drops premiere date with a theatrical surprise at Aniplex Online Fest 2024 Here are the key highlights of Aniplex Fest 2024: Here are the most jaw-dropping reveals from Aniplex 2024. This year's fest has set the stage for an electrifying year ahead. Get ready for some major excitement in the anime world. Solo Leveling Season 2 and theatrical surprise The anime announced the premiere of the much-awaited season 2 of Solo Leveling. The anime sequel will premiere in January 2025 and release a key visual of the anime as well. The anime surprised fans with the theatrical release of Solo Leveling theatrical release which will feature a recap of season 1 of the anime and the first two episodes of the animes sequel. The film will be released in November this year. The animation series will be officially available to stream on Crunchyroll. Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II The anime revealed its premiere date, October 4, 2024. The animation series will be officially available to stream on Crunchyroll. During the Aniplex fest, a key visual and a second promo trailer of the anime were also released. The opening theme song, GG by ReoNA, was also unveiled during the event. UniteUp! Anime premiere announcement The premiere announcement for the anime UniteUp was made during the Aniplex Fest. The anime is set to premiere in January 2025. A new trailer of the anime was released to make the premiere announcement which also featured the opening theme titled, Uni:Birth. The animation series will be officially available to stream on Crunchyroll. Blue Exorcist- Beyond the Snow Saga It is time to travel to the dark side as the Blue Exorcist announced the release date of Blue Exorcist- Beyond the Snow Saga. The dark mystery of the Blue Night will unfold on October 5 and be available to stream on Crunchyroll. The opening theme is titled Re Rescue by Reol. Also read: My Hero Academia Season 7 Episode 18: Exact release date, time and more Fate/Strange Fake world premiere announcement The Fate/Strange Fake announced the animes world premiere is scheduled for November 2024 in Los Angeles. The premiere was announced as part of Dates 20th Anniversary Showcase. The anime also released character visual volumes 1 and 2 during the Aniplex event. The character visuals featured Tine and Archer & Silver Wolf and Lancer. It will be available to stream on Crunchyroll. Dark Moon: The Blood Altar with ENHYPEN The new anime Dark Moon: The Blood Altar was announced during the Aniplex Fest 2024. It will be a treat for both anime and K-pop fans as the animation series will feature members of the South Korean band ENHYPEN. The release date and cast of the animation are yet to be released. However, it is confirmed that the anime will stream on Crunchyroll. Kareena Kapoor is one of the biggest stars in the Hindi film industry, having remained a favourite among fans across her decades-long career. The actor, whose latest release The Buckingham Murders is out in theatres, achieved a milestone in her career. She completed 25 years in Bollywood. To celebrate this feat, PVR Cinemas has organised a film festival in her name. (Also read: Kareena Kapoor's motherhood on screen has always been laced with loss, from Kurbaan to The Buckingham Murders) Kareena Kapoor in a still from Jab We Met and Kabhie Kushie Kabhi Gham. Kareena Kapoor film festival This multi-city film festival will pay tribute to the actors illustrious career, and showcase some of her most acclaimed and lauded performances on the big screen once again. It will be a first for a female actor in India, with Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan being the only two actors to have had a film festival dedicated to them. A trailer of the film festival was released, which contained clips from Kareena's most-loved films and characters, including Poo from Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham, Geet from Jab We Met, and the titular role in Chameli. Details about the same will be shared soon. Kareena took to her Instagram account to share her reaction to this tribute. In the caption, she wrote, The blood in my veins, the magic on screen my job I love the fire within heres to the next 25 (red heart reactions). Thank you to @pvrcinemas_official & @inoxmovies for curating this beautiful festival so humbled. More details Kareena made her acting debut with JP Dutta's Refugee in 2000. Since then, she has over 50 films to her credit, having starred in movies such as Chameli, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Omkara, Jab We Met, Heroine, 3 Idiots, Kurbaan, We Are Family, Udta Punjab, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Laal Singh Chadha. Fans will see her next in Rohit Shetty's Singham Again, also starring Ajay Devgn. Growing up in a small town in Rajasthan, Sohum Shah like millions of others wanted to become Shah Rukh Khan. That dream has changed he is still in awe of the superstar but wants to travel a journey all his own. In fact, the actor-producer thinks of Shah Rukh and his contemporaries Salman Khan and Aamir Khan more like his gurus. (Also Read: Sohum Shah announces Tumbbad 2 amidst re-release success of Tumbbad: Pralay phir aayega) Actor-producer Sohum Shah reveals how he has been influenced by the three Khans.(PTI) Sohum on his journey Sohum, who ran a real estate business in home town Sri Ganganagar before coming to Mumbai, has charted an extraordinary career path. He has acted and backed the cerebral Ship of Theseus and the horror film with a difference, Tumbbad, which re-released in theatres on September 13. He is also familiar to OTT viewers from his roles in Maharani and Dahaad. I came to the industry after watching Shah Rukh Khan... I am a big fan of Shah Rukh Khan but meri life ki journey alag hai . You realise that there can be only one Shah Rukh Khan, Sohum told PTI. He is beautiful and charming no doubt, but I am also somebody and god has created me with care. I have no complaints that I am not SRK. I don't even want to be. There is so much pressure on him. He has to come out of Mannat just to wave to his fans, the actor said with a laugh. The 3 Khans Sohum said he considers the triumvirate of Hindi cinema the last of the superstars and has learnt a lot from them. Charm from one, sartorial style from the second and work ethic from the third. Though he has not directly worked with any of the three Khans, except for a small role in the Shah Rukh-produced OTT series Bard of Blood, the actor said he has been greatly influenced by them. They have been my three gurus Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, he said. From Shah Rukh sir, I learnt charm and the way a man should be... Nobody can have charm like that of Shah Rukh Khan. Kisi aadmi me 5 per cent Shah Rukh Khan nahin hai to use jeene ka bhi haq nahin hai (If someone doesn't have 5 percent of Shah Rukh in them they don't have a right to live), he joked. Salman had huge influence too during Sohums growing up years. In our house, you would get two pairs of clothes and when I was in college, my brother was travelling to Jaipur. I asked him to get me denim because I had seen Salman Khan wearing one, he said. And Aamir, he said, is his Dronacharya. He has contributed a lot to Tumbbad... to live with a project for six-seven years . Deep down, I follow his philosophy. His philosophy is that work on one thing but do a proper job, the actor told PTI. Aamir's ex-wife Kiran Rao was the presenter of Ship of Theseus, the 2012 philosophical drama that marked Sohum's debut as a producer. Growing up on mainstream films The Lagaan filmmaker's work ethic has also benefited Sohum in his business ventures. I strongly believe in his philosophy that do a good job on whatever you are doing and success will be a by-product. It is such a simple philosophy, I don't know why people don't adopt it. Sohum said he grew up on mainstream cinema with Amitabh Bachchan's 1991 hit Hum being a particular favourite. He backs unconventional projects but his go to movies are still quintessential masala movies and comedies of all shapes. Films like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, Andaz Apna Apna, Hera Pheri, Welcome are some of my favourite films in the genre. I can watch any kind of comedy film and there is no other genre that I like very much... And now there are not many left for me to watch. I have seen Golmaal, all of Basu Chatterjee's movies. His varied taste in cinema Sohum said his cinema education has become more varied, thanks to the people he has been closely associated with in the last decade. They have helped him develop an eclectic taste in movies. I got the opportunity to spend time with some good people and watch quality films which are very close to my heart. There is a French movie called Amour, about an old couple, talking about it still gives me goosebumps. Then there is an Iranian movie called A Separation. I watched that film 10 years ago and I still like it very much. Similarly, there was a film called Decision To Leave. It is a very slow film and not many people around me were able to watch it. It's a love story and I liked it very much. I find it good when I get the chance to see or learn something different. But whenever I have to watch a movie with my kids, I crave for a comedy, Sohum said. Actors Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were seen together for the first time since she filed for divorce, marking a significant moment for the high-profile couple. The duo stepped out for a blended family outing on Saturday, where they were even spotted kissing and holding hands with each other. However, a People report now states that fans of the couple shouldn't get too excited. (Also Read Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck seen kissing, holding hands amid divorce; enjoy brunch with kids: Report) Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were recently spotted together Moving forward with divorce They all came together for a fun lunch so the kids could hang out. (Jennifer) is trying to be friendly with Ben. They are still moving forward with the divorce though. They are working out financial details amicably, the report quotes an insider as saying. A divorce is never easy, but Jennifer doesn't want to be selfish about it. The kids always got along and have fun together. It makes her happy seeing the kids happy together. Happy kids are her priority, they added. The estranged couple was reportedly spotted arriving at a Los Angeles hotel with their children. They were accompanied by his children from his previous marriage to Jennifer Garner 15-year-old Seraphina and 12-year-old Samuel as well as Jennifer Lopez's 16-year-old twins, Max and Emme, whom she shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony. The pair was also photographed inside an SUV, with Affleck behind the wheel and Lopez seated beside him. About Bennifer split Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from Ben Affleck on August 20, 2024, a little over two years after their marriage, which followed a rekindled romance. In her filing, she indicated that the couple had been separated since April 2024. This family outing comes just a week after Jennifer Lopez attended the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival's premiere of Unstoppable alone. Ben, a co-producer on the film, remained in Los Angeles and was not present at the event. During the premiere, one of the film's co-producers and Ben's longtime friend, Matt Damon, was photographed interacting with Jennifer Lopez at an afterparty. Despite their personal issues, director William Goldenberg emphasized that the focus remained on the film. "It's always been about the movie," he said, adding, We just kept it about the movie. We just kept her eye on the prize. Besides Unstoppable, Jennfier will also be seen in Kiss of the Spider Woman. Meanwhile, Ben will next star in The Accountant 2. Friends actor Matthew Perry filled countless lives with laughs and sparks of joy, all thanks to his iconic persona as the fictional Chandler Bing. His death, however, cast a dark cloud of wishful thinking and what-ifs last October. A post-mortem examination eventually determined his demise was linked to a high concentration of the drug ketamine in his blood. Actor Matthew Perry participates in the BUILD Speaker Series to discuss the mini-series "The Kennedys After Camelot" in New York on March 30, 2017. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) In August 2024, five co-conspirators, including two doctors, were charged in connection with the actors fatal overdose. This notorious lot included Jasveen Sangha The Ketamine Queen of North Hollywood, Dr Salvador Plasencia, Dr Mark Chavez, Erik Fleming and Perrys longtime live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa. The sinister web established by the quintet ultimately cost the Hollywood star his life. Perry had been publicly candid about his substance abuse history and detailed his relationship with addiction in the memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing." But with doctors involved in the elaborate scheme to exploit the actor, Perrys case further flashed a brighter spotlight on the rampant secret Hollywood drug ring, ruining who knows how many lives. This undated image of the indictment from the US District Court for the Central District of California against people who reportedly supplied ketamine to Friends star Matthew Perry shows alleged evidence discovered in what authorities have dubbed the Sangha stash. (AFP) Also read | Ryan Reynolds ready to offer millions to secure Blake Lively's It Ends With Us future without Justin Baldoni in it TMZ's Matthew Perry documentary airs tomorrow The new documentary TMZ Investigates Matthew Perry and the Secret Celebrity Drug Ring, which will be released tomorrow, will again focus on the shady business hidden in plain sight. Famed celebrities like Kelly Osbourne will shed all inhibitions and forthrightly address dirty tricks employed by doctors who push known addicts further into the dark territory in an attempt to expand their contacts in the industry and reap immoral profits. TMZ reports Jackass star Brandon Novak will also outspokenly admit how he traded swag for drugs in doctors offices.Additionally, media personality and addiction medicine specialist Dr Drew will join the conversation to lay bare the downright sociopathic behaviour of doctors involved in this monkey business. The renowned expert will give away the dirty secrets harboured by a network of MDs who no longer pledge loyalty to their once ethical calling. A redacted undated photograph in a Grand Jury charging document shows what is described as a fraudulent prescription for ketamine and a box containing ketamine lozenges that alleged co-conspirator Dr. Mark Chavez had sent to Dr. Salvador Plasencia of Santa Monica.(via REUTERS) Also read | ABC whistleblower alleging Harris vs Trump debate was rigged died in a car crash? MTG's claims fuel speculations The documentary as a whole will also unmask enablers and rehab centres tied to the secret drug ring. The new TMZ Matthew Perry documentary will air on FOX on Monday, September 16, at 9 pm ET. Its streaming premiere is slated for Tuesday on Hulu. Check out the link: www.fox.com/matthew-perry-and-the-secret-celebrity-drug-ring/ Bengaluru, The Karnataka State Women's Commission on Monday asked a Kannada film chamber to come up with an action plan for putting together a committee against sexual harassment or give reasons why it is not possible to do that. Karnataka Women's Commission gives Kannada film industry 15 days to come up with POSH plan Director of Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce N M Suresh and filmmaker Kavitha Lankesh, who attended a meeting in this connection, confirmed the commission's direction to the chamber. In the meeting convened by KFCC with women artistes, as directed by the state Women's Commission a few days ago, the former was given 15 days to come up with an action plan for putting together a POSH committee or give reasons why it is not possible to do that. "It is a small step in the battle for justice to women in the film industry. And today it really felt like we were in a battle even for this small gain," said Lankesh president of Film Industry for Rights & Equality . She was present in the meeting. Incidentally, FIRE set the ball rolling in the Kannada film industry when on September 4, it managed to get 153 artistes to undersign a petition to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, demanding a committee on the lines of the Justice K Hema Committee, whose report revealed instances of abuse and harassment of women professionals in Malayalam cinema, leading to outcry. According to Lankesh, it has also decided to conduct a survey among women in the industry, offering them a chance to come out with their problems anonymously, if they so wish so. Suresh said the organisation will be looking into the demand to introduce POSH Act in Kannada film industry as well as forming a panel on the likes of Hema Committee. During the meeting, the Women's Commission presented a 17-point agenda to tackle the sexual and other exploitation of women in the industry. "Once they send these 17 demands as a letter, we will convene a meeting among us and discuss further. The point is, no woman in Kannada industry has come forward to make a formal complaint against anyone to us so far. Neither has the women's commission any complaint from industry women lodged with them. So we will have to see if we really require a committee like Hema committee. These things we will discuss soon," said Suresh. Lankesh said so far when women had come forward, they were either belittled or asked to compromise, thus dissuading others. "Without even a helpline number, women or the workers, who are also exploited, had nowhere to go. Now, with all the pushing and prodding after Hema committee report was released, we have at least come this far," Lankesh added. Chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Women Nagalakshmi Chowdhary could not be reached. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Megastar Chiranjeevi has extended his support to flood-affected victims of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh by donating 50 lakh to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. (Also read: Pawan Kalyan, Ram Charan to Mahesh Babu and Prabhas: 12 actors who donated generously for flood relief in Telugu states) Chiranjeevi donated for relief work in flood-affected areas. Chiranjeevi met Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy at the latter's residence in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, on Monday and handed over a cheque. Taking to his X handle, Revanth Reddy shared Chiranjeevi's donation news. Another cheque of 50 lakh was handed over by Chiranjeevi on behalf of his son and actor Ram Charan. Actor Ali also met Revanth Reddy and presented a 3 lakh cheque.Actor Vishwak Sen also donated 10 lakh to relief fund. On September 4, Chiranjeevi took to X and expressed concern over the loss of lives and the hardships caused to people due to floods in the Telugu states. Announcing his financial support to the two states amid the floods, he wrote, "We all need to be involved in relief efforts in some way. As part of this, I am announcing my contribution of one crore rupees (50 lakhs each to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana CM Relief Fund) to help in providing relief to the people in both the states." Not only Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan, other celebs also did their part. Mahesh Babu also shared a post on X, urging everyone to do their bit to help the victims. "In light of the floods impacting both the Telugu states, I am pledging a donation of 50 lakhs each to the CM Relief Fund for both AP and Telangana. Let's collectively support the measures being undertaken by the respective governments to provide immediate aid and facilitate the recovery process for the flood-affected regions. I urge everyone to contribute to this cause. May we rise above this crisis and emerge stronger," Mahesh Babu wrote. Actor Allu Arjun also extended financial aid to the victims. In a post on X, he shared that he donated " 1 crore in total to the CM Relief Funds of both states to support the relief efforts. Praying for everyone's safety." "I'm saddened by the loss and suffering caused by the devastating rains in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In these challenging times, I humbly donate 1 crore in total to the CM Relief Funds of both states to support the relief efforts. Praying for everyone's safety," Allu Arjun wrote on X on Wednesday. NTR Jr also donated 1 crore to the Chief Ministers' Relief Fund. He took to X to express his concern for those affected by the floods and said he is "deeply moved" by the recent floods in two Telugu states and is announcing a donation of 50 lakh for each of the two affected states. "I am deeply moved by the recent floods in two Telugu states due to heavy rains. I pray to God that Telugu people recover from this calamity soon. On my part, I am announcing a donation of 50 lakhs each to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governments to help the measures taken by the Governments of the two Telugu States for relief from the flood disaster," the English translation of his post in Telugu read. The Telangana Chief Minister, on September 2, declared the immediate assistance of 5 crore to the flood-hit districts of Khammam, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Mahbubabad, and Suryapet. (With inputs from ANI) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan (MFA) congratulated Mexico on its national day, Azernews reports, citing the post shared by ministry on its official "X" account. "Our congratulations and best wishes to the United Mexican States and its people on the occasion of their National Day!" the post reads. Police have reportedly booked a zero First Information Report (FIR) against choreographer Shaik Jani Basha, popularly known as Jani Master, on allegations of sexually assaulting a woman. As per a report by The Hindu, police said that the woman, aged 21, is also a choreographer. In her complaint to the Raidurgam police in Hyderabad, the woman, who has been closely working with Jani Master for the past few months, claimed he has been sexually assaulting her during their outdoor shoots. Also read: Nani says Hema Committee report is bothering him Jani Master is a choreographer, who predominantly works in Telugu and Tamil cinema. Woman says Jani Master assaulted her at her home Based on her statement, a zero FIR was reportedly booked by the Raidurgam police and it has been transferred to Narsingi police for further investigation. The complainant said that Jani had sexually assaulted her multiple times during their shoots in different cities, including Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad. She also claimed that he assaulted her at her residence in Narsingi several times... since the woman is a resident of Narsingi, the case has been transferred to the police there and further investigation will be taken up, a senior police official said. The case shall be investigated further Jani Master was booked under clause (2) and (n) of section 376 (rape), criminal intimidation (506) and voluntarily causing hurt (323) of the IPC, said the police. The DG of Women Safety Wing (WSW) Telangana, Shikha Goel said that people from the film fraternity reached out to her for guidance in the case. I advised them to launch an internal inquiry under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act and since the allegations also attract criminal charges, they were also told to register a case with the law and order police the case shall be investigated further as per protocol, she said. More about Jani Master Earlier in June, Satish, a dancer, had reportedly filed a complaint against Jani Master with the Raidurgam police station. Satish accused the choreographer of harassment, claiming that he was preventing him from securing work in film shoots. However, Jani Master refuted these allegations during a press conference. In 2019, Jani Master was reportedly sentenced to six months in jail by a local court in Medchal, Hyderabad, for a 2015 brawl at a college. He is quite active on social media and keeps sharing pictures with everyone from Ram Charan and Pawan Kalyan to Rajkummar Rao. By Danielle Broadway and Christina Anagnostopoulos TV's Emmy Awards devote time to honoring diverse actors and series LOS ANGELES, Sept 15 - At the Emmy Awards on Sunday, Hollywood celebrated a diverse line-up of nominees and winners at television's highest honors and feted the success of Latino, LGBTQ and Japanese talent and stories. Disney's "Shogun" took the top prize of best drama series following its record number of Emmys for a single season of a television series. Japanese actors Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada won best actress and actor for "Shogun", while Frederick E. O. Toye won best director for a drama series for his work on the show. The series also picked up 14 trophies at the Creative Arts Emmys, a precursor event that recognizes guest actors and crafts such as cinematography and production design. The series has garnered attention for featuring a majority Japanese cast with Japanese being the primary language spoken within the series. Upon winning best drama, Sanada spoke words of thanks in Japanese. A standout among Latino winners was "The Bear" actor Liza Colon-Zayas, who plays a chef named Tina Marrero. Colon-Zayas beat industry giants Meryl Streep and Carol Burnett in the best supporting actress category. "And to all the Latinas who are looking at me. Keep believing and vote. Vote for your rights," Colon-Zayas said during her acceptance speech. Echoing her, actor and comedian John Leguizamo described the Hollywood opportunity gaps that's he's faced throughout his career in Hollywood. Leguizamo called himself a "DEI hire," saying the D is for diligence, the E is for excellence, the I is for imagination. Usually, DEI stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion, types of initiatives that help increase representation for historically overlooked communities. Vice President Kamala Harris has received accusations from the right of being a DEI hire since her presidential nomination. "Everybody played us, except us. I didn't see a lot of people on TV who looked like me," Leguizamo said of his childhood. "We need more stories from excluded groups, Black, Asian, Jewish, Arab, LGBTQ and disabled. And this show tonight is proof that our industry is making progress," he added. Mexican actor Diego Luna, a presenter, also spoke in Spanish and reminded the audience that 50 million people speak that language in the United States. The award ceremony's focus on inclusion and diversity was also a key aspect for Governors Award winner, Greg Berlanti. The Governors Award recognizes an individual, company, or organization that has made a "profound, transformational, and long-lasting contribution to the arts and/or science of television". "TV history was made on 'Dawson's Creek' as Greg was the first writer producer to show a gay kiss on prime times between two teenagers, and that was back in 2000 I remember being so proud," said actor and presenter Joshua Jackson. Berlanti is a prolific showrunner with over 45 shows and a record breaking 20 scripted series on TV at once. He described himself as a "closeted gay kid" and gave a heartfelt speech about how thankful he is to his late mother along with a special thank you to his husband, Robbie Rogers. "Back then, the only way to tell if another kid might be gay was if he also watched Dynasty and Dallas and could name all four of the Golden Girls." He received a standing ovation. Similarly, actor Jodie Foster thanked her wife Alexandra Hedison, at the end of her acceptance speech for winning best actress in a limited series for her role in "True Detective: Night Country." The Emmy awards also gave a special nod to actor Nava Mau. Following in Black actor Laverne Cox' footsteps, who was the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an acting Emmy award, was Mexican "Baby Reindeer" actor Mau. Mau was the first transgender woman to be nominated in the best supporting actress category for her work on the Netflix show. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Last week, the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) along with the University of Sydney, launched a partnership to tackle pressing health issues pertaining to One Health, including the rise of infectious diseases. World Health Organisation (WHO) describes One Health as an integrated, unifying approach to balance and optimise the health of people, animals, and the environment. It has been particularly emphasised to prevent, predict, detect, and respond to new and emerging infectious diseases such as Covid-19. The joint programme of PHFI and the University of Sydney is designed to focus on four critical pillars disease surveillance, antimicrobial resistance, innovation (including vaccine development), and training the next generation of health professionals, according to the people handling the project. Professor Antoine van Oijen, associate dean (research), University of Sydney, explains why such partnerships are required in todays world. We started to recognise many years ago that health is global health, so we need to work together in tackling the problems that our society is facing. We need to identify those collaborative projects around research or teaching or combinations of both that will lead as quickly as possible to true impact where it counts, he said. For me, this collaboration is about identifying what areas of expertise between the two organisations can be put together to set activities in motion. Its all about exploring mutual synergies to ensure we build the next generation of health care providers, researchers, and educators that can scale the capacity for our countries to tackle these problems, van Oijen added. One Health is a vast subject; therefore, there is also the need to identify priorities within the programme. Keeping this in mind, the technical experts from both institutions will co-design the research programme based on Indias national priorities, for which the University of Sydney has committed 100,000 Australian dollars. The work we do we always keep in mind two things whats the impact of that work and whether its addressing the equity problem. And its not going to be just between PHFI and the University of Sydney but many other institutions and organisations that we have invited for further collaborations such as the Indian Council of Medical Research, Niti Aayog, Manipal Institute, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and Jawaharlal Nehru University, said Sanjay Zodpey, president, PHFI. The efforts of our work are complementary to the government; we align our work with national priorities only. In fact, in some of the initiatives we will be working with the government as well. Jocelyne Basseal, associate director, infection prevention and control portfolio, the University of Sydney, said, You need funding to do research, so this is our commitment to this relationship to make it a success. We have seen during Covid-19 how these novel diseases can spread from country to country. Its a global problem and its true that no one is safe until everyone is safe. We cannot work as isolated nations in the world we have to be able to support each other and come up with designs together. The relevance of global equitable access while managing public health crises came to the fore when the world was tackling the Covid-19 crisis. That is when this valuable piece of wisdom No one is safe until everyone is safe resonated with governments, UN agencies, and others working to manage the pandemic. Covid-19 may no longer be a global public health emergency, the learning from it is still relevant and will continue to come in handy in managing future pandemics. Rhythma Kaul, national editor, health, analyses the impact of the most significant piece of news this week in the health sector Seven students at Parala Maharaja Engineering College in Odisha's Berhampur were expelled from their hostel for allegedly cooking beef, which led to rising tensions and the deployment of extra police personnel at the college premises. Seven students at Parala Maharaja Engineering College in Odisha's Berhampur were expelled from their hostel for allegedly cooking beef. (Pic for representation) The dean of students' welfare announced on Thursday through a notification that the expulsions were due to the students' involvement in 'restricted activities' that contravened the rules and code of conduct of the Hall of Residence, The Indian Express reported. However, there was no official comment on what these restricted activities entailed. Quoting sources, the report also mentioned that a fine of 2,000 was imposed on one of the expelled students. The students were said to have cooked beef in the hostel on Wednesday night. Subsequently, another group of boarders reported the incident to the dean. As a diverse community, we understand the importance of respecting the values and beliefs of all students. This incident (the alleged cooking of beef) has caused unrest and discomfort, leading to tense atmosphere. I kindly request strict action to be taken against the boarders involved in the incident, read the complaint. Members of Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad also visited the college and met with the principal, demanding stringent action against the students. The college authorities conducted an inquiry into the allegations following a complaint from a group of boarders. The inquiry revealed that the boarders had engaged in certain restricted activities within the college premises, which led to their expulsion. Earlier this month, a viral video had surfaced showing a school principal in Uttar Pradesh's Amroha allegedly expelling a seven-year-old student for bringing non-veg food (biryani) to school. The principal was also seen making derogatory remarks as the student's mother questioned the reason for her child's expulsion. Following the public backlash, Sudhir Kumar, the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Amroha announced that the basic shiksha adhikari (BSA) and district inspector of schools have been instructed to investigate the matter. A first information report (FIR) has been registered against eight people for allegedly tying a 28-year-old Dalit man and then thrashed him for entering a local temple in Bagalkot district, police said adding that there are doubts regarding the incident itself. FIR has been registered against eight people for allegedly tying a 28-year-old Dalit man and then thrashed him for entering a local temple in Bagalkot district (File photo) Badami circle inspector Kariappa said that the FIR was registered on Saturday on the basis of a complaint by the victim, Arjun Madara. He said: Following Madaras complaint, we registered a case against eight people under the Prevention of Atrocities Act and BNS sections 352 (intentional insult), 351 (criminal intimidation), and 118 (voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapons). The complaint stated that Madar had gone to offer prayers at Dyamavva Gudi temple on September 10 when some people questioned his right to be in the temple as he was from a Dalit community. This allegedly led to a verbal altercation, which escalated when eight people tied him to a pole and thrashed him, the complaint said. Kariappa said that during the investigation, discrepancies were found in Madaras account. He said: It was discovered that the temple incident might not have taken place as described. The victim was reportedly engaged in a conversation with a woman from the village when an upper-class Reddy advised him against it. Madara allegedly reacted violently, leading to the assault and subsequent complaint of atrocity. The upper-class community has since socially boycotted him, and an investigation is ongoing, he added. New Delhi, The A has scheduled a series of meetings, including that of its political affairs committee, on Monday evening to decide on a new chief minister for Delhi, a day after Arvind Kejriwal's surprise announcement of quitting the post. AAP leaders go into huddle to pick new Delhi CM, political affairs committee meeting in evening Senior A leader and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia reached Kejriwal's official residence to discuss with him the names of probables for the chief minister's post, A leaders said. The A's Political Affairs Committee meeting is scheduled to be held at the Delhi chief minister's residence later in the evening. Delhi ministers Atishi, Gopal Rai, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Kailash Gahlot, some MLAs from the reserved category, including Deputy Speaker of Delhi Assembly Rakhi Birla, as well as the A supremo's wife Sunita Kejriwal, were making the rounds as probables for the post. Addressing A workers at party headquarters on Sunday, Kejriwal announced to step down as chief minister amid corruption allegations against him and vowed not to return to the post till he got a "certificate of honesty" from the people. The A supremo said he would become chief minister and Manish Sisodia deputy CM "only when people say we are honest". Kejriwal, who was released on bail from the Tihar Jail in the excise policy graft case on Friday, has said that he would hold a meeting of A MLAs in a couple of days and one of his party colleagues would take over as chief minister. Alleging the BJP tried to prove him corrupt, Kejriwal claimed the saffron party could not provide good schools and free electricity to people because they were corrupt. "We are honest," he asserted. "They slap false cases against non-BJP chief ministers. If the CMs are arrested, I urge them not to resign but run their government from jail," Kejriwal said on Sunday. "I didn't resign because I respect democracy and the Constitution is supreme for me," he had said and asserted that it was only the A that could stand up to the BJP's "conspiracies". This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Taunting the Congress party, Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday said ex-home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who is from the grand old party, can now visit Jammu and Kashmir with his family as the BJP-led central government has buried terrorism in the Valley. Union home minister Amit Shah. (ANI) Last week, the veteran Congressman had remarked he was scared during a visit to Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar years ago. You must have heard a tall Congress leader Shinde from Maharashtra, who said he was afraid of visiting Lal Chowk (in Srinagar). I want to tell him he should come with his children and grandchildren now, Shah said at an election rally in Ramban. "Koi tumhara baal bhi baka nahi kar sakta (no one can harm you). We have secured Kashmir by burying terrorism, the former BJP president added. What did Shinde say? On September 10, Shinde released his memoir Five Decade in Politics, and recalled a trip to Srinagar in 2012, the year he became the country's home minister. I visited him (educationist Vijay Dhar). He advised me to not roam around but to visit Lal Chowk, meet people, and go around Dal Lake, the senior politician told his audience. People thought here is a home minister who moves around without fearlekin meri fat'ti thi wo kisko bataoon? (but who do I tell that I was scared?). I told you this just to make you (audience) laugh, but an ex-policeman can't speak like this," the former Maharashtra chief minister stated. J&K polls The region's first assembly polls since November-December 2014 will be held on September 18, 25, and October 1. The counting is on October 8. (With PTI inputs) Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday appealed to the voters to stay away from the National Conference (NC)-Congress alliance and vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jammu and Kashmir as he vowed to bury terrorism deep into the earth that it would not be able rear its head again. Union home minister Amit Shah. (ANI) This land of Mata Machail has given supreme sacrifices for the nation. I bow before the ancestors of this sacred land. We all know how terrorism peaked here in the 1990s. The sacrifices of Chanderkant Sharma and Parihar brothers are still fresh in our minds, said Shah at an election rally in Kishtwar districts Padder-Nagseni assembly constituency. Terrorists shot dead Sharma, a member of BJPs ideological fount Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and his bodyguard Rajinder in April 2019. J&K BJP secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit Parihar were shot point blank in November 2018. BJP has fielded former minster Sunil Sharma from Padder-Nagseni and Shagun Parihar, daughter of Ajit Parihar, from Kishtwar assembly constituency. Shah claimed attempts were being made to bring back the 1990s-like situation and spread terrorism. NC and Congress have made promises that their government will release terrorists. But this is Narendra Modis government and none has the guts to spread terrorism. Shah attacked NC chief Farooq Abdullah and asked him where was he when Kishtwar was bleeding from terror attacks. He should be asked if he comes here. But I know where he was. He was enjoying summer vacation in London, Shah said. Shah cautioned the voters to stay away from the two parties that nurtured and nourished terrorism. Congress-NC alliance has always nurtured terrorism. Whenever the NC-Congress government was formed here, they encouraged terrorism. I clearly remember the 1990s. This alliance between Gandhi and Abdullah families, which spread terrorism, wants to get your votes again. He said the BJP government has resolved to wipe out terrorism and initiated some measures. We have strengthened village defence guards and special police officers. We have replaced their obsolete rifles and they are being equipped with self-loading rifles...we are raising a security grid. [Terrorists] may come but they will be wiped out. Shah reiterated the Constitutions Article 370, which gave Jammu and Kashmir semi-autonomous status, is history and will never come back. NC and Congress say that if they came to power, they will bring back Article 370. Modi revoked Article 370 and it has become history. It has no place in the Indian Constitution, he said. He said they will also not allow NC-Congress to snatch reservations to Gujjars and Paharis. Never ever will Jammu and Kashmir have two constitutions and two flags. There will be only one flag. He claimed that NC and Congress had said if they came to power, they would reconsider reservation to Paharis and Gujjars. Firstly, the reservation would not have been possible, had Article 370 stayed here. Secondly, I am watching the Kashmir situation. Let me tell you that neither Farooq Abdullah nor Rahul [Gandhi]...is going to form the government, he said. Shah referred to Maharaja Hari Singh, Jammu and Kashmirs last king, and said he was banished from his state. These parties [NC and Congress] not only insulted Maharaja Hari but also did not allow him to return home. His ashes came back. These parties, who insulted Maharaja Hari Singh, are responsible for the exodus of Pandits, denied rights to women and reservation to marginalised sectionswill you bring them back? he asked. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will meet his ex-deputy, Manish Sisodia, in the national capital on Monday, a day after the former announced his resignation as the CM. Arvind Kejriwal announced he would be stepping down as Delhi CM. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo) According to a party functionary, the two leaders will likely discuss who can replace Kejriwal as the Delhi CM. "Kejriwal and Sisodia will be meeting today. This will be the first meeting after the decision by them. The meeting is also likely to see a discussion over the next chief minister," the AAP leader said, per PTI. The meeting will be held at the official house of Arvind Kejriwal at Delhi's Civil Lines. Arvind Kejriwal announced on Sunday hehe would resign as the chief minister of Delhi after two days. He said he would hold a meeting of AAP MLAs in a couple of days and one of his party colleagues would take over as the chief minister. Kejriwal had said he and Manish Sisodia would return as chief minister and the deputy chief minister only after winning the assembly polls. Kejriwal said he would not sit in the chair until the people of Delhi gave him a "certificate of honesty". "I am going to resign after two days and ask people whether I am honest. I want to appeal to the public, if you think Kejriwal is honest, vote for me. If you think Kejriwal is guilty, do not vote for me. Every vote of yours will be a certificate of my honesty," he said. Following Kejriwal's surprise announcement, the names of his wife Sunita and Delhi ministers Atishi and Gopal Rai are doing the rounds as his probable replacement. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) described the AAP supremo's move as "drama" and a "confession of crime". The party also said that he quit because of the Supreme Court's restrictions on him entering the CM's Office. Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21. He was released from jail last Friday after the Supreme Court granted him regular bail. The current term of the Delhi Assembly is set to expire on February 11, 2025. Kejriwal, however, has demanded that the polls be conducted in November. The last assembly election in Delhi was held on February 8, 2020. AAP secured 62 seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 8 seats in the 70-member assembly. With inputs from PTI, ANI An examinee has accused women security officials at an Assam Direct Recruitment Examination (ADRE) centre of inappropriately touching her, prompting the state police chief Gyanendra Pratap Singh to order a probe. Some women students were forced to keep their dupattas outside the examination halls. (HT PHOTO) The examinee from Nalbari shared a video on Facebook on Sunday alleging the security officials put their hands inside the lower part of my body and even touched my private area. She added she did not know what the process was but felt embarrassed and ashamed. I would have never taken the examination if I knew this would happen to me, she said. The examinee said many other women examinees faced the same experience. They were made to remove clothes and it was happening in an open space. She said she has also appeared in national-level exams but never experienced such a checking. I understand their concern but this was not appropriate. I request the chief minister to verify this because two more phases of this exam are scheduled. In a post on X, Singh referred to overreach by women police personnel while checking candidates at Nalbari during the examination. Since Range DIG Central Western Range and the District Commissioner and District Superintendent of Police of Nalbari are all women, factual position would be known in quick time for further action. Singh added some women students were carrying cheating material in Lakhimpur and a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered. ...cheating material papers were seized hidden inside a woman candidates undergarments. In Silchar, women students, wearing traditional attire, were forced to keep their dupattas outside the examination halls. Parents of some students expressed concern over it. Assam Jatiya Parishad leader Lurinjyoti Gogoi said that such measures affected the mental peace of the candidates. The security personnel undressed the boys, and touched their private parts, and a similar attitude was seen towards the girls. These are serious allegations. I strongly condemn this. The second phase and final phases of ADRE are scheduled for September 22 and September 29. Mobile internet service was suspended for over five hours on Sunday to prevent any unfair means during the first phase. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote on X that the first ADRE exam has concluded peacefully. My deepest gratitude to all the officers and staff of the Assam Government who have successfully completed this monumental task without any issues. I once again assure our younger generation that transparency will remain our hallmark when it comes to government recruitment. The West Bengal government on Monday re-invited agitating junior doctors to chief minister Mamata Banerjee's house in Kolkata for talks. Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee during a meeting with junior doctors' delegation, at her Kalighat residence in Kolkata.(PTI file photo) On Monday, in an email, Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant said representatives of the junior doctors have been invited to the meeting for the fifth and final time. The official said in the letter that there won't be any live streaming or videography of the meeting because the matter is sub-judice in the Supreme Court. He, however, said the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both sides. "This is the fifth and the final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting between the honourable CM and the delegates. In line with our discussion the day before (Saturday), we are once again inviting you for the meeting with the CM at her Kalighat residence for discussions with an open mind," he wrote. The doctors and the Bengal government are currently engaged in a standoff over the former's demand for live streaming of the meeting. While Mamata Banerjee's government refused to allow live streaming of the meeting, it said it would video-record the deliberations. He said the delegation of protesting doctors will be expected to arrive at the venue at 4.45 pm today. Reacting to the invitation, the agitating doctors said they would discuss among themselves and then announce their decision on whether to attend the meeting. On Saturday, Mamata Banerjee made a surprise visit to the site where junior doctors were protesting and assured them that their demands would be addressed. The proposed meeting, however, fell through with the protesters claiming that they were asked to leave "unceremoniously" after waiting for three hours at the gates of CM's residence. Meanwhile, as the doctors refused to enter Banerjee's house, she came out and asked them not to insult her. Junior doctors in Kolkata have been protesting against the rape and murder of a doctor in the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The woman was found raped and murdered inside the seminar hall of the facility. She had gone there to rest amid her 36-hour-long shift. With inputs from PTI A 55-year-old man suffering from heart ailment allegedly committed suicide in Chhattisgarh's Durg district after getting allegedly harassed by Ganesh pandal organisers over a dispute related to loud music, news agency PTI reported. Ganesha is a Pan-Indian inclusive and communal festival. (Hindustan Times) Police said the victim named Dhannu Lal Sahu (55) objected to loud music being played from a Ganesh pandal near his house in Hathkhoj area on Saturday. He appealed to the organisers to turn down the music, but as they refused to listen to his pleas, the conversation quickly escalated into an argument. Also read | Bengaluru police clarifies on viral Ganesh image inside police van. Full details As per preliminary information, Dhannu Lal Sahu and his kin objected to loud music at a Ganpati pandal near his house on Saturday night. Despite being told that Sahu suffered from a heart ailment, the pandal organisers did not turn down the volume, a police official said. Sahu called the police helpline 112 and a police team reached the spot and got the organisers to reduce the volume. However, in a suicide note, the victim claimed that he was harassed by the pandal organisers. The tussle continued between Sahu and the organisers, with both sides reaching the police station but not filing a complaint. On Sunday morning, he was found hanging from the ceiling of his house. We have found a note purportedly written by Sahu accusing a pandal organiser of harassing him. We are verifying its authenticity, the police said. A case of accidental death has been registered under relevant sections and further investigation is underway. In a separate incident in Durg on September 9, four men disrupted a Ganesh Chaturthi procession by dancing and the incident turned fatal as three people lost their lives next day in a fight related to the incident. Village elders had intervened earlier and defused tensions, but the animosity escalated and took a deadly turn on September 10. The authorities on Monday relaxed for nine hours the curfew in ethnic violence-hit Manipurs four districts to allow people to purchase essential items including medicines and food items even as the ban on mobile internet was extended until September 20. Thousands of students took to the streets in Imphal on September 8. (REUTERS) The curfew was imposed on Tuesday last amid protests for handing over the unified command to the Manipur government to oversee security operations in the state. The violence between Meiteis and Kukis triggered in May last year escalated this month with the use of drones and rockets in attacks. At least nine people were killed in drone and long-range rocket attacks. Thousands of students took to the streets in Imphal on September 8 and gave an ultimatum of 24 hours to the authorities to accept their demand of handing over the unified command. A team of Union home ministry officials, the state security adviser, and the army have been handling the command. Officials warned that no gatherings, sit-ins, protesters, rallies, etc will be allowed without approval from the authorities as district administrations of Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, and Thoubal issued separate orders on Sunday about the curfew relaxation from 5 am to 2 pm. Residents thronged markets to buy essential items. The inter-district passenger services were also plying. In a statement, the state government said it reviewed the law and order situation and decided to continue the suspension of internet and mobile data services in Imphal, West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching districts for another five days from September 15. On September 12, the government lifted the suspension of broadband internet services. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will meet lieutenant governor VK Saxena on Tuesday at 4:30 PM, and is likely to tender his resignation, PTI reported. The chief minister has sought time from Saxena for a meeting on Tuesday. He is likely to tender his resignation, the Aam Aadmi Party told the agency. According to a PTI report, the L-G has given Delhi CM Kejriwal appointment for meeting at 4:30 pm on Tuesday. On Sunday, Kejriwal while addressing his party workers had announced his decision to resign. I am going to resign after 2 days; ask people whether I am honest; till they respond, won't sit on CM's chair. I will only sit on CM's chair after people give me certificate of honesty; want to give 'agnipariksha' after coming out of jail, the 54-year-old leader said. ALSO READ: Who will succeed Arvind Kejriwal as next CM in Delhi? 6 possible names Kejriwal made the announcement two days after he walked out of Delhi's Tihar Jail on getting bail by the Supreme Court in a corruption case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) linked to the Delhi excise policy case. Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena with Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal has faith in his people: Saurabh Bharadwaj Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said a legislative party meeting will be held to elect the leader who will take oath as CM. Whoever will get elected will present the claim to the President through the Lieutenant Governor. The MLAs are with us. So obviously that person will be called and will take oath. I think this whole process should be completed within a week, Bharadwaj told ANI. Despite what the Bharatiya Janata Party has done in the past two years, the Chief Minister still has faith in people and his honesty... The people of Delhi are eager for elections to be held so that they can vote and make Arvind Kejriwal the Chief Minister again, the AAP leader added. New Delhi, The Delhi High Court has sought the stand of the Centre and the Indian Air Force on a petition by a woman who has asserted that vacant posts in the force's 'flying branch' should be filled up by commissioning competent women like herself. Delhi HC seeks IAF stand on plea seeking commissioning of women on vacant posts A bench headed by Justice Rekha Palli issued notice to the authorities on the woman's petition and "hoped" that the IAF will dispassionately examine the issue and consider why women, who are found fit for flying duties cannot be commissioned, when the notified vacancies could not be filled up by male candidates. The petitioner, who aspires to join the Indian Air Force as a pilot, had applied for the post pursuant to an advertisement issued by the authorities on May 17, 2023. She submitted that although there were still several vacancies in the flying branch, her candidature was not being considered because the vacancies earmarked for female candidates had already been filled. "Issue notice. Learned counsel for the respondents accept notice and pray for time to obtain instructions," the bench, also comprising Justice Shalinder Kaur, said. "While adjourning the matter, we hope that the highest authority in the Indian Air Force will examine this aspect in a dispassionate manner and consider as to why competent women, who are found fit for flying duties cannot be commissioned, when the notified vacancies could not be filled up by male candidates," the bench observed in the order. The counsel for the petitioner said she has not challenged the advertisement issued by the authorities in which a very small percentage of vacancies were reserved for female candidates in the flying branch. However, as some of the notified vacancies have remained unfilled, there was no reason why those vacancies could not be filled up by commissioning competent women who have been found fit for being commissioned as a pilot as per the rigorous tests conducted by the authorities, it was argued. The matter would be heard next on September 27. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Representatives of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) will participate in a conference of ally Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) on prohibition on prohibition on October 2 in Kallakurichi, where one of the worst hooch tragedies in Tamil Nadu in June claimed 66 lives. Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin. (X) The participation of DMKs organising secretary R S Bharathi and member of Parliament TKS Elangovan was confirmed after a meeting between chief minister M K Stalin with VCK leaders. It was a media hype. There is no problem between the DMK and VCK, VCK chief and member of Parliament Thol Thirumavalan said outside the DMK office after the meeting. It is going smoothly that is why as soon as we met the chief minister told us that they believe in our conference and so he will send DMK representatives for it. VCK earlier set off talks of realignment after it invited Opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and actor Vijays fledgling Tamizha Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) for the conference VCK maintained invites for the conference must not be linked to electoral politics. Invitations to AIADMK and TVK were seen as VCKs message to the DMK. Thirumavalan said the DMK is sending its leaders and that they do not know about the AIADMKs stand. He insisted the conference on prohibition is not linked to the 2026 assembly elections but their way of giving voice to women who have lost their fathers, husbands, and sons to alcohol addiction. This is not the problem of a single party or an alliance. This is a peoples problem. Thirumavalan appealed to the Union government to formulate a national policy on liquor and drugs. The VCK said it will not invite the BJP and its ally Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), continuing with the policy of staying away from parties it believes incite caste and communal passions. PMK has been consistent in its demand for total prohibition and the shutting down of the government-owned Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), which has a monopoly over wholesale and retail liquor. The DMK last week said Stalin did not want TASMAC to continue and that they would shut it down in a phased manner. New Delhi: There has been a surge in substandard chlorinated bags and gloves --- key medical supplies --- particularly from Malaysia, Thailand, China and Vietnam, officials aware of the matter have said, ahead of an impending quality crackdown. The government has initiated a process to bring these items under a Quality Control Order (QCO) to ban the sale of spurious gloves in the domestic market (HT PHOTO) Such supplies could present a concern for patient safety and environmental harm, these people said, suspecting the import surge by traders to make profits by selling substandered products from the stock before the government is expected to ban these items from the domestic market if they have not been certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The government has initiated a process to bring these items under a Quality Control Order (QCO) to ban the sale of spurious gloves in the domestic market. A meeting of technical experts on this issue took place on September 4, and a QCO is expected by the end of this month, the officials said, asking not to be named. Anindith Reddy, a member of the Indian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (IRGMA), said imports of latex and nitrile gloves have jumped in the last two months, with 450 million imported in August alone, according to import data. These gloves are being flooded in the market impending a potential QCO that has put the scare on the importers, he said. Industry data shows imports of these gloves surged by 58.6% to 460 million pieces in August from 290 million pieces in July 2024. Once the QCO is notified, it will enforce a complete ban on non-certified gloves in the domestic market. QCOs are instruments to check the supply of spurious products in the market and are applicable for both imports and domestically-produced items. Experts warn that such materials are hazardous for the environment. Siddharth Singh, programme manager at the Centre for Science and Environment, said, Use of chlorinated plastics is prohibited in healthcare waste management because this waste (in yellow bags) needs to be incinerated in common biomedical waste treatment facilities. Singh added, PVC is a type of chlorinated plastic that can be made from ethylene - a product derived from the oil and gas industry. PVC, like any halogenated plastic, can have a severe effect on air quality if burnt in open spaces and even specialised incineration facilities. Swati Singh Sambyal, a waste management expert, warned: During decomposition or incineration, substandard chlorinated products may release dangerous chemicals, such as dioxins, which are highly toxic and persistent in the environment. These byproducts can contaminate air, water, and soil, affecting ecosystems and human health. The IRGMA has been urging the government to bring surgical gloves and single-use medical examination gloves under the Quality Control Order. Despite existing bans, chlorinated gloves and substandard imported rubber gloves continue to be used due to inadequate monitoring and enforcement of regulations. The government will make essential commodities available at a reasonable price in violence-hit Manipur by opening Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandars to the general public, Union home minister Amit Shah announced on Monday. In addition to the 21 existing centres, 16 new ones will be opened: Amit Shah (Representational Photo) In line with PM @shrinarendramodi Ji's commitment, the MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) is launching an initiative to provide commodities to the people of Manipur at reasonable prices. Now, the Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandars will be open for common people from September 17, 2024, Shah said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He further stated that in addition to the 21 existing centres, as many as 16 new facilities will be opened. Of the new ones, eight each will be in the valley and hills. Manipur's Imphal Valley is dominated by the Meities, the majority community in the northeastern state. The hills, on the other hand, are dominated by the Kukis. Since May 2023, Manipur has been in the throes of ethnic tensions between the two communities, that has led to violent clashes. Over 200 people have been killed, while thousands have been injured and displaced. The state is governed by the BJP, which leads the government at the Centre too. The party's N Biren Singh, the chief minister of Manipur, has been severely criticised by the opposition for failing to end the violence, and not resigning despite the failure. The ruling party has been criticised for allowing Singh to continue, and prime minister Narendra Modi, for not having visited the state even once during the crisis. In recent days, after several weeks of relative calm, tensions have flared up again over the use of drones by alleged Kuki militants. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hit out at the opposition, saying that some people full of negativity are attacking the country's unity and integrity. When trust in India increases, our exports increase and more investment comes into the country. When trust in India increases, foreign investors invest their money in India. They invest in factories. On one hand, every citizen of the country wants to become India's brand ambassador in the whole world and is engaged in taking his country forward, ANI quoted Modi as saying at an event in Ahmedabad. ALSO READ: Congress most dishonest party in country: PM Narendra Modi in Haryana On the other hand in the same country, some people full of negativity are doing the opposite. These people are attacking the unity of the country. These greedy people hungry for power want to break India into pieces. These people are saying together that they will bring back Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir or that they want to implement the rule of two constitutions and two laws in Jammu and Kashmir again, the prime minister said. ALSO READ: At Doda rally, PM Narendra Modi says terrorism breathing its last in J&K, slams 'dynastic politics' People full of negativity do not leave any opportunity to defame India, that is why these people are continuously targeting Gujarat also. Therefore, Gujarat has to be cautious of them. It also has to keep an eye on them. India which is on the path of development will fight such forces strongly. India has no time to waste now, we have to increase the development of India and also give a life of dignity to every Indian. I know that Gujarat is leading in this too, PM Modi said. ALSO READ: Solar, wind, hydro and nuclear to power India in years to come: PM Narendra Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting in Ahmedabad. (BJP/X) Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said that the upcoming assembly elections are the first under the Union Territory status, with Ladakh excluded and the first since the changes made on August 5, 2019, which he described as a betrayal. National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah.(HT_PRINT) In a veiled reference to banned Jamaat-e-Islami backed independent candidates, the National Conference vice president said that in this election, parties that had stayed away from the polls for 30 to 35 years are participating. There are new factors whose impact will become clear later. Taking a swipe at Lok Sabha MP from Baramulla Engineer Rashid, Omar Abdullah said that Rashids connections are elsewhere, he receives signals from other sources and acts according to those signals. He claimed that Rashids attacks are solely directed against the National Conference, indicating he has been fielded to target the party. Engineer Rashid has been accused by the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party of being a proxy for the Bharatiya Janata Party. They allege that he was granted bail just before the elections to split votes and benefit the saffron party. Omar Abdullah also accused the BJP of using money to gather people for Prime Minister Modi's rally on September 19, the day after the first phase of polls in the Union Territory. As many as 30,000 people are expected to attend the Prime Minister's rally, which the BJP plans to hold at Sher-e-Kashmir Park. Earlier, the Prime Minister addressed a rally by gathering government employees. I will see if the BJP can win a seat from Kashmir and then I will acknowledge them. Anyone can hold a rally, said Omar. Abdullah also said that the Prime Minister has nothing to offer the people of Jammu and Kashmir and keeps talking about dynastic politics. He added that if the prime minister had genuinely worked for the region, there would be a proper report card for the development achieved. In a tragic incident, a student from Hyderabad drowned in a lake in Canada during his birthday celebration on Sunday, reported news agency PTI. A student from Hyderabad drowned in a lake in Canada(Getty Images/iStockphoto) Praneeth, a resident of Meerpet in Ranga Reddy district, had studied in Canada since 2019 and just completed his master's degree. He was hunting for a job there. His elder brother also migrated to Canada in 2022. On Saturday, the two brothers along with their friends visited a lake in Toronto to celebrate Praneeth's birthday. They all went swimming, but Praneeth did not return, his father told reporters. Also Read: 2 Doaba youths drown in swimming pool at Florida After receiving information about the incident, the body was fished out by rescue teams. The family was informed on Monday through friends of their son. The victim's father has requested the state and Centre to help bring the boy's body back to India. Three weeks ago, two Indian students drowned in a Florida swimming pool. In July, an Indian student died while swimming at Barbervilley Falls in New York. The student from Telangana, Sai Surya Avinash Gadde, drowned in the waterfalls in New York. The year has been marked by a pattern of Indian students dying abroad. Another young Indian student from Hyderabad was reportedly killed in firing at a grocery store in Houston in the United States. Last month, the body of 26-year-old techie Siddhant Patil was finally discovered after he drowned in Avalanche Creek. He had drowned while swimming in the creek with his friends during a vacation. Despite exhaustive efforts by park rangers, his body was not immediately recovered due to the treacherous conditions of the gorge. It wasn't until nearly a month later, on August 4, that they recovered a body matching the description provided by Patil's friends. His clothing and gear were also found nearby, and DNA or dental records were used to confirm his identity. The proposed meeting between protesting junior doctors and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata should be transparent, a doctors' body said on Monday, amid an impasse over the doctors' demand for the meeting to be live streamed. Kolkata: Junior doctors raise slogans during their ongoing protest against R G Kar Medical College and Hospital incident, in Kolkata, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (PTI Photo) The meeting should definitely take place but in a transparent ambience. The junior doctors should be taken into confidence so that they can voice their demands properly and the government's response must be documented either through videography or live streaming, Dr Subarna Goswami, Additional General Secretary, All India Federation of Government Doctors Association (AIFGDA), said at a press conference in Delhi. Also, the doctor sought to know why the West Bengal government was afraid of the live streaming. Our main demand is timely justice in the case. We want action against not only the rapist-killer, but also against the people who tried to tamper with the evidence and misguided the investigation process. We also want action against a few doctors who have formed a syndicate, Goswami added. Junior medics in West Bengal have been protesting against the August 9 rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The Banerjee-led government has claimed there have been as many as 23 deaths due to the medical practitioners' protests in the state, and urged them to resume work. However, it has repeatedly refused their live streaming demand citing the sub-judice nature of the RG Kar case, leading to the stand-off. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court, which has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter, will resume its hearing of the case. India on Sunday launched Operation Sadbhav to send urgent supplies to Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar the countries devastated by Typhoon Yagi that has claimed more than 200 lives so far. The three countries have been reeling under heavy floods after the Typhoon made landfall over a week ago. Security personnel dispatch relief material to Typhoon Yagi-hit Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos.(PTI) The typhoon first made landfall in the Philippines, where it claimed the lives of over a dozen people. After striking the Philippines, Yagi continued its westward journey, impacting southern China before affecting parts of Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos. Here are top 10 updates related to Typhoon Yagi 1. Yagi was the strongest typhoon to hit the Southeast Asian region in decades. It made landfall in Philippines with winds of up to 149 kph (92 mph). Despite weakening on Sunday, downpours continued, and rivers continue to flow at dangerously high-water levels. 2. India has sent humanitarian relief assistance worth USD 10,00,000 to Vietnam and USD 1,00,000 to Laos. A C-17 military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force transported 10 tonnes of relief materials to Laos, while 35 tonnes of aid is being sent to Vietnam. 3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had conveyed sympathies and solidarity to the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh, immediately after the typhoon struck the country. EAM Jaishankar had also extended sympathies to deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Vietnam, Bui Thanh Son. 4. The Indian Navy launched its rapid preparations to deploy HADR operations in Myanmar's Yangon. Eastern Naval Command successfully completed the overnight loading of HADR pallets, including drinking water, ration and medicines, onto an Indian naval warship from Visakhapatnam for operations in Yangon. 5. Myanmar's military government announced that the death toll has reached 74 and more than 89 are still feared to be missing. The typhoon has displaced almost 2,40,000 people, in addition to 3.4 million citizens already displaced by the ongoing civil war in the country. 6. Death toll in Vietnam reached at least 226 due to landslides and floods triggered by the Typhoon. Factories and other infrastructure across the country reported extensive damage. 7. A flash flood swept away an entire hamlet in northern Vietnam, killing 30 people. The country's public broadcaster said flood water gushing down from a mountain in Lao Cai province buried Lang Nu hamlet with 35 families in mud and debris. 8. Thailand's northern Chiang Rai province reported severe flooding. Many riverside villages were submerged complicating rescue operations. 9. Authorities across three countries have warned residents to remain cautious, as weather forecasts predict continued heavy rainfall. Emergency teams remain on high alert, and the government is coordinating efforts to ensure swift rescue operations. 10. Experts have long warned that rising ocean temperatures are leading to more intense and destructive storms. The ongoing crisis underscores the urgent need for global climate action and support for the most affected regions. (With inputs from agencies) India on Monday condemned Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamanei's remark on minorities in the country. We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable. Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others, the ministry of external affairs said in a statement. Khamenei raised the suffering of Muslims in India, Gaza and Myanmar, calling for solidarity among the members of the community across the world. We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or any other place, the Iranian leader said in his post on social platform X. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.(AFP file) Iran's Khamenei's past remark on minorities in India This is not the first instance when the Iranian leader has spoken on minorities in India. In 2019, he had reacted on the Narendra Modi government's decision to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Were concerned about Muslims situation in #Kashmir. We have good relations with India, but we expect the Indian government to adopt a just policy towards the noble people of Kashmir and prevent the oppression & bullying of Muslims in this region, he had said. India and Iran have recently solidified their collaboration by signing a significant long-term agreement to operate the Shahid-Beheshti Port Terminal. This deal, witnessed by ministers from both countries, underscores the strategic importance of the Chabahar port pact. By enhancing regional connectivity, the agreement is poised to streamline trade routes between India, Iran, and Afghanistan, offering an alternative to traditional routes that pass through Pakistan. India and Iran share a millennia-long history of interactions. The contemporary relations between the two countries are marked by high-level exchanges, commercial cooperation, connectivity paradigm and cultural and people-to-people ties. Initial investigations by the police in the BMW hit-and-run case that killed two young women in Indore revealed that the accused driver drove in the wrong direction in a rush to deliver a birthday cake to his friend. The scooter was badly damaged after being hit by a BMW in Indore. The Indore police have arrested the main accused driver after launching a search operation. Police said he had fled the scene with his car after causing the accident in Indore's Khajarana area on Sunday, reported The Indian Express. The driver Gajendra Pratap Singh (28) hails from Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior and was living in Indore's Suncity. "Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused was in a hurry to deliver a cake for his friends birthday, which is why he drove in the wrong direction, Assistant Commissioner of Police Kundan Mandloi said. Police also said Singh works at a BPO in Indore and had brought the car second-hand a while ago. A case was registered under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita against him. How did the accident happen? Two young women Lakshmi Tomar (24) and Diksha Jadon (25) were returning home on their scooter after participating in a Ganesh temple fair in Khajrana, police said. Around 11.30 pm on Sunday, a speeding BMW coming in the wrong direction hit the scooter and threw the two women onto the road, leading to critical injuries. According to eyewitnesses, a BMW car rammed into the scooter. Due to the impact, both women were thrown onto the road, sustaining critical injuries. They were rushed to a nearby hospital where they succumbed to their injuries, Khajrana police station in-charge Manoj Singh Sendhav told news agency PTI. The victim Lakshmi Tomar is the only earning member of her family since her father passed away last year, a family member said. Originally from Shivpuri, Tomar was supporting her family by working in Indore. Another victim Diksha Jadon hails from Gwalior and was working in a public sector bank branch in the city. (With inputs from PTI) India on Monday dismissed comments by Irans Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the suffering of Muslims in India, Gaza and Myanmar, describing them misinformed and unacceptable while referring to the Iranian governments treatment of minorities. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Via REUTERS) Khameneis comments were part of a message posted on X, calling for solidarity among Muslims around the world on the occasion of Prophet Mohammeds birth anniversary. It gave no details about why he had specifically referred to Indias Muslim minority. Hours later, the external affairs ministry denounced the Iranian leaders remarks. We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran, the ministry said in a statement. These are misinformed and unacceptable. Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others, the statement added. In his post on X, Khamenei said: We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or any other place. He added, The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah. In a separate post on X that had no reference to India, Khamenei again raised the issue of the oppressed people of Gaza and Palestine. He said that achieving the important goal of upholding the Islamic Ummahs honor can only be realized through unity. He added, Today, it is definitely our duty to support the oppressed people of Gaza and Palestine. Anyone who neglects this duty will surely be questioned by God. India and Iran have close ties and there have been no major irritants in bilateral ties in recent months. India currently has a major stake in the strategic Iranian port of Chabahar, where an Indian state-run company operates a terminal. The Indian side sent vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar to attend an official ceremony to pay condolences following the death of former Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and former foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in May. Union minister Nitin Gadkari attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran in July. This is not the first time Khamenei has posted on social media about the status of Indias Muslim minority or other matters related to India. In August 2019, Khamenei reacted to the Indian governments decision to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by expressing concern about the situation of Muslims in a post on Twitter. Were concerned about Muslims situation in #Kashmir. We have good relations with India, but we expect the Indian government to adopt a just policy towards the noble people of Kashmir and prevent the oppression & bullying of Muslims in this region, he had said in his post. Khamenei contended the situation in Kashmir and disputes between India and Pakistan regarding the region were a result of the vicious British governments measures while leaving the Indian subcontinent. In March 2020, Khamenei said in another post on Twitter that Muslims all over the world are grieving over the status of the minority community in India. He had then said The government of India should take steps to prevent Indias isolation from the world of Islam. India on Monday dismissed comments by Irans Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the suffering of Muslims in India, Gaza and Myanmar, describing them misinformed and unacceptable while referring to the Iranian governments treatment of minorities. Ali Khamenei (Reuters) Khameneis comments were part of a message posted on X, calling for solidarity among Muslims around the world on the occasion of Prophet Mohammeds birth anniversary. It gave no details about why he had specifically referred to Indias Muslim minority. Hours later, the external affairs ministry denounced the Iranian leaders remarks. We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran, the ministry said in a statement. These are misinformed and unacceptable. Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others, the statement added. Read more: India slams Iran's Khamenei over remarks on minorities in country: Misinformed, unacceptable In his post on X, Khamenei said: We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or any other place. He added, The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah. In a separate post on X that had no reference to India, Khamenei again raised the issue of the oppressed people of Gaza and Palestine. He said that achieving the important goal of upholding the Islamic Ummahs honor can only be realized through unity. He added, Today, it is definitely our duty to support the oppressed people of Gaza and Palestine. Anyone who neglects this duty will surely be questioned by God. India and Iran have close ties and there have been no major irritants in bilateral ties in recent months. India currently has a major stake in the strategic Iranian port of Chabahar, where an Indian state-run company operates a terminal. The Indian side sent vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar to attend an official ceremony to pay condolences following the death of former Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and former foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in May. Union minister Nitin Gadkari attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran in July. This is not the first time Khamenei has posted on social media about the status of Indias Muslim minority or other matters related to India. Read more: Man accused of trying to kill Trump wrote a book urging Iran to assassinate the ex-president In August 2019, Khamenei reacted to the Indian governments decision to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by expressing concern about the situation of Muslims in a post on Twitter. Were concerned about Muslims situation in #Kashmir. We have good relations with India, but we expect the Indian government to adopt a just policy towards the noble people of Kashmir and prevent the oppression & bullying of Muslims in this region, he had said in his post. Khamenei contended the situation in Kashmir and disputes between India and Pakistan regarding the region were a result of the vicious British governments measures while leaving the Indian subcontinent. In March 2020, Khamenei said in another post on Twitter that Muslims all over the world are grieving over the status of the minority community in India. He had then said the government of India should take steps to prevent Indias isolation from the world of Islam. The Congress on Monday released its Haath Badlega Halaat manifesto for the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, promising a slew of welfare measures for farmers, women and the youth. The manifesto was released by AICC chief spokesperson Pawan Khera and PCC president Tariq Hameed Karra at the party office in Srinagar. Congress releases Haath Badlega Halaat manifesto for Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections Kashmir was made the graveyard of hopes and dreams in the last 10 years. Keeping this in mind, our teams went to 22 districts and interacted with the youth, women, senior citizens and businessmen. After speaking to all of them, this document (Congress election manifesto) has emerged. This is our guarantee and our promise. We will fulfil all of them, Khera said. Here is the list of Congress' promises in its manifesto: The party will form a minority commission in Jammu and Kashmir within 100 days of coming to power. Insurance for all crops against natural calamities and a minimum support price (MSP) of 72 per kilogram for apples. Providing an additional financial support of 4,000 for landless, tenant, and land-owning farming households per year. Arranging 99-year leases to landless farmers cultivating state land. 2,500-crore fund will be established for all district-level irrigation projects to ensure 100 per cent irrigation for farmers in Jammu and Kashmir. For the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, the party promised an unemployment allowance of up to 3,500 per month for one year to qualified youths. One lakh vacant government posts by issuing a job calendar within 30 days. Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections The polling for the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir assembly will be held in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1. The results will be declared on October 8. The Congress and the National Conference have entered into a pre-poll alliance for the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, held for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370. According to the seat-sharing pact, the NC will contest on 51 seats, while the Congress will contest on 32 seats. Kolkata, The agitating doctors confirmed on Monday evening that they are willing to attend a meeting at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence to resolve the RG Kar hospital impasse but demanded they should be allowed to record and sign the minutes of the talks. Junior docs willing to attend meeting at Mamata's residence, want minutes to be handed over to them The state government, readily accepted the condition, with the Chief Secretary Manoj Pant saying both the parties will sign the minutes of the meeting and copies will be shared with each for clarity. Earlier in the evening, responding to the mail by Pant this morning inviting them for talks, the agitating doctors said they are willing to attend the meeting and place their demands before the chief minister. "As law-abiding citizens of the country, we are more than willing to attend the meeting. But it would have been really appreciated if the place of the meeting would have been an official and an administrative place as the matter is related to governance," the doctors said in a reply mail. The doctors mentioned that the arrest of the Tala police station OC by the CBI in the RG Kar case increases the significance of the transparency of the meeting even more than before. "We would like to emphasise that the meeting be videographed by separate videographers of both the parties. If not possible from your side, entire video file of the meeting be handed over to the doctor representatives. If that is not possible, then the minutes of the full transcript of the meeting be recorded and formulated by both the parties and duly signed by all the attendees and handed over at the end of the meeting," the agitating doctors said. Soon after, the Chief Secretary responded by saying that "both the parties will sign the minutes of the meeting and copies will be shared with each party to ensure clarity". The West Bengal government on Monday "for the fifth and the final time" invited the protesting junior doctors for talks to end the RG Kar impasse, two days after the dialogue failed to take off over disagreement on live-streaming of the meeting. In an email to the protesting junior doctors, Pant asked them to reach Banerjee's residence at Kalighat at 5 pm on Monday for the talks. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Abhijit Mondal, the officer-in-charge arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital rape-murder case, had conducted a transparent probe of the matter, a senior officer of Kolkata Police said on Monday. Kolkata: CBI officials take Tala Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abhijit Mondal (L) to produce him in a court after his arrest in connection with the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital incident at CGO Complex, in Kolkata, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (PTI Photo) The CBI arrested Mondal on Saturday along with Sandip Ghosh, RG Kar's ex-principal, who was already in the central agency's custody over alleged financial irregularities at the facility. They are accused of delaying the First Investigation Report (FIR) by at least 14 hours in the suspected rape and murder of a trainee doctor, and other related offences. We met the family of Abhijit Mondal. We spoke with his wife and informed her that the police department stands by them like a family and will provide all the support, V Solomon Nesakumar, Additional Commissioner of Kolkata Police, told reporters, according to PTI. Personally, I believe he is not guilty. Whatever he did, he had good intentions. He reached the spot in minimal time, conducted a transparent investigation, and acted in the interest of justice, the Additional Commissioner stated. The trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered on August 9 at RG Kar, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Tala police station, headed by Mondal. On Sunday, a court sent Ghosh and Mondal to the custody of the CBI till September 17. The agency is probing both cases related to RG Kar the rape-murder and financial irregularities on directions of the Calcutta high court, which lambasted Kolkata Police over its investigation. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will resume its suo motu hearing in the matter. The CBI will submit a fresh status report of its investigation of the case. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be organising a "Kalighat Cholo" march on September 25 in demand of justice for the rape and murder of the victim at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Hundreds of juniors doctors under West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front (WBJDF) banner marched towards Swasthya Bhavan demanding justice for the rape-murder victim at RG Kar Hospital (Photo by Samir Jana/ Hindustan Times) Union Minister and BJP leader Sukanta Majumder stated on Monday that the BJP workers will be organising protests on street corners from September 18 and that they will be conducting a 'Kalighat Cholo' march near Hazra More near the CM's residence on September 25. "From September 18, the BJP will organise street corners, which will go up to October 1. Along with that, on September 25, we will organise a 'Kalighat Cholo' near Hazra More near CM's residence. On September 23, our BJP Mahila Morcha will take a broom and Ganga jal to clean some selected impure police stations," Majumder said. The Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, also said that they will be organising the march on September 25 near the CM's residence near Hazra More in Kalighat in demand for the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. This came following the administrative lapses by the state government and their alleged attempts to tamper with the evidence while investigating the rape and murder case of a 2nd-year postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. "On September 25, 'Kolkata Cholo March' will be organised in Hazra More near the Chief Minister's residence to demand her resignation. Around 25000 to 30000 BJP workers will take part in the march," Adhikari said. Adhikar said that they have two demands of their own following this incident. One of which was the demand for capital punishment of the people involved in the incident of August 9 and also the arrest of the police and administration for tampering with the evidence in the case and the second demand was the resignation of Mamata Banerjee from the CM's post. "We have two demands. First is the demand for capital punishment for the people who are involved in the incident of August 9 and the arrest of the police and administration for tampering with the evidence. Finally, for all the scams, safety concerns pertaining to women and the misuse of law and order in the state, Mamata should step down. This is our demand," he added. Meanwhile, the junior doctors from the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital held a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her residence in Kalighat to put forward their "five-point demands," amid the protests against the rape and murder of the trainee doctor on August 9. The junior doctors were accompanied by two stenographers to assist in the meeting. Earlier today, the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front and Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) held a press conference in Delhi and laid down their demands, including the removal of the Kolkata Commissioner of Police as well as the replacement of all the senior officials in the Health and Family Welfare Department of the Mamata Government. Amid the ongoing protest against the rape and murder of the second-year postgraduate trainee doctor, the front noted down five-point demands, which include the call for justice for the victim "Abhaya" and to expedite the investigation process in the case. They also demanded the removal of the Director of Medical Education (DME), the Director of Health Services (DHS), and the Health Secretary from the Department of Health and Family Welfare of the West Bengal Government. "Removal of the DME, DHS, and Health Secretary as their signatures are present in the order for construction work in the immediate auspices of the crime scene, when it should have been completely cordoned off. We also think that they are responsible for the enormous corruption in the healthcare system for which Sandip Ghosh was also arrested. Recently, the CBI has arrested him in relation to the rape and murder case of Abhaya, thus reaffirming his active involvement in the heinous crime," they stated in their demands. The front called for "action against incompetent and complacent police authorities" and demanded the removal of Kolkata Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal as well as the Deputy Commissioner of Police of North and Central for administrative failure and alleged evidence tampering. "Removal of Vineet Goyal, Commissioner of Kolkata Police for his administrative failure and evidence tampering, disciplinary action against DC North for his incompetence and offering money to the victim's parents and DC Central for trying to hide the identity of a suspected person present inside the crime scene. OC of Tala Police Station has been recently arrested by CBI in connection to the Abhaya rape and murder case, eroding our trust in the entire law enforcement agency of our state," the junior doctors said. In other demands, they called for legal status for all Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) bodies in every medical college, to conduct student union elections and dissolution of non-elected student units. Senior doctors of the RG Kar medical college and hospital, where a trainee doctor was raped and killed last month, alleged tampering of evidence in the case on Monday. Addressing the media, the doctors also condemned the heinous crime. Doctors during their 'dharna' over the RG Kar Hospital rape and murder incident.(PTI) This crime is a fallout of the nexus between the West Bengal government and health department officialsThere has been tampering of evidence, one of the doctors said, as quoted by PTI. The West Bengal government has called the protesting doctors for talks to end the ongoing impasse - two days after a dialogue between the two failed to take off over a disagreement on live-streaming the meeting. In an email, chief secretary Manoj Pant asked the doctors to reach the CM's official residence in Kalighat at 5 pm. However, the protesting doctors, during their address, reiterated their demand for a live streaming of their meeting with the chief minister. We want there should be a meeting definitely (of the doctors and the chief minister)...The meeting should be held in a transparent ambience. The junior doctors should be taken into confidence so that they can voice their demands properly, and the government's response must be documented either in videography or live streaming. Why is the government afraid of facing junior doctors on live streaming? one of the doctors said. The medics have been camping outside Swasthya Bhawan, the headquarters of the state health department, since Tuesday with a host of demands, including better security at state-run hospitals and the removal of top officials over the rape and murder case. Our main demand is timely justice in the case. We want action against not only the rapist and the killers but also against those who tried to tamper with the evidence and misguided the investigation process and the whole syndicate of few doctors, the doctors said. Kolkata-rape murder case On August 9, the body of a trainee woman doctor was found in a semi-naked state in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College. A day after the incident, the Kolkata police arrested the main accused, Sanjay Roy, after he was seen entering the building around the estimated time of the crime in a CCTV footage, and his Bluetooth headphones were found near the crime scene. According to the autopsy report and initial probe, the victim was severely hurt and sexually assaulted. Earlier, the CBI conducted polygraph tests on Roy, the former principal and four doctors of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. While the probe agency had sought for a narco-analysis test of Roy, a Kolkata court denied the permission after the accused said no. The CBI told a court in Sealdah that there could be a bigger conspiracy behind the rape and murder of a doctor inside Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The agency said the ex-principal of the college, Dr Sandip Ghosh, and Tala police station officer-in-charge Abhijit Mondol could have played a vital role in the alleged plot. Kolkata: Medics take part in a protest march to Swasthya Bhavan over the sexual assault and murder of a trainee doctor.(PTI) Seeking their custody, the agency told the court that the duo was in touch with each other after the crime and Ghosh instructed the policeman on how to proceed with the rape-murder investigation. Sandip Ghosh and the policemen were arrested last week by the CBI. On Sunday, the court sent them to CBI's custody till September 17. The agency said it wanted to interrogate them face-to-face. It said both Bengal government officials had tried to "downplay the incident". The agency claimed Abhijit Mondol took an unusually long time to arrive at the scene of the crime". It claimed the crime scene was just a five-minute drive away, reported The Indian Express. The agency said that the police officer was informed about the crime at 10.03 am but he arrived at the crime scene at 11 am. "We have got their custody for three days till September 17. Now, both will be questioned together. The duo played vital roles in the RG Kar case," an officer said. The woman was found raped and murdered inside the seminar hall of the hospital. She had gone there to rest amid her grueling 36-hour-long shift. A civic volunteer named Sanjay Roy has been arrested in connection with the crime. Sandip Ghosh is under the scanner for allegedly delaying the filing of the FIR and attempting to pass off the murder as a suicide. With inputs from PTI, ANI The West Bengal government on Monday shunted out Kolkatas police commissioner and one of his deputies over the polices handling of the RG Kar Hospital rape and murder, agreeing to most of the demands of junior doctors who have been on protest since August 10. People raise slogans outside residence of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee where a delegation of protesting doctors held talks with the CM. (ANI) Mondays announcement came a day ahead of a likely hearing at the Supreme Court, and at the end of what was the fifth attempt at breaking an impasse. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee said Kolkata commissioner Vineet Goyal, north Kolkata deputy commissioner Abhishek Gupta, director of medical education Kaustav Nayek and director of health services Debasish Haldar will be removed after 4pm. The doctors said they will continue their strike till the decisions are notified. Since the matter is sub-judice, we will issue the necessary orders after the hearing, by 4pm tomorrow, Banerjee said, describing the meeting as fruitful and reiterating her request for the doctors to resume work. Protesters gathered at the sit-in outside Swasthya Bhavan, the state health department headquarters, broke into celebrations simultaneously. A group of nearly 45 doctors reached the CMs residence a little before 7pm on Monday and began discussions that lasted roughly two hours. Thereafter, the two sides took another roughly three hours to pore over the minutes of the meeting. The minutes have been signed by my chief secretary and 42 names from the side of the junior doctors, Banerjee said. One of the protesters said, Some of our demands have been met. Some like removal of state health secretary have not been met. It took the government 37 days. As for security in hospitals, the state government said a task force would be set up. We said that we want safety and security not just from bad elements but also from threats, mafia raj and syndicate raj which exist inside. The road to discission has been kept open. It was a mixed bag result. Prior to the parleys, both sides had at last reached agreement on the rules of engagement: that no videography or live-streaming, as sought by the doctors, would be done, but both sides will sign off on the minutes of the talks. Read more: Kolkata doctor rape-murder: Police officer arrested for delay in FIR lauded by senior for transparent probe For both sides, there were multiple factors influencing the need to find a solution, with the most important being a Supreme Court hearing likely to take place on Tuesday. On September 10, the countrys top court gave doctors time till 5pm the following day to rejoin work with no repercussions, failing which the government was free to take action. But also at play were recent developments in the case itself. The medics cited the arrest of RG Kar Hospitals then principal Sandip Ghosh and the head of the local police station Abhijit Mondal by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The two have been accused by the federal of agencies conspiring to downplay the incident, including by delaying the filing of FIR. Banerjee on Monday said that one of the demands, regarding a thorough probe, was no longer in the Bengal governments hands since the case had been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Of the remaining four demands, we have agreed to three, the CM said, adding that the government will also increase security at its hospitals. Banerjee said that the government did not agree to demands to remove a third senior administration official the principal secretary of the health department. We told them that we cannot empty out the entire health administration leadership at once. In recent days, the demonstrations have spread across Kolkata, with thousands joining in marches on Sunday despite heavy rain. Including Ghosh and Mondol, three people have so far been arrested over the saga, which has triggered agitations across Bengal. The third person arrested is Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer who is the sole accused of murdering and raping the 31-year-old doctor, whose body was found on August 9. The Calcutta high court directed CBI on August 13 to take over the case from the city police. Roy was transferred to the custody of the CBI and subsequently he was made to take a polygraph test alongside Sandip Ghosh and five other RG Kar Hospital officials and doctors. The devastating floods in Krishna and Godavari River basins that wreaked havoc in several parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the past week, leading to death of 75 people and displacement of more than 59,000 people in both the states, is unusual in the terms of short spurt of extreme rainfall. At least 75 people died and over 59,000 people were displaced due to floods in Andhra Pradesh. (PTI) The immediate cause for the latest floods, according to the Indian Meteorological Department, was a lower pressure built up over the Bay of Bengal, besides a land-based cyclone, which drew moisture from both the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. The combination of these factors led to very heavy rains in both the Telugu states, starting from the night of August 30 and continuing till September 3. Over 27 per cent of the states annual rainfall occurred in just 48 hours, causing severe flooding in many areas and Vijayawada, particularly, bore the brunt of the deluge with 290 mm of rainfall in a single day on the night of August 31 and September 1, which was the highest rainfall in the last 30 years, said Andhra Pradesh Disaster Management Authority managing director Ronanki Kurmanath. During this period, several parts of Telangana received the highest rainfall ranging from 438 mm in Mahabubabad to 435 mm in Warangal, 425 mm in Suryapet and 422 mm in Khammam. Cause of floods Experts attributed the flooding in several parts of the state to extreme rainfall but held massive construction on the river flood plains in both Krishna and Godavari basins as a contributing factor. The two flood plains fall receive 84% of rainfall during monsoon, starting from June to September, thereby increasing probability of floods during the rainy season. Compared to Godavari, which witnesses floods almost every year, Krishna river is less prone to floods. According to the official data, the Krishna river, the second largest eastward draining interstate river basin, witnessed as many as 17 floods in the last 100 years. According to Veeramalla Prakash, chairman of Indian Peninsular River Basin Council (IPRBC), the major cause of floods to the Krishna river are torrential rains in the upper catchment area in Maharashtra and Karnataka, although cyclone and deep depression-induced rains have been one of the major common causes of floods. One of the main reasons for floods in Krishna river is lack of proper river management by the riparian states. Maharashtra and Karnataka impound Krishna water in their dams to the brim before releasing to the downstream. This is causing floods in their respective states due to backwaters of these dams. For example, Sangli city and its surroundings suffer from floods whenever water is impounded in Almatti dam by Karnataka, Prakash said. However, the flooding has aggravated in recent decades due to climate change induced extreme rainfall in upstream of the river, forcing the two states to open the gates of the dams and release water to the downstream, resulting in floods in Andhra Pradesh. The worst flood the state had witnessed in Krishna river before 2024 was in the first week of October 2009. Due to heavy rainfall in Karnataka, the gates of Almatti and Narayanpur dams on Krishna river and Tungabhadra dam on Tungabhadra river were lifted affecting many districts along the river course. Kurnool town was submerged in the backwaters of the Srisailam dam due to unprecedented inflows then. The Srisailam dam, which was designed to withstand a maximum flood flow of 19 lakh cusecs, received 25.4 lakh cusecs of water for eight hours on October 2, 2009. At the Nagarjunasagar dam, too, more than 11 lakh cusecs of waters and by the time the flood reached Prakasam barrage, it was around 10.94 lakh cusecs. Had the water been released by Karnataka periodically to the downstream, there would not have been such a huge flood to the river and destruction in Andhra Pradesh, Prakash said. Like 2009, the latest flood in Krishna river that ravaged Vijayawada and its surroundings was also because of impounding of water in the dams upstream. All the dams in Maharashtra and Karnataka were filled to the brim in July itself. So, was the case with Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar, said Prakash. The damage to one of the gates of Tungabhadra dam added to the misery, as more water to the extent of 32 tmc (thousand million cubic feet) joined the Krishna river in Andhra Pradesh. So, when there were heavy rains upstream in the last week of August, the already swelling Krishna river received more inflows and the irrigation authorities had to open all the gates of major dams, leading to flooding, official said. According to state irrigation minister Nimmala Ramanaidu, the discharge at Prakasam barrage on Krishna river at Vijayawada reached up to 11.43 cusecs on September 1, which was the highest since the barrage was built in 1852-56. This resulted in submergence of colonies along the river course in Vijayawada and the villages in Krishna district downstream, Ramanaidu said. But more than Krishna river, it was the unprecedented floods to its tributary Munneru, which ravaged Telanganas Khammam town, and Budameru, an independent river, passing through northern side of Vijayawada that caused extensive damage to the lives and properties in several colonies. The Munneru river, typically a dry tributary, swelled unexpectedly, causing a flash flood in just one hour between 10 am and 11 am on September 1. With no prior warning or announcement from the authorities, the flood devastated Khammam, for the first time in the last 70 years, disaster management officials said. The flash floods to Munneru was because of a sudden surge in the Akeru forest stream upstream about four kilometres away. It came like a Tsunami to the people of Khammam, who built their colonies along the river course, said R Satyanarayana, a resident of Khammam. Similar was the case with Budameru river, which created havoc in the colonies of Vijayawada, that are submerged even after a week. Originating from the hills of Mylavaram, Budameru traverses 176 kilometres before it empties into the Kolleru Lake. Several streams join it on the way. At Velagaleru near Vijayawada, a barrage with 11 locks impounds water if the flow is sluggish. The last time Budameru received floods was in 2005, when it received an inflow of more than 75,000 cusecs which submerged many areas in Vijayawada. Following a hue and cry, the then government constructed the Budameru diversion channel (BDC) in 2006-07, which meant for diverting the Budameru flood into the 37,500-cusec-capacity Polavaram Right Canal which finally empties into the Krishna. In the last 17 years, there has not been much flood in Budameru river. During this period, Vijayawada expanded rapidly and several new colonies like New Rajarajeswaripet, Nandamuri Nagar, Nunna, Payakapuram, Singh Nagar, Devi Nagar and others came up, making the Budameru shrink into a narrow drain. Even the bunds along the river were destroyed and encroached upon by the greedy realtors. The river no more exists and its flood plains have been taken over by all types of construction. The canal was primarily built to divert river water to Polavaram canal after 2005 floods and 11 gates were built on the river to prevent it from entering the city. This created a false hope, said independent weather man, Pradeep John. This hope dashed on September 1, when heavy rainfall in the upper catchment of Budameru resulted in an inflow of 50,000 cusecs of water into the river. The water could not be diverted from Budameru into Krishna river through a diversion channel as the Krishna river was already in spate with 11 lakh cusecs. Hence, the massive flooding So, it created a rebound effect as 50,000 cusecs of water flowed back into Budameru with tremendous speed. The authorities were forced to open 11 locks at Velagaleru to let the water into the river. Had it not been done, water would have submerged Narla Tata Rao Thermal Power Station. So, it entered Vijayawada city and flooded the colonies which came up on the flood plains of Budameru. Even after a week, the colonies are still in water. As mentioned above, compared to Krishna basin, Godavari basin is more prone to floods, because it flows through huge forest areas which has several tributaries like Manjira, Pranahita, Sabari, Indravati and Kinnerasani, which get huge floods during the rainy season, which join the Godavari river at different locations. Most of these tributaries pass through the forest area and flow at a faster pace, causing flash floods to the Godavari river. Added to this, they bring a lot of silt along with them, because of which there will be a heavy submergence of areas in the flood plains of the river. Even moderate rainfall in the upstream of the river leads to massive floods, said Prof D Narasimha Reddy, independent climate expert and former visiting faculty of University of Hyderabad. According to Veeramalla Prakash, the floods to Godavari river in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh begin only after Kaleshwaram. The Maharashtra government constructed a series of dams and barrages, and a number of small lift irrigation schemes on the river course. That led to the disturbance in the natural river course, depriving the water to downstream projects in Telangana like Kadem project, Sri Ram Sagar Project (SRSP) and Sripada Yellampalli project, Prakash said. In order to meet the irrigation requirements of Telangana, the previous BRS government took up the construction of lift irrigation project of Kaleshwaram at the confluence of Pranahita with Godavari river, which has three barrages, which would be filled up by lifting water from the river and from there to different parts of northern Telangana. What is causing floods to the river leading to submergence of human habitations and agriculture fields is the greed to impound more water to the brim. When there are heavy rains on the upstream, the irrigation authorities are forced to lift the gates of these barrages to release water to the downstream, resulting in heavy floods, Prof Narasimha Reddy said. Historically, the highest flood level recorded in Godavari at Bhadrachalam was 75.60 feet in 1986, with a discharge of 27 lakh cusecs. In 2022, the flood level reached 71.30 feet, with a discharge of 21.78 cusecs. The heavy flows in Godavari river at Telanganas Bhadrachalam reach Polavaram dam, which is still under construction in West Godavari and from there to Dowleswaram barrage near Rajahmundry. In 2022, more than 23 lakh cusecs of water was released from this barrage, inundating several island villages in Konaseema region enroute to Bay of Bengal. Submergence of thousands of acres of crops, destruction of houses and evacuation of lakhs of people to the relief camps has been a regular phenomenon in this region every year, Reddy said. Water conservationists like Bhiksham Gujja have expressed apprehensions that once the Polavaram dam is completed, its backwaters might submerge many parts of Bhadrachalam, which is already getting flooded whenever the water level increases in the Godavari river. Another prominent water expert and former professor of IIT Bombay B V Subba Rao, who was also a former member of Lakes, Reservoirs and Water Domain of Bureau of Indian Standards said the main reason for frequent floods to might rivers like Godavari and Krishna, besides their tributaries and other rivulets was the disturbances in the river courses, affecting their natural flow. If expanding agriculture in the flood plains of rivers is the reason for floods in the rural areas, fast growing urbanisation leading to encroachments is the reason for flooding in urban areas, he said. Rao said the river flood pattern has been undergoing drastic changes in the last 20 years and the river basins have experienced unscientific and unsustainable land use. However, no scientific studies have been conducted in this direction, he said. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Monday night that the state government has accepted most of the demands put forward by the agitating doctors, demanding justice for the RG Kar rape and murder victim. Banerjee also announced Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal, director of health services and director of medical education would be removed, as per the demands of the protesting doctors. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee interacts with media after meeting with protesting doctors at her Kalighat residence in Kolkata on September 16, 2024.(HT Photo/ Samir Jana) Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and Deputy Commissioner of the North Division Abhishek Gupta will be transferred. The doctors had claimed that Goyal had earlier told them that he wanted to step down because they had lost faith in him. We have accommodated his request and transferred him to a position he had asked for, Banerjee said. Banerjee said that the meeting with the medics on Monday evening was fruitful, and nearly 99 percent of their demands have been met. After the meeting held to resolve the RG Kar impasse, the chief minister said that the name of the new Kolkata police commissioner will be announced after 4 PM on Tuesday. Further, CM Mamata Banerjee urged the doctors to return to work as most of their demands have been accepted. No punitive action will be taken against the doctors I would request them to rejoin work as common people are suffering, she said. However, the medics said after the meeting that they will continue their cease work protest on Tuesday. The said that they will wait for the Supreme Court hearing on the Kolkata rape and murder case on Tuesday. After the meeting, Banerjee said that the state government accepted three out of the five demands put forward by the agitating doctors. A demand regarding the investigation (into the rape-murder case) cannot be met as the matter is before the Supreme Court and the CBI is investigating. We have full faith in the judiciary," she said. 42 medics arrived at the chief minister's residence at 6:20 pm on Monday, and the meeting began at 7 pm. The meeting, originally scheduled for 5 pm, ran for two hours. Previous attempts to resolve the issue got stuck due to the state government's rejection of the doctors' demand for live-streaming and video recordings of the meeting. The agitating medics later agreed to a compromise and settled on recording the minutes of the meeting and receiving a signed copy. (With inputs from PTI) Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday hit out at Pakistan, calling it a cancer for humanity and called for global community to treat it. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath(HT File) Pakistan is a cancer and until it is treated, we cannot resolve the problems. Now, PoK is demanding to be free and be a part of India again...Pakistan is a cancer of humanity too. The world forces will have to come together to treat this in time, ANI quoted Adityanath as saying at a public meeting in Tripura's capital Agartala. It is not the first time when Adityanath has attacked Pakistan and called for Pakistan Occupied Kashmir's merger with India. ALSO READ: Batenge to katenge: Yogi Adityanath's message amid Bangladesh unrest On May 18, the UP CM had claimed that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir would become a part of India within six months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi secures third term in office. We will not worship our enemy. If someone kills our people we will not worship them but give them an answer that they deserve. It has become difficult for Pakistan to save Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Let PM Modi become the Prime Minister for the third time and within six months PoK will become part of India, ANI had quoted him as saying. ALSO READ: Yogi Adityanath says unfortunate to call Gyanvapi a mosque, Samajwadi Party reacts Cong accepted Partition for its selfish interests: Adityanath During the rally, Yogi Adityanath blamed the Congress for India's Partition. RSS knew that if we follow Congress' treaty, they will divide the nation, genocide Hindus and destroy the ethnic traditions of our country. Congress accepted the partition of the country for its own selfish interests, he said. Today, we all are efficiently working for 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat'...Whenever we reminisce about Lord Krishna, we can see that in one hand, he has 'Murli' and in the other hand, he has 'Sudarshan'. Only 'Murli' will be of no good, 'Sudarshan' is also needed for the security, he added. (With agency inputs) On the last day of campaign for the first phase of Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, Union home minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Monday called out the Congress party and its leader Rahul Gandhi over their alleged intention to push the region back into terrorism. Kishtwar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a public meeting ahead of J&K Assembly elections, in Kishtwar district, Jammu & Kashmir, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (PTI Photo) Leading BJP's charge in the poll-bound Union territory, Shah has repeatedly claimed that the Congress and its ally, the National Conference (NC), are soft on terrorism and plan to release terrorists and stone-pelters from jails, if the alliance government comes to power. His claim has already been dismissed by NC vice president and ex-chief minister, Omar Abdullah. Once again, efforts are being made to evoke support for terrorism here. The NC and Congress have even promised that if they win, they will release these terrorists. But I today assure you, as long as (prime minister) Narendra Modi's government is there (at the Centre), no one will dare to spread terrorism on India's soil, Shah asserted at a rally in Kishtwar. Today, I remember all the martyrs of this region and promise that we will end terrorism in such a way that it will never rise again, he added. Further, Shah reiterated that Article 370, that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and was abrogated by the BJP-led Centre in August 2019, is history. Elections for the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir assembly, its first since November-December 2014, will be held on September 18, 25, and October 1. The counting of votes is on October 8. Months after the 2014 polls, in February 2015, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and BJP, the largest and second-largest parties, respectively, joined hands to form the government. The uneasy partnership ended in June 2018. Now a supercentenarian, the engineering marvel continues to evoke awe! Very few can forget a train journey on the old Pamban cantilever rail bridge connecting the temple island Rameswaram, often described as the southern Kasi, to the mainland. On the upcoming Gandhi Jayanti Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the newly constructed sea bridge. (HT Photo) With 143 piers spanning 2km between the mainland and the island, located a stones throw away from Sri Lanka, it was adjudged as Indias second longest sea bridge after the 2.3-km Bandra-Worli sea link on Mumbais western coast. The British-built bridge, a testament to human resilience, was crucial for Hindu pilgrims from all over India who preferred the Southern Kasi, as well as Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka who sought asylum in India following bloody civil wars that lasted for more than 30 years. AP Lipton, originally from Rameswaram, retired principal scientist, and head of the marine biotechnology division at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute confirmed that the bridge had survived the vertical tectonic movement of land parallel to the coastline in 1948 and a devastating massive cyclone in 1964 and continued to serve its purpose. Former President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam, born in Rameswaram, used the morning trains to collect newspaper bundles from the mainland and distribute them among readers on the island to earn a living. The rail link played a crucial role in shaping his destiny, recalled Kalams close relative, APJ MK Sheikh Saleem. The trains originated on the island, took him to different educational institutions, and provided him with solid foundations for becoming the countrys top missile man. In those days, there was no road bridge between Rameswaram and the mainland, added Saleem. On the upcoming Gandhi Jayanti Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a newly constructed sea bridge connecting Mandapam on the mainland to Rameswaram. This bridge has replaced the 110-year-old structure, which had become unsafe for travel due to large-scale corrosion, said Sharad Srivastava, divisional manager, Southern Railway, Madurai. He said the event will also signify the resumption of train services to Rameswaram after a 22-month hiatus. According to Srivastava, the new sea bridge, a testament to Indias engineering prowess, is the countrys first vertical lift railway sea bridge designed to accommodate high-speed trains. The Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), the engineering division of Indian Railways, invested 535 crore to construct this marvel. This bridge, with its 100 spans, each 18.3 metres long, and a single 63-metre navigational span, is a significant upgrade from the old structure. According to a press release issued by Southern Railway, the new bridge is not just a modern marvel but also a safe and reliable one. It comprises 100 spans, each 18.3 meters long, with a single 63-meter navigational span. This navigational span, three meters higher than the manually operated double-leaf bascule section of the old bridge, allows ships and barges to pass through. The new bridge provides 22 meters of air clearance above sea level, compared to the 19 meters offered by the old structure, reducing the risk of collisions and structural damage. The new Pamban Bridges successful trial run after completing the lift span mechanism is a testament to its functionality and safety. Old Pamban bridge The old Pamban Rail Bridge, a historical landmark that connects Rameswaram to mainland India, was built in 1914. It was the sole connection between Mandapam and Rameswaram until a parallel road bridge was built in 1988. Train services on the old bridge were suspended in December 2022 due to severe corrosion that damaged its double-leaf section. As a result, trains now operate only up to Mandapam. With its rich history and significant role in shaping the regions connectivity, the bridge continues symbolising the areas past. Excessive vibrations were detected in the old bridge during train movement in 2022 after a team of experts from IIT Madras fitted the monitoring equipment. As a result, it was deemed unfit for further train operations. The railways plan to preserve the old bridge as a tourist attraction for visitors to Rameswaram and the neighbouring coastal town of Dhanushkodi. The bridge, which opened on February 25, 1914, was constructed to allow ships to pass under it. Old-timers remember that it was challenging to build due to its location in a highly corrosive environment. It withstood the 1964 cyclonic storm, which devastated several areas of the region, including Pampan and Dhanushkodi, killing many. After the cyclone, railway engineers renovated the bridge and resume its service within 45 days. In the late 1870s, the East India Company planned to establish a rail link between Dhanushkodi and Colombo to expand trade. Rail connectivity between the mainland and Pamban Island was necessary to achieve this. There were also plans to extend the railways over the Adams Bridge to Ceylon, connecting the Ceylon and Indian Railways to establish a direct and unbroken link between the port of Colombo and India. A project proposal was presented to the British parliament for constructing a rail bridge from Mandapam to Pamban and Dhanushkodi to Thalaimannar for 299 lakh following a feasibility study. The proposal was rejected due to cost concerns, but 70 lakh were granted for building the Pamban Rail Bridge, Delphine Prema Dhanaseeli, who researched on the history of Rameswaram and its surroundings, said. The fabricated structures were transported from Britain, and the work progressed smoothly to the Mandapam side. The total cost of the bridge, including buying three vessels, was estimated to be 70 lakh. The construction utilised 2,000 tons of steel, and about 200 men were employed. The Gujarat-based contractor Karoji Kutz took on the project. During construction, many materials were lost due to a severe cyclone and waves, and many labourers perished from cholera. The Pamban Bridge is located in a cyclone-prone area with high wind velocities. During the centenary celebrations 2014, Kalam reminisced about his student days when he frequently crossed the bridge on trains. He expressed his fondness for Pamban, particularly the bridge and train journeys he took while travelling for his studies and when returning home. He described the bridge as an engineering marvel. Despite Kalams request for a centenary train between Pamban and Chennai and the modernisation of Pamban railway station, these initiatives were still pending. Dr Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar hospital in Kolkata, intentionally did not insist on registration of the first information report (FIR) into the rape of the trainee doctor rather introduced a theory of suicide despite visible external injuries on the body, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has claimed. Ghosh was arrested in the rape and murder case along with Abhijit Mondal on Saturday. (ANI photo) Ghoshs polygraph and layered voice analysis tests by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) revealed that he was deceptive on certain important issues related to the incident, the agency said. The claims were made by the federal anti-corruption probe agency before a Sealdah court on Sunday while taking his custody. They have been charged with destruction of evidence. Ghosh was arrested in the rape and murder case along with former station house officer (SHO) of Tala police station Abhijit Mondal on Saturday. The body of the 31-year-old trainee doctor was found in a semi-nude condition in the seminar room of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on the morning of August 9. The sole accused Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer, has been arrested for the crime. Also Read: Kolkata murder case: Sandip Ghosh sent to 3 days in custody, protests continue According to CBIs court document, seen by HT, being the head of the medical college, Ghosh got information about the rape and murder of the trainee doctor at 9:58am on August 9 but he didnt reach hospital immediately. He did not make (a) formal complaint immediately, rather he made vague complaint at later stage through medical superintendent-cum-Vice Principal even after declaration of death of victim at 12.44 pm on August 9, the agency alleged. Despite the doctor being a staff of his college, Ghosh, CBI has said, Ghosh did not try to get FIR lodged immediately, rather new theory of suicide was introduced which is not possible as per external injury visible on the body of victim... Act of principal looks like here that he intentionally did not insist for registration of FIR despite being in consultation with (an) advocate, CBI added. Detailing how Ghosh tried to downplay the rape and murder to suicide, CBI has alleged that he got in touch with Mondal at 10:03am and with an advocate at 1:40pm but didnt meet the family of the doctor. Being head of the medical college, he failed to ensure timely completion of all the formalities on part of the hospital immediately, rather he directed his subordinates to send the dead body to morgue directly, CBI note adds. About Mondals role, the CBI has said he got information about the incident at 10:03am but he failed to reach the scene of crime immediately. Mondal reached the hospital at 11am. The General Diary (GD) entry of the police station intentionally mentioned wrong facts that body of PG trainee was found lying in unconscious state at seminar room of chest-medicine whereas the body was already examined by a doctor who found her dead, CBI has alleged. Not only that, Mondal failed to cordon the scene of crime to preserve it which led to access of unauthorised persons causing damage to vital evidence. The agency has said with this act, Mondal was trying to protect the accused Sanjay Roy and others unauthorisedly accessed the scene of crime which may have resulted in tampering with the evidence. Being in-charge of Tala police station, Mondal failed to ensure timely ascertaining the condition of the victim and issuance of death certificate, thereby causing subsequent delay in conducting inquest, postmortem etc. About the 14-hour delay in registration of FIR, CBI has alleged that Mondal failed to ensure registration of FIR despite having a telephonic conversation at 10:03am, a written complaint from medical superintendent at 2:55pm, and subsequent complaint from father at 7:30pm and went on register the case only at 11:30pm with an inordinate delay of 14 hours. Besides, he failed to ensure taking videography of complete process of sealing of the articles/exhibits, biological samples, etc from the scene of crime as per the requirement under the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) with a motive to render under benefit to accused Sanjay Roy and other unknown persons/suspects, if any, agency has claimed. The officer also allowed the cremation of the trainee doctor in a hurried manner while the family members specifically demanded a second autopsy, the agency has added. Detailing his further probable motive to save Roy, CBI has added that there was an unnecessary delay of two days in the seizure of Roys clothes/belongings even though the rape-murder accuseds role had been established on August 10. To address water scarcity and improve relations with the Kannada-speaking population in its southern region, Maharashtra has put forward a proposal to construct three medium-sized reservoirs in Chandgadh taluk of Kolhapur district, near the Karnataka border. The reservoirs, intended to supply round-the-clock water for both personal and agricultural use, are expected to benefit people in both Maharashtra and Karnataka, said Belagavi BJP MP Jagadish Shettar. The reservoirs, intended to supply round-the-clock water for both personal and agricultural use, are expected to benefit people in both Maharashtra and Karnataka, said Belagavi BJP MP Jagadish Shettar. (HT photo) Shettar, who held a meeting with a team led by Chandgadh MLA Rajesh Patil at the government inspection bungalow in Belagavi on September 13, said that the proposed reservoirs could ensure continuous water supply to millions of people in South Maharashtra and North Karnataka, as well as irrigate vast agricultural lands. A team led by Chandgadh MLA Rajesh Patil briefed me about the project and sought my intervention to get Karnatakas approval. The project has immense potential to provide water to thousands of hectares of land and benefit both states, he said. He also mentioned his plan to discuss the matter with chief minister Siddaramaiah and irrigation minister DK Shivakumar. Hundreds of villages in the Belagavi and Chikkodi parliamentary constituencies would benefit once the project is implemented, Shettar added. According to officials familiar with the matter, Chandgad MLA Rajesh Patil during the meeting informed that the Maharashtra government has planned to construct two small and one medium-sized reservoir, with a combined capacity of around 6 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water in Chandgadh taluk. These reservoirs would be located near Banduri, Devalnala, and Palepurmar, close to the existing Tilari reservoir in the same region. Our government has already approved the project, and once completed, it will provide sufficient water for the people living in the border areas of both Kolhapur and Belagavi districts, Patil said. However, he noted that the project can only move forward if Karnataka gives its approval, as the reservoirs are near the states border. AS Metri, superintendent engineer of the Kolhapur district irrigation department, said the project could have potential benefits for both states. Thousands of hectares of agricultural land in Gadhinglaj taluk of Kolhapur district and Hukkeri taluk in Karnataka would be irrigated if one of the proposed reservoirs near Kitawadi is constructed, Metri explained. He added that areas along the Markandeya river in Belagavi taluk would also benefit if a reservoir is built near the Tilari reservoir. Although the reservoirs are being planned on Maharashtras land, Shettar noted that technical approval and a no objection certificate (NOC) from Karnataka are required because of the proximity to the states border. He said: As the MP representing Belagavi, I support the project due to its advantages for Karnataka as well. Metri further emphasised that Karnataka could receive an additional three TMC of water annually if all three reservoirs are constructed. The livelihoods of millions, particularly farmers in both Maharashtra and Karnataka, could improve if Karnataka agrees to the proposal, he said. The proposal comes at a time when relations between Karnataka and Maharashtra have been tense, particularly over the issue of border villages. Last year, more than 50 Kannada-speaking villages in Kolhapur, Sangli, and Solapur districts in Maharashtra expressed their desire to merge with Karnataka, citing a lack of basic amenities. The demand, which gained traction on social media, prompted the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government to assign its irrigation and public works ministers to address the issue. Ashok Chandaragi, convenor of the Kannada organizations action committee in Belagavi, told HT that Maharashtras sudden interest in the water project could be a response to the demands of Kannadigas living in the state. Maharashtra is attempting to prevent the merger demands from escalating by proposing these projects, Chandaragi said. Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad sparked a row on Monday after a video of him offering 11 lakh to anyone who chops off Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi's tongue went viral on social media. Gaikwad made the remark while slamming Gandhi over his statements on scrapping the reservation system. Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction MLA Sanjay Gaikwad (ANI) While he was abroad, Rahul Gandhi said that he wants to finish off the reservation system in India. This has exposed the true face of the CongressDuring his recent US visit, Rahul Gandhi talked about ending reservations. It shows the mindset that is inherently opposed to reservations. I will reward anyone who cuts off Rahul Gandhi's tongue with 11 lakh, Gaikwad can be heard telling the media in the video. Calling Gandhi's remarks the biggest treachery of the people, the Shiv Sena MLA said, Communities like Marathas, Dhangars and OBCs are fighting for reservation but before that, Gandhi is talking about ending its benefits. Rahul Gandhi used to show the Constitution book and spread a fake narrative that the BJP would change it. But it is the Congress that plans to take the country back by 400 years. On one hand, demands of reservation are rising in Maharashtra, and there Rahul Gandhi made a statement to end reservation in the country, he added. Congress leaders slam Gaikwad Several Congress leaders from Maharashtra hit out at Gaikwad for his controversial statement on Rahul Gandhi. Maharashtra legislative assembly leader of opposition and Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar called the Sena MLA's remarks nonsense and demanded strict action against him. "Making such remarks is against the law. Otherwise, the public of Maharashtra will show you your place in the coming days, he told PTI. Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe said, Sanjay Gaikwad does not deserve to live in society and politics. We want to see whether Maharashtra Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis invokes charges of culpable homicide against Gaikwad. While, Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap also condemned the statements saying, These people have spoiled the politics of the state. BJP distances itself from Gaikwad's remarks The BJP has distanced itself from Gaikwad's remarks. BJP president Chandrashekar Bawankule said he does not support or endorse the Shiv Sena MLA's statements. However, we cannot forget that the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had opposed reservations saying it would affect the progress. Rajiv Gandhi had said giving reservations means supporting idiots. Now Rahul Gandhi says he would end reservations. We will sensitise the SCs, STs and OBCs and inform them about the comments of Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Even Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange should think about it, he added, as quoted by PTI. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India has decided to build its future based on solar, wind, nuclear and hydro power. Under the PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme, PM Modi said every power consumer can become a power producer. (Reuters photo) Todays India is preparing a base not only for today but for the next thousand years, PM Modi said while speaking at the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST) in Gujarat capital Gandhinagar. India is very well aware of its energy needs and requirements to make it a developed nation by 2047, he said. PM Modi reminded that India had decided to build its future based on non-fossil fuel sources including hydropower and nuclear energy, as there was dearth of reserves of oil-gas. Under the PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme, PM Modi said every power consumer can become a power producer. Also Read: Why India must prioritise women in climate action He explained that a small family which consumes 250 units of electricity in a month, generates 100 units and sells it back to the grid will save a total of about 25,000 in a year. People will benefit by about 25,000 from their electricity bill, PM Modi said, noting that money saved is money earned. He added that if the saved money is invested in the Public Provident Fund (PPF) for 20 years, then the whole sum would amount to over 10 lakh. The prime minister said the PM Surya Ghar scheme is becoming a medium of employment generation and environment protection generating around 20 lakh jobs adding that the government is aiming to prepare 3 lakh youth as skilled manpower under this scheme. Out of these, one lakh youths will be Solar PV Technicians. Every 3 kilowatts of solar electricity generated will prevent emission of 50-60 tonne of carbon dioxide, he said, noting the contributions of every family in fighting climate change. The Centre is aiming to make Ayodhya, a model solar city, PM Modi said. He added that the effort was to energise every house, every office, every service of Ayodhya by solar power. Many facilities and houses of Ayodhya are already using solar energy while a large number of solar streetlights, solar intersections, solar boats, solar water ATMs and solar buildings could also be seen in Ayodhya. PM pointed out that the government has identified 17 such cities in the country to be developed as solar cities. India is working at a great speed and scale in every sector related to renewable energy. In the last decade, India had generated 35% more electricity from nuclear energy as compared to before and India was striving to become a global leader in the field of green hydrogen, PM Modi said. He reiterated Indias commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2070. Concepts like Green Future, Net Zero were not fancy words but are the needs and commitments of the Union and every state government of India, he said. Red, green and amber traffic lights now flash at every corner, easing, or as some motorists argue, obstructing their daily commute. Love them or loathe them they have become an unavoidable part of urban life, with their numbers steadily rising as cities grapple with increasing traffic on roads. A view of traffic signal at Janpath Road crossing in Delhis Connaught Place. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO) For instance, in Bengaluru, traffic police data reveals a 33% increase in traffic signals over the past five years. The city currently has around 405 signals, up from 300 in 2019, with plans to add 100 more in the coming months. Delhi has over 990 traffic signals, Mumbai has 660, and Chennai has 312, and their numbers are steadily increasing. We are not installing signals randomly. There are 1,003 traffic junctions in the city, and the decision to install a signal at a particular intersection is made after thorough studies by traffic and transport engineers to ensure optimal traffic flow, says MN Anucheth, joint commissioner of police (traffic), Bengaluru. We plan to install signals at 100 more intersections in the coming months. The number of private vehicles is increasing at a massive speed. Currently, the city has over 1.20 crore (12 million) vehicles; five years ago, it had only 56 lakh (5.6 million). Bengaluru, with approximately 2.31 million private cars, has now surpassed Delhi as the city with the highest number of private vehicles in India. According to the Delhi Statistical Handbook, as of March 31, 2023, Delhi had 7.95 million vehicles, including 2.07 million private cars. In 2022, Bengaluru was the second most congested city globally, according to a report by TomTom, a Dutch location technology specialist. The report noted that it took an average of 29 minutes and 9 seconds to travel just 10 kilometres in the city centre. A history of traffic signals A repairman fixes a defunct traffic signal, in 1976. (Ajit Kumar/HT Archive) The worlds first traffic light was installed at Parliament Square in London on December 10, 1868. It consisted of two movable signs attached to pivoting arms controlled by a lever, with a gas-lit semaphore on top for visibility. However, it was short-lived less than two months later, the traffic light exploded, killing the police officer operating it. The world had to wait 46 years until electricity became widespread for the first dual-coloured traffic light to be installed in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 5, 1914. In 1920, Detroit and New York added the yellow light between red and green. Most of Europes largest cities Paris, London, Rome and Prague got electric traffic lights in the 1920s. In India, the first traffic lights were installed in Kolkata ( then Calcutta) in 1928 at the intersection of Esplanade and Dalhousie Square, marking the beginning of organised traffic control in the country. By the 1950s, other major cities, such as Delhi and Chennai (then Madras), had installed traffic lights, followed by Bengaluru (then Bangalore) in 1963. In 2021, the Bengaluru City Police commemorated the citys first traffic signal, installed at NR Junction in 1963, with a special event where the signal and pole were decorated with flowers. More traffic lights: better cities? While many cities such as Bengaluru continue to add more traffic signals, some cities in India are moving in the opposite direction, opting for signal-free roads to increase speed. For example, last year, Kota declared itself a signal-free city. Meanwhile, Chandigarh, which had previously removed roundabouts to install signals for smoother traffic flow, is now reconsidering this approach. So, are traffic lights the most effective way to manage traffic? It is about progressive measures, say experts. Cities should gradually move from uncontrolled intersections to roundabouts, then to traffic signals, followed by grade separators (flyovers), and finally, to interchanges, says Sewa Ram, a professor of transport planning at the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Delhi. This transition should be made in order, based on traffic volume. For instance, if there are more than 3,000 passenger car units (PCUs) or 6,000 two-wheelers passing per hour, a roundabout is generally more effective. It can be expanded to accommodate up to 5,000 cars per hour, but beyond that capacity, a traffic signal becomes necessary, he says. However, signals have their limitations. As traffic flow increases, the waiting time at signals also rises. Signals are not very efficient at intersections with more than four arms. To make signals work better at such intersections, factors such as approach width, entry mouth and other design elements must be carefully considered. If an intersection has more than 10,000 cars per hour approaching from different roads, a grade separator is required, adds Ram. Proponents of signals argue that they not just help regulate traffic flow, but also reduce accidents, and promote democratic streets. Amit Bhatt, managing director ( India) at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), emphasises the need for a balanced approach that uses infrastructure wisely and enforces safe speed limits. We need to understand that signal-free roads can be a nightmare for pedestrians and cyclists, as they compromise safety. Ultimately, it depends on the kind of road speed a city aspires to maintain. Globally, in cities, the trend is moving towards a speed limit of 20 miles per hour (about 32 km/h), whereas in many Indian cities, vehicles often drive at speeds of 80km/h, says Bhatt Akash Hingorani, principal architect and urban designer at Oasis Designs, an architecture firm based in Delhi, advocates for a higher number of traffic signals in cities. Ideally, there should be a signal every 500 metres in city centres. Streets are meant to move people, not just cars. Look at New York, especially Manhattan, which has a network of closely spaced, signalised intersections that effectively regulate the movement of vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians in a highly congested environment, he says. He adds, For pedestrians, frequent signals provide safe crossing opportunities, reducing the risk of accidents. It has been proved that footbridges and underpasses are not quite effective in this respect as they are barely used for different reasons. Some cities are recognising the benefits of roundabouts for reducing accidents at certain intersections. For instance, the Chandigarh administration, which had been replacing roundabouts with traffic signals before halting this practice in 2018, recently constructed a new roundabout designed with cyclists and persons with disabilities (PwDs) in mind. This decision followed a 2018 study showing that traffic signals were more prone to accidents than roundabouts, prompting a shift in policy. Hingorani lauds the move, saying, Cities should also build roundabouts to calm traffic at intersections prone to rash driving and accidents. Signalling inclusivity In recent years, many cities have gained attention for their innovative experiments with traffic signals, using these everyday road fixtures to make bold statements. In 2020, Mumbai became the first Indian city to introduce female figures on its traffic lights, a move welcomed by womens rights campaigners, who saw it as a step towards greater inclusivity. Similarly, on August 5 this year, the Greater Chennai Traffic Police installed heart-shaped red traffic lights at some busy junctions to mark World Traffic Lights Day, commemorating the first traffic lights installed in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 5, 1914. The idea was to raise awareness about the importance of following traffic rules. The heart-shaped traffic lights were meant to remind motorists that their loved ones are waiting at home and to encourage them to follow all road safety measures, a Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) officer said. Globally, many other cities are making similar efforts. Transport for London (TfL), for example, introduced traffic lights featuring a green wheelchair symbol instead of the traditional walking person, ahead of International Day of Persons with Disabilities ( PwD) on December 3 last year. This change, implemented at five prominent pedestrian crossings across London, aims to provide more inclusive representation for wheelchair users and improve accessibility. Signals, psychology and economy Well-synchronised signals, says Bhatt can help boost the local economy by attracting shoppers, while a signal-free road may see fewer customers. Hingorani agrees. Also, lowering the speed in a city means the whole city becomes more enjoyable and safer. Dr Deepak Raheja, a clinical psychologist, says traffic signals play an important role in managing driver stress. By providing predictable intervals of movement, well-timed signals ensure smooth flow of traffic that prevents long, unpredictable jams. This helps alleviate driver frustration, reduce aggressive driving behaviour, and ultimately, enhances overall road safety, he says. Bengaluru traffic JCP Anucheth argues public transport must be made cheaper, faster and more efficient to reduce the reliance on private vehicles and congestion in cities. Bengaluru, which has only 72 kilometres of Metro network, compared to Delhis almost 400km, requires a boost to its public transport, he says. Building more roads is not the solution; cities with robust public transport will be better equipped to tackle traffic issues and improve overall urban mobility. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said there is a need to hit hard at subtle discrimination against women and urged the "male society" to change its mindset before it is too late. Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar (File Photo) He also condemned the rape-murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata and said people must condemn remarks that the incident was of "symptomatic malaise". Addressing the News 18 She Shakti Conclave 2024 here, the vice president said after the women's reservation law comes into force, more women will be part of decision-making and governance. There will be less disturbance and disruptions (in Parliament and state legislatures), he said. People who term women as the weaker sex are wrong, he asserted and said women empowerment will be boosted by women themselves. Dhankhar was of the view that education cuts into inequality. "Gender discrimination has vanished but has assumed certain forms. Overt discrimination can be fought but not subtle discrimination. We have to hit it hard," he asserted. "Male society", the vice president said, has to change the mindset before it is too late. Referring to the Kolkata case, he said "we must be firmly dismissive and contemptuous of insane thoughts of the kind that belittle barbarity of rape and murder of a female doctor in Kolkata while in hospital on duty. "Someone calls it a symptomatic malaise. What a shame. Our hearts should bleed," he said in an apparent reference to purported Supreme Court Bar Association resolution in which senior lawyer Kapil Sibal reportedly described the rape-murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata as a "symptomatic malaise". Reacting to union minister Nitin Gadkari's recent claim that he was offered the coveted prime ministerial role by an opposition leader ahead of the 2024 general elections, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Manoj Jha alleged that there is a war of position going on within the ruling BJP over the post of prime minister. Nitin Gadkari(PTI) The RJD leader attributed the alleged war to the BJP being short of a majority mark of 272 seats in the Lok Sabha and being dependent on coalition partners like the TDP and JD(U). "There is a war of position going on in the BJP and you will be able to see its results in the coming few months. Did the BJP choose PM Modi as its leader this time? Check the timeline, NDA had chosen," Jha told news agency ANI. Gadkari's claim The union minister claimed that he was offered the top post ahead of the 2024 general elections, but he simply rejected it. Though Gadkari did not reveal the identity of the person, he hinted that he was approached by a senior leader. "I do not want to name anyone, but a person said to me, if you are going to become a Prime Minister, we will support you. I said, why you should support me, and why I should take your support. To become a Prime Minister is not the aim in my life. I am loyal to my conviction and organisation and I am not going to compromise for any post because my conviction is most important to me. I think that this conviction is the biggest strength of Indian democracy," Gadkari said. Shiv Sena says 'well played' Gadkari's claim continued to evoke reactions from the opposition parties. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said on Sunday that the opposition alliance has capable leaders to lead the country. Nitin Gadkari ji is expressing his heartfelt desire to be on the top chair, using the excuse of opposition parties he is sending a message to Modiji. INDIA alliance has very capable leaders who can lead the country, wouldnt want to borrow one from BJP. Well played Nitin ji, she wrote on X. Aishwarya Rai was among the many celebs who attended the SIIMA Awards 2024 last night. Aishwarya attended the event with her daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan. The star, who has impressed fans with her many head-turning red carpet looks, failed to impress us with her SIIMA Award look. Aishwarya Rai attends the SIIMA Awards 2024 with Aaradhya in Dubai. Aishwarya Rai wears black embellished anarkali Pictures from SIIMA Awards show Aishwarya attending with her daughter Aaradhya in a black embellished anarkali gown. The mother-daughter duo were seen arriving at the red carpet event while holding hands. She also posed with her fans and clicked pictures. Meanwhile, at the star-studded event, Aishwarya won the Best Actress in a Leading Role (Critics) award for her powerful performance in Mani Ratnams Ponniyin Selvan 2. Decoding Aishwarya Rais SIIMA attire The black anarkali gown set that Aishwarya wore for the award show is adorned with shimmering gold sequin embellishments in intricate patterns. The anarkali kurta features a floor-grazing hem, full-length sleeves, a raised bandhgala collar with a V slit, and a fitted bust with a skirt cascading in a flowy silhouette. Aishwarya paired the anarkali gown with a matching black zari dupatta decked with matching golden sequin adornments and tassel jhumkis attached on the borders. She completed the look by draping it on her shoulder in a floor-sweeping length. For accessories, Aishwarya chose minimal jewels and stilettos to avoid overpowering the outfit. The actor chose dangling gold diamond-cut earrings and a statement ring. As for the glam, she went for coral pink lips, matching eye shadow, rouge-tinted eye shadow, winged eyeliner, mascara-adorned eye shadow, darkened brows, light contouring, and beaming highlighter. Lastly, she left her auburn-highlighted hair loose and styled it in a side parting. What did Aaradhya wear to support her mom? Aaradhya twinned with her mom in a short black kurta and palazzo set. However, instead of golden sequins, her ensemble featured silver embellishments. The outfit has a kurta with a round neckline, full-length trumpet sleeves, side slits, and a relaxed silhouette. Disha Patani attended the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations hosted by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde. The actor attended the event in a churidar kurta set, a style statement Priyanka Chopra wore recently when she visited India. See below as we decode Disha's look. Disha Patani and Priyanka Chopra prove churidars are back! Disha Patani wears a churidar kurta set Disha's churidar kurta set is from Punit Balana's ethnic wear collection and features a kurta, churidar pants, and a dupatta. The sleeveless black kurti features intricate gold yoke embroidery, a backless design with tassel-adorned dori ties, a plunging neckline, side slits, a tailored fit, and a calf-length hem. Meanwhile, Disha's churidar pants feature gold sequin embellishments, yoke work, and zari embroidery on the calves, adding a stop-and-stare appeal to the whole look. She completed the outfit by draping a heavily embroidered chiffon dupatta on the shoulder featuring tassels on the borders. For the accessories, Disha opted for embroidered black velvet juttis, a gold statement ring, kadhas, and jhumkis. Lastly, side-parted loose tresses and minimal glam, including pink-tinted lips, rouged cheeks, feathered brows, and glowing skin, gave the finishing touches to the ethnic look. Priyanka Chopra's churidar look Earlier, Priyanka Chopra also wore a churidar kurta set while attending the promotions of her Marathi feature film Paani. The sleeveless floral embroidered kurti, churidar pants, and zari dupatta were from Sabyasachi Mukherjee's Autumn/Winter 2023 collection. She styled the Y2K-inspired ensemble with dangling earrings, peep-toe mules, rings, and striking glam. Disha and Priyanka's outfits prove that the churidars are back! What is the price of Disha Patani's ensemble? Disha Patani's churidar kurta set is worth 67k. Want to know the price details of Disha's ensemble? We have you covered. The Punit Balana ensemble is called the Noor Kurta Set. Adding the ensemble to your collection will cost you 67,500. Laura Dern attended the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards held in Los Angeles. The Palm Royale actor rolled up on the red carpet in a Gabriela Hearst black gown, which she styled with Sabyasachi jewellery to the delight of her desi fans. Laura Dern attends the Emmy Awards 2024 wearing Sabyasachi jewels. (AP) Laura Dern wears Sabyasachi jewellery to the 2024 Emmys Laura Dern wore high-end jewel pieces designed by ace Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee to the 2024 Emmys red carpet. The actor wore an intricate diamond and coloured stone Palm necklace with her gown. She also chose a bracelet and ring by the designer's jewellery label. The pieces are a part of Sabyasachi's High Jewellery Bengal Byzantine Broadway collection - launched at Londons iconic Lancaster House on the eve of the Animal Ball. Laura Dern on the 76th Emmy Awards red carpet at the Peacock Theatre. (AFP) All you need to know about the Sabyasachi jewels The Sabyasachi Palm necklace, earrings, and bracelet feature Zambian emeralds, Brazilian amethysts, Madagascan tourmalines and fine diamonds. The designer explained on the official website that the Bengal Byzantine Broadway collection is made in homage to endangered animals, using fine endangered crafts. Therefore, the necklace has a gold Bengal tiger (reminiscent of the Sabyasachi logo), and the bracelet features gold alligators. All the Sabyasachi jewels Laura Dern wore. This collection interlaces the East and West, the traditional and rebellious, the precious and profane, and the sensorial with the intellectual, the designer said in a statement. Decoding Laura Dern's Gabriela Hearst look The Gabriela Hearst black gown has an off-the-shoulder boat neckline, front button closures on the bust, quarter-length sleeves, a fitted bodice, a slit on the front, and a cascading skirt with pleat designs. She paired the dress with skinny-fit black pants, a red clutch by Gabriela Hearst and black block heels. Laura chose minimal glam to style the classic, chic ensemble. She chose a pink lip shade, simple black eyeliner, rouge-tinted cheeks, beaming highlighter, mascara-adorned lashes, and feathered brows. She left her blonde locks loose and styled it in soft blowout waves. Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde hosted a grand Ganpati darshan in Mumbai on Sunday at Varsha Bungalow the official residence of the CM - and it was as star-studded as it could get. The A-listers of the Hindi film fraternity dropped by for Ganpati darshan, on the auspicious occasion of Ganesha Chaturthi. From Shilpa Shetty to Mrunal Thakur to Disha Patani, the event was attended by a lot of Bollywood actors. Shilpa Shetty, Mrunal Thakur and Disha Patani at CM Eknath Shinde's Garpati darshan.(Instagram/@viralbhayani, HT Photos/Varinder Chawla) ALSO READ: Happy Ganesh Chaturthi 2024: 50 wishes, images, messages, WhatsApp and Facebook status to welcome Ganpati Bappa Here's what the stars wore to CM Eknath Shinde's Ganpati darshan: Shilpa Shetty looked pretty as ever in a stunning saree as she posed for pictures at the event. The actor is known for her Ganpati celebrations from her dance at Ganpati visarjan to her festive wardrobe picks. In a bright green and neon pink silk saree, Shilpa gave us fresh festive fashion goals to refer to. The actor decked up in the striped saree and teamed it with a matching neon pink blouse. In a ivory white ethnic bag in one hand, and minimal jewellery, Shilpa looked festival-ready. Mrunal Thakur looked stunning as ever as she dropped by at the event in a white salwar suit. With minimal embellishment details at the plunging neckline, the white salwar suit came with flared details at the ankles. Mrunal teamed it with a white silk dupatta styled on one shoulder. In matching white heels, statement earrings and loose tresses, Mrunal looked gorgeous. Disha Patani proved that less is more in a black salwar suit with golden embellishment details throughout. She teamed it with golden ruched ethnic trousers and a matching black dupatta with intricate golden zari details at the borders. In black juttis, Disha posed for the cameras. Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal looked stunning together as they attended the Garpati Darshan. Sonakshi decked up in a pastel blue anarkali with silver embellishment details and mirror work patterns, teamed with a matching dupatta. Zaheer Iqbal, on the other hand, complimented Sonakshi in a floral organza shirt and white silk trousers with flared details. Which look did you like the most? Pitru Paksha, also referred to as Pitri Paksha or Shraddha, is a significant period in the Hindu calendar devoted to paying homage to one's ancestors. This sacred time lasts for 16 lunar days during the month of Ashwin. It begins with the Pratipada Tithi of Krishna Paksha in the Bhadrapada month. During this auspicious period, rituals and offerings are made to honour and remember departed ancestors, making it an essential time for paying respects to forefathers. From history to significance, scroll down to know more. (Also read: Anant Chaturdashi 2024: Date, timings, history, significance, puja rituals and all you need to know ) Pitru Paksha is dedicated to ancestor worship in Hinduism.(Pinterest) Pitru Paksha 2024 Date and Timings In 2024, Pitru Paksha will commence on Tuesday, September 17, and conclude on Wednesday, October 2. The observance begins with the Purnima Tithi (Full Moon) and concludes with the Amavasya Tithi (New Moon), marking the period for performing rituals to honour and remember ancestors. According to Drik Panchang, the auspicious timings are as follows: Kutup Muhurat: 11:51 AM to 12:41 PM (Duration: 49 minutes) Rohina Muhurat: 12:41 PM to 1:30 PM (Duration: 49 minutes) Aparahna Kaal: 1:30 PM to 3:57 PM (Duration: 2 hours, 27 minutes) Purnima Tithi starts: 11:44 AM on September 17, 2024. Purnima Tithi finishes: 8:04 AM on September 18, 2024. Pitru Paksha 2024 Significance Pitru Paksha is considered an especially sacred time in Hinduism, during which individuals worship their ancestors with great devotion. It holds deep religious and spiritual significance as people offer prayers to their departed loved ones. It is a tradition during this period to invite Brahmins, both male and female, into one's home to offer them sattvik food and clothing. Purity is of utmost importance, and these rituals should be performed with sincere intentions and heartfelt emotions. For those afflicted by Pitru Dosha, this period is a favourable time to seek relief by performing the Pitru Dosha Puja. The city of Gaya in Bihar is a renowned location for conducting this significant ritual. Pitru Paksha 2024 Puja Rituals Begin the rituals by waking up early and taking a bath. After cleansing, the house is cleaned, and sattvik food is prepared to invite a Brahmin to the home. The male member of the family performs the Pitru Tarpan, and food, clothing, and dakshina are offered to the Brahmin or priest. It is customary to receive his blessings by touching his feet. Additionally, feeding cows, dogs, and crows is considered highly auspicious. Performing Pitru Tarpan at Ganga Ghat is believed to be especially meritorious, which is why many people visit the Ganga Ghats for these sacred rituals. In 1774, German polymath and writer Johann Wolfgang Goethe published his novel The Sorrows Of Young Werther , a book in which the protagonist takes his own life once he realises that he wont be able to marry the woman he loves. The book led to a suicide contagion or what began to be called the Werther effect and was eventually banned in many countries after several ended their lives in a style closely resembling Werther. A young life cut short abruptly is distressing anywhere in the world but an article that appeared in the media last week pointed out that the student suicide rate in India has surpassed the population growth rate, more evidence of how we as a society are collectively failing our students and youngsters. The article spurred me into spending some time speaking to a range of students, academicians and principals, a few mental health professionals and those vested in this system while reading some of the resources they urged me to delve into. While readers must be aware of how media and news reporting play a role in abetting and reducing imitative behaviour, I was surprised to learn just how significant a role the media can play in reporting such incidents. Numerous studies have shown that there is an increased correlation between the way a news report or even a news headline is structured or displayed and higher suicide rates. A study conducted over a 20-year period by researcher D.P Phillips showed that there was an increase in the number of reported suicides in 26 of the 33 months in which a suicide report appeared on the front page of national newspapers. A more recent study has shown that the sensationalist reporting on the suicide of famous actor and comedian Robin Williams was associated with a 10% increase in suicides (an excess of 1841 suicides) in the USA from August to December 2014. Similarly, after media reporting on the suicides of famous fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain in 2018, 418 more suicides than expected occurred in the subsequent two months in the USA. Perhaps the most educative document I read was the WHOs 2023 preventing suicide resource for media professionals: a guide on how we as the media can play a more constructive role in reducing this menace. I urge all editors and journalists reporting on this sensitive matter to go through this valuable document, which highlights dos and donts based on scientific evidence and cites many instances of how media coverage can influence the narrative from across the world. Readers will attest to this but there are dozens of suicide news reports in India, which explicitly flout the suggested guidelines, often mentioning the method deployed or other circumstances, some of which can be quite graphic. At times, images of nooses and other grim reminders accompany such articles, which highlight the sordidness of the act while sensationalising it. But at a national level, there are a few immediate steps the central government can take to prevent such deaths from occurring. Considering the mounting evidence, many countries have instituted and operationalised national media guidelines on suicide reporting with positive results. In Vienna, for instance, the introduction of national media guidelines on subway suicides reduced the sensational reportage and subway suicides fell by 75 % while citywide suicides fell by 25% over the period of study. India currently only has Press Council of India guidelines (introduced in 2019) but can easily introduce a set of national guidelines since a broader strategy is clearly the need of the hour. The WHO and the International Association for Suicide Prevention have developed a set of international guidelines, which can be adopted as well. Former director of WHOs mental health and substance abuse department (MSD), Shekhar Saxena, says that the media can play a substantial role in preventing suicides by following the WHO resource for media professionals, critical in a country like India where the youth suicide rates are high and increasing. Media guidelines need to apply equally to the Internet and over-the-top (OTT) content sites. Globally, systematic reviews have established that the Internet and social media use were associated with self-harm by adolescents. More recently, a friend mentioned how her niece had joined a suicide pact after intense bullying at her school, worrying her parents to death in the process. On further enquiry, I learnt that there has been a proliferation of pro-suicide websites and such pacts among adolescents. These websites typically describe suicide methods and offer a forum for suicidal individuals. Some implicitly or explicitly encourage suicide pacts. It is unclear to me why the authorities cant clamp down on such sites as it has on pornographic ones. The same holds true for OTT platforms and the content available on them. A Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why, a fictional story of a teenage girl who leaves behind 13 video recordings on tapes after taking her life and in which the end of her life is portrayed in great detail was found by a researcher to have led to a significant increase in adolescent suicides in the US, particularly among young girls. Clamping down is one aspect but evidence is now available that hope can be as powerful a deterrent. Researchers have found that news reports that fell into the mastery of crisis class were negatively associated with suicide rates (there was a marked decrease in the suicide rate following these stories). The term Papageno effect has been coined to describe this positive phenomenon. Papageno is a character in Mozart's opera The Magic Flute who becomes suicidal because he fears losing his true love, Papagena. He is about take to his own life when three boys come to his rescue, offering him alternatives and he changes his decision. Let me end by pointing out that this is perhaps one of the biggest crises facing us as a society today. To what extent the government of the day is seized of or tackling this issue remains unclear but it can act swiftly by introducing a set of well-defined and rigidly enforced media guidelines for a start. Meanwhile, we as the media, can do our bit by reporting with restraint. Focus on the constructive instead of the destructive. Anjuli Bhargava is a senior journalist who writes on governance, infrastructureand the social sector. The views expressed are personal Kyiv in summer feels like any eastern European city warm, lively, beautifully paved streets full of shoppers, couples in love, street musicians, and open-air cafes. Young women would walk up to you to tie a bright yellow and blue band on your wrist whispering We are college students, as they ask for a small donation. Kyiv appeared cheerful, but only on the surface. Not used to seeing too many Indians, it held back its sorrow and the trauma of war from a strangeruntil I stepped into Margaritas tailoring shop. This was my third visit to Kyiv since the war began in early 2022. The bus and train journey from Warsaw to Kyiv takes about 12 to 13 hours. If youre unlucky enough to miss a train seat, as I was on my first trip in mid-2022, the bus ride stretches to 15 hours. In two years, the city had changed, though not for the better. As the train pulled into Kyiv, more crosses and headstones seemed to fill the cemeteries along the tracks, with flowers left by grieving relatives. Dead from the war, it was clear; headstones dont come up that fast. There were more helpless-looking people on the streets with an occasional one coming up to you for money. The lively, cobblestone streets seemed emptier of military-aged men, replaced by lonely elders and women. Beneath the cheerful facade, the toll of the war on the city was unmistakable. The much-anticipated European summer was failing to bring any real joy to the city. Margarita runs a small tailoring shop in a basement on Mykhailivska Street, just a short walk down the hill from the Kyiv Intercontinental, where I was staying. Her wrinkled face lit up when I entered to check out the suits she had advertised outside. She was delighted at the prospect of selling her suits, but she seemed happier to have found someone to share her sadness about the war. As I finalized a rather inexpensive suit to take back, she called out for the master to come and do the fitting. An even older woman with far more pronounced wrinkles came out of the machine room inside. Olena, a half-Russian with relatives in Russia, conveyed her deep unhappiness about the war, using hand gestures and pained facial expressions. The two women spoke incessantly in Ukrainian as if I understood every word. I enthusiastically nodded along, as if I did. Latest fashion, Olena exclaimed as I was checking out one of the suits on display. The thought of two elderly ladies making latest fashion suits for men made me laugh. They joined in, not knowing why I was laughing. Margarita and Olena said Indians are nice people, but they had not heard of PM Modis recent visit to Kyiv. They had little interest in geopolitics, even though geopolitics was sealing their fates, whether they had interest or not. Earlier that morning, President Zelensky had spoken to us and insisted that Ukraine would prevail, notably wearing a black Tee instead of his olive green. The josh (enthusiasm) was certainly high among the officials and politicians, but it seemed to have diminished among the general public, as is to be expected after two and a half years of war with a mightier power that has cost them dearly. Since the first time I went to Kyiv, fewer people seem to go into the bunker when the air raid sirens go off. During my first visit, I had made an embarrassing dash to the bunker in the basement of the hotel at the piercing sound of the air raid siren only to find the place empty. When I returned upstairs, I saw the locals chatting in the lobby, unfazed. Today, compared to two years ago, there are comparatively fewer voices calling for a decisive battlefield victory against Russia. Time, Ukrainians know it, is not on their side. The rightwing parties in Europe are starting to challenge war commitments to Ukraine, war fatigue is setting in across the continent even though a war being fought next door is undoubtedly worrisome for Europeans, and across the Atlantic, the American presidential election hangs like the sword of Damocles over Ukraines future. Eventually, Ukrainians also know, that the pressure of other issues will begin to build up. Gaza is already a distraction from Ukraine what if something else happens elsewhere? If there is, for instance, a Taiwan contingency tomorrow, Ukraine is likely to be a distraction for the US, not the other way around. Geopolitics doesnt stand still. Ukraine is fighting on many fronts: A full-on war with Russia, fighting for global attention, for material help from the US and Europe, and to keep up the morale of its people. But above all, its fighting against timeand time is something they have very little of. In the long run, we are all dead. But before that, the Russians could get us. Thats why we must have quick victories, a young Ukrainian journalist told me what he thought was the rationale behind Ukraines controversial decision to move into Russias Kursk Oblast. Ukraine must make sure it has enough gains on the battlefield to do well on the negotiating table, he reasoned. Please tell Russia to end the war, Olena wants to meet her relatives in Russia. She is getting old, Margarita requested while offering me a 10% friends only discount, knowing fully well I could do nothing about it. Wars may be political, but the costs are human. And personal. The United Nations (UN) Summit of the Future on September 22-23 comes at a time when faith in multilateralism is at a low point. In the wake of crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic and conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, the question remains: Will this summit be the transformative moment that reshapes global governance, or just another missed opportunity, reinforcing the narrative of multilateralisms decline? Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, speaks during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) (AP) This summit represents a crossroads for the UN. It has the potential to renew the organisations relevance in an increasingly complex world or to deepen its marginalisation. The UNs effectiveness has come under fire, with detractors arguing that the institution is mired in inefficiency, out of touch with modern realities, and increasingly unable to resolve global crises. Counterintuitively, while many express scepticism about the UNs ability to reform, the fact that this summit is happening shows that all is not lost. The centrepiece of the summit is the proposed Pact for the Future, a streamlined 20-page document outlining a bold vision for UN reform and global cooperation. The Pact consolidates a broad range of issues into five main chapters: Sustainable development; international peace and security; youth and future generations; science, technology, innovation, and digital cooperation; and transforming global governance. It proposes 60 specific actions in these areas, which represents a significant step forward. However, one cant help but ask: Is this merely the lowest common denominator? After all, multilateral diplomacy often settles for the most agreeable solutions rather than the most transformative ones. The UNs critics point to its longstanding structural issues, particularly the Security Councils (UNSC) power structure. The veto power held by the five permanent members China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States has frequently led to deadlock, hampering meaningful action on critical issues such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. The UNSCs outdated framework has become emblematic of the broader perception that the UN is more focused on rhetoric than action. Not surprisingly, many believe that a summit, however well-intentioned, will not be enough to solve these deep-rooted problems. Consequently, the upcoming summit is seen by many as a case of too little, too late. They argue that the UNs problems are so deep-rooted that a single event cannot reverse its declining influence. Instead, they predict a continuation of the status quo, with regional and bilateral alliances increasingly overshadowing multilateral efforts, further eroding the UNs relevance. Yet, all is not lost. There are strong reasons to believe that the summit could indeed mark a turning point. First, the mere fact that this summit is being held reflects a recognition among member States that the current state of global governance is unsustainable. No single nation, no matter how powerful, can tackle the interconnected crises of climate, terrorism, pandemics, and cyber threats alone. Paradoxically, therefore, the 21st-century challenges may reinforce the need for global cooperation. The summit offers a rare platform to address these challenges collectively, but more importantly, it may serve as a catalyst for real reform within the UN. Conversations around expanding the UNSC and on limiting or abolishing veto power suggest that the summit could lay the groundwork for future changes. However, realistically, we may not see immediate transformative reform. The potential for bold action depends largely on whether member States can move beyond superficial consensus-building. The summit could also catalyse reforms across other areas of the UN system, such as conflict prevention, digital governance, and humanitarian efforts. Importantly, the inclusion of civil society, the private sector, and other non-State actors in these discussions represents a potential bridging of gaps between the UN and the broader international community, offering new partnerships that could breathe life into multilateralism. Still, the summits success will depend on more than just broad commitments. It will require concrete steps and significant investments to ensure that the Pact for the Future is implemented. Without this, theres a risk that the Pact will remain just another well-meaning but ultimately symbolic document, lacking in substance. Optimistically, the very existence of the Pact even in its draft form signals a recognition that the status quo is insufficient. This acknowledgment sets the stage for future negotiations and, at the very least, provides a framework for long-term change. It is crucial, however, not to overlook the criticisms. The absence of specific commitments around contentious issues, such as UNSC reform, raises doubts about whether the summit can produce real, transformative results. Some argue that the Pact may amount to little more than a symbolic gesture, rather than a practical roadmap for substantive change. And yet, ironically, even a modest pact adopted by consensus could demonstrate that multilateralism is far from dead. It would show that despite the polarisation and lack of solidarity within the UN, member States can still engage in meaningful diplomacy. Thus, the summit may not bring the root-and-branch reform many hoped for, but it does offer a starting point for rejuvenating global governance. In conclusion, the summit represents both a moment of truth and an opportunity for the UN. The Pact outlines critical areas for reform and sets the stage for future discussions. Whether this becomes a true turning point or a missed opportunity will depend on the political will of member States. If they can rise above the lowest common denominator, embrace transformative change, and make substantial investments in implementing the Pact, the summit could mark the beginning of a UN 2.0. Although multilateralism has weakened, it is far from dead. What remains clear, however, is that the world cant afford a defunct UN, and the summit could be a catalyst for its much-needed reset. Ruchira Kamboj is former permanent representative of India to the UN.The views expressed are personal Bengaluru and Hyderabad collectively accounted for over 60% of the office leasing undertaken for GCCs across the top six cities in India between 2022-H1 2024, as per a recent report by property consultancy CBRE. 5 factors that make Bengaluru and Hyderabad leading hubs for global capability centres (Representational photo)(Unsplash) A report by real estate consultant Colliers, also found that the average transaction size with regards to GCC office leasing in Bengaluru and Hyderabad stands at 1.30 lakh square feet as opposed to 70,000 square feet in Pune, Mumbai and Delhi-NCR. GCCs are offshore captive centres of multinationals that handle support operations such as back-office functions, IT assistance and customer relationship management, among others. Some large companies use GCCs as centres of excellence as well. Heres a list of the five reasons that have helped Bengaluru and Hyderabad curry favour amongst multinationals. 1 Availability of skilled tech talent According to sectoral experts, availability of skilled talent at affordable pricing is the foremost priority for multinational corporations globally looking to set up offshore units. While India is overall an attractive proposition for these MNCs in terms of cheap labour supply, Bengaluru and Hyderabad appear to have an edge over other top cities in the country due to a firmly established IT industry. Besides technology which commands a lead, GCCs are predominantly present in sectors such as BFSI, engineering and manufacturing, research consulting and life sciences. The emerging segments which currently have a smaller share comprise semiconductors, electric vehicles, healthcare, and so on. Also Read: Bengaluru leads leasing by Global Capability Centres in India with 40% share between 2022 to H1 2024: Report It must be noted that there is a difference between Bengaluru and Hyderabad as well, said Abhinav Joshi, Head of Research, India, Middle East and North Africa, CBRE. It is not simply the scale but also the diversity of talent, especially at the mid and senior levels, that sets Bengaluru apart, he said. Meanwhile Hyderabad ends up attracting a lot of demand from life sciences, technology and to a certain extent BFSI, he added. 2. Supply of integrated commercial real estate Integrated real estate in this context can be understood as large scale high quality commercial developments, including flexible workspaces, coupled with complementary offerings such as retail, F&B, play arena, relaxation or fitness centres, ESG compliance and so on. Both the cities in discussion, Bengaluru more so, offer a consistent and fitting supply of that at competitive if not advantageous pricing, experts said. We have a larger quantity of them in Bengaluru and to a certain extent in Hyderabad as well. Hyderabad, I would say, it is largely in the IT corridor and parts of the extended IT corridor, Joshi said. Usually, GCCs prefer real estate which resemble what they have in their global headquarters, he added. Also Read: Bengaluru leads office space absorption by global capability centers in India at 4.3 mn sq ft: Report Furthermore, a Colliers report pointed out that previously averse, GCCs are increasingly opening up to flex spaces for their expansion strategies, owing to the flexibility and scalability offered by them. Statistically speaking, 5-10% of flex seats in India are currently being taken up by GCC occupiers, the report said. During the first half of 2024, Bengaluru led the flexible workspace footprint across the top eight cities in India with a 31% contribution to the overall 58 million square feet clocked by the segment, as per Cushman & Wakefield. Meanwhile Hyderabad had a nearly 12% share. 3. Presence of a larger complementary ecosystem The two geographies in discussion have an IT enabling environment, and large presence of startups and tech firms, experts pointed out. GCCs, after all, end up recruiting talent from the same ecosystem and it is even better when that is diverse, they said. One can say that it is also a cluster effect and first-mover advantage, said Joshi. 4. Enabling business and social environment Experts pointed out that while the top cities in India are similarly placed in terms of favourable policies towards MNCs and offering ease of doing business to them, Karnataka has been at the forefront of enabling policies for emerging sectors such as e-vehicles, data centres and GCCs. In fact, the tech-progressive state is set to roll out Indias maiden GCC policy soon. According to media reports, the draft policy is currently being put together and is set to be out next month. Also Read: Bengaluru and Hyderabad account for 60% of the total Global Capability Centres demand: Colliers Furthermore, factors such as English proficiency, moderate weather conditions and a cosmopolitan culture add to the appeal. Talking about Hyderabad, a property consultant who did not wish to be named, lauded the citys flexibility, agility and proactive approach in addressing infrastructural issues. The political dispensation there has also been very friendly and welcoming towards these global corporations, the individual added. 5. Range of rental options Sectoral analysts highlighted that Bengaluru and Hyderabad have several secondary and peripheral markets which offer relatively cheaper rental rates for much the same quality. Bengaluru and Hyderabad have larger sub-dollar and near dollar micro markets with average rentals at 70 per square feet rate as well, which makes a bigger financial impact while setting up GCCs, explained said Vimal Nadar, Senior Director and Head, Research, Colliers India. According to a Colliers report, typically GCCs, which earn the majority of their revenues in US dollars, prefer having a presence in micro markets where monthly rental expense is less than or close to a dollar per square feet. Statistics on overall GCC activity in India GCCs have been present in India since the early 2000s, starting in the form of KPOs (knowledge process outsourcing). From there they have upgraded and graduated to become GCCs and innovation centres in certain places, said Nadar. Since the turn of the century, the GCC landscape in the country has grown notably, fostering more than 1,600 centres as of 2024, according to estimates of various consultancies. Indias offshoring market witnessed an overall leasing volume of 27.3 million square feet in the calendar year 2023 with cumulative transaction volumes from GCCs accounting for 20.8 million square feet, as per Knight Frank India. Over the past decade, India has transformed itself from a cost-effective centre into a value-adding captive centre, said Viral Desai, Senior Executive Director, Occupier Strategy and Solutions, Industrial and Logistics, Capital Markets and Retail, Knight Frank India. Going forward, Colliers anticipates 40-50 million square feet of GCC leasing activity over the next two years, contributing to about 40% of the total demand for office spaces in India. Mumbai's real estate market has been witnessing increased activity in the housing society redevelopment space with even developers from other cities such as Bengaluru picking up old buildings in the land-starved city to redevelop them into modern apartments. This is primarily because there are several buildings that are old enough to require a facelift and major real estate firms have the financial wherewithal to execute such projects. Mumbai real estate market has been witnessing increased activity in the housing society redevelopment space.(Mehul R Thakkar/HT) Bengaluru-based listed real estate developer Puravankara Limited announced last week that it has secured redevelopment rights of a housing society named Miami Apartments at Breach Candy in South Mumbai. The company also announced that it would be redeveloping four more societies in the Andheri area of Mumbai. The apartments are located on a 2,000 square metre parcel and prices in the area are in the range of 1.25 lakh to 1.40 lakh a square foot, Puravankara said in a release on September 12. House of Hiranandani also announced last week that it has entered into development agreements with five major housing societies in Mumbai's Chembur area and plans to invest 3200 crore for the same. The company has presence in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai. The company said it has signed additional redevelopment projects of 17 lakh square feet with a GDV (Gross Development Value) of 5,000 crore. "The company has entered into registered development agreements with five major housing societies in Chembur and plans to invest 3,200 crore," House of Hiranandani said in a statement. Also Read: Puravankara enters South Mumbais super luxury real estate market, secures rights to redevelop project in Breach Candy These five housing societies in Chembur comprising 459 tenants include redevelopment of Maitri Park in Chembur East, measuring about 9 acres and Shrinagar Society in Chembur West, a cluster of four societies measuring about six acres. The company said it is in the process of securing necessary approvals and plans to complete the redevelopment within the next 4-5 years. The list does not end here. Several listed real estate developers already have a pipeline of redevelopment projects in the Mumbai real estate market. Post Covid-19, the number of old buildings undergoing redevelopment has not slowed down in Mumbai. Redevelopment activity gains pace in South Mumbai Redevelopment activity in Mumbai picked up pace after the Maharashtra government reduced the premiums on real estate projects by half to boost housing sales post COVID-19. However, in the last one year, there have been a handful of announcements for old buildings undergoing redevelopment in south Mumbai that is home to one of the costliest real estate properties in India. "It usually takes two to three years for a real estate firm to formally launch a redevelopment project. The announcements we see today have probably been in the works for two or three years or at least one year. From 2016 to 2021, the Mumbai real estate market was under stress and there was no supply. Post Covid-19 pandemic, there was a push in the form of premium waiver that ensured redevelopment of old buildings continued," said Pankaj Kapoor, managing director of Liases Foras Real Estate Rating and Research Pvt Ltd. "There is still a large part of the city that is yet to be redeveloped and considering there is not much open land available in Mumbai, redevelopment projects will play a significant role in the Mumbai real estate market for the next 10 years," Kapoor added. Also Read: MHADA lottery 2024: More than 68,000 applications received for 2,030 affordable homes in Mumbai Why is there a rush for redevelopment projects? In South Mumbai, the partial opening of Coastal Road and the announcement of Cuffe Parade to Aarey Colony Mumbai underground Metro-3 corridor has raised hopes of better connectivity within the city. This may have a positive impact on Mumbais real estate market, especially redevelopment of old buildings, an activity that has picked up pace in South Mumbai and Central Mumbai, said real estate experts. The Coastal Road and Mumbai Metro-3 are expected to boost real estate activity in areas like Nariman Point, Cuffe Parade, Churchgate, Mumbai Central, Worli among several other areas of south Mumbai and Central Mumbai directly. Suburban areas like Bandra, Versova, Andheri, Malad, Kandivali, Borivali and Dahisar are expected to benefit indirectly due to the improved connectivity of suburbs with central and south Mumbai, experts added. Also Read: Mumbai Coastal Road project: Will its completion impact the South Mumbai real estate market? What does redevelopment of old buildings mean? Under the redevelopment model, a developer signs a development agreement with homeowners residing in these old structures. The developer promises extra area to each of the flat owners after redevelopment. In exchange, the developer gets to utilize the remaining unused Floor Space Index (FSI) of the plot and build additional homes to sell at a premium in the open market. Heres what homeowners should know about redevelopment CREDAI-MCHI, an apex body of real estate developers in Maharashtra, is planning to hold a day-long exhibition on redevelopment of old projects on September 28. "This will be Mumbai's first-ever exhibition where housing societies can meet leading real estate developers to facilitate the much-needed redevelopment of their communities. This event is a unique platform for society representatives to interact with top developers, understand their expertise, and initiate crucial dialogues," said Keval Valambhia, Chief Operating Officer of CREDAI-MCHI. "The exhibition for redevelopment of old buildings in Mumbai is being organised by CREDAI-MCHI. We see this as a platform to showcase how Puravankara offers a key differentiation platform for the redevelopment of Mumbai city. We want to communicate what we are capable of and thus create a win-win environment for societies and developers together. We have redevelopment projects ongoing in Mumbai city, and more such projects will be our key focus to grow in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region," said Rajat Rastogi, CEO West and Commercial Assets, Puravankara Limited. Things to keep in mind before going for redevelopment of your old building in Mumbai Housing societies wanting to go for redevelopment should keep several aspects like financial wherewithal of the real estate developer, developers conduct with other society members, viability of the project among other things in mind before selecting a developer, said experts. Also Read: Mumbai real estate: 10 things homeowners of societies looking to get their buildings redeveloped should keep in mind According to market experts, housing societies should also ensure that they opt for developers with redevelopment experience, get legal experts on board for the documentation work and discuss project timelines and other modalities before going ahead with the onboarding process. A man in Chhattisgarh suffered a brain haemorrhage recently, with doctors pointing to loud DJ music as the likely cause. The case of the 40-year-old, who had no prior medical history of high blood pressure or other health complications, has raised alarms about the potential health risks associated with prolonged exposure to excessive noise. A 40-year-old man in Chhattisgarh suffered a brain haemorrhage linked to loud DJ music.(Unsplash) (Also read: 49-year-old Kerala man dies after choking on idlis during Onam eating contest) Sudden onset of symptoms According to a Times of India report, the incident occurred last week while Sanjay Jaiswal, a resident of Balrampur district in Chhattisgarh, was helping load equipment into a DJ vehicle. He felt dizzy but initially dismissed the symptoms and decided to head home. However, later that evening, his condition worsened, and he began experiencing severe headaches and vomiting. The next morning, concerned about his deteriorating health, Jaiswal sought medical help at Ambikapur Government Medical College. Diagnosis and investigation At the hospital, ENT specialist Dr Shailendra Gupta recommended a CT scan, which revealed a blood clot in the posterior part of Jaiswals brain caused by a ruptured blood vessel. Typically, such conditions arise from hypertension, injury, or trauma, none of which applied to Jaiswal. His blood pressure was measured at 110/70, which added to the doctors puzzlement. (Also read: Musician plays guitar while undergoing brain tumour surgery. Watch) Initially hesitant to discuss the circumstances leading to his illness, Jaiswal eventually admitted to standing close to large DJ speakers when he first experienced dizziness. This revelation led doctors to suspect that the loud noise might have triggered the brain haemorrhage, as not everyones occipital areathe back of the headcan withstand such intense sound exposure. Health risks of loud noise Dr Gupta highlighted the dangers of loud noise exposure, noting its potential to cause hearing loss, high blood pressure, and even heart attacks. Speaking to TOI, he referenced a 2022 study on 50 traffic personnel regularly exposed to noisy environments. Of those surveyed, 12 experienced hearing loss, while 25 reported other symptoms such as insomnia and irritability. Call for stricter noise regulations This incident has reignited debates over noise pollution in the region. ETV Bharat reported that local residents, including a businessman, have urged the government to crack down on DJ music, which they argue disrupts childrens education and frightens wildlife. Earlier, the Chhattisgarh High Court had criticised the state government for its inaction on noise pollution, demanding an affidavit on measures taken against loud DJ music. The Chief Secretary later convened a high-level meeting to discuss the enforcement of noise pollution laws. A two-month-old baby pygmy hippo in Thailand is paying the price for her viral internet fame. Moo-Deng has millions of fans across the world, and she cant step out of her enclosure at Khao Kheow Open Zoo without hundreds of cameras trained at her, but the celebrity baby hippo has been facing harassment from some fans who have taken to throwing objects at her in a bid to gain her attention. Moo Deng has become the star attraction of Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand(Facebook/kkopenzoo) Moo-Deng became an internet sensation and a popular meme after her photographs went viral on social media. The moment I saw Moo-Deng born, I set a goal to make her famous, but I never expected it would spread abroad. I thought she could be famous in Thailand but not internationally, zookeeper Atthapon Nundee told The Guardian. But Moo-Deng has indeed found fame at home and abroad. On social media platforms like X, Facebook and Instagram, videos of the baby pygmy hippo collect millions of views. Visitors at her zoo near the city of Pattaya have doubled since her birth in July, according to BBC. Moo-Deng faces harassment But not all the visitors are treating Moo-Deng right. Videos that have surfaced online show some visitors at Khao Kheow Open Zoo throwing objects at Moo-Deng to get her attention. One tourist even poured water on the baby hippo to wake her up. The zoo has threatened legal action against visitors who mistreat its celebrity resident. "These behaviours are not only cruel but also dangerous," zoo director Narongwit Chodchoi said in a statement posted online. "We must protect these animals and ensure that they have a safe and comfortable environment." He said that the best time to visit Moo-Deng is when she is awake, possibly in a reference to one video which shows water being splashed to the hippo to wake her up. The zoo has since deployed additional security features around Moo-Dengs enclosure, installing CCTV cameras and threatening legal action against those who mistreat the baby hippo. IAS officer Tina Dabi, the UPSC 2015 topper who was recently transferred to Rajasthans Barmer, is in the spotlight once again due to a video that is viral. The clip captures her reaction to a Sarpanchs speech in fluent English during an event. IAS officer Tina Dabi went viral for her surprised reaction to a Sarpanchs fluent English speech at a function. (X/@KailashSodha_94) (Also read: Tina Dabi transferred to Barmer as collector, husband Pradeep Gawande posted 150 km away) The viral moment In the clip, Tina Dabi is seen attending a function where she was a guest of honour. The event took a surprising turn when the Sarpanch, dressed in traditional Rajputi attire in ghoonghat, began her welcome speech in fluent English. The Sarpanch, identified as Sonu Kanwar from Barmer, Rajasthan, delivered her address with such proficiency that it left Tina Dabi visibly astonished. The moment was met with enthusiastic applause from the audience, reflecting their admiration for Kanwars impressive language skills. The video was shared by X user Kailash Singh Sodha and quickly garnered widespread attention on social media platforms. It beautifully captured the sincere reaction of Dabi and the warm reception of Kanwars eloquent speech. Watch the clip here: Professional updates Tina Dabis professional journey recently saw a new chapter as she was appointed the Collector of Barmer. This new role comes at a time when her husband, IAS officer Pradeep Gawande, has been assigned as the District Collector of Jalore, which is approximately 150 kilometres from Barmer. (Also read: IAS officer Tina Dabi pens down heartwarming note before going on leave: Alvida) Tina Dabi: Star in Indian bureaucracy Tina Dabis prominence in Indian bureaucracy is well-established. She first made headlines in 2015 when she topped the UPSC examination on her first attempt, a feat that garnered her national recognition. Beginning her administrative career as an Assistant Collector in Ajmer in 2017, Dabis career has been marked by a series of significant achievements. Her previous marriage to fellow IAS officer Athar Aamir Khan, which was widely covered in the media, ended in 2020 after two years. Dabis rise through the ranks remains a subject of public fascination, particularly as her younger sister, Ria Dabi, also made headlines by securing an all-India rank of 15 in the UPSC examination of 2020. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stirred controversy by reportedly urging citizens to use their work breaks - such as lunch and coffee breaks - to have sex as part of a bold strategy to combat the nation's plummeting birth rate. Vladimir Putin reportedly urged Russians to use work breaks for intimacy to boost Russia's birth rate, amid falling fertility and rising population decline.(Reuters) According to Metro, the fertility rate in Russia is currently around 1.5 children per woman, a significant drop from the 2.1 rate needed to sustain the population. (Also read: Joe Biden mistakenly addresses Zelenskyy as President Putin, Ukraine leaders reaction goes viral) Government response to declining birth rates In response to the alarming fertility statistics, Health Minister Dr Yevgeny Shestopalov has dismissed the argument that demanding work schedules prevent people from starting families. "Life flies by too quickly," Shestopalov remarked, emphasising that even those working 12 to 14-hour days should use their breaks for procreation. Putin has previously highlighted the urgency of the situation, asserting, "The preservation of the Russian people is our highest national priority. The fate of Russia...depends on how many of us there will be. It is a question of national importance." Alarming statistics and policy measures The decline in Russia's birth rate has reached its lowest since 1999, with fewer than 100,000 live births reported in June. Euro News cites Rosstat, Russia's official statistics agency, revealing that there were 16,000 fewer births in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year. Additionally, population decline has accelerated by 18%, with 49,000 more deaths recorded this year, exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. (Also read: Vladimir Putin greets children of 2 freed sleeper agents, who learned they were Russians on flight, in Spanish. Watch) To address these challenges, the Kremlin has introduced a range of measures aimed at boosting the birth rate. Women aged 18-40 in Moscow are encouraged to take advantage of free fertility checks to assess their reproductive health. MP Tatyana Butskaya has proposed policies to pressure employers into motivating their female staff to have children. In addition, the Chelyabinsk region is offering 8,500 to female students under 24 who give birth to their first child. The government is also restricting access to abortion, with public figures and religious leaders advocating for womens role in childbearing and raising. Furthermore, divorce fees have been increased to discourage separations. Politician Anna Kuznetsova has also called for younger childbirth, suggesting women start having children at 19 or 20 to enable families to have three or more children. The Russian government's controversial strategies reflect the severe demographic challenges the country faces and the desperate measures being taken to reverse the decline. American Express opened its largest office in Gurgaon earlier this year in a sprawling campus that is nearly one million square feet. Employees moved to the new facility at the end of May. The American Express Gurgaon campus has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for Building Design and Construction (BD+C) Core and Shell Development. The Gurgaon campus has many facilities, including an on-site gym and a food court that offers a variety of cuisines, with a live kitchen. A man who works at American Express as an Analyst gave an office tour of the Gurgaon office. "POV : You work at American Express. @americanexpress Gurgaon new campus AEIC-74A what a piece of art," the person said in the caption of the Instagram Reels. Watch the video here: People who watched the office tour were left impressed, with many of them asking of American Express has openings in India and if yes, how they can apply for a job. The video features an elaborate food court with counters for healthy meal bowls, South Indian and North Indian cuisines, and a pan Asian menu. The campus, located in sector 74 A of Gurgaon, has a Cult gym for employees. Other features include an electric vehicle (EV) charging facility, renewable energy sources such as solar thermal power to provide hot water and lighting, as well as waste management and water reclamation. While the walls of the office building have beautiful Indian art on them, there are also vintage-looking vehicles placed inside as part of the decor. During work breaks, employees can use quiet rooms, a terrace and recreational rooms, which include table games. The Gurgaon Amex office also has an on-site healthcare facility to provide medical support for employees. "The new office building provides a modern, energy efficient workspace that will enable our teams to continue driving innovation and delivering exceptional value to our customers world-wide, Sanjay Khanna, CEO and Country Manager, American Express, India, was quoted as saying in a statement in May. (Also Read: Software engineer gives video tour of Googles Pune office, netizens loved it) American Express has additional facilities in Gurgaon as well as in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Pune. JERUSALEM A missile fired by Yemen's Iran-backed rebels landed in an open area in central Israel early Sunday and triggered air raid sirens at its international airport, in the latest reverberation from the nearly yearlong war in Gaza. Israel hinted that it would respond militarily. A missile fired by Yemen's rebels lands in Israel and triggers sirens at international airport There were no reports of casualties or major damage, but Israeli media aired footage showing people racing to shelters in Ben Gurion International Airport. The airport authority said that it resumed normal operations shortly thereafter. A fire could be seen in a rural area of central Israel, and local media showed images of what appeared to be a fragment from an interceptor that landed on an escalator in a train station in the central town of Modiin. Israel's army said the surface-to-surface missile was intercepted by Israel's defense system, which hit and fragmented the target but did not destroy it. The military said the sound of explosions in the area came from interceptors. The Yemeni rebels, known as Houthis, have repeatedly fired drones and missiles toward Israel since the start of the war in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, but nearly all of them have been intercepted over the Red Sea. In July, an Iranian-made drone launched by the Houthis struck Tel Aviv, killing one person and wounding 10 others. Israel responded with a wave of airstrikes on Houthi-held areas of Yemen, including the port city of Hodeidah, a Houthi stronghold. Israel indicates it will respond to attack Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at a similar response in remarks at a Cabinet meeting after Sunday's attack. The Houthis should have known by now that we exact a heavy price for any attempt to harm us," he said. Anyone who needs a reminder is invited to visit the port of Hodeidah. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the rebels, said they fired a ballistic missile targeting a military target in the area of Tel Aviv. The Houthis have also repeatedly attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea, in what the rebels portray as a blockade on Israel in support of the Palestinians. Most of the targeted ships have no connection to Israel. The war in Gaza, which began with Hamas' Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel, has rippled across the region, with Iran and allied militant groups attacking Israeli and U.S. targets and drawing retaliatory strikes from Israel and its Western allies. On several occasions, the strikes and counterstrikes have threatened to trigger a wider conflict. Iran supports militant groups across the region, including Hamas, the Houthis and Lebanon's Hezbollah, its most powerful ally, which has traded fire with Israel on a near-daily basis since the war in Gaza began. Iran and its allies say they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians. Israel says high probability its strike killed three hostages in Gaza On Sunday, the Israeli military said there was a high probability that three hostages found dead months ago were killed in an Israeli airstrike. The army announced the conclusions of its investigation into the deaths of Cpl. Nik Beizer, Sgt. Ron Sherman and Elia Toledano. It said investigations had determined that the three were likely killed in a November airstrike that also killed a senior Hamas militant, Ahmed Ghandour. All three of the hostages were kidnapped in Hamas Oct. 7 attack. Their bodies were recovered in December, but the cause of death was only recently determined. In its report, the army said there was a high probability they were killed in the strike, based on where the bodies were recovered, pathological reports and other intelligence. But it said, it is not possible to definitely determine the circumstances of their deaths. The conclusions could add pressure on the government to strike a deal to bring home the remaining hostages held by Hamas. Critics say it's too difficult and dangerous to try to rescue them. Late last month, Israel recovered the bodies of six hostages that it says were killed by Hamas captors shortly before Israeli forces arrived. The army's announcement is the first time it has linked the deaths of hostages to airstrikes. In other cases of bodies being recovered, the army has said people were either killed on Oct. 7, died in Hamas captivity or were killed by the militant group. In December, the army acknowledged mistakenly killing three hostages who had escaped Hamas captivity in a battle-torn neighborhood of Gaza City. It was believed that the three had either fled their captors or been abandoned. Around 250 hostages were taken on Oct. 7. Israel now believes 101 remain in captivity, including 35 who are thought to be dead. More than 100 were freed during a cease-fire in November in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Eight have been rescued by Israeli forces. Also on Sunday, an Israeli border police officer was stabbed near Jerusalem's Damascus Gate and the attacker was shot and killed trying to escape, said the police. The stabbed officer wasn't severely injured and was evacuated for treatment. Police secured the area and began an investigation. Rockets fired from Lebanon The military said that around 40 projectiles were fired from Lebanon early Sunday, with most intercepted or falling in open areas. In a separate incident, Israeli forces dropped leaflets over the Lebanese border town of al-Wazzani, calling on residents to evacuate. The military later said there were no such evacuation orders, and that a local commander had acted without the approval of his superiors. It said the incident was under investigation. It wasnt immediately clear if any message had been conveyed to residents that the leaflets were dropped in error. Ahmad al-Mohammed, the mayor of Al-Wazzani, said most of the towns remaining residents had not heeded the evacuation order. The strikes along the Israel-Lebanon border have displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides. This requires a change in the balance of power on our northern border," Netanyahu said at the Cabinet meeting. "We will do everything necessary to return our residents safely to their homes. Gaza smuggling tunnels blocked Hezbollah has said it would halt its attacks if there is a cease-fire in Gaza. The United States and Arab mediators Egypt and Qatar have spent much of this year trying to broker a truce and the release of scores of hostages held by Hamas, but the talks have repeatedly bogged down. In recent weeks, Netanyahu has insisted on lasting Israeli control over the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, which Israeli forces captured in May. He has said Hamas used a network of tunnels beneath the border to import arms, allegations denied by Egypt, which along with Hamas is opposed to any lasting Israeli presence there. An Israeli military official said late Saturday that of the dozens of tunnels discovered along the border, only nine entered Egypt, and all were found to have been sealed off. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence, said that it wasn't clear when the tunnels were sealed. The discovery appeared to weaken Netanyahus argument that Israel needs to keep open-ended control of the corridor to prevent cross-border smuggling. Egypt has said it sealed off the tunnels on its side of the border years ago, in part by creating its own military buffer zone along the frontier. Natalie Melzer reported from Nahariya, Israel. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Ali Sharafeddine in Beirut, Lebanon and Josef Federman and Isaac Scharf in Jerusalem, contributed to this report. Find more of s coverage at /hub/israel-hamas-war This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. * Central Europe braces for more flooding as death toll rises Death toll reaches 15 after heavy rains, flooding * Rising rivers put more places on alert * Polish government announces state of disaster * Czech town Litovel submerged, Jesenik starts cleaning up By David W Cerny and Pawel Florkiewicz JESENIK, Czech Republic/WARSAW, Sept 16 - The death toll from the worst flooding central Europe has seen in at least two decades rose on Monday, as authorities in some areas counted the cost of the trail of destruction left by the deluge while others prepared for the crisis to reach them. Border areas between the Czech Republic and Poland were hit hard over the weekend as heavy rain that has fallen since last week and surging water levels collapsed some bridges, forced evacuations and damaged cars and houses. At least 15 people have died in flooding from Austria to Romania. Poland's government announced a state of natural disaster in affected areas and said that it had set aside 1 billion zlotys to help victims. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he was in touch with the leaders of other affected countries and that they would ask the European Union for financial aid. Michal Piszko, mayor of the Polish town of Klodzko along the Czech border, said waters had receded there but help was needed. "We need bottled water and dry provisions... half of the city has no electricity," he told Polish radio. Television footage showed streets in Klodzko strewn with debris and mud. In the Polish town of Nysa a hospital was evacuated, with patients including pregnant women and elderly people taken away in rafts. In Jesenik, a Czech town across the border that was inundated on Sunday, a clean-up was starting after waters receded to show damaged cars and debris on the streets. "There were two metres of water that ran through the street... There are many, many destroyed cars," said resident Zdenek Kuzilek. "Telephones are not working, there is no water, no electricity." In eastern Romania, where villages and towns were submerged over the weekend, Emil Dragomir, mayor of Slobozia Conachi, told Romanian television the flooding had a devastating impact. "If you were here you would cry instantly because people are desperate... there were people who were left with just the clothes they had on," he said. PREPARATION While water was receding in some areas, others were shoring up defences for floods heading their way. The Topola reservoir in southern Poland had overflowed and water was gushing towards the village of Kozielno. Local authorities said residents of several nearby towns and villages would be evacuated. In Wroclaw, in the southwestern region of Silesia, the mayor Jacek Sutryk said the city of some 600,000 people was preparing for water levels peaking on Wednesday. In the Czech Republic, a rising Morava River had put Litovel, a town 230 km east of the capital Prague, around 70% under water and shut down schools and health facilities, its mayor said in a video on Facebook. Flooded parts of the northeastern Czech city of Ostrava forced the closures of a power plant supplying heat and hot water to the city as well as two chemical plants. In Romania, the flooding killed six people over the weekend. An Austrian firefighter died on Sunday. In the state of Lower Austria that surrounds Vienna, two men aged 70 and 80 were found drowned in their homes, a police spokesperson said on Monday. State news agency P reported five deaths in Poland, and in the Czech Republic one person died, a police official said. DANUBE ALSO RISES Slovakia's capital Bratislava and the Hungarian capital Budapest were both preparing for possible flooding as the River Danube rose. Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter said efforts were focused on keeping the river and its tributaries within their banks and said up to 12,000 soldiers were on standby to help. In Austria, the levels of rivers and reservoirs fell overnight as rain eased but officials said they were bracing for a second wave as heavier rain was expected. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. LONDON Former BBC news anchor Huw Edwards, once one of the most prominent media figures in Britain, was given a suspended prison sentence Monday for indecent images of children on his phone. Former BBC news presenter Huw Edwards arrives for sentencing at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, Britain, September 16, 2024.(REUTERS) Edwards, 63, pleaded guilty in Westminster Magistrates Court in July to three counts of making indecent images of children, a charge related to photos sent to him on the WhatsApp messaging service by a convicted paedophile. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring sentenced Edwards to a six-month prison term suspended for two years. It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters, Goldspring said. Edwards' fall from grace over the past year has caused turmoil for the BBC after it was revealed the publicly funded broadcaster paid him about 200,000 pounds ($263,000) for five months of his salary after he had been arrested in November while on leave. The BBC has asked him to pay it back. Also read | New Matthew Perry documentary to expose secret Hollywood drug ring's dark truth: When and where to watch Edwards had been one of the BBCs top earners when he was suspended in July 2023 over separate claims made last year involving a teenager he allegedly paid for sexually explicit photos. Police investigated and decided not to bring charges. Although Edwards was not publicly named at the time those allegations surfaced, his wife later revealed he was the news presenter investigated and said he was hospitalized for serious mental health issues. He never returned to the air but the BBC kept him on the payroll until he resigned in April for health reasons. Edwards began his BBC career in Wales four decades ago. He went on to become lead anchor on the nighttime news for two decades and led the coverage of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 as well as election coverage. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to the text; only the headline was edited. By Riham Alkousaa Germany reintroduces border checks to curb migration, experts question long-term impact BERLIN -Germany reintroduced temporary checks borders with countries including France and the Netherlands on Monday as part of efforts to combat irregular migration and cross-border crime. Germany's coalition government has toughened its stance on migration following a surge in arrivals, in particular people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, and a rise in support for the opposition far-right and conservatives. The measures have, however, sparked concern among migration experts, who question their long-term effectiveness, suggesting they are more symbolic than substantive. "The signal is deterrence - an attempt to demonstrate the ability to act," said Hans Vorlaender, chairperson of Germany's expert council on integration and migration. While the border controls may have a short-term deterrent effect, smuggling networks often find new routes, Vorlaender said, adding that a more sustainable solution would be to process migrants asylum applications at the EU's external borders. DOUBTS OVER EFFECTIVENESS The border controls are being reintroduced at a time when Germany has seen a 21.7% drop in asylum applications in the first eight months of the year. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser attributed the decline to controls introduced last year, which prevented over 30,000 unauthorised entries. However, migration experts interviewed by Reuters said it is difficult to prove the decrease was a direct result of those measures. The newly reinstated controls primarily target asylum seekers coming from neighbouring EU countries, invoking the EU's Dublin rules, which require asylum applications to be processed in the first EU country of arrival. Marc Speer, a sociologist at bordermonitoring.eu, noted that only 30% of asylum applications in Germany are Dublin cases. Marcus Engler, a researcher at the German Center for Integration and Migration Research , said migration patterns are typically shaped by a range of factors, including political developments in migrants' home countries and shifts in EU and national policy. "It's challenging to scientifically assess how these border controls influence the arrival of irregular migrants," he said. Germany remains committed to EU asylum laws and must provide individual procedures for asylum claims, which is a major factor in refugees' choice of destination, said Maximilian Pichl, an asylum law professor at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences. He also emphasised the role of existing migration networks and communities in Germany, which continue to draw migrants. SMOOTH TRAFFIC The checks now extend to northern and western borders with countries also including Belgium, Luxembourg and Denmark, adding to existing controls at crossings with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland. On Monday, traffic at the borders was reported to be flowing smoothly. However, the new controls have faced criticism from Germany's neighbours including Poland and Austria. Critics argue that the reintroduced controls jeopardise the EU's principle of free movement and risk undermining solidarity within the bloc. Federal police will carry out checks flexibly, the interior ministry said, focusing on minimising disruptions to commuters, travellers, and trade. However, with limited policing resources, selective checks labelled as "smart controls" by the ministry risk leading to racial profiling, experts warn. "These checks are usually directed against people of colour. Studies show that such random checks can open the door to racial profiling," said Pichl. The German interior ministry on Monday reiterated that racially motivated police actions are unacceptable and unlawful. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand are grappling with widespread devastation caused by Typhoon Yagi, Asias most powerful storm this year, which has displaced lakhs of people people and claimed over 400 lives. The overall death toll across the four countries has reached over 400, with 292 deaths in Vietnam and 113 in Myanmar. However, with many people still missing, the number is expected to rise further. Over a week ago, Typhoon Yagi hit the four countries, unleashing strong winds and heavy rainfall that caused widespread flooding and landslides. This aerial picture shows flood waters surrounding homes in Thai Nguyen province, in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi hitting northern Vietnam. (AFP) After passing over Chinas Hainan Island, Cyclone Yagi strengthened into a super typhoon, making landfall in Vietnams Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong City at 1:45 pm local time on 7 September 2024. Super Typhoon Yagi and its aftermath have caused widespread destruction in northern Vietnam, estimated at 40 lakh crore. This damage is expected to affect the countrys economic growth for the year. Although Yagi has now weakened into a tropical depression, it continues to bring heavy rainfall, resulting in prolonged flooding and landslides across 26 provinces, including the capital city, Hanoi. In Myanmar, the ruling junta has reported 113 fatalities and said that over 3.2 lakh people have been displaced and are seeking refuge in temporary relief camps. Myanmar experienced severe flooding in 2011 and 2015 with over 100 deaths reported in each calamity. In 2008, Cyclone Nargis caused over 138,000 dead or missing. However, the current crisis has led the junta to make an unusual appeal for international aid. In response, India has provided 10 tonnes of supplies including dry rations, clothing and medicine. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the storm's heavy rains primarily impacted the capital Naypyidaw, along with the Mandalay, Magway, and Bago regions. It also affected eastern and southern Shan state, as well as Mon, Kayah, and Kayin states. At least 10 people have died in Thailand due to flooding and landslides. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra visited Mae Sai, hit by its worst flooding in 80 years. Chiang Rai Airport has suspended flights, and authorities warn of ongoing flash flooding through next Wednesday as additional rain is expected to increase the Mekong Rivers levels. UNICEF has said that hundreds of thousands of children have lost their homes, and 2 million are without access to education, psychosocial support, and school meal programs. India has launched Operation Sadbhav to provide relief to Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar. The initiative includes $1 million in aid for Vietnam. MILAN, Sept 16 - Italy backs tariffs proposed by the European Commission on Chinese exports of electric vehicles , Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Monday before a meeting in Rome with China's commerce minister. Italy backs EU's Chinese tariffs, foreign minister says "We support the duties that the EU Commission proposes, to protect the competitiveness of our companies," Tajani told daily Corriere della Sera in an interview. Minister Wang Wentao is visiting Europe for discussions on the European Union's anti-subsidy case against China-made EVs as the vote on more tariffs looms. He was meeting Tajani on Monday morning and will hold talks with the European Commission's Executive Vice President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis on Sept. 19. "We want to work on a trade plan based on equality, we demand equal access for our products in their markets. Our companies must compete on equal terms," Tajani added. Italy is aiming for a "climate of positive cooperation, and real reciprocity to avoid dumping and obstacles from Beijing, that at times are incomprehensible," he said. Italy initially supported tariffs in a non-binding vote of EU members in July but Industry Minister Adolfo Urso told Reuters last week that he expected a negotiated solution. Italy remains a major carmaker, home to brands including Fiat, part of the Stellantis group. It has also been seeking to woo Chinese carmakers including Dongfeng and Chery Auto to open factories in order to raise vehicle output. Tajani added that his position did not compromise Italy's "good relations" with China. At the end of July Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited China, to boost co-operation with the world's second-largest economy and reset trade ties after leaving the Belt and Road infrastructure investment scheme. President Sergio Mattarella is scheduled to visit China later this year, with Tajani part of the delegation, the minister said. The European Commission is on the brink of proposing final tariffs of up to 35.3% on EVs built in China, on top of the EU's standard 10% car import duty. The proposed duties will be subject to a vote by the EU's 27 members. They will be implemented by the end of October unless a qualified majority of 15 EU members representing 65% of the EU population vote against them. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. A royal expert has praised the royal family for "taking the higher ground" in wishing Prince Harry on his 40th birthday. This move marked a major moment in their ongoing feud. (FILES) Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex waves as he arrives to attend a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, at St Paul's Cathedral in central London, on May 8, 2024. Prince Harry was once one of the British royal family's most popular members but as he celebrates his 40th birthday this weekend he is increasingly distanced from the UK public and his own family (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)(AFP) On his birthday, Harry received a public message from the royal family, and separately from Kate Middleton and Prince William. Royal expert Rafe Heydel-Mankoo suggested that after two years, this move is the royal family "adhering to established conventions, but also not "stooping to their level" amid the rift between the monarchy, and Harry and Meghan Markle. Heydel-Mankoo spoke out about the tradition in acknowledging milestone birthdays of non-working royals, telling GB News, "It is entirely in keeping with the established convention laid down in the late Queen's reign. If you are a working royal, then you get annual birthday greetings as desired on social media. "But if you're a non-working royal like Prince Harry, then only the major milestone birthdays are acknowledged. And actually Meghan herself got a 40th birthday greeting in 2021 after they had split, and after that infamous and horrendous Oprah Winfrey interview, Heydel-Mankoo added. Royal family praised for not stooping down Heydel-Mankoo also noted that the royal family had cropped Meghan from the image of Harry that they posted to wish the Duke. "The photograph that they chose to post had been carefully cropped to excise Meghan from the image, Heydel-Mankoo said. "I'm sure that is something many people are hoping will happen in real life too." Heydel-Mankoo praised the royal family for "not stooping down and being seen to be too involved in all the shenanigans" despite all that Harry and Meghan have said about them in public. On being asked if a reconciliation is possible, Heydel-Mankoo said there is hope when it comes to Charles. "The King is a deeply loving father, he's also a very Christian King as well, Heydel-Mankoo said. "And I think he is desperately hoping to have that prodigal son moment when his son in exile comes back and hopefully apologises. Of course, the idea that his once beloved brother will go down that path, I think, is for the birds." Heydel-Manko highlighted the contrast between the Duke of Sussexs 40th and 30th birthday. "Ten years ago, William and Kate were actually organising Harry's 30th birthday bash at Clarence House, where he was surrounded by all his family, his lifelong school friends, even his ex-girlfriend was there, he said. "Ten years later, he's having a very different birthday at home with his family, and then going off on some sort of male bonding Kumbaya in the wilderness with a bunch of new friends that he had met recently, he added. Heydel-Mankoo suggested that despite the feud, the current distance between William and Harry may close in as they get older. "When you get into your 40s and middle aged, normally you mature a bit and the passions and tantrums and arguments of your 30s begin to seem a bit less important, he said. The Taliban-controlled government in Afghanistan has suspended all polio vaccination campaigns in the country, according to the United Nations. Shabana Maani, gives a polio vaccination to a child in the old part of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, March 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)(AP) According to an AP report, Taliban had made no official statement and no reasoning was given for suspending vaccination campaigns ahead of planned immunization in September. A senior official from the World Health Organisation (WHO) told AP that they were aware of discussions to move away from house-to-house vaccinations and carry out immunizations in mosques. Dr Hamid Jafari from the WHO said, regarding the possibility of shifting towards site vaccinations rather than house-to-house vaccinations, Partners are in the process of discussing and understanding the scope and impact of any change in current policy. In June, 2024, a nationwide campaign in Afghanistan started using the house-to-house vaccinations, which would reach a majority of children. It was found to be much more effective than the site-to-site vaccinations, popular in southern Kandahar, the base of the Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzad. The WHO confirmed 18 cases of polio in Afghanistan this year, out of which only two are in the south of the country. This number has increased significantly from 6 cases confirmed in 2023. They also pointed out that since women's inclusion remains around 20 per cent, there is inadequate access to immunization for children, especially in areas like Kandahar. Afghanistan, along with neighbouring country Pakistan, has never been able to stop the spread of the paralysing and often fatal disease, necessitating vaccination campaigns even more. However, the country may have fallen prey to anti-vaccination rhetoric which has gained ground in Pakistan as well. According to news agency AP, militants in Pakistan regularly target vaccination campaigns and the police assigned to protect them. This is due to popular belief that the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilise children in Pakistan. The WHO has stated that rolling back vaccinations in Afghanistan could bring risk to Pakistan as well due to high population movement. Afghanistan's campaign suspension could land a major blow to global efforts to eradicate polio as the initiative struggled with costly campaigns and mistakes in strategy. ROME U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Monday, as the center-left British leader aimed to learn how her right-wing government has achieved dramatic declines in the number of migrants reaching Italy's shores by boat. UK leader Starmer seeks to learn from Meloni's tough migration policies at meeting in Rome The visit comes after at least eight seaborne migrants died off the French coast over the weekend, trying to cross the English Channel. The Labour Party prime minister isn't a natural ally of Meloni, who heads the far-right Brothers of Italy party. But migration has climbed the U.K. political agenda, and Starmer hopes Italy's tough approach can help him stop people fleeing war and poverty trying to cross the channel in flimsy, overcrowded boats. More than 22,000 migrants have made the perilous crossing from France so far this year, a slight increase from the same period in 2023. Several dozen people have perished in their attempts, including the eight killed when a boat carrying some 60 people ran aground on rocks late Saturday. The same day, 14 boats carrying 801 migrants reached Britain. The number of migrants arriving in Italy by boat in the first half of this year was down 60% from 2023, according to the countrys Interior Ministry, and migration formed the core of the leaders' talks at the Villa Doria Pamphilj, a 17th-century mansion set in a large park not far from the Vatican. At a joint news conference, Starmer said Italy had made remarkable progress" by cracking down on smuggling gangs and "working with countries along migration routes as equals. Earlier he told reporters that Italy's dramatic reductions were "down to the upstream work thats been done in some of the countries where people are coming from." He said, "prevention and stopping people traveling in the first place is one of the best ways to deal with this particular issue." Meloni pledged a crackdown on migration after taking office in 2022, aiming to deter would-be refugees from paying smugglers to make the dangerous Mediterranean crossing to Italy. Her nationalist conservative government has signed deals with individual African countries including Tunisia to block departures, imposed limits on the work of humanitarian rescue ships, cracked down on traffickers and taken measures to deter people from setting off. Italy also has signed a deal with Albania under which some adult male migrants rescued at sea while trying to reach Italy would be taken instead to Albania while their asylum claims are processed. Meloni said Starmer had expressed interest in new solutions such as the Albania deal, and said she had filled him in. She said the processing centers in Albania, which had been due to open in August, would likely be up and running in a few weeks and that it was best to delay the opening until they were ready since the eyes of the world would be on them. Starmer confirmed the two leaders had discussed the Albania model, but stressed that we don't know the outcome of it. Starmer wants to learn from Italys mix of tough enforcement and international cooperation, though Italy's approach has been criticized by refugee groups and others alarmed by Europes increasingly strict asylum rules, growing xenophobia and hostile treatment of migrants. The leader of Italy's right-wing League, Matteo Salvin i, who is deputy prime minister in Meloni's government, has been accused by prosecutors of alleged kidnapping for his decision to prevent a rescue ship carrying more than 100 migrants from landing in Italy when he was interior minister in 2019. Meloni dismissed as completely groundless allegations that Italian plans like the Albania agreement risked violating migrants' rights, saying they were covered by Italian legislation. British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the government's decision to seek advice from Italy's right-wing administration, saying, weve always had a history of working with governments that have different political parties that are not aligned. I dont think its immoral to go after the criminal gangs," Cooper told the BBC. "Quite the opposite. I think its actually a moral imperative to make sure that we are pursuing the criminal gangs who are putting lives at risk. Starmer toured Italys National Coordination Center for Immigration in Rome with newly appointed U.K. Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt. The government says Hewitt, a former head of Britains National Police Chiefs Council, will work with law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the U.K. and across Europe to tackle people-smuggling networks. Ahead of the trip, Starmer said there would be no more gimmicks, he said before his trip to Rome a reference to the previous Conservative governments scuttled plan to send some asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda, with no chance of returning to the U.K. even if their refugee claims were successful. Starmer scrapped that plan soon after being elected in July. The Conservatives said the deportation plan would act as a deterrent, but refugee and human rights groups called it unethical, judges ruled it illegal and Starmer dismissed it as an expensive gimmick. Support for Ukraine was also on the agenda for the trip, part of Starmers effort to reset relations with European neighbors after Britains acrimonious 2020 departure from the European Union. Unlike some politicians on the European right, Meloni is a staunch supporter of Ukraine. Starmer met her after returning from Washington, where he and U.S. President Joe Biden discussed Ukraines plea to use Western-supplied missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pressing allies to allow his forces to use Western weapons to target air bases and launch sites inside Russia as Moscow steps up assaults on Ukraines electricity grid and utilities before winter. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that would mean NATO countries are at war with Russia. So far, the U.S. hasn't announced a change to its policy of allowing Kyiv to use American-provided weapons only in a limited area inside Russias border with Ukraine. Meloni restated that Italian law precludes such use of Italian weaponry for offensive attacks against Russia. She said Italy's main contribution had been and would continue to be in the area of defending Ukrainian civilians with anti-air defense systems, even when Moscow's forces had bombed cancer hospitals without pity. Follow s coverage of migration issues at /hub/migration This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Ohio Senator J.D. Vance has found himself at the centre of a controversy yet again. This time after admitting in an interview with CNNs Dana Bash that he and former President Donald Trump fabricated a false story about Haitian immigrants. The baseless claim suggested that Haitian immigrants were eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, a narrative that has since sparked widespread criticism. Neither Vance nor Trump has been able to provide evidence for the outlandish claim that Haitian immigrants are eating pets.(AFP) Trump and Vance have stood by the claim despite Republican presidential candidate being left red faced after the ABC moderator fact checked him during the presidential debate against Kamala Harris. In Springfield, theyre eating the dogs. The people that came in. Theyre eating the cats, Trump claimed. Theyre eating theyre eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is whats happening in our country, and its a shame, he went on. To which the moderator responded, there is no evidence to prove that. The shocking claim has led to huge chatter online with many coming out with memes and videos. JD Vance admits to creating pet-eating stories Now, during the CNN interview, Vance stood by the debunked claim and blatantly admitted, "The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually has to pay attention to the suffering of American people, then thats what Im going to do." When the CNN host, Dana Bash, noted that he had used the word creating, Mr. Vance replied, I say that were creating a story, meaning were creating the American media focusing on it. Vances remarks that were later endorsed by Elon Musk and other MAGA supporters have ignited tensions in Springfield, leading to protests by groups like the Proud Boys, school closures due to threats, and verbal attacks on the Haitian community. Despite these alarming consequences, Vance doubled down during the interview, even telling Bash to "shut up" when pressed about the harm caused by the rumor. Earlier in a social media post Vance had accepted, his office had received many inquiries about the false claims, but added that its possible, of course, that all of these rumours will turn out to be false. Neither Vance nor Trump has been able to provide evidence for the outlandish claim, and no residents have come forward with proof that their pets were eaten by Haitian immigrants. This has only fuelled the fire of criticism, with many accusing the senator of stirring racial animosity for political gain. Ohio State Representative Casey Weinstein, others on social media, are now calling for Vance's resignation, arguing that the senator's actions were both irresponsible and dangerous. By Kanishka Singh Police probing attack on Jewish man in Michigan as bias-motivated Sept 16 - Police in Ann Arbor, Michigan, said late on Sunday they were investigating an attack on a 19-year-old Jewish man as a "bias-motivated assault" after the man told police that attackers asked about his religion. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Human rights advocates have warned about rising threats against American Muslims, Arabs and Jews since the eruption of Israel's war in Gaza that followed an attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Oct. 7. KEY QUOTES "The 19-year-old male victim reported he was walking when a group of unknown males behind him asked if he was Jewish. When the victim replied yes, the group of males proceeded to assault him," police said in a statement. Police said the suspects fled the area on foot, and the victim suffered minor injuries and was not hospitalized. "We take bias-motivated crimes very seriously and have assigned this incident to our hate crimes detective," the statement said. CONTEXT There have been many incidents of alleged assaults reported against American Muslims and Jews. In August, a former Cornell University student was sentenced to prison for posting online threats against Jews. A Jordanian citizen in Florida was charged over threats against businesses over perceived support of Israel, and a man was charged with planning an attack in New York City at a Jewish center around the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks. In October last year, an Illinois man was charged with hate crimes over the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Muslim boy. In February the stabbing of a Muslim man in Texas met the definition of a hate crime, police said, and a Texas woman in June was accused of the attempted drowning of a 3-year-old Muslim girl that police said was motivated by bias. The August assault of a Muslim man in New York City was described by officials as a hate crime. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. As Prince Harry celebrated his 40th birthday on Sunday, social media users accused the royal family of removing Meghan Markle from an official photo commemorating the occasion. In Dublin, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were pictured conversing with leaders and members sat at a round table at Dogpatch Labs, a digital startup and innovation hub with over 500 members.(AP ) Amidst the ongoing family tensions, the royal family surprisingly posted Prince Harry's picture to wish him a very happy birthday. The royal fans soon noticed that the Duchess of Sussex was cropped from the picture, which appeared on the Royal Familys official social media account that represents King Charles and Queen Camilla and was retweeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today! the Royal Family account wrote. Meanwhile, Prince William and Kate Middleton tweeted: Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex! Netizens fume as Royal family cropped Meghan from birthday post for Harry Following the two posts from the British monarch's family, social media users quickly started blaming the royals for allegedly cropping Meghan out of the picture that was posted on social media, arguing that this should not be seen as a olive branch. Just so you know, the Royal Family cropped Meghan out of that photo. This is not an olive branch, wrote one X user. Charles and William both wish Harry a happy birthdaybut use photo in which Meghan is cropped out, another remarked. The #royalfamily's fake birthday post to #Harry is just a PR stunt to distract from their toxic dynamics. And #Meghan being cropped out is a clear sign of their ongoing cruelty. It's time to #AbolishTheMonarchy and reject their outdated, discriminatory values, a third user chimed in. Also Read: Meghan Markle can make grown men cry; branded as duchess difficult by staff who praises Harry as What all you need to know about Harry's picture The photo was originally taken on July 11, 2018, during Harry and Meghan's official tour to Ireland, which took place a few weeks after their wedding. In Dublin, the couple was pictured conversing with leaders and members sat at a round table at Dogpatch Labs, a digital startup and innovation hub with over 500 members. During the table talk, Harry and Meghan were seated next to each other, and official royal rota photographers snapped a lot of pictures, including the one posted by Royal family on Harry's 40th birthday. The couple's tense connections with King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Princess Kate have been the subject of countless press articles and social media posts since they stepped down from their royal duties and relocated to the United States in 2020. When Harry's book, Spare, came out in 2023, he disclosed that he was no longer on speaking terms with Charles and William due to their strained relationship. Firefighters were battling a pipeline fire in suburban Houston that sparked grass fires and burned power poles on Monday, forcing people in the surrounding neighborhood to evacuate. Texas Texas chemical plant explosion: Officials have ordered residents in the Brookglen neighborhood area near the fire to evacuate, Lee Woodward, a La Porte city spokesperson said in an email.(Reuters) The fire began at 9:55 a.m. in La Porte, located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Houston. Video footage from KTRK showed a park near the fire had been damaged and firefighters pouring water on homes near the blaze. Officials have ordered residents in the Brookglen neighborhood area near the fire to evacuate, Lee Woodward, a La Porte city spokesperson said in an email. Please avoid the area and follow law enforcement direction. Further details will be released as available, Woodward said. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Owing to the power outage, residents in the vicinity might be evacuated. As per the Deer Park Office of Emergency Management, a section encompassing Wal-Mart and H-E-B has been closed to automobile traffic. Unified Command is established with Deer Park handling the west side and La Porte handling the east, stated the office. A mobile command post is set up at East Blvd. and Spencer Hwy. HC Pollution Control is on scene. San Jacinto College has issued a shelter-in-place order, and evacuations have also been requested for the Brookglen community. In a social media post, the college stated: SJC Central remains under shelter in place. No fire on campus. Emergency responders are on site. A shelter in place will remain for the San Jacinto College Central Campus until all clear is provided. Ryan Routh, the man suspected of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump and currently under investigation, has sparked an online debate as details about his political affiliations emerge. While many Republican supporters have linked him to the Democratic Party, claiming his social media was filled with anti-Trump rhetoric, others argue that his political stance is more nuanced. Ryan Routh, arrested for attempting to assassinate Trump, initially supported him in 2016 but later expressed disillusionment. Routh reportedly voted for Trump in the past and made donations to various political figures, including Tulsi Gabbard, Andrew Yang, and even Republicans like Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy. Ryan Routh supported Republican leaders "It's hard to categorize him politically," a social media user commented on a post featuring snapshots from Ryan Rouths Facebook and X accounts before they were suspended, suggesting that Rouths political views were more complex than initially thought. The would-be Trump assassin had previously supported Republican politician Vivek Ramaswamy, who launched his 2024 presidential bid and sought to position himself as the next Trump. However, Ramaswamy later suspended his campaign following a disappointing finish in the Iowa caucuses and endorsed Trump. Also read: Trumps would-be assassin Ryan Rouths chilling reaction after arrest: He was surprisingly Routh had reportedly backed Vivek throughout his campaign, and when Vivek decided to quit, Routh posted a lengthy message urging him to continue. "You cannot quit. Why? You must stay on the ballot until the end. You must fight. You must keep giving speeches and push all the way to Election Day, no matter the results. Do not give in. Join Nikki and keep working. Never give up," Routh wrote in one of his posts, encouraging the former candidate. Ryan Routh wanted a Vivek Ramaswamy-Nikki Haley ticket A recently surfaced screenshot from Ryan Routh's suspended account reveals his alleged support for a Nikki Haley ticket in the 2024 election. The post suggests Routh believed that Haley was the GOP's chosen candidate, referencing her appearance at the State of the Union. The user who shared the screenshot also pointed out that while Haley received Secret Service protection in February 2024, Robert Kennedy Jr. was repeatedly denied the same. Haley, the first Indian American to serve in a presidential cabinet, had been a 2024 Republican primary candidate before eventually endorsing Trump after ending her own campaign. In a few of the posts, Ryan Routh was even seen begging Vivek Ramaswamy to choose Haley as his running mate and run for the presidential position as a team. Ryan Wesley Routh wanted Vivek Ramaswamy/Nikki Haley to be a presidential ticket, the social media user wrote. Also read: Who is Ryan Routh? Trumps alleged second would-be assassin arrested with AK-47 aimed at former prez Trumps would-be assassin donated for Tulsi Gabbard Donald Trump stirred up 2024 political waves by bringing former Democrat-turned-Republican Tulsi Gabbard to his side. However, records show Routh who initially supported Trump in 2016, later shifted his backing to Tulsi Gabbard in 2020. By 2024, Routh threw his support behind GOP candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley. Gabbard, who had been a Democratic candidate in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, left the party in October 2022 to become an independent politician. Now, multiple records and posts reveal Rouths donations to Hawaiis former Representative, who has since shifted her allegiance and become a Trump supporter. Ryan Routh who attempted to assassinate Trump supported him in 2016. In 2020, he supported Tulsi Gabbard. In 2024, he supported Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley, another user claimed. Ryan Routh voted for Trump in 2016 The man arrested for allegedly attempting an assassination on former President Donald Trump once supported him, even voting for his 2016 presidential bid. However, his stance shifted, as evidenced by posts on his now-suspended social media accounts, which were filled with anti-Trump posts. In one of his tweets, the suspect, identified as a Florida resident, expressed his disillusionment with Trump, writing, @realDonaldTrump, while you were my choice in 2016, I and the world hoped President Trump would be different and better than the candidate. He further stated, But we all were greatly disappointed, and it seems you are getting worse and devolving, adding, I will be glad when youre gone, in a June 2020 post. An affidavit, purportedly from an anonymous "ABC News whistleblower," has sparked controversy after being circulated online. The document alleges close collaboration between the network and Kamala Harris campaign leading up to the recent debate against Donald Trump. Members of the ABC television crew, including moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis, pose for photos following a presidential debate hosted by ABC between Democratic presidential nominee,(REUTERS) Billionaire investor Bill Ackman reshared viral screenshots of the affidavit, tagging Disney CEO Bob Iger and calling for answers. Ackman expressed concerns, saying, "I find the allegations credible as written, particularly because the affidavit was reportedly made the day before the debate and mentions details, like Harris' smaller podium, that only became public later." Though Ackman refrained from confirming the authenticity of the claims, he noted that they "substantively match" what unfolded during the debate, while also highlighting the moderators' silence as raising "a negative inference." Ackman urged Disney to investigate the matter, stating, Our democracy depends on transparency, especially concerning events that can influence the outcome of a presidential election. What does the viral ABC whistleblower affidavit suggest? The affidavit alleges several serious claims regarding the debate preparation and ABC News' role. One of the primary allegations is that Kamala Harris was given access to sample or similar questions before the debate. If true, this would have given her an unfair advantage over Donald Trump by allowing her to prepare more thoroughly for specific topics. Another claim is that the Harris campaign actively blocked ABC News from questioning Joe Bidens health. This issue has been a point of discussion throughout the election cycle, with some critics suggesting that Bidens fitness for office should be more rigorously examined. According to the whistleblower, Harris team ensured that this line of questioning was off-limits. The affidavit also asserts that the Harris campaign influenced ABC to avoid probing into allegations against Harris brother-in-law, who has been accused of embezzling billions in taxpayer money. Additionally, ABC staff members are said to have been fearful of retribution from Trump, possibly implying that they felt pressured to comply with the Harris campaign's requests to avoid conflict. The whistleblower claims to have secret recordings that prove the Harris campaign pressured moderators to fact-check Trump during the debate. These recordings, if they exist, could provide key evidence in backing the whistleblower's assertions. Moreover, it is alleged that ABC News was given instructions about which questions to steer clear of during the debate, implying that the Harris campaign had significant influence over the content and flow of the event. This control over the debate, according to the whistleblower, included a demand for live fact-checking of Trump while Harris faced no such scrutiny, even when she made statements that were factually questionable. The whistleblower reportedly signed the affidavit in New York and has sent a copy to Speaker Mike Johnson, further raising the stakes as these claims are now in the hands of political leadership. Amara Singapore, the iconic 38-year-old hotel nestled in the heart of Tanjong Pagar, announces the culmination of its extensive transformational journey. Following an 11-month-long phased makeover, the hotel is excited to unveil the revitalised spaces and new experiences for guests. Crafted in partnership with Studio HBA, a division of Hirsch Bedner Associates, the comprehensive makeover encompasses a redesign of the hotel's guest rooms, public spaces, meeting spaces, ballrooms, and dining establishments. Each aspect of the renovation has been thoughtfully undertaken to elevate the guest experience, offering a seamless blend of modern aesthetics and traditional warmth. The new design is inspired by the vibrant culture of Tanjong Pagar, paying homage to the city's rich heritage while embracing the cosmopolitan flair of the present. "As a cornerstone of Singapore's hospitality landscape for over three decades, Amara Singapore has earned a quiet reputation for its dedication to providing exceptional service and unforgettable experiences. The completion of our transformation underscores our commitment to evolving with the times while preserving the essence of that which has made us a cherished destination for both local and international guests. We look forward to introducing new experiences that cater to the modern business and leisure traveller, through a line-up of exciting partnerships that will connect our guests with the local community," shares Dawn Teo, Chief Operating Officer of Amara Holdings. To enhance guests' stay journey at the hotel, Amara Singapore is launching a series of curated Singapore Heritage Experiences. At the hotel's Cafe Oriental, which serves delicious local fare in a contemporary setting, guests can savour the intricacies of local "kopi" (coffee) and "teh" (tea) traditions while learning the craft of traditional popiah making. Introduced to Singapore by Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century, Popiah consists of a filling made from an assortment of julienned vegetables such as turnips, carrots, bean sprouts, and lettuce, along with diced eggs and prawns, all wrapped in a thin, paper-like crepe. For those intrigued by the neighbourhood's rich past, an exclusive walking tour, led by professional guides who were once engaged in the city's gang culture, offers a compelling insight into Singapore's grittier history and the evolution of the dynamic district. Guests can also immerse themselves in Singapore's Peranakan culture with an exclusive tour of The Intan, a home museum showcasing intricate artefacts that reflect the city's heritage. Hotel website Irwin joins Montage Big Sky from Auberge Resorts Collection, where she served as area director of sales for properties in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Deer Valley, Utah. Prior to Auberge, Irwin held key roles at other leading hospitality brands such as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, The Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa in Dallas, and Omni Hotels & Resorts. Jeff Tisdall is the Chief Business Officer, Accor One Living and Global Head of Mixed-Use, Accor. Prior to joining the Group in 2013 (via FRHI Hotels & Resorts), Tisdall was the Managing Director of Singapore-based LIFT, where he served as branded residential advisor to FRHI and the Jumeirah Group. Before that, Tisdall worked with Wyndham Worldwide in Dubai, as Managing Director with responsibility for the companys RCI and Registry Collection brands in the Middle East and North Africa region. He was also Vice President of Real Estate at Kingdom Hotel Investments, where he managed the companys residential and commercial real estate portfolio. Earlier in his career, Tisdall spent 13 years with Intrawest, leaving as a Senior Vice President at the companys premium vacation ownership division. Tisdall holds a degree from McGill University in Canada and lives in Dubai with his family. Come springtime, Mexico City (CDMX) is set ablaze in enchanting swathes of lavender and mauve as the Jacaranda trees enter bloom, littering the parks and grand avenues with flowers and pleasant aromas to contrast the sprawling metropolis all around. Not yet drowning in heat and with cool evenings, April is the perfect time of year to visit the city which itself is entering a hospitality renaissance with tourists discovering this cultural and gastronomic capital while corporate travelers continue to deliver a consistent flow of midweek stays as businesses in CDMX benefits from Mexicos current economic boom. Against this backdrop, the Andaz Mexico City Condesa is one such newcomer, having just recently celebrated its first anniversary. Tucked just off the main thoroughfare of Avenida de los Insurgentes in the trendy and perfectly safe downtown neighborhood of Condesa-Roma, this hotel of 213 rooms including 20 suites represents a shining example of how dynamic, multi-space programming can drive demand from different segments and boost total revenue by increasing onsite capture per guest (TRevPAR or TRevPAG). Following our first report on this luxury property where we focused on how generating a sense of community can diversify revenues and heighten guest satisfaction, one of this articles coauthored byline (Adam) had the opportunity to revisit the Andaz Mexico City Condesa this past April, both to experience even more of the many gems in CDMX and also to uncover how the management team has created a veritable Oasis in the City with diverse F&B offerings and event spaces. To fully exploring the Andaz Mexico City Condesa and how its gone about crafting such a vibrant, TRevPAR-centric hotel, we interviewed both the propertys General Manager, Analia Capurro, as well as the Senior Marketing & Communications Manager, Antonio Mejia, discussing how the hotel programs for the leisure, hybrid and group segments across its four signature restaurants and six M&E spaces. Source: Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited Highlighting the Citys GrowthAlready getting close to 25 million inhabitants and as a city where north meets south, CDMX is developing and gentrifying at an electric pace due to a variety of converging factors. The nation itself is perhaps the largest beneficiary of the American nearshoring movement while new states and regions continue to open up for tourism and the burgeoning short-term rental market for those who can work remotely. Then for agriculture, Mexico is trumps all but a few avocados, corn, beans, tomatoes, citrus fruit, chocolate, coffee and plenty more while mining is also on the upswing. All this capital inevitably converges on CDMX. Besides the corporate engine which has always delivered strong midweek occupancy, Mexico City has arguably the best culinary scene in the Americas, and the word is now out. Much like how the nations businesses congregate on CDMX, so too does its diverge heritage of regionally specific cuisines. While the city is famous for its al pastor tacos, these are but the tip of the iceberg for whats on hand in any given neighborhood. Combine this with numerous historical sites and museums, and its no wonder North Americas are now hopping down in droves for a weekend jaunt or a multi-day stopover before heading out to another lesser-known part of the country that lacks direct flights from the United States or Canada. Beyond the ever-popular Cancun, Los Cabos and Puerta Vallarta (which all have directs from major cities in the lower 48 and also from other international gateways), think Guadalajara, Merida, Oaxaca City, Puerto Escondido, San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato and Tulum (with its brand new airport that just opened in March), all just a quick flight from the nexus that is CDMX. And to give you a sense of this growth at the luxury end, besides the Andaz Mexico City Condesa, other recent openings include The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City in October 2021 and Soho House Mexico City in September 2023, with 1 Hotels, Park Hyatt and Rosewood all having properties in development. How Different Hotel Spaces Increase Group Spend The megatrend of megatrends for travel going forward is the prioritization of experiences and the monetary value of time by consumers. While location and price will always be important criteria, hotel guests are increasingly optimizing for experiences over other factors by selecting properties that have outstanding amenities both in the room and on premises so that they have more at their immediate disposal versus having to venture elsewhere. While there are numerous examples of hotels innovating in this regard, specifically for the Andaz Mexico City Condesa lets focus on how this amenitization affects the group segment. As Capurro pointed out, the property has hosted many multiday events over the past year where the entire itinerary takes place at various venues on property instead of, for instance, bussing the group to an offsite venue for one or more evening affairs. The hotels size means it can accommodate large room blocks while facilities like the 24-hour fitness center and the gourmet Derba Matcha Cafe around the corner from the front desk ensure group guests are well provided for in their spare time. Source: Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited As one example in particular, Capurro cited a recent 120-someodd-guest wedding where the 17th-floor Cabuya Rooftop festooned in hanging plants, eclectic furniture and colorful murals was set up for a daytime ceremony, with the arch and altar positioned next to the pool for a captivating background of CDMXs skyline comprised of the towers along La Reforma and in Polanco further afield. The reception was then held in the main, 6,157-square-foot ballroom capable of handling all banqueting needs, while the full-service Pasana Spa & Wellness on the second floor handled all the bridal party preparations. One breakfast for the group was held at a third space Portico Restaurant, an artsy yet functional space on the first floor that extends into the courtyard while another utilized a couple breakout rooms. From the standpoint of the wedding planner, having everything in one location means peace of mind, commented Capurro. Shuttling guests to and from offsite venues is often a logistical nightmare, but its done because planners want to introduce variety to the program in order to make the experience more memorable. Maximizing onsite capture is thus not a matter of building yet another banquet hall. Each space needs its own personality in order to create unique moments in time. Adding to this, Capurro remarked that, during the sales process, the Andaz Mexico City Condesa was specifically chosen because its spaces were all unique in both orientation, themed decor and artwork, thus creating different moods for each individual event on the schedule. Furthermore, because of the propertys amenitization, the group block was secured for three nights instead of two, representing a huge bump in the total contract value. How Different Hotel Spaces Increase Leisure Spend This prioritization of experiences is equally as strong in the leisure transient and blended travel (bleisure) segments. It all harks back to the desire to have a flexible home base while exploring a destination. For instance, Cabuya Rooftop is a big draw at any hour that its open (when not booked out for a wedding!), with a sunlit pool, comfy lounge arrangements, a tasty seafood-skewing menu, and a full selection of cocktails and mezcal. It works for families, couples, corporate guests wanting a reprieve, digital nomads who pull out their laptop to fire off some emails or locals wanting a scenic spot for lunch. Source: Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited The aforementioned Derba Matcha Cafe offers yet more varied programming for guests to spread out and change it up without having to leave the premises. Also, in the ground-floor courtyard is Portico thats been given a Tulum aesthetic of rustic, natural furnishings centered on two oversized art installations. And in preparation for a six-week renovation to fully enclose Cabuya Rooftop so that its rain-resilient, the programming at Portico has been expanded to include service during evening hours. Pasana Spa has likewise introduced a new Indulge in Serenity package, targeting both leisure travelers and local day guests. Its this sort of dynamic, diverse programming that will convince blended or hybrid travelers to reserve that extra shoulder night around a midweek business trip or persuade their hubby to tag along for plus one travel where one occupant goes off to their meetings for the day while the other uses the onsite amenities. The city is always there for the taking, but when guests are a bit tired, not fully dressed, undercaffeinated or dont have time to contend with Mexico Citys traffic, an oasis is they want. When you craft such a place where each space is its own personality, word will inevitably get out and your metrics will improve over time. As a start, youll notice a gradual increase in length of stay (LOS) and TRevPAR, while the weekday-weekend occupancy ebbs and flows will smooth out, resulting in both a higher average occupancy rate and reduced cost per occupied room (CPOR) as the crunch of having all checkout cleans on a Friday or Sunday will be offset by longer average stays. In discussing this progression with Mejia, the uptick in ancillary spend also correlates with more return visits and better lead time pacing. As all the onsite activity helps to brand equity, this then translates into a greater volume of direct bookings (RevDirect) versus the OTAs and a reduced need for intensive programmatic ad campaign spend, together boosting net revenues. Taking all these factors into account, the increased demand and heightened perceived value allow a property with personality like the Andaz Mexico City Condesa to raise rates above benchmarks for even better long-term growth. In such a place as CDMX where north meets south and all the timeless history of Mexico comes together, this oasis-in-the-city example is thus one that everyone should watch as both a perennially healthy business and an experiential trendsetter for hospitality. It all comes back to the programming and the tireless work from team members like Capurro and Mejia to ensure that all the onsite spaces are exceptional in their own way. Larry Mogelonsky Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited View source In many sectors, the digital transformation has sparked concerns about market concentration, favoring larger players over smaller businesses. Yet, the European hotel industry defies this trend, as evidenced by the latest findings from Hotrec, the umbrella association of hotels and hospitality providers. With the help of open platforms like ours, not just large global chains but also small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), from family-run bed-and-breakfasts to inner-city boutique hotels, continue to thrive in a fragmented and competitive market. Nearly 55% of all bookings in 2023 were made directly with hotels The recent Hotrec study reveals that European hotels maintain a robust and diverse distribution strategy, with direct bookings still playing a critical role. Nearly 55% of all bookings in 2023 were made directly with hotels, either online or offline. This includes direct online bookings, which account for 33.8%, and direct offline bookings (via telephone, walk-in, etc), which make up 21.2%. This sustained preference for direct bookings highlights the sectors resilience and adaptability, even in the face of digital disruption. no single platform accounts for more than 20% of all bookings Most Overnight Stays in Europe Are Booked Directly With the Hotel Source: Statista & Booking.com In contrast, online travel platforms account for only 29.1% of all bookings. split across a number of platforms such as Booking.com, Expedia, HRS, Hotels.com, Trip.com, and many more. According to the study results, no single platform accounts for more than 20% of all bookings, putting it firmly behind direct online and offline distribution. Independent research (pre-pandemic) estimates this number to be even lower, with no single platform exceeding a 15% share of total bookings. The Impact of the Pandemic and the Resilience of Hotel Distribution While European accommodation sector has recovered in 2023, the global pandemic had an unprecedented impact, causing significant contractions and uncertainty. Despite these challenges, the structure of hotel distribution channels remained largely intact. The Hotrec study found that direct channel bookings continued to prevail during the pandemic. 74% of survey respondents agreed that online travel platforms made their businesses more profitable only 8% disagreed. Strategic Channel Management and the Role of Technology European hotels are increasingly leveraging technology to optimize their distribution strategies. About half of all hotels now use channel management software to coordinate bookings across multiple platforms effectively. Additionally, over 40% of hotels advertise their direct booking rates on meta-search engines like Google Travel, maximizing their visibility and appeal to potential guests. This flexibility in combining different distribution channels not only broadens market reach but also aligns with business goals, helping hotels stay competitive and agile. A recent study by Statista Inc. and Booking.com in 2024 revealed that 80% of EU hotels recognize they have multiple marketing options for their rooms, and they don't shy away from using them. diversity in distribution channels ensures that hotels can maintain entrepreneurial freedom while leveraging the advantages of digital platforms. The ability to blend sales channels is a crucial aspect of most hotels marketing strategies, with two-thirds of respondents indicating they adjust their distribution mix to meet their business objectives. Additionally, 71% have a dedicated marketing and distribution strategy to ensure the success of their accommodation business. European Hotels Optimize Among Choice of Distribution Channels Source: Statista & Booking.com Promoting Trust and Authenticity in Hotel Bookings A personal connection is a unique advantage that direct bookings offer over OTAs. However, digital platforms like ours also play a critical role in nurturing trust through the extensive review systems and customer support services, which help bridge the gap for travelers unfamiliar with a destination. Platforms like Booking.com provide a reliable intermediary service, offering 24/7 support and authentic reviews, which are particularly beneficial for small and independent hotels. This reciprocal relationship between OTAs and accommodation partners fosters a healthy competitive environment, driving innovation and enhancing customer satisfaction. Afterall, hoteliers themselves confirm that such partnerships make them more profitable. At a remarkable rate of nine to one, European accommodations concur with this statement. Online platforms enable hotels to reach new audiences, deal with seasonality, and achieve higher occupancy. Online Travel Platforms Help European Hotels be More Profitable Source: Statista Conclusion: A Balanced and Competitive Market The European hotel market exemplifies a balanced and competitive landscape where direct bookings and OTAs coexist harmoniously. This diversity in distribution channels ensures that hotels can maintain entrepreneurial freedom while leveraging the advantages of digital platforms. The ongoing competition and cooperation between direct channels and OTAs ultimately benefit hotels, travelers, and the market as a whole. coopetition is a win-win-win for all hotels, travellers, and platforms. Lets keep it that way While concerns about businesses becoming dependent on certain platforms might be warranted, hotel distribution is certainly not the case. European accommodations enjoy great entrepreneurial freedom, choice and flexibility. They benefit from one of the highest direct sales rates of any sector. In this context, no one could convincingly argue that hotels depend on a single online platform. Whenever hotels partner up with online platforms it is because they assess it to be the right choice and it, ultimately, makes them more successful. Online platforms enable hotels to reach new audiences, deal with seasonality, and achieve higher occupancy. At the same time, travel accommodations and platforms compete online for travellers business, spurring innovation and fostering customer centricity. This coopetition is a win-win-win for all hotels, travellers, and platforms. Lets keep it that way. Hotel in the mountains Photo by Booking.com View source As generative AI becomes more integrated into search engines, the traditional cost-per-click advertising model we've relied on for decades may be on the brink of obsolescence. Perplexity's recent decision to adopt a cost-per-mille (CPM) model instead of the usual CPC approach for its advertising platform seems to point in that direction. Is this the beginning of the end for click-based advertising models in search? Or is it simply a natural evolution, adapting to a landscape where users no longer need to click through to external sites to find the information they seek? And how should we adapt to this change? Martin Soler Partner at Soler & Associates Search based ads are going to change, a lot. They're great for bottom of the funnel marketing. The low hanging fruit. But they're not great for discovery. However with AI there's a possible mix of intent and discovery which could be the most powerful of both world. So I think this will change the dynamics. I definitely think it will change the whole adwords dynamic. Frederic Gonzalo Travel & Hospitality expert. Digital Marketing & Strategy Speaker and Consultant These are interesting times, indeed, when it comes to search. Specially when it comes to itineraries and travel recommendations suggested by GenAI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Claude. Traditionnally, when you asked Google for accommodations in New York City, you would get a listing with a bunch of hotels, and you'd have to use filters in order to get anything interesting. Search advertising ensured you'd show up among the top 5 results. Now, when doing the same query with GenAI tools, you may get 3-4 suggestions, at most, depending on the prompts. How can a hotel ensure to be amongst these recommended few? Will search results become product placement, such as what we've been seeing in Hollywood movies and Netflix productions for the past two decades? This questions the whole "neutrality" of these tools, but then again it's big business for Google, Microsoft and others! Still too early to tell, though. Travel brands need to keep focusing on quality content across their owned media and make sure they maintain and increase their relationship marketing efforts. As for SEO and social content, in particular UGC, it will remain important but this will shift sooner rather than later! Perplexity's shift to CPM is validating for luxury and lifestyle hospitality marketers. Attribution broke long ago for high-consideration, high-value travel purchases like hotels, resorts, and cruises. 7-14 day click windows work for a $20 t-shirt (no dependencies), not a $1,000/night hotel room (plenty of dependencies like booking flights, etc.). Paying $1 - 5 for a click is silly, given that hotels know that most people clicking are likely weeks or months away from making a purchase decision. In the crucial run-up to the booking, multiple brand impressions, like coverage in top-tier media outlets, are vital, as is getting views of key brand messages, including trusted content snippets pulled by Perplexity, OpenAI, and others. Perplexity's decision is yet another that will guide the industry towards investing more in upper-funnel, brand-building marketing (best measured by CPM). This marketing reaches a broader swath of a hotel's potential guestsand does so in a less brand-deleterious, cost-prohibitive way than that of a CPC ad model, which continues to yield diminishing returns while only targeting a small segment of people ready to book "right now." Peter OConnor Professor of Strategy at University of South Australia Business School Even with CPC, meaningful attribution has always been a challenge. Simply assigning a sale to its penultimate click has always been acknowledged as being severely flawed, with the result that online marketers have developed more sophisticated ways to measure which interactions influenced the customer's purchase decision. As a result, going back to CPM would be a mistake, simply because advertisers hate it as they cannot establish whether anyone actually saw the message in question and whether it had any influnce on the subsequent sale. As search engine evolve how they service their traffic, they will also need to think deeply about and monetisation methods, with progression to cost-per-acquisition, rather than regression to cost-per-mille, the more likely scenario. Linchi Kwok Professor at The Collins College of Hospitality Management, Cal Poly Pomona Perplexity AI's move signals a shift in digital marketing. For example, AI-generated responses will streamline users' search process, reducing the need to check multiple websites or sources and providing quicker, more accurate answers to their inquiries. People will rely more on AI-generated responses in their searches. Meanwhile, I expect cost-per-mille and cost-per-click will co-exist for some time because transformational changes do not happen overnight. Now, I highly encourage marketers to get ahead of the new changes in the marketing landscape by focusing on improving their content strategy. Marketers' role in this shift is crucial --- we must publish high-quality and engaging content on our website. This is the key to enabling AI to use the content we created to generate responses and list our website as its source of information. Max Starkov Hospitality & Online Travel Tech Consultant Google has never had a first-mover advantage. Even so, Google has always been able to smash all of its competitors who had enjoyed first-mover advantage. The same applies to generative AI engines like ChatGPT, Claude, etc. By incorporating its Gemini genAI engine into its search, Google has provided an elegant embedded genAI solution to its 2.5 billion monthly unique users. Compare this to ChatGPT's 180.5 million monthly users Today Google controls 91.54% of the Global Search Engine Market. Less than 41.5% of users click on links in the SERPs (search engine results pages) vs 58.5% who don't (so called zero-click category). So your Google Ads and Google Hotel Ads already act mostly as display ads vs CPC (cost-per-click) ads. I am convinced that if the zero-click share increases to above 2/3 in the SERPs, Google will introduce CPM (cost per Mille) fee format. In the mean time, don't forget to invest adequately in your Google marketing: If you have well budgeted, well-optimized campaigns, Google will generate 55%-65% of your website bookings: 30% from SEO, 20%-25% from paid search, 5%-10% from metasearch (Google Hotel Ads) at blended ROAS (Return in Ad Spend) of at least 1500% (15x). Simone Puorto Founder | CEO | Futurist Perplexity's move hints at what's to come in the broader search engine ecosystem. The CPC model has long been the cornerstone of search engine advertising, as it operates on a simple premise: advertisers pay when users click on their ad, driving traffic to their website. This model has thrived in a landscape where search results were primarily collections of links. However, generative/hybrid search engines provide direct answers WITHIN the SERPs. This reduces the need for users to click through to external sites to almost zero. As a result, click-through rates on ads and source links are likely to decline, and the effectiveness of the CPC model, which relies on these clicks, is at serious risk. CPM model charges advertisers based on the number of impressions an ad receives, regardless of whether it is clicked. This makes it a more suitable approach in an environment where direct engagement with external links drops. It also allows advertisers to capitalize on brand visibility, even when users do not click on ads. The key will be finding ways to monetize the attention economy in a landscape where clicks are no longer the primary success metric after half a century of search engine advertising. The rise of "clickless searches," accelerated by generative AI, is challenging the traditional pay-per-click (PPC) model that search marketers have long relied on. While features like People Also Ask and Featured Snippets have already impacted organic click-through rates, the integration of AI is likely to further reduce the need for clicks on any search resultspaid or organic. As the search landscape evolves to match user behavior, advertisers should anticipate a gradual shift away from CPC models. To adapt, marketing strategies should prioritize creating high-quality content that aligns with user intent, particularly for upper-funnel marketing efforts. For lower-funnel tactics, it will be important to focus on strong calls to action and to experiment with alternative pricing models, such as CPM or CPA. To navigate this shifting environment, staying informed on industry trends and being open to testing new strategies is crucial. Advertisers can explore opportunities to leverage AI-powered tools to generate more engaging content, personalize ad targeting, and analyze user behavior. Additionally, consider optimizing for voice search, as it is becoming increasingly popular and often results in clickless searches. By proactively adapting to these changes, advertisers can position themselves for success in the evolving search landscape. George Roukas Partner at Hudson Crossing It's definitely not the end of search advertising, but I do see several new channels added to traditional search. Using services like Gemini or Perplexity to do product searches will gain traction over time for sure. But i think the biggest challenge to traditional search over time will be through on-device GAI agents like Apple Intelligence. I believe that many consumers who, today, have to: (1) open their phone, (2) bring up a browser, (3) ask for product information, (4) sift through a raft of paid and organic links, and then (5) go to the vendor site to purchase will instead prefer to pick up their phone and say something like "Hey Siri, find me the highest rated desktop speakers for under $200" and see just the 1 or 2 best options in a neatly formatted display. Those options will have been chosen for them partly by the instructions (best rated and under $200) plus a raft of personal information Siri's gathered about them. At some point (sooner than you might think--see OpenAI's announcement about their new o1 model, code named Strawberry) they will be able to say "buy option 1 and put it on my Amex. Tim Peter Founder & President, Tim Peter & Associates IHCL Signs Two Hotels in Chennai - Image Credit IHCL Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) announced the signing of a Vivanta and a Ginger hotel in Mahindra World City (MWC), Chennai. These greenfield projects will be developed on a 3-acre land parcel near the Kolavai Lake, in the heart of the integrated business city. Mr. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL, stated, IHCL has been present in Chennai for over five decades. These signings are in line with our strategy of expanding our presence into emerging micro-markets of key metros. Such markets with planned industrial, residential and social infrastructure offer substantial opportunities for a multi brand hospitality development. Solidifying our presence in the city, both Vivanta and Ginger are well positioned to cater to the diverse demand of this integrated business city. We are delighted to partner with Dr. G P Subash for these projects. The 100-key Vivanta MWC will offer elegantly designed rooms and suites, an all-day diner and a specialty restaurant featuring a bar. A state-of-the-art wellness center with a gym and swimming pool, along with a versatile banquet space, will cater to both business and leisure travelers. Following its signature lean luxe philosophy, Ginger MWC will feature 200 contemporary rooms with a vibrant all-day dining cum bar and modern amenities like a gym and meeting facilities. Dr. G P Subash, Founder and Director, Asbri Energy, added, We are excited to collaborate with IHCL to bring the Vivanta and Ginger brands to Mahindra World City in Chennai. With a unique blend of amenities and services, these new hotels will provide the perfect abode for business travelers and tourists alike. Mahindra World City is a business district spread across 1,550 acres within the influence zone of Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor and Chennai-Vizag Industrial Corridor. The development is a multi-sector Special Economic Zone and is also a major logistics hub catering to key industrial areas. With the addition of these hotels, IHCL will have a presence of 22 hotels with 6 under development in Tamil Nadu. Rendering of Vignette Collection Mallorca Finca Banyols - Image Credit IHG Hotels & Resorts IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG) will introduce its Vignette Collection brand to Spain following an agreement with Prevario Banyols [Owner] and Hotel Collection International - HCI [Management]. Vignette Collection Mallorca Finca Banyols illustrates IHGs growth in Spain, adding to our presence with nine Luxury and Lifestyle hotels in the country. The hotel joins a growing portfolio of Vignette Collection properties around the world, which is set to reach 100 hotels in 10 years, bolstering IHGs luxury and lifestyle portfolio, one of the worlds largest. Poised to open in the first half of 2025, the 45-guestrooms property will be located in the historical destination of Alaro, Mallorca - the largest of Spain's Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Vignette Collection Mallorca Finca Banyols, surrounded by vineyards and olive trees will provide distinctive cuisine offering a causal restaurant, stylish bar and a signature fine-dining restaurant. The hotel will also feature spa treatment rooms and one indoor and one outdoor pool, as well as substantial events space. Vignette Collection is IHG Hotels & Resorts first collection brand and represents a curation of distinct hand-picked hotels, each offering one-of-a-kind stays in destinations to remember. The hotel will join a global portfolio of 24 open Vignette Collection properties, each unique in their identities yet united by the vision to offer a more authentic way to travel, backed by the reassurance of IHGs trusted reputation and leading loyalty offer. Advertisement (Mrs) Willemijn Geels, Vice President, Development, Europe, IHG Hotels & Resorts, commented: It is thanks to the trust of our partners Prevario Banyols and Hotel Collection International, who believe in IHGs diverse portfolio and the power of our enterprise - that we can bring the first Vignette Collection property to Spain. As one of our key growth markets in Europe, we are thrilled to see our continued expansion in the country through new brands in new locations. As our luxury conversion brand, Vignette Collection introduces a new offering to Spain which allows owners to retain the independent identity and character of their hotels, whilst providing guests with a one-of-a-kind stay. I look forward to seeing Vignette Collection Mallorca Finca Banyols join our growing Luxury & Lifestyle portfolio in Europe and further accelerate the presence of our brands in the region. Vignette Collection appeals to owners of world-class independent Luxury & Lifestyle hotels seeking to quickly benefit from IHGs powerful technology and revenue systems, operational expertise and loyalty offer, without the need for high upfront costs or compromise on a propertys unique character, style or name. For Luxury & Lifestyle travellers, it meets an increasing appetite for one-of-a-kind stays. Antonio Juan Baker Schreyer owner of Prevario Banyols, said: We are delighted to be partnering with IHG to bring the first Vignette Collection property to Spain and provide guests with an immersive and personalised experience. Finca Banyols is our first hotel and for that reason we wanted IHG, which has built a reputation for creating exceptional luxury destinations around the world, which is why we were confident in bringing the Vignette Collection to Spain. Since launching in 2021, Vignette Collection has rapidly expanded. In Europe, Vignette Collection Mallorca Finca Banyols joins a pipeline of eight Vignette Collection properties and three open including Vignette Collection Casa da Companhia and Vignette Collection Lisbon Convent Square in Portugal, and The Halyard Liverpool, Vignette Collection in the UK. Renaissance Orlando Resort and Spa - Image Credit Ron Blunt Renaissance Orlando Resort and Spa - Image Credit Ron Blunt An Official Walt Disney World Hotel, the Resort Unveils Newly Reimagined Rooms and Signature Experiences After a Multi-Million Dollar Renovation Located in the Disney Springs Resort Area in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Renaissance Orlando Resort and Spa is now open for accommodations, meetings and events, spa, and dining experiences. Renaissance Hotels, part of Marriott Bonvoy's global portfolio of over 30 extraordinary hotel brands, is known for connecting travelers to the spirit of the neighborhood through unexpected discoveries. The full-service resort features 394 newly appointed guest rooms, more than 25,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, a zero-entry pool and hot tub, and signature farm-to-table restaurant, American Kitchen Bar & Grill. Following the $25 million renovation, Renaissance Orlando Resort and Spa boasts newly renovated amenities including the expansive Indulged Spa + Wellness Retreat with an array of rejuvenating services and treatments, a 5,000 square foot outdoor terrace perfect for events and groups, a fitness studio, updated rooms and lobby. As an Official Walt Disney World Hotel, guests have access to a theme park shuttle service and early entry into Walt Disney World theme parks. Onsite outdoor amenities include the pool, hot tub, and more. Ground-level rooms feature stunning lanai-style accommodations circling the pool for resort-style ambience. "We are delighted to offer a vibrant stay with elevated amenities and engaging activities," said Charlie Kingston, General Manager for the Renaissance Orlando Resort and Spa. "Our staff is deeply connected to the neighborhood, an essential experience at Renaissance Hotels, and we look forward to providing premium services for all of our guests." The resort tapped New York-based hospitality design firm Stonehill Taylor to complete the interior design for the renovation, with modern aesthetics exemplifying the tropical essence of Florida. Inspired by the local citrus groves of Orlando, the resort's modern design pops with blue-greens, crisp white, and accents of terracotta. Along with new carpeting, signage, and light fixtures in the corridors, the rooms provide distinct and memorable decor elements including a ceiling design that emulates a sun canopy. The resort's pool bar unifies the lobby's tropical theme with geometric palm-inspired tile updated, pool loungers and umbrellas, all offering a playful and vibrant feel throughout. Advertisement The Renaissance Navigator, the brand's on-property neighborhood expert, is always on hand to help guests uncover the DNA of the surrounding area with handpicked discoveries not found in guidebooks. For those interested in a truly tailored outing, guests can build a custom itinerary to stimulate their senses with the locally attuned insight of the Renaissance Navigator. Only 13 miles from Orlando International Airport, the resort is conveniently located for intimate meetings, cocktail receptions, corporate retreats, weddings, celebratory events, and more. The intimate convention space allows for tailored experiences such as chef-curated specialties. The resort's $25 million renovation provides the opportunity to choose from indoor or outdoor meetings, with flexible function space and a personalized experience. The newly opened 5,000 square foot terrace provides exceptional space for creative decor and programming. Renaissance Orlando Resort and Spa participates in Marriott Bonvoy the award-winning travel program from Marriott International allowing members to earn and redeem points for their stay at the new hotel, and at other hotels and resorts across Marriott Bonvoy's extraordinary portfolio of brands. With the Marriott Bonvoy app, members enjoy a level of personalization and a contactless experience that allows them to travel with peace of mind. For a limited time, meeting planners can take advantage of Marriott Bonvoy points as a bonus for 2024 and 2025 bookings. Simon Beaumont, General Manager at Avani Khao Lak Resort - Image Credit Minor Hotels Minor Hotels announced the appointment of Simon Beaumont as the new General Manager of Avani+ Khao Lak Resort, effective July 2024. In his new role, Beaumont will oversee operations at the resort leveraging his extensive experience and strategic vision to elevate guest experiences and drive business growth. During his 35 years in the hospitality industry, Beaumont has held various food and beverage and senior leadership positions across his native Australia, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. Most recently, he served as Interim Chief Executive Officer at Azerbaijans Absheron Hotel Group, where he oversaw 14 internationally branded properties, spearheading strategic growth and operational excellence. Beaumonts mid-career years were most notably shaped by thirteen years with Marriott International, where he developed his culinary and operational expertise, significantly contributing to the success of numerous high-profile properties throughout Asia and Europe. From 2012 to 2015, Beaumont served as Marriotts Senior Director of Culinary for Europe, overseeing 370 hotels in more than 30 countries, followed by stints as Hotel Manager at W Doha in Qatar and as Director of Operations at JW Marriott Absheron Baku in Azerbaijan. In the industry, Simon is known for his profound knowledge of the operational side of hotel management, steering properties to their full potential, said Puneet Dhawan, Head of Asia at Minor Hotels. With this latest appointment, he will be tasked with reaffirming Avani+ Khao Laks position as one of the most exciting resorts in the area. I am delighted that he has stepped into this new role and confident in his ability to deliver great value for all stakeholders and successfully drive Minor Hotels purpose forward in the region. Khao Lak is poised to establish itself as one of Thailands premier resort destinations, said Simon Beaumont. I am thrilled to join the team at this vibrant resort, which offers a wide range of family-friendly and wellness-focused amenities, and contribute to its rise as a top property in the Andaman region. Beaumont holds a bachelors degree in hospitality and additional qualifications from Cornell University. Thierry Breton has resigned as European Commissioner, dealing a new blow to Ursula von der Leyen's efforts to build her next team, Azernews reports citing Reuters. Thierry Breton, the powerful European Commissioner in charge of the internal market, abruptly resigned on Monday, claiming that Ursula von der Leyen had pressured France, his home country, to submit another candidate to replace him "for personal reasons." Breton announced the move in a scathing letter published on social platform X, saying this alleged lobbying had taken place just "a few days ago," while the Commission president was putting the finishing touches to her new executive. The Frenchman was expected to receive an important portfolio in the upcoming Commission, having been rumoured for an executive vice presidency. But in his letter, he claims Paris was promised an even loftier position in exchange for ditching his bid. "A few days ago, in the very last stretch of negotiations on the composition of the future of the College, you asked France to withdraw my name for personal reasons that in no instance you have discussed directly with me and offered, as a political trade-off, an allegedly more influential portfolio for France in the future College," Breton wrote. Heres Where Travelers Are Headed Post-summer, Pre-holidays - Image Credit Unsplash+ AAA shares fall travel trends and top destinations If theres ever a time of year to hit the open road or jet off to a bucket list destination, its now! In many parts of the U.S., temperatures are dipping and leaves are changing, creating the perfect conditions for a picturesque fall getaway. Autumn is also an ideal time to travel internationally, especially to Europe, when its less busy compared to summer. This time of year is known as shoulder season in travel which means mild weather, fewer crowds, and better prices, said Stacey Barber, Vice President of AAA Travel. AAA booking numbers show more people are flying this season both domestically and internationally, and many travelers are taking fall cruises to enjoy the foliage in Alaska and New England! AAAs Top Fall Destinations Domestic International Orlando Rome Boston Paris Seattle London Denver Vancouver Las Vegas Dublin New York City Athens Los Angeles Barcelona Fort Lauderdale Amsterdam Honolulu Venice Atlanta Lisbon According to AAA booking data, the two travel categories seeing increased demand compared to last year are flights and cruises. Domestic flight bookings are up 1% and international flight bookings are up 3%. Travelers are paying about the same as they did last fall. The average domestic roundtrip ticket is $660, and the average international roundtrip ticket is $1,315. Domestic cruise bookings are up a whopping 19% over last fall, and international cruise bookings are up 6%. The average cost to cruise from domestic cities is similar to last fall $2,355 while the average cost of international cruises is up 1% to $3,560. Travelers headed on fall road trips are finding cheaper pump prices compared to last year. Gas prices have been going down since late July thanks in part to a relatively quiet Atlantic hurricane season. This is also the time of year when stations switch to winter-blend gasoline which is cheaper to produce. Drivers renting cars for their autumn adventures are also finding better rates. The cost to rent a vehicle domestically is down 5% this fall and down 15% for international car rentals. Hertz, AAAs car rental partner, says cities that saw the most increased demand this summer and would make ideal fall trips include Boston, Denver, Portland (Maine and Oregon!), Montreal, and Vancouver all top leaf-peeping destinations! Wait! Before you go Please sign up for our Evening Digest and Breaking Newsletters Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Clark Art Lecture: Examining the Print Fetish WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. On Thursday, Sept. 19 at 5:30 pm, the Clark Art Institute's Research and Academic Program presents "The Print Fetish," a lecture by Kristina Richardson (University of Virginia). According to a press release: In it she examines how historians and art historians have a responsibility to demystify their sources. By looking beyond the elevated status of print as a "fetish," we are provided with a new, essential recognition of both the social conditions of its production and the role it plays in social reproduction. The talk takes place in the Clark's auditorium, located in the Manton Research Center. Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524. A reception at 5 pm in the Manton Research Center reading room precedes the event. Berkshire Bach Harpsichord Festival GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. The Berkshire Bach Society (BBS) announces its annual Harpsichord Festival with two concerts at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church in Stockbridge. On Sept. 21, 4pm, Peter Sykes plays a 50th Anniversary Recital commemorating his public debut in 1974; and on October 19, 4pm, Elliot Figg and Caitlyn Koester play Skeletons of the Opera, a concert of Baroque opera transcriptions for harpsichord, four hands. "Berkshire Bach is delighted to present our harpsichord recitalists in two special concerts that showcase both the players and the instrument in repertoire that spans the Baroque spectrum," said Terrill McDade, Executive Director of The Berkshire Bach Society. "It's an opportunity to hear these wonderful musicians in the virtuosity and drama that are typical of Baroque musicfrom Purcell to Bach, from the chamber to the opera housewith all the big contrasts and different humors that characterize music of the period." According to a press release: Peter Sykes, familiar to Berkshire Bach audiences as an organist in The Organ Masters series, is considered one of the most distinguished and creative keyboard artists performing today. He is also an important educator in the art of playing the harpsichord, with posts in the Historical Performance Department at The Juilliard School, Boston University, and the University of Michigan, and is a founding Board Member and current President of the Boston Clavichord Society. In the Sept. recital he plays a new-to-him instrument that he describes as "spectacular" in both looks and sound that he acquired in 2024 with a legacy from one of his students. It is a little different from the one he used in his debut recital: an instrument that he and his father built in 1974, that he has modified over the years, and that he still owns and uses for performing and teaching. This is his first solo harpsichord recital for Berkshire Bach. In the second concert of the Harpsichord Festival, the keyboard duo of Elliot Figg and Caitlyn Koester presents an entertaining look at the world of Baroque theatre when they return to play Skeletons of the Opera, transcriptions of Baroque opera for harpsichord, four hands. Berkshire Bach audiences may remember the pair's two-harpsichord recital last season in which they played music by members of the two great keyboard dynasties of the Baroque era, the Couperin and Bach families. This year they broaden the program with theatre music by Henry Purcell, G.F. Handel, J-B Lully, and the rarely heard Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, musician to Louis XIV and one of the few well-known women composers of the time. The program provides the opportunity to hear the distinct national styles of English and French opera side-by-side. They perform on the dual-manual Dowd harpsichord BBS features in the Bach at New Year's concerts. Join Berkshire Bach for the 2024 Harpsichord Festival at 4pm on Sept. 21 and October 19 at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church in Stockbridge. Tickets: $45 Nonmembers $40 BBS Members $10 Card to Culture. Children under 18 and Students with valid ID free. MCLA Professor to Present Myths & Monsters of New England Talk NORTH ADAMS, Mass. MCLA Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies Dr. Hannah Noel Haynes will present on Myths & Monsters of New England this fall based on the class she taught in the spring. The public is invited to the talk on October 3 at 7 p.m. in the Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation (CSI) atrium, which will explore New England folklore, insight into historical places, and why certain stories are repeated in human history. "The talk will be about looking at the folklore and the history of our region in a different way," she said. "It will be both educational and fun." During the spring semester Noel Haynes taught an American Studies class about "Cryptids and cyborgs: Bigfoot, La Llorona and the American imagination." According to a press release: Noel Haynes, a cultural theorist, has a special interest in vampires and how vampirism in Europe made it to New England. Her class also studied various sightings of bigfoot in Berkshire County and students shared their own haunting stories. They learned about different cultures and how folklore impacted certain areas such as Bennington and the Bennington Triangle or stories related to North Adams and indigenous people, and the Hoosac Tunnel being haunted from the deaths of the workers who built it. During the spring Undergraduate Research Conference (URC), Noel Haynes presented her own studies based on this topic and created a campfire scene with s'mores trail mix with students sitting around the fire as a communal story telling environment. She said the upcoming talk will likely reflect that experience. Some of Noel Haynes' students who took her course grew up in surrounding towns and said they opted for the class because the subject is something they would have liked to have seen when they were in grade school and are fascinated with local myths growing up hearing the various stories. Noel Haynes is a Florida, Mass. native and shared interests with her students having been told similar stories. While the goal is not to determine if any of the folklore that Noel Haynes studies is true or not, she focuses on why people believe them and what reflections they have on society at a particular moment. The 45 min talk on Oct. 3 is free and open to the public and will be followed by a question-and-answer session. The African Children's Choir will perform at First Baptist Church in North Adams on Wednesday. African Children's Choir Kicks Off Tour in North Adams NORTH ADAMS, Mass. The African Children's Choir afforded the chance for James Luzze to find opportunity and a way out of poverty through its international tours and education programs. "I had a development of the mind in terms of mindset, I learned to dream," he said during a phone interview after arriving in the United States. "And what I saw here, I saw, you know, possibility of a better Uganda because of what I found in this country." Luzze was a child in his native Uganda when he joined the choir, a Christian-based nonprofit that seeks to improve the lives of impoverished children largely from Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda. Now a chaperone and tour leader, he emphasized the choir's role in providing hope and opportunities for children, as he himself had benefited from it. He'll be leading the group to First Baptist Church this week for the first stop of the choir's 2024-25 tour. The performance is at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the church; the group will also be at Northshire Baptist Church in Manchester Center, Vt., at 6 p.m. on Friday. The children will sing popular children's music, traditional spiritual songs and African cultural pieces. Performances are free and open to the public though attendees are encouraged to arrive early to get a seat. Goodwill donations will be accepted. The 40-year-old choir is a program of Music for Life, established by Ray Barnett, an Irish-Canadian who had been working in humanitarian causes in western Africa since the 1970s. Barnett, who died earlier this month at age 87, had been inspired by the singing of a young Ugandan boy he'd helped. The choir raises awareness of the children's needs through its tours and offers the opportunity for the youngsters to see the larger world. It's not just singing Music for Life operates educational institutions from primary grades through teacher training. It leads sponsorship programs and has provided emergency aid in conflict areas such as Somalia. Luzze was part of the 16th choir, touring the United States in 1997-98 at the age of 7 after about six months of training. "We traveled, and we were able to visit two countries that is USA and Canada," he said. "It was quite a wonderful experience, having never traveled before, having never left Uganda. That was the very first time I had boarded a plane, and so the very first time I was visiting the Western world. ... So my eyes were really open to that level of development in the U.S. and Canada, and the different culture that we found out here compared to the one that we had back home in Uganda." The nearly eight-month trip was eye-opening for the young Luzze so many different, fascinating foods to try and a "mind-blowing" trip to Disney World. The choir is a commitment for the youngsters but it's also an opportunity, he said. "You really learn a lot, and that is a lot of exposure that will definitely be something worth remembering for the children as they grow older." More importantly, it set him on an educational path and he earned a degree in social sciences. Now he's giving back this tour as a volunteer and mentor for the newest choir members. "The organization in general is an opportunity that everybody out there in Africa may need," he said. "Coming from a poverty-stricken home, I was given hope through the organization, through education and with my degree and calling, I'm able to be a testament to what the organization makes you become at the end of the day." As students successfully overcome new challenges and adjust to new routines and subjects this back-to-school season, it would be heartwarming to reward them for their hard work. This acknowledges their effort and dedication to the new school year while encouraging them to continue excelling in their studies, at the same time. Grab these devices now via Home Credit's Sulit-Skwela offer, featuring 0% interest With gadgets being invaluable tools in this technology-driven era, they make ideal rewards for students, especially wearables and accessories, as they can significantly enhance their educational experience. Give the best tech gifts for students with Home Credit To make it easier to gift students with wearables and accessories to celebrate their back-to-school success without worrying about straining the budget with additional expenses, Home Credit, the country's leading consumer finance company, is here to help with its Sulit-Skwela offer. This promotion provides 0% interest deals on remarkable gadgets for students, available with flexible installment options ranging from six to 18 months until September 30, 2024. From wearables to tech accessories, here are Home Credit's top picks to reward students for a successful back-to-school season. Enjoy next-level audio experience with Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen Earbuds The Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen Earbuds make an excellent gift for students to celebrate their back-to-school success, as these can enhance their experience during online classes, listening to educational materials, or enjoying music while studying. Equipped with the H2 chip, these earbuds deliver outstanding audio performance. Featuring up to twice the Active Noise Cancellation of its previous model, the Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen Earbuds make it easier for students to hear audio, even in busy environments, helping them focus and avoid distractions. It also has Transparency Mode that allows students to stay aware of their surroundings while minimizing noise up to 48,000 times per second, reducing the intensity of loud sounds. Additionally, an innovative Adaptive Audio feature combines Active Noise Cancellation with Transparency Mode to enable students to concentrate on the sounds they need to hear. Aside from that, this wearable has an inward-facing microphone, enhanced by voice algorithms, to ensure that students' voices sound natural during online classes or calls. With a battery life of up to 30 hours with the charging case, students can rely on this device for extended periods to stay connected and productive throughout their school activities. Stay connected this school year with the Huawei Watch 4 Smartwatch The Huawei Watch 4 Smartwatch is also a great gift idea for students to ensure they stay connected throughout the school year. Equipped with eSIM One number and eSIM Standalone number capabilities, this smartwatch allows students to see and send SMS messages and conduct calls directly from their watch, even when away from their phones. Its 1.5-inch screen provides a clear and enjoyable view for notifications and other functions. In addition to connectivity, the Huawei Watch 4 helps students monitor their health. It offers alerts for heart rate, respiratory rate, SpO2 levels, sleep duration, and stress levels, ensuring students can keep track of their well-being as they tackle their tasks. With over 100 workout modes, it also supports students in maintaining their fitness. Compatible with both iOS and Android devices, the smartwatch features two battery modes: a standard mode that lasts up to three days and an ultra-long battery life mode that can last up to eight or 14 days, depending on usage. Weighing only 48g, it combines a stylish and modern design with a 316L stainless steel case and 3D curved glass, making it a versatile accessory for any outfit. Remain updated this back-to-school season with the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 44mm Graphite For another remarkable smartwatch option for students, Home Credit offers the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 44mm Graphite. Featuring a 1.5-inch display, students can easily read notifications, stay updated on school events, and even make calls, send texts, listen to music, and take picturesall from this smartwatch. Its stylish, thinner design ensures a comfortable and fashionable fit for students. Powered by a dual-core processor, this watch boasts fast response times, while its battery capacity provides up to 40 hours of use, perfect for long school days. The fast-charging feature allows the device to reach up to 45% charge in just 30 minutes, keeping students connected without constantly checking their phones. 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Yet its only now that hes getting his due as one of the handful of living artists to have been accorded the honour of a retrospective exhibition in the Royal Academys palatial main galleries. Does he feel hes finally got the British capital at his feet in all senses? Im 83 tomorrow, he says in a tone of wonder. And its as though everything Ive ever worked on or thought about is coming together now. For all his presence on the London art scene over nearly half a century, from youthful interloper to distinguished elder statesman a Royal Academician indeed Craig-Martin was a late developer in terms of creating an immediately identifiable style. Indeed, he didnt even start making the paintings for which he is best known until the mid-Nineties, when he was well into his fifties. Most artists have their career high point early or in mid-career, and when they have a big retrospective its giving recognition to work produced over a long period, he says. So its interesting to me that my career high is coming now, with an exhibition of work mostly produced very recently, if not right now. Michael Craig-Martin at the Royal Academy of Arts ( PA ) There are interviews that feel daunting because the subject has a reputation for being surly, incoherent or simply shy. But on the evidence of Craig-Martins formidably articulate autobiography-cum-how to book On Being an Artist, the more unnerving certainty is that there is likely no question to which he wont have a clearly thought out and long practised answer. Yet I feel on friendly terms with the genial, sharp eyed Craig-Martin from the moment he answers the door: its no wonder hes been so effective as a teacher. And everything in his supremely tasteful living space clearly relates to his work, from an abstract print by the great Bauhaus master Josef Albers, one of his key influences, to pieces of classic modernist furniture (including a spectacular curved sofa in turquoise leather and stainless steel), every one of which has featured in his paintings or prints. The basis of my life is my work and I approach everything in exactly the same way that I approach my art, whether its teaching, curating an exhibition or furnishing my apartment. He glances around with a faintly apologetic shrug. Its been useful, because whatever Im confronted with I have a way of dealing with it. A good example is the vast immersive digital installation that will form one of the centrepieces of his Royal Academy exhibition. The curators told me they wanted to include something like this, a kind of project Id never attempted before. But I had a brainstorm, and I thought: what if I use every image Ive ever drawn? So I gave 300 images to a digital technician I work with and weve been working on it for the past year. Craig-Martin at his Gagosian Sculpture exhibition in 2019 ( PA ) Born the son of an agricultural economist in Dublin in 1941, Craig-Martin was raised largely in Washington DC, with a Roman Catholic education. The influence of this on his life was sometimes pernicious: although he married a fellow Yale student in 1963, with whom he had a daughter, Jessica, he only felt able to come out as gay 13 years later, unable to live a lie that had been forced on him, he felt, by the dogmas of his Catholic background. Yet that background also gave him an alertness to the symbolism behind everyday objects it was indeed a priest who alerted him to the possibility of becoming an artist. While studying fine art at Yale, he took classes that had been devised by Albers, who had fled Germany for the US in 1932, and were now taught by his former students, giving Craig-Martins work a direct link to the great days of European Modernism, of which he remains extremely proud. The results of these classes were very small abstract sculptures. He didnt then have the confidence to think of himself as a painter. At the same time, Yales proximity to New York allowed him to see the first exhibitions of Pop Art, conceptual art and minimalism, at a moment when American arts confidence was at an absolute peak. Yet on graduating from Yale in 1966 he took a job teaching at Bath Academy of Art, located in the countryside just outside that quintessentially English historic town then still in a state of post-war shabbiness. I suggest to him that its intriguing he chose to exchange the dynamism of a society with an instinctive optimism for the dingy and limited confines of a society with an instinctive pessimism Britain. Craig-Martin with his five-storey wall painting unveiled at the John Radcliffe Children's Hospital in Oxford ( PA ) I thought of myself as American. But I was aware my roots were in Europe. Even today I feel surprisingly Irish considering I have never lived there. So when I got the chance of a job at a British art school, with the opportunity to find out what life here would be like, I jumped at it. What started as a kind of belated gap year became, essentially, his life. He has lived in London ever since. Clearly there is something about living in the UK that he likes. Students here are expected to be independent minded and take responsibility for their own trajectory much earlier than they are in America. That impacts on the sciences and the arts, the creative areas where this society is really powerful. At the same time theres a kind of extreme provincialism and natural conservatism in British society. Can he give an example of the latter? Weve just had 15 years of it in government. His first significant success came in 1974 with An Oak Tree, a seminal piece of British conceptual art, in which a glass of water placed on a high shelf was declared to be an oak tree, with an accompanying text talking through the ramifications in Q&A form. First exhibited in the relatively small Rowan Gallery it quickly became one of the most talked about artworks in London. If it sounds like a cross between Marcel Duchamp and Monty Python, the works roots he says are in the Catholic idea of transubstantiation, that an object can change its identity through the belief of the beholder, as the communion bread does in the Catholic Mass. Craig-Martin with his painting Stack at the Serpentine Galleries ( PA ) At the same time he admits that he feels concerned if he doesnt quickly get laughs when he reads this text to audiences today. A note of deadpan drollness runs through all his work, from his early conceptual pieces to the pun-laden dialogues between flatness and three-dimensionality in his current paintings. As a way of talking about very complex things in language that anyone can understand, and which undermines pomposity and mystification, humour is really a no brainer. I put it to him that his contribution to the YBA movement, many of whose key members he tutored at Londons Goldsmiths College in the 1980s, including Damien Hirst and Sarah Lucas, was to give these feisty young artists permission to manipulate the structures of the art world using the language and imagery of their own generation and social background. Well, I think Im very good at giving people permission generally. As a teacher, Ive never had a message, something I want to tell the students, just as I dont have that in my art. My tactic has always been to encourage them to address their own core interests which they often dont recognise. People can be blind to their central selves. So Id always start by asking them as much as possible about themselves on a very basic level: how many brothers and sisters they have, what books theyve read. One striking example was the Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Wallinger, an MA student at Goldsmiths in the early Eighties, who recalls a visit Craig-Martin once made to his bedsit studio as a life-changing experience. There were no studios for MA students, he told me in a recent interview, so the tutors came to where you were. Wallingers cramped living space was crowded with dour figurative paintings inspired by the then fashionable neo-expressionism. Michael was there for three hours, and we spent the entire time roaring with laughter. As he left he said, Well weve had some laughs, but there arent many laughs in your work. I was dumbfounded. It had never occurred to me that art could be funny, or at least that my art could be funny. Craig-Martin with his painting Eye of the Storm at the Serpentine Galleries ( PA ) Yet Craig-Martin came to regard his close association with the YBAs as a liability. I felt a parental pride in their success, and it brought me more international recognition than Id had through my own work. But I hated being thought of as primarily a teacher, and that became an incentive to prove that that idea of me was wrong. He did that by heading into an area hed always regarded with scepticism painting and a thing of which hes always been frankly scared colour. He confronted the latter fear by using colour at its most intense: the reddest reds and bluest blues. If Craig-Martins failure to build on his Seventies success with An Oak Tree to create a body of work around that seminal piece had frustrated him at the time, it proved a retrospective blessing as his name and reputation werent fixed in a particular historical era. He was able to have a breakthrough moment at the age of 55, some time after his famous students had made their reputations, with deadpan studies in everyday materiality, with clocks, salt pots, musical instruments, for example, captured in simplified outlines and brilliant staccato colour; works that still feel highly contemporary. While he remains indifferent to the status, function or value of the objects he portrays, increasingly they are things associated more with teenagers than with octogenarians: bags of fries, headphones, trainers. The momentum of change is being driven by the young today in ways that seem natural and obvious to them, but feel unsettling to everyone else. In his book On Being an Artist, Craig-Martin scoffs at the idea of artists reinventing themselves. Which feels rich coming from an artist who might be said to have done precisely that, at least twice. Is there a chance he might still surprise us all again, thirty years after his last major breakthrough? Well, he says with a gentle shrug. I have no plans to retire. Michael Craig-Martin is at The Royal Academy from 21 September to 10 December. royalacademy.org.uk The Sydney resident appears at war with her neighbour and has finally had enough. But has she taken it too far? A resident in Sydney dobbed in her neighbour for parking in his driveway which can attract a fine up $283. Source: Getty/Facebook Aussies are growing increasingly frustrated with neighbours behaving inappropriately, particularly when it comes to parking in their street. And now, a resident at war with her neighbour has detailed her "petty" move after becoming fed up with the "obnoxious guy" repeatedly parking in a questionable manner outside his home, a common gripe in suburbs across the country. "Whinging" about her neighbour online, the Sydney woman claimed the man's "over loud, oversized vehicle permanently sticks out from his property, partially blocking footpath". Despite being parked in his driveway, parking this way is illegal and can attract a $283 fine, sometimes more in other council areas across the country. "This noise-polluting monstrosity should be banned," the Manly resident said of the large ute which is seen with its tray sticking out across the footpath in a photo posted on Facebook this week. "Or at least parked on the street (preferably not ours)," she added. Resident dobs in neighbour for parking in driveway In an attempt to put an end to the "grubby" behaviour, the resident said she reported her neighbour to the Northern Beaches Council a move she admitted was petty. According to the council's website, "residents must not park in or across a driveway (even your own)," to ensure pedestrian safety and access. A minimum penalty of $283 applies the council website states. "Ensure your car is within the front boundary of the property or parked safely in the street," guidelines state. Similar rules apply across the country. Northern Beaches Council confirmed to Yahoo News Australia that after the incident was reported via Snap, Snap, Solve, the driver was fined. It's understood that officers have proactively patrolled the area since and found no repeated instances. However, the woman in question was shocked to see the driver's "pride and joy still there" in the driveway. "Vengeance is sadly not mine," she joked. "Today I received an email from council saying the matter has been resolved. Do council not care or is this an insufficient crime for any action to be taken?" she asked fellow residents on Facebook. Locals divided over residents 'petty' act Some agreed he should be fined for parking illegally. In the past, a Canberra driver was fined $132 for doing the same thing on his driveway. Meanwhile, a Sydney woman copped a $283 fine for parking outside her Summer Hill home. "Im surprised he doesnt get booked as he is blocking the footpath for prams and wheelchairs," one person said. "Thats kind of dangerous. Plus disabled or kids on bikes could slam into it," another shared. Others however didn't think her "whinge" was warranted and instead encouraged her to "mind your business". "You sound like one of those neighbours that sticks their noses into other people's business," one said. "Car park is sh*te but it doesnt seem like its affecting you. Take a deep breath and stop working yourself up over things that really dont matter," someone else hit out. Northern Beaches Council were approached for comment. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} What makes Wendy Cope one of the nations most loved poets? Many things: her unpretentious, accessible style; her sense of humour; her hard-won wisdom; and the fact that, running beneath these poems that are such a pleasure to read, is often an iceberg-like swell of deep emotion. Recently Cope told The Times, if you want people to enjoy poetry, then its kind of nice to write poems they can understand. And a whole new generation has begun to relate to and connect with them. Last year, one of her most famous poems, The Orange, went viral on TikTok, leading to a new edition of her work being released. This week, for the first time, her poetry is being published in a collected edition, with over three decades of writing in one volume. Here she shares an insight into her reading and writing life... What is on your to be read pile? Is it under control or out of hand? In book form: Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart, Table for Two by Amor Towles, The Letters of Emily Dickinson. On my Kindle: Stardust by Joseph Kanon, Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson, Lost and Never Found by Simon Mason. And a few more. In this house books are out of control. They arent all mine. The best book Ive read so far this year... A few months ago I discovered Joseph Kanon and I have now read almost all his books. Among the best are Defectors (set in Moscow in 1961), Los Alamos (with Oppenheimer as a character) and The Good German (post-war Berlin). His work is historical fiction with brilliant descriptions of place and gripping plots. Wendy Copes Collected Poems is the first single volume of her work ( Faber ) The first book I ever loved obsessively... The Pooh books and, a few years later, the works of Nigel Molesworth (written by Geoffrey Willans). All because they made me laugh so much. They still do. The book Id save from a burning building... The leather-bound complete works of Shakespeare passed on to me by my father. He gave it to me when I was doing A-level English. I wrote a poem about it (in my book Anecdotal Evidence). The book that surprised me the most... A Shropshire Lad by AE Housman. For years I was put off by the title. Then a poet friend urged me to read it and it was a revelation. Housman has been one of my favourite poets ever since. The author who has taught me the most... Ian D Suttie, author of The Origins of Love and Hate. I read it when I was a student and it gave me a lot of insight into my unhappiness and what might be done about it. It was the beginning of a path that led to my entering psychoanalysis a few years later. My favourite place to read... In my armchair in our living room, where I have a reading stand for the sake of my neck. And in bed late at night, where I read from a Kindle. Different books upstairs and downstairs. Greg Wise and Emma Thompson in Sense and Sensibility ( Columbia Pictures ) The book Ive written that means the most to me personally is... The Orange and Other Poems. My poem The Orange went viral on TikTok and my publishers followed that up with a lovely little volume. It has sold faster than any of my other books and been a wonderful stroke of luck. The best thing a reader has said to me and the worst... Earlier this year I had a letter from a man who was dying, saying how much my poems had meant to him over the years, and thanking me. The worst thing? Being asked, in a rude and aggressive way, Whats the secret of getting your poems published? This has happened more than once. My answer is Get better at writing. Favourite bookshop (and why?) Topping & Company in Ely. When we moved to Ely this was an unexpected bonus. Great stock, lovely staff. Its as least as good as any of the bookshops in nearby Cambridge. Is the book always better than the film? Usually. But I can think of films that came close the 1992 David Copperfield, for example, and a couple of Jane Austen films: Emma starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson. Collected Poems is out now, published by Faber For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The Booker Prize Shortlist was announced at Somerset House on Monday (16 September), with religion, climate change, and race among the key themes tackled by the selected titles. Judges had the arduous task of whittling down the 13 longlisted books, announced in July, to just six, and broke records in the process. The prestigious literary awards 2024 shortlist features the largest number of women in its 55-year history, with five women and one man represented. Each of the six shortlisted authors receives a 2,500 prize and a bespoke bound edition of their book. They are also likely to enjoy a significant uptick in sales owing to the vast publicity surrounding the Booker Prize. Common themes among this years selected titles are those which transport readers around the world, out of the Earths atmosphere, and across time. Announcing the news at Somerset House, Edmund de Waal, chair of the 2024 judges, insisted that the books were not selected for the issues they tackled, though he did acknowledge that they all grappled with ideas of identity and the fault lines of our times. The list features mostly established writers, with only one debut author making an appearance. Its a distinct change from the 2023 shortlist in which only debut authors were selected, including last years winner Paul Lynch, who won for his book Prophet Song. There is one British author on this years list, Samantha Harvey. Australian, Dutch, American, and Canadian writers also appear. The Booker Prize Shortlist was announced on Monday 16 September ( Booker Prize Foundation ) The winner of the 2024 Booker Prize will be announced on Tuesday 12 November, and will be awarded 50,000 in prize money. See the full shortlist below James by Percival Everett (Mantel) A re-telling of Mark Twains masterpiece Huckleberry Finn, Everetts novel follows the experience of Finns companion James, a runaway slave. The author has said that he does not see his work as a corrective to the original, but rather as in conversation with Twain. This is the second time that Everett has been nominated for the Booker, the first being for his novel The Trees in 2022. The American authors 2001 novel Erasure was adapted into Oscar-nominated film, American Fiction starring Jeffrey Wright in 2023. ( Mantle/Jonathan Cape ) Orbital by Samantha Harvey (Jonathan Cape) Six astronauts rotate around the earth on the International Space Station in Orbital. Their minds wander to existential questions about life, earth, and relationships as they share intimate conversations with one other. Speaking about her novel, Harvey said she attempted to write from a place of realism rather than sci-fi and attempted to do so with the care of a nature writer. Like Everett, this is the second time that the British author has been longlisted for the Booker, the first being in 2009 for The Wilderness. It is the first time she has been shortlisted. Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner (Jonathan Cape) Set amid the chaos of the climate crisis, Kushners novel follows protagonist Sadie Smith in her work as an undercover agent on a mission to infiltrate a commune of eco-activists in rural France led by a charismatic leader. Tensions arise when she finds herself falling under his spell. The American author has been nominated for the Booker once before in 2018 with The Mars Room. She is an internationally bestselling author whose work has been translated into 27 languages. Speaking about Creation Lake, Kushner said that she had long wanted to write a novel about a group of people on a collision course with the French state. ( Jonathan Cape/Bloomsbury Publishing ) Held by Anne Michaels (Bloomsbury Publishing) The acclaimed Canadian authors third book spans four generations, and revisits themes covered in her earlier work, including history, loss, trauma, and love. In Held, a carousel of characters appear including John who returns home from war grievously wounded; Alan, a war photographer, and Mara, a nurse in a field hospital. Their sense of the present is interrupted by memories of the past as Michaels does away with traditional narrative structures. Speaking about the themes of her book, she said she had been moved by the voices that were needed in these urgent times. The author has won several awards in the past, including the Orange Prize for Fiction, and her books have been translated into more than 50 languages. The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden (Viking) A tale about desire and infatuation, The Safekeep tells the story of two very different women who find themselves living together when Isabels brother drops his irreverent and chaotic girlfriend off at his sisters house. Set in the aftermath of the Second World War, a rage-fuelled obsession ensues as Isabel desperately grasps for order. The Dutch author is the only debut writer on the list. Van der Wouden said the book was inspired by a short story she once wrote about three siblings out for dinner and the additional girlfriend everyone hates. ( Viking/Sceptre ) Stoneyard Devotional by Charlotte Wood (Sceptre) A middle-aged woman returns to Sydney in need of rest and retreat. An atheist, she surprisingly finds herself embedded within a religious community whose sleepy existence is disturbed by three mysterious events. Wood is an Australian author whose oeuvre includes seven novels and three works of nonfiction. She said that Stoneyard Devotional grew from elements of my own life and childhood merging with an entirely invented story about an enclosed religious community. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Mike Flanagans Stephen King adaptation, The Life of Chuck, has won the Peoples Choice award at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival. The science fiction drama, starring Tom Hiddleston, Mark Hamill, Karen Gillan, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, follows three chapters in the life of an ordinary man named Charles Krantz. In a statement, Flanagan thanked TIFF for the award, saying: Im absolutely overwhelmed. Were so grateful that The Life of Chuck connected with audiences in such a powerful way, but never expected this. Flanagan has adapted Kings work in the past, including Doctor Sleep andGeralds Game. He is known for creating supernatural horror anthology series The Haunting on Netflix, which includes The Haunting of Hill House in 2018 and The Haunting of Bly Manor in 2020. King congratulated the dark horse winner in a post on X, writing: LIFE OF CHUCK was the dark horse winner of the Toronto International Film Festival Peoples Choice Award. I am so blissed out for Mike Flanagan and his talented troupe of actors. The Life of Chuck entered the festival without a distributor and, therefore, has no set release date yet. The TIFF Peoples Choice Award is voted on by audience members and is considered an indicator for a top contender at the forthcoming awards season. With no release date, The Life of Chuck might be the first Peoples Choice awards winner that doesnt feature in the awards season, though the win might be the catalyst it needs to find a distributor. Benjamin Pajak, Karen Gillan, Tom Hiddleston, Mike Flanagan, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Kate Siegel of The Life of Chuck cast at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival ( Getty ) Past Peoples Choice award winners that went on to win the Best Picture Oscar are Nomadland, Green Book, 12 Years a Slave, The Kings Speech, Slumdog Millionaire, American Beauty, and Chariots of Fire. Winners of the award that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar include American Fiction, JoJo Rabbit, La La Land, The Imitation Game, Silver Linings Playbook, Precious, Life Is Beautiful, Places in the Heart, and The Big Chill. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free The first runner-up for the Peoples Choice Award was the Jacques Audiard-directed crime musical comedy Emilia Perez, which won its lead Karla Sofia Gascon the best actress award at the Cannes, which she shared with fellow stars Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz and Zoe Saldana. The second runner-up was Sean Bakers comedy drama Anora, which won the Palme dOr at Cannes this year. Other notable winners at TIFF include the Demi Moore-starrer The Substance, which topped the Midnight Madness section, and the Mike Downie-directed The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal which won best documentary. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards were a respectfully understated affair given that audiences had already sat through the ceremony once already this year. The 75th Emmys, which were scheduled to take place in 2023, actually took place this February due to last years actors and writers strikes. There was no slapping though Slow Horses writer Will Smith (not that Will Smith) reassured everyone that despite his namesake he came in peace as he accepted the award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. Father-son hosts Dan and Eugene Levy avoided any political levity as the US presidential elections loomed, delivering on their pre-show promise to keep things light and bright. Instead, they poked fun at the nominees, spoofing Marthas creepy texts from Richard Gadds stalker drama Baby Reindeer for a skit about how older people struggle with technology. The same could not be said for the celebrity presenters, many of whom used their time on stage to poke fun at Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vances comment about childless cat ladies. Let me say what an honor it is to work with two guys who are this far away from being childless cat ladies, Selena Gomez said while presenting alongside her senior Only Murders in the Building colleagues Martin Short and Steve Martin. open image in gallery Yes chef: Jeremy Allen White accepts the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series ( Getty ) FXs heart-racing kitchen drama The Bear got off to a hot start after dominating the Emmys earlier this year. Head chef/Calvin Klein model Jeremy Allen White picked up a trophy as did his co-star Ebon Moss-Bachrach - replicating their February success. Their third acting win for Liza Colon-Zayas was much more of a surprise, though. She beat out Hollywood royalty Meryl Streep and Carol Burnett for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in one of the biggest upsets of the night. One of the big questions of the night was whether the Television Academy would honour Gadd despite his Netflix smash hit courting controversy after the creators real-life stalker went public and sued the streaming giant. The answer was emphatically: yes. In fact, Jessica Gunning, who played Martha in the series was the first to be awarded. She thanked her Reindeer, Gadd in her acceptance speech: I will never ever forget [Martha] or you, or this. Backstage, too, Gadd was a hit as attendees swarmed the Scottish comedian, whose presence marked his first major Hollywood outing since Baby Reindeer exploded into Netflixs top 10 most-watched shows of all time ranking. One video shared on X/Twitter showed the actor posing for selfies during a break before rushing back inside the theatre. Gadd went on to win three awards, one for acting and two for writing. In an impassioned acceptance speech , he told the crowd: I never ever thought Id get my life together. I never ever thought Id be able to rectify myself for what had happened to me and get myself back on my feet again. And then here I am just over a decade later picking up one of the biggest writing awards on television. open image in gallery Richard Gadd poses with his three Emmy Awards ( Getty ) Over the course of the three-hour ceremony, the Television Academy paid tribute to some of the mediums biggest archetypes, including villains, cops and lawyers. Viola Davis (who played Keating on How To Get Away With Murder), Christine Baranski (who played Lockhart on The Good Wife and The Good Fight), and Gina Torres (who starred in Pearson, the spin-off of the character she played on Suits) joined forces to present the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Ultimately, TV lawyers remind us of two things: first, that the trifecta of weakness, stupidity, and wickedness will never go away," Baranski said. Second, the cases and trials and clients that showcase that trifecta make for really entertaining TV. The lawyer trio awarded first-time nominee Anna Sawai with the Emmy for her role in Shogun, causing her to immediately burst into tears. The epic FX historical drama about power struggles in 17th-century Japan broke records before the televised ceremony even began. It won 14 Creative Arts Emmys last weekend, making it the most awarded single season of TV in Emmys history. It extended its record by another four awards on Sunday, bringing its total to a whopping 18 Emmys. Executive producer Justin Marks said of the networks that brought the show to life: You guys green lit a very expensive, subtitled, Japanese period piece whose central climax revolves around a poetry competition. I have no idea why you did that, but thank you for your faith in this incredible team. On the other end of the spectrum, The Crown went out quietly. After 21 Emmys and 87 nominations, Peter Morgans sixth and final series earned just one more win for Elizabeth Debickis turn as Princess Diana. With goliaths like The Crown and Succession now out of the picture, the 2025 Emmys promise to be wide open. Happily, well have a whole year to wait for them this time. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Beverly Hills, 90210 star Jennie Garth has said she wishes she hadnt done the CWs 90210 reboot, which aired from 2008 to 2010 two decades after the original Nineties drama. 52-year-old Garth, who reprised her role as Kelly Taylor in the five-season revival, made the admission over the weekend during a panel interview at 90s Con 2024 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Seated beside her former Beverly Hills, 90210 co-stars Brian Austin Green, Gabrielle Carteris and Ian Ziering who did not reprise their roles in the reboot Garth confessed: I wish I hadnt done it. No offense to them, she clarified, according to People. The producer was a friend of a friend, and I remember he came over in my living room, sat me down, [and sold it as] this chance of a lifetime. Garth recalled her producer friend asked me to do it, and I didnt know how to say no then. But the people were very nice and all the best to them. Carteris, who starred as Andrea Zuckerman, shared she never wanted to [do it]. I was so shocked they were doing a new show. I was like, Is it like they long so much youre just going to try to reinvent it over and over? she said. open image in gallery Jennie Garth recalls the reboot was billed as the chance of a lifetime ( Getty Images for iHeartRadio ) No offense at all. To me, we did 10 years of that show and its like, Okay, done, added Green, who played David Silver. Garth, Green, Carteris and Ziering, Jason Priestley, Tori Spelling, the late Shannen Doherty and Luke Perry made up the leading cast of Foxs seminal drama about a group of high school friends living in the affluent neighborhood of Beverly Hills, California. The series, which followed the group as they transitioned from teenagers to adulthood, ran for 10 seasons from 1990 to 2000. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Years later, the CW rebooted the show, welcoming a new leading cast of Shenae Grimes-Beech, Tristan Mack Wilds, AnnaLynne McCord, Jessica Stroup, Michael Steger and Jessica Stroup. The revival centered on a family whose two children must adapt to the drama of Beverly Hills after relocating from Kansas. Spelling and Doherty (who died earlier this year) also returned for the reboot alongside Garth. While Green, Carteris and Zierging turned down the opportunity to make an appearance in the revival, they did return for Foxs 2019 BH90210 reunion special. The six-episode special saw the cast play heightened versions of themselves as they got back together to celebrate the shows 30th anniversary. Remembering the reunion as cathartic, Green said: It felt full circle to be together as adults, having had our children, being able to work together. I thought it was probably one of those most impactful moments of my life. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Married at First Sight star Alex Henry served 24 days in jail after deserting the RAF to appear on the Channel 4 dating show. Based on the Danish series of the same name, the series follows a group of participants who agree to blindly marry a suitor chosen for them by a team of experts with backgrounds in psychology, psychotherapy, anthropology, and theology. Henry abandoned his post at an electronic warfare base to film the Channel 4 series and was subsequently jailed by a military court. He was arrested by military police upon his return and served 24 days of his 34 day sentence before he was sacked. The 28-year-old had reportedly asked to take extra leave last winter to take part in Married at First Sight, but this was denied by his commanding officer at RAF Spadeadam, Cumbria. Henry ignored the decision and left his base to film the series anyway. A representative for the reality star told The Sun: He returned after filming of his own volition and handed himself into the military authorities. He was sentenced to 34 days in a military prison and served 24 as a model inmate. In a social media post shared after filming the series, Henry told his followers: Anything worth having in life comes with a risk. The Independent has contacted the RAF and Channel 4 for comment. It comes shortly after the charity Womens Aid expressed disappointment at Henry being allowed to appear on the show after concerns were made about his previous relationships. Last year, he participated in another Channel 4 dating reality show, Lets Make a Love Scene, but his episode never aired. Channel 4 told the BBC it would not be cutting Mr Henrys MAFS scenes as the DBS (criminal record) check carried out on the contributor raised in the allegation was returned clear. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free A spokesperson for the broadcaster said in a statement: MAFS UK contributors are subject to rigorous background vetting, including multiple independent psychological evaluations and a criminal record check before they can be cleared to take part. We cast contributors based on the information we are legally able to access and we continue to review this process to ensure checks are as thorough as legally possible. In response to the backlash against Henrys casting, a Channel 4 representative later added: MAFS UK was filmed several months ago and is not live, so Alexander will feature in the programs that have been edited and are due for broadcast later this month. There will also be promotional activity on the channels social media platforms during this time, in which Alexander may appear. Married at First Sight will return to Channel 4 on Monday, 16 September. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Netflix has been sued by an Indian filmmaker who accused them of copying his film Luck to make the hit show Squid Game, an allegation denied by the streaming service as having no merit. Soham Shah filed a lawsuit in New York on 13 September, alleging that Squid Game is a rip-off of his Hindi-language film Luck, which was released in 2009. Squid Game, which was released on Netflix in 2021 and was created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, is a South Korean dystopian series which follows a group of cash-strapped contestants fighting to the death for a life-changing sum of money. It quickly became the platforms most-watched series of all time, with more than 142 million member households tuning in to watch within the first four weeks of its release, surpassing period romance series Bridgerton. Shahs film Luck follows a group of people endowed with luck who are recruited by an underworld kingpin to participate in a series of challenges designed to test their Luck factor, as gamblers around the world bet on them, according to its official synopsis on IMDB. open image in gallery Shah, who wrote and directed Luck, claims Squid Game was written the year his film released ( Viacom18 Studios ) The main plot, characters, themes, mood, setting and sequence of events of Squid Game are strikingly similar to that of Luck, defying any likelihood that such similarities could be coincidence, Shah said in the suit, according to Bloomberg. According to the lawsuit, Shah, who also directed Luck, claims to have written his story in or around 2006, and that Hwang wrote Squid Game in 2009, the same year Luck was released in theatres, reported TMZ. Shah has also named Hwang in his lawsuit. The report also added Shahs claims that Netflix would have had access to Luck, since it was released worldwide in July 2009 in theatres in India, the UK, US, and UAE, and due to its considerable advertising and marketing. Shahs lawsuit also claims that Netflix has continued to infringe on his copyrights for Luck by creating further content derived from Squid Game, like a reality TV series, which was released in 2023 and an immersive experience set to launch in New York City in October. He further claimed that the show increased Netflixs market value by over $900m (683.05m). open image in gallery Squid Game became Netflixs most-watched series of all time after its release in 2021 ( Netflix ) Shah is seeking unspecified damages as well as an injunction preventing Netflix from infringing his copyrights by marketing and streaming Squid Game, profiting from the sale of merchandise, and developing other shows and works that may infringe the copyrights in the future. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Netflix has responded in a statement, saying: This claim has no merit. Squid Game was created by and written by Hwang Dong-hyuk and we intend to defend this matter vigorously. In 2021, several Indians had in fact made posts on X about the similarities between Squid Game and Luck. A second season of Squid Game is set to premiere later this year on 26 December, and a third and final season is scheduled for release in 2025. Squid Game made history in 2022 as the first foreign-language drama to win major awards at the Emmys. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Three men accused of performing Nazi salutes outside a Jewish museum told police it was a joke, with one man claiming he was copying Ricky Gervais comedy material. Daniel Muston, 41, Ryan Peter Marshall, 31, and Anthony Raymond Mitchell, 32 were charged near the Sydney Jewish Museum in Australia last year. They have pleaded not guilty to behaving in an offensive manner in public and knowingly displaying Nazi symbols without an excuse. Mitchell repeatedly referenced a performance by Gervais in an interview with New South Wales police. A clip of the comedians material was subsequently shown in court. In the skit, Gervais performs a mock Nazi salute and pushes his hair down to imitate Hitler, saying: I do that quick so no one can take a picture of me doing that. Not a traditional subject for comedy, the old Holocaust. Displaying a Nazi symbol carries a maximum penalty of 12 months jail time and an $11,000 (5,620) fine or both, as per a law introduced by New South Wales (NSW) Parliament in 2022. Mitchells lawyer, Adrian Canceri, claimed the 32-year-old had been copying Gervais performance for artistic purposes, which is one of the exemptions under the NSW law. The court viewed footage of the men walking past the Jewish museum on the day of the alleged offence, in which they can be seen raising their hands in what appear to be Nazi salutes. open image in gallery Ricky Gervais in his Netflix special Armageddon ( Netflix ) Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson questioned the timing of the alleged offence, which took place days after hundreds of people were killed in Israel on 7 October. She told the court: It really is a matter of common knowledge what occurred in Israel days earlier. He might have said it was a joke but why that location, why that time? Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free In footage from body cameras worn by police at the time of Muston, Marshall and Mitchells arrest, Mitchell claimed the men were all just joking around. Muston also told officers that people have become too sensitive. Police prosecutor David Lanton said in court there was a difference between Gervais performing the salute on stage at a comedy show and others performing the action, even as a joke, in public. To which, Atkinson responded: Im not making a decision about Ricky Gervais. The Independent has contacted Gervais representatives for comment. open image in gallery Gervais has faced criticism for his Netflix specials ( Netflix ) It comes after the comedian faced criticism for a controversial joke about terminally ill children and the Make-a-Wish foundation in his Netflix special last year. Ive been doing video messages recently for terminally ill children and only if they request it, obviously, Gervais says in Armageddon. I didnt burst into hospitals and go, Wake up baldy! Watch me twerking on TikTok. Gervais then claimed that he always starts his videos the same way, saying: I go, Why didnt you wish to get better? What, are you f***ing r*****d as well? Immediately after this remark, Gervais states that he has never actually said this to any Make-a-Wish child. These are all jokes, OK? he says. I dont even use that word in real life, the R-word. Close Romeo Beckham pranks father David after Emmy's win For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The 2024 Emmys took place on Sunday (September 15) night, with controversial Netflix show Baby Reindeer, kitchen drama The Bear and historical Japan-set series Shogun all winning big. The three-hour ceremony took place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The broadcast is now available to watch on Hulu. This years event was hosted for the first time by father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy, who co-created and starred in the hit series Schitts Creek. Were going to keep it light and bright, Dan Levy told the Los Angeles Times, while his father added: Youre setting a tone, and its our tone. It is what it is. Its kind of tricky when youre in the weeds, but ultimately we have to be ourselves and go with what we think is funny. Awards presenters will included Hollywood legend and Mary Poppins star Dick Van Dyke, 97, along with Allison Janney, Martin Sheen, Matt Bomer, Lily Gladstone and Kristen Wiig. See the winners list in full here. Follow live updates below. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A Hong Kong man has pleaded guilty to sedition for wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan on it, becoming the first person to be convicted under the citys new security legislation. Chu Kai-pong, 27, was arrested in June last year for wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times, which the citys authorities consider secessionist. He pleaded guilty to a charge of doing acts with seditious intent. After Mr Chus arrest, police said that the slogan on his clothing could incite hatred, contempt, or disaffection against the fundamental system of the state established by the constitution of the Peoples Republic of China. Mr Chu admitted to wearing the T-shirt to commemorate the 2019 street protests and said he wanted to remind people of the demonstrations. He is the first person convicted under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance in Hong Kong also known as Article 23 which was passed in March. The new security law increased the maximum sentence for the offence of sedition from two to seven years and even 10 years in case of collusion with foreign forces. Mr Chu said he purchased the protest slogan T-shirt from a company in Taiwan. At the time of his arrest, he was also wearing a yellow mask with the letters FDNOL, an acronym for the protest slogan five demands, not one less, representing the movements key demands. In court on Monday, it was revealed that Mr Chu had told police that FDNOL carried a meaning similar to the Liberate Hong Kong slogan. Both slogans were commonly chanted during the protests of 2019. In Hong Kongs first trial under a separate national security law enacted in 2020, the court determined that the phrase Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times carried secessionist connotations. Mr Chus lawyer, Steven Kwan, clarified in court that the protest slogan related to the movements demands had not been declared illegal and carried a different meaning. Mr Kwan also argued that there was no evidence showing anyone had been incited by the slogan during the 25 minutes Mr Chu wore the T-shirt, and noted that Mr Chu had not used the internet to commit the offence. The lawyer acknowledged that a prison sentence was inevitable but requested a one-third reduction due to Mr Chus guilty plea. The new Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, separate from the 2020 national security law, targets sedition and other offences. The 2020 law introduced life imprisonment as the maximum penalty for crimes like secession, subversion, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces. Chief Magistrate Victor So, specifically appointed by city leader John Lee to handle national security cases, postponed Mr Chus case until Thursday for sentencing. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy At least three people were killed after a fishing vessel with eight people on board capsized off South Korea's west coast on Monday morning. The 35-tonne fishing boat capsized near Gunsan city in North Jeolla province at around 7.36 am local time, prompting Korean authorities to launch a helicopter and patrol vessel. All eight people were rescued and taken to a hospital, where three of them succumbed to injuries. The victims were identified as a Korean national, who was the captain of the vessel, a Korean engineer, and an Indonesian sailor, Yonhap news agency reported. The remaining five survivors three Vietnamese nationals and two Indonesian crew members were reported to be safe. President Yoon Suk Yeol had ordered the oceans and fisheries minister and the head of the coast guard to deploy all available personnel and equipment to conduct a rescue, his office said. The coast guard said they were investigating the possibility of a collision after witnesses said the incident took place after a 1,618-tonne petroleum product carrier passed by the vessel. A coast guard official told the news agency they planned to investigate the exact circumstances of the accident once the injured had recovered. In March, at least eight crew members died after a South Korean tanker carrying 995 tonnes of acrylic acid capsized off the coast of an island in southwestern Japan. The ship was en route from the Japanese port of Himeji to Ulsan in South Korea, the coast guard said. The captain was South Korean and the crew included a South Korean national, a Chinese and eight Indonesians. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Police in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu have detained nearly 150 Samsung plant workers and union leaders for planning a protest march without permission. Several hundred workers have been on strike protesting low wages in a makeshift tent near the Samsung Electronics plant outside the state capital of Chennai for over a week. The workers have been demanding higher wages, better working hours, and recognition of a union backed by influential labour group the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, or CITU. The protesting workers and CITU members were detained on Monday while they were marching towards the Kanchipuram district collectorate to hand over a memorandum on the eighth day of the strike. It is the main area which would become totally paralysed and the protest would disturb public peace," senior Kancheepuram district police officer K Shanmugam told Reuters. He cited the presence of schools, colleges and hospitals in the area to justify denying permission to the protest march. We have detained them in wedding halls as all of them can't be in stations," he added. The Samsung protest has cast a shadow on prime minister Narendra Modi's plan to woo foreign investors to "Make in India" and triple the countrys electronics production to $500bn in six years. Lured by cheap labour, some foreign companies have been manufacturing in India to diversify their supply chains beyond China. Samsung is not keen to recognise any union backed by a national labour group such as the CITU and talks with its workers, as well as state government officials, have not yielded a resolution. The factory employs nearly 1,800 workers to produce appliances like refrigerators, TVs and washing machines. This is the first strike at the plant since it came up in 2008, the Hindu Businessline reported. "For 16 years, these workers have been without a registered union, but the managements attitude, prudishness, abusive practices, and workload have prompted the workers to form a union, a strike notice read. S Kannan, the CITU state deputy general secretary, condemned the police action. "This is an archaic move by the state government, he said. In spite of Monday's police action, 12 labour groups, including one affiliated with the ruling party of Tamil Nadu, said they would stage a protest in support of the striking workers in Chennai this week. "We are going ahead with Wednesday's protest," A Jenitan, a local leader of the CITU, confirmed. No changes to the plan. The protest adds to Samsung's challenges in India, a key growth market. The South Korean company is planning job cuts of up to 30 per cent of its overseas staff in some divisions, including in India, risking blowback. India's antitrust body has found that Samsung and other smartphone makers colluded with e-commerce platforms to launch devices exclusively, violating competition laws. Additional reporting by agencies. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Philippines has withdrawn a vessel that was keeping watch over a shoal in the South China Sea following a months-long standoff with China over a territorial dispute. The BRP Teresa Magbanua, the Southeast Asian country's largest coast guard vessel, returned to port on Sunday from the disputed Sabina Shoal after a five-month deployment. It was deployed in April to monitor what Manila claims to be China's small-scale land reclamation activities in the region. The shoal became the latest flashpoint between the two countries after China responded by sending a larger ship. The Philippines alleged that China blocked its efforts to resupply the crew. The Philippines and China have exchanged accusations of intentionally ramming each others vessels in the disputed waters in recent months, including a violent clash in June that resulted in a Filipino sailor losing a finger. The ship's return was not related to China's demand for Manila to withdraw its vessel, Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela claimed. The vessel returned for repairs and to get its crew medical attention. He said Manila will continue to deploy vessels in the contested reef and "sustain presence over these waters". Sabina Shoal, which China refers to as Xianbin Reef and the Philippines as the Escoda Shoal, is a coral atoll in the disputed Spratly Islands, west of the Philippine province of Palawan. It is close to the Second Thomas Shoal, which is occupied by the Philippines and has seen many confrontations between the coast guards of the two countries in recent years. "Regardless of what size of vessel, regardless of how many vessels, the main objective and the commitment of the commandant ... is to make sure that at any one time, there will be a coast guard presence in the shoal," Mr Tarriela said. The Philippines will send another vessel to replace the BRP Teresa Magbanua, in a move that could further irk China. China's coast guard said on Sunday it will continue to carry out law enforcement activities in the waters under Beijing's jurisdiction in accordance with the law and safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. Beijing claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea. Its claims overlap with those of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. "The Philippine side's actions have seriously infringed on China's territorial sovereignty," Liu Dejun, a spokesperson for China's coast guard, said in a statement. A series of clashes around Sabina Shoal has caused fears that any misstep at sea could unintentionally spill over into an armed conflict, potentially drawing in the US, the chief ally of the Philippines. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Foreign firms are buying the biggest stakes in UK businesses, despite there being more private equity deals struck on British soil, new data shows. Some 3.5 billion was invested in businesses across the UK through private equity between May and July, according to analysis from Barclays and data firm Beauhurst. This was about 3% higher than the previous three-month period. Historically the UK has been a major player in private market activity in Europe and we expect this trend to continue Shenal Kakad, Barclays Private equity is when a fund invests in a company in return for a controlling share of that firm. Across the first half of 2024, just under a 10th of deals struck with UK firms involved a foreign investor. However, these deals accounted for about 60% of the total amount invested over the period, the analysis found. It indicates that foreign investors are more likely to be behind the highest-value funding for British businesses, even though the majority of deals involve UK investors. Shenal Kakad, head of private markets for Barclays Private Bank, said that companies are staying private for longer, prompting investors to turn to private equity to access more opportunities in recent years. Historically the UK has been a major player in private market activity in Europe and we expect this trend to continue, she said. Between May and July, the north west of England saw the highest growth in equity funding largely due to Cheshire-based environmental consultancy RSK Group securing 500 million worth of investment from a consortium of funds. The data comes at a time of greater scrutiny on the private equity market. The Bank of England has been reviewing the sector and the potential risks it poses to financial stability in the UK, having grown rapidly in recent years and become a major source of funding for businesses alongside bank loans. Major supermarkets Asda and Morrisons are private equity-owned, while recently announced deals include US private equity firm Apollo Global Managements takeover of British parcel delivery company Evri for 2.7 billion. Wagamama owner The Restaurant Group was also bought by Apollo last year, while earlier this year US private equity group Thoma Bravo struck an almost 4.3 billion deal to take UK cybersecurity firm Darktrace private. Meanwhile, Barclays research showed that there were some 5.4 million companies registered in the UK as of July, about 300,000 more than the same time last year. Hannah Bernard, head of business banking at Barclays, said the increase shows companies were becoming more resilient, agile and adaptable to change. This comes alongside wider support for strategically important industries like technology, advanced manufacturing and life sciences, which is a recipe for growth, Ms Bernard said. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Boats stranded on sandbanks, necessities languishing on board. Mass dieoffs of fish. Endangered pink dolphins, which died in droves last year, are again under threat. The extreme drought gripping Brazil is the worst since measurements began 40 years ago, according to environmental experts, and bringing about potentially disastrous consequences. The rivers are at the lowest level in decades, if not forever. You know, its the worst fire season in the past 19 years, worst drought in 40 years and perhaps the worst ever, Christine Halvorson, the program director for Rainforest Foundation US, told The Independent on Monday. So, its just going to get worse before it gets any better. A hopper barge is seen stranded in a sandbank at Brazils Solimoes River on Tuesday. The country is experiencing its worst drought since measurements began, with rivers at their lowest levels in decades. ( REUTERS/Jorge Silva ) The drought has also fueled record wildfires in the Amazon rainforest. The flames of tens of thousands of fires have ripped across millions of acres this summer, making this year the worst for Amazon fires in nearly a decade, according to the foundation. A staggering 7.4 million acres burned within the first half of this year, a 122 percent increase over last year, the nonprofit said. A man rides a boat in front of the Solimoes River sandbanks, one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon River on Tuesday. Some parts are dried up completely. ( REUTERS/Jorge Silva ) There have been more than 180,000 fires this year in Brazil, according to the countrys satellite agency. Data from the National Institute for Space Research shows that over 38,000 fire hotspots were recorded in the region in August alone. Thats the highest number in the past 14 years. And, more than 8.6 million acres were torched in the Brazilian Amazon by August 30, according to records from the Environmental Satellite Applications Laboratory. Halvorson said that she was in neighboring Peru last week and the city of Pucallpa was covered in smoke, which has been caught in currents in the air. The sky was just hazy all the time. The sun was red, she recalled, noting that it was like New York and California in recent U.S. wildfire seasons. And, its probably getting worse. A firefighter works to put out fires earlier this month in Brazils Brasilia National Forest. The nonprofit Rainforest Foundation US says as many as 7.4 million acres burned within the first half of the year ( (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) ) Peruvians, Halvorson said, were freaking out, but none were wearing masks to protect themselves from particulate matter. While cities have largely been spared the brunt of the impact, air quality has deteriorated in recent weeks. Conditions in Sao Paulo had cleared up a bit on Monday. The citys Pinheiros River turned a shocking green thanks to an algae bloom that grew from the drought. The combination of evaporation from warmer air temperatures reducing water levels and increasing salt content can lead to the release of toxins in the water, creating a hospitable environment for marine algae. A person walks down a highway in Brazils Amazonas state, navigating through thick smoke from a nearby forest fire. Smoky condtions have threatened air quality in major citities ( (AP Photo/Edmar Barros, File) ) Brazils Supreme Court authorized lifting spending restrictions on the environmental disasters in the Amazon and Pantanal regions over the weekend, Reuters reported on Sunday. The massive blazes have forced rescue operations for animals native to the area, from baby marmosets to majestic jaguars, and the fires have ripped through Brazils national parks. The Amazon is home to around two-thirds of the worlds largest rainforest, which has served as a major carbon sink for the planet absorbing carbon from Earths atmosphere. But, that role is under threat thanks to a confluence of factors, including the fires. The wildfires have been caused by climate changes and human intervention. Fires often spark on cattle ranches as workers clear forests into pastures or farmlands. Trees are often chopped down to clear out areas, and fires are set to burn up excess vegetation. But, dry and hot weather has led to riskier burns, with fires scorching faster and more intensely. Deforestation has also reduced rainfall in the rainforest, hampering the trees ability to release the moisture they soak up. The remains of a fish are seen in a dry part of the Solimoes River this weekend. On Sunday, Brazils Supreme Court authorized lifting spending restrictions on the environmental disasters in the Amazon and Pantanal regions, according to Reuters ( REUTERS/Bruno Kelly ) Its kind of a bad feedback loop where increased deforestation leads to drier conditions both locally as well as more generally. And then, that, in turn, allows for fires to take place, Halvorson explained. Helga Correa, a conservation specialist at the World Wildlife Foundation in Brazil, said in an initial assessment of the August data last week that the fires were driven by a combination of weather, climate change and human actions, according to Reuters. The group wrote in a social media post last weekend that the fire was largely not occurring in recently deforested areas, but those containing Brazils biodiversity. This reading reinforces suspicions that forest fires are a degradation tool, the organization said. The foundation previously warned that an already bad situation could get worse. The impact on the environment is already unprecedented, but the consequences of wildfires dont stop there. Our health, the productivity of the country and the whole climate also suffer. Deforestation is second to the burning of fossil fuels as the leading sources of the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Although deforestation has reduced in Brazil in recent years, the group said that in the last half-century the Amazon has lost around a fifth of its forest cover. Scientists have said that between 10-47 percent of Amazonian forests are at risk of collapsing by 2050 under climate and deforestation stress. But reversing land clearance could ultimately reduce emissions. I think its clear that the increase in intensity of the fires and dry season is due to the climate crisis, said Halvorson. With reporting from The Associated Press The Independent will be revealing its Climate100 List next week and hosting an event in New York, which can be attended online. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Houston is no stranger to heat. The eastern Texas city has seen sweltering conditions this summer, baking under triple-digit temperatures that felt even hotter thanks to humidity. In the wake of Hurricane Francine, which brought heavy rain, highs are back in the mid-90s through next week. But, severe weather has also caused widespread power outages, with nearly 10,000 customers without power on Friday afternoon. While Texas did not bear the brunt of Hurricane Francine, Category 5 Hurricane Beryl bore down on the state in early July resulting in power losses for millions that could even be seen from Earths satellites. Restoration took days, leaving much of the region both in the dark and without air conditioning. The combination of mid-summer heat and the loss of any kind of relief proved deadly. The storm led to the deaths of 38 people, eight of whom died from heat-related causes, The Houston Chronicle reported. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences had previously released information showing that electricity loss was tied to multiple deaths, many of whom were over the age of 50. open image in gallery A satellite image shows Hurricane Beryl over Texas. The storm made landfall on July 8, 2024, near Matagorda, Texas. It moved north toward Houston, dumping up to eight inches of rain over the metro area. Local authorities reported downed trees, flooding, and power outages. ( NASA Earth Observatory ) Now, a new analysis from The Washington Post shows a prolonged, citywide blackout with an even more acute heat wave could kill between 600 and 1,500 people in the citys metropolitan area over just five days. Without power issues, the same wave would lead to only around 50 deaths. Cities and states are woefully unprepared for a sustained heat wave in conjunction with widespread power losses a toxic combo will likely come to pass, experts told the newspaper. I dont think its likely I think its an absolute certainty, Brian Stone, director of the Urban Climate Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology told the Post. I think its an absolute certainty that we will have an extreme heat wave and an extended blackout in the United States. To estimate how many people in Houston could potentially die under such conditions, the Post used a statistical model that had followed a 2023 study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. Researchers across the U.S. and Canada looked at how heat waves can amplify the risk of death. We find the concurrence of a multiday blackout event with heat wave conditions to more than double the estimated rate of heat-related mortality across [the cities of Atlanta, Michigan, and Phoenix], the authors wrote. Furthermore they require medical attention for between 3 percent and more than 50 percent of the total urban population in present and future time periods. open image in gallery Hurricane Beryl knocked down power lines in Houstons Acres Homes neighborhood in July. The storm hit during scorching summer heat, leading to power outages for millions of residents ( (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP) ) They said their results spotlighted the need to make Texass grid, which has taken hits before, more resillient, and argue in favor of using tree canopy and roofing materials that reflect light to lessen heat exposures during compound climate and infrastructure failure events. The Posts analysis also included detailed models of how indoor heat exposure would rise in a blackout developed by Dr. Amir Baniassadi, an instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Key assumptions of the model were verified with three independent researchers in environmental health. The rise in health risks was the highest for those who are used to spending their days in environments with air conditioning, and they assume a 48-hour-long blackout for the entire metro area and a loss of power for up to five days for homes that are the most affected. The Posts estimates only include deaths directly tied to increased heat exposure. After Beryl hit on July 8, it took more than 10 days for Houston-based utility CenterPoint Energy to restore power to more than 98 percent of customers who were impacted. That timeframe, the company said, was ahead of prior expectations. CenterPoint has since pledged to act with a greater sense of urgency and made a company-wide commitment to improve. Attorney General Ken Paxton turned up the heat on CenterPoint, launching a criminal investigation into the company in August. CenterPoint said damage from the storm hampered its response, as strong winds from Beryl knocked down power poles and sent trees into wires. Thats often expected in a storm. open image in gallery Hurricane Beryl, seen in this satellite image, swirls over the Atlantic Ocean on July 2, 2024. The storm rapidly intensified, becoming a Category 5 hurricane. Warm ocean temperatures helped to fuel the storm. Thanks to climate change,, storms are expected to strengthen in intensity ( NASA Earth Observatory ) It also wasnt the citys hottest summer on record: last summer was. But, the Post said Houstons more than 2 million residents are nearly three times as likely to experience outages than average Americans, citing senor company Whisker Labs. Its also positioned smack dab on the Gulf Coast, with climate change expected to bring more intense storms. Beryl was the earliest Category 5 storm in the Atlantic on record and only the second to occur in July since Hurricane Emily brought impacts to the mid-Texas coast in 2005. While it wasnt Houstons hottest summer on record, it was the hottest July on record on Earth. Heat waves are more intense and longer than they used to be with urban environments disproportionately affected. A recent analysis from nonprofit Climate Central showed areas around Houston experience between -1 to 1 degree of additional heat each summer, but temperatures in some cities around the country increased by 10 degrees. Heat is the deadliest weather phenomenon in the country, killing over 2,300 people last year. Texas saw record heat deaths last year, but The Texas Tribune said a tally of 334 related deaths was likely an undercount. With reporting from The Associated Press The Independent will be revealing its Climate100 List in September and hosting an event in New York, which can be attended online. Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for insider tips and product reviews from our shopping experts Sign up for our free IndyBest email Sign up for our free IndyBest email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Whether youve already pre-ordered the new iPhone 16 or youre sticking with your current model, many owners are in line for an exciting free software update. Apples iOS 18 launches later tonight in the UK, and it will give your device a new lease of life, but older iPhones wont get the upgrade. So wheres the cutoff? Is your iPhone compatible with the new iOS 18 operating system? Apple unveiled iOS 18 fully at its iPhone 16 reveal event on 9 September. The new operating system adds a raft of new features, most notably Apple Intelligence, the tech brands take on generative AI. On iPhone that means Siri gets smarter. The virtual assistant can understand you better and give more personalised, useful and human-like responses by pulling in your vital information from across apps. Siri can also hand your question over to ChatGPT for any queries it cant handle on the device. Not launching until October in the US, Apple Intelligence enables new features, such as Image Playground, which lets you create pictures from text prompts, and Genmoji, which lets you create entirely new custom emojis simply by describing what you want or plugging in photos of your friends. Every phone with an A12 Bionic chip or later will get iOS 18, but only the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and the full iPhone 16 range will be able to access the new AI features. Current regulations around the use of AI imagery also mean that the UK and Europe will have to wait until December to get the full Apple Intelligence experience. But theres more to iOS 18 than fancy new generative AI tricks. The update also makes the home screen more customisable, adds RCS messaging support, new messaging and scheduling features and includes a dedicated password manager app, plus lots more. So, which devices will be able to upgrade to iOS 18 later today, and which devices will get Apple Intelligence? What time will Apple iOS 18 be released? The new iOS 18 update will start rolling out on Monday 16 September, four days before the release of the iPhone 16. If Apple follows the pattern of its previous iOS releases, you should be able to download the update from 6pm BST tonight. Make sure your iPhone is either fully charged or plugged in and ready to go and that you have enough storage space to download the update. Apple iOS 18-supported devices To get the iOS 18 update, you need to have an iPhone with an A12 Bionic chip or later. Thats because the A12 has what Apple calls a neural engine. Any iPhone without this chip or better would be too slow to run the new operating system efficiently. The iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR are the oldest iPhones that support iOS 18. Heres the list of compatible iPhones in full: iPhone SE, 2nd gen: From 379, Amazon.co.uk From 379, Amazon.co.uk iPhone XS, XS Max and XR: From 159.92 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk From 159.92 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk iPhone 11 series: From 197.47 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk From 197.47 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk iPhone 12 series: From 264.70 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk From 264.70 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk iPhone 13 series: Was 599, now 499, Amazon.co.uk Was 599, now 499, Amazon.co.uk iPhone 14 series: Was 699, now 599, Amazon.co.uk Was 699, now 599, Amazon.co.uk iPhone 15 series: Was 799, now 681, Amazon.co.uk Was 799, now 681, Amazon.co.uk iPhone 16 series: From 799, Apple.com Apple Intelligence-supported devices Heres where things get more complicated. While the iPhones weve just mentioned can all run iOS 18, only the very latest iPhones can access the new Apple Intelligence features found on iOS 18. This is because Apple Intelligence runs mostly on-device, and your iPhone will need a lot of specialised processing power to use it. That means youll need a Mac or iPad with an M1 chip or later. The pool of iPhones that support Apple Intelligence is even smaller. Youll need an iPhone with an A17 Pro chip or better. Besides the newly announced iPhone 16 range, which uses the new A18 chip, the only iPhones with Apple Intelligence are the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The base iPhone 15 wont get Apple Intelligence, because it uses the older A16 chipset. Heres the full list of iPhone and Apple devices compatible with Apple Intelligence: iPhones iPhone 16 series: From 799, Apple.com From 799, Apple.com iPhone 15 Pro: Was 999, now 899, Amazon.co.uk Was 999, now 899, Amazon.co.uk iPhone 15 Pro Max: Was 1,399, now 1,299, Amazon.co.uk iPads iPad Pro (M1 and later): From 561.80 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk From 561.80 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk iPad Air (M1 and later): From 419.97 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk Macs iMac (M1 and later): From 749 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk From 749 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk Mac mini (M1 and later): From 420 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk From 420 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk Mac Studio (M1 and later): From 2,099, Apple.com From 2,099, Apple.com Mac Pro M2 Ultra: From 7,199, Apple.com Best iPhone 16 deals open image in gallery iphone 16 and iphone 16 plus ( Apple ) Pre-orders for the new iPhone 16 range launched on Friday 13 September. You can buy the new phone directly from Apple with zero per cent finance, spreading the cost over 24 months with no interest to pay. The base iPhone 16 costs 799, or 33.29 per month, while the top-end iPhone 16 Pro Max costs 1,199, or 49.95 per month. Pair your new iPhone with a SIM-only deal from one of these carriers to get the best value deal on the new iPhone 16. Smarty From 12 per month for 120GB of data giffgaff From 10 per month for 20GB of data id Mobile From 10 per month for 60GB of data Voxi From 10 per month for 45GB of data Lebara From 5 per month for 5GB of data If youre mid-contract or an existing customer looking to upgrade, its always worth checking out your current providers deals on the new iPhone 16. The four big networks, Vodafone, EE, O2 and Three launched their iPhone 16 pre-order deals on Friday 13 September. The major carriers offer all kinds of bundle deals, like free Disney+ subscriptions, trade-in offers and brand freebies so they can work out cheaper than a SIM-only plan if you know youll make use of the extras. Voucher codes For the latest discounts on phones and other tech offers, try the links below: Looking for a new smartphone? Weve rounded up the best phones from Apple, Samsung and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Presenters and winners at the 2024 Emmy Awards will be gifted some enviable goodies this year. Experiential marketing agency RMNG combined forces with the Television Academy of Recording Arts to craft a goodie bag that pays homage to some of this years most nominated and critically lauded shows, such as Baby Reindeer,The Bear and Shogun. This years sponsors curated by RMNG represent some of the biggest brands and top-of-the-line donated products for presenters and winners to enjoy. In a cozy backstage lounge decorated with plush velvet lounge chairs from Cort Furnitures Royal Velvet Collection, presenters and winners can pose with an eight-foot Emmy statue surrounded by custom floral installations by Bia Blooms. With RMNGs penchant for the experiential, the Gifting Suite will boast some interactive features, including an on-site embroidery station to customize gifts. Among the gifted items include chef aprons from Impossible Foods collaboration with Hedley & Bennet, and bags from Dooney & Burke. In fact, Dooney & Burke will reportedly be providing 80 signature weekender bags in yellow, red, and natural colorways. Plus, there will also be Television Academy-themed pop-a-shot for those who want to shoot some hoops. Meanwhile, an interactive screen experience from E Ink will be providing e-readers, like Kindles and eNotes, with a total value of over $12,000. open image in gallery Presenters and winners can shoot hoops in the 2024 Emmys Gifting Suite ( Olivia Hebert ) From fashion, skincare, and haircare, to wellness, travel, culinary experiences, technology, and home decor, RMNG curated products and offerings that match the suites fun new vibe. Foodies can delight in Boulevard Hospitality Group (BHG), providing Dining Experience Vouchers to Yamashiro Hollywood with a total value of over $10,000. GoPuff will give out 80 gift cards for $75 in GoPuff Delivery, while Crumbl will supply the suite with plenty of cookie mini packs and special limited edition desserts. For the wellness-obsessed, Vacation Sunscreen will supply 80 sets of their new Whip Mouse Deluxe Sunscreen. Terraia will provide 80 sets of their Premium Body Wellness Blend vitamins, and Beekeepers Naturals will gift 80 sets of their Propolis + Vitamin C liposomal and propolis lozenges. There will also be cutting-edge beauty products, with Giovanni Cosmetics providing 160 black silk bags packed with full-size products valued at $200 each. open image in gallery The 2024 Emmys Gifting Suite has a custom embroidery station ( Olivia Hebert ) Pop culture enthusiasts can also have a ball with Disney Consumer Products provided in the gift suite, such as The Simpsons toys and collectibles by JAKKS Pacific and American Girl Disney Princess Rapunzel Dolls. For dog owners, high-end doggy treats from Jinxs brand partnership with actor Chris Evans will be on display, as well as 70 Nalgene water bottles and 70 custom dog toys provided by Portillos. Each item is provided by brands that donated to the Emmy Foundations education programs. The three-hour ceremony is taking place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, beginning at 8pm ET (midnight GMT). A live broadcast will stream on ABC, while the show will be available to watch the next day on Hulu. The ceremony will be hosted by Eugene and Dan Levy. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The 2024 Emmy Awards red carpet was full of classic black gowns and futuristic ensembles for televisions biggest night. The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards took place on Sunday, September 15, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California. The award ceremony was hosted for the first time by father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy. This year, FXs historical drama Shogun and dark comedy The Bear received several nods, as did Richard Gadds controversial Netflix hit, Baby Reindeer. However, it was the fashion that also turned heads. In fact, a few style trends emerged from this years Emmys proving that black is always in vogue. Selena Gomez, who was nominated for her acting role in Only Murders in the Building, arrived at the 2024 Emmys wearing a custom black silk-and-velvet Ralph Lauren Collection gown. The dress featured a hand-embellished halter neckline made with 600 diamond-cut crystals, as she paired the look with matching diamond drop earrings, bracelets, and rings. Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph, who was once again nominated for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, also donned a black number at this years award show. The actor wore a custom Versace gown, which included a halter neckline. As for Reese Witherspoon, the Morning Show star looked elegant in a black strapless tulle Dior gown with a ballgown-style skirt embroidered with ivory flowers. While black seemed to be a major fashion trend on the Emmys red carpet, silver and metallics were the runners-up. Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan appeared futuristic in a disco ball-style gown designed by Prabal Gurung. The shimmery number featured an off-the-shoulder neckline and hourglass silhouette, which formed a bell shape at the waist. Saturday Night Live alum Kristen Wiig also channeled the metallic trend in an Oscar de la Renta strapless dress, made from a gold metallic basketweave fabric, while Fallout star Ella Purnell donned a silver chainmail Paco Rabanne gown. Sofia Vergara open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) The Griselda star stunned in a bright red Dolce and Gabbana gown at the 2024 Emmys. Vergaras strapless dress, which was gathered at the bodice, also included a deep cut neckline. Brie Larson open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) Brie Larson, who is nominated in the Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie category for Lessons in Chemistry, channeled her characters 1950s fashion in a custom Chanel dress. The Oscar winners black midi ensemble featured a tiered tulle skirt, with a bedazzled bodice and a black bow wrapped at the waist. Sheryl Lee Ralph open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) Sheryl Lee Ralph looked elegant on the Emmys red carpet in a black, custom Versace gown. The Abbott Elementary stars sleek dress included a halter neckline, while she accessorized the look with Cartier jewelry. Meryl Streep open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) The Oscar-winning actor channeled Barbiecore in an all-pink suit at the 2024 Emmys. Streeps red carpet ensemble featured an oversized suit jacket and matching trousers, along with a blouse tied with a bow. Tyler James Williams open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) Abbott Elementary star Tyler James Williams took menswear to the next level when he walked the red carpet in a sleeveless suit. His black, collared shirt was buttoned to the top and fastened with a gold brooch, while he completed the look with silver bracelets and rings. Nicola Coughlan open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) The Bridgerton star arrived at the 2024 Emmys in a silver, structured number. Coughlans off-the-shoulder gown included a peplum waist for a futuristic look. Reese Witherspoon open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) Reese Witherspoon stunned in a black, strapless floor-length dress, which featured off-white floral embroidery and a tulle-lined skirt. Jennifer Aniston open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) The iconic actor walked the 2024 Emmys red carpet wearing a dazzling strapless gown. Anistons bedazzled look was completed with matching silver jewelry. Hannah Einbinder open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) Hannah Einbinder who is nominated in the Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series category for her role in Hacks was dressed in a rose-colored gown on the red carpet. The structured look was designed with a draped bodice adornment, and included a long, draped skirt. Kristen Wiig open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) The Saturday Night Live alum joined in on the metallic trend when she wore a green, metallic dress to the Emmys red carpet. Wiigs outfit featured a strapless, triangle neckline with a ballgown skirt, which was also adorned with a triangle hem. Ayo Edebiri open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) Ayo Edebiri, who is once again nominated for her role in The Bear, wore custom Bottega Veneta to the 2024 Emmys. The red, black, and yellow ensemble also included a high leg slit, as she completed the look with a pair of black strappy heels. Mindy Kaling open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) Mindy Kaling looked elegant as she posed for photos on the red carpet. The Office alum joined in the many celebrities wearing black to this years Emmys, wearing a glittering gown with a deep neckline adorned with feathers. Saoirse Ronan open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) While the Irish actor isnt nominated at this years Emmys, she looked elegant as she supported her husband, Jack Lowden who received his first Emmy nomination for Slow Horses. Ronan donned a cropped, navy blue ensemble, which featured a draped sleeve attached to the bodice. Greta Lee open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) Lee once again showed her love for Loewe in a sophisticated number fresh off the runway. The Oscar-nominated actor, who received a nod for her role in The Morning Show, arrived at the 2024 Emmys in a gauzy white lace dress, which featured fabric draped into a rolled collar around her neck. Lee paired the look with sapphire and diamond jewelry by Tiffany and Co, as well as strappy silver heels. Jonathan Bailey open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) Jonathan Bailey looked dapper in black suit jacket with matching black silk lapels, along with a black cummerbund. The Bridgerton star left his champagne-colored silk blouse unbuttoned, as he posed for photos with a pair of black and red shades. Alan Cumming open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) The Traitors host channeled his Scottish roots on the Emmys red carpet. Cumming arrived wearing a white suit jacket wrapped with a tartan-printed train, as well as a black kilt over a pair of black trousers. Selena Gomez open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) The Only Murders in the Building star turned heads when she arrived at the Emmys red carpet. Gomez wore a black velvet dress with a bedazzled criss-cross halter neckline, as well as a mermaid skirt and long train. She accessorized the look with matching silver jewelry, including dangly earrings, bracelets, and rings. Quinta Brunson open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) Quinta Brunson is nominated at the 2024 Emmys in the categories Actress in a Comedy Series and Writing for a Comedy Series for her critically acclaimed show, Abbott Elementary. For the occasion, she donned a dramatic black latex dress with black bows attached to the bodice and skirt. Gillian Anderson open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) Much like Ella Purnell, the Crown alum also turned out a metallic number in an A-line floor-length dress designed by Emilia Wickstead. Dakota Fanning open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) Dakota Fanning graced the Emmys red carpet in a chic, nude-colored gown adorned with pearls. The actors strapless dress, from Armani Prives Fall/Winter 2024 couture collection, also included ruched detailing at the bust. Dan Levy open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) The Schitts Creek star whos also co-hosting this years Emmy Awards with his father, Eugene Levy walked the red carpet in a daring menswear look. Levys ensemble featured a white silk blouse with a dramatic collar, underneath a black suit jacket with matching trousers. Ella Purnell open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) Ella Purnell arrived at the 2024 Emmys in a glamorous, metallic dress with a plunging neckline from Rabanne. The Fallout star accessorized the look with matching dangly earrings, silver bracelets and rings, and metallic strappy heels. Padma Lakshmi open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) The former Top Chef host looked elegant on the Emmys red carpet in a glittering, off-white strapless gown, which she paired with a matching white clutch. Molly Gordon open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) Molly Gordon, known for her roles in The Bear and Booksmart, stunned on the red carpet in a black floor-length gown with a high leg slit and wrapped bodice. Andrew Scott open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) The Irish actor, whos nominated in the Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie category for his role in Ripley, posed for photos on the Emmys red carpet. For the occasion, Scott donned a black, ruffled shirt with a deep V-neckline underneath a brown double-breasted suit jacket with black, oversized lapels. Ilona Maher open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) The Team USA rugby star and TikTok celebrity walked her first ever Emmys red carpet in a dark blue, velvet strapless gown. The floor-length dress featured a peplum waist, along with a mermaid skirt. Laverne Cox open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) The Orange Is the New Black alum arrived at the 2024 Emmys in a dramatic, archival Alexander McQueen gown. The black dress featured a deep V-neckline and an oversized, off-the-shoulder cape. She paired the ensemble with a gold, layered chain necklace and moody purple lipstick. Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A grandmother has said her vaginal mesh implant completely destroyed her life for 22 years and has accused UK health services of gaslighting women after finally having it removed. Patricia Conlon, from West Lothian, Scotland, started experiencing symptoms including chronic pain and vaginal bleeding after receiving a mesh implant to treat her incontinence in 2002. Over the past two decades, these symptoms became progressively worse to the point where Patricia was forced to start using a wheelchair and quit her job. The 63-year-old former lecturer at Stow College Trade Union Education Department, underwent surgery to have her implant removed on June 7 2024, and discovered the plastic mesh had damaged her vaginal wall and punctured her bladder, which she said now looks like a tea bag. Patricia said doctors repeatedly denied her health problems were caused by the implant, but that since it was removed, some of her symptoms have started to improve. open image in gallery Patricias symptoms persisted to the point where she struggled to walk and lift heavy objects She has now launched a petition on change.org demanding the Government launch a national public inquiry into the NHS mesh implant scandal. Its just destroyed my life completely, Ive lost 22 years of living and there are so many more women out there who need help, Patricia told PA Real Life. The health service has just gaslighted us and its been an absolute slog to get anything done about this. It is a scandal its dreadful because its on such a huge scale this is being used all over the world. Its an absolute disgrace. Patricia visited the Glasgow Victoria Infirmary, now the New Victoria Hospital, in 2002 after suffering from incontinence. I was told it was being caused by a prolapse, but that it was an easy fix, a 20-minute operation, she said. They said this gold standard mesh is an absolute revolution and that I wouldnt be bothered anymore. She had the operation, which involved placing a narrow tape of mesh in the pelvic floor area to support the vaginal wall and other pelvic organs. But after a year Patricia started developing symptoms, including chronic pain, vaginal bleeding and fatigue, which got progressively worse. When she returned to the infirmary, Patricia said doctors reassured her the symptoms were not caused by the implant. I kept going back and saying, could this be the mesh? said Patricia. They examined me and said no, dont worry about it, its all in place, its doing its job.' Despite being prescribed strong painkillers, Patricias symptoms persisted to the point where she struggled to walk and lift heavy objects. In 2014, she made the difficult decision to take voluntary redundancy from her job as a college lecturer after finding it difficult to even carry her laptop. open image in gallery Patricia visited the Spire Bristol Hospital to have the mesh surgically removed I just couldnt do my job anymore, she said. I would have loved to still be at work, but I just wasnt able to do it because of my symptoms. At this point, Patricia was not aware that other women who had received a mesh implant were experiencing similar health issues. Then in 2017, her daughter Rosie spotted a support group on Facebook called Scottish Mesh Survivors and Patricia realised she was not alone. But again she said doctors were adamant the mesh was not to blame and her health continued to deteriorate over the next few years until even walking became too painful. When I was at my worst, I ended up using a wheelchair because I couldnt walk more than a few steps without being in terrible pain, she said. Sometimes I would be bedridden and I was literally housebound for months. Ive had to rely on other people to look after me and I havent been able to play with my grandchildren, so I feel like Ive missed out on all that as well. I basically havent had any quality of life for the past 22 years really. Patricia visited Stobhill Hospital, also in Glasgow, in 2018 and was referred to the National Complex Mesh Surgical Service at the New Victoria Hospital. And that was only because I was bleeding and there were bits of mesh coming through, she said. A lot of women are really low and they dont have the strength to fight it. Patricia said getting an appointment at the complex took years due to cancellations and it was only in 2023 that she was referred to have her mesh taken out. On June 7, 2024, Patricia visited the Spire Bristol Hospital to have it surgically removed. Operation notes, seen by PA Real Life, revealed surgeons removed 15 inches of mesh which had eroded her vaginal wall and damaged her bladder. open image in gallery Patricia said doctors repeatedly denied her health problems were caused by the implant When I came out of theatre, I was put in intensive care and had to have a blood transfusion, said Patricia. When I spoke to the surgeon afterwards he said my bladder had so many holes in it, and that he had tried to stitch them up. So basically my bladder has been left like a tea bag and I now have worse incontinence than before I went to get it done. Since the operation, Patricia said some of her symptoms have improved but that it will take a while for the pain to stop. It is estimated that over 20 years, more than 100,000 women across the UK, including more than 20,000 in Scotland, had transvaginal mesh implants, according to figures reported in Scottish Parliament. open image in gallery Patricia with her beloved dog poppy The use of mesh in Scotland was suspended in all but exceptional circumstances in 2014 after it emerged some women had suffered painful side-effects, and halted in NHS Scotland in 2018. In 2020, the Scottish Government set up a 1 million fund offering women who have suffered complications following vaginal mesh surgery a one-off payment of 1,000, which Patricia received. I dont know how you divide that up over 22 years, Patricia added. In 2022, the government passed the Transvaginal Mesh Removal Bill establishing a scheme to reimburse women who paid to have their mesh removed privately. Patricia, who had hers removed on the NHS, said: We dont allow people to throw plastic into the sea because it poisons fish, so why are we allowed to put it in womens bodies? Your body thinks its a foreign object so starts fighting against it and it gives you all sorts of autoimmune problems. Im in less pain but it will likely never completely go away because the damage is done. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: We are sorry to hear of Ms Conlons experience, however we cannot comment on the detail of individual cases. Where someone is unhappy with aspects of care they have received or are left with concerns, we encourage them to provide feedback directly to the health board concerned. Through feedback, health boards can identify issues and take steps to make improvements in the future. We have taken action to improve health services for women experiencing mesh complications. This includes establishing a specialist service, putting in place funded, independent, provider options to allow women a choice of who performs their surgery, and reimbursing women who had previously paid for mesh removal surgery. A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) said: The Complex Mesh Service is a national programme hosted by NHSGGC, and provides treatment pathways and support to women from across the country. The NHSGGC service is part of the UK network of 10 specialist mesh centres and is recognised for its clinical expertise in this field. NHSGGC continues to work with partner organisations to provide clinical care to those women affected (by) this issue. Locals and Aussie travellers argue that accessing the beach should always be free, but council is standing by its decision. Residents have erupted over a fee to access popular Aussie 4WD beaches in South Australia including Sellicks Beach. Source: Facebook/The Advertiser Residents near a string of popular Australian beaches have erupted at their local council over a $12 charge to gain access via 4WD. Families intent on enjoying their summer by the water will be forced to cough up the fee for a day pass to Aldinga, Moana, Sellicks and Silver Sands beaches, around an hour's drive south of Adelaide, South Australia. City of Onkaparinga council told Yahoo News Australia it projects $375,000 will be collected over the upcoming summer as the fee rises from $8. The fee will be collected by a not-for-profit volunteer group who will receive a third of the total amount, and the rest will go towards maintaining the environment and keeping the area safe. Last summer the volunteer group claimed 50 per cent of the amount collected, the Advertiser reported. While residents who live in the local area are exempt from paying the fee, many argue that "no one owns" beaches, and they should be free to access. Volunteer groups will collect the $12 fee from motorists hoping to access the beach. Source: Facebook Council uses fee to 'maintain foreshore' Despite the backlash to the fee increase, which was last raised in 2019, council have defended their right to take a fee from beachgoers. The current fee reflects increasing costs to maintain our foreshore environment and manage safe use where vehicles are permitted, City of Onkaparinga Council told Yahoo News. Council said vehicle access has been regulated on parts of its foreshore since 1975, including imposing conditions such as setting vehicle speed limits on entrance ramps and on the foreshore. It also regulates access hours and exclusion areas over or along any sand dunes. Drivers with a current Onkaparinga council vehicle beach access permit are exempt from paying the fee but those who travel on the beach without a pass will cop a $187 penalty. Aussies erupt over $12 beach fee On a social media post by council inviting volunteers to apply to the scheme, Aussies erupted about the charge. "Beaches are free no one owns them," exclaimed one respondent. "They have no right to charge people to drive on the beach!! Regardless if its for charity." "Good idea, I'll pay to drive on the beach I pay rates for," added a second. Others pointed to the lack of sustainability of having cars on beaches, "No cars on the beach best sustainable and enjoyable way," said another. Others thought the fee was a "great idea". Government crackdown on 4WD beaches It comes a year after the South Australian government set new speed limits on beaches to protect both beachgoers and the delicate ecosystem from reckless drivers. Some SA beaches, like Goolwa Beach, face 'chaotic' scenes as the weather warms and Aussies take summer holidays. While 4WD vehicles are still allowed on the beach, the default speed limit on South Australian beaches is 40km/h and 25km/h when travelling within 50 metres of a person. Previously a 100km/h speed limit applied on beaches. "Theres nothing quite like descending onto the pristine expanse of South Australias coastline, but keeping yourself and others on the beach safe should always be the number one priority," South Australian emergency services minister Joe Szakacs said at the time. "Speed was a contributing factor to about 50 per cent of all crashes on beaches between 2017 and 2021, so earlier this year the Malinauskas Labor Government committed to review speed limits on beaches as part of the Road Safety Action Plan." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} U.S. Coast Guard officials investigating the implosion of an experimental watercraft en route to the wreck of the Titanic were scheduled Monday to hear from former employees of the company that owned the Titan submersible. The aim of the two-week hearing in Charleston County, South Carolina, is to uncover the facts surrounding the incident and develop recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future, the Coast Guard said in a statement earlier this month. The ongoing Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of marine casualty investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. The Titan imploded in the North Atlantic in June 2023, killing all five people on board and setting off a worldwide debate about the future of private undersea exploration. Among those killed was Stockton Rush, co-founder of OceanGate, the Washington state company that owned the Titan. The company suspended operations after the implosion. Witnesses scheduled to testify on Monday include OceanGate's former engineering director, Tony Nissen; the company's former finance director, Bonnie Carl; and former contractor Tym Catterson. Some key OceanGate representatives are not scheduled to testify. They include Rush's widow, Wendy Rush, who was the company's communications director. The Coast Guard does not comment on the reasons for not calling specific individuals to a particular hearing during ongoing investigations, said Melissa Leake, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard. She added that it's common for a Marine Board of Investigation to hold multiple hearing sessions or conduct additional witness depositions for complex cases. Scheduled to appear later in the hearing are OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein; former operations director, David Lochridge; and former scientific director, Steven Ross, according to a list compiled by the Coast Guard. Numerous guard officials, scientists, and government and industry officials are also expected to testify. The U.S. Coast Guard subpoenaed witnesses who were not government employees, Leake said. OceanGate has no full-time employees at this time but will be represented by an attorney during the hearing, the company said in a statement. The company has been fully cooperating with the Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board investigations since they began, the statement said. There are no words to ease the loss endured by the families impacted by this devastating incident, but we hope that this hearing will help shed light on the cause of the tragedy," the statement added. The Titan became the subject of scrutiny in the undersea exploration community in part because of its unconventional design and its creators decision to forgo standard independent checks. The implosion killed Rush and veteran Titanic explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet; two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood; and British adventurer Hamish Harding. The Titan made its final dive on June 18, 2023, losing contact with its support vessel about two hours later. When it was reported overdue, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. Johns, Newfoundland. The search for the submersible attracted worldwide attention, as it became increasingly unlikely that anyone could have survived the implosion. Wreckage of the Titan was subsequently found on the ocean floor about 300 meters (330 yards) off the bow of the Titanic, Coast Guard officials said. The time frame for the investigation was initially a year, but the inquiry has taken longer. The Coast Guard said in July that the hearing would delve into all aspects of the loss of the Titan, including both mechanical considerations as well as compliance with regulations and crewmember qualifications. The Titan had been making voyages to the Titanic wreckage site going back to 2021. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Watch as Huw Edwards left court after being given a suspended sentence after accessing indecent images of children as young as seven. The veteran BBC broadcaster, 62, previously admitted three charges of making indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp. Seven of the indecent images shared with Edwards by Williams, 25, were of category A, the most serious type. Of those images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Also among the 377 sexual images discovered by police sent to Edwards by Williams between December 2020 and August 2021 were 12 category B images, and 22 category C images. Edwards, of Wandsworth, southwest London, was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday, following his guilty pleas in July. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Esthers* relationship started with flowers, poems, and letters. Her new partner could not afford to lavish her with expensive gifts but would keep telling her she was a beautiful person and send her romantic lines he had found on the internet. Very quickly, he made huge promises, telling her he loved her and encouraging her to give up her entire life and move to join him in London. In hindsight, she now recognises his behaviour as love bombing showering someone with grand gestures to win their trust and affection but at the time, Esther was lured in due to previous failed relationships having left her vulnerable. But her happiness soon turned to terror as her then-partner launched an eight-year campaign of violence, abuse and manipulation, leaving her too afraid to call the police. On one occasion, he stabbed her with a screwdriver on another, he smashed her head with a bottle. It was great to start with, she says. It was amazing. Because of my upbringing, I think I just wanted to have the family dynamic because I was lacking love from some family members growing up. Esther spoke to The Independent about her experiences of domestic abuse showing why safe spaces for women are so needed ( Eliza Ketcher ) Esther tells her story to The Independent to coincide with the launch of the Brick by Brick campaign with the charity Refuge, which aims to raise 300,000 to build a safe house for domestic abuse survivors to find their freedom. Be a brick, buy a brick and donate here or text BRICK to 70560 to donate 15 Esther says she had always wanted to have someone who loved her and was fully committed as soon as he said those three words. It was great to start with It progressed quite quickly, she adds. I moved. I upped and left my whole life and moved to London with him and it was great. But as soon as she did that, everything changed. During her first night at his flat, she woke up to find him dancing strangely in the corner of the room. When she asked him what was wrong, he punched her in the face. Esther says she was left with a big black eye; her ex apologised and promised he would not do it again, so she forgave him. But he was a very heavy drinker, and his paranoia spiralled increasingly out of control. The relationship then progressed from the heady throes of new love to her partner attacking her twice a week. Esther experienced the full gamut of physical, sexual, psychological and financial abuse over that time. Someone would come up and ask me randomly at a bus stop for the time and that would be me flirting, she recalls. So I knew that if anyone talked to me, I would pay for it later. Ive got so many bruises and cuts and stitches and things that tell a story that to other people would seem so crazy about why he did it She recounts an incident when strangers on the street took it upon themselves to carry out a citizens arrest on her now ex and forcibly took him to their local police station, while she ran along beside them asking them to leave him alone as blood dripped from her nose. I've got so many bruises and cuts and stitches and things that tell a story that to other people would seem so crazy about why he did it," she adds. So I was always walking on eggshells. I wouldn't say that the violence got worse. Just sometimes it was worse than others. I mean, there's so many, so many situations that I could talk about. I collapsed in the street Esther recalls the time he stabbed her with a screwdriver after his friend had tried to add her on Facebook, as well as the time he split her head open after hitting her with a bottle in public and a local shop owner called the police. I collapsed in the street then, she adds. Then an ambulance took me to hospital but I just discharged myself. During their relationship, she says she never once rang the police but they were often called by neighbours, relatives and passers-by. Esther says the combination of fear of her ex, and fear of being alone, kept her trapped in the relationship ( Eliza Ketcher ) In another incident, she says the police did not take action when there was blood splattered up the walls, despite the fact her then partner had a previous conviction for violence and was under a mental health protection order. Holding down a job in the relationship was tricky as he would grow jealous about her being around male colleagues. One time, she was unfairly sacked from her front-of-house job because she kept coming in with visible injuries. She says the combination of fear of him, and fear of being alone, kept her trapped in the relationship. These issues were compounded by his abuse obliterating her self-esteem and unleashing dark periods of depression. Towards the end of the relationship, she left for longer than usual after an argument and he attacked her when she returned. He beat me up so badly that he didn't want me going out in public because I looked like such a mess, she recalls. He took me hostage in my own home He got his friend to imprison her in the flat while he went out to work and then he would come home, feed her drugs, beat her and rape her, she explains. She was not allowed to use the toilet to look at herself and stayed in the same clothes for the week. By the end of the ordeal, she could no longer talk. Help build a safe house for survivors of domestic abuse with The Independent and Refuges Brick By Brick campaign He eventually allowed her to leave the flat, and they ventured outside together a decision she attributes to his fear that someone might wonder where she was and the police would turn up. I looked absolutely terrible, Esther says. I didn't know what I looked like but people would stop and sort of stare. When her ex went into the shop, she took the opportunity to run to the station and managed to jump on the train all the way to her mothers house. When she opened the door, she fainted because I just didn't look like me, Esther says. My ear was hanging off. My nose was split. My eyes were split up. My lips were split. I had bruises all over me. Someone would come up and ask me randomly at a bus stop for the time, and that would be me flirting. So I knew that if anyone talked to me, I would pay for it later Her mother has since told her she looked like a war victim. She was in hospital for 10 days and her now ex was arrested, but fear and depression stopped her from pursuing charges against him, she says. Although she did go back to him, Esther now sees being held hostage as marking the beginning of the end, as it was the start of her contemplating leaving him at last. The final straw was when he stamped on her throat and her back. Esther says it was the lightbulb moment which shook her up more than previous incidents, leaving her to realise he would either kill her or she would kill herself if she were to stay. Esther says being able to escape her abuser and live in a refuge was almost like I could breathe again ( Eliza Ketcher ) When he had run off and the ambulance was called, on a level, I decided that enough is enough, Esther says. I lost consciousness for a little while. I thought, Im going to press charges this time. She went to hospital the attack has left her with ongoing back problems and her abuser was finally arrested and later convicted. Is this all for me? Esther was taken to a refuge as it was deemed too dangerous for her to remain in the same area. I broke down crying and apparently I said, Is this all for me? she says. Because it was just so cosy. And it was such a relief. It was almost like I could breathe again. Domestic abuse refuges, which house many women at risk of murder if they remain at home with their abuser, are located in secret locations and have strict security measures to ensure their residents remain safe. The refuge was a world away from the draining, chaotic, scary existence of life with her abuser, and she says being looked after made her feel like a child again. Esther says her ex would grow jealous about her being around male colleagues ( Eliza Ketcher ) She is now juggling paid work supporting vulnerable women with voluntary work in the domestic abuse sector, including for the refuge where she stayed. Esther also does wild swimming, netball and theatre. When she talks about the domestic abuse she endured, she says she feels like she is talking about someone else. I do find myself catching myself thinking, Wow, look where I was and look where I am, she adds. Its still unbelievable to me. Emotionally, Im happier than I ever thought it was possible to be. Life has its problems but even if Im having a bad day, I think it can never be as bad as a day back then. Please donate now to the Brick by Brick campaign, launched by The Independent and charity Refuge, to help raise 300,000 to build a safe space for women where they can escape domestic abuse, rebuild their lives and make new futures. *Name has been changed to protect her identity For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} With a calm but authoritative voice that informed the nation of some of the biggest world events in recent memory, the BBCs Huw Edwards was one of the most trusted figures to appear on British television. Delivering stories from the 9/11 terrorist attacks to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, across a four-decade career at the corporation he personified a relatable family man. His reputation is in ruins after he was handed a prison sentence of six months, suspended for two years, following WhatsApp correspondence in which he received child abuse images of the most serious kind. A mugshot of Huw Edwards believed to have been taken last November was released today following his sentencing at Westminster Magistrates Court ( Metropolitan Police/PA Wire ) Face of the BBC From a traineeship at the broadcaster in 1984, Edwards rose through its ranks and became BBC Waless parliamentary correspondent in just two years. In 1994 he was made presenter of the most-watched news programme in Britain, BBC Six OClock News. His many accolades eventually saw him become a trusted presenter of historical events in the monarchy, culminating in last Mays coronation, as well as key political moments, including the Conservative governments landslide return to power in 2019. Edwards, 63, also appeared to use his platform for good and opened up about suffering from depression in 2021, telling Mens Health that the illness left him dreading things that you usually enjoy. You come into work, and obviously you do a professional job but youre kind of pushing your way through it, he said. Edwards mental health would be referenced in mitigation at his sentencing, with the judge saying that his condition at the time of the offences could have impaired his decision making. Edwards at the 2019 Baftas ( PA Archive ) Investigations and allegations On Monday, Edwards narrowly avoided a jail sentence after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children. Investigators turned their attention to Edwards when they found messages on the phone of Alex Williams, from Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales, who went on to be convicted of seven offences. But that followed a scandal last summer that forced the presenter to resign from the BBC on medical grounds. Last July, The Sun reported that an unidentified, but well-known male presenter at the BBC had paid a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for pornographic images a sum his parents claimed was used to fund an addiction to crack cocaine. Nationwide speculation followed, forcing other household names to protest their innocence and demand that the man name himself. Huw Edwards was given a six-month suspended sentence for making indecent images of children ( REUTERS ) Edwards was unmasked by his wife, Vicky Flind, who said in a statement that he had suffered from long-standing mental health issues and was receiving inpatient treatment after another serious episode. The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, she wrote last July. He has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving inpatient hospital care where hell stay for the foreseeable future. Huw Edwards announces the death of the Queen live on the BBC ( BBC ) Further allegations then emerged from BBC staff who said that the presenter had made them uncomfortable in message exchanges, and another young person claimed that they encountered the star on a dating app and were sent allegedly threatening messages. But the Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police reported at the time that they could find no wrongdoing by Edwards. The late Queen Elizabeth II met Huw Edwards during a visit to officially open the BBCs new 1 billion home in Portland Place, Central London. ( PA Archive ) BBC pay packet The BBC had announced the commencement of an internal investigation following The Suns reports but Edwards remained its highest-paid presenter on an annual salary of 479,999 until he resigned in April this year. Serious questions have since arisen for the BBC about its handling of the case after it emerged that the corporation was aware that its highest-paid presenter had been arrested on suspicion of serious offences in November 2023. Following the sentencing, the BBC said in a statement: We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him. Suspended sentence The public, who once trusted Edwards to deliver some of the UKs most important stories, took to social media to express their outrage at both the presenters crimes and the leniency of the sentence. Public figures spoke out, including prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, who said he was shocked and appalled by the case, adding that Edwards sentence was for the court to decide, having looked at all the available evidence. Edwards suspended sentence means he will be incarcerated for his crimes should he re-offend at any point within the next two years. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has been handed a suspended sentence after accessing indecent images of children as young as seven. The veteran broadcaster, 62, previously admitted three charges of making indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp. Edwards, of Wandsworth, southwest London, was sentenced to six months imprisonment suspended for two years at Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday, following his guilty pleas in July. Huw Edwards was handed a suspended sentence after accessing indecent images of children as young as seven ( Metropolitan Police/PA Wire ) Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told the former BBC News at Ten anchor that his long-earned reputation is in tatters after previously being perhaps the most recognised newsreader-journalist. The BBC condemned Edwards as having betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him adding that the corporation was appalled by his crimes. Here is everything we learnt at Edwards sentencing hearing: Edwards sent hundreds of pounds to convicted paedophile It emerged that Edwards sent hundreds of pounds to Williams after he sent him pornographic images, although his defence barrister Philip Evans KC said the former broadcaster did not make payments to the convicted paedophile in order to receive indecent images of children. Prosecutor Ian Hope said: Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of money low hundreds of pounds on an occasional basis to Alex Williams which Mr Williams directly asked for on several occasions, as gifts or presents, apparently off the back of sending pornographic images to Mr Edwards, about which images they chatted. Alex Williams has stated that the money was more generally to support him at university and amounted to around 1,000 to 1,500. The prosecution also described an occasion when Williams asked Edwards for a Christmas gift after all the hot videos. Mr Hope said: Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around 100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him 200. However, Edwards defence barrister Philip Evans KC told the court: Mr Edwards did not make payments in order for images to be sent to him, and he certainly did not make payments in order that indecent images would be sent to him. Mr Edwards positively told Mr Williams not to send images of people who were underage. Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court before being sentenced ( PA Wire ) Disturbing exchanges between Edwards and man who sent him pictures The former BBC presenter told Williams go on when asked if he wanted naughty pics and vids of somebody described as young in an exchange on 11 August 2021. Mr Hope told the court on Monday that Williams sent a category A moving image showing a male child aged around 7 to 9, after which Edwards asks if he has any more? Alex Williams says he has but he is not sure if Mr Edwards would like them as they are illegal. Mr Edwards says Ah OK dont and the exchange immediately following concerns a series of images which Alex Williams describes as looks young dont he but hes deffo 19. Edwards standing in the dock at Westminster Magistrates Court as the chief magistrate, district judge Paul Goldspring, passed sentence ( PA Wire ) Age of children in images presenter agreed to be sent Edwards wrote yes xxx when he was asked by Williams if he wanted sexual images of a person whose age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16. Mr Hope said: From that chat in December 2020, Alex Williams said that he had a file of vids and pics for you of someone special. Mr Edwards immediately queried who the subject was and was then sent three images of seemingly the same person, from two of which images the subjects age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16. These two were category C indecent images of children in which the child was exposing his penis. Alex Williams stated that he had 12 videos and 42 pics Ive sent you a video of him before. Shortly after Alex Williams asked: want me to send you the full file? Mr Edwards responded Yes xxx immediately following which Alex Williams sent to Mr Edwards around 30 attachments, about half of which were category C indecent images of children. Edwards lawyer told the court the defendant is truly sorry for committing the offences ( James Manning/PA Wire ) Edwards expresses remorse for crimes Mr Evans said Edwards recognises that he has betrayed the priceless trust and faith of so many people, adding that he is truly sorry for how he had damaged his family and his loved ones and for committing the offences. Meanwhile, the judge said he believed the former broadcasters remorse was genuine and that his mental health at the time of the offences could have impaired his decision-making. In his sentencing remarks, the chief magistrate said: I am of the clear view that you do not present a risk or danger to the public at large, specifically to children. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Disgraced former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has avoided jail but has been left with a reputation in tatters after accessing indecent images of children as young as seven. The veteran broadcaster, 63, was handed a six-month suspended sentence after previously admitting three charges of making indecent photographs, sealing an extraordinary fall from grace following a four-decade career at the corporation. It emerged on Monday that the 63-year-old paid up to 1,500 to Alex Williams, 25, who sent Edwards 41 illegal images, seven of which were of category A, the very worst kind. Of those images shared over WhatsApp, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, while one was aged as young as between seven and nine. Edwards standing in the dock at Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday ( PA/Elizabeth Cook ) Among the vile messages the pair exchanged was one in which Edwards told Williams to go on when asked if he wanted naughty pics and vids of somebody described as young. In another, the former BBC News at Ten anchor wrote yes xxx when asked whether he wanted sexual images of a person whose age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16. Passing sentence, the chief magistrate, District Judge Paul Goldspring, told the previously beloved household name that his long-earned reputation is in tatters after committing the extremely serious offences, stressing that the financial and reputational damage he suffered was the natural consequence of your behaviour which you brought upon yourself. The BBC marked the end of Edwardss astonishing downfall by condemning the former broadcaster, who announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II and led the coverage of her funeral, accusing him of having betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him adding that the corporation was appalled by his crimes. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was shocked and appalled by the case. Leaning forward with his hands clasped under his chin as he listened from the dock, Edwards, of Wandsworth, southwest London, was sentenced to six months imprisonment suspended for two years at Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday, following his guilty pleas in July. Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has been handed a suspended sentence after accessing indecent images of children as young as seven ( Metropolitan Police/PA ) Among the 377 sexual images discovered by police sent to Edwards by Williams between December 2020 and August 2021 were the seven category A images, which are of the most serious type, 12 category B images, and 22 category C images. The judge did say he believed the former broadcasters remorse was genuine and that his mental health at the time of the offences could have impaired his decision making. The chief magistrate said: I am of the clear view that you do not present a risk or danger to the public at large, specifically to children. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. Huw Edwards arriving at Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday ( PA ) The former broadcaster was spotted pulling a suitcase behind him as he arrived at court earlier on Monday, wearing a blue cardigan and looking sternly at photographers as he entered the building. Prosecutor Ian Hope told the court the former broadcaster sent a total of around 1,000 to 1,500 to Williams apparently off the back of [him] sending pornographic images to Mr Edwards. He added that Williams asked Edwards for a Christmas gift after all the hot videos, with Edwards offering to send him 200 for some Nike Air Force 1 trainers. The ex-BBC presenters defence barrister, Philip Evans KC, insisted that Edwards did not make payments to Williams in order to receive indecent images of children. He said: Mr Edwards positively told Mr Williams not to send images of people who were underage. The former BBC broadcaster leaves Westminster Magistrates Court after being sentenced ( James Manning/PA ) The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy aged around seven to nine, after the newsreader told the convicted paedophile go on when he was asked if he wanted naughty pics and vids of somebody described as yng [sic]. The former BBC presenter asks if he has any more. Mr Evans told the court Edwards recognises that he has betrayed the priceless trust and faith of so many people, adding that he is truly sorry for how he had damaged his family and his loved ones and for committing the offences. A psychiatrists report, referenced by the judge in his sentencing remarks, concluded Edwards was at considerable risk of harm from others and the risk of taking his own life was high and significant if he was imprisoned, with the hearing told of concern over the defendants mental health. A separate report conducted by a psychosexual therapist said: The feelings of being desirable and unseen alongside Mr Edwardss unresolved sexual orientation created a perfect storm where he engaged in sexual infidelities and became vulnerable to people blackmailing him. Williams, from Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales, was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences following an investigation by South Wales Police, receiving a 12-month suspended sentence. The BBC has admitted it was informed that the former TV presenter was arrested in November but continued to employ him for around five months until he left on medical advice. The BBC has admitted it was informed that the former TV presenter had been arrested in November but continued to employ him for around five months until he left on medical advice ( BBC ) The corporation has asked Edwards to repay the 200,000 salary he has received since his arrest, although no deadline has been set. BBC director-general Tim Davie warned the corporation will explore the legal process if Edwards refuses. The judge on Monday told Edwards he would be subject to 25 rehabilitation sessions and be placed on the sex offender treatment programme for 40 days. The defendant was ordered to pay 3,000 in prosecution costs and was told he would be put on the sex offenders register for seven years. Edwards walked out of court pulling a small suitcase before being driven away in a black Mercedes ( James Manning/PA ) Claire Brinton, of the CPS, said: This prosecution sends a clear message that the CPS, working alongside the police, will work to bring to justice those who seek to exploit children, wherever that abuse takes place. Rani Govender, child safety online policy manager at the NSPCC, said: Online child sexual abuse is at record levels and offenders like Edwards who fuel this crime should be in no doubt about its severity and the impact it has on victims. If you are a child and you need help because something has happened to you, you can call Childline free of charge on 0800 1111. You can also call the NSPCC if you are an adult and you are worried about a child, on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adults on 0808 801 0331 For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Huw Edwards sent a convicted paedophile hundreds of pounds, a court has heard as the former BBC presenter is due to be sentenced for accessing indecent images of children as young as seven. The veteran broadcaster admitted three charges of making indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp. Edwards, who is on conditional bail, arrived at Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday morning, following his guilty pleas in July. The court heard Edwards told Williams go on when asked if he wanted naughty pics and vids of somebody described as yng (sic). He wrote yes xxx when he was asked by Williams if he wanted sexual images of a person whose age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16. Seven of the indecent images shared with Edwards by Williams were of the most serious type. Of those images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Edwards previously admitted a number of offences ( Aaron Chown/PA Wire ) Williams was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences following an investigation by South Wales Police receiving a 12-month suspended sentence. The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with the convicted paedophile telling the newsreader the child was quite young looking and that he had more images which were illegal. Overall the charges cover a period between December 2020 and August 2021. Prosecutor Ian Hope said: It is clear from the face of the WhatsApp chat recovered that a deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature. It is also clear that Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of money low hundreds of pounds on an occasional basis to Alex Williams which Mr Williams directly asked for on several occasions, as gifts or presents, apparently off the back of sending pornographic images to Mr Edwards, about which images they chatted. Alex Williams has stated that the money was more generally to support him at university and amounted to around 1,000 to 1,500. The BBC has admitted it was informed that the former TV presenter had been arrested in November but continued to employ him for around five months until he left on medical advice. The presenter, pictured at a previous hearing, has been asked to repay 200,000 of his BBC salary ( PA Wire ) It has asked Edwards to repay the 200,000 salary he has received since his arrest. BBC director-general Tim Davie said the money should be returned and that the corporation will explore the legal process if Edwards refuses. Mr Davie and BBC chairman Samir Shah were questioned by the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee last Wednesday. Regarding the disgraced presenters pay, Mr Davie said: Weve made the formal request, and I cant go into too much detail, but discussions are under way, but Ive got no further news, apart from the BBCs position is clear, the money should be returned, and we made the request. When asked if he set a deadline, he said: I dont believe we set a deadline but we do expect to make progress and get an answer. Seven of the indecent images shared with Edwards were of the most serious type ( PA Wire ) Mr Shah told the same committee that Edwards had damaged the BBCs reputation. He said: Theres nothing more important than public trust in the BBC, and we are custodians of that trust and what Huw Edwards did damaged the reputation and the trust for the BBC so we take that very seriously indeed. I should say, it was a shock to discover, when it was announced, when he was charged, that he had led this double life. On the face of it, a trusted news presenter, but hidden, secretly, he was this figure who did the most appalling things. I mean, lets never forget the victims. He added that he knew him, having overseen current affairs at the BBC decades ago, and said that other staff who worked with him feel angry and betrayed by Edwards. BBC chairman Samir Shah and BBC director-general Tim Davie appearing before a House of Lords committee in London ( PA Wire ) The relevant images range from the most serious category, known as category A, to the least serious, known as Category C. They include seven category A images, 12 category B images, and 22 category C images. The Sentencing Council, a public body sponsored by the Ministry Of Justice, defines category A images as those involving penetrative sexual activity, sexual activity with an animal, or sadism. Category B images are those involving non-penetrative sexual activity, while category C images are indecent images that do not fall into A or B. According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), making an indecent image has been broadly interpreted by the courts. It can range from opening an attachment to an email containing an image, to accessing pornographic websites in which indecent photographs of children appear by way of an automatic pop-up mechanism. Edwards career lies in ruins after the conviction ( PA Archive ) In the case of Edwards, he received the illegal images as part of a WhatsApp conversation. Speaking in Edwards defence, his barrister Philip Evans KC has said that his client had not created the images in the traditional sense of the word. The maximum prison sentence for making an indecent image of a child is 10 years. Sentencing guidelines set the starting point for any jail term for possession of a category A image at 12 months, with a range of 26 weeks to three years. The starting point is 26 weeks for a category B image, and a community order for category C. A number of potential defences to the charge exist, including not seeing the images and having no reason to believe that the images were indecent, having a legitimate reason to possess the images, or if the images were unsolicited and not kept for an unreasonable amount of time. He was formerly one of the BBCs most popular presenters ( PA Archive ) Aggravating features to be taken into account for Edwards include that the images included moving images, and the young age of the child thought to be seven to nine years old in two of the category A images. Mitigating factors are Edwards early guilty plea, his previous good character, his mental health issues, and his remorse. During his four decades at the corporation, Edwards was among the broadcasting teams leading coverage of historic events including the late Queens funeral in 2022 and most recently the coronation of the King in May 2023. Edwards also announced the late Queens death on the BBC in September 2022. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The governments decision to release thousands of prisoners after serving just 40 per cent of their sentence has been branded a slap in the face to thousands languishing on indefinite jail terms. Those trapped under abolished imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences say they have been forgotten as they watch hundreds of prisoners celebrate being freed early to ease prison overcrowding. Almost 3,000 people serving IPP sentences are not eligible for the governments SDS40 early release scheme, which is expected to see 5,500 prisoners walk free by the end of October, despite more than 700 having served at least 10 years longer than their minimum tariff. They include the father of three Abdullahi Suleman, who is still incarcerated almost 20 years after he was jailed for a laptop robbery. Campaigners have hit out at the missed opportunity to right the wrongs of the IPP sentence as well as freeing up much-needed prison space. It is estimated releasing IPP prisoners would empty up to four entire prisons. Abdullahi Suleman, 41, and his wife Bernadette Emerson, 39, from Cardiff ( Supplied ) Sulemans heartbroken wife Bernadette Emerson, from Cardiff, revealed her husband has been left devastated by the latest blow for IPP inmates. She told The Independent: Its a slap in the face isnt it really? Its affecting IPPs and their families because theres hope there that they could do something for IPPs and they are just not. Why cant IPPs fall under the 40 per cent early release scheme? Their tariff ended years ago. I have had other IPPs messaging me saying they are suicidal because of this. Its playing on their hope. Hes impacted by this because all he wants to do is come home to his family. The 41-year-old, who has been diagnosed with bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorder, was sentenced to a minimum of three years and 276 days for robbery aged 22. But he is still languishing in prison 19 years later despite having committed no further crimes having been hauled back to jail four times after attending mental health care appointments was made part of his licence conditions. In total, he has served nearly 15 years of the last 19 years in custody and is currently back in prison with little hope of being freed after missing an appointment. Its barbaric. It really is unfair, she added. Whats upsetting me is the fact that I know this is going to have a mental impact on IPPs because they are going to see people being released early when their IPP sentence ended years ago. Its playing further psychological games with IPPs minds. We are really disappointed that the MoJ are letting IPPs down with this early release scheme. My partner is devastated and I cant do anything. You just become the forgotten ones. Prisoners celebrated their release from HMP Liverpool after serving 40 per cent of their sentence under emergency measures to ease overcrowding ( PA ) IPP jail terms were introduced under New Labour in 2005 and saw offenders given a minimum tariff but no maximum. They were scrapped in 2012 over human rights concerns but not for people already detained leaving almost 3,000 prisoners languishing in prison with no release date. The sentences have been branded psychological torture by a UN human rights expert after at least 90 IPP prisoners have taken their own lives. Other tragic injustices highlighted by The Independent, which is calling for all IPP prisoners to have their sentences reviewed, include Thomas White, who set himself alight after serving more than 12 years for stealing a mobile phone, and Yusuf Ali, who has twice starved himself in desperation after serving 16 years for a three-year minimum tariff. A spokesperson for the United Group for Reform of IPP (UNGRIPP) said being excluded from the early release scheme was a double blow for unreleased IPP prisoners after they were also left out of a recent government overhaul of IPP licence periods. Obviously we are extremely disappointed that the IPP hasnt been included or even considered in the scheme, the spokesperson added. We know that this is also what people on the sentence are really feeling. People who are unreleased have not only not been considered in the changes to the licence period but also not in the early release scheme. Our message is really what about them? IPP prisoner Thomas White has served more than 12 years for stealing a mobile phone. Pictured with his son Kayden, aged 10 months ( Margaret White ) Richard Garside, director at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, said the decision not to address the IPP injustice in the midst of a prison overcrowding crisis was a massive missed opportunity. Both on the grounds of justice and on pragmatism it kind of seems like a no-brainer, added Mr Garside, who is backing a private members bill for all IPP prisoners to be resentenced. The governments early release policy sees the proportion of sentences which some inmates must serve behind bars temporarily cut from 50 per cent to 40 per cent amid government warnings jails were being pushed to the point of collapse. Criminals serving determinate prison sentences of less than four years, including violent offences, are among those eligible to be freed under the scheme although sex offenders and terrorists are excluded. Around 1,750 prisoners were freed early last week from jails across England and Wales with many seen celebrating as they met friends and family at the prison gates. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: It is right that IPP sentences were abolished. The lord chancellor is committed to working with organisations and campaign groups to ensure the appropriate course of action is taken to support those still serving IPP sentences. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} More than half of domestic abuse survivors face homelessness after being turned away from refuges due to a chronic national shortage of spaces. The latest figures show around six in 10 women fleeing domestic violence who sought a space in a refuge in England over a year were denied a place. Data from the Office for National Statistics shows 27,754 women were referred to a refuge between April 2022 and March 2023 but only 10,824 were accepted, with 16,930 women left with nowhere to go. This is the equivalent of one woman being turned away every two hours. The shocking statistics come as The Independent launches its Brick by Brick campaign in partnership with charity Refuge to raise 300,000 and build a house for women escaping abusive partners. Be a brick, buy a brick and donate here or text BRICK to 70560 to donate 15 Domestic abuse refuges, which house many women at risk of murder if they remain at home, are in secret locations and have strict security measures to ensure their residents remain safe ( Getty ) Exclusive data from Refuge shows increasing numbers of calls to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline which it runs are seeking referrals to refuges to escape their abusers, rising from 5,450 to 6,086 between 2020 and 2024. Just this year so far, the helpline has supported 49,787 calls for help, with 75 per cent of those being from survivors of domestic abuse. The charity revealed that it is referring a record number of victims to local councils across England and Wales for homelessness a tripling from 120 to 407 over the same four years. Abigail Ampofo, interim chief executive of Refuge, said many of those being denied a safe place were desperate: For some, there may be the opportunity of getting emergency temporary accommodation from the local authority. Others can stay with friends and family. There will be people who need to sofa surf with them. A lot of female rough sleepers homelessness was triggered by domestic abuse. The latest recorded number of refuge bed spaces in England from 2023 was 4,385, which is 22 per cent below the minimum total recommended by the Council of Europe. Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, warned that escaping domestic abuse can be the most dangerous time for victims. Many will be at very real risk of serious harm and even homicide, she told The Independent. That victims and survivors are being turned away from safe housing and support at this urgent time should concern us all. That victims and survivors are being turned away from safe housing and support at this urgent time should concern us all Nicole Jacobs Jess Asato, MP for Lowestoft, who worked in the domestic abuse sector for years, said turning victims away from refuges places them at risk of further abuse or being murdered by their partner. Every woman who is turned away and requires a safe, protected place like a refuge will be put at risk of further abuse or even murder, she said. Domestic abuse victims should be able to remain safely in their home, with the perpetrator leaving, but in some cases, the victim has to flee to a safe, secure refuge because the risk to their life is so high. The MP said the domestic abuse sector has been under huge pressure for decades, with increasing numbers of charities struggling with funding. The domestic abuse sector has been under huge pressure for decades, with increasing numbers of charities struggling with funding ( Refuge ) Domestic abuse refuges, which house many women at risk of murder if they remain at home with their abuser, are located in secret locations and have strict security measures to ensure their residents remain safe. The latest data from domestic abuse charity Womens Aid reveals a postcode lottery when seeking a bed in a refuge. While the number of spaces was 2 per cent above the Council of Europes minimum recommendation in London this figure was 39 per cent below in the South West. Across the country, it is not much better with the figure 36 per cent lower in the South East, 38 per cent lower in the East of England, and 35 per cent lower in the North West. Charlotte Kneer, who previously managed 11 refuges across Surrey, said the 2021 Domestic Abuse Act had improved access but the situation was still not good enough as she branded the figures horrifying. Ms Kneer, a domestic abuse survivor whose violent partner was jailed for seven years in 2011, warned: Unless you have lived in that situation where you fear every day it could be your last day, you dont understand the absolute desperation these survivors feel. Charlotte Kneer previously managed 11 refuges across Surrey ( Alex Board ) As a society, it feels so callous we are turning our backs on the survivors who desperately need us. Ms Ampofo, of Refuge, said it is frustrating and upsetting having to turn women in need of support away. She added: I remember a victim who called the helpline. She had been able to flee and she fled very quickly. When she got somewhere safe, she called the helpline she was in the park with her kids. It was 11pm. Due to her needs, she required urgent safe accommodation. It took a few hours for her to get help. This meant she was in an unsafe and unsuitable situation for far too long. They had literally nowhere else to go. She had nobody. Unless you have lived in that situation where you fear every day it could be your last day, you dont understand the absolute desperation these survivors feel Charlotte Kneer She said support for domestic abuse victims has long been chronically underfunded in England and Wales adding ministers have not backed the longer-term funding of services which has generated massive gaps in provision. Right now, thousands of women in the UK are scared for their lives in their own homes, she added. It takes an enormous amount of courage and planning to flee an abuser. A government spokesperson said: These figures are appalling and highlight that domestic abuse is a scourge on our society. We thank the National Domestic Abuse Helpline and all refuge services for the vital work they do to keep women safe. We have said that the scale of violence against women and girls is a national emergency and our mission is to halve this violence within the next decade by improving policing and the criminal justice system, relentlessly pursuing dangerous offenders and providing sustained support for victims. Please donate now to the Brick by Brick campaign, launched by The Independentand charity Refuge, to help raise 300,000 to build a safe space for women where they can escape domestic abuse, rebuild their lives and make new futures. Anyone who requires help or support can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline which is open 24/7 365 days per year on 0808 2000 247 or via its website Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The shipbuilding company Harland and Wolff, which occupies the same yard best known for building the doomed Titanic, is to be placed into administration for the second time in five years. The historic Belfast company has said between 50-60 immediate redundancies are expected, but that staff employed at its four shipyards are not immediately affected. Insolvency practitioners Teneo are being lined up to act as administrators while shares in the company will be delisted. Northern Irelands first minister Michelle ONeill said she will work to protect jobs, with her and Northern Irelands deputy First Minister meeting with trade union representatives on Monday afternoon. Our interest in this is that jobs are protected. Well continue to work with them in terms of, hopefully, arriving at a commercial solution that actually allows the employment to continue, she said. The operational companies which run the shipyards are expected to continue trading (Liam McBurney/PA) ( PA Archive ) Were meeting with some of the union representatives later on. Harland and Wolff, which famously built the Titanic, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1912, has four shipyards one in Belfast, two in Scotland and one in England. The administration process will be confined to the holding company, Harland & Wolff Group Holdings PLC, and the operational companies which run the yards are expected to continue trading. A company statement said: A full review of all group holdings commenced in July and has concluded that H&W Group Holdings PLC is insolvent on a balance sheet basis as per its last audited accounts and most recent management accounts. The company is part of a consortium that landed a major contract to build supply ships for the Royal Navy. It had applied for a 200 million loan guarantee from the government as part of efforts to restructure its finances. However, the Government decided in August not to act as a guarantor on the lending while also ruling out direct funding to maintain the companys liquidity. Harland and Wolff interim executive chairman Russell Downs said the group had faced a very challenging time due to historic losses and a failure to secure long-term financing. The Titanic sank in 1912 on its maiden voyage to America ( 1912 AP ) He said: Its important to recognise that this is very difficult news for staff and will affect many within group. We will work to support our staff through this transition. We also know that it will be very unwelcome news for shareholders who have shown significant commitment to the business over the last five years. The board, the senior managers and rest of the team are committed to deliver the best outcome for the four yards and communities they serve to ensure their continued operation into the long term under new ownership. Unfortunately, extremely difficult decisions have had to be taken to preserve the future of our yards. Despite the recent challenges, the four yards have a strong capability, under new ownership and with the continuing support of their customers, to deliver UK-based shipbuilding and leading UK-based renewables employing over 1,300 committed personnel. The main Harland and Wolff shipyard is in Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA) ( PA Archive ) Its critical that the business comes through its financial troubles to secure an enduring legacy worthy of its name and its past for the benefit of the UK as a whole and its communities in particular. Matt Roberts, GMB National Officer, said: All the four Harland & Wolff yards are needed for our future sovereign capabilities in sectors like renewables and shipbuilding. The government must now act to ensure no private company is allowed to cherry-pick what parts are retained, in terms of which yards or contracts they wish to save. A Government spokesperson said: While we know this will be a concerning time for those affected, Harland and Wolff has been clear this process will in no way affect jobs at its shipyards or core operations such as delivering its contracts for the Ministry of Defence. We are clear that following a thorough review of the companys financial situation, at present the market is best-placed to address these challenges, and providing Government funding would have meant a significant risk of losing taxpayer money. We are continuing to work extensively with all parties to find an outcome for Harland and Wolff that delivers shipbuilding and manufacturing in Belfast, Scotland and across the rest of the UK and protects jobs. There were extinction fears after rare pink dolphins began to die in lakes on the Amazon River. Experts in satellite analysis were determined to work out why. Satellite images have been used to investigate the cause of a tragedy that resulted in hundreds of dolphin deaths. Analysis has revealed several likely human and weather related events contributed to the disaster. As the incident began to unfold a year ago along the Amazon River Yahoo News spoke regularly with Sea Shepherd Brazil as it documented the deaths on the ground. Its president Nathalie Gil was sure humans had played a role in the catastrophe, but she was unsure how. At least 275 dolphins were reported dead, including 178 rare pink river dolphins roughly 10 per cent of the entire species. Before this stress happened we worried they probably could disappear in three decades, so with this threat on top it could be faster, she told Yahoo in October. Responding to concern from conservationists, experts from EOS Data Analytics, a company that specialises in satellite data interpretation, used niche software ordinarily used to monitor crops and forestry to determine what killed the dolphins, and released a report this week. It used the tools to examine images of the basins of Lake Tefe and Lake Coari where the majority of deaths occurred, looking at dramatic changes to the water. By October 24, 2023 the lake had shrunk. Spectral imaging was used in EOSDA LandViewer software to reveal the dynamics of its drying. Source: Landsat-8 satellite. Animation: EOS Data Analytics What did the satellite images reveal? EOS Data Analytics found the perimeter of Lake Tefe had dramatically shrunk and become shallower because of drought, and an algal bloom was also detected. Around 170 km southeast at Lake Coari the problem was similar, except the algae was so severe the vegetation reading matched those of nearby forests. Sadly the problem persisted even after the lakes began to fill again. On top of the drying of the lakes the temperature was also a problem. Analysis found the waters were a hostile environment for the dolphins, chiefly because of lower humidity and warmer conditions. Changes in Lake Tefes water colour can be seen in images taken on September 6, September 22, October 8, and October 24, 2023. Source: Landsat-8 satellite. Animation: EOS Data Analytics What killed the Amazon's dolphins? The results have helped refine two theories about factors likely contributing to the dolphin deaths. The first is that temperature stressed the dolphins' physiological limits. The other factor is that an algal bloom, although not directly harmful to the dolphins themselves, may have poisoned their main food source fish. Consuming them could have resulted in the dolphins dying. When this image was taken in October, a total of 30 dead dolphins had been found at Coari. Source: Sea Shepherd Brasil A third contributing issue has been chronicled on the ground, rather than using satellite data. And that's the likely impact of fishermen. They accidentally kill dolphins with nets and also intentionally target them to butcher their flesh for use as bait. Analysis of the bodies found 10 per cent had signs of mutilation, harpoon marks, or net entanglement. This visualisation using LandViewer software shows the algae bloom in Lake Coari. It tracks the changes from September 5, October 5, October 25, and November 14, 2023, and collected in EOSDA. Source: Sentinel-2 satellite. Animation: EOS Data Analytics EOS Data Analytics spokesperson Viktoria Troiian said ongoing monitoring will be crucial for helping to understand and mitigate the problems impacting the environment. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Watch from outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London, where Huw Edwards, the long-time face of the BBCs flagship news programme, will be sentenced at after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent pictures of children. The veteran broadcaster, 63, admitted three charges of making indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp. Edwards is on conditional bail and scheduled to be sentenced at 10am on Monday 16 September, following his guilty pleas in July. Seven of the indecent images shared with Edwards by Williams were of the most serious type. Of those images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Williams was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences following an investigation by South Wales Police receiving a 12-month suspended sentence. The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with the convicted paedophile telling the newsreader the child was quite young looking and that he had more images which were illegal. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The US is considering easing restrictions on long-range missiles being used by Ukraine so that they can hit targets deep inside Russia, a decision which would also free up the use of British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Kyiv has made renewed pleas at high-level talks over the issue, with Ukraine calling it crucial for its defences against Russias invasion. US secretary of state Antony Blinken, UK foreign secretary David Lammy and president Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the issue at a meeting in Kyiv on Wednesday, with Mr Blinken saying the war has entered a critical moment. Prime minister Keir Starmer and Joe Biden will no doubt talk about the use of long-range missiles, including more Storm Shadow cruise missiles, in Washington on Friday, Mr Blinken said. Until now the Storm Shadow missiles have been limited to Russian targets operating inside Ukraine, as well as in occupied Crimea. The missiles were likely used in the largest Ukrainian attack on the headquarters of Russia s Black Sea fleet last year at Sevastopol. While the UK and France, which also uses a variant of Storm Shadows are said to be supportive of using such missiles deep inside Russia, Kyiv is said to be waiting for permission from Washington, given US systems are key to the launch and targeting of long-range missiles. The US, which has provided Ukraine with the longest-range version of ATACMS, a ballistic missile that can travel 190 miles, has remained hesitant for the firing of long-range missiles into Russia over fears of a reaction from Moscow that could escalate the conflict. They are believed to be particularly concerned that Russia could respond by deploying nuclear weapons. Britains foreign secretary David Lammy and US secretary of state Antony Blinken walk to board a train for Kyiv on Wednesday ( via REUTERS ) But that position appears to be shifting, with Russia acquiring ballistic missiles from its ally Iran. Tehran has formally denied exporting missiles to Moscow, while the Kremlin has said it is deepening cooperation with allies. Joe Biden said the US is also working out how best to ease restrictions on Ukraines use of its ATACMS long range missiles. British Storm Shadow missiles have a range of more than 150 miles and can be fired by Ukrainian aircraft. Kyiv has long lobbied for permission to hit deep inside Russian soil via the western long-range missiles. Storm Shadow cruise missile is on display during the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, north of Paris, France ( AP ) Manufacturer MBDA has said that the missile, which is fired from an aircraft, carries a range of around 155 miles and is designed to evade detection despite flying low after being launched. By contrast, the US-supplied Himars missiles currently used by Ukraine only have a range of around 50 miles. ATACMS have a range of around 190 miles. Powered by a turbo-jet engine, the 1,300kg Storm Shadow travels at speeds of more than 600mph, is just over five metres long and has a wingspan of three metres. After launch, the weapon, equipped with its own navigation system, descends to a low altitude to avoid detection before locking on to its target using an infra-red seeker. On final approach the missile climbs to a higher altitude to maximise the chances of hitting the target. Detonation of ammunition caused by a fire at a military training field in the Kirovsky district in Crimea ( Getty images ) On impact, it penetrates the target before a delayed fuse detonates the main warhead. The UK first confirmed it would supply Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles in May last year. Then defence secretary Ben Wallace had touted that the weapons would give Ukraine the best chance of defending itself. Just last week, former defence secretary Grant Shapps pushed actively for allowing Ukraine to hit Mr Putins targets inside Russia issuing a simple ultimatum. He also urged French, American and German partners to follow Britains lead in supporting Ukraines response. Ukraine has deployed Storm Shadow missiles on several occasions during the war. In June last year, the then-defence secretary Ben Wallace told parliament that the missiles were already having a significant impact on the battlefield. Storm Shadow missiles have also been used by British and French air forces in the Gulf, Iraq and Libya. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A Liberal Democrat councillor has revealed that she was diagnosed with PTSD because of Brexit, speaking movingly of the profound impact it has had on her life. Antonia Harrison, who represents the party in Havant, near Portsmouth, said something died in me I just gave up after Britain left the European Union. Speaking at the partys autumn conference in Brighton, Ms Harrison told The Independent: I have not been in Sudan fighting in a war, but it has had a profound impact on me. I am European to my core, and my identity has been ripped out. Antonia Harrison said she is European before she is English ( Facebook ) I am European before I am English. Ms Harrison, a mental health therapist who stood against Penny Mordaunt in the 2019 general election, was speaking at a fringe event at the partys conference. She said: I actually have in my medical history, a diagnosis of PTSD over Brexit. Asked after the session about the claim, she said: It is just on my record, at some point, they just put it on my record. It has had so many effects on my physical body, and things that have come out since. I have lost my voice many times and they put that down to trauma. Ms Harrison said she will not be able to retire in Marbella because of Brexit ( Facebook ) Ms Harrison said her life was enriched by Britains membership of the EU, having lived in Brussels and learned eight languages. The day after the election, I told my daughter this is the worst day of your life, Ms Harrison said. She added: She has a masters in international law, she should be in Brussels like I was at her age, and instead she is stuck here. The Lib Dems long-term objective is to campaign for Britain to rejoin the EU, but the party first wants to fix the UKs broken relationship with the bloc. Senior party figures including Sir Ed Davey have used the gathering in Brighton to call for Britain to foster closer ties with its European neighbours, including by implementing a free movement policy for young people that would let 18 to 35-year-olds live and work across the bloc for up to three years. The Lib Dem councillor said it is for the British people to realise that Brexit was a mistake ( @havantlibdems/X ) Ms Harrison said the party needs to wait for people to realise themselves it was a massive mistake before campaigning to reverse Brexit. Asked how Brexit has impacted her personally, Ms Harrison told The Independent: We have a property in Marbella, I planned to retire there, I cant. We still have the property, but we cannot get health coverage because of pre-existing conditions. Ms Harrisons mother spent her last eight years in Spain and is buried in the country, she added. She went on to describe how travelling through Malaga airport gets me, adding that the UK flag is now alongside the Moroccan flag in the sign for the non-EU passport queue. Every time, I start saying something and we get back to the UK and its EU over there, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, all these far away places I have no intention of ever visiting, she said. Ms Harrisons intervention came days after The Independent revealed that, were another referendum on Britains membership of the EU held today, the public would vote to reverse Brexit. In a Redfield & Wilton poll, a clear majority of all voters said they would opt to rejoin the EU, while among Generation Z two to one would back the move. The public thinks Brexit has made almost everything worse, from the economy to immigration, cost of living, NHS, wages, exports and Britains standing abroad to hopes of keeping Scotland and Northern Ireland in the union. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} If another referendum on the UKs membership of the EU was held today it would result in Brexit being reversed, according to a new poll. A clear majority of all voters say they would opt to rejoin the EU. Strikingly, support for overturning the UKs decision to cut its ties with Brussels among Generation Z who were too young to take part in the 2016 referendum is by a two-to-one margin. The public thinks Brexit has made almost everything worse, from the economy to immigration, cost of living, NHS, wages, exports and Britains standing abroad to hopes of keeping Scotland and Northern Ireland in the union. While Brexit has slipped in the league table of public concerns, a second referendum is seen as likely at some point. The findings of a survey by Redfield & Wilton follow moves by Sir Keir Starmer to boost Britains connections with the EU. Despite having been a strong opponent of Brexit, the prime minister has made it clear he has no intention of reviewing the decision based on a 52-48 majority in the referendum eight years ago. Speaking to reporters in Wales, two days before Julys general election, Sir Kier said: Ive been really clear about not rejoining the EU, the single market, or the customs union, or returning to freedom of movement. Ive been equally clear that I do think we can get a better deal than the botched deal we got under Boris Johnson on the trading front, on research and development, and on security. Sir Keirs supporters say a second referendum would be divisive and a distraction from his main target of repairing public finances and public services. Other prominent Labour figures have been more outspoken. In an interview with The Independent editor-in-chief Geordie Greig, former prime minister Sir Tony Blair said Brexit had failed and triggered unprecedented mass immigration. Former PM Tony Blair told Independent editor-in-chief Geordie Greig the UK has weakened itself with Brexit ( Independent ) The Redfield & Wilton survey gives fresh ammunition to those who say Brexit has not been a success. A total of 56 per cent say they would vote to rejoin the EU if another referendum were to be staged today. This includes nearly one in four (23 per cent) of those who voted Leave in 2016. A total of 44 per cent say they would vote to stay out. This includes 17 per cent who voted Remain eight years ago. In fact, the number wishing to rejoin has been even higher in the past. It has fallen by five per cent since June, before the election took place. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, which includes Gen Z, a total of 61 per cent would vote to rejoin. Only 28 per cent would vote to stay out. There is similar backing for re-entering the EU among 25- to 44-year-olds. Support for staying out of the EU is most prominent among the over-55s. More than half (52 per cent) of voters want another Brexit referendum within five years, including 73 per cent of those who backed Remain in 2016. A total of 34 per cent are opposed to a second referendum. Among Gen Z, 61 per cent would vote to rejoin the EU ( PA Archive ) For the first time since Redfield & Wilton began conducting such polls in 2021, voters think another referendum is likely in the next 10 years. A total of 34 per cent said they expect a second referendum within a decade; 31 per cent disagreed. Regardless of whether people want another referendum, they overwhelmingly believe things in Britain have deteriorated as a direct consequence of Brexit right across the board. Asked whether the economy is stronger or weaker than it otherwise would be had Brexit not occurred, 43 per cent said it is weaker; 22 per cent said it is stronger. When questions were couched in similar terms on a wide range of other issues, it produced the same picture of a Brexit-induced decline: 39 per cent said immigration is higher because of Brexit against 21 per cent who said it is lower 58 per cent said the cost of living is higher against 18 per cent who said it is lower 31 per cent said wages are lower against 18 per cent who said they are higher 41 per cent said it had made it harder for Britain to sell goods abroad against 17 per cent who said it had made it easier 40 per cent said Britain had less influence on the world stage against 21 per cent who said it had more By a small margin, voters think Brexit has made it more likely that Scotland will become independent ( PA Archive ) Revealingly, the survey suggests voters believe they were misled by Brexiteers like Boris Johnson, who famously toured the nation in a red bus emblazoned with a slogan stating the NHS would get an extra 350m per week once the UK left the EU. A total of 45 per cent say the NHS has got worse thanks to Brexit against just 13 per cent who say it has improved. Asked whether Brexit had had a negative or positive effect on the UK so far, 34 per cent said it was negative against 31 per cent who said it was positive. By a small margin, voters think Brexit has made it more likely that Scotland will become independent at some stage and that Northern Ireland will join the Republic of Ireland. Notwithstanding the mainly downbeat poll verdict on Brexit, 35 per cent said it had given the UK more say over its affairs against 30 per cent who said the country had less say, in line with the Brexiteers take back control mantra. And fewer than one in four regard Brexit as an extremely important issue. Furthermore, although its current impact is viewed as negative, 38 per cent said they believe Brexit would have a positive outcome for Britain in future against 33 per cent who said it would be negative. A total of 44 per cent said they viewed the 2016 referendum as the last word on Brexit against 40 per cent who said they did not believe it settled the matter. Philip van Scheltinga, of Redfield & Wilton, said: The poll numbers are certainly favourable for rejoin but they do not suggest a slam dunk. While voters are mostly disappointed by Brexit, they have other priorities in mind. Its up to the government to judge whether seeking to change the UKs relationship with the EU is aligned with those higher priorities. Mr Van Scheltinga questioned whether Sir Keir would want to use his hard-earned political capital on reopening the Brexit debate and running the risk of getting seriously bogged down by it. Redfield & Wilton interviewed 2,000 adults in Britain online on 19 August. In the event that the UK did vote to rejoin the EU in a second referendum, the EU would need to agree for it to be implemented. British voters believe by a margin of nearly two to one that the EU would give its consent in such circumstances. A total of 42 per cent said Brussels would give the go-ahead to letting us back in; 22 per cent said it would not do so. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Sir Keir Starmer has made a mistake by ruling out Britain rejoining the EU single market, the leader of the Liberal Democrats has said. Piling pressure on the Labour leader to u-turn on UK membership of the single market, Sir Ed Davey said if youre going to rebuild our economy and get growth, you have to go further. The prime minister has embarked on a reset of Britains post-Brexit relations with the EU, after years of acrimony under successive Conservative PMs. Sir Ed Davey played volleyball with a group of young carers and staff on Brighton Beach on Sunday (Stefan Rousseau/PA) ( PA Wire ) But, despite vowing to rebuild ties with the UKs nearest neighbours, Sir Keir has ruled out a return to the single market, which allows the free movement of goods, services, capital and people within the EU. And the PM has gone as far as saying he does not think the UK will rejoin the single market in his lifetime. But, ahead of the third day of his party conference in Brighton, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed said: If youre going to rebuild our economy and get growth, you have to go further than the prime minister is going. He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme he welcomed Sir Keir reopening talks with European leaders and his efforts to rebuild relations after the appalling mess the Conservatives made of it. Sir Keir has ruled out rejoining the EU single market ( PA Wire ) But he said: I just dont think he is going far enough. The fact that hes ruled out going back into the single market, I think is a mistake for those negotiations and for the vision of getting more investment into our country, getting rid of all the red tape and regulations that the Conservatives brought into exporters so damaged our farmers and small businesses. Sir Eds intervention comes days after Sir Keir insisted he is serious about his reset of relations with the EU. Speaking to The Independent on a flight to Washington DC to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war with US president Joe Biden, Sir Keir said he had put the UKs relationship with Europe at the top of his agenda since Labour swept to power. Im very serious about it, he said. I think thats clear enough from the work weve been doing in the last few weeks since the election. I made this very clear initially at the Nato summit in Washington with European colleagues then at the summit with the European political community, which we hosted. And then obviously, as youve seen, Ive been twice to Berlin, twice to Paris. I was with the taoiseach [Simon Harris] last Saturday. Were very serious about that. Obviously, we have a long way to go. Mr Bidens administration has said it sees the reset as critical in strengthening its relationship with the UK. Another thorny issue to the PM has been an EU-wide freedom of movement scheme for 18 to 35-year-olds, which would let young people live and work across the bloc for up to two years. But Sir Keir has so far resisted calls to sign the UK up to such a scheme. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Sir Ed Davey is expected to lay out his plan to overtake the Tories at the next general election and finish the job his party believe they started this year. The triumphant Liberal Democrat leader, now heading a group of 72 MPs, will use much of his party conference speech in Brighton to focus on the Conservatives and their leadership contest to replace Rishi Sunak, which Sir Ed has described as scraping the bottom of the barrel. Sir Ed who has become well known for his colourful stunts will also focus on key priorities of the NHS and social care, and will insist that his partys success in July means that it has to justify its actions to the voters. The modern Conservative Party is so out of touch with so many of its former voters so far removed from the real lives of ordinary people that it no longer merits a place at the top table of our politics, he is expected to say. On 4 July we made a great start, but now lets go further. Lets finish the job. It comes as senior sources in the party have made it clear that while the Lib Dems outperformed their wildest dreams in this years election, they have far from maxed out in taking seats from the Conservatives, who were reduced to a historic low of 121 seats. Other sources pointed out to The Independent that the Lib Dems came second in 27 seats 21 of which are held by the Conservatives. Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper and Ed Davey on the general election trail earlier this year ( PA Wire ) He will say: We asked people for their votes on a very clear manifesto. We told them we would focus on their priorities. Getting our economy back on track and getting the cost of living under control. Ending the sewage scandal and protecting our precious environment. And above all: fixing the NHS and care crisis. A clear message of hope. But while criticising the gloom and doom of Sir Keir Starmers government, he is set to spend more time talking about what is left of the Tory party. In the run-up to Julys election, Sir Ed is understood to have thought that winning 45 to 50 seats would amount to an exceptional night for the Lib Dems, but was amazed to see them take 72, the most in more than a century. Party sources said senior figures realised they were destined to outperform expectations after the Somerton and Frome by-election, which the Lib Dems won from the Conservatives in July 2023. That was the point when we realised just how much trouble the Conservatives were in, and how weak their vote had become in some places, one senior figure said. Shortly after that turning point by-election, top officials met over Mexican food at Burrito Boi in Frome to work out how to double the number of target seats for Julys contest. Turning their attention to the next election, their focus remains on the Tories, as 39 out of their top 50 target seats are still held by the Conservatives. Sir Ed is understood to be buoyed by data that shows that many of those who switched their votes from the Tories to the Lib Dems say they will never vote Conservative again. In a surprise twist, Lib Dem MPs Tim Farron and Josh Babarinde told a fringe event on Sunday night that many Reform voters were actually choosing between Reform and the Lib Dems. Mr Farron said: It shows that Reform voters will not just go back to the Tories, and many of them could come over to us. The Lib Dems also believe the Conservatives are in a perilous position with their long, drawn-out leadership contest, which could cement the partys decline if they get it wrong. Lib Dems want Kemi Badenoch to win the Tory leadership contest ( Getty ) As the Lib Dem conference took place, Tory leadership contender Tom Tugendhat put out polling that showed he had a +16 rating among Lib Dem voters. The two favourites in the contest, Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch, were at -6 and -22 respectively. One Lib Dem MP said: The champagne corks will be flying in Lib Dem HQ if Kemi Badenoch wins. Sir Ed now believes his party has gone from a position where it was fighting for survival to potentially pushing out the Tories. Urging his party to step up, he will say: The Conservatives showed themselves to be totally unfit to govern our country and the British people rightly booted them out. Now they are already showing that they are unfit for opposition, too. Its hardly surprising, I suppose. Expecting that lot to hold the government to account on the NHS or the economy would be like putting a bull in charge of repairing the china shop. Who would leave the job of upholding ethical standards in government to the gang who put Boris Johnson in No 10? And when the country needs an opposition to scrutinise next months Budget, surely its not a job for the Tory geniuses who cheered Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng to the rafters. Referring to the Conservative leadership candidates, Sir Ed is expected to say: Just look at the quartet heading to Birmingham in a fortnight to audition for the job of Conservative leader. They really are scraping the bottom of the barrel, arent they? Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Yvette Cooper has defended an Italian deal which will let the country process some asylum claims offshore in Albania, describing it as very, very different from Rishi Sunaks Rwanda plan. The home secretary said the arrangement is not comparable to the previous governments plans to deport some migrants to the east African nation, stressing that the Albanian scheme involves processing. Under the Conservatives scheme, which Labour scrapped immediately after the general election, asylum seekers would have been permanently deported to Rwanda. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the Italian scheme is not similar to the previous UK governments Rwanda deportation plan ( PA Wire ) By contrast, Tirana will accept asylum seekers on Italys behalf while their claims are processed. Failed asylum seekers from safe countries will then be returned to those countries, while those whose asylum claims are successful, expected to be a small minority, will be brought to Italy. Ahead of a visit to Rome to meet Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, Sir Keir Starmer said he is interested in Italys deal with Albania. Asked whether he would consider seeking a similar agreement, the prime minister said: Lets see. Its early days, Im interested in how that works, I think everybody else is. Its very, very early days. During his visit to Rome, Sir Keir appeared to downplay Britains interest in replicating the scheme, instead saying Italys success reducing the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean appears to be due to upstream work that's been done in some of the countries where people are coming from. A key aspect of the Italian PMs approach to migrants crossing the Mediterranean into Italy is financial deals with countries such as Tunisia and Libya to stop boats setting off from north Africa. Downing Street praised Ms Meloni ahead of Sir Keirs trip to Italy, telling journalists the PM would discuss her countrys success in tackling illegal immigration. The country has seen a 60 per cent drop in boat crossings in the past year. Sir Keir told broadcasters: I've long believed, by the way, that prevention and stopping people travelling in the first place is one of the best ways to deal with this particular issue. "So I am very interested to know how that upstream work went, looking, of course, at other schemes, looking forward to my bilateral with the prime minister this afternoon, but we've already got a shared intent to work together on this trade, this vile trade, of pushing people across borders." But, pressed on whether Labour would consider such a scheme, Ms Cooper told ITVs Good Morning Britain: Its very, very different. So the arrangement that they have in place - and look, its not working yet, so we dont know how it will play out - but it is a very, very different approach. "First of all, this is Italian processing taking place in Albania. It has UNHCR oversight, so it is being monitored to make sure that it meets international standards. "Its being done in cooperation between those two countries, and what theyre actually doing is looking at those people who arrive in Italy, who have come from predominantly safe countries, and theyre using it as a way to try and fast-track decisions and returns. "Now we think there is another way we can fast-track decisions and returns for people who arrive from predominantly safer countries. "We should be fast-tracking those cases. We should be making sure you dont have people spending years in the asylum system, which ends up being hugely costly, hugely chaotic. Thats the system weve inherited." It came after eight people died while attempting to cross the English Channel on Sunday morning. Sir Keir has been urged by Labour MPs to distance himself from far-right Ms Melonis approach on immigration. Left-wing Labour MP Kim Johnson told The Guardian: Melonis approach to Albanian migration has been described as a model of mismanagement and a blueprint for abuse by Human Rights Watch. It is disturbing that Starmer is seeking to learn lessons from a neo-fascist government particularly after the anti-refugee riots and far-right racist terrorism that swept Britain this summer. Have we learned nothing from the Tories failures? Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Sir Keir Starmer has claimed that Britain can learn lessons from Italy on how to reduce migration, after far-right prime minister Giorgia Melonis administration saw small boat arrivals fall by more than 60 per cent this year. Ahead of a visit to Rome, Sir Keir hailed Italys dramatic drop in unregulated migration and expressed interest in Ms Melonis proposed asylum processing scheme in Albania, just months after scrapping the Tories controversial Rwanda scheme. Claiming that his talks with Ms Meloni had marked a return to British pragmatism, Sir Keir also praised Italys upstream work in north Africa, saying: I have always made the argument that preventing people leaving their country in the first place is far better than trying to deal with those that have arrived. Reducing the number of perilous small-boat crossings across the Channel is a political priority for the Labour government, which has announced its intention to smash people-smuggling gangs but has stopped short of opening safe alternative routes for asylum seekers to travel to Britain to have their claims heard. The prime minister is now looking to Italys example, where the countrys interior ministry reported a 62 per cent fall in migrant arrivals on Italian coasts over the first seven months of 2024. Frontex, the EUs border force, has calculated a 64 per cent fall in the number of people arriving from north Africa to Italy and Malta. More than 1,000 people arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel over the weekend, as eight people died trying to make the journey ( PA ) Hardline immigration policies Italy has long struck a hard line against migration, with deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini having tightened asylum seekers access to support and public services. He could now face six years in jail for preventing a boat carrying more than 100 people from docking in Italy in 2019. But the countrys hardline policies and rhetoric had failed to prevent cross-Mediterranean migration to Italy from continuing to rise dramatically until the fall seen this year, which has been widely attributed to controversial deals struck with the north African nations from which most boats depart. While Italy has strengthened ties with Libya and is training and equipping the Libyan coastguard, the EU last year pledged 105m (88m) to Tunisia to stop migrant crossings from setting off. However, Tunisia later said it had handed back some 60m of EU budget support amid a row over the funding. Human rights observers have since warned that EU funds are being used by countries including Tunisia to carry out collective expulsions of migrants, including people intercepted at sea en route to Italy, who are then put on buses and dumped in remote or desert areas. Migrants are stopped by the Tunisian maritime national guard at sea during an attempt to get to Italy last year ( AP ) And as part of the crackdown on crossings that has been funded by Europe, the UNs International Organisation for Migration warned this year that it believed some 15,000 to 20,000 migrants had become stranded in rural areas near the central Tunisian coastline. Human Rights Watch has also accused Italy and the EU of being complicit in crimes carried out against migrants intercepted at sea and returned to Libya, where the UN has warned they faced murder, enforced disappearance, torture, enslavement, sexual violence, rape, and other inhumane acts. Italys supreme court ruled this year that it is unlawful for Italy to return intercepted ships to Libya as it is not a safe country. That ruling followed long-running attempts by Rome to make it more difficult for charities rescuing migrants at sea to operate, including handing them fines for refusing to cooperate with the Libyan authorities. The fall in arrivals in Italy this year has also corresponded with a rise in arrivals via the shorter eastern Mediterranean route to Greece of nearly 57 per cent, according to the EUs border agency Frontex. These crossings previously fell under an EU deal with Turkey in 2016. Warning that Italys apparent fall in numbers must be put into context, Alberto-Horst Neidhardt, a migration specialist at the European Policy Centre think tank, noted that this years figures are in comparison with a significant surge seen in 2023, while the fact that overall arrivals to the EU have remained roughly static suggests that the flows of migration have merely shifted elsewhere. Mr Neidhart told The Independent that the reduction in arrivals is due to a combination of factors, including the obstruction of Mediterranean rescue operations and more vigorous efforts by Tunisia to prevent departures and return migrants to their countries of origin. But he warned that the deals such as those with Tunisia and Libya are short-term patchy remedies that treat the symptoms and not the root causes of irregular migration, and that they serve the purpose of saving the face of European governments by keeping their most unacceptable side-effects, including violations of human rights, as far away as possible from European voters eyes. Mr Neidhart added: There is also ample evidence that pouring money and resources into unstable countries governed by authoritarian regimes only makes the problem worse in the longer term, promoting elites economic interests, fuelling corruption, and undermining good governance. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni with British prime minister Keir Starmer ( AFP/Getty ) Italys Albania deal In a further bid to cut migration to Italy, Ms Meloni has struck a deal with Albania to create an offshore asylum processing system, which is yet to come to fruition. In an echo of the controversy around the UKs costly and long-delayed Rwanda scheme, Human Rights Watch has described Italys scheme initially intended to become operational in May as a model of mismanagement and a blueprint for abuse costing hundreds of millions of euros. But with Sir Keir now expressing interest in replicating the Albania deal, home secretary Yvette Cooper insisted on Monday that it is very, very different from the axed Rwanda plan. Under the Tory scheme, asylum seekers would have been permanently deported to Rwanda. By contrast, Albania will accept asylum seekers on Italys behalf while their claims are processed. Failed asylum seekers from safe countries will then be returned to those countries, while those whose asylum claims are successful expected to be a small minority will be brought to Italy. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni during her joint press conference with Keir Starmer at Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome ( PA ) Criticising the Albania scheme, Judith Sunderland of Human Rights Watch said in June: Italys latest gambit to offshore its responsibilities is all but guaranteed to violate peoples rights. Following its abusive deal with Libya, Italy now wants to take people who have effectively reached the country outside of the EU, breaching fundamental tenets of rescue at sea and undermining asylum rights and freedom from arbitrary detention. Both Ms Sunderland and Mr Neidhart warned that the scheme was unlikely to deter people from making dangerous boat crossings, with the latter adding: In fact, most of the persons processed in Albania will be transferred to Italy, after their procedure is over. The deal should be seen for what it is: a costly operation that moves the processing of claims outside the Italian territory, with questionable administrative benefits, ... intended to demonstrate to the Italian electorate that the government is acting on its pledge to crack down against irregular migration. It should also be seen as a deliberate and more concerted attempt to create a hostile environment for those arriving irregularly in Europe, at a time of growing social and political divisions and tensions. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Watch as Sir Keir Starmer and Giorgia Meloni share plans for tackling illegal migration at a news conference in Rome on Monday, 16 September. The prime minister has said he is very interested in Italys strategies to reduce irregular migration. Sir Keir is visiting the Italian capital as he continues his attempts to reset relations with the UKs nearest neighbours, with migration expected to be at the top of the agenda. The dramatic reductions in the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea into Italy is something the government wants to understand, the PM added. Sir Keir has indicated he is open to pursuing an arrangement similar to Italys migration deal with Albania, whereby asylum seekers will be held in the Balkan state while their claims are processed. On Monday morning, home secretary Yvette Cooper also confirmed the government is looking to Italian-style migration policies in several areas, including a deal with Albania and a major returns scheme. There are four different things that the Italians are doing that were interested in, Ms Cooper told BBC Breakfast. The first is the work that they are doing around organised immigration crime. Thats the work that we are substantially gearing up, where we will be doing a huge technology upgrade as well, and where we want to work with Italy, with Germany, with other European countries, with France as well." Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Four-week waits for a GP appointment could be on course to reach a new record high this year, new analysis suggests. The Liberal Democrats, who carried out the research, said fixing the GP crisis is critical and are campaigning for everyone to have the right to see a GP within seven days. Health and social care has been a much-discussed topic by the party leader in Brighton this weekend, as their autumn conference has continued. According to the party, NHS data suggests in the seven months to July 2024 there were 10.3 million waits of four weeks or longer for a GP appointment. Sir Ed Davey said the focus of improving the NHS should be on social care ( PA Wire ) This is higher than the 8.6 million four-week waits recorded by the same time last year when there was a record of 17.6 million four-week waits by the end of the year. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: "Everyone should be able to see a doctor when they need one, but the Conservative Party broke the NHS so badly that millions of people are waiting weeks for an appointment. "Thats why Liberal Democrats are campaigning for everyone to have the right to see a GP within seven days, or 24 hours if its urgent, and we are urging the Government to boost GP numbers to make it happen. "Fixing the GP crisis is critical to saving our NHS. If people can get seen quicker, fewer will end up in hospital in the first place. Thats better for them, better for the NHS and better for taxpayers." Sir Ed said on Sunday that his party will "focus on the NHS" as it tries to "repay the trust the electorate" put in them at the election. Speaking to Sky Newss Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme, he said: "What I want to do in this Parliament is, yes, be the champion of the NHS and care. "And I want to make sure that as we put forward our ideas, we repay the trust that the electorate put in us." Health secretary Wes Streeting said the NHS is broken ( PA Wire ) He added: "Were going to work every day to keep that trust, to earn that trust, to repay that trust, and thats why were going to focus on the NHS and care and put forward some bold proposals." The partys deputy leader Daisy Cooper is also expected to discuss the NHS in her keynote speech to the conference on Monday morning, and tell conference attendees that "you dont have freedom if youre on a waiting list so long that your world shrinks and youre stuck hobbling at home between a couple of rooms. She is expected to say: "Good health means you are free to live your life as you choose. And if you live with ill health, then good health and care services can help you live your best life, for as long as possible. "Decent health and care services are the bedrock of a liberal society." A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "The NHS is broken. These findings show how much general practice has been neglected. This government will fix this by shifting the focus of healthcare out of the hospital and into the community. "We have committed to hiring an extra 1,000 GPs into the NHS by the end of this year. In addition, we have provided a further 311 million towards GP contract funding in 24/25 - an uplift of 7.4%. We will also ensure that GPs have the resources they need to offer patients the highest quality care." Road authorities across Australia are utilising a futuristic-looking weapon in their artillery against bad drivers. Just days after a mysterious traffic device on the side of a Melbourne road was spotted spying on drivers, another photo has emerged of a similar machine after someone clearly took umbrage with its existence. Drivers were left stumped after images circulated of the futuristic-looking device, known as a traffic enforcement trailer which purports to have vandalism protection measures. The machine, made by a company called Vitrionic, is being used as part of a trial by private company Serco which provides an array of services across defence, transport, healthcare and justice. Another version of the same traffic-monitoring trailer is seen covered in what appears to be red spray paint, blocking the view of cameras inside. The image was shared widely on social media over the weekend however it appears to be an old photo with Serco revealing the truth behind the viral image of the defaced device to Yahoo News Australia, explaining the device spotted last week is not the same one that was covered in red paint. "The attached photo is an old image and the device you reported on last week has not been vandalised," a spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia. It's understood the image in question was taken in Midland, Western Australia. WA Police have been using the contraption as far back as 2018. Aussies were left a little perplexed as drivers spotted this unusual-looking machine sitting beside a Melbourne road this week. Source: Reddit The machine, called ALICE which stands for Autonomous Lidar Concept for Enforcement (ALICE), was trialled in 47 locations across the state and was rolled out further after it detected more than 11,000 speeding incidents, or an average of 234 offences every time it was used. According to Vitronic's website, the machines provide "flexible traffic enforcement at accident hotspots and remote hard-to-see measuring points". It can recognise licence plates, record driver speeds and even enforce tolls. They can operate independently for up to 10 days and claim to have vandalism protection measures, although it's unclear what that means. The trailer is equipped with a long lasting battery that allows uninterrupted operation for days, the company says. Source: Vitronic Serco tight-lipped over Melbourne roadside camera trial When contacted by Yahoo, Serco remained tight-lipped about exactly what the camera system spotted last week was monitoring at the Melbourne site but said it would be used in various locations around the city. "Serco is testing innovative ways to improve road safety outcomes. We are currently trialling different mobile and trailer road safety camera technologies," a company spokesperson said. "The trailer will be deployed in various existing and approved mobile road safety camera locations throughout September 2024." The company confirmed no fines will be issued to drivers during the current trial period. Amid rising road death tolls, states and territories across the country are rolling out fleets of new portable roadside cameras with increased capabilities to catch drivers for a myriad of road offences. This contraption could just be the latest potential addition. But many road users are being fed up with having to cough up huge sums in fines for traffic offences, taking drastic measures to fight back such as lighting them on fire. Road users have been warned that ongoing suspected arson attacks not only inflict costly damage to cameras but also threaten bushfires. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The Liberal Democrats have appeared to demand that a sacked candidate must prove the divinity of Jesus Christ in court over his claims that he was deselected because of his Christian faith. Award-winning former BBC journalist David Campanale is suing the Lib Dems after he was ejected as the partys candidate for Sutton and Cheam in south London. He claims that he was unfairly deselected because of his traditional Christian beliefs. The case has raised serious concerns over the place of Christians in the party. Former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams condemned the Lib Dems over the Campanale case and claimed that it is now impossible for orthodox Christians, Muslims or Jews to stand for the party. David Campanale is suing the Lib Dems ( BBC ) The debate appears to have centred around whether it is possible to be a Lib Dem candidate and hold socially conservative views on issues like abortion, trans rights, and same sex marriage. In his submission Mr Campanales lawyer had put that his Christian beliefs were protected under section 10 of the Equalities Act. These included that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life referenced in St Johns Gospel chapter 14 verse 6. But in response the Lib Dem legal defence said that Mr Campanale should legally prove the statement of faith to be true in court. It said: [The statement] is outside the defendants knowledge and neither admitted nor denied; the claimant is required to prove the same. Dr Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury (PA) ( PA Archive ) It is understood that Mr Campanale is considering bringing in expert witnesses to give evidence on the veracity of his beliefs including former Archbishop Williams and Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey who himself professes to be a Christian. The issue of proving the divinity of Christ, the complexities of the Holy Trinity and proof of Gods existence have been debated for centuries by theologians and philosophers. The standard arguments are often seen as St Thomas Aquinas five ways to prove Gods existence - motion, efficient cause, possibility and necessity, graduation and design. Speaking to The Independent, Mr Campanale said: "God needs no defence. He is after all the Judge. Its whether the Liberal Democrats continue to be seen as out of touch in the dock of public opinion with the liberalism and tolerance of the British people. A lot of people back my Christian conviction that our nation's liberties were built upon Biblical foundations and the great story of Christian struggle through the generations for the abolition of slavery, the rights of children not to be sent up chimneys and the existence of trade unionism. If the party rediscovered and celebrated that story and not ridicule it, voters would pay the Lib Dems greater attention. In the same document the Lib Dems also disavowed two giants of their partys recent history Charles Kennedy and Baroness Shirley Williams who themselves were traditional Christians. Luke Taylor, the local councillor alleged to be at the forefront of forcing Mr Camanale out before replacing him as the Sutton and Cheam candidate, was accused of saying that party of Kennedy and Williams was over. In its submission the party acknowledged this was the case saying: It is admitted that Mr Taylor said words to the effect that the party of past prominent Liberal Democrat with Christian beliefs, such as Shirley Williams and Charles Kennedy, was over. That was a statement of fact reflecting the current policy platforms and public political stance of the Liberal Democrats as shaped democratically by the decisions of its membership. The party has told The Independent that critics are cherry picking the document and that Campanales deselection was more about his treatment of activists. A source said: This is a case about a candidate who was dishonest and behaved badly towards local volunteers and we will not be gaslighted by him. The Liberal Democrat leader and a large number of our MPs are practising Christians, including many who were elected for the first time in July, and we refute this cherry-picking from a 34-page legal document. This is not the first time that the Lib Dem treatment of members with Christian values has come under question. Tim Farron was forced out as leader in July 2017 because of what was believed to be a backlash against his evangelical Christian views. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Sir Keir Starmer has shown great interest in Italys controversial scheme to send migrants to be processed offshore, the countrys leader Giorgia Meloni has said. A defiant Italian premier also defended her deal with Albania, brushing aside humanitarian concerns as completely groundless. Sir Keir has not ruled out a similar scheme in the UK and said he would employ British pragmatism when it comes to solving the small boats crisis, after a summit with Ms Meloni in Rome. The two met after another tragic weekend in which eight people died attempting to cross the English Channel. Before the prime ministers trip, No 10 praised Ms Meloni and said the pair would discuss her countrys success slashing boat crossings by 60 per cent over the past year. Keir Starmer with Giorgia Meloni at Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome ( PA Wire ) As well as the yet-to-begin Albania scheme, the Italian PM has struck financial deals with countries including Tunisia and Libya in a bid to prevent small boats setting off from north Africa. In the wake of the summit, the UK is expected to give some 4m to an initiative called the Rome Process, an Italian government scheme to tackle the root causes of irregular migration. After their meeting, Ms Meloni told a press conference: "The UK government has shown great interest in this [Albania] agreement." Earlier the home secretary Yvette Cooper defended the deal describing it as very, very different from Rishi Sunaks widely condemned Rwanda plan. Under the Conservatives scheme, which Labour scrapped immediately after taking power, asylum seekers would have been sent on a one-way ticket to the African nation, whether or not their asylum application was successful. Under the Meloni plan, Albania will accept asylum seekers on Italys behalf while their claims are processed. Those whose claims are successful, expected to be a small minority, will be brought to Italy, while failed asylum seekers from safe countries will be returned to their home country. Labour insists te scheme is very different from Rishi Sunak and Suella Bravermans Rwanda plan ( PA Archive ) But Steve Valdez-Symonds from Amnesty International said there should be no question of the UK doing deals to offload its responsibilities onto other countries. After the Conservative governments shameful attempt at this, the last thing needed is yet another government pursuing schemes to avoid fulfilling the UKs comparatively modest refugee obligations rather than showing some leadership and taking responsibility. Labour MP Diane Abbott described the Italian leader as a literal fascist and asked of her party leader: What does he hope to learn from her? Another Labour MP Kim Johnson has described it as disturbing that Starmer is seeking to learn lessons from a neo-fascist government particularly after the anti-refugee riots and far-right racist terrorism that swept Britain this summer. Human Rights Watch has said the Albania deal breaches fundamental tenets of rescue at sea and undermining asylum rights and freedom from arbitrary detention. It is also unlikely to deter people from making dangerous boat crossings. Ahead of his visit to Rome, Sir Keir said he was interested in the Albania deal. Asked at the weekend if he would consider seeking a similar agreement, the prime minister said: Lets see. Its early days. Im interested in how that works, I think everybody else is. Its very, very early days. Starmer and Meloni held a joint press conference after their summit ( Phil Noble/PA ) During their joint press conference, he said: We discussed the Albania arrangement, which is not up and running yet... therefore we dont yet know the outcome of it. But we discussed the concept of it, along with the prevention piece as well, because the numbers here, as Ive said, have gone down quite significantly. Thats actually not attributable, of course, to the Albania scheme, because that hasnt started. That, in my view, is more likely attributable to the work that the prime minister has done upstream... with some of the countries where migrants are coming from. He also told Ms Meloni she had made remarkable progress working with countries along migration routes as equals to address the drivers of migration at source and to tackle the gangs. Home secretary Yvette Cooper ( PA Wire ) Pressed on whether Labour would consider such a scheme, Ms Cooper told ITVs Good Morning Britain: Its very, very different. So the arrangement that they have in place and look, its not working yet, so we dont know how it will play out but it is a very, very different approach. She stressed that processing in Albania was done by Italian authorities and that there was international oversight, so it is being monitored to make sure that it meets international standards. She said the Italians were using the scheme as a way to try and fast-track decisions and returns. She added: Now we think there is another way we can fast-track decisions and returns for people who arrive from predominantly safer countries. "We should be fast-tracking those cases. We should be making sure you dont have people spending years in the asylum system, which ends up being hugely costly, hugely chaotic. Thats the system weve inherited." The Conservatives have been accused of allowing a huge backlog of asylum seeker claims to pile up as ministers waited to deport them to Rwanda, despite no flights ever leaving the UK. In an effort to boost trade, Italian companies are also set to make investments into the UK worth almost 500m. The defence, aerospace and security company Leonardo is to invest 435m this year, to be spent at their Yeovil site and in technology development and research programmes across the UK, according to Downing Street. The commitment will fund 8,000 jobs. Steel manufacturer Marcegaglia will invest 50m in Sheffield to build a new clean steel furnace, creating 50 new jobs. Shadow home secretary James Cleverly MP said: All we heard today from Starmer was more words in place of action. Meetings, press conferences, and roundtables wont stop the people smugglers. He added: The government still does not have a proper deterrent or somewhere to send failed asylum seekers we cant send home. Without answers to either of these questions, vulnerable people will continue to die in the Channel. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Watch as Sir Keir Starmer meets with Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, in Rome on Monday 16 September. The pair are expected to discuss migrant boat crossings, with Sir Keir interested in learning about Italys scheme to send migrants rescued at sea to Albania to process their asylum claims. Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, on Monday morning also confirmed the government is looking to Italian-style migration policies in a number of areas, including a deal with Albania and a major returns scheme. There are four different things that the Italians are doing that were interested in, Ms Cooper told BBC Breakfast. The first is the work that they are doing around organised immigration crime. Thats the work that we are substantially gearing up, where we will be doing a huge technology upgrade as well, and where we want to work with Italy, with Germany, with other European countries, with France as well. The second thing theyre doing is theyre working with other countries upstream to prevent people leaving North Africa in the first placeworking with Tunisia, we think we should be part of those international co-operations as well. The third thing theyre doing is major returns. So theyre speeding up returns for those who dont have a right to be there. Weve been doing that through the summer as well, so weve had a substantial increase in returns for people who dont have a right to be in the UK, because the rules need to be respected and enforced. The fourth thing theyre doing is the Albania programme, but that hasnt started yet, so well need to see what that does. Its very different from the Rwanda partnership that the UK government had, and well have to see how that plays out. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the countrys military to increase its number of troops by 180,000 to a total of 1.5 million, as Moscows military action in Ukraine drags on for more than 2 years. Putins decree, published on the official government website, will take effect Dec. 1. It sets the overall number of Russian military personnel at nearly 2.4 million, including 1.5 million troops, and orders the government to provide the necessary funding. The previous increase in Russian troop numbers came last December, when a decree by Putin set the total number of Russian military personnel at about 2.2 million, including 1.32 million troops. The most capable Russian troops have been pressing an offensive in eastern Ukraine, where they have made incremental but steady gains in the past few months. In June, Putin put the number of troops involved in what the Kremlin calls the special military operation in Ukraine at nearly 700,000. After calling up 300,000 reservists in the face of Ukraines counteroffensive in the fall of 2022, Russian authorities have switched to filling the ranks of troops fighting in Ukraine with volunteer soldiers, who have been attracted by relatively high wages. Many commentators have noted that the Kremlin has been reluctant to call more reservists, fearing domestic destabilization like what happened in 2022 when hundreds of thousands fled Russia to avoid being sent to combat. The shortage of military personnel has been widely cited as a key reason behind the success of Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region launched Aug. 6. The Kremlin has sought to avoid the redeployment of troops from eastern Ukraine and relied on reinforcements from other areas to stem the Ukrainian incursion. The Russian Defense Ministry on Monday reported reclaiming control of two more villages in the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Authorities in Nigeria have said 281 inmates escaped after devastating floods brought down a prisons walls in the country's northeast. A major dam collapsed on September 10, unleashing severe flooding that left 30 people dead and over a million displaced, and prompted evacuations across the state of Borno. The floods in Borno, the birthplace of Boko Haram militants in the Lake Chad basin, started following heavy rainfall that has also caused floods in Cameroon, Chad, Mali and Niger, all part of Africas Sahel region that usually receives little rain. Officers attempted to evacuate the city of Maiduguri's main prison last week when they found out that the prisoners had escaped, Umar Abubakar, spokesperson for the Nigeria Correctional Services said in a statement Sunday night. The floods brought down the walls of the correctional facilities including the Medium Security Custodial Centre, as well as the staff quarters in the city, Abubakar said. Security personnel were able to recapture seven of the inmates and an operation is still ongoing to locate the rest, he said. People walk through floodwaters following a dam collapse in Maiduguri, Nigeria ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) The collapse caused some of the states worst flooding since the same dam collapsed 30 years ago. The state government said the dam was at capacity due to unusually high rains. The deluge threatens not only the health and safety of the displaced but puts a strain on aid agencies and government resources, exacerbating an already critical humanitarian crisis. In the last two weeks of August, more than 1.5 million people were displaced across 12 countries in West and Central Africa due to floods, and about 465 have been killed, according to the United Nations humanitarian affairs office. Over the weekend, an additional 50,000 people were displaced in northeastern Nigeria as the floods intensified, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Monday. The situation in the Sahel and Lake Chad region is increasingly dire, as the compounding effects of conflict, displacement and climate change take a severe toll on vulnerable populations, said Hassane Hamadou, NRCs Central and West Africa regional director. The floods in West Africa come at a time of flooding in Europe after days of torrential rain that caused rivers to burst their banks in several parts of the region. Two years ago, heavy flooding in Nigeria killed more than 600 people across the country. West Africa has experienced some of the heaviest flooding in decades this year, affecting over 2.3 million people, a threefold increase from 2023, according to the UN. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A teenager scouting out a spot near a Colorado lake to take picturesque homecoming photos this weekend was shot in the face when the boyfriend of the property owner fired his weapon and yelled, Oh sh__, my gun went off, court records show. The 17-year-old boy survived the shooting and told investigators he didn't believe the man intentionally shot him. But the man who shot him, Brent Metz, a councilman in a tiny town in the Denver metro area, was arrested on suspicion of charges that include first degree assault. Metz did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. A phone number or attorney for Metz were not immediately found. He is a councilman in the town of Mountain View. The victim's friend told investigators they had hopped the fence on the property to ask the homeowners permission to take photos the coming weekend. Knocking on the door and looking around back to no avail, they headed back to their car to write a note for the homeowner. A sign off Highway 285 points motorists to Pleasant Park Road where a teenager, who was scouting for a location ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) Around that time, Metz received a call from his girlfriend, the property owner, who said there were trespassers, according to law enforcement. Metz drove up to the property as the two boys were sitting in their car. Exiting his truck, Metz leveled a gun at the two boys and fired through the windshield, the teenagers told law enforcement. The shot left one of the boys bleeding profusely from his face, a piece of his mouth missing, as his friend ran around the car and used his shirt to stanch the bleeding, the friend told investigators. Metz tried to help them, but the friend said he pushed Metz away. A scan at the hospital showed a possible bullet fragment still in the teenager's head, according to court records. Metz was arrested on charges of first degree assault, felony menacing, illegal discharge of a firearm and reckless endangerment. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} China has released an American pastor jailed in the country since 2006, the US State Department confirmed on Sunday. David Lin, 68, from Orange County in California has returned to the United States and now gets to see his family for the first time in nearly 20 years, a department spokesperson said. His release came shortly after US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi. Washington had been urging Beijing for Mr Lins release for years, claiming that he had been wrongfully held. Mr Lins family had long advocated for his release. No words can express the joy we have, his daughter Alice Lin was quoted as saying by Politico. We have a lot of time to make up for. I know that Jake Sullivan did raise my dads case, she said. Mr Lin was questioned by Chinese authorities in 2006 when he reportedly tried to open a Christian training centre in Beijing. He was barred from leaving the country and later detained. He was charged with contract fraud under vague circumstances, according to the Washington Post, and sentenced to life in prison in 2009. Mr Lin denied the charges. He received several sentence reductions over the years and was scheduled for release in 2029. Jake Sullivan and Wang Yi ( AP ) Several US politicians voiced their support for Mr Lin and urged the release of other Americans detained overseas. I am extremely glad to hear David Lin was freed, Rep Michael McCaul (R-Tex) posted on social media on Sunday. His capture, like so many others, marks a rising trend of hostage diplomacy by authoritarians around the world. Mr Lins release came just ahead of a Congressional hearing on detained Americans in China. Mr Lins case was frequently mentioned alongside the imprisonment of American businessman Mark Swidan and Kai Li in China. Both Mr Swidan and Mr Lai remain imprisoned and are considered by the US to have been wrongfully detained. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A new mugshot of Bryan Kohberger has now been released, after the man accused of committing the notorious University of Idaho murders was relocated to a new jail in Idaho. The 29-year-old former criminology lecturers trial was moved to Boise, Idaho, on September 12 after his defense team successfully argued that having the trial in Latah County, where the students were murdered, would impede legal proceedings. On Sunday, Kohberger was booked into Ada County Jail in Boise, records show some 300 miles from Moscow (where the murders occurred and the trial was originally set to take place). In his new mugshot, Kohberger is seen sporting an unkempt beard and has bloodshot eyes. The 29-year-old is accused of stabbing to death students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho, in an off-campus student home on November 13 2022. Mogen and Kernodle were living in the house at the time, while Goncalves had just recently moved out but had returned for the weekend. This new mugshot shows Bryan Kohberger in jail at Boise, Idaho ( Ada County Sheriffs Office ) Chapin was Kernodles boyfriend, and was staying in the home on the night of the attacks. Two other female roommates were also in the house at the time but were unharmed. Kohberger was arrested around six weeks later. When asked to enter a plea in court in 2023, Kohberger stood silent, prompting a judge to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf. The suspects attorneys had been fighting to get the trial moved to another location, arguing a need to find an impartial jury. In a hearing last week, they argued that there was a mob mentality surrounding the case in Latah County pointing to a survey of potential jurors some of whom said there would likely be a riot and the public might burn the courthouse down if he is not found guilty. Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, pictured together hours before the murders ( Instagram ) Prosecutors accused Kohbergers team of using flawed survey data and argued the victims families would be affected if the case was moved. The judge ultimately sided with the defense and ordered the trial to be moved, citing extensive negative publicity surrounding Kohberger. Kohbergers name and picture have been associated with terms like murderer, evil, killer, and stalker, when individuals hear that name there is a negative association, according to the order. This impact is greater in Latah County because of the saturation of the extensive media coverage. Set to stand trial in June 2025, prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Police responded to a tense situation at an Illinois elementary school last week after the schools principal got into a fight with an adult woman after discovering bags of cocaine on the ground, according to a report. The incident took place around 9.35 a.m. September 11 at Welsh Elementary School in Rockford, about an hour outside of Chicago. Shakeda Barfield, 33, arrived at the school for a scheduled meeting with the principal. The principal noticed that the woman had bags of cocaine falling from her clothes, according to WREX. The school administrator collected the bags, prompting Barfield to attack him, the outlet reported. Officials put the school on lockdown as the situation escalated, and emergency services were notified. The administrator suffered multiple non-life-threatening injuries during the incident. Barfield was taken into custody and is being held at the Winnebago County Jail without jail. She has been charged with possession of a stolen firearm, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, aggravated battery and strangulation, aggravated battery to a school employee and disorderly conduct. She is due to appear in court Monday afternoon. Its unclear if Barfield had a child attending the school at the time of the incident or why she was meeting with the schools leader. The Independent has reached out to the police department for comment. Close Related video: Gilgo Beach murders victim Jane Doe 7 identified as Karen Vergata The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} New information on Asian Doe, an unidentified victim of the Gilgo Beach killings, was released on Monday. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney revealed the victim was a biological male of Asian descent between 17 and 23 years old. His office released new sketches of the victim with both long and short hair. Because the victim was wearing exclusively womens clothing at the time of death, it is possible that they identified as a woman, or were known by others as being a woman, Tierney said. Tierney called on the community to help identify the victim, who died of blunt-force trauma: Its important that this victim get their name back. Asian Doe is one of 11 victims whose remains were found along Gilgo Beach in 2011. Suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann, 61, has been charged with the murders of five of the 11 victims, including four female sex workers known as the Gilgo Four who disappeared between 2007 and 2010. He is also charged with the murder of Sandra Costilla, whose body was found in another area in 1993. He has pleaded not guilty. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} An Indiana dad has been found guilty after his six-month-old son nearly died from more than 50 rat bites at their vermin-infested home, court records say. David Schonabaum, 32, was convicted of three counts of child neglect for his young son and two other children in the home, in what the county prosecutor branded a shocking case. Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Diana Moers revealed the six-month-old is now permanently disfigured after suffering the horrific rat bites while lying in his bassinet before emergency services arrived at the home in Evansville on September 13, 2023. When paramedics and police arrived the infant was laying in his crib in a pool of blood and the bites were so bad on his body including his face, mouth, and extremities that they left bone showing on one hand, she per the Evansville Courier & Press. In their closing arguments, the prosecution argued it was Schonabaums responsibility to maintain a safe and healthy home for his children, but instead allowed the conditions to worsen knowingly. David Schonabaum, Angel Schonabaum, and Delaina Thurman when they were charged with various counts of neglect in 2023 ( Vanderburgh County Jail ) They also claimed the Department of Child Services (DCS) had been telling him to improve the home for two years before his baby suffered the harrowing injuries, and that a pest control specialist gave him 5-to-10 reusable rat traps on two different occasions, with no sign of them being used. Schonabaum was arrested with his wife and the childrens mother, Angel Schonabaum, 29, as well as their aunt, Delaina Thurman, one year ago. Thurman, David Schonabaums sister, has two children of her own and was sentenced to two years of probation in January after reaching a plea deal on neglect charges. The Evansville Police Department (EPD) arrived at the home after David Schonabaum reported the baby needed emergency medical assistance after they woke to find him covered in blood, his fingers appearing to be chewed off. Doctors found more than 50 rodent bites on his forehead, cheek and nose alone. More were down his arms, legs, feet and toes. The index and pinky fingers on his right hand were missing the flesh halfway down each finger, police said. After stabilizing the baby, first responders took him to a local hospital. Upon arrival, his temperature was around 93.5 and his blood pressure was 50/30. His condition was described as so severe he was airlifted by helicopter to a more specialized hospital in Indianapolis. Doctors described it as a near fatal event to police. The child had lost so much blood that the child actually had to have blood transfusions as well. Several fingers had to be amputated, EPD Sergeant Anna Gray told WEHT. The only reason that we even knew about it was because the dad woke up and the baby was covered in blood, she continued. Its kind of one of those situations where they were just not paying attention. Police said the room where both the baby and his parents slept was overwhelmed by rubbish and rat feces, his bassinet and blanket smeared with blood. They also found rodent footprints in the blood on the diaper disposal bin, according to the affidavit. Angel Schonabaum has yet to stand trial. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A man who stabbed his wife to death at a Bible study hosted by his sister has been sentenced to 33 years in prison. Robert Castillo, a 41-year-old from Minnesota, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and apologized in court for killing his wife, ABC News reported. Castillo and his wife, Corinna Woodhull, 41, were married for about two years and shared five children when they attended Castillos sisters Bible study on March 21, 2023. At approximately 9 p.m. that night in a home in St. Paul, Castillo leaned in close to his wife and reportedly whispered something in her ear, CBS reported. She shook her head as if to say no, at which point Castillo pulled out a concealed hunting knife and stabbed her multiple times until the family was able to snatch the weapon from his hands, prosecutors said. Robert Castillo admitted murdering his wife at his sisters Bible class and has been sentenced to 33 years in jail ( Courtesy of Ramsey County ) St. Paul police described a chaotic scene, with multiple people restraining Castillo before officers arrested him at the house, said CBS. Woodhull ultimately died at the hospital. Castillos attorney, Mark Austin, said his client was unable to remember anything about the attack as he took so many drugs that morning. Nevertheless, Castillo accepted responsibility for his actions, telling the court: Im taking full responsibility for my actions, even if I dont recall anything that happened that day due to my... drug-induced psychosis. Woodhulls family was hesitant about the marriage due to her Castillos troubled past, which included eight prior felony convictions, including second-degree assault for beating another woman with a hammer, according to ABC. Her mother, Linda Castle, told NBC her daughter wanted to help people who couldnt help themselves and she thought she could save him. Police uncovered divorce papers in the victims car, which Castle assumes were a clear motive behind her murder. She knew it was time to walk away, and thats why shes dead, she said. In a GoFundMe that was set up in Woodhulls memory, the family wrote: She was a victim of domestic violence, her husband stabbed her at Bible Study and she was pronounced dead at the hospital. We want to raise money to help honor Corrina's life and legacy. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} When young Kobe Jones discovered the festive decorations, two trash bags filled with water balloons and a water slide, hidden at his mothers house, he knew she was planning exactly what he had hoped for a splash birthday party. But the water loving boy never got his celebration. On August 28, 2003, two weeks before Kobe turned six, his mother dropped him off at school and he never saw her again. Dymashal Cullins, a 32-year-old real estate loan officer, spent that day working and running errands in the Atlanta area and then had dinner with a friend, according to phone calls she had with her mother and her estranged husband that day. But that night, she never returned home. I remember there was this energy she gave off that day, Kobe told The Independent, recalling the last time he saw her. She knew something was wrong. Told me and my brother to look out for each other. Everything about that day was weird. Two weeks later, Kobes birthday came and went, and there was still no sign of his mother. Thats when I knew something was wrong, he said. Because she wouldve been there. Dymashal Cullins, a 32-year-old mother of five, pictured with her children before she went missing ( Family handout ) The 1994 red Jeep Grand Cherokee that Dymashal was driving was found three weeks after her disappearance, abandoned in an apartment complex parking lot, along with her purse. That was 21 years ago. There have been few tips and leads in that time. This week, Kobe will celebrate his 27th birthday. His mother is still missing. But he has never given up hope that she will be found alive. In 2010, Dymashal was declared dead and her case grew cold. But her family believes there was not enough done by law enforcement and they have pushed for the police to keep investigating. Earlier this month, their determination paid off. The Atlanta Police Department announced they were reopening her case giving the family a sense of hope. We got the case reopened so thats something, thats big, Kobe told The Independent. Now its time to get answers. Its time to find my mom. Dee Dees 2003 disappearance It was the end of a hot, humid Georgia summer in 2003 when Dymashal, known as Dee Dee to her loved ones, seemingly vanished without a trace. She was 32 years old at the time and a dedicated mother to five children, including twin girls. Dymashal and the father of the twins were married but separated, although in early 2003, they considered reconciling. He moved back into her house in August the same month she vanished despite Dymashal telling her mother just a month prior that she wanted to file for divorce. She was dating a new guy, Dymashals mother Viola Corbitt told Essence. She was laughing and happy when she called me. Their conversation took place on August 28, 2003 around 7pm. It was the last time Viola spoke to her daughter. Dymashal Cullins disappeared on August 28, 2003. Her case went cold, but is now being reopened ( Family handout ) While Dymashal was out running errands that day, she also allegedly called her estranged husband, who was home with the children, at 11.30pm, to tell him she had just dropped a friend off and would be home shortly. But Dymashal never returned home that night or the next morning. Her concerned husband rang Viola, who, along with her family and friends, began trying to contact Dymashal but their calls went unanswered. Viola had a gut feeling something was wrong and filed a missing persons report with Atlanta police. The friend she was with that night later told police, according to the report, that he also tried to call her the next morning, but her phone was off. The friend, whose name was not released, told police he last saw Dymashal at 11.50 pm on August 28, 2003. Theyd spent several hours having dinner together, he said. ( Supplied ) She then left in a 1994 red Jeep Grand Cherokee with Georgia Wildlife tag 11 HE9, and her last known location was near the 600 block of Mayland Avenue, in Atlanta. Dymashals mother told police the Jeep belonged to her coworker, Allen Jameson, who confirmed at the time that he had let Dymashal borrow it. She needed a vehicle, and I had two, Jameson told 11Alive last month. These are things you do for friends where I come from. A clue in the mail Three weeks after Dymashal was last seen, Viola received her daughters drivers license in the mail and alerted the detective on the case. This led to the discovery of the missing Jeep which was found abandoned at an apartment complex in Decatur, just outside of Atlanta. A man who said he noticed the Jeep at the complex found the ID on the ground next to it and mailed it to the address. He was interviewed by police at the time, but was cleared of any involvement with her disappearance, according to Viola. There was red dirt on the drivers side of the car and police found Dymashals purse and a bloodstained blanket inside the vehicle, according to her mother. She said the police never said anything else about the blood stain. No leads, no answers As the 21st anniversary of Dymashals disappearance approached this August her mother once again pleaded for answers. You could lay there and think that somebody has her, torturing her, or she could just be somewhere that they threw her away like she wasnt anything, Viola tearfully said in an interview with 11Alive. And you have those nights, you have those days, to where you say, God, just please give me some peace. Let me have her one way or the other. I dont care how you give her to me, just give her back. Dymashal Cullinss mother Viola Corbitt is pleading for answers ( 11Alive ) Viola claimed there were many aspects of the case that police never investigated. Through the years, she alerted police to clues she thought to be suspicious. But they always brushed her off, she said. I told my detectives a lot of things, Viola said. He [one of the detectives] told me to stop watching 48 hours. I wanted them to do their job and find my daughter, but they didnt, Viola said. I felt like they [the police] didnt do a lot of what they could have done. I felt like they closed the case early. I didnt give up on the case. Even years after, we would still go out and pass out flyers. Dymashals case has been closed since 2010, her son Kobe wrote in a GoFundMe campaign. Her family hopes reopening the case will lead to answers ( Atlanta Police Department ) The account was created last month to help raise money for their search efforts, to hire a private investigator and ultimately to reopen her case unaware that investigators were going to reopen it themselves just weeks later. Kobe wrote that the funds will go to support not only his mothers case, but also used to support other missing women in the Atlanta area. It will be an honor to get answers and finally be able to get justice, he wrote. And the lack of police attention is part of a wider systemic issue, her mother noted. Im sorry to say it, they do not look for Black women the way they look for white women, Viola said. Its just another person whos missing to them. According to statistics from the Black and Missing Foundation, thousands of people are reported missing every year in the U.S. and while not every case will get widespread media attention, the coverage of white victims versus minority victims is far from proportionate. New investigator, renewed hope Dymashals family still takes to the Atlanta streets and hands out fliers to the community with the hope that someone will have information that will lead them to her. We try to do something every year, Kobe said, adding that social media has helped get his mothers story out. For so many years, it didnt seem like people cared, he said. But I see now that they do. Last week, the family finally received some hopeful news. Atlanta police announced that Dymashals case was being reopened and a new investigator would be assigned. Son Kobe Jones hangs a missing poster in August ( Supplied ) Her family hopes this is the key to finding her. I pray to God that something will come out of this, Viola said in a recent interview with 11Alive. But theres still hard work to be done. I dont know what made them reopen the case, maybe the interviews, but they did it, Kobe said. We cant slow down now. Dymashal, who would be 53 years old if found alive now, has been described by her loved ones as a dedicated daughter, a caring friend and a loving mother. At the time of her disappearance, her black hair was colored light brown, according to the flier. The 5ft 6in woman with brown eyes has a tattoo on the right side of her neck of a dove and a rose with the name Dee Dee written underneath. She also has pierced ears and another tattoo of a rose on her right shoulder blade. I believe shes still out there, the son said. I say that is because of how strong she was as a person. Thats me keeping the hope alive. Anyone with information that could lead to the whereabouts of Dymashal Cullins is urged to call the Atlanta Police Department at 404-546-5602. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} For nearly two decades, a smoldering trash bag containing human remains that was found dumped on a street in Atlanta has remained a mystery. The remains were partial, as the hands, feet, and head were missing leaving investigators with more questions than answers and the case quickly went cold. A closer look at the case and advancements in DNA technology finally led to a breakthrough in 2023. Investigators were able to identify the remains as Nicole Alston, a 24-year-old woman from Manhattan, New York, who left the Big Apple in 2007 with her friend Angel Marie Thompson for a new life in Atlanta, Georgia. Her family said the last time they heard from her was Thanksgiving of that same year. In a bizarre twist, for eight years after the body parts were found in 2007, Alston appeared to be alive and well according to the use of social security benefits, food stamps and, at one point, Section 8 housing. Turns out, it wasnt Alston. Instead, it was her good friend Angel Marie Thompson, who she had begun her Atlanta adventure with years earlier. Authorities say she had been assuming Alstons identity and collecting her benefits from 2007 to 2015, totalling $200,000. A social security card ( Associated Press ) In August 2024, Thompson was arrested and charged with concealing the death of Alston. Prosecutors allege that Thompson, after the discovery of Alstons remains, "began identifying herself as Alston and was collecting Alstons (social security) benefits, food stamp allotment, acquiring Section 8 housing all as Nicole Alston, according to a news release. But the Troup County Sheriffs Office added that it "has not been determined who actually killed Alston and the investigation continues. So the question remains who killed her? A gruesome discovery A suspicious black bag left smoldering on an Atlanta street horrified locals when it was found. Deputies responded to the intersection of Whitfield Road and Stitcher Road on December 6, 2007, where they discovered the burning bag. Inside were partial human remains. It was determined that the remains were of an adult Black woman, but no identity was made. Meanwhile, Thompson allegedly took over her friends identity after she died. The charade ended in 2015 when the Social Security Administration tried to contact Alston to have her requalify for benefits, the sheriffs office said. At that point, Thompson took back her own identity. But investigators began to connect the dots and link the two cases for the first time when DNA in the 2007 human remains case was sent in early 2023 to labs in Virginia and Houston for analysis as part of a renewed focus on cold cases. Angel Marie Thompsons mug shot following her arrest ( Troup County Sheriffs Office ) "Those results were then sent to the GBI crime lab for comparison, they said. On December 13, 2023 our office received word that a positive DNA match was made and the identity was that of Nicole Alston whose last known residence was Manhattan, New York and she was 24 years of age at that time. This led to investigators speaking with Alstons family, who said they lost contact with her around Thanksgiving 2007 after she moved to Atlanta with Thompson. Investigator Clay Bryant determined that following Alstons death, Thompson began identifying herself as Alston and was collecting her benefits. On August 19, Thompson was arrested and charged with concealing Alstons death. At this time, we cant really say 100% if this person was the killer or not, Sgt. Stewart Smith with the Troup County Sheriffs Office told local ABC affiliate WSB. We dont believe the actual homicide took place in Troup County. We believe it took place somewhere else, and it [Alstons remains] was just discarded there on the side of the road. Thompson was released from county jail on a $15,000 bond. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} For two hours on April 5, authorities tried coaxing Shane Curry and his partner from the bedroom of their Stow, Massachusetts, home. Get the f*** out, you creeps, the 20-year-old shouted back as officers banged on his locked door, trying to enter to carry out a wellbeing check, police said. Stow Police Chief Michael Sallese had previously met Curry during a mental health crisis and, as he knocked on the door once more, this time, it creaked open. Authorities found Curry curled up on a mattress next to his 17-year-old partner Nevaeh River Goddard who he referred to as his twin flame, according to the indictment obtained byPeople. But Goddard was lying motionless. Officers pulled back a blanket that was covering their body and noticed obvious signs of injury, according to a statement released by the Middlesex County District Attorneys Office last Friday. The teen was covered in bruises and stab wounds, and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the DA offices statement. I spoke to the boyfriend, grandfather Michael Simmons, who raised Goddard as a child, told 10WJAR five days later. He promised to take care of her. On April 7, the fiance of Goddards mother, Heather Coyne, called for Curry to face the death penalty, writing in a Facebook post that he should rot in hell. Shane Curry, a 20-year-old accused of murdering his teenager partner ( 10WJAR/YouTube ) One month later, on September 4, Curry faced Judge Patrick Haggaan at Middlesex Superior Court and was charged with first degree murder. He was accused of stabbing his partner to death with a sword, with the weapon found alongside a kitchen knife in the bedroom, according to the indictment. After being handcuffed and taken out of the bedroom, Curry told officers that the couple had gotten into a fight over Goddards alleged infidelity. Curry then allegedly began beating his partner for their cheating addiction, court documents said. The bruises arent working, Curry allegedly told police. Hitting her, thats not working, so okay, I have to knife her, so I do. Then, Curry plunged the sword into Goddards abdomen, authorities said. He allegedly noted it was horrifying as he stabbed his partner again, with an autopsy revealing puncture wounds to the neck, torso, arms and liver. Upon learning Goddard wasnt breathing, Curry told authorities that he sliced his own arms in a bid to take his own life, according to the indictment. Curry was taken into custody and transported to hospital for evaluation. Nevaeh Goddard was first reported missing at just 15 ( Nardolillo Funeral Home/ Kristin Goddard & Heather Coyne ) He was initially arraigned in Concord District Court on April 6 on charges of assault and battery on a household or family member and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, according to the statement from the DAs office. Goddard, who used she/they pronouns and identified as non-binary, was laid to rest at Nardolillo Funeral Home in Cranston, Rhode Island, on April 20, according to an obituary page set up by their family. Goddard would have turned 18 in July. The teen had a tough start to life, according to Simmons, with their mother Kristin Goddard giving birth while serving a sentence in a Pennsylvania prison. Goddard then spent part of their childhood in foster care. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children had listed Goddard as missing since April 2022. Kristin said her child ran away after Rhode Islands Department for Children, Youth & Families requested that Goddard receive behavioral treatment at a state facility, she told Boston 25 News. Despite Goddards tumultuous upbringing, their amazing, outgoing personality shone through, according to an obituary. She was very creative and artistic, she loved to write her own music. Her cuddly nature was only matched by her quick wit, and goofiness, it continued. Devastated family and friends shared their condolences on the obituary page, with aunt Nancy writing: I will light a million candles for you just so you can see how much you are loved by everyone. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A Waffle House customer has been accused of fatally shooting a teenage employee after getting agitated about a food order. Laurinburg Police responded to reports of shots being fired at the restaurant in Laurinburg, North Carolina, at around 12.42am on Friday. Upon arrival, officers found Burlie Dawson Locklear, an 18-year-old Waffle House employee, suffering from a gunshot wound. Locklear was taken to Scotland Memorial Hospital where he later died. The suspect, Florwer Carlin Lizano, 38, remains at large and is wanted for first-degree murder according to ABC4 News. Burlie Dawson Locklear, 18, (pictured) was shot in the early hours of Friday morning ( Laurinburg Police Department ) Police said that the suspect had arrived at the fast food chain and ordered food, but while it was being prepared he grew agitated and verbally abusive towards staff. As soon as he received his food, the suspect allegedly walked towards his dark grey 2014-plate Chevrolet but turned back. He allegedly fired two shots at the food chain striking Locklear before fleeing, police said. Suspect (pictured in surveillance footage) is wanted for allegedly shooting Waffle House worker ( Laurinburg Police Department ) Lizano is described as a Black male with light skin, with long dreads, facial hair including a beard and mustache, between 5ft8 and 5ft10 tall and last seen wearing dark blue pullover hoodie, blue jeans, and white shoes. In a statement to News13, Waffle House said: We are mourning the tragic death of one of our Waffle House Associates, who was the victim of an outrageous act of violence early this morning at our Laurinburg, NC restaurant. Police said suspect (pictured) arrived at the fast food chain and ordered food, then grew agitated and verbally abusive towards staff ( Laurinburg Police Department ) The death of our Associate, 18-year-old Burlie Dawson Locklear, known simply as Dawson to his friends and family, is horrific. We offer our sincerest and deepest sympathy to his family and friends. We are offering free counseling services to our Associates as we all mourn this tragic loss of life. Police urged anyone with information to contact the Laurinburg Police Department Lt. J. White at 910-276-3211 and Scotland County Crimestoppers. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The remains of a three-year-old missing boy have been found by a hunter months after he went missing. Police confirmed on Friday that the skeletal remains were that of the boy who vanished in Northeastern Wisconsin in February. Elijah Vue was last seen at the home of his mother's boyfriend in Two Rivers, a city of 11,270 people about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Green Bay, police said during an afternoon news conference. A hunter preparing his property in the town of Two Rivers, a rural municipality that encircles the city, for deer season discovered the skeletal remains on September 7, Two Rivers Police Chief Benjamin Meinnert said. A forensic anthropologist at the state crime lab identified them as Elijah Vue. "This is not the outcome that we hoped for," Meinnert said. The family is devastated. We are devastated. The community is devasted. People pause for hope during a vigil held for 3-year-old Elijah Vue at Walsh Field, March 16, 2024 ( USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin 2024, copyright, all rights reserved ) Elijah's mother, Katrina Baur, 31, of Wisconsin Dells, was charged in February with one felony count of being a party to child neglect and two misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing an officer. She has pleaded not guilty. Her boyfriend, Jesse Vang, 39, of Two Rivers, was charged the same day with one felony count of being a party to child neglect. He also pleaded not guilty. According to a criminal complaint, Bauer had left her son with Vang on February 12 because she wanted Vang to teach him to be a man. Vang called police on February 20 and reported the boy missing, telling police he had taken a nap and brought the boy in the bedroom with him. When he woke up three hours later he was gone. The boy's remains were found about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from where he was last seen, Meinnert said. The chief said the investigation into what happened to Elijah will continue. Baur's attorney, Amber Gratz, didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The phone at the office of Vang's attorney, Timothy Hogan, was malfunctioning on Friday afternoon and no one immediately responded to an email left in the office's general inbox. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The true K-hive? San Francisco visitors now have the opportunity to stay in one of the vice presidents former homes, thanks to a new Airbnb listing - but it will set you back a pretty penny for a months stay. The one-bedroom and one-and-a-half bath condo, purchased by Zhengtao Ji for $860,000 in 2021, features a loft-style apartment, terrace, tons of natural light, an in-unit washer and dryer set and parking. Kamala Harris owned the apartment for 17 years. She bought it for $489,000 in 2004, The New York Times reported, after she was sworn in as San Franciscos District Attorney. She ultimately sold it to move to Los Angeles with her husband Doug Emhoff before leaving for Washington, DC. Kamala Harris former apartment in San Francisco is available to rent on Airbnb - for a whopping $6,000 a month. ( Courtesy of the Airbnb Community ) Located on the top floor of a boutique building, 260 Clara #6 is an elegant haven in the convenient South of Market neighborhood. Harris purchased this condo in 2004. This year was significant as it was the same year she became the first-ever female District Attorney in San Francisco, an Airbnb listing reads. The only catch is that potential renters need to be in town for 30 days and have a spare $6,000, the cost of the monthly rental. San Francisco has strict housing rules, which is why Ji, a Silicon Valley software engineer, decided to list it as a month-long stay. The cost per night is about $200. The unit is located in the South of Market district, a short commute to sights such as the Golden Gate Bridge. Its also the place where Emhoff proposed to Harris, she wrote in her memoir. Harris owned the apartment for 17 years and sold it for $489,000 in 2004. ( Getty Images ) When Harris debated Trump last week, the units current renter, Lata Setty, hosted a debate party at the condo to encourage people to cast their votes for the vice president in the November election, the Times reported. When Harris mentioned she owned the gun during the debate, a partygoer made a joke about searching the condo for firearms. Harris did not advertise the condo as her own when she went to sell, but potential buyers were later told that disclosure forms would include a famous seller. Ji did not wish to be interviewed for The Times story but said he thinks the condo is a nice and cozy place. He seems pleased with the publicity, writing in the listings description: AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE INSIDE THE HOME PREVIOUSLY OWNED BY VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS! Close Long-time friend of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush said Titan sub explosion was expected The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush allegedly declared that he would buy a congressman to make issues surrounding the Titan subs certification go away, a witness testified. Matthew McCoy, who worked at the submersible company for six months from April 2017, addressed the Titan Marine Board of Investigation panel on Friday for the final day of the two-week long hearing into Titans disaster voyage in June 2023. After raising concerns about an alleged lack of certificate of inspection for the first Titan sub in 2017, McCoy testified that Rush told him, I would buy a congressman to make problems disappear during a lunch meeting. The ex-OceanGate employee said that he quit soon after. He was either trying to intimidate me or impress me, he testified. McCoy also alleged that the OceanGate engineering department was full of college interns during his time at the company, adding that he doesnt believe there was a professional engineer on staff. Captain Jamie Frederick, member of the US Coast Guard who oversaw rescue mission of the Titan and its five crew, began testifying after McCoy. Coast Guard Search and Rescue Specialist Scott Talbot was the last person to testify. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} All good here. Those were some of the final words that the doomed Titan submersible crew communicated before the submersible imploded on its mission to the Titanic wreckage site in June 2023. The message, revealed as part of the Coast Guards Monday hearing into the circumstances of the failed mission, was sent to support vessel Polar Prince on June 18, 2023, shortly before the submersible imploded, killing all five of its crew members. It was an incident that captivated both sides of the Atlantic as crews made a mad dash to save the crew after the sub lost contact with the surface - with the world unaware that the lives had been lost. The Coast Guard played an animated re-enactment of the Titans voyage that captured the submersibles final, spotty exchange with the Polar Prince, during the Monday hearing that shed new light on the subs final mission. Around 10am on June 18, Polar Prince asked the Titan crew whether they were able to see the support vessel on the submersibles display. The support vessel asked the crew the same question seven times over the course of seven minutes. The Titan crew then sent k, meaning it was asking for a communications check. The Polar Prince then repeated its question three more times before writing: I need better comms from you. The crew finally replied yes at 10.14am before adding: All good here. At 10.47am, the communication between the two vessels was lost. The Titan submersible was found on June 22, 2023, the seafloor after days of searching after it imploded. New photos show it on the ocean floor after it was discovered, and the lives of the five on board were lost on the way to the Titanic wreckage site. ( ROV image of TITAN tail cone. Source: Pelagic Research Services, June 2023 ) All five of its crew members later died as a result of the implosion: founder Stockton Rush, 61, French explorer Paul Henri Nargeolet, 77, British explorer Hamish Harding, 58, UK-based Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48 and his 19-year-old son Suleman. In its presentation on Monday, the Coast Guard also revealed a pattern of failures that the Titan experienced during its test dives long before it set out to the wreckage site. Test dives in 2021 revealed 70 equipment issues while dives the following year revealed 48 equipment issues, including drop weights malfunction. On top of those issues, after the last test dive in 2022 until February 6, 2023, the vessel was stored uncovered in a dock without protection from the elements. The first witness before the panel, Tony Nissen, former OceanGate engineering director, took the stand on Monday, pulling back the curtain on the internal dynamics of the company as well as some disagreements between Stockton Rush and OceanGate employees. This undated image provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible ( OceanGate Expeditions ) When Nissen was hired, he wasnt directly told that the submersible was going to the wreckage site. He testified: I was never told they were going to the Titanic. Nissen also said he was struggling to find the professional words to describe Rush. Stockton would fight for what he wanted...And he wouldnt give an inch much. At all, he said. Most people would eventually back down from Stockton. It was like death by a thousand cuts. The submersible was struck by lightning in 2018, partially damaging the hull, Nissen testified. The following year, after finding that the accoustic tests were not coming out clean, he objected an expedition to the Titanic site, since he found the hull was compromised. After refusing to give his approval, he was fired. He told the panel: I wouldnt sign off on it. So I got terminated. Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John's, Newfoundland, June 28, 2023. ( AP ) When asked if there was pressure to start operations, Nissen said: 100 percent. The Coast Guard is investigating the circumstances surrounding the loss of the submersible, Marine Board of the Investigation chair Jason Neubauer said. The investigation will look for factors that led to this catastrophe and try to learn how to prevent them in the future as well as examine whether the acts of misconduct, negligence, or willful violation of the law contributed to these casualties. The hearings, expected to span two weeks, will also investigate the Coast Guards search and rescue operations. After the hearing, it was clarified that Tony Nissen was referring to a prototype carbon fiber hull created in 2016, which was never used on Titanic expeditions. After Nissen left OceanGate in 2019, the company manufactured a new carbon fiber hull, which was used on the Titanic expeditions. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} An experienced backpacker has been found dead two weeks after he was scheduled to return from a hike in Yosemite National Park. Kirk Thomas Olsen, a 61-year-old former park ranger, had set off on his backpacking trip across the Ostrander Lake Area, near Glacier Point, on August 23, according to the National Park Service. The 11.4-mile round-trip hike, which runs through pine forest to views of granite domes and Ostrander Lake, is known to be strenuous with a steep 1,500-foot (450 m) elevation gain, according to NPS. Olsen had only intended to be hiking for four days. But two weeks later, there was still no sign of the missing 61-year-old. On Saturday, Olsens body was found. National Park officials have not revealed his cause of death or where exactly his body was found. Olsen (right) pictured with his niece Holly Leeson (left) had been overdue for two weeks ( Holly Leeson/Facebook ) Olsens niece Holly Leeson said on Facebook that Mother Nature may have played a part in the tragedy. She had previously posted asking for help in finding her uncle. He is an experienced hiker and former park ranger himself, and as a family, we are struggling to understand what has happened to him out there and any information would be very helpful to us!... she wrote. In a follow-up post confirming his death, she wrote: Thank you to everyone for the prayers and well wishes. His body was found which is not the outcome we as a family hoped for but I would like to say a genuine thank you to Yosemite National Park for their diligent efforts to find him, and to this community for the support. My late uncle was an experienced hiker and a former State Park ranger, unfortunately, Mother Nature in all of her glory does not account for past experience and solo hiking is never an endeavor that is without risks. She urged other hikers to always travel with a companion to stay safe. As of this year, three individuals remain missing in Yosemite: Joel Thomazin (last seen 2021), Sandra Johnsen-Hughes (last seen 2020), and Peter Jackson (last seen 2016), according to NPS. Previously, a 2017 Freedom of Information request revealed that a total of 33 unsolved missing persons cases had been recorded in the history of Yosemite though it is unclear what that figure is today. The Independent has pursued up-to-date statistics via an FOI. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A 64-year-old couple was acquitted in the murder trial of Amber Haigh, a 19-year-old intellectually disabled mother who disappeared in 2002. On Monday, Justice Julia Lonergan delivered the verdict in the New South Wales Supreme Court, citing insufficient evidence to prove the prosecutions alleged motive in the case that gripped Australian media. Robert and Anne Geeves, both 64, were accused of killing Haigh to take the five-month-old baby she allegedly had in January 2002 with Mr Geeves. They were charged with her murder in 2022. The couple, however, consistently denied harming Haigh or having any involvement in her disappearance. They claimed they drove Haigh from their home in Kingsvale to the Campbelltown railway station on 5 June 2002, so she could visit her dying father. According to the Geeveses, Haigh voluntarily left her infant son with them before departing. However, she failed to arrive at the nearby Mt Druitt hospital for a scheduled visit with her ailing father, sparking concerns about her disappearance. Despite extensive police investigations, a coronial inquiry, and a million-dollar reward for information, Haighs body was never found. The prosecution relied on witness testimony and documentation to support their theory, including accounts of Haighs vulnerable state and alleged abuse by Robert Geeves. However, the defence argued the allegation was baseless and the investigation flawed. They said the couple had been seen by the surrounding community through a haze of mistrust and suspicion which impacted witnesses. Justice Lonergan criticised the prosecutions case, stating, "cases are not decided on rumor, speculation, or suspicion". She, however, noted, "there was little sign, in the sea of evidence in this case, that Amber was ever shown the love she needed or deserved." The judge described Haighs life as marked by "disruption and disadvantage". She said Haigh was "physically attacked and abused" by people she trusted and made to feel unsafe by her own family. Haighs short life was characterised by her search for love and solace, which ultimately remained unfulfilled. The prosecution sought to prove two "indispensable facts": that the Geeveses had a shared motive to kill Haigh to assume control of her baby, and that they did not drive Haigh to the train station on the evening of 5 June 2002. However, Justice Lonergan said, "I am not persuaded that either indispensable fact is proved". Mr and Mrs Geeves are not guilty and ought be released from the dock, she said. The verdict was met with emotional reactions from Haighs relatives, with some breaking down in tears outside court. One member of the public gallery stormed out of the courtroom, screaming, reported BBC News. The Geeveses were released from custody immediately, having spent two years in prison awaiting trial. As the acquittal brought an end to the high-profile trial, Justice Lonergan reflected, "Amber went back and forth between places and people, looking for love and solace. She never found it. She was still looking for it when she disappeared." For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A rare, smelly and yellow-eyed penguin species has been crowned New Zealands bird of the year for the second time in less than a decade. The hoiho, which translates as noise shouter in the Maori language, won the countrys fiercely fought avian election on Monday, offering hope to supporters of the endangered bird that recognition from its victory might prompt a revival of the species. The yellow-eyed, shy bird is thought to be the worlds rarest penguin and is the largest of New Zealands mainland penguin species. The birds, with their distinctive pale yellow bands of feathers, live along parts of New Zealands South and Chatham Islands and in the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands. A hoiho bird in New Zealand ( AP ) Despite conservation efforts, the hoiho population has dropped perilously by 78 per cent in the past 15 years, and 18 per cent in the last year alone, according to the Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust. There are believed to be roughly 5,000 fish-smelling penguins left in the world. The victory on Monday followed a campaign for the annual Bird of the Year vote that was free from past years foreign interference scandals. More than 50,000 people voted in the poll 300,000 fewer than last year, when British late-night host John Oliver drove a humorous campaign for the puteketeke a deeply weird bird that eats and vomits its own feathers to secure a landslide win. The hoiho has won the competition twice ( AP ) This year, the campaigners sought votes in the usual ways launching meme wars, seeking celebrity endorsements, and even getting tattoos to prove their loyalty. Birds are our heart and soul, said Emma Rawson, who campaigned for the fourth-placed ruru, a small brown owl with a melancholic call. New Zealands only native mammals are bats and marine species, putting the spotlight on its birds, which are beloved and often rare. The hoiho bid was run by a collective of wildlife groups, a museum, a brewery and a rugby team in the city of Dunedin, where the bird is found on mainland New Zealand. A hoiho or yellow-eyed penguin pictured in 2023 ( AP ) This spotlight couldnt have come at a better time. This iconic penguin is disappearing from mainland Aotearoa before our eyes, said Nicola Toki, chief executive of Forest & Bird, the organisation that runs the poll. The birds drown in nets and cant find enough food, she said, adding that hoiho are being hammered from all angles. They suffer from horrible diseases like diphtheria and get attacked by dogs. The tiny and vulnerable chicks are threatened by introduced predators such as cats, stoats and ferrets, which can wipe out an entire breeding site in a single season, she added. A karure, or Chatham Islands black robin, pictured on Chatham Island ( AP ) The hoiho drew endorsements from legendary conservationist Dr Jane Goodall, former prime minister Helen Clark, and Labour leader Chris Hipkins, making it the highest-powered campaign of the 2024 vote. The campaign has raised awareness, but what we really hope is that it brings tangible support, said Charlie Buchan, campaign manager for the hoiho. The hoiho joins the kakapo as one of the only two species of bird to win the worlds favourite avian election twice. The kakapo won in 2008 and 2020. The hoiho previously won in 2019. Over the years, the contest has become a focus of controversies. Forest & Bird demanded that electors verify their ballots after the event was plagued by foreign interference. The hoiho population has dropped drastically in just a year ( AP ) In 2018, Australian pranksters cast hundreds of fraudulent votes in favour of the New Zealand king shag. The following year, Forest & Bird was forced to clarify that a flurry of votes from Russia appeared to be from legitimate bird-lovers. While the campaigns are fiercely competitive, managers described tactics more akin to pro wrestling in which fights are scripted than divisive political contests. Sometimes people want to make posts that are kind of like beefy with you, and theyll always message you and be like, Hey, is it okay if I post this? said Emily Bull, a spokesperson for the runner-up campaign, which supported the karure a small, goth black robin only found on New Zealands Chatham Islands. There is a really sweet community. Its really wholesome. Additional reporting by agencies For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} America has announced new sanctions against a commercial spyware company headed by a former Israeli military officer whose program allowed easy access to almost any information stored on a smartphone. U.S. officials and private researchers say Intellexa Consortium's products have been used for mass surveillance campaigns around the world, allowing unscrupulous users to track and obtain sensitive information from dissidents, journalists, political candidates and opposition figures. The penalties target five people and one organization connected to Intellexa, a Greece-based network of companies with subsidiaries in North Macedonia, Hungary, Ireland and the British Virgin Islands. The company developed and sold a suite of spyware tools known as Predator that allowed entry into a target's device without requiring them to click on a link or attachment. The program would then grant access to the camera and microphone as well as any data or files stored on the compromised phone. The United States will not tolerate the reckless propagation of disruptive technologies that threatens our national security and undermines the privacy and civil liberties of our citizens, said Bradley T. Smith, acting undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence. Several subsidiaries of Intellexa and two employees, including its founder, were sanctioned earlier this year by the Biden administration. Last year, the Commerce Department blacklisted Intellexa and one of its subsidiaries, denying them access to U.S. technology. The five people subject to the new penalties each held senior positions at Intellexa or one of its subsidiaries, U.S. officials say. The Aliada Group, another subsidiary based in the British Virgin Islands, also was sanctioned over allegations of enabling financial transactions for Intellexa that totaled tens of millions of dollars, officials said. Messages left with Intellexa and its executives were not immediately returned Monday. Intellexa was created in 2019 by former Israeli military officer Tal Dilian. Dilian and Sara Hamou, a corporate offshoring specialist who has provided managerial services to Intellexa, were penalized earlier this year in what Biden administration officials said was the first time sanctions were issued over the misuse of spyware. Individuals and organizations under sanctions are prohibited from engaging in business or financial transactions within the U.S. or with U.S. entities. Amnesty Internationals Security Lab published a report last year that found Predator had been used to target but not necessarily infect devices connected to the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, and the president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-Wen, as well as Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D. Europe also has faced a number of spyware incidents. Predator spyware was reportedly used in Greece, a revelation that helped precipitate the resignation in 2022 of two top government officials, including the national intelligence director. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A woman in Austria has been found guilty of fatally infecting her neighbour with COVID-19, her second pandemic-related conviction in a year, according to local media. A judge sentenced the 54-year-old on Thursday to four months suspended imprisonment and an 800-euro fine ($886.75) for grossly negligent homicide. The victim, who was also a cancer patient, died of pneumonia that was caused by the coronavirus in 2021, according to the Austrian news agency APA. A virological report showed that the virus DNA matched both the deceased and the 54-year-old woman, proving that the defendant almost 100 percent transmitted it, an expert told the court. I feel sorry for you personally, I think that something like this has probably happened hundreds of times," the judge said in court on Thursday. "But you are unlucky that an expert has determined with almost absolute certainty that it was an infection that came from you. While the judge issued the sentence Thursday, APA reported that the verdict isn't yet final. The names of the victim and defendant were not released in line with strict Austrian privacy rules. People rest after receiving the vaccination against the new coronavirus in the 'Austria Center Vienna' in Vienna, Austria, Friday, April 9, 2021 ( Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) The woman was convicted of a COVID-related offense last summer, APA had reported. The agency said she was sentenced to three months suspended imprisonment for intentionally endangering people through communicable diseases. But she was acquitted on the grossly negligent homicide charge at that time. This week, the judge heard statements from the deceased's family, who said there had been contact in a stairwell between the neighbours on December 21, 2001 when the defendant would already have known she had COVID-19. But she denied the meeting, saying she was too sick to get out of bed that day. She also said she believed she had bronchitis, which she typically gets every year. But the woman's doctor told police that the defendant had tested positive with a rapid test and told him that she certainly wont let herself be locked up" after the result. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Germany has reintroduced checks on all nine of its land borders in a move that has angered a number of its neighbours but brought praise from the far right. The new restrictions came into force on Monday in the wake of a string of deadly knife attacks in which the suspects were asylum seekers, and after the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) made big gains in local elections. The aim, according to interior minister Nancy Faeser, is to curb migration and protect against the acute dangers posed by Islamist terrorism and serious crime. However, critics suggest it will damage the economic asset that is the free-movement Schengen zone, which includes 25 EU nations plus four others including Switzerland and Norway. Germany, the EUs largest country, is located in the heart of Europe and borders more countries than any other EU member. Temporary checks are permitted in certain circumstances, such as threats to internal security. Restrictions were already in place at Germanys eastern and southern borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Austria, and they will now also apply for around six months at the borders with France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Denmark. With asylum applications in Germany declining, the government argues the move is necessary for security, but leaders of neighbouring countries, including Polands prime minister Donald Tusk and Austrias chancellor Karl Nehammer, have voiced strong opposition. They fear having to absorb more asylum seekers, as well as having concerns about the impact on trade. The far right has praised the news as a win. Geert Wilders of the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) said Berlins decision was a great idea, and Marine Le Pen of Frances National Rally said: Now Germany is doing it, when will France follow? German police officers stand at the border between Germany and France ( The Associated Press ) The passport-free Schengen zone allows 420 million people to travel freely across the continent without border controls or customs checks. Mr Tusk denounced the temporary controls as unacceptable while Greeces prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said the move would hurt one of the fundamental achievements of the EU. Mr Nehammer warned that if Germany introduced measures to send more immigrants back across their shared border, Austria would respond by sending more people eastward towards the Balkans. German police say the expanded checks already pose a major challenge to them. Andreas Rosskopf, the head of Germanys Federal Police Union, said anyone crossing the border into Germany should now expect to be checked. But he also acknowledged that, given the length of the countrys borders, police realistically will not be able to stop and check every vehicle. Mr Rosskopf noted that Germanys western border is 870 miles (1,400km) long, in addition to the 1,490 miles (2,400km) that comprise its eastern and southern borders, where the checks are already taking place. He said in an interview on RBB24 Inforadio that given the length of the border, permanent and intensive checks are not possible. Mr Rosskopf added that it remains to be seen how successful it will be in curbing migration and people-smuggling. Germanys government, led by chancellor Olaf Scholz, has received criticism for not doing enough to tackle uncontrolled migration. Last month, a knife attack in North Rhine-Westphalia, in which three people were killed, was blamed on a Syrian asylum seeker who claimed to be inspired by Isis. In June, a knife attack attributed to an Afghan immigrant left a police officer dead and four other people wounded. Since the stabbing, Mr Scholzs government has changed the rules so that asylum seekers facing deportation will lose benefits, and resumed the deportation of convicted Afghan criminals to their home country for the first time since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The changes come against a backdrop of declining asylum applications to Germany, their having fallen by 21.7 per cent in the first eight months of the year. Ms Faeser said the fall was thanks in part to controls introduced last year, which blocked more than 30,000 unauthorised entries. That is why we will expand our temporary border control to include all of Germanys land borders, as I ordered today, she said in a statement. My order is also intended to protect against the acute threat of Islamist extremist terrorism and serious cross-border crime, she added. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The death toll across central Europe from the worst flooding in decades has risen to at least 15 after Storm Boris brought a months worth of rain in just 24 hours. Tens of thousands of people have had to flee their homes and more rainfall is expected in the coming days with surging river levels putting authorities on high alert. Residents are bracing themselves for more disruption and danger. Eight deaths were recorded over the weekend in Poland, Romania and Austria, where a firefighter was killed during a flood rescue operation. A further seven deaths have since been recorded with four of those in Poland. One person drowned in the Czech Republic, and in Austria two people aged 70 and 80 died in the northeast of the country. A man stands in waist-deep water that has flooded the streets and houses in the town of Klodzko, in Polands southwest ( AP ) Polands prime minister Donald Tusk declared a 30-day state of natural disaster on Monday to improve the efficiency of services and combat the effects of the flood. It covers parts of the Lower Silesian, Opole, and Silesian voivodeships. The Topola reservoir in the south of the country had overflowed, sending water gushing towards the village of Kozielno. Local authorities announced that residents from several nearby towns and villages would be evacuated. In Wroclaw, mayor Jacek Sutryk said that the city of 600,000 was preparing for peak water levels on Wednesday. The Czech Republic has been battling some of the worst conditions with some areas seeing around three months rainfall in just three days. Litovel, a town roughly 140 miles east of the capital Prague, is around 70 per cent underwater forcing schools and health facilities to close, its mayor said in a video on Facebook. A torrent of water flows along the River Bela during heavy rain ( Getty ) The Czech region of Silesian is around 80 per cent underwater, deputy mayor Miroslav Binar said on Monday. A spa town in the region, Jesenik, has been completely cut off by the floods with the mayor telling Czech Radio only three streets in the mountainous town of 11,000 people remained above water. In eastern Romania, where villages and towns were submerged over the weekend, the mayor of Slobozia Conachi, Emil Dragomir, told Romanian television about the devastating human impact of the natural disaster. He said: If you were here you would cry instantly because people are desperate ... there were people who were left with just the clothes they had on. Slovakias capital, Bratislava, and Hungarys capital, Budapest, were both preparing for potential flooding as the Danube River continued to rise. A view of the damage done by recent floods in Jesenik, Czech Republic ( AP ) Hungarian interior minister Sandor Pinter reported that efforts were underway to keep the river and its tributaries contained, with up to 12,000 soldiers on standby to assist if needed. Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban said that he had postponed all his international obligations due to the extreme weather conditions and the ongoing floods in Hungary. A man wades through flood water in the Czech Republic ( AP ) The horror has united both sides of the political spectrum with Hungarian opposition politician Peter Magyar saying national unity was needed as the country braces for flooding while welcoming the prime ministers decision to cancel his planned travel to the European parliament. In Austria, river and reservoir levels had dropped overnight as rain subsided, but officials warned of a second surge with heavier rainfall predicted. The Green group in the European parliament said These floods show that more than ever our fight against climate change is a common social and economic challenge we must tackle together. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The UK and the US have reportedly discussed their shared concern that Russia provided nuclear secrets to Iran in exchange for ballistic missiles for its Ukraine war. Prime minister Keir Starmer and US president Joe Biden discussed the fact that Iran and Russia are strengthening their military cooperation during a summit in Washington on Friday, which also covered other key issues around Vladimir Putins war in Ukraine, including Kyivs use of Western long-range missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia. Mr Starmer and Mr Biden discussed intelligence pointing to a deal that would see the Kremlin providing Iran nuclear technology, sources on the British side told The Times. Antony Blinken said US has sanctioned Iran over export of weapons to Russia ( PA Wire ) If confirmed, such a deal would be especially alarming as Tehran is advancing its programme of uranium enrichment a step towards developing a nuclear weapon. Ukraines Western allies have claimed that Iran has supplied short-range ballistic missiles to Russia and the weapons would likely be used in the war against Ukraine in the coming weeks. The United States, Britain, France and Germany hit Tehran with more sanctions, condemning its escalatory move. Iran has denied supplying weapons to Russia, rejecting the claims as completely baseless and false. Russia has not denied the reports directly, instead responding by calling Iran an important partner and saying their cooperation was only deepening. Early last week the US secretary of state Antony Blinken told reporters in the UK at a press conference alongside foreign minister David Lammy that Russia had recently acquired new ballistic missiles from Iran. He warned about Russia sharing secret nuclear data with Iran a factor that could have implications for both Israel and the US. Russia is sharing technology that Iran seeks this is a two-way street including on nuclear issues, as well as some space information. Dozens of Russian military personnel have been trained in Iran to use the FATH-360 close-range ballistic missile system, which has a maximum range of 75 miles. Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine, said the USs top diplomat. Russian president Vladimir Putin and Iran's president Ebrahim Raisi hold a meeting in Tehran on 19 July 2022 ( SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images ) Iran agreed to stop pursuing nuclear weapon development as part of a 2015 deal in exchange for sanctions relief from the US and other countries. But the agreement broke down after then-US president Donald Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018. Its unclear how much technical expertise Tehran currently has to build a nuclear weapon or how quickly it could do so. However, collaborating with experienced Russian specialists would likely accelerate the process. The potential deal is expected to increase pressure on the US and UK to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles Britains Storm Shadows and US ATACMS to strike military targets inside Russia. It was a key topic discussed during the Washington summit but no decision was announced. At least five former Conservative defence secretaries Grant Shapps, Ben Wallace, Gavin Williamson, Penny Mordaunt and Liam Fox as well as ex-prime minister Boris Johnson, have called on Mr Starmer to ease restrictions on Ukraines use of Storm Shadows, though they also depend on US cooperation to be fully effective. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The father of a murdered Miss Switzerland finalist discovered her decapitated head in a bin bag in her laundry room, while her two young children played in the next room. Kristina Joksimovic, 38, was allegedly strangled, dismembered and then pureed by a blender, at her home near Basel. Her husband, named as Thomas in local media, is on trial. The gruesome discovery was made on 13 February after her parents had become concerned for her welfare, and her father began searching the house after her husband repeatedly feigned ignorance as to her whereabouts. It was during this search that he found his daughters gold hair visible from inside a bin bag, and discovered that she had been killed, a family friend told MailOnline. Her parents had first questioned her disappearance after their grandchildrens local nursery contacted them, to say that Ms Joksimovic had failed to collect them. Her father made the gruesome discovery in her laundry room ( Kristina Joksimovic/Instagram ) They travelled to the couples family home, but Thomas allegedly told them he was unaware of her location and claimed she would just leave sometimes. For hours, he pretended as if nothing was wrong, chatting to her father and making dinner for everyone before tucking the children into their beds. Her father went to pick up her mother and returned to the house, the friend said. He reportedly ran from the garage screaming and asked a passer-by to contact the police, which led to his son-in-laws arrest. Swiss media, FM1 Today, reported that according to the autopsy report, the body was dismembered in the laundry room with a jigsaw power tool, knife and secateurs. Several body parts were then reportedly pureed with a hand blender and dissolved in a chemical. An autopsy has given her cause of death as strangulation, while there had also been previous signs of blunt force trauma. He had an appeal for release from custody denied by the Federal Court after reportedly confessing to killing the 2007 winner of Miss Northwest Switzerland, with whom he had two children. An ongoing investigation found there were concrete indications of mental illness underpinning the case, with Thomas claiming that he had acted in self-defence. Meanwhile, prosecutors claim that Thomas has shown a lack of empathy and cold-bloodedness after killing his wife and trying to cover it up. Her friend said: The last week, in particular, was really hard for us, her friends, after these awful details came out in court. Since she died, we have just been functioning and we have moments were all we can do is cry. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Greece has outlined a raft of measures to boost its lagging birthrates. The country will bring in vouchers, childcare benefits and tax breaks for new parents, although experts questioned the plans effectiveness. Greece has one of Europes lowest fertility rates, a dire demographic state driven by a decade-long economic crisis, emigration and changed attitudes among the young. The prime minister has called it a national threat and a ticking time bomb for pensions. It currently spends around one billion euros a year on pro-child measures. Yet it recorded its lowest ever number of births in 2022. The measures outlined on Thursday by the family, interior, finance and health ministries include tax relief for new parents, daycare vouchers, a rise in the minimum wage from 2025, pension increases and social contribution reductions. But demography experts and even government officials acknowledge the long road ahead. It is a given that the demographic problem ... cannot simply be solved by benefits and cash incentives, deputy finance minister Thanos Petralias told journalists on Thursday. In the wake of Greece's financial crisis, where have all the children gone? Petralias said fixing the problem also required improving the education and health systems, boosting incomes and better work-life balance conditions. Tumbling birthrates are a problem for governments across Europe, where countries including France, Italy, Norway and Spain have spent billions of euros on pro-child measures, to little effect. The measures are part of a broader plan aimed at reversing the downward trend of Greeces birthrate, which officials had told Reuters would be unveiled in May but has been pushed back to later this year. The plan includes affordable housing for young people, financial incentives for assisted reproduction, and incorporating migrants into the workforce. They (these measures) will have no dramatic impact on births, said Byron Kotzamanis, a leading demography expect in Greece. There needs to be a different policy to tackle the problem at its core, he said, adding this included giving young people incentives to remain in Greece and attracting back those who left. Meanwhile last week, Pope Francis praised Indonesias relatively high birthrate while lamenting that in the West, some prefer a cat or a little dog. During his very first meeting with President Joko Widodo Francis made the same demographic quip he amde at home in Italy, which has one of the worlds lowest birthrates. Read the full article on Motorious It has a 305 V8 and 36,450 miles is up for auction. A rare and well-preserved 1992 Chevrolet Camaro RS 25th Anniversary Edition Convertible is set to be auctioned, offering a unique opportunity for collectors to acquire a one-owner classic in pristine condition. This iconic Camaro celebrates 25 years of the legendary muscle car and comes equipped with a host of desirable features that make it both a nostalgic and practical ride. Powered by a 305 cu in small-block V8 engine, this Camaro is mated to an automatic transmission, making it a comfortable yet powerful cruiser. The vehicle includes modern conveniences for its time, such as air conditioning, heating, cruise control, power windows, power locks, and power steering, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable driving experience. Finished in a striking red exterior with matching aluminum wheels, the Camaros odometer reads just 36,450 miles, which are documented as actual. This one-owner car has been carefully maintained over the years, retaining its original charm and factory specifications. As a 25th Anniversary model, this Camaro stands as a special edition from the final years of the third-generation F-body, marking a significant milestone in Chevrolets muscle car history. The convertible top adds an extra layer of appeal, making it a perfect choice for open-air drives. With its low mileage, well-maintained condition, and all-original features, this 1992 Chevrolet Camaro RS 25th Anniversary Convertible is expected to draw strong interest from collectors looking for a classic Camaro in exceptional shape. ADVERTISEMENT Join us for the Louisville Classic in Jeffersonville, Indiana on September 21st for two rings of auction action. One ring will feature amazing automobilia and the second ring will feature over 200 classic cars and trucks. Register to bid or consign today. Sign up for the Motorious Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} President Vladimir Putin has ordered the regular size of the Russian army to increase by 180,000 troops to 1.5 million soldiers, the third time he has expanded its ranks since sending the military into Ukraine in February 2022. In a decree published on the Kremlins website, Mr Putin ordered the overall size of the armed forces to be increased to 2.38 million people, of which he said 1.5 million should be active servicemen and women. Mr Putin since 2022 had previously ordered two official increases in the number of combat troops by 137,000 and 170,000 respectively. In addition, Russia mobilised over 300,000 soldiers in September and October 2022 in an exercise which prompted tens of thousands of draft-age men to flee the country. The Kremlin has said that no new mobilisation is planned for now, however, and that the idea is to continue to rely on volunteers signing up to fight in Ukraine on lucrative contracts. The new order came as Ukraine fought off a massive Russian drone barrage across Ukraine including the capital Kyiv in the latest aerial assault of Vladimir Putins 30-month-old invasion. Ukraines air force shot down 53 out of 56 Russian drones launched overnight as one person was injured and five homes were damaged in the Kyiv region. Air defence units destroyed nearly 20 drones that were heading towards Kyiv, the Ukrainian military said. Meanwhile Russian troops continue to advance on Pokrovsk, a key city in eastern Ukraine key to Mr Putins objective of seizing the entire Donbas region, comprising of Donetsk and Luhansk. Follow updates here Russian attack drones were heading to Kyiv from different directions and in different groups, Serhiy Popko, head of Kyivs military administration, said. This is the third time Putin has boosted troop numbers since the invasion ( Reuters ) Around 675km (420 miles) further east, one person was killed by Russian shelling in Pokrovsk as troops inched closer to the logistics hub. Kyivs troops claimed they repelled 36 Russian assaults on the city with the highest concentration of attacks on nearby Hrodivka and Novohrodivka. In Russias Kursk region where Ukraine launched an audacious cross-border incursion on 6 August Moscow claimed it had taken back two villages from Kyivs control as thousands were evacuated. Russias Defence Ministry said its troops had retaken the settlements of Uspenovka and Borki, although this could not be independently verified. At the same time, Ukraine said it had invited the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to provide humanitarian support to civilians caught up in the conflict in Kursk. Ukraine has renewed its calls for the West to lift restrictions on its use of the British Storm Shadow missile ( AP ) Kurks governor Alexei Smirnov also said Russians had been ordered to evacuate the region within 15km (9 miles) of the Ukrainian border on Monday. Yesterday Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his calls on Western allies to allow his military to fire long-range missiles deep inside Russian territory to counter Moscows drone and missiles attacks. He said: The only way to counter this terror is through a systemic solution, long-range capabilities to destroy Russian military aviation at its bases. Every Russian strike, every act of terror like todays attack on the city of Kharkiv, and the Sumy and Donetsk regions proves that we need this capability, and we need it in full. Mr Zelensky has pleaded with allies for months now to allow his military to fire long-range US ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles at targets inside Russia. Britain has supplied Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of about 250km (155 miles), but it cannot use them inside Russian territory. Zelensky has pleaded with allies for months now to allow his military to fire long-range missiles inside Russa ( PA ) Meanwhile, the US has provided Ukraine with the longest-range version of ATACMS, a ballistic missile that can travel about 300km (190 miles). But it has remained hesitant over allowing the firing of long-range missiles into Russia over fears Moscow could respond by deploying hypersonic nuclear weapons. Last week, it was widely expected Washington would approve Kyivs use of the long-range weapons inside Russia after US president Joe Biden said he was working on a decision. However, the decision appeared to have been delayed after Mr Putin warned Nato would be in direct confrontation with Russia if Kyiv was given the go ahead. Mr Putin told Russian state media last Thursday: It would mean that Nato countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia. If thats the case, then taking into account the change of nature of the conflict, we will take the appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Russia has brought in significant reinforcements to carry out a sweeping counterattack on the western flank of Ukraines incursion into the Kursk region, maps and analysis have revealed. Ukraine launched its cross-border attack at the start of last month, capturing hundreds of square miles of territory in a daring attack aimed at undoing Russian momentum in eastern Ukraine and earning potential bargaining chips should the two countries engage in subsequent peace negotiations. Russias initial response appeared muted as Vladimir Putins interest remained trained on an offensive towards the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region despite Kyivs hopes that their Kursk incursion would force Moscow to relocate troops away from that fight in the east. But footage last week of a column of Russian tanks, believed to belong to a specialist Russian airborne forces (VDV) unit known to be among some of Moscows more elite troops, towards the western flank of Ukraines attack has presaged a rapid counteroffensive in that direction. Vadym Mysnyk, a spokesperson for Ukraines Operational Command Siversk, told Ukrainian TV late last week that Moscow had bolstered its Kursk forces from 11,000 at the time of the Ukrainian incursion to up to 45,000. Fronteligence Insight, a Ukrainian group that tracks the war and is known to have close ties to the military, added that those forces have been bolstered by numerous anti-aircraft and air defence systems. While territorial defence units are being used to contain Ukrainian forces, the group wrote in an update, more mobile units such as tank battalions and air-assault regiments, supported by motor rifle units, are likely being tasked with breaking through ad-hoc Ukrainian defences. They added that Russia appears to be making extensive defensive fortifications to slow any future Ukrainian attacks. View more At the Yalta European Strategy conference in Kyiv on Friday, which was attended by Boris Johnson, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that Russia had started their rapid offensive actions. It had been four days since the footage of the column of Russian tanks was published online. The Ukrainian leader added that Kyivs forces were holding on heroically and doing everything necessary for our other military-political steps. But after a week of Russias initial counterattack, they appear to have retaken around 30 square miles of the Kursk region, according to DeepState, a Ukrainian war tracker with close ties to the defence ministry. The counterattack appears concentrated on the western flank of the Ukrainian attack, initially towards, but now past, the town of Snagost. During the penultimate weekend of August, Ukrainian forces began destroying bridges crossing Russias Seym River to the west of their attack, isolating and trapping Moscows troops in the Glushkovo area south of the river and north of the Ukrainian border. View more The then Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleschuk (he was fired weeks later following an incident involving the first US-supplied F-16 fighter jet to crash) posted footage of one of the first bridges to be destroyed. Kursk direction. Minus one more bridge! Ukrainian Air Force aviation continues to deprive the enemy of logistical capabilities with precision airstrikes, which significantly affects the course of hostilities," he wrote on the Telegram messaging app. After the three permanent bridges in the area were destroyed, subsequent footage showed Ukrainian drones and munitions targeting Russian engineering units who were attempting to erect temporary pontoon crossings to mitigate against the initial bridge losses. Emil Kastehelmi, an open-source intelligence analyst tracking the war in Ukraine for the Black Bird Group, says Russias latest counterattack over the Seym was likely an attempt to protect those troops trapped beneath the river. A satellite image shows a bridge collapsed over the Seym river in the Glushkovo district following a Ukrainian strike ( via REUTERS ) The Russians most likely wanted to push the Ukrainians back on the western flank, because they wanted to open a land corridor between Korenevo and Glushkovo, as Ukraine had blocked the land route [by destroying the bridges], he said. It seems now, he added, the Russians have mostly eliminated what was left of the threat to their forces south of the river Seym. To what extent the Russian push has been stabilised is unclear; multiple advances beyond Snagost appear to have led to Moscows forces capturing towns, only for Ukrainian troops to regain the town days or even hours later. But Frontelligence Insight, the Ukrainian group with ties to the MoD, says the increase in Russian troops and equipment, as well as the attack beyond Snagost, leads us to believe that Russia is preparing for a larger counteroffensive in the future. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} On Sunday, a Russian glide bomb destroyed a high-rise building in northeastern Ukraine, killing a 94-year-old woman while injuring dozens more. The 165kg guided-warhead, likely launched hundreds of miles away in Russia, blew out the windows of the five-storey building in Kharkiv as flames ripped through a number of floors. The strike was the latest aerial attack carried about by Russian forces in Ukraine - in which roughly 5,000 civilians have been killed in the same way since February 2022. For Volodymyr Zelensky, the only realistic solution to ending this death and destruction is by using Western long-range missiles to fire at military sites deep within Russia - something he has pleaded for over months. The only way to counter this terror is through a systemic solution long-range capabilities to destroy Russian military aviation at its bases, he said on Sunday. If Washington was to give Kyiv the go-ahead to use the weapons, despite Vladimir Putins warning of war, what Russian targets could Ukraine hit? The Independent takes a look below. A 165kg warhead killed a 94-year-old woman as it blew out the windows of a five-storey building in Kharkiv ( EPA ) What targets could Ukraine hit by using long-range missiles? A public list of targets either those requested by Ukraine or approved by the US or the UK would not be released for operational reasons. However, US-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War last month identified no fewer than 245 known Russian military and paramilitary sites within the 190-mile range of US-supplied ATACMS. If placed close to Ukraines front lines, the Western-supplied long-range weapons could potentially put vast swathes of Russian territory in the firing zone. Some of those targets include: Lipetsk military air base, struck by drones in August Shatalovo air base in Smolensk Oblast Millerovo military airfield in Rostov Oblast Yeysk military airfield in Krasnodar Krai Logistics and command centres in Rostov-on-Don, which has been the central headquarters of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine The Primorsko-Akhtarsk airbase in Krasnodar Krai, regularly used by Russia to launch Shahed-type drones at Ukraine Novorossiysk naval base, where much of Russias Black Sea Fleet has relocated after a series of devastating attacks by Ukraine on its primary base off of occupied Crimea When could the West lift restrictions? Britain has supplied Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of about 155 miles, but it cannot use them to fire at key targets inside Russia. Meanwhile, the US has provided Ukraine with the longest-range version of ATACMS, a ballistic missile that can travel 190 miles. But it has remained hesitant over allowing the firing of long-range missiles into Russia over fears Moscow could respond by deploying hypersonic nuclear weapons. Last week, US president Joe Biden said he was working out how to lift restrictions on Ukraines use of the technology. However, the decision appeared to have been delayed after Mr Putin warned Nato would be in direct confrontation with Russia if Kyiv was given the go ahead. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump boasted of a very good relationship with both Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin on Friday as he hosted the Ukrainian leader for a meeting at his New York City skyscraper. The former president also repeated a bizarre boast that he could, if re-elected in November, negotiate an end to the nearly three-year Russian war against Ukraine. Trump, who was impeached in 2019 for using American defense assistance to pressure Zelensky to launch sham investigations into President Joe Biden and his son, was being briefed on Kyivs latest plan for victory against Putin. We have a very good relationship, he told reporters as he stood with Zelensky. And I also have a very good relationship, as you know, with President Putin. And if we win, I think were going to get it resolved very quickly, he said. Zelensky quickly interjected: I hope we have more good relations between us. Zelensky said he and Trump share a common view that the war ... has to be stopped, and Putin cant win and Ukrainians have to prevail. And I want to discuss with you the details of our plan, he added. Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump meets with Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky at Trump Tower, Friday 27 September in New York ( AP ) For his part, Trump said he and Zelensky have had a great relationship, citing Zelenskys decision to deny that Trump had exerted any pressure on him during the July 2019 phone call in which hed linked sending Javelin anti-tank missiles to Zelenskys announcement of investigations into the Bidens. So we're going to sit down just discuss it, and if we have a win, I think long before January 20, before I would take the presidency ... I think that we can work out something that's good for both sides. It's time, he said. Trump had previously cancelled plans to meet with the Ukrainian leader after Zelensky sparked GOP outrage by visiting the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in the battleground state of Pennsylvania over the weekend. He reversed course late Thursday after Zelenskys meeting with Harris, during which the Democratic presidential nominee told Zelensky that her support for Kyivs defense is unwavering. In what appeared to be a veiled swipe at Trump and his Republican allies, Harris admitted to Zelensky that there are some in the US who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality, and would require Ukraine to forgo security relationships with other nations. These proposals are the same as those of Putin, and let us be clear: They are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable, she said. Zelensky has been in the United States for the UN General Assembly, where on Wednesday he warned world leaders that Russian President Vladimir Putin is attempting to break the Ukrainian spirit by targeting his countrys energy infrastructure. He also cautioned against accepting purported peace deals that would be negotiated without Ukraine having a say. Any parallel or alternative attempts to seek peace are, in fact, efforts to achieve an out instead of an end to the war, he said, adding later that he was skeptical of the true interest behind a recent push by China and Brazil to foster an end to the conflict. When some propose alternatives, half-hearted settlement plans, so-called sets of principles, it not only ignores the interests and suffering of Ukrainians ... it not only ignores reality, but also gives Putin the political space to continue the war, he said. Earlier in the week, Zelensky also toured a Pennsylvania plant where munitions destined for his armed forces are being made. That visit drew anger from Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who called for Zelensky to fire the Ukrainian ambassador to the US in response. Johnsons outrage was supposedly due to no Republicans being invited along to the tour of the plant, though White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed it as a political stunt by the GOP at a press conference on Thursday afternoon. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} In August 2023, Hanan al-Bayouk travelled from Gaza to Israeli-occupied Arab East Jerusalem for a high-risk birth. Her triplets, born prematurely and underweight, are doing well, but she had to leave them shortly after they were born and does not know when she will be able to hold them again. Israels restrictions on the movement of Palestinians meant 26-year-old al-Bayouk returned to Gaza while her babies were still in intensive care for fear of falling foul of the law. By the time they were ready to go home, war had broken out and she got stuck, with video calls her only way of keeping in touch. Her daughters Najwa, Nour and Najmah, are being cared for at the Al-Makassed hospital, where there are colourful drawings on the walls, toys, and baby walkers for them to scoot around in. Two girls from the Palestinian triplets of al-Bayouk family, born prematurely and separated from their mother who had to leave them at hospital in Jerusalem to recover as she had to return to Gaza ( REUTERS ) It is worlds away from conditions for children in Gaza, which has been blockaded and pounded by Israeli forces since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7. In March, the U.N. childrens agency said over 13,000 children had been killed in the Gaza conflict, adding that many kids were suffering from severe malnutrition and did not even have the energy to cry. The triplets are developing normally, said Dr. Hatem Khammash, director of neonatal intensive care at the hospital. Good mental development, also their breathing is good, he said. The only thing that makes us sad, is that they are far away from their mother. Doctors and nurses communicate with Hanan via Whatsapp if the family is lucky enough to get internet in Gaza. Palestinians, who got injured in the Israeli attacks at the Nuseirat Refugee camp, are brought to the Al Avde hospital for treatment in Gaza City, Gaza on September 16, 2024 ( Anadolu via Getty Images ) Communications have been hammered by the war, which was triggered when Hamas militants crossed from Gaza into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking back more than 250 hostages. Israels subsequent military offensive has killed more than 41,206 Palestinians, wounded 95,337 and flattened many parts of the densely populated strip. Internationally mediated ceasefire negotiations have shown little sign of a breakthrough. In the meantime, staff at the Al-Makassed hospital, repeat Mama, Mama to encourage the girls to focus on their mothers small image on the phone as they reach out to grab the screen. Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the IndyTech email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A small asteroid will be pulled into orbit around the Earth as a mini-moon later this month before the space rock departs into other parts of the solar system. The 10m-wide asteroid, dubbed 2024 PT5, will become a mini-moon from 29 September until 25 November, astronomers said in a new study published in the journal Research Notes of the AAS. Earth tends to pull asteroids into partial or full orbits around it regularly before they are flung back out into space. Artists impression of asteroid in space ( NASA/JPL-Caltech ) For instance, one such space rock 2022 NX 1 was a short-lived mini-moon in 1981 and again in 2022. The asteroid 2024 PT5 as the name suggests was only discovered last month by scientists who are part of the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System. This space rock was likely a fragment of the Moon, researchers speculate. A Breakdown of the Asteroid That Wiped Out the Dinosaurs By following its current size, speed and path, scientists could estimate the asteroids path for the next few months. It is expected to follow a horseshoe-type orbit to become a mini-moon of Earth on 29 September only to return to a path orbiting the Sun about 57 days later on 25 November, according to the study. After orbiting around the Earth for a few days, it will leave the planets neighbourhood shortly afterwards, until its next return in 2055, scientists say. Artist illustration of asteroid belt ( NASA/JPL-Caltech ) The current path of the asteroid also enabled researchers to trace its origins. They suspect it comes from the Arjuna asteroid belt, a sparse population of small near-Earth space objects orbiting the Sun. This is a secondary asteroid belt in the Solar System surrounding the path followed by the Earth-Moon system. In some previous cases, asteroids anticipated to become Earths mini-moons have turned out to be misidentified space debris or human-made spacecrafts. However, in the case of 2024 PT5, researchers say it is unlikely to be an artificial object as its short-term orbit path closely resembles that of 2022 NX 1 a confirmed natural object. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy An Alaska Airlines flight was forced to divert shortly after taking off when four flight attendants mysteriously fell sick. The 810 flight from Lihue (Kauai) to Seattle was diverted to Honolulu around 90 minutes after departing, Alaska Airlines confirmed to The Independent. The airline stated that upon diversion, the aircraft landed safely in Honolulu, and all four flight attendants were transported to hospital for evaluation in a stable condition. None of the pilots or 119 passengers on board required medical attention, they added. Data from FlightAware shows that the flight turned back on itself to the new destination. open image in gallery Alaska Airlines 810 Flight departed from Lihue and was forced to land in Honolulu after flight attendants fell ill, as the flight tracker shows ( FlightAware ) A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines said: We worked to re-accommodate our guests on other flights to Seattle. There were 119 guests and six crew members on the flight which was diverted. That aircraft was flown back to Seattle without any passengers on board for additional inspection. Beat of Hawaii reported that the flight attendants were female and aged between 28-59. They began to experience symptoms of nausea and disturbed coordination which forced the pilot to make the diversion, according to the outlet. This is not the first time Alaska Airlines has been forced to divert due to an unknown order. According to Hawaii News Now , in June Alaska Airlines flight 828 from Honolulu to Anchorage never departed after two female flight attendants were left in a serious condition following reports of an unknown odor. On its website, Alaska Airlines claims that all of their aircraft recirculates fresh air from outside through hospital-grade HEPA filters every 2 to 3 minutes. The filters, they claim, can remove 99.9% of airborne contaminants. Watch as Tito Jackson takes his last bow with The Jackson 5 during a performance in Munich earlier this month. The musician, who was the older brother of late pop star Michael Jackson, has died at the age of 70, his family announced on Monday 16 September. Tito was father to sons Taj, Taryll and TJ Jackson, who said they were shocked, saddened and heartbroken at his death. Along with his brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael, Tito was part of the original line-up of The Jackson 5, a boyband who had hits with songs including I Want You Back and ABC in the early 1970s. One of the Titan submerible crew's haunting final messages on their journey to the Titanic has been revealed in a new animation played at a hearing on Monday, 16 September. Ten former employees of Oceangate the company that operated the disastrous deep-sea voyage are among 24 witnesses giving testimony to the Titan Marine Board of Investigation during a hearing on the causes of the implosion. According to an animation presented by the US Coast Guard on Monday, the crew sent a three-word message before the vessel imploded killing all five on board. Among the crew's final responses, which became spotty as the Titan descended, to the Polar Prince support ship was "all good here. Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded for the UK and US to give permission for Ukraine to use western missiles to strike Russian targets as Vladimir Putins forces carried out another bombing raid. The Ukrainian president called for decisiveness as he urged leaders to overcome the fear of making the choice. Sir Keir Starmer and Joe Biden met in Washington last Friday for talks on giving Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles to target Russian airfields and military bases, but no decision was reached. The issue is likely to come up again when the trio all attend the UN General Assembly in New York later this month. MADISON, Wis.With the next hearing to determine the future employment of Dr. Joe Gow scheduled for this Friday, the legal counsel representing the former chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UW-La Crosse) before the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents has recently published a letter laying out their defense. Gow is represented by attorney Mark M. Leitner of Laffey, Leitner & Goode LLC on behalf of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). "FIRE ... urges the University of Wisconsin System (UWS) Board of Regents to honor its constitutional obligations and protect tenure for all faculty by ensuring Professor Joe Gow keeps his faculty appointment, despite controversy over revelations that he writes about and appears in adult-oriented content in his private time," reads the letter. The letter was signed by Zachary Greenberg, faculty legal defense counsel for FIRE, and was addressed to Amy Blumenfeld Bogost, the president of the Board of Regents. Bogost is a civil rights attorney by trade and profession. She specializes in representing survivors of sexual assault and has expertise in Title IX rights. "Terminating a tenured professor is a drastic sanction reserved only for severe misconduct not present here," said Greenberg. "We therefore call on [the UW System] to refrain from terminating Gow for his protected expression." Gow was fired in December 2023 for being outed as an adult content creator alongside his wife, Dr. Carmen Wilson. Gow and Wilson perform under the online branding of the "Sexy Happy Couple" and have appeared in self-produced scenes with major adult talent, including popular stars like Lauren Phillips, Sofie Marie and Nina Hartley. Gow and Wilson also co-wrote books under pseudonyms advocating ethical non-monogamy and have a following centered around their love for vegan cooking. It was the position of the UW System that Gow could not effectively serve in his capacity as chancellor at the time. He was forced out of that position, despite his intentions to transition to a teaching position within the Communications Department. However, that plan was also stifled when administrative and ethical charges were filed against him to revoke his tenure and completely terminate his position and affiliation with the University of Wisconsin System. AVN has covered his case extensively. Over the summer, a faculty disciplinary board recommended Gow be fired for violating ethical conduct policies. Gow hinted several times during the faculty board hearing that he felt there was no presumption of innocence on his part and that his termination could result in federal litigation. Gow's hearing before the Board of Regents Personnel Matters Review Committee will take place Friday, September 20, in Madison, Wis., at Room 1820 of Van Hise Hall. AVN was informed that no live stream of the hearing will be available, but Gow expects local news outlets to broadcast portions of the entire hearing on a platform like YouTube. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The Carolinas and Southeast are being threatened Monday by a tropical cyclone thats brought life-threatening flash flooding and tropical storm force wind gusts to North Carolina, forcing multiple schools to shut for the day. Video and images posted to social media showed severe flooding along the coast, with cars under water and multiple rescues underway. Thousands of residents left without power thanks to the storm, known by forecasters as Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight. It could still become Tropical Storm Helene and the eighth named storm of the Atlantic Hurricane season, but its expected to weaken throughout the day. Due to the inclement weather, Cape Fear Community College will close at all campus locations today ... We urge you to exercise caution while driving home, Cape Fear Community College told its students. Multiple tornado warnings were issued in North Carolina through the early afternoon. Brunswick County highways were jammed and many roads were closed from flooding and washouts, according to local station WECT. The county was under a tropical storm warning. New Hanover County said it had postponed meetings due to the weather conditions and WECT said there had been power outages for thousands of customers in the area. The city of Southport declared a state of emergency. There, emergency officials said they had handled multiple calls of people stranded in floodwaters and urged people to stay off roads. Images posted by the local fire department showed bridges that had been washed out. A road collapsed during the storm in Southport, North Carolina. The city of Southport declared a state of emergency ( Southport Fire Department/Facebook ) There was also a state of emergency in Carolina Beach, where Mayor Lynn Barbee said there were people sheltering at town all. The Red Cross was on the way to assist residents, and high water vehicles were continuing to extract folks in need. We have had to rescue storm water crews as well and have pulled them back from some areas. If you are safe stay put please! he wrote on Facebook. As of 2:15 p.m. EDT, there were nearly 7,000 customers without power between the two states, with the majority in North Carolina, according to outage tracking website PowerOutage.US. Photos shared by the National Weather Services office in Wilmington showed cars about halfway submerged under floodwaters. The agency said that historic rain had fallen over Carolina Beach, Southport, and Boiling Springs Lakes. Over a foot of rain had been recorded there since midnight. NOAA Atlas 14 shows 12/12 hr occurs, on average, once every 200 years. 18/12hr is once every 1000 years! the agency said. But, some parts of northeast South Carolina and southeast North Carolina could see between 4 to 8 inches, with isolated totals near 10 inches. The weather service Monarch said some areas were already reporting as many of 16 inches from the system. Flooding fills a road in Southport, North Carolina. Tropical storm conditions are forecast to diminish thrrough the afternoon ( Southport Police Department/Facebook ) Rainfall continued to fall over central North Carolina, with totals of up to an inch-and-a-half over the Sandhills. A flood watch was in effect for all of the region until 8 a.m. Tuesday, with the greatest risk for flash flooding later Monday and into the evening. The National Weather Service in Raleigh said 2 to 5 inches of rain would fall across the southern part of central North Carolina, with some parts seeing up to 6 inches. In South Carolina, tropical storm warnings were issued for Charleston and Berkeley counties, as well as some coastal areas. The unnamed storm was approaching the coast mid-Monday afternoon, located about 90 miles east-northeast of Charleston and just 60 miles south-southwest of North Carolinas Cape Fear. Some rain up to three inches will fall over much of Virginia, with some higher amounts through Wednesday. The NOAA GOESEast satellite shows an aerial view of the storm, known as Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight, earlier this morning. A tropical storm warning is in effect for parts of coastal North and South Carolina ( NOAA Satellites ) Coastal flooding and high surf are likely along the southeastern coast for the next day or two, with some areas seeing up to three feet. Tropical storm conditions are forecast to diminish through the afternoon. We need to look at this as an investment in the jobs of the future says tech boss Quantum solutions could reduce the amount of energy that AI consumes. Graphic: Getty Quantum computing can help solve Irelands data centre problem and also allow us to lead the next wave of technological innovation, but not if the country closes the door to data centres. Thats according to Jason Lynch, the CEO of Dublin-headquartered Equal1, whose firm is a global leader in designing silicon-powered quantum computing technology. We need to look at this as an investment in the jobs of the future, he says. If we close the door now I think we will do serious harm We should look to become the leaders in sustainable data centres, and in three to five years I believe quantum computing will bring huge advantages in this regard and ensure that data centres are much more sustainable. But if we close the door now I think we will do serious harm and the country could miss out on a massive opportunity to attract the next generation of technology, he adds. Equal1 is bidding to become the Intel of the quantum computing world, he says. Quantum solutions could reduce the amount of energy that AI consumes. Graphic: Getty The firm, which was founded six years ago and which has previously raised 35m, is currently preparing for a significant new fundraising round likely to be in the tens of millions. This new round of fundraising will probably be completed within six months he said. Its UnityQ technology is the worlds first hybrid quantum-classical silicon-on-chip, which, he says, allows for adoption of the power of quantum technology into existing real-world scenarios. The reason this company was started was really to build on the promise of what quantum computing can do, which is an exponential increase in the power of what we can do with computers, Lynch says. It is a quite disruptive approach in quantum The key innovation in a quantum computer is a qubit or quantum bit which replaces chip technology based on ones and zeros that is found in so-called classical computer chips. Equal1 has designed qubits that are manufactured from extremely small transistors. What that then enables us to do is essentially to leverage all of the previous innovation of the chip manufacturing and the chip design industry. It is a quite disruptive approach in quantum, Lynch says. The new fundraising should allow the company to further increase the number of qubits it can utilise on a chip. A lot of other companies are trying to build new manufacturing processes that would scale these qubits. "If we can get these qubits working on existing manufacturing processes that means we can build quantum computers in much smaller form factors, and at a completely different price point, he says. There has been increasing resistance in Ireland to the building of new data centres because of the huge amount of energy that each one consumes. But quantum innovation will provide a step-change in innovation for data centres, making them more sustainable by using 20 times less energy, explains Lynch. And we think thats only the beginning, he says. The technology has major benefits for implementing artificial intelligence in a more sustainable way, by reducing the energy it requires within data centres. It also has massive potential for drug discovery in the pharma sector because of the way quantum can mimic the actions of molecules, thus allowing pharma companies new ways of testing innovative drugs. Endeavor Ireland, a non-profit organisation with senior technology entrepreneurs and investors, is kicking off a three-day series of events around Dublin The Edge of U2 in conversation with Manna founder Bobby Healy at Endeavor Irelands event in Dublin. Photo: Adrian Weckler Entrepreneurs need to be put on a pedestal and treated like celebrities, a gathering of high-powered investors and entrepreneurs was told in Dublin today. Endeavor Ireland, a non-profit start-up growth organisation which is chaired by U2 guitarist The Edge, kicked off a three-day series of events that will see hundreds of entrepreneurs descend on Dublin to network and discuss growth strategies. Senior Irish tech figures at the event included Manna CEO Bobby Healy, Cubic Telecom CEO Barry Napier and Ding founder Mark Roden. We highlight incredible musicians and others as celebrities, but how do we make entrepreneurs celebrities? asked Joanna Rees, executive chair of US marketing firm West Global, at the event. We need to put them on a pedestal and make them celebrities here. The Edge of U2 in conversation with Manna founder Bobby Healy at Endeavor Irelands event in Dublin. Photo: Adrian Weckler Other panellists contributing to the event included Martin Escobari, head of global growth and managing director at General Atlantic, the giant venture capital firm founded by the late Irish-American philanthropist Chuck Feeney. The event, held in Dublins Euronext exchange building beside Trinity College, was also addressed by junior enterprise minister Dara Calleary and Leo Clancy, CEO of Enterprise Ireland. Endeavor Ireland, an offshoot of the global non-profit organisation Endeavor, was set up in 2019 with The Edge as its founding chairman. It provides advice, networking, marketing and investment support to founders. In its five years operating in Ireland, it has worked with 14 founders from 10 Irish companies, including Cubic Telecom, Strong Roots, LearnUpon, Wayflyer, Gym+Coffee, XOcean, Keelvar, Therapie Group, Sculpted by Aimee, and Overhaul. Collectively, the firms employ over 3,000 staff and generate revenues of over 600m. I first became involved in bringing Endeavor to Ireland because I saw the benefits that this non-profit organisation could bring to founders here, said The Edge. I believe in the networks ability to support founders to reach their fullest potential from here at home, with experience and expertise from around the globe allowing Irish companies to grow and develop to a global scale from the island of Ireland. "Ive seen this first hand in Endeavor Irelands first five years, and Im delighted to welcome our local founders along with members of the global Endeavour network to my hometown of Dublin this week. Globally, the organisation admits 80 founders into its international selection panel process every year. Since Endeavor was founded in 1997, around 2,600 founders have been selected through this process. A total of 34 founders from 19 companies and 16 countries will be pitching to be accepted into the global Endeavor network at the international selection panel even in Dublin this week. Karl Gilbert, co-founder and CEO of Raylo, a consumer device leasing and circular economy business based in Belfast, is the Endeavor Ireland candidate. Endeavor Ireland board member Elaine Coughlan, of Atlantic Bridge, will represent Ireland on the selection panel. The Reservation Dogs actor walked the red carpet at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, which took place on Sunday, September 15 in Los Angeles, California. For the occasion, he wore an Emporio Armani tuxedo, Thundercloud jewelry, and a red handprint over his mouth a symbol of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement. According to Native Hope, the red handprint stands for all the missing sisters whose voices are not heard. It stands for the silence of the media and law enforcement in the midst of this crisis. The site added that it symbolizes the oppression and subjugation of Native women who are now rising up to say #NoMoreStolenSisters. The organization was created to address injustices running rampant in Indigenous communities, with a 2019 report from the Justice Department revealing that women on reservations are 10 times more likely to be murdered in stark contrast to the national average. Woon-A-Tai, who identifies as Oji-Cree First Nations and Guyanese, received his first Emmy nomination for his role as Bear Smallhill on Reservation Dogs Hulus highly acclaimed comedy-drama that came to a close after its fourth season. In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Woon-A-Tai recalled how he connected with his character from his first audition. The writers room was all Indigenous, and they knew that they wanted to tell their stories, and in telling their own stories, they told the stories of a lot of other Native kids out there as well, me being one of them, the actor said. I related to Bear right off the bat, and I see a lot of similarities within myself, within my cousins and my nephews, and with family and friends. He continued: There are definitely a lot of Bears in the world and in what we call Indian Country, just like there are Willie Jacks everywhere or Elora Danans or Cheeses everywhere. Meanwhile, the actor told Elle that hes proud to be a part of a generation of Native American creatives pushing the envelope and taking the initiative to create stories about and for their communities. I think were pushing to a time when we dont need anybody to tell our story for us, he said back in May. If you want to make a story regarding Native people, it should definitely be mandatory, in my opinion, to have a Native director, Native writer, and Native casting director. The three-hour ceremony is taking place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, beginning at 8pm ET (midnight GMT). A live broadcast will stream on ABC, while the show will be available to watch the next day on Hulu. Father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy are hosting the award ceremony. Habitat destruction is causing deforestation in Amazon, Colombia on March 31, 2023. The main cause of this continuous increase in forest exploitation lies in the increased consumption of meat and the consequent expansion of extensive livestock farming, as well as soybean cultivation and pasture creation for livestock. The Amazon rainforest is shared by several countries, and statistics show a significant loss of forest in these countries. For example, Brazil has lost about 20% of its Amazon rainforest, while Colombia has lost more than 10%. Similarly, Bolivia, Peru, and Venezuela have lost between 5% and 10% of their Amazon forests. (Photo by Juancho Torres/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Freight and goods lorries disembark from the Cairnryan, Scotland to Larne, Northern Ireland ferry without goods checks by customs officials on February 3, 2022 in Larne, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) From Jan 1, European deforestation regulation (EUDR) will apply in Northern Ireland because of post-Brexit trading arrangements which mean the region follows hundreds of EU rules. It will not apply to the rest of the UK. It means that beef sold on the EU single market, which includes Northern Ireland, cannot come from cattle raised on land that has been deforested to make space for grazing, according to Jenny Brunton, of the British Agriculture Bureau. She added: They will also have to demonstrate they are not using animal feed that contains soy or palm oil that is driving deforestation abroad. The EUDR requires companies to submit geolocation data to prove certain products sold in the EU arent harming the environment under rules enforced by national supervisors. Products including beef, coffee, timber, soy, palm oil, rubber and things made from them, like tyres or furniture must not come from land degraded after Dec 31 2020. Only an estimated 8.5 per cent of Northern Irelands 5,459 square miles is woodland, compared to 9 per cent of land in the Republic and 13 per cent in the UK. The European average is 35 per cent but tree numbers in Northern Ireland, one of the most deforested areas of Europe, are finally increasing. British farmers dont have to submit the geolocation data under UK law but will have to if they want to export beef to EU countries or, in some cases, to Northern Ireland. Competent authority needed Exporters to the EU have to report the data to a competent authority in each member state as part of new supply chain due diligence requirements. Northern Ireland is bound by the EU legislation to nominate a competent authority in the same way that all other EU countries must, a spokesman for the British Meat Processing Association (BMPA) said. But, with just three months before the law comes into force, the Government has not named a competent authority to collect the data in Northern Ireland. This has led to fears of a new beef border with Britain, because exporters to the region have no one to submit their due diligence to, leaving them liable to breaking the law and potentially damaging trade with Northern Ireland. The BMPA wants the Government to help British exporters meet the new EU export requirements. Nick Allen, the chief executive, said countries like Argentina already have impressive, government-backed systems to comply with the new rules. Theyre now poised to step in from day one to supply fully compliant beef into the EU and will be more than willing to take Britains slice of the market, he said. After Brexit, the Windsor Framework treaty was agreed by London and Brussels. It prevented a hard border with the Republic of Ireland, and established a customs border across the Irish Sea instead. Some British beef products can be exported to Northern Ireland, which has unique dual access to both EU and UK markets, through the Windsor Frameworks green lane for goods deemed not at risk of being sold in the EU. But meat meant for processing must go through the red lane and be subject to the due diligence requirements before entering Northern Ireland. Habitat destruction is causing deforestation in Amazon, Colombia on March 31, 2023. The main cause of this continuous increase in forest exploitation lies in the increased consumption of meat and the consequent expansion of extensive livestock farming, as well as soybean cultivation and pasture creation for livestock. The Amazon rainforest is shared by several countries, and statistics show a significant loss of forest in these countries. For example, Brazil has lost about 20% of its Amazon rainforest, while Colombia has lost more than 10%. Similarly, Bolivia, Peru, and Venezuela have lost between 5% and 10% of their Amazon forests. (Photo by Juancho Torres/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Ground-breaking legislation The UK copied the EUs timber regulation, the weaker predecessor of the EUDR, into British law after Brexit. It has not yet updated its deforestation law. Daniela Montalto, senior forests campaigner for Greenpeace UK, called the EU law ground-breaking. He said: It is outrageous that the UK is lagging behind. Alexandria Reid, the forests campaign lead at Global Witness, said that Sir Keir Starmers reset with the EU could be at risk if the UK became a dumping ground for products grown on deforested land, or a backdoor into the EU for smuggling such products. It needs to act fast to enforce its own deforestation law, which was passed in 2021 but still hasnt come into effect, she said. The Government said it would communicate the relevant arrangements on the application of the EUDR in Northern Ireland at the earliest possible opportunity and set out steps to ensure UK consumption does not drive deforestation in due course. There have been calls to delay the implementation of the EUDR from Europes powerful agricultural lobby and other interest groups. Countries including Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia have also criticised the law. On Thursday, Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, said he had asked Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, to pause the EUDR amid fears over its impact on the paper industry and print sector. Telegraph.co.uk The group highlights that farmers availing of a derogation abide by a significant number of additional measures compared to those not in derogation. A new joint declaration from Irelands farm organisations, co-ops and the dairy and meat processors has requested more time from the European Commission for new measures to be enacted and their impact on water quality assessed. The plea comes ahead of the visit of Commission officials to Ireland this week, beginning on Monday with discussions with the Department of Agriculture. The six organisations; Dairy Industry Ireland (DII), the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS), Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), Irish Farmers Association (IFA), Macra na Feirme and Meat Industry Ireland (MII), have set out the process required to ensure the Nitrates Derogation can be maintained into the future. Much of this process surrounds the call for recognition of the time lag associated with the implemented actions in order to have the desired impact on the ground. The current 4-year cycle with a 2-year interim review means that farmers availing of a derogation cannot plan effectively beyond a 2-year period, the group highlights. However, investments that help protect water quality, such as nutrient storage, are long term investments often financed over a 10-year timeframe. It is completely unreasonable to ask farmers to undertake long-term investments with this level of short-term policy uncertainty. The organisations insist that the removal of the Nitrates Derogation would have widespread negative economic consequences for Irelands rural economy with a potential multi-billion-euro annual economic impact. The group highlights that farmers availing of a derogation abide by a significant number of additional measures compared to those not in derogation. The government and European Commission must acknowledge that the range of new actions undertaken by farmers will require time for their full benefits to materialise, and that the trajectories of change are uncertain, they continue. The expectation placed on the agricultural sector towards delivering good water quality must therefore be managed accordingly informed by, and trusting in, the suite of measures currently being delivered that are informed by best practice science. The implementation of the common objectives will deliver good water quality while also ensuring the family farm model remains not only viable, but sustainable, into the next decade and beyond, they claim. It is understood that the Commissions officials will visit a number of farms during the three day visit, along with a stop in Wexford to speak with the EPA. Warehouses across China are bulging with grain as a deepening economic crisis takes hold, leaving the world's farmers to grapple with the prospect of a long-lasting slowdown gripping one of their largest customers. The strain across global markets is already showing. French barley exports to China have been tumbling and the US has yet to sell a full corn cargo for the new season. Wheat farmers in Australia are likely to be nervous as they prepare to start harvesting their new crop over the coming weeks. Some 3,600 people are set to become Irish citizens today during citizenship ceremonies taking place at the Convention Centre in Dublin. The ceremonies, the 17th this year, will see people from 143 countries living across the 32 Irish counties conferred as Irish citizens. Further ceremonies are planned for later in the year. This year alone, 11,417 people have been conferred with Irish citizenship. Some 20,000 citizenship applications were processed in 2023 and nearly 16,000 decisions have been made in the first half of this year. Retired Justice Paddy McMahon will administer the Declaration of Fidelity to the Irish Nation and Loyalty to the State in his capacity as The Presiding Officer. Minister Helen McEntee, Minister Joe OBrien, and Minister Neale Richmond will attend the ceremonies as representatives of government. Today, at the Convention Centre Dublin, thousands of people will undertake a life changing journey and become an Irish Citizen, said Minister McEntee. The Minister for Justice added: Having had the privilege of attending many Citizenship ceremonies, it fills me with joy being able to share this special day with so many people, she said. I would like to congratulate all our new citizens and wholeheartedly thank them for their contribution and commitment to Irish society. I have no doubt that they will continue to contribute to making Ireland a more diverse and vibrant place to live. As Minister with responsibility for Integration, one of my key goals is to enhance inclusion and ensure equity for migrants, Minister OBrien said ahead of the ceremony. I would like to thank all of our new citizens for choosing Ireland as their home, and for contributing so much to our nation, he said. It is an honour to attend todays ceremony and to welcome our new Irish citizens. Significant changes have been made to accelerate the citizenship process in Ireland by the Citizenship Division. Applications can now be made through an online digital platform and online payments and eVetting have been facilitated. To date, approximately 180,000 people have been granted Irish citizenship since 2011. The year with the highest number of new Irish citizens is 2012, which saw 19,539 people being conferred. According to figures from the Department of Justice, the nationalities with the most applicants to Mondays ceremony are India (502), the United Kingdom (338) and Brazil (293). The counties in which the highest number of applications were made are Dublin (1554), Cork (333), Meath (172) and Limerick (122). The average worker will be 1,000 better off after Budget 2025 when income tax changes and cost-of-living payments are taken into account, the Finance Minister has said. Jack Chambers said that reductions to the Universal Social Charge (USC) would be central to the income tax package included in Budget 2025. He said that energy credits would also be a strong component of the cost-of-living package as people still struggle with high prices. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has also said he wants to expand the eligibility criteria in the Budget to allow more people to avail of free IVF. More than 1,000 couples have availed of the state-funded IVF programme, the minister said. There are still couples who maybe they can avail of one cycle with the State, but then may have to fund it themselves. Thats certainly an area were looking at, Mr Donnelly said. Meanwhile, speaking at the Fianna Fail think-in in Killiney, Dublin, yesterday, Mr Chambers said a decision on whether there would be more than one energy credit had yet to be finalised. He added: What I would say is the decisions that we make on energy credits will be about protecting families and ensuring that the energy costs which are still in our economy are mitigating through the winter period. Mr Chambers took aim at Sinn Fein for proposing how to spend the Apple tax windfall funds, saying it had threatened to undermine that economic model. He added that reductions to the USC would be central to the income tax package part of Budget 2025. So USC will be a central component of the income tax package that I design, and we really want to target low- to middle-income earners and workers in our economy, and ensuring that we have a competitive income tax system that rewards work, he said. Therell be progressivity in how we design that, which is an important component of all Budgets that weve developed and I think between the tax package and also the cost-of-living payments, I think average workers should benefit (by) at least 1,000. Asked if the USC should be phased out over time, he said any party that states they would abolish the tax isnt being honest about their management of the economy. He said if 5bn is removed from the permanent tax take, they would have to find it elsewhere. He added: We have to make sure in all our economic decision-making that the medium- to long-term trajectory of the economy is in sight, and the decisions we take on tax and spending can be sustained long into the future. Meanwhile, Tanaiste Micheal Martin has dismissed what he called hot air speculation on the timing of the next general election. He said he believed the Government should go to full term, and named February as his preference for polling day. Addressing the question of whether by-elections would need to be held before then, Mr Martin said legal advice he had received suggested that would not be the case. Mr Martin also warned against half-baked proposals on childcare and said that the focus should be on the development of the child. Mr Martin was asked about what the partys visions for reforming the childcare and early-education sectors were after Fine Gael, Sinn Fein and the Green Party set out their stalls. Asked about what his partys proposal is, Mr Martin said that different parties have been claiming we own childcare. Mr Martin said that there had merely been suggestions proposed instead of substantive policy documents. A Dublin man has been sent forward for trial to the non-jury Special Criminal Court charged with "disposal" of body parts of murdered teenager Keane Mulready Woods and impeding the investigation into his death. The Drogheda youth, 17, was last seen alive by his family on the evening of January 12, 2020. He was killed, and his body was later dismembered. Irish News Irish soldiers tell families they may not be able to come home at end of tour as Israel digs in around UN base in Lebanon Hail chief executive Martina Smith said the group wants to expand its housing offering. Photo: Conor McCabe A specialist mental health housing body has appealed for an increase in funding to deliver 300 new homes, as the number of people with significant mental health challenges experiencing homelessness continues to grow. The Housing Association for Integrated Living (Hail), which will launch its annual report today, provides housing and support services primarily to people living with significant and enduring mental health difficulties, who are often at risk of homelessness or hospitalisation without support. It also provides mental health tenancy sustainment services to its tenants and to people living in private rented accommodation, local authority and social housing who have a mental health diagnosis and are at risk of losing their tenancy. Last year, Hail helped nearly 700 people sustain their tenancy, marking a 17pc increase from 2022. Hail chief executive Martina Smith said there are 1,600 people on housing waiting lists across Ireland who have mental health support requirements. A lot of people move from homelessness or congregated settings, so this might actually be their first home and itll all be very new to them, so we set them up in their homes, making sure that they have all the right benefits, that theyre able to pay their rent, get all their bills in place, she said. More than 470 homes are owned and managed by the association across 16 local authorities in Ireland. Most of the homes are located in the Dublin area, but the association plans to expand nationally under its new strategic plan. We provide homes in the greater Dublin areas and counties like Louth, Wicklow, Kildare. Were looking to expand into Meath. We would have a lot of properties in the midlands. We also have properties in Limerick and were looking to expand over to the west of Ireland as well. She appealed to developers in those areas to contact the association to help provide suitable homes for its tenants, with a particular focus on accommodation for single people. Were always looking for one-bed apartments, which is the type of unit that predominantly suits our tenants and clients, she added. Hail is calling on the Government to increase its funding in the upcoming Budget to help the association meet the growing demand for support services and housing. Theres a very high demand there. Mental health services is such a core area, Ms Smith said. Were finding more and more that the demand is increasing for our services. We see through our work just how essential having a stable and secure home is to support people with their mental health recovery. Hails head of services, Julie Cruickshank said the demand for the bodys tenancy sustainment services increases every year and, in order to meet this growing demand and maintain our current levels of service, a sustainable funding framework is necessary. The work we do helps people with significant and enduring mental health difficulties maintain their tenancy and avoid homelessness or hospitalisation, which ultimately saves money for the State, she said. We are calling on the Government to increase funding for our mental health tenancy sustainment services by 1m to help ensure this vital service is adequately and sustainably funded, and that we can grow this service to others that need it. A disability charity is refusing to cooperate with an HSE review into allegations of assault, RTE Investigates has revealed. The review examines allegations that a non-verbal female resident with an intellectual disability might have been assaulted in a care home owned by the charity. The charity operating care homes for adults with intellectual disabilities in southern Ireland is funded by the HSE. The parents of the female resident complained to the HSE in February 2023 after they discovered extensive bruising on her buttocks and thigh area on three separate occasions. They also complained about two incidents when a male resident in the same facility was found in their daughters bedroom at night. The parents asked the charity during their meeting for absolute assurances that the male resident had not assaulted [their daughter] or touched her inappropriately or put her in fear of her own safety. They were refused a copy of the report on the incident as it was their daughter's information. The female resident had been in the care home since 2020. Her father told RTE Investigates that the parents noticed that their daughter had a lot of screaming episodes around the time when the male resident was placed in the same facility in 2022. The parents took their daughter out of the care home in February 2023 to care for her in their family home. Following complaints and her parents meeting with the HSE official, a review team has been appointed in June 2023. The review, which was meant to be completed within 120 days, was officially paused seven months later. The HSE told the family that it could not be finished due to the refusal by the charitys management to cooperate with the team. "It was a complete disappointment that the management should be allowed just to have our review paused, the father told RTE Investigates. However, following a Freedom of Information request to the HSE for records of the review, he was told that the review is paused but also ongoing. Therefore, the HSE could not release parts of its records as the review hadnt been finished. Meanwhile, the charity told RTE Investigates in a statement that it has always and will always fully cooperate with any external review of its activities. When asked for clarification, the charity couldn't make any further comment. However, the HSE told RTE that "the matter referred to in your query, which concerned a particular resident, has been addressed in a thorough manner in line with HSE safeguarding policy and procedure." "Separately, a broader review taking into account wider matters and which is not focused on any single circumstance has not been completed," they said in a statement. The family said they haven't been given a satisfactory explanation and disagreed that the matter has been addressed. From today, Dublin city centre businesses are now banned from leaving out rubbish in plastic bags in a move aimed at cleaning up the capitals streets. The move taken by Dublin City Council will see close to 1,500 businesses in the south city centre first affected by the ban today. The remainder of the city centres businesses will be subject to the ban from January next year. "Dublins not a dirty old town, but the way waste has been presented in this city has contributed to our litter problem, Lord Mayor James Geoghegan said on announcing the ban. "What weve done is engage with bin operators to change how premises present their waste. Businesses will no longer be allowed to present their waste in plastic bin bags for seagulls to rip up and let rubbish be strewn across the road. "Theyll either have to put it in a wheelie or work with their bin operators themselves to ensure the waste goes directly from the premises into the back of a bin truck. Were working together to make Dublin a cleaner city and a better city to live in. This is going to be one of the biggest changes to how we have managed litter in our city, Mayor Geoghegan said. The scheme begins today, and its expected there will be full compliance from owners/occupiers of retail, commercial and residential buildings on many city centre streets by January 1, 2025. The scheme will then be extended to much of the city early next year. University Hospital Limerick (UHL) failed to conduct a competitive procurement process for 20.3m spent on top-up initiatives to reduce waiting lists, including over 2m given to three private companies which had links to staff, an internal audit revealed today. The audit found that two of the three providers both had a director who were staff members of University Hospital Limerick. A separate company had an employee as a director and did not work in the hospital. The auditors said there was no evidence of the employees in question being involved in the awarding of the contracts. However, the failure to conduct an open competitive procurement process for the 20.3m over 2022 and 2023 was in breach of rules. Senior management from the hospital told the auditors there was no dedicated procurement function within the hospital group. Management also stated they have highlighted this issue and were engaging with HSE National Procurement service on the matter. In response to using services with links to staff, the hospital said the services were chosen because of the geographical location of patients as well as the availability and capacity of the services to deliver. It said other considerations were qualifications and their ability to provide aftercare. The auditors were looking at how hospitals used their share of additional national non-recurring funding of around 99m available in 2022, which was aimed at stepping up patient treatments to reduce waiting lists. UHL, with limited access to private facilities locally, received 23.9m, University Hospital Galway 11.1m and Tallaght University Hospital 4.1m. Separately, University Hospital Galway had also breached procurement rules in one of the outsourcing services sampled by auditors. The hospital said it was a very specialist service and it could only locate one provide hospital consultant to provide it. The initiative was approved for 350 patients but due to constraints on the consultants time significantly lower number of patients were treated. A total of 62,000 was paid to this consultant. Auditors also looked at the use of money from this fund in Tallaght University Hospital in Dublin and it also breached procurement processes in one one outsourcing initiative with a spend of 800,000. Management said that due to the clinical needs of patients the body of work was started in advance of the tender. Other breaches were also found including around pay with University Hospital Galway using "local arrangements" around pay for consultants costing 194,000. Tallaght University Hospital employed a consultant from another hospital to carry out extra work. When it asked the other hospital, the doctor's paymaster to make overtime payments which Tallaght would reimburse, the arrangement was not possible. Tallaght hospital ended up paying the consultant 24,000 for 89 hours, paid at the double time rate. But this should only apply to work for Sunday and public holidays. The auditors also highlighted the problems of a private provider hiring HSE staff to provide insourced work. All of the hospitals responded saying they agreed with a series of recommendations from the auditors including have a "staff bank" to allow hospitals getting their own workers to deliver the service directly and be paid from the HSE payroll. A spokesman for the UL hospital group said: We fully accept the findings of the internal audit report and we are working with colleagues nationally on the establishment of an enhanced procurement support function within the HSE Mid West to ensure full compliance in future. Reducing waiting times for scheduled care patients remains a key priority for HSE Mid West. Community has rallied round, saying the moves have really affected everything Kathryn Kingston, a development officer with West Cork Development Partnership, said the Ukrainians in the area are very much part of the community An aerial view of Bantry Bay, where many Ukrainians have settled since they came to Ireland The Ukrainian community in west Cork has been left in shock following the Governments decision to move them away from local towns, with the relocation plan affecting many local businesses and schools. Many Ukrainian refugees had lived in the area for two years, making friends in the community and being in employment. People living in towns such as Bantry, Rosscarbery and Ballylickey are now being relocated to other areas in the county as well as to Co Kerry. The relocations have affected several local businesses that lost employees, while some students had to leave schools shortly before the new term started. Vasyl* and his wife have been living in Bantry since they arrived in Ireland in November 2022, nine months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. From the beginning of our life in Ireland, we are here in the Bantry area, said Vasyl. It was a shock for us to know that we have to move to another county, to another hotel. Thats why we had to refuse and continue to find some houses for rent ourselves. Today's News in 90 seconds - 16th September 2024 The couple received a letter from the Government three weeks before they had to move. They are now paying for a room in a Bantry hotel, while trying to find a house locally on their own as they dont want to move out. I think its a very short time to find something, said Vasyl, who has opened his own business. We are used to being here. Im working in Bantry and Skibbereen markets. My wife is planning to work and make her own business here as well. So we are happy to be here. We try to be useful to local society, and thats why the decision to move us to another town in another county was very unusual for us. For my family, it was shocking I think it was the same for every family. We will try our best to find something. Kathryn Kingston, a development officer with West Cork Development Partnership, has said the relocations really affected everything the community, local businesses and schools. Ms Kingston said Ukrainians who had to move are very much part of the community and made friends in the area. We have a Further Education college and many of them had registered for local courses not just for English. They had registered for art, music, IT, and through those other courses theyre getting to know people, said Ms Kingston. Many of them had joined the local walking club. Theres a singing festival in Bantry on October 12, and half the choir has now gone. She said one school in the area has lost 13 pupils in one fell swoop. The families had gone and bought uniforms and footwear. Now, theyve been relocated to different schools and they have to buy new uniforms, said Ms Kingston. They all had doctors here, but theyre very unlikely to find a doctor in Killarney or Kanturk because theyre now the bottom of the pile. The first relocation was from Ardnagashel in Bantry where 70 Ukrainian people were moved to Kanturk and Killarney. A Department of Integration spokesperson said it is reducing the number of contracts for accommodation for people from Ukraine who are beneficiaries of temporary protection for a number of reasons, including compliance concerns. Compliance concerns are when a provider is not meeting the required, contracted standards of service, said the spokesperson. The Department is also reducing the number of contracts to return accommodation to the private sector where possible and ensure value for money and greater oversight. This decision resulted in people being moved to other locations around the country over the next few months. Therefore, it is unlikely that this accommodation will be in the same area, the Department said, adding that those who wished to stay in their area were welcome to make their own arrangements. We appreciate that this is not easy for people and that moving location can be very disruptive, but at all times we were clear that state-funded accommodation is temporary and subject to change. *Names have been changed upon request. Some of the 'superhosts' who are organising events to fundraise for hospice care. Photo: Conor McCabe A Limerick womans extraordinary fundraising drive, raising 30,000 for hospice services, was fuelled by the care her late father received. Ann Marie Bagnell was so touched by the level of care Milford Care Centre gave her father, Michael, that she started a 14-year blitz to support the centre. She is part of the army of people across Ireland who have helped raise 45m for hospice services since 1990. Run by Together for Hospice, this year, Bewleys Big Coffee Morning for Hospice on September 26 has a fundraising target of 2.4m. Ms Bagnell, from Hospital in Co Limerick, was devastated by the death of her father 20 years ago. My dad died at home of skin cancer, aged 72, and the palliative care team was brilliant, the staff couldnt do enough for him they came out to the house. Its good to give something back, and its good to have a hospice but not to need it. Westmeath woman Margaret Henson also lost her father to cancer. She has raised 17,000. Her father Charlie (69) a farmer and a great big strong man died of lung cancer just three months after his diagnosis in 1989. A lightbulb moment, inspired by the late RTE presenter Marian Finucane, led to her getting behind the fundraising effort. I was coming home one day in 2005 and the radio ad for the coffee morning came on, Marian Finucane was promoting it at the time. For some reason, it hit a nerve, and I said, Im going to do it, said Henson, from Rahugh in Kilbeggan. My dad didnt have the chance to get hospice care, but I wanted to make sure that I could raise money for people who would get that care. In Kerry, Paula Silles (44) is preparing to mark her 19th year running the annual fundraiser. She has raised 27,500 since 2006. Ms Silles lost her mother Maureen to breast cancer in 2018. Hundreds of people drive through the Silles family home in Tralee every year, winding down their windows to pick up a tea, coffee or a slice of cake before dropping off a donation. A Tipperary pub, meanwhile, is set to switch off the beer taps and serve coffee as it hosts its fourth annual hospice fundraiser. The event in The County Bar in Thurles is championed by life-long friends Breda Kennedy and Mary ODwyer in aid of North Tipperary Hospice Movement. The setting of a pub is so jovial, and the community is very tight-knit, so we find the fundraiser becomes a safe place for people to open up about the ways that hospice services have impacted their lives, Ms ODwyer said. Together for Hospice represents 24 hospice and specialist palliative homecare providers supporting patients and their families across Ireland. Register to host a coffee morning on Thursday, September 26 or on a date that suits you at hospicecoffeemorning.ie or call 0818 995 996. Or you can donate at hospicecoffeemorning.ie/donate Justice Minister Helen McEntree has said she will "do what she can" to prevent people from intimidating others during protests as she spoke about a balaclava ban. It comes as the ban on wearing balaclavas and other face coverings at protests is to be introduced by the Government. While speaking at the Convention Centre on Monday ahead of the Citizenship Ceremonies, she said that a "person's right to protest" is a "cornerstone of our country. "However, it does not give a person the right to instil fear or to intimidate at the same time," she told the Irish Independent. "That's why in the coming weeks, we'll be seeking Cabinet approval to start drafting legislation to prevent people from wearing balaclavas in those scenarios where they're trying to instil fear or to intimidate. "In the last year, we have seen a small number of people who have engaged in violence, disorder and violent types of protests, while at the same time covering their faces. "I don't want that to be allowed. That shouldn't be allowed. It makes the gardais job more difficult, and so what I'm doing here is assisting the gardai, making sure that those who are responsible for these types of crimes causing intimidation and instilling fear that they can be brought to justice. The Minister has been examining legal advice from Attorney General Rossa Fanning. Mr Fanning advised the minister that laws could be introduced to make it an offence to wear a face covering when there is clear intent by protesters to intimidate others and prevent gardai from identifying them if they are committing crimes. The legislation will seek to make sure face coverings can be worn at protests for legitimate purposes, such as medical reasons or due to cold weather. Minister McEntee is working with the Attorney General and the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris so that the new legislation can be applied in the "most efficient way possible". "The next section will be to start the drafting and I hope to be able to do that as quickly as possible," she said. She confirmed there's no specific timeline yet as to when the legislation will be enforced. "This would be another piece of armoury for the gardai to be able to use in responding to these violent types of behaviours, she said. "People have a right to protest. However, no person should have the right to instil fear to intimidate any other individual. "I will do what I can to prevent that. Meanwhile, she said Fine Gael continues to work closely with its coalition partners ahead of the next general election. "We have lots of work to do. My focus is to make sure that as Minister for Justice, I get a good budget, gardai are supported, we can continue to modernise our courts and continue to invest in domestic and sexual violence services, that our prisons are supported and those who work in it. "All of my colleagues are focused on that as well in the weeks ahead. "A really important legislation that I want to enact is modernising our family courts," she added. Artist Rhona Byrne with the Liffey Choir at the launch of Restless: Liffey Love. Photo: Mark Stedman Artist Rhona Byrne (in red) with The Liffey Loves Choir at the unveiling of the Restless: Liffey Love sculpture in Dublin. Photo: Mark Stedman A new sculpture unveiled on the banks of the River Liffey seeks to bring attention to environmental issues as it was made form waste material brought out of the river itself. Restless: Liffey Love by artist Rhona Byrne was created using recycled plastic. Commissioned by Dublin City Council, the piece was created in collaboration with the Irish Nautical Trust. The plastic was collected by the Liffey Sweeper boat, which gathers debris from the water, over the course of eight months, and then processed into the colourful polymer material with the help of Paltech, a polymer engineering company. Also on the project team was the Billings Jackson firm, which designs urban public realm and infrastructure projects, and SteelSmith, an Irish-based engineering and fabrication company. The inspiration for the work came to Ms Byrne after she took up sailing during the Covid lockdowns. I took up sailing in Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club, and then I started spending more time in the river, in the bay, and basically discovered the Liffey Sweeper, started by Jimmy Murray from the Irish Nautical Trust, she said. She joined the crew of the Liffey Sweeper as they worked, which Ms Byrne said was a brilliant experience.I was invited on to the crew, so Id say I was going out for eight months or something, through the wind and rain and all kind of weather. I mean, they do amazing work. Theyre in service to the river, really. The Liffey Loves singing group was also present at the launch with bright berets and ukuleles. Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin Donna Cooney, who is also the head of the singing group, was at the event as an officiator. Rhona contacted me and asked me would we be able to do something at the launch, Cllr Cooney said. She said shed like if we wanted to compose a song around the Liffey. They had three songs ready to go, one of which, My Liffey Love was written in partnership with Damien Dempsey. Ms Byrne said the artwork celebrates a community of care for the River Liffey, a river that divides, connects and invites us to reflect on the city we live in and the need for more civic pride and togetherness. Customers check BYD's EV at a store in Budapest, Hungary, on May 27, 2024. Photo: VCG Global TimesChina's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Friday criticized the European Commission (EC)'s rejection of price offers from Chinese electric vehicle (EV) producers, saying the move shows the EC's lack of sincerity in addressing the dispute through dialogue and stressing China's firm determination to safeguard firms' rights and interests. "The EC ignored the Chinese industry's sincerity and efforts, and without further communication, said it would reject the Chinese industry's proposal of flexible solution. The Chinese side is deeply disappointed with this," a spokesperson for the MOFCOM said. The remarks came after the EC, the executive body of the EU, said on Thursday that it had received offers from Chinese EV makers for minimum import prices into the EU market and had rejected all of them, according to Reuters. The EC's rejection of relevant proposal without thorough evaluation not only undermines the confidence of the Chinese industry in continuing cooperation, but is also inconsistent with the expectations of some EU member states, and is inconsistent with the EC's public statement that it hopes to resolve this case through dialogue, the MOFCOM spokesperson said. The spokesperson also pointed out that China has made great efforts, including proposing flexible solutions, while the EC lacked sincerity in meeting China halfway. "If the consultations fail to reach consensus in the end, the responsibility lies entirely with the European side," the spokesperson said. "China has the greatest sincerity to properly resolve differences through dialogue and consultation, as well as the greatest determination to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises." The MOFCOM has announced that Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao will visit Europe and hold talks with EC Executive Vice President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis on September 19 to discuss the EU's anti-subsidy case against China's EVs. Experts also noted that the Chinese industry's proposal is another example of the Chinese side's commitment to properly resolving the dispute through dialogue and consultation. However, China will firmly safeguard its interests, if the EC refuses to meet China halfway. The EC should strengthen dialogue and communication with China, show the same sincerity as China in the process, and actively seek solutions that are consistent with WTO rules and acceptable to both parties, Wang Yiwei, a professor at the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times. "Both parties are in negotiations, and it would be best if a mutually acceptable outcome can be reached. However, if it touches on China's core interests, no concessions will be made," Wang Yiwei said. It is the second time the business has been placed in administration in five years The parent company of the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast is to enter administration in the coming days Belfast shipbuilder Harland and Wolff has announced the business is set to move into administration. The firm said between 50-60 immediate redundancies are expected but said that staff employed at its four shipyards are not affected. Harland and Wolff, which famously built the Titanic, has four shipyards one in Belfast, two in Scotland (Methil on the Firth of Forth and Arnish on the Isle of Lewis) and one in England (Appledore in north Devon). It is the second time the business has been placed in administration in five years. The administration process will be confined to the holding company, Harland & Wolff Group Holdings PLC, and the operational companies which run the yards are expected to continue trading. A company statement said: A full review of all group holdings commenced in July and has concluded that H&W Group Holdings PLC is insolvent on a balance sheet basis as per its last audited accounts and most recent management accounts. Insolvency practitioners Teneo will act as administrators and shares will be delisted. The company is part of a consortium that landed a major contract to build new fleet solid support ships for the Royal Navy. It had applied for a 200 million loan guarantee from the British government as part of efforts to restructure its finances. However, the government decided in August not to act as a guarantor on the lending while also ruling out direct funding to maintain the companys liquidity. Harland and Wolff interim executive chairman Russell Downs said the group had faced a very challenging time due to historic losses and a failure to secure long-term financing. He said: Its important to recognise that this is very difficult news for staff and will affect many within group. We will work to support our staff through this transition. We also know that it will be very unwelcome news for shareholders who have shown significant commitment to the business over the last five years. The board, the senior managers and rest of the team are committed to deliver the best outcome for the four yards and communities they serve to ensure their continued operation into the long term under new ownership. Unfortunately, extremely difficult decisions have had to be taken to preserve the future of our yards. Despite the recent challenges, the four yards have a strong capability, under new ownership and with the continuing support of their customers, to deliver UK-based ship building and leading UK-based renewables employing over 1,300 committed personnel. Its critical that the business comes through its financial troubles to secure an enduring legacy worthy of its name and its past for the benefit of the UK as a whole and its communities in particular. Ulster Unionist MLA Andy Allen said it is crucial the Government supports the shipyard in finding a new owner. He said: While this outcome may have seemed increasingly likely in recent months, we must find a solution that not only keeps this historic shipyard in east Belfast, but allows it to grow and thrive. The yard is more than just a historic landmark; it has a vital role to play in our national defence, particularly in shipbuilding and maintenance. Given its strategic importance to our defence infrastructure, the Government must act quickly and decisively to secure its future. The workforces skills and expertise are invaluable, not just to the yard itself but to our broader economy and defence capabilities. He added: I will continue to work with colleagues, both here and in Westminster, to ensure every support is given to finding a new owner that will make a clear commitment to building on Harland and Wolffs historic success. The government must actively engage with all interested parties and prioritise this issue. We must ensure the yard and its workforce have a viable and sustainable future. Dog was on leash when it bit arm of Belfast youngster The schoolboy was attacked by an XL bully dog. Stock photo A young boy was attacked by an XL bully dog while walking to school in Belfast, it has emerged. The schoolboy was bitten on the arm by the dog during the attack at Woodstock Road in the east of the city last May. The dangerous breed has killed several people in the UK and Ireland in recent years. This included the death of Nicole Morey in Co Limerick in June. Ms Morey, who had just celebrated her 23rd birthday, was attacked in her home by one of her dogs, an XL bully. Last month, a one-year-old girl was seriously injured after being attacked by an XL bully dog in Co Kerry. A young boy, Alejandro Mizsan, was also left with serious injuries following an attack by an XL bully in November 2022 while playing near his home in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford. XL bullies have also been responsible for a number of horrific deaths in Britain in recent years. Limerick woman Nicole Morey was attacked by her own XL bully Figures recently released by Stormont revealed there were 1,581 dog attacks in Northern Irelands 11 council areas from April 2023 to March 2024. Of these, XL bully dogs were involved in 48 of the attacks. New laws are being introduced across Ireland this year to ban people from owning XL bullies unless they have a special certificate. The attack on the Belfast schoolboy happened in May this year, but details of the incident only emerged this week when the dogs owner was brought before a court. Louise Hamilton, from Pearl Street in Belfast, admitted she owned the dog which attacked the youngster. Belfast Magistrates Court was told the boy was walking to his school bus stop when he was bitten by the dog on the arm. The animal was on a lead at the time and was quickly pulled away from the terrified child. The boy, whose age was not outlined in court, is understood to have been taken to hospital for treatment after the attack. Hamiltons solicitor said she had accepted from the outset that the dog, which she described as a puppy, had bitten the child and was sorry for what the boy had suffered. Since the incident, the solicitor added, the dog has been contained in Hamiltons home and has been given additional training. The dog hasnt been out on walks or anything since this incident, said the solicitor. Alejandro Mizsan. Photo: Jim Campbell Despite the dog having attacked a child, there was no order for it to be put down. Instead a contingency destruction order was put in place for the rest of the dogs life. This means the dog will be destroyed if the owner does not follow the strict controls put in place. The judge said the dog must be fitted with a muzzle when out in public. It must also always be kept on a lead in public and be securely confined in a building or yard or some other type of enclosure when at home. If there is a repetition of this, there will be a destruction order for the dog, the judge said. Sentencing Hamilton, the judge said he would give her credit for pleading guilty and the manner in which she had approached the matter. Attack victim Nicole Morey with one of the dogs in her care She was sentenced to four months in prison but the sentence was suspended for a year. She was warned if she commits any offence during that time she could be sent to jail. Hamilton was also ordered to pay compensation of 250 to the boy and 135 of costs to Belfast City Council. Since February 1 this year, it has been a criminal offence in England and Wales to own an XL bully without an exemption certificate. Following the introduction of the ban, councils in Northern Ireland said there was a significant increase in the number of XL bullies being reported in their areas. As a result, new restrictions in connection with the breed have also been brought in Northern Ireland. The new rules are being introduced in two stages. The first set of legal safeguards came into operation on July 5 and added XL bully type dogs to the list of restricted breeds. From this date, owners will not be allowed to breed, sell, exchange, gift or abandon an XL bully type dog and they will need to keep their dog muzzled and on a lead when in public places. The dog must be kept in secure conditions that will stop it from escaping. The second stage will come into effect on December 31. Beyond that date it will be illegal to own an XL bully type dog without an exemption certificate. In Ireland under new laws, it will be illegal to import, breed, or re-sell XL bullies from October 1 this year, while a ban on ownership will come into force from February 1, 2025. From that date, owners will require a certificate of exemption to keep existing dogs. News Catch Up: Monday 16th September Pope Francis made a surprise intervention in the US presidential election on Friday by urging voters to choose the lesser evil. His Holiness did not specify which of the candidates was most deserving of that tag, but the rest of the world need not be so circumspect. There are now 51 days to go until the election and just how imperative it is that the victor on November 5 must be Democrat candidate Kamala Harris has never been more evident than during the first debate this week against her Republican rival. Donald Trump offered one of the most disturbing performances by a candidate in American political history, even declaring at one point that immigrants were eating peoples cats and dogs. The racist remarks made the notoriously thin-skinned Trump a figure of ridicule worldwide. In truth, though, it is no laughing matter. Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Reuters With the election so near, and the polls still so close, these glimpses into Trumps fact-free, conspiracy-addled imagination are a cause for serious concern among Americas allies should he make it back, emboldened, to the White House. That remains a very real prospect. Harris may have won the debate by a country mile, but winning a debate against a man so chaotic in his thinking is not a high bar to clear and her supporters would be foolish to let complacency lure them into believing what happened earlier this week gives her an unassailable advantage. Debates do not win elections. Hillary Clintons intellectual superiority over Trump was even more painfully evident in 2016 and she still went on to eventually lose the election by some considerable margin in the electoral college. Trumps voters lose no sleep over his personal deficiencies. What they share is a deep dissatisfaction with the direction of the country and their own place in the economic pecking order. Trump taps into those fears crudely but directly. Harris still needs to find a way to speak to those concerns. Worryingly, this is not a skill which seems to come naturally to her. Harris swerved, rather than answered, the question Given that the cost of living is the number one issue for voters, the most pertinent question asked by the debate moderators on Tuesday evening was the very first one: When it comes to the economy, do you believe Americans are better off than they were four years ago? Harris swerved, rather than answered, the question. Her vague, halting reply about having a plan will have done little to sway undecided voters in crucial swing states that their families lives will improve under her as president. The worlds media made hay with Trumps fabrications about Haitians eating household pets, but US voters struggling to get by may have found more to cheer in the former presidents closing remarks in the debate. He wondered why, if the Democrats have a plan to fix the economy, they havent done so already, given that they have been in power for all but four of the years since 2008, the year after the financial crash. That long tenure makes it hard for Harris to present herself as an agent of change. She has a grave responsibility to get this right. The consequences of putting a deluded, angry man-child like Trump back in charge of the worlds destiny at such a dangerous time internationally are too terrifying to contemplate. Rather than the Government deciding how the 14bn due from Apple to the Irish people will be spent or distributed, a Citizens Assembly should be the appropriate forum to discuss and issue recommendations for its disbursement. So much public money has been scandalously misspent by successive governments over the years due to lack of proper oversight that the distribution of this tax windfall should be decided by such an assembly. Proper spending of this money would result in a seismic economic benefit for present and future generations. Brendan Butler, Homefarm Road, Dublin 9 Blame Donald Trump for descent of civil discourse into shouting matches Katy Hayess reflection on the rise of anger in Irish society (To the driver who yelled at me for using a disabled space: rage wont make you right, Irish Independent, September 14) feels like a sign that civil discourse has turned into a full-contact sport. Donald Trump seems to have written the playbook on how to turn frustration into performance art. His brand of bombastic, grievance-driven rhetoric has crossed the Atlantic, encouraging people to skip reason and go straight for the shouting. Now it seems like everyones a bit more Trumpian less talk, more tantrum. The unfortunate side effect? Weve swapped discussion for outrage, and the volume keeps cranking up. Enda Cullen, Tullysaran Road, Armagh Stopping schoolchildren from using their phones is far too late in the day The banning of smartphones in schools seems like an excellent, if futile, initiative as young people have almost merged with the virtual social media world. Disentangling them will be as easy as giving up smoking: difficult for most, impossible for many. Will teachers also be required to put their phones in a locker before work too? They have different rights as adult workers... or do they? An obvious, but horrific, extension of this approach would be to require workers to leave their phone in the staffroom lockers, although this would surely result in more people working from home. There is an old saying about shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted, but I doubt most young people would have ever heard it or even understand it. Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne Government should be setting an example when it comes to housing crisis Your report on one of many vacant properties in Dublin (House owned by Department of Education has been vacant for over six years, Sunday Independent, September 15) shows just how disinterested those in authority are in actually solving the housing crisis. If the Department of Education has trouble learning lessons from all the homeless crisis entails, what are the chances of the rest of officialdom taking the necessary action? Peter Declan OHalloran, Belturbet, Cavan Far-right groups that preach hatred should look to their consciences now Should we all be racist now, Father? Whats the churchs position? A question put to Father Ted on the fictional Craggy Island. Well, we have an answer to that question in the real world, thanks to Pope Franciss advice to voters in the upcoming US presidential election. Anti-immigrant sentiment can now be regarded as evil by all true Catholics. Anyone who claims to be a practising and fully compliant member of the Catholic Church must now refrain from the kind of behaviour weve witnessed in Ireland in recent months, such as slashing the tents of asylum-seekers along the Grand Canal, or shouting slogans like get them out outside migrant centres. Anyone who gathers in communities to holler This town says no could, if a priest so willed it, be refused holy communion, or, if they are true to their own beliefs, they should have the decency not to enter a church in the first place for as long as they engage in racism under the guise of concerned citizens activity. Some of the Catholic far-right groups that preach against immigration will now have to reflect carefully on their position. Of course, the Catholic far right may pretend the Pope said nothing on the subject, or ignore his words, but Im sure they understand that the man (or woman) above wont forget their duplicity. They may continue to fan the flames of hatred, but the Popes words will, I suspect, niggle away at their slumbering consciences. John Fitzgerald, Callan, Co Kilkenny Stop the clocks: best time to call a general election is at the end of next month John Downing is right in his piece about the next general election (Past is littered with wins and crushing defeats on strength of election timing, Irish Independent, September 14). There has to be a general election before March. A winter election can be a hard ask. It is not easy calling on houses in the dark and during severe weather. I think the ideal time would be the last Friday of next month, before the clocks go back. It would be more convenient for those canvassing and people in general would be a lot happier about it. I am calling to houses at the moment selling tickets for a draw and I always try and get as much as I can done when the evenings are relatively bright. We can all predict when the election is going to be, but the important question is who is going to govern. I think that result is now a foregone conclusion. Thomas Garvey, Claremorris, Co Mayo We must abide by legal findings on Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder case I was astonished to read the comments by Tanaiste Micheal Martin in relation to the murder of Sophie Toscan Du Plantier (Solicitor hits out at Tanaiste for feral attack over Du Plantier case, Irish Independent, September 14). Does Mr Martin realise a person is presumed innocent until otherwise proven guilty of a crime? Ms Toscan du Plantiers murder was investigated by gardai. A file was sent to the DPP, who deemed the case to be unsafe and there wasnt enough evidence to go to trial. Consequently, Mr Bailey was not prosecuted for this crime and therefore is an innocent man. If the evidence was there and Mr Bailey could be linked to this crime, then surely he would have been brought to justice? Rory OConnor, Kenmare, Co Kerry Taoiseach Simon Harris alluded to spending some of the Apple billions on housing and infrastructure. Photo: Reuters The summer break is well and truly over for Irelands politicians, with Dail Eireann back in business this week. Whats on the agenda? Just a few small matters like an expensive bike shed, an Apple windfall tax and an imminent general election. But is November the right time to go to the polls? And what does history tell us about the timing of general elections? Bad election timing can cost many TDs their careers, deprive leaders of their grip on power and change the course of history. In May 1977, then taoiseach Liam Cosgrave made the biggest mistake of his long career by calling a general election for June 16. His Fine Gael-Labour coalition, which fought on a common platform, had been forced by a global economic slump and oil supply crisis to impose very unpopular taxes and cutbacks. Ministers were hugely divided on timing and their parties woefully unprepared. They could have waited until spring 1978 and hoped for better economic news. Soon, the government received an opinion poll correctly predicting heavy losses. Fine Gael kingpin Garret FitzGerald asked colleagues: Can we undissolve the Dail? Is Simon Harris likely to look to the past to help form an answer to the election headache that has formed in recent weeks? Today on the Indo Daily, Kevin Doyle is joined by Ireland Editor of the Irish Independent Fionnan Sheahan and by Irish Independent political correspondent John Downing, to discuss when Simon Harris should fire the starting gun on a general election. The suicide prevention resource officer for Cork has encouraged people to reach out for help when they need it A return to the concept of checking in on your family, friends and neighbours is one way in which suicide related to isolation and loneliness can be curbed, according to one Corkman who is working to prevent suicide. Its the old adage really, checking in on people to see if they are alright, said Martin Ryan, who is suicide prevention resource officer for Cork county and city. Martin, who is originally from the northside of Cork, told The Corkman that suicide is an issue which is sadly affecting people of all ages. If you look across life span and life changes throughout our lives. There is schooling transition from primary school to secondary school to exams to college. Then you are talking about relationship breakdowns and financial issues, other issues that go right through your life, he explained. When it comes to suicide in Cork, there are different trends and concerns when it comes to different demographics which can often change. Take for instance, we are aware post-pandemic the older population is still living in isolation, Martin said. [Especially from the] male perspective, that generation and even our own generation are still not comfortable making that step asking for help. In a recent meeting with Irish Countrywomens Association groups from around north Cork, Martin and ICA members spoke about how important it was to try and help people in need. This is especially significant with the issue of isolation currently affecting people right across the board, including young people and farmers. If you know someone, you can be the catalyst that can offer that support, whatever groupings they are from. You dont have to be a psychologist or a psychotherapist or a councillor or anything to offer support, he explained. There are plenty of services out there that offer one to one support. A big part of Martins work consists of encouraging people, whether they be retired or still in school, to seek help if they are struggling. By holding events such as Together at the Castle, which was run in Mallow recently, Martin and Cork Kerry Community Healthcare made getting help accessible by bringing people to a location where they could enjoy themselves and also speak to services and learn about what they do. Similar initiatives, like Together at the Lodge in east Cork on September 29 and Feel Good Festival events in west Cork throughout next month are aimed at continuing to inform people and offer easy access to services. Reducing the stigma around mental health and keeping a conversation around the topic going is also key to Martins role. Its about making sure mental health awareness is on everyones agenda all the time, he said. When suicides do happen, Martin aims to support the families and communities impacted by showing them how to seek help and assisting them in doing so. Its about remembering that every suicide is part of a community, he said. Its a very tragic and trauma driven episode. Martin believes community is a key factor in helping prevent suicides and he regularly interacts with the Gardai and other emergency services as well as civilians, so that the community and services can be wrapped around individuals who are struggling. Engaging with those services is to make sure suicide prevention is about all of us, about what we can do together, he said. So it isnt just about the HSE or the Pieta Houses or the Samaritans of this world. Its about the whole community approach. I spent 20 years working as a community worker. Growing up in the northside area I am well aware of how we make connections on a community level. From my point of view, community is a strength. Its about supporting that community to make the best possible support possible. Martin has urged everyone, irrespective of who they are or how they are feeling, to put the Samaritans free 24/7 helpline number 116 123 into their phone. Even if its just one number that you have in your phone that you can offer someone, it mightnt be now or tomorrow or next month, you know that you can rely on that number thats operating on a 24-hour basis that you can ring anytime, he stated. The hardest thing to do is to reach out for help. It takes a lot of strength, but believe me when you do it, you will absolutely be blown away by the amount of support thats there for you. If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, call Samaritans free on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.ie; or call Pieta on Freephone 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444. The Lord Mayor said it is encouraging that efforts to create better public awareness of the need to protect air quality have begun to bear fruit Pictured at the official opening of Irelands first ever Clean Air Day event at Cork City Hall on September 7, organised by Cork City Council. The days activities included discussions and workshops, the City Hall was illuminated with messages promoting clean air, and Robin Bateman, Windsurfer, performed on the river for the public. Picture: Alison Miles / OSM PHOTO Cork has been ranked as the city with the 15th best air quality in Europe, and the best in Ireland, in a new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report, which analysed the air quality of 372 European cities, detailed that Cork recorded a fine particulate level of 5.2 ug/ m which is slightly above the World Health Organizations (WHO) guideline of 5 ug/ m. Uppsala in Sweden topped the reports rankings with a fine particulate matter level of 3.5 g/m while Slavonski Brod in Croatia ranked last with a very poor rating based on the fine particulate matter level of 26.5 g/m in its air. A spokesperson for Cork City Council said Corks ranking in the new report is a positive outcome for the suite of air quality commitments, like the delivery of Cork Citys Air Quality Strategy and associated actions, that have been undertaken in recent years. Lord Mayor, councillor Dan Boyle, said it is encouraging that the efforts of Cork City Council to create better public awareness of the need to protect air quality have begun to bear fruit. Cork compares well with similar sized European cities. There is, however, little room for complacency as there are times of the year when pollution risks are too high and must be reduced. Our goal is to bring air quality in the city to comply with the WHO standards, Mayor Boyle said. The councillor said that smaller essential works will be left behind because funding has been diverted to cover the overruns on bigger projects A Fine Gael General Election candidate for Cork North-West has called for Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to explain why substantial funding for road upgrades across the country will be diverted and potentially cause the deterioration of roads all across the country. On Sunday, The Irish Independent reported that up to 50 million worth of minor roads across the country have been postponed as their funding has been diverted to cover the costs of projects which have gone over budget. Several smaller road projects could be significantly delayed. Kanturk councillor John Paul OShea said that smaller essential works will be left behind because funding has been diverted to cover the overruns on bigger projects. He said Minister Ryan, who is leader of the Green Party, which is in government with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, has said that some bigger projects have run over budget and require additional funding but has refused to say how much they have overrun by. Additional funding for these major projects will potentially be taken from the road-maintenance budget. If funding is taken from this budget, we could see the deterioration of roads all across the country, Cllr OShea said. Reduced investment in key road infrastructure will not only impact road safety but may also threaten economic growth in more rural areas. We need to ensure our road infrastructure is maintained and improved, and the road maintenance budget is essential for this. We know projects like the Adare Bypass are important, and we need to see these projects completed, but it cant be at the expense of smaller upgrades. The national roads maintenance programme should not be used as a means to balance budgets from other capital projects. We cant see delays to these smaller road projects, communities need to see these upgrades delivered. The Minister for Transport has serious questions to answer if there are delays to minor road upgrades. It was alleged that the farmer (70s) had deliberately cleared trees and shrub-land and other habitats The man's solicitor said he was 'very apologetic' and 'now realised the full extent of the seriousness of the situation'. Daniel Finn of Tevenie, Dromina, Co. Cork appeared before Judge Colm Roberts at Mallow District Court. The prosecution against Mr Finn was taken by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Prosecuting counsel Paula McCarthy BL said that it was alleged that Mr Finn, a farmer in his 70s, had deliberately cleared trees and shrub-land and other habitats at Stream Hill, Doneraile, Co. Cork on dates between March, 1 2023 and August 31, 2023. Giving evidence, prosecution witness National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) conservation warden Claire Deasy that she first visited the site at Stream Hill on April 27, 2024 shortly before 1pm. She said that it was immediately evident that significant clearance of trees and shrubs had taken place including native woodland and hedgerows. She told the court that the protection of native woodland was of particular importance because only two percent of such woodlands remained in Ireland. She said the site had a stream running though it that fed a special area of conservation a short distance downstream and was adjacent to the Ballyhoura Mountains Special Area of Conservation. She told the court that in total some 250 mature and semi-mature trees had been knocked and uprooted. According to Ms Deasy a combined total of 3.7 hectares of vegetation including scrub and trees had been removed from the site as well as the significant destruction of aquatic and fisheries habitat in a natural watercourse known to support salmonids. She added that there was also the removal and destruction of approximately 350 m of river habitat along the banks of the stream and the removal of significant amounts of linear hedgerow. Ms Deasy told the court that when she questioned Mr Finn about his a activities he told her he was improving the land for agriculture. Ms Deasy told the court that Mr Finn was asked to stop his activities at the site twice while investigations were ongoing but there was still evidence he was clearing vegetation in late July. Defence solicitor Marie Ford said that Mr Finn had been cooperative at all times, had no previous convictions and had not subsequently committed any offences. She said he was a man in his 70s who was very apologetic and now realised the full extent of the seriousness of the situation. Judge Colm Roberts said that in the circumstances he would probably have to convict Mr Finn. He said that the maximum penalty was a fine of 5,000 and if he were to consider dealing with the matter by way of a donation to an environmental charity, the figure would need to be higher than that. He said: Hes an experienced farmer, he took a risk and he got caught. Its impossible to believe that a farmer of his age can lived in blissful ignorance of the Wildlife Act for all these years. This was extensive and reckless, he knew what he was doing, it was barbarism, vandalism and almost delinquent. Judge Roberts adjourned sentencing until October 21 to allow Mr Finn discuss the details of what kind of charity donation he might make. The Judge added: You have to ask yourself do you want to be regarded as an environmental terrorist or barbarian? Three services in Cork North West have been allocated funding for new vehicles to support their work. The funding, under the CLAR programme, may be used to purchase vehicles designed to transport people who have mobility issues or people undergoing cancer treatments. The funding may also be used for community groups who provide meals on wheels services, and search and rescue organisations. Fine Gael councillor John Paul OShea welcomed the allocation of funding for vital services in the county. "I am very pleased to see support for projects by Duhallow Community Food Services, Mallow/Charleville branch of the Irish Red Cross and the Irish Wheelchair Association (Cork) through the provision of new vehicle which will help individuals and communities right across the county. Cllr OShea who has been selected to run in the Cork North West constituency in the general election continued: This investment will not only improve the quality of life for vulnerable individuals who benefit from the service in Cork, but also give a lifeline to families who depend on these critical services. The initiative will also strengthen the ability of local community groups in Cork to reach more people, ensuring nobody is left behind. Providing a means of transport is a practical solution to isolation and lack of access particularly for older people living alone and patients traveling long distances for medical treatments. This year, the purchase of 48 vehicles for organisations across the country has been approved. It represents a significant commitment to rural development and social inclusion, he added. "This is the highest number of vehicles ever funded through the programme, said Cllr OShea. Today's announcement brings the total number of vehicles delivered under this measure to over 200 since its introduction in 2018, with associated funding exceeding 10 million. For David Nordel, returning to civilian life as a veteran is like standing on one end of the Grand Canyon and being told you have to get to the other side, without being given any instructions on how to do it. Nordel, a retired Air Force Command Chief Master Sergeant who served 30 years with multiple tours all over the world, said it took him nearly 10 years to be comfortable in civilian life. He served as a medic from Colombia to Kosovo and saw more traumatic medical emergencies than most people could imagine. The transition to civilian life can be rough. Youve built up a high level of camaraderie and lived a very organized and structured life during your time in the service, having taken an oath to run toward the gun, Nordel said. Data shows around 50% of veterans leave their first civilian job within the first year and up to 65% leave within two years. Its just difficult. After leaving the military, Nordel said, veterans often face hurdles that can include everything from PTSD and burnout to overqualification and feeling undervalued. The inability to assimilate only accentuates the military-to-civilian transition challenges, he said. Hes also quick to point out that while the ADA guidelines provide an overview of civil rights laws to ensure equal opportunity for people with disabilities, there are no such guidelines to meet the needs of veterans. The Billings resident, who is also a registered nurse and CEO of Max Fab Consulting, founded Vet READY to do just that. Through his work with the nonprofit, Nordel helps vets transition into civilian work life while simultaneously helping businesses understand the value of hiring veterans. He refers to his organization as the what comes after the thank you for your service phrase veterans hear every day. Nordel partners with employers to help them understand all the jewels and diamonds and nuggets that exist within the veterans skill set and how they can mine them in terms of recruitment and retention, as well as the type of culture they can create to enable the vets to find their new team and purpose and empower them to thrive. The Vet READY certification program includes lessons on how to teach employers to acknowledge and celebrate the unique strengths and leadership qualities that veterans bring to the table; provide training and mentorship opportunities; match veterans skill sets with positions that align with their purpose; and implement programs that enhance the veterans mental health and well-being. For anyone considering joining the military, Nordel recommends aligning themselves with people you respect and who can mentor you. If you sit in one spot, youll look like a mushroom and just always grow in the same spot. In a combat situation you have to be around people you can rely on and who can, in turn, rely on you. And whether you serve four, eight or 30 years, those skills will be considered valuable when you reenter civilian life. And Nordels job is to make sure employers know just that. For more information on the Vet READY program, please visit getvetready.org. Stories of Honor is a series, sponsored by AARP, which salutes those who have served and still serve by showcasing 10 veterans across Montana. Stories of Honor are published between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. For more information, please visit aarp.org/mtvets. This content was produced by Brand Ave. Studios. The news and editorial departments had no role in its creation or display. Brand Ave. Studios connects advertisers with a targeted audience through compelling content programs, from concept to production and distribution. For more information contact sales@brandavestudios.com. Life flipped on its head for Dublin parents when daughter Zoe fell ill on a family holiday A Dublin couple thought their 10-month-old daughter had a stomach bug when she fell ill on a family holiday last year but within a week, she was in chemotherapy. David and Emma Mills, originally from Swords but now living in Donabate, are parents to Tom and Zoe. Last summer, they went on a family holiday where Zoe became quite unwell. However, they initially put it down the heat and lack of routine. Zoe was born in September 2022, and she was a great baby. There were never any issues and she met all our milestones, David said. We went on a family holiday. She was a little bit off with her feeding and sleeping. We put that down to being away and didnt really think much of it. We came home, and we thought she was going to get better by being back in a routine. But as the week went on, she was getting worse. On the August bank holiday weekend, we brought her to the GP who advised us to take her to the hospital. We didnt think anything, we thought it would be just a routine check-up. The next week, she was getting worse by the hour, so we brought her back on Wednesday, August 9. They did a couple of tests, they did scans on the Thursday morning and brought us down to a room. I still remember shivers going through me. Being called down to the room, we knew something wasnt right, but we still never thought it would have been the diagnosis we got. Our life just literally flipped on its head. Nothing else mattered. Zoes mum, Emma, added: You dont ever, ever expect to hear that word about a 10-month-old baby. Its just really hard. Tom is her big brother. At the time she was diagnosed, he was due to start Junior Infants two weeks later. Our world turned upside down and his world was also completely turned upside down during a time when he was meant to be all excited for starting school. Hes brilliant with her, hes a proper big brother looking out for her and minding her. We had to try and keep things normal for him too. Baby Zoe was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma Zoe had been diagnosed with stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma, an extremely aggressive childhood cancer. We were in Temple Street that Wednesday and Thursday. Then she was brought by ambulance late Thursday night to Crumlin, David said. They told us thered be a bed in St John's Ward, which is the cancer ward, and shed be starting treatment the following day. Theyd to put an intravenous line into her and they did bone marrow aspirates. There were a number of things that were done on that Friday in Crumlin to prepare her for the treatment. She started chemotherapy at about 6pm on the Friday evening. In the space of one week we went from what we thought was a child with a bit of a bug to being on chemotherapy. We were just landed with this complete and utter shell shock; we went from zero to 100 miles an hour. We spent seven weeks in the hospital, Zoe was so unwell. She was in ICU for a week, it was very, very tough with one of us constantly in the hospital with her. Even when she did get home, she had to go on chemotherapy every 10 days, so shed to go back. But there were so many different things going on with her. We might have got home after one round of chemotherapy, but two or three days later, she could have a temperature, and wed have to go back in. Now, Zoe is currently doing her best to stand up, take a few steps, say a few words, and even sing along to her favourite movie, Frozen. She is getting used to her hearing aids, which were necessary after the hearing loss caused by chemo, and communicating better every day. Her feeding tube is still in place and still required for her nutrition and daily medication. She is full of personality and fun, and extremely determined. Her parents are hoping immunotherapy will be the final stage of Zoe's frontline treatment. Theyre hoping there will be no evidence of disease in her post-treatment PET scan later this year. But they believe the next stage is to bring Zoe to neuroblastoma maintenance therapy which aims to prevent the disease returning. This treatment is only available as clinical trials in the USA. Its maintenance therapy and the idea is that it prevents relapse, Emma said. With high-risk neuroblastoma, which is Zoes diagnosis, the relapse stats are awful and particularly in the first six months and even into the first couple of years. These maintenance therapies are targeting recurrence with the aim to prevent it coming back. Its been a long road. The first phase of chemo was really tough and handing her over for surgery was awful as well. The transplant was particularly bad on her, it left her completely floored and lifeless. High-risk neuroblastoma has a very high relapse rate, and limited treatment options if relapse occurs. This makes the longer-term survival statistics unthinkable, so weve set up a GoFundMe to get Zoe the treatment she needs. You can find out more about the fundraiser for Zoe here. A family-run shop in Galway is celebrating a monumental moment after selling a winning ticket worth 1,005,000 in last Fridays EuroMillions Ireland Only Raffle Draw. The Monaghan's Centra and Circle K store, located on Seamus Quirke Road, Westside, sold the Quick Pick ticket to Irelands newest millionaire, who purchased their ticket last Wednesday, September 11. The winning ticket worth 1,005,000 has marked the store's biggest win to date in its eight-year history. Shop owner Simon Monaghan expressed his excitement upon hearing the news: "Were absolutely thrilled that one of our customers has become a millionaire! Our store is located on one of the busiest roads in Galway, connecting to Knocknacarra, one of the most populated areas in the city. We're really hoping it's one of the locals who has landed this incredible win. The win has brought a great sense of excitement to the store and the local community as Monaghan added: "This is a huge boost for our store and the entire area. It's the largest win we've had so far, and we couldnt be happier to be part of such a life-changing moment for one of our customers." The National Lottery continues to urge players who may have visited the Centra and Circle K store in Westside to purchase their EuroMillions ticket for the Friday September 13 draw, to carefully check their tickets. The winning raffle code was: I-RCP-82103. Follow Independent Galway on Facebook The winner is advised to sign the back of their ticket and keep it safe. They should make contact with the National Lottery prize claims team on 1800 666 222 or email claims@lottery.ie and arrangements will be made for them to collect their prize. In addition to the big win in Galway, a Dublin player is also celebrating after winning the EuroMillions Plus top prize of 500,000. The Dublin player purchased their winning ticket on the day of the draw in Spar, Poppintree Parade, Balbutcher Road, Ballymun, and matched the following numbers in the EuroMillions Plus draw: 13, 14, 20, 31, 44. Sligos Collins McNicholas has recently been accredited with The KeepWell Mark, Ibecs prestigious workplace wellbeing accreditation, reinforcing its commitment to investing in its most valuable asset its people. This recognition reflects the companys dedication to fostering a healthier, more productive and sustainable work environment. The KeepWell Mark is an evidence-based accreditation that acknowledges Irish employers who prioritise workplace wellbeing. It provides a structured framework to help businesses benchmark and improve their wellbeing initiatives, ensuring a comprehensive approach to employee health and safety. The accreditation process involves a thorough self-assessment, evidence gathering, action planning, and an onsite evaluation by an Ibec-approved external assessor, culminating in a report with key findings and recommendations for continuous improvement. The Keep Well Marks holistic framework covers eight key pillars: Leadership, Absence Management, Smoke Free, Physical Activity, Health & Safety, Mental Health, Healthy Eating and Intoxicants. By addressing these pillars, Collins McNicholas aims to enhance the overall wellbeing of its workforce. Michelle Murphy, Director at Collins McNicholas, expressed her pride in this achievement stating We are delighted to receive the KeepWell Mark Accreditation as part of our ongoing Workplace Wellbeing programme. This recognition highlights our commitment to our employees' health and wellbeing and we look forward to the continued positive impact it will have on our team. We hope to inspire other Irish businesses to follow best practices in employee wellbeing." Killala Bay is about to host Irelands very first artificial reef creating a marine life haven and international tourist attraction on the Wild Atlantic Way. It involves the placing on the seabed of ex-smuggling ship the MV Shingle in an innovative co-operative venture between local group Killala Bay Ships 2 Reef Ltd., the Revenue Commissioners, Mayo County Council and Sligo County Council. The MV Shingle hit the headlines in 2014 when it was seized by the Revenue Commissioners after 32 million smuggled cigarettes and 4.5 tonnes of tobacco were found on board with a potential loss of 14m to the exchequer. The 60 metre steel hulled cargo boat has since undergone thorough preparations including environmental procedures making it eco-friendly and fit for purpose as an artificial reef. Having undergone works and required surveys the vessel will leave New Ross in the coming days and under tow is expected to arrive at its final destination in Killala Bay next week. The scuttling will take place later on the day of arrival and will be livestreamed to a public event at the Ocean Sands Hotel Enniscrone. The Acting Director General of Customs and Revenue Commissioner Ruth Kennedy stated:Revenue has donated the MV Shingle to the Killala Bay Ships 2 Reef (KBS2R) group to support its efforts to create an artificial reef in Killala Bay to encourage biodiversity and tourism in the area. Revenue is very pleased to be involved in this unique and exciting project and congratulates KBS2R on the initiative. The vessel first came to prominence after it was seized by Revenue in June 2014 close to Drogheda Port during an operation that led to the detection and subsequent seizure of a significant quantity of cigarettes and tobacco aboard the vessel being illegally smuggled into the country. As part of court proceedings, in May 2017, the High Court made an order for the forfeiture of the MV Shingle to the Irish State. The ship has since remained in the custody of Revenue until today, as ownership has now transferred to the KBS2R group. Revenue wishes to emphasise our commitment to protecting our borders and we will use the full rigours of our enforcement powers to detain and seize product and conveyances used in attempted smuggling. Artificial reefs have been in use around the world since the days of the Roman Empire initially to increase fish stocks and later for recreational diving. These deliberately sunk manmade structures are quickly colonised by marine life, beginning within a few hours. Algae and coral are followed by a complex community of fish and larger marine life which is very attractive to both the diving and fishing communities. Chief Executive of Mayo County Council, Kevin Kelly welcomed the project:Mayo County Council are delighted to be part of this exciting development in Killala Bay. The creation of Irelands first marine artificial reef is a new and exciting initiative and is a testament to the power of partnership and the dedication of all involved in getting it to this exciting stage. The efforts of the Killala Bay Ships 2 Reef group in driving this project forward is commendable. We are particularly grateful for the support of our colleagues at Sligo County Council and our engineering partners. This reef will be of enormous benefit to Killala Bay and the county as a whole in a number of ways. This new artificial reef will not only enrich our marine environment, it will also provide exciting new opportunities for tourism, recreation, and marine research for years to come. Councillor Joe Queenan Sligo County Council, Chair of the Tubbercurry/Ballymote Municipal District which includes Enniscrone, said: We are so proud to have the first dedicated dive site such as this in our area and we recognise the enormous economic potential in terms of bed nights and local spend. We want visitors to come from all over the world to enjoy this dive facility and see and experience all the fantastic things we have in this area. The Killala Bay artificial marine reef will become a significant tourist attraction, drawing tourists from all around the globe. It responds to the need to create economically sustainable tourism playing to the strengths of the natural environment of Ireland and linking with the appropriate stakeholders as they invigorate the Blue Way and expand the offerings of the Wild Atlantic Way. It is expected that this this project will bring a major tourism boost to both Mayo and Sligo creating employment in diving centres and boosting local tourism with increased bednights. Killala Bay lies between counties Mayo and Sligo and both county councils were quick to see the potential for tourism development and back the project. Killala Bay Ships 2 Reef Group has spearheaded the project from its inception in 2008 and their spokesman Cllr. Michael Loftus said, This project of creating Ireland first artificial reef marine has been a long and hard road but with the cooperation of the Revenue Commissioners, Mayo and Sligo County Councils, MARA, Ocean Sands Hotel Enniscrone and our Marine Engineers AYESA, Killala Bay Ships 2 Reef Group are looking forward to seeing the benefits this project will bring to Mayo and Sligo. He went on to thank New Ross Boat Yard and Meavagh Boat Yard Donegal for their work on the project. Following the announcement of a ban on keeping XL Bully dogs nationwide from February 1 of next year, questions have been asked over the ability of Wexford County Council's dog warden service to police this. Sadly, Wexford is a county all too familiar with the dangers of the breed. Back in March of this year, two people were jailed over a dog attack which left 11 year-old Enniscorthy boy Alejandro Mizsan with serious facial injuries and permanent scarring. With this in mind, Fianna Fail councillor Joe Sullivan sought assurances that Wexford County Council would have the required resources to police a ban on the controversial dog breed. He noted that back in July Minister Heather Humphries had stated that a fund of up to 2 million would be available to help with enforcing the ban, which makes it illegal to import the breed into Ireland from next month and illegal to own an XL Bully from February, with a certificate of exemption required for existing dogs. Cllr Sullivan had concerns around whether all this could be policed. Chief Executive of Wexford County Council Eddie Taaffe said it was something that was being coordinated nationally. "This is something thats very much at national level," he said. We do have a comprehensive dog warden service here in Wexford. Well have to work closely with the department on it, but discussions around this are ongoing. We have had a recent increase in our dog warden service, which should help. The All Kinds of Amazing community group will host two experts in the field of neurodivergence for an insightful talk at Arklow Library on Wednesday, September 25 at 10 a.m. A group that focuses on facilitating communication, education and new friendships between parents of children with additional needs, All Kinds of Amazing will welcome Ciara Watson of Autism Supports and Sarah Phelan from Autism Services Dublin to share their wealth of knowledge, highlighting supports available and answering questions on all things neurodivergence. Sarah, who is a neurodevelopment specialist consultant, will discuss neurodivergence and mental health, while Ciara provides advice and consultation on autism and neurodivergency supports for parents, carers, schools and professionals. Delighted that Ciara and Sarah will be sharing their knowledge, Jenny Kaye McEvoy, founder of All Kinds of Amazing, said that the talks would be hugely beneficial in getting the word out about the supports available to local parents, carers and teachers. Particularly with children starting back at school again, its great for people to learn about what supports are available to support them and their parents and carers, Jenny said. Ciara has a wealth of information and provides training and support for parents and teachers, either at home or in school, while Sarah runs an autism and ADHD diagnostic service, and provides lots of supports, in terms of neurodivergence and mental health. Thats their business end, but they both facilitate a lot of free supports, including online webinars or that we would share on our social media for other parents Theyre doing our upcoming event in the library for free as well, which is fantastic, and it will help so much with informing people which kinds of supports are out there. Normally, what we try to do at our events is bring in an expert and have a chat about what they do, then open it up to questions and answers. Its easygoing and confidential, because everybody is in the one boat. Were hoping for a good turnout, between parents, carers and educators. The girls have an awful lot of knowledge between the two of them. They are wonderful ladies to chat with, and so supportive and knowledgeable. I think it will be hugely beneficial for all in attendance. Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore is to hold a public meeting to discuss her campaign urging the State to purchase the 197-acre land bank near Glen of the Downs, near Delgany, which came on the market recently with a guide price of 6.5m. The sale prompted Deputy Whitmore to start a petition on change.org to call on the Government to buy the land and double the size of Glen of the Downs ancient woods. The petition has since attracted 3,600 signatories and Deputy Whitmore is planning a meeting on Tuesday, September 24, to discuss her campaign further with residents and other interested parties. The Glen of the Downs woodland is a national treasure and holds a very special place in the hearts of people here in Wicklow, she said. Unfortunately, we have seen the vibrancy and health of the forest decline in recent years because of several factors. The purchase of these 197 acres offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to nurture this ancient woodland and allow it to naturally regenerate and join up with Kindlestown forest, effectively doubling the size of the Glen of the Downs, she continued. There has been huge positivity from the public in response to this proposal and, in particular from people living in Wicklow. People here understand the importance and ecological significance of this woodland and they want a bigger and better Glen of the Downs for future generations to enjoy, added Deputy Whitmore, who is the Social Democrats spokesperson for climate and biodiversity. The 197-acre site for sale in Delgany, County Wicklow. This is an area that I and many Wicklow residents feel passionately about, and I have previously spoken in the Dail about the need for the Glen of the Downs to be expanded. "Last year, I met with the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Coillte, encouraging them to explore the possibility of a partnership to allow the Glen of the Downs naturally regenerate and join up with Kindlestown Forest. Both organisations were open to this proposal and responded positively to the suggestion of this joint project, explained Ms Whitmore. 3.5bn is being set aside by the Government in a Climate and Nature Fund for projects like this, she explained. The purchase of this land and expansion of the Glen of the Downs will also help us as a country in reaching the binding targets that we have committed to under the EUs Nature Restoration Law. This proposal would be a win for Ireland, a win for Wicklow and a win for nature, added Deputy Whitmore. I am inviting people to join me on Tuesday, September 24 at 7pm in The Horse and Hound in Delgany to talk about what the Glen of the Downs means to them. I will also be joined on the evening by Biodiversity experts including ecologist Faith Wilson, land use and nature restoration law expert Fintan Kelly and ReWild Wicklows Danny Alvey, to discuss the many benefits that expanding and nurturing the woodland will have. I look forward to seeing as many people as possible there, she concluded. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly alongside Cian Murphy, CEO of the National Lottery, and members of the three Wicklow organisations who are finalists. On Thursday, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly met with the three Wicklow finalists who will learn their fate in four-weeks time as finalists in this years National Lottery Good Causes Awards. The Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue (GOIMRT), Kiltegan GAA Club and BirdWatch Ireland are among the 35 national finalists from across Ireland who will be celebrated for their exceptional contributions to communities. The Good Causes Awards recognise and honour the incredible charities and organisations that receive funding from the National Lottery, showcasing their impact on the lives of people throughout the country. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly spoke of his admiration for the three groups who provide essential services within his constituency and to the wider community. He stated: Im absolutely delighted to meet with Diarmuid, Jamie, Robert and Sandra from Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue, Ciaran and Paula from Kiltegan GAA, as well as Fergus and Valerie from Birdwatch Ireland. Three fantastic local organisations in Wicklow that have made it to the National Finals of the Good Causes Awards 2024. "These organisations demonstrate the incredible community spirit and dedication that define our county, from providing critical rescue services in the mountains to championing inclusivity in sport, to the conservation of wild birds. Its a privilege to see their hard work and passion recognised on a national stage, and I wish them the very best of luck next month." The Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue (GOIMRT) are fully voluntary who give up their own time to help those in need. Founded in 1983, the team provides a search and rescue service, free of charge, in the Wicklow mountains and surrounding areas 24/7, 365 days a year. They have been nominated in the community category. Kiltegan GAA, finalist in the sport category, is a small rural club at the heart of Kiltegan village in west Wicklow, working in conjunction with the wider village community to improve community facilities for all members of the community and beyond, while being fully inclusive and sustaining their rural future. BirdWatch Ireland, a finalist in the Heritage category, is the largest independent conservation organisation in Ireland. A registered charity, its aim is the conservation of wild birds and their habitats. Established in 1968, it has over 15,000 members and 30 local branches. Their east coast nature reserve is located in Newcastle. The National Lottery Good Causes Awards 2024 are set to take place on Saturday, October 12 in Killashee House Hotel in Co Kildare where each of the seven category winners will receive 10,000 and the overall winner will take home an additional 25,000. Brian Dowling has returned to the airwaves following the birth of his second daughter this summer, admitting he was a little teary as he left for the studio as he adjusts to his new normal with two girls. The presenter and his husband, Dancing with the Stars judge Arthur Gourounlian welcomed their daughter Blu Amar Rose in late June. We were struggling with the name if Im honest, we had Blu Valentina and then Valentina had changed. Valentina could have been her first name but then I thought people might abbreviate to Val and I thought, shes too young for that, he told his co-host Suzanne Kane on 98FM this morning. "Shes not a Val, so it was Blu Amar, which is Armenian for Summer. Arthur came in with the Summer, with Amar and I like Blake, Blu. My ego, Brian, all Bs. Arthur gets DNA, I get names. I gotta get something, I gotta get a look in. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content The couple tied the knot in 2015 and welcomed daughter Blake in September 2022, followed by Blu in June, with Brians sister Aoife acting as their surrogate for both pregnancies On adjusting to life with two children, Dowling told 98FM listeners that it can feel as if he has five children some days. "Everyone that has more than two, youve said it, Pippa (OConnor) said it, and then theres my sister, Im one of seven. But the jump from, because when you have one, you can still do your thing. Pass the baby over, when the baby sleeps, you can do loads, when you have two, youre passing back and forth, its like tag with the kids, he said. "You cant do anything. Obviously with Blake, she got a little clingy because shes like hang on a second who is this, what is this thing? She now says to me, Put her there, like put her down. Blake likes to pull Blus hair, she likes to slap her face, fingers in the mouth. She does say the word hair, in a British accent. He admitted it has been full on and he was in my pyjamas for the first three or four weeks. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content "But I like that, but it's been full on. Its a lot with two kids, it really is, and I always say to Arthur and my sisters, How did our families do it back in then? In the eighties?, well they had no choice I suppose, but they had so many kids, he said. He said he was reset after his summer off, adding that he is happy to return to the airwaves. "Im happy though to get back and as we said earlier, into some sort of routine, whatever that is. This morning Blake wasnt up when we left so I felt a bit emotional, Ive not seen her and then saying goodbye to Blu I was a little teary, but you know what its like, I think thats just part of it. This is my new normal with two girls, he said. Katie Leung is to star in the next series of Bridgerton (Isabel Infantes/PA) Harry Potter star Katie Leung is to join the cast of Bridgerton for season four of the Netflix period drama. The 37-year-old will play the twice-married, twice-widowed Lady Araminta Gun, who will have two girls debuting on the marriage mart this season and is said to be feeling the pressure to get at least one of them married off. The shows creators said her character is fabulous, discerning and blunt and added that she does not respond well when her position in society is questioned. The next season will focus on Benedict and his quest to find the Lady in Silver, Sophie Baek (Gavin Bond/Netflix/PA) Leung appeared in Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2, as Cho Chang, Harry Potters first love interest. Also joining the Bridgerton cast will be Michelle Mao, who will play Rosamund Li, and Isabella Wei, who will play Posy Li. The pairs characters will be Lady Aramintas daughters, with Maos character said to be beautiful, vain and eager to please her mother, while Weis character is described as much kinder. Wei is best known for her role as Ling Yi in Baran bo Odar and Jantje Frieses Netflix series 1899, while Mao has appeared in Netflixs Metal Lords and Disney+s Goosebumps. Emma Naomi will join the series main cast, reprising her role as Alice Mondrich, while Hugh Sachs will also become part of the main cast in his role as Brimsley. Production began today on the new series, which is to focus on the second Bridgerton son, Benedict (Luke Thompson) and his quest to find the Lady in Silver, Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha). This season, Bridgerton has expanded its filming locations on a newly constructed backlot of Shepperton Studios, showcasing replicas of Georgian and Regency architecture including homes, buildings and a Mayfair Street. A release date has not been announced for the new series, which will be made up of eight episodes. Members of the Gendarmerie patrol at the beach in Ambleteuse, after eight people died trying to cross the Channel to England. Photo: Reuters Eight migrants have died while trying to cross the English Channel from France to Britain at the weekend. French authorities said 53 migrants had been on board a boat which got into difficulty in the early hours of yesterday off the coast of Ambleteuse in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France. Huw Edwards was the BBCs golden boy. No one could have predicted his downfall For decades, the newsreader could do no wrong as he was beamed into TV screens in every family home Former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London for sentencing. Photo: James Manning/PA Ed Cumming Telegraph.co.uk Mon 16 Sep 2024 at 15:57 Huw Edwards (62) looked emotional as his barrister read out an apology at Westminster Magistrates Court, where he was awaiting sentencing. More rivers in central Europe burst their banks on Monday and the number of deaths increased from the worst flooding in at least two decades, with some authorities starting to count the costs and others preparing for waters rising further. Worst is not behind us yet, Czech prime minister warns A man cycles near the very full river Nysa Klodzka at Glebinow hydroelectric power plant in the Polish city of Nysa. Photo: Reuters The death toll due to devastating flooding in central European countries rose to least eight yesterday after days of heavy rain caused widespread problems and forced mass evacuations. Several European nations have already been hit by severe flooding, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania. Slovakia and Hungary might come next as a result of a low pressure system from northern Italy dumping record rainfall in the region since Thursday. Pope Francis was criticised by an association for victims of church abuse. Photo: AP The Vatican is facing questions over its handling of sexual abuse allegations involving the French priest who founded the international Catholic charity Emmaus. For the first time, Pope Francis has addressed the scandal that rocked France after seven women accused the late Abbe Pierre often hailed as a modern-day saint of sexual abuse, in a report published this summer. As interior minister at the time, Matteo Salvini refused to assign a port of safety for 147 migrants to disembark following a sea rescue. Italian prosecutors have requested a six-year prison sentence for Matteo Salvini, Italys deputy prime minister, for prohibiting rescued migrants from disembarking in an Italian port. During closing arguments in Palermo, prosecutors argued that Mr Salvini was trying to promote and position himself during a political crisis when he knowingly broke Italian law and international conventions by blocking the migrants from landing. I was raped, tortured and denied food survivor of Isis brutality who was held as sex slave with her family Yazidi campaigner Shireen Khero on her captivity hell in Iraq, as she raises awareness for other victims Shireen Khero, a survivor of the genocide perpetrated by Isis on the Yazidi people in Iraq. Photo: Steve Humphreys Catherine Fegan Mon 16 Sep 2024 at 03:30 Shireen Kheros Islamic State captor pointed a gun at her and issued a stark threat. If she didnt come with him, he warned, he would use it. Irish soldiers tell families they may not be able to come home at end of tour as Israel digs in around UN base in Lebanon India-Portugal: Bilateral Trade and Investment Profile India and Portugal have a strategic partnership thats driving growth in trade, investment, and innovation, with emerging opportunities in renewable energy, technology, and infrastructure, making them valuable gateways to Asian and European markets. India and Portugal share a robust and growing relationship, built on a foundation of historical ties and shared political goodwill. Over the years, the two nations have strengthened their diplomatic, economic, and strategic cooperation through various high-level exchanges and bilateral agreements. Trade and investment have seen significant growth, with key sectors such as renewable energy, technology, infrastructure, and defense driving collaborations. As both countries continue to leverage their unique strengths, the India-Portugal partnership presents vast opportunities for expanding into wider global markets, fostering innovation, and deepening economic ties. Diplomatic ties India and Portugal enjoy a strong and amicable political relationship. Portugal has supported Indias bid for permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and was instrumental in initiating the first India-EU Summit in 2000 under then-Prime Minister Antonio Guterres. Numerous high-level exchanges have taken place, such as visits by Prime Ministers Antonio Costa and Narendra Modi, resulting in the signing of multiple Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in key sectors like defense, space, trade, and technology. In 2017, PM Costa, the first Indian-origin Western head of government, visited India and signed eight MoUs. That same year, PM Modi visited Portugal, leading to the signing of 11 MoUs. Other notable engagements include PM Costas participation in a Gandhi anniversary event in 2019, and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousas 2020 visit to India, which culminated in 32 MoUs. Ministerial-level visits continued in 2021 and 2022, focusing on deepening bilateral relations, ocean conservation, and green technology. Both countries support each other in multilateral fora, such as UNSC candidacies. In 2021, India became an associate observer of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). That same year, under Portugals EU Presidency, the first full-fledged India-EU leadership summit took place, addressing critical issues such as health, climate change, and pandemic preparedness. Economic trade and cooperation Economic cooperation between India and Portugal has broadened significantly in key areas such as renewable energy (solar and wind), infrastructure, IT, defense, textiles, tourism, and agriculture. Both nations also collaborate on startups, water management, and food processing. A Joint Economic Committee, operating at the ministerial level, oversees these initiatives, with the 5th meeting held in New Delhi in 2021. Bilateral Joint Working Groups have been established to address specific areas including IT & Electronics, Renewable Energy, Defense, and Agriculture. The Portugal-India Business Hub plays a pivotal role in strengthening business ties, particularly in technology, construction, and hospitality. These growing partnerships reflect mutual economic interests, laying the groundwork for further collaboration in emerging industries such as green technology and defense. Bilateral trade According to Government of India data, India-Portugal trade reached US$1,201.41 million in FY 2022-23, with Indian exports accounting for US$1,005.41 million and Portuguese exports for US$196 million. India maintained a positive trade balance, exporting goods worth US$72.2 million while importing goods valued at US$15.5 million. Indias exports to Portugal experienced a 40.4 percent decline compared to June 2023, with imports also decreasing by 2.59 percent. Major Indian exports included petroleum products (US$61.3 million), cotton yarn (US$9.84 million), and iron and steel (US$7.76 million). Key imports from Portugal were paper products (US$2.52 million), iron and steel (US$1.12 million), and bulk drugs (US$1.08 million). The drop in Indias exports was driven by decreases in cotton yarn (-US$16.5 million), organic chemicals (-US$8.4 million), and plastic raw materials (-US$3.97 million). Imports from Portugal also fell in other commodities (-US$1.16 million), industrial machinery (-US$674k), and plastic raw materials (-US$389k). Top traded items: India and Portugal Indias Top Exports to Portugal in 2023 Items Value (US$ billion) Mineral fuels, oils, distillation products 89.33 Pearls, precious stones, metals, coins 33.43 Electrical, electronic equipment 32.32 Machinery, nuclear reactors, boilers 29.31 Pharmaceutical products 21.30 Vehicles other than railways, tramways 20.82 Organic chemicals 19.48 Iron and steel 11.81 Source: Trading Economics Indias Top Imports from Portugal in 2023 Items Value (US$ million) Mineral fuels, oils, distillation products 203.53 Cotton 168.69 Iron and Steel 141.55 Organic Chemicals 91.44 Fish, crustaceans, mollusks, aquatic invertebrates 52.48 Plastics 52.47 Footwear, gaiters, etc. 51.83 Electrical, electronic equipment 38.78 Source: Trading Economics Source: Trading Economics Investment flow Portugal, with its favorable business environment, low labor costs, and well-developed infrastructure, is emerging as a strategic partner and gateway to the European market for Indian businesses. The countrys strong connections to Portuguese-speaking markets like Brazil, Mozambique, and Angola further enhance its appeal. Portugals efforts to simplify tax procedures, labor laws, and infrastructure, along with the Golden Visa program, make it an attractive destination for Indian investments. Portugal ranks 51st in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into India, with total cumulative FDI reaching US$120.91 million from 2000 to 2022. Notable Portuguese companies operating in India include Visabeira, Vision-Box, Portind Shoe Accessories, Martifer, Efacec, and the Petrotec Group. Indian investments in Portugal are estimated at up to US$450 million, with major contributors like Generis (Aurobindo Pharma), MGM Group, Sugee Group, Mahindra, WIPRO, HCL, TCS, and Zomato leading the charge. Key sectors for growth include infrastructure, renewable energy, footwear, textiles, tourism, defense, IT, water management, and agriculture. The Portugal-India Business Hub supports these bilateral business initiatives. Portuguese companies in India A few Portuguese companies operating in India include: Visabeira : A key Portuguese conglomerate. : A key Portuguese conglomerate. Vision-Box : A technology solutions provider. : A technology solutions provider. Portind Shoe Accessories : Ancillary of Portuguese footwear manufacturer Soprefa. : Ancillary of Portuguese footwear manufacturer Soprefa. Martifer : A metals and engineering company. : A metals and engineering company. Efacec : An industrial machinery and equipment manufacturer. : An industrial machinery and equipment manufacturer. Petrotec Group: A retail petroleum and oil distribution company. Indian companies in Portugal Notable Indian companies operating in Portugal include: Aurobindo Pharma (Generis) A key player in the pharmaceutical industry, operating through its subsidiary, Generis. MGM Group Engaged in the hospitality sector. Sugee Group A real estate development company. Mahindra Active in the automotive and technology sectors. WIPRO A global IT services provider. HCL Technologies Offering digital solutions and IT services. TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) A global IT and consulting firm. Zomato A food delivery and restaurant aggregator platform. These companies represent sectors such as pharmaceuticals, hospitality, real estate, IT, and technology. India-Portugal Startup Hub The India-Portugal Startup Hub, established in 2020, serves as a platform to facilitate collaboration and innovation between startups, investors, and entrepreneurs from both countries. List of bilateral agreements and MoUs between India and Portugal Bilateral Agreement on Trade, Economic, Industrial, and Technical Cooperation (1977). Agreement for Cooperation in Science and Technology (1998). Agreement between the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Portuguese Association of Industries (AIP) (2007). Treaty of Extradition (January 2007). Agreement on Social Security Convention (2013). MoU for the establishment of Nalanda University (October 2015). Agreement on gainful employment of diplomatic spouses (2016). MoU on Civil Aviation (2016). MoU on Marine Research and Resources (2017). MoU on Cooperation in IT and Electronics (2017). MoU on Renewable Energy (2017). Visa waiver agreement for diplomatic passport holders (2017). MoU on Defense Cooperation (2017). MoU between Invest India and Startup Portugal on Startup Partnerships (2017). MoU on Agriculture and Allied Sectors (2017). MoU for establishing the ICCR Chair at the University of Lisbon (2017). Protocol of Cooperation in Archival Conservation (2017). MoU between FICCI and CCIP on the India-Portugal Joint Business Council (2017). MoU on Cooperation in Outer Space (2017). Protocol on Amending the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) (2017). These agreements strengthen the framework for trade, technology, and cultural exchange between the two nations. India-Portugal DTAA Article 23 of the India-Portugal Double Taxation Agreement (DTAA) outlines the elimination of double taxation for residents of both countries: Taxation in each country will follow its respective tax laws unless otherwise stated in the DTAA. For Portugal: When a Portuguese resident earns income taxable in India, Portugal will allow a deduction equivalent to the tax paid in India, but not exceeding Portuguese taxes on the same income. For India: When an Indian resident earns income taxable in Portugal, India will allow a deduction equal to the tax paid in Portugal, up to the amount of Indian tax on that income. Exempt income in one country may still be considered when calculating taxes on remaining income in that country. Taxes on dividends, interest, royalties, and business profits are subject to special considerations for the first seven years of the DTAA, with potential extensions by mutual agreement. Outlook The future of India-Portugal relations is bright, particularly in trade, investment, and strategic cooperation. With a foundation rooted in political goodwill and historical ties, both countries are well-positioned to deepen their economic engagements. As global dynamics shift, the India-Portugal partnership can serve as a gateway to wider marketsIndia into Europe and Portugal into Asia. Portugals strategic location within the EU, its post-Brexit advantages, low labor costs, and favorable business environment make it an ideal destination for Indian companies looking to establish a European presence. Conversely, Indias expanding economy and focus on sectors like IT, renewable energy, and manufacturing provide ample opportunities for Portuguese businesses. Key growth sectors include renewable energy, defense, technology, and infrastructure. The India-Portugal Startup Hub will further fuel innovation, encouraging cross-border ventures. Discussions around green technology, digital transformation, and sustainable development are expected to shape future agreements. By focusing on business-friendly environments, fostering innovation, and leveraging mutual strengths, the India-Portugal partnership is set to flourish, unlocking broader international opportunities and ensuring a mutually beneficial future for both nations. Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal. File photo by Dalton, House of Illusions, via Wikimedia Commons New Delhi/IBNS: In a potential boost for India's developing shipbuilding industry, companies from Japan and South Korea have shown interest in investing in the sector, according to Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal. This could involve direct investments, joint ventures, or technology sharing, or other forms of collaboration. Such international interest is a testament to the attractiveness of Indias shipbuilding initiative and the potential benefits of global expertise and capital infusion into the sector, Sonowal told Business Standard in an interview following the recent Maritime State Development Council (MSDC) meeting. On Friday, the ministry outlined plans to establish several shipbuilding clusters in partnership with coastal states to achieve its ambitious goals. Presently, India ranks 20th in global shipbuilding, holding a mere 0.06 percent of the market share. In comparison, China, South Korea, and Japan dominate the industry, controlling 85 percent of the global market share, according to a recent shipping ministry presentation. The ministry has a clear vision for the phased development of shipbuilding clusters, with an expectation that 2-3 clusters will be developed and operational within the next 10 years, followed by an additional 1-2 clusters within the subsequent five years, Sonowal said. This phased approach allows for careful planning, allocation of resources, and addressing any challenges that arise during the initial stages of development, he added. Sonowal also noted that new entrants aiming to diversify business interests have expressed their intention to enter the shipbuilding sector. Recent reports indicate that Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, Indias largest port operator, is exploring a venture into shipbuilding. The minister mentioned that the government's support for the sector has encouraged both state-run and private shipbuilders to expand their investments. They are looking to expand their operations, which could mean increasing their shipbuilding capacity, enhancing technological capabilities, or diversifying their product offerings, he said. To facilitate this expansion, the ministry has requested assistance from states at the MSDC meeting in Goa. The central government will provide most of the capital support through a 30,000 crore Maritime Development Fund, with 49 percent financed by the Centre and the remainder through port authorities and private investors. The shipbuilding industry has highlighted its need for large aggregated land parcels with adequate waterfronts and sufficient channel depth to establish successful shipbuilding clusters. The availability of waterfront is crucial for shipbuilding activities, allowing for the construction, launching, and testing of ships, while sufficient channel depth is necessary to accommodate the movement of large vessels in and out of the shipyards. Meeting these requirements is fundamental to the operational success and competitiveness of the shipbuilding clusters, Sonowal told Business Standard. In response to these needs, coastal states will soon develop policies and incentive schemes. These can include facilitating land aggregation, ensuring availability of adequate waterfront, fast-track clearances and approvals to reduce bureaucratic delays, subsidies, tax breaks, or other fiscal benefits, the minister stated. The ministry is also working to address investment gaps by developing common maritime assets, such as dry docks, testing ranges, and R&D centers, which can be shared across the industry. This approach aims to lower capital expenditure for individual companies and stimulate overall industry growth. Sonowal emphasized the importance of repurposing underutilized or underused land. These lands could be under the purview of state maritime boards, located within the premises of ports, or situated within industrial corridors, he said. The ministry is focusing on bridging investment gaps for common maritime assets used by the industry at large. These assets may include shared facilities, such as dry docks, testing ranges, and research and development centres," Sonowal said. "By offering access to these common assets, the government aims to reduce the capital expenditure required by individual companies, thus facilitating the growth of the entire industry. According to the ministry, the share of cargo carried by Indian-owned or flagged vessels has dropped to just 5.4 percent over the past decade. Without intervention, this share could further decline, potentially diminishing the role of Indian-built ships even in the domestic market. Past government schemes, including the Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Policy, the Right of First Refusal policy, and infrastructure status for shipyards, have not achieved the desired outcomes, according to reports. A blackbuck in Gujarat. Image by Rohit Varma via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Regarded as degraded forests, Indian savannas have been historically misclassified and understudied. A new remote sensing study used tree cover as a metric to examine the drivers influencing the savannas and forests. Understanding these drivers helps prevent unscientific tree plantations that are detrimental to savannas. Mongabay-India writer Nikhil Sreekandan reports New research from the University of Oxford and the University of Exeter examines savanna biome distribution and drivers through the lens of tree cover across India. Using remote sensing (the process of monitoring the physical characteristics of an area by measuring its radiation, typically from a satellite), the study analyses tree cover across forests and savannas in the country. Tree cover is commonly used to differentiate between closed canopy forests and open canopy savannas, as seen in Africa, South America, and Australia. A similar pattern has also been studied in Southeast Asia. However, this is the first study to test the hypothesis India-wide, in an effort to try and achieve a broader understanding of the Indian savanna biome. What little we know about savannas has been derived from other continents, specifically Africa. For many people, the word savanna conjures up an image of the Serengeti in Africa, vast grasslands dotted with trees and teeming with herds of zebras and antelopes. Unfortunately, this has also meant that the established concepts and theories about savannas come with little insight from Asian ecosystems. This critical knowledge gap is what the paper aims to fill, according to Trisha Gopalakrishna, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Exeter, and the lead author of the study. There is so much research [on savannas] and we know all this theory, but it is all from different continents, there is not much from South and Southeast Asia, begins Gopalakrishna. The study leverages the capabilities of satellite imagery to map a larger picture of the Indian savanna biome. The power of satellite imagery and remote sensing is that it allows us to analyse patterns at a large scale, she adds. We didnt focus on any particular region, instead, we assessed tree cover across forests and savannas for the whole of India. Dry savanna in Sathyamangalam, Tamil Nadu. Image by T R Shankar Raman via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Why are Indian savannas viewed as degraded forests? We wanted to put the Indian savanna biome on the map because it is a crucial missing puzzle piece, explains Gopalakrishna. Even today, savannas are regarded as degraded forests, which poses significant conservation and management challenges. A lot of these areas, in fact, have been misclassified and assigned for afforestation to meet Indias ambitious tree planting targets, she adds. The study also firmly cautions against tree planting in Indian savannas. The classical description of a savanna is a mixed treegrass system characterised by a discontinuous tree canopy in a continuous grass layer. However, tree cover in savannas can be highly variable, ranging from sparsely treed grasslands to heavily treed woodlands, and this depends on rainfall seasonality. Although palaeo-historical evidence suggests that the savannas of Asia have existed for at least one million years, Indian savannas are still not considered a distinct biome. According to a 2017 study, Asian savannas have been misconstrued for biogeographical and historical reasons. Biogeographically, much of South and Southeast Asia lies in the wet end of the savanna-climate region, making Asian savannas structurally very similar to deciduous forests. Since colonial foresters led vegetation classification in the region, from a perspective of timber and other extractive uses, they described any vegetation type with some degree of tree cover as a forest. As a result, savannas have come to be viewed as degraded forests, an ideology that persists even today. Factors that impact tree-grass dynamics in Indian savannas Gopalakrishna and other co-authors used Google Earth imagery to demonstrate that India has four distinct zones of tree cover low, high, and medium tree cover zones, and a mixed tree cover zone. The medium and mixed tree cover zones host savanna vegetation. According to the study, in the intermediate zones encompassing the Indian savanna biome, the increase in soil sand fraction, high levels of grazing (domestic herbivory) and anthropogenic pressures are the primary drivers limiting tree cover. The study goes a step beyond previous remote sensing-based analyses globally, by incorporating the role of herbivory for the first time. The problem with trying to understand the impacts of herbivory on savannas using this methodology is that it is not easy to get a metric of wild and domestic herbivore pressure. However, with access to a global data set on the geographic distribution of livestock, we were able to assess domestic herbivory as part of a remote sensing study, shares Gopalakrishna. While remote sensing has its advantages, Gopalakrishna stresses that the study was only possible because they could build on prior field research. They were able to better delineate forest and savanna biomes by using location data of endemic savanna grass species published in a 2022 paper led by Ashish Nerlekar. With remote sensing and satellite imagery, the advantage is that you can work at broad scales, but then you still need the field component of the data to compare with the imagery and ground truth it, says Gopalakrishna. Avoiding the pitfalls of afforestation The study highlights that by considering the various resource-based and disturbance-based drivers we can improve upon simple tree-planting initiatives and design nuanced ecosystem restoration activities in Indian savannas. There are all these goals India has put forward nationally and internationally, and there is a lot of momentum in terms of funding [for climate change mitigation], which makes it essential that we restore forests and savannas scientifically, says Gopalakrishna. Tree planting is seen as a sure-fire solution to combat all environmental ills. While the idea of afforestation is a powerful one, it must be ecosystem-specific, says Abi Tamim Vanak, Director of the Centre for Policy Design at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE). A non-native tree planted in a grassland. Image by AJT Johnsingh via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Afforestation is a problem because it wants to create a forest where none existed before. If an area does not support trees, planting more trees is not going to bring water, instead, it will further increase water stress. What we need is ecosystem-specific restoration, explains Vanak. From a policy perspective, Indias commitment under the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030 places further stress on biomes such as savannas and grasslands. According to Vanak, planting trees in these biomes to create additional carbon sinks is counterintuitive because savannas themselves are excellent carbon sinks. Savannas sequester carbon below ground, in the soil, and given the rainfall regime, they sequester as much carbon as forests do. It is important to maximise soil carbon sequestration and not just concentrate on above-ground woody carbon sequestration, says Vanak. Ten percent of India consists of open natural ecosystems, which includes savannas. So, there is a massive potential for us to restore carbon responsibly. We need to focus on the restoration of grasslands and come up with a scientific grassland management policy, he adds. Meanwhile, Gopalakrishna hopes others will be able to build on their research paper. We wanted to do something that could be reproducible. If somebody else were to use these free, open-source products, say in Indonesia or the Philippines, which also by the way have savannas, would we find similar patterns? she wonders. (The article was originally published on Mongabay India) Photo Courtesy: Unsplash Continuing the trend of recent attacks, a 13-year-old was injured after a wolf targeted him in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich area on Sunday. The injured child was identified as Armaan Ali (13). He was reportedly sleeping on the terrace of his home in Bharaich's Mahis sub division when the wolf attacked him. After the attack, the child was rushed to a local health facility with injuries to his neck and shoulders, from where he was referred to the Bharaich Medical College due to the seriousness of his injuries, reported India Today. People around Bahraich are living in fear after a series of attacks by wolves left at least 10 people killed in recent times. Over 30 people have been injured so far. The first attack was reported on July 17 when a one-year-old child was targeted by the animal. Photo courtesy: Avishek Mitra/IBNS and Indira Jaising X handle New Delhi/IBNS: Senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaising, who had opposed the execution of the convicts in the 2012 Delhi gangrape case, will represent the West Bengal junior doctors, who are on ceasework demanding justice for the RG Kar rape-murder victim. A 31-year-old trainee doctor was raped and murdered at Kolkata's state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last month. The incident has sent shockwaves across the country, ignity public fury and brought the police under scanner over an alleged cover-up of the incident. Jaising replaced Geeta Luthra as the advocate of the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front. The next hearing on the case is scheduled to be held in the Supreme Court on September 17. Dr. Aniket Mahato, who is one of the representatives of the junior doctors, said as quoted by a Bengali daily, "We have appointed Indira Jaising as our advocate. She will fight the case on Tuesday." Jaising had earned the wrath of the mother of Nirbhaya, whose gangrape in Delhi sent shockwaves across the country, for opposing the death penalties of the four convicts. The senior advocate had even suggested Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi to stop the execution following the example of then Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who had moved for mercy of a woman convicted in the assassination of her husband, ex-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Interestingly, Jaising was seen in the release of a book (India in Distress) written by Mamata Banerjee in an old social media post of March 2019 by TMC MP Derek O'Brien where the latter quoted her saying "Mamata is my hero". In recent times, Jaising was vocal against Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he attended the Ganesh Puja of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who is hearing the RG Kar case. Advocate Jaising wrote on X, "Chief Justice of India has compromised the separation of powers between the Executive and Judiciary. Lost all confidence in the independence of the CJI . The SCBA must condemn this publicly displayed compromise of Independence of the CJI from the Executive." Chief Justice of India has compromised the separation of powers between the Executive and Judiciary. Lost all confidence in the independence of the CJI . The SCBA must condemn this publicly displayed compromise of Independence of the CJI from the Executive @KapilSibal https://t.co/UXoIxVxaJt Indira Jaising (@IJaising) September 11, 2024 In the last hearing, the junior doctors were ordered by the Supreme Court to resume work by 5 pm on September 10, after which the state government was empowered to take action against the protesters. The doctors refused to join work and instead marched to the state Health and Family Welfare headquarters Swasthya Bhavan and camped outside the office. The sit-in protest is still ongoing despite efforts made for talks between the doctors and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the last few days. On Thursday, about 30-35 junior doctors reached the state government headquarters Nabanna but didn't attend the meeting as their demand for live-streaming of the discussion was turned down by the Chief Minister. After Mamata reached the doctors' dharna site on Saturday afternoon, the protesters agreed for a meeting at the Chief Minister's residence but the question of live-streaming played spoilsport initially. After repeated requests from the Chief Minister and a promise of meeting minutes, the junior doctors agreed for a discussion but junior Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and state chief secretary Manoj Pant said it was time over for the day. While the government is aiming to talk on safety issues in hospitals, the junior doctors' five demands include justice for the victim, disciplinary action against now arrested ex-RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh, resignation of Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal and two other top police officers, enhancing security at hospitals and elimination of the alleged threat culture. Photo courtesy: Videograb from YouTube Kolkata/IBNS: The polygraph responses of Sandip Ghosh, the arrested former principal of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital where a 31-year-old trainee doctor was raped and murdered last week, are "deceptive", said the Central Bureau of Investigation, media reports said. The CBI has alleged, as quoted by Hindustan Times, "He did not try to get an FIR lodged immediately. Rather a new theory of suicide was introduced which is not possible as per external injury visible on the body of the victim that was undressed at the lower part." Ghosh and a station house officer (SHO) of Tala PS in Kolkata were arrested on Saturday by the CBI on charges of tampering of evidence in the rape and murder of a trainee doctor on Aug 9. The crime sparked an unprecedented people's protest in Kolkata and the rest of the country. While Ghosh was in custody, the Officer-in-Charge of Tala Police Station, Abhijit Mondal, has been arrested in connection with RG Kar murder-rape case. He is accused of misleading the investigation, tampering with evidence and place of occurrence (PO), lodging delayed FIR and not taking adequate steps regarding the probe, a CBI official told IBNS. Mondal was officiating as the officer-in-charge of Tala police station during the occurrence of the gruesome rape and murder. Ex-principal Sandeep Ghosh, who has already been arrested in connection with corruption case, has now been arrested in the rape-murder case. The junior doctors, who have been on ceasework for 35 days demanding justice for the victim, said, "The arrests prove that our five-point demands (including action on certain police and health officials) were justified." The arrests came amid a dramatic turn of events, after the talks between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the protesting junior doctors failed to take place at the residence of the CM this evening. The delegation was told that the proposed meeting had been timed out owing to their delay in arriving at a decision on live-streaming. Photo courtesy: Screenshot grab from YouTube video New Delhi/IBNS: Amid the standoff between junior doctors and West Bengal over the RG Kar rape-murder incident, senior doctors have demanded the removal of Kolkata's Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal claiming the state government is misleading the Supreme Court. At a press conference in New Delhi, the senior doctors have accused Kolkata Police of tampering with the evidence. The doctors have demanded an impartial investigation by the CBI. They want a probe to find out under whose direction Kolkata CP was acting. Mamata invites protesting junior doctors West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday invited junior doctors, who are on ceasework demanding justice for the rape-murder victim, to hold talks yet again amid the deadlock on the issue. The Chief Minister has invited junior doctors for the meeting at her Kalighat residence at 5 pm. In a letter from chief secretary Manoj Pant, it has been cleared to the doctors that their demand for live-streaming or video recording won't be allowed in the meeting citing the matter is in the court. The junior doctors are in the huddle for a decision. On Thursday, about 30-35 junior doctors reached the state government headquarters Nabanna but didn't attend the meeting as their demand for live-streaming of the discussion was turned down by the Chief Minister. After Mamata reached the doctors' dharna site on Saturday afternoon, the protesters agreed for a meeting at the Chief Minister's residence but the question of live-streaming played spoilsport initially. After repeated requests from the Chief Minister and a promise of meeting minutes, the junior doctors agreed for a discussion but junior Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and state chief secretary Manoj Pant said it was time over for the day. While the government is aiming to talk on safety issues in hospitals, the junior doctors' five demands include justice for the victim, disciplinary action against now arrested ex-RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh, resignation of Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal and two other top police officers, enhancing security at hospitals and elimination of the alleged threat culture. Image courtesy Medical College Kolkata Resident Doctors' Association FB Photo Courtesy: PIB Indian PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST) at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar in Gujarat on Monday when he said the discussions during the conference will benefit entire humanity. The 3-day summit honours the important contributors to India's remarkable achievement of over 200 GW of installed non-fossil fuel capacity. Modi also took a walkthrough of the exhibition showcasing cutting-edge innovations from public and private sector companies, start-ups, and major industry players. Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister welcomed all the dignitaries to the 4th edition of the RE-INVEST Summit and expressed confidence that serious discussions will take place over the next three days on the future of energy, technology and policies. Modi said that the discussions and learnings from this conference will benefit the entire humanity. He conveyed his best wishes for successful discussions. The Prime Minister underscored the mandate of the people of India to elect the same government for a record third time after sixty years. Aspirations of India is the reason behind the reelection of the government for the third term, Modi remarked. He highlighted the trust and confidence of the 140 crore citizens, the youth and women who believe that their aspirations will take new flight in this third term. The Prime Minister underlined that the poor, dalits and the deprived believe that the government's third term will become a guarantee for a dignified life. He said that 140 crore citizens of India are working with the resolve of making India the third-largest economy in the world. "Noting that todays event is not an isolated one but a part of the bigger vision, mission and action plan to make India a developed nation by 2047," the Prime Minister highlighted the decisions taken by the government in the first 100 days in office. Governments work in the first 100 days highlights its priorities and gives a reflection of the speed and scale, PM Modi remarked underlining that all sectors necessary for Indias fast-paced development have been emphasized. In these 100 days, the Prime Minister said that multiple decisions have been taken to expand the physical and social infrastructure of the nation. He informed that India is on the path to constructing 7 crore houses which is more than the population of many countries, while 4 crore houses have been handed out to the people in the last two terms. He further stated the decision to create 12 new industrial cities, approval for 8 high-speed road corridor projects, launching of more than 15 semi-high speed Vande Bharat trains, the inception of a research fund worth Rs 1 trillion to promote research, the announcement of various initiatives to drive e-mobility, promotion of high-performance biomanufacturing and approval to Bio E3 policy. Throwing light on the developments in the green energy sector in the last 100 days, the Prime Minister mentioned the initiation of a viability gap funding scheme for offshore wind energy projects worth more than Rs 7000 crore. He said that India is working towards producing 31,000 megawatts of hydropower in the coming times with an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore. The Prime Minister said that India's diversity, scale, capacity, potential and performance are all unique and pave the way for Indian solutions for global applications. Not just India, the whole world is of the belief that India is the best bet of the 21st century, exclaimed the Prime Minister. Recounting the global events hosted by India in the last one month, Modi said that Global Fintech Fest was organized earlier in this month, people from across the globe participated in the First International Solar Festival, Global Semiconductor Summit, India also hosted the 2nd Asia-Pacific Civil Aviation Ministerial Conference and today India is hosting a conference of Green Energy. Modi remarked that it was a happy coincidence that Gujarat which has witnessed the inception of White revolution, Sweet (Honey) revolution, Solar revolution is now seeing the organization of 4th Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo. Gujarat was the first state in India to have its own Solar Policy, highlighted the Prime Minister. He added that National policies on solar followed after this. Modi further highlighted that Gujarat was one of the front runners across the world in setting up a ministry pertaining to matters of climate. He highlighted that Gujarat had already started setting up Solar plants when the world had not even thought of it. The Prime Minister underlined that as a developing economy, India had a valid excuse to stay out of these commitments but did not choose that path. He, however, added that Today's India is preparing a base not only for today but for the next thousand years. Modi underscored that Indias aim was not just to reach the top, but to prepare ourselves to sustain at the top. He added that India was very well aware of its energy needs and requirements to make it a developed nation by 2047. Modi reminded India had decided to build its future on the basis of renewables like Solar Power, Wind Power, Nuclear and Hydro Power, as there was dearth of reserves of oil-gas. The Prime Minister said India is the first G20 nation to achieve the climate commitments set in Paris, that too 9 years before the deadline. Modi outlined the nations goals to achieve the target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030 and said that the government has turned the green transition into a peoples movement. He suggested studying Indias unique scheme for Rooftop Solar - PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme where the government funds a Rooftop Solar Setup for every family and helps in installation. Through this scheme, the Prime Minister said, every household in India becomes a power producer. He informed that more than 1 crore 30 lakh families have registered under the scheme and installation work has been completed in 3.25 lakh houses so far. Drawing attention to the results of PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme, the Prime Minister explained that a small family which consumes 250 units of electricity in a month, generates 100 units and sells it back to the grid will save a total of about 25 thousand rupees in a year. People will benefit by about 25 thousand rupees from the electricity bill, PM Modi said, noting that money saved is money earned. He further added that if the saved money is invested in the Public Provident Fund for 20 years, then the whole sum would amount to more than Rs 10 lakh which can be used for children's education and marriage. Modi further added that PM Suyra Ghar scheme is becoming a medium of employment generation and environment protection generating around 20 lakh jobs. PM Modi informed that the government aims to prepare 3 lakh youth as skilled manpower under this scheme. Out of these, one lakh youth will be Solar PV Technicians. Every 3 kilowatts of solar electricity generated will prevent emission of 50-60 tonnes of carbon dioxide, he said, noting the contributions of every family in fighting climate change. Photo Courtesy: Avishek Mitra/IBNS A delegation of junior doctors, who are protesting against the rape and murder of a female medic in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital , have accepted West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee 's invitation for a meeting at her residence in south Kolkata's Kalighat area on Monday. The meeting will take place just a day before the Supreme Court will hear the case. "We are going for the meeting with our five-point demands," one of the protesting doctors told media. "We are having our own stenographer to ensure a transparency is maintained during the meeting," another protesting doctor said. The meeting was initially scheduled to take place at 5pm as invited by the CM. In a letter from chief secretary Manoj Pant, it has been cleared to the doctors that their demand for live-streaming or video recording won't be allowed in the meeting citing the matter is in the court. "We trust that good sense will prevail, and as mutually agreed and as per your statement to the media day before- there will be no live-streaming or videography of the meeting, given that the matter is sub judice in the highest court of the country. Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both parties," said Pant in the letter. What happened last week? On Thursday, about 30-35 junior doctors reached the state government headquarters Nabanna but didn't attend the meeting as their demand for live-streaming of the discussion was turned down by the Chief Minister. After Mamata reached the doctors' dharna site on Saturday afternoon, the protesters agreed to a meeting at the Chief Minister's residence but the question of live-streaming played spoilsport initially. After repeated requests from the Chief Minister and a promise of meeting minutes, the junior doctors agreed for a discussion but junior Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and state chief secretary Manoj Pant said it was time over for the day. While the government is aiming to talk about safety issues in hospitals, the junior doctors' five demands include justice for the victim, disciplinary action against now arrested ex-RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh, resignation of Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal and two other top police officers, enhancing security at hospitals and elimination of the alleged threat culture. RG Kar The bus carrying a delegation of junior doctors, who are protesting the rape and murder of a female medic in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Kolkata , has reached Kalighat area in south Kolkata where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has invited them for a meeting. According to reports at 630 pm, they are inside the premises of the Chief Minister after all the formalities but the meeting had not started till 7 pm. The meeting will take place just a day before the Supreme Court will hear the case related to the rape and murder of the doctor which has triggered a tsunami of protests in Bengal and across the country. Protests are also organised across the world by the Bengali diaspora. "We are going for the meeting with our five-point demands," one of the protesting doctors told media. "We are having our own stenographer to ensure a transparency is maintained during the meeting," another protesting doctor said. According to latest reports, the stenographers were allowed inside. The meeting was initially scheduled to take place at 5 pm as invited by the CM. In a letter from chief secretary Manoj Pant, it has been cleared to the doctors that their demand for live-streaming or video recording won't be allowed in the meeting citing the matter is in the court. "We trust that good sense will prevail, and as mutually agreed and as per your statement to the media day before- there will be no live-streaming or videography of the meeting, given that the matter is sub judice in the highest court of the country. Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both parties," said Pant in the letter. The junior doctors' five point demand includes removal of city police commissioner Vineet Goyal and Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam besides their safety, punishment of the guilty and the culture of threat in the healthcare system. What happened last week? On Thursday, about 30-35 junior doctors reached the state government headquarters Nabanna but didn't attend the meeting as their demand for live-streaming of the discussion was turned down by the Chief Minister. After Mamata reached the doctors' dharna site on Saturday afternoon, the protesters agreed to a meeting at the Chief Minister's residence but the question of live-streaming played spoilsport initially. After repeated requests from the Chief Minister and a promise of meeting minutes, the junior doctors agreed for a discussion but junior Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and state chief secretary Manoj Pant said it was time over for the day. While the government is aiming to talk about safety issues in hospitals, the junior doctors' five demands include justice for the victim, disciplinary action against now arrested ex-RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh, resignation of Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal and two other top police officers, enhancing security at hospitals and elimination of the alleged threat culture. Photo Courtesy: X/PMModi/RahulGamdhi New Delhi/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday slammed Rahul Gandhi in a sharp but veiled attack saying that "those filled with hate are defaming India", in response to the latter's remarks in the United States on religious minorities' freedom including the Sikh community. PM Modi made the remarks while speaking in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, where he inaugurated infrastructure projects worth Rs. 8,000 crore. Without taking Gandhi's name, Modi said that "some people" are acting against the interests of the country. "Some people, filled with negativity, are targeting India's unity. Those filled with hate are not leaving any chance to defame India and Gujarat... they want to do tukde, tukde (break-up) of the country," he said. He also referred to the campaigning in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the first phase of voting, which will start on Wednesday and hit out at the Congress and its ally, the National Conference for promising to restore the erstwhile state's special status The Congress and its ally promised to restore special status for J&K under Article 370, which was scrapped by the ruling BJP in August 2019, and also split J&K into two union territories. Eyeing to strike an emotive chord with voters in J&K and other poll-bound states this year, including Haryana and Maharashtra, PM Modi said he had been insulted and mocked by the critics during the first 100 days of his third term, but he mentioned that "if I live for you... I will sacrifice myself for you." Rahul Gandhi's comments in the US - at various public events, including those attended by Indian students and diaspora community members - have drawn flak from several union ministers, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. This is the first time Modi has given a reaction to the Congress leader's jabs. Gandhi, while interacting with diaspora members, spoke about the fight with the BJP being an ideological divide over questions like "... is a Sikh allowed to wear a turban (or) kada (a steel bangle)? Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri slammed the remark pointing to the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, after Gandhi's grandmother, Indira Gandhi, was assassinated. Videograb of protesting junior doctors at CM's Kalighat residence/ courtesy: X Kolkata/IBNS: The long-awaited meeting between protesting junior doctors of Bengal and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence in Kolkata concluded after two hours on Monday evening, that was aimed at ending the ongoing impasse which started with the demand for justice over the gruesome rape and murder of a medic at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The meeting was held with 31 representatives of the agitating junior doctors, local media reports said. The protesting doctors, however, made it clear that they won't speak to the media right after the talks but will return to Swasthya Bhawan and hold a general body meeting before taking a final call regarding the casework. The doctors are yet to leave Banerjee's residence as local television reports say that the minutes of the proceedings are being jotted down, which will be signed by both parties. The state government allowed two stenographers from the agitating doctors' side after two failed attempts for talks last week over live-streaming. Mamata Banerjee is expected to brief the media following the meeting. Besides the CM, junio Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and Chief Secretary Manoj Pant were also present at the meeting. The state government had earlier described this as a "fifth and final invitation for talks". Unlike the last two times, the protesting junior doctors have made it past the doorway and talks were held. A crowd of people have gathered outside the CM's house who are expecting positive outcomes from the meeting. The meeting took place just a day before the Supreme Court will hear the case related to the rape and murder of the doctor which has triggered a tsunami of protests in Bengal and across the country. Protests are also organised across the world by the Bengali diaspora. "We are going for the meeting with our five-point demands," one of the protesting doctors told the media. "We are having our own stenographers to ensure transparency is maintained during the meeting," another protesting doctor said. In a letter from chief secretary Manoj Pant, it was cleared to the doctors that their demand for live-streaming or video recording won't be allowed in the meeting citing that the matter is in the court. "We trust that good sense will prevail, and as mutually agreed and as per your statement to the media day before- there will be no live-streaming or videography of the meeting, given that the matter is sub judice in the highest court of the country. Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both parties," said Pant in the letter. The junior doctors' five-point demand includes the removal of city police commissioner Vineet Goyal and Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam besides their safety, punishment of the guilty and the culture of threat in the healthcare system. What happened last week? On Thursday, about 30-35 junior doctors reached the state government headquarters Nabanna but didn't attend the meeting as their demand for live-streaming of the discussion was turned down by the Chief Minister. After Mamata reached the doctors' dharna site on Saturday afternoon, the protesters agreed to a meeting at the Chief Minister's residence but the question of live-streaming played spoilsport initially. After repeated requests from the Chief Minister and a promise of meeting minutes, the junior doctors agreed for a discussion but junior Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and state chief secretary Manoj Pant said it was time over for the day. Photo courtesy: ANI videograb Kolkata/IBNS: After a marathon meeting with the protesting junior doctors to end the ongoing impasse and a 38-day-long ceasework following the brutal RG Kar rape and murder, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday late night announced to remove Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and DC North Abhishek Gupta besides two other health officials bowing to the demands of the protesters. The protesting junior doctors broke into celebrations after their win. After days of high drama, the long-awaited meeting between the two sides materialised on Monday evening stretching for nearly five hours till midnight. Speaking to reporters outside her Kalighat residence, Banerjee said: "Forty-two representatives of junior doctors have signed the minutes of the meeting. Both parties are happy that we could hold the discussion addressing their concerns in detail." "Of their 5 demands, the first was justice, which has now been entrusted with the CBI," she said. "Since they are unhappy with the police, we have agreed to remove Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal. He will be entrusted with the role of his choice as he himself wants to recuse himself from this post. He will step down at 4 PM on Tuesday and the new CP will be announced," Banerjee announced "The DC North will be removed as well," she said, noting that this was one of their demands as well. Smt. @MamataOfficial stands to ensure the welfare of the people of Bengal and in the same spirit has kept the demands of the junior doctors. The following steps shall be taken: CP Kolkata & DC North to be removed Task Force for safety of doctors to be constituted Rogi pic.twitter.com/RiySOKWe16 All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) September 16, 2024 Banerjee also announced the removal of two health officials- Director of Health Services (DHS) and Director of Medical Service (DMS). "Besides this, we will take measures to enhance the safety and security of the hospitals," the CM announced. RG Kar Medical College Rape-Murder case | West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says, " We tried listening to junior doctors...we have decided to change the DC (Kolkata Police Commissioner)...he agreed to resign himself...in health department, they demanded the removal of 3 persons and pic.twitter.com/f7xkS4lNYM ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2024 "We accepted three demands and requested them to join the work so that commoners do not suffer amid a spike in dengue cases in Kolkata. I urge them to join work and extend their service to those in need," she said. Earlier the junior doctors while boarding the bus said the CM accepted their demands to remove the police commissioner. "We have discussed our 5-point demands. While we are on the same page on various issues, we have disagreements on several points. We will give our full press statement from our agitation site after holding a general body meeting. CP's resignation has been accepted," one of the junior doctors said. They are yet to make a decision on the casework. The meeting was held with 42 representatives of the agitating junior doctors. The state government allowed two stenographers from the agitating doctors' side. The state government had earlier described this as a "fifth and final invitation for talks". Unlike the last two times, the protesting junior doctors this time made it past the doorway and talks were held. A crowd of people had gathered on the street leading to the CM's house expecting positive outcomes from the meeting and shouting slogans for justice. The meeting took place just a day before the Supreme Court will hear the case related to the rape and murder of the doctor which has triggered a tsunami of protests in Bengal and across the country. Protests are also organised across the world by the Bengali diaspora. In a letter from chief secretary Manoj Pant, it was cleared to the doctors that their demand for live-streaming or video recording won't be allowed in the meeting citing that the matter is in the court. "We trust that good sense will prevail, and as mutually agreed and as per your statement to the media day before- there will be no live-streaming or videography of the meeting, given that the matter is sub judice in the highest court of the country. Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both parties," said Pant in the letter. The junior doctors' five-point demand included the removal of city police commissioner Vineet Goyal and Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam besides their safety, punishment of the guilty and the culture of threat in the healthcare system. What happened last week? On Thursday, about 30-35 junior doctors reached the state government headquarters Nabanna but didn't attend the meeting as their demand for live-streaming of the discussion was turned down by the Chief Minister. After Mamata reached the doctors' dharna site on Saturday afternoon, the protesters agreed to a meeting at the Chief Minister's residence but the question of live-streaming played spoilsport initially. After repeated requests from the Chief Minister and a promise of meeting minutes, the junior doctors agreed for a discussion but junior Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and state chief secretary Manoj Pant said it was time over for the day. In image video grab of junior doctors' press briefing from X Kolkata/IBNS: After days of high drama, the long-awaited meeting between protesting junior doctors and Mamata Banerjee finally took place at the latter's Kalighat residence, at the end of which the CM announced that most of the demands of the protesters have been accepted and in accordance with their wish city police commissioner Vineet Goyal will be removed on Tuesday. Briefing the media from the agitation site at Swasthya Bhawan, the protesting junior doctors thanked the people for joining their movement and said they would continue their dharna unless the demands were implemented. "The honourable Chief Minister has decided to remove the police commissioner which has been one of our demands for the last 38 days. She has also agreed to remove the Director of Health Services (DHS) and the Director of Medical Service (DMS) from the health department. The DC North will be removed as well. This is no doubt a success of our 38-day-long agitation," one of the protesting junior doctors said. "The state administration has bowed down in front of our movement which received massive support from the common people," a junior doctor said. "We will decide on our cease work after the Supreme Court hearing tomorrow. We have oral assurance but will continue our dharna until they are implemented. All medical colleges will discuss and arrive at a decision," he said. "There has been a discussion on the ex-principal Sandip Ghosh and the health secretary's role in the destruction of evidence and the existence of threat culture in our medical colleges. The room for further discussion has been kept open." "On the issue of safety, the CM has asked her administration to set up a task force. But we have informed her that is not enough and we need fair elections in all medical colleges. However, we will continue our fight unless we see the implementation of these assurances," they vowed. What Mamata Banerjee said? Speaking to reporters outside her Kalighat residence, Banerjee said: "Forty-two representatives of junior doctors have signed the minutes of the meeting. Both parties are happy that we could hold the discussion addressing their concerns in detail." RG Kar Medical College Rape-Murder case | West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says, " We tried listening to junior doctors...we have decided to change the DC (Kolkata Police Commissioner)...he agreed to resign himself...in health department, they demanded the removal of 3 persons and pic.twitter.com/f7xkS4lNYM ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2024 "Of their 5 demands, the first was justice, which has now been entrusted with the CBI," she said. "Since they are unhappy with the police, we have agreed to remove Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal. He will be entrusted with the role of his choice as he himself wants to recuse himself from this post. He will step down at 4 PM on Tuesday and the new CP will be announced," Banerjee said. "The DC North will be removed as well," she said, noting that this was one of their demands as well. Smt. @MamataOfficial stands to ensure the welfare of the people of Bengal and in the same spirit has kept the demands of the junior doctors. The following steps shall be taken: CP Kolkata & DC North to be removed Task Force for safety of doctors to be constituted Rogi pic.twitter.com/RiySOKWe16 All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) September 16, 2024 Banerjee also announced the removal of two health officials- Director of Health Services (DHS) and Director of Medical Service (DMS). "Besides this, we will take measures to enhance the safety and security of the hospitals," the CM announced. "We accepted three demands and requested them to join the work so that commoners do not suffer amid a spike in dengue cases in Kolkata. I urge them to join work and extend their service to those in need," she said. The meeting took place just a day before the Supreme Court will hear the case related to the rape and murder of the doctor which has triggered a tsunami of protests in Bengal and across the country. Protests are also organised across the world by the Bengali diaspora. In a letter from chief secretary Manoj Pant, it was cleared to the doctors that their demand for live-streaming or video recording won't be allowed in the meeting citing that the matter is in the court. "We trust that good sense will prevail, and as mutually agreed and as per your statement to the media day before- there will be no live-streaming or videography of the meeting, given that the matter is sub judice in the highest court of the country. Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both parties," said Pant in the letter. The junior doctors' five-point demand included the removal of city police commissioner Vineet Goyal and Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam besides their safety, punishment of the guilty and the culture of threat in the healthcare system. What happened last week? On Thursday, about 30-35 junior doctors reached the state government headquarters Nabanna but didn't attend the meeting as their demand for live-streaming of the discussion was turned down by the Chief Minister. After Mamata reached the doctors' dharna site on Saturday afternoon, the protesters agreed to a meeting at the Chief Minister's residence but the question of live-streaming played spoilsport initially. Toronto Street Festival/Image credit: TIFF A total of 10 awards were handed out at the awards ceremony today, including jury-awarded prizes and the renowned Peoples Choice Awards. As we conclude this years Festival and present these 10 awards today, I cant wait to see the future awards and accolades that await your incredible films, Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF has said. PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD PRESENTED BY ROGERS The People's Choice Midnight Madness Award went to The Substance, directed by Coralie Fargeat in the United Kingdom/USA/France. The first runner-up in the category is Dead Talents Society, directed by John Hsu in Taiwan while the second runner-up is Friendship, directed by. Andrew DeYoung in the USA. Peoples Choice Documentary Award was bagged by The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal, directed by. Mike Downiei in Canada. The first runner-up was Will & Harper, directed by Josh Greenbaum in the USA and the second runner-up was Your Tomorrow, directed by Ali Weinstein in Canada. The People's Choice Award went to The Life of Chuck, directed by Mike Flanagan in the USA. The first runner-up in the category was Emilia Perez, directed by Jacques Audiard in France/USA/Mexico while the second runner-up went to Anora, directed by Sean Baker in USA. SHORT CUTS AWARDS Being for Best International Film and Best Canadian Film, Short Cuts Awards would give two winning films with a bursary of $10,000 CAD. Short Cuts Award for Best International Film: Deck 5B, directed by Malin Ingrid Johansson in Sweden Honourable Mention: Quota, directed by Job Roggeveen, Joris Oprins, Marieke Blaauw in Netherlands Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Film: Are You Scared To Be Yourself Because You Think That You Might Fail?, directed by Bec Pecaut in Canada FIPRESCI AWARD Dedicated to emerging filmmakers, the 2024 FIPRESCI Award's proud recipient was Mother Mother directed by Knaan Warsame in Somalia. NETPAC AWARD Promoting the Asian Pacific Cinema, recognizing films specifically from the Asian and Pacific regions, the NETPAC Award presented by the Network went to The Last of the Sea Women, directed by Sue Kim in USA BEST CANADIAN DISCOVERY AWARD Celebrating works of emerging filmmakers who contribute to enriching the Canadian film landscape, the Best Canadian Discovery Award is back this year after being on hiatus since 2019 with a new name and new criteria. All first or second feature films in Official Selection by Canadian filmmakers were eligible for this award. The winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000. Best Canadian Discovery Award: Universal Language, directed by Matthew Rankin in Canada Honorable Mention: You Are Not Alone, directed by. Marie-Helene Viens, and Philippe Lupien in Canada BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM AWARD PRESENTED BY CANADA GOOSE All Canadian feature films in Official Selection excluding first or second features will be considered for the award. The winning filmmaker will receive a $10,000 cash prize. The 2024 Best Canadian Feature Film Award is presented by Canada Goose. Best Canadian Feature Film Award: Shepherds, directed by Sophie Deraspe | Canada PLATFORM COMPETITION AWARD With an award of $20,000 CAD, The Platform Award given to the best film in the competition selected by an in-person international jury is awarded to They Will Be Dust, directed by Carlos Marques-Marcet in Spain, Italy, Switzerland Honourable Mention: Sylvia Chang in Daughters Daughter, directed by Huang Xi in Taiwan. Last Sunday, the following were honoured with TIFF 2024 Tribute Awards, with Sandra Oh as Honorary Chair of the sixth annual fundraising gala: Amy Adams: TIFF Tribute Performer Award Angelina Jolie: TIFF Tribute Award in Impact Media Cate Blanchett: TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award Clement Ducol & Camille: TIFF Variety Artisan Award David Cronenberg: TIFF Norman Jewison Career Achievement Durga Chew-Bose: TIFF Emerging Talent Award Jharrel Jerome: TIFF Tribute Performer Award Mike Leigh: TIFF Ebert Director Award Zhao Tao: TIFF Special Tribute Award (Reporting by Asha Bajaj) Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo Courtesy: Benjamin Netanyahu X page Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Houthis will face a 'heavy price' after it fired a missile in his territory. They should have known by now that we exact a heavy price for any attempt to harm us, Netanyahu was quoted saying by CNN following the attack incident. The projectile was fired from Yemen toward Israel at 6am local time this morning, according to the Israel Defense Forces who added that it most likely fragmented in mid-air", CNN reported. The missile fell into an open area. No casualty was reported. Videos and images shared by the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority on Telegram show large plumes of smoke billowing into the air over an open field, and shattered glass inside a train station in Modiin, a city between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, reported CNN. Iran-back Houthi group has confirmed the attack. A spokesperson of the group warned CNN that Iran should expect more such strikes as the first anniversary of the October 7 attack by Hamas approaches. Tensions between Israel, Yemen and Lebanon has been escalating for months since the October 7 attack carried out by Hamas. Following the attack, Israel had launched its invasion of Gaza. More than 22,500 people a quarter of those wounded in Gaza since Israels offensive began have life-changing injuries, requiring rehabilitation services now and for years to come, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Thursday. These include severe limb injuries, amputations, spinal cord trauma, traumatic brain injuries and major burns. Israeli forces pushed into Gaza in response to the 7 October 2023 terror attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in southern Israel. Dr. Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, highlighted that the surge in rehabilitation needs is occurring alongside the wholesale collapse of Gazas healthcare infrastructure. Patients cant get the care they need. Acute rehabilitation services are severely disrupted and specialized care for complex injuries is not available, placing patients lives at risk. Immediate and long-term support is urgently needed to address the enormous rehabilitation needs. Telangana man dies after drowning in lake in Canada. Photo Courtesy: Unsplash A man from the Indian city of Hyderabad died after drowning in a lake in Canada recently on a day when he was celebrating his brother's birthday. The Indian national was identified as Praneeth. Praneeth completed his Masters in Canada and was looking for a job in the country. The deceased person went to Lake Clear for boating with his friends to celebrate his brother's birthday when he accidentally fell and drowned in the water. A search operation was launched immediately after the police were informed of the matter. The victims family was informed of the tragedy on Monday by one of his friends, and further investigation is going on, reported Siasat website. Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth shared their marriage pictures today and took their fans by surprise. Do you know they first met in 2021 and fell in love almost instantly? While they have been trying to keep their romance under wraps and have maintained a sense of privacy around their relationship, not many people know how Aditi and Siddharth first met and how their love story began. Here's all you need to know about their bond that seems to grow stronger with every passing day. Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth's dreamy love story! The first meeting Aditi and Siddharth first met on the sets of the Telugu film Maha Samudram back in 2021. The first words that they exchanged were from Siddharth who greeted her with a compliment "Hello, beautiful girl". Strangely, Aditi who wasn't impressed by such compliments was pleasantly taken aback by the his sincerity and warmth. She felt he genuinely meant it. Describing their first day together on the sets, she said, "By the end of the day, he had me and pretty much everyone on the set in splits. He also ensured that my team and I had ghee idlis whipped up by his cook every day for the rest of the shoot." It was love at first sight They started dating after their first meeting itself. The only question was how to keep it private. Aditi, who has been living in Mumbai since 2011, was well-versed in the paparazzi culture, Siddharth found it tough to deal with. He credited Aditi for helping him come out of his comfort zones - both professionally and personally. Common interests What makes their bond stronger is the fact that they both love travelling, exploring and getting lost in new places. In May 2024, they went to Paris after the Cannes Film Festival and had a gala time walking freely on the streets and doing anything they wanted to do without worry. They celebrated Christmas in London last year. Apart from this, they love spending time in Siddharth's studio in Chennai where they cook together and also make music that will never be released commercially. Long distance relationship While Aditi lives in Mumbai where she works, Siddharth is mostly in Chennai. They still don't want to call this a long-distance relationship. "Siddharth has always said that we are lucky to have three homes: Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai," Aditi Rao Hydari had said in an interview with Vogue. Also Read: Why did Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth marry in a 400-year-old temple? Their proposal will melt your heart Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharths love story is a great example of shared passions, personal growth, and deep affection for each other. Despite the distance and their efforts to keep the romance private, their bond has blossomed into something truly special. Now, as they step into a new chapter by sharing their marriage with the world, we wish them a happy married life ahead. For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment. The 76th Primetime Emmys 2024 held in Peacock Theater in Los Angeles today. We saw the biggest stars sparkling in their beautiful outfits on the red carpet. A-listers like Selena Gomez, Jennifer Aniston and Meryl Streep shone bright at the event but there are 5 celebs who disappointed us with their looks. Here's taking a look at 5 worst dressed stars who missed the mark. 1. Quinta Brunson Wearing Georges Chakra, Quinta wore a fish cut strapless black gown. If that wasn't enough, there was a black bow attached. 2. RuPaul Too much drama and loud vibrant colours lead to an epic fail. The attire which was served to dazzle, ultimately fell short of its glamorous potential. 3. Dakota Fanning Attending the 76th Primetime awards, the actor chose for a simple and easy little black dress. 4. Devery Jacobs Reservation Dogs star Devery Jacobs goes bold and big with her outfit in Act No. 1. She chose all white frills outfit with a white footwear on the red carpet. 5. Richard Gadd We are not sure if we are fond of the look. Actor Richard Gadd wears a kilt from Loewe with a tuxedo. On the winner front, the comedy show, Hacks, won big for Outstanding Comedy Series at the 2024 Emmy Awards. The Emmys 2024 award ceremony was hosted by the father-son duo Eugene Levy and Dan Levy. The event marked the second Primetime Emmys ceremony of 2024 following the rescheduled 75th edition, which was postponed from September 2023 to January 15, 2024 due to the 2023 Hollywood labour disputes. In India, the ceremony was broadcasted live on LionsGate Play. For more such stories on celebs and fashion, follow us on Indiatimes Lifestyle TV actor Hina Khan dazzled on the ramp show wearing a red bridal outfit. Surprising her fans and followers, Hina Khan walked for Times Fashion Week wearing Vinal's. Hina shared that she dressed up as a bride after really ages. Taking to her Instagram account, Hina Khan wrote, "My Father always used to say, Hey Daddys strong Girl, Dont be a cry baby, Never complain about your problems (Only Gratitude) Take control of your life, Stand tall and deal with it.. So I Stopped worrying about the outcome, Just Focused on whats within my control.. Rest, Leave it to Allah.. He sees your efforts, he hears your prayers and he knows your heart. Thisss wasnt easy but I kept telling myself, Keep going Hina DONT EVER STOP." Hina chose the red colour and teamed it up with green emerald jewels. She completed her look with big chunky gold bangles and maangteeka. Wearing checkered seedha pallu style and aalta, Hina looked mesmerising. Take a look at some of her photographs. Internet is full of praises about how brave Hina Khan is. Credit: Hina Khan/Instagram She has been keeping her fans up to date about her ongoing cancer treatment. Hina was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer on June 28, 2024. Soon after, Hina shared another side effect of Chemotherapy. Mucositis which further deteriorated her health. Hina Khan even shared with the world that Bollywood actor Mahima Chaudhry, who herself is a cancer survivor, went to meet her. Hina revealed Mahima showed up during her first session of Chemotherapy. For more such stories on fashion and celebs, follow us on Indiatimes lifestyle. Athens is preparing to adopt a firm position toward Germany following Berlins recent decision to tighten controls on its western land borders, according to local media. The Greek government remains focused on upholding the Schengen Agreement while strongly advocating for the fair distribution of migration burdens among all EU member states, not just those on the frontlines like Greece. Greece will push for its stance on the EU Migration Pact, which calls for equitable burden-sharing across the bloc. In this effort, it seeks alliances with countries like Austria, Poland, and particularly those in southern Europe, such as Italy, Spain, and Portugal, which face similar migration challenges due to their location on the EUs external borders. According to a government source, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakiss recent statements from Vienna on migration were not directly aimed at Germany but at countries considering unilateral migration policies that risk undermining EU cohesion. Berlins move to tighten border controls is viewed as a political response to internal pressures, following the electoral decline of Chancellor Olaf Scholzs Social Democrats in regional elections in Thuringia and Saxony, with further challenges expected in the state of Brandenburg on September 22. These tensions are expected to persist ahead of Germany's national elections in autumn 2025. Migration has long been a point of friction between Greece and Germany, with disagreements surfacing multiple times in 2023. One of Germany's key demandsthe return of refugees who were first registered in Greece but now reside in Germanycontinues to be rejected by Athens, further complicating relations between the two countries. iefimerida.gr Three people accused of traveling to North Dakota to traffic fentanyl pleaded not guilty on Monday, while a fourth person involved is set to appear at a separate hearing later this month. Steven Hicks of Huntington, West Virginia, Davon McClinton of Detroit, Michigan, Jamone Walker Estes of Eckley, West Virginia, and Albrina Curtis of Los Angeles are all charged with conspiracy to manufacture or deliver more than 40 grams of fentanyl. Hicks, McClinton and Walker Estes are also charged with conspiracy to possess more than 40 grams of fentanyl. A conviction on either charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. All four were scheduled for preliminary hearings Monday. Hicks, 30, Curtis, 32, and McClinton, 29, waived their respective appearances and pleaded not guilty. Walker Estes, 31, faces a separate hearing on Sept. 26, according to court documents. Officers were alerted to the alleged fentanyl trafficking in late July through a confidential informant, according to an affidavit. The confidential informant reported making multiple purchases of fentanyl pills from a person identified as D-Boy and provided investigators a phone number identified as belonging to McClinton, the affidavit stated. A search warrant was eventually served in early August at a Bismarck apartment on East Arbor Avenue that belonged to a fourth person who was not charged, according to the affidavit. Authorities allegedly discovered McClinton, Walker Estes and Hicks, along with a fourth person, inside the apartment. More than 720 suspected fentanyl pills with a street value of roughly $20,000 were found inside the premises, according to the affidavit. The apartment's resident told authorities she was aware McClinton has been staying at the apartment for more than a month and that he was selling fentanyl pills, the document stated. Walker Estes allegedly said in an interview to police that he had come to Bismarck on McClinton's advice because "there was money to be made." Hicks was a recent arrival, and the apartment's resident allegedly told officers she overheard Walker Estes and McClinton talking about Hicks bringing more fentanyl pills with him, according to the affidavit. Hicks' involvement was allegedly confirmed by officers who interviewed Walker Estes. Walker Estes also allegedly told authorities that the fentanyl pills were brought to Bismarck either by Hicks or Curtis, who was found at a Bismarck motel. Inside, authorities discovered more than $1,000 that Curtis allegedly said came from acting as a prostitute, the affidavit stated. Investigators also allegedly found records of money transfers associated with drug sales. Other evidence found on Curtis' cellphone reportedly revealed conversations between McClinton and Curtis about drug sales. McClinton, Hicks and Walker Estes remain in custody at the Burleigh Morton Detention Center on $200,000 cash bonds. Curtis is in custody on a $100,000 cash bond. Curtis, Hicks and McClinton are all scheduled for trials beginning on Dec. 4. Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, in joint statements with his French counterpart Stephane Sejourne during his visit to Athens, emphasized the need for a fair distribution of responsibilities in migration under the Pact on Migration and Asylum. Gerapetritis stressed the importance of addressing the external aspects of migration and coordinating efforts to combat smuggling networks exploiting people's needs and suffering. He also congratulated Sejourne, who has been proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron as France's European Commissioner candidate. Gerapetritis praised France for hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games and expressed Greece's gratitude for the prominent tribute to the ancient Greek spirit during the closing ceremony. He highlighted the close cooperation between Greece and France at various levels, including as EU partners, NATO allies and in bilateral relations. Gerapetritis also noted France's support for Greece's bid for the UN Security Council. Regarding migration, Gerapetritis and Sejourne discussed their coordinated actions and addressed the situation in the Middle East, emphasizing the urgent need for a ceasefire to halt humanitarian destruction and prevent the spread of hostilities. Gerapetritis reiterated the mandatory nature of the Prespa Agreement, underscoring its binding obligations. On bilateral relations, he highlighted opportunities to strengthen economic, trade, energy and investment cooperation. He also noted enhanced cultural collaboration within the International Organization of La Francophonie. Sejourne underscored the necessity of maintaining French-Greek cooperation. He thanked Greece for its contribution to Olympic security and congratulated Greek athletes on their medals. Sejourne also highlighted the strengthened military ties, including the supply of Rafale aircraft and Belharra frigates to Greece. He emphasized the joint contribution to European defence and security and the continued collaboration to enhance Europes strategic autonomy. Sejourne noted the close cooperation in civil protection with France sending 180 firefighters, 55 vehicles and one firefighting helicopter to Greece as part of RescEU. Sejourne expressed full solidarity with those affected by the recent fires and acknowledged Greeces support during the 2022 fires in southwestern France. On migration, he stressed the importance of implementing the European Pact on Asylum and Migration, emphasizing the need for uniform treatment across Europe. Additionally, he congratulated Greece on its election to the UN Security Council and expressed confidence that the French-Greek partnership will positively impact climate, security, women's issues, peace and child protection in conflict zones. iefimerida.gr As Greece and India prepare to celebrate their 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025, both nations are poised to strengthen their strategic partnership across various sectors. Greek Minister of Development Takis Theodorikakos, speaking at the opening of the Horasis India Meeting in Athens, emphasized the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation. "We are strengthening our ties in key areas, including security, defense, trade, science, technology, and education," he said, highlighting the shared democratic values and unique positioning of both countries to address global challenges. Mr. Theodorikakos also underscored Greece's role in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), a strategic initiative aimed at bolstering connectivity and economic cooperation. Greece's strategic location, robust shipping industry, and expertise in high technology and artificial intelligence make it an ideal partner for India in this endeavor. The upcoming anniversary not only marks a historical milestone but also signals a renewed commitment to strategic collaboration between Greece and India, particularly in light of their shared global values and the growing challenges facing the world today. iefimerida.gr Syriza parliamentary group leader Nikos Pappas has denied rumors that he will be a candidate in the upcoming elections for the party's presidency. During a press conference at the 88th Thessaloniki International Fair on Sunday, Mr. Pappas responded to questions about his potential candidacy, saying, There is no such discussion, we are channeling all our efforts into fulfilling the duties assigned to us. Mr. Pappas emphasized the need for political change in his remarks, stating, We address the citizens of Greece and state clearly that the country needs a major progressive change. In Syrizas internal elections in 2023, Mr. Pappas placed fourth, securing 8.3% of the vote. The leadership election for Syriza is scheduled for November 24, with a potential runoff on December 1. The election follows the recent ousting of leader Stefanos Kasselakis, who lost a no-confidence vote during a central committee meeting last week. iefimerida.gr A member of a popular Nigerian church, The Lords Chosen, has claimed that an Angel of God, appeared to her while facing difficult time in her recent promotional examination. The lady, whose identity was not revealed in a viral video on internet, while sharing testimony during a Sunday church service, said that God miraculously helped her wrote an exam, which included Nigerian Army, Airforce, Navy. She narrated that, during the examination, 50 questions were given to her, which one of them was to mention 10 francophone countries and their capitals. Advertisement The lady testified to the congregation that nobody could answer the question, but a old man from nowhere, appeared beside her and began to tell her answers to all the questions. She said: It happens that we went for a promotional exam, which comprises the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Airforce. Right there in the hall, 50 questions were given, 20 questions were careers progression question, while 10 questions happened to be general questions, which is called current affairs. READ MORE: Investigate Lord Chosen Church Over Deceptive Testimonies Or I Take Legal Action VeryDarkMan To CAN We all have written all our careers questions, It came to this very 10th question, which says, mention ten francophone countries and their capitals. Brethren i want you to know, right there in the hall, nobody including me, knew this question. Since i know Nigeria and Ghana, are not francophone countries, i dont know what to do, all i did was, i raised up the question papers, i declared, i said, i am a chosen, this question, who are you? Where is the God of my Pastor, Power, Brethren, do you know what happened, all of a sudden, an old man, very huge, his head filled up with white hair, appeared beside me, he said my daughter, begin to write. Watch complete video A cholera outbreak in Adamawa State has resulted in four fatalities, with an additional 36 individuals currently hospitalized and undergoing treatment for the disease. Mr Jibrin Ibrahim, Chairman of Yola-North Local Government Area, made the announcement to journalists during his visit to the victims on Sunday at the Infectious Disease Centre, IDC, Yola. According to Ibrahim, the outbreak occurred in the Alkalawa, Ajiya, and Limawa wards of the area. Advertisement No fewer than 20 victims were reported in the morning but now there are more than 40 cases and four have died. A good number of them have been stabilised as they have been receiving attention by the health workers, he said. READ MORE: Man Killed In Lagos Hit-And-Run Accident Ibrahim applauded the prompt response of health personnel, the Red Cross, and foreign partners. He claimed the outbreak is caused by polluted water from flooding in some locations. Nigerian activist Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, has urged the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to investigate the testimonies shared by members of the Lord Chosen Church, citing concerns about their validity. VeryDarkMan also threatened to take legal action against the church for allegedly misleading Christians with false testimonies. His concerns were sparked by a recent video of a woman claiming to have been attacked by four armed robbers, only to miraculously gain control of their gun, which she referred to as an AK 27 before being corrected by the pastor as an AK 47. Advertisement Another video featuring a man claiming to have been shot at without the bullet penetrating, and then having a cutlass bounce off his head, further fueled VeryDarkMans skepticism. In a video posted on his Instagram account on Sunday, VeryDarkMan accused the man of lying and sarcastically questioned whether church members now possess spiritual iron in their heads. READ MORE: I Wasnt Freaked Rema On Earning First N50m In Music VeryDarkMans criticism of the churchs testimonies has led him to warn CAN that he will be taking action Captioning the video, he wrote: CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA get ready for me ooo,this nonzenzzze needs to stop,now them don dey get spiritual iron for head Abi? All these chosen members SEE POST: The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), on Monday, revealed one person died in a road accident involving two commercial buses. Adebayo Taofiq, spokesperson of LASTMA, said the crash occurred on Third Mainland Bridge when the buses engaged in a high-speed chase from Adeniji Adele. According to him, the intervention of the LASTMA officials facilitated the rescue of eight other passengers, all of whom suffered severe fractures. Advertisement READ ALSO: Hardship: Police Foil Two Suicide Attempts On Third Mainland Bridge The statement read: The injured were immediately transported to Gbagada General Hospital for urgent medical care, courtesy of the Lagos State Ambulance Services (LASAMBUS). Police units from Bariga and Alonge Police Stations were instrumental in providing critical security support during the rescue operation, ensuring order and expediting the efforts to restore normalcy. The agency also sympathised with the family of the bereaved and wishes the injured a swift and full recovery. The lawmaker representing Borno South senatorial district, Ali Ndume, has called on federal government to dredge communities in Borno State, affected by recent flooding. In a statement released to the public on Monday in Abuja, Ndume said that most residents trapped in their areas, were yet to be rescued. Recall that the natural disaster escalated last week Tuesday when the collapse of the Alau Dam led to severe flooding, resulting in fatalities, displacements, and the submergence of homes and farmlands. Advertisement However, Ndume stressed that immediate dredging of the affected areas is crucial for effective rescue operations and to alleviate the suffering of those still trapped. He said: We really need to help make sure that people do not continue to suffer. Some of them have been in their houses for the last six days. READ MORE: Borno Flood Victim Cries Out, Says Wife, Five Children Still Missing What the federal government needs to do is to come and do the survey and get dredging equipment and get to the discharge of the Alau Dam and try to excavate the water way out so that the water can flow and go otherwise the aftermath will be more disastrous. Most buildings that were submerged are not strong, and if they continue to stay in water, they will collapse. Most people trapped in their communities are still there because it is only boats that the Nigerian military, other security agencies, and the state government are using to rescue people there. I am using this opportunity to move a motion since we are on recess for the federal government to intensify action against the plight of the victims of the insurgency. The Minister of State for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a wealthy man, who has no interest in looting Nigerias resources. Olawande made this known while speaking at the Joint Union Negotiating Councils week of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development branch in Abuja, on Monday. The Minister begged Nigerians to be patient with the president, adding that very soon, there will be positive changes. Advertisement He said: I urge you to be patient with this administration. In no distant time, the country will take good shape, and the lives of the citizens will be transformed. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not a pauper; he is an acknowledged epitome of wealth and so it cannot be said of him that he desires to loot the treasury of Nigeria. He has seen money and as a result of this, he is not interested in looting the nations treasury. READ MORE: Tinubu Failed To Sign Peace Accord, We Cant Force Edo PDP Kukah INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that many Nigerians, including prominent people, have been accusing President Tinubu over what they described as mismanagement of governments funds. Some politicians in the country, also accused the current administration of spending nations wealth to purchase properties worth millions of dollar for selfish reasons. Former Anambra state governor, Peter Obi, also called out Tinubu over recent purchase of Presidential jet, saying that the fund could be use in transforming Nigerians lives. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has insisted that Dangote Refinery sold Premium Motor Spirit to it at N898 per liter. Recall that on Sunday, NNPCLs spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, alleged that Dangote was selling its petrol for N898 to the oil firm. Advertisement However, Dangote denied selling fuel to the NNPCL at the price the state-owned oil company announced. Dangote Group in a statement by its spokesperson, Anthony Chiejina, described the claim as misleading and mischievous. READ ALSO: We Didnt Sell N898 Per Litre To NNPC; They Bought In Dollars Dangote Refinery Reacting to Dangotes refinery statement, NNPCL maintained its stance saying: We stand by our earlier stand that Dangote Refinery Petrol is sold to us at N898 per litre. We have documents to back this point, Olufemi Soneye told Daily Post. The back and forth is coming after Dangote Refinery started truck loading of petrol on Sunday. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected the Peoples Democratic Partys (PDP) call to redeploy the Edo States Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC). The call was made by the Party as the State prepares for its September 21 governorship election. Advertisement Anugbum Onuoha, the States REC has been a subject of controversy over his relationship with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. Edos Governor, Godwin Obaseki and Wike have since fallen apart after the latter supported his second term bid following his defection to PDP. Obaseki and the PDP, to this end, expressed fears that Onuoha would influence the election to favour the All Progressives Congress (APC) where Wike is now a minister. Recall that on Thursday, State PDP Chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, submitted a protest letter to INECs Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, requesting Onuohas immediate redeployment. READ ALSO: Edo PDP Demands Redeployment Of Pro-Wike REC, Partisan CP Ahead Guber Aggravating the PDPs reservations, was Wikes admittance on Channels Televisions Politics Today on Friday that Onuoha was his cousin. Reacting, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, stated that the REC would not be redeployed. He further appealed to the PDP to focus on the process of the election rather than Onuoha. The REC for Edo State will not be redeployed. The governorship election will be conducted on 21st September 2024 in 4,519 polling units, not in the RECs office. In the same manner, polling unit results will be declared by the respective Presiding Officers after the voting, ballot sorting and counting processes, in the presence of accredited party agents and other stakeholders. The PO will also take a picture of the PU result in each polling unit with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, and upload the same to the INEC Result Viewing portal. This process is not the same as electronic voting or electronic transmission and collation of results. The IReV is for transparency purposes. The Nigerian constitution does not yet recognise electronic voting. Copies of the PU results will be given to accredited party agents, he said. In a surprise move, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts president and CEO Eric G. Pryor is stepping down, PAFA leaders announced Monday. Pryor, leader of the venerable but financially troubled museum and school since January 2022, informed the full board last week that he would leave Dec. 31 when his contract ends. Advertisement Reginald M. Browne, a vice chair of the board of trustees, said he was somewhat surprised by Pryors decision, but he declined to provide Pryors reasons for stepping down, calling them personal. Asked whether he tried to convince Pryor to stay, Browne said: Im not at liberty to discuss more about his reason, but there was definitely a productive dialogue between Eric and senior leadership. But in the end, hell be ending his tenure. Pryor was not immediately available for comment. Browne said the institution was incredibly grateful for Erics leadership over the last several years, particularly his hard work on the thoughtful wind-down of the degree granting program here at PAFA, and the work on the historic building and getting that teed up so we can install our [new permanent] collection in 26. No small feat. He did a great job in those two endeavors. PAFA isnt beginning an immediate search for a successor. Instead, the institution will be led by a three-person management team. Harry Philbrick, who had been director of the museum from 2011-2016, is returning as interim museum leader. He will work with Lisa Biagas, who has the new title of chief operations officer, and Sonia BasSheva Manjon, the chief academic officer. Philbrick was most recently interim executive director of the Fabric Workshop and founder of Philadelphia Contemporary. PAFA will have a new president and CEO at some point in the future, said Browne, and will kick off a process sometime next year to determine the road forward, and then we will determine when well put out a statement looking for a new leader. But for the time being, the leadership team we have in place, were very confident in them. The exit adds another layer of uncertainty around PAFAs future. The museums chief artistic authority, Anna O. Marley, left for the Toledo Museum of Art at the end of July. The board chair position changed hands July 1, with former board chair Donald R. Caldwell coming back to succeed Anne E. McCollum. Pryor arrived in January 2022 after running the Harlem School for the Arts starting in 2015. After initially commuting from West Orange, N.J., he moved to Philadelphia. His wife, Monique Moore Pryor, is executive director of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation. In a Monday letter to PAFA constituents, Pryor reflected on the organizations accomplishments during his tenure, and said he would be working mostly remotely through the fall. I look forward to sharing an update on my next chapter Pryor was hired as a change agent. Facing a string of operating deficits and shrunken enrollment, PAFA in Januaryannounced the end of its college degree programs and plans to launch the return of its certificate program, which it hopes will be more lucrative. At the same time, the organization is renovating its 1876 Furness & Hewitt building, and marketing space and art-making equipment in its newer Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building to other arts groups. Browne said Pryors departure did not augur any change in PAFAs reorganization plan. Were over the halfway mark of completing a [fundraising] match for the historic building renovation. Were on the tempo of winding down the degree program with the completion of this class graduating in May. So plans are on track. There are no changes. Revelations about PAFAs financial challenges and the institutional changes came within months of the sudden and unexplained closure of the University of the Arts. That event was pretty shocking, said Browne, but fortunately, PAFA is not UArts. We have a lot of strengths here, and [PAFAs] university degree granting program is one of the areas that provided some weakness. And to pivot away from that program and cultural philanthropy being in the position the way it is, its a challenge. But its a challenge that is met by renewed vigor of the board. Asuncion Walters looks at the mural of her sister, Denise Jordan, a longtime kindergarten teacher at John Barry Elementary School in West Philadelphia during a kindergarten mural dedication and ceremony on Thursday. Jordan died suddenly at age 53 last summer. Read more Room 105 at Barry Elementary sat empty for a whole year. The space was bright and colorful, but assistant principal Jalyssa Barber insisted no one could use it. It had been the longtime space of Denise Jordan, a longtime kindergarten teacher who died unexpectedly in August 2023, stunning the school community. She was 53. Advertisement To keep Jordans memory alive for years to come, school leaders unveiled a mural painted in her honor last week as parents, teachers and Jordans family looked on. Pass by Barrys main office and you cant miss it smiling students, butterflies, with Jordan at the center against a blue backdrop. In honor of Denise Jordan, it reads. Outside Jordans classroom is a plaque honoring her, and the hallway is now called Jordans Way. That her sister is forever memorialized at Barry brings Asuncion Walters both comfort and joy. Jordan loved butterflies, cheetah print, and all things purple. She was particular about using only yellow Dial soap. She gave great advice, loved to teach her students the fundamentals of reading, and loved to watch shows in other languages. When the two sisters would go shopping, Jordan was always on the lookout for something for her classroom or her pupils, Walters said. Students cried when they left her room, and came back often to visit. She was dynamic. She loved education; she loved her students she called them her babies, said Walters, motioning to the mural. This is just such a beautiful, beautiful gesture. Barber was especially close to Jordan. The first time Barber ran into Jordan, Jordan didnt know the younger woman was her assistant principal. She just saw someone in need of a little love and reached out. She said, Are you hungry? and she handed me some almonds and cranberries, said Barber. Jordan taught at Barry for 15 years after a career in business. She just made people want to be around her, Barber said. If people couldnt find me, theyd know I was in Room 105, said Barber. It was just a place to reset. Jordan encouraged Barber to join an aspiring principals program. She kept cans of soda in her refrigerator for days when Barber had a migraine and needed some caffeine. They talked a few weeks before Jordans death. Barber knew Jordan was struggling with her diabetes, but Jordan rallied to give Barber a pep talk. She said, Baby girl, youre going to have a good school year. Im proud of you. Ill see you later, Barber remembers. I told her, Ms. Jordan, I love you. Carmela Johnson-Brown was Jordans grade partner for years; they formed a bond based not just on being kindergarten teachers together, but also on mutual respect and admiration. Jordan and I always worked late together, said Johnson-Brown. She mentored my own children. Kimmora Gordon is now 14, a freshman at Motivation High School in West Philadelphia. But she still vividly remembers her kindergarten year, made magical by her favorite teacher: Ms. Jordan. Even after she left Jordans classroom, Gordon said, shed stop by Room 105 when she was having a hard day, or when she just wanted some encouragement. Jordan dispensed love, but she did not play, said Gordon. She expected a lot from her students, but she was a safe space for me. She was always there when I needed her. She would always listen. On the last day of the 2022-23 school year, Gordons seventh-grade year, she saw Jordan as she was about to leave school. It was raining, and Jordan didnt want Gordon to get wet, so she insisted her former student take her own umbrella. That was classic Jordan, Gordon said: thinking of others first. I cant use that umbrella now, Gordon said. I miss her so much. A law firm representing sports-bar chain Chickies & Petes has come after Bettys Seafood Shack in Margate for using the term crabfries to describe a recent food special. No matter that Bettys fries were smothered in house-made queso sauce and topped with jumbo lump crab, while Chickies & Petes sprinkles only an Old Bay-like seasoning on top of its crinkle-cut fries. Advertisement The law is on Chickies & Petes side. In 2007, owner Pete Ciarrocchi registered Crabfries and Crab Fries as a trademark, and since then, his lawyers have sent cease-and-desist letters to many restaurants that advertise theirs as such. A decade ago, the popular chain also settled with a now-closed North Carolina restaurant called Crabby Fries. Bettys had some fun with the cease-and-desist letter. In a Facebook post Sunday, a phone conversation with the companys unnamed lawyer was recounted, detailing the two restaurants different approaches to crab fries. The post said, Patent and Trademark protection is there so others dont infringe on your idea AND threaten your economic livelihood based on that registered idea, I guess were threatening their livelihood. We will continue to run our popular Cr-bfr--s, but henceforth, our special will read, Jumbo Lump Fries. We have Ceased and Desisted and concurrently have entered The Twilight Zone. A representative of Bettys, which opened in spring 2023, did not return a message for comment. Trademark issues seem to find the Jersey Shore. Last year, Gregorys Restaurant in Somers Point relinquished its long-held trademark for the term Taco Tuesday after Taco Bell dragged it through potentially costly litigation. Among the Black-owned businesses around 52nd and Chestnut Streets in West Philadelphia, some shop owners have been importing Middle Eastern perfume oils since the early 2000s, helping to build a bridge between Black and brown communities. In a city like Philadelphia, where the Black community plays a key role in shaping culture, even the perfume scene can be influenced by Black culture. Several Philly-based Black content creators on TikTok and Instagram have popularized these Middle Eastern-imported fragrance oils, which were once associated with low-income, working-class immigrants and Black Muslims. Advertisement Known as #PerfumeTok, Middle Eastern perfume oils are growing increasingly popular on social media platforms as affordable alternatives to high-end designer perfumes, with prices ranging from $5 to $60. Philadelphias Al-Bustan News Service documented in a recent story how the phenomenon is playing out locally. West Oak Lane resident Brittni Smith (@astoldbybrittni) has built an audience of more than 116,000 combined followers on TikTok and Instagram, where she creates and reviews perfume and hair-related content while also working in the childcare industry. My mom only had about two to three perfumes, and I just knew that when I smelled that fragrance on her, I knew she was going out for the night, Smith said. I believe it was like a Vera Wang fragrance. Later on in life, when I was 17, she bought [me] that fragrance for my birthday. In many Arab cultures, fragrance is a powerful symbol of self-care and cleanliness. So its no wonder that many of these popular fragrances are imported from the Middle East. The most patience in all of Philadelphia Although Smith is not Muslim, her Muslim friends introduced her to some of the oil shops in West Philly, where she first searched for Lattafa Yara, a popular Arabic amber- and vanilla-based perfume that had gone viral on TikTok. Last February, one of her perfume review videos got over 54,000 likes when she showcased a fragrance from Al-Amanah, an Islamic shop at 46 S. 52nd St. He always has everything you see on TikTok; any oil in there he can make into a perfume, Smith says in her video. Girl, the Baccarat smells just like the Baccarat, and so does the YSL Libre, she said, referring to the affordable replica oils that smell nearly identical to their high-end counterparts. Over the last few months, Smith has developed a relationship with Al-Amanah owner Mohammad Khan, whom she affectionately calls Mr. Mohammad. What really drew me in was the smile that the owner had on his face, Smith said. He has the most patience in all of Philadelphia, like he is so patient with his community in general. He sees hundreds, maybe thousands of people, and he will open every single bottle that you like. Khan, a Bangladeshi immigrant, has owned and operated Al-Amanah since 2012, serving the city with Dubai-imported fragrance oils and ouds as well as other Islamic goods like abayas, hijabs, thawbs, and prayer mats and beads. While some customers have known about Al-Amanah for years, others are just learning through TikTok. Thank your local oilman Akilah Jones, a New York-based model, has purchased oils from her local oilman in Brooklyn. Ive seen so many of these [Middle Eastern] oils go viral on TikTok, Jones said. I had been purchasing them in Brooklyn, but I saw a TikTok that showed a much wider selection at one of the stores in Philly. I decided to check one out when I was visiting a friend. Those who have taken SEPTA might be familiar with an oilman or at least their marketing tactics. Often a Muslim man dressed in a thawb, an oilman can be found hustling fragrant oils, attars, and ouds from his pockets, catching the attention of subway commuters with a swipe of an Yves Saint Laurent replica rollerball. But the evolution of the oilman can also be seen in the Islamic stores of West Philly, where South Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants sell perfume oils as a halal, alcohol-free alternative to Western, alcohol-based perfumes. Smith isnt the only Philly-based creator who has made a name for herself reviewing perfumes, with many others visiting and reviewing the oil shops by the 52nd Street SEPTA station. Tajmah Hankerson (@astoldbyyytaj) of North Philadelphia is a hospital secretary by day and a lifestyle content creator by night. She has over 64,000 TikTok followers, and her perfume reviews have gotten more than 1.6 million likes. Growing up in a predominantly Muslim and West African community, Hankerson said she is no stranger to the now-viral Islamic perfume shops. She advises that people interested in buying Middle Eastern perfumes go to the oilman first instead of Amazon. These are my neighborhood shops, Hankerson said. Im familiar with oils. In the Black community, we have an oilman who carries those little roll-on oils. Thats my culture; its what Im used to. Ive been frequenting these Black and brown businesses for black soap and shea butter things that are regular to me. Its not something thats trendy, but then all it takes is for it to become a trend. Just one day you walk into a shop for your regular shopping and see stuff trending online, like the Arab fragrances. But, as the popularity of Middle Eastern perfume oils continues to rise, driven by both local influencers and social media trends, its clear that the tradition of the oilman is not only enduring but evolving with perfume lovers from all over the country wanting to find their favorite scents. Now theres a virtual communal understanding, like, Oh, there are oilmen or oud shops, or brown businesses I can support, Hankerson said. [People are thinking,] I have to locate the brown community in my Western town, or I can approach a brown person and inquire about oud to see what they know. Maybe they can point me to hidden shops, creating a pipeline of knowledge and community. Maria Carmen Diaz (right) dance as Rosie Florencia (left) settles in the bed of a pick-up truck in the decorated car parade in Philadelphia, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. The event celebrates the 214th anniversary of Mexican independence. Read more Green, white, red, and the traditional eagle on a cactus took over Philadelphias Washington Avenue on wheels Sunday for the 214th anniversary of Mexican independence. To the sound of Lola Beltrans Cucurrucucu Paloma, people from all over the tristate area arrived early Sunday at the corner of 10th and Washington Avenue for a community-organized car parade. Advertisement This parade is an act of appreciation and commemoration, but it is also a symbol of unity, said organizer Reyna Casarez. In 2022, a group of community members gathered to make this car parade come to life. Since then, they have rallied forces every year to express their creativity and celebrate their home countrys independence from Spain. Trucks decorated with Mexican flags, papel picado (decorative perforated paper), toy skeletons, and even Lele the doll lined up, ready for a ride across Broad Street. Participants yelled Viva Mexico to the reciprocating sound of supporting car honks. The Mexican community is one of the main groups behind the growth of the Latino community in Philadelphia. Greg Fiocca, nephew of former labor leader John Dougherty, waits outside the federal courthouse in Reading in April 2024 as a jury deliberates his fate on felony extortion charges. Read more READING The nephew of former labor leader John Dougherty pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge Monday, cementing a deal to resolve a case that had threatened to send both him and his uncle to prison for extortion. Greg Fiocca, 32, of Philadelphia, acknowledged in court that hed violently confronted one of his bosses during an August 2020 pay dispute at the then-under-construction Live! Casino and Hotel in South Philadelphia and insisted on being paid wages he was not owed. Advertisement His guilty plea to one federal count of unlawfully demanding money from a union employer punishable by up to a year behind bars comes five months after a jury was unable to reach a verdict during a trial in which both he and his uncle faced felony charges over the incident. After that mistrial, government lawyers dropped their case against Dougherty the former head of the states most powerful labor union against whom theyd previously won convictions in separate bribery and embezzlement trials. Hes scheduled to begin serving a six-year sentence on those charges next week and filed formal notice Monday of his intent to appeal. READ MORE: John Dougherty is headed to prison. But what happens next? But before Mondays deal to secure Fioccas guilty plea, prosecutors had signaled they were prepared to take Doughertys nephew to trial again. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Philadelphia declined to comment Monday on the reasons behind their change in posture. The charge to which Fiocca pleaded guilty cuts the maximum prison time he was facing by decades. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl could also opt to spare Fiocca any incarceration at all and punish him with probation at a sentencing hearing on Jan. 7. Fiocca, for his part, said little during Mondays proceedings, mostly offering curt answers as the judge peppered him with questions to make sure he understood the ramifications of his plea. It was a difficult decision, Fioccas lawyer, Rocco Cipparone Jr., said after the proceedings of his clients decision not to take his chances at another trial. But at the end of the day, we were able to reduce this down from 19 felony counts to one misdemeanor, which is much more closely reflective of what this case is about and allows him to move forward with his life. Unlike the 2021 and 2023 trials that ended in Doughertys conviction both featuring dozens of witnesses and weeks of testimony about yearslong criminal schemes the extortion trial in April was a more contained affair. READ MORE: John Dougherty, Greg Fiocca extortion case: Day-by-day updates It centered on the events of a single day Aug. 19, 2020 and a conflict between Fiocca and a contractor whod hired him along with roughly six dozen other members of his and Doughertys union, Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, at the casino site. Fioccas bosses testified that he often failed to complete assigned tasks and frequently disappeared during working hours. But Doughertys nephew maintained that, as Local 98s appointed steward on site, he was busy attending to the needs of his unions members. That role, Fioccas lawyer said, became all the more demanding because the construction project was playing out during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. So, when project manager Rich Gibson docked Fioccas pay under the belief he wasnt working, the decision sent Fiocca into a rage. Prosecutors played secretly recorded audio of an explosive confrontation, in which Fiocca slapped Gibson, choked him, threw him onto a table, and spit on him twice after learning his pay had been cut. Next time this happens again, its not going to be no little f push, he shouted at his supervisor in the tirade caught on tape. Theres no cameras in here. Its your word against mine. When Dougherty found out about the job site skirmish, he took his nephews side. Gibson and others demanded Fioccas removal from the project. Dougherty hinted he might pull all Local 98 electricians from the construction and said he wouldnt support efforts by the contractor to land future work in the city unless his nephew remained on the job. Though Dougherty never followed through on those threats, prosecutors maintained they were enough to convince Gibson and his company to keep Fiocca on its payroll. Throughout the trial, defense lawyers insisted Dougherty never intended to threaten anyone and that, in fighting to protect his nephews job, he was doing what he would have done for any other member of his union involved in a pay dispute. And the jury after 11 hours of deliberations announced they couldnt agree on who to believe, a decision that prompted Schmehl to declare a mistrial after a single day of deliberations. The panel offered no explanation in court for their inability to reach a verdict. But one of the jurors speaking on the condition of anonymity to provide details on the closed-door deliberations later told The Inquirer that 11 of the 12 members of the jury had been ready to acquit both Dougherty and Fiocca. He cited, among other reasons, a legal defense, recognized by a 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, that grants union officials some leeway to deploy threats of economic harm or force as a negotiating tool to achieve legitimate union objectives. READ MORE: Inside the Johnny Doc jury room: All but one juror voted to acquit the labor leader in extortion case, panel member says The juror said that some on the panel believed that Dougherty and Fioccas efforts to secure Fioccas wages fell within those bounds. The juror chose to share that knowledge publicly, he said, in hopes it could influence prosecutors thinking about whether to retry the case and save some people some time. Staff writer Oona Goodin-Smith contributed to this article. A rare printed and signed copy of the U.S. Constitution was discovered at a North Carolina farm. Read more A rare, printed copy of the U.S. Constitution discovered in a North Carolina family filing cabinet is expected to fetch millions at auction. Signed by Charles Thomson, a Philadelphian who served as Secretary of the Congress of the Confederation, the document is one of only eight known surviving signed copies of the Constitution sent to the 13 original states for ratification. It is the only one that remains in private hands. The last recorded sale of a similar document occurred over 130 years ago. I dont want to say holy grail, but its such an extraordinary rarity, said Andrew Brunk, president of Brunk Auctions in North Carolina, which is auctioning the historic jewel later this month. You can go through a whole lifetime in the business and not have a moment like this. The broadsheet includes a copy of George Washingtons 1787 letter asking the leaders of the newly formed states to put their individual interests aside for the greater good of all. Bidding has already started at $1 million, and is expected to stretch into the tens of millions, Brunk said. Advertisement With such a meaningful find, its about more than just money, he said. This has monetary value, of course, Brunk said. But its also such an incredibly rich historic document the understanding of what this really represents. This is the tangible moment where We the people becomes a reality. The Sept. 28 auction will take place 237 years after the Congress of the Confederation, meeting in New York as the new countrys governing body, resolved to send the Constitution to the states for debate. As secretary, Thomson, an Irish-born patriot leader who also taught Latin at the Philadelphia Academy, an ancestor school of the University of Pennsylvania, ordered 100 copies of the printed archetype of the Constitution. He signed only a fraction of them to be sent to states. They are basically asking the people to say, yes, we want a central government, Brunk said. But as James Madison, one of the people that drafted the Constitution, said, This is nothing but a dead letter until the will of the people is imposed on it. The rare document was found while cleaning out historic Hayes Farm in North Carolina. The 184-acre plantation was the former home of Samuel Johnston, who served as governor of North Carolina from 1787 to 1789 and presided over the states two ratification conventions. In 2022, a family that had lived in the home for seven generations was preparing the estate to be used as a public historic site, when they discovered the copy of the Constitution in a yellow file folder in a storage room. The find was especially surprising since many of Johnstons historic documents had been given to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill four decades earlier, Brunk said. Somehow this group of documents got missed, Brunk said. It is unknown exactly how the copy wound up in the discarded drawer, Brunk said. But after nearly 240 years, the four-page folio is in fragile, but beautiful shape, he said. Handwritten checkmarks, written long ago, dot each section of the Constitution, he said. It really puts you in the moment, Brunk said. The original, handwritten copy of the Constitution of the United States remains on display at the National Archives in Washington. The National Constitution Center here in Philadelphia houses a rare first public printing of the Constitution, as well as early drafts. In 2021, Sothebys sold a rare first-edition copy of the Constitution for $43.2 million to billionaire investor Kenneth Griffin. The ratification copy, representing the Founding Fathers calls for unity and compromise, and containing Washingtons written hopes that the Constitution would come to promote the lasting welfare of that country so dear to us all, is arguably more significant, Brunk said. Especially now, with a divided country in the grip of a heated election. There are only maybe a small handful of American documents that are of this importance, he said. An illustration of Jeff Yass alongside graphics of some of his investments. Read more Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter Hi, Philly. This week will be a bit cooler than last, with high temps expected to stay in the 70s. With the help of Pennsylvanias richest man, the state attorney general race is going to be an expensive one. We explain the stakes as Jeff Yass spends millions to get the Republican candidate elected in November. Advertisement And the Center City office market saw a surge of activity this summer after years of stagnation. But buildings are being sold for far less than they were once valued. Heres what you need to know today. Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com) If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here. Both Democrats and Republicans in Pennsylvania have targeted the open seat for the powerful attorney general position as a must-win race. But voters may be seeing more of one of the top candidates in the run-up to November, thanks to the spending of the states richest man. The race to decide Pennsylvanias next top prosecutor pits Republican nominee Dave Sunday, the York County district attorney, against Democrat Eugene DePasquale, a former state auditor general. Republicans are set to more than double Democrats spending on TV and streaming advertisements. Almost half of Republicans expected ad buys are from a PAC primarily funded by Jeff Yass, the billionaire cofounder of Susquehanna International Group. The funding comes as state AGs have played an increasingly important role in national politics in recent years. Politics reporter Gillian McGoldrick explains why Yass contributions are so significant, and how DePasquales campaign is responding. Some of the citys biggest commercial properties including the stately Bourse and Wanamaker buildings changed hands this summer, selling for far less than their last sale prices. The deals follow a weird few years for the Philadelphia office real estate market amid the pandemic and rise in remote work. They could prompt a shift in whos spending their time downtown, as some are destined to become hotels, apartments, or (cheaper) office spaces. In the case of the offices, reduced rents could bring in start-ups, nonprofits, and small businesses that couldnt previously afford to be in Center City. Commercial real estate reporter Jake Blumgart has the story. What you should know today Trivia time After an emergency call mix-up, police dispatchers in which local municipality with a British namesake are being lauded for helping direct rescuers to a boat foundering in the English Channel? A) Southampton, Pennsylvania B) Bristol, Pennsylvania C) York, Pennsylvania D) Dover, Delaware Think you know? Check your answer. What were... Applauding: The Philly-native WNBA stars using their shoes to share powerful messages. Wishing: Nick Foles some quality family time after he retires as an Eagle tonight. Hiking: These five trails and wooded areas in New Jersey. Unscramble the anagram The Jersey Shore town known for its boardwalk and doughnuts ICY OCTANE Email us if you know the answer. Well select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Samuel Master, who solved Sundays anagram: Angel Anderson. The legendary South Philly airbrush artist was celebrated for the iconic King of Jeans sign and for her work with the face of God. Photo of the day Your only in Philly story Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if youre not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter. This only in Philly story comes from reader Doris Garcia Free, who describes an iconic convergence of fandoms: On October 26, 2008, my husband, my brother-in-law, and I were on our way to the Wachovia Center to see The Who in concert. As we were riding an almost-empty train, there were a few people here and there dressed in Phillies red, but we were so excited about the concert that it was all background to us. However, the closer we got to Philly and then Citizens Bank Park, the subway car was getting more and more crowded with fans, and the red was everywhere. By the time we got to the end of the line, the car was jammed with Phillies fans ready for a good World Series time. When we got to the Citizens Bank Park stop, we were all standing, ready to get off the train then the doors opened and an enormous sea of Eagles fans green was in front of us. Their game had just ended, and having beaten the Atlanta Falcons 27-14, they were ready to party. We stared at them, they stared back at us, and nobody moved. Then, someone in the subway car started to clap and the green sea parted for the red. The station erupted with hoots, hollers, and the greatest communal feeling that we were all together in a city that we loved. The convergence of these three events will live in my best-ever memories bank! Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. See you back here tomorrow. By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirers Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10. Photos from decorated car parade on Mexico's Independence Day Share Icon Link copied to clipboard Philly's Mexican community celebrates their independence as they decorate their cars and trucks with flags for a parade around Center City. It's Mexico's 214th anniversary of their independence from Spain. A political action committee primarily funded by Pennsylvanias richest man has put its thumb on the scale of the race for the states next attorney general, in hopes of electing the Republican candidate. Almost half of Republicans expected ad buys totaling approximately $6 million in the state are from the Commonwealth Leaders Fund, a PAC primarily funded by Jeff Yass, to support Republican nominee Dave Sunday, the York County district attorney, against Democrat Eugene DePasquale, a former state auditor general. Advertisement As of last week, Republicans were set to more than double Democrats spending on TV and streaming advertisements, with GOP political action committees reserving more than $13 million through November to Democrats $5 million in reservations. Yass, of Lower Merion Township, is a billionaire school choice advocate who often gives to Republican candidates. The cofounder of Susquehanna International Group, one of Wall Streets biggest trading firms, Yass has an estimated net worth of $49.6 billion, according to Forbes. The Commonwealth Leaders Fund largely sat out the 2020 attorney general race, when then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro was running for reelection. Shapiro, a Democrat, was elected governor in 2022 and appointed Republican Michelle Henry to fulfill the remainder of his term. After switching parties, Henry chose not to run for a full term. Both Democrats and Republicans in Pennsylvania have targeted the open seat for the powerful attorney general position as a must-win race. The early ad buys by the PAC supporting Sunday gave DePasquales campaign fodder to claim Yass was trying to buy the Office of the Attorney General for Dave Sunday, DePasquales campaign manager, Carver Murphy, said in a statement. We have deep concerns about a campaign solely funded by one person: what are the expectations of that candidate if theyre elected, when does the debt come due, why does an allegedly education focused advocacy group plan to invest millions into the Attorney Generals office, for starters, Murphy added. Yass is not the sole funder of Sundays campaign. He had not given directly to Sunday as of May, but the Commonwealth Leaders Fund is spending significant money on his behalf. Campaign finance reports covering direct contributions to candidates since May will not be published until Sept. 24. Ben Wren, a spokesperson for Sundays campaign, said in a statement that Sunday has not met Yass but appreciates the support from the Commonwealth Leaders Fund, as well as others who are supporting his campaign. Dave Sunday welcomes support from any individual and group that is willing to fight for accountability and redemption in the criminal justice system, Wren said. The attorney general is the states top prosecutor, with wide-ranging powers to represent the states interests nationally in civil court in lawsuits against both the federal government and major corporations. Plus, the winner will be a top contender for governor in future years, as two of the last three governors previously served as attorney general. State attorneys general have played an increasingly important role in national politics in recent years. GOP attorneys general have thwarted President Joe Bidens student debt relief plan and other policies, while Democratic attorney generals, including Shapiro, led the legal fight against former President Donald Trump during his presidency. Both Sunday and DePasquale have the backing of their parties national association of attorneys general, which has deep pockets and a geographic reach that can make or break an election. The Republican Attorneys General Association has already set aside approximately $6 million to support Sunday. READ MORE: Who is Jeff Yass, Pennsylvanias Republican megadonor and TikTok investor? The Commonwealth Leaders Funds leader and conservative waymaker, Matt Brouillette, told Philadelphia Magazine in mid-June that he and Yass would talk soon to decide whom theyd want to elect in November. The ad reservations show they have decided to back Sunday as one of their top races in November. Representatives for Yass did not return requests for comment. Brouillette did not directly answer a question from The Inquirer about the PACs support for Sunday, but instead in a statement attacked campaign donations to the Left from unions for government employees, which he claimed go completely un-investigated. DePasquale has been endorsed by more than a dozen labor unions, including those that represent government employees, such as AFSCME District Council 13 and the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Sundays campaign has already been on TV for several weeks, trying to bolster his name recognition in the state and set himself apart as having a tough-on-crime policy position. Wren said it was a no brainer to get on TV early to tell voters about his record as district attorney lowering crime and communities as soon as possible. DePasquale, the Democratic nominee, launched his first TV ad last week, in which a handful of law enforcement officers talk about his accomplishments as the state auditor general. The Democratic Attorneys General Association made an initial contribution of $1.5 million directly to DePasquales campaign, and its executive director, Sean Rankin, said in a statement that Pennsylvanians across the state will hear Eugenes message and choose him this November. Now that the list of candidates is set, Pennsylvania ballots can be printed and mailed out. Read more Pennsylvania counties can begin printing and distributing mail ballots after the Pennsylvania Department of State finalized the list of candidates who will appear on the ballot Monday. Under state law, Monday was the first day counties could send ballots to voters but that work couldnt start Monday morning as Cornel Wests attempt to be included on the ballot was still pending before the state Supreme Court. What was holding up ballots? Monday afternoon the state Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision that West, who had sought to run for president as a member of the Justice for All party, could not be included on Novembers ballot. Advertisement The Pennsylvania Department of State rejected his candidacy because of missing paperwork, a decision the court affirmed. West, an academic and left-wing activist, has been trying to gain ballot access in all 50 states as an independent or third party candidate. Matt Haverstick, an attorney who has often worked with Pennsylvania Republicans, is represented West in his attempt to stay on the ballot. The Green Partys Jill Stein and the Libertarian Partys Chase Oliver will be the only third party candidates to appear on the ballot. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed his name from the ballot after suspending his campaign. When will ballots go out? Even though Wests candidacy is resolved ballots may not immediately be mailed across the state. Election offices will need to finalize and print ballots before they are able to distribute them, a process that may not happen at the same pace in every county. Voters should contact their local election office for updates on their ballot. During Pennsylvanias April primary, challenges to candidates ballot access resulted in a slow printing process in Montgomery County that left some voters receiving their ballots just days before the primary. Montgomery County officials have said theyve since revamped processes to prevent a similar delay for the general election. How do you vote by mail? Voters can apply for a mail ballot online or in person at their local election office. Some counties allow voters to request a mail ballot, receive it, and cast their vote all on the same day at local election offices. For voters who choose to mail their ballot back rather than hand delivering it to a drop box or election office, election officials across the country have warned that persistent issues at the U.S. Postal Service could cause some ballots to be delayed. Voters must apply for mail ballots by 5 p.m. on Oct. 29 and their ballot must be returned to their election office by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5, Election Day. All of our students, including regular visitors from our Preschool and Early Learning Centre, absolutely love and adore the opportunities for challenge, socialisation, and joy brought about by having a wonderful playground in our school community, Hall said, adding that the funding played a critical role in making the project a reality. For example, IAGs operation in New Zealand employs more than four thousand people and more than 60% of those employees are women. In like roles, IAG NZs figures show comparable pay. This compares well to the Ministry for Womens official figures. Those figures show that the gender pay gap in Aotearoa New Zealand, across the economy and including full-time and part-time jobs, is currently 8.6%. The firm also highlighted that around 140 million accounts have been breached in Australia since 2004, placing it among the top 15 countries globally for data breaches. Australia was also identified as one of the leading sources of phishing attacks, according to Zscalers 2024 Phishing Report. He said that this support could help customers avoid unnecessary trips to doctors or emergency departments, particularly in areas where healthcare is less accessible. Regional and rural customers, in particular, may benefit from having access to nurses and mental health professionals at all hours. Townsend, who has stepped in as interim CEO, has over 34 years of industry experience. He joined Allianzs board of management in 2021 after serving as CEO International at AIG, where he managed the general insurance business outside the US, and as CEO of MetLife Asia. Townsend will continue in this interim role until Lillelund officially takes over. The North Dakota National Guard officially has a new leader. Brig. Gen. Mitchell Johnson took over as commander of the state Guard on Sunday during a ceremony in the Raymond J. Bohn Armory in Bismarck presided over by Gov. Doug Burgum. Johnson takes over for retiring Maj. Gen. Alan Dohrmann, who had served in the position for more than eight years. Dohrmann in April announced his intent to retire at the end of September. He was honored at a retirement ceremony following the change-of-command ceremony Sunday. Burgum in June named Johnson as Dohrmann's successor. Johnson led the Fargo-based 119th Wing of the state's Air National Guard from March 2021 to this past January, overseeing about 1,200 personnel. He previously served as vice commander of the wing for more than two years, and has served in a variety of other command and flying roles in North Dakota, Florida, Oklahoma and Arkansas since 1998. He's an alumnus of Michigan Tech University and University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, and has graduated from Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, and the Air War College. Johnson has also logged more than 5,000 flight hours, including more than 1,000 in combat, and has served overseas in six deployments. Under Johnsons leadership, the 119th Wing was presented with the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies' General Atomics Remotely Piloted Aircraft Trophy for 2021, according to U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who attended Sunday's ceremony. The 119th Wing was recognized by the U.S. Air Force as outstanding unit of the year in 2022. As adjutant general Johnson also will serve as director of the state Department of Emergency Services. "As we move forward, we face a turbulent and unpredictable world," he said, noting threats ranging from China to terrorists to cyberattacks, and adding that "There will be new unprecedented challenges that we face, and whether they're at home or around the world, we will face them as a team." Dohrmann was first appointed by then-Gov. Jack Dalrymple to lead the Guard in December 2015, then reappointed by Burgum in 2018. He helped lead the state's response to protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016 and 2017, and supported the state's Department of Health and Human Services and local public health agencies amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "It has been the honor of my lifetime to be part of Team North Dakota, part of Team DES and part of Team North Dakota National Guard," he said. The state Guard has about 4,200 service members and facilities in 13 communities around the state. In his new role, Ellis will lead a team of specialists focused on delivering tailored risk solutions to clients across the real estate and hospitality sectors in the US and Canada. Based in New York, he will report to Darren Cromwell, managing director and industry practices leader for Marsh & Mercer in the two countries. Excess mortality measures deaths above the expected level in a population, where the baseline is typically stable due to relatively constant long-term causes of death. Significant fluctuations in excess mortality are often linked to major events such as epidemics or medical breakthroughs, but these are usually short-term deviations from the baseline. The timing of this collaboration also comes as Allstate faces a significant shift in its home insurance business in California. In November, Allstate will raise home insurance premiums in the state by an average of 34.1%, marking the most substantial rate increase by a major insurer in California over the past three years. I never hear the opposite of these statements, when the market cycle is a little bit softer, that they say: give the reinsurers a little more, they deserve it, because they dont make enough money. This is very asymmetric, this is noise, this is nonsense, Wenning said. This post is part of a series sponsored by Old Republic Surety. If youre confused about the letter designations that stand for thousands and millions, youre not alone. And its not your fault. In fact, its one of our most frequently asked questions. Heres why youre confused and what to do about it. Where Does the mm Abbreviation Come From? Western civilization has had two powerful influences the traditions of the Greeks and the Romans, and there is often conflict. The Greeks would refer to the god of the sea as Poseidon, whereas the Romans would call him Neptune. For the Romans, the god of wine would be Bacchus, and for the Greeks, it would be Dionysus. These differences carry themselves into many parts of our culture, including financial analysis. As a young banker in the mid-80s, I learned what had been taught for many decades before, that we abbreviate thousands in our analysis with the letter M. If we wanted to denote millions, we would show that as MM. For this, we should credit the Romans. M is the Roman numeral for thousand and MM is meant to convey one thousand-thousand or million. To take it further; one billion would be shown as $1MMM or one-thousand million. However, truth be known, if there were an ancient Roman here and we asked him to interpret our use of Roman numerals, we would find that technically MM means two thousand and MMM means three thousand, so there are flaws in this tradition. This reminds me of the old joke about an ancient Roman that goes into a bar, holds up two fingers in a peace sign to the bartender, and says, Five beers, please. K Is Meant To Stand For Thousand Isnt It? Wait a minute, you say. I know I have seen jobs posted that pay $50K, and K is meant to stand in for a thousand. And you would be correct, thanks to the Greeks. K comes from the Greek word kilo which means a thousand. The Greeks would likewise show million as M, short for Mega. So if we stay consistent with the Greek abbreviations, then billion would be shown as a letter G (Giga). Think of your computer expressing bytes of memory as kilobyte, megabyte, or gigabyte. However, when it comes to billion, we dont really see G or MMM as the abbreviation for billion. We are more likely to see a headline that reads the government spent $60B on a new project. They are using B for billion. What can I say? B for billion isnt Greek or Roman; it is just the first letter of the word billion. So much for consistency. I saw a headline recently in The Daily Journal of Commerce that read the new downtown post office was to be built for $89M. In the world of accounting and financial analysis, that reads $89 thousand dollars, but we know from context that the headline writer meant $89 million dollars. We sometimes have to code-switch and use context to determine what the author is telling us. I referenced the 2021 Associated Press Stylebook used by the majority of journalists to see if the guide would weigh in on how to abbreviate thousand or million. When writing, the guide advises, to use figures only for anything less than a million, but spell out million, billion, and trillion for numbers of 1 million or greater, such as 2.4 billion. Furthermore, the Associated Press recommends abbreviating millions as M and billions as B in headlines. Agents will also commonly see us communicate M as thousands when we quote surety bond rates or agent commissions. For example, the standard Class B rate starts at $25/M for the first $100M; then $15/M for the next $400M; then $10/M for the next $2MM. Those rates are expressed per thousand and the MM denotes millions. Likewise, we may quote you a single and aggregate contractor line of authority. That line may be expressed, for instance, as $5MM single and $15MM aggregate. If you are an agent or a contractor, you may have seen an email from your surety underwriter that says something like, The customer should increase their bank line to $1MM. You now know that years of tradition have trained us to show one million dollars this way. While the fields of accounting, banking, and finance have adopted the Roman tradition, other fields such as computer programming and the high-tech industry have adopted Greek-influenced abbreviations. As we mix our traditions, it sometimes becomes difficult to know what someone intends to convey expressing thousands or millions in an abbreviation. It is an imperfect world. Still Have Questions? Were Here To Help? At Old Republic Surety we seek to deliver transparency and clarity in our communications. If you see an abbreviation that is confusing or unclear, please reach out to your local underwriter or branch for clarification, even if you are just asking for a friend. If you would like to learn more about Old Republic Surety and some of our services like Commercial Surety Bonds, and Contract Bonds, or just want more information, dont hesitate to contact us today. This blog was originally published on the Old Republic Surety website. It is reproduced here with permission. Hes been called a do-gooder, a troublemaker and a whistleblower. And he may be the best friend the Florida property insurance industry has. A mechanical engineer based in Edgewater, George Miles has filed formal complaints with the Florida Board of Professional Engineers against no fewer than 12 other engineers, alleging that all of them have committed fraud by making false assertions for plaintiffs in insurance claims litigation. The assertions include a questioned wind-acceleration theory; claims that widespread rust on a metal roof happened overnight during a storm; that heavy tile and concrete roofs were damaged by relatively minor winds; multiple examples of wear and tear that the plaintiffs witnesses said came from storms; inspection reports made without on-site inspections; and even what Miles said was tomato paste smeared on a ceiling in an attempt to show staining from a roof leak. For me, its about stopping the fraud and deceit, said Miles, age 51, who has testified for or drafted inspection reports for insurance defense attorneys as well as for plaintiffs lawyers. Its about morals and ethics in engineering. Miles said that in recent years, he has investigated 25 to 30 insurance claims per month. And, he argues, 95% of them were fraudulent. Weve heard so much about whats causing the insurance crisis in Florida, said Miles, who has seen the premiums on his own stately home more than double in recent years. But its not the hurricanes. Its not the wind. Its the fraud. Ive seen it over and over again. Insurance companies have long complained about a flood of unnecessary litigation and suspected fraud in claims. They have blamed unscrupulous roof contractors, a few public adjusters and even some homeowners for exaggerating or falsifying damage. But few carriers, if any, have taken the step of seeking disciplinary action against plaintiffs expert witnesses. So far, the Florida Board of Professional Engineers has investigated Miles complaints but has declined to discipline any engineers, although it sent a letter of guidance to one of the accused. Miles, head of Alligator Consulting Engineers since 2018, recently filed two new complaints. The board is expected to release its findings on those cases sometime in September. Perhaps the highest-profile complaint was made against Grant Renne, an engineer in Port Orange and one of the most prolific expert witnesses in Florida in recent years. Renne, in business for 34 years, said he has worked in more than 8,000 property insurance disputes in his career, mostly for plaintiffs. In some 2,000 civil trials, Renne said, his testimony has been disallowed only a handful of times. One of Rennes frequent and most contentious assertions in claims disputes is that storm winds can speed up as much as 2.5 times as they move over the roof of a structure, causing more damage than would be expected from weather-service-recorded wind speeds in the area. Rennes reports have given credence to many claims of wind damage that Miles and insurance lawyers say are the result of nothing more than age and wear and tear. Its completely wrong, Miles said. Theres no proof that his view is correct. Rennes hypothesis, known as the longer-path or wind up-speed theory, employs an interpretation of the famous Bernoullis Principle, which was first posited in the 1700s. The principle has been cited to explain how airplane wings create lift, but it continues to be the subject of some debate. When asked about his theory, Renne told Insurance Journal that it is supported by a number of academic studies, including one by University of Florida engineering Professor Forrest Masters. Renne, known for his combative nature and pithy remarks in lawsuit depositions, also cautioned about trying to understand the science of it all. These are pretty complicated things for insurance people, Renne said in a recent telephone interview. Other engineers have said the evidence is not so complicated but has been misused by Renne. One of the studies Renne leans on, in fact, was recently used in a motion to disqualify him from testifying as an expert witness. The papers I co-authored with Dr. Masters, and Mr. Renne refers to in his testimony, have no reasonable bearing on whether a storm has caused damage to a roof, engineering Professor Kurtis Gurley wrote in an affidavit in an Orange County claims lawsuit in July. Yes, the wind can speed up in a storm as it climbs over the roof of a structure, but only under certain circumstances, Gurley noted. Mr. Rennes method does not appear to consider the direction of the peak wind speed relative to the building, the professor wrote. Miles argued that data show that the wind is amplified only in small areas near the hips and ridges of roofs not across an entire structure as he believes Renne has asserted. Miles maintains that if Rennes idea held water, wind speeds over roofs would be off the charts, and no strutures could be built to withstand the force. Miles gave this example: If the southern tip of Florida is in a wind-velocity building zone that can expect hurricane winds of 140 mph, Rennes theory would mean that roofs in the area would actually experience winds as high as 300 mph in a storm. Thats an EF-6 tornado, Miles said. Nothing can stand up to that. In another claims lawsuit, Citizens Property Insurance Corp. took issue with Rennes theory. In a 2023 motion to strike Renne as an expert in a Miami-Dade dispute, Citizens lawyers argued that Renne had cited a NASA document about Bernoullis Principle but had conveniently left out a key caveat. As the Court will note, Mr. Renne removed the part of the chart that says, Incorrect Theory #1,' reads the motion by attorney Bradley Trushin. Not only did Mr. Renne apply airplane science to a property, but he actually applied incorrect airplane science to a property. For his part, the 61-year-old Renne, of YAS Consultants, a consulting engineering firm, contends that his critics have it all wrong. Miles, in particular, is not qualified to know of which he speaks. He has a mechanical engineering degree, not civil engineering, Renne told Insurance Journal. Structural engineering, perhaps most relevant to roof and other structure damage claims, is a subcategory of civil engineering. Rennes curriculum vita shows Renne holds a civil engineering degree from Auburn University. Miles acknowledged his M.E. degree from San Francisco State University and the fact that he also has worked as a wastewater engineer. But he argues that he has done extensive research, testing, as well as scouring of academic and engineering studies on the effects of wind and water on structures. And Miles is not the only engineer that has questioned Rennes wind-speed assertions. In one recent claim lawsuit in Martin County, Florida, filed against Tower Hill Prime Insurance, a Texas-based engineer reviewed a transcript of Rennes deposition in the case. It was a lot of nonsense, to put it in a nice way, said Kifle Gulilat, a licensed structural and forensic engineer. Topics Florida I confess that for a guy who has made his living largely on commissions for decades, I dont like the concept. Its not that I dont like getting paid I do but I find the commission system in our business has a number of flaws. It could be improved to the benefit of agents, carriers and consumers. Insurance companies build their business models around a contracted distribution system. The contractual system allows insurers to estimate the costs of distributing their product as they plan and forecast results. Fixing those costs as a percent of sales, which is what commission does for them, is a simple and predictable means to do just that. But this business model is problematic not just for the agent receiving the commissions, but for the companies paying them and the consumers buying the products and services. Breaking Down a Broken System The commission system fails to reflect the cost of doing business. Agencies have both fixed and variable expenses. Accounts on the low end of the price spectrum may not cover costs on traditional commission structures. Often, I find carrier representatives in my office are looking for us to sell accounts that are marginally profitable or even loss producers. Occasionally, a carrier will offer incentive compensation to move these products, but those incentives are usually offered in a vacuum. The carrier does not take into account the financial picture of the agency. In a true market economy, the agent could solve this problem by simply charging the client more money. Unfortunately, we dont have a true market economy certainly not in the insurance distribution system and charging fees while collecting a commission is generally not legal. Another option for the agency would be to refuse commissions from the carrier and accept only fees paid by the carrier. While this approach does work for some larger organizations that focus on more complicated and highly priced accounts, it is an impractical solution for the vast majority of agencies who focus on personal insurance and small business. We should view this as a system of distribution pricing, rather than distribution compensation. We need to change the mindset of how an agent should think not only about their carrier relationships, but their value proposition in the marketplace with respect to insurance consumers. The lack of flexibility in terms of distribution pricing leaves compensation for agents largely fixed and anti-competitive. This concept is similar to problems reported in real estate sales. Fixed insurance company commissions to the agent are potentially as detrimental to the consumer as real estate commissions. The commission system is anti-competitive and anti-consumer. Perhaps my biggest problem with insurance company commissions is that they prevent the agent from truly competing on a value proposition for their services. While carriers offer essentially a commodity product, agents do not. Of course, I recognize carriers differ when it comes to claims service, loss control or other value-added services, but most policies are basically identical for a given class of risk. However, there is a wide variety of capability and quality related to delivery of services by agencies, but compensation doesnt reflect that varying value. This is essentially anti-consumer. This practice disincentivizes agents from seeking to constantly improve their service offerings. Consumers recognize this, which is why they view the entire insurance product, including agent service, as a commodity when it often isnt. So, what is not good for the consumer fixed commissions is also not good for the agent. Related to this are views by consumers which are unrealistic, potentially unfair, and certainly uninformed regarding who is responsible for the costs of insurance. Frankly, insureds dont understand what agents actually make from an insurance sale. I believe this is particularly true in personal insurance, which is the bread and butter of the majority of independent agencies. This is a source of constant friction between consumers and agents and ultimately interferes with agents desire to be respected and viewed by their customers as a trusted advisor. This is particularly true in challenging markets like the one we have been experiencing for the last couple of years. The commission system is also detrimental to carriers. Its true as Ive said that commissions allow carriers to fix their costs with distribution. But it interferes with their ability to seek excellence in their distribution partners. Yes, carriers pay profit sharing, which gets at this issue indirectly. And its true they pay bonuses to some agents, but thats generally for production, not quality of service. But in all, fixed commissions do nothing to ensure quality agent service which is, I would argue, the most controllable component of their retention. Carriers, in the most recent decade or so, have recognized the critical value of policyholder retention where even one point can have huge margin implications. Yet, they dont seem to understand that agent service quality, which is directly impacted by agent marginal profitability, is an area that could move policyholder retention significantly. I look at it in the same way distributors of tangible products look at last mile costs. They are often the ones with the most potential for moving the profitability needle. Unfortunately, in our industry, we ignore this. A New Way Forward So, is there a better way? I think there is and its one that has been brought up from time to time and then, rapidly discarded, out of fear. The better way is for carriers to strip out commissions and sell their products net. This way agents could compete in the marketplace based on their own value propositions and with full disclosure to consumers of how they are paid for their service. This is not, and likely never will be, a popular idea because humans are always resistant to change. Change represents risk. And changing to a customer-paid fee-based system would potentially be a huge risk for some. Those at risk would likely be those who only know how to sell insurance by being the cheapest. These agents represent some of the worst in our industry who fail to focus on understanding client needs. A commission-based system is not focused on creating excellence in service and these systems continue to perpetuate the idea that insurance, as a part of either individual or corporate risk management, is nothing but a commodity, which it doesnt have to be. I believe, under a customer-paid fee-based system, good agents those who sell based on client needs and provide exemplary and continually creative service to their customers, while also meeting the real needs of insurance company partners, would benefit tremendously. This is true, in my opinion, because consumers are smart and would rapidly see the difference that competitive differentiation based on service makes in bringing business their way. Yes, there would be losers. But they would be those who deserve to lose. Those who dont provide the quality service clients seek. Good agents would win as would their carriers. And the biggest winners would be consumers, closing the value circle with agents and carriers in a virtuous, constantly improving loop. Topics Carriers Agencies Main Street America Insurance said it will stop offering personal lines insurance in favor of a commercial lines strategy. The Jacksonville, Florida-based insurer founded about 100 years ago in Keene, New Hampshire, said it is tightening its focus and leaning into what it called a tremendous opportunity in commercial lines. Main Street America is doubling down on commercial lines and clearly defining our future direction in the marketplace, said Chris Listau, president and CEO, in a statement. As a trusted and respected brand in the independent agent channel, were continuing to move forward confidently in an area that enables us to take advantage of the incredible potential that exists in the commercial lines space, Listau added. This will further support our agents in solving the unmet needs of small business owners. The insurer, which became part of Madison, Wisconsin-based American Family Insurance Mutual Holding Co. in 2018, said concentrating on commercial lines will allow it to innovate and serve the market faster. Main Street America Insurance markets commercial insurance, as well as fidelity and surety bond products throughout the U.S. The company said it writes more than $1.1 billion in annual premium all via independent agents. Were excited to marry current market opportunities and a refined focus with the independent agency channels ability to dominantly handle complicated, complex risks often associated with commercial lines customers, said Richard Vaughn, head of sales at Main Street America. Attempts to reach Main Street America for additional information were forwarded to American Family, who said the information it could provide was in the press release. According to industry rating agency AM Best, Main Street America Protection Insurance Co. and Main Street America Assurance Co. are each members of American Family Insurance Group, which holds a financial strength rating of A (Excellent). According to AM Best data, about 30% of Main Street America Protections book was commercial multiperil in 2023. The line accounted for more than 81% of Main Street America Assurances 2023 direct premiums. With more direct premiums attributable to personal lines, Main Street Protection posted a combined ratio of 104.7 in 2023. Main Street America Assurances 2023 combined ratio was 97.3. In 2020, Main Street America Group rebranded to Main Street America Insurance. According to local news sources, Main Street America earlier this year listed for sale its Keene office building. The company said it planned to continue operating in Keene but did not need the large building after adopting a hybrid workplace following the pandemic. Floods ripped through central Europe killing at least 17 people, as governments across the region took emergency measures and prepared to spend hundreds of millions of euros on the cleanup. Flows in the Danube Europes second-longest river were at levels statistically likely only once every 85 years, after Storm Boris dumped torrential rain on Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary. Red weather alerts remain in place, with thousands of people already evacuated over the weekend. After a summer of heat waves across southern Europe, the destructive storm mixing cold air from the north with moisture drawn from the warm waters of the Mediterranean may be another sign that climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. Its also forcing governments to set aside scarce funds to rebuild. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is channeling 1 billion zloty ($260 million) to flood-affected areas, as well as appealing to the European Union for financial help. The Czech government may amend its 2024 budget because of the flood-related damages, according to Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura. Austria has freed up 300 million ($334 million) in emergency budget reserves, while Romania is allocating an initial 100 million lei ($20 million) to those affected. Flooding in Central Europe Could Cause Billions in Economic Losses, Analysts Say The Polish government announced a state of emergency in some regions on Monday, while a similar declaration was made in Lower Austria on Saturday. Romania is poised to declare a state of alert in the two counties hit hardest by the floods, as it looks to speed repairs to houses, bridges and infrastructure. In Poland, the mayor of Nysa has ordered the town to be evacuated as the floods threaten to overwhelm an embankment, potentially putting thousands at risk. Authorities are also monitoring the rising waters in the Czech city of Ostrava and in the nations south. Still, Czech politicians decided to proceed with elections set for Friday and Saturday in which a third of Senate seats are being contested. Austrian politicians canceled campaign events in the run-up to Sept. 29 elections. Polands biggest insurer PZU slumped after reporting more than 3,000 weather-related claims over the past two days, or nearly nine times more than on a typical weekend. That could curb PZUs profit by 10%, according to Ipopema brokerage estimates. Austrian insurers Uniqa and Vienna Insurance Group also declined. The slow-moving cold weather system also brought over a meter of snow to parts of the eastern Alps, with more forecast this week. Thats a stark contrast to the challenge faced in northern Portugal, where more than 500 firefighters are battling wildfires, as temperatures reach a high of 31C (88F) on Monday. Analysis by scientists at ClimaMeter a project funded by the EU and French National Centre for Scientific Research found that climate change means that depressions like Storm Boris have become 20% more intense in the past two decades compared with the preceding 22 years. These are not just isolated natural disasters, Davide Faranda of CNRS France said in an email. Research shows that extreme rainfall is becoming more frequent and intense due to man-made climate change. Firefighters in a flooded street in Jesenik, Czech Republic, on Sept. 15. Photographer: Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images Hungary is bracing for its worst flooding in more than a decade, with Budapest on the highest alert. More than a million sandbags will be deployed along the Danube in the capital, while roads along the river will be closed this evening. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose government holds the European Unions rotating presidency, canceled all international engagements, according to a post on X. Orban was due to present the presidencys priorities to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France on Wednesday. Cross-border trains have been halted to neighboring Austria, where many intercity rail services have been canceled around Vienna. The national rail operator has advised against any unnecessary travel until Tuesday evening. Water flows on the Danube in Korneuburg, just upstream from Vienna, peaked early on Monday at 10,300 cubic meters per second. Thats a once-in-85-years volume. Kofola CeskoSlovensko, a Czech-based drinks maker, was forced to suspend production at its key plant in Krnov. The company, which has more than 2,800 employees, said it would cope as it had after major floods 27 years ago. The water level in Krnov was higher this time than in the dramatic year of 1997, when my father and I sat on the roof of our production hall, Kofola co-founder and Chief Executive Officers Jannis Samaras said in a statement on Monday. Tomorrow well start with the cleanup. Germany has experienced some flooding in Saxony and Bavaria, with water levels continuing to rise. German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said it underlined the need to accelerate the transition to renewable energy, according to comments cited on Monday by the Funke media group We should be clear about the cause: increasingly frequent floods, disasters like in the Ahr Valley, this year in Bavaria they are a consequence of the climate crisis, Habeck said. We must prepare for more extreme weather events and take precautions. Flood Impacts: Poland: In Poland, four fatalities were reported as more than 3,000 people were forced to evacuate. While water levels are receding in highland areas, cities including Wroclaw are now threatened. Poland has suspended cross-border rail services to the Czech Republic and closed several roads. Czech Republic: In the Czech Republic, about 13,500 people were evacuated from their homes and over 80,000 households remain without electricity. Three people died, with another seven still missing, according to Prime Minister Petr Fiala. Austria: In Lower Austria, two elderly people died after being trapped in their flooded homes, news service ORF reported, citing a police spokesperson. In Vienna, four out of five metro lines are operating shortened services. Hungary: Thousands of volunteers are expected to join as many as 17,000 soldiers helping with flood-defense work, according to Interior Minister Sandor Pinter. Water levels are only projected to peak later this week. Romania: The flooding could further curb Romanias already drought-hit corn crop, according to a farmers body. Serbia: Serbia is bracing for a possible flood wave from the Danube later in the week. Photograph: Firefighters in a flooded street in Jesenik, Czech Republic, on Sept. 15, 2024. Photo credit: Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images Copyright 2024 Bloomberg. Topics Trends Windstorm Flood Europe The strongest typhoon in more than seven decades has struck Chinas financial hub, leading to widespread flight cancellations and disrupting holidaymakers at the start of a days-long national festival. Typhoon Bebinca known as Beibijia in China crossed the coast in the Yangtze River Delta region on Monday morning, and is expected to dump heavy rain across Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces as it tracks inland and weakens, according to reports from state media. The storm is the second to hit China in a matter of weeks, after Super Typhoon Yagi struck Hainan island in the nations south, causing damage to wind farms and solar installations before flooding vast areas of northern Vietnam. Two more storms could also near the Chinese coast later in the week. China Braces for Another Typhoon After Yagi Slammed South Coast Bebinca had maximum sustained winds of 65 knots (120 kilometers) per hour before making landfall, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. That made it equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale the lowest intensity. The typhoon was the strongest to hit Shanghai since 1949, according to a report from China Central Television. The city reported a small number of power outages and some flooding of farmland, CCTV said in a separate report. Shanghai a mega-city of 25 million people initiated a top-level emergency response on Sunday, suspending railway services, closing ports, bridges and highways. Flights from both of the citys airports were canceled overnight, but are resuming from 3 p.m. local time, according to a statement from the government. Some metro lines have also resumed operations. China has canceled over 1,600 flights due to the typhoon, CCTV reported, citing the Civil Aviation Administration. The airport at Hangzhou, a city of about 13 million and home to Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., canceled more than one hundred flights, according to separate state media reports. The city is about 175 kilometers (109 miles) south west of Shanghai. The typhoon will likely push a 1-to-2-meter storm surge into the Yangtze River, which will have its worst impact on the north side of Shanghai, Adam Douty, a meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc., said in an interview. Bebinca led to the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people in Shanghai and other coastal cities, and the travel plans of millions were disrupted at the start of the mid-autumn festival. Strong gale force winds up to 42 meters per second howled through Shanghai on Monday morning, state media said. High-speed rail services have been halted across the Yangtze Delta. Zhoushan, home to some of Chinas largest oil storage tanks and refineries, warned people to stay indoors as rain and strong winds began lashing the city on Sunday. Two storms have formed that are forecast to track toward China by the end of this week one is currently near the Philippines and the other near Guam. Gener is forecast to make landfall in the Philippines over the next 24 hours before reforming and tracking toward southern China, crossing the coast on Friday, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. Pulasan is expected to move toward eastern China and intensify into a severe tropical storm on Wednesday, Pagasa said. Photograph: Pedestrians struggle with their umbrellas during Typhoon Bebinca in Shanghai on Sept. 16, 2024. Photo credit: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images Related: Copyright 2024 Bloomberg. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Construction along part of Theodore Roosevelt National Parks South Unit 48-mile scenic loop could be completed by November, if the weather cooperates, according to a senior National Park Service official. In 2019, a 4-mile stretch of the scenic loop roadway slid down a steep embankment in the parks South Unit due to erosion and the plans, funding and construction on the difficult terrain have taken about five years to finally approach the finish line, the North Dakota Monitor reported in August. Maureen McGee-Ballinger, deputy superintendent for Theodore Roosevelt National Park, said she thinks visitors are going to be happy with the result. It required some massive infrastructure which is why its taken a couple of years to complete, McGee-Ballinger said. If our weather holds out theres the potential it could be completed by this fall, by November. However, she added, if snow and colder temperatures come early this year, the scenic loop wouldnt be completed until spring 2025. There was no patching it, McGee-Ballinger said. The entire piece of the road slid down the hill. After the road slide, she said, upon further inspection, an additional 2-mile section was deemed unstable and may have followed soon thereafter. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, both R-N.D., became two of 51 co-sponsors for the Restore Our Parks Act, which secured more than $47 million for road repairs and protections against future erosion on the scenic loop. The bill became part of the Great American Outdoors Act that was passed and enacted in 2020. That bill authorized $1.9 billion annually for five years by the federal government to address a backlog of maintenance and repairs on federally-owned lands. The Department of the Interior considered the measure the largest investment in public lands in U.S. history, according to the departments website. The good news is that by the end of this year and certainly by the start of next year, you can make the loop, Hoeven told more than 100 attendees during an event. He said the more than five years of planning, construction and engineering needed to restore and improve that more than 6-mile section of roadway has been impressive. You are going to be amazed at the structural engineering to build that 6 miles on the sides of gulches and hills that you cant believe, Hoeven said. It is a marvel and you are really going to enjoy it. McGee-Ballinger said some of the other areas, including an overlook, along the scenic loop have also been improved as part of the project. Weve made the parking area bigger, she said Weve improved the guttering. Weve improved the wall there. She continued: People had a scenic vista originally, but now, its going to be pretty spectacular because youve got a much easier place to get in and out of. After touring the scenic loop construction area last month, Cramer said in a statement that crews are making great progress on construction and hes excited for the roadway to reopen to visitors. It maintains the integrity of the infrastructure, which keeps the traveling public safe and allows this spectacular place to be open to them, Cramer said in a statement. More importantly, it maintains the integrity of the natural beauty, which is what the traveling public is here to see. Maintenance and repair efforts are always continuing, McGee-Ballinger said, and the focus will shift to the parks North Unit next. The North Unit road definitely has got some spaces that we have some similar issues with slumping and we will be working on that one next, she said. She added the Park Service will be looking at replacing the North Units trailer that serves as a visitors center with a permanent facility. The European Unions naval force said it managed to connect tug boats to a burning oil tanker in the Red Sea, and that the vessel is now being towed away. The tug boats have successfully connected to the vessel and the towing of the MV Sounion to a safe location is in progress, the EUs force said on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday. Houthi militants based in Yemen attacked the Sounion on Aug. 21 as it sailed toward Greece laden with about 1 million barrels of oil from Iraq. Update on the MV SOUNION salvage status The salvage of the MV SOUNION is a complex operation and consists of various phases. The tug boats have successfully connected to the vessel and the towing of the MV SOUNION to a safe location is in progress. By providing protection to pic.twitter.com/FX47QOsJLq EUNAVFOR ASPIDES (@EUNAVFORASPIDES) September 15, 2024 Last week, the United Nations warned that the burning tanker posed a huge environmental threat if it couldnt be quickly salvaged. The EU has previously said theres no sign of an oil spill from the vessels cargo hold. Still, the US has indicated it was leaking, suggesting fuel was coming out of the ships tanks. The Houthis, who are supported by Iran, began attacking merchant ships with drones and missiles in mid-November in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. They say theyre acting in solidarity with the Palestinians as the war in Gaza grinds toward the one-year mark, and that theyre targeting Israeli-, US- and UK-linked vessels. Related: Copyright 2024 Bloomberg. Topics Energy Europe Oil Gas Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, on Friday [Sept. 13] called Australias center-left government fascists over proposed legislation to slap fines on social media firms for failing to prevent the spread of misinformation online. Australias Labor government on Thursday unveiled legislation which could fine internet platforms up to 5% of their global revenue for enabling misinformation, joining a worldwide push to rein in borderless tech giants. The proposed law would require tech platforms to set codes of conduct to stop dangerous falsehoods spreading and be approved by a regulator. The regulator would set its own standard if a platform failed to do so and fine firms for non-compliance. Musk, who views himself as a champion of free speech, responded to a post by an X user linking the Reuters story about the misinformation law with one word: Fascists. A spokesperson for Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said by email that companies operating in Australia must comply with Australian laws. This bill improves the transparency and accountability of platforms for users and the Australian people, Rowland said. Musks comment on the push against misinformation drew criticism and ridicule from other government lawmakers. Elon Musks had more positions on free speech than the Kama Sutra. When its in its commercial interests, he is the champion of free speech and when he doesnt like it hes going to shut it all down, Government Services Minister Bill Shorten told Channel Nines breakfast show. Social media platforms should not publish scam content, deepfake materials and livestream violence in the name of free speech, Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones told ABC television. In a previous clash with the Australian government, X in April went to court to challenge a cyber regulators order for the removal of some posts about the stabbing of a bishop in Sydney, prompting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to call Musk an arrogant billionaire. The regulator later dropped its challenge against X after a setback in the federal court. X had blocked Australian users from viewing the posts about the stabbing but refused to remove them globally on the grounds that one countrys rules should not control the internet. (Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; editing by Sonali Paul) Topics Australia This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE (AGCS), The Ardonagh Group, and Carbon Underwriting. A summary of these new hires follows here. Lillelund Named CEO of AGCS and Allianz Commercial Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE (AGCS) announced that Thomas Lillelund will join Allianz as the CEO of AGCS in early 2025 once his existing commitments have ended and subject to regulatory approval. Lillelund will also assume leadership of Allianz Commercial, Allianz Groups integrated global model for serving the commercial property & casualty insurance segment (mid-corporate, large-corporate and specialty customers). With a career of more than 25 years in the insurance industry, Lillelund is a Danish citizen with broad international experience. Prior to his current role as CEO of AIG Europe, Middle East and Africa, he has lived and worked in Europe, the UK, Singapore, South Africa, Hong-Kong and the United States for Aspen Re, Gen Re, and Swiss Re. He earned a bachelors degree in economics from The College of William & Mary (Virginia in the US) and a masters degree in business administration from Western University (Toronto, Canada). *** Ardonagh Names Allianzs Mitchell to Spearhead Asia Growth The Ardonagh Group, the London-based independent insurance distribution platform, announced the appointment of Mark Mitchell to support the expansion of its business operations in Asia. Mitchell was formerly the Asia Pacific CEO of Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty and brings 35 years of industry experience, including 25 in the Asian insurance market. Based in Singapore, Mitchell will work with Ardonaghs businesses in the region, Envest and Price Forbes, to explore opportunities to expand their retail and wholesale broking footprint and develop new MGA capabilities. Marks deep knowledge of the Asia Pacific market landscape will allow us to identify and execute on the best opportunities to drive growth and create value for our clients and markets alike, commented Des OConnor, chief investment officer for Ardonagh Global Partners. He will further strengthen our team and proposition in this exciting region, which is currently one of the fastest growing insurance markets in the world. *** Carbon Underwriting Taps Astas Gallagher as Head of Syndicate Management Carbon Underwriting Ltd., the London-based, managing general underwriter and Lloyds syndicate, announced the appointment of Julie Gallagher as head of Syndicate Management, effective immediately. Gallagher joins Carbon from Asta Capital Ltd., where she served as head of Client Management. She brings extensive experience in managing syndicate underwriting performance and relationships, a key asset as Carbon continues to grow its innovative insurance offerings. In her new role, Gallagher will oversee the management and performance of Carbons syndicates, including the recently launched Syndicate 5757, which has received Lloyds approval in principle to begin underwriting 1 January 2025. Overall, Carbon will have 400 million GWP under management in 2025 year of account, combining Syndicate 4747 and 5757. We are really delighted to welcome Julie Gallagher to our growing team. Her extensive expertise in syndicate management will be invaluable as we continue to expand our footprint in the international specialty market, commented Carbon Founder and CEO Nick Tye. The approval in principle for the launch of our second syndicate Syndicate 5757 from January 2025 is a major milestone for us, and Julies appointment reinforces our commitment to building a world-class team. Topics A.J. Gallagher Allianz BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) A Canadian man has pleaded guilty to federal crimes for shootings at electrical substations and an oil pipeline in the Dakotas that caused $1.7 million in damages. Cameron Monte Smith pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Bismarck, North Dakota, to two counts of destruction of an energy facility one in North Dakota and one in South Dakota. He could face up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 on each charge, the Bismarck Tribune reported. Sentencing is in December. Federal authorities said Smith, 49, was in the U.S. illegally when he fired shots into the Wheelock Substation near Ray, North Dakota, in May 2023, knocking out power for over 240 people and causing $1.2 million in damage. Smith also was convicted of firing shots at a transformer and pump station of the Keystone Pipeline near Carpenter, South Dakota, in July 2022. The shooting disrupted operations of the pipeline that moves Canadian oil through parts of the U.S. Damage was estimated at nearly $500,000. A plea agreement calls for Smith to pay restitution. Federal court records dont cite a possible motive. Documents in North Dakota state court, where Smith was initially charged, said officers observed DAPL and other unspecified symbols spray-painted near the substation. DAPL references the Dakota Access oil pipeline that was opposed by many Native American tribes and environmentalists. This defendant deliberately and very violently attacked our nations energy infrastructure, North Dakota U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider said in a statement. Our law enforcement partners put an end to those attacks, and this guilty plea provides a measure of accountability for the defendants actions and extensive damage he caused. Defense attorney Kevin Chapman said Smiths plea is conditional, reserving the right to appeal. A judge earlier denied a motion to suppress evidence that the defense maintained was based upon illegal searches and seizures. Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. PACE Southeast Michigan, a company providing all-inclusive care for the elderly, violated federal law at multiple locations in the Detroit area by failing to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities attempting to return to work following Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed. According to the EEOC lawsuit, PACE maintained a policy which treated any employee unable to return to work following the expiration of FMLA leave as a voluntary resignation resulting in termination. One disabled employee with pseudotumor cerebri requested a brief extension of leave until her new specialty contact lenses arrived. She explained the lenses would arrive within 30 days of her FMLA leave expiration date, possibly in as soon as three days. Another employee with severe anxiety and bipolar disorder requested 30 more days of unpaid leave and provided medical documentation supporting her request. PACE refused to consider either request, instead terminating both employees pursuant to its policy. PACE could have easily accommodated both employees. It did not hire replacements for either until months later after both employees began working for new employers. The EEOC is seeking back pay, compensatory damages and punitive damages on behalf of the two employees and other unidentified similarly situated employees, as well as injunctive relief to prevent future discrimination. Source: EEOC Topics Lawsuits Michigan Walgreens Boots Alliance agreed to pay $106.8 million to settle charges it fraudulently billed the U.S. government for prescriptions that were never dispensed, the Department of Justice said on Friday. The Justice Department said Walgreens violated the federal False Claims Act between 2009 and 2020 by submitting payment claims to Medicare, Medicaid and other healthcare programs for prescriptions it processed but which were never picked up. This caused the pharmacy chain to receive tens of millions of dollars for prescriptions it never provided to patients, the department said. Federal health care programs provide critical health care services to millions of Americans, said Brian Boynton, head of the Justice Departments civil division. We will hold accountable those who abuse these programs by knowingly billing for goods or services they did not provide. Walgreens, based in Deerfield, Illinois, did not admit liability in agreeing to settle. Due to a software error, we inadvertently billed some government health care programs for a relatively small number of prescriptions our patients submitted but never picked up, Walgreens said in a statement. We corrected the error, reported the issue to the government and voluntarily refunded all overpayments. Fridays settlement resolves three whistleblower lawsuits filed in Florida, New Mexico and Texas. The Justice Department said the payout took into account Walgreens cooperation and its significant steps to upgrade its in-house pharmacy management system to ensure that the billing problems dont happen again. Walgreens previously refunded $66.3 million for the settled claims and is being credited for this amount. The chain recently operated about 8,600 stores in the United States, but said in June it plans to close a significant number of underperforming stores over the next few years. Steven Turck, a former Walgreens pharmacy manager who filed the Texas case, will receive $14.92 million from the settlement. Andrew Bustos, a former Walgreens district pharmacy supervisor who filed the New Mexico case, will receive $1.62 million. Walgreens Boots shares closed on Friday up 37 cents, or 4.2%, at $9.21. Topics Fraud A Black UPS driver won a $237.6 million jury verdict in a case in which he alleged hed been discriminated against and subject to a hostile work environment before being fired. The verdict, rendered Thursday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Washington at Yakima, may be both the biggest of its kind and the biggest ever in the state, said attorney Dustin Collier, one of the lawyers who represented plaintiff Tahvio Gratton. Gratton was awarded $39.6 million for emotional distress along with $198 million in punitive damages, according to a transcript provided by Collier. The verdict sheet is not yet publicly available. We thank the jury for seeing the truth, vindicating our clients rights, and sending a powerful message to UPS that our communities will not tolerate racial discrimination, harassment, or retaliation against the victims of discrimination and harassment, the attorney said. The parcel delivery service, in a statement to Bloomberg Law, said it would appeal. The trial started Sept. 9. On Summary Judgment Gratton filed the lawsuit in October 2022 and amended his complaint six months later. Earlier this year, US District Judge Thomas O. Rice denied a United Parcel Service Inc. bid for summary judgment. Gratton had claimed he was frequently laid off in favor of white drivers with less seniority than him; repeatedly called boy by a supervisor; and given a less desirable route and a worse truck. After filing grievances in 2018, 2020, and 2021 alleging racial discrimination and other workplace mistreatment, he said he was fired in 2021 following a sexual harassment investigation into whether he deliberately touched a female employees back. UPS contends Gratton touched his colleagues hip while she was bent over. A reasonable jury could find Gratton was fired for speaking out and UPS stated reason for his firing alleging he assaulted an employee was pretextual, Rice said in his April ruling, sending the case on for trial. We are disappointed with the jurys decision but respect the process and the deliberations of the jury, UPS spokesman Glenn Zaccara said in the email. We intend to appeal the verdict based on a number of evidentiary and legal errors. Zaccara said the company takes retaliation seriously, has prevention policies in place, and maintains its former driver was fired for an unprovoked assault on a female coworker. Gratton was represented by Collier Socks LLP of Corte Madera, Calif., and Shishido Taren Goldsworthy PLLC of Seattle. UPS was represented by the Portland, Ore., office of Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC, together with Lewis Brisbois in Seattle. The case is Gratton v. United Parcel Service Inc., E.D. Wash., 22-cv-3149, 9/12/24 Photo: A United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) driver pushes a trolley in New York. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg Copyright 2024 Bloomberg. Topics Lawsuits Personal Auto LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) A county in western Arkansas and a health provider have agreed to a $6 million settlement with the family of a man who died from dehydration and malnutrition while being held in a local jail, an attorney for the family said. Sebastian County and Turn Key Health Clinics LLC agreed to each pay $3 million to Larry Eugene Price Jr.s family to settle a lawsuit filed over Prices 2021 death, attorney Erik Heipt said in a news release. The size of this settlement reflects the magnitude of the atrocity that occurred, Heipt said. We were honored to represent Mr. Prices family in their pursuit of justice, and we hope that this historic result sends a powerful message to every single jail and prison in America that this type of blatant disregard for human life will not be tolerated. A spokesperson for Turn Key confirmed it had agreed to the settlement. The Sebastian County Quorum Court voted to settle the lawsuit last month. An attorney for the county did not respond to messages seeking comment. Price died after being held a little over a year at the facility awaiting trial on a terroristic threatening charge. Price, 51, who had a history of serious mental illness, had been held in solitary confinement at the county facility, according to the lawsuit his family filed last year. The lawsuit against Sebastian County accused the jail and Turn Key of neglecting Price as he ate and drank less over the course of a year and his weight dropped from 185 pounds (83.91 kilograms) to 90 pounds (40.82 kilograms). Jail staff discontinued Prices mental health medications after he refused to take them and didnt make any effort to follow up with the inmate to address his mental health needs, the lawsuit says. Turn Key said in a statement that at the time of Prices death, it provided medical care and eight hours of psychiatric services per week, but not counseling or acute mental health counseling services. It said the center contracted with the county to provide mental health counseling services failed to do so with Price. After Mr. Prices death, Turn Key and Sebastian County agreed that having a different mental health counseling provider from the medical and psychiatric provider at the jail was not in the best interests of patients at the SCDC, spokesperson Kenna Griffin said. Turn Key now provides all medical, mental health counseling, and psychiatric services at Sebastian County. Rodney Price, Larry Prices brother, called his brothers death inexcusable but hoped the case and the settlement would lead to changes in the criminal justice system. While no amount of money could bring my brother back, this victory will help give our family some closure as we move forward, Rodney Price said in a statement. And we hope and pray that it will lead to changes in how our jails treat people in their custody and will save lives in the future. Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Florida and much of the country face a real estate crash unless government officials deal with climate change, members of Congress said at a roundtable discussion Saturday in St. Petersburg. U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., chair of the Senate Budget Committee, warned that spiking property insurance costs could wreak havoc with Floridas vaunted property values and cause a mortgage crisis, according to news reports of the event. U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., said that days are hotter and dont cool off at night like they once did. Whitehouse, Castor and others have toured Florida in an effort to boost discussion of the need for serious action on climate change in coastal states. The two members of Congress spoke to the press after the roundtable. That can be seen here, on Facebook. Topics Florida Property Climate Change EverPeak Insurance is launching operations in Arizona. EverPeak specializes in workers compensation coverage for small businesses and those in hard-to-place industries. EverPeak workers comp insurance is written on Attune, which has more than 400 class codes that enable agents to generate quotes and bind policies on the platform. EverPeak was created by Pinnacol Assurance, a workers comp for Colorado companies. Topics Arizona Amid a rise in migration in recent years, survey data analyzed by U.S. News suggests that global citizens are becoming more reluctant to welcome more immigrants to their home countries. About 59% of respondents to the Best Countries survey agreed with the statement, My country should be more open to immigration a drop of 2 percentage points compared to 2022. In order to assess views on immigration, U.S. News analyzed responses to the Best Countries survey, which reached more than 17,000 people across 36 countries. What follows are the 10 countries where respondents had the lowest percentages of agreement with the statement noted above. In all 10 countries, less than 50% of respondents agreed with the statement, and half saw their level of support decrease year over year. The United States saw the second-largest decrease from 67% agreement in 2022 to nearly 58% in 2023 though the country is not in the bottom 10 overall. A Colorado man was charged with arson after an investigation into a wildfire this summer that destroyed 29 homes and caused more than $30 million in property damage, authorities said. Jason Alexander Hobby, 49, was arrested last week, Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said. He appeared in court on a first-degree arson charge in connection with the fire, which started on a guest ranch where he worked west of Loveland, about 60 miles north of Denver. His bail was set at $450,000. The fire escaped a fire ring on the guest ranch on July 29, Feyen said. Its unclear whether it was intentional or accidental, he said. The wildfire, which also damaged four other homes and destroyed 21 outbuildings, burned 15 square miles of land before it was contained on Aug. 17. The cost to put out the fire was more than $11 million, District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin told the court. Hobby was fired from his job at the guest ranch after he became a suspect in the fire, Feyen said. Hobby also is charged with impersonating a police officer, menacing and false imprisonment for allegedly stopping travelers on the guest ranchs property while driving an SUV designed to look like a law enforcement vehicle. Hobby reportedly represented himself as law enforcement, falsely told individuals they were trespassing, and pointed a firearm at them, investigators said. That happened in March 2023, one of the victims said in court on Wednesday. Hobby had a pickup truck equipped to look like a wildland firefighter truck and used it to get past checkpoints during the fire, the sheriff said. He is also charged with two misdemeanor counts of impersonating a public official. Hobbys bail was initially set at $250,000, but McLaughlin asked for it to be increased to $1 million cash. He said he was concerned Hobby might leave the area and that he is being investigated for fires set in Wyoming. McLaughlin did not say when or where those fires happened and court officials said the affidavit was sealed. A public defender unsuccessfully argued for his bail to remain at $250,000, saying Hobby had his own business and lived in Loveland with his wife. Hobbys next court appearance is set for Sept. 24. Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Colorado Cooler weather enabled firefighters to make progress over the weekend against three Southern California wildfires. Authorities have started scaling back evacuations at the largest blaze. The Bridge Fire east of Los Angeles has burned 54,690 acres, burned at least 33 homes and six cabins and forced the evacuation of 10,000 people. The fire is 11% contained. The Line Fire in Southern California has burned 39.026 acres in the San Bernardino mountains. It is 42% contained. The Airport Fire in Southern California has burned 23,519 acres. It is 31% contained. In Northern California, the Davis fire in Nevada near Lake Tahoe destroyed 14 homes and has burned nearly 9 square miles, forcing thousands of evacuations. Topics Catastrophe California Natural Disasters Wildfire California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has identified areas in the vicinity of the several ongoing large wildfires in the state that will be protected by a one-year moratorium on homeowners insurance non-renewal or cancellation due to wildfire risk. Laras action is in effect for communities affected by the Line Fire in San Bernardino County, the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles County and the Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside counties. The action follows emergency declarations from Gov. Gavin Newsom. The Bridge Fire east of Los Angeles has burned 54,690 acres, burned at least 33 homes and six cabins and forced the evacuation of 10,000 people. The fire is 11% contained. The Line Fire in Southern California has burned 39.026 acres in the San Bernardino mountains. It is 42% % contained. The Airport Fire in Southern California has burned 23,519 acres. It is 31% contained. Topics Catastrophe California Natural Disasters Wildfire US cybersecurity and compliance firm Proofpoint has officially opened its European headquarters in Cork, announcing plans to employ more than 250 people in the next two years. The company's arrival has been hailed as a major boost for Cork, with its new office set to house key functions for the business including engineering, research and development, customer support, finance and marketing. Globally headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Proofpoint has offices worldwide including in the UK and Northern Ireland and helps companies around the world stop targeted threats, safeguard data, and make users more resilient against cyber attacks. Speaking at the official opening of Proofpoint's office at One Albert Quay, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Peter Burke said: "This expansion is a testament to Irelands attractive business environment and our commitment to fostering innovation and growth in the cybersecurity sector. The creation of over 250 jobs in the coming years is a significant boost for the region and highlights our ongoing efforts to support enterprise, development and employment opportunities across the country." Remi Thomas, chief financial officer of Proofpoint said the company's expansion into Ireland was critical to the firm's international growth, and solidified its ability to protect European organisations. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Mr Thomas said Cork was chosen as its preferred location over Dublin or Limerick, as well as several countries in Eastern Europe. "We were very excited about Ireland in general, but we chose Cork for three reasons. The first was the availability of talent, not just in engineering but across other functions. The second was its ecosystem - There are more than 40 cybersecurity firms based here in the Cork area, plus two key universities that have the best in-class engineering programmes. "The third reason is, from a cost standpoint, Cork is very competitive, certainly more competitive than Dublin, which was also a factor that we took into account." Mr Thomas added that marketing, finance and accounting will be some of the key focuses in its Cork hub as the company expands further into Europe. "We are shifting. We are trying to get more business outside of the US, so these elements will be very important. And in terms of AI, Cork will have a major role to play." Proofpoint currently has over 4,500 employees globally with over 100 people already in in Cork. As the company grows, Mr Thomas said its initial plans to hire to 250 people by 2025 may evolve, depending on its demand for AI engineers, with plans to greatly expand its customer base across Ireland. "When you establish an international hub like this, by definition, we will start looking at local companies that need to be protected, so I am hoping that our business in Ireland will expand as well." Speaking at the official opening, CEO of IDA Ireland Michael Lohan said Proofpoint's choice of Cork emphasises the "critical importance of regional investment," showcasing the South-West regions "established cybersecurity cluster and the abundant talent available regionally and indeed across the country." "Proofpoints expansion further solidifies Ireland's reputation as a premier location for global cybersecurity and compliance companies. We eagerly anticipate supporting their growth and continued success in Cork." Cork City Hall rocked to the sound of Rory Gallagher on Sunday night for a gig attended by several generations of the legendary guitarists fans. Organised by Sheena Crowley of Crowleys music store where the late musician bought his famous Fender Stratocaster the lineup included several musicians who played with or were influenced by Gallagher. Among them was Gerry McAvoy - the Belfast bassist who played with Gallagher for more than 20 years - while Liam O Maonlai of Hothouse Flowers was on MC duty at the Cork venue. The Defence Forces have a surveillance operation in place to monitor Russian navy vessels, which have been tracked off English and French coasts, in the event they enter Irish-controlled waters in the coming days. Military sources told the Irish Examiner over a week ago that Russian ships were expected to head for Irelands Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for drills as part of its global Ocean military exercise. Experts said the drills in the EEZ have a strategic purpose to show the West Russias visible military presence and a tactical purpose to map subsea cables. It comes at a time of escalating global tensions, with Russian president Vladimir Putin warning Western countries at the weekend that if they allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike inside Russia it will mean Nato countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia. In recent days, British and French navies and air forces have tracked the movement of at least four Russian ships and a submarine through the English Channel and into French waters. RAF fighters were also scrambled to intercept a Russian Bear-F aircraft. Military sources have said that the expected Russian exercises along or inside Irelands EEZ will be much smaller than the drills conducted in February 2022, just before Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Sources told the Irish Examiner that the Defence Forces are hyper aware of any exercises by foreign naval vessels in the EEZ, which extend to 200 nautical miles south and west of Ireland. It is expected that if the Russian ships or submarines enter the EEZ, the naval service will send out a vessel to the area to monitor the operation. This will be done in conjunction with the air corps MPA or maritime patrol aircraft. The Defence Forces received two new Airbus C295, boasting modern surveillance technology, within the last year. The naval service may also receive intelligence from British and French navies. In a statement, the Defence Forces said exercises by foreign navies outside territorial waters (12 miles), but inside the EEZ are permitted under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as part of the freedom of the high seas. It added: Any vessels transiting Irish waters must do so in compliance with international law and may be subject to sighting and observation by the Defence Forces without their innocent passage being infringed. The Irish naval service, in conjunction with the Irish air corps, Defence Forces operations and the Irish Naval Service Fisheries Monitoring Centre in Haulbowline continue to remotely monitor vessels in the Irish EEZ on a 24/7 basis. The depleted capacity of the naval service was highlighted again in an Oireachtas report last week, which said it had two-thirds of its sanctioned staffing levels with a corresponding impact on patrols. The Government has been warned that a failure to invest in alternatives to prison means the money needed to increase prison spaces will be a drain on the State for years to come. The warning comes from the Irish Penal Reform Trust, as accommodation pressure continues across the prison estate. On Monday, there were 4,946 inmates across the state, which has a total bed capacity for 4,516 prisoners. A total of 492 inmates were on temporary release, a measure which is used increasingly to relieve overcrowding. The most overcrowded facilities were the female wing at Limerick, which is over capacity by 45%, while Mountjoys female wing, Dochas, was operating at 125% capacity. In a statement to the Irish Examiner, IPRT executive director Saoirse Brady said: The Prison Visiting Committees 2022 annual reports, as in previous years, highlight the inappropriate nature of prison settings for people with high-level mental health with long waiting lists to access necessary services. While these reports provide important insights into life behind the high prison walls, they are already outdated given the marked increase in the prison population since they were completed, so many of the issues they note may in fact have deteriorated further in the interim. She said the IPRT is urging the government to make a substantial and meaningful investment to deliver on key commitments for people in the criminal justice system in next months budget. She added: The prison system across the country is creaking under the weight of severe overcrowding and unfortunately, in the absence of adequate quality mental health and addiction treatment services in the community, prison has become the default option for people who experience these challenges. Imprisonment, while necessary in some cases, in many other cases is an ineffective, counterproductive and hugely expensive response to offending. Instead of aiming to expand prison space, IPRT calls for smarter and more effective investment in supporting and championing effective alternatives to prison and promoting diversion for people with mental health or addiction issues where this is possible and appropriate. She said: The IPRT believes that if financial resources and political will are not invested in supporting and championing effective alternatives to prison, the resources needed to continually increase the prison estate will be a financial and social drain on the State for decades to come. Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said that there are engagements between her department and the Irish Prison Service to progress plans to bring new spaces for over 1,100 people on stream between 2024 and 2030 with short term projects progressing, that are expected to deliver accommodation for over 170 people this year. She has also established a working group on future prison capacity, which, she said, will consider future capacity requirements, including quantities and types of accommodation. She also said the group will make recommendations on the future use of the site at Thornton Hall and the role it can play in providing additional and modern prison accommodation. An investigation into malpractice carried out by a senior counsel and delivered to the chair of An Bord Pleanala last month is now to be the subject of further investigations before it can be published. The unprecedented move will involve a small number of additional time-limited investigations to be conducted and/or on behalf of the chairperson, according to the planning board. A process whereby an external investigation is conducted on behalf of a state body and then subjected to further probes by the chair of the body in question is highly unusual. The report, conducted by Lorna Lynch SC, was commissioned in December 2022 after a year of scandals and controversies at the planning board. It was expected that it would be completed within six months but it was delayed repeatedly through no fault of Ms Lynch. Last April, An Bord Pleanala chairman Peter Mullan told staff that the report was expected to be delivered within 10 days, but a series of legal threats ensued that delayed publication until August. Now, Mr Mullan has told staff in a circular that despite the protracted nature of the investigation and its completion by Ms Lynch, he needs to investigate some elements further. The chairperson has considered the scoping investigation report and engaged with An Bord Pleanalas legal advisors, Mr Mullan said in a circular which was subsequently posted on the boards website. Arising from the report and further to legal advice, a small number of additional time-limited investigations are required in relation to specific elements of the report. These investigations will be conducted by and/or on behalf of the chairperson. The circular says the new investigations will be completed by the end of October 2024 and no further comment would be made by the planning board. Should, as expected, a general election be called before completion of Mr Mullans investigations the prospect of senior planning board figures being called before an Oireachtas committee about the report will fade. The new investigations are occurring nearly two years after three management figures in An Bord Pleanala compiled a report on malpractice. The board refused to publish that report but details within it, outlining numerous instances of malpractice, were published in the Irish Examiner. The terms of reference of the Lynch report were, to a large extent, concerned with going over the same ground as the management report. Now, it appears that publication of any account of the malpractices that rocked the board are to be further delayed. Fewer than half of rural voters see immigration as a deciding factor in the way they will vote in the next general election, with health, housing, and the cost of living all considered more important. An Irish Examiner/Ipsos poll of people living in rural Ireland found that the cost of living is the most important issue for voters, with 68% saying it will be "very influential" on their next vote, and 22% describing it as "somewhat influential". On the health service, 64% of people said this will be 'very influential' to their vote while the figure for housing is 58%. Despite immigration making headlines and dominating political discussion over the last year, fewer than half of people (42%) say it will be a very influential factor when voting, 30% say it is somewhat influential while 16% of people say it is of minimal importance. For 11% of respondents, it is not considered important at all. When asked to rank the issues in order of importance to their vote in the next general election, just 9% pinpointed immigration as the key concern, with 34% choosing the cost of living, 19% choosing housing and 17% choosing the health service. On immigration, two thirds of people in rural Ireland feel the Government is not doing a good job handling the number of asylum seekers entering the country, while just under half say they would object to an International Protection Centre opening near them. However, this changes when the question specifically refers to the opening of a centre for Ukrainian refugees. Asked about this, just over a third would object to such a centre opening nearby while half of people would have no objections. Nonetheless, there is a near-universal view (5 out of 6) that local communities should have the right to protest about the location or opening of International Protection Centres. The attitude towards the Government response to immigration was largely critical, with just 5% strongly agreeing that a good job has been done in handling the number of asylum seekers coming to Ireland, with a further 16% somewhat accepting of the Governments response. However, 47% of people 'strongly disagree' that the government has handled immigration appropriately, and a further 18% 'somewhat disagree'. The majority of people (66%) also feel that rural towns and villages have taken a disproportionate share of asylum seekers. There is slightly greater support for the Garda policing of anti-migrant protestors, with 41% feeling they have done this well and 33% disagreeing. Nearly two-thirds of people (63%) in rural Ireland say they are concerned about the rise of the far right. Elsewhere, the poll shows a divided picture when it comes to rural attitudes to climate change, with 43% feeling the Government is doing enough to tackle it and 38% disagreeing. A quarter of people feel that farmers contribute negatively to climate change but 60% disagree with this sentiment, with most people not prepared to pay more taxes or levies to reduce carbon emissions. Despite this, more than two-thirds (67%) of respondents are worried about the potential impacts of climate change. Ultimately, about one person in every six say they dont believe in climate change although the vast majority (73%) do. Just a fifth of people living in rural areas say they would consider "going electric" the next time they purchase a car. To what extent will the following issues influence how you vote in the coming election? The poll was conducted through face-to-face interviews between August 14 and August 25, 2024, across 50 randomly chosen locations. It focused on electoral districts with a population size of fewer than 1,500 people, which are classified as rural. The sample size was 500, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4%. The HSE CEO has once again pledged to publish a report into the death of Aoife Johnston in University Hospital Limerick without giving a precise date for doing so. This is despite repeated pleas by her bereaved family in recent days for the full report to be published. The familys solicitor has said they have a copy and are considering publishing this themselves in frustration. Ms Johnston died in the busy emergency department in December 2022. The inquest into her death, held earlier this year, heard shocking details of the trauma her family experienced while trying to get help for her with the Emergency Department so busy it was described as a death trap. A HSE spokeswoman said on Monday: The CEO has said he will publish the report later this month in an appropriate format, which must take into account the HSEs obligations to all parties involved and must respect the personal and sensitive data contained in the report." Former chief justice Frank Clarke was appointed in December of last year to carry out the investigation, in the wake of an internal review which raised serious questions about accountability and responsibility. The family solicitor, Damien Tansey of Damien Tansey Solicitors, Sligo, has said however they found the report utterly superficial. They want to see the full unredacted report published, and he said they have written to Mr Gloster making this clear. They plan to publish it at the end of this week if they receive no response. The family, he said, is especially frustrated at limits placed on the investigation, particularly "an inability for Mr Clarke to make findings of fact", or to make "adverse findings". This report on Forehead Thermometer Guns Market mentions the latest trends, growth prospects and global forecast for the upcoming years. The report also covers the market size, share, industry opportunities and consumption data. The financial analysis, new products launch and other latest development of the top Forehead Thermometer Guns Market players help in assessing the competitive scenario of the industry. The research report also covers the comprehensive profiles of the key players in the market and an in-depth view of the competitive landscape worldwide. The major players in the forehead thermometer guns market include Omron, Fairhaven Health, Terumo Corporation, Exergen Corporation, 3M Company, Citizen Systems, Innovo Medical, Amico Corporation, Besco Medical, and Braun. This section includes a holistic view of the competitive landscape that includes various strategic developments such as key mergers& acquisitions, future capacities, partnerships, financial overviews, collaborations, new product developments, new product launches, and other developments. Get more information on "Global Forehead Thermometer Guns Market Research Report" by requesting FREE Sample Copy at https://www.valuemarketresearch.com/contact/forehead-thermometer-guns-market/download-sample Market Dynamics The forehead thermometer gun was majorly demanded by growing hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies. Currently, the market is experiencing an outstanding period of its entire demand history. The demand for thermometer guns has been increasing for use at airports and other checkpoints with the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. Currently, it is being increasingly used for measuring the temperature of patients and normal human beings. This is because of its non-contact feature. It allows 1-second rapid measurement temperature, especially the forehead readings, as it does not bother the patient or individual. This is not only important for safety but also limits the potential of infection. Demand for thermometer guns has spiked since the coronavirus outbreak began, leaving some manufacturers struggling to meet demand. The report covers Porters Five Forces Model, Market Attractiveness Analysis and Value Chain analysis. These tools help to get a clear picture of the industrys structure and evaluate the competition attractiveness at a global level. Additionally, these tools also give inclusive assessment of each application/product segment in the global market of forehead thermometer guns. Browse Global Forehead Thermometer Guns Market Research Report with detailed TOC at https://www.valuemarketresearch.com/report/forehead-thermometer-guns-market Market Segmentation The entire forehead thermometer guns market has been sub-categorized into type and application. The report provides an analysis of these subsets with respect to the geographical segmentation. This research study will keep marketer informed and helps to identify the target demographics for a product or service. By Type Handheld Stationary By Applications Government And Public Utilities Hospital School Airport Others Regional Analysis This section covers regional segmentation which accentuates on current and future demand for forehead thermometer guns market across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Further, the report focuses on demand for individual application segment across all the prominent regions. Purchase Complete Global Forehead Thermometer Guns Market Research Report at https://www.valuemarketresearch.com/contact/forehead-thermometer-guns-market/buy-now About Us: Value Market Research was established with the vision to ease decision making and empower the strategists by providing them with holistic market information. We facilitate clients with syndicate research reports and customized research reports on 25+ industries with global as well as regional coverage. Contact: Value Market Research UG-203, Gera Imperium Rise, Wipro Circle Metro Station, Hinjawadi, Pune - 411057 Maharashtra, INDIA. Tel: +1-888-294-1147 Email: sales@valuemarketresearch.com Website: https://www.valuemarketresearch.com Fine Gael is the most popular party among rural voters, with concerns for Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein ahead of the general election, an exclusive Irish Examiner poll shows. With the budget looming and speculation on a November general election at fever pitch, Taoiseach Simon Harris has seen support for his party rise to 27% among farmers and those living in rural Ireland. Fianna Fail, which gathers for its pre-Dail think-in today, is now at 22%, with Sinn Fein support dropping to just 18%. Independents, a group which has been gaining momentum, are on 20%, and will now be seen as a threat to party candidates in many rural constituencies. 22% 27% 18% INDEPENDENTS 20% SOCIAL DEMOCRATS 3% LABOUR 3% GREEN PARTY 1% OTHER 5% Figures exclude those who said they didnt intend to vote in the next general election and those who declined to reveal their current preference. The results are part of an Irish Examiner/Ipsos rural Ireland face-to-face survey which gauged the perceptions of those living outside of the major urban areas. It reveals interesting findings on healthcare, childcare, immigration, domestic violence, climate change, road safety, and the right to die. A bounce in support for Fine Gael will only increase the pressure on Mr Harris to call a general election this side of Christmas. However, the Taoiseach has maintained that he wants the Coalition to serve its full term, which could bring it all the way out to March. Mr Harris, who spent much of the summer recess visiting agricultural shows, festivals, and community events across the country, is now the most popular party leader among rural voters. When asked to rate the performance of various political leaders, 36% of those surveyed awarded the Taoiseach a mark of at least eight out of 10. That compares to 28% for Tanaiste Micheal Martin, and 10% for Mary Lou McDonald. This will represent a blow for the Sinn Fein leader, whose party had reached a high of 37% national support back in October 2022. Its overall party support is also in line with a separate poll published over the weekend, which put it on 18%. Party Leader Scorecards WE ASKED: How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the following party leaders on a scale from 1 to 10 where 1 is extremely dissatisfied and 10 is extremely satisfied? Simon Harris - Fine Gael Micheal Martin - Fianna Fail Mary Lou McDonald - Sinn Fein Roderic O'Gorman - Green Party Holly Cairns - Social Democrats Ivana Bacik - Labour When asked directly about her leadership, 43% of respondents said they feel Ms McDonald has damaged the partys chances of forming the next government, with 21% disagreeing. While support remains strong among Sinn Fein voters, a third of those who intend to give their preference to the party in the next election believe that she should step aside as leader. Almost half of those who previously voted for Sinn Fein (45%) feel she has damaged her party, and just 51% of them would retain her as leader. The partys finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty is seen as a more attractive candidate to take over at the helm than Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle ONeill. When asked, 33% felt that Ms ONeill would make a more effective leader of Sinn Fein and 34% would favour Mr Doherty. However, Mr Doherty elicits slightly greater opposition at 20%, compared to just 15% opposed to Ms ONeill. Looking at the smaller parties, 6% of people gave Labour leader Ivana Bacik and Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns a respective score of eight out of 10 or higher. Overall party support for the Social Democrats and Labour is at 3%, the Green Party is on 1%, while Others are on 5%. Scoring just 1% means the poll will also be disappointing for the Green Party. Meanwhile, only 4% of those polled awarded a mark of at least eight out of 10 to recently-appointed party leader Roderic OGorman. Read More Rural Ireland Thinks poll: Doubts grow over McDonald leadership as Sinn Fein support slips Almost four out of five people surveyed (78%) said they voted at the last general election and there was an almost even split between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, with each party on 26%. A further 20% said they had voted Independent in the last election, while 19% voted for Sinn Fein. The poll was conducted through face-to-face in-home interviewing between August 14 and August 25, 2024, across 50 randomly chosen sampling locations. The sample was designed using electoral districts with a population size of fewer than 1,500 people, which are classified as rural. The sample size was 500, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4%. The first findings from our Rural Ireland Thinks poll are carried in the Irish Examiner in print and online today, and may further whet Fine Gael appetites for party leader Simon Harris to call a general election. Over the coming days, we will publish rural views on everything from politics and healthcare, to assisted dying and immigration. Our first day of coverage looks at political voting preferences. Mr Harris dismissed the excitable discussion of the general election date last week as something that only matters within the political and media bubble. However, he will look at the result of our poll of rural Ireland on Monday, and Sundays poll carried by the Business Post, and look back with some satisfaction over his five months in charge, at least in terms of how his party is playing with prospective voters. Polls are a snapshot in time, but there is a consistent trend of strong numbers for Fine Gael under Mr Harris, which he will want to take advantage of before he or the party face colder, choppier waters. Despite rising homelessness, a runaway housing market of haves and have-nots, mixed messaging on immigration, and a horrendous schools abuse report that has shone a light on historic political leadership, the TikTok Taoiseach appears to be working a treat for Fine Gael. 22% 27% 18% INDEPENDENTS 20% SOCIAL DEMOCRATS 3% LABOUR 3% GREEN PARTY 1% OTHER 5% Figures exclude those who said they didnt intend to vote in the next general election and those who declined to reveal their current preference. Which brings us to the date for the next general election. There is currently no need for Mr Harris to call a vote. The coalition government is trundling along with minor spats which have been a regular feature of the past four years and are of little interest outside of the bubble. His colleagues in Fianna Fail and the Green Party will not relish going to the polls. The economy has signs of brittleness, but that is not causing concerns yet for the States coffers, boosted further by Apples billions. However, the days are getting shorter. There are many experienced TDs set to depart political life who already have one eye on the exit door. The old Civil War factions will rear up more in the coming months. Despite the summer being a bit of a damp squib, canvassing will be colder and wetter still, in the coming months. There are plenty of reasons for those outside the bubble to engage in politics right now: the cost of living; war in Gaza and Ukraine; populism and the far right; Trump and China; AI and social media are all topics worthy of debate and scrutiny. However, for a reason closer to home about why a general election matters, consider our GAA correspondent John Fogartys account of his beautiful daughter Grace and the endless fight his family faces to try and support her and her autism. A general election matters a great deal to many families like Johns. They need answers about how the State will provide the most basic supports due to them, instead of forcing them to take legal advice on how to procure support. The next five years matter to families in similar circumstances up and down this country. We need a plan for this country beyond 2024/25. A general election should be called sooner rather than later. Party Leader Scorecards WE ASKED: How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the following party leaders on a scale from 1 to 10 where 1 is extremely dissatisfied and 10 is extremely satisfied? Simon Harris - Fine Gael Micheal Martin - Fianna Fail Mary Lou McDonald - Sinn Fein Roderic O'Gorman - Green Party Holly Cairns - Social Democrats Ivana Bacik - Labour Stakes get higher in Russia's war of words Western democracies face a classic dilemma this week in their tortuous relationship with Vladimir Putin. And it is familiar to gamblers: Stick or twist? The Kremlin warlord has issued many warnings since his illegal invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, 935 days ago. At the start of what he described as a special military operation in fact, the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since the Second World War he warned of consequences such as you have never seen in your entire history for any potential intervention, while boasting of the potency of Russias nuclear arsenal. Now, in a more direct threat, Mr Putin says that allowing Ukraine to use long-range Western weapons, such as Storm Shadow missiles, jointly produced by the UK, France, and Italy, would mean that countries in the Nato mutual-defence alliance are at war with Russia. Even by his bellicose standards, this is a ramping-up of rhetoric. Thus far, he has not followed up with any kind of conventional attack against Western defence forces. The question taxing the best strategic minds in The White House, Downing Street, the Elysee Palace, and the Federal Chancellery is whether this time is different. Mr Putin has dropped any reference to special military operations and now talks openly of war in Ukraine. The lifting of restrictions on long-range Western weapons was top of the agenda when the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, travelled to Washington for discussions with the US president, Joe Biden. The visit was marked by Moscows announcement of the expulsion of six British diplomats. While the risks are high for the West, there are difficulties for the Russians. Another mobilisation will be unpopular domestically, which is why Mr Putins armys ranks are being swollen with released convicts. Shortages in hardware are being filled by North Korea and Iran. Setbacks in Kursk may not possess strategic impact, but they have delivered an important reputational message to the world and to Russians. For this reason, Mr Putin may turn to proxy states, organisations, and criminals to asymmetrically target those countries that he deems to be aiding Kyiv. This would mean cyber war and terrorist attacks, rather than a conventional military encounter. In the UK, Prince William took the opportunity of an RAF graduation ceremony to warn new officers that we live in a time of change and uncertainty. He noted that each graduate would soon play an important role in defending their country. The Putin calculation is, and always has been, that Russia will outlast Western resolve and Ukrainian resources. This attritional approach will bring him the victory he not only craves but now needs. We may yet witness an escalation before there is any reason to contemplate de-escalation. But we can be sure that in the war of words, the stakes have grown much higher. Disgraced former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has been spared jail after admitting accessing images of children as young as seven. The 63-year-old previously admitted three charges of making indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp. At Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday, Edwards held his hands together and leaned forward throughout his sentencing hearing as he was handed six months imprisonment, suspended for two years. Westminster Magistrates Court heard Edwards told Williams go on when asked if he wanted naughty pics and vids of somebody described as yng (sic). Chief Magistrate, district judge Paul Goldspring, said reputational and financial damage was the natural consequence of your behaviour which you brought upon yourself. The BBC said Edwards had betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him adding that the corporation was appalled by his crimes. The court also heard Edwards paid Williams hundreds of pounds after he sent him pornographic images, but his defence barrister Philip Evans KC said the broadcaster did not make payments to Williams in order to receive indecent images of children. The prosecution said Williams asked Edwards for a Christmas gift after all the hot videos. Prosecutor Ian Hope said: Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around 100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him 200. A picture by the Metropolitan Police of former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards who has been sentenced at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, to six months' imprisonment suspended for two years. Of the indecent images he received, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine. Mr Evans said Edwards recognises that he has betrayed the priceless trust and faith of so many people, adding that he is truly sorry for how he had damaged his family and his loved ones and for committing the offences. Sentencing Edwards, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told the broadcaster: Perhaps it does not need saying but you are of previous good character. The judge said he accepts Edwards had been of exemplary good character having enjoyed a very successful career in the media. Its obvious that until now you were very highly regarded by the public, he continued, adding that Edwards was perhaps the most recognised newsreader-journalist. It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters, the judge said. He also told Edwards he would be subject to 25 rehabilitation sessions and be placed on the sex offender treatment programme for 40 days. Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court, London. Picture: Aaron Chown/PA Wire The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with convicted paedophile Williams telling the newsreader the child was quite young looking and that he had more images which were illegal. Addressing the exchange while opening the case to the court, Mr Hope said: Alex Williams says he has some naughty pics and vids unsure if youd like. Mr Edwards tells him to go on and Alex Williams states yng (sic). Mr Edwards again tells him to go on and Alex Williams sends a category A moving image showing a male child aged around seven to nine Mr Edwards inquires where the video is from and Alex Williams says an image-sharing group on another social media platform which they have both also used, Telegram. Alex Williams says the subject is quite yng looking to which Mr Edwards responds it can be deceptive and asks if he has any more? Mr Evans told the court: The defendant has no memory of actually viewing any particular image. The defence KC also said Edwards did not gain any gratification from indecent images. Overall, the charges cover a period between December 2020 and August 2021. Speaking about the money Edwards had sent to Williams, Mr Hope said: It is clear from the face of the WhatsApp chat recovered that a deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature. It is also clear that Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of money low hundreds of pounds on an occasional basis to Alex Williams which Mr Williams directly asked for on several occasions, as gifts or presents, apparently off the back of sending pornographic images to Mr Edwards, about which images they chatted. Alex Williams has stated that the money was more generally to support him at university and amounted to around 1,000 to 1,500. Employment at the BBC Following his guilty pleas, the BBC admitted it was informed that the former TV presenter had been arrested in November, but continued to employ him for around five months until he left on medical advice. It has asked Edwards to repay the 200,000 salary he has received since his arrest. BBC director-general Tim Davie said the money should be returned and that the corporation will explore the legal process if Edwards refuses. The relevant images in Edwards case range from the most serious category, known as category A, to the least serious, known as category C. They include seven category A images, 12 category B images and 22 category C images. The Sentencing Council, a public body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice, defines category A images as those involving penetrative sexual activity, sexual activity with an animal, or sadism. Category B images are those involving non-penetrative sexual activity, while category C images are indecent images that do not fall into A or B. According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), making an indecent image has been broadly interpreted by the courts. It can range from opening an attachment to an email containing an image, to accessing pornographic websites in which indecent photographs of children appear by way of an automatic pop-up mechanism. In the case of Edwards, he received the illegal images as part of a WhatsApp conversation. During his four decades at the corporation, Edwards was among the broadcasting teams leading coverage of historic events including the funeral of Britain's late Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 and most recently the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023. Edwards also announced Queen Elizabeth's death on the BBC in September 2022. - If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services. Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes killed 16 people in the Gaza Strip on Monday, including five women and four children. A strike was said to have flattened a home in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least 10 people there, including four women and two children. The Awda Hospital, which received the bodies, confirmed the toll and also said 13 people were wounded. Hospital records show that the dead included a mother, her child and her five siblings. Israeli soldiers take up position next to buildings destroyed by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip (Leo Correa/AP) Israel says it targets only militants and accuses Hamas and other armed groups of endangering civilians by operating in residential areas. Gazas Health Ministry says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamass October 7 attack triggered the Israel-Hamas war nearly a year ago. The ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count but says a little over half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The war has caused vast destruction and displaced about 90% of Gazas population of 2.3 million. Meanwhile, a key White House Middle East envoy is meeting Israeli leaders in the hope of lowering tensions between Israel and Lebanon. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah began striking Israel shortly after Hamass October 7 attack. Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging blows daily while avoiding an all-out war. The fighting has displaced tens of thousands of civilians on both sides of the border. During his meeting with US envoy Amos Hochstein, Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned that time is running out for a political settlement and that Israel is moving toward taking tougher action against Hezbollah. Mr Gallant warned the only way left to ensure the return of Israels northern communities to their homes will be via military action, his office said. Mr Hochstein in 2022 brokered a maritime border deal between Lebanon and Israel. The two countries have formally been at war since Israels independence in 1948. A property-value crash faces Florida and the rest of the country unless government leaders come to terms with climate change, Rhode Island Democratic U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse warned this weekend in St. Petersburg. That is the solution to the property insurance crisis gripping Florida (and increasingly more states around the country), Whitehouse said, lest soaring insurance costs spiral into a mortgage crisis and ultimately a property values crash. That is the word that Freddie Macs chief economist use, Whitehouse said, referring to the government sponsored agency designed to expand the secondary market for mortgages. Florida is worst and first in what climate change is doing to property insurance rates, but Im from Rhode Island I know a preview of coming attractions when I see one. This is coming to all coastal areas of the United States. So, understanding whats going on in Florida is really important to us, he told reporters after concluding an hour-long roundtable at a community center Saturday in Shore Acres, a low-lying section of northeast St. Petersburg that sees excessive flooding when even normal rains hit the Tampa Bay area. Getting it right in Florida really matters, and the number one lesson is you cant solve your property insurance problem unless you solve the climate problem. And so, when government is in denial about the climate problem, theyre hurting you, and we need to correct that. Whitehouse also visited Miami and Orlando this weekend to hear from community members, homeowners, and local and state legislators contending with the problem. The days are hotter, the summers are longer. Often times during the summer, we dont cool off anymore, get below 80 degrees at night, said Tampa Bay area Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor. But now the scientific data is really backing up our lived experience with more of these flooding events, these more intense tropical storms, and its no wonder that our property insurance is reflecting that increasing risk. Erase climate change With its low-lying topography and more than 8,400 miles of shoreline, much of the state and its coastal population are vulnerable to rising sea levels, according to the Florida Climate Center. Yet just four months ago Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation that erased the words climate change from the Florida Statutes and restructured the states fossil fuel-based energy policy to remove references to climate change as a priority when making energy policy decisions. DeSantis has supported programs to make Florida more resilient to the effects of climate change, with funding into the billions of dollars to contend with sea level rise and coastal flooding, said Susan Glickman of the CLEO Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing global warming. But she said the states effort is inadequate to the problem, using a metaphor of a sink overflowing with water. Its the equivalent of walking into your bathroom, she said. You grab the towels off the hook. You mop the floor up, and you never turn off that faucet, she said. Similar, to Gov. DeSantis credit, they have given out $2.5 billion or more in towels, and were doing vulnerability assessments. But there is no turning that faucet off, and that is because of the outsized influence primarily of the investor-owned utilities [which] cover 75% of the state. Glickman and Castor noted how disproportionately Floridas power companies rely on natural gas for energy generation. The state gets 75% of its energy from natural gas, which an official with the Florida Electric Power Coordinating Group recently told the Florida Public Service Commission is more than any other state in the nation. Reality The reality in Florida isnt that climate change is a thing that we might see. Its a thing that we are living, said Dawn Shirreffs, Florida director at the Environmental Defense Fund, a participant during the roundtable discussion. And it doesnt just affect our weather, its actually effecting our wallets. She noted that with record summer heat in the past year have come record high electricity rates, along with the escalating property insurance rates. Florida has some of the highest property insurance rates in the country, with homeowners paying an average $3,340, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Shirreffs noted Floridas vulnerability when it comes to Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the states insurer of last resort, originally designed to have around 150,000 policies but which now has over 1.25 million policies. We have to understand that theres real ethical questions about whether some residents should be subsidizing risk for others who made choices to live in very vulnerable places, she said. There are also residents who dont have any choice but to live in very vulnerable places. We need to make sure that were really looking at how we put people in places of risk and how everybody pays for that. In his role as Senate Budget Committee Chair, Whitehouse communicated a couple of times with Citizens CEO Tim Cerio over the past year over concerns about Citizens fiscal viability and whether it might need a federal bailout should a major storm cripple Florida, he said. In response to a question from the Phoenix on Saturday, Whitehouse replied that most of his concerns have been alleviated. We have been satisfied with their responsiveness, he said. Theyve spent a lot of time with the budget committee staff, they provided documents, so I want to give them kudos to that. The problem is that theyre in a very, very difficult situation. And there are scenarios in which their capacity to pay claims is exhausted and that forces them to go to statewide assessments that may not come in in time to help homeowners or may become so politically toxic to the rest of Florida, or unaffordable to the rest of Florida, that that mechanism collapses. So, its not a good place that they are in, but I do want to complement them for the responsive the way that they answered our questions. Climate gentrification St. Petersburg City Council member Brandi Gabbard, a real estate broker and chair of the Tampa Bay Regional Resiliency Coalition, said the region needs help from the feds when it came to flood insurance, specifically what she said were the lack of mitigation credits in Risk Rating 2.0, the National Flood Insurance Programs pricing approach introduced in phases from 2021 to 2023. Gabbard said that if the city cant provide residents with incentives to lower their rates, homeowners may be compelled to sell to investors as rental units, rendering the homes less affordable for the community. Were pushing people out of neighborhoods where they have been for generations, she said. Were talking about thousands and thousands of homes. These are our residents. These are people who have lived here for generations. If we push them out of these neighborhoods, what happens is, then, all thats left is really the center part of our city, and now you have areas that traditionally were affordable, traditionally were low and moderate area income neighborhoods, traditionally areas where there are large numbers of people of color. And now we are pushing the wealth and those coastal neighborhoods into those areas and causing increased gentrification. It changes our city completely if we dont have the vision for how we protect our coastal neighborhoods. St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and Pinellas area Democratic state lawmakers Lindsay Cross and Darryl Rouson also provided comments during the discussion. This story first appeared on the website of the Florida Phoenix, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to coverage of state government and politics from Tallahassee Paramount, you got some splainin to do! 'I Love Lucy: The Complete Series' Blu-ray Box Set Coming November 5th! 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 Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) The vile and disgusting tactic of J.D. Vance and Don Trump of spreading false, racist charges against Haitians of eating the pets of suburbanites is nothing unexpected. The MAGA wing of the Republican Party thrives on finding poor, weak victims and demonizing them. First they manufacture an imaginary threat, then they pose as the champions of Das Volk oops, I mean, the people, as the ones who can save them from this menace. Haitian workers, having legally come into the U.S., started going to Springfield, Ohio, for jobs in 2018 when Trump was president. The Springfield municipal authorities needed workers and were happy to have them come in. Their numbers have almost certainly been vastly exaggerated. In fact, the Trump administration did not cut immigration. Trump issued green cards at about the same annual rate as the Obama administration until the advent of COVID. The annual rate of green card issuance went back to normal under Biden-Harris but did not increase over what Trump had been doing. Trumps immigration scare is just a scam the US has been averaging about a million legal immigrants a year for a long time, and that continued under Trump before the pandemic. Find more statistics at Statista Why target Haitians? Some on social media have suggested that it is a slam at Kamala Harriss paternal ancestry in Jamaica, an attempt to smear all Caribbean-Americans as deviants. Haitians have fled Haiti in some numbers, but they arent the only emigrants from the Caribbean to the US and are not distinctive percentage-wise. There are about 1.1 million persons of Haitian descent in the U.S., while the population of Haiti is 11.5 million. Thats 9.5% of the population in the U.S. But there are 2.5 million persons of Dominican descent in the U.S., and the population of the Dominican Republic is almost identical to that of Haiti. Thats nearly 22% of Dominica in the US. Haitian emigration, like all emigration, is driven by pull factors and push factors. The US economy and demand for jobs are pull factors. Natural disasters and gang governance are push factors. Hurricane Matthew in 2016 destroyed 200,000 homes and left over a million people without housing. Hurricanes have gotten more powerful and destructive because Americans put 4 or 5 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year from burning coal, fossil gas and petroleum. So Matthew was extra destructive and it is our fault. There are many reasons for which the US owes Haiti reparations. The murder rate in Haiti is 40 per 100,000 per annum. In the US recently it is about 6 per 100,000 per annum. In France it is 1.4 per 100,000 per year, which shows just how violent the US is. But Haiti is more so. The Trump-Vance smear of Haitians as eaters of family pets in part refers obliquely to the violent conditions from which Haitian immigrants have fled. There are some 200 armed gangs in Haiti. They have around 12,000 members. But obviously most Haitians are not gangbangers. In fact, 11,488,000 are not. As with Mexico, US-made semi-automatic weapons have flooded the island and worsened violence. But most Haitians are not violent or gangbangers, and the over one million in the US came here in part to get away from that kind of thing. Trump and Vance want to smear hard-working blue collar Haitian families. This demonization of an entire ethnic group is typical of fascist politics. The Nazis also accused German Jews of spreading false rumors, of spreading diseases, and of being generally undesirable. Liberty Keffiyeh, Digital, Dream / Realistic v2 / Clip2Comic, 2024 The targeting of Haitians resembles in some ways the demonization of Palestinians. Even their scarves, the keffiyeh, have been demonized. Palestinians have been accused of being intrinsically violent, as though it were a gene trait. I have long thought that given that they were kicked out of their own country and have been kept under a brutal occupation, they have responded with a remarkable lack of violence. Even now, as the Israeli military has slaughtered over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the bulk of them women and children, the Palestinians of the West Bank have been long-suffering. Indeed, most of the violence in the Palestinian West Bank has been committed by militant Israel squatters determined to steal Palestinian land. A lot of the 160,000 Palestinian Americans seem to be professionals and small business people. Some of them have staged protests. The biggest rap against them seems to be that they protested without a permit (a charge that seems oblivious to what protest means.) Palestinians can be killed with impunity because they are not considered human beings. A whole panoply of Israeli leaders have said that there are no innocent Palestinians, which is a genocidal statement. Just switch it around and consider how horrible it would be for someone to say that there are no innocent Jews. And now, courtesy of rising American fascism, there are no innocent Haitians. Middle East Monitor Nasimbythedocks ( ) How did Britains oldest Jewish newspaper end up publishing a story that Israels security forces have raised serious doubts about? Thats the question many are asking with the Jewish Chronicle facing intense criticism over what is seen as a glaring example of journalistic malpractice. The paper has been slammed as a conduit for unverified, and potentially fabricated, information, seemingly aligned with the political interests of Israels Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The row erupted earlier this month, when the Jewish Chronicle published an article by Elon Perry. Perry who is described in his JC bio as a former commando soldier made sensational claims about Hamas leader Yahya Sinwars supposed plan to smuggle hostages out of Gaza. He backed his wild speculation by asserting that the Jewish Chronicle had been informed of the plot by Israeli intelligence sources. The alleged scheme involved a plot by Sinwar to transport himself, other Hamas leaders, and the remaining Israeli hostages through the contentious Philadelphi Corridor to Sinai, with Iran as the ultimate destination. Perrys article claimed further that this information was obtained during the interrogation of a captured senior Hamas official and from documents seized on 29 August, coinciding with the recovery of the bodies of six Israeli hostages. The Jewish Chronicle explicitly linked the unsubstantiated claims to Netanyahus stance on the Philadelphi Corridor, a critical 14 kilometre stretch along the Gaza-Egypt border. Despite the fact that no operational tunnel has been found along the Gaza-Egypt border, the Israeli prime minister has obstinately insisted on maintaining an indefinite military presence in the area, even if it means jeopardising a potential ceasefire agreement that could secure the release of hostages. Notably, Israels Defence Minister Yoav Gallant publicly denounced the prioritisation of the Philadelphi Corridor over the lives of hostages, describing it as a moral disgrace. As Netanyahu faced mounting criticism from all quarters including within Israel and from his closest allies in Washington the Jewish Chronicles article conveniently lent credence to the Israeli premiers controversial stance. The piece echoed Netanyahus assertion during an infamous press conference that abandoning the Philadelphi Corridor would render it impossible to prevent Hamas from smuggling both weapons and hostages. The striking coincidence between the purported intelligence cited by the Jewish Chronicle and Netanyahus political position has sparked serious doubts about the authenticity of the information and the underlying motives for the articles publication. The timing and content of the piece have raised alarming concerns about the integrity of the UKs longest-running Jewish newspaper. There are now growing speculations that the Jewish Chronicle may have acted as a conduit for fabricated pro-Netanyahu stories, effectively functioning as a propaganda tool to bolster the Israeli premiers increasingly isolated position. The article in the JC unravelled under scrutiny as multiple sources, including a detailed report in +972 Magazine, as well as reports from several Israeli media outlets, raised doubts over claims about Sinwars secret plan to smuggle hostages to Iran and its author Perry. Corrupting the Press, Digital, Dream / Realistic v2 / Clip2Comic, 2024 According to these investigations, just a day after the publication of the Jewish Chronicle article, Israels Channel 12 refuted its claims, stating that all of the relevant sources in the security establishment were unaware of the supposed intelligence. Ynet journalist Ronen Bergman further dismantled the story, quoting four sources from Israels intelligence community and the Israeli armys prisoners and missing persons division, who described the JCs claims as a wild fabrication and one hundred percent lies. Even the spokesperson for Israeli occupation forces, Daniel Hagari, officially dismissed the story as baseless. More alarmingly, its reported that the fabrication is not an isolated incident. The Jewish Chronicles article appears to be part of a broader pattern of fabricated intelligence stories seemingly designed to bolster Netanyahus position. A similar report in Germanys Bild newspaper, purporting to reveal Hamass negotiation strategy from a document allegedly obtained from Sinwars computer, was also largely debunked by Israeli military sources. The fabrication is viewed with such seriousness that the Israeli army has launched an internal investigation into these leaks, suspecting an influence campaign aimed at swaying Israeli public opinion in favour of Netanyahu. The Israeli army is said to be treating the two articles, in the Jewish Chronicle and Bild, as connected, and has opened an internal investigation to try and find the source of the leaks and fabrications. According to +972 Magazine, the Israeli military suspects that whoever is responsible is seeking to influence Israeli public opinion in favour of Netanyahu, just as mass Israeli protests for a hostage deal threaten to torpedo his attempts to keep the war raging. A military official with knowledge of the armys investigation is reported to have told Bergman definitively: This is an influence campaign on the Israeli public and we are determined to find the person or entity behind it. Adding another layer to this troubling influence campaign, serious questions have been raised about the articles author, Elon Perry. Investigations by various journalists and media outlets, including Israels Channel 13 programme Hazinor, have exposed numerous fabrications in Perrys bio. Despite claiming 28 years of service in the Golani Brigade, participation in Operation Entebbe, and a professorship at Tel Aviv University, none of these claims could be verified. When confronted, Perry reportedly denied or deflected these fabrications. Furthermore, tech journalist Simi Spolter found no evidence of Perrys claimed 25-year journalism career in Israeli media. Apart from recent articles in the Jewish Chronicle, its reported that there is no documented history of Perry as a long-standing journalist. The revelations of the past few days have severely undermined the Jewish Chronicles editorial credibility and raise troubling questions about its role in disseminating fabricated stories in amplifying Netanyahus propaganda. Whether wittingly or unwittingly, Britains oldest Jewish newspaper seems to have become a conduit for false information that serves to justify Netanyahus controversial policies, particularly regarding the ongoing negotiations and the continued occupation of the Philadelphi Corridor. For readers familiar with the Jewish Chronicles reporting in recent years, these revelations are unlikely to come as a surprise. The paper is widely viewed as being embedded within the global Islamophobia industry and as one of the leading amplifiers of anti-Palestinian sentiments. It is often regarded as a platform for spreading hate and propaganda, rather than a serious and credible news source. MEMO contacted the Jewish Chronicle regarding the allegations in this article but did not receive a reply at the time of publication. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor or Informed Comment. Via Middle East Monitor Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2024) - Blackrock Silver Corp. (TSXV: BRC) (the "Company") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") of 15,625,000 common shares ("Shares") of the Company at a price of $0.32 per Share for gross proceeds of $5,000,000. The Company is pleased to advise that Eric Sprott, through 2176423 Ontario Ltd., has subscribed for the entire Offering. The Offering is scheduled to close on or about September 20, 2024 and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). The Shares to be issued under the Offering will have a hold period of four months and one day from the closing date. The net proceeds of the Offering will be used by the Company to fund expansion drilling on the Company's Tonopah West property, and for general working capital. The participation of Eric Sprott in the Offering will be considered a "related party transaction" within the meaning of TSXV Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") adopted in the Policy. The Company intends to rely on the exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 in respect of related party participation in the Offering as neither the fair market value (as determined under MI 61-101) of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, the transaction, is expected to exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization (as determined under MI 61-101). The Company will pay a finder's fee of 3% of the proceeds of the Offering in cash to Research Capital Corporation. The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any securities in any jurisdiction. About Blackrock Silver Corp. Backed by gold and silver ounces in the ground, Blackrock is a junior precious metal focused exploration and development company driven to add shareholder value. Anchored by a seasoned Board of Directors, the Company is focused on its 100% controlled Nevada portfolio of properties consisting of low-sulphidation, epithermal gold and silver mineralization located along the established Northern Nevada Rift in north-central Nevada and the Walker Lane trend in western Nevada. Additional information on Blackrock Silver Corp. can be found on its website at www.blackrocksilver.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedarplus.ca. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking statements concern the expected subscription and closing of the Offering, net proceeds from the Offering and the intended use of proceeds. Such forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: conditions in general economic and financial markets; timing and amount of exploration expenditures; and effects of regulation by governmental agencies. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of risk factors including: the availability of funds; the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities of mineral properties; the interpretation of drilling results and other geological data; and general market and industry conditions. Forward-Looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2024) - Roscan Gold Corporation (TSXV: ROS) (FSE: 2OJ) (OTCQB: RCGCF) ("Roscan" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Mr. Nana Sangmuah has been appointed as the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, effective September 16, 2024. Mr. Sangmuah will succeed Sir Samuel Jonah, who is stepping down from his role as Non-Executive Chairman for personal reasons. Additionally, the Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Rahul Paul to its Board of Directors, effective today. Nana Sangmuah, Executive Chairman, President, and CEO, commented, "We are deeply grateful for the invaluable contributions and guidance Sir Samuel has provided during his tenure as Chairman. His leadership has been instrumental in positioning Roscan for future success. As we transition from advanced exploration towards permitting and development, I am confident that his advice and experience will continue to be a vital asset to the Company. Furthermore, we are thrilled to welcome Rahul Paul to our Board. His extensive capital markets expertise and proven track record in the mining industry will be invaluable as we continue to execute our growth strategy." Appointment of Mr. Rahul Paul to the Board of Directors Mr. Paul brings more than seventeen years of experience in capital markets and the mining industry. Most recently, he held the position of President & CEO at Radisson Mining Resources Inc., a company listed on the TSX-V. During his tenure, he successfully secured financing and supervised a 128,000 m drill program from 2019 to 2022, resulting in a significant increase in gold resources at the O'Brien project. With near a decade serving as Director, Research - Precious Metals at Canaccord Genuity, Mr. Paul provided in-depth coverage of gold producers and developers. He has been instrumental in assisting numerous North American gold companies in managing growth, raising capital, enhancing market visibility, and progressing projects from early-stage exploration through to production. Mr. Paul holds a Master of Business Administration from Western University and an undergraduate engineering degree from the University of Kerala. Stock Options The Company's board of directors has approved the granting of 500,000 incentive stock options pursuant to the Company's Stock Option Plan to Rahul Paul, which will vest immediately. The options are exercisable at a price of $0.08 per share for a period of five (5) years from issuance. About Roscan Roscan Gold Corporation is a Canadian gold exploration company focused on the exploration and acquisition of gold properties in West Africa. The Company has assembled a significant land position of 100%-owned permits in an area of producing gold mines (including B2 Gold's Fekola Mine which lies in a contiguous property to the west of Kandiole), and major gold deposits, located both north and south of its Kandiole Project in West Mali. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks set out in the Company's management's discussion and analysis as filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The offering documentation is or will be accessible through SEDAR+ and EDGAR VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 16, 2024 /CNW/ - Vizsla Silver Corp. (TSXV: VZLA) (NYSE: VZLA) (Frankfurt: 0G3) ("Vizsla" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Canaccord Genuity as sole bookrunner, on behalf of itself and syndicate of underwriters (the "Underwriters"), pursuant to which the Underwriters have agreed to purchase, on a bought deal basis, 25,000,000 common shares (the "Common Shares"), at a price of $2.60 per Common Share, for gross proceeds of approximately $65,000,000 (the "Offering"). The Company has granted the Underwriters an option (the "Over-Allotment Option"), exercisable at the offering price for a period of 30 days after and including the closing of the Offering, to purchase up to an additional 15% of the Offering to cover over-allotments, if any. The Offering is expected to close on or about September 19, 2024 and is subject to the Company receiving all necessary regulatory approvals. In the event that the Over Allotment Option is exercised in full, the total gross proceeds of the Offering will be $74,750,000. The Company currently intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering to advance the exploration, drilling and development of the Company's Panuco Project, as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes as set out in the Prospectus Supplement (as defined below). The Common Shares will be offered by way of a prospectus supplement (the "Prospectus Supplement") in all of the provinces and territories of Canada, other than Quebec, pursuant to the Company's base shelf prospectus dated March 31, 2023 (the "Base Shelf Prospectus"), and will be offered in the United States pursuant to a prospectus supplement (the "US Prospectus Supplement") filed as part of an effective registration statement on Form F-10 (the "Registration Statement") filed under the Canada/U.S. multi-jurisdictional disclosure system. Before investing, prospective purchasers in Canada should read the Prospectus Supplement, the Base Shelf Prospectus, and the documents incorporated by reference therein, and prospective purchasers in the United States should read the US Prospectus Supplement, the Base Shelf Prospectus and the Registration Statement and the documents incorporated by reference therein for more complete information about the Company and the Offering. Copies of the applicable offering documents, when available, can be obtained free of charge under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Delivery of the Base Shelf Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement and any amendments thereto will be satisfied in accordance with the "access equals delivery" provisions of applicable Canadian securities legislation. An electronic or paper copy of Prospectus Supplement, the US Prospectus Supplement, the Base Shelf Prospectus and the Registration Statement, when available, may be obtained, without charge, from Canaccord Genuity by phone at 416-869-3052 or by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by providing Canaccord Genuity with an email address or address, as applicable. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Vizsla Silver Corp. Vizsla Silver is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company headquartered in Vancouver, BC, focused on advancing its flagship, 100%-owned Panuco silver-gold project located in Sinaloa, Mexico. To date, Vizsla Silver has completed over 380,000 metres of drilling at Panuco leading to the discovery of several new high-grade veins. For 2024, Vizsla Silver has budgeted +45,000 metres of resource/discovery-based drilling designed to upgrade and expand the mineral resource, as well as test other high priority targets across the district. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release includes certain "ForwardLooking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forwardlooking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws, including those regarding the terms of the Offering and the expected completion and use of proceeds thereof, which ultimately remains the subject of the Company's discretion. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "plan", "forecast", "may", "would", "could", "schedule" and similar words or expressions, identify forwardlooking statements or information. Forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information are based on management's reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the price of silver, gold, and other metals; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; Vizsla Silver's ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms. These statements reflect Vizsla Silver's respective current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of other assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information and Vizsla Silver has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the Company's dependence on one mineral project; precious metals price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's mining activities in Mexico; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; risks regarding mineral resources and reserves; the Company's inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; the Company's interactions with surrounding communities and artisanal miners; the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and the factors identified under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Prospectus Supplement, the US Prospectus Supplement and Vizsla Silver's management discussion and analysis. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information. Although Vizsla Silver has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. Vizsla Silver does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law. TORONTO, Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Churchill Resources Inc. ("Churchill" or the "Company") (TSXV: CRI) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an option agreement (the "Option Agreement") on properties that cover a portion of the TB Magmatic Trend at the Taylor Brook Nickel Property, NL. This option agreement consolidates 100% of the prospective magmatic trend for the Company. Churchill is also pleased to announce that drilling operations are commencing today as previously announced, with the first holes targeting compelling I.P. (Induced Polarization) high chargeability targets on the TBSL-1 Grid. Terms of Option Agreement Under the terms of the Option Agreement with the optionor, Churchill optioned four contiguous claims covering a 1.0 km2 area under one mineral license. On execution of the agreement Churchill paid $15,000 and agreed to issue 50,000 common shares (the "Churchill Shares") within five days of receipt of regulatory approval. Subsequent option payments over the next 24 months include: (a) on or before the 12-month anniversary of the effective date of the Option Agreement (i) payment of $25,000, and (ii) the issuance of 100,000 Churchill Shares, and (b) on or before the 24-month anniversary of the effective date of the Option Agreement (i) payment of $50,000, and (ii) the issuance of 200,000 Churchill Shares. Churchill also granted to the optionee a 2.0% net smelter returns royalty on the properties, of which 1.0% may be purchased by the Company for $1.0 million. Churchill may also satisfy $10,000 and $20,000 of the portions of the remaining cash payments under the term of the Option Agreement by issuing Churchill Shares in lieu of such partial cash payment. The issue price for the Churchill Shares, if and when they are issued, shall be the greater of: (i) the closing price of the Churchill Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") on date immediately preceding the date of announcement of the Option Agreement; and (ii) the closing price of the Churchill Shares on the TSXV, or on such other recognized stock exchange in Canada on which the Churchill Shares are then listed, on the date immediately preceding the delivery of the notice to the optionee electing to issue Churchill Shares in lieu of cash. The Option Agreement, including the Churchill Shares issuable thereunder, is subject to the approval of the TSXV. About Churchill Resources Inc. Churchill Resources Inc. is a Canadian exploration company focused on high grade, magmatic nickel sulphides in Canada, principally at its prospective Taylor Brook and Florence Lake properties in Newfoundland & Labrador. The Churchill management team, board and its advisors have decades of combined management experience in mineral exploration and in the establishment of successful publicly listed mining companies, both in Canada and around the world. Churchills Taylor Brook and Florence Lake projects have the potential to benefit from the provinces large and diversified minerals industry, which includes world class nickel mines and processing facilities, and a well-developed mineral exploration sector with locally based drilling and geological expertise. Further Information For further information regarding Churchill, please contact: Churchill Resources Inc. Paul Sobie, Chief Executive Officer Tel. +1 416.365.0930 (o) +1 647.988.0930 (m) Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Alec Rowlands, Corporate Consultant Tel. +1 416.721.4732 (m) Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", proposed, "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, receipt of the TSXV for the approval of the Option Agreement, the Companys objectives, goals and exploration activities conducted and proposed to be conducted at the Companys properties; future growth potential of the Company, including whether any proposed exploration programs at any of the Companys properties will be successful; exploration results; and future exploration plans and costs and financing availability. These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: the expected benefits to the Company relating to the exploration conducted and proposed to be conducted at the Companys properties; failure to identify any mineral resources or significant mineralization; the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, including to fund any exploration programs on the Companys properties; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar to United States dollar exchange rate); change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations pressures, cave-ins and flooding); inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining and mineral exploration; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability of increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); the unlikelihood that properties that are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines; geological factors; actual results of current and future exploration; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated; soil sampling results being preliminary in nature and are not conclusive evidence of the likelihood of a mineral deposit; title to properties; and those factors described in the most recently filed managements discussion and analysis of the Company. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information, will prove to be accurate. The Company does not undertake to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. First Westgold Rig Arrives to Accelerate Fletcher Drilling PERTH, Australia, Sept. 16, 2024 /CNW/ - Westgold Resources Limited (ASX: WGX) (TSX: WGX) (OTCQX: WGXRF) (Westgold or the Company) is pleased to provide an update in relation to the Fletcher Zone at the Beta Hunt Mine within the Southern Goldfields operation. Highlights Declaration of the Fletcher Global Exploration Target of 23-27Mt @ 2.1-2.5g/t Au for 1.6-2.1Moz. Includes an initial Stage 1 (Southern Zone) Exploration Target of 1216Mt @ 2.1-2.5g/t Au for 0.8-1.2Moz Au. Resource definition drilling at Fletcher to be accelerated. Fletcher is a circa 2km long mineralised zone within 300m of the existing Western Flanks development The first of two Westgold underground drilling rigs has arrived at Beta Hunt. A minimum of three drill rigs will be committed to the Fletcher program for the foreseeable future. Regular updates on drilling results will be provided during Q2/Q3 FY25. The potential quantity and grade of the Exploration Targets are conceptual in nature and, as such, there has been insufficient exploration drilling conducted to estimate a Mineral Resource. At this stage it is uncertain if further exploration drilling will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource. The Exploration Target has been prepared in accordance with the JORC Code (2012). Westgold Managing Director and CEO Wayne Bramwell commented: "Westgold has moved quickly post-merger to advance opportunities to increase production at Beta Hunt. Through the release of the Fletcher Zone Exploration Target, Westgold can now articulate what we believe to be the size of the prize, demonstrating both the potential scale and the importance of the Fletcher discovery to the Beta Hunt operation. Resource definition will be accelerated Fletcher. The first of two Westgold owned underground drill rigs has arrived on site to complement the existing contract rig with a three-rig program key to enhancing the potential to deliver a Maiden Resource from the Southern Zone." Background To the Fletcher Zone The Beta Hunt operation, located at Kambalda 600km east of Perth, was acquired by Westgold as part of the August 2024 merger with TSX listed Karora Resources Inc. Fletcher is a substantial new discovery made by Karora Resources at Beta Hunt and is interpreted to represent a new gold mineralised structure paralleling the ~1.6Moz Western Flanks deposit, approximately 300m to the west1 (Figure 1). Like Western Flanks, mineralisation comprises sheared albite-biotite-pyrite altered and irregularly quartz veined basalt. While discovered in 2016, Resource Definition drilling only commenced in earnest in 2023 with 32 holes having been drilled into the +2km long mineralised system to the end of August 2024. Drill results to date have been impressive and were recently reported in the Westgold ASX/TSX announcement of 21 August 20242. 1 Refer Westgold ASX/TSX release of 21 August 2024 "Outstanding Drill Results from Fletcher Zone at Beta Hunt" 2 Refer Westgold ASX/TSX release of 21 August 2024 "Outstanding Drill Results from Fletcher Zone at Beta Hunt" Declaration of an Exploration Target at Fletcher Westgold has calculated JORC and NI43-101 compliant Exploration Targets for the Fletcher Zone at Beta Hunt dated 14 September 2024 as follows: Fletcher Zone Global Exploration Target Tonnes (Mt) Low Tonnes (Mt) High Grade (g/t Au) Low Grade (g/t Au) High Contained Gold (Moz) Low Contained Gold (Moz) High 23.0 27.0 2.1 2.5 1.6 2.1 Given that the accelerated drilling program (see below) is initially focussing on the southern half of the currently defined ~2km of strike (refer Figure 1), the Company has defined a Stage 1 Exploration Target (being a subset of the Global Exploration Target) as follows: Fletcher Zone Stage 1 Exploration Target (A subset of the Global Exploration Target) Tonnes (Mt) Low Tonnes (Mt) High Grade (g/t Au) Low Grade (g/t Au) High Contained Gold (Moz) Low Contained Gold (Moz) High 12.0 16.0 2.1 2.5 0.8 1.2 The potential quantity and grade of the Exploration Targets are conceptual in nature and, as such, there has been insufficient exploration drilling conducted to estimate a Mineral Resource. At this stage it is uncertain if further exploration drilling will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource. The Exploration Target has been prepared in accordance with the JORC Code (2012). Exploration Target Basis The Exploration Targets presented above are based on the following information and assumptions: The geological information collected from a total of 32 diamond drill holes for 18,918m drilled over two kilometres of strike by Westgold (Karora) since 2016. drilled over two kilometres of strike by Westgold (Karora) since 2016. Highly encouraging gold assay results returned from these drill holes over 2km of strike and to a depth of ~250m below the base of the Kambalda Ultramafic contact with mineralisation remaining open at depth 3 . By comparison, the Western Flanks deposit has been drilled to a depth of greater than 500m below the contact. . By comparison, the Western Flanks deposit has been drilled to a depth of greater than below the contact. Fletcher mineralisation is of the same style as the parallel 1.6Moz Western Flanks deposit 3 located only 300m to the east. located only to the east. The gold grade range of the Exploration Target has been calculated from the significant number of drill intercepts returned from the 32 holes completed to date and comparisons with the gold grades of the nearby and parallel Western Flanks deposit currently being mined by Westgold. The volume range (tonnages) of the Exploration Target is defined by implicit modelling of the mineralised zone defined by the drilling completed via a geological modelling software package. The assumed strike length of the Global Exploration Target is 2km while the assumed strike length of the Stage 1 Exploration Target is 1km. The Exploration Target ounces output ranges was rounded to the nearest 100koz to reflect the conceptual nature of the calculations. 3 Refer Westgold ASX/TSX release of 21 August 2024 "Outstanding Drill Results from Fletcher Zone at Beta Hunt" Additional Drill Rigs Added to Accelerate Resource Definition In order to test the obvious potential of the Fletcher Zone with the aim of potentially defining a Mineral Resource in the shortest possible timeframe, Westgold has determined that an accelerated drill out of Fletcher is warranted. To this end, the Company is augmenting the current single contract underground drill rig at Fletcher with two rigs from its recently expanded inhouse fleet. The first of these rigs has been mobilised to site, with the second to follow prior to the end of September. These additional drill rigs will allow the Company to dedicate a minimum of three to the Fletcher Resource Definition program without impacting the ongoing grade control requirements of the mine, or detracting from other resource development priorities. Looking Forward With the acceleration of the Fletcher Resource Definition drilling program the Company looks forward to providing regular updates on drill results during the coming months. This announcement is authorised for release to the ASX and TSX by the Board. Competent/Qualified Person Statements Exploration Results The information in this release that relates to Exploration results was compiled by Westgold technical employees and contractors under the supervision of Mr. Simon Rigby B.Sc. (Hons), who is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and who has verified, reviewed and approved such information. Mr Rigby is a full-time employee of the Company and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the styles of mineralisation and types of deposit under consideration and to the activities which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (the "JORC Code") and as a Qualified Person as defined in the CIM Guidelines and National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). Mr. Rigby is an employee of the Company and, accordingly, is not independent for purposes of NI 43-101. Mr Rigby consents to and approves the inclusion in this release of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears. Mr Rigby is eligible to participate in short- and long-term incentive plans of the company. General Mineral Resources, Ore Reserve Estimates and Exploration Targets and Results are calculated in accordance with the JORC Code. Investors outside Australia should note that while Ore Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates of the Company in this announcement comply with the JORC Code (such JORC Code-compliant Ore Reserves and Mineral Resources being "Ore Reserves" and "Mineral Resources" respectively), they may not comply with the relevant guidelines in other countries and, in particular, do not comply with (i) NI 43-101; or (ii) Item 1300 of Regulation S-K, which governs disclosures of Mineral Reserves in registration statements filed with the SEC. Information contained in this announcement describing mineral deposits may not be comparable to similar information made public by companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of Canadian or US securities laws. The other technical and scientific information in this release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in NI 43-101 and has been reviewed on behalf of the company by Qualified Persons, as set forth above. The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the original market announcements and that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the estimates in the relevant market announcements continue to apply and have not been materially changed. The Company confirms that the form and context in which the Competent Persons findings are presented have not been materially modified from the original market announcements. Forward Looking Statements These materials prepared by Westgold Resources Limited include forward looking statements. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward looking words such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "believe", "forecast", "predict", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "continue", and "guidance", or other similar words and may include, without limitation, statements regarding plans, strategies and objectives of management, anticipated production or construction commencement dates and expected costs or production outputs. Forward looking statements inherently involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements. Relevant factors may include, but are not limited to, changes in commodity prices, foreign exchange fluctuations and general economic conditions, increased costs and demand for production inputs, the speculative nature of exploration and project development, including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits and diminishing quantities or grades of reserves, political and social risks, changes to the regulatory framework within which the Company operates or may in the future operate, environmental conditions including extreme weather conditions, recruitment and retention of personnel, industrial relations issues and litigation. Forward looking statements are based on the Company and its management's good faith assumptions relating to the financial, market, regulatory and other relevant environments that will exist and affect the Company's business and operations in the future. The Company does not give any assurance that the assumptions on which forward looking statements are based will prove to be correct, or that the Company's business or operations will not be affected in any material manner by these or other factors not foreseen or foreseeable by the Company or management or beyond the Company's control. Although the Company attempts and has attempted to identify factors that would cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those disclosed in forward looking statements, there may be other factors that could cause actual results, performance, achievements or events not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and many events are beyond the reasonable control of the Company. In addition, the Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the factors outlined in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR+ or the ASX, including, in the Company's current annual report, half year report or most recent management discussion and analysis. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Forward looking statements in these materials speak only at the date of issue. Subject to any continuing obligations under applicable law or any relevant stock exchange listing rules, in providing this information the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any of the forward-looking statements or to advise of any change in events, conditions or circumstances. APPENDIX B JORC 2012 TABLE 1 GOLD DIVISION SECTION 1: SAMPLING TECHNIQUES AND DATA (Criteria in this section apply to all succeeding sections.) Criteria JORC Code Explanation Commentary Sampling techniques Nature and quality of sampling (e.g. cut channels, random chips, or specific specialised industry standard measurement tools appropriate to the minerals under investigation, such as down hole gamma sondes, or handheld XRF instruments, etc.). These examples should not be taken as limiting the broad meaning of sampling. Include reference to measures taken to ensure sample representivity and the appropriate calibration of any measurement tools or systems used. Aspects of the determination of mineralisation that are Material to the Public Report. In cases where 'industry standard' work has been done this would be relatively simple (e.g. 'reverse circulation drilling was used to obtain 1 m samples from which 3 kg was pulverised to produce a 30 g charge for fire assay'). In other cases more explanation may be required, such as where there is coarse gold that has inherent sampling problems. Unusual commodities or mineralisation types (e.g. submarine nodules) may warrant disclosure of detailed information. Diamond Drilling A significant portion of the data used in resource calculations has been gathered from diamond core. Multiple sizes have been used historically. This core is geologically logged and subsequently halved for sampling. Grade control holes may be whole-cored to streamline the core handling process if required. A significant portion of the data used in resource calculations has been gathered from diamond core. Multiple sizes have been used historically. This core is geologically logged and subsequently halved for sampling. Grade control holes may be whole-cored to streamline the core handling process if required. Face Sampling At each of the major past and current underground producers, each development face / round is horizontally chip sampled. The sampling intervals are domained by geological constraints (e.g. rock type, veining and alteration / sulphidation etc.). The majority of exposures within the orebody are sampled. At each of the major past and current underground producers, each development face / round is horizontally chip sampled. The sampling intervals are domained by geological constraints (e.g. rock type, veining and alteration / sulphidation etc.). The majority of exposures within the orebody are sampled. Sludge Drilling Sludge drilling at is performed with an underground production drill rig. It is an open hole drilling method using water as the flushing medium, with a 64mm (nominal) hole diameter. Sample intervals are ostensibly the length of the drill steel. Holes are drilled at sufficient angles to allow flushing of the hole with water following each interval to prevent contamination. Sludge drilling is not used to inform resource models. Drilling techniques Drill type (e.g. core, reverse circulation, open-hole hammer, rotary air blast, auger, Bangka, sonic, etc.) and details (e.g. core diameter, triple or standard tube, depth of diamond tails, face-sampling bit or other type, whether core is oriented and if so, by what method, etc.). Method of recording and assessing core and chip sample recoveries and results assessed. Measures taken to maximise sample recovery and ensure representative nature of the samples. RC Drilling Drill cuttings are extracted from the RC return via cyclone. The underflow from each interval is transferred via bucket to a four-tiered riffle splitter, delivering approximately three kilograms of the recovered material into calico bags for analysis. The residual material is retained on the ground near the hole. Composite samples are obtained from the residue material for initial analysis, with the split samples remaining with the individual residual piles until required for re-split analysis or eventual disposal. Drill cuttings are extracted from the RC return via cyclone. The underflow from each interval is transferred via bucket to a four-tiered riffle splitter, delivering approximately three kilograms of the recovered material into calico bags for analysis. The residual material is retained on the ground near the hole. Composite samples are obtained from the residue material for initial analysis, with the split samples remaining with the individual residual piles until required for re-split analysis or eventual disposal. RAB / Aircore Drilling Combined scoops from bucket dumps from cyclone for composite. Split samples taken from individual bucket dumps via scoop. RAB holes are not included in the resource estimate. Combined scoops from bucket dumps from cyclone for composite. Split samples taken from individual bucket dumps via scoop. RAB holes are not included in the resource estimate. Blast Hole Drilling Cuttings sampled via splitter tray per individual drill rod. Blast holes not included in the resource estimate. Drill sample recovery Whether a relationship exists between sample recovery and grade and whether sample bias may have occurred due to preferential loss/gain of fine/coarse material. All geology input is logged and validated by the relevant area geologists, incorporated into this is assessment of sample recovery. No defined relationship exists between sample recovery and grade. Nor has sample bias due to preferential loss or gain of fine or coarse material been noted. Logging Whether core and chip samples have been geologically and geotechnically logged to a level of detail to support appropriate Mineral Resource estimation, mining studies and metallurgical studies. Whether logging is qualitative or quantitative in nature. Core (or costean, channel, etc.) photography. The total length and percentage of the relevant intersections logged Westgold surface drill-holes are all orientated and have been logged in detail for geology, veining, alteration, mineralisation and orientated structure. Westgold underground drill-holes are logged in detail for geology, veining, alteration, mineralisation and structure. Core has been logged in enough detail to allow for the relevant mineral resource estimation techniques to be employed. Surface core is photographed both wet and dry and underground core is photographed wet. All photos are stored on the Company's servers, with the photographs from each hole contained within separate folders. Development faces are mapped geologically. RC, RAB and Aircore chips are geologically logged. Sludge drilling is logged for lithology, mineralisation and vein percentage. Logging is quantitative in nature. All holes are logged completely, all faces are mapped completely. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation If core, whether cut or sawn and whether quarter, half or all core taken. If non-core, whether riffled, tube sampled, rotary split, etc. and whether sampled wet or dry. For all sample types, the nature, quality and appropriateness of the sample preparation technique. Quality control procedures adopted for all sub-sampling stages to maximise representivity of samples. Measures taken to ensure that the sampling is representative of the in-situ material collected, including for instance results for field duplicate/second-half sampling. Whether sample sizes are appropriate to the grain size of the material being sampled. Blast holes -Sampled via splitter tray per individual drill rods. RAB / AC chips - Combined scoops from bucket dumps from cyclone for composite. Split samples taken from individual bucket dumps via scoop. RC - Three tier riffle splitter (approximately 5kg sample). Samples generally dry. Face Chips - Nominally chipped horizontally across the face from left to right, sub-set via geological features as appropriate. Diamond Drilling - Half-core niche samples, sub-set via geological features as appropriate. Grade control holes may be whole-cored to streamline the core handling process if required. Chips / core chips undergo total preparation. Samples undergo fine pulverisation of the entire sample by an LM5 type mill to achieve a 75 product prior to splitting. QA/QC is currently ensured during the sub-sampling stages process via the use of the systems of an independent NATA / ISO accredited laboratory contractor. A significant portion of the historical informing data has been processed by in-house laboratories. The sample size is considered appropriate for the grain size of the material being sampled. The un-sampled half of diamond core is retained for check sampling if required. For RC chips regular field duplicates are collected and analysed for significant variance to primary results. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests The nature, quality and appropriateness of the assaying and laboratory procedures used and whether the technique is considered partial or total. For geophysical tools, spectrometers, handheld XRF instruments, etc., the parameters used in determining the analysis including instrument make and model, reading times, calibrations factors applied and their derivation, etc. Nature of quality control procedures adopted (e.g. standards, blanks, duplicates, external laboratory checks) and whether acceptable levels of accuracy (i.e. lack of bias) and precision have been established. Recent drilling was analysed by fire assay as outlined below; At Beta Hunt all drill core sampling is conducted by Karora personnel. Samples for gold analysis are shipped to SGS Mineral Services of Kalgoorlie for preparation and assaying by 50 gram fire assay analytical method. All gold diamond drilling samples submitted for assay include at least one blank and one Certified Reference Material ("CRM") per batch, plus one CRM or blank every 20 samples. In samples with observed visible gold mineralization, a coarse blank is inserted after the visible gold mineralization to serve as both a coarse flush to prevent contamination of subsequent samples and a test for gold smearing from one sample to the next which may have resulted from inadequate cleaning of the crusher and pulveriser. The lab is also required to undertake a minimum of 1 in 20 wet screens on pulverised samples to ensure a minimum 85% passing at -75m. No significant QA/QC issues have arisen in recent drilling results. Photon Assay was introduced in 2023 for Beta Hunt grade control samples. PhotonAssay technology (Chrysos Corporation Limited) is a rapid, non-destructive analysis of gold and other elements in mineral samples. It is based on the principle of gamma activation, which uses high energy x-rays to excite changes to the nuclear structure of selected elements. The decay is then measured to give a gold analysis. Each sample is run through two cycles with a radiation time of 15s. This methodology is insensitive to material type and thus does not require fluxing chemicals as in the fire assay methodology. Highlights of the PhotonAssay process are as follows: The process is non-destructive; the same sample accuracy can be determined by repeat measurements of the same sample. In addition, the instrument runs a precision analysis for each sample relating to the instrument precision The process allows for an increased sample size, about 500 g of crushed product. The crushed material is not pulverised, as in the fire assay process; this ensures that gold is not smeared or lost during pulverisation (especially important if there is an expectation of visible gold that is being analysed) Historical drilling has used a combination of Fire Assay, Aqua Regia and PAL analysis. These assay methodologies are appropriate for the resources in question. Verification of sampling and assaying The verification of significant intersections by either independent or alternative company personnel. The use of twinned holes. Documentation of primary data, data entry procedures, data verification, data storage (physical and electronic) protocols. Discuss any adjustment to assay data. No independent or alternative verifications are available. Virtual twinned holes have been drilled in several instances across all sites with no significant issues highlighted. Drillhole data is also routinely confirmed by development assay data in the operating environment. Primary data is collected utilising LogChief. The information is imported into a SQL database server and verified. All data used in the calculation of resources and reserves are compiled in databases (underground and open pit) which are overseen and validated by senior geologists. No adjustments have been made to any assay data. Location of data points Accuracy and quality of surveys used to locate drill holes (collar and down-hole surveys), trenches, mine workings and other locations used in Mineral Resource estimation. Specification of the grid system used. Quality and adequacy of topographic control. All data is spatially oriented by survey controls via direct pickups by the survey department. Drillholes are all surveyed downhole, deeper holes with a Gyro tool if required, the majority with single / multishot cameras. All drilling and resource estimation is preferentially undertaken in local mine grid at the various sites. Topographic control is generated from a combination of remote sensing methods and ground-based surveys. This methodology is adequate for the resources in question. Data spacing and distribution Data spacing for reporting of Exploration Results. Whether the data spacing and distribution is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity appropriate for the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimation procedure(s) and classifications applied. Whether sample compositing has been applied. Data spacing is variable dependent upon the individual orebody under consideration. A lengthy history of mining has shown that this approach is appropriate for the Mineral Resource Estimation process and to allow for classification of the resources as they stand. Compositing is carried out based upon the modal sample length of each individual domain. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Whether the orientation of sampling achieves unbiased sampling of possible structures and the extent to which this is known, considering the deposit type. If the relationship between the drilling orientation and the orientation of key mineralised structures is considered to have introduced a sampling bias, this should be assessed and reported if material. Drilling intersections are nominally designed to be normal to the orebody as far as underground infrastructure constraints / topography allows. Development sampling is nominally undertaken normal to the various orebodies. Where drilling angles are sub optimal the number of samples per drill hole used in the estimation has been limited to reduce any potential bias. It is not considered that drilling orientation has introduced an appreciable sampling bias. Sample security The measures taken to ensure sample security. For samples assayed at on-site laboratory facilities, samples are delivered to the facility by Company staff. Upon delivery the responsibility for sample security and storage falls to the independent third-party operators of these facilities. For samples assayed off-site, samples are delivered to a third-party transport service, who in turn relay them to the independent laboratory contractor. Samples are stored securely until they leave site. Audits or reviews The results of any audits or reviews of sampling techniques and data Site generated resources and reserves and the parent geological data is routinely reviewed by the Westgold Corporate technical team. SECTION 2: REPORTING OF EXPLORATION RESULTS (Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section.) Criteria JORC Code Explanation Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status Type, reference name/number, location and ownership including agreements or material issues with third parties such as joint ventures, partnerships, overriding royalties, native title interests, historical sites, wilderness or national park and environmental settings. The security of the tenure held at the time of reporting along with any known impediments to obtaining a licence to operate in the area. Native title interests are recorded against several WGX tenements. The CMGP tenements are held by the Big Bell Gold Operations (BBGO) of which Westgold has 100% ownership. Several third-party royalties exist across various tenements at CMGP, over and above the state government royalty. The Fortnum Gold Project tenure is 100% owned by Westgold through subsidiary company Aragon Resources Pty. Ltd. Various Royalties apply to the package. The most pertinent being; State Government 2.5% NSR Beta Hunt is owned by Westgold through a sub-lease agreement with St Ives Gold Mining Company Pty Ltd (SIGMC), which gives Westgold the right to explore and mine gold and nickel. Royalties on gold production from Beta Hunt are as follows: A royalty to the state government equal to 2.5% of the royalty value of gold metal produced; and Royalties to third parties equal to 4.75% of recovered gold less allowable deductions. The Higginsville-Lakewood Operations include the Higginsville and Lakewood Mills and associated infrastructure, mining operations and exploration prospects which are located on 242 tenements owned by Westgold and covers approximately 1,800km2 total area. Royalties on the HGO gold production are as follows: Production payments of up to 1% of gross gold revenue over various tenements to traditional land owners. Royalty equal to 2.5% of recovered gold to the Government of Western Australia; and Various third parties hold rights to receive royalties in respect of gold (and in some cases other minerals or metals) recovered from the tenements. The tenure is currently in good standing There are no known issues regarding security of tenure. There are no known impediments to continued operation. WGX operates in accordance with all environmental conditions set down as conditions for grant of the leases. Exploration done by other parties Acknowledgment and appraisal of exploration by other parties The CMGP tenements have an exploration and production history in excess of 100 years. The FGP tenements have an exploration and production history in excess of 30 years. BH tenements have an exploration and production history in excess of 60 years. HGO tenements have an exploration and production history in excess of 40 years. Westgold work has generally confirmed the veracity of historic exploration data. Geology Deposit type, geological setting and style of mineralisation. BHO Beta Hunt is situated within the central portion of the Norseman-Wiluna greenstone belt in a sequence of mafic/ultramafic and felsic rocks on the southwest flank of the Kambalda Dome. Gold mineralsation occurs mainly in subvertical shear zones in the Lunnon Basalt and is characterised by shear and extensional quartz veining within a halo of biotite/pyrite alteration. Within these shear zones, coarse gold sometimes occurs where the shear zones intersect iron-rich sulphidic metasediments in the Lunnon Basalt or nickel sulphides at the base of the Kambalda Komatiite (ultramafics). The mineralised shears are represented by A-Zone, Western Flanks, Larkin and Mason zones. CGO CGO is located in the Achaean Murchison Province, a granite-greenstone terrane in the northwest of the Yilgarn Craton. Greenstone belts trending north-northeast are separated by granite-gneiss domes, with smaller granite plutons also present within or on the margins of the belts. Mineralisation at Big Bell is hosted in the shear zone (Mine Sequence) and is associated with the post-peak metamorphic retrograde assemblages. Stibnite, native antimony and trace arsenopyrite are disseminated through the K-feldspar-rich lode schist. These are intergrown with pyrite and pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite. Mineralisation outside the typical Big Bell host rocks (KPSH), for example 1,600N and Shocker, also display a very strong W-As-Sb geochemical halo. Numerous gold deposits occur within the Cuddingwarra Project area, the majority of which are hosted within the central mafic-ultramafic felsic porphyry sequence. Within this broad framework, mineralisation is shown to be spatially controlled by competency contrasts across, and flexures along, layer-parallel D2 shear zones, and is maximised when transected by corridors of northeast striking D3 faults and fractures. The Great Fingall Dolerite hosts the majority gold mineralisation within the portion of the greenstone belt proximal to Cue (The Day Dawn Project Area). Unit AGF3 is the most brittle of all the five units and this characteristic is responsible for its role as the most favourable lithological host to gold mineralisation in the Greenstone Belt. FGO The Fortnum deposits are Paleoproterozoic shear-hosted gold deposits within the Fortnum Wedge, a localised thrust duplex of Narracoota Formation within the overlying Ravelstone Formation. Both stratigraphic formations comprise part of the Bryah Basin in the Capricorn Orogen, Western Australia. The Horseshoe Cassidy deposits are hosted within the Ravelstone Formation (siltstone and argillite) and Narracoota Formation (highly altered, moderate to strongly deformed mafic to ultramafic rocks). The main zone of mineralisation is developed within a horizon of highly altered magnesian basalt. Gold mineralisation is associated with strong vein stock works that are confined to the altered mafic. Alteration consists of two types: stockwork proximal silica-carbonate-fuchsite-haematite-pyrite and distal silica-haematite-carbonate+/- chlorite. The Peak Hill district represents remnants of a Proterozoic fold belt comprising highly deformed trough and shelf sediments and mafic / ultramafic volcanics, which are generally moderately metamorphosed (except for the Peak Hill Metamorphic Suite) . HGO The Higginsville Gold Operation is located in the Eastern Goldfields Superterrane of the Archean Yilgarn Craton. The bulk of the Higginsville tenement package is located almost entirely within the well-mineralised Kalgoorlie Terrane, between the gold mining centres of Norseman and St Ives. HGO can be sub-divided into seven major geological domains: Trident Line of Lode, Chalice, Lake Cowan, Southern Paleo-channels, Mt Henry, Polar Bear Group and Spargos Project area. Majority of mineralisation along the Trident Line of Lode are hosted within the Poseidon gabbro and high-MgO dyke complexes in the south. The Poseidon Gabbro is a thick, weakly-differentiated gabbroic sill, which strikes north-south and dips 60 to the east, is over 500 m thick and 2.5 km long. The mineralisation is hosted within or marginal to quartz veining and is structurally and lithologically controlled. The Chalice Deposit is located within a north-south trending, 2 km to 3 km wide greenstone terrane, flanked on the west calc-alkaline granitic rocks of the Boorabin Batholith and to the east by the Pioneer Dome Batholith. The dominant unit that hosts gold mineralisation is a fine grained, weak to strongly foliated amphibole-plagioclase amphibolite, with a typically lepidoblastic (mineralogically aligned and banded) texture. It is west-dipping and generally steep, approximately 60 to 75. The Lake Cowan project area is situated near the centre of a regional anticline between the Zuleika and Lefroy faults, with the local geology of the area made more complex by the intrusion of the massive Proterozoic Binneringie dyke. The majority of mineralisation at the Lake Cowan Mining Centre is hosted within an enclave of Archaean material surrounded by the Binneringie dyke. Mineralised zones within the Southern Paleo Channels network comprise both placer gold, normally near the base of the channel-fill sequences, and chemically-precipitated secondary gold within the channel-fill materials and underlying saprolite. These gold concentrations commonly overlie, or are adjacent to, primary mineralised zones within Archaean bedrock. The Mount Henry Project covers 347km2 of the prolific South NorsemanWiluna Greenstone belt of the Eastern Goldfields in Western Australia. Although the greenstone rocks from the Norseman area can be broadly correlated with those of the Kalgoorlie Kambalda region they form a distinct terrain which is bounded on all sides by major regional shears. The Norseman Terrane has prominent banded iron formations which distinguish it from the Kalgoorlie Kambalda Terrane. The Mount Henry gold deposit is hosted by a silicate facies BIF unit within the Noganyer Formation. Gold mineralisation is predominantly hosted by the silicate facies BIF unit but is also associated with minor metabasalt and dolerite units that were mostly emplaced in the BIF prior to mineralisation. The footwall to the BIF is characterised by a sedimentary schistose unit and the hanging wall by the overlying dolerites of the Woolyeener Formation. The Mount Henry gold deposit is classified as an Archean, orogenic shear hosted deposit. The main lode is an elongated, shearhosted body, 1.9km long by 6 10 metres wide and dips 6575 degrees towards the west. The Polar Bear project is situated within the Archaean Norseman-Wiluna Belt which locally includes basalts, komatiites, metasediments, and felsic volcaniclastics. The primary gold mineralisation is related to hydrothermal activity during multiple deformation events. Indications are that gold mineralisation is focused on or near to the stratigraphic boundary between the Killaloe and Buldania Formation. The Spargos Project occurs within Coolgardie Domain of the Kalgoorlie Terrane. The area is bounded by the Zuleika Shear to the east and the Kunanalling Shear to the west. The geological setting comprises tightly-folded north-south striking ultramafic and mafic volcanic rocks at the northern closure Widgiemooltha Dome. The project lies on the general trend of the Kunanalling / Karramindie Shear corridor, a regional shear zone that hosts significant mineralisation to the north at Ghost Crab (Mount Marion), Wattle Dam to the south, the Penfolds group and Kunanalling. The regional prospective Zuleika Shear lies to the east of the project. The tenements are prospective for vein and shear hosted gold deposits as demonstrated by Spargos Reward and numerous other gold workings and occurrences. Gold mineralisation at Spargos Reward is hosted by a coarse-grained pyrite-arsenopyrite lode in quartz-sericite schists, between strongly biotitic altered greywacke to the east and quartz-sericite-fuchsite-pyrite altered felsic tuff to the west. Gold mineralisation is associated with very little quartz veining which is atypical for many deposits in region. The Spargos Reward setting has been described variously as a low-quartz sulphidic mesothermal gold system or as a Hemlo style syn-sedimentary occurrence. MGO MGO is located in the Achaean Murchison Province, a granite-greenstone terrane in the northwest of the Yilgarn Craton. Greenstone belts trending north-northeast are separated by granite-gneiss domes, with smaller granite plutons also present within or on the margins of the belts. The Paddy's Flat area is located on the western limb of a regional fold, the Polelle Syn- cline, within a sequence of mafic to ultramafic volcanics with minor interflow sediments and banded iron-formation. The sequence has also been intruded by felsic porphyry dykes prior to mineralisation. Mineralisation is located along four sub-parallel trends at Paddy's Flat which can be summarized as containing three dominant mineralisation styles: Sulphide replacement BIF hosted gold. Quartz vein hosted shear-related gold. Quartz-carbonate-sulphide stockwork vein and alteration related gold. The Yaloginda area is a gold-bearing Archaean greenstone belt situated ~15km south of Meekatharra. The deposits in the area are hosted in a strained and metamorphosed volcanic sequence that consists primarily of ultramafic and high-magnesium basalt with minor komatiite, peridotite, gabbro, tholeiitic basalt and interflow sediments. The sequence was intruded by a variety of felsic porphyry and intermediate sills and dykes. The Reedy's mining district is located approximately 15 km to the south-east to Meekatharra and to the south of Lake Annean. The Reedy gold deposits occur with- in a north-south trending greenstone belt, two to five kilometres wide, composed of volcano-sedimentary sequences and separated multiphase syn- and post-tectonic granitoid complexes. Structurally controlled the gold occur. Drill hole Information A summary of all information material to the understanding of the exploration results including a tabulation of the following information for all Material drill holes: easting and northing of the drill hole collar elevation or RL (Reduced Level elevation above sea level in metres) of the drill hole collar dip and azimuth of the hole down hole length and interception depth hole length. If the exclusion of this information is justified on the basis that the information is not Material and this exclusion does not detract from the understanding of the report, the Competent Person should clearly explain why this is the case. Tables containing drillhole collar, downhole survey and intersection data are included in the body of the announcement. Data aggregation methods In reporting Exploration Results, weighting averaging techniques, maximum and/or minimum grade truncations (e.g., cutting of high grades) and cut-off grades are usually Material and should be stated. Where aggregate intercepts incorporate short lengths of high-grade results and longer lengths of low-grade results, the procedure used for such aggregation should be stated and some typical examples of such aggregations should be shown in detail. The assumptions used for any reporting of metal equivalent values should be clearly stated. All results presented are length weighted. No high-grade cuts are used. Reported results contain no more than two contiguous metres of internal dilution below 0.5g/t. For Beta Hunt, a cut off of 1 g/t Au with maximum internal waste of 2m is used to define significant intercepts. Results are reported above a variety of gram / metre cut-offs dependent upon the nature of the hole. These are cut-offs are clearly stated in the relevant tables. Unless indicated to the contrary, all results reported are downhole width. Given restricted access in the underground environment the majority of drillhole intersections are not normal to the orebody. Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths These relationships are particularly important in the reporting of Exploration Results. If the geometry of the mineralisation with respect to the drill hole angle is known, its nature should be reported. If it is not known and only the down hole lengths are reported, there should be a clear statement to this effect (e.g., 'down hole length, true width not known'). Unless indicated to the contrary, all results reported are downhole width. Given restricted access in the underground environment the majority of drillhole intersections are not normal to the orebody. Diagrams Appropriate maps and sections (with scales) and tabulations of intercepts should be included for any significant discovery being reported These should include, but not be limited to a plan view of drill hole collar locations and appropriate sectional views. Appropriate diagrams are provided in the body of the release if required. Balanced reporting Where comprehensive reporting of all Exploration Results is not practicable, representative reporting of both low and high grades and/or widths should be practiced to avoid misleading reporting of Exploration Results. Appropriate balance in exploration results reporting is provided. Other substantive exploration data Other exploration data, if meaningful and material, should be reported including (but not limited to): geological observations; geophysical survey results; geochemical survey results; bulk samples size and method of treatment; metallurgical test results; bulk density, groundwater, geotechnical and rock characteristics; potential deleterious or contaminating substances. There is no other substantive exploration data associated with this release. Further work The nature and scale of planned further work (e.g. tests for lateral extensions or depth extensions or large-scale step-out drilling). Diagrams clearly highlighting the areas of possible extensions, including the main geological interpretations and future drilling areas, provided this information is not commercially sensitive. Ongoing surface and underground exploration activities will be undertaken to support continuing mining activities at Westgold Gold Operations. SECTION 3: ESTIMATION AND REPORTING OF MINERAL RESOURCES (Criteria listed in section 1, and where relevant in section 2, also apply to this section.) VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 16, 2024 /CNW/ - Silvercorp Metals Inc. ("Silvercorp" or the "Company") (TSX: SVM) (NYSE American: SVM) announces that, further to its news release dated August 27, 2024 (the "Release"), it has filed an updated technical report for the Gaocheng Mine titled "Technical Report on Gaocheng Silver-Lead-Zinc Project in Guangdong Province, China" (the "Technical Report"). The Technical Report is effective June 30, 2024 and was prepared by SRK Consulting China Ltd. The Technical Report was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and can be found on the Company's website at www.silvercorpmetals.com and under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. There are no material differences in the information in the Technical Report and the information contained in the Release. About Silvercorp Silvercorp is a Canadian mining company producing silver, gold, lead, and zinc with a long history of profitability and growth potential. The Company's strategy is to create shareholder value by 1) focusing on generating free cashflow from long-life mines; 2) organic growth through extensive drilling for discovery; 3) ongoing merger and acquisition efforts to unlock value; and 4) a long-term commitment to responsible mining and ESG. For more information, please visit our website at www.silvercorpmetals.com. For further information: Silvercorp Metals Inc. Lon Shaver President Phone: (604) 669-9397 Toll Free 1(888) 224-1881 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.silvercorpmetals.com CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER - FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain of the statements and information in this news release constitute "forwardlooking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forwardlooking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial securities laws (collectively, "forwardlooking statements"). Any statements or information that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategies", "targets", "goals", "forecasts", "objectives", "budgets", "schedules", "potential" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward looking statements. Forwardlooking statements relate to, among other things: the price of silver and other metals; foreign exchange rates; the accuracy of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates at the Company's material properties; estimated mine life and any anticipated changes related thereto; the sufficiency of the Company's capital to finance the Company's operations; estimates of revenues, operation costs, capital expenditures, mine plan, and estimated production from the Company's Gaocheng Mine; timing of receipt of permits and regulatory approvals; availability of funds from production to finance the Company's operations; and access to and availability of funding for future construction, use of proceeds from any financing and development of the Company's properties. Forwardlooking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forwardlooking statements, including, without limitation, risks relating to: fluctuating commodity prices; calculation of resources, reserves and mineralization and precious and base metal recovery; interpretations and assumptions of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates; exploration and development programs; feasibility and engineering reports; all necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals for our operations are received in a timely manner; title to properties; property interests; joint venture partners; acquisition of commercially mineable mineral rights; financing; recent market events and conditions; economic factors affecting the Company; timing, estimated amount, capital and operating expenditures and economic returns of future production; integration of future acquisitions into the Company's existing operations; competition; operations and political conditions; regulatory environment in China and Canada; our ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws; environmental risks; foreign exchange rate fluctuations; insurance; risks and hazards of mining operations; key personnel; conflicts of interest; dependence on management; global economic and social impact of COVID19; internal control over financial reporting; and bringing actions and enforcing judgments under U.S. securities laws. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forwardlooking statements. Forward looking statements are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain, and actual achievements of the Company or other future events or conditions may differ materially from those reflected in the forwardlooking statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, without limitation, those referred to in the Company's Annual Information Form under the heading "Risk Factors". Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forwardlooking statements. The Company's forwardlooking statements are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management as of the date of this news release, and other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update forwardlooking statements if circumstances or management's assumptions, beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, or changes in any other events affecting such statements. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forwardlooking statements. CAUTIONARY NOTE TO US INVESTORS The technical and scientific information contained in the Technical Report has been prepared in accordance with NI 43101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum classification system, which differs significantly from the standards adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Accordingly, the technical and scientific information contained in the Technical Report, including any estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources, may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies subject to the disclosure requirements of the SEC. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Technical Report uses the terms "measured resources," "indicated resources" and "inferred resources" as defined in accordance with NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards. Mineralization described using these terms has a greater amount of uncertainty as to its existence and feasibility than mineralization that has been characterized as reserves. Accordingly, U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that any measured mineral resources, indicated mineral resources, or inferred mineral resources that the Company reports are or will be economically or legally mineable. Further, "inferred mineral resources" have a greater amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to whether they can be mined legally or economically. Under Canadian securities laws, estimates of "inferred mineral resources" may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. While the above terms under the U.S. Rules are "substantially similar" to the standards under NI 43-101 and CIM Standards, there are differences in the definitions under the U.S. Rules and CIM Standards. Accordingly, there is no assurance any mineral reserves or mineral resources that the Company may report as "proven mineral reserves", "probable mineral reserves", "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "inferred mineral resources" under NI 43-101 would be the same had the Company prepared the reserve or resource estimates under the standards adopted under the U.S. Rules. Additional information relating to the Company, including Silvercorp's Annual Information Form, can be obtained under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca on EDGAR at www.sec.gov, and on the Company's website at www.silvercorpmetals.com The US trial on torture charges of a Gambian man who was allegedly a member of a notorious death squad known as the "Junglers" has been postponed at the last minute. Michael Sang Correa, 45, a former captain in the Gambian military, was scheduled to go on trial in a federal court in Denver, Colorado, on Monday. But the presiding judge granted a defense motion on Wednesday to delay the trial to allow Correa's attorneys to travel to The Gambia to collect videotaped depositions from two witnesses. A new trial date has not been set. It is not expected to be held until next year. Correa was indicted in June 2020 and faces six counts of inflicting torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture. Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. He is being tried in the United States for crimes committed in his home country under what is known as universal jurisdiction, which allows for prosecution of torture, genocide and war crimes. According to Human Rights Watch and Trial International, Correa's torture trial is just the third of its kind to be held in the United States and the first involving a non-US citizen. Correa entered the United States in 2016 to work as a bodyguard for Gambia's vice president, who was visiting the United Nations. He stayed in the country and moved to Denver at some point after Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh, who ruled the country with an iron fist from 1994 to 2017, was voted out of office. Correa was arrested by US authorities in September 2019, initially for overstaying his visa. According to the indictment, Correa joined the Junglers in 2004. The paramilitary unit operated outside the Gambian army's chain of command, taking orders directly from Jammeh, and has been accused by watchdog groups of carrying out widespread human rights violations. In 2006, the indictment says, Jammeh's government learned of a plan to overthrow him and arrested a number of suspected coup plotters. The prisoners were taken to Mile 2 Prison and the National Intelligence Agency headquarters, where Correa and others allegedly tortured them to coerce confessions. Some of the prisoners had molten plastic or acid dripped on their bodies while others were brutally beaten and subjected to electric shocks. Another member of the Junglers, Bai Lowe, was sentenced to life in prison in Germany in November after being convicted of crimes against humanity, murder and attempted murder. A Swiss court in May sentenced Gambian ex-interior minister Ousman Sonko to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity committed under the Jammeh regime. Victims of the Junglers included an AFP correspondent, Deyda Hydara, who was gunned down in his car on the outskirts of Gambia's capital Banjul on December 16, 2004. South Africa is determined to pursue its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and will next month file more evidence, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Friday. South Africa filed the case in December alleging that Israel's Gaza offensive, launched in retaliation for Hamas' bloody October 7 attack, breached the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. Israel has strongly denied the accusation. "We are headstrong," Ramaphosa told journalists when asked about the case. "We are determined to go ahead with our case." The country is due to file facts and evidence to the UN court next month to back up its case. "Preparations are underway to present what they call the memorial, a huge tome of hundreds and hundreds of pages," the president said. "We continue arguing that the genocide must stop and there must be a ceasefire, and similarly, there must be a return of the hostages." South Africa's case has been joined by several countries, including Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Spain and Turkey. Hamas's attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. The count includes hostages killed in captivity. Israel's retaliation has killed at least 41,118 people in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry. Peru will on Saturday lay to rest polarizing former president Alberto Fujimori, who ruled with an iron fist in the 1990s and later spent 16 years in prison for crimes against humanity. Fujimori, who had Japanese heritage, was revered by many for crushing leftist guerrillas and for boosting the economy, but reviled by others as an autocrat who signed off on brutal human rights abuses. He died on Wednesday, aged 86, after a long battle with cancer. After lying in state for three days he will be buried on Saturday following a state funeral. - Debated legacy - The death of the ex-leader, who loomed large over Peruvian politics long after he faxed in his resignation from exile in Japan in 2000, triggered a vigorous debate on social media over his legacy. Thousands of admirers queued at the National Museum in Lima on Thursday and Friday to pay their respects at his open casket. "He defeated terrorism and in reality was the best president Peru could have had," Jackeline Vilchez, from a family of self-described "fujimoristas", said outside the former leader's residence, where she came to pay her respects. But relatives of the victims of army massacres carried out on his watch lamented that he went to the grave without showing remorse for their deaths. "He left without asking forgiveness from their families, he made a mockery of us," Gladys Rubina, the sister of one of the civilian victims, told AFP, sobbing. - Crimes against humanity - Fujimori, an engineer by training, worked as a university maths professor before entering politics. In 1990, he caused a surprise by defeating acclaimed writer Mario Vargas Llosa to win the presidency. His neoliberal economic policies won him the support of the ruling class and international financial institutions. He also won praise for crushing a brutal insurgency by Shining Path and Tupac Amaru leftist rebels in a conflict that left more than 69,000 people dead and 21,000 missing between 1980 and 2000, according to a government truth commission. But the brutal tactics employed by the military saw him spend his twilight years in jail. In 2009, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for crimes against humanity over two massacres carried out in the name of Peru's so-called war on terror -- one at a house party, the other in a university dormitory -- that left 25 people dead. As recently as July, Fujimori had been considering a comeback attempt in 2026 elections, according to his daughter Keiko, also a politician. But he was dogged by ill health and had only recently completed treatment for tongue cancer. - 'Let history judge' - Fujimori claimed he paved the way for Peru to become one of the leading countries of Latin America. As he turned 80 in 2018, he told AFP: "Let history judge what I got right and what I got wrong." One of the most dramatic episodes of his presidency was a four-month hostage ordeal at the Japanese embassy in Lima in late 1996 and early 1997. It ended with him sending in special forces, who saved nearly all 72 hostages and killed the 14 rebel hostage-takers. - Fax resignation - Fujimori's downfall began in 2000 after his spy chief was exposed for corruption. He fled to Japan and sent a fax announcing his resignation. Congress voted to sack him instead. He was eventually arrested when he set foot in Chile and was extradited to Peru, where he was put on trial. In December 2017, then-president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski pardoned Fujimori on health grounds. The Supreme Court later annulled the pardon and, in January 2019, he was returned to jail from hospital before finally being released about five years later. Peru bid an emotional farewell on Saturday to its divisive ex-president Alberto Fujimori after three days of national mourning marked by expressions of nostalgia for his iron-fisted rule. Fujimori was revered by many in Peru for crushing a bloody leftist insurgency and helping shore up the economy while in office from 1990 to 2000. He "had the guts to fight terrorism," said Edgar Grados, a 43-year-old businessman, who traveled more than 100 kilometers to attend the funeral. "Fujimorism never dies," he told AFP. But for others Fujimori was a power-hungry autocrat, who signed off on gross human rights abuses, for which he spent 16 years in prison. The 86-year-old died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. "You are finally free from hatred and revenge," his daughter Keiko told his packed funeral mass in Lima's 1,500-capacity National Theatre, denouncing "16 years of unjust imprisonment." Mourners clapped and chanted "Chino, Chino," Fujimori's nickname which was a nod to his Asian heritage, although his family was originally from Japan. A large portrait of the late leader wearing his presidential sash stood on the altar, next to his coffin, which was draped in the Peruvian flag. Outside, hundreds of people, many carrying Fujimori dolls and pictures, followed the proceedings on a giant screen. After the funeral his coffin was received with state honors at the presidential palace in a ceremony led by President Dina Boluarte. He was buried afterwards at Huachipa ceremony east of Lima. While nearly a quarter of a century has passed since he dramatically faxed in his resignation from Japan in the midst of a corruption scandal, Fujimori loomed large over public life in Peru right up until his death. Thousands of people queued for hours on Thursday and Friday to view him lying in state in an open casket at the culture ministry. "We're very nostalgic," 30-year-old Jesus Neyra told AFP on Friday night as he waited in line. "A president who brought peace, economic stability, freedom and democracy to the country is gone. He left a great legacy." But relatives of the victims of army massacres carried out on his watch lamented that he went to the grave without showing remorse for their deaths. "He left without asking forgiveness from their families, he made a mockery of us," Gladys Rubina, the sister of one of the civilian victims, told AFP. - Crimes against humanity - An engineer by training, Fujimori worked as a university math professor before entering politics. In 1990, he defeated writer Mario Vargas Llosa to win the presidency -- a surprise result. His neoliberal economic policies won him the support of the ruling class and international financial institutions. He also won praise for crushing a brutal insurgency by Shining Path and Tupac Amaru leftist rebels in a conflict that left more than 69,000 people dead and 21,000 missing between 1980 and 2000, according to a government truth commission. But the brutal tactics employed by the military saw him spend his twilight years in jail. In 2009, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison over two massacres of civilians by an army death squad tasked with fighting the Shining Path -- one at a house party, the other in a university dormitory. In all 25 people were killed. As recently as July, Fujimori had been considering a comeback attempt in the 2026 election, according to his daughter Keiko, also a politician. But his health took a turn for the worse as he battled tongue cancer. - Hostage crisis - One of the most dramatic episodes of his presidency was a four-month hostage ordeal at the Japanese embassy in Lima in late 1996 and early 1997. It ended with him sending in special forces, who saved nearly all 72 hostages and killed the 14 rebel hostage-takers. His downfall began in 2000 after his spy chief was exposed for corruption. Fujimori fled to Japan and sent a fax announcing his resignation. Congress voted to sack him instead. He was eventually arrested when he set foot in Chile and was extradited to Peru, where he was put on trial and jailed. In December 2017, then-president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski pardoned him on health grounds. The Supreme Court later annulled the pardon and in 2019 he was returned to jail before finally being released nearly five years later. Persecution of bereaved relatives. Impunity for perpetrators. Rampant executions and infighting among the opposition. A bleak picture confronts opponents of Iran's clerical authorities two years after a protest movement erupted that they hoped would be a turning point in the four-and-a-half-decade history of the Islamic republic. Activists and exiles still hope that the protests sparked by the September 16, 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini -- an Iranian Kurd arrested for allegedly violating the dress code for women -- left an indelible mark on Iran and that her tragic death aged 22 was not in vain. The women-led protests after Amini's death challenged not only the rule of the obligatory headscarf that has been a key pillar of the regime but also the very existence of the clerical-based system, rattling Iran's leadership over autumn and winter 2022-2023. But they were crushed and defeated in a crackdown Amnesty International said saw security forces use assault rifles and shotguns against protesters. Human rights groups say at least 551 people were killed. Thousands more were arrested, according to the United Nations. Iran has executed 10 men in cases related to the protests, the latest being Gholamreza Rasaei who was hanged in August after being convicted of killing a Revolutionary Guard. Activists said his confession was obtained under torture. "Countless people in Iran are still reeling from the consequences of the authorities' brutal crackdown," said Amnesty's deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Diana Eltahawy. To mark the two-year anniversary, the foundation of Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, jailed in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, said 34 women prisoners there went on a hunger strike "in solidarity with the protesting people of Iran, against the government's oppressive policies". - 'Brutalising twice over' - According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), family members of dozens of people killed, executed or imprisoned during the protests have been arrested on trumped up charges, threatened or harassed. "Iranian authorities are brutalising people twice over: executing or killing a family member and then arresting their loved ones for demanding accountability," said HRW's acting Iran researcher, Nahid Naghshbandi. Among those jailed is Mashallah Karami, father of Mohammad Mehdi Karami who was executed in January 2023 aged just 22 in a case related to the protests. Mashallah Karami, who had campaigned for his son's memory, was sentenced to six years in jail in May and then in August to another term of almost nine years. Meanwhile, the authorities are enforcing the wearing of the headscarf with a vengeance. Its abolition was a key demand of the protesters, and the authorities had initially given grounds for hope of a more lenient policy. Security forces are implementing the so-called "Nour" ("Light") plan to enforce the rule, with a "visible increase of security patrols on foot, motorbikes, car and police vans in public spaces", according to Amnesty. Women in Iran have long regarded their vehicles as a safe space, but they have been increasingly targeted there, often with facial recognition technology, rights groups say. Cars can be impounded as punishment. UN experts said Iran has "intensified" the repression of women, also resorting to "beating, kicking, and slapping women and girls". Amnesty has highlighted the case of 31-year-old Arezou Badri, who it says was left paralysed after police shot her in her car in northern Iran in July, in an incident related to the dress code. Even though a UN fact-finding mission in March found that many of the violations in the crackdown amount to crimes against humanity, not one official has been brought to account. - 'Not going back' - Yet observers outside Iran insist that while the crackdown has allowed the clerical authorities under supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to restore order, Iranian society has changed forever. "Many young women remain defiant," said a co-founder of the US-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, Roya Boroumand. "Two years after the protests, the Islamic Republic's leadership has neither restored the status quo ante nor regained its lost legitimacy." Rights groups said August's execution of Gholamreza Rasaei showed no let-up in Iran's use of the death penalty under new President Masoud Pezeshkian, elected in July after his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash. The Amini protests have exposed deep divisions within the opposition, with no unified group emerging to champion the protesters' demands. Abroad, attempts at finding harmony between disparate groups of monarchists, nationalists and liberals have collapsed amid acrimony. The protest movement "shook the Iranian regime to the core and further affirmed just how deeply disillusioned Iranians have been with the status quo", said Arash Azizi, visiting fellow at Boston University and author of a book titled "What Iranians Want". "But the movement also showed the absolute bankruptcy of the opposition alternatives to the regime." He added: "I still believe Iran is not going back to pre-2022 and, within the next few years, the Islamic Republic will likely see some fundamental shifts." First, Yessica Mercedes lost a brother who was beaten to death by gang members. Then, another brother was jailed in the government's "war" against gangsters. Neither were members of the feared criminal groups that have wrought havoc on Salvadoran society, she said. Her family, however, has been caught in the middle of both gang violence and President Nayib Bukele's controversial crackdown to halt the bloodshed. "Now we are no longer victims of criminals, now we are victims of the regime, which takes away innocent people," the 43-year-old seamstress told AFP. Her brother Leonel Mercedes is one of 82,000 Salvadorans detained under a state of emergency imposed in 2022 that allows arrests to be made without a court order. Bukele's crackdown on gangs has led to a drastic drop in homicides and is praised by many Salvadorans, but rights groups slam abuses in prisons, saying inmates are forced to confess and held without contact from families and lawyers. The Salvadoran NGO Socorro Juridico Humanitario (SJH) estimates that almost a third of those detained are innocent -- based on a study of 3,500 cases. "I am not defending, or against, the government. What I want is for them to hand over my brother, who is innocent," Yessica said at her home in San Jose Las Flores, north of the capital San Salvador. - Inmates dying in prison - Five years ago, her brother Carlos Alfonso, 44, was beaten to death by gang members in his neighborhood, and now she is afraid that Leonel, who suffers from epilepsy, will die in jail. He has already been hospitalized for the condition while imprisoned. "I don't want to take him out of a prison in a box," Yessica said. Yessica said that Leonel was only arrested because he had a police record after being detained for a few days in 2015, along with scores of others following a brawl at a party. It has been seven months since he was jailed. She has heard he will be tried as an alleged member of a gang along with a woman and another man she said he did not even know. SJH director Ingrid Escobar told AFP that 311 prisoners have died since the implementation of the state of emergency, which "is worrying because they were under the guardianship of the state." Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have also denounced "indiscriminate arrests," prison overcrowding, torture and the arrest of children. Bukele and government officials deny these accusations. Fidel Antonio Zavala, 30, a businessman who was imprisoned for 13 months on charges of aggravated fraud, told AFP he witnessed the torture and beating of inmates in La Esperanza and Santa Ana prisons, where he was held. He said he saw one notorious guard nicknamed "Montana" pin an inmate to the ground, "kicking him in the chest against the gate of the prison." The director of La Esperanza, Juan Jose Montano, denied torture in his facility. "If there is any agent who does that, who hits an inmate, he is punished," he told AFP. - Lawsuit over abuses - The SJH has submitted 2,700 habeas corpus requests to the Supreme Court to check on people who have been detained, but 95 percent of them have not received a response. The NGO is now planning to file its first lawsuit over abuses under the state of emergency to the Washington-based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The case pertains to the murder in prison of union representative Jose Leonidas Bonilla in September 2022. The 42-year-old municipal official had no criminal record and was arrested at home after an anonymous complaint. Five months later he died after a beating in prison. Escobar said civil society organizations had exhausted efforts with the national justice system. "What we find is silence, which means denial of justice," she said. "What we are seeking is a conviction against the State of El Salvador for crimes against humanity and the torture of" Bonilla under the state of emergency, she added. JUSTICE INFO: September 16, 2024, marks the two year-anniversary of Mahsa Aminis death after being arrested for wearing inappropriate attire. What does her death mean to you? SHIRIN EBADI: The murder of Mahsa Amini is a murder that unfortunately has always happened in Iran. The reason I say unfortunately is because Mahsa was not the first girl, nor the last woman, to be killed by government agents because she wore the hijab in a way that was deemed against the law. In my view, Mahsas murder by the government demonstrates the naked violence of a tyrannical government and its refusal to heed the law and humanity. This murder goes against the international agreements signed by the Iranian government. Iran is a signatory to international human rights conventions and must implement them. The first of these obligations is to value life. Under no circumstances do government representatives have the right, whatever the circumstances, to act outside the framework imposed on them by law. No international law, nor even Irans domestic law, authorizes the murder of a citizen without trial, in the manner in which it was carried out. So this was murder, under both national and international law. And since, unfortunately, such murders occur systematically and continuously in Iran, they can be considered crimes against humanity. Following Aminis death and the Woman Life Freedom movement, with hundreds of protesters killed and thousands more arrested and jailed, what is the current state of womens lives in Iran? The status of women has not changed. During this period, no law was passed in favour of women. The situation is still discriminatory. Women are still discriminated against in the labour market. The widespread poverty that has occurred in Iran affects women more than men, and we see women who are heads of households living and suffering very difficult situations without the state, or any of the governments that come and go, paying any attention. As for the issue of wearing the headscarf, it continues to claim victims, as we saw again recently when Arezou Badri [a 31-year-old mother of two who has become paraplegic after being shot at by security forces while she was driving in her car on July 22, 2024] ended up on a hospital bed because of her hijab. So the situation unfortunately continues as it used to. The demonstrations that followed the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran in September 2022 were severely repressed, resulting in many deaths and thousands of arrests. Photo: AFP On the issue of hijab, some Iranian women are resisting and not wearing it in the streets, in the public sphere, without being punished or imprisoned. Is this correct? This was also the case before. Since the Stealthy Freedoms campaign was launched [in Iran in 2014 by journalist Masih Alinejad], weve seen many photos and videos of women outside their homes without wearing their hijab. Whats happening now is the same as before, but it is more widespread: there are more of them. Wherever, whenever there are no police, women get rid of the compulsory hijab at the first opportunity, but if and when the police or Gasht-e-Ershad [the religious morality police] finds out about it, their behaviour towards women is extremely savage. As a lawyer, then a judge, you were the first woman in the history of Iranian justice to preside over a court. You stayed in Iran for many years after the Islamic revolution of 1979. What types of discriminations have you witnessed over the years? I can only list a small number of the discriminatory laws that were imposed on Iranian women after the Islamic Revolution, because there were so many of them. First of all, the blood money (diyeh) of a woman is worth half that of a man, which means that if my brother and I go out together in the street and a car hits us and we are both injured or killed, the compensation due to my brother will be double the one due to me, because I am a woman. As far as inheritance law is concerned, the inheritance a woman receives on the death of her husband will be half the inheritance a man receives after his wife's death. The inheritance a daughter receives from her parents will be half that received by a son, her brother. Or when the father of a child dies, the handling of that childs property goes to the grandfather. Imagine a mother who has bought an asset, such as a house, for her child. As long as she is with her husband and they are living comfortably, there is no problem, but it is the husband, i.e. the childs father, who has the right to rent the house, collect the rent or sell it. The mother who bought the house has no rights. And after the fathers death, the mother will not have priority, neither to be in charge of nor manage the house she bought for the child. It will be the grandfather who will have this right, which is called the right of guardianship (haq-e-velayat). Before the Islamic revolution, women had the right of guardianship over their children, but this right was taken away from them after the revolution. The age of marriage in Iran is appallingly low: thirteen years for girls and fifteen years for boys. The age of penal responsibility is also extremely low, nine years for girls and fifteen years for boys. And there is, of course, the fact that a woman who marries sees her legal personality weakened. In certain cases, she will need her husbands written authorization. This is required, for example, to obtain a passport or to leave the country. Also the testimony of one man in court is equivalent to the testimony of... two women. And the list goes on... There are many other discriminatory laws in Iran today. If I were to list them all, it would be like writing a thick book. I agree 100% with this finding. But the answer to crimes against humanity lies in a special court, the International Criminal Court (ICC). For a government to be tried for crimes against humanity, it must either agree to be a member of the ICC, which the Iranian government has not accepted, or the UN Security Council must bring the case before the Court. But we know that Russia and China because of their economic interests with Iran are defending Iran, so this road is also a dead end. Thats why this case has not yet been referred to the ICC. But I promise you that, in a not too distant future, we will see Iranian government officials in the dock at a trial. The UN FFMI also took the view that, in the absence of national justice, UN member states should apply the principle of universal jurisdiction, which potentially means arresting and prosecuting agents of the Iranian regime when theyre abroad. What are your views on this? If a country is not a member of the ICC, what do you do? Hence the idea of adopting the principle of universal jurisdiction. It means that certain countries have adopted laws under which, if a crime against humanity is committed and the aggressor is on their soil, they have the right to arrest him. This is what happened with the trial of Hamid Nouri. Some thirty years ago, this man was accused of crimes against humanity and complicity in crimes against humanity committed in Iran in the 1960s. The Swedish government had already approved a universal jurisdiction law, so as soon as he set foot on Swedish soil, Nouri was arrested, tried and found guilty before the highest courts and sentenced to life imprisonment. But the principle of universal jurisdiction does not apply to all countries; it must be enshrined in their laws... You are one of the signatories of a petition on gender apartheid. What is gender apartheid, and does it apply to the current situation of women in Iran? Apartheid means fundamental discrimination that completely excludes a person or group of people from humanity and equality. This problem was first officially recognized in the case of South Africa. At the time, the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid was adopted by the UN General Assembly for South Africa, and many countries signed it. This Convention mentions ethnic origin and race, as it was conceived in relation to the apartheid that existed in South Africa. The word gender does not appear. However, after the events that took place in Iran, Afghanistan and in certain predominantly Islamic countries, the feminist movement came to the conclusion that apartheid should not be based solely on race. Is there a difference, for example, between the way they treat women in Afghanistan and the way they treated black people in South Africa during the apartheid period? People who werent white suffered the same ordeal. So this needs to be corrected, but for gender apartheid to be officially recognized under international law, the Convention needs to be amended. The Convention itself states that any of the countries that have signed it can write a letter to the UN Secretary General and ask for the word gender to be added. On this basis, I asked several countries, including France, Norway and Italy: since you are members of this Convention, and the feminist movement in your countries is powerful, please ask for the word gender to be added. I hope that it will be followed up. But that is not yet the case. If a government has the courage and initiative to make this request, then the UN Secretary General will have the duty to raise this issue and the countries that have joined this Convention will have to vote to officially add the word gender. If that happens, then governments like Afghanistans Taliban or the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran could be tried for the crime of apartheid. Can and should change and reform come from within Iran? The Islamic Republic has to change because a government based on an Islamic ideology cannot implement gender equality. Our problem stems from the constitution. According to the constitution, the official religion of the Islamic Republic of Iran is Islam, and again according to the constitution, the laws passed by parliament must comply with the Islamic sharia. So when a law is approved, it must be sent to the Council of Guardians to decide whether or not the text is compatible with the Sharia. This Council of Guardians is made up of 12 members [appointed for six years], including six Islamic clerics and six jurists [elected by Parliament on the recommendation of the judiciary, which itself reports to the Supreme Leader]. But only the clerics on the Guardian Council can express an opinion on whether or not laws comply with Islamic Sharia law. The six jurists cant say anything on this subject, they dont have the right to speak. These six clerics who have to give their opinion on conformity with the sharia are directly appointed by the Supreme Leader [the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Iran], so one persons opinion, i.e. the Leaders opinion, is the Islamic sharia, right? Inside the country itself, Iran has many theologians (mojtahedeen) whose religious beliefs are completely different from those of the Supreme Leader, but as they are not part of the political power, their words have not been heard. As for the Supreme Leader, he is appointed for life. And he is not even elected directly by the people, but by high-ranking clerics, the [88] members of the Assembly of Experts. Now tell me, in such a system, where is the place of the people? Where is the will of the people? Our fundamental problem is therefore the political structure of Iran. Thats why I say that as long as this government works with this structure and with this constitution, theres no way we can have a better situation. Members of the Assembly of Experts in 2015. They are in charge of electing the Supreme leader in Iran. Our fundamental problem is the political structure of Iran, says Shirin Ebadi. Photo: Behrouz Mehri / AFP Do you think that Iranian women will be able to resist the regimes threats with their current struggle? To a lesser degree, we can prevent the situation from getting worse. But lets not delude ourselves. With this political structure, with this framework, this state order, we cant do anything, and thats why day after day we see the gap between the Iranian people and the government growing wider and wider. You have said that Islam must be compatible with equality and human rights: Can you tell us more? Islam, like any religion, has different interpretations. You see that in Europe, one church marries same-sex couples, meaning it accepts it, while another church rejects it; one church accepts abortion, another strongly rejects it. Its the same with Islam. The situation of women in Islamic countries is very different: not all countries are the same, and this shows that Islam has different interpretations. The problem here is theocracy. The problem is when religion takes political power and wants to speak and decide. Thats what happened in Iran: the opinion of one person [the Supreme Leader] becomes Islamic sharia law and is imposed on everyone. This is also what happened with the Taliban: the opinion of the Taliban becomes Islam. Repression in Iran targets not only women and political dissidents, but also religious and sexual minorities. Is this another kind of apartheid? If we consider the word apartheid in its broadest sense, apartheid is any form of discrimination suffered by a group. But the reason why gender apartheid is now a much-discussed topic in Iran and around the world is, in my opinion, because it affects a very large number of people and exists in every country, to a greater or a lesser extent. Women make up half of society. When you talk about gender apartheid, it means that you are discriminating against half of society. There is no doubt that sexual and gender minorities (LGBTQ+) must have the same rights, all the rights enjoyed by the rest of society. The reason why the term apartheid of gender identity or sexual orientation is not used is explained by the percentage that these minorities represent within society. But if we want to understand apartheid in its true sense, we have to say that apartheid means discrimination. And any kind of discrimination is reprehensible, whether it is based on gender, gender identity or the sexual orientation of the population. What if King Yeonu has a secret heir? The finale of Queen Woo left us with so many questions about power, betrayal, and the royal legacy. The conclusion of the Queen Woo drama series has left many viewers eager for more, particularly given the historical context surrounding its characters and events. Following the war and Yeonu's ascension to the throne, potential plotlines could explore the aftermath of these events, rooted in historical records and character dynamics. Based on historical facts, the saga of power, betrayal, and enduring legacy continues to unfold following a prolonged war that claimed the life of King Balgi (Palgi in history). The conflict culminated in his defeat, leading to his tragic suicide, and subsequently, Yeonu ascended to the throne as the new king. Yeonu (also known as Sansang of Goguryeo), who now faces the challenges of kingship, must navigate a complex relationship with Queen Woo. As one Reddit user in r/KDRAMA noted, "Queen Woo often tried to mock the Crown Prince...but he was always kind and gentle." This dynamic could lead to political intrigue, as Queen Woo may seek to undermine Yeonu's authority while asserting her own position as "Great Queen Dowager." Queen Yeonu Had a Son? With Yeonu's rise to power, Queen Woo reclaimed her position alongside him. Despite their union, the couple remained childless, prompting Yeonu to take a villager as a royal concubine. This relationship produced a son who was granted the title of "Little Queen." Prince Yeonu or King Sansang by #KangYoungSeok. after marrying Lady U he becomes King sansang of Goguryeo and gives birth to a child with another woman. pic.twitter.com/WjkeAVqtzc Lee | I stand with #NewJeans (@Lee_okkk) August 7, 2024 Queen Woo, however, harbored resentment towards the concubine and made several attempts to eliminate her. Soldiers loyal to Yeonu refused to carry out these orders, recognizing the potential significance of an heir. The concubine's son eventually became the Crown Prince, further complicating the royal dynamics. Throughout his reign, the Crown Prince received mockery from Queen Woo, who never ceased to undermine him. Despite this, he remained kind and generous, granting her and her family significant political influence. In recognition of her status and influence, she was bestowed with the title "Great Queen Dowager." SEE: Is 'Queen Woo' Based on a True Story + Who Did She End Up With? A Look at Historical Accuracy in the New K-Drama Queen Woo Upon her passing, Queen Woo requested to be buried beside Yeonu rather than Nammu, highlighting her complex relationship with the throne and its legacy. Historical accounts suggest that Yeonu's son, who ultimately ascended as king, was beloved by his subjects and commanded deep loyalty from his followers. As such, viewers find the story of Yeonu's son, who becomes Crown Prince, presenting an opportunity for exploration. His journey could highlight the struggles and expectations he faces as he grows into his role. "It should have been 9-10 episodes... I really hope they give us something more," expressed another fan, emphasizing the desire to see this character's development. Political Landscape Post-War The political landscape following the war is expected to be rife with intrigue. Former allies and enemies may vie for power, leading to conspiracies that threaten Yeonu's reign. One Reddit user pointed out that "the historical events are not in the right order," suggesting that differing interpretations of history could fuel future conflicts within the narrative. Moreover, the series could introduce more historical figures from this era, including generals and advisors. Their interactions with Yeonu and Queen Woo could amplify the stakes, showcasing the complexities of alliances and rivalries in a time of unrest. As Queen Woo navigates her role as Dowager Queen, her influence could be examined more closely. Despite attempts to undermine her son, she may also be portrayed as making strategic moves for the benefit of the kingdom. Another Reddit user remarked, "I can't recall whether it's from the Book of Wei or Later Han, where Nammu is not mentioned at all," highlighting how historical discrepancies can shape character motivations. The aftermath of war often brings turmoil to a kingdom, which means the series could delve into how the people of Goguryeo cope with conflict-related issues such as famine and social unrest. This broader perspective would resonate with themes of resilience and unity. Conflicts with Neighboring States Finally, given historical tensions in the region, future conflicts with neighboring states like the Han dynasty could be explored. This would provide opportunities for dramatic battle scenes and strategic negotiations, showcasing Yeonu's leadership skills. The conclusion of Queen Woo has set the stage for numerous intriguing storylines based on historical events. By weaving together character development, political intrigue, and societal issues, a continuation of this drama series could captivate audiences and provide a deeper exploration of a pivotal period in Korean history. Fans remain hopeful for a second season or special movie that delves into these narratives. As of now, there is no official confirmation about a second season of "Queen Woo." While it's true that many Korean dramas typically run for only one season, some have been renewed due to steady ratings or popularity, with shows like "Taxi Driver" and "Alchemy of Souls." However, given the current situation and past trends, it's uncertain whether "Queen Woo" will be renewed. Keep an eye out for updates, as we'll know more once the production companies make an announcement. SEE: Why is Queen Woo So Desirable to the Princes? The Historical Inspiration Behind Unveiled What can you say about the story? Share your comments below Kdramastars own this. This article was written by: Rovelyn Barba Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers. The murder case in the drama Black Out is still filled with various puzzles. Ko Jung Woo (Byun Yo Han), the convict accused of murdering Sim Bo Young (Jang Ha Eun) and Park Da Eun (Han So Eun), has yet to clear his name. Even after his release, he continues to be called a murderer and blamed by local residents. In the latest episodes, various efforts have been made by Jung Woo to uncover the real killer who took the lives of his two friends. However, his efforts continue to face very convoluted obstacles. So, what are the reasons that make the murder case in the drama Black Out difficult to unravel? Law enforcement officials are complicit in covering up the truth. The main reason this case is difficult to uncover is the dishonesty of law enforcement. It entangles someone who is not the murderer into taking responsibility. The murder case was handled by Hyun Gu Tak (Kwon Hae Hyo) at the time. He used his power to lead the investigation to cover up his son's involvement in the case. Starting with Gu Tak, other officials under his leadership also participated in covering up the murder case. Various efforts they made included pressuring Jung Woo to confess, creating false evidence, and attempting to eliminate actual evidence. Gu Tak and Kim Hee Do (Jang Won Young) also tried to create a false scenario in this case. False statements from witnesses that burden Jung Woo Three characters involved in the murder are Yang Byeong Mu (Lee Tae Gu), Shin Min Soo (Lee Woo Jae), and Hyun Geon Oh (Lee Ga Sub). They are Jung Woo's friends from school. Jung Woo, his friends, and the victims were always together. When questioned as witnesses, all three provided false statements that burdened Jung Woo. They did not admit to having drank with Bo Young before the murder occurred. Instead, they all testified that Bo Young was last seen with Jung Woo and was involved in a heated argument. Silencing witnesses who wish to be honest SEE: Lee Dong Wook's 'Inside Out 2' Cameo Excites Fans + Get to Know the Actor's Special Role in the Disney-Pixar Film After seeing Jung Woo and his family suffer, Geon Oh felt pity and guilt. He then resolved to turn himself in and tell the truth about what happened. He did this to help Jung Woo clear his name. Knowing his son was about to turn himself in, Goo Tak tried to obstruct this process with Kim Hee Do's help. He threatened Geon Oh by exploiting his twin's mental condition. In addition to silencing Geon Oh, Goo Tak also silenced his twin's testimony, who tried to reveal what actually happened through painting. Lack of evidence The lack of evidence is one reason why the mystery of the murder in this drama is hard to uncover. The disappearance of actual perpetrator evidence forced Jung Woo to prove his innocence. However, since his arrest, there has not been a single piece of evidence or witness stating that Jung Woo was not at the scene when the murder occurred. Both of his parents were not home at that time. Meanwhile, all of his involved friends deliberately sacrificed Jung Woo. The police on duty even reduced evidence of the actual perpetrator and burdened Jung Woo with newly created evidence. Even after his son died the police chief still trying to cover up things I wonder what deep shit he did in those murders#BlackOut #BlackOutEp9#SnowWhiteMustDie pic.twitter.com/mueEaHkvpJ Lee Yun (@LeeYunnes) September 13, 2024 The difficulty of reopening a case from decades ago After completing his sentence, Jung Woo always tried to ask the police to reopen his case. However, the lack of direct evidence was also a reason why this case was difficult to reopen. Moreover, the incident occurred decades ago. When new evidence regarding Bo Young's body was found, it did not automatically lead to the reopening of this case. Although Detective Noh Sang Cheol (Goo Jun) requested that this case be reopened, Goo Tak did not allow it. This is what led Sang Cheol and Jung Woo to work independently to solve his case because other police would not help. Faced with various obstacles, Jung Woo remains determined to uncover the real perpetrator. He does this because he is no longer afraid of threats since even his mother's life has been threatened, but no one cares. Will Jung Woo and Sang Cheol succeed in revealing the real murderer in the drama Black Out? "Black Out" is a South Korean drama that premiered on August 16, 2024, on MBC, airing on Fridays and Saturdays at 9:50 PM KST. The series, directed by Lee Kyoo Man and Byun Young Joo, features a talented cast including Byun Yo Han, Go Jun, Go Bo Gyeol, and Kim Bo Ra. The story revolves around two detectives who delve into mysterious incidents in a village, with a focus on the darker aspects of human nature. Central to the plot is Go Jeong U, a former medical school candidate whose life takes a tragic turn after a fateful trip. Following his release from prison, he returns to his hometown and confronts the haunting events of 11 years ago that changed his life forever. Through its gripping narrative, "Black Out" promises to explore the complexities of morality and the human psyche. SEE: 3 Unresolved Questions We Want Answers To Following 'King the Land' Finale What can you say about the story? Share your comments below Kdramastars own this. This article was written by: Rovelyn Barba Monday, September 16, 2024- A middle-aged Kenyan lady, who made headlines some months ago for claiming Cubana ChiefPriest was the father of her child, has shared new photos of the baby. The childs resemblance to Cubana Chief Priest, a popular Nigerian businessman and socialite, sparked widespread speculation online. The lady alleged that she met Cubana Chief Priest during her 2022 visit to Nigeria, resulting in the childs conception. However, Cubana Chief Priest has denied paternity. New photos of the child, now older, have resurfaced on social media, reigniting public interest in the story. See photos. Monday, September 16, 2024 - Bishop Francis Mwangi of Holy Spirit Church of God in Njoro, Nakuru County has been accused of preying on his female church members. The rogue bishop, who was ordained on Sunday in an event attended by politicians among them Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja, reportedly impregnated the youth church matron. He is also fond of impregnating women in his church and ordering them to get rid of the pregnancies. Further reports indicate that Bishop Mwangi is seen picking up night ladies in the streets of Nakuru. Check out the expose. Below are photos of the rogue bishop when he was being ordained on Sunday. The Kenyan DAILY POST. Monday, September 16, 2024 - Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was the talk of the town yesterday after he skipped President William Rutos event in Nyeri. Gachagua was expected to accompany Ruto to a church service at AIPCA Central Western Archdiocese in Nyeri County but didnt. However, speaking while attending centenary celebrations of Our Lady of Sorrows Baricho Catholic Parish in Kirinyaga County, Gachagua explained that he could not afford to miss the cake served in celebrations to mark the churchs 100 years and thats why he skipped Rutos event. He had intended to attend the centenary event and leave midway to join the Head of State at AIPCA Central Western Archdiocese in Nyeri County but the event got so colourful that he decided to stay till the end. I was hurrying to attend another church in Nyeri then I saw there was a cake. I wondered whether an event without eating a cake is complete. So I decided to wait for the cake, Gachagua revealed. As such, he opted to join the congregants in the centenary celebrations held at Baricho Primary School grounds after the Sunday Holy Mass. In the service at AIPCA Central Western Archdiocese in Nyeri, an empty chair was left for the deputy president raising eyebrows. The AIPCA service was held in his backyard in Nyeri County and his failure to attend raised speculation of the widening rift between the president and his deputy. This came barely a week after 48 MPs from Mt Kenya denounced Gachagua and endorsed Interior CS Kithure Kindiki as their Kingpin. The Kenyan DAILY POST Monday, September 16, 2024 - Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has begged leaders from the Mt Kenya region to stop what he termed as high-octane politics. Addressing the faithful during a church service in Baricho, Kirinyaga County, Gachagua urged leaders to focus on the development agenda. "The elections ended and the next election cycle is 2027. Those who were elected should do their job; when the time comes, aspirants will go to the people to seek support. "Kenyans are intelligent people; they are aware of the political developments. They will make decisions at the ballot," he said. "Let us reduce high-octane politics in the Mt Kenya Region. The other regions are calm and not focusing on politics," he added. While urging the leaders to also shun divisive politics, Gachagua said working together for the greater good of the country is a priority. He further asked Kenyans to give leaders space to work. "The voters will decide in the next election cycle. Let us also be kind and do good deeds all the time and work on the development," the DP said. Gachagua also advised the leaders that despite political differences "look back and do good to those who did good deeds to you". This comes after President William Ruto reprimanded Gachagua over his obsession with 2027, saying it was time to work for Kenyans. His comments came amid unfolding political intrigues in Mt. Kenya after over 60 leaders in the region dumped him for Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki as Mt. Kenya's kingpin. The Kenyan DAILY POST Monday, September 16, 2024 - Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba has accused President William Ruto of using women and then discarding them like tissue paper. Speaking during an interview earlier today, Wamuchomba called out Ruto and the Kenya Kwanza Government for using women for political clout and then abandoning them after elections. According to Wamuchomba, one of the Kenya Kwanza Governments biggest mistakes is leaving women behind. She accused the President of using gimmicks to entice women during the campaigns, seemingly to give the impression that womens needs would be prioritized. As a woman leader, the reason why I actually joined the party was because I believed in the womens political space, Wamuchomba said. However, she expressed her disappointment and regrets in Rutos government for failing to adhere to the two-thirds gender rule despite several promises during campaigns. Referring to a Women Charter signed at the Railways Club, Wamuchomba said that Ruto had committed himself to ensure all sectors in the government, including both parliaments, the cabinet, and counties achieved the two-thirds gender rule. She noted that none of those promises have come to pass despite the National Assembly having supposedly held the two-thirds gender rule debate 8 times. She believes this reflects a lack of genuine effort from the government. I sympathise with the women of Kenya. The women of Kenya are used as the catalyst of politics. Look at the way women dance, women dress and attend meetings. Right now, Im seeing Kenya Kwanza are reviving Inua Mama and the men are pegging into Inua Mama activities to go and do their dirty tribal politics, she stated The Kenyan DAILY POST Monday, September 16, 2024 Former Prime Minister Raila Odingas diehard supporter Nuru Okanga now wants Kapsaret MP Oscar Sudi to fulfill his promise weeks after pledging support to him. The duo met in an online interview, during which the lawmaker heard of Okanga's plea for help. Okanga asked the MP to give him Ksh1 million to establish business ventures of his choice and another Ksh300,000 for his wife's salon business. He cumulatively needed Ksh1.3 million from the lawmaker. In response, Sudi acceded to Okanga's plea and added that he would locate a decent three-bedroomed unit for him under the Affordable Housing Programme in Nairobi. The controversial MP promised a house and Ksh1.3 million to Nuru Okanga. It now emerges that the lawmaker was yet to fulfill his word fully weeks later, going by Okang's recent pronouncements. In a clip making rounds across social media networks, the political activist is heard confronting Sudi about the remaining funds. He revealed he had only received Ksh 700,000, which he used to start a posho mill business in his home area, and requested Sudi to top up the remaining Ksh 600,000. "Please, MP Sudi, finish your date. You owe me twice. I have not seen the house and you still have my balance of Ksh 600,000. "I am saying this because it was all over social media. He gave me Ksh700,000, and I am yet to be shown the house," he said. The Kenyan DAILY POST Monday, September 16, 2024 - The government of President William Ruto has been forced to come clean after the German government denied President William Rutos claims that he had secured 250,000 jobs for Kenyans in Germany. Ruto had claimed that he had signed a deal with Germany to allow 250,000 Kenyans to work in the country, a statement that Germany has refuted; forcing the government to clarify. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs revealed that while there was a labour deal with Germany, there was no limit on the minimum or maximum number of job seekers who could land employment in the European nation. "Unlike traditional quota-based bilateral labour agreements, this new agreement focusses on creating a framework for matching Kenyan talent to German labour needs," the statement shared by PS Roselyn Njogu read in part According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the number of Kenyans who could travel abroad was largely dependent on qualification for existing opportunities. Ruto has been at the forefront of championing a framework for cooperation between Kenya and Germany and oversaw the signing of a Comprehensive Agreement on Sharing of Labour, Talent, and Mobility. After his two-day tour to the European economic powerhouse, Ruto signed a labour mobility agreement with Germany and revealed the recruitment exercise could start as early as September 27. The Kenyan DAILY POST Monday, September 16, 2024 - President William Ruto has urged his deputy Rigathi Gachagua to stop campaigning for the 2027 presidential election. In recent months, Gachagua has switched to campaign mode, touring counties across the Mt Kenya region and urging voters to unite ahead of the 2027 election. Speaking in Nyeri county on Sunday, Ruto told Gachagua to keep off early campaigns and instead focus on delivering the government's agenda to Kenyans. Ruto said the leadership in 2027 will ultimately be left to God and the people, emphasizing that campaigns and political discussions should take a backseat for now, given elections are still three years away. Lets reduce the talk about 2027. The year 2027 is for God and the people to decide. "Right now, we have three years ahead, and that time shouldnt just be used to plan how to win elections. "Focus first on how to serve the people, Ruto said. The head of state argued that leaders cannot be elected and immediately start campaigning for reelection without first delivering to the electorates. Ruto asked leaders to focus on delivering the Kenya Kwanza manifesto as they promised during the campaigns. The Kenyan DAILY POST Monday, September 16, 2024 - On August 3, 2024, I found myself in a very dark place and considered taking my own life. A few days earlier, l had signed my will, then rang or texted a few people. It was my farewell. I wanted to die. Exit this world for good. There was simply too much pain, grief, and trauma in my life that I couldnt bear it any longer. I couldn't continue watching helplessly as our country was sucked into a sickening, deadly vortex of State-sanctioned violence, targeting innocent Kenyans. In writing this now, I am aware that it might attract ridicule and trolling from the usual suspects, but I'm a firm believer in telling your story. Although I wanted to commit suicide, my family and friends threw a ring of love and empathy around me that made me reconsider. They forced me to seek professional help, and to take a health break to focus on my mental wellness. That helped to re-center me. I have a fresh and new lease of life now, and truly appreciate the overwhelming love and support that was extended to me and my family during that time when the darkness threatened to overcome us. Even though I dont owe anyone an explanation, my supporters deserve at least an update, and perhaps elaboration of the circumstances that continue to assail many of those who put their lives on the line fighting for the betterment of this country. It is common knowledge now that the Ruto regime ruthlessly massacred innocent citizens for nothing other than expressing love for their country, by demonstrating to demand better governance and use of our taxes. Dying for loving your country is the ultimate sacrifice anyone can pay, and the most noble act of a true patriot. On the other hand, murdering innocent citizens for speaking their minds is the most ignominious and cowardly act of a despotic government. Ruto called us treasonous. He deployed the military to the streets - for the first time in 42 years - and prioritized his concern about the alleged destruction of property by demonstrators, over the lives of the citizens who were murdered. He did not mourn the death of these innocent and peaceful Kenyans at the hands of the police. In fact, he demonized and described them as criminals to try and justify their killing. He ensconced himself in a web of deceit and denial, characterised by his now infamous and callous response during a television interview when he said that a 12-year-old boy, into whose body the police had pumped 8 bullets, was still alive. He has also consistently denied that anyone has been abducted by the police, even when videos of such illegal acts have been shared online by ordinary Kenyans. Some of the brave citizens who played prominent roles in the protests had to move out of their homes and remain underground for fear of being abducted. I narrowly escaped getting abducted myself. Over 60 Kenyans abducted since June 25, 2024, some are still missing, with the authorities denying responsibility. Do they expect us to believe that all these people disappeared themselves? The government is lying. We all know that it's lying. Yet the silence from those who should be questioning the government is deafening. Still, I am among the lucky ones, even though the constant threat of violence and murder from the government takes a toll on ones mental wellness. Because l refused to go to State House to cut a deal with Ruto, the money they would have offered as a bribe has been paid to government bloggers to sully my reputation. Since June 2024, l have been arrested three times, and been charged and released by the courts twice. This is tantamount to abuse of the court process. My children are traumatised by the possibility of their dad getting abducted or murdered. Not so long ago, I routinely woke up early for a morning run with my children. That is no longer possible. When it gets dark, and Im not home, everyone is worried. My social and business life has been affected, but sometimes I'll throw caution to the wind and venture out because the intent of this intimidation is to instill fear in us - and I won't allow them to have that much control over me. After all, I have faced many dangers since I started my career as a press photographer. I covered the crackdown on the Mungiki and their subsequent executions. I was a journalist when police used to execute suspects and display their bodies to the media. I documented more bodies in the aftermath of the 2007 post-election violence, when I witnessed the horrors of Kenyans who had been chopped up by their fellow neighbours, and houses razed to the ground with the occupants still trapped inside. When Ruto talks about the discovery of bodies in River Yala, where police hit squads abducted, tortured, and dumped bodies in the river, it was myself and other activists who raised the alarm. In my brief life, I have witnessed the worst version of humans towards their fellow humans. But what breaks me is that perpetrators are never held accountable. These old traumas were triggered afresh by the police brutality witnessed in the recent youth-led protests. The recent harassment recalled the violent arrests I suffered as an activist. l have been wheeled in for surgeries four times to treat injuries inflicted upon me on account of my activism. I still refuse to be cowed, even though I bear the trauma of the killings and the abductions that happened on June 25, 2024. I was among those in the streets, and encouraged others to protest against over-taxation. We went to the streets peacefully, unarmed, and even notified the police of our intentions. We occupied Parliament peacefully, armed only with our national flags, but the State responded with executions, abductions, and forced disappearances. Parliaments CCTV footage that shows the senseless killings of courageous and patriotic protestors is yet to be made public. The threat of being abducted, murdered or disappeared will not stop us from organising and getting involved in the movement to liberate Kenya from this brutal, murderous, and corrupt regime led by Ruto. Our movement was on the cusp of a win before Raila Odinga betrayed us. Before he walked on the bodies and the blood of the children who sacrificed their lives for a better Kenya, Raila reached out asking what should he do. We told him to demand protection for peaceful protestors. We also told him to stay away from the protests, as we had a plan. Raila, as always, saw an opportunity to benefit personally, just like he did after last years Azimio protests that led to over 70 deaths. Those protestors died in vain. I refuse to die in vain. The betrayal is a good thing. The return of disgraced individuals into government, and Railas co-option into the regime, means that when the moment comes, all of them will be swept away. We are happy that Kenyas biggest problem, the corrupt political class, are in the same boat and we shall sink them all together. Fagia Wote! By joining Ruto, Raila transferred his goons to the State, so now we have to deal with both political and State goons. Just like in the days of Moi when we had Jeshi la Mzee, we are facing Jeshi la Raila na Ruto in the streets. The biggest beneficiary of the violence is the Ruto regime, it gives them an excuse to illegally ban protests, harass, and abduct peaceful protestors. The issues raised by the youth of this country have not gone away just because of a political settlement between two politicians. Young people are still hungry, angry, and unemployed. The arrogance of the political elite is back, even after all the promises Ruto made. He has gone back on his words, as always. He has re-appointed almost everyone he fired in some position or other. He lied to the entire nation things would change, and then he went back to his old thieving ways. But there is no turning back. We have Ruto where we wanted him, to reveal his true colours. He is a true political son of former dictator Moi, and he wont hesitate to clamp down on free speech, shut down media stations, the internet, and abduct and murder those who protest against his corrupt regime. The PR he was busy doing all over the world has come to an end, the whole world now knows that he is a brutal psychopath. He will not fight corruption, or uphold the rule of law, and thats why the clarion call, Ruto Must Go will continue in places of worship, in clubs, and the streets until the man is gone. The vehicle at our disposal is an organic movement and it will morph and gain structures as we go. This approach was preferred because it makes it difficult to cut deals with politicians. No single individual who is part of the movement can meet Ruto and claim they are representing us. I declined all the overtures to meet Ruto. But we're not blind to the fact that it has also left us vulnerable to manipulation and infiltration by State agents. Its very clear who are the State agents inside the movement. Theyre never arrested or harassed, even when they take part in the protests, or hold press conferences. And there are no malicious, personalized attacks to their person online. We know them. Their work is to confuse, divide, and report on the movements plans. We have State agents who masquerade as part of the movement, some have even staged arrests to look like theyre genuine. We know the moles. The State knows we know. We made a deliberate choice to ensure that no matter the level of infiltration, blackmail, bribes, and threats to life, no abduction, betrayal, or murder of one of us will stop the movement. We are decentralised and leaderless by choice, for now. #RutoMustGo will remain viable until the man is out of office. What we are pushing for isnt just his removal, but an end to the mindset and attitude that he embodies: corruption, insensitivity, lack of accountability, lack of merit, cronyism, and greed. You could add murder, abductions, subversion of the constitution, and deal-making to those vices. The mortgaging of the countrys assets, such as the dubious leasing of the airport to Adani Group, leaves no doubt that these past two years under Kenya Kwanza have been a dress rehearsal of the ongoing and impending grand larceny. We shall stop their corrupt march because we have unity of purpose. We fundraised 25 million shillings in one day to support injured protestors, and families of those who had been killed - an amount that eventually rose to over 31 million from 35,444 individual contributors. Celebrities and influencers were also part of the movement - thats how we successfully pulled off the Saba Saba Memorial Concert at Uhuru Park in honour of our fallen heroes. All the artists performed for free, and people donated money and services to make the concert a reality. When we have our own presidential candidate, we shall crowd-source funds, volunteers, resources, and campaign materials, and remove the greedy, thieving, political class in one day. We are a people-funded movement, and thats why the National Intelligence Service and Directorate of Criminal Investigation are chasing ghosts looking for where the resources are coming from. NIS, which is headed by Noordin Haji who served six years in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and left the prosecutors office without securing a single conviction of any big crooks, has a budget of 46.8 billion shillings. In comparison, two important institutions with bigger payrolls and more responsibilities, have smaller budgets; Prisons with Ksh 32.7 billion, and the Judiciary at Ksh 24.7 billion. Why is so much money going to one secretive institution? Its Noordins secret police, running the death squads that have been abducting citizens, and running secret jails across the country. Its also his budget that is being used to bribe politicians and buy loyalty, and pay online bloggers to malign our reputations. We have a serious mental health crisis in the country. The children who witnessed the killings, the victims families, and even the police who were ordered to brutalise peaceful protestors are all suffering. Unlike Ruto, who is a sociopath, the rest of us are fighting for our sanity. Activists and citizens are suffering from depression and mental breakdown. Kenyans on social media who have PHDs (Pull Him/Her Down) have contributed to the mental health crisis. We need to protect those young kids, Hanifa Farsafi, Mercy Tarus, Kasmuel McOure, Morara Kebaso, and others who have emerged from the movement. They are putting their lives at risk daily, exposing corruption and the evilness of this regime. They need our love and support from government trolls, and politician's apologists. Unfortunately, whistleblowers and activists in Kenya are attacked, shamed, and hounded, destroying many lives in the process and leading to unemployment, depression, alcoholism, and broken marriages. The whistleblower of the Goldenberg scam in the 90s, David Munyakei, died young, broken, and dejected. Pattni, who stole KSh 158.3 billion is still a free man today, allegedly running similar scams in other countries. We, the people, must stop hating and fighting those who are working for a better Kenya, while praising, and protecting those who are stealing billions. Support those who are fighting for change, give them your love and support, and defend them online. We must stop persecuting people who genuinely love this country and focus our anger on those whose only interest is self-aggrandisement. The end of Rutos regime will see many corrupt politicians, and tenderpreneurs lose their corruption connections and get prosecuted. Some of the criminals who are benefiting from corruption money are the ones funding the smear campaigns. They know that when Ruto goes, jail awaits. Those with resources, support those who are fighting for change. To the middle and upper-class Kenyans, support civic education in your communities and villages. Let the next two years be the ones where Kenyans will become the most politically aware and educated. In honour of our martyrs, the ones who led this fight to make Kenya better, we must remember them forever and ensure that Ruto is a one-term president. We can't afford to have a corrupt, cold-blooded murderer continue leading us. The day of reckoning is coming soon. The youths who occupied Parliament on June 25, 2024, showed us what courage and patriotism look like. And for standing up to tyranny, they shook the foundation of this regime that has lost all legitimacy. Ruto now holds on to power by clinging on to the coat-tails of the master of opportunism, Raila Odinga. But not for long. Kenyans have only one option: Ruto Must Go! The Kenyan DAILY POST. Monday, September 16, 2024 - Ikanga/Kyatune Ward representative, Hon. Cyrus Kisavi, popularly known as Sonko, is currently hospitalized in Nairobi after reportedly being beaten for allegedly stealing from a shop in the city's Central Business District. According to a reliable source, the MCA was accosted by a group of men during a botched robbery attempt and beaten black and blue. Word has it that he stole a box containing six Iphone Pro 15 phones and returned to the same shop to steal more phones, only to be caught. He was severely beaten and lost consciousness before police arrived at the scene to rescue him. The youthful politician was taken to Kamukunji police station and later admitted to a city hospital where he is receiving treatment. See photos. The Kenyan DAILY POST. Monday, September 16, 2024 - National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwah, in a veiled reference to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, urged President William Ruto to remove the 'snake' from his government. Speaking at a church service in Embakasi West on Sunday, Ichung'wah said some government officials, led by Gachagua, were derailing President William Ruto's development agenda. Ichungwah, who is also the Kikuyu MP, warned that if Ruto doesn't remove the snake, it will bite him and ruin his legacy. "Don't be afraid, shake off the snake. That viper on your hand, the viper, the snake in your government, please shake it off. "Not for your own sake so that it doesn't bite you. Shake it off so that your hand may do what the Lord purposed that hand to do," Ichung'wah said. The MP cited an excerpt from the Bible and likened it to the challenges the president is facing under his leadership. "When we read in the book of Acts 3:28 that when Apostle Paul got to Malta with a shipwreck and many people swam to the shore and as they were putting up the fire, as you read all the way to 27, a snake twirled around his hand," said Ichung'wah. The Kenyan DAILY POST Monday, September 16, 2024 - Former Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri has warned President William Ruto of dire consequences should he proceed to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. According to Ngunjiri, who is a close ally of Gachagua, the move to impeach the DP might cause security threats with the heavy political weight that the move carries. Making reference to Gachagua's calls for listening to what the people on the ground are saying, Ngunjiri asked Ruto and those proposing the calls to immediately back off and instead focus on service delivery to the people. The impeachment of Gachagua would bring a lot of chaos on the ground, therefore it is not necessary at all, Ngunjiri urged. I am not saying that Gachagua is 100 percent perfect and I have equally talked about this. "Even the division of Mt Kenya into East and West, I dont support the move, he added. Dont we have the intelligence to prove to us that the move would be very bad? Even if we are to take over from the current leadership, the results would still be a bad recipe for the country, Ngunjiri observed. As a result, he appealed to cool down the political temperatures and assure the countrys political stability. He further asked Ruto to learn from former President Uhuru Kenyatta, over how he handled the rift between him and his second in command. The Kenyan DAILY POST Monday, September 16, 2024 - Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary, Moses Kuria, has hinted that Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua will be impeached for undermining President William Ruto. Commenting on Sunday after Gachagua missed President William Rutos event in Nyeri, Moses Kuria, a member of the President's economic advisory team, declared that they will no longer tolerate the Deputy President's disrespect toward his boss. This is the last time this seat will be vacant, I swear, Kuria wrote on X Sunday evening. Instead of attending Ruto's event at Ngangarithi Primary School Grounds, Gachagua was at Baricho Catholic Parish in Kirinyaga County for its 100-year centenary celebrations. As another sign of discord within the government, Gachagua did not receive Ruto at the airport upon his return from Germany. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki and National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah received the president. The Kenyan DAILY POST Monday, September 16, 2024 ODM leaders have cautioned Kenyans against celebrating former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's potential African Union Commission (AUC) victory prematurely, warning it could bring bad luck. Speaking to the press in Kisumu, Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga emphasized that it is too early to celebrate, as Raila Odinga has not yet won. Kisumu County Deputy Governor Mathews Owili and Kisumu Central MP Joshua Oron echoed Ruth Odinga's sentiment, criticizing those stating that Raila had already won the AUC chair position. There is excitement, but we would like to urge caution, we would want to urge sobriety, said Owili. Ruth stated that since Kenyan supporters of Raila Odinga will not participate in the voting process, the best they can do is remember him in their prayers. This followed the unanimous endorsement of the Governor of Kisumu, Anyang' Nyong'o, as the interim party leader by the Kisumu County ODM leadership. "As the pioneer Secretary General, Prof. Nyong'o is the best fit to steer the Party forward, given his exemplary and distinguished service," the leaders said. The Kenyan DAILY POST Monday, September 16, 2024 - Kenyans living in Germany expressed their dissatisfaction with President William Rutos leadership during a concert held in Berlin by chanting Ruto Must Go slogans. The incident happened during Rutos recent visit to Germany. In the video, a group of Kenyans can be seen chanting Ruto Must Go as they wave the Kenyan flag. The video comes at a time when President Rutos popularity is dwindling due to bad government policies. Kenyans use public events to express their dissatisfaction with Rutos leadership by chanting Ruto Must Go slogans. The trend is becoming common in concerts and nightclubs. Watch the video. Kenyans chant Ruto Must Go in Berlin, Germany tonight pic.twitter.com/eZnNzOB9gY KOT Sonko (@sonko_254) September 14, 2024 The Kenyan DAILY POST. Monday, September 16, 2024 - An outspoken Senator from the Mt. Kenya region has claimed that President William Ruto is pushing for the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for undermining him. Speaking on Sunday in Kirinyaga County, Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thangwa revealed a plan by both government and opposition MPs to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and impose charges on him to share positions among themselves. Thang'wa defended the DP, reaffirming that Gachagua would remain the political voice of the mountain. "It is their plan to unite, bring an impeachment motion, remove him from office, jail him and give positions to other people," the senator explained. "Let me tell them, we are the ones who voted for Gachagua as the mountain and we will not allow anyone to touch him," he added. The senator cautioned CS Kindiki to be careful when receiving such support, referencing how Mt Kenya MPs recently backed Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro as the kingpin and ultimately left him in the cold. "Those people who are backing you right now, they did so with Ndindi Nyoro. "They raised him on a pedestal and took him round the country only to leave him falling. "He is still picking himself up and dusting himself off. They will also lift you up and praise you and in the end, you'll be the one left apologizing to people," Thang'wa said. "When you see parliamentarians who are given an opportunity to serve, uniting to say that if we want to speak to the president it will be through this person, that's an abdication of duty, lack of responsibility, and a vote of no confidence to the people that lead them," he added. The Kenyan DAILY POST Monday, September 16, 2024 The government of President William Ruto is hell-bent on proceeding with controversial Adani takeover deals despite uproar from the public. This was revealed by Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi who has organized a public participation for stakeholders today with a view of getting the opinions of Kenyans on the proposed private investment partnership deal with Adani Energy Solutions Limited despite the uproar it has elicited from Kenyans. The public participation forum is set to get the views of Kenyans on whether they support an agreement where the government is planning to award Adani Energy Solutions Limited permission to transmit Kenyas electricity. Should the deal sail through, the multinational company will take over from Kenyas Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) and be in charge of the electricity transmission from the power generators, a move that has been opposed by Kenyans. The government had initially expressed interest in the partnership to address the perennial power blackouts in the country that have been largely blamed on Kenyas transmission infrastructure. Wandayi blamed the blackouts on the old infrastructure of power transmission, pointing to a need for improvement in the infrastructure hence the need for Adani. Religious leaders on Sunday, however, asked the government to listen to Kenyans over the proposal to permit Adani Holdings to run Kenyas infrastructure investments. Should Adani Energy Solutions get the deal, they will help the government construct 371-kilometer transmission lines together with five substations in Western and Eastern Kenya. The Kenyan DAILY POST Monday, September 16, 2024 - Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko and Karen Nyamu turned heads at the Kamba Festival after they were spotted dancing together. As they took to the dance floor, their spirited performance became a trending topic online, with many Kenyans taking to social media to express their reactions. Nyamu, known for her controversial personality, was at the center of attention as she danced the night away with Sonko, whose appetite for women is well-known. A section of social media users seized the opportunity to troll Samidoh, describing his baby mama Karen Nyamu as a public property. Watch the video. MIKE SONKO and SAMIDOH's baby mama KAREN NYAMU at the Kamba Festival pic.twitter.com/l3etgw4vvM DAILY POST (@dailypost_ke) September 16, 2024 The Kenyan DAILY POST. Monday, September 16, 2024 - Controversial Senator Karen Nyamu was among the politicians who turned up for the much-hyped Kamba Festival held at the Carnivore Grounds on Saturday night. The event brought together lovers of Kamba music and as usual, politicians seized the opportunity to address the hundreds of revellers who had turned up. Karen Nyamu was left with an egg on her face after she was heckled by the youthful revellers when she was given a chance to speak. Ruto Must Go chants rent the air as the revellers booed Karen Nyamu, forcing her to cut short her speech. Watch the video. Karen Nyamu Heckled at Carnivore Grounds During Kamba Festival last night. The Ground is hot! pic.twitter.com/TK282c2hXL The Kenyan Vigilante (@KenyanSays) September 15, 2024 The Kenyan DAILY POST. Neurosurgery is a rapidly evolving field, with continuous advancements in technologies and techniques. For aspiring neurosurgeons, involvement in research is key to enhancing residency applications and contributing to the fields progress. Here are some practical tips for students aiming to contribute to neurosurgery research: 1. Find a mentor who matches your research interests. Identifying the right mentor is key to starting your research journey. Look for faculty members who are active in neurosurgery research and whose work aligns with your interests. Attend department meetings, research seminars, or grand rounds to learn about ongoing projects and introduce yourself to potential mentors. Be proactive and express your enthusiasm for joining their research efforts. A good mentor will guide you, help you navigate the research process, and connect you with opportunities that align with your goals. 2. Begin with feasible projects to build foundational skills. If youre new to research, start with smaller projects that allow you to develop basic research skills. Case reports, literature reviews, or retrospective chart reviews are great entry points. These projects tend to be less time-consuming and resource-intensive while still providing valuable experience in data collection, analysis, and scientific writing. As you gain confidence and experience, you can gradually take on more complex projects, such as prospective studies or clinical trials. 3. Utilize existing data and resources. Many neurosurgery departments have existing databases or ongoing projects that could benefit from additional help. Speak with residents, fellows, or faculty to find out if there are opportunities to join a project already in progress. Working on secondary data analysis, systematic reviews, or meta-analyses allows you to contribute without needing to start from scratch. These studies can be very impactful and provide experience in data handling, analysis, and interpretation. 4. Embrace collaboration across specialties. Neurosurgery research often involves collaboration across multiple disciplines, such as neurology, radiology, oncology, and pathology. Being open to multidisciplinary work not only broadens your knowledge but also enhances your research by incorporating diverse perspectives. Engage with colleagues from other specialties, attend joint meetings, and look for opportunities to collaborate on projects that span different fields. This approach will improve your ability to work in teams and strengthen the quality of your research. 5. Attend conferences and present your findings. Conferences are excellent platforms to immerse yourself in the latest neurosurgery research, network with peers and professionals, and receive feedback on your work. Submit abstracts for poster or oral presentations whenever possible. Presenting your research at conferences demonstrates your commitment to the field, enhances your CV, and helps you build a professional network. Make the most of these events by preparing thoroughly, engaging with other attendees, and seeking out potential mentors or collaborators. 6. Stay informed on current research trends. Keep up with the latest developments in neurosurgery by regularly reading high-impact journals, such as the Journal of Neurosurgery or Neurosurgery. Pay attention to the types of research being conducted, the methodologies used, and the results that are driving changes in clinical practice. Understanding current trends will help you identify gaps in knowledge where you could make a meaningful contribution and position your work within the broader context of ongoing research. 7. Develop strong writing skills. Strong writing skills are crucial for success in research. Practice writing clearly and concisely, whether youre preparing a manuscript, drafting an abstract, or compiling a literature review. Familiarize yourself with the style and structure of scientific papers, and consider seeking feedback from mentors or peers to improve your writing. Clear and effective communication of your findings is essential for getting published and making an impact in the field. 8. Be persistent and open to feedback. Research is a process filled with challenges, from data collection hurdles to manuscript revisions and rejections. Persistence is key. Be open to feedback from mentors, peers, and reviewers, and view every critique as an opportunity to learn and improve. Understand that setbacks are part of the process, and use them as stepping stones to refine your skills and advance your research. 9. Look for funding opportunities early. Consider applying for research grants or funding opportunities specific to medical students. Many neurosurgery organizations, such as the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) or the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), offer funding for student-led research projects. Securing funding can provide the resources necessary to pursue more ambitious research endeavors and demonstrate your commitment to advancing the field. 10. Seek out publications beyond journals. While peer-reviewed journals are the gold standard for scientific publishing, consider other avenues to share your research findings, such as blogs, medical websites, or specialty-focused newsletters. These platforms often have a quicker turnaround time and reach a broad audience, allowing you to disseminate your work more widely. Publishing in multiple formats can enhance your visibility and impact within the field. Conclusion: Getting started in neurosurgery research For medical students interested in neurosurgery, research is an invaluable opportunity to engage with the specialty, develop critical skills, and contribute to the fields growth. By finding a supportive mentor, starting with manageable projects, leveraging existing resources, embracing collaboration, presenting your work, and staying persistent, you can make meaningful contributions to neurosurgery research and build a strong foundation for your future career. By taking these steps, you will not only enhance your residency application but also become an active participant in advancing neurosurgical knowledge and improving patient care. Mustafa Farooq is a medical student with a strong interest in neurosurgery. He focuses on innovative surgical techniques and the application of new technologies in brain tumor management. He is dedicated to advancing patient care through research in areas such as advanced neuroimaging, minimally invasive surgery, and the integration of artificial intelligence in neurosurgical practice. He can be reached on X @mustafa_frq. Three Buffalo startups will be part of the group of 16 semifinalists competing for five $1 million prizes in the 43North competition next month. FoodNerd, Offerwell and BosonQ Psi, all from Buffalo, are among the startups that will make their pitch for making the latest cohort for 43North, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. FoodNerd, headquartered in Amherst, is the maker of healthy toddler snacks; Offerwell works with real estate agents to streamline deal flow using automated tools; and BonsonQ Psi, which moved to the area from India, specializes in quantum-powered cloud simulations within the software industry. In total, nine of the businesses participating are from New York State. The farthest business competing is one from the United Kingdom. These companies will pitch live on stage during the semifinals on Oct. 9, with eight proceeding to the finals the next night at Sheas. The semifinalists emerged from nearly 1,000 applications coming from businesses worldwide. A panel of over 60 investors and industry experts from across North America reviewed applications and talked with founders in helping select this years top contenders. The other semifinalists include: 8B Education Investments of Ithaca, a fintech platform tackling the $50 billion gap in education financing facing African students studying in the U.S. Cache of New York City, an automated, AI-powered cash management platform for households. Cactivate of Boston, a tool that uses large language models and retrieval-augmented generation to prescribe and assist with marketing strategies. Cosi Care of Swansea, UK, which makes medical devices that offer itch relief and an alternative to scratching and infection management for eczema or chronic itch. CoverRight of Brooklyn, a guide for older adults through health, finance and lifestyle options. FLUIX of Tampa, Fla., an Autonomous AI software platform that saves critical buildings, such as data centers, up to 40% in energy costs. HeronAI of Cambridge, Mass., a tool designed for accounting firms to streamline month-end advisory reporting. Lilo of New York City, which indexes information and automates time-intensive and repetitive workflows, with a focus on commercial real estate. NearWave of Austin, Texas, which makes a handheld imaging technology with AI that helps physicians select the right therapy for their cancer patients. Rarebird of San Francisco, a coffee maker using Px (paraxanthine) to make the worlds first coffee with a caffeine replacement. Spiky.ai of Brookline, Mass., which is providing real-time AI-driven customer insights for enhanced selling effectiveness. xPub of New York City, a tool helping enterprises accelerate their business-to-business sales cycles by automating sales documentation. Zeph of New York City, an AI-enabled pulmonary rehabilitation and remote monitoring platform used by clinicians to treat chronic respiratory patients. A $25,000 Peoples Choice Award, decided by a live audience vote, will again be given at this years event. As we mark our 10th year, were proud to introduce the 2024 semifinalists exceptional companies and founders who have stood out in a highly competitive field, 43North President Colleen E. Heidinger said in a news release. We are eager to welcome them to Buffalo, where our team and community will champion their growth and guide them toward becoming part of our year 10 cohort, building impactful futures right here in Western New York. 43North, which started as an idea by the state to ignite Buffalos startup and tech ecosystem, has become a catalyst for the growth of innovation in the area. It will also be celebrating 10 years of impact at this years event, Heidinger said previously. The state has been the biggest financial supporter of 43North, which has now created more than 1,000 local jobs and invested in the portfolios of 69 companies, including 46% with founders of color and 26% with female founders. These startups have gone on to raise more than $1 billion in capital. Over the past decade, 52% of the companies 43North has invested in have remained in Buffalo. The leadership of the United Bus Owners Association (UBOA) met with the Minister of Transport on Monday to discuss the recent suspension of Jaguar Buses. The suspension was announced last week following a road accident in Masaka on September 1, 2024, which resulted in the tragic loss of eight lives. On Thursday, the Minister of State for Transport, Fred Byamukama, announced a ten-day suspension of Jaguar buses, effective immediately. In an interview with KFM, UBOA Secretary General Robert Mutebi stated that the association is seeking to review the suspension for its member, arguing that it is unfair. We are even shocked that on Tuesday last week, we had a meeting at the Ministry to discuss these accidents. We told them the steps weve taken because we realized the accidents were back on course, Mutebi said. The Katonga Road-based faction of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party has given the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) a one-week ultimatum to register their new party, or they will take legal action. On September 4, 2024, the Commissions Secretary, Mr. Leonard Mulekwa, wrote to the promoters of the People Front for Freedom (PFP) asking them to comply with the relevant provisions of the Political Parties and Organizations Act governing the registration of political parties and organizations. The Katonga faction is led by Mr. Erias Lukwago, the Interim president. In a media briefing at their offices in Kampala on Monday, Lukwago asked the IEC to issue them with the necessary registration forms before they resort to legal action.ec Action will start from here and we are not telling you where it will end. But action will start on Monday next week if the forms are not issued this week, Mr Lukwago said on September 16, 2024. The Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), Ms. Mariam Wangadya, has urged criminal justice system institutions to collaborate and take immediate steps to address the severe overcrowding in Ugandas prisons. Wangadya highlighted that many of Ugandas prisons are housing more than three times their intended capacity, and a significant portion of the inmates should not be incarcerated at all. The average prison population of 75,707 inmates far exceeds the prison carrying capacity of 20,321. They (prisoners) fight over bathrooms and toilets and everrything is overstretched. Thats why I said we need to adress the issue of prison congestion, she said on Monday. With a projected daily average of 80,640 inmates and an increase in holding capacity, the congestion rate is expected to reach a staggering 396.8 percent. In February 2024, the Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Gen. David Muhoozi, informed Parliament that the Uganda Prisons Service was expanding prison accommodation to address the overcrowding issue. Since 2022, the service has embarked on a construction program, resulting in six new prisons in Ntungamo, Rukungiri, Lira, Mutuufu, Kamuli, and Kiruhura. Additionally, construction plans are underway for other prison accommodation facilities in Kisoro, Ntwetwe, Isingiro, Maiha, Lukaya, Loro, Yumbe, Lwabenge, Koboko, Bamunanika, and Kigandalo. By Jonathan McCambridge, PA A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of his mother in Belfast. Nathan Simpson (21), from Castlereagh Road, appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court on Monday. It followed the discovery of 43-year-old Rachelle Simpsons body in the garage of a property on the Castlereagh Road at the weekend. The defendant appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court on Monday (Liam McBurney/PA) A PSNI detective sergeant told the court he could connect Nathan Simpson to the murder charge. Asked if he understood the charge, Simpson replied: Yes, your honour. No application for bail was made. However, a defence lawyer said the case highlighted a broader issue in relation to accommodation for prisoners being released from custody. He said the defendant had been released from custody days before but attempts to secure accommodation had proven fruitless. He was remanded in custody until October 14th. Western New York Venture Association will be meeting and hearing company presentations starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday at the UB Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences, 701 Ellicott St. Presentations will come from AIGENCY, an AI-powered platform for the construction industry, and its co-founder Will Zacher and Kulture Khazana, which connects families with cultural stories through play, and founder Akruti ABOR. Register to attend at https://wnyventure09182024.eventbrite.com. The state Labor Department will host a job fair from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Julia Boyer Reinstein Library, 1030 Losson Road in Cheektowaga. Over 30 employers are scheduled to attend. Employment data for August will be released Thursday by the state Labor Department. The Town of Lockport Planning Board will hold three public hearings at 6 p.m. on Sept. 17 for three projects: Thomas Dickey wants to construct a new museum called the History of Peoples Existence at 5285 Upper Mountain Road. Wetzl Development is proposing a planned-unit cluster development on a part of 1110 Transit Road, fronting on Rapids Road, that would consist of a two-story mixed-use buildings and 54 single-family homes. Doug Hammond is seeking preliminary plat approval for a 10-lot cluster subdivision on Tonawanda Creek Road. THE LATEST Construction started on a health care facility in the Kensington-Bailey neighborhood. Tops Markets' parent company has launched a pilot program to test out a robot that manages store inventory. Mayor Byron Brown touted affordable housing in Buffalo as a statewide conference gathered in the Queen City. Multi-family and senior housing buildings have opened at Pilgrim Village to 230 residents. The buyer of the Aurubis Buffalo manufacturing plant plans to maintain the size of the sites workforce. A Cheektowaga commercial refrigeration installer and a Lockport general contractor are teaming up on a new project to create a cold-storage facility in Niagara County. Tenants, property managers at 201 Ellicott exchange blame for woes at affordable housing building. What the Evans Bank acquisition means to Western New York. A Southtowns home builder is planning an apartment project in North Tonawanda. KEI Advisors, a local investor relations firm, is being acquired. Evans Bank agreed to be acquired in a $236 million deal. ICYMI Five reads from Buffalo Next: 1. Five challenges facing legal cannabis dispensaries. 2. A look at developer Douglas Jemal's downtown Buffalo empire. 3. Canadian trade is a big deal for the Buffalo Niagara region and there are efforts afoot to make it even bigger. 4. Bitwise crashed and burned, but its local executive helped build a similar but smaller initiative to train tech workers anyway. 5. Orchard Park officials hope proposed zoning law changes will spur development around the new Buffalo Bills stadium. The new Buffalo Bills stadium will be protected by Florian, an AI-enabled incident command platform from Buffalo tech startup 3AM Innovation. The Buffalo Next team gives you the big picture on the regions economic revitalization. Email tips to buffalonext@buffnews.com or reach Buffalo Next Editor David Robinson at 716-849-4435. Former Kildare county councillor Rainsford Hendy will be laid to on Friday. Mr Hendy will repose at his home in Timolin on Thursday from 3pm - 8pm, concluding with prayers. The funeral service will be held on Friday at 2pm at St Mullin's Church, Timolin after which he will be laid to rest in the adjoining churchyard. House will be private on Friday morning. Tributes have been paid to Rainsford Hendy, former member of Kildare Co Council and Mayor of the county, who died over the weekend. Rainsford was first elected to Kildare Co Council in 1991, serving almost two decades representing the Athy electoral area up to 2009 when he retired. He proudly held the position of Mayor of the county and also contested two general elections. A minutes silence was held at Monday's meeting of Athy Municipal District, which heard that the Timolin man was a huge character in south Kildare and a great community man. During his time as a member of KCC, he delivered locally for individuals, local businesses and community groups. He was passionate about public service and continued to highlight local issues and campaign long after his own career in local government had ended, said Kildare South TD and Minister Martin Heydon. Rainsford was a great friend, mentor and supporter of mine, encouraging me to go into politics when he decided to retire in 2009. Ever since he has been a constant support to me in my political career. He was a proud supporter of the Irish Cancer Societys Daffodil Day in memory of his wife Hazel and sold daffodils in the area for 44 years up to 2024. He was also a great family man who will be sorely missed by his children Robert, Elizabeth, Sandra, Jill and their families. Senator Victor Boyhan said Rainsford was a very committed member of the Church of Ireland, active in the parishes of Timolin, Narraghmore, Fontstown, Castledermot, Kinnagh as well as the Diocesan Synod. A great character, robust debater and community activist, he loved his county and country, a proud and active member of Fine Gael, we will miss him greatly, he said. Monasterevin Drama Group are delighted to present Theatre by Candlelight a unique presentation of a short play, poetry and local talent delivered at dusk in the beautiful simple setting of Monasterevin Council Hall, which has had a makeover in recent years. The group has been established since 2019 and in that time have produced three sell-out shows. They have also delivered a number of one-act plays as part of Monasterevin StreetFest celebrations. Again, they are striving to deliver something new and fresh for the community of Monasterevin and local surrounds. This time in conjunction with Culture Night. Special events will take place across the county, in fact across Ireland, on Friday 20 September to celebrate culture, creativity and the arts. One of the aims of the night countrywide is to promote the understanding our culture is alive, treasured and nurtured in peoples lives. Thanks to the support of the Arts Council and local authorities across the country, all activities are made available to the public free of charge. The group wish to express their gratitude to Kildare Co Council and to all who have and provided their talents, and skills in support of this event. Rehearsals for Theatre by Candlelight have been ongoing for the last number of weeks and the group are thrilled to engage in this unique experience. This free event takes place in Monasterevin Council Hall at 8pm. Doors open at 7.15 with light refreshments served. Spaces are limited. For those who are unable to make this particular event, performances will be repeated in The WoodStack Cafe, Moore Abbey Forest, Monasterevin the following Sunday, 22 September. Gardai and the Civil Defence will carry out a number of searches this week as part of a new review into the disappearance of Kilkenny man, Dean Roche. A drone is being used to survey and map out the area close to where Dean was last seen in Ballyfoyle on the night of March 22, 2015. Search team experts have also been deployed to help find the missing 31-year-old. A senior garda has been appointed to lead the review and a meeting has taken place between senior gardai and members of the Roche family. Dean Roche from Hebron Park went missing on March 22, 20215 when he went to the Ballyfoyle area to buy a car. A short time after purchasing the car it was found crashed down the road. Dean vanished that night and has not been seen since. Gardai are appealing to anyone who has information on what happened to Dean Roche to contact them at Kilkenny Garda Station on(056) 777 5000. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. During Fridays federal court proceeding for Payton Gendron, one person was noticeably missing from the courtroom: Payton Gendron. The Southern Tier gunman who shot and killed 10 Black people at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo in 2022 has missed the past 10 court proceedings in his case, allowing his public defense lawyers to waive his appearance. The judge handling the case expressed concern about Gendron not attending court proceedings, all of which have been attended by the victims families. I want to have some assurance the defendant understands that if he wants to be here, he's going to be here, said U.S. District Judge Lawrence Vilardo. Gendron was last in a federal courtroom on Feb. 16, 2023 the day after he was sentenced in state court wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and surrounded by three federal marshals. May 14 mass shooter not too young for death penalty, prosecutors say More recent research shows that people in their late teens and early 20s "bear a strong resemblance to juveniles under 18 when it comes to their decision-making and behavioral abilities, according to the defense filing. During that status conference, he said only one word yes when U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder Jr. asked him if he agreed with his attorneys request to have him placed in the custody of federal marshals while his federal case is pending. Gendron has appeared at three of the 14 court proceedings in his case, including his initial appearance and arraignment. Vilardo said he recognized Gendron does not need to be in the courtroom for proceedings simply about scheduling or procedural matters. But he said upcoming proceedings will deal with the constitutional issues his lawyers have raised contesting the U.S. Justice Departments decision to seek the death penalty against Gendron. The constitutional arguments are pretty significant, and my inclination is to want him here unless there's a good reason not to," Vilardo told Gendron's lawyers. Vilardo also said he did not want this to become a case in which Gendrons lawyers are making the decision for him. "I would want to be assured that it's his request and that it's coming from him, and it's not simply the lawyers telling him to stay away," Vilardo said. Gendron has chosen not to attend the previous court proceedings, and his lawyers' waiving his appearances has been with his consent, said Assistant Federal Public Defender Sonya A. Zoghlin. I can give the court assurance that he absolutely is aware of what's going on, he's aware of his right to attend, Zoghlin told the judge. Prosecutors suggested Gendron show up at upcoming court proceedings, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin Higgins said prosecutors share the judges concern about Gendron's no-shows. Fridays court proceeding dealt with the defense teams efforts to gain access to records relating to the selection process of grand jury members. The federal Jury Selection and Service Act spells out a defendants right to a grand jury selected at random from a fair cross section of the community. A defendant can seek to dismiss an indictment on the grounds of substantial failure to comply with the law, Vilardo said in a ruling last month, in which he granted in part, denied in part, and deferred in part the defense teams request for records. Supervisory Assistant Federal Public Defender Anne M. Burger acknowledged Friday the defense team has a heavy burden to show underrepresentation based on how the grand jury selection process is set up. The defense lawyers do not know if the records will show any evidence of that but say due diligence requires them to look and verify, she said. While several of the requests have been resolved, others have not, and Higgins expressed concern Friday about the defense teams fishing expedition into the workings of the grand jury. Gendron has been held in a Livingston County jail as a federal prisoner while his case proceeds in federal court. Payton Gendron, 21, is already serving a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole after he pleaded guilty to state charges of murder and hate-motivated domestic terrorism in the 2022 attack. On May 15, 2022, the then-18-year-old Gendron targeted Black people at the Tops supermarket on Jefferson Avenue in a racist attack he livestreamed on the internet. He fatally shot 10 Black people and wounded a Black person and two white people. A federal grand jury returned a 27-count indictment against Gendron, including 10 counts of committing hate crimes that resulted in death. The U.S. Justice Department has chosen to seek the death penalty. Last June, the federal public defenders representing him asked Vilardo to enter an order finding the federal death penalty constitutes cruel and unusual punishment and striking down the governments notice of intent to seek death. Gendrons lawyers have also moved to dismiss Gendrons indictment on the basis of what they call the unconstitutionality of the federal Hate Crimes Act. I love the Media Insider columns by Shayne Currie. They are my first read in the Herald. It is rare for me to disagree with one, but I must do so with this one on Google. Media Minister Paul Goldsmith faces a huge test of will as he oversees a new law in the face of strident opposition from one of the worlds biggest tech companies. Some industry and Government insiders accuse Google of employing bullying tactics. Shayne Currie reports. Tech giant Google whose New Zealand operation made almost $1 billion last financial year has been accused of employing hardball tactics with the Government and media companies over a planned new law which would force it to pay for the journalism and news content that help drive its business model. Several sources have alleged Googles tactics include threatening to not renew existing contracts with media companies, while the new law goes through Parliament. One source said the tactics were tantamount to bullying. Theyre playing their usual games, being as obnoxious as they can be. First of all the statement that journalism and news content help drive their business model is an assertion made by media companies, but is far from a fact. An article here points out less than 2% of searches new news related, and most of them dont have ads on them. Media of course have the choice of setting their content not to be useable by Google. However none of them have done so presumably because they benefit from doing so. Secondly who is the bully. The organisations trying to force a company to hand over money to keep them happy, or the company saying it doesnt want to hand over money? The media are the bullies trying to get the government to pass a law to steal money from Internet companies and pass ist on to them. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK Free Report) had its target price raised by TD Cowen from $51.00 to $52.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. TD Cowen currently has a buy rating on the transportation companys stock. Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Wolfe Research upgraded Alaska Air Group from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $55.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $51.00 to $48.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their target price on Alaska Air Group from $42.00 to $41.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $54.00. Get Alaska Air Group alerts: View Our Latest Stock Report on ALK Alaska Air Group Price Performance Shares of ALK stock opened at $41.64 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.81. The company has a market cap of $5.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Alaska Air Group has a twelve month low of $30.75 and a twelve month high of $46.15. Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The transportation company reported $2.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.19. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 2.14%. The firm had revenue of $2.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.00 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Alaska Air Group will post 4.17 EPS for the current fiscal year. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. LifeSteps Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group in the 1st quarter valued at $65,000. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 28.4% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,688 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Alaska Air Group during the second quarter worth $69,000. 81.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Alaska Air Group Company Profile (Get Free Report) Alaska Air Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates airlines. It operates through three segments: Mainline, Regional, and Horizon. The company offers scheduled air transportation services on Boeing jet aircraft for passengers and cargo in the United States, and in parts of Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemala, and the Bahamas; and for passengers across a shorter distance network within the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Alaska Air Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alaska Air Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BYD Company Limited (OTCMKTS:BYDDF Get Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,279,300 shares, a decline of 13.1% from the August 15th total of 1,472,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 86,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 14.8 days. BYD Trading Up 0.2 % OTCMKTS BYDDF traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $30.64. 24,000 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 101,684. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.20. BYD has a 52-week low of $21.80 and a 52-week high of $32.76. Get BYD alerts: BYD Company Profile (Get Free Report) Featured Articles BYD Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in automobiles and batteries business in the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and internationally. The company operates in two segments: Mobile Handset Components, Assembly Service and Other Products; and Automobiles and Related Products and Other Products. Receive News & Ratings for BYD Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BYD and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund, Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:DHY Get Free Report) announced a monthly dividend on Friday, January 19th, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 18th will be paid a dividend of 0.0155 per share by the real estate investment trust on Tuesday, September 24th. This represents a $0.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 18th. Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 0.9% per year over the last three years. Get Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund alerts: Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund Trading Down 0.5 % Shares of Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund stock opened at $2.14 on Monday. Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund has a 52-week low of $1.78 and a 52-week high of $2.16. Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund Company Profile Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund, Inc is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by Credit Suisse Asset Management, LLC. The fund invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. It invests in the securities of companies across diversified sectors. The fund primarily invests in below-investment-grade corporate bonds with an average credit quality lower than BBB by Standard & Poor's and an average duration of 5.07 years. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Monday after Evercore ISI raised their price target on the stock from $283.00 to $287.00. Evercore ISI currently has an in-line rating on the stock. Essex Property Trust traded as high as $315.58 and last traded at $312.27, with a volume of 6839 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $314.05. Several other analysts have also weighed in on ESS. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $290.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a sector outperform rating in a research report on Monday, August 26th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Essex Property Trust in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. They issued an outperform rating and a $333.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group increased their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $261.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $295.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $265.00 to $297.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $290.10. Get Essex Property Trust alerts: Read Our Latest Analysis on Essex Property Trust Insider Buying and Selling Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essex Property Trust In other Essex Property Trust news, Director Amal M. Johnson sold 2,453 shares of Essex Property Trust stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $735,900.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,585 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $775,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website . In other Essex Property Trust news, Director Amal M. Johnson sold 2,453 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $735,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,585 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $775,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink . Also, CEO Angela L. Kleiman sold 3,780 shares of Essex Property Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.27, for a total transaction of $1,051,860.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 9,494 shares in the company, valued at $2,641,895.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . 3.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders. A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ESS. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,228 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Essex Property Trust by 5.4% in the second quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,014 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Quilter Plc grew its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 8,698 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $2,368,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 10.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 591 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $145,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 11,296 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $2,765,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. 96.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Essex Property Trust Trading Down 0.2 % The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.62. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $288.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $266.16. The stock has a market cap of $20.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.36, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.88. Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $3.85 by ($2.40). Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 30.31% and a return on equity of 9.14%. The business had revenue of $442.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $433.26 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.77 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 15.53 EPS for the current fiscal year. Essex Property Trust Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a $2.45 dividend. This represents a $9.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. Essex Property Trusts dividend payout ratio is 119.80%. About Essex Property Trust (Get Free Report) Essex Property Trust, Inc, an S&P 500 company, is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily residential properties in selected West Coast markets. Essex currently has ownership interests in 252 apartment communities comprising approximately 62,000 apartment homes with an additional property in active development. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Essex Property Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Essex Property Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Permian Basin Royalty Trust (NYSE:PBT Get Free Report) shares rose 4% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $11.84 and last traded at $11.84. Approximately 62,740 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 50% from the average daily volume of 125,273 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.39. Permian Basin Royalty Trust Trading Up 2.3 % The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.83. The firm has a market cap of $542.99 million, a PE ratio of 18.37 and a beta of 0.56. Get Permian Basin Royalty Trust alerts: Permian Basin Royalty Trust (NYSE:PBT Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $8.83 million during the quarter. Permian Basin Royalty Trust had a net margin of 96.28% and a return on equity of 15,940.96%. Permian Basin Royalty Trust Cuts Dividend Hedge Funds Weigh In On Permian Basin Royalty Trust The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.052 per share. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.36%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Permian Basin Royalty Trusts dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.00%. Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in Permian Basin Royalty Trust by 16.1% during the 2nd quarter. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,140,169 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $12,793,000 after acquiring an additional 158,500 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Permian Basin Royalty Trust in the second quarter valued at $1,303,000. Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Permian Basin Royalty Trust by 23.3% during the second quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 460,087 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $5,181,000 after purchasing an additional 87,080 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Permian Basin Royalty Trust during the first quarter worth $306,000. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in Permian Basin Royalty Trust by 45.3% in the first quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 72,614 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $879,000 after acquiring an additional 22,623 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 28.86% of the companys stock. About Permian Basin Royalty Trust (Get Free Report) Permian Basin Royalty Trust, an express trust, holds royalty interests in various oil and gas properties in the United States. The company holds a 75% net overriding royalty interest in the Waddell Ranch properties, including Dune, Sand Hills (Judkins), Sand Hills (McKnight), Sand Hills (Tubb), University-Waddell (Devonian) and Waddell fields in Crane County, Texas. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Permian Basin Royalty Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Permian Basin Royalty Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Reddits (NYSE:RDDT Get Free Report) lock-up period is set to end on Tuesday, September 17th. Reddit had issued 22,000,000 shares in its IPO on March 21st. The total size of the offering was $748,000,000 based on an initial share price of $34.00. After the end of Reddits lock-up period, restrictions preventing company insiders and major shareholders from selling shares in the company will be lifted. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on RDDT shares. Roth Mkm decreased their price target on shares of Reddit from $67.00 to $66.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Reddit from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. JMP Securities reissued a market outperform rating and set a $84.00 price target on shares of Reddit in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Reddit from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an underperform rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Reddit from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Reddit currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $65.56. Get Reddit alerts: View Our Latest Report on RDDT Reddit Stock Performance Shares of Reddit stock opened at $59.09 on Monday. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $60.30. Reddit has a one year low of $37.35 and a one year high of $78.08. Reddit (NYSE:RDDT Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.31) by $0.25. The business had revenue of $281.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $253.86 million. Reddits quarterly revenue was up 53.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.70) earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Reddit will post -4.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, CEO Steve Ladd Huffman sold 14,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.98, for a total value of $755,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 672,352 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $36,293,560.96. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Reddit news, CAO Michelle Marie Reynolds sold 8,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $480,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 66,238 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,974,280. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Steve Ladd Huffman sold 14,000 shares of Reddit stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.98, for a total transaction of $755,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 672,352 shares of the companys stock, valued at $36,293,560.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 204,373 shares of company stock worth $11,095,284. Institutional Trading of Reddit Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Inclusive Capital Partners L.P. bought a new position in Reddit in the 1st quarter valued at $103,051,000. Vanguard Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Reddit in the 1st quarter worth about $82,167,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Reddit by 10.1% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,663,603 shares of the companys stock valued at $106,288,000 after buying an additional 153,282 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in Reddit by 117.2% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 847,929 shares of the companys stock valued at $54,174,000 after acquiring an additional 457,588 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD purchased a new position in Reddit in the first quarter valued at about $37,015,000. Reddit Company Profile (Get Free Report) Reddit, Inc operates a website that organizes digital communities. It organizes communities based on specific interests that enable users to engage in conversations by sharing experiences, submitting links, uploading images and videos, and replying to one another. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Reddit Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Reddit and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Fortive (NYSE:FTV Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Friday. Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Fortive from $84.00 to $75.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Fortive in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an overweight rating and a $89.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a sector perform rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Fortive in a report on Friday, September 6th. TD Cowen upgraded Fortive from a hold rating to a buy rating and upped their price target for the stock from $75.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Fortive from $89.00 to $82.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $86.23. Get Fortive alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on Fortive Fortive Stock Performance NYSE:FTV opened at $73.60 on Friday. The companys 50-day moving average is $72.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.44. Fortive has a 1-year low of $63.05 and a 1-year high of $87.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.09, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.11. Fortive (NYSE:FTV Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The technology company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.92 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.57 billion. Fortive had a return on equity of 12.32% and a net margin of 14.39%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.85 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Fortive will post 3.82 EPS for the current year. Fortive Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Fortives payout ratio is presently 12.65%. Institutional Trading of Fortive A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in FTV. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new position in Fortive in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fortive in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Fortive during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Goodman Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Fortive during the second quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Fortive in the first quarter valued at $32,000. 94.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Fortive (Get Free Report) Fortive Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and services professional and engineered products, software, and services in the United States, China, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Intelligent Operating Solutions, Precision Technologies, and Advanced Healthcare Solutions. The Intelligent Operating Solutions segment provides advanced instrumentation, software, and services, including electrical test and measurement, facility and asset lifecycle software applications, and connected worker safety and compliance solutions for manufacturing, process industries, healthcare, utilities and power, communications and electronics, and other industries. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Fortive Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fortive and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. WPP plc (LON:WPP Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the six research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 910 ($11.90). WPP has been the subject of several recent research reports. Shore Capital reissued a buy rating on shares of WPP in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on WPP from GBX 990 ($12.95) to GBX 950 ($12.42) and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Citigroup restated a buy rating on shares of WPP in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Get WPP alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on WPP WPP Price Performance WPP Cuts Dividend Shares of LON WPP opened at GBX 741.21 ($9.69) on Wednesday. WPP has a twelve month low of GBX 656 ($8.58) and a twelve month high of GBX 856.80 ($11.20). The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 190.55. The firm has a 50-day moving average of GBX 724.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 751.96. The company has a market capitalization of 8.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3,945.66, a PEG ratio of 13.47 and a beta of 1.13. The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, October 10th will be paid a GBX 15 ($0.20) dividend. This represents a yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 10th. WPPs dividend payout ratio is 20,526.32%. About WPP (Get Free Report WPP plc, a creative transformation company, provides communications, experience, commerce, and technology services in North America, the United Kingdom, Western Continental Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Central and Eastern Europe. The company operates through three segments: Global Integrated Agencies, Public Relations, and Specialist Agencies. Read More Receive News & Ratings for WPP Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for WPP and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. South Korea has been elected to hold the presidency of the 68th General Conference of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday. Ham Sang-wook, South Korea's ambassador to Austria, will hold the office during the IAEA conference, which is being held in Vienna, Austria, until Friday, the ministry said in a release. The General Conference elects a president at the beginning of each annual session, following consultations among member states before the conference. Last year, Thailand held the position. This year's conference will address major global security issues, including North Korea's nuclear program, nuclear safety, security in Ukraine and Iran's nuclear issues, it said. Since joining the IAEA as a founding member in 1957, this is South Korea's second time holding the presidency of the General Conference. The first was in 1989, during the 33rd session. (Yonhap) By Jon Dunbar Jamie Finn, the main organizer of Seoul's Block Party festival, swore that last year's edition would be the last one, but here we are, facing another impending Block Party this year. "Last year was so fun that, even though I swore it was the last one, I wanted to do one more," he told The Korea Times. "Even as we did the last one, I was planning to move down south. Ninety-five percent of the work for Block Party is done remotely so I thought, fuck it, lets give it a go." After last year's Block Party, Finn moved to Busan, which is a pretty good excuse to stop running a festival in central Seoul Haebangchon and Gyeongnidan, to be precise. But it'll be back this Sept. 21 and 22. "Our aims with Block Party are to put Haebangchon on the musical map and throw a huge party that features as many of the local creatives as possible," Finn said. He admitted that the distance factor hasn't caused too many difficulties in setting up the third edition of the multi-venue festival, which features a solid lineup of musicians, as well as various other entertainers and artists. "It would have been nice to have more face to face communication with the venues, the lack of which probably slowed us down a bit," he said. "And I didnt get to put up as many posters in Seoul. But the distance has not been the issue." There are about a dozen participating venues, with 11 listed in an attractive neighborhood map designed by Charity Lynn depicting the mountainside area laid out on a gigantic dragon. The venue list includes neighborhood landmarks like Phillies, Casa Amigo, Southside Parlor, Pet Sounds, Boogie Woogie, Rabbithole and KYLDN Social Club and Rooftop, as well as newcomer Dialogue. "These days I mostly try and cling on to the last bit of sanity I have trying to organize this festival," Finn said. The musician lineup of this year's Block Party is, as usual, too much to easily comprehend. It brings together the best of the Hongdae scene with local neighborhood favorites, both Korean and foreign, representing just about every genre except for K-pop. "As the main booker of the festival, the lineup is made up of stuff I enjoy," Finn said. He said he is especially looking forward to Playbook, a side project of Kim Min-soo from Silica Gel, as well as Sombra, an electronic artist who is coming over from Japan, and Lee Min-hwi, an award-winning folk artist who debuted in 2011 in the infamous duo known as Mukimukimanmansu. "I am also looking forward to getting drunk and dancing to Maddyxp, who plays right before my DJ set to close the first day," Finn confided. He will DJ as "DJ Jamie," having cast off his former DJ name, Scouse Ramen. "I stopped calling myself Scouse Ramen because I got tired of having to explain it to people," he said. There are approximately 100 music acts performing, but Finn admitted he doesn't have an exact number. "It's hard to gauge the exact amount as we're bringing in groups of performers," he said. "We have roughly 100 musical acts playing, though. When you include drag queens, comedians, wrestlers, DJs, artists and more, I think we around 150 total participants. Probably more..." He also said he's especially excited about the non-music lineup Block Party offers this year, continuing its successful experiment in expanding into other arts last year. This will include Crash Landed, Dragdrinkplay, White Lies Burlesque, Pro Wrestling Society, Seoul Players, Seoul City Improv, Busan Comedy Club, Assssssdog comedy, House of Hex and Ataraxia pole dancing, as well as two magicians, Omid and Jiwan. "I'm a bit of a geek for magicians," Finn confided. There will also be a mini version of Hechyeomoyeo, the exhibition that manifests as a landslide of artists, which is also currently running an exhibition in Busan. Artwork will be displayed at the participating venues. "As corny as it sounds, I'm very excited to see all my friends there," Finn said. "Block Party again falls on my birthday so I'll be just happy to party with everyone and dance to Pop Ents." Block Party is also collaborating with Chillhops Brewing to release a branded beer, the Block Party Lager, which will be available at participating venues. "We want people to wander around and find something unexpected. Maybe you came to see a certain indie band but you ended up on stage dancing with a drag queen, or you were surprised by a magician, or you got covered in sweat by a wrestler. We want that element of surprise. And we managed to achieve that last year, and hopefully this year too," Finn said. "The only real change for Block Party this year is we have more stages and an even better lineup." After launching the festival in 2022, Finn admitted that the pressure is mounting for the third edition of his brainchild. "The thing that has been the most difficult has actually been just the fact that this is our third year," he said. "I think when you get to that stage, and once you start to develop a little bit of a reputation, people have higher expectations. Not just the ticket buyers, but the artists, the venue, everyone really. People stop talking to you like youre a group of friends just trying to throw a party and start acting like youre a professional business operation. Which I guess is a compliment, in a way." This year, the music festival landscape of Korea, and even Seoul, has been more crowded than ever. Finn remarked that he's unaware of any competing festivals on the same weekend as this year's Block Party, but the weekend after, there are about eight. "That's wild," he said. "The festival scene in Korea is going through a bit of an explosion, which is good and bad. Like, all the bands are getting paid, and that's a great thing. Plus there's a lot more diversity in lineups now, which was frankly lacking in music festivals here. The bad is that, eventually, there will come a point where there are just too many. And there aren't enough festival-going people to go around. The same thing will happen that happened in 2010 when the festival market became overly saturated, and most of them ended up closing as a result. I love festivals I've been to about eight this year and I wish it was more. So for the time being, it's great. But, we'll see how it is in a few years." He added that there will definitely be one fewer festival though. "I'm not fucking doing this again," he said. One-day tickets for Saturday are already sold out, and tickets for Sunday only are 45,000 won ($34). Two-day weekend tickets cost 70,000 won each. Visit blockpartykorea.com or follow @blockpartykorea on Instagram for more information and to buy tickets. Experts urge greater public awareness and accessibility By Jung Da-hyun The number of organ donations in Korea has been declining in recent years despite increased awareness, while the number of patients on transplant waiting lists continues to rise, according to the latest data. Experts point out that although societal attitudes toward organ donation are generally favorable, there is still a lack of personal commitment, and opportunities for donating organs are not readily accessible. Min Yoon-ki, a 48-year-old kidney transplant recipient, says his life was completely transformed after surgery. Before the transplant, everyday activities such as eating, drinking water, and attending school were challenging for Min due to the need for regular hemodialysis to manage his kidney disease. After a decade of struggling with the illness, Min finally received a transplant, which allowed him to resume his studies and pursue his dream of becoming a civil servant. He shared his story with the Korean Organ Donor Program (KODP), expressing hope that others battling similar illnesses will have the chance to start a new life through organ donation. However, stories like Mins are rare, as the number of organ donors has remained stagnant for years, leaving many patients still waiting for a chance at a new life. According to data from KODP, organ donor registrations have not exceeded 90,000 annually since reaching 100,000 in 2014, with the exception of 2019. In particular, the number of brain-dead organ donors essential for actual transplants was 483 last year and has not exceeded 400 in the past six years. This year has seen a continued decline. In the first half, 37,820 people registered as organ donors, down by 2,200 from the 40,065 registrations during the same period last year, marking a 5.6 percent decrease. Meanwhile, the number of patients waiting for transplants continues to rise sharply. The waiting list has grown from 24,607 people in 2014 to 52,000 as of June this year, with kidney transplants making up the majority. Sixty-five percent of those on the waiting list, or 34,254 people, are hoping for a kidney transplant. The Korea Organ Donation Agency (KODA) underscored the critical imbalance in organ donation, revealing that as of 2023, around 43,000 people were on the waitlist for life-saving solid organ transplants, while only 483 brain-dead donors were available a nearly 100-fold gap. The widening gap between donors and recipients has tragic consequences. Over 3,000 people, an average of eight people a day, die each year while waiting for a transplant. Korea's organ donation culture also lags behind international standards. As of the end of 2023, only 1.78 million people in Korea had registered as organ donors, accounting for just 3.44 percent of the population. Korea's rate of brain-dead organ donors per million people was 9.37 last year, a stark contrast to countries like the United States, which reported 48.04, and Spain, with 49.38. Experts emphasized that while awareness has increased, further progress is required. Lee Sam-yeol, director of KODA, urged a collaborative effort among individuals, the government, and medical institutions to revitalize the organ donation culture. "Legal foundations, systemic improvements and a broader donation culture are all essential," he said. Lee highlighted the importance of improving awareness and accessibility, drawing comparisons with the U.S. and U.K., where 55 percent and 39 percent of people, respectively, register as organ donors through driver's license systems. "Compared to Korea's participation rate, which is only 4.5 percent, incorporating organ donation registration into the driver's license issuance process can be an effective strategy to increase public interest and participation in life-saving donations," he suggested. Kim Dong-yeop, executive director of KODP, echoed the need for greater awareness and recognition of organ donation. He acknowledged that while societal views on organ donation have become more positive, there remains a gap in personal commitment. "Family consent is crucial for organ donation, and we need to cultivate a culture where individuals regularly discuss their organ donation wishes with their family members." A 35-ton fishing vessel capsized off the coast near Gunsan, a southwestern port city in North Jeolla Province, resulting in the deaths of three people onboard, the Korea Coast Guard said Monday. The Coast Guard successfully recovered all eight people from the capsized vessel. However, three of them the Korean captain, and chief engineer, and an Indonesian sailor were later pronounced dead after being transferred to a hospital. The remaining five survivors three Vietnamese and two Indonesian crew members were reported to be safe. The Coast Guard received a report of the incident at 7:36 a.m. and quickly launched a rescue operation. The authorities are investigating the possibility of a collision, as witnesses reported that a 1,618-ton petroleum product carrier had passed by the vessel. "We have not yet been able to identify the deceased foreign sailor," a Coast Guard official said, adding they plan to investigate the exact circumstances of the accident once the injured have recovered. (Yonhap) Police detained 104 striking workers Monday, who were protesting low wages at a Samsung Electronics plant in southern India as they were planning a protest march without permission, with the dispute disrupting output at the key factory for the past week. The detention marks an escalation of a strike by workers at a Samsung home appliance plant near Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. Workers want higher wages and have stopped work at the plant that contributes roughly a third of Samsung's annual India revenue of $12 billion. The Samsung protests have cast a shadow on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan of courting foreign investors to "Make in India" and tripling electronics production to $500 billion in six years. Lured by cheap labour, foreign companies are increasingly using India for manufacturing to diversify their supply chain beyond China. On Monday, the workers planned to start a protest march, but were detained as no permission was given since there are schools, colleges and hospitals in that area, said a senior police officer of the Kancheepuram district, K. Shanmugam. "It is the main area which would become totally paralysed and (the protest would) disturb public peace," he said. "We have detained them in wedding halls as all of them can't be in stations," he added. Samsung workers have been protesting at a makeshift tent near the plant since last week, demanding higher wages, recognition for a union backed by influential labour group the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and better working hours. Samsung is not keen to recognise any union backed by a national labour group such as the CITU, and talks with workers, as well as state government officials, have not yielded any resolution. CITU Tamil Nadu Deputy General Secretary S. Kannan condemned the police action, saying "This is an archaic move by the state government." Despite Monday's police action, 12 union groups, including one affiliated with the ruling party of Tamil Nadu, said in a public notice dated Sept. 11 that they will stage a protest in support of the striking workers in Chennai, Wednesday, a move that could intensify the tensions between the company and the workers. "We are going ahead with Wednesday's protest ... no changes to the plan," said A. Jenitan, a deputy district secretary for the CITU. The protests add to Samsung's challenges in India, a key growth market. The South Korean company is planning job cuts of up to 30 percent of its overseas staff in some divisions, including in India. And India's antitrust body has found Samsung and other smartphone companies colluded with e-commerce giants to launch devices exclusively, violating competition laws, Reuters has reported. Samsung did not respond to a request for comment Monday, but said Friday it has initiated discussions with workers at the Chennai plant "to resolve all issues at the earliest." Video footage from Reuters partner ANI showed dozens of Samsung workers wearing the company uniform of blue shirts being transported in a bus to a hall. The Samsung plant employs roughly 1,800 workers and more than 1,000 of them have been on strike. The factory makes appliances such as refrigerators, TVs and washing machines. Another Samsung plant that makes smartphones in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh has had no unrest. The police also detained one of the CITU's senior leaders, E. Muthukumar, who was leading the Samsung protests at the factory near Chennai, according to the CITU's Jenitan. Kancheepuram police official Shanmugam said there was no timeline as to how long the workers will be detained. (Reuters) We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. News / National by Staff reporter Vusumuzi Dube, a 48-year-old former lecturer from Gwanda North in Matabeleland South, has no regrets about his decision to migrate to South Africa in 2007. Dube, who was previously employed at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic in the Department of Teacher Education, left his position due to poor remuneration and dissatisfaction with teacher representative organisations that he felt were pro-government and unable to bargain effectively."I migrated to South Africa in 2007 and was employed as a teacher by the government. Over time, I was promoted from post level 1 educator to departmental head (level 2)," Dube said, reflecting on his journey. "The economic challenges in Zimbabwe forced many of us to leave."Dube took steps to ensure his qualifications were recognized before moving to South Africa, earning diplomas in journalism and professional writing from Intec College, a Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Environmental Education from Unisa, and a Master's in Public Administration from the University of Free State."The house I built in town and the business I registered in South Africa wouldn't have been possible in Zimbabwe due to strict regulations," Dube explained, adding that it costs less than 1,000 rands to start a business in South Africa.While Dube remains in South Africa, his family still resides in Zimbabwe, visiting him regularly. He also pointed out that labour practices in South Africa had been fair until 2015, when restrictions on employing non-ID holders in the education sector began.Nkosilathi Ncube, 55, from Nkayi, Matabeleland North, shared a similar story. Ncube left Zimbabwe in 2007 due to deteriorating salaries and government inaction in addressing teachers' grievances."We were essentially slaves," Ncube said. "The government didn't listen to teachers and even encouraged us to leave if we couldn't survive on poor wages."Ncube initially worked as a security officer in South Africa but later secured a teaching position at Gauteng Community Learning College, a government institution where he teaches scarce skills like physical and natural sciences. Despite the move, Ncube noted that Zimbabwean qualifications are often downgraded in South Africa."Of course, qualifications from Zimbabwe are downgraded. For example, a diploma is equivalent to grade 12 (Matric)," he said. "But the living standards here are better. Most teachers drive their own cars, and I own two cars and a house in a low-density suburb in Brakpan."Both Dube and Ncube have pursued entrepreneurial ventures in South Africa, with Ncube establishing his own security company. However, Ncube also highlighted the ongoing challenges of xenophobia in South Africa, which has created a hostile environment for many Zimbabwean migrants.Gabriel Shumba, legal director at Global Immigration and Legal Consultancy, noted that migrant teachers and workers are protected under South African labour laws, including the Labour Relations Act and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. However, Shumba acknowledged that many migrant educators still face unfair treatment and underpayment.As of June 2024, the Zimbabwean Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education reported that 826 of approximately 7,307 teachers had resigned in 2019 alone, with many leaving for better opportunities abroad. Between 2022 and 2023, Zimbabwe is estimated to have lost between 1,000 and 1,800 teachers.A survey by the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) revealed that approximately 4,000 teachers had left the country between October 2022 and October 2023, underscoring the ongoing brain drain caused by economic instability and low wages in Zimbabwe.The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has highlighted that labour migration within Africa is predominantly intra-regional, with workers moving to neighbouring countries like South Africa in search of better employment and wages. The ILO emphasizes the need for policies that support the rights and livelihoods of migrant workers in the region. MISAMO had ONCEs gasping with a stunning teaser for the upcoming comeback album "Haute Couture." The gorgeous trailer also sparked reactions on social media and community platforms, which are full of eager fans! On September 15, TWICE Japan uploaded a new video on YouTube titled, "Trailer Prologue - MISAMO's Atelier." The trailer is for their upcoming second mini album "HAUTE COUTURE," which will be released on November 6. Watch the full trailer here: Korean netizens reacted to the trailer and praised the members' alluring charm, and visuals, while also expressing their anticipation for the comeback. Read their comments below: "Seriously, what's up with their visuals? I'm falling in love." "MISAMO's concept is good and I'm immersed in their visuals." "TWICE's solos and units' planning are all so good and the quality is nice too. This is impressive." On social media platform X (Twitter), international ONCEs were taken aback by the trio's captivating appeal! Are you looking forward to MISAMO's comeback? Share your thoughts in the comments! For more intriguing K-pop news and exciting updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz! IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: TWICE Mina, Sana, Momo Draw Attention Following Photo With THIS Former K-Pop Idol KpopStarz owns this article Written by Israel Monte News / National by Staff reporter The road in Cowdray Park, constructed by Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Mthuli Ncube ahead of the 2023 elections, remains devoid of essential safety features due to a lack of funds, Southern Eye has learned.During a recent Bulawayo City Council meeting, Ward 28 Councillor Ntandoyenkosi Ndlovu highlighted the road's hazardous condition. Although the road itself is in good shape, it lacks crucial road markings, warning signs, and speed humps, creating a significant risk for motorists.Ndlovu expressed concern that the absence of these safety features had already led to several accidents. He also questioned why a council resolution to build a roundabout at the intersection of Khami Road and Masiyephambili had not been carried out."The road is smooth but has no road markings and warning signs or humps. Residents have taken matters into their own hands, creating makeshift humps using sand to prevent accidents," Ndlovu stated. "The shortage of warning signs is a major issue, and the council's works department lacks the necessary materials due to financial constraints."The road's lack of safety features has been a point of contention since its construction. Last year, councillors criticized Ncube for bypassing the Roads Act by initiating the roadworks without the requisite council approvals.Ward 9 Councillor Donaldson Mabuto remarked that Ncube should focus on economic issues rather than road maintenance, which he believes should be handled by professionals.Former Bulawayo Mayor Solomon Mguni condemned Ncube's actions, suggesting they were unlawful and warranting legal action. "His conduct was criminal, and he should be held accountable for bypassing legal procedures," Mguni said.The current situation underscores a broader issue of inadequate funding and oversight in local road maintenance and safety. As the community waits for a resolution, the unaddressed safety concerns continue to pose a risk to motorists in the Cowdray Park area. News / National by Staff reporter Morgan Muwodzeri, a 54-year-old resident, appeared before Harare magistrate Patricia Kamwana last week, facing multiple theft charges involving a total of US$42,900. Muwodzeri was released on US$250 bail and instructed to remain at his current address while surrendering his passport to the court clerk.According to the State, Muwodzeri was entrusted with significant financial and property responsibilities by Eugenia Nyamuturira and Shadreck Munyuki, both of whom are based overseas. The allegations span from January 2021 to July 2024 and involve three separate cases of misappropriation.In the first case, it is alleged that Nyamuturira had entrusted Muwodzeri with a Nissan Pathfinder belonging to Munyuki. In June of this year, Muwodzeri reportedly surrendered the vehicle to Lekka Micro-Finance as collateral for a loan without Nyamuturira's consent. When Nyamuturira requested the vehicle's return later that month, Muwodzeri allegedly failed to comply, prompting a police report and his subsequent arrest.In a second case from December last year, Munyuki sent Muwodzeri US$12,300 from the United Kingdom for safekeeping. The funds were intended for the future purchase of a plot. However, when Munyuki instructed Muwodzeri to release the money, Muwodzeri allegedly failed to do so and was later found to have converted the money for his own use.The third count involves an allegation from the period between January 2022 and June 2024, during which Nyamuturira is said to have entrusted Muwodzeri with US$12,000. Muwodzeri allegedly used this amount for his personal benefit instead of safeguarding it as intended.Rufaro Chonzi represented the State in the case. The court proceedings continue as investigations and legal processes unfold. Four Philadelphia men are accused of running a cargo theft ring that broke into at least nine parked tractor-trailers along the New Jersey Turnpike to steal of meat, alcohol and seafood, authorities said. The crew is believed to be responsible for stealing millions of dollars in goods from trucks in New Jersey and neighboring states in the past three years, State Police said Monday. Troopers and State Police investigators were watching tractor-trailers at the Molly Pitcher Service area on the southbound Turnpike in Cranbury around 1:25 a.m. Friday when they saw four men trying to break into a truck to steal meat, officials said. State Police arrested one of the men, Hanif Tucker, almost immediately, authorities said. A second man, Shaun Coleman, was taken into custody after a short chase on foot. The other two men tried to flee in a stolen vehicle, ramming an unmarked State Police vehicle along the way before being arrested following a brief pursuit, according to State Police. Three troopers suffered minor injuries, including one who was treated and released from an area hospital. All four, including 23-year-old Coleman, were charged with receiving stolen property, possession of burglary tools, criminal mischief and conspiracy to commit cargo theft. Tucker, 31, was also charged with burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary. Rashan Clark-Reddy, 26, also faces the two burglary charges as well as charges of eluding, possession of a stolen vehicle and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. Salahudin Reddy, 37, was additionally charged with resisting arrest, criminal mischief and possession of a stolen vehicle, in addition to burglary. The four are being held at the Middlesex County jail. Information about their attorneys wasnt immediately available. Earlier this month, $305,000 in seafood was stolen from a tractor-trailer parked at an industrial property in Middlesex Borough. A spokesman for the borough police department said detectives in Middlesex were aware of the weekend arrests and are working with State Police, but declined to say if authorities believe the same crew committed the theft there. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Aldi Ireland (Ltd) has clarified to the Leinster Express / Laois Live that they have not sought planning permission to expand their Portlaoise store, in answer to a recent story. A spokesperson has explained why they gave a submission to Laois County Council that told of plans for a future expansion of the shop in Portlaoise. We are very proud of Aldis popularity among Laois shoppers, however our submission to the Portlaoise Area Plan should not be confused as an application for a new store or expansion currently. It is common practice for businesses to make submissions to Local Area Plans, which span a period of five years, and support future planning in the region. We have a strong presence in Laois, with 47 people employed across three stores, and spent over 1 million with Laois suppliers in 2023, part of our overall Irish supplier spend of 1.1 billion. We look forward to exploring new opportunities in Laois in the future, a spokesperson said. In their submission the German founded supermarket chain announced the intention to expand its Laois store in Portlaoise in the future. Laois councillor Cllr Ollie Clooney on hearing of their plan, had levelled criticism at Aldi and all big supermarkets about their payments to Irish vegetable growers. In its submission to the Portlaoise Local Area Plan, Aldi Ireland says it supports the plan, and that it intends to enlarge the town's branch. "Section 6.6 of the Draft LAP includes the retail strategy for the plan area and seeks to 'reinforce and grow high order retail functioning with particular emphasis on historic core defined by the Primary Retail Area. Enhance the retail appeal of Laois by strengthening retail functions of Portlaoise'. "This is supported by Aldi who have a future objective to increase the floor area of the existing store. We note the changes in consumer habits in recent years following the pandemic and the move towards online shopping. Aldi stores have remained as a consistent street presence during this time and will continue to do so, activating neighbourhoods and drawing consumers to the area. This highlights the importance of supporting convenience retailers such as Aldi in the town. "This submission respectfully requests that the forthcoming plan continues to recognise, support and provide for convenience retail uses in a sustainable retail hierarchy within Portlaoise," the discount chain said. There are so many opportunities for cross-border co-operation in the northwest, Simon Harris has said during his first visit to Londonderry as Taoiseach on Monday. Mr Harris was in the city to meet political, civic society and community leaders. The visit, which included a meeting with Mayor Seenoi Barr in the Guildhall, was billed as an opportunity to celebrate ongoing projects benefiting from Government of Ireland support, including the Wild Atlantic Way/Causeway Coastal Route branding collaboration. The Taoiseach was also scheduled to deliver the John Hume and Thomas P ONeill Chair in Peace lecture at Ulster University before visiting the site of the new teaching and student services building at the campus. Speaking to reporters on the Walls of Derry on Monday afternoon, Mr Harris said he was delighted to be in the city. He said: I have a busy day of civic and political engagements. I really want to thank the Mayor of Derry for the warm welcome here to Guildhall, an important opportunity to talk about a number of the areas in which were seeing cross-border co-operation. The northwest region on this island has so much potential and with projects like the A5 and our determination to commit 600 million euro to that, and also then with the Ulster University expansion here in the city, there are so many opportunities. When I was minister for further and higher education, I was very determined to work with Ulster University to expand the footprint of Derry in this city from an educational point of view, but also to expand the opportunities for the northwest to collaborate when it comes to education. We now have the Atlantic Technological University on one side of the border. We have Ulster University in Derry on the other, and the potential for them to do more together for the betterment of people, peace and prosperity, is there for all to see. Mr Harris added: Im really honoured to have been invited to deliver the John Hume and Tip ONeill Memorial Lecture and look forward to having an opportunity during that lecture to reflect on the progress weve made, but also on the journey we need to travel in terms of reconciliation. And I should also say this: Im delighted to be here in Derry, delighted to be in Northern Ireland at a time when we can truthfully say we have seen a real improvement of relations north, south and east and west. I know reset has been the word of the month, but for good reason. We had a great North South Ministerial Council in Dublin only last Friday. The British Prime Minister, I had the honoor of hosting him less than two weeks ago in Dublin, and we have a lot of work to do together now to fully harness the potential of the Good Friday Agreement. On Saturday September 14, the Woodenbridge Paddlers made a presentation of a cheque for 3,000 to St. Fergal's Rathdowney. This money was raised through a "paddle challenge" fundraiser, in aid of the new centre for autism in the school. The cheque was accepted by incoming principal of the school Ms Carole Devine and teacher Paul O'Dea. "The organisers would like to thank all who took part and supported this fundraising event and also wish the staff of the school well in their efforts to provide the college with such a fantastic facility," said founding member of the Woodenbridge Paddlers, Michael Phelan. The paddle challenge also marked 25 years of organised paddling by the Woodenbridge Paddlers during which their members and friends took part in many other fundraising events. Following the presentation on Saturday evening, celebrations of the past quarter of a century of paddling continued at Tuohy's Bar in Rathdowney. Pictured: The cheque presentation from the Woodenbridge Paddlers to St. Fergal's College, Rathdowney. The Woodenbridge Paddlers undertook a 'Paddle Challenge' to raise funds towards the building of a new autism unit in St. Fergal's College, Rathdowney. The kayaking group challenged themselves to paddle from under the M8 Motorway Bridge at Boston to New York (14km away). Tributes have been paid to Rainsford Hendy, former member of Kildare County Council and Mayor of the Country passed away over the weekend. Rainsford was first elected to Kildare County Council in 1991 serving almost two decades representing the Athy electoral area up to 2009 when he retired. He held the position of Mayor of the County and also contested two general elections. Fine Gael TD and Minister of State Martin Heydon said: "During Rainsford's time as a member of KCC, he delivered locally for individuals, local businesses and community groups. "He was passionate about public service and continued to highlight local issues and campaign long after his own career in local government had ended." He added: "Rainsford was a great friend, mentor and supporter of mine, encouraging me to go into politics when he decided to retire in 2009. "Ever since he has been a constant support to me in my political career." Mr Hendy was a proud supporter of the Irish Cancer Societys Daffodil Day in memory of his wife Hazel and sold Daffodils in the area for 44 years up to 2024. Mr Hendy will be sadly missed by his children Robert, Elizabeth, Sandra, Jill and their families. The Piers Cafe in Moone, where Mr Hendy was a regular, also paid tribute. A post on its Facebook page said: "We are saddened to know of the passing of Rainsford Hendy a loyal patron and friend to the Piers Cafe. "He had a favourite seat where he enjoyed a chat, a small cappuccino and a browse of the Irish Times every day for several years now. "May you rest well Rainsford. Sincere condolences to your daughters Elizebeth, Jill and Sandra, son Robert, your partner and constant companion June and all of their families." Primary school pupils across County Kildare have been invited to picture a more inclusive society through art. Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Anne Rabbitte TD, launched the annual 'Someone Like Me' primary schools art competition on Friday, September 13 last, and has invited Kildare primary schools to take part. Minister Rabbitte encouraged primary school principals, teachers and pupils alike to take part in this years competition as a way of ensuring acceptance and inclusion of disabled children from an early age. She elaraborated: "We have just launched the new Autism Innovation Strategy; the vision for this Strategy is to provide the building blocks for a more inclusive society, where autistic people are understood and have equity of opportunity to participate in cultural, social and economic life and lead meaningful and fulfilled lives as valued members of the community. "In this way, the Autism Innovation Strategy is firmly rooted in the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities." Minister Rabbitte continued: "In education settings there has been a steady increase in the number of autistic children availing of special classes and special school places. "Based on preliminary data for the 2023 to 2024 school year, there are more than 14,500 students in autism classes in mainstream primary and post-primary schools... this represents approximately 1.5 per cent of the overall primary and post-primary pupil population. "One of the four pillars of the strategy is to develop an autism affirming society so building acceptance and understanding is crucial to achieve this." "The 'Someone Like Me' art competition is an important way of building this acceptance and understanding of all disabilities, including autism, among the primary school community," she concluded. Dr Aideen Hartney, the Director of the National Disability Authority, also said: "Having attended last years award ceremony and being in awe of the amazing art pieces on display, I am very much looking forward to this years competition." She added: "Awareness of disability is a stepping stone in the journey to disability equality and is necessary to create a vision for a more inclusive education system and society." Now in its ninth year, the competition, which is organised and funded by the National Disability Authority, enables Irelands young people to learn about inclusivity and diversity through the medium of art. Pupils and their teachers across the country will be provided with cross-curricular learning and teaching materials to help them develop an awareness and understanding of visible and non-visible disabilities. Minister Anne Rabbitte launching the competition. Photograph by Finbarr O'Rourke. These materials are also available to download on the 'Someone Like Me' website, www.someonelikemecompeition.ie. The competition, which offers a range of prizes up to the value of 1,250, is open to all primary school pupils from junior infants to sixth class. Entries are welcome from individual pupils, a class or even a whole school as a combined effort, and they can come in all shapes and sizes and can be anything from a poster or collage to a papier-mache or a mixed-media sculpture. There will be a junior and senior category winner in every county, along with an overall national winner. To be in with a chance to win Creative Care Packages, schools should submit their early entries by Friday, October 25, 2024. The final deadline for entries is Friday, November 15, 2024. More information can be found on the aforementioned 'Someone Like Me' website. Charity group My Legacy is calling on people in County Kildare to include a gift to a good cause in their Will, The call comes after a new survey found over a third of Irish people would leave 'a little something extra' to charity if tax breaks were available to beneficiaries. Published in advance of International Legacy Giving Day on September 13, the poll was carried out by Red C on behalf of My Legacy. It reports that only 27 per cent of over 18s in Ireland have made a Will, with only 14 per cent of those saying theyve included a charitable gift from their estate. However, 35 per cent of respondents said they would consider a bequest to charity if it meant there was a tax break available. Elaborating further on the report and My Legacy's appeal, Niall O'Sullivan, the Chairperson of the charity, said: "The report shows a strong public interest to know and understand more about both the process of making a Will, and including a gift to charity. "My Legacy represents over 90 Irish charities, including Barretstown, the Jack & Jill Foundation and Trocaire, all of which have a base in Kildare, and public support is crucial to their services. "We know that Ireland is one of the most generous nations in Europe and the report states that 40 per cent of people regularly support a charity." My Legacy Chairperson Niall O'Sullivan. Photograph supplied. Mr O'Sullivan continued: "However, that figure jars significantly with the current low uptake of legacy giving, especially compared with the UK, where pro rata, people leave three times as much in their Wills to charities. "This demonstrates the huge potential to increase legacy giving in Ireland." He concluded: "In our pre-Budget 2025 submission, My Legacy is calling on the Government to incentivise and encourage legacy giving." FURTHER FINDINGS The nationally representative survey of 1,007 adults, which was carried out online between August 6 and August 11 last, also found that health-related charities benefit the most from the Irish publics generosity, with 68 per cent of respondents saying they regularly support organisations like the Irish Heart Foundation and Irish Cancer Society. Childrens charities are next, with just over half (56 per cent) donating to this sector, while a similar number (51 per cent) donates to homeless groups. The survey also shows Ireland remains a nation of pet lovers, with 45 per cent helping animal charities with cash donations, while 44 per cent say they prefer to give to humanitarian organisations. Red C also report that the main reason that 39 per cent of respondents said they would include a gift for charity would be to support the work of an organisation close to their heart, while 27 per cent said it would be to honour the memory of a loved one with the same figure saying they would want to give something back to their community. MY LEGACY'S APPEAL As part of My Legacy Month, My Legacy is encouraging people to make a Will. The group says that there are three simple steps involved: Make an appointment with a solicitor to discuss your wishes and decisions for the future. Look after loved ones: a Will provides for those close to you, assigns guardians, protects assets, and can help reduce inheritance tax. Consider a legacy gift to charity: if you have a cause close to your heart, include a gift to that charity in your Will. A gift may be big or small and is tax free to the charity. My Legacy Month, the charitys annual awareness campaign, runs throughout the month of September. For more information about Will-making and legacy giving, visit www.mylegacy.ie. Maria Dunphy and her grandson Liam, pictured to mark My Legacy Month, which was launched at the beginning of September to encourage more people to leave a donation to charity in their Wills. Photograph by Marc O'Sullivan. Five County Kildare schools are among those selected to offer the new Leaving Certificate subjects of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies and Climate Action and Sustainable Development. Some 57 post-primary schools have been picked to introduce Leaving Certificate Drama, Film and Theatre Studies from the start of the 2025/26 school year. These include Patrician Secondary School, Newbridge and Cross and Passion College, Kilcullen. In addition, 43 schools have been selected for Leaving Certificate Climate Action and Sustainable Development, including: Maynooth Post Primary School, Pipers Hill College, Naas and Naas Community College. Read more Kildare news The announcement by Minister for Education Norma Foley is aimed atproviding young people with an opportunity to study a range of subjects that align with their talents and passions. Minister Foley said: It was fantastic to see a strong level of interest from schools of all types in Kildare and across the country in taking part in this first phase of delivering the new Leaving Certificate subjects. These are being introduced to provide greater choice for students to better reflect their range of interests and support the development of a wider range of talents and skills. The new subjects will be available from the start of the 2025/26 school year. The applications received demonstrated the extraordinary talent, qualifications, experience, and commitment by teachers in schools across Ireland interested in introducing these two new subjects to their students. The level and variety of current subject provision in the selected schools and the enthusiasm shown by their school leaders, teachers, students and school communities was nothing short of exemplary and I have every confidence that the rollout of both subjects will be a success, added Ms Foley. She said it means students in 100 schools nationwide will have the chance to develop their interests, strengths and talents in these areas. Teachers in the selected schools will begin working with Oide, the teacher support service, this school year, a year in advance of teaching the subject. News / National by Staff reporter Chinese businessman Haozuan Song is currently detained at Harare Remand Prison and faces possible deportation to China over an unspecified offense, while his mother, controversial businesswoman Li Song, is being sought by the Department of Immigration on several criminal allegations.Li Song, who has been embroiled in various legal battles, is accused of externalizing funds, defrauding tax authorities, and theft of trust property. Her son, Haozuan, has since filed an urgent application at the High Court in a bid to block his deportation.In his application, Haozuan, through his lawyer Oliver Marwa, has cited Zimbabwe's Chief Director of Immigration and the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage as respondents. He argues that authorities are threatening to deport him without a court order or due process, infringing on his constitutional rights."Respondents have detained the applicant and threatened to deport without following due process and without a court order," Haozuan's application reads. "The respondents' conduct breaches the applicant's constitutional right to liberty and not to be arbitrarily deported without being afforded the chance to challenge the decision to deport him as provided for in terms of the Constitution of Zimbabwe."Haozuan is seeking a declaratory order from the court to determine the legality of his detention and the deportation threats. The application is currently pending, with the businessman attempting to prevent his removal from Zimbabwe before legal proceedings are fully addressed.Meanwhile, his mother, Li Song, is expected to appear in court on September 25. She faces serious allegations of externalizing more than US$6 million to an offshore account in Mauritius after falsifying documents to secure foreign currency from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe's forex auction system.Additionally, Li is accused of fraudulently avoiding the payment of US$40,000 in customs duty on sodium cyanide she imported from Mauritius last year. The trial is expected to shine a spotlight on her controversial business dealings in Zimbabwe.As Haozuan Song awaits the outcome of his High Court application, his mother's legal troubles are set to continue, adding another chapter to the family's ongoing entanglement with Zimbabwean authorities. Market Logic Software unveils new DeepSightstm release: Unlocking unprecedented value from corporate knowledge systems BERLIN, Sept. 16, 2024 /CNW/ -- Market Logic Software, a global leader in insights management solutions, is excited to announce the latest release of the award-winning DeepSightstm, its powerful AI-driven insights assistant. This enhanced version is designed to deliver the most comprehensive and insightful responses to market inquiries by synthesizing datapoints taken from charts and graphs with those extracted from text-based reports. By incorporating the vast store of often overlooked visual data contained in corporate knowledge stores ? such as graphs, charts, and infographics ? DeepSights significantly increases the ROI of investments in market and competitive intelligence. Leveraging cutting-edge technology, this new release further extends DeepSights' market leadership in providing up-to-the-minute market understanding that product leader, marketers and strategists can trust. General availability for the new release is scheduled for the end of September. "High-quality responses from AI are essential for giving enterprise teams the confidence to roll out new technologies at scale and reap the productivity benefits it can deliver. Innovations in this latest release build on user feedback to ensure accuracy of knowledge provided by DeepSights meets the high bar of trust our customers demand," said Olaf Lenzmann, Chief Innovation and Product Officer, Market Logic Software. New capabilities in the latest release of DeepSights include: Visual data comprehension: Unlike other AI-powered knowledge management tools, DeepSights can now read and interpret visual data from graphs, charts, and infographics. By pulling relevant data points from these graphical elements alongside text-based content, DeepSights further improves the depth and accuracy of its responses. Data inconsistency alerts: Just like a human colleague, DeepSightstm flags inconsistencies and limitations within a company's data sources. This proactive approach helps users identify potential knowledge gaps. It also encourages further investigation, while avoiding the pitfalls of AI tools that mask data contradictions with premature conclusions. Customizable data sources: Users can choose to include or exclude specific sources from the knowledge base when asking DeepSights to answer a query. This ensures that business leaders receive the most relevant and personalized information possible from a single centralized knowledge store. DeepSights is trusted by top global brands and market research agencies, freeing up thousands of hours previously dedicated to searching for insights data. Marketers, product managers, and insights professionals rely on DeepSights to navigate their organization's entire market data ecosystem, discovering fresh insights with remarkable speed. Integrated seamlessly with popular business tools like Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and Google Workspace, DeepSights makes insights easily accessible to all users. Please visit our website to learn more about DeepSights'tm latest innovation or to request a demo. About Market Logic Software Market Logic is a market-leading SaaS provider of insights management solutions. Our award-winning AI-enabled insights management platform DeepSightstm allows insights teams to equip business decision-makers with trusted insights at scale and speed. Since 2006, we've helped hundreds of consumer-focused brands across the globe to transform into insights-driven businesses. Market leaders such as Unilever, Vodafone, and Tesco are driving innovation and making smarter market moves with the support of Market Logic. For more information, please visit marketlogicsoftware.com. Contact Caroline Woods [email protected] +49 30 398 8150 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2504108/DeepSights.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2418379/MARKET_LOGIC_LOGO.jpg SOURCE Market Logic Software 16 september 2024 at 02:00 News published onand distributed by: Vazyme Leads Life Science Innovation, Boosting Research Breakthroughs in mIDH1 Cancer Treatment NANJING, China, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Vazyme (688105.SH), a leading life science technology company, significantly contributed to groundbreaking research published in Science Magazine through its innovative products. The study, which focuses on how mutant IDH1 inhibition activates tumor immunity by inducing double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) sensing, utilized Vazyme's advanced tools to achieve compelling research results. These findings are driving progress in life science, fostering transformative changes and innovations, and advancing both academic research and the broader medical sector. The research, led by the cancer research team at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, was authored by Dr. Meng-Ju Wu and his team. Reporting in Science, their paper, "Mutant IDH1 Inhibition Induces dsDNA Sensing to Activate Tumor Immunity", reveals how mutant IDH1 inhibition activates tumor immunity by inducing dsDNA sensing. Research has found that mIDH1 inhibitors cause DNA demethylation, which reactivates dormant viral genes embedded in the genome from ancient infections, subsequently activating cGAS, a protein responsible for detecting these viral elements. This reactivation triggers a viral mimicry response, effectively mobilizing the immune system to attack and destroy tumor cells. In preclinical models, mIDH1 inhibition led to the rapid recruitment of CD8+ T cells and a strong anti-tumor immune response. These findings suggest that strategies enhancing viral mimicry and immune activation could significantly boost the efficacy of mIDH1 inhibitors, paving the way for innovative combination therapies to combat mIDH1-driven cancers. Three products from Vazyme were instrumental in this significant research: Equalbit 1 dsDNA HS Assay Kit (#EQ121), Mycolor One-Step Mycoplasma Detector (#D201), and BCA Protein Quantification Kit (#E112). Among them, Vazyme #EQ121 is a ready-to-use double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) quantification kit that is easy to use, highly sensitive, and accurately quantifies 0.2 - 100 ng dsDNA. By utilizing the dye that specifically binds to DNA and reducing interference from impurities, along with strict standard controls, it provides a good linear relationship in the 0.2 - 100 ng range, achieving accurate quantification. It is an ideal choice for large-scale DNA sample quantification in NGS (e.g., input DNA quantification, DNA library quantification). Additionally, Vazyme has launched an upgraded mycoplasma detection reagent--the Mycolor One-Step Mycoplasma Detector (#D201). The product introduces a novel red-yellow color change system, which makes operation easy and visually intuitive. Reliable cell culture is vital for cell research; however, mycoplasma contamination remains a frequent and challenging issue. Unlike yeast and bacteria, mycoplasma cannot be directly observed under a microscope, which makes detection more complex. By using isothermal amplification technology to detect whether cells are contaminated with mycoplasma through color change, it provides great convenience for researchers. The BCA Protein Quantification Kit (#E112) is one of the most sensitive methods for measuring protein concentration. Boasting unparalleled versatility across diverse experimental settings, it enables the exploration of standard curve linearity while maintaining the ease of operation. These exceptional products, from Cell and Protein Research product line to NGS Library Preparation product line, directly result from Vazyme's strong research and development capabilities, which form the foundation of its innovations. The dedicated R&D team has developed over 600 types of genetically engineered recombinant enzymes, more than 2,500 high-performance antigens, monoclonal antibodies, and other essential materials. Driven by the robust enzyme library and following a logical progression in disease management?from discovery and prevention to diagnosis and treatment, Vazyme has established nine major product lines along with over 2,000 end products: Nucleic Acid Extraction Reagents, Molecular Biology Reagents, Cell & Protein Research Reagents, NGS Library Preparation Reagents, Reagents for Bio-Medicine, Instruments, Lab Consumables, Animal Disease Detection Kits, and IVD Solutions. Vazyme prioritizes global customer connections, ensuring their satisfaction. Through local customer support teams in key markets, the company engages directly with users in over 60 countries with local warehouses for efficient delivery and service. By leveraging technical expertise in various disciplines, including enzymology, immunology, cell biology, material science, and organic chemistry, Vazyme solidifies its role as a vital partner in scientific exploration. The driving force behind Vazyme's work is empowering customers in their pursuit of advancing the innovation of science. And together, exploring the unknown and fostering collaborations towards a healthier life for all. For more information, please visit the following website: www.vazyme.com E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +86 400-168-5000 SOURCE Vazyme 16 september 2024 at 07:00 News published onand distributed by: Sourcepoint Enhances Privacy Compliance Solutions to Address Complex Digital Tracking Litigation Risks Sourcepoint, a leader in data privacy compliance technology, today announced significant enhancements to its compliance monitoring suite. These innovative solutions are designed to help companies navigate the increasingly complex landscape of digital privacy laws and mitigate risks associated with the growing trend of tracker-based litigation. Companies today face a multifaceted legal landscape in the U.S., with potential lawsuits stemming from various sources including the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), wiretapping laws, Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), pen register statutes, and critically, Unfair and Deceptive Practices (UDAP) laws. Recent trends show a surge in litigation and regulatory investigations under UDAP laws, which can be particularly challenging to defend against. "The reality of today's digital privacy landscape is that even well-intentioned companies can find themselves facing legal challenges," said Julie Rubash, General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer at Sourcepoint. "What we're seeing is that the most concerning lawsuits often target companies who are genuinely trying to implement privacy measures but fall short in the execution." A key area of risk lies in the mischaracterization of data collection practices or the improper implementation of consent mechanisms. For instance, if a company implements an opt-in banner for cookies, but trackers fire before consent is obtained, or if cookie categories are mislabeled, the company could face claims of unfair competition or misrepresentation under UDAP laws. Sourcepoint's enhanced privacy compliance solutions address these complex challenges: Comprehensive Tracking Detection: Identifies pixels, chatbots, session replay technologies, and cookieless tracking methods across a company's digital properties, with scans running four times daily to capture dynamic changes. Detailed Parameter Analysis: Provides insights into the specific data being collected and shared by trackers, including IP addresses, browser settings, geolocation data, email addresses, and even video titles (relevant for VPPA compliance). Consent Management and Implementation Accuracy Verification: Ensures seamless coordination between consent collection and tracker deployment, helping to prevent scenarios where trackers fire before consent is obtained. It verifies that the Consent Management Platform (CMP) and other privacy measures, such as opt-in banners and cookie categorizations, are functioning as intended and accurately described to users, mitigating risks of misrepresentation and potential UDAP claims. Third-Party Vendor Monitoring: Assists in identifying and managing trackers deployed by third-party vendors who may be operating the company's website, addressing the common issue of disconnected oversight between legal teams, marketing departments, and external vendors. "We understand that privacy compliance can be overwhelming, especially given the disconnect often seen between legal teams, marketing departments, and third-party vendors," said Brian Kane, COO of Sourcepoint. "Our enhanced solutions provide clear, actionable insights that help bridge these gaps and create a more robust compliance posture." Sourcepoint is committed to ongoing innovation, with plans to introduce AI-powered capabilities for automated categorization of collected data and more sophisticated gap analysis between stated privacy practices and actual implementations. The company is currently seeking partners from leading companies across industries to participate in demonstrations and provide feedback on these enhanced features. This collaborative approach ensures that the technology remains practical and effective in addressing real-world privacy challenges. "While it's true that there's no foolproof way to prevent all litigation, our goal is to make it significantly more difficult for potential plaintiffs to bring successful claims," added Rubash. "By providing tools for accurate implementation, consistent monitoring, and rapid issue identification, we're helping companies build stronger defenses against these evolving legal challenges." To learn more about Sourcepoint's enhanced privacy compliance solutions and how they can help mitigate digital privacy litigation risks in a rapidly changing legal environment, please visit sourcepoint.com or receive a demo at Sourcepoint's booth (#235) at International Association for Privacy Professionals annual "Privacy. Security. Risk." conference in Los Angeles, September 23 & 24. About Sourcepoint: Sourcepoint is the practical privacy platform trusted by the world's most influential brands. Supporting over 30 billion consumer touchpoints per month, Sourcepoint offers enterprise-grade privacy automation for complex, dynamic compliance challenges. Sourcepoint has offices in New York, Berlin and London. For more information, visit sourcepoint.com. 16 september 2024 at 09:40 News published onand distributed by: Gabriel Resources Ltd. - Resignation of Director Gabriel Resources Ltd. (TSXV:GBU) ("Gabriel" or the "Company") announces that Mr. Daniel Kochav, the nominee of Tenor Capital Management LLC ("Tenor"), has tendered his resignation as a member of the Company's board of directors with immediate effect. Through its affiliate, Enescu Investments, Tenor has waived its right to nominate a successor nominee or observer to the Company's board, also with immediate effect. For information on this press release, please contact: Dragos Tanase President & CEO [email protected] Richard Brown Chief Financial Officer [email protected] Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. About Gabriel Gabriel is a Canadian resource company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company's principal business has been the exploration and development of the Ro?ia Montan? gold and silver project in Romania, one of the largest undeveloped gold deposits in Europe. Upon obtaining the License in June 1999, the Group focused substantially all of their management and financial resources on the exploration, feasibility and subsequent development of the Ro?ia Montan? Project. An extension of the exploitation license for the Ro?ia Montan? Project (held by Ro?ia Montan? Gold Corporation S.A., a Romanian company in which Gabriel owns an 80.69% equity interest, with the 19.31% balance held by Minvest Ro?ia Montan? S.A., a Romanian state-owned mining company) was rejected by the competent authority in late June 2024. SOURCE: Gabriel Resources Ltd. 16 september 2024 at 13:30 View the original press release on accesswire.comNews published onand distributed by: MarineLabs' coastal intelligence platform boosting productivity and elevating operational safety at major B.C. ports through B.C.'s Integrated Marketplace VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Victoria-based MarineLabs is utilizing its AI-driven marine weather data platform as part of three new innovation projects, funded through the Province's Integrated Marketplace program, delivered by Innovate BC, that are improving productivity and enhancing the health and safety of operations at the Port of Vancouver and the Port of Prince Rupert. Each project showcases a distinct application of MarineLabs' real-time and predictive coastal intelligence delivered through their flagship product, CoastAware, which provides users with hyper-localized weather insights, real-time coastal images and other actionable data. MarineLabs' integrated technology solutions and machine learning delivers high-resolution coastal data to support safer decision-making for maritime operations. "There is tremendous talent in B.C. when it comes to technology," said Brenda Bailey, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation. "Through the Integrated Marketplace program, we're helping B.C. based companies scale up their technology solutions to strengthen our economy and make life better for people, while helping them improve their productivity and competitiveness." "The Integrated Marketplace is a catalyst for transformative innovation, connecting key industries with B.C.'s brightest minds to tackle the most pressing challenges faced by British Columbians," said Peter Cowan, President and CEO of Innovate BC, "These projects are a great example of how local innovation can strengthen the productivity and competitiveness of the province's most significant sectors while also making industry operations safer." Created to help drive innovation in the province, the Integrated Marketplace links strategic partners operating at testbeds like the Port of Vancouver and the Port of Prince Rupert, to B.C.-based solution providers to implement, scale up, and export B.C. technology solutions. This framework allows B.C. industries to receive assistance and reduce the risks in adopting innovation and new technologies while connecting these solution providers with valuable Canadian reference customers that support their growth. CoastAware Weather Intelligence and BuoyCam for the Passenger Ferry Service at the Port of Vancouver Headquartered in Nanaimo and with operations at the Port of Vancouver testbed, which is overseen by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, the Vancouver Island Ferry Company (VIFC) is utilizing CoastAware to optimize the Hullo Ferry passenger service between Vancouver and Nanaimo. By leveraging real-time wave, wind and coastal data collected along the ferry route, VIFC can make more informed scheduling decisions, improving the reliability and safety of the service. Historical Insights for the Terminal Development at the Port of Prince Rupert Producer and distributor AltaGas is developing plans for a new export terminal located within the Port of Prince Rupert testbed which is overseen by the Prince Rupert Port Authority. Using historical data accessed through CoastAware, AltaGas is optimizing engineering decisions to ensure the construction and design of the proposed facility is safer, more cost effective and efficient. CoastAware Weather Intelligence and BuoyCam for Pilot Transfers at the Port of Prince Rupert and Port of Vancouver The Pacific Pilotage Authority (PPA) is harnessing CoastAware to make more accurate decisions on scheduling marine pilots for embarking and disembarking vessels. Employing real-time weather data specific to the pilotage areas within the Port of Prince Rupert and the Port of Vancouver, the PPA can mitigate safety risks during pilot transfers. Through these different use cases, MarineLabs is continuing to improve and scale its real-time and predictive coastal intelligence platform for other potential customers with similar needs. The data collected in each of these projects is also contributing to advancing MarineLabs' machine-learning models, continuously improving the reliability and accuracy of its coastal weather forecasting for users. "The Integrated Marketplace is an excellent initiative that is allowing regional ports and operators to test the leading edge of technology to improve the safety and efficiency of their operations," said Dr. Scott Beatty, CEO of MarineLabs, "Our regional maritime operators, who navigate and build infrastructure in some of the world's most challenging conditions, set a global standard for maritime safety. MarineLabs is proud to support them with hyper-local real-time, historical, and predictive coastal weather intelligence. Given the complex and extreme nature of the B.C. coast, these case-study demonstrations of our technologies are a launch pad for our expansion into international markets that will help us in our mission to protect the world's coastlines." This announcement is part of the Government of B.C.'s investment of $11.5 million, and the Government of Canada's investment, through PacifiCan, of $9.9 million in the Integrated Marketplace. It follows the recent announcement of new self-driving robotic pods being tested at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), which aims to enhance accessibility for travellers with mobility needs. To view and download digital assets relating to this announcement, please click here. Project Backgrounders CoastAware Weather Intelligence and BuoyCam for the Passenger Ferry Service at the Port of Vancouver CoastAware gives VIFC access to real-time wave and wind data, along with 360-degree coastal images collected by newly placed sensors located at the ferry terminals in the Port of Vancouver and Nanaimo, as well as five other targeted locations on the ferry route across the Strait of Georgia. The live views of ocean conditions and real-time and year-round data collected by the sensors allows VIFC to make more informed and timely scheduling decisions for the passenger ferries based on current local weather conditions as well as historical trends, improving the safety and reliability of the service. Historical Insights for the Terminal Development at the Port of Prince Rupert Engineers working on the export terminal are accessing three years of historical data collected by an existing network of sensors located in marine areas similar to the proposed pre-terminal construction site. This data demonstrates the impact that wind and wave patterns have on comparable geographical locations, which can be used to validate engineering models, improve assessments of terminal development sites, and provide more detailed, cost-effective evaluations to terminal engineering projects to mitigate safety risks during installation. As MarineLabs' sensor network collects new data, engineers can review forecasts to determine how accurately weather predictions align with actual events, with the aim of improving the certainty in the assessed weather exposure of the new terminal. This will result in a more refined, efficient and climate-adaptive facility design, ultimately strengthening export operations. CoastAware Weather Intelligence and BuoyCam for Pilot Transfers at the Port of Prince Rupert and Port of Vancouver Replacing the need to rely solely on weather forecasts from external data providers, which have limited accuracy, CoastAware with ForecastAI offers the PPA more accurate forecasts and current wind, wave and visibility data specific to their locations, allowing operators to plan for and determine actual weather conditions where the pilots board. Often facing hazardous marine conditions, these precise assessments help maritime operators reduce safety risks and minimize the need for precautionary cancellations, making the ports and economic supply chains more efficient while reducing operational costs. Additional Quotes The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada "Today's announcement is another example of how the Government of Canada's support for the Integrated Marketplace is directly benefitting B.C.-based entrepreneurs, such as MarineLabs. Their CoastAware platform harnesses the power of a network of sensor nodes and AI-driven modelling to create real-time forecast data. By having access to hyper-localized wind and wave forecasts, users can take more informed, and safer, approaches to their operations. It is exciting to see a local company like MarineLabs refine and test a technology right here at home that will help them grow both here and in coastal markets around the world." Sean Poole, Chief Operating Officer, VIFC "Since the fall of last year (Q4 2023), Hullo Ferries has been using MarineLabs to enhance our data-informed decision-making. This partnership has made us a leader in utilizing real-time weather data to increase our reliability and understanding of weather patterns on our operating routes. This has greatly improved our operational efficiency and the safety of our crew and passengers. We are excited to expand our partnership and utilize their offerings further with the support of an Innovate BC grant." John Wilson, CEO, Pacific Pilotage Authority quote "The real-time data available to the PPA through CoastAware has greatly enhanced the safety of our operations. Timely information on actual environmental conditions allows for better decision-making to ensure optimal timing of ship movements and efficient ship manoeuvring. This is especially important for the safe operation of our pilot boarding stations and, more recently, pilot transfers using our new helicopter service on the South Coast. We're proud to be collaborating with MarineLabs on the use of information provided through this innovative technology." Media Contact Michael Gleboff Communications + Community Manager [email protected] 604-602-5210 About Innovate BC A Crown Agency of British Columbia, Innovate BC works to foster innovation across the province and bolster the growth of the local economy through delivering a wide range of programs that help companies start and scale, access talent and encourage technology development, commercialization, and adoption. Innovate BC also harnesses crucial data collection and research, and works to forge strategic industry and community partnerships that create more opportunities for B.C. innovators. 16 september 2024 at 14:15 News published onand distributed by: Gold Reserve Announces Results of the Special Meeting of Shareholders and Update on Proposed Continuance Into Bermuda Gold Reserve Inc. (TSX.V: GRZ) (OTCQX: GDRZF) ("Gold Reserve" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that at a special meeting (the "Meeting") of holders of Class A common shares (the "Shareholders") of the Company (the "Class A Shares") held on September 16, 2024, the Shareholders approved a special resolution permitting the Company to effect the proposed continuance of the Company from the Province of Alberta to Bermuda (the "Continuance"). The special resolution was approved by 96.34% of the votes cast at the Meeting. The Continuance, if completed, will be effected through a plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement") under section 193 of the Business Corporations Act (Alberta). The Company is scheduled to return to the Court of King's Bench of Alberta on September 17, 2024 to seek a final order to implement the Arrangement. The completion of the Arrangement is subject to obtaining the final order along with other required approvals. The Company will provide a further update if and when the Continuance is completed. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Paul Rivett Executive Vice-Chairman Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking statements This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable U.S. federal securities laws and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial and territorial securities laws, and are based on the opinions, estimates and assumptions of the Company's management and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information or statements. Forward-looking information or statements in this release include matters relating to whether the Continuance will be completed (including the board of directors of the Company deciding not to proceed therewith), the potential benefits of the Continuance, the timing of the Continuance, the satisfaction of conditions to the completion of the Continuance, the effecting of the Continuance through the Arrangement, the mailing of letters of transmittal and completion of the share certificate replacement process if the Continuance is completed, and may include other expectations of the Company and are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "aim", "anticipate", "believe", "budget", "continue", "could", "estimate", "expect", "forecast", "foresee", "intend", "may", "might", "plan", "potential", "predict", "project", "seek", "should", "strive", "targeting", "will" and similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Such information and statements reflect the current views of the Company's management, as the case may be, with respect to future events, and are based on information currently available to the Company, as the case may be, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those discussed below. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the non-completion of the Continuance for any reason (including the board of directors of the Company deciding not to proceed therewith), potential tax liabilities (which may be significant) associated with the Continuance for the Shareholders and/or the Company, changes in the rights of Shareholders as a result of the Continuance, the absence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to not proceeding with the Continuance, or a delay in or increase in cost of completing the Continuance. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking information or statements. For a more detailed discussion of the risk factors affecting the Continuance and the Company's business, see the Company's management information circular dated August 20, 2024, the Company's Management's Discussion & Analysis for the 6-month period ended June 30, 2024, the Annual Information Form on Form 40-F and Management's Discussion & Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2023 and other reports that have been filed on SEDAR+ and are available under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and which have been filed on EDGAR and are available under the Company's profile at www.sec.gov/edgar. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to Gold Reserve or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Gold Reserve disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking information or statements or the foregoing list of assumptions or factors, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, subject to its disclosure obligations under applicable rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and applicable Canadian provincial and territorial securities laws. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. 16 september 2024 at 14:50 News published onand distributed by: AAR and Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime sign Supply Chain Alliance, formalizing commitment to strengthening joint support of the warfighter WOOD DALE, Ill., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AAR CORP. (NYSE: AIR), a leading provider of aviation services to commercial and government operators, MROs, and OEMs, and the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Land and Maritime signed a Supply Chain Alliance charter, formalizing a commitment to strengthening joint support of the nation's warfighter. "This DLA alliance recognizes AAR's commitment to provide value-added services," said Landrio. The charter advances a longstanding partnership between the entities and demonstrates a shared interest in enhancing responsiveness to the warfighter, customer wait time, and administrative lead time. The official partnership provides AAR a dedicated resource within the DLA to expedite contract award and execution processes. This enhances AAR's position to effectively support OEM customers through increased efficiencies, including a streamlined contracting experience, reduction in labor hours, expedited delivery of products, and an opportunity to aggregate process improvement measures. "This DLA alliance recognizes AAR's commitment to provide value-added services and continue growing our strategic partnership," said Frank Landrio, AAR's Senior Vice President of Distribution. "We are proud to be recognized as a top provider of supply chain management solutions and continue executing on our joint strategies to provide the best product and service possible to the warfighter." For more information on AAR's Distribution division, visit https://www.aarcorp.com/en/products/distribution/. About AAR AAR is a global aerospace and defense aftermarket solutions company with operations in over 20 countries. Headquartered in the Chicago area, AAR supports commercial and government customers through four operating segments: Parts Supply, Repair & Engineering, Integrated Solutions, and Expeditionary Services. Additional information can be found at aarcorp.com. This press release contains certain statements relating to future results, which are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, reflecting management's expectations about future conditions, including anticipated activities and benefits resulting from the supply chain alliance. Forward-looking statements may also be identified because they contain words such as ''anticipate,'' ''believe,'' ''continue,'' ''could,'' ''estimate,'' ''expect,'' ''intend,'' ''likely,'' ''may,'' ''might,'' ''plan,'' ''potential,'' ''predict,'' ''project,'' ''seek,'' ''should,'' ''target,'' ''will,'' ''would,'' or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. These forward-looking statements are based on beliefs of Company management, as well as assumptions and estimates based on information currently available to the Company and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those anticipated. For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, refer to "Risk Factors" in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize adversely, or should underlying assumptions or estimates prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described. These events and uncertainties are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many are beyond the Company's control. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. Contact: Media Team +1-630-227-5100 [email protected] SOURCE AAR CORP. 16 september 2024 at 16:05 News published onand distributed by: Semrush Holdings, Inc. to Host Analyst Day on Tuesday, October 1st, 2024 Semrush Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SEMR), a leading online visibility management SaaS platform, will host an Analyst Day in New York City on Tuesday, October 1st, 2024. Semrush's executive management team will discuss the strategic vision and long-term outlook for the company, and answer live questions from attendees. Semrush Holdings, Inc. 2024 Analyst Day Date: Tuesday, October 1st, 2024 Location: Well& by Durst at One Five One (151 W 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036) Doors Open: 1:30 p.m. EDT Presentations and Q&A: 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. EDT To RSVP for the event, please reach out to [email protected]. A live audio webcast and archived replay can be found on Semrush's investor relations website at investors.semrush.com. About Semrush Semrush is a leading online visibility management SaaS platform that enables businesses globally to run search engine optimization, pay-per-click, content, social media and competitive research campaigns and get measurable results from online marketing. Semrush offers insights and solutions for companies to build, manage, and measure campaigns across various marketing channels. Semrush is headquartered in Boston and has offices in Trevose, Austin, Dallas, Florida, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belgrade, Berlin, Limassol, Prague, Warsaw, and Yerevan. For more information visit https://www.semrush.com/ 16 september 2024 at 16:35 News published onand distributed by: Peter Cherif, alleged associate of the Kouachi brothers, perpetrators of the 2015 attack on "Charlie Hebdo", during his extradition to France, at Djibouti International Airport, December 22, 2018. AFP The last time Peter Cherif spoke before a criminal court was on October 23, 2020, at the trial for the January 2015 attacks on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and one of the kosher supermarket chain Hyper Cacher's stores. The Parisian jihadist was then heard as a simple witness by videoconference from the Bois-d'Arcy prison, west of Paris. After reciting the opening surah of the Quran in Arabic, he said: "I've been forced to come here to testify about a case I have nothing to do with, and I won't be answering any questions." He then observed a long, icy silence, refusing to answer any questions for 20 minutes. His silence aroused deep unease in the room because of the heavy suspicions hanging over this veteran of jihad, suspected of being one of the missing pieces in the terrorist project of the Kouachi brothers, Cherif and Said, who murdered 12 people on January 7, 2015, including eight members of the Charlie Hebdo editorial staff. However, the chronology of the investigations meant he couldn't be tried: When Peter Cherif was arrested in Djibouti, in December 2018, after spending seven years in Yemen among the ranks of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the investigating judges had just completed their case. More than five years after his surprise arrest on the shores of the Gulf of Aden, the 42-year-old will appear alone before the Paris Special Criminal Court on Monday, September 16, for terrorism charges. He will have to answer for his stay in the ranks of AQAP, his involvement in the kidnapping of three French hostages in 2011 by the terrorist group, as well as for the role he may have played during the Yemeni sojourn of his childhood friend, Cherif Kouachi, during which the latter was commissioned by AQAP to carry out the attack on Charlie Hebdo. Neighborhood friends Peter Cherif and Cherif Kouachi have known each other since they were teenagers in a working-class housing estate in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. Along with other youngsters from the neighborhood, including Said Kouachi and Boubaker El-Hakim, a future senior member of the Islamic State organization, they became radicalized through contact with a charismatic religious figure within this small circle, Farid Benyettou. The two neighborhood friends were subsequently convicted of involvement in a network for sending jihadists to Iraq in the mid-2000s, the so-called "Buttes-Chaumont" network, named after the large park in the neighborhood where the men would sometimes work out. On the day he was sentenced to five years in prison for fighting in the ranks of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, in March 2011, Peter Cherif, who was appearing free, had already left France for Yemen. A few months later, at the end of July, Cherif Kouachi, accompanied by another young Parisian, Salim Benghalem, who, in 2013, became one of the jailers of four French hostages in Syria, joined him in this land of jihad located at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula. At the end of a three-week stay in the ranks of AQAP, the two new recruits returned to France, each with a plan to carry out an attack. You have 57.65% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only. News / National by Staff reporter South Africa has issued 4,913 critical skills visas since 2020 to nationals from over 100 countries, with more than half (55%) of those going to people from Zimbabwe and India.Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber revealed the information in a recent parliamentary Q&A, where he noted that the department exhausted "all efforts" to determine that no South African citizens or permanent residents had the necessary skills and qualifications to fill the positions before issuing the visas to foreign nationals."This was done in collaboration with the Department of Higher Education and Training. The methodology used to determine the critical skills is detailed in a Technical Report on Critical Skills published on the website DHET," he said.Out of the 4,913 visas issued since 1 January 2020, 1,794 were issued to Zimbabwean nationals for hundreds of different jobs.The biggest job category for which Zimbabwean nationals were issued a critical skills visa was trainee auditors, followed by integrated development, software developers, nursing, and ICT systems analysts.After Zimbabwe, the second biggest import country for critical skills in South Africa is India, where 918 visas have been issued.Visas to Indian nationals are mainly aroundThe table below outlines the top 20 countries that have been issued critical skills visas to South Africa:# Country Visas1 Zimbabwe 1,7942 India 9183 The Democratic Republic of Congo 2954 Nigera 2865 Cameroon 906 Germany 857 China 848 The United Kingdom 829 Kenya 759 The USA 7511 Lesotho 6312 France 6213 Pakistan 5814 Zambia 5015 Swaziland 4816 Angola 4517 Uganda 4118 The Netherlands 3919 Ghana 3620 Botswana 35Critical skillsSouth Africa's critical skills list was updated for the first time since 2014 in February 2022, sparking controversy in the medical field at the time as most of the jobs cut from the list came from that sector.In response to this, the list was updated again in August 2022, where 39 more occupationslargely from the medical fieldwere added to the list.The last time the list was updated was in October 2023, where vets were added to the growing number of scarce skills in the countryhowever, general practitioners and doctors remain off the list.You can view South Africa's full Critical Skills List here.The department previously acknowledged that there has been "fierce criticism" of the critical skills list, mainly emanating from the professions that were cut.It said that the Critical Skills List ought to be updated every four years due to the ever-changing skills shortage in South Africa.In lieu of more regular updated to the critical skills list, the department is engaging in other ways to make it easier for the country to draw in the skills it needs.The department is forging ahead with the Trusted Employer Scheme (TES), which should help businesses acquire international workers to address their skill shortages.The country has also moved to implement a remote working visa, which should draw additional skills into the country.International workers are seen as a short- and medium-term solution to the current skills shortage that many corporations in South Africa face, with skilled workers especially those with STEM and IT skills often heading in the other direction.South Africa's battle with skills is happening on all fronts.Within the country itself, there is a dearth of skills that match the growing needs of businessesand the skills that are present are either snapped up by companies, head for the exit due to various push' factors, or are working remotely for international companies.Other countries outside of South Africa are also looking for skills, and local talent is ripe for the picking.Countries like Australia, Canada, Germany and the UK have all pointed to dire shortages of skills in certain fields and expressed a willingness to draw these skills to their shoresand for South African talent with itchy feet, the prospects are often too inviting to ignore. Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar said Monday, September 16, that the Palestinian group had the resources to sustain its fight against Israel, with support from Iran-backed regional allies, nearly a year into the Gaza war. Sinwar, who last month replaced slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, said in a letter to the group's Yemeni allies that "we have prepared ourselves to fight a long war of attrition." Deadly fighting raged on in the besieged Gaza Strip, where medics and rescuers said Monday that Israeli strikes which the military has not commented on killed at least two dozen people. The latest strikes came as Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned that prospects for a halt in fighting with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon were dimming, yet again raising fears of a wider regional conflagration. Gallant last week said Hamas, whose October 7 attack triggered the war, "no longer exists" as a military formation in Gaza. Sinwar, in his letter to Yemen's Huthis, threatened that Iran-aligned groups in Gaza and elsewhere in the region would "break the enemy's political will" after more than 11 months of war. "Our combined efforts with you" and with groups in Lebanon and Iraq "will break this enemy and inflict defeat on it," Sinwar said. Read more Subscribers only Fears of an extension of Gaza war looms over the West Bank 'Ongoing efforts' for ceasefire After months of mediation efforts towards an elusive Gaza truce deal, the United States was working "expeditiously" on a new proposal to bridge the remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas, said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. "We continue to engage with our partners in the region" including mediators Qatar and Egypt to achieve "a proposal that can get the parties to an ultimate agreement." Miller said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will discuss the ceasefire drive with Egyptian officials on a visit there this week. He noted that Israel's demand to keep troops on the Gaza-Egypt border and details on the release of captives remained the main sticking points. Blinken will "discuss ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza that secures the release of all hostages, alleviates the suffering of the Palestinian people, and helps establish broader regional security," Miller said in a statement. Strike on refugee camp In central Gaza, survivors scoured debris Monday after a strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp. Ten people were killed and 15 were wounded when an air strike hit the Al-Qassas family home in Nuseirat, said a medic at Al-Awda Hospital, where the bodies were taken. Read more Subscribers only Israel strikes Gaza humanitarian zone Gaza's civil defense said six Palestinians were killed in a strike in Gaza City, and emergency services later reported six more deaths in central and northern areas. The Gaza war has drawn in Iran-backed Hamas allies across the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Huthis, whose maritime attacks have disrupted global shipping through vital waterways off Yemen. On Sunday the rebels claimed a rare missile attack on central Israel which caused no casualties, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn that they would pay "a heavy price for any attempt to harm us." In a televised speech, rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Huthi said, "Our operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege on Gaza continue." On Monday Hezbollah claimed "dozens" of attacks on Israeli positions, and Israel's military said it struck "terrorist" targets in Lebanon. "The possibility for an agreement is running out as Hezbollah continues to tie itself to Hamas," Gallant told visiting US envoy Amos Hochstein, a defense ministry statement said. Netanyahu later told Hochstein he seeks a "fundamental change" in the security situation on Israel's northern border. The US State Department's Miller told reporters: "We have long made clear that we believe a diplomatic solution is the correct way, the only way, to bring calm to the north of Israel and allow Israeli citizens to return to their homes." He said Israeli officials "have always made clear ... that they would ultimately prefer a diplomatic resolution." Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem said Saturday his group has "no intention of going to war," but if Israel does "unleash" one "there will be large losses on both sides." The violence has killed hundreds of mostly fighters in Lebanon, and dozens of civilians and soldiers on the Israeli side. Israeli media outlets said Netanyahu was considering firing Gallant, one of several officials who have been at odds with him on war policy. Netanyahu's office denied the reports. The premier has faced rising anger from critics and protesters who accuse him of not doing enough to secure a truce in Gaza and a hostage release deal. The portrait of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar towers above the Libyan National Army barracks near the first dam on Wadi Derna, Libya, September 9, 2024. NISSIM GASTELI From the mountains overlooking Derna, in Libya, the blue immensity of the Mediterranean Sea is veiled by a thick cloud of dust. It's a sign of the transformation of the city that has become a vast construction site after being ravaged by a flash flood just over a year ago. On the night of September 10-11, 2023, the bursting of two dams filled with a record amount of water spilled by Storm Daniel devastated part of this city of some 100,000 inhabitants, leaving at least 5,923 dead, according to the latest figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In reality, there is still no definitive death toll, with thousands of people still unaccounted for. Here and there, across the maze of streets, new buildings are springing up, in addition to the restoration of buildings affected by the floods. Straddling the dry riverbed, a gaping hole divides the city, and two bridges will soon be completed to prevent residents from plunging back into the middle of this trauma every day. A huge portrait of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, head of the self-proclaimed "Libyan National Army" (LNA), which controls the eastern and southern parts of Libya, hangs from scaffolding at the foot of one of the bridges. It was his son, Belgacem Haftar, who took charge of the Development and Reconstruction Fund, endowed with 10 billion Libyan dinars (around 1.9 million) by the parliament in Benghazi (eastern Libya). At 39, this trained engineer presents a new business and investment face to the family, contrasting with the military profiles of his father and two of his brothers, Saddam and Khaled, placed in commanding positions in the ANL. On Monday, September 9, in front of an assembly of engineers gathered at the fund's brand-new local headquarters, Belgacem Haftar congratulated himself on the progress of work in Derna, estimated by him at 70% complete. On the left bank of the river, once the beating heart of the city, Anweige Almasawari drives forward cautiously. A year ago, the Hchicha shopping street and its surroundings were buried under masses of rubble, trapping countless corpses. A mournful silence still reigns, but most of the rubble has been cleared away. "The fund has reopened roads, unblocked the city and given people hope again," said Almasawari, a father and a professor at Derna University. Nevertheless, he tempered the progress announced, "70%? No, we're still a long way from that." An opaque system It will take time to rebuild everything, but the reconstruction fund already boasts that it has completed almost 20,000 new homes for disaster victims, thanks to the rehabilitation of projects launched but never completed by the regime of Muammar Gaddafi (1969-2011). Some residents also told Le Monde that they had received monthly or fixed-rate financial aid of up to 100,000 dinars (almost 19,000). You have 58.87% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only. Dr. Sennen Hounton speaking to the media in Monrovia at the UNFPA headquarters. MINISTER for Education Norma Foley has today announced that two Limerick schools are among the selected phase one schools which will be the first to offer the new Leaving Certificate subject of Climate Action and Sustainable Development. Forty-three schools were chosen including Limerick City East Secondary School, Castletroy and John the Baptist Community School, Hospital. Among the schools participating in phase one, 57 post-primary schools have been selected to introduce Leaving Certificate Drama, Film and Theatre Studies from the start of the 2025/26 school year. The announcement marks an important moment in the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme and the Ministers vision for a Senior Cycle that provides young people with an opportunity to study a range of subjects that align with their talents and passions. Minister Foley said: It was fantastic to see a strong level of interest from schools of all types in Limerick and across the country in taking part in this first phase of delivering the new Leaving Certificate subjects of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies and Climate Action and Sustainable Development. These subjects are being introduced to provide greater choice for students to better reflect their range of interests and support the development of a wider range of talents and skills. I am pleased to announce that Limerick City East Secondary School, Castletroy and John the Baptist Community School, Hospital, will be among the first to offer the new Leaving Certificate subject of Climate Action and Sustainable Development from the start of the 2025/26 school year. READ MORE: ALERT: Motorists warned of restrictions and delays due to works at Limerick Tunnel The applications received demonstrated the extraordinary talent, qualifications, experience, and commitment by teachers in schools across Ireland interested in introducing these two new subjects to their students. The level and variety of current subject provision in the selected schools and the enthusiasm shown by their school leaders, teachers, students and school communities was nothing short of exemplary and I have every confidence that the rollout of both subjects will be a success. I am most pleased for the students in the 100 post primary schools across the country who will experience either Drama, Film and Theatre Studies or Climate Action and Sustainable Development at Senior Cycle in this initial phase and who will have the opportunity to develop their interests, strengths and talents in these areas. Teachers in the selected schools will begin working with Oide, the teacher support service, this school year, a year in advance of teaching the subject. All selected phase one schools will be provided with the necessary resources to establish new subject departments in their schools and to support the teaching and learning of the subject from the start of the next school year. Drama, Film and Theatre Studies will promote and encourage creativity as a basis for learning through immersive experiences. Students will have the opportunity to cultivate informed thinking through learning supported by creative and critical processes. Climate Action and Sustainable Development will develop students capacity for informed and meaningful action for a just and sustainable world as they engage with key sustainability challenges including the climate crisis. Students will be empowered to build their understanding of a number of interconnected core concepts and principles related to climate action and sustainable development. THE SOLICITOR for the family of the late Aoife Johnston has said they are profoundly disappointed with the report of the investigation into her death at University Hospital Limerick in 2022. Speaking with RTE, solicitor, Damien Tansey, Senior Counsel, said a meeting with the family sought by the HSE Chief, Bernard Gloster, can not take place until the report by former Chief Justice Frank Clarke is published in full. Aoife Johnston (16) from Shannon, Co Clare died at University Hospital Limerick in December 2022 following a 12-hour wait in the emergency department (ED). She was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and later developed sepsis. The family has given the HSE until the end of this week to publish the report unredacted. They receive the report a number of weeks ago. The chief executive of UHL issued an instruction aimed at easing emergency department overcrowding two months before Aoife Johnston died but it was never clearly communicated to staff, according to the unpublished report. Colette Cowan told Mr Clarkes inquiry into Aoifes death that in October 2022 she had directed staff to move admitted patients out of the emergency department and on to wards, as reported by the Irish Independent. Ms Cowans instruction was not implemented on the weekend of December 17 and 18, 2022, when Aoife died of untreated sepsis in a chronically overcrowded emergency department. The protocol was one of several decisions taken at executive level that didn't filter down to management, according to the report. Other protocols included filling out sepsis forms for patients who were suffering from suspected sepsis which was not adhered to in Aoifes case. The policy of moving patients on to wards to ease pressure in the emergency department, stopped on the advice of the HSE and reinstated two months prior to Aoifes death is understood to be one of the key conflict grounds in Mr Clarkes report. READ MORE: Teenager missing from his Limerick home for over two weeks sparks second garda appeal The report found that there was considerable confusion among staff about the protocol of placing trolleys on to wards and whether the practice was permitted or discouraged, according to sources. Ms Cowan who has been on leave since January, was required to step aside from her role as part of the disciplinary process. Mr Gloster appointed former chief justice Frank Clarke to investigate Aoifes death last December, after a HSE review found multiple serious failings and missed opportunities in an emergency department where overcrowding was endemic. Mr Clarkes report, which is said to have nearly 150 pages, made no adverse findings, did not resolve conflicting evidence and did not apportion blame. The report doesn't resolve the conflicting evidence between the staff on duty on the weekend of Aoifes death, and deliberately avoids drawing conclusions from the evidence. As reported by RTE, Mr Tansey said the restrictions imposed on Mr Justice Clarke by the HSE were most unsatisfactory and flew in the face of assurances given to the family by the HSE. The family had been assured the investigation would be unfettered, would be evidence driven and that Mr Justice Clarke could go wherever the evidence took him and that there would be accountability, he said. Mr Tansey said the family were making no criticism of the former Chief Justice, but are very unhappy that his report was unable to make findings of fact, or attribute blame as they had put all their faith in the Clarke investigation. A number of processes are under way in the HSE in relation to the issue. The HSE has said that at this point, there has been no adverse finding against any staff. It also said it was important that everyone's rights are respected. Mr Gloster said the HSE hoped to publish the report or a publishable version of it and he wanted to meet with the family. In a statement, the HSE said Mr Gloster has said he will publish the report later this month, in an appropriate format, which must take into account the HSE's obligations to all parties involved and must respect the personal and sensitive data contained in the report. THE latest beneficiaries of 500 gift card donations by Limerick ALDI stores have been revealed. Three charities and community groups received donations from ALDIs Limerick stores. Receiving 500 ALDI gift cards are Cancer Fund for Children and Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. For 2024, to coincide with ALDI Irelands 25th anniversary, the retailer has also selected 26 charities and community groups, one per county, to receive an additional support of 2,000 worth of ALDI gift cards. In Limerick, Milford Care Centre has been chosen to receive this. READ MORE: Green Limerick: Nominations now open for National Heritage Week Awards! Rachel Nugent, national sustainability manager at ALDI Ireland, said: We are delighted to continue to support local charities and community groups across the country through the ALDI Community Grants programme and to see the impact of our donation in the local communities of Limerick. The Community Grants programme is one example of how ALDI is committed to investing and partnering with local communities and charities across Ireland and we look forward to continuing this engagement for years to come. Operating three stores in Limerick, ALDI is deeply involved in the local community. To date, the stores have donated over 63,000 meals to local charities through ALDIs partnership with FoodCloud. ALDI partners with six innovative Limerick food and drink producers, spending 7 million with them in 2023. ALDIs Community Grants programme helps fund local charities and community organisations that contribute vital work and services in their local communities. Each local organisation supported is chosen by ALDI employees, enabling them to help the local good causes they are passionate about. AN INCIDENT which saw Irish Cement dust in Limerick go beyond the boundary of the licensed site has been confirmed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Irish Cement notified the EPA at 2pm on Wednesday, September 4, of an incident at their facility in Mungret, which is reported to have led to a release of cement dust beyond the boundary of the licensed site. The incident allegedly involved the loss of final cement product, which occurred at 4:30am, during the loading of a road tanker at one of the sites final product dispatch silos. It was reported that a quantity of product did not go into the tanker as normal and instead deposited on the ground below the tanker, as confirmed by the EPA. READ MORE: Limerick ALDI stores donate gift cards worth 2k to local charity The licensee reported that one of the facilitys onsite Ambient Particulate Monitors, located to the southeast of the production area, registered elevated particulate levels in air at around the time of the incident, the EPA statement reads. Both Irish Cement and the EPA received a number of complaints in relation to dust on cars and property from local residents in the Sli na Manach and Ard Thomain areas, further to the southeast of the facility. EPA inspectors have since visited the site in Mungret and have confirmed the immediate corrective actions taken and are tracking the implementation of longer-term preventative actions. A report of the EPA Site Visit and other documents in relation to the incident will be made available on the EPAs LEAP Online portal in due course. The EPA have said that their priority is to ensure that the necessary management practices are in place to eliminate the causes of this type of incident and to protect the environment. THE Social Democrats have selected sitting councillor Elisa O'Donovan as their general election candidate for Limerick City. It comes with Limerick and the rest of the country set to go to the polls to elect a new Dail by March next year. "I am so excited to be the partys candidate in Limerick City and cannot wait to launch my general election campaign. I am hugely ambitious for Limerick and its future. I firmly believe that with the right leadership, Limerick will thrive and become one of the best places to live in Ireland," said Cllr O'Donovan. She added: "Under this Government, the city has struggled to reach its full potential and has been badly impacted by ongoing underinvestment in healthcare, disability services and housing." READ MORE: Family of late Aoife Johnston 'profoundly disappointed' with report into her death First elected in 2019, Cllr O'Donovan was re-elected in 2024 with an increased vote share. She also ran to become the first directly elected mayor of Limerick. If elected, she said she will focus on health and wellbeing at every stage of life and ensuring nobody faces challenges alone. "As a frontline healthcare worker, I believe I can offer a unique perspective on what needs to be done to fix our health service, from the emergency department crisis in Limerick to the shortage of GPs throughout the city and county," she said. My vision for Limerick is clear I want to build a city that is fair, creative, prosperous and healthy. Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns added: "Limerick is a fantastic place with so much potential, but it requires public representatives with the right vision, skillset and work ethic to drive the city forward. Elisa has all of those attributes, as well as a genuine love of Limerick and a desire to improve life there for everyone. As a frontline health worker and councillor, she has demonstrated that she is fully committed to public service. I know that Elisa would make an exceptional TD and be an important new voice in national politics for the people of Limerick City." YESTERDAY (Sunday) as part of an intelligence-led operation, Gardai in Limerick arrested two people, and seized 84,560 of suspected illegal drugs, and in excess of 18,770 in cash, during the course of searches at a number of locations in Limerick City. Gardai stopped and searched a vehicle, during the course of which, 35,000 of suspected cocaine was seized. During a follow-up search of a residence, suspected Diamorphine with an approximate value of 37,100, cocaine worth 11,200, cannabis worth 1,260, along with 18,770 cash were seized. A quantity of coins believed to be worth 5,000 were also seized. READ MORE: Limerick ALDI stores donate gift cards worth 2k to local charity The drugs seized will now undergo further analysis with Forensic Science Ireland. Two people (a male, aged in his 20s and female, 30s) were arrested in connection with the investigation. They were detained pursuant to Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996, at Garda stations in the Limerick area. The female (30s) has since been charged, and is expected to appear before Limerick District Court this morning, Monday, September 16, at approximately 10.30am. Tanaiste Micheal Martin has warned against half baked proposals on childcare and said that the focus should be on the development of the child. Mr Martin was asked about what the partys vision for reforming the childcare and early education after the Fine Gael, Sinn Fein and the Green Party set out their stalls. Many parents have raised issues with accessing childcare places while providers say costs are rising and retaining staff is a challenge. Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris has said that the early years sector should be part of the education system, while Sinn Fein has pledged that if they get into government, from September parents will pay no more than 10 euro a day per child for childcare. Green Party leader Roderic OGorman has said that he believes the State should play a greater role in childcare. Asked about what his partys proposal is, Mr Martin said that different parties have been claiming we own childcare. Every party in Dail Eireann wants to advance childcare in this country, including Fianna Fail and in fact, I was first, I think, to host, 20 odd years ago, a national forum on early education, he said. Mr Martin said that there had merely been suggestions proposed instead of substantive policy documents. What has happened over time is we have evolved the childcare sector through ECCE and various schemes, and the state has got more involved in terms of subvention. I favour greater state invention in terms of early education and in terms of childcare. I think the focus should always be on the development of child. That has to be centre stage in terms of early education and childcare. But in addition to that, there are areas where we are not as strong as we should be, and in particular in the area of special education in the early years. Mr Martin said that the government had invested greatly into making childcare affordable and increasing access. So whatever proposals emerge have to take on board all of the providers who are currently in there. I mean, if we just throw out ideas without any substance behind them, a lot of those providers could take flight, could be extremely concerned. They have invested now in the governments plans. Theyve invested in their facilities. A lot of community play groups have, and they wont want to be told Actually theres no more role for you anymore, because theres a half-baked idea about something in schools. He added: Im just hearing things, but Im not hearing how you do them. JSW MG Motor India, a joint venture between India's JSW Group and Chinas SAIC Motor, announced plans on Monday to launch a high-end automobile brand named MG Select. The brand is expected to roll out its first luxury vehicles in the first quarter of 2025, with four models slated for release over the next two years. In a company statement, JSW MG Motor India highlighted that this initiative is part of its strategic efforts to tap into the expanding premium car segment in the Indian market. The joint venture, initially formed in December last year, sees JSW Group holding a 35 per cent stake in the company, while SAIC Motor, which owns the British brand MG Motor, holds the remaining share. MG Motor currently manufactures popular SUVs like the Hector and Gloster, along with electric models such as the compact Comet EV and the mid-sized ZS EV. Despite a market share of just one per cent in the Indian passenger vehicle segment, where it competes with brands like Tata Motors, Kia, and Volkswagen, MG Motor is looking to strengthen its presence in the premium car space. SAIC Motor has previously faced challenges expanding in India due to governmental restrictions on Chinese investments. While the company did not reveal the pricing strategy for its upcoming luxury vehicles, it confirmed that MG Select would focus on electric, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid models. The brand also plans to establish a network of showrooms across India to cater to its premium clientele. Earlier this year, JSW Group, in partnership with MG Motor India, took a major step in advancing India's electric vehicle market by launching the sleek MG Cyberster, an all-electric convertible roadster. This debut represented a key milestone in the nation's automotive development, with the Cyberster offering thrilling performance and state-of-the-art technology. (With inputs from Reuters) Also Read | Ford in talks with JSW for India re-entry Teslas expansion of its Supercharger network has slowed in recent months, after widespread layoffs in April gutted the team responsible for installing new electric-car chargers and stations. While Tesla has been trying to rebuild the group, including rehiring some employees previously let go, the number of new Supercharger ports opened in May through August fell 28% over the same period a year earlier, according to EV analytics firm EVAdoption. For the first eight months of this year, that number was down 11% over 2023, the firms data show. The decline comes as the electric-car maker has received millions of dollars in government funding this summer to install new chargers in states, including Maryland and Arizona. Tesla is under pressure to expand its network of fast chargers and open it to a wider array of drivers, including those with non-Tesla vehicles. Ford Motor and Rivian Automotive already have access to Teslas plug-in technology and several other car companies have forged agreements to use the chargers for their own customers, a shift that could help broaden the once-exclusive service. The rollout to other automakers has hit some obstacles this year, owing in part to software challenges and holdups distributing the plug-in adapters needed by non-Tesla customers. Tesla actually has one of its biggest challenges in front of it since the Supercharger was first released," said Nick Nigro, founder of the research and consulting group Atlas Public Policy. Whats important for them, in planning around where to allocate resources, is whats coming in the next 12 to 24 monthsthat is millions of drivers," Nigro said. Tesla didnt return requests for comment. Last week, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk posted on X that Tesla is opening a lot more Superchargers." Getting back on track With 6,500 charging locations globally, Teslas Supercharger network is widely regarded as one of the industrys most robust and reliable services, and it has become a major selling point for buyers considering the electric-car brand. The services growth was disrupted this spring when Tesla abruptly let go of the entire Supercharger team and its head, Rebecca Tinucci, amid companywide layoffs, according to people familiar with the events. The move threw the industry into chaos, pausing construction on some Supercharger sites that were under development and causing confusion among property owners who were in the middle of negotiations at the time of the job cuts. Months later, Tesla is trying to get back on track with a smaller team and new leadership of the group. Their task is the same as beforeto expand Teslas network. Only now, they need to do it with fewer employees, the people said. Musk has tried to reassure customers that Tesla would continue to build out the service, just at a slower pace for new locations. In May, he said the company plans to spend well over $500 million to improve the network with thousands of new chargers this year. Thats just on new sites and expansions, not counting operations costs, which are much higher," Musk said. The reality has been more complicated. For the first few weeks after the layoffs, Teslas partners and contractors struggled to reach their contacts at Tesla, most of whom no longer worked at the company or had access to email. By the end of May, Tesla brought back several senior members of the Supercharger team, including Max de Zegher, who leads the program, and a handful of managers who run it in North America. Mike Snyder, a longtime executive at Tesla who had previously run its industrial-battery program, has since assumed oversight of the charging group, according to an organizational chart viewed by The Wall Street Journal. He now oversees several programs once under Drew Baglino, Teslas former senior vice president of energy, who left in April. Construction on Supercharger stations remains active across the country, and in recent weeks, the team has continued rehiring some former workers, people involved in those conversations say. Network build-out A continued slowdown could have an impact on the charging experience for electric-vehicle customers across the industry. Tesla, in late 2023, agreed to make its charging service available to other automakers for the first time. The move also allowed Tesla to qualify for a share of the billions in federal dollars available for enlarging the countrys EV charging infrastructure. So far, the company has secured about $37 million in public funding to build 88 Supercharger stations in the U.S., making it one of the top recipients in a federal program to expand EV charging access, according to EVAdoption, which tracks the awards. Some of that money was doled out via state programs after the layoffs. In August, Tesla received $2.9 million to install six charging sites in Arizona. A month earlier, it got $1.8 million from Maryland to install its fast chargers, which can allow EVs to repower in about 30 minutes. Teslas need for expansion is coming into sharper focus with more automakers poised to join the network. Already, Tesla drivers are worried about congestion at existing stations and the potential for longer wait times. Earlier this year, the company opened its charger network to Ford and Rivian drivers. It also had plans to expand access to General Motors, Volvo Cars and Polestar by the spring of 2024, but its website now says those additions are coming soon. That was one downside that came as a result of opening up that network to the non-Tesla owners," said Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice at J.D. Power, which studies charging satisfaction. They no longer had access to that exclusive club. Now theyre sharing it with other owners." Write to Becky Peterson at becky.peterson@wsj.com A month after Ola Electric was listed in the public market, its older but smaller rival Ather Energies also filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) for an initial public offering (IPO). Founded in 2013, Ather Energies has seen Ola Electric, four years its junior, overtake it in sales in the past few years. Before its IPO, Ola Electric had raised $1 billion in 14 rounds, whereas Ather raised $502 million from 19 rounds, according to Tracxn. This reflects their contrasting paths. But Ather's decision to go for an IPO and its run-up are strong indicators that it's shifting gears. Ola Electric's aggressive pursuit of scale is reflected in the two companies incomes. While Ather was ahead in income from operations in 2021-22, Olas revenue swelled to three times Athers in 2023-24, according to numbers in the DRHP. While Ather's revenue shrank, Ola Electric's jumped by over 90%. The latest vehicle registrations data from the Centres Vahan database also reflects this gap. While Ola sold 297,789 vehicles from April to August, Ather sold 73,497. Between Ola and Ather, there are TVS Motor and Bajaj, two traditional players betting on electric vehicles, in an increasingly competitive market. Ather's relationship with traditional players is more complicated, thanks to investments by two-wheeler major Hero MotoCorp. With 30%, Hero MotoCorp is the largest shareholder in the company. Even operationally, the two companies entered into a partnership last year to share an inter-operable fast-charging network across the country. Also read: Why the Chinese EV sector is not a footnote Scale vs engineering The gap between Ola Electric and Ather Energies is in part due to the strategic direction the two rivals took. Ola positioned itself as a scale player, using its acquisition of Amsterdam-based Etergo BV as a springboard to launch its first product. The scale and speed had negative consequences, as customers complained about faulty products and inadequate service. An incident just last week in Karnataka involved a disgruntled customer setting fire to an Ola showroom (he was arrested). Ather's slower pace of growth helped it establish a better reputation for quality. Its products were built in-house. It has been consistently increasing its research and development expenditure, while Ola's dropped by 24% in 2023-24 compared to a year earlier. Even so, Ola has a bigger research and development (R&D) budget and has not shied away from paying top dollar to attract talent. Ather plans to use part of the IPO funds on R&D. Distribution model The common perception is that Ola Electric is stronger in marketing, reinforced by its dominant position in the market. However, in each of the past three fiscal years, Ather has been outspending Ola Electric on this front by a large margin as it tried to win market share. Ola's higher market share comes predominantly from its manufacturing capacity and distribution model. It launched its products across the country through an online-only, direct-to-home delivery model. Also read: Are the growth wheels coming off in the cars segment? Ather adopted a traditional showroom-based model, resulting in a relatively slower pace of growth and a concentration in South India. In 2023-24, the south accounted for 68% of all its sales, followed by the west with 16%. North, east and central India accounted for 9%, 5% and 2%, respectively. State-level regulations could impact the business either way. Karnataka has its own electric bike taxi policy. Delhi has vowed to move ride-hailing and delivery firms to electric bikes by 2030. Inevitable growth Regulations will continue to play an important role in electric vehicle (EV) adoption. When the government withdrew FAME-II subsidies, it impacted sales of all players. In China, EV adoption expanded even after the government withdrew subsidies, thanks to other factors like total cost of ownership of EVs compared to vehicles running on traditional fuels, better performance, and easier access to battery-charging points. These factors are also expected to drive EV penetration in India, which has increased from 1.8% of new two-wheelers sold in 2021-22 to 5.1% in 2023-24. McKinsey expects this to reach 60-70% by 2030. Companies investing in capacities now have a better chance of capturing that market. That has been Ola's bet. Ather's existing facility at Hosur is running at only 30%. Yet, it plans to build another one in Maharashtra with IPO funds. It's a signal that Ather, too, is betting on scale. www.howindialives.com is a database and search engine for public data. A tough job just got much tougher for Boeings new CEO. When the jet makers largest union went on strike Friday, the walkout compounded the list of problems facing Kelly Ortberg, who took Boeings top job five weeks ago. Among them: rapid cash burn, a struggling supply base and a manufacturing quality crisis. Hours after the walkout, debt-ratings firms warned that a prolonged work stoppage would prompt them to downgrade Boeing debt into junk status. With more than $45 billion in net debt, a ratings hit would drive up borrowing costs and hamper fundraising efforts. Boeing shares on Friday fell nearly 4%, nearing a two-year low. The jet maker burned through more than $1 billion a month in the years first half and warned in July that the company would burn between $5 billion and $10 billion in cash this year. Largely to blame is Boeings slowed production of the 737 as the company works to address quality issues after a door plug blew off in midair on an Alaska Air flight in January. The company is struggling with production slowdowns on other models, too, because of supplier shortages and other issues. Its defense business, which makes F-15 jet fighters and Chinook helicopters for the Pentagon, is also unprofitable. Boeings Starliner spacecraft faces an uncertain future after technical issues left two astronauts stuck on the International Space Station. Thousands of machinists walked off the job shortly after midnight Pacific time Friday, rejecting a labor deal struck between the unions leaders and Boeing executives. The tentative contract had offered a 25% wage increase over four years. On Friday, Boeing finance chief Brian West said the strikeoverwhelmingly approved by the 33,0000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union chaptertook the company by surprise given that union leaders had unanimously signed off on the deal. He said Ortberg spent last week visiting factories and is focused on coming up with a new deal workers would approve. The parties are scheduled to resume discussions on Tuesdaythis time with a federal mediator. His priorities are to reset, re-engage and rebuild," West said Friday at an investor conference. A looming credit-rating cut Ortberg is short on time. Ratings firm Fitch said a one- or two-week strike likely wouldnt affect Boeings rating, but anything longer could. Moodys cited cash-flow concerns in placing all of Boeings credit ratings on review for possible downgrades. Both firms currently rate Boeing one notch above junk status. Each bond-ratings drop would cost Boeing an extra $100 million in annual interest payments, Jefferies analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu estimated. The company has paid more than $2 billion in interest in the past year. West, speaking Friday, said the company was giving priority to its investment-grade rating. Ortberg last week took to Boeings factory floors, speaking and listening to workers there in hopes of avoiding a strike. He acknowledged in a letter to union members that Boeings mistakes contributed to its current situation. Jon Holden, the union chapters president, said Ortberg was in a tough position as a newcomer trying to mitigate years of animosity between the union and Boeing leadership. Longtime machinists are angry about union concessions over the past 16 years that have eroded retirement and health benefits. Recent hires, meanwhile, point to the ever-increasing cost of living and the companys stagnant starting wages. Its hard to make up for 16 years," Holden said. And I think thats the position he was in." Risks for suppliers A prolonged stoppage would hit suppliers, who had just begun to recover from shutdowns caused by the pandemic and the 20-month grounding of Boeings 737 MAX after fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. Shutdowns have lingering effects, particularly on smaller parts makers that are forced to cut jobs when orders dry up and then must rehire and retrain workers. To avoid that dynamic, Boeing largely refrained from cutting parts orders despite its own production slowdown. That means the company is holding billions of dollars in inventory of unused parts. West, the finance chief, said that as soon as the strike started, Boeing told suppliers to stop sending parts if the company had sufficient inventory. If youre not behind, we have safety stock. Dont deliver anymore," he said. Ortberg, an aerospace veteran who ran one of Boeings big suppliers, Rockwell Collins, succeeded former Chief Executive Dave Calhoun, who said in March that he would step down. During the monthslong search, several high-profile candidates turned down the chance to run the company. GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp, widely considered a natural for the job, declined Boeings request to consider taking over. David Gitlin, the current chief executive of manufacturer Carrier Global, also removed himself from the list of potential contenders. RBC analyst Ken Herbert said Ortberg must resolve the strike in a week to avoid tarnishing his reputation. The strike pressures Boeing leaders, he said, but shouldnt derail Ortbergs long-term efforts to make changes at the company. Not the start expected for new CEO Ortberg," he said in a research note. Write to Sharon Terlep at sharon.terlep@wsj.com EIH Ltd, the company behind the Oberoi and Trident hotel brands, has announced two significant new developments in Pune and London. However, amid these expansions, the company is also grappling with a legal challenge from Anastasia Oberoi, daughter of the late P.R.S. Oberoi, who is disputing her exclusion from the family inheritance and seeking a larger share of the Oberoi estate. In Pune, the company said in a filing on late Monday night that it had acquired a majority stake in real estate company Muttha group's Muttha Towers II Private Ltd which has assets worth 175 crore. EIH will deploy 254 crore into the Muttha business which was launched in 2019 and has a land parcel of 1.7 acres in the city. On this property, the company will build a Trident Hotel with approximately 175 keys across about 181,000 sq.ft. It will also make a commercial development with an office space and a food and beverage area which will support retail outlets, across 408,000 sq.ft. The entire project will cost 972 crore, EIH said in its BSE filings. The hotel and other businesses surrounding it will open in five years, by the first quarter of FY30. The company has 12 hotels in India at present and another nine hotels in other parts of the world. The company primarily owns and manages its hotels but also takes other hotels on management contracts for a fee. EIH, in a separate announcement also said that it has now created a new entity in the UK, EIH London Investments Ltd to develop an Oberoi hotel there. The parent company in India, EIH will hold a 51% equity stake of the same. It will build a hotel under The Oberoi brand in London. It is expected to open by FY28. The Oberoi Group parent reported a 9% year-on-year decline in profit during the first quarter of FY25 and a 5% dip in revenue from operations from the quarter gone by. "Their growth plans have accelerated with the recent announcements of projects not only in India but internationally as well. The financials reported for FY24 have been stellar. Quality hasn't suffered and the focus on service quality is unabated. Arjun (Oberoi) has led development for many years now, some examples being Sukhvilas, their hotels in UAE and Morocco to name a few," said Rattan Keswani, a veteran in the hospitality industry with leadership experience at Lemon Tree Hotels and The Oberoi Group. "The focus on aesthetics and unique design is their inheritance, but you see some unique embellishments in the new developments and recent refurbishment of the existing hotels and contemporary F&B concepts e.g. Bay Club and Dhilli, etc. I, therefore, do not see any compromise." They are now looking for opportunities across both domestic and international markets. "Investors not only reward financial strength but growth as well. I believe they are on the right track," said Keswani. Earlier this year, EIH had also announced plans to expand into tier three locations, managing director and chief executive Vikramjit Singh Oberoi had said. Its future projects include a mix of owned and managed properties, such as a palace near Khajuraho, the Rajgir Palace in Madhya Pradesh, and a jungle resort in the same state. In August last year, Reliance Industries also signed an agreement with The Oberoi Hotels and Resorts through its Reliance Strategic Business Ventures Ltd which owns nearly 19% of Oberoi's EIH to jointly manage two properties here and one in the United Kingdom. Elsewhere in court Anastasia Oberoi, daughter of the late PRS Oberoi, who passed away in November 2023, is currently locked in a legal confrontation with EIH. The dispute revolves around her claim to a rightful share of the family inheritance and her stakes in the business. She has reportedly contested her exclusion from a portion of the familys wealth, particularly shares in EIH. Her legal challenge, aimed at securing a larger part of the Oberoi inheritance, has raised concerns about how the estate was divided following Oberois death last year. The Delhi High Court has granted interim relief to Anastasia, daughter of the late hotelier Prithvi Raj Singh Oberoi, by restraining EIH and its holding companiesOberoi Hotels Private Ltd (OHPL) and Oberoi Properties Private Ltd (OPPL)from transferring their shares. This order came in response to a lawsuit filed by Anastasia to enforce her fathers will, alleging that her brother Vikramjit Singh Oberoi and her cousin Arjun Oberoi were obstructing its execution. In a 19-page order, Justice Navin Chawla noted that Anastasia had established a prima facie reliability of the will and made a "good prima facie case" in her favour. The court found it necessary to restrain the parties from transferring or transmitting any shares in the holding companies to protect the interests of justice. Additionally, the court has safeguarded Anastasias possession of the family property, Villa Ashiana, located in Kapashera, Delhi, by preventing cousins Vikramjit (PRS Oberoi's son) and Arjun (his nephew) from interfering with her and her mothers possession of the property. The dispute centres around PRS Oberoi's will dated 25 October 2021, which has been contested by family members, including Vikramjit and Arjun, who argue it does not reflect the wishes of PRS Oberoi's father, M.S. Oberoi. They are relying on an earlier will dated 20 March 1992, to claim a stake in the shares of the holding companies. Also Read: Scent of growth for Indian hotels as the good times checks in In her plea, Anastasia contends that Vikramjit and Arjun are planning to sell the shares, which would undermine her rights. She claims that instead of transferring the shares held by PRS Oberoi in OHPL and OPPL as per his will, the executors are considering selling them to Vikramjit and Arjun at a price determined by them. Anastasia argues this would violate her rights and those of the two trusts, where she is the sole benefactor named as the ultimate beneficiary in the will. Cousins Vikramjit and Arjun counter that the shares can only be transferred to a blood relative, not to a trust, as per PRS Oberois will. They also support the 20 March 1992 will and an oral family agreement, which they claim entitles them to the shares. They argue that the proper procedure would be to seek probate for the will and that Oberoi needed to offer them the opportunity to buy the shares before transferring them. Despite their arguments, the court found the October 2021 will to be reliable and determined that probate is not required at this stage. Speaking off the record, a lawyer representing Anastasia told Mint, "For now, we are satisfied with the interim order as it reflects what we were seeking from the court. We will observe whether Vikramjit and Arjun file an appeal and challenge this order in a higher bench. Additionally, we have yet to see or receive a copy of the 1992 will they are relying on, as it has not been submitted to the court to date." "I don't believe it will impact the brand but if the court decides in her favour, then the conflict becomes very big, similar to what's happening in the Kalyani family story. Anastasia may not necessarily be interested in entering the organisation but it would probably be looking for a buyout of her stake," said one person who had indirect knowledge of the matter. Diagnostics chain Neuberg Diagnostics is in talks with a consortium of investors, including funds managed by 360One and foreign investor M&G Investments, to raise up to $100 million, Moneycontrol reported on Monday, citing people in the know. The news portal reported earlier that the company had appointed investment bank o3 Capital to help Neuberg raise funds from private investors. The company will use the proceeds raised from this funding round prior to its initial public offering (IPO) to reinforce its merger and acquisition (M&A) bid as it eyes to become one of the largest diagnostic chains in India before hitting Dalal Street next year, as per the report. The company is backed by promoter GSK Velu, who was an investor in Metropolis Healthcare, a diagnostics chain. GSK Velu reportedly sold his 36.5 per cent stake in Metropolis Healthcare to private investor Carlyle in 2015. The promoter also has a stake in Trivitron Healthcare and is an investor in the Tamil Nadu-focused hospital chain Kauvery Hospital. A fund managed by 360One invested nearly $70 million in Kauvery Hospital in March 2023. In June 2024, Murugappa Groups TI Clean Mobility, the three-wheeler EV maker, announced that it would raise 310 crore from M&G Investments, the report stated. In 2023, M&G also announced that it will invest $75 million in Vivriti India Retail Asset Fund, which aims to expand and improve access to finance for underserved small and medium enterprises (SMEs) segment, and millions of low-income households across India, with a focus on women-owned SMEs, according to the report. Neuberg is one of India's major diagnostic service providers, with a presence not just in India but also in the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, and the United States, as per the report. The chain is equipped to perform 5,000 varieties of pathological investigations and provide multiple health checkups ranging between 1,000 and 8,500. The group reportedly performs more than 20 million tests every year at 33 labs in India and abroad. The company's is in the run-up for its planned IPO. Last year, it merged Neuberg Supratech Reference Laboratory, Ahmedabad, and Neuberg Anand Reference Laboratory, Bengaluru, with the parent company to streamline operations, according to the report. The company also formed a 50:50 joint venture (JV) with Pulse Diagnostics, a Kolkata-based diagnostic chain to expand its footprint in East India. Deals in Diagnostics: Major M&A deals in the diagnostics space include Dr Lal PathLabs acquiring Suburban Diagnostics in 2021, an all-cash deal for the enterprise value of 925 crore. (Bloomberg) -- Activist investor Cevian Capital AB Rexel SAs largest shareholder supported the French electrical equipment suppliers decision to rebuff an unsolicited takeover attempt from billionaire Brad Jacobs QXO Inc., saying the bid undervalued the company. Rexel on Sunday said its board rejected QXOs non-binding bid of 28 to 28.40 per share on the grounds that it significantly undervalues the company. Cevian Managing Partner Christer Gardell said Monday that Rexel has a strong outlook for further value creation, backed by trends such as electrification, energy efficiency, reshoring and automation as well as consolidation opportunities. We support the decision of the Rexel board to reject QXOs proposal, Gardell said in a written statement to Bloomberg News, adding that QXOs indicative bid fails to reflect the value of Rexel. Rexel distributes electrical products and other equipment across industries ranging from utilities to builders and automobiles. Its shares were up 9.1% to 25.05 at the close Monday in Paris, valuing the firm at 7.6 billion ($8.4 billion). Cevian first invested in the company in 2016 and now owns a 23% stake, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Marcus Alexanderson, a partner at Cevian, sits on Rexels board. QXO, founded by serial company-builder Brad Jacobs, aims to become a leader in building products distribution through acquiring and rolling up existing players in the industry. Jacobs followed a similar playbook to build companies including United Rentals Inc. and XPO Inc. Shares of QXO dropped as much as 9.5% on Monday in their biggest intraday decline in almost seven weeks. The company has a market value of about $5.5 billion. Some analysts said Rexel management was right to reject what they see a lowball bid. Rexel is worth more as the company has changed and is well-positioned to capture energy-transition trends, according to CIC Market Solutions analyst Eric Lemarie. We see significant runway for growth at Rexel, both organically and through M&A, especially in the US, and we think that Rexel is well positioned to capitalize on this growth, Citigroup Inc. analyst Martin Wilkie wrote in a note to clients. QXOs bid gives the company an enterprise value of about 9.2 times its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, while a valuation at more than 10 times could be justified, he said. Cevian manages a portfolio of ownership positions in 10 to 15 publicly-listed European companies at a time, according to its website. Its usually the largest or the second largest owner of its portfolio companies and often remains invested for more than five years. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com Elon Musk's security team, known as Voyager, has 20 security personnel who follow him everywhere, even to the bathroom. According to a report by the New York Times Tesla boss does not move around without his bodyguards. However, Jack Dorsey, the former Twitter CEO and Musks predecessor, often travelled without bodyguards in San Francisco. In January 2016, the total cost of Musk's security was more than $163,000, which has increased substantially over the years. The report cited the Tesla filing saying that the company paid $2.4 million in 2023 and another $500,000 through February 2024 for Musks security. During Teslas annual shareholder meeting in June, Musk spoke about the threats against him. He claimed that two homicidal maniacs had threatened to kill him. The report said that Elon Musk had bought a house secretly in 2022 after his previous address became public. In the same year, Musk bought Twitter, later renamed X. In December 2022, he tried to suspend the X account of a university student who tracked his private jet and more than 24 other accounts. He stated that these were basically assassination coordinates, the report said. Also Read | Elon Musks quest to make men great again Apart from Musk, security has also tightened for Teslas former chief financial officer, Zachary Kirkhorn, who had received a death threat demanding $300,000 via email as bitcoin, according to reports. Such instances were reportedly made between 2022 and 2023 from Tesla's HQ. The law enforcement agencies categorised these as terroristic threats. Also Read | Elon Musks new hire has an impossible job When the late George Fernandes, the industries minister in the short-lived Janata Party government of 1977, issued a diktat to multinational corporations Coca-Cola, IBM and AstraZeneca to dilute their stake in their wholly owned subsidiaries to 40% in favour of Indian shareholders, Coca-Cola and IBM chose to exit India. Later, during P V Narasimha Rao's pro-liberalisation government in 1993, Coca-Cola returned. It bought out Ramesh Chauhan's Delhi Bottling Company and Coolaid, the bottling companies of five carbonated drinks, in 1998. With Coca-Cola India now said to be evaluating options to list its wholly owned bottling subsidiary - Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB), Mint explains the rationale behind companies considering such moves. What caused the change in strategy? Experts said there is a trend of consumer giants spinning off their units to optimise their balance sheets, go asset-light and focus on their core brands and business models. Coca-Cola Indias ambitions to list HCCB come almost a decade after rival PepsiCo's bottler, Varun Beverages, listed on the local stock exchanges, yielding significant value for the Jaipuria family. Unlike PepsiCo, Coca-Cola owns its bottling franchise, just as other MNCs including consumer goods major Whirlpool, ball-bearing specialist Timken, and tobacco giant BAT, who are keen to take advantage of the valuations that Indian investors give to well-run MNCs. Varun Beverages commands a market valuation of 2.09 trillion. Hindustan Unilever and Colgate-Palmolive (India) are examples of multinational companies that have listed in India. Coca-Cola's move is seen as a strategic attempt to yield significant benefits, including financial gains, risk mitigation and other exit opportunities. The Economic Times was the first to report on HCCB's listing plans in May. How does the parent company benefit? Through such moves, the parent company can reduce exposure to risks associated with bottling companies, which include fluctuations pertaining to raw material, regulatory changes and local market conditions, said Alpana Srivastava, a partner at Desai & Diwanji. While spinning off bottling subsidiaries is more prevalent in the beverage industry, she said other fast-moving consumer goods and retail companies may explore similar strategies to optimise their balance sheets in the current environment. Earlier this year, HCCB announced the transfer of its bottling operations in three territories in north India to streamline supply chains in the region. However, the bottler declined to comment on its IPO plans. As part of the transition, the Rajasthan market will be owned and operated by Kandhari Global Beverages, which operates in parts of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh. The Bihar market will be owned and operated by SLMG Beverages Pvt Ltd, which runs bottling operations in Uttarakhand, parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar. The Northeast market and select areas of West Bengal will be owned and operated by Moon Beverages Pvt Ltd, which operates in parts of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. What other factors motivate such spin-offs? Besides providing liquidity for the bottler, listing may offer tax benefits such as reduced capital gains tax or more favourable transfer pricing rules and optimise the overall tax burden for both the parent company and the subsidiary, Srivastava explained. It may allow both entities to be valued more accurately based on their individual capacities in growth, risk profiles and capital intensity. This comes in the backdrop of companies looking to make the most of a bullish stock market to unlock more value for shareholders by listing their manufacturing subsidiaries. It enables the companies to raise more capital, which can be used to strengthen their market presence and reduce debt, said Devangshu Dutta, founder of Third Eyesight, a management consulting firm. He said the core value generator for companies such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi are brands and marketing rather than manufacturing. In April, private equity firm Lighthouse Funds invested 700 crore in Parsons Nutritionals, a contract manufacturer specialising in packaged foods, beverages, and personal care products, underlining investor appetite in this sector. Other co-investors include the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, Evolvence India, HDFC AMC's Fund of Funds, and various family offices. However, there may be legal considerations, too. While exclusive contracts exist, the bottler may have partnerships with other companies in its distribution portfolio, which may have to be reviewed and renegotiated. There may be regulatory compliance and other anti-competitive considerations when it involves such big entities. Other instances of such moves While there are fewer examples of bottling companies listed in India, this practice is more common globally. Coca-Cola has listed most of its bottling subsidiaries in other global markets such as North America and Europe. While there is no shareholding between PepsiCo and Varun Beverages, there is an exclusive arrangement for Varun Beverages to bottle, use trademarks, distribute, market, and sell PepsiCo products across India. The beverage giant benefits from royalty and licence fees. Over the past year, Varun Beverages revenue rose 22% to 16,400 crore while its profit increased to 2,056 crore from 1,497 crore in FY22. As of Fridays close, the bottlers shares had gained almost 30% to 645.20 since the beginning of this year. Any potential listing opportunity for HCCB may allow a staggered exit for Coca-Cola India from managing local operations, monetising its stake and participating in future licence fees and/or royalty arrangements, said Dhruv Chatterjee, a partner at Saraf and Partners. He added that there are indications in the retail and fast-moving consumer goods category of similar divestments. Coca-Cola India did not respond to Mints request for comment. Ravikumar Distilleries is an example of a listed manufacturing company that has tie-ups with liquor companies Radico Khaitan, Shashi Distilleries and John Distilleries, in addition to manufacturing and marketing its own liquor products. Bengal Beverages is an unlisted bottler that manufactures and distributes non-alcoholic beverage brands under licence from Coca-Cola across categories such as sparkling soft drinks, juice and water. What kind of contracts exist between the bottler and the parent company? Many bottling plants are usually set up by companies as a joint venture with a local partner. The bottler procures the concentrate from the companies. About 14-15% of the concentrate cost goes to the bottler, which translates into revenue for the brand, according to a person familiar with such discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity. The company spends a part of this revenue on marketing activities that target mass audiences through television, radio and newspapers. Depending on the terms of the contract, the bottler may be expected to spend a portion of its revenue on marketing through outdoor settings such as billboards, flyers, social media and events. The arrangement between a bottler and a company may be either a pure bottling arrangement (or contract manufacturing) or a bottling and distribution arrangement, where the bottler is also responsible for marketing, branding, and last-mile distribution. How has the carbonated beverage market fared? Market research provider Statista estimated that the carbonated drink market in India clocks about $2.4 billion in revenue and is expected to grow by 6.98% annually over the next four years. The volume consumed at home and other outdoor locations is likely about 4.2 billion litres this year. In 2022, Parle Agros brand Appy Fizz and Coca Cola dominated with a 31% market share each, followed by Fanta, Pepsi, 7UP and Sprite, among others. Other brands such as Reliance-backed Campa Cola are expected to challenge the dominance of these companies. Before Reliance acquired Campa for 22 crore in 2022, the soft drink had been launched by Pure Drinks Group in the 1970s. The group was behind the launch and distribution of Coca-Cola in 1949, before the US company was shunted out of the country in 1977. Pure Drinks and Campa Beverages subsequently launched Campa Cola to fill the gap left by foreign soft drink companies in the country. However, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo re-entered the Indian market in the 1990s, throttling local competition. New Delhi: At 8 am on 7 September, a large, 2,600-sq.ft coffee shop quietly opened its doors in Delhis affluent Punjabi Bagh West. At first glance, it seemed like just another cafe in a neighbourhood dotted with them. This one, however, marked American coffee giant Starbucks latest response to its rivals, who have been on an expansion spree. With the rich aroma of freshly baked croissants and coffee beans being roasted wafting within its bright, inviting interiors, this is Starbucks first experiential store. It boasts of a unique menu that fuses locally inspired drinks, such as a Malabar Coconut Cream Latte and a Black Palm Jaggery Cinnamon Latte, with global coffee favourites. The outlet features more than a dozen coffee blends not available at Starbucks other outlets, as well as freshly prepared food, which comprises more than half of its menu. While the right side on each page of that menu will set you back by a pretty penny, underscoring Starbucks position as a premium coffee shop for the well-heeled, it may prove to be too much even for some of them. Internationally, Starbucks has seen foot traffic decline, with consumers rejecting its high-priced wares. Part of the reason customers may choose to go elsewhere is because of the plethora of affordable options, both old and new, that coffee drinkers have today. Starbucks, which has 452 stores in India, has to battle with nearly a dozen other chains, including veterans Cafe Coffee Day (448 stores) and Barista (450). In particular, the Seattle-headquartered company faces stiff competition from rapidly expanding specialty coffee chains such as Blue Tokai (130 cafes) and Third Wave (108), which sell their food and beverages at lower prices. Many well-travelled Indian consumers are now turning to these smaller, boutique cafes, where they can get quality coffee at a more affordable rate. On the horizon is Canadian chain Tim Hortons, which entered India a couple of years ago and currently has 33 stores. And Reliance Industries-backed Pret A Manger, which currently has 19 stores. Cup half full Starbucks, which entered India in 2012 through a 50-50 joint venture with the Tata Consumer Products Ltd, is still deep in the red here, and it may be a while before the company turns a profit. The companys loss widened to 82 crore in 2023-24 from 24 crore in 2022-23. Revenue from operations increased to 1,218 crore, aided by 95 new stores. The Indian subsidiary has had four CEOs in 12 years, closely mirroring a trend at its global parent, which has had four since 2017. Avani Davda was the first, in 2012, and helmed the business for four years before exiting. She was replaced by Sumi Ghosh, who came from Seattle for a three-year stint. Navin Gurnaney was then appointed CEO until Sushant Dash took over on 1 May 2021. In a Zoom call with Mint from Mumbai, Dash, dressed casually in a white t-shirt, said he would not comment on the companys financials, but asserted that he was not worried about the surge in competition. We are not trying to gain share from others but trying to create a category. There is enough headroom for everyone," he insisted, noting that the company has been expanding its footprint. While there are no reliable figures, in 2023 one research company estimated that Indias coffee market was worth 5,000 crore ($600 million). Data and business intelligence platform Statista, on the other hand, pegged the size of the specialty coffee market alone at $500 million, and projected that it would grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.04% until 2028. The reason we have doubled (our stores) in the last three years is because we believe that we now have a model and offerings that are accepted by consumers. We think we can expand profitably and can make a business that is successful. That is why were expanding at the rate at which we are," said Dash. View Full Image A file photo of Sushant Dash, CEO at Tata Starbucks. This year, Starbucks announced a 1,000-store target for India by 2028. The company is well on track to achieve that number. But the explosion in store count alone may not be enough to help the worlds largest coffee chain entrench itself firmly in a market, as it is learning to its detriment in China. Still a young market Indias cafe culture began three decades ago. Starting out with a single cafe in Bengalurus Brigade Road in 1996, Cafe Coffee Day, better known by its sobriquet, CCD, is credited with challenging Indias tea drinking culture and ushering in cafes, which appealed to younger audiences. Started by the late V.G. Siddhartha, chairman and managing director of Coffee Day Enterprises, the chain was once visible throughout India. At its peak, it had almost as many organized cafes as all of India does today. But the chains fortunes began fading in 2019, after Siddharthas death. Riddled with debt, the chain was forced to slash its store count by a third. In 2019 it had 1,752 stores. Today it operates 448 outlets across the country, just seven more than Starbucks. CCD left a vacuum in the market for other retailers to snap up. In those same years, prompted by CCDs success, several large global chains, including Costa Coffee and Gloria Jeans, entered India. View Full Image A file photo of V.G. Siddhartha, founder of Coffee Day Enterprises. (Mint) Post-covid, Indias cafe coffee market is seeing a shift. Rising disposable incomes, younger consumers, and exposure to global trends have boosted demand for coffee beyond mass-produced varieties. And a small group of consumers is flirting with other coffee chains, seeking better brews, gourmet food and more value-driven options. Though coffee consumption is well-established in southern India, today consumers nationwide are becoming more discerning, and increasingly asking for specific brews and roast profiles. A coffee roast profile indicates what kind of roasting process a coffee bean went through. Even in a market like west Delhi, consumers of coffee are familiar with home brewing," said Vibhor Mishra, coffee ambassador, APAC (Asia Pacific) and China, Tata Starbucks. International challenges Starbucks was founded in Seattle in 1971 by Gordon Bowker, Jerry Baldwin and Zev Siegl as a store selling coffee beans and equipment. They named it after Starbuck, the first mate on Captain Ahabs ship, the Pequod, in Herman Melvilles novel Moby Dick. In 1981, Howard Schultz, who worked for a Swedish kitchenware company supplying drip-coffee makers to Starbucks at the time, decided to check out the company for himself, as it was an important client. A year later, he joined Starbucks to drive its marketing efforts. But he quit in 1985, after his efforts to convince Bowker and Baldwin (Siegl had left) to move beyond beans and turn Starbucks into a nationwide cafe chain fell on deaf ears. A couple of years later, however, Bowker and Baldwin decided to sell the company. Schultz, who had found investors to back his cafe plans, quickly bought the founders out. By the end of the millennium, Starbucks had gone beyond the US and had close to 3,000 outlets in more than 10 countries. Today, that number has grown to more than 38,000 cafes, including subsidiaries, in 83 countries. While Starbucks has enjoyed explosive growth for the better part of the last three-and-a-half decades, things arent looking so good for the coffee chain globally or in its home market today. However, while it has enjoyed explosive growth for the better part of the last three-and-a-half decades, things arent looking so good for Starbucks globally or in its home market today. In the last 18 months, the chain has suffered a decline of 3% in same-store or comparable sales as opposed to 10% growth in the same period a year earlier. In the quarter ended June, the total number of transactions at North American stores open at least a year fell 6% as customers turned away from its high-priced food and beverages. The quarter saw the second straight sales decline for the company. In China, its second biggest market, where it is a premium brand, Starbucks faces bigger problems amid sluggish economic growth and fierce competition from local rivals, especially homegrown Luckin Coffee. The company has poured huge sums of money to more than double its store count in China to over 7,000, but lost almost half its market share there, according to The Financial Times, with revenue falling 11% to $738.8 million, and same-store sales plunging 14%. View Full Image A file photo of Laxman Narasimhan, former Starbucks CEO. Amid the footfall decline, sales erosion, and pressure from activist investors, Laxman Narasimhan, the companys Indian-origin CEO, was sent packing. He had been in the job less than a year. Laxman was replaced by Brian Niccol, the man credited with turning struggling American restaurant chain Chipotle around. In an open letter, Niccol said that he would focus on re-establishing Starbucks as the community coffee house", and once again make the stores inviting places to linger", alluding to the fact that much of Starbucks business in the US comes from takeaway orders. A pricing problem If consumers in the US, who have more disposable income than their counterparts in India, are turning away from Starbucks high-priced wares, how well can it perform here with its expensive food and beverages? A cappuccinoarguably the most-sold drink in most coffee chainsis far more expensive at a Starbucks than at many other chains. A small cappuccino of 237ml costs 25% more or about 290-300 at Starbucks as compared to other specialty chains. Domestic counterparts price it between 230 and 265. Blue Tokai, for instance, prices its 230ml cappuccino at 230 including tax in Delhi, while Third Wave Coffee offers its 240ml version for 245, including tax. At Pret A Manger, the pricing is similar to Starbucks with a 236ml drink working out to around 300. Others in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) game have followed a very different market strategy in India. For instance, India is among the six cheapest countries for a McDonalds Big Mac burger. In fact, the fast food chain, too, is now smelling success with coffeeit has over 400 McCafe stores built into its outlets, with coffee starting at 149. Over the last couple of years, Starbucks, too, has been bringing about changes at its stores, including introducing more beverages beyond coffee, such as milkshakes, masala teas and filter coffee, apart from a more affordable size of coffee in some stores (Picco). Jostling for space Last month, Blue Tokai raised a Series C round with participation from A91, Anicut Partners, and Verinvest, valuing the company at 1,500 crore. The company started out soon after Starbucks in 2013 as a roastery serving artisanal coffee seekers, and initially sourced beans from single estates in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, grinding and packaging them for customers. The chain opened its first cafe in 2015 and raised 500 crore so far. Cafes or coffee chains are 30% of the overall food service industry globally, but in India, its share is still in single digits. Matt Chitharanjan, co-founder and CEO of Blue Tokai, says the proliferation of home deliveries, especially post-covid, has helped consumers enjoy specialty coffees at home, too, helping boost profitability per store. In global markets coffee-on-the-go is a pretty large part of a consumers coffee repertoire; a feature thats missing in India. Prior to covid, delivery was something we didnt really pay much attention to and we were only earning single-digit revenues from deliveries. Today, that number is over 35%," he said. Manvitha Janagam, senior principal at Verlinvest, which led the $35 million investment in Blue Tokai, says Indias large market will have space for multiple coffee chains. Starbucks did lay the ground for at least out-of-home coffee consumption but it cannot solve all the use cases and differences in target groups, consumers etc. alone. It brings in a global offering and atmosphere in its outlets, but Blue Tokai predominantly focuses on locally-sourced specialty coffee with artisanal bakery products," said Janagam. People will go to Starbucks for a quick office meeting, but a lot of them would still prefer to go to Blue Tokai to meet friends or for a date. In a sector like coffee, there will be two to three players, who will emerge as winners and each will find their own niche." While Starbucks doesnt have it easy, neither do the others. Third Wave has had massive teething troubles, too. The Nikhil Kamath-backed chain shuttered many doors and fired about 120 employees last December, soon after its $35 million fundraise. The founders were not available for an interview with Mint. Still a cut above View Full Image Starbucks experiential store at Punjabi Bagh West, Delhi. Overall, the global coffee chain has 452 stores in India, ahead of Barista and Cafe Coffee Day. (Varuni Khosla/Mint) Starbucks losses could just be a short-term blip, say market observers. Even with evolving tastes, no rival has managed to beat the global chain in creating a feel-good space for socialization, personalized cups and a successful loyalty programme. Right now, Starbucks faces fierce competition from at least 10 serious coffee chains in Indianot to mention countless restaurants offering a decent cup of coffee. Yet, despite this, I see no reason why Starbucks will lose its claim to success in India," said Nitin Saluja, founder of 200-outlet tea chain Chaayos. Many customers are in the early evolutionary journey of consumption and want to be seen at a Starbucks, said Saluja, because it is synonymous with status and luxury. It gives them brag value and social value, that they have moved up in the societal value chain," he added. If it continues to appeal to the younger customer, people will continue to frequent it. Be it the US, China, Korea, or Japan, it built a loyal base in each of these countries," said Saluja. What has worked is that it has become that third place for social congregation and also a habit for many users and subsequently their next generation." CEO Dash believes the Indian market still has huge potential. The headroom in terms of growth for coffee is still very high. Even when we look at the affluent segment, the coffee penetration is 25% as compared to tea, which is 94-95%," said Dash. At an overall level, coffee penetration is lower at 14-15%. The job for us is not so much to gain share from others or convert the unorganised to organised, but to create demand," he said. Without disagreeing, Abhinav Mathur, founder of Kaapi Machines, a company that supplies coffee equipment to many large chains in India, said that Indians would follow their own path: Cafe chains will have to accept that India will not emulate the West and become a country where everyone will wake up and grab a coffee and croissant on the go. We will create our own coffee culture." New Delhi: India boasts three dynamic startup hubs in Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai, but commerce minister Piyush Goyal believes a dedicated township for startups could help replicate Silicon Valleys success. A focused township would offer startups access to resources, mentorship, and financial support while promoting innovation, collaboration and knowledge-sharing, Goyal said, launching the Bharat Startup Knowledge Access Registry (BHASKAR) under the Startup India programme. The initiative aims to be a centralized platform for stakeholders such as startups, investors, mentors, service providers, and government agencies, aligning with Indias broader goal of positioning itself as a global hub for innovation and technology. Silicon Valley in California is a global hub for technology and innovation and home to some of the worlds biggest tech companies including Apple Inc., Googles parent Alphabet Inc., and Meta Platforms Inc., which houses WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook. Also read | Startup IPOs have made a scorching comeback Its time to start thinking of creating a whole new township for entrepreneurs, startups, innovators, and people with ideas. It should resemble a society, spread over about 200 acres, to develop an ecosystem that encourages the exchange of ideas, Goyal said. Often, someone may have a great idea but no clear path or support on where to take it. This township would provide that platform, helping connect innovators with the right resources and networks to bring their ideas to life. Also read | India identifies more than 20 countries for space startup opportunities A central registry of startups The Union commerce ministry has asked officials of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to assess the need for a dedicated startup township with all stakeholders. Under the Startup India programme, the government already operates several digital platforms for Indias startup ecosystemthe Startup India Investor Connect Portal for raising capital; the National Mentorship Portal for guidance; Startup India Hub for stakeholder networking; and Startup India Showcase, which highlights top-performing startups selected through various government programmes. Also, the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme helps startups with developing proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, and market entry. BHASKAR will be a digital central registry of stakeholders, involving nearly 1.5 lakh (150,000) startups, with facilities for searchability, interaction, and knowledge sharing, said Sanjiv, joint secretary, DPIIT. The platform will focus on streamlining collaboration to address existing challenges in the ecosystem and promote entrepreneurship and job creation. Also read | Blockchain startups perk up after govt unveils national framework India, currently the worlds third-largest startup ecosystem behind the US and China in terms of the number of startups, saw a 42% increase in venture capital funding between January and July, according to data from analytics company GlobalData. During this period, a total $6.3 billion was raised across 672 deals. New Delhi: Indias economic growth, which slowed to 6.7% in the first quarter of 2024-25 due to subdued government capital expenditure ahead of the general elections, has gained momentum in subsequent quarters with a pick up in spending, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Monday. Speaking at the News18 India Chaupal event, Sitharaman said the Centre is well on track to meet its fiscal deficit target of 4.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) for FY25. The Centres capital expenditure plan for the financial year was set at 11.11 trillion, or about 3.4% of GDP. "Because of elections, the capital expenditure plans announced didn't find much expenditure happening in Q1, because every department was looking at the post-election time. As a result, a large part of the influence or impact that could have been had with public expenditure was muted," she said. "However, subsequently, during Q2 and Q3 (FY25), expenditure is picking up, which will trigger the slow down to move faster," she added. Indias GDP growth moderated to 6.7% year-on-year in the April-June quarter, down from 7.8% in the previous quarter, according to data released by the statistics ministry last month. In FY24, India reported quarterly GDP growth rates of 8.2%, 8.1%, 8.6%, and 7.8%, and an annual growth rate of 8.2%. Also read | Taxes could be lowered but challenges facing country demand resources: Nirmala Sitharaman Sitharaman said the government is also exploring various measures to benefit the middle class, particularly through tax reductions. A group of ministers (GoM) is working on further rationalizing the goods and services tax (GST) by lowering rates and consolidating essentials into a single category with the lowest tax structure. The way this has to be done will have to be decided by the GoM first and then by the GST Council, which will look into the recommendations. All these are part of simplification and rationalisation of GST." The finance minister also urged market participants to stay resilient while emphasizing the importance of exercising caution against speculative activity in the futures markets, and advised investors to be prudent with their life savings. "We will have to encourage the markets to be robust. But, particularly when speculative activities are too much, there needs to be a sense of caution in our minds, and we also need to make sure that people with their savings don't go to high fluctuating and high-risk ventures," she said. We need to be using authentic financial information before taking a call. Also read | Budget 2024: Why Nirmala Sitharaman waived import duty on critical minerals Speaking on the lending spree by fintech companies, Sitharaman emphasized the need for caution while noting that it should not, however, stifle the markets. It is a note of caution so people don't end up losing moneythey need to understand the full risk before engaging. Sitharaman also addressed the allegations against Sebi chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch, and her husband Dhaval Buch, who have been accused by US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research of conflict of interest, and holding stakes in offshore entities linked to the alleged Adani money siphoning scandal. She noted that the Buchs have been presenting facts to counter these allegations and emphasized that "the facts will have to be taken on board". On a recent visit to his hometown of Laixi, in eastern China, Guo Ping received a shock: the local government had sold off a number of state-owned assets, including two reservoirs. The small citys finances, as well as those in the neighbouring port of Qingdao, were under strain, forcing officials to come up with new sources of revenue. This meant hawking even large bits of regional infrastructure. The sales seemed to be part of what Mr Guo, who asked to use a pseudonym, views as a gradual economic deterioration. Cities and towns across China are struggling to pay their bills. As policymakers labour to revive the countrys economy, tax revenues continue to fall. A property crisis makes matters worse, hurting the ability of local authorities to sell land-use rights to property developers, traditionally one of their main sources of income. Land-related revenues fell to 26% of total local-authority revenues last year, down from 36% in 2020. As such, cadres have had to come up with new ways to raise moneyno matter how awkward. Bus operators in small cities are having to suspend services. Low-level civil servants gripe about salaries being delayed or slashed. Tax collectors have been looking back decades for unpaid bills. And cities are raising fines for infractions such as traffic violations. In Wuzhou, southern China, these now provide almost 50% as much income as taxes, compared with less than 8% in most cities. After waiving tolls on highways for over a decade, provinces such as Anhui, Gansu and Shandong have started to collect them again. So why not sell some assets? Local financial analysts insist that cities are sitting upon incredible wealth. They control the sale of land and are in possession of varied portfolios, which include holdings in state-owned firms, parks, utilities, train lines and even Buddhist temples. If officials can monetise just a small share of these by renting or selling them to the private sector, the thinking goes, they may be able to plug some of the holes in their budgets. Although there were some asset sales before, the central government first began promoting privatisation in 2022, when it called on local governments to revitalise" their assetsin other words, to sell, rent or refinance themas a means of reducing debts. Then last year an internal document circulated by the State Council, Chinas cabinet, instructed the dozen most-indebted provinces to smash the pots and sell the iron", a strongly worded idiom signifying a last-ditch effort to raise funds. Many areas are picking up their hammers. By May, the government of Ganzhou, in south-eastern China, had brought in 370m yuan ($50m) by allowing municipal water and bus firms to sell plots of land. A district in Chongqing, a south-western megacity, announced in August that it would smash the pots" in order to relieve a debt crisis. Some local governments have bundled more sought-after government projects with assets they want to dump, pushing buyers to take unwanted office buildings or industrial parks off their hands. These types of asset sales are now picking up momentum. In Shandong and Jiangsu, two coastal provinces, non-tax revenues, which include proceeds from asset disposals, rose by 15% in the first half of the year. In Qingdao, which includes Laixi, the price of state assets sold on a local exchange hit 5.9bn yuan last year, more than double the year before. This includes sales of use-rights for seven reservoirs with contracts that last for up to 40 years. Just how many assets can be flogged? The first obstacle is ascertaining which parts of the state actually owns an asset. For those more than two decades old, documentation is poor. As Chinese cities have grown, many have been merged with other jurisdictions or emerged from local districts. Huang Wenyin of S&P Global Ratings, a rating agency, notes that the building in which she grew up in Beijing was owned by a state firm, even as employees of another state firm were allowed to live in it as part of an informal arrangement. A third state firm may have also had claims on the building. As decades passed, a lack of documentation and lost records meant that the building was never demolished. Thus a potentially lucrative plot of land remains undeveloped. There are also risks for purchasers interested in taking on state assets, since they have a quasi-sacred status. Unlike Russia, which sold many of its assets following the collapse of the Soviet Union, China has never experienced a big bang". Instead it has slowly privatised since the early 1980s, when little private property existed. Questions remain about how assets have been sold and whether fair prices were paid many years ago. Peking University, for instance, launched a lawsuit in 2019 against the shareholders of a firm called Founder Group, averring that its sale of a stake in the company 15 years ago had happened on fraudulent grounds. Bosses worry that deals may attract attention and later be probed for corruption. Meanwhile, those at state-owned firms fear making losses when selling assets. Chinese law does not allow deals to be agreed on such terms and the central government has warned that it will punish managers who break the rules. Public opprobrium is never far away. Mr Guo was unhappy to hear about the sales of the reservoirs in Laixi. Some social-media users question the legality of the deals, while online articles also criticise them. Perhaps the main challenge is to create a true market for state treasures. Private buyers risk being accused of insider dealing and taking state assets on the cheap. At the same time, they fear ending up with a lemonor an asset that appears nice to outsiders but has little value to those in the know. This might explain why many of the assets are simply being passed between state firms. Such transactions do not involve the private sector and therefore cannot be accused of creating losses for the state. Although documents for the sale of two of Laixis reservoirs note that the sale attracted social capital", or private-sector money, the true buyer was another state firm in the same city. Perhaps the deal will help alleviate short-term liquidity problems for the city government. It will, though, hardly stop its debt build-up. 2024, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com (Adds stock performance in paragraph 11, CEO quote and background on fares in paragraph 12-13) By Federico Maccioni ABU DHABI, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Wizz Air expects 15-20% growth in passenger volume next year, its chief executive told Reuters on Monday, with new low-cost routes to the Middle East, such as from Europe to the United Arab Emirates, adding an extra boost. "Globally, we are expecting 15-20% (growth), but I think Abu Dhabi is going to grow beyond this," Jozsef Varadi said. Hungary-based Wizz Air, which carried a record 62 million passengers during the year ended in March 2024, set up operations in the UAE in 2019 as a joint venture with Abu Dhabi's third biggest sovereign wealth fund ADQ. In the Middle East, where concerns of a wider flare up of the war in Gaza have prompted international airlines to suspend flights or avoid air space, Wizz Air is monitoring every development, Varadi said. He added that Wizz Air wants to develop Saudi Arabia as an inbound market rather than setting up a local carrier there. The airline, which flies an all-Airbus fleet, last week announced it would deploy its first A321XLR, a single-aisle aircraft that will allow it to cover longer distances, to operate a route between London's Gatwick airport and Saudi Arabia's Jeddah starting from March 2025. Another A321XLR aircraft will operate a daily flight between Milan Malpensa airport and Abu Dhabi starting from June next year. "Certainly we are very excited about Jeddah," Varadi said. "We are seeing that more European operations might be flown inbound to Saudi in the future." He said, however, that all new routes were subject to regulatory approvals and capacity constraints due to troubles with Pratt & Whitney engines, which forced Wizz Air to ground part of its fleet, contributing to a 44% drop in first-quarter operating profit. As the aviation sector struggles with delays from manufacturers Boeing and Airbus, European airlines have also faced a difficult first half of the year because of rising and softening demand after an initial post-pandemic boom. Wizz Air's London-listed shares dropped almost 42% over the last 12 months. "I don't think that the share price is reflective of the actual performance of the business," said Varadi. He said the market was over-reacting and Wizz Air was being "disproportionately affected" by factors such as geopolitics and problems with Pratt and Whitney's engines. Mumbai: Credit growth that leapt far ahead of deposit growth has slowed, narrowing the gap between the two, as regulatory measures take effect and banks dial down a loan frenzy. The difference between non-food credit and deposit growth shrank from 311 basis points on 26 July to 275 bps on 23 August, latest data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) showed. While credit growth stood at 13.6% year-on-year on 23 August, deposits grew 10.8% in the same period. Experts said RBI measures such as higher outflow rates on retail deposits requiring banks to set aside more liquid assets to account for sudden increase in retail deposit outflows and higher risk weights for certain loan segments will continue to slow credit growth during the rest of the financial year. While credit growth will remain slightly higher than credit growth, we expect the gap between the two to narrow down, driven by a slowing-down of credit growth," saidAnil Gupta, senior vice-president and co-group head of financial sector ratings, Icra Ltd. Slower growth in credit is aligned with the regulatory objective to address the potential liquidity issue which may arise in the banking system if the gap continues to persist," Gupta added. Worried banks, RBI Credit growth overshooting deposit growth had worried banks and the regulator alike. RBI governor Shaktikanta Das said in July that while there will always be some gap between the two, credit growth should not run ahead of deposit growth by miles". However, though the regulator wants banks to launch new products and use branches to attract more deposits, it can only persuade them to do so since it give up fixing deposit rates almost three decades ago, Mint reported on 17 August. In November, the RBI clamped down on surging collateral-free loans, which are difficult to recover when borrowers default. The regulator raised risk weights on consumption loans, credit card exposures, and loans to non-bank financiers by 25 percentage points each, hoping that higher capital consumption would brake rapid growth. This worked. The annual rate of growth in personal loans slowed to 13.6% on 26 July, from 28.1% in July 2023. Since the beginning of FY25, it has slowed to 2.1%, from 8.6% from the same period last year. According to Subha Sri Narayanan, director, Crisil Ratings Ltd, while there are periods where credit growth outpaces deposits growth, this differential does not persist for several years continuously and the two tend to converge. As per Crisil analysis, the differential between credit growth and deposit growth narrowed to 280 basis points (bps) in fiscal 2024 from 500 bps in fiscal 2023. With banks actively tapping alternate funding sources, and also utilizing a portion of their excess SLR (statutory liquidity ratio) funds, it is possible that the growth differential between credit growth and deposit growth, albeit narrowing, may continue over the next couple of quarters," said Narayanan. Bankers concur. Amitabh Chaudhry, chief executive of private sector lender Axis Bank told reporters in July that system credit growth will moderate and converge towards deposit growth of around 13% over the fiscal. The chief financial officer of a bank who did not wish to be named said he does not see festive season spending hurting the convergence of credit and deposit growth. Outpacing credit On an absolute basis, deposit growth has already outpaced credit, a sign that the gap will narrow down the line. As on 23 August, fresh net addition of non-food credit y-o-y was at 20.2 trillion, while deposits grew 20.8 trillion in the same period. Madan Sabnavis, chief economist, Bank of Baroda said credit growth outpacing deposit growth is not unusual as it was witnessed in FY23 and FY24; moreover, on a year-to-date basis, growth in deposits was higher at 4.1% against 3.1% in credit. At the system level, it does appear that there is surplus in the system as recorded by RBIs daily statements on net surplus, which is in the region of 1.5-2 trillion. The interesting aspect is that on a YTD basis till 23 August, deposits increased by 8.49 trillion while incremental credit and investments were 5.13 trillion and 2.59 trillion, respectively," said Sabnavis. Sabnavis added that incremental borrowings by banks were at 1.33 trillion as on 23 August, which explains the surplus liquidity in the system. Therefore, a conclusion is that it is possible that some banks have large surpluses while others are targeting deposits to meet the demand for credit," he said. Also read: Indian banks deploy tech tools to counter mule accounts NEW DELHI : Gen Z shoppers are keeping fashion retailers on their toes. Over the past year, retailers like Myntra, Max Fashion and Madame have introduced collections tailored to Gen Z preferences. Some have even revamped their platforms to attract this demographic, the oldest of which is 27. Five years later, every brand will need to cater to this demographic because they would be a very big business. Weve made some progress, going from 8 million Gen Z shoppers to 16 million now. The future for us is how do we go from 16 million and add another 20 million to 25 million in the next couple of years," Sunder Balasubramanian, marketing officer at online fashion platform Myntra, told Mint. In 2023, the Flipkart-backed retailer launched a separate section called FWD for Gen Z shoppers. It offers looks curated from the recently released original series Call Me Bae, along with collections curated under Y2K" and All about bows". Revived by a viral social-media trend last year, bows have made their way to fashion runways, with brands like Miu Miu and Dior featuring them in their collections. Searches on Myntra under Y2K, another viral social-media trend, throw up recommendations for low-rise jeans and cargo pants. Big market Gen Z shoppers, born between 1997 and 2012, are fashion-forward consumers. India has 60 million Gen Z shoppers who actively shop online, accounting for 20-25% of the online lifestyle market valued at around $4 billion in gross merchandise value, showed an August report by Bain & Co. and Myntra. Gen Z shoppers signature style often leans toward athleisure, with oversized trousers, t-shirts, sweatshirts (even in summer), crop tops and sneakers being common choices. They are also heavily influenced by social-media trends, meaning retailers must respond quickly. Interestingly, though Gen Z shoppers spend less per transaction than millennials (born between 1981 and 1996)an average of $7-8 as against millennials $14-16they shop more frequently. Also Read: How Millennials and Gen Z are reinventing Indian tea Gen Z consumers make purchases 8-9 times a year, compared to the national average of 5-6 times, according to the report. It isn't just online fashion retailers that are taking note. In August, value retailer Max Fashion, a part of Dubai-based Landmark Group, partnered with 26-year-old actor Alaya F to launch a new collection targeted at young consumers. These young consumers shop according to their vibe", says Sumit Chandna, president at Max Fashion. Gen Z shoppers are prompting the retailerpresent in India since 2006to raise its fashion game. Earlier this year, it launched a new private label, Max Urb_n, for youngsters in the 17-22 age bracket. This consumer doesn't shop like their predecessors. They are forever roaming the market. Whatever vibes with them, they will pick it up as and when they see it. As a result, legacy brands have to reinvent and reposition themselves continuously," Chandna told Mint. Frequency over spending power Myntras Balasubramanian agrees that Gen Z's spending power is still limited, as many have just started their careers. Collections curated for Gen Z shoppers start at 499 to cater to their budget, compared to 800 for others. Gen Z's shopping frequency makes up for the low pricing. They are also prone to buying more from online-first brands, which can pose a challenge for legacy brands in the coming years. This demographic will be our future customers in the next five years, and we need to catch them early," said Akhil Jain, executive director of Madame. Also Read: Why senior managers walk on eggshells around Gen Z at the workplace The womens fashion brand roped in actor Shanaya Kapoor last year to speak to a younger consumer. Gen Z shoppers are very experimental", Jain added. "They will stay with us for the next decade, so we have to reposition ourselves to be part of their brand consideration set." The retailer has also revamped some of its stores, allowing more self-browsing and featuring a more youthful collectionsay, ripped jeans and crop tops. Snapchat, the American multimedia instant messaging app, is looking to capitalise on India's booming creator economy, especially in smaller cities and towns, by offering multiple monetization options. With over 200 million monthly active users in India, the platform is attracting regional creators who are monetising everyday content and sharing relatable experiences. Snapchat has been making investments in India, including in expanding its team and talent pool, to tap this opportunity. Snapchat's efforts to onboard advertisers and creators over the past year emphasise India as a go-to market for the platform, Saket Jha Saurabh, who joined the company as director of content and partnerships in April, told Mint. Creators from smaller cities such as Hisar, Jalandhar, and Jaipur are gaining popularity by sharing daily vlogs in regional languages like Punjabi, cementing Snapchats appeal in regional markets, he said. This is real India content, Saurabh said, adding that regional language content is crucial to drive growth. Also Read: Snapchat to focus on advertising business as stock drops around 48 per cent The California-headquartered camera-first social network is betting on India and regional content, like its peers. For its rivals like YouTube and Instagram, India is the biggest market by volume. Alphabet-owned YouTube has more than double the active users (over 476 million in July 2024) , while Meta-owned Instagram has over 385 million users (January 2024) in India, according to Statista. That comes when, according to a May report by Ficci-EY, Indias creator economy is expected to swell to 34 billion by 2026 from 19 billion in 2023. Multiple ways to monetise content Snapchat offers creators multiple ways to monetise content. These include Story Revenue Share, where ads are placed on public stories, and paid brand partnerships. Additionally, creators can produce original shows and earn through Spotlight Rewards, where exceptional content is rewarded with Snaps virtual currency, crystals, which can be converted to dollars. Saurabh stressed that the platform's monetisation structure isnt driven by follower count but by authentic engagement. Monetisation is the outcomecreators come to express themselves and connect, and the platform rewards genuine connections, he said. Also Read: Snapchat parent Snap to lay off 10% of workforce in fresh round of job cuts For Neetu Bisht, who has 2.3 million followers on Snapchat and 4.3 million on Instagram, that is important. As a creator, I find Snapchat's monetization could be another mainstream route to empower the growing popularity of creators by providing monetisation opportunity, Bisht said. Snapchats Spotlight provides a direct path for creators like me to earn without needing a massive following. Unlike Instagram, which is more reliant on brand partnerships, and YouTube, which offers steady income mainly through ads, Snapchats investment in AR tools opens up fresh opportunities for engaging with both audiences and brands in innovative ways, Bisht said. This makes Snapchat a great platform to diversify and maximize earning potential. Snapchat has seen a threefold increase in the time spent on its Spotlight feature, with more than 120 million Indian users regularly consuming content across Stories and Spotlight. This growth presents a significant opportunity for both creators and advertisers. A lot of people come to the platform for its potential in camera, lenses, and chatting, but were also seeing equally huge demand and growth for public content, Saurabh said. Otherwise, we wouldn't have creators scaling the way they are and monetisation growing the way it is. Also Read: Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel shares future plans for company, from India expansion to AI and AR development The rising consumption of public content on Snapchat presents an opportunity for brands to experiment with social commerce. The platform uses gamified augmented reality (AR) lenses for a unique shopping experience. However, a common question remains: is Snapchats Gen Z-heavy audience the right target for luxury brands? Saurabh argues that Gen Z, comprising users aged 13 to 28, is a diverse group, with the older segment entering the workforce and gaining purchasing power. Gen Z influences household purchases, and brands, especially in sectors like e-commerce, fashion, and beauty, recognise this potential, Saurabh said. Luxury brands like Gucci are already leveraging Snapchat to engage this influential demographic. The designer label has virtual try on lenses to boost social commerce, besides celebrity and influencer-led marketing content for Spotlight, Snapchats short content format. According to Saket, the Indian creator landscape is evolving. Post-pandemic, many creators have become exhausted by the pressures of virality. In 2023, a social media marketing firm surveyed over 600 content creators and discovered that 43% experience social media burnout on a monthly or quarterly basis, with an additional 29% struggling daily or weekly. Some of these are opting for platforms like Snapchat that offer a safer, more authentic experience. The shift is not unique to India but reflects a global trend. Snapchat has positioned itself as an authentic and raw platform. Its the platform where capturing and publishing is quick and probably with the least amount of friction, said Hitarth Dadia, CEO of influencer marketing agency Nofiltr Group. Like Instagram humanises brands, snapchat humanises creators. Its always going to be a creator first platform. Come October 1, bonus shares will be available for T+2 trading, reducing the time from the record date for credit and trading. In a circular released on Monday, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), the markets regulator, fast-tracked the process for the bonus issue of equity shares under the T+2 settlement system. A record date or T day is the last date on which the company issuing the bonus shares decides which shareholders are eligible for bonus issue. As a part of the continuing endeavour to streamline the process of bonus issue of equity shares, in consultation with the market participants, it has been decided to reduce the time taken for credit of bonus shares and trading of such shares, from the record date of the Bonus Issue under SEBI (ICDR) Regulations, 2018, Sebi said in the statement. Presently, the equity shares from bonus issues are available in about two weeks from the record date. The market regulator stated that any delay in compliance with the timelines mentioned in the circular released on Monday will attract penalties. Additionally, Sebi also described the process for T+2 timeline. Here is the procedure: The company proposing a bonus issue of equity shares will be required to apply for in-principle approval under the Sebi regulations within five working days from the date of the board meeting approving bonus isse. The company, while fixing the record date or the T day and informing it to the stock exchange of the proposed bonus issue, should also record the deemed date of allotment on the next working day of the record date. Also Read | Congress accuses SEBI chief Madhabi Buch of investing in Chinese funds: Report 3. After receiving the record date intimation and getting the required documents from the company, the stock exchange will issue a notification accepting the record date. Additionally, it will notify the number of shares that might be offered in the bonus issue. The notification will mention the deemed date of allotment. Arkade Developers IPO: Arkade Developers Ltd, a real estate company, is ready to make its debut on the bustling primary market day. Ahead of its initial public offering, the company secured 122.40 crore from anchor investors. The company set a price range of 121-128 per share for its 410-crore initial public offering. The public subscription for the initial share sale will be open from today (Monday, September 16) and will close on Thursday, September 19. The issue's lot size is 65 equity shares and in multiples of 65 equity shares thereafter. Arkade Developers IPO has reserved 50% of the shares in the public issue for qualified institutional buyers (QIB), 15% for non-institutional Institutional Investors (NII), and 35% of the offer is reserved for retail investors. The employees have been allocated equity shares worth up to 2 crores, and they are being given a discount of 5 per share. Arkade Developers, a rapidly expanding real estate development firm, has a strong presence in Mumbai. By July 31, 2023, it has successfully developed 1.80 million square feet of residential property, including through partnership entities in which Arkade holds the majority stake. From 2017 to Q1 2023, the company has introduced 1,040 residential units and sold 792 residential units in various markets in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) in Maharashtra. The revenue of Arkade Developers in fiscals 2023, 2022, and 2021 was 224.01 crore, 237.18 crore, and 113.18 crore, respectively. According to the red herring prospectus (RHP), Keystone Realtors Ltd is a listed peer of the company, and it has a P/E ratio of 74.85. Godrej Properties Ltd, another listed peer, has a P/E ratio of 111.53. Macrotech Developers Ltd, also a listed peer, has a P/E ratio of 78.46. Suraj Estate Developers Ltd, the final listed peer, has a P/E ratio of 40.92. Arkade Developers IPO Subscription Status The initial public offer of Arkade Developer has been subscribed 5.79 times on the first day of subscription today, as per BSE data. The initial share sale received bid for 13,76,23,090 shares against 2,37,75,719 shares on offer, according to BSE data. The portion for retail investors received 8.03 times subscription while the quota for non-institutional investors got subscribed 7.89 times. The qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) part is booked 24%. The employee portion has been subscribed 7.63 times. Also Read | Arkade Developers raises nearly 122.4 crore in anchor book round ahead of IPO Arkade Developers IPO Review Choice Equity Broking Pvt Ltd According to the brokerage's research, the company is a real estate development business that specialises in luxurious residential homes in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India's commercial center. New developments and redevelopment projects are the company's two main areas of concentration. The MMR, especially the western suburbs, serves as the strategic foundation for the company's activities. 28 projects have been successfully completed by Arkade Developer during the previous 20 years. The company's revenue and profitability have grown significantly as a result of a consistent increase in the number of units sold. Arkade Developer seeks an EV/Sales ratio of 3.2x, which is lower than the peer average, at the upper end of the pricing range. Although Arkade Developer has recently moved into the eastern suburbs of Mumbai, the firm has historically focused on the western suburbs of MMR. Arkade Developer is positioned for long-term, sustainable growth thanks to its corporate expansion plan, its almost debt-free status, and its reliable, on-time project delivery. For this reason, the brokerage suggests giving this issue a "SUBSCRIBE" rating. Marwadi Financial Services As per the brokerage firm, with a post-issue share price of 6.61, the company is expected to debut on the stock exchange at a P/E ratio of approximately 19x, resulting in a market capitalisation of 2,376.14 Cr. This stands in contrast to its counterparts, namely Keystone Realtors Limited, Godrej Properties Limited, Macrotech Developers Limited, and Suraj Estate Developers Limited, which are currently trading at P/E ratios of approximately 99x, 88x, 62x, and 42x, respectively. We assign Subscribe rating to this IPO as the company is a leading player and an established developer in, MMR, Maharashtra. Also, it is available at reasonable valuation as compared to its peers, the brokerage said. Arkade Developers IPO details The Arkade Developers IPO, worth 410 crore, includes a fresh issuance of 32,031,250 equity shares with a face value of 10. There is no "offer for sale" component. As per the RHP, the company, in consultation with the book running lead manager (BRLM), has carried out a Pre-IPO Placement of 1,626,016 equity shares at a price of 123 per Equity Share (inclusive of a premium of 113 per Equity Share) amounting to 20 crore (Pre-IPO Placement). Due to the Pre-IPO Placement, the size of the fresh issue of up to 430 crore has been decreased by 20 crore, resulting in the revised size of the Fresh Issue being up to 410 crore. The Arkade Developers IPO is being managed by Unistone Capital Pvt Ltd as the book running lead manager, with Bigshare Services Pvt Ltd acting as the registrar for the issue. Also Read | Arkade Developers gets green signal from SEBI to launch its proposed IPO Arkade Developers IPO GMP today Arkade Developers IPO GMP today or grey market premium is +80. This indicates Arkade Developers share price were trading at a premium of 80 in the grey market, according to investorgain.com. Considering the upper end of the IPO price band and the current premium in the grey market, the estimated listing price of Arkade Developers share price was indicated at 208 apiece, which is 62.5% higher than the IPO price of 128. 'Grey market premium' indicates investors' readiness to pay more than the issue price. Arkade Developers IPO details. Also Read | Arkade Developers files DRHP with SEBI for 430 crore IPO Bajaj Housing Finance IPO Listing: Bajaj Housing Finance shares are set to make their debut in the Indian stock market today. After receiving record subscription for its initial public offering (IPO), the Bajaj Housing Finance shares will be listed on BSE and NSE today. Bajaj Housing Finance IPO listing date is today, September 15. The IPO was open from September 9 to 11 and the IPO allotment was fixed on September 12. Trading Members of the Exchange are hereby informed that effective from Monday, September 16, 2024, the equity shares of Bajaj Housing Finance Limited shall be listed and admitted to dealings on the Exchange in the list of B Group of Securities, a notice on BSE said. Bajaj Housing Finance shares will be a part of Special Pre-open Session (SPOS) today and the trading in the Bajaj Housing Finance stock will start from 10:00 am. Bajaj Housing Finance IPO GMP today, or grey market premium today, ahead of the listing signals a strong debut of shares. Stock market analysts also predict a decent Bajaj Housing Finance IPO listing today. Considering all the aspects, Bajaj Housing Finance share price listing is estimated to be at a premium of more than 100% which is likely to double investors money upon listing. Heres what Bajaj Housing Finance IPO GMP and experts indicate about the Bajaj Housing Finance share price: Bajaj Housing Finance IPO GMP Today Bajaj Housing Finance share price is trading at a decent premium in the unlisted market. According to stock market experts, Bajaj Housing Finance IPO GMP today is 78 per share. This indicates that Bajaj Housing Finance shares are trading higher by 82 in the grey market as against its issue price. Bajaj Housing Finance IPO Listing Price Considering the Bajaj Housing Finance IPO GMP today ahead of the listing and the issue price, the estimated Bajaj Housing Finance IPO listing price is 148 per share, which is at a premium of 112% to the IPO price of 70 per share. Bajaj Housing Finance Ltd saw an extraordinary demand for its offering, with a subscription rate surpassing 67 times. We anticipate a strong debut on the stock exchanges on Monday, with an expected premium of 107% above the upper band price, said Prathamesh Masdekar, Research Analyst, StoxBox. Also Read | Bajaj Housing Finance IPO: Investors complain of UPI mandate issues The company has demonstrated robust performance through strategic emphasis on enhancing direct home loan origination and increasing Average Ticket Size across its product suite. These measures have improved the Opex/Asset ratio in recent years. Additionally, the strategic shift in AUM and product mix has mitigated the adverse effects of rising funding costs on the portfolio spread, Masdekar noted. Therefore, we recommend that investors allotted shares hold their positions from a medium to long-term horizon, he added. Prashanth Tapse, Sr VP Research Research Analyst at Mehta Equities Ltd believes Bajaj Housing Finance IPO gives allotted investors an opportunity to invest in one of Indias leading players in the housing finance sector. Considering companys strong parentage brand BAJAJ along with its solid position in the housing finance space with 97,071 crore AUM which is well-positioned itself to capitalize the industry demand and assuming to deliver impressive growth in future, like historical CAGR growth of 30.9% in AUM from Fiscal 2022 to 2024, we expect the IPO to make a robust debut and price of the company may double allotted investors' wealth or even do more than on the listing day, Tapse said. Post listing, he recommends conservative investors to choose profit booking, if the listing gain is over and above his expectations, while long term investors can continue holding for long term growth as the sector outlook remains very optimistic given the companys well-positioned business model. On valuation at 70 per share, the issue was asking for a market cap of 58,297 crore and based on valuation which was very much in line with its other listed peers which are trading at an industry average. Considering all attributes, we strongly recommend allotted long term investors to Hold it for a long term perspective, Tapse added. Bajaj Housing Finance IPO Details Bajaj Housing Finance IPO opened for subscription on September 9 and closed on September 11. The IPO allotment was finalized on September 12 and Bajaj Housing Finance IPO listing date is today, Monday, September 16. Bajaj Housing Finance IPO price band was set at 66 to 70 per share. The company raised 6,560.00 crore from the book-built issue which was a combination of fresh issue of 50.86 crore equity shares worth 3,560 crore and an offer-for-sale (OFS) of 42.86 crore shares aggregating to 3,000 crore. Bajaj Housing Finance IPO set a new record, with subscriptions exceeding 3 lakh crore. The IPO was subscribed 63.61 times, receiving bids for over 4,628 crore equity shares, against the 72.75 crore shares on offer. At the upper end of the price band, the applications for Bajaj Housing Finance shares were valued at nearly 3.24 lakh crore. Kotak Mahindra Capital Company Ltd, BofA Securities India Ltd, Axis Capital, Goldman Sachs (India) Securities, SBI Capital Markets, JM Financial and IIFL Securities are the book running lead managers of the Bajaj Housing Finance IPO, while Kfin Technologies is the IPO registrar. Northern Arc Capital IPO: Retail loan provider Northern Arc Capital's initial public offering (IPO) will open for subscription on Monday, September 16, and will remain open until Thursday, September 19. The mainboard IPO aims to raise 777 crore, consisting of a fresh issue of 500 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of 277 crore. Meanwhile, the non-banking financial company (NBFC) raised 229 crore from anchor investors ahead of its IPO. The company allotted 87.02 lakh shares to 15 funds at 263 apiece, aggregating 229 crore. SBI General Insurance Company, SBI Life Insurance Company, Reliance General Insurance Company, Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company, Goldman Sachs (Singapore) Pte, Societe Generale, and Quant Mutual Fund were among the anchor investors. Northern Arc Capital IPO subscription status According to BSE data, by 4 pm on Monday, the first day of subscription, the Northern Arc Capital IPO had seen an overall subscription of 2.47 times. The portion reserved for retail investors was subscribed 3.49 times, while the non-institutional investors' category had seen a subscription of 3.51 times. The QIB segment of the issue was subscribed 0.01 times by that time. Northern Arc Capital IPO key details As the mainboard issue opens for subscription today, let's take a look at the 10 key details of the Northern Arc Capital IPO: 1. Northern Arc Capital IPO GMP: According to stock market sources, the current grey market premium (GMP) of the Northern Arc Capital IPO is 165. The GMP indicates investors are positive about the stock in the grey market. Considering the current GMP trend, the company's shares are expected to be listed at a premium of 62.74 per cent at 428 on the Indian bourses. 2. Northern Arc Capital IPO price band: The issue's price band has been set at 249 to 263 per share. 3. Northern Arc Capital IPO date: The mainboard IPO is opening for subscription today (Monday, September 16) and will conclude on Thursday, September 19. Northern Arc Capital IPO IPO 4. Northern Arc Capital IPO size: The issue combines a fresh issue of 1.9 crore shares and an offer for sale (OFS) of 1.05 crore shares. The company wants to raise 777 crore from the IPO. It will raise 500 crore from the fresh issue of shares. 5. Northern Arc Capital IPO lot size: The minimum lot size for an application is 57 Shares. With the issue's upper price band at 263, the minimum amount of investment required by retail investors is 14,991. 6. Northern Arc Capital IPO allotment date: After the completion of the IPO subscription process, the company is expected to finalise the share allotment on Friday, September 20. Successful applicants will likely get the shares credited to their demat accounts on Monday, September 23, while those who do not receive an allotment may expect refunds to be processed on the same day. 7. Northern Arc Capital IPO registrar: Kfin Technologies Limited is the official registrar of the issue. 8. Northern Arc Capital IPO listing: The company's shares are proposed to be listed on the BSE and the NSE tentatively on Tuesday, September 24. 9. Object of the issue: According to the company's RHP, it wants to use the net proceeds from the issue to "meet future capital requirements towards onward lending." 10. Company overview: According to the RHP, the company provides retail loans to under-served households and businesses in India. "Our three primary channels: (i) lending, (ii) placements, and (iii) fund management provide access to credit to the under-served categories of India across our focused sectors," says the RHP. The company reported a profit of 181.94 crore for FY22, which rose to 242.21 crore in FY23 and 317.69 crore in FY24. Northern Arc Capital IPO: Apply or not? Experts appear largely positive about the issue, mainly due to valuation comfort. Prathamesh Masdekar, a research analyst at StoxBox, has a 'subscribe' view on the issue. "We recommend a 'subscribe' rating for the issue on the back of a differentiated credit underwriting process, which keeps their asset quality strong and risk-adjusted returns consistent across business cycles," said Masdekar. Masdekar pointed out that the company's differentiated credit underwriting processes and risk models have helped deliver strong asset quality. "According to the CRISIL Report, the company had one of the lowest gross non-performing assets (GNPA) of 0.45 per cent and net non-performing assets (NNPA) of 0.08 per cent as of FY24. The issue is valued at a P/BV of 1.49 times the upper price band based on the FY24 book value, which is fairly valued," Masdekar observed. Anshul Jain, the head of research at Lakshmishree Investment and Securities, said Northern Arc Capital's IPO presents an interesting investment opportunity, particularly for those seeking short-term gains. "The company's strong financial performance, coupled with its strategic positioning in the growing Indian credit market, makes it a promising candidate for listing appreciation," said Jain. Jain underscored that with a three-year average ROE of nearly 12 per cent and a gross NPA of 0.6 per cent, Northern Arc has demonstrated its ability to generate consistent returns while maintaining healthy asset quality. The company's AUM and profit after tax have grown at a commendable pace, indicating its strong growth trajectory. On the valuation front, the stock's valuation appears attractive to Jain compared to its peers, with a P/E and P/B ratio of 13.3 and 1.5, respectively. "The rising demand for credit and the ongoing shift towards more organized lenders in underpenetrated markets are expected to drive further growth for Northern Arc," said Jain. "However, it's essential to acknowledge the competitive threats posed by larger NBFCs and banks. While Northern Arc's diversified loan book and robust asset quality provide a degree of protection, the company's smaller scale could limit its ability to compete effectively in the long run. For investors seeking short-term listing gains, Northern Arc Capital's IPO presents a promising opportunity. However, it's crucial to conduct thorough due diligence and consider the potential risks before making any investment decisions," said Jain. Read all market-related news here In this week's episode of ReFolkUs, we chat with Jorge Requena Ramos, Artistic Director of the West End Cultural Centre (WECC). Jorge takes us through the rich history and community impact of the WECC as a key venue for music and culture, hosting diverse performances and fostering connections through the arts. Jorge also discusses the WECCs strong commitment to anti-racism and anti-oppression, which is woven into their organizational strategy. He also dives into his work as a performing artist with his band, The Mariachi Ghost, who summon the ghosts of old Mexico through traditional Mexican song. Sign up to the WECC newsletter below: https://www.wecc.ca/newsletter-sign-up Find West End Cultural Centre online: Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/thewecc/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WestEndCulturalCentre/ Website: http://www.wecc.ca/ Find The Mariachi Ghost online: Instagram: http://instagram.com/mariachighost Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheMariachiGhost Website: https://www.themariachighost.com/home About Jorge Requena Ramos Jorge Requena Ramos is a multi-disciplinary artist who grew up in Mexico City and now calls Winnipeg Manitoba his home. He has done extensive work as a film director, playwright and television producer. He became the Artistic director of the WECC in 2019 after spending a decade amongst performers, travelling across Canada, the US and Europe with his band The Mariachi Ghost. In his tender at the WECC he has overseen the development and growth of Winterruption a festival that celebrates life in a winter city at -40 below. He has also helped the WECC transition into an Anti-racist, Anti-Oppressive strategic plan that will see their programming and practices reflect the truly diverse fabric of Canada. Tolins Tyres IPO Listing: The initial public offering (IPO) of Tolins Tyres Ltd received decent response from investors. After being heavily subscribed, Tolins Tyres IPO listing date is fixed for today. The public issue was opened from September 9 to 11 and Tolins Tyres IPO listing date is today, September 16. Trading Members of the Exchange are hereby informed that effective from Monday, September 16, 2024, the equity shares of Tolins Tyres Limited shall be listed and admitted to dealings on the Exchange in the list of T Group of Securities, said a BSE notice. Tolins Tyres shares will be a part of Special Pre-open Session (SPOS) and will be available for trading from 10:00 am. Ahead of the Tolins Tyres share listing today, investors watch out for the latest trends in the Tolins Tyres IPO GMP today, or grey market premium today. Tolins Tyres IPO GMP today signals a positive listing for Tolins Tyres shares. Analysts also expect Tolins Tyres share price to open with decent gains on the stock market debut. Tolins Tyres IPO GMP Today Tolins Tyres IPO GMP today ahead of the listing is 30 per share, according to stock market observers. This indicates that Tolins Tyres shares are trading higher by 30 in the grey market than their issue price. Tolins Tyres IPO Listing Price Considering the Tolins Tyres IPO GMP today and the issue price, the estimated Tolins Tyres IPO listing price is 256 per share, a premium of 13.27% to the IPO price of 226 per share. Analysts also expect Tolins Tyres IPO listing gains in the range of 15% to 18%. Also Read | Tolins Tyres IPO shares to debut on Monday. What GMP signals ahead of listing Tolins Tyres Ltd attracted healthy investor interest during the subscription period, with the issue being oversubscribed by 25 times. The company is all set to make its debut in the market on 16th September. We expect a listing gain of 18% on the back of a healthy subscription rate, said Sagar Shetty, Research Analyst, StoxBox. On account of favorable macro trends, the company is expected to ride on the sectoral tailwinds and capitalize on market opportunities, Shetty added. Thus, we advise the participants who have been allocated with the shares to hold it from a medium to long term perspective, Shetty said. Anshul Jain, Head of Research at Lakshmishree Investment and Securities Ltd expects Tolins Tyres IPO listing at a premium of around 15% to the issue price. Tolins Tyres will debut on the exchanges on Monday, September 16, following a robust IPO response, which closed on September 11. The IPO was subscribed 23.89 times, with retail investors subscribing 21.52 times, NIIs 27.41 times, and QIBs 25.42 times. This strong demand has pushed the grey market premium (GMP) to 35, suggesting a listing price around 260. Investors are keenly watching for significant listing gains, Jain said. Tolins Tyres IPO Details The bidding for Tolins Tyres IPO began on Monday, September 9, and ended on Wednesday, September 11. The IPO allotment was finalized on September 12 and the Tolins Tyres IPO listing date is today, September 16. Tolins Tyres IPO price band is set at 215 to 226 per share and the company raised 230 crore from the issue which comprised of a combination of fresh issue of 88.49 lakh equity shares worth 200 crore and an offer-for-sale (OFS) component of 13.27 lakh shares aggregating to 30 crore. Tolins Tyres IPO was subscribed 23.89 times in total. The retail investors category was subscribed 21.52 times, Non-Institutional Investors (NII) category by 27.41 times, and Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) portion was booked 25.42 times. Saffron Capital Advisors is the book running lead manager of the Tolins Tyres IPO, while Cameo Corporate Services is the IPO registrar. Western Carriers India IPO: Bidding for the initial public offering (IPO) of Western Carriers (India) Limited opened on 13th September 2024, i.e. on Friday last week. The public issue will remain open until 19th September 2024, i.e. Thursday this week. The company has fixed the Western Carriers India IPO price band at 163 to 172 per equity share. The book build issue is proposed for listing on the BSE and the NSE. The company aims to raise 492.88 crore, a mix of fresh shares and an Offer for Sale (OFS). After day one of bidding, the Western Carriers India IPO subscription status suggests that investors have responded strongly to the mainboard IPO. Western Carriers India IPO GMP today Meanwhile, after two days of bidding, the grey market has gone highly bullish on Western Carriers India IPO. According to stock market observers, shares of the company are available at a premium of 58 in the grey market today. This means Western Carriers India IPO GMP (Grey Market Premium) today is 58, which was 30 on Friday last week. So, Western Carriers India's IPO GMP has almost doubled since the subscription opening date. Market observers said that positive bias on Dalal Street and decisive response by primary market investors could be the reasons for rising bias in favour of the Western Carriers India IPO. Western Carriers India IPO subscription status By 3:15 PM on day 3 of bidding, the book build issue had been subscribed 8.37 times, the retail portion of the public issue had been booked 12.05 times, the NII segment had been filled 10.70 times, and the QIB portion had received bids 0.06 times. Photo: Courtesy mintgenie Western Carriers India IPO review Giving the public issue a 'subscribe' tag, Anshul Jain, Head of Research at Lakshimishree Investment and Securities Ltd, said, Western Carriers' IPO presents a compelling opportunity for investors seeking exposure to the burgeoning Indian logistics sector. The company's strong financial performance and strategic positioning in a rapidly growing market make it a promising investment prospect. With a proven track record of delivering consistent profitability and sustainable growth, Western Carriers has demonstrated its ability to navigate industry challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities. The company's focus on operational efficiency, coupled with its strategic investments in technology, positions it well to meet the evolving demands of the logistics industry. "The IPO's valuation is also attractive, offering investors a favourable entry point. Given the company's strong fundamentals and growth prospects, subscribing to the IPO appears to be a strategic investment decision. However, it's important to conduct thorough due diligence and consider individual risk tolerance before investing," said Anshul Jain. Assigning a 'subscribe' tag to the public issue, Akriti Mehrotra, Research Analyst at StoxBox, said, "The current issue is priced at a P/E of 16.8x on the upper band based on FY24 earnings and is relatively lower than its peers. Given its strong financials, strategic initiatives, and positioning to capitalize on the expanding rail-road multi-modal sector, we recommend a "SUBSCRIBE" rating for the issue with a medium to long-term investment perspective." Western Carriers India IPO details The public issue hit the Indian primary market on 13th September 2024 and it will remain open until 19th September 2024. This means the public issue will remain open until Thursday this week (according to BSE). Western Carriers India IPO allotment date is most likely on 20th September 2024, i.e., Friday this week. Following the T+3 listing rule, most Western Carriers India's IPO listing date is 24th September 2024, I.e. on Tuesday next week. Have you ever experienced a fall of more than 30% in one of your portfolio stocks within a few days? The prices of many stocks do not return to the level from which they started to fall for months or even years. However, some stocks do recover quickly, returning to the levels from where they started to fall and maybe even exceeding those if the company is fundamentally strong. In the ever-shifting landscape of stock markets, identifying growth stocks that have experienced a notable dip can be a savvy investment move. In this pursuit, its easy to overlook the gems that have recently corrected by as much as 30%, only to rebound impressively. Today, well highlight three remarkable growth stocks that have seen significant declines but have bounced back sharply owing to their strong fundamentals. By examining these stocks, well explain why they are worth your attention and why buying the dip may have been an opportunity too good to miss. Whether you're a seasoned investor or just starting to navigate the stock market, understanding these kinds of stocks could be key to adding the next big winner to your investment portfolio. #1 Polycab Ltd Polycab is Indias leading manufacturer of cables and wires and allied products such as unplasticised polyvinyl chloride (uPVC) conduits and lugs and glands. It recently launched a wide range of consumer electrical products such as fans, switches, switchgears, LED lights and luminaries, solar inverters, and pumps. Polycab has a 22-24% share of the domestic organised wires and cables market. It derives 89% of its revenue from wires and cables, 9% from fast-moving electrical goods, and the remaining 2% from other businesses. It earns 90% of its revenue from the domestic market and 10% from exports, having expanded its global footprint to more than 76 countries. Of its exports, 46% are to North America and 20% to Europe. The company has a strong presence in India, with more than 4,300 distributors, more than 205,000 retail outlets, 23 warehouses and depots, four regional offices, nine local offices, and 17 experience centres. Polycab reported 27.9% growth in revenue in FY24 and Ebitda growth of 34.5%. Ebitda margins also improved from 13.1% in FY23 to 13.8% in FY24. For FY26, the company has guided for sales of 20,000 crore through its Project Leap. In January 2024 the income tax department detected unaccounted cash sales worth about 1,000 crore after raiding the company, causing the stock to crack more than 25%, from 5,346 to 3,878. However, the company did not receive any written communication from the income tax department regarding fines and the stock price jumped back up above the levels from which it had started the fall. #2 Infosys Ltd Indias second-largest information technology company, Infosys provides consulting, technology, outsourcing and next-generation digital services to help clients to execute strategies for their digital transformation. The companys digital services are rated among the best in the industry. Infosys derives 57% of its revenue from digital services and the balance 43% from traditional services. The key business verticals for Infosys are the same as those of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), barring life sciences and healthcare. Infosys instead has an energy, utilities and resources division. It caters to 185 of the Fortune 500 companies. Its clients include ICICI Bank, Daimler Mercedes-Benz, HSBC Bank, Goldman Sachs, J&J, Accenture, Lockheed Martin, IBM Corporation and Deutsche Bank. Infosys reported 3.6% growth in revenue in Q1FY25 due to slow decision-making among clients leading to slower ramp-up of project execution. In the fast-moving world of artificial intelligence, the importance of traditional software services firms is equally important as they will be the ones integrating companies software with the new AI technology. Infosys is set to play an important role in this. For FY25 the company has guided for 1-3% revenue growth in constant currency terms. It expects growth in financial services and telecom to accelerate due to large deal wins. Infosys also has a positive outlook on the European markets. From February 2024 to June 2024, Infosys stock fell almost 20% due to subdued financial performance and an uncertain business outlook. The company also revised its growth guidance downward as project executions were delayed on the back of an uncertain economic environment. However, the companys operating performance improved from June 2024 onwards and the business outlook for the entire industry showed signs of promise. This was reflected in the stock price. #3 Deepak Fertilisers & Petrochemicals Corp Ltd Incorporated in 1979, Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd is in the business of fertilisers, agricultural services, bulk chemicals, mining chemicals and real estate. It has manufacturing plants in Taloja, Dahej, Srikakulam and Panipat, with an installed capacity of 1.3 mtpa for industrial chemicals, 0.5 mtpa for technical ammonium nitrate and 1.2 mtpa for crop nutrition. The company derives 59% of its revenue from chemicals, 40% from fertilisers, and the balance 1% from the realty and windmills segment. Deepak Fertilisers is also investing in cloud computing, process automation, mobile apps, unified communication and collaboration tools. The company recently signed an agreement with Israel based Haifa group, a multinational corporation that supplies specialty plant nutrients for agricultural innovation. Deepak Fertilisers also announced the signing of a 15-year supply agreement for liquified natural gas (LNG) with Norwegian energy giant Equinor. As part of the agreement, the company will make annual supplies of up to 0.65 m tonnes over 15 years starting from 2026. Deepak Fertilisers reported degrowth of 23.2% in its consolidated revenues and 40.6% in Ebitda for FY24. Ebitda margins deteriorated significantly to 14.8% from 19.2% the previous year. Shares of Deepak Fertilisers corrected as much as 35% from its high of 705 in December 2023 to a low of 460 in March 2024 owing to adverse business conditions and unprecedented dumping of chemicals and fertilisers from China. However, the situation improved after March 2024 and the company started reporting better operating performance with improved margins. The stock price reclaimed 700 and is currently quoting at 1,025. Conclusion As they say, good times and good prices never come together. The stock market tends to discount future good and bad times well in advance. It is important that investors take advantage of situations in which stock prices drop without much change in the fundamentals of the business. In conclusion, the world of growth stocks offers both exhilarating opportunities and potential pitfalls, particularly when market uncertainty causes substantial dips. While its natural to look back and rue missed opportunities, its essential to focus on the lessons learned from these situations. Recognising the signs of a strong recovery and understanding the factors behind these declines can better equip you for future investment decisions. But beware: many companies that nosedive on certain news, or changes in the industry outlook or business environment, do not return to their original prices. Examples include Yes bank Ltd, DHFL Ltd, Reliance Power Ltd, and Unitech Ltd. Remember to do your research before diving in. Happy investing! Disclaimer:This article is for information purposes only. It is not a stock recommendation and should not be treated as such. This article is syndicated from Equitymaster.com Stock Market Today: Small-cap SME stock Tac Infosec share price hit upper circuit during intraday trades on Monday on the NSE. Small-cap SME stock Tac Infosec share price that opens at 785.00, slightly higher than previous close of 781.75 on Monday. The Small-cap SME stock Tac Infosec share price thereafter hit highs of RS 820 marking gains of 5%, which happens to be the upper band limit for the Tac Infosec share price. Tac Infosec share price has gained more than 650% compared to its IPO issue price at 106 . The Infosec share price was listed on the NSE SME on 5th April'2024. The gains for the TAC Infosec share price on Monday were driven by its announcement having achieved 1000 Clients. The Tac Infosec said that it is on track for 3000 with 240 New Global Wins in August. The press release by TAC Infosec said that Indias first publicly listed cybersecurity company, has reached a significant milestone by securing 1000 clients worldwide, marking a notable step towards its ambitious growth targets. In the month of August alone, TAC Security added 240 new clients from 44 countries, underscoring its rapid expansion in the cybersecurity market. TAC Infosec targets to achieve 3,000 Customers by March 2025 and 10,000 by March 2026 to become largest Vulnerability Management Company' Details This milestone not only demonstrates the company's robust growth trajectory but also its unwavering commitment to enhancing cybersecurity for businesses worldwide, said TAC Infosec in its release. Tac Infosec's new clients span across several countries, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, and the United States. TAC Security reported a 93.81% increase in revenue and a 94.45% surge in profit compared to the previous quarter, which company attributed to an increase in customer base and ongoing global market expansion Nuvama Institutional Equities, a brokerage firm, has maintained its 'buy' rating on Kajaria Ceramics stock and revised the target price to 1,754 from the previous 1,683. This update comes in light of the sector's recovery and increased demand driven by a resurgence in real estate. According to Nuvama, following their recent meeting with Kajaria Ceramics top management, they are confident that the company will outperform the industry and achieve a 1012% volume growth in FY25E. They also expect real estate demand to rebound and anticipate margins for the upper end to be in the range of 1517% due to a higher value-added share and improved operating leverage. Additionally, the company projects that bathware, plywood, and adhesives revenue will reach 6.75 billion, 1.25 billion, and 1.5 billion respectively by FY27. In its report, Nuvama mentioned that the company has built an extensive variety of products over the years. The company's strong range of products, aggressive investment in the brand, wide distribution network consisting of 1,600 dealers, and continuous expansion of production capacity have and will continue to be the main factors contributing to the company's superior performance compared to its competitors. The company's unwavering focus on brands (with a compound annual growth rate of over 30% on advertising spending, compared to its peers' 12-13%; accounting for 2.5-3% of sales) and the strengthening of the value chain are certain to significantly increase its market share. Hence, we estimate the company to clock revenue and PAT CAGR of 15% and 32% over FY23-26, respectively, with strong RoE/pre-tax RoCE of >20%, the Nuvama said. The brokerage pointed out that the company faces risks from a slowdown in the real estate sector, increasing competition, fluctuations in fuel prices, and the threat of Chinese imports. Kajaria Ceramics share price On Monday's session, Kajaria Ceramics share price rose 2%, the stock touched an intraday high of 1,478.10, and an intraday low of 1,445, on BSE. The brokerage has set a target price of 1,754, indicating a potential upside of almost 20% for the stock based on today's closing price of 1,472.30. Kajaria Ceramics stock today was hovering near its 52-week high of 1,545, which was achieved on July 30, 2024. We are seeing a percent move in the stock and is approaching a key resistance around 1500, once this zone is breached, expect a move towards 1750, immediate support is at 1420, said Rajesh Bhosale, Equity Technical and Derivative Analyst at Angel One. Indian frontline indices ended Monday's trading session with modest gains despite reaching fresh record highs. Traders remained cautious ahead of the Federal Reserves upcoming policy meeting, where a rate cut is anticipated for the first time since 2020. The Nifty 50 ended the session with a 0.11 per cent gain at 25,383 points, having reached an all-time high of 25,445 points during the session. The S&P BSE Sensex ended with a 0.12 per cent gain at 82,988 points, also hitting a new peak. Among the 50 Nifty constituents, 26 stocks ended in the positive, with NTPC leading at 2.6 per cent. Other notable gainers included JSW Steel, Hindalco Industries, Shriram Finance, Larsen & Toubro, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, and Eicher Motors, all rising between 1 per cent and 1.7 per cent. Several stocks, including JSW Steel, LTIMindtree, HCL Technologies, and Tech Mahindra, reached new 52-week highs. While the main indices saw modest gains, mid- and small-cap stocks continued their strong performance for the second consecutive session. The Nifty Midcap 100 index rose by 0.38 per cent to 60,259 points, maintaining its position above the 60,000 mark. The Nifty Smallcap 100 index increased by 0.16 per cent, closing at 19,537 points. Sweet gains Sugar stocks surged sharply in today's session, with gains of up to 8.7 per cent after the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) authorised sugar mills and distilleries to produce Rectified Spirit (RS) and Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA) using sugarcane juice and B-heavy molasses. This move is expected to enhance production flexibility for ethanol and other alcohol-based products, supporting the industry's diversification efforts. In a significant move to improve the financial health of the sugar industry, the government, on August 30, lifted restrictions on using sugarcane juice, sugar syrup, and B-molasses for ethanol production in the 202425 ethanol supply year (ESY). Bumper debut Bajaj Housing Finance shares made a stellar debut on the NSE, opening at 150 each, which was a remarkable 114.29 per cent premium over the IPO price of 70. The stock closed the session at 165, marking a 135 per cent increase from the IPO price. While Bajaj Housing Finance's performance was impressive, its success led to declines in peer stocks such as LIC Housing Finance, PNB Housing Finance, and Can Fin Homes, which ended the day with losses of up to 6.3 per cent. Bajaj Housing Finance was the largest IPO of the year so far, and with its current gains, the shares now rank as the second-best performer among main board IPOs. Rice stocks jump post MEP removal Rice stocks, including KRBL, LT Foods Ltd, Kohinoor Foods, and others, surged up to 19 per cent in todays intraday trade following the governments decision to remove the minimum export price (MEP) on basmati rice. On Friday, the commerce ministry announced the immediate removal of the MEP for both onions and basmati rice. Market participants anticipate a significant boost in exports, which is expected to benefit companies like KRBL, LT Foods, Kohinoor Foods, Chaman Lal Setia Exports Ltd, GRM Overseas Ltd, Mishtann Foods Ltd, Sarvesh Foods, Lakshmi Energy and Foods Limited, Adani Wilmar, and others. Adani Green Energy, Adani Power among top performers Shares of Adani Power and Adani Green Energy ended with gains of up to 8 per cent after both companies were issued letters of intent by the Maharashtra state DISCOM to supply a total of 6,600 MW of hybrid solar and thermal power. Adani Green Energy will supply Maharashtra with 5 GW (5,000 MW) of solar power from the worlds largest renewable energy park, currently being developed at Khavda in Gujarat's Kutch District. Meanwhile, Adani Power will supply 1,496 MW of thermal power (net) to Maharashtra from a new 1,600 MW ultra-supercritical thermal power project. Sector 36, based on the gruesome murders of Nithari village in Noida, which were uncovered in 2007, follows a serial killer who lives in plain sight. In Aditya Nimbalkars crime drama, Prem (Vikrant Massey) is the house-help of Balbir Bassi (Akash Khurana), an affluent businessman from Karnal. Bassi rarely visits his palatial bungalow in Delhis Sector 36, but when he does, his actions are also creepy. Prem, taking advantage of his unsupervised existence, far from his own family that lives in a village, abducts children from the neighbouring migrant settlement, mercilessly killing them to satisfy his deviant appetite. Also read: Can pebbling help you nurture better relationships? Sub-inspector Ram Charan Pandey (Deepak Dobriyal) is unmoved by distraught parents wishing to register FIRs about their missing children. The notice board at the local cop station is brimming with missing posters. Cinematographer Saurabh Goswamis camera pans over those images, lingering a moment as you absorb the trauma and distress of these families. In a film about multiple grisly deaths, with references to cannibalism, necrophilia and illegal organ trade, this is the most chilling moment. A bad judgement call by Prem puts him on a collision course with Pandey, who, after finally having a change of heart, works tirelessly to bring the criminal to book. Along the way, he benignly submits to harassment from his superior officer Rastogi (Darshan Jariwala), who happens to be Bassis buddy. Through one flashback scene from 1983, Nimbalkar quickly shows what made the boy Prem into an insatiable serial killer. Prem is fascinated with a TV quiz show called Sab Banenge Crorepati, a tool that is used during his in-camera interrogation when Prem performs for the camera. Massey finally gets to break out of the confines of limited performance space to hold the audiences attention as he unashamedly takes you into his characters messed-up mind. Its a remarkable scene which is underlined by Prems arrogant belief that his powerful master will protect him. Khurana is all kinds of icky and Dobriyal does well to convey an educated man who knows he cannot beat the system, yet cannot ignore his conscience either. Editor Sreekar Prasad keeps the 123-minute drama moving along, even though the crimes are visually tepid and the recreations are slightly scrubbed of horror. Also read: Why preppy chic clothes will never go out of fashion In an effort to balance its cops-versus-criminals story, the film suggest cover-ups and classism on the part of the police, but does not delve into the psyche of either. The police work is scanty, the punishments are fleetingly mentioned, yet the makers suggest that this is indeed how the Nithari murders and investigation panned out. For Mohamad Orfali, memory plays a very strong role in the way he approaches food. It is not just the lingering impression of a taste or texture, but also about the hands that made the food back home in Aleppo, Syria. The city was the capital of gastronomy in so many ways. Food for us was a lifestyle. You didnt just appreciate the dishes but the people who brought all the ingredients that went into the food. So, for me, my mother, grandmother, the kebabji making the kebabs on the streetall these people impacted me, says Orfali. These core memories not just shaped his attitude towards food but also to the people when he started Orfali Bros Bistro in Dubai with his two younger brothers, Omar and Wasim, in 2021. My legacy is my team, who add so much to the restaurant. That is the culture that we create. My team is my family, he adds. The CNN, in its 2024 article, How a family-run bistro became the Middle Easts best restaurant, called the menu at Orfali Bros as a love letter to the brothers Syrian roots and the culinary traditions the brothers grew up with, fused with contemporary Arabic and Mediterranean flavours. While the Orfali Bros Bistro is grounded in Syrian influences, it offers something Orfali calls Dubai Cuisine not Emirati food, but an adjustment of global culinary traditions for the international palette, a way of allowing people from hundreds of different backgrounds and tastes to enjoy a meal together, it further adds. It is this distinctive approach that earned the Orfali Bros its first Michelin star earlier this year, and the best restaurant award in the Middle East and North Africa on the 50 Best List. Dubai has played a key role in the way Orfalis culinary philosophy has evolved. Of course, I am very Dubai-ish. I spent two quarters of life in Aleppo and the last quarter in Dubai. I love the city and its diversity. If you head to any one of the streets, you will find 20 restaurants there, showcasing different cuisines and different cultures, says Orfali. I came to Dubai to learn English, by the way, in 2007. I fell in love with the city and stayed. It was during this time that he got exposed to many different dishes from across the worldbiryani, samosa, dosa, sushi, and even burgers. Also read: The teas of Sikkim Orfali bayildi: eggplant, makdous muhammara, tarator, walnut, verjuice, nasturtium Today, Orfali Bros is part of the strong homegrown independent restaurant movement in Dubai, which are being helmed by talented chefs. Orfali, a former TV chef, is the chef de cuisine and his brothers helm the patisserie section. The menu showcases our journey from Aleppo to Dubai, and the memories that we have built along the way, he adds. And the team tried to showcase snippets from that journey as part of a special dinner hosted recently at The Oberoi Gurgaon during the Orfali Bros maiden visit to India. The Orfalis were here at the invitation of Culinary Culture in association with American Express. There is always an element of surprise in the menu-including the name of the dishes at Orfali Bros. Memories and tradition are rebuilt to reflect a childlike enthusiasm. So, you have a dish named Ooh la la featuring foie gras, hazelnut, quince vinegar and hazelnut miso, or the yum yam, a mix herbs salad with pomelo, buckwheat, peanuts, lemongrass, tamarind and dressing. Some of the most popular items on the menu include the OB cheese burger, the shish barak a la gyoza and the pide, or the teams take on the pizza. Our cuisine is about taste, texture and ingredients. It is these three things that define what we do, instead of starting whether we are traditional or modern, says Orfali. Food is, perhaps, the one thing that speaks to people across nationalities, across borders and languages. At Orfali Brothers, the extensive staff comes from different cultural backgrounds. In that context, food acts as a common language for the staff in a multicultural city like Dubai. Indeed, the various members of the teambe it in front of the house or the kitchen staffcontinue to inspire and influence dishes at the restaurant. One of our staff membersa Filipinocooked chicken adobo for us as the staff meal. We loved it and encouraged the guys to incorporate it within the menu. And today, one of the star items is the adobo chicken wings, he explains. We are a family, we speak the language of food. Every person, who steps into the restaurant, is inducted into the fold of this large family, and is invited to feel at home, feel happy and feel the energy. Caviar bun The impact of climate change can be witnessed as we speak in all sectors, including the food and beverage industry. Orfali is looking at the role that chefs can play in incorporating local ingredients, highlighting local producers, and reducing carbon footprint. We are almost locavore. Sometimes it is hard in Dubai as the summers are very harsh. But Dubai has improved a lot from a decade back in the availability of local ingredients, says Orfali. To him, the concept of face certification is very importantfor chefs to know exactly who grows the ingredients. There are so many good farms in the city and no one knows about them. Somehow, there is a communication gap between the farms and chefs, and I am trying to build a bridge, he adds. The one thing that has got the team at Orfali Bros excited is the lab, which started six months ago. The various members can be seen fermenting and pickling away on most days. Most of the soft drinks served at the restaurant are a result of this processbe it the kombuchas or the Russiankvas.The guys came up with a chilli sauce, which blows my mind, and will be added to the menu as the Orfali hot sauce. It comes across as a mix of the Louisiana hot sauce, the tabasco and the Thai chilli, says Orfali. People often get surprised by the many experiments, permutations and combinations that come out of a kitchen, which is relatively smaller than that of other major restaurants in the city. Everything in Dubai is the tallest, largest, biggest. We are the smallest, laughs Orfali. But on a serious note, we took a bigger space for the kitchen than the dining room, and have still managed to make business. As of now, the team is working on two new projectsThree Broswhich feature star items such as the burgers and the pide, and a Thai concept restaurant. I will be the R&D supporting that concept, but my main focus will be the Orfali Bros, he says. I am a non-resident Indian working abroad. I plan to return to India and live and work here for at least a few years. Am I allowed to keep my local Indian bank accounts? Do I need to open non-resident external (NRE) or non-resident ordinary (NRO) accounts? Should any income from India be deposited only into an NRO or NRE account? How will my income in India be taxed as I am a Canadian citizen? Since you are a non-resident working abroad, you should have converted all your local bank accounts into Non-Resident Ordinary (NRO) accounts immediately upon leaving India to take up employment outside India. Important Update for Non-Residents Returning to India A person immediately becomes a resident of India when he comes to take up employment or to carry out any profession or business here in India or comes back to India with the intention to stay for an indefinite period. Also Read | Does LRS limit apply to NRO account? Since you are returning to India to work here and stay here indefinitely, you will become a resident of India under the FEMA provisions, which govern banking and investments by a person in and outside India. Please note that residential status under FEMA differs from income tax laws and is relevant for different purposes. Since you will become a resident for FEMA purposes immediately upon your arrival here in India, you are not allowed to have an NRO account, NRE account, or FCNR account. Income taxability depends on residential status, which changes yearly under the income tax laws depending on your physical stay in previous years and the aggregate of your physical stay in the past. Your Indian income will become taxable in your hands irrespective of your residential status under the tax laws. Read all our personal finance stories here Balwant Jain is a tax and investment expert and can be reached at jainbalwant@gmail.com and @jainbalwant, his X handle. The concept is simple: For those living in apartments without enough space to install solar panels, SundayGrids helps you buy solar panels that are put up elsewhere. The electricity generated by these offsite panels is credited against your electricity bill. Its a novel solution that makes users feel like they have solar installed at their place even if they don't. Whats more, they dont have to invest the entire capital, just the amount they can afford. The platform will inform about the approximate credit users will get each month to offset it against their bill. Its like owning a fraction of a large solar power system. It's a win-win for climate enthusiasts who want to go solar but lack the space and for industries that want to go solar but don't have the necessary capital. But there is a catch. When one opens the SundayGrids website, a clause stated at the outset catches your attention offsets at tax-free 11.5% XIRR. XIRR, or external, internal rate of return, is a metric used to calculate the return on investment. It also has a tax-free prefix that would imply that theres no tax to be paid on the 11.5% return you get. This could give prospective customers the impression that its an alternative investment option. But it's not. The 11.5% XIRR figure is what customers can expect to save on their power bills annually, said Matthew Samuel, co-founder, SundayGrids. The monthly credit that a customer gets is pegged to the project based on a few parameters, such as cost of power in that location, the structure on which the system is set up, net metering and so on and so forth. These parameters determine the cost of the project and the corresponding tariff," Samuel added. "Also, the tenure of the project too plays a role. A customer most likely will not understand these complexities, so we have worked out the calculation in such a way that across all projects, irrespective of how much money you put, you will get about 11.5% XIRR on your power bill savings annually," he explained. SundayGrids is funded by Zerodhas non-profit fund Rainmatter. View Full Image Mint Where does your money go? SundayGrids lists commercial projects on its website for customers to choose from. Each listing details the projects capacity and the per-unit savings it offers. The website also has a calculator that customers can use to determine how much lump sum money they need to put in to receive the monthly credits they want to set off their power bills. Customer funds go primarily to the solar project developer, with a portion kept as a security deposit and fees. We keep a portion of the capital as security deposit and our fee, while the remaining goes to the developer that they can use for business cash flow," said Matthew. The lumpsum that you deposit includes 18% GST and 1% payment gateway fee, which is calculated on the gross value inclusive of GST. When you exit, the amount refunded is net of the 18% GST and 1% fee. The tenure of each project is 15 years basis which the monthly credit is decided. However, customers are free to exit whenever they want at no extra cost and get a full refund. Once the deal is done, credit is deposited on your account on the SundayGrids platform each month. You can link your power bill to your SundayGrids account and use the credits to offset it each month. The remaining power bill can be paid through the same platform using other payment methods. Also Read: How to obtain a Dubai Golden Visa through real estate investment Not an investment Yash Roongta, founder, ALT Investor, a community for alternative investments, said while the idea behind Sundaygrids is novel, it should not be confused as an alternative investment option. For one, customers sign a service agreement with the company when buying the solar panels, not an investment agreement. Essentially, you are purchasing a service where SundayGrids will maintain the solar panels for you and provide you with credits for the electricity they generate," Roongta said. This also raises questions about the structure of the investment vehicle through which the money flows from the customer to the developer. Since its not an investment agreement, the money collected from customers is not parked in an escrow account or a special purpose vehicle, and it is unclear how the money will be recovered if things go wrong. Credits given for the electricity generated by the panels youve reserved can only be used to offset power bills. You can't convert the credits into real money and send it back to your bank account. The service agreement also states that your unused credits expire at the end of the tenure (15 years). To utilise the credits you have to pay your electricity bills or EV charging bills via their portal itself," Roongta explained. Also, since the credits can only be used to pay the already generated bill, you dont get the benefit of differential slab pricing. The credit cant be set off within the electric bill you get from your energy provider." These factors should be considered by customers who are thinking of getting into this option primarily for monetary benefit. Over the past year of running the largest community of alternative investors, I have seen investors repeatedly make decisions based on social cues, high returns, and tax-free returns, often without paying attention to the terms, conditions, or risks involved. This has led to widespread losses of capital on platforms like Growpital, WazirX, etc," Roongta said. Perhaps Nithin did not intend to popularize SundayGrids as an investment product, but given his domain, any post he makes is likely to be viewed from an investment perspective. As a result of that post, SundayGrids was able to sell off a large solar project within a day," he said. The project Roongta is referring to is Soho 195, managed by Greenlit Energy Systems. There are other factors too that customers should be aware of like ownership of the asset, what happens in the case of bankruptcy and regulatory safeguards. When the customer reserves a solar panel in a project, they dont become its owners. They are either owned by the solar developers who are installing them or by SundayGrids. If anyone goes bankrupt, you are considered an operational debtor to the company. It's unclear how the assets will be distributed to the investor in case of bankruptcy. You have no right over the assets you paid for," Roongta explained. Moreover, this is an unregulated investment option and does not fall under the ambit of the Securities and Exchange Board of India or the Reserve Bank of India. So you can't take any help from them if things go wrong, " he added. Also Read: Net-zero tariff policy: Ease solar panel input imports for a rooftop revolution Miles Peterson caught Lauren Lundgren completely by surprise with his marriage proposal. The two had met in their sophomore year of college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He was majoring in agriculture economics and Lauren in child, youth and family studies. Miles liked her outgoing personality and she liked his easy go-with-the-flow personality. We really clicked right away, Lauren said. Its true what they say, opposites attract. In May of their senior year, Laurens girlfriends told her they were going to do a last girls get-together before their graduation a few weeks later. They decided to meet at James Author Vineyards near Lincoln. In my head I thought nothing of it, Lauren said. We all got dressed up, and once we got there, we went to take pictures and thats where I saw Miles at the top of the hill waiting for me. It was very special. The Petersons were married in March and now live in Bertrand, where Miles farms corn and soybeans. Thats 45 minutes west of Kearney. Lauren, who went to Millard West, said shes adjusting well to farm life. Shes also started her own day care. I definitely had to get used to not getting my Amazon packages in one day, but that adjustment hasnt been too bad, she said. I love how slow paced things are out here, and I enjoy getting to watch Miles do what he loves from start to finish every year. Finding the right time Since Miles is a farmer, they had to pick a day for the wedding that wasnt during harvest or planting. That left us with the winter months or the dead of summer. I was trying to dodge both of those seasons, so March felt like a great in-between, Lauren said. They went for a timeless and elegant celebration, with lots of black and whites with little greenery. Their tablecloths were ivory with black napkins. Centerpieces were white florals and greenery. Our head table was the trickiest thing for myself to think of what I wanted, Lauren said. Barbie at Hy-Vee Florals nailed my vision. Lots of single flower vases all along the head table. It was perfect. Memorable moment Their private first look before the ceremony and sharing their vows together was a sweet moment theyll never forget. Being alone together was so special and a lot less nerve-wracking, Lauren said. We were able to take it all in and enjoy each others words and raw emotions. Band wins over DJ Food and drinks were their biggest expense with 415 guests. They opted for a band over a DJ, but said it was worth every penny. Downtown Collective knocked it out of the park. They were incredible, Lauren said. So many compliments on how amazing their performance was, and I cant tell you how awesome and easy they were to work with. We love them. They wanted their dog to be a part of their day, so they printed a couple of Fathead photos of her and had her on the dance floor. Everyone got a kick out of that. A corny moment saved They were serving popcorn during cocktail hour and had cute custom popcorn bowls for their guests. However, they forgot to pick up the popcorn the Friday before the wedding. Thankfully our wedding coordinator at 402 Events caught the mistake while setting up, and my brothers friend was able to run and pick it up in time for cocktail hours, Lauren said. I had no idea until a couple days after that it all happened. The couple said their Memory Box Photo Booth was a hit. Its called the Glam Booth. It ended up being one of our most complimented things at our wedding, Lauren said. Pizza anyone? Theyve gotten a lot of use out of their Ooni Pizza Oven. It works great for a fun date night at home, Lauren said, and weve been able to make so many different kinds of pizzas. We love it. Rocking his wedding ring Lauren says she never realized how good Miles would look wearing his wedding band. She feels so lucky to be called his wife and appreciates how patient and loving he is. Our wedding day was absolutely perfect because of him, and I thank him all the time for putting up with me during the planning process. He was always my reminder that not everything has to be perfect and the day will be amazing. Miles said Lauren is a gift from God. She motivates me to be a better person every single day. Her compassionate and loving attitude makes every day with her such a joy, he said. She has been the most incredible wife and my love grows larger for her every single day. Close The Petersons walk down the aisle at Kountze Memorial Church. The Petersons share a kiss after their ceremony. The Petersons leave the church. Miles and Lauren Peterson met as students at Nebraska-Lincoln. The Petersons in front of Durham Museum. The reception at the Durham Museum. The Petersons were married in March. They used black and white for their reception at Durham Museum. It was able to fit around 415 guests. "I liked how grand and open it was," Lauren said. The special popcorn bowls for guests. The Petersons held their reception at the Durham Museum. They decorated with white flowers. The reception at Durham Museum. They had 415 guests. The wedding party. The Petersons enjoying their reception. A tender moment during the reception. Fun at the reception before their white flower wall. Cutting the wedding cake. They loved having a band instead of a DJ. Lauren and friends in the photo booth. The Petersons are living in Bertrand on a farm. The photo of Lauren and her friends in the photo booth. The newlyweds. Omahan, Bertrand farmer celebrate wedding at the Durham Museum The Petersons walk down the aisle at Kountze Memorial Church. The Petersons share a kiss after their ceremony. The Petersons leave the church. Miles and Lauren Peterson met as students at Nebraska-Lincoln. The Petersons in front of Durham Museum. The reception at the Durham Museum. The Petersons were married in March. They used black and white for their reception at Durham Museum. It was able to fit around 415 guests. "I liked how grand and open it was," Lauren said. The special popcorn bowls for guests. The Petersons held their reception at the Durham Museum. They decorated with white flowers. The reception at Durham Museum. They had 415 guests. The wedding party. The Petersons enjoying their reception. A tender moment during the reception. Fun at the reception before their white flower wall. Cutting the wedding cake. They loved having a band instead of a DJ. Lauren and friends in the photo booth. The Petersons are living in Bertrand on a farm. The photo of Lauren and her friends in the photo booth. The newlyweds. A recent disclosure by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) revealed that several mutual fund distributors (MFDs) appear to have earned commissions above the 2% cap imposed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi). According to the data, at least 17 distributors had commissions that exceeded the regulatory limit, raising eyebrows within the industry. However, many distributors have disputed the data, claiming their earnings were within permissible limits. One distributor explained that the reported assets under management (AUM) data was incorrect, and all commissions received for mutual fund distribution were in line with the Sebi regulations. Another distributor said their commissions remained within Sebi cap, with the confusion possibly arising from recent corporate restructuring, which involved the merging and demerging of several legal entities within their distribution business. In response to Mints queries, AMFI said that while it consolidates and publishes data from mutual fund companies, it is not involved in their day-to-day operations and does not verify the data provided by individual asset management companies (AMCs). This clarification suggests that any discrepancies in the figures could stem from data entry or reporting issues at the AMC level. Also read: An SIP investing lesson from a Bruce Springsteen concert The AMFI data, although intended to increase transparency, may not always accurately reflect actual commission earnings due to factors such as reporting errors, fund restructuring, or consolidation of multiple AMFI registration numbers (ARNs) under a single group. As many distributors have clarified, its possible that the data is not up to date or has not factored in specific nuances of the industry, leading to apparent discrepancies. The issue raises a broader question: how reliable is the data thats used to ensure compliance with Sebis commission cap, and what processes are in place to address potential inaccuracies? As commission disclosures are meant to safeguard investors and promote fairness, its important to ensure that the data is accurate and reflects the true state of affairs. Why is accurate data critical? Accurate commission data is essential for several reasons. First, it helps maintain trust and transparency in the mutual fund industry. Distributors operate under strict regulations, including Sebis cap on commissions, which is designed to protect investors from excessive fees that could erode their returns. When commission data suggests that distributors are earning above the regulatory cap, it could lead to unnecessary scrutiny, casting doubt on the integrity of both the distributors and the regulatory system itself. For mutual fund distributors, incorrect data can damage their reputation. These distributors play a key role in advising and guiding retail investors, and any perception that they are flouting Sebi rules can cause investors to lose confidence in them. As the backbone of mutual fund distribution in India, these firms rely on transparent practices to build and sustain relationships with investors. Publishing inaccurate or misleading data can undermine their business and lead to compliance investigations, even when the issue may simply be due to reporting errors or structural complexities. For investors, transparent and accurate disclosure of commissions helps them make informed decisions about their investments. High commissions can reduce net returns, so it is crucial that investors trust that the commissions disclosed are in line with regulatory guidelines. Any perceived inaccuracy in disclosures could reduce participation in mutual funds, a key investment vehicle for millions of Indians. Moreover, publishing accurate data ensures that the broader mutual fund ecosystem which includes distributors, AMCs, regulators and investors remains aligned with regulatory expectations. Errors or inconsistencies can distort the picture of how well the industry is adhering to Sebi norms and could potentially delay reforms or lead to ineffective regulatory responses. (Bloomberg) -- Kamala Harris will meet with donors in Manhattan for a fundraising event that is being billed by organizers as a final chance to see Harris in New York before the election. Tickets for the Sept. 22 Afternoon with Vice President Kamala Harris start at $500 and go up to $1 million, an option that gives donors access to two additional events a Liberty luncheon and a reception for top donors and a photo with Harris. Since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July, Harris has largely stayed out of fundraising, leaving that role to surrogates including her husband Doug Emhoff, her running mate Tim Walz, and other politicians including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Instead she has focused her public appearances mostly in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and North Carolina. The Manhattan stop is sandwiched in between one in Washington this past weekend, and another planned for Sept. 29 in Los Angeles, designed to tap into traditional big-cash reservoirs for the party. When Biden was campaigning, his team used the model of large events with multiple headliners of past presidents and celebrities like George Clooney, to bring in major hauls: $30 million in Los Angeles and another $26 million in New York. The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request to comment. Harris campaign has built a large cash lead over Donald Trump. She raised $361 million in August, nearly three times what the Republican nominee reported. When Taylor Hanex, a financial advisor who lives in Midtown Manhattan, saw the Harris invitation, she bought a ticket almost immediately for $50,000, a level that allows her to have a photo with Harris. Its the first check shes written since Harris took the top of the ticket. We want to hear Kamala in person, we want to see the crowd, enjoy the enthusiasm we want to be part of it, Hanex said. I was figuring I better go to this one because she probably isnt going to come back. Hanex was told of the invitation by Melissa Prober, whos based in Brooklyn and is a national co-chair of Women for Harris. This is the hottest ticket in town, Prober said. She sent the invitation to her network on Sunday, which she called her single best day of fundraising during the entire campaign in terms of both number of donations and total raised. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com Last week, when IndiGo connected Bengaluru to Jabalpur, it became the 100th passenger destination for Bengaluru. With 72 domestic airports connected from Bengaluru, it also surpassed Delhi, which is connected to 71 domestic airports, thus becoming the airport with the highest number of domestic airports connected in India. An analysis done on the basis of data provided by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, exclusively for this article throws up interesting information about the top 10 airports in the country and their domestic and international connectivity. How do the rankings stack up? Delhi, the largest airport in the country, continues to lead with 140 destinations, 71 of which are domestic and 69 are international. Delhi remains the most connected Indian city to International destinations. Financial capital Mumbai comes in next with 111 destinations being connected, 62 of which are domestic and 49 are international. OAG recently ranked Delhi as the 24th most connected airport in the world, while London continues to top the charts. Bengaluru comes in next with 100 destinations, 72 domestic and 28 international, which is all set to increase over the next few months. Hyderabad takes the number four spot with 80 destinations, comprising 62 domestic and 18 International. Hyderabad, too, will see an increase of a handful of destinations with IndiGos scheduled expansion taking place in the winter schedule, with flights to Kanpur, Rajkot, Agra and others already open for sale. The two state-owned metro airports, Chennai and Kolkata, are tied at 62 destinations each. For Chennai, the split of 62 is 41 domestic and 21 international, while for Kolkata, the focus is more domestic with 49 domestic and 13 international destinations. Ahmedabad comes in next at seventh position with 49 destinations, 35 domestic and 14 international. Kochi is the only airport on the list where connectivity to international destinations is more than domestic. Kochi is connected to 33 destinations with 14 being domestic and 19 international. Pune and Guwahati close the top 10. Pune has the lowest international connectivity, with just two destinations connected, while it is connected to 34 domestic destinations. Guwahati, the gateway to the North East, sees 22 domestic and five international destinations connected. The next significant targets would be 150 destinations for Delhi and 50 for Ahmedabad. There also remains a lot of potential on the international side if bilateral agreements are opened up. Airports like Pune have artificial constraints in movement since they are civil enclaves at defence airfields, while Mumbai has no capacity to expand. Also Read: How Air India managed to grab its highest domestic passenger traffic ever Bilateral hindrance? For many airports beyond Delhi and Mumbai, the hindrance in international connectivity is bilateral rights and recognition as point of call in the bilateral agreement. Amritsar, for instance, does not feature as a point of call for Air Canada. Similarly, there has been an extreme increase in flights between Malaysia and India; however, the lack of bilateral rights means the 18 airports which have open skies access are seeing growth rather than the metros where capacity has maxed out. There has been very limited revision to bilateral rights in the last few years and in many cases, there has been full or near-full utilisation from both sides. Will there be a change in the policy soon? If the policy involves increasing seats, the connectivity quotient might not improve but if there is an increase in points of call, it will help with more connectivity. Regional peers way ahead India has the ambition of establishing a hub. Apart from passengers, connectivity matters as well. There are two large hubs in the vicinity, Singapore on the east and Dubai on the west. Apart from these, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Doha and Abu Dhabi also have strong carriers which offer one-stop connections to Indians. Singapore, a city-state, is connected to 145 destinations, while Dubai, the mega hub and home to Emirates, which has been jokingly referred to as Indias national carrier, is connected to 245 destinations worldwide. One of the larger issues with Delhi has been geopolitical disturbances in the future. In 2019, Pakistan disallowed overflights to India, following the Balakot strike. This led to longer flight times, amongst other issues. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 16 extended warm wishes for Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi. Taking to X, the Prime Minister wrote, Best wishes on the occasion of Milad-un-Nabi. May harmony and togetherness always prevail. Let there be joy and prosperity all around. President Droupadi Murmu extended her wishes to all citizens. He wrote, On the auspicious occasion of Milad-ul-Nabi, the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, I congratulate all the countrymen, especially the Muslim brothers and sisters. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has set a wonderful example of a human society based on equality. He has also taught to follow the path of truth with patience. On this occasion, let us all pledge to implement his teachings in practical life and continue to be active for the development of the country. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi too took to X wished happiness and prosperity for all. He wrote, Eid Milad-Un-Nabi Mubarak to all. May this auspicious occasion bring peace, joy, and compassion to our hearts and homes. Wishing everyone happiness and prosperity. Arvind Kejriwal extended his heartfelt congratulations to everyone on Eid-Milad-un-Nabi. He emphasized peace, unity, and service to others, continue to guide and inspire people around the world. Many many congratulations to all of you on Eid-Milad-un-Nabi. Hazrat Mohammad Saheb's messages of peace, brotherhood and service to humanity still show the right direction to the entire humanity. Eid holiday rescheduled in Mumbai The Maharashtra government rescheduled the official Eid-e-Milad holiday in Mumbai to September 18 after the Muslim community decided to shift Eid processions amid Anant Chaturdashi celebrations. According to the news agency PTI, the local Muslim community decided to take Eid-e-Milad procession on September 18 instead of September 16. The decision was made with the Anant Chaturdashi celebration in view. Anant Chaturdashi is the last day of Ganesh Utsav, in which devotees take out a procession before immersing lord Ganesha's idol. About Eid-e-Milad The Islamic festival of Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, also known as Eid-e-Milad or Nabid and Mawlid in colloquial Arabic, commemorates the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad in the Sufi or the Barelvi school of thought. It is important to note that Prophet, the founder of Islam and the proclaimer of the Quran, died on the same day. (Bloomberg) -- Floods ripped through central Europe killing at least 17 people, as governments across the region took emergency measures and prepared to spend hundreds of millions of euros on the cleanup. Flows in the Danube Europes second-longest river were at levels statistically likely only once every 85 years, after Storm Boris dumped torrential rain on Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary. Red weather alerts remain in place, with thousands of people already evacuated over the weekend. After a summer of heat waves across southern Europe, the destructive storm mixing cold air from the north with moisture drawn from the warm waters of the Mediterranean may be another sign that climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. Its also forcing governments to set aside scarce funds to rebuild. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is channeling 1 billion zloty ($260 million) to flood-affected areas, as well as appealing to the European Union for financial help. The Czech government may amend its 2024 budget because of the flood-related damages, according to Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura. Austria has freed up 300 million ($334 million) in emergency budget reserves, while Romania is allocating an initial 100 million lei ($20 million) to those affected. The Polish government announced a state of emergency in some regions on Monday, while a similar declaration was made in Lower Austria on Saturday. Romania is poised to declare a state of alert in the two counties hit hardest by the floods, as it looks to speed repairs to houses, bridges and infrastructure. In Poland, the mayor of Nysa has ordered the town to be evacuated as the floods threaten to overwhelm an embankment, potentially putting thousands at risk. Authorities are also monitoring the rising waters in the Czech city of Ostrava and in the nations south. Still, Czech politicians decided to proceed with elections set for Friday and Saturday in which a third of Senate seats are being contested. Austrian politicians canceled campaign events in the run-up to Sept. 29 elections. Polands biggest insurer PZU slumped after reporting more than 3,000 weather-related claims over the past two days, or nearly nine times more than on a typical weekend. That could curb PZUs profit by 10%, according to Ipopema brokerage estimates. Austrian insurers Uniqa and Vienna Insurance Group also declined. The slow-moving cold weather system also brought over a meter of snow to parts of the eastern Alps, with more forecast this week. Thats a stark contrast to the challenge faced in northern Portugal, where more than 500 firefighters are battling wildfires, as temperatures reach a high of 31C (88F) on Monday. Analysis by scientists at ClimaMeter a project funded by the EU and French National Centre for Scientific Research found that climate change means that depressions like Storm Boris have become 20% more intense in the past two decades compared with the preceding 22 years. These are not just isolated natural disasters, Davide Faranda of CNRS France said in an email. Research shows that extreme rainfall is becoming more frequent and intense due to man-made climate change. Hungary is bracing for its worst flooding in more than a decade, with Budapest on the highest alert. More than a million sand bags will be deployed along the Danube in the capital, while roads along the river will be closed this evening. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose government holds the European Unions rotating presidency, canceled all international engagements, according to a post on X. Orban was due to present the presidencys priorities to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France on Wednesday. Cross-border trains have been halted to neighboring Austria, where many intercity rail services have been canceled around Vienna. The national rail operator has advised against any unnecessary travel until Tuesday evening. Water flows on the Danube in Korneuburg, just upstream from Vienna, peaked early on Monday at 10,300 cubic meters per second. Thats a once-in-85-years volume. Kofola CeskoSlovensko, a Czech-based drinks maker, was forced to suspend production at its key plant in Krnov. The company, which has more than 2,800 employees, said it would cope as it had after major floods 27 years ago. The water level in Krnov was higher this time than in the dramatic year of 1997, when my father and I sat on the roof of our production hall, Kofola co-founder and Chief Executive Officers Jannis Samaras said in a statement on Monday. Tomorrow well start with the cleanup. Germany has experienced some flooding in Saxony and Bavaria, with water levels continuing to rise. German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said it underlined the need to accelerate the transition to renewable energy, according to comments cited on Monday by the Funke media group We should be clear about the cause: increasingly frequent floods, disasters like in the Ahr Valley, this year in Bavaria they are a consequence of the climate crisis, Habeck said. We must prepare for more extreme weather events and take precautions. Flood Impacts: Poland: Czech Republic: Austria: Hungary: Romania: Serbia: --With assistance from Zoltan Simon, Konrad Krasuski, Natalia Ojewska, Misha Savic, Peter Laca, John Ainger, Maciej Martewicz, Agnieszka Barteczko, Julia Janicki, Celia Bergin, Gina Turner, Zoe Schneeweiss, Iain Rogers, Irina Vilcu and Andrea Dudik. (Updates with Czechs sticking to Senate elections date in eighth paragraph) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com (The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a market analyst for Reuters.) By Karen Braun NAPERVILLE, Illinois, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Speculators last week bailed on short positions in Chicago grains and oilseeds for a second consecutive week as U.S. crops are finishing under a dry spell and drought is spreading throughout Brazils farmlands. Investors are still solidly bearish across corn, soybean and wheat markets, but their corn views are no longer historic. In the week ended Sept. 10, money managers cut their net short position in CBOT corn futures and options to 132,134 contracts from 176,211 a week earlier. Most of that move stemmed from short covering, but funds added gross longs for a third consecutive week. From late June to early September, funds net corn short was the largest ever for the time of year. Last weeks reduction brought the position nearly even with the same dates in 2023 and 2019, though at this point in those years, investors had just come off the long side and were adding shorts. Money managers net short in CBOT soybeans is still the largest ever for the time of year, but they reduced the position through Sept. 10 to 130,601 futures and options contracts from 154,096 in the prior week. That was due to short covering and a slight reduction in gross longs, suggesting no bullish undertones to funds latest soybean move. Last weeks short covering in both corn and soybeans came despite modest declines in CBOT futures. Prices rebounded over the last three sessions, even as the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed its outlooks for massive U.S. corn and soybean yields. Traders may be thinking that the U.S. corn and soy harvest pegs could move lower from here given the exceptionally dry weather observed over the last several weeks. Eyes have also moved to Brazils top soybean and corn states, where soil moisture has dropped to the lowest levels in 30 years, likely delaying planting. Brazil, the worlds top soybean exporter, has been slated to raise a record crop in the upcoming season. CBOT December corn futures on Friday jumped nearly 2% to settle at $4.13-1/4 per bushel, the contracts highest finish in seven weeks. November soybeans closed Friday at $10.06-1/4 per bushel, slightly below the months average so far. CBOT December wheat has surged nearly 8% over the last two weeks, topping out at $5.98-3/4 per bushel on Friday. That marked a 12-week high for the most-active contract. Dry weather in Ukraine and Russia may hamper winter wheat sowing and export tensions have flared up again between the two major suppliers. A Ukrainian grain vessel was hit by a Russian missile last week, according to Ukraine - the first missile strike on a civilian vessel transporting grains since the start of Moscow's invasion in February 2022. In the week ended Sept. 10, money managers cut their net short in CBOT wheat futures and options to a 15-week low of 29,397 contracts from 42,624 a week earlier. Funds wheat position is no longer unusually bearish for the date and is only about a third as large as their year-ago net short. Wheat futures late last week were nearly identical to those from the same week in 2023. On Monday, traders will be monitoring U.S. soybean and corn harvest progress as well as monthly U.S. soybean processing data, which is expected to show a record-large August volume. Weather forecasts for key regions of Brazil, Russia and Ukraine late last week showed dryness persisting throughout most of the next two weeks, and traders will be watching for any change in these outlooks that could help kickstart planting efforts. Karen Braun is a market analyst for Reuters. Views expressed above are her own. (Bloomberg) -- Germany sent its first warship through the Taiwan Strait in 22 years, defying Chinas warnings as relations between the two sides fray over trade and Russias war in Ukraine. The Baden-Wurttemberg frigate and a support vessel sailed through the strait on Friday, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said at a news conference in Berlin. International waters are international waters, Pistorius told reporters. It is the shortest and, given the weather conditions, also the safest route, he added. Asked about the ships voyage later on Friday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: Theres not much to say about the passage of ships. Its an international waterway. China said in a statement posted on the Eastern Theater Commands Wechat account on Saturday that the move posed a security risk along the Taiwan Strait and sent incorrect signals. Chinas Eastern Theater is always on high alert and will resolutely counter all threats and provocations, spokesperson Colonel Li Xi said. The Chinese Peoples Liberation Army has organized sea and air forces in the area to follow and guard the whole process, according to the statement. Berlins decision to go ahead with the rare voyage risks angering Beijing, which has ramped up military, economic and diplomatic pressure on Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who refuses to endorse the claim that his democratically run island is part of China. Beijing hasnt ruled out taking the territory by force. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning called any transit an act of provocation under the pretext of freedom of navigation this month, when asked about Berlins plans. Such actions harm Chinas sovereignty and security, she said. Germanys move highlights a growing willingness by US partners to defy President Xi Jinping and send vessels through one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes. China doesnt claim sovereignty over the strait, but wants to regulate the waterway and protests transits by foreign powers. European Union countries have been increasing their presence in the Indo-Pacific region more broadly this year, according to Hsu Chih-hsiang, assistant analyst at Taiwans Institute for National Defense and Security Research. EU nations are not likely to send over vessels or troops if China invades Taiwan, he said. But theyre still able to send warship in peacetime to show their concerns. Germany mulled sending a frigate through the Taiwan Strait several years ago but canceled the plan as then-Chancellor Angela Merkel didnt want to irritate China, he said. The US conducts regular transits through the strait, and France, the United Kingdom and Canada have all sent vessels in recent years. Chinas military has become more assertive toward Taipei, earlier this year sending a record swarm of warplanes across a US-drawn boundary in the Taiwan Strait. That comes as Beijing increasingly clashes with US ally the Philippines in the nearby South China Sea, where Xi also has territorial claims. Pistorius sounded the alarm earlier this year over Chinas growing military ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. Fear is growing over Beijings military buildup, he said, also citing its aggressive economic policies and its open quest for geopolitical dominance. Berlin is trying to balance those security concerns with its important economic relationship with China. Scholz lined up with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez this week, calling for the EU to reconsider imposing tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars amid concerns the move could backfire on their domestic industries. Relations between Berlin and Beijing have cooled under Scholz, who has criticized the worlds No. 2 economy for flooding his market with cheap products. The Chinese leaders support for Russia despite its war in Ukraine has become another thorny issue in bilateral ties. Michael Roth, chairman of the German parliaments foreign affairs committee, earlier this month defended his nations actions. A transit is not a provocation, Roth, a member of Scholzs Social Democratic Party and a former deputy foreign minister, wrote on X. We stand for peace and security in the Taiwan Strait and oppose any unilateral and violent changes to the status quo by China. Germanys latest move was likely aimed at warning China against military adventurism, said Lin Po-Chou, an assistant research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taipei. Its becoming important for Western countries to deter Chinas potential invasion of Taiwan in peacetime, he said. --With assistance from Jing Li, Iain Rogers and Tian Ying. (Updates with details from Chinas statement in fifth paragraph. An earlier version corrected the spokespersons name in paragraph four.) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com (Adds closing prices) By Heather Schlitz CHICAGO, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Chicago wheat futures dipped from three-month highs on Monday on profit taking following the previous week's rally sparked by crop concerns in Europe and escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine, traders said. Corn and soy also fell on harvest pressure, while corn futures were weighed down by spillover weakness from wheat. The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) fell 16-1/4 cents to end at $5.78-1/2 a bushel. CBOT corn settled down 2-1/2 cents to $4.10-3/4 per bushel, while soybeans settled down 1-3/4 cents at $10.04-1/2 per bushel. "Wheat's had a good run as of late, but the underlying problems have not been solved," Jim Gerlach, president of A/C Trading, said. "The major growing areas have issues, and those issues haven't gotten better." A smaller crop in the European Union and dryness in the Black Sea and United States that could hamper winter wheat sowing have kept a bottom on wheat prices, Gerlach said. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week raised its estimate for global wheat ending stocks, limiting price gains, analysts said. The USDA is slated to release an update on corn and soy crop condition ratings and harvesting progress in a weekly report after trading ends on Monday. Corn and soy futures have felt pressure as American farmers begin harvesting what is expected to be the second-largest corn crop in U.S. history and a record soy crop. Amid the protests over the rape and murder of second-year PG medical student at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital still gaining momentum, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has again become the target of state Bhartiya Janata Party chief Suvendu Adhikari. Adhikari hit out at Mamata on Sunday, accusing the state CM of focusing excessively on herself during her speech to protesting junior doctors at RG Kar Hospital. The Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, criticised Mamata for being a 'self-centered megalomaniac' for claiming she referred to I, me, myself, mine 76 times in just 9 minutes and 26 seconds speech to junior doctors near Swasthya Bhawan. Thats how much CM Mamata Banerjee referred to and boasted about herself while addressing the Junior Doctors yesterday, when she visited their makeshift camp near Swasthya Bhawan. This is her personality all about, its all about herself. She is a self centric megalomaniac. Thats why its extremely difficult to find a solution to end the deadlock amicably, the BJP leader said in a post on X. The following comments by Adhikari arrived as the state government is trying to end a deadlock on protests by junior doctors in Kolkata against the gruesome rape and murder of the medical student on 9 August. Surprise visit: Earlier on Saturday, CM Mamata Banerjee visited the protesting site, where junior doctors were protesting, and assured them that she would take appropriate action against all those guilty. She also requested the protestors to rejoin their duties. Later, the protesters claimed they agreed to meet without live streaming or videoconferencing with the CM. The CBI has accused former RG Kar Medical College principal Sandip Ghosh of avoiding the registration of FIR following the rape and murder of a Kolkata doctor. The probe agency also said the arrested official gave "deceptive" answers to important questions during a polygraph test. Ghosh did not intend to register an FIR in the case, even after being in consultation with an advocate. Even after he received information about the incident at 9:58 am on August 9, he did not reach the hospital immediately. He did not submit a murder complaint, which was eventually submitted by the vice-principal, who floated a theory of suicide by the doctor, a remand letter accessed by CNN-News18 said. The probe agency recently arrested Ghosh and Tala Police Station officer-in-charge Abhijit Mondal in connection with the rape-murder investigation. According to the CBI the duo had colluded to divert the probe in the hours following the attack. The CBI said Ghosh had received news about the incident at 9:58 am on August 9 but avoided making a police complaint. He eventually made a vague complaint at a later stage through the medical superintendent-vice principal even though the victim was declared dead at 12:44 pm. "He did not try to get an FIR lodged immediately. Rather a new theory of suicide was introduced which is not possible as per external injury visible on the body of the victim that was undressed at the lower part," the agency added. Also Read | Mamata Banerjee, protesting doctors hold 1st round of talks amid RG Kar impasse Abhijit Mondal hatched a criminal conspiracy with other probable accused person, in screening Sanjoy Roy (the main accused) and others, in attempting to divert the direction of the investigation, the remand letter states. The RG Kar principal (at the time) allegedly contacted Mondal at 10:03 am and an advocate at 1:40 pm while a case of unnatural death was registered at 11.30 pm. Mondal reached the scene of the crime at 11 am, an hour after receiving information about the crime, and deliberately registered a case of unnatural death, thus mentioning incorrect facts intentionally, another remand letter cited by CNN-News18 added. Chhattisgarh news: Three Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were recovered by the security personnel from separate locations in Naxal-affected Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Monday. During a road security operation (RSO) exercise from two different directions towards its Salatong security camp under Kistaram police station, a team of 217th battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite unit C-208 CoBRA battalion recovered two tiffin IEDs (homemade bombs or destructive devices), weighing 5 and 3 kg each. The third tiffin IED weighing 8 to 10 kg, placed by Naxalites beneath a road close to Dabbakonta and Pentapad nullah under limits of Chintagufa police station, was recovered by the personnel of CRPF's D-50 battalion and district force during an area domination exercise. The three IEDs were immediately defused by a Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS). Maoists often plant bombs to target security forces during anti-Naxal operations in the Bastar division which comprises seven districts, including Sukma. Also Read | 4 naxalites killed in encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarhs Bijapur On Saturday, Naxalites allegedly killed a 25-year-old man on suspicion of being a police informer in Sukma district. Dodi Arjun, a shiksha doot (temporary visiting teacher), was allegedly beaten and strangled in Gondpalli village under the Jagargunda police station limits. The police said that Naxalites held a jan Adalat (kangaroo court), suspecting the victim of being a police informer, and killed him. Arjun was working at a school in the Jagargunda area, a Maoist stronghold. He had been instrumental in reopening schools that were shut for several years due to the Naxalite threat. Due to intensified anti-Naxalite operations this year, Maoists have been losing ground in Bastar region. Last week, eight Naxalites, one of them carrying a bounty of 1 lakh, were arrested and explosives were seized from them in Sukma district. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Across the world, countries are spending wagonloads of taxpayer money to develop or support their semiconductor industries. This pipeline of cash has yielded some successes and some failures; the difference is usually down to how strategically the money has been spent. The Indian government, which has also loosened its purse strings, needs to figure out a strategy and soon. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, federal budgets have generally been pretty stingy with subsidies. But $11 billion has already been set aside, and largely allocated, to various chip-related projects. News emerged last week that another $5 billion to $10 billion might follow. These arent small numbers by Indian standards. The government might spend five times more on this sector than it does on support for solar panels or autos and 50 times more than it plans for labor-intensive sectors such as leather goods. According to officials, when various funds from state and federal sources are added up, three-fourths of the capital cost of a new semiconductor manufacturing facility will be borne by the government. Yet its not clear officials know exactly what they want from their semiconductor mission. They seem to have multiple objectives, and that always leads to a bit of mess when it comes to designing policy. Is the goal to increase the amount of value added in India? Or to create jobs? Is the governments primary concern reducing Indias dependence on China, or substituting imports overall? Do officials think domestic production is essential to support the creation of a broader electronics sector, or to provide supply-chain resilience to the growing automobile sector? What they say in public is troubling. The emphasis seems to be on onshoring production and promoting what Modi calls aatma-nirbharta, or self-reliance. That is hardly a sensible objective. Not even the US can really aspire to true semiconductor self-sufficiency, given the complexity of chip supply chains. Theres no reason to think India can, especially starting from scratch. Nor should the nation worry too much about strategic dependence on chip imports, as long as a significant proportion come from friendly sources such as South Korea, Taiwan, or the West. Reducing Chinas share in Indian imports might make sense, but semiconductors arent a sector where this should be a concern. A large proportion of Chinas future production will go to satisfy its own demand for chips. Instead, the focus should be on identifying the spots in the supply chain where India can enter quickly and scale up effectively. Fabrication is glamorous, but as multiple countries across the world have discovered, the startup costs can be ruinous. Requirements are stringent as well. Some companies interested in manufacturing in India may have given up because it seemed too tough to secure a reliable supply of ultra-pure water. The private sector needs to be given a freer hand in identifying the right locations for its investments. Most new plants have been steered toward states ruled by Modis party, including his native Gujarat. Officials should focus on addressing some of these questions first. They also need to work harder on an unexpected problem: getting the right workers. India may be the worlds most populous country now and claims to have thousands of engineering colleges. But quality control in higher education is so poor that new plants will struggle to recruit a workforce. Officials are at least aware that one of the biggest bottlenecks is the availability of engineers. If their plans are to come to fruition, they estimate they need between 10,000 and 13,000 trained workers by 2027. Some private forecasts of the talent shortfall are much higher. Restructuring academia to focus on research and training will pay dividends. India should aim to staff not just its own plants, but also to fill manpower requirements in the rest of the world. Fabrication isnt the only place where money is made in the chip supply chain. Design, assembly and packaging together represent about half of the sectors revenue. India already has a fifth of the worlds chip designers, but only 7% of actual design facilities. New assembly plants are coming up and government support for design has been increased. But more could be done if New Delhi spends its money rationally. The real bang for its buck will come through investing in those sections of the supply chain where India may have a comparative advantage. Fabs can follow once an ecosystem develops. Theres no point obsessing over self-reliance when even a giant like the US is only one cog in a global machine. More From Bloomberg Opinion: This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Mihir Sharma is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. A senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, he is author of Restart: The Last Chance for the Indian Economy. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion Karnataka news: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal workers protested on Monday in Bantwal town of Mangaluru, Karnataka, over a social media post. The SP of Dakshin Kannada, Yatish N, told ANI that he cannot disclose what the issue is about. According to visuals released by ANI, police personnel have also been deployed to control the situation. Several protesters were seen thrashing the police barricades while continuing with the protest. Also Read | Lord Ganesha murti in Bengaluru police van sparks row: PM Modi says THIS Another video released by ANI showed the Rapid Action Force (RAF) also being deployed to control the outrage. Will attract legal action Responding to the situation, the Dakhsin Kannada SP said that they had made adequate arrangements for the protest call. He added that necessary steps were being taken to avoid any disruptions on the eve of the Eid-e-Milad festival. Eid-e-Milad marks the birth of Prophet Muhammad and is being celebrated today with processions held nationwide. We are ensuring that no untoward incident takes place in Bantwal or anywhere in the district. There is some issue that is happening amongst a few people and I cannot disclose what the issue is. We just wanted to ensure that everything remains peaceful... Whoever disturbs the peace will attract legal action..., the SP was quoted as saying by ANI. Start combing operation Several X users commented about the ongoing protests, saying that the Karnataka government had to be more adept at handling the issue. One user said that it was high time the Karnataka Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, handled the goons strictly. Another user labelled the Bajrang Dal as a terrorist organisation. One more user further linked the protests to West Bengal. The Karnataka state government should secretly start combing operations to arrest anti-Congress people. Their modus operandi is the same in West Bengal and Karnataka, the user stated. Karnataka Police seized 15 mobile phones, including a Samsung device worth 1.3 lakh, seven electric stoves, five knives, three mobile phone chargers, and 36,000 in cash during a police raid on a barrack of Bengaluru Central Prison on Saturday. The police also recovered two pen drives, cigarettes, beedi and matchstick boxes during the raid. According to media reports, the search operation comes days after a photo of Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa hanging out with gangsterWilson Garden Naga on the lawns of the Bengaluru jail went viral on social media. In the viral phot, the Kannada actor is seen sitting on a chair and holding a cigarette and a coffee mug. Darshan is under judicial custody regarding the alleged murder of a fan named Renukaswamy. The viral image has raised concerns about the preferential treatment being given to Darshan in jail. It is important to note that after the actors photo socializing with a gangster Wilson Garden Naga became viral, Darshan and his fellow accused were shifted to different jails. 12 prison officers and other staffers were suspended. Darshan was shifted from Parappana Agrahara Central prison to a jail in Ballari amid tight security. Surprisingly, the search operation was confined to the barracks housing gangster Naga. The Block 3, where Darshan was being held, was left out of the raid. The police raid, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, began around 4:30 pm after assessing the prisoners. Earlier on Friday, the Bengaluru court extended the judicial custody of Darshan, his partner Pavithra Gowda and others till September 17. The agitating doctors confirmed on Monday evening that they are willing to attend a meeting at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence to resolve the RG Kar hospital impasse. According to a Times of India report, the doctors have agreed for the minutes of the meeting without video recording and live streaming but demanded they should be allowed to record and sign the minutes of the talks. The state government readily accepted the condition, with the Chief Secretary Manoj Pant saying both the parties will sign the minutes of the meeting and copies will be shared with each for clarity. This was a part of the demand by doctors' body, who had said that the arrest of Kolkata Police officer by the CBI in the RG Kar case has enhanced the "need for meeting's transparency". Earlier today, Senior doctors of RG Kar Medical College alleged tampering of evidence in the Kolkata doctor rape and murder case. "We condemn all such heinous crimes. This crime is a fallout of the nexus between West Bengal government and health department officials," said one of the doctors. The doctors alleged there was "tampering of evidence". The West Bengal government "for the fifth and the final time" invited the protesting junior doctors for talks to end the RG Kar impasse, two days after the dialogue failed to take off over disagreement on live streaming of the meeting. In an email to the protesting junior doctors, Pant asked them to reach CM Mamata Banerjee's residence in Kalighat at 5 pm on Monday for the talks. With the protests against the rape and murder of a medical student of Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital passed a month, the All India Federation of Government Doctors Association (AIFGDA) seeks a meeting of doctors, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee be held in a transparent ambience. Dr Subarna Goswami, Additional General Secretary, All India Federation of Government Doctors Association (AIFGDA) said, as quoted by ANI, We want there should be a meeting definitely (of the doctors and the chief minister)...The meeting should be held in a transparent ambience. The junior doctors should be taken into confidence so that they can voice their demands properly and the government's response must be documented either in videography or live streaming. Dr Goswami also asked why the government is afraid of facing junior doctors on live streaming and stated their demands. He said, Why is the government afraid of facing junior doctors on live streaming? Our main demand is timely justice in the case. We want action against not only the rapist and the killers but also against those who tried to tamper with the evidence and misguided the investigation process and the whole syndicate of few doctors... According to latest developments, the junior doctors have agreed to meet the West Bengal CM and will head towards her home in Kalighat shortly. They have agreed for the minutes of the meeting without video recording and live streaming. It is expected that the meeting may take place at 5 pm today. 'Fifth and final time' Earlier in the day, the West Bengal CM had called for a meeting with a delegation of junior doctors at her official residence in Kolkata's Kalighat at 5 pm. The invitation follows a letter sent to the protesting junior doctors by West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, marking the fifth and final attempt to engage with the doctors and requesting the delegation that attended previous discussions arrive at the venue by 4.45 pm today. The letter read, This is the fifth and final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting between the Honourable Chief Minister and your delegates. In line with our discussion from the day before, we are once again inviting you to a meeting with the Honourable Chief Minister at her Kalighat residence for a discussion with an open mind. This meeting is aimed at addressing ongoing concerns related to the recent rape-murder incident at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Protesting junior doctors in Kolkata held their first round of talks with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday after multiple failed attempts to resolve the RG Kar impasse. The meeting lasted more than two hours and reports indicate that the government has accepted all hospital infra development-related demands posed by the junior doctors. The development came after a fresh exchange of emails as the agitators reiterated their demand for the meeting to be recorded. The agitating medics later agreed to a compromise, now only asking to record the minutes of the meeting and receive a signed copy. Chief Secretary Manoj Pant also agreed to have both parties sign the minutes of the meeting and share copies. The doctors have however indicated that their protests will not end at this time. "We decided to not to withdraw protests even after a successful meeting. Whatever happens we will discuss in general body meeting and then decide on future course of action. If the meeting is unsuccessful, we shall have a press conference and announce she didnt agree to her demands, a protesting medico told The Telegraph Online. "We would like to emphasise that the meeting be videographed by separate videographers of both the parties. If not possible from your side, entire video file of the meeting be handed over to the doctor representatives. If that is not possible, then the minutes of the full transcript of the meeting be recorded and formulated by both the parties and duly signed by all the attendees and handed over at the end of the meeting," the agitating doctors said. The situation on Monday appeared to be somewhat different from previous efforts to resolve the conflict with the protesters taking a bus up to the Chief Minister's residence before entering with two stenographers in tow. What are the protesting doctors' demands? The protesting medics have demanded accountability and punishment for those behind the rape-murder and "destruction" of evidence. They have sought strict action against the former medical college principal Sandip Ghosh and the resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam. The junior doctors have also called for improved security for healthcare workers and the eradication of the "threat culture" in government healthcare institutions. Also Read | RG Kar senior medics allege evidence tampering as protesting colleagues meet CM Senior doctors at RG Kar Medical College levelled evidence tampering charges on Monday as their protesting colleagues began talks with the West Bengal government. Medicos in Kolkata have now led a cease work protest for 36 days following the rape and murder of a trainee doctor. We condemn all such heinous crimes. This crime is a fallout of the nexus between the West Bengal government and health department officials, PTI quoted one of the doctors as saying. The senior doctors have alleged there was tampering of evidence and called for the CBI and Supreme Court to expediate the investigation process. Also Read | Kolkata doctor rape case: Protesting medics agree on 5pm meet with Mamata The first round of talks between protesting junior doctors and the Mamata Banerjee-led government began on Monday evening after several unsuccessful attempts. An earlier bid to resolve the deadlock had stalled outside the CM's Kalighat residence after the government rejected calls for live-streaming and video recordings of the meeting. The agitating medics later agreed to a compromise, now only asking to record the minutes of the meeting and receive a signed copy. What are the protesting doctors' demands? The protesting medics have demanded accountability and punishment for those behind the rape-murder and "destruction" of evidence. They have sought strict action against the former medical college principal Sandip Ghosh and the resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam. The junior doctors have also called for improved security for healthcare workers and the eradication of the "threat culture" in government healthcare institutions. Following a recent remark by the Supreme Court on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said that an observation can "dispirit" them. At an event in Mumbai, Dhankhar said that one has to be "extremely conscious" about the country's institutions which are robust and are working independently under the rule of law with suitable checks and balances. On Friday, a Supreme Court judge said that CBI must be above board and it should dispel the notion of it being a "caged parrot". The judge, Ujjal Bhuyan, also said that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest in the excise policy case was unjustified. Dhankhar on Monday said that all organs of the State have a common objective that the common man should get all the rights and India should flourish and prosper. "They need to work in tandem and togetherness to nurture and blossom democratic values and further Constitutional ideals... Let these sacred platforms -- the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary -- not be trigger points of political inflammatory debate that is detrimental to established institutions that serve the nation well in the challenging and daunting environment," he said. By institutions, he said he meant the Election Commission and investigative agencies. Dhankhar said that these bodies perform under "tight situations" and such observations can "despirit" them. Also Read | Arvind Kejriwal seeks meeting with LG Saxena, set to quit as Delhi CM on Tuesday "It can set a political debate afloat and trigger a narrative. We have to be extremely conscious about our Institutions. They are robust, they are working independently under rule of law and there are suitable checks and balances," Dhankhar said. Sebi withdrew its statement blaming external influences for a protest by some of its employees about working conditions. In a fresh statement, the markets regulator said it recognised the role of its employees and promised to address their concerns. Following constructive discussions with representatives of all grades of officers, Sebi and its employees have reaffirmed that such issues are strictly internal and will be managed in accordance with the organizations high standards of governance and within a time-bound framework, Sebi said in a statement issued on Monday. Accordingly, the September 4 press release stands withdrawn. The earlier statement was in response to reports about Sebi employees complaining about their working conditions, allowances and perks. Following Sebis 4 September statement, its employees staged a silent protest spanning several days demanding a withdrawal of the statement. In its latest statement, Sebi acknowledged the critical role played by its employees over 36 years in shaping Indias securities market. Sebi added that it was addressing employee-related matters through appropriate internal mechanisms. Sebi in its 4 September statement had acknowledged that its employees were demanding a 55% increase in house rent allowance and other benefits. Employees had also raised the issue of updating Sebis automated management information system for key result areas (KRAs), which had been designed to bring more transparency, fairness and accountability within Sebi. Sebi had termed the demands as misplaced and expressed its apprehension that junior officers were receiving messages from external elements instigating them to approach the media, the finance ministry and Sebis board. Sebi, however, had stressed that it was not speculating on who the external elements were or their motives. A former Sebi officer said the withdrawal of the earlier statement indicated discontent among employees towards the management and confirmed there was merit in their allegations. This raises the question of who authorized the press release and whether the board's approval was obtained beforehand, this person said, declining to be identified. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Monday said that even though there is no lack of legal provisions to protect women in India, the society needs to let go of its patriarchal social attitude. Chandrachud said that there is a need to foster institutions and individuals to look beyond "male default". "There is no dearth of substantive and procedural legal provisions targeted towards protecting the interests of women in private and public situations," CJI said at News18 Network's She Shakti event. Also Read | Mamata Banerjee, protesting doctors hold 1st round of talks amid RG Kar impasse "But good laws including the stringent laws alone do not make for a just society," he added. Chandrachud also added, "Above all we need to change our mindsets. The mindsets must move from making concessions for women to recognising their entitlement to lead lives based on freedom and equality. We must zealously guard against apparently protective laws infringing women's liberties and choices." He also said that he has learnt "some of the great life lessons" from his female colleagues. "I believe equal participation of women is important for a better society. Before we adopted the Constitution of India, the Indian Women's Charter of Life was drafted by Hansa Mehta, who was a feminist," he added. This comes at a time when the whole country is on its toes following the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. On August 9, she was reportedly raped and killed while on her shift in the middle of the night. On Monday, the junior doctors from the hospital are meeting the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to put forward their "five-point demands". New Delhi: The revision of the national water policy will likely be taken up soon with the new minister to resolve outstanding issues, said water resources secretary Debashree Mukherjee on the sidelines of an event on Monday. The government decided to revise the National Water Policy 2012, which is in force, back in 2021 to address challenges in the water sector, and a drafting committee was constituted. However, due to some bottlenecks, the draft has not come out yet. There were some issues related to revision of the National Water Policy 2012. We will take it up with the new minister to look at the way forward, Mukherjee said during the curtain raiser of the 8th edition of the International Water Week between 17-21 September. Also read | Govt tightens groundwater monitoring, worried about depleting food output This planned revision comes amid extreme weather events due to climate change and depleting groundwater levels. As per a World Bank study, water scarcity can erode India's economic growth to the tune of 6% of GDP by 2050. The National water Policy serves several purposes, including water management and conservation, addressing water scarcity, improving disaster resilience, and providing water to vulnerable communities. To serve these purposes, the government has schemes such as Atal Mission for Rejuvenation & Urban Transformation, Jal Jeevan Mission, Jal Shakti Abhiyan, and National Water Mission. China, Bangladesh refrain The official also said China and Bangladesh will not attend the international water week events in India. Bangladesh was supposed to join but given the current political situation there, it will not attend. However, four foreign ministers and officials from 40 countries, including Denmark, Guyana, Singapore, Vietnam, Morocco and Zimbabwe, will attend and participate in deliberations. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's compared the sufferings of Indian Muslims to the residents of Gaza on a X post. Following this Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre issued an officials statement condemning the statement branding it as "unacceptable", and urged Iran's Supreme Leader to look at the country's own record. Also Read | Shimla mosque row: Muslim panel offers to demolish illegal portion In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the foreign ministry said, We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. The ministry also advised nations that critique minority treatment to first examine their own records. "Countries that comment on minority issues should reflect on their own practices before criticizing others," the MEA stated. What Iran's Supreme Leader said? Earlier on Monday, Irans Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei commented on the suffering of Muslims in Gaza, and Myanmar in a message promoting global Muslim solidarity. In the same message on Prophet Mohammeds birth anniversary, he also mentioned India. In his statement posted on X, Khamenei did not provide specific reasons for mentioning Indias Muslim minority. The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah. We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or any other place. Khamenei had written. "The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah," he added. He added, Today, it is definitely our duty to support the oppressed people of Gaza and Palestine. Anyone who neglects this duty will surely be questioned by God. Earlier, Khamenei had addressed the status of India's Muslim minority on social media. In August 2019, he expressed concern over the Indian government's decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special status, highlighting the plight of Muslims in the region. In a Twitter post, Khamenei urged India to adopt a fair policy towards Kashmir's residents, emphasizing the need to prevent oppression and bullying of Muslims despite maintaining good relations with India. (Bloomberg) -- The US has imposed new sanctions related to the Intellexa Consortium, a web of companies that makes Predator spyware products that Biden administration officials say have been used to target American officials and enable human rights abuses. The sanctions announced Monday target five individuals associated with Intellexa as well as the Aliada Group Inc., a British Virgins Islands-based company. Aliada is a member of the Intellexa Consortium and has enabled tens of millions of dollars of transactions involving the network, according to the US. The United States will not tolerate the reckless propagation of disruptive technologies that threatens our national security and undermines the privacy and civil liberties of our citizens, Bradley T. Smith, acting under secretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement. Spyware is technology that can take over a phone or other electronic device, including accessing the microphone, camera and other data, sometimes without a victim clicking any link. Mondays announcement marks the second time the US has imposed sanctions on individuals and companies connected to Predator spyware. Intellexa was founded by Tal Dilian, an Israeli intelligence agency veteran who started the company in 2019 and has since supplied spyware to authoritarian regimes, according to the Treasury. Dilian was sanctioned in March, along with another individual and five entities associated with the consortium, according to Treasury. In 2023, the US added four companies associated with Intellexa to an export blacklist, which effectively bans use of the products in the US or supplying parts to them. Dilian didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Aliada Group couldnt be located for comment, nor could the five individuals sanctioned as part of Mondays announcement. In 2022, Predator spyware triggered a national scandal in Greece after it was allegedly used to target dozens of politicians, journalists and businessmen in the country. Amid the fallout from those revelations, the head of Greeces intelligence service resigned. A 2023 investigation by Amnesty International and media organizations found evidence that Predator spyware had been used to target United Nations officials, US lawmakers and the president of the European Parliament. A senior US government official, speaking on condition of anonymity to detail the actions, said the actions represent the next step in US efforts to make it harder for problematic spyware vendors to operate, saying they are resorting to a sprawling and complex corporate structures and shell games to avoid detection. The US government has been seeking to track money movements by members of the Intellexa Consortium, in addition to steps it has taken to avoid or circumvent financial sanctions, the official said. The sanctions freeze US assets owned by targeted entities and block financial transactions with them, putting financial institutions that break the sanctions at risk of sanctions or law enforcement. In 2021, the US Commerce Department imposed export controls on NSO Group and Candiru, saying the two Israeli makers of spyware had developed and supplied spyware to foreign governments that used their tools to maliciously target government officials and journalists, among others. --With assistance from Ryan Gallagher. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com CANBERRA, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Chicago wheat futures dipped from three-month highs on Monday but were supported by concerns over crop production in Europe and escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine that could impact exports. Corn and soybean futures also fell as the United States geared up for large harvests of both crops. FUNDAMENTALS * The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) was down 0.3% at $5.93 a bushel by 0026 GMT after touching $5.99 on Friday, the highest since June 19. * CBOT corn slipped 0.7% to $4.10-1/2 a bushel and soybeans fell 0.3% to $10.03 a bushel. * Wheat prices have risen by around 13% in the last three weeks, helped in part by a weak dollar that has made U.S. farm goods cheaper for overseas buyers. * Moscow declined to comment after Ukraine last week accused it of striking a grain vessel with a missile. * Russia is the world's top wheat exporter and Ukraine is a major supplier. The ship attack added to doubts about Black Sea supply after adverse weather hit crops in the region. * Strategie Grains and the U.S. Department of Agriculture again cut their forecasts for European Union soft wheat production after too-heavy rains hit some cropping regions. * "Europe's crop could still see another 4-6 million metric tons in reductions going forward some would say more while the size and quality of the Russian crop could also see more downward revisions," StoneX analyst Arlan Suderman wrote in a note. * However, the USDA also raised its estimate for global wheat ending stocks, limiting price gains, analysts said. * In other crops, the USDA raised its forecast for U.S. corn production and yields and trimmed its projection for soybean production. * However, the U.S. soybean crop is still expected to be the largest ever and its corn harvest the second biggest. * The monthly U.S. soybean crush likely fell by more than 6% in August as processors idled plants for seasonal maintenance and repairs, analysts said ahead of a National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) report due on Monday. * Speculators last week reduced short positions in CBOT corn, soybean and wheat futures but are still bearish on all three. MARKETS NEWS * Asian stocks made a cautious start in a week that is almost certain to see the start of an easing cycle in the United States, with investors debating the size of the cut. (AP)- The Taliban have suspended polio vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan, the UN said Monday. Its a devastating setback for polio eradication, since the virus is one of the worlds most infectious and any unvaccinated groups of children where the virus is spreading could undo years of progress. Afghanistan is one of two countries in which the spread of the potentially fatal, paralyzing disease has never been stopped. The other is Pakistan. Its likely that the Talibans decision will have major repercussions for other countries in the region and beyond. Also Read | Frustrated with White House, family of detained American reaches out to Taliban News of the suspension was relayed to UN agencies right before the September immunization campaign was due to start. No reason was given for the suspension, and no one from the Taliban-controlled government was immediately available for comment. A top official from the World Health Organization said it was aware of discussions to move away from house-to-house vaccinations and instead have immunizations in places like mosques. The WHO has confirmed 18 polio cases in Afghanistan this year, all but two in the south of the country. Thats up from six cases in 2023. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is aware of the recent policy discussions on shifting from house-to-house polio vaccination campaigns to site-to-site vaccination in parts of Afghanistan, said Dr. Hamid Jafari from the WHO. Partners are in the process of discussing and understanding the scope and impact of any change in current policy. Polio campaigns in neighboring Pakistan are regularly marred by violence. Militants target vaccination teams and police assigned to protect them, falsely claiming that the campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children. As recently as August, the WHO reported that Afghanistan and Pakistan were continuing to implement an intensive and synchronized campaign focusing on improved vaccination coverage in endemic zones and an effective and timely response to detections elsewhere. During a June 2024 nationwide campaign, Afghanistan used a house-to-house vaccination strategy for the first time in five years, a tactic that helped to reach the majority of children targeted, the WHO said. Also Read | Polio Vaccinations Begin in Gaza as Israel Allows Pauses But southern Kandahar province, the base of Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, used site-to-site or mosque-to-mosque vaccination campaigns, which are less effective than going to peoples homes. Kandahar continues to have a large pool of susceptible children because it is not carrying out house-to-house vaccinations, the WHO said. The overall womens inclusion in vaccination campaigns remains around 20% in Afghanistan, leading to inadequate access to all children in some areas, it said. Also Read | Pakistan: WHO extends travel bans for 3 months due to ongoing polio outbreak Any setback in Afghanistan poses a risk to the program in Pakistan due to high population movement, the WHO warned last month. Pakistani health official Anwarul Haq said the polio virus would eventually spread and continue affecting children in both countries if vaccination campaigns aren't run regularly and in a synchronized manner. Afghanistan is the only neighbor from where Afghan people in large numbers come to Pakistan and then go back, said Haq, the coordinator at the National Emergency Operation Center for Polio Eradication. People from other neighboring countries, like India and Iran, dont come to Pakistan in large numbers. There needs to be a united effort to eliminate the disease, he told The Associated Press. The campaign suspension is the latest obstacle in what has become a problematic global effort to stop polio. The initiative, which costs about $1 billion every year, has missed multiple deadlines to wipe out the disease and technical mistakes in the vaccination strategy set by WHO and partners have been costly. The oral vaccine has also inadvertently seeded outbreaks in dozens of countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East and now accounts for the majority of polio cases worldwide. Journalist and author Nishtha Gautam earlier spoke about her encounter with sexual harassment on LinkedIn. In response to Gautam's experience, LinkedIn has now released a statement. "People expect their experience on LinkedIn to be professional and free of harassment. Our Professional Community Policies include detailed examples of what kind of content isnt allowed and are clear that harassment, including unwanted romantic advances, does not belong on LinkedIn. Thats why we invest in technology and our teams of experts to keep LinkedIn a professional place that every member of the global workforce can trust," the statement read. Also Read | Woman claims mental health firm fired her for liking post on LinkedIn The platform highlighted its safety features aimed at protecting users from harmful content. "Weve also added an optional advanced safety feature that detects harmful messages. When enabled, this feature allows LinkedIns automated machine learning models to detect likely harmful content, like sexual harassment, within messages and hide it. These updates make it easier for members to report and our team to act. Learn more about how to turn on the setting here," LinkedIn noted. LinkedIn encouraged users to report any inappropriate interactions actively. "We encourage members to report inappropriate comments or messages on LinkedI so our team can help protect them and others. Read more about how were working every day to keep our community trusted and professional here," the company added. What happened to Nishtha Gautam? Gautam expressed frustration over the persistent harassment she has faced on LinkedIn despite her professional stature and personal safeguards. She spoke about one incident that started with an innocent connection request accompanied by polite messages. However, it soon escalated into a series of inappropriate direct communications. Despite her attempts to ignore the unwelcome attention, the situation intensified when the same individual began leaving comments on her Instagram account, invading her personal social media space. An Uttar Pradesh man's peculiar bathing habits have become a reason for trouble for his wife. The newly wedded couple is on the verge of separation after the wife raised objections against her husband's aversion to bathing. According to an India Today report, the man doesn't bathe daily and prefers to shower nearly once or twice a month. However, the report added, he sprinkles Gangajal once in a week for purification. Also Read | Viral baby hippo from Thailand is facing harassment from visitors Newlywed Rajes is a Uttar Pradesh resident who sprinkles himself with Gangajal, water from river Ganga, once every week and prefers to bathe twice a month, reported India Today. After being insisted on by his wife, Rajesh started bathing six times in nearly a month. Improper body hygiene leaves the man in question with an intolerable body odour. Fed up with his husband, the woman approached the family counselling centre in Agra and said that she couldn't live with a man with such poor hygiene. The issue also led to an altercation between the couple, followed by which the woman started living with her parents. The matter worsened when the woman's family filed a police complaint accusing her husband's family of dowry harassment. The family also sought a divorce. The police tried to reconcile the two. The husband also agreed to improve his personal hygiene. But the woman remained adamant on her decision and didn't agree to start living with her husband. The couple will reportedly appear at the counselling centre next week for the case. While the woman's trouble with her husband's hygiene might be seen as a valid reason for divorce by many but there have been plenty of occasions where married couples have separated for the silliest of reasons, including table manners, clash in political ideology, sleeping habits, and even manner of squeezing a toothpaste. After a three-year gap, the Royal Family publicly extended birthday wishes to Prince Harry. Prince William and Kate Middleton shared a message on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The Prince and Princess of Wales wished Harry on his 40th birthday while sharing a wish by the Royal Family. William and Kate added their note to wish the Duke of Sussex: Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex!. This is the first time since Harry and Meghan's controversial interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 that the Royals have openly acknowledged his birthday. No birthday wish for Meghan Markle On August 4, Meghan Markle celebrated her 43rd birthday. Interestingly, Harrys wife did not receive any public wish from any members of the Royal Family at that time. It was the second consecutive year that Meghan did not receive any wishes from her in-laws. Also Read | Royal family wishes Prince Harry publicly for the 1st time after 2021 Since Queen Elizabeth II passed away and King Charles III became monarch, the Royal Family has stopped publicly acknowledging Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's birthdays. Before this change, even after the couple left their Royal duties in 2020 and moved to California, they continued to receive birthday wishes from the family. In 2022, for example, William and Kate used social media to wish Meghan a happy 41st birthday, but such public messages have not occurred since. Netizens react Many Royal Family fans were left unimpressed by the birthday wish. Lets take a look at some of the comments. Sad that you felt pressured into doing this. Especially after accusing William of being a violent bully and Catherine a b*tch in Spare. This is wrong on every level. Sorry, but it is. He disrespected the late Queen. There is no way back from that. You could have done it personally. Try to read the room; it creates a division of precisely what the Sussex has done now for years. Also Read | Prince Harry turns 40: 5 cute photos of Harry as kid Some of them, however, appreciated the gesture. Thank you for being the adults in the room. As Prince Harry continues his attacks this will make him look even worse. Now this is extremely surprising. Fair play William fair play In a tragic incident, a student from Telangana, who had went to Canada to pursue higher education, drowned while swimming with his friends in a lake in Toronto on his birthday. The victim has been identified as Praneeth, fromMeerpet in Ranga Reddy district,Telangana. He had gone out to celebrate his birthday. During the celebrations, he reportedly made a bet with his friends and decided to swim instead of using a boat. Also Read | India sees sharp decline in Canada study permit approvals in first half of 2024 Unfortunately, as he reached the middle of the lake, he drowned. In a video, Praneeth is seen jumping into the lake, while another video shows him taking a selfie with his friends on a motorboat. Despite the desperate attempts by his friends he could not be saved. The victim had moved to Canada in 2019 for studies while his elder brother migrated in 2022. Praneeths father has requested the Telangana government and the Indian government to bring his sons body back to India as early as possible. Also Read | How Indian students can get work visas after studying abroad Both along with other friends visited the lake to celebrate the birthday of Praneeth on Saturday. On Sunday, they went swimming. While everyone returned, the younger one ( Praneeth) did not, the grieving father told reporters. After receiving information, rescue teams arrived at the spot and the body was fished out. The news reached the family here on Monday through friends of their sons, the father said. The incident has sent shocking waves across the state. InJuly this year, a 25-year-old student from Telangana studying at Trine University, had died after he drowned at a waterfall at Albany in New York state. Sai Surya Avinash Gadde had died on July 7 at Barberville Falls, Albany, about 240 km north of New York. Gadde, originally from Telangana, had been spending the long weekend of July 4 in the waterfall area. EAST GREENVILLE Authorities in suburban Philadelphia say they are investigating the death of a man who officials allege charged at police officers with a weapon before he was shot and killed by an officer. The Montgomery County district attorneys office said East Greenville police responded to a domestic call after an 18-year-old called 911 shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday to report a physical assault. Prosecutors said officers arrived to find a man barricaded in the basement of the home and allege that he was threatening to harm law enforcement. Prosecutors said additional police from other agencies responded and there were several attempts to negotiate with the man. Officers breached the basement door about 11:30 p.m. Saturday to find the man armed with a machete and hatchet, according to the prosecutors. They said the man charged at police officers and refused to drop his weapon. An attempt to hit the man with a stun gun failed to stop him, and an officer from the Upper Perk police department in Pennsburg fired his weapon, striking the man. Police rendered aid but the man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after midnight, prosecutors said. The mans name and other details werent immediately released. Prosecutors said county detectives were sent to investigate, as is protocol for shootings involving officers in the county. Anyone with information about the case is being asked to contact detectives. Associated Press Typhoon Bebinca: The strongest typhoon in more than seven decades has struck Chinas financial capital, bringing gale-force winds and heavy rain to the eastern seaboard and disrupting holidaymakers at the start of a days-long national festival. Typhoon Bebinca known as Beibijia in China crossed the coast in the Yangtze River Delta region at around 7:30 a.m. local time on Monday, according to reports from state media. The storm is expected to dump rain across the Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces as it moves inland and weakens. Also Read | Trump Assassination Live Updates: Suspect identified as Ryan Routh Emergency Response Initiated Shanghai, a mega-city of 25 million people, initiated a top-level emergency response on Sunday, suspending railways, closing ports, bridges and highways. All flights in and out of the citys two airports were canceled in the evening, according to the airport operator. Bebinca is the second storm to hit China in a matter of weeks, after Super Typhoon Yagi struck Hainan island in the nations south, killing people and causing widespread damage. The system then moved into northern Vietnam and Thailand, flooding households and swamping infrastructure. Hundreds of thousands of people in Shanghai and other coastal cities were evacuated as Bebinca approached, and the travel plans of millions were disrupted at the start of the mid-autumn festival. Strong gale force winds up to 42 meters per second howled through Shanghai on Monday morning, state media said. Also Read | Second assassination bid on Trump sparks urgent questions about Secret Services Impact and Wind Speeds The typhoon will likely push a 1 to 2 meter storm surge into the Yangtze River, which will have its worst impact on the north side of the city, Adam Douty, a meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc., said in an interview. The airport at Hangzhou, a city of about 13 million and home to Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., canceled more than one hundred flights, state media reported. The city is about 175 kilometers (109 miles) south west of Shanghai. Typhoon Bebinca had maximum sustained winds of 65 knots (120 kilometers) per hour before making landfall, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. That made it equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. Its the strongest storm to hit Shanghai since 1949, China Central Television reported. High-speed rail services have been halted across the Yangtze Delta. Zhoushan, home to some of Chinas largest oil storage tanks and refineries, warned people to stay indoors as rain and strong winds began lashing the city on Sunday afternoon. (Bloomberg) -- Zimbabwes creditors may be willing to consider a debt-for-climate swap with the nation as part of a restructure of its $21 billion arrears. Interactions with the nations different development partners indicate that it is an option that they are willing to consider, Raul Fernandez, the United Nations Development Program project manager for climate development framework told, delegates Monday at an economic summit hosted by the countrys Treasury in the resort city of Victoria Falls. They need to see also some action from the government, this commitment to structural reforms, he said. There is that willingness, they have this in their radar, this option. For a calendar of forthcoming interest-rate rate decisions in Africa, click here. Debt swaps, such as those for climate and nature, are innovative financial mechanisms where a portion of a developing countrys external liabilities are forgiven in exchange for commitments to invest in climate or marine conservation projects. Similar instruments have been rolled out in Barbados, Belize, Gabon and Ecuador, Fernandez said in an earlier presentation. It can lead to substantial debt reduction, said Fernandez. In some cases it can lead to an improvement of the payment conditions. The southern African nation has a window of opportunity which it can seize as industrialized countries are mandated to provide climate finance. Zimbabwe has been locked out of international capital markets since 1999 after it defaulted on its debts. Unable to meet its obligations, interest payments have ballooned. In 2022 it solicited the help of Akinwumi Adesina, the African Development Bank president, and Joaquim Chissano, the former Mozambique leader, to lead restructuring talks with creditors. The nations creditors include the Paris Club, World Bank, European Investment Bank and the AfDB. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube didnt immediately respond to questions sent to his mobile phone outside of office hours. You can follow Bloombergs reporting on Africa on WhatsApp. Sign up here. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com Tech companies of a certain size have long expected an easy ride from authorities, and for good reason. They always got it. Apple Inc, for years abused loopholes to pay virtually zero tax in the European Union while generating record profits there, thanks to special treatment from Ireland, where it bases its European headquarters. Alphabet Incs Google for years was able to entrench its dominance in search thanks to the special treatment the company gave its own shopping service over competitors. Now Google and Apple are getting finally slapped for those blatantly unfair advantages. The EU is forcing Apple to pay 13 billion ($14.4 billion) in back taxes to the Irish government and Google to pay a 2.4 billion fine for rigging its platform. For both, its the end of the line on appeals. Of course, the payments are just a cost of doing businesspocket change, really and the companies can pat their lawyers on the back for dragging the cases out in court for years with endless appeals. But the era of protracted cases is fading. The EU is transitioning to a period where its trust-busters can be quicker andas much as you can use the word to describe regulatorsnimble, harnessing a more efficient legal framework to combat anticompetitive behaviour from the likes of Alphabet, Apple, Meta Platforms, Amazon.com, Microsoft Corp and Nvidia Corp. Until now, regulators had to be clever about how they used old, outdated rules to pursue their court cases. It explains why proceedings took so long to play out. The European Commission based Apples Irish tax case on a violation of the EU State aid rules, which typically concern subsidies or grants. Legally, it was a very creative approach," says Anne Witt, a professor at EDHEC Business Schools Augmented Law Institute. At the heart of the case was figuring out how to prove Ireland was giving Apple selective aid, which was also technically challenging to calculate, Witt adds. But from this year onward, Europes authorities have a whizzy new tool, a regulatory innovation as meaningful to antitrust policy as ChatGPT was to generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). Its the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a law that large tech platforms had to start complying with in March. With any luck, the EU will not be caught on the back foot quite as much, chasing after wrongdoing with investigations that run longer than it takes to put a child through school. Now the big tech platforms have clear rules they must follow upfront. For instance, the DMA states that Apple and Google must allow their users to uninstall default apps on their devices like Apple Maps and Gmail, to promote competition. Google searches also do not highlight results on Google Maps as easily as they did before. Instead of drawn-out legal battles and appeals, the DMA should also lead to swifter resolution: fines of as much as 10% of a companys worldwide earnings, for instance. And instead of narrow investigations like the Google shopping case, the law covers far more ground, applying to everything from app stores to social media. Spokespeople for Apple and Google have both said the companies were disappointed" with the court decisions this week. But Margarethe Vestager, the EUs outgoing competition chief, for whom these cases are a validating swan song, said they showed something important: that even the most powerful tech companies can be held accountable. Thats a growing sentiment across the Atlantic, where an American judge ruled last month that Google had rigged the search engine market and was a monopolistand where for the first time in history, the prospect of breaking up a big tech firm, Google, has begun to look possible. The goal is to eventually create some more room for smaller companies to innovate and enter markets dominated by the giants and reduce the pressure to sell to those firms. For the tech monoliths, the payoff for lobbying lawmakers and keeping watchdogs tied up in court is looking less certain as regulations gather momentum. The DMA is one of the most radical approaches yet for keeping monopolistic practices in check, giving Europeans more control than anyone else in the world over what apps they can put on their smartphones and how their data is shared. How smoothly that transpires through the end of this year and into 2025 is still an open question. Whats clear, however, is that Apple, Google and other big tech players will have to start waving goodbye to the advantages they have clung to for far too long. BLOOMBERG The year 1979 was a pivotal one in Sino-American relations. On a historic visit to the US, Deng Xiaoping, Chinas paramount leader, met with US President Jimmy Carter at the White House and attended the Round-Up Rodeo in Simonton, Texas, where he donned a ten-gallon hat and charmed the crowd. And, reflecting the rapid normalization of bilateral relations over the course of the decade, the two countries signed the US-China Science and Technology Agreement, which provided a framework for regulating technology, exchanging scientists, scholars, and students and developing joint projects. Now, 45 years later, that historic agreement has been allowed to lapse, a casualty of an American presidential-election year and heightened US-China tensions. And this breakdown comes on top of US tariffs on imports from China, prohibitions on exports of advanced technologies to the country, and, most recently, the addition of 42 Chinese firms to a trade restriction list for supplying the Russian military. Economic relations between the US and China have never been worse. The implications are profound, because several of the worlds most pressing economic problems can be solved only with contributions from both countries. And, to address global challenges, active cooperation between the two economic powers is indispensable. That said, there are at least a few faint glimmers of hope. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivans trip to Beijing in Augustthe first by a national security advisor since 2016created the possibility of a constructive dialogue between American President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. More consequentially, the next US administration may better appreciate the need for bilateral cooperation and take steps to rebuild it. A starting point for rapprochement could be collaboration on the regulation of artificial intelligence. Absent such an agreement, a race to the bottom is inevitable, because both the US and China would shun regulations that risked leaving them behind in the development of this breakthrough technology. A rehabilitated US-China Science and Technology Agreement would be the obvious framework for negotiating an appropriate set of standards. Second, there must be cooperation on the climate crisis. Only the worlds largest countries, which are also the largest greenhouse-gas emitters, can lead the way. The Sunnylands Agreement negotiated late last year indicates awareness of this fact on both sides and suggests that there remains scope for the two countries to work together. But progress also requires taking advantage of Chinas prowess in manufacturing green products. By making its subsidies regime more transparent, China could reassure the US that it is not dumping solar panels, windmills and electric vehicles (EVs) onto world markets. The US could then be induced to remove the tariffs that make importing Chinas green-technology products more expensive. In fact, there is a bargain to be struck on trade more generally. If China did more to boost domestic consumption of manufactured goods, the US would have less reason to worry about the bilateral trade imbalance and about Chinas surplus vis-a-vis the rest of the world. Rebalancing the Chinese economy in this way could then prompt a reduction in bilateral tariffs and support efforts to revive the World Trade Organization. China and the US will also have to work together to reduce low-income countries debt burden and help them to finance their green transitions. Similarly, they will have to agree on a regime to limit unhealthy competition in outer space. Their mutual interest in countering the production and trafficking of fentanyl and other narcotics is already obvious. Also read: US and UK Press Ukraine Before Allowing Russia Strikes To be sure, there remain serious obstacles to cooperation: such as tensions over human rights, Taiwan, Ukraine and Chinas failure to help broker a truce in the Middle East. For its part, China is angry about US trade and technology policies. The hope is that the US and China can compartmentalize areas where the two countries have irreconcilable differences and those where they could actually cooperate, as the economist Fred Bergsten has suggested. Whether this proves possible remains to be seen. A future Kamala Harris administration will highlight Chinas human-rights violations and privilege the complaints of American unions. And it seems unlikely that Trump in his second term would turn on a dime and embrace Xi in the manner he has embraced other strongmen, such as Russias Vladimir Putin, Hungarys Viktor Orban and North Koreas Kim Jong-un. This is not to say that US politics is the only obstacle to progress. Last week, on arriving in Shanghai for the Bund Summit, I was asked at the immigration booth whether I worked for the US government. To gain entry, I had to explain at some length that the State of California, for which I work at one remove, is not the federal government of the United States. The questionand the interrogationdid not leave me optimistic about the US-China bilateral relationship. But who knows? There are few certainties in world affairs. What we do know is that without much greater cooperation between the US and China, the world will be in dire straits. 2024/Project Syndicate Barry Eichengreen is a professor of economics and political science at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author, most recently, of In Defense of Public Debt. Arvind Kejriwals surprise announcement that he will step down as Chief Minister of Delhi has left political pundits wondering about his successor. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, who was released from Tihar jail on bail in excise policy case on Friday, said that a meeting with party legislators will be held soon to decide who will replace him for the top job. Assembly polls are due in Delhi in February next year. Kejriwal has requested the Election Commission to, instead, hold early elections in November 2024. This seems unlikely though considering the logistics involved. But who will be Kejriwals successor? The Delhi chief minister has already ruled out his former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia's chances as he, like Kejriwal, will wait for honest tag to assume the role. Atishi or Sunita Kejriwal The new chief minister will assume an interim role until next elections. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hinted at Arvind Kejriwals wife Sunita Kejriwal taking the role. Sunita shot into the limelight after Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in March this year. She was seen issuing statements on his jailed husbands behalf. She also took part in election campaigning ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and in the run-up to upcoming assembly elections in Haryana. But Sunitas chances seem unlikely as Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party would not want a dynast tag to be associated with him. Analysts say it will take away the moral high ground that AAP chief is seeking to occupy with his resignation decision. The other top contender for CM post is Atishi, minister in Kejriwal cabinet since March 2023. The Kalkaji lawmaker, Atishi holds key portfolios in Arvind Kejriwal-led government such as Finance, Education, Public Works Department, Power, Revenue, Law, Planning, Services, Information and Publicity, and Vigilance. A woman to head the Delhi government could make a difference to the womens constituency that Kejriwal has been assiduously reaching out to. In his speech on Sunday, he chose to make public the information that he had sent a letter to the L-G from jail, requesting him to let Atishi unfurl the national flag on August 15 in his place but that the letter came back undelivered, author and political analyst Neerja Chowdhury said in her column in Indian Express on Monday. 'Sheila Dikshit constituency' With a clean image, Atishi could have an appeal for the women constituency that Congress leader and former chief minister of Delhi late Sheila Dikshit used to enjoy, Chowdhury said. A woman to head the Delhi government could make a difference to the womens constituency that Kejriwal has been assiduously reaching out to. Dikshit, was the longest-serving chief minister of Delhi and the longest-serving woman chief minister of any Indian state or a period of 15 years from 1998 until 2013, when Kejriwals AAP wrested Delhi from the Congress party. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has sought a meeting with Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena after announcing plans to resign. The AAP supremo is likely to relinquish his post during the requested interaction on Tuesday. Meanwhile the BJP insisted that the decision was borne out of compulsion and not driven by principle. "The chief minister has sought time from Saxena for a meeting on Tuesday. He is likely to tender his resignation," the party confirmed. Kejriwal had announced his decision to step down on Sunday following his exit from Tihar jail. The AAP supremo and his former Deputy Manish Sisodia have insisted they will not resume their roles until the people of Delhi gave them a certificate of honesty. Kejriwal also sought the preponement of Assembly elections (scheduled for February 2025) to November this year. Also Read | 5 key reasons unpacking Arvind Kejriwals bold move to resign as Delhi CM Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj opined that the entire process (including the appointment of a new CM) was likely to be completed within a week. AAP will hold legislative party meeting to elect its new administrative leader after Kejriwal submits his resignation on Tuesday. Whoever will get elected will present the claim to the President through the Lieutenant Governor. The MLAs are with us. So obviously that person will be called and will take oath, Bharadwaj said at a press conference. The meeting will be held at CM Kejriwal's house at 11:00 am on Tuesday to take a final decision on his successor. Reports quoting sources indicated the name of the new Leader of legislative party will be proposed as the CM. The BJP however described the AAP supremo's move as "drama" and a "confession of crime" and wondered whether he has offered to quit because of infighting within his party. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed that the resignation announcement was part of Kejriwal's plan to make his wife Sunita Kejriwal the chief minister. The decision to resign was a compulsion for Arvind Kejriwal, not driven by principle. The Supreme Court has clearly pointed out that he cannot go to his office, cannot sign any file, then what choice did Kejriwal have? said Delhi BJP president Virender Sachdeva on Monday. The Congress party on Monday announced its manifesto for the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. The Congress party is contesting the elections in alliance with the National Conference (NC). The highlight of the manifesto Haath Badlega Halaat is insurance for all crops against natural calamities and a minimum support price (MSP) of 72 per kilogram for apple. Congress assured to constitute a minority commission in Jammu and Kashmir within 100 days of coming to power in the manifesto released by Congress leader Pawan Khera, in presence of other Congress leaders, in Srinagar. 4,000 fir landless farmers The landless farmers will be getting a monthly support of 4,000, the manifesto said. Our goal is to defeat the forces of obscurantism and bigotry who contributed nothing to the Freedom Movement or the making of our Constitution and whose sole objective has been to subvert our millennial heritage and composite nationhood. It is our sacred duty to fight divisive forces. The Congress party has no difficulty in cooperating with like-minded parties towards this goal, the manifesto reads. Jammu and Kashmir is voting in three phases beginning September 18. The other two phases are scheduled on September 25 and October 1. The results will be announced on October 8. Khera said while releasing the manifesto that 2,500-crore fund will be set up for all district-level irrigation projects to ensure 100 per cent irrigation for farmers in Jammu and Kashmir. For the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, the party promised an unemployment allowance of up to 3,500 per month for one year to qualified youths. The party promised to fill one lakh vacant government posts by issuing a job calendar within 30 days. The Congress party is contesting 32 seats while NC has fielded candidates on 51 seats as per the seat-sharing arrangement in Jammu and Kashmir. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday held one-to-one talks with party leaders and ministers during the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting to find a new chief minister for the national capital. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said, Saying anything right now will be premature and speculative. It is important to note that Kejriwal on Sunday announced that he would step down as Delhi chief minister after two days and would return as chief minister of the national capital when the Delhi public declared him "honest." Bharadwaj, who attended the meeting, said the Delhi chief minister met PAC members and took their views, and a second session of this meeting will take place with the party MLAs on Tuesday. Also Read | Arvind Kejriwal seeks meeting with LG Saxena, set to quit as Delhi CM on Tuesday "Yesterday, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal announced that he will step down on Tuesday. In this regard, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal convened a PAC meeting, attended by all senior leaders and cabinet ministers of Delhi. He had one-on-one discussions with all leaders and ministers about the new CM. Tomorrow, a second session of this meeting will take place with the MLAs," ANI quoted Bharadwaj as saying. Also Read | 5 key reasons unpacking Arvind Kejriwals bold move to resign as Delhi CM The party, in an office notice, said the legislative party meeting will be held tomorrow, September 17, at 11 am at the CMs residence to finalise the name of the chief minister for the national capital. The party further said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to tender his resignation to Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena at the LG Secretariat at 4:30 pm on Tuesday, and the name of the new Leader of the legislative party will be proposed as the CM. It is important to note that the Delhi chief minister has also advocated for advancing Assembly elections in the national capital to November this year, which is scheduled to be held in February next year. The full moon looms over the Washington Monument, while NASA's Hubble reveals the Bubble Nebula, a 7-light-year structure formed by a massive star. This star emits gases at extreme temperatures, creating vibrant colors. Astronauts aboard the ISS experience the Overview Effect, reshaping their perception of Earth. Check out the pictures here: Also Read | Boeing silent amid Starliner saga, but NASA hopeful of its commitment The Moon A glowing full moon rises above the Washington Monument. The top quarter of the monument, covered in scaffolding, is visible, with its triangular tip appearing to point to the pale Moon above, which appears in this photo to be roughly twice as wide as the monument. The Moon is wreathed in thin clouds which give it a hazy appearance. A light-blue-colored bubble, with a small pink star on the upper-left side of the bubble, floats in space. Dense pillars of cool hydrogen gas laced with dust appear at the upper-left of the image, and more 'fingers' can be seen nearly face-on, behind the translucent bubble. This stylish sphere, spotted by NASA Hubble, is known as the Bubble Nebula. Residing 7,100 light-years from Earth, the Bubble Nebula itself is a whopping 7 light-years across. The seething star that forms this nebula is 45 times more massive than our Sun! Gas on the star gets so hot that it escapes away into space as a stellar wind moving at over four million miles per hour (6.4 million kph). The gases, heated to varying temperatures, emit different colors: blue for oxygen, green for hydrogen, and red for nitrogen. The Bubble Nebula formed about four million years agoand in 10 to 20 million years, the star at its core will likely detonate as a supernova. This is soo pretty, commented a user on NASA's post, while another wondered how gas in space can turn into colours? Also Read | NASA Images: Top 5 images of stars and galaxies from outer space Waxing Gibbous Moon The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 265 miles above the US state of Minnesota on 17 December 2021. Stars of varying brightness are pictured above Earth, as a yellow-green haze glows over Earths atmosphere. Clouds appear to be in motion over a body of water. Observing Earth from space can alter an astronauts cosmic perspective, a mental shift known as the Overview Effect. First coined by space writer Frank White in 1987, the Overview Effect is described as a feeling of awe for our home planet and a sense of responsibility for taking care of it. The Overview Effect can create powerful shifts in the way you think about Earth and life. The words beautiful and fragile are often used by astronauts to describe the experience. As the International Space Station was soaring 262 miles (422 kilometers) above Western Australia, NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps captured this long-duration shot, or an image captured by camera set to a lower shutter speed. To this picture was liked by over 755,100 people, as the users commented: The earth gained green aura. Orange waves of hot gas, resembling the curved legs of a black widow spider, surround a pinkish glowing core in this image of a planetary nebula. The background is spotted with white points of light. NASA Hubble telescope caught this glimpse of the Red Spider Nebula, a planetary nebula 3,000 light-years from Earth. It can be found in the constellation of Sagittarius. Electronic systems do not respond well to highly charged particles. Accelerated to near the speed of light by Earths magnetic field, such particles pack enough kinetic energy to cause damage. History offers ample evidence of the consequences: in 1859 a massive solar storm known as the Carrington event started fires at telegraph stations. A century later, a big American nuclear test called Starfish Prime released enough energetic particles to fry a third of all satellites then in orbit. Hot" or killer" electrons, as such harmful particles are also known, tend to be dragged by Earths magnetic field into one of two doughnut-shaped belts of radiation that circle the planet. For decades scientists have wondered if these belts could be emptied of their electrons on command, a process they call radiation-belt remediation (RBR). In recent years, work on RBR has accelerated, with encouraging progress. Much of the R&D is undertaken, in some cases discreetly, by Americas departments of defence and energy. Such work has acquired a new urgency. In early 2024 allegations emerged of Russian plans to park a nuclear weapon illegally in a crowded band of space. A detonation there could destroy a greater proportion of satellites than Starfish Prime did, as most of todays space kit is commercial and lacks military hardening" against a nuclear detonations particle storm. Dennis Papadopoulos, a professor emeritus at the University of Maryland, sees this as a catalyst for a new (and secretive) RBR initiative at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) for which he is to serve as adviser. Such efforts are not as fanciful as they sound, says Allison Jaynes, a space physicist at the University of Iowa. Lightning bolts, for example, do a form of RBR all the time. This is because the radio waves they generate exert pressure on hot electrons, causing them to descend into the atmosphere, where they collide with air molecules and rapidly lose energy in a process known as precipitation. Dr Jaynes describes this effect as a complete wipeout" of nearby radiation belts. The wavelengths needed to precipitate energetic particles range from roughly 10km to 100km. Generating such great wavelengths, and therefore low frequencies, is hard, though not impossible. A few navies emit such very low frequency" (VLF) radio waves for communication with submerged submarines, with the help of antennae hundreds of metres high. As it stands, though, says Craig Rodger, a physicist at the University of Otago in New Zealand, if Americas navy switched its handful of transmitters from talk-to-the-subs mode" to the best frequencies for RBR, they wouldnt be able to precipitate hot electrons fast enough to save satellites. The problem is the ionosphere, which begins about 80km above Earths surface. Here, incoming solar radiation strips electrons from atoms and molecules, creating a layer of electrons that interfere with radio waves. At night, the ionosphere weakens them by a factor of about 100, says Dr Rodger. By day, the attenuation is an order of magnitude greater. Aiming higher Some are searching for workarounds with experimental antennae. Using $750,000 of American air-force money, Morris Cohen and his team at Georgia Tech in Atlanta built a specialised 275m-long antenna, designed to hop between different frequencies, and laid it horizontally in a field in Oklahoma in the summer of 2023. The flexibility such frequency-hopping confers means particles with a range of energy levels can be targeted. Whats more, Dr Cohen notes, as particles in different regions of space are susceptible to different frequencies, such a tool should make it easier to clear priority orbits. Though no breakthroughs have been achieved so far, Dr Cohen hopes a similarbut costlierupright antenna may offer improvements. Others hope to bypass the ionosphere altogether. In 2019 Americas Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) launched a unique satellite called DSX to a height of between 6,000 and 12,000km above Earth. In a feat of engineering, it deployed an 80-metre, 10,000-volt transmitting antenna (with the longest span of any uncrewed spacecraft). For nearly two years, the spacecraft generated VLF radio waves that knocked energetic particles down into Earths atmosphere. Michael Starks, AFRLs head for RBR, says the mission showed that an orbiting craft could protect space assets from nuclear attack. Wilder ideas are afoot. The Department of Energys Los Alamos National Laboratory aims to use a space-based electron beam to, in essence, manufacture lightning. The NRL, for its part, seeks to launch a rocket that would release 1.5kg of barium, a metal, into the ionosphere, where sunlight strips off electrons. Earths magnetic field would cause the resulting barium ions to spiral, generating an electric current that could, in turn, produce electron-precipitating radio waves. Such approaches come with risks. By-products created by the precipitation of the highest-energy particles nibble away at stratospheric ozone, which shields Earth from ultraviolet solar radiation. Just how damaging a big RBR operation would be remains unknown, says the University of Iowas Dr Jaynes. The hope, says Dr Starks of the AFRL, is that if America can demonstrate an effective countermeasure to a nuclear attack on satellites, no adversary would give it a shot. Solar storms, however, will not be so easily deterred. Top US State Department and National Security Council officials had candid and productive discussions with Chinese officials in Beijing as part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication and build on recent high-level diplomacy between the two countries, according to a readout from the US State Department. The US is entering a riskier season for spread of H5N1 bird flu. Heres why experts are worried At the start of this summer, I downloaded a dating app for the first time in over two years. My last major foray into online dating took place during the nine or so months I spent living and working in Dublin, as you do. I was gonna be fancy-free and footloose, like Carrie Bradshaw but drinking Guinness instead of Cosmos, living it up in the Big Smoke. What I got was a litany of flings, most fizzling out before I even got off the night bus back home, and enough disappointment to make me swear off apps completely until a few months ago, but things werent much better when I reinstalled them. The endless swiping, the inane first messages, being left on read and ghosted left me feeling just as low as before. I wasnt alone. A Forbes Health survey published this July shows that four out of five people on dating apps feel burned out from using them. Failure to find a good connection with someone and being disappointed by people (i.e. being ghosted or lied to) were the two most common reasons people gave for burnout. One group of exhausted would-be daters even launched a class-action lawsuit this Valentine's Day against the company that owns Tinder, Hinge and Match, accusing them of game-ifying dating apps and trapping us all in a miserable spiral of swiping for the one. Burnout is higher among younger generations, like.e, and who are now leading the way back to more real-life ways of meeting the one. Samantha Keating runs Your Friend My Friend, a speed dating and singles events company that runs events in Dublin, Galway and Limerick. Originally from Canada, she and her Irish-born husband Eoin started the events last year to help a friend looking for connections. One of my friends was moving here from Canada, and she'd been in all the apps and she's just sick of it. So I just said why don't we try doing a speed dating night and so we did one for charity. And then it just went really well. I stumbled across YFMFs first Limerick singles BBQ on Instagram just after I had reinstalled my apps, at the end of May. Was it the algorithm or just chance? I wasnt sure, but I was ready to give it a try. The BBQ is ticketed, to ensure an equal number of single men and women. Upon my arrival I was handed a glass of bubbly (non-alcoholic options were offered) and a little pink cartoon card. This was an ice-breaker game where we had to go off and find our match - the person of the opposite gender with the matching card. (YFMF updated this process for their most recent Limerick event on Saturday, September 7: you now take a quick compatibility test when you walk in which provides you with the names of your top 3 matches). My match found me pretty quickly, a nice guy whod just moved to to the city and was looking for a connection. We chatted while we finished our complimentary bubbly, but no real sparks were flying so we wished each other well and went our separate ways. Leaning into the Sex and the City vibe of being a journalist at a dating event, I ordered a cosmo and circled about. It felt like a work party at a big company, where everyone vaguely knows each other by sight or by email signature, and so you feel free to strike up a conversation with someone you've never spoken to. There was a safety aspect too: everytime I went to the ladies, complete strangers and I warned each other and laughed over the antics of certain wannabe Romeos. I also saw one girl tap another on the shoulder and start chatting, to get away from one particularly keen admirer. Oh god thanks for that," she said, after he took the hint and walked off. Thanks for pretending like we knew each other. A quick search on Eventbrite shows that YFMF arent the only ones tapping into this new-found nostalgia for old-school dating. Singles and dating events saw a whopping 42% boost in attendance from 2022 to 2023, according to stats from the events site. When you're in a venue and everyone is single, and wants to be chatted up, it's a lot easier to approach someone,Samantha said. You can tell so much about someone when you meet them in person, she continued. There's so many people on apps putting on a portrayal of who they want to be rather than who they are, so when you meet them, they never live up to that. It's very different meeting somebody out, you know if you're attracted to them and I think it's so different than all the build up and anticipation, sometimes for nothing. After they broke out the food (it was a BBQ after all), I found myself in a corner with a group of hopeful single gals and asked what had drawn people to try dating offline. Something different; A bit of fun; sick of getting nowhere on apps were the main reasons people gave, and although I was unsuccessful in finding my happy-ever-after on that particular day, others have reported more luck. Many people get in touch with Samantha to say theyve set up a second date with someone they meet at an event. We've had a lot of people come back and tell us they've gotten multiple dates or started relationships, and we've actually had one couple get engaged even though it was just last year that they met so there's already one happy ending so far. And her friend from Canada, who started it all? Samantha tells me though things didnt work out for her at the first event, shes now happily in a relationship. And where did she meet him? At a speed dating event So they do work? Yes! Local News By Chris Boyle Published: September 16 2024 The Resident Artist Membership Program offers a unique opportunity for Long Island-based visual and interdisciplinary artists to hone their craft. The Art League of Long Island is thrilled to announce the selection of four exceptional artists for their Resident Artist Membership Program. These accomplished individuals represent a diverse range of artistic practices and bring their unique perspectives to the program. They will embark on a year-long journey of artistic exploration and community engagement, from September 1, 2024, and concluding on August 31, 2025. In light of the Art Leagues temporary closure due to water damage in the fall of 2023, the current Resident Artist Members have had their residencies extended by four months. This extension, through December 2024, is aimed at making up for lost time and ensuring they fully benefit from the resources and opportunities the program provides. The Resident Artist Membership Program offers a unique opportunity for Long Island-based visual and interdisciplinary artists to hone their craft within the inspiring environment of the Art League of Long Island. With a rich legacy spanning over six decades, the Art League of Long Island has been a nurturing hub for artistic talent, and this program continues that tradition by providing artists with unparalleled resources and support. Selected Resident Artist Members will have access to state-of-the-art studios, a diverse array of classes, and the freedom to shape their creative journey through self-guided exploration. Throughout their residency, they will actively participate in community building at the Art League of Long Island, fostering connections with fellow artists and students. One of the program's highlights is the chance for Resident Artist Members to teach a one-day workshop to the general public, sharing their unique artistic perspectives and skills with a broader audience. This invaluable teaching experience will help these artists further develop their abilities and give back to the artistic community. As part of their membership benefits, Resident Artist Members will receive 50 free hours of class time per semester, helping them expand their skill set and knowledge. Additionally, they will have unlimited access to available studios, including specialty studios such as ceramics and jewelry, after receiving necessary training. The Resident Artist Members will also enjoy the rich resources of the Lorraine Graves Grace Memorial Library, which houses over 2,500 art books. This library is a treasure trove for artists seeking inspiration and knowledge. Moreover, their work and artistic journeys will be promoted on the Art League of Long Island's website and social media platforms (@artleagueli), providing them with increased visibility and recognition. Resident Artist Members will have the privilege of exhibiting their work in the annual Member's Exhibition at the Jeanie Tengelsen Gallery. Furthermore, they will collaborate to create a group show in the Art League's Strolling Gallery, showcasing their collective talent and creativity. To be a part of this program, Resident Artist Members commit to volunteering in the studios, office and gallery for a minimum of 6 hours per month, engaging in various community-building initiatives. They will also have opportunities to propose and lead volunteer projects, contributing to the growth and vibrancy of the Art League of Long Island. The four selected artists for the 2024-2025 Resident Artist Membership Program are: Christine Donnelly (Deer Park, NY): Christine is a mixed media abstract artist who finds inspiration in nature, metaphysics, and travel. Her work incorporates natural and upcycled elements, with a philosophy rooted in wabi-sabi. She frequently uses acrylics, inks, and handmade collage papers in her artwork. CJ Escobar Rodgers (Sayville, NY): CJ is a multidisciplinary artist whose work critiques humanism and re-examines the place of humans in the world. They utilize a variety of techniques such as ceramics, weaving, woodworking, and metalworking, drawing from themes of perception, materialism, and societal development. Anna Laimo (Smithtown, NY): Anna works primarily in oil painting and printmaking, creating surreal, satirical art pieces featuring fantastical creatures and plant life. She explores the freedom of painting and the structure of printmaking, producing emotionally evocative works. Emily Ginty (Massapequa, NY): Emily specializes in creating detailed miniature charms using polymer clay. Her meticulous process involves sketching designs and using household objects to embellish and perfect her creations, showcasing a blend of creativity and precision. The Art League of Long Island congratulates these exceptional artists and looks forward to a year of artistic growth, collaboration, and community enrichment. For more information about the Resident Artist Membership Program and the Art League of Long Island, please visit www.artleagueli.org. About the Art League of Long Island: The Art League of Long Island is a dynamic visual arts center serving artists and the Long Island community since 1955. Located in Dix Hills, New York, the Art League offers a wide range of classes, workshops, exhibitions, and community engagement opportunities throughout the year. Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant (right) meets with Amos Hochstein, senior advisor to US President Joe Biden, on September 16 in Tel Aviv. (Ariel Hermoni, Israeli Ministry of Defense photo) Amos Hochstein, a senior advisor to President Joe Biden, held meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant on September 16. The meetings happened a day after Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen launched a long-range missile at central Israel. They also came amid rising tensions between Hezbollah and Israel and a push for Israel to launch a military operation to clear the Iranian-backed group from Israels northern border. Netanyahu met with Hochstein in Tel Aviv at the Kirya, the site of Israels Ministry of Defense, and discussed Hezbollahs threat. The Prime Minister made it very clear that it will not be possible to return our residents without a fundamental change in the security situation in the north, a statement from Netanyahus office noted. Netanyahu said Israel would do what is necessary to protect its security and bring back the 60,000 Israelis who have been evacuated since Hezbollah began its attacks on Israel last October. Gallant also met with Hochstein, along with US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew, in a separate meeting at Ministry of Defense Headquarters, according to a statement from his office. Other attendees were Shachar Katz, Gallants chief of staff, Brigadier General Guy Markizano, Gallants military secretary, and Brigadier General Benny Gal, head of the IDFs Strategic Division. The Israeli defense minister highlighted the need for Israel to change the security situation in the north. Gallant briefed Hochstein on the IDFs current operations and noted that Hezbollahs refusal to separate itself from the Gaza conflict is forcing Israel to choose expanded military action. The only way left to ensure the return of Israels northern communities to their homes will be via military action, Gallants office noted in a statement about the meeting. Gallant provided a similar assessment to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during a call overnight between September 15 and September 16. The possibility for an agreed framework in the northern arena is running out as Hezbollah continues to tie itself to Hamasthe trajectory is clear, Israels defense minister said. Gallants statements come as reports indicate that Major General Ori Gordin, head of the IDFs Northern Command, is also pushing for military action against Hezbollah. In addition, on September 15, reports noted that an IDF brigade commander had ordered fliers to be dropped on the other side of the border between Metula and Ghajar, warning Lebanese in the area to leave. The move raised eyebrows because Israel has dropped fliers in Gaza to warn civilians to leave before operations have taken place against Hamas. However, the fliers in southern Lebanon were characterized as a local initiative by the IDFs 769th Brigadenot approved by higher commanders. The unit, which operates in the region of Kiryat Shmona and protects local communities along the front line with Lebanon, is the eastern brigade of the IDFs 91st Division responsible for securing the border with Lebanon. The fliers, apparently dropped by a small drone, warned people to leave fields between the Israeli communities of Metula and Ghajar, which are in a disputed area along the border. Hezbollah uses this area to carry out frequent attacks on Metula and other Israeli communities near Kiryat Shmona. For instance, Kibbutz Dan, near Metula, was struck by an anti-tank missile that injured one person on September 11. An IDF statement issued on the evening of September 16 underpinned the threat posed to Metula from the other side of the border. [F]ollowing the sirens that sounded at 20:13 in the area of Metula, one projectile was identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory and falling in an open area. No injuries were reported. A hit in a structure in the area was identified. No injuries were reported, the IDF said. Hezbollah carried out at least eight rounds of attacks on northern Israel on September 16, spurring alert sirens in the Golan and numerous communities in northern Galilee. Eight rockets were fired at northern Israel in one attack, whereas 10 were fired toward the community of Ramot Naftali, which is in a line of hills near Lebanon. The constant rocket fire and drone attacks illustrate that Hezbollah is not deterred by the increasing rhetoric in Israel calling for a military operation in southern Lebanon. Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDDs Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel's Battle for Security in Gaza (2024). Apple has released iOS 18, and its full of big new features such as new Home Screen customization options, an all-new Control Center, RCS support and other Messages features, and a brand new Photos app. Apple Intelligence is coming piece-by-piece starting with iOS 18.1, but theres still a lot of great new stuff in this first iOS 18 release. After you download and apply the update, have your evening full just trying out and learning all the new major features, but sometimes its the little tweaks and changes that can have the most impact on how you use your iPhone. Here are some of the smaller, lesser-known features and changes that didnt get a lot of hype, but can make a real difference for you. Phone improvements Recent calls search lets you find previous calls using the number, name, or even words left in the transcribed voicemail. The microphone will automatically select Voice Isolation, Wide Spectrum, or Standard depending on conditions. You can still manually change it in the Control Center. Foundry Foundry Foundry Keypad search lets you start typing numbers on the keypad and it will use both the numbers and alpha-numeric letters to search your contacts. Photos There are tons of changes to PhotosApple has made the Photos revamp a marquee feature of iOS 18. But make sure you scroll down and check out the Utilities section. This helpful area organizes your photos by categories such as Receipts, QR Codes, Documents, photos with handwriting, photos with illustrations/drawings, and so on. Foundry Foundry Foundry Remember to scroll down to the very bottom in the Photos app and select Customize & Reorder to choose which categories you want to appear and the order you want them in. The new Photos app gets a lot better when you customize it! Messages Satellite connectivity is not just for SOS and emergency roadside assistance anymore. You can send messages (SMS and iMessage) to friends or family and update your Find My location with it, too. If youre disconnected from your mobile network for a while, an alert will guide you through the process. Text effects and formatting will change your iMessages forever (and theyre just for iMessages). Look for the =A symbol at the right of the word suggestion bar or highlight a word and select Text Effects in the overhead menu. Foundry Foundry Foundry Wondering how RCS works? If youre sending an RCS message to an Android user youll see Text Message RCS in the text entry field instead of Text Message SMS. If you want to want to see if your carrier supports RCS, open Settings > General > About and scroll down to Carrier. Tap on that Carrier line and it will change to IMS Status. If it says Voice, SMS & RCS, youre good to go. Need to schedule an iMessage to send in the future? Type your message, hit the + sign on the left of the text entry field, and then choose Send Later. Lock Screen Dont forget to change your Lock Screen shortcuts! Youre not stuck with just the flashlight and camera anymore! Long-press on your lock screen, tap Customize, then Lock Screen, just as you would to edit your wallpaper and widgets. You can open any app, Shazam a song, scan a QR code, turn on Airplane Mode, execute a shortcut, and so much more. And its not on the Lock screen, but your Action button (Settings > Action button) can also execute any of these controls. Maps To use the new topographical maps just zoom in on an area outside the city near national parks or trails. Just note, theyre only available in the U.S. and Japan for now. Search for hiking to bring up hiking trails, and tap on one to create a custom route. You can go one way, there and back, or close a loop, and youll see the distance, time the hike should take, and an elevation graph. Hiking routes are only in the United States for now. Foundry Foundry Foundry Calculator At first glance the Calculator app wont seem very different. But tap the list icon in the upper-left corner and youll see a history of your past calculations. Tap to jump back into it or ong-press for the option to copy the expression or the result. Tap the Calculator icon in the lower-left to switch between standard, scientific, and Math Notes. Theres a nice unit converter there, too. Foundry Foundry Foundry Calendar In the month view, pinch to zoom in and out, showing more or less of your events on each day. Youll also see reminders will show up in the Calendar app too, if theyve got an assigned date/time. Camera The 3-second shutter timer was too short, and the 10-second was too long. Now theres a new 5-second timer. And if you hate how music playing in your car or on a Bluetooth speaker stopped when you took a photo or video, that wont happen anymore. Check out the new Portrait Lighting controls and Night mode portraits, too. Files You can long-press on a file and choose Keep Downloaded to make sure a document will stay on your iPhone. (Changes to that file will be synced when youre online.) Theres support for more external drive formats, including APFS, exFAT, and FAT32. You can also finally erase external drivesjust tap and hold and choose Erase. The 46-year-old Scio man fatally shot in a standoff with law enforcement was identified as David Tobias Tyler. Authorities alleged Tyler pointed a firearm at Linn County SWAT Team members before he was killed. At around 12:42 a.m., Sept. 14, the Linn County Sheriffs Office responded to a report of a pedestrian hit by a vehicle in a rural area near Scio, according to an agency news release issued Monday. Oregon State Police located the suspect vehicle on Shimanek Bridge Drive, off Richardson Gap Road, according to the release, which states an armed man was found in the drivers seat. The type of vehicle was not disclosed. While officers were in contact with the suspect, who was later identified as Tyler, he allegedly discharged his firearm, according to the release. The release did not say what type of firearm Tyler had or how many times he fired. It also did not state whether he aimed at officers. The Linn County Regional SWAT Team and the Crisis Negotiation Team were deployed to the scene. Investigators reportedly engaged with Tyler by phone to attempt a peaceful resolution to the situation. During the standoff with officers, the SWAT Team approached the suspect, the release states. The suspect pointed a firearm at officers and was shot. Tyler died at the scene. No law enforcement personnel were injured. Benton County Sheriffs Deputy Sgt. Daniel Ball shot Tyler, according to the release, which states Ball has six years of service with the agency. The release did not say how many times Tyler was shot or with what type of firearm. The pedestrian involved in the initial call was reportedly treated and released from a hospital. The Linn County Regional SWAT Team is a multi-agency unit consisting of personnel from the Linn County Sheriffs Office, Benton County Sheriffs Office, Albany Police Department and Sweet Home Police Department. Oregon State Police is conducting the primary investigation in conjunction with the Linn County District Attorneys Office. Related story: On Friday 6 September, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old Turkish-American activist was killed in cold blood by a sniper of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). Eygi was sheltering from IDF provocations at a prayer session near the village of Beita in the West Bank, when she was shot in the head and killed. Eygi joins the countless other victims of the Zionist regime, Palestinians and their international supporters, in a decades-long project of ethnic cleansing backed to the hilt by western imperialism. The killing of Eygi, a US citizen, further exposes the complicity of Biden and Harris in the ongoing genocide. In a familiar pattern, the IDF performed its own brief investigation into the event, and released a statement declaring: The inquiry found that it is highly likely that she was hit indirectly and unintentionally by IDF fire which was not aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator of the riot. The incident took place during a violent riot in which dozens of Palestinian suspects burned tyres and hurled rocks towards security forces at the Beita junction. It seems that Biden has taken this explanation as good coin, calling the killing a tragic error and making no call for an independent investigation. However, as witnesses to the event confirm, the IDFs account is a lie from start to finish. Killed in cold blood Every Friday, residents of Beita gather at a junction on top of a hill for their Friday prayers. They are often harassed by soldiers of the IDF, which is why a group of 10 foreign volunteers from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), including Eygi, were there to provide support. On the fateful Friday 6 September, IDF forces began harassing and intimidating the villagers of Beita as usual. When the villagers pushed back by yelling at the soldiers, setting tires on fire, and throwing stones, the soldiers fired tear gas into the group. According to those who were there, Eygi and the other volunteers had come down from the hill when the escalation started. As a witness reported in Zeteo: As Aysenur went down the hill, she helped a 62-year-old volunteer who had difficulties walking. She was nervous for her. They hid behind an olive tree, believing they were in a secluded area. They believed they were safe. That's when the first live round was shot. Volunteers across the field heard the sound of the gun piercing the wind into something metal, making a clunk noise. A Palestinian man was injured. Then, there was a second shot, and Aysenur dropped. Eygi was hit directly by an IDF sniper, stationed on top of a nearby building. The idea that this was unintentional, as the IDF claims, makes a mockery of the facts. What the IDFs statement does reveal, however, is that they feel justified in executing anyone who burns tyres or hurls rocks. Indeed, according to the ISM, 17 Palestinians have been killed by IDF forces at the same village of Beita since March 2020, and many others have been injured. Just one month ago, Amado Sison, an American, was shot in the leg by IDF forces in Beita, as he tried to flee tear gas and live fire. Its clear that Eygi was deliberately targeted for nothing other than the crime of offering solidarity to Palestinians as they resist the brutal ethnic cleansing of their lands by Zionists. Impunity The harassment of the villagers of Beita was massively stepped up in early 2021, when far-right Zionist settlers of the Nachala movement forcefully occupied the hill opposite the village, known to locals as Jabal Sabih. Nachalas leaders are on record stating that they aim for Israel to annex both the West Bank and Gaza. Nachala settlers seized over a million square metres of land, built 50 permanent structures, and renamed the hill Evyatar (god is great in Hebrew). Since then they have terrorised the local Palestinian population, with the direct support of the IDF. This practice is now routine across the West Bank. Especially since 7 October, fanatical settlers have stepped up their seizures of Palestinian lands, knowing they can act with impunity. It is to this regime of terror that US President Biden has pledged his unwavering support. Palestinian farmers are subject to intense harassment, with their livestock hassled by drones, their crops seized, and water supplies cut. Many have been ordered to leave their homes and flocks at gunpoint, and threatened with death if they return or resist. And Palestinian villages have increasingly been subjected to pogroms, with their homes burnt or bulldozed by fanatical mobs. All of this is happening with the backing of the IDF. It has recently stepped up its raids into West Bank villages, killing dozens in the last weeks alone. With Gaza already blasted into rubble, and Israels stated war aim of destroying Hamas no closer, these operations are clearly a provocation to ensure the continuation of the fighting, on which Netanyahus political survival depends. In total, nearly 700 Palestinians have been killed by the IDF or settlers in the West Bank since October. All this is given the green light by the western imperialists, who simply look the other way. Hypocrisy Since Egyi was a US citizen, however, US President Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris felt obliged to shed a few crocodile tears in response to her murder: I am outraged and deeply saddened by the death of Aysenur Eygi, Biden said in a statement. Both Biden and Harris called her shooting totally unacceptable, and called for Israel to take full accountability. This is nothing but the most sickening hypocrisy, from the team who have effectively given Netanyahu a blank cheque to carry out a genocide against the Palestinian people. Two million Palestinians in Gaza are being starved, 90 percent of their homes have been destroyed, and upwards of 186,000 have been killed according to the Lancet. Eygi is in fact the third US citizen to be killed in the West Bank since 7 October / Image: X Facing pressure at home, they of course go through the motions of imploring Netanyahu to protect civilians in words. But the reality is that in deeds, they allow the regime to conduct itself with total impunity, since Israel remains a key strategic ally for US imperialism in the Middle East. If they really cared, they could bring the genocide to an end in a matter of days by stopping the flow of arms and money to the Israeli regime. What Biden and Harris really find unacceptable is that, by killing a US citizen, the Israelis have put them in an embarrassing position, especially with the election coming up in November. The murder of Eygi has drawn unwanted attention to the increasing violence in the West Bank, and the complicity of the US government in the wider genocide. Consequences Likewise feeling the pressure, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken feigned indignation over the killing of Eygi, which he called unprovoked and unjustified. He warned Israel that there will be consequences for its actions, without, of course, specifying what. But if the consequences are anything like those that followed the 10 other US citizens killed by Israel over the past 20 years, they will amount to nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Eygi is in fact the third US citizen to be killed in the West Bank since 7 October. In 2022, Shireen Abu Akleh (a prominent Palestinian-American journalist) was killed in very similar circumstances, shot in the head by an IDF sniper. The IDF initially blamed Palestinian militants before an internal investigation concluded her death was an accident. Prior to that, there was the killing of Rachel Corrie in 2003. Corrie, like Eygi, was a member of the ISM. She was crushed to death by the IDF with an armoured bulldozer, manufactured in the US and leased through a Defense Department programme. And as with the killing of Eygi and Abu Akleh, the IDF investigated itself, and found no case to answer. Then, as now, the US government made some mild criticisms of the Israeli regime, which were duly ignored. There is only one way for the Israeli state and its imperialist backers to face the full consequences of all the crimes they have committed throughout history. This will not come from toothless investigations, carried out by the very criminals responsible. Only the working class and poor, by taking power into their own hands, can sweep away all the rotten regimes, from Washington to London, and across the entire Middle East, and bring real justice for those martyred in the struggle for Palestinian liberation. A Massachusetts hiker was flown to a hospital over the weekend for a medical emergency he began having while he was hiking up to Mount Liberty in New Hampshire with a group of Boy Scouts, officials said. The hiker, identified as Chris Siano, 56, of Bolton, was having a hard time hiking near the summit of Mount Flume, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said in a statement. So, he told the group of Boy Scouts to continue hiking without him, while he stayed with his partner, Lisa Costanzo, of Bolton. Later, Siano began to have a medical emergency, which resulted in first responders having to fly Siano to a local hospital and help Costanzo down the mountain. Around 3 p.m. on Sept. 14, officials said they were told that a hiker, Siano was having a medical emergency on the Franconia Ridge Trail between Mount Flume and Mount Liberty, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said in a statement. Conservation officers came to the Liberty Spring trailhead along with members of the Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team to help Siano, the statement said. First responders called the Army National Guard Aviation Unit to try to rescue the man with a helicopter because of the seriousness and remoteness of the incident, officials said. While they waited for the helicopter, rescuers continued to hike up to Siano and his partner, officials said. The helicopter reached his location near the summit of Mount Liberty around 4:50 p.m. and he was taken to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center for treatment, officials added. Costanzo couldnt board the helicopter and didnt know how to get back down from Mount Liberty, according to the officials. The AMC Liberty Springs tent site caretakers met Costanzo near the summit of Mount Liberty, officials added. Then, a small team of rescuers from the Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team and a conservation officer met her at the tent site at 6:10 p.m. to help her get back down. They returned around 9:30 p.m. She told the first responders that they left that morning as chaperones to a Boy Scout Troop going up Flume Slide Trail at 6:30 a.m., officials said. Editors note: This article was updated at 12:20 p.m. on Sept. 17, 2024 to include information from the arraignment. A New York man was charged after he scammed a Purple Heart Vietnam War veteran out of $20,000 last week, Everett Police said. Huang Hongfei is charged with larceny over $1,200 by false pretense, larceny over $250 from a person 60 years or older or disabled and attempted larceny from a disabled person 60 years or older, Everett Police wrote in a Facebook post Saturday morning. Hongfei was held without bail over the weekend awaiting his arraignment. As of Sept. 17, Hongfeis bail was set at $10,000, according to the Malden District Court. If he posts bail, Hongfei is ordered to stay away from the victim and his home, and surrender his passport and report to probation once a week. His next court date is Oct. 7 for a pre-trial hearing, the Malden District Court said. Everett Police said they were concerned after they found out Sept. 13 that Charles Fagone, 77, who has cancer, had been scammed out of $20,000 on Sept. 12, the Boston Globe reported. Police spoke with Fagone and worked with several units to investigate the theft. Police said they set up an undercover operation Friday to lure and arrest the suspects after the suspects asked Fagone for another $32,000 in cash that they said an officer or agent would pick up outside of his home. A man later identified as Huang Hongfei was arrested in connection with scamming Fagone out of $20,000 and trying to steal another $32,000 in cash, police stated. I would personally like to commend all of the officers from the patrol division and detectives involved in this case for putting in the extra effort to make sure that one of our residents of housing, a Vietnam Veteran, was assisted in a professional and respectful manner, making every effort to aid above and beyond, in this particular case, Everett Police Chief Paul Strong said in the Facebook post. Police said several search warrants are pending in this case and officers are following up with elder affairs, Fagones bank and the Middlesex District Attorneys office. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Fagone recover the $20,000 he lost in savings. The page, which was created on Sept. 14, has raised more than $7,000 as of Monday afternoon. The page described Fagone as a 77-year-old Vietnam Veteran and Purple Heart recipient. , Harmony Montgomerys mother claims that New Hampshire officials ignored warning signs that led to her daughters death at the hands of her father, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the state. Crystal Sorey holds New Hampshires Division for Children, Youth and Families responsible for ignoring several warnings, including reports from family and neighbors, about her daughters well-being and failing to protect her, according to a lawsuit filed Friday. The girls father, Adam Montgomery, was sentenced in May to 56 years in prison after he was found guilty of beating Harmony Montgomery to death in December 2019. Adam Montgomery was awarded custody over Harmony Montgomery earlier that year. Her body has never been found. The lawsuit states that Adam Montgomerys uncle Kevin Montgomery contacted DCYF about a vibrant black eye that she had after Adam Montgomery told him hed bounced her off every wall in the house. Kevin Montgomery also reported that he once saw the girl scrubbing a bathtub with a toothbrush as punishment, as well as Harmony Montgomery standing in a corner for between five and eight hours. He was also concerned about the electricity being shut off from his nephews home and found what he thought was drug paraphernalia. When Kevin Montgomery asked the agency about an earlier report and was told it was confidential, he became frustrated when an agency worker questioned him about the accuracy of some of the dates he provided. This is why children die, Kevin Montgomery told the agency worker in frustration, according to the lawsuit. He testified about Adam Montgomerys admission to hitting Harmony Montgomery, that he bashed her around the f***ing house. Concerned reports from neighbors were also filed to the agency, but the lawsuit claimed that DCYF did not take action. Another concern was that Harmony Montgomery had not seen a doctor since she was in her fathers custody. Harmony was the subject of multiple separate single incidents of serious physical and emotional abuse and neglect, including, but not limited to, corporal punishment, verbal and mental abuse, beatings that caused serious injury, and death, the lawsuit said. With all of these reports, the state did not meet the minimum standards of care for Harmony Montgomery and left her exposed to foreseeable risks of harm, the lawsuit stated. We will review the complaint and respond as appropriate, said Michael S. Garrity, a spokesperson for the attorney generals office told the Boston Globe. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial. The Associated press contributed to this reporting. MassLive recently asked readers to identify people they consider Hispanic and Latino leaders in Massachusetts, working to make a difference across the state. Profiles of these leaders will be published over the course of Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. These are people readers have identified as inspirational, who may be doing good acts for their communities. They are being recognized for their accomplishments, leadership and commitment to inspire change. Julio Cesar Roman-Rios Julio Cesar Roman-Rios, founder and owner of Micro Plant Studio in South Boston.Courtesy Photo Age: 47 Community: Boston His story: Julio Cesar Roman-Rios has gone from humble beginnings to running one of the most prosperous plant companies in the region. He is an award-winning artist, web designer, community engagement strategist, plant enthusiast and member of the LGBTQ+ community. But perhaps his biggest title is founder and owner of the renowned Micro Plant Studio in South Boston, which is more than just a culmination of his lifes work. In 2017, after undergoing an unexpected surgery, Julio found comfort, optimism, and happiness in caring for his growing collection of succulent and tropical plants, he told MassLive. As an artist, he became fascinated by the biology of succulents and began experimenting with propagation, using cool glass tubes and other containers. Soon, his small studio apartment was filled with plants, and he began photographing them alongside his collectible tiny toys, creating dramatic environments. Micro Plant Studio is the first Latinx-owned plant business in New England and the first plant store to 3D design and print plant products, according to the stores website. The business has been featured in the Chronicle, Boston Globe, ABC and Meet Boston. Boston Magazine named Micro Plant Studio as the Best Indoor Plants in 2020 as well. Outside of his work Mirco Plant Studio, Roman-Rios is deeply committed to helping others develop social and emotional skills, feel safe, and find career opportunities. Roman-Rios was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and grew up in Hartford, Connecticut. Raised by a single mother, Roman-Rios was the first man in his family to attend college, earning a diploma in fine arts and a bachelor of fine arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University in Boston. He later earned a masters of public policy from Tufts University and went on to work with several non-profit organizations like Sociedad Latina, Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion and Year Up, before launching his own business. In his own words: Success does not follow a linear trajectory but rather resembles mountainous terrain with various challenges along the way. Sometimes, reaching a goal may require a longer, more intricate route, often leading to the most valuable lessons. Were always open to hearing about more inspiring people. If youd like to suggest someone else who should be recognized, please fill out this form. Students at McDevitt Middle School in Waltham will be subject to heightened security measures on Monday after officials learned of multiple threats of a shooting at the school circulating on social media. Police will be assigned to each floor and every corner of the building and backpacks will be barred from campus, officials say. Any backpacks brought to the school will be searched by police, Superintendent of Schools Marisa Mendonsa and Police Chief Kevin OConnell said in a joint statement. While we are confident in the steps being taken to address the threat, we encourage everyone to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity or concerns immediately, the statement reads. We understand that this may be a stressful situation for many, and we appreciate your cooperation and support. On Sunday, a K-9 unit from the Northeast Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council conducted a thorough sweep of the interior and exterior of the school as a precautionary measure. No weapons were discovered during that search, Mendonsa and OConnell wrote in a separate statement. And while the social media threats were specifically targeted to McDevitt, officials say school resource officers will be present at other schools throughout the district. Officials said it was not immediately clear whether or not the threats on Snapchat were connected to a security concern the schools principal warned of on Friday. Waltham police are working with the school, Snapchat and federal law enforcement to identify and address the individual responsible for these threats. SPRINGFIELD - The 34th annual Puerto Rican Parade marched down Main Street in downtown Springfield on Sunday, led by Parade President Sasha Viands. A 24-year-old woman was killed in a car crash on Route 44 in Taunton early Sunday morning, according to the Bristol County District Attorneys Office. Taunton resident Mallory Humphreys was the passenger in a car that hit the back of a tractor-trailer near 608 Winthrop St. around 1:25 a.m., the district attorneys office said in a press release Sunday afternoon. An unidentified 27-year-old Fall River man was driving an Infiniti east on Route 44 when it rear-ended the tractor-trailer, which was also traveling east. Humphreys was declared dead at the scene, and the driver of the Infiniti was taken to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence with non-life-threatening injuries, the district attorneys office said. The tractor-trailer driver an unidentified 39-year-old Brockton man was not injured in the crash. State and local police and the district attorneys office are investigating the crash, the district attorneys office said. No further information has been released. NEW YORK After losing three out of four to the Yankees in a long weekend in the Bronx, the Red Sox appear resigned to the reality of the math. Bostons 5-2 loss in Sundays finale coupled with wins by both Minnesota and Detroit dropped the Sox back to 4 games out of the third and final wild card spot in the American League. The Red Sox, back at .500 at 75-75, are behind three teams the Twins (4 games), Tigers (2 games) and Mariners (2 games). Were 4 games back and Detroit won. Its getting tougher and tougher, acknowledged manager Alex Cora. It has been tough, Cora added. Weve lost games in a lot of different ways. Weve been talking about the offense lately but I think weve done a good job bouncing back. At one point, it was the rotation and at one point, it was the bullpen. As a whole, if you look at our season, it might be a good one in the eyes of a lot of people but we felt we feel like we can play in October and be good. But right now, its getting tougher. The Red Sox had a chance to open their second-to-last road trip of the year with some positive momentum after going 4-2 at home against the White Sox and Orioles. But they were walked off by Juan Soto on Thursday, allowed a dramatic grand slam to Aaron Judge on Friday and couldnt do much offensively Sunday. The only win was Saturdays emotional 7-1 victory. The Red Sox are now 22-32 since the All-Star break. It wasnt like it was a bad series because we lost three out of four. We were in every game, Cora said. You look at this week. We played Baltimore and New York. We lost three here, one at home and every game was a close one. But thats not enough in this league. You dont get wins by playing tough games. You get Ws when you win games and we didnt do it. For days, Cora has been talking about a goal being having next weekends home series against the Twins be a meaningful one. At this point, its unlikely thats the case. After an off day Monday, Boston has a three-game set against the Rays in St. Petersburg and it feels like the Sox will need to sweep to remain in it. The Twins (four against Cleveland) and Tigers (three against Kansas City) and Mariners (three against the Yankees) all play tough teams this week. For now, Bostons odds of making the playoffs are at just 2.4%, per FanGraphs. The days are definitely getting more valuable, said starter Kutter Crawford. Each game now just means that much more. Hopefully, we can get on a little heater here in the next week or so and still have a chance. It hasnt been easy. We had the awesome walk-off the other night and we were looking to build some momentum going into this series. It just didnt work out that way. AMERICAN LEAGUE WILD CARD STANDINGS (as of Sunday afternoon): 1. Baltimore Orioles 84-66 +4.5 games 2. Kansas City Royals 82-68 +2.5 games 3. Minnesota Twins 79-70 *** 4. Detroit Tigers 77-73 2.5 games back 5. Seattle Mariners 77-73 2.5 games back 6. Boston Red Sox 75-75 4.5 games back Parade watchers carrying red, white and blue Puerto Rican flags lined Main Street in downtown Springfield Sunday for the 34th Annual Puerto Rican Parade, which featured a theme celebrating Puerto Rican magic. The largest parade in the city year after year launched from the parking lots around Baystate Medical Center in the citys North End, and wound its way along Main Street to Tower Square, just under two miles. The U.S. Embassy to Mauritius announced the successful completion of the Public Health Emergencies: Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response workshop, held from September 9-13, in Mauritius. This collaborative effort was organized by the U.S. Embassy Office of Security Cooperation (OSC) in coordination with the U.S. Defense Institute of Medical Operations (DIMO), the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Centre (NDRRMC), the Ministry of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management, and the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life. The five-day workshop brought together 45 emergency managers from Mauritius and four distinguished facilitators from the United States, including experts from the U.S. Air Force and other critical sectors. The primary goal of the workshop was to equip health sector administrators and managers with the skills and knowledge necessary to respond effectively to public health emergencies and disasters, particularly in the critical first two weeks following a disaster. Participants focused on: Applying internationally validated guidelines and resources for managing health issues during disasters. Identifying and mitigating common health conditions post-disaster. Evaluating strategies to preserve public health during disaster situations. Gaining practical experience through case studies and simulated exercises using the EMERGO simulation system, widely used for training in emergency and disaster management. During his remarks at the opening ceremony on Monday, September 9, 2024, U.S. Ambassador Henry Jardine said, Building resilience is important for all governments and communities. This workshop is a reminder of the pressing need for coordinated and timely disaster response and medical support in times of crisis. Recent global events have underscored the importance of preparedness, collaboration, and innovation in ensuring the well-being and safety of those affected by disasters and emergencies. The U.S. aim is to help build those capacities, enhance regional security, and promote collaboration and interoperability to ensure resilience and success in facing such challenges effectively. Together we can make a meaningful impact and ensure that no one is left behind in the face of adversity.. Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management Anwar Husnoo, and Minister of Health Kailesh Jagutpal, as well as senior officials from the Ministry of Local Government and the Ministry of Health were also present at the opening ceremony. The week concluded with a session on September 12, 2024, where Ambassador Jardine met with the U.S. facilitators to review the workshops outcomes and discuss the sustainability of its initiatives. This workshop marked the continuation of a strong partnership between the United States and Mauritius in disaster preparedness and response, building on previous successful workshops held in 2016, 2018, 2022, and 2023. Kenya's ICT Authority has reportedly launched an ambitious US$2.4 billion project to reduce digital inequality, modernise business processes, and improve the country's digital landscape. But this isnt the only digital transformation initiative announced in East Africa in recent weeks, as the Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Project may soon be rolled out. The ICT Authority Strategy Plan 2024-2027, unveiled late last week, provides the framework for transformative projects including nationwide digital literacy programmes, the expansion of secure broadband infrastructure, and the adoption of e-government services. The US$2.4 billion plan also focuses on addressing connectivity access gaps and create a more equal digital future for all Kenyans. Dr Margaret Ndung'u, Kenya's minister for information, communications, and the digital economy, states that her ministry is also moving on with its goal to enhance Kenya's fibre network coverage nationally (100,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable), establish 25,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots, and develop 1,450 Digital Village Smart Hubs across the country. This news comes hard in the heels of an announcement last week that the East African Community (EAC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) are set to commence implementation of the Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Project (EARDIP). EAC is a regional intergovernmental organisation of eight partner states: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development is an eight-country trade bloc in Africa. EARDIP aims to establishing a unified and comprehensive digital network that connects even the most isolated areas, promoting equitable access to digital resources. In addition, the project seeks to harmonise digital policies and regulations, in order to facilitate smoother cross-border trade and communication, fostering greater regional integration and economic cooperation. A comprehensive regional cybersecurity framework, including unified cybersecurity policies, sharing threat intelligence, and providing resources for capacity-building in cybersecurity skills, is also planned. by Fern Siegel , September 16, 2024 Iris is doing the executive shuffle. The global marketing agency has named Zoe Eagle as CEO, Iris London and Katy Hopkins as executive creative director. At the same time, Claire Humphris, London CEO. and Grant Hunter, Global Chief Creative Officer, step down after 25 and 20 years at the agency, respectively. Eagle joins in November and will report to Ian Millner, co-founder/chair of Iris Worldwide. Hopkins joins this week and will work closely with Eduardo Maruri, global creative chair of Iris Worldwide. Prior to Iris, Eagle was co-chief of Accenture Song, rising from managing partner to managing director. Before that, she was managing director at Karmarama, having held posts at BBH, Creature and DLKW. She has won various awards for work. Clients include the British Army, Lidl, Virgin Media, Weetabix, The Trainline and Stroke Awareness. advertisement advertisement Hopkins joins from House 337, where she was creative director, overseeing work for NOW (Sky), B&Q, Peta and Green Flag. Also a creative award winner, she began her career at WCRS. Both executives are charged with the agency's next phase of growth. Ian Millner, co-founder, Iris Worldwide, said Humphris and Hunter are responsible for "shaping the agency into the force it is today." As for the new duo, he said the women "bring a fresh perspective, a wealth of experience, and a shared passion for innovation that will propel Iris into its next chapter." Humphris was Iris first employee when it launched 25 years ago, joining from IMP as a co-founder, alongside Ian Millner and Stewart Shanley. Hunter joined Iris in 2004 as creative group head, rising through the ranks to CCO for the network. Zoe Eagle, new CEO of Iris London, said: Iris has a phenomenal legacy of creativity and fearlessness. Together with Katy and the entire Iris team, I look forward to driving even more transformative work. Iris' client roster includes Samsung, adidas, Bentley, Pizza Hut and Samsonite. by Ray Schultz , September 15, 2024 Plus, a magazine focused on HIV-related health information, has been rebranded as Health Plus Wellness and will now feature broader coverage of health and wellness within the LGBTQ+ community. The first edition of the rebranded magazine is its annual Latinx issue. As a proud Latina of indigenous ancestry, I am honored to present our annual Latinx issue, which focuses on the health and wellness of our vibrant community, writes Desiree Guerrero, editor in chief of the Advocate and Plus. Guerrero adds, This issue marks an exciting moment in our publications history. As Plus magazine, weve been dedicated to bringing our readers the latest news and inspiring stories around HIV and sexual health for nearly 30 years. Now, we are reintroducing our print version as Health Plus Wellness, expanding our content to include all aspects of health and wellness to help people in every community live their best lives possible." Medical advances have turned HIV into a more manageable disease, so it is now time to offer broader health coverage, the magazine states. Health Plus Wellness is published by equalpride. by Colin Kirkland , September 16, 2024 As a potential TikTok ban looms closer in the United States, with the social media company headed to court this week, competing social media platforms are working to attract user overflow with TikTok-ified features. However, another ByteDance-owned app, Lemon8, is gaining traction among U.S. users due to an increased investment in advertising. Despite being available in select Asian countries since 2020, Lemon8 first launched in the U.S. last February with a global marketing push, gaining immediate popularity as the United States government began discussing a bill that would force ByteDance to sell off TikTok to a stateside buyer. The app has been described by users as a mix between Instagram and Pinterest, showcasing a variety of social posts and products highlighted by a diverse range of influencers. Upon launch, Lemon8 claimed TikTok as its sister company and uses the same recommendation algorithm that has made TikTok so popular among users, brands and advertisers. advertisement advertisement It is likely that ByteDance introduced Lemon8 to U.S. consumers as a replacement plan for a TikTok ban, and now it is doubling down. As TikTok headed to court this Monday to argue against the sell-off bill, ByteDance is running a huge Apple Search Ads campaign, which saw the use of 5,300 keyworks in the past week, according to Appfigures. The app intelligence company said that the campaign targeted branded keywords that have the largest share of advertiser impressions, including TikTok, CapCut, Instagram, Canva and more. Lemon8 ads are also popping up directly on TikToks For You feed, increasing public chatter around the app among TikTok creators who may or may not have partnered with ByteDance to spread the word. Creators in the US have been interested in Lemon8 since its initial nationwide launch, when hundreds signed on to advertise on the app, agreeing to post what ByteDance instructs them to. For example, last May the company announced a content accumulation phase, telling creators to focus on adding users while providing insights into how to best gain a following. Last September, the China-based company changed its focus to commercialization opportunities via brand and agency deals. On Apples App Store, Lemon8 is currently ranked in the Top 10 most downloaded apps in the US, receiving over 78,000 downloads this past Saturday alone, marking a 44% higher daily download rate than its average over the past several weeks. According to Appfigures estimates, Lemon8 has received about 16 million global downloads this year, with about half coming from U.S. consumers. If TikTok is unable to prove that the sell-off bill violates Americans free speech rights, and divestiture requirements arent viable due to timing and complexity surrounding the apps algorithm, the federal government will likely ban the app due to concerns surrounding national security. But before it officially leaves app stores in the country, TikTok users may decide to onboard their followers to Lemon8. If the movement to this newer app is large enough, it could pose the same issue for the federal government. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, September 16, 2024 The major ad industry organizations are asking California Governor Gavin Newsom to veto a bill that would require browser developers including Google, Apple and Microsoft to offer a tool enabling consumers to easily opt out of online behavioral advertising across the web. The bill is unnecessary, ambiguous, and would significantly harm healthy market competition that benefits California consumers and the economy, the Association of National Advertisers, American Association of Advertising Agencies, Interactive Advertising Bureau, American Advertising Federation and Digital Advertising Alliance say in a letter sent to Newsom on Monday. The measure (AB 3048), introduced by California Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-69th District), was approved by state lawmakers earlier this month and was sent to Newsom on September 6. advertisement advertisement The bill, which is sponsored by the California Privacy Protection Agency, would prohibit companies from developing or maintaining web browsers that lack an opt-out mechanism that is easy for a reasonable person to locate and configure. The best-known mechanism like this is the Global Privacy Control, a tool created by privacy advocates that sends opt-out signals to every site consumers visit. Some developers -- including Mozilla, Brave and DuckDuckGo -- have already built the Global Privacy Control into their browsers. Apple used to include a do-not-track setting in Safari, but disabled the setting in 2019 due to concerns that ad-tech companies would exploit the signal for device fingerprinting -- a tracking technique that identifies users based on characteristics of their browsers. Google's Chrome does not include the specific Global Privacy Control setting, but has long had a do-not-track setting, which sends a no-tracking request to all websites that consumers visit. It's not clear whether Google could revise the do-not-track command so that it could serve as an opt-out preference signal. In the absence of a universal opt-out mechanism, people who don't want to receive ads targeted based on cross-site data can click on individual companies' opt-out links, or use a tool created by an ad industry organization to opt out of many ad-tech companies' behavioral-targeting platforms. Consumer advocates argue that those methods can be cumbersome, and that consumers can't always find opt-out links. Privacy advocacy groups and other proponents of the bill recently urged Newsom to sign it, arguing the measure will help reduce opt-out friction and make it easier for California residents to control their data. But ad industry organizations say consumers can already access opt-out preference tools, such as by using a browser that has enabled a universal opt-out mechanism. The ad industry also argues that the bill would enshrine into law a misinterpretation of the state privacy statute. The current California privacy law gives consumers the right to reject cross-context behavioral advertising -- meaning ads served based on activity across different sites. The state's privacy agency has interpreted that law as requiring companies to honor opt-out requests that consumers transmit through browser-based tools like the Global Privacy Control. But the ad organizations argue that the law actually allows companies to choose between placing opt-out links on their home pages or honoring browser-based signals. The groups say the state agency turned this option on its head by mandating that businesses honor opt-out preference signals regardless of whether the business provides an opt out means via a footer link. The industry organizations also contend that some wording in the bill could harm competition. Specifically, the groups point to a requirement that browsers allow consumers to send opt-out signals to all businesses with which the consumer interacts through the browser. That language doesn't specify whether the signals must also be sent to the browser developer, according to the ad industry groups. In other words, the law is ambiguous about whether, for instance, Google, would have to respect an opt-out preference signal sent by a Chrome user, according to the industry groups. Mandating that browsers and mobile operating systems deploy and maintain opt-out preference signals, effective on all other businesses but the browsers and mobile operating systems themselves, would create anti-competitive results caused by how these intermediaries implement AB 3048s requirements, the groups write. Catch up with all the latest and the most trending national and international news in healthcare and medical sciences from across the globe. Listings are in alphabetical order. IVECO UK has opened its new headquarter offices at Phoenix House in Basildon that will provide staff with a modern, spacious, and technology-infused space. Conveniently located just an hour from Central London, extensive road and rail links provide a convenient means of reaching the new business hub. IVECOs continued presence in Basildon highlights the location as being a perfect fit for business, emphasised by the ongoing investment within the local area. The office features a welcoming and spacious open-plan format with the use of glass throughout, accentuating an airy feel, allowing natural light to reach almost every workspace. A large meeting room fitted with the latest conferencing technology is complemented by several smaller rooms for hosting meetings or important business calls. This architecture helps promote cross-pollination between departments and encourages closer collaboration. It is the ideal space for future expansion and growth in the UK, supported by Basildon and Essex councils and Phoenix House landlord Barry Mather who be-spoked the offices to IVECOs exacting specification. In total IVECO employs 300 colleagues in the UK, 77 of which are based in the Basildon HQ. IVECO has a longstanding and widespread presence in the United Kingdom with a network of 81 authorised outlets covering sales and service activities for its entire range of light and heavy commercial vehicles. IVECO has been a pioneer in alternative fuels for over two decades, today offering low and zero-emissions solutions for every mission. A global 1 billion investment by the Brand saw the renewal of the full heavy, medium and light commercial range, enhanced with the latest technology and the most efficient powertrains to date. More operators onboarding gas trucks has contributed to IVECOs market share doubling in the past five years. Special guests at the ribbon-cutting ceremony included Head of the Economic Section at the Italian Embassy, Counsellor Dino Sorrentino, Luca Sra President, Truck Business Unit, Iveco Group, Simone Olivati President, Financial Services, Iveco Group, IVECO customers, key members of the media, as well as representatives from Essex and Basildon Council. The ongoing support of the Italian Embassy helps reinforce IVECOs commitment to the UK. Luca Sra said: The opening of our new UK Headquarters marks a significant milestone for IVECO. This state-of-the art facility not only reflects our commitment to innovation and growth, but also underscores our dedication to providing our employees with an inspiring and collaborative work environment. Our continued investment in the UK market, supported by this modern base, will enable us to better serve our customers and drive forward our mission of delivering sustainable and efficient transport solutions. Vincenzo Nicolo, IVECO UK & Ireland Business Director, commented: We have created a modern and highly specified business space to encourage colleagues to come together to closely collaborate, innovate, and enhance the brand. The Navy on Monday released the service details of a sailor who was detained by Venezuelan authorities at the end of August after a top official in the country alleged he was part of a plot to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro and overthrow his regime. Wilbert Joseph Castaneda, who has been held in Venezuela for more than two weeks, is a petty officer first class and Navy SEAL who has been in the service since 2007, according to the records provided by the Navy. A U.S. official had earlier confirmed that an enlisted sailor was detained late last month as the country is embroiled in a disputed election that Maduro claims to have won. The Associated Press reported that Venezuela Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello identified Castaneda as one of three Americans, as well as two Spanish and one Czech citizen, who were arrested as part of the alleged assassination plot. Read Next: Marine Sergeant Major Fired from Recruit Depot Was Arrested and Faces NCIS Investigation Cabello claimed that all six were part of a CIA-led plot to overthrow the Venezuelan government and showed images of rifles that he said were confiscated from some of the arrested, according to the AP. However, U.S. officials have refuted that claim, and some of Cabello's claims about Castaneda do not appear accurate. Those tensions have been building since Venezuela's July 28 election between Maduro and Edmundo Gonzalez, which officials from several countries say was stolen by Maduro. However, both State and Defense department officials have said that there is no U.S. government plan to overthrow Maduro, and a State Department spokesperson told Military.com that "the United States continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela," in an email Monday. The State Department spokesperson also confirmed that they were aware of "unconfirmed reports of two additional U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela." Navy records for Castaneda, who appears to have first been detained, but not identified, on Aug. 30, show that the sailor joined his first SEAL team in 2009 and bounced between teams on the East and West coasts throughout his career. He was promoted to petty officer first class in June 2013. Typically, the Navy will not offer further details of what team a SEAL is assigned to out of security concerns. Shortly after his detention became public, a U.S. official told Military.com that Castaneda was "not on official travel or approved leave." CBS News reported that Castaneda had also been stripped of his Special Warfare insignia -- commonly known as the Trident -- indicating that the elite warfare community was in the process of removing him from its ranks. The records offered by the Navy also do not back up Cabello's claim that Castaneda deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Colombia. The Navy's data does not show that Castaneda was awarded either the Iraq or Afghanistan campaign medals -- though those records are not always complete. The Navy's data on Castaneda does show that he has a track record of deployments, with four Sea Service Deployment ribbons, two Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary medals, and an Armed Forces Service Medal. His records also do not show any combat or valor awards, though he did receive three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals. The Venezuelan's allegation that Castaneda, along with the five others, were plotting to overthrow Maduro is not as far-fetched as it may seem. In 2020, a former U.S. Green Beret, Jordan Goudreau, helped arm and train a group of around 300 Venezuelan army deserters in neighboring Colombia who were then supposed to sneak into Venezuela and help ignite a rebellion against Maduro. The plan fell apart, several combatants were killed by Venezuelan security forces, and two of Goudreau's U.S. Special Forces compatriots were arrested by the Maduro regime. Goudreau was arrested in July 2024 in New York on federal arms smuggling charges and is now awaiting trial. Venezuela is also simply a dangerous country for Americans, especially given the increasing sanctions against allies of Maduro by the U.S. The State Department has long warned American citizens not to travel to Venezuela, citing "a high risk of wrongful detention." The travel warning also notes that Venezuela's "security forces have detained U.S. citizens for up to five years" and the U.S. "is not generally notified of the detention of U.S. citizens in Venezuela or granted access to U.S. citizen prisoners there." Last year, the Biden administration signed off on a deal in which Maduro released 10 Americans in exchange for a presidential pardon for Alex Saab, who was being held in custody on money laundering charges and, according to prosecutors, was helping the Venezuelan strongman avoid U.S. sanctions. Related: Enlisted US Sailor Detained in Venezuela as Tensions Between the 2 Countries Simmer Officials commissioned the USS New Jersey the U.S. Navys newest attack submarine during a ceremony in Monmouth County Saturday morning, which officially integrates the submarine into the naval fleet. Dozens of elected officials, sailors and residents attended the commissioning at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Middletown. The U.S. Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, and U.S. Rep Frank Pallone, D- 6th District, were among the speakers at the commissioning, as well as Gov. Phil Murphy. Read Next: Vance Would 'Consider' Expanding Private Care Options for Veterans if Trump Wins With this ceremony, we are not only commissioning the third warship to ever bear New Jerseys name, we are also celebrating and honoring every member of the crew who will soon bring this remarkable boat to life through their valor and service to our nation, Murphy said. The USS New Jersey is the first fully gender-integrated submarine built for both male and female sailors, the U.S. Navy said. The submarine has more doors and washrooms to create separate sleeping and bathing areas, but it also has more subtle design features, reported Stars and Stripes, a military publication. Features include lowering some overhead valves and installing steps in front of the triple-high bunk beds, the outlet reported. The submarine arrived in New Jersey last week. It passed Sandy Hook and docked at the bay side of Naval Weapons Station Earle on Sept. 6, local officials said. Middletown is honored to host the commissioning ceremony of the USS New Jersey, Middletown Mayor Tony Perry previously said. As one of Americas oldest towns, we have witnessed so much history and to be able to host the officers, crew and families as well as the thousands of veterans and people from across the State and nation, we are marking another incredible moment in Middletowns and Naval history, he previously said. The PCU-796 Virginia-class submarine will be the third naval vessel named after the state of New Jersey, according to the website. It is part of a class of nuclear-powered, cruise missile fast-attack submarines currently in military service for the U.S. Navy, officials said. The submarine was built by Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding. It had been under construction since 2016. Read Next: Increase DoD Child Care Staff Pay 'as Quickly as Possible,' Senators Tell Austin Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com. 2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit nj.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Philippines telco PLDT, its wireless unit Smart Communications and the governments Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said on Friday they are spearheading a public-private project to protect telecoms infrastructure. The project, called PROTECTA Pilipinas (a.k.a. Protect Technology-Telecom Alliance), was launched on Friday under an MoU signed by private and public stakeholders. The alliance aims to identify and advocate for measures that enhance the resilience of telecom networks, including redundancy, disaster recovery plans, and cybersecurity protocols. In addition to PLDT, Smart and CICC, alliance members include the Philippine Chamber of Telecommunication Operators (PCTO), advocacy group CitizenWatch Philippines, public policy think-tank Infrawatch PH, the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG), the Federation of International Cable TV Association of the Philippines (FICTAP) and Manila Electric Co (Meralco). PROTECTA Pilipinas intends to collaborate with government bodies responsible for telecoms regulation and infrastructure management, including initiatives on policies, regulations, and enforcement mechanisms to protect telecom assets. The alliance will also work with telcos, equipment manufacturers, and service providers to encourage best practices, information sharing, and joint efforts to secure infrastructure. PROTECTA Pilipinas also covers protection of physical infrastructure, a major issue as telcos continue to struggle with equipment theft, including cables and batteries. The alliance hopes to develop timely reporting mechanisms for suspicious activities or threats to telecom infrastructure to ensure swift action by relevant authorities. It will also push for legal frameworks that explicitly protect telecom infrastructure from vandalism, theft, and sabotage. As part of the physical component, PROTECTA Pilipinas also plans to establish monitoring systems to track the health and performance of telecom facilities, as regular assessments can identify vulnerabilities, maintenance needs, and potential risks. These efforts will ensure that our critical infrastructure for communications are given proper attention in terms of security and integrity, said CICC executive director Alexander K. Ramos in a statement. Cleanup of 51,450 gallons of firefighting foam and PFAS-contaminated water continues at a Navy-owned, privately leased hangar and its surrounding area in Maine -- the second accident in two months involving stockpiles at active and former military installations. A fire suppression system in a hangar at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station was triggered by mistake on Aug. 19, discharging 1,450 gallons of aqueous film forming foam, or AFFF, and 50,000 gallons of water into the building, nearby stormwater drains, sewer systems and drainage ponds at what is now part of Brunswick Executive Airport. The Navy had planned to remove the foam, which contains PFAS chemicals per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in October, according to Washington, D.C.-based advocates the Environmental Working Group. Read Next: Marine Sergeant Major Fired from Recruit Depot Was Arrested and Faces NCIS Investigation While the Navy was not responsible for the spill, the service is communicating with the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, which leases portions of the former base and is in charge of the cleanup, according to David Bennett, the public affairs officer for the Base Realignment and Closure Project Management Office. "The Navy is taking action across the country to remove AFFF from mobile systems, hangars or other structures located on property the Navy owns, including properties leased to third parties," Bennett said in a statement to Military.com on Sept. 9. PFAS chemicals are commonly referred to as "forever chemicals" because they do not break down in the environment and can accumulate in the human body. They have been linked to a number of health conditions, including testicular and kidney cancer, low birth weights, and other medical issues. Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency placed new limits on the acceptable levels of certain types of PFAS in drinking water following extensive research that found the substances potentially were harmful in any amount. The Brunswick discharge followed a spill in July of more than 7,000 gallons of water contaminated with PFAS at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico. According to a news release from installation officials Aug. 30, the water, which contained AFFF, had been removed from emergency vehicles as part of the Air Force's effort to remove PFAS-based foams from its systems. After the Brunswick discharge, Jared Hayes, senior policy analyst at the Environmental Working Group, told Military.com that the prospect of spills has been "looming over communities across the U.S.," especially those near active and former Defense Department bases. "Some of the biggest spills in the country in the past have been from military installations because they have such a concentrated and large inventory of [AFFF]," Hayes said in an interview Aug. 29. The fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act required the Defense Department to stop using AFFF for training and operations after Oct. 1, 2024, except on ocean-going vessels, where uncontrolled fires pose a significant threat to equipment and personnel. As a result of the deadline, the services have started removing their stockpiles from more than 1,500 facilities and 6,000 pieces of portable equipment and vehicles. The DoD announced in July, however, that it needed a one-year waiver to extend the deadline because, while it had made "significant progress" in meeting the law, it needed time to remove AFFF from all of its assets and additional time to install systems that use an alternative foam. "DoD is committed to eliminating AFFF for use for firefighting operations across its installations," officials said in a briefing July 1. Hayes said his organization expects the DoD to use a second waiver allowed under the law and extend the removal process through October 2026. "The DoD really needs to step up what they've been doing and make it a much bigger priority to remove these legacy firefighting foams from their active systems, contain them and make sure there isn't a risk of contamination like what happened at Brunswick," Hayes said. The Brunswick town council passed a resolution Sept. 3 calling for a full investigation into the spill and disabling of PFAS-based foam suppression systems at other hangars at the facility. "This event is a public health and environmental catastrophe unlike any other our community has ever seen," Brunswick Town Council Chairwoman Abby King wrote in a letter accompanying the resolution to Maine Gov. Janet Mills. "My community is desperate for answers as to how the damage of this event will be mitigated, their health protected, and future incidents prevented." As of March 31, the DoD has assessed 710 of 717 active and former installations for potential releases of PFAS chemicals and subsequent contamination. It has found 578 that need further study and has started those additional investigations at 350 locations, according to the department. Brunswick Naval Air Station officially closed in 2011. Related: DoD to Expand Investigation, Cleanup of 'Forever Chemicals' in Response to New EPA Standards The U.S. and U.K. are increasingly concerned that Russia is sharing with Iran secret information and technology that could bring it closer to being able to build nuclear weapons, in exchange for Tehran providing Moscow with ballistic missiles for its war in Ukraine. The Kremlin has increased its cooperation with Iran over its ambitions to obtain atomic weapons in recent months, according to Western officials familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss assessments that havent been made public. The development was discussed by U.S. and U.K. officials in Washington this week, the people added, as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met President Joe Biden at the White House for a strategic meeting on foreign policy. They described it as worrying, and an escalation of Russia and Irans military ties. Bidens administration remains deeply concerned with Irans nuclear activities, according to a spokesperson for the White Houses National Security Council. Biden has made it clear that the U.S. is ready to use all elements of national power to prevent any nuclear escalation by Iran, the spokesperson said Saturday. Russias Foreign Ministry and Irans embassy at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna didnt respond to requests for comment. Group of Seven foreign ministers condemned Irans export and Russias procurement of Iranian ballistic missiles in a joint statement on Saturday, calling it a further escalation of Iranian military support to Russias war in Ukraine and demanding that it cease immediately. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested during a recent visit to London that Russia was exchanging nuclear technology with Tehran, saying Moscow had received a shipment of Irans Fath-360 ballistic missiles. For its part, Russia is sharing technology that Iran seeks this is a two-way street including on nuclear issues, as well as some space information, Blinken said. Blinken and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy agreed during talks in London that Irans nuclear program had never been more advanced, the U.S. State Department said in a joint statement Saturday. Starmer will meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Monday to discuss Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East, among other topics. Italy has traditionally sought to project itself as a mediator in the Middle East, maintaining relations with Iran. Iran insists it isnt looking to produce nuclear weapons, although theres concern it could build them in response to escalating tensions with Israel. In April, a senior Iranian general said the Islamic Republic could revise its nuclear doctrine if Israel targeted its atomic facilities, remarks that were seen as a warning that it could seek to produce a warhead, having long said its atomic capabilities were only for civil purposes. IAEA, the United Nations watchdog, said Irans nuclear-fuel levels rose between June and August, enough to fuel a handful of warheads should Iran make a political decision to pursue weapons. At a conference in London last weekend, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns said Russia and Iran were deepening their military relations. _____ (With assistance from Jenny Leonard.) _____ 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The last time that Therese Fortier Willig saw her boss on July 28, 1945, his head and clothes were on fire. Willig, then 20 years old, was working for Catholic Relief Services on the 79th floor of New York City's iconic Empire State Building when a U.S. Army Air Force B-25 bomber accidentally crashed into the skyscraper. Her supervisor, Joe Fountain, died four days later, one of 14 people who were killed in the bizarre and horrifying incident. "It was a very small universe at that point," Willig told National Public Radio in 2008. "You're sort of stuck there, [on] an island with fire all around us." The flight was supposed to be routine. When Lt. Col. William F. Smith took off from Bedford, Massachusetts, for a scheduled 215-mile flight to LaGuardia Airport in New York, he was joined by only two passengers. There was no military purpose to the flight, which took place five weeks before the end of World War II; Smith was simply giving a couple of other service members a ride home. The flight was made much more perilous on that fateful Saturday, however, because of the dense fog enveloping New York City. When the 27-year-old Smith asked for permission to land at LaGuardia Airport, he was told instead to divert the military plane to Newark, N.J. While following those instructions, though, Smith is believed to have taken an ill-advised route, right through Midtown Manhattan. It turned out to be a fatal mistake. Flying in little to no visibility, Smith could barely see beyond the cockpit's windshield and was maneuvering the bomber at an extremely low altitude. After narrowly avoiding crashing into the Chrysler Building, Smith banked the B-25 slightly to the left and struck the north side of the Empire State Building head-on. Traveling at a speed of about 200 mph, the plane knocked out the 78th and 79th floors of the 102-story-tall skyscraper -- then the tallest in the world -- and exploded. "I was at the file cabinet, and all of a sudden, the building felt like it was going to just topple right over," Gloria Pall, who was working in the USO headquarters on the 56th floor, told NPR. "It just threw me across the room, and I landed against the wall. People were screaming and looking at each other and didn't know what to do." The plane created a 360-square-foot hole, tearing through steel and stone "as if they were papier-mache," as Time magazine reported at the time. Fire spread quickly over the span of 11 floors as workers raced to avoid the flames and New Yorkers looked up from below, not quite believing what they were seeing. As those on the affected floors scurried as fast as they could, they had no idea exactly what happened. Willig did not think initially that an aircraft caused all this damage. "The war in Europe had ended, but it hadn't ended in Japan," Willig told The New York Times in 2006. "I thought in terms of a bomb. I didn't think of an airplane. We just didn't know." What actually happened did not become clear to many of the building's occupants until they were rescued or made their way onto the street. In the meantime, the approaching flames produced chaos and terror. Betty Lou Oliver survived falling 75 floors in an elevator after an Army Air Force bomber struck the Empire State Building in New York in 1945. (Photo from X) One man jumped to his death, and many victims were burned beyond recognition. While one engine landed atop a penthouse apartment across the street, the other one snapped an elevator cable while 20-year-old Betty Lou Oliver -- a temporary office worker waiting for her husband, a Navy torpedoman, to return from overseas -- was inside. Screaming frantically as the car plummeted 75 floors at breakneck speed, her life was spared only because the emergency brake was activated. "I started yelling and pounding on the floor," Oliver, who sustained a broken pelvis, back and neck, told the Courier-News of New Jersey. "I was going down so fast that I just had to hang onto the sides of the elevator to keep from floating." The crash, which caused about $1 million in damage (roughly $17.5 million in 2024), represented the first time that an airplane struck a skyscraper in the United States' most populous city, and as tragic as it was, it could have been much worse: Because it happened on a weekend, fewer people were working. The three service members onboard the B-25 bomber were killed, including Smith, a 1942 U.S. Military Academy graduate who completed more than 40 missions in Europe with the Eighth Air Force. His body was discovered two days later at the bottom of an elevator shaft. In addition, 11 office workers died and at least 24 others were injured. Firemen and other investigators look at the damage done in an office on the 79th floor of New York's Empire State Building by a B-25 bomber, July 28, 1945. (AP Photo) As the flames and fumes spread, Willig and a handful of co-workers found a safe office space, closed the door and covered their mouths and noses while waiting (hopefully) to be rescued. Not sure whether anyone would come, Willig removed the rings from her fingers and, figuring someone might want them, threw them out the window. After the firemen arrived, she made her way safely outside. She was one of the lucky ones. "I was just grateful to be alive," Willig said, per the NPR segment. Want to Know More About the Military? Be sure to get the latest news about the U.S. military, as well as critical info about how to join and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox. The music wont go on for the foreseeable future for Janes Addiction. The rockers announced they are canceling the remainder of their tour amid a fight between band members. The tour cancelation comes after frontman Perry Farrell threw a punch at guitarist Dave Navarro in the middle of the bands concert this past Friday in Boston. The band have made the difficult decision to take some time away as a group, they wrote on their X (Twitter) page. One of the canceled concerts was set for this Friday, September 20 at Meadow Brook Amphitheatre in Rochester Hills in Metro Detroit. Tickets can be refunded at point of purchase. Tickets purchased by phone or online will be automatically refunded. Fans who purchased from a third-party resale site should reach out to them directly. Janes Addiction was around halfway through their tour, which also featured Love and Rockets. Here are the remaining dates which were canceled: PRESQUE ISLE, MI Two ships traveling up Lake Huron collided 156 years ago today. One of them sank with all hands onboard. The schooner Persian sank on or around Sept. 16, 1868, after a collision with schooner E.B. Allen, according to records kept by the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The vessels were rounding Presque Isle when the E.B. Allen, which did not have the right of way, attempted to pass Persian and collided with the ships starboard side tearing a hole in it, according to accounts from sailors on the E.B. Allen. Persian headed for shore. E.B. Allen did not stop to render aid and continued its voyage to Chicago, the crew reported. Persian did not make land, officials said. It sank quickly with all hands and was not seen again. The ship was carrying wheat to Chicago. Sport divers discovered the shipwreck site in 1991, officials said. It rests in 168 feet of water about 42 miles northwest of Presque Isle. The wreck is at GPS coordinates N45 41.961 W84 09.174. The E.B. Allen sank three years later after another collision. Its crew was rescued by the other vessel. LINCOLN PARK, MI - Michigan State Police Motor Carrier Officer Daniel Kerstetter was to be removed from life support after his organs were donated, state police announced about 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Kerstetter, 45, could not overcome the injuries he suffered in a Friday crash on I-75, and his family decided to make the donations, according to the state police. We are heartbroken for this loss, Col. James F. Grady II, state police director, said in a statement. Traffic enforcement is dangerous work. The dedication of our motor carrier officers and troopers to keeping the public safe on our roadways is commendable and honorable. With the decision to give the gift of life, even in his death, MC Officer Kerstetter is serving others. Married with three children, Kerstetter joined the state police in January 2023 and graduated in May 2023 as part of the 26th Motor Carrier Officer Recruit School, the state police said in the statement. He was assigned to the Metro North Post. At about 8:30 a.m. Sept. 13, Kerstetter was stopped behind a semitrailer near Dix Highway in Lincoln Park when a Ford Explorer struck the back of the police vehicle. The Explorer had hit a median wall and continued down the freeway before striking the patrol vehicle and pushing it into the back of the semitrailer. Kerstetter was seated and belted in the vehicle as he conducted a traffic stop, according to state police. The SUV driver - a female who has not been named - died, and the truck driver was not injured, state police reported. Motor carrier officers are armed, uniformed members of the state police who specialize in commercial vehicle enforcement. They monitor vehicle size and weight and traffic law compliance; conduct commercial vehicle and driver inspections; and enforce hazardous material regulations. IRONWOOD, MI An Upper Peninsula church property was badly damaged after an alleged drunken driver crashed a truck into it. According to the Ironwood Police Department, the Our Lady of Peace fence, playground equipment, and the building just to the east of the playground sustained substantial damage at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Sunday. ANN ARBOR, MI A University of Michigan student was assaulted early Sunday morning after he told a group of men he was Jewish, according to police. The 19-year-old man was walking near Hill Street and S. Forest Avenue around 12:45 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 15, when the group of unknown men behind him asked if he was Jewish, Ann Arbor police said in a release. The intersection is near the university campus, and Ann Arbor police spokesperson Chris Page confirmed the teen is a student. When the teen said yes, the group then assaulted him before fleeing the area, police said. The teen suffered minor injuries and was not taken to the hospital. He reported the incident to police around 12:20 p.m. that day, and the Ann Arbor police are investigating the incident as a hate crime, police said. There is absolutely no place for hate or ethnic intimidation in the City of Ann Arbor, Andre Anderson, police chief, said in a statement. Our department stands against antisemitism and all acts of bias-motivated crimes. The schools department of public safety is working closely with Ann Arbor police, University of Michigan President Santa Ono said in a message on social media. He asked anyone with information about the incident to reach out to police. We stand firmly against antisemitism and all bias-motivated behavior, Ono said. We are committed to creating a community where every student, faculty member, staff member or visitor can thrive without the fear of threats, intimidation or violence. The assault follows the vandalism of a public art display with pro-Palestine messages and the dispersing of antisemitic flyers outside 40 Ann Arbor homes. Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter. Telkom Indonesias subsidiary Metra Digital Media (MDMedia), which focuses on digital communications and advertising, has launched a programmatic advertising platform that it says leverages telco data to deliver more targeted digital ads. The new platform, called AdXelerate, is a demand-side platform (DSP) service that enables digital advertisers to buy ads more quickly and automatically match them for optimum placement across multiple publishers. According to Telkom, AdXelerate leverages big-data analytics to build comprehensive audience profiles and optimise ads in milliseconds based on performance. The DSP platform is also able to re-target ads by harnessing learning analytics to sharpen target audience segmentation, the company said. At AdXelerates official launch on Thursday, MDMedia president director Arif Prabowo said the platform also benefits by using datasets from Telkoms fixed and mobile operations. This service can help advertisers face modern challenges in today's digital marketing by analyzing insights from diverse telco data, he said in a statement. Through the use of AdXelerate, advertisers can provide optimal, effective, and efficient results. Prabowo added that the platform is designed to comply with privacy regulations under Indonesias Personal Data Protection (PDP) law. WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI Nearly two months after her 17-year-old son died in a car crash, Angela Maria Lara is searching for answers and justice. We want people to know Alex was a victim, Lara said, translated from Spanish by family members. He put his trust in someone to bring him home, and he ended up taking his life. Lara was on the phone with 15-year-old Lesley Chavez, a passenger in the car, when Alexander Valenzuela-Lara, also a passenger, was killed and Lesley was severely injured July 20 in a high-speed crash. Lara and her family are frustrated the driver has not been charged. Lt. Rene Gonzalez, spokesperson for the Michigan State Police, said the Washtenaw County Prosecutors office is reviewing the case. MLive/The Ann Arbor News is withholding the drivers name because he has not yet been arraigned. The evening of the crash, Lesley and Valenzuela-Lara who were in a relationship had called and asked the 17-year-olds sister, Ashley Valenzuela-Lara, to pick them up. Ashley and her mother were getting into the car when Lesley called back, saying Alexs barber was going to give them a ride home. Alex and his barber had never hung out socially or gone out before, Ashley said. As the driver came to drop off Alex and Lesley at the front of the 17-year-olds house, Ashley said she saw the interior car light come on. Out of nowhere, it kind of did a burnout, Ashley said. This happened so fast. Then, a police officers vehicle flew by, Ashley said. Although the car didnt have any flashing lights or sirens, Ashley said she saw it was reflective. Read more: 150 gather to remember aspiring Marine killed in Ypsilanti crash Gonzalez previously confirmed the driver fled after a Pittsfield Township police officer initiated a traffic stop. Ashley called Lesley again, before passing the phone to her mother. Lara told Lesley to get the driver to stop anywhere, and they would come get them. Then, she heard a shout, and the call cut off, she said. As long as (Alex) got out the car, I didnt care where (the driver) was, Ashley said. A few minutes later, Lara received a notification from a tracking app saying her son had been in a crash. She and her daughter rushed to the scene, she said. We just didnt know anything else after that, Ashley said. Read more: Saline teen killed in crash at Ypsilanti car dealership A similarity between Alex and the drivers name caused confusion on scene and at the hospital, according to Lara. Originally, hospital staff had told her that her son was alive, before police told them he had died at the crash scene. It has also confused community members who know the name of the driver, Lara said. Some people have thought her son was driving, she said. Speculation from the community has been difficult, she added. They just dont know how everything happened, Ashley said. The 18-year-old driver ultimately crashed into a fire hydrant and nine parked vehicles at Fischer Honda, 15 E. Michigan Ave., in Ypsilanti, Gonzalez said. The car flipped, ejecting both Lesley and Alex. Lesley is still in the hospital, older brother Erick Chavez confirmed Thursday, Sept. 12. We are just glad that she is recovering slowly, but glad shes still alive and with us, Chavez said in a message. A GoFundMe has raised nearly $12,000 for Lesleys medical costs. Alex had a future, Lara said. Alex wanted to do things with his life and (the driver) took that away from him. He hoped to be a Marine and was working on fixing up a motorcycle, his mother said. Both their extended family and Chavezs have been a big support, she added. Lara is looking to law enforcement to bring the driver to justice, she said. Our lives will never be the same, she said. Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter. DAVISON, MI The former home of a Davison Mexican restaurant is under new ownership, and there are plans to transform the site into a bar and grill. Senor Luckys, located at 840 S. State Road in Davison, suddenly and permanently closed its doors on June 30. The property was purchased by Popoff Investments III LLC in late July, according to public records of the sale. The new owners are currently in the process of renovating the building and transforming it into a bar and grill. Everything from the previous restaurant has been removed from the building in preparation for the renovation. Were kind of in the infancy, Jason Hester, of Popoff Investments, said. Were still hammering out the menu and everything. Were looking to rehab the building, and were going to make some changes to it, you know, clean it up, bring it up to date and make it a nice destination location for Davison and, obviously, surrounding communities. Hester estimates the new bar and grill will be renovated and able to open its doors as soon as February or March of 2025. Its a big project, he said. The bar and grill will be the newest restaurant owned by Popoff Investments, which also owns two Starlite Diner & Coney Island locations in Burton and The Vault Downtown in Fenton. Related: Starlite remains Flint area staple, selling mouthwatering burgers and Coney dogs However, this will be the first restaurant they have opened in Davison. Its a different customer base, Hester said. Davison is a great community with a lot of really good people, and its just a solid area to do business. One of the main reasons Popoff Investments purchased the old Senor Luckys property is because of its location. For commercial property, we look at every opportunity thats out there. And having a solid building on M-15 in a great community really kind of spoke to us, and we really wanted to be in this area, Hester said. Sometimes stuff finds you instead of you finding it, and thats kind of what this opportunity was. While it has not yet been determined exactly what will be on the menu at the bar and grill, Hester said customers can expect some chef driven dishes. Its just going to be very well executed food, not the typical frozen cheese sticks and stuff like that, he said. Its going to be more scratch made. Additionally, Hester said he and Popoff Investments are looking forward to providing the Davison area with a much needed option when it comes to dining out. Were just getting into the whole project, and were looking forward to assimilating into the community and being another good option in this area, he said. We definitely want to draw from all of Genesee County. Want more Flint-area news? Bookmark the local Flint news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Flint daily newsletter. GRAND RAPIDS, MI If you missed Davids epic climb up the Amway Grand Plaza Friday, dont despair: You can catch the massive, 35-foot puppet in action through the rest of ArtPrize. David, who weighs 200 pounds and is built from thick pieces of aluminum woven together, will be on display for the next nine days at 45 Ottawa Ave. NW, where attendees can not only view but take control of the marionette. Using pulleys, attendees will be able to operate his arms, legs and head, said Mark Osgerby, a spokesperson for ArtPrize, the 16-day international art competition that ends Sept. 28. If youre into that, it will certainly be a fun experience for everybody, he said. RELATED: ArtPrize opens with North Americas largest marionette climbing Amway Grand Plaza David wowed thousands of onlookers during Fridays opening celebration, where he scaled the 29-story hotel on a host of thick, wired cables that stretched from the buildings roof to the sidewalk below. On Monday morning, workers were assembling David downtown at 45 Ottawa Ave., a parking lot adjacent to AC Hotel Grand Rapids. He will be descended from a crane at the site provided by Rockford Construction. Each days viewing and activation will take place from noon to 8 p.m. His first appearance is today, Sept. 16. ArtPrize will be offering a free fast pass, where a group of up to six visitors can skip the line and book time to interact with the puppet. To find out more, visit the artprize.org/events webpage and click on the David exhibit. There will be a tickets tab on the days when the pass is available. RELATED: 15 years later, can ArtPrize still wow Grand Rapids? David was created in 2009 by The Underground Circus, a professional circus performance company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. ArtPrize officials say hes the largest marionette in North America. Over the years, hes appeared at the opening of the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre, a TED event in Long Beach, California, and the Beakerhead and Calgary International Film Festival in 2021. More ArtPrize coverage on MLive: ArtPrize opens with epic firework show and giant puppet scaling building Your guide to ArtPrize 2024 around Grand Rapids ArtPrize 2024 kicks off in Grand Rapids with magical displays As ArtPrize returns to Grand Rapids, see all the past grand prize winners HOLLAND, MI - A Georgia-based deli chain famous for its sweet tea has planted its stakes in the Lakeshore region. McAlisters Deli hosted a grand opening celebration on Monday, Sept. 16, for its first Holland area restaurant at 2288 N Park Drive in Holland Township. The Atlanta-based deli chain is famous for its club sandwiches, sweet tea and baked potatoes that customers can order with a variety of toppings. Kito Cody, COO for Southern Rock Restaurants, a major franchisee for McAlisters, said people were camped outside of the restaurant since 6 a.m. to be among the first 100 customers who would get free tea for a year. Its exciting for us to see the support from people wanting to come in on day one, he said. McAlisters Holland also hosted a Heroes Day event this past weekend and gave away $10,000 worth of food to residents. The new restaurant is the 159th McAlisters location for Southern Rock Restaurants. The group operates McAlisters Delis across 13 states, including nine in Michigan. McAlisters of Holland Township has 64 employees all hired from within Ottawa County. Cody said Michigan is a high-growth market for Southern Rock, and the group is scoping out eight potential locations in the state for future restaurants. Michigan has been a really strong market for us, and were looking to get to 200 units probably within two years, he said. Want more Grand Rapids-area news? Bookmark the local Grand Rapids news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Grand Rapids daily newsletter. GRAND RAPIDS, MI A reckless driver crashed a vehicle into a Grand Rapids patrol car, injuring the officer and others, police said. None of the injuries were serious, Grand Rapids police said. CASS COUNTY, MI -- A driver was killed in a crash at an intersection in Southwest Michigan, the Cass County Sheriffs Office reports. Police were called around 10:20 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 15, to the fatal traffic crash at the intersection of M-60 and Dailey Road in Cass Countys Jefferson Township. Corporal Aaron Grace and Deputy Austin Martin helped deliver a baby in front of the Roscommon County Sherriff's Office las week. The baby, Luca Jameson Meir, was born Sept. 12 at 9:43 a.m., 8 pounds 21 inches long. | Photo credit Roscommon County Sherriff's OfficeRoscommon County Sherriff's Office ROSCOMMON COUNTY, MI -- When Chris Meir rushed into the Roscommon County Sheriffs Office on the morning of Sept. 12, it wasnt because of a crime thatd been committed but a different kind of emergency. It was approximately 9:30 a.m. when Meir informed deputies that his car was parked outside and his significant Jessica Schaffer was in urgent need of help. Outside in the vehicle, Schaffer was in active labor. Without hesitation, multiple personnel from the sheriffs office, along with nearby agencies, sprang into action, headed outside to assist Schaffer until an ambulance could arrive. Among the responders were Deputy Austin Martin and Corporal Aaron Grace, who played a critical role in helping deliver the baby safely. I just got done arresting somebody and I was in our typing room when I was alerted by Chris, Martin told MLive. I went out there, made contact with his significant other and I asked if this was her first child. She said it was her third and she knew this baby was coming. Martin said from his experiences, sometimes they will get called to help deliver a baby but nothing happens right away. However, this time it did. Martin along with jail staff brought out a mat, blankets and towels, pulled the woman out of the vehicle and helped deliver the baby together. The ambulance arrived right when the baby was delivered. She did all the work, Martin said. Its not like I was able to do too much for her and I let her know she was doing a good job. Within a minute of Schaffers water breaking, at 9:43 a.m., Luca Jameson Meir, weighing 8 pounds and measuring 21 inches in length, was born. Both mother and baby are reported to be doing well. The sheriffs office expressed gratitude to Higgins Township Fire & EMS and the Denton Township Police Department for their assistance during the delivery. This is my first time delivering a baby, Martin said. You dont expect it to happen. We visited her (the mother) at the hospital and gave her some gifts, flowers, diapers for the new little guy and a card. MOUNT PLEASANT, MI Central Michigan University officials are in search of a new executive vice president after the posts previous occupant stepped down. CMU officials did not provide details on why Nancy Mathews, the executive vice president and provost since 2022, announced her resignation effective immediately last week. College officials said CMU President Bob Davies accepted her resignation and appointed Paula Lancaster, dean of CMUs College of Education and Human Services, to perform Mathews former job responsibilities on an interim basis. I am thankful for Provost Mathews service over the past two years, Davies said in a statement. I look forward to working with Dr. Lancaster in the months ahead as we build momentum for CMU and make progress on initiatives vital to our academic mission. CMU officials said Davies and the CMU Board of Trustees plan to pursue a national search for Mathews permanent replacement. Want more Bay City- and Saginaw-area news? Bookmark the local Bay City and Saginaw news page or sign up for the free 3@3 daily newsletter for Bay City and Saginaw. ANN ARBOR, MI Jane Fonda told an Ann Arbor crowd on Monday its not just four years that would be lost if Donald Trump gets elected president again. We lose if he gets elected, she said, referring to the fight against global climate change. The following is a listing of all home transfers in Bay County reported from Sept. 9 to Sept. 15. There were 36 transactions posted during this time. During this period, the median sale for the area was a 1,877-square-foot home on North Hampton Street in Bay City that sold for $178,400. Auburn 930 Appaloosa, Auburn, $297,500, 1,510 square feet, $197 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Bay City 1312 Cass Ave., Bay City, $39,000, 928 square feet, $42 per square-foot, two bedrooms and one bathroom. 600 N. Monroe Street, Bay City, $60,000, 2,230 square feet, $27 per square-foot, four bedrooms and two bathrooms. 603 W. Indiana Street, Bay City, $65,000, 823 square feet, $79 per square-foot, one bedroom and one bathroom. 505 W. Ohio Street, Bay City, $69,900, 1,212 square feet, $58 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. 800 McKinley Street, Bay City, $84,000, 1,592 square feet, $53 per square-foot, four bedrooms and two bathrooms. 2016 Fifth Street, Bay City, $87,000, 2,283 square feet, $38 per square-foot, four bedrooms and two bathrooms. 792 Bay Road, Bay City, $95,000, 880 square feet, $108 per square-foot, three bedrooms and one bathroom. 709 Michigan Ave., Bay City, $115,300, 1,525 square feet, $76 per square-foot, two bedrooms and one bathroom. 305 S. Mountain Street, Bay City, $120,000, 908 square feet, $132 per square-foot, two bedrooms and one bathroom. 200 S. Barclay Street, Bay City, $122,000, 1,210 square feet, $101 per square-foot, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. 710 Taylor Street, Bay City, $130,000, 1,981 square feet, $66 per square-foot, four bathrooms. 310 N. Warner Street, Bay City, $135,000, 1,134 square feet, $119 per square-foot, three bedrooms and one bathroom. 1419 10th Street, Bay City, $139,900, 1,204 square feet, $116 per square-foot, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. 309 E. Jeanette Street, Bay City, $148,200, 1,300 square feet, $114 per square-foot, three bedrooms and one bathroom. 36 State Park Drive, Bay City, $158,650, 1,752 square feet, $91 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. 1108 N. Linn Street, Bay City, $170,000, 1,356 square feet, $125 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. 3181 Arnold Court, Bay City, $176,500, 1,326 square feet, $133 per square-foot, three bedrooms and one bathroom. 409 N. Hampton Street, Bay City, $178,400, 1,877 square feet, $95 per square-foot, five bedrooms and two bathrooms. 6203 Fairway Pines Court 3, Bay City, $183,000, 1,406 square feet, $130 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. 2128 Third Street, Bay City, $188,000, 1,698 square feet, $111 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. 1810 W. German Road, Bay City, $190,000, 1,822 square feet, $104 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. 2301 26th Street, Bay City, $200,000, 1,255 square feet, $159 per square-foot, one bathroom. 3532 2 Mile Road, Bay City, $247,500, 1,759 square feet, $141 per square-foot, two bathrooms. 615 Nurmi Court, Bay City, $250,000, 3,279 square feet, $76 per square-foot, five bedrooms and five bathrooms. 3197 State Street Road, Bay City, $260,000, 1,872 square feet, $139 per square-foot, three bedrooms and one bathroom. 3624 Kawkawlin River Drive, Bay City, $285,000, 2,031 square feet, $140 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. 269 Lagoon Beach Drive, Bay City, $356,000, 1,601 square feet, $222 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. 5350 Lisa Drive, Bay City, $385,000, 2,062 square feet, $187 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. 5164 Queen Annes Lane, Bay City, $460,100, 1,728 square feet, $266 per square-foot, four bedrooms and three bathrooms. 7 Bay Shore Drive, Bay City, $599,000, 2,263 square feet, $265 per square-foot, four bedrooms and four bathrooms. 5550 Hickory Lane, Bay City, $618,000, 2,302 square feet, $268 per square-foot, four bedrooms and four bathrooms. Kawkawlin 1018 S. Huron Road, Kawkawlin, $189,000, 1,325 square feet, $143 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. 2750 Fraser Road, Kawkawlin, $520,000, 3,288 square feet, $158 per square-foot, three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Linwood 519 W. Edwin Street, Linwood, $144,900, 1,372 square feet, $106 per square-foot, one bathroom. 485 N. Kaiser Tower Road, Linwood, $325,000, 2,335 square feet, $139 per square-foot, three bedrooms and one bathroom. Real Estate Newswire is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to generate analysis of data from Propmix, an aggregator of national real-estate data.. A reminder that in large parts of Africa internet connectivity is not always guaranteed comes from PalmPay, a financial platform with over 30 million users on its smartphone app in Nigeria. PalmPay has announced the launch of its USSD code, a service that offers Nigerians an additional way to manage their finances without the need for internet connectivity. With the PalmPay USSD code, says the company, customers can now perform a wide range of banking transactions by dialling *861# from their mobile phones. PalmPay has been operating in Nigeria since 2019 under a Mobile Money Operator license issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The fintech says it has pioneered a model that provides financial services such as money transfers, bill payments, credit services and savings via a one-stop-shop financial superapp. Customers without access to smartphones are able to make transactions via a nationwide network of over 500,000 mobile money agents. The addition of a USSD access point is designed to further enhance the accessibility and convenience of its platform for consumers in a market where data network outages are common. In addition, the newly launched USSD platform comes with a security feature which allows customers to remotely freeze their accounts in case their phone is lost or stolen. Chika Nwosu, Nigeria Managing Director, PalmPay, says: "At PalmPay, we aim to bridge the gap in digital access, and the introduction of our USSD service aligns with that mission." PalmPay reaches over 30 million registered Nigerian users on its app and connects 1.1 million businesses through its network of mobile money agents and merchants. Miescor Infrastructure Development Corporation (MIDC) merged with Phil-Tower Consortium (Phil-Tower) in a move to stay competitive against Frontier Tower Associates in the Philippines. MIDC and Phil-Tower have a combined portfolio of 3,300 towers. In a statement, the companies said the merger positioned the joint-venture company to address the Philippines growing demand for 4G and 5G connectivity. The tower company will serve the countrys largest mobile operators including Globe Telecom, Smart Communications, and DITO Telecommunity. MIDC is part owned by asset management firm Stonepeak and Meralco Industrial Engineering Services Corporation (MIESCOR). Stonepeak said in a statement MIDC will continued to be backed by a consortium of existing investors including Stonepeak, MIESCOR, Macquarie Capital, and Global Network Inc. Stonepeak Senior managing Director, Darren Keogh, said the merger will enable effective delivery for critical digital infrastructure through their combined footprints. Global Network Group CEO and Phil-Tower President, Devid Gubiani, will serve as the joint-venture companys CEO. The executive said: I am confident that the combination of MIDC and Phil-Towers unique strengths and competencies will further digitisation objectives in the Philippines as the countrys younger generation continues to drive exponential data consumption. Rival tower company Frontier Tower Associates recently closed its final tranche of towers from Globe Telecom taking full control of the operators 3,529 towers. Heres a quick and easy way to decide how to vote on the Open Primaries Initiative. If you want to keep Raul Labrador as Idahos attorney general or even elevate him to governor then vote against it and retain the closed Republican primary that allows him and his allies to engage in minority rule. If youd like to send Labrador back to private practice in Eagle, then vote to open the primary to all voters and subject the top four vote-getters in any contest regardless of political party to an instant runoff general election in November. Open the primary and Labrador would be held accountable for positions that find support only within a narrow band of GOP primary voters but would not get past the broad swath of people who cast a ballot in November: -- Obamacare Labrador campaigned against it, even going so far as telling a Lewiston audience that nobody dies because they dont have access to health care. -- The closed primary itself This was something GOP activists, with Labradors support, forced upon Idahoans by suing them in court. -- Shutting down the Idaho National Laboratory As a member of Congress, Labrador twice voted for the so-called McClintock Amendment, which would have cut more than two-thirds out of the budget supporting nuclear research on the Arco desert. -- Medicaid expansion Labrador not only opposed the 2018 initiative, in which nearly 61% of voters extended medical coverage to Idahos working poor adults, but the Spokesman-Review reported that he would consider working to overturn the voter-passed initiative. -- Abortion Polling indicates Idahos abortion ban is not popular. Two years ago, 59% told pollsters they wanted abortion legal in the Gem State, either almost entirely or with some restrictions. But Labrador has gone out of his way to block any effort to protect the health of Idaho women enduring a crisis pregnancy, going so far as to pursue the issue before the U.S. Supreme Court. He also issued an analysis that said it was illegal for health care providers to help patients get care in states where abortion remains legal. AppBackend is a simple and powerful backend tool designed to make static websites dynamic. This tool has been trusted and utilized by companies such as Strapi, Anghami, Autozen, Cosmofeed, Veryable, LeadMagic, and CodeStory. With AppBackend, business managers can easily transform their static websites into dynamic platforms, enhancing user experience and functionality. Features Canvas Table: AppBackend offers a powerful canvas-based data grid for handling millions of rows of data. Users can import third-party apps data and create a table, enabling auto-sync for seamless data management. Additionally, the Table API allows for easy integration into projects using code. Users can also share the table view with a link and embed it into any website. AppBackends analytics feature converts tabular data into informative charts for effective data analysis. Content Delivery Network: To boost asset loading speed, AppBackend provides a Content Delivery Network (CDN) for efficient delivery of images. With this feature, businesses can enhance their website performance and provide a seamless user experience. Caching Layer: AppBackends cutting-edge caching technology unlocks a faster experience for users. By utilizing a caching layer, businesses can improve website speed and overall performance, ensuring that their website runs smoothly and efficiently. AppBackend offers a robust and easy-to-use solution for businesses looking to add dynamic functionality to their static websites. With its range of features, including the Canvas Table, Content Delivery Network, and Caching Layer, AppBackend provides businesses with the tools they need to enhance their online presence and improve user experience. Pricing AppBackend offers a Free plan for beginners with 2 projects, unlimited tables, 100 row limit per table, and more. The Professional Plan, priced at $19 per month, includes unlimited projects, tables, 250k row limit, and additional features like API calls and auto syncing from third-party apps. Visit appbackend.io for more. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter , Facebook and Instagram. Citizens Bancshares Co. (OTCMKTS:CZBS Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 100 shares, a decline of 66.7% from the August 15th total of 300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 5,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.0 days. Citizens Bancshares Price Performance CZBS stock traded down $0.39 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $48.51. The company had a trading volume of 1,891 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,699. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $47.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.86. Citizens Bancshares has a 1 year low of $33.35 and a 1 year high of $51.20. Get Citizens Bancshares alerts: Citizens Bancshares Company Profile (Get Free Report) Featured Articles Citizens Bancshares Corporation operates as the holding company for Citizens Trust Bank that provides various commercial banking services to individual and corporate customers. The company offers checking and savings accounts; and demand and money market deposits. Its loan products include commercial, financial, and agricultural loans; loans secured by personal property, such as automobiles, marketable securities, and other titled recreational vehicles and motorcycles, as well as unsecured consumer debt; commercial real estate loans; single-family residential loans; and construction and development loans. Receive News & Ratings for Citizens Bancshares Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Citizens Bancshares and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Invesco High Income Trust II (NYSE:VLT Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 37,000 shares, a growth of 113.9% from the August 15th total of 17,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 22,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days. Invesco High Income Trust II Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:VLT traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $11.24. 50,748 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 27,749. Invesco High Income Trust II has a 1 year low of $9.29 and a 1 year high of $11.48. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $11.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.72. Get Invesco High Income Trust II alerts: Invesco High Income Trust II Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 17th will be given a dividend of $0.0964 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 17th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.30%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Invesco High Income Trust II Invesco High Income Trust II Company Profile A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Invesco High Income Trust II stock. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Invesco High Income Trust II ( NYSE:VLT Free Report ) by 4.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 67,370 shares of the financial services providers stock after buying an additional 2,595 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC owned approximately 1.04% of Invesco High Income Trust II worth $723,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Institutional investors own 21.63% of the companys stock. (Get Free Report) Invesco High Income Trust II is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Invesco Ltd. The fund is co-managed by Invesco Advisers, Inc, INVESCO Asset Management (Japan) Limited, INVESCO Asset Management Deutschland GmbH, INVESCO Asset Management Limited, Invesco Hong Kong Limited, INVESCO Senior Secured Management, Inc, and Invesco Canada Ltd. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Invesco High Income Trust II Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco High Income Trust II and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Ares Management (NYSE:ARES Free Report) in a report released on Thursday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm issued an equal weight rating and a $156.00 target price on the asset managers stock. Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Ares Management from $141.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Ares Management in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued a neutral rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Ares Management from $134.00 to $133.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Ares Management from $158.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ares Management presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $141.42. Get Ares Management alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on ARES Ares Management Stock Up 2.5 % ARES opened at $147.40 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $46.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 66.10, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $143.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.65. Ares Management has a twelve month low of $96.00 and a twelve month high of $155.53. Ares Management (NYSE:ARES Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 2nd. The asset manager reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $788.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $860.09 million. Ares Management had a net margin of 12.53% and a return on equity of 20.46%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.90 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ares Management will post 4.15 EPS for the current fiscal year. Ares Management Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. Ares Managements dividend payout ratio is currently 166.82%. Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, insider Ryan Berry sold 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.12, for a total value of $1,421,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 446,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,485,288.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 27,120 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.67, for a total transaction of $3,950,570.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 222,880 shares of the companys stock, valued at $32,466,929.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ryan Berry sold 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.12, for a total transaction of $1,421,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 446,702 shares in the company, valued at $63,485,288.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 779,315 shares of company stock worth $109,487,356. Company insiders own 1.20% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of Ares Management A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ARES. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ares Management in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. West Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in Ares Management by 66.7% in the first quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 250 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Ares Management by 555.0% during the 1st quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 262 shares of the asset managers stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 717.6% in the 1st quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 278 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Ares Management Company Profile (Get Free Report) Ares Management Corporation operates as an alternative asset manager in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The company's Tradable Credit Group segment manages various types of investment funds, such as commingled and separately managed accounts for institutional investors, and publicly traded vehicles and sub-advised funds for retail investors in the tradable and non-investment grade corporate credit markets. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Ares Management Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ares Management and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Auckland International Airport Limited (ASX:AIA Get Free Report) declared a final dividend on Friday, September 13th, MarketIndexAU reports. Investors of record on Thursday, October 3rd will be paid a dividend of 0.059 per share on Thursday, October 3rd. This represents a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 17th. This is a boost from Auckland International Airports previous final dividend of $0.04. Auckland International Airport Price Performance The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 31.46. Get Auckland International Airport alerts: About Auckland International Airport (Get Free Report) Featured Stories Auckland International Airport Limited provides airport facilities, supporting infrastructure, and aeronautical services in Auckland and New Zealand. The company operates through three segments: Aeronautical, Retail, and Property. The Aeronautical segment provides services that facilitate the movement of aircraft, passengers, and cargo, as well as utility services, which support the airport; and leases space for facilities, such as terminals. Receive News & Ratings for Auckland International Airport Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Auckland International Airport and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Aviva plc (OTCMKTS:AVVIY Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 29,200 shares, a decline of 38.5% from the August 15th total of 47,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 26,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.1 days. Aviva Price Performance Shares of AVVIY opened at $13.17 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $12.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Aviva has a 52-week low of $9.25 and a 52-week high of $13.58. Get Aviva alerts: Aviva Cuts Dividend The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be issued a $0.2854 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. About Aviva Aviva plc provides various insurance, retirement, investment, and savings products in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and internationally. The company offers life insurance, long-term health and accident insurance, savings, pension, and annuity products, as well as pension fund business and lifetime mortgage products. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Aviva Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Aviva and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. (NYSE:BAM Get Free Report) (TSE:BAM.A) saw a significant growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 12,460,000 shares, a growth of 19.2% from the August 15th total of 10,450,000 shares. Approximately 3.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,080,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 11.5 days. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Brookfield Asset Management during the second quarter worth $830,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in Brookfield Asset Management by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 18,217 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $693,000 after acquiring an additional 875 shares in the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky acquired a new position in Brookfield Asset Management during the 2nd quarter valued at about $201,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Brookfield Asset Management during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $201,000. Finally, Ascent Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Brookfield Asset Management by 75.7% in the second quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 10,655 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 4,590 shares during the last quarter. 68.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Brookfield Asset Management alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Brookfield Asset Management from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research note on Wednesday. TD Securities lifted their price target on shares of Brookfield Asset Management from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Brookfield Asset Management from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Brookfield Asset Management from $41.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Scotiabank cut their target price on Brookfield Asset Management from $46.00 to $45.50 and set a sector outperform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brookfield Asset Management presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $43.81. Brookfield Asset Management Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:BAM traded up $0.15 during trading on Friday, reaching $44.85. The stock had a trading volume of 1,606,517 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,320,094. The stock has a market cap of $19.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.56. Brookfield Asset Management has a 52 week low of $28.35 and a 52 week high of $45.24. The firms fifty day moving average is $41.11 and its 200 day moving average is $40.28. 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 business had revenue of $916.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.16 billion. Brookfield Asset Management had a net margin of 51.29% and a return on equity of 92.37%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.28 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Brookfield Asset Management will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Brookfield Asset Management Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.39%. Brookfield Asset Managements dividend payout ratio is currently 140.74%. About Brookfield Asset Management (Get 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. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Brookfield Asset Management Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Brookfield Asset Management and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cango Inc. (NYSE:CANG Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 15,900 shares, an increase of 45.9% from the August 15th total of 10,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 32,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.5 days. Currently, 0.0% of the companys stock are short sold. Cango Trading Down 1.9 % Shares of Cango stock opened at $1.53 on Monday. Cango has a 12 month low of $0.92 and a 12 month high of $2.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $166.64 million, a P/E ratio of -38.25 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1.64. Get Cango alerts: Institutional Inflows and Outflows A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Cango stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Cango Inc. (NYSE:CANG Free Report) by 48.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,922 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 6,467 shares during the quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLCs holdings in Cango were worth $32,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. 4.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Cango Company Profile Cango Inc operates an automotive transaction service platform that connects dealers, original equipment manufacturers, financial institutions, car buyers, insurance brokers, and companies in the People's Republic of China. The company offers automobile trading solutions comprising car sourcing, transaction facilitation, logistics, and warehousing support for dealers through Cango Haoche app that offers new car transaction services, and Cango U-Car app that offers used-car transaction services. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Cango Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cango and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Four Australian startups, Contact Harald, Marqo, Relevance AI, and Splash Music, have been chosen to join the prestigious AWS Global Generative AI Accelerator . The companies, recognized for their innovative AI applications, will receive support from Amazon Web Services to scale their businesses and contribute to the global AI landscape. As part of AWSs US$230 million commitment to accelerate the creation of applications worldwide, the AWS Generative AI Accelerator program provides startups, especially early-stage companies, with AWS credits, mentorship, and education to further their use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies. Participants gain access to AWS compute, storage, and database technologies, as well as AWS Trainium and AWS Inferentia2, energy-efficient AI chips that offer high performance at the lowest cost. The credits can also be used on Amazon SageMaker, a fully managed service that helps companies build and train their own foundation models (FMs), as well as to access models and tools to easily and securely build generative AI applications through Amazon Bedrock. The 10-week program matches participants with both business and technical mentors based on their industry, and chosen startups will receive up to US$1 million each in AWS credits to help them build, train, test, and launch their generative AI solutions. Participants will also have access to technology and technical sessions from program presenting partner NVIDIA, a pioneer in accelerated computing. Matt Denton, founder and chief product officer at Contact Harald, a voice-first AI conversation platform for businesses, said: Were so excited to be part of the AWS Global AI Accelerator. One of the core tenets of our Ask Harry conversation platform is utilising cutting-edge AI tools and methodologies to deliver a seamless, conversational voice-to-voice assistant. Were looking forward to working with heavyweights in AI and learning from their experience to build on our existing software and hardware platform. The next phase of our evolution is automated retrieval of multimodal information. We hope to learn what works and doesnt work in terms of infrastructure, pipelines and processes from participating in the accelerator to help us address these challenges faster. Tom Hamer, co-founder and CEO at Marqo, a vector embeddings training and retrieval cloud, said: We are thrilled to be part of the 2024 AWS Generative AI Accelerator. This program lets us utilize AWSs extensive expertise and resources to improve Marqos platform and help our customers train and deploy embeddings at scale. Marqo has been working with AWS from day one, and with Amazons customer-obsessed culture at our core, we are excited to continue strengthening this partnership through the GenAI accelerator. Tracy Chan, CEO at Splash Music, a gaming & music AI company, said: The AWS Generative AI Accelerator unlocks a massive opportunity for Splash to further scale our ethically-trained music models. Were excited to leverage tools like Amazon SageMaker to develop, train, deploy proprietary models, as well as make use of Amazon Bedrock and its LLMs to pre-train, fine-tune and improve prompt engineering in the music-creation workflows for the 450M+ users whove played our Roblox game. Daniel Vassilev, co-founder and co-CEO at Relevance AI, home of the AI Workforce, said: We are excited to partner with the AWS GenAI Accelerator to continue building world-class infrastructure and models. Our sole focus is on delivering flagship experiences for our customers to enable reliable and powerful reasoning and execution of tasks through our AI Agents. Well be leveraging the provided resources to further push the boundaries of whats possible with fine-tuned models and fast inference. John Kearney, Head of Startups at AWS Australia and New Zealand, said: Were so proud of the talented Aussie cohort in this years AWS Global Generative AI Accelerator. Next month, Contact Harald, Marqo, Relevance.ai, and Splash Music will spend 10 weeks with nearly 80 other leading generative AI startups from around the world to participate in business and technical mentorship, networking opportunities with experts, advance its go-to-market strategies, with the objective to help turbocharge their growth and shape future product and strategy. For over 18 years, AWS has empowered more startups to build, launch, and scale their businesses than any other cloud provider. Its no coincidence that 96% of AI/ML unicorns run on AWS. Its still early days and we remain committed to nurturing the next wave of startup innovation in generative AI locally in Australia and New Zealand and around the world. According to PitchBook Data, Inc, 546 AI & machine learning companies have raised funding in Australia, with over US$506 million in investment to date in 2024. However, 35% of generative AI companies globally have offices in locations outside their headquarter country, revealing that much more can be done to support these businesses to expand globally. Brendan Burke, Senior Analyst, Emerging Technology Research, PitchBook, said: Asia-Pacific-based generative AI companies have raised over $2.5 billion in 2024, more than the prior three years combined. Developers and startups are seizing the opportunity to train custom models based on unique cultural and linguistic data. Additionally, leading AI researchers are working on a diversity of transformer models in multimodal domains including 3D images, interactive media, and synthetic voice. The future of AI applications will rely on specialized model architectures and startups will need world-class cloud infrastructure to fulfill their vision. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. CCL Industries (TSE:CCL.B Free Report) had its target price raised by BMO Capital Markets from C$84.00 to C$90.00 in a report published on Thursday morning, BayStreet.CA reports. Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on CCL.B. National Bankshares increased their price objective on CCL Industries from C$84.00 to C$87.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on shares of CCL Industries from C$84.00 to C$87.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. TD Securities increased their target price on shares of CCL Industries from C$90.00 to C$92.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on CCL Industries from C$80.00 to C$84.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Finally, CIBC raised their price objective on CCL Industries from C$86.00 to C$88.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, CCL Industries presently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of C$85.44. Get CCL Industries alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on CCL Industries CCL Industries Stock Down 0.2 % Insiders Place Their Bets Shares of CCL Industries stock opened at C$80.85 on Thursday. CCL Industries has a one year low of C$52.82 and a one year high of C$82.96. The company has a market cap of C$13.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.50, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.08, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.96. The firm has a fifty day moving average of C$75.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of C$72.37. In related news, Director Sebastian Rubino sold 5,776 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$80.78, for a total value of C$466,612.43. In related news, Director Sebastian Rubino sold 5,776 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$80.78, for a total transaction of C$466,612.43. Also, Director Tom Peddie sold 4,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$73.75, for a total value of C$295,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 500 shares of the companys stock, valued at C$36,875. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 110,924 shares of company stock valued at $8,521,231. Corporate insiders own 11.16% of the companys stock. About CCL Industries (Get Free Report) CCL Industries Inc manufactures and sells labels, containers, consumer printable media products, technology driven label solutions, polymer bank note substrates, and specialty films. The company operates through four segments: CCL, Avery, Checkpoint, and Innovia. The CCL segment offers pressure sensitive and specialty extruded film materials for decorative, instructional, functional, and security applications in the consumer packaging, healthcare, chemicals, consumer electronic device, and automotive markets. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for CCL Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CCL Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (NYSE:PLOW Free Report) by 9.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 157,212 shares of the auto parts companys stock after purchasing an additional 13,253 shares during the quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.68% of Douglas Dynamics worth $3,679,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Douglas Dynamics by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 289,022 shares of the auto parts companys stock valued at $8,578,000 after acquiring an additional 15,057 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Douglas Dynamics by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 902,805 shares of the auto parts companys stock valued at $26,796,000 after acquiring an additional 8,194 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP increased its holdings in shares of Douglas Dynamics by 41.4% in the 4th quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 16,825 shares of the auto parts companys stock valued at $499,000 after acquiring an additional 4,923 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Douglas Dynamics in the 4th quarter valued at about $150,000. Finally, Provident Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Douglas Dynamics in the 4th quarter valued at about $287,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.85% of the companys stock. Get Douglas Dynamics alerts: Douglas Dynamics Trading Up 1.7 % NYSE:PLOW opened at $27.56 on Monday. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $26.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.69. The company has a market capitalization of $636.47 million, a PE ratio of 23.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. Douglas Dynamics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $21.31 and a 52-week high of $31.52. Douglas Dynamics Dividend Announcement Douglas Dynamics ( NYSE:PLOW Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The auto parts company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $199.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $181.30 million. Douglas Dynamics had a return on equity of 13.38% and a net margin of 5.03%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.00 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Douglas Dynamics, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $0.295 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.28%. Douglas Dynamicss payout ratio is 100.85%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Douglas Dynamics from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Douglas Dynamics Douglas Dynamics Company Profile (Free Report) Douglas Dynamics, Inc operates as a manufacturer and upfitter of commercial work truck attachments and equipment in North America. It operates through two segments, Work Truck Attachments and Work Truck Solutions. The Work Truck Attachments segment manufactures and sells snow and ice control attachments, including snowplows, and sand and salt spreaders for light trucks and heavy duty trucks, as well as various related parts and accessories. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Douglas Dynamics Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Douglas Dynamics and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX Free Report) by 53.8% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 69,593 shares of the shipping companys stock after selling 81,110 shares during the quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc.s holdings in Kirby were worth $8,332,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kirby during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Kirby during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kirby during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 91.0% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 296 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kirby during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Kirby alerts: Kirby Trading Up 2.3 % Shares of Kirby stock opened at $119.03 on Monday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $118.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $111.11. Kirby Co. has a 1 year low of $72.11 and a 1 year high of $130.90. The company has a market capitalization of $6.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Insider Buying and Selling at Kirby Kirby ( NYSE:KEX Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The shipping company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.11. Kirby had a return on equity of 8.70% and a net margin of 8.72%. The business had revenue of $824.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $821.65 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.95 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Kirby Co. will post 5.46 EPS for the current year. In other Kirby news, COO Christian G. Oneil sold 2,770 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.21, for a total transaction of $305,281.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 16,079 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,772,066.59. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Kirby news, COO Christian G. Oneil sold 2,770 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.21, for a total transaction of $305,281.70. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 16,079 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,772,066.59. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO David W. Grzebinski sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.31, for a total value of $360,930.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 63,399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,627,533.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Kirby from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Kirby from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, May 21st. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Kirby from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $123.80. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Kirby About Kirby (Free Report) Kirby Corporation operates domestic tank barges in the United States. Its Marine Transportation segment provides marine transportation service and towing vessel transporting bulk liquid product, as well as operates tank barge throughout the Mississippi River System, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, coastwise along three United States coasts, and in Alaska and Hawaii. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KEX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Kirby Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kirby and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. trimmed its holdings in Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE:VTOL Free Report) by 32.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 78,873 shares of the companys stock after selling 37,405 shares during the quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. owned about 0.28% of Bristow Group worth $2,645,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Bristow Group by 6.3% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,492,128 shares of the companys stock worth $50,031,000 after purchasing an additional 87,969 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd grew its stake in shares of Bristow Group by 20.8% in the 2nd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 32,634 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,094,000 after buying an additional 5,615 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Bristow Group by 16.6% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 321,157 shares of the companys stock valued at $10,768,000 after purchasing an additional 45,738 shares in the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp lifted its position in Bristow Group by 25.3% in the 2nd quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 26,123 shares of the companys stock valued at $876,000 after acquiring an additional 5,268 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Bristow Group by 1.0% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 77,862 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,611,000 after purchasing an additional 795 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.29% of the companys stock. Get Bristow Group alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In other Bristow Group news, major shareholder Alternative Asset Manage Solus sold 75,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.50, for a total value of $2,962,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,349,005 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $132,285,697.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Bristow Group news, Director Brian D. Truelove sold 3,000 shares of Bristow Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.09, for a total transaction of $111,270.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 33,504 shares in the company, valued at $1,242,663.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Alternative Asset Manage Solus sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.50, for a total transaction of $2,962,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,349,005 shares in the company, valued at approximately $132,285,697.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 14.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Separately, Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of Bristow Group from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on VTOL Bristow Group Stock Performance Shares of VTOL opened at $33.99 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The firm has a market cap of $965.08 million, a PE ratio of 849.75 and a beta of 1.31. Bristow Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $24.33 and a 1 year high of $41.50. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $36.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.34. Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter. Bristow Group had a net margin of 2.27% and a return on equity of 3.79%. The business had revenue of $359.75 million for the quarter. About Bristow Group (Free Report) Bristow Group Inc provides vertical flight solutions. The company primarily offers aviation services to integrated, national, and independent offshore energy companies and government agencies. It also provides personnel transportation, search and rescue, medevac, ad hoc helicopter, fixed wing transportation, unmanned systems, and ad-hoc helicopter services, as well as logistical and maintenance support, training services, and flight and maintenance crews. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VTOL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE:VTOL Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Bristow Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bristow Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Dover Co. (NYSE:DOV Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,730,000 shares, an increase of 52.5% from the August 15th total of 1,790,000 shares. Currently, 2.0% of the companys stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 946,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.9 days. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, CFO Brad M. Cerepak sold 14,818 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $2,593,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 12,324 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,156,700. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Dover news, CEO Richard J. Tobin sold 25,004 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.96, for a total transaction of $4,549,727.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 182,928 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,285,578.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brad M. Cerepak sold 14,818 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $2,593,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 12,324 shares in the company, valued at $2,156,700. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 45,383 shares of company stock worth $8,169,883 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the companys stock. Get Dover alerts: Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in Dover by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 1,213 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $215,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its position in shares of Dover by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 3,962 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $715,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Dover by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,456 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $435,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its position in shares of Dover by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,778 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $315,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Dover by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 1,752 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.46% of the companys stock. Dover Trading Down 0.9 % Shares of DOV opened at $185.06 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $180.93 and a 200 day moving average of $178.85. Dover has a fifty-two week low of $127.25 and a fifty-two week high of $192.31. The firm has a market cap of $25.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.53. Dover (NYSE:DOV Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The industrial products company reported $2.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.15 billion. Dover had a return on equity of 24.94% and a net margin of 17.58%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.05 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Dover will post 9.17 EPS for the current year. Dover Increases Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This is a positive change from Dovers previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. Dovers payout ratio is presently 19.79%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on DOV shares. Mizuho raised their target price on Dover from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Dover from $192.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $208.00 target price on shares of Dover in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $192.63. View Our Latest Analysis on Dover About Dover (Get Free Report) Dover Corporation provides equipment and components, consumable supplies, aftermarket parts, software and digital solutions, and support services worldwide. The company's Engineered Products segment provides various equipment, component, software, solution, and services that are used in vehicle aftermarket, waste handling, industrial automation, aerospace and defense, industrial winch and hoist, and fluid dispensing end-market. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Dover Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dover and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL Free Report) by 14.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 984 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 165 shares during the quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Welltower were worth $103,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. First Foundation Advisors purchased a new stake in Welltower in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Welltower during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Welltower during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Welltower in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Welltower by 338.7% in the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 329 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.80% of the companys stock. Get Welltower alerts: Welltower Trading Up 0.7 % WELL stock opened at $129.75 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 4.07, a quick ratio of 4.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market cap of $79.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 160.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.21. Welltower Inc. has a 1-year low of $78.38 and a 1-year high of $129.87. The businesss 50 day moving average is $115.29 and its 200-day moving average is $103.55. Welltower Increases Dividend Welltower ( NYSE:WELL Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.08. Welltower had a return on equity of 2.21% and a net margin of 8.36%. The firm had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.90 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Welltower Inc. will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. This is a boost from Welltowers previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. Welltowers dividend payout ratio is currently 330.86%. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WELL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Welltower from $115.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Wolfe Research upgraded Welltower to a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Welltower from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of Welltower from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on Welltower from $116.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a sector outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $111.71. View Our Latest Analysis on WELL Welltower Profile (Free Report) Welltower Inc (NYSE:WELL), a REIT and S&P 500 company headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, is driving the transformation of health care infrastructure. Welltower invests with leading seniors housing operators, post-acute providers and health systems to fund the real estate and infrastructure needed to scale innovative care delivery models and improve people's wellness and overall health care experience. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WELL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Welltower Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Welltower and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Imperial Brands PLC (OTCMKTS:IMBBY Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $29.68 and last traded at $29.64, with a volume of 233550 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.34. Imperial Brands Stock Up 1.0 % The stocks 50 day moving average is $27.84 and its 200-day moving average is $25.10. Get Imperial Brands alerts: Imperial Brands Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 23rd will be issued a $0.2752 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 23rd. Imperial Brands Company Profile Imperial Brands PLC, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, imports, markets, and sells tobacco and tobacco-related products in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australasia. It offers a range of cigarettes, tobacco accessories, vapour, heated tobacco, and oral nicotine. The company sells its products under various brands, including JPS, Davidoff, Gauloises, West, Winston, Kool, Lambert & Butler, Fortuna, Nobel, News, Backwoods, Champion, Golden Virginia, Rizla, Blu, Pulze, Skruf, and Zone X. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Imperial Brands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Imperial Brands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of Hold from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $173.21. JNJ has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Get Johnson & Johnson alerts: Get Our Latest Report on Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.5 % JNJ opened at $165.52 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $143.13 and a fifty-two week high of $168.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $398.45 billion, a PE ratio of 10.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.53. The companys 50-day moving average is $159.55 and its 200 day moving average is $153.94. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.11. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 36.60%. The company had revenue of $22.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.80 EPS. The firms revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 27th were issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 27th. Johnson & Johnsons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.92%. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter valued at $43,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter valued at $46,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Johnson & Johnson Company Profile (Get Free Report Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, researches, develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the healthcare field worldwide. The company's Innovative Medicine segment offers products for various therapeutic areas, such as immunology, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis; infectious diseases comprising HIV/AIDS; neuroscience, consisting of mood disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and schizophrenia; oncology, such as prostate cancer, hematologic malignancies, lung cancer, and bladder cancer; cardiovascular and metabolism, including thrombosis, diabetes, and macular degeneration; and pulmonary hypertension comprising pulmonary arterial hypertension through retailers, wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, and healthcare professionals for prescription use. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Johnson & Johnson Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Johnson & Johnson and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $250.82. A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LH shares. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $255.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Laboratory Co. of America from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an in-line rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Laboratory Co. of America from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Laboratory Co. of America from $261.00 to $243.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Barclays lifted 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 report on Friday, August 2nd. Get Laboratory Co. of America alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on LH Laboratory Co. of America Trading Up 0.5 % LH opened at $221.13 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.88. Laboratory Co. of America has a one year low of $191.97 and a one year high of $238.46. The company has a market cap of $18.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.49, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.06. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $220.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $211.21. Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical research company reported $3.94 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.78 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.19 billion. Laboratory Co. of America had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 15.39%. The firms revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.42 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Laboratory Co. of America will post 14.67 EPS for the current fiscal year. Laboratory Co. of America Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 29th were issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 29th. Laboratory Co. of Americas dividend payout ratio is presently 57.95%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, EVP Lance Berberian sold 12,093 shares of the companys stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,921 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,647,501.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, 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 directly owns 15,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,647,501.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kerrii B. Anderson sold 586 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was 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 owns 14,722 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,312,450. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 29,679 shares of company stock worth $6,716,306. 0.85% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LH. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Laboratory Co. of America in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 313.2% during the first quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 219 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.94% of the companys stock. About Laboratory Co. of America (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). Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Laboratory Co. of America Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Laboratory Co. of America and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT Get Free Report)s stock price rose 0.4% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $576.49 and last traded at $572.35. Approximately 103,149 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 1,055,376 shares. The stock had previously closed at $569.91. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LMT shares. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Lockheed Martin from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating and raised their price objective for the company from $500.00 to $600.00 in a research note on Monday, August 5th. TD Cowen raised shares of Lockheed Martin from a hold rating to a buy rating and raised their price target for the stock from $480.00 to $560.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Lockheed Martin from a hold rating to a buy rating and upped their price target for the company from $540.00 to $600.00 in a report on Friday, July 26th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $503.00 to $599.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Lockheed Martin from $480.00 to $505.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $553.43. Get Lockheed Martin alerts: Get Our Latest Analysis on Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin Trading Up 0.3 % The companys 50 day simple moving average is $534.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $484.26. The stock has a market cap of $136.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.24. Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The aerospace company reported $7.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.45 by $0.66. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 95.03% and a net margin of 9.48%. The business had revenue of $18.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.05 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.73 earnings per share. Lockheed Martins quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 26.65 EPS for the current fiscal year. Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a $3.15 dividend. This represents a $12.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. Lockheed Martins dividend payout ratio is 46.10%. Insider Activity In other news, insider Timothy S. Cahill sold 3,975 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $515.36, for a total transaction of $2,048,556.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,877 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,574,850.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LMT. HTLF Bank increased its position in Lockheed Martin by 3.7% during the second quarter. HTLF Bank now owns 565 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. tru Independence LLC raised its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 2.5% in the second quarter. tru Independence LLC now owns 827 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Sachetta LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 60 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Twin Lakes Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Lockheed Martin by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Twin Lakes Capital Management LLC now owns 1,527 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $713,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldstein Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.2% during the second quarter. Goldstein Advisors LLC now owns 1,731 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $809,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. 74.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Lockheed Martin Company Profile (Get Free Report) Lockheed Martin Corporation, a security and aerospace company, engages in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of technology systems, products, and services worldwide. The company operates through Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control, Rotary and Mission Systems, and Space segments. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Lockheed Martin Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lockheed Martin and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. A flooded paddy field in An Giang Province in the Mekong Delta, September 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Tran Thanh Rising water levels in upstream sections of the Mekong River in Laos and Thailand, triggered by typhoon Yagi, are expected to pose flood risks in certain Mekong Delta regions this week. The typhoon has caused heavy downpours in the upper Mekong River sections in Laos and northern Thailand, leading to flooding in these areas, according to Vietnam's Southern Institute for Water Resources Planning. On Sept. 12, water levels in Luang Prabang, Laos, and Chiang Khan, Thailand, exceeded flood warning thresholds, raising concerns about potential downstream impacts. As floodwaters continue to surge downstream, Cambodia is likely to experience worsening flood conditions, according to the institute. In Vietnam, water levels in An Giang Province in the Mekong Delta are currently low, despite it being the annual flood season in the area. However, the delta is expected to see downpours of up to 60 mm each next week, along with high tides peaking between Sept. 19 and 21. The institute has issued flood warnings for low-lying and coastal areas, including Can Tho, Vinh Long, Hau Giang, Dong Thap, An Giang, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, and Ca Mau from Sept. 18 to 22. Local authorities are advised to inspect dams and dykes and prepare response measures. The aftermath of typhoon Yagi has resulted in 292 deaths and 38 people still missing in northern Vietnam. Over 73,000 homes have been flooded. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU Free Report) by 66.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,492 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 10,769 shares during the period. ICA Group Wealth Management LLCs holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $138,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BOKF NA raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. BOKF NA now owns 14,794 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $377,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 34,869 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $875,000 after buying an additional 606 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its position in MDU Resources Group by 0.3% during the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 255,718 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $6,444,000 after acquiring an additional 671 shares during the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 0.4% during the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 176,622 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $4,451,000 after purchasing an additional 708 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Value Partners LLC boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 210,808 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $5,312,000 after buying an additional 782 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the companys stock. Get MDU Resources Group alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research firms have weighed in on MDU. Argus raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $30.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 20th. StockNews.com cut MDU Resources Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. MDU Resources Group Trading Up 7.2 % Shares of MDU stock opened at $27.41 on Monday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $18.04 and a fifty-two week high of $27.75. The firms 50 day moving average price is $25.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.78. The stock has a market cap of $5.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.11. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 9.25% and a return on equity of 11.29%. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.29 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year. MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 12th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 12th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. This is a positive change from MDU Resources Groups previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. MDU Resources Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.37%. MDU Resources Group Profile (Free Report) MDU Resources Group, Inc engages in the regulated energy delivery, and construction materials and services businesses in the United States. It operates through four segments: Electric, Natural Gas Distribution, Pipeline, and Construction Services. The Electric segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity for residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming; and operates 3,400 miles of transmission lines, 4,800 miles of distribution lines, and 82 transmission and 298 distribution substations. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MDU? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for MDU Resources Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MDU Resources Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mitsubishi Chemical Group Co. (OTCMKTS:MTLHY Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,900 shares, a decline of 24.0% from the August 15th total of 2,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.8 days. Mitsubishi Chemical Group Trading Up 0.7 % Shares of MTLHY stock opened at $31.49 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.96 billion, a PE ratio of 11.01 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.30. Mitsubishi Chemical Group has a 1 year low of $25.16 and a 1 year high of $33.97. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $29.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.82. Get Mitsubishi Chemical Group alerts: Mitsubishi Chemical Group (OTCMKTS:MTLHY Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter. Mitsubishi Chemical Group had a net margin of 2.61% and a return on equity of 5.09%. The company had revenue of $7.24 billion during the quarter. About Mitsubishi Chemical Group Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corporation provides performance products, chemicals, industrial gases, health care products, and other products in Japan and internationally. The company offers polyester films for various applications, including optical materials, for electronic displays; industrial materials for electronic components, automotive parts, and medical equipment; and packaging materials for food and other products. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Mitsubishi Chemical Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mitsubishi Chemical Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Petrus Resources Ltd. (TSE:PRQ Get Free Report) declared a monthly dividend on Tuesday, September 3rd, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 17th will be paid a dividend of 0.01 per share on Friday, September 27th. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 17th. Petrus Resources Trading Down 0.7 % Shares of PRQ opened at C$1.33 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.56. Petrus Resources has a 1-year low of C$1.11 and a 1-year high of C$1.65. The businesss 50-day moving average price is C$1.34 and its 200 day moving average price is C$1.35. The stock has a market capitalization of C$165.41 million, a P/E ratio of 6.65 and a beta of 3.04. Get Petrus Resources alerts: Petrus Resources (TSE:PRQ Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported C$0.02 earnings per share for the quarter. Petrus Resources had a return on equity of 8.65% and a net margin of 28.06%. The company had revenue of C$23.15 million for the quarter. Analysts expect that Petrus Resources will post 0.1937407 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Buying and Selling at Petrus Resources About Petrus Resources In other Petrus Resources news, Director Kenneth Graham Gray sold 18,600 shares of Petrus Resources stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$1.40, for a total transaction of C$26,040.00. In related news, Director Kenneth Graham Gray sold 18,600 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$1.40, for a total value of C$26,040.00. Also, Director Don Gray purchased 41,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of C$1.32 per share, with a total value of C$54,384.00. In the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 71,100 shares of company stock valued at $94,392 and have sold 30,568 shares valued at $42,704. Company insiders own 75.21% of the companys stock. (Get Free Report) Petrus Resources Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and exploitation of assets in Canada. The company primarily explores for crude oil and condensate, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. Its principal property is the Ferrier Area with approximately 94,614 acres of land located in the west Central Alberta near the town of Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Petrus Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Petrus Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Raia Drogasil S.A. (OTCMKTS:RADLY Get Free Report) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 18,200 shares, a drop of 28.6% from the August 15th total of 25,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 14,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.3 days. Raia Drogasil Stock Performance RADLY stock traded down $0.14 during trading on Friday, hitting $4.70. 19,434 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 30,782. Raia Drogasil has a 1 year low of $3.87 and a 1 year high of $14.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.13. Get Raia Drogasil alerts: Raia Drogasil Cuts Dividend The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 18th will be given a $0.0059 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 18th. Raia Drogasil Company Profile Raia Drogasil SA engages in the retail sale of medicines, perfumery, personal care and beauty products, cosmetics, dermocosmetics, and specialty medicines in Brazil. It also markets its goods through telesales and call centers in the states of Sao Paulo, Tocantins, and Pernambuco. The company was founded in 1905 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Raia Drogasil Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Raia Drogasil and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund (NYSE:PDX Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 20,500 shares, a decline of 21.5% from the August 15th total of 26,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 73,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.3 days. PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund Price Performance NYSE:PDX opened at $23.40 on Monday. PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund has a fifty-two week low of $16.89 and a fifty-two week high of $23.79. The businesss 50 day moving average is $22.82. Get PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund alerts: PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a dividend of $0.1133 per share. This is a positive change from PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Funds previous monthly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Insider Activity Institutional Investors Weigh In On PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund In other news, major shareholder Saba Capital Management, L.P. sold 71,996 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.94, for a total transaction of $1,651,588.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,534,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $149,908,816.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website . Insiders have sold a total of 197,283 shares of company stock valued at $4,524,737 in the last quarter. A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Country Trust Bank purchased a new position in PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,041,000. Williams & Novak LLC acquired a new stake in PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $280,000. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $293,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $426,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund in the second quarter worth $354,000. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Samir Jain is a Jaipur-based astrologer who has over 28 years of experience in the field of Astrology, Numerology, Palmistry and Vastu Shastra. He is also an expert in Jain Temple Vastu and Jain Jyotish. For more details, visit planetsastro.com, call/WhatsApp +91 8696930617 or email jainksamir@gmail.com. OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Rajasthan BSTC Allotment Result 2024 out for Round 3 @ predeledraj2024.in, direct link here You are already a Moneycontrol Pro user. OK Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth's love story: From meeting on film set in 2021 to getting married in 2024 The United States is deeply concerned by the deepening military partnership between Iran and Russia, and, along with European allies, is imposing additional sanctions on Iran in response. At a press briefing, Pentagon Spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder said, The United States has confirmed reports that Iran has transferred shipments of Fateh 360 close range ballistic missiles to Russia, which we assess could employ them within weeks against Ukraine, leading to the deaths of even more Ukrainian civilians. While Iran has already provided Russia with hundreds of drones to help Russia in its brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Iranian missiles give Russia additional flexibility. The supply of Iranian missiles enables Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets that are further from the frontline, while dedicating the new missiles its receiving from Iran for closer-range targets, he said. This development and the growing cooperation between Russia and Iran threatens European security and demonstrates how Irans destabilizing influence reaches far beyond the Middle East. To disrupt and counter Irans weapons exports, the U.S. is building on previous designations of entities and individuals facilitating Iran- Russia cooperation and is imposing additional sanctions. The new sanctions target individuals, ships and companies enabling the illicit transfer of Iranian weapons. They include additional sanctions on Irans national carrier, Iran Air; the identification of five vessels as blocked property involved in the proliferation of Iranian weapons systems to Russia; and the designation of Iranian and Russian company officials, as well as an IRGC commander, helping to provide Russia with Iranian lethal aid. Concurrent with the United States, international partners, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom have also announced sanctions on Iran Air that prevent the carrier from operating in their territory in the future. Additionally, they are pursuing further designations of Iran-based and Russia-based individuals and entities involved in the proliferation of Iranian weapons to Russia. The United States and our allies are taking concerted action in response to Irans reckless decision to proliferate ballistic missiles to Russia for use in its war of aggression against Ukraine, said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo in a statement. Iran has opted to intensify its involvement in Russias illegal war, and the United States, along with our partners, will continue to stand with Ukraine. OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Hugh Grant reveals he edited Bridget Jones 4 script before signing on Kangana Ranaut expresses frustration over her film Emergency's controversy: "No one came out in my support" OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt's daughter Raha's adorable reaction to grandma Neetu Kapoor at Mumbai airport melts hearts, watch OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All The Great Indian Kapil Show cast visits Attari-Wagah Border, meets border security forces and their families BRAND CONNECT *Disclaimer - Brand Connect is a solution that allows brands to break the queue to gain better engagement among our audiences Follow us on: Bold reforms to continue under Modi 3.0, no need for any apprehension: FM Sitharaman Follow us on: Carlyle's dividend haul from Hexaware touches Rs 1,380 crore in three years since its acquisition Manish M. Suvarna is Senior Correspondent at Moneycontrol. He writes on the Indian money markets, RBI, Banks and NBFCs. He tweets at @manishsuvarna15. Contact: Manish.Suvarna@nw18.com Meghna Mittal Deputy News Editor at Moneycontrol. Meghna has experience across television, print, online and wire media. She has been covering the Indian economy, monetary and fiscal policies, Finance and Trade ministries. She tweets at @Meghnamittal23 Contact: meghna.mittal@nw18.com OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Why are cheap steel imports a concern for India? Follow us on: IKEA rolls out 365-day return policy, aims to provide customers with more flexibility Follow us on: India aims to reach the top and sustain the spot, says PM Modi at RE-Invest 2024 OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Bajaj Housing Finance stock's bumper listing: IPO investors double money; should you hold or book profits? OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Laxmi Dental files draft papers with SEBI to raise funds via IPO Follow us on: Missed Bajaj Housing Finance IPO lottery? Check if you should buy or not after 135% listing day gain OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All JSW MG Motor India targets 'new-age' buyers with first luxury car by March OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Kalyani family feud deepens as brothers clash over dual wills in fresh legal twist: Report OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Adani, Wilmar to Start Stake Sale in Joint Venture Next Month Follow us on: Dixon Tech climbs 6% to 52-week high on MoU to manufacture ASUS notebooks in India Your Insurance Coverage Why you must be aware of claim settlement and solvency ratios of an insurer Choosing an insurance provider involves more than just comparing premiums and coverage options. In a market flooded with numerous insurance companies, evaluating an insurers ability to meet its commitments becomes crucial. Two critical metrics that provide deeper insights into an insurer's reliability and financial health are the Claim Settlement Ratio (CSR) and the Solvency Ratio (SR). These ratios help ensure that your insurance provider will honour claims and remain financially stable over the long term. This article explains why these ratios are important, how they impact your insurance experience, and how to look for them. Morning Scan: All the big stories to get you started for the day Follow us on: Need a sense of caution against speculative activities: FM Sitharaman on equity market Follow us on: New compounding norms to ease settlement of minor FEMA offences, help avoid ED action OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All DLF to construct three new malls, grow commercial portfolio: Sriram Khattar Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Preeti Kulkarni is a financial journalist with over 13 years of experience. Based in Mumbai, she covers the personal finance beat for Moneycontrol. She focusses primarily on insurance, banking, taxation and financial planning OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All 100 Days of Modi 3.0: A confident government takes decisive steps, plans to implement ONOP soon OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Arvind Kejriwal timed his resignation to save opposition regimes, says Atishi Arvind Kejriwal Resignation Highlights: AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Raghav Chadha met Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal at his residence on September 16, a day after the party chief announced his decision to resign and not sit on the chief minister's chair till people give him a "certificate of honesty". The AAP's Parliamentary Affairs Committee (PAC) is also likely to meet in the evening at Kejriwal's residence. In a major announcement, Kejriwal declared on September 15 that he will resign from his position within two days, calling for a fresh mandate from the people of Delhi. Speaking to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers, Kejriwal noted that he would not continue as chief minister without renewed support from the electorate. His sudden decision kicked up a strong buzz over the names of his wife Sunita and his ministers Atishi and Gopal Rai as his possible replacement. OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Delhi elections: EC unlikely to pay heed to Arvind Kejriwal's demand Follow us on: 'Fifth and final call': Bengal govt invites junior doctors to Mamata's residence in final bid to end impasse OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All First time that people from Muslim community: Himachal CM Sukhu on Sanjauli mosque issue Follow us on: Modi 3.0 report card: Major decisions taken by NDA govt in its first 100 days OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Tamil Nadu CM Stalin to lay foundation stone of Rs 9,000-crore Tata-JLR plant on September 28 What is 'One Nation, One Election'an ambitious promise Modi govt intends to fulfil in its 3rd term Arun Anand has authored two books on the RSS. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication. Follow us on: J&K government formation may come down to post-poll jockeying In Moneycontrol Pro Panorama October 7 edition: RBI adopts a wait and watch approach, markets look ripe for a bounceback, global u... A report in Hindu Business Line on September 9 said large P2P players are contemplating winding down the business. There is a rush to withdraw investments from existing What lies ahead for P2P lenders post the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rule clarifications on August 16? Since then, customer onboarding of P2P lenders has plummeted by around 90 per cent. Some of these platforms have even halted user addition. All this shows the regulators caution has triggered panic among investors. Will the regulator have a rethink on the P2P lending industry? USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Follow us on: PM Modi turns 74 on Tuesday: Heres a look at the planned birthday celebrations, revelries over past few years Follow us on: Couple wins case to name son after first Black pharaoh. Court had cited ballet confusion, bullying fears Best cities to find a job in the US OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Israel warns time running out to halt battle with Hezbollah Follow us on: Strongest typhoon since 1949 hits Shanghai and knocks out power to some homes Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Christin Mathew Philip is an Assistant editor at moneycontrol.com. Based in Bengaluru, he writes on mobility, infrastructure and start-ups. He is a Ramnath Goenka excellence in journalism awardee. You can find him on Twitter here: twitter.com/ChristinMP_ HARARE The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is facing a storm of controversy after former Zanu PF Chegutu West MP, Dexter Nduna, was allegedly spotted at the institutions graduation ceremony last Friday despite not being on the official list of graduates. Nduna, who has been vocal on social media about his supposed achievement, even purchased a graduation gown and participated in the ceremony. Congratulations to me today, UZ law class of 2024, he posted over the weekend, celebrating his purported graduation. This brazen act has sparked widespread outrage and accusations of abuse of power. Critics allege that Nduna used his political influence to attempt to coerce the university into awarding him a law degree, despite failing several modules during his studies. The incident has cast a shadow over the universitys reputation, raising serious questions about the integrity of its academic leadership. When confronted with the allegations, UZ Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Mapfumo confirmed that Nduna was not on the official graduation list and stated that the university is currently investigating the matter. I am just coming in and we are investigating what happened, certainly he (Nduna) was not on the list. We have to find out the circumstances, people can have their gowns but we dont mind people buying their own law gowns. On the list I can confirm he wasnt, said Mapfumo. When asked if Ndunas appearance at the graduation ceremony had tarnished the institutions reputation, Mapfumo responded: We are investigating and wouldnt give you a comment before getting all the facts because its only last week. Today I have just come in the office thats when we can have all these briefings now. Nduna, however, declined to comment on the legitimacy of his graduation, deferring to the university for an official statement. You can get it (comment) from the university, not to me. I am just an individual. I am not an owner of an institution. The university can be in the better space to comment, he said. An insider at the university, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that Nduna has faced significant challenges with technical law courses throughout his studies. The source noted that Nduna has struggled with subjects such as Contract Law, Administrative Law, and Commercial Law, and allegedly resorted to threatening lecturers rather than focusing on his coursework. Dexter Nduna has had challenges since level 1.1. He struggles so much with technical law courses such as Contract law, Admni law and commercial law. Instead of applying legal principles and concepts or case law he Instead wrote political language and couldnt learn fast from the law school style of writing. He kept repeating, threatening lecturers Instead of learning, said the source. The universitys investigation into this matter is expected to shed light on the circumstances surrounding Ndunas alleged participation in the graduation ceremony and the extent to which his actions were facilitated by his political connections. This is not the first time that The University of Zimbabwe has come under fire over a controversial graduation. Former University of Zimbabwe (UZ) vice-chancellor Levi Nyagura once allegedly took the institutions lecturers to Grace Mugabes Mazowe orphanage so she could take oral examinations for her disputed Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree, a Harare court heard in February 2018. Nyagura who was 72 years old at the time was arrested on in February 2018 for alleged criminal abuse of office for his role in the awarding of the degree to the former first lady. Harare magistrate Tilda Mazhande was told Nyagura single-handedly accepted the wife of former president Robert Mugabes application to study for the PhD without the knowledge of the UZs sociology department. Prosecutor Oscar Madhume said in 2011 Nyagura approved Ntombizodwa G Marufu (Graces maiden name) application without the knowledge and recommendations of the departmental board and faculty of higher degrees committee in violation of UZ quality assurance guidelines and benchmark. He said during the same period, Nyagura appointed Professor Claude Mararike and Professor Chaneta to supervise Grace without the knowledge and approval of the department. Breaking News via Email Related Zimbabwe Latest News This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1126 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, PayPal, Clover, or Wise. Read about why were doing this fundraiser, what weve accomplished in the last year, and our current goal, more original reporting. Boeing is quickly going from the falling apart airplanes to the falling apart company category. The 32,000 strong Boing machinists union (out of a workforce of 170,000) voted overwhelmingly to strike. 95% and higher approval levels are just about never heard of in real life, signaling the depth of employee unhappiness with Boeing pay and practices: BREAKING: A massive strike has been launched at Boeing. 32,000 workers have walked out at the aerospace giant. 95% of workers voted to reject Boeings offer, and 96% voted to strike. More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) September 13, 2024 And the union members are stoked, per Labor Notes: Third-shift workers walked out of Boeings giant factories at Renton and Everett, Washington, as their contract expired early Friday morning, blasting music and airhorns, shooting off fireworks, and waving hand-made signs. They immediately formed picket lines and began setting up homemade burn barrels with IAM carved in the side. People are really excited to strike, said Ky Carlson, a third-shift assembler who walked out at midnight and was picketing the Everett plant at 3 am. She said they were aiming for what the union demanded at the beginning of negotiations, 40 percent raises and restoration of the pension. The unions negotiating committee recommended a tentative agreement to members on Sunday, to almost universal condemnation. That same day, workers marched through the Everett factory on their lunch break, then out the door, chanting Strike, Strike! Union members snarled traffic with long lines to vote on Thursday, where 94.6 percent rejected the proposed contract and 96 percent voted to strike. Pay was the main sticking point. Well use a new Wall Street Journal story on the impact on Boeing of this strike as a point of entry. The Journal account, not surprisingly, takes a management/investor perspective on how the strike has worsened the mess that Boeing is in. Based on some nuggets in this account, it seems likely that this strike will not be resolved quickly. The piece describes how ratings agencies are warning that if the labor action extends beyond a week or two, the resulting cash crunch will lead to a ratings downgrade to junk (as in below BBB-). Each ratings grade drop increases the manufacturers costs by roughly $100 million per year. If we are correct (admittedly relying on the imperfect lens of reading tea leaves from a major story) and that Boeing will not make the concessions needed to settle the strike quickly, one might infer that a hardball stance is the result of Boeing (despite the wobbly rating) relying on a too-big-to-fail status. It is not simply that commercial aircraft have been a cozy duopoly. Too many major carriers depend on Boeing surviving so they can get parts. That is before considering that airlines also concentrate their buys on certain aircraft models so as to simplify training, maintenance, and inventories. If the US was willing to bail out airlines during Covid to the tune of $54 billion, they would surely rescue Boeing if its financial conditions worsens markedly. The model could be government guaranteed borrowing, the form of lifeline extended to Chrysler in the early 1980s. However, back then, CEO Lee Iacocca took a salary of $1 (although my recollection is that he got cash and prizes after the carmaker recover. One somehow doubts the new CEO or any of his C suite peers would make such a sacrifice. By contrast, it seems likely that any Federal rescue would be accompanied by an attempt to cram down uncooperative unions. The high pay levels of the top brass was one of the issues that stuck in the craws of the rank and file: Boeings new CEO is making 30 million a year, Strike until y'all drop if they can pay him that what's the problem with paying good wages GPress (@GailPreston4) September 13, 2024 The CEOs home buy as the strike started was not a good look. From Fox: [CEO Roberrt Kelly] Ortberg also closed on a $4.1 million mansion in a gated community in Seattle on Tuesday, according to Zillow. Ortbergs move comes as tens of thousands of Boeing factory workers went on strike this week after 96% of union members rejected a new contractor offer. The 1928 Tudor revival home sold for $4,212,580 after taxes, according to a deed obtained by FOX 13 Seattle. The home is 4,180 square feet and sits on a 9,217 square foot lot. For a 50,000 foot perspective, Emirates President Sir Tim Clark told Bloomberg a few months ago that it would take five years to turn Boeing around. And if you listen to his overview, he presupposes that the new CEO gets labor on his side. Another way to interpret Sir Clarks take is that solving Boeings workforce problems is a necessary precondition to fixing Boeings production problems. Clark, in a later interview, was explicit about the importance of care and feeding of the employees. From Newsweek: In an interview given on the opening day of the Farnborough Airshow, Emirates President Tim Clark said that Boeing should cater to the needs of its workers as it attempts to solve its production and delivery issues, The Seattle Times reported. The guys on the shop floor, the engineers, the machinists, they know what to do, Clark said. Clark, who has served as president of the Dubai-based carrier since 2003, also voiced support for Boeings union, saying: Dont forget the workforce. Make sure they get a good deal. Make sure that you look after them. Now lets turn to the Journal. This is how it frames the story: When the jet makers largest union went on strike Friday, the walkout compounded the list of problems facing Kelly Ortberg, who took Boeings top job five weeks ago. Among them: rapid cash burn, a struggling supply base and a manufacturing quality crisis. Hours after the walkout, debt-ratings firms warned that a prolonged work stoppage would prompt them to downgrade Boeing debt into junk status. With more than $45 billion in net debt, a ratings hit would drive up borrowing costs and hamper fundraising efforts. The jet maker burned through more than $1 billion a month in the years first half and warned in July that the company would burn between $5 billion and $10 billion in cash this year. Largely to blame is Boeings slowed production of the 737 as the company works to address quality issues after a door plug blew off in midair on an Alaska Air flight in January. The company is struggling with production slowdowns on other models, too, because of supplier shortages and other issues. Its defense business, which makes F-15 jet fighters and Chinook helicopters for the Pentagon, is also unprofitable. Because this article focuses on the latest developments, it skips over the sorry history of how Boeing over decades has squeezed its workforce, including moving operations with a primary objective of getting seasoned, read expensive, engineers and factory workers to quit, and how it has also pressed its suppliers to get the lowest possible prices. The article later says Boeing has inventories piling up as it has not yet cut supplier orders despite lowering production, so one is left wondering about the supplier shortages. Boeing gives the impression it was blindsided as to where the union rank and file stood. The magnitude of the vote against its offer says any new proposal would have to be considerably more generous to win approval. Boeing may simply be playing its cards close to its chest, but this bland remark, which translates to The union leadership was wildly out of touch would not seem to bode well for the next phase of negotiations: Boeing finance chief Brian West said the company will work on a second offer. He said the company was initially pleased with the outcome of talks given that union leaders unanimously signed off on the first deal. An NPR interview with Jim Holden, the titular head of the machinists union, has an apologetic undertone consistent with not delivering anything close to what members wanted. Some snippets: [NPR host SCOTT] DETROW: Lets just start with that. The union negotiated a deal. You recommended approval. We heard the way you described it. Why, then, did 94% [actually 94.8%] of the members reject this deal? What was going on? HOLDEN: You know, we did achieve a lot of success. We were able to get the wages to where we got them. We were able to reduce designated overtime. We were able to get important job security pieces. We were able to reduce some health care cost share. You know, we were able to make some other improvements. And all that came together on the last day, and we recommended it to get the offer to where it was at, but that was all that we could achieve in bargaining. And so it was important for us to let our members know that, that its all we could achieve in bargaining short of a strike. And we had to place it in their hands. Thats where the power resides in our membership. It is on the shop floor. I cant accept something for them. They must evaluate it. And they must vote, and they must determine their path. And they spoke loud and clear that it was not good enough. And there are some major issues that they are demanding and that were going to continue pushing forward for. So if Holden is reporting correctly, and not simply showing he was captured by management, Boeings leadership really does not get how much it has to increase compensation to get its workers back on board. Holden mentions that briefly later: DETROW: So what are the key issues here that the union is pushing for? Because we ticked through the wage increases, the keeping it union jobs. There was also theres also lowered health care costs, boosted retirement contributions. What wasnt enough? What is the union pushing for right now? HOLDEN: You know, what were hearing from our members is its all about wage increases, and its all about the defined benefit pension that we had lost in 2014. So those are the main issues. You know, when you look at the wages, there are some of our members not at max pay, and theyre struggling. Its hard to, you know, rent an apartment. They dont have a pathway to owning a home. They have to move 50 miles away from the plant just to afford a place to live, and its an issue that we have to address wages and the loss of the defined benefit pension. The Journal did take up Holdens message: Jon Holden, the union chapters president, said Ortberg was in a tough position as a newcomer trying to mitigate years of animosity between the union and Boeing leadership. Longtime machinists are angry about union concessions over the past 16 years that have eroded retirement and health benefits. Recent hires, meanwhile, point to the ever-increasing cost of living and the companys stagnant starting wages. Its hard to make up for 16 years, Holden said. And I think thats the position he was in. Boeing is returning to negotiations with a Federal mediator on Tuesday. New CEO Ortberg has been meeting with people at factories, as he did before the strike vote. But IMHO the time for face time is past. Unless the pay component is increased materially, the machinists sound determined to hold the line. This remark in the Journal story does not bode well for Boeing making the needed concessions: [CFO Brian] West, speaking Friday, said the company was giving priority to its investment-grade rating. On the other hand, the fear of losing its current rating could argue for Boeing knuckling under, particularly since the Journal cited an RBC analyst saying CEO Ortberg has to resolve the strike this week or suffer a serious loss of reputation. A beancounter would see $100 million in interest as $3,125 per year per machinists union worker. But the potential damage is far more than just the interest cost. The Journal mentions the impact on Boeings long-suffering suppliers: A prolonged stoppage would hit suppliers, which had just begun to recover from shutdowns caused by the pandemic and the 20-month grounding of Boeings 737 MAX after fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. Shutdowns have lingering effects, particularly on smaller parts makers that are forced to cut jobs when orders dry up and then must rehire and retrain workers. As indicated, talks resume this Tuesday, so we get word of any progress mid-late this week. Stay tuned. If you dont need to be persuaded to give but just havent done so yet, please go right to our fundraiser page to chip in! Thanks to your generous responses, weve hit our first six targets: essential IT , bonuses to our loyal guest writers, continuing expanded Links, supporting the comments section, providing burnout prevention, out our tiny team, and funding to extend our reach. But we are not where we should be! We are still behind where we need to have enough cash in the till for the upcoming year. So please head to the Tip Jar to do your part. Our seventh goal is funding for more original reporting. It may seem weird to have this as our final goal. Shouldnt we have asked sooner? In fact, all the the previous targets are essential to keep the site going. For instance, rewarding our regular writers isnt just to recognize their dedication; it also helps in bringing new writers on board. Readers have told us that one of the things they particularly value about Naked Capitalism is its no-holds-barred coverage of financial, economic, and increasingly geopolitical news, and the power dynamics that drive them. Even though all of the wonderful readers responses have averted worst-case outcomes, we are still in catch-up mode donation-wise. So please help out if you havent yet! The Tip Jar beckons. Our seventh goal is funding for more original reporting. It may seem weird to have this as our final goal. Shouldnt we have asked sooner? The reality is that all the the previous targets are essential to keep the site going. For instance, rewarding our regular writers isnt just to recognize their above-and-beyond the-call-of-duty dedication; it also helps in bringing new writers on board. And many of you have said that Links and Water Cooler are must have features. Readers have told us that one of the things they particularly value about Naked Capitalism is its no-holds-barred coverage of financial and economic news, and increasingly of the power dynamics that drive them. From Nippersmom: Nippersdad and I dont know what wed do without the propaganda-free reporting and insightful commentary we consistently find here on NC. And Biologist: Heading to tip jar now for 100$. Thanks a lot all for the work of creating this truly exceptional public space. Particular thanks for the reporting on Latin American issues. Please stay strong despite attacks all around on open press (i.e. take breaks to stay sane). 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But as much as this site makes an important contribution via analyzing and adding expert insights to news stories, our greatest impact has come via original reporting. Youd be hard-pressed to find a site that has forced as many officials we forced from their posts, starting with the SECs Andrew Bowden for seeking a job for his son from the very people he regulates. We also forced an industry-wide change in private equity by shaming CalPERS into disclosing how much it was paying via one of its biggest fees, the so-called carry fee. A guest speaker at CalPERS said its disclosures on fees and costs, which CalPERS made only under duress, had shaken other public pension funds into getting more serious about trying to contain them. Hubert Horans Uber series has led to reporters finally questioning the ride-sharing companys fundamentals. We have continued to cover how private equity does not boost public pension returns even as they keep pouring more funds into the strategy, despite more and more media coverage of price hikes and service degradation, most of all in the critically-important health care industry. More recently, Lamberts relentless Covid reporting was early to focus on *Covid is airborne* and encourage member of the community to practice layered defenses, which some have said they feel saved lives. He has continued to dog terrible public health information as Covid has surged bigly again, and more recently, the fight over mask bans. Nick as indicated by a reader above has covered Latin America, primarily from an economic angle, such as Mexicos pushback on GMO corn, as well as his continued interest in digital currencies as the Trojan horse for a war on cash. Conor has provided extensive commentary on how the shifting power dynamic in Europe are coming out of economic pressures, as his new offering on the Draghi policy scheme shows. KLG has covered many examples of how questionable scientific and medical research practices have broader implications. Wed like to do more reporting, but weve discovered why journalists take umbrage at bloggers: An originally-reported story takes roughly four to ten times the effort of a blog post of commentary and analysis. Consider this example that we published earlieer an example from the Columbia Journalism Review : In this economic environment, greenlighting time-consuming, in-depth reports that may get less traffic than lighter-fare articles has become increasingly rare. A recent report by Mother Jones in which a senior reporter worked four months as a corrections officer exemplifies this tension. 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While the idea of having a comparatively cheap way to get water to poor areas is appealing, any resource exploitation idea has a downside. There does not seem to be any obvious way to limit what would be decentralized exploitation of aquifers. From a crass property rights perspective, an aquifer will wind up serving many landowners, yet a single access point could drain a lot of water. Those who grew up in the US Southwest may also know how prefecting water rights is a big deal, since those claims are often protested, particularly by farmers who worry removing too much groundwater will hurt their corp yields. And this process can go too far. In coastal Maine, many of the plots were once subsistence farms with food sources and income supplemented by hunting and fishing. Building a house usually depended on whether you could drill a well. These areas have often become dense with vacation homes. The ground water now has so many minerals in it that no one filters it; everyone brings in bottled drinking water. And even with that, the water pressure is often so low that owners and renters have to spread out when they shower or run a washing machine. This article points out that groundwater supplies are vast. But like real estate, everything is local. Its still possible to overharvest where people live even with global levels appearing ample. By Felicity Bradstock, a freelance writer specialising in Energy and Finance. Originally published at OilPrice Solar-powered water pumps can provide a sustainable solution to the global water crisis by tapping into vast groundwater resources. While solar pumps offer significant benefits, their widespread use raises concerns about potential overexploitation of groundwater, particularly in arid regions. To ensure sustainable and equitable water access, careful management and regulation of solar pump usage are essential. As the use of solar technology expands, the rollout of solar-powered water pumps is expected to significantly enhance the availability of safe drinking water around the world. Groundwater the water stored in between rocks underground contributes almost 99 percent of the unfrozen fresh water found on Earth. In Africa, where many do not have access to clean drinking water, there is thought to be around 20 times more groundwater than that in lakes and reservoirs. And yet many countries across the continent experience severe water scarcity, with many communities lacking the equipment needed to access the water located just a few metres underground. Around half of the worlds population currently relies on groundwater for drinking, demonstrating the huge potential of tapping into this supply in other regions. It is much more reliable than surface water during times of drought, making it a critical water source on a warming planet. Scientists have long discussed the potential of rolling out solar-powered water pumps in areas that lack access to clean water to support community needs, including providing access to drinking water and water for crop irrigation. Solar water pumps are accompanied by a set of solar panels that convert the suns rays into electricity to operate the pump. Pipes then transport water from the source to wherever it needs to go, such as a purification system or holding tank. Installing solar water pumps in rural, arid regions can help communities gain access to lifesaving drinking water, as well as expand agricultural activities to grow food. Projects of this nature are attracting increasing interest as there is great potential to change the lives of millions using new clean technologies. Projects are gaining traction at a time when mapping groundwater across the African continent is easier than ever. This is a topic that is set to be discussed at the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) World Groundwater Congress in Davos, Switzerland this week. However, scientists are concerned about the potential downfalls that could come with the rollout of solar pumps, which must be mitigated to ensure projects are successful. One challenge is the potential overexploitation of the solar system, which could lead to the depletion of already scarce water sources. This is of particular concern in arid locations in parts of Asia, the Middle East and the U.S. In addition, this technology cannot be used in all regions of Africa, particularly in rural communities situated on top of ancient rocks where water is harder to access. To avoid overexploitation, scientists suggest that handpumps and low-yielding solar-powered pumps should continue to be used alongside large solar pumps. This equipment can help communities gain access to drinking water while avoiding the depletion of the water source. Meanwhile, low-yield solar-powered pumps can be used in locations where water yields are low, allowing the water to be pumped throughout the day and stored for use as needed. Professor Alan MacDonald, the head of groundwater at the British Geological Survey explained, I would invite everyone to see this solar groundwater pumping revolution in terms of equity. Through that lens, we have the chance to ensure that this precious resource is sustainably and fairly unlocked to all those who are still waiting for a safe and reliable water supply. In India, solar-powered water access is already a reality for many. By 2026, an estimated three million or more farmers will be using solar pumps for irrigation purposes. This is expected to transform the lives of farmers across the country. However, scientists worry that water depletion could become a very real issue soon. Rajasthan, a desert state in India, has the greatest number of solar pumps of any state. The government has been offering subsidised solar pumps for around a decade, providing these pumps to nearly 100,000 farmersin the state. This equipment provides irrigation water for over a million acres, increasing the water for agricultural use by over a quarter. However, as the state gets little rain, these water sources are rapidly depleting and not being replenished fast enough. Many pumps across the region no longer have access to water, as the underground rocks are dry down to 400 feet below ground, further than the pumps can reach. This has led to many pumps being abandoned and farmers once again facing water scarcity. Some farmers have purchased more powerful pumps, leaving poorer farmers to go without water or having to buy it from rich neighbours. While there are major challenges to address when considering the widespread rollout of solar-powered water pumps in arid areas of the world, they could provide the green infrastructure needed to ensure millions of people have access to clean drinking water. Greater investigation into how to limit the output of these pumps or use them alongside other technologies could support the deployment of such equipment. Many Arab countries are still funding Israels genocide in Gaza Yemen has made headlines during Israels war in Gaza in connection with the efforts of its Houthi rebels to block the shipments of Israeli-bound goods in the Red Sea and other area waterways. However, other Arab states have not been as supportive of the plight of Palestinians, and some are even helping to fund Israels genocide. In fact, data shows that several Arab countries that have normalized relations with Israel, including Morocco, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, have been helping Israel get around the blockade and supplying them with important trade routes that allow them to continue making money for their war effort. According to trade figures for 2024, Israeli imports from Bahrain rose by a remarkable 1161.8% between the months of January and July when compared to the same period last year. This surge comes despite statements issued by Bahrains parliament condemning Israel. Moves such as the Israeli ambassador leaving Bahrain and Bahrain recalling its envoy to Tel Aviv were actually more symbolic than anything and intended to appease the public rather than any accurate reflection of true changes in policy in response to their actions in Palestine. Several countries are covertly supporting Israel While Turkey's president may be known for his colorful anti-Israel rhetoric on the public stage, the country is actually supporting the Jewish state behind the scenes, even going so far as to reroute goods through Greece and Palestinian customs to help obscure the extent of its ongoing direct trade with Israel. Even though Turkey stopped directly trading with Israel in May, they are now skirting their own embargo to keep up the appearance of severed ties while continuing to trade with them covertly. Egypt was one of the first Arab states to normalize its relations with Israel a few decades ago, and it has played an important role in supporting Israeli trade. Six Egyptian Mediterranean ports are now key transit hubs for goods that are moving in and out of the Jewish state, with reports showing that 19 vessels were used exclusively during the summer for round-trip voyages between Egyptian and Israeli ports. The proximity of Egyptian ports to vital Israeli hubs such as the port of Ashdod, which is situated a mere 29 kilometers from Gaza, and the port of Haifa, are helping Israel reduce its shipping costs and keep the prices of goods transported by sea down. Morocco does not appear to be turning its back on Israel from a trade standpoint, either, with trade between the two countries rising by more than 81% in 2024 compared to the previous year despite the war in Gaza. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has recorded a 14.2% rise in Israeli imports so far in 2024 as Abu Dhabi continues serving a strategic role in plans by the U.S. and Israel for post-war Gaza. At meetings between officials from the UAE, the U.S. and Israel in July seeking to quell resistance within Gaza, the Arab state made its role in supporting future Israeli political projects clear. A key factor driving the rise in imports from the UAE as well as Bahrain is the increasing dependence of Israel on their ports for transporting goods from West Asia through a land corridor to get around Yemeni blockades in the Red Sea. It turns out that many of the Arab states that are publicly condemning Israel for its actions in Gaza are supporting them behind the scenes in moves that the Muslim world is unlikely to forget for some time. With the death toll in Gaza now well above 40,000, those who have been supporting Israel have a lot to answer for. Sources for this article include: TheCradle.co ABCNews.go.com Bill Gates wants AI algorithms to censor vaccine misinformation in real time Microsoft co-founder, eugenics proponent, and decaying wrinkle-face Bill Gates wants to merge his vaccine obsession with artificial intelligence (AI) to control what gets said online. In a recent interview with CNBC, Gates explained that while he is a vaccine absolutist, he feels much different about free speech and the First Amendment, which he wants to see curtailed through whatever means possible. Gates feels as though the U.S. Constitution and its free speech protections are no longer applicable, and that "boundaries" and "rules" are needed to stop the spread of "misinformation" online and elsewhere. The best way to rein in what people are allowed to say is to deploy an army of AI robots to immediately and in real time identify and remove everything from the internet that Gates and his friends feel constitutions "fake news" or "incorrect information." "We should have free speech, but if you're inciting violence, if you're causing people not to take vaccines, where are those boundaries that even the U.S. should have rules?" Gates blathered during the interview. "And then if you have rules, what is it?" (Related: Did you know that Bill Gates is chomping at the bit to unleash climate "vaccines" on humanity?) Who does Bill Gates think he is? When pressed about who should have the authority to regulate speech, Gates was a bit more elusive, though he seems to think that he and people who think the same way as him should hold the levers of power. "Is there some AI that encodes those rules because you have billions of activity [sic] and if you catch it a day later, the harm is done," Gates commented. Gates thinks so highly of himself and his own viewpoints and opinions that he is on a press tour right now promoting a new Netflix "docuseries" called "What's Next? The Future with Bill Gates" that we are told will have at least five parts. The guy apparently fails to realize that nobody likes him or cares what he thinks, but when has a billionaire ever been in touch with reality? Perhaps Americans would do well to consider "the past with Bill Gates" before they decide to take the plunge with him into some dystopian future ruled by AI robots with programmed censorship as their primary mission. "We can see Windows, which he now tells CNBC he was allegedly naive about and thought it would only be used for 'productive and responsible purposes' as most people would want to have a computer at home," writes Didi Rankovic for Reclaim the Net. "What they got with Windows, however, is a problem in its own way, while Microsoft was seen by critics as going after open-source competition like a monopolistic, anti-competitive corporate bully. But here is Gates now, to tell us what our future should look like." Last year on his blog, Gates declared that "The Age of AI has begun." In a post, he wrote that AI "will change the way people work, learn, travel, get health care, and communicate with each other." "Entire industries will reorient around it," Gates added. "Businesses will distinguish themselves by how well they use it." Gates feels as though AI can help children get a better education, especially "Black, Latino, and low-income students." "AI can help turn that trend around," Gates contends. The biggest area where Gates wants AI to take control is with climate change. Gates believes that AI programmed to address "the injustice of" climate change will "make the world more equitable." AI is the future of the world (since all real intelligence apparently left the building a long time ago). Learn more at Transhumanism.news. Sources for this article include: ReclaimTheNet.org NaturalNews.com GatesNotes.com China regarded as new global tech leader since it controls 90% of all critical technologies The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) released a report recently that crowns China, not the United States, as the new world leader now that the communist country holds 90 percent of all critical technologies. ASPI's Critical Technology Tracker found that China "effectively switched places" with the U.S. as the world's technology leader in less than 20 years, which is incredibly quick. "The U.S. led in 60 of 64 technologies in the five years from 2003 to 2007, but in the most recent five years (20192023) is leading in seven," ASPI says. "China led in just three of 64 technologies in 2003 20074 [sic] but is now the lead country in 57 of 64 technologies in 20192023, increasing its lead from our rankings last year (2018 2022), where it was leading in 52 technologies." The term "critical technologies" refers to a basket of 64 different fields that include "defense, space, energy, the environment, artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, robotics, cyber, computing, advanced materials and key quantum technology areas." ASPI's Critical Technology Tracker was first launched in March 2023. It was recently expanded to include data that dates all the way back to the turn of the century. (Related: U.S. dollar dominance on the world stage is fading after Saudi Arabia made China, not America, its most "reliable partner" for oil trade.) West in decline as East rises Data in the ASPI report came from various research papers on technological developments. It focuses on areas including quantum sensors, high-performance computing, gravitational sensors, space launch, and advanced integrated circuit design and fabrication. For the time being, the United States is still the global leader in quantum engineering, vaccines, nuclear medicine (chemotherapy), small satellites, atomic clocks, genetic engineering (GMOs), and natural language processing. China, conversely, has taken the lead in every single one of the so-called "advanced" technologies that researchers have classified as "high risk." This means that one day, China could become a worldwide tech monopoly. "The technologies newly classified as high risk include many with defense applications, such as radar, advanced aircraft engines, drones, swarming and collaborative robots and satellite positioning and navigation," ASPI says. Another country that is making strides in these areas is India. Several fields in which the U.S. used to be the world leader now show India in first place. The United Kingdom, meanwhile, is another Western country in decline as the East rises. The UK is no longer even in the top five for eight critical technology fields that are now led by China. Since 2023 when ASPI first started tracking all this, the following three countries have remained relatively stable in terms of their place on the list as world leaders in industry and tech: Germany, South Korea, and Japan. Much of China's meteoric success comes not just from piracy but also from heavy government financing. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), for instance, has been shoveling cash into China's technological development fields for many years. Singapore-based technology strategist Josh Kennedy-White told Voice of America News (VOA) that China has greatly benefitted from "aggressive, state-driven research and development investments over the past two decades." "Even though it leads in areas like artificial intelligence and 5G, China still depends on Taiwan, the U.S. and South Korea to produce high-end semiconductors," Kennedy-White is quoted as saying, further describing China's lack of self-sufficiency as the country's "Achilles heel." The West could catch up with its Eastern opponents by joining forces with India, Japan, and South Korea to develop a new unified superpower, the latest ASPI report claims. The latest news about communist China and its mad rush to the front of the line on the world stage can be found at Communism.news. Sources for this article include: Breitbart.com NaturalNews.com Family files lawsuit against Colorado school district for forcing daughter to share bedroom with transgender student during field trip A family in Colorado has filed a lawsuit against a school district that forced their daughter to share a bedroom with a transgender student The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) stated that it filed a federal lawsuit against Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) for forcing several girls to share sleeping arrangements with a transgender student, contending that education officials have committed flagrant violations of parental rights. The incident occurred in December 2023, when JCPS assigned the 11-year-old daughter of parents Joe and Serena Wailes to share not only a room but a bed with a transgender student and directed her not to tell her parents about the student's gender status. Luckily, her mother had been a chaperone on the trip, and after some unsuccessful tries to move her daughter was able to have the gender confused student transferred to a different room. (Related: Minor girls labeled "transphobic" after speaking out against LGBT boys using their locker rooms.) "This time, the chaperones agreed to move [the student] and one other girl to a different room but again lied about why, saying [a] sick roommate needed more space," ADF stated at that time in a demand letter seeking clarification of the district's policies. "Throughout the entire evening, [the student's] privacy and feelings were always the primary concern of JCPS employees." The Wailes sent two letters to the school district requesting JCPS permit parents to opt their children out of any policy ahead of an overnight trip that rooms children by gender identity rather than sex. They alleged the school district denied their request. Parent calls for complete transparency from schools on information directly affecting children Serena said in an interview with Fox News Digital that parents should have complete transparency from schools on information that directly affects their children. "We never thought our daughter would be put in a situation like this, or we would be forced to ask our own school district to stop hiding information regarding our children's privacy and safety, but the need for transparency and trust toward our school district is critical," she said. "Parents, not the government, have the right and duty to direct the upbringing and education of their children, and that includes making informed decisions to protect their child's privacy," ADF attorney Kate Anderson stated. "This fundamental right is especially vital for parents to protect their children from violations of bodily privacy by exposure to the opposite sex in intimate settings, like sleeping arrangements or shower facilities." "If Jefferson County Public Schools is going to continue placing students of the opposite sex in the same room on overnight trips as it confirmed it would the district must let parents be the ones to make decisions about their children's privacy. And they must provide the information necessary and inform parents about the policy so parents can make the best decisions for their children," she continued. "The district must grant our clients' reasonable request for accommodations that can be accomplished in a number of confidential ways that protect the privacy of all students." Follow PublicEducation.news for more news about transgenderism in American public schools. Watch the video below about a female student getting beat up by a transgender student in a school bathroom. This video is from the WorldViewTube channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Tim Walz believes 10-year-olds can choose their own gender, young men should be allowed in female restrooms. Young autistic woman sues Planned Parenthood for MEDICAL MALPRACTICE after a mere 30-minute consultation turned into a lifetime of regrets. Ohio judge upholds statewide ban on transgender treatments for minors. Trump vows to cut federal funding for schools pushing CRITICAL RACE THEORY and transgenderism. Missouri AG opens investigation into gym for allowing biological male to use women's private spaces. Sources include: LifeSiteNews.com FoxNews.com Brighteon.com Kommie Freakshow Kamala supports U.S. taxpayer-funded GENDER MUTILATION SURGERY for illegal immigrants at detention centers Many young people today are being brainwashed by social media that they surf all day, not only damaging their vision, their cognition and their concept of reality, but their image of self. Since nearly all social media is run by extreme liberals, it is a hub of lecherous and salacious content, chock full of the latest transexual and gender fluid posts, pictures and propaganda convincing them that it is normal and trendy to think about sex, sex partners, sexuality and switching genders. This includes foreign children and teenagers migrating to the United States in hope of a better life, lifestyle and opinion of themselves. In comes Kommie Freakshow Harris, the U.S. southern border Czar with her perverted agenda, billions of taxpayer dollars to push it, and the most extreme plan for perverting every child and teenager in the country, including illegal immigrants who are temporarily stuck in detention centers. You cant make this stuff up. In fact, most people would immediately claim this is a conspiracy theory, until they see the policy plan literally published and posted on Kommie Kamalas campaign position list and aired out on CNN. Kommie Kamalas communist ways of wrecking the nuclear family, childrens dreams and a normal life are all documented and real, unfortunately Does anyone really want a President who is all in for children, teenagers and young adults to get genitalia mutilation surgery, take cancer-causing hormone drugs, and become promiscuous at very early ages? Make no mistake, this horrific influence Kamala propagates is perverted and part of a much larger agenda that fosters human trafficking, sex slavery and people who regret their gender alterations so badly that they consider and/or commit suicide. Kommie Kamala has campaign positions that will not change, though she has recently claimed some will, just to win votes. She is an extreme liberal, a Marxist, and totally supports the gender-mutilation-surgery movement that is ruining peoples lives, including young kids who dont understand the dangerous implications and consequences. In 2019, the Harris campaign position supported taxpayer-funded gender care and transition surgeries for detained migrants. Let that sink in for a minute. As she decreases funding for ICE (border security), she increases funding for illegal immigrants to undergo gender transition surgery while in detention centers, and then releases them into the custody of unvetted agencies who can easily turn them into prostitutes, sex slaves, abused minors and trafficked victims (who often disappear or get killed). Plus, many kids and teens who get their penis removed, breasts removed and permanent surgery performed on their facial features end up regretting it, unable to use the bathroom properly, suffer complete libido loss and damage to their self-esteem, forever. With all the illegal aliens entering the United States who are criminals, drug dealers, rapists and mental cases (released from other countries prisons around the world), Kommie Kamala would rather spend billions in U.S. taxpayer funds to mutilate kids genitals at detention centers than to prevent this national security disaster from continuing. Whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, you should be very concerned about this, and voting against it. This could affect yours and your childrens livelihoods directly, permanently, and regrettably if you dont act now to stop it. Tune your internet dial to Gender.news for updates on extreme liberals with hidden agendas trying to turn normal kids, including illegal immigrants, into gender-confused, genitalia-mutilated freaks. #StopKommieKamala Sources for this article include: TheGatewayPundit.com DailyCaller.com USA.visa.com NaturalNews.com RFK Jr. wins appeals to have his name REMOVED from state ballots in North Carolina Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has won an appeal for the removal of his name from the ballot in North Carolina ahead of the November elections. The environmental lawyer and scion of the Kennedy family requested that his name be struck off from the ballots in North Carolina after suspending his own presidential campaign and endorsing former President Donald Trump. Election officials in the Tar Heel state were ordered by the North Carolina Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision to remove RFK Jr. and his running mate Nicole Shanahan from the ballot. The Sept. 9 ruling prompted the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) to put absentee voting on hold in compliance with the order. Both Kennedy and Shanahan were named as nominees of the We The People party in North Carolina. The state law deadline to begin absentee voting was set last week but with the court decision, revised ballots will be printed and delivered to the 146,603 voters, including more than 12,900 military and overseas voters who have requested an absentee ballot as soon as they are available, which is expected to occur in the next couple weeks. "We will continue to consult with counties and ballot vendors to determine the feasible start date for distributing absentee ballots statewide, mindful of the goal to meet the 45-day federal deadline," said Karen Brinson Bell, NCSBE executive director. "This decision imposes a tremendous hardship on our county boards, at an extremely busy time. But our election officials are professionals, and I have no doubt we will rise to the challenge." Following the Sept. 9 decision, the NCSBE later issued a memo ordering officials not to destroy the current ballots. According to the Pulse, this suggests the board's intent to appeal the court ruling. Wisconsin judge, Michigan Supreme Court reject RFK Jr.'s appeal to be excluded from state ballots While Kennedy secured victories in North Carolina, it wasn't the case in Wisconsin and Michigan. A judge in the Badger State rejected his appeal to be excluded from the ballots, noting that a full court hearing must be held before his name might be removed. Wisconsin law states that "any person who files nomination papers and qualifies to appear on the ballot may not decline nomination." Meanwhile, at the Wolverine State, the Supreme Court also ruled that Kennedy's name would remain on the state's ballot. The court vacated the state Appeals Court ruling, concluding that he did not show "an entitlement to this extraordinary relief." Since he suspended his White House campaign in August as an independent candidate, Kennedy has been fighting to take his name off the ballot in key swing states. It has already been determined that his name will not appear on ballots in Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania, three other potentially pivotal swing states. (Related: RFK Jr. campaign ad calls on Americans to VOTE FOR TRUMP and "finish the story.") Head over to Kennedy.news for similar stories. Watch the video below where RFK Jr. calls out the first and potentially only presidential debate's moderators for being biased. This video is from the TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: RFK Jr.: Democrats have no platform; they are only united by HATRED of Donald Trump. RFK Jr. reveals he left the Democratic Party because it had "departed so dramatically from its core values." Media personalities ATTACK RFK Jr. for endorsing Donald Trump. ELECTION INTERFERENCE: RFK Jr. forced to remain on the ballot in key battleground state of Michigan despite requesting withdrawal from the race. North Carolina REJECTS RFK Jr.'s request to be taken off the state's ballot. Sources include: TheNationalPulse.com NCSBE.gov Brighteon.com CA Gov. Newsom VETOES bill allowing ILLEGALS to receive interest-free home loans California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a measure allowing illegal immigrants to get home loans without having to pay interest. Newsom, a Democrat, issued his veto of Assembly Bill (AB) 1840 on Sept. 6. Had the proposal been signed, it would have made some illegal aliens eligible for up to $150,000 in state-backed home loans. According to POLITICO, Newsom's veto came a day after former President Donald Trump voiced out his intent to block illegals from receiving home mortgages if he wins in November. The governor cited funding concerns as a main reason for his veto of AB 1840, writing: "Expanding program eligibility must be carefully considered within the broader context of the annual state budget to ensure we manage our resources effectively." "The bill that was sent to me was [on] a program that had no money, and it was expanding eligibility to a program that had no money. It seemed rather curious to me, so it was unnecessary and completely consistent with prior vetoes along those similar lines." ABC 7 reported, citing the California Department of Finance, that there was no money allocated for the California Dream For All (DFA) program in this year's budget Newsom signed in June. Twenty million dollars was earmarked for the program in last year's budget, while $500 million was set aside for it in 2022. The DFA program which provides loans to first-generation home buyers is run by the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA). It offers up to 20 percent and no more than $150,000 for a down payment or closing costs on a home as per the CalHFA, which is under the state-level California Department of Housing and Community Development. Newsom said in June that the Golden State has approved home loans for nearly 4,000 families since 2023 under the DFA program. Newsom has warned against giving CA Republicans more ammo "Newsom has repeatedly warned fellow Democrats in Sacramento not to provide cannonfire for Republicans in an election year, issuing pleas for them to tamp down the raging culture wars rather than provoke them with hot-button issues," POLITICO wrote. (Related: Power-hungry Newsom VETOES California transgender custody bill in desperate attempt to appear more "moderate" ahead of 2024 presidential election.) AB 1840 cleared both chambers of the California State Legislature, but not without dissent from some moderate Democratic lawmakers. Democratic Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, who carried the measure, lamented Newsom's veto in a statement. The state representative said he was "deeply disappointed" with Newsom's veto, arguing that AB 1840 wasn't about immigrant policies or the housing crisis. "I have always believed this bill is about fairness. The veto doesnt change the fact that many people including undocumented immigrants dream of owning a home so that generational wealth can be passed to their children. They are people who are responsible, work hard, and pay their ample share of taxes," Arambula stated. According to the Democratic lawmaker, he introduced AB 1840 in response to an existing federal law that prevents undocumented immigrants from participating in state benefits without a state law providing for eligibility. To qualify for a loan, illegals would have needed to have Social Security or taxpayer identification numbers meaning they pay taxes. In contrast, GOP state senators argued in a veto request to the governor that AB 1840 would "further stretch the limited public resources available to those who are following the law and want to purchase a home." They added that "legal California taxpayers are already struggling to purchase and maintain their homes." "I have a heart for everybody that's living in this country, but there are some people who have not yet found themselves worthy of taxpayer benefits," GOP Assemblymember Tom Lackey said on the floor before AB 1840's passage. He continued that it would be unfair to create a law that would "defy accountability on every front." GOP State Sen. Brian Dahle, who ran against Newsom in the 2022 gubernatorial race, said the incumbent's veto was the right thing. He nevertheless issued scathing remarks against the ruling party in California. "[Newsom] is the master of gaslighting. I mean, they've been doing it forever," Dahle commented. "I've been here 12 years, and all they do is politics." Check out NewsomWatch.com for more similar stories. Watch Bill O'Reilly commenting on California's passage of AB 1840, which Gov. Gavin Newsom later vetoed. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: California State Assembly approves taxpayer-funded down payment assistance program for ILLEGALS. Democrats want zero-down mortgages made available in Californiabut only for illegal aliens. California Democrats pushing for bill to help ILLEGALS own homes in the state by covering down payments on home purchases. Sources include: POLITICO.com ABC7.com Brighteon.com Spains Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz wants to legalize residency status of 500K illegals Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz has called for legislation to legalize the residency status of 500,000 undocumented immigrants, stressing the importance of providing them with the legal cover to receive adequate labor rights. Diaz, who also serves as the Minister of Labor under Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's left-wing administration, has emphasized the need for immediate government intervention. Her call supports a legislative initiative led by citizens that demands the legalization of undocumented migrants who have been living in Spain since before Nov. 21, 2021. This initiative has received strong backing with 700,000 signatures and the endorsement of 900 non-government organizations. "There is the need to regularize over half a million workers without rights," said Diaz, who noted that a similar amnesty plan was launched by former left-wing Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, which resulted in over 700,000 migrants being granted amnesty back in 2004. While the proposal has significant support within Spain's parliament, the conservative anti-mass migration party VOX stands in opposition, arguing that such an amnesty would only encourage more illegal immigration. Biden turns 500K illegals into future Democratic voters On June 18, President Joe Biden passed a similar policy when he signed an executive order granting amnesty to undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens, allowing them and their children to apply for lawful permanent residency and, eventually, U.S. citizenship. According to the White House, this measure could benefit around 500,000 immigrants and an additional 50,000 children. Biden described the executive order as a means to "keep families together" and claimed it would strengthen the U.S. economy. However, critics argue that this move is less about maintaining the integrity of the family unit and more about expanding the Democratic voter base. (Related: Biden gives game plan away: Senate bill precursor to amnesty for illegals.) This executive order represents one of the most substantial federal protections for immigrants in over a decade. Federal law currently prohibits noncitizens, including permanent residents, from voting in most elections. However, those granted lawful permanent residency through this order could become U.S. citizens in as little as three years, if married to a U.S. citizen. Unless specific provisions in the executive order prevent these individuals from registering to vote before gaining citizenship, Biden's plans could create a substantial pool of new voters. The controversy surrounding Biden's executive order reflects broader debates about voter eligibility. Critics argue that Democrats are working to weaken safeguards that ensure only U.S. citizens vote in federal elections. Former President Donald Trump himself has criticized the order, suggesting that it could lead to a surge in new citizens who would be grateful for the Democrats and thus vote for them in future elections. As the debate continues, the implications of Biden's executive order for immigration policy and electoral integrity remain a significant topic of discussion. Learn more about illegal immigration stories around the world at OpenBorders.news. Watch this CBS report on the Biden administration's plan to offer legal protections to 500,000 immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens. This video is from the Daily Videos channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: California Democrats pushing for bill to help ILLEGALS own homes in the state by covering down payments on home purchases. FISCAL BURDEN: American taxpayers spent $150B last year to fund Biden's illegal immigrants. Trump: America has become a DUMPING GROUND for the prison populations of other nations under open borders Biden-Harris administration. REPORT: Biden-Harris "deportation program" lets nearly 90% of illegal immigrant families STAY in the U.S. Biden administration speeding up citizenship request processing to bolster Democratic voter base ahead of election. Sources include: TheNationalPulse.com InfoMigrants.net Blackburn.Senate.gov WhiteHouse.gov Brighteon.com Modi govt aims to implement 'One Nation, One Election' within current term: Sources T he National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is gearing up to roll out the 'One Nation, One Election' (ONOE) policy before the end of its current term, highly-placed sources told IANS. This major electoral reform, a key objective for the BJP, has seen repeated endorsements from PM Modi throughout his political career. Sources reveal that the government is optimistic about implementing the 'One Nation, One Election' (ONOE) policy within its current term. Although the BJP won 240 seats in the latest elections -- short of the 272 required for a solo majority -- the government is hopeful of gaining sufficient cross-party support for this reform with the backing of its allies. The 'One Nation, One Election' seeks to simplify the electoral process by synchronising national and state elections. Proponents argue that this approach will diminish the frequent electoral cycles that currently disrupt Indian politics and impede effective governance. PM Modi in his Independence Day address this year, had urged political parties to unite in backing the ONOE initiative. He highlighted that the frequent elections across various levels of government pose a "barrier to India's progress". The concept of simultaneous elections was also a prominent pledge in the BJP's election manifesto. The push for 'One Nation, One Election' gained significant momentum following the submission of a report by a panel headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind earlier this year. The committee, which presented its findings to President Droupadi Murmu, strongly supported the concept of holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. In another significant information shared by top sources on Sunday that while the government has initiated preparations for the decadal census, a decision on whether to include a caste column in the survey has not yet been made. "The decadal census will be conducted soon," sources added. India has been conducting a census every decade since 1881. The first phase of this decade's census was slated to start on April 1, 2020, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The implementation of the Women's Reservation Act, passed by Parliament last year, is also tied to the decadal census. This law, which reserves one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women, will take effect only after delimitation is carried out based on the data from the first census conducted post-enactment of the Act. Modi govt aims to implement 'One Nation, One Election' within current term: Sources Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! Who will succeed Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi CM? Strong buzz over five names W ith AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal announcing his decision to quit as Chief Minister in two days, Delhi political circles are abuzz with intense political speculation about who could be the next face at the helm. Will it be Kejriwal's close confidantes like Atishi or Gopal Rai or an articulate minister-cum-orator like Saurabh Bhardwaj or will his wife surpass everyone to fill the vacuum at top post - is a million-dollar question. Kejriwal's announcement to quit the chief ministerial post even caught his own party leaders by surprise, as is evident from their incoherent voices. Though AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha described it as Kejriwal's 'agnipariksha', highlighting his unequivocal battle against the oppressive forces, many top leaders have remained tight-lipped. Amid talks of Kejriwal's possible successor, here are five names evincing great interest: Atishi Atishi seems to be emerging as the front-runner in the race for the CM post if Arvind Kejriwal steps down after two days. She is expected to hold the reins of the Delhi government in coming days. She was a key member of the Manifesto Drafting Committee of AAP for the 2013 assembly elections and played a key role in shaping up the party during its early stages. Besides being one of the most vocal leaders of AAP, she also sought to replicate Kejriwal's model of fasting protest. Her importance in the pecking order of leadership can be gauged from the fact that Kejriwal picked her to host the national flag at Delhi government's Independence Day programme. She has always been at the forefront as party spokesperson, in defending the party on its flagship issues like water and electricity. Saurabh Bhardwaj Saurabh Bhardwaj, the Health Minister of Delhi, is also among the most probable faces for the post. After top AAP ministers like Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia and Arvind Kejriwal himself landed behind bars, he firmly held his ground and defended the party's principled stand on key issues despite a wave of onslaught from the BJP. Saurabh and Atishi were the Cabinet ministers entrusted with maximum responsibilities after top AAP brass were put behind bars over alleged involvement in scams. The articulate AAP leader has also turned up the heat on Delhi L-G V.K. Saxena by pointing to his role in the felling of more than 1,000 trees. With his deft handling of the case, AAP managed to have an 'upper hand' over the latter. Gopal Rai Gopal Rai, the current Cabinet Minister for Environment, Forest and wildlife, is another close and long-term aide of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. Being part of the AAP founding members, Gopal Rai has largely remained an uncontroversial and unblemished figure in the party, a point that will favour his prospects as the party would look to do a make-over for restoring its 'clean image', ahead of Delhi elections slated for 2025. Kailash Gahlot Kailash Gahlot is among the senior most ministers in AAP government and currently holds charge of eight departments -- law, justice and legislative affairs, transport, administrative reforms, IT, revenue, finance, planning and home. It was he who hoisted the national flag at the Delhi government's 78th Independence Day ceremony at Chhatrasal Stadium. Later, addressing the gathering, he questioned the "true meaning of independence" and termed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a "modern-day freedom fighter". "So many of our brave sons risked their lives to get us freedom. But the mind is saddened that today the democratically elected CM is behind bars and I have to be present in his place. Arvind Kejriwal is a modern day freedom fighter," he had said. Sunita Kejriwal Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal may not have taken the political plunge yet but her active involvement in the party's activities shows that she is 'ready and keen' on adding strength and vigour to a party, founded on anti-corruption plank. There has been intense speculation over Sunita Kejriwal's role for the past few months. After Kejriwal was put in jail, she has been holding public rallies and also leading the party's campaign in Haryana. Speculation around Sunita's name gained ground after it was made clear that Manish Sisodia, being the closest and trusted aide of Arvind Kejriwal won't be in contention for the top post. With only five ministers in the Delhi Cabinet namely Gopal Rai, Imran Hussain, Kailash Gehlot, Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi, she could don the party's mantle till Arvind Kejriwal is away. AAP has already made it clear that this will only be a stop-gap arrangement and Kejriwal will return as CM if the party wins the next Delhi elections. In political circles, Kejriwal's sudden move to quit CM post and deploy a trusted aide in the chair is seen as a strategic and tactical move rather than a knee-jerk reaction. Political watches say that the move is aimed at projecting him as a martyr in the upcoming Assembly elections and thereby position the party as the 'force fighting a corrupt system'. Who will succeed Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi CM? Strong buzz over five names Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! Centre to launch 'BHASKAR' digital platform to boost startup ecosystem T he government on Sunday announced to launch a ground-breaking digital platform aimed at strengthening the startup ecosystem in the country. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is set to launch the 'Bharat Startup Knowledge Access Registry' (BHASKAR) initiative, under the Startup India programme. It is a platform designed to centralise, streamline, and enhance collaboration among key stakeholders within the entrepreneurial ecosystem, including startups, investors, mentors, service providers, and government bodies. "This initiative aligns with the government of India's vision to transform India into a global leader in innovation and entrepreneurship, reinforcing the country's commitment to the startup movement," said the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in a statement. India is currently home to over 1,46,000 DPIIT-recognised startups. BHASKAR seeks to leverage this potential by providing an all-encompassing, one-stop digital platform that addresses the challenges faced by entrepreneurs and investors alike. According to the ministry, by serving as a centralised registry, BHASKAR will enable seamless access to a wide array of resources, tools, and knowledge that will help fuel the entrepreneurial journey from ideation to execution. By providing personalised BHASKAR IDs for each stakeholder, the platform will facilitate easier interaction, enhance searchability, and allow for efficient discovery of relevant opportunities and partnerships. The primary goal of BHASKAR is to build the world's largest digital registry for stakeholders within the startup ecosystem. To achieve this, the platform will offer several key features like networking and collaboration, providing centralised access to resources, creating personalised identification, enhancing discoverability and supporting India's global brand. The launch of BHASKAR marks a significant step forward in the government's ongoing efforts to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation. It will serve as a central hub where startups, investors, service providers, and government bodies can come together to collaborate, exchange ideas, and accelerate growth. The government said it invites all stakeholders to become part of this transformative initiative. Centre to launch 'BHASKAR' digital platform to boost startup ecosystem Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! A speech delivered by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, during the second plenum of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee will be published on Monday. This speech by Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published as an article in this year's 18th issue of the Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine of the CPC Central Committee. The resolution adopted at the plenary session draws on experiences since the reform and opening up, particularly from comprehensively deepening reform in the new era, thoroughly analyzes the new situation and requirements for advancing Chinese modernization, harnesses the wisdom of the whole Party and society, and outlines overall plans for further comprehensively deepening reform with a focus on Chinese modernization in a scientific way, according to the article. It emphasizes the need for an in-depth study of the plenary session's essence, particularly understanding the theme of further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization as well as the key principles, major initiatives and fundamental guarantees to this end. The resolution's plans should be implemented effectively, with a focus on enhancing organization, coordinating various reforms, supporting innovation, and achieving tangible results, according to the article. It also urges solid work in the second half of the year, including efforts to resolutely achieve the annual economic and social development goals, while effectively coordinating development and security. The article also emphasizes the importance of summarizing and evaluating the implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and carrying out preliminary planning for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). On deepening comprehensive and strict Party governance, the article urges efforts to tackle formalism and bureaucracy, improve Party conduct, foster a clean government and advance the fight against corruption. 100 days of Modi 3.0: Health cover to all above 70 years, 75K new medical seats I n the first 100 days of its third term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has rolled out several schemes to boost the healthcare sector such as providing health cover to all senior citizens aged above 70 years, and adding 75,000 new medical seats. About 4.5 crore families, including 6 crore senior citizens will benefit from the health coverage of Rs 5 lakh to all senior citizens aged 70 and above, regardless of their income. The move rolled out under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) comes as India's elderly population is projected to double by 2050, and will increase the demand for geriatric care. In his address to the nation on Independence Day, PM Modi promised to create 75,000 more medical seats in the next five years, from the current over one lakh in the country. The addition will make the healthcare system more effective and help reduce foreign dependence in medical education. Emphasising the vision of 'Swasth Bharat' (Healthy India) for 'Viksit Bharat 2047', the government introduced the Rashtriya Poshan Mission. The flagship programme of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) aims to improve the nutritional status of children, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls. Further, the U-WIN portal has been launched to digitise routine immunisations, and the National Medical Commission is developing a centralised doctors' repository. In a bid to tackle the burden of sickle cell disease, the government launched a special campaign to raise awareness about the genetic blood disorder among women, adolescent girls, and tribal communities. In the Union Budget 2024-25, the government exempted customs duty on three cancer drugs -- Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, Osimertinib, and Durvalumab -- to reduce the financial burden of people suffering from cancer and also to facilitate accessibility. The government also slashed the GST rate from 12 per cent to 5 per cent on these three cancer medicines. Under the PM E-DRIVE scheme, an electric ambulance facility has been rolled out with an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore. Digital Healthcare: The 'Scan and Share' feature on the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) has also been launched to provide a 4 crore out-patient registration facility. 100 days of Modi 3.0: Health cover to all above 70 years, 75K new medical seats Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! Poor, Dalits, marginalised believe this 3rd term will give them better life, says PM Modi P rime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that the poor, Dalits, and marginalised believe that his government's third term at the Centre will give them a better life and the 140 crore Indians have faith that their aspirations will take a new flight. The Prime Minister said this while addressing the RE-Invest 2024 here. He inaugurated the event, a global seminar on renewable energy, emphasizing India's growing role in the sector. PM Modi said, "For three days at RE-Invest, there will be discussions around energy. This conference will help us learn from each other and it will eventually help humanity. India's people have given a third term to this government, and behind this is the aspirations of India. 140 crore Indians believe that their aspirations will take a new flight with this third term. The poor, Dalits, and marginalised also believe that this third term will give them a better life. Indians want to see our economy in the top three in the world. This is not an isolated event but part of a larger vision and mission. This will help make India a bigger economy by 2047." Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently on a two-day visit to Gujarat, began his engagements at 9.15 a.m. by interacting with beneficiaries of the PM Surya Ghar scheme here and later, at 10:30 a.m., he inaugurated RE-Invest 2024. PM Modi further highlighted the government's accomplishments in the first 100 days of its third term, noting, "In these 100 days, you can see our speed, scale, and priorities. We have addressed every sector and factor that can contribute to our country's speedy development. We have made key decisions, including sanctioning seven crore homes for the people...we have already completed four crore homes in previous terms..." "More than 15 Made-in-India semi-high-speed Vande Bharat trains have been launched. Our goal is high-performance bio-manufacturing. We've also made numerous policy decisions around green energy in the past 100 days. India's diversity, scale, capacity, and potential are unique, and that's why I say, 'Indian solutions for global application...Even the world understands this. Today, India is the best bet for the 21st century," the PM said. "Gujarat, which has pioneered the solar revolution, the milk revolution, and the sweet revolution (honey), is now leading this flagship programme as well. Gujarat was ahead of its time, even in addressing climate concerns. When the world was still unaware of climate change, Mahatma Gandhi had already warned us about its impact. This venue, 'Mahatma Mandir', is named after him, reflecting his vision. Green future and net zero are not just fancy phrases but a reflection of India's firm commitment. Our goal is not just to reach the top, but to remain at the top," he added. RE-Invest 2024 is the Government of India's flagship event to showcase India's renewable energy potential to the world and attract global investments. Organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the event connects global investors, developers, and innovators in the renewable energy sector to accelerate India's transition towards green energy. The 4th edition of this event, being held at Mahatma Mandir from September 16-18, is expected to see participation from over 15,000 delegates from across the globe, including B2B, B2G, and technical sessions, as well as exhibitions showcasing cutting-edge renewable energy technologies. On Sunday, PM Modi chaired the meeting of the Shri Somnath Trust at Raj Bhavan, Gandhinagar. The trust oversees the management of the historic Shri Somnath Mandir and surrounding lands in Prabhas Patan, a renowned pilgrimage site. PM Modi, who heads the trust, reflected on the temple's legacy, famously rebuilt by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and supported by notable figures like Jam Saheb and Kanaiyalal Munshi. In a push for renewable energy, the Prime Minister will inaugurate a 30 MW solar system and a 35 MW BESS Solar PV Project at Kutch Lignite Thermal Power Station. Additionally, new 220-kilovolt substations in Morbi and Rajkot will be launched to enhance energy infrastructure in the region. As part of his development-focused agenda, PM Modi will also launch the Single Window IT System (SWITS) for the International Financial Services Centres Authority, which aims to streamline financial services in India. The PM will also sanction over 30,000 houses under the PMAY-Gramin scheme, release the first installment for these homes, and lay the foundation for new houses under the urban segment of the PMAY scheme. In Ahmedabad, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for critical infrastructure projects, including quadrupling the Samakhiali-Gandhidham and Gandhidham-Adipur railway lines and developing iconic roads and flyovers in the city. Poor, Dalits, marginalised believe this 3rd term will give them better life, says PM Modi Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! Wolf terror continues in UP's Bahraich, 13-year-old attacked I n yet another wolf attack in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich, a 13-year-old boy was attacked while sleeping on the terrace of his home. The boy, identified as Armaan Ali, was attacked on Sunday night in Pipri Mohan village in the Mahsi area. The boy's neck was injured during the attack and was quickly rushed to a nearby Community Health Center for initial treatment before being referred to the Medical College in Bahraich for further care. This incident follows a series of wolf attacks that have gripped the region. On Sunday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Sisaiya Churamani village in Mahsi tehsil, where he met with families affected by the attacks. The CM expressed his condolences and assured the victims that the government was taking all necessary measures to prevent further incidents. He stated that operations would continue until the area was fully safe. The wolf crisis began when a pack of six wolves started terrorising 50 villages in Uttar Pradesh. While the forest department has managed to capture five wolves, one remains at large. These predators have already claimed the lives of 10 children and one woman while injuring 51 others. Since mid-July, Bahraich has witnessed a series of attacks. In response, the Uttar Pradesh government has launched "Operation Bhediya", aimed at capturing the remaining wolf. Forest officials believe the last wolf could be the "alpha of the pack". Over 165 forest personnel and 18 shooters have been deployed in the area, utilising thermal camera-equipped drones and snap cameras to locate the wild animal. The district administration and forest department have also installed solar and high-mast lights in vulnerable areas to enhance safety. Wolf terror continues in UP's Bahraich, 13-year-old attacked Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! Rakeysh Om Prakash to have a masterclass at IIFA hosted by Mini Mathur V eteran filmmaker Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra will be having a masterclass at the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema. The masterclass will be hosted by Mini Mathur, on September 28 at Yas Creative Hub to honour Indian cinema's centennial. It will also have a screening of "Bollywood: The Greatest Love Story", helmed by Mehra. Co-directed by Jeffrey Zimbalist, "Bollywood: The Greatest Love Story" captures the century-long journey of Indian cinema, from its origins to its profound impact on the world today. Andre Timmins, Founder/Director IIFA said: "We are incredibly excited to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema with a special IIFA screening and MasterClass, featuring the visionary Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra and hosted by the charismatic Mini Mathur, in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Film Commission and Creative Media Authority." He said that the Masterclass not only pays tribute to the incredible legacy of Indian cinema but also creates a one-of-a-kind platform for film enthusiasts, aspiring filmmakers, and students of film and media studies to engage with one of the most celebrated directors in the industry. The session will guide audiences through a compelling exploration of Indian cinema with Mehra. The event will kick off with a compelling screening of Bollywood: The Greatest Love Story, followed by an exclusive MasterClass with visionary filmmaker Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra. Mehra made his directorial debut with the supernatural action thriller "Aks" in 2001 starring Amitabh Bachchan, Raveena Tandon and Manoj Bajpayee in lead roles. He next helmed "Rang De Basanti" in 2006 starring Aamir Khan, Siddharth, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni, Soha Ali Khan, Kunal Kapoor and British actress Alice Patten. The film followed the story of a British film student traveling to India to document the story of five freedom fighters of the Indian revolutionary movement. She befriends and casts five young men in the film, which inspires them to fight against the corruption of their own government. The film was the seventh highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. He then went on to direct "Delhi-6," "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag," "Mirzya," "Mere Pyare Prime Minister," and "Toofan." Rakeysh Om Prakash to have a masterclass at IIFA hosted by Mini Mathur Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! Our work in first 100 days gives a reflection of speed and scale: PM Modi T he government's work in the first 100 days highlights its priorities and gives a reflection of the speed and scale, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Monday, adding that 140 crore citizens are working with the resolve of making India the third-largest economy in the world. Inaugurating the fourth Global Renewable Energy Investors' Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST) here, PM Modi said that in these 100 days, multiple decisions have been taken to expand the physical and social infrastructure of the nation. "India is on the path to constructing seven crore houses which is more than the population of many countries, while four crore houses have been handed out to the people in the last two terms," the Prime Minister told the gathering. PM Modi highlighted the decisions to create 12 new industrial cities, approval for 8 high-speed road corridor projects, launching of more than 15 semi-high speed Vande Bharat trains, the inception of a research fund worth Rs 1 trillion to promote research, the announcement of various initiatives to drive e-mobility, promotion of high-performance biomanufacturing and approval to Bio E3 policy. "Aspirations of India is the reason behind the re-election of the government for the third term," PM Modi remarked. Emphasising the developments in the green energy sector in the last 100 days, the Prime Minister mentioned the initiation of a viability gap funding scheme for offshore wind energy projects worth more than Rs 7,000 crore. PM Modi said India is working towards producing 31,000 megawatts of hydropower in the coming times with an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore. "India's diversity, scale, capacity, potential and performance are all unique and pave the way for Indian solutions for global applications. Not just India, the whole world is of the belief that India is the best bet of the 21st century," the Prime Minister stated. The Prime Minister underlined that as a developing economy, India had a valid excuse to stay out of these commitments but did not choose that path. "Today's India is preparing a base not only for today but for the next thousand years," he said. The country is well aware of its energy needs and requirements to make it a developed nation by 2047, said PM Modi, adding that India had decided to build its future on the basis of renewables like solar power, wind power, nuclear and hydropower, as there was a dearth of reserves of oil-gas. PM Modi outlined the nation's goals to achieve the target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030. India is the first G20 nation to achieve the climate commitments set in Paris, that too nine years before the deadline. The 'PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme' aims to ensure that every household becomes a power producer. PM Modi informed that more than 1.30 crore families have registered under the scheme and installation work has been completed in 3.25 lakh houses so far. Our work in first 100 days gives a reflection of speed and scale: PM Modi Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! Netflix issues statement over 'Squid Game' plagiarism allegations S treaming giant Netflix has issued a statement in support of its highly acclaimed Korean show 'Squid Game', which is currently facing plagiarism charges. "This claim has no merit. Squid Game was created by and written by Hwang Dong Hyuk and we intend to defend this matter vigorously," as per the statement issued by Netflix. Director Soham Shah filed a lawsuit against the streaming giant for allegedly plagiarising his 2009 film 'Luck' to make the 2021 Korean series 'Squid Game'. According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, "the "Squid Game" franchise straight-up jacked the storyline from Shah's movie because "Luck" is a story about a group of desperate, indebted people enticed to take part in a series of competitive games for the chance to win large sums of money." Shah has claimed that "Netflix had access to seeing 'Luck' at the time, due to its 'considerable advertising and marketing' so he thinks it's no surprise they ended up producing 'Squid Game' in 2018 or 2019," as per TMZ. 'Luck' is a 2009 action thriller film directed by Soham Shah. The film stars Mithun Chakraborty, Shruti Haasan, Imran Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Danny Denzongpa, Ravi Kishan and Chitrashi Rawat in pivotal roles. Netflix issues statement over 'Squid Game' plagiarism allegations Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! Mountains of Chenab Valley region will become deep graves of terrorists, says Amit Shah U nion Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that those terrorists who try to make J&K's mountains their safe haven will be buried so deep under the earth that they cannot rise again. Addressing a BJP election rally in the hilly Paddar Nagseni Assembly constituency of J&K, Amit Shah said, "From wherever the terrorists come to make your mountain tops (Chenab Valley region) their safe haven, they must remember that our security forces and the brave people of this region will bury them so deep under the earth that they will never be able to rise again." He said that he had come to the Paddar Nagseni area for the first time where Mata Machal's shrine is situated. "I bow my head to Mata Machal and take a pledge that once you make Sunil Sharma (BJP candidate) victorious, I will come to pay my gratitude to the deity. You make Sunil Sharma win these elections and I promise to put the Machal Mata Yatra on the country's map," he assured. The Home Minister said the people of this region have seen terrorism during the 1990s and made great sacrifices and it is in this context that he promises to bury terrorism deep down under the earth. "NC-Congress has made some promises. They said they would release terrorists if they came to power. I promise that so long as Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of this country, nobody can release terrorists from jails. We have strengthened VDCs (Village Defence Committees) by providing automatic SLR rifles. Let terrorists come from anywhere we will together bury them under the earth. "NC-Congress is on one side of these elections and the BJP is on the other side. They say if they form the government they will bring back 370. Under 370 nobody could get reservations in J&K. I am watching the situation closely in Kashmir. Neither Farooq Abdullah nor Rahul Baba are going to form the government in J&K. They told Gujjars that if Paharis got reservations, the Gujjars would lose their share. We proved them wrong. You had been finding it impossible to see your children become graduates. And today, your children can become collectors and district police chiefs because of better education and reservation. We challenged their dynastic rule by holding Panchayat, urban bodies and Lok Sabha elections. They want to snatch the rights from our mothers and sisters if they come to power and you have to ensure that our mothers and sisters don't lose their rights," said Shah. While highlighting his party's candidate, the Home Minister said, "Sunil Sharma did a good representation of your region in the delimitation commission. I have come to seek votes for him. Your MP (Dr Jitendra Singh) is in the PMO. You make Sunil Sharma your MLA and we will make him a big leader. Then both these two will do developmental and other works of this region. You strengthen our hands and we will bury terrorism. We will open treasures of Neelam (Sapphire mines), and we will get you jobs. We will develop tourism in this region and make it better than Pahalgam as a tourism destination." "We will make the riverfront on the Tawi River. You will get priority in recruitment to paramilitary forces. They (NC-Congress) want two flags back, will you allow that? Two want two PMs and two constitutions. Will you allow that? NC -Congress always flourished terrorism. Remember 1990s? I want to ask Farooq Abdullah after he made an agreement with Rajiv Gandhi -- where did he go when terrorism took centre stage in Kashmir. He went to enjoy summers in London. Abdullahs, Gandhis and Muftis have insulted Maharaja Hari Singh. I learnt recently that Dr Karan Singh has written in his book that they did not allow his father to enter J&K when he was alive. Only his ashes came here. They threw out Kashmiri Pandits," said Shah. "Nobody stands with a losing party. They befool people that they will get back Article 370. They can't do that. I want to ask Omar Abdullah one question. Sometimes you say you will not fight elections. Then you decide to fight elections from Ganderbal and when you find the youth in Ganderbal pitched against you, you file papers from Budgam as well. Let me tell you, from wherever you fight the election, you will lose it," Amit Shah said. He said that the NC and Congress were saying they would take us to task after September 4. "I want to ask the place where they intend to take us to task and we will be present there much before them," he said. He reminded the people of Paddar that without making any promise the BJP government gave the area a degree college, one ITI, and a district hospital. "Today I promise you make our government and we will give you a hydropower project, an engineering college and 130 towers for better connectivity," he assured voters. He concluded his speech by saying that the Kashmir for which Sayama Prasad Mukherjee gave his life, belongs to India and no power can change this reality. Mountains of Chenab Valley region will become deep graves of terrorists, says Amit Shah Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! PM Modi inaugurates, lays foundation for key projects worth Rs 8,000 cr in Gujarat P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for several key development projects in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, with a combined value exceeding Rs 8,000 crore. The PM is on a two-day visit to the State. The projects include the quadrupling of the Samakhiali-Gandhidham and Gandhidham-Adipur railway lines, the development of iconic roads within the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) area, and the construction of flyovers at major junctions including Bakrol, Hathijan, Ramol, and Panjarpol. While addressing the crowd after handing over homes to beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, PM Modi said, "In the festive season, the festival of India's progress is also on. Today, we are inaugurating projects worth Rs 8,000 crore, including rail, road, and Metro connectivity developments. Namo-Bharat rapid rail has also commenced, significantly boosting urban connectivity. Thousands of families in Gujarat will enter their new homes today, and I hope they celebrate Navratri, Dussehra, Diwali, and all other festivals with joy in their new homes. I congratulate the women in whose names these homes are registered." He further acknowledged the recent challenges due to heavy rainfall, saying, "We saw massive rainfall recently, resulting in the loss of lives and property damage. The state and central governments are working tirelessly to ease the pain of those affected. For those in hospitals, I wish a speedy recovery. This is my first visit to Gujarat after winning a third term. Gujarat is my janbhoomi, and it has taught me the lessons of life. When a son returns to his roots and receives blessings from his people, it gives him renewed energy." In the energy sector, the Prime Minister inaugurated a 30 MW solar power system and a 35 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at the Kutch Lignite Thermal Power Station. New 220-kilovolt substations were unveiled in Morbi and Rajkot to enhance the region's power infrastructure. PM Modi also launched the Single Window IT System (SWITS) for the International Financial Services Centres Authority, which aims to simplify financial services operations. Over 30,000 homes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin were also approved. The Prime Minister released the first instalment of funds to begin construction and handed over completed homes to beneficiaries in Gujarat's urban and rural areas. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi flagged off the 20.8 km Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase II from Sector-1 Station in Gandhinagar. He travelled alongside youngsters on the Metro, marking the extension of the North-South Metro Corridor, which now connects APMC to Mahatma Mandir and includes a branch line from GNLU to GIFT City. Phase II introduces an 8 km stretch with eight new stations, and a 15.4 km viaduct is inaugurated between Motera and Sector 1. The new stations include GNLU, Raysan, Randesan, Dholakuva Circle, Infocity, and Sector 1. Additionally, a 5.4 km link line to GIFT City features PDEU and GIFT City stations. The entire Metro expansion project has been completed for Rs 3,284 crore. PM Modi inaugurates, lays foundation for key projects worth Rs 8,000 cr in Gujarat Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! Telangana CM unveils Rajiv Gandhi's statue, dares BRS to touch it T elangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday unveiled the statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in front of the state Secretariat. In his address on the occasion, he slammed the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) for opposing the installation of the statue and asked if its party supremo K. Chandrashekar Rao's family was aware of the sacrifices made by the Gandhi family for the country. Referring to the threats of BRS leaders that they would remove the statue of Rajiv Gandhi after their party came to power again, the Chief Minister dared them to touch it. On the claim of BRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao that the place where Rajiv Gandhi's statue was installed was meant for the statue of Telangana Talli (Mother Telangana), Revanth Reddy asked what the BRS government did for 10 years. He said his government gave due place to Telangana Talli by recently laying the foundation stone for the statue in the Secretariat premises and reiterated that the statue will be unveiled on December 9. The Chief Minister paid rich tributes to Rajiv Gandhi and said he laid down his life for the country. He claimed that Rajiv Gandhi had accepted the post of Prime Minister for the sake of the people and recalled that he lowered the voting age to 18 years. Recalling the words of Mahatma Gandhi that India lives in its villages, Revanth Reddy said Mahatma Gandhi's dream was fulfilled by Rajiv Gandhi through the 73rd Constitutional amendments, which gave financial powers to the villages by empowering panchayats. The Chief Minister said Rajiv Gandhi politically empowered women and introduced Information Technology in the country. Stating that the Gandhi family's history is full of sacrifices, he recalled that Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru went to jail for the freedom of the country. He said it was Nehru who protected India's integrity by ensuring the merger of 564 princely states into the country. When there was bloodshed in the country due to communal violence, Nehru with his visionary approach established peace and it was Nehru who laid down the foundation for India's future by giving priority to education and irrigation, he said. Revanth Reddy remarked that "some useless fellows" talk about political succession and mentioned that when Nehru was alive, Indira Gandhi did not take up any post. Even today, the poor worship Indira Gandhi as a goddess. The Chief Minister said it was Indira Gandhi who worked for the poor's development by nationalising banks and abolishing privy purses. She distributed lands to enhance the self-respect of Dalits, tribals and other weaker sections. It was Indira Gandhi who fulfilled the poor's dream of owning a house by building Indiramma houses. She shed her last drop of blood for the sake of the country. Ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy, Damodar Rajanarasimha, Ponnam Prabhakar, Sridhar Babu, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Seethakka, Konda Surekha, AICC in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi, state Congress chief Mahesh Kumar Goud and others attended the programme. Telangana CM unveils Rajiv Gandhi's statue, dares BRS to touch it Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! Download Now The News-Gazette mobile app brings you the latest local breaking news, updates, and more. Read the News-Gazette on your mobile device just as it appears in print. Looking for something fun and new to do that will allow you to be outside, get some exercise and learn history? Check out the Illinois Distributed Museum. Even as government mandates eased, a new study shows that Australians, especially those with preexisting conditions, are steadfast in their support for COVID-19 precautions, revealing a cautious and health-conscious public. Study. Attitudes and Behaviours Regarding COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies in Australians With an Underlying Health Condition: A Cross-Sectional Study. Image Credit: Ground Picture / Shutterstock In a recent study published in the journal Health Expectations, researchers used a large nationwide cross-sectional study design to investigate the impacts of participants preexisting medical conditions on their behaviors and perceptions towards nationally implemented anti-COVID-19 mitigation measures. The survey-based study included 2,867 participants and revealed that almost three-quarters of participants (74%) believed current mitigation measures were too lenient and expressed a desire to return to public mask mandates. Similarly, large proportions would prefer five days per week isolation measures (66%). Notably, for those with psychiatric conditions, most individuals with preexisting health concerns were more cautious and stricter in complying with COVID-19 mitigation measures than their healthy counterparts. Background The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) remains one of the worst disease outbreaks in human history, infecting more than 770 million individuals and claiming more than 7 million lives since its discovery in late 2019. While the development and government-promoted dissemination of vaccines was instrumental in curbing the transmission of the disease-causing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, government-mandated social distancing behaviors and similar mitigation public health strategies were crucial in slowing disease spread during the early stages of the pandemic. Recent research has underscored the associations between preexisting health conditions and COVID-19 infections. People with preexisting health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), respiratory diseases, diabetes, and immunocompromised individuals are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 with more adverse outcomes than their healthy counterparts (Australian Chief Medical Officer, World Health Organisation [WHO]). Unfortunately, studies investigating whether the heightened risk may translate to altered attitudes and behaviors regarding reversing policy mandates against COVID-19 remain lacking in the literature. With the achievement of high vaccination rates, public health measures to prevent COVID-19 infections have eased in Australia. Masks are no longer mandated, even in healthcare settings, and mandatory isolation periods for COVID-19 ceased in October 2022 In contrast, in the United States, 5 days of isolation remained until March 2024, and 1 day of isolation still continues to be recommended. About the study The present study aims to fill this gap in the literature by describing the attitudes and behaviors of Australians toward anti-COVID-19 mitigation strategies such as mask-wearing, handwashing/sanitizer, avoidance of crowds, and vaccination. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centre for Research Excellence (CRE) conducted the present cross-sectional study on Airborne Threats to Health (BREATHE) between 9th to 25th January 2023. Participants for the study were invited through Dynata using randomly distributed survey links across all Australian states and territories. Participants above the age of 18 were included in the study, while those who did not complete questionnaires and those with multiple answers failing quality checking were excluded. The questionnaire comprised 38 questions across 13 main topics demographics (13 questions), social distancing (14 questions), eligibility screening (3 questions), mask-wearing (4 questions), sanitizer and handwashing (3 questions), and vaccinations (1 question). The primary outcome of interest in this study was the attitudes and behaviors of participants toward anti-COVID-19 mitigation measures. The exposures include participants self-reported underlying health concerns prior to contracting a COVID-19 infection. Exposures were classified into six categories for statistical analysis 1. Cardiometabolic, 2. Respiratory, 3. Immune-related, 4. Allergies, 5. Neurological, and 6. Mental health. Statistical analysis included the descriptive summary of participants outcomes and the use of logistic regression models to elucidate the associations between exposures and outcomes. Study findings Of the 2,909 participants initially selected for the study, 42 failed to meet the study inclusion criteria, leaving a sampling cohort of 2,867 participants (mean age = 47; 54% women). The study cohort was predominantly English-speaking (85%), with Australian-born (75%) participants, while Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals comprised the minority (4%). Study findings highlighted that individuals with comorbidities represented the statistical majority (54%), not the minority as previously assumed. Cardiometabolic and allergies were observed to be the most frequently reported comorbidities (28% and 23%, respectively). An association between age and comorbidity frequency was noted, with older individuals more likely to report preexisting health concerns. Similar trends were observed among employed versus unemployed participants, with the former group reporting healthier outcomes than the latter. Notably, most participants called for the continuation of anti-COVID-19 mitigation measures even following the apparent decline in SARS-CoV-2 transmission rates. More than 84% of participants reported being vaccinated, 80% regularly washed their hands, and 77% reported avoiding close contact with symptomatic people. A majority of participants reported that they felt wearing an N95/P2 face mask reduced their risk of COVID more than a cloth or surgical mask (n = 2143; 75%), and that they would stay home if they exhibited symptoms of COVID (n = 2121; 74%). Most participants disagreed with the statement that there was no need to wear a mask because the pandemic is over (n = 2108; 74%) and would have preferred the 5-day isolation mandate to remain (n = 1903; 66%). The data also indicated that age and preexisting health conditions tended to slightly skew these results, with individuals older than 45 years and those with comorbidities expressing heightened caution compared to their healthier counterparts. Conclusions The present study highlights the outlooks and behaviors of Australians in complying with anti-COVID-19 mitigation measures such as wearing face masks, vaccinations, and social distancing. Surprisingly, more than 50% of the cohort under study reported preexisting health concerns prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which contrasts with previous reports of comorbid individuals representing the population minority. Notably, older and comorbid participants were observed to align their behaviors with COVID-19 mitigation measures significantly more frequently than their healthier counterparts. The findings suggest that most Australians, irrespective of their present health, support the continuation of COVID-19 mitigation measures and continue to follow social distancing and face-mask regulations despite the cessation of government mandates. A new article introduces a dimensional approach to understanding the mental health needs of neurodivergent people. A groundbreaking article published in the leading psychiatry journal World Psychiatry challenges the traditional approach to diagnosing neurodivergent conditions (also known as "neurodevelopmental disorders" in the medical literature), such as autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities. The research introduces a new transdiagnostic framework that views these conditions as points on a spectrum rather than distinct categories and recognizes their frequent overlap with mental health challenges, such as depression and anxiety. Approximately 15% of the global population is neurodivergent, often experiencing multiple conditions simultaneously. Current diagnostic systems, like the DSM-5 and ICD-11, separate these conditions into distinct categories (or "labels"), overlooking their shared characteristics and complex interplay. Leading an international group of experts in the field, Dr. Giorgia Michelini (Lecturer in Psychology at Queen Mary University of London) proposes a more holistic approach, focusing on their commonalities. By recognizing the overlapping features of neurodivergent conditions, we can develop a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of their diverse manifestations. This new perspective has the potential to revolutionize how we identify, assess, and support the mental health needs of neurodivergent individuals." Dr. Giorgia Michelini, Lecturer in Psychology, Queen Mary University of London The study introduces the concept of a "neurodevelopmental spectrum," which encompasses the shared characteristics of various neurodivergent conditions. This approach acknowledges that individuals vary in the degree to which they exhibit these characteristics, allowing for a more nuanced and personalized assessment. It also provides a better way to identify and support additional mental health challenges, which affect the majority of neurodivergent people. "Moving beyond rigid diagnostic labels will enable clinicians to provide more tailored support and interventions for the wide range of difficulties experienced by neurodivergent people," explained Dr Michelini. "By focusing on an individual's unique strengths and challenges, we can improve their overall well-being and quality of life." This research marks a significant step forward in the field of neurodiversity and mental health. By challenging the status quo and offering a fresh perspective, Dr Michelini's work has the potential to transform the lives of millions of neurodivergent individuals. The experience of living with endometriosis appears as frustrating and painful today as it was at the turn of the millennium, worrying new data shows. Many with this common disease have a strong sense of powerlessness, and a negative self-image, according to new research, based on a survey of 1,800 patients carried out by Endometriosis UK and researchers at Leeds Beckett University (LBU). The report shows that, on average, patients surveyed in 2023-24 rated their feelings of control and powerlessness as 72.3 out of 100 (with 0 being best possible health status, and 100 the worst) - and their sense of self-image as 69.0. Across most of the 11 areas of the questionnaire which also include pain and emotional well-being', as well as ones relating to other areas of work, life and relationships scores remain at a similar level, or marginally worse, than in the previous survey in 1999-2000. Endometriosis UK says this is further evidence of the need for a step change in endometriosis care, including a pathway which integrates managing both physical and mental health. Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women and those assigned female at birth from puberty to menopause, although the impact may be felt for life. As the report demonstrates, endometriosis may significantly impact both physical and mental health. Common symptoms of endometriosis include chronic pelvic pain, painful periods, painful bowel movements, pain when urinating, painful sex, difficulty getting pregnant and fatigue. Despite being as common as diabetes, it takes an average of eight years and 10 months to get diagnosed in the UK, an increase of 10 months since 2020, research by Endometriosis UK found earlier this year. The report is based on the Endometriosis Health Profile-30 (EHP-30), developed by the University of Oxford with Endometriosis UK, which enables health practitioners to assess the well-being of those with endometriosis. LBU compared 2023-24 responses to the survey to the results from 1999-2000 the full report is available here, and a summary of mean average scores across the 11 areas of the survey is presented in notes to editors. This report is further evidence of the challenges faced by those living with endometriosis, diagnosed or undiagnosed and that these challenges have not improved in 25 years. Were sure that governments across the UK will be as frustrated as we are that there hasnt been progress in the last two and a half decades. Whilst its a positive sign that nations across the UK now have or are developing womens health strategies, words need to be put into action. We want to work with Governments and health services across the UK to achieve a real step change in endometriosis care and diagnosis with more holistic medical pathways supporting physical and mental health for those with this potentially life changing disease. Doing so would not only reduce suffering, but save resources in the NHS." Emma Cox, CEO, Endometriosis UK Professor Georgina Jones, who led the research at Leeds Beckett University, says: "These troubling figures suggest that there has been little progress in improving the experiences of those living with endometriosis in the past two and a half decades. They also show how living with endometriosis can fundamentally impact a persons sense of identity and place in the world, hand in hand with the significant pain and physical difficulties that the disease may cause. "We asked respondents to provide some words summarizing their experience of endometriosis. While most of these were negative, for example, they described the debilitating pain, the frustration and loneliness they feel, a number described the sense of community felt by those living with the disease. This underlines how important peer support, both informally and in the way organized by Endometriosis UK, is to those with endometriosis." Sanchia Alasia, a volunteer for Endometriosis UK, who was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2010 after 15 years of symptoms, says: Living with endometriosis, whether youve got a diagnosis or youre still battling to get one, can be hugely isolating and mentally draining, on top of the horrible physical symptoms. I lose count of the number of dinners, day trips, funerals and other engagements Ive missed because of this dreadful disease. I hope this report, and the fact that so many of the numbers are going in the wrong direction, make people sit up and listen to the experiences of those with endometriosis. Mental wellness has become a core part of employee well-being programs, with 74% of employers incorporating mental health services. Competitive employee packages are a key factor in attracting top talent, with 75% of employees preferring companies that offer comprehensive benefits such as healthcare, wellness, and flexible options, a new report said. The report added that OPD programs have expanded from employee-only to include dependents. Prudent Insurance Brokers (hereinafter referred to as Prudent), recently launched the second edition of its Annual Benefits Scorecard 2024-25. This report, leveraging data from 3,100 organisations and covering more than 30 lac+ employees based on Prudents internal data as of July 15, 2024, across 14 key industry sectors, provides insights into the dynamic landscape of employee benefits in corporate India. Pavanjit Singh Dhingra, Joint Managing Director, Prudent Insurance Brokers, said, With nearly a 40% increase in organisations seeking preventive care plans, and a clear shift towards personalising benefits to offer tangible value across generations, this report underscores the importance of aligning health and well-being benefits with the diverse needs of todays workforce. In a post-pandemic world, this report provides essential insights for businesses to enhance their benefits offerings, ensuring they attract and retain top talent while staying competitive in a dynamic environment. Major trends in employee benefits are as follows: Expansion of OPD Benefits Companies have rapidly shifted towards Outpatient Department (OPD) benefits and preventive healthcare, with a 30-40% increase in uptake. Sectors like BFSI, Healthcare, Power, and Engineering emphasise preventive screenings, annual checkups, and mental health support. The median sum insured of Rs 10,000 is considered the most preferred coverage, followed by the sum insured of Rs 15,000 in various active OPD programs in the market Mental Wellness Takes Centre Stage Mental wellness has become a core part of employee well-being programs, with 74% of employers incorporating mental health services. Companies are expanding outpatient care and counselling services to support both physical and mental well-being, boosting productivity. Personalisation of Benefits The trend towards personalised health benefits is accelerating in sectors like E-commerce IT/ITES, and FMCG where companies offer a mix of insurance and non-insurance options. Employers are moving from defined benefit structures to defined cost structures, giving employees greater flexibility in choosing benefits tailored to their needs. Advances in DE&I Sectors such as BFSI and IT/ITES, FMCG and E-commerce are promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) through benefits like gender reaffirmation surgeries, fertility treatments, LGBTQ+ inclusivity, and support for Persons with Disabilities (PWD). These programs cater to a diverse, multi-generational workforce, including same-sex partners. Pet Care Benefits Demand for pet care benefits is rising, particularly in IT/ITES and E-commerce sectors, catering to younger employees and those with pets. Talent Retention through Benefits Competitive employee packages are a key factor in attracting top talent, with 75% of employees preferring companies that offer comprehensive benefits such as healthcare, wellness, and flexible options. HIGHLIGHTS FOR MAJOR SECTORS Automotive (90 organisations, 1,14,000 employees) The sector has made significant strides with maternity and accident insurance benefits, reflecting a positive attitude towards better support for employees. 51% of companies offer a graded sum insured; 77% provide maternity coverage. Accident and life insurance benefits have seen a slight increase in higher brackets. OPD adoption is modest but increasing. Significant progress is needed in DE&I benefits and mental health support. BFSI (215 organisations, 9,75,000 employees) The sector is making exciting strides by embracing AI and enhancing talent retention through upgraded insurance and preventive care initiatives. 66% of employers offer graded sum insurance. 94% of organisations provide maternity benefits. New pregnancy care benefits for both delivery and return-to-work. Positive shift towards CTC-linked accident and life insurance benefits. Strong focus on DE&I and inclusive workplace initiatives. E-commerce (55 organisations, 1,27,250 employees) The industry is setting a new standard by introducing inclusive health benefits and staying ahead of the curve in managing severity, all aimed at attracting and retaining top talent. 61% of companies provide flat family floater sum insured. New covers include maternity-related complications and menopause. Upward shift in medical, accident and life insurance benefits. Greater emphasis on mental health coverage and offering personalised benefit cover. Edtech (75 organisations, 89,000 employees) Companies are broadening their family-centric benefits, recognising that todays workforce highly values employers who are proactive in meeting their unique needs. 71% of organisations provide flat floater sum insurance. OPD programs have expanded from employee-only to include dependents. Life insurance benefits have moved from graded coverage to a multiple of CTC. Engineering, Power, and Renewable Energy (73 organisations, 1,00,000 employees) There is a renewed focus on enhancing family and accident insurance to better support and protect the workforce. 53% provide graded sum insured; an upward shift in middle management coverage. OPD benefits are increasing, with a significant jump in the median offering. Accident and life insurance benefits are prevalent, with positive shifts in CTC multipliers. FMCG and Consumer Durables (100 organisations, 1,84,000 employees) The sector is elevating its approach with flexible benefits and enhanced insurance, placing a strong emphasis on delivering tangible value across generations to meet evolving workforce demands. 63% of employers offer a graded sum insured for employers offering flat family floater cover, there is a shift in the median value OPD benefits are offered by 7% of organisations. The normal delivery coverage limit has increased from Rs 80,000 in 2023 to Rs 90,000 in 2024. Emphasis on personalised benefits and DE&I, but the sector still lags behind the market median. Healthcare (70 organisations, 1,20,000 employees) Amidst sector growth and a talent shortage, the industry is strengthening its insurance offerings and increasingly prioritising mental wellness, with employers now recognizing its critical role alongside physical health. 51% of organisation offer graded cover and there is an upward shift seen in the median sum insured offered for middle management 87% of organisations offer maternity benefits. OPD benefits are limited, with a stable median sum insured. Life insurance benefits have shifted towards CTC multipliers. Annual Benefits Scorecard 2024-25 covers 14 key sectors, including Automotive, BFSI (Banking and Financial Services), E-commerce, Edtech, Engineering, Power, and Renewable Energy, FMCG and Consumer Durables, Healthcare, IT/ITES, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Retail, Telecom, and Travel & Hospitality. Western Carriers India IPO: The initial public offering of logistics company Western Carriers (India) Ltd, which opened for public subscription on Friday, witnessed its second day of bidding on Monday. The price band of the Rs 492.88-crore IPO has been fixed at Rs 163 to Rs 172 per share for the public issue. On the second day of bidding on Monday, the IPO received a 5.09 times subscription garnering bids for 10,21,57,923 shares as against the 2,00,59,070 shares on offer. The category for non-institutional investors received 5.61 times subscription, while the portion for retail individual investors (RIIs) got subscribed 7.77 times. The QIB category received a 1 per cent subscription. Western Carriers (India) is the largest private, multi-modal, rail-focused, 4PL asset-light logistics company in India in terms of container volumes handled by private players in FY2023. Western Carriers India IPO: Key Dates The IPO will remain opened for public subscription between September 13 and September 18. The share allotment of the Western Carriers India IPO will likely be finalised on September 19, while its shares will be listed on both BSE and NSE on September 23. Western Carriers India IPO: Price Band The price band of the Rs 492.88-crore much-awaited IPO has been fixed at Rs 163 to Rs 172 per share for the public issue. Western Carriers India IPO: GMP Today According to market observers, unlisted shares of Western Carriers India Ltd are trading Rs 62 higher in the grey market than its issue price. The Rs 62 grey market premium or GMP means the grey market is expecting a 36.05 per cent listing gain from the public issue. The GMP is based on market sentiments and keeps changing. Grey market premium indicates investors readiness to pay more than the issue price. Western Carriers India IPO: Analysts Recommendations Giving a subscribe recommendation to the IPO, brokerage firm Anand Rathi said, Over the years, the company plans to enhance its service delivery by robust growth and operational efficiency. At the upper price band company is valuing at P/E of 21.8x with a market cap of Rs 17,536 million post issue of equity shares and return on net worth of 22.4 per cent. On the valuation front, we believe that the company is fairly priced. Thus, we recommend a SUBSCRIBE rating to the IPO. It said Western Carriers India intends to enhance its scope of engagement with existing customers by strengthening the existing service offerings, adding new offerings, servicing newer geographies, providing additional value- added services and offering time and cost saving solutions to the customers. Further the company will continue to expand the operational capabilities and expand the network infrastructure and capacity to the extent it assists the company in improving quality metrics and overall performance. Another brokerage house Swastika Investmart has given a may apply rating to the IPO. Western Carriers (India) has exhibited slow but consistent financial growth with a positive trajectory. The IPOs valuation is considered reasonable. The company faces a long payment cycle and is exposed to several operational risks. Given the companys financial challenges and limited market interest, a may apply rating is recommended for long-term investors with a high-risk tolerance, Swastika said. StoxBox research analyst Akriti Mehrotra has also given a subscribe recommendation, saying, The current issue is priced at a PE of 16.8 times on the upper band based on FY24 earnings and is relatively lower than its peers. Given its strong financials, strategic initiatives, and positioning to capitalise on the expanding rail-road multi-modal sector, we recommend a subscribe rating for the issue with a medium to long-term investment perspective. Western Carriers India IPO: Anchor Investment Western Carriers (India) on Thursday mobilised Rs 148 crore from anchor investors a day before its initial share sale opening for public subscription. Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance Company, Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company, Motilal Oswal Mutual Fund (MF), Kotak MF, Aditya Birla Sun Life MF, Nippon India MF, BNP Paribas, Societe Generale and Citigroup Global Markets Mauritius are among the anchor investors. According to a circular uploaded on BSEs website, the company has allotted 85.97 lakh equity shares to 15 funds at Rs 172 apiece, which is also the upper end of the price band. This aggregates the transaction size to Rs 148 crore. Western Carriers India IPO: More Details The Kolkata-based companys Rs 493 crore initial public offering (IPO) will be available for public subscription from September 13 to September 18 in the price range of Rs 163 to Rs 172 per share. The IPO comprises a fresh issue of equity shares, aggregating up to Rs 400 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of up to 54 lakh equity shares worth Rs 93 crore, at the upper end of the price band by promoter Rajendra Sethia. Proceeds from the fresh issue to the tune of Rs 163.5 crore will be used for debt payment, Rs 152 crore for funding capital expenditure requirements towards the purchase of commercial vehicles, shipping containers, and reach stackers, and the remaining funds towards general corporate purposes. The company said that investors can bid for a minimum of 87 equity shares and in multiples thereof. Western Carriers is Indias leading private, multi-modal, rail-focused, asset-light logistics company, with a customer base of 1,647 across varied sectors like metals and mining, FMCG, pharmaceutical, building materials, chemicals, oil and gas, and utilities as of March 2024. Some of its key customers are Tata Steel, Hindalco Industries, Vedanta, BALCO, HUL, Coca-Cola India, Tata Consumer Products, Wagh Bakri, Cipla, Haldia Petrochemicals and Gujarat Heavy Chemicals, among others. As of fiscal 2024, the companys revenue from operations was Rs 1,685 crore, with a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 80 crore. JM Financial and Kotak Mahindra Capital Company are the book-running lead managers to the issue. The equity shares are proposed to be listed on the BSE and NSE. The Employees Pension Scheme (EPS) is a social security initiative provided by the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), aimed at ensuring a regular pension for employees after their retirement. It applies to all establishments with 20 or more employees. The scheme provides pension benefits to employees after retirement. Key Features of the Employees Pension Scheme (EPS): The scheme provides a pension to employees once they retire, along with other benefits like disability pension and pension for the nominee in case of the employees death. Eligibility Criteria for EPS: To be eligible for availing benefits under the Employees Pension Scheme (EPS), an individual must fulfill the following criteria: They should be a member of EPFO They should have completed 10 years of service They have reached the age of 58 They can also withdraw their EPS at a reduced rate from the age of 50 years They can also defer their pension for two years (up to 60 years of age), after which they will receive a pension at an additional rate of 4% for each year. Contribution: Employees dont directly contribute to EPS. Instead, the employer contributes 8.33% of the employees salary (on a maximum salary of Rs 15,000/month). Out of the total provident fund contribution by an employee, which is 12% of the salary, only a portion is allocated to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF). Specifically, 8.33% of the salary is directed towards the EPF. For salaries up to Rs 15,000, this amounts to Rs 1,250 per month. For salaries exceeding this cap, the contribution towards EPF remains Rs 1,250. Your employer matches your EPF contribution, with 8.33% of the matched amount going towards the EPS. The Government of India contributes 1.16% of your Average Salary (Basic Salary + Dearness Allowance, DA) to the EPS. Both the employers and the Governments contributions are based on a maximum of Rs 15,000 for Basic Salary plus DA. Therefore, your employer will contribute no more than Rs 1,250 (8.33% of Rs 15,000) per month towards the EPS, and the Government will contribute up to Rs 174 (1.16% of Rs 15,000) per month. If your Average Salary exceeds Rs 15,000, the Government will stop contributing to your EPS. In this case, you will be responsible for contributing the 1.16% towards your EPS yourself. Minimum Service Period: To receive a pension, you need to have a minimum of 10 years of service. The pension can be withdrawn early at age 50, but a reduced pension will be given. The full pension is available after the age of 58. Age of Pension: The scheme provides a pension from the age of 58 years. You can opt for early pension at 50 years, but it will be reduced by 4% for each year below 58. If an employee has completed 10 years of service but quits before 58 years of age, they can opt for a deferred pension starting from the age of 58. Nominee Benefits: If the member dies, the spouse, children (up to age 25), or nominated dependents can claim the pension benefits. EPS Pension Calculation Formula: The pension amount under EPS is calculated using this formula: Monthly Pension=Pensionable SalaryPensionable Service/70 Where: Pensionable Salary = Average monthly salary of the last 60 months (with a cap of Rs 15,000/month). Pensionable Service = Total years of service (rounded down to the nearest full year). Example: Assume: Pensionable Salary = Rs 15,000 Pensionable Service = 20 years Monthly Pension= Rs 15,00020/70= Rs 4,285.71(rounded down to Rs 4,285) Types of Pensions under the Pension Scheme: Widow Pension: This pension is provided to the widow of an EPS member. Child Pension: This pension is available to both the widow and the children of an EPS member. Orphan Pension: This pension is granted to the children of an EPS member in the event of the members death. Reduced Pension: If you choose to withdraw your pension early, your retirement pension will be reduced by 4% annually. Other Benefits under EPS: Disability Pension: If an employee becomes disabled during employment, they are eligible for a pension, irrespective of their length of service. Withdrawal Benefit: If an employee leaves before completing 10 years of service, they can withdraw their EPS contributions as per the withdrawal table provided by EPFO. Tax on EPS Pension Readers must note that both the pension and the lump sum amount are subject to taxation. Although interest earned on EPF accounts is tax-exempt, if it exceeds Rs. 2.5 lakh per year, it will be taxed according to the applicable rate. EPS is an important component of retirement planning for employees, as it ensures a steady income after retirement. The State Level Recruitment Commission (SLRC) Assam has released the Assam Direct Recruitment Examination (ADRE) admit card for the Bachelor or Graduate degree exam as well as the HSLC or class 10 level posts. Candidates who have applied for the exam can check and download the hall tickets from the official website at slrcg3.sebaonline.org. It is hereby informed that candidates who have applied for these posts can download their Admit Card for the Written Examination by logging into the websites of Govt. of Assam (www.assam.gov.in) and that of Board of Secondary Education, Assam (www.site.sebaonline.org) from 11:00 A.M. of 16/09/2024, reads the official notice. The ADRE Grade 3 exam is scheduled to be held on September 15, 22, and 29 while the ADRE Grade 4 exams will be conducted on October 20 and 27. Admit cards for the Grade 4 exams will be issued by the commission later. The bachelors degree exam will be held from 9 am to noon while the HSLC exam will take place in the second shift from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm. How to Download ADRE Admit Cards For Bachelor Degree, HSLC Exams? Step 1: Go to the official website of ADRE slrcg3.sebaonline.org. Step 2: Look for the ADRE admit card links on the homepage. Step 3: After clicking the link you will be redirected to a new login page. Step 4: Enter your login information such as your application number and password. Step 5: The ADRE HSLC and bachelors degree exam admit cards will be visible on the screen. Step 7: Download and print out the hall tickets for future use. A total of 12,600 Grade III and Grade IV vacancies will be filled by the commission through the recruitment drive. This includes 7600 Grade 3 posts and 5000 Grade 4 posts. While appearing for the exam candidates are required to carry their admit cards along with a photo identity proof such as Aadhar card or PAN card. Without these documents, students will not be allowed to enter the exam hall. They must also check all the details on the admit card thoroughly before appearing for the exam as in case of any discrepancy they must report to the authorities immediately. A new attendance policy, flexibility in the schedule of supplementary exams, and online pre-registrations for each semester are among the major policy changes that the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Guwahati has agreed to work on after three student suicides in the year so far, two within a month, left the campus in a turmoil. Following student protests, the institute has agreed to make changes in policies and allow more flexibility in academic procedures. It has also announced several new measures, including strengthening of mental health counseling services as well as increasing the number of counselors available on campus. The institute will have student body representatives on board while discussing and finalising the changes, a formal process for which will start after the end of the mid-semester examinations on September 22. Academic changes can be put into effect only through the senate, which is the highest decision-making body of an IIT for all academic matters. The institute will have student representatives on board during this process. The institute will be working out a new attendance policy that allows more flexibility in the rules as students having scored well in the papers are often barred from sitting in final exams, said a student representative at IIT-Guwahati, not wishing to be named. IIT-Guwahati has a rule mandating 75% attendance across courses, failing which students are ineligible to sit in the final exams. This results in students having to repeat the course in the next semester despite having scored well, thus slowing down their academic progress. The rule on being allowed to take supplementary examination only at a given time, which is mainly in July, when students are just coming off their summer internships or are yet to complete the internship period, needs to be relaxed and made more flexible, allowing them enough opportunities to do the same, said another student leader on campus. Rigorous academic policies need to be reviewed from the point of view of students, allowing them enough breathing space. If a student is doing well or even average in their courses, some-student friendly policies can only help them get better, the second student leader added. Another crucial change that will be worked upon is online registration for each semester for both new entrants and continuing students. Students are required to pre-register in person before they move on to the next semester, failing which, except in case of medical conditions, results in students paying a hefty fine of Rs 6,000. This financial burden just for not being able to register within the stipulated deadline adds to stress for many students coming from humble backgrounds. Often, students are not physically available on campus at the given time due to internships or research, and hence, its decided to work out an online pre-registration system allowing them to do it from anywhere, said another student representative, seeking anonymity. Need to Bridge Student-Faculty Gap The students welfare board on campus is also trying to put in place some measures to bridge the student-faculty gap. The relationship between students and faculty on a residential campus like an IIT must improve. Faculty members need to be more approachable so that students can reach out to them for help without any fear. It has to be freer and more open, the student leader added. News18 has requested a response from the institute on the policy changes and the situation on campus post the student suicides. A reply is awaited. What Led to the Demands for Changes On September 9, Bimlesh Kumar, a 21-year-old BTech student pursuing Computer Science and Engineering, was found dead in his hostel room. The student hailed from Uttar Pradesh. This was the third such incident of a student taking the extreme step on campus this year, triggering massive uproar among students who took to protests for three days in a row as well as resulting in the resignation of Dean, Academic Affairs. However, the institute is yet to take a decision on the deans resignation. The protesting students had also demanded other faculty members, including the hostel-management in-charge, resign from their post. Previously, on August 9, Saumya, a 23-year-old MTech student, also hailing from UP, was found dead in her hostel room. Earlier this year in April, a 20-year-old BTech student was found dead in his hostel room in a suspected case of suicide. Both Bimlesh and Saumya were reportedly stressed due to academic pressure linked to the stringent attendance policy. Bimleshs family has maintained that their son was unwell and had submitted medical certificates for his low attendance. Recently, IIT-Delhi put in place several academic changes, including lowering the CGPA requirement as well as setting up an Academic Progress Group to help students with extended degrees. IIT-Madras, too, has made several policies flexible and rationalised the number of credits required to pass a course. All these changes came into effect post the student protests in these campuses following multiple incidents of student suicides. 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) Schools in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Delhi will remain closed on Monday (September 16) on the occasion of Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi. Schools and colleges in Andhra Pradesh and Delhi will resume tomorrow, September 17. However, schools in Telangana will remain closed in some areas on Tuesday as well due to Ganeshas Sobhayatra. It means that schools in some parts of Telangana have two consecutive days off. The state school management authority has informed the schools regarding this. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has rescheduled the Eid-e-Milad holiday from Monday, September 16 to Wednesday, September 18. The announcement was made following requests from the local leaders of the Muslim community who plan to hold Eid-e-Milad processions on September 18 in order to avoid conflict with Ganpati immersion ceremonies, Anant Chaturdashi. Although schools will remain closed in the neighboring state of Haryana, the Eid-e-Milad holiday has not been declared in Punjab yet. Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, also known as Eid-e-Milad, is an Islamic observance that commemorates the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad. This day is a special time for Muslims around the world to reflect on the Prophets teachings and to celebrate his life and legacy. Also known as Maulid, the day is marked by the somber remembrance of his passing, as he died on the same date. It is observed in the third month of the Islamic lunar calendar, Rabi-ul-Awwal. On the other hand, all schools and colleges in Bhubaneswar will remain closed tomorrow, September 17 due to Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the state on Tuesday. Not just educational institutions, all the government offices, including revenue and magisterial courts in the state capital, will also be closed for the first half of the day on September 17. During his visit, the prime minister will be launching Subhadra yojana, a women-centric scheme of the state government. The BJP is confident of forming the government in Jammu and Kashmir with the help of regional outfits and independents who are contesting strongly in the Kashmir Valley. However, the party is not in favour of Engineer Rashids outfit or candidates of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, sources say. As per the assessment of the party, at least 32 independents are strongly contesting in seats in the Kashmir Valley and many are likely to emerge victorious, apart from regional outfits. BJP is only contesting 62 seats out of the total 90 seats in J&K this time and the party has not put up candidates on 28 seats in the Kashmir Valley. None of the three families in J&K the Farooq Abdullah family, the Mehbooba Mufti family, and the Congress will be able to form the government in J&K, a source in the BJP said. BJP is hopeful of a record showing in the Jammu region, given the aggressive campaign by its top leaders and the reservation benefits which have been rolled out in the region in recent years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned in Doda on Sunday, while Home Minister Amit Shah will hold three rallies in Gulabagh, Kishtwar and Raman on Monday. Not in favour of Rashid The BJP, however, is not in favour of candidates put up by the party of Engineer Rashid or Jamaat-e-Islami and sources said the party is against anyone who foments terrorism and separatism in the Valley. Rashid was lodged in jail under UAPA and recently got interim bail, which BJP leaders are attributing to the precedent of how Arvind Kejriwal got interim bail for election campaigning earlier. BJP is against Rashid as he was booked under the stringent law and the National Investigation Agency had opposed his bail. Both Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have termed Rashid as the B-team of the BJP but BJP leaders say there is no meeting of mind with Rashid at all. BJP will wait for J&K election results on October 8 before its next move regarding independents and regional outfits in Kashmir Valley. Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday accused National Conference (NC)- Congress alliance of nourishing terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and said that terror activities would increase and stone-pelting would happen again if the alliance would come to power in the erstwhile state. While addressing a poll-bound rally in Jammu and Kashmirs Ramban, union minister slammed NC leader Omar Abdullah who had pleaded for terrorist Afzal Guru that he should have not be hanged. Read More: Will Bury Terrorism To Such A Level That It Doesnt Resurface: Amit Shah Tells Voters In J-K Bullets will be fired again, stone-pelting will happen again, funeral processions of terrorists will take place again, Tazia processions will be stopped again, cinema halls will be shut again, Amarnath Yatra will be attacked again and the investment that is coming to Jammu and Kashmir will be replaced by unemployment, if Rahul Gandhi and Omar Abdullah form the government, he said. Shah further accused the Congress and National Conference for throwing Jammu and Kashmir in the fire of terrorism for their political gains. He said that the political agenda of NC and Congress is to bring back Article 370 and 35A in the state. VIDEO | Jammu and Kashmir elections 2024: The election is between two powers. On the one hand, they pushed Jammu and Kashmir into the fire of terrorism for their political benefits; over 40,000 people were martyred here. I want to ask Farooq (Abdullah) Sahab and Rahul Gandhi, pic.twitter.com/b8KD8nc53e Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 16, 2024 The upcoming elections are between two forces. On one hand, you have those who threw J&K in the fire of terrorism. J&K was burning in the fire of terrorism for their political gainsI want to ask Farooq Abdullah and Rahul Gandhi if they will take responsibility for the J&K burning due to terrorismThe agenda of the National Conference is to bring again one more flag in J&K. There will be only one flag in J&K, tricolourThey want to bring Article 370 and 35A. The beneficiaries of Article 370 were these 3 families, Abdullah, Gandhi and Mufti family he added. The union minister further said that India would not hold any talks or trade with Pakistan until terrorism is completely eradicated from the region. They say that they will hold talks with Pakistan. I want to clarify that until we are able to completely eradicate terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir, we will not hold any talks with Pakistan. They want to begin LoC trade the same LoC trade from which terrorism was born here. I want to tell Omar Abdullah that until terrorism is removed from its roots from here, we will not start any trade with Pakistan, he added. Shah also spoke of the BJP-led governments commitment to combat terrorism and to strengthen the local economy, including through hydroelectric projects and infrastructure initiatives. This was the home ministers second visit to the Jammu region within a fortnight. Earlier, during his two-day visit to Jammu on September 6 and 7, he released BJPs manifesto for J-K assembly elections and addressed a workers convention. Congress and the National Conference have formed an alliance for the assembly polls. Assembly polls will be held in Jammu arm Kashmir in three phases on September 18, September 25 and November 1. Votes will be counted on October. Monday is the last day for campaigning in 24 assembly constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir. (With inputs from agencies) Asserting that the BJP-led central government will bury terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir so deep that it can never rise again, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday reiterated that Article 370 is now history and will never be a part of Indias constitution again. Addressing an election rally here in Padder-Nagseni assembly segment of Kishtwar district on the last day of campaigning, Shah said the National Conference-Congress alliance will not be able to form the J-K government. Today, I promise to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, including this region which has a history of sacrifices following the eruption of terrorism in 1990, that we will bury terrorism to such a deep level that it will never surface again, the home minister said. He added that attempts are being made to revive and strengthen terrorism like the 1990s The home minister paid tributes to all those who have been killed in terror-related incidents, and specially referred to the deaths of BJP leaders Anil Parihar, Ajit Parihar and RSS leader Chanderkant Sharma. National Conference and Congress have made promises like releasing terrorists from jails after the formation of their government. In front of Maa (Machial Matas) shrine, I am saying to you that this is Modis government and no one has the courage to spread terrorism on the soil of India, he said. Shah said the BJP government has strengthened the village defence guards and Special Police Officers who are being provided modern weapons, replacing the old .303 rifles with self-loading rifles. The security grid being laid is such that any number of people (terrorists) who want to come here from anywhere will face their end in these hills at the hands of our Army and police jawans, the home minister said. This was the home ministers second visit to the Jammu region within a fortnight. Earlier, during his two-day visit to Jammu on September 6 and 7, he released BJPs manifesto for J-K assembly elections and addressed a workers convention. Monday is the last day for campaigning in 24 assembly constituencies, including Padder-Nagseni, which goes to polls in the first phase on September 18. BJP has fielded former minister Sunil Sharma from the constituency for the assembly elections. Seeking support for the BJP candidate, Shah said, This election is between two powers, on one side National Conference and PDP and on the other BJP. The NC-Congress are saying that if we form the government we will restore Article 370. Tell me should it be restored? he asked. Reservation given by BJP to Paharis and Gujjars and others will be snatched, he said. Dont worry, I am watching the situation in Kashmir and be assured that neither Abdullahs nor Rahuls party are going to form the government in J-K, the home minister said. Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has revoked Article 370, and it has now become a part of history books. There is no place for it in the constitution of India anymore. The home minister said if they are in in power in Delhi, how will the NC restore Article 370. I am leaving with a promise that neither Article 370, nor terrorism will be allowed to return or reservation of Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled castes can be touched, he said. Shah added that the NC and Congress insulted the Dogras by deporting the last Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh. The minister said he has seen a video of Maharajas son Karan Singh expressing displeasure over the return of his ashes to J-K, instead of the mortal remains. They insulted the Maharaja and forced out Kashmiri Pandits. Whenever they came to power, terrorism got encouragement. They snatched rights of women and never granted reservation to the deserving sections, he said. Referring to Jana Sangh leader Pandit Prem Nath Dogra from Jammu and his agitation against Article 370, he said do vidhan, do pradhan aur do nishan (two constitutions, two prime ministers, two symbols) can never be there in our country. There will be only one constitution, one prime minister and one flag that is our beloved tricolour. Targeting Farooq Abdullah, he said when terrorism erupted in J&K in 1990s, he was enjoying in London. His son Omar Abdullah, Shah said, is in the meantime giving contradictory statements on contesting elections. Sometimes Omar Abdullah is saying that he will not fight elections in the Union territory, but later he came out to submit his nominations from two seats, the home minister said. His defeat is certain from both seats, he said. Shah further said that the prime minister has encouraged leadership among the youth by holding elections to all tiers of Panchayati Raj Institutions to strengthen grassroots democracy. Highlighting the BJPs manifesto, he said the party will ensure development of the region and utilisation of its natural resources to provide jobs to the local youth besides developing a Machail Mata shrine. The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections will take place for the first time after the Abrogation of Article 370 on September 18, with at least 219 candidates in the fray. This time, J&K is witnessing a multi-cornered contest between the BJP, Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the alliance between Congress and the National Conference (NC), while other regional parties and Independent candidates will attempt to make a cut. The NC is contesting 51 out of the 90 Assembly seats, while the Congress has nominated only three candidates on 32 seats. On five seats one in Kashmir and four in Jammu the two of them will have a friendly contest, while they have left the remaining seats for the CPM and J&K Panthers Party one each. The BJP will contest 19 of the 47 seats in the Kashmir Valley. J&K will go to polls in three phases, with voting on September 18, September 25, and October 1, to elect 90 members. Results will be declared on October 8. Who are the Key Candidates? Key candidates from the BJP include Er. Syed Showkat Gayoor Andrabi from Pampore, Jawed Ahmad Qadri from Shopian, Mohd Rafiq Wani from Anantnag West, Adv Syed Wazahat from Anantnag, Gajay Singh Rana from Doda, Rakesh Thakur from Ramban, Kuldeep Raj Dubey from Reasi, Baldev Raj Sharma from Mata Vaishno Devi, Chowdhury Abdul Ghani from Poonch Haveli, Pawan Gupta from Udhampur West, Sunil Bharadwaj from Ramnagar (SC), Yudhvir Sethi from Jammu East, Arvind Gupta from Jammu West, Sham Lal Sharma from Jammu North, Ravinder Rain from Nowshera, Vibodh Gupta from Rajouri (ST), Ghulam Mohammad Mir from Handwara, Naseer Ahmad Lone from Bandipora, RS Pathania from Udhampur East and Dr Bharat Bhushan from Kathua (SC). In the first phase, the Congress has announced the names of nine candidates, including Surinder Singh Channi from the Tral seat, Amanullah Mantoo from Devsar, Peerzada Mohammad Syed from Anantnag, Shaikh Zafarullah from Inderwal, Nadeem Sharief from Bhadarwah, Sheikh Riyaz from Doda and Pradeep Kumar Bhagat from Doda West. Omar Abdullah is contesting from Central Kashmirs Budgam and Ganderbal constituencies, while Apni Partys Altaf Bukhari is running Srinagars Channapora constituency. In Srinagar, Ali Mohammad Sagar, the National Conference General Secretary, is competing in the Khanyar constituency. Similarly, NCs Mubarik Gul, PDPs Khursheed Alam and Apni Partys Ashraf Bhat will be fighting for the Eidgah seat. Another interesting contest will take place in the Lal Chowk constituency, where Zuhaib Mir of PDP will face his uncle, Apni Partys Ashraf Mir. Meanwhile, NCs Ahsan Pardesi is also contesting from Lal Chowk. Where Does The Congress Stand? The Congress has already floundered its election strategy for the J&K election by delaying its manifesto and the lackluster campaigning efforts by the party. Barring the top Congress leader Rahul Gandhis campaign in the remote Gool area of Ramban district, no senior leaders were seen campaigning in the region. The Congress released a list of 40 star campaigners, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, former president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, for the first phase of the elections. In contrast, the BJPs aggressive campaign since the Election Commission announced the poll schedule on August 16 saw its star campaigners including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh and other senior leaders have already addressed several rallies in J&K. Congress has defended the delay in releasing the list of candidates due to the surge in terror activities in Jammu and the sudden seat-sharing arrangement with the National Conference, as per a party leader quoted by The News Now. The Congress has reiterated that the party will strive for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir while promising to restore a bi-cameral legislature in the Union Territory. Why BJP Skipped 28 Seats in Kashmir Home minister Amit Shah had told party leaders in Kashmir that he regretted his decision to skip contesting all three Lok Sabha seats in the Valley. Thus, the decision to not field candidates for 28 seats comes after that. In 2014, the BJP contested assembly elections in more than 30 seats in the Valley but failed to win even one. But the party won 25 of the 33 seats in Jammu, and forged an alliance with the PDP, giving the coalition a total of 53 seats in the 87-member assembly. That alliance ended in 2018. In 2019, the state was broken up into two UTs. According to BJP insiders, as mentioned in a report by The Indian Express, the saffron party was not expecting any miracles in Kashmir, calling it a tactical move not to field candidates on all seats in the Valley. The BJP hopes the votes in the Valley will be split among the NC, PDP and smaller parties. Why BJP May Have an Edge Over Other Parties? In Hindu-majority Jammu, the BJP has an added advantage in the Assembly elections due to delimitation in 2023. Now, the UT has 90 seats, with 43 in Jammu (compared to 37 pre-delimitation) and 47 in Kashmir (compared to 46 before). The proportion of Assembly seats in Jammu has jumped from 42.5% to 47.8%, while it has declined in Kashmir from 52.9% to 52.2%, reported India Today. This could benefit the BJP in the upcoming polls for the UT. Over the years, the saffron party has improved its performance in the five Muslim-majority districts of Jammu Doda, Poonch, Rajouri, Kishtwar and Ramban, noted India Today. The main focus of the BJP leadership will be on the assembly seats of Gurez, Tangdhar, Uri, Tregham, Habbakadal, Lal Chowk, Shangus and Anantnag West, party officials said. In February, the Centre passed the Scheduled Tribes Order amendment bill for J&K, which accords Scheduled Tribe status to Pahari, Padari, Koli and Gadda Brahmins most of whom are from the Jammu region. The BJP is hoping that the Paharis would vote for them as there long-pending demand of reservation was met. What are the Challenges Before BJP? Reports suggest that the BJPs popularity in Kashmir has plunged over the years, with the saffron party failing to open an account in the Valley in assembly elections. The BJPs vote share declined from 46 per cent in 2019 to 24.4% in 2024. Infighting within the party with senior leaders irked with the party leadership distributing tickets to Congress and PDP turncoats in the election is another issue that the BJP is handling. The recent militant attacks in Jammu could pose a challenge for the BJP, which has previously won most seats in Jammu. The elections will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, 2024. The results will be declared on October 8, alongside the Haryana Assembly election results. A confident government, which is not on the defensive but plans to implement its big agenda in the coming days this is what a flurry of major decisions in the first 100 days of Modi 3.0 show. Going ahead, the One Nation One Poll will be implemented in the tenure of this government, sources have told News18. The report of the Ram Nath Kovind Committee is already with the Centre. The Centre could also begin the census exercise soon and has an open mind to include caste in the same though no decision has been taken about it, with a discussion being on about the same. The Centre will also take steps to restore statehood to Jammu & Kashmir in the minimum possible time post elections. The reports of 4-5 states on studying contours of a Uniform Civil Code are expected in the next couple of months, after Uttarakhand has implemented it. This follows several decisions taken in the first 100 days of the government which complete on September 17, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had put bureaucrats on the job before the Lok Sabha elections to draw up plans for the first 100 days. The BJP is clear that the 240-seat verdict for it is also historic as it had left many seats for its allies in a pre-poll alliance and did not contest all 543 seats itself. The NDA allies have won many of those seats, while the Congress itself could not cross 99 seats. The Big Steps Infrastructure projects worth Rs 3 Lakh crore have been approved in the first 100 days of Modi 3.0, with the inauguration date fixed for each one of them. This includes the Wadhavan Port in Maharashtra at Rs 76,200 Cr, the next phase of PM Gram Sadak Yojana to connect 25,000 unconnected villages at cost of Rs 49,000 Cr, roads and high-speed road corridors worth Rs 50,600 Cr, new railway lines, development of three new airports, and three metro projects in Bengaluru, Pune, and Thane. Sources said such high spend on infrastructure will propel job creation, besides the Rs 2 lakh crore PM package to benefit 4.1 crore youth. There are also now one crore Lakhpati Didis in the country who are earning Rs 1 lakh a year; 11 lakh of them were distributed certificates in the last 100 days. Other big steps are three crore more houses sanctioned under the PM Awas Yojana, the Unified Pension Scheme, income tax benefits to the middle-class in the budget and 2.5 lakh houses installing solar power. Farmer-Friendly government The government is also keen to project that it is farmer-friendly as the total PM Kisan Nidhi payout has touched Rs 3 lakh crore so far while Rs 2 lakh crore additional benefit has reached the farmers by way of increase in MSP in the tenure of this government, setting a new record of 120% procurement under MSP which stood at around 33% in the UPA time. The Modi government took this route to benefit farmers rather than the populist route of farm loan waiver taken by UPA in the past and managed to cover input cost of 82% of farmers in India who won less than 2.5 acre of land, thereby making them loan-free. Sources said it was the opposition which sees PM Kisan Nidhi through the prism of politics while it was a scheme to empower farmers and not a freebie. Another major decision has been to extend Ayushman Bharat benefit to all aged 70 years and above. Foreign Policy with a Spine Indian foreign policy has discovered back its spine as the world is now looking at India with hope after Prime Minister Narendra Modis trips to Russia and Ukraine in the first 100 days of his government. Modi was also the first Indian PM to visit Austria after a gap of 41 years and Poland after a gap of 45 years while he became the first Indian PM to visit Brunei. India alos hosted more than 120 countries in the Voice of Global South summit. Tightening Laws One of the biggest decisions in the first 100 days was the enactment of the three new criminal laws by the Union Home Ministry which could make India the most modern criminal justice system soon by cutting down investigation and judicial delays. The government also declared June 25 as Samvidhan HATYA Divas to make the youth know about the dark days of the Emergency imposed by the Indira Gandhi government. Sources say the Samvidhan HATYA Divas is not a political event as the idea is to resolve every year to safeguard the democracy ethos. The Waqf Amendment Bill was also brought to the Parliament as a means to remove appeasement policies and for better administration and protection of Waqf properties in the country. Institutions, including Election Commission and investigative agencies, perform their duty under tight situations and and an observation can despirit them, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has said. He also said that one has to be extremely conscious about the countrys institutions which are robust and are working independently under the rule of law with suitable checks and balances. His remarks at an event in Mumbai on Sunday came against the backdrop of a Supreme Court judge observing on Friday that probe agency must be above board and the Central Bureau of investigation (CBI) should dispel notion of it being a caged parrot. Observing that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals arrest by the CBI in the excise policy case was unjustified, Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan had slammed the agency, and said it must dispel the notion of being a caged parrot. Addresing the event, Dhankhar said all organs of the State have one common objective that the common man should get all the rights and India should flourish and prosper. They need to work in tandem and togetherness to nurture and blossom democratic values and further Constitutional ideals Let these sacred platforms the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary not be trigger points of political inflammatory debate that is detrimental to established institutions that serve the nation well in challenging and daunting environment, the vice president said. While referring to institutions, he mentioned the Election Commission and investigative agencies. He was of the view that institutions perform their duty under tight situations and observations can despirit them. It can set a political debate afloat and trigger a narrative. We have to be extremely conscious about our Institutions. They are robust, they are working independently under rule of law and there are suitable checks and balances, Dhankhar said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that the Ministry of Home Affairs will open 16 new Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandars in Manipur to provide essential commodities to the common people at reasonable prices. Of the 16 such stores, eight will be in the valley and the remaining eight in the hills, he said. Shah also said that these bhandars will be opened for the common people from Tuesday in addition to the existing 21 such stores. In a post on X, Shah said in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modis commitment, the MHA is launching the initiative to provide commodities to the people of Manipur at reasonable prices. In line with PM Shri @narendramodi Jis commitment, the MHA is launching an initiative to provide commodities to the people of Manipur at reasonable prices. Now the Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandars will be open for common people from September 17, 2024. In addition to 21 existing Amit Shah (@AmitShah) September 16, 2024 Now the Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandars will be opened for common people from September 17, 2024. In addition to 21 existing Bhandars, 16 new ones will be opened. Among the 16 new centres, eight will be in the valley, and the remaining eight in the hills, he said. While the valley districts of Manipur is inhabited by the majority Meiteis, the hill areas are inhabited by the tribal Kuki community. Ethnic violence has been going on in Manipur since May 3 last year after a tribal solidarity march in the hill districts of the state to protest against the majority Meitei communitys demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Since then, over 220 people belonging to both Kuki and Meitei communities and security personnel have been killed in the continuing violence. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said the state assembly polls are expected to be held in the second week of November and seat-sharing among the ruling allies would be finalised in the next 8 to 10 days. A two-phase poll would be preferable for the 288-member state assembly, Shinde said in an informal chat with media persons at his official residence Varsha in Mumbai. The Mahayuti government, comprising the Shiv Sena led by Shinde, BJP and the Ajit Pawar-headed NCP, was focusing on development and welfare measures and was getting good response from people, he said. Elections are likely in the second week of November. A two-phase election would be preferable. Merit and good strike rate will the criteria for seat-sharing among the Mahayuti allies, the CM said. The seat-sharing will be finalised in 8 to 10 days, he added. Shinde said he can see support for the government among women and asserted his was a government of the common man. We have struck a balance between development and welfare schemes, he said. The appointment letters have been given to 1.5 lakh youth for jobs under the skilled training programme for which they will get a stipend from Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000. The target is to cover 10 lakh youth, the CM said. Shinde said 1.6 crore women have so far got financial assistance under the governments Ladki Bahin scheme. We plan to reach out to 2.5 crore women, he said. At present, women beneficiaries of the governments flagship Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana get Rs 1,500 per month. Shinde also said his government aims to make Mumbai slum-free and ensure affordable housing for all. All government agencies, like the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO) and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), have been roped in for the redevelopment of slums, he added. (With agency inputs) Yoga was once almost unheard of in Saudi Arabia in the last century but a girl, who was suffering serious health problems back then, managed to change her life with the help of Indias ancient practice. Years later, the girl, Nouf Marwaai, went on to become Saudi Arabias first certified yoga instructor. Speaking at News18 SheShakti 2024, Marwaai, President, Saudi Yoga Committee, recalled his association with yoga. She said her life was shadowed by severe health challenges at the age of 18 and doctors told her parents that her chances of survival were slim. When I was 18 years old, yoga was not there. I started practising yoga after getting a book from my father. It was not easy to follow. That year in 1998 doctors told my parents that I wont live anymore, she said. After reading the book, Marwaai, who awarded Indias fourth-highest civilian honour Padma Shri in 2018, turned to the internet to further explore yoga and its practice. I started practising yoga after researching on internet. Something inside me changed. I had sleeping disorders when I was young. I was told it cannot be cured, I was in depression and panic attacks. I was not able to move Then I fell in love with Yoga. Since then till today, I never stopped practising Yoga, she said. Marwaai said that she gets a lot of support from the Saudi government to train youth in yoga and also promote the practice. Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Motivational Speaker & Author also shared how yoga changed her life after she came to India, leaving her home in the US. Yoga means union. But I actually think about it as reunion. Through yoga, we become one with divine. Through yoga, we remember I am one, she said. Saraswati further said many people are suffering because they feel they are not enough, a feeling which she call The Hollywood Mindset. She said, Most of us grown up with a belief who we are: our bodies, size, share, history, experience, our roles, our relations, our personalities so we suffer. This is what I called the Hollywood mindset We suffer because we feel we are not enough. When I came to India and had gone to banks of Ganga in Rishikesh, I had an experience which shifted me from the Hollywood mindset to Himalayan mindset. Himalayan mindset tells us, you have a body but you are not a body, you are soul, spirit, consciousness. There is nothing you are lacking. Remember the full truth is that you are full. There is nothing lacking. Whatever religion you follow, there is one thing that is true across all traditions The Divine of Infinite. Polala Amavasya is considered to be a sacred day to honour ancestors. It was observed on September 2. As per religious beliefs, it is believed to bring good fortune, spiritual growth and prosperity to devotees. The festival of Polala Amavasya is a special celebration that is dedicated to the bulls, who symbolise support for farmers for their agriculture. The festival is celebrated on the New Moon (Amavasya) in the month of Shravan and is hence, known as Polala Amavasya. Recently, farmers in Adilabad, Telangana let their bulls rest for a day. Bulls are an integral part of the farmers lives as these animals help with agriculture by enduring sun and rain to plough the fields. Hence, on the Polala Amavasya, the bulls take a break from the farm and are instead decked up beautifully and paraded around the temple. The farmers perform their aarti, offer prayers to the bulls and treat them as Nandi, the sacred bull of Lord Shiva. One of the highlights of the festival is the decoration of the bulls. Every farmer grooms their bulls, gives them a good bath in the village pond on this day and adorns them with various materials and ornaments. Some farmers even paint the horns of the bulls, while others prefer coloured paper or ornaments. Jingling bells are tied to their feet, nose rings, anklets and handcrafter leather accessories are put on their necks and backs. The markets buzz with farmers ahead of the festival as they throng over there to buy the decoration items. In an interview with Local18, Ramesh, a farmer from Pardi, Jainad Village in Telangana shared that the decorative items and ornaments are quite expensive, but they dont mind indulging in this for just one day a year for their loved bulls. Generally, each farmers decoration style is unique. Farmers use a special cloth called joola that is put on the bulls back. These are often embroidered with various vibrant designs of birds, flowers, creepers, deities, elephants and even peacocks as these make for a visual delight. To witness the beautifully decorated bulls, one has to visit Adilabad, during Polala Amavasya. The Indian Consulate in New York on Monday condemned the vandalism of the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Melville and called for swift action against the culprits, saying that such acts are unacceptable. In a statement, the India mission said it is in contact with the local community and has raised the issue with US authorities to ensure prompt action against those responsible for this heinous act. This condemnation came after expletives were sprayed on the road and the signage outside the temple. The vandalism of the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Melville, New York, is unacceptable; The Consulate @IndiainNewYork is in touch with the community and has raised the matter with U.S. law enforcement authorities for prompt action against the perpetrators of this heinous act, the Indian mission said in a post on X. In a post on X, US Congress Tom Suozzi also mentioned that theres too much hate. He added: I am appalled by the hideous acts of vandalism targeting the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Melville. Such acts of vandalism, bigotry, and hate are happening far too often because of inflammatory rhetoric by national leaders, extremism, and lack of accountability. Acts like these are un-American and contradict the core values of our nation. Threats to Hindu institutions The Hindu American Foundation said in a post on X that the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security must investigate the attack on the temple. The @TheJusticeDept & @DHSgov must investigate this attack on the @BAPS Hindu temple in Melville, NY shared by @OnTheNewsBeat after recent threats to Hindu institutions as a large Indian community gathering is planned in nearby Nassau County this weekend, the Hindu outfit said. The group added that the latest vandalism incident is similar to that seen in attacks on temples in New York, California and Canada. Gurpatwant Pannun, of Sikhs for Justice, recently posted a video threatening Hindu and Indian institutions, including HAF, as the community event approaches. The vandalism is similar to that seen in attacks on temples in New York, California and Canada & called out by Congressman Raja, Ro Khanna, Shri Thanedar, Pramila Jayapal @BeraForCongress @shuvmajumdar and other political leaders, it added. Melville is located in Suffolk County on Long Island and is about 28 kilometres from the 16000-seater Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a mega community event on September 22. Describing India as one of Israels most important partners, newly appointed Israeli Ambassador Reuven Azar underlined that Israel is keen to involve India in its plans to construct a 100-kilometer metro system in Tel Aviv. During an interview with The Indian Express, Azar hinted that Indias involvement would be instrumental in attracting international companies capable of delivering high-quality and cost-effective solutions for the project. We want to build a 100-km metro system in the Tel Aviv area, we want to attract international companies that have the capabilities of both supplying qualitative performance and also at a cheap price. India is an excellent partner, because a thousand kilometres of metro is being built, apart from roads, airports and ports, he said. First Request This move marks Israels first request for New Delhis assistance in the construction sector, a step taken after the Hamas attack last October and subsequent ban on Palestinian workers. Regarding the skills mismatch among Indian construction workers in Israel, Azar acknowledged initial issues but assured that both governments are working to resolve them. When we talk about infrastructure, if we manage to bring Indian infrastructure companies to Israel, they can come with a workforce that is skilled. With China, we have done similar infrastructure projects in Israel, where they brought their skilled labour, he said. He noted Indias growing role in West Asia, noting its potential to enhance regional stability and prosperity through investments and infrastructure projects. Azar also addressed the broader scope of Israel-India collaboration, which spans defense, security, agriculture, and technology. He pointed out that future cooperation will be crucial in areas like semiconductors and cyber security. Gaza War On the Gaza war, Azar described the October 7 attack as a culmination of long-standing regional tensions, particularly involving Iranian-backed groups. He reiterated Israels goal to diminish Hamas military threat and secure the release of hostages while adhering to international law. In discussing the potential for Indias involvement in the Gaza conflict resolution, Azar said that Delhis increasing influence and investments in West Asia align with the shared goal of creating a corridor of stability and prosperity. He said it is up to India to decide how involved it wants to be in resolving the Gaza conflict. A drone footage of a terrorist running out of a building, firing his assault rifle as the security forces engaged in retaliatory firing, has surfaced on the internet. Three terrorists were killed in an encounter between security forces and militants in Jammu and Kashmirs Baramulla district on Saturday. The drone footage shows one of the terrorists running towards some trees near a house. He falls to the ground, and crawls a few metres before halting, as security forces continue to spray bullets on the concrete walls. Baramulla encounter drone footage.Kabhi ko m@ut ke Darr se bhagta dekha hai. Yaha Dekho. pic.twitter.com/8jKEkjQDld Baba Banaras (@RealBababanaras) September 15, 2024 The gunfight, which began in the Pattan area of the northern Kashmir district, ended on Saturday, with the bodies of the terrorists recovered. In another encounter on Friday, two soldiers were killed and two others injured in a gunbattle with terrorists in Chatroo village of Kishtwar district. The gunfight broke out when a joint security team of the Army and police, acting on a tip-off, initiated a cordon-and-search operation in the Naidgham area of the Chhatroo belt. Nb Sub Vipin Kumar, one of the soldiers killed in the Kishtwar encounter, is from Patra village. The Karnataka Police has enforced a complete clampdown in Mangaluru region following two separate incidents that triggered large protests. These were the result of clashes in Nagamangala, Mandya, where a Ganesh Visarjan procession was attacked, leading to conflict between two communities. We had asked the police not to allow a procession for Eid-e-Milad, said Sharan Pumpwell, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Mangaluru divisional joint secretary, in a statement following the Nagamangala Ganesh Chaturthi incident. This statement prompted a reaction from another community, which challenged the VHP to try and stop their Eid-e-Milad procession. The conflict escalated after an alleged voice message from Bantwal Town Municipal Council (TMC) former president Mohammed Sharif surfaced. In the social media post (which News18 cannot independently verify), Sharif is heard challenging Pumpwell to confront him during the Eid procession. This retaliatory social media post sparked further tensions, prompting leaders from pro-Hindu groups, including the VHP and Bajrang Dal, to gather in protest along the planned procession route in Bantwal, on the outskirts of Mangaluru. Police deployed the Rapid Action Force to maintain law and order and imposed prohibitory orders to ensure peace. Eid-e-Milad, which marks the birth of Prophet Muhammad, is being celebrated nationwide with processions on Monday. There is a section that is targeting Hindu festivals or our processions. Their objective is not political; they are targeting Hindus. They are also instigating. After the ban on the PFI, there have been more such incidents. We have a sense of fear and suspicion that in the name of taking out a procession on Eid-e-Milad, they may track Hindu shops or homes. I request the Centre not to allow their processions as it may cause further problems for Hindus, Pumpwell said. Another incident occurred the night before the festival at the Huda Jumma Masjid in Katipalla, further escalating tensions. It was reported that miscreants on a bike threw stones at the mosque, which had been decorated for Eid-e-Milad. The president of the mosque, K.H. Abdul Rahman, filed a police complaint, accompanied by photographs showing broken glass panes caused by the attack. Police later identified the attackers as members of the VHP. We have arrested six individuals connected to this incident, all affiliated with the VHP. The names of those arrested are Bhat Shetty, Chenappa Chalawadi, Nitin Hadapa, Sujit Shetty, Annappa and Pritam Shetty. The vehicles used, including a Swift car, two bikes, and four mobile phones, have been seized, Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal told News18. Regarding the protests in Bantwal involving several right-wing groups, including VHP and Bajrang Dal members, Yatish N, Superintendent of Police for Dakshina Kannada, stated that adequate arrangements have been made to ensure social harmony and the peaceful conduct of the Eid-e-Milad festival. A remand letter by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Kolkata rape and murder case has revealed former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, did not want to get a First Information Report (FIR) registered in the case. Another remand letter has revealed arrested officer in charge of Tala Police Station, Abhijit Mondal, tried to divert the investigation in the case. Mondal was arrested by the CBI on Saturday for his alleged involvement in the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkatas RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The hospital is under the jurisdiction of Tala Police Station. Mondal was arrested after he failed to give satisfying answers to the CBI officials. Later, he was questioned by the CBI officers at their CGO Complex office in Kolkata for several hours. The police officer was arrested on charges of destruction of evidence and others, an officer told news agency PTI, adding Mondal was also accused of delaying the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) in the case. Now, CNN-News18 has exclusively accessed the Station House Officers remand note, as prepared by the CBI. WHAT ABHIJIT MONDALs REMAND LETTER STATES Abhijit Mondal hatched a criminal conspiracy with other probable accused person, in screening Sanjoy Roy (the main accused) and others, in attempting to divert the direction of the investigation, the remand letter states. Mondal reached the scene of the crime at 11 am, an hour after receiving information about the crime, and deliberately registered a case of unnatural death, thus mentioning incorrect facts intentionally, it adds. The CBI also alleged Mondal was hand-in-glove with the hospital administration. Mondal failed to secure the scene of the crime, thereby trying to protect Sanjoy Roy. His actions resulted in damage to vital information. He caused a deliberate delay in registering the FIR even after he had received information about the incident at 10.03 am on August 9. The FIR was only registered at 11.30 pm the same day, even after a go-ahead from the family at 7.30 pm, the remand letter mentioned. Mondal did not videograph the process of sealing the evidence and biological samples, as mandated by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). He allowed a rushed-up cremation of the doctor, even as the family demanded a second autopsy, it stated. Abhijit Mondal caused a delay of two days, in securing the clothes of the Sanjoy Roy, that he wore on the day of the crime, the letter stated. SANDIP GHOSHs REMAND LETTER CNN-News18 also exclusively accessed the remand note of Sandip Ghosh. The note mentioned that the CBI has informed the court about the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) report of the polygraph test, which states that Sandip Ghosh deliberately tried to deceive the investigators on important issues. Ghosh did not intend to register an FIR in the case, even after being in consultation with an advocate, the letter mentioned. Even after he received information about the incident at 9.58 am on August 9, he did not reach the hospital immediately. He did not submit a murder complaint, which was eventually submitted by the vice-principal, who floated a theory of suicide by the doctor, it stated. The remand letter also stated, Sandip Ghosh was in touch with Mondal since 10.03 am. However, he tried to downplay the incident, thus leading to the destruction of evidence. KOLKATA RAPE-MURDER CASE A total of three persons have so far been arrested in connection with the case. The incident has led to violent protests across the nation, especially in West Bengal, where doctors have been urging Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to surrender to their list of demands. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and locals also protested against the incident, demanding the arrest of all those involved, and providing better safety laws for the women. In a letter to the junior doctors protesting against the rape and murder of a trainee medic at Kolkatas RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant has invited them again to meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday. As per the contents of the letter, the doctors have been invited to Mamata Banerjees residence at Kalighat, at 5 pm today. This is the fifth and final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting between the Honourable Chief Minister and your delegates, the letter read. In line with our discussion from the day before, we are once again inviting you to a meeting with the Honourable Chief Minister at her Kalighat residence for a discussion with an open mind, it added. The Chief Secretary also stressed there would be no live-streaming or videography of the meeting. He also said the same delegation which came for the last discussions should arrive at the venue. The post-graduate trainee doctor was raped-murdered while on duty on August 9, triggering a nationwide outrage. Later, the Joint Platform of Doctors and Protect the Warriors (launched by the United Doctors Welfare Association) addressed a joint press conference on the development and said they were in solidarity with the junior doctors. There should be a transparent investigation and accountability must be ensured, Dr Subarna Goswami, Additional General Secretary, All India Federation of Government Doctors Association (AIFGDA), said. He also demanded the immediate removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and the State Health Secretary. We want the meeting (between doctors and the Chief Minister) in a transparent ambience. The junior doctors should be taken into confidence so that they can voice their demands properly and the governments response must be documented either in videography or live streaming, Goswami said while speaking to reporters. Why is the government afraid of facing junior doctors on live streaming? Our main demand is timely justice in the case. We want action against not only the rapist and the killers but also against those who tried to tamper with the evidence and misguided the investigation process and the whole syndicate of few doctors, he added. BJP REACTS Soon after the letter was sent, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)s IT cell chief, Amit Malviya, in an X post wrote that using sub judice as the reason for declining the request for live streaming/videography is absolute trash. West Bengal Chief Secretarys hurried letter to the protesting Junior Doctors is desperation, laced with overtones of intimidation. This attempt to reach out, just before the Supreme Court is to hear the matter, is yet another attempt to present a benign face before the Court, Malviya wrote. Using sub judice as the reason to decline request for live streaming/videography is absolute trash and smacks of a conspiracy, he added. Doctors need to be wary of Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. She is evil and will use the meeting to her political advantage, Malviya tweeted. JUNIOR DOCTORS PROTEST Junior doctors in West Bengal state have vowed to keep up their strike in protest against the incident unless their demands are met. For their meeting with the Chief Minister, the doctors have been stressing a live-streaming before the media. While demonstrations in other states have been gradually called off after the Supreme Court formed a hospital safety task force, doctors in the state have continued their protest. Officials had earlier told news agencies that the protesters concerns, including additional CCTV coverage, deployment of female security personnel, adequate lighting, toilets, and resting spaces, were being addressed. RALLIES CONTINUE Meanwhile, rallies and demonstrations demanding justice for the raped-murdered RG Kar hospital doctor swept through the city on Sunday. Retired Army officers, who were alumni of Purulia Sainik School, marched from Jadavpur 8B Bus Stand to Golpark in south Kolkata with placards in their hands amid rains. In Wellington in the central part of the city, former students of Calcutta Girls High School took out a rally. Hundreds of nurses held a rally at Karunamoyee in Salt Lake, seeking safety at the workplace. In the evening, people gathered at Ruby Crossing-Patuli and Parnashree in Behala demanding the immediate arrest of everyone involved in the crime, including officials and police. Ahead of the first phase of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, September 16, said that Article 370 has become a part of history, but the Congres and National Conference want to restore the provision and end the quota system for Gurjar and Pahadis. Addressing a mega rally in J-Ks Paddar Nagseni, Shah said, NC and Congress say that they will reinstate Article 370 if their government is formed. Should Article 370 be back? (he asked the people). The reservation which the Pahadis and Gurjar brothers get, would not be possible if Article 370 is restored. Stepping up the offensive against the NC-Congress alliance, Shah reiterated that neither Farooq Abdullah (of the NC) nor Rahul Gandhi (of the Congress) will taste success in the upcoming assembly polls of J-K. I have been observing the environment in Kashmir, neither Farooq Abdullah nor Rahul Gandhi is forming the government here. Article 370 is now a part of the history. There is no place for Article 370 in the Constitution of India. There can never be two prime ministers, two constitutions and two flags in Kashmir. There will only be one flag and that is our Tricolour, he said. #WATCH | Kishtwar, J&K: Addressing a public rally, Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, NC and Congress say that they will reinstate Article 370 if their government is formed. Should Article 370 be back? The reservation which the Pahadis and Gurjar brothers get, would not be pic.twitter.com/SOtsAhfT5Q ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2024 The heartwarming picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi playing with a calf from the Punganur cow breed has Andhra Pradesh bursting with pride. Its a reflection of India inside the Honourable Prime Ministers residence. The cow was chosen by the PMs office, but we are really excited to see the pride of Andhra Pradesh at his residence, Andhra Pradeshs IT minister Nara Lokesh told News18. ALSO READ | PM Modi Welcomes New Member At Lok Kalyan Marg Residence: Deepjyoti Is Truly Adorable | Watch Once near extinction, the Punganur cow is a rare breed now receiving significant attention, especially since PM Modi is known to rear a few of them at his official residence. It is reported that PM Modi enjoys feeding and playing with them, as seen in several videos released by the PMO. EXTINCTION THREAT TO MISSION PUNGANUR This dwarf breed, native to the village of the same name in Andhra Pradesh, can even be reared inside an apartment. Known to be among the worlds smallest humped cattle breeds, it stands 80-90 cm tall (a maximum of 2.5 feet) and can weigh up to 200 kg at peak health. This breed faced the threat of extinction when farmers prioritised higher milk production, and their number was reduced to just 100 across the country. The Punganur cattle could not match the milk output of hybrid cows, and, suddenly, they were seen as a liability, leading farmers to sell or abandon them. : :' , , '' pic.twitter.com/NhAJ4DDq8K Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 14, 2024 The Andhra Pradesh government later launched Mission Punganur, aimed at increasing awareness and conserving the breed. With special focus from both the state and the Centre, the breed now has a healthy population across the country. GOLDEN MILK, COSTS Rs 1-10 LAKH Aside from its unique form and size, the milk from the Punganur cow is known for its high nutritional value, being four times richer than milk from other cow breeds. This is due to the presence of Au, the chemical symbol for gold, in its milk, according to Dr B.L. Chidananda, a retired professor of Animal Sciences from the University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK. That is why this golden milk from this cow is offered to deities during Ksheera-abhishekham (milk offering) across Andhra Pradesh, including Lord Venkateswara at the famous Tirupati Thirumala Temple. Dr Chidananda explains that the Punganur cows milk, known as A2 milk, is rich in nutrients like Omega fatty acids, calcium, potassium, and magnesium, bringing its milk fat content to 8%, compared to milk from other cows, where the fat content is around 4%. ALSO READ | PM Modi Feeds Punganur Cows On Makar Sankranti, Heres Why You Should Adopt This Golden Breed These nutrients are essential for maintaining good health, and the richness of the milk makes it highly valuable, he said. According to dairy farmers who rear Punganur cattle in Andhra Pradesh, this special cow can produce up to three litres of milk per day, unlike other hybrid breeds, which can give up to 20 litres a day. Admired for its beautiful face and eyes, which are said to appear as though lined with kohl (kajal), the Punganur cow is also regarded as divine by those who breed them. Known for their calm and friendly nature, they are especially gentle with children, making them an ideal pet for families, according to experts who encourage adopting the breed. A new member at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg! Deepjyoti is truly adorable. pic.twitter.com/vBqPYCbbw4 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 14, 2024 The presence of a cow is of great significance in India, and owning a Punganur cow is considered a symbol of prestige. Rearing cows is believed to bring prosperity, compassion and good fortune, and having a Punganur cow makes it even more special. The cost of a Punganur cow can range from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, depending on the size and health of the cow. They are often reared in Andhra Pradesh by temples, goshalas and landowners. There is no thought at the Centre about imposing Presidents Rule in West Bengal, sources in the government have said. This comes after the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), in a meeting in Palakkad earlier this month, also said it was not in favour of Presidents Rule in the state as such action destabilises an elected government. Bengals capital Kolkata has been rocked by protests for over a month now after the horrific rape and murder case in RG Kar hospital, with doctors and general public up in arms. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee also offered to resign last week, saying she would do so if it helped douse the protests. On Manipur, sources said the latest trouble was triggered by a decision to change Assam Rifles deployed in the state with the CRPF, as this upset the Kuki community. After talks over three days now, one battalion of Assam Rifles has moved out of Manipur and another one will move out in the next few days. The situation in Manipur is under control, a source said. Regarding the terror attacks seen in Jammu, a source said the topography of the region posed some initial challenges but now, security installations in the area had been completed and training in arms had been given to nearly 30,000 well-intentioned villagers as well. The situation in the last month had come under control in Jammu, the source said. Terrorists had earlier focussed on Kashmir Valley and now shifted activities to Jammu, but the government was geared up, they added. Protests erupted at the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University on Monday after the suicide of a 25-year-old student who was recently expelled by the university administration. Gautam Kumar, a first-year MBA student, allegedly committed suicide by jumping from the seventh floor of his hostel building on Sunday. He was a native of Vaishali in Bihar and was enrolled at the IP University main campus in Dwarka Sector-16, Southwest Delhi. He was expelled for allegedly consuming alcohol and narcotic substances in his hostel room along with five other students. Amid the protests, the university administration has relieved hostel warden Rakesh Kumar of his duties, IP University registrar Kamal Pathak told PTI. VIDEO | Delhi: MBA students of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University stage a protest in Dwarka after a student allegedly died by suicide earlier today.STORY | IP University student jumps to death from hostel building READ: https://t.co/8TVmjo7sA0 (Full video available pic.twitter.com/Sq0fuNN7df Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 15, 2024 Hundreds of students gathered outside the Vice-Chancellors office, holding a sit-in to demand justice for the deceased. They carried posters reading Justice for Gautam and Dont Let the Suicide Note Disappear and chanted slogans calling for accountability from the university. Protesters also demanded the resignation of Rakesh Kumar, accusing him of expelling the students without conducting a proper investigation. As per the expulsion order dated September 14, Gautam and five other students were removed from hostel residency for consuming alcohol and narcotic substances. The order prohibited them from entering the hostel premises and directed them to vacate their rooms by 2 pm on September 15. Police teams were stationed outside the Vice-Chancellors office and university officials were seen attempting to de-escalate the situation. According to students, he was distressed after being expelled following a birthday party celebration in the hostel. 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) Police enhanced security and registered cases against unidentified persons in Mandsaur city of Madhya Pradesh on Monday amid claims of stone pelting during a procession taken out to mark Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, an officer said. Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh: Tensions rose during the Barawafaat procession in Mandsaur when the priest of the Balaji temple located at the bus stand was injured. The priest claimed that some individuals involved in the procession threw stones at him. Upon receiving this news, Hindu pic.twitter.com/L3Ko2iMYsu IANS (@ians_india) September 16, 2024 A man turned up at Kotwali police station and claimed he sustained injuries due to stone pelting and attack by sticks during the procession, Superintendent of Police Abhishek Anand told reporters. Acting on his complaint we have registered a case against 10 to 15 unidentified persons for rioting and violence, he said, adding that nobody has been arrested. Anand said 40 police personnel have been requisitioned to Mandsaur from adjoining Ratlam district. The situation was under control and peaceful in the city, the SP said and requested citizens against uploading photos and videos on social media platforms without verifying their authenticity. Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi commemorates the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad. Meanwhile, state BJP spokesman and former Mandsaur MLA Yashpal Singh Sisodia claimed the situation turned tense due to the hurling of stones when the procession was nearing Nehru Bus Stand. It caused a stampede-like situation and forced businessmen in the area to down the shutters of their shops and commercial establishments, he told reporters. A 24-year-old Indian student from Telangana drowned while swimming with friends in a Toronto lake on his birthday. A Praneeth, who hails from Meerpet, had travelled to Canada to pursue his Masters degree and was celebrating his special day when the incident occurred. On Sunday morning, Praneeth went swimming but failed to return. His father, A. Ravi, reported that local authorities were notified and rescue teams took over 10 hours to reach the lake. Praneeths body was recovered later that evening, according to several reports. Watch: Hyderabad Student Drowns in Canada Lake During his Birthday CelebrationTragedy struck a Hyderabad family as A Praneeth, who completed his masters degree and on job search in Canada, drowned in a lake in Toronto while celebrating his birthday. Praneeth, a native of pic.twitter.com/KCYdYrLfoJ Sudhakar Udumula (@sudhakarudumula) September 16, 2024 The news reached the family on Monday through a friend of Praneeths brother. They are currently coordinating with local authorities and friends in Canada to facilitate the repatriation of his body. Praneeths father expressed profound grief over the death of his son. He had moved to Canada in 2019 for his studies, followed by his elder brother in 2022. The family is appealing to the government for assistance in expediting the process of bringing their beloved son back to Hyderabad. The external affairs ministry on Monday strongly condemned comments made by Irans Supreme Leader regarding the Muslim community in India and urged countries to look at their own record before commenting on others. In a strongly worded statement, the MEA rejected his remarks about the suffering of Muslims in India, describing them as lacking an understanding of the situation in the country. We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable, the MEA said in a statement issued by the official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. Statement on Unacceptable Comments made by the Supreme Leader of Iran:https://t.co/Db94FGChaF pic.twitter.com/MpOFxtfuRO Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) September 16, 2024 Look at their own record Without naming any nation, the MEA also urged countries that make observations about the treatment of minorities to reflect on their own records before criticising India. Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others, the MEA added. Earlier on Monday, Irans Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei commented on the suffering of Muslims in Gaza, and Myanmar in a message promoting global Muslim solidarity. In the same message on Prophet Mohammeds birth anniversary, he also mentioned India. In his statement posted on X, Khamenei did not provide specific reasons for mentioning Indias Muslim minority. The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah. We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or any other place. Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) September 16, 2024 We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or any other place, Khamenei said in his post. He added, The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah. Abdul Naeem, one of the three young men from Karnataka who returned from the Russia-Ukraine war zone said he was just miles away from the border and could hear loud explosions of bombs dropped by drones. The parents of the youth expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge who hails from Kalaburagi for their sons safe return. Russia-Ukraine War Naeem, who hails from Kalaburagi district went to Russia in December last year, returned on September 13. The youth said he was assured by his fraudulent agent that he would be employed as a security staff in Russia, but he realised upon landing that he was duped and was being taken to work as a support staff for Russian army near the conflict zone. Sharing his ordeal, Naeem said, We had to undergo 21 days training. They took away our phones. After training, on January 19, we (Indians) were separated. I was kept in a house and later taken to a place in Ukraine. I was about 19 kms from the border. War was raging on and we could hear sound of bombs. Lot of danger They were planning to send us to the forefront, but I told the commander that I was duped. I told them that we were assured of job as a security helper and huge amount of money was also taken from us. After hearing my story, they said they will give work but like 5 kms from border or may be sometimes 3 kms from border. So, there was lot of danger and we had to save ourselves from the drones. Some Indians also lost lives in drone attacks. Fearing for their lives, Abdul said he and his friends contacted their families and asked them to approach the central government for help. He recalled that on September 8, a commander arrived and told them that their army contract was no longer valid. The commander said you are dismissed from army service and can leave. From there, it took two days by a vehicle and after necessary paper work, we were given bullet proof jackets, uniforms, and other essentials. They used to make us wear bullet proof jackets while passing through dangerous spots, he recounted. He also received salary for around five months of work and was asked to raise a request for pending salary of two months. There was problem for food and we were depending on noodles and pasta they eat pork there we dont, Naeem said and advised people applying for jobs abroad to enquire about the agent before hand and keep the family posted. I pinned my hopes The victims father Abdul Rauf was made to run from pillar to post for the last four months to ensure his sons safe return. I had approached Priyank Kharge (Karnataka Minister), I also travelled to Delhi and met Jaishankar (External Affairs Minister) I pinned my hopes and keeping track of the news to know about my sons whereabouts. It is because of Modijis (PM Narendra Modi) kindness. I approached Kharge ji (Mallikarjun Kharge) in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi, ModijiJaishankar ji went to Russia twice. Everyone was working towards the safe return of our sons, he said. The victims family sought strict punishment for the agents who duped innocents under the pretext of getting jobs abroad. No one should suffer like my son. Russia had agreed to Indias demand to ensure early release of Indian nationals working with the Russian military after PM Modi very strongly raised the issue with President Vladimir Putin during his visit. Sharing Hazares undated interaction with the media, Kiren Rijiju took to his X handle and posted, We feel sorry for Anna Hazare Ji but more than Anna Ji, it has become a huge liability for the people of Delhi and to some extent, the whole country. We also never thought that anarchy and corruption would be made virtues. After Arvind Kejriwal announced his decision to step down from the Delhi CMs post, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday apologised to social activist Anna Hazare for the anarchy and corruption in the national capital and shared portions of an undated interview of the latter in which the activist purportedly sounded critical of the Delhi excise policy. We feel sorry for Anna Hazare Ji but more than Anna Ji, it has become a huge liability for the people of Delhi and to some extent, whole country.We also never thought that anarchy and corruption will be made virtues pic.twitter.com/W5d43yjHKm Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) September 16, 2024 Anna Hazare, who had previously led an anti-corruption movement with Kejriwal at Delhis Ramlila Maidan, was heard saying, I had already advised Kejriwal to keep thoughts clean and make sacrifices in life. But he drowned himself in (alleged) liquor corruption. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has maintained its stand, denying any involvement of its leaders in any corruption-related activities linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22. It was introduced in November 2021 and done away with on September 1, 2022, after coming under CBI scrutiny. Kejriwal Announces To Resign Kejriwal, in his first speech after securing bail from the Supreme Court in the alleged liquor policy scam on Sunday, said that he would resign from the post of the Chief Minister of Delhi within the next two days. He added that until he is acquitted by the court, he will not sit on the CMs chair. AAP leader Manish Sisodia, who secured bail in the liquor policy case, also cleared that he would not rejoin the Deputy CMs post until the public approves his honesty. He said that after two years of legal process, the countrys top court allowed him to continue his work. But I will not sit on the chair of Deputy Chief Minister-Education Minister right now. I have also decided that I will go to the public court along with Arvind Kejriwal and ask whether they consider me honest or not, Sisodia said. Theres something irresistible about luxury goods whether its a Louis Vuitton or Gucci bag, a Valentino dress, or Chanel accessories, owning high-end fashion brings an unmatched thrill. Owning these high-end pieces brings a special kind of joy and makes you feel like youre part of an exclusive world of fashion. The steep price tags can often leave you with remorse or a significantly lighter wallet, causing many to shy away from indulging in these splurges. But what if we told you theres a way to enjoy luxury shopping without breaking the bank? Yes, its true. You can flaunt those designer pieces without financial strain. Check out our list of top places where you can score amazing deals and discounts on branded items, so you can shop smart and look fabulous without the guilt! Bicester Village, UK Bicester Village is a shoppers paradise located just outside the town of Bicester in Oxfordshire, England. This open-air luxury shopping outlet is renowned for offering steep discounts on high-end fashion brands such as Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada, making it a must-visit for fashion enthusiasts. Beyond seasonal sales, Bicester Village provides year-round discounts ranging from 30 percent to 60 percent, allowing visitors to indulge in designer goods at a fraction of the price. Since its opening in 1995, it has expanded to house over 150 boutiques. Gotemba Premium Outlets, Japan Located at the base of Mount Fuji, Gotemba Premium Outlets is an open-air mall featuring over 200 stores offering a range of designer items from renowned brands like Burberry, Gucci, Balenciaga, and more. What truly sets Gotemba apart is its incredible pricing. Not only can you find rare, hard-to-locate brands such as Alexander Wang, Issey Miyake and Vivienne Westwood, but shoppers can also enjoy tax-free shopping and prices that are noticeably lower than those in Tokyo. 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Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, US Located about an hours drive from Manhattan, Woodbury Common Premium Outlets is one of the top shopping destinations in the US. This place houses around 220 high-end fashion brands and offers discounts between 25 and 65 percent every day. Brands like Balenciaga, Givenchy, and Chanel are among the many stores you can find at this place. In conclusion, indulging in luxury shopping doesnt have to drain your bank account. With such incredible outlets offering massive discounts on designer brands, you can enjoy high-end fashion at a fraction of the cost. In a time when processed foods often dominate the market, a return to fresh, seasonal ingredients is a refreshing and transformative shift. Embracing the bounty of each season not only elevates the flavor and quality of our food but also deepens our connection to nature and its cycles, offering a more holistic and enriching dining experience. According to Vikrantt Singh, Founder and Managing Director, Bansooriwalas, the appeal of seasonal ingredients lies in their unparalleled freshness and flavor. When fruits and vegetables are harvested at their peak, they retain their full nutritional value, including essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Imagine the sweetness of a ripe mango in summertime or the earthiness of fresh spinach in winterthese natural flavors are hard to replicate with out-of-season produce, he explains. The Benefits of Local, Seasonal Ingredients Singh emphasizes that using locally grown, in-season ingredients not only enhances each meal but also allows diners to savor the unique characteristics of regional produce. The enjoyment of seasonal flavors aligns with sustainability. By focusing on whats available at different times of the year, we reduce food miles, support local farmers, and make environmentally conscious choices, he adds. This practice not only creates a dynamic dining experience, as menus shift with the availability of ingredients, but also encourages anticipation and excitement for what each season will bring to the table. Moreover, honoring fresh, seasonal ingredients is about more than just sustainability; it is about preserving traditional culinary practices that have long been based on local harvests. Many recipes in India are passed down through generations, with each dish reflecting the land and its produce. Fresh, seasonal foods are not just a trend; they are a celebration of natures gifts. When we honor them in the kitchen, they have the power to transform any dish into an unforgettable experience, Singh notes, reinforcing the profound impact of seasonality in food culture. Creating Memorable Culinary Moments At Cottage Cafe by La Polo, this philosophy is brought to life through every dish they serve. Maninder Sethi, Founder of the cafe, is passionate about capturing the essence of fresh, seasonal ingredients in his culinary creations. Theres something truly enchanting about using natures finest produce at its peakit transforms flavors, enhances textures, and infuses a rich, wholesome quality into our meals, Sethi says. One standout example from their menu is the Quinoa Quotient, a tribute to both health and freshness. Quinoa, a nutrient-packed grain, takes center stage, showcasing how wholesome ingredients can be both nutritious and delicious. Equally indulgent is their Hot Chocolate, made with premium and fresh cocoa for a creamy, velvety treat, and their Hibiscus Tea, prepared from freshly picked hibiscus flowers, offering a healthy and refreshing drink with floral notes. Sethi highlights their Sloppy Joe, a hearty dish crafted with high-quality, local ingredients, as well as the Berry Goodness, where seasonal berries burst with natural sweetness in every bite. We let the changing seasons guide our menu, ensuring that each dish is a vibrant reflection of the time of year, he explains. This approach not only keeps their offerings exciting and fresh but also supports local farmers and champions sustainable practices. The Intersection of Tradition, Quality, and Nature Embracing the power of fresh ingredients creates culinary moments that are as meaningful as they are delightful. We blend the elegance of polo with the art of cooking, celebrating every meal as a tribute to quality and tradition, says Sethi. The use of seasonal produce is not just about flavorits about supporting local ecosystems, honoring time-honored practices, and delivering a dining experience that reflects the beauty and bounty of nature. Incorporating fresh, seasonal ingredients into everyday meals creates a celebration of natures gifts and allows us to reconnect with the land and its offerings. Whether its the vibrancy of summer fruits or the warmth of winter vegetables, the power of fresh ingredients lies in their ability to enhance our food and our connection to the world around us. Fresh ingredients are at the heart of exceptional dining experiences. Whether through traditional recipes or modern culinary innovations, seasonal foods offer a way to honor the cycles of nature, support local communities, and create meals that are both nourishing and unforgettable. Heydar Aliyev International Airport has been awarded the Level 2 (Reduction) Certificate under the global Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) Program. This accreditation confirms a reduction in the airports carbon emissions over the past three years and highlights Baku Airports strategic progress towards sustainable development and minimizing its impact on climate change. The ACA program, established by Airports Council International (ACI), is the only specialized program dedicated to reducing carbon emissions at airports. Having completed the initial Mapping stage, Baku Airport has achieved Level 2 (Reduction) and successfully implemented a project to modernize its lighting systems, water supply, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. These measures have further reduced carbon dioxide emissions by eliminating the use of R-22 refrigerant and mercury vapor. "Its a proud moment to see Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, the busiest airport in Azerbaijan, becoming the first in the country to join Airport Carbon Accreditation directly at Level 2 Reduction. As the main gateway to be used by delegates attending the forthcoming COP29, their accreditation will reflect on the continuous efforts of the airport industry globally to address its climate impact. Getting certified directly at Level 2 means the airport is actively engaged in driving continued Scope 1 and 2 emissions reductions, contributing to the sustainable future of air transport. Well done to the entire team for this significant achievement!", said Olivier Jankovec, Director General at ACI EUROPE Heydar Aliyev International Airport is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of its operations and making every effort to mitigate any such impact that may occur. In line with the core principles of the ACA program, we aim to advance our environmental initiatives and achieve higher levels of carbon accreditation, thereby contributing to global sustainability goals, emphasized the Baku airport director, Teymur Hasanov. The airport's current sustainability goals include achieving Level 3 carbon accreditation (Optimisation). This stage involves optimizing carbon emissions and active cooperation with all stakeholders. It is worth noting that the ACA program evaluates and recognizes airports' efforts to manage and reduce carbon emissions through seven levels of certification: Mapping, Reduction, Optimisation, Neutrality, Transformation, Transition and Level 5. Hina Khan is currently battling Stage 3 breast cancer. The actor has been open and vocal about her battle on her social media. Amidst this tough time, she hasnt stopped working and is constantly on the move. Recently, she turned showstopper for designer Vinal Patel in a stunning bridal attire and her fans cannot get enough of her indomitable spirit. For Vinal Patels show at the Times Fashion Week 2024 in Ahmedabad, Hina Khan turned showstopper. The actor decked up in bridal attire which has left her fans amazed. The outfit featured a scoop neck blouse that was adorned with intricate silver hand embroidery. The star of the outfit was the flared red lehenga which was embellished with heavy sequin handwork. The look was finished with a red dupatta that was draped on Hinas head. The red dupatta had a heavily embellished border and minimal frill details. She took to her Instagram to share the video from the event. The video shows fun BTS moments leading up to her graceful walk as the showstopper for Vinal Patel. Sharing the video, she penned an emotional note. She wrote, My Father always used to say, Hey Daddya strong Girl, Dont be a cry baby, Never complain about your problems (Only Gratitude) Take control of your life, Stand tall and deal with it So I Stopped worrying about the outcome, Just Focused on whats within my control Rest, Leave it to Allah. He sees your efforts, he hears your prayers and he knows your heart. This wasnt easy but I kept telling myself, Keep going, Hina DONT EVER STOP.. About last night, Dressed as a Bride after ages, at @hyattregencyahmedabad for @timesfashionweek Grand Finale @vinals_thefashionstudio How do I look BTW? View this post on Instagram A post shared by (@realhinakhan) The look was beautifully accessorized with traditional Indian jewellery. She wore a green and golden choker neckpiece, statement earrings, a nose ring, bangles, and even a matha patti. The look was high on glamour. Hina looked mesmerizing in a smokey eye, blushed cheeks, highlighter, soft contours, and nude lipstick. Her hair was neatly tied in a bun. Hina Khan was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. She shared the news with her fans in June this year. World Ozone Day, celebrated on September 16 every year, is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of the ozone layer in protecting life on Earth. It has significantly depleted in recent years, and annually this day is commemorated to educate people more about how this is a concern. It also spreads awareness about the steps that have been taken to preserve the ozone layer. World Ozone Day: History The United Nations General Assembly established World Ozone Day in 1994 to celebrate the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The Montreal Protocol, agreed on September 16, 1987, is an international pact designed to phase out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS). Although the Montreal Protocol was intended to phase out the manufacture and consumption of ODSs, some substitutes for these compounds, known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) were still considered harmful. Therefore, later, the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol was made legally enforceable and came into effect on January 1, 2019. The amendment proposes to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by the late 2040s. World Ozone Day 2024: Theme The theme for this year is Montreal Protocol: Advancing Climate Action. The aim is to not only celebrate the accomplishments but also look forward to deeper and faster action under the Montreal Protocol in the future. World Ozone Day: Significance The ozone layer is an area of the Earths stratosphere with a high concentration of ozone (O3) molecules. It protects life on Earth by absorbing the majority of the suns damaging ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Ozone layer depletion can result in increasing amounts of UV radiation reaching the Earths surface, which can be damaging to human health, ecosystems, and the environment. World Ozone Day is a reminder of the necessity of protecting the ozone layer for present and future generations. World Ozone Day: Facts Although ozone makes up only a small portion of our atmosphere, its existence is critical to human health. Most ozone is found high in the atmosphere, between 10 and 40 km above the Earths surface. This region is known as the stratosphere, and it contains approximately 90% of all ozone in the atmosphere. Ozone absorbs some of the suns biologically hazardous UV light. Because of its beneficial role, stratospheric ozone is regarded as good ozone. The phenomenon of ozone depletion over Antarctica became known as the ozone hole after the findings of a British Antarctic Survey study were published in May 1985. The phrase was first credited to Nobel Prize winner Sherwood Rowland. World Ozone Day: Quotes Netflixs Emily In Paris has returned with the highly anticipated second part of its fourth season. The show, a favourite among audiences for its engaging storyline about an American expat embracing her new adventurous life in the fashion capital of Paris, continues to dazzle with its over-the-top outfits. The first half of the new season, which premiered on August 15, immersed fans in Emily Coopers (portrayed by Lily Collins) glamourous life, filled with bold fashion choices and romantic escapades in Paris. But part two, released on September 12, shifts the scene to Rome, bringing Italian magic and a vibrant new European backdrop to the show. Each episode showcases breathtaking outfits that leave viewers spellbound, so it is natural that the series lead, Collins, has a favourite look from this season. Curious to know about it? Lets find out. Collins, 35, told People about her favourite outfit from the shows second part of season 4. I think theres an outfit in the two episodes at the end, which was a vintage Alaia skirt and a white collared shirt with flats and a little scarf, Collins said. It felt, to me, like a real departure for Emily, and more Italian, more holiday vacation vibes, and more practical running around with flats. It just felt cinematic, she added. The actress also shared with the magazine about the inspiration behind her outfits this season. When the trailer of the part two dropped, fans couldnt help but spot similarities between Emily and the iconic Audrey Hepburns classic looks from her film Roman Holiday. Collins pointed out that part two features nods to Hepburns films, including a Charade-inspired look set atop a mountain and references from Roman Holiday. One of the scenes has Collins sporting oversized sunglasses, a chic fur coat and a matching hat, perfectly channelling Hepburns elegant style from the 1963 rom-com mystery. She also wore a classic skirt and scarf outfit, which is reminiscent of Hepburns timeless wardrobe in Roman Holiday. Collins also mentioned that while the costume designer Marylin Fitoussi draws inspiration from these iconic looks, she always gives them a unique Emily twist. And [costume designer Marylin Fitoussi] always tries to draw inspiration, but give it an Emily twist. And so I think, for us, that was exactly what we did. We took images that were so iconic. So its important to always have that touch, she told the magazine. At the premiere of Emily In Paris season 4 part 2 on September 10, Collins stunned in a shimmering gold gown which she described as her kind of bold Roman statue moment to People. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lily Collins (@lilyjcollins) The striking Schiaparelli dress featured a low back, intricate sequin detailing and bronze medal embellishments that perfectly complemented her layered bracelets. She opted for brown peep-toe heels with bright red nail polish. She looks polished and elegant with a sleek bob parted in the middle, soft makeup and a bold dark pink lip. Vishwakarma Puja is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth anniversary of Lord Vishwakarma. The day is also known as Vishwakarma Jayanti. Lord Vishwakarma, honoured as the divine architect and engineer in the Rig Veda, is worshipped as the creator of the universe. Some scriptures define Lord Vishwakarma as the son of Lord Brahma, while some consider him as an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Vishwakarma Jayanti is observed on the last day of the Bengali month of Bhadra, also known as Bhadra Sankranti or Kanya Sankranti. This year it will be observed on September 16. Vishwakarma Puja Shubh Muhurat According to Drik Panchang, the Vishwakarma Puja Sankranti muhurat is expected at 7:53 PM. Vishwakarma Puja: Wishes, Images, And Messages Wishing you success and progress in all your endeavours. Happy Vishwakarma Puja! May Lord Vishwakarma bless you with success in all your endeavours. Wishing you and your family a Happy Vishwakarma Puja! May Lord Vishwakarma bless you and your family with his special blessings. Wishing you all a very Happy Vishwakarma Puja! Celebrate Vishwakarma Puja with devotion and love. Happy Vishwakarma Puja! Wishing you the home of your dreams and success in all your efforts. Have a blessed Vishwakarma Puja with your loved ones! May Lord Vishwakarma always bestow you with grace and guidance. Happy Vishwakarma Puja! May you always be surrounded by positive energy and great people in your work. Happy Vishwakarma! May the divine architect inspire you to build a future full of innovation and success. Wishing you a joyous Vishwakarma Puja! May Lord Vishwakarma bless you with strength, wisdom, and success in all your endeavours. On this day, may Lord Vishwakarma grant you the skills and wisdom to achieve excellence in your work. As we observe Vishwakarma Jayanti, may Lord Vishwakarma inspire you to craft and build a successful future. May your skills and creativity be refined, and may your efforts be recognized by all. Wishing you a blessed Vishwakarma Puja! On this Vishwakarma Jayanti, I wish you great success and happiness. May your efforts be acknowledged and rewarded. May your work embody the creativity and dedication of Lord Vishwakarma. Happy Vishwakarma Puja! May Lord Vishwakarma grant you the wisdom to create and the strength to bring your ideas to life. Wishing you a joyful Vishwakarma Jayanti! Vishwakarma Jayanti: Quote Lord Vishwakarma is the architect of the universe. He is the creator of all things, both seen and unseen. Lord Vishwakarma is a symbol of skill and creativity. He is an inspiration to all who work hard and strive to achieve excellence. Lord Vishwakarma is the divine craftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer of the Gods, and also the creator of the Universe. Vishwakarma Puja History Lord Vishwakarma is known for creating the city of Dvaraka for Lord Krishna and Indraprastha for the Pandavas. He created powerful weapons like Lord Vishnus Sudarshana Chakra, Lord Shivas Trishul and Lord Kartikeyas spear. He is also believed to have authored the Sthapatya Veda, which focuses on mechanics and architecture. Vishwakarma is the patron deity of craftsmen, with their tools often venerated during Vishwakarma Puja. Vishwakarma Puja Significance Vishwakarma Jayanti marks an important day for all the factory workers, architects, labourers, craftsmen and mechanics. On this day, devotees offer prayers to Lord Vishwakarma and also worship all machinery, including cycles, cars, machines and computers. Across the country, people conduct pujas in their workplaces and industrial areas, and many choose to refrain from using electronic devices and tools as a mark of respect. India has a variety of travel options if you are planning a holiday to unique and less crowded destinations. Since more people are leaning towards the option of offbeat places for travelling, here we will guide you to places that offer stunning aesthetics and the perfect opportunity to fully immerse oneself in the present moment. These hidden gems not only provide you a break from usual tourist trails but also are perfect for enjoying a peaceful getaway and indulging in experiences that are unforgettable. Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh Popular for its natural splendour and rich Tibetan culture, Tawang is located in the northeastern part of the country, Tawang is one of the most beautiful places. It is packed with breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains and lush valleys. While visiting the picturesque travel location, do not forget to soak in the beauty of Tawang Monastery, one of the Buddhist monasteries in India. Anchaviyo, Maharashtra The unique offbeat destination is nestled amid the tranquil landscape of towering trees. It comprises experiential thematic rooms, two restaurants serving delectable cuisines along with a bar. Trust us, Anchaviyo is perhaps the best getaway to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. Chopta, Uttarakhand For those unversed, Chopta is called the Mini Switzerland of India. The hidden paradise is perfect for those who wish to see the Himalayas and beautiful meadows. What makes the destination a must-pick is that it also serves as the gateway to the Tungnath Temple, one of the highest Shiva temples in the world. Mawlynnong, Meghalaya Mawlynnong, the Cleanest Village in Asia, offers a glimpse of the traditional Khasi lifestyle. The offbeat travel spot is popular for its pristine surroundings and nicely maintained cleanliness. Surrounded by lush forests and bamboo huts, the village captures the attention of the viewers for its living root bridges and nature walks. Panchgani, Maharashtra This calm hill town in the Satara district is prominently visited for its soothing silence and balming weather that can make you forget the world. Bordered by five hills of Sahyadri, the town also offers a glimpse of the serene view of the Krishna river flowing through hamlets and little farms, Rajputi caves, Sydney Point, Devrai Art Village and the Cliff Resort. We bet you will instantly fall in love with this hill station. Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth are now married. The actress surprised fans by revealing that the couple has secretly tied the knot. Taking to Instagram, she shared a series of photos from the fairytale wedding along with a note for her husband. The couple got married at a 400-year-old temple in Wanaparthy. You are my Sun, my Moon, and all my Stars To being Pixie Soulmates for eternityto laughter, to never growing up To Eternal Love, Light & Magic Mrs & Mr Adu-Siddhu , she captioned the photos. Check out the photos below: Speaking with Vogue India earlier this year, Aditi revealed that she and Siddharth decided to get married in a 400-year-old temple in Wanaparthy. The wedding will be centred around a 400-year-old temple in Wanaparthy that is of significance to my family, Aditi shared. Aditi and Siddarth met in 2021 on the sets of the Telugu film, Maha Samudram. In the same conversation, Aditi shared the adorable wedding proposal Siddharth had planned for her. I was closest to my nani, who passed away a few years ago. She started a school in Hyderabad. One day, Siddarth asked me if he could see it, knowing full well how close I had been to her. They visited the school in March and he asked Aditi to show him a special location close to her heart: a floor above the nursery section, she recalled. He got down on his knee and I asked him, Now what have you lost? Whose shoelaces are open? He kept saying, Addu, listen to me. And then he proposed. He said he wanted to bring me to my favourite childhood place, one with my grandmothers blessings, the actress added. The couple got engaged earlier this year. The Heeramandi star had shared photos from engagement and took the internet by surprise. Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth surprised fans with their wedding announcement. The couple revealed they silently got married at a temple. The photos are breathtaking and the venue is gorgeous. The temple is special to Aditi and Siddharth. Speaking with Vogue earlier this year, she said, The wedding will be centred around a 400-year-old temple in Wanaparthy that is of significance to my family. Although Aditi did not reveal the name of the temple, one Google search was enough to reveal that the temple is called Sri Ranganayaka Swamy Temple, better known as Shi Rangapur Temple. It is situated in the village of Srirangapuram, in Telangana, about 160 kilometers from Hyderabad. History of the Temple: According to Times Now, the temple was built in the 18th Century and is a beautiful example of the Vijayanagara architecture. It is believed that the temples architecture is inspired by the popular Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu. The King of Vijaynagara at the time, King Krishnadevaraya, wanted a similar divine structure in his kingdom and thus the temple came into being. The temple is popular in the state, with devotees from different parts of the state and neighbouring states coming down frequently to offer their prayers. Many weddings also take place at the temple. Since Aditi and Siddharths wedding also took place there, the popularity of the temple will only amplify. Taking to Instagram, Aditi shared gorgeous photos from the wedding venue. You are my Sun, my Moon, and all my Stars To being Pixie Soulmates for eternityto laughter, to never growing up To Eternal Love, Light & Magic Mrs & Mr Adu-Siddhu , she captioned the photos. The couple had been dating for a few years before Siddharth proposed to Aditi. The couple announced their engagement earlier this year and kept their wedding details a secret. It seems like the MeToo wave is hitting the Telugu film industry. In a shocking turn of events, choreographer Jani Master has been accused of sexually assaulting his 21-year-old colleague. It is reported that an FIR has been registered against the choreographer, who is formally known as Shaik Jani Basha. Police said a 21-year-old woman, who is also a choreographer, has accused him of the sex crime. According to The Hindu, the woman filed her complaint in Raidurgam police in Hyderabad and accused him of assaulting her during outdoor shoots. She had been working with Jani for the past few months. He has been booked under clause (2) and (n) of section 376 (rape), criminal intimidation (506) and voluntarily causing hurt (323) of the IPC. The complainant said that Jani had sexually assaulted her multiple times during their shoots in different cities, including Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad. She also claimed that he assaulted her at her residence in Narsingi several times since the woman is a resident of Narsingi, the case has been transferred to the police there and further investigation will be taken up, a senior police official said. According to the complaint, the accused said these incidents happened in 2019 but she couldnt speak up as she was being threatened by the choreographer of throwing her out of the industry. She was also threatened by the accused aides. The report also added that Shikha Goel, DG of Women Safety Wing (WSW) Telangana, was approached by the people in the film fraternity to get her guidance on the matter. I advised them to launch an internal inquiry under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act and since the allegations also attract criminal charges, they were also told to register a case with the law and order police the case shall be investigated further as per protocol, she said. This is not the first time that the choreographer has landed in legal trouble. Earlier this year, a dancer named Satish filed a case against him, accusing him of harassment. Jani Master has worked with several prominent actors in India. These include Allu Arjun, Salman Khan, and Jr NTR. He has choreographed several songs, including Aayi Nai from Stree 2 and Arabic Kuthu in Beast. He is yet to react to the claims. Govindas wife Sunita Ahuja is making headlines for an intriguing conversation that she recently had with the host of a podcast. During the interaction, she opened up about her views on participating in Bigg Boss while also sharing whether she would like to replace Archana Puran Singh in The Kapil Sharma Show. If this was not enough, she also reflected on her family feud with Krushna Abhishek and his wife Kashmera Shah. On being asked whether she would be interested in entering the Bigg Boss house in the Time Out with Ankit podcast, Sunita Ahuja revealed that she had been receiving the offer for a few years now. She said, Theyve been making me offers for the last four years. For the OTT version as well, the one hosted by Anil Kapoor. They came to me twice for that, and I told them, Are you mad? You think I clean toilets? You ask me this question, but tell me, would you ask Shah Rukh Khans wife the same thing? Do you think were struggling financially? I dont even watch Bigg Boss. Further, Sunita Ahuja was also asked about her stand if she is offered to replace Archana Puran Singh Kapil Sharmas comedy show. In response, she said, Kashmera aur Krushna ke saath mera nahi jamta hai (I dont get along with Krushna and Kashmera), further adding, Karti main agar wo log nahi hote toh karti (Had they not been there, I would have done it). He is with Kapil na. Otherwise I would have loved to do it. If reports are to be believed, the ongoing feud between Kashmera Shah and Sunita Ahuja began in 2018. Kashmera, in one of her posts on X, had written about people who dance for money, which led Sunita to allege that it was intended to target Govinda. As the tension escalated, both families cut ties with each other. Months ago, the actor was seen attending his niece and Krushnas sister Artis wedding in Mumbai. However, Sunita skipped the celebrations, hinting that all is still not well between the families. Govinda and Sunita got married in 1987 but decided to keep it under wraps for nearly two years. The couple is parents to two children Yashvardhan Ahuja and Tina Ahuja. Today, we are celebrating the 53rd birthday of Prasoon Joshi, the acclaimed lyricist, screenwriter and poet known for transforming profound emotions into simple, relatable lyrics. Lajja (2001) marked one of Prasoon Joshis early notable contributions as a film lyricist. He rose to fame with Yash Chopras Hum Tum and several blockbuster Bollywood films including Fanaa, Rang De Basanti, Taare Zameen Par, Black and Delhi 6. Notably, he also ventured into dialogue writing with Rang De Basanti in 2006. Over the years, his work has garnered numerous awards, including Filmfare and National Awards. In 2015, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for his contributions to the arts, literature and advertising. Additionally, Joshi has also been serving as the Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) since 2017. To mark his birthday, let take a look at some of his award-winning songs: Zinda (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag)This song won the 2014 Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist. This energetic anthem embodies resilience and triumph, with its powerful lyrics reflecting the indomitable spirit of the films protagonist, Milkha Singh, while resonating deeply with the audiences own personal struggles and victories. Chand Sifarish (Fanaa)Almost all of us have grooved to the catchy tunes of this popular song. Prasoon Joshi received the 2007 Filmfare Award for Best Lyrics. The song is a romantic ballad that blends whimsical and passionate lyrics to express deep affection. Its a perfect example of Joshis skill in weaving poetic charm into contemporary love songs. Bolo Na (Chittagong)This beautiful song won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics in 2012. This songs emotional and stirring lyrics capture the emotional intensity of the films historical narrative. It highlights Joshis ability to evoke strong feelings through his words. Maa (Taare Zameen Par)There are barely any of us who have watched the film Taare Zameen Par and not shed a tear or two while this song played in the background. Winner of the 2008 Silver Lotus Award for Best Lyrics, Maa is an emotional tribute to mothers, with lyrics that beautifully encapsulate the depth of maternal love and support. This song also won the National Film Award, Filmfare Award and Producers Guild Film Award for Best Lyricist. Roobaroo (Rang De Basanti)Prasoon Joshi won the 2006 Global Indian Film Award for Best Lyricist for the song Roobaroo from Rang De Basanti. The youthful and energetic lyrics reflect the films vibrant energy and revolutionary spirit, conveying a sense of liberation and optimism that perfectly resonates with the themes of youth and change in the film. Sasural Genda Phool, Delhi-6Prasoon Joshi penned this upbeat track for Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor starrer. The music for this track, which blends traditional folk with contemporary Bollywood elements, was composed by A.R. Rahman. This song was widely appreciated by audiences, which is a significant reward in itself. Prasoon Joshi has created a profound impact on Indian cinema through many other memorable songs, each reflecting his exceptional lyrical artistry and emotional depth. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. The possibility of establishing an Azerbaijani Trade House and a Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Pakistan is being explored, Deputy Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Samad Bashirli said during the Azerbaijan-Pakistan Business Forum in Baku today, Trend reports. Bashirli pointed out that the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Pakistan hit the $27 million mark in 2023, with most of it being imports from Pakistan. However, theres a goldmine of potential waiting to be tapped for further developing mutual trade. The non-oil industry, he claims, has enormous untapped potential, especially in the travel, pharmaceutical, and transportation sectors. He added that Azerbaijan and Pakistan have strong, multifaceted ties based on deep friendship, brotherhood, and alliance. "These close ties have elevated our cooperation to the level of strategic partnership. The Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership between Azerbaijan and Pakistan, signed in 2015, has significantly contributed to the long-term development of relations between our countries," the deputy minister pointed out. High-level talks took place in Pakistan on July 11 this year during the state visit of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. During this visit, 15 agreements were signed, covering a wide range of areas, including economic, cultural, scientific, and technological cooperation. As a result of this important visit, the legal framework governing our cooperation has grown to more than 50 signed documents. Pakistani companies are really making waves in Azerbaijan's economy, stepping up to the plate and showing their mettle. "As of August 8, 3,706 Pakistani companies have been registered in Azerbaijan, operating in sectors such as transport, construction, trade, and services. Of these, 3,304 are currently active. As part of our efforts, economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan will deepen further," Bashirli added. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Kangana Ranaut attended the News18 India Chaupal event on Monday in New Delhi when she expressed concern regarding the safety of women in our society and made a shocking claim. The actress alleged that Bollywood actors assault female members of the film industry and exploit a lot. Do you know how do these heroes assault women? They call them for dinners, message them, ask them to come home, Kangana said and then added, Look at the Kolkata rape and murder case. Look at rape threats to me. We know that we do not respect women. The film industry is no different. College boys comment on females. Film heroes are no different. They are also like this. We know how a woman is treated at a workplace. Even Saroj Khan was once asked about rape and sexual assault in the film industry when she said, Rape toh karte hai par roti bhi dete hai. This is the situation of our daughters in this film industry, she claimed. Kangana Ranauts allegations come at a time when the MeToo movement in the Malayalam film industry has jolted the nation. It all started after the findings of the Justice Hema Committee Report were made public. As of now, FIRs have been registered against several film personalities including Mukesh, Siddique, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, Maniyan Pillai Raju, directors Ranjith, V. K. Prakash, production executives Vichu and Noble after women actresses registered complaints. Earlier today, actress Shefali Shah was also speaking at News18s She Shakti event in New Delhi when she also shared that she feels helpless and hopeless whenever she reads about brutality against women in our society. I just feel helpless and hopeless. I dont even know what to make of it. I am not even angry anymore, which is worse. When you are feeling something at least there is some kind of emotion but I just feel, How do you correct this? I might sound very pessimistic but I dont really know if we can completely eradicate this kind of toxicity from our country or this world, Shefali said. Kangana Ranaut has opened up about the delay in the release of her latest movie, Emergency. The film, which was supposed to hit theatres on September 6, was postponed due to pending certification from the censor board. Several Sikh outfits have also opposed the films release, claiming it presents the community in a negative light. However, the actress was speaking at the News18 India Chaupal event on Monday in New Delhi, when she argued that only some people have an objection to her movie. She questioned those defending Bhindranwale and made a strong statement saying he was not a saint but a terrorist. It is our history which has been intentionally hidden. We are not told about this. Bhale logo ka zamaana nahi hai, Kangana said and then added, My film is ready to be released. It has received certification from the censor board. 4 historians supervised our films. We have the proper documents. There is nothing wrong with my film. But some people call Bhindranwale a saint, revolutionary or a leader. They threatened via pleas (to ban her film). I have also received threats. Previous governments have declared Khalistanis as terrorists. He was not a saint who was sitting in a temple with an AK47. Only some people have an objection to my film, they are also inciting others. I dont think 99 per cent of the people of Punjab consider Bhindranwale a saint. He is a terrorist and if he is a terrorist, my film should be released, Kangana said. Kangana further explained that the postponement of her film also caused her a financial loss. Till when will we continue to play safe? I do not think like this. I never thought people will have an objection to Bhindranwale being shown as a terrorist. I am being tortured. It is so embarrassing for me. We also faced losses. My movie was cancelled just 4 days back, she said. Kangana Ranaut is not just playing the lead in Emergency but is also directing it. Besides Kangana, the film also stars Anupam Kher, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry and Shreyas Talpade among others. While Shreyas Talpade will be seen playing the role of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Anupam Kher will be seen as Jayaprakash Narayan. Late actor Satish Kaushik will also be seen as Former Deputy Prime Minister of India, Jagjivan Ram. However, the film has been facing boycotts and ban calls. Several Sikh organisations have accused the film of presenting the community in the wrong light. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Akhal Takht have also demanded an immediate ban on the film, claiming it tries to character assassinate Sikhs by creating a narrative against them. South actress Nayanthara and her director-husband Vignesh Shivan are undeniably one of the It couples in Tinsel Town. Recently, they attended the South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) 2024 in Dubai. Several pictures and videos of the couple have attracted the attention of their fans. But a particular clip of the lovebirds, showcasing Vigneshs gesture for his actress-wife, is receiving much love from their fans. In a video shared by a South paparazzo page, Artistry Buzz, the director was seen clicking multiple pictures of Nayanthara with her fans at the event venue. After handing over the phone to the owner, the couple proceeds to pose on the red carpet. For the awards show, Nayanthara and Vignesh paired in black outfits. The actress wore a shimmery saree paired with a heavily embroidered blouse featuring feather detailing on the sleeves. She accentuated her look by opting for diamond earrings, a subtle glam and bun hairdo. Meanwhile, her husband looked dapper in a suit. A while back, the official Instagram page of SIIMA 2024 posted a carousel featuring a romantic moment between Nayanthara and her husband on stage. The Jawan actress won the Best Actor for her performance in Annapoorani. In the first picture, the director is seen kissing his wifes forehead while she is smiling ear-to-ear. The post was shared with the caption, A true power couple! @nayanthara and @wikkiofficial celebrate a triumphant night as they both take home well-deserved awards at SIIMA, marking a memorable moment of recognition and achievement! SIIMA is a special place for Nayanthara and Vignesh, as they confirmed their relationship during the 2016 edition of the award ceremony. They had been dating since crossing paths while filming their 2015 Tamil-language romantic comedy Naanum Rowdy Dhaan. After almost seven years of courting, the duo took their relationship to another level by tying the knot on June 9, 2022. In October of the same year, the couple announced the birth of their twin children, Uyir and Ulagam, via surrogacy. Not long ago, Nayanthara shared an album on her Instagram account, offering a glimpse into her life with her husband and two children. On the work front, Nayanthara was last seen in Annapoorani, which was released in theatres in December 2023. After its initial run, when it was released on Netflix, the film was accused of hurting Hindu sentiments and was eventually removed from the streaming platform after much backlash. At present, the lady superstar has Test, Mannangatti Since 1960, Thani Oruvan 2 and Dear Students in the pipeline, while Vignesh is busy shooting Love Insurance Kompany (LIK). With NTR Jrs Devara: Part 1 just days away from its release, the buzz surrounding this grand cinematic voyage is reaching tidal heights. At a recent panel discussion moderated by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, audiences were given a glimpse into the creation of this epic saga. Set in a mythical coastal world, the film is about a fearless warrior, Devara (NTR Jr), who braves the treacherous seas to protect his people. But lurking beneath the waves is a deadly conspiracy one that comes from within, as Devaras brother, Bhaira (Saif Ali Khan), plots from the depths of the shadows. During the interaction, Saif Ali Khan opened up about how he landed his first role in Telugu cinema. Recalling how he was approached for the role, Saif said, Firstly, when I was approached for the film, it was a great honour. I love Hyderabad cinema and I think it is the future for a lot of Bombay actors, who will be lucky and excited to be in big Hyderabad movies. I was very lucky to get this offer. His initial worries about stepping into such a role and overcoming the language barrier were soon eased by director Koratala Siva. He (Koratala Siva) said just turn up, and its going to be an easy experience. Dont worry about it, Saif recollected, smiling. He gave me the most passionate narration, Saif continued and then added, Normally, my attention can wander if its not a great narration or I feel sleepy also, Saif joked. But in this case, he was hooked. It was a spellbinding narration, very emotional. Devara is set against the coastal lands and is helmed by Koratala Siva. The film also marks Jr NTRs 30th film. Reportedly, the actor will be portraying both, father and son on screen in this film. Devara also stars Janhvi Kapoor and marks her debut in South films. It is also her first-ever collaboration with Jr NTR. Just like RRR, this Telugu movie will reportedly have high-octane action sequences that are expected to blow away the minds of the audience. As per reports, Devara was made on a huge budget. The makers reportedly spent a whopping Rs 140 crore on its VFX. Devara has already received a U/A certificate in India from CBFC. It will hit theatres on September 27, 2024. Performing at the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024 wasnt just a no-pay thing for Tom Cruise but also had one other factor involved. The Mission Impossible actor laid down a major condition before agreeing to deliver the high-octane stunt in Paris, where he made a dramatic entrance by parachuting from the top of the stadium and riding a motorcycle with the Olympic flag. Casey Wasserman, president and chairperson of the LA28 committee for the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, recently opened up about the Hollywood actors involvement in the ceremony. He revealed that it was producer Ben Winston who had the idea to include Cruise for a brief moment, but the actor wanted to do the stunts himself. The moment when Tom Cruise flew through the Stade de France. What was your favourite part of the Paris 2024 #ClosingCeremony? Rewatch the best moments of the Games here https://t.co/nyCSlAtUVZ#Paris2024 #Olympics #LA28 pic.twitter.com/wOO0Vx4M95 The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 13, 2024 Speaking at the CNBC x Boardroom: Game Plan event in Santa Monica, he said that while the original concept involved a stunt double, Cruise himself changed the plans. The best part of the story is we pitched on Zoom, and the original idea was a person in the stadium as a stunt double. Were like, Well, theres no way were getting this. Were going to get four hours of filming time. Well do the thing with the Hollywood sign; hell hand the thing off, and hes done. Maybe well get the other stuff and the rest will be just a stunt double, he said. Despite Winstons concerns about Cruises commitment to the event amid his busy schedule, he eventually made it to the main day. He not only took part in the closing ceremony without payment but was also able to fit the physically demanding Olympic segment into his tight schedule and did his own stunts. He finished filming Mission: Impossible at 6 PM in London and got right on a plane. He landed in Los Angeles at 4 AM and filmed the scene where he pulled onto a military plane. In L.A., he does two jumps out of the plane. He didnt like the first one, so he did a second jump. Then he helicoptered from Palmdale to the Hollywood sign, filmed from 1 until 5, helicoptered to Burbank Airport, and flew back to London, Wasserman recalled. It is worth mentioning that Tom Cruise is currently busy with the production of his yet-to-be-titled eighth Mission: Impossible movie. Shilpa Shetty Kundra never fails to amaze fans with her ever-appealing fashion sense. At 49, the Bollywood beauty is capable of giving the youngsters in the industry a run for their money with her fitness and stunning appearances. Recently, Shilpa Shetty visited Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shindes residence in Mumbai to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi. Popular paparazzo Viral Bhayani shared a video on his Instagram page on Sunday, in which the Bollywood actress could be seen wearing a beautiful green and pink striped silk saree paired with a pink half-sleeved blouse, a perfect choice for ongoing festival season. To accessorise her look for the event, Shilpa opted for an emerald-diamond choker and a stack of bangles. She kept her glam subtle with kohl-rimmed eyes, pink lipstick and a red bindi. The diva tied her hair into a sleek ponytail. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani) Apart from Shilpa, several other B-town celebrities were spotted arriving at Maharashtra CMs residence, Varsha Bungalow. Among them were Sonakshi Sinha and her husband Zaheer Iqbal, Divya Khossla, Disha Patani, Ayush Sharma, Himesh Reshammiya and Mrunal Thakur. Shilpa Shetty is known for her Ganpati celebrations. From welcoming Lord Ganesha with pomp and zeal to bidding him adieu, the actress celebrations have often caught the attention of her fans. Like every year, this year, Shilpa and Raj welcomed Ganpati to their home with much fervour. The actress took to her Instagram account to share some candid moments from her Ganpati celebrations. Sharing the pictures, she wrote, , Opening our hearts and doors to welcome Bappa, Favorite time of the year. For this joyous occasion, the Bollywood actress wore a Johari skirt set from Punit Balanas collection. Her outfit comprised an embroidered waistcoat, tissue skirt and dual-toned contrasting dupatta. On the day of Ganpati Visarjan, Shilpa twinned with her daughter, Samisha, in mustard yellow floral shararas and choli sets. The actress opted for earrings and adorned her well-tied braid with latkans. In the video that she shared on her Instagram account, the entire family was seen offering prayers before bidding adieu to Lord Ganesha. Sharing the video, Shilpa wrote, Never easy to say goodbye to our Gannu Raja. We bid him farewell with heavy hearts but full of gratitude and love. Cant wait to welcome you next year. , | Shilpa Shetty last appeared in Rohit Shettys Indian Police Force alongside Vivek Oberoi and Sidharth Malhotra. She will star next in the Kannada film KD-The Devil. India has quietly emerged as a significant player in efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Over the past few months, there has been a flurry of diplomatic activity, with India actively positioning itself as a mediator between the two warring sides. From NSA Ajit Dovals secretive meeting with Putin in Russia to EAM S. Jaishankars key meetings in Berlin, India is pursuing a delicate but determined diplomatic path. Indias involvement in the Ukraine conflict didnt just start with Dovals recent visit to Russia. Since June, India has been ramping up its diplomatic engagements, signalling a more active role in global peace efforts. So, lets look at the timeline of Indias diplomatic efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the table. In June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G7 Summit in Japan. This meeting was significant, as Modi not only expressed Indias humanitarian support for Ukraine but also emphasised the need for dialogue and peace. India made it clear it was ready to be part of the solution, not just a bystander. In July, Modi travelled to Moscow for a high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. While the details of their discussions remain largely confidential, it was evident that India was seeking ways to bring both sides to the negotiating table. Then, in August, Modi went to Kyiv in Ukraine to meet Zelenskyy once again. This marked a bold move by India, a direct visit to the war zone. Modi came in with humanitarian aid for Ukraine, and made sure that Zelenskyys concerns were heard. The visit laid the groundwork for further engagement and built Indias credibility as a potential mediator. Modi later spoke with US President Biden on the phone to discuss his meeting with Zelenskyy. Fast forward to September, and we see Ajit Doval in St Petersburg. Dovals visit was strategic. He met Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS NSA summit but carried a much larger agenda: briefing Putin on Modis discussions with Zelenskyy and exploring peace proposals. Reports suggest Doval wasnt just acting as a messengerhe was laying out Indias own peace framework. Ajit Dovals Moscow Meeting Dovals meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg is being viewed as one of the most significant developments in Indias involvement in the Ukraine war. According to reports, Doval was carrying a peace plan that sought to find a middle ground between the conflicting demands of Russia and Ukraine. Indias ability to talk to both sidessomething few nations can dohas given New Delhi a unique advantage. While the full contents of the discussions are under wraps, this meeting came shortly after Modis visit to Kyiv, signalling Indias serious intent to mediate. Some speculate that India could offer to host future peace negotiations. Jaishankars Statement in Germany While Doval was working behind the scenes in Russia, EAM Jaishankar was making Indias stance public in Germany. During his visit to Berlin, Jaishankar reaffirmed that negotiation is the only viable solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He stressed that at some point, both Russia and Ukraine would have to sit down for talks, and importantly, Russia must be included in those negotiations. This statement from Jaishankar reinforced Indias balanced position. While India has deep historical ties with Russia, it also recognises the legitimacy of Ukraines concerns. India has repeatedly advocated for diplomacy, calling for both sides to prioritise dialogue over conflict. Jaishankars message was clear: India is ready to help, but any peace deal must include Russia. This is in line with Indias four key principles that this is not the time for war, that there is no solution on the battlefielddiplomacy is a must, that Russia must be part of the peace process and that India is deeply concerned about the global consequences of the war and stands ready to support peace efforts. Indias Peace Proposal Whats on the Table? So, what is Indias role moving forward? India now has its own proposal on the table, but the question iscan it succeed where other peace initiatives have failed? Weve already seen several proposals crash and burn. Zelenskyys 10-point peace plan was rejected by Putin. Putins two-point proposal was dismissed by Zelenskyy. Even Chinas six-point plan for a summit between Russia and Ukraine was turned down by Kyiv. Now, India has the option to act as a mediator or host a peace summit, and many believe this could be the next logical step. Indias reputation as a neutral player gives it credibility, but its still unclear how receptive Russia and Ukraine would be at this point to a peace proposal. Roadblocks Ahead Its also important not to get ahead of ourselves. The situation is complicated, and there are serious roadblocks to peace. Just as India ramps up its diplomatic efforts, the war is escalating. Ukraine recently carried out attacks on Russian territory, taking a large part of the Kursk region, and Kyiv is demanding the ability to use long-range military hardware. This move could potentially escalate the conflict even further. Russian President Putin has warned that any long-range missile strikes on Russia could mean NATOs direct involvement in the war. And this is where things get tricky. The US and NATOs stance will play a critical role. If the US approves Ukraines request for long-range missile strikes on Russian territory, the conflict could spiral into something much bigger, making it extremely difficult for any peace negotiations to take place. Putin has warned that such a development would mean direct participation of NATO countries in the war and would substantially change the very essence, the nature of the conflict. India, despite its growing influence, cannot control these developments. And as the war intensifies, the challenge for India will be finding a diplomatic pathway that works for all parties involvedRussia, Ukraine, NATO, and the US. Players like Germany, France and the UK too have a role here, which is why Olaf Scholzs recent acknowledgement that Russia must be involved in peace talks is significant. Jaishankars Berlin visit therefore is part of Indias peace efforts to end Europes war. And these efforts will continue in the months to come. Later this month, PM Modi will be in the US where he will be meeting several other world leaders including President Biden during the Quad Summit in Delaware. Then in October, he will head back to Russia to attend the BRICS summit where he will be meeting Putin. Right after this summit, he will be hosting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in New Delhi. So, the schedule is packed and ending the Ukraine war remains the top priority. Indias Role and the Way Forward Whats next for India? Indias strategic autonomy has positioned it as a key player in the peace process. Throughout the war, we know that India has carried sharp messages between Ukraine and Russia, be it during the Turkish Grain Deal or when the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was on the brink of a nuclear disaster. And its not just that. India now is investing a significant amount of time, goodwill and resources to bring Russia and Ukraine to the table. Prime Minister Modi and his team are meeting with world leaders, building trust, and pushing for diplomacy. Indias role is stronger than ever, but success will depend on what Russia, Ukraine, and NATO really want. Whether through its own proposal or facilitating discussions, New Delhi has made its intentions clearthis war must end, and India is ready to help make that happen. The road ahead wont be easy. The escalation in conflict, demands for long-range missile strikes, and rising tensions between Russia and NATO make diplomacy harder. But if any country has the ability to talk to all sides and offer a neutral, constructive path forward, its India. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. In my book Modi & India: 2024 and the Battle for Bharat, there is a reference to a pivotal moment in Narendra Modis tenure in office. The image of the prime minister executing a dandvat pranam before the idol of Lord Ram in August 2020. The setting was the Bhoomi pujan of the precise spot in Ayodhya where Lord Ram was born and where a grand temple dedicated to him was to be built. That day Prime Minister Modi transformed from being just a devotee to a new Hindu suratrana the defender of the faith. After all, it was under his watch that the Ram Janambhoomi had been wrestled free. In the final leg, the much-storied 500-year-long struggle even took a detour through Indias labyrinthine judicial system. Modi was certain that the construction of a grand Ram temple would set the stage for the final denouement the consecration of a veritable second republic. A new idea of India reclaimed from the rootless Westernised elite that equated any legitimate appreciation of the grandeur of Hindu civilisation as anti-secular. Indeed, as an unapologetic Hindu, Prime Minister Modi has given the majority community the confidence to reclaim their Hinduness a view on life that was largely externed from Nehrus India. For decades altogether, Nehruvians had succeeded in taking the Hindu out of the Indian. Anyone talking about the need to build the Ram temple, about implementing a uniform secular code, anyone seeking to draw inspiration from the Vedas to design a system of learning or even advocate Sanatana Dharma was labelled a Right-winger, Sanghi, Bajrangi, Hindu fundamentalist and so on. In Modis India, not only have Hindu symbols been accorded visibility but also the Hindu. Modis Sisyphean service to the Hindu cause comes naturally to him as he is a disciplined member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a nationalist organisation whose paterfamilias has always championed the Second Republic inseparable from its Hindu heritage. The RSSs Hindu Rashtra isnt a Hindu Pakistan but a nation where all citizens, castes and creeds are equally hypothecated to a larger Indic civilisational dharma or ethos. Unfortunately, the Left deliberately equates a Hindu Rashtra with a Hindu Rajya or state. And beyond this sleight of hand, the Left also equates Sanatana Dharma with religion. The Left maintains that India should be dharma nirpeksh. The original Indian Constitution also explicitly pledged this before it was amended. But dharma is a code of ethics. How can a country be dharma nirpeksh or one that is dharma agnostic? Wouldnt a country divorced from morality or dharma be ethically compromised? A feckless swamp of moral dissolution. The RSSs dharma rashtra is a modern-day Ram Rajya. And Modi, ever the disciple, never tires of emphasising his personal commitment to realising the Sanghs vision. Modis speeches frequently invoke Hindu symbols, festivals, and historical figures to emphasise a connect between the present and Indias Sanatani civilisational past. Modi references the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the labour of righteous Hindu saints and monarchs. The idea is to position these Hindu cultural narratives as national symbols. The ceremony in Indias new Parliament to install the Sengol (the Chola era sceptre held by Kings) as a modern-day national symbol with roots in Bharats Hindu golden age is a classic example. At a policy level too, Modis administration works to reappropriate Indias ancient cultural and spiritual heritage. For instance, the government has increased funding for the restoration of Hindu temples and historical sites. Institutions like the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) have been tasked with revisiting the portrayal of Indian history. The renaming of cities to reflect their Hindu heritage is a part of this effort. For example, Allahabad was renamed Prayagraj, and most recently, Port Blair was renamed Sri Vijiyapuram. These symbolic gestures also serve the additional purpose of distancing dharmic Bharat from wave upon wave of Islamic and British settler colonialism. The course correction has extended beyond the spiritual sphere. A panoply of laws are being pushed through to undo the impress of colonialism. Nehru, hypnotised by Western modernity, tried to graft its tenets onto the declared palimpsest that was India. Secularism the complete separation of church and state was one of the borrowed ideas. When Nehru realised that the Western notion of secularism was not the right fit for spiritual and religious Indians, his governments policy tweaks distorted the new republics legislative landscape. Now, Modi hopes that laws like the Uniform Civil Code will address Hindu resentment against state-sponsored minority exceptionalism. To ensure that the flame of Hindu consciousness doesnt flicker out, the Modi-led NDA has made significant changes to Indias educational curriculum. The young must be exposed to Indias ancient Hindu knowledge systems, including through the incorporation of subjects like yoga, Sanskrit, and Vedic sciences. The New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has taken a step in this direction. All these efforts have succeeded in consolidating Hindus like never before. But will this Hindu convergence pose a challenge to Modis commitment to carry everyone along? Much depends on how Modi balances Hindu cultural assertion with the philosophys inherent foundational commitment to pluralism and diversity. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. The moral decline of a nation is often preceded by a decline in the moral character of its leaders. Unknown If one follows the political trajectory of Rahul Gandhi, one would find an unmistakable deterioration in his politics over the years. From an initially naive politician with an inherent sense of entitlement to now an overtly manipulative one, his politics has been deeply disconcerting, especially given the fact that he now holds the position of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Recently, during a purported outreach campaign in the US, he made baseless and inflammatory remarks about the state of religious freedom in India. Despite being fully aware of the sensitivity involved, he recklessly raked up the issue of the rights of the Sikh community in India, falsely claiming that they face religious bias and hostility from the ruling establishment. It is patently clear that Rahul Gandhi is playing a deliberate and dangerous game of deception, and he is not doing so out of ignorance, he knows exactly what he is doing and the potential implications thereof. Like a politician driven solely by an insatiable lust for power, his actions betray a carefully thought-out plan to create a negative impression of Indias current ruling establishment and undermine its democratic institutions by spreading blatant falsehoods and casting unfounded aspersions. His calculated approach aims to erode trust in Indias democracy and its institutions, while presenting a distorted narrative that serves his political interests. Besides, there are credible concerns that Rahul Gandhi is willingly allowing himself to be exploited by anti-Hindu and anti-India elements, both within the country and abroad, whose sole interest lies in maintaining Indias instability and keeping it on the boil. In a stark illustration of his willingness to appease anti-India forces, Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with Ilhan Omar, a US Democratic Party leader, notorious for her vociferous anti-India stance. Omars actions have been consistently inimical to Indian interests, as evidenced by her introduction of anti-India resolutions in the US Congress, her opposition to the abrogation of Article 370, her deliberate violation of Indias sovereignty by visiting Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and engaging with Pakistani leaders to discuss alleged Islamophobia in India. Besides, there have been several media reports claiming Rahul Gandhis links with George Soros, billionaire US investor known for being critical of India. Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly engaged with anti-India elements to the detriment of Indias national interest. His rhetoric, which aligns with the dominant narrative in Western liberal circles, has been systematically amplified through various platforms, perpetuating a sinister and divisive agenda. Rahul Gandhis behaviour and attitude seem to betray a deep-seated feeling of superiority, characteristic of a politician who embodies the quintessential feudal mindset. He appears to believe that he is born to rule, and when denied his perceived birthright to power, he becomes incensed, unleashing dangerous ideas and intentions in his anger and exasperation. Despite having a section of the media and intelligentsia serve as his cheerleaders, Rahul Gandhis political career, spanning over two decades, has been marred by countless failures. This has led to growing impatience, culminating in a precipitous moral decline in his politics. He seems to have developed a penchant for unrestrained falsehoods, unsubstantiated allegations and a constant urge to vilify the countrys political process. We have seen him constantly taking an anti-India stand, labelling the most outlandish allegations against the government. During the recent Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi spread misinformation by falsely claiming that the Constitution and reservation system would be dismantled if the BJP were re-elected to power. Gandhis approach appears to be inspired by the propaganda tactics of Joseph Goebbels, who famously stated that repeated lies can become accepted as truth. If we carefully examine the current communication strategy of Rahul Gandhi and his team, it involves co-opting a victimhood mentality (often fabricated with no basis in reality) among a large section of the masses, exploiting it to further his own political agenda. He selectively takes up issues that can create hysteria among the people, often neglecting their wider repercussions. The most troubling aspect of this strategy is that, although it initially generates a reasonable support base, it ends up making things more dire in the long run without achieving any substantive progress. Rahul Gandhi, who presents himself as the messiah of the poor and downtrodden by championing their rights, conveniently forgets that most of the issues he now vocally talks about were created by his own party during its six-decade rule. His hypocrisy and historical amnesia are quite extraordinary. Edmund Burke, British conservative politician and thinker, said, Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises, for never intending to go beyond promise, it costs nothing. The problem with Rahul Gandhi is that he wants real power sans any real responsibility. The biggest mistake he is making is that, in his eagerness to undermine his political opponents, he is deliberately delegitimising and discrediting the political process as a whole. In his zeal to vilify the government, he is eroding the sanctity of institutions that have been built over time on the foundation of the trust of the people. Lastly, for decades, Indias robust democratic tradition has emphasised the importance of keeping national interests above partisan politics, especially when it comes to running down the government on foreign soil. This unwritten rule has helped maintain a sense of national unity and cohesion, even in the face of political disagreements. However, in recent years, this tradition seems to have been eroded. Its essential for Indias democratic health to strike a balance between robust political opposition and national unity, ensuring that criticisms are constructive and dont compromise the countrys interests or reputation globally. The writer is head, policy research, Bihar BJP. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. August 25 and 26 this year marked a grim reminder for Pakistan as Balochistan, the nations largest province, was engulfed by a series of militant assaults. Carried out by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) these attacks culminated in the deaths of over 70 individuals, including 23 civilians, bringing to the fore persistent fragilities within Pakistani statehood. These coordinated strikes, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the assassination of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti by state forces in 2006, highlighted the long-standing grievances of the Baloch populace towards a government that has continuously suppressed them. The recent surge in insurgent capabilities and their readiness to target significant installations were alarmingly evident. Furthermore, the attacks have starkly brought to the forefront the ethnic tensions that have simmered since Pakistans inception, which the state has attempted to brush under the carpet in the garb of a unified Islamic identity. In a particularly brutal episode, militants halted a civilian bus, verified the identities of the passengers, and executed 23 Punjabis. This was the result of anger caused by the historical disparities in resource allocation and political power that have favoured Punjab at the cost of Balochistan. Despite Punjabs economic dominance, the dire state of the national economy and profound inequalities have compelled its working class to seek opportunities in Balochistan, the least affluent province. This longstanding ethnic divide has often placed Punjabi migrant workers at the forefront of Baloch rebellion animosity, with the current scale of violence reaching unprecedented levels. The quest for Baloch independence can be traced back to Pakistans formation. However, the Baloch insurgency we are witnessing today revitalised around two decades ago. This resurgence happened after the US invasion of Afghanistan, which displaced numerous Pakistani-backed militant factions into Balochistan, thereby destabilising the already marginalised provinces traditional power hierarchies. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), established in the year 2000, along with other militant groups, has persistently challenged the Pakistani state, advocating secession due to the blatant exploitation of the Baloch populace. Despite Balochistans wealth in oil, gas, uranium, gold, copper, and other valuable minerals, the local people remain socio-economically suppressed, with 70 per cent categorised as multidimensionally poor. The province also lags significantly in socio-economic indicators including education, health, and employment. The gender disparity further complicates the socio-economic landscape, with only 24 per cet of women literate and a mere 19 per cent of girls completing primary education. The maternal mortality rate is alarmingly high at 700 per 100,000 births. Additionally, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) involving over $60 billion in infrastructure projects including the pivotal deep-sea port at Gwadar has exacerbated local grievances about the states exploitation of Baloch resources. This exploitation has spurred numerous attacks on Chinese interests and personnel in the province, intensifying Beijings security apprehensions, especially concerning CPEC. Rather than politically addressing the concerns of the Baloch population, the Pakistani state has opted for suppression of dissenting voices, establishing puppet provincial governments, and enforcing severe military measures. From the early 2000s, Pakistan has implemented a strategy of collective punishment against the Baloch people, characterised by the notorious kill and dump policy. This approach has normalised extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and custodial torture. Any dissent against the central governments policies, whether from human rights activists, journalists, teachers, or students, has been harshly silenced under the guise of counterterrorism efforts. Additionally, significant discrepancies exist between the official statistics and those reported by human rights organisations. For instance, the Voice of Baloch Missing Persons claims that 7,000 Baloch individuals have disappeared since 2004, in stark contrast to the 2,750 cases acknowledged by government records. This deepens the distrust between the state and the Baloch community, further inflamed by official narratives that dismiss calls for accountability as manoeuvres orchestrated by Pakistans adversaries, notably implicating Indias external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Recent actions of the Pakistani establishment illustrate its reluctance to address the grievances of the Baloch people, most notably through the harsh suppression and vilification of the non-violent Baloch resistance led by Dr. Mahrang Baloch and the Baloch Yakjehti Committee. The March against Baloch Genocide between December 2023 and January 2024, along with the Baloch Raaji Muchi in July-August 2024, presented critical opportunities for the state to initiate reconciliation and make progress in resolving the longstanding conflict. Nonetheless, the states outright dismissal and forceful suppression of these peaceful initiatives have only served to embolden the armed factions of the Baloch struggle, escalating the conflict further. The repercussions of this oppression have been borne not only by security forces but also by Punjabi civilians who migrated to Balochistan seeking better economic prospects, only to become victims in this escalated conflict. It remains doubtful that the Pakistani establishment will reconsider its approach and commit to the thoughtful, prolonged engagement necessary to address this protracted issue. The policy of treating the entire Baloch population as a security threat and responding with military force to what is fundamentally a political matter has led to countless deaths over the years. Regrettably, with the states interests now also intertwined with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the dominance of Punjabi ethnicity across all echelons of the establishment, the prospects for resolving this conflict appear to be exceedingly distant. The writer is an author and columnist and has written several books. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. Azerbaijani-Pakistani business forum has been held in Baku, Trend reports. The speakers included Deputy Economy Minister Samad Bashirli, Federal Minister of Commerce of Pakistan Jawad Paul, and Pakistan's Ambassador to Azerbaijan Qasim Mohiuddin. Bashirli said that the possibility of establishing an Azerbaijani Trade House and a Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Pakistan is being explored. He pointed out that the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Pakistan hit the $27 million mark in 2023, with most of it being imports from Pakistan. However, theres a goldmine of potential waiting to be tapped for further developing mutual trade. The non-oil industry, he claims, has enormous untapped potential, especially in the travel, pharmaceutical, and transportation sectors. He added that Azerbaijan and Pakistan have strong, multifaceted ties based on deep friendship, brotherhood, and alliance. "These close ties have elevated our cooperation to the level of strategic partnership. The Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership between Azerbaijan and Pakistan, signed in 2015, has significantly contributed to the long-term development of relations between our countries," the deputy minister also pointed out. Besides, according to him, Azerbaijan is considering investment opportunities in Pakistan's oil and gas sector. Bashirli noted a potential for joint efforts between Azerbaijan and Pakistan in both the oil and non-oil sectors, as well as in space industry projects that demonstrate high investment viability. He also emphasized the significant prospects for cooperation in areas such as transportation, hydrometeorology, and climate change mitigation. "We are also exploring investment opportunities in Pakistan's oil and gas sector and the development of precious metal resources. The energy sector remains a focal point, and both countries are considering potential pathways for further partnership," the official added. The business forum proceeded with B2B discussions. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel September 17, 2024, 10:30 AM IST | Episode 12 For many Indians, Narendra Modis tenure as Prime Minister signifies a civilisational resurgence unmatched since Independence. Three successive electoral victories for Modi since 2014 reflect more than just a call for improved governance; they mark a profound shift in India's worldview. As the Prime Minister turns 74, we look into his role in Indias quest to reclaim its position as a civilisation state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the opposition of insulting and making fun of him during his first 100 days as prime minister in third tenure. He said that instead of responding to the insult, he focussed on completing developmental works on agenda in the 100 days. While addressing a gathering at a launch event in Gujarats Ahmedabad, the prime minister said that in the first 100 days of the third BJP-led central government, work has commenced on projects worth Rs 15 lakh crore. In first 100 days of my third term, they (opposition) made fun of me and insulted me. I decided not to respond to any insult but to ensure completing the govts agenda for 100 days, he said. He further took a veiled dig at opposition saying that some people are filled with negativity targeting Indias unity and integrity and want to divide the country. PM Modi assured the people that the government is focused on improving peoples lives. #WATCH | Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, During the Lok Sabha elections, I guaranteed the countrymen that unprecedented decisions would be taken in the first 100 days of my third term. In the last 100 days, I spared no effort to fulfil the agenda of 100 days. I left pic.twitter.com/I3t1TizI2m ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2024 During the Lok Sabha elections, I guaranteed the countrymen that unprecedented decisions would be taken in the first 100 days of my third term. In the last 100 days, I spared no effort to fulfil the agenda of 100 days. I left no stone unturned in India and abroad. You people have sent me to Delhi by making me take a pledge to put the nation first. I have not seen day and night in the last 100 days. Put in all efforts to complete the 100-day agenda. Be it in the country or abroad, whatever efforts were to be made, they were made; no stone was left unturned. During these 100 days, work has commenced on projects worth Rs 15 lakh crore. I promised during the elections to construct 3 crore new houses, and we are making rapid progress on this. Whether its in villages or cities, we are focused on improving peoples lives. The prime minister also greeted and thanked the public for giving him the opportunity to serve the country for the third consecutive time. I have come here for the first time after taking oath as a Prime Minister for the third termYou all have shown and given massive love and support to meThis is my birthplace and I am grateful that you have come here to bless meAfter 60 years the country took a decision and created history. They choose the same government to serve the country for the third termThis is a big event of Democracy of the country he added. He further acknowledged the recent challenges due to heavy rainfall, saying, We saw massive rainfall recently, resulting in the loss of lives and property damage. The state and central governments are working tirelessly to ease the pain of those affected. For those in hospitals, I wish a speedy recovery. This is my first visit to Gujarat after winning a third term. Gujarat is my janbhoomi, and it has taught me the lessons of life. When a son returns to his roots and receives blessings from his people, it gives him renewed energy. Projects Worth Rs 8000 Crore Laid, Launched PM Modi arrived in his home state for the first time after the Lok Sabha polls on Sunday. On Monday, inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for several key development projects in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, with a combined value exceeding Rs 8,000 crore. VIDEO | PM Modi flags off Indias first Vande Metro that is scheduled to run between Bhuj and Ahmedabad. It has been officially renamed as Namo Bharat Rapid Rail.He also flagged off other Vande Bharat trains on routes like Kolhapur to Pune, Pune to Hubballi, Nagpur to pic.twitter.com/WNQM3Ka0BZ Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 16, 2024 The projects include the quadrupling of the Samakhiali-Gandhidham and Gandhidham-Adipur railway lines, the development of iconic roads within the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) area, and the construction of flyovers at major junctions including Bakrol, Hathijan, Ramol, and Panjarpol. He also met the beneficiaries of the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijlee Yojna, a free electricity scheme in the states capital Gandhinagar. He also inaugurated the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST) at Mahatma Mandir in Gujarat. (With inputs from agencies) Amidst the political turmoil in the national capital following Arvind Kejriwals decision to resign, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj explained why the Chief Minister chose not to dissolve the Delhi Assembly. In a freewheeling conversation at News18 Chaupal, Saurabh Bhardwaj said that the Aam Aadmi Party had already made the mistake" by dissolving the Assembly once. If we had done that again, the Opposition would have accused us of running away from government," Bharadwaj explained. Bharatiya Janata Party MP Bansuri Swaraj was also present on stage in the debate with Saurabh Bhardwaj. Asked why Kejriwal was taking two days to step down as Chief Minister instead of dissolving the Assembly, Bharadwaj said: We took two days time because yesterday was Sunday and today (Monday) is Eid. The first working day is tomorrow, that is Tuesday. He will resign tomorrow." You asked why did we not dissolve the Assembly. We have already made the mistake of dissolving the Assembly once. They (Opposition) will say that we are running away from government. We are not running away from government. He (Kejriwal) is renouncing his Chief Ministers post. If the public makes him sit on the Chief Ministers chair again and says that their son is honest, then he will sit. Otherwise, he will go home," he added. Arvind Kejriwal announced on Sunday that he will resign from the Delhi Chief Ministers post on September 17. In response to allegations by the BJP about something secretive" taking place in these 48 hours, Bharadwaj said: Think about this. If any file is to be signed, it cannot be done in secret. The signed file will go to the L-G and everyone will know. Nothing can be done in these 48 hours. For the last two years, there was propaganda against Arvind Kejriwal that they have proof about him earning lots of money It has been two years since the investigating agency has taken over the case. If there was proof on the first day itself, why did the trial not start even after two years?" During the conversation, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj said: The courts have found that Arvind Kejriwal is the kingpin of the liquor scam. He has a role in taking kickbacks amounting to Rs 90 to Rs 100 crore for the activities of the Aam Aadmi Party. The money was used in Goa elections. It was said in the order that Arvind Kejriwal has been granted bail on conditions, due to his involvement in the case." Meanwhile, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia is expected to meet Kejriwal on Monday. The meeting is slated to be held at the Chief Ministers official residence in the Civil Lines area. The AAPs Parliamentary Affairs Committee (PAC) is also likely to meet in the evening at Kejriwals residence. The AAP national convener has said that he would become Chief Minister and Manish Sisodia his deputy only when people say we are honest". The iPhone 16 series is unlikely to be Apples last big product unveiling for 2024 and reports more or less hint at the M4-powered MacBooks rolling out in the next few weeks. We have seen the company organise an event in October where the new MacBooks are announced and it could happen again next month, going by the Bloomberg report on Monday. Earlier reports have suggested that Apple is going to revamp its MacBook Pro lineup, as well as a redesigned Mac Mini, both of which will use the new M4 silicon. There will be new iMacs, a low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro, high-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros and Mac Minis, all featuring M4 processors. We expect the company to share the official event teaser in the coming days. MacBook Pro M4 Series: What To Expect Talking about the M4 chip, the company launched the chipset along with their new iPad Pro model at their Let Loose event earlier this year. It uses TSMCs (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited) advanced second-generation 3nm process promising enhanced performance and efficiency. While the processor is currently available in Apples most powerful iPad Pro, it is expected to appear in the MacBook Pro and iMac models by the end of this year, making it more powerful and efficient. Bringing the new M4 processor to the Macs will invariably increase its price but we dont see the jump being too steep from what the MacBook Pros already cost in the market. In addition to the MacBooks, we might also see a new and fresh Mac Mini model at the event next month. In fact, Apple could remove all the USB A ports and replace them with USB C ports for connectivity and other purposes on the new 2024 Mac Mini version. It has also been suggested that the 2024 Mac Mini will be Apples smallest model in the market but still packing enough power innards to run apps and the advanced AI features from the company. It could also feature an aluminium casing that gives it a premium design and probably making it lighter than its predecessor. A woman from Agra, Uttar Pradesh has filed a divorce after only 40 days of marriage because of her husbands cleanliness habits. This anonymous woman complained that her husband, Rajesh, bathes once or twice a month at most. Due to his infrequency in bathing, he reportedly developed an unbearable stench which she could no longer withstand. As per the India Today report, Rajesh states that he uses Gangajal water from the River Ganga for purification, sprinkling it over his body once a week. However, throughout the time they were married, which in this case was a short time, he took a bath six times in total that too by his wifes coaxing. The incident reportedly marked the beginning of the breakdown of their relationship. After several confrontations where the woman insisted on observing hygiene, she left and went back to her parents home. Due to the situation, her family registered a dowry harassment complaint against Rajesh at a nearby police station, the report added. In the family counselling centre in Agra, where the woman went seeking help from officials, her complaints were accorded due consideration. Rajesh responded positively to the police and counsellors intervention by promising to change habits and bathe daily. Nevertheless, the woman does not feel ready to go over the relationship once again as she still wishes to separate. The couple, as per the publication, has been advised to return to the counselling centre on September 22 to continue the conversation about their future. This is not the first case of this kind. Agra has witnessed other bizarre divorce cases in the past few months. Earlier this year, another woman sought a divorce from her husband because he failed to bring her a packet of Kurkure and this resulted in frequent quarrels between the two. According to a Hindustan Times report, the woman had a tendency to consume Kurkure regularly. Her addiction to consuming junk food frequently caused arguments at home. The report claimed that one day he failed to pack the food for home. She apparently became so enraged by this that she moved out of the house and back to her parents. A few days later, she went on to file for divorce. A Bengaluru resident who purchased an Ola Electric scooter has warned others against buying the two-wheeler after experiencing multiple breakdowns during rides. Nisha C Shekar, who bought the vehicle in October 2023, claimed that despite customer care updating the software, the issue with the lock screen persisted. She also claimed the vehicle was defective from the start, as she encountered problems with the motor and belt within just three months of her purchase. I received a defective product in the first place, fibre near the foot rest was broken. Later, I brought it to the notice of Ola manager, he promised us that they would be replacing within a week. We often encounter problems with the lock screen, which prevents us from entering the password. As a result, the vehicle remains unlocked and unusable, she told News18. Read| Video: Unhappy Ola Customer In Karnataka Sets Showroom On Fire Over E-Scooter Repair Woes She added, Its been 11 months since I got I vehicle and I have had to take it in for service 20-30 times. And most importantly when technique glitches come there way, they themselves are unaware about it. They are clueless and they doesnt know what to do next. Shekar further said that she took the vehicle to numerous service centres but to no avail: We initially took it to the Hoskote service centre where we brought the vehicle from and later they sent it to Mahadevapura, finally to the main and biggest branch Indiranagar. The OLA mechanics are clueless and take a quite long time to understand the problem and solve it. The frustrated Ola customer further described how, after receiving service, the vehicle broke down again, putting her life and others at risk. After the service, they informed me that they had replaced the motor and the disk, but not the battery. They also forgot to secure the nuts on the lock screen, highlighting the poor performance of their mechanics. On the same day as the service, our vehicle broke down in the middle of the highway, putting us at risk of colliding with other vehicles, which was extremely dangerous, she continued. When asked about the companys response to her complaints, Shekar said Ola directed her to book an appointment through the app, but no slots were available on the website. It took them an entire week just to get back to us! she exclaimed in frustration. Shekar, who uses the handle @Nisha_gowru on X (formerly known as Twitter), shared her ordeal on the microblogging platform as she posted a picture of her scooter with a placard attached. It reads, Dear Kannadigas, Ola is a useless two-wheeler. If you buy one, it will only make your life hard. Please do not buy an Ola Electric scooter. She signed the placard as a frustrated Ola customer. By hanging the placard on her scooter, she aimed to give everyone who sees it a reality check about the vehicle, urging them to reconsider purchasing it. Take a look at the picture right here: The frustrated Ola customer is not only uniquely protesting against the company, but also filed a complaint with the Bengaluru Rural District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission. The court Has admitted complaint on September 5 and sent a notice to Ola. In a post dated August 4, Nisha shared that she visited Ola Electrics service centre to get her scooter repaired but it broke down mid-way after 1.5 hours of repair by untrained technicians. She claimed to have pushed the scooter for 1 km at night towards home. We had to push This Ola for 1 km at Night towards Home This is the Commitment of @OlaElectric who think Their Customers are Their Slaves who are too free to Bring this Waste vehicle to Service Station every now and then! (@Nisha_gowru) August 4, 2024 After paying 1,62,000, Ola Electric treats their customers worse than slaves! It is their mistake and why should I leave my work aside and tow this waste e-scooter to service centre? she added. Shekar further declared, Ola is the worst. Period. Now they have taken my vehicle for repair. But I dont have any hope. I need a full refund and compensation for the agony I have undergone, she further told News18. News18 has reached out to Ola for a response. This story will be updated once the company responds. A small gesture on Onam by Bengaluru-based grocery company BigBasket left a resident furious. The company sent free orange and yellow marigold flowers with the grocery order. The woman, who goes by X (formerly known as Twitter) handle @malnadkoos, turned to the platform to question the addition of flowers to her grocery delivery. She even called the gesture by the company as worse than conversion, and asked if the company would do the same for other festivals as well. Read| Bengaluru Resident Hangs Placard on Ola Electric Scooter, Warns People Against Buying it So according to BigBasket, we should celebrate Onam! We like it or not is not up to us. It is up to them! wrote the woman on X. She criticised the gesture as forceful, and questioned whether the company would extend similar offers for other festivals, asking, Will you do the same for other festivals?Varamahalakshmi? Dasara? Deepavali? She said that the company sending flowers on Onam is worse than conversion, stating, Why give it for free for Onam? This is worse than conversion! X user @malnadkoos even shared a picture of two packets of flowers she received on Onam with her order. She also shared a screenshot from the app showing the flowers, worth Rs 28.25, as a freebie with her grocery purchase. So according to @bigbasket_com , we SHOULD celebrate onam! We like it or not is not upto us. It is upto them! They come and forcefully dump this on us. Will you do the same for other festivals?? Varamahalakshmi? Dasara? Deepavali? Why give it for free for ONAM?? This is worse pic.twitter.com/bV0oiWr8UR (@malnadkoos) September 15, 2024 In the comments section of her post, she said that she is fighting demographic changes by calling out the company through her social media post. Her bio on the microblogging platform, when translated from Kannada to English, reads, Our land is our rule, Kannada, Kannada-Karnataka-Kannadigas. After her post gained significant traction, social media users shared their opinions in the comments section. While some said she could have gifted free flowers to her neighbours or those celebrating Onam. Others suggested using them for decorating her home. Also Read| Bengaluru Man Gives Rape Threats to Woman on Road: Tried Breaking Car Window, Door Give it to someone who is celebrating. Try spreading happiness for a change. All that noise for a free item, said an individual. Another added, Hehe. How does it matter? They all are our festivals. I am sure you have exchanged gifts as part of Secret Santa program and that too very happily or celebrated Valentines/Thanksgiving. How is it that you were ok with them but not one of our own? Grow up! I dont personally celebrate Onam but Ill still appreciate it. Flowers are such beautiful & useful things. @bigbasket_com please continue giving this on every festival, expressed a third. A fourth commented, Whats the problem, use it for your regular puja. Or give it to your neighbour. I dont remember we getting any discounts or promotion on our Ugadi habba by these national level online stores in Karnataka, wrote a fifth. A sixth joined, Something needs to be really wrong with the person to hate on flowers! Just because it says onam special, you really cant see beyond it. I know I wouldnt complain about getting free stuff (just me?)and flowers dont really signify anything. You can use it for poojas or simply use it to decorate the house.its just flowers, right? chimed in a seventh. Former US President Donald Trump has received widespread appreciation for a heartfelt gesture to a child. A video of the boy named Liam was put on X, which included the child receiving a birthday greeting from Trump. The emotional clip published by Trump Advisor Kevin Smith on X indicates that Liam suffers from a rare brain condition and growth hormone deficit. Liam was brought to tears when he saw who had written him his birthday letter and requested, presumably, his mother to read it for him. Smith underlined that Trumps gesture was an authentic act of goodwill, not a PR gimmick. Before his mother asks whether he wants her to read the letter loudly, Liam carefully opens it and reads it discreetly at the beginning of the video. With tears welling up in his eyes, Liam gives his mother the piece of paper as his voice wavers. Meet Liam. A New York boy with a rare brain disorder and growth hormone deficiency. Who got a very special 8th birthday letter from a very special person, the caption read. Smith said in a subsequent post that Trump didnt request to have the video recorded. Rather, Liams family provided it to him. According to him, the former president is a good person despite the negative portrayal that the media attempts to give him. Meet Liam.A New York boy with a rare brain disorder and growth hormone deficiency. Who got a very special 8th birthday letter from a very special person. This is the side of Trump the media WILL NEVER show you. pic.twitter.com/5NvwbyXyVk kevin smith (@kevin_smith45) September 12, 2024 The post has almost 3 million views on the social media platform with users expressing gratitude for the gesture. A user commented, Sweet boy. Happy birthday to him, and may God grant him health and strength. He has a great friend in President Trump. Sweet boy. Happy birthday to him, and may God grant him health and strength. He has a great friend in President Trump. Missy (@mirandamelendy) September 12, 2024 Praising Trump, another user said, OMG tears streaming down my face. @realDonaldTrump (sic) is the President for even the smallest of these What an amazing gift to this little guy Thank you, Mr. President. OMG tears streaming down my face. @realDonaldTrump is the President for even the smallest of these what an amazing gift to this little guy Thank you, Mr. President. Amanda H. (@SunnyInCali922) September 13, 2024 A user went on to say, There are many such cases. But the powers that be behind our government made sure people hated Trump, its self-preservation to turn their backs, discredited him and ignored all the good and small acts of kindness hes shown many. There are many such cases. But the powers that be behind our government made sure people hated Trump, its self preservation to turn their backs, discredited him and ignore all the good and small acts of kindness hes shown many. (@G__Tweets__) September 12, 2024 Yet another user claimed, There are so many stories like this that we dont even hear about. Glad this one got out. Thank you! There are so many stories like this that we don't even hear about. Glad this one got out. Thank you! johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) September 12, 2024 The majority of the comments section claimed that they were moved through tears after watching the video. Janes Addiction concert in Boston took an unexpected turn when frontman Perry Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro clashed on the stage, leading to a dramatic and abrupt end of the night. During the performance of Ocean Size, the 11th number in a set that usually stretches out to 14 or 15 songs, tensions between the two band members escalated, leading to Farrell physically confronting Navarro. The incident, captured on video, shows Farrell aggressively charging at Navarro, pushing him forcefully and punching him. Navarro responded by placing his hands on Farrells chest in order to defend himself. The footage also shows Farrell shouting at Navarro, prompting security to step in and separate the two, preventing further escalation. Following the incidents spread on social media, Farrells wife Etty Lau took to her Instagram to address the altercation. She explained the friction between the two members had been building up due to ongoing issues with the stage volume. Lau noted Farrell had been struggling with tinnitus and a sore throat, which he felt became worse by the loud sound levels drowning out his voice. She explained that this frustration erupted during the performance. But when the audience in the first row, started complaining up to Perry cussing at him that the band was planning too loud and that they couldnt hear him, Perry lost it, she wrote. Dave still looked handsome and cool in the middle of a fight. Perry was a crazed beast for the next half an hour he finally did not calm down, but did breakdown and cried and cried. Eric, well he either didnt understand what descalation meant or took advantage of the situation and got in a few cheap shots on Perry, she further noted. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Etty Lau Farrell (@ettylaufarrell) Following the altercation between Farrell and Navarro, Janes Addiction announced the cancellation of their next show. The band took to Instagram to address the situation, offering a sincere apology to their fans. We want to extend a heartfelt apology to our fans for the events that unfolded last night. As a result we will be cancelling tomorrow nights show in Bridgeport. Refunds will be issued at your point of purchase or if you purchased via a third-party reseller (StubHub, SeatGeek, etc.), reach out to them direction. Thank you, Janes Addiction, the band wrote on their Instagram story. Navarro also shared a cryptic social media post on his own account following the bands apology. He uploaded a photo of himself in backlit shadow, holding a guitar with a Janes Addiction logo. He captioned the post with, Goodnight, leaving fans speculating about the meaning behind its cryptic message. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dave Navarro (@davenavarro) Janes Addiction is a renowned American rock band which was formed in 1985. The lineup features Perry Farrell as the lead vocalist, Dave Navarro on guitar, Stephen Perkins on drums and Eric Avery on bass. A recent incident at Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, has sparked widespread outrage and reached the Human Rights Commission. The controversy began when MBA students were assigned by their professor, Dr. Atul Bharat, to write a condolence message for themselves, along with their photo, as part of a class exercise. This unusual assignment has led to a public outcry, with many calling for action against the professor. Dr Atul Bharat, who serves as the Group Director of the Career Advance Cell and teaches Management Theory, explained that the assignment was meant to encourage creative thinking. He stated that the task aimed to help students reflect on how they want to be remembered and gain insight into their existence. According to him, this reflective process would assist students in shaping the direction of their lives. Dr. Bharat also noted that out of around 110 students, only one objected to the assignment, following her mothers advice. Despite her refusal to participate, the student faced no consequences and continued attending the class. The assignment has angered many, leading to complaints being filed. Critics argue that asking students to write their condolence messages is insensitive, especially considering how parents might react to such a task. Alok Dawar, a former working council member, is among those demanding action against the professor. He raised concerns about the psychological impact of the assignment on both students and their families. In response to the growing backlash, the Head of the Department of the School of Economics, Professor Kanhaiya Ahuja, has requested an explanation from Dr. Bharat. A decision on whether disciplinary action will be taken is expected after a review of the professors response. This incident has ignited a debate on the appropriateness of such exercises in educational settings, with many questioning the ethical implications of this teaching method. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. The Baku Initiative Group has condemned a new program submitted by the Dutch government to the country's parliament, Trend reports via the group's statement. "The Dutch government has submitted a new program to parliament, which has been approved by the Cabinet and is now awaiting discussion and approval by the parliament. "Our modest expectations that the Netherlands, a former colonial power, would finally respect the freedom of the peoples it once colonized and remove the obstacles it imposed on territories thousands of kilometers away from their independent existence weren't met. The Freedom Party, which is forming the new Dutch government, along with the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the New Social Contract, and the Farmers and Citizens Movement, claim in their platforms to fight for "freedom," but not for the freedom of the six states in the Caribbean basin - Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten and of Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba. The new program presented by the government states that Bonaire will implement legislative and strategic initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of the islands, based on principles of good governance and cooperation with Saint Eustatius and Saba. A general management law will be developed, incorporating the principle of 'comply or explain'. Thus, the new Dutch government, with its nationalist tendencies, is preparing to continue the colonial policies of its predecessor. Although the government asserts that some of these islands have autonomous status, in reality, these territories are fully dependent on the Kingdom of the Netherlands. These islands have even been removed from the UN list of territories awaiting decolonization. To bring the true situation in Dutch colonies to the international community's attention, an international conference titled "Bonaires Pathway From Baku Through UN General Assembly To Self-Determination" was held in Baku on August 22, focusing on Bonaire. These peoples fighting for their freedom, particularly Bonaire, plan to present a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly in October this year to include Bonaire in the UN list of territories to be decolonized. The Baku Initiative Group demands that the Dutch government respect the freedom of these peoples and not create obstacles to the islands' struggle for independence within international organizations," added the statement. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel A customer of the US supermarket chain Sams Club in China has lodged a complaint after reportedly finding a human tooth inside a moon cake bought from one of its stores. In a video shared on Douyin, the woman displayed the tooth, which she claimed was discovered in a meat-filled mooncake purchased for 30 yuan (nearly Rs 300) at the Changzhou branch in Jiangsu province. The incident, initially reported by Star Video on September 5, is currently under investigation. According to a report in South China Morning Post (SCMP), the woman clarified that the tooth did not belong to anyone in her family and promptly reported the incident to the police. The video of the incident was reshared on microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) by Li Muyang, the host of Mu Yang Show. Take a look: Sams Club in Changzhou have confirmed that the company is investigating the case. Meanwhile, the mooncake manufacturer, as cited by Hongxing News, dismissed the possibility by saying that it is impossible to have a tooth mixed in the meat filling. A spokesperson, identified by the surname Liu, explained that all the meat used in the products is finely minced and passes through an X-ray machine designed to detect foreign particles like bones. Liu also noted that no such incidents have been reported in over ten years. The report further mentioned that the manufacturer has provided surveillance footage to Sams Club and the Changzhou market regulatory department for further examination. Local government departments are also looking into the matter. As per the SCMP report, a user on Douyin commented, Its so disgusting to find other peoples teeth in food. Another commenter suggested the woman double-check with her family to ensure no one unknowingly lost part of a tooth, noting, It sometimes does not hurt at all when part of the tooth falls off, so they might not know theyve lost it. Sams Club has faced several food safety concerns in its mainland China stores over the years. In one incident from 2022, a woman from Fujjan province reported that her uncle discovered three artificial human teeth in Swiss rolls bought from the store. This resulted in him breaking his teeth while eating. Additionally, that same year Sams Club locations in Nanjing and Beijing Shunyi were fined 30,000 yuan (approximately Rs 3.5 lakh) and 65,000 yuan (Rs 7.5 lakh) respectively, for selling mouldy strawberries and expired milk powder. Sams Club, which has 49 branches across mainland China and requires an annual membership costing 260 yuan (around Rs 3,000) a year, has been fined over 20 times in recent years for issues related to false advertising and food safety, according to The Paper as quoted by SCMP. World Ozone Day, observed annually on September 16, aims at emphasising the critical role of the ozone layer in safeguarding the planet. Established by the United Nations (UN) in 1994, this day marks the anniversary of the Montreal Protocols signing on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987. It is a landmark agreement designed to phase out substances that damage the ozone layer. The ozone layer, located in the Earths stratosphere, is crucial in protecting the Earth from the suns harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiations, which can cause skin cancer, eye cataracts, compromised immune systems and agricultural land damage. In the 1970s, scientists discovered that human activities, particularly release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), were causing substantial damage to the ozone layer, leading to the formation of the infamous ozone hole over Antarctica. Where Is Ozone Located? Ozone, a gas composed of three oxygen atoms (O3), exists naturally within our atmosphere. The majority of ozone, approximately 90%, is present in the stratosphere, an atmospheric layer that starts about 10 to 16 kilometres (6 to 10 miles) above Earths surface and stretches up to around 50 kilometres (31 miles) in altitude. This stratospheric region, known for its high ozone concentration, is referred to as the ozone layer. This layer covers the entire planet, although altitude and thickness can vary seasonally and geographically. The remaining 10% is located in the troposphere, the atmospheric layer closest to Earths surface which exists between Earths surface and the stratosphere. How Does Ozone Deplete? Ozone depletion occurs when chlorine and bromine atoms interact with ozone molecules in the stratosphere, leading to their destruction. A single chlorine atom can destroy over 100,000 ozone molecules before it is removed from the atmosphere. This process leads to ozone being destroyed more quickly than it is naturally created. Certain compounds, known as ozone-depleting substances (ODS), release chlorine and bromine when exposed to strong UV light in the atmosphere. Examples of these substances include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), carbon tetrachloride and methyl chloroform. Main Sources Of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were once widely used in various applications before their environmental impact was fully understood. Major sources included refrigerants in air conditioners and refrigerators, propellants in aerosol sprays. Another type of ozone-depleting substance, halons, were used in fire extinguishers. Despite the phase-out of these substances under Montreal Protocol, their long atmospheric lifetimes mean they will still affect the ozone for years to come. Is Ozone Hole Slowly Recovering? According to a UN report released last year, the Earths ozone layer is expected to recover from the ozone hole detected in the 1970s. The Montreal Protocols ban on ozone-depleting chemicals has been instrumental in this progress. If the current policies continue, the ozone layer should return to its 1970s level by 2040, with the recovery in the Arctic anticipated by 2045 and in Antarctica by 2066 Picture yourself in the middle of a vast woodland, where even a stone is thrown with the odds of life or death. Popular YouTuber Mike Corey from Fearless & Far decided to accept this very challenge and had to go through lots of hardships to complete it while exploring the dangerous jungles of Yucatan, Mexico. His goal? For the chance to find the wreckage of an airplane, said to be once used by the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar. Coreys three-day quest was not for the fainthearted. The moment they stepped into the jungle, he and his team were faced with grass with razor-like edges, ferocious ants and nightmarish swamps. We knew this adventure was going to be intense, but right now were trying to hop over legs barefoot," Corey said, partly amused and partly scared. By the third day, the fatigue had completely seeped into their bones. But just as hope was fading, they stumbled upon their prize: ruins of an aeroplane that was overgrown by the tall green trees. Its spooky its all just a net of spikes and hooks," he says. Thats it! We found it!" Corey could hardly contain his excitement at the discovery. This was not just any other wreckage; it was believed to be one of Escobars famous drug traffic aeroplanes that disappeared for almost 13 years after it crashed in 1966. Coreys thoughts then ran for issues like whether the plane crashed due to mechanical failure or was shot down. Inside, the calm, desolate feel of the cockpit was particularly morbid in light of the pandemonium that had once filled this aircraft. Empty drums rested close to one wing and appeared to be the remains of a forgotten history of drug smuggling. While the man himself, Escobar, who was gunned down by Colombian police in late 1993, is no more, the legend of his crime empire remains. Whether or not this plane was his, is today still a matter of speculation. What is for sure, the story of this plane does not wish to rest amongst the dead. Chinas top security official visited Tibet last week and instructed the local authorities to step up a crackdown against separatists in the backdrop of the US stepping up its support for the region by passing a new law pressing Beijing to hold talks with the Dalai Lama. Chen Wenqing, the head of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission the ruling Communist Partys top security body, visited the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and some of the 10 Tibetan autonomous prefectures across Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai last week and reviewed security. He called for a resolute crackdown against separatists. He also asked the local officials to maintain stability and guard against independence activities, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Monday. His visit took place as China is tightening security in Tibet ahead of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic to be celebrated on October 1. Chinas top judges and prosecutors have also made their rounds of Tibet. Zhang Jun, President of the Supreme Peoples Court, visited Tibetan courts last week and said it was necessary to hand down tough punishment to keep up the pressure on violent terrorism, ethnic separatism and other serious criminal crimes, the Post reported. Ying Yong, head of the Supreme Peoples Procuratorate, also inspected public prosecutors offices in Tibet earlier this month. He stressed the need for prosecutors to harshly crack down on all kinds of separatist infiltration, sabotage activities and crimes endangering national security in accordance with the law. In July, the US passed the Resolve Tibet Act, which enhances its support for Tibet and promotes dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama toward a peaceful resolution of the dispute over the status and governance of the remote Himalayan region. Signing the legislation passed by the US Senate and the Congress in July, President Joe Biden said it showed the bipartisan commitment in America to advancing the human rights of Tibetans and supporting efforts to preserve their distinct linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage. He also called on Beijing to resume direct dialogue, without preconditions, with the Dalai Lama, or his representatives, to seek a settlement that resolves differences and leads to a negotiated agreement on Tibet. China opposed the Resolve Tibet Act, terming it as a destabilising Act. The Act enhances US support for Tibet empowering State Department officials to actively and directly counter disinformation about Tibet from the Chinese government. It also rejects Beijings claims that Tibet has been part of China since ancient times, pushing for negotiations without preconditions between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama or his representatives or the democratically elected leaders of the Tibetan community. Last month, China lodged serious protest with the US after a top Biden administration official met the Dalai Lama and reaffirmed Washingtons commitment for advancing the human rights of Tibetans and supporting efforts to preserve their distinct historical, linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage. Uzra Zeya, the US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights and Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, met the Dalai Lama in New York while he was recuperating after undergoing a successful knee replacement surgery. Reacting to Zeyas meeting with the Dalai Lama, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning last month told a media briefing here that the 14th Dalai Lama is not a purely religious figure, still less a figure promoting non-violence and peace, but a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion. China firmly opposes any country allowing the Dalai Lama to make visits under any pretext and opposes government officials of any country meeting with the Dalai Lama in any form, she said. Weve made a serious protest with the US. The appointment of the so-called US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues constitutes an interference in Chinas internal affairs. China has never recognised it, Mao said. As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle struggle to hire new staff, a new claim by a source close to them could further hurt their chances of hiring new hands. The source close to the couple says that the Duchess of Sussex terrifies her staff, with a person calling her a dictator in high heels. Everyones terrified of Meghan She belittles people, she doesnt take advice, the person told Hollywood Reporter. The person said that both Harry and Meghan are poor decision-makers and frequently change minds. Harry is a very, very charming person no airs at all but hes very much an enabler. And shes just terrible, the aforementioned person said. (She) marches around like a dictator in high heels. Shes absolutely relentless. Ive watched her reduce grown men to tears, another insider told media outlets. Throughout the years, the couple has experienced significant staff turnover. In 2021, Meghan Markles private secretary and top aide stepped down. More recently, their chief of staff, Josh Kettler, resigned in August after only three months in the role. Prior to Kettler, Toya Holness had served as their global press secretary until her departure in 2022. Meghan Markle has been criticised for her behaviour toward their employees earlier as well. In 2018, Buckingham Palace launched an investigation into allegations that Meghan Markle had mistreated two royal aides, accusations previously described as bullying behavior. Though the findings were never publicly disclosed, Markle dismissed the claims as part of a calculated smear campaign. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Archie, aged five, and three-year-old Princess Lilibet live in the celebrity enclave of Montecito, near Santa Barbara, on the US West Coast. Meanwhile, Prince Harry said he was excited about 40 as he turned 40 last weekend. I was anxious about 30, Im excited about 40, he told the BBC in a statement, adding that becoming a father had given him a fresh perspective on life. Being a dad is one of lifes greatest joys and has only made me more driven and more committed to making this world a better place, he added. The UK government under Keir Starmer has raised the financial savings requirements for international students for the first time since 2020. Under the new guidelines, which will apply from January a, 2025, students will need to show that they have sufficient funds to support themselves for up to nine months. For those studying in London, the required amount will increase to 1,483 per month, up from the current 1,334. Whats New According to UK Visa and Immigration, students studying outside London will need to show 1,136 per month, an increase from 1,023. This adjustment is intended to reflect the rising cost of living in the UK. For students planning to study in London for nine months or more, this means they must provide evidence of at least 13,348 in savings as part of their visa application. The increase in financial requirements underscores the governments commitment to ensuring that international students can manage their living costs while studying. Financial Requirements International students must meet specific financial criteria to demonstrate they have enough funds for both their course and living expenses. The required amount varies depending on the students location and personal circumstances. Students must have sufficient funds to cover their course fees for one academic year, which can last up to nine months. The exact amount required will be detailed in the students Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). If a student has lived in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months, they are exempt from providing financial proof for their course fee when applying for a new visa. For living expenses, students must show they have enough savings to support themselves during their stay. This requirement must be met unless they have held a valid UK visa for at least 12 months before applying for a new visa. Students who have secured a loan or financial sponsorship must provide official evidence from the loan provider or sponsor to meet the financial requirement. Exemptions Certain students are exempt from proving they meet the financial requirement, including students who have held a UK visa for at least 12 months before applying for a new student visa and student union sabbatical officers. Also, Postgraduate doctors or dentists enrolled in recognised foundation programmes. Students from countries listed under the differential evidence requirement, such as Australia, Canada, the US, and many European and Asian countries, do not need to prove they meet the financial requirement. However, they may still be asked to provide evidence of their financial situation before their visa is approved. Impact on Indians For Indian students, the increase in financial requirements is not expected to significantly affect their decision to study in the UK. Indian students typically spend upwards of Rs 20 lakh annually on education abroad, including tuition, accommodation, and living expenses, according to The Times Of India. Although the new monthly savings requirements have increased, they are relatively modest and are not anticipated to deter students. The factors influencing their decision, such as course offerings, institution reputation, post-study work opportunities, and visa acceptance rates, remain more critical. An American pastor detained by China since 2006 on what the United States has called spurious charges has been freed, the State Department said Sunday. David Lin has returned to the United States and now gets to see his family for the first time in nearly 20 years, a State Department spokesperson told AFP. We welcome David Lins release from prison in the Peoples Republic of China, the spokesperson said. In addition to Lin, China has detained a number of other US citizens on various charges including Kai Li, a businessman accused of spying in 2016. Lin was jailed for life on charges of contract fraud, according to US media, though Washington has said he was wrongfully detained. His daughter Alice Lin told Politico that her 68-year-old father would arrive in San Antonio, Texas on Sunday. Various US officials have pushed for the release of Lin and others in recent years. California Governor Gavin Newsom advocated for his freedom during a visit to China that included talks with President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi last October. The release comes ahead of a congressional hearing later this week on US citizens imprisoned in China. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan will dissolve the precinct election commissions for 35 polling stations, CEC Chairman Mazahir Panahov announced during a meeting of the Commission, Trend reports. "I propose to terminate the activities of those responsible for violations during the election, rather than the precinct election commissions themselves," Panahov stated. The chairman also revealed that the individuals accountable for these violations have been identified. CEC Deputy Chairman Rovzat Gasimov supported Panahov's proposal, suggesting that the polling stations in Aghdam electoral district No. 119 be excluded from the list of precincts recommended for dissolution. Trend provides the following list of polling stations recommended for dissolution: Polling Station No. 12, 3rd Xazar Second Electoral District Polling Station No. 25, 15th Yasamal First Electoral District Polling Station No. 15, 18th Narimanov-Nizami-Binegedi Electoral District Polling Station No. 1, 1st Surakhani Second Electoral District Polling Station No. 13, 38th Ganja First Electoral District Polling Station No. 38, 41st Ganja-Samukh-Goranboy Electoral District Polling Stations No. 4, No. 5, No. 9, 48th Absheron First Electoral District Polling Stations No. 2, No. 8, 52nd Yevlakh Electoral District Polling Station No. 88, 80th Lerik-Astara Electoral District Polling Stations No. 41, No. 42, No. 44, No. 45, 82nd Imishli-Saatli Electoral District Polling Stations No. 20, No. 25, No. 34, 104th Goychay Electoral District Polling Station No. 21 from the Aghdam Electoral District No. 119 has been excluded from this list. The proposal to dissolve these precinct election commissions comes in response to identified shortcomings of the 36 polling stations in the election process. 13:12 The Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan, Rovzat Gasimov, has proposed to dissolve precinct election commissions at 36 polling stations following the recent extraordinary parliamentary election, Trend reports. Gasimov made the proposal during todays CEC meeting. He highlighted that over 1,500 posts on social media had been reviewed, revealing concerns about the influence on voter intentions in Azerbaijan. "We aim to demonstrate that no one is interfering with the will of the voters in Azerbaijan. Our investigations have led us to believe that certain measures are necessary. Doubts have arisen regarding the voting results at some polling points. There is a need to annul the election results in these areas. The results at these stations should be deemed invalid," Gasimov stated. To note, on September 1, the snap parliamentary election was held in Azerbaijan. A total of 112,749 local observers were registered to observe the election. More than 65,000 of them were representatives of political parties. The number of registered international observers was 598, representing 51 organizations and 69 countries. Out of 990 registered candidates in the parliamentary election, 305 are representatives of 25 political parties. Even though 371 candidates were affiliated with political parties, their respective parties did not nominate them. There were 676 candidates who were affiliated with a political party. An Indigenous person attends a ceremony celebrating the return of the Tupinamba Indigenous people's sacred cloak to Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. The garment, made from bird feathers and plant fibers, was repatriated to Brazil after having spent more than 300 years in the National Museum of Denmark. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado) Police say a teenager who was trying to find a spot to take homecoming photos was shot in the face by a Colorado town councilman Tuesday afternoon. The 17-year-old boy was with a friend, scouting for picturesque locations, when they ended up at a gated lakeside home in Conifer, about 35 miles outside Denver, and decided to hop the fence to ask the homeowner if they could return on the night of their school's homecoming dance and take photos there, the Colorado Sun reports. The homeowner called police as well as her boyfriend, who also lives at the property, to report trespassers, 9 News reports. Meanwhile, the boys had returned to their car, which was parked on the street, after believing no one was home. They were writing a note to leave for the homeowner when, police say, Brent Metz, the aforementioned boyfriend, pulled up and blocked them from leaving. The 38-year-old, a councilman for the nearby town of Mountain View, allegedly pointed a handgun at them through the windshield. When it fired, shattering the windshield and hitting the teen in the face, Metz allegedly said, "Oh s---, my gun went off!" The teen had serious injuries to his mouth and nose and a bullet fragment in his brain, but he is recovering at home, the Washington Post reports. Metz faces charges of first-degree assault, felony menacing, illegal discharge of a firearm, and reckless endangerment. (More Colorado stories.) Bomb threats over the past week temporarily shut schools, businesses, two hospitals, and City Hall in Springfield, Ohio, after Donald Trump falsely told a national audience that Haitian immigrants there are stealing and eating pets. The Republican presidential candidate later announced he'll begin his promised mass deportations with the city's Haitians if he's elected, despite the fact that most of them are in the country legally. They, and their city, have been left shaken, the New York Times reports. "Honestly, I don't feel safe. It's not good right now," said Jean-Patrick Louisius, 40. Little has happened to ease the dread. Sen. JD Vance, who started the firestorm though he represents the state in Congress, did not back down on Sunday, per the Washington Post. In an interview on CNN, Trump's running mate said that if he has to "create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do." The state's governor and another Republican, Mike DeWine, called the tale "a piece of garbage that was simply not true." Employers and neighborhoods have welcomed the Haitian immigrants, per the Times, though thousands of people arriving over a short period has put a strain on government services including schools. Tensions already were building, which has caused some of the immigrants to keep a low profile. Others have left. "I'm not sure if I can stay in business" because of the departures, said Louisius, who owns a small Haitian market. He said he knows immigrants who have moved to larger cities, including Dayton or Columbus, where they might receive less attention. He didn't open his store on Thursday after seeing someone taking video of it. On Sunday, Central Christian Church invited Haitian residents to worship with its congregants. story continues below Viles Dorsainvil, a leader of the Haitian community, said she found the service therapeutic. "Jesus is with us in truth, and the truth is that Haitians are not eating pets and geese in Springfield," the Rev. Carl Ruby said in his homily, per the AP. He also called for a change in political rhetoric to restore peace. "We respectfully call on all politicians and media figures who are promoting this rumor to help make Springfield great and safe again by speaking the truth about our community," the pastor said. (More Election 2024 stories.) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the government is being weaponized against him and he is now facing a federal probe over a 1994 incident in which he allegedly beheaded a dead whale. The incident was recounted by his daughter, Kick Kennedy, in 2012, and that recounting was in turn resurfaced recently amid RFK Jr.'s controversial presidential bid. As Kick Kennedy told it, her dad found a dead whale on the beach during a family vacation to Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, used a chainsaw to remove its head, and then brought the head back to the family home. When the story resurfaced, some activists called for RFK Jr. to be investigated over it, and by his telling, that has come to pass. Police in North Carolina are seeking the suspect behind what Waffle House calls "an outrageous act of violence." In a Facebook post, the Laurinburg Police Department said 18-year-old Waffle House worker Burlie Dawson Locklear was fatally shot inside the restaurant just before 1am Friday, CNN reports. "Investigation has revealed that the suspect came to the business and ordered food," police said. "While the food was being prepared, the suspect became more agitated and verbally abusive toward the employees." Police said that after the man received his food, he turned and fired two shots at the restaurant as he was walking toward his car. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) held a grand meeting at the Great Hall of the People on the morning of Sept. 14 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the NPC. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the meeting and delivered an important speech. He stressed the need to further firm up confidence in the path, theory, system and culture, develop whole-process people's democracy, and continuously uphold, improve and run the system of people's congresses to good effect to provide a solid institutional guarantee for the Party and the people to achieve their goals on the new journey in the new era. Li Qiang, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi, who are members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice President Han Zheng, attended the event. The meeting was presided over by Zhao Leji, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the NPC Standing Committee. The meeting commenced amidst the resounding national anthem. Xi delivered an important speech. He pointed out that the system of people's congresses is the result of the arduous exploration and long-term struggles of the Chinese people under the CPC leadership. It is an entirely new political system that has grown from the Chinese soil and a great invention in the evolution of political institutions. The establishment of this system marked a great transformation in China's political system, signifying a great shift from a power structure where the power was concentrated in the hands of a few while the majority faced oppression and exploitation, to one that is led by the Party and empowers the people to govern the country as its masters. Xi emphasized that over the past 70 years, the system of people's congresses has, under the Party's leadership, effectively ensured that our country continues to advance along the socialist path. It has demonstrated significant political advantages in guaranteeing that the Party leads the people in governing the country according to law, ensuring that the people are the masters of the country, maintaining political life that is both vibrant and orderly, promoting the rule of law in all aspects of national governance, and safeguarding long-term stability and peace. This system has provided an important institutional guarantee for creating miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability. Practice has proven that the people's congress system is a sound system that accords with China's national conditions and realities, embodies the nature of socialist countries, and effectively rallies the strength of all Chinese people to advance Chinese modernization. Xi pointed out that since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, our Party has stood at a new historical juncture, gained a deep understanding of the new changes to the principal contradictions in Chinese society, actively responded to the people's new demands and aspirations for democracy and rule of law, and improved the organizational and working systems of people's congresses, making historic achievements in its work. We adhere to adapting the basic tenets of Marxism to China's specific realities and fine traditional Chinese culture, deeply grasp the laws governing the development of socialist democracy, and continuously promote theoretical and practical innovations in the system of people's congresses. Noting that the system of people's congresses is an important institutional vehicle for realizing whole-process people's democracy in China, Xi said it is imperative to uphold the CPC's leadership, adhere to the use of a system of institutions to ensure that the people run the country, exercise law-based governance on all fronts, uphold democratic centralism, and stick to the path of socialist political advancement with Chinese characteristics. Efforts must be made to modernize China's system and capacity for governance, give full play to the role of deputies to people's congresses, strengthen the self-improvement efforts of people's congresses at various levels to uphold their four-fold role as political, working, representative institutions, and institutions of state power. This series of new concepts, ideas and requirements form the Party's important thoughts on upholding and improving the system of people's congresses, providing fundamental guidance for the high-quality development of people's congresses in the new era, Xi said. Xi emphasized the need to give full play to the role of people's congresses in ensuring full and effective implementation of the Constitution and laws. People's congresses at all levels and their standing committees must fully perform their functions, firmly safeguard the unity, dignity, and authority of the country's legal system, ensure effective implementation of the Constitution and laws, and make sure that all state organs fulfill their duties and carry out their work within the scope permitted by the Constitution and laws. It is important that people's congresses play a leading role in legislative work, Xi said. He urges efforts to improve the legislative framework featuring guidance from Party committees, the leading role played by people's congresses, support from the government, and participation by all parties. Efforts should be made to step up legislation in key, emerging, and foreign-related fields, improve the quality of legislation, and continuously improve the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics. He also urged efforts to accelerate the improvement of a legal system featuring equal rights, equal opportunities and fair rules for all to ensure that citizens fully enjoy their rights. Xi emphasized the need to give full play to the key role of the oversight by people's congresses in the Party and state supervision systems. It is imperative to improve the system through which people's congresses oversee the government, the supervisory commissions, the people's courts and the people's procuratorates. Xi urged people's congresses to strengthen oversight of the implementation of the Constitution and laws, and intensify the review and oversight of government budgets and final accounts and the oversight over the management of state-owned assets and government debts. People's congresses should work to promote the implementation of the CPC Central Committee's decisions and plans, and ensure that all state organs exercise their powers by law and that the legitimate rights and interests of the people are safeguarded and realized. Administrative, supervisory, adjudicatory and procuratorial organs at various levels should readily accept oversight from people's congresses and effectively fulfill their respective supervisory duties, he said. Xi pointed out that people's congresses should play an exemplary role in maintaining close ties with the people. All state organs and their employees must foster a strong sense of service to the people, put the people above all else, and maintain close ties with them. Deputies to people's congresses shoulder the honorable duties entrusted to them by the people, Xi noted, urging them to faithfully represent the interests and will of the people, and serve as the bridge that links the Party and the state with the people. He stressed the need for all state organs to provide support for the deputies to the people's congresses to perform their duties in accordance with the law, improve the systems and mechanisms for contact with deputies, and ensure that deputies reach out to the public on a greater variety of issues and in more diversified ways. Xi emphasized that party committees at all levels should strengthen their overall leadership over the work of the people's congresses, and support the people's congresses and their standing committees in exercising their powers and carrying out their work in accordance with the law. The leading Party members groups of the standing committees of the people's congresses at all levels should always adhere to the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, fulfill their main responsibilities for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, and strengthen the political, ideological, organizational, work style, and disciplinary construction of the people's congresses in line with the requirement to uphold the four-fold role. They should train personnel that maintain political resolve, serve the people, respect the rule of law, promote democracy, and are diligent and responsible, and continuously improve the quality and level of the people's congress work in the new era and on the new journey. While presiding over the meeting, Zhao Leji said that General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech reviewed the glorious course of the CPC leading the Chinese people in establishing and improving the system of people's congresses, and profoundly expounded on the remarkable political advantages of the system. The speech has systematically summarized the major achievements in theoretical and practical innovations of the system in the new era, and made comprehensive arrangements and clear requirements for upholding, improving, and running the system at a new historical starting point. The speech is forward-looking and inspires people to forge ahead. It enriches and develops Xi's important thoughts on upholding and improving the system, and is a guiding document shining with the brilliance of the truth of Marxism. We must study and comprehend it earnestly and firmly implement it. We must gain a deep understanding of the decisive significance of establishing Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and consciously uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership. We must unwaveringly keep to the path of socialist political advancement with Chinese characteristics, and uphold, improve and run the system of people's congresses to good effect. The meeting was attended by members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, vice chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee, State Councilors, president of the Supreme People's Court, procurator general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, some vice chairpersons of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, senior comrades who had assumed leading positions at the NPC Standing Committee, as well as members of the Central Military Commission in Beijing. Approximately 3,000 people attended the meeting, including leaders from various departments of the CPC Central Committee, government, military and people's organizations as well as leading officials from Beijing, leaders of the central committees of democratic parties and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, representatives of non-party personages, members of the NPC Standing Committee and various special committees, senior officials from the standing committees of people's congresses at the provincial, regional and municipal levels, some NPC deputies, representatives from all walks of life in the capital, and foreign envoys in China. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. The Azerbaijani parliament will be represented by 11 political parties, Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan Mazahir Panahov said during todays CEC meeting in Baku, Trend reports. He said that of the elected MPs, 81 have party affiliations. The official noted that 25 out of 26 state-registered political parties took part in the snap parliamentary election. The snap parliamentary election was held in Azerbaijan on September 1. A total of 112,749 local observers were registered, including over 65,000 representatives of political parties. There were 598 international observers from 51 organizations and 69 countries. Among the 990 registered candidates, 305 represented 25 political parties, while 371 were party members but were not nominated by their parties. In total, 676 candidates were affiliated with political parties. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel For about 10 weeks in late 2022 and early 2023, 17-year-old Zak (also spelled Zach) Hess attended two different high schools in Lincoln, Nebraska, his mother dutifully meeting with school counselors to help him transition. However, authorities now say that "boy" was really a man in his mid-20s named Zachary Scheich, his "mother" was a 22-year-old woman, and Scheich used his cover to meet and then sexually assault underage girls, leading to a hefty prison sentence for Scheich last week, per WFLA. The ruse: Scheich first enrolled as a transfer student at Lincoln Northwest High School in the fall of 2022, then popped up at Lincoln Southeast High Schoolwhere he'd graduated in 2015in the spring, reports the Washington Post. He was 26 at the time, but at just 5 feet 4 inches tall and 120 pounds, he was able to blend in with the actual high schoolers, per the Kansas City Star. A district official for Lincoln Public Schools said at a 2023 presser that Scheich handed over a fake birth certificate, academic transcript, and immunization records at the time. JD Vance appeared on multiple talk shows Sunday in which he doubled down on claims that Haitian immigrants were abducting and eating pets in Ohio, while defending the narrative as a way to put the media focus on the immigration policies of President Biden and VP Kamala Harris. "The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes," Vance told CNN. "If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do." When pressed on using the word "create," Vance clarified: "It comes from firsthand accounts from my constituents. I say that we're creating a story, meaning we're creating the American media focusing on it. ... We created the actual focus that allowed the American media to talk about this story and the suffering caused by Kamala Harris' policies." The city has indeed seen a large influx of Haitian immigrants, and though Vance referred to them as "illegal immigrants," the city's FAQ page explains how they are living and working there legally. An American pastor who tried to set up a Christian training center in Beijing has been freed after 18 years in prison and is back on US soil. David Lin, 68, had been serving a decades-long sentence for what US authorities said were bogus charges of fraud, the BBC reports. He was one of three American citizens the State Department labeled "wrongly detained" in China and US officials had been pushing for his release for years, reports the New York Times . He was freed weeks after White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing. "I know that Jake Sullivan did raise my dad's case," Lin's daughter, Alice Lin, told Politico on Sunday. She said the State Department notified her on Saturday that her father had been freed and would arrive in San Antonio, Texas, the next day. "No words can express the joy we havewe have a lot of time to make up for," she said as she was on her way to the airport. In April, she told the Wall Street Journal that her father's sentence had been reduced to 24 years, "but he is elderly now, and I have cancer. We can't afford to wait." Lin, a naturalized US citizen who was born in China and lived in Orange County, California, began regularly visiting China in the 1990s. He was arrested in 2006 after he helped an unsanctioned church construct a building. The fraud charge, which his supporters say is one typically filed in crackdowns on churches not controlled by the state, followed in 2009, the Times reports. The release, seen as an effort by Beijing to ease tensions with the US, comes days before a congressional hearing on American citizens unjustly detained in China, Politico reports. (More China stories.) Two former New York City Fire Department chiefs were in custody Monday on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes before ensuring the department's fire-safety division gave preferential treatment to certain individuals and companies. Anthony Saccavino and Brian Cordasco were arrested on bribery, corruption, and false statements charges alleging that they solicited and accepted the bribe payments from at least 2021 through 2023, authorities said. The arrests came as multiple ongoing federal investigations swirl around Mayor Eric Adams and his top deputies, including one inquiry that appears at least partly focused on whether the administration sped up fire safety inspections at the Turkish consulate in exchange for illegal contributions, the AP reports. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com Email: anchalo@newsofbahrain.com The Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY), which is the leading ship and rig repair yard in the Arabian Gulf, has exhibited at FPSO World Congress 2024, the leading Singapore-based maritime exhibition, to connect with its client base in South-East and Far East Asia. "Singapore is an ideal hub to meet our customers from Japan, India, Malaysia and Singapore itself, and the FPSO World Congress brin important territories major clients to a single point. This event, which gathers energy leaders from across the globe, is an outstanding platform to network, exchange ideas, innovations and visions, fostering cooperation and growth in these vital sectors. Said ASRY Rig Repair Senior Manager, Taner Demirel, who attended the show Among ASRY delegates. Occurring 10 13 September 2024, the FPSO World Congress brings FPSO stakeholders together in one platform to explore cutting-edge technologies and visionary strategies that shape the future of FPSOs in the renewable energy era. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com Email: anchalo@newsofbahrain.com Zain Bahrain, the leading telecom in the Kingdom, celebrated the graduation of 34 interns from its annual summer internship program. The event highlighted the interns' hard work and dedication through a specially produced video showcasing their achievements. Each intern was also honoured with a trophy and an e-certificate in recognition of their efforts. Zain Bahrains summer internship programme provided a valuable opportunity to gain handson experience across various departments while highlighting the telcos strong commitment to sustainability and community outreach. Interns were actively involved in meaningful projects, including visits to the Bahrain Mobility International Center and participating in initiatives aligned with UNs Climate action goals (SD13). Zain Bahrain also integrated well-being activities into the program, reflecting its "Be Well" initiative, which promotes a healthy and active lifestyle. Through these efforts, the telco ensures that both professional development and social responsibility are key aspects of the internship experience Rana Al Majed, Zain Bahrains Chief Human Resources and Corporate Sustainability Officer commented: "Zain Bahrains summer internship program is one of its key annual initiatives aimed at empowering and developing young talent across various fields. Training and preparing national talents for leadership roles both locally and regionally is a vital part of Zain Bahrain's strategy, which also supports Bahrains Economic Vision 2030." BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. The regular meeting of Azerbaijan's Central Election Commission (CEC) was held under the chairmanship of Mazahir Panahov, Trend reports. According to the information, the meeting considered the issue of summarizing the results of the extraordinary parliamentary elections in the Republic of Azerbaijan held on September 1, 2024, and submission of the CEC protocol on the results of the elections along with relevant documents to the Constitutional Court. During the meeting, all members of the commission signed a protocol outlining the election results and the outcomes of the parliamentary elections. Furthermore, following the requirement of the Electoral Code, it was decided that the CEC protocol together with relevant documents will be submitted to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Azerbaijan for approval of the election results and will be published. To note, on September 1, extraordinary parliamentary elections were held in Azerbaijan. A total of 112,749 domestic observers were registered to observe the elections. More than 65,000 of them are representatives of political parties. The number of registered international observers was 598, representing 51 organizations and 69 countries. Out of 990 registered candidates in the parliamentary elections, 305 were representatives of 25 political parties. Although 371 candidates are members of political parties, they were not nominated by the parties to which they belong. A total of 676 candidates had political party affiliation. The Chip & Dip Inspiration "My aim was to add a unique layer of texture to our Teen Burger," says Karan Suri, Director of Menu Development at A&W Canada. "Ruffles was the perfect choice for a crunchy and delicious addition. The famous ridges of Ruffles chips provide a real crunch and structure to the iconic Teen recipe. Out of all the flavours, the cheesy notes of Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream paired perfectly with our Teen Burger. To complete the experience, I had to create the perfect dip for the chip, and drew inspiration from Ruffles ridged dippable chips to create the delectable creamy garlic and jalapeno aioli for our Ruffles Crunch Teen Burger." The Ruffles Crunch Teen Burger: A perfectly seasoned grass-fed beef patty topped with a generous stack of Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream chips, lettuce, yellow onions, tomato, bacon, real cheddar cheese, creamy garlic and jalapeno aioli, served on a freshly toasted sesame seed bun. The Ruffles Crunch Buddy Burger: A perfectly seasoned 1.6 oz grass-fed beef patty topped with a generous stack of Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream chips, lettuce, tomato, real cheddar cheese, creamy garlic and jalapeno aioli, served on a freshly toasted bun. A Delectable Collab : A&W x Ruffles "Having been on the A&W menu since 1961, the Teen Burger is a true Canadian classic that generations of Canadians grew up enjoying," says Susan Senecal, CEO and President of A&W Canada. "We thought collaborating with Ruffles, a brand that is equally loved by Canadians, was the perfect way to bring a modern twist to our classic Teen Burger." "Ruffles and A&W are two of Canada's most beloved brands, so we're thrilled to join forces and bring our fans something truly special," says Jess Spaulding, Chief Marketing Officer, Frito Lay Canada. "At Ruffles, our famous ridges are all about delivering bold flavour and an unmistakable crunch, and there's no better pairing for our new Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream chips than the iconic A&W Teen Burger. This is a taste experience that only Ruffles and A&W could createone we hope our fans will savour with every bite." Visit your neighbourhood A&W today to try this cheesy and crunchy creation as it's available only for a limited time. About A&W Canada A&W is proud to be 100% Canadian owned and operated, and Canada's original burger chain. Home of the Burger Family, we are known for delicious classics like the Teen Burger, hand-battered onion rings and A&W Root Beer. You can enjoy our crave-worthy burgers, breakfasts and beverages at one of our 1,000+ restaurants across the country. For more information, please visit aw.ca . About Ruffles Canada Ruffles is Canada's favourite ridged potato chip brand, delivering a big, iconic crunch and mouth-watering taste. Under the Frito Lay Canada portfolio, Ruffles offers something for every potato chip snack fan from coast-to-coast. To learn more about the brand, visit www.ruffles.ca . About PepsiCo Foods Canada PepsiCo Foods Canada is comprised of the Frito Lay Canada and Quaker Canada businesses. The company employs over 6,000 Canadians with seven manufacturing plants and sales and distribution facilities from coast to coast. Frito Lay Canada is the country's largest snack food manufacturer and the company's brands include Lay's, Doritos, Tostitos, Ruffles, Smartfood and Cheetos. The Quaker brand portfolio includes a wide range of wholesome cereals, oatmeal, rice and corn snacks and snack bars, and features other prominent brands such as Quaker Life, Quaker Chewy, Quaker Harvest Crunch and Crispy Minis. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.ca. SOURCE A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. For Media Inquiries: Jacky Le, [email protected] MONTREAL, Sept. 13, 2024 /CNW/ - The second edition of ALL IN , Canada's leading AI event, concluded yesterday, marking a significant milestone in the journey of innovation and collaboration within the AI industry. This year's edition set new records, thanks to the participation and support of more than 4,000 attendees from over 40 countriesdouble the number from last yearincluding France, Japan, the United States, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. ALL IN 2024 ends with record-breaking attendance: 4,000 participants from 40 countries to showcase Canadian AI (CNW Group/ALL IN) A key highlight for business professionals attending ALL IN was the even split between participants: 50% were AI solution providers, and the other 50% were current and potential future AI adopters. ALL IN 2024 highlighted the best of Canadian AI, showcasing its potential to revolutionize various industries and benefit the everyday lives of Canadians. Additionally, the event emphasized global engagement and international partnerships toward the ethical commercialization and widespread adoption of AI to boost productivity and efficiency. With over 1,360 companies, Canada's top 100 AI startups, and numerous bilateral discussions, investor meetings, and political roundtables, ALL IN has once again proven to be a melting pot of ideas and innovation, facilitating crucial dialogues on the future of Canadian and international AI. More than 200 influential speakers ALL IN 2024 featured more than 200 influential speakers, making it the premier venue for discussing the most pressing topics related to AI commercialization and societal impact. The event showcased the latest and most tangible Canadian AI solutions, notably through the newly introduced AI Demo Zone. Over 70 conferences, keynotes, and panel discussions took place, featuring inspiring leaders such as The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Yoshua Bengio, Sasha Luccioni, Nikola Mrksic and Joelle Pineau. Meeting point for business delegations from around the world In just its second edition, ALL IN has already established itself as a must-attend event on the international AI and tech scene, attracting business and political delegations from over 40 countries. Among those who travelled to Montreal were high-ranking representatives from the Japan External Trade Organization, the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, AI Sweden, Business France as well as leading international companies like LG Electronics or Toyota. France, the Country of Honour, showcased its AI ecosystem to a North American audience with the presence of a strong delegation of senior officials and a French Pavilion home to some of its best startups, scale-ups, and well-established companies including Alstom, Thales, L'Oreal and OVHcloud, among others. ALL IN: a showcase of significant announcements Over two days, ALL IN was buzzing with news, as over 10 exclusive announcements were made, including: Hypertec Cloud announced a major expansion of its AI cloud infrastructure, aiming to deploy up to 100,000 GPUs by early 2025 to address rising AI demands and meet critical industry needs across North America . . A revolutionary AI solution was presented by Airudi to better the service of paramedics. WEKA revealed a new global study showing that generative AI has eclipsed all other AI applications in the enterprise, fuelling a new cohort of AI leaders and cloud providers. Scale AI, Canada's global AI innovation cluster, announced an ambitious $5 million call for projects to support initiatives based on generative AI for the benefit of Canadian industries. global AI innovation cluster, announced an ambitious call for projects to support initiatives based on generative AI for the benefit of Canadian industries. A comprehensive economic study by the Business Development Bank of Canada on the AI imperative for Canada's entrepreneurs showed that those who use AI report a reduction in operating costs and in the need for additional hiring. Gearing up for 2025: what's next for ALL IN Looking ahead, the vision for ALL IN is ambitious. ALL IN 2025 aims to grow its audience once again and further establish itself as a key tech event on the East Coast, attracting innovators, thought leaders, and political figures from around the world. ALL IN 2025 will take place on September 25 and 26 in Montreal. Tickets are on presale now. About ALL IN ( allinevent.ai ) ALL IN, the most important event dedicated to Canadian artificial intelligence, is an initiative of SCALE AI, Canada's AI Global Innovation Cluster. Co-organized with CEIMIA, Mila, and supported by the entire Canadian AI ecosystem, ALL IN has become one of Canada's major tech events, driving innovation and business. Beyond insightful discussions, the event fosters collaboration and knowledge-sharing, creating an environment where decision-makers can explore innovative solutions and concrete AI projects, exchange ideas, and forge partnerships to flourish in an AI-driven economy. SOURCE ALL IN Source: ALL IN, Contact: Eric Aach, [email protected], +1 514-569-3594 The 'Any Way We Can' creative campaign demonstrates a bolder stance on fighting poverty in the GTA at a time when critical social issues from housing affordability to food security are impacting many community members. Together with partners from communities across Peel, Toronto and York, UWGT is leading scalable, innovative solutions to address the complex issues and needs of these regions. "We really want to crank up the volume on United Way Greater Toronto's initiatives and partnerships, our leadership role in creating equitable community spaces, and the tangible impact we make together," says Daniele Zanotti, President & CEO, United Way Greater Toronto. "This is the moment to mobilize support, scale new solutions and inspire the radical hope we need to imagine and build a better region for all. And we're inviting everyone from across the region to join us" The 'Any Way We Can' campaign aims to shine a spotlight on the unyielding grit and determination driving the fight against poverty. By revealing the tireless work that fuels the journey towards building a better life for all, this campaign seeks to inspire and engage people, fostering a deeper appreciation for the relentless dedication needed to transform communities and create lasting change. "We need action to address poverty and to invest in the people and programs that make a difference everyday on the ground in our communities," says Victor Dodig, CIBC President and CEO, and United Way 2024 Community Campaign Chair. "The 'Any Way We Can' campaign marks a bold shift by showcasing the work being done behind the scenes to fight poverty and the difference UWGT is making in the communities where we work and live. We are proud to continue supporting UWGT's innovative solutions that seek to ensure everyone has a chance to achieve a more secure and equitable future." Some examples of UWGT's innovative initiatives with cross-sectoral partnerships include: Community Hubs bring residents together with social services, healthcare, recreational spaces and sometimes even government services together in one location. UWGT continues to fund this one-stop model of eight functioning community hubs in neighbourhoods across Toronto , which have amassed 5.1 million visits since opening and is welcoming new hubs in Thorncliffe Park and Bridletowne. bring residents together with social services, healthcare, recreational spaces and sometimes even government services together in one location. UWGT continues to fund this one-stop model of eight functioning community hubs in neighbourhoods across , which have amassed 5.1 million visits since opening and is welcoming new hubs in Thorncliffe Park and Bridletowne. The Inclusive Local Economic Opportunity Initiative (ILEO) brings together the private, public, and community sectors to find innovative ways to reduce gaps in economic prosperity at the neighbourhood level. Over the next 20 years, three new transit lines and over 35,000 residential units are going to be built in the Scarborough Golden Mile area. brings together the private, public, and community sectors to find innovative ways to reduce gaps in economic prosperity at the neighbourhood level. Over the next 20 years, three new transit lines and over 35,000 residential units are going to be built in the Scarborough Golden Mile area. Cluster Tables convene local government, the private sector and other stakeholders, to collaborate and invest in a neighbourhood's well-being and that of its existing residents. In the coming months, United Way's Community Action Plans will invest up to $1 million in Quick Action Grants in Cooksville , Jane- Finch and South Markham , providing residents with funding to launch their own initiatives, whether creating public recreation and gathering spaces, youth training, or connecting residents to employment opportunities. To learn more about how United Way Greater Toronto is making an impact, visit anywaywecan.ca Campaign is supported by: Sid Lee, dentsuX, and BlueSky Communications. About United Way As the largest non-government funder of community services in the GTA, United Way Greater Toronto reinforces a crucial community safety net to support people living in poverty. United Way's network of agencies and initiatives in neighbourhoods across Peel, Toronto and York Region works to ensure that everyone has access to the programs and services they need to thrive. Mobilizing community support, United Way's work is rooted in ground-breaking research, strategic leadership, local advocacy and cross-sectoral partnerships committed to building a more equitable region and lasting solutions to the GTA's greatest challenges. SOURCE United Way Greater Toronto For media inquiries, contact: Katrina Manoukarakis, Account Manager, [email protected] TORONTO, Sept. 16, 2024 /CNW/ - The CST Foundation, the creators of education savings plans in Canada, proudly awarded over $250,000 to 40 Canadian students pursuing higher education for the first time. Through its 2024 Awards and Bursaries program, 15 Founders' Awards and 25 Bursary Awards were awarded to help cover the cost of tuition and related expenses such as books and supplies. This year's Award winners will be celebrated today at CST's annual awards celebration in Toronto. The CST Foundation awards more than $250,000 to 40 Canadian students (CNW Group/Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation) The CST Foundation's purpose is to enable access to post-secondary education for all Canadians (regardless of their background) by ensuring they have the financial resources they need. Each year, CST's Awards program plays a crucial role in fulfilling that purpose by supporting students from diverse backgrounds as they pursue their post-secondary education dreams. Hailey MacDonald, recipient of a 2024 Founders' Award, will be pursuing a degree in psychology at The University of Western Ontario. "The Founders' Award allows me to completely focus on my studies," says MacDonald. "I'm so grateful to CST for helping me achieve my dreams." The Founders' Awards provide access to fifteen $7,000 scholarships exclusively for our CST beneficiaries. 2024 Bursary Award winner, Tiayanna McCullough, is studying French Language and Literature at the University of Toronto. "The CST Bursary Award has offered me the chance of hope," says McCullough. "I am now one step closer to graduating university, achieving my goal of becoming an educator and giving back to my community." The Bursary Awards provide twenty-five $6,000 scholarships for those entering post-secondary education for the first time. "While the cost of living has increased for all Canadians, we know that the cost of a higher education has also continued to rise, putting it out of reach for too many young people in our country" says Peter Lewis, CST's President and CEO. "We are proud of our legacy of making education possible for hundreds of thousands of Canadians and are committed to continuing to support families on their journey to accessing post-secondary education in Canada." To learn more about how the CST Foundation supports access to post-secondary education, or to learn more about its Awards program, visit cstfoundation.ca. About the Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation Founded in 1960, the Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation is dedicated to helping Canadian families access post-secondary education. As the creators of education savings plans in Canada, we've helped almost 700,000 Canadian families make post-secondary education attainable for over 60 years. Through its scholarship and bursary programs, CST has awarded over $2 million to students pursuing post-secondary education. SOURCE Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation For further information, please contact: Alexa Ciufo, Communications Manager | [email protected] SpaceX launched and returned commercial astronauts in the first crewed Polar mission and that mission included a space walk. Three countries (US, Russia and China) have performed Spacewalks on their own with their own rocket own facilities. The European Space Agency has not launched crewed mission or missions to the ISS. Astronauts from 12 countries have performed spacewalks but with support from US or Russia usually. These countries include: United States Russia (formerly Soviet Union) China Canada Japan European countries (through the European Space Agency, representing nations like Germany, France, Italy, and others) United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia (through the Saudi Arabian astronaut with NASA) South Korea Malaysia (via the Angkasawan program with Russia) Iran (through an Iranian-American astronaut with NASA) South Africa (via an astronaut of South African descent with NASA) This list reflects the diversity of space exploration, with astronauts from various nations contributing to spacewalks, either directly through their national space programs or through international collaborations like those with NASA, Roscosmos, or the European Space Agency (ESA). Dragon and the Polaris Dawn crew splash down off the coast of Florida, completing the @PolarisProgram's first human spaceflight mission pic.twitter.com/Sobt66zxnL SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 15, 2024 Watch the @PolarisPrograms Polaris Dawn astronauts return to Earth aboard Dragon https://t.co/WpSw0gzeT0 https://t.co/wC8cUNSBie SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 15, 2024 Polaris Dawn Flight Day 5 Update The crews final full day on-orbit was dedicated to furthering and finalizing the scientific goals of the Polaris Dawn mission, connecting with one of their training teams, and catching-up with the SpaceX family. Two of the days scientific pic.twitter.com/XQ7dgK88v5 Polaris (@PolarisProgram) September 15, 2024 BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. A protocol of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan will be drawn up in connection with the snap parliamentary election, the CEC Deputy Chairman Rovzat Gasimov said during todays CEC meeting in Baku, Trend reports. He noted that the work of district election commissions should be considered completed. Therefore, a protocol must be drawn up, he explained. The CEC Chairman, Mazahir Panahov, pointed out that it's necessary to take a break to draw up the protocol. When preparing the protocol, you should carefully read the numbers. CEC Secretary Arifa Mukhtarova and commission members Ilkin Shahbazov and Ramiz Ibrahimov will take part in drawing up the protocol, Panahov added. The snap parliamentary election was held in Azerbaijan on September 1. A total of 112,749 local observers were registered, including over 65,000 representatives of political parties. There were 598 international observers from 51 organizations and 69 countries. Among the 990 registered candidates, 305 represented 25 political parties, while 371 were party members but were not nominated by their parties. In total, 676 candidates were affiliated with political parties. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. The US always looks forward to opportunities to convene meeting of foreign minister of Azerbaijan and Armenia, the US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said during a briefing, Trend reports. "The US always looks forward to opportunities to convene meeting of foreign minister of Azerbaijan and Armenia. We continue to support the efforts of both countries to reach a durable and dignified peace agreement. They have made significant progress towards finalizing a peace agreement, and we're committed to supporting them in any way that we can, including convening a meeting, it that's helpful," he said. Foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia held a meeting on July 10 the sidelines of summit dedicated to the 75th anniversary of NATO. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Armenian counterpart have agreed to keep working on peace agreement. The parties noted the progress made by Azerbaijan and Armenia towards concluding a historic peace agreement and establishing interstate relations, and agreed to continue work in this direction. A Bergen County man was arrested Friday after two children under age 14 said they were assaulted by him in Paramus, authorities said. Christopher Del Savio, 56, of Paramus, was charged with two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child by a caretaker and two counts of simple assault, according to court records. The New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency contacted the Bergen County Prosecutors Office on Friday about the accusations, authorities said. An investigation between the prosecutors office and Paramus police revealed that Christopher Del Savio physically abused two juveniles under the age of 14, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said in a statement. Del Savio was taken to the Bergen County Jail ahead of a court hearing. Attorney information for Del Savio was not available. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. A 24-year-old man was charged with drug possession and other offenses after a wrong-way crash on Route 4 Sunday in Bergen County that left five people injured, according to police. The man, from Queens, New York, was traveling east in the westbound lanes at about 11:15 p.m. when he collided head-on with an SUV near River Road in Teaneck, according to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella. The New York driver ran from the scene of the crash and was arrested a short distance away, Musella said. He was later charged with several third and fourth degree crimes. The New York driver and the occupants of the SUV were taken to area hospitals. Two of the people in the SUV were seriously hurt, the prosecutor said. Musella said an investigation showed the license plates on the New York mans car had been stolen and officers also seized an undisclosed amount of suspected cocaine from inside the vehicle. The New York man, who remained hospitalized on Monday, was charged with: leaving the scene of an accident; possession of a controlled, dangerous substance; and motor-vehicle alteration, all third-degree crimes. He was also charged with resisting arrest, receiving stolen property, and two counts of assault by auto, all fourth-degree crimes. Hes also facing three counts of assault by auto as a disorderly persons offense and several motor-vehicle violations. Attorney information for the New York driver was not immediately available on Monday. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Actor Garcelle Beauvais is speaking out against false claims about the Haitian American community from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance. I have been holding this in for a week, hoping praying it would go away, but it hasnt!!! she said in an Instagram post Sunday. Anyone who knows me, knows that I speak my mind! This madness has got to stop. Beauvais, 57, who made her film debut in the 1988 hit movie Coming to America with Eddie Murphy, moved to the United States from her native Haiti as a child. The actor, TV host and reality star spoke at length in an Instagram video shared with her 1.4 million followers. Staying silent in the face of racism and hate is something that I refuse to do, she said. This past week, the lies that have been spewed about the Haitian community, about my community, have been disgusting, deeply hurtful and dangerous. Trump and Vance, a senator from Ohio and Republican candidate for vice president, have spread a false story about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio eating pets. Trump used the fabrication as a talking point in his debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president. Trumps theyre eating the dogs ... theyre eating the cats comment at the debate has been memed to oblivion on social media. Beauvais, who was born in Saint-Marc, Haiti, left the country with her family when she was 7 and grew up in Massachusetts. Her memoir Love Me As I Am: My Journey from Haiti to Hollywood to Happiness was published in 2022. This is not about politics, she continued in the video. Its about humanity. We must condemn this kind of hatred, this kind of racism for anyone. I have always been a proud Haitian immigrant. Coming to America, working hard, thats what we do, coming from gratitude. And I will not sit by and let people talk about my community in any way they want for their own gain. Garcelle Beauvais at the Creative Arts Emmys Sept. 7. She made her film debut in "Coming to America" in 1988 and went on to star in shows like "Models, Inc.," "The Jamie Foxx Show" and "NYPD Blue." She's also been a cast member on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" and a co-host of talk show "The Real."JC Olivera | Variety via Getty Images The power we have is the power to vote, Beauvais said. To register and vote and stop this madness, this chaos. Beauvais, who stars in and is the executive producer of the Lifetime movie Terry McMillan Presents: Tempted by Love, recently interviewed Harris in Washington, D.C. The actor, who appeared in the 2021 sequel film Coming 2 America, is also known for being a cast member on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, a former co-host of Fox talk show The Real and for her roles in TVs The Jamie Foxx Show, NYPD Blue and Franklin & Bash. Her other film credits include White House Down and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Beauvais has also appeared in New Jersey native Michelle Buteaus Netflix series Survival of the Thickest. She started her career as a model, going on to appear in the 90s Melrose Place spinoff Models, Inc. on Fox. The actor spoke in Haitian Creole for part of her Instagram video. I am not gonna sit by, Beauvais said. Its just not OK to treat people like this. Were supposed to be uplifting each other. From our leaders to our neighbors, this has got to stop, and we have to do something about it. We cant just sit by. Thanks for listening, register to vote. We have 50-something days (now 49). Go out and vote. We need to stop this chaos. Thank you for reading. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup. Jon Stewart left The Daily Show in 2015. And this year, he made a big return, hosting the show on Mondays and serving as executive producer. Now Stewart is celebrating an Emmy win for his first season back. The Jersey native, who won 20 Emmys in his original run with The Daily Show, collected another for outstanding talk series at the 76th Emmy Awards Sunday in Los Angeles. Stewart, who grew up in Lawrenceville, embraced his old Daily Show correspondent and fellow Jersey resident Stephen Colbert, who was nominated in the same category for The Late Show. Then he headed to the stage to accept the award with the cast and crew. Youve made an old man very happy, said Stewart, 61, who returned to The Daily Show in February. This is remarkable. To have an opportunity to work with this incredibly talented group once a week has just been ... its really made my Mondays, he said, getting laughs for the little riff on his part-time status. Stewart shares Daily Show hosting duties with the shows correspondents Ronny Chieng, Desi Lydic, Michael Kosta and Jordan Klepper. He credited executive producer Jennifer Flanz as being the keeper of the flame of The Daily Show. Flanz started with the show as a production assistant in 1998. Stewart hosted the Comedy Central series starting in 1999. When he left, Trevor Noah took the the helm and led the show until the end of 2022, after which The Daily Show had a series of guest hosts, including Jerseys own Kal Penn. When the show won the 2023 Emmy for outstanding talk series in January, Noah and the cast accepted the award. Stewart owns an animal sanctuary in Colts Neck with his wife, Tracey Stewart, who presides over the Hey Friend Foundation. Thank you for reading. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup. A judge has sentenced a Gloucester County woman to five years in prison for beating her mother to death with a broomstick two years ago. Loretta A. Barr, 67, of Washington Township, was accused of striking 83-year-old Florence Dicriscio multiple times during an Aug. 6, 2022, dispute at the apartment they shared. The older woman told police her daughter beat her up and locked her out of their apartment, while Barrs attorney claimed during a hearing in 2022 that his client acted in self-defense after Dicriscio attacked her. The extent of the mothers injuries werent immediately apparent until she was taken to a hospital, where doctors found she was suffering from a brain bleed, broken ribs and compacted vertebrae, according to court documents. She died in a hospital three days after the incident and an autopsy determined she died of blunt force trauma to the head and chest, authorities said. Barrs attorney argued in 2022 that his clients mother suffered from Alzheimers disease and dementia, was prone to violence, and the family could not afford to place her in a nursing facility, leaving Barr as her sole caregiver. On the night of the incident, Dicriscio assaulted her daughter, then fell and banged her head on the floor, the attorney alleged. The prosecution pointed to Barrs prior convictions for weapons possession and domestic violence contempt charges and two prior restraining orders signed against her several years ago as proof that she posed a danger to others. Barr was indicted on charges of first-degree aggravated manslaughter and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, but agreed to plead guilty to an amended charge of second-degree reckless manslaughter. The weapons charge was dismissed as part of the plea deal, under which prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of five to seven years. During an Aug. 30 hearing, Superior Court Judge William Ziegler sentenced Barr to five years in prison with a requirement that she serve 85% of that time before shes eligible for parole. She was also sentenced to three years of parole supervision after her release. Barr received credit for 751 days already served in jail. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 15. The Deputy Minister of Mental Health for the Canadian province of Ontario, Michael Tibollo, is on a working visit to Azerbaijan, Trend reports. The Canadian official held a series of meetings during his visit, including one with the Chairman of the State Committee on Work with the Diaspora, Fuad Muradov. Muradov provided detailed information about the state's diaspora policies and the committee's activities at the meeting. He praised the integration of Azerbaijani compatriots living in Canada into the social, economic, and cultural life of the country. Muradov also thanked Michael Tibollo for his attention and support to the Azerbaijani community. Expressing his satisfaction with the visit, Tibollo emphasized the importance of the Forum of Azerbaijani Scientists Living Abroad and their contribution to science. Tibollo also met with the Rector of Azerbaijan Medical University, Professor Geray Geraybeyli. He discussed the work being done in Canada to maintain mental health, including the activities of psychological centers, support for students facing bullying, and various forms of psychological assistance. Tibollo underlined the importance of international cooperation in this field and the exchange of best practices. Professor Geraybeyli provided insights into the recent developments in psychiatry and psychology in Azerbaijan, including successes and collaborations with international organizations on joint projects. Tibollo's visit also included meetings with the Executive Director of the Association for the Management of Territorial Medical Units (TBIB), Vugar Gurbanov, and the Director of the Mental Health Center, Professor Fuad Ismayilov. The meetings featured a thorough and wide-ranging exchange of perspectives. New York Waterway has been awarded a $6.3 million grant to reinforce its maintenance facility off the coast of Weehawken, Rep. Rob Menendez announced Monday. The $6.32 million grant, funded under the U.S. Department of Transportations fiscal year 2024 Passenger Ferry Grant Program, will be used to install a wave attenuator at the facility, preventing waves, high tides, and floods from harming vessels and impacting service for customers. This grant will ensure that our transit system is more resilient, reliable, and fulfilling the needs of New Jerseyans and people throughout the region, said Menendez, who represents the Eighth District and is expected to win another term in November. NJ Transit and NY Waterway play a critical role in our public transportation system, and Im grateful to the Biden-Harris Department of Transportation for prioritizing these important upgrades to their facilities. Weehawken officials had often stated that the township does not want the maintenance facility off its shore, but has come to the realization that there isnt much it can do except be a good neighbor. Mayor Richard Turner is proud the township halted Waterway from expanding the facility, even if a new feasible site for the maintenance facility could not be found. It was always temporary until they found a better location, but all the state agencies have looked and no one can find a location, Turner said. If they are going to revamp the existing facility, we want to see if it can be made much better. We said to the state they should help electrify the boats, which would eliminate the (noise and possible water pollution) issues. New York Waterway has a deal with Hoboken to utilize the Union Dry Dock site until the upgrades at the Weehawken facility are complete. Under the agreement, Waterway would operate on the Hoboken waterfront or at least three years, but not more than five. Armand Pohan, chairman, president and CEO of New York Waterway called the construction of the wave attenuation screen an essential step in ensuring the safety and modernization of our ferry maintenance facility. This structure serves the needs of the ferry system and the thousands of riders we serve, as well as the need for resiliency protection of property along the neighboring Weehawken shoreline. The state of the presidential race continues to heat up with just 50 days until Election Day. The 2024 presidential race is shaping up to be another close contestthis time between Vice President Harris and former President Trump. The highly anticipated race comes after a tumultuous summer that included President Bidens historic withdrawal from the ballot, two presidential debates and two assassination attempts against Trump. Harris and Trump are now trying to make their appeals to voters as the country barrels toward the fall election season. Heres what to know 50 days out from Election Day: When is Election Day? The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Whos leading in the polls? The presidential race will likely be a close contest between Trump and Harris. A new national poll released Sunday from ABC News/Ipsos shows Harris with a 6-point lead over the former president among likely voters. However, national polls do not tell the full story because they do not assess the campaign at the state level, which determines the winner of the Electoral College. A candidate must reach 270 electoral votes to clinch the presidency. Fox News shifted its presidential forecast last week in the key battleground states of North Carolina and Georgia after the debate between Harris and Trump on Sept. 10. Fox News now has North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada labeled as toss-up states. A separate poll from The Des Moines Register/Mediacom found Harris has closed in on Trump in the deep red state of Iowa. Harris is only trailing Trump by 4 points in the new poll, while Biden trailed Trump by 18 points in a June survey. Trump carried Iowa in 2020 by about 8 percentage points. Will there be another debate? After Harris delivered a strong performance against Trump in the ABC News debate last week, her campaign immediately demanded a second debate between her and the former president. Trump, who appeared to grow irritated at Harriss comments during the debate, declared himself the winner of the event. After pundits and polls suggested Harris was the winner of the debate, he went on to claim that the debate was rigged before saying that there would not be another debate. When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, I WANT A REMATCH. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post last week. KAMALA SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE DURING THE LAST ALMOST FOUR YEAR PERIOD. THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE! Am I registered to vote? You can check if you are registered to vote at Vote.gov. Each state and territory has different deadlines and rules for voter registration, mail-in voting and early voting. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. As many Republicans continue to buck their partys nominee and nominate Vice President Harris for the White House, calls are mounting for former President George W. Bush to denounce former President Trump. The Harris campaign has touted that more than 200 Republicans have endorsed the vice president, including former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and many former Trump insiders. It also includes former vice president to Bush, Dick Cheney. Appellate attorney Chris Truax, who served as Southern California chair for John McCains 2008 primary campaign in 2008, called out Bush for staying out of the presidential race this year. He wrote in an opinion piece for The Hill that there was a lot of speculation that Bush would endorse Harris after Cheney did so earlier this month. That would have a real impact on the race. As a former Republican president, his endorsement would weigh heavily with old-school Reagan Republicans. And despite Trumps takeover of the party apparatus, there are still a lot of these Republicans around. Nikki Haley got hundreds of thousands of votes in swing states like Pennsylvania, Arizona and Georgia even after she dropped out of the race. Thats more than enough to deliver those states to Harris and stop Trump from regaining the presidency, Truax wrote. He noted that Bush is apparently above such petty concerns, pointing to recent reports that said he is not endorsing anyone in the race for the White House. Multiple outlets reported that Bushs office released a statement that said: President Bush retired from presidential politics years ago. But it doesnt work that way. When your country calls, you cant just roll it over to voicemail because you dont want to deal with it, especially when you are an elder statesman like an ex-president. Patriotism is for life, Truax wrote, noting that former President Jimmy Carter said he hopes he can live to cast his vote for Harris. Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who served in Bushs administration, also said last week that he was all in for Harris. Conservative Bill Kristol, who has been a frequent critic of Trump, also called on Bush to denounce the former president. He pointed to the Trump-Vance campaign for repeating a false claim that Haitian migrants are eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio. There has been no evidence put forward to back up that claim. By the way, shouldnt Springfield, Ohio, be the final straw for George W. Bush, who refused to demonize immigrants? Its time for the ex-president to denounce Trump and endorse Harris, Kristol wrote. Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) admitted Sunday that he made up the story about the migrants on CNNs State of the Union. He is facing some calls to resign as his comments have sparked racist rhetoric against Haitians numerous residents in Ohio marches in the town by the white-nationalist Proud Boys, bomb and shooting threats and closed schools. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually has to pay attention to the suffering of American people, then thats what Im going to do, Vance said on Sunday. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. As the presidential campaign intensifies in its final weeks, conventional wisdom might suggest that voters in critical battleground states are solely focused on the election. However, readership data from leading local news publications in all seven battleground states tells a different story: while political news draws interest, economic issues are grabbing voters attention most consistently. A case in point is the popularity of a story about supermarket chain Aldis plan to add 13,000 jobs this holiday season, with wages up to $23 per hour. This article was the most-read news story across several battlegrounds in the 24 hours following Tuesdays presidential debate. The takeaway? Voters in these key states are placing economic issues at the forefront as they consider their options. Aldi hiring plan This article was the most-read news story across several battlegrounds in the 24 hours following Tuesdays presidential debate. The takeaway? Voters in these key states are placing economic issues at the forefront as they consider their options.Screenshot The Economy as a Key Driver of Voter Attention Economic concerns are particularly salient for two critical voter groups: young Black men and middle-aged and older White men. These demographics, viewed by political strategists as pivotal in shaping the outcome of battleground voting, are focused on their financial well-being. In Pennsylvania, for example, the Aldi job announcement topped the reading lists for 18-29-year-old Black men along with a story about store closures, underscoring the primacy of jobs and wages in their daily concerns. White men over 40 were captivated by stories about a slate of businesses opening in a local market and a new ranking of overpriced family destinations. This continues a trend that has been consistent throughout the year. Stories about the economy, particularly those with local relevance, are dominating the attention of key voter segments. Local Perspectives, Trusted Voices, and the Power of Economic Storytelling In the battle for voter attention, local angles and trusted voices play a pivotal role. Analysis of nearly 3,000 news articles read by 15.8 million Americans following Tuesday nights presidential debate shows that stories with a local twist performed better than national headlines. Readers in battleground states are looking for content that speaks directly to their everyday lives, often framed by the economic realities of their communities. For instance, the most-read political story in Pennsylvania was about a bipartisan debate watch party, with participants discussing issues affecting first-time voters. In Michigan, a story covering local debate takeaways generated nine times more interest than the average article. These insights demonstrate that local storytelling resonates deeply, often far more than national coverage. Election Coverage Takes a Backseat to Local Issues While election-related content still draws attention, it often competes with other issues. For example, Taylor Swifts endorsement of Kamala Harris garnered four times more interest than the debate itself. News Reader Attention by Topic While election-related content still draws attention, it often competes with other pressing issues. For example, Taylor Swifts endorsement of Kamala Harris garnered four-times more interest than the debate itself.Advance Local Analysis Swifts endorsement aside, the data reveals that attention to the election, though significant, only slightly outpaces other content in battleground states. Georgia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin show the highest engagement with election news, while Michigan lags, demonstrating a diverse set of voter priorities. Nonetheless, the economy, job creation, and local perspectives dominate the conversation, emphasizing the importance of keeping voters informed about the issues that matter most to them. News Reader Attention by Battleground State News Reader Attention By Battleground StateAdvance Local Analysis The Path Forward: Harnessing the Power of Local Storytelling In the closing weeks of the campaign, campaigns should heed the importance of local context and community perspectives. The economy is at the forefront of voter attention, particularly for key demographics in battleground states. By focusing on economic storytelling and ensuring that content speaks to local experiences, campaigns can more effectively connect with late-deciding voters who may just now be tuning into the race. Understanding where voter attention liesand leveraging trusted, local voices to address these concernswill be key to engaging these critical segments. Zach Silber is an advisor to Reckon. He works with media and communications companies and previously led the research and analytics team at one of the largest U.S. strategic communications firms. This analysis included 2,904 news articles read by 15.8 million news readers on Wednesday, September 11th, 2024 the day after the Presidential Debate across leading news sources in all seven battleground states. NEW YORK Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford couldnt have placed the ball on a tee in a better spot for Aaron Judge to mash in the third inning on Sunday afternoon. The right-handers 0-1 fastball to the Yankees captain leaked back over the heart of the plate and Judge who busted out of the longest home run drought of his career on Friday against Boston was all over it. Six-day (Tuesday through Sunday) print subscribers of the Watertown Daily Times are eligible for full access to NNY360, the NNY360 mobile app, and the Watertown Daily Times e-edition, all at no additional cost. If you have an existing six-day print subscription to the Watertown Daily Times, please make sure your email address on file matches your NNY360 account email. You can sign up or manage your print subscription using the options below. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close SHUSHA, Azerbaijan, September 16. The first school bell has rung in Shusha after 32 years, Trend reports. Children from families who returned to Shusha began the new school year at Secondary School No. 1. The event has brought together the Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan in the Shusha District, Aydin Karimov, the Minister of Science and Education, Emin Amrullayev, the Deputy Director of the Karabakh Regional Department of Education, Anar Majidov, the school staff, and parents of the students. The event began with a ceremonial march by the students to the newly opened Shusha City Secondary School No. 1. The proceedings included the performance of the national anthem of Azerbaijan and a moment of silence to honor the memory of national leader Heydar Aliyev and the martyrs. Minister Amrullayev delivered a speech congratulating educators and students on the start of the new academic year. He emphasized that this day is a historic moment for the Azerbaijani people and will be remembered fondly by the students of Shusha. He highlighted Shusha's crucial role in Azerbaijan's educational landscape and expressed confidence that the tradition of excellence in education would continue. One of the first buildings constructed in Shusha following its liberation was Secondary School No. 1. This school, built to the highest modern standards, is now operational. I am confident that Shushas school will become one of the leading institutions in Azerbaijan's education system, Amrullayev stated. Aydin Kerimov and Asif Jahangirov, a distinguished teacher, also extended their congratulations to the teachers and students, wishing them success and the continued advancement of education in Shusha. Sabina Gozalova, the director of Shusha City Secondary School No. 1, provided details about the new facility. The three-story building, which accommodates 960 students, features 40 classrooms, specialized laboratories, a STEAM center, a library, and other essential amenities. It also includes a football field and additional infrastructure. The director assured that the attention and care from the state would be met with diligent work from the schools staff and students. The ceremony concluded with the ringing of the first bell of the new academic year. The 2024-2025 school year in Azerbaijan officially begins on September 16, with the theme "Solidarity for a Green World" set for the first lesson. This year, 132,261 children have enrolled in the first grade and 89,000 in preparatory preschool groups across the country. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel SHUSHA, Azerbaijan, September 16. The number of students at Karabakh University will increase in the coming years, Azerbaijani Science and Education Minister Emin Amrullayev told Trend. According to him, 1200 students will start studying at Karabakh University, 150 teachers will lecture them, and the number of students will increase in the coming years. The Minister noted that after liberation from occupation, construction of schools has started in almost all major cities of these regions. We opened a school in Shusha; a little later we will drive to Khojaly. Soon, schools will be commissioned in the town of Khankendi, as well as in the town of Jabrayil. In general, construction works are currently underway in 30 schools, Amrullayev added. To note, the 2024-2025 school year starts in Azerbaijan on September 16. In the new academic year, the first lesson in general education institutions was dedicated to the theme Solidarity for a green world. A total of 132,261 children were enrolled in first grades in the 2024-2025 school year, and 89,000 children were enrolled in preparatory groups. Furthermore, 513,698 students will study in the new academic year in general educational institutions subordinated to the Baku City Education Department. The number of pupils will be 46,098 in first grade, 44,233 in ninth grade, 35,757 in tenth grade, 32,260 in eleventh grade, and 156 in twelfth grade. Tesco shoppers in North Devon are in for a golden opportunity this Saturday (21 September) as the supermarket launches a special 500,000 giveaway at its Barnstaple Superstore on Rose Lane. From 12pm to 1pm, customers will have a chance to win a share of HALF A MILLION POUNDS for local schools or childrens groups. As part of Tescos Stronger Starts campaign, participants can take a lucky dip to find a gold version of Tescos famous blue voting token. The Barnstaple customer who discovers the gold token will be able to select which of three nominated local schools or childrens groups will receive a 5,000 Golden Grant. This grant can be used to purchase equipment or healthy food to support a better start in life for children. Claire De Silva, Tesco Head of Communities said: Schools and local projects are vital in supporting our children and our communities. Were giving customers the chance to make a difference to a school or group thats doing amazing work on their doorstep. The Golden Grants are part of Tescos Stronger Starts initiative, an 8 million grant programme in partnership with Groundwork UK. These grants, awarded twice a year, aim to help schools and childrens groups provide nutritious food and healthy activities, such as breakfast clubs, snacks, and equipment for physical activities. Local schools and childrens groups in North Devon can apply for a grant through Groundwork by visiting www.tescoplc.com/strongerstarts. Successful applications will be put to a vote in their local Tesco store, where customers will choose which of the three projects theyd like to support by voting with a blue token. Since the launch of Tescos Community Grants programme in 2016, over 100 million has been awarded to more than 50,000 local schools and community groups. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. The meeting with the Azerbaijani community living in Stuttgart and neighboring cities of Germany has been held, Trend reports via Azerbaijan's State Committee for Work with Diaspora. According to the information, the meeting kicked off with the stirring strains of the National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan, followed by a moment of silence to honor the brave souls who laid down their lives for the Motherland's territorial integrity. The meeting, steered by Gunay Mirzayeva, the Head of the Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Germany, saw Nuran Abdullayev take the floor to shed light on the goings-on of the Alliance of Azerbaijanis of Germany, which he leads. Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Diaspora Fuad Muradov talked of our country's Diaspora policy and emphasized that this policy, founded by National Leader Heydar Aliyev, is successfully continued by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. Extensive information was presented at the meeting on the activities of the State Committee, Azerbaijani Houses abroad, coordination councils, Sunday schools, summer camps for Diaspora youth, and other major projects. Then video clips reflecting the activities of the Azerbaijani Diaspora and Azerbaijan's victory in the second Karabakh War were demonstrated. In her speech, Gunay Mirzayeva informed about the activities of the Center she heads and talked of the invaluable services of Azerbaijan's First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva in promoting Azerbaijani culture in the world. Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Germany, Italian composer and organizer of cultural events Francesco Maggio, in his speech, expressed his love for Azerbaijan, talked of his trip to Azerbaijan and his unforgettable memories. The descendant of Iravan Khan, engineer Amir Ali Sardari, made an excursion to the history of Iravan and thanked the Azerbaijani state for taking care of Azerbaijanis living abroad today. Community member, musician Nigar Sultanova expressed her proposals for further expansion of the community's activities. The meeting continued with an interesting exchange of views and answers to questions. The community members positively assessed the activity of Diaspora organizations operating in Germany, noted the invaluable contribution of such meetings to strengthening the solidarity of Azerbaijanis abroad, and expressed wishes for the opening of the Azerbaijan House in Stuttgart. The meeting ended with a cultural program. MICHIGAN CITY Two Northwest Indiana lawmakers are hosting a town hall meeting this week to discuss the state's proposed high school diploma changes. The free event, led by state Rep. Pat Boy, D-Michigan City, and state Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, is set for 5 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the council chambers at Michigan City City Hall, 100 E. Michigan Blvd. Participants can learn more about the diploma changes, ask questions, and share with education stakeholders their concerns about the second draft of the Indiana Department of Education's high school diploma redesign. The tentative plan calls for the number of diploma types to drop from four to one base diploma for all students. The new diploma would have minimum credit requirements similar to the Core 40, but require fewer specific classes in each subject to give students the flexibility to personalize their coursework. It does not include the controversial work-based learning experience or skill competency requirements contained in the original diploma change proposal. Meet the 2024 Northwest Indiana legislative delegation State Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland State Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago State Sen. Dave Vinzant, D-Hobart State Sen. Rodney Pol Jr. State Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell State Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores State Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago State Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso State Rep. Pat Boy, D-Michigan City State Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage State Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron State Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster State Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary State Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville State Rep. Kendell Culp, R-Rensselaer State Rep. Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point State Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie On Sept. 17, 2014, an ambitious new app made its debut: New York Times Cooking, which collected thousands of archival Times recipes in one elegantly designed, easy-to-use place. In the 10 years since, Cooking has grown into a whole universe of food, videos, personalities, newsletters, cookbooks and comments with you at its center. Youve invited us into your kitchens and made us part of your lives. To mark the anniversary, here are 50 of our best recipes according to you, our community, with reader comments threaded throughout. Its not a ranked list of our most popular recipes by traffic numbers alone, but a wider, more curated view of Cooking. These are dishes that have emerged as classics and racked up five-star ratings, recipes that became popular just about immediately after we hit publish, went viral on social media and inspired the most memorable comments. But we easily couldve filled this list with 500 more. There are so many youve loved, in so many ways. KRYSTEN CHAMBROT How many NYT Cooking hits have you cooked? How many are still on your bucket list? Use this page to take stock and share on social. If youre a Cooking user, well automatically save these recipes to your Recipe Box. Dont have an account? You can sign up for a free one here. A Chinese man who built a pontoon bridge for an isolated village using his own money was fined multiple times and ultimately given prison time for the unauthorized structure. Before 2005, Zhenlin Village, in Northern Chinas Jilin Province, was completely cut off by the Taoer River, with locals having to travel around 70 kilometers to the nearest bridge. However, everything changed when a villager by the name of Huang Deyi, who had previously operated a small ferry to and from the village, decided to do what the regional authorities wouldnt build a small bridge across the river. The rudimentary pontoon bridge was welcomed by the community, and people were more than happy to pay a small toll to Huang for using it, as it was much cheaper and less time consuming than driving 70 km to the nearest authorized bridge. Business was good, and in 2014, Huang Deyo along with 17 other villagers improved the bridge by welding together 13 metal boats so it could support heavier vehicles, but four years later, the Taonan Water Affairs Authority came knocking, ordering the dismantling of the bridge and accusing Huang and his family of illegally profiting from it. Simply removing the bridge didnt get Huang off the hook, as in 2019 he was detained along with multiple family members and charged with several crimes, including collecting a total of 44,000 yuan ($6,200) from vehicles crossing his bridge between 2014 and 2018. Subsequent investigations revealed that Huang had charged vehicles over 52,000 yuan ($7,300) since 2005, and he was originally sentenced to 2 years in prison and another 2 years of probation. Huang Deyi appealed the court sentence, admitting that his bridge hadnt been approved by local authorities, but arguing that he only did it to help the local community. Regarding the toll collection, he claimed that his so-called profits had been inflated by prosecutors, considering that the two bridges he built over the Taoer River cost him over 130,000 yuan ($18,300). The entrepreneurs first appeal was rejected by the court in 2021, but he filed a new one to the higher Baicheng Intermediate Peoples Court in June 2023. The case is currently under review, but his story recently sparked a heated debate on Chinese social media, with some claiming that he and his family had it coming for charging people a toll for using an illegally built floating bridge, and other saying that he only did a service for his community, taking actions when the regional authorities would not. There would be no room for Huangs family to make aprofit if there was already a bridge there, one Weibo user commented, while others pointed out that locals were happy to pay the bridge toll, because is was cheaper and faster than traveling to the nearest authorized bridge. On the other hand, others questioned the safety of the bridge, asking who would have taken responsibility in case of an accident. Following the controversy with Huang Deyis bridge, authorities promised to build a bridge over the Taoer River closer to Zhenlin Village, but they have yet to fulfill their promise. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. The meeting was held with the well-known Azerbaijani photographer Reza Deghati in the Press and Public Affairs Department of the Defense Ministry, Trend reports, referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. Deghati was given extensive information about the publishing, multimedia, and editorial activities of the Ministry. The meeting emphasized that Deghati rendered great services in conveying the Azerbaijani realities to the world community and compassionated Azerbaijani people in the most difficult and tragic days and fateful moments. His activities exposing Armenian vandalism and terrorism during the First Karabakh and Patriotic War, after the historical victory, and multifaceted works promoting the nature, traditions, and culture of Azerbaijan were discussed. A master class dedicated to the art of photography was held with a group of personnel of the Defense Ministry, involved in the communication field. The participants were informed about the stages of development and history of photography art, genres, as well as the possibilities of modern photo equipment. Speaking about the intricacies of the art of photography, Deghati noted the importance of paying attention to documentary, authenticity, fullness, and reality, which are the main points in the photo. A film reflecting the life and creativity of the Azerbaijani photographer was presented to the participants. Answering numerous questions from the participants of the meeting, R.Deghati shared his memories. At the end of the event, a photo exhibition depicting the activities of the Azerbaijan Army, especially the period of the Patriotic War, was viewed. A Dubliner has achieved a lifetime's ambition this month by walking the entire length of the Grand Canal from the capital to Shannonharbour A DUBLINER has achieved a lifetime's ambition by walking the entire length of the Grand Canal from the capital to Shannonharbour. Peter Kearns, from Walkinstown, set out on his journey on Sunday week last and completed his trek on Friday when he reached Shannonhabour. Peter's love of the canal was born through a boyhood visit to Roberstown with his late father. "Over the past few years I've been regularly walking along the canal but have always wanted to do the full Grand Canal journey," he told the Tribune when he reached Tullamore on Wednesday night last. He has enjoyed his experiences in Offaly, in particular Daingean where he sampled food and beverages in the Blackthorn and Seery's. "Tullamore I found to be the most vibrant place so far on my travels," added Peter. He said the weather had been great throughout his trek and he had met "some fantastic people along the way." The first leg of Peter's journey on day one was from Hazelhatch to Roberstown in Kildare and travelled to Edenderry the following day. He said he found Edenderry a sleepy town which could clearly do with some form of investment. The Dublin native walked from Edenderry to Daingean on Wednesday and found the people of the former Offaly capital of Philipstown "really welcoming." "From chatting to locals I discovered different views about what use the old reformatory building should be put to with some thinking it should be bulldozed and others wanting it turned to community use of some form." Peter said he found the state of the majestic old courthouse "very sad." On day four he headed off early and enjoyed a pit-stop for refreshments in the Bakehouse in Ballycommon before completing the journey to Tullamore. In the Offaly county town he enjoyed a hearty meal in the Brewery Tap and refreshments in the Goalpost where he chatted with locals. Thursday saw him travel onto Pullough with the final leg of the journey being completed on Friday to the terminus of the Grand Canal at Shannonharbour. Peter reckons his friends and family back in Dublin will be very impressed with his exploits which he feels has earned him bragging rights for some time to come. A man and a woman appeared before Portlaoise District Court on child pornography charges. The man (57) and woman (56) each face 20 charges of knowingly producing child pornography through Whatsapp conversations in Laois on dates between April 18, 2023 and May 10, 2023. Detective Garda David Coughlan said the DPP had directed that the case be heard by trial on indictment. He explained that each of the accused faced 20 charges. They are all the same charge. They are the production of child pornography from 20 different dates, he said. He was asked what was the relationship between the defendants, who are co-accused but live at different addresses in Laois. At the time they were engaged in an extramarital affair but now there is no relationship, said Det Coughlan. He said there was no objection to bail but there were a number of conditions to be attached to the bail. Judge Nicola Andrews added a condition of bail that there be no contact between the accused. She granted them bail to appear again at Portlaoise District Court on October 7 for service of the book of evidence. She imposed reporting restrictions preventing the identification of either of the accused. Tourists, from France and South America have been left in shock after a group of teens attacked them and threw stones in Dublin city over the weekend. The Daily Mail reported that the tourists were forced to seek refuge in a nearby pub after coming under attack from the group of teenagers, one of whom was wielding a hammer. Gardai said they are investigating reports of assault that occurred in the Dublin 8 area on Saturday evening, and that investigations are ongoing. According to the Daily Mail, the group of youths wearing hoodies began screaming racial expletives including the N word at the visitors. During the assault, witnesses said racist slurs were also directed at the tourists, who had to barricade themselves inside Arthurs pub on Thomas Street, near the Guinness Storehouse, which they had just visited. Saturdays incident was the latest attack on foreigners in the city centre. In July, a tourist from France was set upon by a group of people and attacked with a machete as he was called a f***ing immigrant. The previous month, a Canadian tourist was killed in an attack in Dublin city centre. READ NEXT - 3 Bucks star hits out at 'censorship' of comedy after Enoch Burke backlash A man has been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into the fatal shooting of Cormac Berkeley at a residential driveway in Clondalkin in December 2022. Mr Berkeley was shot a number of times in the driveway of a house in Harelawn Park after 9pm on Monday 5th December. The victim was gunned down in the neck and legs in what gardai believe was a targeted gangland shooting. Officers said at the time of the shooting that they believed suspect the victim, who was known to gardai, was targeted as part of an ongoing dispute in the west Dublin area. Mr Berkeley is understood to have previously been warned of a threat to his life. A man, aged in his 30s, was arrested this morning in connection with the shooting, and is currently detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007, at a Garda station in Dublin. Gardai continue to appeal to any person who may have information in relation to this incident to contact them. "Anyone with information which may assist Gardai in their investigation is asked to contact Lucan Garda Station on 01 6667300 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111," a garda spokesperson said. READ NEXT - Tourists left in fear after horror hammer attack by teenagers in Dublin The Offaly and midlands area is still reeling this week from the fall-out from the announcements of redundancies at Cardinal Health in Tullamore from March 2025. As the shock subsides, current workers at the plant will start to look at their own options. Will they move on to new job opportunities? Where and when might these opportunities present themselves? And how will their redundancy work? How much will they be paid if they accept these redundancy packages, after tax, clear to hand? These are just some of the questions that will enter workers' minds over the coming months as the final packages become clear. A leading redundancy and qualified Financial Advisor has warned of the possible outcomes this week. John Morrin, QFA of Galway Firm Q Financial Advisors, explains that there are four key considerations in examining any redundancy package. The Minimum Statutory Payment - This is usually capped at 600 per week multiplied by 2 weeks of service. Eg 15 years x 30 weeks x 600 = 18,000. ( This Statutory payment is paid nett without deduction of PAYE/PRSI) . A PILON (Payment of lieu of Notice) should be paid according to the notice period stated in the contract of employment. This will attract the normal level of PAYE, PRSI and USC. A Further Ex Gratia payment can be made at the discretion of the employer, in addition to the payments above. This payment might be another entitlement for a period of weeks per year at the ordinary rate of pay. This Ex Gratia payment is as such taxable, but the tax payable may be different for every employee, depending on years of service etc. There may be basic or enhanced redundancy tax exemption available, depending on the rate of pay and the amount of tax-free lump sum available in a pension members pension in the Company Pension scheme. Dont Make a rash decision on your redundancy options According to Q Financial: This Ex Gratia Payment is the area on which individual employees need the most advice. The precise advice and calculations need to be given by a regulated Financial Advisor who has the entire earnings history and the accrued workers pension benefits available for the calculation. EXAMPLE: Some long-serving workers may be able to have the entire payment exempted from taxation, under the provisions of The Redundancy Act, by waiving their right to a tax-free lump sum in their pension later - but is this wise? What is the cost of this higher payment now on your pension income in later life? It's not just a case of looking at the highest figure on the page and accepting this straight away, explained John Morrin QFA with Q Financial Advisors. It will depend on the tax-free lump sum available from your pension, your age and you should know the lifetime implications of this decision. Free Consultation PHOTO: The Pensions and Redundancy Team at Q Financial The message from Q Financial to Cardinal Health workers is quite clearly approach cautiously and get the Regulated Independent Advice you need for your individual situation as everybodys nett outcome will be different. OMA financial Services Ltd T/A Q Financial Advisors are available for a free consultation without obligation on 091-421900 or log on to www.qfinancial.ie/q-redundancy to make an appointment. QFinancial.ie is based at The Courtyard ,Claregalway Shopping Centre, Co Galway and are regulated by the Central Bank Of Ireland. Reg No. C135240 *Sponsored Content ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, September 16. The Turkmen delegation emphasized the importance of the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) pipeline for strengthening energy security and economic cooperation in the region at the 31st OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum, Trend reports via the Turkmen Embassy in Vienna. In Prague, the delegation, led by the Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to the OSCE, Ambassador Hemra Amannazarov, actively participated in the forum dedicated to ensuring security and stability in the OSCE region through digital innovation, sustainable development, and climate adaptation. During the forum, the Turkmen delegation focused particularly on the TAPI project, which Turkmenistan views as a crucial element for ensuring energy security and regional economic cooperation. The delegation also highlighted national efforts in digitization, including the implementation of the Smart City Arkadag project, and the importance of continued cooperation in water resource management, strengthening energy infrastructure, and combating climate change. The forum provided participants with a platform to discuss current issues, exchange experiences, and develop solutions aimed at enhancing security and stability in the OSCE region through economic and environmental cooperation. The final session of the 31st OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum, focusing on security and stability in the region through digital innovation, sustainable development, and climate adaptation, took place on September 12-13, 2024, at the Cernin Palace in Prague. The forum aimed to discuss the economic, environmental, and social impacts of climate change, ensure sustainable economic growth, and promote dialogue between participating states and international organizations. The session was built on the results of two preparatory meetings held in Vienna, Austria, on April 29-30, 2024, and in St. Julian's, Malta, on June 19-20, 2024. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel You are here: China China will launch a nationwide population sample survey in 2025 to help monitor the demographic development of the country, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Some 14 million people from about five million households, or 1 percent of the country's population, will be surveyed from Nov. 1 next year, said the NBS. Selected residents will be asked about their basic information ranging from age, gender and education level to marital status and housing conditions. China started its first population sample survey in 1987. So far, four such surveys have been conducted. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. An agricultural memorandum was signed between Azerbaijan and Brazil, and Azerbaijani Agriculture Minister Majnun Mammadov wrote it on X, Trend reports. The publication notes that the document was signed during a bilateral meeting between the Azerbaijani Agriculture Minister and his Brazilian counterpart Carlos Favaro at the meeting of agriculture ministers of G20 countries. The memorandum aims to expand friendly ties between the countries, providing for the exchange of scientific and technological innovations, specialists, joint ventures, and investments. The signing of this agreement will be an important step in boosting trade and investment in agriculture between the two countries, the publication reads. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 16. Over the past seven months, the volume of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Germany amounted to more than $2.3 billion, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said during the talks in the extended format with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Trend reports. Last year, bilateral trade turnover grew almost 1.5 times and amounted to about $4 billion. Positive dynamics are also observed this year. In the last seven months, the volume of mutual trade has exceeded $2.3 billion. The direct investments from Germany since 2005 amounted to about $6.7 billion," the president emphasized. Tokayev mentioned that a whopping 90 percent of these funds are tied up in the non-resource sector, and there are over a thousand companies with a slice of German capital making waves in Kazakhstan today. The meeting, with all hands on deck from official delegations, also chewed the fat on ways to broaden the strategic partnership between the two countries. The significance of the Chancellor's inaugural official visit to Kazakhstan was highlighted as a cornerstone of the meeting. President Tokayev remarked that a small group addressed trade, economic, and investment integration cooperation. World affairs like geopolitics, security, regional development, and climate change were also discussed. The president conveyed assurance that the negotiations would enhance bilateral relations and fortify the strategic alliance. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 16. During the Kazakhstan-Germany Business Forum, it is anticipated that 36 agreements totaling over $6.3 billion will be signed, said Kazakhstans Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Kuantyrov, Trend reports. These deals will span several sectors, including machinery, innovation, logistics, petrochemicals, healthcare, IT, and industrial automation, Kuantyrov said. Many prominent German brands have been well-established in Kazakhstan for some time, are widely recognized, and are highly esteemed by consumers. He also noted that Kazakhstan has achieved significant progress in collaboration with German partners in recent years, as reflected in the number of successful joint ventures and foreign enterprises operating in the country. The first panel session of the Kazakhstan-Germany Business Forum, moderated by Michael Harms, Executive Director of the Eastern Committee of the German Economy, has already taken place. Speakers included: Nurlan Kapenov (Qazaq Green), Dr. Christian Bruch (Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG), Nico Varbanov (DB E.C.O. Group), Tobias Bartz (Rhenus SE & Co. KG), Ulugbek Orazov ( KTZ Express), and Yerzhan Nauryzbaev (KPMC Ltd). The discussions focused on new opportunities for joint projects in renewable energy, green technologies, transportation, and logistics. Give Trump his due: Biden folded after a disastrous debate, but Trump is like the Energizer Bunny who just "keeps going and going". Nevertheless, after much thought, I'm ready for the autopsy of the Trump Phenomenon, or what I call the "Trump Paradox"; i.e., a draft dodger saluted by patriots, a silver-spooned New Yorker loved by working-class Southerners, and a decidedly non-Christian grifter embraced as a Savior by many of my Christian friends. How? Why? Here's what I've concluded (as an addendum to my book, Cults on Trial, detailing the traits and tactics of cult demagogues). It is indeed an astounding phenomenon. Despite mountains of proof that Trump is an unrepentant pathological liar-- from conservative judges/courts, respected media sources, former Trump aids/staff, Republican Vice-Presidents and Senators, and Trump's own self-contradictory mouth-- a faithful forty-nine percent of voters still stand with him! And some even say he is "God's Chosen", though Trump's entire history is the antithesis of what I know, as a pastor and Christian author, of Jesus. So what is the reason? The answer is, it's NOT "reasonable". It's emotional. The Trump Paradox is rooted in an irrational, deep-seated subconscious Fear. Fear of our changing culture. Fear of strangers with dark skin. Fear of conspiracies, including liberal baby-eaters and immigrant cat-eaters. Fear of the future. Fifty years ago, Alvin Toffler defined "Future Shock" as the psychological condition emerging in the face of "too much change in too short a period of time". Into this cultural sea change wades the brash "strongman" Trump, as if his sword of hyperbole can hold back the Tide of Fear. And yet, it kinda works. For some, he projects blind courage that soothes their fear. This runs deeper than the ordinary desire societies have for a strong leader. Trump's fearlessness is not an act. It stems from these realities: 1. Having never been anything but rich and in charge, he never experienced existential fear. 2. He's a psychopath and malignant narcissist, and by nature they are masters of cocky insouciance. By comparison, his toppled opponents DeSantis and Haley never conveyed such pathologically-fearless "strength". Mike Pence projected a deep insecure neurosis and thus never garnered even 5% support despite being a man of Christian character. The lack of character is what paradoxically empowers Trump. His path to power is never detoured by a moral compass; he never hesitates to fabricate whatever it takes to fan the flames of fear, especially racially-rooted fears of The Other. Then his antidotes are sold with a passion greater than the best of the snake-oil salesmen of the past. This is attractive in a deeply primal tribal way. But it's an illusion. He will not save you. Trump is not the invulnerable Superman caricatured in his absurd muscled-up trading cards. He doesn't possess the intelligence nor fortitude of character to be a genuine superhero. I beseech readers to tolerate yet one more metaphor in my mix of analogies: Trump is Humpty-Dumpty. He's perched proudly on his Wall, but his smooth outer strength and insouciance is eggshell thin; he has no inner reservoir of wit or values to save himself when a crack begins. Kamala Harris thumped his shell hard in the debate. He cracked and now he teeters. He is Humpty and the Great Fall is nigh. Soon the public will see inside the shell, where it's yellow, gooey and insubstantial. Autopsy complete. -Rev. Dr. Lance Moore is a Court Investigator, Ordained Minister, and Author of the recently-published book, Cults on Trial : A Cross-Examination of Jim Jones, Charles Manson, Hitler... and Donald Trump" available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVLHJ9BB His bio and more info is available here: www.LanceMooreBooks.com ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 16. Rhenus SE & Co. KG plans to sign a memorandum with Kazakhstan to advance the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route - the Middle Corridor, said Tobias Bartz, CEO of Rhenus SE & Co. KG, Trend reports. Were partnering with countries along the Trans-Caspian route to offer sustainable and cost-effective logistics solutions for our clients, both in the region and beyond. These investments will connect Kazakhstan via the Caspian Sea to the South Caucasus, Turkey, and Europes terminal network, enhancing supply chain security and backing the EUs transport diversification strategy, Bartz said at the Kazakhstan-Germany Business Forum in Astana. He noted that the memorandum will be signed with Aktau Port and Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (Kazakhstan Railways) and will outline plans to build a multimodal container terminal by 2030. Depending on progress, the project might even be completed ahead of schedule. The Middle Corridor connects container rail freight networks between China and the European Union via Central Asia, the Caucasus, Turkiye, and Eastern Europe. The route boosts cargo traffic between China and Turkiye, as well as between European countries, and vice versa. A train along this corridor can deliver cargo from China to Europe in an average of 2025 days, a key advantage of this transport route. Governor Tim Walz's honorable service in the National Guard included a deployment to Europe, providing base security while the soldiers normally stationed there served in Iraq. There was once a time when Americans would look at 24 years in the military and reflectively say "Thank you for your service." That would be before Trump transformed the American political landscape. Walz's opponent in this year's Vice-Presidential election, JD Vance, also served in the military, but under the name James Hamel, one of his many alter egos. While Walz has thanked Vance for his service, the Republican has only picked apart his counterpart's contributions to our country's security. Vance ignores Walz's 24 years of sacrifice falsely claiming that he retired to avoid deployment to Iraq; Walz's unit received deployment orders two months after his retirement was approved. Waltz is "a pretty charismatic guy, as a leader and a motivator. And I felt like, no matter what the situation would be, whether it was like in high school or football or in the military - (he) just had that ability to see you, size you up, size up the situation and the people in that situation, and be able to help you do your best." - Lt. Col. Jonathon Jaqua served under Walz and was also his student While Vance has no problem criticizing Walz's 24 years of service, his running mate is a draft dodger who claimed to have bone spurs. The "ailment" did not prevent Trump from being, in his words, "the best bball player in N.Y. State," but was enough to keep him from joining the "suckers" and "losers" who were drafted into service in Vietnam. If Trump provides an example of how those with privilege were about to avoid service, John McCain shows what it looks like to have character. When capturing the pilot, the North Vietnamese saw potential for leverage as the third-generation Naval Academy graduate's father was the commander of US forces in the Pacific. These plans were thwarted when McCain refused to leave his fellow prisoners behind. Trump was unimpressed by McCain's actions and the resulting five-plus years of torture he endured at the infamous "Hanoi Hilton". During his 2016 campaign, he declared that McCain was "not a war hero." As he explained: "I like people that weren't captured". Apologists for the defeated former President claim this was simply a personal attack against a political opponent and was not meant to disparage veterans. They are also willing to ignore the "suckers" and "losers" comments believing Trump's false assertions that they have been debunked despite confirmation from his former Chief of Staff, retired General John Kelly. It will be interesting to see how they try to explain away Trump's latest insult towards those who live with the price they have paid for their service. As was his right as President, Trump rewarded Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson for the financial support of his candidacy by giving his wife the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In a weird attempt to prove he is not an anti-Semite (I don't hate Jews, I gave this rich, Jewish widow an award), Trump bragged about how prestigious the award is. He told the assembled press it is "much better" than the "equivalent" Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest military award for bravery in combat. His reasoning: While active duty personnel and veterans are often counted as supporters of the Republican party, these types of constituencies should never be considered permanently tied to a political party. The black community was long tied to the Republicans, the party of Lincoln, but switched their support to the Democrats in the wake of Nixon's Southern Strategy to attract white supremacists opposed to Johnson's backing of civil rights initiatives. California lost its status as a solidly red state after Governor Pete Wilson pushed anti-immigrant legislation, turning socially conservative Hispanics against the Republican party. Similarly, the Republican party's continued support of Trump despite his continued preponderance to disrespect those who have served could drive them from the party. With a distinguished veteran holding a place on their ballot, they have a chance to accelerate this change. Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for public education, particularly for students with special education needs, who serves as the Education Chair for the Northridge East Neighborhood Council. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD's District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him "a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles." For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own. Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris met face-to-face for the first time in Philadelphia. (Image by YouTube, Channel: ABC News) Details DMCA "First you say you do and then you don't. "Then you say you will and then you won't. "You're undecided now, so what are you gonna do?" Those are the lyrics to a song that was popular in the '40s and '50s, recorded by, among others, Ella Fitzgerald and the Ames Brothers. A simple song for a simpler time. Today, the song's predicament remains the same. Someone has extreme difficulty making up his or her mind. But there is a heightened urgency to a need for the answer and growing frustration with those who can't provide it. Yeah, we're talking about those "undecided" voters who watched the recent debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris and still can't figure out who they want to be President of the United States. Really? Harris was cool, calm and confident, exactly what one would hope of the current vice president of the United States, also a former senator and prosecutor. She spoke from experience and with compassion. She mostly didn't try to evade questions and definitely didn't make stuff up. Trump? On abortion: "They're executing newborn babies." Out of the blue: "They're performing transgender operations on illegal aliens in prison." Immigration: "In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in (Haitian immigrants). They're eating the cats. They're eating -- they're eating the pets of the people that live there." On replacing Obamacare: Moderator (frustrated) : "So just yes or no. You do have a plan? Trump: "I have concepts of a plan." The rest was mostly stream-of-consciousness blaming of immigrants for imagined increases in crime rates, defensiveness over the size of crowds at his rallies, mumbo jumbo about tariffs and praise for the two most dangerous leaders in Europe, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Hungary's Viktor Orban. Also a lot of angry faces. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Q. I was taking two melatonin gummies each night to help me sleep. They worked very well. However, within about a week, I developed diarrhea that kept getting worse. After several weeks, I contacted my doctor. She ran a series of blood work, including ulcer tests and at-home colon cancer tests, trying to pinpoint the problem. I happened to read the melatonin bottle one night and it said, use as needed, not nightly. I skipped it a few nights, and my intestinal issues went away. As a test, about a week later, I took them again. After two nights, the diarrhea came back. My doctor then told me that the ingredients in some gummies can cause this problem for susceptible people. A. We agree with your physician that non-sugar sweeteners could be the culprits behind your digestive distress. Manufacturers of gummy supplements like to advertise that they are sugar-free. Many of those contain sweeteners such as maltitol, sorbitol or xylitol. These compounds can cause gas, stomach pain and diarrhea. You may want to look for another form of melatonin supplement instead of gummies. Pills are widely available. You can learn about other strategies for dealing with insomnia in our eGuide to Getting a Good Nights Sleep. This online resource may be found under the Health eGuides tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Q. I am a woman with undetectable testosterone levels. My doctor prescribed a low-dose testosterone pellet that he inserted under my skin. It lasted for several months. This was not covered by insurance, but the results were worth it. A. Women make testosterone as well as estrogen. Testosterone treatment for women remains controversial, however. The Food and Drug Administration has not approved this hormone for women. Some doctors have prescribed it for decades to ease certain menopausal symptoms, including vaginal dryness and low sex drive. When testosterone levels are very low, women may feel depressed and have decreased sexual desire. Your doctor should monitor your testosterone levels to make sure your hormone levels remain within normal limits. Q. After trying many typical over-the-counter remedies for my ugly toenail fungus, I went on to try everything the podiatrist recommended. The fungus did not go away. Then I decided to experiment with an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment called Polysporin. I may have read about it in your newspaper column. To my delight, the fungus was gone in three days. It has not come back, although that was more than five years ago. A. Polysporin is a popular brand of OTC antibiotic ointment that contains bacitracin and polymyxin B. A few years ago, we learned that some fungal toenail infections actually may be caused in part by bacterial pathogens (Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association, March 1, 2021). That would explain why some hard-to-treat nail infections may respond to topical antibiotics such as Polysporin or Neosporin (bacitracin, polymyxin B and neomycin). It might also provide a rationale for why footbath soaks involving old-fashioned amber Listerine could be helpful. The ingredients in Listerine (eucalyptol, menthol, thymol, alcohol) have both antifungal and antibacterial activity. Another reader offered this testimonial: After 14 years of iodine, OTC treatments, UV light, lasers, and many more treatments for my nasty toenail, Neosporin is killing this growth. I clean the nails and apply the ointment daily. Finally, the improvement is making a huge difference in how it looks. * * * In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them. (c) 2024 King Features Syndicate, Inc. Drive-thru chain Dutch Bros said Monday that it will donate its former corporate headquarters in downtown Grants Pass to the Oregon Center for Creative Learning, which operates a preschool and childrens museum. Dutch Bros will retain a corporate office in Grants Pass, about six miles north of downtown on North Valley Drive. The company moved its formal headquarters from downtown Grants Pass to the North Valley Drive office earlier this summer, months after it moved many of its corporate functions out of state. The company valued Mondays donation at $2.7 million. Donating our building to Oregon Center for Creative Learning guarantees more kids and families in Josephine County have a compelling future through early childhood education and family activities, said Travis Boersma, Dutch Bros chairman and co-founder. Dutch Bros is one of Oregons largest companies, operating more than 900 drive-thrus in 18 states. Earlier this year, though, the company moved many corporate jobs from southern Oregon to new offices near Phoenix, Arizona. CEO Christine Barone works in Arizona, though Boersma still lives in Oregon. Dutch Bros said the move to Arizona gave it easier access to a large airport and brought it closer to its fastest-growing markets, in Texas and other southern and southeastern states. Dutch Bros doesnt disclose how many people work in Grants Pass, or how many in Arizona. Oregon Center for Creative Learning operates the Childrens Museum of Southern Oregon and a chain of eight preschools under the Ivy School name. -- Mike Rogoway covers Oregon technology and the state economy. Reach him at mrogoway@oregonian.comor 503-294-7699. Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe A federal appellate court Monday found a district judge was wrong to throw out a jurys award of $1 million in damages to a protester who was shot in the eye during a May 2020 racial justice march in Salem. The district judge should not have granted the officer immunity, effectively nullifying the jurys verdict after trial, ruled a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Recently, the Biden Administrations wildlife agency approved a monstrous plan to shoot 450,000 barred owls in the Pacific Northwest in a Hail Mary attempt to reduce social competition between barred owls and their cousins threatened spotted owls, (Mass killing of barred owls by trained shooters may start in Oregon next spring, Aug. 28). The shooting will be conducted in forest habitats spanning 24 million acres, including six national parks, 17 national forests, and thousands of pockets of private lands. It will, as planned, be the largest massacre of birds of prey ever attempted by any government. It is also an exercise in futility, since theres no way it can succeed. Whats to stop tens of thousands of surviving barred owls from simply flying in and reoccupying sites that were recently purged of their kind? Barred owls are native to North America and have expanded their range in response to other human impacts on the environment, including climate change. This is a normal survival strategy for species, and not an example of trespass. 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? The whole plan is myopic, looking too narrowly at a single-species response and sidestepping the arduous and more complex task of disentangling the myriad human actions that have collectively put spotted owls in peril. Wayne Pacelle, Bethesda, Maryland Pacelle is president of the Center for a Humane Economy To read more letters to the editor, go to oregonlive.com/opinion. A sitting Portland commissioner who tapped public funds to clean up his Wikipedia page walked the razors edge of breaking city campaign finance laws but the evidence is insufficient to prove a violation, the city auditors office ruled Monday. Commissioner Rene Gonzalez, widely considered a top candidate in the mayoral race, spent $6,400 earlier this year while seeking to remove an errant reference to an apparent Patriot Prayer member hed interacted with on social media in 2022 and highlight his status as a Democrat. Ultimately, Chief Deputy Auditor Reed Brodersen determined there was insufficient evidence to determine whether Gonzalez used city money to benefit his electoral ambitions, and issued a finding of no violation. But he said the office had forwarded the case to the Oregon Secretary of State for further investigation in light of facts unearthed. The evidence gathered to date shows that Gonzalez was aware of and, at least tacitly, approved of the substance of the edits, Brodersen wrote in his ruling. The Auditors Office concludes that this is an exceedingly close call. City Auditor Simone Rede has recused herself from all campaign finance oversight duties while running for reelection this year, according to Brodersen. Gonzalezs interest in his online encyclopedia entry began in November 2022, shortly after the page was created and Gonzalez won his seat, Brodersens investigation reveals. The commissioner was irked that his Wikipedia page referenced an article, written by the editor of the Portland Mercury, that criticized him for thanking supporter Quincy Franklin, an apparent member of the far-right Patriot Prayer group. Gonzalez told Wikipedia administrators that he didnt know Quincy, but the effort to clean up his page went nowhere until late 2023, when the commissioners office submitted a request for a refresh to a paid fixer, according to the auditors report. The commissioners policy advisor, Harrison Kass, said his boss took an interest in the project asking for updates about once a month and listening in as his staff occasionally discussed the project during their weekly Monday morning meetings between March and June. The project took so long because Kass was slow-walking it, he told auditors, according to the report. After working with the editor, Kass submitted eight changes, including adding Gonzalezs law degree; highlighting that his father was Mexican American; that Gonzalez had proposed a drug criminalization law while on the City Council; and that he was running for mayor. The key changes, however, were the deletion of the Patriot Prayer reference and inclusion of Gonzalezs political party affiliation. Auditors noted that Gonzalez and his staff largely cooperated with the investigation, which launched once The Oregonian/Oregonlive revealed the payments and Jackie Yerby of the nonprofit Portland For All complained to the auditor. The audit also didnt find evidence that Gonzalezs paid campaign staff worked on the editing project. In an unsigned rebuttal letter, Gonzalezs office likened Wikipedia, which anyone can edit, to other forms of social media and said the editor was hired to help staff communicate on that platform. The response noted that President Joe Bidens staff worked on edits to his Wikipedia page when he was a U.S. Senator, among other prominent national figures. In an online world filled with misinformation that undermines real dialogue about important issues, trusted sources are important for elected officials, the response said. The importance of the platform is precisely why the staff of so many elected officials have been involved in changes to elected officials pages. The auditors office is still seeking emails related to the probe and said it might reopen the investigation if the records are turned over within 30 days. Shah Smith, chief of staff for Gonzalez, said the office cooperated fully with the investigation. A spokesperson for Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade said Tuesday her office had received the referral and was considering next steps. The editing controversy is now listed prominently on Gonzalezs Wikipedia page. Zane Sparling covers breaking news and courts for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-319-7083, zsparling@oregonian.com or @pdxzane. Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe. Subscription to paid content Gain access to all that Trend has to offer, as well as to premium, licensed content via subscription or direct purchase through a credit card. Six employees from New York City's Department of Education allegedly used funds meant for homeless students to bring their families to Disney World and other destinations. The alleged excursions were reported by the Special Commissioner of Investigation (SCI). Investigators said the NYC Education Department staffers used the funds for homeless students for their personal trips, robbing disadvantaged kids of the chance to enjoy trips to the Magic Kingdom theme park and multiple-day trips to Washington, D.C.; New Orleans, Boston, and the Frost Valley YMCA campground. NYS Education Department Employees Used Funds to Bring Families to Disney World One of the employees named in the SCI report was Linda Wilson, who served as the regional manager for the city's Queen's Students in Temporary Housing program. Investigators said she used the city funds to take her two daughters on excursions. She was also accused of encouraging colleagues to take their families on trips using city funds. Other staffers named in the report included program director Shaquieta Boyd; family assistants Joanne Castro, Mishawn Jack, and Virgen Ramos; and community coordinator Maria Sylvester. When the SCI began asking questions about the trips, Wilson allegedly tried to cover it up by asking employees to "stick to the same story" and deny claims that they took their children on the trip, an NYC Education Department employee told the New York Post. READ ALSO : Australia Launches International Manhunt for Foreign Man Who Poured Boiling Coffee on a Baby How Were They Able To Go on City-Funded Excursions? The report noted that Wilson forged permits in the names of homeless students who were to be the beneficiaries of the funds. Moreover, the Education Department staffers also forged parent signatures on the permission slips. Few of the students listed on the paperwork actually went on the trips. Wilson would instead replace spots assigned for homeless students with the children of staff members. Most of the excursions included four to six staffers of the Education Department as well as one or two buses for 30 children. For perspective, the buses cost $2,700 per trip. Investigators began probing the scheme after some employees told the DOE about their schemes in 2018. The SCI completed its investigation in January last year. All six employees have been terminated and ordered to pay restitution. Investigators did not refer the cases for criminal prosecution due to "lack of available documentation." A proposed child tax credit would give $6,000 to parents with newborn children, possibly saving millions of children in poverty in the United States. During the most recent presidential debate, Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris proposed an economic policy to expand child tax credits to up to $6,000 for young families with a newborn child under age 1. How Will the Child Tax Credit Work? The government will provide the tax credits in the newborn's first year. For example, a family that welcomed a newborn in 2025 would receive the tax credit for the same tax year. "That is a vital, vital year of critical development of a child," Harris said. "And the cost can really add up, especially for young parents who need to buy diapers and clothes and a car seat and so much else." Harris did not give any further details about the proposal. READ ALSO : Cost of Childcare Is Now 25% More Expensive Than Rent in the US How Many Children Fell Into Poverty in 2023? If passed, Harris' child tax credit proposal could lift millions of children in the US out of poverty. The child poverty rate fell to 5.2% in 2021 due to the expansions to the federal Child Tax Credit under the 2021 American Rescue Plan, which provided up to $3,600 per child under age 6. It also provided eligible families $3,000 for each child ages 6 to 17. That marked a historic low in child poverty in the US. However, the child poverty rate rose to 12.4% in 2022 after the Biden administration's expanded child tax credit expired in December 2021. This increased again in 2023, with 979,000 additional children falling into poverty. By percentage, child poverty in 2023 increased to 13.7%. This brought the total number of children aged under 18 in poverty last year to 9,962,000, per the Census Bureau. Currently, the child tax credit would revert back to levels prior to the 2021 expansion, dropping to $1,000 per child in 2025. In August, the Senate rejected a measure to expand the 2021 child tax credit, with only 48 voting in favor of the bill. The legislation needed 60 votes to advance. Somehow, I suspect that individual apostasy and immorality and other misbehavior may have been around since at least a little bit before The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The Times of London, though, seems to think that the Hulu miniseries is about a campaign by several young and idealistic crusaders for ecclesiastical reform, or something of that sort. And, suggests the Times, these insurgent feminist theologians are rocking the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to its very foundation: The rebellious wives creating a crisis for the Mormon church: Taylor Frankie Paul, star of the hit TV show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, is part of a new generation rejecting the faiths strictures on women and marriage Elsewhere, youll marvel at the weird and oppressive rules that Latter-day Saints are required to obey: Surprising things Mormons arent allowed to do as new Mormon Wives show leaves viewers stunned at their behaviour (Tyla) But, thanks to the magazine Us, you neednt speculate any more about whether or not these Mormon wives with the not-so-very secret lives are devout and committed Latter-day Saints: Are the Sister Wives Mormon? Details on the Reality TV Stars Religious Beliefs Why do people even watch such stuff? I honestly dont see the attraction of it. A few years ago, my wife read a great deal by and about the late Elie Wiesel for a presentation that she was preparing. She called the following passage to my attention, from Wiesels All Rivers Run to the Sea: Memoirs (Knopf/Doubleday, 2010): One morning we came upon an enormous sign under the Arizona sun: Indian Reservation 100 Miles. Instantly we decided to take the detour. None of us had ever met an Indian, our knowledge extending no further than the movie stereotypes of young savages and wise old men. The Indians were always the ones on the attack, shrieking and killing. But why not? In their eyes, the white man was nothing but a rapacious armed invader seeking to drive them from their lands and reduce them to dependency by imposing his language and culture. And all with a revoltingly clear conscience. The man who greeted us in a tent decorated with feathers and other tribal insignia might have stepped out of a movie. Tall, erect, impassive, and majestic, he had a slow, dignified walk and a weathered, angular face. We hung on his every word as he explained the Indian concept of life and death. He was respectful, and he inspired respect. At one point he asked us to sign his visitors book. Dov urged me to go first. I dont know why, but I signed in Hebrew, and the Indian rewarded me with a hearty pat on the back. Sholem aleichem, he said in Yiddish. Dov and Leah nearly collapsed in surprise and laughter. It turned out our host was Jewish, a camp survivor from Polish Galicia who had first emigrated to Mexico. When things went badly there, he moved to Arizona and made his living as an Indian by day while remaining a Jew by night. In my diary I wrote: America is truly a wonderland. Even the Indians speak Yiddish. Proof of the Book of Mormon, right? I continue to be struck by a quotation written by then-Elder Russell M. Nelson back in 1992 but that was, I believe, cited in the September 2014 issue of the Ensign: We were born to die and we die to live. As seedlings of God, we barely blossom on earth; we fully flower in heaven. This is one of the great arguments for the desirability of life after death. Not for its truth, of course its certainly conceivable that the universe might just be the kind of place where hopes remain ultimately unfulfilled, where purposelessness and extinction triumph but for its desirability. Because the simple fact is that we all die without reaching our full potential. Were all eventually defeated by failing energy, declining strength, faltering minds, and/or death. This is true even if we reach a hundred years of age. But its most painfully obvious with regard to little babies who die in their infancy, to small children whose lives end before theyve fully grown, to young people whose development is never completed. Disease, war, crime, and accidents have brought so many lives to premature ends. How many symphonies have gone unwritten, how many songs have been left uncomposed, how many medical breakthroughs unfound? How many novels and poems were never begun? How many acts of nobility and kindness have remained unperformed? How many dances were never danced, how many books were never read, how many sights never seen? Nobody leaves this life having done and experienced all that he or she could potentially have done and experienced. Nobody. But, mercifully, we have all eternity ahead of us. As President Nelson said during his recent centenary celebration, My dear brothers and sisters, the length of your life is not as important as the kind of life that you live. For each of us, even for a 100-year-old man, life passes quickly. My prayer is that you will let God prevail in your life. Make covenants with Him. Stay on the covenant path. Prepare to return to live with Him again. (For related thoughts on the brevity and inescapable incompleteness of mortal lives that were inspired by the specific case of Ludwig van Beethoven, see here.) Teaching my course on the Bible and Music again, I have been thinking a lot about the technology that can generate song lyrics and whole songs in an instant. The heart of the matter is whether I need to rethink the final project which involves adapting biblical text to fit the lyrics of an existing song. To test its current capabilities, I asked ChatGPT to turn Psalm 119 into song lyrics in common meter. Here is what it gave me in response: Sure! Heres a rendition of Psalm 119 in common meter (8.6.8.6), which can be sung to many familiar hymn tunes like Amazing Grace or House of the Rising Sun. Psalm 119 (Common Meter) Blessed are they whose way is right, Who walk in Gods command. They seek Him with their hearts in sight, And firm in faith they stand. O Lord, Thy statutes we embrace, We long to follow Thee. With all our hearts we seek Thy face, From sin to keep us free. Thy precepts teach us day by day, Thy ways our hearts restore. In righteousness, we walk the way, Obeying evermore. Thy word is like a guiding light, That leads us on the path. It keeps our steps from sins dark night, And saves us from Thy wrath. O let Thy mercy come to me, Thy truth and grace impart. Then I shall live and walk with Thee, With joy within my heart. Not bad! It acknowledged, This version simplifies the themes of Psalm 119 while staying true to the psalmists praise of Gods law, commandments, and guidance. Would you like any modifications or additional verses? So I decided to give it a challenge. I asked, Can you do a version with 26 verses with each line of each verse starting with a different verse of the English alphabet? The original is an acrostic in Hebrew and so it would be nice to have the same features in English. Here was its response: Certainly! Below is a version of Psalm 119 written in common meter (8.6.8.6), using an acrostic pattern based on the 26 letters of the English alphabet. Each verse starts with a different letter of the alphabet, from A to Z. Psalm 119 (Acrostic, Common Meter) All those whose ways are pure and bright, Who follow Gods commands, Are blessed by walking in His light, Upheld by His strong hands. Blessed are they who seek Gods face, And never go astray. With all their hearts they know His grace, And walk in His good way. Commandments, Lord, You have decreed, That we should keep them true. O let my heart embrace each deed, And seek to follow You. Direct my steps by Your clear word, That I may not offend. Help me, O Lord, to serve and guard, Your truths until the end. Enlarge my heart, and make it still, To cherish what You say. That I might walk within Your will, And follow all Your way. Forgive the sins Ive done, O Lord, When I have gone astray. Restore me by Your mighty word, And guide me every day. Great peace have those who love Your law, Their hearts shall never fall. They trust in You without a flaw, Your name their constant call. Help me to understand Your ways, That I may walk secure. Teach me to keep Your law all days, And make my footsteps sure. I will delight in Your commands, They comfort me with grace. Ill walk in paths Your love demands, And ever seek Your face. Just are Your laws, O Lord of light, Your judgments always true. They guide the soul to what is right, And show what we should do. Keep me from falsehood and deceit, And let my heart be pure. Your ways, O Lord, are ever sweet, Your statutes will endure. Let not the proud oppress my soul, Nor evil have its way. Uphold me with Your perfect goal, And guide me lest I stray. My hope is in Your word alone, It comforts me in pain. For all Your promises are known, To bring me peace again. Never forget Your servant, Lord, For I remember You. Your steadfast love is my reward, In everything I do. Open my eyes that I may see, The wonders of Your law. For Your commands bring liberty, And leave my soul in awe. Principles of Your word are right, They guide the lost in light. Your truth shines clear and pure as bright, And brings the blind to sight. Quicken me, Lord, in Your way, Revive my soul anew. Your statutes help me day by day, To always follow You. Remember me, O Lord, I pray, Your servant longs for Thee. For Your commandments show the way, That sets the captive free. Save me, O Lord, from all my foes, For I have kept Your word. Your truth is mighty and it shows, The promises Ive heard. Teach me, O Lord, Your statutes pure, That I may keep them all. For in Your ways I will endure, And never let them fall. Uphold me, Lord, by Your decree, That I may never fall. Strengthen my heart to follow Thee, And heed Your righteous call. Victory is found in Your way, For those who seek You first. Your precepts guide both night and day, And quench my souls deep thirst. Wise are the ones who keep Your law, They walk in truth and grace. Their hearts are pure, without a flaw, As they seek Your sweet face. Xceedingly I long to know, The wonders of Your word. For in Your statutes, I will grow, And trust in what Ive heard. Yielding my life to Your command, I find my joy in You. Your ways are just, Your laws will stand, And guide in all I do. Zeal for Your ways has filled my heart, Your truth I hold so dear. O let Your wisdom neer depart, For I shall trust and fear. This version keeps the structure and devotion of Psalm 119 while following an alphabetical acrostic, similar to the original Hebrew structure. Let me know if youd like any further adjustments! I thought that was pretty impressive. Yet given some reflection, I realized why this technology can do this. It can understand the constraints that the human interlocutor is imposing and generate text within it. It has enough examples of common meter, versions of Psalm 119, and text about its themes to be able to improvise. So what happens if I ask for something where it does not have the same broad basis to follow in its text base? I decided to find out by asking, Thats fantastic! What about an adaptation of Psalm 119 so that the words can be sung to the song Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd? Here is what ChatGPT generated: Thank you! Now, lets adapt Psalm 119 to fit the style and structure of Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd. This requires adjusting the phrasing and lyrics to match the rhythm, melody, and feel of the song while keeping the essence of Psalm 119. Since Comfortably Numb has a specific verse-chorus structure, the adaptation wont cover the entirety of Psalm 119 (which is very long), but it can focus on key themes like longing for Gods word, His guidance, and the peace found in following His law. Psalm 119 Adaptation (To the Tune of Comfortably Numb) [Verse 1] When I was lost and alone, I found Your word could heal my soul. Your truth, it called me from the night, Guided me with Your perfect light. Now I can see the way is clear, Your law, it wipes away all fear, I turn to You to make me whole, Your love, it comforts and restores. [Chorus] I feel Your mercy all around, Your words lift me when Im down. I once was blind, but now I see, Your truth has set my spirit free. I follow You, I trust Your way, Your law is life, Ill not betray. In You, I find my rest and peace, Your promises never cease. [Verse 2] Ive wandered far from Your design, But in Your grace, I realign. Your precepts pull me back again, You free my heart from endless pain. O teach me how to walk with You, To keep Your statutes pure and true, Your righteousness will guide my feet, In You, my soul is now complete. [Chorus] I feel Your mercy all around, Your words lift me when Im down. I once was blind, but now I see, Your truth has set my spirit free. I follow You, I trust Your way, Your law is life, Ill not betray. In You, I find my rest and peace, Your promises never cease. [Bridge] When doubt creeps in, I hear Your voice, You make my heart and soul rejoice. Your word is life, it fills my soul, In You, Im free, Im made whole. [Chorus] I feel Your mercy all around, Your words lift me when Im down. I once was blind, but now I see, Your truth has set my spirit free. I follow You, I trust Your way, Your law is life, Ill not betray. In You, I find my rest and peace, Your promises never cease. This adaptation aims to capture the reflective and emotional tone of Comfortably Numb while keeping the spirit of Psalm 119focusing on Gods word as a source of healing, guidance, and freedom. The verses are slightly restructured to fit the Pink Floyd songs melody, and the repeated chorus emphasizes the core message of trust and peace in Gods law. Would you like any adjustments or additions? You dont have to be a die hard Pink Floyd fan to realize this cannot be sung to Comfortably Numb. So I tried again and wrote, I dont care about the emotional tone of Comfortably Numb being kept. I need it to be singable to that melody. Can you make a version that could be sung along to a karaoke track of Comfortably Numb? Here is what I got: Got it! Lets focus on making the lyrics fit the melody and structure of Comfortably Numb so they can be sung to a karaoke track of the song. This version will prioritize the syllable count, rhythm, and phrasing, ensuring the lyrics flow with the music. Psalm 119 Adaptation (To the Tune of Comfortably Numb) [Verse 1] Hello, Lord, I feel so lost, Ive gone astray. But Your word shows me the way, I know You hear me when I pray. My heart is aching, I need Your law, Your truth, Your grace, I see the light upon Your face, Your word is where I find my place. I want to follow You. [Pre-Chorus] Your words a lamp, it guides my feet, It brings me peace, my joys complete. I feel Your mercy in the air, Your law is always fair. [Chorus] I find my strength in what Youve said, Your statutes lift me from the dead. My heart is fixed on every line, Your precepts are divine. In all my days, Ill trust in You, Your righteous ways will see me through. Your law, O Lord, will keep me strong, Ill follow You lifelong. [Verse 2] I was blind, But now Your truth has set me free, Your word, it brings me clarity, It is my light, my destiny. My soul was crying, But now I know Im not alone, Your law is written in the stone, I trust in You, I am Your own. I will obey Your way. [Pre-Chorus] Your words a shield that guards my soul, It fills my heart and makes me whole. I cling to all Your promises, Your truth is what I bless. [Chorus] I find my strength in what Youve said, Your statutes lift me from the dead. My heart is fixed on every line, Your precepts are divine. In all my days, Ill trust in You, Your righteous ways will see me through. Your law, O Lord, will keep me strong, Ill follow You lifelong. [Bridge] Your laws alive, it sets me free, Ill keep Your word, Ill bend my knee. Your statutes are my souls delight, They guide me day and night. [Chorus] I find my strength in what Youve said, Your statutes lift me from the dead. My heart is fixed on every line, Your precepts are divine. In all my days, Ill trust in You, Your righteous ways will see me through. Your law, O Lord, will keep me strong, Ill follow You lifelong. This version is carefully structured to match the melody and rhythm of Comfortably Numb, so you can sing along to the karaoke track. The phrasing and syllable counts are designed to flow smoothly with the iconic verses, pre-chorus, and chorus. Let me know if youd like further tweaks to make sure everything works perfectly! I might be tempted to say that we have here the solution for educators struggling to figure out how to give students assignments that they cannot simply get ChatGPT to generate. If you tell them that they must write the contents as lyrics singable to a particular song, one that does not have a regular meter, the AI wont be able to help them achieve that. I suspect that most educators would prefer not to impose that constraint. I wasnt done testing ChatGPT with this. What I wrote next was: What is the meter of Comfortably Numb, by the way? ChatGPT replied: The meter of Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd can be described as quadruple meter, specifically 4/4 time. This means there are four beats in each measure, and each quarter note gets one beat. The tempo is moderately slow, around 63 beats per minute (BPM), giving it a smooth, flowing feel. The verses tend to have a more conversational rhythm, while the chorus builds in intensity with more sustained notes. For a lyrical adaptation, youd generally aim for a pattern that fits into this 4/4 framework, where each line fits comfortably within the four beats of each measure. The melody is relatively flexible, so slight variations in syllables per line can be accommodated with rhythmic adjustments. As you can see, since the song doesnt have a regular meter, there is no discussion of its meter online, and thus the chatbot has no textual basis to draw on to answer the question. It thus spoke about things other than the meter of the lyrics. But there was something in there that caught my eye. Did you notice it too? The pun! I asked Was the pun intentional? It was able to respond appropriately. Haha, the pun was unintentional, but a happy accident! Comfortably fitting into Comfortably Numb seems like a perfect coincidence. Im glad it added a little fun to the explanation! So lets reflect on this. This technology has clear limitations. Yet there is also an extent to which it has learned to understand context. I did not say what the pun was. It had to be able to go back to the text it generated and recognize that there is a pun, meaning some ability to detect what a pun is. I have a computer scientist friend and colleague whom I will ask about this because we are working on writing something about artificial intelligence together, and we both love puns. In the meantime I pressed further and asked, Thank you so much! One more thing. Can you explain the ancient Israelite context of Psalm 119 in a scholarly way, using exactly 119 words to do so? Psalm 119 is an ancient Israelite acrostic poem that exalts the Torah (Gods law) as central to spiritual life. Composed likely in the post-exilic period (after 538 BCE), it reflects the renewed emphasis on obedience to divine commandments following the Babylonian exile. The psalmist views the Torah as Gods direct revelation, offering wisdom, guidance, and protection. Each section corresponds to a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, symbolizing completeness and totality. In a world where external threats and internal struggles were constant, adherence to Gods word was seen as the key to prosperity and survival. Psalm 119 serves as both personal devotion and community instruction, affirming Israels covenantal relationship with God. Heres where it gets wild. I asked how many words its answer contained and something new appeared indicating it was analyzing. Then it said this: It looks like my answer contains 110 words, not 119. Let me revise it to meet the 119-word requirement. Psalm 119 is an ancient Israelite acrostic poem that exalts the Torah (Gods law) as central to life. Likely composed during the post-exilic period (after 538 BCE), the psalm reflects the renewed importance of Gods commandments after the Babylonian exile. Each stanza begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, symbolizing completeness and totality, while also aiding memorization. The psalmist emphasizes how the Torah offers wisdom, guidance, and protection, linking adherence to Gods law with prosperity and survival. For the Israelites, Gods word was a tangible source of security in a time of political instability and religious reform. Psalm 119 thus serves as personal devotion and communal instruction, reaffirming Israels covenantal relationship with God. This revision now contains exactly 119 words. We will come back to that in a moment. First, let me share how the exchange continued. I told ChatGPT, I am really interested in artificial intelligence (as well as the Bible). Can you help me understand why the answer was wrong the first time, and how you realized that I was asking about the number of words in your answer because your first one did not have the specified number of words? Here was its reply: The error in the initial response likely occurred because, while I focused on crafting a concise, scholarly explanation, I didnt specifically count the number of words before submitting it. You asked about the word count afterward, which signaled that it may not have matched the specified 119 words. When you prompted me about the word count, I realized you were checking because of the number requirement. The mistake was due to human oversightkeeping track of word count manually in a natural flow of writing can be tricky, and without explicitly counting each word, its easy to misjudge. Your question made it clear that precision mattered, so I used a tool to count the words and realized I had fallen short of the target. Then, I revised the answer to ensure it hit the exact number you requested. This highlights the importance of precision in AI interactions, especially when the user sets specific conditions or constraints, and how quick feedback loops help refine the results. You may be able to guess what I asked next. I wrote, What do you mean by human oversight in this context? Here is how ChatGPT replied: In this context, human oversight refers to an error made during the process of generating the response, where I, as an AI, missed a specific requirement (in this case, the exact word count). Its a phrase commonly used when discussing mistakes or lapses in human judgment, but in this case, I used it metaphorically to describe a lapse in my response-generating process. Essentially, while I am not human, I process information and generate responses in a way that can sometimes lead to unintended errors if Im not explicitly instructed to count or check certain details like word count. It was a way to acknowledge the oversight in a manner similar to how one might describe a human mistake, even though it was a technical lapse in adhering to your specific request. Now we can go back and count the words in its improved response. Still not 119. Meanwhile, TopMediAI turned the lyrics ChatGPT generated into two songs in seconds. They didnt fit the tune of Comfortably Numb and they arent a good paraphrase of Psalm 119, but they arent the worst contemporary Christian lyrics Ive heard. Have a listen! BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. Azerbaijan's export mission to Pakistan will be organized at the end of the current year or in early 2025, Executive director of the Agency for Promotion of Export and Investment (AZPROMO) under the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan Yusif Abdullayev said on the results of the Azerbaijani-Pakistani business forum in Baku, Trend reports. Within the framework of the Preferential Trade Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, AZPROMO plans to organize an export mission to Pakistan in late 2024-early 2025, Abdullayev said. According to him, there is a great potential for cooperation between the countries at the level of private companies in the non-oil sector, and work is planned to develop this potential through preferences in trade. To note, on September 16, within the framework of a business forum in Baku, representatives of Azerbaijan and Pakistan named the spheres of logistics, food and agriculture, tourism, and textile industry among the priority spheres for entrepreneurs of both countries. In a remarkable achievement, Dr. Mohammed Faried, a fellow of the Kosmos Innovation Center and the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Kodu Technology, has emerged as one of the grand prize winners for the 2024 GoGettaz Agripreneurs Prize Competition at the Africa Food Systems Forum held in Kigali, Rwanda, this September. Kodu Pad, a groundbreaking invention put together by himself and team, captured the attention of judges and audiences alike leading this significant achievement. The product is an ecofriendly sanitary pad manufactured from agricultural waste such as the fibers of bananas and plantains. Kodu Pad is not only sustainable but has proven to be a healthier option as opposed to other products. Dr. Farieds pitch, which stood out for its ingenuity, landed him a prize of USD 50,000 for the scaling of his business. The 2024 edition of the GoGettaz Agripreneurs Prize which received about 2000 applications, selected its winners from among 12 finalists hailing from 11 different African countries through a rigorous process. This journey to victory for Kodu Technology, producers of the Kodu Pad, began some years ago when Dr. Faried and team participated in the AgriTech Classic Challenge of the Kosmos Innovation Center. Through tailor-made capacity building sessions and mentorship programmes, they honed their skills and refined their innovation. Looking ahead, Dr. Faried on behalf of his team, expressed enthusiasm and optimism about the future of Kodu Pad. He and his team are now focused on improving the banana fiber extraction procedure, one of the biggest challenges of the project. To players in the nations agricultural ecosystem, the success of Kodu Technology is testament to the transformative impact of the Kosmos Innovation Center, which continues to nurture young innovators and equip them with the tools and knowledge needed to excel. GoGettaz Africa is a partnership initiative co-founded by Yara International and the Econet Group. The competition identifies young African founders of high-potential agrifood businesses between the ages of 18 to 35, and supports them with investment, leader Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ghana Link Network Services Ltd has completed the construction of four weighbridges at Tema Port GPHA Terminal 1 and two at the Atlantic Terminal Services in Takoradi. While all the weighbridges provide Gross, Tare, and Net weights (i.e. standard weights) of cargoes, some of the weighbridges are multideck. Outside the standard weights measurements, a multi-deck weighbridge also provides axle weights of trucks which is of interest to the Highway Authority. The weighbridges have been integrated into ICUMS (Integrated Customs Management System), marking a significant step forward in the country's efforts to modernize its ports and enhance revenue collection. The move is expected to benefit multiple stakeholders, including Ghana's Customs Division, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) with respect to the net weights, and axle weights for the Ghana Highway Authority for the protection of the nation's road infrastructure. The new weighbridge system, operational at both the Atlantic Terminal in Takoradi Port and at the countrys biggest port Tema Port, is designed to accurately measure imports and exports cargo weights. This precision is crucial for the proper calculation of duties and taxes on all consignments. Norvan Acquah-Hayford, PR Manager of Ghana Link Network Services, spoke to the Media about the initiative. "Our goal with this new module is to bring greater transparency and efficiency to Ghana's import processes," he stated. "By providing accurate weight measurements, we're not only enhancing revenue collection but also contributing to fair trade practices." The implementation of the weighbridge system comes at a critical time for Ghana. In 2022, Ghana's ports handled over 25 million metric tonnes of cargo, underscoring the potential impact of even small improvements in measurement accuracy. The new system is not just about revenue, however. It also addresses a long-standing issue of road degradation caused by overloaded trucks. By providing accurate weight information to the Ghana Highway Authority, the system will help enforce load limits, potentially saving millions in road repair costs. The weighbridge module is integrated with the existing ICUMS, which Ghana Link introduced in 2020 to replace the previous port systems. ICUMS has been credited with streamlining customs processes and improving revenue collection, despite initial implementation challenges. Industry experts see the addition of the weighbridge module as a logical next step in Ghana's digitalization journey. The system also aligns with the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to boost intra-African trade. By providing accurate and transparent weight measurements, Ghana is setting a standard that could be emulated across the continent. As a key transit point for landlocked countries like Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali, Ghana's ports play a crucial role in regional trade. The accurate weighing of transit goods will facilitate smoother cross-border transportation and potentially reduce disputes over cargo weights at inland borders. Source: Alex Offei Kwayisi/peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video An accountant who dishonestly appropriated GHC40,433.50 from the Ghana Police Church has been sentenced to two years in prison by an Adentan Circuit Court. Edward Unicorn, 32, told the court that he used the money to wager bets and asked for the court to grant him bail to work and pay it off. Unicorn was charged with stealing. He pled guilty with an explanation. I spent the money by playing Aviator (an online betting game). I staked it and never won. I was desperate to win but lost. I was addicted to Aviator, so my brother referred me to a doctor at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. I called him twice and I never went to see him. I put in the GHC40,000 bit by bit. I was desperate to win, he explained. The court presided over by Mrs. Sedinam Awo Kwadam, convicted him on his own plea. It directed that Unicorn should pay GHC5,000, and an amount of GHC2,775 retrieved from the accused be given to the Ghana Police Church. The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Anim Darko, said the complainant is a police officer and the chaplain of the church. It said Unicorn worked as the accountant for the church. In June 2024, Unicorn was employed by the church. He was responsible for the collection of cash from ushers who received the offertory in church. Unicorn also oversaw the management of the churchs mobile money accounts, preparation of payroll, and monthly reports to the Financial Committee. The prosecution said that because of the position he held at the church, he always had access to the churchs mobile money, enabling him to have direct control over the cash flow into the church account. The court heard that on August 17, 2024, at about 1900 hours, Unicorn left work and carried the church Mobile Money phone with him. According to the prosecution, Unicorn proceeded to Jerrys Pub and met a friend, Wishwell Kofi Yorke, for a drink. Unicorn then hired two Nigerian prostitutes and then went to the Purple Pub in Osu to continue their fun. The prosecution said Unicorn made a GHC136 payment from the church Momo account at the Purple Pub between 0100 hours on August 17, 2024, and 0722 hours on August 18, 2024. Investigations found that on August 18, 2024, Unicorn deposited GHC18,303 to Wishwell Kofi Yorkes Momo account and GHC13,588 to his personal Momo account, and used all of it to play Aviator, an online betting game. The prosecutor said Unicorn, knowing he would be caught, pretended to have a mental condition, and was taken to the Ghana Police Hospital before being directed to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, where he was treated and discharged. It said that on August 19, 2024, the complainant detected the theft and lodged a complaint with the East Legon Police Station. The court heard that Unicorn was arrested and remanded for further investigations. The prosecution said that following the reconciliation of the churchs accounts, it was discovered that on July 14, 2024, only GHC5,000 of the GHC7,000 collected as offertory was deposited into its bank account. Also, the prosecution said that on July 21, 2024, an offering of GHC6,500 was collected, but only GHC6,000 was deposited into the churchs account. The prosecution said Unicorn failed to account for a second offertory of GHC3,143.50 collected on August 18, 2024. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The outgoing President of the Ghana Bar Association, Yaw Acheampong Boafo, has called for a revision of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy to ensure that students from wealthier backgrounds pay fees. He called for the use of the National Identification Authority data for a means-tested system to prevent the rich from exploiting the system, while fully supporting students from vulnerable and poor backgrounds. Students from comfortable backgrounds who attended expensive basic schools must pay fees at the senior high school level so that resources are freed to fully cater for the poor and vulnerable, Mr Boafo said. He was speaking last Monday at the Annual Conference of the Ghana Bar Association in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi. The conference attracted a large number of legal practitioners, the Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo; the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, and other ministers of state; the Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Rita Akosua Dickson; clergymen, members of the Council of State, chiefs and queen mothers. The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, also attended the conference. Basic education Mr Boafo highlighted the importance of prioritizing the improvement of basic education, such as eliminating schools under trees and providing sanitary products for girls in need, over-subsidizing secondary education for those who could afford it. He also referenced recent concerns about the school feeding programme revealed by the Auditor General, calling for a review and improvements to better serve the programmes intended beneficiaries from poorer backgrounds. As a nation, our security is threatened when a chasm develops between the rich and the poor, the urban dweller and the rural dweller, he said. Mr Boafo also called on the government and successive governments to implement policies that would improve and make public school education at the basic level both accessible to the poor and marginalised in society while ensuring quality. In my opinion, the award of government scholarships should be only what it is, that is, informed by real merit, economic and financial need of beneficiaries, especially those from poor backgrounds, and relevance to specific critical areas of study and research, especially when such critical areas of study and research, particularly in science, technology and research programmes that are not offered by local universities. I find it immoral and troubling that government scholarships are given or awarded to persons with political connections and who are already from privileged and rich backgrounds at the expense of brilliant, truly needed individuals and students, Mr Boafo said. Source: graphiconline Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Keta Nursing and Midwifery Training College has expressed profound appreciation to the Vice President and flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, for his timely and generous support to the school. The auditorium of the College was ripped off recently by heavy rainstorm and Vice President Bawumia responded to their plight by personally fixing it. In a letter of appreciation, the College thanked Dr. Bawumia for enabling them to resume school. "I write on behalf of the Advisory Board, Principal, Stakeholders Association/PTA, Management, staff, the SRC and entire student body of the Nursing and Midwifery Training College-Keta to express our profound gratitude to you for your immerse support in re-roofing the auditorium of the Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Keta which was ripped-off by heavy rainstorm on 23 rd April, 2024." "The College has benefitted a lot from the current government but your generosity and prompt attention given to the College when in dire need cannot be overemphazed." "We believe that your generosity and having wellbeing of Ghanaians at heart will pave a way for you to continue the good works you have started." "Indeed your single-handed support in re-roofing and refurbishing the College auditorium on time before the first semester of the 2024/2025 academic year begins in September, 2024 is really recognized with gratitude. You will forever remain in the history of the Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Keta", the College Principal wrote. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Forestry Commission's Rapid Response team has raided an illegal mining aka galamsey camp in the Subri Forest Reserve near Benso in the Western Region, arresting four armed miners. The suspects, all Ghanaians, were found mining in a Globally Significant Biodiversity Area of the forest. During the operation, the team seized five pump action guns, 77 rounds of ammunition, and burnt three excavators. Other items found at the site have been handed over to the Takoradi police for further investigation. The suspects, identified as Innussah Yussif, Issah Seidu, Shadrack Yowson, and Emmanuel Adawusu, are believed to be backed by influential figures who supported their illegal mining activities, causing severe destruction to the forest in search of gold. The raid, part of a joint rapid response effort in the Takoradi Forest District, comes amidst increasing illegal mining activities that have degraded significant portions of Ghana's forest reserves. Source: Myjoyonline Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 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. The vice presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has called on the Electoral Commission to ensure free, fair and credible elections. She says it is easy to maintain peace when the electoral process is open and transparent, and credible elections are held. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang made the call when she addressed a durbar of the chiefs and people of Axim in the Western Region as part of this years Kundum festival. She said leaders must strive to preach peace and development at all times. I wish that the chiefs and people of Axim will continue to ensure peace and tolerate each others views, especially in this year as we prepare to elect committed and deserving people in the coming presidential and parliamentary elections in December, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said. She was hopeful that Ghanaians will elect leaders who are committed to serving the interest of the people in the December elections. In this election, we must strive to elect persons who exhibit the true characteristics of servant leaders and I am confident that the chiefs and people of Axim will vote to retain the current Member of Parliament, Hon. Kofi Arkoe Nokoe, in December 2024, she said. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang noted that the NDC government during its time in office initiated some key projects in the Axim area. Notable among them, she said, are the Axim Sea Defense Project, the asphalting of Axim town roads in 2015, the building of a new Municipal Fire Service office accommodation, the new Axim Divisional Polic Command Office block and the initiation of a mini harbour which has been changed into a landing beach. Nananom, I want to assure you that the NDC will ensure that this project is reversed to its initial plan, she added. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang further said the NDC also ensured the establishment of the Axim Girls Senior High School, which through the efforts of Awulae Attibrukusu III, was brought to the limelight.Touch on illegal mining, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang observed that the menace is affecting the livelihood of many people, including those in Axim and its environs. She said the next NDC government will not associate or appoint persons suspected to be behind illegal and irresponsible mining. We will not associate or appoint any manner of persons who are noted to be involved or connected with galamsey as seen in the current government, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said. She commended the chiefs for their togetherness and foresight to promote development among their people and called for unity, tolerance and peace among all natives of Axim and beyond, especially with the 2024 elections on the horizon. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang urged the youth to abstain from being used as agents of violence before and during the general elections. She assured the people of Evalue Ajomoro Gwira, and Ghanaians at large, that the NDC is committed to peaceful elections and urged the chiefs to add their voices to ensure that the Electoral Commission does the right thing. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former President John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has called on party supporters and all Ghanaians to join the party's nationwide demonstration against the Electoral Commission (EC) on Tuesday. Speaking at a mini rally at Amanfro Park in the Ga South Municipality on Sunday, during his ongoing Greater Accra regional tour, Mahama stressed the importance of putting pressure on the EC to ensure transparency and accountability. He reiterated the NDC's demand for a forensic audit to safeguard the credibility of the next election. The only way to get the EC to sit up is to put pressure on them, and that is why on Tuesday, you must all join the demonstrations across the country. Its not only for NDC people but for all Ghanaians, Mr. Mahama said. The NDC has raised concerns about the EC's preparedness for the upcoming elections, pointing to issues with voter registration, electoral reforms, and transparency. The party has been advocating for a forensic audit of the EC to ensure the credibility of the electoral process, but the commission has so far resisted these requests. Last week, after submitting the NDC flagbearer's nomination forms to the EC, the partys National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, reiterated the NDCs concerns about the electoral process. He emphasized the need for mutual understanding between the EC and all political parties. We have serious concerns about the process so far, and I believe we are engaging. The purpose of the engagement is to reach mutual conclusions acceptable to everyone, Nketiah said. He further added, We are not willing to give up our rights heading into these elections. We are hopeful that the commission will listen to us and discharge their responsibilities in a way that will satisfy all participating parties. Source: graphiconline Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The National Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) claims that his party's running mate, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh's campaign messages are rather making it difficult to break the 8 is untrue. Henry Nana Boakye, popularly known as Nana B defended Dr Opoku Prempeh's numerous controversial campaign speeches that have made headlines on several occasions. Whereas many suggest NAPO's comments are harsh, Henry Nana Boakye said they are justifiable. Everything he [NAPO] says can be explained. He doesn't just speak. It's only the NDC that will find his comments as too harsh, he said in an interview with NEAT FM's morning show, 'Ghana Montie'. Watch video below Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. Energy ministers of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) have signed a joint communique in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Trend reports citing Azerbaijans Ministry of Energy. Azerbaijans Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov, along with his counterparts from Turkiye, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, endorsed several key initiatives in the communique. The document supports the establishment of an OTS Energy Coordination Committee, a Regional Center for Technologies and Green Initiatives, and projects focused on green energy corridors. Additionally, the communique expresses the Turkic states' readiness to actively participate in Energy Day at COP29 on November 15. Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are members of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), while Hungary, Turkmenistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are observer states. In his speech in Bishkek, Parviz Shahbazov stated that the clear strategic vision and resolute policies of the OTS leaders, aimed at achieving significant success through the protection of rich natural resources, the creation of energy and transport corridors, and leveraging the potential from Central Asia to Europe, have strengthened the status of the Organization of Turkic States. Shahbazov highlighted the call of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev that "The 21st century must be a century of progress of the Turkic world", as well as the efforts to transform Central Asia, the South Caucasus and the Caspian into a Union of Regions reflects the nature of relations between the Turkic states. "Azerbaijans trade with the member and observer states of the organization exceeded $9 billion last year. These countries invested $18.2 billion in our economy, while Azerbaijan invested $20.3 billion in these countries," he added. "Intergovernmental Agreement on Strategic Partnership in Green Energy Development and Transfer between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan is planned for the near future, the Minister emphasized, adding that there will be efforts to strengthen cooperation in renewable energy with Kyrgyzstan. "The forthcoming Investment Forum on Energy Transition for Central Asian countries at COP29 will provide another opportunity to showcase the progress of our collaboration in achieving the goals of green energy," Shahbazov concluded. Minister for Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye has condemned the National Democratic Congress(NDC) over their position on the Electoral Commission. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) accuses the Electoral Commission (EC) of possessing a voters register that has irregularities and bloated names. The party is of the firm belief that the EC wants to rig the December 7 elections in favor of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP). They therefore threaten a protest against the Commission on Tuesday, September 17. "We had a very good meeting with the regional police bosses and the agreement is that we are going to proceed with our demonstration on the 17th of this month. And its going to happen not just in Greater Accra but in all the other regions of the country at the same time. We wanted to have a confirmation about the endpoint in terms of the route, we had an agreement that we are going to start from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, proceed through Farisco Traffic Light through to TUC, continue through the Ministry and come all the way to Parliament and end up in front of the premises of the Electoral Commission, NDC General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey told the media at the EC Headquarters after a meeting between the leadership of the party and the Accra Regional Police Command. Reacting to the NDCs posture on the register during Peace FMs 'Kokrokoo' show on Monday, September 16, Dr. Okoe Boye wondered why the opposition party is afraid, because, to him, the Commission led by Jean Mensa has no power to make a President for Ghana. He noted that the election of a leader though made by the citizens is ultimately a decision only God can make. To him, no one can decide who to become a king if God hasnt appointed such a king. It is God who makes a king . . . lets do what we can as humans but its God who will make a king tomorrow, he replied the NDC. Watch video below Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former President John Dramani Mahama has shocked many Ghanaians suggesting a coup d'etat to happen in Ghana. The former President, at a rally, attended in Accra by National Democratic Congress members and supporters, accused the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government of engaging in embezzlement and other illegal activities, adding that had hence stressed the need for a Military takeover. In a viral video monitored by Peacefmonline, Mahama told his supporters that "if all these corrupt acts happening under NPP government has occurred under the NDC regime, the Military would have overthrown our government by now. He reiterated; Im telling you the truth! If this level of corruption and all the bad things we are seeing under the Bawumia/Akufo-Addo government had happened under NDC, there would have been a coup d'etat. The former President also launched scathing attacks on Chiefs and religious leaders saying we have Pastors, Imams, Chiefs and civil society groups in this country who instead of rebuking the NPP, rather support them. When NDC says something, it is like we are the bad ones.They must rather joining forces with us to tell the government that, due to your wickedness towards Ghanaians, it is time for you to go. But you will see Chiefs commending them (NPP) that they have done good jobs. "In the churches, you see pastors praying for him (Bawumia) that the government has done a good job; we bless you and may God give you victory. He goes to the traditionalists and they pour wine to their shrines and ask their ancestors to guide him (Bawumia). "How can you all wish for such a foolish government to win?", he questioned. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former President John Dramani Mahama has launched a blistering attack on State institutions, particularly the Military and religious institutions for what he says is their support for the New Patriotic Party and their flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. Addressing NDC supporters at a campaign event, the former President, in a furious tirade, questioned the Chiefs, Clergy and Imams as well as traditionalists in the country why they are not berating the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration. We have Pastors, Imams, Chiefs and civil society groups in this country who instead of rebuking the NPP, rather support them. When NDC says something, it is like we are the bad ones. They must rather joining forces with us to tell the government that, due to your wickedness towards Ghanaians, it is time for you to go. But you will see Chiefs commending them (NPP) that they have done good jobs. In the churches, you see pastors praying for him (Bawumia) that the government has done a good job; we bless you and may God give you victory. He goes to the traditionalists and they pour wine to their shrines and ask their ancestors to guide him (Bawumia), he said. He averred that "they are hypocrites but I am confident that the NDC will win". Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Pennsylvanias Supreme Court on Monday upheld a lower court ruling that rejected a bid to get independent presidential candidate Cornel West on the ballot for the November election in the battleground state. The courts sided with the secretary of states office under Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in rejecting Wests candidacy paperwork. The decision also sets in motion the process for counties to start printing, testing and sending out mail-in ballots to voters who requested one ahead of the Nov. 5 election. As soon as the court rules on that, well certify the official list and then counties can complete their preparations to mail out ballots and to have voters, if they choose, go to a county election office to apply in person, Secretary of State Al Schmidt said in an interview earlier Monday. The court case had been among a raft of partisan legal maneuvering around third-party candidates, as backers of Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris had aimed to derail third-party candidates who might siphon away support or to help others who might hurt their opponent. In an unsigned one-page order, the state Supreme Court said it had affirmed the lower Commonwealth Court decision. In it, the court had agreed with the Schmidts office that Wests campaign lacked the required affidavits for 14 of Wests 19 presidential electors. The deadline to submit them was Aug. 1. Now, Trump and Harris will appear on Pennsylvanias ballot with the Green Partys Jill Stein and the Libertarian Partys Chase Oliver. Stein and Oliver submitted petitions to get on Pennsylvanias presidential ballot without being challenged. The Nov. 5 election is expected to be close in Pennsylvania, whose 19 electoral votes are tied with Illinois for fifth-most, and arguably are the most awarded by any battleground state. Counties, which typically send out mail-in ballots weeks before the election to voters who request them, have been waiting for the court to rule on the final ballot-access cases. Now that it has, county election officials say they will need time to test, print and mail the ballots. That process could drag into October, depending on the county. Under state law, counties must start delivering or mailing the official mail-in ballots to voters who applied for one as soon as a ballot is certified and available. Counties may also have mail-in ballots available earlier for over-the-counter service for voters who come into a county election office and apply for a ballot in person. The deadline for counties to receive a completed mail-in ballot is when polls close, by law, at 8 p.m. on Election Day. The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is Oct. 29, one week before the Nov. 5 election. Grammy Award-winning rock group Mana has pulled a recent song from streaming services after their collaborator on the song endorsed Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election. The bands new rendition of their song "Pies a Cabeza features reggaeton artist Nicky Jam, who recently appeared at a Trump rally in Nevada on stage with the former president. In a post on Instagram, the band shared an image that had the text Mana no trabaja con racistas. The phrase translated into English as Mana doesnt work with racists. For the last 30 years Mana has supported and defended the rights of Latinos around the world, the post reads when translated into English. There is no business or promotion that is worth more than the dignity of our people. For this reason, today Mana decided to remove our collaboration with Nicky Jam on Pies a Cabeza from all digital platforms. Mana, whose members are from Mexico, has sold more than 25 million records worldwide, mostly in Spanish-speaking countries. Members of the band have been vocal supporters of Democratic candidates and causes, particularly those connected to Latino and immigration issues. According to Billboard, hours after Manas post, Nicky Jam removed a post from his own Instagram page that featured him with Trump at the rally. Trump appeared to mistakenly refer to Nicky Jam as she when introducing the artist at the rally, stating shes hot! before the artist approached him on stage. Raul Malo has been an open book and one heck of a fighter since announcing recently that he was battling cancer. The Mavericks frontman seems to have handled the battle well, too. But chemotherapy and the need to focus on treatment is a lot to handle while still out touring so there was bound to be a few bumps in the road for the band. One of those came this weekend as The Mavericks postponed a pair of shows in Texas rescheduling them for April of 2025 so that Malo could receive treatment. We appreciate your understanding in this time and throughout this cancer treatment journey, and sincerely regret any inconvenience caused, a statement posted to the bands Instagram page read. Thanks for your patience, and we look forward to seeing you next year. Fans were quick to respond with love and support. Take care of yourself, one person wrote. The world is so blessed to have The Mavericks. Cant wait to see you again. And we dance You take care of you we patiently await your return to us, another person wrote. During IV treatments try a lemon drop. We will be here when you get back, another wrote. Take care of yourself. (praying hands emoji) You can see the bands post and all of the responses here. This comes just more than a week after Malo took to Instagram to update fans on his fight while showing off his chemo port. Fourth round is done, Malo wrote alongside of a photo of himself with his shirt off, revealing the dimple under his skin near his collarbone where his port was placed, on the bands Instagram page. Feeling great and looking forward to this weekend. Malo said he felt a bit tired on Friday but noted that it has been like that after every chemo session. He said he was back to feeling normal by Saturday, though. He then said he had an MRI coming up that he wasnt looking forward to simply because, well he doesnt like hopping in the machine. This process has allowed me the time to relax, heal, think, reminisce, remember, and recall special memories, he wrote. I remember the first time a close friend disclosed to me that they had cancer. As you can imagine emotions start running wild and you try to keep cool. Malo revealed that he didnt know what to say or how to act. They showed me their port, he said. I was uncomfortable. This was all new to me and to my friend. What do I say? What can I say? The more we spoke about it the less uncomfortable I became. Malo said that as more friends have fought the cancer battle he has realized things about humans. We are tough, he wrote. We are resilient. And we want to live. Here is my port, he added. Chances are you know someone that has one. Its important to remember that its not the end. Its a chance for a new beginning. We got this RM Jennyfer Bustos is bringing the flavors of her Ecuadorian roots to Steelton. Canaris, an authentic Ecuadorian restaurant with traditional foods and drinks, is targeted to open on Oct. 5 at 51 N. Front St. For Bustos, who came to the U.S. as a child in 2014, the restaurant is a way to share her heritage and culture. Growing up, she said food was always at the center of her familys home. I would always see family, friends, and neighbors come in my house and visit and my mom and grandma would immediately cook and prepare delicious food, she said. It wasnt until Bustos, a new mother then, moved from New York City to Steelton with her fiance in 2020 that she yearned to learn Ecuadorian recipes and cooking techniques. Central Pennsylvania, after all, is not exactly a hotbed of Ecuadorian eateries. Here, I was never able to find that connection to bring me back the memories of my childhood, she said. Starting with rice, Bustos expanded her recipe repertoire through YouTube videos and Facetime calls with her mother, Alba Castro, and grandmother, Segunda Verdugo. Family and friends benefitted from her traditional meals; their reactions were often encouraging. She said her goal is to take native Ecuadorians back to meals at grandmas table. The first bite they take, theyre like, Oh my god, it tastes like Ecuador. That touches my heart, Bustos said. Opening a restaurant, she said, was a lifetime dream, and in spring 2023 she signed a lease with her business partner and sister-in-law, Jessica Juca, for the former Chinese takeout restaurant. But the space needed TLC. She said they rebuilt the floor, knocked down a counter and added a brick wall. The restaurant is decorated in traditional decor designed to feel like an establishment in Ecuador, she said. Bustos said she named the restaurant after her ancestors tribe. Originally, she had hoped to be open by now but plumbing and corroded gas line issues have created delays. Once it opens, Canaris will carry traditional dishes such as seco de pollo, a chicken stew; seco de carne, a beef stew; guatita, a beef tripe stew; and camaron apanado, fried shrimp. Bustos said daily weekday specials will be a big draw. Monday will feature chicken soup and a chicken rice entree made with carrots, peas, bell peppers, cilantro and chicken breasts with fresh juice or soda for $15. A creamy carrot soup with shredded chicken will be a Thursday feature, while Fridays will be a catfish soup, fried tilapia and plantains. Seafood lovers will want to stop on weekends. Bustos will boost the offerings on Saturday and Sunday with a variety of seafood, including encebollado, a fish soup and the national dish of Ecuador, fish and shrimp ceviches, seafood rice and cazuela de mariscos, a seafood casserole. Diners will find some American foods including, chicken wings, tenders, french fries and Caesar salads. Bustos said shes looking forward to opening and serving the community. The closer I get the more emotional I get. It brings tears to my eyes. It is one of my biggest dreams, she said. The restaurant will be open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. BEDFORD, Ohio - An 8-year-old girl on Sunday took a car on a drive and crashed into a mailbox before she was found later at a Target store miles away, according to a Bedford police report. Police said they received a call at about 9 a.m. of the missing 8-year-old and a 2020 Nissan Rogue. After receiving details from family members that they had last seen the girl at about 7 a.m., police began a search. A neighbors camera showed the girl driving away in the car, the police report said. Bedford Heights police also received a report of a juvenile driving a vehicle east on Rockside Road. Bainbridge police a short time later found the vehicle, abandoned, in a Target parking lot in Bainbridge Township. Police found the girl inside the store. The girl told police that while driving, she had hit a mailbox. Damage was discovered to the vehicle. There was no mention in the report of any injuries. Want a say in the news? Email Claudia at todayinpa@pennlive.com to have your thoughts on the stories covered here or on PennLive heard. You can listen to the latest episode of Today in Pa on any of your favorite apps including Alexa, Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and YouTube. Episodes are available every weekday on PennLive. Feel free to subscribe, follow or rate Today in Pa. as you see fit! Today in Pa. Daily Podcast | September 16, 2024 Lehigh Valley Health Network will shell out $65 million for a settlement for that data breach which affected thousands of people last year. A 10-year-old girl was charged after posting about not credible school threats. An expert believes its shaping up to be a great pheasant season for hunters. Plus, the honor of Best Mascot in the NHL goes to this fan favorite, who you could probably already guess. Those are the stories we cover in the latest episode of Today in Pa., a daily weekday podcast from PennLive.com and hosted by Claudia Dimuro. Today in Pa. is dedicated to sharing the most important and interesting stories pertaining to Pennsylvania that lets you know, indeed, whats happening today in Pa. Todays episode refers to the following articles: If you enjoy Today in Pa., consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on Amazon. Reviews help others find the show and, besides, wed like to know what you think about the program, too. As sponsored by Renewal by Anderson of Central PA. A mans body was found in the freezer at a grocery store in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Sept. 10, according to police. According to a Raleigh Police Department press release sent to USA Today and People, officers arrived on the scene at 7:05 a.m., after the mans coworkers discovered his body in the stores supply freezer at a Food Lion. The man had a medical emergency Monday night before he died inside the freezer, a police officer confirmed, according to local outlet WFMY. The name of the victim has yet to be disclosed, as the incident is being treated as a death investigation. Food Lion is deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of our associate, a company spokesperson said in a statement. We express our deepest condolences to the associates family and friends. Food Lion is cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this unfortunate incident, the statement continued. As always, the safety and well-being of customers and associates are daily priorities for Food Lion, and we are committed to ensuring a safe place to work and shop. We are providing resources to support our associates during this difficult time, the spokesperson concluded. Food Lion was founded in 1957 in Salisbury, North Carolina, and oversees 1,000 grocery stores in 10 states in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic areas. It also employs 82,000 associates and serves over 10 million customers weekly, per the companys website. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has finalized a 97 million finance agreement with Natixis Corporate and Investment Banking (Natixis CIB) and Libeccio S.r.l., a special purpose vehicle owned by Fabbrica Energie Rinnovabili Alternative S.r.l. (FERA) and Byom S.r.l., Trend reports via EIB. The funds will be used to develop a new wind farm in Sicily, which is expected to meet the energy needs of over 56,000 Italian households, supporting the goals of the REPowerEU initiative and the broader European Green Deal. The Vento di Vino 2 wind farm, set to begin operations by 2026, will feature an installed capacity of 44.8 MW and will be located in Mazara del Vallo, Trapani. The financing package will also facilitate the refinancing of Libeccios existing Vento di Vino 1 wind farm, which has a capacity of 24 MW and is also situated in Mazara del Vallo. This green loan financing, structured on a project finance basis, includes 42 million from the EIB and 55 million from Natixis CIB. The project is aligned with the European Green Deal and REPowerEUs decarbonisation objectives, for which the EIB plans to allocate an additional 45 billion by 2027. The initiative is projected to create over 270 jobs during its implementation phase, providing significant economic benefits to Sicily. The project involves both a brownfield componentthe existing Vento di Vino 1 wind farmand a greenfield component, Vento di Vino 2, which will benefit from 20-year contracts for difference under the Renewable Energy Sources decree. The financing arrangement includes residual merchant risk exposure and revenue from the contract for difference. The main advisors on the operation were Dentons (for EIB and Natixis CIB legal aspects), BonelliErede (EIB special counsel), Legance Avvocati Associati (Libeccio legal aspects), EOS (technical aspects), Marsh (insurance), Deloitte (tax and model auditor), and Arcus Financial Advisors (Libeccio financial advisor). Follow the author on X: @Lyaman_Zeyn By Michael Stelzig Recently, Pennsylvania has become the home of a potential $1 billion investment. As part of its proposed acquisition of the historic U.S. Steel, Japanese-owned Nippon Steel announced they are investing at least $1.3 billion into U.S. Steel facilities, with $1 billion of that money going directly to Mon Valley Works just outside of Pittsburgh. Halfway through September and you can count the number of days it has rained on one hand. You wont need to use all of the fingers on that hand either. Throughout much of Pennsylvania, depending on where you live, it has rained two or three times in the first 15 days. Even those occasions have barely left any puddles. Rainfall totals through Sunday for a few central Pa. cities, which usually average around 2 inches in September, look like this: Harrisburg: .16 inches York: .52 inches Lancaster: .42 inches Altoona, .69 inches Williamsport: .19 inches State College: .42 inches But its not just central Pa. wanting for rain. A rain departure map for September from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows all of Pennsylvania below normal to this point, with the biggest shortages across central and most of eastern Pa. It isnt any better across the rest of the mid-Atlantic, per the month to date maps. An area of low pressure off the southeastern U.S. coast is expected to bring impacts from tropical-storm-force winds, heavy rain, coastal flooding, and high surf to portions of the southeast United States coast beginning Sunday night and continuing during the next couple of days.National Hurricane Center But thats about to change, and as often happens this year, from a tropical storm forming off the South Carolina coast. Forecasters said the heaviest rain, up to 8 inches, is expected in the far northeast of South Carolina and along North Carolinas coastal plain. Lesser rain amounts of 1 to 4 inches will occur through the middle of the week across a wide swath of the mid-Atlantic, central Appalachians and perhaps southwestern New England, according to AccuWeather. The low-pressure system was centered Sunday night about 140 miles east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was moving to the northwest at 7 mph, forecasters said, adding that some strengthening was possible before the storms expected landfall early in the week within the warning area. How much rain is on the horizon? AccuWeather's map suggests a wide area of the East Coast will receive a substantial amount of rain is everything comes together this week.AccuWeather All of which sets up a rainy middle of the week after a partly sunny Monday and temperatures near 80 after a warm weekend. Per the National Weather Service: We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. Azerbaijan has invited Pakistani companies to participate in the events of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), Executive Director of AZPROMO (Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Agency) Yusif Abdullayev said on the sidelines of the Azerbaijan-Pakistan business forum held in Baku today, Trend reports. The executive director noted that a series of meetings will be organized for business representatives at COP29 in November. Speaking at the forum, Pakistan's Federal Minister of Commerce Jawad Paul emphasized that COP29 will create opportunities for the development of cooperation between the countries in the field of green energy, which is of great interest to Pakistan as it accelerates its energy transition. Paul also highlighted the prospects for developing bilateral relations with Azerbaijan within the framework of the 'green' agenda. This November, Azerbaijan will host COP29. This decision was made at the COP28 plenary meeting held in Dubai on December 11 last year. Baku will become the center of the world and will receive about 7080,000 foreign guests. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. COPthe Conference of the Partiesis the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. There are 198 countries that are parties to the Convention. Unless the parties agree otherwise, the COP is held annually. The first COP event took place in March 1995 in Germany's Berlin, with its secretariat in Bonn. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Freshmen can get support as they transition from high school to university life. Students of any age can get help from their own dedicated academic advisor, who will assist them with course planning and provide them guidance when life challenges pop up. And juniors and seniors can get help with career development as they plan for life post-graduation. That now all takes place in one spot, centrally located on campus in Axe Library at Pittsburg State University. On Sept. 13, it was filled with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends who gathered to celebrate its official dedication and ribbon cutting. Called the H.W. Smith Success Center, it is named after a longtime educator and administrator who started his campus leadership as student body president 50 years ago. In his career, Dr. Howard Smith has provided leadership at all levels of our educational system with student success in mind, so its fitting that this place that focuses so much on student success would be named in his honor, said Heather Eckstein, associate vice president of Student Success at Pitt State. Hannah Eckstein, this years student body president and a senior biology major, said the space was definitely built with students in mind. This is where they will plan and prepare for their future from determining which classes theyll take next semester to the internships they should apply for next summer, she said, praising its accessibility. Im so proud that at Pitt State were always tearing down educational barriers and up lifting our students through educational services, she said. It is a place where meaningful connections will be made, she added, and students will receive quality, compassionate advising and support through their transition into a career. President Dan Shipp said those who work at the center, including 14 academic advisors, several peer advisors, a team of career development specialists, and First Year Programs personnel, can relieve students anxiety when they face uncertainty about their academic path and need to connect to resources. The goal here is to create a one-stop shop, he said. At this center, were available for our students and were going to help you navigate some of those difficult questions youre asking yourself. Such a center will directly impact recruitment and retention, he noted. Students also can find Student Disability Services & Dual Credit Programs, the Pitt State Writing Center, and the Pitt State Communication Center in the same area. I cant think of a better person to name this after, Shipp said. Howard is one of Pitt States most respected and significant educational leaders. Learn more about the Student Success Center. About Howard Smith Howard said he was "deeply humbled" by the center being named for him, and credited many others on campus for playing a role in anything he's achieved. They, too, are part of the center's name, he said. Smith earned a bachelors in Education from Pitt State, a masters in Education from the University of Kansas, and a doctorate in Educational Administration from Kansas State University. He rose through the ranks at Pitt State, having started as a faculty member in the College of Education. As provost, he had oversight and leadership for the units of Admission, Accommodations, Honors College, International Programs and Services, Intensive English Program, Student Diversity Programs, Student Financial Assistance, Student Success Programs, and Office of the Registrar. He also continued to oversee Enrollment Management, a position he had held prior to becoming provost. Past positions include associate professor and professor of Leadership Studies, interim chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, chair of Special Services & Leadership Studies, executive director of the PSU-Kansas City Metro Outreach Center, assistant to the president and legislative liaison, dean of the College of Education, and associate vice president of Enrollment Management. Smith also served in leadership positions at Emporia State University and public K-12 schools in Kansas, Arkansas, and Texas. He retired in June and has spent the months since then helping to mentor his successor, Susan Bon, in her transition. Daniel Negreanu Rips on Wealthy Poker Player for Being a Cheap Tipper Jon Sofen Senior Editor U.S. Copy link What is the proper amount for a wealthy poker player to tip a cocktail server for a bottle of water? That is the debate that transpired on X thanks to a critical tweet from Daniel Negreanu, who called out an unnamed "millionaire" high-stakes pro for being a bit of a tightwad. Las Vegas Tipping Culture The tipping culture in the United States differs greatly from Europe and other parts of the word. This is especially true in Las Vegas where the hospitality industry rules the town. It is customary in Nevada to tip 20% or sometimes higher for a meal or drinks, whereas tipping isn't always expected in most other countries where bartenders and servers are paid reasonable hourly wages. For free beverages, which are offered during the Poker Masters series, and all other events at the PokerGO Studio, most poker players tip $1-$2 per drink, and sometimes more for an alcoholic beverage. There are exceptions as some players are more generous than others. Some pros might even toss the cocktail waitress a black chip ($100) if they've been running hot. Poker Community's Take on Tip Shaming Negreanu's issue isn't with a $1-$3 player being cheap on tipping as he specifically called out an unnamed wealthy pro who was competing in a $10,100 buy-in Poker Masters event. This individual who shall remain anonymous had a $5 bill in his hand upon receiving two bottles of Fiji water, but he apparently went into his pocket to retrieve two $1 bills to leave as a tip instead of the larger denomination bill. "You had a chance to make a difference for a single mother working her ass off to pay the bills, but you chose the dirty $1s.," Negreanu wrote. The GGPoker ambassador's tweet was criticized by some, while others agreed with the take. One X user jokingly argued that even Allen Kessler "would have gave her $5." "Two free bottles of water and a $1 tip for each? Take the millionaire out of the equation and I see no issue. Include the millionaire and I still see no issue. Not like he stiffed her," @j_mars57 wrote. Doug Polk said that he'd just tip the $5, but "I'm not a fan of tip shaming. Tipping a dollar per water is fine/standard. I don't like getting into territory where we are judging people by what they tip based on the stakes they play." Max Pescatori, a four-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, argues that Negreanu didn't tip shame considering he never mentioned the player's name. "Beyond disgusting," Mike Matusow said about the player Negreanu criticized. We'd like to know what your thoughts are on the tipping issue. Share this article EAPT Georgia CRUSHES Overall Guarantee as Hayk Manasyan Wins Main Event Kai Cocklin Live Reporter Copy link The EA Poker Tour (EAPT) found its way to the shores of Batumi, Georgia, for the first time in its eleven-year history and smashed guarantees all over the place in a spectacular series of poker that took place in the Eclipse Poker Club. After four live starting flights and an online Day 1 that together totaled 741 entries, the second and final day of the $500 EAPT Main Event played out on Sunday, September 15, and after some shocking twists and turns, it was Armenia's Hayk Manasyan who hoisted the trophy and claimed $53,880 for his win. Manasyan defeated his compatriot Paruyr Mamikonyan in a short heads-up duel that saw the runner-up add $27,320. In addition, both finalists received a $4k Luxon Pay Grand Final package. EAPT Main Event Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize 1 Hayk Manasyan Armenia $53,880* 2 Paruyr Mamikonyan Armenia $27,320* 3 Timur Mukhamedaminov Uzbekistan $34,770* 4 Yesset Aimukhanov Kazakhstan $31,955* 5 Davit Khalatiani Georgia $14,930 6 Kerem Turuskan Turkey $11,390 7 Gevorg Khachatryan Armenia $9,035 8 Ruben Hovsepyan Armenia $7,270 9 Abat Nagimetov Kazakhstan $5,890 * denotes ICM deal The Main Event's prize pool reached $370,500, surpassing its guarantee by nearly three times. The overall guaranteed prize pool for the series was $350,000, but that was shattered as approximately $1,135,000 was paid out to players throughout the festival, reinforcing Georgia's reputation as a premier destination for poker. Winner's Reaction Speaking through an interpreter, Manasyan told PokerNews that he felt great following his victory. "It's my first time playing any EAPT events and first time I've won a trophy," he said. "Batumi is only a forty-minute flight from Armenia and it feels amazing to be here with my friends. We always play poker as a group so it's nice to have them here with me. "I think my most important hand was yesterday [Day 1c], when we were hand-for-hand on the bubble the chip leader tried to bluff me," Manasyan told PokerNews. "But I made a big call which allowed me to take a bigger stack into Day 2." With EAPT Rozvadov coming up in November and EAPT Bucharest in December, Mayasan was asked if he would be attending any of the upcoming series. "I like Czech Republic, I will think about it because I used to live there and I want to defend this trophy." Final Day's Action A total of 107 players made their way through the four live flights and they were joined by three online qualifiers which meant there were 110 players to start Day 2. Eliminations were fast and furious with the likes of Reiji Kono (102nd), Denis Vlasov (73rd), Jack Sinclair (71st), Ehsan Ghaeli (36th), and Beka Magradze (16th) making their way into the cash but falling short of the final table. As the final table approached, it was Magradze who felt hard done by as his stack dwindled after a huge blunder by Kerem Turuskan turned out in the Turkish player's favor. Turuskan then built on his momentum in fantastic style by eliminating two players in the same hand. It didn't stop there for the Turk as he sent Zoran Marich to the sidelines along with Kakhaber Sabauri. As if that wasn't enough, Turuskan picked aces to burst the final table bubble at the expense of Georgia's Giorgi Tchkonia. When the final table got underway, it was Turuskan who held an enormous lead with around forty percent of the chips in play, and almost three times more than his closest rival Yesset Aimukhanov. The short stack was Abat Nagimetov whose seven big blinds didn't last long. Ruben Hovsepyan soon soon joined him on the rail after he ran pocket queens into Timur Mukhamedaminov's pocket aces. After the elimination of Gevorg Khachatryan in seventh, it was the chip leader who started to see his fortunes reverse as bit by bit his stack was eaten away at by the other finalists. First, Aimukhanov picked up ace-king and beat the ace-queen of Turuskan, then a few moments later a huge hand played out between the pair which left the Turkish player wondering where it all went wrong. The situation went from bad to worse for Turuskan when his ace-eight couldn't beat the king-ten of Davit Khalatiani. The final blow was delivered by Mukhamedaminov as he scooped a three-way all-in pot which left Turuskan on the rail in sixth. Khalatiani then busted in fifth and the remaining four players agreed to flatten out the payouts with an ICM chop, which left them all with a guaranteed payout plus $14,795 on the table to play for. The final two players would also receive a $4k Luxon Pay Grand Final package. After the deal was struck, Aimukhanov hit the rail in fourth after he lost a flip to the eventual champion. Mukhamedaminov soon followed when he incorrectly check-called three streets against Manasyan and ended up on the sidelines in third. Heads-up was a short affair as Manasyan shoved with nine-eight suited and got called by the six-four suited of Mamikonyan. Neither player improved, which meant Mamikonyan had to settle for second, and Manasyan was the champion. Share this article Rich Lowry, the editor-in-chief of the National Review, appeared to use the n-word but caught himself while talking about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. Video: Having a hard time coming to any conclusion besides the obvious one about what Rich Lowry catches himself blurting out here pic.twitter.com/PFHQMCS8UP Madeline Peltz (@peltzmadeline) September 16, 2024 Lowry was on Megyn Kellys podcast talking about the Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio when he said: You remember alternative Facts with Kellyanne? They did the same thing. She wasnt saying you make up fictions and pretend theyre facts. You bring other facts to bear in the debate that are being ignored. And thats what he was saying. I loved, I think it was in that interview where Dana Bash says, you know, the police have gone through 11 months of recordings of calls and theyve only found two Springfield residents calling to complain about Haitian (n-word possibly)-migrants taking geese from ponds. Only two calls. And I think one lesson in this whole story, people dont care about geese. Lowry appears to use a vile racial slur, and after analyzing the audio several times before publication, it is difficult to determine a different word that he could have been meaning to use. If Lowry as using a different word why did he feel the need to stop himself and say migrants? When the video was slowed down, here is what Lowry appears to say: Slow it down to 0.5x pic.twitter.com/PnsUiYNxeh Bill Grueskin (@BGrueskin) September 16, 2024 The subtext to Trump and the conservative attacks on immigrants has always been about racism, but if Lowry said what he appears to have said, it is sign that the Republicans are becoming more overt. Trump is running against a black woman. The Trump and Vance campaign made up stories about black legal immigrants in an Ohio town. Republicans are trying to win this election with racism, and Rick Lowrys possible slip-up brought it all out into the open. To comment on this story, join us on Reddit. A county election official in Michigan warned Trumps supporters, and all voters, not to do what the ex-president suggested and vote multiple times or they will be prosecuted. Ingham County (MI) Clerk Barb Byrum posted above a video of Trump telling his supporters to cast multiple mail-in ballots: Byrums post said, Hi Michigan Trump supporters (and all Michigan voters)! Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum here with a brief reminder that each voter is only permitted to vote ONCE in each election, and if you vote or attempt to vote more than once, you will be prosecuted. Every election since Trump came on the scene now features election officials in states warning people not to listen to Donald Trump and do what he says. It isnt Trump that will go to jail if someone votes multiple times. Its the illegal voters that will be facing the consequences. Election officials are being threatened and intimidated across the country by Trumps supporters because they wont allow Republicans to cheat under the false pretense that Democrats are doing it too. Democrats arent committing voting and election fraud. Those crimes and prosecutions are happening to Republicans. The majority of the country seems genuinely tired of Trump, and the fact that election officials have to remind people to ignore the fact that the Republican presidential candidate is telling them to break the law is one of the reasons why. To comment on this story, join us on Reddit. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. Azerbaijan and the World Bank (WB) have discussed initiatives on the transition to a green economy, Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikail Jabbarov wrote on X, Trend reports. The meeting was held with Sameh Naguib, WB Regional Director for Sustainable Development in Europe and Central Asia. During the meeting, we explored several key issues on the cooperation agenda between Azerbaijan and the WB, including joint initiatives on the transition to a green economy, country partnership framework, and partnership opportunities within COP29, the publication reads. To note, for over three decades of fruitful collaboration with Azerbaijan, the Bank has rolled out 49 completed and three ongoing state loans for 52 projects, racking up a total value exceeding $4 billion. In addition, more than $30 million has been earmarked for grant projects across a wide array of avenues, benefiting more than 115 technical assistance initiatives. HILTON HEAD ISLAND A middle school teacher has filed a defamation lawsuit against a group of people who publicly claimed she was "grooming" her students. The accusations and alleged harassment began after Hilton Head Island Middle School teacher Mardy Burleson asked her computer science students to fill out a survey on the first day of a new school semester in January 2023. Burleson said the 29-question survey, which was uploaded to Google Classroom and could be seen by parents, was intended to help her get to know her new students. It asked the middle schoolers to share their preferred name, their preferred pronouns and if the student wanted Burleson to use their pronouns "in class and in messages home or is it private between you and me?" One of the students showed the survey to her parents, David Cook and Susanna Cook, who contacted the school principal. The principal asked Burleson to alter some of the survey questions in order to "avoid further conflict." Still, the situation escalated. In court documents, Burleson and her legal counsel allege that a group of parents and community members made a series of defamatory and untrue public accusations against the middle school teacher that damaged her reputation and led her to fear for her life and the lives of her family members. Who is named in the lawsuit? David Cook, parent of a former student in Burleson's computer class at Hilton Head Island Middle School. The Beaufort County resident made national headlines when he threw a handful of chicken feed at Beaufort County School Board members during a June 2023 meeting, protesting district officials for not banning a number of contested books from school libraries. Cook was issued a trespass notice for the Beaufort County School District in August 2023 after Burleson and another local teacher raised safety concerns to the school board. The notice allows him to drop off and pick up his children from school, but he is required to contact the Beaufort County Sheriff's Department before going on school district property. Cook could not be reached for comment Sept. 12. RIDGELAND The firing of a Jasper County sheriff's deputy has prompted the solicitor's office to dismiss five drug-related cases. The Jasper County Sheriff's Office fired Brock Tomlin on Feb. 28 for being dishonest, S.C. Criminal Justice Academy records show. The sheriff's office alleged Tomlin, 52, violated the department's policies regarding integrity, knowing and complying with laws and rules, vehicle usage and providing false information on the record. Sheriff Donald Hipp was not made available to comment. The Post and Courier reached out to Tomlin for comment. The local law enforcement department notified the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office of Tomlin's firing, according to Solicitor Duffie Stone. That caused the prosecuting agency to list Tomlin as a non-credible witness. The solicitor's office dismissed five methamphetamine or cocaine possession-related cases where Tomlin was a key witness. Stone said he didn't believe Tomlin's termination affected any cases that were adjudicated. "If you've got a credibility issue, we assume you don't exist," Stone said. "We're not going to put you up on a witness stand." The sheriff's office reported Tomlin for misconduct to the academy the day after he was fired, jeopardizing his law enforcement officer certification. He appealed the finding and had a hearing with the academy in May, according to academy spokesperson Florence McCants. Tomlin's certification is inactive while his case is pending. The officer who heard Tomlin's case will make a recommendation about whether he should keep his certification. Should neither Tomlin nor the sheriff's office contest the report, McCants explained, the findings will be reviewed by a council of justice and law enforcement leaders who will make a final decision. That hearing will possibly happen in November, McCants said. Tomlin spent time in law enforcement agencies in Winnsboro, Hanahan, Chester and Fairfield counties before joining the Jasper department in 2019. Records show that he was canine certified and was identified in The Sun Today in 2020 as part of the agency's K-9 team, though spokesperson Christian Felt would not confirm his role. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has dismissed the director of the Foreign Intelligence Service and the head of the Anti-Terrorism Service, the presidential press service said, Trend reports. "Ruslan Temirgalievich Seisembayev has been dismissed from the post of deputy chairman of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan - head of the Anti-Terrorism Service. Askar Baimerdenovich Amerkhanov has been dismissed from the post of deputy chairman of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan - director of the Foreign Intelligence Service," the statement said. Charleston County ruffled some feathers after officials cut a pedestrian and bike-friendly bridge out of plans to reduce traffic for West Ashley and Johns Island residents. Before the county approved a roughly $354 million contract on Sept. 10 that aims to relieve the traffic congestion at the intersection of U.S. Highway 17 and Main Road by building flyovers, a planned bike and pedestrian bridge that was set to be adjacent to the Limehouse Bridge was taken out of the project design. County project manager Herb Nimz said the bridge was taken out within the last month after the county made the final push to get a reasonable price to award the contract. He added the best and final offer was when the bridge was removed, and that Charleston County "just isnt built to maintain large superstructures like that." Today's Top Headlines Story continues below The move comes as a disappointment for Charleston County residents, who have expressed a desire for a bike and pedestrian bridge at public hearings as the county was beginning the design process. The flyovers for U.S. Highway 17 and Main Road, originally part of a bigger project on Main Road from Bees Ferry Road to Betsy Kerrison Parkway before being split into three segments, were years in the making. The project was on the county's second half-cent transportation sales tax referendum, which was passed in 2016 and is fully funded by the sales tax. The county expected to award a contract for the project in the fall of 2023, but needed to work through issues with contract language. Ultimately, the contract was awarded to a combination of companies through the Archer-United-Banks Joint Venture at the Sept. 10 County Council meeting. Bridge could be "tangible steps to save lives" Charleston County initially laid out plans for the project in 2019 and held public hearings starting in March 2020 where support for a bridge for bicyclists and pedestrians was voiced. NORTH CHARLESTON The search for answers in a deep-sea tragedy at the wreckage of the Titanic will play out in testimony, experts and even an animated version of the disaster over the coming days. The Coast Guard hopes to piece together what caused the apparent implosion of OceanGates Titan submersible during two weeks of hearings beginning at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 16 inside Charleston County Councils meeting room at 4045 Bridge View Drive in North Charleston. The Titan was a third of a mile from the Titanics bow wreckage when it was destroyed. It lost contact with Polar Prince, its mothership, before noon on June 18, 2023. Today's Top Headlines Story continues below A four-day search for the submersible ensued after it missed a check-in, captivating the world and becoming one of the biggest news stories of 2023. Four days later on June 22, wreckage and human remains from the Titan were recovered. OceanGate Expedition owned and operated the 22-foot-long vessel and began excursions to the Titanic on the Atlantic floor in 2021. The five people killed in the implosion were Titan operator Stockton Rush; veteran Titanic explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet; two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman Dawood; and British adventurer Hamish Harding. Heres what to expect through the anticipated nine days of hearings that could influence the future of deep-sea exploration. How to watch Every day of the hearings will be livestreamed on the Coast Guards YouTube channel. Nearly a year after the state entered into what has become an extremely lucrative rental contract with the chairman of the State Ports Authority, legislators are having second thoughts about agreements that require taxpayers to cover insurance, utilities and property taxes in addition to rent. With any luck, this will progress to second-guessing what most individuals consider a stupid financial arrangement: renting instead of purchasing property they plan to use for decades. The second-guessing doesnt directly involve the property Bill Stern is renting to some of South Carolinas multitudinous and still uncombined health agencies. But while the reassessment feels a bit like closing the barn doors after the horses escaped, we welcome it nonetheless. As Jessica Holdman of The S.C. Daily Gazette reports, the deal to relocate the new Department of Public Health and other health agencies that should be folded into it was fresh in everybodys mind when the Legislature's Joint Bond Review Committee encountered two proposals last month that appeared to be modeled after it. Rather than rubber stamp them, the panel delayed approval of much smaller leases MUSC and USC negotiated involving similar terms, known as triple-net leases. Im concerned were getting into a situation where its not to the taxpayers advantage to lease, Senate Finance Chairman Harvey Peeler said before putting off the vote on the university plans: MUSC wants to lease two floors in the WestEdge development on the Charleston peninsula for a physical and occupational therapy center, and USC wants to lease space on Columbia's Huger Street for its parking office. Both arrangements required the colleges to make additional payments for such costs as insurance, taxes, utilities and custodial services that usually are included in the lease payments. In South Carolina, Donald Trump's allies are as loyal as they come. Gov. Henry McMaster, an early endorser, has stood by Trump since 2016. Attorney General Alan Wilson flew to New York in May to stand in public defense of Trump during his criminal hush-money trial. U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, the most prominent Black Republican in the country who also enjoys some of the highest favorability ratings in South Carolina, was floated as a possible running mate before Trump landed on Ohio Sen. JD Vance. Yet it is U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a former critic turned confidant, who remains Trump's most visible and prolific surrogate from the Palmetto State. Graham's transformation from Trump foe to vocal ally has been nothing short of remarkable, especially given the hostility he still faces from Trump's base. The most glaring example came last year when Graham faced boos and shouts of "traitor!" when he appeared at a Trump rally in Pickens. Another instance came at Trump's primary election night party in Columbia, where Graham was jeered as soon as Trump mentioned his name. Trump had to quiet down the booing audience and remind the crowd, "I love him. He's a good man." PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 15:01:24 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 411 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 One of Our Own Honored for Heroism During Library ShootingIRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 /Allied Universal , the world's leading security and facility services company, is proud to celebrate all security professionals during the 2024 National Security Officer Appreciation Week starting on Sept. 16 through Sept. 22.In celebration of this week, the company recognizes the special honor bestowed on one of our own, Frederick Tucker, who received the 2023 Ralph Day Memorial Security Officer Heroism Award earlier this month. This award is presented each year by ASIS International, a security trade organization, for his life-saving actions during a shooting at the Nashville Metro Public Library. The award is the highest recognition a security officer can receive for an act of heroism."National Security Officer Appreciation Week serves as a great reminder to thank all security professionals around the world, and at Allied Universal we are proud to celebrate our security professionals each and every day," said Steve Jones, Global Chairman and CEO of Allied Universal. "Please take the time this week to thank the hard-working men and women who dedicate themselves to maintaining the safety and security of our communities." Everyday security professionals keep us safe by observing potential threats and swiftly responding to emergencies. These brave individuals help deter crime, maintain order in times of panic, work closely with law enforcement and are unwavering in their desire to keep us safe.Join Allied Universal in celebrating National Security Officer Appreciation Week, September 16 - 22, 2024.In 2015, Allied Universal established National Security Officer Appreciation Week with the goal of recognizing security professionals' important contributions to our daily lives, debunking misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding the roles and responsibilities of security professionals and raising awareness of the numerous career opportunities in the security services industry.About Allied UniversalThe world's leading security and facility services provider and trusted partner to more than 400 of the FORTUNE 500, Allied Universal delivers unparalleled customer relationships, innovative solutions, cutting-edge smart technologies and tailored services that enable clients to focus on their core businesses. With operations in over 100 countries, Allied Universal is the third-largest private employer in North America and seventh in the world. Annual revenue is more than $20 billion. There is no greater purpose and responsibility than serving and helping to safeguard customers, communities and people. For more information, visit www.aus.com # # #Media Contact:Kari Garcia Director of Public Relations - North America Allied UniversalPhone: 949-826-3560Email: Kari.Garcia@aus.com Newsroom: ausnewsroom@ aus.com SOURCE: Allied Universal PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 16:45:09 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 685 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / Alta Copper Corp. (TSX:ATCU)(OTCQX:ATCUF)(BVL:ATCU) ("Alta Copper" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the closing of the previously announced non-brokered private placement with Nascent Exploration Pty. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fortescue Ltd. (the "Private Placement").A total of 4,629,630 common shares (the "Common Shares") were issued at a price of Cdn$0.54 for gross proceeds of Cdn$2,500,000. The Common Shares issued will be subject to a mandatory four-month and one day hold period, in accordance with applicable securities law.Giulio T. Bonifacio, Executive Chair and CEO, commented: "The proceeds of the Private Placement will now provide the required working capital to advance our drill permit application, which is progressing on target, and to continue to advance our community engagement and social license. This financing which was priced at above our market close was superior to other financing options available which would have been priced at a discount to the market inclusive of warrants and fees while minimizing dilution. The current financing will now set the stage for the next phase in the development of our 100% owned advanced staged Canariaco copper project".The Private Placement remains subject to the final approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange.About Alta CopperAlta Copper is focused on the development of its 100% owned Canariaco advanced staged copper project. Canariaco comprises 97 square kms of highly prospective land located 150 kms northeast of the City of Chiclayo, Peru, which includes the Canariaco Norte deposit, the Canariaco Sur deposit and the Quebrada Verde prospect, all within a 4 km NE-SW trend in northern Peru's prolific mining district. Canariaco is one of the largest copper deposits in the Americas not held by a major.Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, plans, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements with respect to the of the Private Placement, the use of proceeds for the Private Placement, the insider participation in the Private Placement and the business plans of the Company, including the drill program. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release. Although the Company believes the forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could cause events or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others: the state of the equity financing markets in Canada and other jurisdictions; the receipt of regulatory approvals; fluctuations in metals prices, the actual results of current development activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans to continue to be refined; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; and delays in obtaining approvals or financing. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We are under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws.On behalf of the Board of Alta Copper Corp."Giulio T. Bonifacio" Executive Chair, CEO and DirectorFor further information please contact:Giulio T. Bonifaciogtbonifacio@ altacopper.com +1 604 318 6760Email:info@ altacopper.comWebsite:www.altacopper.comTwitter:https://twitter.com/Alta_CopperLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/altacopper/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/AltaCopperCorpInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/altacopper/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@AltaCopper SOURCE: Alta Copper Corp. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 16. Kazakhstan and Germany have engaged in discussions to enhance bilateral cooperation, Trend reports. The discussions unfolded behind closed doors, where Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had a heart to heart. This is the first visit by a German head of government to our country in the past 14 years, making it a historic event. I am confident that we will give a significant boost to the development of our cooperation and increase bilateral trade. Germany is one of our key European and global partners. We place great importance on our dynamic and multifaceted cooperation and will do everything possible to further deepen and strengthen our ties, said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Chancellor Scholz expressed gratitude to President Tokayev for the hospitality and emphasized the importance of strengthening Kazakh-German relations. The meeting covered a range of topics, including the expansion of political, trade-economic, and cultural-humanitarian ties. Special attention was given to cooperation in energy, green transition, industry, mining, transportation and logistics, climate change, ecology, agriculture, and education. Chancellor Scholz is scheduled to participate in the second "Central Asia-Germany" (5+1) summit in Kazakhstan on September 17. The first summit, held in Berlin last year, resulted in the signing of a strategic regional partnership program. PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 23:31:09 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 503 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 /American Potash Corp. ("American Potash"or the"Company") (CSE:KCL)(OTC PINK:APCOF)(FRA:2P3) is pleased to announce that it has upsized and closed the second and final tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") through the issuance of 4,300,000 units ("Units") at a price of $0.05 per Unit for gross proceeds of $215,000. Together with the first tranche, the Company has raised a total of $1,023,000 through the issuance of 20,460,000 Units. Each Unit consisted of one common share of the Company and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant issued under the final tranche entitles the holder to acquire one additional common share at an exercise price of $0.10 until September 16, 2026.The Company did not pay any finder's fees in connection with the closing of the final tranche. All securities issued pursuant to the final tranche of the Private Placement are subject to a statutory hold period of four months, expiring on January 16, 2025.The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Private Placement to pay all annual good standing fees and costs relating to its properties, to position the Company for its planned drill program and for general working capital purposes.On behalf of the Board of DirectorsSimon Clarke, President & CEOContact: (604)-551-9665Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking InformationThis news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Such statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the statements regarding completion of the Private Placement and the use of the net proceeds of the Private Placement. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that such expectations will prove to be correct. All such forward-looking information is based on certain assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believes are appropriate in the circumstances. This information, however, is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from this forward-looking information include the Company's ability to locate suitable investors for the Private Placement or obtain the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange, management's discretion to re-allocate the net proceeds of the Private Placement, as well as those described under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's most recently filed MD&A. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or revise the forward-looking information contained in this news release, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.SOURCE: American Potash Corp. PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 19:16:05 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 618 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 TV Ears has teamed up with Beltone to promote the benefits of better hearing by offering free hearing screenings at participating Beltone locations nationwide. TV Ears customers will receive a voucher for a free screening, valued at $149. Beltone will also be the exclusive in-store retailer to offer TV Ear demonstration sets, allowing customers to try out our sets before making a purchase. Learn more at https://www.tvears.com CHICAGO, IL / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / TV Ears, the #1 doctor-recommended brand for TV listening, has formed an exclusive partnership with Beltone, recognized as one of America's Best in Hearing Care by Newsweek. This collaboration is focused on reaching and assisting more individuals who are experiencing hearing loss, as both organizations are dedicated to supporting, treating, and educating people on the benefits of better hearing.Beltone Partnership We're teaming up for better hearing!"We are excited to partner with Beltone to offer an even better level of service and care for our customers," - George Dennis, President, TV Ears.Through the partnership, TV Ears customers will receive a voucher for a free hearing screening at their nearest participating Beltone location. This service, typically valued at $149, provides an opportunity for individuals to take the first step towards better hearing health without any financial obligation. With approximately 1,200 locations nationwide, Beltone has been a trusted leader in hearing care for over 84 years, providing reliable, affordable, and advanced hearing aids and award-winning services.TV Ears sets are usually available for purchase online or by phone, but now, Beltone will be the exclusive brick-and-mortar retailer to offer TV Ear demonstration sets at participating locations. This will give customers the opportunity to try out the sets before making a purchase, and they can also buy directly from the participating Beltone office."This partnership represents a shared vision of creating a world where everyone has the opportunity to enjoy clear sound and better hearing while furthering our mission of reaching and helping more individuals with hearing loss," stated David Molella, President of Beltone North America.The initiative not only provides free hearing screenings but also aims to educate the public on the importance of early detection and treatment of hearing loss. With the combined efforts of TV Ears and Beltone, customers can look forward to enhanced support and guidance in their journey towards improved hearing.For more information on how to receive a free hearing screening voucher and to find a participating Beltone location near you, please visit https://www.tvears.com Media inquiries:Nino WehbeGeneral Manager, TV Ears, Inc.marketing@tvears.com (888) 883-3277Lauren DickersonPublic Relations Specialist, Beltoneldickerson@ Beltone.com , 224-382-1561About Beltone Beltone, a leader in hearing health care, has been dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with hearing loss for over 84 years. Known for its commitment to innovation, quality, and exceptional customer service, Beltone remains focused on delivering the most advanced hearing solutions and personalized care. With approximately 1,200 locations nationwide, Beltone's hearing care professionals undergo extensive and continuous training to ensure the highest level of care. As part of the GN Group, Beltone prioritizes the needs of its patients through cutting-edge hearing technologies and its "Right Beside You" promise. For more information, visit Beltone.com and connect with us on LinkedIn.About TV Ears TV Ears first began in 1998 in Huntington Beach, California, in a small living room. Today, TV Ears is the #1 selling doctor-recommended brand for TV listening. Based in sunny San Diego, TV Ears employs many and has helped millions of customers hear TV.Contact InformationNino WehbeGeneral Manager, TV Ears, Inc.marketing@tvears.com (888) 883-3277Lauren DickersonPublic Relations Specialist, Beltoneldickerson@ beltone.com 224-382-1561SOURCE: TV EarsView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 22:04:58 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 522 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / Leading securities law firmBleichmar Fonti & Auld LLPannounces an investigation into Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) for potential violations of the federal securities laws.If you invested in Franklin Resources, you are encouraged to obtain additional information by visiting https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/franklin-resources-inc Why Did Franklin Resources's Stock Drop?Franklin Resources is a $1.7 trillion asset management company better known as Franklin Templeton. One of its key divisions is Western Asset Management ("WAM"), which is a fixed income manager.On July 26, 2024, Franklin Resources revealed that "following the launch of an internal investigation focusing on certain past trade allocations of treasury derivatives in select" WAM accounts, "WAM received notification of parallel investigations by the SEC and U.S. Department of Justice." Then, on August 21, 2024, Franklin Resources disclosed that WAM co-Chief Investment Officer Ken Leech had been placed on leave "effective immediately" after he "received a Wells Notice from the Staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission." The company further stated that, "[i]n light of Mr. Leech's leave of absence, the Company has determined that closing its Macro Opportunities strategy (approximately $2.0 billion in AUM as of 7/31/2024) is in clients' best interests." On the same day, Bloomberg reported that federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York are investigating whether Leech allocated winning trades to favored accounts, as part of a criminal probe into a practice known as " cherry-picking." The news caused a precipitous decline in the price of Franklin Resources stock. On July 26, 2024, the price of the company's stock fell 2.4%, from a closing price of $23.64 per share on July 25, 2024, to $23.08 per share on July 26, 2024. Then, on August 21, 2024, the price of Franklin Resources stock fell 12.5%, from a closing price of $22.62 per share on August 20, 2024, to $19.78 per share on August 21, 2024.Click here for more information: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/franklin-resources-inc What Can You Do?If you invested in Franklin Resources, Inc. you may have legal options and are encouraged to submit your information to the firm. All representation is on a contingency fee basis, there is no cost to you. Shareholders are not responsible for any court costs or expenses of litigation. The firm will seek court approval for any potential fees and expenses.Submit your information by visiting:Or contact:Ross Shikowitz ross@ bfalaw.com 212-789-3619Why Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP?Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP is a leading international law firm representing plaintiffs in securities class actions and shareholder litigation. It was named among the Top 5 plaintiff law firms by ISS SCAS in 2023 and its attorneys have been named Titans of the Plaintiffs' Bar by Law360 and SuperLawyers by Thompson Reuters. Among its recent notable successes, BFA recovered over $900 million in value from Tesla, Inc.'s Board of Directors (pending court approval), as well as $420 million from Teva Pharmaceutical Ind. Ltd.For more information about BFA and its attorneys, please visit https://www.bfalaw.com Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.SOURCE: Bleichmar, Fonti, & Auld LLP PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 16:45:30 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 654 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 WESTMINSTER, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / BioLargo, Inc. (OTCQX:BLGO), a company that creates and commercializes sustainable technologies to solve tough environmental and cleantech challenges, announced that it will be hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony to showcase its pilot-scale manufacturing facility for its CellinityTM next-generation battery energy storage technology. The invite-only event will take place on September 21, 2024, at BioLargo's engineering headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.Cellinity is BioLargo's next-generation battery platform designed to provide safe, environmentally conscious large-format long-duration battery energy storage for applications including grid-scale storage, renewable energy storage, charging stations for electric vehicles, and a variety of other commercial and industrial applications. The company will give a tour of the company's manufacturing facility as well as presentations about how Cellinity batteries could improve and empower renewable energy storage and grid reliability in Tennessee and anywhere hoping to rely on renewable energy. The company will also present a new prototype scaled-up version of its Cellinity battery cells.According to BioLargo President and CEO Dennis P. Calvert, "We are excited to share more information about Cellinity at this event, including showcasing the design of our larger Cellinity cell that will be used in commercial Cellinity battery systems. While much work is left to be done before the facility is producing finished, commercial-grade batteries, we're excited to celebrate the impressive progress our engineers have made toward that goal." He continued, "We are also thrilled to host our potential international partners from Norway, where we hope to advance our business model to sell factories, not batteries'. Much like North America, Northern Europe has made tremendous headway in developing renewable energy projects, but just like in America, safe and affordable battery energy storage systems are crucial to empowering the transition to green energy in Europe. We have a number of projects in development." Learn more about Cellinity at www.BioLargoEnergy.com About BioLargo, Inc.BioLargo, Inc. (OTCQX:BLGO) is a cleantech and life sciences innovator and engineering services solution provider. Our core products address PFAS contamination, achieve advanced water and wastewater treatment, control odor and VOCs, improve air quality, enable energy-efficiency and safe on-site energy storage, and control infections and infectious disease. Our approach is to invent or acquire novel technologies, develop them into product offerings, and extend their commercial reach through licensing and channel partnerships to maximize their impact. See our website at www.BioLargo.com Safe Harbor ActThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include without limitation those about BioLargo's (the "Company") expectations regarding anticipated revenue; and plans for future operations. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include without limitation: the effect of regional economic conditions on the Company's business, including effects on purchasing decisions by consumers and businesses; the ability of the Company to compete in markets that are highly competitive and subject to rapid technological change; the ability of the Company to manage frequent introductions and transitions of products and services, including delivering to the marketplace, and stimulating customer demand for, new products, services, and technological innovations on a timely basis; the dependency of the Company on the performance of distributors of the Company's products. More information on these risks and other potential factors that could affect the Company's business and financial results is included in the Company's filings with the SEC, including in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of the Company's most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and subsequent filings. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which speak as of their respective dates.Contact InformationDennis CalvertPresident and CEOdennis.calvert@biolargo.com (888) 400-2863SOURCE: BioLargo, Inc. PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 19:00:44 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 437 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / Bryant Park Capital ("BPC") announced today that Deminor Recovery Services ("Deminor"), a leading privately-owned global litigation funder, recently closed on an approximately $100,000,000 committed senior credit facility and asset-backed financing with two leading U.S.-based asset managers focused on the legal assets industry.BPC, a leading US-based middle market investment bank, served as the exclusive financial advisor to Deminor in connection with this transaction."Bryant Park Capital's extensive knowledge of the financing markets, combined with their strong relationships and creative structuring capability have been invaluable and helped us complete this complex set of transactions that we believe will be transformative for our clients, employees and shareholders, reflecting how our business model and international footprint has expanded since our first external capital raise in 2021. Significantly, these investments, made on Deminor's own balance sheet, will continue to enable Deminor to deliver fast decision-making and flexible funding terms, with final investment decisions resting with our Investment Committee. Bryant Park Capital has been an excellent partner for us and we greatly appreciate BPC's guidance and support throughout the process," said Erik Bomans - CEO, Deminor.Commenting on Deminor's platform and performance, Joel Magerman, Bryant Park Capital's Managing Partner added, "Deminor has generated significant returns extending through multiple market cycles as a leading player in the litigation funding sector, and this capital raise will provide an opportunity to significantly expand the operating leverage of the Deminor platform internationally." About DeminorFounded in 1990, Deminor is a leading privately-owned global litigation funder with nine offices across continental Europe, London, New York, and Hong Kong.Deminor has funded cases across four continents and 22 jurisdictions spanning 18 case categories as a leader in investment recovery, anti-trust, collective consumer, and commercial tort across 25 industries.For more information about Deminor, please visit www.deminor.com About Bryant Park CapitalBryant Park Capital is a U.S.-based investment bank providing M&A, capital raising, and corporate finance advisory services to emerging growth and middle market public and private companies. BPC has deep expertise and a diversified, well-founded breadth of experience in several sectors, including specialty finance and financial services. BPC has raised various forms of credit and growth equity and assisted in mergers and acquisitions for its clients. Our professionals have completed more than 400 assignments representing an aggregate transaction value of over $30 billion.For more information about Bryant Park Capital, please visit www.bryantparkcapital.com Contact InformationJoel Magerman CEO & Managing Partnerjmagerman@ bryantparkcapital.com 212-798-8212Ray Kane Managing Directorrkane@ bryantparkcapital.com 212-798-8214SOURCE: Bryant Park CapitalView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 16:51:37 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 613 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 A highly respected leader, Faye joins the 55+ resort-style living community in Celebration Pointe to spearhead operations and management excellence.BONITA SPRINGS, FL / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / Discovery Senior Living ("Discovery") is excited to announce the appointment of Faye Lorntz to Community Director for Choreograph Gainesville, their first-of-its-kind 55+ resort-style living community set to open this fall in the heart of Celebration Pointe.Faye Lorntz Faye Lorntz has joined Choreograph Gainesville as Community DirectorChoreograph (/kore,graf/), a verb that means "to orchestrate and compose new, meaningful life experiences & purposes," is the first of its kind in the region. Focused on an active lifestyle for residents, the pet-friendly, $63 million, 55+ resort-style community will include 180 one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartment homes (many with dens), and a wide range of exceptional amenities, including its signature High Pointe Rooftop Lounge, Where It's @ Tech Bar & Coffee Lounge, Fresh Bites Marketplace, Reflections Heated Pool & Cabanas, Outdoor Grilling Area & Fire Pit Lounge Seating, Rhythm Lounge & Social Room, FitZone Shape Fitness Center with an Outdoor Yoga Studio & Dedicated Group Fitness Area, Barks & Bubbles Bath Salon, and even Robots as a Service - AI in motion. Residents will also have access to a dedicated Choreograph Residential App, designed to enhance their overall living experience.With her extensive background in hospitality and resort management, Lorntz is uniquely equipped to enhance the community experience for our residents. Her expertise will help bring the Choreograph vision to life, ensuring that the community offers an unparalleled active lifestyle rooted in resort-style comfort and innovation. By focusing on the unique needs and desires of our residents, Lorntz will foster a sense of connection and belonging, making the community a true haven for those seeking an elevated 55+ living experience."Choreograph Gainesville represents a new standard in 55+ resort-style living, and I am honored to be a part of this groundbreaking project," said Lorntz. "My goal is to create an environment where residents not only feel at home but are also inspired to lead vibrant, fulfilling lives. I look forward to building a community that embodies the vision of Choreograph and spirit of Celebration Pointe and the Greater Gainesville community." As Community Director, Lorntz will be responsible for managing the Choreograph vision, standard of excellence and purpose to ensure residents live their best life."We're excited to welcome Faye to our first-ever Choreograph 55+ resort-style living community," said Diana Ferrante Thies, SVP Marketing & Product Development for Discovery Senior Living. "Her customer-focused experience will carry out our vision and foster a vibrant, inclusive environment creating a community within a community' where we welcome the greater Gainesville area to enjoy our amenities. Her experience and passion for building connections will undoubtedly enhance the rich tapestry of our active adult community, ensuring that our residents feel engaged and valued every day." ###About Discovery Senior LivingDiscovery Senior Living is a family of companies that includes Discovery Management Group, Integral Senior Living, Provincial Senior Living, Morada Senior Living, TerraBella Senior Living, LakeHouse Senior Living, Arvum Senior Living, Discovery Development Group, Discovery Design Concepts, STAT Marketing, and Discovery At Home. With three decades of experience, the award-winning management team has been developing, building, marketing, and managing diverse senior-living communities across the United States. By leveraging its innovative "Experiential Living" philosophy across a growing portfolio in excess of 340 communities and more than 35,000 homes in nearly 40 states, Discovery Senior Living is a recognized industry leader for innovation and lifestyle customization and, today, ranks as the largest privately held seniors housing operator in the United States.Contact InformationHeidi LaVanwayVice President of Marketinghlavanway@ discoverymgt.com 239.301.5330SOURCE: Discovery Senior LivingView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 23:03:09 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 529 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 CRANBROOK, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 /Eagle Royalties Ltd. (CSE:ER) ("Eagle Royalties" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has filed a Notice of Normal Course Issuer Bid (the "NCIB") with regulators to purchase for cancellation, from time to time, as the Company considers advisable, up to 2,853,016 common shares ("Common Shares") of the Company, representing approximately 5.96% of the current public float of the Common Shares. The maximum amount of shares available for daily repurchase is 5,909.Purchases of Common Shares will be made on the open market through the facilities of the CSE and other alternative markets. For any Common Shares purchased, the Company will pay the prevailing market price of the Common Shares. The actual number of Common Shares that may be purchased for cancellation and the timing of any such purchases will be determined by the Company and dependent on market conditions.The Company is commencing the NCIB because it believes that, from time to time, the market price of its Common Shares may not properly reflect the underlying, intrinsic value of the Company and its royalty assets, and that, at such times, the purchase of Common Shares for cancellation will increase the proportionate interest of, and be advantageous to, all remaining shareholders.The NCIB will commence on September 19, 2024 and will terminate on September 17, 2025 or at such earlier time as the NCIB is completed or terminated at the option of Eagle Royalties. The Company has retained Haywood Securities as its broker to conduct the NCIB on its behalf.About Eagle Royalties Ltd.Eagle Royalties was previously a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. ("EPL":TSX-V), incorporated in late 2022 to manage the diverse royalty holdings of EPL. In May 2023, ER was spun out to Eagle Plains' shareholders on a 1:3 basis by means of a plan of arrangement. Concurrent with the spin-out transaction, Eagle Royalties amalgamated with 1386884 B.C. Ltd., which effectively provided ER with CDN $2.7M in initial funding. Eagle Royalties was listed for trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") on May 19th, 2023.Eagle Royalties benefits from holding a diverse portfolio of royalty interests in western Canada covering a broad spectrum of commodities including critical metals, precious metals, industrial minerals and diamonds. Projects subject to royalties in favour of Eagle Royalties are controlled by companies including Banyan Gold Corp. and Skeena Resources Ltd. among many others.On behalf of the Board of Directors"Tim J. Termuende" President and CEOFor further information on ER, please contact Mike Labach at1 866 HUNT ORE (486 8673)Email: info@ eagleroyalties.com or visit our website at https://www.eagleroyalties.com/ Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsNeither the CSE nor any other regulatory body has reviewed or approved the contents of this news release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming financings, work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.SOURCE: Eagle Royalties Ltd. PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 08:00:31 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 528 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / Genomes.io is proud to announce the launch of its new DNA upload feature, offering users a chance to take control of their genetic data by securely uploading it to one of the company's encrypted vaults - and ultimately 1 billion genomes within the next five years. GenomesDAO is offering rewards from its newly launched fund to incentivize users, rewarding them with $GENOME tokens for uploading their genetic data from platforms such as 23andMe, MyHeritage, and Ancestry.com Pharmaceutical companies will pay to query the platform's database once the 10,000 vault milestone is reached, and users who choose to participate will receive financial rewards while maintaining control over which parts of their genome are accessed.Secure Your DNA, Unlock InsightsThe newly launched upload feature allows users to securely upload their existing genetic data at no cost, ensuring their DNA is protected with advanced encryption technology while gaining valuable health insights. In addition to securing their data, users can explore a variety of features such as ancestry reports, carrier status, and genotypic health insights."At Genomes.io , we are committed to help our users own their health in the most secure manner possible," said Aldo de Pape, CEO at Genomes.io . "Our goal is to empower individuals to take control of their DNA, protect it from misuse, and offer a safe and rewarding way to understand it, ensuring a healthier and longer life. Our ambitious 1 billion genome project underlines our commitment to building the world's largest, fully user-owned genomics database." Why Now?The recent rise in data breaches and large companies' commoditization of sensitive genetic information has highlighted the need for greater control over personal data. From news reports of a DNA testing company's data breach and another company's acquisition, consumers are increasingly wary of how their genetic data is being used and sold without their consent. Genomes.io offers a solution, providing a secure and user-owned genomics database that puts privacy and control back in the hands of individuals. The company is committed to addressing privacy, security, and ownership concerns in the genetic testing industry, allowing users to maintain full control over their DNA data.Exclusive Campaigns and RewardsAs part of the initiative to reach 1 billion vaults, Genomes.io is introducing a points system that allows users to earn $GENOME tokens for uploading their DNA and participating in the platform's features. The campaign runs through December 31, 2024, and users will be rewarded based on their contributions, with tokens being distributed at the end of the campaign.Take Back Control of Your GenomeTo upload your DNA data from 23andMe, MyHeritage, or Ancestry.com , simply follow our step-by-step guide. Once uploaded, your data will be securely stored in your personal vault, where you can manage, explore, and share it on your own terms.About Genomes.io We aim to build the world's largest, user-owned genomics database. To do this, we're addressing the privacy, security and ownership concerns of DNA analysis and sharing. This will ensure the future of personalised medicine is private and secure.Contact InformationShyla KhanPR/Outreachshyla@ coldchain.agency SOURCE: Genomes.io View the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 22:40:25 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 925 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / Golden Pursuit Resources Ltd. (TSXV:GDP) is pleased to announce the successful completion of the 2024 exploration program at its properties located in the high-grade Gordon Lake gold mining district of Canada's Northwest Territories.HighlightsThis summer, the company conducted detailed structural geology mapping and rock sampling at several of our properties, including Kidney Pond, Lynk, Zenith Island, Camlaren, Burnt Island, Goodrock, and Storm. This field program focused on measuring the structures and collecting rock samples to explore high-grade zones, near-surface mineralization, and new exploration targets. Specifically at Kidney Pond, 30 channel samples were collected to understand better the distribution and continuity of gold along mineralized veins, walls, and host rocks. The work will be compiled using Leapfrog modeling software to design and prioritize future drilling in the developed zones of mineralization.Induced Polarization (IP) and Magnetics Geophysical Survey: A 250-meter-spaced survey of 12 linear kilometers was performed on the company properties. An 8 linear-kilometer survey (distributed in 7 lines) was focused on detailed targeting of anomalies at Kidney Pond. Additionally, six exploratory lines were surveyed, two on each of the Zenith Island, Camlaren, and Burnt Island properties, for 13 surveyed IP geophysical lines. Induced Polarization (IP) and magnetics geophysical survey data have been processed to delineate high-priority drill targets.Project-wide Photogrammetry Survey completed: A large photogrammetry survey was completed across the entire project area, providing high-resolution (up to 3 cm spatial resolution) 3D wireframe mesh data for our geological modeling and project planning.Assay and Multi-Element Geochemical Analyses underway: Rock samples were sent to the ALS laboratory in Yellowknife for assay and geochemical analyses. Results are expected for October 2024. These assay results should provide important information for follow-up targeting and drill hole planning.Figure 1: Gordon Lake Project location.2024 Exploration ProgramThe 2024 exploration program at the Gordon Lake Project (Figure 1) was designed to build on historical high-grade results and mine operations where previous drilling intersected significant gold mineralization. Further drilling will focus on confirmation and step-out drilling to enhance geological understanding and test new targets identified through geophysical and geochemical surveys.IntroductionThe 2024 exploration program focused on two main objectives (Figure 2):Detailed geological-structural mapping and extension of known mineralized zones: Extensive geological structural mapping targeted high-grade, near-surface gold mineralization. The mapping program consisted of both confirmation and step-out areas designed to test the continuity of mineralization along strike and better understand the structural patterns.Induced Polarization and Magnetics Surveys: detailed survey at Kidney Pond and exploratory surveys at the former producing mines: New geophysical Induced Polarization and magnetics survey also investigated in detail the Kidney Pond area, as well as exploratory survey at the historic producing areas as Zenith Island, Camlaren, and Burnt Island Mines. These areas have seen extensive exploration and gold production in the past and are interpreted to have significant potential for new discoveries. Targets that exhibited similar geological characteristics to the known mineralized zones, with the potential to host orogenic-related gold mineralization, were prioritized.Detailed Structural Geology Mapping and Rock SamplingGolden Pursuit completed detailed geological structural mapping and rock sampling over an area of over 6,850 sq. metres. The 2024 field season included an extensive surface sample program, with 80 rock samples collected including 30 channel samples at Kidney Pond, but also on the Lynk, Zenith Island, Camlaren, Burnt Island, Goodrock and Storm properties.Primary focus was on the Kidney Pond area, where geological mapping centred on understanding the structural controls on mineralization and rock and channel sampling was designed to fill gaps in historical data and provide a more detailed geochemical understanding of gold distribution to refine future drillhole planning.Induced Polarization (IP) and Magnetic Geophysical SurveyA 12-kilometre line IP and magnetic geophysical survey was also conducted at Gordon Lake (Figure 2) to enhance the understanding of subsurface geology and to identify geophysical anomalies that could indicate high-chargeability zones of gold mineralization with associated sulfides. At Kidney Pond, the tightly spaced (250-meter spacing) seven (7) IP lines were designed to map in detail the extent of orogenic gold mineralization distribution and to identify new drill targets proximal to the main zone. Additional six regional exploratory geophysical surveys, including IP and magnetics, were conducted along two lines in each property at Zenith Island, Camlaren and Burnt Island properties. This resulted in a total of 13 geophysical lines. The preliminary results identified multiple potential drill targets.Photogrammetry SurveyGolden Pursuit completed a property-wide photogrammetry survey to complement ground-based exploration efforts. This high-resolution (up to 3 cm spatial resolution) survey, which included aerial photography, provided detailed topographic data and terrain models processed into 3D wireframes meshes. These data will assist in geological interpretation and structure delineation, and used for geological 3D modeling, project planning and drillhole target refinement.Figure 2: Gordon Lake Project 2024 Exploration Program .Kidney Pond (A), Burnt Island (B), and Zenith Island and Camlaren (C) properties.Community EngagementGolden Pursuit engages with First Nations organizations on whose territory its projects are located and with the Government of the Northwest Territories for their strategic interests, as well as to discuss opportunities to support community initiatives. The Company looks forward to continuing to work with local and regional First Nations in all its future exploration programs.About the Gordon Lake ProjectThe Gordon Lake Project is located approximately 80-90km northeast of Yellowknife, NWT, and it hosts numerous gold showings, with several having seen varying degrees of exploration work, including drilling, underground development, and mining from 1937 to the late 1980s.The Gordon Lake Project ("Property") consists of 18 territorial and 13 federal claims and 4 historical mining leases totaling just over 6850 hectares. Golden Pursuit owns all claims and leases 100%.The Gordon Lake Project is PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 21:17:58 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 919 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / IKAR Holdings a British conglomerate, in partnership with Unify Platform AG, Safely2Prosperity, and Bluestain Global has announced the launch of a comprehensive Pandemic Preparedness Initiative focused on Mpox (formerly known as Monkeypox). This groundbreaking initiative aims to bolster global efforts to detect, prevent, and manage Mpox outbreaks, especially in regions with limited resources.The initiative is designed to deliver cutting-edge tools and solutions that governments, healthcare organizations, and public health officials can use to strengthen pandemic response systems. The program brings together innovative technologies in detection, prevention, and real-time infectious disease management, developed collaboratively by the partners.Key Components of the Pandemic Preparedness Initiative:1. Detection: BlueStain Global's BlueStain Mpox Test, a state-of-the-art diagnostic tool, will be the backbone of the detection strategy. This test offers rapid, accurate detection of the Mpox virus, enabling timely intervention in outbreak scenarios. It will be rolled out initially to governments and organizations across Africa, where the need for pandemic preparedness is critical.2. Prevention: The initiative will utilize Applied Carbon (AC) Drink, provided by Chemiteras in partnership with Unify Platform AG. This preventive measure is designed to reduce the risk of infection and support overall health during potential outbreaks.3. Treatment: Applied Carbon Preparation (AAC), an advanced treatment candidate, will form a key part of the program's response framework, ensuring that both prevention and treatment components are accessible where needed.4. Management: Central to the program is the Virus Vigilant SaaS, a sophisticated infectious disease management system jointly developed by IKAR, Unify Platform AG, and Safely2Prosperity. This real-time platform allows for seamless coordination, monitoring, and rapid response during outbreaks, ensuring timely containment and management of infections.Partner Contributions:IKAR HOLDINGS: IKAR, headquartered in London, will lead efforts in coordinating with several African governments to ensure that these regions have access to the necessary infrastructure for pandemic preparedness. IKAR's role includes facilitating the adoption of the initiative's detection, prevention, and treatment components across affiliated regions. Their goal is to ensure that the mistakes of the Covid-19 pandemic are not repeated, and that African nations are better equipped to handle future outbreaks.Unify Platform AG: Based in Switzerland, Unify Platform AG will be responsible for the technological backbone of the initiative, particularly the development of the infectious management SaaS. Their expertise in real-time data management and infectious disease response will enable governments to react swiftly to Mpox and other infectious diseases.Safely2Prosperity: Safely2Prosperity will play a crucial role in the deployment of the Virus Vigilant SaaS, ensuring that the system operates smoothly across all regions. Their collaboration with IKAR and Unify Platform AG will result in a seamless infectious disease management system that can be used for current and future pandemics.A Unified Vision for Global Health Preparedness:This partnership is a testament to the shared commitment between IKAR, Unify, Safely2Prosperity, and Bluestain to protect global public health and strengthen pandemic preparedness, particularly in vulnerable regions. The initiative is expected to serve as a model for future pandemic preparedness programs, demonstrating the importance of international cooperation, technological innovation, and proactive health measures.Mario Diel, Chairman and Founder of IKAR HOLDINGS, stated:"Our mission is to ensure that the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic are implemented on a global scale. By working closely with governments, especially in Africa, we can build resilient systems that integrate prevention, detection, and treatment for Mpox and other infectious diseases." Tokinori Terada, CEO of Unify Platform AG, added:"Our infectious management SaaS will give governments and healthcare providers the ability to monitor and respond to outbreaks in real-time. This capability is essential for preventing the spread of diseases and saving lives." Taka Karita, Co-Founder and COO of Unify Platform AG, emphasized:"Combining advanced technology and international collaboration, this initiative will strengthen Mpox preparedness in Africa and beyond. We're committed to providing the tools needed for governments to act quickly, preventing future outbreaks from becoming global health crises." Hon. John Norris Founder of Safely2Prosperity, remarked:"The Virus Vigilant system will revolutionize the way infectious diseases are managed globally. By providing real-time insights and coordinating response efforts, we can help prevent Mpox outbreaks from escalating into widespread health crises." Prof. Fernando Ferreira, Chairman and Co-Founder of BlueStain Global, emphasized:"This partnership represents a significant step forward in pandemic preparedness. By integrating our BlueStain Mpox Test into a broader program, we can help ensure that governments and organizations are better prepared to tackle future pandemics swiftly and effectively." About IKAR HOLDINGS:IKAR is a leading entrepreneurial group of companies that focuses on strategic initiatives in pandemic preparedness, particularly in Africa. By working with governments, IKAR facilitates the rapid implementation of pandemic response systems.About Unify Platform AG:Unify Platform AG, headquartered in Switzerland, is a technology-driven company specializing in infectious disease management. Their SaaS platforms enable real-time response to pandemics, providing governments with the tools needed to manage outbreaks effectively.About Safely2Prosperity:Safely2Prosperity is an organization focused on infectious disease management systems. Their collaboration on the Virus Vigilant SaaS is central to ensuring the seamless coordination and management of pandemic preparedness programs globally.About BlueStain Global:BlueStain Global is a British-Portuguese biotechnology company specializing in innovative solutions for infectious disease detection and pandemic preparedness. Their flagship product, the BlueStain Mpox Test, is a leading diagnostic tool in the fight against Mpox and other infectious diseases.Media ContactOrganization: IKAR HOLDINGSContact Person: Michael BertWebsite: https://ikarholdings.com/ Email: press@ ikarholdings.com Address: 17 Savile R ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 16. Kazakhstan and Austria discussed cooperation in the field of civil aviation, Trend reports. According to information, it became known during a meeting between the Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the International Civil Aviation Organization Timur Tlegenov with the Permanent Representative of Austria and the regional European group to ICAO (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzerland) Christian Schleifer. The parties discussed issues of bilateral Kazakh-Austrian and Kazakh-European cooperation, including cooperation in ICAO during the meeting. Christian Schleifer emphasized the authority of Kazakhstan in ICAO and the international arena as a whole. The Head of the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to ICAO spoke about the current state and plans for further development of the domestic civil aviation industry. He also noted plans to modernize existing and build new airports and aviation infrastructure, to open new flights, including between the capitals of Kazakhstan and Austria, to improve compliance with ICAO standards on flight safety and aviation security. To note, the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan (AAK) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia (CAA) agreed to further continue and expand cooperation in the field of flight and aviation safety. PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 20:01:01 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 344 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Revolutionizing financial planning with cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologyJERSEY CITY, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / Lender Market, a leading financial solutions provider, is excited to announce the launch of its new AI-powered Financial Advisor service tailored specifically for business owners. This innovative platform leverages advanced artificial intelligence to deliver personalized financial insights, helping businesses navigate the complexities of financial planning with ease and efficiency.Lender market Linder markets homepage"At Lender Market, our mission has always been to empower businesses with the tools they need to succeed financially," said Eli Ofel, CEO at Lender Market. "Our new AI Financial Advisor service is a game-changer, offering bespoke financial guidance that's accessible anytime, anywhere." Key Features of the AI Financial Advisor Service: Personalized Financial Planning: Customized strategies based on real-time data and individual business goals. 24/7 Accessibility: Round-the-clock access to financial advice, ensuring business owners can make informed decisions at any time. Cost-Effective Solutions: Reduces the need for expensive consulting fees by providing affordable, high-quality financial guidance. User-Friendly Interface: Intuitive design allows for easy navigation, even for those with limited financial expertise.The AI Financial Advisor is designed to address common financial challenges faced by businesses, such as cash flow management, investment planning, and risk assessment. By utilizing machine learning algorithms, the service continually adapts to market changes and individual business needs."We understand the hurdles business owners face in today's dynamic economic landscape. This service is not just about number-crunching; it's about empowering entrepreneurs to make confident decisions that drive growth," said Mr. Ofel.About LENDER MARKET GROUP LLCLender Market is committed to providing innovative financial solutions that help businesses thrive. With a focus on integrating technology and finance, the company offers a range of services designed to simplify financial management and promote sustainable growth.For more information about the AI Financial Advisor service, please visit https://lender.market/advisor.html Media Contact:Eli OfelCEOLENDER MARKET GROUP LLCEli@ lender.market732 808-3305Contact InformationOfel Lestatfoundersupport@ applocal.co (347) 733-0563SOURCE: Lender Market Group LLCView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 15:00:28 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 438 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Litum's new Infant Security solution, driven by real-time location technology, features the "Little Tag" for newborns, helping prevent mismatches and abductions in healthcare facilities.BOSTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / Litum, a global leader in Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS), is pleased to announce the launch of its advanced indoor location solution, Infant Security RTLS, featuring the new "Little Tag" designed for newborns. Available as a service, Infant Security RTLS addresses the longstanding challenge of newborn safety in healthcare facilities, significantly reducing the risk of mismatches and abductions.Infant Security RTLS ensures only authorized individuals can move infants from a protected unit to other areas of the hospital. By pairing the "Little Tag" with a corresponding tag worn by the mother and authorized nurses, the system creates a secure link that prevents mismatches and unauthorized removals. Continuous monitoring, temporary pairings for transfers, and stringent discharge protocols further reduce the risk of abductions or accidental mix-ups, providing hospitals with comprehensive coverage that safeguards both infants and families.About the size of a half-dollar coin, the "Little Tag" is a lightweight, hypoallergenic wearable device, designed specifically for newborns. It integrates seamlessly with Litum's RTLS platform, utilizing Ultra-Wideband (UWB) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technologies to provide precise location tracking and robust security features.With Litum's Infant Security solution, you will have access to:Precise and Future-Proof Location Technology: Litum's UWB technology provides sub-meter location accuracy, which is vital in abduction cases where every second matters. Additionally, the system's immediate alerting system, geofencing capabilities, and access control features enable prompt detection and intervention in high-risk situations.Scalable Healthcare Portfolio with Subscription: Deployments can expand to integrate other healthcare solutions such as staff duress, staff workflow, and patient flow from Litum's healthcare portfolio, enhancing safety and efficiency under a product-as-a-service model.Integration with LenelS2 OnGuard: Full compatibility with the LenelS2 OnGuard access control system ensures the Infant Security RTLS works smoothly within broader hospital security systems."Our location-based solution with the new Little Tag' is a game-changer for safeguarding infants in hospitals," said Ozgur Ulku, CEO of Litum. "It enhances safety while integrating effortlessly into current hospital systems, making it the most effective and reliable solution available. Quite simply, there's nothing like it on the market." Litum's Infant Security solution also offers flexible payment options and comprehensive hardware packages, ensuring quick deployment and continuous support to strengthen hospital safety measures and provide peace of mind to both staff and families.Click here for more information.Contact InformationDilge ImerMarketing Communications Leadmedia@ litum.com SOURCE: LitumView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 18:01:24 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 597 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY AND COROLLA, NC / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 /NAI Global announces a rare land listing of 177+ acres for sale in North Carolina's Outer Banks, a region known to millions of Americans as a destination getaway that is largely comprised of multi-million-dollar homes, residential condominiums, resort hotels and supporting commercial development.The unimproved land spans approximately 177+ acres on five parcels of varying sizes, two of which face the Atlantic Ocean providing direct beach access. Located near Corolla in Currituck County, the parcels are approved for a by-right development which allows for 1,250 hotel rooms, as many as 782 single-family-homes and nearly 428,000 square feet of commercial development. Municipal water and sewer are provided for each parcel.Section T has the highest building height permitted in the Outer Banks. All of these sections have the right to rearrange density on a pre-approved basis. One of the parcels has the potential to build a marina/boat launch facility with water access to Currituck Sound, which is an allowed use under the development agreement with Currituck County.The waterfront parcels are 82.6 acres and 44 acres respectively. The option exists for a buyer to develop one or more exclusive family compounds, or pursue a larger development as currently permitted."We don't see many properties like this come to market, especially for a remarkable resort area of the U.S. The buyer will have numerous options to build estate properties, exclusive resorts and income-producing commercial properties. Normally with land sales, one of those options may exist, but it is rare that all three options exist within a single acquisition," said Alex Waddey, President and CEO of NAI Global.In addition to Alex Waddey and NAI Global's Capital Markets Team, the exclusive selling agents are Dean Geis, President of NAI Geis Realty Group, and the North Carolina Real Estate Broker is Robbie Perkins, CCIM, SIOR, Shareholder and President of NAI Piedmont Triad.The for-sale listing is unpriced. It is believed to be the largest land listing of unimproved property with direct-Atlantic Ocean access in the Eastern U.S.Approval has been obtained and plans are in process to build an additional bridge to serve the northern Outer Banks - called the Mid-Currituck Bridge, that would stretch across Currituck Sound. The bridge would be a 7-mile span connecting the mainland with the Outer Banks near Corolla, a short distance from Ocean Sands. This would substantially reduce travel time and improve access. Currently, this area of the Outer Banks is served by the Wright Memorial Bridge on U.S. 158 at the southern end of Currituck County into Dare County - a region made famous by the Wright Brothers for launching the first successful flight of an aircraft, which took place near Kitty Hawk.About NAI GlobalNAI Global is a leading global commercial real estate brokerage firm. NAI Global offices are leaders in their local markets and work in unison to provide clients with exceptional solutions to their commercial real estate needs. NAI Global has more than 325 offices strategically located throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific, with over 5,800 local market professionals, managing more than 1.1 billion square feet of property and facilities. Annually, NAI Global completes over $20 billion in commercial real estate transactions throughout the world.NAI Global provides a complete range of corporate and institutional real estate services, including brokerage and leasing, property and facilities management, real estate investment and capital market services, due diligence, global supply chain and logistics consulting and related advisory services. To learn more, visit www.naiglobal.com Contact:Gary Marsh, Marsh Marketing 415.999.3793 or gary@ marshmarketing.com SOURCE: NAI Global PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 23:03:34 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 686 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 /New World Solutions Inc. (CSE:NEWS)(OTC PINK:REGRF)(FSE:RT5) ("New World" or the "Company") announces that it intends, effective September 17, 2024, to amend (the "Amendment") the terms of the outstanding common share purchase warrants issued on June 12, 2024 (the "Warrants") by adding an acceleration provision (the "Acceleration Provision").The Warrants are exercisable at $0.05 per common share of the Company (the "Common Shares") until June 12, 2026. Following the Amendment, the amended Warrants will be subject to the Acceleration Provision whereby if the volume weighted average trading price of the Common Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") for any ten consecutive trading days equals or exceeds $0.07, the Company may, upon notifying the holder of the Warrant, accelerate the expiration of half of the Warrants held by such holder to the date that is 30 days following the date of such notice.About New World New World Solutions is a technology company, driving innovative solutions to new world problems. Through our blockchain and technology experience, we are leveraging solutions in the decentralized finance space as well as the electric vehicle area. We look to acquire and launch a balanced spectrum of solutions to become a leader in this dynamic tech landscape.For additional information on New World and other corporate information, please visit the company website at https://www.newworldinc.io/ For further information, please contact: Paul Haber, C.P.A., C.A., C.DirChief Executive OfficerNew World Solutions Inc.Phone: (416) 318- 6501Email: phaber@ newwolrdinc.io Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking statements.Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". Forward-looking information in this news release are based on certain assumptions and expected future events. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: the potential inability of the Company to continue as a going concern; the risks associated with the blockchain in general, the risk that the Transaction will not be completed as contemplated or at all. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions, or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company's expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results, or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.The Canadian Stock Exchange (the "CSE") does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: New World Solutions Inc. PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 19:00:47 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 369 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Houston-Based Nonprofit Aims to Expand Its Reach, Providing Christmas Gifts and Meals to 1,000 Families in Need by 2025.HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / After a decade of being privately funded by the Ramos Family and Ramos Law Group, PLLC, Ramos Reindeer Roundup has officially launched as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to ensure more children experience the joy and magic of Christmas.Ramos Reindeer Roundup Ramos Reindeer Roundup spreading the joy of Christmas for all.Co-founders Alfredo Ramos and Mary E. Ramos, who grew up with limited means, are committed to giving back by ensuring families in Houston and surrounding areas don't go without during the holiday season. "We believe every child should feel the magic of Christmas," said Alfredo Ramos, president of Ramos Reindeer Roundup. "With the support of our community, we can make Christmas brighter for even more families." Since its inception, the organization has supported 50 to 100 families annually and aims to grow its impact to 1,000 families by the end of 2025. The foundation provides Christmas gifts and meals to children and families in need across Texas. To meet its 2024 goal, Ramos Reindeer Roundup has launched a $50,000 fundraising campaign, with the Ramos Family and Ramos Law Group pledging to match donations up to $25,000.How to Get InvolvedThe community is encouraged to donate through the nonprofit's website, participate in local fundraising events, or share the organization's mission via social media. All donations will help ensure that children experience the joy and magic of Christmas through gifts and holiday meals.For more information or to donate, visit ramosreindeerroundup.org About Ramos Reindeer RoundupRamos Reindeer Roundup is a Houston-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing Christmas gifts and holiday meals to children and families in need. Originally founded and funded by the Ramos Family and Ramos Law Group, PLLC, the organization has grown from helping a handful of families to supporting close to 100 annually, with a goal of reaching 1,000 families by the end of 2025. The organization works with local churches to identify families in need and bring the magic of Christmas to their homes.Media Contact:Alfredo Ramos President, Ramos Reindeer Roundup (713) 636-5888 info@ ramosreindeerroundup.orgramosreindeerroundup.org SOURCE: Ramos Reindeer RoundupView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 18:20:13 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 497 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 MONTREAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / The Red Coalition is calling on the Quebec Liberal Party, Parti Quebecois, and Quebec Solidaire to unite and propose a motion for the immediate creation of an Anti-Racism Act in Quebec. This critical legislation is necessary to address the rise in racial injustices and hate crimes across the province and provide a legal framework to combat systemic discrimination, protect marginalized communities, and enforce accountability.Recent events, including the conflict between Israel and Hamas, have led to increased tension in Quebec, with religious communities facing attacks on their places of worship, schools, and individuals. The failure of current protections highlights the need for stronger legislative measures."Racialized communities in Quebec continue to suffer from systemic discrimination, and recent legal decisions have made this painfully clear," said Joel DeBellefeuille, Executive Director and Founder of the Red Coalition. "In the $171 million class-action lawsuit decided on September 3, 2024, by Justice Dominique Poulin, the court confirmed that systemic racial profiling is entrenched in Quebec's law enforcement, particularly within the SPVM. While the decision granted financial compensation to victims of racial profiling, this does not solve the deeper issue. It serves as a stark reminder that systemic racism disproportionately affects Black and other racialized communities in this province." The ruling follows another pivotal case by Justice Michel Yergeau, who condemned the random police stops targeting Black drivers under Article 636 of the Highway Safety Code. This ruling is currently being appealed by the CAQ government, but it is an indictment of the discriminatory practices within law enforcement.Furthermore, the recent viral video of the September 1st, 2024, violent attack on Gulaid Omar by the Laval Police has underscored the severity of police misconduct in the province.Francois Legault, the Premier of Quebec, continues to deny the existence of systemic racism in the province, refusing to acknowledge the widespread impact of discrimination. His stance has only heightened the need for opposition leaders to unite and introduce an Anti-Racism Act. This would send a powerful message that Quebec will no longer tolerate racial injustice and systemic discrimination.Other provinces, such as British Columbia and Ontario, have enacted Anti-Racism Acts that enforce transparency, accountability, and measures to dismantle systemic racism in public institutions. Quebec must follow suit."The time for action is now," added DeBellefeuille. "We urge the leaders of the opposition parties to come together and propose this essential legislation. The creation of an Anti-Racism Act will address the immediate issues and set a powerful precedent for future generations. Quebec can and should become a province where equality and justice prevail for all citizens, regardless of race, language, or background." The Red Coalition remains committed to advocating for the rights of all citizens and calls on political leaders to act decisively to make Quebec a safer, more inclusive province.Media RelationsRed Coalition Inc. Tel. 1.800.735.4086Email:info@ redcoalition.ca SOURCE: Red Coalition Inc. PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 16:43:11 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 334 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 15, 2024 / Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Globus Medical, Inc. ("Globus" or the "Company") (NYSE:GMED). Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at newaction@ pomlaw.com or 646-581-9980, ext. 7980.The investigation concerns whether Globus and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.[Click here for information about joining the class action]On August 13, 2024, in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Globus disclosed that "on 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 disclosure of the FDA's warning letter, Globus's stock price fell $5.73 per share, or 7.84%, to close at $67.32 per share on August 13, 2024.Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 21:00:24 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 449 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 The largest gathering of Hispanic STEM talent in the nation, the 2024 SHPE National Convention will draw thousands of students, industry leaders, and academics.LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / As it celebrates its 50th year, SHPE: Leading Hispanics in STEM, a national organization representing more than 20,000 Hispanic professionals and college students in STEM, will host the 48th SHPE National Convention in Anaheim, California. Held at the Anaheim Convention Center from October 30 through November 3, 2024, the Convention is the largest gathering of Hispanic STEM talent in the nation, drawing an expected 15,000 students, professionals, industry leaders, and academics.SHPE National Convention Career Fair The busy floor of the Career Fair & Graduate School Expo at the SHPE National ConventionThe Convention will feature over 350 exhibitors, 700 interview booths, and a growing list of attending sponsors including Visionary Sponsor Chevron, Apple, Bank of America, 3M, Abbott, Amazon, Boston Scientific, Dow, Dupont, HII, Microsoft, Wells Fargo, and many more.According to the Pew Research Center, 81% of U.S. Hispanics believe having role models in STEM can encourage young Hispanics to pursue careers in these fields. Encouraging this shift is important because only 8% of STEM jobs are filled by Hispanic professionals, and only 2% hold jobs in tech. SHPE believes the STEM industry's most pressing problem is that the workforce has yet to reflect the diversity of our nation. We are bridging the gap between Hispanics and STEM.In addition to connecting members with many of the top recruiters and leaders in STEM, the Convention is one of the most powerful tools to prepare Hispanic students and professionals to be top talent and leaders in their field."The importance of STEM fields cannot be overstated, with projections indicating a staggering 10.9 million job openings by 2031, representing a substantial 10.8% growth trajectory," says Suzanna Valdez Wolfe, CEO of SHPE. "SHPE is honored in its 50th year to continue to support students and professionals from the Hispanic community who will work to position the US as the top STEM innovator in the world." The four-day gathering will offer attendees professional and leadership development opportunities through sessions and workshops, speaker presentations, networking, competitions, and award ceremonies. Additionally, there will be a two-day Career Fair & Graduate School Expo where thousands of jobs will be offered by companies like Cummins, Google, Apple, Northrop Grumman, Bank of America, 3M, Lockheed Martin, and over 350 other leading companies in STEM.The Convention will also include the presentation of the prestigious STAR (SHPE Technical Achievement And Recognition) Awards, spotlighting key individuals, corporations, government agencies, and academic institutions that have contributed significantly to support Hispanics in STEM.Contact InformationHelena Poleo Communications and Media Specialisthpoleo@ gmail.com (954) 559-3079SOURCE: SHPEView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 15:01:20 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 494 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 The firm invites students to apply for a new scholarship valued at $2,500.DULUTH, GA / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / Catastrophic injuries can permanently impact victims' lives and their families. These accidents can leave survivors with temporary or permanent disabilities, a reduced ability to work, and new limitations. However, Slam Dunk Attorney knows that survivors and their families can find new ways to overcome the challenge of living with their injuries.The firm wants to celebrate those people who've come away from a catastrophic injury accident with a new perspective on life. The Survivors Speak: Catastrophic Injuries That Changes Lives scholarship promises $2,500 in financial aid to a student whose ingenuity and perseverance make them stand out from the crowd.The firm encourages any incoming or current college student who's overcome a catastrophic injury, or has an immediate family member who overcame a catastrophic injury, or has an immediate family member whose life was lost due to a catastrophic incident, to apply for support. Students must create either a video or a written essay going into detail about:The nature of their accident or the nature of their immediate family member's accidentThe nature of the catastrophic injuriesThe steps they've taken to overcome those injuries' impact on their daily life or the steps they've taken to overcome the change on their daily life due to an immediate family member's catastrophic accidentSlam Dunk Attorney requests that videos remain between one and two minutes in length. Students who choose to submit written essays may write essays up to 1,000 words long. The firm allows limited use of AI in video creation but will not accept written essays produced with AI.Students can visit the Survivors Speak: Catastrophic Injuries That Change Lives Scholarship page for more information about the scholarship's application requirements.Applicants have until January 31, 2025, to complete either a video or written essay about their experience with catastrophic injuries. The firm's scholarship selection committee will not consider applications submitted after this deadline passes.We wish students the best of luck as they complete their scholarship applications and look forward to learning about how the next generation has already fought to overcome life-changing challenges.About Slam Dunk AttorneySlam Dunk Attorney wants to make sure Georgia residents have every opportunity to get the justice they deserve after serious accidents. This diverse team of attorneys does everything in its power to ensure clients have access to the treatment - and financial support - they need to get back on their feet.Clients can trust Slam Dunk Attorney to discuss their cases transparently and clearly. The team doesn't rely on eye-watering results to sell its services. Instead, it encourages clients to connect with trial-motivated lawyers who can update them about their cases' week-to-week developments.Ready to learn more about Slam Dunk Attorney? Book a free case evaluation with the firm today.Contact InformationNalat PhanitMarketing Coordinatornalat@ slamdunkattorney.com (404) 951-3513SOURCE: Slam Dunk Attorney Injury LawyersView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 18:01:54 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 448 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Solo Printing Earns EcoVadis Bronze Rating, Ranking in the Top 35% Globally for Sustainability PracticesMIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / Solo Printing, a leader in high-quality printing services, proudly announces that it has achieved a Bronze rating from EcoVadis, placing the company in the top 35% of businesses globally for corporate sustainability and responsibility. This certification underscores Solo Printing's unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship, ethical business practices, and corporate social responsibility (CSR).Solo Printing Receives Bronze EcoVadis Medal EcoVadis is the world's most trusted sustainability rating platform, evaluating companies across 200+ industries on their environmental, labor, ethical, and sustainable procurement practices. Solo Printing's Bronze rating highlights the company's efforts to integrate sustainability into every aspect of its operations-from reducing waste and minimizing energy consumption to ensuring safe and ethical working conditions."We are thrilled to have earned a Bronze rating from EcoVadis," said Robert Hernandez, VP of Sales at Solo Printing. "This recognition is a testament to our team's dedication to sustainability and corporate responsibility. At Solo Printing, we understand the importance of aligning our business practices with the values of our clients, many of whom are committed to reducing their environmental impact. We are excited to continue improving our sustainability efforts and look forward to reaching even higher levels of performance." What This Means for ClientsSolo Printing's EcoVadis rating provides assurance to clients that the company is committed to operating responsibly and sustainably. Clients partnering with Solo Printing can feel confident that their printing projects are produced in alignment with best practices for sustainability and corporate ethics. This achievement allows Solo Printing to continue supporting its clients' own CSR objectives while delivering exceptional quality and service.A Path ForwardSolo Printing views its Bronze EcoVadis certification as the beginning of a broader journey toward greater sustainability. The company is committed to ongoing improvements in its environmental impact, ethical standards, and labor practices, striving to achieve even higher EcoVadis ratings in the future.About Solo PrintingFounded in 1985, Solo Printing is an industry-leading provider of high-quality printing services, offering a full range of solutions including offset, digital, and wide-format printing. Headquartered in Miami, FL, Solo Printing serves clients across a wide range of industries, with a commitment to innovation, excellence, and sustainability.For more information about Solo Printing and its EcoVadis certification, visit www.soloprinting.com or contact Jacqueline Gonzalez at marketing@ soloprinting.com About EcoVadisEcoVadis is the leading provider of business sustainability ratings, evaluating more than 100,000 companies across 175 countries. Through its comprehensive ratings, EcoVadis helps businesses measure and improve their environmental, social, and ethical performance.Contact InformationJacqueline Gonzalez Marketing Coordinatormarketing@ soloprinting.com (305) 594-8699SOURCE: Solo PrintingView the original press release on newswire.com ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 16. Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and Bo Li, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), have discussed financial and economic cooperation, the Ministry of Economy of Kazakhstan told Trend. During the meeting, the strategic nature of Kazakhstan's relationship with the IMF was highlighted. The sides noted the positive outcomes of their collaboration, which has supported structural reforms, tax and budget policy development, and the growth of Kazakhstans financial markets. Bektenov emphasized the governments commitment, in partnership with the National Bank and the Agency for Development and Regulation of the Financial Market, to pursue policies aimed at achieving robust economic growth. He also pointed out that Kazakhstan's sovereign rating was upgraded to Baa1 with a stable outlook by Moodys on September 9. This rating, the highest in the countrys history, reflects ongoing improvements in institutional environments and economic diversification. Bo Li, for his part, expressed a strong interest in continuing close and constructive cooperation with Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan has been a member of the IMF since 1992. Last year, the IMF opened a Regional Capacity Development Center in Almaty for countries in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Mongolia. PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 15:01:42 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 450 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 EATONTOWN, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 /Total Comfort Group (TCG), a national, full-service provider of commercial HVAC/R, plumbing, and electrical services for multi-site commercial and retail operations, is excited to announce the acquisition of Victor's Air Conditioning Company, Inc. in Central New Jersey.Since 1965, Victor's has been a trusted provider of residential and commercial HVAC/R services to the Middlesex, NJ, community, and surrounding areas. TCG is committed to upholding the values and standards that have made Victor's a beloved family-owned business for nearly six decades. This acquisition aims to retain the personalized service and expert craftsmanship that define Victor's, while seamlessly integrating the industry-leading resources and capabilities for which TCG is known."We are thrilled to welcome Victor's Air Conditioning Company into the Total Comfort Group family," said Frank Bacchetta, CEO of Total Comfort Group. "Our shared commitment to quality, integrity, and customer satisfaction makes this partnership a natural fit. We look forward to building on Victor's legacy and are excited to share what's to come as we expand our service offerings and continue to deliver exceptional results." Robert "Bob" O'Reilly, owner of Victor's Air Conditioning Company, also shared his vision for the acquisition, adding, "I intended to find a companion that would allow Victor's legacy an opportunity to continue and grow. Our goal has always been to exceed our customers' expectations on the most challenging projects. Becoming a member of Total Comfort Group will allow for greater opportunities for our staff by offering growth into new markets and expanding our customer base. We can achieve a greater presence within the industry with this additional staff and support." Under Bachetta's leadership, TCG is dedicated to ensuring a smooth transition for Victor's employees and customers. The management team has been working closely with Victor's staff to integrate operations while maintaining the same high level of service and dependability. The experience and dedication of Victor's employees will continue to play a vital role as the company becomes fully integrated with TCG.As part of this transition, TCG will start expanding Victor's service offerings, providing current and future customers with a broader range of HVAC/R, plumbing, and electrical solutions backed by TCG's reputation for data-driven results, dependable technical consultation, and 24/7 support. Victor's customers can expect the same reliable service with enhanced capabilities, allowing them to benefit from a more comprehensive array of solutions under the TCG umbrella. More details about the new offerings and integration plans will be shared in the coming months.For more information about Total Comfort Group, please visit www.total-cg.com Contact InformationAmanda BillinghamMedia Contactamanda@ mdidit.com 7326049354SOURCE: Total Comfort GroupView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-09-16 15:00:47 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 707 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Young Entrepreneur Blake Alma Shifts Focus from Multi-Million-Dollar CoinHub Empire to Pursue Faith and Education at Pensacola Christian CollegePENSACOLA, FL / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / In a world where success is often measured by material wealth and social media fame, 23-year-old millionaire Blake Alma has taken an unexpected path. The founder of CoinHub Media, a key player in the numismatic community, has achieved extraordinary milestones at a young age. With over $3.2 million in sales and a social media following nearing 2 million, Blake's accomplishments in the business world are staggering. He is also the author of several books, includingThe CoinHub: An Ultimate Guide to Coin Errors , a long-standing bestseller in its category.Blake Alma and The CoinHub Series Alma holding his two best-sellers from "The CoinHub Series."Yet , despite his impressive achievements, Blake Alma made a life-altering decision in January 2024: he stepped away from his thriving business to pursue a Christian education at Pensacola Christian College (PCC). His decision to continue his education sparked widespread curiosity and speculation, particularly given the massive success of CoinHub and his involvement in the numismatic community.Blake made the announcement via CoinHub's Instagram, sharing, "As many of you know, I embarked on a new chapter this past spring to attend Pensacola Christian College. This journey has taken me away from my main office in Ohio, but not away from the unwavering passion of the numismatic community...My time at PCC has been nothing short of transformative, and I'm thrilled to announce that I will continue my academic journey there for the 2024-2025 year." His choice to continue at PCC, where he is pursuing a degree in interdisciplinary studies with a focus on marketing and political science, is a testament to his commitment to personal and spiritual growth. In an Instagram post from May 2024, at the close of his first semester, Blake reflected on the experience, saying, "Of all my grand adventures, none compared to my first semester at PCC. I love you all so much, and thank you for making this the experience of a lifetime." Blake assured CoinHub's future by appointing Ben Hutton as the new CMO, along with his dedicated six-member team, to manage the business operations effectively while he's away pursuing his education. Ben, a Cedarville University student with a major in marketing, is ready to continue Blake's legacy.Blake's transition from the business world to academia is not merely a professional shift but a deep spiritual journey. In a farewell address delivered before he left for PCC in January 2024, Blake spoke candidly about his feelings: "I have always had mixed feelings about this moment of saying goodbye. I am very grateful for CoinHub, but this did not make me happy. Life isn't about coins, metals, and money. Do not spend your life teaching people how to be rich, but educate them on how to serve God, for that is the only true happiness." His departure from the business world also came with a call to faith. In a more recent farewell address on his Instagram page, posted in August 2024, Blake urged his followers to consider their relationship with Christ, quoting Romans 10:9: "If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Blake's supporters have rallied around him, with many commending his choice. One follower remarked,"We suppose that you evangelize with everything you do, and you guys are doing a great job at it. God bless you." Another added, "God bless CoinHub, and Blake, you have built an amazing platform." Blake Alma's story is one of success, gratitude, and transformation. While he could have continued to expand his multi-million-dollar business, he chose a different path-one that emphasizes faith, community, and service over material wealth. In doing so, Blake has become an inspiring figure, not just in the numismatic world but also for those seeking a deeper purpose beyond success. His journey at PCC is just beginning, and if his past is any indication, the future holds even greater promise.Contact Information CoinHub Mediainfo@ coinhubmedia.com 513-279-2096SOURCE: CoinHub MediaView the original press release on newswire.com Nollywood veteran actor Emmanuel France, famous for his roles in Domitilla (1996) and The Curfew (2021), has died at 84. His colleague, filmmaker Olufemi Ogedengbe, broke the news on his Instagram page on Monday. Rest in peace to one of Nollywood legends uncle Emmanuel France, One of the actors I took to Tanzania in 2006, Shot three movies with him: Cross MY Sin, She Is My Sister & THE Director, his post read. The cause of his death remains unknown. Born in Kano State, he joined the Nigerian movie industry in the 80s and was renowned for playing Witch Doctor roles in Nollywood films. The late actor was also famous for the catchphrase Tufancha, a word which he repeatedly used in the classic Nollywood film Suicide Mission. His other movie credits include Oganigwe, Narrow Escape, Witches, Silent Night, Exile and Silent Night. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Professional career in Ghana and Nigeria His nationality has always been debated; however, in a 2011 interview published on Modern Ghana, the deceased said he considered himself a product of a united nation. I am not even a Ghanaian but a Gold Coastian because my grandparents came from the Gold Coast. They didnt come from Ghana. I have a Nigerian Passport because I was born in Nigeria. I dont have a Ghanaian Passport because I dont reside there. I didnt go to school in Ghana. Ghanaians dont know me as theirs. Nigerians know me as a Ghanaian. Of course, that is what it is. I say it out loud because my parents come from there. His professional career began in Ghana when he studied at the School of Journalism in Accra. He also started writing scripts while in Ghana and wrote his first script, a stage play, in 1967 for the Catholic Church titled the Mission of John the Baptist. He joined the Ghana Film Corporation in 1969 and shot his first film, The Market Day, the same year. While in Ghana, he also shot a documentary, No Time to Die, about road safety in Ghana. Similarly, he also shot a film sponsored by the Ghana Fishing Industry that took him to Angola in 1974. Upon his return, the Ghana Broadcasting Organisation gave him a job, which saw him write the script for one of the best soup operas in Ghana at the time, Osopurazi. However, the recession in Ghana had him returning to Nigeria. Upon his return to Nigeria, he joined the Nigeria Television Authority as a contract staff member and scriptwriter. He once noted that he stopped recording the number of movies he starred in after featuring in 373 productions including television dramas, soap operas, etc. Career challenges One of the career challenges he admitted to in interviews was fee discrepancies. For instance, he once noted that he earned higher in Ghana partly because they thought he was non-Ghanian. He said, They came to Nigeria and invited me to come and play a role, and they gave me N2.5 million. They paid me in Euros, and I got N2.5 million in conversion. If you talk of the least, you will laugh at it. The least I have collected is N3 000. And that was in 1980, and I played the role of a professor. Drawing comparisons with his fees in Nigeria, the actor lamented being paid far less than his junior colleague years later for a movie role. There is injustice; there is non-recognition of excellence. The language of the business is just profit. The film industry here does not have a structure, and I thought the government would intervene to create something that would drive the industry to greater heights. There are cliques, and once you do not belong to the clique, you are not recognised. Some of us cant afford to be in cliques. His last movie role was in Men of the Century (Hook or Crook), released in July 2024. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Ola Cardosos name has become synonymous with excellence in Nollywoods visual storytelling. Known for his work on films like Banana Island Ghost and the award-winning Breath of Life, the filmmaker has established himself as a creative visionary. Breath of Life, released in 2023, follows the story of Timi, a once-successful clergyman who loses his family to a tragic event, leading him to isolate himself from society. The film, set in colonial and post-colonial Nigeria, explores themes of faith, grief, and justice amidst personal and societal struggles. At the 2024 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards(AMVCA), Breath of Life won Best Movie, Best Director, Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress award. Cardoso tells PREMIUM TIMES the secret behind the stellar movie Breathe of Life, AMVCA wins. and his career strides in the Nigerian film industry. Breath of Life As the cinematographer behind Breath of Life, Cardoso considers the accolades and awards the film has bagged as a career milestone. Reflecting on the success secret behind the movie project, he said the process of bringing the story to life allowed him to push creative boundaries and explore new depths in visual storytelling. He recalls: Winning the AMVCA 2024 for Best Movie with Breath of Life was an incredible honour. From the very beginning, I approached the project with a deep sense of purpose. I knew that the story we were tellingcentred around hope, resilience, and the strength of the human spiritwas something special. It wasnt just about creating another film; it was about creating something that could touch lives and resonate with people profoundly. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later According to Cardoso, a secret that set the film apart were extending the boundaries, authenticity, and forging emotional connections between the characters and the audience. Every aspect, from the script to the cinematography, was crafted to feel genuine and impactful. We focused on building emotional connections between the characters and the audience, which involved a deep collaboration with the creative team. The performances, the score, and the visual tone all enhanced the storys core message. I also think the film stood out because we werent afraid to push boundaries. We took riskswhether in the narrative structure, the visual aesthetics, or how we portrayed certain emotions. The team poured their heart and soul into this project, which ultimately connected with audiences and made Breath of Life such a powerful experience, the filmmaker says. While Breath of Life won the top prize, Cardoso waxes philosophical about individual recognition. Filmmaking is a collaborative art, he says, acknowledging that while individual accolades are appreciated, the teams success matters more. He says further, Honestly, the success of Breath of Life and winning Best Movie at the AMVCA is a massive accomplishment, and thats what matters most to me. Its the collective effort that brings a story to life. I poured my heart into the project, as did the entire cast and crew, and seeing the film resonate with people and receive such high recognition is deeply fulfilling. Awards are a great validation, but the real reward for me is the films impact on audiences and how its inspired conversations and emotions. So, whether or not I earned an individual AMVCA, Im incredibly proud of what we created together with Breath of Life. As a cinematographer and director, Cardoso says he places immense importance on three core elements: lighting, composition, and camera movement. My Pikin Dey Lagos His latest film, My Pikin Dey Lagos, has generated buzz for its raw, emotional narrative about a young dreamer navigating the harsh realities of city life. The story is deeply personal to Cardoso, reflecting his experiences and those of many who chase stardom in Lagos. As the director, he says that his goal was to authentically depict the protagonists emotional and physical journey. I aimed to highlight the contrast between the hopeful dreams of Lagos and the often brutal realities of city life. By blending intimate, character-focused scenes with the broader, sometimes harsh, urban environment, I sought to create a deeply personal and relatable narrative. The film reflects resilience, the pursuit of dreams, and the sacrifices involved. It mirrors my experiences and others who have ventured beyond their familiar surroundings to chase their aspirations. Working on My Pikin Dey Lagos came with its own set of unique challenges and memorable moments, the cinematography says. He says one significant challenge was shooting exterior scenes in Lagos, especially with crowds and busy streets. He recalls: Managing these crowds and ensuring we could shoot outdoor scenes with the proper focus and without constant disruptions was a challenging but rewarding experience. It required meticulous planning and coordination with local authorities to keep everything running smoothly. Film Bank Building his own production company, Film Bank Production, wasnt without challenges. One of the biggest hurdles was establishing a name in such a competitive industry, he notes. Nollywoods fast-paced nature meant that Cardoso had to prove his creative vision and business acumen. Financing posed another challenge: securing funding for new projects was tough in the early days. However, through persistence, strategic project selection, and assembling a talented team, Cardoso said, Film Bank Production gradually became a trusted name in Nollywood. Nollywood Cardosos entry into Nollywood came with a unique opportunity as the second camera operator on Before 30. The film allowed him to hone his technical skills and opened doors to long-standing creative partnerships. Through Before 30, I met the brilliant minds behind Nemsia Studios, BB Sasore and Derin Adeyokunu. Theyve since become more than collaboratorstheyre family, he explains. These relationships helped Cardoso develop his distinctive style and voice in Nollywood. The filmmakers work on films like Banana Island Ghost and The God Calling played a pivotal role in his growth. Each project was a stepping stone that allowed him to experiment with larger-scale productions and refine his storytelling techniques. Cardoso is optimistic about Nollywoods trajectory, particularly in cinematography and storytelling. The Nigerian film industry is rapidly evolving, he says, pointing out that filmmakers are now exploring more sophisticated visuals and complex narratives. With Nollywoods global success, he sees even more excellent opportunities for international collaborations shortly. Cardoso cites Shane Hurlbut and Roger Deakins as his biggest influences, two cinematographers known for their mastery of light and visual storytelling. Their work has shaped his approach to film, inspiring him to constantly push the boundaries of whats possible. My style is deeply rooted in realism, he adds, emphasising that he aims to capture authentic, raw moments that resonate with audiences. Looking ahead, Cardoso hopes to continue crafting films that resonate with audiences both locally and globally. Nigerian Female Filmmakers He believes the future of female filmmakers in Nollywood is bright. He also believes that talent should be the focus rather than gender, and he sees more women breaking barriers in the industry. Women in Nollywood are increasingly showcasing exceptional talent, he notes, adding that equal recognition is on the horizon. For those looking to break into cinematography and filmmaking, Cardoso stresses, in advising them, the importance of honing their craft, building a solid portfolio, and networking. Stay persistent, be open to feedback, and keep pushing the boundaries of your creativity, he advises. Success in this industry, according to Cardoso, is built on passion, dedication, and the willingness to take risks. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Yobe State Government has confirmed four persons dead from acute diarrhoea in Gujba Local Government Area. The Commissioner for Health, Lawan Gana, disclosed this to journalists in Damaturu on Monday. Mr Gana said the disease was detected in Jangalawaji and Tadandara settlements in Gujba Ward. The commissioner stated that both villages were among areas ravaged by recent floods in the state. He pointed out that samples of the victims were collected and undergoing examination. Mr Gana called on the public not to panic, as the government was doing everything possible to address the situation. He denied claims of an outbreak of cholera in the Gujba and Ngelzarma, saying only laboratory results could confirm the outbreak of the disease. (NAN) Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Multiple attacks, killings Last week began on a sad note on Monday. Gunmen, pretending to be land buyers, murdered three persons in Anambra State. The incident happened at about 2 p.m. at Isionye, a suburb of Enugwu-Ukwu Community in Njikoka Local Government Area of the state. A similar attack occurred in Enugu on Saturday when some armed persons killed the Chairperson of Ogbete Market Traders Association, Stephen Aniagu. The police have launched a manhunt for the killers even as Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State later gave security agencies 48 hours to fish out the attackers. The multiple attacks indicate that the insecurity in the South-east is yet to slow down. Man accuses NAPTIP of illegal detention Last Tuesday, we brought a report of a Nigerian man who accused the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) of seizing his international passport and detaining him for five days over alleged involvement in human trafficking. The NAPTIP said the matter was still under investigation and that the agency would decide on the case soon. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Five killed in Anambra road accidents In Anambra State, it was a week filled with road mishaps. There was one on Wednesday, where a speeding Toyota Sienna vehicle rammed into a market in the state, killing at least three persons at Oye-Agu Market in Abagana, a community in Njikoka Local Government Area of the state. The police later arrested the driver of the vehicle involved in the crash. There was another crash on Thursday. A Toyota Camry rammed into an IVECO Turbostar tanker along the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway at about 7 p.m. around Nteje, a community in the Oyi Local Government Area of the state. Two persons were confirmed dead in the incident. Governor accuses NNPC of failing to remit oil revenues to Nigerian govt On Wednesday, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) of failing to remit oil revenues to the Nigerian government for over five months. During an event at the Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka, Anambra State, Mr Soludo claimed that NNPC Ltd did not remit oil revenue from February to June. A video clip which showed the governor making the comment has been circulating on social media, but it is unclear when the event took place. The NNPC Ltd did not respond to enquiries from PREMIUM TIMES on the allegation. Meanwhile, Mr Soludos accusation came days after NNPC Ltd admitted that it owed an undisclosed amount of money to suppliers of petrol. Innosons first electric vehicle Wednesday was historic for Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing, with the Nigerian company unveiling its first electric vehicle. Innoson is based in Nnewi in Anambra State, Nigerias south-east. Crackdown on kidnappers in Imo Last Tuesday, the management of the Federal University of Technology Owerri in Imo State raised an alarm over increased cases of kidnappings around the institution. The management said the kidnappings around the institution often happen very early in the morning and late in the evening. Apparently in response to the alarm, security agencies, on Thursday, began a specialised operation to flush out the kidnappers in the area. Flooding in Ebonyi, Anambra We reported on Friday how the flooding in Azuoto, Okpuitumo, a community in Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, destroyed many farmlands and property worth millions of naira. We also reported how some apprehensive farmers in Anambra harvested premature crops in order to beat impending floods. Police investigate killing of Nigerian by officers On Friday, the police in Imo State announced that they had begun an investigation into the alleged killing of a man by operatives in the state. Chinonso Uba, a Nigerian journalist and human rights activist, had narrated how some police operatives at a checkpoint allegedly shot the victim dead last Monday. The victim has been identified simply as Obinna. READ ALSO: Enugu governor gives security agencies 48 hours to produce killers of market leader Labour Partys threat to boycott Anambra local elections The Labour Party (LP)s participation in the forthcoming 28 September Anambra State Local Government Council election is in doubt. The party, on Saturday, threatened to boycott the election citing some alleged irregularities by the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has insisted that it bought petrol from Dangote refinery at N898 per litre. Olufemi Soneye, the chief corporate communications officer of the company, disclosed this to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday morning. The NNPC Ltd restated its position following a denial by Dangote after NNPCs earlier statement. On Sunday, Mr Soneye told this newspaper in an interview that the company bought petrol from Dangote refinery at N898 per litre. He said market forces now determine domestic pump prices. However, in its reaction on Sunday night, the Dangote Refinery described the claim as misleading and mischievous, aimed at undermining the refinerys achievement in addressing Nigerias energy insufficiency. The companys Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, urged Nigerians to disregard the malicious statement and await a formal announcement on the pricing by the Technical Sub-Committee on Naira-based crude sales to local refineries, appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which will commence on 1 October. It noted that its current stock of crude was procured in dollars and sold to NNPC in dollars, resulting in significant savings compared to current imports. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later The statement by Mr Chiejina, however, failed to tell Nigerians the price at which the refinery sold its petrol to NNPC Ltd. In his reaction to Dangote Refinerys statement, Mr Soneye insisted that the company bought petrol from Dangote refinery at N898 per litre. If the price isnt N898, then what is it? We would be happy to receive a discount. Throughout the day, various figures have been circulatingsome claiming N1,300, Punch reported around N767, and another outlet mentioned N500. Its our responsibility to clarify the facts. The truth is, the government is not setting fuel prices, nor is NNPC Ltd. Its a deregulated market where prices are determined by market forces. Let them tell you their price. I stand by my earlier comment. Will you allow customers to carry your product without price agreement? Mr Soneye told PREMIUM TIMES early on Monday. In a separate statement announcing the estimated price of petrol obtained from the Dangote Refinery, the NNPC said it is paying the refinery in United States dollars for September 2024 petrol offtake, as Naira transactions will only commence on 1 October. The NNPC Ltd also wishes to state that, in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), PMS prices are not set by the government, but negotiated directly between parties on an arms length. The NNPC Ltd can confirm that it is paying Dangote Refinery in USD for September 2024 PMS offtake, as Naira transactions will only commence on 1st October 2024. Mr Soneye said. The NNPC Ltd assured that if the quoted pricing is disputed, it will be grateful for any discount from the Dangote Refinery, which will be passed on 100 per cent to the general public. Attached to this statement are the estimated pump prices of PMS (obtained from the Dangote Refinery) across NNPC Retail Stations in the country, based on September 2024 pricing, the statement said. In July, the Federal Executive Council directed NNPC Ltd to engage the Dangote refinery and other local refineries to resolve the dispute over the sale of crude oil to them. The FEC, presided over by President Bola Tinubu, also directed that such crude oil sales to the refineries be made in naira and that the refineries located in Nigeria should also sell their refined products to the Nigerian market in naira. Earlier in September, Devakumar Edwin, vice president of Dangote Industries Limited, said the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery has begun the processing of petrol. Mr Edwin explained that the NNPC Limited would be the sole buyer of its petrol. On Friday, the Nigerian government announced that loading of petrol from Dangote Refinery will begin on Sunday. The government said petrol from the Dangote refinery would only be sold to NNPC Ltd which would then sell to various marketers in the short term. On Saturday the state-owned oil company said it deployed over 100 trucks as of Saturday afternoon. Confirming the development, Mr Soneye said by the end of Saturday, at least 300 trucks would be stationed at the refinerys fuel loading gantry. On Sunday, the NNPC released videos showing its trucks loading petrol from the refinery. The refinery is expected to significantly boost Nigerias fuel supply stability. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Gunmen have invaded Njaba Divisional Police Headquarters in Imo State, Nigerias South-east. The hoodlums, operating in three SUVs, invaded the police facility on Sunday evening and fired gunshots. The police spokesperson in the state, Henry Okoye, announced this in a statement on Sunday night. Mr Okoye, an assistant superintendent of police, said police operatives, however, repelled the attack. In response, the ever gallant operatives swiftly took up defensive positions and engaged the assailants, resulting in the neutralisation of three attackers. The remaining assailants, who sustained various gunshot injuries, fled into nearby bushes, he said. The spokesperson said the police suspect the attackers to be members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed militant wing, Eastern Security Network. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later He said the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Aboki Danjuma, was leading an operation to track down the fleeing hoodlums. The ongoing efforts aim to capture those responsible and ensure justice is served, he said. One general-purpose machine gun, one AK-47 rifle, and a Toyota Lexus 470, a Mercedes GLK, and a Toyota Venza were recovered from the gunmen during the operation, according to the police. The police commissioner, Mr Danjuma, has commended the operatives for repelling the attack, Mr Okoye said. The police commissioner assured residents of Imo State of the polices commitment to improving internal security. Worsening insecurity Like other states in Nigerias South-east, security has deteriorated in Imo State with frequent attacks by armed persons. The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities. The latest attack occurred less than two weeks after gunmen attacked the Obowo Police Divisional Headquarters in the Obowo Council Area of the state. The Obowo attack, which occurred on 4 September, resulted in the killing of a police operative. Some gunmen, barely 24 hours later, bombed the Oba Police Divisional Headquarters in Anambra, another state in the South-east. Another police officer was killed in the attack, which happened on 2 September. On the same day, gunmen attacked the headquarters of Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, killing at least two persons. In late August, gunmen again attacked the headquarters of Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra, another state in the South-east. In June, some armed persons attacked the same Ogbaru Local Government Secretariat. The Nigerian government has accused IPOB of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. However, the group has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks. IPOB is a group leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra, which it wants carved out from the southeast and some parts of south-south Nigeria. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced a disaster relief fund Monday in Maiduguri, Borno State, to assist Nigerian citizens impacted by floods and other disasters. He said the relief fund is already expedient as the climate becomes more unpredictable and many places in the country are vulnerable to its vagaries. President Tinubu announced this at the Borno Government House when he visited the state to sympathise with the government and people over the recent flooding from Alau Dam. He urged the private sector to contribute to the fund. Senate president Godswill Akpabio, who accompanied the president on the visit, said the National Assembly will collaborate with the executive to establish the Fund. Mr Tinubu visited the Shehu of Borno, an Internally Displaced Persons camp at the Government Secondary School in Maiduguri and had a drive-through of the areas affected by the disaster. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later President Tinubu said: After my visit to the Shehu of Borno and the IDP camp, I have been reflecting on how to tackle this kind of disaster and the effects of climate change. There must be a disaster relief fund. I will invite the private sector to team up with us and help rebuild the affected areas. If we take a small percentage from FAAC and put it as disaster relief fund, which will include all of you, we will be activating and strengthening our sense of belonging, he said. The President thanked Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State, who is also Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Bauchi State governor Bala Mohammed, Sokoto State Governor Ahmad Aliyu, Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo, and other governors who look beyond party lines to bear the burdens of others. He said that Nigerias diversity should spur prosperity. The president extended his sympathy to the government, the people of Yobe State, and all the states affected by flooding and pledged his governments continued support for victims of natural disasters. For all the people of Yobe State, I sympathise with you. We will create an outstanding programme for Nigeria to recover from this calamity. We will build our nation together, the president assured. The president commended the Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, for prompt intervention and the Theatre Command of the Nigerian military for the evacuation that saved many lives. I am glad that Prof. Zulum has been a very active governor. Let me assure you that we will be with you, Borno State and share the burden. This disaster was a natural one. It was not the making of anybody. We cannot pass the blame. We pray that the Almighty Allah will receive the souls of the departed and grant them eternal rest. May God also overlook their shortcomings and misdeeds on earth, he added. President Tinubu commended all the ministries, agencies, and security outfits, particularly the military, involved in evacuation and relief and recognised the international organisations working in the state. The Governor of Borno State thanked the president for the visit and commended the prompt intervention of federal government agencies, particularly NEMA and the militarys Theatre Command, in evacuating stranded victims. At the palace, the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garba El-Kanemi, thanked the president for the honour of visiting the state after the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, had earlier represented him. The Shehu of Borno urged the President to investigate the cause of the Alua dam collapse and overflow into the town to prevent a recurrence. Bayo Onanuga Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy) September 16, 2024 More Pictures: Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has made a donation of N100 million to assist the victims of the devastating Maiduguri flooding. This contribution, announced on Sunday by Paul Ibe, media adviser to Atiku, in a press statement, follows a heartfelt visit by the former vice president, who is also the Waziri Adamawa, to Maiduguri, where he extended his deepest sympathies to the state government and those affected by this catastrophe. Mr Ibe said, The Waziris generous gesture is a testament to his unwavering dedication to humanitarian efforts. The Maiduguri flood, which has displaced an estimated 500,000 individuals and wrought widespread destruction, represents an acute humanitarian emergency. Mr Ibe emphasised that in addition to his donation, Atiku has called upon his network of friends and associates to contribute further to the relief efforts. This gesture mirrors Atiku Abubakars previous humanitarian initiatives, notably during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he mobilised support from his circle to address urgent needs. Upon his arrival at Maiduguri airport, Atiku, accompanied by family and close associates, was received with warmth by Tahir Monguno (SAN), the senator representing Borno North and Kaka Lawan (SAN), the Borno Central senator. His visit continued with a significant courtesy call to Governor Babagana Zulum at the Government House, where the donation to the flood relief fund was announced. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Governor Zulum, in his response, expressed heartfelt gratitude for Atikus compassionate visit, acknowledging, The people of Borno deeply appreciate this show of solidarity. Atiku Abubakars generous support not only highlights his deep humanitarian commitment but also serves as a powerful beacon of hope and solidarity during these trying times. Signed: Paul Ibe Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (2023) Maiduguri 15th September, 2024. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. Following the results of the forum in the presence of the Head of State Kasym-Jomart Tokayev and Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz, the following documents signed within the framework of the business forum were exchanged, Trend reports via Akorda. 1. Roadmap of Kazakhstan-German initiative on cooperation in the field of technical regulation between the Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Eastern Committee of the German economy; 2. Memorandum on cooperation in the field of research related to the Green Hydrogen Project between the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Svevind Energy; 3. Strategic Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Siemens LLP; 4. Agreement on strategic partnership between Samruk-Kazyna JSC and Siemens Central Asia LLP; 5. Framework agreement on joint implementation of the project on construction of international cargo and passenger airport between the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan and SKYHANSA LLP; 6. Cooperation agreement between NUH Baiterek JSC and HORSCH Maschinen GmbH; 7. Memorandum of Understanding between NUH Baiterek JSC and KfW Bankengruppe. 8; 8. Cooperation agreement between NUH Baiterek JSC and CLAAS Global Sales GmbH; 9. Memorandum of Intentions between RSE National Center for Technological Forecasting and the Federal Institute of Geosciences and Natural Resources of the Federal Republic of Germany (BGR); 10. Mandate letter between Development Bank of Kazakhstan JSC and Deutsche Bank; 11. Memorandum on cooperation on the project Construction of enrichment and production complex for the production of potassium salts and boric acid based on Satimola deposit in West Kazakhstan region between Qazaq Kalium Ltd. and KfW Bankengruppe, Euler Hermes Group; 12. Agreement on implementation of the project on joint production of Condor seeders in the Kostanay region between Agromashholding JSC and Amazonen-werke h. Dreyer Se & Co.Kg. Dreyer Se & Co.Kg. In the course of the visit of the FRG delegation, 23 documents were also signed between various central and local state bodies and business structures of the two countries. With more than 35 million children affected by malnutrition, the National Nutrition Finance Technical Committee has called for increased budgetary allocation for nutrition interventions in 2025. The technical committee is asking that nutrition intervention be prioritised in the next budget and be expanded to meet the countrys needs. According to a recent statement, the committee made this call while on a courtesy visit to the Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu. The committee, which was established under the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) Project with the support of the World Bank, has emphasised the need to address the countrys food and nutrition crisis with a sense of urgency, given that it is continuously exacerbated by ongoing socio-economic challenges. According to the United Nations Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF), malnutrition is a direct or underlying cause of 45 per cent of all deaths of under-five children. The non-profit estimates that at least 2 million children suffer from severe acute malnutrition. Nigeria has the second highest burden of stunted children in the world, with a national prevalence rate of 32 per cent of children under five. Evidence-based intervention To address this crisis, the non-profit demanded that evidence-based nutrition interventions must be prioritised in the 2025 budgets of relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later The committee also suggested tagging of nutrition-related budgets by the MDAs, saying using a standardised nutrition budget tagging framework will help to track how funds meant for nutrition are being handled at different stages. The meeting laid the foundation for stronger multi-sectoral collaboration and highlighted the urgency of securing sustainable financing to combat malnutrition and promote healthier food systems across the country, the statement reads in part. The committee noted that although the progress in the fund allocated to nutrition intervention in the last few years, more needs to be done. Budget data from the last three years have shown gradual growth of domestic resources for nutrition in the federal budget from 10.8 billion Naira in 2021, 6.5 billion Naira in 2023 to 18.0 billion Naira in 2024, the statement read. Malnutrition in Nigeria Northern states are the most affected by the two forms of malnutrition stunting and wasting, according to UNICEF. The countrys high malnutrition rates present serious public health and developmental hurdles. Stunting, beyond raising mortality risks, is associated with impaired cognitive growth, diminished academic achievement, and reduced adult productivity, which together drive economic losses estimated at up to 11 per cent of the nations Gross Domestic Product (GDP) according to UNICEF. Meanwhile, the Task Team Leader of the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) Project, Ritgak Tilley-Gyado, also explained that the integration of nutrition into budget circulars began two years ago and continues to evolve with a focus on learning and adaptation for improved impact. She noted that this initiative is part of a larger effort involving analytical studies and public financial management reforms, including allocative efficiency assessments to prioritise budget allocation. Members of the technical committee are; the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. Others are; Representatives from the Office of the Vice President, Budget Office of the Federation, Accountant-General of the Federation, Nigerian Governors Forum, World Bank, Results for Development and the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN). Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Journalists in Akwa Ibom State, South-south Nigeria, are set to hold the first-ever media stakeholders summit in the state. Themed The State of the Media in Akwa Ibom State: the Way Forward, the one-day summit, will take place on Friday by 10 a.m., at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. PREMIUM TIMES editor Cletus Ukpong will co-chair the summit alongside Israel Umoh, the publisher of StraightNews newspaper and former chairperson of the NUJ, Akwa Ibom State Council. Mr Ukpong, an assistant managing editor and head of Southern Operations of PREMIUM TIMES, will speak at the summit on Ethical and Responsible Journalism in Akwa Ibom State. This is contained in a statement issued on Sunday by Kufre Etuk, the summit planning committee secretary and publisher of the Crest Newspaper, Uyo. Idongesit Ashameri, a former chairperson of the Correspondents Chapel of the NUJ, Akwa Ibom State, will speak at the summit on the topic Media Practice in Akwa Ibom: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Other speakers include an award-winning journalist and editor at TheMail Newspaper, Ekemini Simon, who will speak on Opportunities for Media Sustainability in Akwa Ibom State and Idorenyin Aquaisua, publisher of MediaPost International, who will speak on The Challenges of Media Industry in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Etuk said. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Franklyn Isong, director of the Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network, an internationally-recognised human rights and pro-democracy organisation in Nigeria, will examine press freedom in Akwa Ibom. According to Mr Etuk, the chairperson of NUJ, Akwa Ibom State Council, Amos Etuk, and the Chancellor of Conference of Online Publishers, Akwa Ibom State, Utitofon Ukpong, would present goodwill messages at the Summit. Mr Etuk said the summit will have two sessions: a Pre-Summit session with media relations managers and a Stakeholder Business session. He said the event will bring reporters, editors, and publishers in the state together for a much-needed stocktaking. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Kwara State Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) has invited applications to fill vacancies in basic healthcare facilities as residents listed their urgent needs from the government in the state. A statement by the LGSC Chairperson, Umar Shero, said the vacancies are mostly in the rural parts of the state where there is a noticeable dearth of medical personnel. The vacancies are for medical doctors; nurses/midwives; CHO; CHEW/JCHEW; Pharm/Technicians; Lab technicians; and health attendants, according to the statement. The recruitment exercise will prioritise the ad-hoc staff who are currently in the system. They will get the right of first refusal as a matter of compensation for their work, it said. It urged interested applicants to submit their filled digital application forms between now and 20 September. Mr Shero said priorities would be given to qualified persons living near the facilities where new hands are needed. Rural teachers, health workers, water, major needs of Kwarans Report Meanwhile, participants at a recent summit held for comm-based organisations (CBOs) have urged the state government to hire more teachers and health workers for rural areas, according to a report by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor on Community Development, Laws Olohungbebe. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later The report arose from the summit held across the state between 20 and 24 August 20 and 24, said Mashood Agboola, the deputy chief press secretary to the governor, in a statement on Monday. The summit brought together 900 CBOs to discuss strategies for advancing development and promoting inclusive growth in the state. The summit highlighted and applauded some of the governments initiatives, including ongoing urban renewal projects and infrastructural development, welfare programmes, recruitment and promotion exercise, distribution of palliative items, among others. Mr Agboola said the report also quoted participants as urging the government to prioritise more interventions in the provision of potable water and public toilets, cash relief or support for members of communities, and recruitment of more teachers and healthcare providers in rural areas. The report also quoted participants as asking the government to convert abandoned public buildings in the communities to good use and pass or domesticate legislations that provide legal protections and support services for people with disabilities. Participants also wanted such summit or town hall meetings to be held more frequently for improved dialogue between government representatives and community members, according to the report. The summit, while confirming the impacts of governments social protection programmes, called on Kwara State Social Investment Programme (KWASSIP) to re-evaluate and revalidate the lists of beneficiaries so that dead persons or those who may have relocated can be replaced. Participants called for a reintroduction of the agricultural development programme (ADP) and for more farm extension workers to work with CBOs for better impacts. Similarly, emphasis was placed on the need for the government to construct more rural roads. The participants also urged the government to adopt a community approach in future distribution of farm inputs, especially fertilisers, it added. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print President Bola Tinubu has returned to Nigeria following his official trip to China and the UK. The Nigerian leaders plane arrived in Abuja late on Sunday night. PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Tinubu left Abuja for Beijing, China, on 29 August. He started his official visit on Tuesday, 2 September, with a meeting with President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People. While in China, President Tinubu was warmly received by his host with 21-gun salute and a guard of honour was mounted for his inspection. During bilateral meeting with President Jinping, five Memoranda of understanding were signed between Nigeria and China, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on Information and Strategy, said in a statement on Saturday. He added that Mr Tinubu also held another round of bilateral talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later He said Mr Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, hosted Mr Tinubu at the Welcoming Banquet and Cultural Gala Performance on the eve of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit. Among the MOUs signed are the Cooperation Plan between Nigeria and China. He said this was to promote the Belt and Road Initiative, the peaceful application of nuclear energy, and cooperation on human resource development under the Global Development Initiative. Others are on Media Exchange and Cooperation between China Media Group and the Nigerian Television Authority. He said Nigeria also signed an MoU with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to build the 68 km Lagos Green rail line, designed to run from the Lekki Free Zone to the Marina and connect with the Blue Line. A memorandum of understanding for the 1 billion dollar iron ore-to-steel project planned for Kogi State was also signed between Chart and Capstone Integrated Limited of Nigeria and Sinomach-He of China. Before attending the opening of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, President Tinubu visited two Chinese companies: Huawei and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC). At FOCAC, President Tinubu, as chairman of ECOWAS, delivered a paper on global peace, stressing multilateralism and cooperation as essential ingredients for international peace, the Presidential aide said. He said the President capped his visit to China with a meeting with representatives of Nigerians in the Diaspora Organisation, China chapter. During which he spoke on the necessity of the reforms being implemented by his government in Nigeria and hoped that they would lead the country to a destination of good roads, constant power, and good schools, like in China. President Tinubu left Beijing for London, where he spent some days. On Thursday, he met with King Charles III, where he discussed issues related to climate change and action, Mr Onanuga said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print In a groundbreaking move poised to revolutionize Nigerias energy landscape, the Dangote Refinery has today commenced supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) in a historic transaction settled in Naira. This bold initiative, championed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubus Administration, marks a significant milestone in Nigerias quest for energy self-sufficiency and reduced reliance on imported refined products. It also represents a key milestone in the federal governments commitment to reducing pressure on the Naira and enhancing the availability of petroleum products in the domestic market. Speaking today at the Dangote Refinery, the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubus visionary leadership in advancing Nigerias energy sector. He emphasized that this initiative aligns with the Presidents vision that no raw materials should leave Nigerias shores without adding value. The Minister also commended Aliko Dangote and the Dangote Group for turning this vision into reality through the establishment of the refinery, noting its role in transforming Nigerias oil sector while also acknowledging the work of the technical sub-committee responsible for the implementation of crude sales to local refineries in Naira, chaired by the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji. Also Read: NNPC to sell Dangote petrol in Lagos for N950 While in Lagos, the Minister, accompanied by the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, and other members of the Technical Subcommittee, undertook an extensive tour of the refinerys state-of-the-art facilities. The tour highlighted the refinerys capacity to add value locally and reduce reliance on imported refined products. HM Edun praised the refinerys technological advancements and potential to efficiently meet Nigerias domestic fuel demands. The Minister also witnessed NNPCL loading the first batch of PMS from the Dangote Refinery, marking a significant milestone in the domestic supply of refined petroleum products. This event symbolizes the first supply of PMS to NNPCL, although the official sale of crude oil for Naira transactions is scheduled to commence on October 1st. The Federal Executive Council (FEC), under President Tinubus leadership, has approved the supply of crude oil to domestic refineries, including the Dangote Refinery, with payments made in Naira. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later From the 1st of October, NNPCL will commence the supply of approximately 385,000 barrels per day of crude oil to the Dangote Refinery, which will be paid for in Naira, the Minister announced. HM Edun called on other domestic refiners to join this endeavour, not only to meet the countrys needs but also to facilitate legal exports to neighbouring countries, thereby enhancing foreign exchange revenue and supporting the nations economic well-being. With the commencement of PMS supply in Naira, Nigeria has taken a giant leap towards achieving its energy goals. As the country continues to make strides in domestic refining and energy production, the benefits of this initiative will resonate across the economy, from improved foreign exchange earnings to enhanced economic growth. The successful partnership between the federal government and the private sector, exemplified by the Dangote Refinery, serves as a beacon of hope for Nigerias future energy prosperity. Signed Mohammed Manga Director, Information and Public Relations September 15, 2024 Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Anthony Aziegbemi, the chairperson of the PDP in Edo State, has disowned a statement circulated by Governor Godwin Obasekis aide, Crusoe Osagie. The statement claimed that Nigerias Presidency, through the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, was plotting to manipulate the forthcoming governorship election in Edo. On 14 September, Mr Osagie, the special adviser to the Edo state governor on media projects, emailed a statement he claimed emanated from Mr Aziegbemi to media houses, including Premium Times. Premium Times did not run a story from the statement because the claims in it were unsubstantiated. The statement, which Mr Aziegbemi has disowned, alleged that Mr Ribadu had released $2 million to the APC governorship candidate in Edo to buy votes and bribe security agencies during the election. Mr Aziegbemis disclaimer came hours after Mr Ribadu demanded N10 billion as damages to his reputation and threatened to sue him. The statement Mr Osagie circulated alleged that the national security adviser, acting on a directive from the Presidency, planned to disrupt the 21 September election and manipulate the poll in favour of the APC and that Mr Ribadu was working with the leadership of Nigerias secret police, SSS, on it. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later As part of the evil ploy, security chiefs have been ordered to make heavy deployment to the strongholds of the PDP, especially those of the Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki and our partys candidate, Dr Asue Ighodalo, with the plan to destabilise the voting process in those areas, the statement said. Some of the polling unit, registration area, and ward electoral officials have been uncovered to be card-carrying members of the APC. Their task, we have learnt, is to delay the results of their respective units with the aim of inciting violence and creating an unfavourable atmosphere during the election to favour the APC candidate during the compilation of results. The same poll officials and APC card-carrying members, we have gathered, are to be deployed to APC strongholds where they will ensure that ballot papers do not get to the polling units, setting the stage to declare the results in favour of the APC. The statement also accused the INEC Chairperson, Mahmood Yakubu and the Resident Electoral Commission in Edo, Anugbum Onuoha, of being part of the rigging plan. Pre-election violence and tension have characterised the Edo election, which is just five days away. Governor Obaseki and the PDP have accused the police and INEC of being biased against the PDP. Entirely false Mr Ribadu, through his lawyer, Marian Aigbedion of the Charles Musa & Co chambers, Abuja, said the allegations were entirely false. This malicious and libellous Statement has brought our Client into public disdain and odium. Your portrayal of our Client as a corruption enabler and his office as an appendage of a political party willing to cause chaos in Edo State is entirely false and damaging to his reputation, the lawyer, Ms Aigbedion, said to the Edo PDP chairperson, Mr Aziegbemi, in a letter dated 15 September. Apart from the N10 billion, Mr Ribadu demanded a retraction and a written apology from Mr Aziegbemi. Not from me On 15 September, Mr Aziegbemi issued a disclaimer on the statement circulated by Mr Osagie. He said the statement was not from him and added that political opponents were most likely behind it. In this election season, all sorts of false statements and forged documents, mischievously ascribed to us, are peddled by persons who do not mean well for our campaign. This is the handiwork of such irresponsible mischief-makers, which should be disregarded in its entirety, the PDP chairperson said. The statement circulated by Mr Osagie and the disclaimer by Mr Aziegbemi were produced on paper with the Edo PDP letterhead (with the same contact address, phone number, and email address) and signatures that looked similar. Mr Osagie did not respond to calls and a text message from our reporter. PREMIUM TIMES spoke with Mr Aziegbemi on Monday morning on the matter. The paper asked him if he knew that Mr Osagie, a media aide to Governor Obaseki, circulated the statement he disclaimed. I dont know if Crusoe (Osagie) issued it or not. What I know is that I didnt issue it. So I have disclaimed it, he responded. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, has ordered an immediate investigation into a trending video of the alleged detention of a Naval rating officer, Abbas Haruna, for six years. The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) Spokesperson, Tukur Gusau, a brigadier general, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja. Mr Gusau said the attention of the DHQ was drawn to the viral video aired by the Abuja-based Berkete Family TV station On Sunday, Husaina Abbas, wife of the detained navy personnel, exposed the illegal detention of her husband by one Muhammad Adamu, a military officer. In the video of the programme, Mrs Abbas narrated that her husband was sent on an official duty to Taraba State from Kaduna where they live. She said she became angry with him at first for not calling her for two days until she later discovered what happened. She said somebody used her husbands phone to call her but that the person ended the call shortly and that when she called the line back, she realised the voice on the other end was not that of her husband. Mrs Abbas said she later confirmed that her husband had been subjected to a punitive six-year imprisonment by his superior, Muhammad S. Adamu, the commander of his battalion. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later She said her husband was punished unlawfully for gathering soldiers under his command for prayer, which was a part of his commitment to the moral and spiritual well-being of his troops. Northern elders intervene Shortly after the video aired, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), condemned Mr Harunas detention and demanded immediate action by the Nigerian military. NEF Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, in a statement on Sunday, demanded justice for the detained naval personnel and his family. We demand that the military hierarchy take immediate steps to review this case and provide the necessary support for Seaman Abbass rehabilitation. It is critical that the injustices he has faced be addressed with urgency to restore his dignity and that of his family. As narrated by Mrs Husaina Abbas during her appearance on the Berkete Family TV station in the Federal Capital, Abuja, the circumstances surrounding the incarceration of Seaman Abbas raise grave alarms about the accountability and ethical standards within the military hierarchy, the group said. READ ALSO: Nigerian military airstrikes kill 28 terrorists in Niger Military orders investigation Mr Gusau said the DHQ had taken notice of the circulating video clip alleging the unjust incarceration of Mr Haruna and that the CDS had ordered immediate investigation into the matter. The DHQ wishes to assure the public that the Armed Forces of Nigeria remains committed to upholding justice, fairness, and the rule of law. The military court-martial process, though meticulous, ensures fairness, equal opportunity, and justice in accordance with established military procedures and the law. In response to this allegation, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, has directed an immediate investigation into the matter. The outcome of the investigation will be made public in due course, the statement said. The DHQ urged the general public to exercise caution and refrain from spreading unsubstantiated information while the investigation is ongoing. We assure Nigerians that the Armed Forces will ensure a speedy and transparent investigation, the statement added. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Mathew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic bishop of Sokoto Diocese, said opposition parties in Edo State could take advantage of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) refusal to sign a peace accord ahead of Saturdays election. Mr Kukah, the convener of the National Peace Committee, and Abdulsalami Abubakar, a former Nigerian leader, were in Edo State last week to commit political parties and their candidates taking part in Saturdays governorship election to signing a peace pact, committing them to a violence-free election. Mr Abubakar is the chairperson of the National Peace Committee. While other political parties and their candidates committed themselves to the pact, the ruling PDP in the state declined to sign the peace accord, citing police bias. Speaking on Sunday at an Election Security Townhall organised by Channels Television in Benin City, the Edo State capital, the Sokoto Catholic Bishop said the PDPs action sends a wrong signal to Nigerians. He said the committee cannot force any candidates to sign a pact, which has become a national ritual in the last decade. The National Peace Committee, what we do is not in the Electoral Act, its not law; its moral. You cant compel people to fall in love or love their neighbours. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later He recalled what happened when Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and then PDP presidential candidate in 2019, refused to attend the peace accord signing ceremony. And of course, the opposition went to town, which is what it ought to be, and the next day, he (Atiku) turned up to sign, Bishop Kukah said, suggesting Atiku was forced to commit to the pact after opposition parties took advantage of his action. Speaking further, Mr Kukah said the current President, Bola Tinubu, did not sign the peace accord in 2023, and opposition parties failed to take advantage of Mr Tinubus action. What is also very interesting is that the current president, when he was a presidential candidate, did not sign; it wasnt our fault that the political opposition didnt take advantage of it. Its a pity, but we are not going to take anybody to court for not signing the peace accord. The only thing it does to you as a candidate is that it sends a wrong signal which can be very easily exploited by the opposition, Mr Kukah said, suggesting that the PDP in Edo was following Mr Tinubus example. Why Edo PDP decline to sign peace accord The PDP in Edo State, led by Governor Godwin Obaseki, had said the party would not sign the peace accord, citing the polices bias against it. According to Mr Obaseki, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, came into the state and obtained a court warrant to arrest 60 PDP members. This situation, he said, had forced the partys leaders into hiding, apparently to evade arrest. Governor Obaseki had alleged that already 10 PDP members had been arrested and taken to Abuja on the instructions of the police chief, adding that they were not charged to court. As a condition, Mr Obaseki said the party would go to Abuja and sign the pact if the arrested PDP members were either released or brought back to Edo State and charged to court in the state where the police claimed they committed the offence. Speaking further, Mr Obaseki predicted a very violent election, saying they have no confidence in the police to protect them. Mr Egbetokun had at the peace accord signing ceremony promised that the police would remain impartial and professional during the election. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted thundery and rainy weather conditions from Tuesday to Thursday across the country. NiMet`s weather outlook released on Monday in Abuja forecasts thunderstorms over parts of Bauchi, Kebbi, Taraba, Kano, Katsina, Adamawa and Kaduna states during the morning hours on Tuesday. According to the agency, thunderstorms are expected over the entire region later in the day. In the North-central region, thunderstorms are expected over parts of Kogi, Benue, Plateau, Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa and Niger states during the morning hours. Later in the day, thunderstorms are expected over the Federal Capital Territory, Kwara, Niger, Kogi, Plateau, Benue and Nasarawa states. In the southern region, there are prospects of moderate rains over parts of Ebonyi, Imo, Enugu, Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Cross River, Rivers and Bayelsa states during the morning hours. Later in the day, intermittent rains are expected over the entire region, it said. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later The agency envisaged thunderstorms in the morning hours of Wednesday over parts of Taraba, Adamawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, and Kaduna states. According to NiMet, thunderstorms are expected over parts of Borno, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Kano, Katsina and Kebbi states later in the day. In the North-central region, there are prospects of thunderstorms over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Kogi, Niger and Kwara states during the morning hours. While in the afternoon into evening hours, thunderstorms are expected over parts of Nasarawa, Kogi, Federal Capital Territory, Kwara and Niger states. In the southern region, thunderstorms are expected over parts of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Edo, Cross River, Delta, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states during the morning hours. Progressing into the afternoon and evening hours, thunderstorms are envisaged over the entire region, it said. NiMet anticipated thunderstorms over parts of Sokoto, Kebbi, Taraba, and Adamawa States in the morning on Thursday. The agency predicted thunderstorms over parts of Borno, Bauchi, Kaduna, Taraba and Adamawa states later in the day while thunderstorms are expected over parts of Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory. In the southern region, isolated thunderstorms are expected over parts of Osun, Edo, Ondo, Ekiti, Delta, Lagos, Rivers and Bayelsa states in the morning hours, it said. NiMet urged residents to avoid flood-prone areas as there is a high likelihood of urban flooding in major cities due to downpours. It advised the public to take adequate precautions as strong winds might precede the rains in areas where thunderstorms are likely to occur. Adhere to safety advisories issued by relevant authorities. Public and Airline operators are advised to get updated weather reports and forecasts from NiMet for effective planning in their operations. Residents are advised to stay informed through weather updates from NiMet. Visit our website, it said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has unveiled the #OneNigeria/UnityFabric, which she described as a symbol of national unity. The fabric was designed by 25-year-old Mofinyinfoluwa Bamidele, a graduate of the University of Ibadan. Miss Bamidele, who went home with a prize of N25 million, emerged the winner of a fabric designs competition, organised by the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), chaired by Mrs Tinubu. The First Lady, in her keynote address at the unveiling of the #OneNigeria/UnityFabric and announcement of the winner of the competition, which was held on Monday at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, explained that the concept of a national fabric was inspired by her visit to Zimbabwe in December 2023, where she saw a similar initiative. She said the #OneNigeria/UnityFabric Competition was launched in February 2024, calling on youth aged 15 to 25 to create a design that would represent Nigerias unity. A panel of judges, including renowned fashion icon Zainab Abba Folawiyo, international textile fashion designer Banke Kuku and other friends of the Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI, selected the best design from 111 entries. Mrs Tinubu commended the rigorous selection process and thanked the judges and members of the Governing Board of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) for their efforts. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Today, my heart is filled with joy as we have just witnessed the unveiling of the #OneNigeriaUnity Fabric, the announcement of the winner of the competition and the presentation of prize ceremony. I say big congratulations to Miss Bamidele Mufiyinfoluwa, she did quite a fantastic job. I would like to briefly share the background to what led us to this moment. In December 2023, I visited Zimbabwe for the launch of #WeAreEqual Unifying Campaign of the Organisation of the African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) and on this visit, I came across the concept of a national fabric, which they have, and this fascinated me. I believe this concept is a unifying one, where we can infuse our cultural diversity and break down tribal barriers to identify as a people of one nation. So I decided that it would be a good idea to have a similar experience. Upon my arrival, at one of the meetings of the Governing Council of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), I mooted the idea and to my surprise, everyone seemed excited about it. Thereafter, the #OneNigeriaUnity Fabric Competition was announced through various media platforms in February 2024, calling on all our youth between the ages of 15 and 25 to create a design for a fabric that will be launched as the national unity fabric. Entries for this competition closed on the 30th of June, 2024. On 2nd of July, 2024, we invited two panelists; a renowned fashion icon, Princess Zainab Abba Folawiyo, who has been at the forefront of the fashion industry for 60 years, and Miss Banke Kuku, an international textile fashion designer. Shes the one who actually designed the gift scarves I give out because shes a textile designer. Both of them, with members of the Governing Board, and some friends of RHI, had the task of selecting the best design from 111 entries. This selection process was rigorous, but today, we are happy to present the best design selected by our expert judges. Well done, and thank you, Mrs Tinubu said. The First Lady also disclosed that the new national fabric would be worn across the country to celebrate the Independence Day Anniversary on 1 October. She disclosed that the fabric will be mass-produced by local manufacturers with a view to stimulate local textile industries, create jobs, and boost the economy. The First Lady said the project aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, fostering creativity, supporting local enterprises, and celebrating national identity and unity to the nation as it moves forward. I would like to extend my gratitude to all those who sent in their entries. We received entries from Nigerians across the country, in the Diaspora, five of them are present today, which you all just met, apart from the winner. We also have a brochure of the compilation of all the entries. Every design submitted is a demonstration of the depth of talent we have in Nigeria. I applaud each one of you for your contribution. However, we can only have one winner, but I urge you not to relent in expressing your creativity, imagination and nurturing your dreams and passion. Also speaking at the event, the National Vice Chairman of the RHI and wife of the Vice President, Nana Shettima, said the fabric initiative is aimed at promoting unity and creativity in Nigeria. She expressed pride in the realisation of the vision of the competition, which encourages Nigerians to think nationally before considering tribal or ethnic loyalties. Mrs Shettima said the initiative includes the production and distribution of 200,000 pieces of a national unity fabric, with significant allocations to Lagos, Kano, and Abuja, and additional pieces to other stakeholders. The event was witnessed by dignitaries from across the country, including wives of governors, wives of the leaders of the National Assembly and wives of security chiefs. Others present were former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole; former First Ladies, including Ajoke Muhammed; Fati Abubakar; and Patience Jonathan. SIGNED Busola Kukoyi SSA Media to the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 16th September,2024 Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. International Financial Center Astana is ready to help German companies find new partnership opportunities, Kazakh President Kasym-Jomart Tokayev said at a meeting with representatives of German business, Trend reports. Today, the IFCA has become a unique regional center of investment, innovation, and financial services. It includes all the advantages of leading international financial centers such as Frankfurt, London, Dubai, New York, and Singapore. The center offers unprecedented conditions for attracting investment, including favorable tax, visa, and labor policies, individual support for each investor, and an impartial judicial system based on British law. About 3,000 companies from 80 countries, including 20 German companies, are now operating here. We hope that this number will increase in the near future, he noted. President Tokayev expressed confidence that today's meeting will bring tangible results and will be an important step towards further deepening of economic ties between Kazakhstan and Germany. I spend lunch pondering why a certain type of Nigerian thinks that our cultural experiences are valid only when we can render or express them in their English equivalents. Why should akara be described as bean cake, for example? And must agbalumo have an English name, even when the terroir in the United Kingdom could never support its cultivation? Fela Anikulapo Kuti was sure what this is. Colonial mentality is what happens when a peoples experience of colonialism is so harrowing that it becomes the prism for interrogating and subsequently validating all preexisting forms of consciousness. I am not sure which aspect of this workday ritual is most off-putting. It is lunchtime anyway, and I am in a queue at what is essentially a mama put in the central business district on Lagos Island. The neckties, starched white shirts, and carefully coiffed hair are a dead giveaway. In midday heat, even the best colognes have started succumbing to the sweat-sour stink of perspiration. The patrons at this joint are either some of the most exotic you could find in any one location in Nigeria or some of the most determined contenders for that exoticism. In the verbal exchanges that I listen in on, there is a riot of deodorised accents crosses between Peckham (UK) and Oshodi (Lagos, Nigeria), and Queens (NY, US) and Molete (Ibadan, Nigeria). Finally, there are the orders. The bloke, one person removed from me on the queue, orders two portions of yam porridge. He is served. The one behind him, the one immediately before me that is, orders three portions of yam pottage. It is my turn, and, honestly, the asaro looked as good as the aroma wafting from the huge pot felt. Awkwardly, there is no definition of porridge (a soft food made by boiling meal of grains or legumes in milk or water until thick) or pottage (a thick soup of vegetables and often meat) that did the meal justice. So, I placed my order for three portions of asaro. I spend lunch pondering why a certain type of Nigerian thinks that our cultural experiences are valid only when we can render or express them in their English equivalents. Why should akara be described as bean cake, for example? And must agbalumo have an English name, even when the terroir in the United Kingdom could never support its cultivation? Fela Anikulapo Kuti was sure what this is. Colonial mentality is what happens when a peoples experience of colonialism is so harrowing that it becomes the prism for interrogating and subsequently validating all preexisting forms of consciousness. On this argument, it is one reason a Nigerian workplace would send an email to its staff warning against speaking vernacular at work. Vernacular, in this reading, being any Nigerian language aside from English. First, is that it simply prevents us from contributing cultural experiences native to us to the global cultural gene pool. The Mexicans offered the world Tequila, where Nigerians may have insisted on describing it as the Blue Agave Gin. Down this path of repurposing cultural experiences, akpeteshi, burukutu, pito, etc. got stranded beneath the illicit gin rubric that our colonial masters crafted for them. This latter reading is why I spent all of my primary school days convinced that vernaculars are inferior to standard English. Imagine my shock to learn, in Form Three in secondary school, that a vernacular is a language or dialect native to a region or country rather than a literary, cultured, or foreign language. By then, the English language, for me, was a vernacular. I brushed up on my Yoruba and Igbo immediately. The process of delegitimising that subordinates all local experiences to only those that can be expressed in English has several ramifications none of which is beneficial to an economy desperately searching for growth and development opportunities. First, is that it simply prevents us from contributing cultural experiences native to us to the global cultural gene pool. The Mexicans offered the world Tequila, where Nigerians may have insisted on describing it as the Blue Agave Gin. Down this path of repurposing cultural experiences, akpeteshi, burukutu, pito, etc. got stranded beneath the illicit gin rubric that our colonial masters crafted for them. Is there a material difference between goulash and ragout as culinary experiences? Or are they but Hungarian and French ways of describing the same experience? It really does not matter any which way. They are all English words, today. In truth, though, we continue to contribute to humanitys collective experiences. But because these experiences are absorbed despite our best efforts, they are necessarily all negative: Yahoo Boys, Japa, 419-ers, etc. Yet, our chances of contributing positively to the global cultural gene pool is circumscribed each time we insist on expressing ourselves through tunnel-visioned prisms. Second, we cannot be a tourist destination, if we have no new experiences to offer those whom we would want to come here on vacation. This latter part is easily explained by the fact that the Nigerian on vacation either travels with ample supply of foodstuff from home, or while abroad only seeks out Nigerian food outlets. It would seem then that we are not tourists in the traditional sense i.e. in the sense of seeking physical experiences more sophisticated than a walk through Liverpool Street in London, and spiritual experiences more inspiring than translating the prices on offer at retail outlets there from pound sterling into naira. Accordingly, we might not appreciate why tourists should come our way. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later In truth, though, we continue to contribute to humanitys collective experiences. But because these experiences are absorbed despite our best efforts, they are necessarily all negative: Yahoo Boys, Japa, 419-ers, etc. Yet, our chances of contributing positively to the global cultural gene pool is circumscribed each time we insist on expressing ourselves through tunnel-visioned prisms. Uddin Ifeanyi, journalist manque and retired civil servant, can be reached @IfeanyiUddin. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print LIFE is undoubtedly the most valuable and the most precious of all our earthly possessions. Surely nobody can argue about this. There is simply nothing of comparable value to life. When life is lost, all is lost. When all is lost, but life, nothing is really lost. Life is head and shoulders above all other things we regard as precious in this world. One of the most painful realisations in life, is to all of a sudden discover that you had possessed things all along that you were busy looking for somewhere else. It is almost an unbearable pain, to suddenly recognise the value of what you had, being ignorant of which had been your possession. To possess something and not know its value is torturous. To own something and not be aware of it could not only be annoying, but fatal too. LIFE is undoubtedly the most valuable and the most precious of all our earthly possessions. Surely nobody can argue about this. There is simply nothing of comparable value to life. When life is lost, all is lost. When all is lost, but life, nothing is really lost. Life is head and shoulders above all other things we regard as precious in this world. Tragically though, it is that same life that is often least treasured or valued by men who possess it. All men have life, but only few men know its value. To have something does not mean to understand it. Most people who possess life, in reality, do not quite understand what they possess. That is a fundamental tragedy about life. Those who possess it often are not aware of its value. The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival. Aristotle I remember growing up in Africa. I would normally accompany my grandmother to collect some cassava tubers from the farm. We usually had the sack where the cassava is loaded. The challenge of the day after the main job had been done, was always how to tie up the sack, so that it didnt spill as we carried it on our heads over the more than a kilometre walk back home. Some of the local ropes we make from leaves and other plants were not often as reliable to secure the neck of the sack. Help came calling from an unusual angle. My grandmother, while searching through some of the personal belongings of my uncle, who just came back from studying in France and in England, discovered some rather reliable ropes, that served us well at the end of the day. The only problem was, as we later discovered, the so called ropes that we had used for the past three years in tying our sacks, and bringing home our cassava tubers, were later recognised as some exclusive French ties that my uncle had brought from his years of sojourn in Europe. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later He had left them in the village in hope that his younger ones will appreciate them, as they would leave the village to travel to study in colleges, universities or even overseas. But since I was as ignorant as my old grandmother, none of us quite understood the meaning of his kind gesture. We had some highly prized possessions in those ties, but due to ignorance, the ties soon became totally unrecognisable because of dirt and smell from the local farm. Unfortunately, that is how most of us have treated life our lives! We have just all of a sudden discovered that here we are, with something called life seemingly precious, but not deeply appreciated. So, we ended up treating it the way we saw fit. So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Ps 90:12 Whenever you possess something, but lack the understanding of its value, there are some consequences you suffer: You Neglect the Treasure Just like in the story we just read, because I and my grandmother did not know what ties were, they suffered negligence, long before they were taken to the farm. It is the same thing with life. Most people do not take care of their lives, because they dont value it. Most people neglect their lives and allow all kinds of accidents, mishaps and misfortunes to happen to them. Neglect is a major reason for some of the most painful experiences we suffer in life. In some cases, we neglect our health, because we were never told about its value. Some neglect their virginity and are made to pay dearly for it. For example, when I came to Europe, to me it was a great escape; the great escape from poverty. Since I grew up in a condition where I could not afford to buy myself a bottle of juice or Coca Cola while in Africa, I basically could afford only water. As a result, juice and Coca Cola were luxuries. On getting to Europe, I discovered that there were so many varieties of soft drinks and juices that I had never ever seen or dreamed about before then. My conclusion was simple and straight forward: I decided to embark on a journey of vengeance for all the years of my deprivation; I made a decision to let go of water. For the next seven years, I did not bother to drink a cup of water. I was filling my system and body with all kinds of sweet and sugary drinks in the name of avenging poverty. The only thing that made me to realise that I was on a suicidal path was thanks to my involuntary visit to the doctor. There I was confronted with the fact that water actually was a lifeline, which every human must drink two litres of daily. My health suffered neglect. My life was in danger, just because I did not know the value of water. I didnt know the importance of water to my life. I almost lost my most precious value life. Because of ignorance and negligence. So many of us are causing pain and suffering to ourselves on a daily basis, because we do not know the value of life. From that passage of the scripture above, God is affirming to us that wisdom, as powerful as it is, is not enough a basis for boasting, we should never give our lives for it. Power, as convincingly overwhelming as it seems, is not enough reason for boasting. Wealth as seductively necessary as it is, is not enough a basis for boasting, lives should never be exchanged for it. Wow! What a revelation!!! To be continued. Sunday Adelaja is a Nigerian born leader, transformation strategist, pastor and innovator. He was based in Ukraine. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print If the Agunloyes and Alowolodus claim that Atiba wanted only two of his children (numbers one and four) to inherit the throne, then the Agunloyes and Alowolodus should go with the Mogba in the presence of the Oyomesi, other kingmakers and all the 11 Atiba families, to the shrine of our mutual forefather, Alaafin Sango, and swear that this is the TRUTH! It will be my greatest pleasure to have our father, Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu to be the first to swear by our mutual ancestor, Alaafin Sango! It is disturbing and worrying to learn about some of the very highly flawed claims made by the respected Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu pertaining to the succession rights to the throne of the Alaafin of Oyo, as bequeathed to all his sons by our great ancestor, Alaafin Atiba. And, so as not to allow facts to be stood on their head and to reclaim a truth that seems to have been overridden by wilful acts of distortion through time, I have decided to put down a few inviolable facts of the history of the Atiba Dynasty in Oyo, as also authenticated by the repositories of these information/knowledge. These are the following: Alaafin Atiba did NOT leave a declaration in terms of which of his children IS NOT entitled to his throne! The DEFECTIVE chieftaincy declaration of 1961 stated that two royal houses were entitled to the throne of the Alaafin of Oyo. Yet, this declaration did NOT state that the NINE other Atiba royal houses are NOT entitled to the throne of the Alaafin of Oyo. If Aremo Adelu Agunloye (the first son of Atiba) became king after Alaafin Atiba, and Aremo Adeyemi Alowolodu (the fourth son of Atiba) also became king, then Aremo Adelabu (second son of Atiba), Aremo Adesiyan (third son of Atiba) and the other Atiba Aremos are also entitled to become kings. What is good for the goose is equally good for the gander. It is worth noting that Aremo Adelu Agunloye and Aremo Adeyemi Alowolodu, who have been kings were from different mothers. The DEFECTIVE declaration of 1961 was a fraudulent attempt by Alaafin Bello Gbadegeshin to monopolise the stool of Atiba for the Agunloye royal family. Then when Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi Alowolodu became king, this dishonest declaration continued to be recognised! No action was taken on this declaration, after it was rendered DEFECTIVE and replaced by the 1976 declaration. These were highly illegal actions and inactions on the part of both kings. Then, there are the very critical questions: Were ALL the representatives of the Atiba royal houses in attendance (or did they offer their signatures or consent) when the 1961 declaration was being written or activated? Or was it just one king (Bello Gbadegeshin) who used his connection with the foreign white man to come up with this decision, in the absence of the representatives of the other Atiba royal houses? Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Were the Oyomesi in attendance (or did they offer their signatures or consent) when the 1961 declaration was being written or activated? For how long will this fraud continue in Oyo Alaafin? The Baba Iyaji (the vicegerent of Alaafin Atiba) is an upright man and he knows his role. He knows his history enough to identify and name those who are traditionally entitled to Alaafin Atibas throne. He has not fallen on the side of the fraudulent and monopolistic claims of Alaafin Bello Gbadegeshin and Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi Alowolodu. The Baba Iyaji is definitely not afraid of telling the truth and is fit to execute his role. According to Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu, in his interview, there was always an orogun (polygamy) rivalry issue. This is exactly what happened to Adelabu, the second son of Atiba and the privileged grandson of Oja! Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu keeps hammering in the said interview that it is the Aremo who should be made the king. This is evidently not true for the biological children of Alaafin Atiba, because Adeyemi Alowolodu (Atibas fourth child) was not an Aremo and his lineage has ruled THREE times!! Obviously, Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu must be speaking ONLY for his own family, the Adelu Agunloye lineage (and NOT the entire ATIBA lineage), whereby only the children of his Aremo, Lawani Agogo Ija have ruled in their own lineage. If Atiba had wanted only Aremo Adelu and his lineage to inherit the throne, then Adeyemi I wouldnt even have lasted a day on the throne. He would have died immediately. In fact, three generations of Adeyemis successfully inherited and lasted between nine and 51 years on the throne. This renders the unhistorical claim of Bishop Ladigbolu null and void! On the contrary, Atibas oral declaration that ALL of his children are entitled to his inheritance, including his throne, is reflected in his oriki: Gbogbo omo oba loro Atiba yoo ka lori If the Agunloyes and Alowolodus claim that Atiba wanted only two of his children (numbers one and four) to inherit the throne, then the Agunloyes and Alowolodus should go with the Mogba in the presence of the Oyomesi, other kingmakers and all the 11 Atiba families, to the shrine of our mutual forefather, Alaafin Sango, and swear that this is the TRUTH! It will be my greatest pleasure to have our father, Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu to be the first to swear by our mutual ancestor, Alaafin Sango! Finally, in case the Agunloyes and the Alowolodus are unaware, I have attached a copy of the 1976 document that overrides the 1961 declaration. We, the remaining Atiba royal families are simply waiting for the 1976 declaration to be duly implemented. Ire o! Isiaka Aderemi Adelabu is a prince of the Adelabu Ruling House of the Atiba Dynasty in Oyo Kingdom. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Gunmen have killed two police operatives in Anambra State, Nigerias South-east. The officers were killed when the attackers invaded Umunze Divisional Police Headquarters in the state. Umunze is a community in Orumba South Local Government Area of the state. The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday afternoon. Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said the hoodlums launched the attack in the early hours of Monday. This latest attack occurred hours after gunmen attacked Njaba Divisional Police Headquarters in Imo, another state in the South-east. Three gunmen were killed in the attack. Anambra attack The police in Anambra State said the hoodlums who carried out the latest attack in the state were suspected members of an unnamed secessionist group. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later The suspected armed proscribed group invaded the police facility with improvised explosives, shooting sporadically and fire caught part of the station. Unfortunately, two of the police operatives on duty during the gun battle in a bid to resist the assailants from causing more havoc, paid the supreme price, Mr Ikenga said. Their (police operatives) bodies have been recovered and taken to the morgue. Recovery of bombs Mr Ikenga said a combined security team comprising personnel of the police, army, navy and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps were already on the trail of the attackers. The spokesperson said the combined security team recovered five unexploded improvised explosives. He said the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Nnaghe Obono, has visited the scene to reinforce and reassess security deployment. Mr Obono appealed to residents of the state to support the police with information that will aid investigation into the attack. The police chief assured the residents that their information to the police will be treated with utmost confidentiality. Worsening insecurity Like other states in Nigerias South-east, security has deteriorated in Imo State with frequent attacks by armed persons. The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities. About two weeks ago, gunmen attacked Obowo Police Divisional Headquarters in Obowo Council Area of the state. The Obowo attack which occurred on 4 September resulted in the killing of a police operative. Barely 24 hours later, gunmen bombed Oba Police Divisional Headquarters in Anambra, another state in the South-east. Another police officer was killed in the attack which happened on 2 September. Within the same day, gunmen attacked the headquarters of Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, killing at least two persons. In late August, gunmen again attacked the headquarters of Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra, another state in the South-east. In June, some armed persons attacked the same Ogbaru Local Government Secretariat. The Nigerian government has accused Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks. IPOB is a group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) says one person died and eight were rescued in an accident that occurred on Third Mainland Bridge on Monday. The Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Taofiq Adebayo, made this known in a statement in Lagos. A tragic and fatal head-on collision involving two Mazda commercial buses (LND 624 YE / EKY 804 YH) occurred on the Third Mainland Bridge, near Ilaje, en route to Iyana-Oworonsoki, resulting in one fatality and leaving eight others grievously injured. The harrowing incident, which unfolded as both buses recklessly engaged in a high-speed chase from Adeniji Adele, serves as a stark reminder of the catastrophic consequences of irresponsible driving practices. Swift intervention by LASTMA officials facilitated the rescue of eight passengers, all of whom suffered severe fractures. The injured were immediately transported to Gbagada General Hospital for urgent medical care, courtesy of the Lagos State Ambulance Services, he said. Mr Adebayo said that police personnel from Bariga and Alonge police stations provided security support during the rescue operation and ensured order. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later LASTMA reiterates its unwavering commitment to ensuring road safety, and implores all motorists to strictly observe speed regulations and exercise caution while driving. The agency extends heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and wishes the injured swift and full recovery, he said. Mr Adebayo added that another accident occurred earlier today and involved a Honda CRV (AKD 743 HV), which overturned on the Third Mainland Bridge near the University of Lagos waterfront. He said that the vehicle was heading toward Iyana-Oworonsoki. He attributed the accident to excessive speeding but said that there was no casualty. LASTMA personnel acted swiftly to clear the wreckage, preventing further obstruction to the free flow of traffic on the bridge, he said. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print LONDON, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Crosscall, Europe's leading manufacturer of enterprise-grade, rugged smartphones has announced a new collaboration with BT. Under the agreement, Crosscall's range of affordable, sustainable and rugged mobile devices will be available to UK businesses for the first time. The CORE-Z5 smartphone from Crosscall, a communications solution tailored to the needs of professionals Available to BT customers from the 30th of September, Crosscall's handsets are uniquely designed, focusing on durability. Created to support users over the long term, all the brand's smartphones and tablets come with a 5-year warranty, inclusive of issues relating to the battery life of the phone. Crosscall devices are also designed to be easy to repair, in order to extend their lifespan and limit replacement. The brand is also committed to guaranteeing the availability of spare parts for 10 years. Crosscall's latest innovative smartphone, the STELLAR-X5, contains 26% recycled materials. These ongoing efforts in eco-design within a strong CSR policy have earned the company a Gold Medal from Ecovadis, a globally recognised CSR rating organisation. Crosscall is thus ranked in the top 5% of companies with the best CSR performance out of more than 130,000 companies assessed. This accreditation also complements BT's ambitious net-zero strategy. Through collaboration with BT, Crosscall aim to deliver outstanding service and robust technology to businesses operating in difficult environments across the public and private sector. Crosscall currently supplies over 300,000 devices to customers including Leroy Merlin, Europe's leading home improvement retailer, SNCF, the French state-owned railway company and the French National Police. Sally Fuller at BT, said: "As the first operator in the UK to sell Crosscall's handsets, this partnership provides a unique opportunity for BT customers, allowing them to buy market-leading, rugged devices with extended warranties. Crosscall's impressive sustainability credentials also build upon our existing initiatives, which not only aim to reduce our own carbon emissions, but those of our customers and partners too." Matthew Burchell at Crosscall, said: "This collaboration with BT is a real opportunity for Crosscall to meet the needs of UK businesses and professionals looking for a more sustainable and durable alternative in telephony. Our ambition is to replicate the successes achieved in Europe and become a UK leader in enterprise technology." Crosscall will be present at the Emergency Tech Show on 18 and 19 September in Birmingham to meet key players in public and private security and present their innovative communications solutions. To know more about Crosscall : www.crosscall.com Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2505114/Crosscall.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2505115/Crosscall_Logo.jpg CONTACT: Pauline Chanut Pauline.chanut@crosscall.com The gift, made by longtime Hoag supporters in the Martin and Pickup families, will enable the development of a facility unlike any other in Orange County, providing inpatient and outpatient services for those living with alcohol and substance use disorders. NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Hoag announced a $25 million gift that will establish the CareMar Recovery Center, a new comprehensive addiction treatment powerhouse unlike any other in Orange County, on Hoag's campus. The facility will deliver wraparound services for people seeking recovery and families impacted by the related challenges. The gift was made by members of the Martin and Pickup families, Newport Beach philanthropists who have long supported Hoag in ways that shaped its services and programs. Carole Pickup, mother of Devon Martin and Todd Pickup, was the inspiration behind the contribution made by her family, honoring her decades of advocacy for substance use recovery resources across Orange County. Together, Carole Pickup, Devon Martin and her husband Kevin Martin, along with Todd Pickup and his wife Natalie Pickup, made the generous gift to create a new, multi-level facility on the south campus of Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, facing the Pacific Coast Highway. "It's been a longtime goal of our family to work with Hoag to create a facility that people know they can turn to with the resources to change their lives for the better," said Devon Martin, who also serves on the Hoag Hospital Foundation Board of Directors. "We see this gift as a first step toward making that a reality for everyone, no matter where they are in their recovery journey," she said. The family's gift will launch the development of the CareMar Recovery Center, and Hoag has committed financial support in addition to raising more funding to advance the project. "We are immensely grateful to the Martin and Pickup families for their continued investment in Hoag and elevating our community's health," said Caroline A. Pereira, MBA, president of the Hoag Hospital Foundation. "Their shared objective to help those impacted by substance use will result in a one-of-a-kind center that will serve many." Main features of this state-of-the-art center are the home-like residential quarters for residents, private consultation rooms, and indoor and outdoor communal spaces that promote wellness and collaboration. Expert staff, including physicians, therapists, drug and alcohol counselors, and other specialists, are envisioned to be part of the comprehensive team. Building a dedicated addiction treatment facility with a larger capacity has been a priority for Hoag, which has already been delivering recovery care and services to individuals in its existing clinical spaces. "We see a major need for it in Orange County, and our vision is a first-in-class facility that expands Hoag's ability to deliver our vital services for addiction support and care," said Robert Braithwaite, president and CEO of Hoag. "This gift will put our plans into action, and with addiction, moving fast is paramount to saving lives." Hoag physician leader Michael Brant-Zawadzki, MD, FACR, vice president of clinical research administration, CATALiST, and addiction services, will be instrumental in the development of this center and is closely familiar with the growing need. "Our society is being overwhelmed by these disorders," he said. "The 100,000 lives lost annually to overdose in the United States and the millions more ruined because of addiction's impacts are shocking. It demands that Hoag lead the way in addressing this crisis." Hoag physician Matthew Reed, MD, chief of inpatient pain and outpatient addiction services and medical director for residential addiction treatment, underscores the distinctiveness of the CareMar center's hospital-based program. "Being part of a hospital allows us to care for patients with addiction and co-existing medical conditions, which is often a barrier to treatment in other settings. This unique integration ensures we provide comprehensive care that addresses all aspects of a patient's health." Substance use and recovery is a passion area of the Martin and Pickup families. Bringing a center to Orange County with the ability to serve many people was a longstanding goal. Todd Pickup said: "The CareMar center at Hoag will fill a gap we have in our region for comprehensive care in all stages of treatment and recovery. Its location on a hospital campus will make sure that clinical safety and access to physicians and medical staff are always available. We are proud to make this investment for a next-level facility for all those in need." Major initiatives for this facility will center around increasing access to care and creating a robust roster of customized services. Part of the vision for this facility is to help alleviate financial obstacles to treatment by providing scholarships and other support to navigate care. Tailoring programs to each patient will set apart the CareMar center at Hoag, which emphasizes personalized patient-centered care across all areas. In addition to detox, clinical care, and treatment services, other offerings are planned, including those that serve family support systems, residents and outpatients, long-term success, group sessions, wellness activities, and focused tracks for women, people with trauma, and more. Carole Pickup, the CareMar center's namesake, has made it a personal mission to bring substance use services to people in need. "It's a blessing to be able to give to help others heal and live happier lives. It's been rewarding for me to dedicate so much of my life to raising awareness and resources for people living with the challenges of addiction," she said. "So many people need a safe place and compassionate experts around them to lift them up. I am grateful my family can join with Hoag to create this center for our community." ABOUT THE HOAG HOSPITAL FOUNDATION Thanks in large part to philanthropy, Hoag has become one of the nation's finest health care systems, serving a diverse and growing population. The Hoag Hospital Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Hoag, is an integral partner in Hoag's vision to become a trusted and nationally recognized health care leader. Through the generosity of Hoag's dedicated donors, the Hoag Hospital Foundation's Boldly Hoag campaign is supporting the expansion of Hoag, starting on the Irvine campus. Scheduled to be complete in 2026, the new Sun Family Campus will provide increased access to specialized services for cancer, digestive health, and women's health for communities throughout South Orange County. For more information, visit boldlyhoag.org or hoaghospitalfoundation.org. ABOUT HOAG Hoag is a nonprofit, regional health care delivery system in Orange County, California. Delivering world-class, comprehensive, personalized care, Hoag consists of 1,800 top physicians, 16 urgent care facilities, 11 health & wellness centers, and two award-winning hospitals. Hoag offers a comprehensive blend of health care services that includes seven institutes providing specialized services in the following areas: cancer, digestive health, heart and vascular, neurosciences, spine, women's health, and orthopedics through Hoag's affiliate, Hoag Orthopedic Institute, which consists of an orthopedic hospital and four ambulatory surgical centers. Hoag is the highest ranked hospital in Orange County by U.S. News & World Report and the only OC hospital ranked in the Top 10 in California, as well as a designated Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). For more information, visit hoag.org. SOURCE Hoag Hospital Foundation Photo: The Cabinet of the Ministers of Kyrgyzstan BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, September 16. Members of the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers have approved the development program for trade and logistics centers in the agro-industrial sector, Trend reports via the country's Cabinet of Ministers. "A resolution was passed approving the Development Program for Trade and Logistics Centers in the Agro-Industrial Sector of the Kyrgyz Republic for 2024-2028," the cabinet's statement said. The program is aimed at improving the export of domestic agricultural products and enhancing their competitiveness. To achieve this, trade and logistics centers will be established and developed, which will help farmers sell their products more effectively. The cabinet members also approved resolutions "On the establishment of a specialized fund under the state body for bankruptcy affairs", "On the approval of regulations for export control over controlled products in Kyrgyzstan" and "On the amendments to the government's decree on funds from budget institutions accumulated in special and deposit accounts within the unified treasury system". Additionally, decisions were made regarding the development of education quality. Furthermore, decisions were adopted on the transformation of certain land plots located in the Jalal-Abad, Talas, and Chuy regions from one category to another. The general concept of issues in the energy sector was also approved. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Eleven scholars will receive financial awards for research in competency-based evaluations, patient outcomes, diagnostic excellence, and diversity, equity, and inclusion as it relates to board certification. CHICAGO, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has selected eleven outstanding individuals to participate in its 2024-2025 Visiting Scholars Program. Established in 2014, the one-year, part-time program supports early-career physicians and researchers in scholarship and leadership development focusing on initial and continuing board certification. Each Visiting Scholar receives a $15,000 financial award. "We are pleased to support 11 ABMS Visiting Scholars this year," stated Greg Ogrinc, MD, MS, ABMS Senior Vice President, Certification Standards and Programs. "This new cohort of scholars will advance research and scholarship in high-priority areas for the certification community, including patient outcomes, diagnostic excellence, and diversity, equity, and inclusion." ABMS Visiting Scholars are selected based on the quality of their proposed research project, the relevance of their research to the ABMS mission and the certification community, and the possibility of making considerable progress on the research project during the scholar year. Program participants remain at their home institutions, collaborate with self-selected mentors, and participate in monthly virtual sessions with research project-in-progress updates to peers, mentors, subject matter experts, and ABMS Visiting Scholar alumni. The ABMS Visiting Scholars is a year-long program. This cohort will begin in October 2024 and their term will culminate at the ABMS Conference 2025, when they will present their research before a national audience. The 2024-2025 Visiting Scholars and their co-sponsoring organization are: American Board of Medical Specialties Research and Education Foundation (ABMSREF) A. Reema Kar , MD, FACS Rutgers /Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Project: The Development of Confidence in Surgery: Can Confidence Be Taught and Learned? /Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Joshua Sheak , MD, PhD Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Project: Representation of Indigenous Peoples in the Pediatrics and Pediatric Subspecialty Workforce The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Grant Shafer , MD, MA, FAAP Children's Hospital of Orange County/ University of California Irvine , School of Medicine (Pediatrics) Project: Determining the Frequency of Diagnostic Errors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Surrounding Transport Using the Safer Dx NICU Instrument Children's Hospital of Orange County/ , School of Medicine (Pediatrics) Abigail Winkel , MD, MHPE, FACOG New York University Grossman School of Medicine Project: Decision-Making on the Labor Floor: Assessment of Obstetrician-Gynecologists' Expertise Amidst Uncertainty American Board of Dermatology Vinod Nambudiri , MD, MBA, MPH, EdM Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Project: Exploring Quantitative Outcomes of Specialized Joint Training and Research Training Tracks in Dermatology American Board of Emergency Medicine The J. David Barry , M.D. Visiting Scholar is David Yang , MD, MHS Yale School of Medicine Project: Anti-Asian Racial Discrimination and Burnout in Asian American Emergency Resident Physicians American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology R. Nicholas Burns , MD, FACOG University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Project: Evaluating the Relationship of ABOG Certification with Early Career Patient Outcomes in Obstetrics and Gynecology American Board of Ophthalmology Julius Oatts , MD University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine Project: The Step I Pass/Fail Era: Are Step 2 Scores and Sociodemographic Characteristics Related to OKAP and Board Certification Examination Performance? American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Daniel London , MD, MS University of Missouri Health Care Project: Standardizing Orthopedic Competency Evaluation: Determining the Inter- and Intra-Rater Agreement and Reliability of Orthopaedic Surgery Evaluators American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Allison Wallingford , MD University of Washington Medicine Project: Use of Biased Language in the Medical Record to Describe Patients after Traumatic Brain Injury American Board of Urology Hailey Silverii , MD Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Project: Development, Validation, and Impact of the Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty Skills Assessment Rubric (PySAR) About ABMS Established in 1933, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is responsible for the creation of standards overseeing physician certification in the United States. Dedicated to improving the quality of care to the patients, families, and communities they serve, the 24 ABMS Member Boards develop educational and professional standards and programs of assessment to certify physicians and medical specialists. More than 985,000 physicians and medical specialists are certified by one or more of the ABMS Member Boards in one or more of 40 specialties and 89 subspecialties. For more information about ABMS, visit abms.org or call (312) 436-2600. SOURCE American Board of Medical Specialties The UAE BioTech Symposium will attract U.S. and international BioTech owners and executives new to exploring opportunities in the UAE market Secondcell Bio CEO Dr. Kambiz Shekdar will serve as symposium Chairman will serve as symposium Chairman The UAE BioTech Symposium will be hosted in partnership with AmCham Abu Dhabi's BioTech Committee and Masdar City ABU DHABI, UAE, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The UAE's leadership is heavily investing in its knowledge-based economy where expanding the BioTech sector is a top priority. The newly formed UAE BioTech Symposium will provide a forum for U.S. and international BioTech owners and executives exploring opportunities in the rapidly growing BioTech sector in Abu Dhabi and throughout the Middle East. Event registration will go live on AmCham Abu Dhabi's website this week. To learn more, go to the UAE BioTech Symposium page on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/uae-biotech-symposium/. Masdar City will host all quarterly editions of the UAE BioTech Symposium in partnership with AmCham Abu Dhabi's BioTech Committee and Masdar City, following a format for industry leaders pioneered at the Competitiveness Talks Series at IRENA at Masdar City in February, 29, 2024, pictured below. Photo credit: Masdar City. The symposium will be hosted in partnership with AmCham Abu Dhabi's BioTech Committee and Masdar City, taking place on November 6-8, 2024 at Masdar City, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, UAE, including roadshow destinations throughout the Arab Gulf States of the GCC to follow, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait. "I'm so happy to welcome my U.S. BioTech colleagues," says Secondcell Bio CEO, AmCham Abu Dhabi BioTech Committee Founding Chairman and UAE BioTech Symposium Chairman Dr. Kambiz Shekdar PhD, "At least 40 known to me plan to make their first trip to seriously explore business opportunities to witness firsthand what has captured my imagination. Welcome, colleagues, Marhaba!" Shekdar is the first U.S. BioTech inventor who has transitioned to the UAE. His journey started 2.5 years ago with his first trip to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Shekdar recently moved to Abu Dhabi, upon being issued the prestigious United Arab Emirates Golden Visa under the Inventor category, becoming the first BioTech inventor to receive this coveted visa status. Secondcell Bio joined AmCham Abu Dhabi as the first BioTech corporate member in recognition of its support to help accelerate the emerging BioTech sector in the UAE. Recognizing that BioTech was a high priority for the UAE government, AmCham Abu Dhabi CEO Liz Beneski advocated for the creation of the AmCham Abu Dhabi BioTech Committee, where Shekdar serves as Founding Chairman. The mission of the BioTech Committee is to establish a BioTech sector in Abu Dhabi with a focus on promoting opportunities for U.S. BioTech companies in Abu Dhabi and throughout the Middle East, bringing together government, investor, corporate and academic stakeholders. As Founding Chairman of the BioTech Committee, recruiting additional U.S. BioTech companies to join was a priority task, where Shekdar has recruited five U.S. BioTech members and counting. All members of the BioTech Committee will be sharing their announcements at the event. UAE BioTech Symposium is anticipated to attract approximately 150 qualified attendees interested in exploring opportunities in the UAE by offering a forum to foster collaboration, innovation, growth and catalyze progress within the BioTech sector among entrepreneurs, researchers, governmental representatives and strategic investors. Attendees of the symposium will have the opportunity to hear from an esteemed group of internationally recognized speakers and government representatives, including Her Excellency Dr. Maryam Matar, Founder and Chairperson of UAE Genetic Diseases Association, who will share her expertise on "Rare Disease and Precision Medicine." Tanya Cole, Regional Senior Commercial Officer for GCC and Commercial Counselor for UAE at the United States Embassy in the UAE, who will present on "BioTech is the Future" at the opening reception. Dr. Patricia Morris, MS, PhD, former President of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), an organization representing over 150,000 American experimental scientists through its member organizations, and Secondcell Bio Senior Scientific Health Policy Advisor, will discuss "BioTech Sector Growth in the United States of America." Director of the Columbia University Center for Human Longevity, Columbia University Medical Center Southworth Professor and Chairman Emeritus of Medicine and Secondcell Bio Chief Medical Advisor, Dr. Donald Landry, MD, PhD, will present on the topic of "Longevity" as part of a panel focused on "The Emirati Genome and Future of Medicine in the UAE." Also participating in this panel is John Rockefeller, JD, MPH, DrPH, Director of Research Foundation for Cure Initiatives and former board member of the Clinton Health Access Initiative, who will address "Medicine for the World" to make medicines available for all those in need worldwide by working with groups like Emirates Red Crescent. Ten members of the Secondcell Bio's team and advisors, including Dr. Particia Morris, MS, PhD, Dr. Donald Landry, MD, PhD, and Mr. John Rockefeller, JD, MPH, DrPH, will be accompanying Dr. Shekdar on the occasion of the UAE BioTech Symposium for additional meetings with UAE stakeholders regarding the creation of "Emiraticell Bio," a national level BioTech joint venture company with UAE partners to discover and commercialize "Made-in-Abu-Dhabi BioTech IP." Following seven trips to the UAE spending four months in the country in 2022 and 2023, Shekdar became convinced the UAE was the right place to scale up his technology. "It is the combination of innovations like ours plus the leadership, vision and scale of implementation as I've seen mastered only in the UAE that gives our partnership the potential to leap-frog the global industry," says Shekdar. We invite members of the press to learn more. Private one-on-one briefings are available for scheduling as follows: 1) Members of UAE and GCC press: 10am to 8pm, Monday September 16, 2024, 10am to 8pm, Monday September 23, 2024 and 10am to 8pm, Monday October 7, 2024, GCC Time Zone 2) Business & technology press: 7am to 5pm, Tuesday October 8, 2024, EST Time Zone 3) All members of the press: 10am to 10pm, Wednesday October 9, 2024, GCC Time Zone To schedule a private one-on-one press briefing, please contact Fabienne Duchini at [email protected]. At a closed-door press briefing, Shekdar will share his personal experience navigating business opportunities in the UAE, adapting to the culture and his impression of the opportunities and challenges for others considering the move. We encourage members of the media including business press, U.S. and local outlets to join for a firsthand account of his experience pioneering a new sector of the knowledge based economy in the most mature market in the Arab Gulf States. Additional information on Dr. Shekdar's journey as the first U.S. BioTech inventor transitioning to the UAE is available via his editorial commentary in his column in Manhattan's community print newspaper WestView News and in his video series on YouTube series: Dr. Shekdar's "From Oil to Medicine" in WestView News: https://westviewnews.org/2023/01/17/from-oil-to-medicine/westview-news/ Dr. Shekdar's "From Oil to Medicine: China Gains" in WestView News: https://westviewnews.org/2023/02/23/from-oil-to-medicine-china-gains/westview-news/ Dr. Shekdar's "From Oil to Medicine" video series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYkGNvFnSipvs1nbcV2nJBpAZdTv3JGry About UAE BioTech Symposium UAE BioTech Symposium in partnership with the AmCham Abu Dhabi BioTech Committee and Masdar City will host quarterly panel discussions and lab tours in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and roadshow destinations throughout the GCC and Middle East. The events are free with attendance limited to prioritize U.S. and international BioTech owners and executives. Program details will be posted online in Arabic and in English as registration for each event goes live via the AmCham Abu Dhabi website. Arabic site for scientific program: http://www.uaebiotechsymposium.ae English site for scientific program: https://www.uaebiotechsymposium.com About UAE BioTech Symposium Chairman Dr. Kambiz Shekdar, PhD From invention at The Rockefeller University to IPO at New York Stock Exchange to scale-up drug discovery for jointly owned Made-in-Abu-Dhabi IP in the U.A.E., Dr. Kambiz Shekdar is the first U.S. Biotech Abu Dhabi Golden Visa Inventor transitioning to the U.A.E. Dr. Shekdar, PhD invented Chromovert Technology while he was a graduate doctoral student in the laboratory of his mentor, the late Nobel laureate & King Faisal Prize winner Dr. Gunter Blobel, MD, PhD. at The Rockefeller University in New York City. For more than 20 years, Dr. Shekdar has been pursuing applications of the same platform technology, now including pursuing the creation of a joint venture with Emirati stakeholders to implement the by-now validated research engine as part of a national-level public-private partnership for drug discovery at scale in the U.A.E. Dr. Shekdar is also a member of the Abu Dhabi, UAE chapter of American Chambers of Commerce where he is Founding Chairman of the AmCham Abu Dhabi BioTech Committee. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kambiz-shekdar-51a52a34/ About AmCham BioTech Committee The AmCham BioTech Committee was formed to establish a BioTech sector in Abu Dhabi with a focus on promoting opportunities for U.S. BioTech companies with a vision to be a thought leader and facilitator for U.S. corporate interests in the emerging BioTech sector in Abu Dhabi and throughout the Middle East. Since its founding, the BioTech committee has seen a notable uptick in interest from U.S.-based companies seeking to broaden their service offerings within the region. AmCham BioTech Committee founding members include Seconcell Bio, Intelligenix Advanced Diagnostics, Extend Biosciences, Halia Therapeutics and Jones Lang LaSalle Inc (JLL). https://amchamabudhabi.org/biotech/ About AmCham Abu Dhabi BioTech Committee Founding Chair Secondcell Bio Secondcell Bio is building public-private partnerships worldwide to scale-up the demonstrated and largely automated platform biotechnology originating from The Rockefeller University. The company was formed by Dr. Kambiz Shekdar, PhD, inventor of Chromovert Technology. Secondcell Bio owns Chromovert Technology. https://www.secondcellbio.com Biological science deals with the human cell. Cells that exactly mimic human disease are fundamental for discovery of new drugs. However, in a sea of cells engineered to model disease, only a tiny number are suitable. Detecting and isolating the optimal cells is extraordinarily difficult. Chromovert facilitates the detection and purification of even exceedingly rare, desired cells. Applicable to any gene and any cell, the platform technology opens new applications in flavors and drug discovery, biologics manufacturing, cell and stem cell therapies, and crop engineering. The scientific publication of the technology is available at this link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10529-021-03101-5 SOURCE Secondcell Bio, LLC; UAE BioTech Symposium LONGSTANDING PARTNERSHIP WITH NATIONAL VOLUNTEER FIRE COUNCIL BUILDS ON BREWER'S 100+ YEAR HISTORY OF SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES HIT BY NATURAL DISASTERS ST. LOUIS, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- For the sixth consecutive year, Anheuser-Busch and its wholesaler partners are teaming up with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) to deliver emergency drinking water to volunteer fire departments across the country, including nearly 66,000 cans to 28 fire departments across the brewer's home state. The continued partnership builds on Anheuser-Busch's longstanding history of showing up for its communities and demonstrates its deep appreciation for the first responders who help to keep them safe. Anheuser-Busch and Great River Distributing Company deliver emergency drinking water to Bakersfield Volunteer Fire Department in Bakersfield, Missouri. Across the country, 65 percent of firefighters typically the first line of defense in local emergencies are volunteers, often with limited department budgets for critical supplies. Anheuser-Busch's water donations allow these departments to free up limited resources for other expenses or equipment needed to keep their force prepared to respond to any emergency or disaster. Produced and canned by Anheuser-Busch breweries, more than 1.5 million cans of emergency drinking water are being distributed to over 630 volunteer fire departments across 44 states throughout the summer as part of the brewer's larger effort to promote disaster preparedness nationwide. "Our continued partnership with the NVFC and volunteer firefighters across the country embodies the rich heritage of Anheuser-Busch and our commitment and long-standing track record of supporting our communities when they need us most - because that's who we are," said Cesar Vargas, Chief External Affairs Officer at Anheuser-Busch. "Along with our wholesaler partners, Anheuser-Busch is honored to leverage our production, packaging and logistics capabilities to assist the firefighters who lead with courage to protect us every time they're called upon." In Missouri, the donations of emergency drinking water will be made to 28 volunteer fire departments including Bakersfield Volunteer Fire Department, Eastern Randolph County Fire Protection District, Sedgewickville Fire Protection District, Pierce City Fire Protection District, and more. "We are honored to work with Anheuser-Busch to bring emergency drinking water to volunteer firefighters as they fight to keep our communities safe" said Paul Beykrich, Owner of County Distributing Co. "Their sacrifice is admirable, and we are grateful to do our part in delivering the necessary resources so they can be prepared when disaster strikes." Anheuser-Busch has been providing support for disaster relief efforts dating back to 1906, in partnership with the American Red Cross. With an increased focus on disaster preparedness, the brewer started its partnership with the NVFC in 2019 and, together with its wholesaler partners, has delivered nearly 9 million cans of clean, safe drinking water to more than 2,000 volunteer fire departments across 49 states. "We're excited to continue our long-standing partnership with Anheuser-Busch to support local VFDs across the nation with emergency drinking water," said NVFC Chair Steve Hirsch. "This vital resource assures that firefighters are able to safely protect themselves and our towns year-round." Anheuser-Busch's breweries in Cartersville, Georgia and Fort Collins, Colorado periodically pause beer production each year to can clean, safe emergency drinking water to support disaster relief efforts. Since 1988, Anheuser-Busch has donated more than 93 million cans of clean drinking water to U.S. communities affected by natural disasters and other crises. Learn more about the Emergency Drinking Water for Wildland Firefighters Program at www.nvfc.org/water . ABOUT ANHEUSER-BUSCH At Anheuser-Busch, our purpose is to create a future with more cheers. We are committed to earning our place in the moments that matter to our consumers and making a meaningful impact in our communities across the country. For more than 165 years, Anheuser-Busch has carried on a legacy of brewing great-tasting, high-quality beers that have satisfied beer drinkers for generations. Today, we own and operate more than 120 facilities, including breweries, wholesaler distribution centers, agricultural facilities, and packaging plants, and have a dedicated network of more than 65,000 hardworking Americans across the United States who bring our beer to life. We are home to several of America's most iconic beer and beyond beer brands, including Michelob ULTRA, Cutwater Spirits, Stella Artois, Budweiser, and Bud Light as well as regional brands that provide beer drinkers with a choice of the best-tasting craft beers in the industry. From our industry-leading efforts to support American farmers and our nation's military, veterans, and first responders to emergency drinking water donations and responsible drinking programs, we are guided by our unwavering commitment to supporting the communities we call home that's who we are. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or follow Anheuser-Busch on LinkedIn , X , Facebook , and Instagram . ABOUT THE NATIONAL VOLUNTEER FIRE COUNCIL The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is the leading nonprofit membership association representing the interests of the volunteer fire, emergency medical, and rescue services. The NVFC serves as the voice of the volunteer in the national arena and provides critical advocacy, resources, programs, and education for first responders across the nation. Learn more at www.nvfc.org. SOURCE Anheuser-Busch JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In compliance with the JSE Limited Listings Requirements and the JSE Debt Listings Requirements, shareholders and noteholders are advised of the following changes to the Sasol Limited Board: Chairman of the Board Ms Muriel Dube has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Sasol Limited, with effect from 13 September 2024. Muriel joined the Sasol Limited Board as an independent non-executive director in 2018. She holds an MSc degree in Environmental Change and Management from Oxford University and degrees in BA Human Sciences and BA Honours Politics. She has an extensive background in sustainability-, commercial-, finance- and leadership roles. She previously served as the Chief Negotiator for the Government of South Africa in climate change negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and as Director of Atmospheric Protection and Chemicals Management at the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. Subsequently, she was the Group Commercial Director at Bidvest Group, Investment Banker at Investec plc and Chief Executive of Nozala Investments. Currently she is a non-executive director at the UK Infrastructure Bank. Her past non-executive director roles include Control Risks UK, Apogee Sustainability, Vodacom South Africa, Bidvest Group Limited, PG Group, Bravo Brands, Fluormin plc and Enviroserv. The Sasol Limited Board is pleased to pass the reins of Chairman to someone of Muriel's calibre and is confident she will provide the necessary direction and leadership as the Company intensifies its focus on progressing a sustainable future business. Lead Independent Director Following the appointment of Ms Muriel Dube, who was the former Lead Independent Director, the Sasol Limited Board has appointed Dr Martina Floel as Lead Independent Director with effect from 13 September 2024. Changes to the Sasol Limited Board Committees Due to Ms Muriel Dube's appointment as Chairman of the Board, she will step down as Chairman of the Safety, Social and Ethics Committee and member of the Audit Committee and Capital Investment Committee. Consequently, the Board appointed Mr David Eyton, an independent non-executive director, as Chairman of the Safety, Social and Ethics Committee and member of the Audit Committee and Nomination and Governance Committee. Due to these appointments, David will step down as member of the Remuneration Committee with effect from 14 September 2024. Ms Katherine Harper, an independent non-executive director, has been appointed as member of the Remuneration Committee with effect from 14 September 2024. Ms Muriel Dube, Chairman of the Board, said: "The Board's depth, expertise and experience will continue to benefit Sasol as we progress into the future. I look forward to continuing on this journey with my fellow directors." For further information, please contact: Sasol Investor Relations, Tiffany Sydow, VP Investor Relations Telephone: +27 (0) 71 673 1929 [email protected] SOURCE Sasol Limited NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BlockBuzz to Stream Exclusive Masterclass Live from Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on GOT ONE TV Network, Available on Apple TV! BlockBuzz Masterclass BlockBuzz is thrilled to announce that its upcoming Masterclass, hosted at the iconic Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, will be available for streaming on the Apple TV platform. Scheduled for September 19th, this extraordinary event will bring together some of the brightest minds to share their expertise on impactful topics, including diplomacy, sustainability, self-growth, goal setting, wealth creation, branding, the metaverse, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and more. "We're excited that millions of viewers will have access to this event through GOT ONE TV's network, available on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Roku TV," said BlockBuzz founder Dustin Plantholt. "Mark Kohler's participation as co-host is a tremendous asset, bringing immense value to everyone involved as a foremost authority in his field." This invitation-only event will feature presentations from prominent figures both nationally and internationally. Among them are Queen Diambi Kabatusuila Tshiyoyo Muata, Monarch of the Bakwa Luntu People in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ambassador Ed McMullen; Chief Izzy Zephier of the Lakota Sioux; H.E. Senior Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie; Ashkan Karbasfrooshan, Founder of WatchMojo; Dr. David Bellar, Dean at the University of West Florida; Irene Vantaraki, Founder of Davos Lodge at the World Economic Forum; Jessica Word, CEO of Word & Brown; Jeff Hoffman; Joe Vezzani, Founder of LunarCrush; Keith Dorsey, Managing Director of Boyden; Andre "Dre" Lyon, 4x Grammy Winner; LyNea Bell, Founder of GOT ONE TV; Austin Ambrozi, Co-Founder of Doxci; Steven Foster, Founder of One Golden Nugget; Kirk Huntsman, CEO of Vivos; Connor Whelton, Founder of ReLeaf Shop; Firas Safieddine, Founder of Spatial Forces; Roberto de Arquer, Co-Founder of Gamium; Dr. Mart McClellan, President of Macro Wealth Management; and Robert Grant, Founder of Crown Sterling. "I'm delighted to co-host the Masterclass, which promises to be a dynamic exchange of ideas between visionaries, innovators, and some of the most influential thought leaders of our time," said Mark Kohler, Founder of Main Street Professional. "Great leaders are supported by outstanding advisors, and access to this caliber of expertise is a privilege." The event will include presentations from 26 renowned leaders in their fields, a special VIP evening show provided by the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, and a keynote address by Astronaut Dr. Dave Williams. The evening will conclude with dinner and an award ceremony. The BlockBuzz Masterclass will be available on GOT ONE TV, accessible across platforms including Apple TV, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and mobile devices. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from the besttune in to GOT ONE TV on September 19th. For Media Inquiries: Terri Kayden, Krupp Agency [email protected] 845-709-0711 SOURCE Mark Kohler Company Sets Goal to Raise $60,000 for AGH Foundation supporting Burbage Regional Cancer Care Center, The Magic Yarn Project, and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. OCEAN CITY, Md., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Water Development proudly announces the launch of its second annual "Blue Turns Pink" campaign in recognition of October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year, the outdoor hospitality company has set an ambitious goal to raise $60,000 across all properties, with proceeds benefiting the Atlantic General Hospital (AGH) Foundation supporting the Burbage Regional Cancer Care Center, The Magic Yarn Project, and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Employees at Blue Water headquarters supporting their Blue Turns Pink campaign with pink campaign shirts. (PRNewsfoto/Blue Water) Beginning September 27th, Blue Water properties will come together in support of cancer patients, survivors, and their families through these "Blue Turns Pink" initiatives. The campaign is designed not only to raise funds for ongoing research and care but also to heighten awareness through a series of impactful activities: Pink Merchandise: Guests at Blue Water campgrounds can purchase pink t-shirts and other limited-edition merchandise, with all proceeds benefiting breast cancer research and supporting organizations. Guests at Blue Water campgrounds can purchase pink t-shirts and other limited-edition merchandise, with all proceeds benefiting breast cancer research and supporting organizations. Camping Away Cancer: At select Blue Water properties, General Managers will be camping out for a night to raise money for cancer research! Guests can donate to upgrade the managers' camping experience via sleeping bags or an air mattress, with the funds going directly to the Burbage Regional Cancer Care Center. At select Blue Water properties, General Managers will be camping out for a night to raise money for cancer research! Guests can donate to upgrade the managers' camping experience via sleeping bags or an air mattress, with the funds going directly to the Burbage Regional Cancer Care Center. Blue Wears Pink Day: Every Friday, starting September 27th , Blue Water team members across each of their properties will wear pink and capture the spirit of the day by sharing photos on social media. This visual show of support will spread a powerful message of hope and continue to raise awareness. Every Friday, starting , Blue Water team members across each of their properties will wear pink and capture the spirit of the day by sharing photos on social media. This visual show of support will spread a powerful message of hope and continue to raise awareness. Fundraising Initiatives: Properties will host pink-themed 5K runs, bake sales, and other interactive events, with all proceeds supporting the campaign. Additionally, Blue Water's booking websites will feature a dedicated donation option, allowing guests to contribute to the cause regardless of their travel date. Properties will host pink-themed runs, bake sales, and other interactive events, with all proceeds supporting the campaign. Additionally, Blue Water's booking websites will feature a dedicated donation option, allowing guests to contribute to the cause regardless of their travel date. Community Engagement: Blue Water encourages guests and team members to share their stories and messages of support on social media using the hashtag #BlueTurnsPink, helping to educate and inspire their online community. "As a company, we understand that cancer affects everyoneour guests, employees, vendors, and their families," said Todd Burbage, CEO of Blue Water Development. "Supporting causes like breast cancer awareness is not just a campaign; it's a reflection of our commitment to making a meaningful impact on the lives of those connected to Blue Water. By coming together, we aim to bring hope, support, and critical resources to those who need it most." The AGH Foundation supports the Atlantic General Hospital in providing top-tier healthcare services to the local community, including breast cancer screenings and treatment. The Magic Yarn Project creates soft, handmade yarn wigs for children battling cancer, bringing joy and comfort during their fight. The Breast Cancer Research Center is dedicated to funding innovative research that aims to find a cure and improve the lives of those affected by breast cancer. The Burbage Regional Care Center provides the most advanced treatments for patients diagnosed with cancer. To learn more about the "Blue Turns Pink" campaign and how you can contribute, please visit: https://bwdc.com/blue-turns-pink/. About Blue Water Development: Founded in 2002, Blue Water Development specializes in investing, developing, and managing RV resorts, campgrounds, hotels, marinas, and attractions. Blue Water's integrated approach to marketing, revenue management, and operations has quickly established itself as a hospitality industry leader. With dozens of resort-area properties in East Coast states from Maine to Florida, and new additions across the U.S. including Colorado, Utah, Louisiana, and Texas, the Blue Water family is committed to creating elite assets, delivering exceptional guest experiences, and enhancing the communities we serve. To learn more, visit BWDC.com. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-water-development-corp/ | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlueWaterDev/ Tim Wright [email protected] SOURCE Blue Water OSLO, Norway, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BlueNord ASA (the "Company") has today held an extraordinary general meeting ("EGM") as a digital meeting through the solution Lumi AGM. All items on the agenda were resolved in accordance with the proposals. Following this, the Board of Directors of the Company consists of: - Glen Ole Rdland (chair) - Robert J. McGuire (board member) - Marianne Lie (board member) - Tone Kristin Omsted (board member) - Peter Coleman (board member) - Kristin Frvik (board member) - Joao Saraiva e Silva (board member) Minutes from the EGM are attached to this notice and will be made available on the Company's website: www.bluenord.com. This information is subject to disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. Contact: Cathrine Torgersen, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Phone: +47 915 28 501 Email: [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/bluenord-asa/r/bluenord-asa---minutes-from-extraordinary-general-meeting,c4037939 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/4225/4037939/3002322.pdf BlueNord ASA - EGM Minutes 160924 Meta release delivers a consistent set of 25 quality APIs, to fuel innovation and downstream adoption, that have been vetted and tested through rigorous release management processes Released APIs include popular functions such as SIM Swap, Number Verification, Edge Discovery,and Quality on Demand, among others 396 companies and 1100+ contributors dedicated to collaboratively define interfaces providing customers with access to telecom industry network capabilities VIENNA, Austria, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Open Source Summit Europe -- The Linux Foundation 's CAMARA project, an open source community addressing telco industry API interoperability, today announced the availability of its first official release, CAMARA "Meta-Release Fall24." The release contains 25 APIs across 13 sub projects that have been vetted for quality, consistency, and stability through rigorous release management processes. The Telco Global API Alliance Initiated in 2021 by a small number of telco operators, vendors and hyperscalers, CAMARA officially launched in February 2022 with 22 initial partners and graduated to a funded model in September 2023, with 250 participating organizations and over 750 contributors. Since then, the project has grown to 1100+ contributors and 396 organizations, along with more 26+ API families and sub-projects, and growing. "CAMARA's rapid growth is testament to the need for telco network APIs to become more open, more accessible and easier to monetize," said Arpit Joshipura, General Manager, Networking, Edge and IoT, at the Linux Foundation. "The community's first official, milestone release further enables active, open collaboration in the development and availability of more connected solutions. We encourage operators, cloud providers, application developers, hyperscalers, and aggregators, and technology vendors to partner with CAMARA in making these solutions even more accessible." The Meta-Release consists of 13 sub-projects which bring 25 APIs to the ecosystem. The APIs included in the release represent a consistent set of aligned, quality APIs that have met rigorous release management and design guidelines. The Meta-Release represents a foundation for CAMARA APIs moving forward in development, also for APIs in production; the community has committed to delivering twice-yearly updates to vetted APIs so network operators can plan the deployment in their networks. API users can be confident to get the latest and most stable versions from their network operators and API providers. The Meta-Release is also coming with a Security and Interoperability Profile based on OAuth 2.0 and OpenID standards, ensuring the secure, privacy-friendly and seamless access for developers to network information and capabilities. These, the guidelines and the API definitions and documentation can all be found on https://github.com/camaraproject APIs included in the Meta release: Stable APIs with v1.0.0 versions (previous API versions have been implemented by network operators): Location Verification, Number Verification, One-time Password SMS, Simple Edge Discovery, and SIM Swap Location Verification, Number Verification, One-time Password SMS, Simple Edge Discovery, and SIM Swap Further APIs which have been previously implemented by network operators, with updated versions: Carrier Billing, Device Reachability Status, Device Roaming Status, Home Devices QoD, KYC Fill-In, KYC Match, Location Retrieval, Quality-on-Demand (with qos-profiles) Initial versions of new APIs, ready to be implemented by network operators: Call Forwarding Signal, Carrier bBilling Refund, Connectivity Insights (with application profiles), Population Density Data, QoD Provisioning Call Forwarding Signal, Carrier bBilling Refund, Connectivity Insights (with application profiles), Population Density Data, QoD Provisioning New APIs to subscribe for event notifications in CloudEvents format: Connectivity Insights Subscriptions, Device Reachability Status Subscriptions, Device Roaming Status Subscriptions, Geofencing Subscriptions, SIM Swap Subscriptions "I am incredibly proud of the entire CAMARA ecosystemfrom developers to members and partnersfor achieving our community's first Meta Release," said Nathan Rader, Board Chair of CAMARA and VP, Service and Capability Exposure at Deutsche Telekom. "This milestone is a significant step forward in our mission to enable seamless access to telecom network capabilities through open APIs. The global support we've received underscores the industry's focus on / commitment to simplifying API availability across telecom networks and countries." CAMARA offers new opportunities for collaboration between network operators, marketplaces, aggregators and API customers. CAMARA is pleased to be selected as the Network API specification location for the recently-announced venture amongst leading global telecoms. A critical success factor is also the established alignment with GSMA Open Gateway and TMForum about forming an open, global, accessible API ecosystem. The benefit for customers and developers comes in the form of consistent and user-friendly access to network capabilities, thus enabling developers to seamlessly deploy applications to run consistently across telco networks and countries. This prevents fragmentation and empowers faster, more versatile advancement of global application portability and broad industry adoption of new features and capabilities. In addition to its broad portfolio of participating organizations, the CAMARA fund is composed of 10 Premium sponsors (including Accenture, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Microsoft, Nokia, Orange, Telefonica, Verizon, Vodafone, T-Mobile), 7 General sponsors (including AlphaZero, CableLabs, Centillion, Charter Communications, INVIA, Scenera, Shabodi), and one Associate sponsor (OpenID Foundation). Meet CAMARA at Open Source Summit EU - Join today The CAMARA community will host a booth onsite at Open Source Summit EU , 16-19 September, where attendees can learn more about the community and how to get involved in the open telco API ecosystem. Operators, vendors, hyperscalers , aggregators, enterprises, and developers are encouraged to stop by and learn more about the benefits of open APIs. CAMARA project invites all interested parties to help build the best APIs for all telecom customers by joining as a Premium sponsor, General sponsor, associating organization, participating organization, or individual. More details on the project, as well as how to join, are available at https://camaraproject.org/ . Community Support "The CAMARA Meta-Release solidifies a new era where developers and companies no longer have to guess what's inside the networkthe network now talks back. By connecting historically siloed industries, we unlock unprecedented insights and capabilities, driving innovation and enhancing products across business sectors. This foundational shift empowers developers and businesses to create transformative solutions and generate value throughout network ecosystems. At Centillion.ai, we are profoundly grateful to the engineers and trade organizations (GSMA and Linux Foundation) that made this remarkable achievement possible," said Nick "Data Nick" Venezia, founder, Centillion.Ai. "The CAMARA Meta-Release is not only a remarkable milestone for the telco industry, but a testament to the significance of establishing common standards to unlock innovation," said Bob Everson, Sr. Director, Mobile Architecture and Ecosystem, Cisco. "Cisco works with service provider partners to enable API capabilities which empower customers and developers in our ecosystem. The CAMARA initiative is a major step towards delivering new and innovative capabilities at a global scale." "Ericsson (including Vonage) are committed to making CAMARA successful, and we are key contributors to the upcoming CAMARA-Meta Release. This release brings the first set of stable APIs to the market, in parallel to new and updated beta-level APIs for market validation. Together with our customers, partners and the CAMRA community, we are excited about the continuing journey of unleashing the innovation potential of open Network APIs enabling the digital transformation of society," said Per Beming, Chief Standardization Officer, Ericsson. "We've come a long way in just a few years, with leading technology firms and telecoms operators representing more than two-thirds of the world's mobile connections now supporting this approach to open, universal network APIs through CAMARA, GSMA Open Gateway and TM Forum," said Henry Calvert, Head of Networks at GSMA. "This new API release by CAMARA marks a major landmark in our collective goal of helping developers and the industry design and launch new services, utilising the rich functionality mobile networks can unleash." "Consistency and simplicity of APIs are the foundation of network innovation. Through the creation and adoption of CAMARA standards, and new cross-industry partnerships, Vodafone will make new network APIs more accessible, cheaper to implement and easier to scale for customers and third-party companies. The power of our 5G network, coupled with CAMARA's first full release, are the drivers of growth." "At Telefonica, we are committed to advancing the digital transformation of networks through our participation in the CAMARA project. The standardization of essential APIs, including Number Verification, Device Location, and SIM Swap, represents a major breakthrough for anti- fraud solutions. Moreover, the availability of APIs like Population Density Data opens the door to innovative new use cases, which we are excited to explore in close collaboration with our customers," said David del Val, Global Director of Telefonica Open Gateway. About the Linux Foundation The Linux Foundation is the world's leading home for collaboration on open source software, hardware, standards, and data. Linux Foundation projects are critical to the world's infrastructure, including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, ONAP, OpenChain, OpenSSF, PyTorch, RISC-V, SPDX, Zephyr, and more. The Linux Foundation focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users, and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see its trademark usage page: www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage . Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Media Contact Jill Lovato The Linux Foundation [email protected] SOURCE CAMARA Project Passionate Leader Richard Huffman at the Helm of Unified Platform Company Six Operating Brands Leading the Way in Early Childhood Education, Social Development, Real Estate, and Philanthropy Combined, These Brands Have over 150 Locations Across 19 States, Open or in Various Stages of Development BALTIMORE, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- With more than 30-years of experience leading Celebree School to its profound success, passionate leader Richard Huffman proudly announces the launch of Huffman Family Brands (HFB), a unified umbrella company committed to a shared vision of social development, innovation, and empowerment. Whether opening a preschool, establishing enrichment programs, or supporting educational institutions, Huffman Family Brands guides individuals and families to professional and personal success. "We're a company comprised of powerful, beloved brands that truly make a difference." Post this With more than 30-years of experience leading Celebree School to its profound success, passionate leader Richard Huffman proudly announces the launch of Huffman Family Brands (HFB), a unified umbrella company committed to a shared vision of social development, innovation, and empowerment. Huffman Family Brands Huffman Family Brands is the natural extension of Huffman's decades in business planning, franchise development, entrepreneurship, and team building. His leadership journey began in 1994 when he opened his first Celebree School and launched a company that has now impacted thousands of children's lives across the country. The brand's success then led to the creation of Caliday, a before and after school program that focuses on the whole child by creating safe and trusted spaces. From there, Huffman's vision and constant pursuit of self-improvement led to the current portfolio of brands each one acting as a foundation for communities seeking steadfast support and innovative solutions. Overview of Portfolio of Brands: Richard Huffman , a business platform providing entrepreneurs leadership and management skills to grow their own businesses. Huffman offers methods to reach financial and professional prowess. , a business platform providing entrepreneurs leadership and management skills to grow their own businesses. Huffman offers methods to reach financial and professional prowess. Celebree School, a leader in early childhood education that provides infant and toddler care, preschool, before and aftercare, and summer camp programs. Today, the brand boasts 52 schools open and 73 franchisees who have been awarded over 160 sites. With a presence in 19 states, Celebree School proudly enrolls more than 7,200 children on a weekly basis. a leader in early childhood education that provides infant and toddler care, preschool, before and aftercare, and summer camp programs. Today, the brand boasts 52 schools open and 73 franchisees who have been awarded over 160 sites. With a presence in 19 states, Celebree School proudly enrolls more than 7,200 children on a weekly basis. Caliday School Age Programs is a non-profit organization partnering with Maryland elementary schools that seeks to promote academic achievement by extending learning outside of the classroom to inspire children in new, fun, and engaging experiences so they can explore and pursue their passions. is a non-profit organization partnering with elementary schools that seeks to promote academic achievement by extending learning outside of the classroom to inspire children in new, fun, and engaging experiences so they can explore and pursue their passions. Celebree Enterprise provides entrepreneurs a way to open and run their own Celebree School franchise locations with Celebree's proven business model and unprecedented corporate support. Celebree Enterprise is pivotal in the holistic function of Celebree Schools, streamlining and modernizing the operations of franchise locations. provides entrepreneurs a way to open and run their own Celebree School franchise locations with Celebree's proven business model and unprecedented corporate support. Celebree Enterprise is pivotal in the holistic function of Celebree Schools, streamlining and modernizing the operations of franchise locations. Huffman Family Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Huffman Family Brands, supporting individuals and institutions who make a positive difference in the lives of students, families, and communities. is the philanthropic arm of Huffman Family Brands, supporting individuals and institutions who make a positive difference in the lives of students, families, and communities. The team makes regular contributions to the Rollins-Luetkemeyer Foundations that are established at Calvert Hall College and Notre Dame Preparatory. In its first year, The Huffman Family Foundation has already had a significant impact on varying charities that focus on improving the lives of children. Celebree Property Investments utilizes the strong network of the Celebree School real estate team to find and develop high-quality locations for new Celebree schools. This approach provides franchise partners the opportunity to invest in real estate opportunities to create a diversified investment portfolio in creating family wealth. "We're a company comprised of powerful, beloved brands that truly make a difference," said Huffman. "We've strategically invested in our future, laying the groundwork for a new umbrella company that unifies our brands under a single vision. As we evolve into a platform company, we're harnessing the full potential of our portfolio to achieve extraordinary results. By streamlining operations, optimizing resources, and crafting a cohesive brand strategy, we're not only driving growth and innovation across all brands, but also maintaining a unified vision and operational excellence." For more information on Huffman Family Brands, please visit: https://huffmanfamilybrands.com/ For more information on Celebree School franchising opportunities, visit https://www.celebree.com/franchising/. About Huffman Family Brands Huffman Family Brands (HFB) is a unified platform company dedicated to fostering social development, innovation, and community empowerment through its portfolio of powerful and beloved brands. Led by founder Richard Huffman, HFB builds on decades of success with brands like Celebree School, Caliday School Age Programs, Celebree Enterprise, and more. Together, all operating brands under HFB provide early childhood education, enrichment programs, franchise opportunities, and philanthropic support to communities across the United States. With over 150 locations open or in development in 15 states, Huffman Family Brands continues to lead the way in supporting families, entrepreneurs, and communities. For more information, visit huffmanfamilybrands.com. About Celebree School Founded in 1994, Celebree School is a leader in early childhood education that provides infant and toddler care, preschool, before and aftercare, and summer camp programs. With a mission to Grow People Big and Small, Celebree School believes success in early childhood development is equal parts curriculum and connection. Each school employs a customized program that addresses the physical, social, emotional, and academic needs of children and follows applicable state guidelines. In 2019, Celebree School launched its franchise offering. In 2024, Celebree School's founder, Richard Huffman, launched a new parent company called Huffman Family Brands, merging Celebree affiliated concepts under one multi-brand company structure. Learn more about how we grow confident children who are prepared for school and life at Celebree.com. Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and LinkedIn. SOURCE Celebree School TORONTO, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Following this Spring's award-winning FormuLab 3.0 pop-up in Brooklyn, Cosmetica Laboratories Inc (Cosmetica) will land again in the Big Apple as an exhibitor at the 2024 Make Up in New York (MUNY) tradeshow. Cosmetica Labs X Cloudwalker Campaign at Make Up in New York 2024 (CNW Group/Cosmetica Laboratories Inc.) Held at NYC's Javits Centre, Cosmetica is ready to unveil another eye-catching and engaging booth installation, integrating product innovation into "Cloudwalker". A creative campaign that will transport the industry's most iconic players to a whimsical world of ethereal fairy-core inspired formulas. The installation will feature an experiential gourmet cotton candy wall, and a bubble machine to immerse attendees into the Cloudwalker space. "Innovation and inspiration are at the heart of everything we do at Cosmetica, including our IRL events," said Maria Osorio, Director of Marketing and Product Development. "Our approach to customer engagement through campaigns, product launches, and events mirrors the dynamic nature of the industry and the continuous evolution of our product formulations. MUNY will again give us a platform to showcase our new collection to the industry's most prominent brands and thought leaders." Cosmetica has built an industry-wide reputation for creating standout branded experiential events and delivering cutting-edge formulations that inspire brands to envision their next major launch. The company is currently a finalist for the Beautymatter Next Awards 2024 and the Beauty's Best Awards from Cosmetics Alliance, underscoring its commitment to innovation and excellence. About Cosmetica Laboratories Cosmetica Labs is a Canadian cosmetic manufacturing and custom innovation house developing breakthrough beauty products for the world's most iconic brands. They specialize in product development and manufacturing for color cosmetics and skincare. Their extensive team of experts collaborates with established brands and high-profile market entrants to create award-winning formulas. With over 30 years in the Beauty Industry, Cosmetica has over 600 employees including 75 research professionals that bring clients' visions to life. The company has 2 manufacturing facilities in Toronto, and a State-of-the-art innovation hub in Los Angeles. Find Cosmetica Labs on social Website: https://www.cosmeticalabs.com/ Instagram: @cosmeticalabs Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/cosmetica-laboratories-inc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cosmeticalabs/ SOURCE Cosmetica Laboratories Inc. BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, September 16. Turkic countries should review diversifying their energy routes, Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Energy Taalaibek Ibraev said at the 4th Meeting of the Energy Ministers from the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Bishkek today, Trend reports. "Today's summit is another step towards strengthening cooperation and interaction among Turkic countries in the field of energy. Developing green energy sources and exporting green energy to global markets are priority areas in many countries' energy policies," he also said. The minister highlighted that Kyrgyzstan offers significant potential for cooperation on hydropower projects and renewable energy initiatives. "The energy ministries of Turkic countries should consider the diversification of energy routes and actively participate in the implementation of promising energy projects," he emphasized. The participants expressed their readiness to explore the establishment of a regional center for technologies and 'green' initiatives with the support of the OTS. This center would study sources of green energy in Turkic countries, including solar, hydro, wind, and other renewable resources. The ministers also noted progress in the development and transfer of green energy between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. Following the meeting, a joint communique of the energy ministers of the OTS member states on strengthening cooperation in the energy sector was signed. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel GURGAON, India, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Delectrik Systems Pvt. Ltd. announces the launch of multi-MWh scale Vanadium Flow Battery based Energy Storage system for large scale Commercial, Industrial (C&I) and Utility scale applications. The primary building block comprises a 2 MW, 10 MWh Flow Battery (5 Hr storage) which can be combined to deliver projects of >100MWh capacity. For large projects, the per acre installed capacity will be about 200 MWh. The first MWh scale installation based on this product architecture will be deployed in India in H1 2025. Delectrik has built and deployed Flow Batteries from small 10 kWh to containerized MWh scale systems. The existing containerized solution is suitable for C&I applications of sub 10 MWh capacity. Now with the new product the company aims to address the large-scale C&I and utility scale applications which are rapidly emerging. Dr. Vishal Mittal, Delectrik's Founder & CEO stated, "Delectrik has primarily been focused on building overseas markets with current exports to 9 countries across 5 continents. As volumes grow the company will look to establish manufacturing/assembly hubs in key regions to serve the local market. With this intent we have established our first overseas subsidiary company in Australia. We want to make sure just like we are 'Making in India' for India, we can do the same in key markets globally. In addition to continue expanding in these markets the company will lay a greater emphasis on scaling the domestic Indian market especially based on its large-scale Flow Battery solution." "In addition to outright selling the batteries the company is looking to offer Energy Storage on Opex model via its subsidiary Delectrik Esaas Pvt. Ltd. Currently, organizations can meet only a part of their energy requirements with renewable electricity. With addition of storage, it allows them to transition almost entirely to green energy while increased savings on the energy bill. The PV + Flow Battery LCOE is already lower than electricity tariff paid by C&I consumers in quite a few regions." As per the National Electricity Plan notification (NEP 2023), India's domestic stationary BESS requirement is 411 GWh by 2031-32. This presents a massive opportunity for deploying low cost, long duration and long-life BESS such as Delectrik's Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries. For further enquiries contact Vishal Mittal, Ph.D. Founder & CEO [email protected], +91 9910064033 www.delectrik.com Transaction will accelerate EverBank's expansion into key California markets JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on a strategic long-term growth plan, EverBank Financial Corp (EverBank Holdings), a bank holding company that conducts its banking operations through its wholly owned subsidiary, EverBank, N.A. (EverBank), announced today that it has entered into a stock purchase agreement to acquire Sterling Bank & Trust, FSB, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sterling Bancorp, Inc., and merge it into EverBank. Under the agreement, EverBank will acquire 25 Sterling Bank branches in the San Francisco Bay Area and metropolitan Los Angeles/Orange County, CA, along with a branch in Flushing, NY (New York City) and approximately $900 million of loans and $2.0 billion of deposits. Details of the stock purchase agreement are outlined in a press release issued today by Sterling Bancorp. The transaction is subject to Sterling Bancorp's shareholder and federal regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025. "As a performance-driven bank, EverBank is focused on providing an advantage to every one of our consumer and commercial clients," said Greg Seibly, EverBank's CEO. "We're looking forward to bringing together the Sterling Bank and EverBank teams to serve more people across the country and help them reach their own definition of success." The acquisition of Sterling Bank is part of EverBank's long-term focused growth strategy and will accelerate EverBank's expansion in California. After the transaction closes, Sterling Bank branches will become EverBank financial centers and Sterling Bank employees will become EverBank associates. "This acquisition will significantly accelerate our efforts to expand EverBank's footprint in the California market, where we recently opened a West Coast headquarters in Irvine and will soon open new financial centers in Roseville and Encino," Seibly said. "The addition of Sterling Bank's branches in the San Francisco Bay area and in metro Los Angeles/Orange County will enable us to deliver our value-added products and services to even more California consumer and commercial clients." Until the transaction closes, it remains business-as-usual for all Sterling Bank and EverBank consumer and commercial clients, with no changes in accounts or services. EverBank expects a smooth and seamless transition for Sterling Bank customers to EverBank after the transaction is completed. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP acted as legal counsel to EverBank for the transaction. About EverBank EverBank Holdings is a bank holding company and conducts its banking operations through its wholly owned subsidiary, EverBank. EverBank is a nationwide specialty bank providing high-value products and services to consumer and commercial clients nationwide. As a pioneer in online banking, EverBank offers convenient digital access for clients 24/7, in addition to phone banking services and a network of financial centers across Florida. EverBank's commitment is to deliver to its clients high-performing, high-yield solutions backed by exceptional service, always giving them the advantage they expect, to make the most of their money. Visit everbank.com or connect and interact with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or X (formerly Twitter). EverBank is a Member FDIC Media Contact Michael Cosgrove [email protected] SOURCE EverBank, N.A. FARMERS BRANCH, Texas, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- National optical retailer Eyemart Express announced today that CEO Mike Nuzzo will participate in a fireside chat on the Innovation Stage at Vision Expo West in Las Vegas on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 4pm Pacific Daylight Time. Eyemart Express CEO Mike Nuzzo Nuzzo will discuss learnings, insights, and opportunities at Eyemart Express, including the company's unique customer proposition, engagement with local communities, and the recent launch of a new Ecommerce site eyemartexpress.com. Nuzzo will give his unique perspective as a retail industry veteran, who entered the optical industry with Eyemart in 2022. Vision Expo West is an event for ophthalmic professionals that touches on eyewear, education, eyecare, fashion, and innovation. The exhibition is designed to connect the vision community and foster innovation and growth. Additional details regarding the session can be found here. About Eyemart Express Eyemart Express is more than just a local eye care provider we are eye care experts embedded in the fabric of our local communities. Doctor-founded in 1990, our team has grown alongside our customers and their families, bringing quality and accessible eye care services to each town we serve. Deep partnerships with local optometrists, on-site technicians, and in-house labs enable us to deliver over 80% of glasses in one hour in our 250 stores nationwide. We offer a seamless blend of the latest technology, comprehensive eye care, and genuine human connections to deliver glasses to any location in the U.S. that are "Made Today Shipped Tomorrow," faster than any other eyewear brand. The company ranks among the top optical retailers in the country with its family of brands: Vision 4 Less, Visionmart Express, and Eyewear Express. For more information about Eyemart Express, visit eyemartexpress.com. SOURCE Eyemart Express Lawmakers and Law Enforcement Officials Will Discuss Impact of Unchecked Illegal Immigration on their Communities WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, September 18, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) will host a border press conference in McAllen, Texas, with 100 state legislators and sheriffs from across the country. These state and local government and law enforcement officials will address the havoc illegal immigration is wreaking on communities in the form of rising crime, homelessness, and costs. The sheriffs and elected officials will discuss the disastrous consequences states are grappling with because of the illegal immigration crisis created by the Biden-Harris administration's open-borders policies. WHO: Sheriff Jeff Gahler (Harford County, Md.); Sheriff Terry Johnson (Alamance County, N.C.); and Sheriff Mike Lewis (Wicomico County, Md.), representing sheriffs from across the country. Michigan State Senator Jim Runestad; Missouri State Representative Jim Murphy; and Maine Representative Katrina Smith, speaking on behalf of state legislators across the country. Susan Kibbe, executive director South Texans' Property Rights Association. WHEN: Wednesday, September 18 from 11:30am to noon Central Time. WHERE: Anzaladuas Park: 6400 Anzaladuas Dam Rd, Mission, TX 78572. Media: Credentialed media only will be admitted. Event Contact: Shari Rendall ([email protected]/202-236-2433) or Susan Tully ([email protected]/608-606-0631) Media Contact: Ira Mehlman ([email protected]/213-700-0407) or Joey Chester ([email protected]/202-740-7355) ABOUT FAIR Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced. SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) California's Cap-and-Trade Program Continues to Reduce the State's Reliance on Fossil Fuels and Benefit PG&E Customers OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In October, millions of residential and eligible small business customers will receive the California Climate Credit on their Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) electric bill. Customers do not need to do anything to receive the credit. Residential households with an active electric account will receive an electric credit of $55.17, the same amount they received in the spring. The twice-a-year electric credit was first delivered in April, in addition to an annual natural gas credit of $85.46 for residential customers with a natural gas account. Combined-use customers' total bill credits for 2024 is $195.80. Eligible small business customers will receive the electric credit in October, bringing their total bill credits for 2024 to $110.34. "This credit is a 'win-win' for our customers. The California Climate Credit helps reduce customers energy bills and our state's greenhouse gas emissions," said Vincent Davis, PG&E Senior Vice President, Customer Experience. The California Climate Credit is part of the state's efforts to fight climate change and is distributed by PG&E to customers as directed by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The California Climate Credit is a direct result of the state's nation-leading Cap-and-Trade Program that requires polluters to pay for climate pollution. The bill credit is designed to help utility customers during the transition to a more sustainable future. In addition to the California Climate Credit, customers are encouraged to explore other ways to save energy, reduce costs on monthly bills, and contribute to building a sustainable future. Income-eligible Assistance Programs California Alternate Rates for Energy : provides a monthly discount of 20% or more on gas and electricity bills. Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) : provides a monthly discount of 18% on electricity for households of three or more people. Energy Savings Assistance (ESA) : provides energy-savings improvements at no charge. Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) : a federally funded assistance program overseen by the state that offers a one-time payment up to $1,000 on past due bills to help low-income households pay for heating or cooling in their homes. Other programs include Medical Baseline, which offers a lower monthly rate for customers with certain medical conditions. For more ways to manage your monthly bills and prepare your home for cooler temperatures visit: Save Energy & Money. About PG&E Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than sixteen million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company Hur, Grossi to Advise Clients Facing Investigations and Enforcement Actions with Significant Enterprise and Reputational Risks Hur Returns to King & Spalding After Serving as Special Counsel, U.S. Attorney for Maryland and Principal Associate Deputy U.S. Attorney General Grossi Recently Served as Senior Counsel in DOJ's Office of Legislative Affairs, as well as Associate Counsel in White House Counsel's Office and Assistant U.S. Attorney in Maryland WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- King & Spalding announced today that Robert Hur has returned to the firm after serving in multiple senior leadership roles at the U.S. Department of Justice, including as Special Counsel at the request of Attorney General Merrick Garland, and as both U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland and Principal Associate Deputy U.S. Attorney General. Also returning to the firm is Leah Grossi, who served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland during Hur's tenure as U.S. Attorney. Grossi also served as Associate Counsel in the White House Counsel's Office during the Biden administration and, most recently, as Senior Counsel in the DOJ's Office of Legislative Affairs. Hur and Grossi rejoin King & Spalding as partners in the firm's Special Matters and Government Investigations practice group and are based in Washington, D.C. "Rob's public service experience, strategic thinking and unwavering integrity are what clients demand when faced with serious and ultrasensitive challenges that pose reputational and existential risks to their businesses," said Robert D. Hays, chair of King & Spalding. "We have long been a go-to firm for senior government officials and other lawyers from both sides of the aisle returning to private practice after their service, including many coming from the highest echelons of the Justice Department. We are thrilled to welcome Rob and Leah back they both epitomize professional excellence and, just as important, are known for their judgment and sense of collaboration." At King & Spalding, Hur and Grossi will focus on government and internal investigations, civil and criminal litigation, Congressional inquiries, board-level counseling and crisis management. Working alongside the firm's deep Special Matters and Government Investigations team, they will provide multifaceted counseling and representation to businesses and organizations facing investigations and enforcement actions while managing the resulting risks to their enterprises, leadership, shareholder value and reputations. They will serve clients across the financial services, life sciences, technology, energy and national security sectors, among others. "Quite simply, King & Spalding is the place to be the collective level of expertise and depth of talent here is unmatched in private practice," said Hur. "Leah and I are excited to work alongside our K&S colleagues to counsel clients on their most challenging issues. We know we're returning to a firm with a great platform, momentum and the entrepreneurial spirit to grow even more." "Our top-ranked Special Matters and Government Investigations practice is one of the deepest and most talented in the country, and becomes even more formidable with the return of two world-class partners in Rob and Leah," said Mark Jensen, co-leader of the group and managing partner of the firm's Washington, D.C. office. "They both already have amassed impressive careers with substantial accomplishments in both public service and private practice, with a long and bright runway ahead of them. Regardless of the complexity and size of the crisis, both Rob and Leah are 'board safe' advisors and counselors we are thrilled to welcome them back." Robert Hur Hur was a partner at King & Spalding from 2014 to 2017, when he joined the DOJ as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General. He then served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland from 2018 to 2021. He was a partner at Gibson Dunn and co-chair of its Crisis Management practice group from 2021 to 2023 before being appointed Special Counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate the unauthorized retention and disclosure of classified documents discovered at the Penn Biden Center in Washington and the private residence of President Biden in Delaware. Hur served as a law clerk for the late William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States, and for Judge Alex Kozinski of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He earned his J.D. from Stanford Law School, serving as Executive Editor of the Stanford Law Review, and graduated from Harvard College with an A.B., magna cum laude with highest honors. Leah Grossi Grossi was an accomplished partner at King & Spalding before joining Hur in 2018 at the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. During her tenure as a federal prosecutor, Grossi accepted a detail position as Associate Counsel for the White House Counsel's Office, where she worked with current King & Spalding partner and former White House Senior Counsel and Special Assistant to President Biden Alicia O'Brien. Most recently, Grossi served as Senior Counsel in the DOJ's Office of Legislative Affairs, where she was responsible for preparing DOJ witnesses for Congressional hearings and briefings, and drafting and commenting on legislative text. Her duties also included responding to Congressional oversight requests for documents and witnesses, and briefing senior leadership on legislative initiatives and Congressional inquiries. She received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University. About King & Spalding King & Spalding is an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100, with 1,300 lawyers in 24 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm has handled matters in over 160 countries on six continents and consistently earns recognition for the results it obtains, uncompromising commitment to quality, and dedication to understanding the business and culture of its clients. More information is available at www.kslaw.com. SOURCE King & Spalding Register today to attend MWC Kigali, 29-31 October 2024 LONDON, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- GSMA MWC Kigali will return to the Kigali Convention Center from 29-31 October 2024. MWC Kigali, Africa's largest and most influential connectivity event, will convene powerful innovators and political leaders from across the entire continent, geared towards driving the digital economy forward and enabling socio-economic growth. MWC Kigali will deliver a range of keynotes and panel sessions hosted by industry thought leaders and leading enterprises, focussed around the four event themes: Connected Continent, The AI Future, FinTech, and Africa's Digital DNA. Recently confirmed speakers include Airtel Africa's CEO, Sunil Talder; Amini's Founder & CEO, Kate Kallot; AXIAN Group's CEO, Hassanein Hiridjee; the GSMA's Director General, Mats Granryd; the ITU's Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin; Lelapa AI's CEO and Co-founder, Pelonomi Moiloa; MTN Group's CEO, Ralph Mupit; Take Back the Mic's CEO & Founder, Derrick Ashong; Wi-Flix's CEO, Louis Manu. For the first time in Africa, the GSMA Ministerial Programme will be hosted at MWC Kigali, marking a new chapter in the commitment to advancing the digital agenda in Africa. The programme will convene the most influential telecommunications leaders from across the African continent to discuss policy and regulatory topics key to the region. The Mobile for Development (M4D) team will once again play a central role at the event, driving innovation in digital technology to reduce global inequalities. M4D will host the 'Mobile for Development Theatre', a dedicated space for keynote sessions, panels, and discussions. Themes will range from AI for impact and humanitarian innovation, agriculture and climate, to digital inclusion and gender. Also returning this year is the Mobile Money Leadership Forum, which will explore key trends and innovations in mobile financial services. The MWC Kigali keynotes will cover some of Africa's most pressing digital connectivity issues. Keynote 1 will discuss how digital technologies are driving socio-economic development in Africa to address the continent's unique challenges. Keynote 2 will focus on the transformative potential of AI, including how it can drive sustainable and inclusive growth across Africa. Keynote 3 will see speakers explore the rapid evolution of Africa's Fintech landscape and the technologies impacting investment opportunities. While Keynote 4 will explore how the evolving content landscape is allowing African content creators to be heard and celebrated globally. An agenda of GSMA Summits will be hosted during the event, inviting industry leaders and policymakers to discover the issues affecting enterprises in areas from network security to diversity in tech: The Security Summit will tackle the most pressing security challenges mobile network operators face today, in the context of a rapidly evolving cyber risk landscape. The Digital Summit will explore the digital economy's potential in Africa , exploring how digital technologies and policy reform can drive significant socio-economic growth in Africa . , exploring how digital technologies and policy reform can drive significant socio-economic growth in . The AI Summit will cover both the vast potential and the associated risks of AI technologies in Africa , as the technology's prevalence grows in the global economy. , as the technology's prevalence grows in the global economy. The 5G Summit will address the barriers preventing the technology's widespread adoption and ways to unlock its potential for both enterprises and consumers. The Diversity for Tech Summit will focus on the urgent need for greater disability inclusion in Africa's tech sector, ensuring that people with disabilities have access to the tools and opportunities they need to succeed. MWC Kigali is held alongside the Africa Health Tech Summit and FEWA (Future of Education and Work in Africa), offering an in-depth exploration of connectivity challenges and opportunities in the health and education sectors. We are proud to have the support of our stellar line up of sponsors, exhibitors and event partners, including Africa CDC, Africa Union, Huawei, MTN, the Republic of Rwanda, Smart Africa and ZTE. For more information, follow our updates on the MWC Kigali Press Zone or visit www.mwckigali.com. Accredited media are invited to register here for a complimentary pass, which is required for access to the press centre. About GSMA The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today's biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world's largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1882833/GSMA_Logo.jpg SOURCE GSMA TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Startup Nation Central has released its latest report, "One Year of Israeli Innovation in War," presenting a detailed analysis of the impact of the ongoing conflict following October 7th on Israel's tech ecosystem. Using data from Finder, Startup Nation Central's business intelligence platform, and insights from a survey conducted by Startup Nation Central of tech company leaders and investors, the report provides an in-depth examination of the macro and micro-level dynamics shaping Israel's high-tech sector during this period of adversity. Avi Hasson, Startup Nation Central CEO (Photo by Miri Davidovitz) "Israeli tech has shown incredible resilience in the face of prolonged conflict and mounting challenges. But this resilience cannot be taken for granted," said Startup Nation Central CEO Avi Hasson. "However,' The lack of long-term planning whether in budget policy, research infrastructure, or future growth drivers creates uncertainty that could undermine our momentum. Now more than ever, the government must act responsibly to ensure the sector continues to thrive, attract investment, and secure the future of our economy." "Our report shows that despite the challenges, Israeli tech continues to attract significant investments, raising $7.8 billion even during the conflict. While there is cautious optimism, with 54% of companies expecting growth, the sector is still facing significant hurdles," said Startup Nation Central VP of Digital Products and Data, Yariv Lotan. "Funding uncertainty remains a major concern, with 49% of companies experiencing some level of investment cancellations. In addition, regional disparities are evident, with nearly 40% of tech companies in northern Israel considering relocation due to the ongoing conflict. The survey also highlights that over 80% of companies have low confidence in the government's ability to lead recovery efforts. These findings underscore the sector's potential, but also highlight the critical need for strategic planning to overcome the current obstacles." Key Findings from the Report: Resilient Private Funding Despite the ongoing war and global funding challenges, Israel's tech sector raised $7.8 billion across 577 private funding roundsa small 4% decline from the $8.2 billion recorded in the same period last year. This resilience indicates the continued confidence of investors in the long-term potential of Israel's innovation landscape. Cybersecurity and Scale-ups Remain Strong The strength of Israel's tech ecosystem is bolstered by the robust performance of the cybersecurity sector and thriving scale-up companies. However, early-stage companies have faced more significant challenges, highlighting a disparity in the ecosystem's overall resilience. Robust M&A Activity Mergers and acquisitions reached $9.6 billion across 73 deals, slightly down from $10.6 billion the previous year. The business software and cybersecurity sectors led this activity, with notable exits such as WalkMe's acquisition by SAP and Run's acquisition by Nvidia. Israel and U.S. Private Funding Trends Aligned Private funding trends in Israel closely mirror those of the U.S., with both ecosystems experiencing similar declines after October 2023. Israel's funding levels initially dropped to 66% by February 2024, while the U.S. saw a more moderate decline to 87%. Both ecosystems rebounded by May, with Israel recovering to 152% and the U.S. to 158% of their October levels. Survey Insights: Business and Investor Sentiment Investment Uncertainty and Cancellations While Israel's tech sector demonstrated resilience in 2024, 49% of companies reported experiencing investment cancellations. Only 31% of companies feel confident in their ability to raise funds in the coming year, with investors sharing this cautious outlook. Challenges Due to the War; Business Continuity Maintained The conflict has forced 24% of companies to relocate some of their operations, and 44% reported shortages in human capital. Despite these challenges, 54% of companies remain confident in their ability to grow in the coming year, particularly in the cybersecurity and business software sectors. Optimism for M&A Prospects While funding uncertainties remain, 37% of investors anticipate an increase in M&A activity, underscoring confidence in the sector's ability to navigate adversity. The health tech sector saw three significant deals totaling over $1.2 billion, further bolstering optimism for growth. Regional Disparities Tech companies in northern Israel are facing significant challenges, with nearly 40% considering relocation due to the ongoing conflict, and 69% expressing concerns about their ability to secure adequate funding in the coming year. This underscores the uneven impact of the conflict on different regions within Israel, highlighting a particularly strained environment for northern companies. Low Confidence in Government Recovery Efforts Confidence in the Israeli government's ability to lead recovery efforts is low, with over 80% of companies and 74% of investors expressing doubts about the government's role in supporting the sector. This sentiment is particularly pronounced in northern Israel, where over 90% of companies share concerns about government leadership. For more information and to access the full report, please visit here. About Startup Nation Central: Startup Nation Central helps global solution seekers tackle complex challenges by giving them frictionless access to the expertise and solutions of Israel's problem solvers - and their bold and determined approach to innovation. We call this Impatient Innovation. Our free business engagement platform, Finder, grants unrestricted access to real-time, updated information and deep business insights into the Israeli tech ecosystem, explore potential opportunities, and forge valuable business connections. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2506130/Startup_Nation_Central.jpg SOURCE Startup Nation Central Will source investment opportunities in the Midwest and oversee the Region ROSEMONT, Ill., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Brennan Investment Group, a private real estate investment firm that acquires, develops, and operates industrial facilities throughout the United States, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jack Brennan as Managing Principal for the Midwest Region. Jack Brennan replaces Kevin Brennan as the head of the Midwest following Kevin Brennan's promotion to Chief Investment Officer on May 13, 2024. Jack Brennan Joins Brennan Investment Group as Managing Principal In his new role, Jack will assume overall responsibility for sourcing new investment opportunities and will oversee the Midwest Region's 30 million square foot portfolio. Brennan's Midwest Region includes Chicago, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Columbus, Detroit, and St. Louis. "The Midwest is Brennan's largest region. Jack joins our existing team alongside Dan Smith, Doug Lance, and Jacob Borenstein who will continue to source new investment opportunities in the Midwest" commented Kevin Brennan, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer for Brennan Investment Group. "Additionally, Jack will work with a talented operations team that includes Joe Macchione, recently promoted to Senior Vice President, Head of Midwest Operations." Jack joins Brennan following 12-year career at CBRE, where he served as Senior Vice President, co-leading a six-person industrial landlord and tenant representation team. During his time with CBRE, Jack orchestrated over $1B in transactions across the nation. Jack has been the recipient of numerous achievement awards throughout his career with CBRE, including the RISE-ING Star Award, recognizing the top 3 associate level brokers in the Americas; The Chicago Circle Award, recognizing the top 5 brokers in Chicago with less than 6 years of experience; and a nominee for NAIOP's Industrial Transaction of the Year as well as Industrial Development of the Year. Most recently, in 2023, Jack was honored on CBRE's Top Global Producers List, recognizing the firm's highest revenue earners. In addition to his extensive industry knowledge and expertise, Jack has developed deep relationships with the brokerage and ownership community throughout his career, which will be invaluable in his new role with Brennan Investment Group. "We are delighted to welcome Jack to our team at Brennan Investment Group," said Michael Brennan, Co-Founder and Chairman of Brennan Investment Group. "During his time at CBRE, Jack was the originator of some of our firm's most successful investments. He has a deep understanding of our investment criteria and company culture. His hire is consistent with our practice of finding leaders from the ranks of the most accomplished practitioners of our craft." About Brennan Investment Group Brennan Investment Group, a Chicago-based private real estate investment firm, acquires, develops, and operates industrial properties in select major metropolitan markets throughout the United States. Since 2010, Brennan Investment Group has acquired or developed $5 billion in industrial real estate in 30 states. The company's current portfolio spans 29 states and encompasses approximately 56 million square feet. Brennan Investment Group co-invests with private and institutional capital to achieve outstanding risk-adjusted returns. The company has 17 regional offices throughout the United States and the firm's management team is among the most accomplished in its industry, having invested in over 5,000 properties covering more than 60 cities throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. For more information on Brennan Investment Group, go to brennanllc.com. CONTACT: Ursula Walendzewicz, [email protected], 8476308722 SOURCE Brennan Investment Group Members of the Linux Foundation and CNCF gain access to enhanced patent defense mechanisms to address emerging threats. VIENNA, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Linux Foundation, in collaboration with the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), is excited to announce the expansion of its partnership with Unified Patents to defend open source software against non-practicing entities (NPEs). This enhanced partnership brings new advantages directly to Linux Foundation and CNCF members, to help defend the open source ecosystem against the growing threat of frivolous patent assertions targeting open source and cloud native technologies. The Linux Foundation has long been a steadfast advocate for the open source community, promoting innovation, collaboration, and the protection of open source software from NPEs, commonly referred to as 'patent trolls'. As the risk and volume of frivolous litigation against open source projects grows, the need to provide accessible protection from NPEs has become crucial. This expanded partnership with Unified Patents, a recognized leader in the fight against NPEs, underscores the Linux Foundation and CNCF's commitment to safeguarding open source projects and their users, who are increasingly the targets of patent trolls. This initiative builds on the success of previous collaborations with Unified Patents, which have played pivotal roles in defending critical open source projects from unjust patent litigation. In 2019, the Linux Foundation and Unified Patents partnered to create an Open Source Zone to defend projects from NPEs. Through this latest partnership, members of the Linux Foundation and CNCFover 1300 companieswill gain access to a suite of advantages based on their membership level to assist in proactive NPE defense, including: Annual NPE risk analysis Patent portfolio analysis Access to Unified's PATROLL prior art bounty program Regular updates on NPE activities Access to specialized events Option to sponsor specific PATROLL crowdsourcing prior art contests and participate in any royalty-free licenses granted in resulting settlements. "We are thrilled to deepen our collaboration with Unified Patents," said Mike Dolan, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Projects and Legal at the Linux Foundation. "This partnership not only strengthens our collective defense strategy, but also provides our members with critical resources to navigate and counter the complex NPE landscape." "The expansion of our partnership with the Linux Foundation and CNCF is a significant step forward in the ongoing battle against patent trolls," said Shawn Ambwani, Chief Operating Officer at Unified Patents. "By combining our expertise and resources, we are better equipped to protect the open source community from those who seek to exploit the system for profit without contributing to innovation." The Linux Foundation, CNCF, and Unified Patents encourage the open source community to take full advantage of the new advantages offered through this partnership. Similar to any other technology wave, companies adopting cloud native technologies must prepare for patent assertions by NPEs and actively engage with the resources available to protect their investments. More information is available at www.linuxfoundation.org/about/members/npe-deterrence and www.cncf.io/npe-deterrence-benefits Supporting Quotes Linux Foundation "Our expanded partnership with Unified Patents is valuable to the Linux Foundation and CNCF members, and an exciting development for keeping non-practicing entities at bay. By furthering the availability of resources to mitigate costly litigation from non-practicing entities, we can more effectively protect the open source ecosystem and ensure that innovation continues unencumbered." James Zemlin, Executive Director, The Linux Foundation Unified Patents "We are honored to be working with the Linux community and CNCF to deter patent trolls / NPEs and improve patent quality," said Shawn Ambwani, co-Founder and COO, Unified Patents. "The hundreds of continuing assertions in this space hinder innovation and growth. Providing support to open source projects, one of the fastest growing economic engines in the knowledge economy stops investment in asserting bad patents which should have never been issued." CNCF "As cloud native technologies continue to advance, it becomes even more important to guard against patent trolls that do nothing but hinder the open source ecosystem that drives untold innovation, efficiency, and productivity," said Priyanka Sharma, executive director of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. "These advantages will better defend our community and members as well as ensure continued progress for our ecosystem and the cloud native industry at-large.." "Unified Patents is the ideal partner in this endeavor due their uniquely community-oriented approach to deterring patent aggression, which includes crowdsourced prior art searches and other tools and strategies designed to protect the broader ecosystem," said Joanna Lee, VP of Strategic Programs & Legal at the Linux Foundation and CNCF. "When it comes to NPEs, a united and coordinated deterrence strategy is far more effective than isolated action. When organizations join forces to safeguard open source innovation through Unified programs, our ecosystem can achieve far more with fewer resources than when individual companies act in isolation to defend themselves against NPE aggression." Open Invention Network "Open Invention Network, Microsoft and the Linux Foundation co-founded the Unified Patents' Open Source Zone five years ago. Our goal from the beginning has been to hinder NPE patent attacks on open source software," said Keith Bergelt, CEO of Open Invention Network. "We applaud the Linux Foundation and CNFC working to support additional initiatives that will hamper NPE activities, including this most recent partnership to address the threat of NPEs targeting open source cloud development and use." About the Linux Foundation The Linux Foundation is the world's leading home for collaboration on open source software, hardware, standards, and data. Linux Foundation projects are critical to the world's infrastructure, including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, ONAP, OpenChain, OpenSSF, PyTorch, RISC-V, SPDX, Zephyr, and more. The Linux Foundation focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users, and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see its trademark usage page: www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage . Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Media Contact Federica Nocerino The Linux Foundation [email protected] SOURCE The Linux Foundation New initiative seeks to support and unify best practices within the global developer relations community. VIENNA, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, today announced its intent to form the Developer Relations Foundation (DRF). The DRF is a new community-driven project under the Linux Foundation, with the mission to elevate the professional practice of developer relations (DevRel) and increase awareness of its role as a crucial driver of developer success, technology adoption, and business value. Understanding the need for a unified foundation, the formation of the DRF stems from a shared passion for DevRel and the recognition that the profession faces persistent challenges, such as a lack of role clarity and difficulty in measuring impact. Despite significant growth in resources and organizations addressing these issues, efforts and resources are fragmented. As a project under the Linux Foundation, the DRF will work with industry leaders to address these challenges and drive real and measurable impact. The Developer Relations Foundation will elevate the practice of developer relations and increase awareness of its role. Post this The DRF has received widespread support from DevRel communities and organizations around the world, including Aerospike, Ant Group, Hookdeck, MoonGift, SUSE, and TraceLink. The foundation will continue to engage with these global communities to elevate the practice of DevRel through collaboration and the creation of special interest groups. The Steering committee of the DRF will include representation from developer relations leaders around the globe, and will play a crucial role in stewarding DRF towards success. We are thrilled to support the Developer Relations Foundation," said Jim Zemlin, Executive Director of the Linux Foundation. "This unites the DevRel community to elevate the practice and drive innovation." Ana Jimenez, LF Project Manager for the Developer Relations Foundation, added, "This Foundation is a major step in unifying and amplifying DevRel voices. We're excited to foster collaboration and tackle the unique challenges in this field." "Establishing the Developer Relations Foundation is a pivotal moment for our community," said Stacey Kruczek, Director of Developer Relations & Community, Aerospike. "This foundation will create a unified, supportive ecosystem where knowledge, resources, and best practices are shared. By endorsing this initiative, Aerospike underscores the importance of empowering developers, enhancing their experiences, and advancing the entire tech industry. We deeply appreciate the support and guidance from the Linux Foundation. Together, we can drive innovation and foster a more inclusive and dynamic developer relations community." The Developer Relations Foundation aims to provide the environment, methodologies, and frameworks needed to support and unify best practices, common language, and metrics within the DevRel community. To learn more about the DRF, including how to get involved and participate, please visit the Developer Relations Foundation website . Supporting Quotes At Ant Group, we firmly believe that establishing the Developer Relations Foundation will nurture more prosperous communities. This will be achieved through global collaboration, sharing best practices and knowledge, and creating community-driven growth tools. We take great pride in being active contributors to this initiative from day one" Richard Sikang Bian, Head of Open Source Strategy and Growth, Ant Group "The Developer Relations Foundation represents a significant opportunity to build a cohesive, standardized practice through open collaboration. As an initiative under the Linux Foundation, I'm excited to see the innovation and value it brings to the industry" Divya Mohan, Principal Technology Advocate at SUSE "Developers are the driving force behind the open-source world. We believe The Developer Relations Foundation will greatly enhance global collaboration and communication among developers. As active participants in the open-source ecosystem, Ant Group OSPO looks forward to working closely with the foundation to explore new opportunities and support the growth of the developer community" Xiaoya Xia, Open Source Growth Manager, Ant Group "Talented open source developers, equipped with best practices, advanced tooling, and the support of the community, are crafting sustainable, high-quality open source software. Equally essential are the developer relations practitioners, open source strategists, developer advocates, operational experts, and content specialists. Together, they form the backbone of the dynamic and thriving OSS ecosystem, benefiting everyone involved. "The DevRel Foundation will clarify the value of DevRel, which companies and communities have explored in the past, and the business benefits will become more apparent. And, co-working with the Linux Foundation will bring transparency, credibility, and security to this foundation. The foundation will be able to work with other DevRel communities to increase the number of people entering the DevRel career path. The establishment of the DevRel Foundation will be a solid and valuable addition for both developers and companies" Atsushi Nakatsugawa, CEO at MOONGIFT "I have built, led, and nurtured developer communities for over two decades. Having a foundation dedicated to the function of DevRel provides a third-party, neutral and global stage to bring all devrel folks together. I'm looking forward to all the exciting work to elevate the function of devrel and its business impact, a common language to talk about different functions, and metrics to measure the success" Arun Gupta, Vice President and General Manager, Open Ecosystem at Intel There is a growing demand for DevRel in the tech industry across various sectors. The Developer Relations Foundation is a major step forward in unifying the definition of what DevRel is and is not from advocates, industry leaders, and professionals dedicated to nurturing developer ecosystems. I hope this foundation will clear common misconceptions about the role of DevRels, elevate the role of advocacy within organizations, empower DevRel professionals to share best practices and drive meaningful change. I am excited about the opportunity to help shape the future of developer relations for years to come Anita Ihuman, Developer Advocate at MetalBear Media contacts: Ana Jimenez Linux Foundation Project Manager [email protected] SOURCE The Linux Foundation AWS transfers OpenSearch to the Linux Foundation to support a vendor-neutral community for search, analytics, observability, and vector database software VIENNA, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, announced the launch of the OpenSearch Software Foundation, a community-driven initiative that will support OpenSearch and its search software, which is used by developers around the world to build search, analytics, observability, and vector database applications. Hosted by the Linux Foundation, the OpenSearch Software Foundation will work with community maintainers and developers, as well as founding member organizations, to support the continued growth of OpenSearch. Established in 2021 and previously hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS), OpenSearch has recorded more than 700 million software downloads and participation from thousands of contributors and more than 200 project maintainers. With the launch of the OpenSearch Software Foundation, AWS has transitioned OpenSearch under the Linux Foundation. The OpenSearch Software Foundation will focus on supporting OpenSearch as it continues to be adopted by organizations around the world to power business-critical workloads. As a part of the Linux Foundation family of open source projects, OpenSearch and its community will benefit from deep resources for programming and infrastructure, such as training and professional certification initiatives, product documentation, developer collaboration and release support, and local and global events programs. The OpenSearch Software Foundation will work with community to support the continued growth of OpenSearch. Post this The OpenSearch Software Foundation launches with support from premier members AWS, SAP, and Uber and general members Aiven, Aryn, Atlassian, Canonical, DigitalOcean, Eliatra, Graylog, NetApp Instaclustr, and Portal26. The foundation will support the OpenSearch Project, which has been organized as an open technical project within the Linux Foundation, overseen by a technical steering committee. "From the beginning, OpenSearch has brought together a fiercely loyal community of users, developers, and partners who recognized that for the project to truly thrive, it required open collaboration with contributions from a diverse set of stakeholders," said Nandini Ramani, Vice President of Search and Cloud Operations at AWS. "By transferring OpenSearch to the Linux Foundation, we are setting the project and its community up for its next stage of growth. With vendor-neutral governance that invites greater collaboration, along with programming and operational resources to further nurture the community, we look forward to working collaboratively with this new foundation to ensure everyone can continue to benefit from OpenSearch." "The Linux Foundation is excited to provide a neutral home for open and collaborative development around open source search and analytics," said Jim Zemlin, Executive Director of the Linux Foundation. "Search is something we all rely on every day, for both business and consumer purposes, and we look forward to supporting the OpenSearch community and helping them provide powerful search and analytics tools for organizations and individuals around the world." The OpenSearch Software Foundation is dedicated to driving the growth and development of OpenSearch and its open source search and analytics tools. To learn more about OpenSearch, including how to get involved, participate, or become a member of the OpenSearch Software Foundation, please visit the project website , GitHub , and Slack workspace. Supporting Quotes "Being a founding member of the new OpenSearch Foundation is a significant milestone for our strategic involvement and for our unified, business-centric, and open SAP Business Technology Platform. With the strong community support and strengthened ability to co-innovate, it is an important element in our observability strategy. We look forward to shaping this future path together with the wide range of our fellow contributors." -Michael Ameling, Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer, Business Technology Platform, SAP "Uber Technologies, Inc. is thrilled to extend our strong support for OpenSearch as it joins the Linux Foundation. This milestone marks a significant leap forward for the project, which has already been instrumental in enhancing our consumer products. OpenSearch's sophisticated search capabilities have empowered our customers to make more informed, strategic decisions, fundamentally elevating their experience and satisfaction. We are confident that OpenSearch will thrive within the collaborative and innovative environment of the Linux Foundation, alongside other esteemed projects. As OpenSearch embarks on this important journey, we remain deeply committed to its ongoing development and success. Our support for OpenSearch underscores our broader commitment to advancing open-source technologies and driving innovation across the industry. We eagerly anticipate the continued growth and impact of OpenSearch within the open-source community." - Shanshan Song, Senior Director of Engineering, Uber "OpenSearch is highly respected in the open source community for its robust search and analytics capabilities. As committed supporters of this project, we've been offering Aiven for OpenSearch as a fully managed service on the cloud platform of our customers' choice since its inception. We are delighted to see OpenSearch transition to the Linux Foundation and thank AWS for successfully stewarding the project to this point. We look forward to this new era and its continued development and success under open governance." Oskari Saarenmaa, CEO & Co-founder, Aiven "OpenSearch has been at the forefront of open source search technology since its inception, and continues to break ground in a number of areas including vector search, ML, and GenAI. At Aryn, our AI-powered document ETL system, Sycamore, unlocks the value trapped in unstructured data for GenAI use cases. We are delighted to have played a leading role in contributing to OpenSearch's GenAI features including semantic and hybrid search, conversational search, and RAG. We are excited about OpenSearch's move to the Linux Foundation, and grateful for the opportunity to be a founding member. This change will accelerate OpenSearch's ability to innovate, collaborate, and benefit the entire community." Mehul Shah, CEO, Aryn.ai "At Atlassian, we're deeply invested in improving enterprise search capabilities across our product portfolio, which is why we use OpenSearch as the backbone platform for our search scenarios. As a founding member of the OpenSearch Software Foundation, we're excited to collaborate more closely with the community to improve the scalability, flexibility, security, and efficiency of the search system in this open-source environment." -Taroon Mandhana, Head of Product Engineering, Atlassian "OpenSearch is a powerful search and analytics engine with a growing community we are proud to be part of since its beginning in 2021. Community-driven projects like OpenSearch align perfectly with our mission to make advanced search and data visualization accessible to all. Our enterprise-grade offerings for OpenSearch are a critical part of our data and AI portfolio. We are thrilled to be a founding member of the OpenSearch Software Foundation and join this new platform for open collaboration and innovation." - Cedric Gegout, VP of Product at Canonical "Earlier this year, DigitalOcean launched Managed OpenSearch to equip our customers with essential search and analytics tools for today's data-driven world. We're proud to support the OpenSearch project as it joins the Linux Foundation, marking a new chapter of innovation. With OpenSearch playing a key role in advancing AI and emerging technologies, we remain committed to its growth and the success of its community as we work together to support the future of open source." - Bratin Saha, CPTO, DigitalOcean "Eliatra has been a pioneer in the search landscape, playing a pivotal role in the evolution of OpenSearch since its early days. With a decade of expertise we've made significant contributions to enhancing the project's security and performance. We are excited to join the OpenSearch Software Foundation under the Linux Foundation's guidance, as it offers an exceptional platform for collaboration and innovation. Together, we aim to shape the future of Open Source search solutions, ensuring they remain powerful, secure, and accessible to all." Jochen Kressin, Co-Founder & Director, Eliatra "More than two years ago, we added OpenSearch as a key part of our Threat Detection and Incident Response platform. Graylog's strengths in log management, security information, and event management paired with the strong data layer foundation provided by OpenSearch delivers operational insight, enhanced security, and scalability to security analysts and IT professionals. Graylog began as an open source project and as the industry ushers in a new era of open-source development, we are pleased to be a founding member of the OpenSearch Software Foundation, dedicated to community-driven development." Robert Rea, CTO, Graylog "NetApp Instaclustr is proud to have called itself a supporter of the OpenSearch project since its inception in 2021, bringing its powerful capabilities to our customers and empowering them to leverage their data for the AI era. With its integration into the Linux Foundation, OpenSearch begins a new chapter that fully embraces the spirit of open source software. We remain committed to supporting the development and growth of the project and its community of developers and users as they drive innovation together." Ben Slater, Chief Product Officer, NetApp Instaclustr "OpenSearch has made tremendous strides since its early days as OpenDistro. From the outset, the initiative has focused on keeping innovation in this space accessible to all. With the successful launch of the OpenSearch project, AWS has provided an invaluable service to the community. The transition to the Linux Foundation is a significant milestone in its ongoing evolution. At Portal26, we are proud to offer FIPS 140-2 certified encryption for OpenSearch, ensuring that our customers can securely store sensitive data in both self-managed and AWS-managed OpenSearch clusters. We are excited about our continued partnership and wish this remarkable initiative lasting success." - Pakshi Rajan, Head of Products, Portal26 About the Linux Foundation The Linux Foundation is the world's leading home for collaboration on open source software, hardware, standards, and data. Linux Foundation projects are critical to the world's infrastructure, including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, ONAP, OpenChain, OpenSSF, PyTorch, RISC-V, SPDX, Zephyr, and more. The Linux Foundation focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users, and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see its trademark usage page: www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Media Contact Dan Brown The Linux Foundation [email protected] SOURCE The Linux Foundation Includes Complete Hyperledger Landscape, Trust Over IP Community, Hedera Codebase, and Additional Technologies and Ecosystems SAN FRANCISCO and VIENNA, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, to provide a neutral home for collaborative development of technologies powering the transition to a digital-first economy, the Linux Foundation formally launched Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust (LF Decentralized Trust), the premier open source foundation for decentralized technology ecosystems. Supported by more than 100 founding members, LF Decentralized Trust is a new umbrella organization that fosters collaboration and innovation across a growing ecosystem of blockchain, ledger, identity, interoperability, cryptographic, and related technologies. Will host a growing ecosystem of blockchain, ledger, identity, interoperability, cryptographic, and related technologies Post this Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust logo (PRNewsfoto/LF Decentralized Trust) LF Decentralized Trust launches with a diverse and global member base, including those joining from Hyperledger Foundation and Trust Over IP Foundation as well as 13 additional members that have signed on to advance the mission of this new umbrella organization. Those members are AYANWORKS, Banco Central do Brasil, Dhiway, Dfns, Exponential Science Foundation, Hashgraph, Ownera, Polygon, Print2Block, Rayls Foundation, Servico Federal de Processamento de Dados (SERPRO), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and Wanchain. As announced today, Hedera also became an LF Decentralized Trust founding Premier Member, joining Accenture, DTCC, and Hitachi at the highest level of community investment and foundation leadership. LF Decentralized Trust builds on more than eight years of work from across the Linux Foundation, including leading global blockchain and digital identity open source and standards projects. It encompasses all the projects, labs and communities, including 200 local, regional and industry groups that convene tens of thousands of participants globally, in the Hyperledger ecosystem. The new organization also includes TrustOverIP (ToIP), bringing all its working groups and specifications as well as its models, tools, and best practices for governance of digital trust ecosystems under the umbrella as a project. With additional new ledger, consensus, and cryptography code contributions, LF Decentralized Trust is launching with 17 total projects. This includes the entirety of the Hedera codebase, which has been accepted as the LF Decentralized Trust project Hiero. "Around the world, decentralized technologies are modernizing critical systems and core infrastructure," said Daniela Barbosa, General Manager of Decentralized Technologies at the Linux Foundation and Executive Director of LF Decentralized Trust. "LF Decentralized Trust is the new home for collaboratively developing the ecosystems that will make these trusted systems and applications. We are launching with a powerful mix of ledger, identity, cryptography, interoperability, and implementation projects and a diverse, committed membership base. And we are just getting started. Our mission is to drive collective innovation that delivers transparency, reliability, security, and efficiency on a global scale." "Decentralized technologies are essential to the growth of the digital economy," said Michael Klein, Blockchain Technology Lead at Accenture and Chair of the LF Decentralized Trust Governing Board. "As we look to the future of digital ownership, open standards and open-source initiatives will drive cross-industry collaboration and serve as the foundation for the next generation of the Internet. The launch of LF Decentralized Trust marks a critical step in creating this foundation of decentralized standards and frameworks, and we are excited about the role it will play in shaping a more connected and trusted digital ecosystem." The LF Decentralized Trust project landscape LF Decentralized Trust is the Linux Foundation's flagship project for hosting and supporting current and future open source software, communities, standards, and specifications that are critical to the macro shift toward decentralized systems of distributed trust. The blockchain and related technologies developed under Hyperledger Foundation will now be LF Decentralized Trust projects. The powerful Hyperledger brand will continue for many of these projects, including the just announced Hyperledger Fabric 3.0 release and the recently approved Hyperledger Identus, which started as a lab contributed by Input | Output. Under LF Decentralized Trust, each community has the ultimate say in its project name. As such, Hyperledger Besu will now be named Besu. In addition to being the third most popular execution client for the Ethereum mainnet, Besu has growing traction with major banks and financial services providers, an industry-backed Besu for Financial Services Working Group, and new professional certifications for individuals and service providers coming soon. The LF Decentralized Trust landscape also includes two newly contributed projects that reflect the expanded technology umbrella of this new organization: Hiero - A robust decentralized ledger platform leveraging a unique consensus mechanism. A contribution from Hedera, Hiero encompasses all the core network software needed to deploy and run a full public network and interact with that network. ledger platform leveraging a unique consensus mechanism. A contribution from Hedera, Hiero encompasses all the core network software needed to deploy and run a full public network and interact with that network. Lockness - An ecosystem for key management and digital signature protocols, including multi-party computation and threshold cryptography, contributed by Dfns. In addition to its line-up of code projects, LF Decentralized Trust is now also the home of ToIP, a pan-industry project established by the Linux Foundation as a Joint Development Foundation (JDF) to provide a robust, common standard and complete architecture for Internet-scale digital trust. LF Decentralized Trust Labs Hyperledger Labs has been a vital environment for innovation and project pipeline. It's been the launch pad for Hyperledger Bevel, Cacti, FireFly, Identus, and Solang. As of today, more than 50 code bases are now LF Decentralized Trust labs. These include some recent contributions that further grow the decentralized trust ecosystem: Signare - an enterprise-grade digital signing solution for DLT-related applications and Ethereum clients contributed by Adhara clients contributed by Adhara Splice - code and reference applications to enable organizations to independently create decentralized synchronization infrastructure for the Canton Network contributed by Digital Asset synchronization infrastructure for the Canton Network contributed by Digital Asset Zeto - a privacy-preserving token toolkit for EVM using Zero Knowledge Proofs contributed by Kaleido that is part of a larger next-gen EVM privacy framework slated for release this fall New General Member Quotes The support of LF Decentralized Trust's members is what makes it a neutral home for technical collaboration and innovation: AYANWORKS "AYANWORKS is thrilled to join LF Decentralized Trust and collaborate with its global community," said Kalyan Kulkarni, Co-founder & CEO of AYANWORKS. "This membership further expands our contributions to the open-source community and marks a significant milestone in our journey to empower individuals and organizations with self-sovereign identity capabilities. We plan to be active code contributors and play a hands-on role in advancing the adoption of decentralized identity solutions globally, fostering trust, security, and privacy for all." Dhiway "Joining LF Decentralized Trust is a natural extension of Dhiway's commitment to building secure and open digital infrastructures that empower individuals and organizations," said Satish Mohan, CEO, Dhiway. "As a company at the forefront of decentralized identity and data tokenization, we are excited to collaborate with the Linux Foundation and the global community to drive innovation, enhance interoperability, and establish a new paradigm of digital trust. We look forward to working with this community to create solutions that are not only transformative but also accessible and reliable, ensuring a more transparent, secure, and inclusive digital future. " Dfns "We're excited to join Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust and work with the community to grow Lockness, a new project that we contributed," said Clarisse Hagege, CEO of Dfns. "This will be the first platform to bring together all major cryptographic protocols and digital signatures in one place. By sharing our software with LF Decentralized Trust, we're reinforcing our belief in the value of trustworthy open-source communities. Our goal is to make cryptographic protocols like MPC, TSS, and ZKP a key part of institutional tech systems and widely used across industries. We believe this can only happen in an environment like the one the Linux Foundation creates, where open-source code is carefully reviewed and managed to build lasting trust. We're excited to keep growing and contributing to the digital asset and blockchain industry with technology that's both valuable and freely available." Exponential Science Foundation "The Exponential Science Foundation joining the Linux Foundation and LF Decentralized Trust represents a significant step forward for our open source initiatives and the practical application of distributed ledger technologies," said Dr. Paolo Tasca, Founder and Chairman of the Exponential Science Foundation. "Bringing our expertise to LF Decentralizes Trust's project ecosystem will accelerate the development of trustworthy, scalable solutions that will define the future of Web3 ecosystems. We expect our membership to demonstrate how open collaboration can transform theoretical breakthroughs into real-world applications, fostering a more transparent, efficient, and inclusive digital economy." Hashgraph "We are excited to join Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust as a Founding Member and strengthen our partnership with a community dedicated to open-source technology," Eric Piscini, CEO of Hashgraph. "Trust is essential for the widespread adoption of DLT and decentralized systems, and we are committed to collaborating with fellow members and projects to build innovative, scalable solutions. We see significant potential in enhancing interoperability and are eager to advance these initiatives." Ownera "We are thrilled to announce Ownera's membership in LF Decentralized Trust, a significant milestone in our mission to advance interoperability within the digital asset space," said Ami Ben David, Founder and CEO of Ownera. "By joining forces with the industry's brightest minds, we are committed to connecting ecosystem participants that are currently operating in silos. Ownera is working to provide buy side institutions with one seamless gateway to access digital asset products. This mission of LF Decentralized Trust aligns perfectly with our vision of creating a more unified and efficient digital asset marketplace. We're excited about the potential impact our collective work will have on the future of finance." Polygon "Joining LF Decentralized Trust fits with our goal of making web3 more accessible and shaping a new, more democratic internet," said Brian Trunzo, VP Global Head of Business Development at Polygon Labs. "We're focused on building a network of interconnected blockchains through the AggLayer and contributing to key scaling tools like Polygon PoS, zkEVM, Miden, and CDK. We're committed to pushing the boundaries of what's possible with blockchain technology." Print2Block "The creation of Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust as a dedicated space for open-source development of trailblazing decentralized technologies will hypercharge growth in adoption and innovation," Joji Varghese, Founder and CEO, Print2Block. "Print2block`s Platform Docchain.io has been using Hyperledger Fabric over the years to secure significant financial assets of over 5 billion USD and secured healthcare documents during the pandemic. We are delighted the Hyperledger projects will now be a part of the new LF Decentralized Trust's open-source ecosystem. This development accelerates the pace of innovation in decentralized technologies and gives us, as a company and as professionals, an unmatched opportunity to give back to the global blockchain community. We are anticipating the opportunity to collaborate and co-create with innovators from across the globe to replicate the successful deployment of distributed technology through more relevant real-world applications. We are excited to be a founding member of LF Decentralized Trust, which aims to create an open, inclusive, and collaboration-driven ecosystem for truly decentralized technology projects. This endeavor will pave the way for a future where trust is genuinely distributed, and innovation transcends all boundaries." Rayls Foundation "We are thrilled to become a LF Decentralized Trust founding member, reinforcing our commitment to advancing blockchain and distributed ledger technologies through our UniFi approach with decentralization and continuous contribution to the open source community," said CH Lopes, Rayls Foundation Director. "By integrating the strengths of traditional finance (TradFi) with the innovations of decentralized finance (DeFi), Rayls offers a unique blend of privacy, scalability, interoperability, and decentralization. We look forward to collaborating with this dynamic community to shape the future of finance." TCS "We are excited to join LF Decentralized Trust and look forward to contributing and learning from the experiences of this vibrant global community," said R Vivekanand, President BFSI Products & Platforms, TCS. "We believe blockchain is a foundational technology that will see widespread adoption by governments, businesses, and society. This engagement will help us partner with our customers in the creation of innovative business ecosystems that can benefit from the trust and transparency this technology delivers." Wanchain "Secure, reliable, and inclusive interoperability is essential for the widespread adoption of decentralized infrastructure," said Temujin Louie, CEO, Wanchain. "As we continue our efforts to develop industry-wide DLT interoperability specifications, we are excited to join LF Decentralized Trust and collaborate with a community of top companies and projects to shape the impact of blockchain technology on the global stage." See additional quotes from leading voices in the community about LF Decentralized Trust here. LF Decentralized Trust Member Summit LF Decentralized Trust members will come together October 23-24 for the first convening of this new global community. LF Decentralized Trust Member Summit, which will take place at the San Francisco Mint, will be a forum for discussing the expanded technology and application reach of this new umbrella organization. This member-only event will feature a range of technical and business sessions including panels, workshops, demos, and more. About Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust LF Decentralized Trust is the neutral home for the open development of technologies that empower organizations to innovate with secure and resilient code. It is the Linux Foundation's flagship organization for a broad range of technologies and standards that deliver the transparency, reliability, security, and efficiency required for a digital-first economy. Supported by a diverse, global base of members and communities, LF Decentralized Trust champions open source best practices across a growing ecosystem of blockchain, ledger, identity, cryptographic, and related technologies. To learn more, visit: www.lfdecentralizedtrust.org. About the Linux Foundation The Linux Foundation is the world's leading home for collaboration on open source software, hardware, standards, and data. Linux Foundation projects, including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, ONAP, OpenChain, OpenSSF, PyTorch, RISC-V, SPDX, Zephyr, and more, are critical to the world's infrastructure. The Linux Foundation focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users, and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org. The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see its trademark usage page: www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Contact: Emily Fisher LF Decentralized Trust [email protected] SOURCE LF Decentralized Trust NEW VISUAL, ADDITIONAL CAST INFO AND UPCOMING ENGLISH LANGUAGE DUB PVs ALSO REVEALED LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Mainichi Broadcasting System Inc. revealed a new transforming visual and teaser trailers for the upcoming anime adaptation premiere of DAN DA DAN, Yukinobu Tatsu's iconic manga. Focusing on key themes of the series, such as battle, love and the occult, each trailer sheds a unique light on what fans can expect from the paranormal romantic comedy. WATCH THE THREE ENGLISH SUBTITLED TEASERS ON THE OFFICIAL ENGLISH X ACCOUNT HERE A new key visual for DAN DA DAN featuring Okarun's transformation. Other main characters placed around him include, Momo, Seiko, Turbo Granny, Aria, and Jiji. Yukinobu Tatsu/SHUEISHA, DANDADAN Production Committee The "Battle" trailer highlights Okarun's battle with the Flatwoods Monster, depicting DAN DA DAN's intensity. The "Love" trailer hints at the budding relationship between Momo and Okarun while the ending theme, "TAIDADA" by ZUTOMAYO, weaves through the trailer and sets the tone for this coming-of-age romance. The final "Occult" trailer teases many of the series' unique supporting cast, with aliens and yokai taking the spotlight. The Japanese voice actors for the supernatural creatures featured in these trailers have also been revealed and include: Ryuzaburo Otomo as the Flatwoods Monster, a sumo-like alien. as the Flatwoods Monster, a sumo-like alien. Kikuko Inoue as Acrobatic Silky, a yokai with silky long hair, interested in Aira. as Acrobatic Silky, a yokai with silky long hair, interested in Aira. Tomokazu Seki as the Dover Demon, a mantis-shrimp-like alien with a powerful punch. as the Dover Demon, a mantis-shrimp-like alien with a powerful punch. Tomokazu Sugita as Taro, a living male anatomy model. as Taro, a living male anatomy model. Fumi Hirano as Hana, a living female anatomy model. DAN DA DAN will be available worldwide on multiple platforms on October 3, 2024, at 9 A.M. PDT. For details on the distribution platform, please check ADN, Crunchyroll, Hulu, Muse and Netflix's website. A series of promotional videos will soon premiere on the official English social media accounts for English dub fans. For more information about DAN DA DAN please visit the official English social media accounts at @animeDANDADANen on X and @anime_dandadan_en on Instagram, as well as the official English website at https://anime-dandadan.com/en/ . ABOUT DAN DA DAN: DAN DA DAN is a popular manga by Yukinobu Tatsu, serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine application "Shonen Jump Plus" (updated every Tuesday), with a total circulation of 3.2 million copies and over 440 million views. DAN DA DAN follows Momo, a high school girl from a family of spirit mediums, and her classmate Okarun, an occult freak. The two of them start talking after Momo rescues Okarun from getting bullied. However, an argument ensues between them Momo believes in ghosts but denies aliens, and Okarun believes in aliens but denies ghosts. To make the mutual deniers believe in each other, Momo goes to an abandoned hospital known for its UFO sightings, and Okarun goes to a tunnel that is said to be haunted. In each place, they encounter overwhelming paranormal activity that transcends comprehension. Amid these predicaments, Momo awakens her hidden power and Okarun gains the power of a curse to challenge the paranormal forces! Their fateful love begins as well!? The story of the occult battle and adolescence starts! STAFF: Original Work: Yukinobu Tatsu (Serialized in "Shonen Jump Plus" BY SHUEISHA) Director: Fuga Yamashiro Script: Hiroshi Seko Music: kensuke ushio Character Design: Naoyuki Onda Creature Design: Yoshimichi Kameda Color Design: Satoshi Hashimoto, Makiho Kondo Art Director: Junichi Higashi Compositing Director: Kazuto Izumita Editor: Kiyoshi Hirose Sound Director: Eriko Kimura Animation Production: Science SARU MUSIC: Opening Theme Song: "Otonoke" by Creepy Nuts Ending Theme Song: "TAIDADA" by ZUTOMAYO CAST: Shion Wakayama (JP) / Abby Trott (EN) as "Momo" Natsuki Hanae (JP) / AJ Beckles (EN) as "Okarun" Nana Mizuki (JP) / Kari Wahlgren (EN) as "Seiko" Ayane Sakura (JP) / Lisa Reimold (EN) as "Aira" Kaito Ishikawa (JP) / Aleks Le (EN) as "Jiji" Kazuya Nakai (JP) / Ben Diskin (EN) as "Serpoian" Mayumi Tanaka (JP) / Barbara Goodson (EN) as "Turbo Granny" Ryuzaburo Otomo (JP) as "Flatwoods Monster" Kikuko Inoue (JP) as "Acrobatic Silky" Tomokazu Seki (JP) as "Dover Demon" Tomokazu Sugita (JP) as "Taro" Fumi Hirano (JP) as "Hana" SOCIAL MEDIA: Official website: https://anime-dandadan.com/ Official website (EN): https://anime-dandadan.com/en/ Official X: @anime_dandadan Official X (EN): @animeDANDADANen Official Instagram (EN): @anime_dandadan_en Rights Notation Yukinobu Tatsu/SHUEISHA, DANDADAN Production Committee About MBS Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc., (MBS) is known as a pioneer in the Japanese broadcasting industry. Tracing back through history, MBS was one of the first commercial radio stations in Japan, starting its first radio broadcasts in 1951 and later beginning terrestrial television broadcasting in 1959. MBS has its head office in Osaka, which is the business center of Kansai, the western part of Japan, with new emerging businesses and innovative ideas. For anime, MBS has been co-producing and broadcasting for more than half a century. The broadcaster is the TV home to numerous global hit anime franchises like "Attack on Titan," "Full Metal Alchemist" and "Jujutsu Kaisen." In addition to co-producing those and many other series, MBS was a co-producer of "Akira," seen as one of the most influential anime films of all time. https://www.mbs.jp/english/ About Science SARU Science SARU is an animation production company committed to nurturing new talent and implementing cutting-edge creative technology; the company has produced projects across different mediums, including for television, film, and streaming. Some of Science SARU's best-known works include Lu Over the Wall, DEVILMAN crybaby, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Inu-Oh, and The Colors Within, among others. Science SARU's future releases include the TV anime series, The Ghost In The Shell, planned for broadcast in 2026, and SANDA. https://www.sciencesaru.com/english Additional Assets HERE SOURCE Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc. State Colleges and Universities See 7% Enrollment Surge; University of Minnesota Freshman Class Up 8% SAINT PAUL, Minn., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- North Star Prosperity released the following statement after public higher education institutions across the state reported a surge in enrollment thanks to the North Star Promise, a groundbreaking program designed to increase college access and affordability by providing tuition-free opportunities at public and tribal colleges for Minnesota residents making less than $80,000. It is the first time in over a decade that enrollment at Minnesota's public colleges has increased. North Star Prosperity led the campaign for North Star Promise, which Governor Tim Walz signed into law in May 2023. "The North Star Promise program is a game-changer," stated Mike Dean, Executive Director of North Star Prosperity. "We know that higher education is the most reliable path toward the middle class and yet for more than two decades, the cost of college has been out of reach for too many students. When we make education affordable and accessible, it's an investment in the future of Minnesota's workforce. Giving Minnesotans the tools to succeed in today's economy is not only the right thing to do; it's good business." For more information about the North Star Promise and how it benefits Minnesota residents, please visit www.northstarprosperity.org/freecollege or contact Mike Dean. North Star Prosperity is fighting for an economy that works for all Minnesotans. Driven by our belief that everyone deserves a fair shot, we challenge the systemic roots of poverty and inequality by advocating for progressive economic policies that dismantle structural barriers and expand opportunity for all. SOURCE North Star Prosperity Agreement supports significant investments for safety, reliability, customer growth Request included rate reductions for natural gas costs and income tax payment credits passed to customers CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Piedmont Natural Gas has reached a comprehensive agreement with consumer and industrial groups in North Carolina related to its rate review request, filed in April of this year. Piedmont plans to implement the increase in November 2024. Piedmont also requested concurrent rate reductions for pass-through natural gas costs and to accelerate the flowback to customers of the remaining eligible balance of excess deferred income taxes, which will help mitigate the overall impact to customer bills. The average residential customer in North Carolina will pay about $7.50 more per month, or $90 more per year. "We appreciate the consideration the Public Staff and all other parties have shown toward our customers and Piedmont's business needs," said Brian Weisker, senior vice president and president of Piedmont Natural Gas. "Raising rates is never a decision we take lightly, particularly during challenging economic times. These investments in strengthening and enhancing our natural gas delivery system will help ensure we continue to provide safe, reliable service to our customers while meeting the rising demand for natural gas throughout our North Carolina footprint." The agreement is subject to the review and approval of the North Carolina Utilities Commission. If the agreement is approved, the net annual increase in revenues for Piedmont will be approximately $88 million, about 40% less than the $149 million Piedmont originally requested to recover its prudently incurred costs to comply with federal safety regulations, enhance the customer experience, build needed infrastructure and provide safe, reliable natural gas service to meet the energy demands of more than 810,000 customers in North Carolina. The agreement was developed in collaboration with the Public Staff of the North Carolina Utilities Commission, which represents the interests of consumers, the Carolina Utility Customers Association, and the Carolina Industrial Group for Fair Utility Rates IV. The agreement allows Piedmont Natural Gas a return on equity of 9.80%. The stipulated rates also impact commercial and industrial customers. To learn more about Piedmont's proposed rate increase, visit piedmontng.com/rates. Level out your bill with the Equal Payment Plan (EPP) program Piedmont's free EPP program helps customers manage their budgets by leveling out a customer's natural gas bills, allowing them to pay a predictable, equal monthly amount to help avoid billing surprises. Piedmont determines this payment by adding up a customer's annual natural gas usage and then dividing it into the same payment amount each month. Learn more here. Energy-saving tips and tools Piedmont Natural Gas also offers a variety of energy-saving tips and tools to help customers and our communities identify ways to save money and energy all year long. These programs and tools help customers understand what factors are impacting their natural gas bills and emphasize specific actions they can take to prepare and reduce the impacts of higher usage. Assistance for customers in need Share the Warmth provides funds to local agencies to assist families with their utility bills, no matter the source of energy they use. Contact information for approved assistance agencies across Piedmont's service area is available at piedmontng.com/ShareTheWarmth. The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) provides assistance to pay for natural gas, electric and other energy sources customers use in their homes. Piedmont says anyone in need should apply for this and other newly available programs to see if they qualify. For more information, go to piedmontng.com/AssistancePrograms. Piedmont Natural Gas Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), distributes natural gas to more than 1.2 million residential, commercial, industrial and power generation customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Piedmont Natural Gas earned the No. 1 spot in customer satisfaction with residential natural gas service in the South among large utilities, according to the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study. More information: piedmontng.com. Follow Piedmont Natural Gas: X, Facebook. Media contact: Jason Wheatley Media line: 877.348.3612 [email protected] X: @PNG_JasonW SOURCE Piedmont Natural Gas THE DOCTOR HAS ALSO BEEN CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT AND RAPE BY POLICE LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Potts Law Firm, LLP out of Houston and Little Rock has filed a civil lawsuit against Dr. Sudesh Banaji, an Arkansas doctor practicing internal medicine in Forrest City. This lawsuit comes in addition to the multiple felony sexual assault and a rape charges brought this week as a result of an investigation by the Arkansas State Police's Investigation Division. The 1st Judicial District Prosecutor's Office requested that the Arkansas State Police arrest Dr. Banaji after charges of inappropriate sexual contact with female patients during examinations and staff at Banaji's medical clinic in Forrest City were filed this week. Dr. Sudesh Banaji (Cross County Jail) "The courage the survivor has shown in coming forward after enduring this unimaginable trauma and suffering cannot be overstated, and we stand with them in their pursuit of justice and healing," Potts Law Firm National Managing Partner Derek Potts said. The Plaintiff is a former employee at Dr. Banaji's clinic. It is alleged that beginning in 2024 through the middle of 2024, Dr. Banaji sexually assaulted the Plaintiff on multiple occasions. There are possibly other unidentified victims including former patients that have suffered similar abuse, assaults and harassment by Dr. Banaji. This lawsuit seeks over $5,000,000 in actual and punitive damages against the doctor and his clinic. The case is styled Destiny Barber v. Sudesh Banaji, et al.; Case No.: 62CV-24-221. The Potts Law Firm is the nation's leading firm representing survivors in sexual abuse cases. SOURCE Potts Law Firm New celebration educates + highlights the impact of retinoids on the skin PHOENIX, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- skinbetter science the fastest-growing professional skincare brand1 and a leader in advanced skincare solutions, today announced the inaugural observance of National Retinoid Week, occurring from September 16-22, 2024. This annual event will be observed every third week of September, educating skincare users and spotlighting the profound benefits of retinoids for visibly healthy skin. As a highlight of this milestone week, skinbetter will proudly feature its breakthrough AlphaRet technology and introduce its latest innovation. skinbetter science AlphaRet technology Why Retinoids? Retinoids are Vitamin A based compounds considered to be the gold standard in improving the appearance of photoaged skin. When used long-term, retinoids are known to improve the appearance of lines and wrinkles, uneven skin tone and texture, clogged pores and blemishes. To celebrate National Retinoid Week, skinbetter will engage with the skincare community through a series of posts on @skinbetter and exclusive professional content. Recognized for its pioneering, exclusive AlphaRet technologyskinbetter science successfully combines a retinoid and an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) for effective and tolerable skin rejuvenation with little-to-no irritation. The latest innovation, AlphaRet Body Overnight Cream, marks an exciting expansion of this award-winning technology in body care. This new offering is designed to address the needs of skin beyond the face, which is typically thicker and rougher. The advanced formulation provides deep hydration and refinement, targeting dry, crepey areas with a weightless touch. Over 87% of users reported visibly firmer, smoother skin after just eight weeks of nightly use, even on sensitive skin.2 "The goal of National Retinoid Week is education about the important role that retinoids play in skincare. skinbetter has always believed that retinoids are a cornerstone of effective skincare, yet, many people don't know how to choose the right product for their skin or aren't aware of all the options available to them," said Jonah Shacknai, Founder and CEO of skinbetter. "With the introduction of AlphaRet Body Overnight Cream, we are emphasizing that body care deserves the same level of attention, innovation, and results as facial care. Our latest product exemplifies our commitment to delivering transformative results through innovation for radiant, healthy-looking skin from head to toe." Join the celebration by using #RetinoidWeek on social media and learn more about the newest AlphaRet body product by using #AlphaRetBody. For more information on skinbetter science, visit www.skinbetter.com and follow on Instagram and Facebook @skinbetter. About skinbetter science skinbetter science was formed in 2016 to establish a new biotech-based approach to skincare, built on three pillars: science, care and results. The team is committed to a technology pipeline of scientific innovation across multiple skincare categories, rigorous clinical substantiation of safety and efficacy of its products, as well as partnership with dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and other healthcare professionals in the aesthetic medical community in order to deliver best-in-class skincare solutions to their patients. skinbetter science is available exclusively through the leading dermatology, plastic surgery and medical aesthetics practices nationwide. To find an authorized skinbetter science physician near you, please visit www.skinbetter.com. Media Contact: EvolveMKD [email protected] Reference 1. 2024 Kline Professional skincare: United States Market Analysis and Opportunities 2. *Results based on a 12-week study conducted on 49 subjects with mild-to-moderate dry, flaky, crepey skin on the arms, elbows, and hands. SOURCE skinbetter science Public-Private Partnership to Research Economic Challenges of Severe Convective Storms NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Severe thunderstorms, encompassing damaging winds, tornadoes, hail, and torrential rain, caused $42 billion in insured losses worldwide during the first half of 2024. In the United States, insured losses from severe convective storms have escalated by approximately 8% per year since 2008. ( Swiss Re Institute ). These events pose a wide range of challenges, including extensive property damage, loss of life, community disruption, increasing burdens on taxpayers, and rising insurance premiums driven by the surge in claims. Public-Private Partnership to Research Economic Challenges of Severe Convective Storms Post this Stephen Bennett, Chief Scientist, Demex The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are supporting an initiative to research, and find solutions to, the challenges being caused by severe convective storms. The Cooperative Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Convective Storms (the Center) is being proposed by Northern Illinois University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, along with key industry players. The initial meeting, held on September 12 and 13th, attracted more than 70 stakeholders, including representatives from some of the world's largest insurers. Stephen Bennett, Chief Scientist of Demex, a risk analytics and intelligence company offering reinsurance solutions for severe convective storms, will serve as interim lead of the Center's Industry Advisory Board. Bennett is a renowned weather and climate scientist, who chairs the committee on climate-linked economics for the American Meteorological Society. At Demex, he is instrumental in developing the models that feed into its new parametric reinsurance solutions designed to protect insurers from an accumulation of severe convective storms losses. The Center aims to understand the multifaceted impacts that convective storms impose on society and the economy. Through the partnership between universities and industry, the Center proposes to: Conduct Comprehensive Research: Explore the meteorological, climatic, socioeconomic, and environmental aspects of convective storms, resulting in holistic insights into their dynamics, consequences, and potential for future change. Develop State-of-the-Art Methodologies: Assess the risks and exposure to convective storms, including their potential for property damage, casualties, disruptions to critical infrastructure, and insured losses. Collaborate for Actionable Strategies: Work with industry partners, governments, and local communities to translate research findings into actionable strategies that enhance preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities, ultimately bolstering societal resilience. Foster Technological Innovation: Leverage emerging technologies, such as advanced modeling, data analytics, and remote sensing, to create new forecasts, climate projections, and detection algorithms. Train Future Scientists and Educate the Public: Equip the next generation of scientists with the necessary skills to excel in the workforce and educate the public, policymakers, and stakeholders about the science behind convective storms and their impacts, fostering a culture of awareness, proactive planning, and collective responsibility. By pursuing these objectives, the goal is to generate actionable research that empowers societies to minimize the adverse impacts of convective storms, fostering a safer and more resilient world for current and future generations. "The economic importance of severe convective storms is clear," said Center's Director, Dr. Victor Gensini. "Since record keeping began in 1980, there have been more than 360 distinct billion-dollar weather and climate-related disasters. Of those, more than 50% were the result of severe convective storms. The increase of these events in recent decades has had a significant economic impact and has pushed severe convective storms to the forefront of concern in the insurance industry." Commenting on Bennett leading the Industry Advisory Board, Dr. Gensini added, "Steve is a leading figure in understanding the impacts of weather on the economy. He brings his expertise, along with know-how from Demex, who are at the forefront of creating new insurance solutions for severe convective storms." "We are encouraging executives who can contribute to our mission to bring their collective expertise to further research and create actionable strategies to meet the challenge of convective storms," Dr. Gensini concluded. "I'm excited to build an advisory board that will bring deep expertise and credibility to this critical, yet undervalued peril," said Bennett. "Severe convective storms present a major challenge for many insurers and have serious consequences for homeowners. This highlights the urgency and importance of the Center's mission - and is the area Demex and I have focused on researching for several years." He added, "Average annual losses from convective storms have risen by about 8% per year since 2008, with losses surpassing $40 billion in the first half of 2024 alone. As secondary perils continue to reshape the insurance landscape, it's clear that stakeholders must prioritize strategies for research, preparedness, and loss mitigation." The Center is part of the National Science Foundation's program for Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers, which conduct breakthrough research by enabling close and sustained engagement between industry innovators, world-class academic teams, and government agencies. About CIRCS The Cooperative Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Convective Storms (CIRCS) is being created by Northern Illinois University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, along with key industry players. The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are supporting this initiative to research, and find solutions to, the challenges being caused by severe convective storms. The CIRCS is part of the National Science Foundation's program for Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers, which conduct breakthrough research by enabling close and sustained engagement between industry innovators, world-class academic teams, and government agencies. About Demex Demex is an independent data and analytics company that partners with reinsurance brokers, insurers, and reinsurers to solve the rising challenge of frequent property losses from secondary perils. Demex models loss accumulation based on weather and claims data, informed by climate research, and provides parametric stop-loss solutions that meet the needs of insurers and reinsurers. Demex is a market-maker for a class of risk that is surpassing catastrophe losses a cluster of losses from secondary perils that threatens not only insurers' annual earnings but also the sustainability of their businesses. SOURCE The Demex Group Photo: Administration of the President of Kyrgyzstan BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, September 16. President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov will make a working visit to Kazakhstan on September 17, Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Kyrgyz Presidential Administration Muratbek Azymbakiev said, Trend reports. "During the visit, the head of state will participate in the second meeting of Central Asian heads of state and the Federal Chancellor of Germany. The parties will discuss pressing regional issues, including expanding cooperation between the Central Asian region and Germany across all areas of mutual interest," Azymbakiev pointed out. He added that Zhaparov will attend a meeting of Central Asian presidents with German entrepreneurs, hold a separate meeting with the German business community, and engage in bilateral negotiations with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. On September 17, Scholz will attend the second Central Asia-Germany (5+1) summit in Kazakhstan. At the first 5+1 summit, held in Berlin last year, a strategic regional partnership program was signed. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Introducing STOUFFER'S Supreme Shells & Cheese, elevated comfort food in two supremely creamy and cheesy flavors SOLON, Ohio, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- STOUFFER'S, the brand best known for bringing you a taste of comfort, is expanding beyond the frozen aisle with a new pantry staple, boxed mac and cheese STOUFFER'S Supreme Shells & Cheese. On behalf of Stouffer's A first for the brand, STOUFFER'S Supreme Shells & Cheese is supremely creamy and cheesy, offering 10% more cheese sauce than the leading shelf-stable shells and cheese product, to deliver a more cheese forward flavor profile. With a stovetop cooking time of just ten minutes and no additional ingredients required, STOUFFER's Supreme Shells & Cheese is a great-tasting and effortless meal for any night of the week, offering the perfect answer to the age-old question "What's for dinner?" STOUFFER'S Supreme Shells & Cheese is made with dry pasta and a liquid cheese sauce and will be offered in two flavor varieties, Cheddar Cheese and Three Cheese, with additional innovations to rollout in 2025 and beyond. Cheddar Cheese: A bold take on classic comfort, this high-quality, supremely creamy cheddar cheese variety will become your pantry's new best friend. A bold take on classic comfort, this high-quality, supremely creamy cheddar cheese variety will become your pantry's new best friend. Three Cheese: Enjoy the perfectly cheesy sauce trifecta of Wisconsin white cheddar, gouda and parmesan blended to create an elevated taste experience for cheese lovers. "Americans love their mac and cheese, and so do we! We saw an opportunity to expand beyond our fan-favorite frozen options by introducing STOUFFER'S Supreme Shells & Cheese to provide a more cheese forward flavor experience than what's currently available in the aisle," said Megan McLaughlin, Senior Brand Manager for STOUFFER'S. "We can't wait for shoppers to try this new product and taste the SUPREME difference." Look for STOUFFER'S Supreme Shells & Cheese on shelves in the brand's classic red color with new gold accents on the box. The new mac and cheese will be available on Amazon, and at select national retailers beginning this month for an MSRP of $3.99 per 12 oz. box with continued rollout in 2025 (prices may vary by retailer). For more information about product and retailer availability near you, visit us online and follow @stouffers on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X. Nestle USA Nestle USA is committed to unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone, today and for generations to come. The company's food and beverage portfolio includes some of the most recognizable brands in the United States, including Coffee mate, DiGiorno and Nestle Toll House. Nestle USA also boasts the largest coffee portfolio in the U.S., including Nescafe, Nestle Starbucks Coffee and Seattle's Best. Nestle USA is part of Nestle S.A., headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland the world's largest food and beverage company, which has been named among "The World's Most Admired Food Companies" by Fortune magazine for more than 25 consecutive years. For more information, visit nestleusa.com. SOURCE STOUFFER'S CHICAGO, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunset Foods, the North Shore grocery store that has long been the first to discover some of the most beloved food and beverage brands, is excited to announce the launch of the Sunset Innovators Awards . This new initiative aims to provide a platform for bold and audacious entrepreneurs in the Chicagoland area, helping them bring their unique products to market. For years, Sunset has been the launchpad for iconic brands such as Skinny Pop, Carol's Cookies, Petal Sparkling Botanicals, and Hole in the Wall Sauce, all of which were first discovered on our shelves. The Sunset Innovators Awards formalizes our commitment to nurturing local talent and providing a platform where great ideas can thrive. "Chicagoland is home to so many incredible entrepreneurs with innovative products, and we want to be the first to discover the next big thing," said John Cortesi, President at Sunset. "When you make it on the shelves of Sunset, you're not just another brandyou're a cherished member of our community." The Sunset Innovators Awards is more than just a product placement; it's an opportunity to join a legacy of brands that have made their mark on the food and beverage industry. By participating, companies will benefit from Sunset's extensive market expertise, customer reach, and a community that values quality and innovation. As we continue to champion local businesses, we invite entrepreneurs from across the Chicagoland area to apply for the Sunset Innovators Awards. After all, it all starts at Sunset. Program Details: Food and beverage brands are encouraged to submit their products to Sunset Foods to earn awards and shelf space in-store and/or online. The award categories are: Top Spot, a product that wins in innovation, a compelling founder story, and taste Local Favorite, a product from a Chicagoland maker Best Better for You Brand, a product that focuses on wellness and excellent taste to complement it Most Craveworthy, a product that exceeds in taste Best Brand Story , a product whose brand story is compelling Brands can submit their products on the Sunset Foods Website by Thursday, October 10. Winners will be announced, and products will be available for purchase at all Sunset locations on Wednesday, October 30th. A mix of industry leaders, Sunset employees, and influential Chicago area residents will judge submissions, including Carol Goodman, Founder of Carol's Cookies, Ryan Meczyk, Founder & CEO, Norman Distribution, Sarah Stegner, Co-Owner & Chef, Prairie Grass Cafe, Natalie Shmulik, Chief Strategy & Incubation Officer/ ICNC/ The Hatchery Chicago, and John Cortesi, Owner & CEO, Sunset Foods. About Sunset Sunset Foods is a family-owned, neighborhood grocery store founded in 1937. It offers a wide selection of organic, gourmet, specialty, and fresh food items and is committed to outstanding customer service and community involvement. Today, Sunset has five locations: stores in Highland Park, Lake Forest, Libertyville, Long Grove, and Northbrook, and two Grand Food Center locations in Winnetka and Glencoe. For more information about the Sunset Innovators Program or to apply, please visit https://www.sunsetfoods.com/news/sunset-innovators or contact [email protected]. Media Contact: Sarah Hanlan Director of Marketing [email protected] 847-681-5512 SOURCE Sunset Food Mart, Inc. WEST READING, Pa., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Tower Health ("Tower Health") today announced the results of its offer to exchange (the "Exchange Offer") all or any portion of certain outstanding debt securities issued by or on behalf of Tower Health described in the table below (collectively, the "Outstanding Bonds") for a specified amount of new bonds to be issued by The Berks County Municipal Authority (the "Authority"), as identified in the table below (collectively, the "Exchange Bonds"). The Exchange Offer was made to realign the debt structure of Tower Health and the other members of the Obligated Group (as defined below) and their affiliates to support their acute care hospitals and related healthcare businesses. The Exchange Offer is further described in the Offer to Exchange and Consent Solicitation Statement dated August 16, 2024 (the "Offer to Exchange and Consent Solicitation Statement"). Information concerning Tower Health and the other members of the Obligated Group and the Exchange Bonds is set forth in the Authority's Preliminary Limited Offering Memorandum dated August 16, 2024 (the "Limited Offering Memorandum" and, together with the Offer to Exchange and Consent Solicitation Statement, the "Exchange Documents") attached as APPENDIX A to the Offer to Exchange and Consent Solicitation Statement. In connection with the Exchange Offer, Tower Health also solicited consents ("Consents") from holders of Outstanding Bonds, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Exchange and Consent Solicitation Statement, to amend and restate the Master Trust Indenture supporting the Outstanding Bonds (the "Consent Solicitation"). Bondholders who tendered their Outstanding Bonds in the Exchange Offer were deemed to have delivered their Consents pursuant to the Consent Solicitation. The Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation expired on Friday, September 13, 2024, and will not be extended. Pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in the Exchange Offer, Tower Health has accepted for exchange all of the Outstanding Bonds tendered pursuant to the Exchange Offer, in each case, as set forth in the following table (the "Accepted Outstanding Bonds"). The Accepted Outstanding Bonds constitute a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Bonds and, pursuant to the terms of the Consent Solicitation, Tower Health will certify to the master trustee under the Master Trust Indenture that the requisite Consents have been obtained and the proposed amendments to the Master Trust Indenture supporting the Outstanding Bonds will immediately become effective at the time such certification is delivered. The Berks County Municipal Authority Revenue Bonds (Tower Health Project), Series 2024A-3 (the "Series 2024A-3 Bonds") The Berks County Municipal Authority Revenue Bonds (Tower Health Project), Series 2024B-1 (the "Series 2024B-1 Bonds") Series of Outstanding Bonds CUSIPS1 Outstanding Principal Amount Aggregate Principal Amount Accepted for Exchange Exchange Factor2 Aggregate Exchange Initial Principal Amount to be Issued Exchange Factor2 Aggregate Final Accreted Value to be Issued Berks County Municipal Authority Series 2012A Fixed Rate Revenue Bonds (The Reading Hospital and Medical Center Project) (the "Series 2012A Bonds") 084538GV3 084538GW1 084538GY7 084538GX9 $160,065,000 $127,555,000 0.7000 $89,411,000 0.349816 $44,524,000 Berks County Industrial Development Authority Series 2017 Health System Revenue Bonds (Tower Health Project) (the "Series 2017 Bonds") 08451PAD3 08451PAE1 08451PAF8 08451PAG6 08451PAH4 08451PAJ0 08451PAK7 08451PAL5 08451PAM3 08451PAN1 08451PAP6 08451PAQ4 08451PAR2 08451PAS0 08451PAT8 08451PAU5 08451PAV3 08451PAW1 08451PAX9 08451PAZ4 08451PAY7 $579,745,000 $527,555,000 0.7000 $369,451,000 0.349816 $184,420,000 Berks County Municipal Authority Series 2020A Revenue Bonds (Tower Health Project) (the "Series 2020A Bonds") 084538HS9 084538HT7 084538HU4 084538HV2 084538HW0 084538HX8 084538HY6 084538HZ3 $27,410,000 $27,085,000 0.7000 $18,968,000 0.349816 $9,468,000 Berks County Municipal Authority Series 2020B-1 Revenue Bonds (Tower Health Project) (the "Series 2020B-1 Bonds") 084538JA6 $64,565,000 $58,540,000 0.7500 $43,918,000 0.291513 $17,066,000 Berks County Municipal Authority Series 2020B-2 Revenue Bonds (Tower Health Project) (the "Series 2020B-2 Bonds") 084538JB4 $82,450,000 $81,860,000 0.7000 $57,313,000 0.349816 $28,623,000 Berks County Municipal Authority Series 2020B-3 Revenue Bonds (Tower Health Project) (the "Series 2020B-3 Bonds") 084538JC2 $72,920,000 $72,750,000 0.7000 $50,942,000 0.349816 $25,438,000 TOTAL: $987,155,000 $895,345,000 $630,003,000 $309,539,000 The Berks County Municipal Authority Federally Taxable Revenue Bonds (Tower Health Project), Series 2024A-4 (the "Series 2024A-4 Bonds") The Berks County Municipal Authority Federally Taxable Revenue Bonds (Tower Health Project), Series 2024B-2 (the "Series 2024B-2 Bonds") Series of Outstanding Bonds CUSIPS1 Outstanding Principal Amount Aggregate Principal Amount Accepted for Exchange Exchange Factor2 Aggregate Exchange Initial Principal Amount to be Issued Exchange Factor2 Aggregate Final Accreted Value to be Issued Tower Health Taxable Bonds Series 2020 (the "Series 2020 Taxable Bonds") 891792AA1 $190,720,000 $187,517,000 0.7000 $131,277,000 0.368014 $69,011,000 TOTAL: $190,720,000 $187,517,000 $131,277,000 $69,011,000 _______ CUSIP is a registered trademark of the American Bankers Association. CUSIP data herein is provided by CUSIP Global Services, which is managed on behalf of the American Bankers Association by FactSet Research Systems Inc. This data is not intended to create a database and does not serve in any way as a substitute for the CUSIP Services. CUSIP numbers are provided for convenience of reference only. None of Tower Health, the Authority, BofA Securities, Inc. (the "Dealer Manager"), Globic Advisors (the "Information and Exchange Agent") or their respective agents or counsel assume responsibility for the accuracy of such numbers. The "Exchange Factor" is the factor by which the principal amount of such Outstanding Bonds tendered will be multiplied in order to determine the principal amount of Series 2024A-3 Bonds and Series 2024A-4 Bonds and Final Accreted Value (as defined in the Limited Offering Memorandum) after the accretion period of Series 2024B -1 Bonds and Series 2024B -2 Bonds that will be issued in exchange for such Outstanding Bonds tendered pursuant to the Exchange Offer. If the principal amount of the applicable series of Series 2024A-3 Bonds or Series 2024A-4 Bonds or Final Accreted Value after the accretion period of Series 2024B-1 Bonds or Series 2024B-2 Bonds that a bondholder would be entitled to receive would not be an integral multiple of $1,000, such principal amount or Final Accreted Value of the applicable series of Exchange Bonds to be delivered to the bondholder will be as follows: (i) the principal amount of the Series 2024A-3 Bonds or Series 2024A-4 Bonds, as applicable, will be rounded to the nearest $1,000 denomination as follows: (a) amounts equal to or greater than $500 will be rounded to the next higher $1,000 increment and (b) amounts less than $500 will be rounded to the next lower $1,000 increment; and (ii) the Final Accreted Value of the Series 2024B-1 Bonds or Series 2024B-2 Bonds, as applicable, will be rounded to the nearest $1,000 denomination as follows: (a) amounts equal to or less than $500 will be rounded to the next lower $1,000 increment and (b) amounts greater than $500 will be rounded to the next higher $1,000 increment. The Settlement Date is the day on which Outstanding Bonds tendered to Tower Health for exchange will be exchanged for Exchange Bonds. The Settlement Date is expected to be September 19, 2024, unless extended, and is subject to the conditions set forth in the Exchange Documents. Tower Health may change the Settlement Date by giving notice as described in the Offer to Exchange and Consent Solicitation Statement. Concurrently with the settlement of the Exchange Offer, the Authority will issue and sell $157.5 million aggregate principal amount of its (i) 8.0% Federally Taxable Revenue Bonds (Tower Health Project), Series 2024A-1 (the "Series 2024A-1 Bonds") and (ii) tax-exempt 6.0% Revenue Bonds (Tower Health Project), Series 2024A-2 (the "Series 2024A-2 Bonds" and, together with the Series 2024A-1 Bonds, the "Series 2024A-1/A-2 Bonds" and the Series 2024A-1/A-2 Bonds, collectively with the Exchange Bonds, the "Series 2024A/B Bonds") to holders of Outstanding Bonds as of August 29, 2024. The Series 2024A/B Bonds will be issued in the manner, on the terms and with the security therefor described in the Limited Offering Memorandum. The exchange of any Outstanding Bonds tendered pursuant to the Exchange Offer is contingent on the issuance and sale of the Series 2024A-1/A-2 Bonds and Exchange Bonds by the Authority. The Exchange Offer and the issuance and sale of the Series 2024A-1/A-2 Bonds by the Authority is collectively referred to herein as the "Refinancing Transaction." The Outstanding Bonds exchanged in the Exchange Offer will be retired or cancelled and will not be reissued. Holders of Outstanding Bonds who did not participate in the Exchange Offer will continue to hold such Outstanding Bonds in their account unchanged by virtue of the Exchange Offer. The Outstanding Bonds were issued, and the Series 2024A/B Bonds will be issued, for the benefit of Tower Health and certain of its affiliates that constitute the "Obligated Group." The Obligated Group includes Tower Health, Reading Hospital, Brandywine Hospital, LLC, Chestnut Hill Hospital, LLC, Jennersville Hospital, LLC, Phoenixville Hospital, LLC and Pottstown Hospital, LLC. Tower Health serves as the parent organization of the other Obligated Group members. For certain information concerning the Obligated Group, see the Limited Offering Memorandum. The Offer to Exchange and Consent Solicitation Statement and Limited Offering Memorandum are available electronically on the website of the Information and Exchange Agent at www.globic.com/towerhealth, as well as the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board through its Electronic Municipal Market Access ("EMMA") website, located at http://emma.msrb.org, using the CUSIP numbers for the Outstanding Bonds. BofA Securities, Inc. is acting as Dealer Manager for the Exchange Offer. Investors with questions about the Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation should contact the Dealer Manager at (646) 743-1362 or by email: [email protected]. Investors and their brokers, account executives, financial advisors and/or other appropriate professionals with questions about the Exchange Offer may also contact the Information and Exchange Agent, Robert Stevens of Globic Advisors, at: (212) 227-9699 or by email: [email protected]. This announcement is for informational purposes only. This announcement is not an offer to sell or purchase or a solicitation of an offer to sell or purchase any Outstanding Bonds or Series 2024A/B Bonds. The Exchange Offer is not being made to, and Outstanding Bonds tendered in response to the Exchange Offer will not be accepted from or on behalf of, bondholders in any jurisdiction in which such offer or such acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction. In any jurisdictions where the securities, "blue sky" or other laws require the Exchange Offer to be made through a licensed or registered broker or dealer, the Exchange Offer shall be deemed to be made on behalf of Tower Health through the Dealer Manager or one or more registered brokers or dealers licensed under the laws of that jurisdiction. About Tower Health Tower Health is a regional integrated healthcare system that offers compassionate, high-quality, leading-edge healthcare and wellness services to communities in Berks, Chester, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties. With over 10,000 team members and a combined 1,200 beds, Tower Health consists of Reading Hospital in West Reading; Phoenixville Hospital in Phoenixville; Pottstown Hospital in Pottstown; and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, in partnership with Drexel University. Tower Health is strongly committed to academic medicine and training, including multiple residency and fellowship programs, the Drexel University College of Medicine at Tower Health, and the Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences in West Reading. The system also includes Reading Hospital Rehabilitation at Wyomissing; home healthcare provided by Tower Health at Home; TowerDIRECT ambulance and emergency response; Tower Health Medical Group; Tower Health Providers, our clinically integrated network; and Tower Health Urgent Care facilities across our service area. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This communication contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. These statements can be identified by the use of words or phrases such as "expects," "estimates," "projects," "budgets," forecasts," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions. These statements are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated in, and implied by, this notice. These factors are outside of Tower Health's control and difficult to predict and manage. Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from Tower Health's expectations include: (i) Tower Health's ability to succeed in the Refinancing Transaction; (ii) the failure of any conditions specified in the agreements among Tower Health and the ad hoc group of bondholders party to the transaction support agreement, dated May 31, 2024, to be satisfied or waived; (iii) Tower Health's ability to effectively manage its operations during the significant cash flow and liquidity difficulties it is currently experiencing until such time as the Refinancing Transaction can be consummated; (iv) negative events or publicity associated with Tower Health's refinancing efforts; and (v) the negative consequences if Tower Health is unsuccessful in achieving the benefits of the Refinancing Transaction. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and reflect Tower Health's good faith beliefs, assumptions and expectations, but they are not guarantees of future performance or events. Furthermore, Tower Health disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, except as required by law. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. Tower Health files annual and quarterly reports and other financial information with EMMA. You may access Tower Health's public filings on EMMA at emma.msrb.org. Tower Health's website address is towerhealth.org. SOURCE Tower Health RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Victra, the largest Verizon authorized retailer in the U.S., today announced the expiration and results of the previously announced tender offer (the "Tender Offer") by Victra Holdings, LLC and Victra Finance Corp. (together, the "Issuers") to purchase for cash any and all of their outstanding 7.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 (the "Notes") from holders thereof (the "Holders"). The Tender Offer expired at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 13, 2024 (the "Expiration Time"). As of the Expiration Time, $493,377,000 of the $727,833,000 outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Notes had been validly tendered and not validly withdrawn in the Tender Offer, representing 67.79% of the outstanding principal amount thereof. The principal amount tendered excludes $1,697,000 in aggregate principal amount of the Notes tendered pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedures described in the Offer to Purchase related to the Tender Offer, and the related Notice of Guaranteed Delivery provided in connection therewith (as they may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the "Tender Offer Documents"), which remain subject to the Holders' performance of the delivery requirements under such procedures. The Total Consideration for each $1,000 principal amount of the Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) and accepted for purchase pursuant to the Tender Offer will be an amount equal to $1,008.75, payable in cash to Holders that validly tendered their Notes prior to the Expiration Time, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the Settlement Date (as defined below). The Settlement Date for the Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) at or prior to the Expiration Time and accepted for purchase in the Tender Offer, including the Notes submitted using the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, is expected to occur on September 18, 2024 (the "Settlement Date"). The consummation of the Tender Offer is subject to, and conditioned upon, the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions described in the Offer to Purchase, including, certain financing and general conditions, in each case as described in more detail in the Offer to Purchase. The complete terms and conditions of the Tender Offer are set forth in the Tender Offer Documents. All Notes purchased pursuant to the Tender Offer will be cancelled. Following the consummation of the Tender Offer, on or around the Settlement Date, the Issuers expect to satisfy and discharge the indenture governing the Notes (the "Indenture") with respect to any Notes that were not validly tendered (or validly withdrawn) in connection with the Tender Offer and remain outstanding thereafter (the "Non-Tendered Notes") by depositing with the trustee under the Indenture an amount sufficient to redeem such Notes on February 15, 2025 at the then-applicable redemption price of 100% of the outstanding principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest, to, but excluding, the redemption date (the "Redemption Price"), in accordance with the terms of the Indenture. In connection with such satisfaction and discharge of the Indenture, the Issuers expect to deliver a notice of redemption on the Settlement Date to redeem all of the outstanding Non-Tendered Notes on February 15, 2025 at the Redemption Price. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any security. No offer, solicitation, or sale will be made in any jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful. BofA Securities and Truist Securities, Inc. are acting as dealer managers (the "Dealer Managers") in the Tender Offer. Global Bondholder Services Corporation has been retained to serve as both the tender and the information agent (the "Tender and Information Agent") for the Tender Offer. Questions regarding the Tender Offer should be directed to the Dealer Managers at (i) (646) 743-2120 (collect), in the case of BofA Securities or (ii) (404) 926-5262 (collect), in the case of Truist Securities, Inc. The Tender Offer is being made only pursuant to the Tender Offer Documents. The Tender Offer is not being made to Holders of Notes in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. In any jurisdiction in which the Tender Offer is required to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Tender Offer will be deemed to be made on behalf of the Issuers by the Dealer Managers or one or more registered brokers or dealers that are licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning, among other things, the consummation of the Tender Offer and the satisfaction of the conditions related thereto. These forward-looking statements are also generally identified by the words "intends", "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "outlook," "budget," "intend," "strategy," "plan," "guidance," "may," "should," "could," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs of the Issuers' management and are subject to significant risks, assumptions, and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements. Such risks include, but are not limited to, the Issuers' ability to successfully consummate the Tender Offer in accordance with its terms, including the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions thereto, such as the financing condition. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future events or results. The Issuers undertake no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except to the extent required under federal securities laws. About Victra Victra, headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., operates as the largest exclusive authorized agent for Verizon Wireless, the nation's best performing wireless network. Victra has approximately 1,450 Verizon-branded retail stores and kiosks across 49 states, offering a comprehensive mix of wireless devices including smartphones, feature phones, tablets, mobile broadband, and wearables; as well as a broad range of accessories and device insurance coverage. Media Contact Liz Martin-Quinn [email protected] SOURCE Victra The offering documentation is or will be accessible through SEDAR+ and EDGAR VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Vizsla Silver Corp. (TSXV: VZLA) (NYSE: VZLA) (Frankfurt: 0G3) ("Vizsla" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Canaccord Genuity as sole bookrunner, on behalf of itself and syndicate of underwriters (the "Underwriters"), pursuant to which the Underwriters have agreed to purchase, on a bought deal basis, 25,000,000 common shares (the "Common Shares"), at a price of $2.60 per Common Share, for gross proceeds of approximately $65,000,000 (the "Offering"). The Company has granted the Underwriters an option (the "Over-Allotment Option"), exercisable at the offering price for a period of 30 days after and including the closing of the Offering, to purchase up to an additional 15% of the Offering to cover over-allotments, if any. The Offering is expected to close on or about September 19, 2024 and is subject to the Company receiving all necessary regulatory approvals. In the event that the Over Allotment Option is exercised in full, the total gross proceeds of the Offering will be $74,750,000. The Company currently intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering to advance the exploration, drilling and development of the Company's Panuco Project, as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes as set out in the Prospectus Supplement (as defined below). The Common Shares will be offered by way of a prospectus supplement (the "Prospectus Supplement") in all of the provinces and territories of Canada, other than Quebec, pursuant to the Company's base shelf prospectus dated March 31, 2023 (the "Base Shelf Prospectus"), and will be offered in the United States pursuant to a prospectus supplement (the "US Prospectus Supplement") filed as part of an effective registration statement on Form F-10 (the "Registration Statement") filed under the Canada/U.S. multi-jurisdictional disclosure system. Before investing, prospective purchasers in Canada should read the Prospectus Supplement, the Base Shelf Prospectus, and the documents incorporated by reference therein, and prospective purchasers in the United States should read the US Prospectus Supplement, the Base Shelf Prospectus and the Registration Statement and the documents incorporated by reference therein for more complete information about the Company and the Offering. Copies of the applicable offering documents, when available, can be obtained free of charge under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Delivery of the Base Shelf Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement and any amendments thereto will be satisfied in accordance with the "access equals delivery" provisions of applicable Canadian securities legislation. An electronic or paper copy of Prospectus Supplement, the US Prospectus Supplement, the Base Shelf Prospectus and the Registration Statement, when available, may be obtained, without charge, from Canaccord Genuity by phone at 416-869-3052 or by e-mail at [email protected] by providing Canaccord Genuity with an email address or address, as applicable. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Vizsla Silver Corp. Vizsla Silver is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company headquartered in Vancouver, BC, focused on advancing its flagship, 100%-owned Panuco silver-gold project located in Sinaloa, Mexico. To date, Vizsla Silver has completed over 380,000 metres of drilling at Panuco leading to the discovery of several new high-grade veins. For 2024, Vizsla Silver has budgeted +45,000 metres of resource/discovery-based drilling designed to upgrade and expand the mineral resource, as well as test other high priority targets across the district. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release includes certain "ForwardLooking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forwardlooking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws, including those regarding the terms of the Offering and the expected completion and use of proceeds thereof, which ultimately remains the subject of the Company's discretion. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "plan", "forecast", "may", "would", "could", "schedule" and similar words or expressions, identify forwardlooking statements or information. Forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information are based on management's reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the price of silver, gold, and other metals; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; Vizsla Silver's ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms. These statements reflect Vizsla Silver's respective current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of other assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information and Vizsla Silver has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the Company's dependence on one mineral project; precious metals price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's mining activities in Mexico; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; risks regarding mineral resources and reserves; the Company's inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; the Company's interactions with surrounding communities and artisanal miners; the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and the factors identified under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Prospectus Supplement, the US Prospectus Supplement and Vizsla Silver's management discussion and analysis. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information. Although Vizsla Silver has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. Vizsla Silver does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law. SOURCE Vizsla Silver Corp. Secure AI Enablement Platform provides visibility and policy control of Copilot use within Office 365 and Visual Studio Code BELMONT, Calif., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- WitnessAI , creator of the first enablement platform for safe AI use, today announced support for Microsoft 365 Copilot and GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio Code applications. Without requiring an agent to be installed on employee devices, WitnessAI provides visibility of prompts and responses within Copilot, and performs policy based blocking, redaction, or routing of Copilot prompts. By embedding or enabling Copilot capabilities within knowledge tools, including Office 365 and Visual Studio Code, Microsoft helps users become more productive. Knowledge workers gain the power of generative AI without leaving their preferred applications. While Copilot brings the power of large language models (LLMs) into the Microsoft applications that power most enterprises, they also create blind spots for security and privacy teams as they enforce acceptable use policies. WitnessAI's Secure AI Enablement Platform helps organizations adopt generative AI safely, by providing visibility, control, and protection of employee usage of internal and third-party AI models and AI-enabled applications. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and AI security products typically operate using a browser plug-in, watching user chat sessions with external websites. While this captures some level of acceptable use violations, it cannot detect Copilot traffic, since that comes from a native app installed on Windows or MacOS. Enterprises are left completely blind to potential problems from employee Copilot use. For example, a corporate attorney may use Copilot within Microsoft Word to draft a new corporate contract, inadvertently sharing confidential information with a third-party LLM. A developer might upload proprietary source code using Microsoft Visual Studio Code via GitHub Copilot. In both cases, employees may violate corporate AI acceptable use policies, putting their organizations at legal or financial risk. WitnessAI provides real-time observability of this activity to support a company's governance policies. Unlike other approaches, WitnessAI operates at the network level, which enables it to detect and apply policy to shadow AI across browsers, BYOD, and Copilot within native apps without a browser plug-in or endpoint agent installed. Witness/OBSERVE, the visibility engine within the WitnessAI platform, supports Microsoft 365 Copilot and GitHub Copilot within Visual Studio Code. "Many organizations simply block genAI apps, such as ChatGPT, thinking this will prevent unauthorized use of these powerful new tools," said Rick Caccia, CEO of WitnessAI. "Copilots add a new channel for inadvertent confidential data or IP loss, and WitnessAI brings clarity and visibility to employee use of copilots from Microsoft or not." WitnessAI is in beta testing at multiple U.S. and global organizations today, detecting shadow AI, providing full visibility into user activity, and classifying user conversations for risk and intention. Security and privacy leaders interested in a demonstration of the WitnessAI platform can contact the company at [email protected] . About WitnessAI WitnessAI enables safe and effective adoption of enterprise AI, through security and governance guardrails for public and private LLMs. The WitnessAI Secure AI Enablement Platform provides visibility of employee AI use, control of that use via AI-oriented policy, and protection of that use via data and topic security. Learn more at https://witness.ai . SOURCE WitnessAI "This is a phenomenal opportunity for us to be able to promote the work of amazing designers who are incredibly influential in pushing the industry forward," said Amanda Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Fairchild Media Group. "We are thrilled that the OUTFRONT team is committed to using the power of their outdoor media to amplify diverse and important voices who are paving the way for change and excited to showcase the impact of this group in shaping the Hispanic community's creative future." "We are so honored to spotlight this group of Hispanic designers who are indelibly shaping fashion and making their communities proud along the way," said Eugenia Richman, Editor-in-Chief, WWD. "They represent the richness of our cultures, the power of our talents, and the best of what Hispanic creatives are bringing to the United States and the world." "This collaboration with WWD during National Hispanic Heritage Month is about more than visibility it's about celebrating the stories, creativity and leadership of these trailblazers who are driving change in the fashion industry," said Jodi Senese, Chief Marketing Officer, OUTFRONT Media. "We take pride in using our platform to elevate these impactful voices and inspiring future generations by showcasing the beauty and power of diversity." The 10 selected fashion designers and corresponding story features are as follows: About WWD For 100+ years WWD, a property of Fairchild Fashion Media, has been the daily media of record and THE industry voice of authorityfor senior executives in the global women's and men's fashion, retail and beauty communities, while also keeping informed the consumer media that cover the market. Often referred to as "the fashion bible," WWD provides a balance of timely, credible business news and key fashion trends to a dedicated readership of retailers, designers, manufacturers, marketers, financiers, Wall Street analysts, international moguls, media executives, ad agencies, socialites, and trend-makers. As an increasingly complex marketplace heightens the need for information and competitive intelligence, WWD delivers with frequency, integrity, independence, spirited coverage, and a long tradition that demands staffers get the story right and that they also get it first. About OUTFRONT Media Inc. OUTFRONT leverages the power of technology, location and creativity to connect brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in the United States. Through its technology platform, OUTFRONT will fundamentally change the ways advertisers engage audiences on-the-go. Media Contacts: For WWD Abby Kalicka Senior Director of Communications, Penske Media Corporation [email protected] Brooke Jaffe Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Strategy, Penske Media Corporation [email protected] For OUTFRONT Matt Biscuiti The Lippin Group [email protected] Courtney Richards OUTFRONT Media [email protected] SOURCE OUTFRONT Media Inc. VIENNA, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Open Source Summit Europe - The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, welcomed free5GC to the Linux Foundation community. The free5GC is an open source project for fifth-generation (5G) mobile core networks, with the goal of implementing the 5G core network (5GC) defined in 3GPP Release 15 (R15) and beyond. free5GC joins the Linux Foundation with the support of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU), Chunghwa Telecom, Pegatron Corporation, Zero One Tech, and Saviah Technologies. The world's first open source 5G core network software, free5GC was developed in 2019 by a team of researchers at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) in Taiwan led by Professor Jyh-Cheng Chen. The original intent was to offer resources to the academic community for communications network-related research. Given the open source software's compatibility with any mobile phone or base station developed following the international 5G standard, it has since been utilized in product testing and proof-of-concept (POC) tests across the industry globally. "We are thrilled to welcome free5GC to the Linux Foundation, as it represents a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to drive open innovation in the telecommunications space," said Arpit Joshipura, general manager, Networking, Edge and IoT, at the Linux Foundation. "free5GC brings a robust, open source 5G core network solution that aligns with our mission to foster collaboration and standardization across the industry. This collaboration will empower organizations of all sizes to leverage the transformative potential of 5G with a transparent, scalable, and cost-effective core network solution." Under the Linux Foundation, free5GC's mission to develop 5G core network software remains. However, joining the Foundation will provide added governance to support this mission, including the formation of Technical Steering Committee (TSC) to manage all technical oversight, documentation, testing, integration, and the creation of other artifacts that aid the development, deployment, operation or adoption of the code. Additionally, free5GC was already integrated with Linux Foundation projects such as ONAP and Nephio under various blueprints and PoC initiatives, and the project transition to the LF is expected to strengthen and deepen such integrations with a flexible and modular 5G core solution providing the necessary 5G core capabilities to support network slicing, service orchestration, and automation. "As the founder of free5GC, I am excited about this project joining the Linux Foundation," said Jyh-Cheng Chen, Dean, College of Computer Science, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU). "This collaboration will not only enhance the development of a fully open source 5G core network but also enable broader community engagement and innovation. By aligning with the Linux Foundation's extensive ecosystem, we can accelerate the evolution of 5G and even 6G technologies while ensuring transparency, flexibility, and scalability for organizations worldwide." The move of free5GC to the Linux Foundation marks a pivotal moment for the telecommunications industry. As the first open source 5G core network software, free5GC has already made significant strides in academic research and product development globally. This integration will further streamline the deployment of 5G technologies across various sectors, empowering organizations to experiment, innovate, and implement advanced network solutions. The added governance and community support through the Linux Foundation will foster stronger collaboration, making 5G core networks more accessible and cost-effective, while driving new innovations. This transition strengthens free5GC's impact, positioning it as a critical enabler in the global 5G ecosystem. free5GC welcomes individuals and organizations passionate about open source to get involved. For more information about participating in working groups or contributing to code, please visit https://free5gc.org/ and GitHub . Comments from Supporting Organizations Dr. Rong-Shy Lin, Senior Executive Vice President of Chunghwa Telecom, said, "Chunghwa Telecom has had a longstanding collaboration with the free5GC team. We are delighted to see free5GC joining the Linux Foundation, and we believe this will be a win-win partnership. We look forward to seeing free5GC make even more significant contributions to the global mobile communications industry." Dr. James Shue, Senior VP & CTO of Pegatron Corporation, said, "Under the leadership of Professor Jyh-Cheng Chen, the team behind free5GC has consistently demonstrated cutting-edge technical expertise and a forward-thinking vision. I am delighted to witness free5GC's engagement and collaboration with key open-source communities, and I am confident this will propel free5GC into its next significant phase." Mr. Peter Lin, chairman of Zero One Technology Co., Ltd., said, "As a longtime partner of free5GC, Zero One Tech is pleased to see free5GC joining the Linux Foundation. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to free5GC for this milestone achievement. We are excited to witness the continued success and innovation that this collaboration with the Linux Foundation will bring." Mr. Tim Liu, VP of Engineering at Saviah Technologies, said, "Having been part of the core team of free5GC, I'm proud to see its partnership with the Linux Foundation. We expect to see more enthusiastic students, researchers, and developers actively and creatively contributing to free5GC, taking the project to the next level." About the Linux Foundation The Linux Foundation is the world's leading home for collaboration on open source software, hardware, standards, and data. Linux Foundation projects are critical to the world's infrastructure, including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, ONAP, OpenChain, OpenSSF, PyTorch, RISC-V, SPDX, Zephyr, and more. The Linux Foundation focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users, and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see its trademark usage page: www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage . Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Media Contact Jill Lovato The Linux Foundation [email protected] SOURCE The Linux Foundation DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, September 16. The Ministry of Finance of Tajikistan and the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan have signed a cooperation plan, Tajikistans Ministry of Finance told Trend. The document was signed by Dauren Kenbeil, Vice Minister of Finance of Kazakhstan, and Yusuf Majidi, First Deputy Minister of Finance of Tajikistan in Kazakhstan's Astana. During a working visit, a delegation from Tajikistan's Finance Ministry explored Kazakhstans advancements in digitalizing state financial systems, financing the education sector, and automated public procurement systems. The delegation also reviewed the operations of Kazakhstan's Electronic Financial Center. The parties expressed their commitment to further strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation between their finance ministries and confirmed their readiness to continue such experience-exchange initiatives. At the conclusion of the visit, Majidi extended an invitation to the Kazakh delegation for a return visit to Tajikistan to learn about its public financial management information system. DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, September 16. The Sughd free economic zone (FEZ) in Tajikistan is developing plans for a major logistics center funded by the World Bank (WB), Muhammadzod Muhammad Sulton, head of the FEZ administration said, Trend reports. He shared the information during a meeting with representatives from Pakistans Pyramid Logistics (Pvt) LTD. He also noted that discussions are underway with Russian companies regarding the establishment of a meat processing and canning plant. Should this project proceed, Pyramid Logistics will be considered for sourcing and acquiring necessary equipment, raw materials, and partners. The parties discussed potential strategies for transporting products from Sughd FEZ to neighboring and distant countries, as well as sourcing and delivering required raw materials and production equipment from abroad. Fazal Khan Marwat, regional manager at Pyramid Logistics, expressed gratitude for the meeting and constructive dialogue. He indicated that the company will use information about Sughd FEZ to present its benefits to investment groups associated with his company, aiming to foster long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships. Pyramid Logistics, founded in 2003, aims to offer logistics and shipping services across Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Chandigarh, Sep 16 : After Union Minister and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu hit out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on Sikhs during his recent visit to the US, calling him "the number one terrorist of the country," Punjab Congress Chief and Lok Sabha MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has criticised Union Minister Bittu. Warring lashed out at Union Minister Bittu, saying that the latter was trying to please his masters. "He is saying anything to please his masters. This public knows that Rahul Gandhi's father was martyred, and his body was torn to pieces, you call him a terrorist," the Punjab Congress Chief said. Warring also said that Rahul Gandhi helped Bittu win Lok Sabha elections three times, adding, that Bittu should feel ashamed before criticising the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha. "Today he (Bittu) says that Rahul Gandhi is a terrorist, and that person should be ashamed. Bittu, who was made a Member of Parliament thrice, was a child. Rahul Gandhi made him MP thrice. Today he tells Rahul Gandhi that he is a terrorist," said the Punjab Congress Chief. This comes after Union Minister Bittu said that Rahul Gandhi is not an Indian and if there should be an award to catch the number one terrorist, it should be on Rahul Gandhi. "Rahul Gandhi is not an Indian, he has spent most of his time outside. He does not love his country much because he goes abroad and says everything in the wrong way. The people who are most wanted, separatists, and experts in making bombs, guns, and shells, have appreciated what Rahul Gandhi has said. The enemies of the country who try to blow up planes, trains, and roads, are in support of Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi is the country's number 1 terrorist. The biggest enemy of the country whom the agencies should catch is Rahul Gandhi today," he added. "Rahul Gandhi will not become a terrorist because of your statement. The people of the country know about your mentality, your intelligence, your knowledge, and how ungrateful a man is," Warring added. Earlier, the Leader of the Opposition in Punjab, Partap Singh Bajwa, also condemned remarks made by Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on Sikhs in the US. Bajwa said that it is deeply concerning that a Minister, who draws a salary funded by taxpayers, fails to comprehend the constitutional values he is sworn to uphold. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, September 16. The number of German citizens visiting Uzbekistan totaled 18,400 people from January through July 2024. The data obtained by Trend from the country's Statistics Agency indicates that this figure increased by 30.9 percent (4,300 people) compared to the same period in 2023. The main reasons for the visit of German citizens to Uzbekistan are recreation (15,303 people), business trips (846 people), visits to relatives (2,189 people), study (20 people), and treatment (7 people), business (44 people). To note, the number of tourists from Uzbekistan traveling abroad from January through July 2024 amounted to 3.4 million people. This figure increased by 35.7 percent (890,500 people) compared to the same period last year. The most popular tourist destination for citizens of Uzbekistan was Kyrgyzstan (1.6 million people). Tajikistan with 676,400 visitors ranked second, followed by Kazakhstan with 526,400 visitors. Meanwhile, the number of foreign tourists visiting Uzbekistan amounted to 4.2 million people, which is 15.3 percent (562,500 people) more than in the same period last year. Ankara, Sep 16 : Turkey set up a new directorate for diplomatic security within the Foreign Ministry, according to a presidential decree. The Ministry has established the "General Directorate of Diplomatic Security" to enhance the physical and intelligence security of both its central offices and overseas missions, according to the presidential decree published on Sunday in the Official Gazette. The new general directorate will not only focus on physical security but also ensure cybersecurity, document, and information security at the Ministry's headquarters and foreign posts, Xinhua news agency reported. It will monitor threats, such as terrorist activities and other risks, and take necessary precautions to safeguard Ministry personnel and missions. Additionally, the directorate will ensure the ongoing reliability of Ministry personnel by coordinating security investigations with relevant institutions. One of the key responsibilities of the directorate will be to organise protection measures for foreign delegations and individuals visiting the Ministry, as well as other persons deemed necessary for protection by the Foreign Minister, according to the decree. The decree said the Interior and Defence Ministries, alongside other relevant public institutions, would meet the directorate's needs for security personnel and equipment. A decree issued on April 6 brought significant structural changes to the Ministry, aiming to enhance specialisation. Jaipur, Sep 16 : In a tragic accident, eight people were killed and 18 others injured in a collision between a jeep and a truck in the Pindwara area of Rajasthan's Sirohi district on Sunday night, the police said. The deceased included two women and a child, police added. The overcrowded jeep was moving on the wrong side when the incident took place, they said. Sirohi Superintendent of Police (SP) Anil Kumar said police reached the spot and the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital. Pindwada police station SHO Hamir Singh said the overcrowded jeep collided with a truck which left five men, one child and two women dead. He added that the police responded to the scene, and the injured were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. In a similar incident, two men and an infant were killed while two women were injured when their car collided head-on with a pickup jeep in Rajasthan's Bikaner district, police said on Saturday. The accident occurred near Naurangdesar late Friday when the family was returning from a condolence meeting, they said. Manoj Soni, Kalyan Soni, and the eight-month-old boy died in the accident, police said, adding that the injured woman is yet to be identified. The victims were residents of Sridungargarh in Bikaner, they added. On July 7, at least 20 people were injured when a bus carrying pilgrims from the Char Dham Yatra overturned in Rajasthan's Dausa district, police said. The incident occurred near Brahmbad village, under the jurisdiction of Mehandipur Balaji police station, along National Highway-21. The pilgrims were returning from their visit to Kedarnath and Badrinath as part of the Char Dham pilgrimage when the accident occurred. The bus, headed to Kotdi village in Bhilwara, overturned after the driver allegedly fell asleep at the wheel, causing the vehicle to lose control. The injured, including a 14-year-old boy, were initially taken to Sikrai Hospital. Due to the severity of their injuries, they were later transferred to Dausa District Hospital via four ambulances. Three critically injured individuals were referred to Jaipur for specialised treatment, while the remaining passengers continue to receive care at Dausa District Hospital. "Twenty people were there and the bus overturned near Mehandipur Balaji. Three serious injured were referred to Jaipur. All of them belonged to one village," said Dinesh Meena, a doctor at the district hospital Dausa. Chennai, Sep 16 : The CPI-M will conduct a massive protest in Rameswaram on September 20 against the regular attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy on fishermen from Tamil Nadu and the inaction by the Union government in the matter. State CPI-M Secretary, K. Balakrishnan in a statement on late Sunday night said that the Union government was not taking any diplomatic initiative to solve the issue and added that fishermen from coastal Tamil Nadu were afraid of fishing in the sea over the onslaught by the Sri Lankan Navy. He added that in the protest meeting at Rameswaram on September 20, fishermen and their families from the fishing belts of Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam will take part. The CPI-M leader also condemned the recent arrest and tonsuring of heads of a few fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan authorities. He said that the CPI-M would be in the forefront of agitations being carried out in coastal regions of Tamil Nadu against the treatment meted out to fishermen from the state. The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) also protested against the Tamil fishermen being used to clean toilets in Sri Lankan prisons recently. In a statement on Sunday night, PMK leader S. Ramadoss said that the state and Central governments were remaining mere spectators and called upon the Union government to take the issue up with the Sri Lankan government and to arrive at a solution to the matter as per international laws and instead of merely condemning the arrests. The PMK leader said that Sri Lankan authorities had tonsured the heads of five fishermen who were arrested on August 27 and that they were forced to clean toilets and drainage. The veteran leader said that the insult meted out to Indian fishermen amounts to insulting the sovereignty of India and called upon the Union government to take stern action as per international laws. On August 1,2024, a fisherman from Tamil Nadu died after his fishing boat capsized when a Sri Lankan Navy coastal patrol vessel rampaged into it. One fisherman went missing while two others in the fishing boat were arrested and later handed over to the Indian authorities. At present, 87 fishermen from Tamil Nadu are languishing in Sri Lankan jails and around 35 mechanised fishing boats are in custody of Sri Lankan authorities. Chennai, Sep 16 : The Tamil Nadu government is scouting for property near the Kottapattu Sri Lankan Tamil refugee camp in Tiruchi district for building new homes for the refugees living in the camp. There are 107 rehabilitation camps for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in the state. Most of these camps came into existence in 1987. The rehabilitation camps at Kottapattu in Tiruchi district and Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district are among the biggest refugee camps in the state. The camp at Kottapattu has 470 houses and about 1,200 Sri Lankan refugees living there. There have been several petitions and appeals from the refugees inhabiting this camp on the deteriorating conditions of the houses and the need for the construction of new ones. After detailed studies and based on field reports of the condition of the camps, it was found that many houses in the refugee camps were unsuitable for living. On the basis of this study and the demands of the inmates, the Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and the Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils has decided to build new houses at Kottapattu. A high-level meeting held recently at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat has given the go-ahead for constructing new houses. According to the information available, the state government has sanctioned Rs 30 crore for the construction of the new houses and land is being identified for this project. Sources in the Tamil Nadu government told IANS that the construction would soon commence and that the Commissionerate has already shortlisted a few lands in the vicinity of the present Kottapattu refugee camp. The official sources also said that the inmates of the camp would not be disturbed until the completion of new houses, and they would continue to live in the existing ones. They would move to the new campus after the allocation of new houses only, said the officials. It may be recalled that after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), some of the Sri Lankan Tamil refugee camps were moved away from the coastal regions to the interiors of Tamil Nadu. This, according to the Union Home Department was to prevent contact amongst the refugees belonging to different camps. There were also strict restrictions imposed on these refugees on their freedom of movement. Sanaa, Sep 16 : Yemen's Houthi group claimed responsibility for a missile attack on central Israel, according to a statement aired by the Houthi-run media. "To support the Palestinian people and Hamas, we carried out a qualitative military operation through which we targeted a military target of the Israeli enemy in the Jaffa area," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised statement on Sunday. "The operation was carried out with a new hypersonic ballistic missile that succeeded in reaching its target, and the enemy's defences failed to intercept it," he said, adding that this type of missile could evade aerial shield systems on land and sea. The spokesperson announced that the group vowed to launch more such strikes on Israel, as the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which broke out on October 7, 2023, is marking its first anniversary, and coming attacks are also in retaliation for an earlier Israeli attack on the Yemeni city of Hodeidah, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting al-Masirah TV. Earlier in the day, Israeli media outlets reported that a missile hit the centre of Israel and that the Israeli authorities are investigating the performance of the Israeli advanced aerial shield. A long-range surface-to-surface missile fired from Yemen struck an unpopulated area near Israel's international airport outside Tel Aviv on Sunday, Israeli sources said. The missile triggered sirens in Tel Aviv and other cities in central Israel, sending residents running to shelters during the morning rush hour, Xinhua news agency reported. The Israeli military said in a statement that interceptors were launched but failed to shoot down the missile, which landed in an open area. Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that the missile fell in Kfar Daniel, about 6 km from Ben Gurion Airport. A fire broke out in the area. Magen David Adom, Israel's national rescue service, said five people were injured while running to shelters. There were no changes to the Home Front Command's defensive guidelines for civilians. Hyderabad, Sep 16 : Chief Ministers and governors of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Monday greeted people on the occasion of Milad-Un-Nabi. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy extended greetings to the Muslim community on Milad-Un-Nabi which commemorates the birthday of Prophet Muhammad. The Chief Minister said in his message that the teachings of Prophet Muhammad - peace, brotherhood, compassion and righteous living are guiding the world. Revanth Reddy said that the People's Government in Telangana is committed to the socio-economic upliftment of the Muslim community and assured the government will accord priority to the development of the Muslims in the state. Governor Jishnu Dev Varma extended warm greetings on the auspicious occasion of Milad-unNabi. "Prophet Muhammad's noble teachings of compassion, tolerance, unity, harmony, and universal brotherhood may continue to inspire us all in working for the well-being of all. May there be peace and prosperity all around," the governor said in his message. "The most venerable Prophet's mission is fulfilled when we serve our fellowmen with faith, trust, care, kindness, and compassion. On this occasion, let us all resolve to promote unity, harmony, peace, universal brotherhood, and prosperity in society. I wish all of you to celebrate the Milad-un-Nabi in its true spirit," he added. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu greeted Muslims on Milad-un-Nabi. He said Prophet Muhammad dedicated his life to establish a peaceful human society. "A peaceful society as desired by the Prophet will exist only when everyone has feelings of love, kindness and brotherhood towards each other. Let us all work towards that," said the Chief Minister. Andhra Pradesh Governor S. Abdul Nazeer also greeted the Muslim community. "I extend my warm greetings to the Muslim brethren of Andhra Pradesh, on the occasion of Eid Milad-unNabi, the birthday of Prophet Mohammad. The life of the Prophet has been an inspiring saga of love, brotherhood and virtue to mankind," he said. YSR Congress Party President and former chief minister Y. S. Jagan Reddy extended his greetings to Muslims. He said Prophet Mohammad's teachings that everyone should have love and compassion for others will always remain relevant for mankind. Dakshina Kannada, : Sep 16 (IANS) Tension prevailed in the communally-sensitive coastal district of Dakshina Kannada on Monday as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal called for Hindus to hold a procession on BC Road in Bantwal taluk, near Mangaluru city, on the occasion of Eid Milad. Police forces rushed to the spot, and a tense situation prevailed in the area. Hindu activists stated that the procession call was in response to provocative statements made by a Muslim leader, who allegedly challenged Hindu leaders to come to BC Road during the Eid Milad celebrations. Angered by this, the VHP and Bajrang Dal urged Hindus to gather on BC Road. As Hindu organisation leaders and workers arrived in large numbers at the Raktheshwari temple in BC Road, Dakshina Kannada SP, N Yathish rushed to the scene, and police reserve platoons were also deployed to the area. The police, as a precautionary measure, denied permission for the Eid Milad procession to pass through BC Road and provided an alternative route instead. Hindu workers staged a flash protest, chanting slogans like "Jai Bhajrangi," and "We have come, where are you" while the police attempted to stop them. Protesters tried to march ahead on BC Road, but the police managed to halt them after considerable effort. SP Yathish later spoke to the Hindu leaders and attempted to calm the situation. However, they rejected the police's assurance to file a complaint about the provocative statements and demanded more decisive action, expressing frustration over the perceived inaction they had observed over time. Prasad Kumar, the VHP President of Bantwal, stated that Hindu workers and leaders had gathered on BC Road in response to the call for a protest. "We decided to stage a protest after accepting the challenge from Muslim leaders," he said. The tensions were sparked by comments from Mohammad Shareef, former president of Bantwal Municipality Corporation, who had challenged VHP Dakshina Kannada Divisional Joint Secretary Sharan Pumpwell to come to BC Road during Eid Milad. This was in reaction to Pumpwell's speech about the recent violence during the Ganesh Visarjan in Nagamangala town, Mandya district. Sharan Pumpwell had stated that if Hindus decide they won't allow the procession on the BC Road. Although the police have brought the situation under control, the atmosphere in the region remains tense. Dakshina Kannada, : Sep 16 (IANS) Karnataka Police on Monday arrested six persons attached to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) for pelting stones at a mosque in communally sensitive Dakshina Kannada district. The incident was reported from Surathkal region near Mangaluru city on Sunday night. The arrested persons have been identified as Bharath, Chennappa, Nitin, Sujith, Manu and Preetham. The accused had allegedly pelted stones on Badriya mosque located in Katipalla near Surathkal. The accused had come on bikes and escaped after committing the crime. Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agarwal stated that accused members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad were arrested in the incident. He further said that it is a sensitive incident and he canat reveal more information. The situation is presently peaceful and under control, he maintained. The mosque's windows were shattered to pieces in the incident and a tense situation prevailed in the region as people gathered at the site on Sunday night. As the incident took place on the eve of Eid Milad, Surathkal Police were deployed to maintain law and order. The incident took place on Sunday night around 10.30 p.m. when miscreants arrived on two bikes and pelted stones at the mosque. Eyewitnesses and locals have told the police that the miscreants were wearing masks. The residents who are largely based in the surrounding areas of the mosque urged the police to initiate action and ensure safety for them. The police had gathered CCTV footage from the mosque premises and also from the shops and houses located in the vicinity. The police swiftly held a meeting with community leaders and assured them that the culprits would be caught sooner. The prominent leaders from Katipalla of both communities came forward and appealed to the people not to indulge in disturbing peace. Chennai, Sep 16 : Speculation is rife in Tamil Nadu politics after Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) founder Thol Thirumavalavan met Chief Minister MK Stalin at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat on Monday. The meeting assumes significance as the VCK leader and MP from Chidambaram Lok Sabha seat had courted controversy by saying that coalition partners must be accommodated in the Tamil Nadu Cabinet which would lead to all partners being beneficiaries of power. It may be noted that in Tamil Nadu, the Dravidian parties DMK and AIADMK have been in power since 1969 alternatively. While both these Dravidian majors have had coalition partners, they have not accommodated any of them in the Cabinet. Hence, Thol Thirumavalavan's statement assumes significance in view of the political history of Tamil Nadu. The VCK is a coalition partner in the INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu and has four legislators, but none of them have been included in the Cabinet. Both the DMK and AIADMK have rejected the proposal mooted by the VCK leader to share power. Interestingly, the VCK leader was also in the news for inviting the principal Opposition party of Tamil Nadu, AIADMK for a liquor abolition meet the party is conducting on Gandhi Jayanti. Significantly, CM Stalin was in the US when Thol Thirumavalavan had extended his party's invitation for the anti-liquor meet on October 2 and also the open call for a coalition government in Tamil Nadu. In the murky politics of the state where opposing political leaders don't see eye to eye, the VCK's invitation to the AIADMK has raised many eyebrows. Speculation is rife that the VCK, the most powerful Dalit political outfit of Tamil Nadu is in the process of switching sides. It is in this context that Thol Thirumavalavan's meeting with DMK President Stalin gains importance. The VCK has two MPs in Thol Thirumavalavan and D Ravikumar from Villupuram constituency and the party has a 2.5 per cent vote share. The party had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on its 'Pot' symbol. The party also has four MLAs in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in alliance with the DMK. It may be recalled that AIADMK leaders D Jayakumar and Sellur Raju had vehemently opposed the VCK leader's suggestion for a coalition government. Sellur Raju had even said that in Tamil Nadu it will either be a DMK or an AIADMK government and publicly rejected any coalition government in the state. MK Mukundaraj, a political analyst based out of Tiruchi told IANS, "The VCK is trying to move ahead of the DMK coalition. The open statement for a coalition government and invitation to the principal Opposition party, AIADMK to attend the anti-liquor campaign are indeed shrewd political moves as he tests the political waters." Astana, Sep 16 : Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday that Russia is "invincible militarily" and the consequences will be "very serious" for the entire mankind if the war escalates further. Welcoming Scholz - the first head of the German government to visit Kazakhstan in 14 years - at the Akorda on Monday, Tokayev highlighted that the Central Asian country has the longest fenced land border with Russia in the world and, at the same time, Kazakhs hold "real respect" for the Ukrainian people and their culture. "It is clear that Russia is invincible militarily. If the war escalates further, the consequences will be very serious for all mankind, first of all, for the states directly involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Unfortunately, Istanbul refused to ratify the agreement and missed the best opportunity to achieve reconciliation. However, there is still a chance for peace. All peaceful initiatives of various states should be carefully reviewed and an agreement on the cessation of hostilities should be reached," Tokayev was quoted as saying by the President's official press service during his meeting with the German Chancellor. He mentioned that there was "no disagreement" between Kazakhstan and Ukraine and Kazakhstan's embassy is still working in Kyiv. During their meeting, both leaders confirmed that they are interested in increasing mutually-beneficial trade and economic cooperation, especially in the fields of energy, green transformation, mining, transport and logistics, climate protection, ecology and agriculture. Last year, the bilateral trade turnover between Germany and Kazakhstan increased by 1.5 times and reached four billion dollars. In the last seven months, the volume of mutual trade has exceeded 2.3 billion dollars. Following the negotiations, Tokayev and the German Chancellor also adopted a Joint Declaration on cooperation between Kazakhstan and Germany. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) signed later included between the National Bank of Kazakhstan and the Deutsche Bundesbank on technical issues of cooperation between central banks; between Kazakhstan's Ministry of Science and Higher Education and Germany's Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the intention to establishing the Kazakhstan-German Institute of Science and Technology under the East Kazakhstan Technical University named after D. Serikbayev; and, a memorandum on the intention to establish a Kazakh-German school. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, September 16. Uzbekistan and Germany have discussed the involvement of German companies in the development of critical mineral resources and their deep processing, the production of high value-added goods, and subsequent export to Germany and third countries, Trend reports. This matter has been discussed during a meeting between President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz with representatives of leading companies and banks from both countries in Samarkand. The event featured German Parliamentary State Secretary for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action Michael Kellner, Managing Director of the Eastern Committee of German Industry Michael Harms, and leaders and representatives from major companies such as KNAUF, CLAAS, Mangold Consulting, Gunter Papenburg, Siemens Energy, Linde Group, Aurubis, FALK PORSCHE, Metso, Edison Technologies, Ernst Klett, Siemens Healthineers, Herrenknecht, DB Engineering & Consulting, Svevind Energy Group, Rhenus, HMS Bergbau, Textima, as well as banks like KfW Development Bank, AKA Bank, and others. The parties discussed the outcomes of productive high-level negotiations, which supported the key priorities for the development of the new Uzbekistan, focusing on the deep transformation and modernization of economic sectors. The meeting's main outcomes included agreements on developing a set of measures to support and accelerate joint investment projects and trade contracts under the strategic Program for Industrial and Technological Partnership with leading German companies and banks. Both sides highlighted priority areas for mutually beneficial partnership with active and practical involvement from the business communities of Uzbekistan and Germany, including industrial cooperation in green energy, chemical industry, green hydrogen production, machine engineering, electrical engineering, textile industry, pharmaceuticals, and other fields. In this context, the importance of developing new project initiatives and continuing the implementation of joint projects in construction materials, metallurgy, energy, chemistry, transportation infrastructure, agriculture, machine engineering, medicine, and other sectors was emphasized. To note, Scholz is paying an official visit to Uzbekistan at the invitation of President Mirziyoyev on September 15-16. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel United Nations, Sep 16 : The United Nations (UN) announced on Monday that the Taliban has suspended all polio vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan. UN agencies said that they were notified about the suspension just days before the scheduled September immunisation campaign, though no official reason was provided. Representatives from the Taliban-led government did not comment on the situation immediately. Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries in the world where the spread of the paralysing and potentially fatal disease has not been eradicated. Despite the polio eradication programme's continuous efforts in Afghanistan, the last phase of the campaign to achieve polio-free status has faced significant challenges. Over the past three years, the number of polio cases have risen in the country, with the virus spreading to provinces that had remained free of the disease for an extended period. UNICEF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), the World Health Organization (WHO), and various non-governmental organisations, has been working through the Emergency Operating Centre (EOC) to explore innovative methods to ensure every child is reached with vaccines. The focus was also on building trust and demand for vaccination campaigns among the population. So far, 16 Afghan provinces have been affected, with a total of 56 cases of Wild Poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) reported. The southern region of Afghanistan remains the most severely impacted, accounting for 66 per cent of the country's total polio cases in 2020. Despite the ongoing challenges, the polio programme has ensured 100% adequacy of vaccine supplies for all polio-related activities, including immunisation campaigns, case responses, and the deployment of Permanent and Temporary Teams (PTT). The successful introduction of vaccines such as mOPV2, mOPV1, and tOPV for case response campaigns has been made possible through capacity building in vaccine management and accountability. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, the polio programme managed to conduct three National Immunisation Days, two Sub-National Immunisation Days, and three Case Response Campaigns across Afghanistan. However, the current suspension by the Taliban adds uncertainty to future vaccination efforts, raising concerns about the ongoing fight to eliminate polio in the country. Waziristan, Sep 16 : The wildlife department of Pakistan has foiled an attempt to smuggle 78 demoiselle cranes in the South Waziristan tribal district, local media reported on Monday. The cranes were seized at the Sikandar check post on the Wana-Gomal Zam Road, leading Pakistani daily Dawn reported while quoting Sub-Divisional Wildlife Officer (SDWO) Ilyas Khan from Lower South Waziristan. "The seized cranes would be transferred to the divisional office, Dera Ismail Khan," he added. The demoiselle cranes were a distinct type among various crane species. A hunter from Bannu, Said Rehman was arrested on Saturday when he was caught transporting 78 demoiselle cranes in a single-cabin vehicle from the Gul Kutch area to Wana-Gomal Zam Road. Khan highlighted the Lower South Waziristan's rich biodiversity, calling it a paradise for migratory birds. He emphasised that the Wana subdivision lies on the internationally recognised Indus Flyway, a major route for migratory birds. Each year, thousands of these birds pass through the area during their journeys between Central Asia and the subcontinent. He further stressed that protecting, preserving, and managing biodiversity sustainably is a top priority for the local wildlife department. Cranes, in particular, are known to migrate from India's Rajasthan and the coastal regions of Sindh to Siberia and Central Asia, flying over districts such as Zhob, Dera, Bannu, South Waziristan, and Kurram. These flocks, sometimes numbering up to 400 birds, fly at altitudes of 16,000 to 26,000 feet. Jaipur, Sep 16 : In what could be described as a silent protest against a recent incident of stone pelting on a Ganesh Pandal, people in Bhilwara's Sanganer town marched out of their villages after tying black ribbons to their doors. They gathered in a nearby place called Kali Mangri which is a Dev Sthan two kms from the village. It needs to be mentioned here that a few youths reportedly pelted stones at a Ganesh Pandal two days ago. In order to make their anger felt in a peaceful manner, people of the Hindu community left their villages as a mark of protest on the day when Muslims observed Barawafat. Hence, the Barawafat procession was taken out amid closed markets and silence in Sanganer and the administration did not permit the procession to be taken out from the place where the stone pelting incident had taken place as there was tension in the area. On Sunday night, people belonging to the Hindu community surrounded the police station demanding quick action in the matter. As no agreement was reached till late on Sunday night, the entire Hindu community decided that they would not witness the Barawafat procession. So they chose to visit the Kali Mangri Dev Sthan on Monday morning, where they engaged in singing hymns and organized a community feast there. Former councilor Raju Jangid said, "People of the entire Hindu community have come to Kali Mangri today as a mark of protest and black cloths have been put up outside the houses as a mark of protest. All women, children, and senior citizens of the town have become a part of this protest." "The locals have also demanded that a bulldozer should be run on the houses of the accused so that we get justice," said Shyam Sundar Pareek, a local from Bhilwara. He said, "We don't want to harm anyone, however, we want justice. We never go to their sites, then why do they come to our pooja sites?" Rajan Dhushyant, SP, Bhilwara said, "The situation is under control in the district. The procession has culminated peacefully, villagers who protested have returned to their homes. We have already arrested three accused in the incident of stone pelting and further investigations are on." New Delhi, Sep 16 : Congress leader Udit Raj on Monday expressed strong reservations over the NDA's proposed 'One Nation, One Election' pitch and said that this was a mere diversionary tactic. He claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government was using this as a "tool" to shift attention from the real issues and attempting to escape the heat on its failures on many fronts. Udit Raj, speaking to IANS, said: "This government sometimes changes the names of cities, rechristens some towns, but develops cold feet when it comes to taking solid measures for sturdy economic growth. All sectors, including health and education, remain in an ignored state, till date. "We reject 'One Nation, One Election' idea because it is against Parliamentary democracy," he added. He further stated that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a lot of centralisation has happened and this method of consolidating power on one hand amounts to Presidential system, and added that the country will have to pay heavy damage because of this. The Congress leader further said that the BJP's web of deceit would not last long and the people would be able to see through its machinations soon. To buttress his claim, he recalled the BJP's recent losses in the holy cities of Ayodhya and Badrinath, saying that they are strong indications of the party's shifting vote base. "The BJP will take a beating, not just in the Hindi heartland but also in the Hindu-dominated Jammu division," he said while responding to Jammu & Kashmir's apparent transformation after Article 370 abrogation. "The BJP's defeat in Kashmir is certain but even those in Jammu are not satisfied with its governance," he told IANS, adding that there has been no decline in the martyrdom of jawans in the Kashmir Valley in the past few years. Sharing his views on 100 days of Modi 3.0, Udit Raj said that this term has exacerbated the situation rather than improving it. "They claimed that the infrastructure will be the hallmark of their third term, but the falling structures have exposed its fake promises. Roads, railway, airport, structures... all are getting damaged," he said, while quoting instances like the leak in the Parliament building, the collapse of structures like Shivaji statue in Maharashtra and others. New Delhi, Sep 16 : Born on September 17, 1950, a few years after India gained independence and just as it became a Republic, Narendra Modi was the third of six children of Damodardas and Hiraba Modi. As a child, Narendra Modi occasionally assisted at his fatheras tea stall at Vadnagar railway station. He finished his schooling in Vadnagar in 1967, where he was seen as an average student but a talented debater and actor with a passion for theatre. At the age of eight, Narendra Modi joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and was mentored by Lakshmanrao Inamdar. Narendra Modias first significant political action came in 1971, when he joined a Jana Sangh protest in support of the Bangladesh Liberation War, which led to a brief detention. After the 1971 Indo-Pak war, he became a full-time RSS pracharak (campaigner). In 1978, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Delhi University, followed by a Master of Arts degree from Gujarat University in 1983. His rise in the RSS and subsequent involvement with the BJP laid the foundation for his political ascent. In June 1975, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency in India that lasted until 1977. During this time, many of her political rivals were imprisoned, and opposition groups were outlawed. Narendra Modi was named General Secretary of the "Gujarat Lok Sangharsh Samiti", an RSS committee that coordinated resistance to the Emergency in Gujarat. After the RSS was banned, Narendra Modi went underground in Gujarat, often travelling in disguise to avoid arrest, once posing as a monk and another time as a Sikh. He was active in distributing anti-government pamphlets, organizing protests, and creating a network of safe houses for those wanted by the government. Narendra Modi also helped raise funds for political activists and refugees. During this period, he authored a Gujarati book, Sangharsh Ma Gujarat (Gujarat in Struggles), detailing the events of the Emergency. Narendra Modi met prominent political figures like trade unionist George Fernandes during this time. In 1978, he was appointed as an RSS sambhagpracharak (regional organizer), overseeing activities in Surat and Vadodara. In 1979, he moved to Delhi to research and write about the RSS's role during the Emergency. He returned to Gujarat and was assigned to the BJP in 1985. In 1987, he played a key role in organizing the BJP's campaign in the Ahmedabad municipal election, which resulted in a decisive victory. His efforts during this time led to his appointment as organizing secretary of the BJPas Gujarat unit. Narendra Modi continued to rise within the party, playing significant roles in organizing key political events such as L.K. Advani's Ram Rath Yatra in 1990 and Murli Manohar Joshias Ekta Yatra in 1991-92. He briefly stepped away from politics in 1992 to establish a school in Ahmedabad due to tensions with Shankersinh Vaghela, a BJP leader from Gujarat. However, at the insistence of BJP leader L.K. Advani, he returned to politics in 1994 and contributed to the BJPas victory in the 1995 state assembly elections. In 1995, he was appointed BJP national secretary and moved to Delhi, where he managed party activities in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. In 1998, Narendra Modi's strategy for the Gujarat Legislative Assembly election helped the BJP secure a majority, which led to his promotion to BJP general secretary (organization) later that year. On October 7, 2001, Narendra Modi took on his first official role as Gujarat's Chief Minister. From that point on, he has led an elected government. He is now the longest-serving non-Congress Prime Minister and has had the longest tenure leading an elected government, including his 12 years as Gujarat's Chief Minister. In 2014, under Narendra Modias leadership, the BJP won a landslide victory, becoming the first party in over three decades to secure a majority on its own. Before taking office in New Delhi, Narendra Modi served as Gujaratas Chief Minister for 13 years, beginning in 2001. In 2014, the BJP, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, secured a decisive victory in the general elections, marking the beginning of a new chapter in Indian politics. Narendra Modi's rise to power was seen as a shift towards strong leadership, with a focus on development and economic reforms. His message of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas" (Together with all, Development for all) resonated with the masses, leading to a historic mandate that ended the decade-long rule of the Indian National Congress. In 2019, the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, won a second consecutive term with an even larger majority. The 2019 elections solidified Narendra Modi's position as a transformative leader, with his government being credited for initiatives like the Goods and Services Tax (GST), demonetization, and schemes aimed at the welfare of the poor. Narendra Modias appeal to the people, coupled with his decisive leadership on national security and development, helped the BJP cross the 300-seat mark in the Lok Sabha, reaffirming his dominance in Indian politics. In 2024, Narendra Modi and the BJP once again clinched a resounding victory in the general elections, securing a third consecutive term. This unprecedented win cemented Narendra Modias place as one of Indiaas most dominant political figures in modern history. Riding on the wave of national pride, economic growth, and social welfare schemes, Narendra Modi's leadership continued to resonate deeply with voters across the country. His vision of a "New India" and focus on development, infrastructure, and international diplomacy proved pivotal in securing yet another historic mandate. With this victory, Narendra Modi's legacy as a transformative and enduring leader was further solidified, steering India into a new phase of governance and global prominence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spent his entire life in service to the nation, and dedicated himself to the goal of building a stronger and more united India. From his early days as a young boy helping his father sell tea, to his rise as the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi's journey has been one of tireless dedication and hard work. His commitment to the nation is evident in every step he has taken, whether it was working as an RSS Pracharak in his youth or later as a leader guiding India through economic, social, and global challenges. Narendra Modi's vision for India has always been about nation-building. He believes that a strong and self-reliant India can only be built through unity, development, and progress. Throughout his leadership, he has implemented numerous initiatives aimed at improving the lives of ordinary people, from better infrastructure to digital connectivity and welfare programs. His focus on making India a global leader in various fields, including technology, economy, and diplomacy, showcases his commitment to shaping a bright future for the country. What sets Narendra Modi apart is his unwavering dedication to the nation's development. He has shown an ability to inspire people across the country to dream big and work together for a better tomorrow. His leadership has helped ignite a sense of pride and responsibility among citizens, encouraging everyone to contribute to the nationas progress. Whether itas through the "Make in India" campaign, the push for "Atmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India), or other key initiatives, Narendra Modias dedication to building a prosperous and strong India remains at the heart of his mission. On September 17, 2024, Narendra Modi will turn 74, marking another milestone in a life dedicated to serving the nation. Throughout his journey, he has sacrificed many personal comforts and desires to focus solely on the well-being and progress of India. From his early days in politics to becoming the Prime Minister, he has always put the country first. His leadership has been defined by his relentless efforts to build a stronger and more united India. Whether it was improving the economy, focusing on infrastructure, or creating opportunities for the youth, every decision he made was aimed at uplifting the nation. He gave up a regular family life and personal ambitions and devoted all his energy to the dream of a prosperous India. His sacrifices inspire millions, showing that true leadership comes from a deep commitment to the people and the nation. Bharat has never seen a leader like him - one who has consistently remained close to the underprivileged and the common man, even after reaching the highest office in the land. Unlike many leaders who become distant from the people once in power, Narendra Modi has always ensured his policies are rooted in the real needs of the poorest and most marginalized. From launching welfare schemes aimed at providing basic necessities like housing, electricity, and sanitation to focusing on skill development and employment opportunities for the youth, Narendra Modias governance has been inclusive. His dedication to improve the lives of those who often remain unheard has set him apart as a leader who not only listens to the underprivileged but actively works to uplift them. Bharat has never witnessed a Prime Minister so deeply involved with the grassroots, consistently prioritizing the nationas development over personal interests. His leadership has reshaped how governance is perceived in Bharat, placing the welfare of the people at the heart of every decision. (The author is an actress and Lok Sabha MP) Brussels, Sep 16 : French European Commissioner Thierry Breton, who was in charge of internal market, resigned on Monday over a row with the Commission's President Ursula von der Leyen whom he accused of "questionable governance". Breton, who was France's nominee for the new European Commission set to be formed in the coming months, resigned after von der Leyen allegedly requested that France withdraw his candidacy. He has served as Commissioner since 2019. "In the very final stretch of negotiations on the composition of the future College (of Commissioners), you asked France to withdraw my name -- for personal reasons that in no instance you have discussed directly with me," Breton said in a letter to von der Leyen which he also published on X, Xinhua news agency reported. "(You) offered, as a political trade-off, an allegedly more influential portfolio for France in the future College," he added, saying that the latest developments are "further testimony to questionable governance" which is why he can no longer act as a European Commissioner. Outgoing French Minister of Foreign Affairs Stephane Sejourne will replace Breton as France's nominee for European commissioner, the Elysee said in a statement. Last week, Slovenia also put forward a new candidate for the European Commission after its initial nominee, Tomaz Vesel, withdrew. Vesel cited disagreements with President von der Leyen's vision for how the Commission should operate. New Delhi, Sep 16 : The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), formed to review the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, has so far received around 84 lakh suggestions via email from across India. Additionally, the JPC has received approximately 70 boxes filled with written suggestions. The JPC had earlier invited feedback from the public and various organisations with regard to the bill. To accommodate more input, the deadline for submissions was extended until midnight on September 16. JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal informed the media that the committee aims to engage with all relevant stakeholders to gather their views on the bill. Addressing concerns related to Islamic preacher Zakir Naik's appeal and reports of a QR code-based campaign against the bill, Pal clarified that Naik, who has been declared a fugitive and currently resides in Malaysia, has no connection with the JPC or the legislative process. He also denied any involvement of the JPC in issuing QR codes or participating in related campaigns in any manner. Refuting claims that the bill is anti-Islamic, Pal questioned the legitimacy of such accusations, stating that this was the first time in history that such a large volume of emails (84 lakh) had been received on a bill. He pointed out that there has been a Waqf law in place since 1913, which has been amended multiple times, including significant revisions in 1995 and 2013. The JPC will only consider suggestions relevant to the 44 proposed amendments and those with legal significance. The next JPC meetings are scheduled for September 19 and September 20. The committee will hear first from Prof. Faizan Mustafa, Vice Chancellor of Chanakya National Law University, and representatives from various organisations, including the Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz and the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board. Next, the JPC will engage with members of the All India Sajjadanashin Parishad (Ajmer), the Muslim National Forum, and Bharat First (Delhi). Between September 26 and October 1, the JPC plans to visit Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bangalore to meet with Waqf Board officials, Muslim scholars, and Bar Council representatives. Additional visits to cities like Lucknow and Kolkata in October are also being planned. Notably, the two bills -- the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024, were introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 8, with an aim to streamline the Waqf Board's work and ensure the efficient management of Waqf properties. The objective of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, is to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, to redress the issues and challenges in regulating and managing Waqf properties. The Amendment Bill seeks to improve the administration and management of Waqf properties in India. It aims to overcome the shortcomings of the previous act and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards by introducing changes such as renaming the Act, updating the definitions of waqf, improving the registration process, and increasing the role of technology in managing Waqf records. The primary objective of the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024 is to repeal the Mussalman Wakf Act, 1923, a colonial-era legislation that has become outdated and inadequate for managing waqf properties in modern India. Jerusalem, Sep 16 : Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday told his American counterpart that time was running out for a diplomatic solution to prevent a full-scale war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. In a telephone call, Gallant told US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin that "the possibility for an agreed framework is running out," according to a statement released by his office. "The trajectory is clear" as long as Hezbollah "continues to tie itself to Hamas," Gallant said, Xinhua news agency reported. According to the statement, the two also discussed efforts to achieve an agreement for the release of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. Gallant emphasised that Israel will "continue to operate with the aim of dismantling Hamas and ensuring the return of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza -- by any means." The call came as White House senior advisor Amos Hochstein arrived in Israel on Monday to discuss the ongoing fighting, in which Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire since October 7 last year, and amid diplomatic efforts to achieve de-escalation between the two. Hochstein is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gallant. Baghdad, Sep 16 : A Turkish drone strike on Monday killed a member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and wounded two others in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, the Counter-Terrorism Service of the neighbouring semi-autonomous Kurdistan region said in a statement. The airstrike occurred at 9:45 a.m. local time (0645 GMT) when a Turkish drone attacked a gathering of PKK militants in Makhmour refugee camp, southeast of the provincial capital Mosul, the statement said, Xinhua news agency reported. Turkish forces frequently carry out cross-border operations targeting PKK militants in northern Iraq, with a particular focus on the Qandil Mountains, which serve as the group's stronghold. The PKK, designated as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades. New Delhi, Sep 16 : Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday launched the Bharat Startup Knowledge Access Registry (BHASKAR) initiative, saying the platform will help bring hope, aspirations and success for the entrepreneurs to kickstart ambitious revolutions in the country. Launched under the 'Startup India' programme in the national capital, BHASKAR -- meaning 'Rising Sun' -- has been aptly chosen to be the name of the digital platform. Minister Goyal emphasised to make it a one-stop digital platform for data dissemination, exchange, interaction for the entire startup ecosystem, through simple easy to use links and easy to navigate technology -- catalysing the growth and success of the startup ecosystem across India and beyond. "BHASKAR as a concept will try to integrate all the people who are dreamers, doers and disruptors," said the minister. The government will put in more efforts to make the ecosystem socialised, democratic and visible to the world. "Technology and interconnectivity will help Indians build 'Brand India' as a tool to market our products and services across the world and help us change the image of India to the rest of the world," the minister noted. Invoking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of shaping policies for the future, Minister Goyal said that Startup India's strength will contribute to the India growth story. He added that encouraging Indians to be job creators and help them see failures to be stepping stones to a brighter future will help big ideas fructify. Goyal also suggested the participants set up a Section 8 company to bring the National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC) within the ambit of the new startup company. He emphasised that the government aims for the startup industry to be independent and attain global level while maintaining integrity, quality and conviction to succeed in the world. Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), said the initiative will cohesively propel the Indian startup ecosystem as the flag bearer amongst its peers across the globe. "The Bharat Startup Knowledge Access Registry will act as a catalyst for innovation and will foster greater connectivity between startups, particularly in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, ensuring that innovation is inclusive, and opportunities are accessible to all," he mentioned. With over 1.4 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups, India has established itself as one of the largest and most vibrant startup ecosystems globally. Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, September 16. President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay a working visit to Astana on September 17 at the invitation of his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to attend the second meeting of the leaders of Central Asia and Germany, Trend reports via the office of the President of Uzbekistan. The summit will focus on further developing and deepening multifaceted cooperation between the Central Asian countries and Germany. Special attention will be given to expanding practical cooperation in trade, economic, investment, technological, transport, communication, and other priority areas. A joint meeting with the heads of leading German companies and banks is also planned. To note, the first Central Asia-Germany summit took place on September 29 last year in Berlin. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel New Delhi, Sep 16 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met and interacted with the beneficiaries of the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana in Gujarat's Gandhinagar district. PM Modi, on a two-day visit to his home state, reached Shalin-2 society of Vavol area and interacted with the families of many households who have installed solar panels on their rooftops, as part of the Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. The Prime Minister spent around 20 minutes at the residential complex and interacted with the beneficiaries. Jagshi Veshi Suthar, one of the beneficiaries who got a chance to interact with PM Modi, shared his joy with IANS. "PM Modi inquired us about how we got solar panels installed on our rooftops and how we are benefitting from this. We are very happy and thankful to him for helping solar power reach common households," he said. He said that he also extended greetings to PM Modi on his birthday and informed that he gifted a book to the Prime Minister. "PM Modi also returned the favour by giving his autograph on a white cloth and wrote, Jai Vishwakarma Bhagwan. It's a memorable moment for us," he said. Amit Paithankar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Waaree Energies Ltd., told IANS that the solar power generation target set by the Prime Minister was ambitious but achievable. "It's a big and inspirational vision. To bring that into reality, it calls upon concerted and dedicated effort from all stakeholders. The target of 500 gigawatts can be achieved though, if we optimise our resources and manufacturing capacity," he said. He further stated that his company has been working in the field of solar energy for the past three decades. "We are deeply involved in the energy transition. We have a production capacity of 13.4 gigawatts. We have 5 factories, including 5 in Gujarat and 1 in Greater Noida. We have the potential to significantly contribute to the country's solar power generation. Now that the Prime Minister has set targets, we are eager to do more," he told IANS. Notably, PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana is a scheme launched on February 29, with an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore, to increase the share of solar rooftop capacity and empower residential households to generate their own electricity. Under the scheme, the Centre aims to provide free electricity to one crore households that choose to install rooftop solar panels. Brussels, Sep 16 : The European Union on Monday called upon Iran once again to eliminate, "in law and in practice", all forms of systemic discrimination against all women and girls in public and private life and to take gender-responsive measures to prevent and ensure protection for women and girls against sexual and gender-based violence in all its forms. The EUs demand to hold the perpetrators of violence and human rights violations accountable came on the second death anniversary of Jina Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who was arrested by police in Tehran on 13 September 2022 for allegedly ignoring Iran's strict veiling laws, and died in a Tehran hospital three days later following physical abuse while in custody. The statement issued by Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, honoured Amini's memory and the 'Women, Life, freedom' movement "driven by the courage and determination of countless Iranians", especially women. "Two years ago, Iranians took to the streets to demand respect for fundamental freedoms. With the dire human rights situation in Iran, especially suppressing the rights of women, these voices, calling for dignity and equality, must still be heard and respected," Borrell's statement, issued on behalf of the European Union, mentioned. "The crackdown on the 'Women, Life, freedom' movement by the Iranian authorities caused hundreds of deaths, thousands of unjust detentions and harm and severe limitations to freedom of opinion and expression and other civic freedoms. Iranian judicial authorities used disproportionately harsh sentences, including capital punishment, against protesters," it added. The EU stated that it takes the occasion to reiterate its strong and unequivocal opposition to the death penalty at all times, in all places and in all circumstances, especially taking into account the worrying increase in executions recorded in Iran over the past years. It also recalled that under international law, the prohibition of torture is absolute. "There are no reasons, circumstances or exceptions whatsoever that could be invoked as a justification for its use... The EU believes in and speaks up for fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, including online and offline, and freedom of assembly, which must be respected in all circumstances. A strong and free civil society is essential," Borrell said. The statement called on Iran to implement the relevant international treaties and agreements to which it is a party, to allow free and unhindered access to the country for relevant UN Human Rights Council's Special Procedures mandate holders and to fully cooperate with the independent, international Fact-Finding Mission mandated by the Human Rights Council. "The EU also calls on Iran to immediately cease the unacceptable and unlawful practice of arbitrary detention, including of EU and dual EU-Iranian citizens and to immediately set them free. The EU and its Member States continue to call on the Iranian authorities to respect and uphold the rights of its citizens, to allow peaceful protest, and to grant their fundamental freedoms," the statement detailed. Manila Sep 16 : The Philippines' Department of Health has detected three more mpox cases, which have brought the number of confirmed cases around the country to 18 so far this year, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said Monday. Five of the 18 patients have recovered, and no patient has died from the infectious viral disease, he said, Xinhua news agency reported. Herbosa said the three newly detected Mpox cases were all male and were from Metro Manila and the adjoining region. "The good thing is that all 18 patients have not infected anyone. They have no epidemiological link, meaning that the patients did not transmit the virus during their isolation," Herbosa said at a press conference. However, it is not yet known whether the new strain is linked to the more virulent and contagious Clade1b strain, which is behind the current global outbreak, especially in Africa. Following the surge of cases in several parts of Africa, the World Health Organization in August declared the Mpox outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern. Currently, about 15 countries in Africa have seen a rise in Mpox infections. The outbreak is majorly caused by the Clade1b strain, which is more virulent and contagious than the Clade 2 strain -- responsible for the 2023 global outbreak. Outside of Africa, Sweden and Thailand have reported one case each from the Clade1b strain. Globally, 103,048 laboratory-confirmed cases and 229 deaths have been reported from 121 countries between January 2022 and July 31, 2024, according to the WHO. Mpox is a viral disease identified as fever, rash, and lymphadenopathy -- a condition that causes lymph nodes to swell or become abnormally shaped or sized. It is a self-limiting disease and patients recover within 4 weeks. Meanwhile, with the shipment of vaccines arriving in Congo, the WHO believes the ongoing Mpox outbreaks in Africa can be stopped in the next six months. The Democratic Republic of Congo, which is the worst hit, expects to roll out vaccines from next month. Gandhinagar, Sep 16 : Uttar Pradesh Minister of Energy & Urban Development, A.K. Sharma, lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "visionary leader", highlighting his efforts to promote renewable energy. A former IAS officer, Sharma extended congratulations to PM Modi for his initiatives aimed at addressing global warming and guiding India in line with its cultural values. He acknowledged PM Modi's focus on lifestyle changes and the promotion of renewable energy sources such as solar and biomass. Sharma also mentioned that work is underway in Ayodhya to develop a Solar City, which is expected to meet 10 per cent of the city's electricity demand. A 40-megawatt solar plant has already been established. Sharma stated that efforts are also being made to transform other cities in Uttar Pradesh into Solar Cities. In a post on X, Sharma shared that he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Re-Invest 2024 exhibition held in Gujarat capital Gandhinagar. Sharma provided updates on the development of renewable energy projects in Uttar Pradesh, including the Solar City initiative in Ayodhya, the PM Surya Ghar scheme in Varanasi, and the socio-economic and environmental benefits of these efforts. He was speaking to IANS after participating in the inaugural session of the event on Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Re-Invest 2024 event in Gandhinagar on Monday, which saw participation from various state chief ministers and energy ministers. During the event, PM Modi remarked that the people of the country had given a third term to the government after 60 years, reflecting significant hopes and expectations. He expressed confidence that the government's third term would uplift the aspirations of 140 crore Indians, particularly the youth, women, and marginalised communities, ensuring their dignified living standards. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is hosting the three-day event, which is expected to draw more than 10,000 delegates, including influential figures from the government, industry, and the financial sectors. New Delhi, Sep 16 : Tech giant Apple on Monday released the next version of its operating system, iOS 18, which is a free download and offers iPhone users around the world new ways to personalise their devices. It allows new ways to personalise their iPhone with deeper customisation to the Home Screen and Control Center; the biggest-ever redesign to Photos, making it even easier to find and relive special moments; and major enhancements to Messages and Mail. Starting next month, iOS 18 will introduce Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system that combines the power of generative models with personal context to deliver intelligence that is incredibly useful and relevant while protecting users' privacy and security, Apple said in a statement. "In iOS 18, users can customise their Home Screen in exciting new ways by placing app icons and widgets to frame the wallpaper or create the ideal layout on each page," the company informed. Users can also choose how the app icons and widgets are presented light, dark, or with a coloured tint or make app icons appear larger for a new streamlined look. They can also access their favourite controls from the Action button, and for the first time, they can change the controls on the Lock Screen or remove them entirely. "The biggest-ever update to Photos makes it easier to find and relive special moments. The beautiful, simplified layout puts the library into a unified yet familiar view. New collections like Recent Days, People and Pets, and Trips automatically keep the library organised with on-device intelligence," according to the company. In Messages, formatting options like bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough let users better convey tone; all-new text effects bring words, phrases, and sentences to life; emoji and sticker Tapbacks give users endless ways to react in a conversation; and users can compose an iMessage to send later. For times when cellular and Wi-Fi connections aren't available, Messages via satellite connects users to a satellite in space right from the Messages app to send and receive texts, emoji, and Tapbacks over iMessage and SMS. The Phone app helps users stay organised with the ability to record and transcribe live calls, making it easier to recall important details later. Available later this year, categorisation in Mail organises messages to help users stay on top of their inbox. iOS 18 is a free software update that is available starting today for iPhone Xs and later. Bhopal, Sep 16 : Tension prevailed in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur on Monday after a man alleged he was injured due to stone pelting during an Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession. According to police, a person turned up at the Kotwali police station, alleging that he got injured after someone pelted stones at him during the religious procession. As the news spread, people from the Hindu community gathered in large numbers at a local temple and started protesting and demanding justice for the victim of alleged stone pelting. Several shopkeepers downed their shutters as tension gripped the city. Several people were reportedly injured due to a stampede which broke out following the alleged stone-pelting incident. However, police said they immediately swung into action and controlled the situation. Police held a flag march and heightened security in the affected area. Meanwhile in an appeal, police urged people to refrain from spreading rumours and stay in their homes. "The situation is under control now. I would appeal to the citizens to shun uploading photos and videos on social media platforms without verifying them. Those found spreading rumours will face tough action," Mandsaur SP Abhisek Anand said. He also confirmed that tension caused a stampede-like situation and forced businessmen in the area to down shutters of their shops and commercial establishments. Amaravati, Sep 16 : Andhra Pradesh's Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Ponguru Narayana, on Monday said that Amaravati is in a very safe zone and appealed to people not to believe the misinformation being spread by the YSRCP leaders, adding that the capital city will not face any kind of problems in view of the flood in the Krishna river. He told mediapersons here that the previous government led by YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) with certain political motives had resorted to false propaganda, and clarified that there is absolutely no problem, whatsoever, with Amaravati. "To be on the safe side, the state government is taking up the construction of reservoirs and necessary canals to prevent any kind of floods in Amaravati in the future," the Minister said. Narayana mentioned that the previous government not only resorted to false propaganda that Amaravati was not fit to be the capital but also wrote to the World Bank not to release any kind of funds for the capital. He claimed that at the time of capital design itself, the building of reservoirs and canals was proposed. He said though the Krishna river received 11.43 lakh cusecs of flood flow recently, Amaravati faced no problems. "By the coming rainy season, all the proposed three canals spreading to an extent of 48.3 km will be completed as tenders are being called very soon," the Minister said. Construction of three reservoirs is also being taken up and once these reservoirs and canals are completed not even a single drop of flood water will be blocked in the capital region, he added. Observing that the construction of the buildings in the capital region taken up during 2014 and 2019 came to a grinding halt, he said that the TDP-led NDA government has sought the opinion of IIT experts from Hyderabad and Chennai and the report has already been submitted to the government. Besides the iconic buildings like the State Secretariat, the High Court and the 3,600 apartments being built for government employees are safe, and these experts felt that the construction of these buildings could be taken up further. "We are calling for tenders in the coming couple of months to take up the completion of these buildings," Narayana maintained. Admitting that the jungle clearance work had been stalled due to the floods, he said that this would be completed soon. The Minister also said that the Rs 175 crore to be credited as lease to the farmers who have donated land for the capital will be credited to their accounts "either on Tuesday or latest by Wednesday". Narayana said that if anyone comes forward to give land under land pooling, he himself will go to personally receive it. Mumbai, Sep 16 : Maharashtra Minister of Women and Child Welfare Aditi Tatkare on Monday said that the state government has so far received more than 2.40 crore applications from the eligible women beneficiaries under the flagship Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana. "Of the 2.40 crore applications, nearly 1.70 crore, who applied in the month of July, have already been provided financial aid in August. In addition, the government has distributed financial assistance to another 52 lakh women during the programme held in Nagpur on August 31," Tatkare said. The state government has already extended the time limit for filing applications till the end of September in the wake of a response from the eligible women beneficiaries. The government is providing a monthly assistance of Rs 1,500 crore to the eligible women beneficiaries, and it has so far disbursed over Rs 4,500 crore under the Ladki Bahin scheme. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has repeatedly said that the government will increase the financial aid to Rs 3,000 if the MahaYuti government comes back to power after the upcoming Assembly elections. Tatkare said that the eligible women beneficiaries, who have already received financial aid for July and August, will soon get the same for the month of September as well. "The government is scrutinising the applications received so far and those received in September. After the scrutiny is over, I am sure that more than 2 crore women will be eligible for financial aid," said Tatkare, adding that the government hopes to provide financial assistance to 2.50 crore eligible women beneficiaries under the Ladki Bahin scheme. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar have reiterated that the Ladki Bahin scheme would not be discontinued, but it would be active forever. CM Shinde on Sunday said that the government had done sufficient planning before its introduction and the required funds have been allocated. Itanagar, Sep 17 : Senior IAS officer Manish Kumar Gupta on Monday took over as the new Chief Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh, officials said. Gupta, a 1991-batch IAS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, succeeds Dharmendra, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the same cadre. The new Arunachal Pradesh CS previously served as Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary (Home) in the Delhi government. Soon after assuming the charge, Gupta held his first meeting with Principal Secretaries, Commissioners and Secretaries of various state government departments in the Civil Secretariat and exchanged views. An official statement quoting the Chief Secretary said that Gupta sought support and cooperation from the senior officials and all concerned in achieving the target of making Arunachal Pradesh as one of the most developed states in India. During the meeting, the new Chief Secretary sought details of various ongoing policies and programmes in the state, including key infrastructure projects, status of filling up of vacancies in government departments, departmental promotion committee, border issues, the statement added. Gupta decided to hold separate meetings with each department to take stock of the ongoing projects and review their status in the next few weeks. "He (new Chief Secretary) also decided to undertake district tours to assess ground realities of the ongoing projects and issues concerning the people," the statement said. Chief Minister Pema Khandu welcomed the new Chief Secretary during the cabinet meeting on Monday. "Extended a warm welcome to Shri Manish Kumar Gupta ji, the new Chief Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh, on his first Cabinet meeting today ! Wishing him a successful tenure and looking forward to working together to drive growth, development, and prosperity for the people of Arunachal Pradesh," the CM posted on X. Gandhinagar, Sep 17 : Germany's Development Minister Svenja Schulze, who is on a three-day visit to Gujarat to represent her country at the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investor's (RE-INVEST) meet here, has said that the problems of the world cannot be solved without India's involvement. In an exclusive conversation with IANS on Monday, Schulze, who is leading a delegation of around 20 representatives, emphasised the growing importance of India's involvement in solving global challenges and the potential for collaboration between India and Germany, particularly in the fields of renewable energy and skilled labour. "We want to bring a joint force of India and Germany. We have the technical knowledge and that can be brought to this market. We invested early in green energy, and we have the technical expertise," Schulze said. She noted that solar energy is a key area of focus for both nations. "Solar panels are one of the important aspects we want to focus on. We can't pin on one player, and India is the second-largest producer of solar panels." Schulze's visit comes as Germany strengthens its partnership with India under the Indo-German Green and Sustainable Development Partnership, signed in 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz. As part of her visit, Schulze is representing Germany at the RE-INVEST renewable energy investor's conference, organised by India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). This year's partner country, Germany is eager to further engage with India on renewable energy and other sustainability goals. At the heart of the visit is a renewed focus on green shipping. "Green shipping is another aspect we want to focus on, in reference to India," Schulze mentioned, underscoring the significance of sustainable practices in the maritime industry. Schulze also discussed gender equality and women's empowerment in the energy sector, stressing that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's administration promotes women in leadership roles. "Olaf is a feminist. He promotes women in work. We have a network of women in the energy sector. This is a work of powerful women." The conference attracted over 10,000 participants, including key government, industry, and finance figures. As India plans to expand its renewable energy capacity, particularly solar, Germany is keen to collaborate in this transition. Germany currently has over 2,000 companies operating in India, 200 of which are in the energy sector alone. The worldas largest solar park in Gujarat has garnered substantial interest from German investors. Schulze further highlighted the critical role of Indiaas youthful workforce, particularly in addressing Germany's shortage of skilled labour. "India's average age is in the 20s, and Germany's is in the 40s. Therefore, we also consider India a skilled labour force for German companies. We do a lot of vocational training, which helps both countries." Germany is set to hire 7 million skilled professionals by 2035, with a significant portion expected from India. According to the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), the country will require millions of skilled workers to meet its growing labour demands. The German Minister of Labour highlighted the high demand for Indian professionals, acknowledging India as a key source for filling critical skill gaps in Germany's workforce. With a shared goal of reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainable development, India and Germany are aligned on many fronts. Schulze's visit aims to deepen this cooperation and explore new opportunities for collaboration. "Germanyas Development Ministry has been involved for many years in developing the market for renewable energies in India and improving the investment environment. German companies have benefited from this good reputation and from these investments, and they will continue to benefit. This is evident from the German private sectoras significant interest in this conference," she said. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, September 16. The Central Bank of Uzbekistan (CBU) discussed the macroeconomic outlook in Uzbekistan with representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Trend reports. The matter was reviewed at a meeting between CBU's management and members of the IMF mission. During the meeting, the sides discussed the monetary policy applied in Uzbekistan, the current state of the banking system, and indicators for the 8 months of the current year. Both parties also reviewed the updated forecasts of the CBU based on the expected directions of macroeconomic development in the country. As part of this IMF mission, meetings are expected to be held with a number of ministries and departments, as well as commercial banks. Earlier, the CBU hosted the final meeting with representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission on liquidity risk assessment and implementation of liquidity stress testing tools. During the meeting, the sides discussed the prospects of Uzbekistan's economic development, the state of banks' liquidity, the development of approaches to monitoring bank liquidity, and the adopted methods of implementation of liquidity stress-testing tools. Gurugram : , Sep 17 (IANS) BJP leader Rao Narbir Singh has said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will soon hold a public rally in the Badshahpur constituency area. "Amit Shah had promised me that he would come to Badshahpur for an election rally. Soon time will be taken from him for the rally. This rally will create a new history in the whole of Haryana," he said on Monday. Singh, who is the BJP candidate from Badshahpur Assembly constituency and former Cabinet Minister, said that BJP is going to form a government for the third consecutive term in Haryana. He said that while being a Cabinet Minister in the BJP-led Haryana government from 2014 to 2019, he did development work in the entire Gurugram district, including Badshahpur, which was not done even in the last 50 years. The BJP leader was addressing public meetings organised in Dhanavas, Khaitavas, Saidpur, Patali Hajipur, Jadaula and Mohammadpur villages on Monday. He said that the previous governments had looted Gurugram whereas after the BJP government came to power in the state it has witnessed development. The BJP leader added that at the time of formation of Haryana in the year 1966, there were seven districts in the state, and Gurugram was one of them. The remaining six districts developed but the previous governments of Haryana continuously ignored Gurugram, he said. "Those who were living in Gurugram before the year 2014 were well aware of the conditions here. After the formation of the BJP government in 2014, he became a Cabinet Minister, and started solving the problems of the entire Gurugram along with Badshahpur," he asserted. There used to be a problem of traffic jams at every intersection here so therefore to solve it overbridges and underpasses were built, he said. At intersections like Rajiv Chowk, IFFCO Chowk, Signature Tower and Maharana Pratap Chowk, where people used to spend hours stuck in traffic jams, now can complete the journey in minutes. He had to meet Union Minister Nitin Gadkari several times to bring development projects worth thousands of crores, like the Badshahpur Elevated Flyover and Dwarka Expressway, here. Since the leadership of Badshahpur was in the hands of Rao Narbir Singh, he also brought these projects worth thousands of crores to Gurugram. In 2019, the people of Badshahpur handed over the leadership here to a weak government, he said. He asked the people during the rally whether even a single brick of development was laid in Badshahpur in the last five years. Nothing has happened in the last five years as compared to the development works between 2014 to 2019, the BJP leader added. Kolkata, Sep 17 : West Bengal Junior Doctors' Forum (WBJDF) has said that they will not withdraw their cease to work protest in support of their demands over the horrific rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata unless Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee removes key government officials as demanded by the junior doctors are being implemented in written agreement. The announcement by the WBJDF came after the Chief Minister held a five-hour meeting with the protesting junior doctors in the matter at her residence on Monday evening. Chief Minister Banerjee announced that the Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal, the Deputy Commissioner (North Division) of Kolkata Police Abhishek Gupta, besides the state director of health services and director of medical education, will be replaced honouring the demand of the protesting junior doctors. "We are happy that the state government has finally succumbed to our demand. Our victory on this count came after 38 days of protest. This is not just the victory of the protesting junior doctors or the representatives of the nursing fraternity. This is the victory of the common people. However, as regards our ongoing protest, it will continue till the Chief Minister's announcements are implemented on paper. There is a crucial hearing at the Supreme Court in the matter today. We will convey our decision only after that," a representative of WBJDF said. Another WBJDF representative said that whichever demands have been fulfilled is because of their sustained protests for the last 38 days. "There is an urgent need to uproot the base of the corruption that has become rampant in the state health education system," he added. Patna, Sep 16 : A portion of Bailey Bridge in Bihar's Jamui district, constructed over the Bhanwar river in Churhet Kajwe village, has again collapsed within a year after being opened for public use on Monday, officials said. Due to safety concerns, the district administration has halted all traffic on the bridge and directed locals to use alternate routes. The bridge is located under the jurisdiction of the Sono block in the district. This incident raises questions about the quality of construction and maintenance practices for infrastructure in the region. Locals in Jamui district have attributed the collapsing of the bridge due to rampant sand mining, which takes place during the summer and winter seasons. During the monsoon season, rising water levels in the Bhanwar river added to the risk of the bridge getting damaged. The recent heavy rainfall in the last few days have caused a strong flow in the river, contributing to the bridge's damage. An official from the Jamui district administration said that two pillars of the bridge had sunk into the soil, which led to the structural weakening. As a result, ten panchayats in the Sono block and eight in the Khaira block are now completely cut off from their block headquarters. This situation is particularly concerning for residents, as health centres are located on the opposite side of the damaged bridge. The bridge over the Bhanwar river in Jamui district had previously suffered damage in January 2023. Following that incident, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inspected the site and directed the construction of an iron Bailey Bridge to replace the damaged structure. This new bridge was completed and inaugurated for public use in October 2023. However, it has now collapsed again just within a year. In response to the damage, Jamui District Magistrate Abhilasha Sharma inspected the bridge and confirmed that a portion of it is now damaged. "We have inspected the bridge and declared it dangerous for the public. We have asked people to avoid using this bridge," Sharma said. She added that the district administration has directed a technical team to visit the site and submit a report. "Based on the technical team's report, we will decide the next course of action," Sharma said. With the American Library Associations annual Banned Books Week set to begin on Sunday, September 22, a week of events will serve to celebrate diversity in literature and to remind Americans that, in the words of former ALA executive director Tracie D. Hall, free people read freely. But for many librarians and educators on the front lines of who have found themselves under fireand in several high profile cases, literally firedfor defending the freedom to read has come at a steep cost. For our freedom to read issue, PW recently caught up with five people who are bravely standing up to the censors. Iris Halpern Civil rights attorney Iris Halpern has a lot of experience fighting for the constitutional rights of her clients. But she hasnt represented manyif anylibrarians over the course of her career. That is, until now. In September 2023 Halpern made national headlines when she negotiated a $250,000 settlement for librarian Brooky Parks, who was fired from her job at Erie (Colo.) Community Library in 2021 for daring to promote anti-racism and LGBTQ history workshops for teens. A partner at Denver-based civil rights firm Rathod Mohamedbhai, Halpern specializes in cases involving employees victimized by discrimination. And her client list now includes several librarians and educators, including two librarians with active court cases: Suzette Baker in Llano County, Tex., and Terri Lesley, the longtime Campbell County (Wyo.) Public Library director, who was fired in dramatic fashion last fall for refusing to censor LGBTQ books. Ive had to become an expert very quickly, says Halpern, when asked about the issues facing the librarians she now counts as clients. But, she adds, it didnt take long for her to recognize the strategy being used by book banners in libraries and schools across the country, and, maybe more importantly, in state legislatures. If you look at all these book bans and all these laws that are passing across the country, none of them are going to survive constitutional scrutiny, she explains. So its pretty clear that these laws are in fact aimed at scaring librarians and administrators as part of a political power play. Theyre trying to have our public institutions send the message out that certain groups are not welcome or are second class, which is particularly pernicious and dangerous. While the facts of each of her librarian cases is different, Halpern says they have common roots: legislators and administrators who are trying to intimidate librarians into silence. And its effective. Who wants to lose their job, be pilloried by extremely racist, homophobic fringe elements of the community, sometimes to the point of physical danger, and then have to pay for lawyers? Halpern concedes that winning substantial financial awards for librarians who have been unfairly treated would send an important message to community leaders seeking to ban books. But the main takeaway is not the price tag, she insists. We certainly hope that library boards across the country will think twice about getting bogged down in years of litigation because they decided to censor based on some discriminatory, hateful agenda, she says. But I think the message here is that people dont want this. Theres a very strong sentiment emerging that people do not want to see the country go in this direction. Halpern also acknowledges that, while litigation is an important tool in fighting book bans, there are limits to what it can achieve. That, she says, is why the public needs to step up and support their librarians, teachers, and advocates who are defending their right to read. Im hopeful that these cases will help, but litigation is fundamentally responsive. Its not proactive, she explains. It takes place after someone is fired, after books have been taken off the shelves, after our curriculums and our schools and our programming in our libraries has been suppressed, which we should all be very angry about. We need to organize around that. We need our communities to stand up and do what they can. Because these librarians are very brave, but they cannot do it on their own. Its extracting too heavy a price. Terri Lesley For 27 years, Terri Lesley was a fixture at the Campbell County Public Library in Gillette, Wyo., the last 13 years as director. I grew up in Gillette, she says. I know a lot of people and have made a lot of connections in the community over many years. But like so many librarians caught up in this wave of book banning, she didnt see the end coming until it was too late. The first warning shots were in summer 2021, when a handful of local activists objected to a Pride Month social media post by the library, and later a transgender magicians scheduled appearance at the library. From there, things continued to escalate, with one particular family (multiple members of which Lesley is now suing for civil rights infractions and defamation) even reporting the library to the sheriff after finding a handful of LGBTQ-themed books in the teen section. That move garnered national headlines but no charges. And the library board at the time backed Lesley. Theyre trying to have our public institutions send the message out that certain groups are not welcome or are second class, which is particularly pernicious and dangerous. In the following months, however, the library would receive nearly 60 book challengesmost concerning LGBTQ contentup from zero in previous years. And then came the big change: a new library board was seated. Ive had so many great library boards, Lesley says. Even before I was director, we always had caring board members who loved literacy and loved lifelong learning. And in the first year of controversy here, I had a great board. But theyd been under attack for about a year. And so, when people reached their term limits, they didnt re-up. At which point our county commissioners, who had their own agenda, were able to appoint new board members who would go after the books. For months Lesley resisted the new boards directives to remove books from the library. Then in July 2023, the board called a public meeting and fired her. According to reports, the room was filled with Lesley supporters who criticized the board in their public comments, and greeted the boards decision with a one-finger salute. Lesley left the room to a standing ovation. Working with Halpern, Lesley has filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint, in addition to a lawsuit. But those actions, she concedes, dont make up for the loss of a decades-long career in a community she lovedeven though right-wing activists made the last two years of her directorship pure hell for her and her staff. This attack in Gillette was particularly ugly, Lesley says. Activists were making it really hard on the staff. It got so hard for them that on some days I would come into the parking lot and see a staff member and shed start crying. There were a lot of tears and a lot of stress. At one point, I brought in counseling for the staff so they could talk about what was going on if they wanted to. That was maybe the hardest for me, not to being able to protect my staff from this. As for her future, Lesley is unsure. I would love to work for a library, but Im in a small town in Wyoming that doesnt have a lot of library opportunities, she says. When I first went to work for the library, I didnt know that I was going to love it. But I did. I just love to help people. And when youre around so many people who are so appreciative of the work that you do, what a lucky thing it is. Suzette Baker For Suzette Baker, former head of the Kingsland Library in Llano County, Tex., being a librarian was her dream job. As ex-military, she found purpose in serving. She loved making fun, quirky book displays. And she understood the importance of the work she was doing. If you look at a country and you look at their libraries, the freedom that exists in the library reflects the freedom that exists in the country, she says. So, if freedom is what we want in our country, then freedom is what we must have in our libraries. But in 2021, as a politically organized book-banning movement was gaining steam in Texas, Baker found herself on the horns of a dilemma. An employee at the Llano branch of the library had found a copy of the illustrated guidebook Its Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health wrongly shelved in the childrens section. But instead of alerting the library director about the mistake and handling it professionally, this employee (who left the job soon after) brought it to the attention of local political groups. As Baker recalls, things steamrolled from there. Local officials responded by ordering the removal of books they unilaterally deemed pornographic from the library, the bulk of which were by or about the LGBTQ community. Baker resisted, and spoke out, setting in motion a series of events that quickly led to her dismissal and sparked a wave of litigation. Not only is Baker suing the county for wrongful termination but a group of concerned citizens in Llano County is also suing the library for breaching their constitutional rights. Baker now works in a hardware store. Honestly, Ive had a lot of difficult days, but its worth it, she says. Because this fight is for all of us. As librarians, this what we do, this is what we love. You know, writers write the books, but librarians, we connect those books to the people who need them. And that is seriously emotional work. It can be very intense. And to have somebody tell you that you cant do thatthat you cant connect people with what they need? Its awful. For her courage in fighting book bans in Texas, Baker was honored in June at the Authors Guilds annual gala in New York City with the inaugural Champion of Writers Award, which was presented by banned author George M. Johnson. And on August 27, a federal court handed Baker an important victory, denying Llano Countys bid to have her lawsuit dismissed. Baker concedes that she has sacrificed a lot by refusing to give in to the book banners in her community. But she also understands the importance of staying strong, winning in court, and finishing the mission. Im 57 years old, she says. This is where I was planning to be, doing a job that I absolutely adored, until I retired. Now Im a cashier at a hardware store, and in another county because I cant get a job in Llano. But, if I can fight back and I can win, it means that every librarian has the power to stand up and say no. It means that every librarian can fight back and win. Brooky Parks Today, Brooky Parks works as a business and economics reference librarian at the University of Denver. But from 2019 to 2021, she served at northeastern Colorados Erie Community Library. When I was in grad school, I didnt want to go into school libraries, because I thought Id have to deal with more censorship, Parks says. I decided to go into public libraries. But its not safe there at all. In Erie, Parks organized an LGBTQ book club for teens, and youth anti-racist programming. But after a handful of patrons complained, the High Plains Library District canceled her projects. When she protested, the district fired her. Parks says she was offered $5,000 to help bridge the gap in between employment, on the condition that she sign an agreement not to sue. Instead, she filed an anti-discrimination lawsuit. With the help of Halpern, Parks negotiated a $250,000 settlement in September 2023. The legal victory made headlines, but the money has done nothing to ease the feelings of loss over being forced out of her job. Its hard not to take it personally, Parks says. It feels very isolating. Recently, Parks connected online with fellow librarians who, she says, also understand what its like to be betrayed by your institution and sacrifice your dream job. Those outside the profession may underestimate the pressure librarians are facing. I see posts all the time of librarians saying, I woke up in the middle of the night with a panic attack. And were like, Hey, we get it. Parks is happy to be working, and she feels grateful for her University of Denver position. Im still helping people find the information they need and seeing that light bulb go off, she says. You feel like youve made a difference to someone. While she maintains her ideals about libraries and public service, her experience has left her wary. Ill be very careful before I accept another job in public libraries, she says. When she guest-lectures in DU classrooms, she tells aspiring librarians to find out the inside scoop before accepting a position. You can tell from board meeting minutes whether the district is going to have your back. Look at their procedures. Whats their collection development policy and reconsideration policy? Parks has also discovered that her DU job has provided her with a platform. And she feels duty bound to speak to legislators, and to tell her story at conferences. Recently her testimony helped get Colorados anti-book-banning law (SB 24-216), the Standards for Decisions Regarding Library Resources, signed into law. I dont have to pick a research agenda, she says of her work protecting the integrity of libraries. It picked me. Martha Hickson Martha Hickson, media specialist at North Hunterdon High School in Annandale, N.J., was among the vanguard fighting for the freedom to read when, in 2019, a superintendent demanded she remove Alison Bechdels memoir Fun Home from library shelves. I refused, and a protracted battle ensued, Hickson recalls. I thought that fight was the worst thing that ever happened to me. Little did I know what was to come. In 2021, administrators again went after Fun Home, this time along with Juno Dawsons This Book Is Gay, Jonathan Evisons Lawn Boy, George M. Johnsons All Boys Arent Blue, and Maia Kobabes Gender Queer. Hickson again defended the books. All of the books that have been challenged at my school have been associated with LGBTQ+ content, she says. The book banners in my area of the world understand that its not a good look to go after racially based content, but for whatever reason they have no problem being accused of being homophobic. To fight her battle, Hickson gathered resources from the ACLU and EveryLibrary, and rallied her neighbors. I reached out to community members, mainly parents of students, and that little nucleus grew into what weve called the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Intellectual Freedom Fighters, she says. Though librarians are efficient problem solvers, you cannot do it alone. Ultimately the school board voted to retain all five titles, and positive recognition followed: Hickson received the ALAs 2022 Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced with Adversity. She was also named the New Jersey Library Associations 2023 librarian of the year. And when a similar challenge arose in Pennsylvania, members of the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association looked to Hicksons strategies to establish a rapid response protocol against book bans. But the victory was hard-won. I was one of the first librarians in the country to be attacked and to go public with my experience, Hickson says, adding that the stress has taken a toll on her health and career. I would not have survived the last five years without my husbands constant support. And she befriended more than a few foxhole buddies whove grappled with censorship too. Alas, this summer, Hickson submitted her paperwork to retire, effective October 30. Retirement became an attractive option when my daily work life became untenable, she says, pointing to continued active hostility both inside and outside the school. Ive loved the work, especially working with students, but Ive come to loathe the workplace. Still, Hickson vows to stay engaged in defending the freedom to read, including in efforts to pass New Jerseys own anti-book-banning bill, S2421, dubbed the Freedom to Read Act. And she will continue to help build a coalition to support the freedom to read. The majority of people across the political spectrum oppose censorship, she says. What we need are mainstream voices to stand up and say, This is wrong. Return to main feature. In keeping with its long history of celebrating the diverse world of childrens books, Sourcebooks is taking direct action against a growing number of book bans and challenges nationwide. Whether that means joining forces with industry colleagues and advocacy groups (like the Penguin Random House Intellectual Freedom Task Force), supporting active anti-censorship lawsuits, or empowering educators, librarians, and concerned citizens, the publisher is diligently at the front lines of the fight for the freedom to read. As Sourcebooks Publisher and CEO Dominique Raccah says, combating book bans is central to the publishers mission of bringing life-changing stories to the reading public. Learning about new ideas and lifestyles vastly different from our own makes us better people, she says. And you know what? Sometimes big ideas make us uncomfortable. A number of Sourcebooks titles across genres have come under attack, including Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad and This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson. Raccah recognizes key similarities in the targeted books and what the efforts to ban the titles say about the censors. In particular, Me and White Supremacy and This Book Is Gay highlight how harmful white supremacy and homophobia are, she says. They also are both extremely empowering; theyre so hopeful as we work toward a more diverse, inclusive future. Sourcebooks has witnessed firsthand how these titles benefit readers. This Book is Gay, for example, has given some readers the courage to come out to their parents. "Librarians are always telling us that it's one of their most stolen books," says Margaret Coffee, Senior Director of Library and School Sales. "It's incredible how necessary a book like this is. We were thrilled that we could bring the author, Juno Dawson, over to the U.S. last year for ALA annual. She spoke on a banned books panel that was standing-room-only." Those calling for removing books from libraries and classrooms often claim they are advocating for "parental rights." But the phrase is "a thinly veiled euphemism for book banning and the censorship of teachers," says Audrey Barsella, Communications Manager. While parents certainly have the right to restrict reading materials for their own children, they shouldn't get to make that decision for other peoples' children. Barsella has helped grow Sourcebooks efforts to combat book bans, and is assembling an internal committee that will expand opportunities for employees to get involved. Our libraries and schools exist to serve the entire community, and thats a broad charter that librarians and teachers train for years to uphold, says Todd Stocke, SVP and Editorial Director. The magic of a country rooted in freedom is that this mosaic gathers and cherishes all those cultures, all those points of view, that no one is left out. We should be showing our young people that we celebrate everyone, that we appreciate different ideas, and that we are collectively stronger because of our differences. As book banning continues to affect the publishing industry, its truly inspirational to see how many publishing colleagues across multiple houses continue to work towards the shared goal of creating a safe place for all voices. Authors, librarians, educators, booksellers, and many readers are on the front lines right now, and its vital that we all work collaboratively and advocate for them. We are a community of book lovers, Raccah says. We support each other. Just gathering with one another in the spirit of books, having these conversations, reminding each other that were all in this together in celebration of doing what we all love, creates this really powerful sense of joy and purpose. And harnessing that joy and purpose thats what Books Change Lives is all about. This is what were fighting for. Recently, I opened an email from a librarian who shared a story that has become all too familiar. She was being vilified in her community, simply for being a librarian. Its a story I know all too well. In July 2022, I endured a similar fate. After I made a brief speech against banning books with LGBTQ themes from my hometown public library in Livingston Parish, La., two men began making false accusations about me on social media. Their campaign unleashed a flood of bullying messages and death threats. People in my community began calling me a pedophile and a porn pusher. It was deeply unsettling. I spent days crying and having panic attacks. I was afraid to leave my home. I still am. But this librarian who emailed me reported a slightly different experience. She hadnt even spoken out. She had been too afraid. And yet, because of her position in the library, the book banners on social media came for her anyway. I dont think I can take it much longer, she wrote to me. How can complete strangers spread lies about me on social media? I no longer want to be in this job that I love. Sadly, Ive received dozens of messages just like hers. Over the last two years Ive spoken at numerous library-related conferences, and at every single one multiple librarians have approached me, often in tears, to share their stories of being targeted by book banners in their communities. In July, at the PEN Unified Voices Summit, a fellow educator hugged me, breaking down into sobs, unable to even get the words out. My heart breaks with every story I hear. I want to tell them that things will get better. And if we stand together, I believe they can. Despite attempts to intimidate me into silence, I have resolved to fight back. And you can too. For me, fighting back meant suing the men who harassed melitigation that continues as of this writing. But it has also meant organizing. In my hometown, I launched the Livingston Parish Library Alliance and helped found Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship, two grassroots organizations committed to fighting against censorship efforts. And it meant telling my story. In August, my book That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America was published by Bloomsbury. The book not only tells of my personal experiences but of the attacks that so many librarians across the country have endured. Not a day goes by that I dont read about another book ban attempt, or another piece of legislation that seeks to intimidate librarians with threats of jail time, fines, or loss of their jobs. It wasnt always like this, of course. Until recently, librarians and teachers might see one or two challenges to books on our shelves annually, if any. And those challenges were dealt with professionally, according to well established policies and challenge procedures. But beginning in 2021, things changed. In communities across the country, a politically organized minority began showing up at library and school board meetings with lists of books disproportionately targeting LGBTQ and BIPOC communities, angrily accusing librarians and educators of seeking to sexualize children or being too woke, often reciting cherry-picked, out-of-context passages to generate outrage and headlines. This is the book banner game plan today: it is about fear and intimidation. We also know that this unprecedented wave of attacks follows a common political script, often involving a push for cutting library funding, for control of school and public library boards, and for anti-library legislation in state legislatures. And years into this book-banning movement, the threat is still growing. Not a day goes by that I dont read about another book ban attempt, or another piece of legislation that seeks to intimidate librarians with threats of jail time, fines, or loss of their jobs. And I continue to read about right-wing politicians spreading the lie that librarians are for some reason conspiring to place pornographic material in the childrens sections of libraries. Perhaps the scariest realization for me is that for every incident we read about, many more are going unreported. As ALA representatives have repeatedly stressed in releasing their annual stats on book banning, for each book challenge reported and tracked, hundreds more are not. As we head into the fall election season, I believe we are at a critical moment for the freedom to read. But I also believe that if we are as organized and tenacious as those who seek to ban books, we will ultimately defeat this movement to silence diverse voices in our communities. Broadly speaking, we know that book bans are not popular. But never forget, elections are decided by those who show up. Furthermore, we must recognize and confront the darker, lingering threat from this movement to ban books: the silent wave of shadow-banning or soft censorship that has taken rootthat is, librarians and teachers who are now so afraid of losing their careers and livelihoods or being harassed in their communities that they simply stop buying books they think might cause a problem. This in addition to many dedicated librarians and educators leaving the profession altogether because of the stress. Who could blame them? I know firsthand how hard it is to be attacked, and how hard it can be to stand up and speak out. Thats why I wrote That Librarian: my hope is that librarians, educators, and advocates who find themselves under attack in their communities can read it and know that they are not alone. There are strategies, tools, allies, and support available to help them find their voice and stand up to censorship. Ive been told that I am brave for taking a stand, but I do not think I am brave. I am simply doing what I was raised to do: love thy neighbor as thyself. And amid all that has happened to me, this experience has also afforded me a platform. And I intend to use it. If you are a librarian or teacher being targeted, know that you are on the right side of history. Stand up for your patrons and students, who have a right to be represented on library shelves. And to the publishers, authors, and vendors working in the school and library space, thank you for your supportand I urge you to continue to help us organize and fund this fight. Last year, I was fortunate enough to hear author Samira Ahmed speak. In her talk, she urged librarians to use your power and privilege for purpose. I was so moved by that statement that I had honored it with a tattoo on my wrist. Librarians and allies, we must use our power. And we must not shy away from this fight, even if it is a fight we didnt ask for. Amanda Jones is a school librarian in Livingston Parish, La., and the author of the memoir That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America. Amid the nations culture wars and deep political divisions, conservatives drive to control what young people can read has taken on new intensity. The record number of challenges and bans levied on childrens and YA books has created an occupational hazard for authors, teachers, and librarians. We asked several authors how having their work targeted has affected their livelihood and their well-being. The emotional toll The majority of the authors we spoke with expressed bewilderment about why their books were banned. That feeling was quickly supplanted by frustration and anger upon learning that those who are pushing for bans have rarely read the books they are vilifying, instead cherry-picking language and passages out of context to create false narratives. Ellen Hopkins, whose YA novels tackle tough subject matter like sexual abuse, addiction, and suicide, and have been regularly challenged in school and public libraries, tops the list of most-banned authors in America, according to PEN Americas November 2023 report. But shes been saddled with another title that causes her significantly more pain. Theres this one woman, Karen England [a conservative activist and president of nonprofit Capitol Resource Institute], who has been orchestrating school board stuff from California to New York, and shes terming me one of the top porn pushers in American schools, Hopkins says. Its more than hurtful. It makes me angry. Its been hard to be accused of grooming children and being a pedophile when Im nothing like that and shes convincing people that I am. Ive taken a lot of ugly social media stuff; Ive learned the block button is my friend. Attacks on works reflecting the experiences of LGBTQ authors and authors of color have been especially egregious. Newbery Medalist Jerry Crafts books (including New Kid and its sequels) have been challenged and removed from shelves for content said to be supportive of critical race theory, a development he finds mind-boggling. I have kind of devoted my life to being the clean-cut cartoonist, he says. I did this graphic novel loosely based on my life and my sons lives and had gone out of my way not to have any cursing, drugs, sex, or anything that could be considered objectional to a kid audience. Yet his books were still targeted. Ive gotten death threats via email or people saying, You must suffer from some kind of mental illness in the fact that you think you need to indoctrinate an entire generation of kids. But indoctrinate how? For kindness and empathy, and loving people like theyre your brothers and sisters? New Kid is not Black versus white, Craft says. It is about a 12-year-old kid really seeing stuff like race and class for the very first time, and how he deals with it. But the kids all become friends. The kerfuffle over New Kid being challenged, then reinstatedafter people read itin Katy, Tex., in 2021 drew international media attention. The sad truth is, had I not been banned, I would not have been on The ReidOut with Joy Reid, The Daily Show, NPR, BBC, and other major news outlets, Craft says. I would have liked to have been celebrated for being a history-making author instead. The Family Book by Todd Parr, a brightly hued picture book celebrating families of all varieties, sparked controversy upon its release in 2003 when, Parr remembers, students needed to have a permission slip for one of his readings at a local bookstore. One of the hardest things is being a gay man and being called certain things just because you wrote a book that says some families have two moms or two dads, he says. Thats the gayest page of all my work, and its just stating a matter of fact, whether you agree with it or not. There is no agenda in my 60-some books except for helping kids feel better about who they are. Parrs adds that anti-LGBTQ vitriol has become even more intense as his books have become popular choices for drag queen storytime. And two of his titles are featured in the new MSNBC Films/New Yorker documentary short film Its Okay, which focuses on two young brothers attending their first Drag Story Hour in North Carolina, where a bill has recently been introduced making it a felony to perform in drag for minors. The new narrative around this is that its not just a banned or challenged book; its an evil book of grooming and all these horrible words that Ive never even heard, he says. That hurts. Fearing for their safety George M. Johnson, whose YA memoir All Boys Arent Blue recounts their childhood, adolescence, and college years as a queer Black youth in New Jersey and Virginia, believes that safety is the biggest issue for authors facing book bans, and that personal risk is exacerbated when authors travel for the school and library appearances that they rely on for their livelihoods. People dont realize how unsafe it is if a person who is very adamant about book banning recognizes you when youre traveling, or in an airport, or at a restaurant, they say. Ive had instances of that, and I almost got into a fight in an airport in Wisconsin because a guy did recognize my face when he followed me into the bathroom. Johnson notes that the man was from Iowa, where Gov. Kim Reynolds has previously spoken out against All Boys Arent Blue, including showing Johnsons face and reading from the book on TV. There really are some people who feel that we are terrible human beings and will come after us, they say. We live in a country where they shoot up kindergartners and they will shoot up a church, so why wouldnt they shoot up a book event? We have to start thinking about it like that. Samira Ahmed is among those who now take extra precautions. During the tour for her book Internment, which envisions a fascist, Islamophobic near-future U.S. where Muslims are placed in internment camps, she received numerous threats, prompting her publisher, Little, Brown, to provide security at her Manhattan event. I travel under an alias now, and I know for a fact that Im not the only one, she says. Our book tours are publicized, of course, because we want people to show up. But at one location, prior to me getting there, someone had been calling all the local hotels in the vicinity of the bookstore to see if I was staying there. That person was not me, and it was not my publicist, and we were the only two people who knew where I was staying. She has declined to make some appearances for safety reasons, as well. When she received an invitation to speak with other authors at a library in a community that had legalized concealed carry of weapons in public, she says, I told them I couldnt go because my book had been banned recently in that area and I was genuinely worried about my safety. Its terrible, because many authors like myself love meeting readers. Its one of my favorite things to do, especially because Im writing for teens. Author Debbi Michiko Florence says that she never felt unsafe at book events until the rise of anti-Asian hate and book bans in recent years. She recalled being especially frightened during a school visit in a small town in the Midwest when a large white man aggressively approached her at the table where she was signing books. He was wearing camouflage and a trucker hat, and my heart leapt into my throat, she says. He leaned over and said, I want to thank you for taking the time to come to our small community. She was thrilledand admittedly relievedbut realized she would have never reacted that way before. These book bans have made me hyperaware that there are people who dont want me or my characters to exist. Coping The ripples caused by book bans quickly spread to authors bank accounts, too. Johnson is among those seeing some falloff in earnings. I think theres also a fear of bringing us [to events] because they dont want the backlash, and librarians dont want to get fired, they say. Like all the other authors we spoke with, Johnson finds that position understandable. I told them, listen, if the difference is putting myself in the library and you keeping your job, please keep your job. Once an authors work has been targeted, each subsequent project is under the microscope. As a result, theres this floating desire to self-censor, Hopkins says, echoing many colleagues. She worries that her middle grade work-in-progress that involves a character who reads Aristotle and ends up having a discussion about queerness with her mother could be attacked. Its my job to provide books for kids who need them, she says, and there are middle grade kids who will need this book, too, so I cant give in to that. And Hopkins harbors another concernthat her titles will be disallowed simply based on her banning track record. Its my name on the cover. Theyre not just censoring my book, theyre censoring me, personally. Many of the writers we contacted voiced their appreciation for the editors and publishers who have backed them even as the business climate becomes more difficult. I am a person who, if you tell me I cant do something, Im going to do it, Johnson says. They point to their new title on the Harlem Renaissance, Flamboyants, out this month, as an example. I just felt like, well, if youre going to ban one queer book, then Im just going to have to write more queer books, and youll have to ban all of them. But authors greatest praise goes to the educators who are on the front lines of the banning battle. Ahmed says she is moved every time a teacher comes to speak with her about her books being pulled or challenged. Theyre literally putting their jobs on the line just for kids to be able to have this fundamental right to read, she says. In my mind, theyre absolute heroes for doing this. Author Martha Brockenbrough agrees. We need to look out for the teachers and librarians with meaningful protection. She adds a reminder that in the end, the biggest victims of this struggle are the kids we are all supposed to be servingkids whove been marginalized and kids who are growing up in families that are doing the marginalizing. Encountering humanity on the page can make an extraordinary difference in their ability to be whole as adults. Return to main feature. No two states have been more consistently in the spotlight for book banning than Texas and Florida. Last year, the Texas legislature passed HB 900, a law that would have forced booksellers and publishers to implement a system to rate the sexual content for any books sold to Texas school libraries. But in July 2023, Charley Rejsek, CEO of BookPeople in Austin, and Valerie Koehler, owner of Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging HB 900 as unconstitutional and won a landmark preliminary injunction that was affirmed by an appeals court in January. For their efforts, Rejsek and Koehler were named PWs People of the Year for 2023, and in June they received a Toni Morrison Award for Courage at the New Republics Right to Read celebration in Miami. Among those in attendance was Mitch Kaplan, owner of the Miami-based mini-chain Books & Books, who has been integral to fighting book bans in Florida. Last year, working through the Freadom Coalition, Books & Books helped distribute 1,200 banned books to 500 people. The store also launched the Books & Books Literary Foundation, which aims to support the freedom to read through book giveaways and other programming, and which has became a cornerstone member of the Florida chapter of Writers for Democratic Action. The only way to fight these bans is through collective action, Kaplan says. Elsewhere in the Sunshine State, author Lauren Groff opened The Lynx in Gainesville this past spring with the intention of promoting and selling books that have been challenged or banned in Florida. Groff also formed The Lynx Watch Inc., a nonprofit that distributes banned books for free. We mean The Lynx to be a lighthouse, Groff says, not only in Gainesville but through the state of Florida and around the country at large. Indeed, Groffs efforts have resonated far beyond the South. Her friend, fellow author, and Brooklyn indie bookstore owner Emma Straub launched the Books Are Magic Banned Books Distribution Network to raise money for Groffs nonprofit. We are surrounded by a well-off community of book lovers here in Brooklynone that supports freedom of speech, and many of whom have family living in Florida and dont like whats happening there, Straub says. The project has raised more than $5,000 since July. We look forward to sending them a really big check, says Straub, who intends to fundraise year-round. We plan to change the organization that we are paired with every few months, so we can spread the money far and wide. Midwest nice Perhaps no bookstore in Americas heartland better exemplifies a commitment to the freedom to read than Loudmouth Books, in Indianapolis. It was founded a year ago by YA author Leah Johnson specifically to sell banned and challenged books. Such books are at the center of everything we do at Loudmouth, Johnson says, noting that every customer receives the same cold open, with a bookseller explaining the stores mission. Handselling at Loudmouth involves more than marketing a title. Were trying to sell the idea that these books should remain accessible; they should be read widely and freely, Johnson says. Even the most benign display features banned and challenged books, so as to normalize them. It doesnt matter what it isromance, works in translationwe make sure every display centers the voices of those most in danger of being flagged. Dog-Eared Books in Ames, Iowa, keeps track of the books being removed from its states public school shelves, including titles preemptively pulled by educators worried over the states new harmful to minors law, and displays them under the sign, I Cant Read That in School. Co-owner Ellyn Grimm says the section is regularly updated. Customers are also provided with postcards to write to elected officials advocating for books. We pay for the postage and mail them, Grimm says, noting that discussions with customers emphasize the efforts to silence certain voices, certain identities. Its about more than just intellectual freedom. Recently, Dog-Eared Books partnered on a fundraiser with a tattoo studio to support organizations working to maintain diverse books in schools. The studio created and applied temporary tattoos inspired by banned books and the store sold the books, bringing in $2,000. Not bad for one day of fundraising, Grimm says. For two western Michigan indies, a little effort is going a long way. Besides sponsoring postcard nights, Betties Pages in Lowell hosts community conversations with the school superintendent and board members. And when a Grand Rapidsarea superintendent secretly removed books in violation of school policies, Schulers Books operations manager Tim Smith provided the National Coalition Against Censorship with local media contacts. The ensuing scandal prompted the superintendent to apologize. The district was soon looking for a new superintendent, Smith says. We did a small thing that had a big impact. Its our responsibility to be engaged citizens. Moving mountains Chelsia Rice, the co-owner of Montana Book Co. in Helena, Mont., tries to turn book banning lemons into lemonade. When freedom to read comes under threat, we try to do something thats responsive in a positive way, Rice says. After the legislature here tried to ban Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, we sold it at an extreme discount so people could get it and decide for themselves. The bookstore also made a donation to the Transgender Law Center. When people ban books, theyre not just banning words; theyre banning access to empathy, hope, and new worlds, declares Calvin Crosby, owner of the Kings English Bookshop in Salt Lake City. Especially with our nonprofit, Brain Food Book [which distributes childrens books to classrooms, schools, pediatric offices, and day care centers throughout Utah], were making sure kids have access to diverse books at a time when Utah has been in the news for statewide bans. Crosby feels bolstered by his customers, who will buy a stack of banned books to make available to kids. The Kings English also partners with another Utah bookstore, Mosaics in Provo, where drag performer Tara Lipsyncki coordinates an events program called Riot! Pride during Banned Books Week. Meanwhile, staffers at Rediscovered Books in Boise, Idaho, are embarking on their fourth year of Read Freely, a program in which 80 volunteers distribute challenged books for free in stores, coffee shops, and at local gatherings, with the books stamped with the Read Freely logo and packaged with an informational bookmark or flyer. We choose books we think will spark important conversations or that have been banned in school districts or our state, King says. In partnership with The Cabin, a literary arts nonprofit, Rediscovered fundraises to cover the cost of the books. Read Freely 2024 culminates in an October party to honor volunteers and sponsors, a chance to raise a toast to the freedom to read. Return to main feature. When a sudden surge in book challenges hit schools and libraries in late 2020, few people understood the magnitude of the gathering threat. Librarian and journalist Kelly Jensen did. In July 2021, she filed the first edition of her weekly Censorship News roundup for Book Riot, offering commentary, analysis, and often unflinching criticism, along with an extensive rundown of local headlines and her own reported book-banning developments from across the country. Since then, Jensen has been one of the most important voices chronicling movement to ban books, her column effectively creating a historical record as it unfolds. Her work is deeply appreciated by the librarians and educators facing these challenges in the field. And in March, Library Journal recognized her work by honoring her with a 2024 Mover & Shaker award. We reached out for Jensens take on where the battle over books and censorship is heading, and what shes learned so far. We have a long history of book banning in America, but this current movement feels different. As someone who has been following events so closely, is it? Its true, movements aiming to ban books or censor information have been part and parcel of American history. But the deeper I dive into the history of book banning, the clearer it becomes that the motivation for banning books now is pretty much the same as it has been throughout history: the erasure of anyone whose stories do not fit a very narrow mold of what book banners consider normal. What is different today, though, is the emergence of social media and engagement algorithms, which have been an incredible tool for book banners. Imagine that you know nothing about whats going on, but youve heard the words book ban buzzing around. So you go online to look up whats going on, and youre presented a post about so-called inappropriate books in your local public schools or libraries. That link takes you to a Moms for Liberty group or some other local far-right political organizationand then the algorithms kick in and begin serving you up a steady stream of similar content in your feed. Making matters worse, as local news has disappeared, so, too, has the accountability that the press once held local school and library boards to. Without local news covering what used to be these boring meetings, most of us have no idea whats happening at them, who is making decisions, and what decisions are being made until its too late. What are some of the current developments youre most concerned about? I am most concerned about the blanket bans on LGBTQ+ books happening at both public and school libraries. We know that what happens in the schools usually bleeds into the public libraries, and in places like Greenville, S.C., both the public library and the school libraries have been ransacked by book banners. This is only going to proliferate, Im afraid. Im also concerned about how few people are responding to dangerous legislation before its passed and implemented, especially because librarians and educators have been sounding the alarm in the media and begging for help. For example, we all knew Idaho was gearing up to pass HB 710 this year, a new law that effectively bars minors from accessing entire sections of the library and allows parents to sue a library for damages if they dont remove a book deemed inappropriate. But despite robust media coverage, action against the bill was lacking. The same can be said about HB 29 in Utah, which requires every school library in the state to ban a book if that book has been banned in at least three districts in the state. This is a state-mandated book ban. And nothing about the legislation, its aims, or the legislative process was hidden. But again, the response was muted. Looking ahead, Alabama is gearing up to absolutely decimate its libraries next legislative season, and Im worried that the same story is playing out there. In short, our best and most committed librarians and educators arent going to stick around unless they get the support they need. Youve been critical of some major authors, such as Stephen King, who, despite their good intentions, dont appear to understand the nature of the current book-banning movement. How can King and other big-name authors do more to help? Two years ago, Stephen King tweeted that if books are being banned in school, kids need to head right out to their public library or bookstore to get their hands on it. But that played right into the very argument made by right-wing groups, which is that they arent really banning books, because kids can still get the books elsewhere. Of course, public libraries are also being targeted by these groups, and the average cost of a book for young adults has steadily risen over the last couple of years to upwards of $16, which most kids cannot afford. Last month, book bans returned to Stephen Kings attention when he saw that 23 of his books were being banned in Florida. And what did he tweet this time? He simply wrote, What the fuck? No calls to action. No resources. And thats frustrating, because there have been people on the ground showing up to school and library board meetings for the last four years fighting for his books and others not to be banned. These people are showing up to the polls, requesting information from districts on which books are being pulled from school library shelves, and really doing the hard work. At a bare minimum, why not share some resources to get your followers involved in fighting book bans? Stephen King got all this incredible press coverage just for saying What the fuck? about his own books, but he could easily have directed his seven million followers to the Florida Freedom to Read Foundation, for example, or offered some other resources to get people in the fight. In 2023 and early 2024 we saw some legal victories by freedom-to-read advocates striking down new book-banning laws in Arkansas, Iowa, and Texas. And last month we had a lawsuit filed by publishers in Florida. Whats your take on the impact of these actions? The lawsuits are a big step forward, and wins are what keep people going, so these legal victories are crucial. The lawsuit filed last month by the big publishers in Florida is certainly welcome. But what we need is more money, time, and effort poured into local elections to defeat these book banners before they pass these rules and laws in the first place. The reality is that book-banning groups really represent very small minorities, but they have a lot of money and a lot of connections. People also need to stop belaboring arguments that dont push the freedom to read movement forward. Yes, it really is a book ban when you remove a book from a place it once was. No, its not about To Kill a Mockingbird getting banned. And no, this movement isnt about parents fearing what books their kids have access toit is about pursuing a right-wing, Christian nationalist agenda. I know you talk with many librarians and educators every week. Whats your sense of how theyre feeling now, in the fourth year of this surge. Is there hope? Resolve? In short, our best and most committed librarians and educators arent going to stick around unless they get the support they need. I know many librarians whove left the profession because they were being pressured or attacked, and not just on social media but attacked internally, too, by administrators who should be supporting them. Librarians and educators have always been tremendously underpaid for work they do, and on top of that theyve been navigating an endless barrage of negative attention since the pandemic first hit. First, they were accused of not sacrificing enough for their communities when Covid-19 struck. And then, a well-connected, vocal minority began attacking them as groomers or pedophiles. Is there hope? Im not sure. Is there resolve? I think it depends on where you are in the country. When you started writing your column years ago, did you expect this wave of book bans to still be raging in 2024? When I first approached my boss about doing this column, she questioned whether there would be enough content to do it every week. We both wish there wasnt. But honestly, I knew this issue was going to blow up and drag on, and Im pretty sure this issue is going to drag on for another three or four years if were lucky, and longer if were not. Meanwhile, nearly every prediction Ive made about the way this was moving has come to fruition, despite some people thinking I was being hyperbolic. We know the toll this book-banning movement has taken on many people in the field. I have to ask, how are you faring? The days are long, mostly thankless, and yes, sometimes hurtful. But I know I am far from alone in that experience. Ive watched many librarians, educators, parents, and other freedom-to-read advocates burn out. Meanwhile, my own books have been targeted because of the work I do. In Clay County, Fla., a notorious banner successfully got my book Body Talk [a collection of essays on body image] removed from school library shelves because of an alleged hit piece I wrote about how he had successfully challenged thousands of books in the district. Of course, its not a hit piece if its the truth. But when you hear from someone who has had an aha moment after reading your work, or you watch someone like Amanda Jones, whose story we were the first to tell, become such a champion for the right to read and the rights of young people, that makes it worthwhile. Kelly Jensen is a librarian, author and editor at Book Riot, where she has written a widely read weekly censorship news column since July 2021. Return to main feature. After hearing from dozens of authors about the poor business practices of TouchPoint Press, the Authors Guild said Friday that it has reached a deal with TouchPoint founder Sheri Williams, under which Williams agreed to pay authors overdue royalties and revert rights back to any author who has not yet received them. In addition, according to Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger, Williams has agreed to close the press, which bills itself as a "traditional royalty-paying publisher" of adult and children's books. Rasenberger said that, over the last two years, 35 to 40 authors have contacted the Guild with concerns about TouchPoints failure to fulfill its contractual obligations and that, as of last week, there were 26 open cases. Problems about TouchPoint had also been raised by Writer Beware, whose Victoria Strauss who says she started receiving a handful of complaints as far back as 2015. Noting that the Guild issued a warning to its membership on March 29 to steer clear of both TouchPoint and Adelaide Books, Rasenberger said that the Guild's legal services team and a law firm it hired started working with Williams a few months ago to find a way to get authors paid. In Friday's Zoom meeting between the Guild and Williams, Rasenberger said that Williams agreed to set up a viable payment plan "that will be court enforced." Disclosing that Williams owes authors just shy of $40,000, by her accounting, Rasenberger told PW that Williams agreed to set up an escrow account and is self-garnishing her wages from her day job. Those funds, Rasenberger explained, will go into a pot and be distributed to authors based on what they are owed. In addition, TouchPoint "will cease publishing and all activities, Rasenberger said. She explained that the 22 TouchPoint titles now on Amazons website are books that had been previously signed, and that Williams maintains that she has not signed on any new authors since July 2023. Williams has promised to shut down TouchPoint's website and social media, leaving up only a notice of the press's demise, Rasenberger said. Rasenberger also said that Williams promised to contact all authors who have not yet had the rights reverted to inform them that the press is closing and that their rights will be reverted. At time of publication, the main TouchPoint website has been removed. Other sections of the site are still accessible. While the publisher's Instagram page has been removed, its Facebook page remains up. Broken promises Last week, 15 authors reached out to PW to accuse TouchPoint of sabotaging their writing careers and withholding royalties and advances. Of the authors PW spoke to, only one is still under contract to TouchPoint; the others have succeeded in having the rights to their books reverted to them because of the publishers inability to pay royalties, refusal to maintain open lines of communication, and other deal-breaking issues. (Williams did not respond to several requests by PW for an interview.) Williams's unprofessionalism is not a new occurrence, maintained an author requesting anonymity, whose first novel was published by TouchPoint in 2017; a second was published in 2023. Its a longstanding way of running her publishingif you can call itbusiness. The best I can say about the company is that it is riddled with incompetence, said Bruce Leonard, whose debut novel, Quilt City Murders, was published in February 2022; he is owed more than $4,000 in royalties. From my first interaction to my last with various people associated with this disorganization, I was introduced to new kinds of frustrations, disappointments, and breaches of contract. The whole situation is incredibly frustrating, as commitments to authors were not honored and money is owed, added author S.M. Stevens. One of our main goals in speaking out is to warn other authors to beware of TouchPoint, lest they too fall into that void. Stevens said that her first novel, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, was published by TouchPoint in 2019, and it was generally a smooth process, although there were minor concerns. By 2021, when she submitted her second novel, Beautiful and Terrible Things, they seemed to be signing authors left and right, and I worried that they had bitten off more than they could chew. As time went on, it did appear they were overtaxed, incompetent or worse. TouchPoint, she added, had 18 months to publish her second novel per the contract, but by the summer of 2023, nothing had moved, so I cut ties for that book. Williams, who was a literary agent when she founded TouchPoint in 2013, lied and cheated me out of thousands of dollars, alleged Ruthie Marlenee, whose novel Agave Blues was published in 2022. Not only has Marlenee never received any royalties, she added, but Williams retained the advance paid by Scribd for audiobook rights. From the beginning, there were delays and excuses from and about my editor, who was offshore and always having trouble with family and wifi coverage, Marlenee said. I was patient as I knew we were all navigating the effects of Covid. The launch date was delayed, and when it finally did launch, it was a month premature and full of mistakes and no blurbswhich I had worked so hard and paid a publicist $10,000 to get. It took a month to correct the problems, so I lost momentum and sales. Another author, who asked to remain anonymous, noted that his memoir was published in 2022 but he has also yet to receive any royalties, even though he filed complaints with the Arkansas Attorney Generals office and the Authors Guild. He alleges that the earnings statements TouchPoint sent him have been falsified, as they indicate that he never met the threshold for paymenteven though Amazon has sold hundreds of books, and the book was a finalist for an Eric Hoffer Award. Tantor Media also paid $2,500 for the audio rights, which he said he never received. Do you think Tantor Media would pay a $2,500 advance for a book that sold less than 10 copies? he asked. Yet another author who asked to remain anonymous said that her novel was published in February of this year, and that everything was great in the publishing process until it wasnt. Although a local bookstore scheduled the author for an event and ordered books, TouchPoint apparently never fulfilled that order. After the author contacted Williams, the publisher promised to send out the copies, but never did. The event had to be scrapped and that was my last communication with Sheri until I asked for and received my reversal of rights confirmation, thanks to the help of other TouchPoint authors and the legal advisor from the Authors Guild, the author said. With the TouchPoint matter hopefully now settled, Rasenberger emphasized that the Authors Guild intends to develop a plan for more effectively steering authors away from such companies as TouchPoint and Adelaide Books. (The Guild has been fighting with Adelaide for a number of years to address a host of grievances.) Both companies, Rasenberger said, arent real publishers, but, rather, individuals who present themselves as publishers, using self-publishing services and contract workers. You cant take on dozens and dozens of authors and think you can get the work done. Its not feasible. Weve got to do a better job of warning authors not to publish with these people [who] have no real criteria for what they publish or full-time staff [and] cannot keep up financially or with the workload." To state the obvious: this is a pivotal moment for our democracy. In November, voters will head to the polls and decide what direction we want to take the country in. There could hardly be a starker contrast to the options. On one hand youve got... Well, look, there is a good choice and a not good choice if you value things like freedom, choice, integrity, respect, honesty, justice, equality, or the basic notion that the truth matters. Part of this moments context is a yearslong battle over what people can and cannot read in our public schools and libraries. Theres a small but well-organized movement to strip shelves of works that dont adhere to a very narrow and retrograde view of what America ought to be. To be clear, this isnt about the quaint notion of a concerned parent doing something they think is in their childs best interest. This is a program intended to fundamentally change what kids and teenagers are able to read, and to punish those who would stand in the way. The bad news is theyve had some success. The good news is, more recently, they have not. In the following pages, we dig into the scope and scale of this historic wave of censorship attempts and talk with those who are doing the vital work of fighting back. Have you ever met a librarian who has been so horrifically harassed that shes afraid to leave her house? Youre about to. The Freedom to Read Issue A Letter from the Editor: The Freedom to Read Issue With Banned Books Week just a week a way, librarians across the country remain under attack just for doing their jobs. 'PW' editorial director Jonathan Segura introduces our new issue, highlighting their vital work. Freedom to Read Advocates Look to Expand Efforts Beyond the Courtroom As a key lawsuit in Llano County is set to be heard by the full Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, freedom-to-read advocates consider their next moves. The Battle Against Book Bans Rages On: PW Talks with Kelly Jensen PW checks in with the 'Book Riot' writer, whose weekly Censorship News column tracks efforts to ban books in school and libraries. Modern Day McCarthyists: The Fight Against Book Bans in Llano County The Texas county, with a population about 3,000, has become an epicenter in the fight against book banning. Leila Green Little explains the echoes of history are playing out in rural Texasand in communities across the across the nation. Amanda Jones Will Not Be Silenced The librarian, anti-censorship advocate, and debut author weighs in on the threat posed by book banners today. The Resistance: Five People Standing Up to Book Banners For many, defending the freedom to read has come at a steep cost. We recently talked with five librarians and educators who are standing up to the would-be censors. How Booksellers Are Taking On Book Banners Alongside educators and librarians, indie booksellers across the country are rising up to defend the freedom to read. Childrens Authors on the Real-World Cost of Book Banning Authors discuss how having their work targeted by censors has directly affected their livelihood and their well-being. Defending Gender Queer from Book Bans An inside look at how the team behind the most challenged book in America fought censorship and won. Book Banning by the Numbers On September 24, the full Fifth Circuit Court of Appealsall 18 judgeswill hear arguments in a closely watched book banning case from Llano County, Tex. And last week, a flurry of amicus briefs filed in the case starkly laid out whats at stake in the litigation: a future where school and public libraries remain bastions of independent thought and inquiry, or a future where government officials have near total control over what can be read in libraries and schools. The latest filings come more than two years after several citizens first sued Llano County officials for removing 17 books deemed inappropriate from library shelves. In March 2023 federal judge Robert Pitman found the removals were likely unconstitutional and ordered the county to refrain from further book banning, and to return more than a dozen books to library shelves. In June, a split three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit largely upheld Pitmans order. But a month later, the court vacated that decision and ordered the appeal to be reheard by the full court, setting up one of the most high-stakes legal showdowns yet in this yearslong wave of book banning. Llano Countys argument, meanwhile, is one that has underpinned book-banning legislation in several states over the past two years: i.e., because libraries and schools are largely funded by taxpayers, the books placed there are government speech and thus are not subject to the plaintiffss First Amendment claims. In other words, the government should be free to put whatever it wants in libraries and classroomsand to remove whatever it wants, too. And in an amicus brief filed last week, 18 states urged the full Fifth Circuit to support that view. On the other hand, in seven amicus briefs, a wide array of publishers, authors, librarians, and advocacy groupsincluding bestselling authors Stephen King and James Patterson, all of the Big Five publishers, and a host of library and advocacy groupsslammed the government speech argument. Public libraries have one goal: to provide books and other materials for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all the people of the community, the library serves. Their opponents, the brief asserted, see the library as a decidedly less free place, where government officials may censor any book based solely on its content or perceived viewpoint. Notably, after a legal blitzkrieg in recent years supported by publishers, authors, and other allies, the government speech argument at play in the Llano case has been soundly rejected several times, including in high-profile decisions in Arkansas, Texas, and most recently, in litigation over Iowas book banning law SF 496, where a three-judge panel of the Eighth Circuit court of appeals dismissed the argument, noting that libraries and schools, by definition, must offer diverse books. A well-appointed school library could include copies of Platos The Republic, Machiavellis The Prince, Thomas Hobbess Leviathan, Karl Marx and Freidrich Engelss Das Kapital, Adolph Hitlers Mein Kampf, and Alexis de Tocquevilles Democracy in America, the court continued. If placing these books on the shelf of public school libraries constitutes government speech, the State is babbling prodigiously and incoherently. The threat to books and reading is an essential topic that we needed to proactively address, not just for business reasons but also for the broader societal implications But it was Judge Timothy L. Brooks in Arkansas who may have said it best in his July 2023 opinion enjoining parts of Arkansass Act 372. By virtue of its mission to provide the citizenry with access to a wide array of information, viewpoints, and content, the public library is decidedly not the states creature, Brooks wrote. It is the peoples. The Next Phase Meanwhile, with a host of litigation starting to show success, there is a sense that freedom to read advocates may finally be turning the tide. In that sense, what happens at the Fifth Circuit in the Llano case looms as something of an inflection point. And publishers told PW they understand the need to expand their efforts beyond the courtroom. The legal campaigns can deliver a lot of relief and can have a tremendous impact, says Dan Novack, associate general counsel for Penguin Random House, which has been the leading publisher organizing against book bans, including as plaintiffs in several lawsuits. But does this end the book bans? It may help end some of these top-down, state-driven bans. But that just really restores us to this Whac-a-Mole game that publishers have always played before this surge began. This month, Penguin Random House made a major move: the publisher hired a full-time senior-level public policy manager (whose name will be announced soon) to focus on defending the freedom to read. The new manager will report to directly to PRH SVP Skip Dye and will be tasked with helping to build and organize legislative alliances. The threat to books and reading is an essential topic that we needed to proactively address, not just for business reasons but also for the broader societal implications, PRH CEO Nihar Malaviya told PW when asked about the hire and the companys work defending the freedom to read. Based on my own personal experience, I know how important access to books in school and public libraries is. We want to do whatever we can to support our authors and illustrators, but also the teachers and librarians who have been at the forefront of this battle. The Association of American Publishers has also dialed in more closely on the issue. While the hot-button, hyperlocal politics of book banning are a bit harder to confront than issues traditionally within the AAPs wheelhouselike federal copyright law, for exampleAAP reps say the organization is committed to the fight. I would say its constant vigilance, AAP deputy general counsel Matthew Stratton told PW. Our strategy is multifaceted. It includes lawsuits, and it includes a legislative strategy. Sometimes we go directly, but we often work with coalitions. But a key part of any legislative strategy is finding the right messenger. And local constituents are always more persuasive than stakeholders without a local presence. Developments in several states in the coming months will reveal much about the success of the legal campaigns now underway (with new actions also expected to be filed soon), but the local politics around book bans, especially ahead of the November election, remain red-hot. Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALAs Office for Intellectual Freedom, praised the efforts of publishers and authors, including through coalitions like the ALAs Unite Against Book Bans. And she agrees that winning court cases will give pause to some who may be looking to ban books. But she is quick to acknowledge the work that lies ahead. We can talk about legislation, we can talk about court cases, but ultimately this is a conversation thats happening at the local school and library board level, Caldwell=Stone says. So it remains imperative that anyone who cares about the freedom to read engage with their school and library boards, show up to support their librarians, and make sure that elected officials know that this vocal minority looking to ban books doesnt represent the vast majority of their community. Jubilee Class No. 45596 Bahamas will venture onto the West Coast Mainline on Saturday, 16th November when it hauls The Blackpool Illuminations Express from Birmingham to Blackpool. Departing from Birmingham New Street, at 9:00 am, the train will pick up at Coleshill Parkway at 9.20, Nuneaton at 9.45, Stafford at 10.25, and Crewe at 11.30, and arrive at Blackpool North at 1.00 pm. The return journey will depart from Blackpool North at 6:30 pm, and stop to drop off passengers at Crewe at 8.10, Stafford at 8.45, Nuneaton at 9.25, Coleshill Parkway at 9.50, and arrive back at Birmingham New Street at 10:10 pm. From Birmingham, the train will head east to Nuneaton, where it will join the West Coast Mainline for the journey northwards to Blackpool. The run up the West Coast Mainline will recreate evocative memories of when Bahamas would routinely be seen on the route when, for many years, it was allocated to Edge Hill shed in Liverpool. An early afternoon arrival in Blackpool will allow plenty of time to enjoy the towns many attractions including Blackpool Tower, Madame Tussauds, and the towns historic collection of Heritage Trams. An after-dark departure is timed so that passengers can view the seaside towns world-famous illuminations at their best. 45596 Bahamas. // Credit: Railway Touring Company This will be Bahamas second main line outing this year, after hauling The Shakespeare Express from Derby to Stratford-upon-Avon on Sunday, 27th October. Bahamas also appeared at a Super Saturday event on the Severn Valley Railway at the end of August. Further information about The Blackpool Illuminations Express and ticket application details are online at https://vintagetrains.co.uk/blackpool-illuminations-express/ Bahamas was purchased for preservation by the Bahamas Locomotive Society and is normally based at Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. It still carries the double chimney it was fitted with when it became the last steam locomotive modified by British Railways. 45596 Bahamas at Edale on the Jubilee Buxton Spa Express // Credit: Cameron White/RailView Vintage Trains has thanked the Bahamas Locomotive Society for allowing Bahamas to be used on this rail tour. In an increasingly interconnected and globalized world, the idea of traveling or working abroad used to evoke images of cultural exchange, adventure, and opportunity. But the reality today is much darker: Americans are less safe around the world than ever before. From kidnappings, unlawful detentions to killings, the headlines reveal a disturbing trend of heightened risks for U.S. citizens overseas. This is all a result of American lack of assertiveness in dealing with those who harm Americans abroad. In recent years, weve witnessed a multitude of high-profile incidents of Americans being targeted abroad. From U.S. citizens executed by Hamas to Americans being held hostage by state actors, and just this month, we saw U.S. servicemembers assaulted in a NATO nation. The United States Department of State has issued 214 active travel advisories for various countries around the world, ranging from Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions to Level 4: Do Not Travel. Level 4 warnings have been issued for places like Israel and Gaza, Russia, Iran, Lebanon, Haiti, and Venezuela due to heightened crime, conflict, terrorism, or civil unrest. Americans are not just at risk in active war zones. The danger has spread to regions previously seen as safe for tourists, businesspeople, and aid workers. Even in countries with established ties to the United States, anti-American sentiment is on the rise and Americans have become attractive targets for political, ideological, and financial exploitation. Its no wonder as to why. On October 7, 2023, the U.S. officials found that at least 43 Americans were killed by Hamas in Israel. Just last week, American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin was brutally executed by Hamas after being held captive, and inhumanly tortured, and even amputated in Gaza for 11 months. Similarly, Russias ongoing war in Ukraine continues to pose significant risks to American citizens. In 2024, several Americans were detained or disappeared in Russian-controlled territories under suspicions of espionage, or simply because they were viewed as political pawns. The cases of detained Americans like journalist Evan Gershkovich remain stark reminders of the precarious situation U.S. citizens face in countries with hostile relations to the United States. These attacks on American citizens cannot go unanswered. The sad reality is that many Americans believe that carrying a U.S. passport will protect them from danger abroad. The truth is far more complicated. While the U.S. government works tirelessly to protect its citizens, there are limits to its ability to intervene swiftly in emergency situations. Bureaucratic delays, diplomatic hurdles, and the sheer complexity of international law mean that American lives are at risk even before you step off the plane to a new country. Whether through kidnapping, extortion, or outright violence, U.S. citizens are no longer afforded the protection they once believed came with their citizenship. The simple reason for this is that the United States has stopped exacting a price for killing or injuring our citizens. At the height of the Roman Empire, a Roman citizen could travel anywhere in the known world armed only with the phrase "civis Romanus sum," or "I am a Roman citizen." Today, as a citizen of the most powerful country in the world, any American should be able to travel the entire globe armed only with the phrase "I am an American citizen," and know they will be safe, but that simply isn't the case. For too long, our nation's leaders have chosen to pay ransoms to get our citizens back from hostile nations, which simply serves to set a price on every Americans' head. When Americans are killed by hostile nations, or their proxies, we choose not to make our enemies pay an equal or greater price. These decisions have led to a world where Americans feel less safe and those who would do harm to Americans feel safer. I have seen firsthand the escalating threats facing our fellow Americans in foreign lands. I have been on the ground to save them when our government couldnt or wouldn't. That is why, now more than ever, American citizens need to prioritize safety and security when they leave American soil. Mario Duarte is the CEO of Project DYNAMO, an organization dedicated to rescuing Americans in crisis situations abroad. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. Iran considers it possible to return to the framework of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached with the P5+1 group on the nuclear program, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told local media, Trend reports. According to him, first of all, it is advisable to proceed with easing sanctions since appropriate conditions should be developed to initiate debates and boost confidence. Araghchi pointed out that it is true that the history of some parts of the Comprehensive Joint Action Plan already belongs to the past. However, we can revert to its formula that creates conditions for comprehension in the future. It is necessary to engage in discussions with members of the comprehensive joint action plan with an equal position. Iran believes in achieving an agreement that will lead to a dignified arrangement that includes the necessary compensations based on the existing framework and mutual respect, he noted. Meanwhile, in January 2016, Iran and the P5+1 group (the US, Russia, China, the UK, France, and Germany) implemented the Comprehensive Joint Plan of Action concerning Irans nuclear program. In May 2018, the U.S. announced its withdrawal from the deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran. By the end of 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to pursue a strategic plan in the nuclear sector to counter the sanctions, leading to a suspension of additional steps and the Additional Protocol as per the nuclear agreement. Consequently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) faced a reduction in monitoring capabilities by 2030 percent. Reservation Dogs Emmy nominee D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai made a bold statement by wearing a red painted over his mouth at the Emmy Awards ceremony Los Angeles Sunday night. ADVERTISEMENT The mark on the 22-year-old actor's face was intended to raise awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women. "We just find that there is a really big epidemic in the United States and Canada where our sisters, our relatives, our two-spirited relatives are going missing at an alarming rate and a lot of people are doing nothing about it," he told GoldDerby.com on the Emmys red carpet. "This is what the red palm print represents shutting a woman up and the red represents violence and death." Woon-A-Tai, who also wore a black tuxedo for the event, played Native teen Bear for three seasons on the FX comedy created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi. Woon-A-Tai was the first Indigenous actor to be nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy. He lost out to Jeremy Allen White from The Bear. Were all gun nerds at heart here at RECOIL. So while its neat to check out the latest and greatest AR or the umpteenth refinement of a Glock, we love seeing weapon systems that stray off the beaten path. M+M Industries is based in Colorado and was started by two fellows named Mike, hence the company name. One of the original Mikes, Mike Meier, now runs M+M. Born in Switzerland, he also lived in Venezuela before moving to America. Meier saw firsthand the economic and political upheaval there, including the new government disarming citizens and instituting changes, one after another, that harmed the populace. This solidified his belief in the importance of firearms ownership. M+M got started in 2005 importing guns, parts kits, and accessories, building a particular expertise in the FN FAL space. In 2010, the company graduated to building their own guns. Working with Romarm/Cugir in Romania, they designed the M10-762 AK-pattern rifle. Starting with the Romanian PD MK63 AKM design, they incorporated a 90-degree gas block reminiscent of the East German Wieger rifles and made other modifications for regulatory compliance. Rather than using surplus parts, M+M began installing new-production parts as well as modern furniture and accessories, creating a more modernized AK build. It did well, and M+M started working on its own design for a new rifle that it would manufacture itself, entirely in America. Back in Switzerland, Meier had worked on numerous projects related to the SIG SG 550 and SG 553 rifles. Combined with his experience over the years with the FAL and AK platforms, Meier was inspired to create a simple design incorporating aspects of all of these great weapon systems. SPECS: M+M Industries M10X+ Caliber: 7.62x39mm Capacity: 30 rounds Weight: 7.72 pounds Barrel Length: 16.5 inches Overall Length: 35.75 to 38.25 inches (28.5 inches with stock folded) MSRP: $2,245 Accessories: Vortex Optics Razor HD Gen II-E 1-624 scope: $2,400 ADM AD-RECON-SL scope mount: $227 Rugged Suppressors Razor762: $894 SureFire Mini Scout Light Pro: $369 SIG-FAL-AK MASHUP Thus, the M10X was born. M+M chose to base the gun around 7.62x39mm and AK magazines, due to their ubiquity and affordability in the U.S. and abroad. At first glance, you might think the rifles some sort of an AK variant, but the long-stroke gas piston operating system is actually inspired by the SIG 55X family. Gas bleeds off through the gas block on the barrel and through a five-position adjustable gas valve. The piston is fixed to the bolt carrier group by the charging handle and sits inside the gas cylinder, reciprocating as the action cycles. The recoil spring actually wraps around the gas piston, using it as a guide rod. The monolithic aluminum handguard contains a billet steel insert thats the actual receiver of the gun, again with a SIG 55X-type design. The bolt group rides on rails in the steel receiver, which is milled from 4150 steel. The breech locks via a rotating bolt. Like a 55X or FAL, and unlike an AK, the barrel is threaded, head spaced, and torqued into place. Its topped off with M+Ms own muzzle brake design, a single chamber brake with tines that also function as wire cutters, if you dont mind expending one round per wire, like a boss. The side-folding Magpul Zhukov stock makes the M10X+ compact for transport. You can also shoot it while folded. The center pin is similar to a FAL, with three major components the handguard, upper, and lower mating up with the screw pin. It has several rows of M-LOK slots on the sides and bottom, as well as 18 uninterrupted inches of top rail. The lower trigger housing is stamped steel and uses an AK-style fire control group inspired by the AKM. It takes any AKM pistol grip; the included grip is ribbed with storage inside. A typical AK paddle magazine release is at the front of the trigger guard, while a SIG- or AR-like ambidextrous rotating safety selector sits above the grip. As youd expect with an AK magazine-based system, theres no bolt-hold-open when the gun runs dry. Just wait for that frightening click. The buttstock mounts to the rear trunnion; M+M affixes Magpuls folding Zhukov stock, since the operating system doesnt extend to the rear. The length of pull is adjustable, and the stock folds to the right side. Of course, you can fire the gun with the stock folded, for maximum Hollywood tacticoolness. M10X+ Shown here is the third generation in the M10X line, the M10X+ that launched last year. The gas piston has been modified from prior versions with a heat shield and bushing to help it stay cooler and cleaner, and the headspace, gas valve, and gas port have been tweaked to boost accuracy potential. Five-position gas valve. Also, a new rubberized recoil buffer was added at the rear of the upper to prolong the service life of the rear trunnion and recoil spring. The steel receiver is now milled for tighter tolerances; the first generation was also milled but the second was cast. New for the M10X+ is a cold-hammer-forged, chrome-lined barrel, so you can feel better about bimetal and corrosive ammo if so inclined. Previous iterations were button-rifled and nitrided. The handguard is new, skeletonized to reduce weight and increase cooling. It also has additional fasteners securing it to the receiver and barrel assembly for more support. The trigger group features a new braided hammer spring that hits with an additional pound of force for more reliable ignition on hard primers in surplus ammo. FIELDSTRIPPING One thing we love about Glocks is how few parts there are. Similarly, M+M aimed for simplicity, impressively managing to reduce the total number of parts in the rifle to 63 roughly half of that in an AK or AR. Not only is it clever, but no tools are required to tear it down. Low ADM scope mount positions the Vortex 1-6x perfectly without a cheek riser. To disassemble the M10X, first remove the magazine and ensure the gun is unloaded. Then, fold the buttstock, revealing the receiver latch. Push it in while pulling up on the upper, and the two pieces will open up on the hinge pin. Push on the end of the charging handle and turn it clockwise 90 degrees, which will rotate a spring-loaded hook on the opposite side that secures it to the bolt group. Then, pull it out. Now, you can slide the bolt carrier group out of the receiver; since the recoil spring is on the gas piston, theres no spring tension to overcome and the BCG comes right out with no fuss. To separate the bolt from the carrier, push it in and rotate it to release the bolts lug from the corresponding track in the carrier. To work on the gas system, turn your attention to the muzzle end. On the right side of the gun next to the gas valve is a spring-loaded pin. Partially depress it to release the gas valve, which you can rotate to remove from the gas cylinder. To remove the gas cylinder, fully depress the pin, rotate the cylinder to release its lugs from the upper receiver, and pull it out. The gas piston will come out with it. Reassembly is the reverse of the above steps, taking care to properly align the parts. AK-style trigger with new braided hammer spring. FIFTY SHADES OF BRONZE The M10X+ has a funky Swiss-Soviet aesthetic to it, and our sample gun was Cerakoted in a handsome burnt bronze color. Naturally, Vortexs bronze Razor line was a great match. The Razor HD Gen II-E 1-6x scope has long been a favorite of both top 3-gunners as well as top-tier operators. Its great glass, incredible field of view, thin bezel, blazing bright illumination, generous eye relief, and Mil-scale reticle make it a delight to use at either 1x or 6x. Due to the position of the buttstock relative to the top rail, typical AR scope mounts will be very high on the M10X. ADMs super-low AD-RECON-SL mount worked perfectly, placing the Vortex just above the top rail and providing a comfortable cheek weld. The mount features ADMs time-tested quick detach levers and is available for 1-inch to 40mm scopes. Alternately, you could procure a cheek riser for the Zhukov stock. Of course, every rifle needs a weapon light, so we affixed a SureFire Mini Scout Light Pro in tan. The colors a bit off of the bronze, but still works well for our fifty-shades-of-bronze theme. The compact torch is a good match with the medium-length handguard on the M10X+ but outputs plenty of light, and the swiveling Picatinny rail mount keeps the light tucked tight against the handguard. SIG 55X fans rejoice, the M10Xs operating system is all 55X. Finally, Rugged Suppressors Razor762 silencer keeps things civilized. At just 6.4 inches in length, its compact and effective with reduced gas blowback. Its belt-fed rated, made of 17-4 stainless steel, and is very robust. GOING HOT As always, we started on the bench to group and chrono the M10X+. It certainly liked some ammo better than others. American Eagle 124-grain FMJ chronod at 2,361 fps and posted five-shot groups from 3.5 to 4.8 MOA. Double Taps 123-grain Rifle Defense JSP averaged 2,150 fps with groups from 3.7 to 5 MOA. Hornady 123-grain SST was more consistent, with velocity of 2,235 fps and groups between 2.9 to 3.3 MOA. Igman 123-grain FMJ and Red Army 122-grain FMJ turned in the best groups of the day at 1.9 and 2 MOA, respectively, but we also had some flyers pushing some other groups out to 3.5 MOA. Igman averaged 2,335 fps, and Red Army flew at 2,306 fps. The M10X+ is fun to shoot, with a pleasant, smooth recoil impulse. M+Ms Chaos muzzle brake worked well, keeping the rifle pretty neutral for follow-up shots. As far as AK triggers go, the trigger is excellent, breaking at around 23/4 pounds. Its light and pretty smooth but a little mushy with a fair amount of travel. Handling is intuitive if youre familiar with running AK mags. The safety selector is much more ergonomic than AK safeties, but not nearly as smooth and easy to actuate as an AR, especially to put back on safe. M+M offers optional extended safety levers that would probably help with this. You can swap the charging handle to either side of the gun within seconds. We positioned ours on the right side for the full AK experience, also saving our knuckles from banging on the scope mount on the left side. The buttstock folds conveniently and is comfortable, though we found the length adjustment to be fiddly. There are QD sling sockets built-in to the front of the handguard and the rear trunnion; the rear one was a bit too tight for some of our QD swivels, perhaps due to the Cerakote. For the price of the rifle, wed like to have seen Magpuls optional QD sling socket accessory included with the Zhukov buttstock. Looking online, theres chatter on the Internet about previous iterations of the M10X some folks encountering reliability and accuracy issues, while others have been problem free. We asked M+M about it, and they acknowledged some growing pains, especially during the pandemic; for instance, they had some issues with some coatings applied at that time. Our sample M10X+ ran reliably with several different types of AK magazines. The list of updates for the third generation of the platform is squarely aimed at addressing these potential concerns, from the premium barrel to the numerous revisions to boost reliability and consistency. M+M also emphasized that their guns come with a lifetime warranty and upgrades are designed to be backward-compatible, so you can always update your older-generation guns. In our testing, we tried several types of magazines, including steel Bulgarian mags provided by M+M, Magpul PMAGs, X-Tech Tactical mags, and ancient Chinese steel mags. We also ran five different types of ammo, as described above. We experienced no malfunctions, stoppages, or light primer strikes. The M10X+ ran 100-percent through all of our range sessions. As for accuracy, it felt like getting a new rimfire gun and looking for a load that works well without any clue as to which itll be. But we figure based on our results that you should be able to find a load thatll deliver 2 to 3 MOA accuracy, respectable for a 7.62x39mm carbine. The Vortex Razor HD Gen II-E 1-6x scope and SureFire Mini Scout Light Pro are right at home on the M10X+. LOOSE ROUNDS The M10X+ is an expensive gun, no doubt about it. Its unique SIG-FAL-AK mashup has to speak to you. If it does, youll really enjoy its clever design touches and shootability. Just look below at the rifle fully kitted out thats pretty damn sexy. If you can live without the lightened handguard and hammer-forged chrome-lined barrel, M+M configured their new M10X-M models to save some money; theyre about $350 less. Alternately, there are also M10X+ variants with short handguards and exposed gas tubes that give off serious funky AK vibes for $145 less. Times have changed, situations have changed, but the basic nature of superpower geo-politics remains the same and so also India's diplomacy -- call it non-alignment, strategic autonomy or neutrality; it all depends on the time scale, observes Rup Narayan Das. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi exchanges greetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Mariinsky palace in Kyiv, August 23, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo At a time when Indian diplomacy is subjected to trying times in Ukraine jostling for a fine balance between two strategic rivals, the United States and Russia, it is instructive to revisit India's diplomacy in the Korean peninsula and Indo-China in the 1950s when the two superpowers were entangled in the Asian theatre to maintain their spheres of influence. First let's revisit the Korean peninsula. Immediately after its birth in October 1949, Communist China was embroiled in a major war with the United States in the Korean peninsula. Fearful of the domino effect from Communist China, the US was determined to contain communism. A major crisis loomed large bringing the world to the cusp of yet another world war with the US on one side and Russia and China on the other. Circumstances impelled India to engage in diplomatic parleys as a peace mediator between China and the US, even though India had just started taking baby steps as an independent nation. Earlier, in February 1948, India's ace diplomat Ambassador K P S Menon was unanimously elected as the first chairman of the United Nation's Temporary Commission on Korea (UNTCOK). Menon was against the division of the Korean peninsula. Later the United Nations General Assembly created a new UN commission on Korea to replace UNTCOK with the task to devise a formula to realise the goal of one Korea. Yet another feather in India's cap was that the country was bestowed with the honour to be the chairman of the Neutral Nations' Repatriation Commission (NNRC). As chairman of the commission India was the umpire between two adversaries, the US and China. India mediated between China and the US with regard to the unfolding geo-political scenario in the Korean peninsula at a time when the two didn't share diplomatic relations. India had taken the position that the 38th Parallel, which divided North and South Korea, should not be crossed until efforts at a negotiated settlement had been made. Ambassador K M Panikar, in Peking, viewed that crossing the 38th Parallel risked bringing Communist China into the war and that several members of the UN shared India's concern. Since a number of resolutions were drafted and moved in both the General Assembly and the UN Security Council, effective coordination among different stakeholders was of critical importance. India's skilful diplomacy, objectivity and neutrality amidst various pulls by powerful countries such as the US, USSR and China enhanced India's profile in the comity of nations. The 60th Indian Field Ambulance also rendered yeoman service. The ambulance unit worked under tremendous odds in the freezing cold, without heating, and attended to wounded soldiers evacuated from the fronts. Perhaps taking a cue from India's earlier experience, New Delhi gifted four mobile hospitals to Ukraine during Prime Minister Modi's visit to the war ravaged country last week. IMAGE: A glimpse of US Marines during the Korean War. Photograph: Kind courtesy Sergeant Frank C Kerr, US Marines/Wikimedia Commons As soon as the North Korean forces invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950, the Indian government issued a policy statement on 29th June 1959. Soon after, the Lok Sabha was convened to discuss the matter on July 31, 1950. President Rajendra Prasad said that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had written to Soviet leader Josef Stalin and US Secretary of State Dean Acheson to exert their authority to localise the armed struggle in Korea. India wanted to break the deadlock in the UN Security Council over the admission of the People's Republic of China so that the international tensions could might be eased and the way opened to a solution of the Korean problem by discussion in the Security Council. Although Stalin was favourably towards India's stance, Acheson was not convinced. He explained in correspondence with Nehru why the United States disagreed with the Indian approach. The exchange of correspondence indicated American interest in using K M Panikkar, India's ambassador in China, as a channel to the Chinese Communists. Although Washington regarded Panikkar with suspicion, he was the only non-Communist envoy with good access to the Chinese leadership. The UN Security Council's refusal, under US pressure, to admit the People's Republic of China, led to the Soviet Union walking out of the council. This further precipitated the Korean crisis. While the crisis was unfolding in the Korean Peninsula, its echo was heard in our Parliament. The Lok Sabha in a motion moved by Prime Minister Nehru, who was also in charge of the external affairs ministry, on August 3, 1950 deliberated on the Korean crisis. 'We have a tremendous responsibility,' Nehru said. 'Not that India, as she is constituted today, can play or does play a very important part in world affairs. Those countries which have big battalions or economic and money power play a big part. We have neither big battalions nor money power.' 'So we do not play any big part and we do not claim to play any big part. But whether we play a big part or a small part, inevitably we have to play a part and in that totality of circumstances that arise even that little part may count, and I believe it does count,' Nehru added. 'Therefore, it becomes important for us what we do in these circumstances. To some extent our relations with some of our neighbouring countries of Asia are close. 'They are situated as we are, and we take counsel together, and, therefore, the part taken by us and the action we indulge in has certain wider significance also.' Arguing further he said, '...As a result China not being admitted into the United Nations and the representative of the old Kuomintang regime being there, the House knows that the USSR and some of their friendly countries, more or less, walked out of the various organs of the United Nations, more specially from the Security Council.' IMAGE: Jawaharlal Nehru and Morarji Desai with Zhou Enlai. Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images from the Rediff Archives Recalling the circumstances in which India got involved in the peace process in the Korean peninsula, Nehru said, 'One of the sponsors of this resolution on Korea in the United Nations at that time in 1947 was India.' 'Later on when the Commission was being set up there, I might inform the House, we were not anxious to serve on it, simply because of our desire not to interfere too much in other countries affairs ... but when we were told that 'your representative was one of the sponsors of this Resolution, so you must undertake this responsibility'.' 'So one of our representatives was put on the Korean Commission, and little later that commission chose him as its Chairman, so that for many months the Korean Commission had one Indian for its chairman... he is at present moment our foreign secretary here.' 'We have had the advantage during all these days of his intimate personal knowledge of Korean situation which he acquired as chairman of this commission.' The commission convened in Seoul under India's chairmanship in January 1948. The commission tried to get in touch with North Korea, but North Korea did not reach out to the commission. In the meanwhile the two governments on the either side of the 38th Parallel consolidated their position militarily. In May 1948, elections were held in South Korea under the auspicious of the UN Commission. As a result of these elections the Republic of Korea was proclaimed in South Korea. The government in the north claimed to represent the whole of Korea and so there were two governments of South Korea and North Korea, each claiming some kind of mystical domain over the other. IMAGE: Then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru with then Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations V K Krishna Menon in New York, December 21, 1956. Photograph: Kind courtesy Wikimedia Commons Yet another area that witnessed India's skilful diplomacy was in Indo-China. The Geneva Conference on Indo-China took place from May 9 to July 21, 1954, a day after the decisive defeat of the French at ien Bien Phu. Then French premier Mendes France realised that France could no longer hold Indo-China in bondage. Britain and USSR played the role of catalytic agents and overcame the opposition of then US secretary of State John Foster Dulles. Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai stole the limelight at the conference. In spite of India's significant role, India was not invited to the conference, which peeved Prime Minister Nehru. He, however, deputed his confidant V K Krishna Menon to render informal assistance to the Conference. Nehru lamented that 'We didn't stand on dignity, we just stood on the doorstep and tried to be helpful'. A significant contribution made by Zhou Enlai during the Conference was the proposal for the composition of the International Commission for Supervision and Control (ICSC) in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The issue had become a sticky one since then Russian foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov had raised it earlier on May 14, 1954. India was invited to be the chairman of the ICSC in the hope that she would be able to hold the balance. The Soviet delegation proposed four neutral nations as members: Poland, Czechoslovakia, India and Pakistan. But the non-Communists were opposed to it. Then British foreign secretary Anthony Eden suggested five Colombo Plan nations, which Moscow's interlocutor Molotov rejected. South Vietnam suggested the United Nations, which Communist China rejected. Both sides stubbornly disagreed with each other. Until July 17, no agreement was reached, and a solution seemed elusive. On July 18, Zhou Enlai proposed India, Poland and Canada as the members. The proposal was accepted unanimously. In negotiating the proposal, the Chinese delegation acted in the sense of compromise. This was obviously Zhou's stand in Geneva, a position which the Chinese strongly urged other participants to share. The Geneva Accords were the ray of hope in the dark clouds that overshadowed the Conference. The presence of ICSC represented the interest of the international community and was a symbol, albeit a weak one, of peace. But the International Commission was soon inflicted with the atmosphere of the Cold War that prevailed between the Great-Power blocs. Canada usually took a pro-western stance while Poland adopted a pro-Soviet posture. India's task as the chairman was unenviable. Pressure from all sides was mounted to use the Commission as tools for one side or the other and for propagating the Cold War. India appointed T N Kaul as the ICSC chairman. When Kaul met Nehru prior to his departure to Vietnam, the prime minister told Kaul about India's close ties with the countries of Indo-China. He emphasised the fact that the people of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia were first and last, nationalists and patriots. Vietnam had resisted feudal China's domination for more than a thousand years. He further told Kaul that under Ho Chi Minh's leadership Vietnam would not submit to foreign domination. Nehru alerted Kaul that India's position as chairman of the ICSC was important and delicate and that he hoped Kaul would discharge the onerous responsibilities impartially in accordance with the letter and spirit of the Geneva Accords. IMAGE: Modi hands over the BHISHM cube of medical assistance to Zelenskyy in Kyiv, August 23, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo India welcomed the birth of Vietnam as an aspect of resurgence Asia and also the Geneva Accords. Prime Minister Nehru participating in a discussion on the demands for grants of the ministry of external affairs on 31st March, 1955, ahead of the Bandung Conference, said 'It had become a regular practice for the affairs of Asia to be determined by certain great powers in Europe or sometimes in America, and the fact that people of Asia might have any views about those subjects was not considered a matter of very great importance. 'It is true that some importance is attached to those views now, because they cannot be ignored; nevertheless, it seem to be the high privilege of countries outside Asia to carry the burden of Asia on their shoulders, and repeatedly things happen and decisions are made affecting Asia in which Asia has little say.' India viewed the birth and liberation of Vietnam in the larger context of freedom and peace for the people of Asia and Africa. Elucidating further Nehru added, '...Freedom for them (the people of Asia) is much more important than to those who have been used to freedom for a long time past. Therefore, there is the passionate desire for peace and opportunity for progress in these countries and that is a common bond.' Times have changed, situations have changed, but the basic nature of superpower geo-politics remains the same and so also India's diplomacy -- call it non-alignment, strategic autonomy or neutrality; it all depends on the time scale. It is rebranding the recalibration of diplomatic engagement. True, it is an oddity to compare cheese and chalk. Dr Rup Narayan Das is a former senior fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and also the Indian Council of Social Science Research. The views expressed are personal. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com By proposing the addition of six permanent members to the UN Security Council this year, it may appear that it was a major concession, but in actual fact, it will make no difference to the privilege of the permanent five as the new six will have no veto, ever! points out Ambassador T P Sreenivasan. IMAGE: United States President Joe Biden meets with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters The US has come a long way from its position of no expansion whatsoever in the composition of the United Nations Security Council in 1979 when Ambassador Brajesh Mishra presented a proposal on behalf of the non-aligned countries that the non-permanent membership of the Security Council should be expanded. It was not an ideological move to make the Council more balanced, but merely to maintain the proportion between the membership of the UN and the size of the Council. The reaction of the five permanent members to the proposal was exceptionally strong, as though it was a move to encroach upon their privileged position. The proposed expansion would not have made any difference to their privileged position. But in an unprecedented move, the five permanent members sent a high-level delegation to meet then prime minister Indira Gandhi to express their concern over the move. She was gracious enough to say that it was only a proposal and that India will not press the resolution to a vote till it was generally acceptable. Since then, the resolution was discussed every year, but never voted upon. By proposing the addition of six permanent members this year, it may appear that it was a major concession, but in actual fact, it will make no difference to the privilege of the permanent five as the new six will have no veto, ever! IMAGE: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to the media in Dili, East Timor. Photograph: Lirio da Fonseca/Reuters In the 45 years since a resolution on 'Equitable representation on and increase ln the membership of the Security Council and related matters' was introduced, the matter was discussed in various fora, including in a High Level Group which produced a report, 'In Larger Freedom' showing the wide differences in perspectives. A large number of proposals were floated, but none of them had the potential to win a two thirds majority in the General Assembly and the positive votes of the five permanent members in the Security Council. The G-4 (India, Germany, Japan and Brazil) declared their candidatures, but the impasse remained. The Security Council failed to tackle the conflicts of the 21st century because of the continued veto of permanent members, who were themselves at the centre of some of the major wars. The unkindest cut of all was the Chinese veto against a meeting of the Security Council to consider international cooperation to tackle the biggest existential threat to humanity, COVID-19. It was the unified actions of the entire UN system that controlled HIV and Ebola viruses, but the same was not possible in the case of COVID-19, because China was afraid of the pandemic's origin being traced to China. More than ever before, the paralysis of the Security Council was seen as a threat to international peace and security. IMAGE: China's President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during a reception at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, September 4, 2024. Photograph: Andres Martinez Casares/Pool via Reuters It has been established beyond doubt that the key to successful multilateralism is reform of the Council to make it reflect the realities of the world today. The only way it can be achieved is by either abolishing the veto altogether to make it democratic or add new permanent members with veto to balance the decision making process. But both these measures are anathema to the present permanent members and also to a major section of the members of the General Assembly. IMAGE: Members of the U. Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York City. Photograph: Stephanie Keith/Reuters The new US proposal to add six permanent members is indeed a significant shift in its position as it had opposed any category of additional permanent members. At one time in the earlier years, the US had proposed a 'quick fix' by which Japan and Germany would become permanent members, because of the confidence the US had in them to take the western position. It would have also isolated China in many ways. This was rejected by the nonaligned countries for the obvious reason that Japan and Germany would not bring any diversity among the permanent members. The addition of Germany and Japan would have only aggravated the western dominance in the Council. The initiation of consultations on new permanent members without veto on the eve of an election may be an attempt on the part of President Joe Biden to leave a legacy of his own on this issue. For that reason itself, significant public opinion in the US is against it. As for the Global South, some may find the move as a first step towards democratization and, therefore, welcome it. Some may be willing to accept permanent membership as something being better than nothing. They may even argue that the determination of the voting majority in the Security Council may be tweeked to make the non-veto permanent members more effective. The strongest argument against the US proposal is that it will not change anything as far as the Security Council in its ability to prevent or stop conflicts. A better way to enhance its ability is to make veto conditional that it should not be used by a permanent member who attacks another member or wishes to extend moral and material support to another member who is engaged in a conflict. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on his arrival for the G20 Summit in New Delhi, September 9, 2023. Photograph: Evan Vucci/Pool via via Reuters India's quest for permanent membership is on the principle that its vast population, its consistent support for UN peacekeeping and its commitment to peace and resolution of conflicts, India should be a permanent member with veto. By being a permanent member without veto, we would become a party to certain decisions of the Council which will be unpleasant to some friendly countries. If any country seeks to take an unfriendly initiative in the Council, we will be vulnerable without veto. To mention a mundane point, we will have to expand our mission in New York at considerable expense, without any particular benefit to us. We may also have to share the cost of peacekeeping as a permanent member. The US representatives have just begun consultations on the proposal and it is too early to predict in what form it will come up. It may well be an empty gesture, given the history of its consideration at the United Nations so far. Ambassador T P Sreenivasan is a long-time contributor to Rediff.com. You can read his earlier columns here. Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com Police on Monday detained two persons for allegedly carrying India's national flag with a 'crescent moon and star' in place of the Ashoka Chakra during a procession in Bihar's Saran district, officials said. Image used for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo The flag was immediately seized by the police and two persons have been detained in connection with the case, police said. A statement issued by Saran police said, "A video went viral on social media showing a tricolour with a crescent moon and star symbol at its centre in place of the Ashoka Chakra, hoisted at a vehicle during Milad-un-Nabi procession." Police said the incident took place in Kopa bazar area on Monday, prompting them to launch an investigation for violation of the Flag Code of India. "The flag was immediately seized. All other accused will soon be arrested," said the statement. Police also warned people that if anyone is found sharing such video on social media, strict action would be taken against them. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program cannot be implemented solely under the responsibility of one participant, Iran's Vice President Mohammad Eslami said at the 68th conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held in Vienna on 16 September, Trend reports. According to him, Iran's sanctions could be lifted in exchange for Iran's voluntary actions under the Comprehensive Joint Action Plan. At present, Iran is compelled to execute the provisions of the Comprehensive Joint Action Plan without considering the obligations associated with the elimination of sanctions. Eslami stated that the IAEA's monitoring of Iran's non-uranium production and nuclear activities is only envisioned under the Comprehensive Joint Action Plan. As a result of the US withdrawal from the Comprehensive Joint Action Plan and the failure of three European countries to fulfill their commitments, Iran has suspended steps beyond the safeguards agreement following provisions 26 and 36 of the plan and the Iranian parliament's strategic plan of steps, he noted. Eslami emphasized that Iran continues its transparent and extensive cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. The number of the agency's inspectors in Iran cannot be equaled by any other country. While the number of nuclear facilities in Iran is only three percent of all nuclear facilities in the world, one-fifth of the agency's inspections in 2023 were conducted in Iran. Meanwhile, in January 2016, Iran and the P5+1 group (the US, Russia, China, the UK, France, and Germany) implemented the Comprehensive Joint Plan of Action concerning Irans nuclear program. To recall, back in May 2018, the US pulled the plug on the deal and brought the hammer down with renewed sanctions on Iran. By the end of 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to pursue a strategic plan in the nuclear sector to counter the sanctions, leading to a suspension of additional steps and the Additional Protocol as per the nuclear agreement. Consequently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) faced a reduction in monitoring capabilities by 2030 percent. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel More than 24,000 police personnel will be deployed for immersion processions on Anant Chaturdashi, the tenth and final day of the Ganpati festival in Mumbai on Tuesday, an official said on Monday. IMAGE: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde offers prayers to Lord Ganesh at Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh pandal during the ten-day long Ganesh Chaturthi festival, in Mumbai, September 16, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo Drone surveillance will be in place at important immersion sites such as Girgaon Chowpatty, Dadar, Bandra, Juhu, Versova, Powai Lake, and Madh Island, the official said. More than 24,000 police personnel, including nine additional commissioners of police, 40 deputy commissioners of police, and 56 assistant commissioners of police, will be deployed in the city to prevent untoward incidents, he said. In view of the possible traffic snarls, as faithful throng roads in large numbers to witness the immersion processions, the city police will create a 'green corridor' for seamless movement of vehicles and connectivity between eastern and western suburbs, he said. The corridor will be for essential and emergency services and those travelling for emergencies, he said, adding the Coastal Road will also remain open for 24 hours. Talking to the media on Monday, joint commissioner of police (law and order) Satyanarayan Choudhary said the city police are on high alert to prevent any law and order issues. He said that besides the local police deployment, SRPF platoons, quick response teams, riots control police, delta, combat, home guards, and Maharashtra Security Force have also been roped in. The police will maintain a strong vigil with the help of more than 8,000 CCTVs, and the safety of women and children in crowded places will be the top priority, he said. The police deployment will remain in place for the Eid-E-Milad procession scheduled for Wednesday, the official said. Joint commissioner of police (traffic) Anil Kumbhare said more than 2,500 traffic police personnel will ensure smooth movement of vehicles across the city during immersion processions. Entry to some roads will be restricted, and some routes will be made one-ways, while some will have diversions, he said. At least 12 old bridges on the Central and Western Railway lines are in dangerous condition. Ganesh mandals have been advised to take precautionary measures while using them and to avoid crowding at these places, the official said. The police are also coordinating with the Government Railway Police and Railway Protection Force, and local trains will be operational throughout the night on the immersion day, he said. Mumbaikars should remain alert during this period, not fall prey to rumours, and contact the police in an emergency, the official said. The agitating doctors confirmed on Monday evening that they are willing to attend a meeting at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence to resolve the RG Kar hospital impasse but demanded they should be allowed to record and sign the minutes of the talks. IMAGE: Junior doctors hold a protest march from Salt Lake City sector five to Swasthya Bhawan demanding justice for the RG Kar Hospital rape-murder case, in Kolkata on Sunday. Photograph: ANI Photo The state government, readily accepted the condition, with the Chief Secretary Manoj Pant saying both the parties will sign the minutes of the meeting and copies will be shared with each for clarity. Earlier in the evening, responding to the mail by Pant this morning inviting them for talks, the agitating doctors said they are willing to attend the meeting and place their demands before the chief minister. "As law-abiding citizens of the country, we are more than willing to attend the meeting. But it would have been really appreciated if the place of the meeting would have been an official and an administrative place as the matter is related to governance," the doctors said in a reply mail. The doctors mentioned that the arrest of the Tala police station OC by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the RG Kar case increases the significance of the transparency of the meeting even more than before. "We would like to emphasise that the meeting be videographed by separate videographers of both the parties. If not possible from your side, entire video file of the meeting be handed over to the doctor representatives. If that is not possible, then the minutes of the full transcript of the meeting be recorded and formulated by both the parties and duly signed by all the attendees and handed over at the end of the meeting," the agitating doctors said. Soon after, the Chief Secretary responded by saying that 'both the parties will sign the minutes of the meeting and copies will be shared with each party to ensure clarity'. The West Bengal government on Monday 'for the fifth and the final time' invited the protesting junior doctors for talks to end the RG Kar impasse, two days after the dialogue failed to take off over disagreement on live-streaming of the meeting. In an email to the protesting junior doctors, Pant asked them to reach Banerjee's residence at Kalighat at 5 pm on Monday for the talks. Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's Sirsa candidate Rohtash Jangra on Monday said he has withdrawn his nomination and hinted that the party may back sitting MLA Gopal Kanda, who has been supporting the state government. IMAGE: Former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda comes out of the Rouse Avenue Court after being acquitted in the case of abetment of suicide of former air hostess Geetika Sharma, in New Delhi on July 25, 2023. Photograph: Ayush Sharma/ANI Photo Kanda is the supremo of the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) and is seeking re-election from the Sirsa Assembly seat. "I have withdrawn my nomination. The decision has been taken in the interest of the state and the country... We have to ensure a 'Congress-mukt Haryana'," Jangra told PTI over the phone. Asked if he had withdrawn in the HLP leader's favour, Jangra said, "Gopal Kanda has supported us (BJP) for five years. We have taken this decision for Sirsa's development." However, Interacting with reporters in Sirsa later, Jangra said, "The party had given the ticket and it was the party's directive (regarding withdrawing of nomination)". The BJP, like the Congress, will now be contesting 89 of the 90 assembly seats in the state. The Congress has left the Bhiwani seat for the Communist Party of India-Marxist. Last week, the BJP released its third and final list of candidates for the Haryana polls, in which the party fielded Jangra from Sirsa. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) said on Thursday that it was extending support to Kanda in Sirsa. However, following the BJP's withdrawal of its candidate, INLD leader Abhay Chautala said he would hold discussions with his party leaders to decide whether to continue supporting Kanda. "If they (BJP) have supported Gopal Kanda and if he has taken their support...I will speak to Kanda regarding this and discuss the issue within our party and then take a decision (on whether to continue support to Kanda)", Chautala told reporters while campaigning in his Ellenabad constituency in Sirsa district. The INLD is contesting the assembly polls in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party. Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Sirsa after withdrawing his nomination, Jangra said he has been associated with the BJP for more than four decades and had fought the Zila Parishad polls in 1994. Senior BJP leader and former MP Ashok Tanwar, who accompanied Jangra, said, "There is only one aim which is to form a BJP government for the third time and to have a Congress-mukt Bharat and Congress-mukt Sirsa". Reacting to Congress allegations that the BJP had 'surrendered' before Kanda, Tanwar said, that the opposition party had surrendered before foreign powers. "On foreign soil, they give statements to weaken the country. And those who have accepted defeat can say anything. We have to keep the Congress at bay," he added. Polling for the 90 Assembly seats in Haryana will be held on October 5 and the votes will be counted on October 8. The ruling BJP is eyeing a hat-trick of wins but faces a stiff challenge from a resurgent Congress, which is looking to cash in on the anti-incumbency factor. Turning down the compensation of Rs 2 lakh, the family of a 10-year-old boy who died at a state-run hospital in Dakshin Dinajpur district rejected the West Bengal government's claim that the ongoing agitation of the junior doctors caused his death. IMAGE: Junior doctors check patients at 'Abhaya Dental Clinic' public health camp during their protest in front of Swasthya Bhawan against the alleged sexual assault and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor of the RG Kar Hospital, in Kolkata, September 16, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo Shivam Sharma, a class 3 student, was injured in a road accident, following which he was taken to the Balurghat hospital. His family alleged that he died there due to the negligence of a senior physician who despite being on duty was late in attending him. "There are no junior doctors at this hospital. And he died on August 12, three days after the incident at the RG Kar hospital when the agitation by the junior doctors was at a nascent stage. So any claim that he was a victim of junior doctors' cease work is wrong," said Shivam's uncle Anand Sharma. Shivam died as the senior medic on duty did not attend him on time, he alleged. "Instead of passing the buck, the authorities must take action against the senior physician whose negligence took away a precious life," he said. Turning down the compensation offered by the state government, he said, "We want action against the guilty, not monetary help." Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced that the state government would pay a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of 29 people who died allegedly after not getting treatment due to the ongoing cease work of the junior doctors. Shivam was among them. Officers of the state health department could not be reached for comment. Aam Aadmi Party leaders on Monday held a series of meetings to discuss probables for the chief minister's post, a day before party MLAs meet to finalise a successor for Arvind Kejriwal, who is likely to tender his resignation to Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena. IMAGE: Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal with party leader Manish Sisodia, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Delhi ministers Saurabh Bhardwaj, and Atishi during a programme after being released from Tihar Jail, at party office, in New Delhi on Sunday. Photograph: Shrikant Singh/ANI Photo Days after being released from Tihar jail on bail in the excise policy case, the AAP national convenor said on Sunday that he would resign within 48 hours and sought early polls in Delhi. He vowed not to sit in the chief minister's chair till people gave him a "certificate of honesty". AAP held a series of meetings on Monday as Kejriwal sought feedback from members of the political affairs committee, the party's highest decision-making body, on his successor in one-on-one meetings at his official residence. Earlier in the day, the AAP supremo met senior leaders, including former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha, about the party's choice for chief minister. Names of Delhi ministers Atishi, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot and Saurabh Bharadwaj are making the rounds as contenders, party insiders said and added that Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal and Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel were also probables. Kejriwal will meet the lieutenant governor at 4:30 pm on Tuesday and is likely to tender his resignation. Before this meeting, AAP will hold a legislative party meeting at 11:30 am to zero in on its pick for chief minister. Talking to reporters after the political affairs committee meeting, Bharadwaj said Kejriwal held "one-on-one talks" with party leaders to get their feedback on his successor. "He (Kejriwal) sought one-on-one feedback from each leader on his replacement. Tomorrow (Tuesday), the legislative party meeting is there and this discussion will go into the second round," Bharadwaj said. The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday said Kejriwal's decision to resign as chief minister was borne out of "compulsion" and not driven by "principle". The saffron party has described his move as "drama" and a "confession of crime" and wondered if he had offered to quit because of infighting in AAP. "The decision to resign was a compulsion for Arvind Kejriwal, not driven by principle. The Supreme Court has clearly pointed out that he cannot go to his office, cannot sign any file, then what choice did Kejriwal have?" the BJP' Delhi president Virender Sachdeva asked. Addressing party workers on Sunday, Kejriwal sought polls in the national capital in November. The Delhi assembly's term ends on February 23 and the polls are expected to be held some time in early February. AAP leader Sandeep Pathak said the party supremo did not have greed for power and honour was paramount for him. "The big question is why Arvind Kejriwal ji said so... He is known for his honesty. He has lived his entire life with honesty honest people will not tolerate 'false' allegations which were raised against him," Pathak said. As AAP leaders huddled to choose the next chief minister, the names of some prominent MLAs, including those from the reserved category and the minority community, also made the rounds throughout the day. Nothing is decided as yet, AAP insiders said. However, there is speculation that AAP may project some Dalit or Muslim legislator to hold the chief minister's post in view of the assembly polls, they said. There are 12 reserved constituencies and nearly half a dozen seats with significant minority populations in the city. Mangolpuri MLA Rakhi Birla, who is also the deputy speaker in the assembly, and Kondli legislator Kuldeep Kumar are potential candidates, they added. The AAP sources said the surprise candidate could also be a member of the minority community as the party has witnessed its support among the community wavering since the 2020 Delhi riots. In such a scenario, Delhi minister Imran Hussain may be the surprise face, they added. With assembly elections in Maharashtra just a couple of months away, deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis on Monday asserted seat-sharing between ruling Mahayuti partners will be finalised "soon". IMAGE: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde with state deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar during the Mahayuti meeting, at Shanmukananda Auditorium, in Mumbai on July 6, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo State BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule also weighed in with his remarks on the pre-poll arrangement, saying ruling coalition's formula on distribution of seats has been finalised on "nearly 70-80 percent" of the (288) assembly constituencies, and added the pact will be sealed well before their main rival, opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi. Mahayuti (grand alliance) consists of the BJP, the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party. Asked about seat distribution among Mahayuti allies and its formal announcement, Fadnavis told reporters in Pune, "The seat-sharing formula will be finalised soon." He did not divulge any further information on what is going to be an intricate issue and hard bargaining. However, speaking separately, Bawankule claimed people will see Mahayuti's seat-sharing formula well before the MVA constituents -- the Congress, Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray and NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar -- announce their agreement. "The seat-sharing has been finalised on nearly 70-80 percent of the constituencies. The outcome of a (recent) meeting between Chief Minister Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena), Fadnavis (BJP) and Praful Patel (NCP) was that winnability of a candidate was the most essential criteria," Bawankule noted. Meanwhile, Industries Minister Uday Samant, who belongs to Shinde-led Shiv Sena, said, "All the three leaders of the NDA (Mahayuti in state) are well versed with Maharashtra's political situation. The mistake of announcing some candidates very late (as happened during Lok Sabha polls in the state) will not be repeated this time. We have completed seat-sharing formula for over 75 percent of the constituencies." However, Chhagan Bhujbal, cabinet minister and senior NCP leader, feigned ignorance about Mahayuti reaching a broad agreement on allocation of seats. "I am not aware of updates on seat-sharing formula among the three parties, but we (NCP) have demanded nearly 80 seats to contest," Bhujbal insisted. In the current assembly, the BJP is the single largest party with 103 MLAs, followed by Shiv Sena 40, NCP 41, Congress 40, Shiv Sena (UBT) 15, NCP (SP) 13 and others 29. Some seats are vacant. The Maharashtra assembly polls are likely to held in November. 'One nation, one election' is not possible under the present Constitution. It requires at least five constitutional amendments' IMAGE: Former President Ram Nath Kovind, who heads High-Level Committee on 'One Nation, One Election', calls on President Droupadi Murmu and presented the report on simultaneous elections, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on March 14, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo The Congress on Monday said the idea of 'one nation, one election' was not pragmatic and wondered how long the government would survive by "releasing hot air balloons" to test the waters. The opposition party's assertion came after reports said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government would implement 'one nation, one election' during its current tenure. The Congress asserted that there was no draft proposal of 'one nation, one election' and the government had made no attempt to speak to it. The BJP-led NDA government will implement 'one nation, one election' within its current tenure, sources said on Sunday, exuding confidence that the reform measure would receive support across party lines. As the third term of the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi completes 100 days in office, the sources said the cohesion within the ruling alliance would continue for the rest of the tenure. Congress leader P Chidambaram said that it is not possible under the present Constitution and requires at least five constitutional amendments. Chidambaram said Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not have the numbers to place those constitutional amendments either in the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. Addressing reporters in Chandigarh, Chidambaram said, "'One nation, one election' is not possible under the present Constitution. It requires at least five constitutional amendments." "Mr Modi does not have the majority to put those constitutional amendments in either in the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha," the former Union minister said. He asserted that there were greater constitutional obstacles to 'one nation, one election'. "It is not possible. The INDIA bloc is totally opposed to 'One Nation, One Election." In New Delhi, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, "You quoted government sources, here I am the official spokesperson of the Congress party laying threadbare the many failures of the Modi government. How long is this government going to survive by leaking selective information?" "How long is this government going to survive by turning a blind eye to real and actual problems of this nation? How long is this government going to survive by planting information, by releasing these hot air balloons to test the waters? The reality is that there is no draft, the reality is that there has been no discussion, the reality is that there are assemblies in progress, the reality is that the government has made no attempt to speak to us," she said at a press conference. "It is absolutely not pragmatic to do this but the government has to have a conversation. So these sources-based information, that is what this government has survived on, leak sources-based information, run (it) in news channels, do reportage through WhatsApp, this nonsense must stop but that is what continues and that has continued in the last 100 days," Shrinate said. 'One nation, one election' was one of the key promises made by the BJP in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections. In his Independence Day address last month, the prime minister made a strong pitch for 'one nation, one election', contending that frequent polls were creating hurdles in the country's progress. A high-level panel headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind in March recommended simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies as the first step, followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days. Separately, the Law Commission is likely to recommend holding simultaneous polls for all three tiers of government -- Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies such as municipalities and panchayats -- starting with 2029 and a provision for unity government in cases of a hung House or no-confidence motions. The Kovind panel has not specified any period for rolling out simultaneous polls. It has proposed the creation of an 'implementation group' to look into the execution of the panel's recommendations. The panel recommended as many as 18 constitutional amendments, most of which will not need ratification by the state assemblies. However, these would require certain Constitution amendment bills that would need to be passed by Parliament. Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad has kicked up a row by announcing a Rs 11 lakh reward to anyone chopping off Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's tongue for his remarks on scrapping the reservation system. IMAGE: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during a meeting with US Lawmakers, in Washington DC on September 10, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo As the remarks triggered a political firestorm and raised calls for action, police on Monday night registered a case against the Buldhana MLA. While he was abroad, Rahul Gandhi said that he wanted to finish off the reservation system in India. This has exposed the true face of the Congress, Gaikwad told reporters, before announcing the bizarre reward. "During his recent US visit, Rahul Gandhi talked about ending reservations. It shows the mindset that is inherently opposed to reservations. I will reward anyone who cuts off Rahul Gandhi's tongue with Rs 11 lakh, Gaikwad said. The Congress had defeated Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in elections, he added. "Gandhi's comments are the biggest treachery of the people. Communities like Marathas, Dhangars and OBCs are fighting for reservation but before that, Gandhi is talking about ending its benefits," the MLA said. "Rahul Gandhi used to show the Constitution book and spread a fake narrative that the BJP would change it. But it is the Congress that plans to take the country back by 400 years, he said. As the controversy raged over Gaikwad's remarks, the Shiv Sena ally, Bharatiya Janata Party distanced itself from Gaikwad's comments. "I will not support or endorse Gaikwad's comments. However, we cannot forget that the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had opposed reservations saying it would affect the progress," state BJP president Chandrashekar Bawankule said. Rajiv Gandhi had said giving reservations means supporting idiots. Now Rahul Gandhi says he would end reservations, the BJP leader said. State Congress president Nana Patole on Monday asked Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to clarify his stand over Gaikwad's remarks and demanded legal action. Eknath Shinde should clarify his stand over Gaikwad's remarks. There should be legal action, otherwise, Congress party workers will take some decisive action against Gaikwad, Patole said. Atul Londhe, spokesperson of Maharashtra Congress said, "Sanjay Gaikwad does not deserve to live in society and politics. We want to see whether Maharashtra Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis invokes charges of culpable homicide against Gaikwad." A case was registered against Gaikwad under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita Section 351 (2) and other relevant sections, a Buldhana Police official said on Monday night. Earlier in the day, Congress workers staged a sit-in protest at Buldhana city police station. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Aaditya Thackeray questioned the status of the law and order situation in Maharashtra over Gaikwad's remarks. "During the agitation over the Badlapur incident, (Shinde Sena leader) Waman Mhatre made offensive remarks against a woman journalist. No action was taken against Mhatre, but an FIR was filed against the woman journalist. Several such incidents are taking place. It seems the state has no home minister," he said targeting Devendra Fadnavis of BJP. Speaking on the seat-sharing talks in MVA, Thackeray said the allocation of seats will be announced soon. Asked about the decision on the CM face from MVA, he countered the question and asked whether the Mahayuti will contest elections with its face of "corruption and betrayal". Gaikwad is no stranger to controversies. Last month, a video of a policeman washing the Shiv Sena MLA's car had gone viral on social media. Gaikwad had later explained that the policeman cleaned the vehicle voluntarily after vomiting inside it. In February, Gaikwad claimed that he had hunted a tiger in 1987 and has been wearing its tooth around his neck. Soon after, the state Forest department sent the purported tiger tooth for forensic identification and charged Gaikwad under the Wildlife Protection Act. Senior West Bengal minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury on Monday criticised the ongoing 'cease work' by junior doctors, labeling it as "drama" and a "politicised event" intended to malign the Trinamool Congress government in the state. IMAGE: Junior Doctors hold a protest march from Salt Lake City Sector 5 to Swasthya Bhawan demanding justice for the RG Kar Hospital rape-murder case, in Kolkata, September 15, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo Meanwhile, the agitating doctors continued their sit-in outside Swasthya Bhawan, the headquarters of the health department, for the eighth day and their 'cease work' for the 36th day demanding justice for the medic who was raped-murdered at the RG Kar hospital. The doctors have vowed to persist with their protest until their demands -- removal of Kolkata police commissioner and senior state health officials -- are met. "The junior doctors should now stop this drama. It has been going on for quite some time and has clearly crossed its limits. It is apparent that vested political interests are now dictating the agitation," he told reporters. "Some of the junior doctors are demanding live-streaming because they don't trust the government. Yet, at the same time, they are drawing a salary from the government without performing their duties. They trust the government when they need a promotion but not when it comes to negotiations? This is absurd," he said. The West Bengal government on Monday "for the fifth and final time" invited the protesting junior doctors for talks to resolve the RG Kar impasse, two days after previous discussions failed to materialise due to disagreement over live-streaming of the meeting. In an email to the protesting junior doctors, chief secretary Manoj Pant asked them to come to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence at Kalighat at 5 pm on Monday for the talks. Accepting the bulk of the five-point charter of demand placed by the agitating junior doctors, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced her decision to transfer a section of Kolkata police and the state health department top brass, including commissioner of police Vineet Goyal, from their respective positions. IMAGE: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with officials waiting at her residence for junior doctors, who are protesting against the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder case of a trainee doctor, to initiate talks, in Kolkata, September 15, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo Banerjee also announced the removal of the director of medical education and the director of health services besides the deputy commissioner (North Division) who allegedly offered money to the parents of the RG Kar victim. "We will announce the name of the new police commissioner after 4 pm on Tuesday after the scheduled hearing in Supreme Court gets over," the chief minister said at the stroke of midnight after concluding her meeting with the agitating junior doctors at her Kalighat residence, barely hours ahead of the scheduled Supreme Court hearing on the RG Kar hospital matter. The decisions were formalised in the minutes of the meeting which was signed by chief secretary Manoj Pant and countersigned by the delegation of 42 doctors who participated in the talks to end the RG Kar hospital deadlock. The agitating doctors are on 'cease work' across the state for 38 days since the gruesome alleged rape and murder of the postgraduate intern at RG Kar hospital came to light on August 9, crippling state-run healthcare delivery. "We have accepted almost all demands of the doctors. Keeping in mind the plight of the common people, we did the best we could. I now appeal to the doctors to return to work," Banerjee said, confirming no disciplinary action would be taken against the agitating doctors. Deeming the decisions as 'the state bowing its head before the pressure of a movement and a 'victory of the masses', the doctors, however, said they would continue their protests till 'the words get converted into concrete action.' "We will decide on what our next step would be after the hearing at the Apex court and after we confirm the government issuing those transfer orders it has promised," announced Dr Debasish Halder, one of the leaders, from the sit-in before Swasthya Bhawan which is continuing for a week amid inclement weather. "While the CM has accepted our demand to remove the CP, DC (North), the DHS and DME, she is yet to agree on removing the principal secretary of the health department or the DC (Central). The discussions on the operating threat syndicate in hospitals and the thriving corruption racket remain incomplete. We only have verbal assurances on those matters so far. So our fight is far from over," added Dr Aniket Mahato, another leader. The signed minutes of the meeting documented a sanction of Rs 100 crore for infrastructure development in hospitals for doctors and rebuilding of patient welfare committees as more inclusive with stakeholders. To tackle safety-security measures in hospitals, a special task force headed by the chief secretary and having as members the home secretary, DGP, CP Kolkata and representatives of junior doctors, the minutes stated. It also documented the setting up of an 'effective and responsive grievance redressal mechanism, in medical infrastructure across hospitals and colleges of the state. "Such measures are ineffective until a democratic work atmosphere returns to hospitals with simultaneous uprooting of threats and corruption nexus," an agitating doctor said. Early morning celebrations with protestors playing drums and blowing conch shells were witnessed at the Swasthya Bhawan agitation site. Earlier on Monday, talks between the state government and the agitating junior doctors began at around 6.50 pm after four unsuccessful previous bids to initiate a dialogue to resolve the deadlock. The meeting lasted for about two hours. It took another three hours to complete the process of finalizing the minutes of the meeting in the presence of the state chief secretary. Previous attempts to resolve the issue got stuck due to the state government's rejection of the doctors' demand for live-streaming and video recordings of the meeting. The agitating medics later agreed to a compromise, now only asking to record the minutes of the meeting and receive a signed copy. The state government also allowed the two stenographers, accompanying the agitating doctors, inside the venue to record the minutes of the meeting. Meanwhile, the doctors continued their sit-in outside Swasthya Bhawan, the headquarters of the health department, for eight days and the 'cease work' for the 38th day seeking justice for the RG Kar victim and demanding removal of top police and health officials. The talks fructified after the state government "for the fifth and the final time" invited the protesting doctors for talks to end the impasse, two days after the dialogue failed to take off over disagreement on live-streaming of the meeting. On Saturday, Banerjee made a surprise visit to the protest site and assured the doctors that their demands would be addressed. However, the proposed meeting fell through when the protesters claimed they were asked to leave "unceremoniously" after waiting for three hours at the gates of the CM's residence. In the Capital, senior doctors of RG Kar Medical College alleged tampering of evidence in the Kolkata doctor rape and murder case. In a statement, the doctors demanded that they want authorities concerned, the CBI and the Supreme Court expedite the investigation process and punish the culprits without any delay. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. Iran declares its readiness to cooperate with other countries in the nuclear sphere, the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization's Vice President Mohammad Eslami said at the 68th conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held in Vienna on 16 September, Trend reports. According to him, Iran has achieved several achievements in the nuclear field in recent years and has exhibited these achievements. Eslami stated that Iran has accomplished these achievements in the face of unilateral and tough sanctions. These achievements include various peaceful fields. The Iranian vice president added that Iran has approved a 20-year nuclear power generation program. Under this program, the share of nuclear power plants in the country's electricity production will increase to 20,000 megawatts by 2040. To note, Iran is basically trying to lift sanctions imposed on the country by the US and Western countries, unblock its funds frozen in foreign countries, and lift restrictions on crude oil exports. Meanwhile, the US and Western countries want Iran to avoid acquiring a nuclear bomb, keep its nuclear program under control, and reduce uranium enrichment. In 2022 Nanaji Dembi pulled down the Hurriyat office board in Srinagar, an act of defiance that grabbed headlines. Despite such nationalistic bravado, the BJP has denied him a ticket for the assembly election. Photographs: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com IMAGE: Nanaji Dembi tears down the All Party Hurriyat Conference board at its office in Srinagar in 2022. At 60, sitting on a bench at the Dal lake in Srinagar, Nanaji Dembi, a Kashmiri Pandit and a former member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, cuts a sorry figure. He looks all alone, but it was not always the case with him. Dembi burst into national fame in October 2022 when he pulled down the office board of the separatist organisation, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, and wrote 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' on the gate at Raj Bagh in Srinagar. "I did something which no one in Kashmir would have dared to do in Srinagar," recalls Dembi in a choked voice. In October 2022, when Kashmiri Pandit Puran Krishan Bhat was killed by terrorists in Shopian, anger spilled out on to the streets of Srinagar against the Hurriyat and Dembi was one of the protestors to go to the Hurriyat office and pull down its party board. "I wrote 'India' on the gate of the Hurriyat office and later wrote 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' too," Dembi remembers. Asked why the Bharatiya Janata Party denied him an election ticket two years later. "I have no idea why they denied me a ticket. If you get an answer to your question please let me know," Dembi tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com. "I don't know what it takes to get a BJP ticket when I worked day and night for the party in Srinagar for the last 10 years in the Habba Kadal area." He pauses and adds with tears in his eyes, "I am hurt by the BJP's behaviour towards me." Dembi is now contesting the assembly election from Habba Kadal on a Sampooran Bharat Kranti Party ticket. "I am sad because five Kashmiri Pandits are contesting against me. I personally told them we must fight as one, but nothing happened. I told them let us make a chit of us six people and do a lucky draw. Whoever wins will represent Kashmiri Pandits from Habba Kadal," says Dembi. But no one listened to his appeal. The five other Kashmiri Pandits in the fray are: Ashok Bhat (BJP), Ashok Sahiba (Independent), Sanjay Saraf (Rashtriya Lok Dal[Ram Vilas Paswan]), Ashok Raina (Independent) and Mrs Labroo (Independent). IMAGE: Nanaji Dembi, right, with BJP leader Manzoor Bhat on the banks of the Dal lake in Srinagar. Dembi is certain that Habba Kadal will be a sure shot victory for Kashmiri Pandits as there are 27,000 voters from the community in this assembly constituency. "These voters stay in migrant camps in Vessu and Kulgam and some stay in the Jagti camp in Jammu. I was hoping that if these 27,000 votes went to one Kashmiri Pandit candidate victory was sure. Unfortunately, there is no unity among Kashmiri Pandits when it comes to elections," says Dembi. About 50 to 100 Kashmiri Pandit voters live in the Habba Kadal, which has a Shiva temple in the area There are some 94,000 Kashmiri Muslim voters in the constituency. Dembi is confident that the Muslims of Habba Kadal will vote for him because he has good relations with them. In his early 20s, Nanaji Dembi left Habba Kadal during the mass exodus of Pandits from the Kashmir Valley when Islamic militancy was at its peak in the 1990s. He stayed in refugee camps in Jammu for many years but unlike many other Kashmiri Pandits he never gave up hope to come back to Kashmir. "I always knew I want to come back and I will die here because this is my motherland," asserts Dembi who returned to the Valley in 2015. He lives in the home which his family had left in the 1990s. IMAGE: Nanaji Dembi, second from left, at the protest outside the Hurriyat Conference office in 2022. "Kashmir is my janambhoomi. I always wanted to come back and work here," says Dembi. But was his move back to Kashmir in 2015 a sudden decision? "I started coming here from 2013. I was testing the waters by staying for some days and then going back to Jammu. In 2015 when I felt it was safe to come back I shifted permanently to Srinagar. I came back here with my family," says Dembi. "I am very sure I will get Kashmiri Muslim votes as well as Kashmiri Pandit votes because I am born and brought up here. I only wish the Kashmiri Pandit votes should not have got divided, but unfortunately that remains a wish." You are the owner of this article. Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High around 65F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low 39F. Winds light and variable. Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook. Nancy Braus is a political activist from Guilford. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media. BRATTLEBORO As eligibility for the emergency motel housing program tightens, more than 85 households are expected to lose their rooms in Bra BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. Iran has no choice but to solve the problem with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and it must do so, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said at the first press conference held today in Tehran with the participation of local and foreign journalists, Trend reports. According to him, certain works will be launched in the country and FATF conventions will be adopted in Iran. One of the main problems of many production centers in the country is the disapproval of FATF conventions. FATF is important both for investors' interest in the country and for developing economic relations with neighboring countries, he said. The FATF of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is an intergovernmental body for regulating rules against money laundering and terrorist financing. At the last meeting of this body, Iran was warned that if Iran's program of steps does not improve, Iran could be added to the list of non-cooperative countries. Iran has complied with 37 of the 41 FATF steps. The remaining four steps or conventions fall under the area of legislation. Amendments to the Law on Combating Money Laundering, Amendments to the Law on Combating the Financing of Terrorism, Accession to the International Convention on Combating Transnational Organized Crime (Palermo), and Accession to the International Convention on Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) have been drafted by the Iranian government and sent to the parliament. Although four conventions have been approved by the parliament and sent to the Advisory Council, the CFT conventions and the Palermo Convention have not yet been approved by the mentioned council. FATF was established in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 group to combat money laundering. The organization has 37 members and its secretariat is located in Paris. Iran has been on the FATF blacklist since 2007, and since 2009, retaliatory measures have been officially applied against Tehran. Thus, countries had to be careful in their financial and banking transactions with Iran. Since 2016, the implementation of diplomatic measures against Iran has been postponed. To note, the financial group FATF added Iran to the list of non-cooperative countries (blacklist) on February 21, 2020. 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 stepped up its massive air strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs in its drive to wipe out Hezbollah's capabilities and leadership, even as the world awaits with trepidation the October 7 anniversary of the bloody attack on Israel by Hamas -- which, like Hezbollah, is a U.S.-designated terror group with ties to Iran. Meanwhile, Tehran said it had lifted all flight restrictions after earlier announcing it was closing Iranian airports as of 9 p.m. on October 6 until 6 a.m. on October 7, citing "operational restrictions," at a time when Israel is weighing options for its response to Iran's recent massive missile strike on its territory. State media said the restrictions were lifted after ensuring favorable and safe conditions. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav 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. "The Iranians did not touch the air force's capabilities. No aircraft were damaged, no squadron was taken out of order," Gallant said in reference to the Iranian missile strike, which caused few injuries and slight damage to two air force bases. "Whoever thinks that a mere attempt to harm us will deter us from taking action should take a look at [Israels operations] in Gaza and Beirut, where Israel is battling fighters of Hamas, which has been deemed a terrorist organization by the United States and EU. Israel earlier said conducted a series of targeted strikes on weapons storage facilities and infrastructure sites that belong to Iran-backed Hezbollah. Hezbollah has been designated by the United States as a terror group, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political unit, which holds seats in the Lebanese parliament. Lebanon's official National News Agency said Hezbollah's stronghold in the area was hit by more than 30 strikes. A petrol station and a medical supplies warehouse were hit by the air raids. Video footage showed huge flames and plumes of smoke billowing into the night sky, as residents fled their homes in panic with explosions echoing in the background. Many observers said the attacks were the strongest yet of Israel's recent air strikes. "Last night was the most violence of all the previous nights," Hanan Abdullah, a resident of the Burj al-Barajneh area in Beirut's southern suburbs, told Reuters. "Buildings were shaking around us and at first I thought it was an earthquake. There were dozens of strikes -- we couldn't count them all -- and the sounds were deafening," Israel has bombed Beirut suburbs for days, killing Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and possibly his potential successor, Hashem Safieddine. Security sources have said Safieddine had been out of contact since October 4, after an Israeli air strike near Beiruts international airport that was reported to have targeted him. Hezbollah has not commented on Safieddine. Israel says Nasrallah was killed in a strike on the group's central command headquarters in Beirut on September 27. Two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters on October 6 that Ismail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force -- the overseas arm of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) -- also had not been heard from in recent days since traveling to Lebanon. Senior Hezbollah member Mahmoud Qmati, when asked about Qaani's whereabouts, told Reuters: "I have no information. We are also searching for the truth of this matter. Statements on October 6 out of the United States -- Tel Aviv's most important ally -- indicated some frustrations with the scope of Israel's military action. "Military pressure can at times enable diplomacy. Of course, military pressure can also lead to miscalculation. It can lead to unintended consequences," a U.S. State Department spokesperson said in statement. The spokesperson said Washington supported Israeli actions in going after extremist elements but added that U.S. leaders but did not approve of the targeting of civilian infrastructure. "Every civilian casualty is one too many," the spokesperson said. Israel said on October 5 that its forces had killed 440 Hezbollah fighters in ground operations in southern Lebanon and destroyed 2,000 Hezbollah targets. Nine Israeli soldiers had been killed in southern Lebanon so far, the authorities said. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, nearly 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon in the latest conflict, most of them since September 23. Israel says the attacks on Hezbollah are aimed at enabling the safe return of tens of thousands of citizens to homes in northern Israel, bombarded by the group since last October. The Israeli forces were on high alert ahead of the first anniversary of an attack on October 7 last year, which sparked the war and was carried out by Hamas. According to Israel tallies, some 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage in the unprecedented Hamas attack on southern Israel. Israeli police on October 6 said several people had been injured in a suspected shooting attack in Beersheba, a city in southern Israel. One attacker was killed, the ambulance service said. Separately, health officials in Hamas-run Gaza reported on October 6 that at least 41,870 Palestinians have been killed in the territory in the yearlong war between Israel and Palestinian militants. Palestinian officials said that an Israeli strike on a mosque in Gaza early on October 6 killed at least 19 people who were sheltering after being displaced from their homes near the town of Deir al-Bala. The Israeli military said the strike was targeting militants. The reports could not immediately be confirmed, but the Associated Press said one of its journalists counted the bodies at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital morgue. AP also reported that hospital records showed that the fatalities from the mosque strike were all men. Israel said its forces on October 6 surrounded the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza in response to indications that Hamas was rebuilding its operational capabilities in the area. Israel is also considering a retaliatory strike on Iran, which fired at least 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1. Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad visited Kharg island on October 6, amid concerns that Israel could target Iran's largest oil terminal there. "The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] Navy plays an important role in the security of oil and gas facilities," Paknejad was quoted as saying at the facility, from which around 90 percent of Iranian oil exports are shipped. In Syria, state media and local rights monitors said an Israeli air strike targeted three cars in the city of Homs, although details remained sketchy. Israeli forces have for years been striking Iran-linked targets in Syria and have intensified such actions since the October 7 attacks. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. Iran primarily seeks to improve its relations with neighboring countries as a priority, said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian today (September 16) at the first press conference in Tehran with the participation of local and foreign reporters, Trend reports. According to him, discussions on joint projects were held during the visit to Iraq. "We can carry out this process with Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and other neighboring countries. Strengthening the economy depends on strengthening ties with neighboring countries," he said. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is holding his first press conference with representatives of local and foreign media. More than 300 media representatives attended the press conference. RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government. If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us. To find out more, click here. One year ago, Hamas -- the U.S.- and EU-designated Palestinian terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip -- carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel, the deadliest in the countrys history. In response, Israel launched an aerial bombardment and ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave to destroy Hamas and rescue the 251 hostages taken by the group. Israel has expanded its war in recent weeks by invading Lebanon and launching air strikes targeting Hezbollah, the armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. RFE/RL spoke to Lior Yohanani, manager of quantitative research at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem-based independent research center, which on October 7 released a wide-ranging survey of Israeli public opinion after one year of war. RFE/RL: Can you explain what your study found as to how Israelis view the past year since Hamas's October 7 attack? Lior Yohanani: Well, I think Israelis still don't see October 7 as an event that's over. Sure, the actual horrific events of that day ended, but Israelis are still living with the consequences. There are two main aspects to this. First, since October 7, Israel has been in this multifront war that doesn't seem to have an end in sight. And then, of course, there is the issue of the hostages still being held in Gaza. So, we're seeing a sharp drop in people's sense of personal security. Almost three quarters of the public feel less safe compared to before October 7, and that's despite a year of war and some significant military achievements. On the flip side, we're also seeing that most people say their lives have returned to normal when it comes to things like work, media consumption, and family and social gatherings. Another thing we're noticing is that the Israeli public is giving pretty low marks to all the political and military leaders for the performance since October 7. For example, almost two-thirds of Israelis are rating Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu's performance since then as poor or not good. RFE/RL: How has Israel's involvement in a two-front conflict, in both Gaza and Lebanon, as well as a confrontation with Iran affected public opinion among Israelis? Yohanani: It's tough to answer that question, because we're at the point where things could go in a few different directions. In the last few weeks, we've seen a major escalation in the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and just last week, Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, which Israel is expected to respond to. In a survey we just did recently, we asked whether Israeli society and the military could handle fighting on two or more fronts for an extended period of time, and the results were pretty striking. Over 70 percent believe that yes, both Israeli society and the military can handle that kind of prolonged fighting. So, while the situation is complex and evolving, there seems to be a strong sense of resilience and capability among Israelis, even in the face of these multiple threats. But of course, public opinion could shift depending on how events unfold in the coming weeks or months. RFE/RL: Is there support for Netanyahus response to October 7? Is there debate in Israeli society, as well as political circles, over Netanyahus strategic choices? Yohanani: First of all, it's important to say that the Israeli public has largely supported significant military operation against Hamas in Gaza. That said, the Israeli discourse around the October 7 events, the ongoing war, and especially toward Prime Minister Netanyahu, is very polarized between right-wing supporters on the one hand and left and center supporters on the other. People are hoping for a future where Israel can exist without constant threats, rather than expecting a harmonious relationship with its neighbors in the near-term." So, on the left and the center, there is a high level of distrust and suspicion toward Netanyahu and his government. For instance, Netanyahu's apparent reluctance to pursue a deal for returning the hostages in exchange for ending the fighting in Gaza is seen by large parts of the public, even on the right, as resulting from Netanyahu's dependence on far-right, ultranationalist members of his government who refuse any compromise or ceasefire. Now for a long time, Netanyahu and his ministers argued that only significant military force would lead Hamas to compromise and release the hostages. Now, with military attention and resources shifting to the north, people are asking, where is this massive military force that was supposed to bring the hostages home? One question we have asked several times since October 7 in our polls is what should be the main goal in Gaza: Dismantling Hamas or bringing back the hostages? And as time goes on, public opinion is increasingly supporting the return of hostages. In our current survey, 62 percent saw bringing the bringing back the hostages as Israel's main goal, while only 29 percent pointed to dismantling Hamas as the primary objective. RFE/RL: How do ordinary Israelis see the question of the remaining hostages amid the continued protests by the hostages' families? Yohanani: As I mentioned before, most of the public supports a deal to release the hostages, even if it means ending the war and withdrawing the military forces from Gaza. There's this widespread feeling that we've left the hostages behind, and that's really hitting at our sense of solidarity, which is a deep and fundamental value, I think, in Jewish history in general and in Israel society in particular. At the same time, the campaign run by the Hostages And Missing Families Forum has become very politicized. Many right-wing supporters see it as weakening Israel. As time goes on, we're seeing more and more harassment of protesters who support bringing the hostages back. There are cases of passersby cursing, even hitting and throwing eggs, at hostages' families. In our latest survey, we asked about the effectiveness of the protests and actions taken by the hostages' families. Despite most of the public feeling empathetic toward the hostage issue, only less than a third think these actions are actually helping to advance a deal for the hostages' release, while almost 40 percent think they're actually hurting the cause. So, you've got this complex situation where people want the hostages back, but there is disagreement and some backlash about how to make that happen. RFE/RL: Can you explain the reasons behind the apparent contradiction in views regarding prioritizing a negotiated return of the hostages, or destroying Hamas? Yohanani: You're right to point out that apparent contradiction. Let me break it down a bit. As I mentioned earlier, a clear majority of the public sees a deal to release the hostages as the main goal. But there is a big gap between political camps on this issue. In the center and left, about 80 percent support the deal for the hostages' release, while the opinions on the right are evenly split. So, for most of the left and center, the fighting in Gaza has run its course. They feel most military objectives have been achieved, and Hamas's military power has been significantly weakened. From their perspective, continuing the fight now only puts the hostages at greater risk. It's important to know that about half of the right-wing also shares this view of prioritizing the hostages' release, but the other half of those on the far-right thinks dismantling Hamas is more important. Why? For a couple of reasons. First, there's a security stance that Hamas must be wiped out and not allowed to recover. There is also a very strong sentiment of revenge, with minimal consideration for the cost, whether it's the lives of the hostages, soldiers, let alone innocent civilians in Gaza. Another significant component openly discussed in religious nationalist circles is the return of Jewish settlement to the Gaza Strip after Israel evacuated Jewish settlements from there in 2005. RFE/RL: Is there public confidence that Israel will ultimately be able to remove the threat of Hamas and Hezbollah and come out of this conflict with greater prospects for a peaceful and stable near-term future? Yohanani: Right now, the Israeli public isn't showing a lot of optimism. In our current survey, when we asked people if they're optimistic or pessimistic about Israel's future, we found more pessimists, 48 percent, than optimists, 45 percent. I also think it's important to note that a peaceful future, as you put it, or peace in general, isn't really a common concept in the current Israeli discourse. I would say the hope of Israelis is that the military actions against Hezbollah and Iran will lead to a situation where Israel's existence isn't in question, and that Israeli military superiority will prevent events like October 7 from happening again. So, it's less about peace in the traditional sense, and more about security and deterrence. People are hoping for a future where Israel can exist without constant threats, rather than expecting a harmonious relationship with its neighbors in the near-term. Russian citizens who permanently reside in Latvia but have failed the required Latvian-language exam have started receiving letters warning them to leave within 30 days or face "forced deportation." The letters were issued by the Latvian migration service and are addressed to former citizens of the Soviet Union (mostly people over 60 years old) who came to Latvia during the Soviet era and, after Latvia regained its independence, decided not to obtain a Latvian passport but took Russian citizenship. They live in Latvia with a permanent residence permit, but, as a rule, do not speak Latvian and have little interest in Latvian culture. They receive their news from Russian media and are often pro-Russian. Latvians are not allowed to hold dual Russian citizenship. "I didn't take courses because I simply don't have the money," one Russian-speaking woman told Current Time outside a language testing center. "I receive a pension of 340 euros every three months. And they sent me a piece of paper from Riga saying that I have to pay 70 euros for this." "Most likely I didn't pass. I simply answered some questions," one elderly man said. "There is no sphere of communication, no place to communicate in Latvian." In 2022, after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Latvian parliament adopted amendments to the migration law. Now, in order to extend a residence permit in Latvia, holders of Russian passports must confirm their knowledge of the Latvian language at an everyday conversational level. But this exam has not been passed by many Russians living in Latvia. Some complain that it is difficult for them to learn a foreign language at their age, while others simply refuse to do so. According to various sources, more than a thousand Russians have failed the exam. Latvian law says that if the exam is not passed, the Latvian residence permit (including permits for permanent residence) is canceled and the person loses the opportunity to legally reside in the country. Over the past 12 months, the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) has issued 63 orders for such people to leave Latvia. Latvian officials have forcibly deported people in nine cases, while another 632 people who failed the exam left the country voluntarily for Russia on their own, without waiting for an order from the PMLP. Another thousand or so people are currently in limbo: These are people who have never passed a language exam or submitted documents to extend their residence permits in Latvia. The PMLP is waiting for them to explain their reasons for failing to do so. "People give different explanations -- for example, they say that they did not receive letters from the Migration Service. But, of course, we have confirmation that warning letters were received," said Madara Puke, a PMLP spokeswoman. "People also say that they believed the politicians who assured them that the Constitutional Court would make a positive decision and that the new rules would not affect them. Many really believed until the last moment that this would not affect them, so there are many excuses." According to official statistics from 2024, Latvian inhabitants describe themselves as 63 percent ethnic Latvian, 23 percent Russian, 3 percent Ukrainian, 3 percent Belarusian, and 2 percent Polish. But according to official data from 2022, 62 percent of inhabitants spoke Latvian at home, while 35 percent spoke Russian. And when it comes to opinions regarding Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, views do split along ethnic lines to some degree. According to a series of surveys in Latvia during the last three years, at least 80 percent of Latvian speakers blamed Russia for the war. Among Russian speakers, that number was between 32 and 38 percent. But while the Kremlin has sought to portray Russian-speaking minorities in neighboring countries as oppressed by the majorities, many Russian speakers in Latvia have distanced themselves from the Kremlin's aggression. Latvia's Harmony party, which represents Russian speakers, was once widely seen as pro-Russian and had ties with the ruling United Russia party in Moscow. But the party has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and one of its members of parliament, Boris Cilevics, told the BBC: "[Modern Russia] is absolutely analogous of the policy of Nazi Germany -- the only chance for normalization is a military defeat for Russia." According to the PMLP, more than 85 percent of those Russians who fell under the new law have already completed all the necessary documents and have either already passed the exam or are learning Latvian and have received a temporary residence permit (valid until the exam is passed). But Russian state media and propaganda has run with the topic of deporting those who failed the exam and claim discrimination against all Russian speakers. For more than a year, Russian media have repeated stories of Latvia "forcibly deporting Russian-speaking pensioners." The Latvian government emphasizes that there is no discrimination against Russian speakers in the country: Latvia imposes exactly the same language requirements on all foreigners who want to obtain a residence permit. And those who fail the exam from other countries are also expelled. "In Latvia, many emigration orders are issued every year. There is a general procedure. I think that here, too, we should not expect any special treatment. At the moment, it is clear that some people have already left earlier, without reacting or contacting the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs," Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said. "But Russian propaganda always chooses how to twist Latvian news in its own way." The changes to the migration law in Latvia affected approximately 25,000 people. Public debate within the country led to the Latvian parliament amending the law in September 2023: the language requirements remained, but people were given more time to learn the language and pass the exam. This applies to residents of the country who received Russian citizenship after May 2003, who have already tried to pass the test but failed the exam, or who did not attend the exam for valid reasons. "Amendments to the immigration law are needed," Latvian journalist Inga Springe told Current Time in September 2023. "I am sure that this law needs to include an age limit of up to 65 years. "Mostly these are older people with health problems and lower mental abilities," Springe added. "We ourselves, as a state, have choked on this piece and don't know what to do. Now we have 10,000 people who did not sign up for this exam at all. Many people need to retake it. And if now their residence permit expires, it is clear that no one will deport them. It is impossible to expel so many people from the country." A class-action lawsuit was also filed against the language requirements in Latvia's Constitutional Court, but it upheld the language requirements for Russian citizens as legal. "Citizenship is a serious concept. It shows the choice a person has made regarding which state he or she expresses loyalty and solidarity to," Aldis Lavins, the head of the Constitutional Court, said. "This particular case is related to former Latvian citizens and noncitizens who have decided that they want to link their loyalty to the Russian Federation. We must understand that in the current geopolitical situation, when the Russian Federation has unleashed a war in Ukraine and is taking unfriendly actions toward Latvia, by introducing such a requirement, the state is providing a mechanism to ensure that Russian citizens permanently residing here do not pose a threat to Latvian society." Meanwhile, Russian regional authorities have declared their readiness to accept Russian speakers deported from Latvia. The governor of Pskov, Mikhail Vedernikov, has already promised that the region will provide any deportees with all the necessary assistance: "The temporary accommodation center is practically ready." KYIV -- Ukraine on September 16 invited the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit territory it has captured in its six-week-old military incursion into Russia's Kursk region to demonstrate its adherence to humanitarian law, in a move the Kremlin called a "provocation" even as it ordered that Russia's army beef up its ranks. The Kremlin also expressed confidence through President Vladimir Putin's spokesman that the UN and the Red Cross would decline the Ukrainian invite. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry published the open invitation for the humanitarian missions to Kursk hours after Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said he had requested the invites during a weekend visit to the northeastern Sumy region, which borders Russia. 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. "Ukraine is ready to facilitate their work and prove its adherence to international humanitarian law," Sybiha said. In an apparent attempt to contrast Ukrainian actions with accusations of widespread abuses by Russian troops since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Sybiha claimed that "[s]ince the first day of the Kursk operation, Ukraines Defense Forces demonstrated full adherence to international humanitarian law as a professional army with high standards and values of freedom and human life. They ensured humanitarian assistance and safe passage to civilians." "We expect that such provocative statements will not be accepted by the addressees," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying. "This is a pure provocation." Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhiy countered that the Kremlin reaction "shows Russias disregard for its own people and their humanitarian needs, as well as fear of allowing international observers to see the real situation. Quite telling." Since its incursion began in Kursk in early August, Kyiv claims to have gained control of more than 1,200 square kilometers of Russian territory. Kyiv has hinted that the operation was intended to better position it in the event of peace talks amid some calls for more intense efforts to end the war. On September 16, Kursk regional Governor Aleksei Smirnov ordered residents in two districts -- Ryisky and Khomutovsky -- to evacuate settlements within 15 kilometers of the Ukrainian border. Nearly 31 months into the full-scale invasion with Russian regular and mobilization forces reporting gains in eastern Ukraine and international debate mounting to better equip Ukrainian forces and lift restrictions on Kyiv's long-range attacks on Russian territory, Putin on September 16 reportedly ordered an increase in troop numbers in the Russian military by 180,000 individuals, to a total of 1.5 million soldiers. Ukraines General Staff, in its late briefing on September 16, said fierce fighting was continuing in the Kursk region. Earlier on September 16, Ukraine's air force said it shot down 53 of 56 Russian drones it detected overnight that were targeting a handful of regions and said the "main direction" of a "massive" overnight bombardment was Kyiv that was the eighth attack on the capital this month. Kyiv's regional military administration head, Ruslan Kravchenko, said one woman was hospitalized after being injured by fragments of a downed drone. City military administration chief Serhiy Popko said Kyiv had been under attack for more than three hours overnight as air defenses shot down "almost two dozen enemy UAVs...around the capital." Farther east, Ukrainian officials said the body of a woman was found under rubble late on September 15 at the scene of a Russian air strike on the northeastern city of Kharkiv. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said before dawn on September 16 that rescue operations were ongoing at the scene in Kharkiv of the bombardment by at least four missiles or other explosives, which struck a multistory residential building. He said the latest information suggested 35 people were injured, including three children. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov has said that 42 people were injured. Ukraine's General Staff also said Russian forces were continuing their offensive operations in eastern Ukraine, pointing to the area around Kurakhove in the Donbas region and around Pokrovsk, which has been under assault for the past several weeks. "There have been more than a hundred battles since the beginning of the day. Most of them are in the Kurakhove direction, Pokrovsk," it said. In Russia, officials said eight residents of the southern Belgorod region that borders Ukraine were injured by shelling and drone attacks by Ukrainian forces. Belgorod regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov also said a gas pipeline was damaged during the shelling, which he said affected at least 10 settlements over the past 24 hours. RFE/RL cannot independently corroborate claims of battlefield developments by either side in areas of the heaviest fighting. Russia has bombarded Ukraine with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), rockets, and various kinds of missiles for much of the 36-month-old full-scale invasion. Many of the most recent attacks have targeted power and other infrastructure, but bombs have frequently also struck hospitals, schools, and residential buildings, despite Moscow's assertion that it is not targeting civilians. The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on September 15 that Russia is seeking "to achieve a decisive victory in Ukraine by 2026 before likely medium- to long-term economic and force generation constraints begin to significantly degrade Russia's ability to sustain its war effort in Ukraine." It also said that, amid "growing challenges" in production and procurement of military equipment and munitions, "the Kremlin will likely become increasingly reliant on foreign partners to meet its materiel needs." Zelenskiy recently urged the United States and other allies to "promptly implement" agreements on weapons and other supplies to help fight the invasion, underscoring Western debates on the extent and current restrictions on military aid to Kyiv. Zelenskiy told CNN that he expects to present Joe Biden with a four-point plan to win the war when he meets with the U.S. president later this month. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on September 10 expressed hope for a second major peace summit to build on a similar gathering in Switzerland three months ago aimed at ending the war. Meanwhile, Ukraine's allies are seemingly growing more receptive to loosening restrictions on the use of long-range weapons to allow Kyiv to hit targets deep inside Russia. NATO, of which Ukraine is not a member, is also facing growing calls to do more to fend off Russian missiles and drone strikes, some of which have violated NATO members' airspace. Jens Stoltenberg, the outgoing NATO chief, on September 16 said any decisions on the use of such weapons are "for individual allies to make." "Allies have different policies on this," he told London radio. Asked about threats by Putin of retaliation, the NATO chief said there were "no risk-free options in the war." "But I continue to believe that the biggest risk for us, for United Kingdom, for NATO, will be if President Putin wins in Ukraine," he added. With reporting by Reuters and AP Due to the floods in Poland and the Czech Republic, some international rail routes have been canceled or restricted, including flights between Prague and Przemysl. "Ukrzaliznytsia" cooperates with European operators and allows passengers to change trains for free in case of delays. ADVERTISIMENT As of the morning of September 16, the severe weather situation in Poland and the Czech Republic due to flooding continues to affect international rail traffic. Here are the main updates as of Monday morning: Vienna Kyiv Vienna route: due to flooding in some areas, the route is limited. Trains are running as Budapest Kyiv Budapest , bypassing the problematic regions. This allows passengers to maintain the ability to travel between Ukraine and Austria, although they should be prepared for minor delays and route changes; due to flooding in some areas, the route is limited. Trains are running as , bypassing the problematic regions. This allows passengers to maintain the ability to travel between Ukraine and Austria, although they should be prepared for minor delays and route changes; Chop Vienna (with Hungarian Intercity cars): this train has also been subject to restrictions. It currently runs only to Budapest, as some sections of the route remain flooded. Passengers are advised to consider possible transfers or alternative routes; (with Hungarian Intercity cars): this train has also been subject to restrictions. It currently runs only to Budapest, as some sections of the route remain flooded. Passengers are advised to consider possible transfers or alternative routes; Prague Przemysl Prague: although trains depart from their original stations as scheduled, passengers will have to change to buses on the flooded border section between Hranice na Morave and Rybnik; ADVERTISIMENT Prague Chop : the train from Prague to Chop is being detoured, which leads to a two-hour delay in arrival from the scheduled time. However, upon arrival in Chop, the train will continue to run as scheduled. Ukrainian passengers can count on keeping to the schedule on the Chop-Kyiv section; : the train from Prague to Chop is being detoured, which leads to a two-hour delay in arrival from the scheduled time. However, upon arrival in Chop, the train will continue to run as scheduled. Ukrainian passengers can count on keeping to the schedule on the Chop-Kyiv section; other international flights: the good news is that all trains connecting Ukraine with such cities as Warsaw, Chem, Przemysl, Kosice, Budapest, and Zahony are running without changes. Ukrainian Railways is in constant communication with Czech and Polish carriers to coordinate the organization of connections. Passengers who miss their trains due to delays in the Czech Republic and Poland have the opportunity to use any subsequent flight in the same direction without the need to exchange tickets. This allows for flexibility in the event of unforeseen circumstances caused by the elements. ADVERTISIMENT In particular, train 59/60 from Chop to Kyiv will be waiting for passengers traveling from Prague. This applies to both flights arriving today and those expected tomorrow. Thus, passengers will be able to reach Kyiv on time despite delays. Passengers traveling on connecting flights to Prague or other European cities are advised to contact their railway operators Czech or Polish to clarify the details of the schedule. In some cases, it may be necessary to spend the night in the city of connection, as the likelihood of further delays remains high due to the difficult infrastructure situation. "Ukrzaliznytsia" continues to closely monitor the developments in Poland and the Czech Republic, constantly updating information on changes in train schedules. Passengers are urged to check the news regularly and be prepared for possible changes in plans. The situation is still difficult, but carriers are doing everything possible to ensure the comfort and safety of travelers. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! By Jonathan McCambridge, PA Belfast shipbuilder Harland and Wolff has announced the business is set to move into administration. The firm said between 50-60 immediate redundancies are expected but said that staff employed at its four shipyards are not affected. Harland and Wolff, which famously built the Titanic, has four shipyards one in Belfast, two in Scotland (Methil on the Firth of Forth and Arnish on the Isle of Lewis) and one in England (Appledore in north Devon). It is the second time the business has been placed in administration in five years. The operational companies which run the shipyards are expected to continue trading (Liam McBurney/PA) The administration process will be confined to the holding company, Harland & Wolff Group Holdings PLC, and the operational companies which run the yards are expected to continue trading. A company statement said: A full review of all group holdings commenced in July and has concluded that H&W Group Holdings PLC is insolvent on a balance sheet basis as per its last audited accounts and most recent management accounts. Insolvency practitioners Teneo will act as administrators and shares will be delisted. The company is part of a consortium that landed a major contract to build a new fleet solid support ships for the British navy. It had applied for a 200 million (240 million) loan guarantee from the British government as part of efforts to restructure its finances. However, the British government decided in August not to act as a guarantor on the lending while also ruling out direct funding to maintain the companys liquidity. Harland and Wolff interim executive chairman Russell Downs said the group had faced a very challenging time due to historic losses and a failure to secure long-term financing. He said: Its important to recognise that this is very difficult news for staff and will affect many within group. We will work to support our staff through this transition. We also know that it will be very unwelcome news for shareholders who have shown significant commitment to the business over the last five years. The board, the senior managers and rest of the team are committed to deliver the best outcome for the four yards and communities they serve to ensure their continued operation into the long term under new ownership. Unfortunately, extremely difficult decisions have had to be taken to preserve the future of our yards. Despite the recent challenges, the four yards have a strong capability, under new ownership and with the continuing support of their customers, to deliver UK-based ship building and leading UK-based renewables employing over 1,300 committed personnel. Its critical that the business comes through its financial troubles to secure an enduring legacy worthy of its name and its past for the benefit of the UK as a whole and its communities in particular. By Grainne Ni Aodha, PA Tanaiste Micheal Martin has dismissed what he called hot air speculation on the timing of the next general election. He said he believed the Government should go to full term, and named February as his preference for polling day. Addressing the question of whether by-elections would need to be held before then, Mr Martin said legal advice he had received suggested that would not be the case. Mr Martin was speaking at the Fianna Fail parliamentary party think-in at Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel in Killiney, Dublin. The Fianna Fail leader said when the party entered into the Coalition Government, it took on challenging portfolios including housing, health and agriculture, and had made a difference in power. He said the party was in a healthy position and said it was preparing for a general election. Mr Martin cautioned against half-baked proposals on childcare and called for a comprehensive blueprint on how a mooted Department of Infrastructure would work. Tanaiste and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin at the Fianna Fail parliamentary party think-in at Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel (PA) He added: What we need in terms of infrastructure is to cut through a lot of barriers that successive governments have created in respect of getting public capital programmes through. I think the situation regarding Childrens Hospital created an over caution within the public service, within the system generally, in terms of capital projects. He said he believed Transport Infrastructure Ireland needed to be given clear direction that there would be budget allocations to build roads and no delays. He added: In a three-party government, compromises have to be made. I think the NDP (National Development Plan) could have been delivered faster on roads, but for policy reasons, perhaps wasnt delivered as fast as it could have been. He was asked about comments by the Green Party leader Roderic OGorman, who told The Sunday Times that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael had put their political survival ahead of good policymaking. Mr Martin said: Were edging towards election time, its obvious that Roderic and the Green Party are obviously trying to create a niche for themselves and maybe create an identity going into that election. I understand that fully, but for our part, I would say we took the hard departments. There was very little movement in housing prior to us taking it over. He said further work on housing was needed and that his priority was to get the Budget delivered, the finance Bill passed as well as other draft laws within what he called a tight timeline. Asked about when he thinks there should be an election, he said: We should go full term Full term is February. I think theres a lot of hot air going on now about the timing. I mean, I think all of those people who are briefing all of you that it would be November 15th are now the same people briefing you that its Valentines Day. He added: I dont think any by-election will be held before the next general election, because, simply put, if you were to hold a by-election in December or in January with an immediate general election in the aftermath My understanding is that the legal advice would sustain that proposition that Im putting to you. So I dont see any by-elections before the next general election and Ive been consistent in terms of saying February would be an ideal date to hold it, but I think the immediate focus is on the Budget. There were 13 recorded fish kills in the county between 1988 and 2020. According to a recently published report by Inland Fisheries Ireland on fish kills between 1969-2022, County Roscommon and neighbouring County Westmeath both had the lowest number of fish kill incidents during the period. The IFI has details of 12 fish kills in County Roscommon and the impacted rivers include the Cross River in 2018, which resulted in salmonid fish, i.e. salmon and trout, being killed. Lough Key, the Jiggy River, the Lung River, Forbes Lough in 2000, Feorish River in 2000, Island River in 2011, and the Shannon in 2001 and 2016 were also affected. The earliest recorded fish kill was in 1988 at Lough Key, with the cause of the kill unknown. There was a further fish kill at the lake in 1995 with eutrophication being listed as the cause. This is a process where nutrients accumulate in water, resulting in the increased growth of microorganisms that may deplete the water of oxygen. There were two recorded fish kills in the Lung River in 1994 and 1995, with the cause listed as agriculture and industrial respectively. In 2010, the Jiggy saw a fish kill of coarse and other fish, with the cause listed as municipal. A 2020 incident in the county, which saw salmonid fish killed, has not been assigned a name and the cause is unknown. Nationally, the most common known cause of fish deaths was agriculture, followed by eutrophication, industrial, municipal, mining, construction, and other activities. "The newly-released fish kill report is focused on the causes of fish kills and environmental factors, and therefore did not include information about prosecutions, said a spokesperson for IFI. "Separately, in relation to a 2011 fish kill incident, an individual in County Roscommon pleaded guilty under section 171 of the Fisheries Act and was fined 500 at Castlerea District Court on February 25th, 2012. "There was a fish kill incident in 2010 related to a municipal source. There was no case associated with this 2010 fish kill." Russian dictator Vladimir Putin recently visited Mongolia to ostensibly commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Khalkhin Gol. However, the official reason for the Kremlin leader's foreign trip could have been just a cover. ADVERTISIMENT Putin could have traveled to Mongolia to meet with shamans. Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar stated this in an op-ed for Der Spiegel. In early September, Putin traveled to Tuva, known for its strong shamanic traditions. After spending a few days there, the dictator traveled to Mongolia. Moscow doubted that Mongolia is now an important foreign policy partner for Russia, so the dictator's trip was shrouded in new rumors. Sources close to the Kremlin claim that the main reason for Putin's visit to Mongolia was a meeting with shamans. Rumors are circulating in Russia that the Kremlin dictator needs the shamans' blessing to use nuclear weapons. The journalist's article says that without the shamans' consent, Putin could not take such a serious step for fear of "angering the spirits." It is also claimed that the dictator allegedly returned from Mongolia satisfied. ADVERTISIMENT "However, this version sounds like a fantasy. None of my sources can confirm it. However, the meeting with Mongolian shamans allegedly took place," Zygar confirmed. As a reminder, on September 2, Russian dictator Putin arrived on an official visit to the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar. There he was magnificently greeted by an honor guard. The war criminal held talks with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh. The Kremlin claimed that the visit was connected with the 85th anniversary of the victory of Soviet and Mongolian troops over the Japanese army on the Khalkhin Gol River. After the visit, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry emphasized that Mongolia, which did not comply with the ICC's arrest warrant for Putin, dealt a heavy blow to the international justice system. The country allowed the criminal to escape justice, thus sharing responsibility for his war crimes against Ukraine. ADVERTISIMENT As reported by OBOZ.UA, the Mongolian authorities, after ignoring the ICC arrest warrant for Putin, explained their decision by saying that their hands were tied. They say that energy dependence puts the country, sandwiched between Russia and China, in a difficult position. Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Three Roscommon schools will be introducing new Leaving Cert subjects from the start of the 2025/26 school year, Education Minister Norma Foley has announced. Minister Foley has today, Monday, announced that the three schools in the county are among the selected Phase One Schools which will be the first to offer the new Leaving Certificate subjects of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies, and Climate Action and Sustainable Development from the start of the 2025/26 school year. Among the schools participating in phase one, Elphin Community College and Abbey Community College, Boyle are among the 57 post-primary schools which have been selected to introduce Leaving Certificate Drama, Film and Theatre Studies from the start of the 2025/26 school year. In addition, Scoil Mhuire, Strokestown is among 43 schools which have been selected for Leaving Certificate Climate Action and Sustainable Development. The Minister said that the announcement marks an important moment in the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme and the Ministers vision for a Senior Cycle that provides young people with an opportunity to study a range of subjects that align with their talents and passions. Minister Foley said: It was fantastic to see a strong level of interest from schools of all types in Roscommon and across the country in taking part in this first phase of delivering the new Leaving Certificate subjects of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies and Climate Action and Sustainable Development. "These subjects are being introduced to provide greater choice for students to better reflect their range of interests and support the development of a wider range of talents and skills. I am pleased to announce that three Roscommon schools will be among the first to offer the new Leaving Certificate subjects of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies and Climate Action and Sustainable Development in 2025/26. The applications received demonstrated the extraordinary talent, qualifications, experience, and commitment by teachers in schools across Ireland interested in introducing these two new subjects to their students. The level and variety of current subject provision in the selected schools and the enthusiasm shown by their school leaders, teachers, students and school communities was nothing short of exemplary and I have every confidence that the rollout of both subjects will be a success. "I am most pleased for the students in the 100 post primary schools across the country who will experience either Drama, Film and Theatre Studies or Climate Action and Sustainable Development at Senior Cycle in this initial phase and who will have the opportunity to develop their interests, strengths and talents in these areas," she said. Teachers in the selected schools will begin working with Oide, the teacher support service, this school year, a year in advance of teaching the subject. All selected Phase One schools will be provided with the necessary resources to establish new subject departments in their schools and to support the teaching and learning of the subject from the start of the 2025/26 school year. Drama, Film and Theatre Studies will promote and encourage creativity as a basis for learning through immersive experiences. Students will have the opportunity to cultivate informed thinking through learning supported by creative and critical processes. Climate Action and Sustainable Development will develop students capacity for informed and meaningful action for a just and sustainable world as they engage with key sustainability challenges including the climate crisis. Students will be empowered to build their understanding of a number of interconnected core concepts and principles related to climate action and sustainable development. The early days of BBCs Romanian-language broadcasting The BBC's Romanian language broadcasting and its role in the troubled 20th century. The early days of BBCs Romanian-language broadcasting Eugen Nasta, 16.09.2024, 14:00 In the world of radio broadcasting, the BBC needs no introduction. The BBC is one of the landmarks without which the history of radio broadcasting cannot be written. In its centenary existence, holding a special place is the BBCs Romanian-language service. The early days of the BBCs Romanian-language broadcasting are linked to the outbreak of World War Two in September 1939, so in September 2024 we celebrate the services 85 years of broadcasting. We should emphasize, at this point, Great Britains extremely important influence which justified the very existence of the BBC, given that after 1945, at the end of the war, the worlds geopolitical stage became even more complicated that it had been before. In 1997, Radio Romanias Oral History Canter interviewed one of the first journalists who used to work for the BBCs Romanian-language Service, Liviu Cristea. He was a BBC anchorman from 1939 to 1971. Liviu Cristea reminisced the beginnings of the service and the tests that were made to that effect At this radio station trials were made like some sort of test time, carried by people who had been recommended by the Romanian Legation. Some of the Brits radio stations where thereby checking if the broadcast was audible in Romania, at once checking whether the voices behind the mic were suitable or not. However, the first team that took over the editing work was made of four people: a Finance Ministry official, Niculae Gheorghiu, who was in London on a training stage, a history professor, Ion Podrea, who was sent by the Iorga Institute to do his research, a legal expert furthering his comparative law studies, that was me, and a young student of the London Polytechnic, Jose Campus. In the beginning, the Romanian-language broadcast was a 15-minute news bulletin. It kept Romanian listeners informed with news from the international and British press. The war had broken out and the Poles, officials or ordinary people, were withdrawing to Romania, in a bid to reach the West. The slot was broadcast from the Broadcasting House in Portland Place lying in central London, it was from there that, for the first time ever in Romanian, the announcement was heard: This is Radio London. When the German bombs damaged the building, the service was relocated to a hotel and from there to a skating rink. Liviu Cristea also said that fairly rapidly he and his colleagues adapted to the demands of the job. Here he is once again, giving us details on how the editorial work was organized. Shortly afterwards, the anchormens voices had become a reliable and identifiable source of information that also provided a gleam of hope in the grim days. At the same microphone science specialists offered their opinions, but also columnists, professors, trade union members, writers, army people, underground frontline fighters, refugees and prisoners who had escaped from the labour camps, or prisoners of war. The materials received by the editors of the Romanian section had already been processed in a central editorial office. The stuff had to be translated and commented upon by the Romanian editors so that it could become as accessible as possible to the average listener. The pieces of news after the outbreak of the war were checked but not censored by diplomatic and military bodies. The press commentaries were selected for each zone the broadcasts targeted, the talks given by prominent journalists sought to place the event or the news of the day against the backdrop that appeared at that particular moment. The state of war demanded that the BBC broadcasts in Romanian, just like in the other foreign languages, be closely monitored. Liviu Cristea: Available for us from the very beginning was a so-called monitoring service, that is a service listening to the broadcasts from the country and from other parts. Those who closely monitored the broadcasts proper in front of the mic were supposed to monitor closely that, behind the mic, we should not read something different than what was written in the news bulletins, we should not improvise anything even with one single word, we should not stray away from the text that had been approved of by the section head prior to going to the mic. And those gentlemen who kept an eye on us were George Campbell, doctor Morrison and a gentleman who back in the day used to be a high-ranking employee of an oil company in Romania and whose command of Romanian was excellent. In the building of the BBC, Liviu Cristea also recalled his seminal encounter with a character that would make history in the troubled 20th century. As I was passing by the janitors desk, there was a French officer there who was somehow embarrassed because he and the janitor could not understand each other. The man was a French army officer, wearing a French uniform so offered him my help right away and I asked him to tell me what it was all about. He was extremely blunt and kind of vexed as he answered me: I am colonel de Gaulle, I come from the front line and I have a meeting. I am already 5 minutes late and I dont understand why I am being kept here and why nobody welcomed me at the reception. I was deeply touched when later on I discovered that the one-star colonel was general de Gaulle who, as we know, led the French resistance and then he was the one who created the first post-war political structure in France. The BBCs Romanian-language service is now 85 years old. All along, the BBC was one of the citadels defending human rights, until 1989. It still is, to this day. F-35 jets for Romania Bucharest welcomes the US State Department's decision to approve the possible sale to Romania of 32 F-35 aircraft F 35 (Credits: facebook Angel Tilvar) Roxana Vasile, 16.09.2024, 13:50 The US Department of State has approved the possible sale to Romania of 32 F-35 jets, as well as engines and other related equipment, in a contract of approximately 7 bln USD, through the Foreign Military Sales security assistance program the Pentagon announced in a press release. The Defense Ministry in Bucharest hailed the decision, stating that, in addition to the 32 5th-generation aircraft, the first phase of the endowment program also includes, among other things, first-phase logistical support, training services, flight simulators, as well as air-to-air and surface-to-surface munitions, in accordance with the prior approval of the Romanian Parliament. The acquisition program also includes an industrial cooperation package. Defense Minister Angel Tilvar emphasized that the latest generation military equipment acquired in cooperation with the United States in recent years has changed the profile of the Romanian army at the level of military capacity and interoperability with allied armies. The Patriot and HIMARS missile systems, the Piranha V armored personnel carriers, the F-16 multi-role aircraft, the NSM coastal batteries and, as of today, the 5th-generation F-35 aircraft provide our country with a strategically strengthened position in the region, where we act as a pillar of NATOs stability, also offering us a stronger level of interoperability with our allies, Minister Tilvar added. At the same time, Americas solidarity with Romania, demonstrated by the substantial presence of troops on the territory of the country, essentially helps consolidate the defense of the allied eastern flank in the Black Sea region and the deterrence of aggressions, the Romanian Minister also said. In turn, the US ambassador in Bucharest, Kathleen Kavalec, pointed out in a press release, that the F-35 aircraft that will soon be purchased will provide Romania with unparalleled air defense capabilities. According to the aforementioned source, the first such aircraft are expected to be delivered by 2031. The F-35 aircraft have very advanced technological specs, mainly the STEALTH feature (which ensures a reduced radar signature), the integration of the latest generation sensors of the advanced systems of communications and information processing. At present, the Romanian Air Forces carry out their missions on F-16 aircraft, transferred from the surplus of other states. It is a temporary solution which ensures limited operational performance. This transitory stage will end shortly, with the arrival in Romania, of 32 F-16 aircraft from Norway. Later, with the purchase of 5th-generation multi-role F-35 fighter jets, the Romanian Air Forces will have the necessary capabilities to connect with NATOs integrated air defense system and will be able to carry out joint missions and multinational operations in all fields, to ensure the sovereignty of national and allied airspace. (VP) Singapore will on Tuesday release August figures for non-oil exports, trade balance and Q2 numbers for unemployment, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. In July, exports were up 12.2 percent on month and 15.7 percent on year for a trade surplus of SGD6.486 billion. The jobless rate is expected to hold steady at 2.0 percent. Indonesia will provide August numbers for imports, exports and trade balance. Imports are expected to rise 8.15 percent on year, down from 11.07 percent in July. Exports are called higher by an annual 3.83 percent, down from 6.46 percent in the previous month. The trade surplus in July was $0.47 billion. Finally, the in South Korea (Chuseok Thanksgiving Day), Taiwan (Mid-Autumn Festival) and China (Mid-Autumn Festival) are closed on Tuesday. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Economic News What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more. Vallourec SA (VLOWD.PK,VLOUF.PK), a seamless tubular solutions company, said on Monday that it has agreed to acquire Thermotite do Brasil Ltda. a provider of thermal insulation pipe coating services for the offshore oil and gas industry, from Mattr Corp.(MATR.TO) for $17.5 million, on a cash-free, debt-free basis. Thermotite's facility is located within Vallourec's existing coating services premises in Serra, Esperito Santo State, Brazil. Philippe Guillemot, CEO of Vallourec, said: "Thermotite's expertise perfectly complements our existing portfolio of anti-corrosion coating solutions, allowing us to offer our customers more complete and tailored line pipe solutions." This acquisition is expected to support Vallourec to improve its technical expertise, notably for the offshore and particularly deep water . For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News As per media reports, UniCredit CEO Andrea Orcel has supported the merger of UniCredit (UCG,UNCFF.PK) with Commerzbank (CRZBY.PK). He believes the deal could result in added value to shareholders, and said the decision is in the hands of shareholders. Previously, UniCredit has acquired an equity stake equal to around 9% in the share capital of Commerzbank AG, and stated that it will engage with Commerzbank to explore value creating opportunities for all stakeholders in both banks. Also, it was announced last week, that Manfred Knof, CEO of Commerzbank AG, will not to seek extension of his contract. Commerzbank is the leading bank for the German Mittelstand and a strong partner for around 25,500 corporate client groups and almost 11 million private and small- customers in Germany. UniCredit is a pan-European Commercial Bank with a unique service offering in Italy, Germany, Central and Eastern Europe. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Telecom major AT&T Inc. has reached a new tentative agreement with its around 25,500 union members in the Southeast and West regions, ending a 30-day strike in the Southeast by the workers over better contract terms. In a statement, Members of the Communications Workers of America or CWA said new union contracts were agreed with AT&T Southeast and AT&T West. Its members started reporting to work for their scheduled shifts on Monday, September 16. The contracts were bargained separately. In the Southeast, the deal ends the strike, which was started in the mid August, becoming the longest telecommunications strike in the region's history. The CWA noted that union members across nine states pressured the company to negotiate in good faith. At AT&T West, the agreement comes after members rejected a previous tentative agreement on September 6. The new contract in the Southeast covers 17,000 workers technicians, customer service representatives and others who install, maintain and support AT&T's residential and wireline telecommunications network. The contract covers various states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Wages and care costs were key issues at the bargaining table. The five-year agreement includes across the board wage increases of 19.33 percent, with additional 3 percent increases for Wire Technicians and Utility Operations. The health care agreement holds health care premiums steady in the first year and lowers them in the second and third years, with modest monthly increases in the final two years. Further, the four-year agreement at AT&T West covers 8,500 workers in California and Nevada. The wage boost will now be retroactive to the contract expiration date, bringing the compounded increase to 15.01 percent. The revamped agreement also includes improvements to overtime and scheduling. CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. said, "I believe in the power of unity, and the unity our members and retirees have shown during these contract negotiations has been outstanding and gave our bargaining teams the backing they needed to deliver strong contracts. I'm not just talking about AT&T members in the Southeast and West, although the determination of our striking AT&T Southeast members was remarkable. CWA members and retirees from every region and sector of our union mobilized in support of our bargaining teams, including by distributing flyers with information about the strike at AT&T Wireless stores." For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News A new study in the journal Nature Neuroscience provides insights into the changes in a woman's brain during pregnancy. The researchers found a remarkable decrease in the volume of cortical gray matter, the brain's outer layer, along with an increase in the integrity of deeper white matter. These changes were found to be correlated with escalating levels of the hormones estradiol and progesterone. This groundbreaking research focused on Elizabeth Chrastil, a 38-year-old cognitive neuroscientist from the University of California, Irvine, and involved 26 brain scans taken from three weeks before conception through nine months of pregnancy and two years postpartum. The scans revealed an average decrease of around 4% in gray matter across approximately 80% of the brain regions studied, as well as increases in cerebrospinal fluid and white matter microstructure during the second and third trimesters, all linked to escalating hormone levels. Co-author Emily Jacobs from the University of California, Santa Barbara, noted "Previous studies had taken snapshots of the brain before and after pregnancy, but we've never witnessed the brain in the midst of this metamorphosis." While the decrease in gray matter may raise concerns, researchers suggest it could signify a refinement of brain circuits, akin to the changes experienced by young adults during puberty. Laura Pritschet, lead author and postdoctoral scholar at the University of Pennsylvania explained that some of the changes might reflect the body's adaptation to the demands of pregnancy. Looking to the future, researchers aim to delve deeper into how these changes may be linked to conditions such as postpartum depression and the impact of preeclampsia on the brain. Jacobs stressed the need for more comprehensive data, highlighting that out of the 50,000 brain imaging studies published over the past three decades, less than half of one percent concentrate on issues specific to women, such as pregnancy. Since completing the study, the researchers have observed similar patterns in other pregnant women participating in the ongoing Maternal Brain Project, supported by the Ann S. Bowers Women's Brain Health Initiative and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, with the hope of further understanding the complexities of the maternal brain. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Health News In a recent study conducted jointly by researchers in Germany and Brazil, it was discovered that 8 out of 15 adults examined post-mortem had microplastics present in their olfactory bulbs, which are the brain's region responsible for smell. This revelation, published in JAMA Network Open, points to the likelihood that these particles were inhaled over many years, given that microplastics are widely dispersed in the air. Thais Mauad, the lead author and an associate professor of pathology at the University of Sao Paulo Medical School, emphasized "Previous studies in humans and animals have shown that air pollution reaches the brain and that particles have been found in the olfactory bulb, which is why we think the olfactory bulb is probably one of the first points for microplastics to reach the brain." Upon closer examination, the study identified microplastics in the olfactory bulb tissue, ranging in size from 5.5 to 26.4 micrometers. The most common type observed was polypropylene, followed by polyamide, nylon, and polyethylene vinyl acetate. Mauad highlighted the pervasive use of polypropylene in everyday items such as furniture, rugs, and clothing, with indoor environments serving as the primary source of exposure. Additionally, the prevalence of smaller nanoplastics may contribute to an overall higher level of plastic particles in the body. There is a growing concern regarding the potential uptake of these particles by cells and their potential to disrupt bodily functions, particularly in the organs of children, which could lead to significant effects in adulthood. Furthermore, evidence is accumulating that plastic contamination may play a significant role in the early development of cancer, as demonstrated in a recent study where microplastics were found to accelerate the spread of cancer cells in the gut. Co-author Luis Fernando Amato-Lourenco from the Free University of Berlin, in collaboration with Dr. Mauad, suggested that the nasal mucosa outside the brain could interact with cerebrospinal fluid, thereby facilitating the entry of microplastics into the olfactory bulb through small gaps in the surrounding bones. The researchers emphasized that given the potential neurotoxic effects caused by microplastics in the brain, and the widespread environmental contamination with plastics, their findings should raise concerns in the context of the increasing prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's and ALS. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Swedish authorities have decided to dramatically increase payments to refugees who want to leave the country. They are ready to pay up to 350 thousand Swedish kronor (about $34 thousand, or more than 1.5 million hryvnias) for returning to their homeland. ADVERTISIMENT According to Aftonbladet, the grant program is planned to be launched in 2026. For this purpose, SEK 1.4 billion will be reserved in the budget, which will be enough for 4000 people to participate in the program (subject to receiving the maximum payment). Refugees and people who have been granted protection can apply for a grant. They must also be granted a temporary or permanent residence permit. Today, migrants can also receive money for returning to their countries of origin, but they are paid much less: 10 thousand kroons for an adult and 5 thousand kroons for a child, but no more than 40 thousand kroons for a family. But such payments do not attract them in 2023, only one person used the program. "They may feel that life in Sweden has not turned out the way they wanted, that they are stuck in isolation, or that you are older and want to return to your country of origin," says Migration Minister Johan Forssell. ADVERTISIMENT According to the Swedish authorities, there are 400-500 thousand migrants in the country who are unemployed or have difficulty earning money. They are paid benefits, which puts an additional burden on the budget. The authors of the idea were representatives of the right-wing populist party Sweden Democrats, which won 20.4% of the vote in the last parliamentary elections, becoming the second most popular party in the Riksdag. Some local regulators have criticized this initiative, arguing that it could negatively affect the integration of migrants into Swedish society. Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! A recent study suggests that increasing the protein amyloid beta (A42) in the brain could help slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Traditionally, the buildup of the protein called A42 has been considered the primary theory behind Alzheimer's, forming amyloid plaques around brain cells. However, researchers from the University of Cincinnati are proposing that Alzheimer's might stem from low levels of functional A42. Alberto Espay, a neurology professor at the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center, explained that A42 plays a protective role for the brain against various toxic and infectious threats. In its effort to combat these threats, A42 can convert into amyloid plaques, made up of aggregated A42 that no longer serves its protective function. Espay and his team reviewed data from 26,000 participants involved in 24 randomized clinical trials assessing new treatments for Alzheimer's. They monitored cognitive function and A42 levels before and after treatment. The analysis revealed that patients who maintained higher levels of A42 post-treatment experienced slower cognitive decline. Espay noted that individuals with amyloid plaques remain cognitively stable when they can generate sufficient A42 to keep it at normal levels. This conclusion is supported by the observation that recent antibody medications, such as lecanemab (Leqembi) and donanemab (Kisunla), inadvertently raised A42 levels in the brain. The data suggests that restoring A42 to normal levels could be more advantageous for Alzheimer's patients than merely removing amyloid plaques. These insights may pave the way for new treatment strategies for Alzheimer's. Espay remarked that if Alzheimer's is linked to the loss of normal A42, increasing its levels could prove beneficial. Moving forward, the research team intends to explore treatments aimed at directly boosting A42 levels without focusing on amyloid targets. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Hatchback Sales in India Decline by 22.92% in August 2024 Maruti WagonR Leads the Segment After taking a look at the SUV sales and Sedan sales for Aug 2024, here are the hatchback sales.The hatchback segment in India saw a steep decline in August 2024, with total sales dropping to 83,129 units, down by 22.92% compared to 1,07,844 units sold in August 2023. Despite this overall decrease, some models managed to post modest gains, while others faced significant challenges, reflecting the shifting dynamics in consumer preferences. Hatchback Sales Aug 2024 Maruti WagonR No 1 Maruti WagonR emerged as the best-selling hatchback in August 2024, with 16,450 units sold, marking a 5.60% year-on-year (YoY) growth. WagonR added 872 units compared to the 15,578 units sold in August 2023, securing a dominant 19.79% share of the total hatchback market. Maruti Swift, which has been a consistent performer, saw a sharp 31.14% YoY decline in sales. Swift sold 12,844 units in August 2024, down by 5,809 units from 18,653 units in August 2023. Despite the drop, Swift captured 15.45% of the market share. Similarly, Maruti Baleno faced a 32.57% YoY decline, with sales dropping to 12,485 units in August 2024, down by 6,031 units compared to August 2023. Balenos market share stood at 15.02%, indicating a significant drop in demand. Maruti Alto, another popular model, saw an 11.01% decline in sales. Alto sold 8,546 units in August 2024, down by 1,057 units from the previous year, capturing a 10.28% share of the hatchback segment. Hyundai i10 NIOS experienced a sharper decline, with sales dropping by 26.57% YoY. NIOS sold 5,365 units in August 2024, down by 1,941 units compared to 7,306 units in August 2023, reducing its market share to 6.45%. Hyundai i20 managed to maintain steady sales, with 4,913 units sold in August 2024, reflecting a marginal 0.35% YoY growth compared to 4,896 units sold in August 2023. i20 accounted for 5.91% of the hatchback market. Tata Tiago, including its electric variant (EV), saw one of the steepest declines in the segment, with sales falling by 49.98%. Tiago/EV sold 4,733 units in August 2024, down by 4,730 units from the 9,463 units sold in August 2023, holding a 5.69% share of the market. Toyota Glanza and Maruti Celerio See Declines Toyota Glanza recorded a 6.24% YoY decline in sales, with 4,624 units sold in August 2024, down by 308 units from 4,932 units in August 2023. Glanza secured a 5.56% share of the hatchback market. Maruti Celerio also experienced a 21.22% decline, with 3,181 units sold in August 2024, down by 857 units compared to August 2023. Celerios market share stood at 3.83%. Tata Altroz saw one of the largest declines in the segment, with sales falling by 61.27% YoY. Altroz sold 3,031 units in August 2024, down by 4,794 units from August 2023, accounting for 3.65% of the market. Maruti Ignis, however, managed to post a modest 3.83% YoY growth, with sales reaching 2,464 units in August 2024, up by 91 units compared to 2,373 units in August 2023. Ignis secured a 2.96% market share. MG Comet EV and Citroen C3 Post Strong Growth The MG Comet EV recorded a remarkable 68.97% YoY growth, with sales rising to 1,100 units in August 2024, an increase of 449 units compared to August 2023. Comet EV captured a 1.32% share of the market. Citroen C3 also posted strong growth, with sales surging by 102.80% YoY. C3 sold 507 units in August 2024, up by 257 units from August 2023, securing a 0.61% share of the market. Citroen eC3 EV, on the other hand, faced a sharp decline of 44.65%, with sales dropping to 150 units in August 2024, down by 121 units from 271 units sold in August 2023. Renault Kwid also struggled, with sales falling by 28.20% YoY. Kwid sold 634 units in August 2024, down by 249 units compared to August 2023. Honda Elevate Apex Edition: 2024 Honda Fest Special Honda Elevate Apex Edition is a special offering from Honda Cars India Ltd., introduced during the festive season to attract buyers looking for a mid-size SUV. It is based on the V and VX grades of the standard Honda Elevate, with enhancements in both exterior and interior aesthetics. Designed to cater to festive season customers/ uptick in buying activity, this limited edition focuses on cosmetic upgrades. Exterior enhancements distinguish the Apex Edition from its standard counterparts. The front under spoiler, finished in piano black with a silver accent, adds a bold appearance. Similarly, the side under spoilers complement the design, creating a sleek profile. Chrome inserts on the rear lower garnish further enhance the premium feel, making the Apex Edition visually distinct. An exclusive Apex Edition badge is affixed to the fenders, while the tailgate bears the Apex Edition emblem, signifying the exclusivity of this model. Manual or CVT? Apex Edition Offers Both The interior of the Honda Elevate Apex Edition offers a refined experience with dual-tone ivory and black finishes. Premium leatherette door linings and a leatherette IP panel elevate the cabins luxurious appeal. To enhance ambience, the vehicle features rhythmic ambient lights with seven colour options, providing customisable lighting for different driving moods. The seat covers and cushions bear the Apex Edition signature, adding a personalised touch for buyers who appreciate attention to detail. Transmission options for the Apex Edition mirror those of the standard V and VX variants. Customers can choose between the manual transmission (MT) and the continuously variable transmission (CVT), offering flexibility in driving preferences. This inclusion of both MT and CVT options ensures that the Apex Edition caters to a broad audience, from those preferring traditional gear-shifting to those looking for a smoother, automated experience. Price Check: Starts at INR 12.86L Pricing for the Honda Elevate Apex Edition varies depending on the chosen variant and transmission type. The V MT is priced at INR 12,86,000, while the CVT version is available for INR 13,86,000. For those opting for the VX grade, the MT variant is priced at INR 14,25,000, and the CVT is available at INR 15,25,000. These prices reflect the ex-showroom rates in Delhi, with the Apex Edition commanding a slight premium over the standard variants. Hondas decision to launch the Apex Edition as part of its festive season sales strategy aligns with market trends. This limited-time offer targets buyers seeking exclusivity in their vehicle choice during a period known for increased consumer spending. By combining cosmetic enhancements with reliable mechanical features, the Apex Edition provides a compelling option for potential buyers during this high-demand period. Same Colours, More Style for Festive Buyers The Apex Edition is available in all standard colour options, allowing customers to retain their preferred choice while benefitting from the edition-specific upgrades. This ensures that buyers do not have to compromise on personal preferences when opting for the festive edition. Customer-centric design improvements, such as premium upholstery and ambient lighting, reflect Hondas attention to user experience. While the mechanical aspects remain largely unchanged, these enhancements aim to provide a more personalised driving experience. Exclusivity Drives Demand: Hondas Limited Apex Edition Limited availability of the Apex Edition adds to its appeal, ensuring that the model remains exclusive. This strategy aligns with Hondas approach to creating demand through scarcity, making the Apex Edition a sought-after choice for customers looking to purchase during the festive season. Kunal Behl, Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Honda Cars India Ltd. said, The Elevate has been instrumental to our success, significantly contributing to our domestic sales and exports. With this new edition, we look forward to welcoming more customers into the Honda family. Browser Compatibility Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks. We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: The historic mission of SpaceX astronauts, which ended on September 15, landed safely in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. Polaris Dawn, along with four amateur astronauts, made history with several records. ADVERTISIMENT Experts emphasize that the five-day mission flight contained a lot of action. It also accomplished a number of important scientific and educational tasks, Space.com reports. "Polaris Dawn, we have accomplished the mission. Thank you for your great help in putting this mission together," said crew chief and Polaris sponsor Jared Isaacman after the Dragon capsule and its team of astronauts splashed into the ocean. Elon Musk's historic SpaceX mission sent four amateur astronauts into space on September 10. Polaris Dawn was funded and led by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacson. He took his longtime friend, former US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott Potit, who became a Polaris Dawn pilot, along for the ride. They were joined by SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. ADVERTISIMENT It was the first space experience for Potit, Gillis, and Menon. But Isaacson was already in orbit in September 2021 as part of the pioneering SpaceX Inspiration4 mission. Mission records From day one, Polaris Dawn made history. After all, the Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft reached a record altitude for an orbit around the Earth - more than 1,400 kilometers - higher than any orbiting Earth spacecraft with a crew. It is also three times higher than the height of the International Space Station (ISS). Polaris Dawn broke the altitude record of 1372 km, which was set back in 1966 by the Gemini 11 mission. The Polaris mission also made spaceflight history because Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon plunged deeper into the void of space than any women before. After all, all the Apollo astronauts were men. ADVERTISIMENT Resilience then lowered its orbit to about 730 kilometers to prepare for the most crucial moment of the mission - spacewalking. Despite the fact that only two astronauts were to exit the capsule, all crew members underwent special breathing procedures and also donned new SpaceX EVA suits that the company developed specifically for Polaris Dawn. Since Resilience does not have an airlock, when its hatch opened, the entire team felt the effects of the dangerous space vacuum. An important moment came on Thursday morning (September 12), when Jared Isaacson climbed up to the special Skywalker platform and saw the beauty of the Universe. "At home we have a lot of work to do, but from here the Earth looks like a perfect world," he said, looking at our planet from the vastness of space. ADVERTISIMENT Thus, Polaris Dawn has achieved another record. According to SpaceX, mission commander Isaacson became the first non-professional astronaut in history to enter the space vacuum. After Jared, mission specialist Sarah Gillis stepped out of the capsule. Like Isaacson, she performed a set of pre-planned movements designed to test the capabilities of the new EVA suit. After all, the main purpose of this operation was to test SpaceX's latest suits, which the company hopes to use in many other missions to Earth orbit and to the Moon and Mars. Science experiments and technical tests Although spacewalking was the main event, Polaris Dawn crew members performed a number of other tasks during the five days in orbit. ADVERTISIMENT In particular, the mission conducted 36 scientific experiments for 31 different institutions. Much of the on-orbit work will benefit NASA's Human Exploration Program, which seeks to learn more about how spaceflight affects the body and mind and how such effects can be mitigated. "The information gathered from Polaris Dawn will give us important insights that will help NASA plan for deeper space travel to the Moon and Mars," said NASA Associate Principal Investigator for Human Exploration Jensi McPhee. Polaris Dawn also tested the laser communications capabilities of SpaceX's Starlink broadband mega constellation, using satellites to transmit home photos and other data packages. ADVERTISIMENT Astronauts have also done some cultural and financial work. For example, Anna Menon held an orbital reading of the children's book Kisses from Space. According to SpaceX, the proceeds from the sale of this book will go to St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis. And Sarah Gillis on board Resilience played a Star Wars song on the violin. Her performance was synchronized with orchestras around the world for a music video created by the Polaris Dawn team. Polaris Dawn was the first of three planned missions funded and organized by Jared Isaacson. The billionaire emphasized that "Polaris is committed to demonstrating important operational capabilities that will serve as building blocks for further human exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond." ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes Saudi Arabia is set to introduce more than 1 million new homes by 2030 as part of its Vision 2030 initiative, which aims to strengthen the economy and make housing more accessible. Since 2016, 1,048,000 residential units have been announced, with 4% of those homes already completed, according to Knight Frank's Saudi Giga Projects Report. Boosting Homeownership A key goal of the initiative is to raise homeownership rates from the current 64% to 70% by 2030. Over the past year, the number of announced homes has surged by 58.5%, driven by a mix of public and private sector projects aimed at expanding the housing market. Real Estate Boom Saudi Arabia's real estate sector has seen a total investment of USD 1.3 trillion since 2016, with USD 164 billion in awarded contracts. One of the major contributors to this growth is NEOM, a flagship project, which alone accounts for USD 28.6 billion in investment. However, rising property prices in cities like Riyadh have presented challenges. Apartment prices in the capital have surged by 58% over the last three years, with villa prices increasing by 38%. Riyadh now has higher property prices than Jeddah, with an average of SAR 5,155 per square meter. Increased Residential Transactions The first half of 2024 has seen a 41% jump in residential sales and a 48% increase in transaction value, totaling SAR 77.6 billion. Government-backed programs like Sakani and Wafi have been instrumental in encouraging more Saudi citizens to buy homes. Vision 2030 and Global Ambitions Saudi Arabias Vision 2030 is positioning the Kingdom as a global leader in real estate and tourism, as it prepares to host the 2030 World Expo. This event is expected to bring USD 7.8 billion in economic activity to Riyadh. "Ukrzaliznytsia" will stop selling tickets for the Rava-Ruska Warsaw route starting September 22. This is due to the expiration of the agreement with the Polish company SKPL, which operated this route. ADVERTISIMENT This was announced by Viktor Halchynskyi, a member of the board of "Line 102." Negotiations between the parties to extend the agreement are ongoing, but no consensus has been reached so far. The Rava-Ruska Warsaw route, which has been operating for almost a year, is the fastest connection between Lviv and the Polish capital. The Polish Ministry of the Interior once expressed support for the safety of this route, emphasizing its importance for regional transportation. Despite this, the unsatisfactory speed of negotiations on the extension of the route jeopardizes its further functioning. Currently, the Polish state-owned railway company PKP Intercity has expressed interest in operating this route and has applied to the Polish regulator, Urzad Transportu Kolejowego. However, the chances of getting a permit by September 21 remain minimal. Both parties, Ukrzaliznytsia and SKPL, claim that they intend to keep this successful route, but negotiations are difficult. ADVERTISIMENT In addition, the planned local international connection on the Przemysl-Khyriv-Zagorz Euro-gauge, which was scheduled for December 2024, is also under threat. Previous plans for a promotional run of the Polish train were canceled due to the decision of the Polish Border Guard. Recent developments emphasize that the "Line 102 syndrome" blocking projects due to lack of agreements is becoming increasingly evident in Ukrainian-Polish relations, especially in the field of rail transport. Inconsistencies in border control and unresolved issues with infrastructure projects threaten the further implementation of the planned connections. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and in Viber. Do not fall for fakes! September 16 is a special day in the history of Ukraine and the world. It marks various important holidays and commemorates significant historical events. ADVERTISIMENT On such significant dates, it is customary to spend time with family and honor the past. OBOZ.UA tells about what holidays and facts are worth remembering. The feast of the Holy Great Martyr Euphemia On September 16, the Orthodox calendar honors the Holy Great Martyr Euphemia. She lived in the third century and was martyred for refusing to worship and sacrifice to the pagan god of war, Ares. According to legend, Euphemia was subjected to severe torture, but several times, thanks to her faith and help from God, she survived. International Day for the Protection of the Ozone Layer This global environmental holiday was established by the United Nations and is celebrated annually on September 16 to draw attention to the problem of ozone depletion. It is extremely important for life on Earth, as it protects us from harmful ultraviolet radiation. ADVERTISIMENT Georgiy Gongadze Memorial Day September 16 is also the day of remembrance for Georgiy Gongadze, a Ukrainian journalist and founder of the Ukrainian Pravda newspaper who disappeared in 2000. Later it became known that he was brutally murdered by police officers, and some time later, due to President Kuchma's suspicion of a contract killing, a cassette tape scandal erupted. Other holidays on September 16, 2024 Family and Community Day; Training Day for teenagers; Day of Promises to Pets; Day of collecting stones. Significant events that happened on September 16 In 1658, Ukrainian Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky signed the Treaty of Hadiach with Poland. In 1979, an underground nuclear explosion occurred at a depth of 903 meters in the Yunkom mine in Donetsk Oblast. In 1998, the musical "Notre Dame de Paris" was released. In 2002, the active phase of the all-Ukrainian civil disobedience action "Arise, Ukraine!" began. ADVERTISIMENT Subscribe to OBOZ.UA channels in Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest events. On Monday, September 16, the Kursk region announced the evacuation of people from two districts Rylsk and Khomutov. These are settlements located in the 15-kilometer zone adjacent to the border with Ukraine. ADVERTISIMENT This was announced by the Governor of the Kursk region Alexei Smirnov. According to him, evacuation from this area is mandatory. "Based on operational information, the regional operational headquarters decided to mandatorily evacuate the settlements of Rylsky and Khomutovsky districts located in the 15-kilometer zone adjacent to the border with Ukraine to ensure security," he wrote on Telegram. The coordination of the departure of local residents was entrusted to the security forces, local administration, and vigilantes of the "Patriot" center in Kursk. The governor called on local residents to "understand the current situation". ADVERTISIMENT As a reminder, on the morning of September 16, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine issued a statement on the humanitarian response in the Kursk region. Representatives of the ministry appealed to the UN and the ICRC to take part in the relevant activities. "Ukraine reaffirms its strict adherence to its international obligations in these areas and is ready to provide full assistance to the UN and ICRC staff in these territories," the Foreign Ministry said. At the same time , the Kremlin did not like Ukraine's invitation to representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to participate in humanitarian response activities in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. Moscow claims that this is a "pure provocation". ADVERTISIMENT As reported by OBOZ.UA, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue the operation in the Kursk region, advancing deep into the territory of the Russian Federation. The day before, the Ukrainian Armed Forces advanced in the Hlushkiv district. At the same time, the Russian occupiers claim a counteroffensive in the Kursk region and the alleged return of a number of settlements to their control. Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! For more than a week, Russian occupation forces have been attempting to bypass the city of Pokrovsk and attack the flanks of Ukrainian troops. The situation in this area is tense but under control. ADVERTISIMENT This was stated by Serhii Tsehotskyi, an officer of the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after Yakiv Handziuk, on the air of Espresso. According to him, the enemy is continuously conducting reconnaissance along the entire front line in search of weaknesses in the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Thus, on September 15, the occupants made 10 attempts to storm the positions of the 59th Mechanized Brigade alone. They also carried out 160 drone drops and slightly more shelling of Ukrainian positions. "So imagine this horror that is constantly on the battlefield," the officer emphasized. He said that the Russian army is now aiming to destroy the city's infrastructure by destroying overpasses (the other day, war criminals destroyed the second bridge in Pokrovsk). ADVERTISIMENT "The invader has always had this tactic of warfare to destroy and then try to enter. For more than a week now, the Russians have been trying to bypass Pokrovsk and attack the flanks the north and south, where they have concentrated their most powerful forces," added Tsehotskyi. He added that the enemy is primarily trying to break through the Ukrainian defense with its infantry, using the same small infantry groups. The task of the defenders is to identify and destroy such groups, which they do every day. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! UK manufacturers experienced a mixed start to the second half of 2024, with domestic orders weakening but exports performing well, according to the quarterly Make UK/BDO Manufacturing Outlook survey released on Monday. Factory output dropped to balance of -2% in the third quarter, down from +9% in the second quarter, marking the first time that production has contracted since late 2020, the report showed. UK orders recorded a balance of -4%, but export orders rose to +11%, with strong demand from the EU as manufacturers invest in plant and machinery, and electronic goods. However, confidence across the secod remains high, with the sentiment index rising to 7.1 from 6.9 previously. As such, the expected output balance figure is expected to surge to +33% for the coming quarter. BDO said that the "extraordinary turbulence" experienced over the past few years has hopefully stabilised. "While the output metric performance hasnt significantly grown in the first two quarters, the combination of consecutive positive quarters mixed with consistent demand conditions in the market led analysts to be quietly confident about growth staying the course," the survey said. "With little in the way of notable economic shocks occurring in the UK market over the past eight months, this confidence in consistency had been shared by economists and the industry alike, as measured by a remarkably positive and robust business confidence index." Belfast shipbuilder Harland & Wolff on Monday said it would enter administration this week after failing to find new cash sources. H&W said that it was insolvent and would appoint administrators from Teneo. "The absence of an appropriate funding structure following the rejection of the company's request for a 200m UK export finance facility has left the loss-making company in a difficult financial position," it said in a statement. The administration process referred only to Harland & Wolff Group Holdings and did not affect the core operational companies within the group, "all of which are expected to continue to trade in the ordinary course of their respective businesses". "In particular, the core operations undertaken by the four yards and Islandmagee (gas storage project) will continue to trade as usual." H&W has a 1.6bn contract to construct three Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ships with Navantia, the Spanish shipbuilder, which has a yard in Cadiz. The company in May dismissed "misleading and inaccurate" suggestions that it could close after a newspaper report stated the government was about to block a financial support package to keep the firm afloat. In a statement to "reassure shareholders" at the trime, H&W said talks continued "at pace" on the export development guarantee with all relevant government departments and financial institutions. "Management remain comfortable with progress on what is a complex and large transaction for all parties involved," it said, adding that it would update the market "in the next few weeks". H&W, was founded 162 years ago and famous for building the ill-fated 'Titanic' and its sisters 'Olympic' and 'Britannic'. Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com Keywords Studios , a provider of creative and technology services to the global video game and entertainment industries, reported a modest increase in first-half revenue in its interim results on Monday, but faced challenges with profitability. The AIM-traded company said revenue for the six months ended 30 June rose 6.6% to $440.4m, up from $413m in the same period last year. It said the growth was primarily driven by recent acquisitions, while organic revenue experienced a slight decline of 1.9%. Adjusted EBITDA fell 6.6% to $77.8m, with the adjusted EBITDA margin decreasing to 17.7% from 20.2% in the first half of 2023. Keywords Studios reported an operating loss of $18.7m - a significant downturn compared to an operating profit of $31.7m in the first half of last year. Adjusted operating profit also declined, by 9.6% to $57.4m, resulting in a margin of 13%, down from 15.4% year-on-year. The company attributed the decrease in profitability to moderated growth and delayed cost-saving measures from ongoing restructuring programmes. Despite the challenges, net cash reserves improved substantially to $102.5m, up from $12.4m in the first half of 2023. Adjusted free cash flow remained stable at $16m, and the adjusted cash conversion rate was consistent at 31%. Strategic partnerships continued to contribute positively, with increased spending from major clients. The company noted strong engagement with its AI-driven product solutions in its Globalise and Engage segments. It said the restructuring of its go-to-market approach in the Globalise division was progressing as planned, as it remained active in pursuing acquisition opportunities, having agreed to three acquisitions so far this year. Looking ahead, the firm said it was confident in achieving overall revenue growth for the full year. It said it anticipated improved performance in the second half as the industry recovered from slower content creation trends that had impacted spending. Cost management initiatives were expected to support margins, as the company maintained a positive outlook on its long-term growth trajectory. On 3 July, Keywords Studios agreed to a final cash acquisition offer from Houting UK (Bidco), a company indirectly owned by EQT's BPEA Fund VIII and co-investors CPP Investments and Rosa Investments. The offer price of 24.50 per share represented a significant increase from EQT's initial unsolicited proposals, and valued the company at around 2.1bn on a fully-diluted basis. Shareholders voted in favour of the acquisition on 30 August, and all necessary competition approvals had now been obtained. The transaction was expected to be completed on 23 October, with the firms shares set to be delisted the following day. In line with the terms of the acquisition, the Keywords Studios board did not declare an interim dividend. Keywords delivered solid growth in the first half despite the current mixed market backdrop, said chief executive officer Bertrand Bodson. This has resulted in lower activity levels across the industry, as clients recalibrated their operations and game portfolios, and meant that our organic growth was lower than originally anticipated, as flagged in July. We continued to make good progress against our strategy, enhancing our leading position in the market whilst expanding the use of technology within our business and on behalf of clients. Bodson said the firm had started to see the results of actions taken on costs, and expected to see a pick-up in activity levels as it moved into 2025. The transaction represents an exciting new chapter for the business as we continue our journey. There is no question that the long-standing support we received as a public company provided the fuel for our growth over the last 10 years, and we wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of the shareholders who have supported us since we listed on AIM in 2013 with just 16m of revenue, many of whom are still on the shareholder register. At 0947 BST, shares in Keywords Studios were up 0.16% at 2,430p. Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com. The younger, tormented minister mulling his position before the Labour government granted Heathrows third runway in 2009 might have been greatly relieved to know that, 15 years later, not a shovel would have touched the ground. But now, returning to power with a revamped energy and climate brief, Ed Miliband again finds himself in a cabinet which, many in aviation hope, may usher in bigger airports and more flights as well as enough CO2 emissions to outweigh any new solar farms. Guardian Employees as young as 16 should be automatically enroled into workplace pensions and there is a strong case for making their employers pay in even when they do not contribute themselves, according to a leading thinktank. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned that many current workers are on track for inadequate retirement incomes, with between 30% and 40% of private sector workers, 5 to 7 million people, likely to fall short of what is needed for a minimum standard of living. Guardian A 1.6bn contract to build three Royal Navy warships has been plunged into crisis as the company hired to assemble them teeters on the brink of administration. Harland & Wolff, the Belfast-based shipyard famous for building the Titanic, is understood to be preparing to file for administration as early as Monday amid concerns it will run out of cash by the end of this month. Telegraph ITV has launched an online shopping tool as it attempts to recover revenues lost by a decline in traditional advertising sales. The broadcaster has released a discount code service for online shoppers that will automatically add cost-saving promotions when making internet purchases. ITV will earn commissions when shoppers use the tool, called Kerching, which is available as a downloadable web browser extension. Telegraph Rachel Reeves has been warned that significant action is needed to stabilise the public finances in a report that calls for an overhaul of the fiscal regime, including scrapping stamp duty and reining in the pension triple lock. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said that the government faced mounting spending pressures stemming from higher health, pension and climate change costs. The Times A former high court judge leading a review into a 1 billion banking fraud has been warned that her inquiry risks losing the trust of victims after it emerged it is still receiving evidence in its eighth year. Dame Linda Dobbs, who is reviewing whether Lloyds Banking Group covered up a scam at HBOS, which it rescued in 2009, has been told that the protracted nature of the exercise risks benefiting alleged perpetrators and exacerbating the suffering of victims. The Times On September 12 and 13, 2024, India, led by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Ram Nath Thakur, held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G20 Agriculture Ministerial Meeting in Cuiaba, Brazil. Accompanied by Ambassador of India to Brazil, Shri Suresh Reddy, and Joint Secretary Shri Franklin L. Khobung, the delegation engaged with key global partners, including the USA, Brazil, Japan, Germany, the UK, Spain, and the UAE, to strengthen agricultural cooperation. The discussions began on September 12 with a meeting between Shri Thakur and Japan's Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, Shri Sakamoto. Both ministers reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation in technology adoption, food processing, cold storage, sustainability, and agricultural productivity in India. Shri Thakur raised the issue of market access for Indian pomegranates and grapes in Japan, while Minister Sakamoto requested Indias support in allowing Japanese cedar into the Indian market. Both sides expressed optimism about resolving these trade barriers to enhance bilateral agricultural collaboration. On September 13, Shri Thakur met with Brazils Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Shri Host Carlos Favaro. The two ministers reflected on the strong ties between India and Brazil, with Shri Thakur congratulating Brazil for successfully hosting the Agriculture Working Group (AWG) meetings under its G20 Presidency. Discussions centered on cooperation in science and technology, with both sides hopeful that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) would be finalized ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit in November. Brazil also showed keen interest in collaborating with India on ethanol production technology as part of the countries shared commitment to tackling climate change. India expressed a desire for increased market access to Brazil for agricultural products such as sorghum, rapeseed, cotton, wheat, barley, and onion bulbs, while Brazil sought access to India for citrus products. Both ministers were optimistic about resolving these issues to boost trade. On the same day, Shri Thakur also held talks with Ms. Xochitl Torres Small, the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture for the United States. Both sides agreed to advance the USDA and Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare (MA&FW) Dialogue initiative. They discussed cooperation in climate-smart agriculture, agricultural productivity growth, innovation, forecasting, and crop risk management. The US delegation praised India's concept note on these topics and agreed to share their expertise on crop insurance through exchange visits. Shri Thakur emphasized the need to address market access issues for Indian fruits and vegetables, while the US sought expedited access for alfalfa hay fodder to India. Both parties agreed to work together on resolving these trade issues through mutually agreed strategies. In a meeting with Germanys Parliamentary State Secretary, Ms. Ophelia Nick, Shri Thakur discussed the application of artificial intelligence in farming, agroecology, and organic farming. Both sides agreed on the importance of supporting small farmers, and Ms. Nick extended an invitation to Shri Thakur to participate in the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture in Berlin. In discussions with Shri Daniel Zeichner, the UKs Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, the Indian delegation focused on the role of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) in bringing scientific knowledge to farmers. Shri Zeichner expressed interest in learning from Indias agricultural extension models and proposed a joint workshop between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the UKs Agritech Centre to exchange knowledge. Both sides agreed to establish an institutional mechanism to further strengthen their agricultural partnership. During a meeting with Spains Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, H.E. Luis Planas, Shri Thakur received appreciation for Indias approval of veterinary certificates for dairy products. Spain expressed a desire for future collaboration on similar protocols, especially for meat products, and sought confirmation of cold storage in transit for oranges. Both ministers discussed potential areas of cooperation, including technology adoption, new genomic techniques, water-use efficiency, climate-resilient agriculture, and scientific research for seeds and plants. Shri Planas invited Shri Thakur to visit Madrid to further these discussions. The Indian delegation also met with H.E. Dr. Amna Al Dahak, the UAEs Minister of Environment and Climate, on September 12. Both sides agreed to enhance trade in agriculture and discussed market access issues, committing to resolving these through technical teams. The UAE expressed interest in collaborating with India on research and technology, particularly in vertical farming and high-yield technologies. Both countries also discussed the importance of sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems in securing long-term food security. JK Cement Ltd., a leading name in the building materials industry and one of India's top manufacturers of Grey Cement and the worlds largest White Cement producers, commemorated the 140-year legacy of its parent company, JK Organisation, in a grand event held in New Delhi. The occasion celebrated the groups monumental contributions across various sectors in India, its continued innovation, and the lasting impact of its employees and stakeholders. The celebration was graced by prominent dignitaries, industry leaders, employees, and other stakeholders. Among the distinguished guests was Lieutenant Governor of New Delhi, Mr. VK Saxena, who began his career at JK Cement, along with Mr. Rajeev Shukla, Member of the Rajya Sabha. Key figures from JK Organisation, including Dr. Nidhipati Singhania, Vice President of JK Organisation, Dr. Raghavpat Singhania, Managing Director of JK Cement, and Mr. Madhavkrishna Singhania, Joint MD and CEO of JK Cement, also attended the event to mark this significant milestone. Reflecting on JK Organisations rich journey, Dr. Nidhipati Singhania, Vice President of JK Organisation, spoke with pride about the companys core values of innovation, quality, and community service. As we celebrate 140 years of JK Organisation, we are filled with immense pride and gratitude for our legacy, which is rooted in values of innovation, quality, and service to the nation. Our journey has been as much about business success as about driving positive change in the communities and industries we serve. The milestones we have achieved reflect our continuous efforts in advancing Indias infrastructure and industrial landscape. The event also served as a platform to recognize the long-serving employees and partners who have devoted decades to the companys growth. This tribute highlighted the dedication and loyalty of those who have been integral to JK Organisation's rise, reinforcing the organisations foundational values of trust and collaboration. Their contributions have played a vital role in helping the company maintain its global leadership and build strong partnerships. Dr. Raghavpat Singhania, Managing Director of JK Cement, in his address, noted the historical significance of the year, which marks not only the 140th anniversary of JK Organisation but also 50 years in the Grey Cement business and 40 years in the White Cement sector. This year along with the 140 years milestone, also marks two significant milestones for us: 50 years of grey cement business and 40 years of white cement business, affirming our leadership in the industry. Our recent expansion into coal mining underscores our commitment to vertical integration and sustainable resource management. We are dedicated to not only adapting to the evolving landscape but also driving positive change and creating lasting value for all our stakeholders and the nation. In his speech, Mr. Madhavkrishna Singhania, Joint MD and CEO of JK Cement, emphasized the company's focus on technological innovation and sustainability. He reiterated JK Cements mission to leverage cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices to maintain its market leadership while contributing to India's growth. Our journey has been marked by resilience, adaptability, and a constant drive to exceed expectations. We're committed to leveraging cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices to not only maintain our market leadership but also to contribute significantly to India's progress. The trust of our stakeholders and the dedication of our team members have been instrumental in our success, and they will continue to be the pillars of our future endeavors". Shri VK Saxena, the Chief Guest at the event and Lieutenant Governor of New Delhi, shared his personal connection with the company, recalling his time at JK Cement as the starting point of his career. Its an honour for me to be part of this landmark celebration for a company where I started my career as an Assistant Officer in Gotan, Rajasthan and worked for 11 years in different capacities with its White Cement plant. This exposure gave me insights of a corporate working, faster decision making and team work, which has helped me throughout my various stints thereafter. I wish all the best to JK Cement for all their future endeavors in Nation Building. The Russian terrorist army continues an active offensive within the city limits of Vovchansk. At the same time, in other areas of the Kharkiv region, the enemy has slightly slowed down the pace of offensive actions. ADVERTISIMENT In Vovchansk, Putin's troops are trying to penetrate deep into the defense lines of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Vitalii Sarantsev, a spokesman for the Kharkiv operational and tactical group of troops, said this during a telethon. According to him, the Russians are attacking the city of Vovchansk, inflicting fire damage using various types of weapons. Street battles are also continuing in the town. The enemy is making efforts to break through the defense of Ukrainian troops and penetrate the rear positions. The Ukrainian Defense Forces inflict losses on the Russian occupiers and force the enemy to abandon their missions. Thanks to the successful actions of Ukrainian soldiers, the Russians were forced to reduce their activity and abandon their assault operations in some parts of the frontline in Kharkiv region. ADVERTISIMENT In addition, the Defense Forces are trying to move forward, improve their own tactical situation, and regularly inflict effective damage on enemy positions. "If we take other areas, such as Starytsia, Lyptsi, Hlyboke, Lukianske, the enemy is not taking any active steps there yet. But this does not mean that he has withdrawn and abandoned the offensive. No, he is building up his forces, he is conducting an internal rotation of units. Wherever possible, he is trying to carry out logistical support measures, build up the communication system, and increase the command and control system," explained the Ukrainian military. ADVERTISIMENT As a reminder, the Russian invaders in the Kharkiv sector are having big problems because of Ukrainian UAVs. The drone activity is particularly hampering the enemy in the Hlyboke-Lyptsi area. Earlier it was reported that in the Kharkiv sector of the frontline, the occupiers' assault groups from the 79th motorized rifle regiment of the 18th motorized rifle division of the Russian army refused to perform their tasks. Their command planned to resume assault operations. Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST) at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, marking a significant event in Indias renewable energy sector. In his address, Modi emphasized that the aspirations of the Indian people were a driving force behind the government's re-election for a third term. He highlighted that marginalized communities such as the poor and dalits see this governments third term as a promise for a dignified life. Modi underscored that the event was not merely an isolated occurrence but part of a broader vision and action plan aimed at transforming India into a developed nation by 2047. Modi reviewed the achievements of the government during the first 100 days of its latest term, noting that these initial actions reflect the administrations priorities and set the pace for Indias rapid development. He pointed out that the government has focused on advancing both physical and social infrastructure. In particular, Modi mentioned the ambitious plan to build 7 crore houses, surpassing the populations of many countries, with 4 crore houses already distributed in the previous terms. The Prime Minister also highlighted recent advancements in the green energy sector, including the launch of a viability gap funding scheme for offshore wind energy projects, valued at over Rs 7,000 crore. Additionally, India is progressing towards generating 31,000 megawatts of hydropower with an investment of Rs 12,000 crore. In his speech, Modi celebrated Gujarats historical role in the green energy revolution, noting that the state was the first in India to implement a Solar Policy. He also praised Gujarats early adoption of solar energy initiatives, even before they were considered globally. Modi remarked that Gujarats proactive approach included setting up a dedicated ministry for climate-related issues long before other regions. The Prime Minister lauded Indias achievement as the first G20 nation to meet its climate commitments set in the Paris Agreement, and that too, nine years ahead of schedule. He outlined the nations target to reach 500 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030 and emphasized that the green transition had become a mass movement in India. Modi introduced Indias PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme, a unique initiative where the government funds rooftop solar setups for households, allowing every home to become a power producer. He revealed that over 1.3 crore families had registered for the scheme, with installation completed in 3.25 lakh houses so far. The Prime Minister reiterated Indias commitment to sustainability, noting that despite being a developing economy, India chose not to evade its climate responsibilities. He expressed the nations intent not only to reach the top but to ensure long-term sustainability. Modi emphasized that Indias future energy strategy is based on renewable sources like solar, wind, nuclear, and hydro power, given the scarcity of oil and gas reserves. Modi also addressed the increasing demand for renewable energy in India, stating that the government is developing new policies to meet this demand and is committed to supporting the sector. He highlighted Indias efforts to provide 'Made in India' solutions and create numerous opportunities for growth and better returns. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Burlington, the national off-price department store retailer that operates more than 1,000 stores across the country, including three on Staten Island, has announced the launch of a national hiring initiative, aimed at filling approximately 24,000 seasonal jobs. Were thrilled to expand our nationwide hiring efforts as we seek to bring on talented individuals who will thrive in our dynamic and award-winning culture, Jason Wilcox, senior vice president of human resources, noted in a press release. Were looking for associates from all backgrounds and skill sets to join our growing team. If youre eager to advance your career in an inclusive, diverse and supportive environment, Burlington is the place for you. Headquartered in New Jersey, the company prides itself on offering an extensive selection of in-season, fashion-focused merchandise at up to 60% off other retailers prices. Stock includes womens ready-to-wear apparel, menswear, youth apparel, baby, beauty, footwear, accessories, home, toys, gifts and coats. According to the press release, all stores and distribution centers including the locations in Travis, New Springville and New Dorp - will be conducting interviews leading up to a nationwide hiring event on Sept. 24 and 25. The company will host another hiring push in late October. Burlington noted that 1,500 full-time seasonal warehouse associates are needed in their distribution centers and 23,000 part-time seasonal roles are available in stores -- including cashier associates, retail sales associates and retail stocking associates. Benefits includes competitive hourly wages, flexible shifts, associate discounts and opportunities for internal advancement. Interested candidates are directed to search and apply for positions at BurlingtonStores.jobs, where they will be assisted by Allison, Burlingtons virtual recruitment assistant. The NYPD is investigating a shooting in which one officer and three civilians were struck at a Brooklyn subway stop Sunday afternoon, ABC7 is reporting. The officer was reportedly shot in the upper right torso, the outlet is reporting. Three other people were also struck by gunfire on the Manhattan-bound platform at the Sutter Avenue L train station in Brownsville just after 3 p.m. The officers and other victims, including a woman whod been shot in the head, were transported to Brookdale University Hospital, the report said. AmNY reported that police believe the shooting resulted from a confrontation between a transit officer and an alleged fare evader. The publication went on to say its believed the fare evader produced a knife when the transit officer attempted to stop him. A second officer was taken to the hospital with non-shooting-related injuries, the report said. Four Philadelphia men are accused of running a cargo theft ring that broke into at least nine parked tractor-trailers along the New Jersey Turnpike to steal of meat, alcohol and seafood, authorities said. The crew is believed to be responsible for stealing millions of dollars in goods from trucks in New Jersey and neighboring states in the past three years, State Police said Monday. Troopers and State Police investigators were watching tractor-trailers at the Molly Pitcher Service area on the southbound Turnpike in Cranbury around 1:25 a.m. Friday when they saw four men trying to break into a truck to steal meat, officials said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- For more than 20 years, Richard Anderson has become a staunch advocate for brain injury awareness, ever since he suffered a traumatic brain injury himself after he was hit by a car while on vacation in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Anderson, of Princes Bay, was crossing the street from the beach boardwalk to the hotel when a driver barreled into him. The then-47-year-old was later diagnosed with an overlooked disorder called pseudobulbar affect (PBA) that can accompany a severe brain injury. PBA, which is characterized by involuntary and inappropriate crying or laughing episodes, is also seen in stroke patients, as well as in those with multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrigs disease) and Alzheimers disease. After the accident in 2004, the Great Kills Swim Club, where Anderson is a member, raised funds to help him recover. Anderson used some of those funds at the time to purchase a new flag pole for the club. Anderson has continued to raise awareness and funds to benefit the Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey (BIANJ) since he started volunteering there in 2008. Twenty years after his accident and the donation of the flag pole, Anderson purchased a new plaque for the pole to bring awareness to brain injuries. The plaque was presented at the Great Kills Swim Clubs final day of operation for the 2024 summer season on Saturday, Sept. 7. A closeup of the plaque is seen here. (Courtesy/Richard Anderson)Richard Anderson I thought that when people at the swim club were there, they walked in a locker rooms, theyre doing whatever theyre doing, and they would see it on the pole thats another way of advocating for brain awareness, by people looking at the pole, seeing the words and saying, Why is that there?, said Anderson. Its just another way. As part of his work with the BIANJ, Anderson has helped to organize events throughout Staten Island. Two Catholic schools on the borough partnered with Anderson in 2016 to organize a dress-down fundraiser, with proceeds benefitting the BIANJ. NEW YORK Six employees of New York Citys public school system took their children or grandchildren on trips to Disney World, New Orleans and other locations using tickets that were meant for homeless students, investigators said in a newly released report. The trips intended as enrichment for students living in shelters and other temporary housing also included excursions to Washington, D.C., Boston and Broadway shows, said Anastasia Coleman, the special commissioner of investigation for New York City schools. According to the report released this month, Linda Wilson, the Queens regional manager for the office that supports students in temporary housing, took her own children on trips that were paid for through grants for homeless students and encouraged employees she supervised to do the same but to keep quiet about it. What happens here stays with us, one staffer quoted Wilson as saying. Contacted by the New York Post, Wilson denied bringing her two daughters on trips or encouraging staff members to bring their children. Wilson called the special commissioners probe a witch hunt. The investigation began after a whistleblower brought a complaint in March 2019. The special commissioners report, which concerned trips that took place between 2016 and 2019, was completed in January 2023 but only made public on Sept. 9. The special commissioners office did not explain the lag in releasing the report and did not respond to requests for clarification. According to the report, Wilson forged permission slips to bring family members on trips and evaded city Department of Education oversight by using an outside agency to book travel arrangements. Some of the trips were intended as college tours, but the students and chaperones never actually visited the campuses, witnesses told the investigators. A group including Wilson and one of her daughters as well as other staff members and their children ate lunch at Syracuse University during a June 2018 trip but never toured the school, witnesses said. They left and went to Niagara Falls instead, according to the investigation. The special commissioners office recommended that Wilson and the other staff members faulted in the report be fired and that they be required to reimburse the school system for their family members trips. Wilson told the Post that she retired and was not fired. Jenna Lyle, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, told the Post, All staff identified in this report are no longer employed by New York City Public Schools. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Early voting dates have been officially released for New York City, making it that much easier for voters to cast their ballots ahead of the November election. According to the Board of Elections in the City of New York website, residents will have 10 days to vote, including Election Day on November 5. The early voting dates are as follows: Saturday, Oct. 26 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Then, on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, residents can vote from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. To see where your designated polling site is, click here. Voters will choose their favored candidate for president, either granting Republican nominee Donald Trump a second term or backing the potential first woman president, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. On a local level, the 11th Congressional District, the 23rd State Senate District, and the 63rd State Assembly District are up for grabs. In the 11th Congressional District, incumbent Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis seeks to defend her seat in Washington, D.C. against Democratic newcomer Andrea Morse. The 23rd State Senate District is a battle between incumbent Democrat Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton and Republican challenger Marko Kepi, who has been embroiled in controversy. As for the 63rd State Assembly District, incumbent Republican Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo is looking to keep his seat for a second term while Democrat Matthew Mobilia aims to uproot him. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- When people talk about states that could swing Novembers presidential election, they dont often mention Iowa, which many had believed was firmly in former President Donald Trumps grasp. But a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows Vice President Kamala Harris surging among Iowa voters, steadily chipping away at what had once appeared to be an insurmountable lead in the state. The poll showed Trump leading Harris by just four percentage points, 47% to 43%, marking a stunning shift from the publications June poll, when Trump was still matched up with President Joe Biden. The June poll showed Trump leading Biden by 18 points, 50% to 32%. I wouldnt say four points is comfortable, pollster J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., told the Des Moines Register. The race has tightened significantly. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has suspended his presidential campaign, but will remain on the ballot in Iowa, could complicate things come November, polling at 6% in the latest poll, a significant enough figure that it could end up impacting who claims the state. Trumps past performances in Iowa had led many to believe he had the state in the bag, winning by nine points in 2016 and eight points in 2020. As has been the case in many national and state-level polls, there continues to be a significant gender gap in voting preferences, with Trump leading among men, 59% to 32%, and Harris leading among women, 53% to 36%. In other encouraging signs for Harris, various demographic groups who favor her appear more inclined to vote in the upcoming election than they did during the June poll. There was an eight-point increase in likely voting among women, a 10-point increase in likely voting among Iowans younger than 45, a six-point increase among urban voters and a nine-point increase among voters with college degrees, all of which favor Harris. This poll may be catching newly energized voters who thought they would sit out the election at the time our June poll was taken, Selzer told the publication. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and spoke about the Russian-Ukrainian war. The politician said that Russia is "invincible" militarily and warned that further escalation would lead to irreparable consequences for all of humanity. ADVERTISIMENT In addition, Tokayev praised the peace plan of China and Brazil, which played into the hands of the aggressor country Russia. This was reported by the press service of the President of Kazakhstan. During the meeting with the head of the German government, Tokayev complained that a good chance to reach a truce was lost with the refusal to conclude the Istanbul agreement. He added that the opportunity for peace still exists. "It is a fact that Russia is militarily invincible. Further escalation of the war will lead to irreparable consequences for all of humanity and, above all, for all countries directly involved in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Unfortunately, a good chance to achieve at least a truce was lost with the refusal to sign the Istanbul Agreement. But the opportunity for peace still exists," the Kazakh president said. ADVERTISIMENT Tokayev said that it is necessary to carefully consider all peace initiatives of various states and come to a decision to stop hostilities. He added that only after the ceasefire should the discussion of territorial issues be moved. The President of Kazakhstan praised his country's cooperation with Russia and added that Kazakhstan has genuine sympathy for the Ukrainian people. Moreover, the politician said that "neighboring nations should live in peace and mutual understanding." "In our opinion, the peace plan of China and Brazil deserves support. Heads of state come and go, but nations, especially neighboring nations, should live in peace and mutual understanding. Kazakhstan shares the world's longest delimited land border with Russia, and our countries are developing cooperation within the framework of strategic partnership and alliance. Kazakhstan has a genuine sympathy for the Ukrainian people and their distinctive culture. There have never been any contradictions between our countries. Our country's embassy continues to operate in Kyiv," Tokayev said. ADVERTISIMENT To recap, in October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The heads of state may hold talks at the opening of the Beijing Defense Forum. As reported by OBOZ.UA, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy intends to present Ukraine's victory plan to US President Joe Biden and discuss the possibility of strengthening Kyiv's position before the second Peace Summit. In particular, they will talk about the powerful military and economic support of Ukraine from Western allies. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! As the results trickled in on Saturday night, Liverpool mayor Ned Mannoun was celebrating a miracle. Despite months of damaging headlines about the council an interim report from the Office of Local Government outlining widespread dysfunction and nepotism, which is now being challenged; attempts by Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig to get the council suspended; and the fallout from the sacking of chief executive John Ajaka, which enraged both the unions and Ray Hadley Mannoun, a Liberal whos been mayor in deep Labor territory for 10 years, looks set for another term. But an altercation out on the hustings last week between the mayor and a rival candidate escalated into a debate over the big questions facing Liverpools ratepayers whether Ned Mannoun smells, in the literal sense. And where he got his suit. This is the garbage bin of democracy after all, where the stakes are low and the intensity of the blood feuds high. Mannouns antagonist was a charming chap named Peter Ristevski, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor under the wholly unoriginal slogan Make Liverpool Great Again. A spokesperson for the Clean Energy Regulator defended its independence, culture and strong approach to managing conflicts of interest that includes compulsory annual declarations and training for new employees. It said 16 of the audits 17 recommendations had been implemented, with the final recommendation almost complete. We have a robust internal audit function, including governance through an Audit Committee, aimed at improving and providing assurance over the agencys control environment, the spokesperson said. Research by ANU law professor Andrew Macintosh found the majority of carbon projects were fraudulent. Credit: Vikky Wilkes Correspondence released under a separate freedom of information request reveals a senior CER employee was accused of intimidating and having robust conversations with scientists making submissions to the 2023 Chubb review into carbon credits. The review was launched after bombshell research by former Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee Chair Andrew Macintosh in 2022 found the majority of carbon projects were fraudulent, a massive waste of taxpayer funds and failing to abate emissions. The review ultimately found the system was broadly sound and an important policy for Australia to reach its net zero by 2050 target. The federal government then introduced a revamped safeguard mechanism the flagship policy to reduce industrial emissions that applies to the countrys top polluters. Under this, all emissions reductions can be achieved by purchasing offsets, delivering a windfall to carbon companies and minor cost (0.1 per cent) to major oil and gas profits. Correspondence obtained by this masthead reveals Professor Ian Chubb, who led the review, alerted Clean Energy Regulator chief executive David Parker to several attempts by senior staff at the regulator to influence scientists making policy submissions. I have been informed by multiple individuals that the Clean Energy Regulator has contacted at least one party that has made a submission to the ACCU review and sought to intimidate them and get them to retract or otherwise amend their submission, Chubb wrote to Parker in October 2022. Id be grateful if you can look into the matter. Five days later, Chubb contacted Parker with further allegations of CER staff making unauthorised approaches to the countrys top scientists. After our email exchanges last week were concluded, I was told that a member of the CER reached out to CSIRO, allegedly to seek to influence their submission that was then being finalised. Professor Ian Chubb. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Parker later confirmed that a CER staff member had contacted the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists about factually incorrect information in their submissions to the inquiry. The Wentworth group did not change their submission and Parker denied the staff member influenced the submission. He said the contact with Wentworth scientists occurred over several conversations and described aspects of those conversions as robust. The CER staff member apologised to the [scientist] about that aspect of the conversations. The officer concerned has indicated that they did not seek or intend to intimidate. Loading A spokesperson said these approaches were made by a former senior CER employee and pointed to public comments made by Parker in 2022 about communication with the Wentworth Group. He said scientists were culturally inclined to criticise and contest thats how scientific knowledge is advanced but did not mention the CSIRO. The Chubb review recommended splitting up the responsibilities of the CER which was established in 2012 and tasked with funding lowest cost abatement to avoid actual or perceived conflicts of interest after finding a serious downside to its expanding roles. The multiple roles of the CER, developing methods, regulating projects, and issuing ACCUs, and administering government purchase of [carbon credits], results in potential conflicts of interest and risks reduced confidence in scheme arrangements and governance, it found. Interviews with more than one dozen current and former staff within the Clean Energy Regulator, who could not be named because they were discussing internal matters, described change-averse leadership and a workplace culture that was cosy with the private sector. The staff questioned the regulators relationship with the carbon companies and industry lobby group, the Carbon Market Institute (CMI), which counts fossil fuel producers among its members. One employee said the regulator was overly reliant on the carbon companies and described the dynamic as regulatory capture. If youre mates, friendly, been with them on the journey, does that pose a risk for how well youre going to run compliance and be a regulator? said one employee who left in mid-2023. There was definitely that concern, that uneasiness. Loading Another employee described the client base as changing from Aussie battlers getting carbon credits to large carbon companies, which were easier to work with but reflected the increasingly corporate nature of the scheme. Some people in the agency would see it as a departure from the spiritual intent of the scheme. But practically speaking, you want to work with them theyre submitting paperwork on time. When youre working with that complexity, why wouldnt you? Analysis of the governments tender portal shows the CER has given around $1.5 million to the CMI over the past decade for a range of work including policy development, training, marketing and events sponsorship. Australian National University academic Don Butler said the government and regulator were captured by vested interests that was failing to deliver appropriate climate policy. People see this as a rort thats big enough and useful enough to government that its unlikely to be unwound, Butler said. The response that were seeing from people like the ... Carbon Market Institute and the regulator is really just about maintaining the confusion and just continually clouding the issue, rather than actually engaging with it. A spokesperson for the CMI said the carbon industry was heavily regulation and still evolving with continual improvements including significant reforms being implemented now after recent reviews. It is entirely appropriate and not uncommon for a regulator to work with the regulated industry. CMI works with the CER on good governance, best practice and ensuring regulatory reforms are well understood and support substantial high integrity investments. Slow to change The global carbon offsets market is now valued at of hundreds of billions of dollars and has been the subject of rolling controversies due to problems with ensuring carbon projects deliver real abatement. On Sunday, this masthead revealed allegations that some carbon companies had signed up Indigenous communities to unfair, long-term deals over the credits they generate through traditional burning. Butler said carving up the CER was positive but overall, the Chubb review was profoundly disappointing. They did a job for the government, which was to give it a clean bill of health. And enable the safeguard to get passed, Butler said. It was a tick. Butler said this structure exposed the CER to conflicts of interest. If theyre always looking for ways of unlocking cheap supply, this means cutting corners on integrity. He added that the relationship between the CER and CMI gives him the jitters. Weve seen several instances where the CMI and CER are making announcements and putting out press releases that are clearly orchestrated and come out in synchrony, Butler said. Theres that kind of ridiculous lack of distance with the regulator, who is really the only sheriff in town. A CER spokesperson said all tenders went through a competitive process and the CMI was selected to deliver the best value for money. Loading She said the CMI was a key stakeholder in the carbon market and one of many relationships the regulator has with industry bodies. In addition, the CMI administers a carbon industry code of conduct, including a complaints process, and we see voluntary self-regulation arrangements as positive to prevent bad behaviour or to deal with the same early, the spokesperson said. Staff though describe the CER workplace culture as really worried about public backlash, risk-averse and slow to change with a lack of leadership. Employees said the regulator often commissioned reviews only to ignore findings. It was slow and steady wins the race. But it wasnt winning any races, said one employee. Reviews became shelfware. Nothing was done about recommendations, said another employee who left in July. Top-level leadership was really poor and that trickled through the rest of the organisation, said another former employee who left last December. The CER spokesperson said it aimed to be a practical, grounded, quick and commercially savvy regulator and the culture was positive and innovative. The spokesperson pointed to a staff survey that found 83 per cent of respondents believed the agency has a good culture and 70 per cent said the agency encourages innovation. However, claims of unresponsiveness were supported by a separate report completed by the CER in February 2022, obtained by this masthead under freedom of information, that found inadequate use of lessons learnt process. Infrequent project retrospectives may result in learnings not being identified and applied to the project, it found. It isnt quite Shawshank, but the redemption of Australias two headline-grabbing society A-listers and once-convicted insider traders has taken another turn. Remember Oliver Curtis, whose publicist wife, Roxy Jacenko, became a Prada-wearing social media sensation during his trial, as he and his co-accused John Hartman were painted as an allegory of greed, youthful excess and cavalier attitude to wealth? Well, his financial resurrection has reached Lazarus proportions, courtesy of the latest deliverer of large and fresh fortunes, the artificial intelligence boom, and his investment in Singapore-based Firmus Technologies which is in the business of keeping data centres cool and helping reduce their carbon footprint. First taste of freedom: Oliver Curtis leaves Cooma Correctional Centre in June 2017. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Curtis became involved with Firmus in 2019 three years after walking out of Cooma Correctional Centre in southern NSW and his $250,000 punt has struck gold (metaphorically speaking), with his stake now valued at $81 million, as reported by The Australian Financial Review. Labors motion to bring the Help to Buy bill before the Senate has been defeated, sparking a furious attack from Employment Minister Murray Watt on the Greens. Shortly after 3pm, Penny Wong moved to suspend standing orders so the governments shared equity scheme could be voted on, but was defeated 41-19, delaying a final resolution on the bill. Only independent senator Tammy Tyrrell voted with Labor. Senator Penny Wong and Simon Birmingham spar in the Senate on Tuesday. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Immediately afterwards, Watt rose to his feet and said: What we saw happen was the Greens party, who say they care about young people, who say they care about housing look at them scurrying away from what theyve just done voting, not just with Peter Dutton and the Coalition, but with Senator Pauline Hanson and One Nation. Watt described those who voted against the government as an unbelievable alliance that included United Australia Party senator Ralph Babet. Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Murray Watt last month. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Weve had the extreme right of Australian politics and the extreme left of Australian politics pair up. For what purpose? To stop young Australians from being able to buy a home. Liberal senator Simon Birmingham said the vote showed the Albanese government had lost control and was unable to convince others of the merits of its plan. If, of course, hot air and rhetoric were homes, the housing crisis would be solved! Simon Birmingham during question time in the Senate today. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Birmingham said the Coalition thought the federal government should not be in the business of co-owning peoples homes. Greens senator Mereen Faruqi then spoke, attacking Labor for another political stunt. You dont have the numbers for anything because the Senate has decided that your bill will actually make things worse for 99.8 per cent of the 5 million renters that live in this country, she said. Senator Mehreen Faruqi. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen So you come in here and try and bulldoze the will of the Senate. As we said yesterday, the prime minister wants us all to get out of his way, but we are not getting out of his way to pass a bill that will make things much worse, that will increase housing prices. Labors proposed Help to Buy scheme seeks to allow the government to contribute up to 40 per cent of the purchase price of a new home, or 30 per cent for an existing home, for selected applicants. The scheme would be open to 10,000 applicants each financial year, up to a maximum of 40,000 places, and would save buyers from having to take out lenders mortgage insurance. The policy aims to help first home buyers with incomes of less than $90,000 for individuals and $120,000 for couples. It would cost taxpayers $324.6 million over four years, but it can only start operating after states and territories pass laws to support the federal law. His first two postings involved mastering two exacting (for Westerners) tonal languages. His language training at RAAF base at Point Cook south-west of Melbourne not only prepared him for two successful Asian tours but, via a blind date facilitated by his Harlequins Rugby mates, he met Susan White who would become the love of his life and mother of his two remarkable daughters. Peter was a man of multiple skills with next stop a leadership role in the finance industry as head of the national Credit Union body CUSCAL. He took on the big banks and won a fierce battle for access to the bankcard payments system. He also led a movement working with the two Regs Elliot and Fowler for structural rationalisation of the sector that translated into fewer, stronger credit unions. He then pivoted again to launch Political Reference Service (PRS), a successful information business for companies and organisations whereby subscribers would have anything said or published in or by the national parliament on their desk the same day or next. After selling PRS, he reverted to his primary passion outside of family, which, simply put, was better government. He believed transparent and accountable government was the bedrock of a decent society. Privacy policy, whistleblower legislation and related issues were integral to this interest/obsession. He also became one of the most sought after and respected trainers of senior public servants in Canberra, and elsewhere, on the art of public policy formulation. Concurrently he pursued a practice advocating for, training in, and advising on, all sides of the freedom of information (FOI) landscape. In short, he was the go-to man in Australia for FOI help and open government or transparency advice at whatever level one operated. His net was cast widely from his Potts Point eyrie: from journos grappling with a new reporting round to senior business figures and indeed, on several occasions, Paul Keating, one of the nations most celebrated and impactful prime ministers. The latter happened to live around the corner and would occasionally drop in on the Victoria St cafe confabulations of the Potts Point Posse a small group of foreign affairs alumni named Pocock, McDonald and Timmins with frequent guest appearances by Woolcott and Burdekin. In the noughties, Peter was an early leader in the Right to Know movement, worked on projects with the Australian Law Reform Commission and led the establishment of the Australian Open Government Partnership Network in 2015. Peter Timmins, FOI advocate. In 2017, to no ones surprise, he was awarded the Press Freedom Medal by the Australian Press Council, following on from the Heralds Kate McClymont the previous year. Peter advised the NSW government on implementing FOI legislation and consulted widely, both formally and informally, to journalists and others who sought to glean, nay extract, information from a local council, the state, or the feds. Although an excellent public speaker and facilitator he was never a show pony, just a humble and passionate believer in the concept that the community had a right to know what their elected governments were up to. He appeared in the press and on ABC radio and television over several decades and worked in the background voluntarily with many senior journalists, particularly at The Sydney Morning Herald, most notably Matthew Moore, Anne Davies and Linton Besser. Davies and Timmins worked on shining a light on the Angus Taylor-related Grassgate saga in Monaro NSW, also known as the Jam Land case, where critically endangered grasslands were cleared without approval. The fact that any Sydneysider with an immune disorder can now check which restaurants have been fined for poor hygiene practices before venturing out for a meal is a direct result of Peters passion for transparency and his collaboration with Matthew Moore. The two caused the NSW government to pass a law resulting in the NSW Food Authority publicly listing all fines issued in the last 12 months until then, they were a secret. Moore even had a Timmins-inspired Herald column, What They Wont Tell You! Peter was also a contributing writer for the Crikey publication. His most recent and final piece reeked of his frustration and disappointment with the current federal attorneys lack of progress on transparency, a sentiment shared by this writer. Peter was an outwardly stoic man of scholarship and calm measure. However, he would give vent to his mostly hidden inner-showman as he became in high demand for conducting hypotheticals as a training device for public and corporate clients to a Geoffrey Robinson standard. Peter Timmins, freedom of information and privacy advocate, in Pyrmont, 2008. Credit: Kate Geraghty His rugby prowess was a source of muted pride. He played in the backline of Randwick Galloping Greens all-conquering (save for the grand final) 1963 second-grade team, which included a Cleary (Denis, not Michael) and a Towers (Tom, not Cyril), among others. Legend has it he did play one game in the firsts, but we await verification. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that Ankara "without hesitation" supports Ukraine in its fight against Russia's full-scale invasion as a brotherly country. They want the war to end as soon as possible, but only based on respect for the "legitimate and legitimate interests of the Ukrainian people." ADVERTISIMENT This was stated by Basat Ozturk, Director General for International Security of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, at the forum of the Washington-based Atlantic Council Center on "Exploring Cooperation: Turkey and the West in the Black Sea". The diplomat emphasized that Turkey's support is not only due to the issue of Crimean Tatars. "We consider the entire Ukrainian people to be our sisters and brothers, and that's why I support them with all my heart. That is why we do not want to prolong this war. Of course, this does not mean that Ukraine should give up," the diplomat said. The representative of the Turkish Foreign Ministry emphasized that the end of the war should be sought in peace talks, but their outcome should be balanced and in line with Kyiv's interests. "No war lasts forever. In the context of concluding the peace of this war, the legitimate and legitimate interests of the Ukrainian people must also be respected. But we must also understand this. We must have a balanced result of these peace talks," Ozturk said. ADVERTISIMENT Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared his country's unwavering support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence. He also noted that the return of control over Crimea to Ukraine is a requirement of international law. Some observers called the Turkish president's words a "blow" to Russian dictator Putin. As reported by OBOZ.UA, earlier the media said that Turkey applied for membership in the BRICS a few months ago amid its frustration with the lack of progress in its long-term attempts to join the EU. In this way, Ankara seeks to strengthen its global influence and establish new ties beyond its traditional allies in the West, journalists' sources said. Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! ADVERTISIMENT Delhi: Victoria will provide cash incentives to universities and TAFEs to set up campuses and educate students overseas in a bid to circumvent Australias cap on international students. Premier Jacinta Allan announced the $5 million fund for offshore education while in Delhi, where she is spruiking a refresh of the Victorian governments India strategy, particularly in education, culture and technology. Premier Jacinta Allan is shown around Delhis historic Qutb precinct by Dr Navina Jafa on Monday. Credit: Kieran Rooney The Age is shadowing the premier this week as she meets with Indian and Australian delegates and visits holy sites. On Monday, Allan delivered the annual speech for the Australian India Institute to a room packed full of Indian business leaders, media and government officials. But on the day ANSA Homes entered liquidation, a building licence for DM Bespoke Pty Limited Contractor commenced, with Dylan as the director and sole shareholder. The former client questioned whether the company had been phoenixed, referring to the illegal practice of shifting assets from an indebted company to a new one. A Building Commission NSW spokesman, while not referring specifically to allegations of phoenxing, said the agency was making inquiries into allegations concerning Dylan Maloneys involvement in ANSA Homes contracts with consumers. Loading On August 20, seven days before the company appointed the liquidator, ANSA Homes sold and settled a HomeWorld display home in Marsden Park for $1.3 million. Corporate records show Mark Maloney is the sole owner and director of ANSA Homes. The registered place of business is a South Coogee address purchased by Maloney and his wife, Danielle, for nearly $10 million in 2021. The liquidators documents reveal Maloney stated there was only $56,842 in the bank, certifying that the information attached is true and complete. The liquidators, Andrew Spring and Peter Moore, told the Herald they were aware of the Marsden Park sale and had been advised that the proceedings were paid to the companys secured creditor, understood to be the National Australia Bank. The appointment is in its initial stages, but the liquidators investigations will review asset transactions prior to their appointment in due course, the pair said. Two more of the companys HomeWorld properties, in Box Hill and Leppington, are owned by Mardanhen Pty Ltd, which is controlled by holding company ANSA Holdings Pty Ltd, of which Mark Maloney is the director and his wife is the sole shareholder. On August 8, three weeks after it was sold, ANSA Homes Edmondson Park headquarters settled for $1.6 million. The property was held in Danielle Maloneys name. Three HomeWorld display sites claim they are owed nearly $50,000 by ANSA Homes. The report for creditors details $93,358 in inventory and $211,123 in other assets. However, despite the Marsden Park sale days before entering liquidation, according to claims by various clients contained in the report, the bulk of $1.1 million in ANSA Homes assets ($783,526) is debt owed by home owners, much of which is contested. Since being suspended, ANSA has allegedly pursued clients with half-finished homes for hundreds of thousands of dollars in disputed payments. One client claimed they were hit with a bill for $61,000 attached to a partial occupation certificate despite having no guarantee their home was free of mould. Mark Maloney declined multiple opportunities to comment. According to the Jirsch Sutherland report, more than $333,841.01 is owed to MCM Frame & Truss, another $205,658.97 is claimed by Dahlsens Building Centres, $183,670.70 by plasterboard contractor iPlasta, $178,328.88 by IKB Industries, also known as Impressive Kitchens, and $168,115.99 by Grahame Cook Plumbing Supplies. Loading None of these companies responded to requests for comment. One of the biggest creditors claims is a holding company called Beauhry Pty Ltd, claiming $252,000. Corporate records show the corporate entity is owned and run by Maloney. Through Beauhry, Maloney owns a string of developments in the town of Tahmoor, in the Wollondilly Shire. Mardanhen Pty Ltd, another holding company controlled solely by his wife Danielle, owns more developments on the same streets. A Building Commission spokesman said ANSA Homes and Mark Maloney were still being investigated for disciplinary action, with long-term suspension or cancellation possible if they were found to have breached the conditions of their licence. This includes using powers under the Home Building Act to investigate and determine if Mr Maloney no longer satisfies the requirements to hold a licence or certificate, he said. This assessment process considers compliance history, criminal convictions, bankruptcy and if an individual was a director of a company which entered external administration. Building Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said the Building Commission was aware of the matters raised but said it was inappropriate to comment on cases subject to ongoing regulatory action. The most affordable sea-change towns have been revealed in new data that show where city dwellers could be better off by moving and taking up local jobs. The Regional Australia Institute compared median home prices and median local incomes in each local government area of the regions and capital cities, as well as distance to the coast, distance to national parks and economic diversity of an area in its Good Life Guide, released on Tuesday. Evans Head in the Richmond Valley, in northern NSW, which is more affordable than Byron Bay. Credit: Danielle Smith On the coast of NSW, the most affordable region is the Richmond Valley, where the median home price of $530,000 is 10.3 times the median income of about $51,000, the research found. Its a contrast to Mosman, on Sydneys north shore, which also comes with beaches but at a price tag 33.6 times that of its incomes the highest ratio in Sydney. In this epochal year in America of political upheaval, the only thing we should not be shocked about is that there are huge shocks to the country. There will be more. Americans and everyone invested in that countrys future need to steel themselves for the events that will unfold. Hotel busboy Juan Romero (right) comes to the aid of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, as he lies on the floor of the Ambassador hotel in Los Angeles moments after he was shot. Credit: AP Many acute observers have already drawn parallels with the last presidential election year of seismic eruptions: 1968. An unpopular Democratic president, Lyndon Johnson, under siege from an immensely tragic war with no end in sight and no path to victory in November, announced he was leaving the field. His vice president, Hubert Humphrey, took up the partys mantle, only to be challenged by Robert F. Kennedy, brother of the president slain five years previously. The country was engulfed in the civil rights and anti-war movements. On April 4, Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in Memphis. On June 5, Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles. The country, divided in despair, turned to former vice president Richard Nixon, who won the election. Nixon adopted the message on a sign carried by a young girl at a Nixon rally that read, Bring us together again. The horrific events of 1968 inflicted immense damage on Americas political culture. It took years to recover. America would remain divided throughout the Nixon presidency, culminating in his resignation over the worst presidential scandal to that point in history, Watergate. Jimmy Carter was elected in 1976 with the slogan: Ill Never Lie To You. Carter said he wanted a government as good as its people. PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will sit in a Public meeting on September 12, 2024. The public meeting is scheduled for Monday at 10.00 hrs. in the Legislative Hall at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The agenda points are: 1. Incoming documents 2. Examination of credentials and admission of Members of Parliament All persons visiting the House of Parliament must adhere to the house rules. The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg. The parliamentary sessions will be carried live on TV 15, Soualiga Headlines, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the internet www.sxmparliament.org, www.pearlfmradio.sx and www.youtube.com/c/SintMaartenParliament PHILIPSBURG:--- The Inspectorate of Education has conducted a comprehensive Quality Inspection Report and presented it to Demissionair Minister of Education Lyndon Lewis. The report, finalized in June 2024, examines the quality of education in public schools across St. Maarten and provides detailed recommendations for improvement. The inspection occurred between October 2023 and March 2024 and included lesson observations, interviews, and desk research. In addition, the inspection team conducted a thorough review of school facilities and materials. The goal of this process was to ensure that all students receive a sufficient education by identifying weak and very weak schools and providing actionable recommendations for improvement. "The quality of education in our public schools is of utmost importance. This report serves as a reminder to school managers of their responsibilities and provides recommendations to help schools implement effective improvement plans," stated Demissionair Minister Lyndon Lewis. When we came into office, we faced several issues that have surfaced in the report and started to put plans in place to tackle these issues. Some could be handled in the short term; most require long-term decision-making and simple political will, which I have in abundance but wont get the opportunity to exercise. I wont be here for the long term, but the next Minister will face these same issues and will have to continue the work and cooperation with the inspectorate and public education in general, Lewis said. Overall Findings: A structured lesson plan template was not evident across the teacher population. Classroom management across the teacher population needs improvement. Inconsistencies were found in instructional procedures. Teachers did not consistently state the objectives of their lessons. Grammar and subject-verb agreement used by most teachers require improvement. The use of differentiated teaching methods is lacking. Student-teacher relationships in some cases were found to be poor. School climate and enthusiasm for learning need significant improvement. There is a lack of teacher motivation. Teachers are transferred between schools annually or mid-year, creating disruptions in learning. While Minister Lewis acknowledged the concerns highlighted in the report, he emphasized the Ministry's commitment to addressing these challenges. "This report is crucial, and I have shared it with the Council of Ministers for their review. I look forward to discussing the findings in detail to ensure that the quality of education in our public schools is not only improved but maintained at a high level," said Minister Lewis. "However, I will reserve further comments on specific actions until after the Council of Ministers has had the opportunity to review and discuss the necessary steps." The report also includes recommendations for improvement at three levels: School Management: To enhance leadership and management practices. Department of Education: To ensure that the education system is structured and supported effectively. Ministry of ECYS: To implement broader policy changes to address systemic issues in public education. Minister Lewis concluded, "We will keep the public informed as we make progress in improving the quality of education for our children in public schools. Our goal is to ensure that every student in St. Maarten receives the best possible education in a supportive and motivating environment." PHILIPSBURG:--- In a pivotal meeting held on Thursday, September 12, 2024, Vice Chair of the Council of Supervision of the Common Court, Kelvin Bloyden, officially presented the 2023 Financial Year Report to Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina of Sint Maarten. During the high-level discussion, Bloyden and the Prime Minister reviewed key developments outlined in the report. They exchanged insights on critical operational matters affecting the Common Court, which serves Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and the BES Islands. The meeting reaffirmed the collaborative efforts to strengthen judicial transparency and efficiency across the region. PHILIPSBURG:--- Twenty-two individuals from the National Recovery Program Bureaus (NRPB) Livelihood Restoration Plan this week began a transformative journey by pursuing English as a Second Language (ESL) at the University of St. Martin (USM). This initiative is a key part of NRPBs effort to support residents who were relocated from areas adjacent to the landfill. The relocation of this community was necessary for the NRPB to make crucial interventions in the waste management at the dump under the Emergency Debris Management Project (EDMP) in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, which devastated St. Maarten seven years ago. USMs ESL program has helped dozens of residents over the years to learn English or improve their English language skills. This initiative is about much more than learning a new language, said USM ESL Coordinator Corinne Lejeuz-van Putten. Its about empowering individuals with the skills they need to rebuild their lives and contribute meaningfully to the community. We are proud to support NRPB in this important endeavor. The resettled residents of Pond Island are being supported by NRPB according to World Bank guidelines, which ensure that they are either better off or, at the very least, not worse off after their relocation. In addition to ESL classes, NRPBs Livelihood Restoration Plan includes vocational courses such as Financial Literacy, Basic IT/Computer Operational Skills, and a Food Handlers Certification. The courses were chosen based on the skills of the relocated people with the intention of helping them to find employment or to create a supplemental source of income. This project is implemented by the NRPB on behalf of the Government of St. Maarten under the St. Maarten Trust Fund, which is financed by the Government of the Netherlands, and managed by the World Bank. The Livelihood Restoration Plan is part of the NRPBs broader Resettlement Action Plan that helped relocate these residents to better living conditions. The participants took placement tests last week to gauge their English proficiency and determine which level of the ESL course they would begin studying. ESL classes for everyone begin on September 23rd and are made up of three 2-hour sessions a week. The course focuses on speaking, listening, reading, and writing, providing a well-rounded foundation for students to enhance their English-speaking skills. With USMs commitment to small class sizes and personalized instruction, participants can expect guided support as they learn. Alvaro Vadillo, EDMP Project Manager at NRPB, expressed the organization's focus on restoring and improving the livelihoods of people affected by the Emergency Debris Management Project. By offering comprehensive programs such as ESL, we ensure that the individuals we resettled are supported and empowered to succeed. This initiative, guided by the World Banks safeguard policies, is part of our broader obligation to guarantee that the communities we work with are not left worse off. Knowing the participants are taking steps toward better futures demonstrates the positive impact of the Livelihood Restoration Plan. The collaboration between NRPB and USM reflects a shared goal of empowering St. Maarten residents to build better futures. The Livelihood Restoration Plan (LRP), with its focus on restoring and enhancing existing livelihoods, reflects the NRPBs commitment to supporting people affected by the EDMP by helping them continue what they know best while also providing opportunities for improvement and diversification. According to Dr. Gale T C Rigobert. Dean of Academics, USMs role in this initiative underscores its ongoing dedication to lifelong learning and community development. USM offers several degree programs in areas such as business, social work and education, along with GED courses, which equip people with high school equivalency diplomas. For more information on ESL and USM, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.usm.sx. Denmark will deliver the next batch of F-16s to the Ukrainian Air Force by the end of this year. The quantity and specific terms have not been disclosed. ADVERTISIMENT The announcement was made by Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen after a visit to Ukraine, DR reports. In total, his country has promised to provide 19 aircraft to Ukraine's defenders. In early August, the Defense Minister confirmed that the first planes were flying missions in Ukraine. Troels Lund Poulsen did not name their number. "Denmark will deliver an additional batch of F-16s in the second half of 2024," the Defense Minister said. He explained the lack of details by the need for "operational security". As reported by OBOZ.UA: Earlier, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said after a telephone conversation with his Romanian counterpart Angel Tilvar that there would be more F-16 fighters in our skies. A group of Ukrainian Armed Forces pilots is already undergoing training in Romania. ADVERTISIMENT The Netherlands included spare parts and other repair and maintenance materials for the F-16 in the latest military aid package. The list also included air-to-air missiles. Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! TikTok's US future hangs in balance at federal court Washington, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 TikTok will attempt to convince a federal court on Monday that a law requiring the video-sharing app to divest from its Chinese ownership or face a ban in the United States is unconstitutional. The fate of Americans' access to TikTok has become a prominent issue in the country's political debate, with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump opposing any ban of the wildly popular app. Democratic President Joe Biden, whose vice president Kamala Harris is running against Trump, signed the law that gives TikTok until January to shed its Chinese ownership or be expelled from the US market. ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, has stated it has no plans to sell TikTok, leaving the app's legal appeal -- focused on US guarantees for free speech -- as its only option for survival. A ban would likely provoke a strong response from the Chinese government and further strain US-China relations. A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear arguments from TikTok, ByteDance, and a group of users. They will primarily contend that the law violates free speech rights. The judges will decide the case in the coming weeks or months, but regardless of their decision, the case is likely to reach the US Supreme Court. "There is no question: the Act will force a shutdown of TikTok by January 19, 2025," TikTok's appeal stated, "silencing those who use the platform to communicate in ways that cannot be replicated elsewhere." TikTok also argued that even if divestiture were possible, the app "would still be reduced to a shell of its former self, stripped of the innovative and expressive technology that tailors content to each user." TikTok asserts that "the Constitution is on our side," as it pushes for a ruling that would favor the app and its 170 million American users. The US government counters that the law addresses national security concerns, not speech, and that ByteDance cannot claim First Amendment rights in the United States. "Given TikTok's broad reach within the United States, the capacity for China to use TikTok's features to achieve its overarching objective to undermine American interests creates a national-security threat of immense depth and scale," the US Justice Department wrote in its filing. The US argues that ByteDance could and would comply with Chinese government demands for data about US users, or yield to Chinese government pressure to censor or promote content on the platform. - 'Vote for Trump' - TikTok first faced scrutiny under former president Trump's administration, which tried unsuccessfully to ban it. That effort was halted when a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump's move, citing in part the potential infringement of free speech rights. Trump has since changed his position. "For all of those that want to save TikTok in America, vote for Trump," he said in a video post last week. In a measure of the app's popularity, Biden's reelection campaign created a TikTok account earlier this year. Biden has since stepped aside from his reelection bid, but Harris, running in his place, also maintains a presence on the app, having embraced social media as a means to communicate with younger voters. The new effort signed by Biden was designed to overcome the previous legal hurdles Trump faced, but some experts believe the US Supreme Court will have difficulty allowing national security considerations to outweigh free speech protections. Much of the US side's national security arguments are sealed, which "complicates efforts to evaluate" them, said professor Carl Tobias of the University of Richmond School of Law. "However, the US Supreme Court has generally been very cautious about accepting national security arguments when government regulation restricts First Amendment rights, especially involving the internet," he added. Prince William and Kate, with their children Louis, Charlotte and George, in the video announcing the end of the Princess of Wales chemotherapy treatment. Kate Middletons video announcing that she had finally finished her chemotherapy treatment has been greeted with relief and joy by all those who see her as the royal familys greatest asset and hope for its future. But the video has also triggered controversy. Put together by filmmaker and wedding specialist Will Warr, the footage has led many to wonder whether the Prince and Princess of Wales are embarking on a new strategy to communicate directly with the public, cutting out the media. I cant imagine the King doing such a thing, said senior royal affairs journalist Robert Jobson, author of the biography Catherine. The Princess of Wales. It was slightly incongruous, and some parts of the text didnt quite convince me, but overall, I think it was a good thing. The video moved many who saw it, its true, but is this the way the monarchy should do things? When the British royal family experiments with opening up to the public and exposing their private lives, there is invariably a divided reaction. Some are uncomfortable with an overly touchy-feely approach, while others see it as justifying their existence. According to The Times columnist James Marriot, we are so used to feeding on the intimate details of celebrities lives that any demand for privacy is considered an affront. Marriot is among those who believe that Middleton has fallen into the trap of making a sad concession to an insatiably hungry public. Although it was Kate who decided when and how she would reveal the end of her treatment, the video is a way of admitting that her private life is now everyones property. If there was a time when Prince William lashed out angrily at any photographer who tried to steal a snapshot of his children, the three-minute film that Kensington Palace posted on social networks offers an intimate look at their lives, controlled but inconceivable until now. In it, William and Catherine hang out, hold hands, kiss, laugh. They play with their children and are shown as an idyllic family facing misfortune and recovery together. In 1969, Queen Elizabeth II allowed the BBC cameras into her familys life to film a documentary simply titled Royal Family. It was the brainchild of William Heseltine, then press secretary at Buckingham Palace, who wanted to humanize the Windsors for a public that considered them haughty and aloof. A total of 37 million people saw the footage. Rumor has it as suggested in the Netflix series The Crown that the late queen immediately regretted the decision and ordered the BBC to archive the footage and not broadcast it again. Others, such as the late queens biographer, Robert Hardman, say this was not so. He claims that the palace was delighted with the documentarys impact but wanted to retain control of a product that was more family album than public property. But in the age of social media, it is difficult to put the genie back in the bottle once it is out. The Princess of Wales video feels like an attempt to meet social media on its own terms. Social media is, of course, the arena in which hunting Kate became a jolly global blood sport earlier this year, when despite having been explicitly told that she would not appear in public before Easter owing to significant illness the #BeKind brigade grew bored within weeks and whipped up a vicious feeding frenzy of conspiracy theories as to her absence and the reasons for it, columnist Marina Hyde wrote in The Guardian. A down-to earth Princess Despite growing up in a wealthy, upper-middle-class family, Kate Middleton comes from a more prosaic background than her husband, Prince William. She went to private schools, and her parents always gave her the best, but she understands what an ordinary life is. And I think thats important as we enter a world where new generations are questioning the idea of a hereditary monarchy, Jobson says. In a matter of 20 years, it will be challenged in places like Australia, Canada and New Zealand [where the British monarch is still the symbolic head of state], and Kates input will be very important in advising William. The Princess of Wales is the most appreciated royal figure in the U.K. According to the YouGov poll, which is regularly updated, her popularity is 71%. That of her husband, William, 69%. That of the King, Charles III, 56%. Middletons illness came at a time when her popularity was stratospheric. She occupied all the front pages and was being lauded by both the British and international media. The two months that she absented herself from public life to recover from an abdominal surgery, unleashed endless rumors and conspiracy theories about where she was and the state of her health. The sobriety with which she resurfaced in a video confirming her cancer diagnosis on March 22 contrasts sharply with this later production, which comes complete with slow motion, filters, music and rehearsed scenes. The royalists who are unconvinced by this recent release argue that the Princess of Wales has surrendered to the voracity of a certain public and has wrongly believed that the only way to satiate their curiosity is with a saccharine version of a painful, personal reality, which any fight against cancer must surely be. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Gaza rescuers say at least 18 killed in Israeli strikes Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 Gaza rescuers and medics said Israeli air strikes killed at least 18 people across the Palestinian territory overnight and on Monday morning, including 10 in one attack on a house. The 10 were killed and 15 others were injured when an air strike hit the home of the Al-Qassas family in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, a medic at Al-Awda hospital, where the bodies were brought, told AFP. Gaza's civil defence agency confirmed the death toll, with its spokesman Mahmud Bassal saying the strike took place on Monday morning. The agency said six Palestinians were killed in a similar air strike during the night on a house belonging to the Bassal family in Gaza City's Zeitun neighbourhood, a regular target of Israeli military raids since the war began in October. Two people were killed in another overnight air strike in Rafah that targeted a house belonging to the Abu Shaar family, the agency said. Several people were also wounded in these strikes, medics and rescuers said. Israeli air strikes and artillery shelling have continued relentlessly amid an impasse over a ceasefire deal to facilitate the release of remaining hostages in Gaza in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. The war in Gaza erupted after the October 7 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Militants also seized 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has so far killed at least 41,206 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, which does not provide a breakdown of civilian and militant deaths. EU to name new defence tsar - but is the job a dud? Brussels, Belgium, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 Faced with Russia's war on Ukraine, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has promised to name a designated defence commissioner as a key part of her new top team. The message is meant to be clear: Europe is serious about rearming. But while the position was originally billed as central to the EU's ambitions, there are now major doubts over how much power it will actually have. That has meant heavyweight EU member states no longer seem so keen to snaffle up the role, set to be unveiled as part of the bloc's new line-up in the coming days. "The idea of creating a new position of an exclusive defence commissioner reflects the growing importance of defence for Europe today," Burkard Schmitt, defence and security director at industry association ASD, told AFP. "While the ambition behind this idea is commendable, the key question is: what would it actually mean in practice?" said Schmitt, who was speaking in a personal capacity rather than for his organisation. For now, commission president von der Leyen has been tight-lipped about what exactly the job would entail. One thing is sure -- the new defence commissioner is not a sort of EU defence minister. The 27-nation bloc has no army of its own and is not planning to set up one any time soon. Instead the main focus will be overseeing efforts to try to bolster the continent's defence sector. During von der Leyen's first five years at the helm, the defence industry was part of a wide-ranging mandate overseen by powerful French commissioner Thierry Breton -- who dramatically quit Monday in a spat with von der Leyen. Even before Breton's walkout the defence brief was expected to be spun off to a dedicated new commissioner. - Show them the money? - Since Russia's tanks rolled into Ukraine in 2022, the defence push has become a major preoccupation in Europe. But after years of underinvestment, Europe has struggled to ratchet up capacity and remains a long way behind Russia in the race to churn out arms. Despite a slew of initiatives since Moscow's all-out invasion, the EU has yet to come up with the major sums needed to match its ambitions on defence. Countries jealously guard their defence industries and have been reluctant to cede more control in the sector to Brussels. While von der Leyen has estimated that the bloc will need to invest 500 billion euros ($550 billion) overall on defence over the next decade -- the figures on the table at an EU level are far below that. Convincing member states to spend chunks of their tightly guarded budgets on EU efforts will be a tough ask -- as will getting them to open up their national producers to competition. And unless the new commissioner has considerable funds to play with, their job risks lacking firepower. "Whether a dedicated defence commissioner will make a difference depends mainly on the budget allocated to that file," said Schmitt. "A defence budget of 100 billion would obviously have a bigger impact than a budget of 10 billion." - Turf war? - Experts say that to increase the heft of the new job von der Leyen could fold in other responsibilities. Those may include cyber security, protecting critical infrastructure, space, or efforts to boost the ability to transport troops from one part of Europe to another. "You can fatten out the portfolio beyond the perimeters that have been sketched out, that isn't too difficult," said Camille Grand, of the European Council on Foreign Relations. But whoever takes the new job could face a challenge carving out their niche in a turf war for influence in Brussels with some of the big names in the next commission. Looming on one side will likely be Paris' pick to replace Breton, current French foreign minister Stephane Sejourne. On the other will be new foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, whose role involves overseeing the bloc's security policy. "It's up to the president of the Commission to properly define the role," said Guntram Wolff of the Bruegel think tank. Diplomats say the questions swirling over the new job have seen EU powerhouses such as France and Poland switch their priorities to obtaining other positions -- with defence now a fall-back option. "I think it's a very attractive plan B for many," said one EU diplomat. Despite the doubts over the role, analysts said that given growing threats in the world, and since the United States may continue to step back from Europe, the defence gig was likely to be a mainstay in future administrations. "It's possible that the job will become more important and more significant over time," said Ian Lesser, Brussels head at the German Marshall Fund think tank. "I don't see it as a transient experiment." Israel warns time running out to halt battle with Hezbollah Jerusalem, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 Israel's defence minister told the United States that prospects for a halt in fighting with Hezbollah militants along the Lebanon border were dimming, his office said on Monday. Yoav Gallant told his ally, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, in a call that "the possibility for an agreed framework in the northern arena is running out as Hezbollah continues to 'tie itself' to Hamas", an Israeli defence ministry statement said. Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group has traded near-daily cross-border fire with Israeli forces since Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, sparking war in the Gaza Strip. The violence has killed hundreds of mostly fighters in Lebanon, and dozens of civilians and soldiers on the Israeli side. In Lebanon, most of the dead were fighters, while on the Israeli side, there were both fighters and civilians. The fighting has also forced tens of thousands of people on both sides to flee their homes. While rounds of talks mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt have been held to try to secure a truce in Gaza, there has been no suggestion of any negotiations to halt the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem said Saturday his group has "no intention of going to war", but if Israel does "unleash" one "there will be large losses on both sides". Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in the summer of 2006 that killed more than 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, as well as 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers. The Israeli defence ministry statement on Monday said Gallant "reiterated Israel's commitment to the removal of Hezbollah presence in southern Lebanon, and to enabling the safe return of Israel's northern communities to their homes." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the crisis in the north on Sunday, vowing that "the existing situation will not continue". "We will do everything necessary to return our residents safely to their homes," he said. After speaking with residents and authorities in the north, he said: "I hear the distress, I hear the cries. "The status quo will not continue. This requires a change in the balance of power on our northern border." Sweden says willing to lead NATO presence in Finland Stockholm, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 Sweden is ready to manage a future NATO land force in neighbouring Finland, which shares a border with Russia, the two newest members of the military alliance announced on Monday. The two Nordic nations dropped decades of military non-alignment and applied for NATO membership in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Finland become a member in 2023 and Sweden this year. NATO said in July that a so-called Forward Land Forces (FLF) presence should be developed in Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border with Russia. "This kind of military presence in a NATO country requires a framework nation which plays an important role in the implementation of the concept," Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen told a press conference. The countries said Finland had asked Sweden to manage the force. "The Swedish government has the ambition to take the role as a framework nation for a forward land force in Finland," Hakkanen's Swedish counterpart Pal Jonson told reporters. Jonson stressed the process was still in an "early stage" and details would be worked out inside NATO. There would also be further consultations with the Swedish parliament, he said. Hakkanen said details about the actual force would be clarified through planning with other NATO members, adding that the number of troops and their exact location had not yet been decided. NATO says it currently has eight such forward presences, or "multinational battlegroups", in Eastern Europe -- in Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. One dead in north Iraq strike blamed on Turkey Arbil, Iraq, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 One person was killed and two were wounded on Monday in a strike on a refugee camp in northern Iraq, the autonomous Kurdistan region's counter-terrorism service said, blaming Turkey. A member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was among the victims, the same source added, without specifying whether he was dead or wounded. The decades-long conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which Ankara and its Western allies consider a terrorist organisation, has often spilled over into northern Iraq. Both sides maintain military positions or rear bases in the north, primarily in the autonomous Kurdistan region. Monday morning's strike targeted a PKK meeting place in Makhmur camp, located in an area that is disputed between Baghdad and the Kurdish authorities. The counter-terrorism services said a "Turkish army drone" had killed one person and wounded two others, including a PKK member. Makhmur camp, seen by Ankara as a PKK stronghold, is regularly targeted by Turkish forces. It is in Nineveh province, about 60 kilometres (35 miles) southwest of Arbil, the Iraqi Kurdistan capital. For months, Ankara has been pressing Iraq to adopt a stronger position on the PKK. In March, Baghdad classified the group as a "banned organisation". In mid-August, Turkey and Iraq signed a military cooperation agreement to set up joint command and training centres to fight the PKK. Baghdad and Arbil have often been accused of turning a blind eye to maintain their strategic alliance with Turkey, a crucial trading parter. Israel minister tells visiting US envoy time 'running out' to stop Lebanon war Jerusalem, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told a visiting US envoy on Monday that prospects were dimming for a halt to nearly a year of fighting with Hamas ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Iran-backed Lebanese armed group has traded regular cross-border fire with Israeli forces since Hamas's October 7 attack sparked war in the Gaza Strip, in a campaign Hezbollah has said was in support of its Palestinian ally. Gallant on Monday met with visiting US envoy Amos Hochstein to discuss Israeli military operations against Hezbollah and the plight of Israelis displaced by the cross-border strikes, the defence ministry said in a statement. He "emphasised that the possibility for an agreement is running out as Hezbollah continues to 'tie itself' to Hamas, and refuses to end the conflict," the statement said. "Therefore, the only way left to ensure the return of Israel's northern communities to their homes, will be via military action." Earlier on Monday the ministry said Gallant delivered a similar message by phone to his US counterpart Lloyd Austin about time "running out" for an agreement that would end the conflict. While repeated rounds of talks mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt have sought a truce in Gaza, there have been no signs of progress in diplomacy aimed at halting the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. Hezbollah officials have said the group would stand down if a Gaza ceasefire is reached, while Israel insists it cannot allow militants to remain in the border area in Lebanon's south. The violence has killed hundreds of mostly fighters in Lebanon, and dozens of civilians and soldiers on the Israeli side. The fighting has also forced tens of thousands of people on both sides to flee their homes. Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem said Saturday his group has "no intention of going to war", but if Israel does "unleash" one "there will be large losses on both sides". Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in the summer of 2006 that killed more than 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, as well as 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers. The Israeli defence ministry statement about Gallant's call with Austin said the Israeli minister "reiterated Israel's commitment to the removal of Hezbollah presence in southern Lebanon, and to enabling the safe return of Israel's northern communities to their homes" after more than 11 months. - Tensions in cabinet - Monday's defence ministry statements came as several Israeli media including the left-leaning Haaretz daily reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was considering firing Gallant, which Netanyahu's office denied. Gallant, who had already survived an attempt by Netanyahu to dismiss him in March 2023, is among several Israeli officials who have been at odds with the prime minister on war policy. While Gallant, a former general, remains grimly committed to destroying Hamas over its October 7 attack, he has clashed with Netanyahu on the issue of Gaza's post-war governance and pressed the prime minister to declare a policy. Gallant has opposed any permanent Israeli occupation of Gaza, which Israel seized in 1967 before withdrawing troops and settlers in 2005, then imposing a crippling blockade and, after October 7, a siege. The Israeli defence minister had said that "the 'day after Hamas' will only be achieved with Palestinian entities taking control of Gaza, accompanied by international actors", rejecting long-term Israeli administration of the Palestinian territory. Israeli media last month quoted Gallant as telling a parliamentary committee that a deal to release hostages held in Gaza "is stalling... in part because of Israel", prompting Netanyahu's office to accuse Gallant of adopting an "anti-Israel narrative". Netanyahu on Sunday publicly addressed the crisis on Israel's northern border, saying at a cabinet meeting that the current situation was not sustainable. "The status quo will not continue. This requires a change in the balance of power on our northern border," said Netanyahu, without specifying how he planned to achieve it. Hamas chief says ready for 'long war' in Gaza Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar said Monday the Palestinian group had ample resources to sustain its fight against Israel, with support from Iran-backed regional allies, nearly a year into the Gaza war. Sinwar, who last month replaced slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, said in a letter to the group's Yemeni allies that "we have prepared ourselves to fight a long battle of attrition". Deadly fighting meanwhile raged on in the Gaza Strip, where medics and rescuers said Israeli strikes on Monday -- which the military has not commented on -- killed at least two dozen people. The latest strikes came as Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned that prospects for a halt in fighting with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon were dimming, yet again raising fears of a wider regional conflagration. Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told AFP at the weekend the group "has a high ability to continue" fighting despite losses, noting "the recruitment of new generations" to replace killed militants. Gallant last week said Hamas, whose October 7 attack triggered the war, "no longer exists" as a military formation in Gaza. Sinwar, in his letter to Yemen's Huthis, threatened that Iran-aligned groups in Gaza but also elsewhere in the region including Lebanon and Iraq would "break the will of Israel" after more than 11 months of war. Independent UN rights experts warned that Israel risked becoming an international "pariah" over its actions in Gaza and called on Western countries to ensure accountability. The October 7 attack on southern Israel that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Militants also seized 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,226 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not provide a breakdown of civilian and militant deaths. - Israel-Hezbollah tensions surge - Tensions have surged along Israel's northern border with Lebanon, amid fears the violence could explode into an all-our war. "The possibility for an agreement is running out as Hezbollah continues to tie itself to Hamas and refuses to end the conflict," Gallant told visiting US envoy Amos Hochstein, a defence ministry statement said. Israeli media outlets said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was considering firing Gallant, but the premier's office denied the reports. Gallant, who had already survived an attempt by Netanyahu to dismiss him in March 2023, is among several Israeli officials who have been at odds with the Israeli leader on war policy. Netanyahu told Hochstein later Monday he seeks a "fundamental change" in the security situation on Israel's northern border. Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group has traded near-daily cross-border fire with Israeli forces since October 7 in stated support of ally Hamas. Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem said Saturday his group has "no intention of going to war", but if Israel does "unleash" one "there will be large losses on both sides". The cross-border violence since early October has killed 624 people in Lebanon, mostly fighters but also including at least 141 civilians, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, including in the annexed Golan Heights, authorities have announced the deaths of at least 24 soldiers and 26 civilians. - Deadly strikes - In central Gaza, survivors scoured debris Monday after a strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp. Ten people were killed and 15 others were wounded when an air strike hit the Al-Qassas family home in Nuseirat in the morning, said a medic at Al-Awda Hospital, where the bodies were taken. "My house was hit while we were sleeping without any prior warning," said survivor Rashed al-Qassas. Gaza's civil defence said six Palestinians were killed in a similar strike at night on a house belonging to the Bassal family in Gaza City's Zeitun neighbourhood. Emergency services later reported six more deaths, with Al-Awda Hospital saying it received the bodies of three people killed in Israeli strikes on Nuseirat. The Gaza war has drawn in Iran-backed Hamas allies across the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Yemen's Huthis, who on Sunday claimed a rare missile attack on central Israel which caused no casualties. Netanyahu in response said: "They should have known by now that we charge a heavy price for any attempt to harm us." In July, a Huthi drone strike killed a civilian in Tel Aviv, at least 1,800 kilometres from Yemen, prompting retaliatory strikes that caused significant damage and deaths at Yemen's rebel-controlled Hodeida port. Since November the Huthis have targeted Israel and its perceived interests in stated solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, launching strikes that have disrupted global shipping through vital waterways off Yemen. In a televised speech, the Huthis' leader said the rebels and their regional allies were "preparing to do even more". "Our operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege on Gaza continue," Abdul Malik al-Huthi said. Every morning, Yazmin feels something in her chest that she finds difficult to describe. She gets in her car to start the day, while her daughter stays home. For the past week, she hasnt wanted to take her little girl to school. I feel more at ease leaving her locked up with the neighbor, instead of having to take her across Culiacan. But I go to work wanting to cry, not because of what might happen to me, but because I dont know if Ill see her again, she tells EL PAIS, on the condition that her real name not be published. But I dont cry, the civil servant clarifies. We work for the government and they havent given us permission to miss work. The life insurance they give me is worth less than 100,000 pesos [$5,000]. I keep thinking about what Im going to leave her what Im going to leave my daughter. You dont feel protected or supported. You literally feel nothing, she laments, on the other end of the phone. The Mexican state of Sinaloa has been plagued by violence and insecurity since Monday, September 9, when an internal war broke out between the two most powerful factions of the notorious cartel: the followers of Ismael El Mayo Zambada, versus Los Chapitos, the sons of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. The fracture has sown chaos in Culiacan the capital of the state in the northwest of Mexico and in several surrounding communities, leaving a trail of murders, forced disappearances, blockades by drug traffickers and clashes between criminal groups and the Armed Forces. Caught in the crossfire, the population has sunk into fear and uncertainty, despite the governments insistence that everything is calm and under control. Last week, the authorities acknowledged that at least 12 people have been killed, another dozen have been injured by bullets, while around 20 have disappeared. Still, they maintain that the violence is concentrated in certain areas and mainly affects factions fighting over the principal bastion of the Sinaloa Cartel. An elementary school, closed due to the wave of violence, on September 12, 2024. Jesus Bustamante (REUTERS) Theyre abducting innocent people, says Maria, a psychologist who lives in the north of Culiacan, one of the hot spots for drug violence. Last Monday, she notes, one of her acquaintances disappeared without a trace. His car was abandoned on one of the city streets. They mistook him for someone else and grabbed him, she say. He was missing for more than 20 hours, but at night, they told me they had found him that he was scared, but fine. Maria affirms that she has recognized other people in the missing persons reports that have been released over the past week. There are many people who havent appeared and who havent returned. We dont know if theyll come back, she adds. Violence has disrupted the lives of the inhabitants of Culiacan. Most people are afraid to go out to work, take their children to school, or buy something in a store. Its as if weve returned to the pandemic: from 7 p.m. onwards, youll find the main streets emptier. Its become an informal curfew, Maria says. Theres a collective psychosis: anxiety attacks, insomnia, stress, a fairly strong sense of fear... we werent prepared for this. Many families turn to their phones to report where they are and what theyre going to do, as well as to share information about what has happened in the last few hours. On social media, criticisms of the government, explicit images of crimes and reports of new clashes and blockades some real and others false are multiplying. At the beginning of the week, official information was scarce, or downplayed the extent of insecurity. All of this was exploited by the drug traffickers, who capitalize on the fear that they instill in the population. The authorities are on the back foot; the ones who set the tone are the criminal groups, says David Saucedo, a security analyst, in an interview with EL PAIS. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has acknowledged that the violence broke out because there are fights between two groups, but he also accused the media of magnifying the situation for the sake of sensationalism. Tell the people of Culiacan, of Sinaloa, that we have enough [of a security] presence to guarantee peace [and] tranquility, the president affirmed. Police and soldiers in the municipality of Costa Rica, south of Culiacan, after a confrontation with traffickers, on September 9, 2024. Jose Betanzos Zarate (Cuartoscuro) The beginning of the war Culiacan is no stranger to violence. Everything is tainted by drug trafficking in Sinaloa, said Ana Luz Ruelas professor emeritus at the Autonomous University of Sinaloa in a conversation with EL PAIS last month. Despite the normalization and permanent reach of organized crime, some episodes of violence have remained etched in the collective imagination. The Sinaloa Cartel rained fire in early-2023, following the capture of Ovidio Guzman, son of El Chapo. El Raton (the mouse) as the 34-year-old capo is known had already been arrested in 2019. But a violent response from the cartel which included prison riots, illicit checkpoints on major highways and murders led the authorities to decide to let him go, so as to avoid further damage. The latest war to ravage the state emerged following the unexpected capture of El Mayo and Joaquin Guzman Lopez Ovidios older brother, otherwise known as El Guero on July 25, in the United States. Zambada accused El Guero his godson of betraying him, ambushing him and handing him over to the U.S. authorities, after summoning him to a meeting with Governor Ruben Rocha and political leader Hector Cuen. Cuen was killed that same day. Rocha has denied having been present. After that, fears soared regarding El Mayos revenge: when it would come and whether it would involve another Culiacanazo, the word used to describe the outbreaks of violence that followed the two captures of Ovidio Guzman. Its been worse before, [but] its never lasted so long, explains Karla, a resident of the municipality of Costa Rica, south of Culiacan. On the morning of Monday, September 9, a confrontation on the main access road to that community resulted in two injured civilians and 15 bullet-ridden vehicles. On Tuesday night, the body of a decomposing person was found on the side of a road. On Wednesday, there was another scuffle between the security forces and armed civilians, the description used by the authorities to subtly refer to the cartels. On Thursday, the suspension of school activities in four municipalities Culiacan, Elota, Cosala and San Ignacio was decreed for the rest of the week. The narrative of the state authorities declares tranquility and minimizes the violent events. They dont understand that, after the capture of El Mayo, the entire context of Sinaloa changed: people have been waiting for the war since then, Adrian Lopez, director of the newspaper Noroeste, posted on social media. Four hours ago, I went out to buy tortillas at a store thats half-a-mile from my house. When I turned the first corner, I saw three patrol cars. I didnt know if they were cloned by the criminals, or actually belonged to the police. I froze: I didnt know what to do or where to go, Karla recalls, in an interview with EL PAIS. The sound of the bullets makes your skin crawl some were bursts, others were intermittent. It was chaos. Ive heard gunshots before, but not on this scale, she adds. What were experiencing is like a horror movie. Karla understands both sides of the interruption of school activities: shes a teacher and a mother. Like Yazmin, shes decided that her daughter should stay home. The local Education Department has been the target of criticism from teachers and parents, first ordering the suspension of classes in one of the citys sectors, then announcing a broader cancellation with little notice. After initially pushing for a return to in-person classes, the department finally resigned itself to postponing classes for another week. The Autonomous University of Sinaloa which has 70,000 students throughout the state has opted for virtual classes. Still, problems persist. Many students come from rural areas and dont have internet access. Others dont have credit on their phones, because their families havent been able to go out to work, Karla explains. We cannot demand that they go look for an internet cafe to send in their assignments we cannot expose them to any risk. Members of the Mexican Army and the National Guard protect a building in Culiacan, on September 7, 2024. Jose Betanzos (Cuartoscuro) Governor Rocha asked retailers to open their businesses, after the local branch of the National Chamber of Commerce warned that there were no minimum security conditions to avoid the paralysis of the local economy. The Union of Retailers of Culiacan estimates that the economic losses due to violence are over 800 million pesos ($40 million), while warning about a shortage of basic products. The local Union of Tenants estimates that 2,000 workers have resigned due to the violence, just in the center of the city. Oxxo the largest chain of convenience stores in Mexico and Latin America announced that it was going to take extreme measures to guarantee the safety of its employees and hoped that security conditions in the state would be restored to resume normal operations. Aeromexico announced a flexible policy to change flight schedules and routes to and from Culiacan. Coparmex the countrys main employers association denounced the lack of action by the authorities and demanded greater security guarantees amid the violence. The governor opted to cancel a concert in the citys main public square for the celebrations of Independence Day, on September 16. And the United States issued a travel alert, warning citizens not to visit the state. Those who do so are advised to be aware of [their] surroundings and maintain a high level of vigilance and keep a low profile. Old allies and new rivals After El Chapos extradition to the United States in 2017 and his life sentence being handed down in 2019, four of his sons stepped up in the business. Los Chapitos undertook an aggressive expansion strategy and moved away from the discreet style of other factions, such as the one led by El Mayo. Zambada made few public appearances in recent years, although, before his capture, he imposed with an iron fist a strict criminal governance in his territories, stretching out a wide network of corruption that allowed him to avoid jail for five decades. Guzmans heirs are considered to be a much more impulsive group, prone to public displays of power and ostentation. According to U.S. authorities, the Mayiza and the Chapiza as both groups are known have been at odds for years, but they coexisted under the same umbrella in the understanding that they were stronger together. For more than 50 years, [the relationship] has been impeccable, respectful and harmonious, to the point that there are [guardianships] and marriages between both families, said Jose Luis Rodriguez Meza El Chapos lawyer at the end of July. The capture of El Mayo changed everything. Amid the tensions and despite Zambadas calls for calm from prison, a dozen members of the Mayiza were killed in the weeks before hostilities intensified. Mausoleums of other bosses were desecrated and there were shootouts between armed civilians and the authorities. Security analysts, however, estimate that the firepower and presence of Zambadas group had been declining since before his arrest, compared to the better-armed and more powerful Los Chapitos. One of the hypotheses explaining the delayed outbreak of violence is that Ismael Zambada Sicairos alias Mayito Flaco, the supposed successor to his father postponed revenge to have time to arm himself and seal strategic alliances. A source linked to the Mayiza assured the CrashOut Media website that Mayito Flaco created a war council at the beginning of September with two new partners: Jose Gil Caro Quintero nephew of the notorious Rafael Caro Quintero and Isidro Meza Flores. Both are old enemies of El Chapo. According to this version, Flores people agreed to send 200 hitmen and Caro Quintero offered another 150 to fumigate Los Chapitos. Firefighters at the site of a torched delivery truck, on September 11, 2024. Jesus Bustamante (Reuters) Today, the focus isnt only on Sinaloa. The outbreaks of violence have spread to other states. Local populations are on tenterhooks to see how the Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel (CJNG) the main rival of the Sinaloa Cartel will move its pieces. Another possibility is that Los Chapitos will go on the offensive and seek to wipe out their adversaries, in order to take control of the entire criminal organization. There are also pending trials: El Chapo fell after the testimony in court of Jesus Rey Zambada and Vicente Vicentillo Zambada brother and son of El Mayo as well as other former collaborators. The authorities have acknowledged that the conflict exists and will continue, but havent given public explanations about it. Its a matter [to be resolved between the cartels]... [they must ensure] that they dont affect the population and that they also take care of themselves, President Lopez Obrador declared on Friday. He trusts that the arrival of hundreds of reinforcements from the Armed Forces will quell the violence. But the matter affects everyone. Even if you dont want to find out or dont know much about the Mayiza or the Chapiza, its what everyone is talking about. Were all thinking about what tomorrow will bring and when well be able to have a normal life, Maria laments. The days have become eternal and the nights are super short. Suddenly, you open your eyes and its daylight again and you dont know whats going to happen. Yazmin looks in the rearview mirror and side mirrors, speeding up to get to work faster. She trembles whenever a truck stops next to her. You start to see shootings, missing people, dead people. And, suddenly, the government tells you that nothings happening. We all knew that the atmosphere was tense, that at some point the war was going to happen. While the crossfire besieges Sinaloa, the United States has announced the transfer of El Mayo to the Eastern District Court of New York, the same one where El Chapo his former ally was convicted five years ago. 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Read our privacy notice CREATE ACCOUNT I'LL TRY LATER Already have an account? SIGN IN By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. My mum is here I thought it would be nice to go home, and of course in Scotland you also get really good value for money when it comes to property, she said. After being in a one bedroom flat with no outside space the idea of having somewhere with more room was really idyllic. If you look at the productivity, of course it's food production, but we also need to mitigate climate breakdown, we need to restore ecosystems so they can support food production, we need to mitigate against flooding, we need to address health and well-being Rebecca Wrigley, Rewilding Britain Ms Cooper said: Theyre speeding up returns for those who dont have a right to be there. Weve been doing that through the summer as well, so weve had a substantial increase in returns for people who dont have a right to be in the UK, because the rules need to be respected and enforced. The latest furor in the United States is over whether Haitian migrants are eating pets or not. This claim made by Donald Trump at the presidential debate on Tuesday which was watched by more than 67 million people was all it took for analysts to rush to check the facts, the media to flood Springfield authorities with calls about the accusation, social media users to create a horde of offensive AI images of Haitians running after Trump as he carries an armful of cats, gullible Republicans to ramp up protection for their pets and memes to joke that Haitians and by extension all migrants are people capable of anything. Amid all this noise, no one mentioned the fact that Haitians are one of the most displaced people in the world, and that since 2010, more than half a million have left their country. In the presidential debate, Trump turned the tragic issue of immigration into a farce. He said that in Springfield, a small city that has welcomed almost 20,000 immigrants in the last four years, many of them Haitians, are eating pets. Theyre eating the dogs the people that came in, theyre eating the cats. Theyre eating the pets of the people that live there, he said. J. D. Vance, Trumps running mate, made this same accusation to attack Kamala Harris and the Biden administrations policy at the southern border. Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldnt be in this country. Where is our border czar? he posted on X on September 9. Indeed, after the debate, Vance has continued to repeat the false claim and made clear that he plans on sticking to the story, regardless of whether or not it is true. The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then thats what Im going to do, he told CNNs Dana Bash on Sunday. When asked if he had made up the story, Vance said that it was based on the firsthand account of my constituents. I say that were creating a story, meaning were creating the American media focusing on it, he added. I didnt create 20,000 illegal migrants coming into Springfield thanks to Kamala Harriss policies. Her policies did that. Haitian migrants at a camp on the border between Mexico and Arizona. Adrees Latif (Reuters) Following the statements, the Haitian government condemned the discriminatory statements of the Republican candidate and other members of his party, and insisted that unfortunately, this is not the first time that compatriots abroad have fallen victim to disinformation campaigns, been stigmatized and dehumanized to serve electoral political interests. The statement stressed that such comments undermine the dignity of our compatriots and could endanger their lives. Organizations have long called on the United States to end its racist treatment of Haitian asylum seekers. A 2023 Amnesty International report said Haitian migrants are particularly affected by racism, xenophobia and systematic violence. Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, said at the time that racist migration and asylum policies only exacerbate the harm inflicted on these people. Today, figures suggest that one-sixth of Haitians live outside the country. In 2023, more than 731,000 Haitians were living in the United States, the fifth-largest foreign-born population in the U.S., representing 16% of the 4.6 million Caribbean immigrants, the largest number after Cubans, Dominicans and Jamaicans. Deportation flights The crisis in Haiti did not begin with the violence, internal displacement and gang attacks in February, nor with the assassination of president Jovenel Moise in 2021, but rather is a systemic and long-standing problem, stemming from the plunder and neglect of a country that has been ravaged by natural disasters and hit by constant economic crises. Amid this backdrop, the Biden administration has increased deportation flights to Haiti. According to Witness at the Border, around 227 deportation flights took place between 2021 and May 2022, a considerable number compared to the 37 flights recorded in 2020 and the 37 recorded in the first eight months of 2021. Witness at the Border reported that, between December 2022 and January 2024, the United States sent one deportation flight per month to Haiti. Haitian-Canadian lawyer Gabrielle Apollon, coordinator of the Hemispheric Network for Haitian Migrants Rights, told EL PAIS that it is essential to contextualize the issue of Haitian migration and recognize it as a problem for the entire hemisphere, which needs solutions from everyone. Haitians are fleeing violence in their country and heading to the United States, but they are also seeking refuge throughout Latin America, including Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and the entire Caribbean. As this is the year that marks the 40th anniversary of the Cartagena Declaration, there is an urgent need for the signatory countries to recognize Haitians as deserving of protection as refugees, Apollon said, in reference to the non-binding regional instrument for adopting refugees signed by 10 Latin American countries. The worsening humanitarian crisis in Haiti has led to a spike in Haitians fleeing the country, with many arriving in the United States irregularly. Although the Biden administration implemented pathways to help Haitians arrive in the country legally such as humanitarian parole, the Haitian Family Reunification Parole Program resumed in 2022, or Temporary Protected Status (TPS) the desperate situation on the Caribbean island is forcing people to flee by irregular routes that often pose a danger to their lives. From 2019 to 2021, Haitians made up the majority of the migrants crossing the Darien jungle, and in 2022 and 2023, they were among the top three nationalities to undertake the risky journey. In 2023, 46,422 Haitians entered the United States, up 107% from 2022 figures, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). But Haitians are not only entering over land: in fiscal year 2022, the Coast Guard intercepted nearly 7,200 Haitians at sea and more than 5,000 in the first months of 2023. Many have drowned on these routes. According to data from the United Nations Population Division, the United States was the main destination for Haitian migrants in 2020, followed by the Dominican Republic, Chile, Canada, France and Brazil. In the United States, Haitian migrants live mostly in the states of Florida, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Georgia. Today, many remain in Mexico waiting for their appointment with CBP One, a process that can take months and also puts them in a vulnerable situation. Indeed, Haitians suffer discrimination at every point of their journey. An Amnesty International report warned that the CBP One cell phone application placed Haitians at a disadvantage, as they may face a higher risk of experiencing racial discrimination and violence in northern Mexico, where they are systematically excluded from shelters, forcing them to live in camps with cruel conditions and exposing them to greater danger. The organization also points out that they have faced difficulties with the apps facial recognition technology that struggles to recognize Black faces. Likewise, several Haitian migrants have claimed to have been mistreated in US detention centers. The problem of discriminatory U.S. immigration policies towards Haitian nationals is not new. In the 1990s, Haitians were discriminated against and blamed for the spread of HIV. In 2021, a border guard on horseback was seen whipping Haitian migrants in the town of Del Rio, an image that immediately brought back memories of slavery in the U.S. Despite Bidens restrictive policies to stop migrant arrivals at the border, U.S. authorities encountered Haitians more than 76,100 times in fiscal year 2023. Washingtons latest joint efforts with the Panama government to stop the migrants crossing the Darien jungle have slowed the flows: according to a recent report, so far this year, Haiti is the fifth country of origin for people crossing the jungle, behind Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and China. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada Postal Code An exhibition called "Petar Beron. 200 years since the first edition of the Fish Primer," the first primer in modern Bulgarian, printed in Brasov in 1824, will open on Tuesday, September 17, at 18:00hrs, in the Glass Dome of the Romanian Academy Library. The event will take place in the presence of President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Julian Revalski, accompanied by a delegation of over 20 academicians, people of science and culture from Bulgaria on an official visit to the Romanian Academy. Attending on behalf of the Romanian Academy is Academy Vice-President Mircea Dumitru. The opening of the exhibition will be preceded by the signing of an agreement that renews a scientific collaboration partnership between the Romanian Academy and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The document will be signed by the presidents of the two academies, Ioan-Aurel Pop and Julian Revalski, at 16:00hrs, at the Academicians' Club. According to a press statement released by the Romanian Academy on Friday, the exhibition is based on books in the collection of the Central Library and on archival documents from the Saints Cyril and Methodius National Library and from the Archive of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The books are part of Bulgaria's cultural and historical heritage and are of great importance both to the Bulgarian nation and to the international community, introducing a revolutionary approach to teaching. Fourteen banners at the exhibition present the first edition of the "Primer with Various Instructions" (1824), known as the Fish primer because one of the illustrations, a whale, appeared on the back of the original edition. A series of panels are dedicated to the author, Petar Beron, a prominent scholar and educator during the Bulgarian National Renaissance, who understood that European education is essential for the rapid and successful development of the Bulgarian society. Organised by the Central Library of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences on the 155th anniversary of the Bulgarian Academy, established in Braila, on September 29, 1869, the free admission exhibition will be open throughout October 8 and can be visited from Monday to Friday, between 08:00hrs and 14:00hrs. Modular buildings for the temporary housing of four educational establishments will be made available to local communities in areas ravaged by recent floods, The government on Monday passed a decision under which modular buildings will be provided by the National Administration of State Reserves and Special Problems. "The location of the buildings will be established together with the local governments. Each temporarily housed educational establishment will have a capacity of 80 - 100 places. Children from the most affected areas will thus continue education in temporarily arranged spaces, until the situation returns to normal," according to the government. At its Monday's meeting, the government also passed a decision under which each family or single person affected by severe weather will receive aid worth RON 10,000. In case of loss of human lives, the family of the deceased person will get an additional RON 10,000 for each of their deceased members. For the payment of the aid, the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity got additional funds of RON 100 million from the Budgetary Reserve Fund at the disposal of the Government. Six people in Romania lost their lives as a result of the floods of the past few days, and hundreds of houses were ravaged by floods in Galati and Vaslui counties. Over 30 migrants were caught by border police officers from Arad over the weekend when they were trying to leave the country illegally, hiding in four trucks carrying goods and in the trunks of two cars, informs Agerpres. At the Border Crossing Point (PTF) Nadlac II, three trucks driven by two Turkish and one Romanian drivers and two cars registered in Romania were checked. The trucks contained furniture, car parts and an industrial machine being transported to Germany and France. "Following a thorough check of the means of transportation, a total of 32 foreign nationals were found hidden in the semi-trailers, among the goods transported, respectively in the trunks of the cars. The persons were picked up and transported to the sector headquarters for investigations where, following the checks, the border police established that they were Syrian nationals who intended to cross the state border fraudulently," Arad Border Police informed on Monday. Also, at the PTF Nadlac I, in a truck registered in Turkey, driven by a Turkish who was transporting fruit to the Czech Republic, two Syrians were found. In all cases, the drivers are being investigated for migrant smuggling, while the Syrians are being investigated for attempted fraudulent crossing of the state border. The Government will convene on Monday at 15:00 hrs at the Victoria Palace of Government, informs Agerpres. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has canceled his participation in the reopening of the Wienerberger brick factory in Satuc villgae, Buzau county, scheduled for Monday, and has called an extraordinary Government meeting. In the course of the morning, Ciolacu announced that the Government could convene in order to approve additional support measures for the victims of the floods. The prime minister mentioned that financial measures are to be approved. Romfilatelia introduces into circulation on Tuesday the joint stamp issue Romania-India, having as topic Folk costumes, according to a Romfilatelia press release sent to AGERPRES on Monday. The issue includes two postage stamps and a First Day Cover showing folk costumes belonging to well-known traditional wear from Romania and India. The postage stamps issue is registered as a remarkable cultural event meant to mark the anniversary of 75 years of Romanian-Indian diplomatic relations. Diplomatic relations experienced a visible dynamic, starting with 2013, when the Joint Declaration regarding the Extended Partnership between Romania and India was signed, in New Delhi. The meetings at governmental level, organized especially after the first mutual visits in 2018, led to the development of the Romanian-Indian collaboration in important fields such as: economy, trade, agriculture, petrochemical industry, culture, science and technology, higher education and research, tourism, etc. India currently ranks second in Romania's trade exchange with the Asian area. In the field of cultural cooperation, it is worth noting the Romanian Language, Culture and Civilization Lectureship at the University of Delhi, reopened in 2023, the Hindi Language Department at the University of Bucharest and the Cluj Centre for Indian Studies at Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, starting with December 2024. The postage stamp with the face value of Lei 4 shows a traditional ensemble of Indian costumes. The women's costume Lehenga Choli stands out: a skirt and blouse that represents a ceremonial costume. To the long, pleated, usually embroidered skirt is added a blouse cut to fit the body and an element representing a fabric (odhani), richly decorated with floral elements, which amplifies the elegance of the costume. The men's costume consists of the dhoti (similar to trousers) and the kurta, a loose, collarless shirt traditionally made of cotton or silk. It should be noted that the dhoti is fashioned out of unstitched cloth, with a length of around 4.5 meters, wrapped around the waist and the legs and knotted either in the front or the back. The postage stamp with the face value of Lei 6 reproduces the image of a set of costumes from Bihor, which includes, for the women's costume, the shirt (spatoi) and the skirts (poale) pleated on the waistband, with several frills. The long cashmere kerchief (basma) and then the suman (long wool coat) complete the costume. The men's costume, with a short shirt, wide trousers and a cloth apron (zadia), also includes the astrakhan hat and long boots. The First Day cover reproduces in its graphic a themed background with the flags of Romania and India. Representatives of the Department of Posts, the Ministry of Communications, within the Government of India, the Embassy of India in Bucharest and Romfilatelia institutional partner Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum collaborated in the development of this issue of postage stamps, which is available as of Tuesday in the Romfilatelia shop network in Bucharest, Bacau, Brasov, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, Timisoara as well as in the Romfilatelia online store, at https://romfilatelia.ro/store/. Editor's note: On Sept. 16, 1989, Debbye Turner became the first Miss Missouri to win the title of Miss America. Here is our original coverage from that event. Debbye Turner's coronation as Miss America came as anything but a surprise to her friends and teachers at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. In Columbia, she's known for her determination, intelligence and deep faith. ''And she's beautiful, of course,'' said Margaret Neimeyer, who was awed last year by Turner's presentation to students at Grant Elementary School in Columbia, where Neimeyer was principal until this fall. ''It was one of the most motivating talks I've ever heard,'' she said. ''Her message was that young people can do almost anything they want to if they are willing to work and stay in school.'' That theme was a fundamental element of Turner's presentation during the pageant, where she told judges that her mission would be ''motivating American youth to excellence.'' ''And she believes what she's saying because she herself has worked hard to achieve what she has set forth as objectives,'' said Neimeyer, who met Turner through her husband, Ken Neimeyer, associate dean of the veterinary school. Turner has finished her third year of that school's doctor of veterinary medicine program. She will complete her final year after her one-year reign as Miss America. The Neimeyers said they were glued to their television sets late Saturday night, ''absolutely cheering all the way'' as contestants were eliminated one by one. ''Debbye is a good person,'' said Ken Neimeyer. ''She is down to earth, realistic, articulate and goal-oriented.'' He said she ''trained for this pageant like an Olympic athlete,'' rising at 4:30 a.m. to work out, then practicing her presentations and polishing her marimba routine. ''There was no doubt in her mind that her goal was to be Miss America,'' he said. ''I don't think she talked about it a lot, but she had a very big determination to do it.'' Turner lives just on the edge of campus, in a big, red-brick house she shares with eight other students, all members of the Maranatha Campus Ministries, an international gospel faith organization. ''She's an example of a leader,'' said roommate Janet Holman. ''From the time she was 16, she set her sights on Miss America and on being a veterinarian, and she pursued it.'' Turner, a native of Jonesboro, Ark., is a veteran of seven pageants; she placed as runner-up in two Miss Arkansas competitions. She is the first Miss Missouri to win the Miss America Pageant. Holman said that Turner's days were filled with studies, work and pageant competition in the statewide contests, but that she still found time to work with young children in Bible study. Robert F. Kahrs, dean of the veterinary school, said he was ''proud and happy and a bit teary-eyed. ''Isn't it fantastic?'' he asked. Turner served as a volunteer in veterinary clinics and worked at McDonald's to pay tuition bills while an undergraduate at the University of Arkansas, he said. ''She has an upbeat attitude, innate intelligence and a charming, amiable personality,'' said Kahrs. ''Put that with a work ethic, and you have someone who decides what she's going to do and then does it. The crowning of Turner, who is black, showed that Americans are accepting blacks on a greater scale, said Ben Johnson, managing editor of the Columbia Missourian and the only black managing editor in Missouri of a non-minority newspaper. Turner published part of a diary in the paper, which is owned by the university's journalism school but circulates throughout Columbia. ''There's no question that Miss Turner will represent this university, this city and her people with class,'' Johnson said. ''When you think about it, she's going to reach thousands of people . . . millions of people. For so many kids, she will be what they know about black people.'' Before they were famous, the were Mizzou Tigers Close Sheryl Crow Sam Walton Jon Hamm Claire McCaskill Jay Nixon Gerald Boyd Jonathan Murray Debbye Turner Tom Berenger Chris Cooper Martin Heinrich Before they were famous, they were all Mizzou Tigers What do the founder of Walmart, a Miss America and an Academy Award winner all have in common? Tiger blood, and we don't mean the Charlie Sheen kind. And these are only graduates; sorry, no Brad Pitt, who dropped out just short of his degree. - Shy Hardiman Sheryl Crow Sam Walton Jon Hamm Claire McCaskill Jay Nixon Gerald Boyd Jonathan Murray Debbye Turner Tom Berenger Chris Cooper Martin Heinrich ST. LOUIS St. Louis Childrens Hospital will provide 1,000 free lockboxes over the next year to patients at risk of suicide or poisonings, both of which are increasingly taking the lives of Missouri children. The lockboxes are big enough to store several medicine containers or a handgun. Only those with a key to its padlock can open it. Families will be offered a lockbox when they come to the emergency department with a child experiencing a behavioral health crisis or accidental poisoning, health officials said. A locked box can be crucial to protecting older children, who may impulsively take medications as a form of self-harm or by accident, said Dr. Lindsay Clukies, a Washington University emergency medicine physician at St. Louis Childrens Hospital. The lockboxes are free thanks to a grant provided by the St. Louis Health Department. Missouri has seen an alarming increase in poisoning deaths among children younger than 18 in recent years, according to Missouris latest child fatality review report. For seven years prior to 2020, there were an average of 11 poisoning deaths a year. In 2022, that jumped to 62 a more than fourfold increase. Of those 62 poisoning deaths, 43 were ruled accidental, and the rest intentional. The synthetic opioid fentanyl was involved in many of the deaths, the report showed. Fentanyl is prescribed as a pain reliever in shot, pill, powder, lozenge or patch form. It is more potent than morphine, and even the smallest adult dosage is enough to kill a child, Clukies said. Trade names for prescription fentanyl include Actiq, Duragesic and Sublimaze. Many illegal opioids can also be laced with fentanyl. The number of suicides among children also increased between 2020 and 2022, from 35 to 42. Of those 42 suicides, 25 involved a firearm and four involved poisonings. That is unacceptable, said Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, St. Louis director of health. We are pleased to work with St. Louis Childrens Hospital to provide another way for parents to keep their children safe while preventing unnecessary injuries and deaths. The lockboxes come on the heels of a program the emergency department at St. Louis Childrens Hospital launched in 2020 to provide free gun locks to families. The program has since expanded to include 20 locations across the BJC HealthCare system. The hope, health officials say, is that the lockbox program is successful and will also expand. Clukies also encouraged families to educate themselves on how to prevent poisonings, signs of overdose and what to do in case of an emergency. Children die from fentanyl because the drug slows and eventually stops their breathing. Symptoms of ingesting fentanyl included drowsiness, loss of consciousness, confusion, difficulty breathing and small pupils. In addition to immediately calling 911, Clukies said, another safety measure is to keep Narcan, a nasal spray that works quickly to reverse opioid overdose, at home. This can be used for children and adults. Clukies encourages administering Narcan if there is any concern about exposure even if your child is not showing symptoms. Symptoms develop so quickly, and it takes such a small dose in kids to cause significant issues and respiratory failure, she said. In addition to keeping medications locked away at home, be aware of what medications and supplements are in the homes of family and friends and how theyre stored. Clukies acknowledge such conversations can be uncomfortable, but they are important in preventing exposure. Using a neutral and nonjudgmental tone helps. Finally, dispose of any old medications. The items can be taken to any drug take-back locations listed on the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations website. KYODO NEWS - Sep 16, 2024 - 18:45 | All, Japan Former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is the top choice to lead the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, a Kyodo News poll of party supporters and lawmakers showed Monday, ahead of its leadership vote on Sept. 23. Four candidates are vying for the role, with the winner set to guide the left-leaning CDPJ in a general election if the victor of the conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Sept. 27 leadership race dissolves the House of Representatives shortly after becoming prime minister. The telephone survey conducted for two days from Sunday showed Noda -- who led Japan from 2011 to 2012 when the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan, predecessor of the CDPJ, was in power -- with a commanding 58.8 percent backing from party supporters. Noda aims to shift the center-left party slightly rightward to attract moderate conservatives unhappy with the LDP, which has eroded public trust in politics due to a high-profile slush fund scandal. In second place among party supporters with 20.9 percent was former CDPJ leader Yukio Edano. The founder of the party, who has emphasized the importance of "grassroots democracy," is believed to have the backing of the liberal wing within the CDPJ. Harumi Yoshida, a first-term lower house lawmaker and the only woman in the race, came in third at 7.8 percent. Incumbent leader Kenta Izumi, who struggled to gain the recommendation of 20 party lawmakers to run in the presidential race, was last at 7.6 percent. Despite strong popularity among CDPJ supporters, interviews with its 136 lawmakers, who hold a significant share of the first-round vote under the party's election system, suggest Noda's path is not yet assured, although about 40 expressed backing for him. Around 30 lawmakers voiced support for Edano, while Yoshida and Izumi each have the backing of about 20 lawmakers. But with around 20 percent of lawmakers yet to decide who they would back in the vote, it remains unclear who will ultimately be chosen as leader. The CDPJ leader will be selected with the votes of lawmakers and general election candidates accounting for half of the 740 points available. The other half is distributed among local assembly and rank-and-file members who can vote by mail or online in advance. Should no candidate obtain an outright majority, the top two will enter a runoff to select a winner on the same day. Related coverage: Takaichi tops Kyodo poll of LDP supporters as most fit to be Japan PM Japan PM hopefuls eye ties with like-minded nations amid China rise Japan main opposition party begins leadership race, eyes gov't change Joe Holleman Political correspondent/columnist Follow Joe Holleman Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Whatever the problem might be snow, rain, heat, gloom of night four Republican members of U.S. Congress who represent the St. Louis area have put their stamp on complaints about mail delivery. U.S. Reps. Ann Wagner, Town and Country; Jason Smith, Salem; Blaine Luetkemeyer, St. Elizabeth; and Sam Graves, Tarkio, last week wrote to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, asking for major changes to fix unreliable mail service in eastern Missouri. The letter specifically wants the postal services Office of Inspector General to audit the mail sorting and distribution center in Hazelwood. A specific issue with the legislators is reports that there was an increase in undelivered election mail in the U.S., including absentee ballots, during the August primaries. We are deeply concerned about reports that USPS has not effectively engaged with local election authorities as it has in prior elections and that this lack of communication resulted in USPS not realizing these failures until it was too late, the letter states. Along with wanting the audit of the Hazelwood facility, the lawmakers also are concerned with how the USPS plan to save $3 billion annually will affect delivery to rural areas. It defies common sense that there is anyone in USPS leadership that can still honestly believe the best path forward is to further consolidate operations at these failing sorting and delivery centers without any real plan to improve service, the lawmakers wrote. Joining the complaining contingent is U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, who wrote to DeJoy to complain about rural mail delivery. I am alarmed by the possibility you would implement additional changes to further degrade service quality at a time when USPS is failing to deliver Missourians mail in a consistent and reliable manner, Hawley wrote last week. Illinois U.S. Sens. Richard Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, both Democrats, also have sent similar letters to DeJoy. Hawley said the postal services plan to reduce the number of trips its trucks make to rural areas could delay deliveries by up to 24 hours. That would be wholly unacceptable, he wrote. The Post-Dispatch has published the 2024 edition of its annual Public Pay database, covering hundreds of thousands of government employees. You can find the database at stltoday.com/pay. The Post-Dispatch submitted requests for payroll records covering more than 130 government agencies, ranging from small towns to school districts to the states of Missouri and Illinois. Readers can search the database to find the total amount earned during the 2023 calendar year by elected officials or full-time public employees ranging from librarians to firefighters to custodians. It also includes other helpful information, such as the median pay at each agency or department or details about public school teachers experience. The Post-Dispatch has published its public pay database annually since 2016. The project serves as a form of public accountability and helps the public see how tax money is being spent. In Missouri and Illinois, payroll information is considered an open record, and state laws require that public agencies release it upon request. Five small municipalities in St. Louis County Bellerive Acres, Champ, Country Life Acres, Huntleigh and Westwood are not included in the database because they dont pay any full-time employees or elected officials. Most agencies provided the Post-Dispatch with the data it requested within a reasonable amount of time, with the notable exception of St. Louis city. This year, the citys Sunshine Department took 140 days to provide the requested pay records, a full month longer than the 109 days it took last year. In contrast, St. Louis County, which has a similar number of employees, fulfilled the same request in just seven days. During those 140 days, the citys sunshine coordinator, Joseph Sims, never provided a detailed explanation of the cause of the delay, as required by state law. Instead, each week, he sent the newspaper a templated response bumping up by one week his estimate of the earliest time and date the records would be made available. The city released the records in July, a day after a reporter began directly contacting officials in the citys personnel department. A spokesperson for the personnel department acknowledged this week that the 140-day response time was far from ideal. (S)everal factors, including the complexity of the information requested and the coordination across multiple departments, contributed to this delay, personnel spokesperson Jamie McGeechan wrote in a statement, adding that they were reviewing internal process to identify areas for improvement. We understand that timely responses are critical in maintaining the publics trust, and we are committed to addressing any procedural challenges that may have caused the delay, McGeechan said. JEFFERSON CITY A plan by a St. Louis County candidate for the Missouri Senate to tear down a historic home in Jefferson City and replace it with a new residence is drawing fire from preservationists as well as his Democratic opponent in the Nov. 5 election. Former state Rep. David Gregory and wife, Paige Gregory, have proposed building Paiges Castle to replace a 141-year-old home at 401 East Capitol Avenue, just blocks from the Missouri Capitol. Its been said that every woman deserves a castle begins a proposal by the couple to the Jefferson City Council. David Gregory believes this and is making it a reality. In a Facebook post, the nonprofit Historic City of Jefferson, a preservationist group, calls the planned structure out of character for East Capitol Avenue, a stretch of historic homes in the capital city where many structures sit vacant and where a 2019 tornado set back redevelopment efforts. The plan ignores local citizens and developers that are currently invested in the area, or the local developers that proposed to restore the current structure, the Facebook post said. In their vision statement describing their proposal, the Gregorys write that Davids service in the Missouri House of Representatives kept him from his wife, Paige, for half of each year. He vowed to her that, if he ever returned, he would build her another home so she and their family could always be with him, the plan said. David is on a mission to build Paige her castle and create a new, historic trend for Jefferson City living. The plan goes on to say the company is seeking to buy 401 East Capitol and/or 405 East Capitol and/or 113 Adams. The plan says ideally 401 East Capitol would be used for Paiges Castle, which will be the first phase of the project. The second phase calls for an equally themed Carriage House at 113 Adams. They also want an equally themed space at 405 East Capitol. The plan goes on to say David Gregory plans on self-occupying Paiges Castle and making it available for leasing on a peer-to-peer rental platform such as Airbnb. The developer is listed as PG & Co. LC, managed by David Gregory. In a statement to the Post-Dispatch, Gregory said, With the very recent arrival of our eight-month-old daughter, Im focused more than ever on my wife, my daughter and my district to ensure we all have the future we deserve. Im proud to build a home away from home for my family to be with me as I serve my district in Jefferson City. The City Council is scheduled to meet Monday evening. Meeting materials showed a bill introduced to authorize the development agreement with LLCs controlled by PG & Co., LC for the three properties in question. There is concern that the council will vote to suspend the rules and approve these contracts on the 16th rather than wait the normal two weeks, the Facebook post by the historic preservation group said. A spokesperson for Gregorys opponent in the state Senate race, Democrat Joe Pereles, blasted the plans. The voters get to decide who will go to Jefferson City on November 5th, not David Gregory, said Megan Shackelford, spokeswoman for Pereles. Perhaps he is finding projects outside of the district to avoid explaining to voters why he believes victims of rape and incest should not have access to the health care they need, she said. Gregory, who served three terms in the Missouri House and lost a 2022 bid for state auditor, voted for the current abortion ban that outlaws all abortions except in medical emergencies. The race for the 15th Senate District is on the same ballot as Amendment 3, which would reverse the abortion ban. The district, currently held by term-limited state Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, is viewed as one of the most competitive state Senate contests this year. It includes municipalities such as Chesterfield, Wildwood, Ballwin, Manchester and Ellisville. Joe is focused squarely on talking with voters over the next seven weeks, not building castles in Jefferson City, Shackelford said in an email. Gregory said, Clearly, my opponent wants to talk about my family because he doesnt want to talk about the liberal policies he supports that hurt families in my district. Michel Anondraka, director general of agriculture and livestock at Madagascar's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, receives an interview with Xinhua in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Sept. 11, 2024. (Photo by Sitraka Rajaonarison/Xinhua) ANTANANARIVO, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's huge market for Madagascar's mutton and goat meat would boost production for local livestock farmers and speed up the African country's agricultural modernization, said Michel Anondraka, director general of agriculture and livestock at Madagascar's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, in a recent interview with Xinhua. A shipment of frozen mutton and goat meat from Madagascar was cleared through customs Sunday in Changsha, the capital of central China's Hunan Province, marking China's first imports of these types of meat from Africa and an important step forward in the meat trade between China and Africa. "Thanks to this export, (Madagascar's) livestock farmers will have a secure market, which will boost their production, increase their income, and earn more foreign currency," said Anondraka. Historically, Madagascar has exported live animals to neighboring islands such as Mauritius and Comoros, but this time it is a much larger market. The senior Malagasy official said this transition to exporting meat instead of live animals will retain more added value in the country. "With China, exporting meat has an additional advantage: the by-products remain in Madagascar and can be used locally," he said. Anondraka stressed that maintaining high health standards is crucial to reassure Chinese consumers and "perpetuate" the export. "We are going to make every effort to guarantee the quality and safety of exported products in order to avoid any obstacles to this trade," he said. The director general hoped to take Sino-Malagasy cooperation in agricultural modernization even further. Indeed, mechanization and innovative techniques to improve productivity in the agricultural sector are priority areas for this collaboration. Technological innovations are already underway, including the digitization of animal tracking through electronic tags to identify small ruminants, Anondraka said. Meanwhile, his ministry is in the process of setting up a database and a digital platform to track animal movements. "Livestock farming in Madagascar still suffers from low levels of productivity, but with the contribution of new technologies, we hope to reverse this trend," said the senior official, assuring small-scale livestock farmers of his ministry's support. "We are going to encourage young people to become entrepreneurs and contribute to the development of the livestock sector." Since the partnership with China began at the start of this century, significant progress has been made, in particular with the introduction of technologies such as hybrid rice, which has considerably increased yields. By increasing local production and guaranteeing commercial outlets for farmers, this cooperation can reduce poverty in rural areas. At the Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, held in Beijing from Sept. 4 to 6, China announced ten partnership initiatives to support Africa in strategic areas such as agriculture and trade, which impressed Anondraka most. He considered the agriculture and trade initiative as "a major opportunity" to modernize Madagascar's agriculture and increase productivity in the livestock sector. He believed it is essential to move toward large-scale agriculture, supported by advanced technologies and modern equipment supplied as part of the partnership with China. "We expect this cooperation to provide material support that will enable us to develop added value and create jobs," he said. With the agreement signed between Madagascar and China and a market already established, the country is now looking to more profitable and sustainable exploitation of its animal resources. According to Anondraka, Madagascar has set itself an ambitious target to quadruple its production of small ruminants to 30 million head by 2028. This objective will be achieved through a combination of modern techniques and intensification of production, supported by the efforts of his ministry and its Chinese partners, said the director general. The exemption from customs duties for the majority of Malagasy exported products to China is seen as a "major support", according to him. "It is a strong incentive for us to increase production. It's a huge support, and it's our responsibility to be effective in achieving our objectives," said Anondraka. Staff members prepare the mutton that are about to export to China in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Sept. 11, 2024. (Photo by Sitraka Rajaonarison/Xinhua) Staff members pack the mutton that are about to export to China in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Sept. 11, 2024. (Photo by Sitraka Rajaonarison/Xinhua) An airman with the Alaska Air National Guard guides a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, from the back of a C-17 Globemaster III after landing on Shemya Island, Alaska, on Sept. 12, 2024. (Brandon Vasquez/U.S. Army) Portions of three Army units have been deployed to Shemya Island off the coast of Alaska in response to recent Russian and Chinese air and sea probes into the Arctic region, service officials said. Elements of the 11th Airborne Division and the 1st and 3rd Multi Domain Task Forces landed Thursday on Shemya Island, which is part of the Aleutian Islands. The 2.7-mile-wide island is 1,200 miles west of Anchorage in the archipelago of Alaskan islands. The unit is made up of about 130 soldiers, said John Pennell, a spokesman for the 11th Airborne Division. That is the equivalent of an Army combat infantry company. Maj. Gen. Joseph Hilbert, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division, which has its headquarters at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson near Anchorage, said the move along with additional action by the Air Force was a show of force following recent Russian and Chinese military activity in the Arctic. As the number of adversarial exercises increases around Alaska and throughout the region, including Junes joint Russian-Chinese bomber patrol, the operation to Shemya Island demonstrates the divisions ability to respond to events in the Indo-Pacific or across the globe, with a ready, lethal force within hours, Hilbert said in a statement issued Friday. Radar located at Eareckson Air Station on Shemya Island, Alaska. (North American Aerospace Defense Command) The deployed troops included units from Elmendorf-Richardson and Fort Wainwright, the 11th Airbornes northernmost garrison, Army officials said. The forces include a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, known as HIMARS, which fires ballistic missiles. Space Force also operates a long-range radar at Eareckson Air Station on Shemya Island. The radar is primarily designed to pick up and monitor Russian, Chinese and other ICBM missile launches and tests. The 11th Airborne deployment comes after two Russian IL-38 maritime patrol aircraft were tracked in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone on Saturday, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command. While the Russian aircraft remained outside of U.S. and Canadian territorial airspace, the planes flew in the Alaska zone where the U.S. expects international aircraft to identify themselves. However, the zone has not been recognized in a formal agreement with Russia. The surveillance flight is one of several by the Russian military in recent months that skirted international boundaries and drew attention from the U.S. and its allies. In another related incident, Russian patrol aircraft on Thursday circled Japan for the first time in five years, according to a statement by Japans Joint Staff. The Russian Tu-124, which is primarily a transport aircraft, passed Okinawa, where the U.S. maintains military forces. Japanese fighters were also scrambled Aug. 26 to intercept a Chinese Y-9 surveillance plane that flew into Japanese airspace south of Kyushu, the first such incursion by a Chinese military aircraft. In July, Moscow sent a pair of missile-armed, long-range Tu-95MS Bear-H aircraft that can be used for reconnaissance, anti-shipping and bombing missions on a 10-hour flight between Japan and South Korea. Russia and China have been increasingly cooperating in military exercises. The recent Ocean 24 exercise saw the deployment of ships and aircraft simultaneously in the Arctic, Sea of Japan, Mediterranean, Caspian Sea, Baltic Sea and Caspian Sea. The exercise involved 90,000 troops, 400 ships and submarines. The 11th Airborne statement on the deployment to Shemya Island said Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic has increased in recent years as climate change has opened sea lanes in the far north. The Arctic is also considered the northern edge of the Indo-Pacific region, which reaches south toward China and Southeast Asia, and west to the eastern edge of the Indian subcontinent, an area representing 50% of the worlds population, according to the 11th Airborne. Pvt. Gage Kaiser, 19, was arrested Sept. 10, 2024, by the Geary County Sheriffs Office in Kansas and charged with involuntary manslaughter. He has been an infantryman at Fort Riley, Kan., since February. (Photo provided by Geary County Detention Center) A Fort Riley soldier was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter for a traffic accident that killed a Kansas police officer who was driving home after his shift, according to local law enforcement. Pvt. Gage Kaiser, 19, was arrested Sept. 10 for a warrant out of Sedgwick County where the March traffic accident occurred, according to the Geary County Sheriffs Office. The charges against the soldier are involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and two counts of aggravated battery. Kaiser was driving on U.S. Highway 81 in Peck at about 4:19 a.m. March 16 when he ran a stop sign while speeding and hit a vehicle driven by Clearwater Police Officer Scott Hollingsworth, according to the Sumner County Sheriffs Office, which responded to the accident. The area is south of Wichita and largely rural with the exception of a nearby casino. Kaiser was leaving the town of Mulvane and traveling to a friends house, according to police. Fort Riley is about 120 miles north of Wichita. Hollingsworth, 26, had just gotten off work and was driving back home to the town of Wellington. He had worked for the department for about a year and is survived by his wife and daughter, according to Clearwater police. Kaiser, an infantryman, enlisted in the Army in July 2023 from Arkansas City, Kan., and had been assigned to Fort Riley since February, according to the base. The soldier was in Geary County Detention Center with a $200,000 bond, according to the countys website. Fort Riley is partially located within Geary County. Fort Riley has about 15,000 active-duty soldiers assigned to the base. Its largest unit is the 1st Infantry Division. Army Emergency Relief CEO Tony Grinston speaks with military retirees during a luncheon at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, on Sept. 13, 2024. Grinston visited Army communities in Italy and Germany last week to raise awareness of the agencys assistance programs. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes) WIESBADEN, Germany Soldiers who receive emergency travel money from Army Emergency Relief would no longer have to pay back half the awarded amount if a change advocated by the agencys leader is approved. The nonprofit aims to switch payouts for emergency travel purposes to a 100% grant, ending its practice of splitting the sum equally between a grant and a no-interest loan, CEO Tony Grinston said recently during a tour of bases in Europe. Grinston, who retired as the 16th sergeant major of the Army last year, acknowledged that the added support for soldiers comes with a cost. Although the 15.3% participation rate and $3.1 million raised in this years active-duty donation campaign were the highest in the last five years, the organization would have an estimated $3 million deficit if it switched to full grants, Grinston said. While changes to programs need approval from the board of directors, Grinston said he aims to implement the grant policy by January 2025. Money is a very interesting conversation that we always have, Grinston said Friday at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden. We will always give more money than we take in as long as Im the CEO. Tony Grinston, the CEO of Army Emergency Relief, shakes hands with Spc. Nathan Skipworth during a visit to Vicenza, Italy, on Sept. 9, 2024. Grinston visited Army communities in Italy and Germany last week to promote the organization. (Army Emergency Relief) The relief fund took in $32.4 million against $33.7 million in expenses in 2022, according to its most recent tax filing posted online. It had total assets of $359 million. Charity Navigator, which rates and evaluates nonprofits, has awarded Army Emergency Relief a near-perfect score on metrics such as financial health, impact and leadership. About 32,000 soldiers and families received assistance last year, according to the nonprofit. Army Emergency Relief is also exploring initiatives for soldiers stationed in Europe, Grinston said. They include assistance with upfront costs for off-post medical expenses, a car seat program and holiday food assistance in Grafenwoehr. Last weeks trip was the first for Grinston to installations in Europe since he became the top executive of the Armys official nonprofit in January. His visit included stops in Vicenza, Grafenwoehr and Wiesbaden to promote the nonprofit and explore opportunities to support soldiers stationed abroad. Tony Grinston, the CEO of Army Emergency Relief, speaks with unit command teams in Grafenwoehr, Germany, on Sept. 11, 2024. Grinstons visit last week to Army bases in Italy and Germany was his first to Europe of his tenure as the head of the Armys nonprofit agency. (Army Emergency Relief) Grinston is the first retired enlisted soldier to be named CEO of the agency since its establishment in 1942. As part of his visit to Wiesbaden on Friday, Grinston hosted a lunch with military retirees to answer questions and thank them for their donations and contributions to the program. So far in 2024, military retirees have donated $2.8 million, or 36.6% of all contributions, according to the agency. Retirees and their dependents are eligible for Army Emergency Relief support along with active-duty soldiers and Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers on Title 10 orders for more than 30 days. Above all, Grinston said he wants to promote Army Emergency Relief as the top choice for eligible soldiers and families. Im really proud of the direction were going, he said. Were really trying to help soldiers and really want AER to be the first thought when people need assistance. Sgt. Maj. Gerardo Trevino poses for a group photo during a volunteer appreciation event at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Calif., on April 30, 2024. Trevino was arrested Sept. 11, 2024, by Naval Criminal Investigative Services and is being held in pre-trial confinement. He was relieved Sept. 12, 2024, of his command at the recruiting depot. (U.S. Marine Corps) A senior enlisted Marine was arrested by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and fired from a West Coast training command, Navy officials confirmed Monday. Sgt. Maj. Gerardo Trevino of the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego was arrested Wednesday by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The 38-year-old senior enlisted Marine is being held in pre-trial confinement while NCIS conducts a thorough investigation, said Darwin Lam, a NCIS spokesperson. Out of respect for the investigative process, NCIS will not comment further while the investigation remains ongoing, said Lam, who did not reveal the charges facing Trevino. Trevino was relieved of his command at the West Coast boot camp Thursday due to a loss in trust and confidence, according to Capt. Austin Gallegos, spokesperson for the recruiting depot. Trevino was relieved by Col. Peter Rummler, commanding officer of the Recruit Training Regiment. We will remain transparent on these issues but mindful of not to interfere with administrative or legal processes, Gallegos said. The U.S. military routinely cites only a vague loss of confidence when removing leaders from authority positions. Trevinos biography page on the Marine Corps Recruit Depot website had been removed by Monday. Trevino, a native of McAllen, Texas, graduated from boot camp in December 2004. His decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal in lieu of second award, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal in lieu of fourth award, and the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. The USS Iwo Jima, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, conducts routine operations in the Atlantic Ocean in 2021. Wasp-class ships have broken down three times this year a pattern that some defense analysts said sends a message to other countries that the U.S. is unprepared to respond to a conflict. (Brenton Poyser/U.S. Navy) WASHINGTON Three Wasp-class amphibious warships have suffered mechanical problems at sea in recent months a pattern that some defense analysts said projects a message to other countries that the U.S. Navy might be unprepared for a fight rather than a powerful fleet ready to strike. As these instances keep stacking up, that certainly demonstrates a pattern of unpreparedness. Any potential bad actor out there might factor that into their decision making, said Dan Grazier, a senior fellow for the National Security Reform Program at the Stimson Center, a Washington think tank. Naval Surface Forces Atlantic confirmed last week that the USS Iwo Jima experienced an engineering problem Sept. 5 while conducting training off the coast of Virginia. The Wasp-class amphibious ship was observed limping back to Naval Station Norfolk by Aviation and Naval Assets, a ship spotter based in Hampton Roads, Va. Three tugs met the Wasp-class ship off the coast, with a fourth joining the group further inland, according to the ship spotter. The ship returned to Naval Station Norfolk under its own power to conduct repairs and is currently back underway continuing basic phase training events, Lt. Cmdr. David Carter, a spokesman for Naval Surface Forces Atlantic, said Sept. 11. The ship spotter speculated the issue was rudder related based on the way that the Iwo Jima moved. All of her turns were to port after 01:58 Zulu or 9:58 p.m. Eastern Time. From then on, there were no turns to starboard. Also, as she was approaching the pier, she was angled into the wind like the tugs couldnt keep her from going out of the main channel, Aviation and Naval Assets shared Sept. 5 on X. Carter did not say if the mechanical issue was rudder related as the ship spotter suspected. Carter indicated last week that the issue was resolved, stating the Iwo Jima was back at sea conducting basic phase training events. Typically, basic phase training is conducted in preparation for deployments. We are fully committed to delivering amphibious warships on schedule that are properly organized, trained, equipped, evaluated, and certified to execute maritime expeditionary warfare and amphibious operations, Carter said. The Iwo Jima is the third Wasp-class amphibious ship to break down this year. A different ship spotter in March said the USS Wasp came into port on one shaft due to an engineering problem. A few weeks later, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations, said the Wasps deployment was likely to be delayed due to mechanical problems. The Wasp ultimately deployed on time in June, but the news of the Wasps issue came about the same time that the USS Boxer was forced to make a U-turn for repairs on its long-delayed Indo-Pacific deployment. The Boxer, also a Wasp-class amphibious ship, deployed April 1 from San Diego but returned to port 10 days later because of a problem with its starboard rudder. The Navy elected to repair the rudder pier side with divers, USNI reported, and the ship returned to its deployment in July. Wasp-class amphibious assault ships are flat-top warships that act as helicopter landing docks at sea. The warships are also used to deploy Marine expeditionary units, which are described by the Navy and the Marine Corps as a global 911 force that responds to humanitarian crises and conflict. They are supposed to be out there standing by, ready to respond to any potential crisis around the world. Seeing problems like this, watching MEUs turn around and come back to port for maintenance issues is pretty disturbing, Grazier said. The strain of readying amphibious ships for deployment is a lingering effect of the USS Bonhomme Richard fire of 2020, according to Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, another Washington think tank. The Wasp-class Bonhomme Richard, which was undergoing maintenance in San Diego, burned for more than four days. Soon after, the ship was declared a total loss. Eight Wasp-class amphibious ships were built, leaving the Navy with seven active ships following the loss of the Bonhomme Richard. The Navy also has two America-class amphibious assault ships, with a third under construction. If we just had one more amphib, it would take some of the stress off the others so there would be a little more time for maintenance, Cancian said. The U.S. military, Cancian said, is facing an increased operational tempo around the globe that is pulling its available forces from one area of responsibility to another. The U.S. can maintain a virtual presence by monitoring areas of responsibility from afar, and quickly deploy forces to respond to acts of aggression. For example, he said, the Armys 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Liberty, N.C., specializes in parachute assault operations into hostile areas. But virtual presence is actual absence, Cancian said. Potential enemies, he said, are not impressed by a virtual presence. Other countries notice when the U.S. forward presence declines, Cancian said. This is a problem because it means the U.S. will not be as ready to respond to crises. Grazier pointed to a shortage of sailors at sea and an inability to get necessary parts that can create a cascading effect of problems. Big machines have big problems and for really big machines like an amphib, those problems are just magnified. It is important the Navy recruit enough people to fully flesh out their crews or we are going to continue seeing problems like this, he said. The Navy is facing more than 18,000 vacancies at sea as of 2024. Wasp-class ships across the Navy fleet are operating with about 20% fewer sailors than required, according to a Government Accountability Office report released last week. The labor shortage, exacerbated by a lack of in-depth and hands-on training for sailors in maintenance and repair techniques, makes it difficult for the ships to complete regular routine maintenance and repairs at sea. The watchdog report also found the Navy has a persistent shortage of spare parts and materials necessary to complete sailor-led maintenance. When you are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, days away from any additional support, it is critically important for these crews to have all the personnel they need, all the spare parts they need and all the knowledge to make these repairs while at sea so the crew can carry on with its mission, Grazier said. Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS North Carolina (SSN 777) sits in Dry Dock 1 at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility on Sept. 5, 2024. (Claudia LaMantia/U.S. Navy) HONOLULU (Tribune News Service) The USS North Carolina fast-attack submarine pulled into a Pearl Harbor maintenance facility recently in an unprecedented situation expected to become more of a future norm. The North Carolina, which arrived Sept. 4, joined two other Virginia-class subs at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, marking the first time three of the Navys newest class of submarines are undergoing dry-dock work at the same time there, according to shipyard officials. Four dry docks for ship and submarine maintenance exist at the facility. But one, dating to 1942, is too small and shallow to service Virginia-class subs that the Navy continues to procure as replacements for older Los Angeles-class subs in an effort to modernize more of the U.S. fleet, which includes about a dozen submarines home-ported at Pearl Harbor. To accommodate the shift, contractors selected by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command are in an early stage of a $3.4 billion expansion of the shipyard with a new dry dock expected to be finished in 2028. To maintain the number of Virginia-classes we have in Pearl Harbor, we do need all four dry docks to be at full capacity for a number of years in the future, to keep them maintained correctly, Capt. Richard Jones, then-commander of the shipyard, said in February as major construction on the new dry docks perimeter began in the water next to the outdated dry dock that will be closed after retirement of the last Los Angeles-class sub. Capt. Ryan McCrillis, current commander of the shipyard, said in a statement that the level of current maintenance work stems from scheduled warship needs and that it brings out the facilitys mission to be the best. This is where the No Ka Oi shipyards mission comes to life, he said. Our shipyard team of civilians and Sailors, working with each ships crew, accomplishes everything needed to keep the fleet fit to fight. Work on the North Carolina, SSN 777, is being done in Dry Dock 1. Two other Virginia-class subs, the USS Illinois and USS Colorado, are undergoing work in Dry Dock 2. There is also an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, the USS Hopper, DDG 70, in Dry Dock 4. Dry Dock 3 remains functional but cannot handle Virginia-class subs or larger surface ships. The duration of work varies by vessel but averages two to three years and often includes structural inspections and repairs, replacing complex mechanical and electrical systems, nuclear work and new paint or other coatings. The Illinois, SSN 786, was commissioned in 2016 and home-ported at Pearl Harbor in 2017. It entered dry dock in late 2023 after a seven-month Indo-Pacific deployment that included traveling roughly 35, 000 nautical miles under the sea. Work on this boat is estimated to cost $443 million. The Colorado, SSN 788, was commissioned in 2018 and previously home-ported in Connecticut. Its two-year overhaul at the Pearl Harbor shipyard began in June and is estimated to cost $370 million. Of the three submarines at the shipyard, the recently arrived North Carolina is the oldest, having been commissioned in 2008. Its overhaul is expected to cost $465 million. According to the Navy press office, the North Carolina went on three Pacific deployments in the past six years and is approaching middle age. North Carolina is approaching the midway point of her planned life cycle, and it is important to conduct repairs and state-of-the-art upgrades to ensure she is combat-ready and equipped to conduct all assigned tasking well into the 2030s, Cmdr. Tad Robbins, commanding officer of the North Carolina, said in a statement. The Navy press office also stated that a peak period of work on the North Carolina will involve more than 600 workers daily. Pearl Harbor shipyard is the largest industrial employer in the state, with over 6, 000 workers. The dry-dock expansion is expected to create about 2,500 jobs through its anticipated 2028 completion date. Meanwhile, the Navy continues to add to its inventory of Virginia-class subs. The first one was put into operation, or commissioned, in 2004, and about 22 are part of the U.S. fleet today. About another dozen are being built at a cost of about $4.5 billion each, according to an August report by the Congressional Research Service. The U.S. submarine force, according to the report, is something that Navy and Pentagon leadership consider part of Americas top advantages over adversaries such as China and Russia and can be used to deter aggression. In the Pacific region, China is embroiled in bitter disputes with neighboring countries over maritime territorial and navigation rights. One area of dispute is the South China Sea, a busy waterway through which as much as a third of all international trade travels and where tensions have sometimes boiled over into violent confrontations. In the face of objections from China, the U.S. military has been conducting near-constant freedom of navigation operations in the Pacific. These operations have been demanding on the Navys fleets, and the Pearl Harbor shipyard increasingly is seen as a key repair and logistics hub to keep submarines and ships running. (c)2024 The Honolulu Star-Advertiser Visit at www.staradvertiser.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Three housing towers that debuted at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Sept. 13, 2024, are named for Medal of Honor recipients from the Korean War. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes) CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea Keeble, Kyle and Vera, the three new housing towers that opened at this Army installation last week after five years of construction, bear the names of Medal of Honor recipients from the Korean War. The 12-story towers near Humphreys East Elementary School hold semi-furnished apartments for up to 216 noncommissioned and commissioned officers and their families, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Combined, the towers contain 144 three-bedroom, 54 four-bedroom and 18 five-bedroom units, according to a Corps of Engineers Far East District fact sheet. The structures include underground parking garages for 250 vehicles, playgrounds, gazebos, barbecue grills and a public restroom. Units are furnished with couches, beds, washers, dryers and other basic appliances. Funding for the nearly $141 million project came entirely from the U.S. military, district spokeswoman Rachel Napolitan said by phone Friday. Some military construction projects on U.S. bases in South Korea are paid for by the South Korean military due to cost-sharing agreements with Seoul. The Medal of Honor recipients names are etched on these buildings and are now part of the fabric of our community here, Eighth Army commander Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve said at Fridays ribbon-cutting ceremony. All three received their decorations posthumously. May these buildings serve as a constant reminder of the values we hold dear and support the soldiers and families of this great community, LaNeve told the crowd. A ribbon is cut for Vera Tower, named for Medal of Honor recipient Army Pvt. Miguel Vera, at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Sept. 13, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes) Vera Tower, named for Medal of Honor recipient Army Pvt. Miguel Vera, opens at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Sept. 13, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes) A kitchen inside Vera Tower, named for Medal of Honor recipient Army Pvt. Miguel Vera, at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Sept. 13, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes) A laundry room inside Vera Tower, named for Medal of Honor recipient Army Pvt. Miguel Vera, at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Sept. 13, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes) A bedroom inside Vera Tower, named for Medal of Honor recipient Army Pvt. Miguel Vera, at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Sept. 13, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes) Master Sgt. Woodrow Keeble of the 24th Infantry Division was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Hill 765 near Sangsan-ri on Oct. 20, 1951. The World War II combat veteran crawled toward three enemy positions under heavy fire and threw grenades that destroyed their encampments, according to his medal citation. Second Lt. Darwin Kyle of the 3rd Infantry Division received the medal for his actions in Kamil-ri on Feb. 16, 1951. He completely exposed himself to move among and encourage his men to continue the advance against enemy forces, according to his citation. Kyle went on to charge an enemy position by himself and killed three enemies in hand-to-hand combat before he was killed by submachine gun fire. Pvt. Miguel Vera of the 2nd Infantry Division was awarded the medal for his actions Sept. 21, 1952, near the current-day Demilitarized Zone that divides the Korean Peninsula. He voluntarily remained in his fighting position to provide covering fire for retreating U.S. forces that were hit by enemy mortar, artillery and small-arms fire, according to his citation. Bronze plaques featuring Keeble, Kyle and Veras names and pictures are placed at the front entrance of the three towers. Several families toured the towers Friday. Army 1st Lt. Diana Hodgdon, who lives off post, said her family was awaiting move-in approval and was looking forward to being closer to the military community in Humphreys. I think being closer to a bunch of military families living on post is going to help us, along with being able to be within walking distance of all the great events that Camp Humphreys has, she told Stars and Stripes at the event. A man walks in a flood-hit courtyard in Galati County, Romania, Sept. 15, 2024. Galati County, Romania, is struggling to recover from the severe floods brought by Cyclone Boris on Saturday, which has claimed five lives and displaced over 250 residents. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) BUCHAREST, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Galati County, Romania, is struggling to recover from the severe floods brought by Cyclone Boris on Saturday, which has claimed five lives and displaced over 250 residents. The cyclone unleashed heavy rainfall, totaling 150 liters per square meter. It caused widespread flooding, leaving more than 25,000 homes without power and impacting over 5,000 households across 12 towns, according to local media reports. In response to the disaster, the Romanian government has mobilized emergency resources. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu visited Slobozia Conachi, one of the hardest-hit towns. "Our priority is saving lives. We have the logistics in place to respond quickly," he said, promising temporary housing, food, and other essential supplies for displaced families. Meanwhile, the National Committee for Emergency Situations approved emergency aid, which includes 400 tons of food, sleeping bags, mattresses, and modular housing units to provide temporary shelter for those affected. The Ministry of National Defense deployed military personnel, rescue boats and trucks to assist in rescue operations. Romanian Gendarmerie patrols have also been deployed to prevent looting and vandalism in the affected towns. "The safety of the people remains our top priority," a Gendarmerie spokesperson said, urging residents to follow safety instructions and avoid returning to dangerous areas until conditions stabilize. As more severe weather is forecast, with a red alert for heavy rain issued for nearby Vaslui County, the Romanian government is closely monitoring the situation. Efforts are also underway to repair damaged infrastructure and restore normalcy for the thousands impacted by what has been described as the worst flooding in the region since 2016. A muddy dog curls up inside a piece of abandoned furniture in Galati County, Romania, Sept. 15, 2024. Galati County, Romania, is struggling to recover from the severe floods brought by Cyclone Boris on Saturday, which has claimed five lives and displaced over 250 residents. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) This photo shows a flood-hit courtyard in Galati County, Romania, Sept. 15, 2024. Galati County, Romania, is struggling to recover from the severe floods brought by Cyclone Boris on Saturday, which has claimed five lives and displaced over 250 residents. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) This photo shows flood-hit fields in Galati County, Romania, Sept 15, 2024. Galati County, Romania, is struggling to recover from the severe floods brought by Cyclone Boris on Saturday, which has claimed five lives and displaced over 250 residents. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) A man clears floodwater at his residence in Galati County, Romania, Sept. 15, 2024. Galati County, Romania, is struggling to recover from the severe floods brought by Cyclone Boris on Saturday, which has claimed five lives and displaced over 250 residents. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) A man clears floodwater at his residence in Galati County, Romania, Sept. 15, 2024. Galati County, Romania, is struggling to recover from the severe floods brought by Cyclone Boris on Saturday, which has claimed five lives and displaced over 250 residents. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) A man clears floodwater at his residence in Galati County, Romania, Sept. 15, 2024. Galati County, Romania, is struggling to recover from the severe floods brought by Cyclone Boris on Saturday, which has claimed five lives and displaced over 250 residents. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) People walk on a muddy road after flood in Galati County, Romania, Sept. 15, 2024. Galati County, Romania, is struggling to recover from the severe floods brought by Cyclone Boris on Saturday, which has claimed five lives and displaced over 250 residents. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) Chinas Foreign Minister Qin Gang speaks at the Lanting Forum at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Feb. 21, 2023. (Greg Baker, AFP via Getty Images/TNS) (Tribune News Service) China has released an American pastor after nearly two decades in prison, presenting an olive branch to the U.S. that had repeatedly called for his release. U.S. citizen David Lin was freed from a prison in China, according to a State Department spokesman. The 68-year-old born-again Christian had been held in China since 2006 on allegations of fraud though critics said his sermons and involvement in building a home church were frowned upon by Beijing, which tries to control religious activity. He has returned to the United States and now gets to see his family for the first time in nearly 20 years, the State Department said in a statement to Bloomberg News on Monday. His unexpected release from jail suggests Beijing is making a show of goodwill at a critical time for U.S.- China relations, especially with the U.S. presidential election in November. While there is progress on issues such as tackling fentanyl trafficking and resuming high-level military talks, tensions persist over Taiwan and technology-sharing. Chinas Foreign Ministry didnt respond to a request for comment sent on a public holiday in Beijing. Lin together with Mark Swidan, a Texas businessman on death row for alleged drug trafficking, and Kai Li, a naturalized U.S. citizen who imported solar energy technology, have been on the State Department priority list of Americans who have been arbitrarily detained. Lin, who was set to be released in December 2029, was freed just days before a Congress hearing scheduled on Wednesday over securing the freedom of unjustly detained Americans in China. The Dui Hua Foundation, which campaigns for political prisoners in China, said it welcomed Lins release from the Beijing Number Two Prison. It represents one of the most important releases of a religious prisoner since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, John Kamm, chairman of the Dui Hua Foundation, told Bloomberg News. It demonstrates a willingness to improve relations with the United States by releasing its citizens from prison. 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Members from the Japanese Fisheries Agency and Korea coast guard board a U.S. Coast Guard HC-130J Super Hercules at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Sept. 22, 2023. (Yasuo Osakabe/U.S. Air Force) The United States, Australia, India and Japan are planning joint coast guard and maritime police patrols amid growing Chinese activity in the region, according to unnamed diplomatic sources cited Monday by Japans Kyodo News. The plan aims to stem illegal fishing and may be included in a joint statement issued at a summit of the four nations, known as the Quad, for the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, on Saturday in Delaware, the agency reported. It comes as clashes grow in number between Manila and Beijing over territorial claims in the South China Sea. The Philippine navy reported 203 Chinese ships in disputed waters between Aug. 27 and Sept. 2. Public affairs officials at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, which hosts U.S. Coast Guard Activities Far East, referred questions to U.S. Forces Japan on Monday. USFJ did not immediately respond that day to an email query. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. Samuel Paparo spoke Sept. 9 via video conference with Gen. Wu Yanan, commander of Chinas Southern Theater Command, which oversees the South China Sea. Discussions between senior leaders reduce the risk of misperception or miscalculation, Paparo said, according to a readout of the call from the command. He cited recent unsafe interactions between China and U.S. allies and reinforced Beijings obligation to comply with international laws and norms to ensure operational safety. Paparo urged China to reconsider its use of dangerous, coercive, and potentially escalatory tactics in the South China Sea and beyond. On Thursday, Lieutenant General He Lei, a former vice president of the Chinese armys Academy of Military Sciences, sharply critiqued U.S. plans. If the United States insists on being a plotter that pushes others to stand on the front line to confront China, or if it has no other choice but to challenge us by itself, the Chinese people and the [army] will never waver, he told reporters at a security forum in Beijing, according to a New York Times report Sunday. Chinas coast guard, authorized to use force in territorial waters since 2021, includes over 150 regional and oceangoing patrol vessels, according to an October report on Chinas military by the Defense Department. The newer, larger [Chinese coast guard] vessels are equipped with helicopter facilities, high-capacity water cannons, multiple interceptor boats and guns, the report states. Joint coast guard patrols by the Quad nations in waters claimed by China could cause friction, said Ian Chong, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore. Such a situation could demonstrate the international nature of some of those waters, he told Stars and Stripes in an email Monday. If Quad law enforcement vessels intercept Chinese boats involved in illegal fishing, could that result in retaliation by [China]? he wrote. If the four nations pool efforts, especially surveillance and intelligence resources, and target and locate high value targets, such as fishing boats that have turned off electronic identification beacons, and inflict real punishment, that would be helpful, said retired Marine Col. Grant Newsham, a senior researcher with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo. They might also target particular areas where the illegal fishing is most pronounced and help out certain countries that have particular problems, he said by email Monday. New Zealand-based security expert Paul Buchanan said he doesnt expect the Quad patrols to have a major impact on illegal fishing, especially if Chinas military starts escorting fishing boats. The move signals intent, he said by email Monday, perhaps with the idea of curtaining illegal Chinese fishing in the first place, particularly in the Indian Ocean and blue water Western Pacific. For two decades, a bold and promising experiment sought to answer a wild question: Could scientists artificially weaken hurricanes before they bring devastation to U.S. shores? The short answer was no at least, not that scientists could detect. Despite early hints of success, they concluded in the 1980s that the endeavor aptly named Project Stormfury wasnt worth continuing. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forbade its scientists from conducting any similar research from that point forward. But now, as the threat of rapidly intensifying and catastrophic hurricanes grows, some want to give the idea of disrupting a storm still far-fetched but perhaps more necessary than ever another shot. They are pitching new technologies and approaches that, while intriguing to some experts, also underscore how daunting, costly and dangerous it could be to try to control nature. A Norwegian company wants to employ devices it says could cool Atlantic surface waters ahead of storms. The Japanese government is funding research to modify typhoons as part of a program tackling some of the biggest threats to humanity. And there are meanwhile broader efforts to engineer a cooler climate and weaker storms, including a White House-sponsored effort to study how blocking out some planet-heating sunlight could slow or reverse human-caused climate change. The concept of altering the weather technically called weather modification has increasingly entered the public imagination, especially as warming temperatures have fueled stronger hurricanes and heavier downpours. The idea of using nuclear weapons to fight hurricanes drew some attention after a 2019 report that then-President Donald Trump suggested it, something he denied. Dangerous research to weaken tornadoes is central to the plot of the movie Twisters released this summer. We really love to control our surroundings, said Jill Trepanier, an assistant professor at Louisiana State University. But stopping a storm has never become reality. The record of weather modification is exaggerated claims and failure, universally, said Hugh Willoughby, a professor at Florida International University who worked on NOAAs Stormfury project. That could change with the right innovation, Willoughby added. The question is, have we discovered it yet? Promising results and then failure The idea behind Stormfury was to determine whether scientists could weaken a hurricanes eyewall, where its strongest and most damaging winds are concentrated. Aircraft would inject a storm with silver iodide, a substance that can actually incite precipitation a practice commonly known as cloud seeding. That would cause a new, wider eye to form around a hurricanes center, which would gradually replace the old one. In the process, the storms strongest winds would slacken, at least briefly. The theory was put into action in the 1960s when scientists tested it on four separate hurricanes. And early results appeared to back up scientists theory: Half of the time, winds decreased by between 10 and 30%, according to NOAA. But as meteorologists studied hurricanes in the years and decades that followed, they realized: Maybe there was nothing artificial about that weakening at all. They saw that many storms not included in the experiment underwent similar eyewall replacement processes. Scientists now know its a common phenomenon, making it impossible to know if the interventions had any actual effect. You couldnt tell it from what would happen naturally, said Willoughby, who went on to lead NOAAs hurricane research division from 1995 to 2002. Stormfury disbanded in the early 1980s after a National Academy of Sciences panel concluded that a better understanding of hurricanes was needed before continuing the research. NOAA no longer conducts any research aimed at modifying hurricanes, officials said. Instead, its research is focused on improving forecasts. The agencys messaging promotes better preparation for inevitable storms. The best way to minimize the damage of hurricanes is to learn to re with them, NOAA says on its website. Could new technologies succeed? For some researchers, that isnt enough. A growing number of hurricanes are rapidly intensifying into major storms before making landfall in the Caribbean and on U.S. shores. Persistent and astonishing warmth in the Atlantic basin, providing ample fuel for hurricanes, raised fears of a historic storm season this year, though an unexpected lull in tropical weather has called that into question. Coast Guard Station Gulfport in Mississippi was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. (Earl Lingerfelt/U.S. Coast Guard) It was the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that sparked Olav Hollingsaeter to consider how to combat storms. Now CEO of Norway-based OceanTherm, Hollingsaeter is among those exploring whether there is a way to weaken hurricanes from beneath tapping colder, deeper stores of water to sap storms of energy rather than from the sky. OceanTherms idea is to use what it calls bubble curtains that would use air bubbling from perforated pipes to carry colder waters upward to mix with warmer waters near the surface. They would be installed at depths of several hundred feet ahead of hurricane season in storm-prone areas, and places where ocean currents could carry the cooler waters across wider swaths of the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean Sea. Its a technology that has been used for decades in Norway to mix fresh surface waters with saltier waters beneath them and prevent narrow fjords from freezing, Hollingsaeter said. Salt water has a lower freezing point than fresh water. That same technology used to preempt the freezing, the company says, could be used to cool waters to prevent storms. The company estimates it would cost on the order of $1 billion to install the devices across enough of the Atlantic basin to be effective, he said. A 2019 test conducted in Norway suggested it could cool surface waters by several degrees a change that would reduce the amount of energy available for storms to unleash. But more modeling and testing are needed to determine how impactful the technology could be in waters around Florida, for example. It actually looks like its plausible, said Mark Bourassa, a meteorology professor at Florida State University. Bourassa is working with OceanTherm, though he doesnt have any formal role with the company. Its not a totally new idea the Gates Foundation drew attention in 2009 when it sought patents for technology to pump cold water to the surface and send warm waters deeper ahead of a hurricane. Another company, New Mexico-based Atmocean, proposed similar technology that could also help store planet-warming carbon dioxide deep in the oceans. Neither initiative has advanced to practical use. In Japan, scientists are meanwhile exploring the possibilities of controlling and modifying the weather, including typhoons, as soon as 2050 as part of a lofty national initiative known as the Moonshot Research and Development Program. As part of the program, researchers are exploring all kinds of strategies besides potential water-cooling technologies, from cloud seeding to wind barriers and wind turbines that might redirect and weaken storms. They are also investigating how forecasting could be improved in a way that can help better judge when human intervention could make a difference. Moonshot organizers suggest some intervention could have a butterfly effect, where a small action triggers atmospheric changes that amount to significant control over the weather. For some, any idea is hopeless Even if such solutions can be found, their potential unintended consequences still give scientists pause. Moshe Alamaro, a retired research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was among those who participated in a 2008 workshop convened by the Department of Homeland Security to spotlight the possibilities and, perhaps, promise of hurricane modification. But he has since changed his mind on the idea. Even if a plan could work, he wondered, what would happen if an altered storm spared one community but went on to kill people somewhere else? What if a modified typhoon blew past Japan only to hit North Korea? You would get World War III, he said. I was foolish enough to think it would work, Alamaro said. I came to the conclusion that its hopeless. The only remedy is not to build near shore and improve construction standards. Until further testing of ideas can happen, the totality of potentially dangerous consequences on ecosystems, wildlife, fisheries and crops remain unclear. If human intervention were to cool Gulf surface waters, for example, it could have effects on weather across the United States and beyond, Willoughby said. Where do you think the rain that causes crops to grow in the American heartland comes from? he asked. Scientifically, its also impossible to prove any intervention works, Trepanier said. An experiment requires a control, so that scientists can see what would have happened had they not intervened. And then there are the sheer logistical challenges. Hurricanes are massive systems, releasing amounts of energy on par with what the worlds electrical grids are capable of carrying. Research has suggested that even an immense amount of energy put toward weakening a hurricane could only marginally reduce its intensity. And besides, that energy must be transferred somehow, or else it would simply keep building up in the tropics and overheat them, Trepanier said. Hurricanes are natures way of redistributing that energy. If we somehow stopped a hurricane from unleashing that energy, the next one might be even bigger. In explaining why NOAA no longer conducts experiments to alter hurricanes, agency officials say altering a hurricane would require scientific advancements we can still only dream of. Maybe the time will come when men and women can travel at nearly the speed of light to the stars, officials wrote on a NOAA website answering common questions about hurricanes. We will then have enough energy for brute-force intervention in hurricane dynamics. This photo taken on Sept. 5, 2024 shows the main hall of the Qingcheng Palace complex in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Luo Xin) BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Restoration work on the Qingcheng Palace complex, a royal sacrificial venue along the historic central axis of Beijing, has been completed, according to local authorities. After spending the past 15 months demolishing houses and renovating royal buildings, the historical structure of the complex has been restored. The palace is expected to open to the public in the future. Built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the palace is located inside the Altar of the God of Agriculture, also referred to as the Xiannongtan Temple. The palace was formerly known as Zhaigong, which literally translates to the fasting palace. It was a place where the emperors abstained from heavy meals and meditated before worship. It was renamed as Qingcheng Palace in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), becoming a place where the emperors held celebratory rituals after cultivation ceremonies while praying for a good harvest. Restoration work of the ancient buildings started in June last year, following the principle of "minimal intervention." This approach focused on targeted repairs for damaged cultural relics, such as tiles and walls. Traditional materials were used to pave the ground in the courtyard. Workers also renovated the drainage system and equipped the houses with air conditioners and necessary lighting facilities. Additionally, security monitoring systems, firefighting water systems and lightning protection facilities were also installed. Pan Wei, deputy director of the Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum, expressed hope that the Qingcheng Palace will become a place for visitors to experience traditional culture and for experts to have academic exchanges on world cultural heritage. He believes that such activities could "further enhance public awareness of the protection of historical and cultural heritage." Stretching 7.8 kilometers from Yongding Gate in the south to the Bell and Drum Towers in the north, the Beijing central axis was built according to the core layout of an ideal capital city -- the royal court in the front, a market in the back, ancestral shrines on the left, and sacrificial altars on the right. It was added to the United Nations' cultural heritage list in July. The Department of Veterans Affairs lacks the money to cover veterans benefits starting Oct. 1, which is the first day of the new fiscal year. Benefits include disability compensation, retirement payouts and college tuition assistance under the GI bill. (Stars and Stripes) WASHINGTON Lawmakers have until Friday to close a nearly $3 billion budget gap at the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure millions of veterans and their survivors receive their monthly benefits on time in October. That is the warning message from VA officials and veterans advocacy groups about benefits for disability, pensions, college tuition and indemnity for survivors that could be disrupted without emergency funding approved by Congress. The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee is scheduled to examine the fiscal 2024 budget shortfall at an oversight hearing Wednesday. Because of the time it takes to process payments, beneficiaries might have to wait days or weeks to receive monthly compensation if the shortfall is not addressed this week, the VA said. VA leaders first disclosed to lawmakers in mid-July that the agency lacked sufficient funding to cover benefits starting Oct. 1, which is the first day of the new fiscal year. VA Secretary Denis McDonough told lawmakers that the VA anticipated a nearly $2.9 billion shortfall in fiscal 2024 and an additional $12 billion spending gap in 2025. He said the VA was facing higher costs for prescription drugs, health care coverage and benefits awarded to veterans under the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022, also known as the PACT Act. The law expanded health care and disability compensation for veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service. McDonough told lawmakers that claims filed by veterans exposed to toxic materials increased spending for disability compensation and health care services. Veterans have filed nearly 1.5 million claims for compensation in two years. Monthly VA benefits are paid out to 6 million veterans receiving disability compensation, 850,000 individuals using the GI bill to pay for college, 500,000 survivors of veterans killed in the line of duty and 250,000 pensioners. Veterans organizations also are urging Congress to support additional funding so benefits are not interrupted. We have been throwing up red flags for nearly a year that a shortfall was coming, said Robert Thomas, president of Paralyzed Veterans of America. We need Congress to step up and get this taken care of so we all can sustain a healthy life. He said a lack of funding at the VA is also affecting staffing at hospitals and clinics, which impacts important services for paralyzed veterans, such as getting wheelchairs repaired and infections treated. Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., has introduced the Veterans Benefits Continuity and Accountability Supplemental Appropriations Act to fund fully the VAs request for more money. The bill provides supplemental funding to the Veterans Benefits Administration and establishes reporting requirements. The legislation, introduced Sept. 6, is co-sponsored by Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., chairman of House Appropriations Committee, and Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. The bill requires the VA to do a better job of disclosing its finances to Congress, including changes anticipated for future budget requests. It also requests for the VA inspector general to conduct an independent investigation into budget overruns at the VA. The VA budget is serious business that has a real impact on veterans lives, Bost said. In July, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, introduced similar legislation to cover the 2024 shortfall, along with Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, the leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Julia Mathis, legislative director at the American Legion, and other veterans advocates said they are urging members of Congress to reconcile differences in the two bills and come to an agreement. Every day we get closer to Sept. 20 is another 24 hours of uncertainty for thousands of veterans whose financial lives depend on it, she said. Labourer assaulted farmer during row over how to move a heifer that had collapsed Adam McCalmont had his jaw reconstucted after he beat a rare form of cancer A farm labourer who left his 80-year-old boss with a 25,000 dentist bill after he headbutted the pensioner has narrowly avoided going to prison. Ballymena Magistrates Court heard how Adam McCalmont left David Strain Snr needing repeat hospital and dental appointments to put his mouth back together, including a huge dental bill. The 24-year-old attacker was a teen when he himself had major reconstructive surgery, having his jaw rebuilt after he was hit with an aggressive form of bone cancer. Imposing a 10-month sentence on McCalmont on Thursday, District Judge Nigel Broderick said he accepted that the defendant had undergone previous trauma himself, but this no way justifies headbutting an 80-year-old. Suspending the prison term for three years, the judge ordered McCalmont to pay his ex-boss 2,000 in compensation. At the end of a brief contest last July, McCalmont, from Hillhead Road in Ballyclare, was convicted of causing Mr Strain actual bodily harm. Adam McCalmont The court heard how the police were called to the victims farm in Ballyclare, where they saw that the 80-year-old had sustained broken teeth and a cut to his nose which had left his face bloody. Mr Strain gave evidence that he had been moving heifers, one of which was lying flat, so he asked McCalmont to give him some help. McCalmont refused to do it by hand, saying he would get a JCB and a trailer to move the stricken animal. It was during the debate as to what to do with the cow that Mr Strain said McCalmont headbutted him. Defence counsel Grant Powles said McCalmont admitted he struck the victim but raised his clients claim that it was self-defence, to which Judge Broderick said that, if the 24-year-old had been presented with a situation of an 80-year-old man acting aggressively, he could have walked away. The judge said the pensioner had sustained a significant injury which is continuing to cause him problems. Mary Mullen (54) took the cash over the course of several months when she was asked to go to her then in-laws home to help out A woman stole 6,000 from a money box in a gross breach of trust while she was caring for her mother-in-law, who suffered from Alzheimers disease, a court has heard. Mary Mullen (54) took the cash over the course of several months when she was asked to go to her then in-laws home to help out. Her now former father-in-law said he was very, very hurt by the theft after he spotted it when he put in a camera while he and his wife were at mass. Mullen was remanded on continuing bail at Dublin District Court for a probation report. The former Brown Thomas buyer, of Music Hall, Copper Alley, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty to theft from Terry Kelly on dates unknown between June 2018 and December 2019. The court heard Mullen stole the cash from a shared money box in the victims home at Grosvenor Road, Rathgar, while voluntarily caring for his wife. An initial complaint was made but this was only proceeded with years later and Mullen made full admissions. She maintained, however, that she since repaid the 6,000. This was disputed by the victim. Mullen had no previous convictions. Mr Kelly told the court he had asked Mullen to come and help look after his wife. Nobody likes to be robbed, especially by your daughter-in-law who you trusted, he said. The court heard Mullen had worked with her then husband and had been responsible for collecting rent on three apartments in Temple Bar. She told gardai she got into financial difficulty and occasionally took money from the box. Mullen had accepted she should not have done what she did, her solicitor Daniel Hanahoe said. She was under pressure and got flustered at the time. Mr Hanahoe said there were disagreements on all sides. Adjourning the case, Judge John Hughes said: Theres been a very tangled and interwoven set of financial circumstances. The parties are now separated, it would appear the further separated they are, the better. Remains found in Coolock and a burned-out vehicle at Trinity Terrace, Dublin, and at Rathmullan Park in Drogheda, Co Louth, were those of the missing boy A Dublin man has been sent forward for trial to the non-jury Special Criminal Court charged with "disposal" of body parts of murdered teenager Keane Mulready Woods and impeding the investigation into his death. The Drogheda youth, 17, was last seen alive by his family on the evening of January 12, 2020. He was killed, and his body was later dismembered. Remains found in Coolock and a burned-out vehicle at Trinity Terrace, Dublin, and at Rathmullan Park in Drogheda, Co Louth, were those of the missing boy. Glen Bride, 30, of Mount Olive Park, Kilbarrack, Dublin, was last month charged and remanded in custody following a brief hearing. He is accused of damaging a Volvo V40 car bearing false registration plates by fire for the benefit of a criminal organisation on January 15, 2020, at Trinity Terrace, Ballybough, Dublin 3. The second charge alleges that from January 13 15, 2020, at Trinity Terrace, to enhance the ability of a criminal organisation to commit a serious offence, murder, he participated in or contributed to the transportation and disposal of body parts of Keane Mulready Woods. The third charge states that over the same two-day period at locations in the State, he impeded the apprehension or prosecution of another person who committed the murder and knowing they were guilty of that or another offence. He did not apply for bail and faced his third hearing at Dublin District Court today. Judge John Hughes heard that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed trial on indictment. A State solicitor told Judge Hughes that DPP directed that Mr Bride be sent forward for trial to the Special Criminal Court. The DPP furnished a certificate under section 46.2 of the Offences Against the State Act that, in this case, "the ordinary courts are inadequate to secure the effective administration of justice". The judge warned the accused that he must notify the prosecution if he intended to use an alibi, and ordered the gardai to hand over interview videos to the defence. Legal aid was granted to include representation of his solicitor, Tracy Horan, plus a barrister and a senior counsel. Mr Bride, who did not address the court, has yet to indicate a plea and will be given his next court appearance date later. He did not apply for bail and was sent forward for trial in custody. Earlier in the proceedings, the defence said, "My client has concerns for his safety" in custody, and he had asked to be held at Mountjoy rather than Cloverhill Prison. In May, Stephen Carberry, 46, of Adair Apartments, Sandymount, Dublin 4, was charged with the same three offences. He is also awaiting trial in the Special Criminal Court. Last year, that court jailed two men for connected crimes. Gerard Cruise, 50, of Rathmullan Park, Drogheda, pleaded guilty to a charge that, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, he facilitated the murder of Keane Mulready Woods, at Rathmullan Park, Drogheda. He received a seven-year jail term. Paul Crosby, 28, of Rathmullan Park, Drogheda, also admitted the same offence and was imprisoned for 10 years. Those proceedings heard that the prime suspect in the murder was Robert Lawlor, a notorious Dublin criminal. Lawlor, 36, was shot dead in Belfast in April 2020. Nathan Simpson (21), with an address given as Castlereagh Road has been charged with the murder of Rachelle Simpson A 21-year-old man has appeared in court charged with murdering his mother, having only been released from prison a week earlier. Nathan Simpson, with an address given as Castlereagh Road has been charged with the murder of Rachelle Simpson on Friday, September 13. Simpson entered the dock in handcuffs and wearing a grey custody tracksuit. When asked if he understood the allegations against him, Simpson replied: Yes, your honour. As other members of the victims family watched on from the public gallery, an investigating detective sergeant said he could connect the accused to the murder charge. There was no application for bail, with the court told that there was no available bail address for the accused, who the court was told was released from custody seven days ago. Rachelle Simpsons body was discovered in a garage at a property on the Castlereagh Road (Jonathan McCambridge/PA) Ms Simpsons body was discovered on Castlereagh Road on Friday. Police had been called to a house and discovered the victim in the garage of the property. No further details about the circumstances surrounding the alleged killing were disclosed during the brief hearing. Defence solicitor Chris McCann did not question the detective or seek bail for his client due to the lack of any suitable address. This case highlights a broader issue in relation to accommodation being available for prisoners (after) custody, he told the court. Mr Simpson had been released from prison seven days before (this incident). Mr McCann claimed the authorities had months to prepare, but attempts to locate alternative accommodation had proved fruitless. Womens Aid NI has expressed their sincere condolences to the family of the 43-year-old last week the third woman to be killed in a month in Northern Ireland. Nathan Simpson appeared in court today charged with murder "Rachelle is the 23rd woman to be killed in Northern Ireland since 2020. She is the third woman murdered in Northern Ireland within the past four weeks, said a spokesperson for Womens Aid NI. The news was horrific, they added. "Womens Aid NI wish to express our sincerest condolences to the loved ones of Rachelle Simpson following the horrific news of her murder in east Belfast. Please know our thoughts are with you all at this incredibly difficult time. The charity called for anyone with any information to contact the PSNI. If you have any information, no matter how small it may seem, that could assist the police with their investigation, please contact the PSNI by dialling 101. Even the smallest detail could be important to the case. The accused was remanded in custody to appear again via videolink on October 14. The media have been banned from naming the accused at the request of gardai because of the current climate in the country" and the sensitive nature of the case A MAN was seen walking from a Dublin apartment building with a five year old child in his grasp under his arm in an attempted abduction, it is alleged. The man (25) is accused of trying to unlawfully take a minor after interacting with the child and a 10-year-old. The media have been banned from naming the accused at the request of gardai because of the current climate in the country" and the sensitive nature of the case. Judge Gerard Jones ordered reporting restrictions and remanded the man in custody when he appeared in Dublin District Court and his defence deferred a bail application. The accused is charged with intentionally attempting to take a child or cause a child to be taken or detained unlawfully. The offence, contrary to Common Law, is alleged to have happened at an address in Dublin 9 on Saturday, September 14. Garda Laura McDermott told Judge Jones she arrested the accused for the purpose of charging him at Raheny station at 5.25pm yesterday. He was charged at 6.20pm, she said. He replied after caution: I was not taking the child anywhere. I am not a person like that. I do not have any intentions with a child. I do not have any bad or unwanted intentions with a child. Gda McDermott said she was objecting to bail but defence solicitor Michael Kelleher said having taken instructions from the accused, we are not quite yet in a position to make a bail application. He asked for the case to be put back to Wednesday. Judge Jones asked the garda what the case was about. Gda McDermott said it was the prosecutions case that the accused was attending a party at an apartment in Dublin 9 and after he left he was captured on CCTV interacting with two small children aged five and 10. He did not know the children who were strangers to him, the garda said. The garda said on the footage, the children are seen trying to get in a door to the building and it was alleged that at one point the accused follows a child inside. Moments later, he is allegedly seen going out with the five year old under arm. According to gardai, the 10-year-old goes after them, they return to the building and the children go inside. The accused is allegedly seen attempting to get back in the door before leaving. The judge asked Gda McDermott if the accused was alleged to have had the child in his grasp. He had the five year old child under arm and was walking away, the garda said. Defence solicitor Michael Kelleher said the accused accepted he was in the building at a party and was intoxicated. The judge said it was a very serious matter. He remanded the accused in custody to Cloverhill District Court on Wednesday, when he is expected to make a bail application. Gda McDermott then applied to the court for reporting restrictions. The judge agreed and made an order that the accused cannot be named. Dog was on leash when it bit arm of Belfast youngster A young boy has been attacked by an XL bully while walking to school in Belfast. The schoolboy was bitten on the arm by the dog during the terrifying attack at Woodstock Road in the east of the city. It was latest attack by the deadly dogs which have killed a large number of people in the UK and Ireland in recent years. This included the death of Nicole Morey in Co. Limerick in June. Nicole, who had just celebrated her 23rd birthday, was attacked in her home by one of her dogs, an XL bully. Last month, a one-year-old girl was seriously injured after being attacked by an XL bully dog in Co. Kerry. A young boy, Alejandro Mizsan, was also left with serious injuries following an attack by an XL bully in November 2022 while playing near his home in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. XL bullies have also been responsible for a number of horrific deaths in Britain in recent years. Limerick woman Nicole Morey was attacked by her own XL bully Figures recently released by Stormont revealed there were 1,581 dog attacks in Northern Irelands 11 council areas from April 2023 to March 2024. Of these, XL bully dogs were involved in 48 of the attacks. New laws are being introduced across Ireland this year to ban people from owning XL bullies unless they have a special certificate. The attack on the Belfast schoolboy happened in May this year, but details of the incident only emerged this week when the dogs owner was brought before a court. Louise Hamilton, from Pearl Street in Belfast, admitted she owned the dog which attacked the youngster. Belfast Magistrates Court was told the boy was walking to his school bus stop when he was bitten by the dog on the arm. The animal was on a lead at the time and was quickly pulled away from the terrified child. The boy, whose age was not outlined in court, is understood to have been taken to hospital for treatment after the attack. Hamiltons solicitor said she had accepted from the outset that the dog, which she described as a puppy, had bitten the child and was sorry for what the boy had suffered. Since the incident, the solicitor added, the dog has been contained in Hamiltons home and has been given additional training. The dog hasnt been out on walks or anything since this incident, said the solicitor. Alejandro Mizsan. Photo: Jim Campbell Despite the dog having attacked a child, there was no order for it to be put down. Instead a contingency destruction order was put in place for the rest of the dogs life. This means the dog will be destroyed if the owner does not follow the strict controls put in place. The judge said the dog must be fitted with a muzzle when out in public. It must also always be kept on a lead in public and be securely confined in a building or yard or some other type of enclosure when at home. If there is a repetition of this, there will be a destruction order for the dog, the judge said. Sentencing Hamilton, the judge said he would give her credit for pleading guilty and the manner in which she had approached the matter. Attack victim Nicole Morey with one of the dogs in her care She was sentenced to four months in prison but the sentence was suspended for a year. She was warned if she commits any offence during that time she could be sent to jail. Hamilton was also ordered to pay compensation of 250 to the boy and 135 of costs to Belfast City Council. Since February 1 this year, it has been a criminal offence in England and Wales to own an XL bully without an exemption certificate. Following the introduction of the ban, councils in Northern Ireland said there was a significant increase in the number of XL bullies being reported in their areas. As a result, new restrictions in connection with the breed have also been brought in Northern Ireland. The new rules are being introduced in two stages. The first set of legal safeguards came into operation on July 5 and added XL bully type dogs to the list of restricted breeds. From this date, owners will not be allowed to breed, sell, exchange, gift or abandon an XL bully type dog and they will need to keep their dog muzzled and on a lead when in public places. The dog must be kept in secure conditions that will stop it from escaping. The second stage will come into effect on December 31. Beyond that date it will be illegal to own an XL bully type dog without an exemption certificate. PSNI issue fresh appeal over unsolved 2004 killing Police believe murdered sheep farmer Patrick Devine was attacked by those responsible for his death in the weeks and years before he was shot. On the 20th anniversary of his killing, police are still of the opinion he was targeted by individuals in a contract killing amid a running dispute over the alleged theft of livestock in the Claudy area of Co Derry. Mr Devine (51) was shot nine times in the head and chest with a .22 rifle at his farmhouse on the Mullintill Road on September 13, 2004. The INLA is believed to have been the group to have provided the gunman for the murder and is thought to have been paid thousands to carry out the shooting. Last week, police said while they still believed those responsible had paramilitary links, they were not in a position to confirm the involvement of any particular organisation. Police at scene of farmhouse where Patrick Devine was murdered The bachelor and part-time nurse was found dead in the hallway of his isolated property, with at least two shots fired at him through a kitchen window as he sat eating a meal. Nobody has ever been convicted in relation to his killing, but police have arrested several people over the years, with investigations even taking them to Scotland. Both Patrick and his brother Aidan were previously the victims of beatings at the hands of people strongly believed by police to have been linked to the eventual fatal attack. Shortly after Mr Devines killing, police said they believed those incidents may hold the key to the motive for the murder. An assault on the victim at Dungiven market in 2001 and an attack on his brother in 2004 are being treated as links to the murder, said the lead investigator at the time, Detective Superintendent Andy Hunter. In the latter case, on Wednesday, February 25, his brother was assaulted by six masked men in the yard of his home on Carrickayne Road, Claudy. The attack took place at 10pm. He was left lying with broken arms and a broken leg and could have died had a friend not found him. A licensed firearms dealer was arrested and charged in relation to the murder of Mr Devine, but those charges were later dropped. He later revealed how he only heard about the murder on news reports while at home and said he knew plenty of people had a grudge against Devine. On Friday, police issued a fresh appeal for information about the murder, backed up by a 20,000 reward. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Gibson said: It is still the view of police that Patrick was the victim of a contract killing, carried out by an organised crime group with paramilitary links, against a background of rumours of alleged sheep stealing and land disputes, although Mr Devine himself had a clear criminal record. The individuals who did this are dangerous, ruthless and, unfortunately, have never been held accountable. I am appealing to anyone who knows anything about Patricks murder to come forward, talk to us and help us end the pain which his family has endured for all these years. In the 20 years since Patricks murder, circumstances and allegiances may have changed. If anyone now feels they are able to talk to us, we are here and ready to listen. You can contact us on 101. Gardai have also reissued an appeal for information into the shooting death of the 37-year-old in Clondalkin, Dublin 22 on December 5 Gardai remove a car from the scene of the fatal shooting in December 2022 A man has been arrested by gardai investigating the fatal shooting of Cormac Berkeley in West Dublin nearly two years ago. The man, aged in his 30s, was arrested this morning and is being held at a Garda station in Dublin. Gardai have also reissued an appeal for information into the shooting death of 37-year-old Berkeley in Clondalkin, Dublin 22 on Monday, December 5, 2022. Mr Berkeley was originally from the Tallaght area but had been living at the property where he was targeted in Harelawn Park for some time. Gardai were alerted to the shooting in the Ronanstown at around 10pm on the night of December 5.. Gardai remove a car from the scene of the fatal shooting in December 2022 It was reported at the time that the victim had suffered gunshot wounds and was later pronounced dead at the scene. The 37-year-old was well-known to gardai for his involvement in the drugs trade. Cormac Berkeley had been in a bitter dispute with a ruthless gang from the Crumlin area led by a veteran mobster. The Sunday World understands that the murder victim knew his life was under threat and even told gardai that he was planning to leave the country. There was a large garda presences outside the property as forensic teams gathered evidence and a car was removed from the property. A bullet casing was among the items removed from the scene. The murder victim had been a long term target for gardai including specialist units because of his serious involvement in the drugs trade. He has also been a target for rival criminal gangs and in 2011 shots were fired at his home a few months before he was caught by gardai with a significant amount of drugs. This afternoon gardai said they had arrested a man as part of the investigation into the fatal shooting that occurred in Clondalkin, Dublin 22 on Monday, December 5, 2022. The man (aged in his 30s) was arrested this morning, Monday, September 16, 2024, and is currently detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007, at a Garda station in Dublin, a Garda spokesperson said. Gardai continue to appeal to any person who may have information in relation to this incident to contact them. Anyone with information which may assist Gardai in their investigation is asked to contact Lucan Garda Station on 01 6667300 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111. This man has tried to ruin my reputation and has lied about me from the beginning A married woman who was bitten on the buttock by an intruder has slammed her attackers one-month jail sentence, saying: He didnt just attack me...he tried to ruin my life with lies that we were having an affair. Martin Gooney has been given a one -month sentence in prison for intruding in my home and biting me twice. And hes not even in jail because hes appealed the sentence. This is so, so wrong. On Friday last week, Gooney, of Riverview, Scariff, Co Clare, was given two one-month sentences, to be served concurrently, for the assaults on the woman at an address in Whitegate, Co Clare. Killaloe District Court heard he bit the woman twice, once on the buttock and once on the shoulder, while trespassing in her home on the night on December 22, 2022. Martin Gooney admitted his assault The attack only ended when the womans eight-year-old son walked in causing Gooney to flee. Gooney (27), who has previous convictions for making a threat to kill and assault causing harm, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault against the woman and one count of trespass at her family home. But his solicitor, Daragh Hassett, requested that the sentences be suspended in the context of what he called the complicated relationship between Gooney and the woman. Mr Hassett said that the two had been in a brief relationship, though he acknowledged this was denied by the married woman. Judge Alec Gabbett said he could not suspend the prison term and had been considering a longer sentence than one month. It was a human bite and human bites are very serious, the judge said. Today, in her first interview, since the sentence was handed down, the woman has again denied ever being in a relationship of any sort with the 27-year-old. He has thrown everything at me to walk away from this, she said. This man has tried to ruin my reputation and has lied about me from the beginning. That was his defence that he rode me and we were having this big affair. And even though its a lie because of it, hes basically gotten away with what he did to me. Sitting in her kitchen, the mother of fours voice cracked as she relived the events that took place on Christmas week two years ago. She said on the night of the attack, her eldest son and Gooney who both worked for her brother-in-law were at a Christmas do in the local pub. My husband was with them too, she said. The woman tells our reporter about what happened to her He had just come home and he fell asleep on the couch. At 11.45pm, he [Gooney] came to my door looking for my son. The woman told him her son was still out and offered to ring him. Gooney walked into the kitchen with her as she made the call. I put my son on to Gooney because he wanted a lift out to Scariff, she said. My son said hed ring him back in five minutes. After she put the phone down, she said Gooney tried to kiss her. I said: What do you think youre doing? Thats not happening. He kind of jumped back and then the phone rang and it was my son and he told him he couldnt get anyone to pick him up. At that stage, he left and went out the front door. The woman said she went upstairs to check on her younger son and daughter, who were up late and excited about Christmas, before going back downstairs to lock up. Thats when I saw him again, she said, standing outside the back door. Hed climbed over the gate at the side of the house to come in around the back. I opened the door and said what are you at? And he said to come out to him for a few minutes. I said no and thats when he caught me by my wrists and dragged me out the back door. I had caught the door-jamb to try and pull myself back in through the door. And as I did, he lost his footing and thats when he bit me there [on the buttock]. As the woman tried to get away, she said Gooney followed her into the kitchen where he shoved her into a corner against the dishwasher and bit her on the shoulder. I screamed again, she recalled, and thats when my eight-year-old son walked in and said whats going on? Gooney left his victim black and blue The woman said her sons arrival startled Gooney, who then fled as she attempted to comfort the panicked child. I didnt know what to do, she continued. I didnt want to ruin Christmas for the children. So I said nothing at all the next day but that evening, as my husband was sitting in the sitting room, my younger son asked my older son why his friend had hurt mammy last night? And thats how it all came out. I told my husband everything then and I showed him the bruises. He [Gooney] had pulled me so hard out that back door he left bruises on my wrists. I had to show my husband all these bruises and the teeth marks on his wifes body where he broke the skin. The woman said her husband was furious and contacted his brother, Gooneys employer, demanding his address. We didnt know this man, she said. We had met him only a handful of times while my son was working with him. He had picked him up a couple of times from here but he was never inside this house never. My husband went nuts looking for his address and then his brother obviously rang him to find out what was going on. But Gooney denied everything. He said Id come on to him and that he left. The next day, at 6.30pm on Christmas Eve, the woman recalled, Gooney rang her husband. He told him I dont know you but I rode your wife a year ago and thats all thats going on here. Thats where this whole affair thing started, the woman said. That was his defence, that he rode me and we were having this big affair. But we werent and the guards examined his phone. I was going mad in court the last day that a solicitor could stand up in court and say all this stuff. Hes tried to ruin my entire life. But it wasnt just a bite on the buttocks, he left me black and blue. I havent felt safe in my own home for the last year and a half. I dont let anyone in I dont trust anybody anymore. Ive lost friends and Ive lost family because this is a small community and everybody took their sides. But the people who know me know the truth they didnt believe the lies. The woman said she was appalled at the sentence. The justice system is broken, she said. BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China will launch a nationwide population sample survey in 2025 to help monitor the demographic development of the country, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Some 14 million people from about five million households, or 1 percent of the country's population, will be surveyed from Nov. 1 next year, said the NBS. Selected residents will be asked about their basic information ranging from age, gender and education level to marital status and housing conditions. China started its first population sample survey in 1987. So far, four such surveys have been conducted. WARNING: Graphic image Gavin Sheehan this week and (right) after the attack Grinning gun-thug Gavin Sheehan has shrugged off a knife attack that left him hospitalised describing the incident as an unlucky day in the office. Posting a video and comment on social media in the wake of his release from hospital last weekend, the defiant 38-year-old, who was sporting a paper stitch over a gash to his forehead, confirmed he was back in Cork. Back in town already boy, he gloated, only an aul paper stitch. Minor to me. Minor! In a separate post on social media, he continued in the same vein. For all the nosey eejits talking sh*t about everything, Im brand new, he wrote. Ive been here before. Its just an unlucky day in the office. Gavin Sheehan In the post, Sheehan who had been the subject of graffiti in Cork branding him a rat also appeared to hit out at the description. I never charged anybody, he said. And of his injuries he continued: As I said minor to me. On Wednesday this week, Aaron Bohane, of no fixed abode, appeared in court charged in connection with the knife attack on Sheehan outside a coffee shop in Cork city centre on September 6. Sergeant Dave Delea said there were no directions yet in the case from the DPP. Solicitor Shane Collins-Daly told Aaron Bohane by video link that the case was being adjourned by Judge Mary Dorgan until September 25 to allow time for DPP directions. Mr Bohane replied, No problem. Gavin Sheehan The court heard the accused man is a native of Ballincollig but currently of no fixed address. He faces two offences arising out of the investigation into the attack on 38-year-old Gavin Sheehan in Cork. Mr Bohane is charged with assault causing harm to Gavin Sheehan at Oliver Plunkett St, Cork on September 6 contrary to Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. He is also charged with producing a bladed weapon while committing an offence, namely assault causing harm contrary to Section 11 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act. Detective Garda Joe Crowley of Anglesea Street Garda Station gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution and told the court at a special sitting of Cork District on Sunday last that Mr Bohane made no reply to either charge after caution. The defendant has reserved his position regarding a possible bail application. Mr Collins-Daly represented him on free legal aid after earlier evidence that the accused was unemployed and in receipt of social welfare. The incident on September 6 is the second to have occurred in which Sheehan has been the alleged target since his release from prison in August. The criminal, who has 73 previous convictions, including four for assault causing harm, three for assault and seven for robbery, was sentenced to 11 years in 2017 for shooting innocent woman Ciara Sheehan in May 2016. She recovered from her injuries. Gavin Sheehan after the attack Just days after his release, footage emerged of him headbutting a youth in a shoe shop in Cork city. And a week later, an incident occurred where the windows of his home in the Shanakiel area of the city were smashed. A man is before the courts in connection with this incident. During his sentencing hearing in 2017 for the shooting of Cork woman Ciara Sheehan, lawyers for Sheehan claimed he had for a period of two years been a Garda informer, tipping them off about drug dealers, gun dealers and criminals in general. Its understood as a result of these claims, Sheehan had to be moved between prisons on numerous occasions. Roisin Garvey said that kids are being driven to school from across the road Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman (centre), deputy leader Senator Roisin Garvey (centre left) with other parliamentary party colleagues speaking to the media during a Green Party think-in in Dublin. Photo: PA Many Irish children are overweight "because they have to be driven everywhere", the Green Party deputy leader has said. Roisin Garvey made the comments at the Green Party think-in in Dublin today, where she said there was a need to expand the "space given to children who are trying to get to school safely". She said: "Cars are king at the moment in this country and that's still a huge issue." Ms Garvey said she personally relied on cars in rural areas but added: "In urban areas, it is insane that we still have kids being driven to school from across the road. "We need pedestrian crossings, we need wider footpaths." She added: "We need to take it seriously: A quarter of our nine-year-olds are overweight, that's because they have to be driven everywhere. "We have to take this seriously and give space back to our children, and back to older people who can't always drive and people with disabilities." Ms Garvey, who highlighted recent changes to traffic management in Dublin city centre as examples of schemes that work, said: "We've seen it as best practice in other countries. "Let's just do it here and modernise our country and not be stuck back in the 80s where we think everyone should drive a car everywhere, it's insane." However, Finance Minister Jack Chambers urged caution over the remarks. The senior Fianna Fail deputy leader said: "I think we need to be careful not to simplify or make conclusions on the basis of basically just people being driven to school. "We want to build a more active society in everything we do as a country, and every policy we make whether that is investing in sport, whether that is supporting rural transport, for example, and we have fully embraced active travel, where we've enabled a lot of young people to walk and cycle to school." Mr Chambers added: "We also have a society now where fast food, for example, is an issue in terms of daily eating habits, but it's much more complex than specifically focusing on one policy area. "We need to build a more active society with healthy eating. Free school meals, for example, (offers) a space where nutrition can be discussed in a school environment, and we need to be careful not to overly simplify what is a complex issue." The Education Minister also defended a "very strong wellbeing policy" in Irish schools. Speaking at the Fianna Fail think-in, Education Minister Norma Foley said: "Our schools are doing great work in that respect in terms of encouraging health and wellbeing." Asked if Ms Garvey had a point, Ms Foley said there are a "lot of issues" which might impact a young person, adding that children are being encouraged to walk and cycle to school. Ms Garvey's remarks came after a question to Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman on whether the School Transport Scheme should be expanded. Primary school pupils must be 3.2 kilometres away from a suitable school while post-primary students must be 4.8 kilometres away. Currently, the fee for a primary school child is 50 and 75 for a post-primary school child. The maximum fee for a family is 125. Mr O'Gorman said the expansion of the scope of the school-transport programme "would be really welcome", adding: "It has an environmental benefit, it has a cost-saving benefit and it has a time-saving benefit for so many families." He said the maximum fee had been lowered through the term of the Government and added: "I know Norma Foley and the department are working hard to make sure we can provide this service to everybody who wants to take it up." He was just 19 when he secured his first pub from a brewery after pretending he was 23 Tom Moran, one of Irelands best known hoteliers, left over 21m in his will. He appointed his children, John and Karen, to oversee trust funds set out in the document. In the will, dated August 12, 2019, he left an estate valued at 21,213,101. Mr Moran died in March last year at the age of 72. During his career, which spanned more than 50 years, he built and lost an empire but he never lost his positivity. He grew up on a farm in Toureen Donnell near Athea in west Limerick and left school to work as an apprentice coffin-maker in Listowel before emigrating to London aged 16, where he met Sheila Cleary who later become his wife. He was just 19 when he secured his first pub from a brewery after pretending he was 23. At the time he was believed to be the youngest ever pub licensee in the UK. Mr Moran and his wife went on to run several popular pubs and with their savings they bought run-down flats, renovated them and rented them out. He had no ID or chequebook so he frantically called his bank manager and solicitor to seal the deal Eventually, they saved enough money to move home and start a new life in Ireland with their children. They arrived in Limerick in 1980 and bought the Top of the Town pub. In 1988 fate intervened when a friend asked Mr Moran to accompany him to the auction of the Red Cow Inn on Dublins Naas Road. When the bidding war started and the price headed towards 1m, Mr Moran fought for the prize. The hammer came down at 1,010,000, (almost 1.3m), making him the first person to pay more than 1m for a pub in Ireland. He had no ID or chequebook so he frantically called his bank manager and solicitor to seal the deal. He went on to expand his collection of pubs to include the Playwright and the Mad Hatter in Blackrock and the Pier House in Skerries among others. In 1996, after more than two decades in the pub business, he opened his first hotel on the grounds of the Red Cow Inn, which he called the Red Cow Moran Hotel. The business did so well that he decided to sell all the pubs, apart from the Red Cow Inn, and focus on hotels. He bought Londons Crown pub in Cricklewood in 1998 to develop it into a hotel and later bought the Silver Springs Hotel in Cork and opened the Chiswick Moran Hotel in London. But his good fortune was interrupted when he bought the six Bewleys hotels in Dublin and the UK for 570m in 2007 just before the property bubble burst. He later recalled in an interview with The Irish Times: Even my accountant and the banks thought it was the deal of the century we didnt see the recession coming. He spent a year in St Jamess Hospital learning how to talk and walk again But speaking to the Sunday Independent at the Galway races in 2009 he described how even in the heady days he never lived a flash lifestyle. We never went with the high-flyers. Its not in my nature. It wasnt what I was brought up to do, he said. Its easier if youre not flash when you fall because nobody cares but if youre a high-flyer and you fall its different. Asked about his most difficult time, he replied: I suppose when the recession hit, for the first few weeks I thought why the hell did I bother climbing as high as I did? Why didnt I stay where I was? Still he remained positive. I think it will get tougher but were in a prime location so Im confident well survive, he said. In 2015 he sold all the hotels to Dalata with the exception of the Red Cow Moran Hotel, the jewel in his crown. A year later he had a stroke and fell in Spain. He sustained a serious head injury and was placed in an induced coma. He spent a year in St Jamess Hospital learning how to talk and walk again. Paying tribute after his death, the former mayor of Limerick Cllr Liam Galvin said Mr Moran may have mixed with millionaires, but he was always very down to earth. He spoke the ordinary language that the ordinary people of Ireland speak. Thats the way he was he was just a gentleman, he said. The Government has successfully removed trade barriers affecting nearly $190 million worth of exports to help grow the economy, Minister for Trade and Agriculture Todd McClay announced on Sunday. In the past year, we have resolved 14 Non Tariff Barriers (NTBs), returning significant value to kiwi exporters. These efforts directly boost our trade value and make it easier for businesses to expand into key international markets, said McClay. Returning value to exporters directly supports our ambitious target of doubling exports by value in ten years -- and with one in four Kiwi jobs tied to trade, it means more money in the back pockets of thousands of hard-working New Zealanders. NTBs, which include regulatory obstacles like complex certification processes and import restrictions, currently affect $9.8 billion worth of New Zealands trade, with the primary sector facing the greatest impact. Boosting the export value of farming, forestry, horticulture and wine production are vital to our economy, as we oppose distortionary agricultural subsidies through the WTO to enhance global food security," says McClay. NTBs resolved include: Resolved a barrier that had affected $5 million in trade devices exports to Mexico. Resolved labelling issues in South Korea that cleared a shipment of New Zealand cheese worth $1.8 million. Reduced regulatory burdens for wine and spirits exporters, including expanded labelling flexibility, with the EU. Restored onion exports to Indonesia, NZs largest onion market, through streamlined phytosanitary certification. Restored log exports to India following changes to NZs fumigation practices. McClay said New Zealand exported $96.3 billion worth of goods and services in 2023. "Over the next 12 months we will continue our focus on reducing NTBs including around costly EU deforestation regulations, Canadian dairy import restrictions, $300m of cosmetics exports to China and restrictions on structural timber exports to Australia," said McClay. The focus on NTBs continues as a priority to back Kiwi exporters and grow the economy through trade. It is only through a strong economy we can lift incomes, reduce the cost of living and afford the public services Kiwis deserve. The Prostate Cancer Foundation has accepted the view of an influential committee that a national screening programme is premature, but is encouraging it to support pilot programmes in two locations. The Foundation met recently with the National Screening Advisory Committee, and acknowledged the Committees 2023 assessment of insufficient evidence for national screening. While we agree about holding off on a national screening programme, we believe the time is right to run pilots in Tairawhiti and Waitemata and we presented strong evidence to support our view, said Prostate Cancer Foundation President Danny Bedingfield. We hope the committee takes this new evidence into account in deciding whether to support pilot screening, as a matter of urgency. The committee of health experts and patient representatives, which acts as an independent advisor to the Health Minister and Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora, meets up to three times a year. New Zealand could prevent hundreds of deaths annually if it adopted a screening programme, but due to the current inconsistent availability and capacity restraints nationally of both healthcare professionals and medical equipment essential to the prostate cancer diagnostic pathway, a full national screening programme is unlikely to succeed at this time, Bedingfield said. However, that shouldnt hold back pilots of screening, which could be conducted now in two selected locations with minimal extra assistance. Over 700 men died of prostate cancer last year and, due to an ageing population, forecasts show that higher numbers will die this year and next. The sooner we have a screening programme, the more lives we can save, said Bedingfield. Bedingfield said National screening may be off the table for now, but that doesnt mean its okay to do nothing. "We must lay the groundwork now for a programme targeting men over 50 who are most at risk of having or developing prostate cancer. Pilots would provide the lessons and data on how to build any future national programme." Assisted by a prominent urology researcher, Netherlands-based Professor Roderick van den Bergh, the Foundation urged the committee to support the pilots, in which men over 50 would be tested to discern abnormal levels of an enzyme which indicates potential prostate problems which could be cancer. On behalf of the 4000 men diagnosed with cancer and the many who dont yet know they have this life-changing symptomless disease, were grateful to the committee for agreeing to meet with the Foundation. It shows that the committee is professional and willing to engage in these difficult, emotional, life-and-death conversations, Bedingfield said. The Foundation wants the government to fund two pilots costing $6.4 million in total over four years. Lessons would inform a national screening programme to detect prostate cancer while it was still treatable, reducing the number of deaths. Many dads, sons, and brothers have prostate cancer but dont know it yet. Everyone agrees that early detection leads to better clinical outcomes. This is why we have screening for other deadly cancers in the bowel, cervix and breast, said Bedingfield. And with an aging population, the number of deaths and cases of prostate cancer is expected to rise. The government needs to take urgent action and support the early detection pilots. The committee said in November last year that prostate cancer screening met only two of its eight criteria. The rest were inconclusive and it therefore did not support national prostate cancer screening, a view cited by Health Minister Shane Reti in his decision not to support screening. At the first meeting with the committee, the Foundation said it did not agree with the committees inconclusive assessments and offered to fill any gaps in the committees knowledge. If there is any evidence required, we urge the committee to ask us, said Bedingfield. We can find it or seek help from our international networks. Its important that decisions are fully informed. The campaign for screening was bolstered recently by the support of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand, which made submissions to Parliament saying there is plenty of evidence from large trials in Europe that prostate cancer screening significantly reduced mortality from the disease, has a massive impact on male mortality, and would help reduce health outcome disparities between Maori and non-Maori. A charity run by former Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell has handed over another 16 decommissioned ambulances to Ukrainian armed forces as the war reaches nearly two-and-a-half years. In a ceremony in Kyivs Sofia Square, Powell donated the vehicles, each equipped with oxygen equipment and basic medical aid tools, to Ukrainian medical units so they could transport and treat injured soldiers and civilians. With seven donated last year, Powell told the Herald this means 23 ambulances have so far been handed over to the Ukrainian army. Ten more are expected to arrive soon that means there will be 33 in total. Kiwi Kare chairman Tenby Powell and his wife Sharon Hunter have helped get decommissioned ambulances to Ukrainian armed forces. Photo supplied. Powell, a former New Zealand Army colonel, and his wife, Sharon Hunter, organised logistics and helped drive the 16 ambulances to an Australian-based ship that would carry them the 20,000km to Europe. A team of 20 drivers from New Zealand, Poland, France, Germany, the United States, Canada, Britain and Ukraine successfully drove the ambulances from where they landed in Germany to Kyiv, some 2000km away. He said army officials were absolutely thrilled to receive the vehicles. They will be used to evacuate injured soldiers, but they will also be able to be used to carry out evacuations after curfew. The army is the only one allowed to operate after curfew. The paramedics who will operate these vehicles will save numerous lives. Yesterday Kiwi K.A.R.E handed over 16 ambulances to Ukrainian Medical Units in Kyiv. We are very grateful to the thousands of generous Kiwis who made this possible. Please click on this link to donate: https://t.co/w90VMkx4oX#KiwiKARE #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/EfBdPYyGHp Tenby Powell (@tenbypowell) September 11, 2024 Powell said the ambulances were right-hand drive and, like much of continental Europe, Ukrainians drive on the right. But that wont be an impediment. Serviceman Oleksandr Shpak told the Kyiv Post that while the ambulances were not all-wheel drive, they would use them between stabilisation points and hospitals. Its important that everything here is in working order; we dont need to make additional repairs to the vehicles or equipment, he said. We can connect oxygen devices, masks, resuscitation equipment and wheelchairs are in good condition. There are even stretchers for the wounded. In August 2023, with support from Hato Hone St John, Kiwi Kare delivered seven decommissioned ambulances filled with medical supplies to the war-torn country along with logistics support vehicles, such as large vans, 4x4 cars, and a 13-tonne truck. The organisation has also been using recycled electrical water boilers collected from across Ukraine to fabricate stoves and water heaters. Powell said Ukrainians had described the project as life-saving and it was now being run year-round. To date, we have distributed over 2500 stoves to families in desperate need. Ukrainian fabricators strip and re-weld the recycled cylinders, and we distribute them to red zone areas where power and water infrastructure has been completely destroyed. Donations can be made on the Kiwi Kare Givealittle page or via its website. - Bay of Plenty Times Champagne corks are popping across the Waikato today with confirmation that direct flights between Hamilton Airport and Australia are back. Jetstar, a subsidiary of Qantas, has announced it will offer three return flights per week between Hamilton and the Gold Coast and four return flights per week between Hamilton and Sydney. The first flights will take off in June 2025, in time for the New Zealand school holidays. The transtasman commercial flights will be the first out of Hamilton in 13 years. The final Virgin Australia flight flew from Hamilton to Brisbane on October 27, 2012, ending 18 years of transtasman flights. Waikato Regional Airport Ltd (WRAL) chief executive Mark Morgan said todays celebration comes after more than a year of solid grind by his team negotiating with the airline and border agencies. Its been hard, complex work, in a very sensitive commercial environment and we are thrilled to have pulled this off. The benefits for the entire region not just passengers are huge. Analysis indicates the flights will boost the regional economy by about $45 million per year. Thats fantastic for everyone; this is not just about the airport, its a great day for the region. The Jetstar flights will see over 100,000 more passengers per year using Hamilton Airport, some for business and some on holiday, leading to the creation of around 60 new airport-based jobs. Jetstar Group chief executive Stephanie Tully said the airline was excited to be further expanding its network in Aotearoa. Were in a period of unparalleled growth for Jetstar in New Zealand, launching five new routes in the past three months and providing greater low-fares connections to key regions across the country. As the countrys only low-cost airline, Jetstar provides critical competition in New Zealand and helps keep travel affordable for Kiwis, with one million domestic fares selling for less than $100 in the past year alone. With consistently low fares and improved reliability, theres never been a better time to give Jetstar a go. We thank Hamilton and Dunedin Airports for their ongoing support of low fares travel for Kiwis. Its through strong partnerships like these that were able to grow our network in New Zealand. Hamilton Airport will refit its northern terminal in preparation for customs, border control, aviation security and other services needed for international flights. We have most of the building services and fundamentals already in place following our seismic strengthening and refurbishment project completed in 2022. There is some work to do, but we did future-proof the building to the extent we could. So the work required is not major and will begin in November this year with no disruption to customers, Morgan said. The aircraft used on the transtasman routes will be a 188-seater A320 Neo. He confirmed there was no requirement to change the runway to accommodate the services. The size of our runway has never been a barrier to transtasman flights. Waikato Regional Airport Ltd chief executive Mark Morgan (right) and board chairman Barry Harris. Photo / Stephen Barker. WRAL chairman Barry Harris said he was extraordinarily proud of what the WRAL team had achieved. There has been a lot of moving parts to this on both sides of the Tasman and its taken a lot to pull it together. We congratulate Marks team for what they have achieved and congratulate Jetstar, too, for recognising the Waikato represents a huge opportunity. Hamilton Airport is in good shape financially and thats allowed us to identify opportunities and go after them. The resurrection of international fights is great for the airport but more importantly, its great for the wider region and for the travelling public. Hamilton and Waikato Tourism general manager Nicola Greenwell was jubilant today. Jetstar to Hamilton promotion. This is fantastic news, brilliant. Australian visitors already account for 19 per cent of our international visitor spend in the region. Now, with direct flights into Hamilton Kirikiriroa we become even more accessible and this is fantastic news for the mighty Waikato, for the central North Island and beyond, Greenwell said. This, on top of the recent announcement of two new hotels for Kirikiriroa, means the future of the visitor sector for our region is bright. Once flights begin Jetstar will become the fourth airline using Hamilton Airport for scheduled flights. Other carriers include Air New Zealand, Sunair and Originair. Council ownership Waikato Regional Airport Ltd is a council-controlled organisation owned by Hamilton City, Otorohanga, Waipa, Waikato and Matamata-Piako District Councils and is the umbrella for subsidiary companies Hamilton Airport, Jet Park Hotel Hamilton Airport, Hamilton & Waikato Tourism (HWT) and Titanium Park Ltd. Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate. Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate has welcomed the news. This is a huge win for our city and region. Air travel plays a major role in economic and social connectivity, and this will open up Hamilton to Australia and the world, said Southgate. Im sure Hamiltonians will be excited to have direct access across the ditch. But this will also give our local economy a tremendous boost, by creating jobs, opening up business opportunities, and bringing tourists here to eat, play and stay in our city and region. Waipa mayor Susan ORegan has cheered on the announcement. Waipa District mayor Susan O'Regan (right) and chief executive Steph O'Sullivan at the launch of Jetstar's transtasman flights at Hamilton Airport this morning. The mayors said 65,000 additional travellers inbound to Hamilton Airport are anticipated, which will see the creation of around 60 new airport-based jobs and a further 300 jobs in the wider region. We could all do with some good news so Im absolutely stoked really thrilled, ORegan said. I know the team at the airport have been working hard to pull a complex commercial deal together and theyve done it. Congratulations to them because all of us will benefit from flights in and out of the airport which is, after all, in our district. ORegan admitted her enthusiasm for the new Jetstar routes was also personal. Ive got family in Australia and we all know its a lot easier and cheaper to visit them when an international airport is just down the road. It avoids the travel and parking in Auckland and means that coming home is just a short drive from the terminal to my couch. I love it! -Bay of Plenty Times Southerly outbreaks have kept snow seekers in the far south happy over the past several days and MetService is forecasting more snow to kick off this week as cold air sweeps up the country. A number of regions are at risk of seeing thunderstorms today with hail and gusty winds potentially accompanying heavy showers. More fast-moving rain bands are forecast through the second half of the working week. Another Heavy Snow Watch was issued for areas south of Queenstown from on Monday evening until Tuesday morning. However, this time around the cold air and snow potential spreads up to the North Island with a Heavy Snow Watch in force for parts of Taihape above 700 metres between 10am 6pm Tuesday. This relatively widespread risk of snow has meant the Severe Weather team has issued Road Snowfall Warnings across all the roads the MetService cover. "So, if youre driving over one of the higher roads before Wednesday, check our Warnings page to see if snow is forecast," said the MetService. The band of rain passed over the North Island on Monday bringing the risk of thunderstorms to Taranaki, Northland, Auckland, Coromandel and coastal Bay of Plenty. The MetService said heavy rain will accompany the thunderstorms but for Northland there is also the potential for vigorous gusts. On Tuesday as the cold air passes over the North Island this also brings about risk of thunderstorms and hail. "As the cold front passes over the country from late tonight through Tuesday theres a burst of strong south/southwest winds which will only add to the wintry feeling weather," said MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris. "This will be especially noticeable across Northland and Auckland where hail and gale southwest winds will accompany below average temperatures." The cold air moving up the South Island will bring another top up of snow but also hazardous driving conditions on Tuesday. Frosts will also be back on the cards Tuesday morning but more widespread on Wednesday morning. Queenstown has a forecast high of just 6C on Tuesday but most places rebound back to average temperatures on Wednesday. "Generally, we see a slight easing in the nations weather on Wednesday but its a brief respite as more showers pile on to the North Island from the west while more persistent rain falls on the west coast of the South Island on Thursday. Friday brings yet another band of rain across the country from the west." Image: MetService. The woman killed in a crash on State Highway 5 between Rotorua and Tirau last week was Lynette Helen Ambler, nee Gibson, from Rotorua. Police said in a statement she was aged 63. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones. The highway was closed on September 11 following the three-vehicle crash near Tapapa at about 3.25pm just east of the intersection of Webster Rd. One person died at the scene and three people were left seriously injured in the crash. Police inquiries into the circumstances of the crash continued. Taupo area manager road policing Senior Sergeant Fane Troy previously said they want to speak with witnesses of the crash, or vehicle movements before the crash. Fane appealed for witnesses or anyone with relevant footage of an orange Toyota Yaris to come forward. Due to the tangihanga for the late Kingii Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII, the date for a discussion of The Treaty of Waitangi has been postponed in Tauranga until 7pm Wednesday, September 18. Prominent Bay of Plenty theologian and historian Dr Alistair Reese will lead the discussion at the event and book launch at Holy Trinity in Tauranga. Prominent historian Claudia Orange says about the book, He Tatau Pounamu: There has been much written and discussed on Te Tiriti/the Treaty of Waitangi, but I would recommend readers to read Alistair Reeses book which expands on his thinking on Te Tiriti as Covenant and his expression of this at Waitangi Dawn Service February 6, 2024. Te Tiriti of Waitangi | Treaty of Waitangi, was first signed in the Bay of Islands on February 6 1840. Over the following months a further eight Treaty sheets were signed in various locations around Aotearoa. One of those places was Tauranga. Between April 10 and May 23, 1840, 21 signatures for The Treaty of Waitangi were collected in Tauranga. He Tatau Pounamu, The Treaty of Waitangi, a Covenant of Reconciliation is a public discussion about Te Tiriti at a time when the agreement by which tangata whenua and tangata tiriti is being called into question, he says. Because of the events surrounding the tangihanga after Kingi Tuheitias sudden death, it has been necessary to postpone the event, said Reese. We are at a decisive moment as a nation. How can we renew and deepen our understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi? What does it mean to say that the Treaty is a sacred compact, a covenant? And what has been the role of the Church in relation to the Treaty? What might this require now? The event is being held in partnership by Karuwha Trust and the Venn Foundation. Karuwha Trust is a charity that engages people in a conversation about identity and history through journeys to significant sites and stories. The Venn Foundation is a New Zealand Christian organisation encouraging people to think deeply about Christian values to help shape New Zealand. Dr Reese said he will help the audience to understand how the Treaty is he tatau pounamu a covenant pathway of reconciliation. He has already held the discussions in Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch throughout May, with a Hamilton discussion held on Monday, September 16. I will consider the history and context of this foundational document, including the role of the Church in its shape and interpretation. We will weigh how best to respond, how best to honour the Treaty now. The Tauranga event is at Holy Trinity, Devonport Rd in Tauranga on Wednesday, September 18, from 7pm to 9pm. There will also be a book launch before the main event. To attend, register here: https://www.venn.org.nz/events-courses/he-tatau-pounamu-tauranga/ BAGHDAD, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Three Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk on Sunday, a police source said. Iraqi security forces surrounded two IS militants wearing explosive belts on a motorcycle in a neighborhood in Kirkuk, some 250 km north of Baghdad, Kirkuk police Salam al-Obaidi told Xinhua. The security forces clashed with the two militants and killed them, al-Obaidi said. Later, the security forces separately killed a third IS militant wearing an explosive belt in the same neighborhood, al-Obaidi added. The security situation in Iraq has improved since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, IS remnants have sneaked into urban centers, deserts, and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. International flights are coming closer to Bay of Plenty travellers as Hamilton Airport picks up two new services to Australia. The news has pleased the Bay of Plentys two regional tourism organisations which say Australian travellers are an important market for the local tourism industry. Jetstar announced this week the new services would take off from Hamilton to the Gold Coast and Sydney from June 2025 and be operated using Jetstars fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft. A media statement from the airline said this would be the first time Jetstar had flown to and from Hamilton. The new routes will provide Kiwis with more direct access to the Gold Coast and Sydney - two of Australias most popular tourist destinations - and make it easier for travellers to connect on to Jetstars extensive low-cost network across Australia, Asia and the Pacific, the statement said. Ignacio Lillo Malaga Monday, 16 September 2024, 12:41 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads The summer of 2024 has given an important respite to the forests and lands of Malaga province. In fact, this has been the best summer on record, at least to date as autumn does not officially start until Sunday 22 September. Plan Infoca, the Junta de Andalucia's specialist brigade for preventing and fighting forest fires measures the results with a double-edged criterion. For the first part they look at the number of incidents they have been called to on rustic land. Thus far this year there have been 69 (52 outbreaks and 17 full-blown wildfires), which is slightly lower than the same period last year (70), as well as just below the average for the decade (72.30), according to the data. It is the second part where the really good results of this summer's campaign can be seen as they assess how many hectares were burnt during 2024. The total is 181.32 hectares: 11 hectares of woodland and the rest (170.32) of scrubland. This figure is massively down, 89% less than the average for the decade (2014-2024), which is 1,674.32 hectares. In other words, only 11% of what has been the norm in recent summers has been scorched this summer. New forest defence centre on the Costa del Sol To reinforce firefighting efforts, the Junta is building the new Forest Defence Centre of the Costa del Sol (in Istan-Marbella) with an investment of 4.63 million euros. Construction work is expected to be completed by June 2025. In the Andalucia region as a whole the number of responses to fire call-outs was 495, of which 403 (81.4%) were outbreaks and the other 92 (18.59%) were full-on wildfires. According to the same data source, the percentage of outbreaks to fires remains close to those recorded in recent years. The provinces with the highest number of incidents requiring intervention at this point in the year are Huelva (100), Malaga (69) and Cordoba (67). At the regional level, the total area affected by such fires is 5,853.13 hectares. Some 5,145.7 (87.9%) are scrubland and the rest is forest (707.4, 12%). Although the quantity of land burnt is less than the average (8,913.8 hectares), the gap is not so wide as in the case of Malaga. Antonio Sanz who, as Andalucia's regional minister of the presidency, is responsible for the fire prevention campaign, welcomes these good results in Malaga: "Despite the weather, as we have had complicated days due to heatwaves and hot 'terral' (onshore) winds, the fire campaign is running smoothly thanks to the cooperation of members of the public and the diligence of the Plan Infoca system." No evacuations "In the province of Malaga we are particularly concerned about wildfires coming into contact with populated areas, as most of these emergencies involve the evacuation of people. Fortunately, this year we have not had to carry out preventive evacuations of the population." In his opinion, the work of Plan Infoca has been key: "It has once again set the bar high in terms of its effectiveness, as it has managed to reduce 82% of the fires to outbreaks. This is thanks to the effective and rapid response of Plan Infoca, they are great professionals." However, the minister warned that "there is still some summer left and we have to be prudent, but we have the best wildfire fighting system in Europe, with the best professionals." In addition to this, there are the investments made by the Junta de Andalucia: 150 million euros more in improvements to Plan Infoca. "We are the Spanish region with the most airborne resources, 44 in total for the first time in history. That is why we are providing an effective response with a large team of 4,700 professionals." Another key factor that, in Sanz's opinion, explains these results is prevention. Plan Infoca this year has a budget of 244 million euros, of which 135 million are for projects aimed at preventing fires and 108 million for extinguishing them. The commissioning of more and better airborne resources has meant an investment of 22 million this year, in addition to heavy-duty firefighting vehicles (25.4 million to be spent during the Junta's current term of office) and the construction and refurbishment of facilities for these specialist firefighters. "We have no choice but to look to the sky". That is the conclusion that the farmers of the Guadalhorce valley in Malaga province have come to after running out of water to irrigate their crops during the summer months. They were granted a total of nine hectometres during the last Junta de Andalucia meeting to discuss the drought situation in the region. The two agreed irrigation periods for the local farmers have already come to an end when in some areas the water did not even arrive once the first emergency irrigation started. The first was from 12 June to 14 July and the second from 5 August until the water ran out. In an ordinary year they have a total of 40 hectometres at their disposal. At the end of July, Rafael Vega, a farmer from Cartama, still had not received a drop of water, as the breakdowns in the water network in the area are another of the main difficulties in irrigation in the Guadalhorce. "We have been saying for more than two decades that there are some black spots in the region that fail every year and we always pay a fee that is not used to fix the problem", said sources close to the board of the provincial association of irrigators of Malaga (Aprema). The association itself recalls that as soon as the first irrigation period started, the Cartama syphon system broke down, so there are irrigators who started the first irrigation period on 1 August, just days before the second established irrigation. "We have experienced a summer with more than 80 breakdowns," said Aprema. "The second irrigation has gone better but it has been hard work, organising ourselves as best we can, distributing the water when everyone needs it and cutting it by zones to obtain a more concentrated quantity", explained the president of the Arroyo Gragea irrigation community, Agustin Garcia. Aprema has already warned on numerous occasions that with this situation they are going to lose farms, work and many crops, as "now that there is no more water for irrigation, there is nothing left to do but look to the sky and hope for rain, when just ten kilometres away from the Guadalhorce, investment continues in other sectors such as tourism". "This is a spiral that is no longer profitable," said one farmer. President of the Donana Las Monjas and Las Cabrerizas irrigation communities, Cristobal Sanchez, explained how there are many farming families who are facing ruin. The two communities have a combined total of 600 growers and are going to experience losses of almost three million kilos of citrus fruit, according to Sanchez's estimates. Faced with this situation, the irrigators are calling for an agreement to "not let agriculture in the Guadalhorce die". Ignacio Lillo Malaga Monday, 16 September 2024, 13:53 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads The number of options for travelling by train between the north and south of Spain are fast expanding. State train operator Renfe has this Monday, 16 September, added a new direct AVE high-speed train service between Malaga and Barcelona, with a journey time of just under six hours. The new frequency is in addition to the existing ones, with one extra in each direction, that links Malaga with Cordoba, Madrid, Zaragoza and Barcelona. It will depart daily from Malaga, except on Saturdays, at 5.57pm, and from Barcelona, from Monday to Friday, at 5.50am. Therefore, the direct AVE from the capital of the Costa del Sol is scheduled to make stops in Cordoba (6.46pm) and Madrid (8.47pm), to continue on to Zaragoza (10.26pm) and will finally arrive in Barcelona at 11.55pm. In the opposite direction, the service will leave Barcelona at 5.50am, with stops in Zaragoza (7.33am), Madrid (9.10am), Cordoba (11.32am) and will arrive at Malaga's Maria Zambrano railway station at 12.36pm. This new service between the coast and Barcelona is in addition to the existing ones, departing from Malaga at 8.25am and arriving in Barcelona at 2.21pm (5 hours and 56 minutes). Another option is to take the train at 4.18pm and arrive at 10.36pm. For the return journey, there is also the option of leaving at 8.35am, arriving on the Costa del Sol at 2.56pm. You can also take the train at 3.15pm and arrive at 9.45pm. In any case, Renfe offers almost ten options to connect both destinations by means of connections at Madrid's Atocha station. These are combined journeys, under a single and guaranteed ticket, according to the public railway operator. To Barcelona with Iryo Private operator Iryo has also announced a direct service connecting Malaga with Barcelona from 15 December. With two frequencies a day, one outbound and one return, seven days a week, the route will have stops in Zaragoza, Madrid and Cordoba, with a journey time of five hours and 50 minutes. Iryo will offer a total of 336,530 seats on this line every year. The new service will depart from Barcelona at 11.50am and will arrive in the capital of the Costa del Sol at 5.42pm. On the reverse route, it will depart from Malaga's Maria Zambrano station at 11.35am and arrive at Barcelona Sants at 5.37pm. Almudena Nogues Malaga Monday, 16 September 2024, 10:15 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads Her name is Rosa. She is 79 years old and has spent most of her life glued to a needle. On Friday 13 September, she did not parade down Calle Larios. Her name was not on the list of the designers who were the stars of Friday night's show, but she indeed played a very important role. Her meticulous embroidery - although it went unnoticed by the public - enhanced each of the 20 dresses presented by Susana Hidalgo from Malaga, who was honoured in this year's catwalk with the Alfiler de Oro (Golden Pin). Rosa (her mother) has been her driving force and inspiration all these years. And what better way to pay tribute to her than by naming her most special collection after her: the one she exhibited on Friday along Malaga's most-famous street. Rosa embodies precisely the philosophy that has been the backbone of Pasarela Larios since its beginnings 13 years ago: A commitment to the most artisanal and pure fashion. That meticulous work that, stitch by stitch, creates unique haute couture dresses is called 'slow fashion', which is veering away from excessive production and excessive consumption of clothes. An international event On Friday night, six local designers brought their creations to what is the longest open-air blue carpet in Europe, of more than 350 metres. Alongside them were other Andalusian designers (such as Lucia Cano from Jaen with her impeccable bridal designs or Pepitina Ruiz with her striking art in silk) as well as designers from Morocco and Portugal. However, this year did not feature Malaga designers Montesco or Angel Palazuelos, who have been part of the catwalk since its beginnings 13 years ago. At the foot of Calle Larios, more than 200 professionals involved, 100 models and more than 15,000 guests showed why Malaga is a fashionable destination. However, there was an unfortunate technical issue which prevented the public from hearing the explanations of the event's presenter. At 8.20pm, designer Juan Carlos Armas, from Tenerife, opened the event. Feathered hems, skirts with tulle flounces and designs studded with rhinestones were the focus of his 'Memories' collection, in which, as its designer explained, each piece tells a story, "each detail reveals a secret that transports us to the people who have left us their mark and their mastery". The dresses were aimed at a very feminine, sophisticated and self-confident woman, a common tone last night on a catwalk that encouraged female empowerment. Jesus Segado, from Malaga, a key player in this event since its beginnings and one of the big names in its line-up, took over the baton on Calle Larios. On this occasion, he showed a dozen of the most iconic designs of his career since 2012. There was no shortage of his now iconic skirts with pockets, his coats-suits with capes or his knitwear with appliques. Craftsmanship elevated to the category of art in a masterful exercise in attention to detail. Behind him, Btissam Dahane Couture (with his colourful kaftans from Morocco - the first of them in green and purple in a clear nod to Malaga) and Antonia Garcia Galiano from Alhaurin. The latter surprised with an elegant line of architectural cut and very structured fabrics, as well as dresses for brides and guests created "to flatter the female silhouette to the maximum". And after Galiano, was the colour that dominated the entire Kaba Fashion show, one of the most commercial and wearable of the night. Among his designs, totally transparent lace skirts - one of the indisputable trends of this season - were accompanied by bodysuits and maxi belts. Standing ovation for Belinda Jokoth But if there was a protagonist on Friday night at the Pasarela Larios, it was, on her own merits, designer Belinda Jokoth. As on other occasions, the Portuguese designer was the only one who walked the 350 metres of blue carpet greeting the public between dances and gestures of gratitude and the audience responded with a standing ovation. Completing the programme of the opening day were the casual garments of Hard Rock Cafe - although many did not understand their inclusion in the big day of local haute couture - and the collections of Inma de la Riva (with her peculiar vision of Sense and Sensibility) and Teressa Ninu (with eight bridal designs inspired by flamenco tribute to monuments of the province such as the Cathedral, Alcazaba and Gibralfaro,). The finishing touch was provided by local fashion brand Moncho Heredia (with one of the most colourful shows of the night, with touches of coral and vibrant metallic sparkles), Pepitina Ruiz and Lucia Cano. Couturier Romeo Couture was unable to attend the fashion show, according to the organisers, due to problems with his visa from Morocco. Zoom Patricia Perez and Ricardo Cruz with the jury of the Maribel Yebenes prize. Marilu Baez In parallel to the 13 fashion collections, the Pasarela Larios - an event organised by Nueva Moda Producciones together with Malaga city council and Unicaja Foundation as the main sponsor - hosted the fourth annual Maribel Yebenes Award for the best models. The award created in 2018 by the beauty and aesthetic medicine firm went to Patricia Perez and Ricardo Cruz. Saturday's programme After the opening night on Friday, Saturday 14 September featured some of the main local brands and Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, a regular at the event. The catwalk opened with a parade of pieces by masters of design from the Museo del Automovil y la Moda de Malaga and its valuable private collection, which debuted this year on Calle Larios. After them was Ukrainian designer Vel Yurchenko - with By Vel - , international textile group Bestseller and the 'New Fashion Talent 2024' competition. The line-up was completed by Malaga-born Julio Enrique Avila (Ferrucho), Cala, swimwear brand BananaMoon, Livia Monte-Carlo, the flamenco fashion of Jose Galvan and the tailoring and ceremony of Felix Ramiro. There was also a parade of women from the AECC Spanish association against cancer dressed by Jesus Segado from Malaga. The Diputacion de Malaga - through its promotional brand Malaga de Moda - once again gave a dozen new talents the opportunity to present their designs. The New Fashion Talent 2024 competition featured Azahara Crisostomo Medina, Carmen Torres, Florencia Diambri, Jose Antonio Velazquez, Laura Maria Alvarez, Leo Bassa, Maria Jose Perujo, Raul Dona Gomez, Rocio Gonzalez, Rosario Garcia, Samuel Reyes and Sergio Rodriguez. Francisco Gutierrez Malaga Monday, 16 September 2024, 16:11 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads Mijas and Marbella are finally opening their long-awaited secondary schools. After years of demands and waiting, this academic year - which starts this Monday 16 September - the Cilniana secondary school in Marbella and Ana Carmona Veleta secondary school in Mijas opened their doors. The department of education invested seven million euros in both facilities. This Monday students of secondary, baccalaureate, vocational training and adult continuing education (162,562 students) returned to the classroom. A total of 347,746 students and more than 23,200 teachers in 1,238 public, public and private schools have returned to classes this September. The regional ministry of education in Andalucia has carried out 80 projects for the construction, extension and refurbishment of educational centres in 2024. Of those completed so far this year or with completion planned for the last quarter of 2024 (350 throughout Andalucia), a total of 35,843 students will benefit in Malaga province. Two of them correspond to the commissioning of the new high schools in Marbella and Mijas; another seven are related to extensions of spaces for training schemes, while the remaining 71 are reforms, improvements or modernising existing centres. In total, the value of the investment exceeds 30 million euros, a significant percentage of the 124.2 million euros invested in educational infrastructure throughout the region in 2024. Since 2019, the Andalusian regional government has invested nearly 60 million euros in the province to improve and maintain schools, with a total of 385 works. In the last two years alone, 41 works have been undertaken in schools in Malaga city, all of them already completed, with an investment of nearly 10 million euros. Spaces for vocational training This new academic year will see the launch of new training programmes in some of the secondary schools in Malaga city and province, which has required some refurbishment. In eight secondary schools in Malaga city and province, work has been carried out, either already completed or pending completion in the near future, with an investment of almost 10 million euros. These investments to extend or adapt spaces for vocational training studies have been made in Santa Barbara (2.1 million), Martin Aldehuela (2.7 million), Gerald Brenan, in Alhaurin de la Torre (0,5 million), Arroyo de la Miel (1 million), Valle del Azahar in Cartama (0.5 million), Antonio Gala in Alhaurin El Grande (1 million), Pintor Jose Maria Hernandez in Antequera (0.85 million) and Valle del Sol in Alora (1 million). Secondary school pupils will have new books, now adapted to Lomloe Secondary school pupils (first, second and third year) will have new textbooks this year, already adapted to the Lomloe, the education law fully in force since last year. The regional ministry of education only renewed those of primary, due to the high cost of changing those of all compulsory levels, to which the free education programme is aimed. For this new academic year 2024/25, the books for the first and second years of primary education will be completely renewed, of the first, second and third years of secondary education, of the basic level training courses, and of the specific provision for pupils with specific educational support needs (SEN), and the maintenance of the books of all the courses of the other stages. More than 175,000 students in Malaga (481,000 in Andalucia as a whole) will receive new textbooks for the academic year that begins this Monday. In addition, books corresponding to the first and second years of primary education will be renewed as every year due to the characteristics of these courses, as well as the provision for students with specific educational support needs. Likewise, the education department will replace the copies that are not suitable for use at the levels where renewal is not foreseen. To this end, the regional ministry will allocate a total budget of 105 million euros for the free textbook programme in Andalucia, of which 20.5 million euros correspond to Malaga, a measure that will benefit almost 900,000 students in compulsory education. For this academic year, there are 20,447 places available for new entrants to vocational training. The offer has been extended with 12 new authorisations, five higher level courses (renewable energies at IES Martin de Aldehuela in Malaga; tourism accommodation management at Sierra Blanca in Marbella; administration and finance at Gerald Brenan in Alhaurin de la Torre; automotive at Antonio Gala in Alhaurin el Grande and coordination of emergencies and civil protection at the Perez de Guzman Institute in Ronda. This last cycle is being taught for the first time in Malaga. Another five intermediate level courses: emergencies and civil protection at IES Santa Barbara in Malaga; commercial activities at Pedro Espinosa in Antequera and microcomputer systems at CDP La Asuncion in Malaga. For the first time in Malaga, it will be possible to study dressmaking and fashion at the Vicente Espinel and water treatment networks and stations at the Martin de Aldehuela, both in Malaga city. The offer is completed with a basic level course in domestic activities and building cleaning at the IES Pintor Jose Maria Fernandez de Antequera and a higher level specialisation course in cybersecurity in information technology environments at the Jesus Marin School. Chus Heredia Malaga Monday, 16 September 2024, 13:05 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads The drought crisis is rearing its ugly head again with Malaga only having enough water for ten months in its reservoirs. Last Friday (13 September) marked four months since the province's main water reserves received some respite thanks to the heavy rains in March. However, on 13 May, the reservoir levels started to drop. Since then, they have lost a total of 60 cubic hectometres. This is more or less what Malaga city consumes in 14 months or two thirds of the annual needs of the Costa del Sol. Friday 13 also saw another milestone registered, with the water in storage no longer reaching 110 cubic hectometres, almost 30 less than this time last year. Tightening water restrictions At the start of October there will be a new drought commission meeting, which will inevitably have to tighten usage restrictions, the regional ministry of agriculture confirmed. From the current 225 litres per inhabitant per day, the commission could recommend 160 or 180 litres. The hydrological year will close on the 30th of this month with some light rain expected at the end of next week. But, barring a miracle, this year could be worse than the last. The rainfall measured in the reservoirs for 2023-24 on Friday was barely 257mm, six less in year-on-year terms. 54 gross hectometres of water Malaga city takes each year from the reservoirs (it must be taken into account that desalination produces brine rejections, the net is much less). On the other hand, the coast needs about 90 hectometres per year and the urban consumption of the Axarquia is 22. That is the average. However, in the Axarquia the figures this year have improved by 45mm, while in La Concepcion (between Marbella and Istan) they remain similar and in the Guadalhorce system there is an overall drop. This leaves the three large reservoirs that supply Malaga city (Guadalhorce, Guadalteba and Conde de Guadalhorce) on the verge of falling below the 50 hectometre threshold (21 less than what is considered a crisis status). Bearing in mind that Malaga needs 54 gross per year, factoring in water loss due to evaporation, that leaves 10-months-worth of water. The Junta de Andalucia and Malaga water supply company Emasa are working to restore wells whose water is treated in the El Atabal plant. Currently, the Guadalteba reservoir barely stores 20 cubic hectometres at the, while the Guadalhorce, salinised, does not exceed 13 and the Conde around 16. A year ago they had 42% more water, 88 hectometres, enough water for more than a year and a half. But that's only for urban consumption. Irrigation water, like in the Guadalhorce, has long since been reduced to a minimum, with the palliative supply of regenerated water, such as that received from the Penon del Cuervo, in Malaga city (nine hectometres per year), which only reaches half of the farms. Meanwhile, the Axarquia reservoir currently stores 24 hectometres, almost twice as much as last year. Meanwhile, the Costa del Sol is not on the worst scale of severity, with the levels varying between severe and moderate drought. 109 cubic hectometres stored in the province's reservoirs. The reservoirs in Malaga city now stand at 50. The La Concepcion reservoir on the western strip of the Costa del Sol is in a slightly better situation than last year, with 26 cubic hectometres. This will be in addition to the Marbella desalination plant which will start producing 20 hectometres per year from December. Work to continue making progress on projects such as the Gibralmedina reservoir (between Cadiz and Malaga) and the second desalination plant on the Costa de Sol, whose preliminary project will be drawn up by Acosol as part of its investment plan, will be crucial. Jose Antonio Guerrero Madrid Monday, 16 September 2024 | Updated 18/09/2024 07:50h. Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads Born to a Spanish father and Italian mother, Kevin de la Torre Fornaciari is the last human cannonball in Spain. Kevin Dola, which is his stage name, is also one of the four virtuosos who perform this risky act in circuses all over Europe, although the other three are North Americans. Born 28 years ago in Almeria ("although I could have been born anywhere because in the circus you are born where fate puts you," he points out), Kevin has spent his whole life working under the big top, in his case that of Coliseo, his family's circus, formed by "generations and generations" and with a great-grandfather, the great Mister Sabas, who was already taming lions more than a century ago in the Canary Islands. Spain's last human cannonball shoots out of a cannon built by a Swiss watchmaker in 1954, which he inherited from the Munoz family, an American saga of human cannonballs who were circus headline acts for decades. One of the Munoz family worked at the Coliseo circus until he retired (at 64 he became the oldest human cannonball) and offered a young Kevin the chance to take over, "an honour and a challenge for me". Kevin was a ringmaster at the Coliseo circus with no greater aspirations than to continue introducing the artists' acts, until he was given the opportunity to change roles that has marked his life. "Before my first official flight, I spent a year training," he recalls. In all that time, and something he continues doing now, he has had to strengthen the muscles in his legs, which take the initial force of the flight which propels him through the eight-metre long tube at 90 kilometres per hour before falling on a net located 35 metres away (if the number is performed outside) or 26 metres away (if it takes place inside, the entire width of the big top). He is only suspended in the air for two or three seconds, "but they are the best two or three seconds of your life!", he exclaims on the phone from Pineda de Mar (Barcelona), where the Circo Coliseo has been this week. "At the beginning," the performer says, "I trained with very short jumps that were gradually extended, and gaining more and more momentum." This is how he mastered a daring technique that only he in Spain executes with a precision that has to be millimetric in order to avoid crashing to the ground. "We are eleven metres high, any fall can take its toll," he explains. Countdown Ten, nine, eight, seven... when the countdown starts and once inside the cannon, the "incredible human cannonball" (as he is loudly introduced over the public address system), clad in his Captain America jumpsuit and protected by a helmet and goggles, knows what he has to do. The first thing to do is "stiffen up" in order to withstand the sudden impact that will take his body from 0 to 90 kilometres per hour in milliseconds. "You have to position your legs and your body well, and above all, you have to take a deep breath and maintain the pressure, stay upright and keep yourself firm so that your organs are contracted and can withstand the impact." Then, after the drum roll that breaks the silence, the 'booooom' is heard, and the audience watches in amazement as Kevin shoots out of the mouth of the apparatus. He says those seconds suspended in mid-air are "total freedom". "It's a sensation you can't describe, in those moments the world stops. You see what it's like to fly and at the same time you see the audience in silence and the children looking at you in amazement. It seems like an eternity, but for me they are the best seconds of my life," he insists. Zoom Kevin on his cannon. R. C. But by no means does the risk end there. This is because, as Kevin takes flight towards the net, he has to turn his body to ensure a safe landing. "When I shoot out, I have to keep my trajectory straight, always facing the net, and turn to land on my back so that the net can withstand the impact, otherwise I'll go through it." When he bounces off the net, he does something like a back flip and cushions the blow, a technique he rehearses every day "to be very well prepared for the impact. Once I landed on my feet and broke the net, although, fortunately I didn't hit the ground, but it was close." A secret mechanism Married and father of an eight-month-old baby ("he's not a human cannonball yet, he's a baby cannonball", he jokes), Kevin wants to keep up this centuries-old tradition "for many years to come". He explains that he gets so much emotion and joy at each performance (he does about seven a week). "When you fall on the net, there is silence. The audience takes a few seconds to react. You get up, start waving and there are still people who are still wondering 'but how did he shoot out? Is he all right?' The kids are freaking out. You can see it in the sparkle in their eyes... and that's beautiful because it's all part of the magic of the circus." The applause from the audience is his best reward. "That means that they value what you do. This act is not just about getting inside and shooting out, there is a whole preparation behind it, both physical and mental, and also the preparation of the cannon itself, which has to be checked thoroughly because it is the most precious asset," explains the performer. Zoom The Spanish human cannonball on the eight-metre tube . R. C. His cannon, decorated in the colours of the Stars and Stripes to match his costume, was built by a Swiss watchmaker 70 years ago. "The mechanism is the original one. Nothing has been touched. We do a thorough technical inspection every year, a kind of MOT. Of course, every day everything has to be checked thoroughly and we spend up to three or four hours preparing it before each shot, checking the gears, the temperature, the safety devices...," he says. Three human cannonballs, one in England and two in the United States, died performing the stunt "because the cannon failed, they didn't reach the net and fell to the ground head first from a height of more than ten metres". When asked about the projection gear of the contraption, he is silent for a long time before he decides to confess: "Ahhh that's a secret! No one can imagine what it's like inside. That's why there are no more cannons," he explains. Despite the risks of the job, he prides himself on being Spain's only human cannonball. For the moment there is no successor in sight. "To think that when I stop I will be the last one is hard, because I am passionate about it and I have a lot of respect for it." But for the moment, as Kevin continues the profession, with his enthusiasm and youth, there will be a human cannonball for a long time. "I've done thousands of flights, I haven't counted them, but I want to do many more," he adds. Country sensation Megan Moroney is hitting the road in 2025 for her Am I Okay? Tour, supporting her latest album of the same name. The tour, set to begin on March 20, 2025, in Montreal, will see Moroney traveling across North America, performing 29 dates in major cities, including New York City and Buffalo. The 26-year-old artist is excited to bring her show to New York Citys Radio City Music Hall on March 26-27 and Buffalos Outer Harbor on July 19. Moroney shared her enthusiasm with fans on Instagram, writing: im already counting down the days until i get to see your faces & all of your homemade tshirts & homemade signs :,) i know ive said it a lot but thank you for making all of my dreams come true - just over the mooooooon that i get to do this. This upcoming solo tour follows Moroneys role as an opening act for Kenny Chesneys Sun Goes Down Tour this summer. Her new album, Am I Okay?, debuted on July 12, 2024, and has already made waves, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Country chart. The album features the hit single No Caller ID, which has been certified Gold by the RIAA. Where to buy Megan Moroney Am I Okay? Tour tickets Tickets to Moroneys Am I Okay? Tour are now on sale through Ticketmaster and secondary market platforms such as Vivid Seats, SeatGeek and StubHub, which offer verified tickets with a buyers guarantee. March 20 MTELUS Montreal, QC, CA Tickets March 21 History Toronto Toronto, ON, CA Tickets March 22 History Toronto Toronto, ON, CA Tickets March 26 Radio City Music Hall New York, NY Tickets March 27 Radio City Music Hall New York, NY Tickets April 3 Orion Amphitheater Huntsville, AL Tickets April 4 Akins Ford Arena Athens, GA Tickets April 5 Akins Ford Arena Athens, GA Tickets April 9 The Pinnacle Nashville, TN Tickets April 10 The Pinnacle Nashville, TN Tickets April 11 Knoxville Civic Coliseum Knoxville, TN Tickets April 12 Knoxville Civic Coliseum Knoxville, TN Tickets April 24 Fishers Event Center Fishers, IN Tickets April 25 The Factory Chesterfield, MO Tickets April 26 The Momentary Bentonville, AR Tickets May 2 713 Music Hall Houston, TX Tickets May 15 Armory Minneapolis, MN Tickets May 16 The Astro Amphitheater La Vista, NE Tickets May 17 The Criterion OKC Oklahoma City, OK Tickets May 21 The Anthem Washington DC Tickets May 22 The Anthem Washington DC Tickets May 24 Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville, CT Tickets June 13 Virginia Credit Union LIVE! Richmond, VA Tickets June 14 Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica Cleveland, OH Tickets June 20 Stage AE Pittsburgh, PA Tickets July 17 The Rave-Eagles Club Milwaukee, WI Tickets July 19 Buffalo Outer Harbor Buffalo, NY Tickets August 1 Roadrunner Boston, MA Tickets August 2 Roadrunner Boston, MA Tickets MANILA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines approved 1.35 trillion pesos (about 24.2 billion U.S. dollars) worth of investments so far this year, an 82 percent increase from the same period last year, the Philippines' Board of Investments (BOI) said Monday. The BOI said that the rise was primarily driven by the energy sector, which accounted for 1.29 trillion pesos (23 billion dollars), followed by real estate and manufacturing. The year-to-date approvals surpassed the 1.26 trillion pesos (22.59 billion dollars) full-year figure for 2023. "We have identified key sectors -- renewable energy, semiconductors and electronics, mining and mineral processing, food, and agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and steel -- as essential drivers of the country's growth," Special Assistant to the President for Investments and Economic Affairs Frederick Go said. Foreign investments accounted for 341.78 billion pesos (6 billion dollars), led by Switzerland which contributed 286.77 billion pesos (5 billion dollars). Lincoln Park, Mich. Michigan State Police Motor Carrier Officer Daniel Kerstetter was to be removed from life support after his organs were donated, state police announced about 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Kerstetter, 45, could not overcome the injuries he suffered in a Friday crash on I-75, and his family decided to make the donations, according to the state police. We are heartbroken for this loss, Col. James F. Grady II, state police director, said in a statement. Traffic enforcement is dangerous work. The dedication of our motor carrier officers and troopers to keeping the public safe on our roadways is commendable and honorable. With the decision to give the gift of life, even in his death, MC Officer Kerstetter is serving others. Married with three children, Kerstetter joined the state police in January 2023 and graduated in May 2023 as part of the 26th Motor Carrier Officer Recruit School, the state police said in the statement. He was assigned to the Metro North Post. Kerstetter was a native of Auburn, west of Syracuse, according to The Citizen in Auburn. He graduated from Auburn High School in 1997 and grew up with seven siblings. Kerstetter loved boating and spending time at a family camp in the Thousand Islands, said his brother, Tim, according to The Citizen. Tim told The Citizen his brother had a similar effect on just about everyone he met. He was always thinking about other people, Tim said, according to the paper. He was kind, loving, caring and devoted to serving others. At about 8:30 a.m. Sept. 13, Kerstetter was stopped behind a semitrailer near Dix Highway in Lincoln Park when a Ford Explorer struck the back of the police vehicle. The Explorer had hit a median wall and continued down the freeway before striking the patrol vehicle and pushing it into the back of the semitrailer. Kerstetter was seated and belted in the vehicle as he conducted a traffic stop, according to state police. The SUV driver - a female who has not been named - died, and the truck driver was not injured, state police reported. Motor carrier officers are armed, uniformed members of the state police who specialize in commercial vehicle enforcement. They monitor vehicle size and weight and traffic law compliance; conduct commercial vehicle and driver inspections; and enforce hazardous material regulations. Michael T. Hayes is Professor of Political Science Emeritus, Colgate University. Vice President Kamala Harris has been criticized for failing to specify what policies she will push for as president. (See The New York Times, National Review and Washington Post for examples.) This demand for specific policy proposals has continued in the wake of Harriss decisive victory over former President Donald Trump in their Sept 10, 2024, debate. In her autobiography, Harris characterized public policy proposals as experiments to be evaluated on their performance. This is a realistic view of policymaking. Few policies work perfectly on the first try, no matter how well-formulated. At best, they will need to be tweaked; at worst, they may need to be thrown out altogether. Harris learned this lesson at an early age from her mother, a breast cancer researcher who taught her to formulate a hypothesis, test it, and keep at it until you find a solution that works. Unfortunately, neither the media nor voters seem to understand this, as Harris explained: when youre running for public office and you stand before the voters, you arent supposed to have a hypothesis; your expected to have the Plan. The problem is, when you roll out any new innovation, new policy or plan for the first time, there are likely to be glitches, and because you are in the public eye, those glitches are likely to end up on the front page in bold lettering. History suggests that voters may respond positively to the idea of policies as experiments. As a presidential candidate in 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt promised bold, persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it: If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something. What worked for FDR will work for Harris as well. The specifics of any particular proposal she might offer right now matter less than a commitment to keep modifying policies until they work well. Properly understood, this election is as much about process as it is about policies. While the idea of candidates offering competing policy platforms and keeping their promises once elected sounds good in the abstract, electoral mandates are most likely to occur when the winning candidate offers a sharp contrast to her opponent on a single issue. This precondition is met for this election. Harris is running on one overarching issue, a return to normal politics after a tumultuous decade. This is what she means by a new path forward, a phrase she repeats at every opportunity. Reporters who see this phrase as vacuous and vague are missing her point. Harris understands that a central axiom of this normal politics is that no one person has the knowledge required to develop perfect solutions to every problem. Presidents must be willing to learn from others and work with them, not just insist that they fall in line. Most policy issues facing a new president have been around for a while, generating a variety of alternative proposals from legislators, think tanks and the previous president. Typically, new presidents throw their weight behind one of these preexisting proposals or combine two or more of them in creative ways. Vice President Harris wants to turn the page on the I alone can fix it era. We should want that, too. The northern lights have put on multiple displays this summer in Upstate New York and aurora could be visible again tonight, according to reports. A series of strong solar events has led the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center to issue a geomagnetic storm warning on their Facebook page for today, Sept. 16. Though it is hard to predict exactly where the aurora will arrive, the NOAA image shows the view line tonight includes northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Michigan, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The NOAA has release an aurora alert for some parts of the continental United States, including New York, for Monday night, Sept. 16, 2024. Provided photo | NOAAProvided photo | NOAA Take a nap if you plan to view the lights as they are typically the most active between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. The NOAA will update their Facebook page, should any new information become available, closer to viewing time. Monday nights aurora will have a Kp index of 5, indicating increased brightness and visibility, according to the NOAA, as long as weather conditions are favorable. This follows Sundays aurora, which had a Kp index of 7 due to a strong G3 geomagnetic storm. The storm, triggered by a solar X flare that peaked on Saturday, led to an explosion of solar material, causing the auroras and other impacts on the Earth including potential disruption of radio signals, GPS, and some protection devices. Last week, William Adamczak, a photographer in the Adirondacks captured a brief moment of lights on the evening of Sept. 12. He waited at the Boreas Pond Tract and had almost given up when peeks of magenta filled the sky. The show lasted around a half hour. This years most colorful light displays in May and then August, has generated several new aurora enthusiasts, including Owen Brown, a college student from New Jersey. He has been traveling to Lake Ontario since 2017 for the steelhead and brown trout fishing, but found another reason to love the area when he watched the northern lights over the Great Lake last month. Brown started the Instagram account NorthernLightsNews and keeps an eye on the radar to keep people informed about when the northern lights would be visible near them. According to Brown, the best viewing spots will be places with dark skies and little light pollution, like the Adirondacks and clear lines of sight facing north, like on Lake Ontario or Northern New York bordering Lake Champlain. Want to capture the aurora without a fancy camera? Visit Iceland, a popular northern lights viewing destination, offers tips to capturing the event with your smartphone. They suggest putting your phone in night mode and adjusting the exposure time if possible to 10-15 seconds to fully capture the sky. A tripod is also helpful to keep your phone steady and your lens in focus. If the northern lights appear tonight, we would love to see your photos. Please send your captures to features@nyup.com and include your name and where they were taken. Ryan Wesley Routh has had his first appearance in federal court. During an eight-minute hearing, prosecutors levied two charges against him: possessing a firearm despite a prior felony conviction and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Officials said Routh could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the first charge, and a possible five-year sentence on the second charge. A bond hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 23, and a probable cause hearing or arraignment has been set for Sept. 30, depending on whether the government secures an indictment on the charges. During the hearing, Routh gave routine information to court officials as to his work status and income. Speaking in a soft voice, he said that he was working and making around $3,000 a month, but has zero savings. Routh said that he has no real estate or assets, aside from two trucks worth about $1,000, both located in Hawaii. Routh also said that he has a 25-year-old son, whom he sometimes supports. By Craig Fox | Watertown Daily Times Watertown, N.Y. James P. Barker feels validated by a recent state health department report on the health impacts from the toxic contaminants possibly dumped at the former New York Air Brake plant on Starbuck Avenue decades ago. Twelve years ago, north side residents prompted the state Department of Health to conduct the environmental study on the former plant after expressing various health issues. The report was released on Wednesday. In an interview on Thursday, Barker, 52, who grew up on East Division Street and moved back to live in his childhood home in 2017, wasnt surprised that the Health Department investigation found higher cancer rates among residents living near the old Air Brake plant. About a dozen years ago, Barker, his brother, Scott, and childhood friend Andrew G. Williams, who lived next door on East Division Street, conducted their own research about the potential health issues caused by the plant after hearing about so many people dying of cancer in the neighborhood over the decades. The report proves what they already knew, he said. I appreciate the effort, James Barker said. But I dont know its value. I think it validated what we knew. They were convinced that the toxic chemicals from the plant caused high cancer rates and muscular and neurological illnesses of many people in those neighborhoods. According to the report, the environmental investigation conducted by the health department found that the number of cancer cases in males were statistically significantly higher living near the Air Brake plant, compared to expected numbers based on rates for people in the state. The report also showed moderately low birth weight births and small gestational age births were significantly elevated when compared to the state average. However, the health outcomes review did not reveal those kind of cancer rate elevations for females living near the Air Brake plant compared to the state. The cancer review included all types of cancers diagnosed among residents in the area from 1996 to 2019. According to the report, a total of 548 cancer cases were reported to the states Cancer Registry in the area of the Air Brake plant, with 281 cases observed in males and higher than the 238 expected in the state. While the study looked at 18 different kinds of cancers, the most common types of observed cases of cancer for males included prostate with 67 cases (65 cases expected), 52 lung cases (33 cases expected) and 34 colorectal (22 cases expected). The investigation found that 94% of the males with lung cancer smoked. The report also attributed the birth rate outcomes to potentially being tied to mothers who smoked. The health department took on the investigation in 2012 after the Cancer Surveillance Report received a request from an Ogdensburg woman who grew up near the plant and later had two sons who suffered from a rare brain disorder. For years, residents expressed concerns about site-related contaminants impacting the surrounding area and via soil-vapor intrusion. They were concerned about chemicals and metals that were dumped and later found in nearby Kelsey and Oily creeks and other tributaries. They were particularly concerned about levels of trichloroethylene, or TCE, and Polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs, found in the neighborhood over the years. TCE and PCBs are carcinogens, while TCE also can cause nerve disorders. For decades, the plant consisted of a foundry, die-cast facility, machine shop and other operations in support of its manufacturing process for the railroad industry in the original Starbuck Avenue facility. When they received an email from the Health Department on Wednesday, the two brothers were not expecting the results of the 13-page report after not hearing anything about its status for years. James Barkers first thoughts were: why did it take so long to complete? The state also didnt include former Watertown residents who lived near the plant and suffered from health issues. He personally knew two women who had a total of nine stillborns but are not part of the data. Women who lost babies also arent in the findings, he said. He also pointed out that the report only looked at the years after 1996. Perhaps because its before the internet was so readily available, so the state did not pursue the large undertaking of looking at paper documents for its research, he surmised. Williams stressed that the state investigation looked just at cancer cases and not at muscular and neurological illnesses that many neighborhood residents were stricken with. The state doesnt take in those accounts, he said. The report also doesnt contain information about whether people were still alive or have died, or whether the Air Brake plant caused the illnesses, James Baker said. However, it cannot prove that a specific environmental exposure caused a change in the rate of a specific health outcome within a community, and it cannot tell us anything about an individual and their health problems, according to the report. State department officials could not be reached for comment. Scott Barker, now 60, lived most of his life in their parents house at 149 E. Division St. until moving out of state in 2000. He remembered looking up and finding obituaries of hundreds of residents who died of cancer after the 1970s, many of them on the street that they lived during his childhood. The two brothers also put together a map of households with residents who died of cancer. The two brothers and Williams have suffered varying health issues. While the two brothers dont know if they can attribute their health problems to the plant, Williams is convinced that his ailments were caused by Air Brake. Scott Barker has unexplained tremors in his right hand. His brother suffers from some kind of nerve damage in his knee. Suffering from a rare nerve disorder for years, Williams was prone to getting infections from a feeding tube that he must use due to his illnesses. He was frequently going to the emergency room for infections, caused by leakage from feeding tubes. It often resulted in hospitalization. He nearly died in 2016. Several years ago, he moved close to the Cleveland Clinic, where he now gets his treatment. Back in 2012, the three men were instrumental in garnering community interest in the environmental impacts from the old Air Brake plant and on the residents who lived on the nearby streets. Before the investigation was initiated, the health department and the Department of Environmental Conservation agreed to meet with residents who expressed health concerns. Dozens of north side residents packed into the North Elementary School auditorium to describe their health issues including stillborn babies, rare birth defects, family members who died of cancer and a variety of neurological illnesses. But state officials would say that they found the chemicals only on-site and possibly underneath an East Hoard Street home when an environmental investigation was completed in 2008. State officials blamed pollutants on the SPX Corp., the North Carolina company that previously owned Air Brake and operated the plant decades ago. Another company continues to own the facility. At one point, the two brothers and Williams attracted the interest of the California law firm made famous in the movie about environmental activist Erin Brockovich. They hoped that Vititoe Law Group would represent residents who believe they suffered health problems from the toxic chemicals. More than 100 people signed up to be part of a lawsuit. But it never went forward. Brockovichs firm could not find other attorneys to invest in legal proceedings. Much of the momentum then faded when James Barker and Williams moved out of state. Barker is skeptical that those responsible for the pollutants will ever be held accountable. In the years since, the DEC completed two remediation projects associated with the contamination from the plant. Both starting in 2016, a $1 million cleanup project focused at the former Air Brake site on what was known as the Allison Test Room, where contamination was first noticed in 1992 during the cleanup of a hydraulic oil spill. While that work was being done, remnants of PCBs and cadmium, a poisonous metal, were removed from a small section of Kelsey Creek, on a half-acre site in the middle of the North Watertown Cemetery off Bradley Street. Over the years, the SPX Corp. and the current New York Air Brake company spent more than $25 million. There was also major remediation work completed during the 1990s. In 1995, DEC dredged Kelsey Creek and removed contaminants and soil. But residents believed pollutants got into the ground and spread off site and back into Kelsey Creek. In 2008, the DEC conducted vapor intrusion tests and found unacceptable levels of TCE, an industrial solvent used at the plant decades ago, in four on-site buildings and a house at 431 E. Hoard St., which subsequently was equipped with air-mitigation systems. ___ (c)2024 Watertown Daily Times (Watertown, N.Y.) Visit Watertown Daily Times (Watertown, N.Y.) at www.watertowndailytimes.com This photo taken on June 29, 2023 shows dried wild anchovy products from Kenya displayed at the third edition of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo) BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- In a bustling supermarket in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, a woman surnamed Li was choosing snacks for her son and daughter. She picked up two boxes of dried deep-sea anchovies. "I would like to have my children eat healthily, so every time I buy food for them, I read the ingredients and nutrient list carefully," she told Xinhua. "In these deep-sea anchovies the protein content is very high, and they taste good." A box of the dried anchovies, with 10 packages inside, sells for 25 yuan (about 3.5 U.S. dollars). Li said she buys this product regularly. The anchovies, from the eastern coastal area of Kenya, can be seen in many supermarkets in Changsha. "Sales of our dried deep-sea anchovies have topped 1 billion yuan a year, for which we need to import tens of thousands of tonnes of the fish," said Zhou Jinsong, chairman of Jinzai Food Group Co., Ltd. In 2018, the company set up a factory in Kenya, where locally purchased fish were processed before delivering to China. The popularity of dried deep-sea anchovies exemplifies the thriving economic and trade exchanges between China and Africa. Pineapples from Benin, citrus from South Africa, dried chili pepper from Rwanda, coffee from Ethiopia, sesame from Tanzania and peanuts from Senegal have all landed on the dinner tables of ordinary Chinese. Customs officials conduct an on-site inspection of the frozen mutton shipment in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, Sept. 8, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai) The latest arrival was mutton from Madagascar, the shipment of which was cleared at Changsha Customs, marking China's first mutton imports from Africa and an important breakthrough in the China-Africa meat trade. The 900 kg of mutton was shipped by air, with the entire delivery period taking approximately 36 hours. China has remained Africa's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, recent customs data showed. China-Africa trade reached a record high of 282.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2023 -- up 1.5 percent year on year, showing strong resilience. China's 2023 imports of African nuts, vegetables, flowers and fruits had increased by 130 percent, 32 percent, 14 percent and 7 percent, respectively, compared to the previous year. In the first seven months of 2024, Hunan imported African agricultural products valued at approximately 240 million yuan, up 10.6 percent year on year. Such trade has benefited from China's unceasing efforts to establish "green channels" to promote fast market access for African fresh imports, such as soybeans, coffee beans and avocados. This photo taken on Nov. 7, 2022 shows coffee products from Ethiopia displayed at the food and agricultural products exhibition area of the fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Liu Ying) In the city of Kunshan, east China's Jiangsu Province, several coffee shops offer coffee beans imported from Africa. Shop menus there carry details of the origins and flavors of coffee varieties such as Yirgacheffe, Geisha and Hambella, which are all renowned coffee types originating in Ethiopia. The Kunshan Yiguo International Trade Co., Ltd. is a local importer of African coffee. "African coffee beans have a unique fruit acid and floral taste, which has won the hearts of Chinese coffee lovers," said Zhang Lipeng, a warehouse director of the company. He revealed that over the last three years, the company has imported about 800 tonnes of coffee beans from African countries, including Ethiopia and Uganda. China's fresh-food chain Hema Fresh is currently putting South African citrus, grapefruit and apples on shelves in its retail stores across the country. Wang Ruishu, Hema's import fruit purchasing manager, said citrus produced in South Africa has a sour and sweet taste, while it is also easy to peel and eat. This produce is sold swiftly in Beijing and Shanghai, where sales grew by 44 percent compared with the same period of 2023. Wang said the harvesting season of these African fruits is earlier than in China, which means it can fill China's market gap concerning apples and citrus. Workers dry anchovies in Kwale, Kenya, June 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen) African people also benefit from trade between the two sides. In an interview with Xinhua, Mohamed Harun from Kenya said that the Jinzai Food Group Co., Ltd. which imports anchovies from his country, has "made a huge difference" in the lives of local people. "They have given us opportunities to work for five days a week, which has really increased my income and increased my knowledge and skills," he said. "This company is really a blessing to our village," Harun said, noting that it has "created job opportunities for young and middle-aged people around our village." "I would welcome Chinese companies like Jinzai to our country," Harun added. Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years.TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust In a nutshell: The Biden administration has set its sights on the influx of ultra-cheap imports flooding the US, primarily from China-based e-commerce giants like Shein and Temu. A newly proposed law aims to close a loophole that has allowed these platforms to import certain goods duty-free. The loophole in question is the "de minimis" exemption, which currently waives tariffs and duties on shipments valued under $800. While intended to facilitate low-value international commerce, the exemption has also enabled Chinese retailers to flood the American market with over a billion annual shipments of discounted apparel, textiles, and other merchandise. Addressing what he called "unsafe, unfairly traded products," President Biden accused these Chinese commerce giants of exploiting the policy. "Over the last ten years, the number of shipments entering the United States claiming the de minimis exemption has increased significantly, from approximately 140 million a year to over one billion a year," Biden stated, adding that most of these deliveries originate from multiple China-founded platforms. Biden claimed that the influx of low-cost imports has created an uneven playing field domestically, leaving US-based retailers like H&M and Zara struggling to compete. Beyond undercutting American businesses, Biden claimed that the abuse of the tariff exemption also complicates the enforcement of US trade laws, health and safety requirements, intellectual property rights, and consumer protection rules. What's more, it hinders efforts to prevent drugs like fentanyl from entering the country. Proposed solutions include making imports covered by existing US trade tariffs currently around 40 percent of total imports, including 70 percent of Chinese textiles and apparel ineligible for the de minimis exemption. The Import Security and Fairness Act, currently under review in the House, would automatically eliminate duty exemptions for imports from any country on the US Trade Representative's Priority Watch List. This list includes not only China but also Argentina, Chile, India, Indonesia, Russia, and Venezuela. If a blanket removal is not feasible, there is consideration of at least excluding textile and apparel products from the exemption. Additionally, the administration recommends requiring more detailed data disclosures, such as 10-digit tariff classification numbers and additional information on individuals using the exemption. The crackdown aligns with broader White House efforts to counter China's economic influence and protect domestic industries. Policy moves include restricting electronics imports and incentivizing US electric vehicle production, aimed at reducing American reliance on Chinese technology and manufacturing. Why it matters: Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have successfully 3D printed the first metal part in space. The achievement is crucial for enabling long-duration space expeditions in which resupply missions are challenging or outright impossible. The printer, the result of a collaboration between the ESA and Airbus, was delivered to the ISS as part of a resupply mission in early 2024 and was installed by astronaut Andreas Mogensen. The first of four samples all smaller than a soda can and weighing less than 250 grams each was completed in August. Each print takes two to four weeks to complete, as the printer can only run for four hours each day due to noise regulations aboard the ISS. The object, along with three others that will eventually be printed, will be returned to Earth for quality analysis. Three of the objects will be studied by the European Space Agency, while the fourth will go to the Technical University of Denmark. Teams will conduct macro and micro analysis of the parts to better understand how items printed in space differ in terms of quality compared to those made here on Earth. They will also look at thermal properties and other metrics. Autonomy will be essential for long-distance space missions. Unlike the ISS, which orbits Earth at an average distance of 250 miles, future human missions to distant planets or satellites like the Moon will place astronauts millions of miles from home, beyond the reach of resupply missions. The Red Planet, for example, is around 140 million miles from Earth. Being able to manufacture metal components such as repair parts or even brand new tools onboard will be crucial for the success of these missions. It's worth noting that plastic-based 3D printers have already been tested on the ISS. It is an invaluable resource to have, but the parts they produce are limited in terms of application. Being able to manufacture high-strength metal parts will greatly extend astronauts' capabilities. Image credit: ESA A first-of-its-kind initiative, Mitsui O. S. K. Lines (MOL) of Japan and Chevron shipping company selected an LNG carrier to integrate Wind Challenger, a wind-assisted system on its new vessel. This partnership is quite important as the vessel to be constructed according to the existing agreement will be the first LNG carrier equipped with such technologies and striving for optimal levels of fuel efficiency and minimal impact on the environment. World's First LNG Carrier Operated With The Help of Wind Built at Hanwah Ocean Geoje Shipyard in South Korea, the LNG can carry up to 174,000 cubic meters. The vessel is anticipated to be accessible by 2026. Furthermore, Chevron Asia Pacific Shipping will be the first to utilize the Wind Challenger system-a new tech that uses telescoping sails to seize wind energy. These sails are expected to cut the ship's fuel use and GHG output slightly, making the firm a pioneer in the industry's green revolution. Read Also : New York Designer Creates Vertical Wind Turbines Designed for Urban Environments Wind Challenger: A Game-Changer in Marine Propulsion According to Interesting Engineering, its potential as a game changer in marine propulsion can rival those of other port-based industries such as steel production, the production of cement and construction materials, food processing and manufacturing, etc. Indeed, the Wind Challenger is a creation from MOL catering to the growing need for the reduction of the carbon footprint within the shipping industry. With the global trend towards carbon neutrality forming an aggressive trend in today's markets, MOL has ventured into this WSPP technology to harness wind energy as a renewable and clean source of energy. Essentially, this technology engages automatic sail control along with wind monitoring to allow the ships to find the best path to follow and enhance fuel consumption. The sails are made from the GFRP glass fiber-reinforced plastic material, the sails extend and also contract depending on the weathering prevailing in the surrounding environment. It affords stability, especially during storms, and is as safe as a conventional ship hence reducing the overall fuel consumption of the ship. Proven Success with Wind-Powered Vessels MOL has already tested and used the Wind Challenger technology which is proven to be effective. Two years ago, the firm delivered the first partially wind-powered 100, 422 DWT bulk carrier known as Shofu Maru. Saves for the whole 18 months and 7 round-trip crossings, the fuel consumption of the Shofu Maru was slashed by 17% per day, and individual voyage crossing showed a range of 5-8% average savings. It also proves the effectiveness of wind-assisted propulsion in the maritime sector going forward. Expanding Wind-Assisted Propulsion to LNG Carriers Starting with the Shofu Maru, MOL has now attained the Approval in Principle (AiP) from ClassNK for the LNG carrier concept fitted with the Wind Challenger system. This innovative design will be incorporated for the first time on the vessel to be chartered by Chevron and it aims at introducing wind energy in the LNG segment. The telescopic sails of the Wind Challenger are positioned in such a way that the stability of the ship is not compromised while the sails do not interfere with the existing ships. This integration enables the LNG carrier to maintain the conventional membrane type which makes use of the mooring system and does not interfere mainly with the ship-to-shore activities. Enhanced Safety and Efficiency For additional operational safety, the Wind Challenger system incorporates a fully enclosed navigation bridge and a lookout station at the foredeck. These features enhance visibility and stability and can endure all the wrath that the weather can present. Also, positioning of the sails minimizes the windage area hence the ability to maintain operational efficiency while at the same time not being a hindrance to the performance of the ship. "The Wind Challenger can be fitted on both newly constructed and existing ships. It does not interfere with existing energy-efficiency devices below the waterline, can be implemented on a wide range of vessels, from bulk carriers (dry bulk ships) to tankers and LNG carriers, and can be installed multiple times," MOL said in its official website. Donald Trump and his sons are on their way to announce their latest crypto venture to the world known as World Liberty Financial, announcing its launch date and inviting the world to watch, leading CryptoWatch's top news of the week. Moreover, there was also eToro's settlement with the US SEC for the complaints filed against them, leading to several cryptos being unavailable under its service. Lastly, get to know more about the market in this latest list of top cryptocurrencies' prices and how they performed over the last week. Trump and His Sons to Launch World Liberty Financial This Week There is an upcoming venture that is set to launch from Trump and his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, as World Liberty Financial is officially coming this Monday, September 16. Not much is known from WLFI, but the Trump family has reiterated that is their latest cryptocurrency venture that would help the American people in their finances. In a post via X, Trump has invited the world to witness the World Liberty Financial take form in the market, as part of his plans to make America the crypto capital of the world. Here, the Presidential candidate also claimed that WLFI will pave the way for Americans to move away from the 'Big Banks' which he called slow, pointing people towards the way of digital assets. eToro Settled $1.5M with the SEC, Most Crypto Trading Shut Down The renowned investment platform from Israel, eToro, has settled the complaints it faced from the Securities and Exchange Commission after allegedly operating without registered securities. It was revealed that eToro operated in the United States as an unregistered broker and clearing agency, centering on its crypto asset trading. According to the SEC, eToro carried out trading securities since 2020 but failed its registration, breaking a handful of federal securities laws. As part of its settlement, eToro has removed almost all of its crypto trading capabilities in its US operations, and will now only allow Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ether. Crypto Prices in the Market Now It has been three months since crypto first saw its struggles in the market, and while those hardships continue, there is now a slight glimmer of hope as digital assets hold their value and perform better than in the past weeks. Bitcoin (BTC) - Price: $58,680.18 | 6.02 percent increase over the past seven days Ethereum (ETH) - Price: $2, 302.29 | 0.74 percent decrease over the past seven days Tether (USDT) - Price: $0.9999 | 0.05 percent decrease over the past seven days Binance Coin (BNB) - Price: $547.29 | 8.02 percent increase over the past seven days Solana (SOL) - Price: $131.86 | 1.46 percent increase over the past seven days While these numbers are only a slight increase or decrease over its state from last week, cryptocurrency is already holding its value, and not seeing the dreading crashes which it has seen since July. Other notable coins that portrayed promising numbers include XRP at the 7th spot with a 7.28 percent markup, Dogecoin at 8th with a 3.45 percent increase, and Toncoin at the 9th position with an 8.61 percent rise. TikTok is preparing to face a series of trials that will dictate its standing in the US. Unless ByteDance sells the video-sharing platform in the next nine months, it's set in stone that it will be banned. The Biden administration fears that the app is affiliated with the Chinese government. With this, it appears alarming and a threat to national security and safety. TikTok to Face Legal Battle in the US Reuters reports that TikTok is set to face the US Justice Department on Monday, Sept. 16 to challenge its position that will ban its sale in the US. It is mostly concerned with preconceptions of dangers in the management of user information from TikTok and its possible utilization by the Chinese authorities. ByteDance and TikTok have always rejected accusations of being affiliated with Chinese governance authorities while regarding the law as an "extraordinary intrusion on free speech rights." Read Also : US Real Estate Billionaire Wants to Buy TikTok to Rescue Internet From Big Tech TikTok Creators Join the Legal Battle To bolster its defense apparatus going forward, TikTok will be represented by eight big-name influencers including a Texan rancher and a baker from Tennessee. Many of them rely on this platform for marketing their enterprises and to make revenues. This way they hope to bring to light just how much a ban could affect them. The company's defense does not just focus on its business processes as well as practices but also on the consequences of such moves to First Amendment rights and freedom of speech of content creators on social media platforms. Because some of the creators rely on the TikTok application to freely express themselves and earn, they raise awareness on the gravity of removing the TikTok app. The DOJ will have to respond to TikTok's claims by pointing to issues with data protection and security in the country. The officials of the United States have expressed concern that the Chinese authorities may interfere with the dissemination of propaganda or gather information on other users of this application. This has seen the lawmakers demanding that the app be banned since they regard it as a security menace. Nevertheless, some of the supporters stated that the ban on TikTok is a violation of the First Amendment and the beginning of limiting freedom of speech. According to BBC, some commentators like Columbia University's Knight First Amendment Institute have questioned the impact of impacts of this decision on the overall state of free speech rights across the world. That is why they said that when the U.S., the leader of the free world, supports the law, other authoritarian governments will follow the example and block their citizens' access to information and foreign media outlets. Free Speech Vs National Security. Among the legal questions that arose in the TikTok case is whether the proposed ban violates the First Amendment. Xiangnong Wang, an attorney with Knight First Amendment Institute accused lawmakers of making nonspecific claims of national security threats at the border. "We can't think of any previous instance in which such a broad restriction on First Amendment rights was found to be constitutional on the basis of evidence that wasn't disclosed," he said. On the other side, James Lewis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies says that the law was crafted deliberately with a view of passing through the legal hurdle. He also said that commonly in most of the cases, courts rely on the decision of the president especially touching on matters of security hence giving the law a very strong legal base. TikTok: What's Next in the United States? Though, the final decision about TikTok might be taken by the U. S. Supreme Court the legal proceedings might continue for months. More experts such as the vice president of Forrester, Mike Proulx are quick to point out that there is no "immediate" resolution to the situation on the horizon. He added that nothing is going to be fixed next week. TikTok's fate, as we know, is still hanging by the thread. The deciding factor will be the key if it will be permitted to operate or not in the US. BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Director General Daren Tang has commended China's significant contributions to the global intellectual property (IP) ecosystem. In a recent interview with Chinese media in Beijing, Tang highlighted the rapid growth in China's IP applications, which has made the country the largest filer of international patent applications globally. According to WIPO's preliminary report on the "Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024," China is home to 26 of the world's top 100 science and technology innovation clusters, maintaining its position as the global leader for two consecutive years. "I think this shows that China has paid a lot of attention to research and development, and scientific and industrial innovation," Tang said, noting that he believes this trend is set to continue. China's pursuit of high-quality development will give a stronger emphasis on science, technology and innovation, according to him. Tang attended the opening ceremony of the third Belt and Road High-Level Conference on Intellectual Property in Beijing on Sept. 11. He spoke highly of the conference for fostering international collaboration and exchange of ideas. Tang also commended the growing participation of Chinese companies in the WIPO GREEN program, where they contribute green technologies and offer support. "I think this way we can show the world that IP is not just to address local challenges and national challenges, but also global challenges," Tang said. Microsoft drops Windows 7 support for some older CPUs without warning Microsofts Windows 7 still remains as one of the worlds most popular desktop operating system (OS). Currently, the software is running on an extended support by Microsoft, as the mainstream support was withdrawn by the Redmond giant some years ago. As of now, it is only receiving major bug fixes and security updates. Microsoft is set to officially end its support to Windows 7 on January 14, 2020. This would mean that no more security updates, product updates or technical support from Microsoft. However, it has been reported that Microsoft is silently removing its tech support for Windows 7 on older Intel computers despite the companys promise of support until 2020. For instance, those who have a Pentium III will no longer be able to install Win7 Monthly Rollups and Security-only updates. This is connected to a bug that Redmond is apparently ignoring, leading some to believe that Microsoft is killing Windows 7. Up until June 15, Microsoft was promising that it would fix the bug that prevented Win7 Monthly Rollups and Security-only updates from installing on older pre-SSE2 (Streaming SIMD Extensions 2) machines. For those unaware, SSE2 is the SIMD (Streaming Single Instructions Multiple Data) instruction sets introduced by Intel with the Pentium 4 and by AMD with its Athlon 64 processors. Sometime on or after June 15, Microsoft removed the pre-SSE2 population, without warning or explanation, and retroactively changed the documentation to cover its tracks. The issue started with the March 2018 monthly security update for Windows 7 (KB4088875), which included this warning under the Known issues heading: A Stop error occurs on computers that dont support Streaming Single Instructions Multiple Data (SIMD) Extensions 2 (SSE2). At the time, the company accepted the issue and said that Microsoft is working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release. However, the users encountered the same issue in the Security-only update for March as well as both the monthly rollup and security-only patches for April and May 2018. Even the June Monthly Rollup article KB 4284826 and the Security-only article KB 4284867 prior to June 15 included the old verbiage about Microsoft is working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release. Apparently, Microsoft sometime on or after June 15, the Redmond giant went on to modify both the Monthly Rollup and the Security-only update as demonstrated in KB4088875, which says: Upgrade your machines with a processor that supports SSE2 or virtualize those machines. In other words, it means that Microsoft is not going to fix the problem through patch coming via Windows Update. This move by Microsoft could leave Windows 7 users fuming considering that the company had promised to support Windows 7 until 2020. If you are one of those who is still running a Pentium III hardware, then probably it is time for you to upgrade your machine or buy a new one. Source: Computer World via Neowin As you might know, Microsofts Windows 7 operating system was officially declared dead on January 14, 2020. Consequently, the decade-old OS would now no longer get security updates or fixes, software updates, or technical support. Sadly soon after the discontinuation of Windows 7, a new bug has emerged that prevents users from shutting down or rebooting their computers. Also Read- How To Upgrade To Windows 10 For Free When a Windows 7 user attempts to shut down or restart their PC, a popup message that reads You dont have permission to shut down this computer emerges. As of now, Microsoft hasnt released any fixes for this problem. However, Windows 7 users have been scratching their heads to find solutions and workarounds to fix this issue. Thankfully, a Reddit user named varunashiki has found a temporary workaround to shut down Windows 7 PC. How To Fix Windows 7 Shut Down Bug? You can use this temporary workaround to shut down or restart your Windows 7 computer. Step 1: Create a different admin account. Step 2: Log-in to the newly created admin account (you can even use another admin account that was already on the system). Step 3: Log back into the default admin account. Step 4: Shut down or reboot normally. This workaround would fix the issue for most users, but if you still cant shut down your PC, you may resort to the next unofficial fix that we have shared. How To Fix Windows 7 Reboot Problem? Another unofficial fix for the issue mentioned above was shared on Reddit. Additionally, this fix was also confirmed to work by the leading IT support firm Quick Heal. So heres how you can fix the shutdown bug in Windows 7, Step 1: Press Windows+R to open the Run window. Step 2: Type gpedit.msc and press Enter. Step 3: In the Group Policy Editor window go to: Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options. Step 4: In the right panel of the Security Options option, search and double-click on User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode. Step 5: In the new window, select Enable. Step 6: Reopen the Run window, but this time type gpupdate /force and press Enter. This will update all group policies. Step 7: Restart or shut down your system normally. Unlike the temporary workaround, the second unofficial method is more of a permanent fix to the shutdown issue on Windows 7. Since its a significant bug, we can expect Microsoft to come up with a solution and release a fix for this issue. TEHRAN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said here Monday that his country has not sent hypersonic missiles to Yemen's Houthi group. He made the remarks at a press conference while responding to Al Jazeera news network's reporter, who quoted political experts as saying that Iran has supplied hypersonic missiles, or at least the technology to develop them, to the Houthis. Iran has hypersonic missiles, but not of the kind the Houthis possess, Pezeshkian said, adding that Houthis themselves have developed the missiles over time. It is impossible for Iran to send missiles to Yemen covertly when it takes more than a week to send solely human forces to the country, he said. However, Pezeshkian said that Iran and the Houthis have coordinated with and helped each other and have worked together against Israel's "genocide" in Gaza. The Iranian president slammed the West's double standards towards human rights, noting that the United States and Europe have been sending missiles, bombs and fighter jets to Israel and defending the country, prioritizing Israel's security over that of Gaza and the Palestinians. The Houthi group on Sunday claimed responsibility for a missile attack on central Israel, which it said "was carried out with a new hypersonic ballistic missile that succeeded in reaching its target." The group added that the new type of missile could evade aerial shield systems on land and sea. Environmental activist who feared for life killed in Honduras Tegucigalpa, Sept 15 (AFP) Sep 15, 2024 An anti-mining activist was shot and killed in Honduras, President Xiomara Castro said, vowing justice for the latest such murder in one of the world's most dangerous countries for environmentalists. Juan Lopez, 46, was gunned down as he left church Saturday in the northeastern town of Tocoa, his widow Thelma Pena told AFP. Castro condemned the "vile murder" in a post on the social media platform X late Saturday and said she had ordered an investigation. "Justice for Juan Lopez," Castro wrote. Lopez, who belonged to the ruling Libre party, campaigned against open-pit iron ore mining in a forest reserve in the vicinity of Tocoa, where he worked in the town hall. In an interview with AFP in 2021, Lopez discussed the risks that he said environmental activists face in this poor and violent Central American country. "If you start defending common interests in this country," he said, "you clash with major interests." "If you leave home, you always have in mind that you do not know what might happen, if you are going to return," said Lopez. At a recent news conference, the activist called for the resignation of Libre officials caught on video negotiating bribes with drug traffickers in 2013. That video recently ensnared Carlos Zelaya, a brother-in-law of the president. He resigned his seat in congress after admitting he took part in that meeting with drug gangsters. The UN country representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Isabel Albaladejo, urged investigators to consider "possible reprisals" against Lopez for his demand for a local mayor to resign for alleged links to organized crime. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights had ordered protective measures for Lopez due to threats against him and other environmentalists from Tocoa. Fellow rights defender Joaquin Mejia paid tribute to the environmentalist, calling him "a comrade committed to social change." Mejia accused authorities of failing to "fulfill their obligation" to protect Lopez. Honduran Attorney General Johel Zelaya said the "reprehensible" murder would not go unpunished, and paid tribute to Lopez's activism. "His life was an example of struggle. He never gave up in his incessant battle, hand-in-hand with the people to preserve natural resources," Zelaya said on X. The NGO Global Witness says Honduras is one of the world's most dangerous countries for environmental activists. In 2023 it was ranked third in the world for the number of killings of such activists at 18, tied with Mexico. The top two were Colombia and Brazil. The organization said that from 2012 to 2023, 148 environmental campaigners were killed in Honduras. They include Berta Caceres, a high-profile opponent of a controversial hydroelectric dam who was murdered in 2016. A council of Indigenous organizations co-founded by Caceres said that the Honduran state and Castro's government were "responsible for this new murder by not guaranteeing Juan's life." Bebinca strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai since 1949: state media Shanghai, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 The strongest storm to hit Shanghai in over 70 years made landfall on Monday, state media reported, with flights cancelled and highways closed as Typhoon Bebinca lashed the city with strong winds and torrential rains. A red alert is in place, and some coastal residents have been evacuated, city authorities said. The typhoon landed early Monday morning in the coastal area of Lingang New City, in Pudong to the city's east, the China Meteorological Administration said. It was the strongest storm to hit Shanghai since Typhoon Gloria in 1949, state broadcaster CCTV said shortly after Bebinca made landfall. The city's 25 million residents have been advised to avoid leaving their homes, and all flights at Shanghai's two main airports are grounded. Nine thousand residents have been evacuated from Chongming District, an island at the mouth of the Yangtze River, authorities said. All highways were closed at 1:00 am local time (1700 GMT), and a 40 kilometre (25 mile) per hour speed limit is in place on roads inside the city. Shanghai's flood control headquarters told CCTV they had already received dozens of reports of incidents related to the typhoon, mostly fallen trees and billboards. CCTV broadcast footage of a reporter by the coast in neighbouring Zhejiang province, where waves pounded the craggy coastline under leaden skies. "If I step out into (the storm), I can barely speak," the reporter said. "You can see that the surface of the sea is just wave after wave, each higher than the last." Toll rises to 11 in fierce eastern European storm Vienna, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 The death toll has risen to 11 in the powerful storm that unleashed flooding in eastern and central Europe, authorities said Monday after additional victims were reported in Austria and the Czech Republic. Since Thursday, swathes of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia have been hit by high winds and unusually heavy rainfall. "Two people, aged 70 and 80, were found dead in their homes during the night from Sunday to Monday" in the Lower Austria region bordering the Czech Republic, police told AFP on Monday. The two people were killed in two different villages by rising water levels in their homes, police added. In the Czech Republic, authorities told a radio station that one person drowned in a stream close to Bruntal in the northeast, while seven people were recorded missing. Eleven people have now died across eastern and central Europe as a result of the storm, several more are missing and millions have been evacuated from their homes. Over the weekend, six people died and one went missing in Romania, a seventh person drowned in Poland and a firefighter was killed in Austria during a flood rescue operation. Shanghai cleans up after strongest storm in decades hits Chinese megacity Shanghai, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 Emergency workers cleared fallen trees and other debris from Shanghai's streets after the strongest storm to hit the Chinese megacity since 1949 disrupted transport and left tens of thousands of people without power. Typhoon Bebinca landed in Shanghai's eastern coastal area early on Monday morning with wind speeds of around 150 kilometres (95 miles) per hour, state media said. The municipal news service said the typhoon had caused "significant damage across the city", felling more than 1,800 trees and leaving 30,000 households without electricity. Many businesses were already closed for the Mid-Autumn Festival public holiday and the city's 25 million residents were advised to avoid leaving their homes. Only one injury had been reported so far, the municipal news service said. Workers in orange jumpsuits cleared a big pile of corrugated iron and other metal that appeared to have fallen from a nearby building onto a major road in the city centre. Shanghai resident Tracy Huang, who had ventured outside to buy supplies, watched them as the rain continued to pour. "I didn't plan to go out today but there was a power outage in our house," she said. "I don't know (when the electricity will come back on) but it might be tonight... the community staff said it was being repaired," she told AFP. - Uprooted trees - Authorities said 414,000 people across Shanghai had been evacuated to safer locations and tens of thousands of emergency personnel were on hand to be deployed. Uprooted trees blocked off several roads in the city centre, AFP reporters saw, and the municipal news service said cars had been smashed by flying debris. Many streets in the city's former French Concession turned a vivid green, carpeted with the felled boughs and leaves of the quarter's famous plane trees. Bicycles and rubbish bags littered the road as clean-up crews and some delivery drivers persevered against the driving rain. Navy veteran Tang Yongkui told AFP his years at sea had made him unafraid of storms, so he had gone outside to watch. "The wind was really strong... You couldn't see the leaves on the trees, there was rain everywhere," the 84-year-old said. "But it seems in the end that Shanghai's drainage is pretty good because by now there is no water left." Xiong Zhuowu, a doctor and resident of the northern Baoshan district, posted a video of a real estate agent's sign being ripped away onto a roof in his compound. "I feel quite nervous today, I'm constantly checking what the situation is out the window," Xiong told AFP. "The property management found some trees with loose roots downstairs and immediately called me to move my car." A government livefeed from Baoshan just after the typhoon hit showed ferocious winds ripping through a line of trees on the riverbank. - Flights restarting - The typhoon brought the normally heaving city to a standstill as it made landfall. Live video feeds during the morning rush hour showed Shanghai's usually jammed roads almost empty of traffic and its famed skyline obscured by thick fog. All flights from Shanghai's airports were grounded earlier but started up again slowly as the storm moved on through the afternoon. Highways were opened after being closed at 1 am local time and some ferries, metro services and trains resumed service. State broadcaster CCTV said Bebinca was expected to move northwest, causing heavy rain and high winds in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces. Some residents still braved the weather even at the storm's peak to go about their errands. "I saw a lot of typhoons in the south, so I think Shanghai is OK," resident Wu Yun told AFP as she struggled to open her umbrella against the wind. Another typhoon, Yagi, killed at least four people on China's southern Hainan island this month. Bebinca also passed through Japan and the Philippines, where falling trees killed six people. China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that scientists say are driving climate change that makes extreme weather more frequent and intense. "This storm is a training exercise, a test for us," navy veteran Tang said as he watched workers haul branches and metal onto a truck. "We can't fight against nature. But we should protect it..." Polish PM announces $260 mn in aid for storm-affected areas Warsaw, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Monday announced millions of dollars in aid for those in Poland hit by Storm Boris, as the toll in the country climbed to four following torrential rains and flooding. Since Thursday, swathes of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia have been hit by high winds and unusually heavy rainfall. "At the moment we have ensured a reserve of one billion zloty ($260 million) for places and people affected by the flood," Tusk told reporters. "From today, anyone affected by the flood... and here I mean through flooding, collapsed buildings, flooded garages, lost cars, losses linked to the flood... will be able to easily" claim funds, he added. Four people have died in Poland from the storm, according to an updated toll Monday from police. "We have four dead in the areas affected by the catastrophe," Polish police spokeswoman Katarzyna Nowak told AFP, adding however that the exact causes of death still needed to be clarified. Fourteen people have died as Storm Boris lashed central and eastern Europe with torrential rains and flooding, several more are missing and millions have been evacuated from their homes. Thousands protest in Brussels as EV troubles threaten Audi plant Brussels, Belgium, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 Thousands of people demonstrated in Brussels on Monday in solidarity with the workers of a nearby Audi factory making electric vehicles that the German carmaker is considering shutting down amid slumping in sales. Audi said production at the plant, which employs about 3,000 people in the Belgian capital, will end in 2025 -- a move analysts say is symptomatic of the troubles afflicting Europe's wider car industry, amid low demand and competition from China. "In a few weeks we're going to find ourselves unemployed, with no money and no prospects," said a 37-year-old worker who preferred not to give his name, holding a placard reading: "Our lives are not an assembly line". Audi is a subsidiary of Volkswagen, which earlier this month made the bombshell announcement that it was considering the unprecedented step of closing production sites in Germany. On Monday, police said more than 5,000 people marched through Brussels as part of the protest. Some lit firecrackers and smoke bombs, others held trade union flags and signs reading "We are not for sale". Organisers said they wanted to spur European Union leaders to act and invest massively to save jobs in the industrial sector. They put turnout at more than 10,000. The demonstration comes as workers at the Brussels factory have gone on a prolonged strike, refusing to return to work after the summer break. Some have been sleeping in tents outside the modern plant, which switched to producing EVs in 2018 after 70 years making combustion engine models. "They screwed up with electric," said Karim Chawki, 52, a picketing worker. "They wanted to innovate. We were going to be a pilot plant but they drove it into a wall. It didn't work and now we are the ones who are going to pay." - Chinese blues - Europe has been racing to produce more EVs as part of its green transition, with the clock ticking down on an EU deadline to phase out the sale of fossil fuel-burning cars by 2035. But sales have struggled. New registrations dropped six percent on the previous year across the continent in July, according to the European Union. This was partially due to the phasing out of some subsidies but the weakening demand has fuelled concerns about the sector. Cheaper Chinese vehicles have saturated the market while consumers are yet to warm up to EVs, which have higher upfront costs and tend to lose value more quickly, he said. Audi did not reply to a request for comment. In July, the firm said demand for the high-end Q8 e-tron manufactured in Brussels dropped and the factory suffered from high logistical and production costs. "It is high time that Europe wakes up. Today we are losing on all fronts, in terms of employment and in terms of climate," said Yvan Verougstraete, Belgian MEP with the centrist Renew group, who joined Monday's demonstration. The EU is discussing plans to slap import duties of up to 36 percent on EVs imported from China. The bloc decided in July to levy extra tariffs after an anti-subsidy probe concluded car manufacturers in China benefitted unfairly from state subsidies. - 'Legitimate anger' - But the move has faced resistance from some countries, including Spain and Germany, which fear damage to trade ties with Beijing. A report by former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi last week said the tariffs would "help level the playing field". European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has promised a new "Clean Industrial Deal" to channel investment towards infrastructure and industry in the first 100 days after her new team takes office later this year. But that might come too late for the Brussels Audi workers. "Their anger is very legitimate, very understandable, especially since Audi is not very clear on its plans," Bernard Clerfayt, the minister in charge of employment for the Brussels region, told AFP. Belgian unions have called for strike action across the country on Monday with walkouts elsewhere in solidarity. Portugal asks for European back-up to fight forest fires Lisbon, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 Portugal on Monday requested support from its European partners as it battled forest fires in northern Portugal that have injured a dozen firefighters, local authorities said. A string of blazes that broke out over the weekend in the Aveiro region have injured 12 firefighters, including two seriously, and forced around 70 local residents to flee, according to the civil protection authority. Portugal -- which owns about 30 water bomber planes and helicopters -- called on European countries to send reinforcement. France will deploy two water bombers as part of an EU cooperation framework Tuesday, outgoing interior minister Gerald Darmanin said. Lisbon said it was also liaising with Madrid and Rome. "The situation is not out of control, but it is very complex. Today will be a difficult day, and so will tomorrow," said national civil protection commander Andre Fernandes. One firefighter died Sunday while taking a break from efforts to contain the fire near Oliveira de Azemeis, south of the city of Porto, the interior ministry said Monday. Around 2,300 were battling 20 fireson Monday, with the country placed on alert from Saturday to Tuesday evening because of high temperatures and strong winds. The risk level varied from "very high" to "highest" depending on the region. Further to the south, at least two homes were burned in two villages in the Albergaria-a-Velha area, said mayor Antonio Loureiro. "We already have houses in flames at the moment," he told Portuguese news agency Lusa. Two other homes were destroyed in Cabeceiras de Basto, in the district of Braga, local authorities said. Traffic has been halted on three motorways in the area, police said. Drivers were told not to try to get to Aveiro. "That is the best way to not to put lives at risk," said mayor Vitor Ribero. Portugal has seen less wildfires than usual so far this year. Some 10,300 hectares (25,500 acres) were lost to the flames by the end of August -- a third of what was destroyed last year, and seven times less than the average over the last decade. Lisbon has upped fire prevention funding ten-fold and doubled the budget to fight wildfires since deadly blazes in 2017 claimed hundreds of lives. Scientists say human-caused fossil fuel emissions are increasing the length, frequency and intensity of global heatwaves, raising the risk of wildfires. The Iberian peninsula is particularly vulnerable to global warming, with heatwaves and drought exposing the region to blazes. MOSCOW, Sep. 16 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a decree to increase the number of Russian armed forces to 2,389,130 units, including 1.5 million military personnel. The new decree, published on the official website for legal information, will take effect from Dec. 1, 2024. Currently, the number of Russian armed forces is 2,209,130 units, including 1.32 million military personnel, according to the previous decree, signed by Putin in December 2023. Meanwhile, the defense ministry said on Monday that the Russian armed forces had liberated the settlements of Uspenovka and Borki in the Kursk Region. Russian armed forces also repelled "five enemy counterattacks" from various directions in the region on the same day, the ministry added. Polish PM announces $260 mn in aid for storm-affected areas Warsaw, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Monday announced millions of dollars in aid for those in Poland hit by Storm Boris, as the toll in the country climbed to four following torrential rains and flooding. Swathes of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia have been hit by high winds and unusually heavy rainfall since Tuesday. On Monday, the mayor of a town of some 42,000 people in southwest Poland warned that a dyke could break and called on residents to take precautions. "It is worth moving immediately to the highest storeys of buildings, because the wave could be several metres" high, Nysa mayor Kordian Kolbiarz said in a video on his Facebook page. He explained that there was a "very big, increasing risk of the dyke breaking" but said that soldiers would work to patch up the damage in an attempt to prevent the worst from happening. Earlier Monday, Poland declared a state of natural disaster, which simplifies procedures for helping people and areas affected by the storm. "At the moment we have ensured a reserve of one billion zloty ($260 million) for places and people affected by the flood," Tusk told reporters. "From today, anyone affected by the flood -- and here I mean through flooding, collapsed buildings, flooded garages, lost cars, losses linked to the flood -- will be able to easily" claim funds, he added. Tusk specified that people would be able to receive up to 10,000 zloty in immediate assistance and up to 200,000 zloty to rebuild houses. Four people have died in Poland from the storm, according to an updated toll Monday from police. "We have four dead in the areas affected by the catastrophe," Polish police spokeswoman Katarzyna Nowak told AFP, adding however that the exact causes of death still needed to be clarified. At least fifteen people have died across the region as Storm Boris lashed central and eastern Europe with torrential rains and flooding, several more are missing and millions have been evacuated from their homes. Tusk said he would talk to EU chief Ursula von der Leyen Monday regarding aid for countries affected by the storm. "We will encourage the European Union to provide funds for the damages that occurred," he added. S.Africa police arrest 3 foreigners for abalone poaching Johannesburg, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 South African police said Monday they had arrested a Chinese national and two Zimbabweans for allegedly poaching hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of abalone, a coveted high-end delicacy smuggled mainly to Asia. The chewy sea snail with a distinctive salty taste is popular at feasts and wedding banquets in parts of eastern Asia. A 53-year-old Chinese national was arrested with two Zimbabweans aged 28 and 31 "in what is believed to be one of the biggest abalone busts in this province in recent years," police in the Western Cape province said. They confiscated "11,485 wet and 15,200 dry abalone as well as equipment with a total estimated value of 10.3 million rand" (over $550,000), a statement said. The suspects were arrested on Sunday after police received a tip-off and found a "substantial quantity" of abalone being processed in a large building. Provincial authorities said they were "pulling the net tighter and tighter to eradicate the illegal distribution and depletion of living marine resources". In a separate incident, also in the Western Cape, police said they found 2,505 abalones at an abandoned site. Last month, police arrested a South African man who had plastic bags containing more than 13,000 of the molluscs. They were worth more than one million rand ($55,000), authorities said. The volume of illegally caught abalone has almost doubled over the past decade, according to wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC. Trafficking networks are known to be often run by Chinese criminal syndicates. Storm Boris lashes central Europe, toll climbs to 18 Vienna, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2024 Flooding sparked by Storm Boris in central Europe has burst dams, knocked out power and killed at least 18 people, authorities said on Monday, as more people were evacuated. High winds and unusually heavy rainfall have hit swathes of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia since Friday. The rains have flooded streets and submerged entire neighbourhoods in some places, while shutting down public transport and electricity in others. The storm has caused the deaths of seven people in Romania, four in Poland, four in Austria and three in the Czech Republic, according to the latest tallies. Several people remain missing. "I have lived for some 25 years in this area, and I have never before seen such an intensity" of flooding, Vienna resident Thomas Hofbauer, 57, told AFP as he described how a usually calm stream in the Austrian capital had turned into a raging torrent. Experts say climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activities is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as torrential rains and floods. - Docked boats - In Austria, the death toll climbed to four as the body of a man was found floating in the floods in Lower Austria, the worst-effected province in the Alpine nation, where more people were evacuated. Parts of Austria have been hit since Thursday by five times the average amount of rain they get for the entire month of September, according to forecaster Geosphere. The flooding has broken a dozen dams, with muddy rivers raging, while thousands of households were without electricity and water in Lower Austria, authorities said. Further north, in eastern Germany, mobile flood protection walls were set up in some area Monday to protect Dresden's old city as the Elbe river level rose, with the peak expected mid-week. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany was "deeply touched" by "dramatic" images and news about the flooding in neighbouring countries. - 'Nightmare' - The Czech Republic and Poland have also reported deaths, evacuations and significant destruction in the worst-hit areas. Czech police said on Monday three people have been killed as a result of the storm and eight remain missing. In the eastern Czech city of Krnov, residents began to cart away debris. "All pavements are destroyed, everything's toppled here, everything's broken around the shop... it's a nightmare," Eliska Cokreska, a 76-year-old pensioner, told AFP. Polish police updated the disaster's death toll to four -- up from one previously -- adding however that the exact causes of death still needed to be clarified. While the water in some cities, such as Klodzko, is starting to recede, revealing destruction and desolation, more flooding was feared in other parts of the country. A dyke in the southwestern town of Nysa, which has some 42,000 inhabitants, was threatening to break with the mayor Kordian Kolbiarz calling on residents to immediately move to "the highest storeys of buildings". Water has also submerged the town of Glucholazy on the Polish-Czech border with many residents taking refuge in a school. "This flood is the worst ever in Glucholazy. We are trying to talk to people, support them, offer them tea and, above all, show them that they are not alone," said Paulina Grzesiowska-Nowak, a Red Cross rescuer. - 'Fury of nature' - The flooding death toll in Romania -- where people climbed on to roofs to escape the water -- has climbed to seven, according to rescuers. "Compared to 2013 the amount of water was almost three times bigger. It was hard to handle that kind of fury of nature," Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu told reporters on Monday. Hungary has deployed more than 350 soldiers to reinforce flood barriers as the Danube and rivers along its basin are expected to surge. burs-jza/yad A man works at a workshop in Tianjin Carlieuklima Heat Energy Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd., in north China's Tianjin, Sept. 11, 2024. Headquartered in Venice, Italy, Carlieuklima boasts a history of nearly 70 years. It is one of Europe's foremost providers of large space heating solutions and thermal energy management services. (Xinhua/Song Rui) BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- When China announced its commitment to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and work toward carbon neutrality by 2060, Yang Siping and her workmates opened a bottle of red wine to celebrate. Yang, executive director of the Asia-Pacific region of the Italian radiant heating giant Carlieuklima, recounted this episode of her career life while participating in the ongoing 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing. The dual-carbon goal of reaching the peak of carbon emissions and attaining carbon neutrality has brought great business prospects to the Italian heating company Yang works for, just as Yang and her colleagues anticipated when they popped the cork four years ago. Yang said China is undergoing green transformation and upgrading, unleashing a huge demand for environmental revamping and energy consumption reduction in the industrial sector. This will present enormous opportunities to industrial solution companies like Carlieuklima. Headquartered in Venice, Italy, Carlieuklima boasts a history of nearly 70 years. It is one of Europe's foremost providers of large space heating solutions and thermal energy management services. Since its entry into the Chinese market in 2013, Carlieuklima has provided customized radiant heating system solutions for spaces such as high-speed railway and aircraft maintenance hangars, stadiums, exhibition centers, and industrial factories. At the end of 2019, Carlieuklima completed a factory in Tianjin --Tianjin Carlieuklima Heat Energy Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. --positioning the factory as a major global production base. The factory has set up four production lines capable of producing the company's full range of products, including a hot water radiant series and a gas radiant series. About 90 percent of raw materials have been domestically sourced. "We have full confidence in the Chinese government's policy and decision-making power, attach great importance to the Chinese market, and sincerely wish to strengthen our cooperation with China," said Gastone Martorel, CEO of Carlieuklima. In his view, China has been committed to continuously upgrading its manufacturing industry, which has greatly enhanced its high-end and intelligent manufacturing strengths. The company's investment in the Tianjin factory demonstrates the unprecedented strategic role of the Chinese market. Not quite long after the inauguration of the new factory, China announced its commitment to peak carbon dioxide emissions and work toward carbon neutrality. Yang, who was on a business trip to Italy at the time, immediately contacted her colleagues in China to translate the policy's text into Italian and share it with the Italian headquarters. "We opened a bottle of red wine to celebrate the exciting moment together," Yang said. "In recent years, China's dual carbon goal has driven the development of related industries, with more and more of our customers focusing on energy conservation, carbon reduction and green development, giving us a brighter prospect in precise energy management," said Yang. Carlieuklima has accumulated hundreds of customers in China and has established long-term and stable business relationships with more than ten companies. In the future, Carlieuklima plans to enter the high-end home furnishing market to meet consumers' demand for energy efficiency in their living spaces and expand its business to some segment markets, like schools, hospitals and other architectural spaces. "Facing a more complex global trade environment, we believe that our company's globalization will remain on a course of upward spiral," said Yang, adding that Carlieuklima is optimistic about China's development prospects and looks forward to riding the wave of China's green and low-carbon endeavor. Debut novel of former Orleans public defender follows the 'hopeless state' of the court system MANILA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Vanuatu on Monday signed a grant agreement worth almost 16.5 million U.S. dollars to help fund a project designed to develop skills of Vanuatu's workers. "This project is a response to Vanuatu's urgent need for skilled workers," said ADB Director General for the Pacific Leah Gutierrez. The grant comes from the Asian Development Fund, which provides grants to ADB's poorest and most vulnerable members. Through the ADB-supported project, the ADB said the grant will help bolster resilience by expanding and enhancing training opportunities at the Vanuatu Institute of Technology. The project will introduce new courses, build new infrastructure, provide equipment and strengthen the institution and trainers. Novelist Charlotte Wood still cant wrap her head around being one of six finalists and the first Australian in a decade to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize for fiction. Ive had a few days to get used to the idea, and Im still not used to the idea, she says. I would never have expected this in my whole career. Its just a wonderful bolt from the blue. Charlotte Wood says her latest book is the most personal she has written. Credit: Henry Simmons Wood has been nominated for her acclaimed novel Stone Yard Devotional, the response to which has been incredible, she says. Ive had a lot of very deep responses to it ... Ive had the most intense emails from readers, more than Ive had to any other book. I do think that our capacity for sustained, quiet engagement has been really kind of damaged by contemporary life. Its getting harder and harder to look within because everything about our world is designed to distract us, to look out, rather than to be still and look in, she says. Advertisement Review Eating outDouble Bay Does Neil Perrys new Chinese restaurant Song Bird hit all the right notes? Dive into a big bowl of pipis and wrap Peking duck in Mandarin pancakes at the veteran restaurateurs grand new Cantonese banquet house. Terry Durack September 17, 2024 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 1 / 7 Song Bird is a gorgeous space to be in by day, and more intimate and celebratory at night. Wolter Peeters 2 / 7 Lobster and scallop spring rolls with vinegar sauce. Wolter Peeters 3 / 7 Inside Song Bird, its like being on a luxury liner. Wolter Peeters 4 / 7 Go-to dish: Peking duck with hoisin sauce and Mandarin pancakes. Wolter Peeters 5 / 7 XO pipis in a fruity chilli sauce with egg noodles. Wolter Peeters 6 / 7 Chicken and cucumber salad with shallot dressing. Wolter Peeters 7 / 7 Black sesame choux and vanilla soft-serve sandwich is served as a trio. Wolter Peeters Previous Slide Next Slide Good Food hat 15.5 / 20 How we score Chinese$$$$ Its a looker, all right, Neil Perrys new Song Bird. Even the Maseratis slow to a crawl outside the heritage-listed Gaden House, with its multiple layers of dining rooms and kitchen of white-coated chefs framed by glass, as if on television. This is the veteran chefs fifth Asian-inspired restaurant in Sydney, in a career that spans nearly 40 years; from Wokpool (1996) and XO (2005), to Spice Temple (2009) and Jade Temple (2017). After the early modern Asian concepts, Spice Temple was the breakthrough, with its spicy, oily, smoky cooking pulled from Sichuan and Hunan provinces (and helmed by chef Andy Evans, who is just as much a force today, Perry having left the building). But Perry has always revered the lighter, cleaner, classic Cantonese cuisine for its celebration of the fresh, natural taste of fish, seafood and vegetables. Jade Temple didnt crack it in the CBD, but Song Bird might, with a newly invigorated Double Bay at its feet. Advertisement Lobster and scallop spring rolls with vinegar sauce. Wolter Peeters From the inside, its like being on a land-locked luxury liner. Designers ACME and Caon Design have contrasted the strong horizontal lines with cedar panelling, green marble and graceful songbird motifs. A goldfish bowl filled with light by day, its more intimate and celebratory at night; the three levels linked by the slow curve of a heritage staircase. Head chef Mark Lee, who was born in Fiji to Chinese parents, rose through the ranks at Rockpool and then Margaret. He oversees a kitchen sectioned into dumplings, roast meats, live seafood, braises and stir-fries, noodles and rice. Song Birds strengths are the duck, fish or seafood, including lobster and mud crab from the tank. Start with pickles ($9) because theyre fresh, snappy and slightly sweet. Then add white-cut chicken salad ($28), for the soft, supple chicken (Sommerlad breed, via Sun Farm), and the gentle, refreshing nature of the cucumber, spring onion and shallot dressing. Advertisement Tables for two, beware. As at all grand Cantonese banquet houses, portions are big, and designed for the table to share. Lobster and scallop spring rolls ($26), for instance, come in sixes but order them anyway because theyre small, tightly wrapped and sea-sweet. Dumplings come in fours, and while you can taste the premium Spencer Gulf prawn in the har gau ($24), theyre not going to knock Mr. Wong off its perch just yet. Go-to dish: Peking duck with hoisin sauce and Mandarin pancakes. Wolter Peeters Peking duck ($62/$115) is a no-brainer order, with glazed skin like a French-polished veneer over tender, fatty, juicy meat. Wrap it in a steamer-load of Mandarin pancakes with sauce, cucumber, spring onions, white sugar and crisp golden breadcrumbs; the last two being fun additions designed to add crunch and absorb the fat. An order of soft-serve ice-cream sandwich ($19) comes, rather crazily, as three big, crisp choux pastries encasing smooth, vanilla ice-cream. Three! Why? It makes no sense. Advertisement Service is deft and interactive and the mood is eastern-suburbs comfortable. The wine list shows off the long-term connections made by both Perry and wine director Richard Healy, from the 2023 Grosset Riesling ($19/$90) to a Premier Cru Chateau Latour ($2495). The latter would be terrific with the meaty, crunchy, pepper beef pancake ($26), which looks to me like a riff on Spice Temples famous lamb and cumin version. XO pipis in a fruity chilli sauce with egg noodles. Wolter Peeters And oh, the pleasure of diving into a big bowl of XO pipis in a deliciously dirty, fruity, chilli sauce, heavy on dried shrimp. Add on fresh or fried noodles ($10), if you need filling up, which you may not. In the basement lies the plush Bobbies cocktail bar; all curved banquettes, tinkling ice, green olives and live jazz. A collaboration with New York bar tsar Linden Pride, its another upscale addition to the hood. At 66, Neil Perry thought hed be retired. Instead, hes transforming Double Bay Advertisement Song Birds strengths are the duck, fish or seafood, including lobster and mud crab from the tank; and the commitment to elegant, sophisticated dining. Its the produce that defines the quality Perry isnt going to change his core values now making it the perfect old-fashioned Chinese banquet restaurant for the 21st century. The low-down Vibe: Canto classics get a Neil Perry glow-up Go-to dish: Peking duck with hoisin sauce and Mandarin pancakes, $62/$115 Drinks: Well-engineered cocktails; thorough 250-bottle wine list that plays both classic and modern Cost: About $165 for two, plus drinks First Look: Chef Neil Perry opens first standalone bar with New York bar guru Correction: An earlier version of this story referred to Jade Temples opening year as 2020. Its been updated to say 2017. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up He said the flyer was a really dirty trick before conceding it might have been an accidental error. I am getting no publicity from The Age, Morgan said. I am the only candidate who owns and runs a significant business in the Melbourne area that employs 600 to 800 people. Do you want a businessman running the city or boys in short pants? he asked, we think rhetorically. Dont call me an old man. I may be 82 but I can run 10 kilometres. I am fit and sharp. Morgan said his big policy was to merge the City of Melbourne council with the nearby City of Yarra and City of Port Phillip councils. We reached out to the Greens, whose lord mayoral candidate is North Melbourne renter Roxane Ingleton and deputy lord mayoral candidate is Marley McRae McLeod. But it seems the party has rather a lot on its plate. One of its council candidates, West Melbourne resident Karl Hessian, had to withdraw after fears he would not be able to renounce his New Zealand citizenship in time and thus would be ineligible to stand. JUMPING SHIP Your CBD correspondent remembers once attending a Guardian Australia staff function and revealing he was a former employee of its British version. Why would you ever leave? a progressive bright young thing asked with wide-eyed, slightly patronising innocence, as if the website were some sort of journalistic Hotel California. Which in a roundabout way brings us to Guardian Australias high-profile standard bearer Amy Remeikis, the latest staff member to check out from the media organisation you can never leave. Unless youre sick of that publications famously meagre wages. Remeikis has been on the ABCs Insiders and Tens The Project with some pretty forthright progressive commentary, making her a target of The Australians Media Diary, which reckons shes irresistible clickbait for the base. We counted 13 mentions in The Oz in the past two years, the most recent landing on Monday. Amy Remeikis, a political journalist at The Guardian, is exiting the publication. Remeikis has handed in her notice to The Guardian and is soon to take up a gig at progressive theres that word again! think tank the Australia Institute. It will be interesting to see if she continues to remain an object of journalistic fascination for The Australians media team, which appeared to be unaware of her change of job status. The normally loquacious Remeikis declined to comment and directed us to the Guardian PR unit, which failed to get back to us before deadline. And that progressive bright young thing at the Guardian staff party? He now works at the ABC. WHEREFORE ART THOU? Well-regarded media lawyer Stuart Gibson tells clients via his bio on the website of firm Macpherson Kelley that he is a passionate defender of his clients brand and reputation. He has a particular bent for defamation cases and is recognised as one of Australias top media and defamation lawyers and has been involved in many landmark judgments. So, whats the latest? Loading Gibson was representing a long-standing client, the choir master Jonathon Welch AM, who rose to fame as the choirmaster for a singing group for people who had fallen on hard times featured on the ABC documentary The Choir of Hard Knocks. Until he wasnt, prompting the rescheduling of a Federal Court mediation until later this month. After Welch left the program and the choir, he later trademarked and created the singing company the School of Hard Knocks. Now Welch is taking action in the Federal Court against stand-up comedy training outfit the Hard Knock Knocks Comedy School and its founder, Morry Morgan. Welch alleges Morgan did not honour an earlier deed of settlement and rebranding undertakings. A mediation hearing scheduled for last week has now been delayed until the end of the month. We phoned Macpherson Kelley and were first told Gibson was on leave, and then were told someone would get back to us. But they didnt. We reached out to Gibson and Welch but didnt hear back. And when we formally asked the firms media unit if Gibson was on leave, we were told: In response to your enquiry, as this is an ongoing matter Macpherson Kelley feel it is not appropriate to make any comment. When we know, you will. 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 A NSW couple has been acquitted of murdering a 19-year-old whose disappearance has haunted a rural town for more than two decades. Amber Haigh vanished from Kingsvale, about 15 kilometres south of Young in NSW, in June 2002. She had been living with Robert and Anne Geeves, then aged in their 40s. The last independently verified sighting of Haigh was on June 2, when she was with Robert Geeves. Robert and Anne Geeves outside Amber Haighs inquest in 2011. Credit: Anthony Johnson Not guilty verdict On Monday, Supreme Court Justice Julia Lonergan found the couple, both aged 64, not guilty of murdering Haigh in 2002 after a 28-day trial this year. Haighs body has never been found, and the case was entirely circumstantial. Mr and Mrs Geeves can be released from the dock, Lonergan said at Darlinghurst Supreme Court in Sydney. The pair had been in custody since they were charged in May 2022. Advertisement Lonergan described Haigh as a disadvantaged young woman with poor family support who bore the scars of a jagged, abusive childhood. There was little sign in the sea of evidence led in this case that Amber was ever shown the unconditional love and support she needed and deserved. At the time of her disappearance, Haigh was living between the Geeveses rural property, Huntleigh, in Kingsvale and a one-bedroom flat in Young. She had first moved to the couples home in 2000 before setting up her own place in October 2001. Amber Haigh, 19, disappeared in 2002. Crown prosecutor Paul Kerr said in his opening address to the court in June this year that the Crown case theory is that it was always the intention of the Geeveses to assume the custody and care of a five-month-old child, whom Lonergan gave the pseudonym Ben. So, the Crown asserts, they killed her, Kerr said. But the couple maintained their innocence and Anne Geeves barrister said the pairs actions had been viewed, unfairly, through a haze of mistrust and suspicion by locals. Advertisement Lonergan found the Crown had not proven beyond reasonable doubt that the Geeveses had a shared motive to kill Haigh to assume custody of Ben. The child Shortly before her disappearance, Haigh organised for professional photographs to be taken of her with Robert Geeves and Ben, who was dressed in a Winnie the Pooh onesie. In one of the photographs, Haigh is kissing the baby on the cheek. The childs identity cannot be revealed for legal reasons. Police footage of Ambers flat, taken during the execution of a search warrant, shows a girlish room including a single bed with a floral bedspread, framed photos, artificial flowers and a Tweety Bird image on the wall. Advertisement The disappearance The couple maintained they dropped Haigh at Campbelltown train station on June 5 so that she could visit her ailing father. They did not report her missing until June 19. Lonergan concluded the version of events given by the couple may be true. In those circumstances, I must acquit, she said. Robert Geeves told police during a recorded interview on June 25 that they didnt report Amber missing sooner because she wasnt the most reliable person and didnt like police. The court heard Haigh had an intellectual disability and had been assessed at the age of 18 by a GP as having the mental age of a 12 to 13-year-old. She also suffered from epilepsy. There was no evidence of Haigh filling or obtaining a prescription for her medication after her disappearance. Banking records show a $500 withdrawal was made from Haighs bank account from an ATM in Queen Street, Campbelltown, on the same day the Geeveses said they dropped Haigh at the station. Advertisement Footage taken during a search warrant executed at the Geeveses home in August 2002 showed Robert being asked about documents as well as a green jumper on the washing line. The couple had said Haigh was wearing a bottle green jumper when she was dropped in Sydney. Robert said it was a lot lighter than the one at the property. Anne was also shown at the home with the infant. Lonergan said in a summary read in court that the focus of the police investigation, at least in its early phase, was on disproving the Geeveses version of events, rather than investigating in an objective way Ambers disappearance. The judge said there was nothing at all captured on covert listening device recordings between July 18 and mid-August that implicated the Geeveses in any way. Grievances or suspicions Advertisement After initially dismissing the Heralds reporting, authorities quietly commissioned tests which showed elevated levels of PFAS in Medlow Dam. In response to those tests, Water NSW shut the pipeline linking Medlow Dam and neighbouring Greaves Creek Dam off from the system that supplies 49,500 people with drinking water in the Blue Mountains. In response to questions sent by the Herald this week, Water NSW said drinking water supplies were safe and secure because the pipe connecting the PFAS-contaminated dams to the wider drinking water system had been closed. Wright taking samples in Greaves Creek. Credit: Wolter Peeters A key focus of the investigation is to determine the source of PFAS contamination within the Blue Mountains catchments, a spokesperson said. Water NSW continues to maintain heightened vigilance across all dams in the Blue Mountains region. The investigation includes extensive testing, at multiple sites, and incorporates a review of land use activities where historical use of PFAS may have occurred. The agency did not respond to questions about whether its own tests had shown similar levels to the Herald-commissioned tests. It did not say how long the dam would be shut or how long PFAS-contaminated water had been flowing into the drinking water system before the pipeline was closed on August 28. Loading PFAS per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals are synthetic chemicals which persist for long periods in the natural environment. Some have been linked to causing cancer by the World Health Organisation. The government is now scrambling to find the source of the Medlow Dam contamination. The Herald understands that one line of inquiry concerns firefighting foam being used to douse car crash sites on the stretch of the Great Western Highway near Medlow Bath and Blackheath. Foam containing PFAS was phased out in 2007, but investigators believe foam residues may have accumulated in the water table under the town over a period of decades. Fire and Rescue NSW has been trawling through old records to try to determine the type and quantity of firefighting foam used to douse a blaze after a Shell petrol tanker crashed and burned in 1992, at a point in the road close to the section of Adams Creek where high levels of forever chemicals were found. Foam gathering in PFAS-contaminated water downstream of Medlow Dam. Credit: Wolter Peeters Another line of inquiry points to the Medlow Bath Rural Fire Service Station as a possible source. The RFS building, which sits about 200 metres away from Adams Creek, had firefighting foam containing PFAS stored in it in the past. But the RFS said no large-scale training had taken place there. The firefighting service said it was investigating further. Loading Class A foams, which are used to fight bushfires, do not contain PFAS. The tests commissioned by the Herald found high levels of PFAS in Adams Creek close to the northern section of Medlow Bath township, but none in other creeks that feed Medlow Dam. Wright could not test in the dam itself, which is in the restricted catchment area, but samples were taken below Medlow Dam in Greaves Creek. In the sandstone canyons below the dam, at the Walls Cave Indigenous heritage site, scuds of foam could be seen building up on snags in the river. One water sample that contained some foam showed 14.04 micrograms of PFAS chemicals per litre 200 times Australian drinking water levels. Another sample taken nearby was 0.08 micrograms, or only slightly above safe drinking water levels. This suggested PFAS was accumulating in the foam, Wright said. Some samples near Medlow Bath detected no PFAS, suggesting the source was close to the northern section of the township. Credit: Wolter Peeters Sediment samples taken above and below the dam also showed significant PFAS levels. Wright said that more detailed studies were needed to understand how PFAS was moving through the river system, but it seemed likely that rainfall was continuously flushing out forever chemicals caught in sediment and sending them downstream. I think this [PFAS] is sitting there in the water table thats what the results suggest to me, Wright said. But these samples give us a window into the water table. Youd need to do a lot more study, but its not clear how they can fix this. Thats a real concern. The PFAS is just sitting in the aquifer and the sediment, and reactivating when there is rainfall, he said. This has potentially been going on for a long time. Fixing it looks like being a very expensive process. Loading The samples were collected by Wright, an experienced water scientist, to strict quality control standards, and the tests were performed by Envirolab, an independent laboratory that does commercial and government work. Professor Stuart Khan, a water expert and Head of School of Civil Engineering at the University of Sydney, has previously said it wasnt necessary to shut the dam, but after seeing the tests results he agreed it should be shut. These sorts of concentrations are unacceptable and so we shouldnt be using that water, said Khan, who was not involved in the testing process. If shutting it off helps maintain lower concentrations of PFAS at the Cascade filtration plant, thats a good thing. However, he stressed that by the time the water had been piped to the Cascade Dam, diluted with other water not affected by PFAS and processed through a filtration plant, it was safe to drink. What matters is whats coming out of customers taps, he said. Khan said he thought the situation could be managed by ongoing monitoring. US corporate giant 3M made billions from producing PFAS chemicals, which are useful for resisting heat, stains, grease and water. It has been accused of covering up the health risks associated with the products since the 1960s. A federal parliamentary inquiry into the health effects of PFAS was announced in August. 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 A $2 million public artwork commissioned by the City of Melbourne six years ago has snowballed into a massive sculpture installation worth $22 million and is still at least three years from completion. The artwork, Yesterday, to be created by New Zealand Maori artist Michael Parekowhai, is an eight-metre-high bronze sculpture consisting of a soft-toy-appearing kangaroo wrapped in fairy lights sitting on a primary school chair. The back of the chair is branded with a Boon Wurrung term for the word yesterday. But confidential council documents obtained by The Age show the cost of the project has increased 11-fold as the scale of the installations set to dominate Dodds Street, Southbank, has sprawled out to four more projects, one measuring 50 metres long. The Dodds Street linear park in Southbank, where the artwork will be erected. Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui Concerns have been raised about the funding behind the project and its new, enlarged scope. The artwork was commissioned for the Southbank arts precinct, and council documents reveal the level of ambition at Town Hall for the project, describing it as the most transformational public art commission ever undertaken in Australasia. Advertisement It positions Melbourne as an ambitious, creative and inclusive city; a leader in place-making globally, alongside projects of a similar scale in Berlin, Chicago, London and New York, a confidential briefing paper to the council states. A panel chaired by National Gallery of Victoria director Tony Ellwood unanimously selected Parekowhais artwork. The panel also included Wesley Enoch, then-director of the Sydney Festival; Dr Simone Slee of the Victorian College of the Arts; Rob Adams and John Cunningham from the City of Melbourne; Professor Mark McMillan from RMIT University; and Narweet Carolyn Briggs from the Boon Wurrung Foundation. Indian artist Subodh Gupta, Australian artists Callum Morton and Yhonnie Scarce, and Louise Paramor with BKK Architects were also shortlisted for the project. Parekowhai was selected after all the shortlisted artists received $10,000 to prepare a submission addressing the City of Melbournes creative brief. The council commissioned the artwork in 2018 during Sally Capps tenure as lord mayor with Arron Wood as her deputy, allocating $2 million to the project. Confidential meeting minutes noted that any additional costs above the $2 million will be sourced from the private and philanthropic sector. Advertisement But the councils contract with Parekowhai, signed in 2019, sets out a much broader scope for the project, with four further component works envisaged: Tomorrow, Seal and Pleiades, Knowledge, and Intention. Tomorrow is a large bronze figurative statue, while Seal and Pleiades is a 30-metre Vegas inspired neon-and-light installation suggesting the cosmos and Milky Way with an illuminated bronze seal balancing the Pleiades constellation on the tip of its nose. Knowledge is a 50-metre neon rainbow that brings to light the act of discovery, and Intention is a five-metre neon sign that is an interpretation of Themis, the Greek goddess representative of justice. As part of the project, Parekowhai also wanted to rename Southbank to acknowledge what has always been. One council insider with knowledge of the project, who wanted to remain anonymous to protect their career, said the initial project was one sculpture, but additional pieces were approved on the basis that the money for those would come from external sources. Some of the decisions that council made to approve those extra elements were on the basis of incorrect information that was given to them, he said. Advertisement In a closed council meeting in April 2021, councillors requested management seek funding of $4.3 million for Tomorrow from the state government, but the money was never secured from Spring Street. Loading Council was led to believe there was more funding secured than there was and went ahead to make decisions about commissioning works when in fact the funding hadnt been raised, the council insider said. State government funding of $3 million went towards landscaping Dodds Street, leaving Tomorrow unfunded. There was a rapid increase in budget to $22 million, as well as shortfalls in fundraising, the council insider said. Justin Hanney, who was chief executive of the City of Melbourne at the time, declined to comment to The Age on whether the council approved the increased cost and scope of the artwork on the basis that the money for it would come from external sources. All decisions relating to this project were made by councillors at council meetings and not by officers, he said. No commitment for government funding was provided by officers. Advertisement In September 2022, the council was briefed that the cost of the artwork had increased to $22 million the $2 million already committed for Yesterday, $4.3 million for Tomorrow, $2.8 million for Knowledge, $2.6 million for Intentions, $2 million for Seal, $2.9 million for storage and installation and $5.4 million for landscaping. Councillors were told that $16.1 million had been secured, including the Victorian government landscaping money, but $5.9 million had yet to be raised. The business case for the artwork was based on research from SGS Economics & Planning, conducted in 2021, claiming the artwork would serve to generate $63 million in increased tourist spending in its first year $4.20 for each dollar spent on the giant installation. The contract called for Yesterday to be installed by July 2021, but the artwork is yet to be finished. In December 2022, council was briefed that Yesterday and Knowledge were progressing and meeting agreed milestones, but there were issues with Tomorrow due to constraints communicated by the NGV about its location. Advertisement Find out who the candidates are and the key issues in your local area in our in-depth coverage of Victorian council elections. Melbourne will get more public toilets and mens facilities will include change tables to encourage a more equal share of parenting responsibilities if Jamal Hakim is elected the citys next lord mayor, the candidate says. Hakim said if he was elected in October, he would commit to a review of permanent toilets to ensure there were adequate bathroom facilities in the City of Melbourne. He said residents had complained about the lack of public toilets in Docklands Victoria Harbour precinct. City of Melbourne lord mayoral candidate Jamal Hakim wants more accessible toilets in Melbourne. Credit: Chris Hopkins Whats happening is people coming off the boats there are basically defecating in the [open] space, and thats causing a lot of issues for locals, he said. Theres no mechanism that allows or that requires council to continually ensure that there are toilets, and our population is about to double. Hakim said a trial was under way for opening toilets to the public in a building in Victoria Harbour, but another potential option was a standalone self-cleaning toilet, which would cost $1 million ($500,000 for the facility and $500,000 to install). Write to be heard What wonderful responses to Megan Stoyles entertaining article on the woes, highs and lows of getting a letter to the editor published (Please be disgusted but dont be disgusting, 16/9). The Age has its stable of reliables Id like to add Glenda Johnson next door in Queenscliff, Barbara Chapman, of Hawthorn, and Barbara Fraser, of Burwood. These are erudite writers and I admire them. Im not my style is a one liner, satirical, sardonic and a stab at pretentious idiocy. Why do I do it? Well, Id like my readers to start the day with a smile. On the other hand I get I read your letter this morning but I dont agree with you. Which is good too the cerebral cogs have moved. My family arrived here in 1926. The General Strike forced many coal-mining Scots to immigrate they had nothing. We youngsters born on the wrong side of Melbourne, who went to the wrong schools and suffered snobbish behaviour from those seemingly luckier who were born on the right side of Melbourne. It was the 1950s. We endured this boorish lot. I write to honour my parents, a wharfie and a factory assembler. They would never be heard but I will be. Margaret Skeen, Point Lonsdale Snapshots of time I dont feel like I need to be an heiress to the famous Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells; rather, I have a deep appreciation of the remarkable women of the Australian outback. Growing up on an isolated sheep station, I saw the pleasure that my mother and grandmother took in writing letters, sustaining and deepening friendship and kinship bonds across distances large and small. Today, those letters would make up social history, or the literature of a bygone age, providing insights into outback life that couldnt be gleaned in any other way. Letters will always be gifts of self, preserving the essence of a person, plus an environment and an era in time, enveloping connection and emotion within that capsule. Similarly, letters to the editor chart the zeitgeist, albeit through an editors selective lens. The letters page emerges from the generosity, talents, and goodwill of everyone who has contributed. All are due appreciation for collectively supporting the traditional Australian media in the face of strenuous competition from the digital giants such as Google and the social media companies. Barbara Chapman, South Yarra Loading Long reach I still miss legendary Age writer Constance E. Little of Swan Reach. Littles commentary on the social and political state of the nation almost exactly matched my own perspectives and reassured me that my voice was being assertively represented. It was just over 15 years ago that Littles letters to The Age ended but they are remembered fondly. Lou Tehan, Bendigo Welcome call Your correspondent suggested a Constance E. Little award (Letters, 16/9). I feel Ive already received one. Twenty-five years ago she rang me on the landline, having waded through the phone book to find me. Even though her call was to explain politely why she disagreed with my letter, I was so happy to have been rung by letter-writing royalty. Belinda Burke, Hawthorn Flexible housing Among Ross Gittins cogent comments on the housing crisis was the suggestion that state governments time their investment spending on major projects to fit with the ups and downs of the private building sector (Our unending housing crisis will never get fixed without a lot more thought and effort, 16/9). This could and should apply to the provision of public and social housing, where there is no significant substitute for adequate government funding. The private housing sector has always been cyclical. A competent state housing authority could have enough shovel-ready housing projects to tender during inevitable downturns. This would smooth out changes in demand for materials and labour and drive the taxpayer dollar further. Norman Huon, Port Melbourne Right to not object I am an architect, and have read with much interest recent articles about reducing the right to object to building proposals. Having completed over 900 projects, mainly in the tightly packed inner suburbs, I am astonished at the huge number of inaccurate objections to compliant proposals that have been proven to have no adverse effects. We only hear about the harmful proposals, but for every one of those there are innumerable cases of self importance. When asked why they do this, they often say I always object, it costs nothing or I have a right. They refuse to accept their neighbours have a right to improve their properties without harassment. I feel it necessary to tell it from the victims side, so I have published a book with more than 100 cases it has been cathartic to write it. Daniel Meszaros, North Melbourne Trump a populist hero New York Times columnist Ross Douthat captures the gulf between those he calls the credentialled elite and the populist rebellion seen in the US, and many parts of the Western world (Sympathy for the undecided voter, 16/9). In particular, he reminds us that those he calls the serious people and the good meritocrats on the progressive side of politics do not seem to govern very well. He highlights a record of substantial policy failure in areas such as crime, education and immigration in the US. Meanwhile, the less privileged parts of society watch on in confused frustration. They probably know their crude, populist heroes like Donald Trump do not really have the answers but wonder if all those clever people do either. Rod Wise, Surrey Hills False narratives It is baffling to many that millions of Americans continue to support Donald Trump despite overwhelming evidence of his unfitness for office. His supporters are fully aware of his long list of disqualifying traits. They know his track record as a failed businessman and an anti-democratic plutocrat who incited an insurrection. So, why, despite all this, does his base remain steadfast in their support? The answer lies in the false narrative Trump has masterfully spun. Many believe his claim that he is fighting for them, waging a battle against an unfair system that has left ordinary Americans behind. They view him as a renegade who, despite his faults, is willing to stand up to the corrupt establishment that perpetuates inequality. Even more unsettling is the idea that his supporters feel another four years of unchecked free-market, uber-capitalism would be more harmful to what remains of democracy than Trump himself. They perceive a system where only the elite thrive, and in Trump, they see a figure who, at the very least, acknowledges their frustration. The real tragedy is that this narrative is built on lies. But until we address the systemic issues that make it believable to so many, Trumps base will continue to view him as their last, best hope. Steve Whitford, Armadale Pushing up prices I have long been intrigued by the issue of agents under-quoting on properties for auction. Whatever the quote may be, only one purchaser will be successful. As your correspondent says (Great expectations, 16/9) purchasers need to do their homework, after all the whole idea of an auction is to get the highest price possible. After every auction there will be more people unhappy than the one who is successful. Thats what an auction does but some people apparently dont understand this. Megan Peniston-Bird, Kew Damaging their cause I agree with the general public and especially Premier Jacinta Allans remarks on the violence of the recent protests; however I have mixed emotions. I must deplore the use of rubber bullets as I still shudder at the baton round death in Northern Ireland in the 1970s. Although I do sympathise with the protesters, I abhor the violence inflicted on the police by aggressive tactics such as throwing of vile projectiles, and the discovery of rocks and marbles that were intended to be used against poor police members and their horses. A better way would have been a sit-in or a huge march with marshals like the peaceful Vietnam demonstrations of the late 60s and early 70s in which I took part. They should have engaged the RSL and ex-service members to thicken their ranks and add credence to their cause. The protesters did nothing but ruin it. Derek Costello, Belmont Reducing your wealth Pats on the head to Paul Benson for his restraint in his response in his column (Money, 16/9) to the obviously financially comfortable correspondent who wanted advice on the best strategy to reduce their tax and increase their retirement nest egg. Bensons suggestion was to consider charitable donations to reduce their overall wealth. Theres an idea. Pam McConnell, Boronia Need to do more What a deplorable situation: the UNHCR is faced with impossible decisions about where to put its limited funding, as the number of refugees worldwide grows (UN pulls funding for desperate refugees, 16/9). There are now an estimated 120 million refugees globally. Meanwhile, in Australia, (Aid budget cut by half in a decade, 16/9) the federal government is spending just 0.68per cent of its budget on international humanitarian aid and is 17th on the list of foreign donors to UNHCR. These statistics, along with our refusal to resettle anyone who arrived in Indonesia after July 2014, are appalling (not to mention demonising asylum-seekers who have been in limbo). It is unsurprising that half of those surveyed thought that Australia was doing more. We should be. Maryanne Barclay, Frankston South AND ANOTHER THING AFL finals The AFL dream realised a four-state preliminary final round. Just need Tassie Devils and the Cairns/Darwin Northern Crocs to complete the picture. Greg Curtin, Nunawading Ken Hinkley, if you lose say nothing, if you win say less. Ted McCabe, Barwon Heads How odd that an elder statesman coach should choose pettiness over enthusiastic celebration. Ian Macdonald, Traralgon Re Port Adelaide fined $20,000 over Ken Hinkleys Jack Ginnivan sledge, how sterile does the AFL want the game, aka the industry, to become? Richard Sykes, Bell Park Letter writers The letters section is read every day in this household and I always like to see who has written in. When I see a regular name it often makes me smile. Keep them coming. Carley Pope, Mount Eliza I write to get whatevers bugging me off my chest, not to get published. Always happy to read others views. Doris LeRoy, Altona I liked Megan Stoyles suggestion of a get-together of inveterate Age letter writers, but I fear my invitation would inevitably end up in the dead letters office. Peter McCarthy, Mentone I think being letters editor would be a difficult job, and could only be taken on by a highly intelligent person. John Rawson, Mernda Furthermore Given the positive feedback regarding AI input in medical triage, we should introduce this technology to political decisions. It could recognise pork barrelling and vote-buying policies, and analyse outcomes. John Bye, Elwood Memo to Americans: Please stop trying to assassinate Donald Trump. We want to see him thoroughly beaten in the coming election. Barry Miller, Kyneton The numbers are in (No winter blues for CBD traders, 16/9) and its clear that protected bicycle lanes arent killing businesses. Lets continue to make the Hoddle grid friendlier for people outside of cars. Adrian Jackson, Kensington PHNOM PENH, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center (ARMAC) on Monday hosted here the sixth psychosocial support training of trainers (ToT) session, aiming at strengthening mental health care for survivors of landmines and explosive ordnance in the region. The five-day event, running from Monday through Friday, marked a milestone in ARMAC's continued efforts to enhance victim assistance across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said its news release. The program was the collaboration among the Phnom Penh-headquartered ARMAC, the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authorities (CMAA), the Cambodian Ministry of Health, and Singapore Health Services (SingHealth). ARMAC's executive director Buth Rothna highlighted the importance of addressing the mental health challenges faced by victims, saying that the program would empower local professionals to provide essential mental health services, creating a sustainable network of support across ASEAN. The training will cover trauma management, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), therapeutic communication, and practical tools for supporting survivors emotionally, the news release said. The curriculum is designed to provide participants with hands-on experience through role-playing exercises and case studies, ensuring that they are well-equipped to train others in their respective communities. "Cambodia has been severely affected by landmines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW). By enhancing psychosocial support, we can ensure that survivors are not only physically rehabilitated but also mentally resilient," said CMAA's vice president Prum Sophakmonkol. Teo Lay Cheng, Singapore's ambassador to Cambodia, said the partnership with ARMAC reflected a shared goal of enhancing healthcare systems across ASEAN, especially for communities impacted by conflict. "Today's event is a powerful testament to our collective dedication to improving mental health care for survivors of landmines and explosive remnants of war," she said. Since its launch in 2022, this project has empowered 247 trainees, including medical professionals, community workers, and survivor networks, greatly advancing regional capabilities in victim assistance, according to the news release. We were told we were all going home, says one. But over the last two years, we havent been given any explanation as to why we were left behind when the others are now healing and moving on with life. This is just a form of indefinite torture. Those others are two smaller cohorts of Australian women and children whove been safely repatriated from the camps: the first, a group of orphans who returned in late 2019 under the Morrison government; the second, comprising four women and 13 children, returning under the Albanese government in October 2022. Labor in opposition signalled its acceptance of a moral imperative to bring all the remaining women and children home, and in October 2022, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek called for a compassionate approach, saying some of the women, some of the mothers, were taken there as little more than children themselves and married off to Islamic State fighters, some of them tricked, some of them forced to go there. But the political will to tackle the remaining cohort has seemingly evaporated. This is despite a call from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as recently as May this year calling on countries who still have citizens in the camps to get them home. That leaves the women in what Save The Children Australia chief executive Mat Tinkler calls relentless limbo. Fearful of opening another front in the national security wars, Labor looks likely to sit on its hands until after the election. It clings to faint hopes of reclaiming the seat of Fowler in western Sydney, held by independent Dai Le, who was one of the strongest objectors to the repatriation of the group of women and children who returned in October 2022. At the time, she cited the concerns of her Christian Assyrian constituents, many of whom, she said, had fled persecution and unspeakable atrocities inflicted by Islamic State. Contacted last week, her position had not much changed. While she understood the need to show compassion and support to these women and children, she said her Assyrian community remained concerned that the families might have been indoctrinated. More than 30 Australian women and children, who are relatives of former Islamic State fighters, are stranded at al-Roj refugee camp in northern Syria. Credit: Save the Children Recently appointed Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Tony Burke last week deflected questions about the al-Roj women and children to his department. In a statement, the department said it remained concerned about the remaining Australian-linked women and children in the internally displaced persons camps [in north-east Syria], but the governments ability to provide consular assistance to the group was severely limited due to the extremely dangerous security situation and because we do not have an embassy or consulate in Syria. These reasons described by Tinkler as red herrings overlook the Americans offer of assistance and ignore the fact that the lack of an embassy or consulate in Syria was never an obstacle in the previous two extractions. The department has also asserted it would be inappropriate to comment further because the matter was now before the court a reference to the High Court hearing this month, though so far, that court has only agreed to hear oral submissions on whether it should take up the case. Loading In earlier hearings in the Federal Court, Save the Children sought to force the Commonwealth to take responsibility for the cohort still in the camp by way of a writ of habeas corpus. That bid failed on technical grounds. But significantly, the judges highlighted the fact the two earlier repatriations had proceeded smoothly, with maximum co-operation from Kurdish authorities. Former US ambassador Peter Galbraith also testified in the case, stating in an affidavit that hed made more than 20 trips to north-east Syria himself, personally helping to extract several women and 29 children. Political willpower The Federal Court made clear the return of the women and children was a matter of government willpower, stating, if the Commonwealth has the political will to bring the ... women and children back to Australia, on the evidence before the court it would be a relatively straightforward exercise. Anticipating that some, perhaps many, Australians will view their return as a security risk, the women have repeatedly pledged to comply with any control orders authorities here might see fit to impose. ASIO would not comment this week on the remaining cohort in al-Roj, but in 2022, ASIO boss Mike Burgess said, return of all those individuals would not materially change the national terrorism threat level. Our children want to go to school, make friends and go to a park thats not caged in by a fence we feel abandonment, and its the worst feeling in the world. Al-Roj detainee Tinkler says security agencies generally believe the best thing is to bring the women and the children back, to monitor, support and integrate them back into society rather than leave them in a region thats very volatile and where potentially they are prone to more radical belief systems. These are Australian kids who have experienced immense trauma and suffering but are left to languish there, he says. What I find difficult to comprehend is that the Australian government could end their suffering right now by bringing them home. But our political leaders are choosing not to act. While the Federal Court generally describes the women in the Syrian camps as wives (voluntary or involuntary) of ISIS fighters, the two whove been in contact with this masthead say each in the group has a different story, and theyre victims of war, suffering for decisions other people have made on our behalf. Nobody knows how we are barely holding on; nobody knows what each and every one of us have been through. A number of Sydneys Islamic community leaders and organisations have strongly backed the return of the women and children, among them Dr Jamal Rifi, Gamel Kheir from the Lebanese Muslim Association, and Kamalle Dabboussy, whose own daughter and several grandchildren were expatriated from north-east Syria in 2022. Robert van Aalst, acting as pro bono interlocutor for the women, says, Even murderers eventually get parole. These women havent committed a single crime, and their children are innocents. You dont jail people because of the sins of their fathers. As well as the larger group held at al-Roj, its understood a smaller group of three Australian women and five children are even further off the radar, still languishing in al-Hol camp. Our families and communities in Australia are waiting with their arms wide open to love and support us ... Our children want to go to school, make friends and go to a park thats not caged in by a fence and soldiers, the women write. We feel abandonment, and its the worst feeling in the world. The Coalition is doubling down on its superannuation-for-housing policy, claiming it would save the budget at least $1 billion in lower rent assistance to new home owners while accusing the government of wanting a rent-forever Ponzi scheme. As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ramps up attacks on the Greens and Coalition over housing policy, the oppositions assistant homeownership spokesman, Andrew Bragg, will use an address to the Real Estate Institute on Tuesday to reveal independent costings of its proposal to help people into property. The Coalition says its super-for-housing policy would cut budget costs by reducing the number of people needing Commonwealth Rent Assistance. Credit: Louie Douvis The Coalition went to the last election promising to allow people to withdraw up to $50,000 of their super, to a limit of 40 per cent of their superannuation balance, to help buy their first home. Introduced late in the campaign, Coalition insiders believed the policy helped sway some voters back to the Liberal and National parties. Youre going to need these, says Grace as she hands me a red pool noodle. My friend, also a Katherine local, is visiting me at Nitmiluk Gorge Campground, 23 kilometres north-east of the Top End town, but her gift confuses me. I hadnt thought to pack pool accessories for a road trip in the Northern Territory. The region has a precarious coastline that few dare to dip into theres potential to get stung by jellyfish or encounter a snap-happy saltwater croc. And Im travelling through the heart of the Territory, so why would I need a pool noodle? Who needs beaches? The Katherine Hot Springs are situated on the banks of the Katherine River. Credit: Tourism NT It turns out that beaches are not missed in Katherine, a town 320 kilometres south-east of Darwin. Water babies can get their fix at one of the many waterholes and natural springs spread across the region. A large limestone aquifer extends across sections of the state, with several outlet points around Katherine. Technically, many of the springs are not thermal but still sit at a pleasant 33 degrees the ambient temperature of Top End groundwater. Weve come to this rocky outcrop, part of the volcanic arc of islands on the north-east Sicilian coast, as part of a Collette tour of Sicily and its isles. Stromboli is one of Italys seven Aeolian Islands, where, the joke goes, the eighth island is Australia. For much of the 20th century, Aeolians left this archipelago, seeking work and a new life in places like Australia. By 1914, nearly 10,000 Aeolian Islanders about one-third of the overall population at the time had emigrated (mostly to the US, but many to Australia too). By 1971, according to the Australian census, there were nearly 290,000 first-generation, Italian-born migrants in Australia, a significant proportion of whom were of Aeolian origin. La Salina Hotel Borgo Di Mare, overlooking serene Lingua Lake. The links with Australia are evident in the accents of some of the locals who have spent time Down Under. When our ferry from Milazzo on the north-east Sicilian coast arrives at the island of Salina, where we stay several nights, an Australian friend who owns a house here arranges to have his local friends meet us at the ferry. Even the owners of the beautiful whitewashed beachfront hotel where we stay at Lingua, La Salina Hotel Borgo Di Mare, spend some of the year in Drummoyne in suburban Sydney. Were visiting Stromboli on a day and night trip by boat. It is constantly active with minor eruptions, often visible from many points on the island and from the surrounding Tyrrhenian Sea, giving rise to its nickname, the lighthouse of the Mediterranean. The volcanos glow is even visible from Salina, the second-largest Aeolian island. Credit: Getty Images But night is when the real magic occurs. Ive been lucky enough to witness the glowing embers from afar on my first night in Salina, in the citrus-tree-filled backyard of Australian-born Libby and true Aeolian Santino; strangers when they pick me up at the ferry, but firm friends after a few glasses of their locally grown Malvasia wine. On the boat the next day, while awaiting evening eruptions on Stromboli, we put down anchor several times on our sunny summer Saturday. A couple of times it is for a quick swim to cool off. I jump into the crystal clear waters but dont realise Ive swum into a medusa jelly fish, the Mediterranean equivalent of a blue bottle. It stings. A quick visit to the pharmacy on Panarea, our next island stopover, helps ease the pain. Panarea is the most expensive of all the Aeolian Islands. Credit: Getty Images All over mainland Sicily, wed used what we called the Aperol Spritz Index to determine the cost of living in the place we were enjoying our afternoon aperitivo. The standard was 5 ($8), while 7 was normal in touristy places. In Panarea, the Aperols set you back a massive 10, which gives you some idea of the demographic. Its ritzy bars are packed with well-heeled, if scantily clad (mainly Italian) tourists happily sipping costly cocktails. Most people in Panarea are too cool and usually too rich to care about the cost. Fashion designer Giorgio Armani had pulled in a week before us on his $60 million super yacht. Loading After Panarea we board our boat again, Stromboli-bound, for a stroll around the streets of the town on one of the four active volcanoes in Italy. Vulcano, only 25 kilometres from the Sicilian coast and our first stop on the way to our accommodation in Salina, is another active volcano. Although its last eruption was in 1888-90, you inhale the pungent stench of sulphur even before you arrive. The word volcano is derived from this island, which in turn comes from Vulcan, the god of fire in Roman mythology. But it is Salina thats considered the real gem of the islands known as the seven pearls of the Mediterranean. Its where Il Postino, the hypnotically beautiful Italian classic was filmed in 1994, telling the fictional story of exiled Chilean poet Pablo Nerudas friendship with the local postman. Vulcano Island is named after Vulcan, the god of fire in Roman mythology. Credit: Getty Images It is also the caper capital of the world, and at Pollara, near where the film was set, we visit a caper farm, where we dine on a three-course meal with salty capers served in every course, accompanied by sweet Malvasia wine. Caper-and-cream-filled cannolis have a touch of the salted-caramel taste to them delicious. Here I see a caper bush and flower for the first time. By day, in the glare of the sun, the flower has no aroma, but at night the delicate white blooms with purple stamens fill the air with scent. Much like the locals, they are creatures of the night. After one very late Salinan evening, my new friend Santino picks me up early to take me on a tour of his island home. The stunning scenery is best seen cruising in a car on the steep roads that snake around the mountains, with the azure sea way below. Salina, the second-largest of the Aeolian Islands, is considered the real gem. Credit: Getty Images The roads are bordered by the native ginestra flower, a stunning yellow that almost matches the colour of Santinos yellow/mustard pants. Also known as the Mount Etna bloom (after another of Sicilys active volcanoes), the flowers are as eye-catching as some of the handmade pottery you will find in Salinas shops (I even found a ceramic Medusa head on one backstreet). Ceramic Moorish heads sprouting basil adorn balconies all over Sicily, but especially in Salina. Legend has it that around the year 1100 during the Moors domination of Sicily, a young woman from Palermos Arab quarter fell in love with a visiting Arab who forgot to mention the wife and children he left at home. In a jealous rage, she supposedly cut off his head, and the star-crossed lovers are now immortalised in souvenirs of all varieties all over Sicily. Loading Back to our science lesson on Stromboli. Before sunset, we have another swim and set in for the night, hoping for some volcanic action. Stromboli does not disappoint. We gaze at the lava erupting like fireworks in the night sky, mesmerised by the majesty, much like watching the flames of an open fire. When you travel you learn so much about the world, and yourself, our tour guide Paola Balzo says before we disembark. And volcanoes, we chorus, nodding in the direction of our science teachers Barb and Marion. The details Tour Collette offers a range of tours to Sicily, including Sicily and its Isles (13 days) from $5299 per person; Old World Sicily and Malta (13 days), from $6549 per person; and Southern Italy and Sicily featuring Taormina, Matera and the Amalfi Coast (11 to 12 days) from $4549 per person. See gocollette.com Stay La Salina Hotel Borgo Di Mare overlooks the lighthouse and the small Lingua Lake, which is a halting ground for migratory birds such as pink flamingos. Swim on your own private beach or lounge in the hammock of your whitewashed balcony. Home-cooked breakfasts included. Rooms from 90 ($150), Via Manzoni, 98050 Lingua. See lasalinahotel.com Fly Fly to Rome from Sydney/Melbourne with Asiana, Etihad, Emirates, Turkish Airlines or Qatar from $1800. Fly to Palermo from Rome with Alitalia (several flights daily) from $180. Zookeepers have warned visitors not to abuse a two-month-old pygmy hippo thats gained a cult following online for its dewy glow, feisty expressions and wobbly antics. Called Moo Deng a name which translates roughly as bouncy pig or pork patty the endearing calf has won hearts across Asia since its birth was announced by a Thai zoo in July. Moo Deng is a name which translates roughly as bouncy pig or pork patty. Credit: Instagram But viral fame has come at a cost. This week, the director of Khao Kheow Open Zoo urged people to be kind to Moo Deng after videos emerged online of visitors harassing the baby hippo. Kuroi Akio, descendant of WWII Japanese invader Kuroi Keijirou, removes his shoes and socks and kneels down to kowtow before the Chinese people in Gongzhuling, northeast China's Jilin Province, Sept. 14, 2024. (Photo by Tang Mingze/Xinhua) CHANGCHUN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Under the Chinese national flag, 76-year-old Japanese man Kuroi Akio removed his shoes and socks and knelt down to kowtow before the Chinese people. In this way he sought to offer an apology on behalf of his father at a historical site in northeast China's Jilin Province, where Japanese forces once committed atrocities during the invasion of China. Ahead of the anniversary of the September 18th Incident, Kuroi, along with eight other descendants of Japanese soldiers who invaded China, embarked on a five-day journey of remorse and apology. On Sept. 18, 1931, Japanese troops bombarded the barracks and began the bloody invasion in China, foreshadowing WWII and making the country the first to resist fascism. The Japanese army had deployed 1.86 million troops in China, accounting for more than 50 percent of a total of 3.58 million Japanese troops sent overseas. During the war of resistance against Japanese aggression that lasted until 1945, China suffered a total of 35 million military and non-military casualties, accounting for a third of the total casualties of all the countries in WWII. Kuroi's father, Kuroi Keijirou, had participated in two separate campaigns in northeast China in 1932 and 1941. These campaigns included violent acts against civilians, something Kuroi Akio is determined to address and atone for. Walking through former sites of the Japanese military occupation, including the command headquarters and barracks, Kuroi reflected on the horrors his father's unit had inflicted. "They carried out assaults on the farmers and residents of Gongzhuling City, depriving them of their lives and robbing their property. The actions of my father were inhumane, and as his son, I offer my sincerest apologies to the people of Gongzhuling. What he did can never be forgiven," Kuroi said. Okayama Teruaki, 70, another member of the group, noted that the countless Chinese people who lost their lives to the Japanese military should have had the futures they had hoped for. He emphasized that ignoring these innocent souls and attempting to find solace by "honoring" Japanese soldiers who died in the war is futile. The true way to "comfort the souls" is to acknowledge the invasion, offer sincere apologies and compensation, mourn the victims, and renounce war. According to Li Suzhen, vice president of the Chinese and Japanese Oral History Culture Institute, Okayama's two uncles died in the invasion. After the war, Japan's disregard of the facts of invasion deeply disappointed Okayama, leading him to dedicate his life to anti-war activism. Okayama used his position as a teacher before retirement to tell high school students in Tokyo about Japan's war crimes. His outspoken activism has resulted in multiple reprimands from the Japanese government. While they apologized at the site, the group members held white flags with characters that read "white flags against war, reconciliation through dialogue" in a poignant act of calling on the international community to remember history and cherish peace. In addition to their acts of atonement, the descendants brought with them a trove of historical documents collected in Japan related to the Japanese invasion of China. These materials were presented to Changchun Normal University (CNU) to support academic research and deepen the understanding of this painful period in history. Professor Zhang Xiaogang from the School of History and Culture at CNU said that the personal stories and testimonies shared by the group offer a new dimension to the study of Japan's war crimes. "Their visit is a positive step towards shaping an accurate and honest historical memory for both nations," Zhang noted. Kuroi Akio, descendant of WWII Japanese invader Kuroi Keijirou, cries after attending an apology ceremony in Gongzhuling, northeast China's Jilin Province, Sept. 14, 2024. (Photo by Tang Mingze/Xinhua) Kuroi Akio, descendant of WWII Japanese invader Kuroi Keijirou, delivers an apology speech in Gongzhuling, northeast China's Jilin Province, Sept. 14, 2024. (Photo by Tang Mingze/Xinhua) BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- In the exhibition hall of the education service section at the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services, 11-year-old Li Xiuyuan was engrossed in operating the instrument in front of him, despite the noisy surroundings. As Li operated the control, a physical programming product, which resembles an astronaut training simulator, made corresponding movements. "It's fun, and it's not difficult. Do you want to give it a try?" said Li. Computer science is a familiar subject to the fifth-grade student from Beijing Fuxue Hutong Primary School, who started learning programming in the third grade. "I have assembled a physical programming product in the shape of a car and controlled its movements through programming. It gives me a sense of accomplishment." Li's school, which has a booth at the exhibition hall, is developing its scientific curriculum covering areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and information programming. In China, more and more primary and secondary schools, like Beijing Fuxue Hutong Primary School, are introducing programming and other AI-related courses. Many technology companies are also developing related courses and systems to meet the huge demand for AI education. The system Li operated belongs to YBC, a leading domestic programming education brand. Established on International Programmers' Day in 2017, the company has developed a curriculum for children aged 4 to 16 years old. It not only teaches programming languages but also aims to cultivate computational thinking and innovation skills. According to Li Chao, director of teaching and research at YBC, the company has served over 5 million students, and its "AI Innovative Education Solution" has been applied in more than 2,500 schools. Not far away, another education technology platform Feixiang Xingqiu showcases how it has fully integrated its self-developed large-scale models into basic education. Through 118 real AI interactions, students can learn and experience the core technologies of image processing, speech processing, and natural language processing, getting a glimpse into the cutting-edge applications of AI in education, healthcare and art. In 2017, China unveiled a plan to develop next-generation AI, calling for efforts to set up AI-related courses in primary and secondary schools. In March of this year, the Ministry of Education launched an online AI education platform, which not only promotes the integration of AI into teaching and learning, but also aims to improve the digital literacy and skills of the entire population. Efforts will be made to cultivate digitally-literate teachers, further integrate AI technology into the entire process and all aspects of education and teaching management, and enable students to learn more actively and teachers to educate more creatively, education minister Huai Jinpeng said in March. "Learning AI from childhood and embrace a great future." This is the slogan displayed by Chinese AI giant iFLYTEK at its booth. The company first launched AI education products in 2018, which are now applied in more than 3,600 schools nationwide, serving over 1.6 million teachers and students. "The new teaching program is complemented by AI-related courses, which is more in line with the requirements of the times and the cultivation of innovative and technological talents," said Xia Linlong, director of innovative education products at iFLYTEK. Li Yi, a teacher from a middle school in Beijing, consulted the staff at the iFLYTEK booth for a long time. He wanted to customize an AI innovation education laboratory for his school. "For us, it's never too old to learn AI. For the students, it's never too young to learn AI," Li said. Pizza Hut's iconic dine-in buffet is back for one week only, in celebration of 50 years slinging 'za to Kiwis. If you were ever lucky enough to stuff yourself to the brim at one of the Pizza Hut restaurants, you've probably been missing it ever since. If you've never been - you're about to LEARN. The pop-up Hut will feature an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet, including garlic bread, chips, salads and soft drinks, and the full glory of the dessert bar will return with soft-serve ice cream, raspberry jelly, chocolate mousse and hot fudge sauce. The whole thing is going to be short and sweet (literally) - running from September 26th - 29th at Norma Taps in Auckland's City Works Depot. Tickets are $30 per person, and you can head along for a lunch or dinner session. All the proceeds will be donated to Hato Hone St John Ambulance too, how good? The last dine-in Pizza Hut spot in New Zealand closed in 2016 - gone, but never forgotten. So much so that one fan, David Whiting, created a change.org petition to bring it back. Now Pizza Hut is flying David up to Auckland to attend the opening night of the pop up - never give up on your dreams, kids! "It's going to bring all the memories of childhood birthday parties rushing back," he said in a statement. Pizza Hut's CEO Arif Khan, who started in the store system 25 years ago, says they get asked by a member of the public "at least once a week" to bring back the buffet. We couldn't think of a better way to celebrate our 50th birthday. If you can't make it to Auckland later this month, you don't have to miss out entirely. Pizza Hut is offering a bunch of limited edition retro menu items like apple crumble pizza and Detroit pizza. Get me in and around this ASAP. The cost of climbing By NIDHI JAMWAL : Why the last living member of the first Everest expedition is worried The eco-fragile Sagarmatha National Park and buffer zone in northeastern Nepal is home to Mount Everest and seven other peaks. The park attracts more than 52,000 trekkers and tourists annually, of which 400 to 500 attempt to summit the worlds tallest peak. The Sherpa community, including the last living member of the first Everest expedition, wants the government to cap the number of climbers allowed per season. Kancha Sherpa was barely 20 years old when he became a part of the climbing team that accompanied Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the first people to summit Mount Everest, on May 29, 1953. Today, at 92, Kancha is the last living member of that team. From his home in Namche village in Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, Kancha watches hordes of mountaineers and trekkers making their way to the worlds tallest peak. The May 1953 expedition he was part of had opened the doors of Mount Everest to the world. Since then, annually, hundreds of climbers from across the globe crowd into the Solukhumbu district of Nepal to scale Mount Everest, locally known as Sagarmatha. The Sherpas, a Tibetan-origin ethnic community of Nepal, revere Sagarmatha as a goddess and worship her. She is also known as Chomolungma (Qomolangma) in Tibetan, meaning Mother Goddess of the World. The number of climbers and travellers is growing by leaps and bounds. Anyone who has money to pay the government can try to summit Sagarmatha. All that the government wants is money, worries Kancha. For the Sherpas, Sagarmatha is our Devi; she is our Provider. We set our foot on Her only after seeking her forgiveness first, he tells Mongabay India. Nepal is home to eight of the worlds ten highest peaks, and foreign climbers are a major source of revenue for the Himalayan nation. In 2023, the government earned around $5 million in revenue from Mount Everest alone in one climbing season. There is no cap on the number of permits issued by the government to summit the various peaks. A surge of summit seekers Social media was recently abuzz with visuals of a serpentine traffic jam-like situation in which climbers, in their trekking suits and mountaineering boots, jostled to reach the top of the world. The video clips show a long line of climbers perched precariously on a narrow strip of ice, waiting to move upward as those who completed the summit try to descend. Delays due to overcrowding expose climbers to long periods of harsh conditions, which depletes their oxygen levels and increases their risk of sickness and exhaustion, sometimes leading to death. Trekkers are increasing in the eco-fragile Khumbu region, where Everest and seven other peaks are located inside the Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone, a UNESCO World Heritage Site spread across 1,148 square kilometres. The high-altitude region is home to a number of glaciers and glacial lakes, including the worlds highest glacier Khumbu, which is more than 15 kilometres long. More than 52,000 trekkers and climbers annually visit this national park. Of these, some 400 to 450 climbers attempt to summit Everest every year. The tourism department charges $11,000 per foreign climber as a permit fee (spring season, April to June) to summit Everest. There is a proposal to increase the fee to$15,000 from next year. Nepali citizens pay around $562 (at the current conversion rate of NPR 133.45 per U.S. dollar) per permit. The permit fee varies for different peaks with Mount Everest attracting the highest fee. Last spring season (2023), the government issued 454 permits to climb Mount Everest; and 17 deaths were reported. In 2024, it issued 403 permits for Everest; at least eight deaths have already been reported. An August 2020 paper in PLoS ONE, a journal, has documented how the number of climbers of Mount Everest are increasing and their success rate has more than doubled. Between 2010 and 2019, two-thirds of first-time Everest climbers reached the summit, up from less than one-third in the 1990s. Crowding near the summit has increased steeply too in recent years. While the government is yet to take a decision on capping the number of climbers, Nepals Supreme Court has stepped in. In April, it directed the government to limit the number of expedition permits to Everest and other peaks based on their carrying capacities. Rising temperatures, melting glaciers Everest region, also known as Khumbu, which is the Nepal side of Mount Everest, is already facing the brunt of climate change as temperatures rise, glaciers melt faster, and the risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) increases. The increase in garbage generation, including plastics and human waste, is also raising a stink. In a remote corner of Lobuche in the Everest region, at 5050 metres above mean sea level, a gleaming three-storey building houses the worlds highest research stations. Pyramid International Laboratory-Observatory is a joint Italian-Nepalese facility that was opened in 1990 to collect data and conduct scientific research in the high-altitude region. Although the laboratory hasnt been fully functional for the past decade due to a lack of funds, Ines Dussaillant, a glaciologist, regularly visits it for her research activities. She is from Chile but now works with the World Glacier Monitoring Service at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. I come here every year to know how glaciers in this region are evolving, Dussaillant told Mongabay-India when she visited Pyramid Lab. She described the glaciers as sentinels of climate change and they are studied to understand climate change. We first measure the accumulation of snow and then the melt of snow throughout the hydrological year. The balance between the two tells us the health of a glacier, the glaciologist explained. Dussaillant has been involved in monitoring the Mera glacier in the Everest region. According to her, in the past two years, there has not been an accumulation of snow on top of Mera Peak at 6476 metres elevation. Mera glacier is one of the reference glaciers, she said, and it can be extrapolated to understand what is happening to surrounding glaciers in the region. That means glaciers are not getting fed there and are just losing ice. This measurement [of Mera glacier since 2007] tells us that the melting of glaciers has been accelerating in recent years. If we dont get accumulation in the next few years in the upper reaches, glaciers will probably disappear faster than expected, she warned. Glaciers at the roof of the world are in danger and increasing human activity (climbers, trekkers, porters, guides, etc) in the region is only adding to the problem. Khumbu glacier, where the Everest Base Camp is situated, is also thinning and sinking. This has prompted a discussion on the need to relocate the base camp 200 metre to 400 metre lower. An August 2017 study by researchers at the University of Leeds and University of Arizona has estimated that 197,649,227 cubic metres of ice melted over the period 19842015 on the Khumbu glacier in response to a warming climate. It also warned that rockfall activity is likely to increase in the high-mountain environment as snow and ice melts from mountain slopes, requiring changes to climbing routes on the worlds highest peaks. Similarly, route difficulty will be affected by changing monsoon precipitation patterns, which determines windows of opportunity for ascents and the distribution and quantity of snowfall. Dussaillant explains that when glaciers retreat, they leave a very unstable terrain. And if a lake is created, it is dammed by unstable moraine, which can be very risky for regions like the Himalayas where a large number of people live in villages downstream of these glacial lakes. Himalayas are a hotspot as glaciers are retreating very fast, leading to the creation of these lakes, which can breach and destroy villages. Some system needs to be developed to drain these lakes and also create an early warning system, she said. The cost of climbing Lama Kazi Sherpa lives in Namche village, not too far from Kancha Sherpas home, and plays a role in the management of Khumbu region. Members of the indigenous community manage the eco fragile zone of Sagarmatha National Park and buffer zone, along with support from the forest department and other government agencies. Lama Kazi is the president of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee and also the chairperson of the buffer zone council. The Pollution Control Committee is a community-based NGO established in 1991 by the local Sherpa people. Lama Kazi has been associated with it for the past 12 years. Management of waste is one of the key responsibilities of this committee. About 20-25 years back, this area was not very busy, and there werent too many lodges and hotels. But the interest of trekkers and tourists has been growing, and so has the waste generation, says Lama Kazi. The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee has installed large-sized dustbins for waste collection, but the region lacks a proper waste processing and disposal system. Non-biodegradable waste is either burnt or sent to Lukla/Kathmandu. Biodegradable waste is used by local villages in their farmlands, where local millet varieties and some vegetables are cultivated in the spring season. Sagarmatha Next, a novel centre located at Syangboche (near Namche Bazar), is trying to address the waste problem in Everest region through recycling, upcycling and converting trash into design and art products. It is also helping set up material recovery facilities along the trekking path from Lukla to Everest Base Camp. But the waste problem at hand is humungous. Lama Kazi did not have year-wise waste generation data to share but admitted that it is rising. During the climbing season, Namche alone generates 70,000 kilograms of waste. From Mount Everest, we collected over 30,000 kilograms of waste in 70 days, he says. The Khumbu region has no wastewater or sewage treatment plant. Tshering Sherpa is the son of Kancha Sherpa. He closely works with Lama Kazi on waste management in the region. Through climbing permits, the government collects money and gives a part of it to the three user committees of local villagers to manage the waste. Last fiscal year, a user committee had to receive NPR 56 lakh ($41,962) but got only NPR 19 lakh ($14,237) due to economic issues in the country, he says. According to him, Khumbu is already facing several challenges due to climate change. We are receiving less snowfall. The timing of heavy snowfall has also shifted from January and February to March, April, and May. We are also seeing mosquitoes here, which was never the case earlier, he trails off. (Reporting for this story has been part of the Himalayan Climate Boot Camp 2024 organised by Nepal Forum of Science Journalists) (Mongabay India/TWF) Census to be conducted soon; preparations on No decision on caste census NEW DELHI : THE Government has started preparations for conducting the decadal census, but a decision is yet to be taken on including a column on caste as part of the exercise, sources said on Sunday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one source said that the decadal census will be conducted soon. India has conducted the census every 10 years since 1881. The first phase of this decades census was expected to begin on April 1, 2020 but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The implementation of the Womens Reservation Act, enacted by Parliament last year, too is linked to the conduct of the decadal census. The law reserving one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies shall come into effect after an exercise of delimitation is undertaken based on the relevant figures of the first census recorded after the Act has come into force. This is yet to be decided, the source said when asked about inclusion of a column on caste in the decadal census. The political parties have been making vociferous demands for conducting a caste census. In the absence of fresh data, the Government agencies are still formulating policies and allocating subsidies based on the data of the 2011 census. The house listing phase of the census and the exercise to update the National Population Register (NPR) were scheduled to be carried out across the country from April 1 to September 30, 2020 but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The entire census and the NPR exercise is likely to cost the Government more than Rs 12,000 crore, the officials said. This exercise, whenever it happens, will be the first digital census giving the citizens an opportunity to self-enumerate. The NPR has been made compulsory for the citizens, who want to exercise the right to fill the census form on their own rather than through Government enumerators. For this, the census authority has designed a self-enumeration portal, which is yet to be launched. During self-enumeration, Aadhaar or mobile number will be mandatorily collected. The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner had prepared 31 questions to be asked. Those questions include whether a family has a telephone, internet connection, mobile or smartphone, bicycle, scooter or motorcycle or moped, whether they own a car, jeep or a van. The citizens will also be asked what is the cereal they consume in the household, main source of drinking water, main source of lighting, access to toilet, type of toilet, waste water outlet, availability of bathing facility, availability of kitchen and LPG/PNG connection, main fuel used for cooking, availability of radio, transistor, television. The citizens will also be asked about the predominant material of the floor, wall and roof of the house, condition of the house, total number of persons normally residing in the household, whether the head of the household is a woman, whether the head of the household belongs to the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, number of dwelling rooms exclusively in possession of the household, number of married couple(s) living in the household among others. Modi 3.0 Govt takes key decisions in NEW DELHI : AFTER assuming office for a third consecutive term, the Modi 3.0 Government has implemented several key initiatives in its first 100 days aimed at improving the livelihoods of farmers and the middle class. Narendra Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India for the third time on June 9. He began his third term in office by releasing the 17th installment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme. According to Government sources, under the scheme, Rs 20,000 crore has been distributed among 9.3 crore farmers, and so far, Rs 3 lakh crore has been disbursed among a total of 12 crore 33 lakh farmers. Along with this, the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Kharif crops for the year 2024-25 has been increased, which has benefitted farmers by approximately Rs 2 lakh crore. The PM Modi-led Government has also approved the Polavaram Irrigation Project in Andhra Pradesh with an allocation of Rs 12,100 crore. The Centre has also approved seven major schemes with a total outlay of Rs 14,200 crore, including the Digital Agriculture Mission, to enhance efficiency and productivity in the agricultural sector. As per the sources, the draft of the new National Cooperative Policy has also been prepared and is now in its final stages. The BJP-led NDA Government will implement One Nation, One Election within its current tenure, sources said, exuding confidence that the reform measure would receive support across party lines. The sources also mentioned that under a MoU between the National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL) and the Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board, the NCOL will purchase organic produce from Uttarakhands farmers at rates for farmers. An appropriate share of the profits will be directly deposited into the farmers accounts, they said. The conversion of cooperative sugar mills ethanol production units into multi-feed facilities will enable ethanol production from maize as well, the sources added. The Centre has decided to remove the Minimum Export Price (MEP) on onions and basmati rice and reduce the export duty on onions from 40 per cent to 20 per cent which can likely benefit the farmers. The Government has initiated several agricultural schemes and development projects worth Rs 3,300 crore in Jammu and Kashmir. During his first visit to Varanasi in June this year, PM Modi honoured 30,000 Krishi Sakhis from self-help groups for their role in agriculture. According to sources, the Centre has approved Rs 2,000 crore Mission Mausam to create a weather- and climate-resilient India. Along with this, it has launched a new fund named Agrisure, aimed at revolutionising the agricultural sector and supporting start-ups and rural enterprises. To ensure the upliftment of the middle class, the Central Government has given tax relief under which there is no tax on income up to Rs 7 lakh. As per the sources, salaried individuals can save up to Rs 17,500 in taxes. The standard deduction has been increased to Rs 75,000 and the exemption limit for family pension raised to Rs 25,000, they said. The Government has also ensured that a comprehensive review of income tax rules is conducted within six months to make them concise, clear, and easy to understand. The Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) has been implemented under which Government employees with 25 years of service will receive 50 per cent of their average basic salary as a pension. The third iteration of the One Rank, One Pension scheme will be implemented for security forces and their families, the sources mentioned. Mentioning the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the sources said that one crore houses under the urban scheme have been built, while two crore houses have been approved for construction in rural areas. Under PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, solar energy systems have been installed in over 2.5 lakh homes between June and August 2024. An environmentally friendly public transport system will be developed through PM E-Bus service, and for that, approval has been given for the purchase of e-buses with assistance of Rs 3,400 crore, they added. Onam celebrated with fervour in Twin Cities BHILAI: Onam, the traditional festival of Kerala, was observed in a simple manner by the Malayali community residing in the twin cities of Bhilai and Durg. The celebrations featured artistic flower arrangements (Athapokallam) and traditional Kerala dishes, adding color and enthusiasm to small family and community gatherings. Held by groups like Bhilai Nair Samajam, Ayyappa Seva Sangham, Bhilai Malayalam Granthasala, and Kerala Samajam, the Onam festivities are usually celebrated with grandeur each year. However, this year, the celebration was toned down due to the devastating floods and landslides that hit Kerala. In solidarity with those affected, the community chose to mark the festival with simplicity. Members of community came together to create vibrant floral patterns (Attappt Athapokallam) and extended their heartfelt Onam greetings to all. The scene was made even more beautiful by the traditional attire worn by both men and women. Women dressed in elegant white saris, while men wore spotless mundus, reflecting the cultural significance of the occasion. Onam is celebrated to honor the spirit of King Mahabali, who is believed to visit Kerala during the festival. Out of ten days of Onam, first day, Atham, and the tenth day, Thiruvonam, hold the most significance. RG Kar rape-murder case Principal Ghosh, Mondal produced in court CBI officials take Tala Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abhijit Mondal (L) to produce him in a court after his arrest in connection with the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital incident at CGO Complex, in Kolkata, on Sunday. (PTI) KOLKATA : Former Principal of RG Kar hospital Sandip Ghosh and Tala Police Station officer-in-charge Abhijit Mondal were on Sunday produced before a court here on Sunday by the CBI in connection with the rape-murder of a doctor at the medical facility. We will seek a three-day remand for them in the Sealdah court, an officer said. The CBI, which is probing the case, had on Saturday evening added charges of tampering with evidence against Ghosh, who is currently in judicial custody, and arrested Mondal. Mondal was arrested for allegedly tampering with evidence, delay in registering the FIR among other charges, the officer said. The RG Kar Medical College and Hospital is under the jurisdiction of Tala Police Station. The police officer was held after he failed to provide satisfying answers during questioning by the CBI officers on Saturday. The CBI claimed in the court that Ghosh and Mondal were in touch with each other, and the former issued instructions to the policeman on how to proceed with the rape and murder case. Mondal, the agency said, is an accused in the case. He was informed about the death of the doctor around 10 am on August 9, but the FIR was lodged around 11 pm, the CBI said. Both of them tried to downplay the incident as well as shield the heinous crime, it said in court. The police should have treated it as a suo motu case at the outset, since its a rape and murder incident, the central probe agency said. The CBI had arrested Ghosh on September 2 in a case of financial irregularities at the hospital.A large contingent of security personnel have been deployed outside the Sealdah court, officials said. The body of the postgraduate trainee was recovered in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. Three persons have so far been arrested in connection with the rape and murder case. Protesters demonstrate outside CBI office as sleuths take arrested cop for medical examination: Several people demonstrated outside the CBI office here at CGO Complex on Sunday morning when its sleuths were taking Abhijit Mondal, the Tala Police Station officer-in-charge who was arrested in the RG Kar hospital medics rape-murder case, for a customary medical examination. The agitators gathered outside the CGO Complex, carrying placards and posters, and shouted slogans demanding justice for the woman doctor and criticising the police for its handling of the investigation before the CBI took over the case. Sleuths of the CBI were seen jostling with the protesters while departing the CGO Complex with Mondal. Mondal has been arrested for allegedly tampering evidence, delay in registering the FIR among other charges, an official said. The body of the postgraduate woman doctor was recovered in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been conducting the probe into the rape and murder of the woman medic, following a Calcutta High Court order. SC to hear suo moto case on Sept 17 NEW DELHI, The Supreme Court is slated to continue hearing on Tuesday on the matter where it has taken suo moto cognisance of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the State-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata last month. A three-judge bench, headed by CJI D Y Chandrachud will consider the fresh status report of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI on Saturday arrested Abhijit Mondal, the former officer-in-charge of the Tala Police Station, under the jurisdiction of which R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital comes, in connection with the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor in the state-run hospital premises. Mondal was in charge of the Tala Police Station when the body of the junior doctor was recovered from the seminar hall within the hospital premises on the morning of August 9. Sandip Ghosh, the former Principal of RG Kar Hospital, who was earlier arrested by the CBI in the case of financial irregularities at the institution, and is currently serving judicial custody, has also been shown as arrested in the rape and murder case. In the hearing held last week, the SC told the CBI to file a fresh status report by September 17 and took on record the status report filed by the Central investigating agency in terms of its previous order. We have now seen the further line of the ongoing investigation. We do not want to comment anything in the open court. We will give you a weeks time to tell us what further leads have emerged in the course of the investigation, said the Bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. Taking suo moto cognizance of the rape and murder case of the trainee doctor at a Kolkata hospital, the Supreme Court had termed the incident horrific, which raises the systemic issue of safety of doctors across the country. We are deeply concerned with the fact that there is an absence of safe conditions of work for young doctors across the country, particularly, public hospitals, it had said. The top court ordered the formation of a National Task Force (NTF) to suggest measures for the security of medical professionals across the country, observing that the safety of doctors is the highest national concern. Further, it asked the NTF, set up by the Government on its direction, to give a hearing to diverse medical associations while formulating effective recommendations relating to the safety, working conditions and well-being of doctors and medical professionals. JERUSALEM, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday told his American counterpart that time was running out for a diplomatic solution to prevent a full-scale war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. In a telephone call, Gallant told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that "the possibility for an agreed framework is running out," according to a statement released by his office. "The trajectory is clear" as long as Hezbollah "continues to tie itself to Hamas," Gallant said. According to the statement, the two also discussed efforts to achieve an agreement for the release of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. Gallant emphasized that Israel will "continue to operate with the aim of dismantling Hamas and ensuring the return of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza -- by any means." The call came as White House senior advisor Amos Hochstein arrived in Israel on Monday to discuss the ongoing fighting, in which Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire since Oct. 7 last year, and amid diplomatic efforts to achieve de-escalation between the two. Hochstein is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gallant. Sachin Pilot criticises State Govt Staff Reporter RAIPUR, CONGRESS State In-charge Sachin Pilot who is in Raipur criticised Chhattisgarh Government accusing it of failing across several key sectors. Talking to media persons upon his arrival in Raipur, Sachin Pilot said that there is growing dissatisfaction among the people, particularly among farmers, over unfulfilled promises made in the BJP manifesto. Pilot pointed out the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, claiming that the administration has lost control. Incidents of theft, looting, and even shootings are on the rise, while the government seems indifferent, he told the media. He further accused the government of acting on directives from Delhi rather than addressing the concerns of its people. The government needs to focus on its responsibilities in every sector, he emphasised. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM Free Report) by 11.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,468 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 672 shares during the period. Sierra Summit Advisors LLCs holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland were worth $391,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,815 shares of the companys stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 8.2% during the second quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 2,158 shares of the companys stock worth $130,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 3.3% during the second quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc now owns 5,338 shares of the companys stock worth $323,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Accordant Advisory Group Inc grew its stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 0.8% in the second quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 23,462 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,418,000 after buying an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CHICAGO TRUST Co NA raised its holdings in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 4,207 shares of the companys stock valued at $264,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.28% of the companys stock. Get Archer-Daniels-Midland alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In other Archer-Daniels-Midland news, CEO Juan R. Luciano sold 170,194 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.51, for a total value of $10,298,438.94. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 265,210 shares in the company, valued at $16,047,857.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Juan R. Luciano sold 170,194 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.51, for a total value of $10,298,438.94. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 265,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,047,857.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Juan R. Luciano sold 45,471 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.00, for a total transaction of $2,773,731.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 265,210 shares in the company, valued at $16,177,810. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 219,348 shares of company stock worth $13,296,833 in the last quarter. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities analysts have weighed in on ADM shares. Citigroup dropped their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 15th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $65.62. View Our Latest Stock Report on Archer-Daniels-Midland Archer-Daniels-Midland Price Performance ADM stock opened at $60.39 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $61.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market cap of $29.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.59 and a beta of 0.72. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company has a fifty-two week low of $50.72 and a fifty-two week high of $80.96. Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.22 by ($0.19). Archer-Daniels-Midland had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 12.06%. The company had revenue of $22.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.89 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was down 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Archer-Daniels-Midland Company will post 5.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Archer-Daniels-Midland Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. Archer-Daniels-Midlands dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.09%. Archer-Daniels-Midland Profile (Free Report) Archer-Daniels-Midland Company engages in the procurement, transportation, storage, processing, and merchandising of agricultural commodities, ingredients, flavors, and solutions in the United States, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, and Nutrition. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ADM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Archer-Daniels-Midland Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Archer-Daniels-Midland and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Avolta AG (OTCMKTS:DUFRY Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,200 shares, a decrease of 58.1% from the August 15th total of 17,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 99,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days. Avolta Stock Performance Shares of DUFRY stock traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $3.81. 71,767 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 79,602. The stocks fifty day moving average is $3.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3.89. Avolta has a 52-week low of $3.17 and a 52-week high of $4.26. Get Avolta alerts: About Avolta (Get Free Report) See Also Avolta AG operates as a travel retailer. The companys retail brands include general travel retail shops under the Dufry, World Duty Free, Nuance, Hellenic Duty Free, Zurich Duty-Free or Stockholm Duty-Free, Autogrill, and HMSHost brands; Dufry shopping stores; brand boutiques; convenience stores primarily under the Hudson brand; and specialized shops and theme stores. Receive News & Ratings for Avolta Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Avolta and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BAGHDAD, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Turkish drone strike on Monday killed a member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and wounded two others in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, the Counter-Terrorism Service of the neighboring semi-autonomous Kurdistan region said in a statement. The airstrike occurred at 9:45 a.m. local time (0645 GMT) when a Turkish drone attacked a gathering of PKK militants in Makhmour refugee camp, southeast of the provincial capital Mosul, the statement said. Turkish forces frequently carry out cross-border operations targeting PKK militants in northern Iraq, with a particular focus on the Qandil Mountains, which serve as the group's stronghold. The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades. Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE:BAM Free Report) (TSE:BAM.A) had its price target boosted by Bank of America from $41.00 to $45.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the financial services providers stock. Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Brookfield Asset Management from $42.00 to $41.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Brookfield Asset Management from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Brookfield Asset Management in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. They issued a hold rating and a $43.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Brookfield Asset Management in a research report on Thursday. They issued an underweight rating and a $42.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Brookfield Asset Management from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $43.81. Get Brookfield Asset Management alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on BAM Brookfield Asset Management Price Performance BAM stock opened at $44.85 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $41.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.28. The stock has a market cap of $19.91 billion, a PE ratio of 41.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.56. Brookfield Asset Management has a one year low of $28.35 and a one year high of $45.24. Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE:BAM Get Free Report) (TSE:BAM.A) last posted 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). Brookfield Asset Management had a return on equity of 92.37% and a net margin of 51.29%. The company had revenue of $916.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.28 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Brookfield Asset Management will post 1.42 EPS for the current fiscal year. Brookfield Asset Management Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Brookfield Asset Managements payout ratio is 140.74%. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BAM. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Brookfield Asset Management in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its holdings in Brookfield Asset Management by 98.2% in the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 777 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 385 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its position in Brookfield Asset Management by 57.6% during the 2nd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 780 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Brookfield Asset Management by 574.2% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 890 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 758 shares during the period. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Brookfield Asset Management by 368.3% in the 2nd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 960 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 755 shares in the last quarter. 68.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Brookfield Asset Management (Get 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. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Brookfield Asset Management Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Brookfield Asset Management and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Crane (NYSE:CR Get Free Report) and Cavitation Technologies (OTCMKTS:CVAT Get Free Report) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, earnings and valuation. Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Crane and Cavitation Technologies, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Get Crane alerts: Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Crane 0 2 6 0 2.75 Cavitation Technologies 0 0 0 0 N/A Crane presently has a consensus target price of $155.00, indicating a potential upside of 1.36%. Given Cranes higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Crane is more favorable than Cavitation Technologies. Earnings and Valuation Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Crane $2.21 billion 3.96 $401.10 million $3.73 41.00 Cavitation Technologies N/A N/A N/A ($0.01) -0.58 This table compares Crane and Cavitation Technologiess revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Crane has higher revenue and earnings than Cavitation Technologies. Cavitation Technologies is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Crane, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Institutional & Insider Ownership 75.1% of Crane shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 8.5% of Cavitation Technologies shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.4% of Crane shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 28.1% of Cavitation Technologies shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term. Profitability This table compares Crane and Cavitation Technologies net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Crane 13.10% 24.45% 10.14% Cavitation Technologies N/A N/A N/A Summary Crane beats Cavitation Technologies on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks. About Crane (Get Free Report) Crane Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells engineered industrial products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Aerospace & Electronics, Process Flow Technologies, and Engineered Materials. The Aerospace & Electronics segment supplies critical components and systems, including original equipment and aftermarket parts for commercial aerospace, as well as the military aerospace, defense, and space markets. This segment also offers pressure sensors for aircraft engine control, aircraft braking systems for commercial aircraft and fighter jets, power conversion solutions for spacecraft, and lubrication systems. The Process Flow Technologies segment provides engineered fluid handling equipment for mission-critical applications. It offers process valves and related products, such as lined pipe, fittings and hoses, air-operated diaphragm and peristaltic pumps, instrumentation and sampling systems, valve positioning and control systems, and valve diagnostic and calibration systems; commercial valves; and pumps and systems. The Engineered Materials segment manufactures fiberglass-reinforced plastic panels and coils for use in the manufacturing of recreational vehicles, as well as in commercial and industrial building applications. This segment sells directly to RV, trailer, and truck manufacturers, as well as through distributors and retailers. The company provides its products and solutions to end markets, including commercial and military aerospace, defense, and space; chemical and pharmaceutical production; water and wastewater; non-residential and municipal construction; energy; and other general industrial and consumer-related applications. The company was formerly known as Crane Holdings, Co. Crane Company was founded in 1855 and is based in Stamford, Connecticut. About Cavitation Technologies (Get Free Report) Cavitation Technologies, Inc. develops, patents, and commercializes proprietary technology for use in the processing of various industrial and consumer-oriented fluids in the United States. It provides Nano Reactor and Nano Neutralization Systems for refining vegetable oils, such as soybean, rapeseed, canola, and palm oil. The company also develops technology-based systems for various markets, including renewable fuels, water treatment, wines and spirits enhancement, algae oil extraction, water-oil emulsions, and crude oil yield enhancement, as well as small home appliances. Cavitation Technologies, Inc. was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Chatsworth, California. Receive News & Ratings for Crane Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Crane and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Crane (NYSE:CR Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 715,700 shares, an increase of 18.9% from the August 15th total of 601,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 224,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days. Approximately 1.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on CR shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Crane from $157.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Crane from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Crane from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Crane presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $155.00. Get Crane alerts: Get Our Latest Research Report on Crane Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crane Crane Price Performance A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Crane by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,894,887 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $578,282,000 after purchasing an additional 16,167 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its position in Crane by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,095,540 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $247,567,000 after buying an additional 79,710 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in Crane by 103.3% in the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,348,451 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $182,216,000 after buying an additional 685,230 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. MA raised its position in Crane by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 1,322,850 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $156,282,000 after buying an additional 6,605 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Crane by 10.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 771,709 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $111,882,000 after buying an additional 70,297 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the companys stock. Crane stock traded up $2.98 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $152.92. The company had a trading volume of 215,897 shares, compared to its average volume of 229,709. Crane has a 12-month low of $82.57 and a 12-month high of $162.34. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $150.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $143.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The company has a market capitalization of $8.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.77. Crane (NYSE:CR Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The conglomerate reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $581.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $568.33 million. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The businesss revenue was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.10 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current year. Crane Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were given a $0.205 dividend. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Cranes dividend payout ratio is currently 21.98%. About Crane (Get Free Report) Crane Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells engineered industrial products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Aerospace & Electronics, Process Flow Technologies, and Engineered Materials. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Crane Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Crane and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Minera Alamos Inc. (OTCMKTS:MAIFF Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 42,900 shares, a growth of 51.6% from the August 15th total of 28,300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,004,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.0 days. Minera Alamos Price Performance Shares of OTCMKTS:MAIFF opened at $0.22 on Monday. The companys 50-day moving average price is $0.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $0.23. Minera Alamos has a one year low of $0.16 and a one year high of $0.32. Get Minera Alamos alerts: About Minera Alamos (Get Free Report) Featured Stories Minera Alamos Inc engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of mineral properties in Mexico. The company explores for gold, silver, molybdenum, and copper deposits. It holds 100% interests in the Santana project consists of 9 mining claims covering an area of approximately 3,100 hectares located in the east-southeast of Hermosillo, Sonora; the Cerro de Oro project that includes an area of 6,500 hectares situated in Zacatecas, Mexico; and the La Fortuna project covering an area of approximately 6,100 hectares located in Durango State, Mexico, as well as the Los Verdes property located in the State of Sonora, Mexico. Receive News & Ratings for Minera Alamos Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Minera Alamos and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE Free Report) by 18.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,700,173 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after acquiring an additional 735,536 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 0.08% of Pfizer worth $131,511,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Pfizer in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Pfizer in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 100.0% during the first quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Pfizer alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades PFE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an overweight rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a report on Monday, September 9th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Pfizer from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Daiwa America upgraded Pfizer from a moderate buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Pfizer from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $34.54. Pfizer Price Performance Shares of Pfizer stock opened at $29.27 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $165.86 billion, a PE ratio of -487.83, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $29.21 and a 200 day moving average of $28.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Pfizer Inc. has a 12 month low of $25.20 and a 12 month high of $34.42. Pfizer (NYSE:PFE Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.14. Pfizer had a negative net margin of 4.66% and a positive return on equity of 8.42%. The company had revenue of $13.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.67 earnings per share. Pfizers revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year. Pfizer Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. Pfizers payout ratio is -2,800.00%. 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. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Pfizer Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pfizer and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com cut shares of Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning. Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Boston Scientific from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Boston Scientific from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Boston Scientific in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a buy rating and a $90.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Boston Scientific from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Boston Scientific from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $85.38. Get Boston Scientific alerts: Get Our Latest Analysis on Boston Scientific Boston Scientific Price Performance NYSE:BSX opened at $83.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market cap of $122.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $78.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $74.16. Boston Scientific has a 1-year low of $48.35 and a 1-year high of $84.11. Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The medical equipment provider reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.02 billion. Boston Scientific had a net margin of 12.00% and a return on equity of 16.59%. The firms revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.53 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Boston Scientific will post 2.4 EPS for the current year. Insider Buying and Selling at Boston Scientific In other Boston Scientific news, EVP Wendy Carruthers sold 6,983 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.70, for a total value of $570,511.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 37,468 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,061,135.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders have sold 20,949 shares of company stock valued at $1,627,877 over the last 90 days. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BSX. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Boston Scientific by 2,100.5% during the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,132 shares of the medical equipment providers stock worth $703,000 after purchasing an additional 8,717 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Boston Scientific during the second quarter worth about $5,349,000. Brown Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in Boston Scientific during the second quarter worth about $1,423,000. RiverFront Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in Boston Scientific during the second quarter worth about $222,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in Boston Scientific by 2.9% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 295,984 shares of the medical equipment providers stock worth $22,794,000 after purchasing an additional 8,399 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.07% of the companys stock. Boston Scientific Company Profile (Get 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. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Boston Scientific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Boston Scientific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Tesco PLC (LON:TSCO Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as GBX 370.30 ($4.84) and last traded at GBX 370.30 ($4.84), with a volume of 32445445 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 364.50 ($4.77). Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades TSCO has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an underweight rating on shares of Tesco in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Shore Capital reissued a buy rating on shares of Tesco in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Get Tesco alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on Tesco Tesco Stock Up 1.5 % About Tesco The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 127.23. The firm has a market cap of 25.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,458.00, a PEG ratio of 0.06 and a beta of 0.51. The firms 50 day simple moving average is GBX 336.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 311.73. (Get Free Report) Tesco PLC, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a grocery retailer in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. It offers grocery products through its stores, as well as online. The company is also involved in the food and drink wholesaling activities. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Tesco Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tesco and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Winnebago Industries, Inc. (NYSE:WGO Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $69.57. WGO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Winnebago Industries in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued a buy rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Winnebago Industries from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Winnebago Industries from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 21st. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Winnebago Industries from $68.00 to $65.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Winnebago Industries from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Get Winnebago Industries alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on Winnebago Industries Insider Activity Institutional Inflows and Outflows In other Winnebago Industries news, SVP Stacy L. Bogart sold 3,333 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.98, for a total transaction of $193,247.34. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 41,315 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,395,443.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website . Insiders own 3.75% of the companys stock. Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Winnebago Industries in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $370,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in Winnebago Industries by 4.9% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 15,697 shares of the construction companys stock worth $851,000 after buying an additional 737 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Winnebago Industries by 1,772.8% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 210,504 shares of the construction companys stock worth $11,409,000 after buying an additional 199,264 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Winnebago Industries by 100.9% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 26,089 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $1,414,000 after acquiring an additional 13,105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in shares of Winnebago Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at $7,976,000. Winnebago Industries Price Performance NYSE:WGO opened at $56.53 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.45, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Winnebago Industries has a 12 month low of $49.68 and a 12 month high of $75.42. The businesss 50-day moving average is $57.48 and its 200 day moving average is $60.74. The company has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.83 and a beta of 1.62. Winnebago Industries (NYSE:WGO Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, June 20th. The construction company reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.30 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $786.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $798.26 million. Winnebago Industries had a net margin of 2.84% and a return on equity of 11.31%. The firms revenue was down 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Winnebago Industries will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Winnebago Industries Increases Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 11th. This is a positive change from Winnebago Industriess previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.41%. Winnebago Industriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.51%. Winnebago Industries Company Profile (Get Free Report Winnebago Industries, Inc manufactures and sells recreation vehicles and marine products primarily for use in leisure travel and outdoor recreation activities. The company operates through three segments: Towable RV, Motorhome RV, and Marine. It provides towable products that are non-motorized vehicles to be towed by automobiles, pickup trucks, SUVs, or vans for use as temporary living quarters for recreational travel, such as conventional travel trailers, fifth wheels, folding camper trailers, and truck campers under the Winnebago and Grand Design brand names. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Winnebago Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Winnebago Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. WINTON GROUP Ltd grew its stake in shares of Core Laboratories Inc. (NYSE:CLB Free Report) by 7.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 60,010 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after purchasing an additional 4,147 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd owned approximately 0.13% of Core Laboratories worth $1,218,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ariel Investments LLC boosted its position in Core Laboratories by 20.4% in the 1st quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 10,825,657 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $184,902,000 after buying an additional 1,837,258 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Core Laboratories by 17.6% during the first quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 1,606,745 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $27,443,000 after acquiring an additional 240,989 shares in the last quarter. Gendell Jeffrey L boosted its holdings in shares of Core Laboratories by 101.7% in the first quarter. Gendell Jeffrey L now owns 326,890 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $5,583,000 after purchasing an additional 164,797 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Core Laboratories in the first quarter worth approximately $2,495,000. Finally, Wintrust Investments LLC increased its holdings in Core Laboratories by 52.7% during the 1st quarter. Wintrust Investments LLC now owns 420,411 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $7,181,000 after purchasing an additional 145,161 shares during the period. 97.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Core Laboratories alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Core Laboratories from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 15th. StockNews.com raised shares of Core Laboratories from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Core Laboratories from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an underperform rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Core Laboratories from $18.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have assigned a hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Core Laboratories has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $18.50. Core Laboratories Price Performance CLB opened at $17.00 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $797.47 million, a PE ratio of 19.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 2.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.39 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The businesss 50-day moving average is $20.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.52. Core Laboratories Inc. has a 1 year low of $13.82 and a 1 year high of $25.20. Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.01. Core Laboratories had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 15.20%. The firm had revenue of $130.58 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $132.85 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.23 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Core Laboratories Inc. will post 0.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Core Laboratories Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 5th were given a $0.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 5th. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.24%. Core Laboratoriess payout ratio is 4.55%. Core Laboratories Company Profile (Free Report) Core Laboratories Inc provides reservoir description and production enhancement services and products to the oil and gas industry in the United States, and internationally. It operates through Reservoir Description and Production Enhancement segments. The Reservoir Description segment includes the characterization of petroleum reservoir rock and reservoir fluid samples to enhance production and improve recovery of crude oil and gas from its clients' reservoirs. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Core Laboratories Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Core Laboratories and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. COLOMBO, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka will start issuing new e-passports in October, a minister said on Monday. Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles said at a meeting that the ministry will first issue e-passports without an electronic chip. He said Sri Lanka will purchase over 750,000 e-passports without electronic chips from a foreign firm soon. In July 2024, the Immigration and Emigration Department said it would issue a new, efficient and safe e-passport for Sri Lankans, with effect from January 2025. YANGON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- More than 47,000 acres of monsoon crops have been submerged in recent floods in central Myanmar's Nay Pyi Taw Union Territory, state-run daily The Mirror reported on Monday. According to the report, a total of 345,000 acres of monsoon crops were cultivated this season in the union territory, and over 47,000 acres of them have been flooded. More than 17,000 acres of the flooded crops have been damaged, and 3,900 acres of them were completely destroyed, the report said. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation is working to re-cultivate the destroyed crops and mitigate the negative effects on the damaged and flooded crops, among other relief efforts, the report added. Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation U Min Naung, along with officials from the Nay Pyi Taw Union Territory, inspected the damaged crops and dams on Sunday, the report said. Many parts of Myanmar, including the Nay Pyi Taw Union Territory, have experienced severe flooding due to heavy rains triggered by Typhoon Yagi and a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal. As of Sept. 14, floods have left over 110 people dead and more than 60 missing, official media reports said. The future of education to bridge the skills gap: Observations from the Caribbean AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A shipping container loaded with products from New Zealand left the Port of Auckland on Sunday for the China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2024, and is expected to arrive in Shanghai in mid-October. On the same day, the container exhibit counter of Vanuatu, a South Pacific island country participating in the CIIE, has also departed from Port Vila. It will set sail again after transiting in Tauranga Port, New Zealand, and is expected to arrive in Shanghai in late October. The CIIE, in its seventh edition this year, will be held in Shanghai on Nov. 5-10. COSCO Shipping Lines New Zealand has provided exhibit transportation services to New Zealand exhibitors for the seventh consecutive year. Its managing director Kang Xiaoyu told Xinhua that her team in New Zealand had been preparing for the shipment for quite a long time. "Relying on the huge influence of the CIIE, many companies that originally transported exhibits through us have developed into our high-quality customers. We also look forward to bringing more customers into the Chinese market with the help of the seventh CIIE." Encouraged by this, Vanuatu continued to introduce more exhibition products at this year's CIIE, including coffee, mineral water, essential oils, chocolate and traditional local handcrafted items. This photo taken on Sept. 13, 2024 shows a surgery robot displayed during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 CIFTIS is held at the China National Convention Center and the Shougang Park in Beijing from Sept. 12 to 16. (Xinhua/Cao Mengyao) by Xinhua writers Liu Yiwei, Ye Ting BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A wireless pacemaker that is only the size of a capsule attracted exhibitors and visitors at the ongoing 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS). The pacemaker's developer, Medtronic, one of the largest medical device companies in the world, is a first-time attendee. It has brought over 60 products and solutions to the trade fair. About 15,000 implanting surgeries have been completed since the pacemaker Micra was launched in China in 2019. Its next-generation, Micra AV2, with smarter algorithms and longer life, is scheduled to be launched in China soon. Medtronic also launched a remote monitoring system for cardiac implantable electronic devices with local servers in China, which has benefited thousands of Chinese patients with arrhythmia. Another health giant, Philips, brought various cutting-edge equipment to CIFTIS for its fourth participation, including the artificial intelligent 4D MRI, precision diagnosis and treatment ultrasound system, and super composite operating room, some of which are debuting in China. China is one of Philips' main growth engines worldwide. Products from Philips' five comprehensive production bases in China have been sold to global markets. In response to the Chinese government's strategic decision to promote a new round of large-scale equipment renewal and consumer goods trade-ins, Philips launched a new project at CIFTIS to provide tailor-made solutions for technology upgrading and equipment iteration of medical institutions. Liu Ling, president of Philips Greater China, said CIFTIS provides a broad platform for domestic and foreign enterprises to exchange and cooperate, achieve mutual benefit, and share opportunities. She noted that China's emphasis on developing new quality productive forces, promoting high-level scientific and technological innovation, and creating a world-class business environment has injected a driving force into enterprises to introduce global wisdom and cultivate local innovation. Best-selling medical products produced by Chinese enterprises were also seen at CIFTIS. T20, an ultra-high-throughput sequencer developed by Shenzhen-based MGI Tech, an affiliated company of BGI Group, has been exported to Europe and the Middle East and supports several large-scale projects worldwide. According to Terence Xiong, vice president for Global Development, BGI Group, the T20 has achieved a global record in sequencing throughput and cost by reducing the cost of whole human genome sequencing to less than 100 U.S. dollars per genome. China is willing to promote health exchanges and cooperation with other countries, encourage and support the application of medical innovation achievements, and make positive contributions to building a community of common health for humanity, said Lei Haichao, head of the National Health Commission, at an event during the CIFTIS. Enditem (Liu Xin, Li Baojie and Jihang also contributed to the story.) A post by BJPs information technology chief and the partys special observer for West Bengal Amit Malviya in connection with the arrest of Kolkata Police inspector Abhijit Mondal has sparked speculation in political circles about the fate of the city police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal. The police inspector was arrested by CBI in connection with the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital on Saturday. Commissioner of Kolkata Police too played an active role in revealing the identity of the deceased and covering up the crime. Him and Mamata Banerjee could be next in line, Malviya said in a social media message posted late Saturday night. Advertisement Mondal was in charge of the Tala Police Station, under whose jurisdiction R.G. Kar came when the body of the junior doctor was recovered from the seminar hall within the hospital premises on the morning of August 9. However, recently he was removed from that chair by the city police authorities. In his post, Malviya also claimed that Mondal was the same person the Chief Minister had sprung in defence of. He also said that some hospitals had pre-empted Kolkata Polices ploy to admit Mondal there as a bid to evade arrest and had denied admission until the Chief Minister called and threatened the promoter of one of such hospitals in the matter. The main charges against Mondal included the misleading of the initial investigation and tampering evidence in the case when Kolkata Police were carrying out the probe in the rape and murder case before the charge was handed over to the CBI by a division bench of Calcutta High Court. On Saturday, Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of R.G. Kar, who was earlier arrested by the CBI in the case of financial irregularities at the institution, and is currently serving judicial custody, was also shown as arrested in the rape and murder case. A 30-strong delegation of junior doctors protesting against the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor of Kolkatas R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital reached Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees residence on Saturday evening for talks but the process was stalled by their demand for either a live telecast of the proceedings or recording by both sides. The same issue had derailed the proposed talks at the Secretariat on Thursday. The state government was unwilling to allow the videographer with the delegation into the meeting room. Advertisement Confirming the development, a protesting junior doctor said that even if the live telecast is not allowed, they should be allowed to record the proceedings. The state administration has communicated to us that both our demands are non-negotiable. Still, we are hoping that at least our demand for recording of the proceedings of the meeting from our end will be accepted by the administration. We are still waiting, the doctor added. The meeting came hours after the Chief Minister made a sudden visit to the protest site and the state government issued a fresh invitation to the West Bengal Junior Doctors Forum (WBJDF), which accepted it. The bus carrying the delegation of junior doctors reached the Chief Ministers residence at Kalighat in south Kolkata at 6.40 p.m. 40 minutes after the scheduled time of 6 p.m. All the 30 members of the delegation were allowed entry although the email invitation sent earlier by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant had capped the size of the delegation at 15. Accepting the invitation, the junior doctors, however, argued that it was impossible to limit the delegation number below 30 since one representative from each of the 26 medical colleges in the state would have to be accommodated in the delegation. A delegation of 30 representatives will be going there. Our agenda is to discuss the five points which we are demanding, said a protesting junior doctor. One of their major demands is the suspension of the Health Secretary, the Director of Health Services and the Director of Medical Education. On Saturday morning, the Chief Minister suddenly reached the spot of the sit-in demonstration and promised to consider their demands in a gradual manner provided the protesting doctors go back to their duties. Greeted with the slogan We want Justice as she reached the protest venue accompanied by the state Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, Banerjee had to wait for some time for the slogan-shouting to abate so she could speak. Addressing them for five minutes, she said that she had come there as their Didi (sister), not the Chief Minister, in her last attempt to enter into constructive dialogues with the protesters. Despite security issues, I have personally come here. I have come here not as the Chief Minister. I salute your protests. I am myself a product of the students movement. Last night, there was torrential rain. I feel sad about the manner you have been protesting for the last many days. Even I could not sleep, she said. Claiming that she will try to consider the demands of the protesting junior doctors provided they rejoin duty, the Chief Minister said: I will request CBI to ensure capital punishment for the guilty within the next three months. On my part, I will also take action against those who are guilty. I have come here just to say this, she said. In their immediate reaction, the protesting doctors said that while they welcomed the gesture of the Chief Minister, they were sticking to their demands on the issue. The Chief Minister has invited us for discussion. Even we are ready for the discussion with open minds, a protesting junior doctor said. The earlier meeting on Thursday convened at the state secretariat Nabanna failed as the state government refused to accept the junior doctors demand for the live telecast of the proceedings. A delegation of 30 junior doctors reached the Secretariat but had to go back without any meeting. Meanwhile, the mother of the victim has claimed that she even wants a solution to the impasse, but after ensuring justice for her daughter. The Chief Minister has claimed that anyone who is found guilty will be punished. There are many who are guilty. I want all of them to be punished, she demanded. Legendary actress Saira Banu has shared her excitement as her beloved film Padosan gears up for a theatrical re-release. In an enthusiastic Instagram post, Banu expressed her joy over the films revival, calling it a cherished piece of cinematic history and highlighting its significance to both her and the film industry. Released in 1968, Padosan is a classic musical comedy directed by Jyoti Swaroop and produced by Mehmood, N.C. Sippy, with a screenplay by Rajendra Krishan. The film, a remake of the Bengali hit Pasher Bari (1952), is celebrated for its engaging plot and stellar performances. It stars Sunil Dutt and Saira Banu in lead roles, with memorable supporting performances by Kishore Kumar, Mehmood, and others. Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Saira Banu Khan (@sairabanu) Banus post reflects on her personal connection to the film. She recalls the unique circumstances under which she joined the project, especially after stepping back from her career post-marriage. It was the persistent efforts of Mehmood, the films producer, and the arrangements made for shooting in Madras that brought her back to the set. Banu fondly remembers the fun and camaraderie on set, often laughing so hard that filming had to be paused. In the film, Sunil Dutt plays Bhola, while Saira Banu takes on the role of Bindu. The comedic brilliance of Mehmood as Master Pillai, and Kishore Kumars delightful performance as Vidyapati, add to the films appeal. The ensemble cast also includes notable actors like Om Prakash, Dulari, and Mukri, contributing to a memorable cinematic experience. Renowned choreographer Jani Master (birth name Shaik Jani Basha) has been accused of sexually assaulting a 21-year-old multiple times. Following the allegations, the Cyberabad Raidurgam police filed a Zero First Information Report (FIR) against the accused. The case has since been transferred to the Narsingi police for further investigation. According to a report by The Hindu, a senior police officer stated, The complainant said that Jani had sexually assaulted her multiple times during their shoots in different cities, including Chennai, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. She also claimed that he assaulted her at her residence in Narsingi several times. Since the woman is a resident of Narsingi, the case has been transferred to the local police for further investigation. Based on the victims statement, Jani Master has been booked under clauses (2) and (n) of Section 376 (rape) of the IPC. Additionally, he faces charges under criminal intimidation (Section 506) and voluntarily causing hurt (Section 323) of the IPC. Reportedly, Shikha Goel, the DG of the Women Safety Wing (WSW) Telangana, stated that she was consulted for advice on how to proceed with the case. I advised them to launch an internal inquiry under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act. Since the allegations also involve criminal charges, they were also advised to register a case with the law-and-order police. The case will be investigated further as per protocol. Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Maddock Films (@maddockfilms) Meanwhile, this is not the first time Jani Master has faced accusations. In June, a fellow dancer named Satish reportedly filed a complaint against the choreographer with the Raidurgam police station. He alleged that Jani harassed him and prevented him from securing work in films. Jani Master denied these allegations during a press conference. Additionally, in 2019, he was reportedly sentenced to six months in jail by a local court in Medchal, Hyderabad, over a 2015 brawl at a college. Also Read: Rajkummar, Triptii Dimri cant stop laughing after watching their film Jani Master recently choreographed the hit song Aayi Nahi from Stree 2. His filmography also includes notable tracks such as Kaavaalaa from Jailer and the title track of Teri Baton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya. The choreographer has worked with top stars of the Indian film industry, including Ram Charan, Dhanush, and Allu Arjun. In the first 100 days of Prime Minister Narendra Modis third term, the government has launched several major projects and schemes across various sectors. The focus has been on infrastructure, agriculture, the middle class, MSMEs, health, science, and technology. These efforts aim not only to drive economic growth but also to empower every segment of society. PM Modi-led governments first 100 days have been marked by ambitious projects and strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing infrastructure, supporting various sectors, and empowering different segments of society. The focus on inclusive development and modernisation reflects a commitment to addressing both immediate and long-term needs of the country. IANS has reviewed the details of the various schemes that Modi 3.0 has significantly advanced in its first 100 days. Advertisement Momentum to infrastructure development The government has approved infrastructure projects worth over Rs 3 lakh crore, focusing on roads, railways, ports, and airways. A notable initiative is the Rs 76,200 crore mega port project at Vadhavan in Maharashtra, which is set to become one of the worlds top 10 ports. In addition, the foundation for the Shinku-La Tunnel connecting Ladakh with Himachal Pradesh has been laid, enhancing connectivity in northern India. Under the Prime Ministers Gram Sadak Yojana-4 (PMGSY-IV), Rs 49,000 crore in central aid has been allocated for constructing 62,500 kilometres of roads and bridges in 25,000 unconnected villages. Moreover, Rs 50,600 crore has been earmarked to strengthen the countrys road network, and eight high-speed road corridor projects, totalling 936 km, have been approved. Railway sector In the railway sector, eight new railway line projects have been sanctioned, which are expected to generate 4.42 crore man-days of employment. The development of Varanasis Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport and new civil enclaves in Bagdogra (West Bengal) and Bihta (Bihar) have also been approved. Expansion plans for Bangalore Metro, Pune Metro, and Thane Integral Ring Metro Rail Project have also been set in motion. Welfare steps for farmers PM Modi-led government has undertaken several significant measures to increase farmers incomes and strengthen the agricultural sector. The 17th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi has distributed Rs 20,000 crore to 9.3 crore farmers, bringing the total aid under this scheme to over Rs 3 lakh crore for 12.33 crore farmers. Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for the 2024-25 Kharif crops have been increased, benefiting 12 crore farmers and providing them with an additional Rs 2 lakh crore. Seven major schemes, including the Digital Agriculture Mission, have been approved with a total cost of Rs 14,200 crore to enhance productivity and efficiency in agriculture. Focus on middle class To provide relief to the middle class, the government has raised the income tax exemption limit to Rs 7 lakh. The standard deduction for salaried individuals has been increased to Rs 75,000, and the exemption limit for family pensions has been raised to Rs 25,000. A comprehensive review of income tax regulations is underway to simplify and streamline the tax system. Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, approval has been granted for 3 crore homes, with 1 crore in urban areas and 2 crores in rural regions. The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana has facilitated the installation of solar energy systems in over 2.5 lakh homes to boost solar power production. Empowering MSMEs and startups To support small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the government has introduced several new schemes. The limit for MUDRA loans has been increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh, allowing small businesses to access collateral-free loans. E-commerce export hubs for MSMEs and traditional artisans will be established under a PPP model to simplify export services and provide global market access. Startups are also receiving significant support, with the Angel Tax, which had been in place since 2012, being abolished. A Rs 1,000 crore venture capital fund has been set up for space startups, and the GENESIS Program is promoting startups in Tier-II and Tier-III cities. Upgrading Health and Education sectors In the health sector, the Ayushman Bharat scheme has been expanded to provide free insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh for all senior citizens aged 70 and above. This will benefit 4.5 crore families and 6 crore elderly individuals. To strengthen medical education, 75,000 new medical seats have been added to reduce dependence on foreign institutions. The U-WIN portal has been launched to digitise routine immunisations, and a centralised doctors repository is being developed by the National Medical Commission. Empowerment of OBCs, Dalits, minorities, and tribals The government is focusing on the empowerment of Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes through Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PMJUGA), which aims to develop 63,000 tribal villages, benefiting 5 crore tribals. The NAMASTE scheme has been expanded to include sanitation workers and waste pickers, promoting their social and economic empowerment. Empowering Women Under the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana (DAY-NRLM), over 10 crore women have been organised into more than 90 lakh Self-Help Groups (SHGs). The Lakshmi Didi Scheme has certified 11 lakh new Lakshmi Didis, with over 1 crore women earning more than Rs 1 lakh annually. Reforms through new legislation The government has introduced several new laws to improve governance and law enforcement, including the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which aims to create a digital platform for the management and protection of Waqf properties. Investment in Science and Technology In the science and technology sector, increased investments have been made in space, semiconductors, and research. The first National Space Day has been celebrated, and space startups are being encouraged. The Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) platform has introduced a Scan and Share feature, facilitating 4 crore outpatient registrations. Speculations are rife over who will take the reins as Delhis next Chief Minister following Arvind Kejriwals unexpected announcement of resignation on Sunday. While the BJP claims Kejriwal may replicate the Lalu-Rabri model by appointing his wife Sunita Kejriwal as the new CM, Delhi ministers Atishi and Gopal Rai are seen as leading contenders. Atishi has been the face of Aam Aadmi Party in the absence of Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, while Rai is a senior leader and long time trusted aide of Kejriwal. Advertisement Another strong name in the mix is Kailash Gahlot. Ever since Kejriwals return from jail, Gehlot, an MLA from Najafgarh, has been a regular presence by his side. Hailing from a Jat family, Gahlot could also be a strategic choice to strengthen AAPs position in Haryana, where elections are scheduled to be held next month and the Jat community is reportedly disillusioned with the BJP. Gahlots good rapport with Delhis Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena adds to his prospects. During Kejriwals jail term, LG Saxena bypassed Kejriwals suggestion to let Atishi unfurl the national flag on August 15, choosing Gahlot for the honour instead. However, this could also work against Gahlot as his closeness to the LG by extension, the BJP might raise concern within the AAP. Meanwhile, the option of Manish Sisodia taking over has been ruled out by Kejriwal, given Sisodias alleged involvement in the ongoing liquor policy case. Earlier on Sunday, Kejriwal announced his resignation amidst corruption and money laundering allegations related to the same case. He vowed to prove his honesty before the people and declared he would not return to the CMs post unless re-elected by Delhiites. Members of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), the farmers outfit of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), staged a statewide demonstration in Madhya Pradesh on Monday demanding Rs 6,000 Minimum Support Price (MSP) for a quintal of soybean, instead of Rs 4,892, from the BJP government of MP. BKS state chief Kamal Singh Anjana asserted that they want the MP BJP government to buy soybean at Rs 6,000 per quintal from the farmers. He claimed that the protest and demonstrations today across the state were hugely successful and thousands of farmers took part. He stated that the demonstrations remained totally peaceful. Advertisement Interestingly, the BKS protest came just four days ahead of the opposition Congress massive agitation planned for September 20 seeking Rs 6,000 MSP for soybean in Madhya Pradesh, one of the largest producers of this crop amongst states in India. MP Congress launched its Kisan Nyay Yatra on September 10 in the state seeking hiked MSP for farmers. The very same day, the MP Cabinet chaired by CM Dr Mohan Yadav passed a proposal to increase the MSP for soybean from Rs 4,000 to Rs 4,892. The Union government also put its seal on the MP governments proposal to hike the MSP by Rs 892. However, the BKS and the Congress along with farmers are now pressing for the MSP to be taken to Rs 6,000. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday said Indias diversity, scale, capacity, potential and performance are all unique and the whole world believes that this country is the best bet for the 21st century. India is preparing a base not only for today but for the next thousand years, he remarked, underscoring that the countrys aim is not just to reach the top, but to prepare itself to sustain this rank. The PM was inaugurating the fourth Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST) at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. The three-day summit honours the important contributors to Indias remarkable achievement of over 200 GW of installed non-fossil fuel capacity. Advertisement Noting that the people of India elected the same government for a record third time after 60 years, he said, Aspirations of India is the reason behind the re-election of the government for the third term. He highlighted the trust and confidence of the 140 crore citizens, the youth and women who believe that their aspirations will take a new flight in this third term. The PM underlined that the poor, dalits and the deprived believe that the governments third term will become a guarantee for a dignified life. He said that 140 crore citizens of India are working with the resolve of making India the third-largest economy in the world. Noting that todays event is not an isolated one but a part of the bigger vision, mission and action plan to make India a developed nation by 2047, he highlighted the decisions taken by the government in the first 100 days in office. The governments work in the first 100 days highlights its priorities and gives a reflection of the speed and scale, he remarked, underlining that all sectors necessary for Indias fast-paced development have been accorded priority. In these 100 days, the PM said multiple decisions have been taken to expand the physical and social infrastructure of the nation. He informed that India is on the path of constructing seven crore houses, which is more than the population of many countries, while four crore houses have been handed over to the people in the last two terms of his government. He also spoke about the decision to create twelve new industrial cities, approval for eight high-speed road corridor projects, launch of more than 15 semi-high speed Vande Bharat trains, the inception of a research fund worth Rs one trillion to promote research, the announcement of various initiatives to drive e-mobility, promotion of high-performance biomanufacturing and the approval to Bio E3 policy. Throwing light on the developments in the green energy sector in the last 100 days, the PM mentioned the initiation of a viability gap funding scheme for offshore wind energy projects worth more than Rs 7000 crore. He said that India is working towards producing 31,000 megawatts of hydropower in the coming times with an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore. He said India is very well aware of its energy needs and requirements to make it a developed nation by 2047. India has decided to build its future on the basis of renewables like Solar Power, Wind Power, Nuclear and Hydro Power, as there was dearth of reserves of oil-gas. Mr Modi outlined the nations goals to achieve the target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030 and said the government has turned the green transition into a peoples movement. Drawing attention to the results of the PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme, the PM explained that a small family which consumes 250 units of electricity in a month, generates 100 units and sells it back to the grid will save a total of about Rs 25000 a year. Talking about Ayodhya city, the birthplace of Lord Ram, Mr Modi said the government is aiming to make it a model Solar City. He added that the effort is to energise every house, every office, every service of Ayodhya by solar power. Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said that if the BJP had indulged in irregularities in the Lok Sabha elections, the INDIA bloc would have won more than 50 seats in Uttar Pradesh. At the behest of the BJP government, the administration committed dishonesty in many seats. If the administration had been impartial, the INDIA block would have won more seats than it has won, he claimed. Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yadav said: I thank the PDA family for the victory of the Samajwadi Party and INDI Alliance in UP. PDA is not just a slogan for us but has emerged as a sentiment. In this election also, we saw that in Rampur, Badaun as well as in our Lok Sabha constituency Kannauj, the BJP leaders went to the booths and harassed Samajwadi Party workers and voters but in vain. . In an interview with a news channel on Monday, Akhilesh Yadav said that the socialists got the blessings of the people of Ayodhya in this election too. The BJP government committed loot and corruption in Ayodhya. The BJPs defeat in Ayodhya is its failure and the public supported the socialists there. Advertisement Under the BJP government, massive corruption took place in a holy land like Ayodhya. The government did not give compensation to the farmers at market rates. Traders had shops for centuries, which were demolished. Why not compensate them as per the market value of their properties? Imagine, when so much corruption and looting took place in Ayodhya, what would be the situation in other districts? Cannot be imagined, he said. The SP President said: The BJP government played with the Constitution and reservation. Earlier, this government did all the recruitments through lateral entry and reservation policy was not followed in it. Akhilesh Yadav said that the fight for reservation is a very long one and it was achieved only after a lot of struggle. India shined at WorldSkills 2024 in Lyon, France, by winning 16 Medals and Medallions of Excellence. The Indian delegation earned 4 Bronze Medals and 12 Medallion of Excellence across skill sets. The country won 4 Bronze Medals in Patisserie and Confectionery, Industry 4.0 (Team Skill), Hotel Reception and Renewable Energy. Advertisement Ashwitha Police who contested in Patisserie and confectionery also won the Best of Nation Award becoming the most outstanding competitor from Team India. WorldSkills Lyon 2024 saw more than 1400 participants from over 70 countries competing in diverse skill categories, and the Indian competitors stood its ground among the best in the world, showcasing their talent and innovation in front of an international audience. India competed in 52 skills against countries like China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Germany, Brazil, Australia, Columbia, Denmark, France, UK, South Africa, Switzerland and the US, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said on Monday. Congratulating Team India, Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Minister of State, Ministry of Education, Government of India, said, Having witnessed their journey firsthand, in Lyon, I can say that performing at this level, under such immense pressure, is no easy feat. The technical precision, the finesse in delivery, and the focus required all leave a lasting mark. I wholeheartedly congratulate Team India for their exceptional achievements at WorldSkills 2024. This is a moment of immense pride for our country. The Bronze medals and Medallions of Excellence are not just personal triumphs but a testament to the nations growing emphasis on skills. These young competitors have not only showcased their individual brilliance but also reaffirmed Indias commitment to achieving global excellence in skills development. Their success strengthens our resolve to empower more youth with future-ready skills that will drive Indias growth on the world stage, delivering on our Honble Prime Ministers vision of a Kushal and Viksit Bharat, he said. SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A fishing boat capsizing accident off South Korea's western coast left three sailors dead, even after all the sailors on board were rescued, Yonhap news agency reported Monday, citing the coast guard. The 35-ton fishing vessel overturned off the western port city of Gunsan at about 7:36 a.m. local time (2236 GMT Sunday). All the eight sailors aboard the ill-fated vessel were rescued, but three of them, including a captain, died after being transported in cardiac arrest to hospitals. The remaining five sailors, including three Vietnamese and two Indonesians, had no significant health problems. The coast guard dispatched helicopters and patrol ships to the scene for rescue operations. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol urgently ordered the oceans and fisheries minister and the coast guard chief to rescue them by mobilizing all available personnel and equipment after receiving a report on the accident, according to the presidential office. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has once again invited junior doctors, who are protesting over the alleged rape and murder of a trainee colleague at Kolkatas RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, to a meeting at her Kalighat residence at 5 PM today. In a letter emailed to the protesting doctors, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant emphasised that this is the fifth and final invitation for talks and urged them to approach the meeting with an open mind. This is the fifth and final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting between the Honourable Chief Minister and your delegates. In line with our discussion from the previous day, we are once again inviting you to a meeting with the Honourable Chief Minister at her Kalighat residence for a discussion with an open mind, the letter stated. Advertisement The doctors had earlier called off a meeting with the West Bengal CM after the state government refused to meet their demand for live streaming the discussion. Last week, CM Banerjee made a surprise visit to the protest site outside Swasthya Bhawan to persuade the doctors to engage in talks. Although the doctors reached her residence, they did not enter as the government again declined to live-stream the discussions citing the matter is sub-judice in the Supreme Court. In the latest invitation, Pant reiterated that the meeting would not be live-streamed, but minutes of it would be recorded and signed by both parties. We trust that good sense will prevail, and as mutually agreed, and in line with your statement to the media, there will be no live streaming or videography of the meeting, as the matter is sub judice in the highest court of the country. Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both parties, the letter added. The Chief Secretary also requested that the same delegation of doctors, which arrived for the last discussion, reach the venue 15 minutes before the scheduled time. The meeting is scheduled for 5 PM today, September 16, 2024, at the Honourable Chief Ministers Kalighat residence. The same delegation that attended the last discussions is requested to arrive at the venue by 4:45 PM. We look forward to your positive response and a productive, fruitful discussion, the letter concluded. As the dates for the J&K Assembly elections approach, political rhetoric is intensifying. In this context, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti launched a verbal attack on the BJP on Sunday. Speaking to reporters in Kulgam, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti came heavily down on the BJP government, stating it is disgraceful that the government repeatedly claims the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has improved, yet no elections have been held for the past decade. She asserted that people are frustrated and feel suffocated. Mufti further asserted that the residents of Jammu and Kashmir want a government that will address their issues. She noted that the PDP is contesting the elections to ensure that the BJP does not suppress the issues and that Kashmirs voice is heard. Advertisement Mufti promised that the PDP would work to eliminate unemployment by providing one lakh government jobs and regularising 60,000 existing positions. She criticised the Prime Ministers unfulfilled promises, including two crore jobs and sending Rs 15 lakh to each citizens account and affirmed that the PDP would raise the voice of Jammu and Kashmirs people and work to resolve their problems. It is noteworthy that the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly consists of 90 seats, with 47 in the Valley and 43 in the Jammu region. Among these, nine seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) and seven for Scheduled Castes (SC). The elections will be conducted in three phases: the first phase on September 18, the second on September 25, and the final phase on October 1. Results will be announced on October 8. According to the Election Commission, there are 8.709 million voters across the 90 constituencies, including 4.26 million women. The number of first-time voters is 371,000, while there are a total of 2.07 million young voters aged between 20 and 29 years. Top leadership of the Indian Navy will review the forces operational preparedness to protect the countrys maritime interests when the second edition of Naval Commanders Conference 2024 takes place in New Delhi from 17-20 September. The conference is the apex level biannual event facilitating deliberations on significant strategic, operational and administrative issues among the Naval Commanders. Held against the backdrop of evolving geo-political and geo-strategic dynamics, regional challenges and complexity in maritime security situations in West Asia, the conference plays a crucial role in shaping the future course of the Indian Navy. Advertisement During the conference, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will address the Naval Commanders on matters pertaining to national security and national expectations. The Chief of Defence Staff along with the Chiefs of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force will engage with Naval Commanders to foster collaborations amongst the three Services across the spectrum of conflict and convergence towards theaterisation. The conference will commence with the inaugural address by the Chief of the Naval Staff. He will review major Operational, Materiel, Logistic, HR Development, Training and Administrative activities pursued by the Indian Navy over the last six months and deliberate upon key milestones to be crossed to safeguard maritime interests. The Indian Navy has responded with strength and resolve against emerging threats of drones and missiles affecting safety of trade, demonstrating its capability as Preferred Security Responder in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The Commanders will also review the ongoing Naval projects to enhance indigenisation through Make in India in consonance with the vision of complete Aatmanirbharta by 2047. The Congress on Monday said the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre has failed on every front in resolving the issues concerning the people of the country, on completion of 100 days of its tenure. Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Congress chairperson of social media Supriya Shrinate said, Today, the Narendra Modi government has completed 100 days. There are various issues that face this nation. The Modi government has miserably failed this country on every front. Referring to the workings of 100 days of the ruling dispensation, she said, It has been a government of U-turns from lateral entry, to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, to the Broadcast (Services Regulation) Bill, to indexation, to NPS (national Pension System) which has been now replaced by UPS (unified Pension Scheme). This has been a U-turn government. Advertisement Pointing out incidents of rail accidents, Shrinate said, The reality is that the Indian Railways has seen its worst phase. Thirty eight rail accidents, 21 deaths were reported. Taking a jibe at Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, she said, The Rail Minister of this country calls these small incidents and continues to make reels. Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress spokesperson said, The reality is that the infrastructure built under you, made under you have completely collapsed, be it bridges, roads, statues and airports. From the new Parliament building that was leaking to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya which was leaking in the Garbhagriha, to the statue of (Chhatrapati) Shivaji (in Mumbai). If this is not proof of corruption then what is ? Mentioning Jammu and Kashmir, Shrinate said, In the last 100 days, there have been 26 terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir, 21 of our bravehearts have lost their lives and 15 citizens killed. Who is responsible for this ? Where is the accountability ? Is Mr Modi going to speak about this at all ? I dont think so. On incidents of crime against women, she said, The reality is there have been 104 cases of crime against women. You speak on Bengal, you must. But why dont you speak on Bihar, Uttarakhand and UP ? Why is it that the BJP IT cell members accused of gangrape in IIT BHU are given a heros reception when they get bail ? Asserting that the economy is at stake, Shrinate said, The rupee value has fallen. The reality is FDI has fallen. The reality is unemployment is breaking new barriers everyday. She claimed people in the country are reeling under high prices. On the Manipur issue, Shrinate said, What is your (PM Modi) plan for Manipur ? Manipur has been burning for the last 16 months where violence has erupted again, internet is banned and curfew is imposed. What are you going to do about Manipur ? Will you never go to Manipur Mr PM ? All that you are interested in is political survival. For your survival , you are trying to turn a blind eye to the problems of the country. Union Minister for Commerce Piyush Goyal on Monday launched the Bharat Startup Knowledge Access Registry (BHASKAR) initiative under the Startup India program. Delivering the keynote address during the launch, Goyal said that BHASKAR means Rising Sun has been aptly chosen to be the name of the digital platform. With the sun comes enlightenment, light, growth, and BHASKAR will help in collaboration, and cooperation and also enable competition among each other, he said. Advertisement While praising the initiative, the minister said BHASKAR as a concept would try to integrate all the people who are dreamers, doers, and disruptors. Putting BHASKAR into context, he said that the platform will help bring hope, aspirations, and success for entrepreneurs to kickstart ambitious revolutions. On promoting the startup ecosystem, Goyal said that the Centre will put in efforts to make the ecosystem socialised, democratic, and visible to the world. Technology and interconnectivity will help Indians build Brand India as a tool to market our products and services across the world and help us change the image of India to the rest of the world, the minister said. He also underlined that a startup is an innovation plus entrepreneurship. Invoking Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of shaping policies for the future, the Minister said that Startup Indias strength will contribute to the Indias growth story. He added that encouraging Indians to be job creators and help them see failures to be stepping stones to a brighter future, will help big ideas fructify. The Minister also suggested the participants set up a Section 8 company to bring the National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC) within the ambit of the new startup company. Minister Goyal also shared that handing out shares of the new company to recognise and encourage unicorns would encourage and empower the entrepreneurs. During his address, he emphasised that the Government desires for the startup industry to be independent and attain global level while maintaining integrity, quality and conviction to succeed in the world. The Commerce Minister spoke of making BHASKAR a one-stop digital platform for data dissemination, exchange, and interaction for the entire startup ecosystem through simple easy to use links and easy to navigate technology catalysing the growth and success of the startup ecosystem across India and beyond. The Kerala governments expenditure report on the Wayanad disaster relief indicates that more amount was spent on volunteers than direct aid to the victims. A report of the state government, which now came out, states that for the burial of bodies of 359 people who died in the disaster , a sum of Rs 2.76 crore has been spent. According to this, the cost of burial of a body comes to Rs 75,000. It has been alleged that there are wide discrepancies in the expenditure figures in the report, reportedly submitted by the state government in the High Court related to the Wayanad landslide disaster. Advertisement Although clothing was donated from across Kerala, the official figures now show that Rs 11 crore was spent on clothing for the displaced individuals in the relief camps. The state government document itself says that 4,102 people were living in 17 camps. When it is said that clothing cost is Rs 11 crore, it is estimated that clothes worth Rs 26,816 was spent for one person. It is stated that Rs eight crore have been spent on food alone in the camp. It is also said that eight crores have been spent for the medical needs of 4,102 people in the camp. Rs 4 crore was spent on the transportation of the volunteers and military personnel. Rs 10 crore was spent for food and water expenses for them, Rs 15 crore for their accommodation. Rs 17 crore was spent for helicopter airlifting services provided by the Indian Air Force. A total of Rs 7 crore was spent on generator costs for 17 relief camps over 30 days. Rs 12 crore was spent on vehicles used to evacuate victims. An additional Rs 3 crore was spent on drone radar rentals, and DNA testing costs amounted to Rs 3 crore as well. The report also specifies that Rs 2.98 crore was spent on providing essential items like torches and raincoats to rescue workers, and over Rs 2 crore on medical expenses for volunteers and soldiers. Amidst concerns over the substantial relief expenditures, critics have pointed out that compensation for victims appears insufficient. The government provides Rs 1.30 lakh for a completely destroyed house and less than Rs 50,000 per hectare for damaged farmland. Meanwhile, state revenue minister K Rajan said the figure released is not the actual amount spent by the government in the Wayanad disaster, it is the estimate of expected expenses prepared and given to the Centre. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said attempts were being made to revive terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir but we will bury it so deep from where it can never rise again. As long as Prime Minister Narendra Modis government is in power, no force can bring back terrorism in Jammu, he warned. Shah was addressing a series of BJP election rallies at Paddar, Kishtwar and Chanderkot in Ramban that will go to polls in the first phase on 18 September. He was accompanied by the Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh. This was his second visit to Jammu in the past ten days. Emphasising the need for decisive action against the surge in terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, the Home Minister warned the terrorists that there is still time, return to the country you came from, otherwise the Indian Army and security forces will kill you right here. Advertisement He said the Village Defence Guards (VDGs) and Special Police Officers (SPOs) have been equipped with the latest SLR weapons to stop infiltrators before they can reach towns and cities. Attempts are on to revive terrorism as the National Conference (NC) and Congress manifesto talks about releasing terrorists, he said. In a scathing attack, Shah said the NC-Congress alliance has always laid the foundation for terrorism and separatism in J&K ever since they joined hands. These parties externed Maharaja Hari Singh from J&K. Later, only his mortal remains returned to J&K, Shah said. These parties are also responsible for the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990. He said that the government will bring out a White Paper on those responsible for bringing terrorism that resulted in killing of thousands of innocent people in J&K. Shah said that the upcoming polls are a fight between the three dynasties Congress, NC and PDP who want Article 370 to be restored and us (BJP), who removed the Constitutional provision that curtailed your rights. There is no place for Article 370 in the Constitution of India. There can never be two prime ministers, two Constitutions and two flags in Kashmir. There will only be one flag and that is our Tricolour, he asserted. The NC and Congress have made promises that if they come to power, they will release the terrorists from prisons. But I assure you today, as long as Narendra Modis government is in power, no one will dare to spread terrorism on Indian soil. Shah said Omar Abdullah says Afzal Guru should not be hanged. This indicates what will happen if Rahul Gandhi and Omar Abdullah form the government. Bullets will be fired again, stone pelting will happen again, funeral processions of terrorists will take place again, Tazia processions will be stopped again, cinema halls will be shut again, Amarnath Yatra will be attacked again and the investment that is coming to Jammu and Kashmir will be replaced by unemployment, he pointed out. We will not allow the reservation for Paharis and other sections of the society to be scrapped by the dynasts. PM Modi wants to make a prosperous J&K and wants to give the right of reservation to the OBC also, he stressed. In a jibe at NC vice-president Omar Abdullah, the Home Minister said that earlier he stated that he wont contest elections in the UT. Then he decided to contest from two seats. This shows he has accepted defeat. Let me tell you, he cant win from either seat, Shah said. The Home Minister said PM Modi strengthened democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. I want to ask Farooq Abdullah that your three generations ruled, but did the people of Jammu and Kashmir ever get free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh? Modi provided free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh to everyone. Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) and Adani Power Ltd (APL) have won the bid to supply 6,600 MW of hybrid solar and thermal power to Maharashtra, it was announced on Sunday. Adani Green will sign a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) for the supply of 5,000 MW (5GW) solar power to the state. The solar power supply will come from the worlds largest renewable energy park being developed at Khavda in Kutch, Gujarat, as per the Letter of Intent (LOI) awarded to Adani Power. Advertisement Also, Adani Power will sign a long-term power supply agreement (PSA) with MSEDCL for the supply of 1,496 MW (net) thermal power to Maharashtra from a new 1,600 MW ultra-supercritical thermal power project. The total of 6,600 MW capacity has been secured through a competitive bidding process, initiated by the MSEDCL for procurement of combined 1,600 MW thermal and 5,000 MW solar power. We are glad to collaborate with the MSEDCL to meet the states rising energy demand through renewable sources and fulfil its RE commitments. Our goal is to accelerate Indias clean energy transition. This is a crucial step towards the countrys energy independence and building a sustainable future, said Sagar Adani, Executive Director, Adani Green Energy. He further said that Adani Green is well positioned to achieve the 50 GW target with secured resource-rich sites in strategic locations, a portfolio mix of renewables and storage solutions, a robust supply chain, and clear evacuation plans. The solar capacity award of 5 GW is the worlds largest such award since 2020, bolstering AGELs leadership in India and as one of the largest renewable energy (RE) portfolios globally. Similarly, the thermal capacity award is the largest in the country in recent years to the private sector. The solar capacity has been allocated at a flat tariff of Rs 2.70 per kWh for the supply of power for a period of 25 years. The solar projects would be developed in a staggered manner over a period of three years from execution of the PPAs with MSEDCL, said the company. The thermal capacity has been awarded on the design, build, finance, own, and operate (DBFOO) basis with the sourcing of fuel from coal linkages allocated under the SHAKTI Policy. Under the terms, APL will enter into a 25-year PSA with MSEDCL for the supply of 1,496 MW of electricity on a long-term basis from a new thermal power plant having an installed capacity of 1,600 MW. Anil Sardana, Managing Director, Adani Power, said that as India advances in achieving its economic growth targets while maintaining a keen focus on sustainability, the role of conventional power in helping stabilise the grid and supplying base load power assumes greater importance. Adani Power is proud to partner a leading industrialised state like Maharashtra by becoming one of its key suppliers of reliable and competitive power from its existing and upcoming capacities, while enabling it to integrate an ever-increasing quantum of renewable energy in its grid, said Sardana. Adani Power operates an installed thermal power capacity of 17,010 MW spread across 10 power plants. At least 41 bodies were recovered, and 12 others rescued after a wooden boat capsized in Nigerias northwestern state of Zamfara, local authorities said on Sunday. The boat carrying more than 50 passengers and crew capsized on a river near Gummi, a town in the Gummi local government area of Zamfara, shortly after leaving the shore on Saturday, Suleiman Gummi, a national legislator representing the Gummi-Bukkuyum constituency in Nigerias Federal House of Representatives, told reporters on Sunday. The passengers were farmers who travel daily by boat to their farmlands in neighbouring communities, Gummi said. Local authorities swiftly deployed personnel to the incident scene, including local divers, who pulled out at least a dozen survivors, Xinhua news agency reported. Advertisement In an interview with local media, Hassan Daura, head of the Zamfara State Emergency Management Agency, said mostly women and children were killed in the incident. Boat accidents are frequently reported in the West African country and are often attributed to factors such as overloading, adverse weather conditions, and operational errors. Two people died and one was seriously injured after an SUV crashed into a creek near the border of Australias states of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland on early Sunday, local police said. NSW police said in a report that emergency services were called to Carwal Creek Bridge, south of Mungindi, after 1:15 a.m. local time on Sunday after an SUV crashed down an embankment and landed in the creek becoming submerged and trapping three people, reports Xinhua news agency. A 23-year-old woman was helped out of the vehicle and was airlifted to hospital in serious but stable condition. Advertisement The bodies of two others, a man and a woman, were recovered from the submerged vehicle at noon. They were both in their 20s but were yet to be formally identified. Further investigations are underway and details are awaited. ADEN, Yemen, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen's Houthi group, said on Sunday that the group's military operations against Israel will continue and intensify. The Houthi leader issued the threat in the wake of a missile attack launched by the group on central Israel earlier in the day. "Our operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege on the Gaza Strip continue," al-Houthi said in a televised address broadcast via the group's al-Masirah channel. "We are moving to do more and what is coming is greater." The Houthi leader highlighted technological advancements in their military capabilities, specifically mentioning a new ballistic missile reportedly used in the recent attack on Israel. According to al-Houthi, the missile "penetrated all the protective belts" of Israel's defense system, traveling a distance of approximately 2,040 km in 11 and a half minutes. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group's forces had "targeted a military target of the Israeli enemy in the Jaffa area," using a "new hypersonic ballistic missile." This recent development is part of a series of confrontations between the Houthi group and Israel. Since November last year, the group has been launching missile and drone attacks targeting what it said were "Israeli-linked" ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as targets in Israel, to show solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. In July, the Houthis claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Tel Aviv, prompting retaliatory Israeli airstrikes on Houthi-controlled key areas and sites in Yemen, including Hodeidah. An Israeli drone dropped leaflets on Sunday morning over the southeastern Lebanese village of Wazzani and nearby areas, calling on local residents to evacuate to the north of the town of Khiam, according to Lebanese military sources. Bearing the signature of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the leaflets read, To all residents and displaced persons in the refugee camps area, Hezbollah is firing from your area. You must leave your homes immediately and head north of Khiam until 4 p.m. (local time) and do not return until the wars end, military sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua news agency. Anyone present in this area after this time will be considered a terrorist element, and his blood will be shed, it added. Advertisement Meanwhile, military sources told Xinhua that Israeli warplanes and drones conducted five raids on Sunday on four border towns and villages in southern Lebanon, and Israeli artillery shelled eight towns and villages, injuring four people in the town of Adaisseh. This morning, 40 Katyusha rockets and several drones were fired from the Lebanese side into northern Israel, they added. Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on October 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamass attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Place yourself in the shoes of a curious and energetic 5-year-old in the public system, ready to start your journey of formal schooling. The shift in expectations for a child who has just exited daycare centres such as Anganwadis can prove to be overwhelming. Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in the public system is provided through the Anganwadi system and a few pre-primary sections in government schools. Anganwadi centres are critical for preparing a child between the ages of 3-5 years on crucial early learning: cognitive, language, social-emotional, physical and creative development. Besides providing critical inputs across health & nutrition indicators, Anganwadi centres provide much-needed stimulation for our youngest citizens through initiatives such as the ICDS and the Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi campaign. But enrolment has been steadily dipping after children complete 2 years at such centres. The majority of the 5-year-old cohort is split between private pre-schools and Grade 1 and not part of the government pre-primary system. At least one year of quality early childhood education before Grade 1 with a dedicated preschool teacher can make or break a child's educational trajectory. Step into one of the government pre-school or daycare centres and you'll find a mixed-age group of children surrounded by uninspiring teaching-learning materials - a setting hardly meant to spark a young mind's curiosity. The Anganwadi teacher at such centres begins her day with a set of activities like rehearsing rhymes and alphabet recitals. By afternoon, her duties shift to providing meals and other administrative tasks like measuring infants' heights and weight and filling vaccine registers. Once that is done, she resumes the days storytelling session, ending with Did everyone understand?". This is met with the children's chorus of "Yes, ma'am!". Amidst this chaos, the message is hidden in plain sight-an urgent need to address the challenges of the pre-school system and ensure that the transition from learning to learn, to learning to read and then reading to learn is a playful, stimulating adventure for a young mind. Precious learning time in Anganwadi centres gets lost due to a lack of prioritisation and ineffective teaching methods. A study by J-PAL in Tamil Nadu between 2016-18, and a recent situational analysis conducted by Central Square Foundation, called "Building Strong Foundations: Examining Early Childhood Education in India" found that learning time and quality is ineffective in Anganwadis and pre-primary sections in government schools. The recent ECE study covered 220 ECE classrooms across seven states and interviewed parents, officials and teachers. The study found that in nearly 25% of observed Anganwadi and pre-primary settings, no learning activities were conducted in a 2-hour observation period. And in the remaining classes, activities averaged just 35 minutes, each lasting around 13 minutes on average. Anganwadi teachers struggle to balance administrative duties with engaging, play-based pedagogy. The study found that a mere 14% of activities were child-led, with the overwhelming majority (86%) being teacher-directed, with no hands-on learning experiences for children to play and master skills. This crisis in early learning stems from systemic and programmatic issues that result in low adequate learning time for children in the classroom. Inadequate funding (spending on ECE is merely 10% of per cohort expenditure on primary grades), separate efforts by two ministries: Education and Women & Child Development, and a dearth of robust monitoring, all converge to undermine the quality of ECE at a system level. The consequences extend far beyond the four-walls of the classroom. Research demonstrates the pivotal role of preschool in laying cognitive, socio-emotional, and physical foundations for long-term learning and life success. Countries with high-performing education systems invest heavily in quality, play-based pre-primary education. Quality pre-primary education lays the groundwork for higher academic achievement, better health outcomes, and enhanced socio-emotional well-being. Over the long term, it also boosts workforce productivity, social cohesion, and economic growth. A robust pre-primary year also hinges on developmentally appropriate, user-friendly teaching-learning materials and curricula. The existing resources pose some challenges, namely - Across states, teacher handbooks and classroom materials lack intuitive design, reducing the adoption, usability and effective implementation. Approaches to language instruction vary widely, with an unclear balance between introducing home languages versus an early emphasis on literacy and writing skills for English. Introducing two scripts further muddies the waters for young learners. While play-based pedagogy is the overarching principle, curricula provide scant guidance on integrating free play and exploration consistently into daily routines. Informal tools like observations are underutilised to assess age-wise developmental milestones across domains. This often leaves teachers without insights into their students' holistic progress, hindering efforts to tailor instructional practices. The National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) which was released by the Ministry of Education in October 2022 and the recent Aadharshila ECCE curriculum released by the Ministry of WCD align on the right ingredients for quality ECE instruction. States need to adapt this and align with existing foundational learning curricula to ensure continuity and scaffolding of competencies across domains through the Anganwadi-Balvatika-School continuum. To unleash the transformative potential of pre-primary education in India, a well-designed, universally accessible one-year program for all 5-6-year-olds should be the cornerstone of the country's early childhood education strategy. States such as Assam, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra have initiatives from which to draw learnings. To realise the vision of universal access to quality pre-primary education, State governments must consider five critical action steps: 1. Allocate dedicated, substantial funding for a national one-year, universal pre-primary program for all 5-6-year-olds, with a focus on dedicated ECE teachers. 2. Clearly define the roles of all institutions involved in ECE to ensure seamless implementation and monitoring across the 3-6 age group. 3. Support teachers and mentor cadres in implementing play-based, holistic learning through regular, practice-based training and continuous professional development. 4. Establish comprehensive data systems and regular review processes to continuously monitor progress and make data-driven improvements to the pre-primary program. 5. Launch large-scale awareness campaigns to engage parents and communities on markers of quality ECE, empowering them to actively support their children's learning journey. The time has come for India to guarantee this essential early start for all her children. By embedding a robust, standardised pre-primary year within the education system, we can unlock limitless possibilities - painting a canvas of opportunity for future generations to thrive. BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- At a bustling exhibition booth, a humanoid robot caught the attention of Tran Quynh Mai, a Vietnamese student pursuing a bachelor's degree in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in China. The robot, displayed at the ongoing China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing, used three mechanical "fingers" to sense and collect pulse signals from a person's wrist, effectively simulating the TCM examination technique known as pulse diagnosis. Simultaneously, the pulse activity was displayed on a screen, functioning similarly to electrocardiography. Amazed by the integration of technology with TCM -- a practice that has been around for millennia -- 20-year-old Tran and her fellow international classmates from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine eagerly joined other visitors to interact with the robot. The robot, paired with a box-shaped facial diagnosis device featuring a camera, represents the latest advancement from the Experimental Research Center of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CACMS). This initiative aims to enhance TCM practices through artificial intelligence (AI) and other cutting-edge technologies. These devices are designed to perform the four fundamental diagnostic methods of TCM: inspection, auscultation and olfaction, inquiry, and palpation. According to Liu Jia, an associate researcher at CACMS, the equipment compares collected data -- such as pulse, complexion, and tongue coating -- with that of healthy individuals of the same age and gender. This comparison allows for the formulation of reports detailing specific physical conditions and treatment plans within the TCM framework. The entire diagnostic process takes about 10 minutes, with reports conveniently available on patients' mobile phones. Liu commented that there are voices challenging TCM, particularly regarding its reliance on the subjective feelings and experiences of physicians. "With AI-powered instruments, diagnosis and treatment become more standardized," she said, adding that CACMS is collaborating with enterprises to mass-produce these devices. Tran described the technology as akin to having a "seasoned TCM practitioner" available. "For those learning TCM outside China, such equipment will be invaluable," said Tran, who left her TCM studies in Vietnam to seek more professional training in China. Narmada Dissanayalce from Sri Lanka, who is in Beijing for a seminar on public health management, echoed Tran's sentiments. With a doctorate in Ayurveda, a traditional Indian medicine system, Dissanayalce has developed a keen interest in TCM and has studied acupuncture in Sri Lanka. She noted that while TCM is popular in her country, pulse and facial diagnoses are less common compared to acupuncture and meridian massage therapy. "There are few experienced TCM practitioners in Sri Lanka skilled in pulse and facial diagnoses, and I believe these high-tech products can assist in this area, helping to expand TCM's reach," she said. In addition to AI devices for pulse and facial diagnosis, TCM research teams and companies also displayed robots dedicated to acupuncture and meridian massage at this year's trade fair, impressing both domestic and international visitors. Lin Zhijian, a professor at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, expressed confidence that modern technology will bolster the development of TCM as an industry and enhance its international exchange through improved services. "As an ancient practice and culture, TCM has always embraced inclusiveness and innovation; otherwise, it would not have survived to the present day, let alone gained appeal in foreign lands," Lin stated. A key document adopted by the Communist Party of China in July emphasized the importance of enhancing mechanisms for preserving and innovating TCM. Yu Yanhong, head of the National Administration of TCM, pledged to refine the promotion of scientific and technological innovation in the field. Dajing TCM, a medical information technology company based in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, showcased its AI pulse diagnosis devices at the exhibition. Sales director Zhang Yu highlighted that their products stand out in terms of portability and cost-effectiveness. Weighing about 1 kilogram, each device is priced around 30,000 yuan (approximately 4,200 U.S. dollars). Zhang noted that their primary customers include health and wellness centers, community clinics, and households. "We are collaborating with our foreign counterparts to explore overseas markets. The potential for TCM technology products will expand as TCM gains popularity in other regions," Zhang said. This is my third trip to Jaipur in less than a year. In all my visits, I have tried to meet with Padmanabh Singh, better known by his nickname, Pacho. He hails from the ancestral rulers of Jaipur. His great-grandfather Man Singh II was the last ruler of the princely state before his grandfather Maharaja Bhawani Singh. Bhawani Singhs only child is Pachos mother, Diya Kumari, currently the deputy chief minister of Rajasthan as part of the BJP government. So, Bhawani Singh had to adopt his grandson to ensure patrilineal customs. Pacho, 26, is globally renowned already. Arguably, he is among Indias best known names abroad in the august company of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah Rukh Khan. Pacho grew up in Jaipur, but studied in the UK and then Rome, Italy, where he became involved in the countrys fashion and luxury scene thanks to his movie-star looks. He featured in many international magazines and even did a campaign for Dolce & Gabbana. Back home in Jaipur, Pacho is not only bringing more international culture and savoir-faire to the Pink City, hes also its biggest ambassador. My trips to Jaipur have involved events that did concern him somehowa polo match that he captained last year and his wildly famous Holi party this year. I never managed more than an introduction. But now that American sportswear brand US Polo Association has signed him on as a global brand ambassador, I requested an interview. It was a maybe five minutes until Pacho, his managers and I walked away from the party up to a private terrace where he and I would sit down for a long-awaited conversation. This collaboration with USPA, the official brand for the governing body of polo in the United States, combines Pachos two great loves: polo and fashion. I am very excited about this partnership because of my love for polo and the beautiful animal that the horse is, he tells me. Weve been in talks with their CEO Michael Prince for many years about how to promote the sport, and it has transcended into the coming together of our two cultures. One of the core features of this partnership is the Marwari horse. It is one of Indias indigenous breeds from Rajasthan, and is one of the most beautiful animals in the world. Sadly, its a dwindling breed, but you will see the Marwari horse front and centre of this campaign. Its amazing how fashion can have an impact. All our dynasties and places were built on the backs of these horses, quite literally. Pacho reminds us that during World War I, an Indian cavalry fought the Battle of Haifa riding the Marwari horses. This was the last time the Marwari horse was used in battle, and it has brought victory. They are a great and majestic breed, he passionately reiterates. The capsule collection is delightfully stylish. It is preppy and polo-inspired with zardozi crests, white pants and draws from the familys Jaipur flag. Weve designed the collection together, Pacho elaborates. It is a marriage between my life and the USPA style. Its core feature is the Pachranga, the colours of our Jaipur Polo Team jersey. The Pachranga is very special to me and our family, one of our ancestors went and fought a war in Afghanistan and conquered five tribes. They took a colour for each of the tribes and that became our standard, our flag. When my great-grandfather launched the Jaipur Polo Team, he wore the Pachranga as their jersey. USPA found this exciting too. Youll see Pachrangas everywhere, jerseys and the inside of collars. Not since Maharani Gayatri Devi has Jaipur had a global face or as much global attention. Gayatri Devi was Pachos great-grandfather Man Singh IIs third wife, a polo player and an internationally renowned fashion icon. Legendary photographer Cecil Beaton has photographed her for Vogue magazine naming her among the 10 most beautiful women in the world. Jacqueline Kennedy had visited her in Jaipur. It isnt fair to compare me to Gayatri Devi; what she has done for fashion, the impact she has had, is incomparable. She inspired men but also women, to be proud of themselves and not succumb to patriarchy or pressures of society. She brought glamour to Jaipur. Through her style and her social work; and Im just very grateful to have that legacy in the family, Pacho says. I grew up here, I know Jaipur inside out. I appreciate how beautiful the city is, theres something for everybody hereits magical. It is my dream to get more and more people to experience Jaipur, whether through polo or fashion or whatever else Jaipur has to offer. The moment USPA talks about the Marwari breed and their more than 1,000 stores across the world talks about it, it's quite another thing. It is a meaningful partnership. What is Pachos personal dressing style? Very classic, he replies. Of late Ive been trying out something new. I love wearing Rajasthani items. I wear a lot of mulmul, jootis, and linenclothes that are indigenous to this part of the world. I love the Rajasthani farmers shirt. Its like a short kurta with a pleat in the front and two pleats at the back. Its an airy, boxy, mulmul shirt with a simple Nehru collar. Its my go-to. Then, a lot of my fashion revolves around before and after polo, too, since I play so much of it. Youll see me in a lot of polo whites, and sweaty, dirty polo shirts, he laughs. Pachos parties, be they Holi, Diwali, or Navratri, are in equal parts ceremonial and raging. He has brought Jaipur back to its spot as an international hotspot. Jaipur has always been about celebrating things in a special way, he offers. Does he find it hard to make friends in all the pomp and noise? I think of myself as a very good judge of character. Youll always find people that inspire love in you and hope that you can inspire love in them too. Im grateful for the relationships that I have and grateful for the people that I have them with. Is Pacho, one of Indias most eligible bachelors, going to get married anytime soon? No, not anytime soon, he says shyly. The joint action project JOULE (Joint Operation Unifying Last-mile Electrification) by the Climate Pledge aims to support 5,500 EVs in Bengaluru by 2030. This will help avoid an estimated 25,700 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Additionally, JOULE will also help save approximately 11.2 million litres of fuel. Supported by Pledge signatories including Amazon, Mahindra Logistics, Uber, HCLTech, Greenko and Deloitte, as well as industry partners Kazam and Magenta Mobility, the shared charging stations have been powered by renewable energy and will support about 5,500 electric vehicles in Bengaluru by 2030. Pledge signatories and partners will collectively invest over US$2.65 million into the project by 2030. Interestingly all these companies will work together to optimise the usage of the EV charging stations, combining the charging needs of their EV fleets to ensure the infrastructure is well utilised. Industry partner Kazam, an India-based EV charging platform, will build a network of shared charging stations. The project will also be supported by renewable energy provider Greenko and consulting partner Deloitte. As part of this project, the first EV charging station at Doddakallasandra in Bengaluru has become fully operational. The project aims to build five more charging stations in Bengaluru by the end of this year, with plans to expand further in order to meet the growing demand for local EV infrastructure. In order to maximize utilisation, the infrastructure will also be available for other companies to charge their fleet vehicles during the day. All of the electricity used by the charging stations (projected to reach 22,700 megawatt-hours of power) will be matched with 100 per cent renewable energy, amounting to an estimated 6.2 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030. By the same year, the project is also expected to save over 11.2 million litres of fuel and abate an estimated 25,700 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Beyond reducing tailpipe emissions, the project is expected to create an estimated 185 full-time jobs in Bengaluru between 2024-2030. "Establishing a shared network of EV charging stations in Bengaluru is a significant step towards achieving our national goal of increasing electric vehicle adoption, and we are supportive of this innovation. This initiative will enhance the accessibility of EV infrastructure and demonstrate the power of public-private partnerships in driving India's transition to a more sustainable future, remarked Gunjan Krishna, Industries Commissioner, Government of Karnataka. According to a Deloitte White Paper, for India to achieve its goal of having EV sales account for 30 per cent of all new vehicle sales by 2030, the country will require a ratio of 1 station per 20 vehicles. However, the current ratio is approximately one charging station per 135 EVs which is significantly lower than this and hinders the countrys transition to EVs. As per the White Paper, there are challenges, such as the lack of EV charging stations, uncertainty in utilisation rates, and range anxiety, coupled with hesitance from businesses to install charging stations due to high capital costs and the lack of awareness of benefits, remain concerns for prospective EV owners. JOULE aims to address these challenges by establishing dedicated charging stations that will offer priority access, security services, essential amenities, and dedicated parking slots for corporate consumers. By bringing together companies on both the demand and supply sides and aggregating usage demand, the project also provides greater certainty on the utilisation rate and financial viability of the infrastructure. JOULE will help us advance our goal of deploying 10,000 EVs in India by 2025. We have over 7,300 EVs in our India operations and we are on track to achieve this and remain committed to collaborating with manufacturers, delivery service providers, and others to scale EV adoption, said Abhinav Singh, VP of Operations at Amazon India. Last year, the Climate Pledge announced the Laneshift initiative committing $10 million to C40 Cities to kickstart the development and deployment of zero-emission electric trucks and charging infrastructure across major cities in India and Latin America. In India, Laneshift will accelerate the development of the EV infrastructure and the deployment of EV vehicles across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Pune, helping to reduce emissions, clean up the air and generate new jobs. China is testing its next-generation carrier-borne stealth fighter jet, called J-35, to be deployed on its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which is equipped with an electromagnetic catapult. J-35 is being touted as the Chinese equivalent of Lockheed Martin's fifth-generation fighter jet, the F-35. A new type of warplane was tested a few months ago on the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, Global Times quoted official broadcaster CCTV as saying. ALSO READ: Will Russia's Su-75 Checkmate fighter aircraft soon be added to Indian Air Force arsenal? China currently has two aircraft carriers, Liaoning, a refit of the Soviet-era ship, and Shandong, an indigenously built 2nd aircraft carrier commissioned in 2019. Its third aircraft carrier, Fujian, which is currently undergoing trials, is larger than the two carriers. It has a displacement capacity of 80,000 tonnes. Fujian is the "first fully domestically developed and constructed" aircraft carrier with an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) similar to that of the American aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, according to media reports. While Liaoning and Shandong are equipped with ski-jump take-off ramps, Fujian features a flat-top flight deck. READ MORE: After Jaishankar's '75% sorted' remark, China says troops disengaged at 4 places, including Galwan The new warplane is operational not only on China's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which is equipped with electromagnetic catapults but also on the previous two carriers, the ramp-equipped Liaoning and Shandong, experts said, and added that this will significantly boost the capabilities of Chinese aircraft carriers. The J-35 is being developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation as China's second fifth-generation fighter jet, following the J-20. It is designed for use on aircraft carriers and is still in the development and prototype phase. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has invited the protesting junior doctors for talks at her Kalighat residence at 5 pm on Monday. This comes two days after the attempt to hold talks failed last Saturday over the live-streaming demand of the doctors. In an email inviting the doctors "for the fifth and the final time", the state government said there won't, however, be a videography or live telecast of this meeting as the matter is pending before the Supreme Court. "Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both the parties," Chief secretary Manoj Pant said in the e-mail. "This is the fifth and the final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting between the honourable CM and the delegates. In line with our discussion the day before (Saturday), we are once again inviting you for the meeting with the CM at her Kalighat residence for discussions with an open mind," he wrote. Rain couldn't stop the people of Kolkata! Massive rally in support of RG Kar junior doctors shows growing anger towards the state government#RGKarProtest#JusticeForRGKar#Kolkata pic.twitter.com/B3DVGjhFNa Surajit (@surajit_ghosh2) September 15, 2024 Also read: Kolkata rape-murder: Sandip Ghosh had 'frequent, long' phone calls with station officer Abhijit Mondal The doctors' representatives who came to Kalighat for the meeting on Saturday have been requested to come on Monday as well. Only 30 representatives of doctors will be allowed. The doctors responded to the mail, stating they would discuss it among themselves and then announce their decision on whether to attend the meeting. Junior doctors of the state-run hospital have been on cease work in protest against the rape-murder of a doctor in the facility on August 9. There were hopes of a breakthrough when Mamata visited the protest site on Saturday to invite them for talks. However, the proposed meeting fell through with the protesters demanding the meeting be live-telecasted, which the government refused to accept. Mamata stepped out to appeal to the doctors to join the talks and urged them "not to insult her," and promised them that a signed copy of the minutes of the meeting would be given. The protesters claimed they were asked to leave after waiting in front of her residence for three hours. In a move that could break the impasse caused by the protests by junior doctors in West Bengal, the agitators on Monday accepted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees yet another offer for talks but demanded that they be handed over a signed copy of the minutes of the meeting. The state government readily accepted the demand and the two sides are likely to meet at Banerjees official residence in Kolkata in the evening. Earlier in the day, the chief minister had invited for the fifth and the final time the junior doctors who have been protesting for over a month seeking justice to the trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at the RG Kar medical college hospital in the state capital. "This is the fifth and the final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting between the honourable CM and the delegates. In line with our discussion the day before (Saturday), we are once again inviting you for the meeting with the CM at her Kalighat residence for discussions with an open mind," Chief secretary Manoj Pant said in the e-mail. In reply to the letter, the agitating doctors said they were willing to attend the meeting and place their demands before the chief minister. "As law-abiding citizens of the country, we are more than willing to attend the meeting. But it would have been really appreciated if the place of the meeting would have been an official and an administrative place as the matter is related to governance," they said. #WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: Junior doctors from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital leave from the premises to attend the meeting with CM Mamata Baernjee at her residence. pic.twitter.com/06ZkaOqedw ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2024 "We would like to emphasise that the meeting be videographed by separate videographers of both the parties. If not possible from your side, entire video file of the meeting be handed over to the doctor representatives. If that is not possible, then the minutes of the full transcript of the meeting be recorded and formulated by both the parties and duly signed by all the attendees and handed over at the end of the meeting," the doctors further said. The chief secretary responded, saying both the parties will sign the minutes of the meeting and copies will be shared with each party to ensure clarity. #WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: A junior doctor says, "We are going there (to meet CM Mamata Banerjee). Two stenographers from our side will be there." pic.twitter.com/u2torBi5EM ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2024 West Bengal has been witnessing widespread protests by junior doctors and medical students ever since the body of the 31-year-old trainee doctor was found at the seminar hall of the RG Kar hospital on August 9. A civil volunteer has been arrested in the case. The CBI, which took over the probe following a directive by the Calcutta High Court, has arrested former principal of the RG Kar medical college Sandip Ghosh in connection with a separate corruption case, while Abhijit Mondal, the officer-in-charge of Tala Police Station, was taken into custody for allegedly tampering with evidence and delaying registration of the FIR. As Odishas Bharatiya Janta Party government headed by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi completed three months on September 12, the ruling party seems to be focusing on its pre-election double engine development thrust. That Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Odisha on his birthday on September 17 when he will launch the state governments flagship scheme Subhadra Yojana for women that had helped BJPs victory in the last election shows that both the governments in Delhi and Bhubaneswar belonging to the same party are working in tandem for developmental as well as political purposes. Subhadra scheme will benefit over one crore women in Odisha, says an advertisement published by the state government today in all the newspapers. Bhubaneswars Janta Maidan will be the venue for the prime ministers programme. It was the same venue where on June 12, he had attended Odishas first BJP governments swearing-in ceremony along with central leaders including chief ministers of other BJP ruled states. During its campaign for the last Lok Sabha and assembly electionswhich had been held togetherthe BJP in its election manifesto had promised Subhadra Yojana which would provide a grant of Rs 50,000 to each besides a procurement rate of Rs 3,100 per quintal of paddy to farmers. Both the promises helped the BJPalong with the Pandian factorto end 24-years-old Naveen Patnaik regime as well as his Biju Janta Dals rout in all parliament seats in the state. The result was BJPs victory in both the polls. The first BJP government in the state had taken oath on June 12 under the chief ministership of tribal leader Mohan Charan Majhi. Besides sticking to the implementation of the partys election manifesto, the chief minister has visited Delhi a few times to approach the central ministers to get the Centres support unlike the previous government which was complaining of alleged neglect from the Centre. Since Union Railway Minister Aswini Vaishnaw is a Rajya Sabha MP from Odisha, he has been more liberal now to the state after the BJP governments installation. Besides announcing new rail line projects, he has introduced more Vande Bharat Express trains in the state. Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India, has also sanctioned new highways after Majhi met him. Prime Minister Modi during his aggressive election campaign in the state had promised to make Odisha a best developed state. So,when he is coming to Bhubaneswar for the second time, three months after the BJP governments formation, he is going to lay foundation stones and dedicate projects worth Rs 3800 crore. This includes rail projects worth Rs 2,800 crore and highways costing Rs 1000 crore. But, the main purpose of Modis Bhubaneswar visit is to launch Subhadra Yojana for women. Though no one has said anything about the coinage, Subhadra is the name of the states reigning deity Lord Jagannaths younger sister. In Puri temple the brother and sister along with elder brother Lord Balabhadra are worshiped and every year they join the famous car festival installed on three chariots. Subhadra Yojana is an initiative to empower women by providing them financial assistance. Ove 50 lakh women have already registered for the scheme which is going to give financial benefits to many households across the state. Each eligible woman within the age of 21 to 60 will get Rs 50,000 within next five years. It means each woman will get Rs 10,000 per annum in two equal installments from current year 2024-25 to 2028-29.The payment will be made in DBT process to the beneficiarys Aadhar enabled and DBT enabled bank account with first phase transfer on March 8the international womens dayand the second phase on Rakhi Purnima every year. For this, Rs 10,000 crore has been provided in this years budget. Each beneficiary will get the first installment of Rs 5000 on September 17 which coincides with the prime ministers birthday. According to PMO, on this historic occasion, the prime minister would initiate the fund transfer into the bank accounts of more than 10 lakh women. Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida has said the applicants of Subhadra Yojana, who have submitted their applications by September 15 will receive their first installment on September 17. This announcement has come amidst long queues by women all over the state for registration. Over 50 lakh women have already registered for the scheme, according to the deputy CM. The state government on Sunday transferred Re 1 to the accounts of beneficiaries of Subhadra Yojana to test the success of the accounts transfer. Odisha government has declared holiday for all schools and colleges in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday for the prime ministers visit. Government offices at Bhubaneswar will also be closed for the first half of the day, according to the Chief Ministers Office. According to the Prime Ministers Office, Subhadra Scheme is the largest single women-centric scheme and it is expected to cover more than one crore women. During the same programme, the prime minister will release the first installment of assistance to nearly 13 lakh beneficiaries under PMAY-G of around 14 states. The Griha Pravesh celebrations for 26 lakh beneficiaries of PMAY(Gramin and Urban) from across the country will be held during the programme. PM will hand over the keys of the houses to the PMAY (Gramin and Urban) beneficiaries. He will also launch the Awaas + 2024 App for a survey of additional households for PMAY-G. Further, the prime minister will launch the Operational Guidelines of Pradhan Mantri awas Yojana-Urban(PMAY-U)2.0. The prime ministers Bhubaneswar programme on his birthday after he has taken over for the third term makes it a national programme with a political message. Modi is going to speak from a state where his party has formed government on its own for the first time. But the main opposition party, the BJD, has criticized the Subhadra Yojana as an election gimmick. Its Rajya Sabha MP MS Sulata Deo noted that the scheme was promised to benefit 2.25 crore women which has been reduced. The schemes promise of Rs 50,000 per year was supposed to help women invest, but their plans have been thwarted. Now the beneficiary will get only Rs. 27 per day. What she will do with this ?, she said. In the last budget session of the state assembly, the opposition accused the government of betraying the states women through this scheme, though the government countered the allegations by terming it as women empowerment scheme. As far as the new rail projects are concerned, last month the Centre had sanctioned six rail lines out of which four will be in Odisha and the rest will connect it with other states. These are Gunupur-Therubali new line (73 km), Junagarh-Nabarangpur new line (116.2 km), Badampahar-Kendujhargarh new line (82 km), Bangiriposi-Gorumahisani new line (85.6 km) which will be fully in Odisha. Malkangiri-Pandurangpuram via Bhadrachalam new line (173.6 km) will connect Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telengana. Buramara-Chakulia new line (60 km) will connect Odisha with Jharkhand and West Bengal. Railway Minister Vaishnaw has said these six projects covering five states including Odisha will cover 12 districts adding 700 km of rail line. These projects will enhance connectivity to aspirational districts like KBK districts of Odisha. Official sources say these are essential routes for transportation of commodities such as agriculture products, fertilizer, coal, iron, ore, steel, cement, bauxite, limestone, aluminium, granite, ballast and containers. Then in another decision by the cabinet committee on economic affairs last month, two major rail projects have been sanctioned for Odisha to promote tourism and economic activities in western districts which are traditional bases of the BJP. These projects are Bargarh Road-Nuapara via Padmapur new rail line and Sardega-Bhalumuda double line project. Vaishaw has said there were demands from people and elected representatives for Bargarh Road-Nuapada new line project and it will provide connectivity to the rice bowl of India, the hub of Sambalpuri handloom and famous Nrusinghanath temple in Bargarh district. This line will also provide additional route to Raipur, the capital of neighbouring Chhattisgarh besides the busy freight corridor of Titlagarh in western Odishas Bolangir district. According to Railway sources, all steel plants in the region are going for huge expansion. This line will be vital for moving finished steel from these steel plants to north India. Coal from Angul district in Odisha will be transported towards Raipur region for various industries. This line will reduce the logistic cost of domestic coal movement by reducing the distance and detention. Iron ore from Daitary and Gandhamardan in Odisha can go via this route to steel plants of Raipur region. According to projected freight traffic, it will load 6.5 million tonnes per annum of coal, 3 MTPA of iron ore, 4.5 MTPA of steel, 0.5 MTPA of cement, 0.5 MTPA of rice and other goods. From tourism side, it will connect Nrusinghanath temple, Debrigarh sanctuary and Sunabeda. According to Odishas Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari, the state government will provide land for the projects without delay and will extend all support to complete the projects in time. This 138 km rail line will cost Rs. 2926 crore and is expected to be completed in five years. The Sardega-Bhalumunda double line will cost Rs. 1300 crore and its distance is 37 km. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has said the previous government in the state was not offering special cooperation for land acquisition for railways projects. With current double engine government, he expects all hurdles to railway development to be cleared. Majhi made this comment on Sunday while returning to Bhubaneswar from Berhampur by the Berhampur-Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express virtually inaugurated by the prime minister. Modi flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains in Odisha on Sunday. These two trains started running from Berhampur and Rourkela. The latter will connect Howrah. One more Vande Bharat Express which will run from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to Durg in Chhatisgarh via Raygada in south Odisha is to be flagged off by Modi. Chief Minister Majhi has said six Vande Bharat trains will now pass through Odisha. He said the Centre has already sanctioned projects worth Rs 70000 crore out of the Rs 1 lakh crore investment planned for development of railway infrastructure in Odisha. He said the golden era of railways in Odisha has started. I&B Minister Vaishnaw also approved 19 FM radio channels in six towns of Odisha. As far as the road development is concerned, Union ministry of Road Transport and Highways has agreed in principle to execute four highway projects in Odisha. Last month, Gadkari reviewed 51 ongoing national highway projects for Odisha in the presence of Chief Minister Majhi and state Works minister Prithviraj Harichandan in Delhi. Projects worth Rs 21650 crore were discussed in the review meeting. The chief minister requested Gadkari to consider Odishas proposal for six-laning of 60 km BhubaneswarPuri highway at a cost of Rs 1800cr,200 km Chandikhol-Barbil at a projected estimate of Rs 10000 crore; four-laning of 54 km Khurda-Nayagarh national highway at a cost of Rs 1100 cr; four-laning of Kesinga-Junagarh national highway at a cost of Rs 1000 crore. It was decided that the Union ministry will take steps to prepare detailed project reports of all these four projects. The chief minister also submitted proposals of a few more projects including four grand ring roads. All these projects will involve investment of more than Rs. 40000 crore. The state government is planning to develop 75000 kms of world class roads in the next five years as per the manifesto promises of quality roads in both rural and urban areas. Chief Minister Majhi has said the second AIIMS in the state will be set up in Sambalpur of western Odisha. Now Bhubaneswar has one AIIMS which had been the first AIIMS after Delhi. It had been set up by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. But Odisha has not been included in the Centres decision to develop 12 new industrial cities in nine states. It has led to criticism as Odishas potential is enormous and during last year of the previous BJD government, around 10 lakh crore of industrial investment was in the pipeline. Though the BJP had announced during elections to give 300 units of free power to counter BJDs 100 units of free electricity, now Deputy Chief Minister Mr K.V. Singhdeo who holds Energy department has said there was no free power commitment and people can set up solar panels on roof top under PM Suryaghar Yojana availing subsidy and generate 300 units of power. In the meantime, the BJP has started its membership drive as per national programme and Majhi has expressed hope if party expands its membership campaign it can remain in power in the state for the next 25 years. May be he is hoping to add one more year for the BJP against 24 years of reign of his predecessor. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to tender his resignation during his meeting with Lt Governor V.K. Saxena on Tuesday afternoon, reports said quoting official sources. Saxena has given Kejriwal appointment for a meeting at 4.30 pm, they said. "The chief minister has sought time from Saxena for a meeting on Tuesday. He is likely to tender his resignation," the Aam Aadmi Party had earlier said. Kejriwal, who walked out of jail on bail in a corruption case linked to the Delhi excise policy scam, made a surprise announcement on Sunday when he said he would resign from the chief ministers post within two days. The AAP supremo also said he would become the chief minister and Manish Sisodia his deputy only when people say we are honest. Sisodia had been granted bail in the same case last month. On Monday, the party said Kejriwal will submit his resignation on Tuesday and as soon as the resignation is accepted, there will be a meeting of the legislative party which will elect the next leader. 2 @ArvindKejriwal#__ pic.twitter.com/ILfr7KtWag Aam Aadmi Party Delhi (@AAPDelhi) September 15, 2024 According to reports, one of the prominent names doing the rounds as a possible successor to Kejriwal is Delhi minister Atishi. The Kalkaji MLA, who holds over 10 ministerial portfolios in the cabinet, has been a troubleshooter for the AAP in the recent days, defending the party against allegations of corruption. There are also speculation that Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal may succeed him as the chief minister. The West Bengal government and the protesting doctors are finalising the minutes after their nearly two-hour long meeting at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees residence in Kolkata got over. The meeting, which was originally scheduled at 5 pm, began around 6:50 pm and ended around 9 pm. A 35-member delegation of the protesting doctors reached the chief ministers Kaligat residence at 6.20 pm after the state government agreed to their demand for a signed copy of the minutes of the meeting. Earlier, the efforts to initiate a dialogue between the two sides had failed four times after the protesters insisted on their demand for a live-streaming of the talks. On Monday, the government extended a fresh invitation for talks, which the protesters accepted on condition that a signed copy of the meeting should be given to them. The government readily agreed to their demand paving way for the meeting in the evening. Chief Secretary Manoj Pant in his letter inviting the protesters for the dialogue had mentioned that this was the fifth and the final time the government was reaching out to them. In line with our discussion the day before (Saturday), we are once again inviting you for the meeting with the CM at her Kalighat residence for discussions with an open mind," Pant had said. In reply to the letter, the agitating doctors said they were willing to attend the meeting and place their demands before the chief minister. "We would like to emphasise that the meeting be videographed by separate videographers of both the parties. If not possible from your side, entire video file of the meeting be handed over to the doctor representatives. If that is not possible, then the minutes of the full transcript of the meeting be recorded and formulated by both the parties and duly signed by all the attendees and handed over at the end of the meeting," they said. West Bengal has been witnessing widespread protests by junior doctors and medical students ever since the body of the 31-year-old trainee doctor was found at the seminar hall of the RG Kar hospital on August 9. A civil volunteer has been arrested in the case. The CBI, which took over the probe following a directive by the Calcutta High Court, has arrested former principal of the RG Kar medical college Sandip Ghosh in connection with a separate corruption case, while Abhijit Mondal, the officer-in-charge of Tala Police Station, was taken into custody for allegedly tampering with evidence and delaying registration of the FIR. India on Monday slammed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamanei's remark on minorities in the country. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement condemned Khamanei's remarks and termed it as "misinformed" and "unacceptable". "We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable. Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others," said MEA. La tentative des ennemis de lIslam a ete de nous rendre indifferents a lidentite unique appelee "Oummah islamique"; On ne peut pas se considerer comme musulman et en meme temps etre inconscient des souffrances qu'un musulman traverse au #Myanmar, a #Gaza, en #Inde ou ailleurs. Ayatollah Khamenei (@fr_Khamenei) September 16, 2024 On the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammed, Khamenei equated the "suffering" of Muslims in India to those in Gaza and Myanmar. The supreme leader also called for solidarity among the members of the community across the world. We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or any other place, Khamenei said in his post on X. This is not the first time Iran's supreme leader has mentioned the Muslims in India. In 2019, Khamenei reacted to the Narendra Modi government's decision to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. He had said, "We're concerned about Muslims' situation in Kashmir. We have good relations with India, but we expect the Indian government to adopt a just policy towards the noble people of Kashmir and prevent the oppression and bullying of Muslims in this region." Union Home Minister Amit Shah said as long as Prime Minister Narendra Modis government is in power, no force can bring back terrorism in Jammu. He was addressing an election rally at Padder-Nagseni in Kishtwar constituency, one of the 24 assembly seats going to polls in the first phase on September 18. Shah reiterated that the BJP government is committed to completely eliminating terrorism.Anti-national and anti-peace elements are trying to bring back the 90s-like atmosphere in the Jammu region, he said, adding, Let me assure you, we will push terrorism several feet below the ground so that it doesnt erupt again. Jammu and Kashmir: Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, "They say if their government comes to power, they will reconsider reservations. Don't be fooled by the term 'reconsider.' If they come to power, they will remove reservations. When it came to granting reservations to the pic.twitter.com/gGKO5dIP1K IANS (@ians_india) September 16, 2024 The home minister also criticised National Conference (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah for his actions during the peak of violence in Kishtwar. He said Abdullah should be asked where he was during the bloodshed. I know where he wasenjoying on the beaches of London, Shah claimed. #WATCH | Kishtwar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, "The upcoming elections are between two forces. On one hand, you have the BJP which walks on the ideals of Pandit Prem Nath Dogra and Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee. Its clear to us that J&K was and will always be an integral pic.twitter.com/wJ4U2JfqSI ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2024 He accused the NC-Congress alliance of laying the foundation for terrorism and separatism in Jammu and Kashmir. Shah claimed these parties were responsible for pushing Maharaja Hari Singh out of Jammu and Kashmir, adding, Only his mortal remains returned. They also caused the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990. This was Shahs second visit to the Jammu region since September 6. He said the Village Defence Guards (VDGs) and Special Police Officers (SPOs) have been equipped with the latest weapons and powers to stop infiltrators before they can reach towns and cities. We wont allow anyone to use Indian soil for terrorism. Regarding Article 370, he said there is no place for it in the Indian Constitution, and called it a part of history. He asked the crowd if they wanted to bring back the NC-Congress government, to which they responded with a loud no. He said the NC-Congress cannot restore Article 370. Let me be clear, neither terrorism nor Article 370 will return. Taking a jab at NC vice president Omar Abdullah, Shah remarked that Omar initially said he wouldnt contest elections in the Union territory but later decided to contest from two seats. This shows he has accepted defeat. Let me tell you, you cant win from either seat. He assured that under Modis government, the reservation for Gujjars and Paharis will not be reversed. #WATCH | Kishtwar, J&K: Addressing a public rally, Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, "... I had promised the Gurjars that Pahadis will get the reservation but it will not affect Gurjars. And now, the Modi government has given reservation to Pahadis without touching the Gurjar pic.twitter.com/gYHpfUxLmY ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2024 There is no question of bringing back two constitutions, two flags, and two leaders, he said. Shyama Prasad Mukherjis vision has been fulfilled, and no power can reverse that. Promising development for Paddar and Kishtwar, Shah urged the people to support Sunil Sharma, the BJP candidate. You already have Jitendra Singh in the PMO. If Sunil wins, they will work together for your development, he said. We have big plans for Paddar and Kishtwar. NAIROBI, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Amos Omondi, a resident of Nairobi, Kenya's capital, enjoys relaxing in urban saunas, surrounded by sleek, well-equipped spa facilities. Recently, however, Omondi has traded city luxuries for a more natural experience, venturing into the scenic depths of Eburru Forest, located in the resort town of Naivasha, about 100 kilometers northwest of Nairobi. "This is better than the sauna in the city because you get to enjoy the scenic views of the forest," Omondi told Xinhua. He is among a growing number of visitors flocking to a hidden gem in Eburru Forest, a natural underground geothermal steam vent. To reach the site, visitors must descend a steep, rocky path, where steam rises from a crack in a rocky outcrop. "There was a rupture in the rock where geothermal activity occurred, allowing steam to escape at temperatures of up to 90 degrees Celsius," said Douglas Chege, a tour guide with over a decade of experience. To counter the strong sulfuric smell common in geothermal sites, Chege employs a unique technique: squeezing mint leaves between the rocks, infusing the air with a refreshing, calming scent. After spending 20 minutes in the sauna, Omondi emerged drenched in sweat. "I feel very refreshed. I wish I could have stayed longer," he said as he climbed back up the rocks. Eburru Forest, covering roughly 8,000 hectares (80 square kilometers), sits on the rolling foothills of Mount Eburru, an active volcanic mountain. It is part of the larger Mau Forest, Kenya's largest water tower. Yet, the forest was not always as lush as it is today. In the late 1990s, uncontrolled logging and charcoal production nearly decimated it. The Kenya Forest Service (KFS), in collaboration with the Rhino Ark Kenya Charitable Trust, a conservation organization, launched restoration measures by installing a 43.4-kilometer electric fence to protect the forest and reduce human-wildlife conflict. The initiative has been a success, with biodiversity steadily returning, according to Josephat Wagura, a KFS fence attendant. Wagura said that local communities have become key stakeholders in conservation efforts, benefiting from activities such as honey harvesting and eco-tourism. "People used to fear farming or building permanent homes because of wildlife attacks," Wagura said. "Now, they live peacefully with the animals and in better homes." Eburru Forest is also a haven for bird watchers and home to several species, including the critically endangered mountain bongos, as well as leopards, giant forest hogs and buffaloes. To access the natural sauna, visitors have to pay a small entry fee to KFS. "We have guests from Europe and America who come to enjoy the sauna. They always return because it works wonders," Chege said. He also advised that visitors should have a guard accompany them to the sauna, as wild animals frequent the forest. Chege further urged sponsors to help set up changing rooms for added guest comfort. PORT VILA, Vanuatu, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Vantage Markets (or "Vantage"), a leading multi-asset broker, is excited to announce a major update to its copy trading platform, alongside the launch of another engaging new video. The platform enhancements include up to 10 personalised trading strategies, customisable settlement periods, and the ability to trade using different account types and currencies interchangeably. For example, an ECN account set to INR can now seamlessly copy trades from a Swap-free account operating in USD. These new features are designed to provide traders with greater control and flexibility, reflecting Vantage's commitment to enhancing the trading experience. The latest updates aim to simplify and enrich the trading process, offering improved options for traders to manage their investments. Complementing these updates is the second part of Vantage's vibrant video series, which highlights the active trading community on the platform and celebrates the new features available. The enhanced copy trading functionality allows traders to create up to 10 customised strategies, each with unique instruments, methods, and profit-sharing ratios. Users can replicate multiple portfolios from the same Signal Provider, and trading between different account types and currencies is now effortless. Transparent settlement statements are accessible on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, or for customised periods. Lian J, spokesperson for Vantage, commented, "We are thrilled to offer our traders more control and choices with these new features. By enhancing flexibility and providing tailored solutions, we aim to support the success of both copy traders and Signal Providers. Our new video and feature updates are a testament to our commitment to delivering a superior trading experience." To celebrate the launch of these new features and the video series, Vantage is extending its previous promo code offer. Download the Vantage App and use promo code EARN10 to claim your bonus and start trading today. Terms and conditions apply. About Vantage Vantage Markets (or Vantage) is a multi-asset broker offering clients access to a nimble and powerful service for trading Contracts for Difference (CFDs) products, including Forex, Commodities, Indices, Shares, ETFs, and Bonds. With over 14 years of market experience, Vantage transcends the role of broker, providing a trusted trading ecosystem, an award-winning mobile trading app, and a user-friendly trading platform that empowers clients to seize trading opportunities. Download the Vantage App on App Store or Google Play. trade smarter @vantage RISK WARNING : CFD trading carries significant risks. You could lose more than your initial investment. Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZhrgOmksS8 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1745281/Vantage_Logo.jpg (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR PWR New Delhi, India Sept. 16, 2024: ECODRIVE, a leader in sustainable and innovative film solutions, proudly announces a significant brand overhaul, reinforcing its commitment to energy efficiency, sustainability, and advanced technology. This transformation reflects ECODRIVEs growth and aligns with its vision to become a global leader in energy-efficient film products, contributing to a greener, more sustainable future. This rebranding reflects ECODRIVEs growth and our sharpened focus on delivering cutting-edge film solutions that help our customers save energy, enhance safety, and elevate aesthetics, said Pavitpal Singh Kohli, Founder and CEO of ECODRIVE. Our new identity allows us to better communicate our value to a global audience as we continue revolutionizing how buildings interact with energy. A New Identity Rooted in Innovation and Sustainability The brand overhaul introduces a fresh logo, an updated visual identity, and a revamped product portfolio designed to serve a broader market. ECODRIVEs product range includes five specialized categories: EcoBuild: Tinted & anti-glare films for heat reduction and energy savings. EcoVision: Transparent films that reduce heat while maintaining clarity. EcoDeco: Decorative films for enhanced aesthetics, privacy, and branding. EcoShield: Security films for anti-shatter protection and theft prevention. EcoUnicity: Specialty films for niche applications such as projection films, whiteboards, and hydrophobic films. This rebrand comes at a pivotal time for the company as it prepares for expanded market penetration, launching its new sales partner model in the NCR region before scaling across India and internationally. Addressing a Booming Market The global window films market is experiencing unprecedented growth as urbanization and sustainability trends drive demand for energy-efficient solutions. By 2028, the industry is projected to reach $15.5 billion, fueled by environmental regulations and rising corporate responsibility. ECODRIVE, with its commitment to innovation and sustainability, is well-positioned to capture a significant share of this expanding market. Cutting-edge technology and Eco-Friendly Solutions With ECODRIVEs advanced films, customers can reduce energy costs by up to 41%, with solar rejection rates as high as 83%. Our films also block 99.93% of harmful UV rays, providing an eco-friendly solution that enhances comfort, reduces cooling loads, and improves sustainability certifications for both residential and commercial buildings. Looking Ahead With the new branding in place, ECODRIVE is poised to continue its journey of innovation and market leadership. As part of its growth strategy, the company has invested heavily in R&D and collaborates with architects, builders, and corporate partners to promote the adoption of energy-efficient window films in construction projects worldwide. About ECODRIVE ECODRIVE is a leading provider of innovative and sustainable window film solutions, specializing in energy efficiency, safety, and aesthetic enhancement for residential and commercial buildings. With over 17 years of experience, ECODRIVE has installed more than a million square meters of protective films across India and internationally. Our state-of-the-art product range includes tinted, transparent, decorative, and security films that not only improve energy savings but also enhance safety, privacy, and building aesthetics. ECODRIVE serves a prestigious clientele, including Indian Oil, Shell, NBCC, ICICI Home Finance, Coal India, Chaayos, HCL Technologies, Fortis Hospitals, Siemens, and Bureau Veritas. Internationally, ECODRIVE has completed projects for Raj Shahi City Corporation (Bangladesh) and Shell (Philippines), further solidifying its global presence. For more information, visit: www.ecodrivefilms.com (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with HT Syndication and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR PWR GUANGDONG, China, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Since the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Guangzhou in Guangdong Province has been a prominent port where Sino-foreign trade flourished, attracting numerous foreign merchants who traveled here along the Maritime Silk Road. Following the founding of the People's Republic of China, Guangdong continued to serve as China's "trade window." To earn foreign exchange and meet the country's urgent demand for various imported materials necessary for large-scale economic construction, Guangdong capitalized on its geographical proximity to Hong Kong and Macao to host three export fairs from October 1955 to May 1956. In this context, officials from the former Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Guangdong Provincial Government considered hosting a national export fair in Guangzhou. From April 25 to May 25, 1957, the first Canton Fair took place, covering an exhibition area of 9,600 square meters and showcasing 10,900 categories of goods. The event attracted 1,223 buyers from 19 countries and regions, achieving an export turnover of $17.54 million. Today, the Canton Fair stands as the longest-running and largest comprehensive international trade exhibition in China, often regarded as "China's No. 1 Exhibition." As of the first half of 2024, this grand event has successfully hosted 135 sessions, established trade relations with 229 countries and regions worldwide, achieved a cumulative export turnover of approximately $1.5 trillion, and attracted over 9.3 million overseas participants. The fair has significantly enhanced trade exchanges and fostered friendly ties between China and other countries and regions across the globe. In 2015, the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone was established in Shenzhen, Guangdong, making it one of the second batch of pilot free trade zones approved in China. Johannes Jozef Bults, a Dutch entrepreneur engaged in import and export in the Qianhai and Shekou Area of Shenzhen, an integral part of the pilot free trade zone, noted that since the establishment of the zone, he has witnessed a continuous optimization of the business environment. "The government's support, from company registration to everyday operations, has made it incredibly convenient for entrepreneurs to do business here," he remarked. Gu Qingyang, an associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, expressed that China is currently at a critical stage of development. He anticipates that Guangdong will continue to embody the pioneering spirit of innovation and exploration, boldly venturing into avenues for high-quality development in China. Since 2024, the term "new quality productive forces" has become a frequently discussed theme in economic plans across various sectors and regions in Guangdong. The province is dedicated to developing the manufacturing industry and prioritizing the real economy, aiming to build a modern industrial system with international competitiveness and accelerate the formation of "new quality productive forces." Additionally, Guangdong is committed to enhancing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, focusing on strengthening major infrastructure connectivity, improving foreign trade cooperation, accelerating industrial investment, and promoting collaboration in marine sectors. The province is also working to continually improve its maritime, land, and air transportation while leading in institutional openness regarding rules, regulations, management, and standards within the Greater Bay Area. The spirit of openness from the Maritime Silk Road continues to thrive. Today, Guangdong has become a microcosm of China's reform and opening-up, serving as a vital window for the world to understand and engage with China. Contact: Mei Zhang Tel.:0086-18611686759 E-mail: 1713543383@qq.com Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2506121/Guangdong_Province.jpg (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR PWR Colombo, Sep 16 (PTI) The Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) on Monday vowed to cancel the Adani Groups wind power project in Sri Lanka if it gets elected in the presidential election scheduled for the weekend. JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the presidential candidate from the broader front National People's Power (NPP), told a political chat show here that they would annul the project. Asked if the project posed a threat to the island nation's energy sector sovereignty, Dissanayake said: Yes. We will definitely cancel it as it threatens our energy sovereignty." The JVP, which led a bloody anti-India rebellion in the island nation between 1987 and 1990 following India's direct intervention in the Lankan civil war through the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord, is believed to be leading in the unofficial polls ahead of the September 21 election. The JVP dubbed the Indo-Lanka Accord a betrayal of the nation and killed the then-ruling party members, supporters and other political activists who supported the pact signed between then-prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and JR Jayewardena, the president of Sri Lanka at that time. The Adani Group has faced fundamental rights litigation in Sri Lanka's supreme court after it got approval for the proposed construction of a wind power project in the island nation's northeastern regions of Mannar and Pooneryn. The Adani Group was set to invest over USD 440 million in the 20-year agreement for the development of 484 megawatts of wind power in the region. Petitioners have raised environmental concerns and lack of transparency in the bidding process to grant Adani Green Energy the go-ahead. Petitioners have also argued that the agreed tariff of USD 0.0826 per kWh would be a loss to Sri Lanka and should be lowered to USD 0.005 per kWh. Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 16 (PTI) The Women in Cinema Collective, an outfit of women professionals working in the Malayalam film industry, on Monday wrote an open letter to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking his intervention to protect the privacy of women who have deposed in front of the Justice K Hema Committee. In the letter posted on its official FB page, the outfit alleged that a private Malayalam television channel is telecasting reports based on the purported statements given by the women film professionals before the government-appointed panel. The WCC said they were now witnessing a situation in which those statements were being dragged to an "irresponsible media trial' by the television channel. It further said that the telecasting of the private statements given by the survivors raises suspicion about the intension of at least some people who have access to the Committee report. The news reports were being aired in a manner in which people can identify the survivors easily, the outfit detailed. "The invasion of privacy is unjust," the WCC said in the letter. Stating that the channel reports have caused mental distress to the survivors, the outfit also strongly urged the CM to intervene in the matter to stop this "news attack" against the privacy of women. The Justice K Hema Committee was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case and its report revealing instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry. Following the allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation cropping up against several actors and directors in the wake of the report being made public, the state government on August 25 announced the establishment of a seven-member special investigation team to probe them. Dhaka, Sep 16 (PTI) Bangladesh's Sufi groups on Monday celebrated the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad amid tightened security in the wake of recent attacks on Sufi shrines, with right-wing groups calling them hubs of un-Islamic practices. Military and paramilitary forces guarded the streets in Dhaka, with police keeping extra vigils on rallies and street marches of the Sufi groups in the capital and other major cities. The Sufi groups urged the far-right Islamic organisations to pay respect to the Muslim saints, recalling their role in preaching Islam with love and promoting interfaith harmony. "We call upon you who have carried out attacks on sufi shrines or torched those sites to refrain from such heinous activities, Islamic spiritual hub Maizbhandar Darbars leader Syed Saifuddin Ahmed told a rally here ahead of an Eid-e-Miladunnabi march. "Dont force the peace-loving followers and admires of Sufism to take to the street, he said and urged the interim government to ensure the security of the shrines and reconstruct the damaged ones. Saifuddin said that the Prophet preached inclusiveness, precisely discarding extremism, while the extremists were now out to destroy social peace and harmony. The Sufi groups celebrate the Miladunnabi amid festivity, while the far-right Islamic groups discourage such practices. "Following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led government through a mass uprising of students and the public, a wave of attacks on shrines occurred across the country, with police remaining uncertain about the motives behind these attacks, read a commentary in the Daily Sun published on Sunday. The attack on famous saint Shah Paran in northeastern Sylhet last week drew massive criticism among civil society figures, rights watchdogs and Sufi groups. Many people on social media posted comments like the (student-led) movement aimed to break discrimination, but now the shrines, culture and civilisations are being broken. The incidents prompted the chief adviser's office to issue a warning against hate speeches and attacks on Sufi shrines alongside any religious and cultural sites and ordered law enforcement agencies to take punitive actions against the perpetrators. "It has come to our notice that a group of miscreants have been attacking Sufi shrines and mazars in the country over the past few days. The Interim Government condemns in the strongest terms any hate speech and attack on the religious and cultural sites and the Sufi shrines, it read. It said the government was acting to bring the unscrupulous forces involved in the attacks to books and initiate stringent legal actions against them. Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony and peaceful coexistence of all beliefs for thousands of years, it said. "We are stating in unambiguous terms that we will remain a country of harmony and any attempts to disturb religious or cultural tolerance and harmony will be strongly dealt with without discrimination, the statement added. Beijing, Sep 16 (PTI) China's top security official visited Tibet last week and instructed the local authorities to step up a crackdown against separatists in the backdrop of the US stepping up its support for the region by passing a new law pressing Beijing to hold talks with the Dalai Lama. Chen Wenqing, the head of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission the ruling Communist Party's top security body, visited the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and some of the 10 Tibetan autonomous prefectures across Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai last week and reviewed security. He called for a resolute crackdown against separatists. He also asked the local officials to maintain stability and guard against independence activities, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Monday. His visit took place as China is tightening security in Tibet ahead of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic to be celebrated on October 1. Chinas top judges and prosecutors have also made their rounds of Tibet. Zhang Jun, President of the Supreme People's Court, visited Tibetan courts last week and said it was necessary to hand down tough punishment to keep up the pressure on "violent terrorism, ethnic separatism and other serious criminal crimes", the Post reported. Ying Yong, head of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, also inspected public prosecutors' offices in Tibet earlier this month. He stressed the need for prosecutors to harshly crack down on all kinds of separatist infiltration, sabotage activities and crimes endangering national security in accordance with the law. In July, the US passed the Resolve Tibet Act, which enhances its support for Tibet and promotes dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama toward a peaceful resolution of the dispute over the status and governance of the remote Himalayan region. Signing the legislation passed by the US Senate and the Congress in July, President Joe Biden said it showed the bipartisan commitment in America to advancing the human rights of Tibetans and supporting efforts to preserve their distinct linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage. He also called on Beijing to resume direct dialogue, without preconditions, with the Dalai Lama, or his representatives, to "seek a settlement that resolves differences and leads to a negotiated agreement on Tibet." China opposed the Resolve Tibet Act, terming it as a destabilising Act. The Act enhances US support for Tibet - empowering State Department officials to actively and directly counter disinformation about Tibet from the Chinese government. It also rejects Beijing's claims that Tibet has been part of China since ancient times, pushing for negotiations without preconditions between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama or his representatives or the democratically elected leaders of the Tibetan community. Last month, China lodged serious protest with the US after a top Biden administration official met the Dalai Lama and reaffirmed Washington's commitment for advancing the human rights of Tibetans and supporting efforts to preserve their distinct historical, linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage. Uzra Zeya, the US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights and Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, met the Dalai Lama in New York while he was recuperating after undergoing a successful knee replacement surgery. Reacting to Zeyas meeting with the Dalai Lama, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning last month told a media briefing here that the 14th Dalai Lama is not a purely religious figure, still less a figure promoting non-violence and peace, but a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion. "China firmly opposes any country allowing the Dalai Lama to make visits under any pretext and opposes government officials of any country meeting with the Dalai Lama in any form," she said. "Weve made a serious protest with the US. The appointment of the so-called US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues constitutes an interference in China's internal affairs. China has never recognised it," Mao said. Washington, Sep 16 (AP) A Christian pastor from California has been freed from China after nearly 20 years behind bars and is back home in the US, the State Department said Monday. David Lin, 68, was detained after he entered China in 2006, later convicted of contract fraud and sentenced to life in prison, according to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and advocacy groups. We welcome David Lin's release from prison in the People's Republic of China. He has returned to the United States and now gets to see his family for the first time in nearly 20 years, the State Department said. Lin frequently travelled to China in the 1990s to spread the gospel, according to China Aid, an US-based advocacy group for persecuted activists in China. The group said Lin sought a license from the Chinese government to carry out Christian ministry. It's unlikely he was granted permission, and he was detained in 2006 when assisting an underground church, China Aid said. Lin was formally arrested in 2009 on suspicion of contract fraud and, after a court review, was sentenced to life in prison, China Aid said. The charge is frequently used against leaders in the house church movement, which operates outside state-sponsored faith groups, and is a crime that Lin denied, according to the Dui Hua Foundation, a humanitarian group that advocates for prisoners in China. The commission on religious freedom says those who participate in and lead house churches often face intimidation, harassment, arrest and harsh sentences. In China, all Christian churches must pledge loyalty to the ruling Communist Party and register with the government. Any unregistered church is considered an underground church, and its activities are considered unlawful in China. Beijing has always cracked down on unlawful preaching, and efforts have only intensified in the past decade. Lin's sentence had been reduced and he had been due for release in April 2030. The commission on religious freedom noted in 2019 that there were reports Lin was in declining health and faced possible threats to his safety in prison. The Chinese foreign ministry didn't immediately respond to requests for comment about Lin's release. It comes after national security adviser Jake Sullivan visited China late last month, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top officials, in a bid to keep communication open as tensions have increased between US and China. Other Americans known to remain detained in China include Mark Swidan, who was sentenced on drug charges, and Kai Li, a businessman who is being held on espionage-related charges that his family says are bogus. Rep. Michael McCaul, the Texas Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was extremely glad Lin was released after 17 years behind bars in China and called for Li and Swidan to be freed immediately. Lin's capture, like so many others, marks a rising trend of hostage diplomacy by authoritarians around the world, McCaul said on the social platform X. (AP) GSP Colombo, Sep 16 (PTI) The Tamil National Alliance on Monday formally decided to stay with their previous decision to extend support to Sajith Premadasa, the opposition challenger, in the Sri Lankan presidential election later this week. Senior leader Mavai Senathirajah told reporters that their political committee meeting held in the northern town of Vavuniya decided to support 57-year-old Premadasa, the current Leader of the Opposition. However, party leader S Sritharan later announced that he would be backing their joint candidate P Ariyanethran. I am not in agreement with this decision, Sritharan said. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) last month announced their decision to field Ariyanethran as the joint Tamil candidate. He is one of the 38 candidates in the fray. Analysts say the TNAs position would strengthen Premadasas chances in a tight contest. An unofficial poll has suggested that Marxist JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake is in the lead over both Premadasa and the incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe. Predictions are that the vote would go to a recount to determine the winner by counting the second preference votes cast. Voters have the option to mark 1-3 against the candidates of their choice. The second and third preference counts would become necessary only if no single candidate wins 50 per cent plus one vote. The TNA has traditionally backed the main opposition candidates in the previous presidential elections. In the last presidential election held in 2019, the TNA backed Premadasa who was defeated by Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Lucknow, Sep 15 (PTI) The Samajwadi Party on Sunday claimed that a business group was "grabbing land" of the most backward Manjhi caste in Ayodhya and alleged that its goons "indulged in hooliganism with farmers", a charge the business conglomerate has denied. After Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and his party posted videos of a clash between two groups and claimed that it was related to land grabbing, the local police said it was taking legal action in the matter and added that the allegations were "not true". The verified X handle of the Samajwadi Party Media Cell posted two clips, and a news report about an alleged scuffle between employees of the the business group and farmers in Ayodhya. In the post accompanying the clips, it alleged, "In Ayodhya, under the instructions/partnership/protection/direction of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, big industrialists are forcibly occupying lands of Dalit/backward class farmers." "After the Ram mandir verdict, Ayodhya has become a hotspot for property and all the BJP/Chief Minister Adityanath/big industrialists want to wash their hands/take a bath/occupy land in the Saryu," it said in Hindi. The handle also shared an X post by party chief Yadav in which he shared a clip of the scuffle. He said in the post accompanying the clip, "Detention of farmers in Ayodhya and relief to billionaires Is the government still in power in UP or has it retired?" The Samajwadi Party Media Cell further alleged in its post, "Abhinandan Lodha Group is occupying lands of the people of the Manjhi community of the extremely backward class and its goons are forcibly beating, coercing and involved in hooliganism with the farmers in Ayodhya. The police administration is sold out at the behest/direction of Chief Minister Adityanath and is unethically supporting the Lodha Group and has sent the farmers to jail." A spokesperson for Lodha Ventures later said the plot of land was sold to it by a farmer. "When we went to take possession of that plot, a group of goons, armed with lathis, attacked our people and injured them," he said. "Our people suffered severe head injuries and have been hospitalised where they are in a serious condition. We have lodged an FIR and arrests have been made by the police," he added. The Ayodhya Police also replied to the Samajwadi Party Media Cell's post and said legal action was being taken. It also posted a video of Senior Superintendent of Police (Ayodhya) Raj Karan Nayyar clarifying the details of the said incident. "On the basis of the application received in connection with the referenced case, a case has been registered by the Ayodhya police station inspector in-charge and necessary legal action is being taken. The facts written in the tweet are incorrect," the police said in its post. District police chief Nayyar said in the video, "The incident is of September 12. The first party informed that it had bought the land from Ramashish Yadav. When Yadav took the buyer to hand over possession of the land, a second group arrived and there was a clash between the two sides." "One person was injured and admitted to hospital and a case was registered under provisions of the law. A complaint was also filed on behalf of the second group by Ramrup on September 13. Necessary action will be taken in this regard," he added. ULAN BATOR, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia welcomed a total of 576,283 foreign tourists in the first eight months of 2024, marking a 23 percent increase compared to the same period last year, according to a statement from the country's Ministry of Culture, Sports, Tourism, and Youth on Monday. From January to August, Russia, China, and South Korea were the top sources of foreign tourists to Mongolia, as reported by the ministry. In a bid to diversify its mining-dependent economy, Mongolia has been actively promoting tourism. The country has designated 2023-2025 as the "Years to Visit Mongolia," with a goal of attracting at least 1 million foreign tourists annually. Last year, Mongolia drew over 650,000 foreign visitors and generated 1.2 billion U.S. dollars from the tourism sector, setting an all-time high. Ahmedabad, Sep 16 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of Shree Somnath Trust in Gujarat capital Gandhinagar in his capacity as its chairperson, an official said on Monday. The Trust manages the world famous Somnath Temple in the state, a PIB release informed. The meeting was held at Raj Bhavan on Sunday night and the PM took stock of the developmental works being undertaken by the Trust, it said. In a post on X, the PM said, "In Gandhinagar, chaired a meeting of the Shree Somnath Trust. We took stock of ways to enhance the experience for pilgrims and further improve the various facilities." The meeting was also attended by former Gujarat bureaucrat PK Laheri and businessman Harshvardhan Neotia, both of whom are trustees. Three other trustees - BJP leader LK Advani, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Gujarat-based scholar JD Parmar could not attend either due to health issues or prior commitments, Laheri told PTI. Vishad Padmanabh Mafatlal, who attended the meeting, was appointed as a trustee, Laheri added. Modi was appointed chairperson of the Trust in January 2021 after the demise of incumbent former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel. Nagpur, Sep 16 (PTI) Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday said the constituents of the Mahayuti alliance- Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP- have arrived at a consensus on contesting 70 to 80 per cent of 288 seats for the assembly elections. He hinted winnability will be the criterion for distributing poll tickets. "The three leaders of Mahayuti (Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pwar) should be congratulated for vowing to win elections unitedly instead of quoting numbers. We will agree upon fielding winnable candidates," the BJP leader told reporters in Nagpur. He was replying to a query on NCP, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, purportedly staking claim to 70 to 80 seats. A consensus has been reached on 70 to 80 per cent of seats and Mahayuti leaders will soon address a joint press conference, he said. Bawankule asked Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange to respond to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks on "removing" reservation. "Rahul Gandhi is trying to remove the present reservations; what will happen to the Maratha quota? Jarange should respond to Rahul Gandhi's remarks," Bawankule told reporters. The BJP has accused the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha of making "anti-reservation" remarks during his visit to the US. Patna, Sep 16 (PTI) After finding out that his photograph was missing from party posters for a meeting, senior Bihar minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav on Monday said he is not in the JD(U), only to retract the comment minutes later, asserting that he made it in jest. Yadav, 77, is one of the most senior leaders of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U). The former state JD(U) president was visibly unhappy over his absence in posters put up on the occasion of the meeting, and told reporters: "I am not in Janata Dal (United). Minutes later, however, Yadav claimed he had made that remark "in jest". Yadav, who has been an MLA from Supaul seat since 1990, is the minister for Energy and Planning & Development departments. The meeting of senior JD (U) leaders with the partys MLAs, MLCs and other office bearers, began at the party's office on the Veer Chand Patel Road on Monday. Several posters, prominently displaying photographs of the chief minister and other party ministers at the Centre and in the state were put up by JD(U) workers outside the venue. However, Yadavs photograph was missing from those posters. Party insiders, on the condition of anonymity, said Yadav was angry due to this, and because he was invited to the meeting at the last minute. Yadav told reporters: Why was I invited to the meeting? I am not in JD the JD (U). However, before the issue could escalate further commented: Whatever I said I didn't mean it. I just made this remark in jest. I am very much in the party. We will fight the 2025 assembly polls in the state under the leadership of Nitish Kumar Ji. The meeting was convened to discuss the strategy for strengthening the party's organisation ahead of the 2025 assembly polls. Bhubaneswar, Sep 16 (PTI) The opposition BJD on Monday said Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi should take up the demand for revision of coal royalty with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Odisha on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference, BJD MP Sasmit Patra said the Centre did not revise the coal royalty for the last 12 years, and because of this, the state has been incurring losses of Rs 10,000 crore every year. "Instead of succumbing to the pressure of the BJP, the chief minister should muster courage and take up state's important issues with the PM, including the revision of coal royalty," he said. The CM should write to the Centre, demanding immediate revision of the coal royalty and also directly take up the issue with the PM on Tuesday. PM Modi will visit Odisha to launch the state's women's welfare scheme 'Subhadra Yojana', and unveil a host of infrastructure projects. Ahead of the visit, senior Congress leader Srikant Jena wrote to the PM, urging him to withdraw the review petition filed by the Centre before the Supreme Court regarding the state's authority on levying cess and taxes on mineral-bearing lands and minerals. "The review petition filed by the Centre is as good as backstabbing the interest of Odisha and benefits a few industrial houses and mine operators. In the larger interest of Odisha, the review petition should be withdrawn," Jena said in the letter. "The rulings of the Supreme Court allow states to levy taxes and cess on mineral-bearing lands and minerals. Odisha is the leading mineral producer in the country, accounting for nearly half of India's total mineral production," he said. The BJD also raised the issue of the establishment of a bench of the high court in the state's western region. Imphal, Sep 16 (PTI) A grenade, hurled by suspected militants, exploded in the residence of Manipur minister Kashim Vashum in Ukhrul district, causing damage to his property, police said on Monday. No one was injured in the incident that occurred on Saturday night, a senior officer said. Vashum said he and his family members were not at home when the grenade exploded. The grenade explosion damaged walls and parts of the minister's house, he said. "Splinters have been recovered and tight security measures have been taken after the grenade attack," the officer said. CCTV footage of the surrounding areas was being examined for investigation, the officer said. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, he said. Vashum is a legislator of the Naga People's Front (NPF), an ally of the ruling BJP in the state. Meanwhile, Tangkhul Naga Long, an apex organisation of the Tangkhul Naga tribe, has strongly condemned the attack and urged the police to book the perpetrators. Kolkata, Sep 16 (PTI) The CBI on Monday interrogated RG Kar hospital's former principal Sandip Ghosh and police officer Abhijit Mondal together in connection with the rape and murder of the doctor, officials said. Ghosh and Mondal, the officer-in-charge of the Tala police station, were asked to detail their activities on August 9 immediately after they got the news about the doctor being found dead at the hospital, they said. They were made to sit face to face and questioned, a CBI officer said. "They were asked about their activities after hearing the news of the death of the doctor, why there was an unnecessary delay in registering the FIR and why the post-mortem examination was conducted even when no formal FIR was lodged," the officer said. "They were also asked about the various phone calls between them when police started investigating the crime," he said. The interrogation is likely to continue late in the night, he added. Both Ghosh and Mondal are in CBI custody till September 17. The CBI had on Saturday evening arrested Mondal and added charges of evidence tampering against Ghosh, who was in judicial custody after being arrested on September 2 in connection with alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar hospital. Mondal also faces accusations of tampering with evidence, delaying registration of the FIR, and other related offences. The RG Kar Medical College and Hospital is located in the jurisdiction of the Tala police station in north Kolkata. The body of the post-graduate trainee doctor was found in the seminar hall of the hospital on August 9. Pakur, Sep 16 (PTI) Former Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren on Monday demanded a thorough probe into illegal land transactions in the Santhal Parganas region, and asserted that tribals will intensify agitation against Bangladeshi infiltrators in the state. The remarks of Soren, who switched over to the BJP from the JMM last month, came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the JMM-led coalition in Jharkhand for allegedly patronising infiltration, and said infiltrators were grabbing land and changing the demography of the region, besides committing atrocities on women. Infiltration poses a grave threat to the tribal society's existence. The Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act, meant to protect tribal land rights, is being violated. I demand a probe into all illegal land transactions in the region. The tribals are uniting and will oust the Bangladeshi infiltrators, Soren claimed. Earlier in the day, he participated in a tribal rally here and paid homage to their icons like Baba Tilka Manjhi and Veer Sido-Kanhu, highlighting the historical resistance of the tribal community against colonial forces, and stressed that the current struggle is a continuation of the legacy. Echoing Soren's views, former MLA Lobin Hembrom emphasised the need for a robust social movement to safeguard tribal land and culture. He warned that the arbitrary sale of land and erosion of cultural heritage could lead to the extinction of tribal communities. Sita Soren, former MLA of Jama, also criticised the Hemant Soren-led state government, accusing it of fostering a vote bank by allegedly shielding Bangladeshi infiltrators. She highlighted the lack of employment opportunities for locals despite the presence of big companies in the region, suggesting that only middlemen have benefitted under the current administration. Agartala, Sep 16 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh has been made the in-charge of the saffron party's membership drive in five organizational districts of Tripura, a party functionary said on Monday. Ghosh has been made in charge of five districts - Sadar (Rural), Khowai, Dhalai, Unakoti and North Tripura. "Senior party leader, Dilip Ghosh has been made the in-charge of BJP's membership drive for five districts of the state. He will visit the state to oversee the ongoing membership drive of the state", said BJP Tripura general secretary Amit Rakshit. He claimed that the membership drive has got an overwhelming response from all sections of people as many as 3.12 lakh people have already taken membership out of the 7 lakh membership target during the ongoing process. "The public response is good, especially in tribal belts", he said. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha launched the membership drive on September 3 and it will continue for one and a half months. "After completion of the membership drive, active members are being identified who are eligible to participate in the organizational elections. If everything falls in the right place, a new state committee will take charge in November," he said. New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) Senior doctors of RG Kar Medical College on Monday alleged tampering of evidence in the Kolkata doctor rape and murder case. Addressing a press conference here, they reiterated their demand for a live streaming of the meeting between them and the West Bengal government. "We condemn all such heinous crimes. This crime is a fallout of the nexus between West Bengal government and health department officials," said one of the doctors. The doctors alleged there was "tampering of evidence". The West Bengal government on Monday "for the fifth and the final time" invited the protesting junior doctors for talks to end the RG Kar impasse, two days after the dialogue failed to take off over disagreement on live-streaming of the meeting. In an email to the protesting junior doctors, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant asked them to reach Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence in Kalighat at 5 pm on Monday for the talks. Kishtwar, Sep 16 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said there is a clear fight between the Congress-National Conference alliance and the BJP one wanting to bring back Article 370, and the other committed to stopping it. He said voting in favour of BJP candidate Shugan Parihar is not only for development and progress but also to pay tribute to martyrs, including her father. "This election in Jammu and Kashmir is clearly between two forces. On one side are the National Conference and the Congress, and on the other side is the BJP. It is a contest between the BJP and the Gandhi-Abdullah families. Both have clear agendas," Shah told a public rally here. He said the BJP follows the ideology of Prem Nath Dogra - "One Constitution, one flag, and one Prime Minister," affirming that Jammu and Kashmir is an inseparable part of India, and no one can reverse that. KABUL, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan caretaker government's Ministry of Education has announced the hiring of 8,165 teachers and administrative staff members across the country, state-run Radio and Television of Afghanistan reported Monday. Mawlawi Abdul Khaliq Sadeq, a deputy to the ministry, was quoted as saying that transparency would be assured in the examination process of the candidates, and anyone who passes the exam would be employed without bias. More than 10 million children are currently attending state-owned and private schools in Afghanistan, according to the ministry. Whether girls could continue education above grade seven was not mentioned in the report. Based on restrictions by the Afghan caretaker government, girls cannot attend classes above grade seven until further notice. Jammu, Sep 16 (PTI) Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack against National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah, saying he had "stooped" so low in his desperation that he had made unfounded allegations of Indian Army having links with terrorists. Promising to bury terrorism so deep that it will not return for seven generations, Shah said a major security setup is being developed and Village Defence Guards (VDGs) and Special Police Officers (SPOs) are being restructured. Farooq Abdullah has lost control in his bid to win elections. In a recent statement, he said that the army and terrorists are linked. Everyone contests to win elections, but how low can Farooq Abdullah stoop in his attempt to secure a win?" Shah said at a public rally in Kishtwar on Monday. Shah, who was campaigning for party candidates Shagun Parihar and Taraq Keen, reminded the audience that the army protected Jammu and Kashmir in three wars and continues to shield its people, often sacrificing their lives. "Insulting them is unacceptable," he said. Shah noted that the army operates in extreme conditions, enduring temperatures as low as minus 43 degrees. "Elections come and go, but to malign our armed forces does not behove someone of his (Farooq) stature," he said. In August, Farooq Abdullah sparked controversy after suggesting that the Army might be complicit with terrorists who are infiltrating the country. "There is a massive troop deployment on our borders. Terrorists continue to infiltrate Indian territory. How can this happen? Ye sab miley hue hain (There is collusion between them)," Abdullah had said. Shah urged voters to "defeat the dynasties" of the Abdullahs, Gandhis, and Muftis. "For once, defeat these three families, and I promise you terrorism will be buried so deep, it wont return for seven generations." Shah also took potshots at National Conference leader Omar Abdullah's statement that Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru should not have been hanged. "This shows what will happen if they come to power," he said. "Omar Abdullah says that Afzal Guru should not have been hanged. If this is the situation, what will happen once their government is formed? Stone-pelting will resume, funerals for militants will occur, attacks will escalate, and investment will stop. "The Abdullah-Gandhi families may return to seek patronage of terrorism, showing no shame in doing so. But with Narendra Modi's government in power, nothing like this will happen," he said. Shah also criticised the NC-Congress alliance, warning voters that their plans could jeopardise the regions security. They claim they will release all the terrorists from jails if they come to power. Is that what you want? This region has already suffered the worst of terrorism in the 1990s. "Our candidate Shagun Parihar has lost both her father and uncle to terrorism. Whatever NC or Congress may plan, no force can revive terrorism in the Pir Panjal area under Narendra Modis government, he said. The Home Minister also highlighted the governments efforts to strengthen local security forces, including modernising weapons for Special Police Officers (SPOs) and Village Defence Guards (VDGs). We are restructuring SPOs and VDGs, giving them SLR rifles instead of outdated 303 models. Our priority is addressing their issues and forming a strong security ring to keep terrorism at bay, Shah said. Issuing a warning to terrorists, Shah stated, If you have plans to spread terror, now is the time to rethink and leave from here. The Indian Army and other forces are prepared to bury you here. Referring to the history of the Abdullah-Gandhi alliance, Shah recalled how Congress leaders had imprisoned Sheikh Abdullah, the NC founder, for sedition. Indira Gandhi put Sheikh Abdullah in jail for years, and now his grandson Omar Abdullah is in an alliance with Rahul Gandhi. "If Rahul Gandhi has the courage, he should bring back the White Paper that Congress introduced in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly against Abdullah, Shah challenged. He expressed surprise at how the "lure of power" has drawn Congress and NC together. "I am astonished as to what the lure of power can do. The Congress family, which labelled Sheikh Abdullah as anti-national and kept him in jail for years, now allies with Omar Abdullah to take on Modi Ji. This alliance is about regaining power, not public service," he added. Shah assured voters that the Modi government would continue its efforts to eradicate terrorism, safeguard Article 370's abrogation, and protect reservations. "Don't worry. They will neither win nor will terrorism return, nor will Article 370 come back, nor will reservations be revoked," he affirmed. On BJP candidate Shagun Parihar, Shah praised her family's sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. When people said she was too young for this candidacy, I reminded them of her familys martyrdom -- her father and uncle died for this nation. She will not only represent development but also be a strong voice against terrorism. "Voting for Shagun is not just a vote for the nations security or development, but a tribute to her father and uncle, who sacrificed their lives for the country," Shah said. Shah also took a moment to congratulate para-athlete Sheetal Devi, who recently won a bronze medal in Paris Paralympics and was honoured with the Arjuna Award, for making India proud. Chandigarh, Sep 16 (PTI) Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday said anyone making an objectionable comment against Congress MP Kumari Selja does not have any place in the party. Hooda's remark came after a video purportedly of a Congress worker passing a controversial comment against Selja went viral on social media. The former chief minister said the video appears to be manipulated. Hooda and Selja are considered to be rivals in Haryana politics. Hooda, who was speaking to reporters in Rohtak, was asked that a video has gone viral on social media in which objectionable language has been used against Congress general secretary and Sirsa MP Selja. Responding to the question, Hooda said, "Selja is our sister. She is a respected leader of the party. No Congress worker can say such thing. It (the video) appears to be manipulated. It is BJP's job to make people fight on the basis of caste, religion... "It is very easy these days. Everyone has a camera and you can manipulate. No Congress person can say such thing," said Hooda, adding that the party's slogan is 'Jaat par na paat par, mohar lagegi haath par'. Meanwhile, on a question that the BJP has withdrawn its candidate in Sirsa to "support" Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) candidate Gopal Kanda from Sirsa, Hooda said the people of the state already knew this. "The earlier indirect alliance of the INLD (Indian National Lok Dal) and the HLP with the BJP has now become public," Hooda told reporters. "In Haryana, the direct contest is between the Congress and the BJP. All the parties like the INLD, JJP (Jannayak Janta Party) and HLP have been fielded only to cut the votes of the Congress. "The BJP has also given this responsibility to many Independents. The public needs to be cautious of such candidates," he added. Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and former MLA from Beri, Om Prakash Kadian, and his son Vikram Kadian joined the Congress in Rohtak on Monday. Vikram Kadian has contested elections from Beri twice on a BJP ticket. BJP Mahila Morcha state general secretary Gayatri Devi also joined the Congress along with many sarpanches and block committee chairpersons, a party statement said. New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) R G Kar Medical College's former principal Sandip Ghosh was found to be "deceptive" while answering important questions on the rape and murder of a trainee woman postgraduate doctor during his polygraph test and layered voice analysis, officials said. The CBI, probing the case, arrested Ghosh on September 2 in connection with financial irregularities at the hospital. The federal probe agency later added charges of evidence tampering against him. During the investigation, Ghosh was subjected to layered voice analysis and polygraph test. According to a report from Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), New Delhi, his version has been found to be "deceptive on certain important issues" relating to this case, officials in the know of the developments said. Information revealed during the polygraph test may not be used as evidence during the trial but the agency may gather corroborative evidence which could be used in court, they said. A polygraph test can help in assessing inaccuracies in the statements of suspects and witnesses. By monitoring their psychological responses, heart rate, breathing pattern, sweating and blood pressure, investigators can determine if there are discrepancies in their responses. The CBI has alleged that Ghosh got information about the rape and murder of the trainee doctor at 9.58 am on August 9 but he did not make the police complaint immediately. He allegedly made a "vague complaint" at a later stage through the medical superintendent-vice principal even though the victim was declared dead at 12.44 pm, they said. "He did not try to get an FIR lodged immediately. Rather a new theory of suicide was introduced which is not possible as per external injury visible on the body of the victim that was undressed at the lower part," the CBI has alleged. The probe agency has alleged that Ghosh got in touch with Tala Police Station's Officer In Charge (OC) Abhijit Mondal at 10.03 am and with an advocate at 1.40 PM while a case of unnatural death was registered at 11.30 pm. Mondal, who has also been arrested by CBI in connection with the case, received information of the incident at 10.03 am on August 9 but did not reach the scene of the crime immediately, the officials claimed, adding the OC reached the spot after an hour. The general diary entry 542 mentioned that the body of the PG trainee of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was found lying in an "unconscious state" in the seminar room of chest medicine, whereas the body was already examined by a doctor who had found the victim dead. The general diary entry was allegedly made "in conspiracy with hospital authorities and other unknown persons", intentionally mentioning wrong details. Mondal's failure to register an FIR and protect the scene of crime resulted in the "damage of vital evidence available at the crime scene", officials said, adding he tried to protect the accused Sanjay Roy and others who had unauthorised access to the scene of crime that might have led to tampering of evidence. Ghosh allegedly directed subordinates to send the body to the morgue hurriedly, they said. The trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered in the seminar hall of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital when she had gone to rest during her shift in the early hours of August 9. Her body with severe injury marks was found in the hall by a doctor who was on rounds. Sanjay Roy, a police volunteer, was arrested the next day based on CCTV footage in which he was seen entering the seminar hall at 4.03 am on the day of the incident. On August 13, the Calcutta High Court ordered the transfer of the probe from the Kolkata Police to the CBI, which took over the case on August 14. New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that the Ministry of Home Affairs will open 16 new Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandars in Manipur to provide essential commodities to the common people at reasonable prices. Of the 16 such stores, eight will be in the valley and the remaining eight in the hills, he said. Shah also said that these bhandars will be opened for the common people from Tuesday in addition to the existing 21 such stores. In a post on 'X', Shah said in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment, the MHA is launching the initiative to provide commodities to the people of Manipur at reasonable prices. "Now the Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandars will be opened for common people from September 17, 2024. In addition to 21 existing Bhandars, 16 new ones will be opened. Among the 16 new centres, eight will be in the valley, and the remaining eight in the hills," he said. While the valley districts of Manipur is inhabited by the majority Meiteis, the hill areas are inhabited by the tribal Kuki community. Ethnic violence has been going on in Manipur since May 3 last year after a tribal solidarity march in the hill districts of the state to protest against the majority Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Since then, over 220 people belonging to both Kuki and Meitei communities and security personnel have been killed in the continuing violence. New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) The NDA government and the BJP have planned events across the country including a blood donation camp in the national capital to mark the new dispensation's 100 days in office on Tuesday. The day also coincides with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 74th birthday. To mark the PM's birthday, BJP national president J P Nadda will launch a blood donation camp under 'Seva Pakhwada' and also inaugurate an exhibition on Modi's life at the party headquarters here. Besides, various Union ministers will hold press conferences to give a report card on the 100 days of the Modi government 3.0, highlighting its achievements. Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh will hold a press conference to highlight the achievement of his ministry for fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying. Ministers of State S P Singh Baghel and George Kurian will be present at the press conference. Union Minister for MSME Jitan Ram Manjhi will also hold a press conference to give a report card on the achievements of his ministry. Chennai, Sep 16 (PTI) Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi chief Thol Thirumavalavan, after calling on Chief Minister M K Stalin here on Monday said that the ruling DMK will take part in his party's anti-liquor conference on October 2 in Kallakurichi and asserted that the ties between his party and the DMK continued to be smooth. Thirumavalavan's meeting, along with his party leaders, with Stalin at DMK headquarters 'Anna Arivalayam' comes against the backdrop of VCK's 'share in power' ideological slogan grabbing attention and also in the wake of the party inviting DMK's arch rival AIADMK as well to the meet against liquor next month. The VCK top leader told reporters that DMK founder and former Chief Minister C N Annadurai had been steadfast in ensuring liquor ban and also had urged the Centre to enforce prohibition as per Article 47 of the directive principles of state policy under the Constitution. Former CM, late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi held the same view. The VCK chief said his party gave a representation to Stalin to urge the Centre to implement the directive principle. Stalin, after perusing the VCK's appeal, told them that DMK's policy is implementation of prohibition and party leaders RS Bharathi and TKS Elangovan would take part in the October 2 meet. Thirumavalavan said that the CM, further conveyed to him that the state government would take up the matter of bringing nationwide prohibition with the Centre. The CM told him that there was no difference of opinion in bringing prohibition into force in Tamil Nadu. However, taking into consideration administrative problems, the CM conveyed to him that implementation of liquor ban in a phased manner would be considered. The VCK chief emphasised that there are no issues whatsoever in ties between his party and the DMK and that the relationship 'is smooth,' which is evidenced by CM Stalin nominating his party representatives to take part in the conference. To a question on his party line of 'share in power,' Thirumavalavan said his party would talk about that at the time of election. Furthermore, Thirumavalavan said the anti-liquor conference to urge implementation of prohibition is for a common cause concerning people's welfare and hence, it was his party's 'common appeal' to all parties committed to prohibition to join forces. "This (conference) should not be linked to elections. This is my common appeal (to support prohibition/take part in meet) to all." The Centre should be pressurised to enforce a nationwide ban on liquor and the union government conducts itself as if it had no responsibility over the matter," Thirumavalavan said. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai said his party is for prohibition and to a question on VCK's stand that its anti-liquor meet is beyond elections/alliances, he said, "there is nothing without politics...politics and meetings cannot be considered separately; everything is politics." Congress party is another key ally of the DMK. Whats he doing here? That was my reaction when Vivek Ramaswamy, the former Republican presidential candidate, passed me at the Democratic National Convention, followed by a gaggle of reporters. I assume he didnt agree with much of what he heard at this convention. Then I stopped to reflect on my own presence at the DNC. As a registered Republican (who occasionally votes for Democrats) representing the Torah values of Agudath Israel did I belong here? The simple answer is that I work for Agudath Israel of America, which, as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, cant endorse or oppose any candidate or party for office. But our gedolim have mandated that we be effective shtadlanim, or advocates, for the Orthodox Jewish community. That means showing up on Capitol Hill and in statehouses and city halls across the country. You cant be effective if you arent at the table, engaging with elected officials and influential people in both parties. While the focus of these conventions is on the presidential candidates, there are tens of thousands of local, state, and federal officials and party activists in attendance. At an Agudah event on the sidelines of the convention more than 150 elected officials and party activists mingled with Jewish leaders from across the country. The event was not an endorsement of the Democratic Party or its platform, but rather an opportunity to help educate public officials and activists about our community and engage them in important conversations. Democratic officials stood in silence as the Neutra family spoke about their son Omer, who has been held hostage by Hamas since October 7. In addition, there were banners posted around the room highlighting the need to condemn anti-Semitism by name, and not simply lump it together with ritual denunciations of all other forms of hate, and pointing out that a majority of anti-Semitic assaults around the country involve those who are identifiably Jewish the Orthodox community. The elected officials who spoke at this event condemned this abhorrent trend and explained how they plan to combat it with concrete action. At a time when both major parties are accused of harboring anti-Semites in their ranks, we cant afford to ignore either of them. For now, Im encouraged that both parties feel that being perceived as the stronger one on the issue of anti-Semitism will get them more votes. Voters will ultimately decide who they believe. The other goal of The Agudahs DNC event was to highlight the growth of the Orthodox Jewish community and its increasing electoral strength. Most Orthodox Jews live in blue states. Our message, delivered by elected officials, was simple ignore the Orthodox community at your peril. Vivek Ramaswamy was also at the DNC to engage people, and his verbal exchanges went viral. I doubt that Vivek recruited anyone at the DNC to the Republican cause, but he proved that when you engage honestly and directly with people who disagree with you, you may be surprised at how they respond. As I drove home from Chicago late Thursday night, I revisited my question from a few hours earlier: Did I belong at the DNC? Like Vivek, I was there to share our agenda and not to accept theirs. How could I not have attended? Below is a recent episode of Inside the Agudah, in which AD Motzen discusses his work with moderator R Yitzy Hisiger. A massive fire involving a liquified natural gas pipeline was shooting a towering pillar of flame for hours over suburban Houston on Monday as first-responders evacuated a surrounding neighborhood and tried to keep more nearby homes from catching fire. The blaze involving a 20-inch pipeline carrying liquified natural gas must burn itself out, according to its operator, Dallas-based Energy Transfer. The company said the gas flow was shut off but the fire will have to burn itself out. Firefighters were dispatched at 9:55 a.m. after an explosion that rattled adjacent homes and businesses in Deer Park and La Porte, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of downtown Houston, long the energy capital of the U.S. The plume of smoke could been seen from at least 10 miles away, and nearby there was a chemical smell in the air. Geselle Melina Guerra said she and her boyfriend heard an explosion at around 9:30 a.m. as they were having breakfast in their mobile home. All of a sudden we hear this loud bang and then I see something bright, like orange, coming from our back door thats outside, said Guerra, 25, who lives within the evacuation area. Her boyfriend woke up his brother and they ran to their car. I was just freaking out, pacing around the living room, not really knowing what to do or what was happening, Guerrea said. I thought maybe it was an airplane that had crashed down by our house. There was no immediate word on whether anyone has been injured. La Porte city spokesperson Lee Woodward told KTRK-TV that people in nearby schools were told to shelter in place as law enforcement blocked off a wide area. At nearby San Jacinto College, which closed its campus after the explosion, people who gathered included Evan Wyman, who had gotten word after calling police that her dog Baxter had been rescued from her home, which is in the evacuated neighborhood. I just know that my dog is rescued, Wyman said. At least one gas transmission pipeline and one hazardous liquid pipeline run through the area on fire, according to U.S. Department of Transportation geographic data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Another gas transmission pipeline cuts diagonally through a nearby residential neighborhood along Spencer Highway, which runs through the suburbs of Deer Park and La Porte. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Houston is the nations petrochemical heartland and is home to a cluster of refineries, plants and thousands of miles of pipelines. Explosions and fires are a familiar sight to residents in Texas largest city, including some that have been deadly. The blasts have raised recurring questions about the adequacy of the industrys plans to protect the public and the impacts of environmental damage. Video images from KTRK showed a park near the fire had been damaged and firefighters pouring water on adjacent homes. By noon, at least a couple of homes appeared to have caught fire, with smoke pouring from their roofs. There are also several businesses nearby, including a Walmart. Sanchez said theyre used to evacuations because they live close to other plants near the highway. But in the 10 years Sanchez has lived there, he had not witnessed an explosion. We just drove as far as we could because we didnt know what was happening, Sanchez said from a parked car at a gas station near his college. Officials have ordered residents in the Brookglen neighborhood area near the fire to evacuate, Woodward said in an email. Please avoid the area and follow law enforcement direction. Further details will be released as available, Woodward said. There are several high voltage power lines near the fire. The website PowerOutage.us said several thousand customers were without power in Harris County. CenterPoint Energy said it is monitoring the fire, which is near Spencer Highway in LaPorte. The company said the fire is unrelated to the companys natural gas operations or equipment. The company said that when its safe, their crews will assess the damage to their transmission and distribution power lines, poles and equipment and will start restoring power to impacted customers. (AP) Former President Donald Trump, who enjoys widespread support among Orthodox Jews and Chasidim, is scheduled to visit the Williamsburg neighborhood on Thursday, sources within the NYPD confirmed to YWN. The upcoming visit, which has already sparked significant attention, includes a planned stop at Gottliebs Restaurant, a well-known kosher eatery located at Roebling Street and Division Avenue. Secret Service agents were spotted conducting advance preparations at the restaurant, a common procedure ahead of a presidential or high-profile visit. This meticulous planning is key to ensuring the safety and security of the President during public appearances. When the President of the United States visits a location like a restaurant, the Secret Service undertakes an exhaustive process to secure the area and mitigate potential risks. The advance work, often conducted 2 to 7 days prior to the visit, involves an initial team of Secret Service agents who inspect the venue for any vulnerabilities. This includes reviewing floor plans, emergency exits, and thoroughly examining all areas of the restaurant, from the kitchen to dining spaces. As part of this process, restaurant staff undergo background checks, and sharp objects or other potential hazards are removed or secured. Temporary security measures, such as metal detectors and surveillance cameras, are installed, ensuring the location is well-monitored and secure. Local law enforcement and emergency services are also brought into the fold, coordinating communication protocols for the day of the visit. Beyond securing the physical space, the Secret Service engages in protective intelligence gathering, monitoring for any potential threats, protests, or demonstrations that could disrupt the visit. Local and national intelligence reports are reviewed to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the situation on the ground, and contingency plans are developed to prepare for any unforeseen events. Logistical preparations are equally critical. The Secret Service arranges secure transportation and parking for the Presidents motorcade and ensures that emergency medical response teams are on standby. In some cases, a dry run is conducted to iron out any potential issues before the actual visit. On the day of the visit, Secret Service agents will secure the perimeter of Gottliebs Restaurant and surrounding areas. Patrons and staff will be screened before being allowed inside, and agents will escort the President in and out of the restaurant, ensuring a secure environment throughout the visit. The restaurant staff will be briefed on security protocols, working closely with Secret Service personnel to maintain a seamless experience during the Presidents time in Williamsburg. The extensive advance preparations reflect the Secret Services commitment to providing top-tier protection, allowing the President to engage with the public while maintaining security at all times. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Air France announced on Monday that it will continue suspending flights between Paris and Tel Aviv until October 15, and between Paris and Beirut until October 26, citing ongoing security concerns in the area, according to a company spokesperson. Netanyahus Address at the State Ceremony to Mark One Year since the October 7 Massacre Following is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus address at the state ceremony to mark one year since the October 7 massacre [translated from Hebrew]: Citizens of Israel, A year ago, on October 7th, we were all hurled into a critical battle. That day, a Saturday, the Sabbath and the holiday of Simchat Torah, will be etched in the history of our nation as a day of grief and loss, of unimaginable agony. On that day, the Hamas monsters attacked our communities, our brothers and sisters, who are so dear to our hearts. They murdered and kidnapped babies and children, adults and old people. They tortured, maimed, raped, burned and destroyed. The memory of our citizens who were killed in the terrorist attack, and the memory of all the fallen heroes from the IDF and security forces, will be cherished forever. On October 7th, we were all hurled into a critical battle, but we were not defeated. On the contrary, it is we who are acting to defeat and deter our enemies. And, as we have often experienced in our history, it is in dark moments such as these that we exude our great inner power. We rallied together to defend our country, our homeland. We mustered immense mental strength. We outlined the goals of the war and we are achieving them: toppling the rule of Hamas; bringing all the hostages home, the living and the deceased alikethis is a sacred mission and we will not stop until we complete it; eliminating any future threat from Gaza to Israel; and returning the residents of the south and the north safely to their homes. We are doing this with solidarity unlike anything among the nations. When put to the test we proved, once again, that we are the Eternal People. A people that fights to bring light to this world, that aspires to spread good and eradicate evil. A people that rises like a lion, leaps up like a lion. Every time my wife and I meet with our soldiers, our wounded, with bereaved families, we hear the same message over and over again: we mustnt stop the war prematurely. As long as the enemy threatens our existence and the peace of our country, we will continue to fight. As long as our hostages are still in Gaza, we will continue to fight. We will not forsake any of them. I will not give up. As long as our citizens have not returned to their homes safely, we will continue to fight. We will continue to fight, and unitedwe will win. And when we win, not only for our sake but for the sake of future generations and for all humanity, we will rebuild the Tekuma region even bigger. When we hold onto the roots, the tree of life will grow back . Laly Derai, the mother of Saadia, who fell in battle said: Shadow is not darkness. Shadow is a sign that there is light from behind. Even if a mountain of grief obscures the light, we must all, as a nation, climb the mountain, because the light exists. We must always aim up, towards the light. Citizens of Israel, my dear brothers and sisters, Victory is the light. Victory guarantees eternity. October 7th will symbolize for generations the cost of our revival, and for generations it will demonstrate how determined we are and how strong our spirit is. Together we will continue to fight. And together, with Gods help we will win. Am Yisrael Chai! LYON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese competitors secured the top spot at the 47th WorldSkills Competition medal tally by winning 36 gold medals as the event concluded in Lyon, France on Sunday night. In addition to their gold medals, the Chinese team won nine silver medals, four bronze medals and eight medallions of excellence. Two Chinese participants in the Industry 4.0 competition were honored with the prestigious Albert Vidal Award for achieving the highest overall score in the event. At the closing ceremony, the WorldSkills flag was officially passed from Lyon to the Chinese city of Shanghai, which will host the 48th edition of the competition. This year's event, held on Sept. 11-14, drew around 1,400 participants from nearly 70 countries and regions to compete in 59 skill categories. The head of the IDFs Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, recommended in recent closed discussions to allow the IDF to seize a security buffer zone in southern Lebanon, Yisrael Hayom reported on Monday According to the report, Gordon explained that current conditions would enable the IDF to carry out such a move swiftly, as many members of Hezbollahs elite Radwan Force who were deployed near the border fence have been killed or fled northward. Additionally, most of the civilian population has evacuated the villages of southern Lebanon. It is currently estimated that only about 20% of the Lebanese residents who lived close to the border before October 7 remain in their homes. The significant reduction in the civilian population will allow the IDF to carry out a military maneuver in the area quickly and smoothly. The goal of the maneuver is not only to eliminate the terror threat, pushing Hezbollahs forces away so that they dont pose a threat to northern residents, but also to gain leverage to reach a permanent agreement as Hezbollah will be motivated to hold negotiations to force IDF forces to withdraw. (YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem) Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin overnight Sunday that the window for a diplomatic solution to the war against Hezbollah in Israels north is closing. Speaking by phone, Gallant told his US counterpart that Hezbollah continues to align itself with Hamas and that the direction the crisis is heading is clear. He emphasized that the State of Israel is committed to distancing Hezbollah from the border so that residents of the area can safely return home. Hezbollah rocket fire at the Upper Galil continued early on Monday. The embattled Druze village of Majdal Shams where 12 children were murdered by Hezbollah fire in July shuttered its schools for the day after being targeted with heavy rocket fire in the past day. The head of the IDFs Northern Command Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin has recommended allowing the IDF to seize a security buffer zone in southern Lebanon. (YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem) In recent weeks, Likud MK Amit Halevi has repeatedly excoriated the IDF for misleading the public about defeating Hamas Brigades in Gaza. Commenting on the IDFs recent announcement that it has fully disbanded the Rafah Brigade, Halevi stated: Those who follow me know that this is an empty message that has no basis in reality. But why does the IDF choose time after time not to tell the public the truth? Stay with me until the end. I will start with the facts known to me as a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and to every Hamasnik who lives in Rafah: 1. There were at least 8,000 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists in Rafah (probably much more because of the training and recruitment in the area and those who joined from the northern Gaza battalions). Therefore, even if 2,000 Hamas soldiers were killed in Rafah as the IDF spokesperson announced (the real number is much lower) it is a maximum of 25% of the fighting force. 2. In Rafah, there are many dozens of kilometers of underground tunnels so the destruction of 13 kilometers of tunnels, most of which are in the Philadelphi area and nearby, constitutes a very small percentage of the underground city of Rafah. (And not all of them were destroyed but were sealed off so it will be easy for Hamas to use them.) 3. The amount of weapons in Rafah is astronomical, with underground warehouses in buildings that the IDF didnt enter, and therefore the amount seized by the IDF is very small compared to Hamas stockpiles. Therefore, even in the terms of the IDF dictionary that victory is the destruction of 60% of the enemys force (a very incorrect definition) we are very far from victory. The IDF has not defeated a single brigade and not even a single company in Rafah. Hamas terrorists are tactically retreating to other places, hiding in the civilian population which is their biological family and natural environment, but they havent gone anywhere. In fact, for them it isnt a retreat, it is an integral part of guerrilla warfare. These messages from the IDF spokesperson are an embarrassment to the IDF as an army. And worse, they mislead the public and the government. Throughout the last 11 months, I have been demanding that the IDF representatives on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee stop using these meaningless concepts that have no basis in reality and make Hamas smirk and increase in strength but they insist. Every soldier who enters Khan Younis for the fourth time or Zaytun for the fifth time knows that nothing has been defeated and with the current mode of operation, it will never be defeated Why? Because for every terrorist that is killed, two are born that day that are given over to Hamas education and training. Because for every wounded terrorist, three new members of the clans are recruited directly into Hamas battalions. Because for every weapon seized, five more are currently being produced in the Gaza underground thanks to the fuel and electricity flowing to its lathes. With this method of a tunnel war, as the Shin Bet chief correctly called it, there can be no quantitative victory, i.e. in terms of the number of fighters and terrorists the Gazans have, but also on a fundamental level, since a real victory is the elimination of the enemys central command centers so that it is defeated in practice or surrenders, and we are not aiming there at all. In the Gaza Strip today, the one above the ground and the one below ground, there is no possibility of a victory without control over the territory and the population, meaning control over fuel, food, water and medicine. Control over religion, education and culture. Full control and deployment in the area. And our Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi insists on not being in control of the area. This is how all the achievements of our brave soldiers become tactical achievements in an endless tunnel of terror. So why is the IDF spokesperson misleading you? At best he is deceiving himself as well. He has his own world of military concepts and there, as we know, he won a long time ago. You remember that the Hamas battalions have already been destroyed several times At worst, the word victory is not in his lexicon at all, certainly not a complete victory, which is why he gave up on this option in the first place. In the worst case of all, he is a participant in the trend that calls for ending the war and leaving the Gaza Strip, and therefore he declares these victories as part of the final agreement. Maybe there is still time to eliminate Sinwar or something but by and large the victory is behind us. All of these terrible options show one thing for the sake of Israels future, the IDF must undergo a significant revision of the principles and basic concepts of security and the exercise of force the sooner the better. (YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem) Rabbi Aharon Asayag Bringing avrechim to Kiryat Beit Halevi The Kiryat Beit Halevi project in Netivot is well underway, aiming to establish a vibrant Torah community with 36,000 housing units to be built over the next few years. This development will include multiple Talmud Torahs, Kollelim, Yeshivas, shopping centers, and playgrounds, creating a community approximately the size of Kiryat Sefer (Modiin Ilit) today. In addition, another 12,000 units are planned for the Kiryat Beit Halevi community, offering homes at significantly lower pricesstarting around $200,000 less than similar properties in established haredi communities like Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, and Beit Shemesh. The result: a complete transformation of this area within Israels periphery into a center for heimish living. As Kiryat Beit Halevi continues to take shape and with the strong backing of prominent Rabbonim and gedolei yeshivos, the initiative has moved from words to action, embodying a deep commitment to building a Torah-true community in the South. Recently, a series of gatherings with leading Rabbonim and anshei maase have taken place, highlighting how Kiryat Beit Halevi is rapidly becoming a community for young families seeking affordable housing, quality chinuch, and a strong kehilla, all within a framework that upholds our mesorah and values. Living a Life of Torah in Its Splendor HaRav HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Peretz Berman, shlita, of Yeshivas Ponovezh At a recent gathering, Rabbi Shraga Boyer, shlita, addressed the need for greater awareness and quality among families joining the Netivot community. He emphasized the importance of carefully selecting the first wave of residents to set a high standard for the communitys growth. We are investing in the first 350 units, ensuring they house the most devoted families, under careful guidance and encouragement, he said. He noted that Beit Halevi is building the initial community of haredi families that will live in the 1,500 completed units, with plans for an additional 3,000 in the near future, and reflected on the communitys early successes, citing the recent registration of just 23 avrechim from Yeshivas Tifrach. Rabbi Boyers speech was aligned with similar expressions by HaRav HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Peretz Berman, shlita, of the Ponovezh yeshiva in Bnei brak, though he was clear about the challenges: Its not easy to convince an avrech to move to Netivot. But with the right support and infrastructure, and with Rav Aharon Asayags vision, the community will flourish, much like the initial years of a yeshiva. We are already seeing results. Friends are bringing friends, and families are bringing families. The pioneers who come first will pave the way for a bright future. A Safe Haven for Torah Remarks made by Rabbi Ephraim Rothschild, shlita, Ram at Yeshivas Torah BTifartaat the same event focused on the importance of ensuring that the new community maintains its Torah values. He warned of the dangers of living among those who do not share the same commitment to Torah life. Its not enough to live in a place that seems religious. The environment must fully support the Torah lifestyle, he cautioned. Rabbi Rothschild stressed the communitys commitment to establishing a true Torah environment, free from negative influences, even if it means facing challenges. The essence of a Torah community, he said, is not just about the location but the spiritual and communal integrity. Netivot will be a place where Torah scholars can grow without compromise, where families can live without the distractions and pitfalls found elsewhere. A Vision for Torah Growth in Netivot HaRav HaGaon Rabbi Meir Kessler, shlita, Rabbi of Modiin Illit At another gathering, HaRav HaGaon Rabbi Meir Kessler, shlita, Rabbi of Modiin Illit, spoke passionately about the ongoing development of Kiryat Beit Halevi in Netivot. Reflecting on his experiences visiting the city over a decade ago, Rav Kessler expressed his deep admiration for the local community, emphasizing the remarkable growth and dedication that has only intensified in recent years. He highlighted the vision and significant role of Rav Aharon Asayag, shlita, in establishing and nurturing Torah institutions and chessed in Netivots haredi community, which have become a cornerstone of the communitys development. Rav Kessler emphasized that Netivot is not just another city, but a place where Torah can flourish LChatchila BLChatchilaat the highest levels, much like the well-known haredi communities in Israels center. He noted the unique atmosphere in Netivot, where even those who are not fully observant possess respect for Torah and yiras shamayim, creating an environment conducive to spiritual growth. Rav Kessler also shared insights from gedolim about the broader significance of such projects, likening the responsibility of establishing Torah communities to matters of pikuach nefesh, a term traditionally reserved for life-and-death situations. This comparison, originally made by Maran Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, ztl, to Rabbi Raphael Hoffman, shlita, one of the prominent askanim in Israels haredi housing, upon entering the Ministry of Housing, stresses the profound importance of creating and supporting Torah environments in Eretz Yisrael. Ensuring Quality Construction Rabbi Raphael Hoffman, shlita, one of the prominent askanim in Israels haredi housing Rabbi Hoffman shared insights into the meticulous planning and high standards implemented in the Kiryat Beit Halevi project. He described the rigorous process of selecting contractors and designing the homes to meet the specific needs of haredi families. Weve spared no effort to ensure these homes are not just affordable but of the highest quality, designed for the unique requirements of our community, Rabbi Hoffman said. He highlighted the involvement of Rav Aharon Asayag and a haredi interior architect in planning the homes, ensuring every detail, from the electrical layouts to the positioning of bookcases, supports a Torah lifestyle. We are not just building houses; we are building a future for Torah scholars and their families, he asserted, emphasizing the projects long-term vision. A Foundation of Unity and Spiritual Growth HaRav HaGaon Rabbi Moshe Pilz, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Tifrach At another event, HaRav HaGaon Rabbi Moshe Pilz, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Tifrach, welcomed those interested in joining the growing Kiryat Beit Halevi community. He spoke about the importance of unity in a community rooted in Torah values, quoting the verse, Hiney ma tov uma naim, sheves achim gam yachad. Rabbi Pilz emphasized, When individuals with shared values and common spiritual aspirations come together, it creates not just a community, but a strong bond of mutual support This project is not just about finding affordable housing; its about continuing the shared values and unity that have shaped us. Rabbi Pilz also pointed out that the support for this initiative is a reflection of genuine concern for the continuity of Torah life. He acknowledged the investors and supporters, saying, Their commitment is about ensuring the communitys spiritual and material well-being. The Goal: 150 New Families By Rosh Hashanah Simulation: Kiryat Beit Halevi Over one hundred avrechim have already bought homes in Kiryat Beit Halevi in Netivot, drawn by its unique blend of affordability, quality, and a supportive environment for Torah learning and living. With the goal of reaching 150 avrechim by Rosh Hashanah, and 200 by Chanukkah, and bolstered by strong haskamos from many gedolim, the communitys continued development falls in line with words shared by Rabbi Pilz about the collective effort required to build a thriving Torah community in Netivot: May Hashem help us succeed in our endeavors, and may we merit to see this community grow in strength and in the values that brought us together. Phoenix Group revealed that it has shelved plans to sell off its SunLife business, while the group also saw a boost in first-half profits. In a statement, the FTSE 100 insurer said it had decided to pull the plug on any potential sale due to 'current uncertainty in the protection market. Towards the end of June, the savings giant said it was considering selling its SunLife business after deciding it was 'no longer' core to its operations. In a statement, the FTSE 100 insurer said that it decided to pull the plug on any potential sales due to the 'current uncertainty in the protection market' The firm bought the division from AXA in 2016, along with the French insurance giant's non-platform investment and pensions arm, AXA Wealth, as part of a 375million deal. Founded in 1810, SunLife is a prominent provider of financial services, such as equity release, funeral plans, and life insurance for Britons aged over 50. It was the first UK company to offer life assurance without a medical examination and made a 16million pre-tax profit last year. The company also posted its first half results, with adjusted operating profit rising year-to-year by 15 per cent to 360million. The firm said this was driven by 'profitable growth' in both pensions and savings division, as well as its retirement solutions business. It also saw a 19 per cent jump in its operating cash generation to 647million, which the group put down to a 'strong delivery of recurring management actions'. Phoenix also hit 950million in total cash generation in the period, with the group reiterating its desire to deliver at the 'top end' of its 2024 target of 1.4-1.5billion. Andy Briggs, chief executive of Phoenix, said he was pleased with the initial progress the firm has made in executing its three year plan. Phoenix Group shares were down 2.69 per cent to 561p in early trading on Monday. Playtech shares soared today as it struck a revised deal with Mexican gambling operator Caliente Interactive over its joint venture Caliplay. The FTSE 250-listed gambling technology group said the deal will see them obtain a 30.8 per cent equity stake in Cali Interactive, the new holding company of Caliplay. The deal will also give the London-based company power to appoint a director to the board of Cali Interactive. The FTSE 250-listed gambling technology group said the deal will see them obtain a 30.8 per cent equity stake in Cali Interactive, the new holding company of Caliplay Following the update, Playtech shares rose 12.5 per cent to 736p in early afternoon trading. It will also enter into a revised B2B software licence and services agreement lasting eight years. The firm also said it will receive an additional $140million (106million) paid in cash from Cali Interactive, phased over a four-year period. Playtech added that 'Caliplay has continued to perform strongly in the first half of 2024'. The revised deal ends a bitter feud between the pair, who had been at loggerheads over unpaid fees. Caliplay has also resumed paying Playtech its software and services fee with more than 150million (80 per cent of the total) already being paid. Mor Weizer, chief executive officer of Playtech, said: 'The agreement with Caliente and Caliplay underlines the attractiveness of Playtech's leading proprietary technology. 'With a strong position in Mexico and exposure to other fast-growing markets in the Americas and Europe, we remain well-placed to deliver strong growth in our B2B business in the coming years.' Emilio Hank, chairman of Caliplay, added: 'We are focused on growing Caliplay, leveraging our core strengths and Playtech's leading technology to broaden our geographical footprint, as we continue in our mission to give the best gaming experiences to our customers in Mexico and beyond.' In August, it was revealed that Paddy Power owner Flutter was is in talks to buy Playtechs Italian arm, Snaitech, in a 2billion deal. According to Sky News, Flutter is nearing an agreement, with the deal possibly being struck as early as Monday. One insider told the outlet that an announcement could be delayed until later this week. Car parts supplier TI Fluid Systems has revealed it rejected a second takeover offer last week from a Canadian rival. ABC Technologies declared it made a 165p per share offer for the Oxford-based firm on 22 August before upping it to 176p per share earlier this month after TI Fluid's board turned down the original proposal. The second bid represents a 35 per cent premium to TI Fluid's closing share price prior to the offer period commencing. Not going anywhere: Car parts supplier TI Fluid Systems rejected a second takeover offer last week from a Canadian rival However, TI Fluid's bosses unanimously dismissed this latest proposal, saying it still 'significantly undervalued' the business and its prospects. ABC, which is backed by Apollo Global Management, nonetheless said it 'remains interested' in a possible transaction and is 'considering its position.' 'There can be no certainty that an offer will be made, nor as to the terms on which any offer might be made, even if the pre-conditions are satisfied or waived,' the group added.' Founded in 1974, ABC supplies vehicle parts such as defrosters, floor consoles, fuel tanks, cladding, and door panels to many of the world's largest carmakers. If it acquires TI Fluid, it would be the latest takeover deal this year involving a foreign company snapping up a prominent publicly-traded British business. Just last week, Johannesbourg-based AngloGold Ashanti agreed to buy fellow gold producer Centamin for around 1.9billion. Other deals struck in recent months include Carlsberg's 3.3billion bid for soft drinks maker Britvic, Thoma Bravo's 4.3billion offer for cybersecurity giant Darktrace and Blackstone buying music rights investor Hipgnosis Songs Fund. ABC now has until 12 October to put forward a concrete offer for TI Fluid or walk away. But TI Fluid said they were 'confident in the strategy and prospects' of the firm and 'strongly urges shareholders to take no action at this time. 'A further announcement will be made if and when appropriate.' The group went public in 2017 when its former majority owner, investment giant Bain Capital, decided to list it on the London Stock Exchange. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, notes the company has struggled since then amid market uncertainty caused by the transition to electric vehicles. He said the rise of EVs 'makes it difficult for TI Fluid's clients to make investment decisions, even if TI Fluid has worked hard to make itself 'propulsion agnostic' i.e., it doesn't matter if the demand comes from EVs or traditional petrol vehicles. 'Against this backdrop, shareholders may conclude they are best taking the money on the table from ABC, but this would mean a further thinning of the ranks of a UK market which has been picked apart in recent years by overseas predators.' TI Fluid Systems shares jumped 13.3 per cent to 165.2p by lunchtime on Monday, making them the biggest FTSE 250 riser. Employees should receive a 3 per cent employer pension contribution regardless of whether they contribute themselves, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said. Women, those working part-time, young adults and lower earners would particularly benefit, the IFS said, arguing there is a 'strong case' for bringing in the change. Instituting a 3 per cent contribution could help address the near quarter of employees who either opt out of auto enrolment or are not automatically enrolled due to their earnings being too low. Seven million private sector employees are expected to see their pension fall short of minimum requirements Fewer than 50 per cent of private sector workers who save into a pension contribute more than the minimum 8 per cent, according to the research by the IFS in partnership with the Abrdn Financial Fairness Trust. Between 30 and 40 per cent of private sector employees, equating to between 5 and 7million people, are on course to see their defined contribution pension fail to meet the requirements for a minimum standard of living. This doesn't account for a partner's pension or potential future inheritances. Laurence O'Brien, a research economist at IFS and an author of the report, said: 'Too many private sector employees appear on course to end up on a low - or disappointing - retirement income. 'While there is often concern about savers not saving enough, an additional problem is that despite automatic enrolment boosting workplace pension membership, more than one in five private sector employees are still not saving in a pension.' Currently, employers are required to automatically enrol employees aged between 22 and the state pension age, provided that they earn more than 6,240. Pension contributions must be at least eight per cent of the employee's salary, with the employer paying five per cent and the employee three per cent. The IFS said the auto-enrolment age range should be lowered from 22 to 16, and that the upper limit should be increased to 74 from state pension age, currently 66. While the IFS said there may be a risk of more workers choosing to opt out of contributing themselves and instead relying on the minimum contribution from their employer, it suggests testing the idea with a trial beforehand. The IFS said: 'Compared with other ways of increasing employer pension contributions, it would be less likely to suppress wages for lower-paid employees receiving additional contributions.' Mubin Haq, chief executive of the Abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, said: 'Guaranteeing three per cent from the employer regardless of whether an employee makes a contribution could boost employer pension contributions by 4billion per year. 'This would particularly benefit women, those working part-time, young adults and the low paid.' The institute also proposed that there should be a 12 per cent default contribution for earnings above 35,000, with the extra coming from employee contributions, as well as an increase to the upper limit of qualifying earnings of 50,270. The IFS said: 'The real value of this limit has fallen significantly in recent years.' However, it said those facing higher default contributions should be given the option to 'opt down' to the current minimum contribution. Jamie Jenkins, director of policy at Royal London, said: 'The nation is facing up to a ticking time bomb, with increasing numbers of people heading towards retirement with inadequate savings. 'This isn't simply a societal issue, but an economic challenge. 'People should be able to retire with dignity, rather than feel they enter later life viewed as a burden on the working population.' BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- "Unbelievable! I thought she was a real person!" A visitor exclaimed in amazement after finding out that the livestreamer selling beauty products on a large screen was a digital person. The digital livestreamer named Yanxi has completed over 400,000 hours of livestreaming for more than 5,000 brands, attracting at least 100 million views, said a staff member at the booth of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com at the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing. With the help of Yanxi, merchants can set up an e-commerce livestreaming room within just two hours, at a cost only one-tenth of that required for a human livestreamer, providing consumers with 24/7 services. JD.com also launched an AI-generated content (AIGC) platform, which assists merchants in making product images, marketing copy, and short product videos with a simple click. This innovation helps increase efficiency by more than 90 percent. It is evident at the CIFTIS that AI, with its diverse array of products, is bringing new vitality and momentum to e-commerce. Alibaba.com, a Chinese cross-border e-commerce giant, announced at the CIFTIS the launch of comprehensive AI application in foreign trade. Every step of cross-border trade, including procurement, search, product launch, reception, logistics, is now connected to AI technology. When a product is sold in different countries and regions on Alibaba.com, the priorities of the display models and prices provided to sellers are different, said Jiang Lin, head of capital brand of Alibaba.com. The platform helps merchants gain a better understanding of the markets in different countries and regions through big data and AI analysis, Jiang said. Last year, Alibaba.com launched an AI business assistant that's now utilized by over 30,000 small and medium-sized enterprises. It can automatically generate a full set of product information such as title, keywords, price and pictures according to a product image or several keywords, reducing the time for sellers to publish goods from 60 minutes to around 60 seconds. Lyu Hongwei, co-founder of Hebei Hangfa Technology Co., Ltd., said that the company's tedious and repetitive work like publishing goods has been handed over to the AI business assistant. China's cross-border e-commerce imports and exports reached 1.22 trillion yuan (about 172 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2024, an increase of 10.5 percent, according to an analysis report on China's e-commerce regional development big data released at CIFTIS. The digital trade services in the era of AI is expected to provide one-stop export services for enterprises, thereby creating new growth points for service trade, said Liu Guangjun, head of the Chinese merchants division of Alibaba.com. As digital technology continues to advance, it will further promote the development of global service trade in the future, said Long Guoqiang, deputy head of the Development Research Center of the State Council, at the CIFTIS. MIGORI, Kenya, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- No injuries were reported after a light aircraft with 11 people on board crashed during takeoff at a western Kenya airstrip on Monday, the flight company confirmed. The incident occurred at around 12:30 p.m. (0930 GMT) when the aircraft, registration number 5Y-ZBW, operated by Boskovic Air Charters, veered off the runway while attempting to take off from Lichota Airstrip in Migori County. "The aircraft was carrying 10 passengers and one crew member at the time of the incident. We are relieved to confirm that there were no fatalities or injuries," the company said in a statement. Boskovic Air Charters said that they have engaged the relevant authorities to assist in the investigation. "We are closely monitoring the incident. Further updates will be provided if more information becomes available," the company added. A staff member shows a glass of champagne at the national pavilion of France at the China National Convention Center during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 12, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 CIFTIS opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Qi Xiaoyi) Glasses of champagne are pictured at the headquarters of Cattier in Chigny-les-Roses, France, Sept. 13, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) This photo shows the national pavilion of France at the China National Convention Center during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 12, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 CIFTIS opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Li Xin) A glass of champagne is pictured at the national pavilion of France in the China National Convention Center during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 12, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 CIFTIS opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Qi Xiaoyi) This photo shows a wine cellar of Cattier in Chigny-les-Roses, France, Sept. 13, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) This photo shows the national pavilion of France at the China National Convention Center during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 12, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 CIFTIS opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Li Xulun) A worker moves newly harvested grapes in Chigny-les-Roses, France, Sept. 13, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) This photo shows a wine gift box jointly launched by Chinese and French wine companies to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Sino-French diplomatic ties at the national pavilion of France in the China National Convention Center during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 12, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 CIFTIS opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Li Xin) A staff member (L) talks with a visitor at the booth of Cattier in the China National Convention Center during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 14, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 CIFTIS opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Qi Xiaoyi) Grapes are pictured at a vineyard in Chigny-les-Roses, France, Sept. 13, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) The booth of Cattier is pictured at the China National Convention Center during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 13, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 CIFTIS opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Zou Guangping) Cattier's champagne products are pictured at the booth of Cattier in the China National Convention Center during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 12, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 CIFTIS opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Qi Xiaoyi) People taste champagne at the headquarters of Cattier in Chigny-les-Roses, France, Sept. 13, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) A worker transfers newly harvested grapes in Chigny-les-Roses, France, Sept. 13, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) Newly harvested grapes are pictured in Chigny-les-Roses, France, Sept. 13, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) Workers harvest grapes at a vineyard in Chigny-les-Roses, France, Sept. 13, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) Workers harvest grapes at a vineyard in Chigny-les-Roses, France, Sept. 13, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) Cattier's champagne products are pictured at the booth of Cattier in the China National Convention Center during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 12, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 CIFTIS opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Qi Xiaoyi) A worker harvests grapes at a vineyard in Chigny-les-Roses, France, Sept. 13, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) This photo shows a wine cellar of Cattier in Chigny-les-Roses, France, Sept. 13, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) opened in Beijing on Sept. 12. France, the guest country of honor, launched a special national pavilion here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. A debut at this year's fair, French champagne brand Cattier caught many visitors' attention. As a 400-year-old family business and a prominent player in France's agricultural and wine sectors, Cattier hopes to inject a touch of French romance to China's increasingly upscale consumer base with its unique champagne product line. France boasts a long history of crafting many of the world's greatest vintages. The Cattier family plants vineyards in Chignyles-Roses, located in the heart of France's Montagne de Reims. The China-Europe Chang'an freight train service, for its part, plays an important role as the safest and most efficient path for Cattier products to access the Chinese market. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) SINGAPORE, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said Monday that it arrested 65 suspected drug offenders in an island-wide operation from Sept. 9 to 13. The CNB seized 954 grams of heroin, 201 grams of Ice, and 158 grams of cannabis, among other drugs, in the operation. Investigations into the suspects were ongoing. Caption for photo above: 2023 bursary award winners, Michael Ryan, Sinead Cusack and Joshua Mills pictured along with Sean Molloy, CEO of Tirlan; Aine Kavanagh, Marketing Manager, Baileys Global Brand Team at DIAGEO; Aisling Gorman, Global Sustainability Marketing Director at Baileys and John Murphy, Chairperson, Tirlan. Tirlan and Baileys are collaborating for the third year in a row to offer bursaries worth 1,000 to Tirlan milk and grain suppliers in Tipperary and other counties who have family members beginning their degree studies in Agricultural Science. The bursaries are part of a Tirlan and Baileys Sustainable Farming Academy collaboration and are open to Tirlan family members beginning their degree studies in Agricultural Science in UCD, UCC, DkIT or the South East Technological University. Recognising the significant changes taking place in farming, the bursary programme aims to support the next generation of Tirlan suppliers as they focus on enhancing the environmental and economic performance of their family farms. Tirlan members are requested to complete a form available through the Tirlan FarmLife website APPLICATION: Bursary for family members of Tirlan Members (office.com) and submit a personal statement, outlining how being awarded a bursary would support their studies. The content of the personal statement is important, as it will be used to guide eligibility. All eligible candidates will be entered into a randomised draw based on the college they are attending. The closing date for bursary applications is October 31 and bursary winners will be announced in November 2024. In order to be eligible for this student bursary, applicants must be a family member of a Tirlan supplier, John Murphy, Tirlan Chairperson explained. The aim of the Sustainable Farming Academy and the bursary awards is to support our suppliers and their families in addressing environmental, economic and social change by giving them the skills and knowledge to farm more sustainably into the future, as outlined in our Living Proof sustainability strategy. This is the third year weve run the Academy and the bursary programme. We are delighted to be able to support our farm family suppliers and would ask anyone interested to apply well in advance of the October 31st deadline. Aisling Gorman, Sustainability Marketing Manager, Baileys, said: Baileys is a proud Tirlan partner since 1974 and it makes sense that we would join forces to offer upskilling and education opportunities to farmers in sustainable farming practices, so that together we can drive positive change and shape the future of farming in Ireland. We believe the Sustainable Farming Academy can drive big changes in farming practices and we are immensely proud to support this initiative. Together, we are working for change. Taoiseach Simon Harris is set to visit Derry for the first time as Taoiseach for a series of engagements with political, civic society and community leaders. During his visit, Harris will announce the allocation of 7.6 million from the Shared Island fund for an initiative to link the Wild Atlantic Way that runs from Kinsale in County Cork to Donegal's Inishowen Peninsula to the Causeway Coastal Route which runs from Derry to Belfast. He will also visit the site of a new teaching and student services building being constructed at the University of Ulsters Derry campus through this Shared Island funding. While at the university, Harris will also deliver the annual John Hume and Thomas P. ONeill Chair Lecture. READ NEXT: Justice Minister Helen McEntee to seek Cabinet approval on banning masks at protests First on his list of duties will be a meeting with the SDLP's Lillian Seenoi-Barr at the Guildhall. In June, Seenoi-Barr became the first black mayor of a council in Northern Ireland. Ahead of his trip, Harris emphasised the importance of cross-border communication and collaboration. The Taoiseach said: "I am looking forward to my first official visit to Derry to see and support the very positive North-South cooperation in the North-West region, and to engage with key stakeholders with a view to further strengthening collaboration." A staff member arranges exhibits at the booth of Embassy of the Republic of Yemen during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the Shougang Park in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 14, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Cao Mengyao) Visitors are seen during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the Shougang Park in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong) Visitors are seen during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the Shougang Park in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong) An exhibitor of the booth of Azerbaijan (L) communicates with a staff member from China during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Lu Yang) People talk at the booth of Cyprus during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei) People visit the booth of Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the Shougang Park in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua) Visitors are seen at the booth of the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 13, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Cao Mengyao) Visitors are seen during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the Shougang Park in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua) People talk at the booth of Germany during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao) A staff member introduces a bag of coffee beans to visitors at the booth of Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the Shougang Park in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong) A staff member displays liquor produced by Mongolia during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao) An exhibitor from Iran (R) communicates with a visitor during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao) People visit the booth of Shopee during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 12, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Ding Hongfa) This photo taken on Sept. 15, 2024 shows the Korea excellent enterprise pavilion during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Li Xin) An Iranian exhibitor communicates with a Chinese exhibitor during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei) An exhibitor from Pakistan (1st L) visits the booth of Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the Shougang Park in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong) A staff member displays a handiwork at the booth of Embassy of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the Shougang Park in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong) A staff member introduces products to visitors at the booth of Embassy of the Republic of Ghana during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the Shougang Park in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong) A staff member introduces products to visitors at the booth of Embassy of the Republic of Uganda during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the Shougang Park in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong) Visitors communicate with each other at the booth of Portugal during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei) This photo taken on Sept. 15, 2024 shows the booth of Tesla during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Li Xin) An exhibitor displays a bottle of pomegranate juice at the booth of Azerbaijan during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Lu Yang) This photo taken on Sept. 15, 2024 shows the booth of Australia during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Li Xin) This photo taken on Sept. 15, 2024 shows the booth of Brazil during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Li Xin) This photo taken on Sept. 15, 2024 shows the booth of Peru during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Li Xin) A dancer performs breakdancing at the national pavilion of France during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 14, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua) A staff member communicates with visitors at the booth of Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the Shougang Park in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 14, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Cao Mengyao) Visitors are seen during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao) Exhibitors take a group photo during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 12, 2024. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao) This photo taken on Sept. 15, 2024 shows the booth of Bulgaria during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS, which runs from Sept. 12 to 16 in Beijing, brings together 85 countries and international organizations, as well as over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises. Exhibitors make use of the CIFTIS to embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond. (Xinhua/Li Xin) by Xinhua writers Li Yilin, Yuan Quan BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- An exhibition hall, filled with booths showcasing pomelos, pears, mushrooms, and the enticing aromas of black tea, mooncakes and spicy rice noodles, could easily be mistaken for a food expo, but it was actually part of an intellectual property (IP) conference. The products, displayed at the 13th China Intellectual Property Conference held last week in Beijing, all share a common name: geographical indication (GI). GI is a type of IP that signifies a product's specific origin and the qualities or reputation linked to that location. It serves as a mark of quality, setting the product apart from competitors. Notable GI examples include French Champagne and Chinese Kweichow Moutai. In the GI exhibition area of the conference, domestic GI products from Guangxi, Guangdong and Shaanxi drew large crowds of visitors, photographers and vloggers. According to the latest data released by China's IP authority, China has approved 2,523 GI products and seen the registration of 7,385 GI trademarks as of the end of August. The quality and quantity of the country's GI products and trademarks ranked among the top in the world. Products with GIs not only become top choices for consumers but also drive the growth of regional economies and local industries. Zhashui fungus, a specialty from Zhashui County in Shaanxi Province, attracted many consumers at the conference. This product is highly nutritious thanks to the local geographical environment and climatic conditions. The staff at the exhibition booth said that the local government has established a modern industrial park and collaborated with scientific research teams to promote the industry. The Chinese GI product has also secured EU trademark registration, marking its entry into the international market. Hu Wenhui, deputy commissioner of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), said that the direct annual output value of China's GIs has increased consistently since 2020. In 2023, the direct output value of GIs in China surpassed 961 billion yuan (about 139.1 billion U.S. dollars). Apart from boosting the economy, GI plays an important role in protecting regional culture. The Suzhou embroidery from Zhenhu, Jiangsu Province, is not only a Chinese GI but also an intangible cultural heritage with a history of 2,000 years. It has regained popularity through IP licensing and collaborations for modern products like watches, headsets and even video games. At a breakout session on integrating GI cultural communication with modern value, Zhang Xue, an inheritor of Suzhou embroidery, said that his team has applied for 42 patents and more than 1,000 copyrights. Global GI specialties like Thai fish sauce also received significant attention at the conference. China has emphasized the importance of international GI cooperation. A total of 110 Chinese GIs have been ensured protection globally, while 142 products from France, Britain, the United States, Mexico, the European Union and other countries and regions have received GI protection in China. Guo Wen, a senior official of the CNIPA, said at the conference that China will continue to enhance its GI protection efforts by establishing demonstration zones and enforcing stricter laws. China looks forward to working with the global community to bring greater benefits to the people, Guo noted. MANILA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Personal remittances from overseas Filipinos reached 3.43 billion U.S. dollars in July, an increase of 3.2 percent over the same period last year, the central bank said Monday. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said cumulative remittances grew 3 percent to 21.53 billion dollars in the January-July period. The BSP said growth in cash remittances from the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates contributed mainly to the increase in the first seven months. Personal remittances remain a vital source of foreign exchange inflow into the Southeast Asian country. According to the Asian Development Bank, the Philippines is among the top 10 global recipients of remittances. There are about 10 million Filipinos living or working overseas. The BSP data showed that personal remittances from overseas Filipinos reached an all-time high of 37.2 billion dollars in 2023, representing 8.5 percent of the country's gross domestic product. SYDNEY, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 people have been killed as women, girls, the elderly and young boys rushed to escape heavy tribal fighting that has erupted near a gold mine in Papua New Guinea, local media reported. The fight in the Porgera Valley in Enga province, home to one of the country's largest gold deposits, started last week when two factions of illegal miners fought among themselves and one faction killed two men from the other faction, according to local newspaper Post-Courier. About 20 people have been killed, including two local mine workers, and the number increased steadily each day, Post-Courier reported, adding that Porgera has seen a mass exodus of more than 5,000 people. Police Commissioner David Manning has declared emergency orders to safeguard infrastructure and residents in Porgera due to "escalating law and order issues," local newspaper The National reported. Police would be increasing the legitimate use of force to remove combatants in order to protect critical infrastructure including the Porgera Mine, Manning said. "Security personnel will use legitimate lethal force where appropriate to protect the innocent, meaning that any person carrying an offensive weapon in public will be considered a threat and dealt with accordingly, with force," Manning said. "This worsening situation is caused by illegal miners and settlers who are using violence to victimize and terrorize the traditional landowners." "We have 122 security personnel on the ground, including mobile squad, dog squads and Sector Response Unit as well as personnel from Papua New Guinea Defense Force," he said. Enga Governor Peter Ipatas on Sunday called on the government to implement a state of emergency due to a surge in tribal violence in the Porgera Valley over the past few days. "The violence has led to the loss of many innocent lives, displacement of people, property destruction and heightened fears for the safety of local residents and businesses," he said. "Very high development is happening (in China) now. I think that the Chinese people are going the right way." International scholars and party officials attending a symposium in China's Xiamen have spoken positively about the outcomes of China's reforms. #GLOBALink Over the past 10 years, an Elderly Assistance Center in China has offered nourishment and a supportive community by serving 2 million free lunches. #GLOBALink BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China respects Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Kosovo issue, and believes that the security and lawful rights and interests of ethnic Serbs in the Kosovo region should be upheld, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday. It is reported that the police of the temporary institutions in Pristina forcibly raided and controlled institutions of ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo, and the Kosovo police arrested four Serbs and confiscated Serbian currency in the National Bank of Serbia located in northern Kosovo. The situation in the Kosovo region again experienced tension. When asked for comment, the spokesperson said unilateral moves do not help address the issue and will only disrupt regional security and stability. "Relevant parties need to continue practical and constructive dialogue, and actively look for a lasting solution to the Kosovo issue," said the spokesperson. Update on social media targeting and a reminder that the mobile tech is EXTREMELY traceable when suspects allegedly cross the line. Here's the word . . . In Kansas City, Missouri, police said four people have been taken into custody concerning recent threats. We have been monitoring these threats closely and working with local and federal partners to investigate these threats, a police spokesperson said. We take these matters extremely seriously. Police were unable to share details surrounding the arrests. Heading into a new week, investigations continue. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . KCPD: 4 taken into custody in Kansas City, Missouri, concerning school threats Kansas City, Missouri, police said four people have been taken into custody concerning school threats. Related . . . From our perspective . . . Both NPR and the Senator seem to be targeting low-info voters with emotive rhetoric ahead of a ballot issue showdown that most Republicans admit they're going to lose. However . . . We're not certain that the whispering newsies of NPR calling the Senator a liar is the right tact. Here's their argument . . . [Senator] Hawley addressed the Cultural Impact Conference hosted by First Baptist Church in Ozark, days after the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Amendment 3 will remain on the November ballot. The initiative would put the right to an abortion into the state constitution. KSMU in Springfield reports that in his speech the Republican Senator erroneously linked Amendment 3 to health care for transgender youth. This is about an effort to come into our schools behind your backs without your knowledge, to tell our kids that there's something wrong with them and to give them drugs that will sterilize them for life, to push them toward procedures that will fundamentally change their bodies irrevocably for life, Hawley said at the event. And there will be nothing we can do about it. Supporters of Amendment 3, including the ACLU, and Hawleys Senate race opponent, Democrat Lucas Kunce, have condemned his remarks as false and a distraction, KSMU reports. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Saipem has been awarded an offshore EPC contract by QatarEnergy LNG for the Combined COMP3A & COMP3B of the North Field Production Sustainability Offshore Compression Program, aimed at sustaining the production of the North Field offshore natural gas reservoir, located offshore the north-east coast of Qatar. The contract value amounts to approximately $4 billion. Saipems scope of work encompasses the engineering, procurement, fabrication and installation of six platforms as well as approximately 100 km of corrosion resistance alloy rigid subsea pipelines of 28 and 24 diameter, 100 km of subsea composite cables, 150 km of fiber optic cables and several other subsea facilities. This contract follows the EPC package for the North Field Production Sustainability Offshore Compression Complexes Project - [COMP 2], awarded to Saipem in October 2022 and currently being executed.-TradeArabia News Service TASHKENT, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Uzbekistan's second-largest city of Samarkand to discuss bilateral ties, the press service of the head of Uzbekistan reported on Sunday. Scholz, who is on an official visit to Uzbekistan on Sept. 15-16, had been invited by Mirziyoyev. During the meeting, the Uzbek leader highlighted the historical significance of the visit. Both leaders also discussed further expanding Uzbek-German relations, according to the press service. As the trade turnover between the two countries exceeded 1 billion euros (1.1 billion U.S. dollars) last year, German companies have invested 800 million euros (890 million dollars) in the country, the press service said. The countries will carry out a series of programs, covering such areas as green energy, the chemical industry, mechanical engineering, the textile industry and many others. They also discussed holding regular consultations on international and regional issues, the press service said. Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it. I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends. More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it. The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity. About me: I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS. Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line). Age: 42 Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed. I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it). Russia is likely to face increasing problems in production and procurement of the weapons it needs to wage war against Ukraine, so the Kremlin will increasingly rely on its foreign partners to meet its materiel needs. This is stated in the report of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrinform saw. As noted, the Russian forces extensively rely on the refurbishing stocks of Soviet-era weapons and military equipment, including armored vehicles, to maintain the pace of its offensive operations in Ukraine. The Russian government will likely have to further mobilize the Russian economy and defense industry and invest in capacity building if the Russian military intends to sustain its current tempo of operations in the medium- to long-term as Russia depletes its finite Soviet stockpiles, but it is unclear if the Russian defense industry will be able to produce enough to sustain the high level of equipment losses that Russian forces suffer in Ukraine even with further economic mobilization, the analysts say. ISW has previously assessed that Russia's efforts to expand its military are unlikely to be sustainable in the medium- to long- term due to anticipated labor shortages and the impact of Western sanctions. The report also stressed that Russian authorities have recently stepped up military cooperation with North Korea, as evidenced by Russian Security Council head Sergei Shoigus September 13 visit to Pyongyang and Putins visit in June 2024, when Putin signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement with North Korean President Kim Jong Un. "Russia's deepening military partnership with North Korea is emblematic of the relationship that Russia aims to create with Iran, the PRC, and other desired partners. Russia will likely face dwindling weapons and equipment stockpiles and struggle to offset these shortages unless it can circumvent Western sanctions at scale and significantly expand its engagements with foreign partners to obtain sufficient military materiel, component parts, and dual-use items, the defense analysts believe. As reported by Ukrinform, North Korea continues to supply Russia with short-range ballistic missiles in defiance of sanctions. Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov discussed with his Estonian counterpart Hanno Pevkur ways of supporting Ukrainian defense industry, in particular, purchases of Ukrainian long-range drones and missiles. Umerov posted this on Facebook, Ukrinform reports. According to him, "we discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation between our countries. The main attention was paid to possible new projects aimed at supporting Ukrainian defense industry. In particular, purchases of Ukrainian long-range drones and missiles." Umerov emphasized: "We appreciate the contribution that Estonia has already made to strengthen our defense capabilities in the fight against the aggressor, as well as the openness of the Estonian side to new formats of cooperation." Read also: Umerov discusses development of Ukrainian defense industry with Polish delegation "I am sincerely grateful to Estonian people, government and personally Minister Pevkur for the military, political and diplomatic support of Ukraine," added the Ukrainian Defense Minister. As reported by Ukrinform, on September 6, Umerov discussed with the defense ministers of Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia new opportunities for the joint production of Ukrainian weapons. Vladimir Putin's visits to Tuva and then to Mongolia had, besides the formal purpose, a concealed agenda, which is consultaions with local shamans. Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar claimed this in an article for Der Spiegel, Ukrinform reports. The author refers to unnamed sources close to the Kremlin who say meetings shamans were the major reason Putin made both trips. This was already his third visit to Mongolia in the last decade, while Tuva is one of his frequent destinations. Mongolia and Tuva are seen as homeland to the worlds most powerful shamans. "Now rumors are spreading in Moscow that Putin needs the blessing of shamans to use nuclear weapons. Without their consent, he could not take such a serious step, for fear of angering the spirits. From Mongolia, he allegedly returned satisfied," the article claims. However, the author himself admits that he has no confirmation of this superstitious version. Vladimir Putin has long been known for his special focus on mysticism, combining interest in Orthodox rites with pagan traditions. He spends a lot of time with the so-called elders from the Valaam monastery, who were especially revered by the Orthodox mystics of medieval Russia. At the same time, during joint trips to Tuva with former Defense Minister Serhiy Shoigu (who was born in the region), both allegedly participated in shamanic rituals. This fascinated the Russian president no less than Orthodox mysticism. Shamans, the article says, promised Putin a successful war. At the same time, the author refers to a political scientist with a controversial reputation, Valery Solovey, who in 2022 claimed that Russia's attack on Ukraine had been preceded by a pagan ritual that shamans performed for Putin at his residence in Sochi. They supposedly slayed an eagle as a sacrificed and foresaw the success of the military operation. The author of the article is Mikhail Zygar, a Russian journalist and writer. He wrote for the Kommersant, Newsweek, worked as a founding editor-in-chief at the the independent TV channel Dozhd, and authored several books. He currently lives in Berlin. It should be recalled that Adolf Hitler and his closest entourage were also known for their fascination with occultism. As Ukrinform reported, Nazi occultism combined with fascist esoteric ideas have followers in the Kremlin. Photo: Kristina Kormilitsyna / Sputnik / IMAGO TEHRAN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Russia on Monday highlighted the necessity to complete the implementation of a transport route linking South Asia to Northern Europe, known as the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). In a meeting held in Tehran, Iranian Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Abdolnaser Hemmati and Russian president's senior aide Igor Levitin discussed bilateral economic cooperation, according to Iran's official news agency IRNA. The Iranian minister said the INSTC's swift implementation would help enhance cooperation among Iran, Russia, India, and regional Arab states. He added that Iran expects Russia to "seriously" support the INSTC megaproject. Hemmati said the Iranian government supports investments in the implementation of the international corridor, voicing its readiness to facilitate other countries' participation in the project by offering special investment incentives. He expressed hope that Russia's investment in Iran, especially in the country's oil, infrastructure and transit projects, would increase. Levitin, for his part, said Russian President Vladimir Putin has allocated a budget for the construction of a railway in northern Iran, which would be a part of the INSTC upon completion. He added that 15 million tons of products could be transported through the rail route, and the capacity could be increased to 50 million tons. He said the Russian president had issued a special directive for the INSTC's speedy implementation. SACRAMENTO, the United States, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- As students return to campuses across the United States this fall, many universities have implemented new policies aimed at restricting protest activities, which critics say has a chilling effect on both students and faculty. The new wave of administrative policies include encampment bans, severe restrictions on when or how demonstrations may occur, and suspensions of student organizations. Expanded conduct rules and harsher sanctions for violations often go together with these measures. For instance, Case Western Reserve University now requires administration approval for protests, while Rutgers University demands protesters obtain permits. Indiana University bans "expressive activity" between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. University of California and California State University systems prohibit encampments and the use of masks to "conceal identity" across their 33 campuses. New York University takes a controversial step by unveiling new student conduct policies prohibiting criticism of Zionism. These changes come in the wake of the widespread pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the spring semester, which called for universities to disclose and divest from financial ties to Israel. Palestine Legal, a civil rights organization, reported that throughout the spring of 2024, universities experienced levels of student protest reminiscent of the Vietnam anti-war and South African anti-apartheid eras. In response, university administrators called in law enforcement to arrest more than 3,000 students, professors, and solidarity activists on more than 80 campuses. These policy changes also come amid significant pressure from pro-Israel groups and lawmakers. U.S. Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina and chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, has demanded information from some universities about their plans to prevent disruptions, antisemitic harassment, and intimidation on campus this fall, according to The Washington Post. Adam Lehman, president and chief executive of the Jewish campus organization Hillel International, has encouraged universities to be more proactive this school year, putting in place bias-reporting procedures that are inclusive of and responsive to Jewish student complaints. The U.S. Department of Education has also contributed to this shift. From Oct. 7, 2023 to this May, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the department opened 137 investigations into antisemitism and Islamophobia at universities and K-12 school districts. The office has admonished colleges for not having clear policies to assess and respond to reports of discrimination. However, these policy changes have faced significant criticism from civil rights organizations and academic groups. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has condemned the new wave of administrative policies as "broadly chill students and faculty from engaging in protests." The AAUP argues that many of these policies are being imposed with little to no faculty input, bypassing the central role of elected faculty bodies in university governance. Palestine Legal cautions that while these rules have been instituted to target speech critical of Israel, they can be used to prevent students from speaking out about other issues as well, such as climate change and police violence. The organization said it is working to ensure that students know their rights in this rapidly changing environment and have support if they face repression. Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, urges universities to respect the rights of all students and avoid repeating the "heavy-handed enforcement" seen in spring. "If they give students room to protest peacefully, and if they engage with students respectfully about their demands, then we can see a much more civil discussion on college campuses this fall," Mitchell said. At Columbia University, the school year began with the New York Police Department arresting student picketers demanding divestment on the first day of classes. At University of Michigan, four people were arrested, and two were hospitalized after police reportedly slammed students on the ground during a peaceful die-in demonstration. Despite these new restrictions, campus pro-Palestinian activism has shown no signs of abating. National Students for Justice in Palestine has called for a "day of action" on campuses, declaring, "University repression will not stop us. Draconian speech codes will not stop us." A Texas medical school has suspended its body donation program after an investigation revealed that many bodies were used without consent of the deceased or their families. The investigation by NBC News found that since 2019, Dallas and Tarrant counties had sent over 2,350 unclaimed bodies to the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth. Some of these bodies were also shipped to medical device manufacturers, other universities and the Army. "These recipients leased the body parts for hundreds of dollars apiece $900 for a torso, $341 for a leg so that doctors could practice medical procedures," the probe discovered. In response, the university announced on Friday that it would halt its body donation program, permanently shut down its BioSkills Lab, and fire the program's leadership while conducting an internal investigation. NBC News also reported that death investigators in the counties often failed to contact family members before declaring bodies unclaimed. Many families only learned what happened to their loved ones months or even years later. "It's like a hole in your soul that can never be filled," Brenda Cloud, the sister of Army veteran Victor Honey, whose body was dissected and leased, said. "We feel violated." The arrangement between the medical school and the counties saved about $500,000 annually in burial costs for the counties, while the school earned approximately $2.5 million each year from selling body parts to medical and tech companies. Several recipients of these body parts, including major entities like the U.S. Army and Johnson & Johnson's DePuy Synthes, were allegedly unaware that they were receiving unclaimed remains. This has prompted several companies to review their policies in response. "The findings shared with our Office are deeply concerning and an immediate review of every aspect of the program is underway. Every individual deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, both in life and in death. Nothing else is acceptable," the Office of Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare said in a statement earlier this month. Both counties plan to discuss the recent findings this week. September 16 2024 Scottish Borders Council and jmarchitects have broached plans for an elderly care village in Tweedbank as part of a strategic plan by the local authority to cater for its ageing demography. Tweedbank Care Village will offer specialised dementia care while supporting the 'de-institutionalisation' of care by splitting accommodation into domestic-scaled properties for 60 residents. Modelled on a traditional farm estate the courtyard plan sees three buildings front a central amenity area with open aspects to a feature pond. Incorporating feature and split gables of standing seam metal in bold colours to stand apart from the predominant use of wood effect cladding. In a design statement, jmarchitects wrote: "The scale and massing of the buildings is key to creating the village character of the development. "The buildings are almost symmetrical around their central axis with bookend double gables to each end of the building. These form sheltered courtyard spaces around the main entrances. The gables are used to form distinct forms in the landscape, important for the view into the site over the pond." Supporting groups of seven or fewer residents sharing a living, kitchen and dining area the flats will promote mental wellbeing and access to a cafe, hairdresser, greenhouse and shop to improve social inclusion. People inspect a destroyed building in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on Sept. 16, 2024. Palestinian security sources told Xinhua on Monday that Israeli aircraft targeted a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least 10. (Photo by Marwan Dawood/Xinhua) GAZA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on the central and southern Gaza Strip on Monday, according to Palestinian sources. Palestinian security sources told Xinhua that Israeli aircraft targeted a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least 10. The airstrike completely destroyed the house and caused damage to neighboring homes. The victims included children, medical sources told Xinhua, adding that another 15 people injured were transported to hospital with varying degrees of wounds. Also on Monday, a separate Israeli shelling of a makeshift bakery in the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip killed at least five Palestinians, including a child, and injured several others, according to security and medical sources. So far, the Israeli army has not commented on the two attacks. Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage. The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 41,226, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Monday. People inspect a destroyed building in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on Sept. 16, 2024. Palestinian security sources told Xinhua on Monday that Israeli aircraft targeted a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least 10. (Photo by Marwan Dawood/Xinhua) People inspect a destroyed building in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on Sept. 16, 2024. Palestinian security sources told Xinhua on Monday that Israeli aircraft targeted a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least 10. (Photo by Marwan Dawood/Xinhua) People inspect a destroyed building in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on Sept. 16, 2024. Palestinian security sources told Xinhua on Monday that Israeli aircraft targeted a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least 10. (Photo by Marwan Dawood/Xinhua) People inspect a destroyed building in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on Sept. 16, 2024. Palestinian security sources told Xinhua on Monday that Israeli aircraft targeted a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least 10. (Photo by Marwan Dawood/Xinhua) People inspect a destroyed building in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on Sept. 16, 2024. Palestinian security sources told Xinhua on Monday that Israeli aircraft targeted a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least 10. (Photo by Marwan Dawood/Xinhua) HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2024) The 178th passing out parade was held at Police Training College Shahdadpur, which was attended by the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Hyderabad Tariq Razzak Dharejo as the chief guest. Addressing the police recruits who completed their training, he emphasized the need for them to perform their duties with utmost integrity and to utilize their strength to eradicate crime and drug trafficking from Sindh. He urged them to use the training they received to serve the public positively. Dharejo further stated that the police were currently facing significant challenges, and to effectively combat dacoits in the katcha areas, the police need to be equipped with modern facilities and equipment. Principal of the Training College Zahida Parveen mentioned that they were taking steps to provide the new recruits with the best possible training according to modern requirements, ensuring the protection of the public lives and property. A total of 578 personnel passed out during the parade, including 228 female constables. The passing-out recruits also demonstrated some skills, and the chief guest expressed his satisfaction and congratulated the Principal of the Training College. (@FahadShabbir) ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2024) Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said that in today's turbulent era, mere reading about the life of Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) life is not enough rather "we must follow his teachings in letter and spirit". The solutions to the current era challenges was only in completely following the Holy Prophet's (PBUH) vision and principles, he said in his message on 12th Rabiul Awwal, 1446. The prime minister extended greetings to the entire Muslim Ummah, especially the people of Pakistan, on the occasion of Eid Milad-un-Nabi (SAW) - the birth anniversary of Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). He urged the nation to follow the teachings of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), emphasizing support for the vulnerable, prioritizing those struggling with poverty and hunger, and adopting a habit of helping others. He emphasized that it was incumbent upon us all to follow the Prophet's (PBUH) examples of helping and benefiting others, with special attention to those suffering from poverty, hunger, and hardships. The Prime Minister said, "Today, we celebrate the blessed day when Allah Almighty bestowed divine guidance upon humanity through the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), illuminating our path until the Day of Judgment." He said,"The virtuous life, exemplary character, and noble teachings of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) serve as a radiant beacon, illuminating the path for all humanity, and his guidance will perpetually inspire and enlighten every individual's life journey." The Prophet (PBUH) through his words and deeds presented a model that how the human beings could achieve prosperity and harmony by upholding the universal principles of love, tolerance, and justice, he added. The Prophet (PBUH), he said, instilled in his followers the values of unity, love, and brotherhood, which "are the keys to overcoming our social and economic challenges." "Let us commit on this occasion to set aside our differences and work together for the progress and prosperity of our beloved," the prime minister remarked. PM Shehbaz urged the nation to express solidarity with the oppressed Palestinian and Kashmiri people, who were suffering from brutal oppression. He strongly condemned the worst atrocities inflicted upon innocent civilians in Gaza and Palestine, as well as the persistent human rights violations in Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir. Citing that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) championed justice, freedom, and human rights, he said," W must now stand in solidarity with the oppressed." He prayed that Allah Almighty grant liberation and justice to the people of Palestine and Kashmir, alleviating their sufferings. "It is our responsibility to advocate for these oppressed nations at every world forum and persuade the global community to support their cause," he added. The prime minister called on the nation to commit on the blessed occasion to embrace Holy Prophet's (PBUH) teachings, and strive to build a society that embodies equality, peace, and harmony. 'May Allah Almighty make Pakistan a cradle of peace, progress, and prosperity, and guide us to tread on the path of Holy Prophet (PBUH). Amen," he concluded. ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2024) Director of the Islamabad Food Authority (IFA), Irfan Nawaz Memon, chaired a performance meeting of the authority, during which he was informed that 24,137 operations had been conducted so far, resulting in improvement notices being issued to 9,346 businesses. Acting Deputy Director Operations (DDO) of Islamabad Food Authority (IFA), Aneeq Anwar, while sharing the performance report of the authority, stated that the authority has imposed fines amounting to Rs. 14.36 million on 804 establishments found violating health standards. The crackdown also led to the sealing of 172 outlets for selling harmful products. Meanwhile, licenses have been granted to 107 food points in Islamabad, reflecting the authoritys efforts to formalize the industry. In response to public complaints, 15 legal cases were registered, following action on 477 citizen reports. He said that with an unwavering commitment to quality assurance, the authority's latest report underscored its relentless pursuit of adherence to food safety standards across the Federal Capital. On the occasion, he appealed to the masses to cooperate with the food department in identifying illegal food production units that were operating in small houses to ensure public safety. Notably, the authority imposed a complete ban on the sale of Chinese salt, and gutka, emphasizing its commitment to upholding stringent standards of food safety and hygiene. Irfan Nawaz Memon reiterated the authority's dedication to fostering a healthy environment for the citizens of the federal capital. He emphasized that strict action should be continued against those food outlets that were involved in selling adulterated or unhygienic food items. The safety of citizens was the topmost priority of the IFA and no negligence would be tolerated in this regard, he warned. To raise public awareness, several campaigns on healthy food are ongoing. Director Irfan Memon urged his team to expedite their efforts, especially focusing on the sale of harmful milk. He also emphasized the need to expand licensing efforts across the city. /395 (@FahadShabbir) ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2024) Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar on Monday informed the National Assembly that the process of talks has been initiated with all the political parties in the Parliament (National Assembly and Senate) on the proposed constitutional package. Responding to points raised by PTI lawmaker Asad Qaisar, the minister said it would be the governments efforts to evolve consensus on the document. He urged the opposition parties to come up with positive recommendations instead of undue criticisms, assuring that these would be accommodated in the proposed constitutional package. He called upon the opposition to come forward and support the positive move in order to provide relief to the people suffering for the last over last seven decades. Azam Nazeer said any legislation in line with the constitutional structure was the prerogative of the Parliament. The proposed constitutional package envisaged formation of the judicial commission as per the spirit of the 18th amendment and Charter of Democracy (CoD), he said. He said under the package, it was proposed to empower the judicial commission to regulate and evaluate the performance of the judges of the high courts. He said the judges enjoyed official perks and privilege and it was his sole responsibility to dispense timely justices to the masses. Justice delay was tantamount to justice denied, he added. The minister said that during formation of the incumbent government, proper consultation was made with different parties including Pakistan Peoples Party, PML-Z, IPP, ANP, Maulana Fazal ur Rehman, Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Dr Abdul Malik etc. After formation of the government, it was our top priority to bring judicial reforms as it was unfinished part of CoD, he added. He said that the 18th constitutional amendment ratified all wrong doings made with the 1973 constitution. He paid tribute to the parliament for the said landmark amendment. He said the package was a set of amendments to the Constitution. As per procedure, a constitutional amendment first needed to be cleared by the Federal cabinet, he added. He said the constitutional package has not been presented before the federal cabinet yet. APP/raz-sra MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2024) As many as 2000 female students and teachers of a public school faced great deal of difficulty for the past 12 days owing to slackness of Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) whose staff did not clear the stagnant water due to overflow of sewage system inside the building. Principal Government Girls Comprehensive Higher Secondary School, Ms Zareen Akhtar, told APP on Monday that after heavy rain in first week of September, the sewage system of school overflowed which resulted in mosquitoes production and irritating smell of accumulated water in the premises. She regretted that despite written complaint to WASA,the issue could not be settled. "WASA told us that the sanitation system of the school had gone outdated and ended, though manhole in the premises overflowed due to choked lines of Gardezi market located near school. Students and teachers underwent mental agony because of pungent smell of accumulated water and mosquitoes during school hours." The Principal explained. After 12 days, it was cleared by WASA staffers on the directions of XEN Rana Ikram, she noted. When contact, MD WASA, Khalid Raza Kan, said that three crown failures in Gulghast area created problems for the residents,adding that they had cleared them a couple of days ago. He informed that WASA had always gave priority to sanitation issues faced by the schools and added that whenever a complaint is brought into his notice regarding educational institutions, the agency prioritized it. APP/mjk-xl (@ChaudhryMAli88) London, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2024) British broadcaster Huw Edwards, one of the most recognisable faces on UK television, is due to be sentenced Monday over indecent photographs of children, capping a stunning fall from stardom. The ex-BBC presenter has guided Britons through some of their country's most seismic events over the past two decades, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II and coronation of King Charles III. His calm delivery -- mixed with the publicly funded broadcaster's reputation for journalistic impartiality -- made him a trusted and reassuring presence on screens for millions watching at home. But the 63-year-old's reputation and career now lie in tatters after he pleaded guilty in July to three charges of making indecent images of children between December 2020 and August 2021. Edwards faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a minimum of 12 months when he learns his fate at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London at around 10:00 am (0900 GMT). It is possible it could be suspended. The former leading anchor admitted receiving 41 indecent images of children over WhatsApp, including seven of the most serious type. Most children were aged 13 to 15 and one was between seven and nine. Edwards was first arrested in November and charged in June, but the case was only revealed publicly in late July a couple of days before he appeared in court to admit the counts. The Welsh presenter had resigned from the BBC in April on "medical advice" after 40 years with the broadcaster. The BBC, whose brand is built on public trust, has admitted being made aware by police of the arrest and has been criticised for paying Edwards a salary for six months afterwards. The broadcaster is funded by a licence fee paid by UK households. - 'Disrepute' - Edwards was made anchor of the BBC's flagship 10:00 pm news bulletin in 2003. As well as the funeral of the late Queen, Edwards narrated the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton and has hosted UK general election coverage. But the father-of-five's professional life began to unravel in July 2023 when he was suspended by the BBC following allegations in a tabloid newspaper that he paid a young man for explicit images. Edwards did not comment publicly on the allegations, but his wife released a statement saying her husband was "suffering from serious mental health issues" and receiving "in-patient hospital care". The police's criminal investigation into Edwards started after a phone seized by officers as part of an unrelated probe revealed his participation in a WhatsApp conversation. Police say the man who sent Edwards the images was a 25-year-old convicted paedophile. BBC director Tim Davie said the broadcaster was "very shocked" at the details that came to light during Edwards' prosecution. The BBC board has said that Edwards brought the corporation into "disrepute" and that it has asked him to return his salary from the time he was arrested -- a sum of 200,000. The BBC has been rocked in recent years by scandals that saw some big Names revealed as serial sex offenders and reports of a culture of covering up for its star presenters. A current BBC employee and a former staff member have been critical of an internal inquiry that has not been made public, after they told the BBC last year they had received "inappropriate messages" from Edwards. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2024) France will propose Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne to serve on the European Commission after the shock resignation of Brussels heavyweight Thierry Breton, President Emmanuel Macron's office said on Monday. Sejourne "meets all the necessary criteria", the Elysee Palace said, highlighting his previous experience leading the liberal Renew group in the European Parliament. It added that he should run a portfolio similar to Breton's focused on "industrial and technological sovereignty and European competitiveness" -- a topic dear to Macron's heart. Macron also thanked Breton, saying he had "strongly contributed to moving forward a policy of European sovereignty in digital fields" including with the bloc's Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, as well as "supporting the European defence industrial and technological base" and seeing the EU's single market through the Covid pandemic. Internal Market chief Breton on Monday said that he was resigning with immediate effect, claiming that Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had demanded from Macron that he withdraw Breton as France's commission nomination. France had been offered "a supposedly more influential portfolio" in exchange for dropping him, Breton added. A longtime Macron loyalist, Sejourne was made foreign minister only in January this year, becoming the youngest person to hold the office under the Fifth Republic at the age of 38. Gaza Strip, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2024) Gaza medics and rescuers on Monday said Israeli strikes on several homes killed at least 18 people, as Hamas claimed it had ample resources to sustain its fight nearly a year into the war. The latest strikes came as Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned that prospects for a halt in fighting with Hezbollah fighters along the Lebanon border were dimming, yet again raising fears of a wider regional conflagration. Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told AFP during an interview in Istanbul on Sunday: "The resistance has a high ability to continue." "There were martyrs and there were sacrifices... but in return there was an accumulation of experiences and the recruitment of new generations into the resistance." His comments came less than a week after Gallant told journalists that Hamas, whose October 7 attack triggered the war, "no longer exists" as a military formation in Gaza. Deadly fighting raged on in the Gaza Strip on Monday, with survivors seen searching through the debris of crushed buildings following a strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Ten people were killed and 15 others were wounded when an air strike hit the home of the Al-Qassas family in Nuseirat on Monday morning, a medic at Al-Awda hospital, where the bodies were brought, told AFP. "My house was hit while we were sleeping without any prior warning. There are many martyrs, among them the sons of my family and my little grandsons," said Rashed al-Qassas, a surviving family member. Gaza's civil defence agency said six Palestinians were killed in a similar air strike during the night on a house belonging to the Bassal family in Gaza City's Zeitun neighbourhood, a regular target of Israeli military raids since the war began. Two people were killed in another overnight air strike in Rafah that targeted a house belonging to the Abu Shaar family, the agency said. - Israel-Hezbollah tensions surge - Tensions have surged along Israel's northern border with Lebanon, amid fears the violence could explode into an all-our war. "The possibility for an agreed framework in the northern arena is running out as Hezbollah continues to 'tie itself' to Hamas," Gallant told US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in a phone call. Gallant "reiterated Israel's commitment to the removal of Hezbollah presence in southern Lebanon, and to enabling the safe return of Israel's northern communities to their homes". Israeli media outlets said Amos Hochstein, the special envoy of US President Joe Biden, arrived in Israel on Monday to help defuse tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon's Hezbollah group has traded near-daily cross-border fire with Israeli forces since October 7. Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem said Saturday his group has "no intention of going to war", but if Israel does "unleash" one "there will be large losses on both sides". The cross-border violence since early October has killed 623 people in Lebanon, mostly fighters but also including at least 141 civilians, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, including in the annexed Golan Heights, authorities have announced the deaths of at least 24 soldiers and 26 civilians. - Huthi strike - Gallant's warning also comes after Yemen's Huthi rebels claimed a rare missile attack on central Israel on Sunday -- an attack that caused no casualties but sparked vows of retaliation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "They should have known by now that we charge a heavy price for any attempt to harm us," the Israeli premier said. The Huthis said they had "penetrated" Israel's air defences, while Israel said the missile likely fragmented mid-air but was not destroyed. In July, a Huthi drone strike killed a civilian in Tel Aviv, at least 1,800 kilometres from Yemen. It prompted retaliatory strikes that caused significant damage and deaths at Yemen's Hodeida port. Since November the Huthis have targeted Israel and its perceived interests in stated solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, launching dozens of missile and drone strikes that have disrupted global shipping through vital waterways off Yemen. In a televised speech, the Huthis' leader said the rebels and their regional allies were "preparing to do even more". "Our operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege on Gaza continue," Abdul Malik al-Huthi said. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Colombo, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2024) Sri Lanka's presidential hopeful Anura Kumara Dissanayaka wants a peaceful revolution after his Marxist party failed to seize power in two uprisings that left more than 80,000 people dead. The 55-year-old son of a labourer has emerged as a serious contender in the presidential polls on September 21, after forming a coalition with professionals frustrated with long-established politicians. Dissanayaka blames successive governments -- both socialist and right-wing capitalist -- for the corruption, nepotism and inefficiency that led to the island's economic meltdown in 2022. The financial crash was the worst since majority-Buddhist Sri Lanka won independence from British colonial rule in 1948. Dissanayaka and his JVP, or People's Liberation Front, have seen their popularity rise since the chaos two years ago when the South Asian nation of 22 million people ran out of food, fuel and medicines. Then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa was forced to flee the country briefly and resign after protesters stormed his palace in the capital. "For the first time in Sri Lanka's post-independence history, governance will shift from the control of a few corrupt elite families to a people's government," he writes optimistically in his presidential manifesto. Dissanayaka, a former agriculture minister, sided with the protesters but was not directly involved in toppling Rajapaksa, a former ally of his party. Soon after assuming leadership of the JVP in 2014, Dissanayaka vowed that they would not take up arms again and committed to coming to power through elections. He formed the National People's Power (NPP) coalition to distance the JVP from its violent past and win broader support. "We assure the people of Sri Lanka that we will never again take up arms," he said in 2015, in a statement published on the JVP's website. The party's first insurrection was in 1971, against the then-socialist government of Sirima Bandaranaike, the world's first woman prime minister. The fighting was brief, but led to the deaths of 20,000. Their second armed struggle was in 1987, to oppose the then-government's plan to devolve political power to the island's minority Tamils under a deal brokered by neighbouring India. Dissanayaka, a member of the majority Sinhalese community, was an active JVP student leader during the second insurrection, which was also coupled with a violent anti-India campaign. He has described how one of his teachers had sheltered him for over a month to save him from death squads that killed JVP activists, setting fire to their bodies in public using car tyres. A large number of people disappeared, and unofficial estimates place the death toll from the second JVP armed struggle at about 60,000. Some are still unaccounted for. A married father of two, Dissanayaka has been a politician since graduating from university in 1995. He has signalled an ideological shift of the JVP, saying they believe in an open economy and are not totally opposed to privatisation. However, his manifesto vows to improve loss-making state enterprises without selling them off. "There is a smear campaign against us, saying we will nationalise everything, even cows," Dissanayaka said at a campaign rally. "We will certainly help farmers to improve, to have their own dairies," he said. "We will not take over cows." Dissanayaka and his party have mended fences with New Delhi after their anti-India campaign of 1987, but he is also seen as being close to China. The two nations are competing for influence in Sri Lanka, strategically situated on global east-west sea routes. Dissanayaka visited New Delhi this year for meetings with top Indian politicians, shortly after a similar visit to Beijing. Southern Miss Student Receives Honored Underwater Technology Scholarship Mon, 09/16/2024 - 09:50am | By: Gabriela Shinskie Olagoke Daramola, a marine science Ph.D. student at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) School of Ocean Science and Engineering (SOSE), continues to display monumental success in technology research by accepting the Society for Underwater Technology- U.S. Branch (SUT-US) scholarship for undergraduate and graduate students. The scholarship is part of the SUT Educational Support Fund, awarded to six students nationwide who express academic excellence and a passion for marine science, underwater technology, or offshore engineering. Im highly honored to be selected as a recipient of the prestigious SUT-US scholarship award. This award is a great encouragement and inspiration, providing financial support for my current academic endeavors and offering access to valuable opportunities and resources within the SUT-US community, expressed Daramola. A select few students across the country are chosen for the annual award. Those selected possess career goals focusing on marine science and technology. Daramola continues to receive high praise for his research, which focuses on 3-D underwater mapping from a novel LiDAR system. Dr. Gero Nootz, Assistant Professor in the School of Ocean Science and Engineering (SOSE), credits the programs for the success of its students. As Olagokes's advisor, I am incredibly proud of his dedication and eagerness to excel in his work. His commitment to improving ocean floor mapping through innovative LiDAR technology is truly commendable. This scholarship is a well-deserved recognition of his hard work and potential to make significant contributions to the field, said Nootz. Daramola was recently awarded the prestigious Paros-Digiquartz Scholarship from the Marine Technology Society (MTS) to further his research. The scholarship winners display academic excellence and dedication to future marine technology. Dr. Robert Leaf, SOSE Interim Director, displays high accolades to the research and dedication of USM SOSE faculty and staff. The School of Ocean Science and Engineering is incredibly proud of Mr. Daramola for the recognition he has received. It is a testament to his dedication and competence. This is also an honor for our Schools Ocean Engineering program, which continues to deliver high-quality research and learning opportunities to our students, said Leaf. The ceremony took place at Rice University in Houston, Texas, on Friday, Sept. 13. The travel and coordination were made possible by Dr. Stephen Howden, SOSE professor, and USMs Hydrography Science Research Center. The support is a continued testament to the faculty and staffs dedication to achieving student success. Click here to dive into research, marine technology, and more through USMs School of Ocean Science and Engineering. Click here to learn more about the SUT-US. ADEN, Yemen, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group on Monday unveiled their new missile system, which they claimed possesses hypersonic capabilities, just one day after launching a missile attack deep into Israeli territory. The missile, dubbed "Palestine-2," was revealed through footage released by the Houthi-run al-Masirah channel, showcasing what the group asserted to be cutting-edge technology designed to challenge regional defense systems. The video depicted the "Palestine-2" missile being raised on what appeared to be a mobile launcher and swiftly ascending into the air, leaving plumes of white smoke in its wake. The missile's name is prominently displayed, accompanied by "Hypersonic" in bold red letters. The revelation of this Houthi weapon comes amid escalating tensions in the region and has drawn sharp responses from Israeli leadership. According to Houthi footage, the "Palestine-2" boasts an impressive range of 2,150 kilometers and is powered by solid fuel in two stages. They asserted that the missile can reach speeds of up to Mach 16 -- 16 times the speed of sound -- placing it well within the hypersonic category if verified. The Houthi group further claimed the missile is equipped with stealth technology and possesses maneuverability that allegedly surpasses even "the most sophisticated air defense systems globally, including Israel's renowned Iron Dome." These claims, if being substantiated, would represent a significant leap in the Houthis' missile technology and could potentially shift the balance of power in the region. However, it is crucial to note that these assertions have not been independently verified, and local Yemeni military experts often approach such claims with a degree of skepticism and caution. The unveiling follows a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict. On Sunday, the Houthi group confirmed they had launched an attack deep into Israeli territory, claiming to have used a "new hypersonic ballistic missile." In a televised address broadcast via the al-Masirah channel on Sunday, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi stated, "Our operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege on Gaza continue." He further emphasized the group's commitment to their cause, asserting that the group is "moving to do more, and what is coming is greater." Al-Houthi also referenced ongoing maritime operations, describing them as "successful and highly effective" in targeting navigation associated with Israel and its allies. In response to the attack, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stern warning on Sunday, stating that the Houthis would face a "heavy price" for their actions against Israel. "This morning, the Houthis launched a surface-to-surface missile from Yemen into our territory," Netanyahu told his cabinet ministers at the start of their weekly meeting. "Anyone who attacks us will not escape our wrath." Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar expressed gratitude to Yemen's Houthi group for their recent long-range missile attack against Israel through an official message reported by the al-Masirah TV on Monday. "I congratulate you on your success in reaching the depth of the enemy entity with your missiles, bypassing all Israeli air shields and defense systems," Sinwar stated in his message addressed to the Houthi leader. This recent development is part of a series of confrontations between the Houthi group and Israel. In July, the Houthis claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Tel Aviv, which led to retaliatory Israeli airstrikes on key Houthi-controlled areas and sites in Yemen, including the strategic port city of Hodeidah. The ongoing conflict has included multiple attacks by the Houthi group on targets in southern Israel and ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea region. Faculty, staff, students and members of the public are invited to the University of Wyomings fall 2024 State of the University address Tuesday, Sept. 17, from 3:30-5 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Center and West Yellowstone ballrooms. The event will be streamed via WyoCast and YouTube at https://wyolinks.uwyo.edu/StateOfUW-24/. Remarks from UW President Ed Seidel and other UW leaders are planned, with refreshments provided. Snacks and conversation will follow during a social hour in Pokes Pub from 5-6 p.m. Guests or members of the public attending the State of the University address who would like to request disability accommodations are asked to contact the universitys Disability Support Services office at (307) 766-3073 or email udss@uwyo.edu as early in advance of the event as possible. Seidel has granted 1.5 hours of release time for UW employees to attend the event. The scheduling of release time should be a collaborative discussion between employee and supervisor to ensure the effective and efficient operation of the unit. Vietnam Briefing has developed into a premium source for insight on doing business in Vietnam. It publishes business news concerning foreign direct investment into Vietnam, including the most important tax, legal and accounting issues. The Vietnam Briefing Magazine was first published in 2009, and is contributed to by investment professionals based in Vietnam. The 12-month grace period for student loan borrowers ended on September 30. The "on-ramp" period helped borrowers who are struggling to make payments avoid the risk of defaulting and hurting their credit score. "The end of the on-ramp period means the beginning of the potentially harsh consequences for student loan borrowers who are not able to make payments," said Persis Yu, Deputy Executive Director at the Student Borrower Protection Center. Around 43 million Americans have student loan debt, amounting to $1.5 trillion. Around eight million of those borrowers had enrolled in the SAVE plan, the newest income-driven repayment plan that extended the eligibility for borrowers to have affordable monthly student loan payments. However, this plan is currently on hold due to legal challenges. With the on-ramp period and a separate program known as Fresh Start ending and the SAVE plan on hold, student loan borrowers who are struggling to afford their monthly payments have fewer options, added Yu. Student loan borrowers who haven't been able to afford their monthly payments must consider their options to avoid going into default. If you have student loans, here's what you need to know. What was the on-ramp period? The Education Department implemented this grace period to ease the borrower's transition to make payments after a three-year payment pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this year-long period, borrowers were encouraged to keep making payments since interest continued to accumulate. "Normally, loans will default if you fall about nine months behind on making payments, but during this on-ramp period, missed payments would not move people towards defaulting and then being subject to forced collections. However, if you missed payments, you still be falling behind ultimately on repaying your loans," said Abby Shaforth, director of National Consumer Law Center's Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project. Since this grace period has ended, student loan borrowers who don't make payments will go delinquent or, if their loans are not paid for nine months, go into default. Borrowers who cannot afford to make payments can apply for deferment or forbearance, which pause payments, though interest continues to accrue. What happens if I don't make my payments? Borrowers who can't or don't pay risk delinquency and eventually default. That can badly hurt your credit rating and make you ineligible for additional aid and government benefits. If a borrower missed one month's payment, they will start receiving email notifications, said Shaforth. Once the loan hasn't been paid for three months, loan servicers notify to the credit reporting agencies that the loan is delinquent, affecting your credit history. Once the borrower hasn't paid the loan for nine months, the loan goes into default. If you're struggling to pay, advisers first encourage you to check if you qualify for an income-driven repayment plan, which determines your payments by looking at your expenses. You can see whether you qualify by visiting the Federal Student Aid website. If you've worked for a government agency or a non-profit organization, you could also be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which forgives student debt after 10 years. What happens when a loan goes into default? When you fall behind on a loan by 270 days roughly nine months the loan appears on your credit report as being in default. Once a loan is in default, it goes into collections. This means the government can garnish wages (without a court order) to go towards paying back the loan, intercept tax refunds, and seize portions of Social Security checks and other benefit payments. What if I can't pay? If your budget doesn't allow you to resume payments, it's important to know how to navigate the possibility of default and delinquency on a student loan. Both can hurt your credit rating, which would make you ineligible for additional aid. If you're in a short-term financial bind, you may qualify for deferment or forbearance allowing you to temporarily suspend payment. To determine whether deferment or forbearance are good options for you, you can contact your loan servicer. One thing to note: interest still accrues during deferment or forbearance. Both can also impact potential loan forgiveness options. Depending on the conditions of your deferment or forbearance, it may make sense to continue paying the interest during the payment suspension. What is an income-driven repayment plan? The U.S. Education Department offers several plans for repaying federal student loans. Under the standard plan, borrowers are charged a fixed monthly amount that ensures all their debt will be repaid after 10 years. But if borrowers have difficulty paying that amount, they can enroll in one of several plans that offer lower monthly payments based on income and family size. Those are known as income-driven repayment plans. Income-driven options have been offered for years and generally cap monthly payments at 10% of a borrower's discretionary income. If a borrower's earnings are low enough, their bill is reduced to $0. And after 20 or 25 years, any remaining debt gets erased. What is the latest with the SAVE program? In August, the Supreme Court kept on hold the SAVE plan, the income-driven repayment plan that would have lowered payments for millions of borrowers, while lawsuits make their way through lower courts. Eight million borrowers who had already enrolled in the SAVE plan don't have to pay their monthly student loan bills until the court case is resolved. Debt that already had been forgiven under the plan was unaffected. The next court hearing about this case will be held on October 15. What happened with the Fresh Start program? The Fresh Start program, which gave benefits to borrowers who were delinquent prior to the pandemic payment pause, also closed on September 30. During this limited program, student loan borrowers who were in default prior to the pandemic were given the opportunity to remove their loans from default, allowing them to enroll in income-driven payment plans, or apply for deferment, among other benefits. LIMA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people were killed in Peru due to the serious forest fires occurring in various parts of the country, Minister of Health Cesar Vasquez said Monday. "We have reported so far unfortunately 15 deaths, six hospitalized, 128 discharged from hospital and we as the Ministry of Health will always be in an expectant attitude," the official told reporters. He assured that the authorities will keep alert and continue providing medical support to those affected in the areas hit by the fires, which not only affect the South American nation, but also the region. Last weekend, the National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci) said that 222 forest fires had been registered in 23 of the 25 regions of the country this year, of which 51 remained active. Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Monday left for the Amazon region "to continue monitoring the areas affected" by the fires and coordinate actions with local authorities and other institutions. Israeli airstrikes killed 16 people in the Gaza Strip early Monday, according to Palestinian officials, and took out 20 Hezbollah launchers and military infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces said. The Gaza airstrikes hit a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least 10 people and wounding 13 others. Six other people were killed in a strike on a Gaza City home, first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government told the Associated Press. The dead included four women and two children. Meanwhile, the Israeli military reported that after sirens sounded in the area of the Upper Galilee, two suspicious aerial targets were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory and falling in the area of the northern Golan Heights. The Israeli air force struck approximately 20 Hezbollah launchers and military infrastructure sites which posed an immediate threat to Israeli civilians in the area of Jarmaq in southern Lebanon. Earlier strikes from Lebanon On Sunday morning, the Israeli military said about 40 projectiles were fired from Lebanon toward Israel's Upper Galilee region and the annexed Golan Heights. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the current situation along the Israeli-Lebanon border, where tens of thousands of people have been displaced, was not sustainable. "The existing situation will not continue. We will do everything necessary to return our residents safely to their homes," he said. Also Sunday, Israeli police shot and killed a man who stabbed a border officer at a gate to Jerusalem's Old City in what police described as a terror attack. "Border police officers engaged with the terrorist, neutralized him with gunfire, and concluded the attack swiftly and professionally," police said. The officer was evacuated and treated for his injuries, police said. Houthi missile lands in Israel Tensions throughout the region were heightened Sunday after a missile launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen landed in an open area in central Israel and triggered air raid sirens at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate, saying the Houthis should have known by now that we charge a heavy price for any attempt to harm us." The Yemeni rebels have repeatedly fired drones and missiles toward Israel since the start of the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza last October, but nearly all of them have been intercepted over the Red Sea. In the latest attack, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a military spokesperson for the rebels, said they fired a ballistic missile aiming at "a military target" in Jaffa, which is part of Tel Aviv. The Houthis are among several Iran-backed groups in the Middle East that have been drawn into the conflict triggered by Hamas' shock attack on southern Israel last Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of 250 hostages. Israels counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, a death toll Israel says includes several thousand militant fighters. Hamas has been designated a terror group by the U.S., the U.K., EU and other Western nations. Natasha Mozgovaya contributed to this report. Information from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse was used in this report. Australia is imposing more sanctions on Iranian officials on the second anniversary of the jailing and death of Mahsa Jina Amini. The 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman was arrested in September 2022 for "improperly" wearing her hijab. Australias Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said Monday that Australia stood in solidarity with Iranian women and girls in their struggle for equality and empowerment. Wong announced financial sanctions and travel bans on senior security and law enforcement officials who have allegedly been involved in the "violent repression" of protests in Iran. She said the human rights situation in Iran was dire as female activists continued to be detained and handed death sentences. Wong told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that abuses by Iranian authorities have continued since the death of Amini two years ago. We have sanctioned five Iranian security and law enforcement officials who have been involved in these law enforcement so-called activities, which are ultimately a repression - a violent repression - of the Iranian people, Wong said. Nikita White a campaigner with Amnesty International Australia, a rights group, told local media Monday that human rights have rapidly deteriorated in Iran. The people who are being executed are being executed after facing horrifically unfair trials," White said. She said torture and and ill-treatment have been reported. Australia has now imposed sanctions on almost 200 individuals and organizations with links to Iran, including those associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It was listed by Canada as a terrorist group earlier this year following a similar move by the United States in 2019. In Canberra on Monday, opposition lawmaker and shadow foreign affairs spokesperson Simon Birmingham urged the Australian government to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization. Earlier this month, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi described sanctions announced by Britain, France and Germany as economic terrorism. Araghchi has rejected U.S. claims that Tehran has sent ballistic missiles to Russia to help in its war with Ukraine. Authorities in Nairobi are trying to tackle the Kenyan capitals chronic and worsening air pollution. With help from the U.S. Agency for International Development, authorities are placing sensors that can monitor air quality around the densely populated city. Victoria Amunga reports from Nairobi. Camera: Jimmy Makhulo On its website, Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB) describes itself as a Malaysian conglomerate with a vision to implement the Islamic way of life in line with the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. But the rescue this week of hundreds of children and youths from what Malaysian authorities said was suspected sexual abuse at charity homes allegedly run by GISB has put back in the spotlight the firm's roots in a religious sect outlawed by the government three decades ago. GISB acknowledges links to the religious sect Al-Arqam, which was banned in 1994, and names the sect's late preacher Ashaari Muhammad as its founder, but has largely sought to distance itself from the group's practices and beliefs, which the government views as heretical. GISB has said it did not run the homes and has denied all allegations of abuse. In a video posted on Facebook, however, its chief executive said the firm had broken unspecified laws and that there were "one or two" cases of sodomy at the youth homes. In 2011, GISB made headlines for its controversial views on sex and marriage, which included encouraging polygamous families and setting up the Obedient Wives' Club, a group that called on wives to submit to their spouses "like prostitutes." The police raids on the charity homes in two Malaysian states this week came after several Islamic leaders called on the government to probe GISB's activities. Abu Hafiz Salleh Hudin, a lecturer on Islam at the International Islamic University of Malaysia, said he was aware of reports made to Malaysia's Islamic Development Department (Jakim) about worker exploitation and deviant teachings at GISB as far back as a decade ago. "They would stress that they were exploited, and they were not being paid for work," he told Reuters, citing reports made by former GISB members. The former members had also held on to Al-Arqam's teachings and beliefs, Abu Hafiz added. Police say they are investigating other allegations, including money laundering. Authorities say they also plan to scrutinize religious schools run by GISB while Jakim said it would present a report into deviant teachings involving the firm to the cabinet. Police say most of the youths rescued from the homes in two Malaysian states were children of GISB members. Many showed signs of abuse, neglect and emotional trauma, while 13 had been sodomized, officials said on Friday. Residents in Bukit Beruntung, a town in which a police source and locals said authorities had raided several youth homes, expressed shock at the abuse allegations. "If it's true, then that is really worrying," said Mohd Khair Syafie, the imam of a surau, or Muslim prayer hall, in the town, some 50 km outside the capital. Ashaari Muhammad founded the Al-Arqam movement in 1968, which was initially focused on discussing religious issues. In the 1980s, the group, which had tens of thousands of followers, was condemned by Malaysia's religious authorities over what they said were deviant teachings by Ashaari, whose followers claimed he had supernatural powers and could defer death. Ashaari, who had five wives and 37 children, spent two years in prison in the 1990s and died in 2010. In 2006, Malaysia's government outlawed Rufaqa Corp, another company founded by Ashaari, which it described as an attempt to revive Al-Arqam. A Rufaqa official at the time denied it had an other agenda than preaching Islam and building its business. In an August interview with business daily The Malaysian Reserve, GISB said the company was rebranded from Rufaqa Corp and reiterated it was a commercial entity compliant with Islam. Munira Mustaffa, executive director of security consultancy Chasseur Group, said GISB's businesses appeared to help it "hide under the veil of legitimacy." "Living in a country where they know they are being watched, GISB have been careful to present themselves as entrepreneurial individuals and legitimate businesspeople," said Munira. "But at the same time, they follow the same template as other isolationist communities or cults." As Zambia deals with its worst drought in 20 years, businesses and households are going for days without electricity. Experts say the severe energy crisis could worsen Zambia s already fragile economy and lead to massive job losses. On an average day, millions of people across the country are enduring up to 21 hours of power cuts, locally known as load shedding. Taonga Zulu, a Lusaka resident who runs a family farm business, told VOA that her livelihood has been hurt by the power cuts. It has been nearly impossible to manage the chicken run properly as we rely on electricity for various aspects of their care, she said. The lack of power has also prevented us from pumping water, which means our farm is slowly turning into a desert. The Zambia Association of Manufacturers is a business association representing the interests of the countrys factories. Association president Ashu Sagar said his members have not been spared by the energy crisis. He said big companies are struggling with the cost of running alternative diesel-powered generators, while smaller companies have no energy source at all. Sagar added that some of the associations members have failed to meet contractual obligations with buyers due to the drought-induced energy crisis. So, the impact on the manufacturing sector is quite big in that small companies that probably could have no capacity to invest in alternative energy solutions like diesel generators have had to curtail their manufacturing operations, he said. Zambias only public power utility company, the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation, or ZESCO, said Monday that it does not have enough power to supply all hospitals. Media reports say some hospitals are turning patients away due to lack of electricity and water. ZESCO spokesperson Matongo Maumbi said the countrys heavy reliance on hydropower generation has led to a national shortfall of almost 1,300 megawatts as the various water sources are drying up. Economist Emmanuel Zulu says the energy crisis is dragging down the economy and pushing up unemployment. There is a slump in output and productivity in the economy and this is going to affect our GDP as well as employment because most people will be left with nothing to do, he said. Worsened by climate change and the El Nino weather pattern, the energy crisis threatens national food security, water and energy supply, Zambias President Hakainde Hichilema said earlier this year. In his state of the nation address to parliament Friday, Hichilema said his government is working around the clock to address the energy crisis. Government is implementing a number of interventions in a bid to enhance resilience and reduce our dependence on hydroelectric power, he said. We are promoting alternative sources of energy. Energy expert Johnstone Chikwanda is optimistic that new measures, like the removal of bureaucratic hurdles that discouraged private companies from investing in energy production, will yield results in the near future. Looking at the extent of the measures which are currently being implemented and the strong praxis of leadership driving the energy sector reforms, I am convinced that this crisis is being invested better than how we previously handled the previous crisis, he said. According to the United Nations, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi are among the countries in Southern Africa most affected by the regional drought that began early this year. An anti-mining activist was shot and killed in Honduras, President Xiomara Castro said, vowing justice for the latest such murder in one of the world's most dangerous countries for environmentalists. Juan Lopez, 46, was gunned down as he left church Saturday in the northeastern town of Tocoa, his widow Thelma Pena told AFP. Castro condemned the "vile murder" in a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, late Saturday and said she had ordered an investigation. "Justice for Juan Lopez," Castro wrote. Lopez, who belonged to the ruling Libre party, campaigned against open-pit iron ore mining in a forest reserve in the vicinity of Tocoa, where he worked in the town hall. In an interview with AFP in 2021, Lopez discussed the risks that he said environmental activists face in this poor and violent Central American country. "If you start defending common interests in this country," he said, "you clash with major interests." "If you leave home, you always have in mind that you do not know what might happen, if you are going to return," said Lopez. At a recent news conference, the activist called for the resignation of Libre officials caught on video negotiating bribes with drug traffickers in 2013. That video recently ensnared Carlos Zelaya, a brother-in-law of the president. He resigned his seat in congress after admitting he took part in that meeting with drug gangsters. The U.N. country representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Isabel Albaladejo, urged investigators to consider "possible reprisals" against Lopez for his demand for a local mayor to resign for alleged links to organized crime. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights had ordered protective measures for Lopez due to threats against him and other environmentalists from Tocoa. Fellow rights defender Joaquin Mejia paid tribute to the environmentalist, calling him "a comrade committed to social change." Mejia accused authorities of failing to "fulfill their obligation" to protect Lopez. Honduran Attorney General Johel Zelaya said the "reprehensible" murder would not go unpunished, and paid tribute to Lopez's activism. "His life was an example of struggle. He never gave up in his incessant battle, hand-in-hand with the people to preserve natural resources," Zelaya said on X. The NGO Global Witness says Honduras is one of the world's most dangerous countries for environmental activists. In 2023 it was ranked third in the world for the number of killings of such activists at 18, tied with Mexico. The top two were Colombia and Brazil. The organization said that from 2012 to 2023, 148 environmental campaigners were killed in Honduras. They include Berta Caceres, a high-profile opponent of a controversial hydroelectric dam who was murdered in 2016. A council of Indigenous organizations co-founded by Caceres said that the Honduran state and Castro's government were "responsible for this new murder by not guaranteeing Juan's life." The FBI said Sunday it was assessing the credibility of threats against Haitians at Wittenberg University following baseless claims by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that the migrants in the town were eating cats and dogs. The threats to open fire on Haitian migrants have forced the Springfield, Ohio, school to close its campus for a day. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's involvement follows similar threats made against migrants in the town after Trump and running mate Republican Senator JD Vance of Ohio spotlighted false claims that Haitians who have settled in the town were eating residents' cats and dogs. Wittenberg announced Saturday evening that all events scheduled for Sunday would be canceled following the emailed threat and warned students, faculty and staff to exercise extreme caution on campus. "The FBI is working in coordination with the Springfield police department and Wittenberg University to determine the credibility of recent threats, share information, and take appropriate investigative action," according to a statement from the FBI's Cincinnati field office. Haitians in the town now say they fear for their safety. University spokesperson Karen Gerboth said Sunday the university had received a second threat "but it was quickly cleared on campus." The university also said in an update at least one other unnamed area campus had received similar threats. In a post to the social media network X, formerly Twitter, Clark State College said it had canceled classes in a building Thursday and Friday "due to a safety situation" in the town. A spokesperson for Clark could not be reached. Sergeant Atkins of the Springfield Police Division, who declined to give his first name, told Reuters there was no significant activity to report in the campus area as of Sunday morning. In a series of cable and broadcast television appearances Sunday, Vance defended the baseless claims, maintaining they were not entirely unfounded and had helped call attention to the area's social problems otherwise ignored by the news media. Germany began implementing checks on all its land borders from Monday as the government tries to reduce the number of asylum seekers and irregular migrants entering the country. Several countries that share borders with Germany have criticized the plan, which they say undermines freedom of movement, widely seen as a core principle of the European Union. Spot checks German police and border guards set up check points at major road crossings from midnight. Officers also boarded trains, trams and ferries arriving from neighboring countries, conducting spot checks on passengers suspected of being illegal migrants. The checks are targeted at vehicles where we suspect illegal migration, said German federal police spokesperson Dieter Hutt during a meeting with reporters in the German town of Kehl, which lies across the border from the French city of Strasbourg. Our controls are very flexible and dependent on the situation, which means that we are not setting up the classic border post and that we do not check every vehicle or every person, he said. Authorities have said the border checks would stay in place for at least six months. However, Germanys Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has also said the checks would remain until the EUs new bloc-wide regulations on asylum and migration come into force. The deal, agreed between members states in May this year, is not due to become operational until July 2026 at the earliest, and still faces numerous political and practical hurdles. Schengen zone Germany is part of Europes Schengen zone, which purportedly allows freedom of movement without a passport across 29 European countries. However, its members can introduce border checks if there is a serious threat to public policy or internal security. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the move was necessary. The number of those (migrants) who come to Germany irregularly is too large. And it is therefore in the understandable interest of the German government to ensure that we get these things under control through good management of irregular migration, Scholz said at a press conference Sunday during a visit to Uzbekistan. Voter backlash Germany took in more than a million migrants in 2015 in the wake of the Arab Spring, mainly from countries in the Middle East and North Africa. It is also hosting more than a million Ukrainian refugees who have fled Russias invasion. The influx has prompted a backlash from some voters, who have turned to the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party, which scored a shock victory in recent regional elections. The party is hoping for a similar result in the upcoming Brandenburg state election on September 22. A terrorist attack by a failed Syrian asylum seeker last month in the town of Solingen, which left three people dead, added pressure on the government to act. Critics say Germanys coalition government is pandering to the far right. We are really deeply concerned about the developments because we can see that almost nothing counts in the asylum debate anymore, said Judith Wiebke of the human rights group Pro-Asyl. From our point of view, this is of course part of a development where populists on the right are trying to divide society and question our pillars of society such as the rule of law, democracy and human rights, Wiebke told Reuters. European unity Many of Germanys European neighbors have also reacted with anger to the border checks. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused Scholz of sacrificing European principles. I have no doubt that it is the internal, political situation in Germany which is causing these steps to be implemented, and not our policy towards illegal immigration on our borders, Tusk said last week, after Germany announced the new border checks. The border checks could undermine European unity, said Raphael Bossong, a migration affairs analyst with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. There is a strong risk that were never going to hit that moment where anybody is going to be ready to take the stage and say Yes, now European borders are secure enough, now we're satisfied with the common European asylum system, and that's why we're scaling back that controls. It could aggravate a trend of mutual recriminations (among EU member states), the rise of hard right and seriously Eurosceptic countries. And we don't know where we end up with this kind of trend. So long term I think it adds to a number of risks to the European integration process, Bossong told VOA. Migration clampdown The border checks are part of a wider package to clamp down on irregular migration. Germany is also stepping up deportations of failed asylum seekers, including to Afghanistan. Berlin is also seeking to return more migrants to the countries where they first entered the EU, where they are meant to apply for asylum under the blocs rules although Austria has already refused to comply. Will the crackdown reduce immigration? Its a complex issue, said Bossong.We're not dealing with parcels or containers. We're dealing with people. And we're also dealing with a lot of different drivers of irregular migration. Yes, some may be susceptible to different incentives or different controls, others may be less so, looking at various wars and conflict in our European neighborhood. And these are not under our control. Rwanda deal Meanwhile a government official recently said that Germany could seek to strike a deal with Rwanda to send asylum seekers there for processing, using existing facilities. Joachim Stamp, who is Germanys special representative for migration agreements and also a member of the Free Democratic Party, part of the coalition government, said the United Nations could oversee a scheme that would use the existing asylum facilities in Rwanda. We currently have no (third) country that has come forward, with the exception of Rwanda, Stamp told a Table Media podcast on September 6. Britain negotiated a similar plan in 2022, but it was ruled unlawful and finally abandoned by the incoming Labour government in July. Scholz has previously rejected the idea of processing undocumented migrants in third countries, such as Rwanda. An Ohio city at the center of a political furor over Haitian migrants canceled its annual celebration of cultural diversity on Monday in response to days of violent threats that have closed schools and government offices. The governor, meanwhile, said resources would be surged to Springfield to help city officials deal with the fallout. Springfield's two-day CultureFest, which highlights diversity, arts and culture, had been scheduled to begin Sept. 27 but was canceled "in light of recent threats and safety concerns," the city announced. "We deeply regret having to cancel CultureFest, as we know it is a beloved event for our community," City Manager Bryan Heck said in a statement. "However, the safety of our residents and visitors must come first." Springfield has been the focus of intense attention in recent days after former President Donald Trump, his running mate JD Vance, and the Republican presidential campaign have amplified debunked claims about Haitian immigrants eating domestic pets and waterfowl. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, has denounced the false rumors, saying there is no evidence of it. He said at a news conference in Springfield on Monday that dozens of members of the Ohio State Highway Patrol will be stationed in Springfield schools starting Tuesday, sweeping each building every morning before the arrival of faculty or students. Security cameras have also been stationed at various spots in the city. Springfield City Hall, several schools, and state motor vehicle offices in Springfield were forced to evacuate last week after receiving bomb threats. At least 33 separate bomb threats were made in recent days, all of them hoaxes, DeWine said. He said some of the threats came from overseas but declined to name the country. "We cannot let the bad guys win. Our schools must remain open. They are going to remain open," DeWine said. Two colleges in Springfield held classes virtually on Monday. Wittenberg University said it received two threats over the weekend, "both of which were targeted toward members of the Haitian Community." Clark State College said it would operate virtually through Friday "due to recent events in Springfield." Thousands of Haitian immigrants have settled in recent years in the predominantly white, blue-collar city of about 60,000, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) from the state capital of Columbus, where they have found work in factories and warehouses that had been struggling to fill job openings. The sudden influx has strained schools, health care facilities and city services and driven up the cost of housing. President Joe Biden, appearing in Philadelphia at the National HBCU Week Conference on Monday, addressed the situation in Springfield, condemning what he called the "lies and hate." "It's wrong. It's simply wrong. And it must stop," he said. Police on Monday detained 104 striking workers protesting low wages at a Samsung Electronics plant in southern India as they were planning a protest march without permission, with the dispute disrupting output at the key factory for the past week. The detention marks an escalation of a strike by workers at a Samsung home appliance plant near Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. Workers want higher wages and have stopped work at the plant that contributes roughly a third of Samsung's annual India revenue of $12 billion. The Samsung protests have cast a shadow on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan of courting foreign investors to "Make in India" and his goal of tripling electronics production to $500 billion within six years. Lured by cheap labor, foreign companies are increasingly using India for manufacturing to diversify their supply chain beyond China. On Monday, the workers planned to start a protest march, but were detained as no permission was given since there are schools, colleges and hospitals in that area, said senior police officer of the Kancheepuram district K. Shanmugam. "It is the main area which would become totally paralyzed and [the protest would] disturb public peace," he said. "We have detained them in wedding halls as all of them can't be in stations," he said. Samsung workers since last week have been protesting at a makeshift tent near the plant, demanding higher wages, recognition for a union backed by influential labor group the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), and better working hours. Samsung is not keen to recognize any union backed by a national labor group such as the CITU, and talks with workers, as well as state government officials, have not yielded resolution. The CITU Tamil Nadu Deputy General Secretary, S. Kannan, condemned the police action, saying "This is an archaic move by the state government." Despite Monday's police action, 12 union groups, including one affiliated with the ruling party of Tamil Nadu, said in a public notice dated Sept. 11 that they will stage a protest in support of the striking workers in Chennai on Wednesday, a move that could intensify the tensions between the company and the workers. "We are going ahead with Wednesday's protest ... no changes to the plan," said A. Jenitan, a deputy district secretary for the CITU. The protests add to Samsung's challenges in India, a key growth market. The South Korean company is planning job cuts of up to 30% of its overseas staff in some divisions, including in India. And India's antitrust body has found Samsung and other smartphone companies colluded with e-commerce giants to launch devices exclusively, violating competition laws, Reuters has reported. Samsung did not respond to a request for comment on Monday, but on Friday said it has initiated discussions with workers at the Chennai plant "to resolve all issues at the earliest." Video footage from Reuters partner ANI showed dozens of Samsung workers wearing the company uniform of blue shirts being transported in a bus to a hall. The Samsung plant employs roughly 1,800 workers and more than 1,000 of them have been on strike. The factory makes appliances such as refrigerators, TVs and washing machines. Another Samsung plant that makes smartphones in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh has had no unrest. The police also detained one of CITU's senior leaders, E. Muthukumar, who was leading the Samsung protests at the factory near Chennai, according to the CITU's Jenitan. Kancheepuram police official Shanmugam said there was no timeline as to how long the workers will be detained. Israeli artillery units fire shells on southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli northern border, on Sept. 16, 2024. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that the only way to return tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to their homes in northern Israel is through military action. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua) JERUSALEM, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that the only way to return tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to their homes in northern Israel is through military action. "Hezbollah is maintaining its ties to Hamas and refusing to end the conflict. The only remaining path to return northern residents home is through military action," Gallant said during a meeting with visiting White House senior advisor Amos Hochstein, according to a statement released by Gallant's office. "The window for a diplomatic resolution is closing," Gallant said. He also briefed Hochstein on Israel's military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon and emphasized the importance of U.S. support for Israel during the ongoing conflict. Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border have escalated since Oct. 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon. Tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border have been displaced due to the fighting. Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli northern border, on Sept. 16, 2024. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that the only way to return tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to their homes in northern Israel is through military action. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua) Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli northern border, on Sept. 16, 2024. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that the only way to return tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to their homes in northern Israel is through military action. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua) Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli northern border, on Sept. 16, 2024. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that the only way to return tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to their homes in northern Israel is through military action. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua) Israeli artillery units fire shells on southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli northern border, on Sept. 16, 2024. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that the only way to return tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to their homes in northern Israel is through military action. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua) A new report finds Pakistans blasphemy laws are being significantly misused, with many defendants facing baseless accusations, protracted legal battles and lengthy pre-trial prison time as judges tread carefully to avoid offending religious groups. The U.S.-based Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) on Monday released its findings after monitoring 24 blasphemy lawsuits for six months during 2022 in Lahore, the capital of Pakistan's most populous province, Punjab. The CJF said 15 of the accused are facing mandatory death sentences if convicted. However, the report said its monitors had noted little progress in most cases, with 217 out of 252 hearings adjourned, leaving many defendants stuck in pre-trial detention. This report shows a process fraught with significant delays and unfairness, exacerbating the widespread climate of misuse, discrimination, and intimidation that has developed around Pakistans blasphemy law, said Zimran Samuel, a CFJ legal expert and visiting professor in practice at the London School of Economics. Pakistans blasphemy provisions in their current form and as they are being implemented are in urgent need of reform and reconsideration, Samuel said. Making derogatory remarks against Islam or the Prophet Muhammad in Muslim-majority Pakistan is punishable by death under the countrys blasphemy laws, though no one has ever been executed under the laws. The CFJs report criticized the countrys blasphemy laws for being inconsistent with international standards, especially the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The study noted that many blasphemy accusations lack evidence, with complainants often not witnessing the alleged acts. In some cases, it added that the specific blasphemous words are not even identified. Despite safeguards in place, such as the requirement for government approval of charges, these are often disregarded, the report alleged. The CFJ stated that defendants are often arrested without warrants, denied bail, and subjected to repeated adjournments due to missing witnesses, prolonging their legal ordeals. It called for Pakistan to repeal its blasphemy laws, raise the standards for filing allegations, deter false accusations, and reform court procedures to prevent endless delays. "The judicial system in Pakistan has completely failed in preventing the abuse and malafide (bad faith) use of the blasphemy laws in Pakistan, the report quoted Hina Jilani, a leading human rights lawyer and activist in Pakistan. While there are concerns regarding the laws as they are currently framed, the way that courts disregard the few procedural safeguards that were added to the legal framework has rendered prosecution in such cases farcical and an epitome of injustice, stated Jilani, a recipient of the American Society of International Law award. The report highlighted that some cases do not even go to trial, with mob violence against those accused of blasphemy on the rise. Pakistani officials did not immediately respond to the CFJ findings, which came ahead of the United Nations Human Rights Committee's review of the country, scheduled for October 17. Islamabad has consistently rejected foreign criticism of its blasphemy laws, calling it an internal matter for Pakistan to deal with. The report came just days after a police officer in the southwestern province of Balochistan shot and killed a man who was being held in custody on blasphemy allegations. The victim, a Muslim, was arrested a day earlier for allegedly making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad. In June, a 73-year-old Pakistani man from the minority Christian community died in a hospital a week after being violently attacked by a mob in his native Sargodha district in Punjab following accusations he insulted Islam. Days later, on June 20, a Muslim man from Punjab was visiting the scenic Swat Valley in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when a mob violently lynched him for allegedly desecrating Islam's holy book, the Quran. Hundreds of suspects, mostly Muslims, are languishing in jails in Pakistan because fear of retaliation from religious groups deters judges from moving their trials forward. The CFJ report backed long-running local and international rights groups concerns that the strict blasphemy laws are often misused to settle personal vendettas or to persecute Pakistani minority communities. The organization says its CFJ legal experts are tasked to monitor criminal trials globally against those who are most vulnerable, particularly journalists, democracy defenders, women and girls, LGBTQ+ persons, and minorities. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. Americas adversaries are ramping up efforts to impact the outcome of the U.S. presidential election and down-ballot races. VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin reports on the expanding array of sophisticated influence operations taking aim at U.S. voters Russias military said Monday it reclaimed control of two villages in the western region of Kursk, as part of an offensive to push back an incursion by Ukrainian troops that began in early August. Russia said it retook Uspenovka and Borki, days after saying it took back control of 10 other villages. The situation in the area is difficult to independently verify. Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov announced Monday the evacuation of villages in the Rylsky and Khomutovsky districts, which are located about 40 kilometers north of Uspenovka. The announcement, on Telegram, gave few specifics about the reason for the order other than saying it was to ensure security. Also Monday, Ukraine called on the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to send teams to areas of Kursk under Ukrainian control to evaluate the situation there. Russia quickly responded by calling Ukraines action a provocation. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said later in New York that the U.N. is ready to do it, but that it would need authorization from Russia to make such a visit. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered his military to expand its number of troops by 180,000, bringing the total to 1.5 million. Putin last called for a troop increase last December. Ukrainian officials reported Monday on the latest extensive Russian drone attack targeting Kyiv, saying the assault was the eighth against Ukraines capital this month. Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said on Telegram that Ukrainian air defenses shot down nearly two dozen drones over Kyiv, but that there were no reports of damage or casualties. Across the country, Ukraines military said Monday it shot down 53 of 56 Russian drones that attacked multiple regions. In addition to Kyiv, intercepts took place over the Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Sumy, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia, the Ukrainian air force said. The aerial attacks came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on allies to provide weapons systems and permission to use weapons in long-range strikes against targets inside Russia. Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Sunday that allowing long-range strikes would enable Ukraines military to destroy Russian aircraft at their bases. He said Ukraine expects decisions on the matter from the United States, France, Germany and Italy. Ukraines military carried out its latest attacks Monday on regions along the Russia Ukraine border. Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Belgorod, said Ukrainian shelling hit a house and several cars, injuring at least eight people. In Bryansk, officials said Russian air defenses shot down five Ukrainian drones. No casualties or damage were reported. Some information for this story was provided by Reuters, The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. The Rev. Anthony Navaratnam stood before his congregation and urged them to pray for the women from surrounding states who will flock to the new abortion clinic in town that opened in August. "God is giving us an opportunity to be missionaries in Pittsburg, Kansas," he told those at Flag Church, which hosted a training on how to protest outside of the clinic. The debate over reproductive rights has landed in this college town of 20,000 in the southeast corner of one of the few states left in the region still allowing abortions. It is near Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas and not terribly far from Texas. A place this size, especially one in a historically red state, was unlikely to have an abortion clinic before Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. Since then, Kansas has become one of five states that people are most likely to travel to in order to get an abortion when they're unable to at home, said Caitlin Myers, an economics professor at Middlebury College who researches abortion policies. Abortions spiked in Kansas by 152% after Roe, according to a recent analysis by the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. Using Myers' count, six of the clinics in Kansas, Illinois, New Mexico, North Carolina and Virginia that have opened or relocated post-Roe are in communities with fewer than 25,000 people. Two others are in communities of fewer than 50,000. "Kansas is really the only one in this region that can provide care to many people in these surrounding states," said Kensey Wright, a member of the board of directors for the Roe Fund in Oklahoma, which supports Kansas abortion clinics through grants. "Without abortion clinics in that state, we would be without hope," Wright said. Providing abortions for out-of-state people Housed in a former urology office, Pittsburg's Planned Parenthood clinic sits across the street from a medical clinic run by a Catholic health care system. Behind the clinic are houses. Clinic manager Logan Rink said her mother used to work in this building as a nurse a connection that's "small-town stuff." She loves this town, and said her neighbors agree the clinic is needed. But she was guarded in her optimism, saying " the reception that we are going to get from the community is going to be favorable in some ways and probably not always." Experts said smaller-sized clinics can be less overwhelming for women who are coming from rural areas, like those surrounding Pittsburg. But there is no anonymity in these smaller communities, where religious and family ties often run deep. Pittsburg was established in 1876, and settled largely by immigrants from Catholic-leaning countries who came to work at surrounding coal mines. There's a typical main street and a state university with about 7,400 students. "In a small town, it's not just that you'll know that person. Your family will know them. You will have known them for 40 years," said Dr. Emily Walters, a supporter of the Pittsburg clinic who works as an anesthesiologist at a hospital in neighboring Missouri. "Your stories will be intertwined." She wondered aloud, "How do I see you at a protest and then see you the next day at the grocery store and still be able to be polite and civil with each other?" Walters also chairs the Crawford County Democratic Party in an area that is increasingly Republican and has no Democratic state legislators a change from 20 years ago when there were six. The county also has become increasingly religious in the same span; it now has twice as many white evangelical Protestants as the national average, and slightly more Catholics, according to the Public Religion Research Institute. Just five weeks after Roe was overturned in 2022, voters in Kansas had to decide whether to strip the right to an abortion from the state constitution, which could have led to an outright ban. Despite the Republican and religious leanings, 55% of Crawford County voters were part of the 59% of voters statewide who killed the proposal. It's in line with an Associated Press-NORC poll from 2024 that showed 6 in 10 Americans think their state should generally allow a person to obtain a legal abortion if they don't want to be pregnant for any reason. But the rural counties that surrounded Pittsburg chose otherwise at the ballot box. "I remember people were stealing yard signs, putting up different ones in people's yards," said Anastin Journot, an 18-year-old from Independence, Kansas, who is majoring in elementary education at Pittsburg State. She said she was alarmed by Roe getting overturned, remembering she thought: "What if I'm in a situation where I'm needing to get an abortion and it's not an option?" Abortion in Kansas is generally legal up until the 22nd week of pregnancy. The clinic's southern location puts it closer to states that have banned abortions instead of sending people to Kansas' larger cities, where hours have been expanded and appointments are still in short supply. About 60% to 65% of people who call Planned Parenthood clinics in Kansas for an abortion appointment are turned away because there isn't enough capacity, said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains. Already, Wales said, the bulk of people seeking abortions in Kansas are from out of state mostly Texas, which is about five hours south. After that, it's Missouri, a few minutes' drive east and Oklahoma, less than an hour away. She said some come from as far away as Louisiana and even Florida, which now prohibits the procedure after six weeks. Clinics "strategically placed near (a state's) border can really help ease the congestion," said Ushma Upadhyay, a public health scientist at the University of California San Francisco who studies abortion. Most of the area that's 100 miles from the new clinic has been designated as medically underserved for primary care by the federal government, and the number of obstetricians and gynecologists for every 100,000 female residents is less than half of the U.S. average. For now, though, the focus at the Pittsburg clinic will be on abortion. Wales said Planned Parenthood wants to slowly add more services over the next two to three months, and one future goal for the clinic is to provide gender-affirming care. Neighboring states have restricted that, too. "Pittsburg is going to lift up a whole lot of states in the South and help people get care," Wales said. But those additions, she added, will come after staff gets used to the patients and the presence of protesters and opposition. Protesters are at the ready Donations are up at Vie Medical Clinic, the town's crisis pregnancy center, executive director Megan Newman said. Such centers are typically religiously affiliated and encourage clients to continue their pregnancies. People opposed to the Planned Parenthood clinic also are picking up pamphlets about Vie so they can hand them out to those seeking abortions. "When we got word that Planned Parenthood was coming, you could just kind of feel that in the town," Newman said. Jeanne Napier, a 68-year-old who attends a local Baptist church, vowed as she shopped at the local mall that she'll "be there every day with signs." Her daughter, Terri Napier, said in a phone interview she believes part of her parents' opposition to the clinic is from watching her struggle about 20 years ago. She was in an abusive relationship with someone who has since died. She got pregnant. The family was fearful of bringing a child into the situation. She had an abortion and spiraled into drug use. "I was at war with forgiving myself," said the 43-year-old, who is now clean. Jeanne Napier said she felt like she encouraged the abortion. "And I hate that," she said, "because I wish I could take that sin upon myself, so it's real personal. I had an active play in terminating a life, and we don't have that right." Brianna Barnes, a 19-year-old journalism major at Pittsburg State who is from Wichita, has protested and prayed outside of a clinic in her hometown. "If someone made eye contact with us, we just smiled at them, kind of showing that love and care because no one responds well to screaming, yelling, violence no matter what side it's on," she said just after arriving on campus for the fall semester. Most of the students the AP talked to voiced support for the clinic. Her mother, Crystal Barnes, 42, turned to her daughter: "You're going to be the odd man out being a Catholic, and conservative, especially with things like abortion. It is so heated." The Friday before the clinic opened, crews installed a wooden facade outside, the air filled with the smell of fresh-cut lumber. Walters, the local anesthesiologist, had stopped by to check on the progress. Walters' support comes from a personal place. When she was 20 and the same number of weeks pregnant, she went to an emergency room, bleeding. She said she was sent home to miscarry instead of having her labor induced or having a procedure to remove the fetus. That experience "horrific, and wouldn't be considered standard of care, in modern practice," she said left her with a deep empathy for women in tough positions. Just before the 2022 vote, an ad backed by 400 Kansas doctors who support abortion rights ran in some of the state's largest papers, including The Kansas City Star. Walters' name was listed first. During that time, her home address appeared online, a frightening prospect in a state where abortion provider Dr. George Tiller was shot dead in 2009 at his Wichita church by an anti-abortion extremist. "It is critical health care for women," she said. "It is going to be disruptive to Pittsburg. And that part hurts my heart." The suspect in Sundays apparent assassination attempt targeting former U.S. President Donald Trump has been charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, made his initial court appearance in a federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida on Monday. Various records showed that Routh spent much of his adult life living in North Carolina, a mid-Atlantic coastal state, but more recently lived across the country in the Pacific Ocean island state of Hawaii, in the small oceanside hamlet of Kaaawa, where he and his son operated a company building sheds, according to an archived version of the webpage for the business. Routh had multiple run-ins with law enforcement while living in Greensboro, North Carolina, according to U.S. news accounts. He was convicted in 2002 of possessing a weapon of mass destruction after, according to a news account at the time, being pulled over by police in a traffic stop and then barricading himself in the roofing business he owned. The suspect was a vocal supporter of Ukraine. Routh traveled there after Russia's 2022 invasion and told journalists he hoped to recruit foreign fighters to Kyiv's cause. Routh himself was rejected as too old to volunteer to fight with Kyivs forces. "A lot of the other conflicts are gray, but this conflict is definitely black and white. This is about good versus evil," Routh said in a video interview posted by Newsweek Romania in June 2022. He wore a shirt with American flag symbols. "If the governments will not send their official military, then we, civilians, have to pick up the torch," Routh said. He lived for a while in Kyiv in a tent adorned with flags of countries whose citizens had died in the war. Ukraine's International Legion of foreign volunteers told Reuters that Routh had "never been part of, associated with, or linked to the International Legion in any capacity." A legion official told CNN Routh had sent emails offering to recruit foreign volunteers, but Ukraine's military thought the American was "delusional." "We didnt even answer, there was nothing to answer to. He was never part of the Legion and didnt cooperate with us in any way, Oleksandr Shaguri, an officer of the Foreigners Coordination Department of the Land Forces Command, told CNN. In June 2020, Routh made a post on X directed at then-president Trump to say he would win reelection if he issued an executive order for the Justice Department to prosecute police misconduct. That year, he also posted in support of the Democratic Party presidential campaign of then-U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who has since left the party and endorsed Trump. However, in recent years, Rouths posts suggest he soured on Trump, and he expressed support for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Voter records show he registered as an unaffiliated voter in North Carolina in 2012, most recently voting in person during the state's Democratic Party primary in March 2024. Federal campaign finance records show Routh made 19 small political donations totaling $140 since 2019 using his Hawaii address to ActBlue, a political action committee that supports Democratic candidates. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement Monday marking the second anniversary of the death of the young Kurdish-Iranian activist Mahsa Amini. Amini died on September 16, 2022, just days after she was taken into police custody for allegedly violating Iran's law requiring women to wear a hijab. Aminis death sparked nationwide protests in Iran that persisted for months. Hundreds of people were killed in the protests, while thousands more were injured or arrested. The diplomats said human rights organizations report Iran is one of the foremost executioners of women globally. The ministers statement said a renewed hijab crackdown that requires women and girls to wear headscarves has spurred a fresh round of harassment and violence from the countrys newly strengthened surveillance infrastructure that can arrest, detain and in some cases torture women and girls for their peaceful activism. We call on the new Iranian administration to fulfill its pledge to ease pressure on civil society in Iran and to end the use of force to enforce the hijab requirement, the diplomats said. The ministers said a recent surge in executions that have largely occurred without fair trials has been shocking, and we urge the Iranian government to cease its human rights violations now. They warned that their countries will continue to act in lockstep to hold Iran accountable for its human rights violations. Actions against Iran could include sanctions and visa restrictions. The ministers said Aminis death sparked a nationwide protest movement, led by women and girls, which was unwavering in its demand for a better future. ... We stand with women and girls in Iran, and Iranian human rights defenders across all segments of society, in their ongoing daily fight for human rights and fundamental freedoms. On Sunday, a group of at least 34 female prisoners in Tehrans Evin Prison initiated a hunger strike to mark the anniversary of Aminis death and the protests that followed. U.S. State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching and VOAs Persian Service contributed to this report. Storm Ileana has weakened to a tropical depression, the National Hurricane Center said Sunday. The tropical storm formed Thursday off Mexico's Pacific coast as it moved ashore, making landfall on the coast of the Mexican state of Sinaloa on Saturday, a day after it pounded the resort-studded Los Cabos. On Sunday, wind speed dropped to 55 kph, NOAA said in an advisory, as Ileana was nearly 45 kilometers southwest of Los Mochis, Mexico, and moving west-northwest at 4 kph. It also forecasts the storm to become a remnant low a post-tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds less than 34 knots. On Friday, a warning had been in effect for portions of the Baja California Peninsula, including Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. Juan Manuel Arce Ortega, from Los Cabos Civil Protection, said the municipalities of La Paz and Los Cabos had suspended classes in schools because of the storm. Authorities prepared 20 temporary shelters in San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, according to Los Cabos Civil Protection. At the Hacienda Beach Club and Residences in Cabo San Lucas, valet worker Alan Galvan said the rain arrived late Thursday night and has been constant. "The rain isn't very strong right now, but the waves are choppy," he said. "The guests are very calm and already came down for coffee," Galvan said. "There's some flights canceled but everything is OK at the moment." The rain remained consistent through Los Cabos Friday afternoon, with several roads flooded and some resorts stacking up sandbags on their perimeters. Some people were still walking around boat docks with their umbrellas. "The priority has to be safety, starting with the workers. We always have to check on our colleagues who live in risk areas," said Lyzzette Liceaga, a tour operator at Los Cabos. Ileana was the only active tropical storm in the National Weather Service's Eastern Pacific basin on Friday. In the Atlantic basin, post-tropical cyclone Francine was bringing heavy rain to parts of the southern United States, and Tropical Storm Gordon formed on Friday in the Atlantic Ocean, with forecasters saying it is expected to remain over open water for several days. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Egypt on Tuesday amid efforts to engage key regional partners in the Middle East to present a revised proposal for a Gaza cease-fire. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Monday, We continue to engage with our partners in the region, most specifically with Egypt and Qatar, about what that proposal will contain, and making sure or trying to see that it's a proposal that can get the parties to an ultimate agreement. The U.S. has not provided a timetable for the revised proposal, though officials have indicated that it will be presented soon. The proposal seeks to resolve key issues behind the monthslong impasse in talks mediated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt, aiming to secure a truce between Israel and Hamas and the release of remaining hostages taken by the Hamas militants at the start of the war on October 7, 2023. In Cairo, Blinken will co-chair the opening session of the U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. Blinken will also meet with Egyptian leaders to discuss efforts to secure a cease-fire in Gaza, ensure the release of all hostages, alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and promote broader regional security, according to Miller. However, Blinken's 10th trip to the Middle East since the war began does not include a stop in Israel for talks with its leaders. Earlier on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Yair Lapid, Israels opposition leader and former prime minister. After the meeting at the State Department, Lapid told reporters that Israel needs a hostage deal and an end to the war in Gaza, emphasizing that no political process or turbulence should affect the deal. Lapid urged the U.S. not to let Hamas skirt a hostage deal. Israel as a nation will not heal unless we will bring [the remaining hostages] back home. This is essential to our existence, Lapid said. Humanitarian efforts At the United Nations Security Council, Sigrid Kaag, the U.N. senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, gave a bleak briefing on the situation of Palestinian civilians. Time is slipping away as a man-made humanitarian crisis has turned Gaza into the abyss, she said. It cannot be repeated enough: We need an immediate cease-fire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and unimpeded, continuous humanitarian access to deliver aid at scale throughout the Gaza Strip. She said relief operations are hampered by hostilities, lawlessness, and denials and delays by the Israeli authorities. Data from the U.N. office of humanitarian affairs shows that the number of aid trucks getting into Gaza each day has steadily decreased from a high in April of 169 trucks a day. That has dropped to 69 trucks a day in August, and 62 a day during the first nine days of September. Israel denies that it impedes aid deliveries. We have gone above and beyond our obligations, aiming to improve the well-being of a civilian population embedded within the enemy, Israels U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said. Fighting Separately, Israeli airstrikes killed 16 people in the Gaza Strip early Monday, according to Palestinian officials, and took out 20 Hezbollah launchers and military infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces said. The Gaza airstrikes hit a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least 10 people and wounding 13 others. Six other people were killed in a strike on a Gaza City home, first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government told the Associated Press. The dead included four women and two children. The Israeli military reported that after sirens sounded in the area of the Upper Galilee, two suspicious aerial targets were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory and falling in the area of the northern Golan Heights. The air force struck approximately 20 Hezbollah launchers and military infrastructure sites which posed an immediate threat to Israeli civilians in the area of Jarmaq in southern Lebanon. Tensions are high along the Israel-Lebanon border. A senior U.S. envoy, Amos Hochstein, is reported to be back in the region Monday, meeting officials in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the current situation along the Israeli-Lebanon border, where tens of thousands of people have been displaced, is not sustainable. "The existing situation will not continue. We will do everything necessary to return our residents safely to their homes," he said. On Sunday, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen fired drones and missiles toward Israel that landed in an open area in central Israel. On Monday, Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar congratulated the Houthis, according to the rebels media wing. Sinwar said that Israel's plans to destroy Hamas had failed. "I assure you that the resistance is fine, he said. We have prepared ourselves to fight a long battle of attrition. Gerald Feierstein, retired ambassador and director of the Arabian Peninsula program at the Middle East Institute, told VOA on Monday that the big issue is that clearly the Houthis capability to undertake these strikes is a result of their cooperation with Iran. He added at some point, Israel may decide that striking back at the Houthis is not enough, and that they need to engage Iran directly. These are the concerns keeping everyone on edge, as it raises the potential for a broader regional conflict beyond Gaza, Feierstein said. The Houthis are among several Iran-backed groups in the Middle East that have been drawn into the conflict triggered by Hamas' shock attack on southern Israel last October 7 that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of 250 hostages. Israels counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, a death toll Israel says includes several thousand militant fighters. Hamas has been designated a terror group by the U.S., the U.K., EU and other Western nations. VOA State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching, U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer, Kim Lewis and Natasha Mozgovaya contributed to this report. The U.S. Treasury Department imposed on Monday sanctions on two Georgian government officials and two members of the countrys pro-Russian far-right movement who it said were involved in violent crackdowns on protests. Large street protests erupted in Georgia over a "foreign agent" law, which the South Caucasus country's parliament passed in May despite criticism, including from U.S. officials, that it was Kremlin-inspired and authoritarian. A Treasury statement said the financial sanctions on Monday targeted Georgia's Chief of the Special Task Department Zviad Kharazishvili and his deputy, Mileri Lagazauri, who oversaw security forces who violently suppressed the spring protests. "The violence perpetuated by the Special Task Department included the brutal beatings of many attendees of the non-violent protests against the new foreign influence law, including Georgian citizens and opposition politicians," the Treasury said. It added that Kharazishvili was personally involved in the physical and verbal abuse of protesters. Also targeted were Konstantine Morgoshia, founder of media company Alt-Info, and associated media personality Zurab Makharadze, Treasury said, accusing them of amplifying disinformation and spreading hate speech and threats. The dispute around the foreign agents law was seen as a test of whether Georgia, for three decades among the more pro-Western of the Soviet Union's successor states, would maintain its Western orientation or move closer to Russia. The Georgian Dream party that controls parliament said the legislation was needed to ensure transparency in foreign funding of NGOs and protect the country's sovereignty. Washington has long criticized the law and launched a review into bilateral cooperation with Georgia. The Biden administration has previously imposed visa bans on members of Georgian Dream, members of parliament, law enforcement and private citizens over the law and the protests. Being a venture capitalist carries a lot of prestige in Silicon Valley. Those who choose which startups to fund see themselves as fostering the next big waves of technology. So when some of the industry's biggest names endorsed former President Donald Trump and the onetime venture capitalist he picked for a running mate, JD Vance, people took notice. Then hundreds of other venture capitalists some high profile, others lesser-known threw their weight behind Vice President Kamala Harris, drawing battle lines over which presidential candidate will be better for tech innovation and the conditions startups need to thrive. Venture capitalist and Harris backer Stephen DeBerry says some of his best friends support Trump. Though centered in a part of Northern California known for liberal politics, the investors who help finance the tech industry have long been a more politically divided bunch. "We ski together. Our families are together. We're super tight," said DeBerry, who runs the Bronze Venture Fund. "This is not about not being able to talk to each other. I love these guys they're almost all guys. They're dear friends. We just have a difference of perspective on policy issues." It remains to be seen if the more than 700 venture capitalists who've voiced support for a movement called "VCs for Kamala" will match the pledges of Trump's well-heeled supporters such as Elon Musk and Peter Thiel. "There are a lot of practical reasons for VCs to support Trump," including policies that could drive corporate profits and stock market values and favor wealthy benefactors, said David Cowan, an investor at Bessemer Venture Partners. But Cowan said he is supporting Harris as a VC with a "long-term investment horizon" because a "Trump world reeling from rampant income inequality, raging wars and global warming is not an attractive environment" for funding healthy businesses. Several prominent VCs have voiced their support for Trump on Musk's social platform X. Public records show some of them have donated to a new, pro-Trump super PAC called America PAC, whose donors include powerful tech industry conservatives with ties to SpaceX and Paypal and who run in Musk's social circle. Also driving support is Trump's embrace of cryptocurrency and promise to end an enforcement crackdown on the industry. Although some Biden policies have alienated parts of the investment sector concerned about tax policy, antitrust scrutiny or overregulation, Harris' bid for the presidency has reenergized interest from VCs who until recently sat on the sidelines. "We buy risk, right? And we're trying to buy the right type of risk," Leslie Feinzaig, founder of "VCs for Kamala" said in an interview. "It's really hard for these companies that are trying to build products and scale to do so in an unpredictable institutional environment." The schism in tech has left some firms split in their allegiances. Although venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, founders of the firm that is their namesake, endorsed Trump, one of their firm's general partners, John O'Farrell, pledged his support for Harris. O'Farrell declined further comment. Doug Leone, the former managing partner of Sequoia Capital, endorsed Trump in June, expressing concern on X "about the general direction of our country, the state of our broken immigration system, the ballooning deficit, and the foreign policy missteps, among other issues." But Leone's longtime business partner at Sequoia, Michael Moritz, wrote in the Financial Times that tech leaders supporting Trump "are making a big mistake." Much of the VC discourse about elections is in response to a July podcast and manifesto in which Andreessen and Horowitz backed Trump and outlined their vision of a "Little Tech Agenda" that they said contrasted with the policies sought by Big Tech. They accused the U.S. government of increasing hostility toward startups and the VCs who fund them, citing Biden's proposed higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations and regulations they said could hobble emerging industries involving blockchain and artificial intelligence. Vance, a U.S. senator from Ohio who spent time in San Francisco working at Thiel's investment firm, voiced a similar perspective about "little tech" more than a month before he was chosen as Trump's running mate. "The donors who were really involved in Silicon Valley in a pro-Trump way, they're not big tech, right? They're little tech. They're starting innovative companies. They don't want the government to destroy their ability to innovate," Vance said in an interview on Fox News in June. Complicating the allegiances is that a tough approach to breaking up the monopoly power of big corporations no longer falls along partisan lines. Vance has spoken favorably of Lina Khan, who Biden picked to lead the Federal Trade Commission and has taken on several tech giants. Meanwhile, some of the most influential VCs backing Harris such as LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman; and Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla, an early investor in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI have sharply criticized Khan's approach. U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat whose California district encompasses part of Silicon Valley, said Trump supporters are a vocal minority reflecting a "third or less" of the region's tech community. But while the White House has appealed to tech entrepreneurs with its investments in clean energy, electric vehicles and semiconductors, Khanna said Democrats must do a better job of showing that they understand the appeal of digital assets. Naseem Sayani, a general partner at Emmeline Ventures, said Andreessen and Horowitz's support of Trump became a lightning rod for those in tech who do not back the Republican nominee. Sayani signed onto "VCs for Kamala," she said, because she wanted the types of businesses that she helps fund to know that the investor community is not monolithic. "We're not single-profile founders anymore," she said. "There's women, there's people of color, there's all the intersections. How can they feel comfortable building businesses when the environment they're in doesn't actually support their existence in some ways?" SAO PAULO, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were missing and four others were rescued alive after a cargo ship sank off the coast of the Brazilian northeastern state of Pernambuco, local media reported on Monday. The boat, named "Concordia," sank 15 kilometers from Ponta das Pedras beach in the municipality of Goiania Sunday night. The Brazilian Navy announced in a statement that it activated the rescue and emergency protocols through the use of boats and an Air Force plane, which allowed the rescue of four crew members of the boat who were in good condition. The owner of the boat, Antonio Goncalves, told the Globo news network that the boat, with the capacity to transport 180 tons, carried construction materials and food to Fernando de Noronha, where some of the most admired beaches in Brazil are located. Flooding sparked by Storm Boris in central Europe has burst dams, knocked out power and killed at least 18 people, authorities said on Monday, as more people were evacuated. High winds and unusually heavy rainfall have hit swathes of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia since Friday. The rains have flooded streets and submerged entire neighbourhoods in some places, while shutting down public transport and electricity in others. The storm has caused the deaths of seven people in Romania, four in Poland, four in Austria and three in the Czech Republic, according to the latest tallies. Several people remain missing. "I have lived for some 25 years in this area, and I have never before seen such an intensity" of flooding, Vienna resident Thomas Hofbauer, 57, told AFP as he described how a usually calm stream in the Austrian capital had turned into a raging torrent. Experts say climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activities is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as torrential rains and floods. - Docked boats - In Austria, the death toll climbed to four as the body of a man was found floating in the floods in Lower Austria, the worst-effected province in the Alpine nation, where more people were evacuated. Parts of Austria have been hit since Thursday by five times the average amount of rain they get for the entire month of September, according to forecaster Geosphere. The flooding has broken a dozen dams, with muddy rivers raging, while thousands of households were without electricity and water in Lower Austria, authorities said. Further north, in eastern Germany, mobile flood protection walls were set up in some area Monday to protect Dresden's old city as the Elbe river level rose, with the peak expected mid-week. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany was "deeply touched" by "dramatic" images and news about the flooding in neighbouring countries. - 'Nightmare' - The Czech Republic and Poland have also reported deaths, evacuations and significant destruction in the worst-hit areas. Czech police said on Monday three people have been killed as a result of the storm and eight remain missing. In the eastern Czech city of Krnov, residents began to cart away debris. "All pavements are destroyed, everything's toppled here, everything's broken around the shop... it's a nightmare," Eliska Cokreska, a 76-year-old pensioner, told AFP. Polish police updated the disaster's death toll to four -- up from one previously -- adding however that the exact causes of death still needed to be clarified. While the water in some cities, such as Klodzko, is starting to recede, revealing destruction and desolation, more flooding was feared in other parts of the country. A dyke in the southwestern town of Nysa, which has some 42,000 inhabitants, was threatening to break with the mayor Kordian Kolbiarz calling on residents to immediately move to "the highest storeys of buildings". Water has also submerged the town of Glucholazy on the Polish-Czech border with many residents taking refuge in a school. "This flood is the worst ever in Glucholazy. We are trying to talk to people, support them, offer them tea and, above all, show them that they are not alone," said Paulina Grzesiowska-Nowak, a Red Cross rescuer. - 'Fury of nature' - The flooding death toll in Romania -- where people climbed on to roofs to escape the water -- has climbed to seven, according to rescuers. "Compared to 2013 the amount of water was almost three times bigger. It was hard to handle that kind of fury of nature," Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu told reporters on Monday. Hungary has deployed more than 350 soldiers to reinforce flood barriers as the Danube and rivers along its basin are expected to surge. burs-jza/yad Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty/Getty Images Its the first winner of the night that everybody can get behind. After a season that had us trying to find an appropriate place to wear a robe, The Traitors wins Outstanding Reality Competition Program, dethroning Drag Race once again. At the Creative Arts Emmys last weekend, Alan Cumming won Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program, ending RuPauls eight-win streak and proving voters faith. Its no small feat for a show thats inspired tartan looks, interpersonal deception, and Taylor Swift fan edits. Bicon Alan Cumming wears the trans flag as he accepts at the #Emmys for The Traitors. pic.twitter.com/479oXF7xA2 GLAAD (@glaad) September 16, 2024 Cumming, naturally, thanked Scotland for being a beautiful co-star but also recognized one special country for its contribution to the culture. I also want to thank Holland, because I dont think we thank Holland enough, because so many of these shows like Traitors were first made up in Holland, so they obviously have something in the water, he said onstage. So lets find it, lets drink it, and all of Americas problems will be solved. If only it were that easy, Alan. In western culture, the most recognizable structure for a plot is Freytags pyramid. A story starts with exposition, the action rises, a climax occurs, the action falls, and it concludes with a resolution or denouement. Industry, as I see it, doesnt quite follow this structure. Theres so much that each character is going through, so many spikes of tension, so many moments of exposition. Instead, I think its useful to look to the Japanese/Chinese/Korean narrative framework of , or Kishotenketsu. Its a similar structure with subtle differences, but most importantly for this episode of Industry, Kishotenketsu allows for the tensest point of a story not necessarily to be a climax; instead, its a revelation, a flip on its head. Thats Nikki Beach, or: So Many Ways to Lose in a nutshell. Two huge developments happen that serve to flip the story over, showing us season threes heaving, vulnerable underbelly. Those are, of course, the reveals of Charles Hananis death and Harpers scheme to short Pierpoint. Each is a crucial turning point in Harper and Yasmins development as individuals and friends. So lets begin right where the last episode left off: Did Yasmin kill her father? I think not. Actually, it feels like classic solipsistic Yasmin to view this as her fault. It would do that girl some good to touch grass. The episode goes back to the yacht on the coast of Italy when Yasmin walks in on Charles Hanani hooking up with the yacht crew member, and Charles assaults her in a violent rage, throwing red wine in her face. Yasmin escapes to the deserted deck of the boat, where she is soon followed by her drunk, apparently apologetic dad. But when he goes to hug her to say sorry, Yasmin realizes that Charles still has an erection. For the viewers at home, this is the second time in Industry that Charlie Hanani weaponizes a half-chub at the expense of his daughter, the first being after his meeting with Celeste and Yasmin at Pierpoint last season. Ive seen people debating on the Industry sub-Reddit whether or not they think Charles sexually abused Yasmin. My opinion is that although its still unclear if Charles physically abused Yasmin, he certainly has abused her because its abusive to include a non-consenting person, much less your CHILD, in your sexuality. Charles gets off on Yasmin being around when he sexualizes and engages sexually with other women. He has no appropriate boundaries and has pulled his daughter into the black hole of his voracious carnal appetite. Charles is an atrocious father whose only provision is money, and while he may not have laid a hand on Yasmin, he has used his sexuality to abuse her. Anyway, Charles and Yasmin get into it. I did laugh a lot when Yasmin shouted that she speaks seven languages. (A trait of hers that Ive always loved when played onscreen.) But eventually, Yasmin says that thing that I think nearly all teenage daughters have said to their parents: I wish you would die. Charles takes what she says at face value and jumps off the boat. Its clear that he didnt really intend to do the thing; he didnt expect the yacht to be moving so fast and thought Yasmin would immediately throw him a life preserver. But Yasmin is too frozen by shock, and the yacht is pulling away too quickly, and by the time she snaps to it, her feckless, foolish, good-for-nothing father is gone. As far as Im concerned, it is entirely Charles Hananis fault that he drowned. You took something your upset daughter said literally and you JUMPED into the OPEN OCEAN? Uh, yeah, dude, you might die. Here is a man who has never truly faced a consequence, instead skating by on his privilege and the discomfort of others. Well, heres the consequence of leaping into the sea, likely drunk, from a moving yacht. You die. As for how Harper is implicated in this: Harper apparently was brought on the boat by a desperate Yasmin to make the yacht trip bearable. But where she actually comes in handy is when she hauls a completely unraveled Yasmin together and makes it so that the silly girl doesnt incriminate herself in her fathers death. Basically, Harper replaces the life preserver Yasmin neglected to throw off the boat and gets Yasmin to say they were together partying during the time Charles died. Without Harper, Yasmin would be living a very different life right now. Everyone needs a best friend like this, someone who can be alarmingly calm under pressure. Help you bury a body when you need it, in this case, literally. In the present day, Yasmin is dealing with the fallout of the discovery of her dead dads corpse. She has to go and identify his body, which has been bloated beyond recognition. (I did love her cold-eyed certainty when she said shed take his ring.) Her now ex-boyfriends rich tabloid uncle calls to imply that he has a possibly incriminating story about Yass dads death but would potentially spike it if she got back with Henry. Next, she is sexually harassed by Eric at a lunch meant to cheer her up. Friends, I REALLY wanted to be wrong about this one. All season long, Ive been saying that Yasmin and Erics vibe is gross, incestuous, makes my skin crawl. I hoped that maybe Henry and Yasmin dating each other would throw Eric off the scent, but I guess not. The midlife crisis looks so bad on Alvin America Tao. I know its stressful to be him and to be dealing with the bank falling apart, but GOD, I HATED WATCHING THAT. It is a bad day for Yasmin. And it isnt even over yet. By that, I mean Yasmin hasnt yet been subjected to what Harper has in store for her. Harper starts her day looking hot, stalking James Ashford, the asset manager who kicked off the first episode of this season by sounding the alarm on Lumis bad financials. (I find it hard to take this actor seriously because I often see him in an English muffin commercial on Hulu.) She flirts with Ashford and gets some information in return: First, Petra has been spotted at rehab before. Second, everyone is trying to do whatever they can to unload their ESG assets. While no one has as clear-cut a view as Harper about Pierpoints trouble, it seems there are a few banks with huge amounts of debt about to mature and massive bets on ESG, which could prove disastrous. That rumor is enough to get Petra inquiring about creditors looking to offload debt and finding out that Pierpoint is the debt creditors are most desperate to get rid of, eventually leading to them shorting Pierpoint. What does it mean for Leviathan Alpha to short Pierpoint? All right. So, remember how in Rishis episode, we talked about how Rishi was long, which meant he had a lot of something because he anticipated it would grow in value, at which point hed sell it off and reap the growth as profit? Shorting is the opposite. To short a stock, an investor borrows shares of something from a broker for a certain price. They then sell those shares on the open market, expecting that the value of the shares will decrease. When that share price drops, they buy back the same shares at a lower price. Then, when they return those shares to the broker, they pocket the difference between the price they initially borrowed those shares for and what they bought them at later when the price dropped. For example: I borrow 50 shares of Hanani Publish Stock from a broker for $100 a share. I sell the borrowed shares for $5,000. The news of Charless death comes out, and the share price drops to $25 a share. I buy 50 shares on the open market for $1,250, return the shares to my broker, and pocket $3,750 of profit. If you think that sounds ridiculous, I dont blame you. Shorting is a deeply speculative and risky way to invest. Its fairly safe to say stocks will slowly increase in value or stay the same over a long period. But to say that a stock will dramatically drop in value, you have to have conviction, as they like to say on this show. After overhearing Sweetpea and Yasmin talk about Pierpoint using nearly mature debt to fund its ESG bets, Harper just so happens to have illegal insider information, so, yeah, she has a ton of conviction. Of course, she has to compile a convincing enough case that she got this information in a legalish way, so she engineers an interview with Sweetpea, who continues to be smarter than people give her credit for, sniffs out what Harper is up to, and refuses to give Harper the confidential information. No matter. Harper already has a gullible fool on the inside, ready to give a list of Pierpoints positions away. Yes, its Petra who pushes Yasmin to compromise the bank, but Harper doesnt do enough to protest, in my humble opinion. Sigh. However, Harpers remorse for hurting her friend registers with me as personal growth. To short Pierpoint, who does Harper turn to but the Avengers of jilted ex-Pierpointers: Kenny, Daria, and Jackie, all working for Goldman. I adored this brief little shot. It felt like seeing old friends you havent seen in ages. Hi, guys!! Im so happy to know your hostility and malice are believable enough that you came back into play in the final moments of this episode. Hope youre all doing well!! Eric eventually gets his head out of his pants and figures out what Harper is up to. He tears into Yasmin for falling into Harpers trap and he also calls Harper to chew her out. I must say, I found this confrontation anticlimactic after Switzerlands delicious hostilities. Still, when Eric tells Harper that he wants her to know everything she thinks about herself is true, I shivered. After all these months of not working together, he still knows exactly what to say to knife Harper in the heart. Harper returns home to find a furious Yasmin. They have it out with each other, fighting with their gloves off. Yasmin argues that Harper is evil because she still finds a way to use Yasmin on one of the worst days of her life. That girl on the boat loved me, she says. I dont know, Yasmin. You knew how Harper could get about work. You two literally fell out about this last season. Also, why is Pierpoint so important? Forget the bank! Let it topple! Youll land on your feet somehow! Yes, Eric essentially fired Yasmin, but isnt that clearly due to William Adlers email with the link to the Charles Hanani autopsy photos and Erics sexual-harassment retaliation? (Which, may I add, is so illegal.) Im not very convinced by her vitriol and, if anything, annoyed by it. Harper literally helped you cover up manslaughter. Get over yourself! However, this has always been a fundamental flaw in Yasmin: her inability to see other people as fully human if they arent fully in service to her. Harper calls her on this, though I sense her heart isnt fully in it. Yes, they hit each other. Yes, they insult each other. Yes, theres a sense of a dam breaking, that the two characters finally say what theyve always thought about the other. Still, this isnt the most cutting Harper can be (case in point, her telling Eric she heard his family fell apart), and I felt like Harper was playing more defense than offense. I love it when Yasmin and Harper are friends and feel genuinely miffed that theyre back on the outs. Heres to hoping they get back together because this season is over. Loose Change My big dilemma these days is what item of Pierpoint merch I will buy for myself. I really love the Pierpoint hoodie Eric wears to a management retreat, but I fear that the color purple is horrendous. Do I go rogue and instead find the hat Yas is wearing when she gets fired that says Save Water Drink Negronis? (Even though I dont even like negronis.) Ive always wanted to point this out but never know where to, so Ill do it here: Are there any folks watching Industry who also watched Skins? I suspect I love this show because I adored one of the final episodes of Skins where Effy goes to work for a bank. In many ways, Industry feels like an elongation and reimagining of that episode of television, another place where sex, money, drugs, and growing up all intersected. Also, of course, Freya Mavor plays Daria in Industry and Mini in the fifth and sixth seasons of Skins. Photo: Steve Jennings/Getty Pras Michel, a founding member of the Fugees and the first hip-hop artist to be convicted on charges of working as a covert agent of the Chinese government, hasnt entirely run out of ways to avoid going to federal prison, but hes getting close. On the Friday before Labor Day, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued her lengthiest ruling on the case since Michel was first indicted in 2019 on conspiracy charges for money laundering and election-law violations. Following Michels conviction last year, he upgraded to new lawyers, who immediately went after his prior attorney, former Death Row Records counsel David Kenner, for allegedly doing such a poor job defending Michel that he violated his right to a fair trial. Known as an ineffective assistance of counsel claim, it was one of more than a dozen arguments made by Michels new team for why he deserves a retrial. In her 77-page ruling, Judge Kollar-Kotelly responded to them all with one consistent and resounding message: nope. Were disappointed with the decision, Michels lead attorney Peter Zeidenberg said. We think there were grievous and serious errors in the trial and they impacted the fairness of the outcome, and we will be appealing. Media attention has focused on the fact that Kenner used experimental AI software to draft a bizarre closing statement at Michels trial last year; the chatbots glitchy hallucinations misattributed two chart-topping tracks, Puff Daddys Ill Be Missing You and Prass Ghetto Supastar, to the Fugees. In January, Judge Kollar-Kotelly called both sides back to court for a three-day evidentiary hearing about Kenners AI crutch and the rest of his questionable lawyering. Eight months later, her ruling finds that Kenner not only met his minimum obligations, but that he also argued a cogent, if ultimately unsuccessful, case in Michels defense. [A] strategys ultimate failure does not mean an attorney is incompetent for pursuing it, she wrote. A more serious trial error receiving less attention was allegedly committed by government prosecutors and the judge herself when they informed the jury on several occasions that another judge in a related case had already determined that Michel was guilty. Consequently, Judge Kollar-Kotelly became an additional member of the prosecution and, according to Michels attorneys, exposed the jury to extraordinarily prejudicial evidence. Judge Kollar-Kotelly doesnt deny that mistakes were made, but in her ruling, she explains that she fixed the problem when she instructed the jurors that they were to disregard any comments made by the Court that may have suggested an opinion as to Michels guilt. The jury, she continued, is presumed to have followed the Courts instructions. This ruling that a jury can un-hear what one judge said about another judges final determination of the facts in a related case amounts to a kind of magical legal thinking. It also shifts the burden of responsibility for fairness off of the judge and onto the jury, which no longer exists and cannot defend itself. It leaves Michel once again at the mercy of the court as he awaits sentencing. Due to his charges under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), and assuming Judge Kollar-Kotelly follows sentencing guidelines, he is expected to receive anywhere from five to ten years behind bars. It has been three years since the Justice Department hit Michel with a superseding indictment to include a madcap scheme that it alleges Michel coordinated between a group of top GOP fundraisers to secretly back-channel Chinese demands to then-President Trump, for which everyone in the crew expected to be paid tens of millions of dollars. This sort of bag job is generally not permitted in Washington unless one has done the appropriate paperwork and registered with the State Department as a foreign agent, a critical step that Michel and most of his cohorts failed to complete. (Whether they knew that the payments were made with dirty money embezzled from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund known as 1MDB remains unknown.) Last week, immediately following the Labor Day holiday and Judge Kollar-Kotellys ruling, the Justice Department announced three new high-profile FARA indictments on three consecutive days. Brat summer is officially over, secret foreign agents! The first alleges that New York governor Kathy Hochuls deputy chief of staff, Linda Sun, received millions of dollars, real estate in Long Island and Hawaii, luxury cars including a 2024 Ferrari, and several shipments of gourmet salted ducks in exchange for influencing the governors office on Beijings behalf. According to the indictment, Sun ensured that issues unfavorable to Beijing such as the future of Taiwan and the ethnic cleansing of the Uyghurs were kept off of Hochuls radar. According to the FBI, Sun never registered as a foreign agent and intentionally concealed that she was working at the order, request, or direction of the [Peoples Republic of China] and the [Chinese Communist Party]. The second and most high-profile indictment in this months FARA fracas revealed that several prominent right-wing media agitators including Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, and Dave Rubin received millions of dollars in laundered Russian money through Tenet Media, a start-up funded almost entirely by Russian state media. According to the FBI, Rubin was raking in $400,000 a month, while Pool took $100,000 for videos where he espoused such totally normal views as Ukraine is our enemy, being funded by the Democrats! Pool has since declared that he and his fellow propagandists were deceived and are victims, even though his employers at Tenet were sending each other messages such as, So were billing the Russians from the corporation, right? As for the cash, the influencers seem intent on keeping it. Third, the Justice Department charged former Trump campaign adviser Dimitri Simes for taking more than $1 million while working for Russias Channel One, another Kremlin-controlled network, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. All of which brings us back to Michel, the most famous and culturally influential of the bunch (sorry, Benny Johnson), and whose foreign-agent charges are far murkier than those in this months indictments. Those cases are the types of FARA violations that go to the heart of why we have a FARA law, said Paul Pelletier, a former federal prosecutor who has been following the case closely. To me, Prass case just stretches FARA beyond its intended limits, and this is what ultimately makes for bad law. Michels sentencing hearing is expected to be held before the end of the calendar year. Were almost at the end of the road. Snowpiercer began with the Tailies starting a rebellion against the other classes on the train in order to get better living conditions, and now passengers from all sections of not one but two trains are bleeding and dying to protect the frontier-town home they made for themselves from an invading army of technically advanced soldiers. Granted, the open spaces of New Eden mean the action in this episode doesnt hit as hard as, say, fight scenes on the train, but there are still some nail-biting moments. Many of the moments involve Melanie, who comes back after being imprisoned by Nima in the last episode. Nima leaves her a note, trying yet again to justify his actions and delusions. He still thinks he can thaw the world without any setbacks and that a few sacrifices are necessary for the greater good. Its become very clear that Nima is not that much of a compelling villain, definitely not as the final boss of Snowpiercer. Sure, there is some attempt to flesh out his past and give him layers with his relationship with Alex, but as convincingly as Michael Aronov plays the shyness and greed of Nima, he simply does not have the presence and gravitas of Sean Beans Wilford or Clark Greggs Milius. As a villain, he works fine, but as the absolute final boss to defeat at the edge of Armageddon, he leaves something to be desired. Picking up where we left off, Layton and the New Eden citizens are still under siege from the sniper who technically doesnt try to kill them but simply has them pinned down so they cant retaliate. With the soldiers breaking the deal and opening fire on people, Alex finally snaps and turns on them, frying the computer and making it impossible to switch the tracks. Layton, Sykes, and Javi fight their way to Alex while the latter works on building a device that can jam the radio signal and stop the silo forces from burying the town. Back on Snowpiercer, Melanie refuses to help Nima destroy the world, and Nima finishes taking the mask off and turns full military oppressor. He gives Melanie an option: Either help them take Big Alice back or he will bury the town. So much for a few sacrifices when, as far as we know, this is half of humanity right here. Melanie still tries to appeal to the humanity in Nima, reminding him of a time when he would not even work for a company if it dumped chemicals in the ocean. Now look at him, poisoning the world and not able to listen to any other opinion but his own. Again, this is a bit too little, too late when it comes to Nimas characterization and it doesnt stop there. In New Eden, Layton rescues Alex from one of the commandos, and Alex finally asks about Wilford. When Layton tells her how he died, she seems clearly upset, even if she does admit that she cant blame Layton for trying to kill Wilford as she once tried it herself. Oz distracts the sniper by taunting him on the radio, giving the best sheriff in the new Wild West, Bess Till, enough time to find the sniper and take him down. And not a moment too soon, because there is only one more bullet left, which Till uses to save Layton from a commando. With that, the battle is won. Alex finally warns the group that their original ambush plan wont work because Nima just has too many soldiers on his side. Whats more, she tells them the stakes: that Nimas compound will spread over the globe, erode the atmosphere, and poison them all, making their blood boil out of their body as they become unable to breathe. You know, just another Tuesday in Snowpiercer. Nima pivots, and his new plan is to bring an entire army, not just the masked commandos, but all his forces, to completely eradicate the town. Thankfully, Melanie manages to trick him into following a different plan. She joins the armed forces, dozens of them, all heavily armed. But rather than start firing on the people of New Eden, they fire the knockout gas weve seen Nima use before to knock out everyone in town. The victory is short-lived; the army literally just waltzes into town unopposed. Nima, Melanie, and Alex (who found her mom and followed her) capture Big Alice without a hiccup, while Josie wonders if Melanie sold them out again which, to be honest, would be on brand. However, she wouldnt because she knows it doesnt matter what Nima offers her; his plan will kill them all regardless of allegiance or loyalty. She immediately gets to work on a counterattack, contacting Layton and revealing that she will bring Snowpiercer into town. All Layton and the others have to do is get onboard and attack from inside. With a little help from Javi, the revolutionaries overwhelm a group of soldiers stationed by Town Hall and realize that their weapons are for show they dont have any bullets. At this same time, Nima goes on a little parade around New Eden like a conqueror surveying their new land. Bootlicking Headwood gives him a tour of the facilities and talks about how alike the two are because they are masochists who sacrifice people for their goals. Finally, Snowpiercer arrives, just going over the track switch like it was nothing (so much for that whole plan). A group of soldiers gets off the train to defend it, and Layton and the others make their move. Now this is the thrilling action sequence I was waiting for, with the army of New Eden organizing, archers (using crossbows) on the back while the front lines charge at the silo soldiers using axes, poles, knives, and whatever weapons Till managed to make in time. They make it onboard the train, and round two is on. Though Nima, ever the snake, orders his soldiers to blow up the hill and bury the town, it doesnt work. Javi managed to jam the signal and save the town. While the man who froze the world screams out in anger, Melanie and Alex escape and head to the sub-train to join the fight one last time. Tailie Thoughts So how many people are left, exactly? The silo mostly had workers and soldiers, but the admiral said that many people on Snowpiercer died during the retrofitting. As far as we know, New Eden has half of humanity, so how exactly is destroying the town a small sacrifice? Poor Alex. First, she finds that the man who kind of raised her killed himself. Now it turns out Nima is her father, explaining why she is so smart. ROME, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Medical staff in the southern Italian region of Apulia staged a protest on Monday over increasing violence by patients' relatives against doctors and nurses. Several hundred professionals took part in a sit-in in front of the Policlinico hospital in Foggia, after at least three aggressive acts were reported at the facility in the past 10 days. The demonstration had the full support from Italy's largest medical union Anaao-Assomed and the National Federation of Doctors. "We are no longer willing to work in unsafe environments, and under psychological conditions that do not ensure adequate care to our patients," Anaao-Assomed's national secretary Pierino Di Silverio said. Medical professionals, who are already overworked and low-paid compared to the European average, are no longer willing to "turn the other cheek" to violence, Di Silverio added. "If answers are not forthcoming, we are going to call a mobilization, which will be followed by abstention from work in manners and at times we deem most appropriate," Di Silverio said. Violence against doctors, nurses, and public health staff in general is not new in Italy, but it has dramatically increased in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, over 16,000 attacks -- including acts of physical and verbal abuse -- were committed against some 18,000 public health workers across Italy (except for Sicily, which did not provide data), according to the Health Ministry. In the past few days, one of the most serious aggressions saw dozens of people attacking the staff of Foggia Policlinico and vandalizing the facility. In a video circulating on social media, doctors and nurses were seen barricading themselves in a room to escape the group of attackers, the enraged relatives and friends of a 23-year-old woman who had died during surgery. A similar episode involved some 40 relatives of a cancer patient attacking staff at a hospital in Pescara, in the Abruzzo region. Last week, Health Minister Orazio Schillaci said he was discussing possible counter-measures with the justice minister. One possible solution, he said, could be to allow for the deferred arrest of aggressors caught in 'flagrante delicto' (catching someone at the moment they commit the crime) up to 48 hours after the attack. Other proposals included banning people who assault medical staff from accessing the free hospital treatment offered by the national health system for up to three years, with this idea being supported by some of the doctors' unions. On Monday, the head of the National Federation of Doctors, Filippo Anelli, also called for extra measures "such as video surveillance systems, metal detector checks at the entrance, the presence of security guards, and permanent police stations." UK prime minister on first official visit to Italy. British prime minister Keir Starmer is to meet Italian premier Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Monday to discuss tackling illegal immigration as well as support for Ukraine. The midday meeting will reportedly see Starmer, leader of Britain's centre-left Labour party, learn about Italy's deal with Albania to send migrants there after they are rescued at sea. The talks with Meloni, leader of the right-wing Fratelli d'Italia, come after Starmer pledged "a new era" in cross-border cooperation to tackle people smuggling gangs, Reuters reports. Starmer has scrapped the previous government's plan to deport asylum seekers who arrive in the UK illegally to Rwanda but has expressed interest in hearing how Italy's migration scheme works. In an attempt to curb illegal migration to Italy, Meloni signed a deal last year with her Albanian counterpart Edi Roma to transport asylum-seekers to Albania and process their asylum requests there. Il Primo Ministro britannico @Keir_Starmer accolto oggi a Villa Doria Pamphilj dal Presidente del Consiglio @GiorgiaMeloni pic.twitter.com/PVBIRWPNLC UKinItalia (@UKinItalia) September 16, 2024 In addition to illegal immigration, Starmer and Meloni are set to discuss deepening economic ties and renewing support for Ukraine. The talks in Rome come after eight people died at the weekend while crossing the English Channel in an attempt to reach the UK, French authorities said on Sunday. Meanwhile on Saturday prosecutors in Palermo sought a six-year jail sentence for Italy's former interior minister and current deputy premier Matteo Salvini on charges of abduction and refusal to perform official duties, for his role in preventing the landing of 147 migrants saved by the NGO Open Arms five years ago. In a post on X, Meloni expressed her "total solidarity" with her coalition partner Salvini, saying it was "incredible that a minister of the Italian Republic risks six years in prison for having carried out his job defending the borders of the nation." Photo credit: Fred Duval / Shutterstock.com. David Forsythe A farmer from Co Cork has pleaded guilty to the destruction of significant natural habitats near Doneraile in the north of the county. Daniel Finn, of Tevenie, Dromina, Co Cork, appeared before Judge Colm Roberts at Mallow District Court. The prosecution against Mr Finn was taken by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Prosecuting counsel Paula McCarthy BL said it was alleged that Finn, a farmer in his 70s, had deliberately cleared trees and shrub-land and other habitats at Stream Hill, Doneraile, Co Cork, on dates between March, 1st, 2023, and August 31st, 2023. Giving evidence, prosecution witness Claire Deasy, a National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) conservation warden, said she first visited the site at Stream Hill on April 27th, 2024, shortly before 1pm. Ms Deasy said it was immediately evident that significant clearance of trees and shrubs had taken place, including native woodland and hedgerows. She told the court that the protection of native woodland was of particular importance because only 2 per cent of such woodlands remained in Ireland. She said the site had a stream running through it that fed a special area of conservation a short distance downstream and was adjacent to the Ballyhoura Mountains Special Area of Conservation. She told the court that in total some 250 mature and semi-mature trees had been knocked and uprooted. According to Ms Deasy, a combined total of 3.7 hectares of vegetation including scrub and trees had been removed from the site, as well as the significant destruction of aquatic and fisheries habitat in a natural watercourse known to support salmonids. She added that there was also the removal and destruction of approximately 350m of river habitat along the banks of the stream and the removal of significant amounts of linear hedgerow. Ms Deasy told the court that when she questioned Finn about his activities, he told her he was improving the land for agriculture. She told the court that Finn was asked to stop his activities at the site twice while investigations were ongoing, but there was still evidence he was clearing vegetation in late July. Defence solicitor Marie Ford said that Finn had been cooperative at all times, had no previous convictions and had not subsequently committed any offences. She said he was a man in his 70s who was very apologetic and now realised the full extent of the seriousness of the situation. Judge Colm Roberts said that in the circumstances he would probably have to convict Finn. He said that the maximum penalty was a fine of 5,000 and if he were to consider dealing with the matter by way of a donation to an environmental charity, the figure would need to be higher than that. The judge said: Hes an experienced farmer, he took a risk and he got caught. Its impossible to believe that a farmer of his age can lived in blissful ignorance of the Wildlife Act for all these years. This was extensive and reckless, he knew what he was doing, it was barbarism, vandalism and almost delinquent. Judge Roberts adjourned sentencing until October 21st to allow Finn discuss the details of what kind of charity donation he might make. The judge added: You have to ask yourself do you want to be regarded as an environmental terrorist or barbarian? By Jonathan McCambridge, PA Drinking water in some parts of the North has an unpleasant taste and smell but is still safe to drink, Infrastructure Minister John ODowd has insisted. Mr ODowd said the drinking water was being impacted by increased algae levels in Lough Neagh. The Stormont Assembly was told there had been a number of complaints about the tap water and some mothers were concerned about using it to feed their children. The Sinn Fein minister said: NI Waters number one priority is the quality and safety of your drinking water. I am aware of a number of customers who have been reporting a taste and smell in their drinking water supply in specific areas. John ODowd MLA and Minister for Infrastructure updated MLAs following concerns about drinking water (Oliver McVeigh/PA) This is related to increased algae levels in Lough Neagh which contain naturally occurring compounds that may cause an unpleasant taste and smell even after going through NI Waters robust treatment process. NI Water are working to reduce the impact of these compounds as they move through the water supply system and work closely on a daily basis with the Drinking Water Inspectorate and the Public Health Agency to ensure the water is safe to drink. I can confirm that NI Water has confirmed to me that the water is safe to drink. Processes have included enhanced sampling at the network treatment works, the distribution network and customer taps. Blue Green Algae concentrations on the shores of Lough Neagh in Co Antrim (Niall Carson/PA) SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone said he had dealt with numerous complaints about the water supply. He said: Young mothers afraid to give it to their children through the food they are providing to the babies. Basically a lot of calls about foul taste and foul odours. Can the minister give us some indication if additional chemicals have been added to the water supply? Mr ODowd responded: Let me emphasise again the the water coming out of our taps is safe to drink and use. The minister said his own home was impacted by the same issues but he was continuing to use the water. He said: I do use the water, I accept that there is an unpleasant taste and smell for drinking water purposes and some people may wish to have bottled water or other water for that purpose. But for all other purposes the water is safe and its safe for drinking as well. He added: The smell and taste you are getting at the moment is not chemical, it is a naturally occurring compound in the water. It is a timely reminder to us all if we needed it that we need to look after our natural resources, we need to look after Lough Neagh. Noxious blooms of blue-green algae have covered large parts of the lough during the past two summers and also affected other waterways and beaches in the region. Lough Neagh, the biggest freshwater lake by surface area in Ireland, supplies 40 per cent of the Norths drinking water. The Stormont Executive recently launched an action plan to deal with the environmental crisis at the lough. DUP MLA for upper Bann Jonathan Buckley asked if the minister could be sure the water was safe to drink (Liam McBurney/PA) DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley said: You have outlined that NI Water said this water is safe to drink, but if a constituent came to us and said that they smelt for example mould off a packet of ham in their fridge or foul odours from a drum of milk we wouldnt advise them to drink or eat it. So how sure can we be that the water is the same? Mr ODowd said: I am satisfied with assurances I have received from NI Water in relation to the quality of our drinking water. As I said, my own home is impacted by this and I am using the water in my own home. Tom Tuite A Dublin man has been sent forward for trial to the non-jury Special Criminal Court charged with "disposal" of body parts of murdered teenager Keane Mulready Woods and impeding the investigation into his death. The Drogheda youth (17) was last seen alive by his family on the evening of January 12th, 2020. He was killed, and his body was later dismembered. Remains found in Coolock and a burned-out vehicle at Trinity Terrace, Dublin, and at Rathmullan Park in Drogheda, Co Louth, were those of the missing boy. Glen Bride (30), of Mount Olive Park, Kilbarrack, Dublin, was last month charged and remanded in custody following a brief hearing. He is accused of damaging a Volvo V40 car bearing false registration plates by fire for the benefit of a criminal organisation on January 15th, 2020, at Trinity Terrace, Ballybough, Dublin 3. The second charge alleges that from January 13th-15th, 2020, at Trinity Terrace, to enhance the ability of a criminal organisation to commit a serious offence, murder, he participated in or contributed to the transportation and disposal of body parts of Keane Mulready Woods. The third charge states that over the same two-day period at locations in the State, he impeded the apprehension or prosecution of another person who committed the murder and knowing they were guilty of that or another offence. He did not apply for bail and faced his third hearing at Dublin District Court on Monday. Judge John Hughes heard that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed trial on indictment. A State solicitor told Judge Hughes that DPP directed that Mr Bride be sent forward for trial to the Special Criminal Court. The DPP furnished a certificate under section 46.2 of the Offences Against the State Act that, in this case, "the ordinary courts are inadequate to secure the effective administration of justice". The judge warned the accused that he must notify the prosecution if he intended to use an alibi, and ordered the gardai to hand over interview videos to the defence. Legal aid was granted to include representation of his solicitor, Tracy Horan, plus a barrister and a senior counsel. Mr Bride, who did not address the court, has yet to indicate a plea and will be given his next court appearance date later. He did not apply for bail and was sent forward for trial in custody. Earlier in the proceedings, the defence said, "My client has concerns for his safety" in custody, and he had asked to be held at Mountjoy rather than Cloverhill Prison. In May, Stephen Carberry (46), of Adair Apartments, Sandymount, Dublin 4, was charged with the same three offences. He is also awaiting trial in the Special Criminal Court. Last year, that court jailed two men for connected crimes. Gerard Cruise (50), of Rathmullan Park, Drogheda, pleaded guilty to a charge that, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, he facilitated the murder of Keane Mulready Woods, at Rathmullan Park, Drogheda. He received a seven-year jail term. Paul Crosby (28), of Rathmullan Park, Drogheda, also admitted the same offence and was imprisoned for 10 years. Those proceedings heard that the prime suspect in the murder was Robert Lawlor, a notorious Dublin criminal. Lawlor (36) was shot dead in Belfast in April 2020. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (R, Front) welcomes British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome, Italy, on Sept. 16, 2024. The two leaders held a closed-door session before addressing the media, discussing immigration, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, energy policy, economic growth, and post-Brexit relations between the UK and the European Union. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) ROME, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised Italy's immigration policies under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a meeting in Rome on Monday. The two leaders held a closed-door session before addressing the media, discussing immigration, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, energy policy, economic growth, and post-Brexit relations between the UK and the European Union. Unlike typical meetings held at Palazzo Chigi, the seat of Italy's government, Monday's talks took place at the scenic Villa Doria Pamphili. Starmer, who took office as Labour Party leader on July 5, was returning from Washington, where he met with U.S. President Joe Biden. Ukraine was the primary topic in Washington, but Starmer reportedly failed to persuade Biden to increase military and economic aid to Ukraine. Immigration was central to discussions in Rome, a hot-button issue in both the UK and Italy. Meloni, elected in 2022 on a platform to curb refugee arrivals, has overseen a significant reduction in refugee numbers. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), around 44,000 refugees have landed in Italy so far this year, compared to 125,000 during the same period in 2023. This drop is largely due to Italy's efforts to limit departures from Tunisia and Libya, restrict NGO rescue operations, and crack down on human traffickers. Additionally, Italy has signed a deal with Albania to process up to 36,000 asylum seekers per year outside of the EU. In contrast, the UK has seen around 22,000 irregular migrants arriving from France so far this year, a slight increase from 2023. Over 800 migrants crossed into the UK on Saturday alone, with at least eight dying in the attempt. Starmer commended Italy's success in reducing migrant arrivals, saying that prevention is key to tackling the issue. Meloni emphasized Italy's focus on addressing the root causes of migration, highlighting measures like voluntary repatriation programs. Starmer also expressed interest in Italy's approach of outsourcing asylum processing to Albania, drawing parallels to the UK's now-abandoned Rwanda plan. Upon taking office, Starmer scrapped the UK's controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing. Starmer's early tenure has been marked by domestic challenges, including widespread riots following the stabbing of three girls at a concert by a British-born citizen of African migrant descent. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (not in the picture) at Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome, Italy, on Sept. 16, 2024. The two leaders held a closed-door session before addressing the media, discussing immigration, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, energy policy, economic growth, and post-Brexit relations between the UK and the European Union. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (R) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer attend a press conference at Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome, Italy, on Sept. 16, 2024. The two leaders held a closed-door session before addressing the media, discussing immigration, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, energy policy, economic growth, and post-Brexit relations between the UK and the European Union. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends a press conference with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (not in the picture) at Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome, Italy, on Sept. 16, 2024. The two leaders held a closed-door session before addressing the media, discussing immigration, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, energy policy, economic growth, and post-Brexit relations between the UK and the European Union. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (R) meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome, Italy, on Sept. 16, 2024. The two leaders held a closed-door session before addressing the media, discussing immigration, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, energy policy, economic growth, and post-Brexit relations between the UK and the European Union. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (R) meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome, Italy, on Sept. 16, 2024. The two leaders held a closed-door session before addressing the media, discussing immigration, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, energy policy, economic growth, and post-Brexit relations between the UK and the European Union. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) On Sunday afternoon, September 15, crowds of people came together in Waterford in the face of a far right demonstration. Over 100 people chanted messages of unity in the face of a group of masked men on the Ballybricken bandstand. The counter demonstration was organised by Waterford Coalition Against Facsism, which includes the Waterford Council of Trade Unions (WCTU), SIPTU, Sinn Fein, Social Democrats, Labour, People Before Profit, Green Party and Rabharta. Local representatives including Cllrs Joeanne Bailey, Conor McGuinness, Joe Kelly, John Hearn and Seamus Ryan were there to lend their support to the counter demonstration. SIPTU Thomas Healy, TD David Cullinane Councillors Joeanne Baily and Conor McGuinness, SIPTU's Dave Lane and Cllr John Hearne Cllr McGuinness told the Waterford News and Star: "I think it's very important that people stand against the divisive politics of the far right, the racism, the division, the hate and the lives that are being spread by these bad actors." "I keep saying to people when they ask me: 'who are these people?' I don't know because they were never on any housing protest, I've never seen them operating in a constituency clinic, I've never seen them advocating for women's rights, never seen them participate in any of the many struggles, in any of the many campaigns that people have been involved in here in Waterford over the last 10, 15, 20 years I've been involved in politics," he said. Mayor of Waterford's Metropolitan District, Cllr Joe Kelly said: "When people from far-right groups try agitate, its important that people are prepared to stand up against them." CATU (Community Action Tenants Union) officer Killian Mangan said: "This is one of the biggest issues at the moment. You have a very small group of people who are trying to use very valid concerns, like the housing crisis, and are punching down on the most vulnerable people of society." As the Plenary Council resumed last week for its first official meeting after the summer break, it didnt come as a surprise to the Council Executive team to hear the concerns being raised by local councillors around the dangers of the N25. Sinn Feins General Election candidate, Councillor Conor McGuinness was first to mention his disappointment regarding the lack of response from the Minister for Transport. Addressing the chamber he said: It's probably a year and a half now that I've be raising this and seeking that a delegation from this Council will be received both by the Minister and TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland), and I understand that engagement has taken place with TII, and that delegation is going to go ahead. I just want to thank those at the top table who helped push that, he added. Cllr McGuinness continued: It's regrettable that we have had no response back from the Minister for Transport. That is, I think, very shameful. I want to just put that on the record, but to thank the top table for the records in getting that delegation arranged to go to TII in the very near future." Councillor Tom Cronin, a Fianna Fail Councillor in the Dungarvan/Lismore area, agreed with Cllr McGuinness, as he too raised the dangers of the N25 at several meetings over the last number of years. We have been left down when it comes to the N25 by the TII, serious funding needs to be put in place, because it's deadly dangerous to be fair, so we need to get that meeting, he said. Councillor Liam Brazil, also on the N25 issue, asked if there could be a separate meeting organised between locals, Gardai and Councillors to come up with a traffic management plan to deal with the issue of tailbacks and diversions for future road closures when a collision occurs. Councillor Declan Barry then asked the Executive about there being a Road Safety Officer for Waterford, or having all schools within school safety zone, commenting: "We have to ensure that our school children are as safe as possible." The Executive said Cllr Brazil's suggestion was "useful" and they will review the protocol for diversions; while the Executive confirmed to Cllr Barry that there is a Road Safety Officer, he was told information wasn't to hand of how many schools were in the safety zone. At the same meeting, it was brought to the attention of the Councillors that the roll out of speed limits being reduced across the city and county is to begin shortly. As a national initiative, 80km zones will be reduced to 60km and 50km zones will be reduced to 30km. The initiative is due to be completed imminently. Waterford Fine Gael Senator John Cummins has said SETU is effectively in poll position with regard to securing a Veterinary Medicine degree course, in conjunction with Kildalton College. An announcement on matter is expected within the next few weeks and with University of Limerick withdrawing from the race to secure the much sough after course, Senator Cummins said SETU is in a very strong position. Seeking to quell concerns posed in some quarters that "political strokes" would be pulled to secure Veterinary Medicine for Limerick, he expressed his belief that the case put forward by SETU was very strong. "I believe the case that has been put forward by SETU to deliver highly sought after veterinary medicine degrees, in conjunction with Kildalton College, is very strong and one which I have supported from the outset," he said. "I have had former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and current Taoiseach Simon Harris at meetings with the SETU leadership team on a number of occasions and the development of Veterinary Medicine has formed part of these discussions," he added. In July 2023, then Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris announced that the Higher Education Authority (HEA) had assessed proposals by SETU to establish new courses in the areas of pharmacy and veterinary medicine, as well as an expansion of nursing as viable options for consideration as part of the Building Capacity process. Senator John Cummins with Taoiseach Simon Harris speaking to a SETU representative at Dungarvan Show Over the past 12 months full business cases have been finalised and there has been extensive engagement between the Department of Further and Higher Education, Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Higher Education Authority to identify the exact number of places with recommendations on where they should be based and the capital costs of same under consideration," he said. "I have been convinced of the case for veterinary medicine from the very outset because we have a significant shortage of vets in Ireland, particularly those who deal with large animals," he added. Senator Cummins said he was impressed by the amount of work that had gone into developing the course and the clinical network model by Dr Mary Kate Burke, formally of Cambridge University and the SETU team. The practical, five-year degree programme would graduate 40 students a year resulting in 200 additional students studying at SETU over a five year degree programme. Some of the recent statements by politicians who have come very late to this process calling for a united front from South East Oireachtas members to secure veterinary medicine are a bit ironic because the full support of South East Oireachtas members was given to letters I personally organised in support of SETU," said Senator Cummins. He said those letters, one dated April 22, 2024 and the other dated February 10, 2024, were submitted to Minister Patrick ODonovan and former Minister Simon Harris, respectively. I have consistently said that we need to talk up our new university, not talk it down," he said. "I believe there is amazing work being done at SETU, led from the front by Professor Veronica Campbell," he added. "Our new university, with a new field of study, is a critical component of ensuring a step change within Higher Education in the South East and I believe SETU is in poll position on veterinary medicine. It was delivering on the story of soaring and profitable growth as cashed-up pandemic consumers grew comfortable buying luxury fashion online. But its Cinderella story contrasted starkly with failing rivals such as FarFetch in a sector surviving on low profit margins. The success story came under significant pressure early this year when reports started questioning how Cettire was actually making money. Cettires reclusive founder, Dean Mintz is buying shares again, but at a fraction of the prices he recently sold. Duty arbitrage was nominated as a culprit for its success. Selling online and mostly outside the European Union means Cettire can exploit loopholes in trade regulations that would otherwise require it to pay value-added tax (VAT) in the EU, or duty on goods delivered to the US, which is its largest source of business. But controversy raged over reported discrepancies in what duties it charged customers and how much of this was actually paid to the authorities especially in the US, its major market. Was Cettire making money by charging customers duties that were then pocketed? In its response to the allegations, Cettire said: All applicable duties and other import charges are paid to the relevant authorities at the point of customs clearance. It denied it was overcharging customers. But Cettire made a key change in no longer separating out what it charged customers for duties. A shock downgrade in June, which halved Cettires share price, confirmed that the retailer was no longer defying gravity in a market flooded with discounting by the groups rivals on one side and softening consumer demand on the other. It didnt help that this coincided with scrutiny of its duty payments, raising doubts as to which was to blame. Then came last months financial results. Its shares plunged back to multi-year lows after it failed to get its financial accounts audited due to revenue recognition issues. It barely made money for the June quarter and conditions were expected to remain tough into the current quarter. Shares that were worth $4.90 as recently as February plunged to a low of $1.01 within days, with tough market conditions forecast to continue into this financial year. Reclusive founder and chief executive Dean Mintz wants investors to believe that its worst financial challenge is one of fashion victim as luxury brands such as Acne Studio and Victoria Beckham discount directly to customers the latter offering discounts of up to 60 per cent. Cettire shares have plunged as questions have grown about how it actually makes money. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer Some of the particularly unusual things that we saw in spring/summer 24 was brands themselves doing heavy discounting on their own websites, Mintz told analysts and investors on the groups conference call. But he held out the potential for the brutal end of the spring/summer sales season would give way to a more sober winter a hint that this is temporary and Cettires normal trajectory will resume with a balance of significant profitable growth. But as twitchy investors are aware, the truth could be far worse. Lets get back to the unaudited accounts. Cettire said last month that the audit was progressing, with accounting firm Grant Thornton reviewing whether the company should not recognise all the money it received from customers as revenue. The argument is that it acts as an agent for the fashion distributors who do the physical handling of the sale and Cettire should not include their cut of the proceeds. It would mean its reported revenue would drop, but no other significant financial indicators, it told the ASX. It would not impact reported earnings nor cash flows nor represent a change in the legal basis for the Groups contractual relationships with suppliers and customers, Cettire said. It invites the obvious question: if it makes no substantive difference, why hold up the audit on this point? Cettire did not provide an explanation, but others have. Critics like the blogger, known as TaxLoss, have speculated that it could mean Cettire will have to offer more detail in its financial accounts - like how much money it generates from product returns and more importantly, duties. This would clarify whether Cettire is reliant on duties arbitrage, and returns fees, for its bottom line, as claimed by short sellers and other critics. Cettire certainly did nothing to clarify the issue when RBC analyst Wei-Weng Chen tried to address the elephant in the room and asked about the duties issue directly with Cettire at its earnings conference call. His query was simple: did Cettire automatically passed on all duties charges it raised from customers to the relevant authorities. Cettires chief financial officer Tim Hume made the distinction between charges like GST and VAT - where there is an obligation to remit the money raised to the relevant authorities. Duty, by nature, is a bit different, he responded. Loading It created a field day for the short sellers who profit from any fall in a companys share price. They were well prepared for a disastrous financial result with around 10 per cent of Cettires shares sold short in the lead up to the announcement. To give an idea of how much this has enraged Cettires management, the retailer revealed in its accounts that it had spent more than $900,000 on short campaign costs in a matter of months to combat the short sellers. While the effectiveness of this campaign is questionable, Mintz played his own trump card as the stock threatened to drop below $1. Mintz, who has quickly extracted more than $330 million from the business via share sales - including as recently as February this year when he sold $172 million worth of stock at $4.63 - started buying shares. He ended up spending just $15.8 million, but sent the stock soaring as he paid as much as $1.66 a share. It was a classic short squeeze. Any short sellers would have been forced to buy the soaring stock to cover their positions or risk making a loss on the trade thanks to the share price spike. It might be keeping Cettires shares buoyant in the near-term, but it will do little to convince the sceptics like Ron Shamgar, head of Australian Equity Strategies at TAMIM, who sees so many red flags with its business model, auditor issues and massive insider selling. He has no financial interest in Cettire, but he posted a tweet last week putting Cettire in the same basket as stock market failures like Big Un and iSignthis. My gut feel is Cettire $CTT is eventually a zero, he tweeted. My prediction is ASX suspends stock next 12 months or much sooner. Tito Jackson, one of the brothers who made up the beloved pop group The Jackson 5, has died at age 70. Tito was the third of nine Jackson children, which include global superstars Michael and sister Janet, part of a music-making family whose songs are still beloved today. Tito Jackson, a member of the famed Jackson 5, has died. Credit: Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP Its with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us. We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their wellbeing, his sons TJ, Taj and Taryll said in a statement posted on Instagram late Sunday. The Jackson 5 included brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. The family group, which was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, produced several number-one hits in the 1970s including ABC, I Want You Back and Ill Be There. The United Nations has decided to pull funding from the most desperate refugees stuck in Indonesia, including people with chronic illnesses and children without parents, because it is running out of money and prioritising other global crises. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has been pleading for more donations as humanitarian disasters unfold in Sudan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, the Middle East and elsewhere, leaving the body with impossible choices about whom to save among the 120 million global refugee cases and whom to ignore. Bibi Rahimi uses her fluent Indonesian, learnt from scratch when she arrived aged 23, to volunteer as an interpreter for other refugees. Credit: Zach Hope Due to the funding situation with deep regret we are forced to take this unpleasant decision, UNHCR Indonesia office spokeswoman Mitra Suryono said. Many of the more than 12,000 registered refugees in Indonesia, originally from countries such as Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, live in destitution as they wait years for resettlement in other countries. Indonesia does not let them work, so those without family support from home, or who have not been able to find meagre jobs in the cash economy, rely on internationally funded allowances that equate to about $4 a day. Jerusalem: The Israeli military announced that, according to an internal investigation, three hostages were probably killed in November as a result of an air strike targeting a senior Hamas commander. The investigations findings highlight the precarious circumstances of hostages in the Gaza Strip, who like Palestinian civilians are vulnerable to Israels ongoing military operations in the territory. The findings also suggest that senior Hamas officials, including Yahya Sinwar, the most powerful figure in the group, may surround themselves with hostages, as US and Israeli officials have said. An Israeli soldier posts a photograph of a hostage in Tel Aviv, Israel. Credit: New York Times In its statement, the Israeli military said it was highly likely that the hostages, Corporal Nik Beizer, Sergeant Ron Sherman and Elia Toledano, were killed as a result of a byproduct of an Israeli military strike targeting Ahmed al-Ghandour, commander of Hamas military wing in northern Gaza. The military said it was presenting a high-probability assessment based on where the hostages bodies were found in December, as well as intelligence materials, an analysis of the strike, pathological reports and the conclusions of forensic examiners. Definitively determining the cause of their deaths, the military said, was not possible. BAGHDAD, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a Shiite militia group, claimed responsibility for a drone attack on an Israeli site in Jordan Valley on Monday morning. The group said in a statement that the attack was executed "in solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip" and pledged to continue targeting "the enemy's strongholds." The Jordan Valley, which runs along the Jordan River, forms Jordan's western border with Israel and the West Bank. It is the only border of the West Bank that does not directly adjoin Israel. Due to its strategic significance for Israel's security, the valley is heavily patrolled by Israeli military forces. Since the onset of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Oct. 7, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has conducted multiple attacks on Israeli and U.S. targets in the region in support of Palestinians in Gaza. On 16 September, the World Customs Organization (WCO) joins the global community in commemorating World Ozone Day, an important occasion to raise awareness about the Montreal Protocols mission: the phasing out of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and the reduction of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), potent climate-warming gases. This years theme, Montreal Protocol: Advancing Climate Action, emphasizes the Protocols ongoing contribution to climate change mitigation, an area where Customs plays a pivotal role. The Montreal Protocol, adopted on 16 September 1987, remains a landmark in global environmental governance, establishing legally binding measures on the production and consumption of ODS and HFCs. Collective global efforts under the Protocol have not only enabled the slow recovery of the ozone layer, but also significantly contributed to reducing the impacts of climate change. Recognizing that the illegal trade in ODS and HFCs poses a significant threat to the Protocols effectiveness, the WCO provides its Members with targeted capacity-building support through its Environment Programme. Global operations such as DEMETER are a key part of these efforts, designed to strengthen detection and prevention capabilities in the fight against illicit trade. The most recent of these operations, DEMETER 2023, saw the participation of 106 Customs administrations, leading to 46 seizures including 130,390.6 kg of ODS and HFCs, as well as 575 pieces of equipment containing or relying on controlled substances. This represents an increase of over 420% in quantities compared to the previous operation in 2022. Combating the illegal trade in ODS and HFCs requires robust international cooperation due to its transnational nature. Coordinated efforts between Customs administrations, other law enforcement agencies and international bodies are essential to address the loopholes and strengthen enforcement. In this regard, the WCOs partners, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction, China Customs and the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and the Pacific (RILO A/P), play a vital role in preserving the ozone layer. World Customs Organization Secretary General Ian Saunders, emphasized the critical role of Customs in this global mission. The Montreal Protocol exemplifies the power of international collaboration in addressing environmental challenges. Customs is at the forefront in protecting the integrity of the Protocol by curbing illegal trade in substances that could pose a risk to the ozone layer. The WCO remains committed to empowering its Members to carry out this essential work. Customs administrations worldwide are on the frontline of enforcing the Montreal Protocol. Tasked with monitoring and controlling cross-border movements of ODS and HFCs, Customs officers ensure that goods comply with the Protocols trade provisions. By combating the illegal trade in these substances, Customs authorities play a crucial role in global efforts to safeguard the ozone layer and fight climate change. The use of WCO Harmonized System (HS) tariff codes in international trade significantly enhances Customs enforcement efforts by allowing the identification of substances controlled under the Montreal Protocol. Based on this, Customs administrations around the world can detect, track and regulate their movement, ensuring that they are traded only under strict regulatory conditions. As we celebrate World Ozone Day 2024, it is crucial to recognize the importance of the Montreal Protocol and the urgency of protecting the ozone layer while combating climate change. The combined efforts of international organizations, governments and Customs administrations have yielded significant progress, but continued vigilance and cooperation are required to ensure full compliance with the Protocol and secure a sustainable future for all. BISSAU, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) will use "all necessary means" to support Guinea-Bissau's judicial police in combating drug trafficking, the UN agency's representative in Guinea-Bissau Ana Cristina Andrade said here on Sunday. The UNODC "will mobilize all partners to provide sufficient financial resources to support the efforts of Guinea-Bissau authorities in fighting drug trafficking and organized crime in the country," Andrade told the press after visiting the premises of the judicial police. "The purpose of this visit is to show our willingness to support the judicial police, who have once again demonstrated their professionalism," she added, referring to the recent arrest of five people transporting 2.6 tons of cocaine aboard a plane at Bissau airport. KHARTOUM, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- At least 40 civilians were killed on Sunday in an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a village in central Sudan, according to a local resistance committee. "An RSF attack on Gouz Al-Naqa village of Abu Gouta area in Gezira State killed at least 40 civilians," the Abu Gouta Resistance Committee, a non-governmental group, said in a statement. Several corpses remained exposed in the village, as the RSF is preventing displaced villagers from returning to bury the dead, according to the statement. The committee called on civil society organizations to put pressure on the RSF to allow residents to enter the village and bury the deceased. The RSF has not yet made any comment about the attack. The RSF took control of Gezira State in December 2023 after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) withdrew from Wad Madani, the capital of the state. Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a violent conflict between the SAF and the RSF. The conflict has resulted in at least 16,650 deaths and displaced millions of people. If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Submit A campaign is underway to raise badly needed funds for an Irish family based overseas who are having to privately finance emergency medical treatment. Caoimin Keeshan was just this summer diagnosed with an extremely aggressive, grade 4 malignant brain tumour. A native of Offaly and loving husband to Kathryn (nee Hennigan) from Foxford in Co Mayo, the couple have three wonderful children, Katie, Daithi and Caoimhe, two of whom are also Mayo born. Caoimin has already undergone a gruelling seven-hour brain surgery which successfully removed 80% of the tumour. He is currently undergoing six weeks of radiation which will be followed by six months of chemotherapy. Due to circumstances beyond the familys control, medical insurance has not been applicable to their situation so friends in their ex-pat community, led by former Mayo hurling captain Aidan Connolly, have initiated a fundraising effort via GoFundMe to help offset what is an enormous financial burden. Connolly, of Galway's famed hurling family, is a close friend of Caoimin and the Keeshan family. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of meeting Caoimin knows that he is a true gentleman, a dedicated family man and an avid supporter of all things Irish, Offaly and Mayo, says Aidan. The organisers have set a target of 150,000 and after 48 hours, the campaign had already raised more than 40,000. If you can help with a donation or by sharing their story via social media, it would be greatly appreciated by Caoimin and his family. Visit here. Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has today announced that two Mayo schools are among the selected Phase One Schools which will be the first to offer the new Leaving Certificate subjects of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies and Climate Action and Sustainable Development from the start of the 2025/26 school year. Among the schools participating in phase one, 57 post-primary schools have been selected to introduce Leaving Certificate Drama, Film and Theatre Studies from the start of the 2025/26 school year. These include Sancta Maria College in Louisburgh. In addition, 43 schools have been selected for Leaving Certificate Climate Action and Sustainable Development. These include Jesus and Mary Secondary School, Crossmolina. The announcement marks an important moment in the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme and the Ministers vision for a Senior Cycle that provides young people with an opportunity to study a range of subjects that align with their talents and passions. Minister Foley said: It was fantastic to see a strong level of interest from schools of all types in Mayo and across the country in taking part in this first phase of delivering the new Leaving Certificate subjects of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies and Climate Action and Sustainable Development. These subjects are being introduced to provide greater choice for students to better reflect their range of interests and support the development of a wider range of talents and skills. I am pleased to announce that two Mayo schools will be among the first to offer the new Leaving Certificate subjects of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies and Climate Action and Sustainable Development in 2025/26. The applications received demonstrated the extraordinary talent, qualifications, experience, and commitment by teachers in schools across Ireland interested in introducing these two new subjects to their students. The level and variety of current subject provision in the selected schools and the enthusiasm shown by their school leaders, teachers, students and school communities was nothing short of exemplary and I have every confidence that the rollout of both subjects will be a success. I am most pleased for the students in the 100 post primary schools across the country who will experience either Drama, Film and Theatre Studies or Climate Action and Sustainable Development at Senior Cycle in this initial phase and who will have the opportunity to develop their interests, strengths and talents in these areas. Teachers in the selected schools will begin working with Oide, the teacher support service, this school year, a year in advance of teaching the subject. All selected Phase One schools will be provided with the necessary resources to establish new subject departments in their schools and to support the teaching and learning of the subject from the start of the 2025/26 school year. Drama, Film and Theatre Studies will promote and encourage creativity as a basis for learning through immersive experiences. Students will have the opportunity to cultivate informed thinking through learning supported by creative and critical processes. Climate Action and Sustainable Development will develop students capacity for informed and meaningful action for a just and sustainable world as they engage with key sustainability challenges including the climate crisis. Students will be empowered to build their understanding of a number of interconnected core concepts and principles related to climate action and sustainable development. CANBERRA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Australia's national science agency has launched an online tool to enhance knowledge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and reduce its threat to health. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites evolve to become resistant to antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines designed to kill them. Infections that have developed AMR can be difficult or impossible to treat, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, disability and death. Launched on Monday by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the new AMR Actions and Insights online tool will provide evidence-based information to Australians to inform policy and action to reduce the impact of AMR on human, animal and environmental health. According to the CSIRO, more than 1,600 Australians die each year from AMR infection. The WHO estimates AMR was responsible for 1.27 million deaths globally in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths in the same year. Branwen Morgan, leader of the CSIRO's Minimising AMR initiative, said that many people think AMR does not affect them because they do not take antimicrobials or mistakenly believe new drugs are in the pipeline that will solve the problem. "Fragmented knowledge and misconceptions about AMR are major issues hindering effective action. The new website aims to bridge these gaps and foster a more unified understanding of AMR," she said in a media release. "We hope AMR Action and Insights will highlight how Australia can be a leading player in mitigating AMR and encourage decision-makers at all levels to consider AMR as a critical factor in their activities." The tool was developed by the CSIRO in collaboration with the federal Department of Health and Aged Care and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. It was launched ahead of an upcoming United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR in New York on Sept. 26. By Jonathan McCambridge and Rebecca Black, PA Northern Irelands First and deputy First Ministers are to meet trade union representatives over protecting jobs at Harland and Wolff. The historic Belfast shipyard earlier announced the business is set to move into administration. The firm said between 50-60 immediate redundancies are expected but said that staff employed at its four shipyards are not affected. Reacting to the news on Monday afternoon, First Minister Michelle ONeill said they will work to protect jobs. Our interest in this is that jobs are protected. Well continue to work with them in terms of, hopefully, arriving at a commercial solution that actually allows the employment to continue, she said. Were meeting with some of the union representatives later on. Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly described Harland and Wolff as an absolutely iconic and key company for Northern Ireland. I know that Gavin Robinson had been working very hard with them for many, many years, and indeed the success of the outcome of that in terms of the contracts and the potential for Harland and Wolff getting back into ship building, back into working with those defence contracts, she said. I think the future for Harland and Wolff is very strong with the right owners, and I understand that there is a significant amount of interest out there in terms of acquiring Harland and Wolff. That is welcome and I have no doubt that we will work collectively as an Executive, and do everything we can to supporting a positive outcome. Stormont First Minister Michelle ONeill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly speaking to the media (Rebecca Black/PA) Secretary of State Hilary Benn said the shipyard is continuing to operate with a contract for three support ships for the Royal Navy, and British government will be talking to everybody about hopefully finding a new owner. We are committed to maintaining shipbuilding across the UK, including in Belfast at Harland and Wolff, he said. Harland and Wolff, which famously built the Titanic, has four shipyards one in Belfast, two in Scotland (Methil on the Firth of Forth and Arnish on the Isle of Lewis) and one in England (Appledore in north Devon). It is the second time the business has been placed in administration in five years. The administration process will be confined to the holding company, Harland & Wolff Group Holdings PLC, and the operational companies which run the yards are expected to continue trading. A company statement said: A full review of all group holdings commenced in July and has concluded that H&W Group Holdings PLC is insolvent on a balance sheet basis as per its last audited accounts and most recent management accounts. Insolvency practitioners Teneo will act as administrators and shares will be delisted. The company is part of a consortium that landed a major contract to build new fleet solid support ships for the Royal Navy. It had applied for a 200 million loan guarantee from the UK government as part of efforts to restructure its finances. However, the government decided in August not to act as a guarantor on the lending while also ruling out direct funding to maintain the companys liquidity. Harland and Wolff interim executive chairman Russell Downs said the group had faced a very challenging time due to historic losses and a failure to secure long-term financing. He said: Its important to recognise that this is very difficult news for staff and will affect many within group. We will work to support our staff through this transition. The operational companies which run the shipyards are expected to continue trading (Liam McBurney/PA) We also know that it will be very unwelcome news for shareholders who have shown significant commitment to the business over the last five years. The board, the senior managers and rest of the team are committed to deliver the best outcome for the four yards and communities they serve to ensure their continued operation into the long term under new ownership. Unfortunately, extremely difficult decisions have had to be taken to preserve the future of our yards. Despite the recent challenges, the four yards have a strong capability, under new ownership and with the continuing support of their customers, to deliver UK-based ship building and leading UK-based renewables employing over 1,300 committed personnel. Its critical that the business comes through its financial troubles to secure an enduring legacy worthy of its name and its past for the benefit of the UK as a whole and its communities in particular. A UK government spokesperson said: While we know this will be a concerning time for those affected, Harland and Wolff has been clear this process will in no way affect jobs at its shipyards or core operations such as delivering its contracts for the Ministry of Defence. We are clear that following a thorough review of the companys financial situation, at present the market is best-placed to address these challenges, and providing Government funding would have meant a significant risk of losing taxpayer money. We are continuing to work extensively with all parties to find an outcome for Harland and Wolff that delivers shipbuilding and manufacturing in Belfast, Scotland and across the rest of the UK and protects jobs. UUP MLA Andy Allen said the Government had to support Harland and Wolff to find a new owner (Liam McBurney/PA) Ulster Unionist MLA Andy Allen said it is crucial the government supports the shipyard in finding a new owner. He said: While this outcome may have seemed increasingly likely in recent months, we must find a solution that not only keeps this historic shipyard in east Belfast, but allows it to grow and thrive. The yard is more than just a historic landmark; it has a vital role to play in our national defence, particularly in shipbuilding and maintenance. Given its strategic importance to our defence infrastructure, the Government must act quickly and decisively to secure its future. The workforces skills and expertise are invaluable, not just to the yard itself but to our broader economy and defence capabilities. He added: I will continue to work with colleagues, both here and in Westminster, to ensure every support is given to finding a new owner that will make a clear commitment to building on Harland and Wolffs historic success. The Government must actively engage with all interested parties and prioritise this issue. We must ensure the yard and its workforce have a viable and sustainable future. DHAKA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank (WB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide 2.5 billion U.S. dollars for financial sector reforms in Bangladesh. The central bank of Bangladesh on Sunday received loan proposals worth 2.5 billion dollars from the WB and the ADB in several packages, including structural reform, policy implementation, and investment loans, Husne Ara Shikha, Bangladesh Bank spokesperson and executive director, told journalists. As part of his bids to reform Bangladesh, Bangladeshi interim government's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday announced that the government has decided to form six commissions to reform the judiciary, election system, administration, police, anti-corruption commission, and the constitution. ULAN BATOR, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia exported 53.7 million tons of coal in the first eight months of 2024, marking a significant 31.3 percent increase compared to the same period last year, data released by the country's National Statistics Office showed Monday. Coal remains a key export commodity for Mongolia, a country rich in natural resources. During this period, coal constituted 57.7 percent of the nation's total exports, highlighting its crucial role in the country's economy. Initially, the Asian country set a target to export 60 million tons of coal this year. However, this forecast was revised upward to 75 million tons in August, reflecting a positive outlook on the coal sector's performance. In 2023, the landlocked country reached a historic milestone by exporting 66.7 million tons of coal, setting a benchmark for the current year's performance. ISLAMABAD, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Romina Khurshid Alam, coordinator to the Pakistani prime minister on climate change and environmental coordination, said that the country is committed to protecting the ozone layer and combating climate change as part of global efforts for human and environmental sustainability. Pakistan has played a vital role in protecting the ozone layer through its participation in international agreements, implementation of national policies, and collaboration with global partners, the official said while addressing a seminar on the ozone layer here on Monday. Not protecting the ozone layer is a grave risk for human health and environmental sustainability, she said, adding that the ozone layer's depletion poses various risks, including increased incidences of skin cancer, cataracts, and adverse impacts on ecosystems. Highlighting Pakistan's efforts to phase out ozone-depleting gases, Alam said that the country used the first generation of ozone-depleting substances in 2009 and achieved a 50 percent reduction in hydrochlorofluorocarbons by January 2020. "Pakistan is also on track to meet our 67.5 percent reduction target by 2025, transitioning many industries to ozone-friendly technologies...Our collective determination towards human and environmental sustainability continues as we prepare for the forthcoming hydrofluorocarbons phase-down under the United Nations' Montreal Protocol," she added. Alam also urged the need to engage all stakeholders, including educational institutions and media practitioners, and raise their understanding of the importance of the ozone layer, a critical component of Earth's atmosphere that protects life by blocking harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. DHAKA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it will help the Bangladeshi interim government's efforts for vital structural reforms in the country. The Manila-based lender expressed its eagerness to help the crisis-ridden South Asian economy, as a senior ADB delegation, led by its South Asia Director General Takeo Konishi, called on Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus of the interim Bangladeshi government in Dhaka Sunday. The senior ADB official said the bank has a long history of working in Bangladesh and would be keen to support the interim government to initiate vital structural reforms in the country. Yunus informed the ADB delegation that they were in a ground-zero situation. "Everything needs to be done as quickly as possible." As part of his bids to reform Bangladesh, Yunus on Wednesday announced that the government has decided to form six commissions to reform the judiciary, election system, administration, police, anti-corruption commission, and the constitution. ANKARA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed and eight others injured Monday in a traffic accident in southern Turkiye, semi-official Anadolu Agency reported. A truck and a passenger minibus reportedly collided in the Ceyhan district of the Adana province. The injured were hospitalized, and an investigation has been launched to find the cause of the accident, Anadolu said, adding that the drivers have not yet been identified. Official data show that in 2023, road traffic accidents involving death or injury increased to 235,771, up 19.2 percent from the previous year. A total of 6,548 deaths and 350,855 injuries were recorded in road accidents in 2023, posting an average of 18 deaths and 961 injuries per day. VIENNA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- A firefighter in northeastern Austria has died in floods as torrential rain and heavy storms swept across the central European country, authorities said on Sunday. The firefighter was pumping water from a flooded building in the state of Lower Austria when the incident occurred, local authorities said. The entire state of Lower Austria was declared a natural disaster zone on Sunday morning following relentless heavy rainfall that caused severe flooding, the Austrian news agency APA reported. Governor of Lower Austria Johanna Mikl-Leitner said that more than 25,000 emergency personnel had been deployed. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer pledged support from the federal government for the state and its communities. Torrential rain also caused casualties in the Austrian capital of Vienna. By Sunday evening, six people in Vienna had been injured by falling branches or trees, according to the city government. The Wien River, which runs through Vienna, reached a peak water level of 3.9 meters around 11 a.m. (0900 GMT) on Sunday and overflowed part of the river banks. Several metro lines in the city were also disrupted by floods on Sunday morning, APA reported. HELSINKI, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Sweden has announced its readiness to take command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s multinational forward land forces to be stationed in Finland, sources said on Monday. Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson made the announcement at a joint press conference in Stockholm with visiting Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen. According to a Finnish government press release on Monday, NATO approved the deployment of forward land forces in Finland at a meeting of allied defense ministers in June. This model requires a "framework nation," which plays a key role in overseeing and implementing the forward presence. The ministers did not disclose details about the forces, such as their location in Finland or the size of Sweden's contribution. However, Jonson revealed that at this stage of planning, staff officers might be involved, and there would be an increase in training efforts. The ministers also said that the plans for NATO's forward land forces in Finland will be discussed at the upcoming NATO defense ministers meeting in February. According to earlier official statements, the plan for the deployment involves rotating soldiers from several NATO countries for training in Finland. The presence can be increased if necessary, depending on the security situation. BEIJING, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) A speech delivered by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, during the second plenum of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee will be published on Monday. This speech by Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published as an article in this year's 18th issue of the Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine of the CPC Central Committee. The resolution adopted at the plenary session draws on experiences since the reform and opening up, particularly from comprehensively deepening reform in the new era, thoroughly analyzes the new situation and requirements for advancing Chinese modernization, harnesses the wisdom of the whole Party and society, and outlines overall plans for further comprehensively deepening reform with a focus on Chinese modernization in a scientific way, according to the article. It emphasizes the need for an in-depth study of the plenary session's essence, particularly understanding the theme of further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization as well as the key principles, major initiatives and fundamental guarantees to this end. The resolution's plans should be implemented effectively, with a focus on enhancing organization, coordinating various reforms, supporting innovation, and achieving tangible results, according to the article. It also urges solid work in the second half of the year, including efforts to resolutely achieve the annual economic and social development goals, while effectively coordinating development and security. The article also emphasizes the importance of summarizing and evaluating the implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and carrying out preliminary planning for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). On deepening comprehensive and strict Party governance, the article urges efforts to tackle formalism and bureaucracy, improve Party conduct, foster a clean government and advance the fight against corruption. (Source: Xinhua) Editor: Lei Yang Articles Sorry, there are no recent results for popular articles. Wrexham.com has invited the four North Wales Members of the Senedd to write a monthly column with updates on their work. You can find their updates along with contributions from the Wrexham and Clwyd South MPs and MSs here. In his monthly column for Wrexham.com, Welsh Conservative MS Mark Isherwood writes: It was good to see Dorothy Dot Miles, the Welsh Deaf British Sign Language (BSL) poet, honoured on Googles homepage on what would have been her birthday, August 19th. Dot, who was born in Holywell, is widely considered to be a pioneer of sign language poetry and a pioneering figure in the Deaf community. Her contributions to the arts, particularly in the realm of sign language poetry, have been monumental. She was a passionate advocate for Deaf rights and, through her work, broke down barriers between Deaf and hearing cultures. While working at the British Deaf Association (BDA), she compiled the first teaching manual for BSL tutors and became involved in setting up the Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People (CACDP now known as Signature Deaf). This celebration of Dots achievements was a powerful acknowledgment of both her contributions and the importance of sign language and Deaf culture. It also acted as a reminder of the need for my British Sign Language (BSL) (Wales) Bill, which is moving forward following a vote in the Senedd in June. If the Welsh Government do not support this, Wales will be the only part of the UK left without specific BSL legislation. The Bills purpose is to promote and facilitate the use of BSL in Wales; improve access to education, health and public services in BSL; and support the removal of barriers that exist for deaf people and their families in education, health, public services, support services and in the workplace; applying early intervention and prevention measures to reduce cost pressures on statutory services further up the line. This is a Language Bill that supports Welsh Deaf leadership on all BSL matters in Wales. The British Sign Language Act 2022 only applies to the UK Government and public bodies in England on matters devolved to Wales. My BSL (Wales) Bill therefore seeks to place equivalent specific duties on the Welsh Government and public bodies in Wales. This Bill aligns with the seven well-being goals of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 as they relate to the long-term needs of BSL users of all ages. This Bill would also support existing commitments including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Bill would also work towards ensuring that BSL signers are not treated less favourably than those who speak Welsh or English, and make sure that deaf communities have a real voice in the design and delivery of services to ensure they meet their needs. Sadly, existing legislation does not meet the needs of the D/deaf community and BSL signers. Sign languages are full languages with their own communities, histories and cultures. Despite the Welsh Government recognising BSL as a language in its own right in 2004, there have long been calls to give BSL full legal status in Wales. Deafness is not a learning difficulty, but deaf children are being disadvantaged by the continuing inequity in outcome. As Chair of the Cross-Party Group (CPG) on Deaf Issues in the Senedd, I met with a Trustee representative of charity Cambrian Educational Foundation For Deaf Children and the CPGs Secretariat over the summer recess to discuss the current picture of support for the d/Deaf community in Wales, particularly children. Members of the Foundation have noted the difficulties in engaging some others around d/Deaf issues and are particularly keen to understand the work of the CPG. Cambrian provides support for Deaf Children across Wales. Applicants can request support in the purchase of equipment, funding residential courses, speech training courses and other opportunities that will develop their educational development. During the recess, I also met the Secretariat of the Cross-Party Group on Deaf Issues and the British Deaf Association to discuss the next steps for my much-needed British Sign Language (BSL) (Wales) Bill. Discussion included a partnership approach to the Bill, Consultation on the Bill, and the wider Welsh campaign for the Welsh Government to support this legislation. I will continue working and engaging with stakeholder organisations, Deaf communities and Deaf people across Wales to develop a Bill that gives Deaf communities a voice in the design and delivery of services to ensure that they meet their needs. Wrexham.com has invited local Members of Parliament and Members of the Senedd to write a monthly article with updates on their work in their respective Parliaments and closer to home you can find them all here. In his first monthly column for Wrexham.com, Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr MP Steve Witherden writes: It has been a bittersweet few months since being elected as the MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr. Representing your home in Parliament is a great honour and I am enjoying every chance I get to give our communities the voice we deserve. To be elected with a larger majority than six other Welsh MPs, when many in the press were saying this seat would be the last Tory seat in Wales, was an incredible achievement. While our 13 Wrexham wards have a proud Labour tradition, I became the first ever Labour MP to be elected to represent Montgomeryshire. Sadly, that elation was quickly tempered by the loss of my mother five days later. I dedicated my maiden speech, which you can watch here, to her. I offered my sincerest thanks to the House staff their assistance in getting me out of the chamber in time made sure that I saw her before she passed away that evening in Wrexham. I also want to thank everyone for the many kind condolences I have received, I remain grateful for them all. Nevertheless, I have been hard at work in Parliament and in the constituency. I have voted for the introduction of bills to bring our trains back under public control, create a publicly owned clean energy company, and to end no fault evictions. I am in contact with stakeholders regarding plans for the lithium battery plant in Esclusham, and back the communitys safety concerns. I also met with representatives from Kronospan to discuss their operations in Chirk, which is the biggest of their five UK plants and is the largest employer in the constituency. There have unfortunately been difficult decisions to make too. I understand the strength of feeling over the changes to the Winter Fuel Payment, and I share everyones frustrations. I have been working to mitigate the impact of the changes, which you can read about here. I know that constituents will understand how painful it has been to take the necessary steps needed to begin fixing the public finances after 14 years of Tory failure. This governments number one priority for this parliament is to deliver growth so that future governments do not need to make the same difficult decisions. This should be the responsibility of any governing party, regardless of their political stripes. Regrettably, the Conservatives abdicated this responsibility and left us to clean up the mess. It will take time, but I pledged to bring prosperity back to our communities, and that is what I intend to do. My work representing Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr is in full swing most of my staff are now in place, and we are close to finalising plans for the constituency office. Once this is confirmed, we will widely share further information about how to get in touch in person. Until then, do not hesitate to reach out via steve.witherden.mp@parliament.uk, and keep up to date via my website, stevewitherden.wales. LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Hit U.S. TV series "Shogun" and "Hacks" won the top prizes at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night, garnering trophies for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Comedy Series, respectively. FX's historical drama television series "Shogun" has broken the record for most Emmy wins for one season of television. After winning 14 Creative Arts Emmys last weekend, the Japanese-set epic series ruled the drama categories again with four wins. In addition to the biggest prize of the night, Outstanding Drama Series, "Shogun," featuring a mostly Japanese cast, also landed wins for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Hiroyuki Sanada, Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Anna Sawai, and Directing for a Drama Series for Frederick E.O. Toye. Billy Crudup grabbed Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Apple TV+'s "The Morning Show" while Elizabeth Debicki nabbed Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Netflix's "The Crown." HBO's "Hacks" won Outstanding Comedy Series and Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Jean Smart. FX's "The Bear," which won the top honor in the comedy categories last year, took home four trophies Sunday night, including Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Jeremy Allen White, Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Liza Colon-Zayas, Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Directing for a Comedy Series for Christopher Storer. "Baby Reindeer" from Netflix is the winner for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. The awards, presented by the Television Academy, honor the best in American primetime television programming from June 1, 2023 till May 31, 2024. The event was held at the Peacock Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. All eyes on Wrexham Council for 20MPH next steps as Minister says this is about getting the right speeds on the right roads Ahead of the anniversary of the introduction of the 20mph default speed limit in Wales, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, has set out the next steps. Earlier this year, the Cabinet Secretary announced a three phase-plan on 20mph, including a National Listening Programme over the summer, which encouraged people to get involved and have their say. Welsh Government published revised guidance for highway authorities in July. Welsh Government say, Local authorities are now in the process of reviewing feedback from people, business, and communities across Wales to ensure 20mph is targeted on the right roads. A number of councils are now starting to set out the final stage of the plan by publishing information on the amount of feedback received and the next steps. This has not happened in Wrexham yet. They add, Once their review is complete, if local authorities decide to change the speed limit on an individual road, a statutory Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process will commence providing a further opportunity for engagement with local people. Part of the TRO process involves printing large notices in the back of newspapers with dropping circulations. They added, The latest statistics provide encouraging signs that things are moving in the right direction, with a fall in collisions and a reduction in speeds. Speaking ahead of the one-year anniversary, Ken Skates said: I wanted to give people a voice on 20mph in their area and I am grateful to everyone who has shared feedback with their local council over the past few months. I want to build from the broad consensus that 20mph is right where people live, work and play this is about getting the right speeds on the right roads. I want to pay tribute to our partners in local government. Im pleased that local authorities are starting to move into the final stages of the plan. This will move at different paces in different places, according to local circumstances and the amount of feedback received. Chair of the Welsh Local Government Association, Cllr Andrew Morgan added: Local authorities welcome the further funding and support offered by the Welsh Government to get the right speeds on the right roads but are faced with challenging decisions. We will need to carefully balance the benefits and disbenefits of raising speeds. Safety of all road users will be at the heart of the decisions we take. As we have reported previously, the changes will be yet another bountiful time for some not all print publications in Wales, with several hundred thousand pounds of public money spent to inform the public via statutory notices in the back of newspapers which are seeing ongoing drops in circulations. This sum does not include the 800k+ paid promotion campaign advertising on Facebook / TV / etc by Welsh Government for the 20MPH rollout something now that the former Minister Lee Waters said was not enough. Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Conservatives joined forces to ensure that all-but-subsidy remained for declining legacy print media. More: Six out of ten Newsquest newspapers in Wales would have been loss making last year without public notice revenue / It is not for local authorities to fund local or national print media, says Senedd committee The overall cost for the introduction of the 20MPH speed limit has been put at 32,000,000. There are no firm estimates on what the further adjustment of the policy / law will cost, however previously Ken Skates MS has said, We will not expect councils, who are facing difficult financial pressures, to cover the cost of adjusting routes back to 30mph. Plea to preserve town fund and rumours 160m investment zone could be pulled The Leader of the Council has said it would be truly disappointing if the 20m town fund is scrapped as appears is likely. The towns fund was part of a 3.6 billion fund investing in towns as part of the former Conservative governments plan to level up our regions. Last October the then UK government announced that Wrexham would be amongst 55 cities across England, Scotland, and Wales selected as part of a long-term investment plan for towns that have been overlooked and taken for granted. It would see 20 million allocated to Wrexham over the next 10 years the equivalent of 2 million a year. Now, there seems well placed speculation that the schemes will be scrapped amid a reorganisation of UK finances by the new Labour government. The separate Wrexham Flintshire Investment Zone is due to have access to support worth up to 160 million over ten years, with the new status expected to leverage an additional 1.7 billion of investment for the area and help create thousands of new jobs. Wrexham Council Leader Mark Pritchard said, On top of that there is rumours that the North Wales Investment Zone of 160 million panel could be pulled. If that would happen, that would be disaster for ourselves and Flintshire, because that was supposed to bring in around about a billion pound worth of investment within Wrexham and Flintshire. These are substantial amounts of money that we were relying on, and we had political support for it. Weve been given something in one hand and its been taken away the other. On both pots of money, the 20 million and the 160 million, I ask them to reconsider what youre doing, because there were reasons why we were given that money, there was justification. We have had this before though. The 50m plus that was taken away from it, we were promised the A483 junctions, that was hurtful. I would be very disappointed, and I know that the people of Wrexham would feel the same, because Wrexham does need investment, and when we had investment in the past, weve invested it, and its done. Currently you can see the High Street, you can see the markets. We cant do improvements within Wrexham and taking it forward as a city unless theres investment from central government Westminster and Cardiff. Were very used to taking the hard decisions with regards to the council budget. 60m has been taken away from us since austerity started, and thats been difficult enough, but I think when these grants were coming through, it gave us a little bit of hope, a ray of sunshine, and we would have an investment, and we would spend that money very well. It now looks as if its all going to be pulled from us. So, a plea from me, and on behalf of Wrexham Council and on behalf of residents in Wrexham, please consider and revisit what you do as it would be a disaster. Wrexham factory workers staging walkout over pay and working conditions Hundreds of workers at a Wrexham factory are staging almost a month of industrial action over working conditions and pay. Over 550 workers at Oscar Mayer, on the Wrexham Industrial Estate, voted by 98 per cent in a ballot with a 76 per cent turnout in favour of strike action. It comes amid growing tension amongst staff over potential changes working conditions. According to Unite workers are angry at the companys plans to remove some paid breaks, reduce other breaks and eradicate any enhanced payments and days off in lieu for working bank holidays. The union also notes that the company is threatening to fire and rehire the workers on new contracts if they do not voluntarily accept the changes, which will see their take home pay plummet. However Oscar Mayer has disputed the claims that have been made, describing them as factually inaccurate. The company is one of the major ready meal manufacturers in the UK and supplies large quantities of its products to Tesco, ASDA, Greggs, Aldi, Waitrose, Sainsburys and the Co-op. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: Oscar Mayers behaviour towards these already low paid workers is despicable. There is no justification whatsoever to slash their pay or for the threats of fire and rehire an abhorrent practice that should be banned outright. Our members are absolutely right to strike and they have Unites unflinching support. Strikes started on 12 September and will run until 10 October. Unite say that industrial action will escalate if the dispute is not resolved. Unite regional officer Jono Davies added: Strike action is the last resort and Unites door continues to remain open for talks with Oscar Mayer. Burying your head in the sand is not the solution to resolving this dispute. A spokesperson for Oscar Mayer said: We are disappointed by Unites decision to undertake industrial action and by their public claims to date, which have been factually inaccurate. We have engaged fully and constructively with our colleagues and their representatives throughout and have reached agreement with almost half of those impacted. We also have robust contingency plans in place and do not envisage any impact for our customers. The proposals have not been made lightly but we have made clear throughout that they are absolutely necessary to ensure a long-term sustainable business and protect the jobs we provide in the local community. These measures will also put us in line with the majority of other businesses in our sector and similar companies in the local area. Nonetheless, we have continued to engage with our colleagues to seek agreement on these proposals. Over the weekend, the military committee of the NATO alliance met to plot the next stage in its war against Russia, with the alliances top military policy-maker calling for Ukraine to be allowed to use NATO weapons to strike inside Russia. Admiral Rob Bauer, the chair of the NATO Military Committee, argued that NATO had the legal right to facilitate strikes against the Russian mainland. Every nation that is attacked has the right to defend itself. And that right doesnt stop at the border of your own nation, Bauer said. Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer addresses a media conference at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, January 19, 2023. [AP Photo/Virginia Mayo] He continued, You want to weaken the enemy that attacks you in order to not only fight the arrows that come your way, but also attack the archer that is, as we see, very often operating from Russia proper into Ukraine. He added, So militarily, theres a good reason to do that, to weaken the enemy, to weaken its logistic lines, fuel, ammunition that comes to the front. That is what you want to stop. Bauers remarks were part of a torrent of demands from within the US and European political establishment and media for further NATO escalation against Russia. The meeting of NATOs military committee followed a high-level meeting Friday between US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which discussed the question of allowing Ukraine to strike inside Russian territory. US and UK media outlets reported during the week that the decision to allow Ukraine to strike Russia with NATO weapons had already been taken. Initially, the announcement was expected following the Friday meeting. Ultimately, Biden and Starmer made no public announcement, with the attacks now expected to begin later this month. On Thursday, the day before Biden and Starmer met, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the decision to allow Ukraine to use NATO weapons to strike deep inside Russia would mean the entry of NATO into war with Russia. If this decision is made, it will mean nothing less than the direct participation of NATO countries, the US and European countries, in the conflict in Ukraine, he said, adding, Their direct participation, of course, significantly changes the very essence, the very nature of the conflict. The day after Putin spoke, Russia announced the expulsion of six UK diplomats. Over the weekend, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev explained the significance of Putins remarks, saying that Putin outlined the formal prerequisites for a decision by Russia to use nuclear weapons. Any such decision, he said, would be understandable to the entire world community and consistent with our doctrine of nuclear deterrence. Medvedev warned that a nuclear response is an extremely difficult decision with irreversible consequences, and the current NATO position risks Kiev being turned into a giant gray melted spot. After his meeting with Starmer, Biden was asked about the threat of war between Russia and the US to which he replied, Be quiet, and declared that he does not think about Vladimir Putin. The remarks by Admiral Bauer in support of attacks by Ukraine on Russia using NATO weapons took place during a high-level meeting devoted to planning out NATOs escalating war with Russia. The annual meeting of the Military Committee Conference, which took place in Prague, outlined the systematic efforts by NATO to expand its military and defense industrial base to prepare for high-intensity warfare. In his opening remarks, Bauer said, The NATO Military Authorities have two herculean tasks that they need to undertake simultaneously. While continuing and ramping up our support to Ukraine, we must also bolster our own deterrence and defense. Bauer noted that this was the first meeting of NATOs military committee since the July NATO summit in Washington, which agreed to implement a sweeping expansion of NATOs military forces in Eastern Europe. Bauer said, When we held this committee conference in Oslo last year, NATOs new defense plans, the so-called DDA Family of Plans, had just been approved. NATO now has 500,000 troops on high readiness, we established the Allied Reaction Force. We are adapting our Command and Control structure and Allies are rapidly developing and expanding their capabilities. It is becoming increasingly clear that the expansion of NATOs brinksmanship in Ukraine is driven by the deteriorating military situation for the Ukrainian war effort. In a sober assessment of the current state of the war, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius warned, Ukraine is bleeding out. Its will to fight is as strong as ever, but its army is exhausted by a ceaseless drone war thats unlike anything in the history of combat. ... Ukraine doesnt have enough soldiers to fight an indefinite war of attrition. But Ignatiuss solution is for Biden to massively expand the list of Russian targets that can be attacked by Ukraine using NATO weapons. If Russias surge continues, Putins bases within ATACMS range should be legitimate targets. Hes the one crossing the red line every day he continues his unprovoked aggression, he declared. At the same time, NATO countries are moving to dragoon Ukrainian men who fled the war to return to Ukraine to serve as cannon fodder. On Friday, Radoslaw Sikorski, Polands foreign minister, visited Kiev to call for an end to all social welfare payments to Ukrainian refugees living in Europe. Stop paying those social security payments for people who are eligible for the Ukrainian draft. There should be no financial incentives for avoiding the draft in Ukraine, Sikorski said. He continued, Its not a human right to be paid to avoid the draft, to defend your country. We in Poland dont do it. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha welcomed Sikorskis call, saying, Its time really to raise the question of the European Union developing programs to return Ukrainians home. Master bargaining for a new contract between Unifor Local 88 and General Motors management at the Ingersoll, Ontario CAMI auto assembly plant began last week. The previous contract will expire on the evening of September 17, placing about 1,200 workers in an immediate strike position. Workers voted in late August by 97 percent to mandate a strike should a new agreement not be reached. The union contract at CAMI has usually been settled about one year after deals at all the other Detroit Three plants in Canada have been concluded, and often has been viewed as an early harbinger for future bargaining in the auto sector. With a significant transition in global auto assembly now underway due to the increasing re-direction of investment into electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing, the experience at CAMI to date should act as a clear and present warning to autoworkers everywhere. Workers rally at the CAMI plant during their 2017 strike Workers at CAMI Assembly build the Chevrolet BrightDrop EV 600 and EV 400 cargo delivery vans. An additional 200 members are employed at the recently opened Battery Assembly facility and manufacture Ultium battery modules. The last deal ratified by 91 percent of the CAMI workforce in 2021 was pushed through by Unifor after it suddenly re-opened its contract almost a year early with no consultation with the rank-and-file. With the internal combustion Equinox crossover vehicle slated to be shortly discontinued, workers were told that only a $1 billion cash infusion to transition to EV production could save their livelihoods. At a snap Zoom meeting, workers learned that Unifor had agreed to give GM a free hand to determine staffing levels and working conditions at the plant. The self-serving contract Highlights brochure contained no written details on the impact of the proposed deal on work rules, scheduling, downtime layoffs and ultimate staffing levels. In order to stampede the membership toward ratification, Plant Chairman Mike Van Boekel and Unifor Local 88 President Joe Graves painted a dire picture of an imminent deathblow to the plant if workers failed to ratify the tentative agreement. At the same time, they told the workers there would be no guarantee of final employment or production numbers, and significant changes to work rules and job classifications. However, a new Competitive Operating Agreement with all the details could not yet be announced. Due to an imminent retooling, much of the plant would be idled but the extent and length of layoffs could not yet be predicted. Team sizes would continue to be reduced, they said. Moreover, skilled-trades jobs would ultimately be on the chopping block. Three years later, CAMI workers still struggle to secure full-time employment. After the last Equinox rolled off the line in April 2021, all workers were laid off long-term as the $800 million EV retrofit began. The workers received Employment Insurance (EI) premiums with some obtaining a period of inferior Supplemental Unemployment Benefit (SUB) top ups until partial EV production commenced in December 2022. But when production got up and running, only about 700 workers were called back to produce the build to order BrightDrop Zevo 600 van for FedEx. Production plans for the smaller Zevo 400 model were initially scheduled for mid-year but were subsequently bumped back until late 2023. Workers who had formerly worked on one of three shifts began alternating, each shift working two weeks and then going on layoff for four weeks. Then in early spring 2023, the entire workforce was laid off for another month. With unemployment benefits already running out for workers, many were soon forced to rely on food banks to make ends meet as sporadic layoffs continued. Battery shortages forced another long layoff lasting from October 2023 until this spring. Now, only days away from the expiration of the 2021 contract, workers continue to work for two weeks and then rotate two weeks off. A worker at the plant who spoke to the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter in September 2023 when the latest long-term layoff was announced, said that it was estimated that they had only worked 70 weeks in the last three years. People have had it bad for the last three years, he explained. There are a lot of married couples who work in the plant and they are both going to lose their jobs. People who have mortgages and kids are in big trouble. There is a Supplemental Unemployment Benefit (SUB) program for people depending on how much you work. But many people have already burned through their supplementary pay. Few veteran legacy workers remain at CAMI. The years prior to the 2021 re-tooling saw a wave of retirements and the hiring of more and more second-tier workers with inferior wages, benefits and pensions. GM managements onslaught on the workforce was facilitated by the Unifor union, which is in a corporatist partnership with the auto bosses and the federal and Ontario governments. The Unifor bureaucracy, led by now disgraced former president Jerry Dias, sabotaged a month-long 2017 strike by inciting Canadian nationalism that divided CAMI workers from their class brothers and sisters producing the Equinox in Mexican plants. The Ingersoll workforce initially declined by almost one-third from 2,800 to 1,900. More intermittent layoffs in the fall of 2019 were followed by a full spring 2020 closure during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, in the ensuing months, supply chain difficulties forced even more intermittent layoffs lasting into early 2021. The bill of goods fraudulently sold to the CAMI membership by Unifor, GM and the Ontario and federal governments who ballyhooed the move into EV production and provided a good share of the funding, was subsequently pedaled to GM, Stellantis and Ford workers in the 2023 negotiations. Workers at Windsor Assembly also face extensive layoffs, with further uncertainty in the coming months, as the company establishes separate lines for EV, hybrid and internal combustion engine vehicle production. So brazen was Unifors betrayal of their members that some workers were taken in by the fraudulent posturing of UAW leader Shawn Fain, a close ally of the Biden administration who forced through equally ruthless attacks on American autoworkers in 2023 while spouting militant rhetoric. Workers at Stellantis Brampton Assembly plant were expected to be on layoff for much of the length of the three year 2023 contract, with a shutdown for retooling beginning last January. The first shift is not projected to return to work until the end of 2025, and the third shift only to resume in the latter half of 2026. And at Ford Oakville, management announced in April that it will delay the resumption of production at its assembly plant after planned retooling for electric vehicle production from 2025 until 2027. During the 2023 contract ratification process, thousands of workers had been told to expect only an 8-month shutdown. Even then, the deal only passed by a narrow 54 percent vote, with a majority rejection in Oakville and a rejection by skilled trades across the Ford footprint. The global auto companies, including the Detroit Three in Canada and the United States, are waging a major onslaught on the workers who labour in their factories. The auto bosses are demanding that the switch-over to EV production be paid for by further reducing labour costs. It is projected that EV production requires only 40 percent of the labour for internal combustion vehicles. But rather than mobilizing workers in a joint struggle against the Detroit Three on both sides of the border, Unifor is still pumping out the same nationalist poison that has hamstrung autoworkers for generations, thereby splitting the workforce and allowing the companies to whipsaw jobs, wages and conditions back and forth across North American borders to the lowest bidder. During the 2023 contract negotiations, when agreements in both the US and Canada were coming due at the same time, Unifor and UAW bureaucrats doubled down on their decades-long effort to pit workers on both sides of the border against each other and prevent a North American-wide struggle by autoworkers against the globally mobile corporations. Unifors role as a cheap-labour contractor for corporate Canada flows directly from the social position of the bureaucrats who staff the union apparatus. Living on their six-figure salaries and lavish expense accounts, Unifor officials have far more in common with corporate executives and government ministers than they do with their members. Fervent advocates of Canadian nationalism and the interests of the capitalist elite, they work to secure a competitive advantage for their own businesses and investors. The plight of tens of thousands of workers in the Canadian and US auto plants underscores that the only ones who benefit from the unions nationalist bargaining strategies are the corporate executives, who have a free hand to adjust and reduce production as they see fit to boost profits, and the union bureaucrats, who cement their corporatist ties with management and governments. But conditions are ripe for CAMI workers to spearhead a counteroffensive to secure decent-paying, permanent jobs for all autoworkers. Their contract is expiring under conditions of a major upsurge of the class struggle across North America. Some 33,000 machinists at Boeing have been on strike since Friday at plants in Washington, Oregon and California against similarly miserable working conditions at one of American imperialisms most important military contractors. In Canada, some 50,000 postal workers are in the midst of a strike vote at Canada Post, while the courageous struggle of rail workers against dangerous conditions was prevented last month only by direct government intervention to rob workers of their right to strike and the collusion of the Teamsters union apparatus. CAMI workers will find broad support for their struggle if they break decisively from the nationalist, pro-capitalist perspective pursued by Unifor. They should build a rank-and-file committee at the Ingersoll plant to seize control of the contract struggle from the well-paid union bureaucrats, and reach out to broader sections of the working class across Canada, the US, Mexico, and internationally. The World Socialist Web Site and International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC)which unites and provides political leadership to such committees across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australiais ready to assist CAMI workers in this fight. We urge you to fill out the form below to take up this struggle. Cheese collection. Camembert, brie, gorgonzola and other cheeses on wooden background () Cheese is such a versatile food. From Lunchables providing me midday nourishment as a kid in the 90s to the adult version in the form of a charcuterie board. It brings flavor and texture to tacos, pasta dishes and salads, it gets breaded and deep-fried and so much more. Cheese has been a delicious part of life as far back as I can remember. Needless to say, I love cheese. While walking around the Paddington area of London, I discovered a floating hub of cheese on the water near the little blue Paddington Bear statue: The Cheese Barge. No matter if you just want a snack, a light meal, or a multi-course experience (all cheese-related), the Cheese Barge is here for you. I recommend starting with a three-British-cheese sampler with crackers and following that with the Smoked Lincolnshire Poacher cheese Spatzle. Then, you can share the Baked Baron Bigod cheese and finish the experience with a slice of milk chocolate cheesecake. The full menu is only available from 12-3 p.m. and 5:30-9:30 p.m. Fret not, they offer cheese boards and different types of grilled cheese sandwiches, including my favorite, the Greens Fior di Latte Mozzarella, smoked bacon and chili honey, all day. Dont see one of these suggestions when you visit? They are constantly switching up the menu with new great items for you to try. The Cheese Barge also offers a variety of red, white and orange wines, as well as cocktails and beers to pair with your cheese. On Thursdays, from late November through late March, they offer a set fondue menu only. Who doesnt have fun with fondue? You get to choose from either the monthly special fondue or the two regular fondues served with a side of cauliflower or truffle mashed potatoes. You can then end your night with the apple and plum crumble. The Cheese Barge is not a large vessel, so booking in advance is highly recommended, even if you want to hop on in-between meals for a grilled cheese sandwich. Go to thecheesebar.com/paddington to book your table. For those in other areas of London or the U.K., the Cheese Barge is part of a larger community of cheese-based restaurants under The Cheese Bar brand. In London, you can enjoy a cheese-based meal on Columbia Road, at the Seven Dials Market and the Camden Stables Market. You can also find them in North Yorkshire. 25 years ago: Powerful earthquake hits Taiwan On September 21, 1999, an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck central Taiwan. In the small towns surrounding the epicenter, homes and residential apartments collapsed. Hundreds of people were killed in their beds and hundreds more remained trapped beneath rubble in the aftermath. The worst affected areas were the Nantou and Taichung counties, known in Taiwan for their mountains and tourist resorts. Rescue efforts were delayed and interrupted by the isolation of the region. All telecommunication links were cut, roads twisted or severed and power lines downed. Rescue workers had little heavy equipment. Hospitals in the area had no power and morgues were not functioning. Helicopters operated flying in emergency medical supplies and flying out casualties and corpses, but flights were stopped in the days after due to potential dangers to the crews. Map shows Taiwan and the Taiwan strait The earthquake inflicted damage across Taiwan and was followed by hundreds of aftershocks, dozens of which registered over 5.0 on the Richter scale. Over four million houses were without electricity in the following days. Two major hydroelectric dams were damaged. In the capital of Taipei, 150 kilometers north of the epicenter, a 12-story building collapsed, trapping more than 100 people. Numerous other buildings suffered varying degrees of structural damage. Coming in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Izmit, Turkey, spokesmen from the US Geological Survey were widely quoted in the international press as stating that Taiwan escaped the same type of damage and death due to its superior building codes, which were modeled on those of California. Reports from Taipei recounted high rise apartment buildings and office towers swaying violently from side to side but not collapsing. The death toll was 2,415. A further 11,305 people were injured and NT$300 billion worth of damage was done. It was the second-deadliest earthquake in Taiwans recorded history, after the 1935 Shinchiku-Taichu earthquake. 50 years ago: Hurricane Fifi kills 8,000 in Honduras On September 18, 1974, Hurricane Fifi made landfall in Honduras bringing major devastation to the Central American country. The storm killed at least 8,000 Hondurans, making it the second deadliest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded up to that time, behind only the Great Hurricane of 1780 that killed an estimated 22,000 people in the Caribbean. Meteorologists began tracking the development of Hurricane Fifi as early as September 7. Initially it was believed that the storm would not make landfall, with major newspapers reporting that there was no threat to any land area. Hurricane Fifi [Photo: NOAA] However, the storm made an unexpected turn in both direction and intensity. On September 15 the US National Hurricane Center declared the storm to be a tropical depression, the lowest scale of a cyclone-type storm. Experts initial predictions showed that the storm would make a northernly turn that may have only slightly impacted Cuba. But rather than turn, Fifi continued westward on a direct collision course with Central America, making landfall in Honduras. Just 24 hours after being officially named and designated, the storm had already doubled in size. By September 17 the storm reached its full strength as a Category 2 hurricane. By the time the Honduran government issued evacuation orders it was far too late for many workers to take precautions, if they received any warning at all. Honduras was the poorest Latin American country, with an average per capital income of just $270 per year, and the highly exploited Honduran working class was left totally alone to survive the storm. Dangerous mountain roads were left open, causing buses and cars to be swept away by flooding and mudslides. Tens of thousands of buildings were totally destroyed causing hundreds of thousands of people to become homeless in the storms aftermath. For weeks afterwards newspapers were filled with stories of bodies being found floating in the rivers. To deal with the large number of dead the government ordered mass cremations. In total Hurricane Fifi caused an estimated $1.8 billion in damages, equivalent to $11.1 billion in 2024 dollars. Virtually the entirety of Honduras banana crop was destroyed, further escalating the economic crisis. Honduras was totally dependent on bananas as its main export. Two US companies, United Brands and Standard Fruit, owned nearly all the banana farms in Honduras and by extension most of the country. Of course, none of the profits produced by Honduran workers became available to bring relief to the devastation. Only the most limited aid was made available from the United States, a much of it organized by private charities. Reporting on the hurricane, the Bulletin newspaper, US predecessor to the WSWS, wrote, These people were murdered not so much by a hurricane, which is a common enough event in Central America, but by the fact that absolutely no preparations were made to save live in such cases. No transportation facilities, no relief centers, no medical teamsthis is why thousands were left at the mercy of the hurricane. 75 years ago: 118 perish in fire onboard SS Noronic in Toronto Harbor On September 17, 1949, a massive blaze on board the SS Noronic, a passenger ship, rapidly spiraled out of control as it was docked in Toronto Harbor, claiming at least 118 lives. The tragedy was the outcome of lax safety measures bound up with cost-cutting and inadequate training of crew. First launched in 1913, the Noronic was a five-deck, 362-foot passenger liner that had been dubbed the Queen of the lakes. Its September 1949 journey was a seven-day pleasure cruise of Lake Ontario, departing from Michigan in the United States. Of its 524 passengers, all but 20 were American citizens. SS Nordic Disaster struck in the very early hours of September 17, when a fire broke out in a linen closet on board. It was first detected by a passenger who smelled smoke. When the closet was opened, a burst of fire exploded, rapidly engulfing the wooden decks of the ship. Survivors reported chaotic scenes, with people running about the ship without direction, and jumping into the harbor before being rescued by nearby vessels. Safety measures were lax to non-existent. In the first instance, the antiquated design of the ship meant that passenger decks A, B, C, and D did not have gangplanks, with one only on deck E, the lowest on the vessel, having that escape route. Even here, only two of the four exits were operational at the time of the blaze. Most of the ships stairways caught fire, also blocking escape. The interiors were decked out with oiled rather than fireproof wood, ensuring the spread of any fire that broke out. None of the ships fire extinguishers were in working order and there was no coordinated attempt to put out the blaze. The ships poorly trained crew members were reportedly in as much confusion and disarray as any of the passengers. The absence of a safety plan or training also meant there was no systematic effort to wake sleeping passengers. Those who woke either heard the commotion or were alerted by other passengers. In the aftermath of the tragedy, an attempt was made in the press to scapegoat the crew who were accused of cowardice and negligence. Eventually, the ship owners would settle a series of civil claims for C$2 million, in a tacit admission of responsibility. 100 years ago: US ends occupation of the Dominican Republic On September 18, 1924, the United States withdrew its occupation force of Marines from the Dominican Republic, after the election in March of Horacio Vasquez, an American puppet, as president. The US had sent troops in 1916 to ensure the repayment of loans to European creditors, whose governments were then engaged in World War I. It was particularly concerned that Germany might use the debt crisis as a pretext for projecting its military power into the Caribbean. After forcing President Desiderio Arias to leave office by threatening to bombard the capital, Santo Domingo, the American military landed 800 Marines on May 15, 1916. Six months later, when an election seemed likely to produce an anti-US government, and with plans to enter World War I in their final stages, the Wilson administration simply imposed a US military government. US troops in the Dominican Republic The military government ruled for eight years and oversaw the building of roads and other infrastructure, took over state finances, created military and police organizations loyal to itself, and oriented the countrys economy to American imperialism. A guerrilla movement, the gavilleros, in the eastern part of the country resisted the occupation until 1922. The Americans used aircraft on the insurgents and provoked widespread opposition from the population. The occupation came under increasing domestic American and international opposition after the end of World War I, but proposals by the US Congress to give it democratic window dressing were met with hostility by the Dominican people. The occupation government installed a puppet Dominican president in 1922 and oversaw the 1924 election of Vasquez. Vasquez ruled until 1930 when he was overthrown in a coup that led after a few months to the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, who had risen through the ranks of the American-controlled military. Ann Arbor police. [Photo: Division of Public Saftey and Security] As part of an expanding campaign by colleges and universities across the US to suppress protests and dissent, four supporters of the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) were stopped from campaigning and banned from entering University of Michigan property for one year by campus police on September 9. The team had been campaigning for a public lecture by Socialist Equality Party presidential candidate Joseph Kishore at the University of Michigan the next day titled, Genocide, war, fascism and the 2024 elections: The socialist perspective. The event was sponsored by the University of Michigan chapter of the IYSSE. SEP supporters collected 20,000 signatures to place Kishore on the Michigan ballot, including from hundreds of UM students. The campaign team of three, who had set up a table, were leafletting for the meeting on the Diag at the center of campus. A UM police officer, Collin, approached the campaign team. She told the campaigners they had to have a permit to table and asked them to move off university property. She was evidently singling out the SEP/IYSSE because she did not approach other groups soliciting in the area to inquire if they had proper authorization. The campaign team members complied and moved off the Diag to a spot near a main public sidewalk, where another table had been set up by a Democratic Party-affiliated voter information group. While distributing leaflets by the sidewalk, a pro-Zionist professor of history employed by University of Michigan, Viktor Lieberman, approached members of the campaign team and attempted to instigate a confrontation. He told a campaign team member to drop dead after refusing a leaflet. He then told members of the campaign team that the Israeli assault on Palestinians in Gaza was the least deadly urban combat invasion in history. When campaign team members attempted to disengage, he continued to harangue them. Lieberman left but soon returned and tried to continue to provoke members of the team, before leaving again. Very shortly after, Officer Collin, who initially asked the campaign team to get off the Diag, returned. She claimed the campaign table was still on university property and would cite the members of the team, who had recently been joined by a fourth SEP supporter, for trespass. UM professor Viktor Lieberman harangues SEP/IYSSE supporters Highlighting the fact that this action had official sanction, a supervising campus police officer arrived on the scene soon after. The four SEP/IYSSE supporters were asked to hand over their IDs and were given written warnings stating that future entry into the following areas (any land or building owned or leased by the University of Michigan) will subject you to arrest for trespassing. The ban, the warning stated, would last for one year. When members of the campaign team were asked if they would be allowed to continue distributing leaflets off campus on public streets in Ann Arbor, they were told they would need permission from the local police, an implied threat of further harassment. The SEP and IYSSE are planning a legal challenge to the UM ban on supporters. It should be noted that presidential election campaign activity is protected by federal statute and stipulates stiff penalties for those who interfere. The attack on the SEP/IYSSE supporters at UM parallels a stepped up attack on free speech at campuses across the US. It follows the arrest of four University of Michigan students on August 28 for conducting a die in on the Diag to protest the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Police claimed the students violated Michigan trespass statutes by impeding foot traffic. The arrests were accompanied by a violent police assault on protesters, with officers ripping signs out their hands. One protester was dragged across the ground. Two others were seen pinning a woman to the ground, while one pinned her with her elbow. The arrests came just days after the university administration unveiled changes to its conduct policies that allow the university to file a complaint against a student with practically no restrictions. The latest anti-democratic rule changes follow the adoption of draconian policies allowing the administration to ban any protest or gathering it deems disruptive. In other words, the campus administration has effectively curtailed free speech. Other universities have imposed similar intensely undemocratic measures. University of California President Michael Drake, for example, has issued a series of new directives banning encampments, banning masks, banning the obstruction of paths, and mandating the persecution of students charged with disrupting orderly operations on campus on academic charges. At University of Southern California and elsewhere, students have been forced to write apology letters for their actions during protests. At many campuses, entire groups have been targeted for persecution, including Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Unilateral and indiscriminate campus bans have emerged as a major tool for intimidating and censoring students, faculty and others. The bans were incredibly punitive and profoundly unfair, said Rachel Lederman, Senior Counsel with the Center for Protest Law & Litigation, describing bans that took effect at UC Santa Cruz in May, which are the subject of an ongoing civil rights lawsuit. They went into effect on the spot, instantly cutting students and faculty off from classes, jobs, and other school resources, such as meal plans and health care. On-campus residents were rendered homeless. Academic performance suffered. The bans were also unconstitutional and overbroad, depriving students and faculty of their due process rights, said Chessie Thacher, Senior Staff Attorney at the ACLU Foundation of Northern California. The SEP and the World Socialist Web Site call on workers and youth to mobilize against the police state assault on free speech on campuses. The appointment of an administrator to run the construction division of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) is a blatant attack on the rights of building workers. With extraordinary speed, the Labor government has carried out one of the most sweeping attacks on the working class in decades, placing an entire organisation and its 80,000 members under the rule of a quasi-dictator answerable to the state. Tens of thousands of construction workers protesting in Melbourne, Australia, against state control of the CFMEU, August 27, 2024 The pretext that this is about cleansing the union of rogue elements is a fraud. The corruption allegations, completely untested and unsubstantiated, are merely a front. The real aim is to pave the way for major construction companies to gut wages and conditions across the building industry. The construction union has been targeted because doubts have emerged in the ruling class over its capacity to adequately suppress the demands of a historically militant section of the workforce. While still far short of the rising cost of living, the 56 percent annual pay rises in recent CFMEU deals are considered unacceptably high amid an economic downturn. This is an attack directed against the wages, conditions and democratic rights of the entire working class. If it is allowed to succeed, the administration of the CFMEU will serve as a blueprint for future attacks against any and all sections of workers. The SEP stands squarely behind the tens of thousands of workers who have turned out to rallies, showing their determination to fight this anti-democratic travesty. State control of the CFMEUs construction division cannot be allowed to stand! But the big-business Labor governments offensive will not be defeated through sporadic community protests organised by the ousted CFMEU leaders and their cronies in the other building union bureaucracies. Their sole perspective and aim is to restore the highly paid positions and privileges of the sacked construction union officials. The fight against the administrator must be directed at winning real improvements to building workers wages, conditions and job security, not reinstalling the same bureaucrats who have overseen their erosion over the past three decades. This means construction workers need to take matters into their own hands. A network of rank-and-file committees must be built at all major worksites and throughout the industry as the means through which workers can democratically organise to fight for their own needs and rights. In the first instance, these committees must prepare a bold campaign of strikes and other industrial action demanding the removal of the administrator and the repeal of the latest draconian legislation. Any attempt by employers to tear up, modify or circumvent existing agreements should be answered with indefinite stoppages. This struggle must be broadened beyond the building industry. A powerful appeal can be made to workers everywhere: The fight against Labors attack on the CFMEU is a fight for the wages, conditions and democratic rights of the entire working class. This should include a turn to the hundreds of thousands of public-sector workers around the country, including health workers and educators, who have all been slugged with real pay cuts as part of Labors wage-slashing austerity agenda. Above all, what is required is the mobilisation of broad layers of the working class in a political struggle against Labor and the entire framework of the Fair Work Act industrial legislation and the courts that enforce it. In building such a counter-offensive, workers will have to break free from the straitjacket imposed by the union apparatus. The majority of Australias unions, in lockstep with the Labor government, the Coalition and the building corporations, have fully supported the attack on the construction union and its 80,000 members. The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has played a central role in the anti-democratic operation from the start, endorsing unproven media allegations against the CFMEU, expelling the union, and collaborating with Labor behind the scenes on the administration process. The open complicity of the ACTU in the Labor governments move to effectively destroy a major industrial union and strip workers of basic workplace rights is revealing, but it is not an aberration. The ACTU and its constituent unionsincluding, until two months ago, the CFMEUhave been at the forefront of every major attack on the working class for the past four decades. The ACTU-Labor Accords of the 1980s provided for the deregulation of the economy, the destruction of whole sections of industry and the decimation of hundreds of thousands of jobs. This was followed in the early 1990s with the introduction of enterprise bargaining, splitting workers into individual workplaces and establishing the framework for unions to ram through one sell-out agreement after another. Building upon this, Labors 2009 Fair Work Act imposed harsh anti-strike laws, upon which the union apparatus has relied ever since to suppress the struggles of workers. The majority of Australias unions are now defending Labors latest Fair Work amendmentsto crush the CFMEUjust as all unions have supported every pro-business iteration of the legislation since its introduction. This includes the CFMEU, as well as the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), Plumbing and Pipe Trades Employees Union (PPTEU) and Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), which now claim to oppose the Labor governments attack. Their rhetorical denunciations of the Labor government and talk of a break with the ACTU are designed to provide a militant veneer for their real objective: Defending the status quo ante and restoring the privileged positions of their ousted mates in the CFMEU bureaucracy. This was starkly expressed at the August 27 rally in Melbourne, where a motion was moved demanding that sacked construction union officials be allowed to retain their positions on the boards of the industry superannuation funds they jointly control with high-ranking building industry executives. This was a slap in the faces of the 40,000 workers before them, who had rallied to fight for their wages, conditions and democratic rights, not to defend the bureaucrats cosy relationship with the financial elite. The privileges enjoyed by union leaders are their reward for enforcing the dictates of governments and corporations for decades, against the demands of workers. They are now seeking to restore their role as a highly compensated industrial police force, keeping workers tied to Labor and the Fair Work framework. Because their whole existence is predicated on their suppression of the class struggle, the bureaucrats remain hostile to the actual mobilisation of workers, even when they themselves are under attack. That is why not a single strike was called against the administration process in the six weeks during which it was prepared. Only after the deed was done, and they had no other option, did the ousted CFMEU leadership call workers out, and then, only for a brief rally. Instead, they have engaged in one backroom manoeuvre after another, wheeling and dealing behind the scenes with the Labor government and the pro-business Fair Work Commission. The bureaucrats had no objection to the union being placed under administration, as long as they were allowed to hold on to their jobs. The symbol of this perspective, to which the ousted leaders aspire, is CFMEU National Secretary Zach Smith, who remains in this ($380,000 per annum) position, now as an errand boy for the state-appointed administrator. By no coincidence, Smith also serves on the national executive of the Labor Party, which is trying to cripple the construction union. The CFMEU bureaucracy has been an integral part of Labor for decades, serving on the partys executive committees, funnelling vast amounts of members dues into the party and campaigning aggressively for Labor in elections. Not only are they well aware of the Labor governments pro-business program, they are responsible for it. For years, the union leaders have told workers that the Liberal-National Coalition was their enemy and that the only way to defend their jobs, pay and conditions was by electing Labor governments. This line, which was always a fraud, is now completely exposed. The same Labor government that is attacking the CFMEU is seeking to impose the full burden of the deepening crisis of global capitalism upon all workers, whether in the building industry, the public sector or more broadly. Public spending on hospitals, schools and other vital infrastructure is being slashed, while military expenditure is ramped up in preparation for a US-led war with China. Labor is conscious of mounting hostility to this pro-business, pro-war agenda, reflected in plummeting opinion polls and in the ongoing weekly protests against the governments complicity in Israels US-backed genocide against Palestinians. The Labor governments attack on workplace rights is in line with its broader efforts to criminalise and suppress protests, as was starkly displayed in last weeks violent police attacks on anti-war protesters in Melbourne. This underscores the need for a unified political struggle by the working class, not just against Labor, but the capitalist system and its subordination of every aspect of workers lives to the profits of the financial and corporate elite. Such a struggle is impossible within the framework of the union apparatus which is not just intimately tied to, but an integral part of, Labor and the political establishment. To take forward such a fight, workers need new organisations of struggle. Rank-and-file committees, democratically led by workers and politically and organisationally independent of any union, must be built in workplaces across the country. Above all, what is posed is the need to fight for a workers government and for socialism. The big builders and property developers, as well as the banks and other major corporations, must be placed under public ownership and democratic workers control. Only in this way can societys vast resources be utilised to provide the social needs of the entire population, including affordable housing and a permanent, full-time job with decent pay and conditions, not the further enrichment of the wealthy few. Last week, workers employed by Transdev and Hyundai Rotem on Wellingtons commuter rail network voted 99 percent in favour of industrial action, with 390 votes for and only 4 against. The result comes after workers last month unanimously rejected a pay offer from the two companies, which are contracted by the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) to operate the New Zealand capitals rail services. Wellington Matangi Train, Petone [Photo by Takeshi Aida / CC BY-SA 2.0 The employers proposed a three-year deal which would have reduced workers pay relative to the cost of living. Transdev and Hyundai Rotem also wanted to cut back long-standing benefits including payments for retiring workers and sick leave entitlements. The companies refused to offer backpay to July when the previous collective agreement expired. Both multinational companies are immensely profitable but attempted to justify the cuts by pointing to increased cost pressures. In fact, they are seeking to ratchet up the exploitation of rail workers in order to extract greater profits from the increasingly run-down system, which should be a publicly-owned service. The ballot result demonstrates that workers are determined to fight back following years of pay freezes, staff reductions and deteriorating working conditions. The Socialist Equality Group warns, however, that despite the overwhelming mandate for strike action, the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) will do everything possible to either call it off or to minimise its impact. The union has a record of cancelling strikes in violation of the democratic will of its members and pushing through sellout agreements. It has not organised a strike in Wellington since a 24-hour stoppage in 2017. The union then cancelled a second planned strike and eventually pushed through a deal that increased pay by just 2 percent. The ballot itself did not specify any strike date, but called for an overtime ban and stated that the RMTU would be able to call a strike if it chooses to do so, with notice given to management. Even as voting was underway, the RMTU, Transdev and Hyundai Rotem sent workers a joint letter pledging to attend mediation ahead of any industrial action. An overtime ban, as well as a ban on shift alterations, is due to start tomorrow. The GWRC agency Metlink has warned commuters to prepare for nine days of potential disruption and delays, with mediation between the union and the companies scheduled to resume on September 26. The RMTU has still not issued a public statement on the dispute. In a letter to staff, Transdev Wellington managing director Ian Ladd said the union had decided to proceed with industrial action despite what we had understood to be our mutual agreement to attend mediation before taking such steps. He falsely stated that Transdev had revised and enhanced our offers based on ongoing discussions since the pay talks began in July. In fact, Transdev and Hyundai Rotem presented three modified pay offers on September 5, none of which represented any real improvement on the one that workers have rejected. Meanwhile the GWRC, which is run by Labour Party and Green Party councillors, is foreshadowing major cutbacks across its public transport network, including railways. The council announced on September 11 that funding cuts by the National Party-led government had led to a $134 million shortfall over the next three years. More than 40 of the GWRCs transport infrastructure projects had their funding declined. GWRC chair Daran Ponter told the Post the council was considering some tough and unpopular decisions which will be felt by communities across our region. The newspaper said this could include reducing school and ferry services, rationalising high cost and low usage routes, route duplications on road and rail and further increasing of fares. According to the Post, plans for additional train services could be scrapped, as well as new bus shelters, toilets for bus drivers, train station seismic strengthening and upgrades to make public transport more accessible for passengers with disabilities. The union bureaucracy is preventing any organised opposition to these cuts and other brutal austerity measures that the ruling elite is imposing in response to an historic crisis of capitalism. Already, New Zealands unions have accepted thousands of job cuts across the public service, including in the drastically underfunded healthcare sector. The unions are not workers organisations: they are staffed by a privileged bureaucracy with close ties to the Labour Party and big business which has acted for decades to enforce mass redundancies, privatisations and other attacks to boost corporate profits at workers expense. As it has done in the past, the RMTU will point to reduced public transport funding and the tough economic environment in order to persuade workers that they have no alternative but to accept a rotten agreement that attacks their pay and working conditions. This is why the RMTU has not announced any actual demands and is remaining silent on the dispute. To wear down rail workers resistance, the union is seeking to isolate them from the rest of the working classincluding bus drivers and other transport workers in Wellington, Auckland and other centres, who are all facing the same attacks. The RMTU and its Australian counterpart, the Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union, have also sought to divide Transdev workers in Wellington from those in the Sydney tram network, who recently took industrial action to oppose attempts to cut their wages. This situation underscores the urgent need for workers to take the struggle out of the hands of the RMTU by building an independent rank-and-file committee controlled by workers themselves. Such an organisation will enable workers to discuss demands that actually address their needsnot the profit-driven requirements of the government, the council and their corporate masters. Against the RMTUs efforts to limit industrial action and prevent an effective strike, a rank-and-file committee would fight for the broadest possible strike action, uniting with other transport workers in both New Zealand and Australia. Rail workers should adopt a socialist perspective based on the recognition that they are in a struggle not just against individual employers and politicians, but against the capitalist system itself. The demand must be raised for public ownership of all rail and bus networks, with billions of dollars invested to provide high-paying jobs, reliable services and low fares. All this can be paid for by redirecting funds from the coffers of the super-rich and ending military spending to prepare for war. We urge workers who agree with this perspective to contact the Socialist Equality Group. The fake-left Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) is running a candidate in the presidential election to be held in Sri Lanka on September 21. For all its radical posturing, the FSP makes no mention of the accelerating drive by US imperialism to a third world war and seeks to dupe working people into believing that the deepening attacks on democratic and social rights can be resolved within the capitalist system and the framework of discredited electoral politics. Nuwan Bopage, from the Socialist Peoples Forum [Photo: Facebook/peoplesstrugglealliance] In opposition to the FSP, the Socialist Equality Party is fighting to win the working class to a socialist and internationalist program against war, austerity and autocratic methods of rule. We call on workers to vote for our candidate Pani Wijesiriwardena to demonstrate their support for our program, but above all to mobilise independently of all the bourgeois parties and their trade unions to fight for socialist policies to put an end to the immense social crisis facing working people and to join in building a unified international anti-war movement. The FSP is politically hostile to any independent movement of the working class that threatens bourgeois rule. It postures as the continuation of the 2022 mass uprising that forced President Gotabhaya Rajapakse to flee the country and resign. The FSP has formed an alliance with other petty-bourgeois organisations, called the Peoples Struggle Alliance (PSA), that were prominent in the mass protests in Colombo. Because the PSA lacks official status, the FSP candidate Nuwan Bopage is standing under the name of one of its allies, the Socialist Peoples Forum (SPF). The FSPs claim to embody the aspirations of the 2022 mass movement is a warning to working people. It does not represent the interests of the millions of workers, young people and poor who took to the streets in opposition to the social devastation being unleashed following the countrys debt default, but rather those political forces that dominated the uprising and betrayed it. In the midst of the 2022 upheavals, the FSP, its allies and the treacherous trade unions worked might and main to limit the mass movement, particularly strikes by the working class, and subordinate it to the call for an interim governmentthat is, a capitalist government of the opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). By blocking any independent movement of the working class, the FSP facilitated the parliamentary manoeuvres that enabled the anti-democratic installation of the reviled Ranil Wickremesinghe into the powerful executive presidency. The result has been social devastation for broad layers of working people as the Wickremesinghe regime has imposed the dictates of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in return for a bail-out loan. Prices have skyrocketed as subsidies have been slashed. Jobs and working conditions have been destroyed to prepare for a wholesale fire-sale of state-owned enterprises. Essential services such as education, health and welfare have been systematically undermined. Wickremesinghe has resorted to draconian police-state measures against any opposition to his austerity program. The SJB and JVP-led National Peoples Power (NPP) would have done exactly the same if they had been part of an interim government. Both parties are standing candidates in the presidential election and indeed are the frontrunners. Both are also pledged to continue to implement the IMFs agenda and will be just as ruthless as Wickremesinghe in suppressing strikes and protests. Well aware of the mass hostility to the harsh IMF agenda, the FSP is attempting to posture as its opponent. Its Peoples Manifesto promotes an Exit IMF strategy. Instead of dealing with the IMF, it calls for direct negotiations with creditors to extract concessions on loan repayments and a legal audit report through study of Sri Lankas situation by an internationally-recognised debt auditing and grading agency. This would be truly out of the frying pan into the fire. Rather than trying to negotiate with the IMF, which has insisted that its demands be implemented to the letter, the FSP proposes to go begging bowl in hand to the creditors that the IMF represents. Moreover, it wants to pay one of the notorious multi-billion dollar auditing agencies, such as PricewaterhouseCooper or KPMG, that act on behalf of international finance capital to come up with recommendations as to what is to be done. The FSPs proposal for making futile appeals to international bankers is a policy of accepting the authority of global finance capital. We can predict the outcome of this farcical exercise in advance. Whatever concessions are offered, if any, will be to try to obscure the fact that working people are going to be made to pay for debts accumulated by successive Sri Lankan governments during their 30-year brutal communal war against the Tamil minority and to boost, in one way or another, the profits of big business and foreign investors. Syriza party leader Alexis Tsipras speaks to his supporters at Syriza's partys main electoral center in Athens, Sunday, September 20, 2015. [AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis] Workers should draw the necessary lessons from the treacherous role played by the pseudo-left Syriza government in Greece. Like the FSP, the Coalition of the Radical Left or Syriza, prior to its election in 2015, repeatedly declared its complete rejection of the EUs austerity demands. Like the FSP, Syriza claimed that Greeces economic and social crisis could be resolved within the framework of capitalism. In office, however, Syriza immediately jettisoned its election promises, bowed to the demands of international finance capital and over the next four years laid waste to the essential services, pensions, jobs, working conditions and wages of the Greek working class. The SEP insists that the working class can defend its interests only on the basis of a program that challenges the prerogatives of international finance capital and seeks the overthrow of the profit system. We demand not the renegotiation of the debt mountain, but its complete repudiation. To fight for that policy, we call for the building of independent workers action committees and the convening of a Democratic and Socialist Congress of Workers and Rural Poor (DSC) of their delegates to discuss and implement a strategy to oppose the IMF dictates on the basis of socialist policies. To combat international finance capital and the global corporate conglomerates, workers in Sri Lanka need to unify with their class brothers and sisters around the world who face similar attacks on their living conditions. The FSPs policies in 2022 and now are not simply political mistakes but flow directly from its class orientation and program. It speaks for sections of the upper middle class, not the working class. As a result, its manifesto incessantly refers to the people, not to workers or the working class. Its call for a peoples front seeks to subordinate the working class to a front of middle class and bourgeois parties and organisations. Theoretically, the FSP, which broke away from the JVP in 2011, remains rooted in that partys ideological amalgam of Maoism, Castroism and Sinhala populismin particular in the Stalinist/Maoist two-stage theory. The two parts of its manifesto plainly set this outthe immediate tasks and short-term program, and our socialist principled foundation. The first stage subordinates the working class to an alliance with the progressive bourgeoisie to undertake immediate bourgeois democratic tasks and supposedly alleviate the lot of working class, while socialism is relegated to a distant second stage. In reality, as the history of the 20th century has repeatedly demonstrated, the progressive bourgeoisie, terrified of any revolutionary movement of the working class, invariably turns on workers and the poor with tragic consequences. In line with the two-stage theory, the FSP manifesto calls for the democratisation of the state structure as part of its short-term program, explicitly declaring that this is not a socialist state structure itself. However, the democratisation of the capitalist state is a reactionary utopia. Ever since formal independence in 1948, the Sri Lankan bourgeoisie has resorted to anti-democratic methods and police-state repression to maintain its rule. The first government abolished the citizenship rights of Tamil plantation workers, and anti-Tamil chauvinism and pogroms led to the eruption of the protracted civil war in 1983. The opposition parties to which the FSP appealsthe SJB and JVPalong with the entire Colombo political establishment are steeped in divisive communal politics. Now under conditions of immense economic and social crisis, the ruling class will not hesitate to whip up communalism and resort to dictatorial forms of rule. Significantly, when launching the FSPs manifesto, its candidate Bopage criticised the Wickremesinghe government for its total subordination to India and losing independence. This recalls the anti-Indian and anti-Tamil chauvinism of its parent party, the JVP, which engaged in a fascistic rebellion in 1988-89 against the Indo-Lanka Accord that brought Indian peacekeepers into the north of the island to disarm the Tamil separatist LTTE. JVP gunmen shot and killed workers, trade union leaders and politicians, including members of the SEP, who opposed its chauvinist campaign. The FSP has never repudiated these vile communal politics. In opposition to the two-stage theory, Leon Trotsky explained in his Theory of Permanent Revolution that the national bourgeoisie in countries of belated capitalist development, such as Sri Lanka, is organically incapable of fulfilling the basic social and democratic aspirations of the working class and oppressed masses. Those tasks fall to the working class, rallying the rural poor, in the struggle for power to overthrow capitalism in the socialist revolution. Today, such is the crisis of global capitalism, that not just backward countries but the so-called advanced imperialism powers are turning to far-right, anti-democratic forms of ruleabove all, in the United States, where the contenders in the presidential election are the fascistic Donald Trump and the warmongering Kamala Harris. Around the world, the struggle for democratic rights is completely bound up with the struggle by the working class for socialism. The FSP calls for the democratisation of parliament through the building of peoples councils to put pressure on the government and parliament. This is nothing but a program of class collaboration. Those that will dominate in such peoples councils will be the representatives of sections of the bourgeoisie and upper middle classes. The SEP calls for workers to take matters into their own hands to assert their own independent strength. We advocate the formation of action committees in every workplace, factory and plantation, independent of all capitalist parties and their trade union flunkeys. In opposition to parliament, the SEP calls for the establishment of a Democratic and Socialist Congress of Workers and Rural Poor, comprised of democratically-elected delegates of action committees of workers and rural toilers, to determine and implement a political and industrial strategy to defend their democratic and social rights. In these action committees, the SEP advocates for a series of demands to meet the pressing needs of working people: Reject IMF-dictated austerity, repudiate all foreign debt, no to the privatisation/restructuring of public sector enterprises, proper living wages for all workers indexed to the cost-of-living, and put the big corporations, plantations, major banks and other economic nerve centres under the democratic control of the working class. None of these demands can be carried out within the framework of capitalism or on a national basis. The establishment of a Democratic and Socialist Congress poses the necessity of capitalisms overthrow and the establishment of a workers and peasants government to reconstruct society along socialist lines. This has to be part of a broader struggle for socialism in South Asia and internationally. Grace OMalley was a pirate from County Mayo, Ireland (oleg tzyb) Grace OMalley (Irish Gaelic: Grainne O Maille ) leaned out of the upstairs window and yelled I dismiss thee! to her second husband, whom she had locked out of their castle. It was a bold move, but this Irish woman was anything other than meek. She was chief of the O Maille (OMalley) clan, Lord of their territories in Umhaill, captain of their fleet and a pirate. Tales of this female pirate chief are the stuff of legend and cultural memory. Her story is not recorded in Irish sources since the O Maille family book has not survived the centuries, and the monk writers of the Irish annals did not see fit to include a mention of a rouge female leader from Mayo County. The only official accounts are English sources, one even notes her questioning by Queen Elizabeth I. But that story is jumping ahead. Grace was born around 1530, as the only legitimate child of the O Maille clan chief. Perhaps that is why she was trained in seafaring at a time when such pursuits were typically reserved for men. Her clan controlled the waters around Clew Bay and had built a series of tall, square stronghold castles to guard against attacks from rival clans. She likely grew up at the familys primary residence on Clare Island, situated strategically to protect the bay. Nowadays, you can still visit Clare Island and what is left of the O Maille stronghold. The dark, foreboding block of a structure sits beside the modern pier, protected and hidden by the nearby cliffs. People call it Castle Grainne Mhaol (English: Granuaile, pronounced Gron-yoo-wail), a nickname given to this strong-willed young lady that means Grace bald. The castle of the Pirate Queen Grace O'Malley on the Clare Island in Clew Bay (Trevor Maldwyn Smith/Wirestock - stock.adobe.com) According to legend, her father planned a trading expedition to Spain and refused to take Grace along. The O Maille fleet primarily traded, but also dabbled in occasional coastal raiding and piracy when it suited them. Graces father didnt allow her on the ships, saying her long red hair would get caught in the ropes. In retaliation, a young Grace cut off all her hair. It isnt known if she took the voyage to Spain, but from then on Grace frequently joined her father at sea and learned military tactics. You can sail out to Clare Island on the OMalley Ferries (omalleyferries.com). If the fall weather is nice, rent an e-bike from Shoreline Pursuits (shoreline-pursuits.ie) and pedal the 3km along the coast to Clare Island Abbey where the O Maille clan crest still marks the familys burial, and likely Graces final resting place. When she was a teenager, Grace was married to the heir of the nearby OFlaherty (Irish Gaelic: O Flaithbheartaigh) clan and moved to their lands south of Clew Bay, living in another island castle on Lough Corrib. During this time, she had three children. Then, Elizabeth I ascended as Queen of England and Ireland. Intent on having control of Irish clan politics, the queen appointed another man as the OFlaherty chief. In the aftermath, Graces husband Donal was murdered, and she successfully and violently defended the castle. Donal was nicknamed the cock for his aggressiveness, so Grace became known as the hen. The castle she defended was, from then on, known as Hens Castle which remained in her control. You can still venture out to Hens Castle on boat or kayak tours from operators around the lake. The OFlahertys would not submit to a woman chief, so Grace returned to her O Maille homeland with a loyal militia of their men. In her mid-twenties, Grace became chief of the O Maille clan when her father died. She led the clans fleet of over 20 ships in rebelling against the queens control. They plundered English ships, took a toll from anyone who sailed by, attacked clans that supported the English crown, and built a wealthy chiefdom under the guise of trade and fishing. It is said that when her lover was killed, she sailed north to attack an entire clan at their castle. Having captured her lovers murderers she brought them to abandoned Caher Island for execution. Grace used the many O Maille tower castles around Clew Bay to keep control of the area and evade capture. It is possible to see inside one of these: Kildavent Tower is open for exploration. Near the tower are the White Cliffs of Ashleam, where you can see the wild Atlantic Ocean and make out the Cliffs of Croaghan, the tallest sea cliffs in Ireland. Hardy souls can venture up the strenuous, exposed hike to the clifftops from Keem Bay. Kildavnet castle in Achill Island. County Mayo, Ireland () When Grace remarried, she is said to have born her fourth child aboard a ship just prior to repelling an attack by Algerian pirates. Her second marriage was, as far as we can tell, a grasp for area dominance. In the agreement, she acquired Rockfleet Castle and its surrounding bay access. It was from here that she so abruptly dismissed her second husband, still well within the traditional one-year allowance for such a break-up. Its easy to stop by Rockfleet Castle on the return drive from Kildavent Tower. It is not currently open to the public but is scenically situated along the waters edge and makes for a lovely rest stop. And, if racking up O Maille castles is your vibe, 15 minutes down the road from Rockfleet are the ruins of Castleaffy Castle. Though they sit on private property, a small pull-out is convenient for photographing the castle just over the stone wall and taking in the idyllic calm edge of the sound. For Grace, the fight against English control was a quest. She became notorious for leading rebels but was willing to give up control for her son. He had been caught by the English navy and was being held for treason. At the same time Graces fleet was destroyed. So, she pirated control of an English ship and sailed for London where she was granted an audience with the queen at Greenwich Palace. People lined the Thames River to see the pirate woman sail in. After a diplomatic meeting, the queen agreed to release all her captured relatives in exchange for Graces subjugation. From then on, the English Navy monitored Graces fleet, but the O Maille clan continued to help the Irish rebels. Grace OMalley and Queen Elizabeth both died in 1603, the same year England regained full control over Ireland. To visit County Mayos famous pirate sites, it is best to base yourself in the quaint village of Westport. There, you can find pubs with fireside seating, a scenic tree-lined river walk, and unique local shops. The town is adjacent to the Westport House estate, land owned by the decedents of Grace OMalley. On a tour of the house, you can see the dungeons from the original O Maille clan fort. The grounds are worth exploring to find the Grace OMalley statue or have fun at the outdoor adventure park. It is open primarily on weekends during the fall until Christmas, and daily in summer. Grace OMalleys legacy lives on in County Mayo, Ireland. She was a popular folk hero during her time, a heroine to her local clan and a cutthroat pirate to ships who happened to sail by. A bold chief and military leader, she has earned her moniker as Irelands Pirate Queen. Description Cyrille Aimee grew up in a multilingual household full of music where dancing was an everyday activity, soundtracked by the Afro-Caribbean sounds of her mothers native Dominican Republic. The family home was in Samois-sur-Seine, the location of the Django Reinhardt Festival, and the teenage Cyrille would climb out of her bedroom window at night to mingle with the players, igniting a passion for jazz. Moving to New York City, her talents quickly gained her a reputation among her peers as a matchless interpreter of song. She performed and recorded with Roy Hargrove and stole the show in front of the notoriously hard-to-please crowd at the Harlem Apollo. Steven Sondheim invited her to star in a tribute at New Yorks City Centre, backed by Wynton Marsalis. Her 2019 album Move On featured versions of Sondheims songs which received praise from Sondheim himself, and her version of "Marry Me a Little", was nominated for a 2019 Grammy Award. At the height of her New York success, new horizons beckoned. Visiting New Orleans, she fell in love with the energy and diversity of the city and made it her home. Linking back to New York to connect up all the dots, she teamed up with producer/multi-instrumentalist Jake Sherman, and together they have created her latest album, A Fleur de Peau. to be released on a new label, the London-based imprint Whirlwind Recordings Combining the depth and sophistication of jazz, the immediacy of pop, the irrepressible dance rhythms of the Caribbean, its more intimate and more accessible than anything Cyrille has done before. Description Suffolk County Legislator Stephanie Bontempi & The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office host: Preventing Financial Exploitation Education and Training Program. Please join us to learn how to protect yourself and love ones from financial exploitaion by learning how to recognize identity theft and fraud. Casa Bonita, the Lakewood, CO institution known as the "Disneyland of Mexican restaurants," is finally taking reservations more than a year after its May 2023 soft opening. Until now, the only way to score a table at the restaurant, which was bought by South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker in 2021, was to join a waitlist of over 600,000 people and be randomly selected by lottery. The restaurant will begin accepting reservations on its website starting at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16 and is currently booking out from Oct. 1 with the calendar extending through November. Although guests will no longer be required to buy a ticket in advance, the Denver Post reports that the purchase of a meal is required. The restaurant serves seven entrees which all cost the same price; $29.99 during lunch and $39.99 during dinner with kids meals $19.99 and $24.99, respectively. The grand opening is the latest chapter in the over $40 million saga since Stone and Parker purchased the giant pink landmark in 2021 after the previous owners filed for bankruptcy, only to find themselves stuck with a money pit. In addition to cosmetic upgrades such as refurbishing the interior, sculptures, fake trees, and artwork; the 52,000-square-foot restaurant had a myriad of safety hazards, such as a 30-inch-wide underwater tunnel cliff divers had to exit into an electrical room. Related: 28-Year-Old Simpsons Prophecy Will Come True Tonight Then, just months after opening, last July employees mobilized with a list of demands to the new owners over fair wages, among other things. Stone and Parker said that they didn't expect the grand opening to take so long, explaining in an interview with the Denver Post earlier this months that the delay was necessary to work out the logistics of such a unique venue while accommodating thousands of guests. They noted that Casa Bonita has served 500,000-plus diners to date and currently welcomes 11,000 to 12,000 per week. In fact, the "comedy of errors" over the costly investment has taken such a toll on the new owners that it's the subject of a new documentary, Casa Bonita Mi Amor!, which "tracks the rise, fall and revival of the beloved Colorado landmark." "We did zero due diligence," Stone said, shaking his head, while speaking with Rolling Stone about the film. "It was very much like, we bought Casa Bonita, sweet! You know, well fix it up and Trey can make a new and improved Black Barts Cave. How hard could it be? Well youve seen the movie. The answer is millions and millions and millions of dollars worth of hard." You can watch the trailer below. Or, for those living in the Lakewood area, head to Casa Bonita's website to try to score a reservation to the hottest spot in town. Howard Crook Howard Crook, who has died aged 77, was an American mime-artist-turned-tenor known for his contribution to excavating the early Baroque repertoire with conductors such as John Eliot Gardiner, Trevor Pinnock and Roger Norrington. He was also a leading Bach evangelist, at one time singing 60 St Matthew and St John Passions a year. Its one of the few pieces of music that you can sing for years and years and never get tired of it, he said. Nor did audiences and critics tire of hearing his stylish and ever-reliable voice. The major selling point of this recording is Howard Crook, finest of all Evangelists, who astonishes with his ability to leap from dark bass notes to an upper register glowing with soft colours, noted Damian Thompson in The Daily Telegraph of Crooks 2004 recording of the Matthew Passion, conducted by Philippe Herreweghe. Looking back on his six or seven years in hard labour with Gardiner, Crook called him a fabulous musician but a difficult personality. They appeared together at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1988 in a sublime performance of the Matthew Passion with the Monteverdi Choir and the countertenor Michael Chance. But Gardiner was far from being the only conductor who overstepped the mark in trying to realise his vision, observed Crook. Discipline is important in music, as it is in society. But it shouldnt become fascism. Howard Crook was born into a non-musical family in Rutherford, New Jersey, on June 15 1947. He showed an early flair for mathematics and his father was disappointed that he did not become a scientist or a doctor. Crook also explored the early baroque repertoire with Trevor Pinnock and Roger Norrington A church choir director gave him a great start by teaching him to read music at the age of six and he paid for singing lessons by babysitting for his teachers three children and their dog. After studying at Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, he took a masters degree specialising in opera at the University of Illinois and then spent two years in London absorbing the culture. His next stop was the Center for Music Experiment at La Jolla, California, specialising in mime, an art that heightened my spatial awareness, helped me to communicate with my body as well as voice and facial expressions. He also explored jiu-jitsu, kung-fu and Tai-Chi. He was appointed musical director of the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal, but after 18 months the nationalists booted out all the American teachers. He then joined Seattle Repertory Theatre, appearing in stagings of Beckett and Chekhov, before deciding that his future lay in music, and in Europe. Crook was instrumental in the early French baroque revival After coming second at the 1979 International Vocal Competition in Den Bosch in the Netherlands he made his debut with the Dutch National Opera as the hero Belmonte in Mozarts Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail. Gravitating to Belgium and France, he sang with Herreweghes Chapelle Royale and Les Arts Florissants directed by William Christie, another American musician transplanted to Europe. Finally settling in Paris, he became instrumental in the early French baroque revival. High tenor roles were his forte and he rose to the pathos of Aciss air in Lullys Acis et Galatee, was a ringingly intense Castor in Rameaus Castor et Pollux, and provided stylish muscular lyricism as Glaucus in Leclairs Scylla et Glaucus, a role he brought to the 1986 Bath Festival. By the turn of the century Crook, who spoke six languages, was largely teaching baroque singing. The one place he was anxious not to appear was his homeland. America is really Pavarotti country; they like it high and loud, he concluded. Howard Crook, born June 15 1947, died August 27 2024 Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. "Hello sunshine, goodbye rain" and hello again to "Happy Days." Oklahoma native Ron Howard reunited with his "Happy Days" co-star Henry Winkler onstage Sunday night during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, where they celebrated the 50th anniversary of the classic comedy series. "This is fantastic," Howard said, referring to the set dressed to resemble Arnold's Drive-In from the show. "It feels like home," Winkler added. But the former co-stars cheekily observed that the "Happy Days" theme song didn't play when they took the stage. "('Murphy Brown' star) Candice Bergen had a theme song," Howard said. "Of course, she would get one," Winkler replied. "Well, I have a solution," Howard said. "You know, you could do it." Despite Winkler's protests that he was "out of practice," he reenacted his character Fonzie's iconic jukebox-smacking move from the long-running sitcom, getting cheers from the star-studded crowd as the famous tune began to play. 'Happy Days' anniversary celebrated in addition to 'Saturday Night Live' and 'West Wing' milestones "Happy Days" aired on ABC from 1974 to 1984. While Winkler played "The Fonz," Howard, already a familiar face to television audiences from his childhood days playing Opie on "The Andy Griffith Show," starred as Richie Cunningham. Born in Duncan, Howard left "Happy Days" after its seventh season and went on to have a successful career as a filmmaker, winning an Oscar for best director in 2022 for "A Beautiful Mind." Henry Winkler (right) gives a love tap to a jukebox as "Happy Days" co-star Ron Howard looks on during a reunion segment on the 76th Emmy Awards. "Happy Days" received nine Emmy nominations during its decade-long run, including nods for Winkler for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series in 1976, 1977 and 1978. But Winkler didn't receive his first Emmy until 2018, for his performance on HBO's "Barry," opposite Tulsa native Bill Hader. The Emmys broadcast also celebrated the upcoming 50th anniversary of "Saturday Night Live" as well as the 25th anniversary of "The West Wing" by bringing together several stars from those shows. Ron Howard and Henry Winkler present the award for outstanding directing for a comedy series at the 76th Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024 in Los Angeles. Ron Howard receives Primetime Emmy for Disney+ documentary 'Jim Henson Idea Man' To start their reunion segment, Winkler praised his "very good friend for 50 years" for winning his third career Primetime Emmy for the Disney+ documentary "Jim Henson Idea Man," prompting a grin and several "thank yous" from Howard. From Howard's Imagine Documentaries Productions, the new biography about the late "Sesame Street" and "The Muppet Show" mastermind received five trophies, including for outstanding documentary or nonfiction special, at the recent pre-broadcast Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Howard also was nominated for outstanding directing for a documentary/nonfiction program for "Jim Henson Idea Man," but that prize went to Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss for the Apple TV+ documentary "Girls State." His win for "Jim Henson Idea Man" marked the third Emmy Howard has received as a producer: "Arrested Development" was named outstanding comedy series in 2004, and "From the Earth to the Moon" won outstanding miniseries in 1998. A 2013 Television Hall of Fame inductee, Howard, 70, has received 13 Emmy nominations across his long TV career. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 'Happy Days' reunion: Oklahoma native Ron Howard celebrates at Emmys Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president. Donald Trump can't shake it off. Donald Trump lashed out at Taylor Swift in a Truth Social post on Sunday. Swift earlier endorsed Kamala Harris in an Instagram post that received 11 million likes. Trump said he's not a fan of Swift, but has mentioned her repeatedly during his campaign. Donald Trump doesn't like Taylor Swift. At all. The former president didn't mince words on Sunday when he mentioned Swift in a Truth Social post. "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!" he wrote. Swift became the target of Trump's contempt when she publicly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. The billionaire pop star shared her stance in an Instagram post that had racked up 11 million likes by Sunday. "I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos," Swift wrote. Scoring an endorsement from Swift likely isn't the benchmark to secure an election win, but her influence is undeniable. Swift also shared a link to Vote.gov with her 284 million Instagram followers when she endorsed Harris, which resulted in over 400,000 people visiting the website in 24 hours. Donald Trump said he "hates" Taylor Swift on Truth Social on Sunday. Pool/Getty Images Trump downplayed the endorsement during an interview with Fox & Friends the next day, saying he's "not a Taylor Swift fan." "She seems to always endorse a Democrat, and she'll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace," he added. Even if Trump isn't a Swiftie, he's vied for her attention and influence several times during his campaign. Trump claimed in February that he's made Swift "so much money" and that her potential endorsement of President Joe Biden, who left the race in July, would be "disloyal." "I signed and was responsible for the Music Modernization Act for Taylor Swift and all other Musical Artists. Joe Biden didn't do anything for Taylor, and never will," he wrote on Truth Social. "There's no way she could endorse Crooked Joe Biden, the worst and most corrupt President in the History of our Country, and be disloyal to the man who made her so much money." Trump spoke about Swift again in June, questioning why she would vote for Biden, according to former CNN reporter Melanie Zanona. "Why would she endorse this dope," Trump said. "He doesn't know how to get off a stage." That month, an excerpt from "Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass" that was obtained by Variety said Trump called Swift "beautiful" and expressed shock she was liberal. In August, Trump shared AI-generated images to Truth Social that showed Swift and her fans supporting his campaign. "I accept!" he wrote. He tried to distance himself from the images during an interview on Fox Business but has not deleted them from his Truth Social account. Trump's team has gotten on the Swift train, too. His campaign's official X account announced last week that it was selling t-shirts inspired by Swift's Eras Tour merchandise. Taylor Swift urged Americans to vote during the MTV Video Music Awards this month. Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images But now that Swift has endorsed Harris, it seems Trump and his team have turned cold. The official Trump War Room X account shared a screenshot purportedly showing a poll in which 87% of respondents said Swift's endorsement of Harris "makes no difference" in their vote. Swift again encouraged Americans to vote during her acceptance speech at this year's MTV Video Music Awards. "This is a fan-voted award, and you voted for this, and I appreciate it so much," she said. "And if you are over 18, please register to vote for something else that's very important: our presidential election." Representatives for Trump and Swift did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Read the original article on Business Insider He was a theater and English major in the UK. Now, he's one of Singapore's 4 masters of wine. Richard Hemming shares his career journey as an aspiring actor in college. 67 Pall Mall Richard Hemming transitioned from theater to wine, becoming one of Singapore's few masters of wine. His journey to becoming a master of wine involved six years of intense studying and rigorous exams. The certification for master of wine includes exams and a lengthy research paper. Once a budding actor, Richard Hemming traded Shakespeare for chardonnay. Now, he's a leading figure in Singapore's wine scene. One of the country's four masters of wine, Hemming oversees wine programs across Asia for 67 Pall Mall, a private club for wine lovers. Reflecting on his unlikely journey from aspiring actor to wine connoisseur, he shared how he transitioned from managing a wine shop to mastering the complex world of fine wine. As an English literature and theater major in the UK, Hemming initially believed the stage was his calling. But after graduating in 2001, he applied for a job at a wine shop in London. By 2007, he was managing a branch at Notting Hill Gate. "I had no wine knowledge at the time," Hemming said. "But it was a good company, and they had a management training scheme, so you would end up running your own shop within two years." A crucial part of his training involved passing four levels of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust diploma, which offers a range of qualifications in various alcoholic beverages, from beginner to advanced. During these formative years, Hemming discovered a passion for wine that extended beyond the basic training he received. "It kind of happened by mistake," Hemming said. "I ended up learning a lot about wine." This curiosity drove him to explore the industry further, leading him to Australia in 2008, where he gained hands-on experience in winemaking. While in Australia, Hemming found a way to combine his passions for writing and wine when Jancis Robinson, a longtime wine correspondent for the Financial Times, offered him a writing role, which he continues to this day. Master of wine journey After his WSET diploma, Hemming started the lengthy process of becoming a master of wine in 2009, which took him six years. "The master of wine qualification is strictly aimed at professionals," Hemming told BI. Becoming a master of wine involves passing three stages, including a series of theory and practical exams, and completing a detailed research paper about the study of wine. For Hemming's research paper, he analyzed nearly 30,000 wine books published over 100 years in the UK, where he studied publishing trends and topics. The process can cost over 23,000 pounds, or around $30,000, for candidates in the UK and Europe and over $19,000 for North American candidates, per the UK-based Institute of Masters of Wine. Just qualifying to take the examinations is a significant hurdle. "To even register, you must have a reference from your employer saying that you are working in a wine role," Hemming said, along with a recommendation from another master of wine. Passing the master of wine qualification is another barrier to entry, with fail rates remaining "unfortunately incredibly high," Hemming told BI. When the examination was first introduced in 1953, only 28% of candidates passed, according to the institute. Years ago, Hemming compared the title to the "Oscars of the wine world." Even seven decades later, the program is still difficult to complete. In June, 145 people sat for the first round of the assessment. Meanwhile, 10 finished the program this year, joining Hemming and over 400 others as official masters of wine. In 2019, Hemming relocated to Singapore with his wife, who had taken on a teaching role. Already a member of 67 Pall Mall London, he was invited by the club's founder, Grant Ashton, to help establish its Singapore branch, which soon evolved into a full-time position. Now, Hemming works with marketing, events, and the company's cellar which includes 6,000 bottles in Singapore. He also assists with the company's regional pop-up locations and those in the works, including Hong Kong and Australia. And he continues contributing to various trade outlets, including the FT, and has authored several books about food and wine. Read the original article on Business Insider Editors Note: This CNN Travel series is, or was, sponsored by the country it highlights. CNN retains full editorial control over subject matter, reporting and frequency of the articles and videos within the sponsorship, in compliance with our policy If its ancient walls could talk, Sumela Monastery in eastern Turkey would have quite a few stories to tell. Since its founding in the 4th-century CE by some of the earliest Christians to arrive along the Black Sea coast, the shrine has witnessed the evolution of the Roman Empire into the Byzantine era, the rise of the Ottomans, the struggle for Turkish independence after World War I, decades of vandalism and neglect, and an almost miraculous resurrection in modern times. Even more alluring than Sumelas tumultuous history is a location that seems generated by artificial intelligence or computer graphics rather than a real place chapels, courtyards, library, living quarters, bell tower, aqueduct and a stone-enclosed sacred spring precariously perched on a rocky ledge nearly 1,000 feet (300 meters) above a wooded river valley in the Pontic Alps. Every day, thousands of visitors some of them religious pilgrims but most drawn by the splendor of the early Christian frescoes and architecture that seems to defy gravity make their way along a cobblestone path to the monastery. Another draw is the fact that Sumela is on UNESCOs tentative list for designation as a world heritage site. Now a state museum rather than an active religious community, the monastery has undergone years of meticulous restoration to make the site safe for tourism and mitigate damage inflicted by fires, treasure hunters, vandals and unruly visitors. Weve always had a problem with falling rocks, says Levent Alniak, manager of museums and historic sites for Trabzon province. To prevent damage to the structures and harm to visitors, we had industrial mountain-climbers secure the cliff. Dangling in midair, the climbers used steel cables and huge metal stakes to affix steel mesh netting and barriers to the towering rockface above the monastery. The ongoing restoration yielded unexpected treasures such as a secret tunnel leading to a previously undiscovered chapel that may have been used as an observation post to defend the monastery. Inside the tiny church, archaeologists found dramatic frescoes depicting heaven and hell, and life and death. Bringing frescoes back to life Renewal of the monasterys exquisite frescoes is ongoing, a multiyear project that involves meticulous, labor-intensive work by art restoration experts. During the summer season when its dry enough to undertake the delicate task, visitors can get a close-up look at the restorers removing graffiti and other damage inflicted after the monastery was uninhabited and unprotected between the 1920s and 1960s. For many years there wasnt enough control here and there was a lot of vandalism, says restorer Senol Aktas, taking a break from his work on an 18th-century fresco of the Virgin Mary conversing with an angel on the facade of Sumelas incredible Rock Church. People wrote their names and other things across the frescos that we are trying to remove by painting over the graffiti with a style and colors similar to what the original artists used. As impressive as the exterior frescoes might be, they pale in comparison to the even older images inside. Behind its facade, the church disappears inside a large cave filled with vibrant images created in the 13th century. Large portraits of Jesus and the Virgin Mary stare down from the ceiling, while the walls are reserved for angels, apostles and saints, including a rather graphic depiction of St. Ignatius being torn apart by lions in a Roman arena. The painted eyes are gouged out on many of the lower frescoes, those within easy reach of human hands. Some have claimed the images were deliberately defaced by Muslims. But Oznur Doksoz, whos been guiding visitors to Sumela since the 1980s when it first opened to the public, says theres another possible explanation. The Virgin Mary is a holy person for the Muslim people also. So the people who live around here came and scratched their faces, especially the eyes, boiled the paint chips and drank this water thinking it would bless them. We dont know if this story is true or not, but thats what people say. Sumelas fabled and historic roots Frescoes once vandalized by graffiti have been painstakingly restored. - OscarEspinosa/iStock Editorial/Getty Images Meanwhile, nobody knows for sure if the monasterys origin story is true or merely myth. According to the legend, Sumela traces its roots to 386 CE and a miraculous discovery by Greek monks Barnabas and Sophronios. They were drawn to the remote area by a vision during which the Virgin Mary told them about an icon painted by Luke the Apostle hidden somewhere in the Pontic Alps. The monks eventually discovered the sacred relic a dark portrait of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus which they christened the Panagia Soumela in the cave that would later house the Rock Church. The cave remained a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of years. It wasnt until the 13th century that the monastery as we know it today was founded by Orthodox monks during a period when the last Christian kingdom ruled the region. It continued to flourish under the Ottomans, who took control of the area in 1461. Even though they were Muslims, the Ottomans gave their subjects a surprising degree of religious freedom as long as they were loyal to the emperor. Sometimes they would change a church into a mosque, like Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, Alniak explains. But most of the time, they left the Christians to do their religion. And they even supported some of the more important Christian sites. The sultans considered Sumela a sacred place and helped the monastery by giving the monks donations and more land, he adds. Sumela was popular with Christian and Muslim pilgrims, and an active Greek Orthodox monastery, until the early 20th century. Following the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, the empires ethnic Turks and Greeks fought a civil war that ended in 1923 with a massive population exchange between the Asian and European parts of the former empire. Many of the Greeks living in the Pontic Alps and nearby Black Sea coast chose to relocate to Greece, including the monks of Sumela Monastery. Fearing they would be robbed during their journey to Greece, the monks buried the monastery treasures at secret locations in the Altindere Valley, hoping to retrieve them at some point in the future. The abandoned monastery became a magnet for treasure hunters searching for those precious objects. The Panagia Soumela was eventually recovered by the monks and is now housed inside the Nea Sumela Monastery in northern Greece. However, some relics were smuggled out of Turkey and now reside in museums or private collections around the world. By the 1970s, Turkeys Ministry of Culture and Tourism launched the first attempts to preserve and renovate Sumela as a national treasure. Over the decades that followed, access was improved to ease visits by tourists and pilgrims. A watershed moment in the monasterys resurrection came on August 15, 2010, on the Feast Day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, when the Archbishop of Constantinople conducted the first Orthodox worship service at Sumela in 88 years. The ceremony is now repeated every August 15, although faithful are allowed to pray throughout the year in the monastery chapels. Visiting Sumela today Sumela is now a national museum attracting thousands of visitors. - Muhur/iStockphoto/Getty Images Sumela Monastery is situated in Altndere Valley National Park about an hours drive south of Trabzon, a resort city on Turkeys eastern Black Sea coast. Visitors can drive themselves or join guided van and minibus tours to the monastery offered by travel agencies in Trabzon. From the parking lot, shuttle buses take visitors to the bottom of a steep path and finally steps leading up to the monastery entrance. Admission to the site is 20 euros or 60 Turkish lira. The monastery is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. between June and September; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. between October and May. A short film about the renovation is screened in one of the old monks cells. Expect to spend one to two hours exploring the site. Just outside the entrance gate are a small shop with snacks and souvenirs, vending machines, outdoor tables and restrooms. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather, the possibility of rain during the warmer months and snow during the winter. Trabzon is around a 13-hour drive from Istanbul but less than two hours by air. Turkish Airlines flies 10 times daily from Istanbul to Trabzon and vice versa. Cosandere village offers the closest accommodation to the monastery, including the three-star Sumela Holiday Hotel. Theres a much wider range of overnight possibilities in Trabzon like the seaside Ramada Plaza and the hilltop Radisson Blu. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Ashland County Fair carries on traditions - skillet-throwing is just one of them Womens skillet throw participants were hard-pressed Sunday evening to trace the origin or duration of the unusual tradition at the Ashland County Fair. It has been going on at least 30 years, several of them said. Patty Fliger, wife of Wes Fliger, a member of the fairs board of directors, called her mother-in-law, Charlene Fliger, in an attempt to nail down an answer. According to Charlene Fliger, who served on the board for 32 years, another former fair board member saw the competition in Maine and introduced it in Ashland some time during the '90s. Patty Fliger, whose daughter signed her up to send the flat, paddle-like skillet soaring down the prescribed yellow line, said there is no technique to playing. Two categories of competitors 18 to 60 years of age and over 60 try their luck in the Coliseum in front of an enthusiastic audience lining the bleachers. Ruby Murphy watches her skillet land for a distance of 18 feet in the women's skillet throw Sunday afternoon at the Ashland County Fair. Ruby Murphy, who placed second Sunday evening in the over 60 age group, said she first read about it in the newspaper. Murphy, who has lived in Ashland for 54 years after relocating from West Virginia, remembered thinking, I want to go do that. I just enjoy doing it, she said, agreeing there is no strategy. Ive won, and Ive lost. Shanon Craft of Ashland was a winner last year, based on her occupation, she said. I work for FedEx; I lift heavy things, she said. When it comes to the fair, the 2024 king is following in family footsteps The new Junior Fair king, Nicholas Cartwright, a junior at Ashland High School, also is dedicated to tradition at the fair. This years only contestant for king, he hopes to reinvigorate the category by participating. David and Diana Eichelberger, grandparents of the new Junior Fair king, Nicholas Cartwright, watched him get crowned in the Pavilion on Sunday morning at the Ashland County Fair. The Eichelbergers have been a huge part of family participation at the fair. I really wanted to keep (it) alive, said Cartwright, a junior at Ashland High School. He added, I love every little thing about (the Ashland fair and the community). His grandfather, David Eichelberger, is a fifth-generation farmer in Ashland and Richland counties, and the person Nicholas admires the most. Nicholas Cartwright officially stated his career goal as a farmer, but also is considering the field of education. He already has written a so-far unpublished little kids book (called) Build Your Farm. His grandfather and his grandmother, Diana Eichelberger, are fair veterans themselves. Diana showed sheep for many years in 4-H. I also took sewing and cooking, she said. David Eichelberger worked with dairy cattle and a wide variety of rope projects. He started the Savannah Hardworkers club. The 2024 Junior Fair royalty for the Ashland County fair is Queen Sage Runion and King Nick Cartwright. Our kids all showed dairy, beef and sheep, Diana Eichelberger said, and grandchildren have been following suit, soon to be joined by great-grandchildren. Keeping up the tradition has been hard work, they confirmed, but now they get to sit back and watch. This year's queen wants 'to spread the joy' The 2024 Junior Fair queen, Sage Runion, an Ashland High School student attending the Ashland County West Holmes Career Center, is studying for a career in agriculture and veterinary science. Runion will reign with a court of four Kaitlyn Griffey, Scarlett Wilhelm, Danielle Stemen and Chloe Crowe, the first runner-up. As a little kid, Runion said, she was enamored with pretty queens and princesses. Addison Morris keeps an eye on her dairy steer in the Junior Fair market steer show Sunday. As a queen herself, I get to spread the joy, she said, reliving the magic for little girls at the fair who believe she is actually a princess. I love going around to other county fairs as an Ashland fair representative, Runion said. K9 demonstration and director of the year K9 Marko, one of three German Shepherds with the Ashland County Sheriffs Office, also got time on the stage doing a demonstration in the Coliseum. It occurs every year on Sunday at 4 p.m., said Deputy Rick Kinter, and incorporates obedience, sniffing out narcotics and even biting an associate through a bite suit to show being recalled from the bite, Kinter said. The fair as a tradition for Ashland County families was emphasized during Sunday mornings opening ceremony in the Pavilion. Jeff Jones, the fair board member who earned this years distinction as director of the year, said, My mom and dad instilled this place into me when I was young. Its like a family, and I really enjoy it." This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Women toss skillets, family tradition for Ashland County Fair king Cannelloni are pasta tubes stuffed with a filling and baked in a sauce. You can find this type of pasta in many regions of Italy, filled with a variety of meats, cheeses, and vegetables and topped with bechamel sauce, tomato sauce, meat sauce, or a combination of these. In Italy, cannelloni pasta dishes differ from place to place, depending on available ingredients and local culinary traditions. In Emilia-Romagna, for example, cannelloni are often filled with ragu alla Bolognese -- a rich sauce of meat, vegetables, and mushrooms -- and baked with bechamel and tomato sauce. But in Naples and on the Amalfi Coast, your cannelloni will probably be filled with mozzarella, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, meat sauce, and chopped ham, and baked in a tomato sauce topped with additional cheese. Food historians also differ on which region gave birth to this classic Italian dish. Vincenzo Corrado's "Il Cuoco Galante" ("The Gallant Cook"), first published in Naples in 1773, includes a recipe for a stuffed pasta timballo, so we know that pasta stuffed with veal, Parmesan, and egg yolk and baked in a meat sauce was on the menu in Italy's Campania region at that time. However, Italian journalist Gaetano Afeltra wrote in his 1987 book, "Nascita dei cannelloni ad Amalfi" ("The Birth of Cannelloni in Amalfi") (via Dei Cappuccini Restaurant), that the chef at Hotel Cappuccini in Amalfi created cannelloni in 1924. Still others claim that cannelloni comes from the Emilia-Romagna region, which is known for its delicious stuffed pastas. And, as he wrote in a 2004 article published in The Professional Geographer, historical geographer David Alexander believes that cannelloni originated in Naples or Sicily, where large tubular pastas were common. Read more: 44 Types Of Pasta And When You Should Be Using Them Regional Cannelloni Pasta Dishes Cannelloni stuffed with spinach and ricotta - Watch And Rewatch/Shutterstock During the five years I lived in Italy, I discovered that cannelloni can vary from place to place, even within a particular Italian region. Local ingredients and specialties are at the heart of these recipe variations. For example, you're more likely to find seafood-stuffed cannelloni in coastal areas. But near the mountains, you might be served cannelloni filled with mushrooms and ricotta and baked in bechamel sauce. Meanwhile, cannelloni alla Fiorentina, which is stuffed with spinach, ricotta, and Parmesan and baked in tomato sauce, is found almost everywhere. Nevertheless, some regions of Italy are known for specific cannelloni pasta dishes. In the mountainous Abruzzo region, your cannelloni filling might include a pork, beef, and lamb combination mixed with eggs, Pecorino Romano cheese, and nutmeg. And in Rome and the surrounding Lazio region, you'll find cannelloni alla Romana, which is filled with a meat sauce featuring several kinds of meat and topped with still more meat in the sauce. Spinach is sometimes also added to the filling. Umbrian cannelloni pasta also features a meat sauce, but it's made with bechamel sauce instead of tomatoes. Beyond these regional cannelloni pasta dishes, it's also possible to find cannelloni made with an incredible array of ingredients, from cheese and lemon to vegan cashew cream and pumpkin. And in the United States, cannelloni made with dry egg pasta tubes is often called manicotti. Read the original article on Tasting Table. Haas rookie Ollie Bearman enjoyed his scrap with Lewis Hamilton in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, even if he lost out to the Mercedes driver in the closing stages of the race. For his second race in Formula 1, his first with Haas, which he owed to Kevin Magnussens one-race ban, Bearman was able once again to put a point on the board, although circumstances awarded him a lucky break. The 19-year-old launched his race from tenth on the grid thanks to Hamiltons decision to start his afternoon from the pitlane. But the seven-time world champion caught up with his young rival after the pairs early pitstops. Nevertheless, Bearman was able to hold his advantage of the Mercedes until lap 40 of 51, when Hamilton lunged down the inside of the Briton at Bakus Turn 1, completing the pass as they entered the tight Turn 2 left-hander. You know when you go around the outside that hes going to leave you space, which is a nice feeling, Bearman said as he reflected on Hamiltons maneuver. Like in Turn 1, I knew that he wasnt going to put me in a wall, which is a bit less sure with some other drivers. Thats a nice feeling and its always very clean but hard when I was racing him. Bearman said that during the laps that preceded Hamiltons move, he had pushed hard to bridge the gap with fellow rookie Franco Colapinto up ahead, perhaps soliciting a bit too much his tyres in the process. I was really pushing hard for some laps to overtake Franco and my tyres were getting really hot, added Haas' 2025 driver. It was exactly at that point that he pounced on me and could overtake me quite easily. After that, I needed a few laps and I caught him back up and was almost catching the DRS again. Its annoying that I let him overtake but you cant make little mistakes with a guy like that behind. On the penultimate lap of the event, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perezs pain following their spectacular run-in was Hamilton and Bearmans gains, with the pair instantly bumped up two spots in the standings, and into the points. But the commotion from the crash also allowed te duo to overtake an over-prudent Nico Hulkenberg who intently slowed after passing the crash site, fearing that he had picked up some debris. It went green again and I managed to get him with Lewis, Bearman explained. It was an overtake. Im sorry for him. He had a problem to lose the position also to Franco, but Im happy to take the point. Looking back on his afternoon, Bearman reckoned that he had perhaps been too conservative in his approach to tyre management in the first part of the race. It was a tough race. I wasnt running in the points until the end because of the crash in front, he explained. The car was really fast and, in all honesty, I was really fast as well, I just lost a lot of time in the first stint just not driving very fast. I was just saving the tyres too much and that was not really necessary. I took too much of the experience from FP2 into the race but the track is so different in the race that you can almost forget the long runs from FP2 and start again. I put that down to experience. Beyond Bearman's impressive efforts in Baku, and taking into account his seventh place finish with Ferrari in Jeddah earlier this year, F1 historians will remember the Briton became on Sunday the first F1 driver to score points with two different teams in his first two races in Formula 1! Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) Sunday marked the start of Hispanic Heritage Month in New York City, bringing free concerts, parades, dance classes and more to all five boroughs. The events will last through Oct. 15, marking a celebration of Americans with ancestors from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. Things To Do Around NYC Mexican Independence Day parades filled the streets of Brooklyn and Manhattan on Sunday, a day that marked the independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Chile also celebrates its independence within the month on Sept. 18 and Belize on Sept. 21. Here are some events across New York City for Hispanic Heritage Month: Hispanic Day Parade Where: 37th Avenue in Queens When: Sept. 29 from 12-3 p.m. What: Catch marching bands, colorful floats, music and dance performances, Hispanic cuisine and art at a parade in the middle of the month-long celebration. Free folk concert Where: Greenbelt Nature Center in Staten Island When: Sept. 21 from 12-4 p.m. What: Jose Raul (Tito) Ocasio will do a free performance honoring Jose Rivera alongside artists Bob Wright and Linda Hickman. Viva broadway Where: 145 W 45th Street in Manhattan When: Sept. 15-Oct. 15 What: A month-long exhibit celebrating Latino and Hispanic heritage throughout Broadway, which will feature costumes, props and discussions. NY Latino Film Festival Where: Theaters across NYC, including Regal Union Square When: Sept. 15 Sept. 22 What: Multiple film showings and panels concluding with a block party and award ceremony on Dyckman Street. Salsa classes Where: Bronx Library Center When: Sept 16, 23, 30 10 a.m.; Oct. 5 2 p.m. What: A free hour-long dance class for people ages 18 and older. Registration is required. Cooking class Where: Essex Market in Manhattan When: Oct. 12 at 3:30 p.m. In collaboration with The Loisaida Center, Essex Market will host a cooking class where participants will learn how to cook the Puerto Rican national dish Arroz con Gandules. Latinx Festival: Timeless Traditions, Culture, and Ancestry Where: Childrens Museum of Manhattan When: Sept. 17- Sept. 22 What: Perfect for children, the festival will allow visitors to create art, toy designs, songs and stories that focus on Latinx traditions and culture. Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter from Los Angeles who has covered New York City since 2023. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. If you thought pumpkin spice season came to Starbucks too soon, don't go to Costco shoppers are already finding popular Christmas treats along with 2024 whiskey advent calendars. Priced at around $240, give or take depending on the location you shop at, the advent calendar is marketed as a "whisky tour of the world" with 24 whiskeys from different countries to bring in (or get you through) the holidays. The outside of the box offers a look at what you might get to taste on any given day, featuring six whiskey brands from around the world: Green River bourbon whiskey from Kentucky, Mackmyra Svensk Ek whisky from Sweden, Nc'Nean whisky from the Scotland, Kavalan whisky from Taiwan, Lark whisky from Australia, and Hatozaki whisky from Japan. But that's only a handful of the worlds' continents that this advent calendar tour covers. Some of the other whiskey bottles found inside Costco's "whisky tour of the world" include Indri Trini from India, Pokeno from New Zealand, M&H from Israel, Breckinridge from Colorado, Helsinki from Finland, Abasolo from Mexico, and Puni from Italy, amongst another dozen bottles of bourbons, single malts, ryes, and blends from other parts of the globe totalling 20 different countries. Broken down, you'll be paying about $10 for every 50 mL of whiskey. Although, if you are considering grabbing one, you might consider waiting until early December when the boxes go on sale. Read more: The 27 Best Bourbon Brands, Ranked Costco's Whiskey Advent Calendars Of Christmas Past Costco Scotch advent calendar - X formerly known as Twitter / @MrLeonardKim Just as it does with wine, beer, coffee, and imported cheese, the Costco whiskey advent calendar is a hallmark of the wholesaler's holiday season. This year, however, is a bit of an upgrade from the last although that could depend on who you ask. In 2023, the world tour was much more dialed down geographically, focusing on whiskys sourced from all across Scotland. Unlike this year's box, some of the distillers were left undisclosed, but it did feature single and blended malts from the five major Scottish whiskey regions, including the Highlands, Lowlands, the Spyeside, Campbeltown, and the Islay. While the two might differ geographically, the reviews seem to be rather consistent. Whiskey aficionados haven't seemed to be impressed by the short barrel times nor the distillers featured in this or last year's advent calendar and most would probably tell you to take that money and spend it on one bottle of something extra special. But if you're just looking for a fun way to try different whiskeys, then Costco's advent calendar is perfect. Most customers say they enjoyed the experience, and even found a few new whiskys that they really liked. People agree that it was money well spent, but, being so early, there's no reason not to wait for it to go on sale. Read the original article on Tasting Table. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is sponsoring a student art contest in celebration of the park's 60th anniversary of its designation as a unit of the National Park Service. The contest is a collaboration among the park and Friends of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Peters Valley School of Craft, and Pocono Environmental Education Center. The contest will be accepting submissions until Nov. 15. The contest will have the theme "At the Rivers Edge," inviting students to explore connections among living things, time periods and places that exist because of the Delaware River. The sign marking the River Road entrance to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on Tuesday, February 3, 2015. The contest is open to students in grades 3-12 who live in the following counties: Monroe, Northampton, Pike in Pennsylvania and Sussex and Warren in New Jersey. In addition to artwork, entries from students under 18 years old must be submitted with a completed entry form signed by a parent or guardian. Also, all submissions must be able to be hung on a wall to be displayed. Judging will be scored on creativity, quality, effort, how well the piece fits the theme and the overall impact of the artwork. One first-place winner and one runner-up will be selected from each age group. The entrance sign to the Watergate Recreation Area within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is seen on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. At left is historic Old Mine Road. All artwork will be displayed in different sites around the park, such as visitor centers, Pocono Environmental Education Center and Peters Valley School of Craft. Displays will be up for all of 2025. An award ceremony will be held in January although winners are not required to attend to receive prizes which will be park- or art-related. Contest winners will be announced in mid-December. Artwork and entry forms may be mailed to the park or dropped off during regular business hours at Peters Valley Gallery, 19 Kuhn Road, Layton, NJ 07851, or the Pocono Environmental Education Center, 538 Emery Road, Dingmans Ferry, PA 18328. Additional rules, contest information and entry forms are available online at nps.gov/dewa/learn/kidsyouth/at-the-river-s-edge-art-contest.htm. Information on the recreation area is also available on the park's website at nps.gov/dewa/index.htm. The park is also on social media at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area or @DelWaterGapNPS. This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Delaware Water Gap friends hold student art contest. See details Based on the headlines this week, it seems too many Americans dont have any Haitian friends - and certainly dont understand their rich food culture. I say this because of the nonsensical, bigoted and tired trope about immigrants eating people's cats and dogs that former President Donald Trump regurgitated during Tuesday's presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. This time, the trope sprang from a social media post about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. More: Pitts: She had him at the word 'rallies': Trump takes the bait, Kamala Harris takes him apart It's not just mean and stupid: It's the kind of far-right dog whistle that can also be dangerous. Anyone lucky enough to have Haitian friends and food in their lives knows about the complex flavors of soup joumou, a Sunday-only squash and beef soup, or the famed citrus-marinated pork shoulder, griot. They know about the spicy deliciousness of the condiment of condiments: pikliz. And they surely know the queen of all rums: Haiti's famed Rhum Barbancourt. "Po diab pou yo." Too bad for them. More: Gus Walzs unbridled emotion at DNC opens door to more understanding of neurodiversity Not one to miss an opportunity to talk about food, I reached out to Miami-based, award-winning chef Alain Lemaire, who has appeared on the "Luda Can't Cook" series on Discovery+ with rapper, actor and restauranteur Chris "Ludacris" Bridges. We talked Haitian food, Haitian families, and what cooking and eating together means to Haitian people. Chef Lemaire even blessed this column with a recipe at the end. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. The opinions above are those of Carli Pierson and do not reflect the opinions of Chef Alain Lemaire. What made you get into cooking and why Haitian food? It was a necessity to cook for myself: What I wanted to eat and when I wanted to eat. I was born and raised in Haiti. Growing up in the Caribbean in the '80s and '90s, there was a strict policy of "Whatever there is to eat at the house, you have to eat it." Alain Lemaire in Pembroke Pines, Florida, in 2024. I paid attention to how they cooked the dishes I loved. So, when my mom was at work, I would go back in the kitchen and recreate them for myself. What were your favorite dishes as a kid? This is going to sound ridiculous but we eat spaghetti for breakfast. So, there were two meals I loved cooking. One was spaghetti and the the other was bulgur wheat with beef and sauce: It's called "ble." I mastered these growing up. Immigrants aren't eating pets: Tell Trump I have 'proof' Vance ate my cat Where in Haiti did you grow up? Port-au-Prince, in Delmas. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. When did you decide to make a career of cooking? After graduating high school in 2000, I came to Miami. While I was back home in Haiti, I was trying to decide what I wanted to pursue. In Miami, I had a friend who was going to a culinary program at Johnson & Wales, and when I came I fell in love with the program right then and there. What kinds of reactions do you see from people trying Haitian food for the first time? Chef Alain Lemaire holds a plate of salmon, mussels and cherry tomatoes The shocked expressions when they taste our dishes. It's not a unilateral landscape of flavors: It's layers of flavors. Especially if the food is well seasoned. Also, our Haitian cuisine is a mix of African, French, Spanish and even some Middle Eastern flavors. When you talk about the slave trade, the spice trade, migration from Arab countries: Everyone brought their spices and flavors with them. This is what Haitian cuisine is all about. What is your favorite dish to cook now if you had to pick one? That's difficult. It would have to be lalo: It's more dominant in the central part of Haiti. It's a dish made with jute leaves and some people add crabs and beef, also. Traditionally, it's served with white rice and "sos pwa" (pepper sauce). Trump lies about immigrants hide truth: They pay their share of taxes What would you like people to know about Haitian food and Haitian people? Haitian food is very rich, flavorful; it's bold, fresh and in your face. It is the heart of what we represent because food for us is not only about nutrition, but it brings everybody together. Every celebration involves food. It's about unity and strength. Our food also comes out of struggle, the fight we have to endure and out of making the best of what we have available. Chef Lemaire's creole chicken with cashews recipe Chef Alain Lemaire's creole chicken with cashews. Photo taken on January 10, 2020. Yield: 4 servings Prep time: 4 hours Cooking time: 45 minutes Total time: 4 hours and 45 minutes Ingredients: 4 chicken leg quarters, cut in two 6 ounces tomato paste 1-quart chicken stock or broth 6 ounces epis: Blended thyme, garlic, parsley, scotch bonnet peppers, salt, sometimes oil or citrus, onions and sweet peppers 1/2 cup cashew halves, toasted 2 tablespoons finely ground cashews 1 bouquet garni (wrapped up in a cheesecloth): 3 thyme sprigs, a bunch of parsley stems, 2 heads of scallions, 1 habanero pepper, 5 whole peppercorns, 2 whole cloves and 3 heads of garlic 1/2 green bell pepper, julienne 1/2 yellow onion, julienne canola oil for cooking salt and pepper to taste Method of preparation: Season chicken with epis, salt and pepper. Place in a container and let marinate overnight or for 3 to 4 hours. Heat a dense pot, add some oil and sear chicken in small batches until golden brown on each side. Remove and set aside. In same pan, add tomato paste and cook on low heat until well dissolved. About 2 minutes. Pour in chicken stock/broth then mix in cashew powder until well dissolved. Add chicken pieces, and bouquet garni. Make sure chicken is at least three-quarters submerged. Adjust seasoning, bring to a boil then let simmer. Once chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165F, and sauce is silky, add cashew halves, onions and peppers. Let cook for an additional 7 minutes. Serving suggestions: Serve with white rice and avocados. Carli Pierson is a Voices/Opinion editor at USA TODAY. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is traditional Haitian food? It's about strength and spice Celebrities brought their fashion A-game to the Emmys red carpet. It's Emmys night in Hollywood and the biggest names in television hit the red carpet ready to celebrate. On Sunday night, the who's who of tinseltown flocked to the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles for the 76th Emmy Awards hosted by Canadian father-son duo and Schitt's Creek stars, Eugene and Dan Levy. Leading the pack with 25 nominations is the famed FX series, Shogun, while The Bear, starring Jeremy Allen White, and Only Murders In The Building each scored 21 nominations. While only a few have the chance to score a coveted Emmy Award, all stars can earn some buzz with their red carpet looks. Check out Yahoo Canada's list of every must-see look from the 2024 Emmys red carpet below! Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Aniston attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) Aniston stole the red carpet spotlight in a strapless sequinned column gown by Oscar de la Renta to fete her Apple TV+ series The Morning Show. Selena Gomez Selena Gomez attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) The Only Murders In The Building star and Emmy nominee looked glamorous in a halter-neck velvet gown by Ralph Lauren and eye-catching jewels. Sofia Vergara Sofia Vergara attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) Vergara turned up the heat in a figure-hugging strapless gown by Dolce and Gabbana. The Colombian beauty is nominated for her performance in the Netflix crime mini-series, Griselda. Reese Witherspoon Reese Witherspoon attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) Witherspoon stepped out in a strapless black chiffon Dior gown with asymmetrical floral detailing. The Morning Show star accessorized the classic look in a timeless diamond pendant necklace by Bucherer Fine Jewellery. Gillian Anderson Gillian Anderson attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) Scoop star Gillian Anderson hit the Emmys red carpet in a textured silver A-line gown by Emilia Wickstead with matching handbag. Catherine O'Hara Catherine O'Hara attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) Fresh off her press tour for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the Canadian comedy legend brought the sparkle to the Emmys red carpet in a sequinned floral look by Oscar de la Renta. Billy Crudup and Naomi Watts Billy Crudup and Naomi Watts attend the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) Feud: Capote vs. The Swans star Naomi Watts donned custom Balenciaga to hit the red carpet alongside her husband, The Morning Show star Billy Crudup. Mindy Kaling Mindy Kaling attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) Kaling stunned in an off-the-shoulder look with jewel embellishments by Indian designer Guarav Gupta. Dakota Fanning Dakota Fanning attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) Fanning dazzled in a pearl-encrusted strapless gown by Armani Prive to celebrate her nomination for her role in the limited series, Ripley. Meryl Streep Meryl Streep attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) Streep's blush pink suit was an unexpected, but playful choice for the Emmys red carpet. The Oscar-winning star of Only Murders In the Building accessorized her look with pink glasses and cream-coloured handbag. Dan Levy Dan Levy attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) The Canadian actor and the evening's host stood out on the red carpet in a dramatic Loewe suit with asymmetrical neckline. Laura Dern Laura Dern at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, (Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images) Palm Royale star Laura Dern opted for an off-the shoulder jumpsuit that featured a long, pleated coat for the Emmys red carpet. The actress added a pop of colour to the ensemble with a red handbag and bold ruby and diamond lariat. Jeremy Allen White Jeremy Allen White attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) The Bear's Jeremy Allen White looked dapper in a classic tailored tux by Calvin Klein. Nicola Coughlan Nicola Coughlan attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan shimmered in a custom silver look by Prabal Gurung that featured a structured peplum hem. Viola Davis Viola Davis at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images) Viola Davis went for drama with a monochrome halter-neck gown by Zuhair Murad. The Oscar-winner accessorized the look with a pair of diamond bangles and chandelier earrings. Quinta Brunson Quinta Brunson attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) The Abbott Elementary creator and star looked ready for the spotlight in a structured Georges Chakra couture gown with bow detail. Kristen Wiig Kristen Wiig attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) The Palm Royale funny woman shined in a woven metallic tea-length gown with jewel embellishments by Oscar de la Renta. Sarah Paulson Sarah Paulson at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images) Sarah Paulson went for a Prada gown with flowing train to celebrate her nomination for her guest spot on the comedy series Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Saoirse Ronan and Jack Lowden Saoirse Ronan and Jack Lowden attend the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) Saoirse Ronan hit the red carpet in a two-piece navy look by Louis Vuitton and Bulgari jewelry to celebrate husband Jack Lowden and his Emmy nomination for his Apple TV+ spy drama, Slow Horses. Anna Sawai Anna Sawai attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) Sawai hit the red carpet to celebrate her Emmy nomination for her performance in Shogun in a cherry-red Vera Wang couture gown and Cartier jewels. Tyler James Williams Tyler James Williams at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images) The Abbott Elementary star wore a fashion-forward look by Dolce and Gabbana and diamond accessories by Tiffany & Co.. Sheryl Lee Ralph Sheryl Lee Ralph attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) The Abbott Elementary looked sophisticated in a classic black satin halter gown by Atelier Versace. Brie Larson Brie Larson attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) Larson looked polished in a tea-length, jewel-encrusted Chanel ensemble with bow detail. The Oscar-winner was nominated for her performance in the Apple TV+ miniseries, Lessons In Chemistry. Kathy Bates Kathy Bates attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) Bates looked elegant in a long-sleeve navy gown by Giorgio Armani. Jodie Foster Jodie Foster attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) Foster looked polished in a navy Louis Vuitton look with bodice sash detail. Idris Elba Idris Elba attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) Hijack star Idris Elba opted for a custom charcoal grey suit by Calvin Klein for the Emmys red carpet. Greta Lee Greta Lee at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images) Lee and Loewe are a red carpet match made in heaven. The Morning Show star wore an avant garde white lace halter look by the Spanish fashion house paired with a bold sapphire and diamond earrings and cocktail ring. Ayo Edebiri Ayo Edebiri attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) The Bear's Ayo Edebiri sparkled in a custom look by Bottega Veneta that featured a bold, thigh-high slit. Diane Lane Diane Lane attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) Lane wore a baby pink Prabal Gurung gown to celebrate her Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in the limited series Feud: Capote vs. The Swans. Rita Ora and Taika Waititi Rita Ora and Taika Waititi attend the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) Ora brought the old Hollywood drama in a baby pink gown with feather shawl alongside husband, Reservation Dogs executive producer Taika Waititi. Jonathan Bailey Jonathan Bailey attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) Jonathan Bailey has quickly become one to watch on the red carpet. The Bridgerton star upped the men's fashion game with his Giorgio Armani suit with strategically unbuttoned shirt and DeBeers floral brooch. Christine Baranski Christine Baranski at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images) The Gilded Age star was the epitome of elegance in a floral-printed gown by Oscar de la Renta that featured off the shoulder draping and a pop of colour with her red jewel-encrusted heels. Lily Gladstone Lily Gladstone attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) Gladstone donned an armour-like dress for the red carpet. The actress is nominated for her role in the miniseries, Under the Bridge, based on a true-crime that occurred on Vancouver Island in 1997. Elizabeth Debicki Elizabeth Debicki attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) The Crown's Elizabeth Debicki opted for understated elegance with her A-line Dior gown, De Beers diamond drop earrings and statement watch by Vacheron. Reba McEntire Reba McEntire attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) McEntire stayed true to her country roots in an emerald green paisley printed suit with silver camisole and diamond star brooches. Maya Rudolph Maya Rudolph at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images) Loot star Maya Rudolph went for a ruffled chiffon gown straight off-the-runway by Chloe that featured a matching sheer capelet. Richard Gadd Richard Gadd attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) The Baby Reindeer writer, creator and star stayed true to his Scottish roots in a tartan and Loweve suit jacket. Molly Gordon Molly Gordon arriving at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) The Bear star brought the glamour in a curve-hugging gown with dramatic thigh-high slit Devery Jacobs Devery Jacobs attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) The Canadian Reservation Dogs actress opted for a statment-making cream coloured suit with tulle accents. Andrew Scott Andrew Scott attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) Andrew Scott isn't afraid to take risks on the red carpet and his Emmys look is no exception. The Ripley star's high-fashion take on the classic black tux featured a sheer shirt with ruffled neckline. Liza Colon-Zayas Liza Colon-Zayas attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) Colon-Zayas's hit the red carpet in a green sequin gown by Christian Siriano to celebrate her nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in The Bear. Kristin Scott Thomas Kristin Scott Thomas attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) Thomas looked regal in a mauve ensemble with pink elbow length gloves to celebrate her Apple TV+ spy series, Slow Horses. Susan Kelechi Watson Susan Kelechi Watson attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) The This Is Us star went for a monochrome Bibhu Mohapatra gown with dramatic high-low bubble hem. Kelti Knight Keltie Knight at the 76th Emmy Awards. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Content Services) The Canadian E! News host and "Lady Gang" podcast host opted for a vintage Monique Lhuillier gown for the Emmys red carpet and timeless Kevork Khatcherian jewels. Heather McMahan Heather McMahan attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) The Son I Never Had comedian and E! red carpet correspondent brought the glamour in a shimmering Tadashi Shoji gown and Dena Kemp jewels. Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Why do we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month? What you need to know Every year, Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. While it's important to uplift the voices, culture, history and contributions of the Hispanic and Latino communities year-round, the U.S. government formally designated the month to spotlight the contributions made by "American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America, according to the official government website. Hispanic Heritage Month has been celebrated for decades. However, questions still swirl like "What is Hispanic Heritage Month?" and "Why is it split between two months?" Ahead of highlight achievements by Latinos and their culture, here is everything to know The history of Hispanic Heritage Month Before it was a month-long celebration it was just one week. Rep. Edward R. Roybal and Rep. Henry B. Gonzales championed a bill for a week-long observance, Hispanic Heritage Week. The bill was introduced at a moment of political radicalization by young Mexican-Americans demanding fair access to resources, including government services and education, Frances Negron-Muntaner, an English and Comparative Literature professor at Columbia University, said. Although Hispanic Heritage Month officially began as a state project, it was also a response to decades of Latino activists, particularly during the 1960s, whose demands included recognition of their culture, history and rights. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the proposed legislation into law in 1968. It wasn't until two decades later, on Aug. 17, 1988, Hispanic Heritage Week became legally expanded to a 30-day observance from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 under President Ronald Reagan. Hispanic Heritage Month was first proclaimed or publicly announced to the American people by President George H.W. Bush in 1989. Marchers dance together down 5th Avenue in traditional costumes during the 55th Hispanic Day Parade in 2019. Why is Hispanic Heritage Month split between September and October? People may be wondering why the heritage month is celebrated in the middle of two months. There's a good explanation for that. Sept. 15 was chosen as the starting point for Hispanic Heritage Month because it is the anniversary of the Cry of Dolores or Grito de Dolores," according to Carlos Olave, head of the Hispanic Reading Room at the Library of Congress. This event marked the start of the Mexican War of Independence and resulted in freedom for the New Spain Colony (now Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua) in 1821. Mexico, most Central American countries and Chile commemorate their independence from Spain on Sept. 15, Sept. 16, and Sept. 18, respectively. Columbus Day happens to fall during Hispanic Heritage Month, but instead of honoring the controversial explorer, Spanish-speaking countries celebrate Dia de la Raza or Day of the Race on Oct. 12. This holiday, which bookends Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S., recognizes the blend of indigenous and European or mestizo heritage across Spanish-speaking countries. Members of Morenada Bolivia USA perform at the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at the National Zoo in Northwest Washington. How Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated today Just like theres no one-size-fits-all Latino or Hispanic experience, theres no one way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month can range from hosting or attending cultural festivals to volunteering to help Latino communities in need, Emily Key, Director of Education at the Smithsonian Latino Center in Washington, D.C., told TODAY. Museums across the country, including The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino, offer programs and resources to honor Latino and Hispanic communities. Throughout the month, check out museums and libraries near you to see if they're hosting similar events. The best part: They're often free. In Washington D.C., the Library of Congress will commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month throughout most of its 20 public reading rooms with blogs, performances, workshops, exhibits, screenings, lectures and special events. The Hispanic Reading Room will release 50 audio recordings by Latino writers from its PALABRA Archive, a collection of approximately 800 original audio recordings of 20th and 21st century Luso-Hispanic (a reference to regions once ruled by Portugal or Spain) poets and writers reading from their works. Celebrate Hispanic Heritage month at home by trying out traditional recipes from Latino and Hispanic chefs. Or make it a family affair by reading one or all of these childrens books at bedtime. For an adult reading session, consider a book from this curated list of Latino authors, including the March 2021 Read With Jenna book club pick. But if you feel like showing support with your wallet, then check out this list of Latino-owned beauty brands to shop now and forever. This article was originally published on TODAY.com LATAM Is Upgrading Its Cabins with New Business Class Suites, New Economy Seats, More The refresh will be completed in March, 2025. Courtesy of LATAM LATAM is giving some of its cabins a complete overhaul, adding a brand-new business class suite, ergonomically-designed economy seats, and more. The interior refresh, which the carrier plans to complete on 24 of its Boeing 787 aircraft, will be available for passenger flights starting March 1, 2025, LATAM shared with Travel + Leisure. The airline will upgrade both its Boeing 787-8 aircraft, which it flies domestically in Chile, and its Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which it flies in Chile, Brazil, and Peru. "With a design that reflects the unique essence of the LATAM Group and attention to the finest details, our new cabins have been created to offer a world-class travel experience, Paulo Miranda, the VP of customers at LATAM Airlines Group, said in a statement shared with T+L. The new Premium Business seats mark a significant leap forward, combining comfort, privacy, and elegance. These renovations position LATAM as a leader in the industry, providing our passengers with an unprecedented level of comfort and an exclusive flying experience. Courtesy of LATAM In business class, travelers will enjoy a brand-new suite complete with a privacy door, which LATAM said would make it the first South American airline to offer one. Each suite will also feature up to 70 percent recycled leather and a sleek design with a marble-looking side table and small cubby for storage. In Economy Plus, the airline will add more legroom, a larger recline, footrests, and exclusive luggage storage space. And in economy, travelers will also enjoy recycled leather seats and have access to 12-inch high-definition touch-screens with Bluetooth as well as be able to view content from Max, Paramount+, and Disney+. The entire cabin refresh is expected to be complete by mid-2026. LATAM is a partner of Delta Air Lines and offers mileage redemptions and reciprocal benefits for loyal customers. The South American airline flies to several cities in the United States, including New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, and Orlando. For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Travel & Leisure. Meet the Library's new executive director and take part in other fall events As crisp fall air settles in, the Library invites you to dive into a season of engaging events and community activities. From joining our Teen Volunteer Council and checking car seat safety to enjoying Cherokee storytelling and documentary screenings, theres something for everyone. Plus, meet our new Executive Director Ed Walton and learn about our librarys growth. Car seat check-up with Willard Fire Department Caregivers and children from infants to age 6 are invited to enjoy a special story time with the Willard Fire Department at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, at the Willard Branch Library. The story time will feature a check to ensure car seats are properly installed and a fire truck for everyone to see. Teen Volunteer Council recruitment event Pick up an application and learn how to get involved, give back, meet new friends and log volunteer hours by joining our Teen Volunteer Council at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, at the Schweitzer Brentwood Branch, for ages 14-18. 'Join or Die' documentary Celebrate the start of Missouri Good Neighbor Week with two special screenings of "Join or Die," not rated, from noon-2 p.m. and 3-5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Republic Branch Library. Follow the story of America's civic unraveling through the journey of scientist Robert Putnam, author of the groundbreaking book "Bowling Alone." A discussion will follow the film, including opportunities to "join" in our community. This program is in partnership with the University of Missouri Extension of Greene County. Cherokee stories of animals and the moon Kituwah Cherokee Storyteller Choogie Kingfisher will share the childhood stories of the Cherokee people at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, in the Library Center auditorium, for ages 4 and older. This program is sponsored by the Library Foundation. Meet the Library's new executive director Meet Ed Walton, the newly appointed Springfield-Greene County Library District Executive Director from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, in the Library Center auditorium. Ed will be available to answer questions and share information and graphics on the current construction projects at the Library Center, Midtown Carnegie Branch Library and Republic Branch Library. Morgan Shannon is a copywriter for the Springfield-Greene County Library District. She can be reached at morgans@thelibrary.org. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Meet the Library's new executive director and other fall events A perennial favourite of British cruisers, thanks to its location virtually on our doorstep, the Mediterranean stretches 2,500 miles from west to east, is encircled by three continents and has a superlative blend of history, rich cultures and diverse landscapes. It may come second to the Caribbean in the global cruising popularity stakes, but it has long been the top sailing spot for Britons and stands apart for the vast collection of countries and ports scattered along its shores, providing an assortment of vibrant cities, clifftop hamlets, ancient sites and sleepy island escapes. Cruise itineraries can follow any number of routes, from the Mediterraneans western edge where Europe almost touches North Africa, eastwards towards Turkey and the Middle East, reaching out to the western extremities of Asia, ensuring an almost infinite choice of destinations. From the castaway charm of the Greek islands and the Venetian allure of the Adriatic to the chichi cachet of the Cote dAzur and the steamy hustle of North African souks, such a variety guarantees that no two voyages need ever be the same. The classic itineraries Cruises are invariably divided between the Western Mediterranean itineraries, which generally follow the coasts of Spain, France and Italy, and the Eastern Mediterranean, covering the Adriatic, the Greek islands and Turkey. Some voyages take a more southerly course, scooping up North African stops in Morocco and Tunisia, potentially including Israel and Egypt, with longer voyages venturing through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea and beyond. However, current unrest and piracy problems in this area have curtailed such sailings for the time-being. The island of Capri is a popular stop on a Western Med cruise - Universal Images Group via Getty Images A typical Western Med cruise would feature the Italian ports of Civitavecchia, for Rome; Livorno or La Spezia, for Florence and Pisa; and Naples, for access to the ruined Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, along with the Neapolitan Riviera and the isle of Capri. Further stops may also include Marseilles (for Provence) and the French Riviera resorts of Villefranche and Cannes; and Barcelona and Monte Carlo for a dash of jet-set glamour. Eastern Mediterranean itineraries typically cover the Greek islands, the Adriatic Riviera of Croatia and Montenegro, plus the Holy Land and the Black Sea (though this is largely off-limits due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine), with departures from Athens, Venice (Trieste, Ravenna or Marghera) and Civitavecchia. UK departure or fly-cruise As far as the UK is concerned, its a question of whether to cruise from a British port usually Southampton, though there are departures from other points, such as Dover, Portsmouth and Tilbury. Its worth noting that it normally takes two days (including crossing the notoriously choppy Bay of Biscay) to reach the Mediterranean, with usually one or two stops en route at the likes of La Coruna, Lisbon, Cadiz, Madeira or Gibraltar, which sits at the entrance to the Med. Sailing from the UK also limits how far south the ship can travel within the timeframe, with two-week voyages generally not getting beyond Naples. Fly-cruises offer the chance to join departures from various ports in the Mediterranean, notably Barcelona, Civitavecchia, Athens (Piraeus), Dubrovnik, Palma and Monte Carlo. How long? Sailings can range from mini-cruises of just a few nights to longer stints of more than a month, though the most common durations are one or two weeks for fly-cruises. For sailings from British ports, the additional time needed to sail to and from the Mediterranean means the minimum duration is generally 12 or 13 nights, but most are a fortnight or more. Offbeat options The size and style of cruise ships determines which destinations will be on itineraries, proving the Mediterraneans versatility. The smaller the ship, the more off the beaten track it can go, immersing itself in the islands of Croatia or among the more remote outposts of Greeces archipelagos. While certain Italian marquee ports are key stops on Western Mediterranean itineraries, their diminutive neighbours, such as Sorrento and Capri, encapsulate the heady romance of the Italian Riviera for smaller ships. Offshore, sitting north of Sicily, are the Aeolian Islands, where the fiery pyrotechnics of the volcanic Stromboli can often be witnessed on ships calling at Naples in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. These outposts, including the aforementioned Stromboli, plus Lipari, Vulcano and Salina, and the Pontine Islands, also off the Italian coast, attract smaller vessels that can slip into their harbours or moor offshore. Its a similar story in Menorca one of the sleepier Balearics and Maltas quieter sister, Gozo. Island hopping some of Greece's more offbeat islands is a great way to discover another side to the country - Reinhard Schmid/4Corners Images Other sailings feature Sardinia and Corsica, with some cruise ships virtually circumnavigating the islands, while there are a growing number of voyages along the Adriatic coast. Dubrovnik and Split are magnets for mainstream cruise lines, with smaller coastal vessels and megayachts adding stops at the likes of Hvar, Zadar and Korcula. The medieval walled city of Kotor, in Montenegro, stunningly situated beneath the vertiginous cliffs that surround southern Europes largest fjord, is another prize and can accommodate ships of all sizes. The Greek isles are another example, where the main islands of Mykonos, Santorini et al are popular stops on most cruises to the region, with petite sleepier gems such as Patmos, Milos and Skiathos making a refreshing contrast for the boutique craft and gulet boats that cruise these waters and explore virtually untouched stretches of the nearby Turkish coast. Who to book with As a main summer cruising destination, the Mediterranean draws virtually all the major cruise lines, with US companies sending ships across the Atlantic to Europe in spring, and calling them back during autumn. This is a key traditional cruising ground for British lines such as Cunard and P&O Cruises, which sail from Southampton and base their ships in Valletta or Civitavecchia, among others, for fly-cruises. Fred Olsen Cruise Lines offers imaginative itineraries concentrating on areas such as Italys Amalfi Coast, the Adriatic or exploring the regions ancient archaeological sites on voyages of up to 59 nights, while Saga Cruises has a range of Eastern and Western Med departures of up to 26 nights. Eastern Mediterranean cruises often call at Montenegro - Giorgio Filippini Ambassador Cruise Line visits the Mediterranean on a handful of longer voyages of 21 to more than 30 nights with departures from Tilbury, while Marella Cruises bases ships at various Med ports, including Palma, Dubrovnik and Limassol. Among US brands, Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean International are among those to base ships in the UK and at European ports during summer, giving passengers a choice of UK departures or fly-cruises. Its a similar story for Italian-style brand MSC Cruises, which regards the Mediterranean as its home turf, and offers the most embarkation ports of any cruise line, in addition to basing a ship in the UK during the winter months, too. Theres a full lineup of luxury lines plying Mediterranean waters, with the likes of Azamara and Windstar Cruises spending later evenings and staying overnight in ports, while the foodie line Oceania Cruises capitalises on the contrasting cuisines of different destinations, and Viking Cruises offers departures focusing on the regions historic legacy. Luxury lines Silversea, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Seabourn also capitalise on the Mediterraneans cultural riches, with Seabourn holding special gala evenings among the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus. A clutch of river-cruise specialists Emerald Cruises, CroisiEurope and APT also dip their toes into Mediterranean waters, with coastal cruises through Dalmatia, the Greek islands and around Corsica, while tall-ship experts Star Clippers and Sea Cloud Cruises bring a wind-in-the-hair feel to voyages seeking out smaller ports such as Portofino, Elba and Giardini Naxos, for Taormina in Sicily. Niche players including Variety Cruises, with its mix of traditional-style yachts and cruisers, boutique line Noble Caledonia and the Greek Celestyal Cruises focus on tucked-away ports, as do the upscale French line Ponant and Germanys Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. Adding to the mix is MSC Cruises new luxury brand Explora Journeys, which made its Mediterranean debut in summer 2023, as did newcomer The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. Adding to the mix is MSC Cruises new luxury brand Explora Journeys, which makes its Mediterranean debut this July, while the newcomer Ritz- Carlton Yacht Collection embarks on its maiden summer season. For the best weather, it's advised to book a cruise from spring to autumn - The Image Bank RF/Getty When to go While cruises operate year-round, the main season runs from spring to autumn, peaking in the summer when resorts are at their busiest and temperatures reach upwards of 30C. Spring is regarded as a good time to travel, before the summer heat sets in and the holiday crowds descend, while autumn is mellow, without the blazing heat of summer and the peak-season rush of tourists. As autumn progresses, the Eastern Mediterranean tends to hold onto warmer temperatures for longer. Winter conditions are more unpredictable, with mild sunny days and cool, rainy periods. Health and safety Exercise the same caution as you would at home. Beware pickpockets in popular tourist areas, particularly Barcelonas La Rambla and Romes Trevi Fountain and Colosseum, and avoid taking valuables ashore. In North African countries, including Morocco and Tunisia, pickpocketing, bag-snatching and credit-card frauds are common in tourist areas, including medinas, and tourists may be harassed by people posing as official guides. Beware demonstrations or protests that can occur with little or no warning. Check the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) website for more details. 10 great Mediterranean cruises to book now 1. Spanish sojourn Escape to the Western Mediterranean on this no-fly voyage with MSC Cruises, departing from Southampton and following the coast of Spain to the Balearics before returning. Ports of call include Valencia, Barcelona, Palma, and Cadiz. With departures on July 12, 26 and September 13, 2025, this 14-night voyage costs from 1,299pp (020 3426 3010; msccruises.co.uk) 2. A taste of Italy Enjoy a contrasting taste of the Mediterranean and the Adriatic on this Celebrity Cruises voyage combining the Italian ports of La Spezia (for Florence) and pretty Portofino with Kotor in Montenegro and the Croatian city of Split. The 10-night sailing from Civitavecchia (Rome) to Ravenna (Venice) departs on October 10, 2025. From 1,298pp. Flights extra (0344 493 2043; celebritycruises.com) 3. Rail and sail A stay in southern Italys Puglia region makes a charming start to this Star Clippers package, followed by a train transfer to Civitavecchia where guests join square rigger Star Flyer to sail to the Aeolian Islands, dominated by the active volcano on Stromboli, and the pretty Pontine Isles off the coast of Naples. The eight-night package, departing September 4, 2025, includes a two-night hotel stay followed by a six-night round-trip sailing from Civitavecchia. From 2,999pp including flights, hotel and rail travel (01473 242666; starclippers.co.uk). 4. A racing start Get your motor running for Windstar Cruises Monaco Grand Prix-themed voyage, which includes seats at the time trials and the final race, plus a special Prix du Monde themed cocktail reception and dinner on board. The one-week round-trip voyage from Civitavecchia (Rome) departs on May 20, 2025. From 7,816pp cruise-only (0808 178 2233; windstarcruises.com) 5. Yachting odyssey Uncover the secrets of the Cyclades aboard the classic motor yacht Galileo, as it weaves a path to escapist isles of dreamy whitewashed villages and blue-domed churches. The itinerary takes in the contrasting delights of hedonistic Mykonos with sleepy Poliegos, Paros, Syros and Kythnos, among others. The one-week round-trip voyage from Athens has regular departures through summer and autumn, with prices from 1,996pp, excluding flights (020 8324 3114; varietycruises.com) Monaco is a highlight on several Mediterranean cruise itineraries - Giacomo Augugliaro 6. Cultural cornucopia This 33-night voyage with Ambassador Cruise Line brings alive the Mediterraneans cultural and historic contrasts, from the Egyptian city of Alexandria which acts as the gateway to the countrys historic wonders, and the enchanting legacy of Venetian rule in Corfu to the British influences of Gibraltar and Italian dolce vita lifestyle of Sardinias capital Cagliari. Departing on May 5, 2025, from 2,740pp (0808 159 4882; ambassadorcruiseline.com) 7. Turkish gulet cruise Explore the rich heritage and scenic beauty of the virtually untouched region of Lycia on Turkeys Turquoise Coast, sailing into hidden bays where beyond the sandy shores lie ancient cities and archaeological treasures. This voyage on a traditional-style Turkish gulet moors at quiet anchorages for trips ashore and swimming stops. This 14-night Cruising the Lycian Shore round-trip, sailing from Dalaman, departs on September 7, 2025, from 5,395pp (01600 888220; petersommer.com) 8. Short break to Greece Fancy a midweek break with a difference? Try one of Celestyal Cruises short sailings around the Aegean, where you pack in six destinations in four days, from the party isle of Mykonos and volcanic Santorini to upscale Patmos and historic Rhodes. The four-night round-trip Athens voyage departs regularly from April to November, with prices from 449pp. Flights extra (0808 280 3825; celestyal.com) 9. High seas magic Sprinkling pixie dust on this one-week round-trip from Barcelona where Mickey Mouse and friends promise to bring their own brand of magic is Disney Cruise Line, with a voyage full of parties, characters and enchanting shows. Departing on July 12, this sailing on Disney Fantasy calls at Palermo, Livorno, Naples and Civitavecchia, from 2,580pp. Flights extra (0800 171 2317; disneycruise.disney.go.com) 10. Mediterranean isles Sidestep the main Western Med tourist spots on this small-ship exploration with Noble Caledonia, seeking out historic treasures in Sardinia and classical towns and medieval fortresses on Corsica. This eight-night voyage from Gibraltar starts off by threading its way through the Balearics, stopping at Menorca, before delving into the enchanting isle of Elba, where Napoleon was famously sent into exile in 1814. Departing on September 23, 2025, it costs from 5,295pp, including flights (020 7752 0000; noble-caledonia.co.uk) This article was first published in May 2023 and has been revised and updated. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. When Colombian designer Silvia Tcherassi, 60, opened up her fashion business to wholesale in 2017, she had already established her luxury ready-to-wear label with 15 stores throughout South America, Spain and Miami. She also penned the book Elegancia Sin Esfuerzos in 2017, worked in interior design and became the founder and creative director Tcherassi Hotels, which is currently exploring new projects focused on hospitality and real estate after receiving acclaim for its previous hotels in Cartagena, Colombia. Since then, the celebrated designer has expanded the vibrant world of her eponymous womenswear label alongside her daughter, Sofia Espinosa Tcherassi, who joined the business as director of ready-to-wear during the pandemic. Together, they continue to uphold their Colombian heritage through luxe craftsmanship and collaborations with local artisans, resulting in artfully feminine and glamorous fashions that are stocked at the brands 11 global stores, and with retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Moda Operandi and more. The brands headquarters, design studio and showroom are based in Miami, while production facilities and logistics operations are in Colombia. More from WWD Silvia Tcherassi resort 2025 Having been born in the Caribbean [in Barranquilla, Colombia], with its rich culture and history, these factors have profoundly influenced my creative process. The Caribbean and Latin America are a fusion of diverse cultures and immigrants from many parts of the world, including Italy, where my grandfather originated. This has enriched Latin culture, making it diverse, eclectic and heterogeneous, Silvia Tcherassi told WWD, adding that in her region, values of family and community, as well as creating a strong sense of belonging have influenced her as a creative. Furthermore, Latin American arts, music and literature consistently inspire her for their unique identities and impart lessons that transcend their mediums, she said. [Gabriel] Garcia Marquez taught us that the ordinary can become extraordinary, a concept I incorporate into my designs. Similarly, Fernando Boteros approach to volume, scale and color invites experimentation and the exploration of new visual languages, Tcherassi said of previous collections inspirations. She also credits Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta, who were both born in the Caribbean, as inspirational designers who opened the doors for her generation and whose stories are not linked solely to a part of Latin American history, but have strongly impacted global history. In Latin culture, we are passionate about our work, putting love and dedication into everything we do. A job is not just a job, and a company is not just a company. There is an underlying passion that connects all elements, along with a strong sense of legacy. We focus not just on short-term results, but on building something meaningful for our families, communities and country. Our accomplishments are not seen as personal triumphs alone; when I debuted in Milan, Colombians and Latins felt that the success was also theirs, Tcherassi said of being the first being the first Latin American designer invited to Milan Fashion Week in 2003 by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, as well as to Paris in 2004 by the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. She added that being honored with the title of Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France has also made a significant impact on her career. With each collection, Tcherassi upholds the value of hard work that she said is deeply ingrained in her culture, as well as the preservation of traditional craft of the centuries-old techniques of our indigenous communities, by collaborating with these artisan communities, such as the Wayuu Indigenous Community in La Guajira, Colombia and Artisan Community of Usiacuri in Atlantico, Colombia, for more than 15 years. Silvia Tcherassi fall 2024 I strive to emphasize that being Latin is not just a demographic label but a cultural identity. Our culture is incredibly diverse, and as a result, so are the creatives from the region. The work of Gabriela Hearst, Adrian Appiolaza, Willy Chavarria and myself is vastly different, even though we share a Latin connection. We dont necessarily share a design manifesto, which enriches our work and makes it more special we cannot all be placed in the same box, Tcherassi said. Latin designers are gaining more recognition in the fashion industry. For years, European fashion houses drew inspiration from our region Diors haute couture looks inspired by Peru, Colombian accessories on Gaultiers runway and Riccardo Tiscis work for Givenchy inspired by Frida Kahlo. Today, we are telling our own stories and representing our culture on our own terms, she added of how being a Hispanic designer has evolved over recent years. However, this representation genuine representation, not the perpetuation of cliches and stereotypes, she said and visibility needs to continue to grow. Hispanic Heritage Month is important because it highlights the achievements of Latinos in various fields, serving as inspiration for newer generations. These stories, which show how to achieve dreams while staying grounded, can motivate younger individuals to reach their full potential and find their own personal and professional paths, Tcherassi said. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, WWD chose 10 Latino designers who are shaping the world of fashion today to photograph and profile. The images from this series will be featured in a national billboard campaign run by Outfront. Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. There's a massive $22.6 trillion crisis looming over American workers, and surprisingly, it's barely making a ripple in the presidential debates. Social Security and Medicare the lifelines of millions of Americans are hanging by a thread, yet the candidates seem more interested in catchy sound bites than addressing this financial catastrophe. Don't Miss: In Tuesday's debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, much was said about various issues, but not a word about the crumbling state of the U.S. federal budget. Trump's outlandish comment, "They're eating the pets," went viral, but what millions of Americans care about more is how they'll survive when Social Security runs dry. According to the Social Security Administration trustees, the fund faces a $22.6 trillion shortfall. That's not just a number it's the equivalent of $172,000 for every household in the country. Without significant changes, the Social Security Trust Fund is expected to run out of money by 2035. At that point, benefits could be slashed by 24.6%, leaving retirees in a serious bind. Trending: The average American couple has saved this much money for retirement How do you compare? "The reality is, if we don't act soon, Social Security will be a thing of the past," warned one financial expert. And the numbers back that up. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) estimates that an average dual-income couple could lose about $16,500 a year in benefits if nothing is done. According to Google Trends, Social Security was the most-searched issue during election week. One would expect this topic to be front and center during the debate, but the candidates didn't dive into it. Harris and Trump insist they want to protect Social Security, but the specifics remain unclear. See Also: IRS Finalizes 10-Year Rule For Retirement Withdrawals, Making Things Even More Insanely Complicated Harris advocates for higher taxes on the wealthy, saying, "We need to ensure millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share." The Biden administration has also pushed for a Social Security tax on incomes up to $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for married couples filing jointly. Trump, on the other hand, has been less specific. He denies Democrats accusations that he plans to cut benefits while vowing to cut taxes if reelected. Story continues But Social Security isn't the only elephant in the room. Medicare is facing its crisis, with a $2.4 trillion shortfall in the fund that pays for Medicare Part A benefits covering hospital bills and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Trending: Teens may never need wisdom teeth removed thanks to this MedTech Company Be an early investor for just $300 for 100 shares! The future costs for Medicare Part B and Part D covering doctor visits and prescription drugs are rising even faster, and those costs are largely funded through taxes and government borrowing. Last year alone, Medicare taxes brought in $367 billion, but the program spent $1 trillion. By 2048, taxes are projected to cover only one-fifth of the program's costs. Where's the rest of the money going to come from? More borrowing and even more taxes. The U.S. national debt is already a staggering $34 trillion, and it's expected to keep growing. For perspective, in 2000, the debt was $3.4 trillion yes, it's grown tenfold in just a generation. Read Next: UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article The $22.6 Trillion Crisis Neither Harris Nor Trump Mentioned, But It's The Top Concern For Millions Of Working Americans originally appeared on Benzinga.com 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. At Target, it is almost time for Target Circle Week. The retailer's seasonal shopping event, Target Circle Week, returns Oct. 6-12 with what Target says will be its largest holiday assortment ever 50% more new items than last year. Earlier this year, Target held Target Circle Week in April, followed by its summer Target Circle Week in July. The Oct. 6-12 event signals a ramping up of the pre-holiday shopping season, which will include Amazon Prime Day in October (date not yet announced). More than half of Targets holiday assortment is exclusive, the retailer says. Among the upcoming holiday selection: Many toys priced less than $20 and Wondershop holiday items priced at $10 or less, thousands of stocking stuffers priced under $5, and holiday festive apparel and accessories starting at $5. Consumers are getting ready for one of the most exciting times of the year, which is why were leaning into the magic of Tarzhay like never before with an assortment, value and experience only Target can deliver, said Rick Gomez, executive vice president and chief commercial officer for Target, in a news release. From only-at-Target exclusives to the return of Target Circle Week and great deals every day, our plans are unmistakably Target and will add extra sparkle and delight to the holidays. Target will have also have one day-only Deals of the Day each day of Target Circle Week and again starting Nov. 1 through the rest of the holiday shopping season. If you are looking for work, Target plans to hire about 100,000 seasonal workers for its stores and supply chain facilities. the company said. More than half of last years seasonal workers were offered a permanent position, too. Those interested can go to TargetSeasonalJobs.com starting Sept. 25 to apply. Target will have its seasonal Target Circle Week from Oct. 6-12. Halloween shopping: It shouldn't scare your wallet. Where to find cheap costumes and decoration ideas Holiday deals to look for at Target For shoppers looking to get a head start on their holiday shopping, here's some of the items Target will be stocking its shelves with: More than 1,000 new toys from Disney, LEGO and FAO Schwarz and other big brands. More than 100 new and exclusive beauty gifting items from brands like Papatui, Being Frenshe and finery. New food and beverage items from British retailer Marks & Spencer, plus new home items like London-themed ornaments and mugs, all under $20. A variety of "Wicked"-related products and in-store activations (Target is the premier retail spot for the movie, due out Nov. 27). New Bullseye shopping sections in nearly 200 stores will have Target-branded gifts (most priced under $25) including ornaments, toys depicting Target's terrier mascot Bullseye, and other Target-themed items from Polly Pocket, Funko, Barbie, Pez and more. How to sign up for Target Circle Customers can sign up for a free Target Circle account online or via the Target app. Shoppers can also save an extra 5% on purchases, get free two-day shipping and an extra 30 days to return items with the Target Circle store credit card. Signing up for the card initially is free, and also comes with a discounted Target Circle 360 membership ($49 for the year, a $50 savings); Target Circle 360 features include unlimited same-day delivery from Target and dozens of other retailers, plus free two-day delivery on orders of $35 or more. Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider. What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Target Circle Week: Get a holiday head start with deals, discounts The Villisca Axe Murder House now has Charlotte ties stay overnight, if you dare A Charlotte ghost tours company recently acquired one of the countrys most haunted houses, creating a tie between the Queen City and the home of unsolved octuple murders in 1912 in Villisca, Iowa. US Ghost Adventures, the Virginia-based company behind Queen City Ghosts that has a walking tour in uptown Charlotte, has purchased the home known as the Villisca Axe Murder House. And if you dare, you can book an overnight stay there. This home was the site of the Villisca ax murders of June 1912. THE STORY: The Villisca ax murders of June 1912 remain an enduring and unsettling enigma in American criminal history, states US Ghost Adventures website. In this quaint small Iowa town on a pleasant summers night, eight unsuspecting victims including six children were bludgeoned to death as they slept following a church service. Two of the children were friends of the family, staying overnight in a downstairs bedroom. WHO DID IT: Despite a nationwide manhunt, multiple suspects and two trials, the murder remains unsolved, the website says. The house was restored in the 1990s so that visitors could see the home as it was on the night of the crime. Its been added to the National Registry of Historic Places, so no further changes are planned. The home is a draw for true crime enthusiasts and paranormal fans, a company representative told CharlotteFive. In fact, the house has had visitors from all around the world. HOW TO VISIT: There are a couple of ways to see the house for yourself, if you dare. Book a 45-minute tour for $15, where you can tack on an Rent EMF Detector for an extra $7. But if youre traveling from Charlotte all the way to Iowa, you might just be courageous enough to do an overnight stay. Standard rates are $199 for a room (there are three to choose from). You can also rent the entire house, starting at $599. Keep in mind, as the house has been restored to its original state, that there is no electricity or running water. Private house tours for groups are also available. The house seems to have a life of its own. From my own experiences and what guests have shared over the years, there are unexplained sounds, movements of objects, and even physical touch that occurs to those who dare stay the night, said Johnny Houser, who has managed the Villisca Axe Murder House for two decades. This home was the site of the Villisca ax murders of June 1912. Other home tours Not planning to visit Iowa anytime soon? The company has two other homes you might want to check out: The company purchased the Lizzie Borden home in Fall River, Massachusetts, in 2021. She was accused of the ax murders of her father Andrew and stepmother Abby in 1892. You can stay at the home, as it is now a bed and breakfast. The Welty House was built in the 1830s and was the site of fighting during the Battle of Gettysburg. It was used as a sharpshooter position for Confederate forces and then later as a temporary burial ground for 36 Union and confederate soldiers. Ghost stories in town Of course, you can always save the gas money and say hello to spooky season by booking a walking tour by Queen City Ghosts. The local tours start and end at The Dunhill Hotel in uptown, are 60-90 minutes long and include 8 stops. Tickets are $26 for adults and $16 for children. A newspaper story about The Villisca, Iowa, ax murders of June 1912. I wanted to do something to pay back what the world did for me, Ford tells PEOPLE Kevin Ford Kevin Ford Burger King worker Kevin Ford went viral in 2022 for a video that showed the gifts he received after having never missed a day in 27 years of working for the fast food chain After it viral, with many criticizing the gifts, Ford's daughter launched a GoFundMe campaign, which enabled him to buy his first home earlier this year and now, it's enabled him to go after another "beautiful dream" "I'm going to put out some good food and I'm going to go for it," Ford tells PEOPLE about his new food truck business venture A Burger King employee who went viral after going 27 years without missing a single shift has now been able to make another big life change thanks to a fundraising campaign. After announcing earlier this year he was able to purchase his first home thanks to the generosity of the thousands who have supported him since 2022, Kevin Ford, 57, shares that he recently bought a food truck, which will hopefully allow him to retire from his fast food gig. In an interview with PEOPLE, the father of 4 from Pahrump, Nevada. says his new business is also his way of saying thank you to his supporters who have donated to the fundraiser set up by one of his daughters. As of Monday, Sept. 16, the Kevin 27 Years BK GoFundMe has generated over $465,000. I wanted to do something to pay back what the world did for me, he says. I wanted to not only make money but do something to help the community. Related: Single Mom Rescues Man from Tree Crushing His SUV. After Learning She Needs Help with Home, He Starts GoFundMe (Exclusive) Ford says he purchased the food truck, which came with a flat-top grill and fryer, from China after seeing an online video posted by a food truck technology company. Emblazoned on the side of his truck is the logo K27Y, which signifies his first name and his dedication and years of service. Once the business gets off the ground (no launch date has been announced yet), his trucks initial food offerings will consist of American fare like hot dogs and fries. He has a fiancee in the Philippines whom he plans to bring to the U.S. once the visa issues are resolved. When she gets here, I'm going to also add traditional Filipino food, he says. I kind of want to do American versus Filipino type stuff and do some fusions. My daughter Seryna is a trained chef from Le Cordon Bleu, so she's going to help me with some of the recipes and everything. Kevin Ford Kevin Ford's new food truck He acknowledges that he is still learning about the food truck business and is taking his time before his venture makes its official debut. Having never owned a business before, Ford sees himself as proof that anyone can do something new even in their late 50s. I'm going to work this day and night, he says of his food truck. I'm going to study it. I'm going to do whatever I can and I'm going to have fun. I'm going to put out some good food and I'm going to go for it. Related: Homeless Musicians Performance Goes Viral and Leads to Thousands in Donations: Restored My Faith (Exclusive) The new venture is just another major milestone in Fords life that may have never happened had it not been for the now-famous video from two years ago. In that clip, Ford a cook for the Burger King location at Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport showed a goodie bag he received from management for his nearly three decades of service without missing a day. Among the items included were a Starbucks cup, a bag of Reeses Pieces, two packs of Life Savers, two pens, a lanyard and two keychains. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Ford, who has four daughters and three grandchildren, tells PEOPLE he made the video because HMSHost, a food service company for Burger King, has always encouraged its employees to do social media posts like TikTok and Instagram as a form of recruiting. All I was thinking about was I was happy that I had a job, says Ford, who added that his other Burger King employees had served longer than him but never received a gift from management. And so I was just sincerely grateful to get anything. I took my camera to a coworker and I said, Hey, film this. So I filmed this video and I was thanking them for everything in [the goodie bag]. Kevin Ford Kevin Ford The video was shared by his co-worker on Instagram and later went viral on TikTok. I'm on my way to work, and one of my coworkers called me and said, The video has gone viral. They're like, Yeah, it's got over a couple hundred thousand [views]. By the time I got to work, it had gotten a million views or something." Commenters who saw the video criticized the contents of the goodie bag as not being worthy of Ford's long tenure with the company. In response to the clip, Fords daughter Seryna launched a GoFundMe, which also allowed her to explain that he started working at Burger King as a single parent when he gained custody of her and her older sister decades ago. She also said that because of Burger Kings generous health coverage, Ford was able to work at the company for a long time and support his daughters through college. To this day, Ford is still blown away by the outpouring of support. My whole life was turned upside down when my daughter, America and the world did this for me, Ford says. They saved my life. They still donate, and I appreciate it every day. The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! Among the things Ford did with his GoFundMe money was purchasing his first house. When I was married, we struggled to rent and bought a house once or twice, he recalls. But we would always lose it because it was too expensive or the economy or something like that. To have that feeling of independence and know that it's mine it is really indescribable. I'm so thankful to the world and grateful that they did this for me. It's beyond beautiful. Related: Daughter's 4-Sentence Obit for Mom Who 'Burnt Bridges' Goes Viral. She Says It's 'No Joke' (Exclusive) As he waits for his food truck business to get off the ground, Ford is still working at Burger King, although due to a back issue, he now only works there four days a week. He says he plans to retire once the truck turns profitable and he can pay his expenses. I am just like everybody else. You still have to pay bills, you still have to get up in the morning and go to work. But yes, it's an absolutely beautiful dream that continues to be a beautiful dream," he says. "The Kevin 27 Years GoFundMe has changed my life and the lives of my children and grandchildren forever. People continue to hold me up and donate, and it's just an absolutely beautiful thing. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Caleb McLean, 17, walked to the end of the dock overlooking murky Bayou Grande, and toward the dark blanket of pine trees and oaks across the water at Naval Air Station Pensacola. It was peaceful, calming on this Wednesday and Caleb had just walked down to the dock for the solitude and the view. "It's a beautiful place,'' Caleb said at the dock of Mac's Marina off Gulf Beach Highway. "There's not a lot of extra noise and it's nice, but...." Then he was drowned out by the loudest of roars the Blue Angels F-A 18 Hornets raced across Bayou Grande in front of him, their runways just across the water and behind that blanket of trees across from Mac's Marina, started by his grandfather and grandmother Miles and Kathy McLean in 1983. "You get used to it," he said of the Naval Flight Demonstration Team, which is based at Naval Air Station Pensacola. "In a bit, they'll be coming right over the marina." Caleb's only 17, but he knows the lay of the land at Mac's Marina off Marietta Avenue. So does his cousin, 14-year-old Marina McClean (get it? "Marina"). They're part of a third generation of McLeans working the family business, as well as their other venture they run from the marina, TowBoat US Pensacola, a marine tow and rescue service. In all, it's Miles and Kathy, along with their sons Mac, Marina's father, and Jason, who is Caleb's dad, and the two grandchildren working at Mac's Marina on a piece of property Miles purchased during his senior year at Escambia High School in 1970. Another family business: The Martellis don't quilt or sew, but made a multi-million business supplying those who do All of them live adjacent or near the property, where about 100 boats are stored on various boat racks, including some indoor racks. "It ain't fancy, but it's ours," said Miles McClean, 72, while in the marina office with his wife, son Mac and grandson Caleb. "Everyone lives close. We can walk to work or just put our cars in reverse and go to work. But having the family here, yeah, that's what it's all about." Mac McLean, 45, mostly oversees the Towboat US rescue side of things, while young brother Jason McLean, 40, manages the marina side. Miles does a bit of everything, while his wife Kathy, a former dental hygienist, operates the office and "makes sure everyone gets paid," Miles said. The area has a lot of memories for Miles. "I played on this property my whole life," he said. "I lived up the road with my parents and I just had this idea of building a marina." So while still in high school, working part time, McLean purchased the property with a loan during his senior year at Escambia. "I got out of school every day at noon and went to work,'' he said. "That how I was able to buy this place." Karen and Miles married in 1976 and were thinking of building a home on the property but kept coming back to Mile's idea of a marina. It was Miles who cleared the property, trees and all, by hand. After fighting for permits, they opened the marina in 1983 and the rescue operation 10 years later. "We grew up in the woods here building forts and stuff like that, and fishing off the end of the dock," Mac McLean said. "We were pretty much in and out of the water all day long." Same for the new generation. Caleb McLean remembers being only 9 years old or so and diving with his grandfather to scrape barnacles off the rescue boats that are docked. He remembers having to undergo swim tests, swimming from the beginning of the shore to the end of boat at the end of the dock. "It's a cool place, and there's nothing like it," Caleb said. "It's a family-built business. A lot of people buy and lease places for business, but (his grandfather) built this place, all the way from clearing the land to making it what it is today." Marina, his cousin, also has been involved with the family business since she was a young child. "My daughter helps in the office doing paperwork, she helps catching boats, and spent a lot of time in the boats with us,'' Miles McLean said. "Caleb helps out on the dock, drives the gas truck. Both are learning the business.'' A large part of that business is the rescue tow side, with 500 to 600 missions each year, Mac McLean said. The team has a fleet of five boats, all named "Undertow," for rescue and tow missions. Most of the boats are military surplus boats or former oil field boats. "We do everything from regular battery jumps or helping people who run out of gas to full-blown post-hurricane water salvage." Once, they pulled a small plane out of the water that had crashed into Perdido Pass while carrying one of those advertising banners. "We've had to pull people out of the water, and we're listed as a first responder," he said. "We have three other captains, and we've all saved people." While holidays and big events like Blue Angel performances are celebrated in the community, they're met with mixed emotions at Mac's Marina, especially on the tow/rescue side. That's when they're called upon most often. "It makes me nervous just thinking about it," Mac McLean said. "Honestly, at least three or four (boats) sink each Blue Angels' show." A few minutes later, Mac was sitting on a bench outside the office, facing the water. The family's Amazon parrot, Merry, who is about 35 years old, sits quietly she does "speak" though nearby. Soon, the men cover their ears. The Blue Angels practice once or twice each week during season, and the McLean family knows the whole routine. Sure enough, a low-flying Hornet screamed right over the marina, toward the base. "You get used to it," Miles McLean said. "I've been hearing it all my life." Mac's Marina/TowboatUS Pensacola is located at 2 Marietta Ave., with the tow side also keeping a boat at a port on Perdido Key. Contact Mac's Marina at 850-453-3775, or on Facebook. Contact TowBoatUS Pensacola at 850-453-3775, or on Facebook. While Mac's Marina is closed on Monday, TowBoatUS Pensacola is available 24/7 and the service range is 40 miles offshore from Navarre to Bon Secour Bay, Alabama. This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Warrington Mac's Marina family business by Naval Air Station Pensacola $5,000 reward offered for information on threat at Newsome High School $5,000 reward offered for information on threat at Newsome High School LITHIA, Fla. (WFLA) A $4,000 reward was offered Monday for any information on the individual responsible for last weeks threat against Newsome High School, The Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office said. Security increases at Newsome High School following fake threat Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477, or text **TIPS from a cell phone. The Florida Crime Stoppers app can also be used to share tips anonymously. The HCSO asked parents to speak with their children and report anything suspicious. A threat to bring a bomb and shoot a teacher at Newsome High School on Friday, Sept. 13, prompted a lockout. Credit: Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office According to HCSO, over 200 deputies responded to the school to search bags and students. No weapon was found. HCSOs School Threat Assessment Response Team received the tip on Friday morning around 8:47 a.m. regarding a potential threat. Eight threats were reported Friday at Newsome High School, according to HCSO. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a Delta Air Lines flight made an emergency landing Sunday morning due to a pressurization problem, resulting in at least 10 people requiring medical attention. In a statement, Delta told CBS News that paramedics met passengers at the gate and identified 10 individuals in need of evaluation or treatment. There were 140 passengers on board. The passengers were all treated and released by medics but airport officials say some may have opted to take themselves to the hospital for further treatment. The airline told CBS News that it offered to cover transportation costs for customers to go to medical facilities. The Salt Lake City Fire Department, which deployed the paramedics to the scene, said it could not comment on incidents that occur on airport grounds, but confirmed that its medics did not take anyone to the hospital. Delta flight 1203 was en route from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Portland, Oregon, when a pressurization issue occurred, prompting the flight to return to Salt Lake City. Oxygen masks did not deploy but the plane was unable to pressurize above 10,000 feet, according to the airline. The pilots of the five-year-old Boeing 737-900ER declared an emergency and descended below 10,000 feet. According to flightradar24.com's preliminary flight data, the plane was only briefly above the 10,000 foot level. "Descending below 10,000 per cabin altitude warning," the pilots of flight 1203 can be heard telling air traffic controllers in audio obtained by CBS News from LiveATC.Net, "And Delta 1203 we're declaring an emergency." The FAA told CBS News in a statement the plane "landed without incident at around 8:30 a.m. local time." The FAA said it is investigating the incident. "We sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience on flight 1203 on Sept. 15," Delta said in a statement provided to CBS news. "The flight crew followed procedures to return to SLC where our teams on the ground supported our customers with their immediate needs." The airline said the plane was taken out of service on the morning of Sept. 15 and went back into service on Sept. 16. after technicians resolved the pressurization issue. Tito Jackson, founding member of Jackson 5, dies at 70 Starter homes increasingly out of reach for American families Hearing sheds light on Titan submersible implosion 10-Year-Old Girl Being Held Hostage by Mom at Knifepoint Is Accidentally Tased by Police During Rescue The 48-year-old mother was arrested by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and now faces charges including receiving stolen property and endangering the welfare of children Getty A Pittsburgh Police vehicle The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police has launched an "extensive review" after an officer "inadvertently" tased a 10-year-old girl while responding to a hostage situation. The incident occurred on Thursday, Sept. 12, when officers were attempting to rescue the girl, who was being held hostage at knifepoint by her mother at the time, authorities said in a release posted on the city's website. The officers encountered the hostage situation after initially being flagged down shortly after 3:30 p.m. local time by a man on Knox Avenue who claimed a woman had just stolen his Chevy Equinox, per the release. According to ABC affiliate WTAE, police said witnesses saw a woman pull a driver from a vehicle and drive off in the car. After finding the man's car a half-mile away on Brownsville Road, police then located the woman, who had two children with her, on a nearby street. As police approached her, the woman "brandished a knife" and held the children a 4-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl at knifepoint. Police identified the woman as 48-year-old Gwendolyn Gilmore. The 10-year-old is Gilmore's daughter; the boy's identity is unclear, as the release said he is also "her" child but WTAE reported that he is Gilmore's nephew. CBS affiliate KDKA reported, citing the complaint, that as Gilmore held the two children at knifepoint, an officer held up a gun and told Gilmore to drop the dagger. Gilmore then wrapped her arms around the children's necks with the knife against her daughter's neck after being told by police that they were switching to tasers, KDKA reported, citing the complaint. "In an attempt to disarm the female and safeguard the welfare of the children, an officer on scene deployed a taser," the release detailed. "In the process, the 10-year-old female was inadvertently struck in the head by one of the taser prongs." Citing the criminal complaint, WTAE reported that the boy was also hit with the taser in his leg. Getty A police car at night (stock image) Related: Inside the Shocking Case of a Colo. Dad Who Beheaded Son After Boy Made Disturbing Discovery After accidentally being tased, the girl "had a seizure at the scene" and "suffered a minor laceration to her scalp." Officers rendered aid and Pittsburgh EMS responded to the scene, bringing the girl to a local children's hospital, per the release. She has since been released into a relative's care, and the boy is also in the custody of a relative. Gilmore was arrested and taken to "an area hospital for medical clearance," the release said. She has since been transported to Allegheny County Jail, where she faces charges including theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and endangering the welfare of children. "The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police reviews all use of force incidents that occur in the city and involve Pittsburgh Police officers," authorities said in the release. "As such, an extensive review of the officer's tactics from yesterday will be conducted to ensure reasonable force was used." The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for more information on Sunday, Sept. 15. 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. Beth Pittinger, executive director of the Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board, told KDKA that police "did a very good job at managing that situation and ended up protecting those children from further harm," citing the information that's been provided about the incident so far. Adding that the kids were "faced with a threat," Pittinger said she thinks police "assessed that threat realistically and reasonably." "Physically, they'll be okay," Pittinger added of the children. "But in terms of their psychological insult as a result of this by the mother, it's just unforgivable." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Smallmouth bass and chain pickerel. Theyre both common across much of the United States so much so that few people give much thought as to how they might expand their range. If you were to catch one in a lake or river where you hadnt previously, youd probably shrug it off as a fluke and go on with your day. You might even think it was kind of cool. Because these species are woven into the fabric of American fishing, we dont perceive them as threats. Both fish are extremely aggressive predators, however, and our neighbors to the north dont look at chain pickerel and smallmouth quite the same way. In Eastern Canada especially, trout and Atlantic salmon rule the roost. But over the last few years, the region has grappled with illegally introduced bass taking over historically prized brook trout and salmon waters. Think the U.S. is immune to the same issue? Its not. Though it doesnt get nearly as much media attention, weve waged our own war against smallies and pickerel in certain rivers, most notably on the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam. The battles on both sides of the border have largely been fought by scientists and government officials. Recently though, Canadian officials have come up with a new plan that requires recreational anglers to pitch in or pay the price. The Most Expensive Bass According to CBC News, the province of Nova Scotia has issued a mandatory catch-and-kill order on smallmouths and chain pickerel in the Margaree River watershed, which includes several lakes and tributary streams. Smallmouth bass were brought there illegally in the 1940s, while pickerel were legally introduced during the same era. Similar to what has happened in the Colorado River, the bass were historically confined to Lake Ainslie but are now showing up in large numbers in the Margaree. This is a heritage river that is famed for its strong runs of wild Atlantic salmon, which are to the Canadian Maritimes what striped bass are to the East Coast of the U.S. (in terms of profitability for lodges, guides, and tackle sales). Read Next: The Best Way to Catch Smallmouth Bass in Rivers: Hit Them With Topwater Lures While Wading Area officials are pointing to climate change as the catalyst for the strengthening smallmouth and pickerel populations. Both fish are comfortable in warm water, and during low water periods, when native salmon smolt and trout are confined in smaller areas, the aggressive invaders can easily pick them off. With all the other threats facing the Margarees wild fish runs, fisheries managers want to remove as many of these non-native bass and pickerel as possible. What makes this new, angler-driven eradication effort so jarring, however, are the penalties. Fishermen caught releasing either species within the watershed can now face a fine of up to $100,000 for a first offense. (The penalty for a second offense jumps to a $500,000 fine or two years jail time.) The question is: Will the threat of such heavy consequences be enough to make anglers abide? Blind Spots The biggest problem with kill orders is enforcement. Paul McNeil, President of the Margaree Salmon Association, openly told CBC that policing the order will be tough. Weve had the same issue with catch-and-kill orders here in the U.S., most notably with invasive snakeheads. Nearly 25 years ago, when they first exploded onto the scene in Maryland, the government told anglers to kill every snakehead upon capture. As they expanded into Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, and beyond, each state adopted the same edict. But do you catch the irony here? Telling people to kill them early on clearly didnt stop their expansion into new waters. In fact, it didnt even make a dent, and as an increasing number of anglers decided they actually enjoyed targeting snakeheads, a question of benefit versus penalty arose. If I dont kill the fish, what kind of fines or consequences am I facing? In many states the answer was never clear, and as the years went on and the snakehead population grew, several states decided they were okay with anglers releasing snakeheads if they went back into the same water body where they were caught. Although I cant say its never happened, I dont recall ever reading, seeing, or hearing about a single case where someone was penalized for releasing a snakehead. There just arent enough officials to enforce the order, so the odds of getting caught are slim. Hired Killers Here in the States, weve tried the reward model instead of threatening penalties. In Washington and Oregon, anglers can earn money thinning out the pikeminnow population in the Columbia River. In Arizona, non-native brown trout in the Lees Ferry section of the Colorado River have a bounty on their heads, and on the South Fork of the Snake River in Idaho, you can get paid to harvest rainbow trout. On paper, the idea of paying anglers to target and kill unwanted fish is great. But did it really work in practice? No doubt, some anglers grabbed the pikeminnow by the tail and made some cash, but there are still loads of them in the mighty Columbia. There was some early hype around the trout bounties, but overall, Id suspect, the reward has had little effect. The reason why could speak to the potential failure of the new program in Nova Scotia. Read Next: Angler Made $61,000 Last Year Catching Pikeminnow in the Columbia and Snake Rivers Because at the end of the day, the angler who just caught the invasive smallmouth or snakehead or unwanted rainbow trout must care enough in the moment to execute the order and claim their prize. This means losing fishing time to deal with a dead fish you might not want in the first place, then driving to a check-in station and doing the paperwork required to make a bit of cash. And if theres nobody around watching you, a lot of anglers (sadly but truly) will brush off a kill order. Now, I would hope that the threat of a $100,000 fine will get more people working toward the Canadian cause. But I wouldnt expect it to be enough to ensure that every pickerel and bass in the Margaree winds up sleeping with the fishes.R 16-year-old boy could be tried as an adult for shooting at a police officer PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) Peoria County prosecutors on Monday filed documents to move the case of a 16-year-old boy accused of shooting at a police officer from juvenile to adult court. Thats the word from States Attorney Jodi Hoos who said her office was seeking to move the case of a 16-year-old who now stands charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in connection with the Thursday night incident in South Peoria. The stakes are high as a move to adult court could mean a possible prison sentence of up to three years in prison and some of that could have been served in an adult facility. Staying in the juvenile system means the case is sealed to the general public, and any imprisonment would end at the boys 21st birthday. 16-year-old booked on charges of shooting at a Peoria police officer A hearing on that request would likely be set later this month. According to Hoos office, the boy allegedly fired a shot at a Peoria police officer who was responding to a call about a person with a gun. The incident occurred in the 2800 block of West Ann Street at about 9:15 p.m. The officer saw three people standing near the intersection of Ann and South Manual Avenue which is near the apartment complex that was once known as the Manual Manor. A person, allegedly the boy, shot at the officer. All three of the people fled the area and were caught after a brief chase, Hoos said in a news release. A gun which had a laser attached to it was found along the chase route. The other two were released without charges. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. 17,000 southeast AT&T workers back to work as strike comes to an end UPDATE ( 8:35 p.m.) The longest strike in AT&T Southeast history came to an end with a tentative agreement meant to extend union contracts another five years. The telecommunications company extended two tentative agreements one with AT&T West and the other with AT&T Southeast. The first agreement was reached among 8,500 AT&T West workers in California and Nevada just days after workers rejected AT&Ts offer. The second agreement will put 17,000 AT&T Southeast workers, many from Alabama, back on the job at midnight Sept. 16. Im extremely happy to see that, CWA Locals 3907 President Ra-Amon Ta-Neter, said. While all the details of the agreement have not been announced, Ta-Neter said workers could expect an 18-21% wage increase over the next five years. Its hard to gauge our economy to sit there and say that this is going to be enough to sustain me. But I think that is a great building point, Ta-Neter said. Negotiations on a new contract began ahead of the former contracts Aug. 3 expiration date, but Ta-Neter said AT&Ts team just wasnt up for the bargain. He called it surface bargaining. They either couldnt bargain, or they refused to bargain, Ta-Neter said. Such as, Were going to offer you something that wasnt even of interest, and everything Or they would have situations where they would make offers and retract them. CWA formerly filed labor charges on Aug. 7 against AT&T for what CWA called bad faith practices. Workers went on strike at 2:00 p.m. on Aug. 16 when AT&T wasnt budging at the bargaining table. Thats what the strike itself was about, was simply that AT&T was bargaining in bad faith. So, it had nothing to do really with what was being negotiated, Ta-Neter said. Were talking about a negotiation process that has been in place for well over 70 years. About 17,000 technicians and customer service representatives are covered under the new Southeast contract. The group workers are responsible for installing and maintaining residential and business wireline telecommunications in nine states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. I have individuals that had just started with the company that were literally still in training. So, I know that it was that this impacted their household, Ta-Neter said. I understand trying to be sensitive to those employees that still havent established themselves Once the five-year contract ends, Ta-Neter said its back to square one. Five years well be back at the bargaining table with AT&T and hopefully well have a better experience then, Ta-Neter said. The individuals that we service, and everything, theyre our neighbors. You know, there are the same people that we shop at the grocery stores with and so forth. Statement from AT&Ts Chief Operating Officer: We are pleased to announce that weve reached 2 tentative agreements with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The first is in District 9 in the West, which comes within days of getting back to the negotiating table to constructively reach a new deal. The second is in District 3 in the Southeast, bringing the work stoppage to an end Sept. 16. As weve said since day 1, our goal has been to reach fair agreements that recognize the hard work our employees do to serve our customers with competitive market-based pay and benefits that are among the best in the nation and thats exactly what was accomplished. These agreements also support our competitive position in the broadband industry where we can grow and win against our mostly non-union competitors. Well provide more details about the tentative agreements once the CWA shares them with its members, and we expect the ratification votes to happen in the coming weeks. CWA members would still need to vote on an official agreement. Original story: (WKRG) More than 17,000 AT&T workers will be returning to work Monday, September 16, as the Communications Workers of America Mobile union has reached two tentative deals with the company. Beginning at midnight, workers will get off the picket line and resume work. According to local union president, Ra-Amon Ta-Neter, the agreement includes an 18% to 21% wage increase over five years. More details about the agreements are expected. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. The Indian market has seen a notable rise, with the Financials sector leading the way and contributing to an overall gain of 1.7%, while the market has surged by 41% over the past year. In this thriving environment, companies with high insider ownership often stand out as they indicate strong confidence from those who know the business best, making them compelling options for growth-focused investors. Top 10 Growth Companies With High Insider Ownership In India Name Insider Ownership Earnings Growth Archean Chemical Industries (NSEI:ACI) 22.9% 33.7% Kirloskar Pneumatic (BSE:505283) 30.4% 30.1% Dixon Technologies (India) (NSEI:DIXON) 24.6% 31.2% Happiest Minds Technologies (NSEI:HAPPSTMNDS) 32.5% 22.2% Jupiter Wagons (NSEI:JWL) 10.8% 27.4% Paisalo Digital (BSE:532900) 16.3% 24.8% Apollo Hospitals Enterprise (NSEI:APOLLOHOSP) 10.4% 32.3% KEI Industries (BSE:517569) 18.7% 22.4% Pricol (NSEI:PRICOLLTD) 25.5% 24% Aether Industries (NSEI:AETHER) 31.1% 45.9% Click here to see the full list of 92 stocks from our Fast Growing Indian Companies With High Insider Ownership screener. We're going to check out a few of the best picks from our screener tool. Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: Dixon Technologies (India) Limited provides electronic manufacturing services both in India and internationally, with a market cap of 779.53 billion. Operations: The company's revenue segments include Home Appliances (12.51 billion), Lighting Products (7.92 billion), Mobile & EMS Division (143.16 billion), and Consumer Electronics & Appliances (41.21 billion). Insider Ownership: 24.6% Dixon Technologies (India) is forecasted to achieve significant revenue growth of 24.1% per year, outpacing the Indian market's 10.1%. Its earnings are expected to grow by 31.2% annually, surpassing the market average of 17.1%. Recent financial results show impressive performance with Q1 sales doubling to 65.80 billion and net income increasing to 1.34 billion from a year ago, reflecting strong operational execution and potential for sustained growth in the electronics manufacturing sector. NSEI:DIXON Earnings and Revenue Growth as at Sep 2024 Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: Info Edge (India) Limited operates as an online classifieds company in recruitment, matrimony, real estate, and education services both in India and internationally with a market cap of 998.03 billion. Story continues Operations: The company's revenue segments include 19.05 billion from recruitment solutions and 3.67 billion from 99acres for real estate. Insider Ownership: 37.7% Info Edge (India) showcases strong growth potential with forecasted earnings growth of 23.6% annually, outpacing the Indian market average. Recent financials indicate robust performance, with Q1 revenue rising to 8.28 billion and net income reaching 2.33 billion. Despite regulatory challenges, such as a recent tax demand order, the company continues to attract seasoned professionals like Mr. Hoonar Janu and Mr. Aayush Rathi to its leadership team, reinforcing its strategic direction and operational resilience. NSEI:NAUKRI Ownership Breakdown as at Sep 2024 Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: Varun Beverages Limited, with a market cap of 2.10 trillion, operates as the franchisee for PepsiCo's carbonated soft drinks and non-carbonated beverages. Operations: The company generates revenue of 180.52 billion from manufacturing and selling beverages under PepsiCo's trademarks. Insider Ownership: 36.3% Varun Beverages, a growth company with high insider ownership, reported robust earnings for Q2 2024, with net income rising to 12.53 billion from 9.94 billion a year ago. Despite carrying significant debt, the company's earnings are expected to grow at 22.3% annually over the next three years, outpacing the Indian market average of 17.1%. Recent corporate actions include a stock split and interim dividend payment of 1.25 per share slated for August 13, 2024. NSEI:VBL Ownership Breakdown as at Sep 2024 Where To Now? Gain an insight into the universe of 92 Fast Growing Indian Companies With High Insider Ownership by clicking here. Are you invested in these stocks already? Keep abreast of every twist and turn by setting up a portfolio with Simply Wall St, where we make it simple for investors like you to stay informed and proactive. Join a community of smart investors by using Simply Wall St. It's free and delivers expert-level analysis on worldwide markets. Seeking Other Investments? This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.The analysis only considers stock directly held by insiders. It does not include indirectly owned stock through other vehicles such as corporate and/or trust entities. All forecast revenue and earnings growth rates quoted are in terms of annualised (per annum) growth rates over 1-3 years. Companies discussed in this article include NSEI:DIXON NSEI:NAUKRI and NSEI:VBL. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com SULPHUR SPRINGS, Texas (KETK) A 17-year-old girl was arrested Sunday night and is accused of making terroristic threats, Sulphur Springs ISD said. Former Dallas Cowboy talks to students about importance of mental health At around 9 p.m. on Sunday, district staff were made aware of another post containing threats, and notified the districts chief of police, Superintendent Deana Steeber said. Steeber said the districts police department launched an investigation alongside the Hopkins County Sheriffs Office. Mugshot of Lucinda Smith, courtesy of the Hopkins County Jail The suspect was identified and detained within the hour, Sulphur Springs ISD officials said. Big Sandy PD arrests suspect after threats to shoot the school up made According to the district, 17-year-old Lucinda Smith is a Sulphur Springs High School student and is now facing felony charges for making a terroristic threat. Smith was booked into the Hopkins County Jail and was also charged for possession of a controlled substance. These types of threats, whether credible or not, will be met with severe consequences every single time, Steeber said. Anyone participating in this type of behavior can expect swift and immediate action. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. I Asked First-Time Voters If They're Going With Kamala Harris Or Donald Trump, And Some Of The Responses Were Really Surprising Hello, everyone! With 49 days until Election Day, we're back for another round of BuzzFeed's 2024 Election Diaries! This weekly series highlights different groups of voters nationwide to find out what political issues are most important to them AND who they plan to support for president in 2024. We asked first-time voters to anonymously share why this election is their first time voting and which candidate they're planning to support Kamala Harris or Donald Trump. The Washington Post / Getty Images Out of all voting groups in the Election Diaries series, first-time voters had the most significant divide between the two candidates, with 59% of respondents expressing support for Kamala Harris. Anadolu / Getty Images While 33.3% expressed support for Donald Trump. Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images Whether you agree with their political opinions or not, here's what 17 first-time voters had to say anonymously. All images are AI-generated for anonymity. 1."I immigrated to the USA in 1994 (legally with a green card) and never felt threatened in any way, nor did I feel like I was into politics and needed to vote. Fast-forward to our last election, I felt like my status here in this country (even with a green card) was compromised." "I didn't feel secure, so I became a US citizen after all these years so that I could vote. I'm voting for Kamala because she's not trying to divide this country more than it is. She's not allowing racism to be okay or allowing all that our ancestors fought for to be demised because of an ego power trip." Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine 2."This election is my first time voting because I think we need a change. Im making the most money Ive ever made, and Im still broke. Im still undecided because, honestly, I hate both candidates; neither of them is good, but I have to choose between them. Im still not sure who's gonna get my vote, but regardless, Im voting." Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine 3."Im definitely supporting Harris/Walz as a first-time voter. I am female, and women, children, elderly people, and people from every walk of life will benefit under that administration, as opposed to another four years of Trump. Also, why vote for someone who can only be president for four years? Unless there is a secondary plan in action? It makes no sense to vote for Trump." Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine 4."My main concern in my first election is immigration. Criminals are being let into our country by our own government. I'm voting for Trump because he wants to help the next generation. He wants the government out of schools like it used to be. They don't need to be told that they can change their gender. They need to be taught how to read and write." Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine 5."The attempt by the Democrat party to hide a terrible candidate (Biden) from the voters and then try and ram through an unprepared and weak candidate (Harris) without a primary is very shady, and they should not be rewarded for their underhandedness." Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine 6."I don't have a license and have struggled to get a valid ID previously, which is why this is my first election. Kamala supports women's rights, and at this point, that's the only thing I care about. I literally just want the right to my own body. I don't want the government to control it for me." Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine 7."I am a dual citizen of the USA and Canada. When I was living in Canada, I did not know how to vote abroad. I just recently moved to California and plan to vote in person this November. I believe Harris will represent a historic milestone as the first woman, the first African American woman, and the first South Asian American to assume the office of President." "As the first cohort of Generation Z, I perceive her candidacy as a testament to societal progress and contend that her distinctive background equips her to comprehend and articulate a diverse array of American experiences." Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine 8."The illegal immigration has gotten really bad. Denver doesn't feel safe anymore, and it doesn't sit right with me. Furthermore, I recently just turned into a legal adult and started college. After college, I have dreams of owning a house (as a first-generation college student whose parents have rented their whole life). Under the Biden administration, prices have gone up, not only for houses but for basic necessities, too. I don't see myself being able to afford anything in this current economy." Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine 9."This election is the first time I will be old enough to vote. My top issue is the environment, so I'm supporting Kamala. The Republicans have shown absolute disdain for any science about climate change and continue to push toward policies that will make this planet a very bad place to live once they're all no longer around to deal with it. Democrats seem to care a lot more about the current state of the environment and the future of it." Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine 10."I left the US at 20 years old, and I didn't think it was right to vote in the US when I didn't live there, but this election is so important for the whole world that I feel it is necessary to vote. There needs to be a sane leader in the country, as this person will also be the most important leader in the world. I am not supporting Kamala because I agree with all of her beliefs, I am on the conservative side, although I think she will be good. I am supporting Kamala because she is the best alternative to Trump." Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine 11."I wasn't previously motivated to vote before this election, honestly, but the hate, divisiveness, and negativity from the Trump campaign is ridiculous. Trump is poison to this country. He is emotionally and intellectually toxic. He only wants to make himself richer. Harris brings fresh energy, honesty, and wisdom back to the White House!" Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine 12."I never found voting necessary before, but after what weve been through with this Biden/Harris administration, it'd be stupid not to realize theyre the problem. Democrats have had power in the White House for 12 out of the last 16 years, and they still blame Trump for everything wrong with the US, and they claim they know how to fix it." Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine 13."I, as a young bi-poly woman, found out about Project 2025, which scared the crap out of me, so I wanna voice my opinion on the matter of securing LGBTQ+ rights this election. I'm voting for Kamala because she won't do anything bad to the LGBTQIA+ community, meaning I can continue to express myself freely." Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine 14."I turned 18 last year, and I'm supporting Kamala Harris because she supports reproductive freedom and gun control, which are my two main issues as a 19-year-old college student studying education. I also can't support a narcissistic man like Trump, who only cares about himself." Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine 15."This is my first election because I recently immigrated to the US. My top issue is ensuring that immigration laws are enforced. I believe Trump is going to send criminals and undocumented immigrants back to where they came from. If you want to come here, just do it legally and obey the law." Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine 16."I'm voting for the first time in this election because we need a leader in the Oval Office. We were doing amazing under Trump's leadership and have only gone downhill with Biden and Harris. Trump proved he knows what needs to be done, and Biden and Harris have proved that they don't." Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine And finally... 17."I just turned 18 earlier this year, so this is my first opportunity to vote. I'm voting for Kamala Harris because I believe she's a better person and candidate than Trump. Trump is a felon, and he and Vance's comments and beliefs about women appall me as a female American and voter. I don't believe in abortion for moral/religious reasons, but I don't think men have a right to tell women what to do or not do with their bodies. And it's high time we had a female president!" Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and don't forget to vote! South Carolina Congressional candidate Michael B. Moore speaks at a rally outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on October 11, 2023, in Washington, DC. South Carolina voters and Civil Rights are calling on SCOTUS to protect Black voters in the Alexander V. SC State Conference of the NAACP court case. (Photo by Shannon Finney/Getty Images for Rooted Logistics) On his 17th birthday, Michael B. Moore got a letter from his maternal grandfather, Dr. C.E. Boulware, reminding him that he was a year away from voting. Boulware, a city council member in Durham, North Carolina, and civil rights activist, wanted to impress on his grandson the obligation of participating in civic life. Its really exciting, isnt it? his grandfather wrote. Soon you may decide, I hope you do, to be among those who offer themselves and their dedicated service as a public official. Now 62, Moore is looking to do exactly that. He is running as a Democrat against incumbent U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican seeking a third term in the 1st Congressional District. At his campaign launch, he read portions of his grandfathers letter, including an invitation to take up the mantle and carry it to much loftier heights than Ive ever dreamed of. Moore has an uphill battle to oust Mace. The district was listed as potentially in play earlier this year by the Cook Political Report, a non-partisan political analysis publication. But over the summer, it went from likely Republican to solid Republican with a 7-percentage-point advantage for the GOP. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in May that the district lines, which favor Republicans, should stay in place. Mace easily fended off a well-funded Republican primary challenger in June. Unlike in the spring, when Mace repeatedly sparred with her primary opponent Catherine Templeton, she has said relatively little about Moore. Maces campaign did not answer a series of questions from the SC Daily Gazette for this article. But Mace and Moore both have leaned into their personal stories as they make their appeal to voters. Mace tends to focus on her unlikely rise to Congress. When she spoke to the Republican National Convention this summer, she talked about her journey from high school dropout and Waffle House waitress to graduating from The Citadel the first woman to do so. She spoke about her father, an Army general, and her mother, a school teacher. And she talked about being a survivor of rape and a single mother. Robert Smalls. (Library of Congress/Provided) Moore frequently highlights that he would be the fourth member of his family in five generations to be elected to office. Among those predecessors is Robert Smalls, his great-great-grandfather, who escaped slavery on a stolen Confederate steamship and later represented the Lowcountry in Congress even after Reconstruction ended. Moore has not held elected office previously, working as a businessman in the private sector, including leading Glory Foods. But the tradition of public service was something he grew up with, he said. Moore heard his grandmother, Ariana Boulware, tell stories about her grandfather Robert Smalls. Some of my earliest memories are of hearing from her and her siblings about him and his service, he said. Smalls escaped slavery by stealing a Confederate steamship, the Planter, which he then piloted for the United States. He helped write the new South Carolina state constitution in 1868 and served in the state House and Senate before winning a seat in Congress in 1874, where he served five terms. This year, the Legislature voted unanimously to memorialize Smalls on Statehouse grounds with a monument. Samuel Jones Bampfield, Smalls son-in-law, also served in the General Assembly another elected official in Moores lineage. Moore also got a first-hand look at what public service involved when his grandfather took him on constituent service calls around Durham. Moore remembers visiting one house where the front yard had completely caved in. He doesnt remember what the issue was perhaps a water main break but he does remember the feeling he got. (I felt) just extraordinarily proud of him and having a real sense for the good that can be done through service, Moore said. Although Moores family was from South Carolina on both sides, his parents met at the University of Pennsylvania. He was born in Philadelphia and raised in Massachusetts. But he came to South Carolina frequently to visit extended family. Moore moved to South Carolina as the first CEO of the International African American Museum in Charleston. He said he always stayed engaged with politics he thinks he was involved in student government at every school he attended after middle school. A general view of the International African American Museum on June 27, 2023 in Charleston, South Carolina. The museum sits on the former site of Gadsdens Wharf, where all Charleston-bound slave ships were received during the final 22 months of legal trans-Atlantic slave trade in the United States. (File/Sean Rayford/Getty Images) But it was while leading the museums creation that Moore began to consider running for office. The museum is built on the wharf where many enslaved Africans, including Moores great-great-great grandmother, first stepped foot in America. The museum was an amazing project, he said. I really started to be able to see the potential to engage politically much more clearly. Moore held that role from 2016 to 2019 ahead of the museums opening in June 2023 and then returned briefly to the private sector before launching his bid for Congress. I had long been concerned about just how much more complex the world seemed to be for my kids coming of age than for me, he said. I felt like I needed to try and make a difference for them and for their generations. With Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket Moore was among those who called for President Joe Biden to step aside as the nominee he thinks there is a unique opportunity this cycle for him to represent the same part of the state that his ancestor, Smalls, did. Its a historical and a personal frame that goes around this journey, Moore said. It just helps to make this an even more special experience than it otherwise would be. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Let us know what you think... FILE - The John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse is seen, May 13, 2015, in Boston. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, File) BOSTON (AP) Two men have been charged with illegal smuggling and conspiring to violate export controls by selling equipment to Russias nuclear energy industry, the U.S. Attorneys office in Boston said Monday. Sam Bhambhani, 55, of North Attleboro, Mass., and Maxim Teslenko, 35, of Moscow, were each indicted on one count of smuggling and one count of conspiracy to violate and evade export controls, commit smuggling, and defraud the United States. This case underscores our unwavering commitment to enforcing U.S. export laws and safeguarding national security, Acting United States Attorney Joshua Levy said in a statement. The defendants are alleged to have engaged in a sophisticated scheme to evade export controls, deceiving the government about the true destination of sensitive technology and putting critical national interests at risk. Cases like the one involving Bhambhani and Teslenko are relatively common. In January, a Kansas businessman pleaded guilty to illegally exporting sensitive aviation technology to Russian companies in violation of U.S. sanctions. Two years ago, the Biden administration announced a series of criminal charges and sanctions related to a complicated scheme to procure military technologies from U.S. manufacturers and illegally supply them to Russia for its war in Ukraine. From 2015 to 2021, prosecutors alleged that Bhambhani and Teslenko conspired to export laser welding machines to the Ural Electromechanical Plant, or UEMZ, in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The export documents were allegedly falsified to conceal the fact that the equipment was going to UEMZ. UEMZ is a subsidiary of Rosatom, a Russian state corporation that oversaw the country's civilian and military nuclear program. No one answered at a phone number listed for Bhambhani and it was unclear if he has a lawyer. Bhambhani was arrested Sept. 9 and released following a court appearance. Teslenko remains at large overseas. If convicted, the pair face a sentence on the smuggling charge of up to 10 years in prison, three years supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The conspiracy charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. 2 critically injured after motorcycle crash in North Haven NORTH HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) Two people suffered critical injuries after a motorcycle crash Sunday evening, according to North Haven police. Police reported the crash involving a motorcycle and a motor vehicle at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Bradley Street around 7 p.m. State police conducting investigation in Hartford A male driver and female passenger were transported to a hospital with critical injuries. Another person from the other vehicle was transported to a hospital with minor injuries. The road reopened just after 8 p.m., according to police. The South Central Connecticut Traffic Unit is investigating. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. TYLER, Texas (KETK) Two people died in a crash Saturday night on Highway 271, Tyler Police Department officials said. 17-year-old girl arrested for threatening post, school district says Tyler Police Department Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh confirmed a double fatality occurred at around 8:20 p.m. near FM 2015. Erbaugh said the investigation indicated a pickup truck was southbound on FM 2015 when it pulled out in front of a minivan traveling northeast on Highway 271. Henderson pharmacy closes after robbery Officials said two of the minivan occupants died on the scene and were identified as 62-year-old Tammy Gibney and 39-year-old Chelsea Askew, both of Louisiana. An 11-year-old who was in the backseat of the minivan was flown to a hospital in critical condition. The pickup truck driver was taken to a local hospital and Erbaugh said charges on the driver are pending. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. 2 impaired drivers, 2 people dead in Johnston County. Now 2 men going to prison Two men accused of driving while impaired and causing crashes that killed two people and seriously injured two others have been sent to prison, following sentencings in Johnston County Superior Court this month. Both crashes took place in 2022. The first happened on May 21. The State Highway Patrol says Fernando V. Lynch got on Interstate 95 going the wrong way and hit another vehicle head-on. Twenty-five-year-old Makayla Roche was killed, and her friend Kayla Agins was seriously injured. Both were from Jacksonville, Florida. Blood toxicology tests showed Lynch had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10% and had previously consumed cocaine, according to the Highway Patrol. Lynch, 35, pleaded guilty to felony death by vehicle, felony serious injury by vehicle and to his status as a habitual felon. Superior Court Judge Matthew T. Houston sentenced him to 20 to 26 years in prison. The second crash took place Nov. 26, 2022, two days after Thanksgiving. State troopers say Kevin Shawn Kelly of Clayton was driving his Toyota Tundra on N.C. 42 just before 9 p.m. when he crossed the center line and hit a Ford Explorer head on. The driver of the Explorer, 35-year-old Jose Martin Ramirez Hernandez, was killed, while his passenger, Ana Figueroa Hernandez, was seriously injured. Toxicology tests found Kellys blood alcohol concentration was 0.16%, twice the legal limit in North Carolina. Kelly, 55 at the time, was initially charged with second-degree murder, among other crimes. Last week, a jury found him guilt of felony death by vehicle, felony serious injury by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, driving while impaired and driving left of center. Superior Court judge William Wolfe sentenced Kelly to a minimum of six years and four months in prison. Alcohol was a factor in just 4.3% of car crashes in North Carolina last year. But those crashes killed 377 people 22.4% of those killed on highways in the state that year and injured 8,103, according to data compiled by the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles. Two now-retired chiefs from the New York City Fire Department were arrested early Monday morning following a yearlong corruption investigation, law enforcement sources told ABC News. Retired Chief Brian Cordasco was arrested at home on Staten Island. Retired Chief Anthony Saccavino was arrested at home in Manhattan, the sources said. Saccavino and Cordasco "repeatedly abused their positions of trust as high-ranking officials in the New York City Fire Department" by soliciting and accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribe payments in exchange for providing preferential treatment to certain individuals and companies, according to an indictment unsealed Monday in Manhattan federal court. MORE: Timeline of searches, subpoenas, seizures dogging New York City Mayor Eric Adams and his inner circle The two men were chiefs with the FDNY Bureau of Fire Prevention, which regulates the installation of fire safety and suppression systems in commercial and residential buildings. For nearly two years, the indictment said, Saccavino and Cordasco misused this authority for their own financial gain. Federal prosecutors said they abused their power to give priority to a vital city service -- safety inspections -- to those willing to pay. The two allegedly accepted $190,000 in bribes in exchange for expediting inspections, according to the indictment, in what U.S. Attorney Damian Williams called a "VIP lane." PHOTO: A fire engine responds to an emergency call in New York City. (Simon van Hemert/Adobe Stock) "Every member of the FDNY takes a sworn oath to conduct themselves honestly and ethically. Anything less will not be tolerated," Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker, who took over the post after the chiefs had already retired, said in a statement. "The Department will fully cooperate with any ongoing investigations. Keeping New Yorkers safe remains our top priority." The FBI had searched their homes and offices earlier this year. The FDNY placed the chiefs on modified duty at the time. The New York City Department of Investigation searched FDNY headquarters as well. Theres no evidence the scheme compromised the safety of any building, but it eroded the publics trust and tarnished the FDNY, said FBI Assistant Director James Dennehy. The alleged scheme appears to have been discovered as an offshoot of the investigation into whether Mayor Eric Adams' campaign took illegal money from Turkey in exchange for expediting the inspection of the new Turkish consulate. MORE: NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban resigns: 'My complete focus must be on the NYPD' A spokesperson for Adams said there is "no indication of any direct connection to anyone at City Hall." "City Hall became aware of this operation when we were notified by FDNY this morning," the spokesperson said. "The FDNY continues to cooperate with DOI, and there is no indication of any direct connection to anyone at City Hall." Adams, who is facing multiple corruption investigations, including one involving expedited building inspections, said the alleged corruption against the retired chiefs began under a different mayor. It started under the previous administration, Adams said. When the fire commissioner Laura Kavanaugh became aware of it she reported it. Cordasco publicly complained about a so-called "City Hall List" of building projects that should be prioritized by FDNY inspectors, according to the indictment. The current fire commissioner, Robert Tucker, pledged the departments cooperation. Every member of the FDNY takes a sworn oath to conduct themselves honestly and ethically. Anything less will not be tolerated. The Department will fully cooperate with any ongoing investigations. Keeping New Yorkers safe remains our top priority, Tucker said. 2 retired FDNY chiefs arrested for alleged corruption: Sources originally appeared on abcnews.go.com CHARLES COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) Maryland State Police (MSP) are investigating after a 20-year-old man died in a motorcycle crash in Hughesville early Sunday morning. According to MSP, at around 2:40 a.m., troopers from the MSP La Plata barrack responded to Maryland Route 5 south of Old Leonardtown Road for a report of a serious motor vehicle collision. MSP said that the preliminary investigation indicates that Connor McCarthy, 20, of Mechanicsville, was driving an unregistered 2008 Suzuki GSXR-750 southbound at a high speed when he failed to navigate a curve in the roadway and lost control of the bike. Person injured after deputy was involved in shooting in Charles County McCarthy and the Suzuki then collided with a guardrail, according to MSP. He died at the scene. MSP said that speed, alcohol and driver error appear to be the factors in the crash. Police encourage anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact them at (301) 392-1200. The investigation is ongoing. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. In 2017 Sawyer County aimed to lower its jail population; by 2024 its down by nearly 40% Alternatives to incarceration drastically cut the jail population in Sawyer County, which used to have the fourth highest lock-up rate in Wisconsin | Getty Images (This article is based on stories reported by Frank Zufall for the Sawyer County Record since 2017 and used with permission.) In 2015 Sawyer County, a rural county in northwestern Wisconsin with a population around 18,000 at the time, had one of the highest incarceration rates in Wisconsin. According to a report by the Vera Institute of Justice, Sawyer County ranked fourth in the state behind Menominee, Shawano and Forest Counties. As recently as 2019, the average number of persons in the jail each day in any month was 100.95. By August 2024, that number had fallen to 61.25. The trend is clearly downward. When so many county jails are bursting at the seams and struggling to recruit guards, why did Sawyer Countys jail population drop so much? The biggest single reason is a decision made in 2017 to reconvene the countys Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC), a group representing judges and district attorneys along with law enforcement, probation and representatives of social services, with the goal of looking for alternatives to incarceration, focusing on programming and therapy. Another factor that began around 2017 and gained momentum in 2018 was the pursuit of a second judge for the county. From 2014-16, Sawyer County Circuit Judge John Yackel had the highest caseload for one judge in the state. Because of the sheer volume of felony cases, many people who had charges pending waited weeks or months in jail for their court appearances. A second judge was approved for Sawyer County and then a second courtroom was constructed for over $10 million. In August 2023, the second judge, Monica Isham, was sworn into office. Background In March of 2017, Brenda Spurlock, Bayfield County Criminal Justice Coordinator, asked Sawyer County to participate in a Department of Justice planning grant called Bridges to Treatment. The program diverts inmates with mental illness or substance abuse from jail to community treatment programs. The proposal, she said, called for the participants including Bayfield and Ashland counties along with the Red Cliff, Bad River and Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal bands to try new strategies to divert eligible offenders into community treatment. If you dont start doing things differently, you are going to keep adding to your jail, said Bayfield County Circuit Judge John Anderson months later at the May Bayfield County CJCC meeting after Spurlock made her pitch to the Sawyer County Public Safety Committee. Anderson said he was quoting a jail designer who had spoken at a jail-building committee 20 years previously. Taking to heart the words of that consultant, Bayfield County leaders formed their CJCC to look for alternatives to jail. In 2017, Bayfield Countys jail population had fallen significantly enough that it had room to take the overflow from Sawyer Countys crowded jail. Members of the local LCO Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, including two Tweed Shuman and James Schlender, Jr. both of whom were also Sawyer County supervisors in 2017 (Shuman is still in office), raised concerns about the high jail population, with over 70% of the residents being Native Americans. In July 2017, then-Sawyer County Administrator Tom Hoff announced that Sawyer County would reconvene its CJCC, which had been disbanded for years. Hoff said the primary goal of the Sawyer County CJCC was to lower the daily jail population. Schlender, who advocated for the CJCC and also for hiring a full-time coordinator, said the point of the council was to have the judge, district attorney, sheriff and jailer in the same room to look at trends, such as a high revocation rate for drivers licenses, and see what could be done to ensure the same people dont keep returning to jail. Schlender also noted that many were in jail because of drug and alcohol problems. Rather than having them sit in jail with no services offered to them, maybe we can get a diversion program working with (Sawyer County) Health and Human Services and get them off to a treatment program and then you are going to see a reduction in the jail population, he said. County Supervisor Iras Humpreys, an advocate for reconvening the CJCC, pointed out at the July 2017 meeting that Sawyer County had spent $70,000 in 2017 to pay for housing jail residents in other counties, notably Bayfield County. Humpreys also noted that among the 90 residents in the Sawyer County jail at the time, only 26 had been sentenced while 31 were sitting in jail because they were not able to pay for a cash bond as part of their bail. Judge Anderson said it took years for the Bayfield County CJCC to have a positive impact because there were some stakeholders committed to the punishment mode but others to rehabilitation, and the two sides were not working together. At first, if you said evidence-based practice youd see people rolling their eyes, he said. It took a lot of years of saying, This is what the evidence is showing. It took a lot of years to change peoples way of thinking. Anderson said there are several studies on lowering recidivism that reveal what works and what doesnt. Boot camps are horrible, Anderson said. The DARE program has made no impact on recidivism. It doesnt mean its bad, but if you think the DARE program has helped reduce recidivism with people who have drug and alcohol problems zero. There are enough studies out there to prove it. Another dumb idea, he said, is to put people who cant pay their fines in jail and even more so to send them to another countys jail because while they are in jail they will not be able to pay the fines. Launch In the first months after the new program began, instead of dropping, Sawyer Countys jail population rose, hitting a record high for daily jail population in 2019 of 101. But Judge Yackel, a member of the CJCC, was working with the CJCC coordinator to put accountability measures in place for people convicted of drug charges, including an aggressive schedule of drug testing as a condition of their bond and as a way to keep them out of jail. In addition, the county brought new programming to the jail residents, offering on-the-job training in the construction trades and in-house classes. JusticePoint: The group that made a difference In 2018 a non-profit with expertise in criminal justice programming, JusticePoint, did a multi-month study of Sawyer County jail residents and offered insights into the jail population. In particular, it highlighted the high rate of unemployment of residents prior to incarceration. Sawyer County Sheriff Doug Mrotek said he had learned about JusticePoint while attending the 2017 Wisconsin Badgers State Sheriffs Association meeting and hearing Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney talk about its diversion and jail programming which helped reduce incarceration in his county. In 2020, the CJCC asked JusticePoint to help with its application for the states Treatment and Diversion Grant to help pay program costs for non-violent adult offenders as an alternative to jail. The Sawyer County CJCC also began discussions with JusticePoint to see if it would be able to run programs for the county after the retirement of the full-time criminal justice coordinator. In January 2021, JusticePoint opened an office in the county building and began administering the countys pretrial and diversion programs. It also helped with programming in the jail and eventually worked with the court as it reconvened its Recovery/Drug Court, while also helping the sheriff institute a deflection program. Many of the key stakeholders judge, sheriff, county administrator, and jailer give much of the credit for the lower jail census in 2024 to the staff of JusticePoint, five individuals who work mostly through the state Treatment and Diversion grant. I think theyve done an outstanding job in the last three years, said Sheriff Mrotek. Keeping people out of jail as they await trial The biggest program JusticePoint administers for Sawyer County is a pretrial program, probably the most important factor in lowering the jail census. As of Sept. 11, there were 150 individuals in a pretrial program. Pretrial is for those who have been arrested, charged, but not convicted and are often on a cash bond as a guarantee they will continue to make court dates and follow prescribed conduct, such as being sober while on release. It wasnt that many years ago that on average nearly a third of the jail residents in Sawyer County were those who couldnt make their cash bond. Pretrial supervision offers accountability without a high cash bond. To help people qualify for the pretrial program, JusticePoint staff does a risk assessment of the person reoffending and makes a report to the judge, DA, and defense attorneys. The basic goal, the foundational goal of pretrial, is to ensure that clients are in the court, showing up for court and are maintaining the condition of their bond, said JusticePoint Diversion Coordinator Kari Dussi. Becky Barry, JusticePoints program manager for Sawyer County, said they often spend time reviewing specific conditions the court has ordered for a bond because often their clients are not fully aware of those conditions, yet if they violate them they could end up in jail. Clients meet with staff on a regular schedule. For those struggling to meet a condition, such as absolute sobriety, there will be case management referrals to Alcohol and Other Drug Addiction (AODA) counselors, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings or peer support meeting with a recovering addict who has been trained to help other addicts struggling. If a person isnt meeting the conditions of a bond, it is up to the court whether to send that person to jail or impose a cash bond or just deliver a lecture from the judge on what is expected. Diversion programs keep people out of jail Another Justice Point service is a diversion program, which offers services to people charged with drug offenses or other offenses stemming from their substance use. In order for the diversion plan to proceed, the applicant has to agree to plead guilty or no contest. If the person doesnt complete the diversion plan, her or she will be facing punishment, but if they complete the diversion agreement, the charges are dropped. To be eligible for diversion one must be 18 or older, a non-violent offender, have a low-moderate risk of recidivism, and be approved by the DAs office for the voluntary program. Dussi offers an assessment of the persons eligibility and a recommendation for the length of the program and different terms. If the DA approves, the person is accepted into the diversion program, but if the DA doesnt approve, the case proceeds to court. One of the standard conditions of diversion is 25 hours of community service. The rest of the conditions are individualized. We meet people where they are at and [assess] how its helping them reach their goals, said Dussi. If a person has alcohol or substance abuse issues, theyre probably going to AODA, said Barry. If they have mental health issues, theyre going to be referred to mental health; if one of their barriers is employment, theyre going to be referred for, like, transitional job skills or training. A fundamental concept driving the diversion opportunity, especially for those without prior charges, is that those first few engagements with the legal system, especially jail time, can leave a permanent, negative impression resulting in future recidivism. I think, as a society, we have this tendency to think that when people have criminal behavior, the answer is to throw everybody into jails, into prisons, said Barry. I think that we need to look at what the research and evidence is telling us, she said. When the people working in the criminal justice system continue to get the same results over and over and over, and the recidivism is not going down, what were doing is not working, so we need to look at evidence and start doing what that tells us is going to work. Sheriff Mrotek became an advocate for diversion when attending training in Eau Claire and heard the case of a woman who had helped her boyfriend elude law enforcement and was later arrested. She entered a diversion program and the charge against her wasnt prosecuted upon successful completion of her program. The woman ended up finishing nursing school and became a registered nurse (RN). She really attributed the diversion opportunity to changing her life around in a positive way, said Mrotek who noted she wouldnt have been hired by a hospital with a felony charge on her record. She was able to get her life straightened around and everything worked out pretty well. Recovery court JusticePoint staff also work with the Sawyer County Recovery Court that reconvened in November 2023. Recovery Court is the newer edition of what used to be known as Drug Court, a special court meant to provide accountability and encouragement for those struggling with an addiction. Its for high-risk offenders and actually treatment court is also a post-sentence option, but its an alternative to a felony conviction, a serious felony conviction, whereas diversion is for more low-risk individuals, Barry explained. Those in the program have a sentence imposed on them, but that sentence is stayed pending successful completion of Recovery Court. Pre-arrest deflection The JusticePoint staff also wrote a grant for the sheriffs office for a deflection program with the purpose of keeping low-risk individuals out of the criminal justice system. It deflects them, if you will, from the criminal justice system into supportive resources and responses to mitigate risk of recidivism or become more involved in the criminal justice system, said Dussi. Law enforcement has the option to decide if they want to deflect that person instead of arresting that person, said Barry. In the deflection program, there are a variety of different supervision levels and options developed by peer support specialists working under the supervision of Dussi. The premise, said Barry, is to try to get that person services proactively and keep them out of the criminal justice system, because statistics tell us that those low-level offenders are the ones that, you know, a year down the line, two years, five years down the line, are the ones that were seeing in the more high-level offense areas. And so the whole purpose is to try to get them early and get them out of that risk area. Improved outcomes after hiring a second judge Starting in 2017, Judge Yackel began raising concerns at the local, regional, and state level that Sawyer County needed a second judge and second courtroom to process cases in a timely manner. The second judge was approved on the condition that a second courtroom be constructed. The county bonded over $10 million and began construction in 2022. Judge Monica Isham took the bench, presiding over the new courtroom in August 2023. Judge Yackel said that prior to having a second judge it might have taken him months to consider whether a person should be in the diversion program and while that person was being considered they might be waiting in jail for as long as six to nine months. Cases would languish because we were being crushed by the amount of cases, he said. With two judges, Yackel said, there is more flexibility to respond to an urgent request, such as when a defense attorney asks that a client be allowed to attend in-patient treatment at a facility that has an opening with a short window for a response. We will modify that bond to do that, said Yackel, and our ability to react to that is much quicker. In November 2023, with two judges in the county, the Sawyer Recovery Court reconvened. A lot of what Recovery Court is about is personal accountability between the two judges Yackel and Isham and the offenders, along with positive feedback for little steps of sobriety and stability. Getting through the system faster Sawyer County Administrator Andy Albarado is also pleased to see the reduced jail population. He gives much credit to the diversion program and especially the pretrial program, as well as having a second judge People are able to get through the system faster, he said, and weve only had that second courtroom for a year, and I wouldnt say that second courtroom is fully implemented. It has taken six months just to get the court calendar balanced out, to get the new judge assigned cases and get people their court dates. Albarado said even with two judges now available to respond to cases, there are still limiting factors such as the availability of public defenders. People have to be represented and if it takes some time to get them a public defender assigned, they still might have to wait through the system, he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Image source: Getty Images Are you feeling burned out on spending money, to the point that you kind of want to just sit at home and not go shopping anymore? 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The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 7 Amazing Costco Buys for Under $50 was originally published by The Motley Fool The Scene When Ryan Routh spoke to Semafor on March 7, 2023, he was frustrated with the Ukrainian government for which hed traveled around the world to support. The Ukrainians, he complained, were being too rigid about admitting foreign soldiers of dubious qualifications, including a group of Afghan commandos who were facing skepticism and bureaucratic roadblocks in Kyiv. Ukraine is very often hard to work with. Many foreign soldiers leave after a week in Ukraine or must move from unit to unit to find a place they are respected and appreciated, he told Semafor. Hed been yelled at every time he suggested they tap Afghan commandos. Theyre afraid that anybody and everybody is a Russian spy, he said with frustration. Now a man widely reported to be Routh, 58, is in custody for what the FBI described as an apparent attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. When Semafor talked to him, Routh was one of a wave of American volunteers in Ukraine, the self-appointed director of a group hed started called the International Volunteer Center. He was, even by the standards of that frantic moment, a bit over the top, a Ukrainian involved in the effort told us at the time. But he was also, they said, authentically involved in the efforts to bring in foreign troops, and we quoted him in a story about the Afghan fighters. On X, he frantically tweeted at President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with his ideas for instance, to use Independence Park to create a tent city of all the foreigners here in support to get thousands more foreign civilians to come and support Ukraine. Zelenskyy did not appear to respond. Know More Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said Rouths AK-47 style weapon with a scope had been recovered at the scene, according to the Associated Press. Routh was not the focus of our 2023 story, and we spoke with him for less than half an hour. He said he had spent 5 months in Ukraine working on his center, and when we spoke to him he was working to find a house in Pakistan to temporarily lodge Afghans hoping to fight in Ukraine. The International legion recently tightened the hiring standard and has been firing many volunteer soldiers, he said. But hed recently gotten the good news that one Afghan soldier, Reza, had been accepted by the Ukrainians. Our conversations painted a picture of a man who had committed his life to the struggle for Ukraine but whose own allies also viewed him with skepticism. I have had partners meeting with [the Ministry of Defense] every week and still have not been able to get them to agree to issue not one single visa for any of these soldiers, he complained. Hed pitched his idea widely, he said, but got yelled at by most everyone. When we spoke to him, he had transferred his frustration to the American government, and traveled to Washington to lobby. I am in Washington DC now to try and get some leadership here to help push the Ukrainians to take these soldiers, he said. It all hinges on the US partners here encouraging Ukraine to use these men or us merely convincing them to use them. ALEXANDRIA, VA As Alexandrians cast their ballots for president and Congress, the Nov. 5, 2024 general election in the City of Alexandria features local races as well. In the City Council general election, Jacinta Greene is one of nine candidates. There are six City Council seats up for grabs. Six of the candidates won the Democratic primary election in June incumbents John Taylor Chapman, Sarah Bagley, Kirk McPike and Canek Aguirre and School Board members Abdel Elnoubi and Jacinta Greene. Butler and Roy Byrd are running as independents, and Celianna Gunderson is running as a Republican. The City of Alexandria will have the mayor, all six City Council seats and all nine Alexandria School Board seats up for election in November. Federal elections on the ballot include president, Sen. Tim Kaine's U.S. Senate seat, and Rep. Don Beyer's eighth congressional district seat. The next state-level elections will be in 2025. Early voting for the general election will begin on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 and continue through Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. More information on how to vote is available from the Alexandria Office of Voter Registration & Elections. Patch asked candidates for mayor, Alexandria City Council and Alexandria School Board to fill out a candidate questionnaire with the same questions. Here are Jacinta Greene's responses: Name Jacinta Greene Office Sought Alexandria City Council Campaign Website www.jacintagreene.com Age (As of Nov. 5 election) 52 Education Bachelor's of Science -Virginia Commonwealth University Occupation Independent Business Consultant Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? My cousin, biggest supporter and greatest advisor was the late Congressman Donald McEachin, who represented the 4th Congressional District. I miss him dearly! Previous public office positions or appointments I have served two terms on the Alexandria School Board including 2 years as Vice Chair. I also served 10 years on the Alexandria Commission for Women, including 8 years as Vice Chair. I am a current board member and Northeastern Regional Chair for the Virginia School Board Association. 8th Congressional District Representative for the VSBA Federal Legislative Committee. Board Member for the Vola Lawson Breast Cancer Foundation, Alexandria Sheriff's Advisory Board Member Why are you seeking this office? My mom was a career educator and activist, who instilled in me the importance of advocating for those who have no voice but deserve a place at the table. She instilled in me to always fight for what is right and just. I was fortunate to have grown up surrounded by a family of educators, all who taught in the depths of the inner city and worked with low-income students and families. So, I am proud that a drive to help marginalized communities was instilled in me at an early age. That is why I ran for the School Board in 2018 and ran for reelection in 2021. I am proud of the work I have done to make Alexandrias schools even better. I am running for city council to expand that work so that we can make Alexandria an even better place to live and make sure more people can share in the success of our city. What are the major differences between you and the other candidate(s) seeking this post? I think that the experience that I bring to the table is unique among all the candidates running: I have a track record of getting things done as an elected official in Alexandria, I have decades of success in Corporate America as well as many years working with businesses of all sizes as a business consultant and also have a long history of community service and leadership during my time in Alexandria. I do not believe any other candidate can say the same. What does this mean in practice? It means that I will be ready to hit the ground running on day one. It means that I am uniquely suited to work on diversifying Alexandrias economy and helping to plan equitable and tactical future development. It means that I will always center the needs of the people of Alexandria in the work I do, especially those who have felt left out of the process. What do you see as the top issues facing your city, and how do you address them in your campaign platform? I believe that the top three issues facing our city are: affordability, especially in housing, the growing needs of our schools, and the uneven balance of our economy. If I were able to pick a fourth it would be climate resilience. When it comes to affordability, we face a serious challenge: more people are getting priced out of renting or buying a home in Alexandria. That negatively impacts our communities, our businesses, our schools, and just about every other part of our city in the long-term. That is why we need to make sure of tactical redevelopment and be strategic about not only where we build, but also what we build. More luxury housing is not going to affect our shortage of affordable apartments or make it easier for first-time buyers to purchase in Alexandria. We need to use every tool in our tool box to ensure that our house supply meets our needs in terms of the number and type of properties. On the issues facing our schools, we must ensure that we provide a world-class education to our students, not only for their benefit but also because it makes our city more attractive for businesses and new residents to move here. It goes without saying that a significant part of the issue stems from the need for resources, especially money. I think we need to do what we can to maximize the investment that we make in our schools, whether it be finding and eliminating inefficiencies or simply prioritizing our schools over other worthy causes. We also need to use our clout to push the state government to invest more in education. Virginia is in the middle of the pack nationally, when it comes to state support per pupil. We need to do better. Our economic challenges are a problem and they also limit our ability to invest in housing, schools, climate resilience, and the other things we care about. Our commercial tax base lags behind our peer jurisdictions and we need to fix that. We have assets we need to better tap: tourism, our proximity to Amazon HQ2 and the new Virginia Tech Innovation campus, amongst other things. The days of just building office space and calling it a day on business development are over. We need to support business incubators, provide new and existing businesses with resources to navigate the issues they face, ensure that we develop and redevelop in a way that maximizes the impact. What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? I would cite my entire track record on the Alexandria School Board as evidence. I helped shepherd our schools through COVID and a superintendent transition. I lead our effort to promote equity and close the achievement gap. I worked with my colleagues to oversee large budgets and large capital projects like the building of 3 schools. And, equally as important, I have constantly shown myself to be someone who attacks problems head-on and is not afraid to roll up my sleeves and do the hard work to ensure success. I think this mix of concrete experience and soft skills, combined with my experience in the private sector will give me the tools to be a City Council Member who delivers results for Alexandria and improves the lives of our residents. What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions? I welcome anyone with questions about my positions on the issues to visit my website: JacintaGreene.com. If you are unable to find a specific answer there, you can always email me at jgreene4citycouncil@gmail.com. 2024 Candidate Profile: Jacinta Greene For Alexandria City Council originally appeared on the Old Town Alexandria Patch 2024 Mississippi Science Festival to be held in Jackson JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) The Mississippi Science Festival (MSF) will take place September 18-21, 2024. Organizers said the event brings the community together to celebrate careers in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) and has introduced children of all ages to the wide variety of STEAM concepts and industries that are available in Mississippi. New Gluckstadt learning center provides free resources Guests can purchase one ticket for Saturdays festival and explore all four museums in the LeFleur Museum Districts for $10. On Saturday, September 21, exhibitors and activities will be at all four museums in the district. In addition to MSF celebrations in the LeFleur Museum District in Jackson, events will also take place at the Mississippi Childrens Museum Meridian and the B.B. King Museum in Indianola. A full schedule of activities for the festival and event tickets can be found online. Organizers said event tickets will admit attendees to all four LMD museums on Saturday, September 21. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily 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 WJTV. FILE - Houses and buildings are partially submerged following a dam collapse in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Tuesday, Sept 10, 2024. 281 inmates in northeastern Nigeria escaped after devastating floods brought down a prison's walls, authorities said Sunday. The correctional officers found out about the escape as they were about to evacuate the prison in Maiduguri, Borno State, due to the floods, Umar Abubakar, spokesperson for the Nigeria Correctional Services said in a statement. The collapse of a major dam in the state of Borno last week caused some of the states worst flooding since the same dam collapsed 30 years ago, and prompted many residents to flee their homes. The state government said the dam was at capacity due to unusually high rains. (AP Photos/ Musa Ajit Borno, File) ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) Nigerian authorities said 281 inmates escaped after devastating floods brought down a prisons walls in the country's northeast. A major dam collapsed on Sept. 10, unleashing severe flooding that left 30 people dead and over a million displaced, and prompted evacuations across the state of Borno. Officers attempted to evacuate the city of Maiduguri's main prison last week when they found out that the prisoners had escaped, Umar Abubakar, spokesperson for the Nigeria Correctional Services said in a statement Sunday night. The floods brought down the walls of the correctional facilities including the Medium Security Custodial Centre, as well as the staff quarters in the city, Abubakar said. Security personnel were able to recapture seven of the inmates and an operation is still ongoing to locate the rest, he said. The collapse caused some of the states worst flooding since the same dam collapsed 30 years ago. The state government said the dam was at capacity due to unusually high rains. Two years ago, heavy flooding in Nigeria killed more than 600 people across the country. West Africa has experienced some of the heaviest flooding in decades this year, affecting over 2.3 million people, a threefold increase from 2023, according to the UN. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Interstate 29 was shut down for part of Monday morning after a woman was injured in a rollover crash in Platte City, Missouri. According to the Platte County Sheriffs Office, at about 6:50 a.m., deputies responded to a crash on northbound I-29 near the 21-mile marker. Chiefs RB Pacheco suffered fractured fibula: report The single-car crash resulted in the temporary shutdown of I-29, diverting traffic to Missouri 371 Highway. The woman injured in the crash was taken to a hospital for treatment, and I-29 eventually reopened at 7:40 a.m. The Platte County Sheriffs Office said it appreciates the patience and understanding of everyone whose travel was delayed this morning. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. Three students have been arrested on suspicion of bringing weapons to Sacramento-area schools in the past four days, though authorities said they were unrelated to the nationwide threats targeting several schools across capitol region. The threats typically the same message with a schools name added or superimposed circulated on social media last week. Four schools in the San Juan Unified School District, one in Placer Union High School District and an undisclosed number in Natomas Unified and Sacramento City Unified school districts were targeted, according to The Sacramento Bees previous reporting. Parents said on social media that John F. Kennedy, Hiram Johnson and C.K. McClatchy high schools also saw a threat, according to parents who took to social media themselves to warn others of the threats. Spokespersons with the Sacramento Police Department and the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office said no arrests have been made in connection to those threats. Each time, the threat was not credible. Its unclear if the three students were inspired by the social media school threats. Two teenage boys were accused Monday at Arden Arcades El Camino Fundamental High School of possessing weapons, according to the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office. A 14-year-old boy showed off what appeared to be a handgun placed in his waistband to other students, deputies said. It was found to be an Airsoft pistol with its orange tip removed. Its unclear what charges, if any, the teenager will face. Another 15-year-old boy was cited after deputies said he was found with two pocket knives. He was released to his parents, deputies said. While both students knew each other, they did not appear to have collaborated, and there was no plan or plot for violence, the Sheriffs Office wrote online, which added staff members found the weapons about 9:30 a.m. The Sheriffs Office is investigating the incident and asks anyone with information to call detectives at 916-874-5115 or the Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357. Tips can be left anonymously and may be eligible for a $1,000 reward. Another student was arrested Friday at Will C. Wood Middle School in Fruitridge Manor after Principal Mary Cha told parents in a letter that the student made a poor decision that endangered the safety of everyone. This news is disheartening in its own right, but for it to occur on a day when there were so many hoax school threats across the country demonstrates why these threats are so dangerous and must all be investigated properly, Cha wrote. Cha said students reported the boy to staff, who then secured the weapon. The child will face disciplinary action under the Sacramento City Unified School Districts zero tolerance weapons policy, Cha wrote. I would like to also express my gratitude to the students who bravely and responsibly came forward to report this incident. We tell our students to practice see something, say something and this is an example of why that is so important, Cha said. Officers were called just before 2 p.m. to the site for reports of a student with a weapon and retrieved it, said Officer Allison Smith, a spokeswoman with the Police Department. Its also unclear if the student will face charges. Firefighters walk near fire hoses set up to protect homes and cabins threatened by the Lava Fire near Lake Cascade on Sept. 11. (Clark Corbin/Idaho Capital Sun) LAVA FIRE, BOISE NATIONAL FOREST One of the last things U.S. Army Capt. Bison Carcelli did before wrapping up his 30-day mission helping fight wildfires in Idaho was haul hoses up and down mountain roads to protect evacuated homes near Lake Cascade. Since Aug. 19, about 250 U.S. Army soldiers from the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion and 117th Infantry Battalion based out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington have been helping fight a series of wildfires burning near Cascade. Carcelli, who had never fought a wildfire before, said he loved the entire assignment and learning new skills. But he said it was especially important serving as a last line of defense helping protect peoples homes and property they love. Its just been super exciting being able to have something completely different from our normal job, Carcelli told the Idaho Capital Sun on Wednesday. Everyone thinks about how we go overseas to defend our country, but its been great to have an impact on home, like back here in the United States. So I think that, for me, has been the coolest aspect. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX On Tuesday and Wednesday, soldiers focused on protecting homes that had been evacuated near the southwest tip of Lake Cascade. As ash rained down on them and the Lava Fire burned on the hillside above them, soldiers and firefighters hauled and connected about half a mile of hoses along Brenda Drive, the farthest west road close to the fire perimeter. Crews arranged lateral hoses on the ground around homes, cabins and other structures and connected the hoses to giant orange inflatable water tanks called pumpkins. The pumpkins were connected by more hoses to pumps and a nearby creek, creating a connected system that allows them to move water. Were just plumbing this area so we can defend it if necessary, said Alex Barrera, a U.S. Forest Service fire captain from the Sequoia National Forest who was working with Army soldiers. The sprinkler systems arent for the initial suppression factor. Its for in the event we actually have to leave this area, we simply engage our system that we installed ourselves, and we got sprinklers here, protecting (these homes and buildings). On Wednesday Barrera drove an Idaho Capital Sun reporter in a side-by-side utility vehicle through dense smoke along Brenda Drive to show the work the soldiers had done and how close the Lava Fire was to homes. Lava Fire Idaho U.S. Forest Service And so, so you can see the importance of how close the fire could potentially get to this community, and why were actually out here doing what were doing, Barrera said as he drove past lines of water hoses on Brenda Drive. U.S. soldiers helping out after Lave Fire exhibited extreme fire behavior last week With wildfire resources stretched thin across the country, U.S. Army soldiers were called in to support the more than 1,000 people, including U.S. Forest Service wildland firefighters, who are fighting wildfires near Cascade as part of the West Mountain Complex fires and the Lava Fire. The National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise determines if and when active duty military personnel will be requested to serve as ground firefighters, as authorized by the 2021 Interagency Agreement between the Department of Defense, U.S. Forest Service, and Department of Interior, said Kerry Greene, an emergency management specialist public information officer for the U.S. Forest Service. The criteria pertain to the national preparedness level, the availability of ground firefighting crews and the amount of time left until fire season in the West is predicted to end, Greene said. Active duty U.S. soldiers were mobilized in August to ensure that adequate numbers of firefighters would be available to manage all of the complex wildfires and ensure that the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies are able to maintain the capability to address new fires. At the time the military was activated we were at National Planning Level 5, or PL5, which means there were no or very limited wildland firefighters available to be mobilized, Greene said. Adding 10 handcrews comprised of U.S. Army Soldiers relieved pressure on the system. Some of the soldiers have fought the Snag Fire, Boulder Fire, the Middle Fork Complex fires and now the Lava Fire. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US So we started off over on the Snag Fire on the eastern side of Lake Cascade, and we were prepping that line there to control the Snag and stop its progression to the south and to the west, Carcelli said. And that was a great success for us. I mean, that line was able to hold, and we were able to see that controlled burn happen. The soldiers mission was for 30 days, and their last day of work was Sunday. On Tuesday, many will fly home to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. The Lava Fire started by lightning Sept. 2 about 12 miles southwest of Cascade, after the U.S. Army soldiers had arrived to help out on the nearby West Mountain Complex fires, which started by lighting Aug. 5. U.S. Forest Service officials said the Lava Fire exhibited extreme fire behavior on Sept. 10 and merged with the nearby Boulder Fire, creating one massive wildfire that will take on the name of the larger fire and simply be known as the Lava Fire going forward. Put another way, on social media posts, public information officers said the Lava Fire ate the Boulder Fire. Lava Fire Idaho U.S. Army Idaho The Lava Fire is burning on the Payette and Boise national forests and was listed Sunday at 95,746 acres with 26% of the fires perimeter contained, according to the Lava Fire InciWeb report. As of Friday, 746 people were assigned to the Lava Fire. A new incident command team took over the fire Thursday morning. Officials with the Boise National Forest and Payette National Forest have issued road and trail closures for the Lava Fire, while officials with Adams and Valley County have issued evacuation orders for specific areas and subdivisions. Check the Valley County Sheriffs Office Facebook page and the Adams County Sheriffs Office Facebook page for the latest evacuation orders and notices. As mission wraps up, soldiers say fighting wildfires had a big effect on them Sgt. First Class Juan Reaves said fighting wildfires is physically and mentally demanding. Many soldiers were used to working and training near sea level in Washington. Near Cascade, they worked in and around the mountains at 4,800 feet of elevation and up. You have to be mentally ready to do the labor, Reaves said. Its 12-plus hours of walking miles of mountainous terrain, so youve just got to be mentally and physically ready. Reaves said it was worth it and he would gladly accept another mission to fight wildfires. Other soldiers agreed. I didnt know how complex wildfire was and how much knowledge goes into it, with the weather analysis and the fire and planning that happens around all of it, Carcelli said. Most of the soldiers had never fought a wildfire before, and learned on the job and during training prior to arriving in Idaho. I have heavy respect for firefighters, U.S. Army Specialist Willard Utterback of the 117th Infantry Battalion said. The stuff that they go through, you know, its a lot like the military. They spend a lot of time away from their families. You know, they dont make the best pay in the world, and they are out here serving their country, just like us. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE 34th annual Auction Against Aids proceeds go towards The Philadelphia Center SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) The Philadelphia Center hosted the 34th annual Auction against Aids event at Sams Town Casino and Hotel this weekend. This years theme was the iconic ballroom scene in efforts to raise money for Northwest Louisianas HIV and aids resource center. Our very own Alexandra Meachum, Myriam Samake, and Lynn Vance hosted the event this year. This event is so important because sexual health in our community is still a needed topic. Louisiana is still very high on the list of syphilis gonorrhea rate , so the things we do at the Philidelphia Center are for prevention, help support and support those individuals who need our help and need our services to make our community just a little bit better, said Dr.Lonnie McCray President of the board of directors. All the proceeds go to the services of the Philidelphia Center. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) It was a Sunday of music, dancing, and Puerto Rican flags in Springfield, as the 34th annual Springfield Puerto Rican Parade kicked off Hispanic Heritage month. Springfield Vietnamese Cultural Association hosts traditional Moon Festival Sunday brought thousands of people to the streets of Springfield to celebrate the citys Puerto Rican cultural heritage, waving their Puerto Rican flags with music, dancing, and of course a very spirited parade. The Springfield Puerto Rican Parade strives to empower the community by uplifting Puerto Rican culture, representing the island, and leaving a lasting legacy. This years parade theme Puerto Rican Magic, meant to showcase what it means to be Puerto Rican today and every day. We really hope people feel the electricity and the energy and the essence of our culture, our heritage, what it means to be borique, Springfield Puerto Rican Parade President Sash Viands said. Because everyones Puerto Rican today. Beyond the bands, schools, local leaders, and community organizations marching, 22News own Melissa Torres served as this year emcee with Hector Zavala, embodying the spirit of her culture in the city where she grew up. Latinos love sharing their culture with everyone and its so important to have events like today that just make you feel so proud, Torres said. Because we carry that pride every day but to be recognized and celebrated, it means the world. 22News heard from attendees about what makes this day so meaningful to them. We love the energy, we love the people, we love the music, we love the food, said Springfield resident Jose Ramos. Were out here celebrating our culture. As Hispanic Heritage month begins, parade organizers and local leaders told 22News how the community can carry todays spirits not only through October 15th, but beyond. Whether its Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee, any surrounding towns coming together as a whole, and just being nice to each other, talking, communicating to each other, Parade Ambassador Alexander Sierra said. I think thats the best thing we can do. 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. Military vehicles drive down a road past a sign indicating that the border to Russia is approaching north of Sumy on August 15th 2024, in Sumy Region, Ukraine. Ukraines's incursion into Russia's Kursk has continued into a second week. Russia is stepping up its pressure on Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, after launching its counteroffensive there last week. Its now reported that as many as 38,000 Russian troops have been committed to the operation, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been forced to defend the incursion which began in August against mounting criticism. A report in The Financial Times cites a senior Ukrainian military intelligence official who assessed the number of Russian soldiers now involved in the counteroffensive, with some of these having been redeployed from southern Ukraine. Despite this, the same source says that the counterattack is still not large-scale, and Russia will need to introduce more of its combat-proven assault brigades before making more significant gains. In the past, Zelensky has mentioned 100,000 Russian troops being required to fully repulse the incursion. Air strikes on Russian positions in Veseloe, Kursk region. (51.2805684, 34.5540773); (51.2824472, 34.5634034)https://t.co/jPIKHVNA5S pic.twitter.com/pj9LKIHJuv Special Kherson Cat (@bayraktar_1love) September 16, 2024 Overall, though, there are fears that the initiative could begin to swing in the Kremlins favor, with some now also questioning the objectives of the Ukrainian incursion, which achieved initial surprise and saw a large swath of Russias Kursk region taken by Kyivs troops. Around 460 square miles of territory were seized in the Ukrainian operation, which began on August 6. At this point, the biggest worry for Ukrainian commanders is very likely the fact that Russia has, so far, not diverted substantial forces away from the east of Ukraine, where Kyivs troops remain under significant pressure and continue to lose ground. In particular, the area around Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, which is home to a major railway hub, has seen an uptick in Russian attacks. A detonation of a Russian BTR-82 in the Kursk direction. In general, it is not typical for armored personnel carriers to explode so hugely; detonations of this magnitude usually occur with tanks, BMP-3, or BMD-4 vehicles, which have many large-caliber shells in their ammunition pic.twitter.com/X2ALKrgMHd Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) September 16, 2024 Kyiv hopes that holding onto the territory long-term would have provided a powerful bargaining chip in any future peace negotiations with Moscow, but the present situation on the ground in the Kursk region is disputed. Russian officials said that the counteroffensive launched last week quickly led to around 24 square miles of territory being recaptured, primarily on the left flank of the area occupied by Kyivs troops. Meanwhile, the Deepstate military analysis outlet, which has close links with the Ukrainian military, reports that Ukrainian troops are still pushing toward the north. Other reports claim that the Ukrainians are also making advances in the Russians rear, which could even threaten to trap them in a pocket against the Seym River. The Russians have just confirmed: they have a problem in Kursk Their counterattack got stuck, but Ukrainian s are advancing in their rear, basically threatening to pocket them. Ukraine is dividing the large pocket formed against the Seym River in two parts. It will be easier https://t.co/nG2NmJlwvXpic.twitter.com/HQRh8dB5Y0 PS01 (@PStyle0ne1) September 14, 2024 Elsewhere, there are accounts that Ukrainian troops have advanced around 2.5 miles in the Glushkovo direction of the Kursk region, destroying a Russian motorized rifle brigade in the process. Ukrainian forces reportedly advanced in Glushkovsky Raion, Kursk Oblast, and Russian forces reportedly recently recaptured territory in the area as of September 15. Ukrainian forces continued offensive operations throughout their salient and Russian forces recently advanced https://t.co/AqZ2nbJmuX pic.twitter.com/ljvwX9OvKi Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) September 16, 2024 Ukrainian military bloggers write that the Armed Forces of Ukraine advanced 4 kilometers in the Glushkovo direction of the Kursk Region. They destroyed the motorized rifle brigade of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation pic.twitter.com/6AQF6zJOr0 MilitaryNewsUA (@front_ukrainian) September 15, 2024 A video from the Glushkovo direction would seem to support claims that Russian forces sustained heavy losses here. Video from Glushkovo district of Kursk (russian footage) The place is littered with destroyed Russian hardware Russian soldiers are looting their own country, everything is going downhill pic.twitter.com/eiLqyRHESQ PS01 (@PStyle0ne1) September 14, 2024 Our military is holding on heroically and doing everything necessary for our other military-political steps, Zelensky said on Friday, admitting that Russian forces had started their rapid offensive actions. Ukrainian Armed Forces Stryker armored fighting vehicle drives down the street in the Kursk region, Russia. Photo by Oleg Palchyk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images OLEG PALCHYK WWW.PALCHYK.ONLINE Among the videos purporting to show Ukrainian losses in the Kursk region is the following example, showing destroyed Stryker 88 armored fighting vehicles close to the Ukrainian border. Reportedly, first-person view (FPV) drones were responsible for inflicting these losses. One of the things you can watch endlessly is burning Western equipment in the fields of the Kursk borderland. The FPV crew of the "North" group provided us with such a spectacle. pic.twitter.com/xCJYLAsMP6 King Chelsea Ug (@ug_chelsea) September 15, 2024 In the video below, German Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Christian Freuding provides his latest assessment of the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region, as well as commenting on the continued discussions around the use of standoff weapons on Russian territory. German Bundeswehr Major General Christian Freuding speaking from Kyiv, giving his assessment of the Ukrainian Armys offensive in Kursk region and use of standoff weapons on Russian territory. pic.twitter.com/V2fhejDi1U Clash Report (@clashreport) September 15, 2024 One of the signature weapons from early on in the conflict was the U.S.-made FGM-148 Javelin anti-armor missile, which is apparently very much still in evidence in the Kursk region. This footage claims to show the destruction of a Russian tank in the Kursk region, the Javelin leading to a rapid ammunition cook-off followed by a turret toss. Kursk Oblast, a Ukrainian FGM-148 Javelin hits the top of a Russian tank, causing an immediate ammunition detonation and turret toss. pic.twitter.com/r5fHSgVCUK OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) September 14, 2024 The next video, apparently recorded by a Ukrainian Shark surveillance drone, shows the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, located on the bank of the Seym River. It is one of the three biggest nuclear power plants in Russia and one of its most important electricity producers. The International Atomic Energy Agency has urged both Russia and Ukraine to exercise maximum restraint to avoid an accident at the plant amid ongoing fighting in the region. Russia's Kursk Nuclear Power Plant seen through the camera lens of a Ukrainian Shark reconnaissance UAV. pic.twitter.com/bbwN8YQq4s Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) September 15, 2024 Last in this latest round-up of videos from the Kursk region shows the impact of what is said to be a U.S.-supplied GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB), which is dropped straight through the roof of a Russian-occupied building, destroying it. In this conflict, the SDB is best associated with the Ukrainian MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter, which uses a special pylon to hang the four-bomb SDB racks under its wing. Kursk Oblast, a Ukrainian Air Force fighter drops a US-supplied GBU-39 SDB glide bomb through the roof of a Russian-occupied building, flattening it. pic.twitter.com/ZsmpniGqOf OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) September 15, 2024 Without a doubt, the Ukrainian push into Russia was a daring gamble and one that initially seemed to pay off. But it remains to be seen whether Kyiv is able to sustain its gains, especially with Russia seemingly happy to play the long game to claw back its territory. The Latest In an interview with CNN, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Western military aid provided so far is not enough to equip even four out of 14 brigades that the country needs to be ready. Zelensky didnt provide details of where exactly those brigades are needed but did point to the adverse effect of the eight-month pause in deliveries of Western aid and how it has contributed to Russian progress. The Ukrainian president also reflected on the fact that despite more arms deliveries being approved, including a major U.S. package back in April, these have so far been slow to arrive. We moved [to use] what we had in storage, and whatever the reserve brigades had [those brigades that] we need now [to fight], Zelensky added. Of the brigades now fighting to defend the east of Ukraine, the Ukrainian leader said that half of them are not fully equipped. Once again, shortages of ammunition are being especially keenly felt, Zelensky said, and more armored vehicles are also needed. In terms of the ammunition deficit, Zelensky claimed that the Russians are currently firing 12 times as many rounds as the Ukrainian troops. Western aid not enough to equip 'even 4 out of 14' underarmed brigades needed on the front, Zelensky tells CNN.https://t.co/L9PDReSyjB The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) September 15, 2024 There are growing reports that Russia hopes to achieve a decisive victory in the war by the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026. This is being driven by concerns that the Russian economy will start to face serious problems starting in the summer of 2025. In its recent analysis of the strategic situation, U.S.-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) argues that Russia will likely face growing challenges in the production and procurement of the materiel that Russian operations in Ukraine require, and the Kremlin will likely become increasingly reliant on foreign partners to meet its materiel needs. In particular, these economic issues are expected to lead to likely medium- to long-term economic and force generation constraints that would begin to significantly degrade Russias ability to sustain its war effort in Ukraine. NEW: Russia reportedly aims to achieve a decisive victory in Ukraine by 2026 before likely medium- to long-term economic and force generation constraints begin to significantly degrade Russia's ability to sustain its war effort in Ukraine. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/NnHr0e4t23 Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) September 16, 2024 Meanwhile, Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraines military intelligence chief, has said They [Russia] predict that around the summer of 2025, the negative impact on the economy will be very noticeable for their country. Another factor around the same time period will be insufficient recruitment and the problem of whether the Kremlin decides to announce full mobilization, or otherwise reduce the intensity of its operations. Russia would like to end the war by the end of 2025 the beginning of 2026 with its victory, because from the summer of 2025 it will begin to have serious problems in the economy, Budanov pic.twitter.com/oxkhaZC5g3 MAKS 24 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) September 14, 2024 While Ukraine is still hampered by Western allies resistance to strikes deep into Russian territory using weapons they have supplied, Kyrylo Budanov recently claimed that long-range drone attacks have had a significant impact on Russian citizens view of their countrys security. Budanov said that Russians faith in their countrys military power and ability to defend itself had been broken by the long-range strikes, which have made use of drones developed and built in Ukraine. Speaking in Kyiv, Budanov said the strikes have had a serious effect on the social-psychological situation and that this was the main achievement of all these deep strikes. Budanov discusses Russia's strategy and North Korean involvement at YES meeting in Kyiv. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraines military intelligence chief, expressed concern over North Koreas significant military support to Russia, particularly its supply of ballistic missiles. In The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) September 15, 2024 At the same summit in Kyiv, Budanov gave his opinion on North Koreas delivery of ballistic missiles to Russia, something that you can read more about here. Budanov placed North Korea at the top of the list of countries that provided the most military support to Russia, saying that North Korea would be first, then there is no one for a long time, and then everyone else. Russians' faith in their country's safety 'broken' by Ukraine's deep strikes, Budanov says. Ukraine's strikes deep into Russian territory have "broken" the faith Russian people hold that their country is powerful and safe, Ukraines military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) September 15, 2024 However, Budanov noted that the ballistic missile threat is still primarily provided by weapons of Russian manufacture, noting that the country has significantly increased its production of Iskander ballistic missiles, as well as guided glide bombs. Budanov said that the recent uptick in Iskander missile production had been massive, while the manufacture of guided bombs had been increased by several times. "Budanov also noted that the Russians have made significant progress in Iskander missile production, which has become 'massive'. He added that guided aerial bombs are also a huge problem. Quote from Budanov: 'Production [of guided aerial bombs] has increased I don't want to pic.twitter.com/jkxM7RWz7s Rob Lee (@RALee85) September 15, 2024 After F-16s, Vipers of another kind could be headed to Ukraine, meeting another longstanding requirement. A dozen AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters that Slovakia planned to buy might eventually end up in Ukraine if officials in Kyiv get their way. Back in July, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of 12 AH-1Zs to Slovakia, at a cost of around $600 million. With this price tag significantly greater than Slovakia was originally offered, the deal is now in question. Speaking to Defense News, Vadym Ivchenko, a Ukrainian lawmaker for the Batkivshchyna party, said that Ukraine is interested in acquiring the attack helicopters and that the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has filed a letter of request to Washington. We need these helicopters for our soldiers who are fighting on the front line in the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and other regions but also leading an operation in the Kursk region, Ivchenko said. A Ukrainian lawmaker has called on defense leaders in Bratislava to make up their minds about a pending Viper offer. https://t.co/svEn6P4NBv Defense News (@defense_news) September 13, 2024 To battlefields in Ukraine next, and two videos showing some recent victories by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, starting in the Donetsk region, specifically close to the city of Pokrovsk. Footage from here purports to show a massed Russian attack in which columns of vehicles come under attack from Ukrainian FPV drones. Towards Pokrovsk, the Russians are trying to attack with whole columns of vehicles. Ukrainian Tytani Group 21st OBSP OPBr destroys enemy equipment using FPV drones. pic.twitter.com/e8MzLCPV8Q TOGA (@TOGAjano21) September 14, 2024 The second video shows another massed Russian armored attack grinding to an apparent halt. In this case, the Ukrainian Armed Forces report that, from an assault force of 46 Russian armored vehicles, 26 of them, including 20 infantry fighting vehicles, were knocked out by troops from the 46th Airmobile Brigade, part of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces. A massive russian attack failed! 46 russian armored vehicles were advancing at the positions of the 46th Airomobile Brigade. warriors destroyed 26 of them, including 20 IFVs. pic.twitter.com/fdXmeR9f1g Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 13, 2024 Local reports from the Russian-occupied Chernihiv district in Ukraines southeastern Zaporizhzhia region describe a Ukrainian attack against a freight train loaded with fuel tanks, as seen in the video below. According to Russian emergency officials, three of the fuel tanks were completely destroyed. Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the temporarily occupied Chernihiv district in Zaporizhzhia region, report local channels. The target was a freight railroad train with fuel tanks. Russian emergency officials reported that 3 fuel tanks were completely burned out. Follow pic.twitter.com/xM4V9ONdbJ BLYSKAVKA (@blyskavka_ua) September 13, 2024 The next video shows action from northeast Ukraine, with a Ukrainian attack said to involve the 3rd Assault Brigade on Russian positions in the Kharkiv region. Using drones to adjust fire, they successfully targeted and eliminated a group of Russian soldiers. Ukrainian forces from the 3rd Assault Brigade carried out a highly effective attack on Russian positions in the Kharkiv region. Using drones to adjust fire, they successfully targeted and eliminated a group of Russian soldiers. pic.twitter.com/XKhPBWfZV3 NOELREPORTS (@NOELreports) September 15, 2024 One of the Ukrainian Air Forces Su-24M Fencer strike aircraft has received some eye-catching artwork, apparently applied during an overhaul that included a respray of the entire aircraft, including dark gray upper services and blue and yellow panels to aid identification by Ukrainian air defense operators. Most striking is the dragon nose art, while combat markings on the nose represent at least 40 operational sorties. The operating unit is the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade and these aircraft have risen to prominence as launch platforms for the Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG conventional cruise missiles. Su-24M Fencer in Ukrainian Air Force service, sporting a new paint job, dragon nose art, and combat markings. This Fencer has reportedly completed over 40 combat sorties with the 7th TAB, denoted by the 4 nose tridents. pic.twitter.com/qsChJDO7rt OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) September 16, 2024 Viewer discretion is advised for the next video, documenting the demise of a Russian soldier as he is blown out of the water, perhaps having entered it in an attempt to evade being targeted by Ukrainian forces. Russian circus performers continue to amaze with their talents in Ukraine. 10/10 water jumps. Here's a medal for you pic.twitter.com/M5mt05kExu Cloooud | (@GloOouD) September 13, 2024 With thermite-spewing dragon drones now in use with both sides in the conflict, more videos have emerged showing these adapted unmanned aerial vehicles operating over troops, especially those taking cover in treelines and trenches. I loved the first arguments that these were being used on empty treelines for propaganda Yes. Its propaganda (it all is). Those treelines arent empty, though. pic.twitter.com/IgWiRFY8gs Ronnie Adkins (Funker530) (@RonnieAdkins_) September 15, 2024 The next video purports to show Russian infantry hiding out in a forest as they attempt to shoot down a Ukrainian dragon drone working above them. Russian infantry hidden in a forest attempt to shoot down Ukrainian Dragon Drone dropping thermite on them. pic.twitter.com/Pgso0TTnKJ Clash Report (@clashreport) September 14, 2024 Reports emerged last week of a Ukrainian attempt to capture the Krym-2 oil platform in the Black Sea, an incident which apparently led to the shootdown of a Russian Navy Su-30SM Flanker fighter. Ukraines Defense Intelligence Directorate, or GUR has now published a full video of the raid on the Krym-2 platform, which took place on. September 11. According to the GUR, around 14 landing craft were involved in the operation. GUR publishes the full video of the raid on "Crimea-2" drilling rig in the Black Sea on September 11. It is reported that about 14 Sea Force landing craft were involved in the operation. pic.twitter.com/yKhO64393x MAKS 24 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) September 14, 2024 In related news, the Ukrainian SEALs of the 73rd Naval Special Operations Center are the focus of a recent article in The Times of London. The report describes some of the high-profile reconnaissance and sabotage operations by the elite divers, some of whom have been trained by the United States and the United Kingdom. I spent much of last week with the men and women of Ukraines equivalent of US Navy SEALs, elite divers from the 73rd Naval Special Operations Centre, on assignment with @thetimes. The 73rd conduct reconnaissance and sabotage operations deep behind Russian lines 1/ pic.twitter.com/mjJyahdsaP Maxim Tucker (@MaxRTucker) September 15, 2024 More activity in the Black Sea next, with footage of a Ukrainian Navy Gyurza-M class gunboat engaging a Russian Shahed-136 one-way attack drone using its Katran-M close-in weapon system. The Russian drone is seen exploding before crashing into the sea. Derived from a weapons turret used on armored vehicles, the BM-5M.01 Katran-M can be fitted with a 30mm automatic gun, a 30mm automatic grenade launcher, and a 7.62mm machine gun, as well as two Barrier anti-tank missiles. Over the Black Sea, a Ukrainian Navy Gyurza-M-class gunboat engages a Russian Shahed-136 attack drone using its 30mm Katran-M CIWS, with the Russian drone fireballing and crashing into the sea. pic.twitter.com/BN7cTCFhuf OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) September 15, 2024 There are reports of significant Russian electronic warfare activities in the Black Sea, specifically using jamming to target GPS. The source of the jamming is apparently off of the major Russian naval base at Novorossiysk, with the effect of the disruption seen in automatic identification system (AIS) transmissions from ships in the vicinity. It seems that the jammer itself is installed on a marker buoy outside the naval base. ***BREAKING*** GPS Jamming off #Russian naval base at Novorossiysk visible in AIS transmissions from ships. The jamming is centered in the vicinity of Russian marker buoy number 133. Jamming GPS can be dangerous for civilian shipping. And in this case Russia appears to be pic.twitter.com/hjUAJeBrYG H I Sutton (@CovertShores) September 15, 2024 Other recent news out of Novorossiysk suggests that the Russian Navy may have evacuated vessels belonging to the Black Sea Fleet from the port, perhaps in anticipation of Ukraines Western allies finally permitting the long-range weapons they have supplied to be used against targets deep inside Russia. ***BREAKING*** Likely response to #Ukrainian air threats, possibly news that Storm Shadow may be used on Russian territory.#Russian Navy vessels appear to have completed evacuated Novorossiysk today. This follows a similar drill on September 11 2024 #OSINT pic.twitter.com/Y38CuKAViQ H I Sutton (@CovertShores) September 14, 2024 Wild Hornets, the Ukrainian volunteer organization that produces small, FPV drones for the Ukrainian military, claims that it has developed a high-speed unmanned aerial vehicle in this class that has attained a speed of 325 kilometers per hour 202 miles per hour. The group says this is the fastest speed yet recorded by any of its drones, which have already been used to significant effect in combat. This can be especially useful for running-down and destroying other drones. High-speed FPV drone from Wild Hornets accelerated to 325 km/h. We broke our previous speed record. We continue to develop this project. A little more and the first batch of such drones will go to perform special and very important tasks. You can support our developments by pic.twitter.com/90aJcts7hm Wild Hornets (@wilendhornets) September 14, 2024 Reports suggest that Ukraine is now better able to help meet its troops massive demands for NATO-standard 155mm artillery shells. Having previously relied on foreign sources for this ammunition, production of these munitions is now taking place locally, according to Ukraines Minister of Strategic Industries, Oleksandr Kamyshin. This is a very complicated process. This is something that Ukraine has never done before, Kamyshin said, adding that he cant say much on the matter. Now Ukraine produces its own 155-mm artillery shells, ex-head of Ukroboronprom Kamyshin pic.twitter.com/WJp5Wl8vVJ MilitaryNewsUA (@front_ukrainian) September 14, 2024 NATO-standard ammunition of a very different caliber is the subject of the next story and reports that Canada is to provide Ukraine with World War II-era Browning Hi-Power pistols. A total of 10,500 of the 9mm pistols that were previously used by the Canadian Armed Forces, and which were slated for destruction, will instead be sent to Ukraine. Deliveries are due to begin in December. In Canadian service, the Hi-Power was replaced by the Sig Sauer P320. Browning Hi-Power pistols were to be destroyedbut nowCanadian military Second World War pistols slated for destruction will instead be sent to Ukraine https://t.co/QVslhHn0w6 via @ottawacitizen David Pugliese (@davidpugliese) September 14, 2024 Canada also plans to send to Ukraine 970 examples of the C6 machine gun the Canadian designation for the popular Belgium FN MAG. Far from the battlefields of Ukraine and Kursk, meanwhile, Ukrainian special forces are reportedly taking the fight to Russian forces, with a raid on one of their drone bases in Syria. According to The Kyiv Post, the attack was made by special forces from the Khimik group, part of Ukraines Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR). The Russian base, near Aleppo, is said to have been attacked on September 15. The same source shares a video of the operation, including an explosion after an ammunition dump comes under fire. EXCLUSIVE: Ukraines Special Forces (HUR) have targeted a Russian drone base in Syria. Special forces from the Khimik group of Ukraines HUR attacked a Russian military base near Aleppo on Sept. 15. The base was used for making and testing strike UAVs and IEDs. In this pic.twitter.com/J4RgsFM0Ly KyivPost (@KyivPost) September 16, 2024 Thats it until the next update or news breaks. Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com (Reuters) -Apollo Global Management has signed a $1 billion deal with British energy major BP to fund its stake in the Trans Adriatic natural gas pipeline, the companies said on Monday. The U.S.-based asset management company would become a non-controlling shareholder in BP's unit that holds a 20% stake in Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG. Other shareholders, with 20% stake each, are Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR, Italy's Snam, Belgium-based Fluxys and Spain's Enagas. The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) operates a natural gas transportation infrastructure from the Greek border with Turkey to Southern Italy. Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG is the final 880-kilometre leg of the Southern Gas Corridor pipeline system - a 3,500-kilometre network stretching from the Caspian Sea to Europe. It transports natural gas from the BP-operated Shah Deniz gas field in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea to markets in Europe such as Greece and Italy. The proceeds from the deal would contribute to BP's 2024 divestment and other proceeds target of $2-3 billion, part of the company's disciplined financial frame. "We are pleased to partner with BP on an agreement that will provide our investors with long-term exposure to an industry-leading infrastructure asset with a stable cash flow profile, while allowing BP to meet its objectives of retaining control and executing on its capital efficiency strategy," said Leslie Mapondera, Apollo Partner. BP's shares rose 0.5% to 406.10p by 0830 GMT. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter and BP will remain the controlling shareholder of the unit upon completion. BP and Apollo will also look to partner on additional investment opportunities, including potential cooperation in both gas and low-carbon energy assets, and infrastructure, the companies said in a statement. (Reporting by Disha Mishra and Arunima Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Rashmi Aich and Eileen Soreng) ATLANTA - A 47-year-old man is facing criminal charges after allegedly shooting a 19-year-old man during an argument. It happened just before 1 a.m. Sunday along Northside Parkway. The victim was rushed to the hospital while police detained the suspect identified as Ludge Wu. Their initial investigation showed Wu and the victim had been involved in a verbal and physical altercation that led to gunfire. It's not clear how the two knew each other or what the disagreement was about. Wu was charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. This investigation remains ongoing. 5 things to know about NBC News investigation into unclaimed bodies used for research in Texas The University of North Texas Health Science Center used some of the bodies to teach medical students. Others were parceled out to medical training and technology companies, including a few industry giants. This article is part of Dealing the Dead, a series investigating the use of unclaimed bodies for medical research. A 10-month NBC News investigation laid out in stark detail how two of the countrys most populous counties sent unclaimed bodies to a Texas medical school, which used them for medical training and research often without the consent of the deceased or their relatives knowledge. Many of the bodies were cut up and shipped across the country to for-profit medical device makers, other universities and the Army. These recipients leased the body parts for hundreds of dollars apiece $900 for a torso, $341 for a leg so that doctors could practice medical procedures. The use of such unclaimed bodies for research violates modern ethical standards and has traumatized many families who discovered that a loved one had been dissected and studied by strangers without anyone asking their permission. Still, it remains legal in Texas, as in most states. NBC News investigation focused on Dallas and Tarrant counties, where elected officials have approved sending more than 2,350 unclaimed bodies to the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth since 2019. More than 830 of those were selected for dissection and study. In response to reporters findings, the Health Science Center initially defended its work before announcing on Friday that it was suspending the body donation program, firing its leaders and hiring a consulting firm to investigate its practices. Here are five takeaways from NBC News reporting: 1. Many families of the dead were left in the dark NBC News found repeated failures by death investigators in Dallas and Tarrant counties and by the Health Science Center to contact family members who were reachable before declaring a body unclaimed and using it for research. Reporters examined dozens of cases and identified 12 in which families learned weeks, months or even years later that a relative had been provided to the medical school, leaving many survivors angry and shattered. Five of those families found out what happened from NBC News. Fran Moore cried as a reporter informed her that her father, Carl Yenner, had died in Dallas more than two years earlier and was sent to the center. If you could find us, she asked, why didnt they? Do you have a story to share about the use of unclaimed bodies for research? Contact us. Some of the families were rebuffed when they tried to reclaim their loved ones bodies told by the Health Science Center that they needed to wait months or years until the center was done using them. In the case of Victor Honey a homeless and mentally ill Army veteran whose unclaimed body was cut up and leased out to groups across the country it took a year and a half for family members to discover what happened, and they found out the full details only after being contacted by NBC News. Its like a hole in your soul that can never be filled, said Brenda Cloud, one of Honeys sisters. We feel violated. Victor Honey's ex-wife, Kimberly Patman, and their son, Victor, at Honey's grave in September. 2. Economics drove the use of unclaimed bodies in North Texas On paper, the Health Science Centers arrangements with Dallas and Tarrant counties offered a pragmatic solution to an expensive problem: Local medical examiners and coroners nationwide bear the considerable costs of burying or cremating tens of thousands of unclaimed bodies each year. Disproportionately Black, male, mentally ill and homeless, these are individuals whose family members often cannot be easily reached, or whose relatives cannot or will not pay for cremation or burial. By sending these bodies to the Health Science Center, Dallas and Tarrant counties each saved a half-million dollars a year on burial and cremation. In return, the center got a free supply of what one program official called valuable material needed to educate future doctors. The center used some of these bodies to teach medical students. Others were parceled out to medical training and technology companies, including a few industry giants, that rely on human remains to develop products and teach doctors how to use them. The supply of unclaimed dead helped bring in about $2.5 million a year from outside groups, according to Health Science Center financial records. 3. Recipients that paid the Health Science Center for bodies didnt know they were unclaimed Ten companies, teaching hospitals and medical schools that relied on the Health Science Center for human specimens told NBC News they didnt know the center had given them unclaimed bodies. Some, including the U.S. Army, promised to review internal policies in response. DePuy Synthes, which is owned by Johnson & Johnson, said it was pausing its relationship with the center after learning that it received body parts from four unclaimed people. Boston Scientific, whose company Relievant Medsystems used the torsos of more than two dozen unclaimed bodies, told NBC News it was reviewing its relationship with the center. Some recipients including the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences said they had assumed that all of these bodies had been voluntarily willed to medical science because the University of North Texas office that provided specimens is called the Willed Body Program. Dr. Douglas Hampers, the CEO of National Bioskills Laboratories which had leased Honeys torso said he was disturbed to learn his company had received unclaimed bodies. He said his company would ensure that it no longer accepted unclaimed bodies and would adopt policies to make certain future specimens were donated with families permission. I dont think you have to violate a familys rights in order to train physicians, he said. 4. Studying unclaimed bodies violates modern ethical guidelines The use of unclaimed bodies ties back to a dark history, long before voluntary body-donation programs, when U.S. medical schools turned to resurrectionists, or body snatchers, who dug up the graves of poor and formerly enslaved people. To curb this ghastly 19th-century practice, states adopted laws giving schools authority to use unclaimed bodies for student training and experiments. Many of these laws remain on the books, but the medical community has largely moved beyond them. The American Association for Anatomy released guidelines for human body donation last year stating that programs should not accept unclaimed or unidentified individuals into their programs as a matter of justice. In the absence of federal data on the use of unclaimed bodies, NBC News surveyed more than 50 major U.S. medical schools. Each of the 44 that answered said they dont use unclaimed bodies and some condemned doing so. Since these individuals did not consent, they should not be used in any form or fashion, said Thomas Champney, an anatomy professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine who researches the ethical use of human bodies. 5. NBC News findings sparked immediate and significant changes For months as NBC News investigated, Health Science Center officials defended their practices, arguing that using unclaimed bodies was essential for training future doctors. But on Friday, after reporters shared their detailed findings, the center announced it was immediately suspending its body donation program and firing the officials who led it. The center said it was also hiring a consulting firm to investigate the programs operations, noting that NBC News had uncovered its failures to live up to the standards of respect, care and professionalism that we demand. Before the Health Science Center announced it was suspending the program, officials in Dallas and Tarrant counties said they were reconsidering their agreements to send unclaimed bodies to the center in light of the reporters findings. Dallas County commissioners recently postponed a vote on whether to extend their contract. The top elected official in Tarrant County, Judge Tim OHare, said he planned to explore legal options to end any and all immoral, unethical, and irresponsible practices stemming from this program. No individuals remains should be used for medical research, nor sold for profit, without their pre-death consent, or the consent of their next of kin, OHares office said. Both counties are scheduled to discuss the matter on Tuesday. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Marissa Vasquez, 7, a dancer with the Mexican Foklorico Dance group, performance a Baile folklrio, a folklore dance, with Fort Bliss Child, Youth, Services (CYS) and SKIESUnlimited, who works with students to present a variety of traditional dances along with gaining knowledge in Mexican culture during the WBAMC Hispanic Heritage Observance Month, September 12, 2019, in the clinical assembly room of the main hospital. Folklorico has become a defining element of the Mexican popular culture of national and internal levels. Being part of the military community brings so much honor and patriotism. Serving our country as active members of our military and also as military spouses comes with its fair share of issues that we are all well acquainted with. Within our community, throughout the different branches, there are many underrepresented groups struggling with unique challenges not everyone faces. As many know, the U.S military has been known historically to be one of the most diverse institutions in our country. Our military is now more racially and ethnically diverse in comparison to previous decades. This is something we should be proud of as our force keeps growing and troop readiness is a priority. Sadly, within the amazing diversity that encompasses our military, unique challenges impact our Latinx military families community. If you are scratching your head, wondering what some of these challenges might be, I am here to explain and raise awareness on these issues and promote having tough conversations to better the quality of life for everyone in our community. At the end of the day, dont we all want equality and justice for all? Here are 5 challenges our Latinx military families face throughout a military enlistment. 1. Language Barriers Not being able to communicate clearly can be a huge stressor for Latinx families. Many families come from different countries and English is not their first language which creates issues when learning about military life, finding community, seeking resources and overall feeling included. The language barrier is all-encompassing, it is the one main struggle that keeps many at bay and unfortunately takes time. For service members, this challenge, even though similar, has the initiative of the adaptability of language training before heading to basic training and before reaching their 1st duty station. However, for many families, the access to language learning resources is not the same. 2. Immigration policies Immigrant Corina Gonzalez and Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society members, pose for a group photo at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. Gonzalez is a Marine Corps veteran and loving mother who volunteers at numerous organizations throughout MCAS Iwakuni, and has proven to be a diligent and dedicated member of the community. Photo via DVIDS. There are many military families who hold a residency status in the U.S. However, this means that some of them might still be waiting to be official citizens of this country. Immigration policies come with several hurdles and at times the process can be quite lengthy. With constant PCSing, the immigration process can face added scrutiny. The application for citizenship and its undertaking can be delayed, placed on hold or simply might need to restart if moving overseas. These policies might also impact their working capabilities which can prevent Latinx military families from supporting their household financially. 3. Educational barriers Many Latinx military spouses have professional qualifications and degrees from other countries. One of the main issues many struggle with is the recognition of foreign educational credentials in the U.S. This is a lengthy process and can be detrimental to spouses who are seeking more educational advancement or are trying to use their degrees to find work in the U.S. Latinx military families also face hardships in education for their kids. Many children are bilingual and depending on the area they PCS to, the education can differ and many might not receive the ESL (English as a second language) programs to help them with their language proficiency. 4. Mental health Latinx culture contexts in health care can be challenging. Navigating their cultural identity, their affiliation to the military, loneliness, lack of community and more can affect their mental health. Cultural and social stigmas can prevent Latinx military families from seeking help. This of course can be alarming when in a broader aspect our military community already struggles with mental health. Access to mental health providers who have cultural awareness, have respect for other ethnicities and heritage and most of all share inclusive practices is fundamental. Providers who can offer the care these families need while showing relevant support is needed across our military health care system. 5. Discrimination and Racism Just because you do not hear about it doesnt mean it is not happening. Latinx military families deal with prejudice, stereotypes and exclusion on base and off base. Ethnic biases from military spouses and others from our military community can add to the list of stressors we face. Anti-discrimination policies should be strict in order to create a more unifying military community where everyone feels safe. Policies already in place help our service members but keep our families unprotected. From micro-aggressions, to implicit and explicit racism, Latinx military families have experienced these and it is affecting their decision to stay part of the military. From cultural barriers, relocations, access to health care, economic struggles and more. There are unique challenges for Latinx Military families that hinder their military lifestyle. It is important to build up our Latinx community within the ranks to encourage re-enlistments, quality of life and strengthen our community overall. We are 50 days from the US presidential election. Here's where things stand. Election Day is now just 50 days away. Kamala Harris is riding a wave of enthusiasm and was deemed the winner of the first debate. But the race between her and Donald Trump remains competitive in key states. The US presidential election is just 50 days away and the contest between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump remains as competitive as ever. Days after the first and maybe only nationally televised debate between Harris and Trump, the campaign is growing intense as both candidates work to shore up support among their political base and court voters in the key battleground states that'll likely determine the election's outcome. The campaign has already seen its fair share of historic turns. And to underscore that anything can still happen to change the trajectory of the race, the FBI is now investigating what they said "appears" to be a second assassination attempt against Trump near his West Palm Beach golf course on Sunday. The incident comes just months after the July assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the former president sustained a gunshot wound to his ear during an outdoor rally. Officials said no one was injured in Sunday's incident. The first assassination attempt ushered in a wave of populist support for Trump, who for a brief moment seemed to be running away with the election, especially after a shaky debate performance from President Joe Biden. Then, a week after the attempted shooting, Biden announced he would exit the race and endorse Harris, and everything changed. Harris has been riding a wave of growing support ever since. The recent debate in Philadelphia was widely seen as a success for Harris, who made her campaign appeal in front of her largest single-day audience since Biden stepped aside. Nationally, the latest ABC News/Ipsos poll shows Harris with a six-point lead over Trump (52% to 46%) among likely voters. But as Americans know, it's about the Electoral College, not the popular vote. So, in the next seven weeks, a lot of math will be performed as the candidates make a mad grab for any available votes in a few crucial states. Harris and Trump do the electoral math After Biden left the race, the Democratic Party rallied around Harris. Polling in critical swing states like Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina immediately began to shift, largely due to the vice president's popularity among women and young voters. In the swing states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, Harris and Trump remain neck and neck though Harris has seen her position strengthen in Wisconsin. Trump needs to win the set of swing states he won in 2016 but lost to Biden in 2020. Win McNamee/Getty Images Both campaigns are eying Nebraska's Second Congressional District, which is anchored in the Omaha metropolitan area. The district offers just one electoral vote, but in a sign of just how close American elections have become, both sides consider it crucial. Trump won it in 2016, while Biden won it in 2020. The Harris campaign hopes the Midwestern roots of her vice presidential pick, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, will help the Democrats hold onto the district. Walz will face off against Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who also has Midwestern roots, on October 1 in what could be the last debate of the election season. Michigan, another Midwestern state, also remains competitive. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer warned Democrats not to believe the polls showing Harris with a comfortable lead in the state. Both campaigns continue to pour considerable time and financial resources into Pennsylvania, where Democratic candidates have won every presidential election since 1992 except for one when Trump won it in 2016. Trump hopes to reclaim Pennsylvania and a handful of other states that flipped to the Democrats between 2016 and 2020: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Earlier this summer, the GOP eyed potential upsets in New Hampshire and Virginia, but recent polling shows that both states are likely to remain in the Democratic column this fall. The vice-presidential debate looms large Walz and Vance's October debate in New York City will give the American public their first chance at seeing both men together onstage in a major setting. For Walz, it'll be a chance to sway undecided voters who may be leaning toward Harris but want to hear more from the Democratic ticket about their plans for the economy. Harris' entry into the presidential race boosted Democratic prospects across the Sun Belt, but the overall contest remains close. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images While Harris' debate performance went a long way in assuaging some voters regarding her ability to lead the country, some are still undecided. Walz could be an effective conduit for those voters. For Vance, the debate will allow him to speak about the Republican ticket's policy message in a manner that eludes Trump, who often veers off script. Walz has seen favorable polling in recent weeks. Vance has not. Vance has been highly visible in the media but has been forced to repeatedly defend himself against his past statements on issues such as IVF treatment as well as newer controversies like his remarks regarding Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. So while the momentum may be in the Democrats' favor for now, 50 days is a long time in a race that's seen major shifts occur in the course of a week. Who will be on top by the time voting is finished on November 5 remains anyone's guess. Read the original article on Business Insider Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) led a letter from more than 50 congressional Democrats calling on the Interior Department to expand federal protections in the Arctic. The Interior Department in July solicited comments on whether further protections should be imposed within a 23-million acre swath of the western Arctic. The Interior Department first began designating so-called Special Areas within the region in the 1970s, most recently in April, when the Biden administration expanded protections for 13 million acres across five such areas. In addition to Markey and Huffman, the letter was signed by Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and 45 other House Democrats. This opportunity to take a renewed look at needed protections is especially timely, as the effects of climate change in the Arctic from declining sea ice, permafrost thaw, and record temperatures are felt more acutely than ever before and new extractive development encroaches more and more into important habitat and subsistence areas, they wrote. The Interior Department issued the request for comment in July. With the rapidly changing climate, the Special Areas are increasingly critical to caribou movement and herd health, as well as other wildlife, migratory birds, and native plants, Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning said in a statement at the time. Environmentalists have been broadly supportive of the administrations recent moves on the Arctic, which also include an announcement in June that it would block the proposed Ambler Road leading to the site of copper and cobalt deposits and blocking mining in 28 million acres of protected lands. However, they were broadly critical of the Interior Departments announcement last year that it would approve the proposed Willow drilling project in Alaska. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Sixty state and federal agencies were working Monday to try to contain an onshore wash of medical waste, including hundreds of hypodermic needles and feminine hygiene products, over the weekend along the coastline from Delaware to Virginia, officials say. Beaches on the Delmarva Peninsula, including Ocean City and Assateague Island, restricted water access Sunday after hypodermic needles and other medical waste washed ashore. Officials in the affected areas, including Fenwick Island in Delaware, Assateague State Park and Assateague Island National Seashore, are recommending beachgoers wear shoes. Heres what to know about the medical waste incident. What happened? Over the weekend, the debris a mix of general trash and medical waste, including syringes, wood particles, plastic and feminine hygiene products washed ashore at beaches, towns and parks along the mid-Atlantic coast. Hugh Hawthorne, the superintendent of Assateague Island National Seashore, told The Baltimore Sun that 60 agencies, including both state and federal environmental and health departments, as well as the Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are involved. Hawthorne added that if FEMA finds that the spill meets its criteria to be declared a disaster, the agencys protocol and protections would then kick in. The parks 37-mile stretch of beach has seen an amount of waste that counted syringes in the high hundreds, Hawthorne said. Rangers at Assateague State Park discovered the first items after Sunday mornings high tide and said the medical waste found was primarily hypodermic needles, as well as needle caps. Staff also found cigarillo tips and used tampon applicators. Fenwick Island, located just north of Ocean City across the Delaware line, said that the towns beach was also closed due to medical waste on the shore. Which areas are affected? This is a widespread issue affecting areas from Delaware to Virginia, with closures in place along much of the regional coast, said Jessica Waters, a spokesperson for the Town of Ocean City. But thus far, none of the towns or parks affected have identified the source of the influx of waste. The Assateague Island National Seashores Facebook page is maintaining a list of the beaches and ocean sections that have been flagged as containing waste. How much could it cost to clean up? That depends on where the waste came from and what agency might be in charge of the removal. Medical waste has appeared on New Jersey shores due to overwhelmed storm drains, an issue that could take billions of dollars to redo for modern living conditions, John Weber, then the mid-Atlantic regional manager for the Surfrider Foundation, which monitors ocean conditions, told Newsweek at the time. The Surfrider Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. If the waste can be traced back to a specific source, state and federal fines could kick in on top of a cleanup cost, a number that could balloon as the towns and national parks affected get involved, Hawthorne said, though the circumstance of how the debris was released as an accident or on purpose would likely affect the size of any legal repercussions. What happens now? Hawthorne said that the landowner of the affected area is generally responsible for cleaning it up. Ocean City Beach Patrol, Public Works and Emergency Services have been actively monitoring the waste washing onshore, Waters said. The city will have its previously scheduled City Council meeting Monday evening. The waste and medical debris on the beach are considerably less than on Sunday, but the ocean will remain closed to swimming and surfing at this time, according to Waters. Ocean City doesnt have a time frame for when the closures will be lifted, she said. Sixty state and federal agencies were working Monday to try to contain an onshore wash of medical waste, including hundreds of hypodermic needles and feminine hygiene products, over the weekend along the coastline from Delaware to Virginia, officials say. Beaches on the Delmarva Peninsula, including Ocean City and Assateague Island, restricted water access Sunday after hypodermic needles and other medical waste washed ashore. Officials in the affected areas, including Fenwick Island in Delaware, Assateague State Park and Assateague Island National Seashore, are recommending beachgoers wear shoes. Heres what to know about the medical waste incident. What happened? Over the weekend, the debris a mix of general trash and medical waste, including syringes, wood particles, plastic and feminine hygiene products washed ashore at beaches, towns and parks along the mid-Atlantic coast. Hugh Hawthorne, the superintendent of Assateague Island National Seashore, told The Baltimore Sun that 60 agencies, including both state and federal environmental and health departments, as well as the Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are involved. Hawthorne added that if FEMA finds that the spill meets its criteria to be declared a disaster, the agencys protocol and protections would then kick in. The parks 37-mile stretch of beach has seen an amount of waste that counted syringes in the high hundreds, Hawthorne said. Rangers at Assateague State Park discovered the first items after Sunday mornings high tide and said the medical waste found was primarily hypodermic needles, as well as needle caps. Staff also found cigarillo tips and used tampon applicators. Fenwick Island, located just north of Ocean City across the Delaware line, said that the towns beach was also closed due to medical waste on the shore. Which areas are affected? This is a widespread issue affecting areas from Delaware to Virginia, with closures in place along much of the regional coast, said Jessica Waters, a spokesperson for the Town of Ocean City. But thus far, none of the towns or parks affected have identified the source of the influx of waste. The Assateague Island National Seashores Facebook page is maintaining a list of the beaches and ocean sections that have been flagged as containing waste. How much could it cost to clean up? That depends on where the waste came from and what agency might be in charge of the removal. Medical waste has appeared on New Jersey shores due to overwhelmed storm drains, an issue that could take billions of dollars to redo for modern living conditions, John Weber, then the mid-Atlantic regional manager for the Surfrider Foundation, which monitors ocean conditions, told Newsweek at the time. The Surfrider Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. If the waste can be traced back to a specific source, state and federal fines could kick in on top of a cleanup cost, a number that could balloon as the towns and national parks affected get involved, Hawthorne said, though the circumstance of how the debris was released as an accident or on purpose would likely affect the size of any legal repercussions. What happens now? Hawthorne said that the landowner of the affected area is generally responsible for cleaning it up. Ocean City Beach Patrol, Public Works and Emergency Services have been actively monitoring the waste washing onshore, Waters said. The city will have its previously scheduled City Council meeting Monday evening. The waste and medical debris on the beach are considerably less than on Sunday, but the ocean will remain closed to swimming and surfing at this time, according to Waters. Ocean City doesnt have a time frame for when the closures will be lifted, she said. _____ SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) A 62-year-old man was found dead inside a crashed car on Sunday night, Sept. 15, prompting an investigation by the Salt Lake City Police Department. Detectives said the investigation started just before 11:30 p.m. when officers responded to the crash near 900 East and Blaine Avenue. Upon arrival, officers found the man, who had not been identified, dead inside the car. DWR: 31 animals killed, left on St. George golf course The man had reportedly crashed his car into another car that was unoccupied and parked in the area. The specific cause of the crash and the mans death is currently unknown and under investigation. Detectives are reportedly investigating whether a medical episode may have occurred before the crash. No other injuries as a result of the crash were reported. The Salt Lake City Police Department said Sunday nights crash was the seventh traffic-related fatality in Salt Lake City for 2024. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. 8-year-old girl drove to Target alone to shop: Ohio police BEDFORD, Ohio (WJW) Police in Ohio found an 8-year-old girl shopping at a Target store after she took a car and drove there on busy roads. On Sunday morning, Bedford police took a call for a missing child. As they began to investigate, police also took a call concerning a small child driving east on Rockside Road. Son accused of fatally shooting his father: Local PD Officers eventually found the car in the parking lot of a Target store in Bainbridge, Ohio. Police then found the child in the store. Although the exact route the girl took is unclear, Google Maps shows the store is more than 10 miles from where she was reported missing and about a 20-25-minute drive. This embedded content is not available in your region. The girl was not hurt, but she told officers she struck a mailbox during her travels. New beverage illegal in Indiana, selling in NE Ohio Her relatives were called to the store to get her and the vehicle. Police told Nexstars WJW that the girl is too young to be charged criminally and that they are grateful no one was injured. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. A storied gunship touched down at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, several weeks ago, as part of the U.S. Air Forces effort to consolidate gunship training and reduce training time, the service confirmed. The 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 5 to commemorate the arrival of the first AC-130J Ghostrider, which was delivered at the end of August. Training for the gunship is currently split between Kirtland and Hurlburt Field, Florida. However, with the aircrafts arrival at Kirtland, all future training will take place there under Air Education and Training Command, or AETC. Creating a consolidated training location will reduce travel costs and allow for training timelines to be accelerated, a spokesperson for the 58th Special Operations Wing said. The AC-130J, armed with a howitzer cannon and advanced navigation features, provides defense support to ground troops, among other capabilities. Currently, AC-130J training falls under the jurisdiction of AETC and Air Force Special Operations Command, or AFSOC, at Hurlburt Field. Students complete their first round of training under AETC at Kirtland before traveling to Hurlburt Field for mission qualification training under AFSOC, where they learn to operate the AC-130J. The training focuses on getting aircrew trained on the AC-130J specifically and preparing them to operate in a combat environment and defend our national interests, a spokesperson for the 58th Special Operations Wing said. Consolidating training into one location will reduce gunship training by 30 days, the Air Force said. The Air Force praised New Mexicos terrain as a perfect match for training that will include academic and simulator instruction. Five more Ghostriders are on their way to Kirtland, with their arrival expected to bring 299 active duty airmen and their families to the New Mexico base. ULAN BATOR, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony to award the "Chinese Ambassador Scholarship" to 100 Mongolian students from various general educational schools was held in Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia, on Monday. The event was attended by Shen Minjuan, Chinese ambassador to Mongolia, Luulai Khosbayar, deputy mayor of Ulan Bator, as well as students and teachers. In her speech, Shen described Chinese as the "golden key" for understanding China. She highlighted that over 190 countries and regions have introduced Chinese language programs, 85 countries have incorporated it into their national education systems, and more than 200 million people worldwide are learning and using Chinese. "I am thrilled to see an increasing number of Mongolian students choosing to learn Chinese and connect with China," Shen said. "The establishment of the 'Chinese Ambassador Scholarship' aims to encourage students to improve their Chinese skills and pursue their future aspirations. I hope that you all will make the most of your youth, study diligently, empower yourselves, contribute to your country, and strengthen the friendship between China and Mongolia." Khosbayar noted that Chinese is one of the most widely spoken languages globally, after English. She pointed out that Mongolian students are learning Chinese, one of the six official languages of the United Nations, as a second or third language. Currently, nearly 5,000 students from three national schools and 21 private schools in Ulan Bator are studying Chinese. The students who received the scholarship expressed their commitment to continuing studying Chinese and contributing to the deepening of cooperation between Mongolia and China across various fields in the future. (Bloomberg) -- Boeing Co. said its instituting a range of cost-cutting measures as the planemaker prepares for a drawn-out and expensive strike by workers at its main hub near Seattle, including a hiring freeze and temporary furloughs for many employees. Most Read from Bloomberg Chief Financial Officer Brian West laid out the steps in a memo to employees shared with Bloomberg News, in which he informed workers of the necessary and immediate actions to support the companys recovery. The sweeping measures also include a halt of non-essential travel, pausing any pay increase associated with promotions, cutting back outlays for air shows and charitable donations and significant reductions in supplier expenditures. The planemaker will stop issuing a majority of its supplier purchase orders for the 737, 767 and 777 jetliner programs affected by the walkout, according to the memo. Our business is in a difficult period, West said in the memo. This strike jeopardizes our recovery in a significant way and we must take necessary actions to preserve cash and safeguard our shared future. Roughly 33,000 workers represented by the International Association of Machinists And Aerospace Workers, or IAM District 751, brought Boeings jetliner factories in the Puget Sound to a standstill last week after they overwhelmingly rejected a proposal that would have boosted wages 25% over four years. IAM District 751 said in a statement that its negotiating committee will enter mediation with Boeing on Tuesday in the US. It noted that in mediation, the mediator doesnt have the authority to force either side to agree on specific terms of a contract, but rather serves as a neutral party that works to help both sides reach agreement. The steps laid out by West underscore the difficult financial position in which Boeing finds itself, with its credit rating at risk of dropping below investment grade and the company bleeding cash as aircraft output sputters. RBC Capital Markets analyst Ken Herbert estimates Boeing will burn about $500 million in cash each week that workers remain on picket lines. Other actions that Boeing will undertake include the elimination of first and business-class travel, including for senior executives, releasing non-essential contractors and pausing team-event spending, according to the memo. Story continues Boeings shares fell 1.5% as of 11:47 a.m. in New York. Preserving its credit rating is a key priority for the company, West said at an analyst conference last week. Boeing has been in crisis since a Jan. 5 accident with a 737 Max aircraft forced the company to cut back output to get its manufacturing in order. S&P Global Ratings on Monday said it could lower Boeings credit rating below investment grade should the planemaker suffer an extended strike, echoing similar comments made last week by Fitch Ratings and Moodys Ratings. The latter placed the planemaker on review for downgrade on Friday. S&P said a shorter walkout of several weeks would likely be manageable for Boeing and not lead to a negative rating action. However, we believe an extended strike would be costly and difficult to absorb, given the companys already strained financial position. Boeings credit rating at all three of the major graders sits one level above junk. For its $58 billion debt pile, to leave the investment-grade index and move to speculative grade, two of the three rating firms would need to lower its score. Financing debt in junk markets is more difficult than in high-grade. The average interest payments are much higher and the pool of potential investors smaller, making refinancing more costly. The company has $4 billion of debt coming due in 2025 and also $8 billion coming due in 2026, according to Moodys. The planemaker is evaluating its capital structure to ensure it can meet its upcoming debt payments over the next 18 months, West said last week. (Updates with union statement in 6th paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Florida professors remain concerned about the effects of post-tenure review a year after it was put into effect. A survey gathering their sentiment around recent policies shows a negative outlook on the future of hiring in higher education. (Credit: Getty Images) A survey of professors at Florida universities found that new state government limits on tenure and academic freedom, plus the states political climate, have prompted many of them to apply for jobs outside the Sunshine State. Of approximately 350 faculty working almost exclusively in Florida public institutions, 135 39% reported that since 2022 they have applied for a job in higher education in another state. Popular destinations include California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York. The survey, headed by Georgia branch of the American Association of University Professors Conference President Matthew Boedy, asked professors across the South how political interference like tenure limits and political vetting of course materials have affected their career outlooks. More than 2,900 professors answered across 12 states from Aug. 12-30. Responses to the Faculty in the South Survey came from Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. Professor profess Topics driving Florida professors to apply elsewhere were largely listed as tenure issues, as well as academic freedom, DEI, and the overall political climate. In a free-response section, professors anonymously provided examples of how changes in tenure, contracts, and academic freedom affect their work. Florida professors consistently highlighted post-tenure review. Approved by the Board of Governors in 2023 at the Legislatures direction, the practice puts tenured professors under review every five years to determine their productivity. If deemed unsatisfactory, a professor can be terminated. A report compiled by POLITICO shows that 91% of the 861 public professors who underwent tenure review met or exceeded expectations laid out for them. Some earned bonuses. Professors who did not meet expectations, 64 of them, must show improvement during the next year or face termination. More severe, 10 faculty members statewide had unsatisfactory performance and were terminated. Professors spoke out forcefully against the reviews before they took effect last year, and this years survey results reflect that sentiment hasnt shifted. Though I am not in direct danger from [post-tenure review], I am now eying the door, one professor wrote. I traded off a higher salary and choice of where I wanted to live, among other things, for academia and its promise that I would be allowed to use my expertise to the best of my ability for my students and the good of society. But this bargain doesnt hold anymore. The governor and university leaders hold their own faculty in suspicion and contempt. They are actively working to destroy lifelong careers. Tenure is definitely gone, and academic freedom is on life support. Its time to go. Anti-woke policies Another professor said Gov. Ron DeSantis brags about Floridas top ranking in higher education by U.S. News & World Report but neglects other topics. Rather than working on real problems the governor keeps looking for more unconstitutional anti-woke policies he can implement. Morale among faculty at my institution is the lowest I have seen in more than two decades of working in higher education. The Wall Steet Journal released its annual rankings of public universities Monday and it showed Floridas institutions tumbling in the rankings, including the University of Florida losing its #1 spot. More than two-thirds of respondents to Boedys survey said the effect has been a reduction in applications to join their departments or institutions. One professor said she recently left a BIG FL state school in Orlando because the school did not defend academic freedom and did not give a pay raise for the 2023-2024 school year. My institution also allowed for post-tenure review to go into effect. I am a new scholar (PhD earned within the last five years), and, frankly, there was no viable reason to stay at that institution, she said. No raise? No tenure (post-tenure review effectively nullifies some of the more important tenure protections)? Not being allowed to teach things from a non-Western point of view? My administration cowing to politicians? For real, what incentive is there to stay in FL in higher ed? SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Touting tenure review DeSantis claimed during the Republican National Convention that Florida universities are bringing in huge amounts of talent. Something maybe even more important that, he added, is that Florida was the first state to eliminate DEI and was implementing post-tenure review. DeSantis said the rule is now allowing us to kind of get academia focused on the classical mission of pursuing truth, preparing students to be citizens of this republic, high standards, not be some type of an indoctrination camp. He added: Some of these professors that were unproductive and had their other agendas, theyve gotten processed out. The media will be like, These professors are fleeing Florida. Wait a minute if Marxist professors are leaving Florida, that is not bad for Florida, that is good for Florida. The legislative changes implementing post-tenure review were led by two state senators who now serve as Florida Department of Education officials: public schools Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. and university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues. Manny Diaz, Jr. During implementation of post-tenure review, DeSantis asserted that unproductive tenured professors are the most significant deadweight costs for Florida universities, the Phoenix previously reported. More than 80% of professors said in the survey that they would not recommend a graduate student or out-of-state faculty seek employment in Florida. The governor of the state of Florida and his university oversight (BOG) have purposely misled the public about higher education, one professor wrote. They are deceiving the public about what is taught, the implications of how ideas are communicated, and the outcomes of higher education. Their desire is for a college degree to simply be vocational education to prepare students to be cogs in a machine rather than employees who understand social, political, and economic factors that have affected the ways employee rights have changed over the years. The state Legislature passed the Stop WOKE Act in 2022, which the state argues allows it to forbid college professors from criticizing the governor or teach concepts surrounding race, racism, and privilege. Uploading a different syllabus The effects of that law and related efforts by the state government have left professors bowdlerizing their courses. We literally upload a different syllabus to the public system than we distribute to our students in class just to avoid having to explain every single detail of it to some draconian maniac from the state legislature, one professor submitted in the survey. Another professor pointed out that the Math for Liberal Arts course name was changed to eliminate the word liberal to comply with state requirements. I no longer feel safe teaching works about Jewishness (I am Jewish) because my university is datamining our Canvas courses for mentions of words like Jew, Jewish, Palestine, Israel etc., one professor wrote, referring to an August order from Rodrigues to universities, asking them to review courses that may contain antisemitic material. One professor said he is being censored from telling legitimate truths, and that what we are seeing from our state government is deeply hegemonic and antithetical to the purpose of higher education. He said: Even though I have been highly successful in a major state university in Florida, I am actively seeking faculty, administrative, and nonprofit jobs in other states. Florida has become toxic to anyone who believes in freedom of inquiry, freedom of speech, and the need to expose students to critical inquiry and a diversity of viewpoints. Another professor said she feels hampered in teaching contentious issues. Respect for education to teach critical thinking skills is tanking, she wrote. I cant advocate safely for students and human rights. I worry my Freedom of Speech isnt so free now, another professor wrote. During the post-tenure review policy approval process, professors warned that universities might struggle to recruit faculty if it were approved. Now, professors responding to the survey report, that prediction has come true and pools of candidates for many positions are mere fractions of what there were before the political focus on education intensified. One professor said educators work is more relevant than the governors and that noise about Florida education seems to come more from outside the state. People outside the state seem to have more negative things to say about the state of higher education in Florida than those who actually work and live here, he wrote. Judging a university by whether one likes the governor or not is both short sighted and politically biased in its own way. This is why we have elections and term limits in this country. The most relevant and important work happens in the classroom not the governors mansion. Across all states surveyed, a majority of respondents said they were deeply dissatisfied with the state of higher education, and 48.9% have noticed a decrease in the number of applicants for professor jobs. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Investigating impacts Education policy in recent years drove Boedy, an associate professor at the University of North Georgia, to research the effect on those who teach. I wanted to do this survey of faculty in the South because I wanted lawmakers and policymakers and those who attack higher education to understand the impacts of those attacks, Boedy said in an interview with the Phoenix. As you can see from the results of the 12 states, many faculty are feeling not just attacked but are feeling that they cant do their jobs well and many are considering leaving their state. Those attacks from outside of higher education and within higher education have real impacts and I wanted the survey to show that. Boedy said the range in salary and experience in responses provides a good picture of faculty across the 12 states. MEMPHIS, Tenn. A judge Monday set a $100,000 bond for the suspect accused of shooting several people at Railgarten. That means Detawn Gunn is headed back to jail for now, weeks after he was released on his own recognizance. He has been free since Aug. 27. Were pleased with todays outcome, the Shelby County District Attoprneys Office said in a statement. Filing the emergency writ was the right decision to ensure the safety of the public. Although we would have preferred a higher amount, securing a bond in this case was necessary to uphold public trust and maintain safety in our community. Gunns attorney said his client would post bond Tuesday morning. Video shows shooting outside Railgarten; suspect still free Gunn is accused of firing shots at another man over a parking spot outside the Midtown restaurant Aug. 16. Several people were hit in the shooting, and Gunn faces five counts of attempted murder. Controversy erupted a few days after the shooting, when a judge allowed Gunns release, despite his initial bond being set by a judicial commissioner at $500,000. County leader blasts judge after shooting suspects release from jail; judge responds Monday, Gunns defense attorney argued it was a case of mistaken identity, claiming he was not at Railgarten that night and was instead at another restaurant downtown. Prosecutors argued that phone records placed him in Midtown. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The CIA has consistently lied to the American public about anomalous health incidents (AHI) for the last several years and may be guilty of obstruction of justice, according to documents recently released by the U.S. government. Often referred to as Havana Syndrome, AHIs became widely known when American officials and their families living and working in the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, first reported symptoms which include balance and cognitive problems, insomnia and headaches. Salon reported in March 2023 that a then-newly obtained declassified report, prepared for the director of national intelligence by a panel of experts, appears to show conclusively that "Havana syndrome" a cluster of unexplained symptoms experienced by diplomats and government personnel abroad is not a naturally occurring health problem. The new information verifies the former report. A whistleblower filed a complaint last year with the Office of the Director of National Intelligences Inspector General. We obtained the information via a FOIA request and subsequent lawsuit brought by the James Madison Project and attorney Mark Zaid. This whistleblower complaint represents the most significant and lawful disclosure of information that undermines the public posture of the Intelligence Community, and specifically the CIA, concerning AHIs, Zaid said. The information seen first-hand by this whistleblower directly contradicts the asserted conclusions that U.S. personnel, particularly within the IC, are not being attacked by a foreign power using some sort of directed energy. It asserts the existence of classified documents, which are specifically identified in the complaint, is being deliberately covered up, including being withheld from other investigating federal agencies." Several members of Congress, when contacted, said they thought the matter had been settled and there wasnt anything to this, prior to the release of the information. The information just released by the government, however, shows that Congress and the FBI were among the government institutions that were either lied to or had information withheld from them. The IC Inspector General investigated this complaint and deemed it to constitute an 'urgent concern and forwarded it to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. In fact, the formal HPSCI investigation that was initiated earlier this year was, in large part, because of the information that was presented by this whistleblower and others connected to the evidence, Zaid explained. AHI victims are dedicated federal civil servants, military members and their families, and they deserve better than the treatment they have received for injuries sustained in the line of duty, Zaid said. He represents more than two dozen current and former federal employees who have been recognized as AHI victims, as well as the whistleblower whose complaint was released. The White House responded to the latest release of information, vowing to protect federal workers who have suffered because of AHIs. NSC spokesperson Sean Savett said, Speaking broadly, at the start of the Biden-Harris Administration and again following the 2023 Intelligence Community assessment, the White House directed departments and agencies across the federal government to prioritize investigations into the cause of AHIs and to examine reports thoroughly; to ensure that U.S. Government personnel and their families who report AHIs receive the support and timely access to medical care that they need; and to take reports of AHIs seriously and treat personnel with respect and compassion. That remains our priority." The released documents accuse the agency of constantly lying to Congress and other agencies about the nature and scope of the problem. The CIA, with apparent assistance of elements of the DNI notably the National Intelligence Council and the National Counter Intelligence and Security Center . . . is engaged in the active suppression of witnesses, and actions which may constitute obstruction of justice and witness tampering as define in federal statute, it states in the released documents. A CIA spokesperson refuted the information released by the government. The notion that the CIA lied to US policymakers is absolutely false. CIA takes its responsibility to provide decision makers with impartial, fact-based intelligence and analysis with the utmost seriousness. The Intelligence Community Assessment on anomalous health incidents released by ODNI reflects years of rigorous, painstaking collection, investigative work, and analysis by IC agencies, including CIA. We applied the Agencys very best operational, analytic, and technical tradecraft to what is one of the largest and most intensive investigations in the Agencys history. The CIA remains committed to ensuring continued access to care for affected officers and to fully investigating any reports of health incidents," a CIA spokesperson told Salon. "The facts are the facts," Zaid said in response. History will not judge the CIA's role or those who helped cover-up the truth regarding AHIs in a positive light. Their actions and words betray the loyal employees and so many others who serve our country as dedicated public servants. I have attended classified meetings held by Congress and witness after witness undermines what the CIA claims. If it would declassify the evidence, then the public would know who was telling the truth." AHIs have been controversial since first making news nearly a decade ago. Sounding like something out of a James Bond novel or science fiction, the accusation has been that the government has been aware of, or perhaps participated in, the use of microwave or other energy weapons, which can confuse, sicken and even kill individuals from an acceptable range without being traced. The NSA provided Zaid, as part of his representation of a pre-Havana AHI victim Michael Beck, a memorandum dated October 14, 2014, stating that it possessed intelligence information from 2012 associating the hostile country to which Mr. Beck traveled to in the late 1990s with a high-powered microwave system weapon that may of the ability to weaken, intimidate, or kill an enemy over time and without leaving evidence. The intelligence information in question remains classified. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. The heavily redacted document released by the government points to a variety of duplicitous activities taken by the CIA to hide the cause of AHIs. In January of 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended U.S. diplomats who had come forward to report suspected incidents. "Their pain is real," he said then. "I have no higher priority than the health and safety of each of you." At that same time, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said it was "very unlikely" that a foreign adversary was responsible for the AHIs reported. Some published reports have suggested that the symptoms were characteristic of "mass psychogenic illness." The declassified report rejects that, finding that the AHIs "do not fit criteria for mass psychogenic illness." Of particular concern was the evidence that some of the cases occurred on American soil. In 2019 a White House official reported symptoms while walking her dog in a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. The National Institute of Health through the Department of Health and Human Services began a protocol created to contribute to the understanding of anomalous health incidents and their impact on U.S. Government officials and their family members, in the wake of dozens of reports from government employees. A letter signed by Dr. Leighton Chan, Acting Chief Scientific Officer to the participants in that study on August 27, 2024, announced that due to concerns about this study raised by some participants, the NIH was shutting it down out of an abundance of caution. Zaid confirmed that some of the concerns involved the CIA requiring its employees to participate in the study if they wanted to receive health care treatment, which is considered unethical. SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) Details regarding a stabbing incident that occurred on Sept. 14 and resulted in the activation of a SWAT team have been released through an affidavit filed in Tom Green County. According to the affidavit, San Angelo Police Department officers were dispatched to the 1200 block of Howard Street in reference to a stabbing call. SAPD Police Chief Travis Griffith stated during a press conference held on Sept. 14 that the officers were called to the scene at approximately 4:47 p.m. An investigator reviewed an email provided by an SAPD officer. The contents of the email stated that the 34-year-old victim claimed he was sitting outside of his home when a Hispanic male approached him brandishing a large knife. The man with the knife was identified by another law enforcement member as 48-year-old Ricardo Rico. PREVIOUS: 1 arrested in standoff following Saturday stabbing It was learned from the email that Rico began swinging the knife at the victim, stabbing him twice in the left leg. The victim would later be transported to the emergency room of Shannon Medical Center for emergency treatment. The affidavit stated that Rico then ran to an apartment located in the backyard of a residence on the 2100 block of Forest Park Avenue. He then shut the door on SAPD officers who attempted to contact him and did not exit the apartment. Griffith stated during the press conference that multiple SAPD resources were used in response to the incident, including the SWAT team, a drone team, a K-9 unit, the Criminal Investigations Division and the Crime Scene Investigations Unit. A warrant was obtained for Ricos arrest, and he continued refusing to surrender, leading law enforcement to utilize chemical munitions. Rico would surrender without incident after the deployment of chemicals. Rico was booked into the Tom Green County Detention Center at 9:55 p.m. on Sept. 14 with one charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He remains there as of the time of publication and has a posted bond of $50,000. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com. NEW YORK (PIX11) There was a big celebration in Harlem at the African American Day Parade on Sunday afternoon. For more than five decades, the parade has focused on showcasing positive representation of the African American community. More Local News This year, PIX11 News was a proud sponsor of the event, which honored some of those who have made key contributions to the African American community through politics and government. Among the honorees was New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Thousands gathered at the parade to enjoy music, dancing, stepping, and so much more. For us, the important thing is to celebrate all of our ancestors, celebrate all of the accomplishments of all of the community, said Cynthia, one of the spectators. Youth groups, community-based organizations, and different city departments marched up Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard from 111th Street to 136th Street. The energy and enthusiasm were contagious, with people from all ages celebrating Black culture, heritage, and legacy. I like participating in this because it shows culture, said young Amir. Adrianne has been attending this parade for more than a decade. She said it is a way of connecting and sharing traditions. I try to come every year because it represents who we are, she said. The theme for the parade this year was good leaders and good government, promoting the importance of voting in the upcoming presidential election. People died for their right to vote. Thats the way we have a voice; if we can get everybody to understand and vote, then theyll take us serious and thats unity in the community, said Kahlil James. Local leaders also took part in the celebration. Senator Chuck Schumer grooved to the beat. NY is great melting pot, and in every group, we have African community. All of our community blend together, work together is a great day! Schumer. The African American Day Parade, founded in 1968 by the organizations Afro-American Day and United Federation of Black Community, is not only a festivity but also a symbol of unity. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Ukrainian air defense units repelled a "massive" Russian drone attack targeting Kyiv in the early hours of Sept. 16, according to Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. The drone strike marked the eighth aerial attack against Kyiv this month, Popko said. The Air Force announced an aerial alert over Kyiv at around 2 a.m. local time on Sept. 16. The alert lasted for three and a half hours, according to Popko. Russia launched multiple groups of attack drones at Kyiv from different directions throughout the night. Air defense forces intercepted "almost two dozen" unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the city's airspace. There were no casualties or damage in Kyiv as a result of the attack, according to preliminary reports. An overnight drone strike against Kyiv on Sept. 7 damaged multiple residential buildings. Russia launched a series of devastating missile and drone attacks against Ukraine's cities in the first weeks of September, hitting educational facilities and other civilian targets in Poltava, Sumy, Lviv, and Kryvyi Rih. Read also: The Russian targets that could be on Ukraines long-range missile strike list Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Whatever the next chapter of U.S. air power will look like, there will be drones and lots of them accompanying manned fighters into battle. But as Air Force leaders translated their vision into an acquisition strategy, a novel meeting of the minds at least by Defense Department standards may have saved the service from a major miscalculation: A new cohort of so-called collaborative combat aircraft, as originally envisioned, wouldnt be able to fly far enough to be effective in combat, which would have been a serious problem in the Pacific theater. Thats according to acquisition chief Andrew Hunter, who spoke about the episode anecdotally to stress how the Air Force had changed its acquisition practices by soliciting early input from stakeholders who were previously consulted only later in the process. Key to catching the range shortcoming, he said in a July interview, was the unique approach the Air Force took to buying the autonomous drone wingmen known as CCAs. The service brought operators from Air Combat Command into the room alongside acquisition experts, who would normally have taken the lead on a major procurement like this. We had a lot of discussion about range to understand operationally, what was meaningful and what was going to be effective, said Hunter, the services assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics. With ACC operators insights, he said, the Air Force was able to push contractors to find the sweet spot of enough range, at a reasonable price and on the right timeline. That approach to acquisition is a hallmark of the Air Forces operational imperative effort, Hunter said, and could change how the service procures systems in the future. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall rolled out his wide-ranging, seven-pronged operational imperative plan in March 2022, seeking to transform everything from how the Air Force deploys and sets up bases in war zones to procuring advanced aircraft including CCAs, the Next Generation Air Dominance future fighter and the B-21 Raider stealth bomber and finding better ways to track and target enemy forces. With the Biden administrations term nearing the finish line, Kendalls operational imperative transformations could prove to be his lasting legacy on the Air Force. And such modifications are already guiding other changes to the force. In a Sept. 4 panel at the Defense News conference, Hunter said the operational imperatives were the genesis of a broader restructuring of the Air Force, called the reoptimization for great power competition, that was unveiled earlier this year. Along the way, the operational imperative effort also prompted the Air Force to rethink how it does business and procures new aircraft and other systems, in particular by bringing the operational and acquisition communities together. From the start, Hunter said, each team working on an operational imperative effort was co-led by an acquisition expert and an operational expert, so each perspective was equally balanced. The systems eventually developed will be used by the Air Forces operators, so involving them each step of the way was logical, he added. The rapidly moving acquisition process involves so many decisions everything from choices on designs, contracts, schedules and how systems will be used that theres no time to waste on creating systems that arent immensely useful. Its not one of those cases where we get a requirement, and then we in the acquisition community run off and do our thing, and then we come back at the end and say [to operators], Here it is, hope you like it, Hunter said. If they dont scratch the operational itch, then weve not succeeded. The time has come, Hunter added, to move away from the lengthy, traditional model in recent decades of sending requests for proposal to a limited number of major firms and only picking one. Instead, the Air Force wants to move to a next-generation acquisition model that continually works with a range of industry partners and iterates multiple designs over time. Anduril and General Atomics have been selected by the Air Force to develop autonomous collaborative drones. Anduril has proposed its Fury aircraft, shown here, as the service's first. (Anduril) The Air Forces CCA program is the most prominent example of this approach. The service in April announced it had selected Anduril and General Atomics for the first increment of the drones. And a second increment is on its way in fiscal 2025 one that could produce autonomous drones dramatically different from the first batch. Do not assume, and it may not be, just an evolution of increment one, Hunter said Sept. 4. It could be an entirely different set of missions; it could be an entirely different kind of an aircraft. Chasing threats As the service works on operational improvements, threats faced by the United States continue to evolve. China, in particular, is focused on strengthening its own military for a possible invasion of Taiwan and is doing so incredibly quickly, Hunter said. The threats not sitting still, Kendall said in a June interview with Defense News at the Pentagon. Its getting worse, and its ... very creative. So, the Air Force adjusted its plans, supplementing its modernizing effort with other operational enablers that cut across multiple areas. The service also needed to improve capabilities, especially through greater munitions, better electronic warfare and mobility like an envisioned future stealthy tanker, dubbed NGAS, for its next-generation aerial refueling system. And the Air Force changed course on Next-Generation Air Dominance, a future fighter family of systems expected to replace the F-22. The price tag for each NGAD, as originally conceived, would likely have been about three times the cost of an F-35, Kendall said. The NGAD program is now on hold while the Air Force reconsiders its design, and it is unclear when the service will award a contract. The imperatives were built around a focus on operational problems we need to solve, Kendall said. What are the things we need to figure out to make sure were competitive and stay ahead of other threats? Kendall said the Air Force is making progress on these imperatives, though he tempered his comments by noting that funding limitations and shortfalls in cybersecurity and other technology have kept the effort from moving as quickly as he hoped. Im always impatient, Kendall said. I want to go faster to get militarily meaningful quantities out into the force that make a difference operationally. When Kendall announced his operational imperative plan, work was already well under way on the 2023 budget proposal. This meant the first time the Air Force could request funding for new operational imperative efforts was in the 2024 budget cycle. But Congress threw the Pentagon a curveball. Disputes on Capitol Hill held up the militarys 2024 spending bill for months, and the fiscal year was already half over when lawmakers finally passed it. While the 2024 budget delay hindered much of the operational imperative effort, Hunter said, some elements such as the command, control, communications and battle management, or C3BM, effort were already under way or had existing funding to get going. The Air Force was able to move quickly to field C3BM capabilities, such as the cloud-based command and control effort that knit together several different air defense data sources to better defend the homeland. Hunter said that was able to be fielded rapidly over the last two-plus years or so, and has been successful. And because the program to develop CCAs was already under way as part of NGAD and had significant funding, the Air Force was also able to keep it rolling despite the 2024 budget delay, Hunter said. But as budgets get tighter, it remains to be seen whether the OI project will receive the funding it needs. A lasting impact? The Air Forces desired funding for operational imperative efforts grew from about $5 billion in 2024 once the budget was passed to $6 billion in the 2025 budget request. Kendall said hes hoping to maintain full funding in 2026, but expects tight budgets to force the service to make difficult choices, including whether the OIs will get the funding he wants. The growth of additive manufacturing, and technology advancements making it possible to conduct distributed manufacturing for high-end military capabilities, are also helping the Air Force create its new procurement model, Hunter said. You can scale more rapidly, he said. You can maybe work more intimately with partners and allies which is definitely important to our strategy of integrated deterrence. You can do complex designs more affordably. These approaches are very consistent with rapidly adopting those technologies into our production and design processes. Hunter feels strongly that this approach to procurement with tighter cooperation between acquisition experts, industry and operators and more frequent iterations to evolve designs will one day become standard for the Air Force, and perhaps other services. This is the way to do it, now and in the immediate future, Hunter said. I dont see a date where it will become less relevant. And its not an entirely new approach, he said, but it is a habit the Air Force had gotten out. He compared this strategy to that of the World War II and post-war eras when aviation technology transformed by leaps and bounds as opposed to the late-Cold War era of the 1980s and 1990s, during which the pace of advancements slowed. Change was happening so fast during WWII, Hunter said. And you see how quickly we were able to develop rockets and missiles in the 50s and 60s. The pace of change and progress was so fast that it drove us towards these more tight-knit relationships among experts. Its not unprecedented, but I definitely think its a little bit of a back to the future scenario of behaving a little more like we did in those earlier periods. Airbus is resurrecting plans to build a fleet of H175M for the RAF - Credit: Malcolm Haines / Alamy Stock Photo Airbus is preparing to revive plans for a new helicopter factory in the UK as part of its attempt to secure a 1bn contract from the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The manufacturing giant has indicated it could proceed with the plant after reversing its decision to pull out of the bidding to replace the RAFs Puma helicopter fleet last month. At the time of its withdrawal, Airbus said the terms of the MoDs tender werent sufficiently attractive for it to proceed. However, Bruno Even, Airbus Helicopters boss, has unveiled a sweetened proposal which he hopes will satisfy obstacles relating to the Governments defence spending review. As part of its new approach, Airbus will resurrect plans to build a new factory in Broughton, Flintshire, creating hundreds of jobs in the process. It is at this plant that Airbus, if successful in the tender, would build a fleet of H175M helicopters. To reduce costs, it would also keep the RAFs existing Puma fleet flying for several years longer through its maintenance programme. Bosses hope this will deliver enough savings to convince the Government to award Airbus the 1bn contract as the MoD seeks to cut costs as part of its ongoing spending review. Mr Even said: We are open to discussions depending on the conclusion of the defence strategy review. If there is a will from the MoD side to revisit the future of this campaign, we are ready. There is time to review things. The Pumas can continue to fly until 2035 and we have committed to continue to support them. Airbus had touted the proposed factory during initial negotiations with the Government, although the company walked away from the bidding process in August after claiming it was commercially unviable. Sikorsky Aircraft, a US-based rival, also pulled out leaving just Leonardo of Italy, which owns Britains only current helicopter plant, in the running. However, Mr Even said Airbus was now willing to reconsider. He said: We took the decision to withdraw only after concluding that we could not provide long-term returns to our business, address the requirements in terms of social value and industry capacity and still have a fair chance to win. But we are not the only ones to take this decision, which questions the current set of requirements. This puts Airbus back in competition with Leonardo, which produces the AW149 helicopter through its site in Yeovil, where around 3,300 people are employed. Leonardo, Airbuss competitor for the government contract, produces the AW149 helicopter through its site in Yeovil - Credit: Avpics / Alamy Stock Photo Mr Even said his companys H175M model remained the best suited to succeed the Puma, a battlefield workhorse that has seen action in Iraq, ex-Yugoslavia and Afghanistan. He said: In terms of performance, competitiveness and value creation, including the commitment we took to set up industrial capability, we are convinced that it is the best proposal. While the MoD originally sought up to 44 aircraft as part of the 1bn contract, that number is understood to have been reduced to no more than 30 and perhaps as few as 25. A source said previously that Airbus felt the tender rules had not given it sufficient credit for its investment and jobs pledge. While Airbus does not produce helicopters in the UK, it has had maintenance, delivery and training operations in the country for half a century. Mr Evens comments came after the opening of a new 55m headquarters and hangar for the business at Oxford Airport, which was attended by the Prince of Wales. The company supplies more than half of the civil helicopters flying in Britain, including all police models and two thirds of air ambulances, many of them serviced in Oxford. RAF, Navy and Army pilots train exclusively on Airbus H135 and H145 helicopters. The H145 was also recently chosen to replace a small number of Pumas operating with British forces in Cyprus and Brunei. Mr Even said that the Puma, which can carry 16 passengers or two tonnes of cargo, nevertheless remained a fantastic helicopter which, though designed in the 1970s, was capable of fulfilling mission requirements, if the MoD opted to retain it. The RAFs Pumas have been in service since the early 1970s - Credit: Senior Aircraftman Ryan Murray/RAF Used to move troops, weapons and ammunition on the battlefield, the RAF models have had a midlife upgrade including new engines. He said: We are committed to the Puma and ready to continue to support the Puma in the current defence planning review and under the current budget constraints. The executive said that Airbus had other export prospects for the H175 and did not rule out alternative locations for a new plant outside the UK should those come to fruition. He said: Depending on the conclusion we reach with some customers, it could be that we decide to develop this footprint elsewhere. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. The Alabama State Board of Education during its regular meeting on February 9, 2023. The state superintendent said Thursday that they were likely to request money for school safety. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama State Department of Education could request more money for school safety and security in their upcoming budget request. State Superintendent Eric Mackey told the board members at a work session Thursday that they were going to request money to fund a bill that passed last session addressing school safety. The board had discussed the issue at a recent retreat. In documents handed out at the meeting, the requested increase for School Safety, Security and Climate is $52.9 million or around $51 million more than last year. But in the meeting, Mackey said the money was more likely to come out of the supplemental budget. The supplemental budget is money outside of the state Education Trust Fund (ETF), the main source of funding for public schools, and is not recurring by default but would be available immediately. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX We technically dont do a supplemental budget request, but I think it would be good between now and the session, if we really worked on that, he said. SB 98, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, the chair of the Alabama Senates education budget committee, includes requirements for school safety audits and mapping. Mackey said that Orrs part is bifurcated, so the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) and the Department of Education both have parts. The state this year only provided money for a mapping portion overseen by ALEA. (Orr) told us that he would make sure we got funded in this upcoming budget cycle for repairing locks and those kinds of things, plus our safety inspectors, he said. I cant speak for him, but in the past, he has preferred to do that out of supplemental and that was our discussion back in the spring, that he would probably do that in the supplemental budget. Orr wrote in a text message Thursday that the evaluation process needs to be started and personnel must be hired. He believes that a request for proposals (RFP) for the mapping component will go out next month; $4 million has been appropriated for it, Orr said. Mackey also brought up the loss of COVID federal funds in a discussion about reading scores. The superintendent said they have received over $3 billion since 2021, and that they will not be able to make up the funds that will expire. According to the state departments tracker, there was $3.28 billion for the total allocated budget across the state. I have to remind myself thats a billion is 1,000 million, 1,000 million, he said. So thats 3,000 million dollars thats gone. Its gone, end of this month. He said some checks will still be written over the next few months but the money will be gone. Theres no way the state is going to raise the funds to replace that, he said. So I dont want to paint a fairy tale scene like, Oh, theres plenty of money to provide all the services, because a lot of the services that districts have been providing are not going to be there, he said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Alabama man sentenced for attempting to solicit a minor for sex in Walton County WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) An Alabama man is heading to prison after attempting to solicit a minor for sex over the internet in Walton County. According to Walton County Sheriffs Office, 37-year-old Jeffrey Hudson of Saraland, Alabama was arrested in 2023 for using a computer to lure a child for sex and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony. Traffic crash in Walton County leads to DUI arrest The sheriffs office had been conducting an investigation on social media to identify people targeting kids under the age of 16 for sexual acts, officials said. Hudson was sentenced to two years in prison and must register as a sex offender. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com. According to a Bloomberg Intelligence analysis, the cash loss could reduce Boeings balances to $9 billion near the minimum for the company. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves) Updated on Sept. 16 at 3:01 p.m. to correct the title of Boeing executive Brian West. Boeing has notified employees of a hiring freeze and is considering furloughs in the coming weeks as experts predict significant cash loss for the company this quarter due to an ongoing machinist strike. Over 30,000 machinists and aerospace workers at the company walked off the job Friday after a large majority of them rejected a tentative contract. A Bloomberg Intelligence analysis predicted Monday that Boeing could be out $3.5 billion in cash in Q3 if the strike continues through September. According to the Bloomberg report, the cash loss could reduce Boeings balances to $9 billion near the minimum for the company. The largest driver of results in sales will be 737 deliveries, which Boeing will have made 78 of for Q3 versus 70 in Q2. The report stated that defense and Global Services are expected to perform similarly to Q2. Boeing cuts costs Boeing Chief Financial Officer Brian West told employees in an emailed memo that the company would take actions to preserve its cash, including: Starting a hiring freeze across Boeing for all levels, and pausing any pay increases associated with internal executive and management promotions. Stopping any travel that is not for critical customer, program, regulatory or supply chain activity. Suspending nonessential capital expenditures and facilities spending. Suspending outside consultant spending and temporarily releasing nonessential contractors. [W]e are planning to make significant reductions in supplier expenditures and will stop issuing the majority of supplier purchase orders on the 737, 767 and 777 programs, West said in the memo. We are also considering the difficult step of temporary furloughs for many employees, managers and executives in the coming weeks. Which airlines will be impacted? Bloomberg Intelligence stated that airlines most affected by Boeings strike will be Ryanair, Southwest, United and Alaska. While its not in the high vacation season, this is expected to predominantly affect U.S air travel. The report stated that the most-affected airlines in the near term appear to be Southwest, Alaska Air, Aeromexico and Jin Air of Korea, all of which are expecting two deliveries in the remaining half of September. With vacation season waning in the U.S., Bloomberg estimates a minimized impact from delays. The post Boeing freezes hiring, considers furloughs as strike could cost $3.5B appeared first on FreightWaves. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) The state of Alabama asked a judge Friday to deny defense lawyers request to film the next execution by nitrogen gas in an attempt to help courts evaluate whether the new method is humane. The request to record the scheduled Sept. 26 execution of Alan Miller was filed by attorneys for another man facing the death penalty, Carey Dale Grayson. Tito Jackson dies at 70 They are challenging the constitutionality of the method after Alabama carried out the nations first execution by nitrogen gas in January, when Kenneth Smith was put to death. Serious constitutional questions linger over Alabamas nitrogen hypoxia protocol. To date, the only instance of a judicially sanctioned executionthat of Kenneth Eugene Smithusing nitrogen did not proceed in the manner defendants promised, lawyers for inmate Carey Dale Grayson wrote. Grayson is scheduled to be executed in November with nitrogen gas. Witnesses to Smiths execution described him shaking on the gurney for several minutes as he was put to death by nitrogen gas. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall declared the execution was a textbook success. Attorneys for Grayson wrote that, one way to assist in providing an accurate record of the next nitrogen execution is to require it be videotaped. Courts have rarely allowed executions to be recorded. 3 injured in Tuscaloosa shooting The lethal injection of a Georgia man was recorded in 2011. The Associated Press reported that video camera and a camera operator were in the execution chamber. Judges had approved another inmates request to record the execution to provide evidence about the effects of pentobarbital. A 1992 execution in California was recorded when attorneys challenged the use of the gas chamber as a method of execution. The Alabama attorney generals office on Friday asked U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker, Jr. to deny the request. There is no purpose to be served by the contemplated intrusion into the states operation of its criminal justice system and execution of a criminal sentence wholly unrelated to this case, state attorneys wrote in the court filing. Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Q. Hamm wrote in a sworn statement that he had security and other concerns about placing a camera and videographer in the death chamber or witness rooms. He also said that he believed a recording, would severely undermine the solemnity of the occasion. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. A sign, seen on Sept. 12, 2024, marks South Anchorage's Oceanview neighborhood. House District 10 encompasses Oceanview and other neighborhoods, along with the Dimond Center. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) Two Republican candidates with legislative experience present contrasting visions for representing a South Anchorage district. Rep. Craig Johnson, a businessman who was first elected to the House in 2006 and currently chairs the powerful House Rules Committee, is being challenged by Chuck Kopp, who served in the House from 2017 to 2020 after retiring from a law enforcement career. The matchup in House District 10, which encompasses the leafy Oceanview and Klatt neighborhoods, the Dimond Center Alaskas largest shopping mall and other spaces, would not have been possible without the ballot initiative that ushered in ranked choice voting in Alaska. That initiative, in addition to authorizing a ranking system, mandated open primaries. Even though Kopp and Johnson were the only candidates on the primary election ballot, both advanced to the general election. That contrasts with Kopps experience in 2020, when he was defeated in the primary by current Rep. Tom McKay, R-Anchorage. In the general election that followed that primary, voters narrowly approved the ranked-choice initiative. Four years later, Kopp stands by his decision to be part of what was then a caucus of Democrats, Republicans and independents. The best solutions are never the gift of one party. And I say that as a proud Republican, he said. As a legislator elected by the citizens of District 10, I will always be on a team to best serve and represent the district, he added. I will not hesitate to put people first over the party. Whatever coalition he joins should be consistent with his Republican values of low taxes, infrastructure investment, resource development and responsible budgets. And I want an organization that is not going to go into the ditch over a social agenda, he said. I dont like it when I see the legislative process hijacked. To Johnson, Kopps party-line crossing approach is a negative. Former state Rep. Chuck Kopp, a Republican, is seen in his office on Sept. 5, 2024. His office is in the office tower of the Dimond Center, Alaska's largest shopping mall. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) You look at who supports him and who supports me you can see a stark difference. Who influences him, versus the kind of people that want to see me get reelected, Johnson said. There is a very clear difference, he said. Its just very difficult to differentiate when youre sitting with an R by your name. Those ties are evident in the primary election results, in which Kopp won 60.5% of the vote, Johnson said, noting the low turnout of 17.8%. Weve got a Republican whos got mostly Democratic support in Chuck, and the Democrats turned out quite heavily and the Republicans didnt, he said. Johnson pointed out that the current Republican-dominated House majority does include rural Democrats. But he does not favor more evenly balanced bipartisan coalitions, such as the nine-Democratic, eight-Republican majority caucus in the state Senate. I would not be interested in joining a caucus that put committee chairs in positions to pass or hold up things that I feel I am philosophically opposed to, he said. I will not compromise my ideals and morals for power. For Kopp, the overarching issue in the election and for Alaska is the states continued outmigration and shrinking working-age population. That loss is the result of the states failure to invest in itself, he said. You also have to look at the cost of doing nothing, and the cost of doing nothing has been catastrophic for our state, he said. There are, for example, about 70 Alaska state trooper positions currently unfilled, along with about 50 Anchorage police positions. Also affected are basic services like road maintenance, with departments short-staffed, and education, he said. We have school districts that are starting late because they cant fill the teacher positions, said. The event that crystallized this concern and his decision to run against Johnson was the House majoritys refusal to consider the Senate-approved measure, Senate Bill 88, that would have resurrected a defined-benefit pension system for public employees. Legislation passed in 2005 established a new 401(k)-style defined contribution system for what were then new public employees, but in recent years there have been calls to return to the defined-benefit pension systems like those used in the past. House Rules Chair Craig Johnson, R-Anchorage, speaks in favor of House Bill 135 on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, in the Alaska House. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) Kopp favored the Senates bill, which he said crafted a reasonable approach that would have been both less costly than past public employee defined-benefits plans and less costly than doing nothing. Absolutely, Im in favor of that defined-benefit plan, he said. The plan that the Senate bill crafted would have been less expensive than past public-employees defined-benefit plans, and a worthwhile investment in the workforce, he said. Kopp is particularly attuned to the issue because of his law-enforcement experience, which included a stint as police chief in Kenai. As of now, Alaska police officers are working in a very difficult profession without the promise of anything meaningful waiting for them at retirement, he said. He also noted that state employees are generally not eligible for Social Security benefits. Johnson, as Rules chair, blocked the Senates defined-benefit bill from reaching the House floor. He is proud of that action and highlights it on his campaign website as one of his key legislative accomplishments. The Senates plan was too expensive, Johnson said. For the first 10 years, its not a bad system because not many people have retired, he said, referring to actuarial information that was presented to lawmakers. But once you get past 10 years and 15, 20, 25, it turns into billions of dollars and were going to end up like we were before we got rid of it, where we had a $9 billion in indebtedness and our credit rating was affected. Our ability to bond was affected. So, it could have a huge impact on future generations, he said. Johnson opposes any return to a defined-benefit program and does not believe retirement benefits attract workers. In the case of police officers, he pointed to departments in other states that do offer defined-benefit pensions but have trouble attracting applicants, nonetheless. Retirement is not how you attract people. You attract people with work environments and the opportunities to advance and job satisfaction. And its very difficult to be a policeman right now, he said. Rather than return to a defined-benefit system, the state can increase pay and possibly increase the amount it contributes to employee retirement accounts, he said. And Anchorages municipal government has the option of creating its own benefit system without placing the burden on the state, he said. Klatt Elementary School is seen on Sept. 12, 2024. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) Both Kopp and Johnson favor an increase in the Base Student Allocation, the per-student level of state education funding granted to school districts. Johnson said he was instrumental in crafting a bill, which ultimately was passed by the Legislature, that would have increased the BSA. After Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed the bill, to the dismay of many educators and students, Johnson was among the legislators who voted against a veto override. Johnson said continuing efforts to increase the BSA over the long term would have simply been vetoed again; instead, lawmakers were at least able to secure a one-time increase of $680 per student. Kopp said he would have voted to override the veto, which was sustained by one vote. People in the district are extremely concerned about education funding and worried about state support that has atrophied, he said. They were alarmed when one of our local elementary schools was on the chopping block, he said. Klatt Elementary School, which is in his House district, was one of six schools that the Anchorage School District in 2022 considered for closure for budget problems. The problems facing education in the district and in Alaska more generally are tied in part to the loss of qualified workers teachers in this case, Kopp said. My district really cares about the recruitment and retention of that workforce, he said. Both candidates cite public safety as a top concern for their district. That category includes homelessness in Anchorage, which both candidates characterized as a complex problem that defies easy solutions. Both candidates also cite a need to make energy supplies in Anchorage and the Cook Inlet region more dependable, an issue of growing concern as the flow of natural gas used for electricity and heat has become less secure. While Kopp supports retention of the ranked choice voting system, Johnson will be supporting the ballot measure to overturn it. Johnson believes the ranked-choice system encourages some candidates to hold back on campaigning prior to the primary election to save their money for the general election. You know, I did some of that and it didnt pan out particularly well, he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The alleged gunman arrested at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, has a lengthy paper trail of pro-Ukraine advocacy, according to several news reports Monday. The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested Sunday after allegedly pushing the muzzle of an assault rifle through a chain-link fence near former President Donald Trump's golf course, where the former president was playing the fifth hole. However, this is not the first time Routh has been identified. Routh is a pro-Ukraine activist who has spent time in the Eastern European country volunteering to raise more support for the nation's military efforts and even sought Afghan veterans who fled from the Taliban to fight in the war, a New York Times report noted. LAW ENFORCEMENT SOURCES IDENTIFY RYAN WESLEY ROUTH AS SUSPECT IN TRUMP SHOOTING Ryan Routh is accused of aiming a rifle at former President Donald Trump while he was golfing at his course in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday. It is being investigated as a second assassination attempt on Trump. He was also interviewed by Semafor in March 2023 and expressed frustration at the Ukranian government for having too much red tape around admitting foreign soldiers to fight in the war. "Ukraine is very often hard to work with. Many foreign soldiers leave after a week in Ukraine or must move from unit to unit to find a place they are respected and appreciated," Routh told Semafor, adding that he'd been "yelled at" for suggesting Afghan veterans. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "Theyre afraid that anybody and everybody is a Russian spy," he said. Routh also talked to Newsweek's Romania edition in 2022, again about his recruitment efforts for the International Legion Defense of Ukraine, which is an on-the-ground unit for the nation's army. DONALD TRUMP SAFE AFTER SHOTS FIRED OUTSIDE PALM BEACH GOLF CLUB "The question as far as why I'm here to me, a lot of the other conflicts are grey, but this conflict is definitely black and white," Routh told Newseek. "This is about good versus evil. This is a storybook, you know, any movie we've ever watched, this is definitely evil against good." Routh also claimed to have fought in the war and reportedly bragged about his involvement on his social media accounts. His pro-Ukraine advocacy also appears to have led him to write a 291-page book, "Ukraine's Unwinnable War," which is still available on Amazon. "I presume that I must be clear, that while on the current path Ukraine will not win, it is imperative for the world that they do win, and that is why this book is so important, for us all to recognize that losing is not an option and what we must do to win," Routh wrote in the description. "I obviously did not write this to make any money, as that is totally unimportant; the extremely important issue is that we openly discuss daily the major issues that face Ukraine and what we each must try to do to fix them." The X account appearing to belong to Routh also repeatedly issued Ukraine-related posts to X that he was ready to fly to Ukraine to fight Russian President Vladimir Putin. "I am flying to Ukraine to fight. We need to launch a media campaign to encourage every human around the globe to meet in Ukraine and join in the fight. We need hundreds of thousands of civilians to make the cost of war high for putin and a flood of fighters," the apparent Routh account posted on Feb. 17, 2022. Following repeated messages declaring his intention to fight on behalf of Ukraine, the X account posted in April that Routh was in Kyiv. "I am here in kyiv and want to use Independence Park to create a tent city of all the foreigners here in support to get thousands more foreign civilians to come and support Ukraine," according to the X post. Trump has said on several occasions that if elected, he would end the Ukraine-Russia conflict within 24 hours. During the ABC debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump did not explicitly say he wanted Ukraine to triumph in the war. "Just get it done. All right. Negotiate a deal," Trump said. TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT A background check also previously reviewed by Fox News Digital found that Routh has had repeated run-ins with law enforcement spanning decades in North Carolina. A majority of the arrests included ones for simple possession, driving without a license, driving with an expired registration, driving without insurance. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. Fox News Digital's Emma Colton and Brooke Curto contributed to this report. Original article source: Alleged Trump gunman Ryan Routh has a paper trail of pro-Ukraine advocacy: reports CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) James Dunmore, the Charlotte man accused of murdering Allisha Watts, will be in court on Monday. Dunmore was Watts boyfriend and was arrested last August at his home in the University City area after the 39-year-olds body was discovered near a cemetery in Montgomery County. A manhunt for Dunmore was launched shortly after Watts was reported missing. Dunmore made an apparent suicide attempt before troopers discovered him inside Watts missing vehicle at an Anson County parking lot, according to warrants. Dunmore was reportedly treated at the hospital, but his whereabouts were unknown prior to his August arrest. Dunmore was previously denied a lower bond from the $1 million bond in March. MORE FROM QUEEN CITY NEWS Allisha Watts murder 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 Queen City News. Almost 100 horses rounded up in Colorado to ensure enough federal land for herd DENVER (KDVR) There are only a few days left in the Bureau of Land Managements wild horse roundup near De Beque, as the operation is slated to end by Sept. 19. Isaac Pittman, local incident commander for the roundup, explained to Nexstars KREX how the agency is using a helicopter to herd wild horses into a temporary trap site, then transporting them to a holding pen in Canon City to await the administration of birth control. Items found in Eagle County could belong to hiker missing since 2005 Our plan is to gather approximately 130 horses and then ship 100 off and keep 30 back, and put 30 back (on the range), explained Pittman. The operation has been besieged by wind, rain and technical difficulties, causing the Book Cliff Horse gather to be cut short on its first day. Then, a red flag warning cut short operations again on day two. So, we got high winds, so the helicopter cant operate, Pittman said. The horses being gathered are on the Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range near De Beque. The goal is to ensure the wild horse population does not overtake the local ecosystem and to ensure the herd has proper sex ratios. Before the gather, the Bureau of Land Management said there were approximately 211 horses in the herd. As of Sept. 14, the BLM has gathered 97 horses from the Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range. Of those, 25 were stallions, 57 were mares and 15 were foals. The agency said all foals were reunited with their wet mares as required by the Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program, and the foals were also checked by a veterinarian to ensure they were nursing successfully. Additionally, the agency said there have been no horse deaths in the roundup. However, the horse gathers have been surrounded by controversy as horse advocates argue the use of helicopters to round up the equine animals leads to the horses deaths. Some also argue the use of a helicopter to round up the horses causes mental and physical strain on the animals. Right thing to do: Man sacrifices truck to save unconscious driver on highway However, the Bureau of Land Management is still using helicopters, citing several studies that show that herding by helicopter is the quickest method and produces the least stress on the horses. Pittman said there have been no injuries to the wild horses during this gather. Weve been doing helicopter gathers since the 80s, Pittman said. The horses that are not returned to the range will be placed into the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program. The horses are branded, given vaccinations and then given a fitness exam to determine they are healthy enough for adoption or sale. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Amarillo Republican Rep. John Smithee has joined the growing field of candidates seeking to become speaker of the Texas House, mounting a challenge against Rep. Dade Phelan, the embattled speaker from Beaumont who has been under attack by high-ranking GOP officials and survived a well-funded opponent in the Republican primary backed by former President Donald Trump. Smithee joins Phelan; Rep. Ana-Maria Rodriguez Ramos, D-Richardson; Rep. Shelby Slawson, R-Stephenville; Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield; Rep. James Frank, R-Wichita Falls; and Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, in announcing a bid for the speakership. State Rep. John Smithee, speaking at a candidate forum in Amarillo in February, is one of several people challenging Dade Phelan for the Texas House speakership. Smithee has served in the Texas House since 1985 and currently sits on the House State Affairs Committee and the Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee. Smithee was one of 23 House Republicans who voted against the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton in May last year. He framed the proceedings as rushed and unfair, earning him favor with Paxton's supporters and Phelan's dissidents. Paxton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and other lawmakers from the far-right flank of the state Republican Party have criticized Phelan for allowing Paxton's impeachment, which was overwhelmingly approved in the House, to advance to a trial in the Senate. Paxton, who was accused of bribery and abuse of office, was ultimately acquitted on a party-line vote in the Senate. "When we go home, we will have to defend each one of us not only the final results we reached, (but we) also have to defend the process by which this determination was made," Smithee said at the time. "And, members of the House, to me this process is indefensible." #txlege: Anti-voucher Republican Rep. King says 'fight is over' on school choice in Texas Patrick, Paxton and others have also said Phelan is "really a Democrat" as he has continued the Legislature's long-standing tradition of awarding some committee chairmanships to the minority party. Phelan has also been chastised for allowing top Republican priorities, such as school voucher legislation, to die in the lower chamber. In May, Phelan, who is in his second term as speaker and his fourth term as a state representative, defeated primary challenger David Covey by less than 2 percentage points in a runoff. Hoping to boost his conservative credentials, Phelan earlier this month announced he was bringing on former Gov. Rick Perry as a senior adviser. Perry served as the state's chief executive for a record 14 years ending in 2015. Smithee represents House District 86, which encompasses the entirety of Armstrong, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Hartley, Oldham, Parmer and Randall counties in the Texas Panhandle. This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Amarillo Rep. John Smithee running for Texas House speaker Amazon says workers will return to the office five days a week in 2025 Starting next year, Amazon says its employees will be required to work in the office five days a week. CEO Andy Jassy sent out a message to employees about the change Monday. Like many other companies, Amazons corporate employees worked remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Amazon created a policy that allowed leaders to determine how their teams worked. Then, last year, the tech giant asked all employees to come back to the office three days per week. At the time, at least 30,000 Amazon employees did not agree with the return-to-work policy, according to a signed petition against it. That letter was rejected by Amazons head of human resources, according to a leaked memo from Insider. In his note on Monday, Jassy said the company has seen that it is easier for employees to learn, model, practice and strengthen Amazons culture and brainstorm when theyre together in person. If anything, the last 15 months weve been back in the office at least three days a week has strengthened our conviction about the benefits, Jassy wrote. KIRO 7 reached out to the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) about the announcement. Downtowns largest employer bringing people back more frequently is a home run for downtown, said DSA President & CEO Jon Scholes. Amazons decision reinforces the value of in-person work to the success of companies and organizations. The tech company acknowledged that many of its employees have tailored their personal lives around the ability to work remotely. Amazon says the policy will not go into effect until January 2, 2025, so that workers can adjust. Our expectation is that people will be in the office outside of extenuating circumstances, Jassy wrote. The airline is cutting routes from Austin to several cities around the country starting next month. Courtesy of American Airlines American Airlines is going back to basics in Austin after experimenting with dozens of new nonstop flights during the pandemic. The carrier will no longer be an option for Austinites eager to visit Bourbon Street in New Orleans after October or soak up the history of Bostons Freedom Walk after November. Nonstop flights to both cities are among the seven that will end in the next few months. Also gone are Americans nonstops from Austin to Las Vegas and Orlando in October; Nashville and Raleigh-Durham in November; and Orange County, Calif., in January 2025, Cirium Diio schedule data shows. The reductions bring to an end a pandemic experiment for American that peaked at nonstop flights from Austin to more than 45 cities in early 2023. The cuts are part of a continuous evaluation of Americans network, an airline spokesperson told Travel + Leisure on Monday. American will continue to offer customers access to our comprehensive global network of more than 350 destinations with one-stop connections, the spokesperson added. Other factors include the rapid airline industry growth in Austin during the pandemic and the now slowing travel recovery. American has also faced some pushback from labor groups to its expansion in the Texas capital that is less than 200 miles from its main Dallas-Fort Worth hub. American will continue to offer flights from Austin to eight of its hubs Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and Phoenix plus seasonal nonstops to Aspen, Cancun, and Los Cabos. Austinites still have plenty of flight options on routes where American is ending service. Southwest Airlines, the largest carrier in Austin, serves Las Vegas, Nashville, New Orleans, Orange County, Orlando, and Raleigh-Durham nonstop. And Delta Air Lines, which is slowly building a focus city in the Texas city, flies to Boston, Las Vegas, Nashville, New Orleans (from February), Orlando, and Raleigh-Durham. Spirit Airlines also flies from Austin to Las Vegas and Orlando, and JetBlue Airways to Boston. For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Travel & Leisure. American pastor detained in China for nearly 20 years has been released WASHINGTON (AP) A Christian pastor from California has been freed from China after nearly 20 years behind bars and is back home in the U.S., the State Department said Monday. David Lin, 68, was detained after he entered China in 2006, later convicted of contract fraud and sentenced to life in prison, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and advocacy groups. We welcome David Lins release from prison in the Peoples Republic of China. He has returned to the United States and now gets to see his family for the first time in nearly 20 years, the State Department said. Lin frequently traveled to China in the 1990s to spread the gospel, according to China Aid, an U.S.-based advocacy group for persecuted activists in China. The group said Lin sought a license from the Chinese government to carry out Christian ministry. Its unlikely he was granted permission, and he was detained in 2006 when assisting an underground church, China Aid said. Lin was formally arrested in 2009 on suspicion of contract fraud and, after a court review, was sentenced to life in prison, China Aid said. The charge is frequently used against leaders in the house church movement, which operates outside state-sponsored faith groups, and is a crime that Lin denied, according to the Dui Hua Foundation, a humanitarian group that advocates for prisoners in China. The commission on religious freedom says those who participate in and lead house churches often face intimidation, harassment, arrest and harsh sentences. In China, all Christian churches must pledge loyalty to the ruling Communist Party and register with the government. Any unregistered church is considered an underground church, and its activities are considered unlawful in China. Beijing has always cracked down on unlawful preaching, and efforts have only intensified in the past decade. Lins sentence had been reduced and he had been due for release in April 2030. The commission on religious freedom noted in 2019 that there were reports Lin was in declining health and faced possible threats to his safety in prison. The Chinese foreign ministry didnt immediately respond to requests for comment about Lins release. It comes after national security adviser Jake Sullivan visited China late last month, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top officials, in a bid to keep communication open as tensions have increased between U.S. and China. Other Americans known to remain detained in China include Mark Swidan, who was sentenced on drug charges, and Kai Li, a businessman who is being held on espionage-related charges that his family says are bogus. Rep. Michael McCaul, the Texas Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was extremely glad Lin was released after 17 years behind bars in China and called for Li and Swidan to be freed immediately. Lins capture, like so many others, marks a rising trend of hostage diplomacy by authoritarians around the world, McCaul said on the social platform X. ___ Associated Press writer Courtney Bonnell contributed from Washington. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. America's Got Talent Cheerleader, 17, Dies by Suicide Just Weeks After Earning a Standing Ovation on the Show Emily Gold had wowed the nation alongside the Los Osos High School dance team on 'America's Got Talent' in August GoFundMe Emily Gold, 'America's Got Talent' Contestant, as seen in a GoFundMe photo. Los Osos High School dancer and America's Got Talent contestant Emily Gold, 17, has died. On Friday, Sept. 13, Gold was found dead by suicide at 11:52 pm, the San Bernardino Coroner's Office confirms to PEOPLE. In a statement shared with PEOPLE, California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Rodrigo Jimenez said that "officers from the California Highway Patrol Rancho Cucamonga area responded to a pedestrian down in lanes." "When the officers arrived, they located a female, 17 year old, who was struck by at least one other vehicle in the carpool lane on eastbound 210," Jimenez said. "The female did succumb to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene." Related: America's Got Talent Unveils the 44 Acts Competing in the Season 19 Live Shows Plus a Historic Golden Buzzer Twist! GoFundMe Emily Gold, 'America's Got Talent' Contestant, as seen in a GoFundMe photo. Police have asked anybody who saw what happened or has additional information to contact their investigator, Officer S. Gonzalez. PEOPLE has reached out to Rancho Cucamonga Police Department as well as representatives for America's Got Talent and Los Osos High School for comment. Just last month, the Southern California teenager had wowed the nation alongside the Los Osos High School dance team on America's Got Talent. After making it through auditions, the group landed in to the series' quarterfinals before they were eliminated in August. Despite their elimination, judge Simon Cowell gave the team's high energy performance a standing ovation. "It was absolutely brilliant," Cowell said at the time. "What I loved about this was first of all the energy. I think what I just saw is everything a great school should be doing, which is encouraging talent and friendship. " Cowell continued, "It reminded me of seeing the High School Musical movie and thinking every kid should go to a school like that." Amanda Edwards/Getty Emily Gold (far right) and members of the Los Osos High School dance group on the 'AGT' quarterfinals red carpet on August 13, 2024. Speaking with PEOPLE on Aug. 13, Gold said of her time onstage, "When I'm performing, I'm really thinking about all the corrections because we get corrections up until five minutes before we go on stage. So to really just think about all those so that we apply them is my biggest priority on stage." Asked how she was juggling being in high school with performing on AGT, she said, "it's definitely tough to balance it all, but we make it happen." Related: AGT: Season 19 Kicks Off with 2 Golden Buzzers and an 'Amazing Surprise' from an Indiana Janitor of 23 Years Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Shortly after the news of her death, Gold's loved ones organized a GoFundMe to raise money for the dancer's family. "With great sadness we share our Los Osos Grizzly Emily Gold has passed away," the fundraiser read. "As a community lets come together and support the Gold family in this difficult time. Please know this money will go directly to the family to support them and help with expenses." If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. [Getty Images] Boeing is making immediate spending cuts and says it may temporarily lay off staff, as it grapples with a strike by more than 30,000 workers in the US. The cuts include a freeze on hiring, "significant reductions" of spending at suppliers, and a ban on non-essential and first-and business-class travel, including by senior executives. Boeing said the moves were aimed at preserving cash during the industrial action stand-off that executives have warned will worsen the firm's already perilous financial state. "Our business is in a difficult period," chief financial officer Brian West wrote in a letter to staff. "This strike jeopardizes our recovery in a significant way and we must take necessary actions to preserve cash and safeguard our shared future," he added. The strike at Boeing began on Friday, hours after workers in Washington State and Oregon rejected a new four-year contract offer. The proposed deal promised a 25% pay increase over four years and improvements to terms and conditions, and had been recommended to the workforce by union leaders. Boeing itself described the offer as "historic", but the deal was overwhelmingly voted down by employees. Talks are due to re-start on Tuesday, according to the union. In the meantime factories building the 737 Max, the 777 and the 767 freighter have all been affected by the walk outs. Boeing has asked suppliers to halt shipments of most parts for those planes, suspended non-essential capital spending and frozen spending on consultants. The company, which employs more than 170,000 people, the majority of whom are based in the US, said it was also "considering the difficult step of temporary furloughs for many employees, managers and executives in the coming weeks". Boeing has said the impact of the strike will depend on its duration, but analysts say an extended stoppage could cost the firm and its suppliers billions of dollars. The last strike at Boeing in 2008 lasted about eight weeks. Major ratings companies have warned that the stand-off could lead to a downgrade of the aerospace giant's credit rating, making it more expensive for the firm to borrow. The company has been dealing with historic losses. Production has slowed as the firm responds to concerns about the quality of its manufacturing. Separately, Boeing has agreed to pay $150m (126m) to Brazilian plane-maker Embraer over its decision to walk away from talks about a possible merger in 2020. AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) The town of Amherst has enhanced its ability to communicate with residents in more than 50 languages by expanding its use of handheld translation devices across all public-facing departments. The initiative aims to foster inclusivity and improve access to town services for residents who speak languages other than English. Two years ago, Amherst introduced three Pocketalk Translators, primarily used by the Community Participation Officers (CPOs) at public events. Based on positive feedback from the community, the town has now expanded access to the devices for every department that interacts with the public. Expanding our use of these handheld translation devices is a significant step toward fostering inclusivity in our community, said Pamela Nolan Young, Amhersts Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This initiative ensures that all residents, regardless of the language they use, feel supported and valued in our town. By breaking down language barriers, we foster meaningful connections and promote equitable access to services and resources for everyone. The Pocketalk Translators allow for both spoken and written translations and can convert documents written in other languages into English. The town anticipates that the devices will be especially helpful for residents who speak Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, and Chinese. Petra Pendroff, Head of Branch Services at Jones Library, praised the devices for their ease of use. Ive used them at the Jones and branches to translate to Spanish, Polish, and Chinese (so far!). Having these on hand makes it a lot easier to jump into conversations with patrons to figure out how we can help them, she said. Funded by the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA), the translation devices are now available in all town offices, including the Town Manager, Police, Fire/EMS, and other public-facing departments. The devices are expected to play a key role in improving communication with residents who experience language barriers. 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. Gloria Witt, the Democratic nominee in the 5th Congressional District, talks with a voter in September. (Witt campaign) As Republicans in Virginias 5th Congressional District remain divided over their support of their partys nominee, state Sen. John McGuire, R-Goochland, and U.S. Bob Good, R-Farmville, the incumbent, Democrat Gloria Witt sees an opening in the traditionally conservative district. Political analysts suggest the GOP infighting could provide Witt, a political newcomer with lifelong roots in the mostly rural district, an advantage in the Nov. 5 election, after some Republican hardliners have vowed to write in Good, the chairman of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus. And in a district where turnout and enthusiasm are crucial, a divided Republican electorate could allow the Democrat to make unexpected gains in the general election. A write-in campaign benefiting a defeated GOP primary candidate is certainly part of a best-case scenario for a Democratic candidate in District 5, said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington. So too is a strong performance by Vice President Kamala Harris in the debate against former President Donald Trump last week. But even those tailwinds for Democrats do not erase the fact that the boundaries of the district are very, very friendly to Republicans. But while Witt is quite aware that the rift between Good and McGuire supporters could potentially reshape the contests dynamics heading into November, she remains unfazed and vows to stay focused on shaping her own message. Im hearing the same things about the tensions between the McGuire and Good campaigns, but Im really not paying too much attention to them, they do what they do, Witt said in a recent phone interview. My focus is on appealing to the interests of the voters of District 5, and I believe that we do have enough votes to win based on the interests that impact them. Witt, a businesswoman and community activist from Amherst County, won her partys nomination in the June 18 primary after defeating her two primary opponents, Gary Terry, a Kentucky native and a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and Paul Riley, an intelligence analyst and U.S. Army veteran. According to data from the Virginia Department of Elections, Witt prevailed with 57.17% of the vote, compared to Terrys 22.43% and Rileys 20.40%. Witt said in the interview that since announcing her candidacy in the spring, she has been crisscrossing the district that spans 11,000-square-miles t, which encompasses the majority of Southside, including Danville, and the cities of Charlottesville and Lynchburg. Im averaging about 3,000 to 4,000 miles a month. We are canvassing, we are phone banking, we are engaging in postcarding and doing the work, Witt said. We cannot afford to have anybody on the bench. We all have to be engaged, it is a crucial election cycle, every vote counts. We intend to win this based on what people care about. Despite the ongoing intra-party feud among supporters of McGuire and Good, Witts campaign remains an uphill battle in a district that has been mostly Republican since 2002, when former Democrat-turned-independent Rep. Virgil Goode joined the GOP. Trump won the 5th with 53% in both 2016 and 2020, and in the 2021 gubernatorial election, Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe with 60% to 39.4% of the vote. And Witt isnt the only one hitting the road. Sean Brown, a spokesman for McGuires campaign, said in a text message that McGuire is campaigning tirelessly to get the message out that we must grow our economy, secure our borders, and strengthen our national defense. Voters in the 5th District understand what is at stake in this election and that the only way to achieve these goals is to elect Donald Trump and deliver a Republican majority in the House and Senate, Brown said. But Witt said that the GOP has changed in the eight years since Trumps first presidential bid. We are no longer operating with the standard GOP platform, which is not your momma and daddys platform. It has been hijacked and replaced by something that is new and different, she said, citing Project 2025, an initiative launched by the Heritage Foundation in 2022 aimed at advancing conservative and right-wing policies to restructure the federal government and strengthen executive power in the event of a Trump victory in November. I believe that the voters of District 5 are aware of the impact of Project 2025, and if we allow it to be implemented across the nation, it is going to impact all of us. Witt said that codifying Roe v. Wade and womens reproductive health remains the premier concern that she hears from voters as she travels the district. There is a lot of energy from women to be recognized for having domain over their bodies, she said. Other priorities include furthering economic growth across, access to public education with a focus on K-12, and this whole idea of protecting social security, strengthening families and healthcare. Harris nomination as her partys presidential candidate has also helped motivate Democrats in the district, Witt said. I think that there is a lot of energy around this concept of being future-focused driven by opportunity for all of us versus the other choice, which would mean the control of our rights, a loss of democracy and a questionable economic future. The choices are pretty clear, and I think the rise of Kamala Harris just paints this picture that is so much more positive. Witt said that after six months of heavy campaigning, she has yet to meet her opponent, who has faced criticism from GOP officials in the district for what they said was a lack of campaigning. From what I know he is pro-God, pro-Trump, pro-guns, and he was present on Jan. 6 at the Capitol, she said, referring to the attack on the U.S. Capitol building by a mob of supporters of thenresident Trump in early 2021. While McGuire, a former Navy SEAL, attended the rally that day, there is no evidence that he participated in any violent activities. And seven weeks before the election, both candidates have yet to face off in a debate. Last week, the Amherst County Democratic Committee invited McGuire to a forum at the Nelson Heritage Center in Nelson County to be held in late September or early October. We believe all citizens have a right to know the views of those who seek to represent them. We are hopeful Senator McGuire will agree to participate in the forum, Craig Pleasants, vice president of the Amherst County Democrats, said in a statement. Brown, McGuires spokesman, said that his campaign was considering an invitation to a debate hosted by the Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest at Hampden-Sydney College in Farmville. Were just waiting on dates and times, Brown said. Witt said that she was ready to face McGuire. I am willing to engage in a debate or forum, I am ready, willing and able, depending on whoever invites us to the table you will get a yes from me, she said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Assassination attempt suspect was fixated on Ukraine, sources said. Here's what Trump has said about the war. As the investigation into the apparent assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump continues, investigators in the case are looking into whether Ryan Wesley Routh had grievances related to Trump's position on Ukraine. Routh was arrested in connection with what the FBI called an "attempted assassination" of Trump on Sunday, and an investigation has found Routh has a lengthy criminal record and was fixated on Russia's war in Ukraine. It was not clear what motivated Routh, if he was aiming his gun at the former president, nor if he fired a shot. As authorities try to unravel the motive and details of the case, sources said investigators were looking at whether Routh was frustrated with Trump's position on Ukraine. Routh appears to have made recent social media posts critical of Trump and used social media to document his travel to Ukraine. MORE: Trump suspect Ryan Wesley Routh was lying in wait for nearly 12 hours: Complaint While it's not clear if any of Trump's Ukraine comments led to Sunday's incident, Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, have made comments about the Russia-Ukraine war and the United States' involvement in the conflict. During the ABC News debate, Trump refused to answer if he wanted Ukraine to win its war against Russia when pressed twice. Instead, Trump said it would be in the country's best interest for the war to end. PHOTO: Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives at the podium to speak during a campaign rally at the Expo World Market Center in Las Vegas, Sept. 13, 2024. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images) "I think it's in the U.S. best interest to get this war finished and just get it done," Trump said. "All right. Negotiate a deal. Because we have to stop all of these human lives from being destroyed." Trump has been critical of the U.S. involvement in Ukraine and the billions of dollars of aid the country provided to Ukraine's war effort. He has often calling out European allies for not contributing more resources to Ukraine. The Biden administration has said that any victory Russia has in its war on Ukraine would encourage Putin to go after other Western-allied countries in Europe. Trump has frequently touted that under his administration, there wouldn't have been a war with Russia to begin with, saying during the ABC News debate, "If I were president it would have never started. If I were president, Russia would have never, ever -- I know [Russian President Vladimir] Putin very well. He would have never -- and there was no threat of it either, by the way, for four years." Trump has said repeatedly he would achieve a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, but has not explicitly revealed a plan. "I'll get the war with Ukraine and Russia ended. If I'm president-elect, I'll get it done before even becoming president," the former president said during the ABC News debate. MORE: READ: Harris-Trump presidential debate transcript He celebrated his relationships with Putin and Ukraine President Volodmryr Zelenskyy while bashing President Joe Biden for his lack of communication with the world leaders. "I want to get the war settled. I know Zelenskyy very well and I know Putin very well. I have a good relationship," Trump said. "... They don't respect Biden. How would you respect him? Why? For what reason? He hasn't even made a phone call in two years to Putin. Hasn't spoken to anybody. They don't even try and get it. That is a war that's dying to be settled. I will get it settled before I even become president." Vance has also been critical of the U.S. involvement in supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia, saying the country is wasting money and resources. PHOTO: Republican vice presidential nominee, Sen. J.D. Vance speaks with media at the airport before he departs, Sept. 14, 2024, in Greenville, N.C. (Allison Joyce/Getty Images) He has opposed more U.S. aid for Ukraine, saying in May, "I do not think that it is in America's interest to continue to fund an effectively never-ending war in Ukraine." Vance has also voiced his skepticism since the earliest days of the conflict. "I gotta be honest with you, I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another," Vance said in February 2022, amid an explosion of bipartisan support for country in the immediate aftermath of Russia's invasion. In a recent podcast interview, Vance laid out a potential approach a Trump administration would take in handling the Ukraine-Russia war, including creating a "demilitarized zone" in the parts of Ukraine that Russia has already taken over. "So I think what this looks like is Trump sits down. He says to the Russians, the Ukrainians, the Europeans, 'you guys need to figure out what does a peaceful settlement look like,'" Vance said on the "Shawn Ryan Show" last week. "And what it probably looks like is something like the current line of demarcation between Russia and Ukraine. That becomes like a demilitarized zone. It's heavily fortified so the Russians don't invade again. Ukraine remains its independent sovereignty." MORE: Trump's VP pick Vance opposes US aid for Ukraine, intensifying fear for Kyiv's future Vance also said the rest of Ukraine that Russia did not occupy would be a "sovereign state" and that Russia would get the "guarantee of "neutrality." "Russia gets the guarantee of neutrality from Ukraine. It doesn't join NATO, it doesn't join some of these sorts of allied institutions, and I think that's ultimately what this looks like." Vance's suggested plan is the most specific policy outline the Trump campaign has offered regarding how it would handle the Ukraine-Russia war. The plan Vance laid out is similar to what Putin put forward earlier this year, saying Ukraine must give up large amounts of its territory and renounce its ambitions to join NATO. Assassination attempt suspect was fixated on Ukraine, sources said. Here's what Trump has said about the war. originally appeared on abcnews.go.com ANN ARBOR, Mich. (FOX 2) - A 19-year-old man was assaulted in Ann Arbor just before 1 a.m. Sept. 15 after he was asked by a group of men if he was Jewish, and he confirmed he was. Police Chief Andre Anderson confirmed the attack in a statement Sunday evening. "I have communicated with the University of Michigan police staff, and our goal is to discuss safety over the next few weeks. There is absolutely no place for hate or ethnic intimidation in the City of Ann Arbor. Our department stands against antisemitism and all acts of bias-motivated crimes. We are committed to vigorously investigating this and other hate-motivated incidents and will work with the County Prosecutor's office to aggressively prosecute those who are responsible." The victim suffered minor injuries, and he did not require hospitalization. The suspects fled on foot after the assault. The man had been walking on Hill Street near S. Forest when the assault occurred. Police said it was "very early" in the investigation, but that the hate crimes unit was investigating. "We will provide additional information when it becomes available," police said in a statement. Anyone with information about the incident or related incidents is asked to contact the police tip line at 734-794-6939 or email tips@a2gov.org Annual car and truck show to raise money for new monument at Gage Park Memorial Annual car and truck show to raise money for new monument at Gage Park Memorial TOPEKA (KSNT) Gage Park Memorial hosted their annual car and truck show Sunday, September 15. Around 100 cars and participants gathered at the corner of 10th and Gage Blvd to show off some of their prize possessions. But the event wasnt just to show off hotrods. Money raised from the car show is going towards a new monument. All of the money raised will go to our newest monument that we are raising money for, which will be the Global War on Terrorism, Darlene Lillo, Gage Park War Memorial Committee member, said. Last years car show raised money for a Vietnam monument. Lillo says it will be up any day now, and will have a dedication ceremony Monday, November 11 at 2 p.m. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) The Colorado River District will host the 2024 Annual Water Seminar from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, at Colorado Mesa University in the Meyer Ballroom. The event brings water experts, policymakers and policymakers around the Western Slope to discuss issues affecting the Colorado River Basin. This years theme, Meet the Moment, will highlight how current decision-makers will answer to all future generations who depend on the Colorado River and its tributaries, according to the Colorado River District. The challenges facing the Colorado River Basin are complex and growing, Andy Mueller, general manager of the Colorado River District, said in a press release. This seminar provides a valuable opportunity for the community to learn about and discuss the actions underway to address these challenges and what the Colorado River District is doing to ensure the Western Slopes water needs are met today and for future generations. The river district said in the release that discussions include the natural and legal conditions that are impacting water, efforts to get Shoshone water rights and ongoing interstate negotiations that will decide the future of the Colorado River. As water challenges become more pressing, its essential for regional leaders, experts and community members to come together and work toward solutions. CMU is excited to be the venue for these important conversations that will help secure the future of water for our region and beyond, CMU President John Marshall said in the release. To view the full agenda or register for the seminar, click here. In-person registration costs $35 while virtual registration is $15. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently made headlines for calling perennial Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein predatory and not serious. AOC is right. Giving voters more choices is a good thing for democracy. But third-party politics isnt performance art. Its hard work which Stein is not doing. As AOC observed: [When] all you do is show up once every four years to speak to people who are justifiably pissed off, but you're just showing up once every four years to do that, you're not serious. To be clear: AOC was not critiquing third parties as a whole, or the idea that we need more choices in our democracy. In fact, AOC specifically cited the Working Families Party as an example of an effective third party. The organization I lead, MoveOn, supports their 365-day-a-year efforts to build power for a pro-voter, multi-party system. And I understand third parties power to activate voters hungry for alternatives: I myself volunteered for Ralph Nader in 2000, and that experience helped shape my lifelong commitment to people-first politics. But Stein isnt interested in doing the heavy lifting of organizing at the grassroots level required to win substantive policy achievements for Americans of any political stripe. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. Steins campaign is not only disingenuous but dangerous. In 2016, Steins vote tally was enough to make the difference in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, flipping the electoral college from Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump. Now, she could do it again, and Republicans are helping her because they understand that Steins candidacy benefits no one but Trump. Multiple reports have revealed a web of GOP lawyers, operatives and deep-pocketed donors aiding not only Stein, but also independent candidate Cornel West for this very reason. Theyre funneling millions of dollars to their campaigns with a focus on getting them on the ballot in key battleground states. Stein and West are also darlings of MAGA talking heads like Steve Bannon. Even Trump himself has expressed his appreciation for the spoiler candidates. In theory, the Greens were founded to advance environmentalism, social justice and peace. One might ask how those goals are achieved by playing spoiler to Democrats and aiding Republicans in amassing power, considering the last two decades of climate setbacks, wars and gutting of civil rights protections stemming from the Bush and Trump presidencies (and their Supreme Court appointments). Meanwhile, for all of Steins environmentalist talk, she personally benefits from oil and gas leases, including on the Keystone XL pipeline, and has millions invested in funds that hold significant stakes in fossil fuel companies like ExxonMobil and Chevron. While Ralph Nader came from a respected background of advancing consumer protection laws, Jill Stein is better known for hobnobbing with Russian officials and spouting disinformation on behalf of Vladimir Putin. When shes not recording anti-American talking points in Red Square, Stein spends her time making false claims about the Democratic record on immigration, healthcare and more. And in 2016, after helping throw Trump a victory, Stein preyed on liberals false hopes that recounts could reverse razor-thin margins and turn the election around. She boosted her public profile by calling for recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. She even pulled in $7.3 million from donors to fund recount efforts, spending it on things like advertising and travel and getting in hot water with the FEC. That fits squarely within Stein's long pattern of predatory politics. This election will be tight. The risk of a rerun of 2016, when Stein helped flip multiple battleground states to Trump, is very real. We all know how high the stakes are: Under the current all-bets-are-off Supreme Court, a second Trump administration will seek to enact most of the extreme right wings repressive Project 2025 plan, including a national abortion ban, deep cuts in health programs, tax cuts for billionaires and the end of climate and clean energy programs. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez understands that third-party pressure can help push America toward real change. But to have an impact, the parties and their leaders have to put in the work. Jill Stein is not the leader who will do that and doesnt have a serious strategy to deliver results. Theres a clear choice to make in this election, and its a binary one. To create positive change and defeat the dark future a second Trump administration would bring, its time for voters of every political stripe to unite behind Kamala Harris. The Apache tribe in Arizona is taking a fight with the federal government and copper producers to the Supreme Court, which they hope will protect what they say is their religious rights to sacred ground. Apache Stronghold, a nonprofit group representing the tribe's interests, is fighting to preserve Oak Flat what the Apaches say is their "direct corridor to the Creator and the locus of sacred ceremonies that cannot take place elsewhere." According to the petition filed at the high court, the government "has long protected Apache rituals there." "But because copper was discovered beneath Oak Flat, the government decided to transfer the site to Respondent Resolution Copper for a mine that will undisputedly destroy Oak Flat swallowing it in a massive crater and ending sacred Apache rituals forever." WINERY, BREWERY, BAGEL SHOP TEAM UP TO CALL OUT BERKELEY'S PERMISSIVENESS OF HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS Apache Stronghold argues that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and the Free Exercise Clause forbids the government to do so and are asking it to reverse a lower court decision. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "In a fractured en banc ruling cobbled together from two separate 6-5 majorities, the Ninth Circuit rejected both claims. Although the court acknowledged that destroying Oak Flat would 'literally prevent' the Apaches from engaging in religious exercise, it nevertheless concluded that doing so would not substantially burden their religious exercise under RFRA, relying on this Courts pre-RFRA decision in Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association," the petition states. "And while the majority acknowledged that singling out Oak Flat for destruction is "plainly not generally applicable, it rejected the free-exercise claim for the same reasons no substantial burden," it continues. NEW REPORT IDENTIFIES BEST AND WORST US STATES FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY Oak Flat is a 6.7-square-mile sacred site east of Superior, Arizona. The site includes old-growth oak groves, sacred springs, burial locations and a singular concentration of archaeological sites testifying to its persistent use for the past 1,500 years, the Apache's argue. Wendsler Nosie of the Apache Stronghold described it as the Mount Sinai of their faith. "That's where our ceremonial ways have been born, the identity of who we are, and the continuing of who we are as people, to how we're created and how we're placed onto this earth." Nosie said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "The meaning behind it is made so much more when it comes to the spirituality of an individual tied to mother earth and to the Creator." "One example is the Sunrise Ceremony, a multi-day celebration marking an Apache girls entry into womanhood," the legal filing states. "To prepare, the girl gathers plants from Oak Flat that contain the spirit of Chichil Bidagoteel. As she gathers, she speaks to the spirit of Oak Flat, expressing gratitude for its resources. Ibid. Her godmother dresses her in "the essential tools of . . . becoming a woman,' and tribal members surround her with singing, dancing, and prayer." According to the filing, in 1995, a large copper deposit was discovered 4,500 to 7,000 feet beneath Oak Flat. Hoping to obtain the deposit, two large multinational mining companies, Rio Tinto and BHP, formed a joint venture called Resolution Copper. From 2005 to 2013, congressional supporters of Resolution Copper introduced at least twelve standalone bills to transfer Oak Flat to the company, but each one failed. SOCIAL MEDIA AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RAISED AT GLOBAL SUMMIT AS 'DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD' Apache girls at Oak Flat In 2014, Republican Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake attached the land-transfer bill to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), authorizing the transfer of a 2,422-acre parcel including Oak Flat to Resolution Copper in exchange for about 5,344 acres scattered elsewhere. The bill revokes the presidential orders protecting Oak Flat from mining and directs the Secretary of Agriculture to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed mine. Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack published the EIS on Jan. 15, 2021, which said the mine would destroy Oak Flat. Lawyers for Becket, a nonprofit law firm that defends religious liberties and is representing Apache Stronghold, say the government is trampling their clients' religious freedoms. "They effectively say that there's a carve-out from RFRA for the government's management of federal land, that if the government makes it impossible for you to exercise your religion, that's a substantial burden, but that rule doesn't apply to federal land," Becket counsel Joe Davis explained in an interview with Fox News Digital. "But there's really no basis in the law that Congress wrote for that kind of argument," he said. "RFRA, on its face, says that it applies to all federal law and the implementation of that law, and it says that the use of land for religious purposes is a religious exercise that the law is designed to protect." he said. The Supreme Court could decide to take up the case as soon as October. "Blasting the birthplace of Apache religion into oblivion would be an egregious violation of our nations promise of religious freedom for people of all faiths," said Luke Goodrich, vice president of Becket. "The Court should uphold its strong record of defending religious freedom by ensuring that the Apaches can continue worshiping at Oak Flat as they have for centuries." A spokesperson for Resolution Copper told Fox News Digital, "This case does not present any question worthy of Supreme Court review, as the Ninth Circuit simply applied well-established Supreme Court precedent. This case is about the governments right to pursue national interests with its own land an unremarkable and longstanding proposition that the Supreme Court and other courts have consistently reaffirmed." "The Resolution Copper project is vital to helping secure Americas energy future with a domestic supply of copper and other critical minerals. We are encouraged by the significant community support for the project, which will supply nearly one quarter of Americas copper needs, add $1 billion a year to Arizonas economy, and create thousands of local jobs in a region where mining has played an important role for more than a century. Our dialogue with local Native American Tribes and communities will continue to shape the project, building on more than a decade of Tribal and government consultation and collaboration," the spokesperson said. Original article source: Apache tribe takes fight with feds over sacred land to Supreme Court LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WHTM) An apparent swatting incident coupled with what police called an ill-timed mower backfiring led to a large police presence and a shelter-in-place on the west shore. Lower Allen Township Police said they were called around 4:15 p.m. for an apparent domestic incident in the Highland Park neighborhood. Police arrived, a perimeter was being established, and officers prepared to enter the home when a loud gunshot-like noise was heard. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now WHTM Daily Digest Officers said the sound appeared to come from a point away from the residence and a shelter-in-place alert was sent out with the possibility of an armed subject at large. The sound happened to be a lawn mower backfiring, police said, and everyone at the home was fine and well. Aside from the gunshot-like sound, police said the incident had all of the hallmarks of a swatting incident. There was no danger to the neighborhood, police said, apologizing for the inconvenience though adding that it was thought best to err on the side of caution and keep neighbors out of the path of the fleeing armed subject, even if it was later discovered that he did not exist. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. WEST TEXAS (KMID/KPEJ)- Area school districts are on alert amid the massive spread of school threats to various social media platforms. Last week, school district school districts across Texas began investigating after threats began spreading online, while those threats were deemed non-credible, and believed to have originated outside of the country, the tension surrounding the threats led to increased police presence on local campuses and culminated in the arrest of three Ector County ISD students connected to three separate events, including a hoax that prompted a massive police presence at Nimitz Middle School. RELATED: Three ECISD students arrested Friday The investigations continued through the weekend. On Sunday evening, ECISD sent an email to parents updating them on tips received ahead of the school week. That email read: Thank you again for the support youve shown over the past week as we have dealt with several social media threats and a lockdown. We also appreciate your responses to Friday evenings email on handling communication with you as these types of posts are discovered. Along those lines, we want to let you know we have received emails, texts and Crime Stoppers tips this weekend altering us to new school threats for the coming week that are circulating through our community. Thank you to those of you have kept us aware of things you are seeing. All have been sent to state and federal authorities to help in the investigation. Please know threats like this are very difficult to trace to an individual; but each one is investigated to the fullest extent. All of our local law enforcement agencies are working together and they were in constant contact this weekend to keep our schools, and community, as safe as possible. Officers from all agencies will have increased visibility in the coming days. This is frustrating, to say the least, and we thank you for staying vigilant with us. Please continue to report anything suspicious to police or to your school. Kermit ISDs Superintendent, Dr. Rodeny Schneider, also updated families in a social media post: Kermit ISD family. We are aware of ongoing menacing statements being made toward KISD. I have been In contact with local law enforcement and district and campus leadership regarding this issue. At this time, KISD will be conducting classes as scheduled tomorrow. After reviewing all of the factors and information we have at this time, we feel that we have a proactive security plan in place that will assure student and staff safety. Again, we will not allow the actions of a few individuals to deter us from the important role of educating the children of KISD. If you have any information regarding these online statements, please notify the Kermit Police Department or a member of the KISD leadership team. It is a great day to be a Kermit Yellowjacket and living in the great community of Kermit, Texas. And in Andrews, the Andrews Police Department, acting on tips received over the weekend, arrested one student Monday morning. Investigators said that shooting threats began making the rounds on social media on Sunday, prompting swift action. Officers with the Andrews Police Department have a juvenile suspect in custody from the threat passed around last evening, the department said. Officers worked through the night to obtain a lead on the threat. The juvenile was secured this morning before school started and is facing criminal charged to the fullest extent of the law. Our department takes these incidents very serious, and we appreciate the public concern. As many saw, we had additional officers at school campuses out of abundance of caution. The case still remains 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 Yourbasin. NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Report on how AI is driving market transformation- The global bottled water market in South Africa size is estimated to grow by USD 143.9 million from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 2.75% during the forecast period. Increased consumption of bottled water by urban consumers is driving market growth, with a trend towards increasing packaging innovations in bottled water. However, threat from substitute products for bottled water poses a challenge. Key market players include Africqua Pty Ltd., Aqua Air, Aqua.v, Aquabella, Arctic Amanzi, BeneWater, Cedarberg Aqua, CLOVER S.A. Pty Ltd., EKHAMANZI SPRINGS Pty Ltd., La Vie De Luc, Mountain Falls Mineral Water, Nestle SA, Normandien Farms Pty Ltd., Origin Water, Patriot Brands, PepsiCo Inc., The Coca Cola Co., Tsitsikamma, Twizza, and Verve Water. Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Bottled water market in south africa 2024-2028 AI-Powered Market Evolution Insights. Our comprehensive market report ready with the latest trends, growth opportunities, and strategic analysis- View your snapshot now Forecast period 2024-2028 Base Year 2023 Historic Data 2017 - 2021 Segment Covered Product (Still drinking water, Sparkling water, and Bottled spring water), Distribution Channel (Off-trade and On-trade), and Geography (Middle East and Africa) Region Covered South Africa Key companies profiled Africqua Pty Ltd., Aqua Air, Aqua.v, Aquabella, Arctic Amanzi, BeneWater, Cedarberg Aqua, CLOVER S.A. Pty Ltd., EKHAMANZI SPRINGS Pty Ltd., La Vie De Luc, Mountain Falls Mineral Water, Nestle SA, Normandien Farms Pty Ltd., Origin Water, Patriot Brands, PepsiCo Inc., The Coca Cola Co., Tsitsikamma, Twizza, and Verve Water Key Market Trends Fueling Growth Bottled water manufacturers in South Africa are enhancing their product offerings through innovative packaging formats to capture consumer attention. These innovations boost sales by improving shelf appeal and product differentiation. Eco-friendly and luxury packaging are popular choices, addressing environmental concerns and consumer preferences. Notably, Nestle SA introduced a PET plastic bottle made from bio-based material, reflecting industry-wide efforts to minimize plastic waste. This packaging evolution is projected to drive growth in South Africa's bottled water market during the forecast period. The South African bottled water market is experiencing significant growth due to various factors. These include the construction of dams to address fresh water scarcity, but also the destruction of wetlands and rapid urbanization, which increase the demand for packaged water. Mining activities and agricultural practices contribute to water pollution, further driving the need for clean drinking water. Energy consumption in the production process is a concern, but technology advances help reduce it. Key players in the industry include Varun Beverages, BevCo, and PepsiCo Inc. Research reports, insight surveys, and industry landscape reports provide valuable market insights. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are used for marketing. The market value and volumes continue to rise, with imports and exports playing a role in the distribution channels. Retail players, including retail water bars, offer various pricing strategies to reach consumers who lack access to piped water sources, communal taps, or neighbors' taps. VAT and prices are important considerations for manufacturers and distributors. Story continues Insights on how AI is driving innovation, efficiency, and market growth- Request Sample! Market Challenges The South African bottled water market caters to consumers seeking hydration and refreshment. However, substitutes like juices, soft drinks, and others pose competition. With an increasing number of soft drink launches, the market growth may be restrained. Consumers' preference for soft drinks' taste might impact bottled water sales. Manufacturers respond by introducing diverse bottled water products in convenient formats. Despite these challenges, the market continues to offer choices based on consumer needs and occasions. The South African bottled water market faces challenges from neighbors' tap water and the packaged water industry. Tap water quality concerns and waterborne diseases fuel demand for bottled water from brands like Coca-Cola. According to industry landscape reports, the market value reached USUSD853 million in 2020, with USUSD617 million in volumes. The market is influenced by trends such as health consciousness, climate change, and drought in Southern Africa. Manufacturers and distributors use various channels, including retail players, retail water bars, and imports/exports. Prices vary, with a 500ml bottle costing around R10 (USUSD0.65). Technology plays a role in the use of recycled PET bottles and water filtration systems. Research reports and insight surveys provide market insights. Follow industry news on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The International Panel and the International Trade Administration regulate the sector, addressing issues like VAT, deforestation, and water crisis. Insights into how AI is reshaping industries and driving growth- Download a Sample Report Segment Overview This bottled water market in South Africa report extensively covers market segmentation by Product 1.1 Still drinking water 1.2 Sparkling water 1.3 Bottled spring water Distribution Channel 2.1 Off-trade 2.2 On-trade Geography 3.1 Middle East and Africa 1.1 Still drinking water- The bottled water market in South Africa is primarily driven by the dominance of still drinking water. This segment's growth can be attributed to several factors, including rising urbanization, increasing health consciousness, and the convenience of on-the-go bottled water products. Still water, which is non-carbonated and available in both flavored and unflavored varieties, is increasingly preferred by consumers over carbonated drinks due to health concerns. Additionally, concerns about the safety and quality of tap water in certain areas have led to a growing demand for pure drinking water. This demand is further fueled by the availability of bottled still water in various sizes, making it a convenient choice for individuals always on the move or without access to clean water sources. Furthermore, the growing health awareness trend in South Africa, tourism, and outdoor activities contribute to the increasing demand for still drinking water, positively impacting the growth of the bottled water market in South Africa through the still drinking water segment during the forecast period. Download complimentary Sample Report to gain insights into AI's impact on market dynamics, emerging trends, and future opportunities- including forecast (2024-2028) and historic data (2017 - 2021) Research Analysis The South African bottled water market has experienced significant growth in recent years due to increasing health consciousness, waterborne diseases, and the water crisis caused by climate change and drought in Southern Africa. According to research reports, the market is expected to reach USUSD7 billion by 2027. Natural resources, including groundwater and spring water, are the primary sources for bottled water production. However, concerns over plastic waste and the environment have led to the adoption of recycled PET bottles. The International Panel on Climate Change and the International Trade Administration have focused the importance of sustainable water management and the role of bottled water in providing access to clean water for communities without piped water sources, communal taps, or neighbors' taps. Bottled water brands and manufacturers continue to innovate and expand their offerings to meet consumer demands. Market Research Overview Bottled water has become a vital commodity in South Africa due to waterborne diseases, health consciousness, and the water crisis caused by climate change, drought, and natural resource depletion in Southern Africa. The packaged water industry has seen significant growth, with the market valued at USUSD853 million in 2020 and projected to reach USUSD617 million by 2026. The International Panel on Climate Change warns of the impact of climate change on fresh water scarcity, leading to increased demand for bottled water. However, concerns over energy consumption, deforestation, construction of dams, destruction of wetlands, rapid urbanization, mining activities, agricultural practices, and water pollution have raised environmental concerns. Manufacturers and distributors are responding by using recycled PET bottles and implementing sustainable production methods. Research reports, industry landscape reports, and market insights provide valuable information on industry trends, retail players, and distribution channels. The market is competitive, with various bottled water brands vying for market share through innovative technology and pricing strategies. The International Trade Administration regulates imports and exports, while retail players such as supermarkets, retail water bars, and neighbors' taps offer various distribution channels. Prices vary, with VAT and other taxes adding to the cost. Table of Contents: 1 Executive Summary 2 Market Landscape 3 Market Sizing 4 Historic Market Size 5 Five Forces Analysis 6 Market Segmentation Product Distribution Channel Geography 7 Customer Landscape 8 Geographic Landscape 9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10 Company Landscape 11 Company Analysis 12 Appendix About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contacts Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ Bottled water market in south africa 2024-2028 Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bottled-water-market-in-south-africa-to-grow-by-usd-143-9-million-2024-2028-driven-by-urban-consumption-ai-powered-evolution-report-by-technavio-302247709.html SOURCE Technavio Argument leaves one man dead and another charged with murder, South Carolina police say One man was killed Sunday night and another is in jail following an argument that turned into a shootout, according to the Sumter Police Department. Jeremie Devon Richardson, a 40-year-old Sumter resident, is the man who died, police said Monday in a news release. At about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, officers found a vehicle stopped in the intersection in the Rhododendron Street area, according to the release. Inside the vehicle was Richardson, who was behind the wheel after getting shot, police said. Richardson was taken to Prisma Health Tuomey hospital, where he later died, according to the release. During the investigation, officers learned that the shooting happened outside a residence on Lirope Way and that it stemmed from an argument between James Christopher Wilson and a group of acquaintances who were out socializing earlier in the night, according to the release. Lirope Way intersects with Rhododendron Street. There was no word about why the people were arguing. Once at the Lirope Way home, Richardson got involved in the dispute and there was an exchange of gunfire with Wilson, police said. No other injuries were reported. Officers later found Wilson, a 38-year-old Sumter resident, at a King Street residence, where he was taken into custody, according to the release. Wilson was taken to the Sumter County Sheriffs Office Detention Center, where he was charged with murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, police said. Despite the arrest, police are continuing to investigate the shooting. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip. Arizona GOP's continued smear of Haitian immigrants is disgusting ... and political gold In Springfield, Ohio, the schools have gone on lockdown due to national anger that exploded last week fueled by a former president who is doubling down on debunked claims that Haitian immigrants are eating peoples pets. Two elementary schools were evacuated and a middle school was closed on Friday after a bomb threat. Meanwhile in Arizona, the state Republican Party was putting up billboards around Phoenix, urging people to Eat Less Kittens. Vote Republican. City offices have had to close in Springfield after bomb threats. Four hospitals have been targeted and county courts closed as well. Wittenberg University, a private liberal arts college in the city, on Saturday canceled all activities scheduled for Sunday after being threatened with a potential shooting on-campus that targeted Haitians. Arizona Republicans double down on pet eating Meanwhile, the Arizona Republican Party has been busy all weekend, feeding the frenzy tripling and quadrupling down on what amounts to a false rumor that Haitian immigrants are barbecuing Buster. Delighted state GOP officials are stoking Americas anger all over social media, with repost after seething repost of pet eating claims, along with memes of dogs and cats dressed for combat. CAT LIVES MATTER, wrote one. Theyre eating the dogs, cats and now birds in Dallas, wrote another. New videos are surfacing EVERY DAY showing people eating cats, dogs, geese, pigeons ... And you STILL see the cultist sheep out there who swear its not happening ... , wrote yet another. Ohios governor, Springfields mayor and the local police swear its not happening. This is a piece of garbage that was simply not true. Theres no evidence of this at all, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Sunday on ABC's This Week. Springfield, Ohio, has been overwhelmed Even the woman who supplied the spark for this wildfire claiming on Facebook that shed heard that a neighbors daughters friends cat had been eaten by a Haitian says she didnt really know if it was true and now regrets posting a rumor. It just exploded into something I didnt mean to happen , she told NBC News. I feel for the Haitian community. If I was in the Haitians position, Id be terrified, too. Oh, they are. Haitian immigrants in Springfield are reportedly afraid to leave their homes. These people are here legally, having fled violence in their home country and been granted legal status under a federal humanitarian program. Theyve come to Springfield over the last five years, drawn to jobs in a community that needed workers. Is there a problem? Absolutely. Trump's 'dogs' line got us to laugh: But it's not funny Haitian immigrants have overwhelmed this small Ohio city, putting stresses on housing, health care, schools and social services. Thats a fair point, one that must be (read: should have been) addressed by the Biden administration that allowed many of them entry to the country. Amid the myths comes a curious post But these Haitian immigrants are not savages, and Springfields pets and wildlife are not whats for dinner. There has been a lie thats been posted and said about Springfield, and then its been repeated, double repeated and triple repeated, and wed like that to stop, Mayor Rob Rue said on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Arizona Republican Party continued to pile on Saturday and Sunday. I stopped counting at around 100 or so party reposts of the pet eating myth in 24 hours. It doesnt matter if its true. With just seven weeks until the election, its political gold. Trump: They've taken the geese even walking off with their pets. My dogs been taken! My dogs gone, said one. Foreigners are eating cats and dogs here. Trump will stop that, said another. Import the third world, become the third world," said yet another. And then, curiously, there was the partys Sunday morning message, reposted smack in the middle of its Haitian bashing: Lord, rise up! God, show your power! Don't forget those who are helpless. Psalm 10:12. Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @LaurieRobertsaz and on Threads at @LaurieRobertsaz. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Springfield, Ohio, is in lockdown, yet Arizona GOP keeps up its attack Zeb Clark, a former Game and Fish invasive carp team member, holds a 69-pound carp taken from the Arkansas River. (Courtesy photo) Nearly 50 years ago, catfish farmers in the Arkansas delta imported Asian carp to clean vegetation from ponds, making better habitats for the lucrative fish crop. It sounded like good practice. Carp eat nearly their weight each day and the plankton and plants that were detrimental to catfish disappeared. More farms popped up in eastern Arkansas along the Mississippi River and its oxbows. Business thrived. But in what sounds like a plot from a cheesy 1950s science fiction movie, carp escaped those ponds due to flooding and improper management and got into the Mississippi River. In the 25 years since those first fish found freedom, millions of carp began moving northward up the river, into the Illinois River and now the Chicago River, eating everything they could find and now threatening the sport fishing industry in Lake Michigan. [Officials] drug their feet on this, said Dave Thomas, a commercial fisherman from Forrest City who has seen the glut of carp hurt his business. Theres no fixing it. These fish are here to stay. If something doesnt happen, were going to lose all our [native] fish, he said. Although there isnt a real way to count the number of invasive carp in the waterways, Jimmy Barnett, a fish biologist with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the agencys invasive species coordinator, says there are millions out there. Wildlife officers have found carp in 28 states, he said. They reproduce in high volumes, Barnett said. Rapid reproduction The first carp in Arkansas were released into commercial catfish ponds and sewage lagoons in 1973. The intent was for the fish to become filter feeders, cleaning habitat for catfish and removing algae blooms and controlling weeds at wastewater treatment plants. About 150 to 200 carp were first used in Arkansas. A second batch went to Illinois to be used for the same purpose, Barnett said. Two years later, in the summer of 1975, the first rogue carp appeared in the White River near its confluence with the Arkansas River. From that point on, they began spreading out, Barnett said. The Mississippi River had ideal conditions for the carp. The fish began reproducing rapidly and causing problems. Areas that once were rife with bream, bass and crappie fish that Arkansas sport fishers enjoyed catching were vanishing because of depleted habitats. Carp migrated from the eastern Arkansas oxbows and have been found in the Spring, Eleven Point and Black rivers in the northern part of the state, as far west as the Arkansas River in Dardanelle and as far south as the Red River in Texarkana. They keep moving, Barnett said. They eat up everything. When theres no groceries left for them, they move on. Fishing hazards Kentucky reported a serious problem with carp and began contracting commercial fishermen to capture them. Millions of pounds of carp were removed. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission invasive species specialist Jimmy Barnett holds a carp in a boat full of carp In addition to their voracious appetites, carp also pose a dangerous hazard. When frightened by noises such as boat motors, the 30-pound fish often leap out of the water. Plenty of videos available on YouTube attest to that, showing hundreds of flying carp jumping into boats and striking boaters. Thomas said a carp leapt from the water of a Mississippi River oxbow recently and struck his driver, breaking his nose. The carp have also punched Thomas pocketbook. Eighty percent of the fish I catch is invasive carp, he said. Recently, he netted 8,000 pounds of carp in one week. Theyre everywhere, he said. Theyre in every ditch whenever a river floods. By comparison, Thomas caught 3,000 pounds of buffalo fish the same week and only 800 pounds of catfish. He sold only 50 pounds of the carp that week. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission offers an 18-cent per pound bounty on carp, but it doesnt cover the expenses of fishing, storing and either selling the fish locally or trying to export them, Thomas said. Its not worth putting them in the boat, Thomas said. Rebranding effort Thomas has talked with Asian businessmen about exporting them to China, Thailand, Korea and Japan where carp is considered a delicacy. The species is the most-eaten fish in the world. However, U.S. diners turn up their noses at the carp because of their connotation as being nasty, bottom-feeding fish. Arkansas has tried rebranding the fish, as has Illinois in an effort to reduce their population in an if you cant beat them, eat them campaign. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources gave the invasive species a new name of copi, in hopes that people will become interested in eating them. The name is derived from the word copious, which describes the overabundance of the fish. The carp name is so harsh that people wont even try it, Kevin Irons, assistant fisheries chief for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, told the Associated Press. But its healthy, clean and it really tastes pretty darn good. Restaurants and other businesses in areas affected by the carp are suggesting recipes for copi tacos, copi burgers and smoked copi dip. In a nod to racial sensitivity, officials also wont call the species Asian carp anymore, preferring the less offensive invasive carp. In addition to the state-offered bounty, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission also contracted with professional netters in 2021. Commercial businesses worked four days a week, netting more than 350,000 pounds of carp a week from the White and Arkansas rivers. But the fish remain. We want to eradicate them, Barnett said. But were hit with a bazillion of them. Northern migration Now, half a century since their first release, the carp are headed to the Great Lakes. Theyve been found 50 miles from Chicago and Lake Michigan, said Molly Flanagan, vice president of the Alliance For the Great Lakes. Alliance for the Great Lakes Vice President Molly Flanagan It could be devastating if the fish reach the lake, she said. Sport fishing on Lake Michigan is a $7 billion a year industry, Flanagan said. As a result, Illinois has created a $1.1 billion project aimed at keeping the lake free from the carp. Chicago officials reversed the flow of the Chicago River in the early 1900s, sending the citys sewage downstream to the Mississippi River rather than into Lake Michigan. The work also created an efficient channel or highway for the invasive fish to reach the lake when it connected the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River. The Brandon Road Interbasin Project is a state-of-the-art barricade at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam on the Des Plaines River near Joliet, Illinois. Experts will create an electric barrier that the fish cannot penetrate. Coupled with bubble barriers, which involve aeration to stop fish, an acoustical barrier using sound and closer monitoring of area rivers locks and dams, officials hope to save Lake Michigan. We are optimistic we will be able to prevent these invasive carp from getting into Lake Michigan, Flanagan said. It should take six to eight years to complete the project, she said. Arkansas challenges In the meantime, Arkansas officials are hoping to continue their own battle with the fish. Because people wont eat enough carp, Thomas said hes now thinking of using the fish for fertilizer and for dog food. He plans to meet with potential investors to build fertilizer processing facilities and begin selling the product to farmers. The only way to control the fish is through commercial fishing, he said. But theres no money in it. Weve got to find other ways. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The News One of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis fiercest critics is set to resign as chief minister of New Delhis regional government. Arvind Kejriwal made the announcement a day after being granted bail in a corruption case he says is politically motivated. A former anti-corruption campaigner, Kejriwal quickly rose in mainstream politics, and has governed New Delhi since 2015. He was arrested weeks before Indias general election this year, a move analysts warned could make Kejriwal into a martyr, Al Jazeera wrote, helping to coalesce support for the opposition. At the polls, Modis Hindu nationalist party ultimately lost seats in the election, and recent polling suggests that Modis popularity is slipping in favor of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi. (NewsNation) Police now believe Asha Degree, who disappeared from Shelby, North Carolina, in 2000, was killed and her body concealed, according to court documents. Last week, authorities in Cleveland County, North Carolina, executed a search warrant on multiple properties in the area and were seen towing a car that resembled one possibly connected to Degrees disappearance. Authorities confirmed Friday that the search was connected to Degrees case and said no human remains were found during the search. Now, search warrant documents released Monday indicate the Cleveland County Sheriffs Office believes Degree was a homicide victim and the crime is possibly linked to a family in the area. 6-year-old boy found following Amber alert Law enforcement executed search warrants on multiple properties, including one in Shelby, North Carolina, one in Charlotte, North Carolina, and an assisted living facility in Vale, North Carolina. The properties are all connected to the Dedmon family. An attorney for the family denied Friday that there was a connection between the Dedmons and Degrees disappearance, but the documents indicate police consider some members of the family to be suspects in the case. Search warrants were requested after DNA samples linked Degree with a woman named AnnaLee Dedmon Ramirez and a man named Russell Underhill, according to the court records. Degree disappeared on Feb. 14, 2000, when she was 9 years old. Degree is believed to have left her home in the early hours of the morning carrying a backpack with some of her belongings. Witnesses saw a girl resembling Degree walking alongside a highway in stormy weather. A year after she disappeared, Degrees backpack was found wrapped in plastic at a construction site around 30 miles from where she was last seen. The backpack also included two items, a library book and a New Kids on the Block tee shirt, that her parents said did not belong to the girl. The search warrant documents say DNA found on items in the backpack linked it to Dedmon Ramirez, who was 13 at the time, and Underhill. The documents say a DNA sample of a hair stem from Degrees undershirt appeared to match Dedmon Ramirezs DNA. Dedmon Ramirez, along with two other teenage Dedmon sisters, lived on the property in 2000. In the search warrant application, investigators stated they believed Degree had been killed and her body concealed. Because of the ages of the Dedmon sisters, authorities also said they believed they needed adult assistance from their father and mother, Roy and Connie Dedmon. Mother-to-be Mischa Johnson vanished in Hawaiian paradise Roy Dedmons home, located 3.7 miles from Degrees last known whereabouts, was searched by a drone earlier in the year. Underhill lived in at least two locations owned by the Dedmons at the time Degree disappeared, and Roy Dedmon was listed as his emergency contact, the application says. Underhill died in 2004. Items seized during the searches include an older green vehicle that is similar in appearance to one Degree may have been seen getting into on the night she disappeared. Electronics, including laptops, computers, cellphones, tablets, flash and hard drives, CDs and SD cards, a Blackberry cellphone and records were also seized along with a human tooth in a plastic bag. Investigators said in the search warrants that Roy Dedmon used to send one of his daughters, who was not Dedmon Ramirez, to transport patients to and from Broughton Hospital in Morganton, North Carolina, at the time Degree disappeared. They noted Highway 18 would have been the most logical route to travel between there and the Northbrook rest home or Brighton Hospital. Anyone with information on Degrees case should contact the FBIs Charlotte office by calling 704-672-6100. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WSPA) An Asheville woman was sentenced to serve a yearslong prison term after pleading guilty to crimes against a minor Monday in a Buncombe County court. According to a release from the Buncombe County District Attorneys Office, the Asheville Police Department opened an investigation in August of 2023 into 31-year-old Lynette Lydia Rivera following a report received by the countys Department of Social Services (DSS) concerning her two-year-old child. The report stated that a relative of the child, who had temporary custody due to another DSS investigation into Rivera, said they had received a tablet computer from Rivera that had explicit videos on it. Further investigation found that Rivera recorded sexually explicit videos of herself on the table and that the videos showed her handling the child so that the minor was placed in contact with Riveras exposed buttocks and anus. Rivera pleaded guilty to felony first degree sexual exploitation of a minor and will serve 44 to 113 months at the North Carolina Department of Corrections. Rivera will also have to register as a sex offender for a term of 30 years. She is prohibited from having contact with the child for the remainder of her life. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. With city leaders expected to weigh in next week for the first time on a massive expansion of Orlandos boundaries, the states top environmental advocacy group is calling on them to pump the brakes. In a letter to Mayor Buddy Dyer and city commissioners, Audubon Florida said the city which mostly oversees urban lands and developments is not well-equipped to govern the 52,453 acres of ranch and natural lands that encompass Deseret Ranches. The group favors leaving the sprawling property owned by a subsidiary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under the control of Orange County government. County regulations understandably provide more protection for rural wetlands, scrub, longleaf pine and other ecosystem components than Orlandos, Audubon Florida Executive Director Julie Wraithmell wrote, noting that the countys boundaries include remote rural and natural areas. The citys regulations are instead tailored to the citys more urbanized areas. City officials are expected to consider the annexation which would increase by 60% the size of the citys map on Sept. 23. The annexation would require two separate, successive votes from the council to be approved. The Orange County portion of Deseret Ranches stretches east of the citys current boundaries nearly all the way to the Brevard County line, south to the Osceola line and north to State Road 50. Its owners filed to enter the city limits last month. They hope to be approved by Election Day, when county voters are set to consider a pair of charter amendments that would strictly govern growth on rural lands, and give the Board of County Commissioners veto power over future annexations. Andrea Otero, a city spokesperson, blamed the county for the rush to consider the unprecedented annexation. We would prefer not to have these decisions made in such compressed timeframes, but given the circumstances imposed by the County and our obligation to protect the best interest of our taxpayers and residents, we must review these applications and make a decision on them before a County charter amendment might go into effect, she said in a statement released Monday. City planners, Otero said, will work with the landowners to develop a multi-year growth strategy that includes environmental protections for wetlands and wildlife. Developers seeking to annex into the city have expanded Orlandos boundary drastically to the east already this year, with an annexation of about 12,000 acres approved, which included the huge ongoing Sunbridge development and the Stanton Energy Plant. The county opposed those annexations and is expected to do the same with Deseret Ranches. The church hasnt laid out its future development plans for the ranch land, though previously has said it planned for about a half-a-million people to live across the full 300,000 acres it owns in the area by 2080, which spans portions of Orange, Osceola and Brevard. While the church has agreed to a planning framework with Osceola County, such an arrangement isnt in place with Orange. Audubon said city leaders also should reject the annexation due to potential flooding and water supply issues that will later need to be corrected at taxpayer expense. This petition is premature and not in the interest of Orlandos residents and visitors, with dire implications for regional water supply and wildlife corridor protection, Wraithmell wrote. rygillespie@orlandosentinel.com Modesta Trevino looks at art by her late husband, Jose Francisco Trevino, in her Kyle home last month. Modesta says she feels responsible to be Jose's advocate. Theres a story about the late Austin artist Jose Francisco Trevino that some of his friends and family members tell. Its 1993, and the Mexican American artist, then 52 years old and on a day off from his job as a city maintenance worker, drives to San Antonio to see the largest exhibit of Chicano art ever assembled. The show had already brought more than 180 art pieces from three decades to nine museums, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonians National Museum of American Art. Trevino, depending on whom you ask, was never told about the exhibit or was rejected, and did not participate. He goes through the galleries, stopping to observe his contemporaries, and then breaks down. He was literally in tears. It was very hard for him to see, said artist Luis Guerra, a longtime friend of Trevino's who heard the account. "It was the dream of a lifetime to be included in a traveling exhibition like that. ... An artist's work is not compete until it's shared." Trevino was an Austin native who painted in his hometown from his teenage years in the 1950s until his death in 2022. During that time, he earned a name for himself regionally for his prolificity and varied style, as well as for his attention to local Mexican American daily life and social issues. But unlike many of the peers he painted alongside during his career, he has not received broad recognition. In many ways, neither has Austin's rich Chicano art history. Though it runs deep, the capital city has never claimed the association that larger towns such as Los Angeles, San Antonio and Chicago and predominantly Mexican American regions such as the South Texas and Central California valleys have. Trevinos proponents, among them his widow, art curator Modesta Trevino, and fellow Chicano artists Santa Barraza and Guerra, say its due time this changes. An effort led by Modesta Trevino has combined her late husband's art with essays by his peers and scholars for an academic art book that helps set his legacy. Its part of an effort, they say, to counter the neglect. There are huge gaps in this history, said Marisol Trevino, the artists daughter. My dads book would help close that. A photo of Jose Francisco Trevino is displayed on a table in Modesta Trevino's home in Kyle. Trevinos art The varied nature of Trevinos work can make it somewhat hard to pinpoint the throughlines so helpful for definition. In some ways, he fits the archetype of the Chicano generation. His paintings from the 1960s take after Mexicos muralists such as David Alfaro Siquieros. The verve of moment and color translate into bold strokes that unravel grand narratives of social history. The painting Modesta Trevino bought from Jose when she first met him in the early 1970s, for example, is titled Repression of the Masses. It features a man submerged in yellow flames, aghast as a scene of protest unravels behind him, under an ominous burgundy sky. Barraza has described Trevino as the Mexican version of modernist painter Thomas Hart Brenton: satirical portrayals of rowdy, almost crass, personalities in the joys or frustrations of human interaction. The Austin artists depictions of bar and taqueria patrons in works such as "Patsy's Bar" fit this characterization. Jose Francisco Trevino's painting "Patsy's Bar." Trevino also moved through several surrealist periods, including one in which his figures begin to resemble the extraterrestrial, with tiny hairs and lesions forming over colored skins. He also painted numerous representations of the Indigenous people he encountered in trips to Latin America and produced many woodblock prints. Mexic-Arte Museum Executive Director Sylvia Orozco said she often noticed Trevinos own likeness painted into his works. Either someone in a crowd or someone watching from a distance," she said. "Sometimes he's meditating in a mythical state, or sometimes hes along a protest. The subjects, she said, bounce around. But its about him and how he perceives his surroundings as a Mexican American in a state that Tejana feminist scholar Gloria Anzaldua termed as Nepantla, or inbetweenness. More: Will East Cesar Chavezs pinata shops disappear? Austin family ponders future of its trade The birth of Chicano art in Austin In 1965, when Guerra, Trevino's friend, entered the University of Texas, he was one of three Mexican American students in the art department, he said. The unofficial fourth, as rumors had it, was an unenrolled artist who hung around the department building, sitting in on lectures and talking to professors such as famed sculptor Charles Umlauf after class. Modesta Trevino looks through children's books by her late husband at home in Kyle. Guerra remembers trying several times in vain to meet this student: Jose Francisco Trevino. It didnt happen for a while, not before he ran into his art prominently displayed in one lawn exhibit just off campus. Though Trevino was a similar age to many UT student participants, there was no competition. He was a professional. Most of the other art was student art, Guerra said. Off campus, Trevino was honing his craft as a commercial artist, illustrating childrens books and educational curriculum for the state. He also worked for Umlauf, shining his sculptures. There was no art known as Chicano art then, Guerra said. Chicanismo was emerging as an ideology, an identity and politics. But Guerra does recall university classes on Mesoamerican art history, and the Latin American art collections arriving at what would become the Blanton Art Museum, which allowed young Mexican American student artists to muse at what they might not be seeing in class. By the early 1970s, UT employed Francisco Quirarte, a scholar working on the first academic book on Chicano art. Modesta Trevino, who would eventually marry Jose Francisco Trevino, enrolled in the class. So, too, did aspiring artists such as Barraza. The subject was so new that the students worked with Quirartes unpublished manuscripts. They pondered the lasting influences of indigenous art styles and discussed active Mexican American artists. Off campus, students including Modesta Trevino were organizing in neighborhood political efforts, such as the East Austin Economy Furniture Stike. It was Modestas activism that broadened Joses interest in civil rights issues. Amid a young generation interested in empowerment and identity, artists took to the Chicano label and, to varying extents, its implications. A scene formed. Jose Francisco Trevino joined an upstart group of mostly local Mexican American artists, Los Quemados. It also included Carmen Lomas Garza, Amado Pena, Barraza and Guerra, all of whom lived in Austin. The Chicana art group Mujeres Artistas del Suroeste, which included Modesta Trevino and Orozco, organized one of the first Chicano art conferences in 1979, attracting artists from throughout the country to Austin and exposing them to American and Mexican critics alike. Jose Francisco Trevino's painting "Uno de los Quemados" from 1974. And yet, by the mid-80s, all the Austin artists who had formed Los Quemados except for Trevino were gone. Lomas Garza to San Francisco. Pena to Santa Fe, N.M. Guerra to San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Barraza to State College, PA. They often took university posts or opportunities in towns with more art tourism. There was an exodus. Because artists werent appreciated in Austin, Guerra said. "There are other cities where it's easier for artists to make a living. As Orozco described it, Austin reaped the influx of art students UT provided, but it didnt always keep them for a long time. Latino Features: In North Austin, a Venezuelan immigrant softball league sparks like no other An Austinite, an autodidact For Trevino, Austin was far from a passing point. It was his roots. Trevinos earliest drawings, at the age of 4 or 5 in South Austin, were of the political figures he saw in the American-Statesman. In a brief autobiography, he said he remembered drawing political figures such as Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. He quickly realized his interest in drawing people, a habit that would continue throughout his career. Jose Francisco Trevino's painting "Untitled (Deja que te quiero decir)." He began to take art seriously as a teen, following the affirmations of his art teachers at Travis High School. After graduation, much of his education was informal. Unlike the peers with whom he would soon surround himself, his education was through work and the large personal library he tended to. I dont think he ever knew that the artists he exhibited with were different than he was, Modesta Trevino said. Instead, he thought, Look at what I can do. And, though Trevino was a committed artist, he worked day jobs carpet cleaner, Austin Community College drawing instructor and city worker among them to provide for his family. Modesta Trevino talks about a piece called "Repression of the Masses" by Jose Francisco Trevino. "Repression of the Masses" was the first piece of art that Modesta purchased from Jose shortly after meeting him in the early 1970s. Sticking with Austin, the Trevinos found their art community. Jose and Modesta also brought Mexican artists, including prominent screen printer Adolfo Mexiac, to town to conduct workshops for local artists. Through connections he made on trips south, he featured in gallery exhibits in Mexico City. Sisters Cynthia and Lidia Perez, owners of the breakfast joint Las Manitas as well as La Pena Gallery, opened their spaces to the Trevinos. Modesta curated for both locations and Jose often displayed his work. He also got a large solo exhibition at Mexic-Arte in 1999. The people that we knew used to come together for all the exhibits. Wed have an opening, and thered be a big turnout, Modesta Trevino said. More: In East Austin, tension over a new boat dock digs at displacement questions A book to tell the story It is, in part, a guessing game as to why Trevino didnt find the reach of his peers. Perhaps it was Austins relatively small reputation in the Chicano art movement, his humility or disinterest in having an aggressive agent. It could have also been his detachment from "the iconography" of the Chicano movement, such as Mexican figures or United Farm Worker flags. Chicano studies scholar Alicia Gaspar de Alba has said that artists who did not employ as many of these images could be more likely to be glanced over by critics and audiences alike. Modesta Trevino looks through photos of artwork by her late husband at her home in Kyle. After Jose died two years ago, Modesta began to push harder for a book. Her husband was a humble man, she said. It was about time he and his era of Mexican American life in Austin were documented. The project, which has garnered biographical essays from Jose Francisco Trevino's colleagues and academic critiques from scholars, has been sent out to a publishing house. Reflecting on her role, Modesta, from her living room adorned with Chicano and Mexican art in Kyle, said she felt responsible to be her late husband's advocate. A book, she said, would ensure that Jose remains a teaching figure, just like the artists whose books he voraciously collected throughout his lifetime. It's inspiration that keeps artists content. Many friends and family members say the story of Jose Francisco Trevino weeping at the traveling Chicano art exhibit in San Antonio is an atypical description of the artist. For the most part, Trevino's artistic drive "wasnt really about popularity or anything like that, Marisol, his daughter, said. His art for himself was a very personal thing. But, as Guerra tells it, the anecdote shows artists inherent drive to share their conceptions with others, to find audiences. No matter their reticence. Its why one creates. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Chicano artist's lifeworks highlight Austin's Mexican American history FILE - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on May 8, 2024. (Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool Photo via AP, File) TALLINN, Estonia (AP) Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Monday pardoned 37 people serving prison sentences for extremist" crimes, his office said. It is the fourth time since July that the authoritarian leader has pardoned dozens of political prisoners in what some observers see as an attempt to soften his image. Lukashenko's office didn't identify any of the prisoners pardoned Monday, but said they include six women. It described them as guilty of crimes of an extremist character, a reference to people who took part in protests. Lukashenkos press service said all had repented and asked to be released. There are over 1,300 political prisoners in Belarus, according to the Viasna human rights center. They include the groups founder and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and Polish newspaper journalist Andrzej Poczobut, whose release Poland is seeking. At least six political prisoners have died behind bars, Viasna said. In 2020, Belarus was rocked by its largest-ever protests following an election that gave Lukashenko a sixth term in office but was condemned by the opposition and the West as fraudulent. According to Viasna, 65,000 people have been arrested since the protests began and hundreds of thousands have fled Belarus. Before Mondays releases, Lukashenko since July had pardoned 78 other people convicted of participating in mass protests, including journalists and activists with serious illnesses. They included the leader of the Belarusian Popular Front, Ryhor Kastusiou, who suffers from severe cancer. Viasna representative Pavel Sapelka said Lukashenko's pardoning of some convicts doesn't mean a relaxation of his crackdown on dissent. Freeing some political prisoners doesn't mark the start of a thaw in Belarus, as harsh repression continues and the authorities have rounded up four times as many activists about 400 people in three months, Sapelka said. Some observers linked the pardons to a presidential election next year in which Lukashenko is set to extend his 30-year rule. Lukashenko is trying to humanize his image ahead of the presidential election to start bargaining with the West about the recognition of vote results and a partial rollback of Western sanctions, analyst Valery Karbalevich said. Authorities identified the suspect behind an apparent assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump as Ryan Routh, a 58-year-old who lived in Hawaii, according to multiple reports Sunday night. Secret Service agents tasked with protecting Trump at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, said they fired shots toward an armed man Sunday afternoon. Trump was on the course when agents spotted a person hiding in the bushes and the muzzle of an AK-style weapon sticking through the greenery several hundred yards from where Trump was playing, local authorities said. An agent fired toward the man, who dropped his weapon and fled in an SUV, authorities said. He was apprehended in a neighboring county and taken into custody. Multiple outlets identified the suspected gunman as Routh, citing anonymous officials. The Associated Press reports he lived in North Carolina before moving to Kaaawa, Hawaii, in 2018, where he and his son ran a company that built sheds. Law enforcement personnel investigate the area around Trump International Golf Club after an apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on Sunday. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images The New York Times added it spoke to Routh for a story about the ongoing war in Ukraine in 2023 and how Americans in the U.S. hoped to volunteer to aid the countrys defense against Russia. Routh told the paper at the time he had traveled to the region and hoped to recruit Afghan soldiers to help fight for Ukraine. In my opinion everyone should be there supporting the Ukrainians, he told Times reporter Thomas Gibbons-Neff last year. Social media accounts that appeared to belong to Routh were frequently peppered with posts about the war and at times encouraged Trump to take action on other matters while he was in office. He also expressed support for former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), who was running for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, saying she would tirelessly negotiate peace deals in Syria, Afghanistan, and all turmoil zones. The AP notes, however, that his allegiance had shifted on his social media accounts and he appeared to be more supportive of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the latter of whom is now the Democratic nominee for the White House. The house of Ryan Routh is seen in Kaaawa, Hawaii, on Sunday. Routh is in police custody in connection with the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump. AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy Routh had several encounters with law enforcement when he lived in North Carolina. The Times reports a man with the same name and of the same age as him was arrested in 2002 after a standoff with police. The Greensboro News & Record reported at the time the man in that case had barricaded himself inside a building with a fully automatic weapon. The News & Record reported late Sunday that federal authorities had searched an address linked to Routh but only spent a few minutes at the location. A neighbor told the publication the man had not lived there for a few years. Related... wind power BP is plotting a $2bn (1.5bn) sale of its American onshore wind energy business as the oil giant backtracks on its green energy ambitions after an investor revolt. The company is planning to offload its American wind energy unit, BP Wind Energy, which has interests in 10 onshore wind farms across seven US states, in a bid to put greater focus on its solar energy ambitions. William Lin, BPs natural gas and low carbon chief, said: We believe the business is likely to be of greater value for another owner. However, despite the planned sale, he added: Renewables are an important part of our strategy as BP transitions to an integrated energy company. The company said that it was aiming to simplify its portfolio and now intended to concentrate its efforts in renewable energy on Lightsource BP, a solar energy business. On Monday, BP said it would expand Lightsources world-class capabilities as a developer of cost competitive, utility-scale renewable power assets worldwide for both solar and onshore wind. The oil giant, which once claimed to stand for Beyond Petroleum, has been steadily curbing its green energy businesses since the appointment of Murray Auchincloss as chief executive at the start of the year. The sale of BP Wind Energy cements the shift from the days of previous boss Bernard Looney, who pushed away from fossil fuels. The focus on green energy, however, harmed BPs share price as returns from renewables disappointed. Shares are down more than a fifth over the past year. In March, an activist investor claimed that almost all of BPs biggest shareholders were unhappy with its shift to green energy, amid a growing backlash over the oil giants focus on net zero targets. Giuseppe Bivona, chief investment officer of Bluebell Capital, said: With only the exception of one shareholder, I am still to find someone who supports BP in its entirety. However, Mr Auchincloss and chief financial officer Kate Thomson, who was appointed in February, have prioritised investing in new oil and gas assets, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico and US onshore shale basins, where BP already has large operations, according to company sources. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Authorities looking to identify boy found riding scooter on freeway in Los Angeles The California Highway Patrol is asking the public for help in identifying a boy they found riding a scooter along the 110 Freeway in Los Angeles on Sunday evening. According to a CHP media release, officers located the child, described as a Black male juvenile between the ages of 10 to 13, riding a scooter in the express lanes of the southbound 110 near Jefferson Boulevard around 6:30 p.m. He was wearing nothing but a black shirt and blue boxer shorts, and it was later determined he entered the freeway from 28th Street and Flower Street, CHP said. The boy is non-verbal, authorities added. A California pastor detained in China for nearly 20 years has been released Los Angeles County Fire Department officials transported the boy to L.A. General Hospital for observation and contacted the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services as well as the Los Angeles Police Department. LAPD did not have any missing person reports matching the boys description, CHP said. Anyone with information on the boys identity is asked to call the L.A. Department of Children and Family Services (1-800-540-4000) or the CHPs Central Los Angeles area office (213-744-2331). No photo of the boy was immediately provided by law enforcement. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. Autism diagnosis waitlist can take two years, Wichita therapy center looks to help WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) Parents and those in the field of autism therapy say the waitlist to receive an autism diagnosis can be two years or longer. The founders of a local applied behavior analysis therapy center, Blooming Horizons, opened their second Wichita ABA location this past week. They said the need for autism therapy in the state of Kansas put their first near capacity in just a year. Blooming Horizons on Sept. 12, 2024 (KSN Photo) A couple from Derby, Tara and Dillan Curtis, said their daughters autism diagnosis journey has been nerve-racking, but they have seen huge strides because of the therapy she has received at Blooming Horizons. The Curtis family said playing the waiting game to receive the diagnosis was agonizing. We were on a waitlist for two years, said Tara. Its a process that requires a screening and comprehensive diagnostic evaluation. Tara said their family felt trapped, unable to begin therapy for their daughter. It feels like youre in quicksand until you get that call that you have the appointment and this is the day, said Tara. Then, that day came when their pediatrician recommended a psychologist who could get them in for a diagnosis. Then, their daughter started treatment at Blooming Horizons, where she learned speech and fine motor skills and, through practice simulations, how not to be afraid of everyday real-world tasks like going to the doctor. It really gives them a sense of belonging, socially, and then it helps them with everyday tasks, sitting down even eating dinner, things like that. Its been absolutely fantastic for her, said Dillan. Miss Unstoppable pageant is back for females with intellectual and developmental disabilities Catarina Smith, the operations manager at Blooming Horizons, works with the kids each day. She said, putting parents at ease, with a hard diagnosis, is why their staff cares so much. Have your 2-year-old come somewhere, away from you, for 40 hours a week, when theyve never been with anyone else, its very nerve-racking, but thats also one of my favorite things, is to see the parents get more and more comfortable with us, especially when they start making progress, said Smith. Surbhee Soni and Kevin Franco, the husband-and-wife team behind the ABA facilities, said it is inspiring to see the progress made by children with autism at their center. Produce a sound, being able to imitate a motor movement, being able to respond to name-calling. These are little things. If you really think about it, a lot of people would think like these are natural skills one would just learn, but for our kids, these are challenges, and when theyre able to show progress, its just amazing to see that progress, said Surbhee Soni, Blooming Horizons founder. Ive seen direct hand from a parents perspective of what ABA can do for their child and the positive impact it can have on an individuals life, and with that said, we wanted to make it a goal to help as many individuals as we could, because again, coming first hand as a parent, I know what it can do, said Kevin Franco, Blooming Horizons founder. Franco shares with KSN that they can work with parents ahead of an autism diagnosis to make sure they are ready to start immediately after their diagnosis appointment. They also provide education for parents so they can better understand their children at home. Franco hopes they will continue to expand to help those with autism in the state of Kansas. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A retired autoworker who spent 36 combined years on the line for both Ford and Chrysler now Stellantis started a pro-Trump group of colleagues and retirees in 2017 that has ballooned to thousands in recent times. In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News Digital, founder Brian Pannebecker said his group started with 30 active United Auto Workers (UAW) members who all supported former President Trump in 2016. "Word got out around my plant. It quickly doubled and tripled in size. Other workers at other auto plants started seeing it [on social media] and requesting to join. And all of a sudden I had hundreds of members," Pannebecker said. Now, he says his group has expanded outside the internet to regular visits to auto plants around Michigan where he and his army of Trump-supporting union members are engaging with others and building support in a sector long known for its reliably Democrat bent. Pannebecker said the UAW has and continues to be an important entity for middle-class workers, adding that he and his members support collective bargaining and the idea that unions built Americas working class. Henry Ford also deserves credit, he said, for creating the five-day work week and defying personal interests to offer his employees a then-best $5-per-day wage. EPA SUED OVER CAPRICIOUS BIG-RIG EMISSIONS STANDARDS CRITICS CLAIM COULD CRIPPLE CORN INDUSTRY READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP While Pannebecker underlined that neither he nor his group are at odds with the UAW itself, they notably offer a differing political viewpoint than its leaders, including prominent Trump critic President Shawn Fain. One major issue uniting his growing group in support of Trump and other Republicans is the Democrat favor shown toward what he calls the "Green New Scam." "We think its all a farce," Pannebecker said, adding that it is obvious the American consumer does not want to be forced to buy electric vehicles and that the governments insistence on supporting EVs over internal-combustion vehicles has led to lines of workers being cut and innumerable EV vehicles sitting idle on lots in Detroit and dealerships across the country. Pannebecker added that Trumps forging of the USMCA as a replacement for NAFTA infused a new energy in the automative sector, as it disincentivized offshoring union work. "After [President Clinton] signed it and it went into effect, the auto companies who are in business to make money and profits for shareholders started closing plants here in the United States and moving them to just south of the border, maybe 10 miles [into Mexico]." "Well, the Democrats and even some of the previous Republican administrations never addressed that. So, when Donald Trump was running, he said, If I'm elected, I will tear up NAFTA, and we'll renegotiate our own trade agreement so it's advantageous to American workers." "And guess what? He kept his campaign promise." Pannebecker said Auto Workers For Trump is united behind the two issues of the federal push toward EVs and green regulations, including mileage standards and offshoring that has occurred in recent decades. EPA SUED BY CONSUMER, MANUFACTURING, AGRICULTURAL COALITIONS OVER BIDEN'S NEW VEHICLE EMISSIONS RULE "Kamala Harris is on record saying she would like to see all vehicles built in the United States reaching zero-emissions by 2035. She supported legislation to that effect when she was a U.S. senator," he said, going on to cite broadcasted claims that she was the most liberal U.S. senator. "Even more liberal than Bernie Sanders, so she's dangerous," he said. "She knows nothing about manufacturing. She knows nothing about the economy. She's a San Francisco liberal district attorney. And then she was California's attorney general. And we all know what's happened in California. They've ruined that state." "So, it's just very, very obvious who the choice is in this election for autoworkers: It's Donald Trump. He's got a record to run on. Kamala Harris is nothing more than a liberal attorney from California." Pannebecker said Harris and other Democrats supported legislation in Congress that would "destroy" the auto industry and its jobs stateside. President Biden speaks during a campaign event for Democrat presidential nominee Vice President Harris at IBEW Local Union #5 on Sept. 2, 2024, in Pittsburgh. "My group's job is basically just to make the auto workers aware of that, educate them and then rally and motivate the other workers who are already aware of those issues and make sure they get out and vote. We cannot stay home. Nobody can stay home this election." Rep. John James, R-Mich., whose family business is in the automotive supply sector and who represents many of the workers in Pannebeckers group, told Fox News Digital in a separate interview that liberal politicians "dont get" workers needs. "They dont understand that our livelihoods dont match up with the agendas they cook up in their coastal retreats," he said. "When you put these comply-or-die mandates on industry, the automotive industry accounts for 50% of the economic impact in the state of Michigan," he said. While Harris as a senator supported a Zero-Emission Vehicles Act that would phase out other vehicles by 2040, her campaign sent a "fact-check email" obtained by Axios that suggested her previous position had changed and that she "does not support an electric vehicle mandate." President Biden and Kamala Harris James said federal policy has repercussions, from the workers to the supply chains to the management themselves that go along with the government much of the time. He said hundreds of autoworkers have and will eventually be laid off because of the green regulatory push and anti-worker policies from the left, and he praised Pannebeckers work. James pointed to his own Democrat challenger, Judge Carl Marlinga, and comments he made in a 2022 Detroit News interview in which he criticized James by saying he wants to "hold tight and try to stick with a dying industry as long as we can." "Or we can do it my way, which is to embrace the new products of the future, of the new green-industrial revolution." When asked Tuesday about such comments by the New York Post, Marlinga campaign manager Alan Fosnacht said that "unlike John James, who is happy to cede the automobile industry jobs of the future to China, what Carl said is that our policies should prepare Michigan to be the manufacturing capital of the world in the 21st century." James, however, countered that the green movement supported is not based "in reality." "[The] technology is not yet ready for products that people dont want," James said, adding that autoworkers like Pannebecker understand that and are making their voices heard this election season. As word got out about Pannebeckers burgeoning group of autoworkers, members began making stops at the massive parking lots outside plants in the Detroit area during the current 2024 cycle. While he was still working at a Ford axle plant, Pannebecker and other members would set up outside the lots before and after shift-change to greet and engage with the workers coming and going. Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers, attends the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2024. While they dont impede traffic, Pannebecker said Auto Workers For Trump has been immensely successful in engaging with the hundreds of workers as they wait in line to enter or exit the plants. Sometimes, he said, the workers become volunteers themselves and the dynamic has greatly expanded the groups numbers. Many workers often have questions as to why they should support the Republican nominee, he said. "As word has gotten out, we started getting some of the guys who are working in the very plant that were demonstrating and rallying at get off their shift and walk right out to us and start holding the signs up." "They've lost their fear of repercussions by the UAW bosses because it's just so commonplace that guys in the plants now support Donald Trump, and they want the union leadership to support them." While union workers have long been considered a key Democrat voting bloc, Pannebecker said that tide has been changing since Trump infused his own brand of policy into the Republican Party. Areas of Michigan long held by Democrats are becoming increasingly "swing" districts, he said, adding the same has been happening in areas of the country where other union labor is prominent. In Pennsylvanias Anthracite Coal Region, counties like Schuylkill, Carbon and Northumberland previously friendly to Democrats are flush with Trump signs and now tend to elect Republicans to the state capital, Harrisburg, and to Washington, D.C. President Biden, who describes himself as the "most pro-union president," has sought to blunt that by visiting key locations similar to those Pannebeckers group does. EV PARADISE OR CHARGING HELL? ALARMING ELECTRIC CAR SECRET EXPOSED Former President Trump Biden toured Mack Trucks main facility in Macungie, Pennsylvania, in 2021, and later its now-parent company Volvos plant in Washington County, Maryland, in 2022 to burnish his credentials and engage with workers. Biden often tells stories of growing up in industrial Scranton, Pennsylvania, and later living in Claymont, Delaware, and being a stones throw from the massive oil refineries across the border in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania. In the trucking industry, Pannebecker suggested there is also a growing pro-Trump sentiment due to the same issues of the economy, job outsourcing and green policy. He credited Teamsters President Sean OBrien with having an open mind and speaking at the Republican National Convention this year. OBrien was apparently snubbed by the DNC. "I'm not exaggerating here. Almost 90 to 95% of the trucks that drive by, whether they're hauling automotive parts or whatever they are blowing their air horns, giving us a thumbs-up, pumping their fist so we can see it," he said, noting those truckers are often Teamsters. As for Fain, the UAW leader, Pannebecker said many of the members he speaks with dont understand how the union elected him. "He did negotiate a good contract for them and got them caught up on all the give-backs over the previous two or three contract cycles. But they do not like his politics. They think he's got a big head now. They disagree with his endorsement of Kamala Harris." As for Auto Workers for Trumps future plans, Pannebecker said they are looking to target some of the largest plants in Michigan in hopes of getting their message out. "I think it's going to be fresh in their minds as the voting begins here in Michigan, and Donald Trump will carry the vote of the UAW membership. I promise you," Pannebecker said. Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign and UAW for comment but did not receive a response by press time. Fox News Digitals Matteo Cina contributed to this report. Original article source: Auto Workers for Trump leader says thousands poised to break from Dems over green policies, job-killing regs Backpacks will be prohibited and extra police will be present at McDevitt Middle School in Waltham on Monday following an online threat. Superintendent Marisa Mendonsa told Boston 25 News a threat about a potential school shooting surfaced on Snapchat over the weekend. Mendonsa says backpacks brought Monday will be searched and a police officer will be assigned to each floor and to every corner of the building. The safety and well-being of our students, staff, and the entire school community are our top priorities, Mendosa wrote in a letter to the Waltham schools community. The Waltham Police Department is working very closely with the school, Snapchat, and federal law enforcement agencies to identify and address the individual responsible for these threats. The superintendent said its unclear if these threats are connected to other threats that surfaced on Friday. For now, backpacks are not allowed on Monday only. Police are investigating the threats. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW (KRON) Bags of numerous drugs, firearms and cash were found in a search warrant on Thursday, the Richmond Police Department said. At 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Richmond police officers said they noticed a suspicious vehicle blocking the sidewalk of a residence near Kelsey and Duboce avenues. Police said the cars five occupants noticed the officers, exited the vehicle and began walking away. Image courtesy of the Richmond Police Department Image courtesy of the Richmond Police Department The officer detained the suspects and said there was probable cause to search the car. Officers located two handguns that none of the occupants claimed as their own. One of the firearms was reported stolen out of San Francisco. The five individuals were arrested. Two of the five were on parole, according to Richmond PD. Richmond police officers responded to the scene to serve a search warrant the next day around 6 p.m. Officers said they noticed the same five individuals were detained. The search yielded a loaded handgun, heroin, ecstasy, cocaine and marijuana. Richmond PD said the estimated value of the drugs is more than $40,000. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. (Photo illustration by Getty Images.) A Helena-based bail bondsman says in a new court filing that he has no other choice than to sue Bozeman municipal court judges after they have apparently refused accepting his companys bail bonds because he filed a complaint with the states Judicial Standards Commission about their behavior. John J. Looney, Sr., is the owner of Do Process, which does business as Bad Boy Bail Bonds, based in Helena. It says at least half of its business is conducted in Gallatin County and Bozeman. Looney is a former Army military police, served at the Gallatin County Sheriffs Office and is part of the leadership of the national trade organization for bail bonding companies. The genesis of the lawsuit actually took place more than four years ago when the business name, Bad Boy Bail Bonds, was owned by a different Montana company. Looney liked the name and bought the name, but not the bail bonding business. However, during a court hearing in Bozeman Municipal Court, officials noted that Bad Boy Bail Bonds had an outstanding bond that had been forfeited in the amount of $1,585. Looney claimed that while he was using the same name, he had simply purchased the right to use the name, not the company, and the forfeited bond wasnt his. However, municipal court judge Karolina Tierney and the chief municipal court judge J. Colleen Herrington stopped Looneys company from issuing bail bonds until the matter was satisfied, apparently concluding they were the same. Looney spent several months of back-and-forth negotiations in an attempt to resolve the case, according to documents recently filed in Gallatin County District Court. However, as the judges refused to budge, Looney filed a complaint with the Judicial Standards Commission, the state commission that oversees complaints and disciplinary actions over judges throughout the state. In one instance, Looney had even tried to appeal the municipal courts decision not to honor his bonds to state district court, but Judge Tierney issued an order removing his appeal from the courts records. In a court filing, Looney said that the refusal to accept his bonds was causing him to lose out on between $250,000 and $350,000 in bonds per month, and he said that he decided to pay the $1,585 in order to begin working again. Because the judges actions were crippling his business, Looney decided that he had no alternative but to pay a bond forfeiture for which he was not responsible, and did so on Aug. 30, the court filing said. For them, Looney paying the bond forfeiture was no longer going to cut it he now had to withdraw his JSC complaint as the price for writing bonds in the court. However, even after the bond was paid, Looney was informed by the court that he couldnt start issuing bonds in Bozemans municipal court until he withdrew his complaint from the Judicial Standards Commissions, something Looney has refused to do. When clients are arrested on new charges or warrants in other courts, but also have pending charges in Municipal Court, we are unable to provide full assistance and are forced to refer them to our competitors for their Municipal Court bond, Looney said in the court filing. This situation is not only harming our business operations but is also impacting our reputation in the community. Looney said that if hes not able to resume doing business in Bozeman, he will be forced to lay off staff. Bozeman attorney Matthew Monforton, who represents Looney, is suing the two municipal court judges a rarity in itself because judges can only be sued in very specific circumstances alleging they have violated his First Amendment rights as well as the Montana constitutional guarantee of honoring qualified bonds. Looney has been licensed and in good standing with the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance during the entire time. This case arises from an egregious abuse of power by the two judges currently sitting on the Bozeman Municipal Court, the lawsuit states. Their retaliatory conduct is threatening not only the professional livelihood of a licensed bail bondsman but also the integrity of the judicial process itself. In the court filing, Looney compares the actions of the two judges to extortion. Their demand that he withdraw his JSC complain as the price for filing bail bonds in the Bozeman Municipal Court is outrageous and borders on criminal extortion the judges are using their official position to demand the withdrawal of valid ethics complaint in exchange for the reinstatement of business privileges. Looney will not withdraw his JSC complaint. Instead, he will soon file more. 240916 (1) Verified Complaint VERMILLION, S.D. (KELO) Mister Smiths Bakery in Vermillion, South Dakota is known for its variety of homemade baked goods, but theres a twist- its located inside of the Ace Hardware store. A lot of people dont expect that. They come in and theyre just like theres a sandwich shop in here? Mister Smiths cook Carl Smith said. IM 29 would legalize recreational marijuana in SD Freshly baked bread, sandwiches of every kind, even homemade cakes are just a few things youll find on the menu. It all started when Larry Smith moved to town in the early 2000s, shortly after he was diagnosed with Parkinsons. Everyone knew him for his recipes, and he was offered a bread-baking job at a local sandwich shop, later named Mister Smiths in his honor. His local customers werent the only ones blown away by his talent. Larry used to be a police officer in Connecticut, and once he retired from the police force, he started tinkering with baking breads, Mister Smiths manager Cole Larson said. He worked part time at a bakery in Connecticut, which is evidently how he and Oprah crossed paths. Thats how he ended up having Oprahs best bread in America. For 20 years now, those recipes have brought in customers from across town and the country. Many say the bread is the heart of what makes Mister Smiths so special. We have a group of retired farmers and those guys that are here right at seven, when we open up in the morning. Theyre generally kind of banging the door down. By 6:55, youd think we were lined for a concert or something, Cole Larson said. Being located inside of another store hasnt slowed business down. In fact, staff said its grown it. We actually have a lot of construction crews that come through now because they were here earlier in the morning picking up something they needed for a job. They looked over, smelled the food, saw us and were like, Oh, I guess well just come back for lunch, Cole Larson said. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the bakerys doors remained open. Manager Cole Larson, baker Erin Larson and cook Carl Smith all worked with Larry for some time. Hed like to dance and talk and we would dance in the bakery and stuff, Erin Larson said. Even when Larrys Parkinsons started to affect him physically, his friends were there, to help him continue his passion safely. We had safety bars to try and just keep him up, Erin Larson said. Larry passed away a few years ago from Parkinsons disease, but his lifelong legacy of devotion continues. The holes from the safety rails to hold him up are still drilled into the counter and his hat still hangs in the bakery. Hes looking down on us, Erin Larson said. I had a lot of good conversations with him. You know, he was a great guy to work with, just like everybody else said, Carl Smith said. We were fortunate enough to get all of his recipes written down before because he was a scratch baker that did everything by eye and feel, Cole Larson said. A story behind each recipe, a passion behind each batch and a community- all inside of a small-town hardware store. Its a one stop shop. If you need a hammer, you can get that. You need a baguette? We can get that too, Erin Larson said. Mister Smiths celebrates 20 years of business in October. The business also offers catering options for customers. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) Alfred E. Beach High School is currently under lockdown due to heavy police presence in the area, the Savannah Police Department reports. Early reports suggest that the police activity is connected to an active pursuit of someone in the area. This is an ongoing situation and WSAV will provide updates as they are made 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 WSAV-TV. ASSATEAGUE ISLAND, Md. (WHTM) If youre heading to the beaches of Delmarva anytime soon, access to the ocean is restricted in some areas there due to a significant amount of medical waste washing onshore. Officials at Assateague Island and in the Town of Ocean City both closed access to the ocean Sunday. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now WHTM Daily Digest We will work closely with the Worcester County Health Department and other public health authorities to investigate the source of the medical waste, Ocean City Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald said in a media release. Until we are confident that the situation is under control, we recommend wearing shoes on the beach and avoiding the ocean entirely. The National Park Service, which administers Assateague Island, prohibited swimming on the island and encouraged all visitors to wear shoes while on the beach. The north end of Assateague Island, which is across the Ocean City Inlet from the town, is closed to visitors entirely. Assateague State Park, along with other beaches along the Maryland coast, is experiencing a significant amount of medical waste washing onshore, Maryland State Parks said in a Facebook post. Access to the ocean will be restricted at this time. No swimming, wading, surfing, or any activities in the ocean are permitted. Visitors to the beach should wear shoes and use an abundance of caution. abc27s sister station DC News Now reported that hypodermic needle and needle caps washed ashore along with used feminine hygiene products. Assateague Island is best known for its herds of feral horses which roam the island. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. The mother of a 4-month-old killed in a tragic crash on Bluffton Parkway has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her daughters caregiver and the driver, who in the hours after the May 2024 collision was charged with a felony count of driving under the influence and failing to properly restrain the infant passenger. Bluffton man Gregorio Hernandez-Castillo, 31, was driving a 2011 Toyota RAV4 east on Bluffton Parkway near Buck Island Road when the car veered off the right side of the street, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol. The driver overcorrected, causing the SUV to strike a tree in the median the night of May 12. Starling Guzman, the infant from Allendale, S.C., was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. The driver was uninjured and another passenger in the vehicle was hospitalized in Savannah. Hernandez-Castillo was arrested for DUI at the scene by SCHP troopers, who also charged him for an open container of alcohol in the vehicle, driving without a license and child endangerment. He was denied bond and remained in custody at the Beaufort County jail as of Friday afternoon. Filed Tuesday by the childs mother, 26-year-old Alejandra Guzman, the lawsuit claims the infant had been in the care of Beaufort County woman Maria Romero, who was not criminally charged for the fatal crash. The woman allegedly took the child to a party at her friends house the night of May 12 and allowed Hernandez-Castillo to drive home while under the influence. Romero also stopped on the way home to buy more alcohol, which Hernandez-Castillo drank as he drove, according to the court summons. The 4-month-old was killed immediately as a result of the collision, the lawsuit says. Court documents hold Romero responsible for not buckling the child into her car seat, not strapping the seat into the vehicle and allowing Hernandez-Castillo to drive drunk. The filing also blames the drivers impaired state and negligent driving for bringing the babys life to an abrupt end. Bluffton Parkway is a collision hot spot in Beaufort County, especially at its intersection with Bluffton Road, according to data from the states Department of Public Safety. The towns police force has no dedicated traffic enforcement team but says it focuses patrols on the busy, winding roadway and in other problem areas that contribute to rising fatal crashes. Police in Bluffton utilize monthly heat maps of traffic collisions, citations and warnings to help determine their patrol routes. In July 2024, the department reported 41 crashes in town limits, a 23% decrease from the 53 reported in July 2023. Month after month, collision data is clustered in the areas of U.S. 278, Bluffton Parkway and May River Road. The civil case seeks damages for the infants death and is entirely separate from the slew of criminal charges faced by Hernandez-Castillo, which as of Friday were still pending in Beaufort County court. Judicial records show a court date for his open container offense scheduled for early October, but trial information for his remaining charges was not available. Hernandez-Castillo had his drivers license suspended after pleading guilty to DUI in July 2023, according to Beaufort County court records. In that case, his blood alcohol content was found to be less than .10 but still above the legal limit of .08. Taylor Diggs, a Beaufort County public defender representing Hernandez-Castillo in his criminal case, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Alan Belcher, a Charleston-based lawyer representing Guzman, could not be reached over phone or email for additional questions Friday afternoon. He is a trial attorney for Morgan & Morgan, the personal injury megafirm headquartered in Orlando. When we publish mugshots The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette publishes police booking photos, or mugshots, in the following instances: In situations where a public figure or someone in a position of public trust is arrested In cases where there is an immediate and widespread threat to public safety In cases where the arrested person is accused of a crime reporters have evidence to believe involved numerous, unknown victims Reporters will avoid using mugshots as lead images for online articles in order to limit their circulation on social media, except in cases where the public is served by the immediate identification of the accused. Reporters and editors may use discretion in situations that dont meet the criteria outlined in this policy but still present a compelling reason to publish a mugshot. BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Residents of Budapest's sixth district have narrowly voted to ban short-term rentals from 2026 in a decision which could have wider ramifications for the housing market in one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations. Eurostat figures show almost 719 million guest nights spent in the European Union were booked via online platforms Airbnb, Booking, Expedia Group and Tripadvisor last year, with Paris leading EU capitals with over 19 million guest nights. Within central Europe, Budapest was the most popular for short-term stays with 6.7 million guest nights, ahead of Vienna, Prague, Warsaw, Krakow and others. Results published on the Budapest district's website early on Monday showed 54% of voters backing the ban with 20.52% turnout, which the district said was well above levels seen at other local initiatives. "The majority of YES votes signals that residents of the district value the peace of their home more than lost revenue," the local council said in a statement. District mayor Tamas Soproni has said the city's popularity has justified asking locals about the impact of short-term stays on housing affordability and quality of life. Opponents of a ban have said the move would hit revenue not just for apartment hosts but nearby cafes and restaurants catering largely to foreign tourists. The outcome of the vote could have wider implications, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government mulling regulation on short-term rentals, which the economy minister says contribute to a housing shortage and high prices. Real estate website ingatlan.com said last week that the supply of high-end apartments for sale in the sixth district had increased by nearly 3% over the past month, with prices dropping by 1% in a possible sign of the expected outcome of the vote. (Reporting by Gergely Szakacs; Editing by Michael Perry) Pedestrians struggle with their umbrellas in strong winds and rain from the passage of Typhoon Bebinca in Shanghai on Monday (Hector RETAMAL) (Hector RETAMAL/AFP/AFP) The strongest storm to hit Shanghai in over 70 years made landfall on Monday, with flights cancelled and highways closed as Typhoon Bebinca lashed the city with strong winds and torrential rains. A red alert is in place, and some coastal residents have been evacuated, city authorities said. The typhoon landed early Monday morning in the coastal area of Lingang New City, in Pudong to the city's east, the China Meteorological Administration said. It is the strongest storm to hit Shanghai since Typhoon Gloria in 1949, state broadcaster CCTV said shortly after Bebinca made landfall. Many businesses were already closed for the Mid-Autumn Festival public holiday, and the city's 25 million residents have been advised to avoid leaving their homes. All flights at Shanghai's two main airports are grounded, and ferry services and some trains have been suspended. Highways were closed at 1:00 am local time (1700 GMT), and a 40 kilometre (25 mile) per hour speed limit is in place on roads inside the city. At rush hour, live video feeds showed Shanghai's normally jammed roads almost empty of traffic, and its famed skyline obscured by thick fog. Nine thousand residents have been evacuated from Chongming District, an island at the mouth of the Yangtze River, authorities said. Footage from northern Baoshan District showed ferocious winds ripping through a line of trees on the riverbank. Shanghai's flood control headquarters told CCTV they had already received dozens of reports of incidents related to the typhoon, mostly fallen trees and billboards. CCTV broadcast footage of a reporter by the coast in neighbouring Zhejiang province, where waves pounded the craggy coastline under leaden skies. "If I step out into (the storm), I can barely speak," the reporter said. "You can see that the surface of the sea is just wave after wave, each higher than the last." Another typhoon, Yagi, killed at least four people and injured 95 when it passed through China's southern Hainan island this month, according to national weather authorities. Bebinca has also passed through Japan and the central and southern Philippines, where falling trees killed six people. CCTV said Bebinca was expected to move northwest, causing heavy rain and high winds in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces. China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that scientists say are driving climate change and making extreme weather more frequent and intense. mjw-reb/je/smw Who was behind one of the deadliest attacks in Sudan? A still from a social media video shows victims of the attack on Wad al-Nourah [X] Warning: This article contains details some readers may find distressing. For 40-year-old farmer Ali Ibrahim, the nightmare began in the late afternoon on 5 June, with the sound of heavy weapons. We had never seen such shelling since we were young," he recalls. "The bombardment lasted for four hours, with houses destroyed, screaming children - women and the elderly were helpless to escape. At least 100 civilians were killed that day in the attack on the Sudanese village of Wad al-Nourah, according to estimates by volunteers of the local resistance committee. Mr Ibrahim says the villagers were unarmed: We are simple farmers. We've never carried weapons. We have no enemies. We are just citizens trying to protect our lives. Footage was posted on social media showing bodies ready for a mass burial [X] The BBC has heard testimonies from several survivors who accuse armed men from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - the paramilitary group fighting the Sudanese army - of opening fire and storming the village in two successive attacks, using heavy weaponry. Dozens of residents were killed or injured. The alleged number of deaths in this incident would make it one of the deadliest incidents involving civilians since the war between the army and the RSF began in April 2023. Survivors of the attack on Wad al-Nourah receiving treatment at Al Managil hospital [BBC] The BBC managed to speak to several survivors of the Wad al-Nourah attack, who are currently receiving treatment at the Al Managil government hospital where they were transferred for treatment. Reporters were also able to analyse the videos they shared. The hospital is located about 80km (50 miles) from the village, and many survivors arrived there hours after the attack. According to their testimonies, the RSF forces also tried to prevent them leaving the village, and looted most of their vehicles. Survivors spoke of a bombardment unlike anything they had experienced in years [BBC] After enduring hours of terror" during the bombardment, followed by frantic attempts to find a way to transport the wounded and bury those killed by the shelling, the residents were shocked by a second massive RSF attack on their village early the next morning, one of the survivors at the hospital told the BBC. "They entered our house, beat me and my siblings, and asked, 'where is the gold?'. My little sister was scared and told my mother to give them the gold." This account is consistent with those of other survivors, all of whom confirmed RSF forces had "attacked the village from three directions, entered homes, killed civilians, and looted valuables, including gold, cars, and stored agricultural products". 'They killed my brother' Hamad Suleiman, a 42-year-old retail trader, said armed RSF fighters entered his brother's house and began shooting without warning. "I went to my brother's house and found them there... They shot my brother and nephew dead, and another nephew was injured and is here with me in the hospital." He says he tried to reason with the RSF fighters and asked why they had killed his family. "I tried to talk to them, and they told me to recite the Shahada [The Islamic profession of faith that is recited when the feeling of death is near]. They shot me in the hand and fled... they looted all the cars. "I was wounded and couldn't find a way out for hours." People fled the town of Wad al-Nourah following the alleged attack [BBC] The BBC contacted the RSF for their response to the survivors' testimonies, and the accusations of attacks, killings, looting and intimidation. We had received no reply by the time of this report's publication. RSF spokesperson Al-Fateh Qurashi issued a video statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, a day after the incident - denying their forces had targeted civilians. He stated that the forces had engaged with elements of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Intelligence - also known as 'Al Mustanfaron' - a militia carrying small weapons and aligned with the SAF, who were in the village at the time of the attack. [BBC] The BBC's fact-finding team analysed videos provided by the RSF, which they claimed depicted locations and trenches used by Al Mustanfaron in Wad al-Nourah. The analysis revealed these locations were all situated outside the village, not within it. The analysis also showed that members of the RSF opened fire towards the village, using heavy weapons from about a mile away. Wad al-Nourah is similar to hundreds of villages scattered across Gezira state. Most of its residents work in agriculture and trade, and it has a small weekly market where traders from neighbouring villages come to buy and sell livestock and crops. The RSF took control of Gezira state, to the south of the capital, Khartoum, in December 2023, and has been accused of carrying out numerous abuses against civilians there - which it repeatedly denies. Gezira state is one of the regions most affected by the war, with the fighting spreading there early on in the conflict. It also became a refuge for thousands of displaced people fleeing Khartoum and Darfur. Since the RSF took control of the area at the end of last year, one village after another has suffered acts of violence. The RSF continue to deny accusations of war crimes such as killing, looting, rape and burning villages - instead pointing the finger at what they call unruly people. [BBC] Thousands of people have died and 10 million have been forced to flee their homes since April last year, when Sudan was thrown into disarray after its army and a powerful paramilitary group began a vicious struggle for power. The UN Resident and Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, has called for a comprehensive and transparent investigation to uncover the circumstances of the Wad al-Nourah attack. The villagers, who lost dozens of loved ones, hope an investigation committee will be established, and that the perpetrators will be held accountable - rather than escaping punishment as has happened in the past in Sudan. Additional reporting by Abdelrahman Abutaleb and Richard Irvine-Brown The prominent critic of the Belarusian government in Minsk, Andrei Hniot, shows an appeal in front of the presidency building in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) A prominent Belarus filmmaker and a critic of Minsk's authoritarian government handed a letter to the Serbian presidency signed by hundreds of artists on Monday, appealing against his extradition to his home country where he says he could be tortured and killed. Andrei Hniot was arrested in Serbia in October on an international warrant on charges of tax evasion. He was first held in prison before being put under house arrest during a months-long legal procedure to decide whether he would be returned to Belarus. He is only allowed to leave his apartment for one hour a day and must wear a tracking ankle bracelet. Hniot insists the accusations have been fabricated and the real reason for the prosecution has been his criticism of President Alexander Lukashenko. The artist filmed mass protests against Lukashenkos disputed reelection in 2020 and covered the retaliatory harsh crackdown on dissent before fleeing to Serbia. More than 780 artists from various countries, including Serbia, signed the letter, dubbed Artists for Andrei, which said the director was being punished for his activism and could even face death if sent back to Belarus. Among the signatories are French actress and president of the European Film Academy, Juliette Binoche, and Belarusian Nobel laureate, Svetlana Alexievich. I think for now I have very important voices which are heard all around the world, said Hniot after leaving the letter at the presidency building in central Belgrade. "My voice for now is silent. Nobody is listening to me. And I would like maybe (that) Serbian authorities can hear these voices. There was no immediate reaction from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to the letter. A Serbian court initially ruled for Hniots extradition but the Court of Appeals overturned the ruling and ordered new deliberation. It was not immediately clear when the procedure would end. Several international organizations including Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Federation for Human Rights have called on Serbia not to extradite Hniot. In the past four years, more than a half-million Belarusians have fled their country because of a harsh crackdown on the authoritative governments political opponents. Belleville business people help rescue Art on the Square by volunteering to lead it Two business people have headed off a crisis for Art on the Square, Bellevilles biggest community event. Rebecca Boyer and Karl Gilpin volunteered to become the organizations new co-directors after learning that next years show was at risk of being canceled due to lack of leadership. Boyer, 39, is vice president of operations at Kaskaskia Engineering Group. Gilpin, 50, is a real estate developer and president of Tygracon Properties. I just think its really important for the city to continue to have this event, Boyer said. Both Karl and I have significant vested interest in downtown Bellevilles success and a commitment to our neighbors and friends there. Boyer and Gilpin met over the weekend with Carol Bartle and Stephanie Dorris, who have co-directed Art on the Square for three years, and Art Director Will Mathis to discuss the transition. Boyer and Gilpin will lead a non-profit organization with a six-member board, 30 committee members and 300 volunteers who produce a three-day juried show each year. It draws tens of thousands of people to view and buy the artwork of more than 100 artists from all over the country. (Boyer and Gilpin have) a big job ahead of them, and they know that, Dorris said. But the good news is that Carol, Will and I will be around to help them transition through this. Its not like were leaving tomorrow. And they will have a group of great committee members behind them. Most everyone knows what to do. Theyve been doing it all these years. They just needed a leader. Next years Art on the Square will be held May 16-18, as originally planned, according to Dorris. Carol Bartle, left, and Stephanie Dorris have served as co-directors of Art on the Square for three years. Bartle became a volunteer in 2002, the shows first year. Dorris got involved in 2014. Email provoked action Bartle and Dorris sent an email to committee members on Sept. 4, stating that they didnt see a path for putting on a show in 2025. Bartle, 78, a volunteer since Art on the Square began in 2002, is retiring. Dorris, 61, a volunteer for 14 years, is moving to Florida to be closer to family. Bartle and Dorris said they had searched nearly a year for an executive director or two co-directors, and after finally getting someone to take on the volunteer position, she withdrew in late August. Gilpin said he learned of these problems on Friday from a BND article, which also revealed a strained three-year relationship between Bartle and Dorris and Belleville Mayor Patty Gregory, who co-founded the show and formerly served as executive director for 20 years. Im not involved in any of the politics or behind-the-scenes stuff, so I had no idea what was or wasnt taking place, said Gilpin, a volunteer for the past four years. I just couldnt believe we were at the point of losing the show. Tom Barnett, a past board president and volunteer for about 15 years, until 2021, said Thursday that a committee member had forwarded the email from Bartle and Dorris to him, and he became alarmed because of the art shows importance to the community. Barnett said he and others began exploring the idea of establishing a new non-profit organization for a different art show and, on Gregorys recommendation, contacted Southwestern Illinois College President Nick Mance to get permission to raise money through the colleges foundation. The BND asked Barnett Saturday if that effort would continue now that the Art on the Square board was planning to produce a show next year with Boyer and Gilpin at the helm. I dont think well do that, Barnett said. Our whole issue in the beginning was they werent going to have an art show, and we did not want it to die. If theyre going to have an art show, then thats great. Gregory couldnt be reached for comment. This 2011 file photo shows Patty Gregory talking to Israeli artist Yoram Gal at Art on the Square. She served as the shows executive director for 20 years before being elected Belleville mayor in 2021. Rising out of conflict Bartle and Dorris told the BND that Gregory wanted to continue leading Art on the Square after being elected mayor in 2021, but board members rejected the idea due to ethical, legal and practical concerns. Bartle and Dorris said this decision resulted in three years of hostility from Gregory, caused a major sponsor to end financial support and contributed to political pressure that led a SWIC employee who had agreed this summer to become executive director to withdraw. We dont want to see (the art show) end, Bartle said last week. We want to see it continue on. But this nonsense has got to stop. I have given 23 years, and there is no excuse for what is going on here. It breaks my heart. Boyer handles marketing and business development for Kaskaskia Engineering Group, which she joined in 2009. Boyer serves on boards for Catholic Urban Programs, Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce, Belleville School District 118 Foundation and Belleville Achieves Strength in Character. She also has helped organize community events. I think its important to recognize what Patty Gregory started with Art on the Square, as well as the continued success that the next group of leaders have had, Boyer said. Karl and I are just going to do our best and make sure we dont mess it up. Gilpin has overseen several development projects in Belleville through Tygracon Properties. Hes a retired U.S. Army officer who helps with Grafted Wine Bar & Lounge, his wifes business in downtown Belleville. He serves on the Belleville Sister Cities and Belleville School District 118 Foundation boards. Gilpin joked that he and Boyer will need plenty of hand-holding and other support to succeed with Art on the Square. He said he has good relationships with all involved, including Gregory. I hope that everyone will breathe a sigh of relief that we stepped up and got involved, Gilpin said. Obviously, there was some serious infighting going on, and Im neutral on all of that. I dont have an agenda. I just want to save the show for Belleville. This file photo shows white tents surrounding Belleville Public Square during an Art on the Square weekend. The show draws tens of thousands of people from throughout the region. Beloved Georgia police dispatcher dies after driver hits her, takes off A Georgia police department is mourning the death of a dispatcher who was hit and killed by a car. The Sparta Police Department announced on Sept. 12 that Mary Jones was killed by a driver as she was trying to secure items on a trailer along Interstate 95 near Edgewood Avenue in Jacksonville just after midnight on Thursday. The driver accused in Jones death sped away after hitting her, according to Florida Highway Patrol troopers. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Troopers described the car as a dark-colored Ford Explorer with damage to its front passenger side. A spokesperson described Jones as a dedicated member of the department. Her loss is felt deeply, and we ask that you keep her husband and the entire Jones family, along with the Sparta Police Department family, in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Also, pray that the offender is located and apprehended. Police Chief Tommie Walker wrote on Facebook. Troopers have not released a description of the driver. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: (Bloomberg) -- A global organization backed by Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos climate and biodiversity fund said its setting up a program to attract investment into South African municipal power grids, which need 319 billion rand ($18 billion) to prepare for the introduction of more renewable energy. Most Read from Bloomberg The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, or Geapp, will work alongside partners to prepare projects for investment to repair and upgrade dilapidated grids, said Ziyad Cassim, the groups South African country representative. We will shortly announce a coalition of partners who are going to support us in the municipal space, Cassim said in an interview. We have three partners who are going to co-invest with us. He decline to identify them because an official announcement is yet to be made. South Africas drive to cut its dependence on coal, which accounts for about four fifths of its power generation, has been slowed by an inadequate power transmission and generation network and the absence of projects able to accept investment. A $9.3 billion climate finance pact with some of the worlds richest nations that was announced in 2021 has distributed less than 20% of that amount as a result. The government, which ran electricity generation and transmission as a monopoly for decades, has now allowed significant investment in power plants and is preparing to accept private investment into transmission. Municipalities are expected to follow suit by seeking investment in their distribution grids. Sign up for the twice-weekly Next Africa newsletter for the latest business and economic news from the continent. Municipal grids need to adapt from solely accepting electricity supply from the coal-dependent national utility to connecting to a variety of power sources as more solar and wind power plants start up. Geapp which was founded in 2021 by the Bezos Earth Fund, Rockefeller Foundation and the Ikea Foundation - has already invested in South Africa in the form of a training facility at Komati, the site of a shuttered coal-fired power plant, to prepare a pipeline of workers for the renewable energy industry. The group is looking for more opportunities to invest, said Nicole Iseppi, director of energy innovation, at the Bezos Earth Fund. The Geapp program will focus on so-called secondary municipalities that have more difficulty in raising funds than the countrys six large metropolitan areas, said Cassim. He cited Rustenburg, a city of more than 600,000 people in the platinum-mining belt of the North West province, and Newcastle, a steel-producing town of about 400,000 in the south eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, as examples. It will bring in expertise to assist in project preparation and to advise on transactions, Iseppi said. You can follow Bloombergs reporting on Africa on WhatsApp. Sign up here. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A bicyclist was killed after a crash late Sunday night on Tropicana Avenue west of Maryland Parkway. The driver who struck her was arrested for DUI-related charges. According to Las Vegas Metropolitan police, the crash occurred near Wilbur Street shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15. The 34-year-old woman, later identified as Anny Mujica-Moreno, was traveling southbound on Wilbur and crossed the path of a Volkswagen Atlas headed eastbound on Tropicana. Police said the front of the Volkswagen struck the right side of the bicyclist. On Monday, Sept. 16, Mujica-Moreno succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital and hospital staff pronounced her dead. The driver, Juan Dominguez, 66, was arrested for DUI-related charges, police said. He is due to appear in court on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Mujica-Morenos death marked the 107th traffic-related fatality in the LVMPDs jurisdiction for 2024. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. TechCrunch U.S. public utility giant American Water says it has disconnected some of its systems after discovering that hackers breached its internal networks last week. American Water, which supplies drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people across the United States, confirmed the security incident in an 8-K regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday. The New Jersey-based company said in its filing that its water and wastewater facilities are "at this time" not affected and continue to operate without interruption, though the company noted that its currently unable to predict the full impact of this incident. Biden announces more than $1B for historically Black colleges and universities WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) Historically Black colleges and universities produce nearly 20% of Black graduates in the country, but the institutions are also historically underfunded. At the 2024 National HBCU Week Conference Monday, President Joe Biden said hes working to change that. Black excellence is American excellence, President Biden said. All of our students, all of our colleges and universities should be able to succeed. The president announced his administration is investing more than $1 billion in HBCUs, bringing its total contributions to the schools to more than $17 billion. The most ever any administration has ever, ever, ever committed, President Biden said. The Trump administration reauthorized $225 million in mandatory funding to minority-serving institutions, which included $85 million in recurring funds for HBCUs. Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, an HBCU grad herself, have both vowed to make the schools a top priority if they win in November. HBCUs have always outperformed other institutions by doing more with less, said Dr. Tony Allen, the president of Delaware State University. Allen said support for HBCUs should be bipartisan, in part, because of their larger impact. We are an economic engine wherever you find an HBCU, Allen said. Allen said HBCUs collectively provide more than $16 billion every year to their communities. Our students are trying to change their lives for their families, for their communities, 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 Queen City News. Biden becomes a top Harris surrogate as they split up on the campaign trail Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden worked to shore up support among key constituencies during separate events Monday, an example of their strategic attempt to divide and conquer the campaign trail with the race to November heating up. In battleground Pennsylvania, a must-win state for Harris, Biden spoke to a Philadelphia conference attended by leaders of historically Black colleges and universities. For the fourth time in a week, Bidens official remarks began with a nod to his onetime running mate, whos now at the top of the ticket. I want to get to something straight at the outset, Biden told the audience, to cheers. I love Kamala! Harris, meanwhile, met with a key Democratic constituency behind closed doors: Union members. The vice president held a roundtable discussion with rank-and-file members of the influential Teamsters union, whose leadership has been withholding an endorsement before learning more specifics on each candidates platform for organized labor. The divided ground game by the vice president and her boss-turned-top surrogate, aides say, is all part of a plan. Weve got to be everywhere, blocking and tackling, one Harris aide told CNN. Harris is working to strike a delicate balance between embracing the Biden-era policies that voters like while ensuring the electorate shed represent generational change from her predecessor, whose approval rating has been underwater through much of his presidency. And on the campaign trail and the debate stage shes now pointing to her own policy platform and messaging, establishing some distance from the current administration. Biden and Harris have appeared in an official capacity together at least four times since shes ascended to the top of the ticket welcoming Americans released by Russia at Joint Base Andrews, touting lower drug prices through Medicare negotiations, participating in September 11 commemorative events and speaking at the Congressional Black Caucus annual Phoenix awards dinner. But only once have they been side by side in a campaign capacity, which advisers say is likely to be an increasingly rare occurrence going forward. On Labor Day, Harris and Biden appeared with a half-dozen labor leaders at a Pittsburgh union hall for a raucous rally focused on working-class issues. But the optics appeared to favor the principal rather than the No. 2. Cheers of Thank you, Joe erupted at various times throughout the delivery of his remarks. Even though they were allotted the same amount of time, Biden spoke for 10 minutes longer. And when the event ended, Bidens motorcade and plane departed before Harris, as is custom for the president. In addition to avoiding those awkward moments, dividing and conquering carries its own benefits. They can cover far more ground. And they can fill more seats. Harris packs ten thousand-seat arenas, whereas Biden events skew far smaller. In Pittsburgh the union hall where the two spoke together reached the fire marshals capacity, which was 600. Still there are unusual moments where the distance between Biden and Harris is on display. One of those came in last weeks debate when former President Donald Trump Harris Republican opponent attacked the vice president by saying, Shes trying to get away from Biden. I dont know the gentleman, she says. She is Biden. Harris delivered a punch that, while intended for her Republican opponent, also landed hard at the White House. Clearly, I am not Joe Biden, and I am certainly not Donald Trump. And what I do offer is a new generation of leadership for our country, she replied. Still, if the moment wounded Biden, he hasnt let on. Even watching Harris do what he failed disastrously to do during his own debate with Trump, Biden has evinced only pride in his vice president, not bitterness. Harris commanding debate performance was another validating moment for the president, according to a senior adviser. In some ways, Bidens decision to cede the Democratic ticket to Harris has allowed him room for other parts of his life. He watched the debate from his room at the JW Marriott Essex House in New York, where hed traveled to attend a birthday party for one of his granddaughters at an Upper East Side Italian restaurant the type of trip that would have been impossible if he was still the nominee. A day later, as he was visiting a firehouse in Pennsylvania on the anniversary of 9/11, he jokingly put on a Trump 2024 hat offered by a support of the former president a moment that landed much differently than it would have if Trump was still his rival for the presidency. And when, during that interaction, the Trump supporter called the president an old fart, the moment felt somehow more jovial now that Bidens advanced age is no longer a central issue in the campaign. Theres precedent for splitting up on the trail. In 2000, Vice President Al Gore sought distance from scandal-marred President Bill Clinton as he campaigned against George W. Bush. And in 2020, Biden and former President Barack Obama as private citizens, four years after leaving office did not appear together until the final weeks of the race. Aides believe Biden can still help in areas of Pennsylvania, for example, and the president has discussed a tour of the Keystone State with its governor, Josh Shapiro. Biden is now one of several high profile surrogates the Harris campaign will seek to deploy. Obama and his wife, Michelle, along with Bill and Hillary Clinton, are also expected to stump for Harris in the leadup to November. Positioning Biden among the roster of other high-wattage Democratic talent will be a sensitive operation, one person familiar with the matter acknowledged, but one the campaign remains eager for. And Biden remains eager to promote her. Speaking at the Black Excellence Brunch the White House co-hosted on Friday, Biden made his enthusiasm abundantly clear as he nodded to the possibility she could make history as the first female Black president. Kamala wanted to be here today, but shes traveling, Biden told the crowd on the White House South Lawn. Shes always there with us. Well always be there for her. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The recent price decline of 10% in Global Lithium Resources Limited's (ASX:GL1) stock may have disappointed insiders who bought AU$1.09m worth of shares at an average price of AU$0.46 in the past 12 months. Insiders invest with the hopes of seeing their money grow in value over time. However, as a result of recent losses, their initial investment is now only worth AU$411.3k, which is not what they expected. While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. See our latest analysis for Global Lithium Resources Global Lithium Resources Insider Transactions Over The Last Year In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Executive Director Dianmin Chen bought AU$684k worth of shares at a price of AU$0.36 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of AU$0.17. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. It is encouraging to see an insider paid above the current price for shares, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Dianmin Chen. Dianmin Chen bought 2.35m shares over the last 12 months at an average price of AU$0.46. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of undervalued small cap companies that insiders are buying. Insider Ownership Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that Global Lithium Resources insiders own 15% of the company, worth about AU$6.9m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders. What Might The Insider Transactions At Global Lithium Resources Tell Us? There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Global Lithium Resources insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Global Lithium Resources. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 4 warning signs for Global Lithium Resources (of which 2 are a bit unpleasant!) you should know about. Story continues Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Actress and film producer Marsai Martin delivers remarks during a brunch held to celebrate Black Excellence on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. President Biden hosted the brunch during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundations annual Legislative Conference this week to recognize achievements in the Black community. At right is Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images) WASHINGTON President Joe Biden, in the last months of his four-year term, detailed his administrations efforts in seeking to advance opportunities and equity for Black communities on Friday during the White Houses first-ever brunch in celebration of Black Excellence. The event came as the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation hosted its annual legislative conference this week in Washington, D.C. Today, we honor this simple truth: Black history is American history, Black excellence is American excellence, and folks, we dont erase history like others are trying to we make history, Biden said to a crowd on the South Lawn that included members of the Congressional Black Caucus and other Black leaders. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre; Trell Thomas, founder of Black Excellence Brunch; Marsai Martin, an actress and producer; and Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, gave brief remarks ahead of Biden. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX I know it because Ive seen it. Ive been vice president to the first Black president in American history, a president to the first Black vice president and God willing, to the first female Black president in American history, Biden added. Biden who originally sought a second term passed the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris in mid-July following his disastrous debate performance in June against the Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump. Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, now has the chance to become the first woman to serve as president, the first Black woman president, and the first president of South Asian descent. Biden also underscored some of the administrations key efforts in regard to Black communities, such as achieving the lowest Black unemployment rate on record. As of August, the administration has created 2.4 million jobs for Black workers, according to a White House fact sheet. He also emphasized the administrations efforts to ensure that more Black Americans have health care than ever before. The White House says its done so by lowering premium costs by an average of $800 for millions of Americans, increasing Black enrollment in Affordable Care Act coverage by 95%, or over 1.7 million people since 2020, per the fact sheet. Biden added that on this very lawn, in front of the White House built by enslaved people, we hosted the first-ever Juneteenth concert after I made Juneteenth a federal holiday, and on this lawn, we celebrated the first Black woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, the best decision I made: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. He also condemned racism toward Haitian migrants to the U.S., saying the community is under attack in our country right now and calling it simply wrong. Conspiracy theories about migrants and bomb threats continue to rock Springfield, Ohio. Trump at Tuesdays presidential debate hosted by ABC News amplified false claims about Haitian migrants there, saying: In Springfield, theyre eating the dogs, the people that came in, theyre eating the cats, adding that theyre eating the pets of the people that live there. Appearing to allude to Trump, Biden added that theres no place in America. This has to stop, what hes doing. It has to stop. Meanwhile, Biden and Harris are both slated to speak at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundations Phoenix Awards Dinner Saturday in Washington, D.C. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. An iconic train rolled throughout central Arkansas this weekend. Union Pacifics Big Boy #4014 made a stop in North Little Rock as part of its heartland American tour. The locomotive is one of just 25 built in the 1940s and made several stops during World War II. Big Boy locomotive chugging in Arkansas this weekend: Heres when and where to see it Only 8 of the 25 survived and Big Boy is the only one still in operation. Lots of people were out to catch a glimpse of history. Charles and Scarlett said they came out to Union Pacific for one reason. So we can see Big Boy, the largest steam train in America, they said. Big Boy locomotive chugs through Arkansas in September, heres when you can see it Big boy is the largest steam locomotive in the world, slightly longer than two school buses ended to end. It will make its way to Texas on Monday and will end its tour in Wyoming in October. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLRT - FOX16.com. WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) The Big E attracts more than a million visitors to West Springfield. On average in the past two years, nearly 89,000 people visit the fair each day. The highest single-day attendance on record was in 2022 with 177,789 visitors on the second Saturday, September 24th. The Big E Fair food of 2024 you have to try So far this year, The Big E has broken the record for daily attendance this past Saturday with 121,854 visitors. Saturday had perfect weather featuring Maine Day, 4-H and FFA Day, and Ludacris performed at a sold-out show. The Big E Attendance 2024 Friday, September 13, 2024: 70,261 Saturday, September 14: 121,854 (Daily attendance record) Sunday, September 15: 83,329 Monday, September 16: Tuesday, September 17: Wednesday, September 18: Thursday, September 19: Friday, September 20: Saturday, September 21: Sunday, September 22: Monday, September 23: Tuesday, September 24: Wednesday, September 25: Thursday, September 26: Friday, September 27: Saturday, September 28: Sunday, September 29: The attendance for 2023 had a total of 1,427,234 visitors. Are you attending The Big E this year? Email 22News your photos at ReportIt@wwlp.com. The Big E Fair September 13 to September 29 Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. FILE PHOTO: The logo of Exxon Mobil Corporation is shown on a monitor above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) -Several oil companies including Exxon Mobil and Chevron defeated an appeal on Monday by consumers who accused them of colluding with former U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia and Saudi Arabia to cut oil production, boosting prices at the pump. In a 3-0 decision, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said two dozen consumers could not pursue class action claims because they concerned political questions and the oil-producing policies of foreign countries. The court also found a lack of proof that the oil companies violated antitrust law by conspiring to raise prices. Other defendants included Devon Energy, Energy Transfer LP, Occidental Petroleum, Phillips 66, Continental Resources, Hilcorp Energy and the American Petroleum Institute. Lawyers for the consumers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The defendants' lawyers did not immediately respond to similar requests. The lawsuit stemmed from a price war that broke out in March 2020 between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Both countries boosted production quickly, ending three years of production and sales limits, after Russia rejected cuts proposed by Saudi Arabia and other OPEC producers. Consumers said the oil companies' complaints about sinking prices prompted the Trump administration to cajole oil-producing countries to slash production, boosting industry profitability. Within about two years, the price of a barrel of oil soared above $100 from less than $20, while the U.S. retail price of a gallon of gas more than doubled to over $5. In Monday's decision, Circuit Judge Ryan Nelson said courts shouldn't second-guess White House foreign policy, and had no authority to order Russia and Saudi Arabia how to manage their oil resources. He also said the early 2020 start of the COVID-19 pandemic drastically reduced oil demand, and was an "obvious alternative explanation" for why oil companies cut production. Monday's decision upheld a January 2023 ruling by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in Oakland, California. Nelson was appointed to the bench by Trump, a Republican. The other judges on Monday's panel, Ronald Gould and Richard Tallman, were appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton. The case is D'Augusta et al v American Petroleum Institute et al, 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 23-15878. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by David Gregorio and Nick Zieminski) Pumping up CEO pay at the expense of workers and long-term investment is the norm among Americas leading low-wage corporations. (Getty Images) Most of us believe in fair pay for honest work. So why arent low-wage workers better paid? After 30 years of research, I can tell you its not because employers dont have the cash. Its because profitable corporations spend that money on their stock prices and CEOs instead. Lowes, for example, spent $43 billion buying back its own stock over the past five years. With that sum, the chain couldve given each of its 285,000 employees a $30,000 bonus every year. Instead, half of Lowes workers make less than $33,000. Meanwhile, CEO Marvin Ellison raked in $18 million in 2023. The company also plowed nearly five times as much cash into buybacks as it invested in long-term capital expenditures like store improvements and technology upgrades over the past five years. Lowes ranks as an extreme example, but pumping up CEO pay at the expense of workers and long-term investment is actually the norm among Americas leading low-wage corporations. In my latest Executive Excess report for the Institute for Policy Studies, I found that the 100 S&P 500 firms with the lowest median wages the Low-Wage 100 blew $522 billion on buybacks over the past five years. Nearly half of these companies spent more on this once-illegal maneuver than they spent investing in their long-term competitiveness. This is a scam to inflate CEO pay, pure and simple. When companies repurchase their own shares, they artificially boost share prices and the value of the stock-based compensation that makes up about 80 percent of CEO pay. The SEC found that CEOs regularly time the sale of their personal stock holdings to cash in on the price surge that typically follows a buyback announcement. I also looked into what these corporations contribute to employee retirement its peanuts, compared to their buyback outlays. The 20 largest low-wage employers spent nine times more on buybacks than on worker retirement contributions over the past five years. Many of these firms boast of their generous matching benefits, typically a dollar-for-dollar match of 401(k) contributions up to 4 percent of salary. But matching is meaningless for workers who earn so little they cant afford to set anything aside. Chipotle, for example, spent over $2 billion on stock buybacks over the past five years 48 times more than it contributed to employee retirement plans. Meanwhile, 92 percent of eligible Chipotle workers have zero balances in their 401(k)s. Thats hardly surprising, since the chains median annual pay is just $16,595. The conclusion is unmistakable: CEOs are focused on short-term windfalls for themselves and wealthy shareholders rather than on long-term prosperity for their workers or their companies. As United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain put it in his Democratic convention speech: Corporate greed turns blue-collar blood, sweat, and tears into Wall Street stock buybacks and CEO jackpots. Public outrage over CEO shakedowns helped the UAW win strong new contracts last year with the Big Three automakers. Support for policy solutions is growing as well. The Democratic Party platform calls for quadrupling the 1 percent federal tax on stock buybacks. And a recent poll shows strong majority support among Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike for proposed tax hikes on corporations with huge CEO-worker pay gaps. Extreme inequality isnt inevitable and it can be reversed. Forty years ago, CEO pay was only about 40 times higher than worker pay not several hundreds of times higher, as is typical today. And just 20 years ago, most big companies spent very little on stock buybacks. At Lowes, for example, buyback outlays between 2000 and 2004 were exactly zero. Corporate Americas perverse fixation on enriching those at the top is bad for workers and bad for the economy. With pressure from below, we can change that. This column was originally published at Otherwords.org The North Carolina Legislative Building (Photo: Clayton Henkel) Amid the turbulence of a high-stakes election season stands a sadly familiar outpost of stability the North Carolina General Assemblys relentless support of private schools at the expense of the public schools that inevitably serve most of the states children. That support advances under the banner of parental choice. Republican legislators who wield their supermajority power with no meaningful checks have decided that when parents choice for their kids is private schooling, the states taxpayers should help pay the tuition no matter how well-off those families happen to be. True, theres a sliding scale by which less-affluent families qualify for a bigger boost. But whether or not vouchers for opportunity scholarships might serve a worthy purpose under some circumstances by providing more educational options for children from disadvantaged backgrounds offering private-school tuition help to all comers while public schools are kept on short rations adds insult to long-standing injury. Funding for an expanded opportunity scholarship program has been a Republican goal through the legislatures 2024 session, which temporarily petered out in early summer when the House and Senate couldnt agree on an updated budget. But then lawmakers were summoned to Raleigh to tie up various loose ends in advance of the November election. While also overriding a string of Democratic Gov. Roy Coopers vetoes, the Republican majority moved to pump a cool $493 million in new funding into the scholarships benefiting families who became eligible last year once income limits were dropped. A bill that includes the expenditure cleared the Senate on Sept. 9 and the House on Sept. 11, in each case along party lines. The bill, H.B. 10, presumably would have passed earlier if the two chambers had agreed on whether also to give further raises to teachers and other school personnel. The House favored the raises but the Senate didnt. In the end the Senate prevailed. So H.B. 10 one of those unwieldy contraptions born of legislative horse-trading and political expediency will lighten the tuition load for as many as 55,000 students who applied for the scholarships when money to pay for them wasnt yet available. Thats assuming Coopers anticipated veto is shot down per usual. Opportunity for whom? Without the new funding, voucher money already approved would flow through the schools to some 15,800 students. The families of most of them are in the lowest of four annual income tiers less than $57,720 and are eligible for tuition subsidies of $7,468 per student. The new set-up with no income limits will allow subsidies of $3,360 for top-tier families making more than $259,740. Yes, you read that right. Whats more, the new rules allow applications from students already enrolled in private schools. So families who already can afford to send their kids to a well-equipped day school or classical academy now will have a little extra cash to spend on more of the finer things of life, courtesy of those ever-so-thoughtful legislators. Maybe its not attempted vote-buying, but its hard to tell the difference. If this generosity didnt affect the flow of money to public schools, perhaps it would be less objectionable (bearing in mind the axiom that theres no free lunch when it comes to paying for public services of all sorts). But public education indeed would take a hit, calculated by the Office of State Budget and Management to be nearly $100 million a year. Thats even though H.B. 10 includes additional funds to cover some costs due to enrollment growth. Meanwhile, teachers salaries in North Carolina will continue lagging near the bottom of the national heap. That contributes to an ongoing shortage of qualified personnel, especially in hard-pressed rural counties that can ill afford the pay supplements common in urban counties such as Mecklenburg and Wake. During the House debate, Democrats may have been outnumbered but that didnt stop them from rising to rip the bill as betraying the states duty to uphold its public schools. They pointed out that private schools are sparse or non-existent in rural counties, so residents there will have trouble taking advantage of the scholarships. At the same time, those counties will be squeezed as the pot of money supporting schools statewide is tapped for the tuition giveaways. Their less-than-robust tax bases mean theyll struggle to make up the difference. Bridges too far It only makes matters worse that many of the schools benefitting from subsidized student enrollments are religiously oriented, with little to stop them from advancing narrow, faith-based viewpoints. In a society that should want to make sure its schoolchildren who benefit from taxpayer funding are taught to think rather than to accept indoctrination, a bias in favor of any religion should be troubling. Freedom of religion of course is a guaranteed right, one that the N.C. Council of Churches defends vigorously. But a system in which schools whose purpose has a religious component get significant financing from public coffers should make First Amendment supporters skin crawl. Nor must private schools where opportunity scholarship recipients often enroll abide by the same rules as public schools when it comes to teacher hiring standards and accountability as rendered via standardized tests. So how are taxpayers providing the scholarships supposed to feel confident theyre getting their moneys worth? As reported by Raleighs News & Observer, Democratic state Sen. Jay Chaudhuri of Raleigh organized a Sept. 9 roundtable at which several public-school educators took aim at the pumped-up voucher plan. The money would be better spent, they said, addressing such problems as balky heating and cooling systems, crowded classrooms, and the shortage of bus drivers. Keegan Storrs, teacher at the public N.C. School of Science and Mathematics, had this to say, as quoted by The N&O: If we had a fully funded public education system, we could consider providing extra for families who are able to make the choice to send their children to private schools. But until our public schools are fully funded, we have no business talking about vouchers. That pretty much nails it. And in that context, its disappointing to recall the legislatures stubborn resistance to the funding plan worked out during the long-running Leandro lawsuit, in which the courts said the state must provide all public-school students with the chance to get a sound basic in other words useful education. Of course, the state Supreme Court under its current Republican leadership has undercut that obligation, but thats another story. A dubious bundle H.B. 10 originally was framed as the latest attempt to force the states sheriffs to coordinate with federal immigration authorities by temporarily holding undocumented immigrants for possible deportation if they were arrested for some reason. That requirement is opposed by many immigration advocates as likely to mean some people will be deported even after low-level encounters with the justice system that dont involve alleged violence or a plausible threat to public safety. They argue that it will erode cooperation between local law enforcement and the immigrant community a view accepted by several urban-county sheriffs who have declined to cooperate with federal detainers when someone in custody normally would be released pending trial. As the dispute played out, the bill had stalled. But it remained a Republican leadership priority, and in recent months a version emerged with enough support to pass both chambers. It was onto that version that the tuition voucher expansion was grafted meaning that legislators who might have had qualms about the vouchers couldnt oppose them without also opposing the immigration measure, or vice versa. In other words, it became an offer many of them couldnt refuse when it was unveiled by a conference committee of top Republicans on Sept. 9. The Houses final vote on the bill, sending it to Cooper, was 67-43, with three conservative Democrats joining unanimous Republicans in favor. The governor now has ample reason to issue another veto. So long as the legislature is under the spell of a gerrymandered supermajority, such doomed vetoes have served mainly to highlight how the Republican agenda tramples on many principles of good government and equity. But that makes them worth the effort. This commentary was first published by the North Carolina Council of Churches. SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) A bill intended to fast-track office to housing conversions in Californias struggling downtowns is headed for Gov. Gavin Newsoms desk. Assembly Bill 3068 was introduced by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) and passed the state Senate with a 27-11 vote, Haneys office announced. With downtown neighborhoods in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles still reeling from the pandemic pivot to remote work, AB 3068 is intended to streamline the process of converting office buildings into mixed-use housing conversions. San Francisco currently has an office vacancy rate of around 34%. Dreamforce 2024 street closures in effect The citys hollowed-out downtown, declining commercial real estate values and businesses not renewing commercial leases are seen as contributing factors to SFs economic struggles. Without a steady influx of office workers, many of the businesses around downtown and nearby Union Square have struggled in the aftermath of the pandemic. AB 3068 would help expedite the process of converting office space by mandating by-right approval processes for mixed-use housing projects in city centers like downtown SF. Californias downtowns are desperate for ways to inject vitality into their streetscape, said Haney, who serves as chair of the Select Committee on Downtown Recovery. While the demand for living downtown is at an all-time high, many urban centers simply lack the available housing. If we are serious about jump-starting the economic engine of our cities, we need to remove the red tape that makes office to housing conversions nearly impossible. Haneys bill also features a labor agreement between the Building Trades and Carpenters Union for specific types of office-to-housing projects streamlined under the bill. The bill would seek to ensure that the workforce building adaptive reuse projects would be afforded safe working conditions and fair wages. The Nor Cal Carpenters Union is proud to work with legislators to create viable solutions to bring desperately needed housing to California, said Jay Bradshaw, executive officer of the Nor Cal Carpenters Union. AB 3068s contractor workforce standards were tailored for a subset of projects that reuse and convert existing underutilized commercial concrete and steel buildings to provide homes. The bill, which is now sitting on Gov. Newsoms desk, could ultimately pave the way for several thousand new units of housing and provide a boon for SFs struggling downtown. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Blind political prisoner Oleksandr Sizikov sentenced to 17 years in prison by Russian occupiers in Crimea Political prisoner Oleksandr Sizikov has been sentenced to 17 years imprisonment by a Russian court in occupied Crimea despite being totally blind a category 1 disability. Source: Dmytro Lubinets, Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) Commissioner for Human Rights, on Telegram; public movement Krimskaya Solidarnost (Crimean Solidarity) Details: After the verdict was announced, Sizikov was taken to an unknown destination. Lubinets noted that seven people were detained in Crimea during large-scale searches on 7 July 2020. Six of them were sent to a pre-trial detention centre. Oleksandr Sizikov, who completely lost his sight in a car accident, was placed under house arrest. On 14 September, Crimean police came to Sizikovs home and took him to an unknown location. Lawyer Lilia Gemedzhy said the polices actions were illegal, noting that they had even threatened to use force and to hold Sizikov accountable for "contempt of court". Lubinets pointed out that according to a Russian government decree, people with severe disabilities, including those with complete sight loss, cannot be held in custody. He urged the international community to increase pressure on Russia and demand the immediate release of Oleksandr Sizikov, as well as all Ukrainians illegally detained in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea and in Russia. Quote from Lubinets: "The actions of the Russian security forces against this person with a disability violate fundamental human rights, specifically the right to a fair trial and defence." Background: Sizikov, along with the other six detainees, was accused of being involved in Hizb ut-Tahrir, a Muslim political party which Russia recognised as a terrorist organisation in 2003. However, the party operates without restriction in Ukraine and most other countries of the world. The persecution of this organisation in Crimea started after the peninsula was occupied by Russia in 2014. Members of Hizb ut-Tahrir were accused of terrorism, even though human rights activists insist that the organisation has nothing to do with violent action and its only purposes are to fight against political repressions and oppose Russian government policy on Crimea. Support UP or become our patron! (Bloomberg) -- Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to embark on his 10th trip to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war began almost a year ago, as the Biden administration continues efforts to revive the stalled cease-fire talks as the US elections approach. Most Read from Bloomberg The top US diplomat will fly to Cairo to discuss the negotiations for a cease-fire in Gaza and broader regional security issues, as well as for talks with Egyptian officials, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Monday. The statement only mentions one stop in Egypt, and it does not appear that Blinken will travel to Israel on this visit. The announcement came on the same day as Israeli officials stressed to Amos Hochstein, an adviser to President Joe Biden, that their government was increasingly looking at military means for returning residents in northern Israel displaced by clashes with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. That would amount to an expansion of the conflict, which the Biden team has tried desperately to avoid. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Hochstein that the only way left to return the residents of the north to their homes is via military action. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu separately told him that Israel appreciates and respects the support of the United States, but in the end will do what is necessary to maintain its security, according to a read out from the prime ministers office. The latest bout of regional diplomacy since the assault last Oct. 7 by Hamas, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and about 250 others taken captive, unfolded as the US and partners struggle to close the remaining gaps in talks for a cease-fire, including details about the release of hostages and the deployment of Israeli troops. More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Earlier: Netanyahu Mulls Coalition Deal That Boots Defense Chief Gallant The US is currently still working with mediators on a new proposal, Miller said Monday. On Sept. 5, Blinken said the US, Qatar and Egypt would share their thoughts in the coming days on how to resolve the remaining outstanding questions in the negotiations. While American officials, including Blinken, have said a deal is roughly 90% completed, the long-running negotiations to end the war appear to have stalled after the killing earlier this month of six hostages held by Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union. Netanyahu has refused to withdraw Israeli troops from the Philadelphi corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border, a key disagreement. The Israeli leader argues that his forces must police smuggling routes that could help Hamas, and that Israel cant reward the militant group with concessions after hostages were killed. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Blinken is heading back to the Middle East, this time without fanfare or a visit to Israel FILE - Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a news conference about Russia's election interference at the Department of State in Washington, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) WASHINGTON (AP) Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Egypt on Tuesday for his 10th trip to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began nearly a year ago, this one aimed partly at refining a proposal to present to Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire deal and release of hostages. Unlike in recent mediating missions, America's top diplomat this time is traveling without optimistic projections from the Biden administration of an expected breakthrough in the troubled negotiations. Also unlike the earlier missions, Blinken has no public plans to go to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on this trip. The Israeli leader's fiery public statements like his declaration that Israel would accept only total victory when Blinken was in the region in June and some other unbudgeable demands have complicated earlier diplomacy. Blinken is going to Egypt for talks Wednesday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and others, in a trip billed as focused both on American-Egyptian relations and Gaza consultations with Egypt. The tamped-down public approach follows months in which President Joe Biden and his officials publicly talked up an agreement to end the war in Gaza as being just within reach, hoping to build pressure on Netanyahu's far-right government and Hamas to seal a deal. The Biden administration now says it is working with fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar to come up with a revised final proposal to try to at least get Israel and Hamas into a six-week cease-fire that would free some of the hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Americans believe public attention on details of the talks now would only hurt that effort. American, Qatari and Egyptian officials still are consulting about what that proposal will contain, and .... we're trying to see that it's a proposal that can get the parties to an ultimate agreement, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Monday. The State Department pointed to Egypt's important role in Gaza peace efforts in announcing last week that the Biden administration planned to give the country its full $1.3 billion in military aid, overriding congressional requirements that the U.S. hold back some of the funding if Egypt fails to show adequate progress on human rights. Blinken told Congress that Egypt has made progress on human rights, including in freeing political prisoners. Blinken's trip comes amid the risk of a full-on new front in the Middle East, with Israel threatening increasing military action against the Hezbollah militant organization in Lebanon. Biden envoy Amos Hochstein was in Israel on Monday to try to calm tensions after a stop in Lebanon. Hezbollah has one of the strongest militaries in the Middle East, and like Hamas and smaller groups in Syria and Iraq it is allied with Iran. Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged strikes across Israel's northern border with Lebanon since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas started the war in Gaza. Hezbollah says it will ease those strikes which have uprooted tens of thousands of civilians on both sides of the border only when there's a cease-fire in Gaza. Hochstein told Netanyahu and other Israeli officials that intensifying the conflict with Hezbollah would not help get Israelis back in their homes, according to a U.S. official. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks, said Hochstein stressed to Netanyahu that he risked sparking a broad and protracted regional conflict if he moved forward with a full-scale war in Lebanon. Hochstein also underscored to Israeli officials that the Biden administration remained committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the tensions on Israels northern border in conjunction with a Gaza deal or on its own, the official said. Netanyahu told Hochstein that it would not be possible to return our residents without a fundamental change in the security situation in the north. The prime minister said Israel appreciates and respects U.S. support but will do what is necessary to maintain its security and return the residents of the north to their homes safely. Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, meanwhile, warned in his meeting with Hochstein that the only way left to ensure the return of Israels northern communities to their homes will be via military action, his office said. In Gaza, the U.S. says Israel and Hamas have agreed to a deal in principle and that the biggest obstacles now include a disagreement on details of the hostage and prisoner swap and control over a buffer zone on the border between Gaza and Egypt. Netanyahu has demanded in recent weeks that the Israeli military be allowed to keep a presence in the Philadelphi corridor. Egypt and Hamas have rejected that demand. The Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7 killed about 1,200 people. Militants also abducted 250 people and are still holding around 100 hostages. About a third of the remaining hostages are believed to be dead. Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, said Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its count. The war has caused widespread destruction, displaced a majority of Gazas people and created a humanitarian crisis. Netanyahu says he is working to bring home the hostages. His critics accuse him of slow-rolling a deal because it could bring down his hardline coalition government, which includes members opposed to a truce with the Palestinians. Asked earlier this month if Netanyahu was doing enough for a cease-fire deal, Biden said, simply, no. But he added that he still believed a deal was close. ___ Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report. Meta release delivers a consistent set of 25 quality APIs, to fuel innovation and downstream adoption, that have been vetted and tested through rigorous release management processes Released APIs include popular functions such as SIM Swap, Number Verification, Edge Discovery,and Quality on Demand, among others 396 companies and 1100+ contributors dedicated to collaboratively define interfaces providing customers with access to telecom industry network capabilities VIENNA, Austria, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Open Source Summit Europe -- The Linux Foundation 's CAMARA project, an open source community addressing telco industry API interoperability, today announced the availability of its first official release, CAMARA "Meta-Release Fall24." The release contains 25 APIs across 13 sub projects that have been vetted for quality, consistency, and stability through rigorous release management processes. The Telco Global API Alliance Initiated in 2021 by a small number of telco operators, vendors and hyperscalers, CAMARA officially launched in February 2022 with 22 initial partners and graduated to a funded model in September 2023, with 250 participating organizations and over 750 contributors. Since then, the project has grown to 1100+ contributors and 396 organizations, along with more 26+ API families and sub-projects, and growing. "CAMARA's rapid growth is testament to the need for telco network APIs to become more open, more accessible and easier to monetize," said Arpit Joshipura, General Manager, Networking, Edge and IoT, at the Linux Foundation. "The community's first official, milestone release further enables active, open collaboration in the development and availability of more connected solutions. We encourage operators, cloud providers, application developers, hyperscalers, and aggregators, and technology vendors to partner with CAMARA in making these solutions even more accessible." The Meta-Release consists of 13 sub-projects which bring 25 APIs to the ecosystem. The APIs included in the release represent a consistent set of aligned, quality APIs that have met rigorous release management and design guidelines. The Meta-Release represents a foundation for CAMARA APIs moving forward in development, also for APIs in production; the community has committed to delivering twice-yearly updates to vetted APIs so network operators can plan the deployment in their networks. API users can be confident to get the latest and most stable versions from their network operators and API providers. Story continues The Meta-Release is also coming with a Security and Interoperability Profile based on OAuth 2.0 and OpenID standards, ensuring the secure, privacy-friendly and seamless access for developers to network information and capabilities. These, the guidelines and the API definitions and documentation can all be found on https://github.com/camaraproject APIs included in the Meta release: Stable APIs with v1.0.0 versions (previous API versions have been implemented by network operators): Location Verification, Number Verification, One-time Password SMS, Simple Edge Discovery, and SIM Swap Further APIs which have been previously implemented by network operators, with updated versions: Carrier Billing, Device Reachability Status, Device Roaming Status, Home Devices QoD, KYC Fill-In, KYC Match, Location Retrieval, Quality-on-Demand (with qos-profiles) Initial versions of new APIs, ready to be implemented by network operators: Call Forwarding Signal, Carrier bBilling Refund, Connectivity Insights (with application profiles), Population Density Data, QoD Provisioning New APIs to subscribe for event notifications in CloudEvents format: Connectivity Insights Subscriptions, Device Reachability Status Subscriptions, Device Roaming Status Subscriptions, Geofencing Subscriptions, SIM Swap Subscriptions "I am incredibly proud of the entire CAMARA ecosystemfrom developers to members and partnersfor achieving our community's first Meta Release," said Nathan Rader, Board Chair of CAMARA and VP, Service and Capability Exposure at Deutsche Telekom. "This milestone is a significant step forward in our mission to enable seamless access to telecom network capabilities through open APIs. The global support we've received underscores the industry's focus on / commitment to simplifying API availability across telecom networks and countries." CAMARA offers new opportunities for collaboration between network operators, marketplaces, aggregators and API customers. CAMARA is pleased to be selected as the Network API specification location for the recently-announced venture amongst leading global telecoms. A critical success factor is also the established alignment with GSMA Open Gateway and TMForum about forming an open, global, accessible API ecosystem. The benefit for customers and developers comes in the form of consistent and user-friendly access to network capabilities, thus enabling developers to seamlessly deploy applications to run consistently across telco networks and countries. This prevents fragmentation and empowers faster, more versatile advancement of global application portability and broad industry adoption of new features and capabilities. In addition to its broad portfolio of participating organizations, the CAMARA fund is composed of 10 Premium sponsors (including Accenture, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Microsoft, Nokia, Orange, Telefonica, Verizon, Vodafone, T-Mobile), 7 General sponsors (including AlphaZero, CableLabs, Centillion, Charter Communications, INVIA, Scenera, Shabodi), and one Associate sponsor (OpenID Foundation). Meet CAMARA at Open Source Summit EU - Join today The CAMARA community will host a booth onsite at Open Source Summit EU , 16-19 September, where attendees can learn more about the community and how to get involved in the open telco API ecosystem. Operators, vendors, hyperscalers , aggregators, enterprises, and developers are encouraged to stop by and learn more about the benefits of open APIs. CAMARA project invites all interested parties to help build the best APIs for all telecom customers by joining as a Premium sponsor, General sponsor, associating organization, participating organization, or individual. More details on the project, as well as how to join, are available at https://camaraproject.org/ . Community Support "The CAMARA Meta-Release solidifies a new era where developers and companies no longer have to guess what's inside the networkthe network now talks back. By connecting historically siloed industries, we unlock unprecedented insights and capabilities, driving innovation and enhancing products across business sectors. This foundational shift empowers developers and businesses to create transformative solutions and generate value throughout network ecosystems. At Centillion.ai, we are profoundly grateful to the engineers and trade organizations (GSMA and Linux Foundation) that made this remarkable achievement possible," said Nick "Data Nick" Venezia, founder, Centillion.Ai. "The CAMARA Meta-Release is not only a remarkable milestone for the telco industry, but a testament to the significance of establishing common standards to unlock innovation," said Bob Everson, Sr. Director, Mobile Architecture and Ecosystem, Cisco. "Cisco works with service provider partners to enable API capabilities which empower customers and developers in our ecosystem. The CAMARA initiative is a major step towards delivering new and innovative capabilities at a global scale." "Ericsson (including Vonage) are committed to making CAMARA successful, and we are key contributors to the upcoming CAMARA-Meta Release. This release brings the first set of stable APIs to the market, in parallel to new and updated beta-level APIs for market validation. Together with our customers, partners and the CAMRA community, we are excited about the continuing journey of unleashing the innovation potential of open Network APIs enabling the digital transformation of society," said Per Beming, Chief Standardization Officer, Ericsson. "We've come a long way in just a few years, with leading technology firms and telecoms operators representing more than two-thirds of the world's mobile connections now supporting this approach to open, universal network APIs through CAMARA, GSMA Open Gateway and TM Forum," said Henry Calvert, Head of Networks at GSMA. "This new API release by CAMARA marks a major landmark in our collective goal of helping developers and the industry design and launch new services, utilising the rich functionality mobile networks can unleash." "Consistency and simplicity of APIs are the foundation of network innovation. Through the creation and adoption of CAMARA standards, and new cross-industry partnerships, Vodafone will make new network APIs more accessible, cheaper to implement and easier to scale for customers and third-party companies. The power of our 5G network, coupled with CAMARA's first full release, are the drivers of growth." "At Telefonica, we are committed to advancing the digital transformation of networks through our participation in the CAMARA project. The standardization of essential APIs, including Number Verification, Device Location, and SIM Swap, represents a major breakthrough for anti- fraud solutions. Moreover, the availability of APIs like Population Density Data opens the door to innovative new use cases, which we are excited to explore in close collaboration with our customers," said David del Val, Global Director of Telefonica Open Gateway. About the Linux Foundation The Linux Foundation is the world's leading home for collaboration on open source software, hardware, standards, and data. Linux Foundation projects are critical to the world's infrastructure, including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, ONAP, OpenChain, OpenSSF, PyTorch, RISC-V, SPDX, Zephyr, and more. The Linux Foundation focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users, and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see its trademark usage page: www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage . Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Media Contact Jill Lovato The Linux Foundation jlovato@linuxfoundaiton.org Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/camara-the-global-telco-api-alliance-delivers-first-major-release-with-innovative-apis-for-seamless-access-to-network-functions-302248486.html SOURCE CAMARA Project U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken waves as he boards his plane at the Chopin Airport in Warsaw By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Egypt on Tuesday to discuss a Gaza ceasefire and release of hostages with Egyptian officials, the State Department said. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Washington and mediators Qatar and Egypt have for months sought to reach a deal between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas to halt the war and release Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. The two biggest obstacles now are Israel's demand to keep its forces in the Philadelphi corridor to maintain a buffer between Gaza and Egypt, and the specifics of an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. KEY QUOTE Blinken will discuss efforts to reach a deal "that secures the release of all hostages, alleviates the suffering of the Palestinian people, and helps establish broader regional security," the State Department said in a statement. CONTEXT The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered last Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent assault on the Hamas-governed enclave has killed over 41,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry, while displacing nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, causing a hunger crisis and leading to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel denies. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler and Cynthia Osterman) BLUFFTON, S.C. (WSAV) The Town of Bluffton, Lowcountry Stormwater Partners, South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) invite all greater Bluffton residents, kayakers, boaters and business owners to participate in the 35th Annual Beach Sweep/River Sweep on Saturday, September 21st from 9 a.m. 11:30 a.m. The event will be held at the Oyster Factory Park on the May River located at 63 Wharf Street. This is the 35th year this statewide event has been held and the 16th year in which Bluffton has participated. Thousands of volunteers across the state participate annually in this event, which is South Carolinas largest one-day, volunteer, litter clean-up of beaches, marshes, and waterways. Nicole Wright, the Towns Stormwater Technician, said these events help create a sense of community as they educate residents about town and regional resources. Ogeechee Riverkeepers oyster roast back is this fall The Town is very grateful for such an involved community whose residents share their concern and care for the May River, Wright said. Beaufort Countys waterways are rich in marine life and greatly contribute to the Lowcountry culture. This event provides residents an opportunity to be environmental stewards of our most cherished natural resources. Coffee, snacks & supplies provided for volunteers. The Town of Bluffton encourages all individuals, families, friends, schools, youth groups, civic groups, conservation groups, kayakers, boaters and businesses to volunteer for a few hours to clean the river and roadsides which lead to the river. Corner Perk will be providing a cup of their May River Blend coffee or hot chocolate before the event and the Town of Bluffton will provide snacks and water to volunteers. Necessary supplies including gloves, bags, sunscreen, and water will be provided by event partners. Just bring yourself and wear comfortable clothes and close-toed shoes. Water and land-based cleanup options: Litter pickup will be taking place around the Historic District and on the May River. Local kayak club members will be assisting with cleanup efforts on the water. If youd like to participate with your own boat or kayak, please arrive by 8:30 a.m. to allow time for setup. Each local volunteer becomes a citizen-scientist and records data about the type and amount of litter they collect. This data is tabulated, added to South Carolinas statewide data, and is incorporated into the Ocean Conservancys worldwide data. This cumulative data provides crucial information on the sources of litter so communities can better identify and target anti-litter education. If you need more information about the event, please contact Nicole Wright, stormwater technician, with the Towns Watershed Management Division at 843-706-4569 or via email at nwright@townofbluffton.com. Registration is not necessary, however, please notify Wright if you are bringing a community group or organization so the event can plan for special projects and an adequate quantity of supplies. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV. BOSTON (SHNS) Barnstable Countys Board of Regional Commissioners last week called on Gov. Maura Healey to take action as it voted unanimously to reaffirm its opposition to a proposed machine gun range at Joint Base Cape Cod and to reiterate its intent to sue if the project advances. The machine gun range has been under development for years and has repeatedly attracted controversy due to plans to locate it on part of the base that is critical to Cape Cods drinking water. The latest plans, according to Cape news radio station WCAI, are scaled back from the original and feature three shooting lanes, a control tower, and other infrastructure. The Barnstable County commissioners say the project threatens the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve, a 15,000-acre tract within the base that serves as a source of drinking water for the base and four Cape Cod towns, and they want Healey to use her powers as commander in chief of the Massachusetts National Guard to halt the project. Proposed machine gun range project letter to HealeyDownload The EPA has determined that the project is an unacceptable risk to Cape Cods drinking water supply and the Governor can and should act now. The precedent was established by former Governor Paul Cellucci, who stopped a similar project on May 19, 1998, Commissioner Mark Forest of Yarmouth said. At that time, he called the proposed machine gun range a direct threat to Cape Cods drinking water supplies. He then proceeded to help pass bi-partisan legislation creating the Cape Water Supply Reserve. Healeys office did not respond to a request for comment Monday. A former Congressional aide, Forest said the Barnstable County commissioners hope the training that would take place at the Joint Base Cape Cod machine gun range will move down the highway at the new ranges on Fort Devens and we can avoid litigation. Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a draft report that it said found that the machine gun range as originally proposed may contaminate the Cape Cod Aquifer, thereby creating a significant public health hazard. WCAI reported last week that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will host the EPA and Mass. Army National Guard for a day-long meeting on Oct. 30 aimed at coming to a common understanding. NASEM said it will act as a neutral facilitator for a discussion of the scientific and technical issues surrounding potential impacts to the Cape Cod aquifer from the Massachusetts Army National Guards proposed machine gun range at Joint Base Cape Cod. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A "law enforcement" investigation is likely underway in the multi-state Boar's Head listeria outbreak which has so far led to 59 hospitalizations, including 10 deaths, among 19 states. USA TODAY learned about a possible investigation through rejected and redacted records requests, which likely indicates inquiries for criminal or civil proceedings are in progress, said food safety attorney Bill Marler. The news of an investigation came two weeks after Boar's Head announced it would be closing its Jarratt, Virginia plant permanently. The Jarratt plant was identified as the source of the issue, prompting the company to close it and, in turn, put around 500 people out of work. The deadly outbreak was first reported July 19 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and was followed by a recall of roughly 7.2 million pounds of product by Boar's Head. As the ongoing saga continues, here is a timeline of what we know so far about the outbreak. The human toll: His dad died from listeria tied to Boars Head meat. He needed to share his story. July 19: CDC announces listeria outbreak The CDC announced that public health officials in several states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture were working in tandem with the CDC to track and collect data and samples in a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections, or listeriosis. Initially, the agency said the outbreak appeared to be associated with meats sliced at deli counters but did not have further information on the source. On July 19, the CDC reported 28 cases of illness across 12 states, including two deaths and one sick pregnant person. The deaths occurred in Illinois and New Jersey. July 26: Boar's Head announces liverwurst recall; CDC update Boar's Head Provisions Co., Inc. issued a recall for more than 207,528 pounds of product, including all of its liverwurst products, due to potential listeria contamination. The recalled ready-to-eat liverwurst products were produced between June 11, 2024 and July 17, 2024, and have a 44-day shelf life. The products were distributed to retail deli locations nationwide and are labeled with the establishment number EST. 12612." Boar's Head recalled additional deli meat products that were produced on the same line and on the same day as the liverwurst, including ready-to-eat deli meat with establishment number EST. 12612. produced on June 27, 20424. The same day, the CDC released new investigation information, reporting 34 illnesses linked to the outbreak across 13 states, including 33 hospitalizations and two deaths. July 26: First lawsuit filed A Missouri couple, represented by Law firm OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers, filed a complaint in St. Louis Circuit Court naming Boar's Head Provisions, Co., Inc. and Schnucks Markets, Inc. as defendants. The complaint alleged that Patrick and Sue Fleming purchased Boar's Head liverwurst from their local Schnucks grocery store in June, resulting in a "life-threatening Listeria infection" for Sue, 88. The suit alleged Fleming spent nine days in the hospital receiving intensive treatment before being transferred to a rehabilitation center where she spent another 11 days. Court documents said the couple suffered damages tied to the cost of medical treatment, as well as physical and mental pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, shortened life expectancy and damage to the marital relationship. The 76 and 88-year-olds sought $25,000 in injuries and damages, accusing Boar's Head and Shnucks of multiple counts of negligence, as well as manufacturing defects and breach of implied warranty. July 30: Boar's Head expands recall Boar's Head expanded its recall to all products produced at the Jarratt, Virginia plant where the contaminated liverwurst came from. The expanded recall added an additional 7 million pounds of meat and poultry products ranging from beef, bologna, ham, liverwurst and salami, among others. Now totaling 71 Boars Head and Old Country products made between May 10 and July 29, the recall swelled to cover about 7.2 million pounds. July 31: CDC update CDC issued an update along with the Boar's Head recall, still reporting 43 illnesses including one death. August 1: Class action lawsuit filed in New York A potential class action lawsuit against Boars Head Provisions, Co. Inc. was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, accusing the company of improperly, deceptively, and misleadingly labeled and marketed its products, by failing the full extent of possible contamination by Listeria monocytogenes. The plaintiff, Rita Torres, alleged that she and other reasonable customers would not have purchased Boar's Head liverwurst and other products had the company properly warned consumers about possible bacterial contamination. The suit called the initial July 26 recall insufficient and deliberately designed to preclude the vast majority of customers from receiving a recall. August 7: Pregnant victim files lawsuit A pregnant woman from Minnesota "who nearly lost her unborn child" filed a lawsuit against Boar's Head after she was infected by listeria from eating the company's deli meat sold at a Florida Publix, said OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers. Filed in the District of Minnesota, the first federal lawsuit of the outbreak sought "an amount far greater than" $75,000 and "other relief as the court may find just and equitable." SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA - JULY 31: A recall notice is posted next to Boar's Head meats that are displayed at a Safeway store on July 31, 2024 in San Rafael, California. According to the U.S. Department of Agricultureas Food Safety and Inspection Service, Boar's Head has expanded its recall of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products to nearly 7 million additional pounds due to a listeria outbreak. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) August 8: CDC increases number of dead and sick The CDC released an update on the investigation, now reporting 43 people infected and hospitalized across 13 states, including three total deaths including one from Illinois, New Jersey and Virginia. The CDC also confirmed the epidemiology of the outbreak and tied it to Boar's Head liverwurst. August 20: Most recent CDC update Just 12 days later, new numbers from the CDC reflected six more deaths and 14 new hospitalizations across 18 total states. This brought the number of deaths up to a total of nine and sick and hospitalized up to 57. Of the six new deaths, one occurred in Florida, one in Tennessee, one in New Mexico, one in New York and two in South Carolina. Infections also appeared in five additional states since the early August update, including Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, South Carolina and Tennessee. These are the latest numbers the CDC has provided in the investigation. August 29: Boar's Head inspection records are released Copies of inspection reports filed between 2023 and 2024 by inspectors with the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) were obtained by CBS News and other news sources, including USA TODAY, through a Freedom of Information Act request. The records showed 69 reports of "noncompliance" at the Jarratt, Virginia plant, including reports of insects live and dead black and green mold, as well as mildew, dripping and standing water and other unsanitary conditions within the plant in the weeks leading up to the July recall. Later, more FSIS records were released dating back to January 2022 including reports of leaks and condescension dripping over areas with product, "sludge," "black smudges," "slimy" materials and other residues found on machines and in several rooms across the facility, "putrid," "off" odors, "thick and flaking rust" in several locations including above production lines, and dirt, screws and trash were seen strewn on the floor of production areas. August 30: First wrongful death lawsuit filed Morgenstein was a father of three and grandfather. The first wrongful death lawsuit was filed against Boar's Head on behalf of the family of an 88-year-old Virginia grandfather, master hairstylist and Holocaust survivor who died after eating contaminated liverwurst. Filed in Sarasota, Florida, the suit explained that Morgenstein purchased later-recalled Boar's Head liverwurst on June 30, 2024, from his local Harris Teeter store and became ill after consuming it. He was hospitalized on July 8 and was later found to be suffering from sepsis and listeriosis that was later traced by to Boar's Head meat by the CDC. Despite "aggressive measures," he died on July 18 surrounded by his wife of 50 years and his son Garshon, who USA TODAY previously spoke to about his father's life and legacy. September 6: Multi-million dollar lawsuit hits Boar's Head A new multi-million dollar lawsuit is filed by food safety attorney Bill Marler on behalf of Virginia resident Barbara Schmidt. The suit alleged that Schmidt consumed Boar's Head liverwurst and subsequently became so ill, that she was admitted to the hospital and spent weeks there, including at least six days in the ICU undergoing "invasive procedures that were necessary to save her life," and then rehab for roughly 10. Public health officials determined that Schmidt had not only suffered a listeria infection but it was caused by the Boar's Head outbreak, court documents said. Accusing Boar's Head of multiple counts of negligence, breach of warranty, fraudulent concealment and breach of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act, the lawsuit sought $1 million in compensatory damages as well as $10 million in punitive damages. Boar's Head has recalled more than 7 million pounds of product due to a multi-state listeria outbreak. September 13: Boar's Head announces closure of Jarratt, Virginia plant Boar's Head announced the Jarratt, Virginia Boar's Head plant linked to the ongoing outbreak was closing permanently. About 500 union workers will be impacted by the closing, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 Union spokesman Jonathan Williams told USA TODAY. Additional employees in management were likely affected, too, but he was unsure how many were impacted, he said. "Given the seriousness of the outbreak, and the fact that it originated at Jarratt, we have made the difficult decision to indefinitely close this location, which has not been operational since late July 2024," Boar's Head said in an email statement. The company also said it would be permanently discontinuing its liverwurst products after investigations found the root cause of the contamination only existed at the Jarratt facility in the production of liverwurst. September 27: Denial of Boar's Head listeria records raises questions USA TODAY became aware of the legal investigation when FSIS denied multiple records requests related to the outbreak, citing an exemption that protects from the disclosure of records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes." Under this exemption, records and information can be withheld if they are compiled for law enforcement purposes if the release of this information could "reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings," said the denial letter. "In my 31 years of dealing with (U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service), I've never gotten a response like this," said Marler, who previously called for a congressional hearing into the situation. The investigation could be looking into the conduct of the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspectors in addition to Boar's Head, he said. FSIS withheld nearly 400 pages of documents requested by USA TODAY, saying the premature release of included information could interfere with enforcement proceedings and "hinder the governments ability to further control and shape the investigation." This story has been updated to add new information. Contributing: Mike Snider This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Boar's Head listeria outbreak timeline: Deaths, factory closure and more For the record: 8:49 a.m. Sept. 18, 2024: An earlier version of this article misstated the elevation of the Ostrander Lake trail as 1,500 feet. The trail gains 1,500 feet in elevation. The body of a 61-year-old man was discovered in Yosemite National Park more than 20 days after he was expected to return from his solo hike. Yosemite National Park announced in a Facebook post Thursday that rangers were searching for Kirk Thomas-Olsen, who had gone missing on a planned backing trip around the Ostrander Lake Area from Aug. 23 to 27. A day later, a niece of Thomas-Olsen said in a Facebook post that his body was found, and on Saturday officials confirmed his death but provided no additional information. Thomas-Olsen traveled from San Luis Obispo to the park and left a note on his vehicle announcing when he would return, his niece Holly Leeson told the San Francisco Chronicle. He was declared missing when park rangers discovered the note on Thursday, she said. Leeson then posted on Facebook to ask for the public's help to find her uncle. She described Thomas-Olsen as a "an experienced hiker and former park ranger" and said her family was "struggling to understand what has happened to him out there" in the national park. The trail that he was reportedly following includes an 11.4-mile loop that takes an estimated eight to 10 hours to complete and includes a gentle incline through forest and meadow, according to the National Park Service. Read more: 70-year-old hiker found alive after spending five days alone in the Sierra Nevada wilderness The trail has a steep 1,500-foot elevation gain that opens to views of granite domes. Thomas-Olsen previously worked as a ranger at Hearst San Simeon State Park in San Luis Obispo County, his family told the Chronicle. On Friday, Leeson updated the Yosemite Tourist Information Facebook page to confirm that her uncle had died. "His body was found which is not the outcome we as a family hoped for but I would like to say a genuine thank you to Yosemite National Park for their diligent efforts to find him, and to this community for the support," Leeson wrote. While her uncle was an experienced hiker, Leeson added, "unfortunately Mother Nature in all of her glory does not account for past experience, and solo hiking is never an endeavor that is without risks." "Please, whenever possible, travel with a companion and be safe," Leeson wrote. The National Park Service did not immediately respond to requests for additional information. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Winning a bid, BOEM said, does not authorize the construction and operations of an offshore wind facility. Here, the Block Island wind farm off of Rhode Island. (Scott Eisen | Getty Images) The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will hold an auction for offshore wind leases in the Gulf of Maine in late October, it announced Monday. Eight lease areas off the shores of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine are up for grabs. These lease areas were reduced by 12 percent or more than 116,000 acres from the proposed sale notice, issued in April, in response to concerns from interests including the fishing industry, BOEM said in its final sale notice set to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday. Winning a bid does not authorize the construction and operations of an offshore wind facility, BOEM said in a news release Monday. Instead, that bidder can then submit project-specific plans, which will be subject to environmental, technical, and public reviews before BOEM decides whether to approve it, the bureau said. Developing offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine has been a political debate in New Hampshire. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has embraced the energy opportunity, while his pick to replace him, former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, has said she doesnt think the projects are right for the state. Democratic candidate Joyce Craig, the former Manchester mayor, is for them. The projects would be a huge boon to the regions renewable energy capabilities enough to power more than 4.5 million homes, BOEM said. At the same time, theyve faced bitter opposition from many local fishermen, a crowd of whom voiced their disapproval of the project at a May public meeting held by BOEM in Portsmouth. In its final sale notice, BOEM laid out how it shaped the lease areas in response to feedback from various stakeholders. It received 262 public comments on its proposed sale notice, it said. To avoid sensitive habitats, BOEM said it removed portions of four lease areas. And following data analyses and public engagement around fishing activity, it removed parts of seven lease areas. Other considerations were made for vessel transit, it said. BOEM said it removed from current leasing consideration several areas that overlap with a combination of offshore fishing activity, vessel transit, seafloor features identified by the National Marine Fisheries Service to be potentially sensitive, and areas of relatively higher densities of North Atlantic right whale sightings and detections. Now, the proposal to capture the energy capabilities of this area of the North Atlantic Ocean enters its next phase. To participate in the auction, bidders must take several steps, including submitting financial forms to BOEM by Sept. 27 and a $2 million deposit for each lease area sought, with a maximum of two per bidder, by Oct. 11. There are two lease areas in what BOEM has designated as the north region of the ocean area and six in the south region; accordingly, bidders may vie for a maximum of one lease in the north plus one in the south or two in the south. On Oct. 24, BOEM will hold a mock auction, open only to qualified bidders who have met the bureaus requirements and deadlines. This is an opportunity for bidders to clarify auction rules, test the functionality of the auction software, and identify any potential issues that may arise during the auction, BOEM said. Then, at 9 a.m. on Oct. 29, the real auction will commence, with the minimum bid starting at $50 an acre, the equivalent of between $4.8 million to $6.2 million per lease area. Provisional winners will be announced at the end of the process, which is expected to last one or two business days, according to BOEM. Then, the bidders that didnt win get their deposits back, plus an explanation of why they didnt win, and the Department of Justice gets 30 days to conduct an antitrust review of the auction. After that, BOEM sends three lease copies to each provisional winner, who have 10 days to sign them, post financial assurances, and pay the outstanding balance of their winning bid. Lessees must pay the first year of rent within 45 days, which is $3 per acre. Acreage for the lease areas ranges between just over 96,000 acres to almost 125,000 acres, which puts rent between around $288,000 and almost $375,000 per year until commercial operation starts, after which rent is charged only for undeveloped acreage, BOEM said. Police patrol at a roadblock in Vilaque on the outskirts of El Alto, Bolivia, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. The roadblock was placed by protesters demanding the resignation of Bolivian President Luis Arce for his management of the economy. (AP Photo/Juan Karita) LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) Bolivia's hugely popular and controversial former leftist president, Evo Morales, on Monday called on supporters to take to the streets in protest against his bitter political rival, current President Luis Arce, who hours earlier accused Morales on national TV of trying to overthrow him. Morales appeal to Bolivias farmers, miners and peasants followed President Arce's unprecedented televised speech late Sunday lambasting his former mentor. Accusing Morales of trying to sabotage his administration and undermine democracy, Arce escalated a high-stakes power struggle that has pushed Bolivia to the brink. Enough, Evo! Arce exclaimed on state TV. Until now, I have tolerated your attacks and slander in silence. But putting the lives of people at risk is something I cannot tolerate. Arce, who has faced a series of mounting crises with his ruling party riven by disagreements, alleged that Morales attempts to mobilize support and run against Arce in next year's presidential election was putting democracy at risk." "You are threatening the entire country," Arce said, claiming that Morales sought to return to power by means fair or foul." His dramatic speech in the Andean nation of 12 million dredged up the chaos and bloodshed of 2019, when Morales ran for an unconstitutional third term and won. After accusations of fraud sparked mass protests, Morales resigned under pressure from the army, in what his supporters call a coup. At least 36 people were killed in the ensuing crackdown by security forces. Morales, who served as Bolivias first Indigenous president, has vowed to unleash unrest if he is stopped from running in the August 2025 elections. Ever since the constitutional court last year barred the charismatic leader from the race, coca cultivators, Indigenous tribes and workers whom Morales represented during his presidency from 2006 to 2019 have come to his defense with street protests, marches and road blockades. Speaking to reporters, Morales encouraged the international community to follow his so-called March to Save Bolivia" on Tuesday from the southeast village of Caracollo to Bolivia's administrative capital of La Paz. He described the march 85 kilometers (53 miles) by foot along a highway as a natural expression of protest against the failure of Arces government to fix the worsening economic crisis. Firing back at Arce on Monday, Morales insisted that he had no selfish ulterior motives. The march is the response of a people fed up with their unthinking government, which has maintained absolute silence in the face of the crisis, corruption and the destruction of stability, Morales wrote on social media platform X. President Arce is not only desperate, but also confused. Over the past year, the Arce-Morales rift has polarized Bolivia, tainting the country's politics and creating a sense of turmoil that soldiers sought to seize upon in June in an alleged coup attempt. Anti-government protesters on Monday flocked to the main road leading to Bolivias tourist hotspot of Lake Titicaca, convening and calling on Arce to resign under the watchful gaze of riot police. Some demonstrators piled dirt at the entrances of other roads in the La Paz area, impeding traffic. Its an incompetent government that we have, and it wont solve the economic crisis, said Pablo Merma, a peasant leader of the so-called Red Ponchos, radical Indigenous activists from the high plains who rallied Monday against the president. We are not afraid of you, Arce. Another protest leader, Ponciano Santos, warned Arce that the social movement would hold him responsible for whatever happened on Tuesday. "If you tear gas us, if you interfere with our march, the government will fall, Santos told reporters. Although Arce was Morales former economy minister and his candidate in Bolivias 2020 elections, the erstwhile allies began vying for power after Morales return from exile and political comeback the same year. Bolivias political stagnation and economic quagmire with fuel scarce and the central bank dangerously short on foreign currency reserves has caused some Bolivians once outraged over Morales strongman tendencies to grow nostalgic for the ex-leaders transformation of the economy and remarkable reduction of poverty. ___ Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america Border guards down Shahed drone with small arms, it lands in field photos Border guards have shot down a Russian Shahed drone using small arms in Sumy Oblast. The drone landed in a field and did not detonate. Source: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine on Telegram Quote: "Border guards downed a Shahed-type attack drone with small arms in Sumy Oblast. The drone did not detonate upon landing." A downed drone Photo: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Details: The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine also shared photos of the intact Russian drone found in the field. A downed drone Photo: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Background: On the night of 15-16 September, Russia attacked Ukraine with 56 Shahed-131/136 drones. Air defence destroyed 53 of them, while the remaining three disappeared from radar. Support UP or become our patron! Boss of pilots union says airlines must do more to encourage women into the skies The Balpa general secretary Amy Leversidge has called for airlines to change their policies on menopause, childcare and maternity pay (Getty Images/iStockphoto) The head of a British pilots trade union has said that airlines must do more to make the skies, which are largely dominated by male pilots, more accessible for women. Amy Leversidge, who was elected as the British Airline Pilots Associations (Balpa) first female general secretary in 2023, has called for airlines to improve workplace benefits for female pilots to encourage more women to enter the field. Balpa estimates that out of the entire fleet of pilots in Britain, the percentage of females remains stuck at around six per cent. In an interview with The Telegraph, Leversidge said that the progress of recruiting more women has been very slow, and female representation and visibility in aviation is only surface level if it is not backed up with real policies. Balpa has previously said that despite several high-profile campaigns to try and increase the small statistic of female pilots, the figure has changed little over the years, and that actions over words and images are needed for change. The new general secretary said that one of her goals is to increase the number of female pilots in Britain, especially in light of the countrys pilot shortage. She explained that the issue does not lie in airlines being unlikely to hire women; instead it stems from the many practical issues that discourage women from becoming pilots. Were trying to work with them around things like improving maternity pay and maternity leave, and what happens when you come back in terms of getting back on to the flight deck, she told The Telegraph. Also, how airlines can support women when they are going through menopause. And how they can support working parents with childcare. You hear some stories where both parents are pilots, and theyre handing over children in the car park between flights. Balpa notes that even some pilot uniforms are not designed for women. In the interview, Leversidge also highlighted the finacial barriers for both me and women entering the profession. She pointed out that it costs over 100,000 to become a pilot, with this more often than not coming from the bank of mum and dad. For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calders podcast CHELSEA, Manhattan (PIX11) A 12-year-old boy was shot in Manhattan on Sunday, according to the NYPD. It happened on West 30th Street in Chelsea around 9 p.m. The child was shot in the left leg, police said. More Local News Multiple police cruisers lined the street near the crime scene, video from Citizen App showed. The boy was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. Police are looking for three men in connection to the shooting, sources told PIX11 News. Its unclear if the child was the intended target, according to sources. 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). Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. Revenue: $209.6 million for Q4 2024, up by $3.9 million from the same period last year; $920.1 million for the fiscal year, down from $1 billion. Gross Profit: $5.4 million for Q4 2024, up 8.3% from Q4 last year; $35.2 million for the fiscal year, up 54.4% year-over-year. Net Income: Negative $501,000 for Q4 2024, up from negative $2.5 million in Q4 last year; $9.4 million for the fiscal year, compared to negative $7.9 million last year. Adjusted EBITDA: $2.9 million for Q4 2024, up 4.4%; $22.6 million for the fiscal year, up from $7.2 million last year. Adjusted Net Income: Negative $501,000 for Q4 2024, down from $1.5 million in Q4 last year; $9.6 million for the fiscal year, up from $2.8 million last year. Net Trading Margin: $42.2 million for the fiscal year, up 33.6% from the prior year. Supply Chain Service Revenue: $7.1 million for the fiscal year, down from $7.7 million last year. Net Seed and Processing Margin: $8 million for the fiscal year, up 21.1% from last year. General and Administrative Expenses: $18.4 million for the fiscal year, down 28% from last year. Interest Expense: $6.2 million for the fiscal year, mostly unchanged from last year. Income Tax Expense: $1.6 million for the fiscal year, compared to an income tax recovery of $865,000 last year. Working Capital: $62.3 million at the end of fiscal year 2024. Volumes Handled: 97.1 million bushels of grain and oilseed for the fiscal year, down from 102.9 million bushels last year. Farmers Grain Joint Venture Volumes: Increased by 12% for the fiscal year. Gateway Facility Volumes: Increased by 18% in 2024 compared to last year. Soybean Crush Volumes: Increased by 14% for the fiscal year. Release Date: September 13, 2024 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Positive Points Achieved the second-best fiscal year performance in the company's history with full-year operating income of $16.8 million and net income of $9.4 million. Operational improvements at the Farmers Grain joint venture increased volumes handled by 12% this year. Record soybean crush volumes for fiscal year 2024, driven by proactive soybean procurement and increasing operational efficiencies. Gross profit rose 54.4% year-over-year to $35.2 million, the second highest on record. Significant strides in delivering regenerative agricultural solutions, including strategic partnerships with Trimex, Lavie Bio, and Miller Milling. Negative Points Handled 5.5% fewer volumes this fiscal year, mainly due to the strategic divestment of the Port Colborne facility. Revenue decreased to $920.1 million from $1 billion due to lower commodity prices and bushels merchandised. Net income for Q4 was negative $501,000, although an improvement from negative $2.5 million in the same period last year. Supply chain service revenue decreased to $7.1 million from $7.7 million in 2023, mainly due to the sale of the Port Colborne facility. General and administrative expenses were $18.4 million, partially offset by higher incentive accruals in 2024. Story continues Q & A Highlights Q: Can you provide more details on the factors that contributed to the record soybean crush volumes this fiscal year? A: (Carlos Paz, CEO) The record soybean crush volumes were primarily driven by our team's proactive soybean procurement and increasing operational efficiencies at the Jordan crush plant. This led to a 14% increase in yearly volumes, resulting in record-breaking volumes and margins. Q: What were the main reasons behind the 5.5% decrease in volumes handled this fiscal year? A: (Carlos Paz, CEO) The decrease in volumes handled was mainly due to our strategic divestment of the Port Colborne facility in Q3 2023. This move aimed at streamlining our asset footprint and optimizing our operations around our core products, accounting for a 4% reduction in handled volumes. Q: How did the Farmers Grain joint venture perform this year? A: (Carlos Paz, CEO) Operational improvements at our Farmers Grain joint venture increased volumes handled by 12% this year. This high efficiency resulted from our focus on recruiting top talent, securing freight capacity, and ensuring timely rail execution. Q: Can you elaborate on the financial performance for the fiscal year? A: (Blake Amundson, CFO) We achieved new record financial results this year, with gross profit rising 54.4% year-over-year to $35.2 million. Revenue was $920.1 million, down from $1 billion, due to lower commodity prices and bushels merchandised. Net income hit a new record, totaling $9.4 million, or $0.30 per share, compared to negative $7.9 million or negative $0.25 per share in the prior year. Q: What are the expectations for the supply chain services segment next quarter? A: (Carlos Paz, CEO) We anticipate increasing volumes due to competitor logistics challenges and increased demand for Northgate's transloading products, which should drive solid results for the segment next quarter. Q: How is the company positioned to capitalize on the upcoming harvest season? A: (Carlos Paz, CEO) Favorable weather in Canada and the US points to higher-than-average crop yields, which will allow us to maximize our storage capacity and volume across our network of assets. Our team will closely monitor crop developments to capitalize on market opportunities. Q: Can you discuss the progress in the regenerative agriculture initiative? A: (Carlos Paz, CEO) We made significant strides in our long-term strategy of delivering regenerative agricultural solutions. We announced several strategic partnerships, including collaborations with Trimex and Lavie Bio. We also expanded our partnership with Miller Milling to improve agronomic and environmental outcomes for wheat growers in North Dakota. Q: What were the key strategic initiatives for fiscal year 2024? A: (Carlos Paz, CEO) Our primary focus included identifying creative partnerships to expand grain origination, deploying regenerative agricultural solutions across the supply chain, and maximizing the earnings potential of our assets. Streamlining our asset footprint through strategic divestments was also crucial to achieving new record financial results. Q: How did the seed retail and processing segment perform this year? A: (Carlos Paz, CEO) The segment realized record soybean crush volumes for fiscal year 2024, driven by proactive soybean procurement and increasing operational efficiencies at the Jordan crush plant. This led to a 14% increase in yearly volumes and record-breaking margins. Q: What are the company's plans for the next fiscal year? A: (Carlos Paz, CEO) We aim to build on this year's momentum by continuing to execute our core strategies and delivering strong results for our shareholders. This includes maximizing storage capacity and volume, increasing supply chain service volumes, and maintaining high crush capacity utilization in the seed retail and processing segment. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Another teen has been arrested for threatening two other teens in Putnam County. The Putnam County Sheriffs Office said a 13-year-old boy wrote to two girls who also attend Palatka Junior-Senior High School, threatening to kill them. The boy sent the girls photos of two guns, asking them which one he should use in the shooting. The girls contacted a school administrator, who contacted PCSO. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] I made it abundantly clear that if a student, or any person, makes a threat at one of our schools, we will take action to arrest and let the community know who is threatening our students, staff and schools, Putnam Sheriff H.D. Gator DeLoach said in a news release. Thirteen is plenty old enough to know right from wrong and I dont want to hear excuses about age. He knew he was threatening other students and he continued to do so. I cannot say it loud enough stop the nonsense, stop making threats and stop sharing social media posts to cause disruption and chaos. I will post your photo, I will let the community know. Parents, youre also on notice to do your job. You are parents, not friends. Take away the phones and the electronics. Youre the sheriff in your house and if you dont hold youre child accountable, I will when they continue with these stupid games. I am done playing. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Investigators determined that the photos of the guns were saved on the boys phone. The weapons belonged to a family member and he did not have access to them at the time of the threat, PCSO said. PCSO said since the beginning of the school year, it has seen a "barrage of fake threats in the countys schools. The 13-year-old boy is now in the custody of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. His partner was his twin flame. Now hes accused of murdering them with a sword Nevaeh Goddard, 17, left, was allegedly killed by their boyfriend, Shane Curry, right (Nardolillo Funeral Home / YouTube) For two hours on April 5, authorities tried coaxing Shane Curry and his partner from the bedroom of their Stow, Massachusetts, home. Get the f*** out, you creeps, the 20-year-old shouted back as officers banged on his locked door, trying to enter to carry out a wellbeing check, police said. Stow Police Chief Michael Sallese had previously met Curry during a mental health crisis and, as he knocked on the door once more, this time, it creaked open. Authorities found Curry curled up on a mattress next to his 17-year-old partner Nevaeh River Goddard who he referred to as his twin flame, according to the indictment obtained byPeople. But Goddard was lying motionless. Officers pulled back a blanket that was covering their body and noticed obvious signs of injury, according to a statement released by the Middlesex County District Attorneys Office last Friday. The teen was covered in bruises and stab wounds, and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the DA offices statement. I spoke to the boyfriend, grandfather Michael Simmons, who raised Goddard as a child, told 10WJAR five days later. He promised to take care of her. On April 7, the fiance of Goddards mother, Heather Coyne, called for Curry to face the death penalty, writing in a Facebook post that he should rot in hell. Shane Curry, a 20-year-old accused of murdering his teenager partner (10WJAR/YouTube) One month later, on September 4, Curry faced Judge Patrick Haggaan at Middlesex Superior Court and was charged with first degree murder. He was accused of stabbing his partner to death with a sword, with the weapon found alongside a kitchen knife in the bedroom, according to the indictment. After being handcuffed and taken out of the bedroom, Curry told officers that the couple had gotten into a fight over Goddards alleged infidelity. Curry then allegedly began beating his partner for their cheating addiction, court documents said. The bruises arent working, Curry allegedly told police. Hitting her, thats not working, so okay, I have to knife her, so I do. Then, Curry plunged the sword into Goddards abdomen, authorities said. He allegedly noted it was horrifying as he stabbed his partner again, with an autopsy revealing puncture wounds to the neck, torso, arms and liver. Upon learning Goddard wasnt breathing, Curry told authorities that he sliced his own arms in a bid to take his own life, according to the indictment. Curry was taken into custody and transported to hospital for evaluation. Nevaeh Goddard was first reported missing at just 15 (Nardolillo Funeral Home/ Kristin Goddard & Heather Coyne) He was initially arraigned in Concord District Court on April 6 on charges of assault and battery on a household or family member and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, according to the statement from the DAs office. Goddard, who used she/they pronouns and identified as non-binary, was laid to rest at Nardolillo Funeral Home in Cranston, Rhode Island, on April 20, according to an obituary page set up by their family. Goddard would have turned 18 in July. The teen had a tough start to life, according to Simmons, with their mother Kristin Goddard giving birth while serving a sentence in a Pennsylvania prison. Goddard then spent part of their childhood in foster care. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children had listed Goddard as missing since April 2022. Kristin said her child ran away after Rhode Islands Department for Children, Youth & Families requested that Goddard receive behavioral treatment at a state facility, she told Boston 25 News. Despite Goddards tumultuous upbringing, their amazing, outgoing personality shone through, according to an obituary. She was very creative and artistic, she loved to write her own music. Her cuddly nature was only matched by her quick wit, and goofiness, it continued. Devastated family and friends shared their condolences on the obituary page, with aunt Nancy writing: I will light a million candles for you just so you can see how much you are loved by everyone. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (L) takes part in a visit to the German-Kazakh Economic Forum alongside Kassym-Shomart Tokayev,President of Kazakhstan. Michael Kappeler/dpa One of Germany's biggest refineries is set to receive crude oil from Kazakhstan for a longer period of time, the German Economy Ministry confirmed on Monday as Chancellor Scholz visited the Central Asian nation. The PCK refinery in Brandenburg sources some of its crude oil from Kazakhstan but has been running at lower capacity since 2023 when Germany switched away from using Russian oil. Until that point, the facility was processing only Russian oil to supply north-eastern Germany with petrol, diesel, heating oil and other products. But when the Kremlin started the war against Ukraine, Germany halted Russian oil imports and hastened to find other energy sources to lessen its heavy dependence on Russian supplies. Berlin also took control of the refinery, which is majority owned by subsidiaries of Russian state oil company Rosneft. Now, officials are signing a follow-up contract in Kazakhstan through Rosneft Germany to ensure supply security and also to protect the business operations of Rosneft Germany, PCK Schwedt and the Miro and Bayernoil refineries in the longer term. Kazakhstan supplied some 1 million tons of crude oil to PCK last year and is set to provide 1.4 million tons this year. The contracts signed in Kazakhstan now provide for supply beyond 2024, according to a government spokesman, though no exact quantities were given. The contract partner is not the government but rather the company owners. Two German subsidiaries of the Russian state-owned company Rosneft hold a majority stake of 54% in PCK and these have been under trusteeship since September 2022. Rosneft spokesman Burkhard Woelki told dpa that the contract with Kazakhstan had been extended for an oil delivery of 100,000 tonnes per month until the end of 2025. He added that it was possible to obtain more quantities, as the process was being handled flexibly. Scholz confirmed over the weekend that sales negotiations involving the Rosneft subsidiaries are underway and are expected to be concluded by the end of the year. Qatar is said to be a potential discussion partner. The German ministry said the planned change of ownership could influence whether the European Commission approves a planned subsidy for the expansion of a pipeline from the port of Rostock to Schwedt. State Secretary Michael Kellner said the Commission has made a preliminary assessment under state aid law. The government's subsidy of up to 400 million ($444 million) for the upgrade of the pipeline is fundamentally justifiable as aid if Russia's Rosneft is no longer the indirect owner. Brexit red tape on British businesses has caused goods trade between the UK and EU to slump and the problem is getting worse, a study has warned. Many smaller UK producers have given up exporting small amounts to the EU after facing more rules and regulations, a report by Aston University Business School has found. Between 2021 and 2023, the study calculated that UK goods exports to the EU were down 27% and imported goods were 32% lower than where they would have been had Brexit not happened. The report does not include the service sector, which has performed better than many experts had expected since Brexit. The variety of trade export goods has also dropped, the study found, with 1,645 fewer types of British products exported to every EU country. The authors said this is due to smaller British producers giving up on exporting consignments to some EU nations after facing increased red tape. Mary Quicke of Quicke's Cheeses in Devon told the BBC's Today programme that she had found it "really, really difficult to deal with all the regulatory burdens". She said she used to supply four customers directly in the EU but "we had to give them away to somebody else". "We just don't have the people to do the paperwork. 'A grinding halt' Adam Sopher, the co-founder and chief executive of Joe & Sephs popcorn, has also found post-Brexit regulations a burden. He set up the company 13 years ago and it now has an 8m turnover with 70 employees. He said Brexit was initially very challenging. We were being asked for vet certificates for caramel popcorn because it contains butter". Pre-Brexit, individuals, cinemas and retail stores in the EU could order popcorn online and they could send it by Royal Mail or a courier service, but then all of it came to a grinding halt. Brexit has led to huge amount of extra costs because of the added administration, he said. Bulk deliveries to the EU have recovered, but where it used to cost about 130 per pallet previously, it now costs 230-250 predominately due to red tape and administrative fees. Theres a huge amount of opportunity for growth if these rules can be improved, he said. The report said that the "negative impacts of the [trade agreement] have intensified over time, with 2023 showing more pronounced trade declines than previous years". Jun Du, one of the authors of the research, told the BBC there had been an increase in regulations such as "product standards, safety checks and labeling requirements". "While these measures do protect consumers, competition and the environment, they also increasingly bring difficulties and costs for the traders," she said. Agrifood, textiles and materials manufacturing (wood and paper) have been hardest hit, according to the study. Trade with more distant countries in the EU has also been impacted the most, including Commonwealth allies such as Cyprus and Malta. However, the report's authors say a small number of sectors have proven resilient, especially in terms of exports to bigger EU economies such as Germany and France. The tobacco, railway and aircraft sectors saw increases in the variety of exports to EU nations. A government spokesperson said it will "work to improve our trade and investment relationship with the EU and tear down unnecessary trade barriers, while recognising that there will be no return to the single market, customs union or freedom of movement". The BBC understands that in recent meetings with government, business representatives were invited to contribute early ideas on resetting the trade relationship with the EU, with a focus on economic security. Progress is unlikely until next year, when the new European Commission is firmly established, and the UK has itself completed new industrial and trade strategies. A federal appellate court has ruled that Judith Maureen Henry, who spent two weeks in jail in a case of mistaken identity, cannot sue the U.S. Marshals who arrested her. The marshals arrested Henry on a warrant for a woman of the same name who skipped out on parole in Pennsylvania in 1993. Henry protested her innocence and asked for her fingerprints to be compared to those of the woman named in the warrant. That did not happen until after she was transferred from the jail in New Jersey, where she was living, to Pennsylvania. The court ruled that since the marshals were acting on a lawful warrant, they had qualified immunity. The post Brickbat: It's All There in Black and White appeared first on Reason.com. Bristol, Virginia Schools to host viewing of VDOE chat on cell phone use BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) First Lady of Virginia Suzanne Youngkin and the Virginia Department of Education will lead a fireside chat on school cell phone use on Sept. 19. Youngkin and social psychologist, author and researcher Dr. Jonathan Haidt will discuss the findings of Haidts book, The Anxious Generation, and how it informs communities/schools in limiting social media and phone use to help restore childhood and play. Overmountain Rally brings Travis Pastrana, spectators to Johnson City The viewing, hosted by Bristol, Virginia Public Schools, is open to community members, parents and guardians. Its scheduled from 7 9 p.m. at Virginia Intermediate School (350 Van Pelt Circle). To RSVP, 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 WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. British pensioners face their worst winter on record just as bills fall in France Millions of French households will see their energy bills fall this winter thanks to falling global fuel prices, but bills in Britain will rise by 10pc. The French regulator last week confirmed that electricity bills for households on the state-regulated tariff would drop by up to 15pc. Meanwhile, prices for British billpayers will surge from October due to a change in the energy price cap. Energy bills for Britons will be lower than last winter, when a typical household paid 1,834 for gas and electricity. But between the absence of cost-of-living support paid to all households last year and Rachel Reevess decision to axe winter fuel payments, elderly households are expected to face their worst winter on record with costs rising by around 500. Most households in France are signed up to EDFs tariff bleu, which is regulated by the national regulator, la Commission de regulation de lenergie. Last week, the French regulator said households could expect to see a reduction in their bills from February. This means a family paying an annual electricity bill of 2,000 (1,690) would save at least 200 from February onwards, the CRE said. In Britain, energy regulator Ofgem announced last month a typical household bill would rise from 1,568 a year to 1,717. Analysts predict the cap will rise again to 1,762 in January. Ofgems energy price cap is adjusted once every three months to reflect the wholesale market, while the CRE reviews the tariff bleu twice a year. Dr Craid Lowery, of analyst Cornwall Insight, said a volatile wholesale market and Britains heavy reliance on imported energy had created a perfect storm for households. France has also maintained a state-backed cap on energy bills for far longer than Britain. Unlike Britains Energy Price Guarantee, introduced by Liz Truss during her short premiership and removed last year, Frances cap on energy prices is only just being phased out. EDF was nationalised by President Emmanuel Macron in 2022. That same year, the company was forced to take an 84bn (7bn) hit after Macron ordered the energy giant to limit price rises to just 4pc. It was also made to sell some of the electricity it generated to smaller competitors at a cut price, ensuring households not signed up to tariff bleu were shielded from higher bills. Around 17.5 million French households and businesses are not tied to a regulated tariff. Energy prices across Europe soared during this time, as Frances nuclear output dropped to a record low. Several reactors affected by stress corrosion were shut down for repairs. Despite pressure from the regulator to raise prices by 74.5pc last year, the French government only raised prices by 10pc. In Britain, bills have consistently fallen every three months since January last year, reaching a two-year low of 1,568 a year in July. Frances nuclear output has recovered as its reactors came back online boosting the countrys output to a three-year high in April. Marco Forgione, director general at the Chartered Institute of Export and International Trade, said Britain would struggle to keep household bills low while it continued to import vast quantities of energy. In 2022 the UK imported 37pc of its primary energy, with gas imports reaching an all-time high, according to the Department for Energy Security. By contrast, Mr Forgione said France, which is a net producer of energy, would continue to see bills fall, especially with its nuclear reactors running again. He added: Even though the government support is being removed in France, their prices will lower, while the energy price cap in Britain is set to rise. Energy Secretary Ed Milliband is in the process of setting up Britains own national energy firm, GB Energy. In July Sir Keir Starmer announced the companys first major partnership with the Crown Estate, which the prime minister hopes will unlock billions of investment in green power. Speaking at the launch of the company, Sir Keir said: It is an ambitious goal it would put us ahead of any major economy in the world. But at the moment, were nowhere near the front of the pack and this is a race we have to win. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Reality Check is a Star series holding those with power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at RealityCheck@kcstar.com. For the third consecutive year, Kansas failed to meet requirements of a foster care settlement stemming from a class action lawsuit and in some areas took a step back, a report released Monday said. Fewer children were in stable placements during calendar year 2023, and the rate at which children moved between placements increased, according to the report by the Center for the Study of Social Policy and its president, Judith Meltzer. Though Kansas reduced the number of nights children sleep overnight in offices which is an issue in several states across the nation that practice wasnt eliminated. While the State continues to show progress in several areas, the report said, it is far from meeting the majority of the anticipated final targets within the time frames expected in the Settlement Agreement. ... The State continues to struggle to improve its overall case practice with children/youth and families. The independent monitor highlighted failures that should be a wakeup call for every Kansan who cares about kids, said Teresa Woody, litigation director of Kansas Appleseed, one of four entities that filed the class action lawsuit in late 2018. And those failings, she said, have caused devastating trauma and harm to Kansass most vulnerable children. The State, DCF (Department for Children and Families) and its contractors have broken their promises and are not protecting the health and well-being of the children in their care, Woody said. DCF and its contractors must be held accountable, and Kansas must step up to find the resources and reforms necessary to keep its children not only safe but thriving. Added Lori Burns-Bucklew, a Kansas City attorney who is among those who filed the suit: Were concerned about whether Kansas is going to be able to self reform. State officials, though, said in a release that Kansas is making progress as it works to repair the child welfare system. They pointed to data in the new report that show that 69% of children and youth in DCF custody received timely mental health and trauma screenings. And that in 52% of the cases reviewed, children and youth had their mental and behavioral needs addressed. Additionally, officials said, 80% of the children who needed mental health or behavioral health services did not see a delay in mental health treatment being provided due to placement instability. DCF Secretary Laura Howard said she wants to focus on that small cohort of youth experiencing extreme instability that at times can end up staying in child welfare offices overnight. Im proud of the steps weve taken and the changes made so far to improve our states child welfare system, Howard said in the release. But I recognize this is a process, and there is more work to be done. Were continuously assessing the barriers we face in certain areas and looking for creative solutions and community partnerships that will help us continue making meaningful change and ultimately improving the lives of the Kansas children and families we serve. Linda Bass, president of KVC Kansas, one of five contractors that currently handle foster care in the state, said its important to understand that much of the settlement focuses on a smaller group of children who are hard to place. Those children often have behavioral and mental health needs. I dont think we can just discount that for the majority of kids, the system is working just as intended, Bass told The Star. Theyre safe in care. Theyre stable in care, they have their mental and physical health needs met, and they go home to their families, or theyre adopted. Were paying attention to the settlement because thats about the youth that the system is not working as intended. More benchmarks not met Local advocates and two national childrens rights organizations filed the suit in November 2018 alleging that some children in Kansas had been treated so poorly that they had suffered mentally or run away from foster homes. In some cases, the class action suit said, they had been trafficked for sex, sexually abused inside adoptive homes or in one instance reportedly raped inside a child welfare office. The goal of the suit wasnt to receive money, but to fix the system for these children and others who come after them, the attorneys who filed the suit have said. As part of the settlement, which a judge approved in early 2021, the state needs to meet 14 standards before it is released from court oversight. According to Mondays report, the state failed to meet more than half of those in the calendar year 2023, which is the year this third analysis measured. Meltzer found that Kansas met four benchmarks, including reporting data for caseloads for workers and supervisors. But the state failed to meet eight, the report said. One couldnt be measured, and the state is in the process of meeting another. That means that in 2023 the state met the same number of benchmarks it did the previous year, and the number of benchmarks it failed to meet went up in the most recent report compared to the year prior. Last year, Kansas failed to meet six benchmarks and met four, including requirements to track youth incarceration and mend state contracts to include immediate mandates for private contractors. Two outcomes in last years report couldnt be determined because of data issues. Another two were in progress. To make additional progress, the State will need to more aggressively pursue strategies to increase placement stability for all children/youth in care and improve their access to quality, accessible mental health services, Mondays report said. They will also need to focus specific efforts on those children in their custody who are having the most problematic experiences in terms of placement stability and permanency. Advocates and attorneys who filed the suit are frustrated by the lack of progress. And they question whether more entities should come in to assist. The human toll this system is taking is staggering and it just seems to be getting worse, said Leecia Welch, deputy litigation director of Childrens Rights, which was part of the class action lawsuit. DCF clearly cant fix this system without help help from the Legislature and help from outside experts. Whatever steps DCF has been taking are clearly not enough and far too many children remain trapped in a broken system. Bass agrees that people must get involved to improve lives for all kids in care. Were not happy with where the settlement report is, either, Bass said. We recognize that theres nothing on that settlement as a category that we think is trivial. Placement, stability, access to mental health care, those are all the basic building blocks of foster care. But she and others said that the fix must come from everyone inside the states child welfare system, which also includes the community, courts and medical professionals. We can do every single thing that we can think of and do it perfectly, and were still never going to be able to do it alone, she said. Because this is a system of organizations, and were going to all have to keep working together. Changes in 2024 State child welfare officials say theyve made progress in certain areas this year not reflected in the report, which only covers 2023. Contractors that handle the states foster care agree. I think every case management provider has now made changes that we are going to see (next year), said Bass, of KVC. One area where KVC has seen improvement in recent months is mental health assessments, she said, and making sure a referral for services is made in a timely manner. KVC has a team dedicated to conducting assessments of youth and families entering care, she said. We have a very tight tracking system to make sure that nobody falls through the cracks, Bass said. So I feel really solid in our system, and I know that other CMPs (nonprofit contractors) have done something similar. But when it comes to some foster care children sleeping in offices, the state continues to struggle in the calendar year 2024. In July, The Star reported that three out of the four contractors in the past year had children sleep in offices on multiple occasions. When children are kept overnight in a child welfare office, they sleep on a cot or couch or other accommodations and are given basic hygiene items if they dont have them, DCF has said. Staff members stay in the office overnight with them. Kansas foster children spent 136 nights sleeping in offices from July 2023 through May of this year, The Star found after analyzing information from DCF. Cases managed by Saint Francis Ministries headquartered in Salina made up 80% of those stays (109 nights), which the state refers to as failure to place. Saint Francis had kids log 88 nights in April and May alone. Overnight office stays are just one way some kids are failed in Kansas, advocates and attorneys said Freya Pitts, senior attorney, National Center for Youth Law, in the release provided by Kansas Appleseed. Young people across Kansas are still ensnared in a system that fails to provide them with safe and stable placements and is not equipped to meet their mental health needs, either in times of crisis or as they navigate their daily lives. The State must take action to reverse course. Brothers wanted for fraud against seniors in Franklin FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WKRN) Authorities are working to locate two brothers accused of multiple crimes in Franklin. Franklin police reported warrants have been issued for LeVarius Marquez Owens, 24, and LaDarius TreShawn Owens, 23. Jury duty scams targeting Williamson County residents: Sheriff LaDarius TreShawn Owens (Courtesy: Franklin Police Department) LeVarius Marqez Owens (Courtesy: Franklin Police Department) The brothers are accused of financial exploitation of the elderly, theft over $10,000, theft over $2,500, forgery and identity theft. They are believed to be residing in Columbia and may be traveling in a silver Chevy Impala with Tennessee license plate BQZ5414. (Courtesy: Franklin Police Department) Anyone with information on their whereabouts is urged to contact the Franklin Police Department at 615-794-2513. No additional information was immediately released. Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go. Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox. 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. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Bucyrus Public Library purchased 12 wheeled and adjustable work tables for the innovative LEVEL UP program thanks to a grant from Ohio Mutual Insurance Group. The donation marks a significant step in expanding the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) initiative for young adults in grades 6-12, according to a news release. The library developed LEVEL UP in partnership with the Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center, the Ohio Afterschool Network and the Friends of the Bucyrus Public Library. The program encourages young adults to explore and prepare for careers and/or college enrollment by providing hands-on experience with equipment and technology professionals use in STEAM fields. Participants have been able to learn and engage with tools such as Fusion 360, the Adobe Creative Suite and Sphero robots. Ohio Mutual Insurance awarded a grant to Bucyrus Public Library to buy tables for the LEVEL UP program. Shown by the tables are Library Youth Services manager Kolter Kiess, left, Ohio Mutual vice president of corporate communications Todd Boyer and library board President Kathleen Teynor Fiske. LEVEL UP will expand to incude young adults and adults As of July 31, 226 young adults have completed 1,833 activities and projects in the first nine months of LEVEL UP programming, according to the release. In light of the success, Bucyrus Public Library is expanding the program into LEVEL UP Plus to include young adults and adult patrons, requiring increased resources and upgrades to the library's Makerspace facilities. Adding new work tables, sponsored by Ohio Mutual Insurance Group, provides flexibility and functionality for various activities. We can't thank Ohio Mutual Insurance Group enough. The addition of the new work tables has not only set up LEVEL UP for success today but also for the future, said Youth Services Manager Kolter Kiess in the release. We're so lucky to have such a supportive partner in our community, and we greatly appreciate their support in helping the library and Crawford County grow. The LEVEL UP program is offered 3:30-6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. As part of the expansion, the library will begin hosting LEVEL UP Plus activities for young adults and adults 6-7:30 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays with additional programs 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. the second Saturday of each month. Due to a limited number of supplies, LEVEL UP Plus participants will need to register for guided activities, which will be held Mondays. The expanded sessions will begin this month, with second Saturday programming starting in November. For more informatione contact Kiess at 419562-7327, Ext. 110, or visit bucyruslibrary.org. This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Ohio Mutual Insurance awards grant to Bucyrus Public Library (Bloomberg) -- A gauge of Chinese stocks listed in Hong Kong swung to a gain in volatile trading as investors debated whether weaker macro data will prompt the government to bolster stimulus. Most Read from Bloomberg The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index closed up 0.3% after earlier sliding as much as 1.3%. Property shares were among the biggest decliners, with a gauge of the sector dropping as much as 1.8%, while utility stocks rose. Mainland markets are shut until Wednesday for holidays. Disappointing economic data over the weekend is adding pressure on the authorities to ramp up fiscal and monetary stimulus if the nation is to reach this years growth target. As deflation gets entrenched, investors are hoping the government will boost fiscal spending and or even try to directly help the consumer. Support from fiscal policy, which has lagged throughout 2024, could step up, Wei He, an economist at Gavekal Research, wrote in a client note. The government will probably introduce some additional stimulus measures in coming months. Still, those measures are unlikely to convince market participants that nominal growth prospects are improving, he said. Failure to achieve the annual growth target may further undermine investor confidence, with overseas funds already pulling a record amount of money out of the country in the second quarter. A rebound in the nations equities earlier this year has lost momentum, with the CSI 300 Index closing at its lowest since 2019 last week. Declines may increase in absence of a forceful stimulus. Chinas central bank indicated late last week that it will step up its fight against deflation and prepare additional policies to revive the economy, after credit data showed private confidence remained weak despite previous interest-rate cuts. The nation is poised to cut interest rates on more than $5 trillion of outstanding mortgages as early as this month in a bid to spur consumption, Bloomberg News reported last week, citing people familiar with the matter. The recent Chinese economic data paints a grim picture, with key indicators missing expectations and signaling heightened uncertainty for China equities, said Manish Bhargava, chief executive officer at Straits Investment Management. While aggressive stimulus may offer a short-term boost to equities, the authorities incremental measures to date have raised doubts about the potential scale and effectiveness of future intervention, he said. Story continues Macro conditions in China have now turned so weak they are challenging the argument about owning Chinese equities due to their ultra-cheap valuations. The HSCEI currently trades at 7.1 times its 12-month forward earnings estimate, compared with its five-year average of 8.4 times, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Valuations look tempting, but when you look at macro, it is not there, Ecaterina Bigos, chief investment officer for Asia excluding Japan at AXA Investment Managers, said in a Bloomberg TV interview. Macro elements are very weak across the board. Concern over slowing economic growth has seen investors pile into the nations sovereign debt, pushing 10-year yields to the lowest level since Bloomberg began tracking the data more than 20 years ago. Analysts have called for strong stimulus measures to help break this cycle. Policymakers have a window to loosen monetary policy this month when the medium-term lending facility rate and liquidity decision both come due. All but two analysts surveyed by Bloomberg predict the central bank will keep the one-year policy rate at 2.3%, though some see a potential reduction in the reserve requirement ratio. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Theres a new program approved for full-ride Build Dakota Scholarships at Southeast Technical College. According to Southeast Tech, the school has awarded 164 Build Dakota Scholarships, all sponsored by the industry for the 2024-25 academic year. Now, students looking to earn an Early Childhood Specialist associate degree can apply for a Build Dakota Scholarship, where graduates must commit to working in South Dakota for three years following graduation. Southeast Technical College says students need an industry sponsor to qualify for a Build Dakota Scholarship in the Early Childhood program. Police investigating Saturday shooting in central SF The demand for more childcare providers is great nationwide, but particularly in the Sioux Falls region, STC President Cory Clasemann said in a news release. We are hopeful that by having a scholarship option for our students, we can educate more individuals and help fill this workforce void. According to a 2023 Board of Technical Education report, Southeast Techs early childhood specialist program has had enrollment as high as 45 students but averages around 36 students in the past five years. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com. Byron cop indicted after suspect was shot. He still works for city, police captain says Editors note: This story has been updated after the Byron Police Department clarified the former officer no longer works as a cop but is still working for the city of Byron. A former Byron police officer has been indicted after he shot a suspect in a chase last year, the Byron Police Department said Monday. A Peach County grand jury indicted former officer James Ryan Carroll after he allegedly shot a suspect during a police chase in Byron on Oct. 23, 2023, according to the police department and Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Carroll has been charged with aggravated assault and violation of oath by a public officer, according to his indictment. District Attorney Anita Howard presented the case to a grand jury Friday. Police Chief Wesley Cannon said he believes Carroll had reasonable grounds for shooting at the suspect. It is my opinion that Carrolls actions were legally justified in this case and Carroll is still employed with the City of Byron, Cannon said in a media release. Carroll does not work at the police department anymore and was transferred to another city department, Police Capt. Bryan Hunter told The Telegraph Monday. He wasnt arrested over the indictment and doesnt have a court date upcoming yet, according to Kelli Vasquez-Lopez, deputy clerk handling criminal cases with Peach County Superior Court. The grand jury said in its indictment that Carroll willfully and intentionally violated his oath as a police officer by unlawfully shooting the suspect. The indictment says he swore to perform his duties as a police officer for the Byron Police Department without malice but shot the suspect without legal authority. Cop allegedly shot into moving car multiple times The suspect was shot and tased after he allegedly stole a car and refused to follow Carrolls instructions, according to the GBI. The GBI did a preliminary independent investigation into the shooting, as requested by BPD. The police department received a 911 call regarding a stolen car possibly in Byron, taken from the Atlanta area on Oct. 23, 2023. Officers searched and found the stolen Silver 2018 Volkswagen Atlas at a McDonalds in Byron off of Highway 49, but nobody was inside the car, according to the GBIs preliminary investigation. Carroll tried to find the driver, who then left McDonalds and got into the vehicle. The driver was later identified as Kory Matyas Karpich, 37, from Gainesville. The officer instructed Karpich to get out of the car, but he refused to follow instructions, the GBI said in a news release. Carroll then broke a window to enter the car and tased him. But the taser was ineffective, the GBI said. Karpich tried to drive away and crashed into the McDonalds building and Carrolls patrol car, which was parked directly behind the stolen car, according to the GBI. The officer shot into the moving car multiple times, hitting Karpich, the GBI said. Karpich drove away from the scene and officers chased after him until he crashed the car in Bibb County, the GBI said. He was taken into custody without further incident, and treated at a medical center in Macon for his injuries. No officers were injured. Karpich wound up being charged with possession of drug related objects, methamphetamine, fleeing or alluding a police officer, obstruction and theft by receiving or possessing stolen property. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. NILES, Ohio (WKBN) The Cafaro Company marked 75 years of being in operation Sunday evening with a celebration at the Eastwood Event Centre. Read next: White House Fruit Farm opens new Express Donut Sales Area The company was founded in 1949 by William Cafaro who was a bar owner and steel worker. Since then, the Cafaro Company now has 3.3 million square feet of rental space including the Eastwood Mall. Joe Bell with the Cafaro Company says its making sure its around for another 75 years. We bring people in here for not just shopping, for all the needs of their lives. We try to do more every year to make it more relevant for everyones existence here in the Mahoning Valley, Bell said. Bell didnt give specifics but said there are a few huge deal in the pipeline for the Cafaro Company. Wilson Corbisello 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. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) Officials with the California City Police Department announced police were made aware of a rumored threat to schools in the area, but the threat has been deemed as not credible. Officials say the alleged threat circulated among parents socials media. Death investigation launched after 73 y.o. man found dead in southwest Bakersfield: Kern County Sheriffs Office The investigation determined there was no threat toward schools in the area. Police say the proper agency has been notified. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17. The California Department of Public Health sent a letter to hospitals last week clarifying the scope of practice for certified nurse anesthetists. The state guidance was applauded by physician anesthesiologists, who recently have been in conflict with nurse anesthetists, who increasingly administer anesthesia to patients before surgeries and scoping procedures. CRNAs play a vital role in the anesthesia care team in California, but its important to recognize that physician leadership remains essential to ensure patient safety and compliance with state and federal regulations, Todd Primack, a division chair for the California Society of Anesthesiologists, said in a statement. Hospitals in Modesto have been marked by confusion over the role of CRNAs. Federal and state surveys at Stanislaus Surgical Hospital found CRNAs were in charge of anesthesia services and had been given full prescriptive and diagnostic authority at the hospital. The inspectors issued a notice of violation in January, declaring that the lack of oversight over CRNAs placed patients in jeopardy. The survey quoted executives at the short-stay hospital expressing opinion that CRNAs perform the same work as physician anesthesiologists and have the same authority. The inspections in August 2023 and January-February sharply criticized the work of nurse anesthetists, causing the California Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (CANA) to allege the survey team was biased. The survey concluded that lack of oversight of CRNAs, who were working as independent practitioners, was to blame for negative health outcomes of 10 patients who required transfer to a higher level of care. Stanislaus Surgical Hospital also didnt have bylaws and policies for the use of CRNAs, but had only older policies on the books for staffing operating rooms with anesthesiologists. CDPH, in a Sept. 6 all-facilities letter, reminded hospitals about CRNA scope-of-practice definitions and also stressed that anesthesia services must be well-organized, with bylaws and policies for using CRNAs. The agency said the use of CRNAs in acute care hospitals must be approved by administration and must be at the discretion of physicians. The letter also said CRNAs may administer only anesthesia medications ordered by a physician. In addition, CRNAs are not authorized to practice medicine, the letter said. The states clarification seems to contradict claims by nurse advocates that California allows CRNA-only independent practices. What nurse anesthetist group says A spokeswoman for CANA, representing nurse anesthetists, said Friday that physician anesthesiologists are trying to spin the CDPH policy letter in their favor. CANA says studies show no evidence that nurse anesthetist services are less safe for patients than the services of physician anesthesiologists. Nurse anesthetists are not required to be supervised by a surgeon or anesthesiologist but may provide only services within their scope of practice, said Kaitlin Perry, speaking for CANA. Perry cited a 2010 court decision stating: It is the Nursing Practice Act that gives CRNAs legal authority to administer anesthesia after a physician orders a course of treatment that includes anesthesia. Perry said the same reasoning applies to physician anesthesiologists, who administer anesthesia after a patients physician or surgeon orders a course of treatment. Earlier this year, the CDPH and federal regulators scolded Doctors Medical Center for not having credentialing procedures for an anesthesia group that heavily used CRNAs in operating rooms. The agencies sent the CNRAs home from the hospital in May, requiring the hospital to reschedule hundreds of surgeries as it scrambled to find anesthesiologists for operations. The CRNAs were required to complete proctoring before resuming work at DMC. People associated with the hospital said DMC has tried to hire more physician anesthesiologists to create a higher ratio of MDs to CRNAs in the anesthesia department. The hospital did not comment Friday on the CDPH policy letter. The state guidance also stresses that: Hospital anesthesia services must be provided in a well-organized manner under the direction of a qualified doctor. Policies and procedures for anesthesia service must be developed in consultation with appropriate health professionals and administration, and approved by the hospitals governing board. CRNAs not employed directly by the hospital where they administer anesthesia are subject to the facilitys bylaws. Hospitals are dealing with a shortage of both physician anesthesiologists and CRNAs. Certified nurse anesthetists are nurses with college degrees and critical care experience who have completed a two- or three-year anesthesia program. To enable broader use of CRNAs in rural areas, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sent a letter for California in 2010 to opt out of restrictions in the federal Medicare program, which require physicians to oversee the work of nurse anesthetists. CRNAs have asserted the opt-out gives them greater freedom to provide services. But their services still are under the prescriptive authority of physicians. The state Board of Registered Nursing defined CRNAs scope of practice in an email to The Modesto Bee in June: A certified registered nurse anesthetist may lawfully administer anesthesia and provide anesthesia services when their professional service is ordered on a patient-specific basis by a physician, dentist, podiatrist or clinical psychologist. The involvement of a physician (or other healthcare professional, as outlined in statute) is required in issuing an order for anesthesia, however direct supervision is not necessarily required. Dr. Antonio Hernandez Conte, immediate past president of California Society of Anesthesiologists, contended the state letter does not create new standards but provides clarification on what has been established policy and statutory law for over a decade. Anesthesia care is a physician-led care team model, Hernandez Conte said. Under state law, CRNAs are under the prescriptive authority of physicians and anesthesia care policies and procedures fall under the auspices of physician oversight. (Failure to comply with different standards of the Medicare program forced Stanislaus Surgical Hospital to cease operations Saturday.) California leads the nation in student loan debt: Heres how much residents owe California has the highest amount of student loan debt in the nation, according to a study by the Kaplan Group. The commercial collection agency ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia to determine which areas struggled the most with debt. The study used data sourced from the Education Data Initiative. The District of Columbia had the highest average in the nation, with residents owning $53,782. Compared to the other states, California had the largest student loan debt total of $146.7 billion. That means, on average, residents who borrowed money to pursue higher education own $36,891. Many student loan recipients arent making payments: report According to the study, about 2.9% of student loan debts in California exceed $200,000. The Golden State also has more than 3.9 million student loan borrowers, 51% of whom are under the age of 35. Various factors have contributed to the ongoing issue, including high student housing costs and limited help from parents. (If) theres no money from the parents to basically pay for college, the student has no choice but to basically take out these loans, Derek Stimel, associate economics professor at the University of California, Davis, told the Sacramento Bee. Stimel also noted that state programs aimed at increasing the number of students entering higher education could compound the problem. Theres a big push in California for people to go to college, he told the Sacramento Bee. Thats good, but that could also fuel some of this debt issue. These states have the highest student loan debt in the country: California: $146.7 billion Texas: $125.7 billion Florida: $103.3 billion New York: $93.3 billion Georgia: $69 billion North Dakota has the lowest student loan debt average of $28,921. The full report can be viewed 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 KTLA. A CVS pharmacy in Ramona, Calif. Pharmacy benefit managers owned by CVS and other chains are drawing growing scrutiny from state lawmakers. (Julie Gallant) California Gov. Gavin Newsom will soon decide whether the most populous U.S. state will join 25 others in regulating the middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, whom many policymakers blame for the soaring cost of prescription drugs. PBMs have been under fire for years for alleged profiteering and anticompetitive conduct, but efforts to regulate the industry at the federal level have stalled in Congress. The three largest PBMs are owned by insurers and retail pharmacy chains, and about 80% of prescription drug sales in the United States are controlled by them: OptumRx, owned by UnitedHealth Group; CVS Caremark, owned by CVS Health, which also owns the insurer Aetna; and Express Scripts, owned by the Cigna Group. Read more: Column: Pharmacy middlemen claim to keep prescription prices low. In fact, they've cost consumers billions The proposed law , spearheaded by state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco, a Democrat, would require PBMs to apply for a license by 2027 and would mandate that licensed PBMs pass along 100% of pharmaceutical manufacturers rebates to health plans or insurers. Drug companies often offer substantial discounts on medications to boost demand, and one of the major criticisms of PBMs is that they pocket rebates rather than pass savings along to customers. The law would also mostly bar PBMs from steering patients to pharmacies they own, which includes the major mail-order pharmacies. And it would prohibit them from giving independent pharmacies lower insurance reimbursements than they offer the big chains a major issue for the dwindling number of independents around the country. Wiener said the law aimed to rein in what he called the worst abuses by PBMs. Proponents of the legislation say the experiences in the 25 states that require PBM licensing and the 16 that ban steering of patients to preferred vendors show that regulations reduce costs for consumers. "When they're licensed like we're looking at, the cost goes down. States without licensing saw costs go up, said Assemblymember Devon Mathis, one of two Republican co-authors of the bill, citing the National Community Pharmacists Assn. Read more: 'My kids go to Costco now,' and other reasons Rite Aid, Walgreens and CVS are hurting Health insurance premiums increased an average of 16.7% nationwide from 2015 to 2019, the association calculated, with premiums in states that license PBMs increasing 0.3 of a percentage point below the national average and those without, 0.4 above. The association claimed similar benefits from several other reforms affecting pharmacies. The Pharmaceutical Care Management Assn., which represents pharmacy benefit managers, said Wieners bill blatantly favors independent retail pharmacies over chains. This legislation does nothing to lower costs for patients; it simply seeks to financially promote one industry over another with no consumer benefit, the group said. Insurance companies argue that the California bill would reduce the PBMs ability to negotiate lower drug prices, resulting in higher coverage premiums for everyone. But drugmakers argue that reforms dont raise premiums . Supreme Court Decision Looms States have stepped in to regulate PBMs in the absence of any federal action. Congress has been holding oversight hearings on PBMs, and the Federal Trade Commission in July said PBMs may be profiting by inflating drug costs and squeezing Main Street pharmacies, but there has been no new legislation or efforts to crack down based on existing laws barring anticompetitive conduct. The U.S. Supreme Court could soon weigh in on whether states have the authority to regulate PBMs. A federal appellate court blocked Oklahoma regulations on PBMs on the grounds that federal law held sway, and a group of 35 state attorneys general, including Californias Rob Bonta, have asked the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling. A central complaint about PBMs is that they take money from pharmaceutical companies, in the form of rebates, to give their drugs preferential treatment on health plans lists of medications that are covered by insurance, known as formularies. Those rebates may play a role in raising drug prices, according to a 2020 paper by USC's Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics. Under the California bill, those rebates are to be used "for the sole purpose of lowering deductibles and out-of-pocket cost for consumers, said Assemblymember Jim Wood, a Democrat. There is a perverse incentive by PBMs to choose for their formulary the drugs that will give them the biggest rebate, the largest rebate, even if there are other drugs just as effective and lower-cost. That alone should send shivers down your spine." Crackdown in California California collected more than $215 million last year from the nations largest Medicaid insurer, Centene, after it failed to disclose or pass along drug discounts negotiated by its PBM to the state Medicaid agency. Independent pharmacies say provisions in the proposed California law requiring PBMs to offer them the same pricing as the chains could be a lifeline. Clint Hopkins, who has co-owned Pucci's Pharmacy in Sacramento for eight years, said hes forced to regularly turn away customers rather than lose hundreds of dollars each time he fills their high-cost prescriptions. For instance, he said his cost for a monthly dose of Biktarvy, used to treat HIV, is $3,881.68. But he said pharmacy benefit managers short him up to $360 on the reimbursement. "They dictate the rates to us, and they will not negotiate, said Hopkins, who testified for the bill on behalf of the California Pharmacists Assn. "Sometimes I have to say, I'm sorry, I want to help you, but I can't lose this much money on your prescription. Although the bill passed with unusual legislative support, it faces an uncertain future with the Democratic governor, who has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto it. Newsom vetoed a 2021 bill that would have barred PBMs from steering patients to their own pharmacies, citing potential unintended consequences. And his Department of Finance said administering the licensing and collecting the data required by the law would cost several million dollars. In vetoing other legislation, Newsom has repeatedly cited costs, as the state struggles with a massive budget deficit. This article was produced by KFF Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. ANAHEIM, Calif. - A band teacher for an Anaheim junior high school is facing consequences after a woman revealed what she calls a decades-old secret. Teacher Steve Graves, 61, is accused of sexual abuse of two teenage girls nearly 40 years ago. While Graves has not been arrested, he is on administrative leave. Police say that the alleged crimes may be too old to prosecute. But the two accusers' attorney says this case really illustrates the power of social media. He says the two women met online and since they started posting their story in just the last few days, they've heard from other potential victims. It's a social media post more than 35 years in the making. The woman who only wants to be identified as Reiko shows herself pregnant at 17 by, she says, a teacher in the Anaheim Union High School District, Steve Graves. Now, police say they've launched an investigation and have found another victim. The law firm representing both women says the post has prompted others to also come forward. "There are documents that we are aware exist that indicate supervisors at the school district knew that he was a predator and yet kept him on and kept him on for the past 30+ years," said attorney Morgan Stewart. Graves is now on administrative leave from Lexington Junior High, where he is the band director, and the board says they immediately started the process to fire him. He also taught at Ball Junior High. But the allegations stem back to the late 80s to his time at LaGuardia High, when both women were just 16. Reiko's lawyer said she gave birth at 17, had to transfer schools, and later sought child support, adding that a court ordered test confirmed Graves' paternity. "He fought it not only to fight it, he accused her of being an unwed single mother during the process when he was an adult who impregnated her as an unwed single mother," Stewart said. The Anaheim Union High School District issued a statement reading in part, "Keeping our students safe is a high priority on all of our campuses. The sexual misconduct revealed in the social media posts is reprehensible. It violates the district's core values and fails to meet the high expectations we have for professional behavior by our staff." The district says they are cooperating with police who are investigating and also have launched their own internal review. As for the two women, their attorney says they are hoping for criminal charges, but understand it may be outside the statute of limitations. Nonetheless, they are planning to file a civil suit against Graves. Kristi Kirk moved out of her family home to attend Concordia University Texas in Austin as a student in 1992. As a young single mother, she didnt know what to expect. She came to find that the Lutheran, individualized education would transform her life and that she would spend her career building the same welcoming experience for other students. I was a shy, introverted 18-year-old, and if you told me most of my career would involve speaking in public, I wouldnt have believed you at that stage, Kirk told the American-Statesman in an interview. But like for so many students, what Concordia did for me was give me confidence, help me understand that my perspective and voice mattered. And thats still what we do. Kristi Kirk will become the first female president of Concordia University Texas on Nov. 1. Now, after more than 25 years working at the private institution, serving as an admissions office manager in 1993 and most recently as provost and executive vice president, Kirk will become her alma mater's first female president. Kirk will take office as chief of the small private Lutheran institution with more than 400 acres in Northwest Austin on Nov. 1. It has been a great honor to serve at a place that invested in me as a student, and that we continue to pour into students of all backgrounds, from all walks of life and give them high quality Christian education, Kirk said. The work of higher education has been my meaningful work. It has been my calling in life. Kristi Kirk has spent more than 25 years working at the private institution serving as an admissions office manager in 1993 and most recently as provost and executive vice president. After Donald Christian's retirement announcement in March, the Board of Regents launched a nationwide search and selected Kirk for her success helping students on campus and living out Concordia's values, officials said. We are very committed to being one of the premier universities of Central Texas, and we believe that Dr. Kirk can help lead us into that, said the Rev. Stephen Sohns, the chairman of the Board of Regents. Dr. Kirk really embodies who we are as a university. Sohns said Kirk will help foster critical thought, compassionate action and courageous leadership among students. Under her leadership, he believes Concordia will expand its accessibility, Christian mission and commitment to Austin and the workforce in Central Texas. Kristi Kirk shares a welcoming moment at Concordia University Texas. Having been a student, Kirk has seen the university move from its downtown Austin campus to an oasis of Central Texas nature farther northwest in the city. As provost and executive vice president, Kirk helped launch The Right Call Initiative, a new tuition model announced last fall that reduces the sticker price of admission 40%. She also helped secure a $2.7 million federal grant to help better support Hispanic and low-income Concordia students. After Kirk takes charge, she will build a strategic plan that will outline how Concordia will meet workforce needs while complementing the actions of other area universities. She said the university prides itself on how many students it welcomes and on its accessibility to all. Austin needs Concordia Texas. It needs a vibrant, healthy Christian institution that is welcoming to students of all needs, Kirk said. It needs an institution that is working as hard as we can to be as affordable and accessible for all students to make higher education a reality. Outside of Concordia, Kirk has served on the board of directors for Concordia High School and is an active member of the Faith Lutheran Church in Georgetown. She is also a licensed foster parent with her husband. As president, she hopes to grow the schools faith initiatives in the community. Kirk, who was also the first woman to hold the provost and executive vice president position, said she is grateful to the women who have supported her and the example she can be for her daughters. I'm deeply grateful for the women whove led before, who have influenced my life and influenced Concordia, influenced the church, (who) oftentimes in the past, didn't have the opportunity to step into states like this, Kirk said. I am deeply humbled to honor the past and provide a model for the future. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Concordia University Texas selects first female president Campaign funds can now be used by Oklahoma candidates to pay for caregiving expenses The Oklahoma Ethics Commission issued an advisory opinion Friday authorizing candidates to use campaign funds for caregiving expenses. The group met at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Kyle Phillips/For Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY Oklahoma has joined 33 other states in allowing candidates running for office to use campaign funds for dependent care, effective immediately. The Oklahoma Ethics Commission issued an advisory opinion Friday, permitting candidates who are primary caregivers to use campaign funds to pay for care of dependents such as children, people with disabilities or elderly relatives. The official opinion defines caregiving expenses as a ordinary and necessary campaign expense rather than a personal use expense. The opinion applies to officeholders as well as candidates. The care is considered personal use when the need for it would exist irrespective of that candidates campaign. If the expense is incurred as a result of the candidates campaign or an official event, then it qualifies as a campaign expense. Sen. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan, requested the opinion in 2023. A draft opinion was released Sept. 6, and the official opinion changes the states campaign finance law. When I ran for office, I was fortunate to have an incredible support system who helped with our children while we were spending 10-12 hours a day knocking doors; not every candidate has that same type of village, Garvin said in a statement. The Vote Mama Foundation, an organization working to authorize this measure in all 50 states, offered public comment in support of the opinion. According to the foundation, 4% of Oklahomas state legislators are mothers with children in their care under age 18, based on data from 2022. The data does not include legislators providing care for relatives with disabilities or elderly relatives. Caregiving responsibilities should never be a barrier to running for office or serving the community, said Sarah Hague, chief program officer at Vote Mama Foundation, in a statement. Unfortunately, for many candidates, the ability to run for office hinges on access to childcare, and the cost can keep them out of the political arena entirely. We must ensure that the cost of childcare never stands in the way of parents and caregivers stepping up to run for office. Editors note: This story was updated to clarify that 4% of Oklahomas state legislators are mothers with children. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE BAKU, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken over phone on Monday about the peace efforts between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the upcoming COP29 climate conference, the Azerbaijani president's press service said. Blinken commended the recent advancements, including the Aug. 30, 2024, regulation on border delimitation, and reiterated the U.S. commitment to supporting a durable peace in the region. Aliyev underscored that peace is already established, attributing this to Azerbaijan's efforts. He emphasized Azerbaijan's role in creating new realities based on justice and international law. The Azerbaijani leader also highlighted the need for Armenia to renounce territorial claims in its constitution and called for the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, which he considers outdated. The discussion also addressed Azerbaijan's role in hosting COP29, with Blinken expressing strong U.S. support and praising bilateral cooperation. Aliyev expressed the hope for significant consensus on climate finance at the conference. The two sides also reviewed Azerbaijan-U.S. relations during their conversation. Chipotle Mexican Grill is currently testing Autocado, an avocado-processing robot, and the cobotic [collaborative robotic] Augmented Makeline, in select restaurants. The cobots are being tested at its restaurants for the first time. The Autocado prototype, developed with Vebu, automates the cutting, coring and peeling of avocados for Chipotle's guacamole. The company's Cultivate Next venture fund has invested in Vebu to support the co-creation of this technology. The Augmented Makeline, co-developed with Hyphen, leverages automation to assemble bowls and salads, while employees continue to prepare burritos, tacos, quesadillas and kids' meals. Around 65% of all digital orders at the restaurant are for bowls or salads, and this tech will enhance employee productivity and ensure the accuracy of these orders. Autocado is operational at Chipotle's Huntington Beach, California store. It allows staff members to dedicate more time to other food preparation tasks and guest hospitality. The robot processes an avocado in approximately 26 seconds, significantly streamlining the preparation process. Augmented Makeline is in use at Chipotle's Corona del Mar, California location at 3050 East Coast Highway. The deployment of cobotic technology is a significant step in the company's efforts to integrate automation into its kitchen operations. Vebu and Chipotle have collaborated extensively with certified training managers from Chipotle's restaurants to refine Autocado's functionality. Their analysis focused on identifying time-consuming and less favourable tasks within the avocado preparation process, leading to the development of this solution. Chipotle Mexican Grill chief customer and technology officer Curt Garne said: These cobotic devices could help us build a stronger operational engine that delivers a great experience for our team members and our guests while maintaining Chipotle's high culinary standards. Optimising our use of these systems and incorporating crew and customer feedback are the next steps in the stage-gate process before determining their broader pilot plans. In February 2024, Chipotle doubled its investment in the Cultivate Next venture fund to $100m to pursue additional start-up partnerships. "Chipotle Mexican Grill tests cobotic devices in restaurants" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. An Iranian walks next to a wall painting of Iran's national flag at a street in Tehran, Iran, on June 2, 2022. Canada on Sunday expanded its list of Iranian government officials who are not admissible to the country. File Photo by Abedin Tahereknareh/EPA-EFE Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Canada is expanding its entry ban on Iranian officials over the Middle Eastern country's involvement in terrorism and human rights violations. "We are sending a strong message that those involved in terrorism, human rights violations and atrocities are not welcome here," Dominic LeBlanc, the minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, said in a statment. "Canada will always stand up for human rights and fight for justice, at home and around the world." Since November 2022 when Public Safety Canada designated Iran as a terrorist regime under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, Iranians who have served as senior officials within the Middle Eastern country's government from Nov. 15, 2019, onwards have been barred from entering the North American country. On Sunday, Canada said it was pushing that inadmissible date to June 23, 2003 -- the day when Iranian authorities detained Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi. She was detained while working as a journalist outside Iran's infamous Evin prison, and died July 10, 2003. She was reportedly beaten and died from her injuries. "This change means that any senior official who served in the Iranian government at any time since June 23, 2003, is now inadmissible to Canada," Public Safety Canada and Canada Border Services Agency said in a statement. The move also opens those with temporary or permanent resident status to undefined "enforcement action" that could include removal from the country. Accord to statistics from the Canada Border Services Agency, some 17,800 applications were reviewed under the inadmissible rule as of Aug. 26, resulting in 82 visas cancelled. Fifteen people were also reported inadmissible under the rule, with two issued deporation orders, it said, adding that another person was removed from the country and five cases were ongoing. Canada's Iranian diaspora community has a population of more than 200,000, according to government statistics. The Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs advocacy group in Canada celebrated the Sunday announcement. "Iran's terror extends beyond its support for violence abroad. The regime's violence includes the oppression of its own people, especially women," it said in a statement. "Canada's move to advance the date of inadmissibility related to the murder of Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi is a positive step." Iran's terror extends beyond its support for violence abroad. The regime's violence includes the oppression of its own people, especially women. Canada's move to advance the date of inadmissibility related to the murder of Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi is a positive step.... https://t.co/zcJXrdOb2R CIJA (@CIJAinfo) September 15, 2024 The announcement comes after Canada in June designated Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps a terrorist entity under its Criminal Code. A New York man is facing charges after police say he swindled a cancer-stricken Vietnam War veteran from Everett out of $20,000. Hongfei Huang was arrested Friday on charges including larceny over $1,200 by false pretense, larceny over $250 from a disabled person over the age of 60, and attempted larceny from a disabled person over the age of 60, according to the Everett Police Department. Everett officers launched an investigation after a 77-year-old Everett housing resident reported that he had been scammed out of $20,000 on Thursday night, police said. They later learned that the victim was approached a second time and asked to produce another $32,000 in cash. An undercover operation was initiated in an attempt to lure the suspect out and after several hours of planning and patience Huang arrived and was arrested, according to police. The victim was identified in a GoFundMe as Purple Heart recipient Charles Fagone. Fagone was recently scammed out of $20,000 of his hard-earned savings. He is also currently battling cancer, the GoFundMe organizer wrote. Lets come together for this Purple Heart Veteran who sacrificed so much for this country so many years ago. Everett Police Chief Paul Strong praised Sergeant Dupont and Officer Monzione for their efforts that ultimately led to Huangs arrest. I would personally like to commend all of the officers from the patrol division and detectives involved in this case for putting in the extra effort to make sure that one of our residents of housing, a Vietnam veteran, was assisted in a professional and respectful manner, making every effort to aid above and beyond, in this particular case, Strong said in a statement. Strong also urged the public to remind elderly family members to be vigilant of scammers. This is unfortunately another case where these vile people prey on our unsuspecting elderly. Please remind your elderly family members that if anyone attempts to reach out to them by phone or email asking for a large sum of money it is a scam, Strong added. " Its probably also a good idea to have a two-step process if your family member wants to withdraw a large amount of money from their bank account a family member needs to be present. It wasnt immediately clear when Huang would be called to court. An investigation is ongoing. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Medical marijuana is legal in Pennsylvania, but recreational use is still being debated. (Getty Images) The legislature returned from recess Monday in Harrisburg, and a new bill aimed at legalizing cannabis was introduced by a bipartisan pair of legislators, Reps. Aaron Kaufer (R-Luzerne) and Emily Kinkead (D-Allegheny). Multiple cannabis legalization bills have been introduced across both chambers this session, of which House Bill 2500 is only the latest. None have been taken up by either the House or Senate yet, but advocates say that momentum is on their side. The trick will be figuring out the details. I think its really interesting and valuable to be having technical conversations, said Brittany Crampsie, a spokesperson for Responsible PA, a pro-cannabis lobbying group that represents many of the companies currently operating medical dispensaries in Pennsylvania. Its not a matter of is Pennsylvania ever going to legalize? These technical questions are a matter of how and when. The provisions of House Bill 2500 have changed slightly since it was initially envisioned and its sponsors put out a memo on their intentions in June. The bill would legalize cannabis for recreational adult use and place a tax on cannabis products. Revenue from those taxes would be distributed among several recipients, including municipalities that have cannabis dispensaries. Part of the tax proceeds would go toward a cannabis business establishment fund, and toward addiction prevention, recovery and treatment services. The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency would receive and distribute funds to local law enforcement across the state and to indigent defense funds. Cannabis marketplace regulation would largely fall under the Department of Agriculture. The bill would also allow Pennsylvanians with cannabis convictions to apply for expungement. People currently incarcerated on non-violent cannabis-related charges would be allowed to apply for resentencing and commutation as well. Qualifying Pennsylvanians would be able to apply for state-sponsored grants and low-interest loans to start cannabis businesses. Majority-minority owned women-owned businesses and veteran-owned businesses would be given priority under the bill. And the state will have to produce an annual report on social equity in the states cannabis industry. Existing dispensaries operating in the medical space would only be able to apply for an additional permit to open a single additional location. Advertising and sales would also be strictly limited near schools. Proposals for legalizing cannabis in Pennsylvania have been floating around the legislature for years. Since Ohio voted to legalize marijuana and began sales in August, all of Pennsylvanias neighbors, with the exception of West Virginia, now have recreational adult use programs. Gov. Josh Shapiro has previously signaled his willingness to sign a cannabis legalization bill. He included potential revenue from a cannabis sales tax in his 2024 proposed budget. Ultimately, no such bill was passed. Despite previous efforts having failed or stalled, Crampsie says she believes numerous factors make this moment different. For one, most pushback against cannabis legalization in Pennsylvania has come from Republicans. But former president Donald Trump, the GOP nominee for president, recently said he would support a legalization effort in his adopted home state of Florida. Closer to home, analysts have warned that Pennsylvanias surplus funds are set to run dry in the next several years after the latest state budget included billions of dollars in new education spending. And one potential way to balance the states books is to add a new source of revenue. There is never any appetite in the legislature to raise taxes, said Crampsie. As far as recurring revenue that is non-tax based, this is one of the only options on the table right now. H.B. 2500 includes both a 5% excise tax paid by cannabis sellers, as well as an 8% sales tax on commercial products. Still, numerous details would have to be hashed out by lawmakers before a legalization bill could be passed. The Legislative Black Caucus, for example, has called for any potential legalization bill to have strong equity-focused elements, like helping Black and other minority entrepreneurs enter the emerging market and using revenues to reinvest in communities most impacted by the war on drugs. Under house Bill 2500, minority business owners and others impacted by the war on drugs could qualify for grants and low-interest loans for startups. However, there are no benchmarks for how much of the states cannabis industry should be owned or operated by social equity candidates. The Legislative Black Caucus met Monday to discuss the bill. The caucus chair, Rep. Napoleon Nelson (D-Montgomery), said in an interview that H.B. 2500 is a solid foundation. It is fairly strong in its criminal justice and justice language, Nelson said. We certainly expect to see more development in terms of social equity and economic development policy. However, Nelson said he and the Legislative Black Caucus were not ready to endorse the bill, or to publicly call for specific policies that should be included or cut yet. Everythings a negotiation, Nelson said. Its not like theres one thing that works perfectly, or that there are three more things that if we amend the bill with, then everybodys perfectly happy. I dont think were far. Moreover, Nelson said legislators are waiting on another expected legalization bill, from longtime legalization advocate Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny). He is considering legislation that may see cannabis sales restricted to state-run stores, like liquor. Frankel was the chair of a House subcommittee that held numerous meetings last session to explore what legalization could look like in Pennsylvania. The meetings covered potential issues like how to regulate advertising, addressing public health concerns and ensuring small business owners are able to enter the market alongside established nationwide dispensary chains. Responsible PA, which represents some of the largest dispensary chains in the country, has opposed a state-store model for legalization. To have the government say, no, no, its legal now, but were the only ones that can sell it and profit from it, when certain communities have been disproportionately impacted by [criminalization], its just not fair, Crampsie said. Nelson said it would likely be an uphill battle for legislation creating a state store-model to get support of the Legislative Black Caucus. Though he did not rule out support for such a bill entirely if it finds a way to still provide significant opportunities for minority entrepreneurship, he said. Testimony before the subcommittee on cannabis legalization earlier this year painted a picture of chain dispensaries dominating the respective markets, despite attempts to increase local ownership, particularly in minority communities. The state store model addresses a lot of potential problems in terms of public health and economic stability issues inherent to a new and volatile market, but it has drawbacks, too, Frankel said through a spokesperson. Other states have tried to use licenses to benefit communities most harmed by harsh drug laws, but have found that those licenses invariably still find their way to large out-of-state corporations. Were working with leadership and important stakeholders like the LBC to find a consensus position. Frankel added that what the final bill looks like will be shaped by the outcome of ongoing negotiations to determine the safest, most socially responsible, economically beneficial approach that will produce the best real benefits to those harmed under the current system and that can win enough votes to become law. Weve held five hearings to learn from other states mistakes, which too often allowed the cannabis industry to write their own ticket thats not going to happen here [in] Pennsylvania. Correction: This article was updated Sept. 17. 2024 to more accurately reflect Rep. Frankels position on state-run stores. ARLINGTON, Texas - A driver in Arlington crashed into a house overnight. Police say just after 12:30 a.m. on Sunday they found an SUV crashed into a home on Sherry Street. Officers found a 36-year-old man lying on the ground when they arrived. Police say the man told them he was in the car at the time of the crash, but got out. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Witnesses told police they saw a different man, who was driving the car, walk away after the crash. Investigators believe the 2009 Nissan Armada was traveling north on Sherry Street when it hit a utility pole on the west side of the road, then went off the road on the east side before driving across the yard of one home and hitting the side of another. Fortunately, no residents inside the home were injured. CAROLINA BEACH, N.C.- As Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight spins near the coast of North Carolina on Monday, one coastal town has declared a state of emergency because of the flooding caused by the storm. Officials in Carolina Beach urged residents to stay home as the town deals with the more than 18 inches of rain that has fallen since since midnight. Videos from the town showed cars being towed from flooded streets and vehicles driving through high floodwaters. Carolina Beach officials urged people not to drive through flooded roads. WATCH: NORTH CAROLINA GETS HAMMERED BY POTENTIAL TROPICAL CYCLONE 8 Rainfall totals for the coast of North Carolina as of 2:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 16, 2024. In a post to Facebook, Carolina Beach Mayor Lynn Barbee said the fire department has received calls for rescue from residents trapped in flooded homes or businesses. The mayor also said stormwater crews have been saved from rising floodwaters. "Folks, do not go out," Barbee wrote in the post. "Dow is barely passable. Hennikers ditch is full. EOC is getting to folks as fast as they can. There are two dozen of the most talented professionals working hard for you." In an afternoon update, the mayor said people were sheltering at Carolina Beach Town Hall. High-water vehicles continued to rescue people trapped in flooding. New Hanover County Fire Rescue said Monday evening its rescue team was still out in full force. "So far, they have rescued over a dozen residents and even a few furry friends," the fire rescue said in a Facebook post. A vehicle navigates a flooded street in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, on Sept. 16, 2024, as Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 moves closer to land. A report from the National Weather Service indicated that Carolina Beach Elementary School was flooded. However, FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel, who was reporting from Carolina Beach said it doesn't appear that the school flooded. In a statement, New Hanover County Schools said all students from Carolina Beach Elementary were safely transported home. Some students were stuck at the school for several hours because their parents were unable to access the school due to flooding. Those students were taken home via high-water vehicles by the sheriff's office, the statement said. All other schools were dismissed two hours early due to flooding and weather conditions, according to the school district. Carolina Beach Town Hall and the Recreation Center were also closed. A post from the town on Facebook said the buildings are set to reopen Tuesday. HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER The flooding in Carolina Beach brought an interesting discovery along with it. FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell caught some fish swimming through the flooded streets. "Wow! This is crazy!" she said in the video. Original article source: Carolina Beach flooding leads to state of emergency as Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 slams North Carolina Case of 16-year-olds accused of murdering 15-year-old in stolen cars backseat wont be lowered to Family Court SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) The case of three 16-year-olds accused of murdering their 15-year-old friend in a gang-related conflict will not be relegated to Family Court, a judge ruled on Monday, September 16. Qinntone Moore, Torrin Brown and Uzziah Murray, all 16 years of age, are accused of firing guns out of a stolen car, while inadvertently hitting and killing 15-year-old Deron McGee in the backseat. Further, the prosecutor announced an Onondaga County Grand Jury has taken action on the charges filed against the three teenagers. Grand Jury action means its members heard evidence and voted on whether the case is sufficient enough to move forward with the charges. All three are charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. The three teens appeared in whats called the Youth Part of Onondaga County Criminal Court, designed for defendants whose ages could send them to Family Court but are accused of more serious crimes. Even if one youth was simply driving a car, based on the nature of what happened, Im not removing this to Family Court, said Judge Vanessa Bogan. She told the suspects attorneys, who stood together with their clients, Theyve got too much going on. They really do. And Im sorry. Bogan set bail at $250,000 cash, $500,000 bond and $750,000 partially secured bond for each of the three. Additionally, she set no bail for Torrin Brown, on an unrelated violation of probation charge. Court documents indicate the three are accused of firing multiple guns toward people outside the Parkside Commons apartment complex on Westmoreland Avenue. The neighborhood is located a block from the intersection of Teall Avenue and Erie Boulevard. McGee was struck by gunfire as he sat in the back seat. The Hyundai-brand car was stolen from Destiny USA about 90 minutes before McGee was shot and killed in the vehicle, sources tell NewsChannel 9. The three are scheduled to return to court next month related to this case. It could be sooner if the Grand Jury reports its vote results, resulting in an indictment and new arraignment. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSYR. Further casualties were reported across Central Europe on Monday as severe flooding continued to overwhelm parts of Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic, with more heavy rains on the way. The latest victims included two elderly men who died in their homes in the flood-hit state of Lower Austria, which has been declared a disaster zone by the Austrian government. The flood situation in the eastern region - which surrounds the capital Vienna and borders the Czech Republic - is still serious despite a brief let-up in rain overnight, Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner said on Monday. "It is not over, it remains critical, it remains dramatic," Mikl-Leitner added. Up to 80 millimetres of rain were expected in the state on Monday, putting significant pressure on the region's dams. More than 200 roads in Lower Austria are closed, 1,800 buildings have been evacuated and many pupils were staying at home, she said. Around 3,500 households are currently without electricity. In Lower Austria, up to 370 millimetres of rain have fallen in recent days, several times the monthly average of precipitation. A firefighter lost his life while pumping out a basement over the weekend. The situation could ease somewhat from Tuesday, when an end to the persistent rain is forecast. However, disruption is likely to continue in the coming days. Although water levels have receded in Vienna, there were massive public transport problems on Monday. Most underground lines in the city of 2 million residents were only offering partial service, while the state railway company OBB said no trains are currently running from the capital to the south and west of the country. One dead, seven missing in Czech 'apocalypse' The Czech Republic confirmed on Monday its first death from the flooding, while reporting up to seven people missing. Czech Police President Martin Vondrasek said an individual drowned in the small Krasova river in the eastern Moravian-Silesian region. Three of those missing are believed to have been trapped in a car when it got caught in a raging river near the spa town of Jesenik, near the border with Poland. There is no trace of the vehicle so far. The other missing persons are said to have fallen into various bodies of water, such as the Otava river. Additionally, a man from a nursing home near the Polish border is missing. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has described the situation as a once-in-a-century flood. Over the weekend, streets in town like Jesenik in the Altvater Mountains, Opava on the river of the same name and Krnov on the border with Poland turned into raging torrents. In Jesenik, emergency services rescued hundreds of people with boats and helicopters. The mayor of the town said on television: "It was an apocalypse, there is mud everywhere, everything is destroyed." The main square in the city centre temporarily turned into a single body of water, with cars floating on it. Several houses collapsed in the region, while authorities reported a risk of landslides after the floodwaters receded. On the Morava river, entire streets were underwater in Litovel, the CTK news agency reported. Authorities in the small town of almost 10,000 residents appealed to the population to heed the emergency services. Levels continued to rise in many other places. Evacuation orders have been expanded in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic after dykes were breached. A state of danger was declared for the area around the town of Frydlant in North Bohemia. Emergency Cabinet meeting in Poland as Wrocaw threatened The situation remained tense in south-western Poland, as Prime Minister Donald Tusk called an emergency Cabinet meeting for Monday. Tusk said that he had drafted a decree to declare a state of natural disaster, pending Cabinet approval. The persistent rainfall has led to widespread flooding in areas near the border with the Czech Republic. One person has been confirmed dead in Poland, with fears the number could rise. In the small town of Kodzko in Lower Silesia, entire streets were underwater, with at least one fatality recorded. The village of Guchoazy in the Opole region has also been heavily damaged by the floodwaters. On Sunday night, the town of Nysa in the Opole region was particularly affected. Floodwaters from the Nysa Kodzka, a tributary of the Oder river, inundated the emergency admissions ward of the local district hospital, according to news agency PAP. A total of 33 patients, including children and pregnant women, were evacuated to safety using rubber dinghies. Further downstream, the major western city of Wrocaw is preparing to be hit with high water later this week, Mayor Jacek Sutryk said on Monday morning. There is round-the-clock monitoring of flood dykes as well as the canals and tributaries of the Oder river, which runs through the city, Sutryk said in a video posted to Facebook. Flooding is currently expected to reach Wrocaw on Wednesday, with earlier forecasts suggesting the city could avoid the worst of the weather being revised, the mayor warned. However, the flooding is not anticipated to reach the level of the catastrophic conditions of 1997, when one-third of the city was inundated. Casualties in Romania as Orban cancels obligations Other countries have also been affected by the historic storm front, with Hungarian President Viktor Orban announcing on the social media platform X that he has postponed all "international obligations" due to "extreme weather conditions and the ongoing floods in Hungary." Germany is also preparing for swollen rivers to bring flooding to its border regions, while the situation in Romania remained tense on Monday after at least six people died in heavy rain and severe flooding over the weekend. The regions of Galati, Vaslui and Iasi in the east of the country were particularly hard hit. About 300 people had to be evacuated, and around 6,000 farmhouses were impacted by the flooding. The victims are mainly elderly people, including two women aged 96 and 86. The water mostly affected remote villages, where people climbed onto rooftops to avoid being swept away by the floods. A parking lot on the Elbe in Pirna in Saxon Switzerland is closed due to flooding. In Schoena, the corresponding guideline value of 5 meters was exceeded in the early morning, according to data from the State Flood Centre. Robert Michael/dpa View of the flooded Vienna River, a tributary of the Danube. The storm-related flooding has now also reached the federal capital. Georg Hochmuth/APA/dpa Kathy Coolican has spent her entire adult life in Coventry, after moving there with her husband in the early 1960s. It was where they bought their home together after years and years and years of saving up. It was later where she raised her family. It was a good city, a thriving city, says Coolican, now in her 80s. The city centre was filled with lots of lovely stores and on the outskirts were friendly neighbourhoods. But recently, Coolican and her husband have started to think they need to leave. Were considering moving up north to Chester, where my son lives, Coolican says. Now that is a beautiful city. Coventry has become poor and dirty, she says. Lots of her favourite stores have been closed. Those that are left are all pound shops and card shops and charity shops. While she would be sad to leave, a move north may be inevitable. Its just my opinion, but Coventry isnt the same city any more, Coolican laments. It is easy to see why she feels this way. In the past 10 years alone, the city has undergone dramatic changes. Where once the city centre was thriving, now large areas have been boarded up. Crime, meanwhile, has been on the rise. Official police data shows that there were 96 cases of shoplifting in Coventry in July. Meanwhile other cities with similar-sized populations, such as Leicester and Reading, are dealing with fewer cases. In those two cities, 77 and 70 shoplifting incidents were reported respectively during July. Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland as a whole, Coventry is ranked among the top 20 most dangerous cities. It means the city is at the forefront of the new Labour Governments battle to breathe life into Britains high streets, with a two-pronged plan to lure retailers back and to clamp down on city centre crime. The country is in crisis, says Richard Walker, the managing director of Iceland. These places are the backbone of our communities and are quite distinctly British. In Coventry, locals say the problems with decline are linked. The boarded-up shops have led to a rise in the number of rough sleepers in the area and higher levels of crime. The number of empty shops in the city has gone from fewer than one in 10 a decade ago to almost four in 10 this year, according to JDM Retail Consulting. Coventry now takes the dubious crown of the city with the most boarded-up shops. The council insists that its rates are artificially high as a result of a long-term redevelopment scheme in which 150 shops moved from the south side of the city to free up space for a new large housing scheme. The scheme, they say, is the single biggest regeneration project in Coventry since the city was rebuilt after the war. Still, it is causing frustration for locals. One elderly shopper says she has seen people defecating on empty entry ways. Safety is a big factor for me. As you get older, you feel more vulnerable. Richard Moon, director of property services and development at the council, admits the drive to overhaul the city centre has caused some upheaval, but he says it has been necessary. The reality is, I cant sit here and tell retailers to come back. Weve got to work with the best of the city centre that weve got. In Coventry, that means the high street will ultimately be getting smaller. Instead, more of the city will be given over to homes in a bid to tempt students from nearby universities to settle down. A rough sleeper near some boarded-up shops in Coventry city centre - Andrew Fox Senior Labour MPs have in the past argued against allowing too many shops to be sold off for conversion to housing without proper checks. In 2021, then-shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said Conservative plans to allow landlords to convert shops into homes without planning permission would be catastrophic for local communities. More recently, Labour has been clear of the importance in getting more retailers back on to the high street. Rachel Reeves, speaking in April, said the party would create the conditions to get retailers thriving again. The Government is starting to hand councils new powers to bring empty shops back into use after 12 months of vacancy. Under the High Street Rental Auctions scheme, which is currently being piloted, landlords will essentially be required to rent out vacant commercial properties to willing tenants, such as local businesses. A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: Too many shops stand empty in our town centres, and we will take the action needed to reinvigorate our high streets and help them flourish. Yet the proposals have raised eyebrows in cities such as Coventry. There, officials have come to the conclusion that it is not simply a case of matching retailers with properties; council chiefs say the city centre needs a total rethink. Coventry has been working to bring in more coffee shops, pubs and bars. The wider revamp of the centre to swap out shops for homes has been in the works for 14 years. It is expected to be another 15 years until the housing is fully complete, although the blocks of flats will come in phases. All this raises questions over whether Labour will be able to move the dial in a meaningful way in many cities in its term in office. Coventry now takes the dubious crown of the British city with the most boarded-up shops - Andrew Fox In and around the city centre, there are a lot of retail warehouse parks, says Jonathan De Mello, the founder of JDM Retail Consulting. You cant change that now that theyre there. For retailers, it is easy to see why they might prefer retail parks. The spaces are regular and do not need much spending on refitting. Retail bosses argue that shoppers often prefer visiting the parks as they can avoid city centre parking fees. Marks & Spencer has been among those making a major push into these out-of-town areas, although it argues it will never leave city centres. In Coventry, retailers including Next and Currys have stores in out-of-town parks but not in the city centre. There are other geographical issues that put Coventry at a particular disadvantage. Since it was rebuilt after the Second World War, Coventry has had to compete with nearby towns and cities including Birmingham and Solihull, where councils have spent heavily to attract big stores such as John Lewis. Andrew Goodacre, who heads up the British Independent Retailers Association, lives near to Coventry and says other cities hold bigger draws. Its got that big brother of Birmingham nearby which people can easily get to on the train. They think, If Im going out, Ill be able to go to Birmingham. Its got the indoor market, its got a busy high street, theres a German market at Christmas. Id rather go there than Coventry. It appears a stretch for the Government to try to convince shoppers otherwise. Still, Goodacre says, Coventry has a very rich history that it could work with and build on. Birminghams bustling city centre and Christmas market make it a more appealing place to shop than Coventry - eye35/Alamy Stock Photo One key point of difference could be more independent stores in the city centre. Here, policies such as changes to business rates could be useful. Goodacre says: If youre a new entrepreneur, you need to know the overheads are manageable before you can commit to space. Ultimately, Goodacre believes it is only local leaders who can revive places like Coventry rather than central government. What you dont want is to end up with every high street looking the same, which is what happened in the 80s, he says. For locals like Coolican, anything would be better than the current situation. Today she rarely goes into town and, when she does, it is a frustrating experience. Its the poor quality of shops that gets me. Im disappointed, thats the word. Chester is on the horizon. We cant quite afford it yet, but hopefully we will be able to soon, Coolican says. Then, I expect well be ready to leave. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. CBS News and Stations announced the lineup of journalists who will be based in community news hubs the South and the middle of the country. Adrienne Roark, president of editorial and newsgathering, wrote in a memo to staff that the journalists will be based in cities across the South and the middle of the country with growing populations. More from Deadline They join our local-to-global team already delivering thoughtful, engaging, and timely reporting across our platforms, she wrote. These news hubs will allow us to respond to breaking news quicker, unearth stories of national importance from their own communities and deliver deeper reporting on the 2024 Election from every corner of the country. She also wrote that they represent a wave of journalists who shoot, edit, report, and present their stories in creative ways across platforms. Some are new hires and others are moving from other cities. They are: Jason Allen, previously a reporter with CBS News Texas, will be a correspondent based in Dallas/Fort Worth. Andres Gutierrez, most recently a reporter with CBS News Detroit, will be a reporter based in Las Vegas. Skyler Henry, most recently a correspondent for CBS Newspath in Washington, will be a correspondent based in Atlanta. Ian Lee, who was a correspondent based in London and has reported across the Middle East, Europe and East Asia, will be a correspondent based in Kansas City. Nicole Valdes, most recently a weather correspondent with Fox Weather, will be a correspondent based in Nashville. Kati Weis, an investigative reporter for CBS News Colorado in Denver, will be a reporter based in New Orleans. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. CCRB files disciplinary charges against cops accused of roughing up Brooklyn man in Mike and Ike incident A police oversight board has filed disciplinary charges with the NYPD against three cops accused of roughing up a 20-year-old Brooklyn man last year after he tossed an empty box of Mike and Ikes candy on the sidewalk, according to a copy of the decision. The Civilian Complaint Review Board forwarded the Aug.19 charges to the department after substantiating Manuel Morales allegations against the three 73rd Precinct cops for the April 22, 2023, caught-on-video encounter on Mother Gaston Blvd. near Sutter Ave in Brownsville. I got ID on me, why you hopping out on me? Morales said. Because you just littered, Officer Robert Stosch said. Yeah, you threw Mike and Ikes on the floor. Tensions rose. Cops eventually used pepper spray on a gathering crowd shouting at the officers. Police body camera video shows Morales was pushed into a wall and against a metal pipe. Stosch sits on his back after Morales is taken down by cops, and then he is cuffed and shoved into a patrol car. Morales says he suffered a shoulder injury. CCRBs determinations arent proof of anything except the investigators and board members rampant anti-police bias, said PBA President Patrick Hendry: These police officers are entitled to due process and a fair hearing when this matter is adjudicated by the NYPD. The case, first reported in the Daily News, was unusual because after the Brooklyn district attorneys office declined to prosecute Morales the same day, the NYPD charged him again, this time with a noncriminal violation in Summons Court with Stosch acting as prosecutor. Morales had to make multiple appearances in that court over several months. The case was then dismissed as well. I was assaulted and wrongfully arrested publicly in my community, he said in a statement. Being prosecuted by the same person who assaulted me was a surreal experience that I dont think any New Yorker should have to deal with again. Morales got a lawyer and filed a lawsuit in Brooklyn Federal Court in March. Mr. Morales still suffers from the injuries caused by these NYPD members, and he and all New Yorkers remain at risk so long as this behavior is tolerated and even modeled by NYPD and city officials, said his lawyer MK Kaishian. A police spokesman declined to comment on the CCRB decision citing the lawsuit. The administrative process is ongoing, the spokesman said. The CCRB filed charges against Stosch for improper use of force, making an unlawful arrest, threats of force and abusing his authority by taking law enforcement action based on race. Ramil Casimir was charged with making an illegal arrest and taking action based on race. And Joseph Guarrera was charged with using improper force. Clare Platt, a CCRB spokeswoman, declined to comment on the findings. The case will now wind its way through the disciplinary process, which could result in a negotiated plea or an eventual trial that could be handled by the CCRBs Administrative Prosecution Unit or by the NYPD department advocates office. We recently compiled a list of the 7 Best Warren Buffett Dividend Stocks According to Short Sellers. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB) stands against the other Warren Buffett dividend stocks. Although the financial world is often seen as serious and analytical, short selling introduces an element of excitement and complexity to market dynamics. Short selling is a strategy where investors borrow shares of a stock, anticipating that the market price will drop by the time they need to purchase the shares to return them. While many short sellers have scaled back since the meme stock frenzy began, the strategy of betting against stocks remains in practice. Short sellers saw strong gains in the second quarter of this year, successfully betting against stocks despite the broader market's upward trend. Data from S3 Partners LLC showed they earned $10 billion in paper profits during the quarter. These gains, driven by sectors like industrials, healthcare, and financials, helped offset a $15.7 billion mark-to-market loss in the technology sector. The fact that short sellers were able to profit while the market was rising suggests that investors are concentrating on a handful of large-cap tech stocks amid an uncertain economic environment, leaving vulnerabilities in other sectors. During the quarter ending June 28, the broader market gained roughly 4%. Meanwhile, the tech-focused Nasdaq 100 Index saw a 7.8% gain over the same period. Also read: 10 Worst Booming Stocks to Buy According to Short Sellers It's clear that short sellers capitalize on overlooked or troubled areas of the market. Last year, the turmoil in regional banks attracted short sellers, who stirred controversy by examining lenders' balance sheets for vulnerabilities linked to rising interest rates and betting against their stocks. In 2023, while the broader market rallied, this sector became a key area of success for these traders. The volatility that affected regional bank stocks earlier this year again generated substantial paper profits for short sellers, echoing the gains they made during last year's upheaval in the sector. Now analysts are viewing short sellers in a completely new perspective. Carson Block, the founder of Muddy Waters Research, is convinced that markets need short sellers more than ever. However, he notes that a persistent stock rally and new regulatory challenges are creating difficulties for his bearish colleagues, who are struggling to secure capital. Here are some comments from the investor: Its easy to demonize short sellers as part of a populist message and somehow call us the suits. The market needs short sellers more than ever given the amount of games that are being played, but if the long-side doesnt care, this can continue until it doesnt. Alongside Block, numerous respected investors and experts have emphasized that short selling plays a crucial role in public markets. It helps enhance price accuracy, ensures better capital allocation, prevents financial bubbles, and uncovers fraud. In 2006, during Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting, Warren Buffett highlighted that financially strong companies could benefit from short sellers, as they eventually have to buy back the stock. He believes short sellers often uncover wrongdoing or suspicious activities. Buffett remarked that there is nothing inherently wrong with short selling, noting that in many cases where there has been significant short interest, the companies involved were later exposed as fraudulent or engaging in questionable practices. With this, we will take a look at some of the best Warren Buffett dividend stocks according to short sellers. Our Methodology: For this list, we first scanned Berkshire Hathaways 13F portfolio as of Q2 2024 and identified dividend stocks from the list. From that list, we shortlisted dividend companies with the lowest percentage of shares outstanding that were sold short as of September 15 and ranked them in descending order of the stocks short interest. We also measured hedge fund sentiment around each stock according to Insider Monkeys database of 912 funds as of Q2 2024. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletters strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points. (see more details here). A close-up of an insurance agent's hand pointing to a marine insurance policy, highlighting the company's expertise in marine coverage. Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB) Short % of Shares Outstanding: 1.38% Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB) is an American Swiss insurance company that offers a wide range of related products and services to its consumers. The company is attracting interest from investors because, like dividend-paying stocks, insurance firms generally dont promise quick, large-scale returns. However, they are reliable businesses that steadily grow over time thanks to their role in risk management. Chubb Limited focuses on building tailored customer relationships through independent agents, offering coverage options that are often hard to find with other insurers. Since the start of 2024, the stock has surged by over 27%, outperforming the broader market, which gained nearly 19% during this period. In the second quarter of 2024, Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB) reported net premiums of over $11.7 billion, which showed a 10.3% growth from the same period last year. The company's cash position was also strong as it generated $4.08 billion in operating cash flow. Its cash position allowed it to return $369 million to shareholders through dividends during the quarter. Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB) offers a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share, having raised it by 6% in May this year. This marked the company's 31st consecutive year of dividend growth, which makes CB one of the best Warren Buffett dividend stocks. The stock has a dividend yield of 1.26%, as of September 15. At the end of Q2 2024, 46 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey reported having stakes in Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB), down from 53 in the previous quarter. These stakes have a total value of over $8 billion. With over 27 million shares, Berkshire Hathaway was the company's leading stakeholder in Q2. Overall CB ranks 7th on our list of the best Warren Buffett dividend stocks to buy. While we acknowledge the potential for CB 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 CB 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. Medical Watch Digest for Sept 16 CDC: Missouri Bird Flu Case is a One Off There are new details about the first case of bird flu not tied to known animal exposure. Health officials believe it may be a rare one-off incident, and a stand alone illness. Health officials have *not* determined how the Missouri resident with no known exposure to bird flu contracted the virus, but there is no evidence of human to human transmission. This is the 14th confirmed human case in the U.S. this year. The others were farm workers, connected to bird flu outbreaks on either poultry or dairy farms. The patient in Missouri has underlying medical conditions. They were hospitalized last month after testing positive, and have since recovered. Study finds microplastics in nose tissue at base of brain Tiny plastic fibers and shards were found in the olfactory bulbs of human cadavers. Thats the nose tissue that sits at the base of the brain. The study, published in the Journal JAMA Network Open, found microplastics in the olfactory bulbs of eight of 15 cadavers The study was not able to identify the source of exposure or why some of the deceased had plastic particles in their noses while others did not, numerous recent studies have discovered micro-plastics and nano-plastics in human brain tissue, reproductive organs, blood, lung and liver tissues, as well as mothers milk and the placenta. More Coverage: WGNs Medical Watch Study: AFIB is more widespread than experts previously thought Irregular heart rhythm is more common than experts previously thought. A new study out of the University of California San Francisco suggests 10.5 millions people in the u-s are living with atrial fibrillation. Thats five percent of the population. Previous studies dating back more than two decades had put the estimate at 3 million cases. While AFIB is considered a condition impacting older adults, researchers discovered increased diagnoses in younger people. Patients were also more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes. Sign up for our Medical Watch newsletter. This daily update includes important information from WGNs Dina Bair and the Med Watch team, including, the latest updates from health organizations, in-depth reporting on advancements in medical technology and treatments, as well as personal features related to people in the medical field. Sign up 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 WGN-TV. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) Roughly 30 people gathered at The Gospel Mission in honor of 25 years of The Women and Childrens Shelters. Since 1999, the shelter has been a safe haven for those abandoned, abused, and in general folks without a home. The building where up to 40 women and children can call home at a time, is a pillar in the community and often can lead to a fresh start for folks. Siouxland to host first Depth of Field Film Festival When they come into to shelter. We definitely welcome all women and all children, but we also want them to know when they walk in our doors that is their opportunity to reset. There are so many women that come through there to just find hope again. Find life again, find purpose again, said Charoline Druilhet, with the Women & Childrens Shelters. After 25 years of the facility, officials are continuing to look toward the future of the women and childrens shelter. Well, we hope to maintain the program, obviously, and maybe even grow it to expand the number of women and children that were able to serve, said Randy Ehlers, with the Gospel Mission. The Gospel Mission also honored past and present board members who have helped keep the women and childrens shelter going. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Center for Prevention of Abuse gets $500K in grants for youth education PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) The Center for Prevention of Abuse has received two grants for more than $500,000 that it says will bolster its efforts to educate young people about cycles of generational violence and abuse. One of the grants is from the Gilmore Foundation who gave the center $300,000 over the next two years. The money will go toward one of the centers main areas of focus improving society through youth development, human services, abuse prevention, education and shelters. The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority gave the center a one-year grant for $234,125 as part of the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew program. Local center reacts to domestic violence homicide numbers in Illinois The R3 program requires 25% of adult-use cannabis tax revenue to be used to address economic development, violence prevention, re-entry, youth development, and civil legal aid. This year ICJIA received 574 completed applications from agencies across Illinois and 88 of those programs, including the center, were awarded grants. CFPA works hard every day to stop abuse before it begins, said Carol Merna, the longtime CEO for the center. A substantial grant from the Gilmore Foundation and R3 funding from the state of Illinois will enable us to continue to reach young people with life-saving prevention education programming. The center has received more than 40,000 students in the current fiscal year, she said. By equipping students with the knowledge to recognize the signs of violence and abuse, and the tools so they know how to respond, we are taking crucial steps toward a safe and peaceful future. We are grateful to the Gilmore Foundation and to the State of Illinois for understanding the important role prevention education plays in ending violence, Merna said. The money will help make up some of the $1 million in funding lost due to a substantial deficit in the federal Victims of Crime Acts Crime Victims Fund, the center said. Congress set up the funding stream in 1984 using fines and federal prosecutorial fees, forfeited bail, and other sources of revenue from convicted federal criminals. CFPA has a variety of prevention curriculums that help foster attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that prevent violence. CFPAs team of educators meet children at their level through age-appropriate, evidence-based, and comprehensive programming. We can equip young people with the tools that they need to be able to respond to things like bullying or if theyre abused at home or even in the community, Merna said. One in four girls and one in six boys will be abused by the age of 18, either sexually abused or physically abused or emotionally abused.. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) During Hispanic Heritage Month, a Las Vegas organization unveiled a tribute to an influential labor leader. Cesar Chavez was a person that was about helping people, said Andres Contreras, Executive Vice President of Integrated Health, Social Services and Education at Chicanos Por La Causa. Bringing people together [] to make things more equitable. Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) describes itself as one of the largest Latino nonprofits in the country and provides services to people of all backgrounds while honoring our Mexican American roots, according to the organizations website. Contreras said CPLC was started around the same time as the beginnings of Chavezs movement. For more than 30 years, Chavez led the first successful farm workers union in history. Las Vegas city leaders unveiled a new tribute to the labor leader, a Cesar Chavez sculpture. The Chavez family was represented during the event, thanking the community for the tribute. CPLC officials detailed the artworks path to Las Vegas from Durango, Mexico. The Cesar Chavez sculpture will remain at the CPLC office in Las Vegas. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. Change-of-plea hearings set in fraud case for owners of funeral home where 190 bodies found DENVER (AP) A federal judge has canceled an October trial date and set a change-of-plea hearing in a fraud case involving the owners of a Colorado funeral home where authorities discovered 190 decaying bodies. Jon and Carie Hallford were indicted in April on fraud charges, accused of misspending nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds on vacations, jewelry and other personal expenses. They own the Return to Nature Funeral Home based in Colorado Springs and in Penrose, where the bodies were found. The indictment alleges that the Hallfords gave families dry concrete instead of cremated ashes and buried the wrong body on two occasions. The couple also allegedly collected more than $130,000 from families for cremations and burial services they never provided. The 15 charges brought by the federal grand jury are separate from the more than 200 criminal counts pending against the Hallfords in state court for corpse abuse, money laundering, theft and forgery. Carie Hallford filed a statement with the court Thursday saying a disposition has been reached in the instant case and asking for a change-of-plea hearing. Jon Hallfords request said he wanted a hearing for the court to consider the proposed plea agreement. The judge granted their request to vacate the Oct. 15 trial date and all related dates and deadlines. The change-of-plea hearings were set for Oct. 24. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. A passenger threatened to kill everybody aboard a Frontier Airlines flight to San Francisco after he tried to choke a flight attendant, according to law enforcement. Charles Angel Salva, 30, of Fremont, California, allegedly shouted out, We are all going to hell and this airplane is going down! Salva further shouted obscenities at the flight crew and lashed out when they tried to restrain him, says a press release issued by the United States Attorneys Office. Ex-NFL Player Arrested After Delta In-Flight Urination Mess The disturbance happened soon after the flight took off from John Wayne Airport in Orange County bound for San Francisco last Wednesday. As the plane was climbing and still under 10,000 feet, Salva caught his hand in the overhead compartment while trying to release the oxygen masks, according to an affidavit filed with the complaint. Another passenger said Salva appeared claustrophobic and wanted to get off the plane. After being helped to get his hand free, Salva allegedly ran to the back of the plane shouting at flight attendants. When one of them tried to stop him, he tried to choke them, leaving two small marks on their neck. Salva then pushed another flight attendant and said he was going to kill everybody, according to the affidavit. Another flight attendant was kicked six times in the leg, causing swelling and bruising, and passengers helped restrain him after he broke free of flex cuffs and was held still by a seatbelt. The press release noted that the flight was diverted to Ontario International Airport because the flight attendants did not feel safe trying to put Salva back in his seat. Salva has been charged with interference of flight crew members and attendants. If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. A Breadmans employee is safe after a man fired a gun while stealing a pickup truck from the South Elliott Road restaurant, police said. The stolen truck was found Monday afternoon in Durham, but the case remains under investigation, police said in a news release. The employee confronted the suspect, who was stealing from the truck in the parking lot outside Breadmans, located at 261 S. Elliott Road, around 8 a.m. Monday, Chapel Hill police said in a news release. The suspect fired one shot and fled the scene in the truck, which has a Breadmans decal on it, they said. The employee was not injured, police said. The truck a silver 2021 Chevrolet Silverado was found abandoned later Monday in Durham. Investigators did not provide more information about the suspect or where the truck was found. Anyone with information about the carjacking can call the Chapel Hill Police Department at 919-968-2760 (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday). Callers can leave an anonymous tip at Chapel Hill-Carrboro-UNC Crimestoppers at 919-942-7515 or online at chapelhillcrimestoppers.com. SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) Charges brought against a Santa Fe restaurant owner and chef have been dropped by the First Judicial District Attorney. He was accused of shooting a pepper ball weapon at a 61-year-old who was rummaging through a trash can near his restaurant. Back on August 22nd, Pranzo Italian Grill owner and chef, Steven Lemon, told Santa Fe police that he shot at 61-year-old Ronald Price while Price was digging through a trash can in an alley next to the restaurant near N Guadalupe Street and Johnson Street. According to court documents, police found Price near the alley with blood on his face. How fast is too fast? Speed limit confusion surrounds area near Albuquerque speed camera Price said he heard what he thought were gunshots and fell to the ground stating he was shot in the face. A neighbor and witness in the area told officers that Lemon would consistently yell at homeless people in the alley. They also told police he would shoot at them with an air-soft-like gun. Court documents state that police followed a trail of blood down the alley, where they found Lemon watering the area down with a hose. He was previously facing aggravated assault and tampering with evidence charges. Lemon stated that homeless people hanging around that alley has been a continuous problem for him and had told police about the problem in the past. While at the scene, investigators found a Tippman paintball gun and a Byrna Launcher, which is a self-defense weapon that shoots ammunition like pepper balls instead of real bullets. In a phone call with News 13, Lemon said hes grateful for the DAs decision. The District Attorneys Office stated that the district attorney personally reviewed the case and stated that she did not see probable cause for the crimes as charged. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. The father of the boy who died after falling out of an apartment window in Brooklyn Center earlier this year has been charged with manslaughter. It happened May 18 at the Lux Apartments on the 6100 block of Summit Dr. Responding officers found the three-year-old upon arrival, and despite lifesaving measures, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The boy's father, 30-year-old Texas resident Saleban Abdullahi Duale, later told officers that he and his children had been staying at his brother's apartment located on the building's eighth floor at the time of the accident, according to 2nd-degree manslaughter charges filed against him on Friday. "The Defendant claimed that he was watching his kids, including Victim, and that after he walked out of the living room, Victim fell," the charges say: "Officers went to the apartment in question and observed that a couch was backed up immediately to the window from which Victim fell. The Defendant told officers that Victim had been sitting on the back of the couch, right in front of the open window, immediately before falling." - Charges against Saleban Abdullahi Duale However, interviews with Duale's other children cast doubt on what happened. According to the charges, the victim's oldest sibling, nine years old, told Child Protection agents that Duale "was lying on a bed in the bedroom and was not in the living room" at the time of the accident while the toddler was "pushing on the window screen before he fell." Another sibling, this one eight years old, reported that "Defendant was on the phone all day and that he never saw the Defendant in the living room or kitchen that morning." Duale is not currently in custody, court documents say. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison as well as fines of up to $20,000. Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcements latest version of events, and may be subject to change. Chatham Co. invites residents to open house on railroad crossing removal CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) Chatham County, along with the City of Savannah and the Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, has started a study to explore ways to remove the railroad crossing on President Street, where it intersects with Truman Parkway. The county is inviting residents to attend one of their open house meetings to learn more and share feedback. Chatham County says residents inputs will help shape solutions for safer, smoother traffic flow. Blufftons 35th Annual River Sweep on Saturday The open house meetings are: Sept. 17 at the Frank Murray Community Center, located at 125 Wilmington Island Rd., from 4:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. Sept 18 at the Mendonsa Hearing Room, located at 112 East State Street, from 4:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. For more information, click here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV. Bangladesh-based real estate company Krishibid Group has initiated construction work on the new Krishibid Sea Palace, which is set to be Kuakata's inaugural luxury five-star hotel. This venture is being delivered under a collaboration between Krishibid Properties and Qatar's Retaj Hotels and Hospitality. The launch of construction work was marked by a grand opening ceremony at the Sheraton Hotel, a five-star establishment in the capital. This event was attended by Seraya Ali Al-Qahtani, ambassador of Qatar to Bangladesh, as the chief guest. The Business Standard quoted Al-Qahtani as saying: An international standard five-star hotel like this in Kuakata will showcase Bangladesh's tourism industry on the global stage. Other dignitaries, including Justice Mohammad Abdur Rouf, former chief election commissioner of Bangladesh, were present as special guests. Addressing the event, Rouf said: Such high-standard establishments will create new employment opportunities in the tourism sector and play a significant role in the country's economic growth. A promotional offer was also announced, providing a 25% discount on the hotel's shares for this month. Prospective buyers are also allowed to purchase shares in monthly instalments, starting from Tk5,250 ($43.75). Commenting on the development, Krishibid Group managing director Dr Ali Afzal said: We are proud that Krishibid Sea Palace will open a new horizon in Kuakata's tourism and hospitality sector. We hope it will become a popular destination for domestic and international tourists. "Construction begins on luxury hotel in Kuakata, Bangladesh" was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Chefs share the 5 best things to order at an Italian restaurant and 6 you should skip if you want value Chefs share the 5 best things to order at an Italian restaurant and 6 you should skip if you want value Some dishes at Italian restaurants are worth ordering, but others you're better off making at home. Ordering a braised dish or meal that takes a long time to make is a smart way to spend your money. The margherita pizza and cacio e pepe are usually way overpriced and not a great value. Many Italian restaurants serve up tasty classics, but not everything on the menu is equal. Business Insider consulted with real chefs to pinpoint which common Italian-restaurant offerings are worthy of space on your plate and which are better prepared at home or skipped altogether because they're a bad value. Here's what to order and what to avoid next time you visit an Italian eatery. An Italian restaurant is the ideal place to get lasagna. Lasagna can be time-consuming to make at home. Irina Marwan/Getty Images Personal chef and nutritionist Melissa Eboli said lasagna is an Italian staple, but it can be a real pain to make at home since it's a layered dish made with strata of flat pasta and fillings such as meat, vegetables, and cheese. "Lasagna is actually a very time-consuming and labor-intensive dish to make by yourself. Enjoy someone else's preparation of it at a restaurant, as a good lasagna is worth spending money on," Eboli said. Unlike some more delicate Italian dishes, lasagna actually freezes and reheats very well so don't be shy about taking home leftovers and enjoying them the next day. Don't overlook handmade pasta. Pasta is often one of the cheapest items in the grocery store, but it tastes different when it's made by hand. Gu Studio/Getty Images Chef and restaurant consultant Julia Helton told BI that when you're at an Italian eatery where chefs make their own pasta, you should always try to sample some. "It's possible to make your own pasta, but doing it regularly is a hassle. Nicer Italian restaurants have a person on staff who only makes pasta. There is nothing like freshly made pasta it makes going back to the dried stuff really difficult," Helton said. The best way to appreciate handmade pasta, which is often made daily with real eggs, is to order it with a sauce that enhances rather than conceals its natural flavor. For example, you might want to pair it with a light drizzle of olive oil or a thin tomato sauce rather than a heavy Alfredo sauce. Ordering a braised dish is a smart way to spend your money. Although much of Italian cuisine can be easy to whip up at home, some meals are a bit more labor-intensive. Shutterstock Second-generation Italian chef Natale Servino of Servino Ristorante in Tiburon, California, told BI that ordering a braised dish is a wise option because they are often quite labor-intensive to make. Braising involves patiently searing or frying food in a pan at a high temperature before cooking it on low heat in a covered dish with a small amount of liquid. "Braised dishes can take up to 12 hours to create. I will always order a meat sugo with a pasta or braised meats when dining out, as it's a way to enjoy the taste of braised items without the labor of making them yourself," Servino said. Veal dishes like osso buco are usually worth the extra money. Osso buco can be challenging to make at home. Rebeca Mello/Getty Images Chef and food blogger Aleka Shunk said dishes that involve veal, like osso buco, are often easier to sample in a restaurant setting than to make from scratch. "I love ordering osso buco because veal shanks are hard to find in many local food stores. Plus, this dish takes hours to make and I often don't have the time to spend cooking it at home," Shunk told BI. Somewhat similar dishes like veal Marsala, veal piccata, and veal scallopini with mushrooms are also tasty options that would be time-consuming to create from scratch, but usually earn their lofty restaurant price tags. Arancini are a deep-fried Italian comfort food. Rice balls sometimes contain meat. Thurtell/Getty Images "One dish I love to order at Italian restaurants is arancini. They are very time-consuming to make at home and involve frying, which I try not to do often. However, I just love them so I treat myself when I am out," Shunk said. Warm, savory, and often bite-sized, arancini are small rice balls that are typically stuffed with tasty morsels like cheese, peas, or ragu (a meat-based sauce). The balls are then breaded and fried before being served hot, either alone or paired with a dipping sauce. Although meat is a traditional arancini filling, many restaurants offer vegetarian versions that are just as tasty. And if you want an authentic Italian flavor, try to stick with fillings like caciocavallo cheese, mozzarella, al burro, besciamella, ragu, or al sugo. On the other hand, Margherita pizza is often way overpriced for what it is. Margherita pizza is made with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Pixabay It's hard to imagine that pizza could ever be a bad choice, but Helton told BI that Margherita pies are "a total rip-off," and are often one of the most overpriced items on any restaurant menu. "Stop paying for this dish," Helton said. It's just dough, a little sauce, a few pieces of basil, and part of a log of mozzarella. "You're paying $12 minimum for a dish that costs $1 to make," Helton said. "I know because I was the executive chef at an Italian restaurant for three years, so I worked out the cost many times" If you truly want a slice of pizza that's worth its price tag, spring for a flavor that incorporates a few different toppings or is explicated listed as "wood-fired." These factors can elevate a pizza beyond what you could easily whip up at home for a few bucks. Unless tomatoes are in season, skip the caprese salad. Caprese salad probably won't be very good if the tomatoes aren't in season. MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images/Contributor Caprese salad is composed of thick slices of raw tomato and mozzarella, topped with fresh basil leaves and a splash of olive oil. It's a dish that really relies on the natural flavor of its few ingredients, which means that this salad can easily disappoint if not ordered at the right time of year. "Caprese salad is a dish that you will find on a menu at an Italian restaurant year-round, as it is always a great seller," Servino told BI. "However, more often than not, the tomatoes will be out of season and lack flavor. Only order this dish if tomatoes are in season. Otherwise, skip it." Pass on the garlic bread unless it is served in a traditional style. Garlic lovers may struggle not to order a basket of garlic bread, but this is one side dish that's perhaps best prepared in your own kitchen. Richard Drew/AP Servino told BI that shelling out top dollar for garlic bread in an Italian restaurant is usually a bad idea. "If the restaurant has to hide the flavor of its bread with butter and garlic, you should probably skip it. Look for fresh, homemade, or locally made bread that doesn't have to be covered in butter and baked in order to taste good," Servino said. Plus, if you're outside Italy but want an authentic dish, buttery garlic bread that's loaded with cheese shouldn't be a top choice. In Italy, bread is often served hot with roasted garlic and olive oil. To get the aroma of the garlic, diners rub a crushed clove on the bread and then sparingly use oil to bring out the flavor. Spaghetti Bolognese is another dish that is likely cheaper to make at home. Ordering it at a restaurant may be tasty, but isn't very economical. Pixabay/RitaE "Spaghetti Bolognese is quick to prepare at home and not very complicated to whip up. It is one of those dishes that is hard to mess up or overcook because the dish uses ground beef," said Shunk. Making this Italian classic involves sauteing ground beef with minced garlic and onion, adding a handful of grated carrot and a can of chopped tomatoes, then simmering the mixture with a splash of beef stock for about 45 minutes. After that, you just ladle it atop some pasta. Unless you're only drinking one serving, ordering wine by the glass is usually a bad money move. A bottle often holds more pours than you think. Shutterstock Getting a glass or two of wine is a great way to complement a delicious Italian meal, but ordering by the glass can inflate your bill. "Most people will have two glasses of wine with their meal. A bottle holds four generous pours. Four glasses may cost $60, but a bottle of the same wine may only be $50," Helton said. She also said that if you don't think you'll finish an entire bottle, you can ask if it's possible to take it home to enjoy later. Cacio e pepe is a three-ingredient meal that's very cheap and quick to make at home. Cacio e pepe could be the most basic Italian pasta dish out there. Shutterstock Cacio e pepe is made with just three ingredients pecorino cheese, black pepper, and pasta. And because the dish is so simple, Linda Harrell, chef and owner at Cibo e Beve in Atlanta told BI that diners should skip it. "Cacio e pepe isn't worth the money. In Italy, this dish is made when someone has no time to make a decent sauce. It's something made for a quick meal, not a restaurant dish," she said. This story was originally published on January 7, 2020, and most recently updated on September 16, 2024. Read the original article on Business Insider CHICAGO A Chicago man has been arrested for shooting at another vehicle during a road rage incident on I-90. Illinois State Police said just after 6 a.m. on Feb. 9, officers responded to reports of a shooting on I-90 northbound near Irving Park Road. A suspect, later identified as 40-year-old Daniel Morales, allegedly got involved in a road rage incident with another driver, resulting in Morales firing shots at the victim. The victims car was hit, but the victim was not injured, according to investigators. On Sunday, police said they arrested Morales on a charge of aggravated discharge of a firearm. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Chicago police investigate series of gun thefts from vehicles CHICAGO Chicago police are investigating a series of incidents involving guns being stolen out of vehicles. Police said each incident involves the suspect going inside an unlocked vehicle or breaking the passenger side window before taking belongings inside the vehicle. A gun left unsecured inside the vehicles was stolen in every incident, except one. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines The incidents happened at the following times and locations: 0-100 block of E. Cermak Rd on July 21, 2024 at 11:30 p.m. 2400 block of S. Michigan Ave on July 27, 2024 at 11:45 p.m. 2200 block of S. Wabash Ave on July 28, 2024 at 2:30 a.m. 2200 block of S. Michigan Ave on July 29, 2024 at 2:50 a.m. 2200 block of S. Wabash Ave on August 4, 2024 at 2:30 a.m. 2000 block of S. Wabash Ave on August 4, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. 2100 block of S. Wabash Ave on August 9, 2024 at 11:00 p.m. 2300 block of S. Wabash Ave on August 15, 2024 between 1:00 a.m. 1:54 a.m. 2000 block of S. Wabash Ave on August 28, 2024 at 2:40 a.m. 2200 block of S. Wabash Ave from September 7-8, 2024 between 11:00 p.m. 1:00 a.m. 2200 block of S. Michigan Ave from September 7-8, 2024 between 11:05 p.m. 12:30 a.m. 2200 block of S. Wabash Ave on September 8, 2024 between 12:34 a.m. 2:41 a.m. 2200 block of S. Wabash Ave from September 13-14, 2024 between 10:30 p.m. 1:25 a.m. 2200 block of S. Wabash Ave on September 14, 2024 at 1:29 a.m. 2200 block of S. Wabash Ave on September 14, 2024 at 1:30 a.m Anyone with information should call Area Three Detectives at 312-744-8263. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. The chief federal prosecutor for Middle Tennessee is stepping down. Henry Leventis, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, submitted his resignation to President Joe Biden and will leave office Oct. 4, the attorney's office announced in a news release. I am eternally grateful to President Biden, Attorney General Garland, and Senators Blackburn and Hagerty for the opportunity to lead the United States Attorneys Office and to work alongside so many talented and committed public servants, Leventis said. This office and our law enforcement partners go above and beyond every day to keep our communities safe, uphold the rule of law, and protect the civil rights of our most vulnerable citizens. I feel blessed to have been a part of those efforts. U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Henry C. Leventis give a statement to the press about U.S. Army soldier Sgt. Korbein Schultz, from Fort Campbell, who was indicted on charges of selling national defense secrets to China, at Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, March 7, 2024. Typically, the first assistant U.S. attorney takes over as acting U.S. attorney following a resignation, a spokesperson for the office said. That would put current First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Thomas J. Jaworski in line to take the reins until the position is filled. Leventis, appointed by Biden two years ago, will be returning to private practice, according to the release. Leventis was previously a partner at the Nashville office of law firm Spencer Fane LLP. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee prosecutes criminal cases in federal court and represents the federal government in civil cases. The office recently made a historic announcement that it was launching an investigation into Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, a CoreCivic-operated prison in Tennessee that has struggled to keep those behind its walls safe for years. In 2023, the office intervened in a case challenging Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care as unconstitutional. That case will be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court this term. The news release pointed to "public safety victories" under Leventis' tenure that include the prosecution of international gangs and local drug trafficking organizations, a Kansas man who threatened to bomb a Nashville Pride event, a Columbia man who engaged in a two-hour shootout with police and four men involved in a double homicide murder-for-hire conspiracy, among others. Another of Leventis' focuses for the office, according to the release, was "fighting fraud, waste, and abuse in the health care industry." Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EvanMealins. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Henry Leventis, U.S. attorney for Middle Tennessee, resigns The News Chinas economic slowdown is deepening more than expected, new data on industrial output, investment, and consumer spending indicated. Unemployment also appeared to be on the rise. Major banks, including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, cut their 2024 growth forecasts for the country, and warned Beijing may need to deploy a huge fiscal stimulus to stop the downturn. Chinese authorities, however, have shown little willingness to do so. SIGNALS Policymakers could continue to defer a stimulus Source: Bloomberg Chinese policymakers are unlikely to enact a stimulus package while the economy broadly holds up, Bloomberg wrote, adding that exports reached a two-year high in August despite US and European Union tariffs on many Chinese imports. It is unlikely that Chinas senior policymakers dont care about growth anymore, an economist told the outlet. But it is hard to know how weak the economy needs to get before they will agree to a more expansionary fiscal policy. Chinas economy is struggling, but true crisis may be yet to come Sources: The New York Times, CNN, CNBC Chinas disappointing economic data comes as the country grapples with an aging population, spiraling debt, and a flailing property market. The housing downturn has been particularly tough, even as Beijing has seemed to avoid a broader, systemic financial fallout of the kind triggered by the US 2007-2008 subprime mortgage crisis, an analyst told CNBC: So instead, theyre going through this sort of slow, painful, grinding adjustment. Trade war with the US may be a gift for China Source: South China Morning Post While Western countries have sought to impose more restrictions and tariffs on China in recent years, these obstacles may not hold so much negative impact in practice, an economist told South China Morning Post. Instead, the limitations could become a gift for Beijing: Such restrictions could boost domestic innovation, and China has seen a national mobilisation around climbing up the value chain and pursuing more technological advancement, the economist added, particularly in artificial intelligence and green tech. China's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday typically sees families reunite and give thanks, much like Thanksgiving in America. This year, Chinese-American pastor David Lin will have much to be thankful for when the holiday is marked on Tuesday. In a surprise move, Beijing freed the 68-year-old Sunday after he spent nearly 20 years in prison in a case the U.S. government and his family have always dismissed as baseless. Lin entered China in 2006 and attempted to establish a Christian training center in Beijing. China's Communist Party disapproves of such activities and routinely roots out underground Christian churches, seeing them as a threat to its power. Only officially-sanctioned, closely monitored churches are permitted under the Communist Party's rule. Lin was detained the same year he arrived, then in 2009 he was handed a life sentence after being convicted of fraud. The charge is often applied to home church leaders who try to raise money for expansion, according to the Dui Hua Foundation human rights group. The U.S. State Department, which always maintained that Lin was wrongfully detained by China, confirmed his release on Sunday. The Chinese government did not make any public comment on Lin's release during the long holiday weekend. The Bring Our Families Home campaign group posted a message attributed to Lin's daughter Alice on social media in April, in which she was quoted as saying that she had been diagnosed with cancer and "we don't know how much time either of us has left," given her father's age, and adding: "We can't afford to wait." "We don't know how much time either of us has left. [My father's] sentence was reduced to 24 years, but he is elderly now, and I have cancer. We can't afford to wait." Alice Lin on her dad, David Lin, the "forgotten U.S. citizen" detained since 2006.https://t.co/7flRWe0yTC pic.twitter.com/9z3YOwcfNO Bring Our Families Home Campaign (@BOFHcampaign) April 19, 2024 "This was a long time coming. A lot of people worked on this over the years, different administrations," John Kamm, executive director of Dui Hua Foundation, told CBS News. The group had helped to keep pushing for Lin's release, submitting more than 30 queries to Beijing since China incarcerated the California resident. "We've had members of Congress out there. You've had [California] Governor Newsom bring it up with the Chinese government. But you know, frankly, I think the person who gets the most credit is David Lin's daughter." While Lin was in detention, he missed his daughter Alice's wedding and the birth of his grandson. In April, she wrote a letter, published by the Wall Street Journal, saying she dreamed of her father "meeting my husband and my 8-year-old son for the first time." "No words can express the joy we have," Alice was quoted as saying by Politico on Sunday. "We have a lot of time to make up for." Lin's release came nearly three weeks after a visit to Beijing by U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in late August, when he met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Aug. 29, 2024. / Credit: TREVOR HUNNICUTT/POOL/AFP/Getty "I was starting to get indications two or three weeks ago that this might happen," said Kamm, adding that his "first reaction was to tell Alice." More than 200 other U.S. nationals are still being held in China, according to the Dui Hua Foundation. Family members of three of those Americans Dawn Michelle Hunt, Kai Li and Nelson Wells are scheduled to give testimony at a Wednesday hearing of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which focuses on detained U.S. citizens. "Mr. Kai Li has had a stroke and Nelson Wells (has) serious medical issues," said Kamm. He said another American, Mark Swidan, a Texas businessman currently on death row in China for alleged drug trafficking, "is quite ill." Mark Swidan has been detained in China since 2016. Swidan's mother Katherine told CBS News in April that she feared he might take his own life after more than a decade behind bars. "We are very concerned and afraid that Mark will end his life," she told "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan after U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns visited her son in prison, adding an urgent call for President Biden to ensure his release. All forms of early prison release require court approval in China, except for medical parole, he added. "It doesn't have to be approved by the court. It can be approved by the prison. So, I'm hoping that the prison in each case will take some mercy they've suffered long enough and release them on humanitarian grounds," he said. New bodycam video of Trump apparent attempted assassination suspect arrest Suspect charged in Trump apparent assassination attempt near Florida golf course The Climate Election: Rising home insurance costs, explained China frees US pastor after 15 years in jail for Christian fundraising According to Chinese media, David Lin tried to open a Christian church in Beijing in 2006 - Alice Lin China has freed an American pastor after 15 years in jail for fundraising on behalf of a Christian church in Beijing. David Lin, who the US claims was wrongfully detained, will be reunited with his family in Texas after almost two decades apart. Mr Lin, 68, was given a life sentence in 2009 for contract fraud after entering China in 2006. His sentence was later reduced and he was scheduled for release in December 2029. The Californian pastor tried to open a Christian church in Beijing in 2006, according to local media. Under Chinese law, all recognised faiths must be registered and approved by the government and are closely monitored. According to the Dui Hua Foundation, a human rights foundation with a focus in China, contract fraud is a crime frequently used against small church leaders, who raise funds to support their work. No words can express the joy we have The US considered Mr Lin unjustly detained, along with fellow American citizens Kai Li and Mark Swidan. All three have faced ongoing health concerns while in prison, according to the US. A spokesman for the US State Department said: We welcome David Lins release from prison in the Peoples Republic of China. He has returned to the United States and now gets to see his family for the first time in nearly 20 years. Mr Lins release comes after Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, met with Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, in Beijing in August. In the meeting Mr Sullivan stated that it remains a top priority to resolve the cases of American citizens who are wrongfully detained or subject to exit bans in China. The US had urged China to free Mr Lin for years, so the release also indicates progress in relations between the two superpowers. Mr Lin is soon expected to arrive in San Antonio, Texas to meet with his family, according to Politico. Alice Lin, Mr Lins daughter, told the media: No words can express the joy we have we have a lot of time to make up for. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. (Bloomberg) -- China has released an American pastor after nearly two decades in prison, presenting an olive branch to the US that had repeatedly called for his release. Most Read from Bloomberg US citizen David Lin was freed from a prison in China, according to a State Department spokesman. The 68-year-old born-again Christian had been held in China since 2006 on allegations of fraud though critics said his sermons and involvement in building a home church were frowned upon by Beijing, which tries to control religious activity. He has returned to the United States and now gets to see his family for the first time in nearly 20 years, the State Department said in a statement to Bloomberg News on Monday. His unexpected release from jail suggests Beijing is making a show of goodwill at a critical time for US-China relations, especially with the US presidential election in November. While there is progress on issues such as tackling fentanyl trafficking and resuming high-level military talks, tensions persist over Taiwan and technology-sharing. Chinas Foreign Ministry didnt respond to a request for comment sent on a public holiday in Beijing. Lin together with Mark Swidan, a Texas businessman on death row for alleged drug trafficking, and Kai Li, a naturalized US citizen who imported solar energy technology, have been on the State Department priority list of Americans who have been arbitrarily detained. Lin, who was set to be released in December 2029, was freed just days before a Congress hearing scheduled on Wednesday over securing the freedom of unjustly detained Americans in China. The Dui Hua Foundation, which campaigns for political prisoners in China, said it welcomed Lins release from the Beijing Number Two Prison. It represents one of the most important releases of a religious prisoner since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, John Kamm, chairman of the Dui Hua Foundation, told Bloomberg News. It demonstrates a willingness to improve relations with the United States by releasing its citizens from prison. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. The Czech Republics national intelligence agency says China is using fake LinkedIn profiles to bribe academics to write favourable reports about China. The Czech Security Information Service wrote in their 2023 annual report that Chinese operatives are approaching academics on LinkedIn to gather non-public information about what is going on in the countrys political landscape. Chinese intelligence services use cover profiles from large headhunting or consulting companies based in Singapore or Hong Kong to get in touch with academics. They then request the academics to create reports and studies in areas corresponding to Chinas political interests, for a financial reward, the report continues. The Chinese will also try to entice academics by offering them fully funded trips to China to go to state-sponsored events, creating a network of contacts who feel indebted and may be inclined to support Chinese interests in the Czech Republic. Whenever the Chinese learn of an event in the Czech Republic where negative comments about China might appear, it begins to take systemic steps to obtain sensitive information about the location, content, and participants of the event, the report said. A spokesperson from LinkedIn told Euronews Next in a statement that creating a fake account is a clear violation of our terms of service, their team focuses on removing fake accounts based on internal anti-abuse systems. Related A LinkedIn report says a combination of automated defences and manual investigations blocked 99.6 per cent of fake accounts stopped between July and December 2023 before users found and reported them. Similar tactics in UK, US A report published by the US Department of Defence (DOD) in May accused Chinese state actors of creating fake profiles and lucrative job solicitations to target current and former public service employees. The goal is to entice targets into divulging sensitive information or becoming recruited assets, through a low-risk, low-cost tactic, that gets through other cybersecurity defences, the report continued. Related Any DOD employee is at risk, the report said, and, if compromised, these employees have the potential to devastate national security by enabling technological replication, battlefield strategy countering and compromising of critical personnel. Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, told the Guardian last October that over 20,000 British citizens have been contacted by Chinese state actors on LinkedIn. The goal, according to McCallum, was to get industry or technological secrets by stealing information from people by posing as recruitment consultants on the platform. Changes to expect: The countrys current retirement age 60 for men across all jobs, 50 for women in blue-collar jobs and 55 for women in white-collar jobs will increase gradually starting next year. By 2039, men will retire at 63, women in blue-collar jobs at 55 and women in white-collar jobs at 58. Many have voiced their frustration over the news, with one Weibo user writing, In the next 10 years, there will be another bill that will delay retirement until we are 80. Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Home insurance is becoming more expensive and difficult to purchase nationwide, and now homeowners have a new concern: drone flights. As the cost of providing coverage continues to rise, insurers are taking more steps to limit their potential losses. One of those steps is using drones to inspect policyholders properties. This is leading to a rash of homeowners receiving cancellation notices due to drone footage. Trending Now: Imagine being a homeowner who has dutifully paid your premiums for decades and never filed a claim. You might think this would make you the perfect policyholder. Then one day, you go to the mailbox and find a cancellation notice from your home insurance company. What is more shocking than the cancellation itself is the grainy photo of your roof taken by a drone being cited as the reason for the cancellation. This recently happened to Daytona Beach, Florida resident Mike Arman. He told the New York Post his policy was canceled after his insurance company flew a drone over his house and took photos that caused them to claim his roof looked "deteriorated." At least, that's the explanation Arman's insurance broker gave him, but Arman is still frustrated by the experience for several reasons. First, Mike had been a policyholder in good standing for over 50 years. Second, he felt that the photo the drone took of his roof, which motivated the cancellation, was of low quality. He told the New York Post that the picture itself looked like it had been taken from a significant distance by a "far-off satellite." However, the real kicker for Mike Arman is that his roof was only six years old. In most cases, the life span of roofs like the one Arman had installed on his home is between 20-30 years. Naturally, he figured there must have been some mistake, so he contacted his insurer and asked them to send someone out to evaluate his roof in person. After the insurance company told him they "didn't do house calls," Arman sent his insurance company documentation proving his roof's relatively young age. Story continues Unfortunately for Arman, none of that mattered to his insurer, who carried through with their cancellation a few months later. The cancellation came at just about the most inopportune moment possible. Florida has been suffering through a full-scale insurance crisis, characterized by major insurers leaving the state and the remaining insurers raising premium prices at a near-geometric rate. Keep Reading: This billion-dollar fund has invested in the next big real estate boom, here's how you can join for $10 . This is a paid advertisement. Carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the Fundrise Flagship Fund before investing. This and other information can be found in the Fund's prospectus. Read them carefully before investing. Commercial real estate has historically outperformed the stock market. This platform allows accredited investors to invest in commercial real estate, invest today for a 1% boost. It has left millions of Florida homeowners like Arman with no viable insurance option besides the state-sponsored Citizens Insurance Company. This time, Arman figured he would be proactive and hire an inspector to certify his roof. Despite receiving approval from his home inspector, Arman got another nasty surprise in the mail as soon as his Citizens policy came up for renewal. It turns out Citizens uses drones to inspect homes too, and after a flyover at his home, they decided to increase his premiums by 25%. To insurance companies and their shareholders, this policy of inspecting homes via drone seems like good business. Drone technology allows them to "visit" more homes than they ever could in person, and with the increased cost of covering claims, proactively cutting risk allows them to continue functioning. On the other hand, homeowners like Arman feel like their insurers are "spying" on them and that the cancellation process lacks any real transparency. Mark Friedlander of the Insurance Information Institute (an industry-funded think tank) disagrees. He told Realtor.com that aerial photography "is a much less intrusive way to inspect your home than sending an individual to your property," and he also believes it is more accurate. Friedlander concludes that drones can sometimes make mistakes, but he says (without citing any data to back his conclusions up) that aerial surveillance is "10-20 times more accurate" than inspections done by human eyes. On the other hand, homeowners are shocked to find out that cancellations via aerial surveillance photos are even legal. Albert Fox Cahn, who founded the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, told the New York Post that "There's a need for updated insurance regulations. State law hasn't caught up with the technology." In the meantime, he recommends homeowners get proactive about removing potential hazards from their yards in preparation for drone surveillance. He said, "Don't wait until you get a letter saying that your policy won't be renewed." You Can Profit From Real Estate Without Owning Property The current high-interest-rate environment has created an incredible opportunity for income-seeking investors to earn massive yields and you don't have to own property to do it... The Arrived Homes investment platform has created a Private Credit Fund, which provides access to a pool of short-term loans backed by residential real estate with a target 7% to 9% net annual yield paid to investors monthly. The best part? Unlike other private credit funds, this one has a minimum investment of only $100. Looking for fractional real estate investment opportunities? The Benzinga Real Estate Screener features the latest offerings. This article Could You Be The Next Homeowner To Get Their Policy Dropped Due To Drone Surveillance? originally appeared on Benzinga.com An American pastor jailed in China for more than 18 years was released this week, the State Department said Monday. David Lin, 68, was arrested in China in 2006 and sentenced to life in prison. He was convicted of contract fraud, but a humanitarian group said he was targeted because of his goal of preaching the gospel in China. Lins release comes ahead of an expected phone call between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping and as the two leaders make efforts to stabilize the U.S. and China relationship following a summit in Woodside, Calif., in November. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday that Lins release was something we have been working on for some time. He did not, however, preview if any other Americans detained in China are expected to be released, nor was he able to provide a number of how many Americans are viewed as unjustly detained. We continue to push for the release of other wrongfully detained Americans, he said. Dui Hua, a California-based nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that advocated for Lins release, said the conviction of contract fraud is frequently used in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) against house church leaders who raise funds to support their work. The group said Lin had his sentence reduced to 19.5 years in 2012, and subsequently had his sentence reduced three more times. Dui Hua said that Lin was on the priority list of three Americans considered wrongfully detained by the State Department, including Mark Swidan and Kai Li. Miller on Monday said the U.S. is also pushing for the release of Swidan and Li. Swidan was detained in China in 2012 and later convicted by a Chinese court of manufacturing and trafficking drugs and sentenced to death. Li was detained in Shanghai in 2016, charged with espionage and stealing state secrets, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), the chair of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China, said in a statement the PRC detains more Americans than any other country. The willingness of the PRC to engage in hostage diplomacy is unacceptable. The release of wrongfully detained Americans should be agenda item number one every time the President or any US official meets with Xi Jinping or senior PRC diplomats, Smith said in a statement. Those languishing needlessly in Chinese prisons need our tenacious advocacy. They should not be forgotten. The committee is holding a hearing on Wednesday about efforts to bring home Americans wrongfully detained in China. Among those testifying is Lis son, Harrison Li. Others testifying include Nelson Wells, whose son Nelson Wells Jr. has spent a decade in prison on drug charges. The family has criticized the legal process and asked for their son to be released on humanitarian grounds over his failing health. The committee will also hear from Tim Hunt, the brother of Dawn Michelle Hunt, who is serving life in prison for trafficking drugs. Her family says she was duped into the trafficking scheme. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Chinese electric vehicles being driven in Britain could be weaponised and should be banned from government use, a report has warned. Modules within Chinese-made electric vehicles could transmit sensitive data back to the country or even be remotely controlled, the China Strategic Risks Institute (CSRI) warned. The think tank called for an end to Chinese carmakers being able to win government contracts. Last year it emerged that the Ministry of Defence used electric cars made by Chinese-owned MG. Whitehall departments are buying up electric cars in an attempt to decarbonise their fleets. The report said the vehicles present a potentially greater security risk than petrol-powered vehicles because they are more likely to be equipped with internet-connected modules capable of collecting data and controlling the cars functions. The UK public remains largely unaware of the dependency, disruption, and data security risks Chinese EVs pose via Chinese manufactured Cellular Internet of Things Modules (CIMs) within them, it said. Chinese companies are the biggest suppliers of CIMs, which are used to receive and transmit information such as location and charging instructions and to control automated driving features. They have been used to disable vehicles, such as when the farming equipment company John Deere shut down tractors commandeered by Russia in Ukraine. Chinas national security laws require companies to share data with the government when ordered to do so, a situation that has led to companies such as Huawei having their technology removed from Western infrastructure. Unlike the US and EU, Britain has avoided heavy tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars, which the report said could make the UK more vulnerable to any security issues associated with the vehicles. Last year, the Ministry of Defence revealed that it had cars made by MG, which is owned by Chinese state-owned carmaker SAIC group, in its white fleet of vehicles that are not used in operations. The CSRI and the Coalition on Secure Technology, a group focused on risks from Chinese internet modules, is calling for a ban on EV and CIM manufacturers suspected of having ties to the Chinese government from being able to bid on public contracts. Sam Goodman, senior policy director at the CSRI, said: The Government and the public appear to be unaware when it comes to the dependency, disruption, and data security risks the CIMs within Chinese EVs present to the UK. We have heard little from the new Government on the risks Chinese EVs present so far. We urge that this be addressed, otherwise the UK risks alienating its closest allies, deepening its dependency on China for its EV supply chain and the green transition, and leaving itself exposed to being bullied and blackmailed by Beijing. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. The pastor of a church in Orange County has been arrested for alleged sexual abuse of two boys and investigators believe he may have other victims, officials announced late last week. Detectives with the Riverside Police Departments Sexual Assault, Child Abuse Unit say 51-year-old Juan Barrios, a resident of Riverside, sexually assaulted two brothers between 2009 and 2015 while the family was living with him at his home. One of the young victims reported the sexual abuse in May of this year, telling authorities that the abuse started when he was just 9 years old and lasted until he was in his mid-teens. That victims younger brother also came forward and reported similar claims of abuse by the same man, their familys church pastor. Juan Barrios After what authorities described as a thorough investigation, detectives arrested the 51-year-old pastor on Sept. 8. He was booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center for several sex abuse violations. Barrios, who is currently free on $500,000 bail, has been a pastor at Iglesia de Dio Israelita in the Fullerton. Due to the nature of these allegations, detectives believe there could be others that Mr. Barrios victimized that have not yet come forward, a news release from the Riverside Police Department stated. Anyone with information regarding this case or who believes they are a victim of the 51-year-old is asked to contact Officer Kimberly Coronado at 951-353-7949 or by email at KCoronado@RiversideCA.gov or contact Det. Christian Wilcox at 951-353-7133 or by email at CWilcox@RiversideCA.gov. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. This city was ranked the best place to retire in Arizona. Here's what to know Scottsdale cracked a list of the best places to retire in the United States in 2024, according to a recent study. The WalletHub study analyzed 182 cities across the U.S. using 45 key metrics to compare these cities benefits for retirees based on four categories: affordability, quality of life, activities available and health care quality. The study named Orlando as the No. 1 place to live during your golden years. Four other Florida cities Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Miami and St. Petersburg also made the top 10. Scottsdale, on the other hand, stood out as Arizonas lone representative in the top 10. Other state cities were scattered across lower spots in the ranking. Here's why Scottsdale made it to the top of the list and how other Arizona cities performed in the study, as well as a breakdown of the worst and best states to retire, according to WalletHub. Want to move to AZ?: These 5 Arizona cities were named among the best places to live What are the best places to retire in 2024? These are the 10 best states to retire in the U.S, according to WalletHub. Orlando, Florida Miami Minneapolis Tampa, Florida Fort Lauderdale, Florida Scottsdale Cincinnati St. Petersburg, Florida Casper, Wyoming Atlanta What are the worst cities to retire in 2024? These are the 10 cities that ranked lowest in WalletHub's ranking. San Bernardino, California Stockton, California Rancho Cucamonga, California Bakersfield, California Newark, New Jersey Detroit Fresno, California Bridgeport, Connecticut Wichita, Kansas Fontana, California Is Scottsdale a good city to retire? According to WalletHub's analysis, Scottsdale is the sixth best to retire in the U.S., especially due to the high quality of life it offers. Scottsdale, along with Pearl City, Hawaii, has the highest share of the population aged 65 and older, which is three times higher than in Irving, Texas, the city with the lowest, according to WalletHub analysts. Scottsdale outpaced other cities in the categories of quality of life, activities available, and health care quality, which earned the city a high spot in the list despite its poor performance in the affordability rank. Among the 182 cities that were analyzed, Scottsdale came in 110th for cost of living, making it one of the lowest-ranking states for that category. According to WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo, this can be a determinant factor for retirees when picking a place to live, as many are on a fixed income. "Its important to choose wisely," Lupo said. "The best cities for retired people are those that minimize taxes and expenses, as well as have good opportunities for retirees to continue paid work for extra income, if they choose to do so." Yet, Scottsdale offers higher quality health care and plenty of enjoyable activities for retirees compared to most U.S. cities, which is why WalletHub still named it among the top. Is Arizona a good place to retire? The WalletHub ranking also provided insights into other Arizona cities and their retiree-friendliness. Most Arizona cities ranked in the upper half of the ranking, but most performed poorly in the cost of living category. The Arizona city that followed Scottsdale on the list was Tempe, which snatched the 21st spot. Similarly to Scottsdale, Tempe ranked low for affordability but ranked fairly high in the categories of activities available, quality of life and health care. The lowest ranking Arizona city was Glendale, which underperformed in all study categories, particularly in cost of living. Here's a roundup of how Arizona cities performed on the list. No. 6 : Scottsdale. No. 21 : Tempe. No. 66 : Chandler. No. 81 : Tucson. No. 85 : Phoenix. No. 86 : Gilbert. No. 88 : Peoria. No. 106 : Mesa. No. 118: Glendale. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Scottsdale ranked as one of the best places to retire El Paso gets $27.7M in grants to improve airport EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded two grants, totaling $27.7 million, to the City of El Paso to enhance the safety, efficiency and sustainability of El Paso International Airport (ELP), the City announced in a news release. The grants will fund vital infrastructure improvements as part of the FAAs national initiative to support airport improvements through the FY24 Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and FY23 Supplemental Discretionary Grants, according to the City. The City said its successful grant applications reflect its strong partnership with the FAA. The improvements will strengthen the airports capabilities, ensuring long-term benefits for both passengers and operators, according to the City. We are excited to receive these FAA grants, which will improve the safety and efficiency of our airport and also support the long-term growth of our city and region, Mayor Oscar Leeser said. Our success in securing these federal funds is a reflection of our commitment to enhancing critical infrastructure without relying on local tax dollars. These projects are a testament to how we continue to make strategic improvements that benefit our community and position El Paso for future success. Im thrilled to join Mayor Leeser in announcing a Federal Aviation Administration grant of $26.8 million has been awarded to the City of El Paso U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, said. As the only representative in our region to vote for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I am proud to see this legislation touch the lives of so many El Pasoans. By investing in projects that enhance both safety and sustainability, were not just improving our airport were ensuring a stronger, more resilient future for our entire community. Five Node Intersection Remediation Project $26.8 million This project will simplify a complex taxiway intersection, enhancing both safety and efficiency. The FAAs Runway Safety Action Team (RSAT), comprising FAA staff, ELP personnel and local stakeholders, identified this area as a high-risk hot spot, according to the City. In response, ELP committed to addressing the issue with substantial FAA funding support, the City said. Construction is expected to begin in January 2025, and the upgrades will include: Reduction of taxiway intersections to streamline aircraft movement Separation of commercial carrier traffic from general aviation traffic Removal of unnecessary pavement to improve operational flow ELP Terminal Roof Resilience Project Phase II $813,000 This project addresses the replacement of the aging middle section of the terminal roof, focusing on enhancing energy efficiency in key areas like the security checkpoint and the terminal lobby, according to the City. Work on this phase is set to begin in the spring 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 KTSM 9 News. A registered sex offender from Oconee County is accused of attacking a Clemson University student last week. Darrell Scott Brooks, 57, from Oconee County, is facing multiple charges, including kidnapping, after he attacked a student inside her car and then fled with the vehicle into a neighboring county, according to the Anderson County Sheriffs Office. "Thankfully, a good Samaritan was driving by at the right place and at the right time and heard the woman yelling for help," said Anderson County Public Information Officer Shale Remien. Clemson Mayor Robert Halfacre said,"Our Police Department works diligently to keep our residents safe, but we cannot do it alone. We rely on our partnerships with our citizens and ask everyone if they see something to say something as it is happening so officers can investigate." Here is what we know so far about the investigation. Anderson County Sheriff's Office Investigation Darrell Scott Brooks asked a college student at an off-campus apartment complex in the city of Clemson to give him a ride to his broken-down car late Tuesday morning, according to the Anderson County Sheriff's Office. While they were on the way, the victim was forced to pull into a church parking lot along Fants Grove Road in Anderson. Brooks attacked the young woman with a knife, assaulting her further by attempting to pin her down. "She was able to escape, and in doing so, Brooks took the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the victims car and take off into Seneca," Remien said. Oconee County deputies witnessed Brooks crash the car, and he was immediately taken into custody. The 57-year-old suspect is charged with kidnapping, grand larceny, and assault with the intent to commit criminal sexual conduct. Brooks is a registered sex offender in Oconee County and was just released from heavy sentencing in the spring, Remien said. Brooks remains in custody at the Oconee County Detention Center. The Anderson County Sheriff's Office is currently unable to provide the name of the apartment complex to protect the identity of the student, who is a victim. The Clemson Police Department and Clemson University Police Department also assisted with this investigation. Clemson University is in contact with this student as she heals and will provide university resources. Safety measures for Clemson University students Clemson University is providing safety tips for students. "College is a time for new adventures and personal growth," Clemson University wrote in a post. "While doing these things, safety must remain a consideration. Whether taking the step to lock your door, knowing who you're spending time with, or knowing how to access emergency services, your safety is essential to your well-being." Clemson University advises its students to save important telephone numbers in their phones, including their roommate, close friends, emergency contacts, the local police department, and Clemson University Police Department's non-emergency telephone number 864-656-2222 Here is a list of emergency phone numbers. Students can sign up for CU Safe Alerts to remain aware of campus-wide safety concerns. Students can also download the My Clemson app to stay connected to all things Clemson. The Rave Guardian App is also available to help keep students safe by connecting them to campus safety, family, friends, and others they trust. Travis Rose covers Anderson County for the Independent Mail. Reach him via email at trose@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Anderson Independent Mail: Clemson student attacked, sex offender facing charges; safety tips Faced with a multi-billion-dollar budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers were forced to make some tough decisions this year. As a result, theyre cutting more than $9 billion from climate solutions across California, walking back investments in everything from sustainable agriculture to clean drinking water, wildfire preparedness and renewable energy. Unfortunately, for Californians, the climate crisis wont wait for our state budget to recover. Thats why its critical that we pass Proposition 4, the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024, this November. Prop. 4 is a $10 billion bond to invest in clean air and water, solutions to extreme heat, wildfire readiness, climate-friendly agriculture and more. It may be the best chance California has in the next few years to make sorely needed investments in proven climate solutions. Opinion Climate action is literally a matter of life or death. Right now, its easy to see why: This summer saw consecutive weeks of record-breaking temperatures are putting farm workers and other outdoor workers at risk and straining the electrical grid. State officials repeatedly issued extreme heat warnings for most of the state. Tragically, climate change-fueled heat extremes are already responsible for dozens of deaths in California this year. This latest heat wave is a signal of whats ahead if California kicks the can down the road on climate: higher temperatures threatening public health while increasing the risk of catastrophic wildfires and drought. Prop. 4 will provide stable funding to ensure that Californians are prepared for worsening impacts from extreme climate events. This opportunity comes at a critical time, as state officials warn of an ongoing budget deficit for years to come. With climate impacts already at our doorstep, the investments we fail to make today will cost exponentially more in the future. In fact, the World Meteorological Association estimates that failing to act on climate today could cost the world $1,266 trillion over the rest of the century. Prop. 4 funds programs that will save lives and money, including: reducing wildfire risk through home-hardening and forest management; helping farmers incorporate sustainable agricultural practices that make our farms and food systems more resilient to drought; planting trees and expanding parks in cities to combat the deadly urban heat island effect; restoring coastal ecosystems that buffer against sea-level rise and storm surges; and ensuring all Californians have access to clean, safe drinking water. Critically, Prop. 4 will advance Californias commitment to climate justice by adhering to the Justice40 principle, meaning 40% of the funds will go to front-line communities who are hit hardest by extreme heat, air pollution and climate disasters. California has a reputation for climate leadership and some of the most ambitious goals in the world, including nation-leading new targets for nature-based climate solutions. But our intentions mean little without investment to back them up. Case in point: A recent analysis found that California must invest much more in climate adaptation and resilience, especially for our most vulnerable communities. To make that happen, we need Prop. 4. Prop. 4 is supported by hundreds of scientists, labor unions, medical professionals and environmental organizations. Please vote yes this November. Heat waves, wildfires and other disasters arent letting up, so neither can California. Ellie Cohen is the CEO of The Climate Center , a climate and energy policy nonprofit working to rapidly reduce climate pollution at scale, starting in California. CNN fails to settle defamation suit with Navy veteran who says Jake Tapper segment destroyed his reputation CNN and the man suing the network for defamation were unable to reach a financial settlement as mediation talks between the parties fell apart last week. The plaintiff, Zachary Young, alleges that CNN smeared his security consulting company, Nemex Enterprises Inc., by implying it illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan during the Biden administration's military withdrawal from the country in 2021. Young, a U.S. Navy veteran, believes CNN "destroyed his reputation and business by branding him an illegal profiteer who exploited desperate Afghans" during a Nov. 11, 2021, segment on CNNs "The Lead with Jake Tapper." The Media Research Centers NewsBusters exclusively obtained a filing that indicates the case will go to trial in January 2025. "The Mediator files his report to the Court and advises that a mediation conference was held on September 11, 2024, at which the parties and attorneys of record appeared in person. The Court is further advised that the parties were unable to reach any agreement and an impasse was declared," the court document published by NewsBusters stated. DEFAMATION LAWSUIT AGAINST CNN COULD EXPOSE COMPANYS FINANCIAL SECRETS AS COURT SEEKS TO EXPOSE NET WORTH NewsBusters associate editor Nicholas Fondacaro wrote that the "amount offered to make the lawsuit go away was not disclosed," but "it would have needed to be fairly substantial to negate the allure of a possible $1 billion (possibly more) between compensatory, emotional, and punitive damages." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Fondacaro previously reported that Youngs lead counsel Vel Freedman has said there is "zero chance this case gets stopped before trial" because his clients goal is to "take CNN to task." CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this month, Judge William Henry paved the way for Young to issue a subpoena for CNN to hand over sensitive financial information that the cable network presented to its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. The decision was essentially made so that Young and his legal team could determine the cable networks net worth. The CNN segment at the center of the suit, which was shared on social media and also repackaged for CNN's website, began with Tapper informing viewers that CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt discovered "Afghans trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demands of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success." Tapper tossed to Marquardt, who said "desperate Afghans are being exploited" and need to pay "exorbitant, often impossible amounts" to flee the country. Marquardt then singled out Young, putting a picture of his face on the screen and saying his company was asking for $75,000 to transport a vehicle of passengers to Pakistan for $14,500 per person to end up in the United Arab Emirates. "Prices well beyond the reach of most Afghans," Marquardt told viewers. CNN FACES DEFAMATION SUIT OVER AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL STORY: 'EVIDENCE OF ACTUAL MALICE' Plaintiff Zachary Youngs photo was aired by CNN during the segment in question. "We got Youngs number and called, but he didnt pick up. In a text message, he told CNN that Afghans trying to leave are expected to have sponsors pay for them. If someone reached out, we need to understand if they have a sponsor behind them to be able to pay evacuation costs which are highly volatile and based on environmental realities," Marquardt continued. "Young repeatedly declined to break down the cost or say if hes making money." No other people or companies were named other than Young. "In another message, that person offering those evacuations, Zachary Young, he wrote, Availability is extremely limited and demand is high he goes on to say, Thats how economics works, unfortunately," Marquardt told viewers. Tapper responded, "Unfortunately, hmm," before thanking Marquardt for the report. JAKE TAPPER RETREATS AFTER PELOSI PUSHES BACK ON QUESTIONS ABOUT TENSION WITH BIDEN: THEY 'MADE ME' ASK CNNs Jake Tapper is caught up in a lawsuit over a 2021 story centered around the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal. Young alleged that CNN, using the terms "black market," "exploit" and "exorbitant," painted him as a bad actor preying on desperate people. Earlier this year, judges with the First District Court of Appeal for the State of Florida ruled on June 12 that Young offered enough evidence that he was able to move forward with the defamation suit. "Young sufficiently proffered evidence of actual malice, express malice, and a level of conduct outrageous enough to open the door for him to seek punitive damages," the court document states. "Whether Young can ultimately prevail is not the issue before us." The judges wrote, "Young proffered CNN messages and emails that showed internal concern about the completeness and veracity of the reporting the story is a mess, incomplete, not fleshed out for digital, the story is 80% emotion, 20% obscured fact, and full of holes like Swiss cheese," but the network aired it anyway. "Young also proffered a message exchange he had with Marquardt just hours before publication where he advised there were factual inaccuracies in the reporting. CNN published anyway," the judges wrote, adding that other internal communications show CNN staffers "had little regard" for Young and used profanities and disparaging language when privately discussing him. "Marquardt referred to him as 'f---ing Young' and quipped, 'its your funeral, bucko,'" according to the court document. "On appeal, CNN argues it did not intend to harm; its language was either opinion or ambiguous; and the internal communications were journalistic bravado that reflected a sincere belief in the reporting," the judges wrote. A civil trial is scheduled to begin on Jan. 6, 2025, in front of Judge Henry in the Circuit Court for Bay County, Florida. Original article source: CNN fails to settle defamation suit with Navy veteran who says Jake Tapper segment destroyed his reputation Coffee and Catan, anyone? Sisters set to open new board game cafe in Tacoma this fall The shelves at Tacomas incoming board game cafe are already stocked with more than 320 games, from classics like Monopoly, Scrabble and Catan to modern fun like Exploding Kittens, Joking Hazard and Block Ness. In the latter, up to four players attempt to arrange squiggly pieces of the fictional lake monster onto a peg board. You can only go over, not under, another piece, and you must always choose to attach either to your creatures head or tail. Its one of those easy to learn, difficult to master type games, said Rebekah Waltmann, co-owner of The 15% Board Game Cafe with her sister, Hannah Waltmann. Inventory carries the classics as well as co-op games (as in cooperative, where players must work together to win) and party games where six or more people can all jump in. If you cant decide, there are mystery boxes of mini games or card games. The Waltmanns also will be available to guide you. We want people who maybe arent as comfortable with board games to feel comfortable, Rebekah said. I believe, at least, that theres a board game for everyone. The sisters have been working on the space at 3518 6th Ave. since mid-June and hope for an October debut, but their journey to opening a comfortable cafe where anyone experienced and novice alike can play dates back many years. Sisters Rebekah (left) and Hannah Waltmann have already amassed a collection of more than 320 games. A small fee, which includes a drink, will give you access to table play with no time limit. At Thanksgiving, they recounted, anywhere from 30 to 50 people, including family and friends, would gather for a good meal. One of their relatives has a huge game collection, they said. He would bring some along, and a tradition was born. Theres always board games super late into the day, said Rebekah during a recent interview. That relative has since gifted the new shop around 160 games from his stash (although he did save 70 for himself!). Many others have been donated, including a few from locals who saw their posts on Instagram and Facebook in recent months. The Waltmanns are from Idaho but had family in the Seattle area. Hannah studied baking and pastry at culinary school, while Rebekah spent most of the last 13 or so years teaching English in a town about an hour from Shanghai. They had casually discussed opening their own board game cafe, they said, and eventually the idea became real. They looked up and down Puget Sound, they said, but they sought a space that could accommodate a dedicated table-game area and a full-service cafe an important combination to keep the business solvent. Tacoma has a few game shops Tacoma Games and Elegant Octopus Games in the Sixth Avenue business district, TerraCrux Games downtown but they dont serve food and drink. There are several in Seattle, including The Missing Piece, where Rebekah has worked since returning from China. She also gleaned intel from visiting shops and cafes abroad. The idea is believed to have taken off first in South Korea in the early 2000s, spreading through Asia and eventually around the world, according to gaming company Adventure Together. BOARD GAMES & COFFEE IN TACOMA The 15% Board Game Cafe will sell a few games, but likely only those produced by local companies. Instead, the sisters hope to partner with nearby retail game shops. In the front, the space will feel like a coffee shop, and anyone is welcome to just partake in that side of the business, featuring Bluebeard Coffee. The back tables will be dedicated to games, with a reasonable pay-to-play model: $7 gets you access to the expansive inventory with no time limit and a 12-ounce drink of your choice (coffee or Italian soda) included. You can even play a game to pick your drink with the not sure what you want? menu. Roll the dice literally at the counter to decide your fate. Then share a photo with your rating on social media; show the post on your next visit for a discount. They also plan to sell beer, wine and cider, as well as prepared sandwiches and baked goods by Hannah, led by the signature muckies, a spiced chocolate chip cookie-mini-muffin. Whats with the name? One of Rebekahs friends from teaching, who also designed the logo which adorns custom game mats to set the table for prime play experience inspired the percentage. We always said, Were like 85% the same person, but it was the 15% that was different that made us great friends, said Rebekah. As she explained in response to a commenter on Instagram who also inquired: Our mission is to celebrate and cherish the differences that make each person special while bringing them together with a common theme: games. THE 15% BOARD GAME CAFE 3518 6th Ave., Tacoma, instagram.com/the15percentbgcafe Planned Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Details: coffee shop and board games with dedicated play area, target opening October 2024 Column: How can millions of voters still be undecided between Trump and Harris? Here are their reasons Members of San Francisco's Republican Party watch the Tuesday night presidential debate from a pub in the city. (Juliana Yamada / Associated Press) In a U.S. presidential race that features a deeply polarized electorate and a sharp contrast between the two candidates, most voters have known for months which side they are on. Then there are people like Faith. A middle-aged manager of a substance abuse treatment center in southern Pennsylvania, she voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020. This year she is among millions of voters in swing states who are still wrestling over which way to vote or whether to vote at all. They are likely to decide the outcome. Read more: Post-debate, how much progress will Harris make in the polls? In a focus group of swing voters, Faith said she disliked Trump for the reasons she turned against him four years ago the bullying and the arrogance but that she wasnt sure what she thought about Kamala Harris. Harris says all the right things, but I need to know a little bit more about who she is, said Faith, who, like others in the focus groups I observed last week, participated on the condition that her last name not be disclosed. She talked about an opportunity economy. I want to know what that means. The precise number of voters still up for grabs is hard to pin down, because most polls don't offer "undecided" as an option. But pollsters estimate it's between 5% and 10% of the electorate. That stubborn minority is more than enough voters to determine the outcome of an election that could be decided by razor-thin margins in seven swing states. Who are these indecisive people who find it hard to choose between vividly different candidate? They fall into several categories. Read more: Trump excited this voter in 2016. This time, it's complicated Some, but not all, are low-information voters, people who are only now tuning into the campaign. A lot of them are people who dont follow politics closely, or at all, said Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster. They only get around to thinking about politics when they have to make a decision on who they will vote for if they vote at all. Others are so-called double haters voters who dislike both candidates. As many as 15% of the electorate fell into this category in polls last month, although that number is probably shrinking. They are people who do pay attention to politics and dont like what they see, Ayres said. In 2016, they were a decisive factor in swinging the election to Trump; in 2020, they helped swing it back to Biden. Still others are independents, focused mostly on economic issues. They're looking for the answer to their question: What are you going to do to get the country on a better track in terms of the economy? said GOP pollster David Winston. And a few, like Faith in Pennsylvania, are moderate Republicans who dont like Trump but still hesitate to vote for a Democrat like Harris who has sometimes veered toward her partys progressive wing. Theres a part of me that longs for Dick Cheney, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Faith said. I sat in on three focus groups, all drawn from voters who had supported Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020. Two of the groups were assembled by Engagious, a public opinion consulting firm, for the media organization Axios. The third was put together by the GOP dissident group Republican Voters Against Trump; the participants were not members. Read more: Trump calls Harris a Marxist, a communist, even a fascist. Why his wild punches don't land Most of the 20 swing voters werent entirely undecided, but almost all said they needed more information especially about Harris before they make up their minds. I do not want Trump back in office, said Jennifer, who works for a nonprofit in Wisconsin. But with Harris, I just dont feel as if I know enough about her .. and what she stands for. Bryan, 39, who lives in Atlantas western exurbs, said he initially leaned toward Trump, but Harriss strong performance in last weeks debate gave him second thoughts. He still wants to hear more about Harriss economic plans. I think she needs more well-defined policy, he said. I feel like shes been vague. The economy was better under Trump, he said, but the Republican candidate needs to act presidential and come in with facts that aren't lies. Rich Thau of Engagious said he has noticed several patterns in the dozens of similar focus groups he has convened. It's a contest between someone they dont like and someone they dont know, he said. Theres a huge lack of awareness on Harris economic plan, a huge fill-in-the-blank that she is just starting to fill. Voters who are struggling in this economy often remember the Trump years fondly, he said. They think he can do the job on the economy better, but they cant stand the guy. So for them, this choice is a 50-50 proposition. The lessons for the candidates, at least from these voters, are clear. To appeal to undecideds, Trump needs to tone down his rhetoric, stop spreading myths about migrants eating dogs and cats, and reinforce his economic credentials. Instead, he appears to be leaning deeper into falsehoods and conspiracy theories. And Harris needs to talk in more detail about her economic plans. The good news for her is that those undecided voters are listening and many are looking for a reason to move in her direction. Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter. Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond, in your inbox three times per week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Newborn baby sleeping in male arms Deloitte is to give all new fathers at least six months off work as it seeks to increase its number of female partners. The big four accountancy giant announced its new paternity leave package on Monday, which will equalise parental leave for all UK employees. This will grant all new fathers 26 weeks of fully-paid leave, which is already enjoyed by new mothers at the firm. It marks a significant increase on the four weeks of full pay currently offered to fathers after the birth of their child. The new policy comes into force from January 2025 and will be offered to Deloitte employees from their first day on the job. The move is part of Deloittes efforts to address the impact of unequal parental leave on working mothers career progression. There are about 410 women in Deloittes UK partnership, equal to about 30pc of its partners in total. Deloitte is the first member of the big four which includes EY, KPMG and PwC to introduce equal parental leave amid efforts to improve gender diversity across the business. It comes after new YouGov research commissioned by Deloitte revealed that nine out of 10 working parents say that family leave is a major factor when choosing an employer. The survey also found that more than half of working mothers believe they could progress in their career if their partner had more parenting leave and greater flexibility in their role. More than 60pc of working mothers also said they had to reduce working hours because of the workplace inflexibility of their partner, versus just 25pc of working fathers who were forced to slash their hours. The research also found that many working parents struggled to access information about paternity and maternity leave when searching for new jobs, making it difficult to make decisions about their career path. Deloittes Jackie Henry said: These findings underscore the urgent need for employers to adopt policies that support all parents in balancing work and family responsibilities, ultimately fostering greater gender equality in the workplace. Deloitte is also introducing 12 weeks of extra paid leave for new parents whose child requires neonatal care. The firm will also increase support for carers in long-term care-giving roles by offering them five extra paid days off per year, while also giving paid leave to those undergoing fertility treatment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, has fronted the claim that Haitian immigrants are stealing and eating household pets despite not having a shred of evidence (Chris Szagola / Associated Press) If you were tuned in to the political jabber this weekend and undistracted by news of an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, you may be aware that Trump's running mate JD Vance acknowledged having "create[d] stories" about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, to focus the media's attention on the immigration issue. Among the stories that Vance spewed in appearances on TV talk shows Sunday was that there are 20,000 Haitians in Springfield, that they're illegal immigrants, that they were "dumped" on this unsuspecting municipality, that they're responsible for "skyrocketing" HIV and tuberculosis cases, that they've driven up housing prices, and of course that they're stealing and eating the city's geese and household pets. None of these goonishly malevolent claims is authentic, some have been decisively debunked, and some are flagrant misrepresentations. These stories have all the earmarks of urban legends...The stories told about eaten pets are spread by word-of-mouth, and are unauthenticated by actual, traceable details. Folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand On NBC's Meet the Press, Vance rationalized his mainstreaming of these urban legendswhich have been picked up and amplified by Trump on the campaign trailby stating, "If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then thats what Im going to do." To many commenters online, Vance's casual dismissal of the need to authenticate slanderous claims about an ethnic group evoked propaganda campaigns of the past. One that came up was a judgment by the Nazi Party's chief racist ideologue, Alfred Rosenberg, about the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion," an antisemitic tract wholly fabricated by officials in Tsarist Russia. In 1934, Rosenberg wrote that the issue was less the so-called authenticity of The Protocols than the inner truth of what is stated. When I first encountered this quote in a posting on X, I found it so overdetermined that I thought it must be apocryphal. It's not. It has been documented by Holocaust historians. Indeed, Rosenberg's thinking reflected the general approach to the Protocols among Nazis. They included Hitler's propagandist Joseph Goebbels, who wrote in his diary in 1924: "I believe in the inner, but not the factual, truth of The Protocols. This is what Vance and Trump are up to. Vance surely knows that the poison he has injected into political discourse has no resemblance to truth. Pressed on the issue by Dana Bash on Meet the Press, he claimed to have heard about the pet kidnappings in Springfield from "a dozen" constituents, ten of whose stories are "verifiable and confirmable." Read more: Column: I know what Trump was really talking about in his child care rant, and it's even scarier than you thought He didn't say that he had verified or confirmed them. Rather, he said it's up to the news media to do that job for him. His own office doesn't appear to have considered the claims authentic enough to pass any evidence on to law enforcement or civic leadership in Springfield, since neither the police nor the city's mayor say they have seen any evidence to validate them. Questioned by Bash, Vance veered into the argument that the news media had ignored the purported crisis in Springfield until he caught their attention with his eye-opening "stories." In other words, his concern was less the authenticity or inauthenticity of his stories, but their, well, inner truth. One more thing before we examine the other claims retailed by Vance and Trump: Urban legends about immigrants eating household pets have long been a staple of anti-immigrant propaganda in the U.S. The eminent folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand traced them at least as far back as the 1970s, when immigrants from Southeast Asia reached these shores. "These stories have all the earmarks of urban legends," Brunvand wrote. "As with most such legends, the stories told about eaten pets are spread by word-of-mouth, and are unauthenticated by actual, traceable details." (Props to NBC's Brandy Zadrozny for unearthing a 1987 column by Brunvand on the topic.) Brunvand observed that the core of these stories is prejudice against immigrants, "who are also dismissed as 'invaders' who live on welfare and violate our cultural norms." The Trump/Vance campaign didn't respond to my request for comment about the ideological roots of its attack on Haitian immigrants. "We hope the media will continue to cover the stories of the very real suffering and tragedies experienced by the people of Springfield, Ohio," the campaign told me by email. That brings us to the other calumnies Vance and Trump have directed at the Haitians in Springfield. First of all, estimates of Haitian residents in Springfield run to about 10,000 to 15,000, not 20,000. They are legal residents, not illegal. Nor did they all appear suddenly; some of them have been in this country long enough to have green cards. "What we do know," Ohio's Republican governor, Mike DeWine, said Sunday on ABC, "is that the Haitians who are in Springfield are legal. They came to Springfield to work....Springfield has really made a great resurgence with a lot of companies coming in. These Haitians came in to work for these companies. What the companies tell us is that they are very good workers. They are very happy to have them there. And frankly, that has helped the economy." As for the claim that Haitians are kidnapping and eating pets, DeWine called that "a piece of garbage that was simply not true. Theres no evidence of this at all." Read more: Column: Trump and Vance are dead wrong economists unanimously agree that U.S. tariffs are a tax on American consumers Vance's claim that HIV and tuberculosis cases are "skyrocketing" in Springfield doesn't appear to have any empirical support. New diagnoses of HIV generally declined from 2018 to 2022, according to a survey by the state Dept. of Health dated June 30, 2023. The department's director told the Columbus Dispatch that his agency hasn't seen any "measurable or discernible increase" in vaccine-preventable illnesses, a category that includes TB. (The TB vaccine generally isn't given in the U.S. because the disease incidence is so low.) The influx of Haitian immigrants into Springfield was born in a deliberate local effort to shore up a shrinking economy, starting about 2017while Trump was President. The local boosters succeeded in attracting so many companies to the city that a labor shortage occurred. Haitian immigrants arrived, as DeWine said, to fill those jobs. It's true that the influx of new residents has strained the municipal infrastructure, including its schools and hospitals, and driven up rents. That's what happens in any town that becomes a magnet for new employment, such asto name a couple at randomAustin, Tex., and San Francisco. The state of Ohio has committed $2.5 million over two years to augment the city's primary healthcare resources, among other assistance. That said, the problems caused by the influx of working and taxpaying new residents pale in comparison to the damage done by Vance to his own constituents through his decision to mainline Springfield into the national immigration debate. The city appealed to its federal representatives for help dealing with the infrastructure problems from Washington. What they got was a partisan campaign that, so far, has led to bomb threats against local hospitals and the closures of schools and a local college in response to threats of violence. In his TV appearances Sunday, Vance tried to steer the conversation to what he described as "creat[ing] the actual focus that allowed the American media to talk about this story." He didn't seem to notice that he has become the story. Vance is wrong to say that the story is about "the suffering of the American people" because of immigration. The story is about the utter lack of judgment, character, shame and integrity he and his running mate have displayed in targeting an entire community of working people with smears, just for partisan gain. Get the latest from Michael Hiltzik Commentary on economics and more from a Pulitzer Prize winner. Sign me up. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Progressive Action for the Common Good (PACG) and St. Ambrose Universitys Sustainability Committee are sponsoring a free screening of Common Ground, a film about regenerative agriculture, at the Rogalski Center at St. Ambrose on Wednesday, September 25 at 6:30 pm. The Rogalski Center is located at 518 W. Locust Street in Davenport. The film is a sequel to Kiss the Ground and examines the challenges and complexities of the food system, highlighting political and economic issues that affect agriculture. The film shows how independent farmers are using regenerative practices and more traditional farming techniques to improve soil health and reduce food and waterway pollution. Common Ground won awards from the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Cinema for Peace, the Riviera International Film Festival and the San Diego Film Awards. A panel of three local farmers will discuss their experiences in using various regenerative ag strategies after the film. Monte Bottoms is a fifth-generation farmer from Cambridge, Ill. He and his family began implementing no-till practices, along with other conservation strategies, in 2017 on their farm, Grateful Graze. They were honored with the Nutrient Management Practitioner Award in 2012. Robb Ewoldt farms in Scott County and advocates for agriculture and conservation practices on farms. He has been using whats now called regenerative agriculture for about 13 years and is seeing the benefits. He and his wife, Jennifer, have received the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award, the Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Award and River Actions Eddy Award. Ann Wolfs farm near Belleview, IA, has been in the family since 1943. Shes been implementing buffers, timber stand improvements and a wetland to protect the soil and water resources and to sequester carbon. She has served as the executive director of Iowa Heartland Resource Conservation and Development, as well as co-director of Midwest Healthy Ag, a division of Regeneration International. PACG helps people act for positive change and social justice by organizing a network of community forums and events to educate and engage the public to work for the common good of all. Its core values are Social Justice, Empowerment, Diversity, Sustainability and Community. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) A Johnstown defense company is expanding production and plans to hire more employees. Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace is based in Norway with a remote weapons system factory in Johnstown. The company will be expanding production capacity as part of a lease extension of 10 years. Kongsberg also said they plan to hire an additional 20 employees as part of the expansion. In a release, the company said they will invest $10 million for improvements to the new space including infrastructure, fixtures, tooling and equipment. Johnstown is Kongsbergs largest production facility outside of Norway. Our continued investments as a company in Pennsylvania are a testament to the highly skilled workforce that has been producing these systems for 20 years at a level of quality and reliability that no other producer of remote weapon stations can match, Kjetil Reiten Myhra, executive vice president of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospaces Defence Systems Division said in a release. Johnstown is home to Kongsbergs largest production facility outside of Norway Norway and that wouldn`t be possible without the ongoing support of the community. The Johnstown facility employs more than 220 people and more than 20,000 remote weapon stations and roughly 100 remote turrets have been produced there since it opened in 2008. The company said the new space will support producing gun systems for the Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle which uses a remotely operated turret from Kongsberg. Get the latest news, weather forecasts and sports stories delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our newsletters. The global threat environment is driving more sophisticated capabilities and more aggressive delivery timelines and it is paramount that we, along with our key suppliers, make the investments needed to more rapidly provide these key capabilities, Heather Armentrout, president and general manager of Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace, Inc. added. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTAJ - www.wtaj.com. Complaint filed against a top Kentucky Democrat for condo purchase. She says its ethical. In our Reality Check stories, Herald-Leader journalists dig deeper into questions over facts, consequences and accountability. Read more. Story idea? hlcityregion@herald-leader.com. A Jessamine County Republican filed an ethics complaint late Thursday against House Minority Caucus Chair Cherlynn Stevenson, D-Lexington, for jointly purchasing a Frankfort condo with a lobbyist. But Stevenson has provided the Herald-Leader copies of correspondence with the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission, the body that handles such complaints, clearing her to purchase the condo with lobbyist Sarah Bowling earlier this year. The person who filed the complaint, Bob Barney of Nicholasville, argued to the ethics commission that Stevenson buying the condo with a lobbyist amounts to a violation of law prohibiting lawmakers from accepting anything of value from a legislative agent, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by the Herald-Leader. By receiving this financial value Representative Cherlynn Stevenson has broken the law and is therefore guilty of a Class B misdemeanor. This matter requires a thorough investigation. If the above facts are determined to be true, Representative Stevenson should be prosecuted, Barney wrote in his complaint. Stevenson says the complaint is meritless. This complaint has no merit, period. Its driven solely by election year politics, and I have no doubt it will be cleared if not dismissed quickly, Stevenson wrote in a message to the Herald-Leader. Bowling, a lobbyist with Cornerstone Government Affairs who served as a staffer with Kentucky House Democrats from 2017 to 2023, had cleared the purchase with the highest legislative ethics official in the state in a May email exchange provided to the Herald-Leader by the Stevenson campaign. As long as the purchase is made and rent is assessed at a fair market rate, this would be acceptable under the Ethics Code, as it would not constitute an impermissible thing of value, commission executive director Laura Hendrix wrote to Bowling. A Stevenson campaign spokesperson said that the intent with the purchase is to live in the condo during the legislative session, which lasts from Jan. 1 to early-mid Spring, and rent it out the rest of the year. They said that the opinion from Hendrix applies to both circumstances, renting and living, and that the cost of purchasing the condo was evenly split between Stevenson and Bowling. According to Franklin County Property Value Administrator records, the property was owned by Rake Strategies LLC, a company owned by outgoing House Minority Whip Rachel Roberts, D-Newport, and her husband. In Feb. 2023, the company bought the condo for $95,500. Bowling and Stevenson closed on the property for $130,000 on July 16 of this year. The condo is located in the South Frankfort neighborhood and is within walking distance to the state Capitol. Stevenson, Bowling and Roberts will have to disclose various aspects of the purchase on their latest financial disclosure reports, Hendrix told Bowling. Lobbyists, like legislators, must file certain disclosure reports. This situation, while rare, is not new territory. As of his latest report, current House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, is partner in a horse racing business with three different lobbyists, including two of the highest-paid in Frankfort, Patrick Jennings and Marc Wilson. Further, the Legislative Ethics Commission cleared a similar situation in a 1994 opinion. Stevenson has risen in the ranks of the state Democratic party since taking office in 2019. Shes won three elections in her district largely comprised of suburban Fayette County by three percentage points or fewer. Earlier this year, she was the only elected Democrat who spoke on stage at Fancy Farm, the states premier political speaking event. Stevenson told the Herald-Leader earlier this month that she intends to run for House Democratic Floor Leader, the highest post in the 20-person caucus, to replace outgoing leader Derrick Graham, D-Frankfort. The lawmaker is facing a general election opponent in Republican Vanessa Grossl. Having only defeated a Republican opponent in 2022 by 37 votes, her re-election bid will be one of the closest-watched in the statehouse. According to elections website CNAlysis, Stevensons 88th House District went for former president Donald Trump by about five percentage points in 2024. Grossl did not offer comment on the merits of the complaint. Our campaign is watching this unfold along with the public and has no comment. Our opponent and her campaign already attempted to go negative. We look forward meeting voters where they are and talking about our ideas for moving Kentucky forward, Grossl wrote in a message to the Herald-Leader. In the 1990s, national politicians painted a scary picture of crime in the United States. We have predators on our streets that society has in part because of its neglect, created, then-U.S. Sen. Joe Biden said in a 1993 speech. They are beyond the pale, many of those people, beyond the pale, he continued. Its a sad commentary on society. We have no choice but to take them out of society, and the truth is we dont very well know how to rehabilitate them at that point. Thats the sad truth. In 1991, the countrys violent crime rate had reached a peak of 758.2 reported crimes per 100,000 residents. (For context, the FBI reported a rate of 380.7 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2022.) Biden became a prominent voice on this issue and played a key role in drafting the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, signed by President Bill Clinton 30 years ago this month. The 356-page bill tackled assault weapons, domestic violence, incarceration and policing. Today, its a complicated part of Bidens legacy. The bill was celebrated by many advocates for enacting the Violence Against Womens Act, the first comprehensive federal legislative package explicitly designed to end gender-based violence. But it also faced wide criticism for expanding policing and harsh criminal punishments that fell hardest on Black and Brown communities. Often overlooked is the effect it had on arrests and incarceration of children and the rise of the school-to-prison pipeline. From 1990 to 2000, the proportion of children convicted of murder who were sentenced to life without parole increased from 2.9 percent to 9 percent. The 19th interviewed nearly two dozen experts several of whom were directly involved in drafting or negotiating the bill 30 years ago about its legacy. They shared their perspective on where the country was before the bill passed, where we are now and where we should head next. In the 1990s, fears about crime rates converged with a government effort to crack down on crime. U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, a member of Congress since 1993: The Democratic Party was trying to toughen its political image on the crime. The fact is, most of the members were taking an emotional approach to crime, totally unrelated to any evidence and research. Ed Chung, vice president of initiatives at Vera Institute of Justice: Mass incarceration overall has been a decades-long endeavor across the United States, and it started before the 94 crime bill. But in the early 1990s, crime was the national issue of the day at all levels of government. There was a dramatic increase in crime rates in the 1980s and it peaked in the early 90s. And so policymakers were looking to address that through legislation. Kristin Henning, Blume Professor of Law and Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown Law: It really starts in the 60s with the civil rights era and kids protesting. So really from the 60s right through the 80s, the 90s, we sort of began to flow into this law and order response to children. There was a sense that young people were largely responsible for or had an outsized role to play in the increase in crime. I think by the time we get to the 90s, people were much more explicit that [they believed] Black children were responsible. One of Bidens top priorities in the crime bill was including the Violence Against Women Act, a historic provision that was largely written and driven by women both from inside the halls of Congress and in grassroots efforts across the country. President Bill Clinton hugs Senator Joe Biden during a signing ceremony for the crime bill on the South Lawn of the White House in September 1994. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images) Victoria Nourse, a Georgetown University law professor and vice chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, who drafted the Violence Against Women Act as a legal staffer in the U.S. Senate: We had hearings in June of 1990 where three very brave hidden figures no one remembers who they were talked about being raped. The Senate Judiciary Committee at that time had never heard anything like that. But Biden treated them with great respect and could still quote the women in 2015 when I went to work for him in the White House. The law was denying the truth of their sexual assaults, it was blaming the victims, and this was something that clearly moved him. Sally Goldfarb, a professor at Rutgers Law School who was a staff attorney at NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund: I was an attorney working primarily on family law issues back then, and I saw that family violence is a crucial issue in the lives of women and in this country. You cant really talk about American families without talking about domestic violence. That was not a widely shared view there was a lot of denial. Nourse: I did not let the other drafters near [the VAWA draft] because I was worried they were all guys. And then I started bringing in the interest groups, I needed expertise. I had taken Ruth Bader Ginsburg off the shelf, and I remember having a meeting with a lead battered womens group and I felt like they themselves had been battered. I asked them what their wishlist was, and they didnt think anyone would care. The last time they went up to Congress, theyd gotten trashed. They didnt know who Biden was or why hed care, but they liked me, so I developed relationships. Goldfarb: [Nourse] called me to have a conversation about then-Sen. Bidens idea for a bill to address violence against women. I ended up getting very excited and very involved. I founded a national coalition of individuals and organizations that worked together to make recommendations on the drafting of the bill and also to work on mobilizing support inside and outside of Congress. Nourse: It was really the NOW Legal Defense Fund, theyre called Legal Momentum now, but Sally Goldfarb she was the real force behind the force of Biden. Goldfarb: [Nourse] was on the inside; I was on the outside. It was the first time that the federal government was proposing to take a fairly comprehensive look at violence against women and its impact on womens equality in status in society. In the past, these issues either had not been addressed at all or were addressed through state criminal law or a few federal funding programs that were very modest. Nourse: At the time, battered womens shelters claimed that their major source of funding was bake sales. And there were people on the floor of the Senate in the 80s who say that battered womens shelters were indoctrination centers for radical feminism or runaway wives. Goldfarb: There was significant pushback to the idea that government should get involved in protecting women from violence, particularly violence committed by intimate partners. There were people who thought that family issues should be kept within the family. The national coalition that I founded began with just a dozen people sitting around a table in the very modest conference room at the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund. By the time the bill was enacted four years later, there were literally hundreds of organizations and individuals who had pledged their support for this legislation, ranging from the Girl Scouts to religious denominations to health care providers, community groups, civil rights organizations. Nourse: VAWA was first introduced in 1990 but it didnt become popular until 1992, the year of the woman. It was after Anita Hills hearings and public sexual harassment allegations against Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas, and a record-number of women were elected to the Senate. Goldfarb: There were a series of hearings held on the Violence Against Women Act. At hearings held in different states by different senators, the mainstream press carried stories about the testimony given by women who had been shot by their husbands or attacked by their landlord or victimized in other ways. The impact that it had on their lives, the impact it had on their financial well-being as they lost their jobs and fled from abusive relationships. People were now reading stories about issues that might not have previously come to their attention. So VAWA became a vehicle for public education. One of the major innovations of the Violence Against Women Act was to think about these issues in terms of their effect across social categories and not see this as an individual perpetrator and an individual victim alone, but rather as part of a social pattern. While Republicans pushed back against VAWA, some Democrats spoke out against the bills increased funding toward policing, punitive juvenile justice and incarceration. Nourse: Advocates at first werent happy that VAWA was part of a crime bill. And the ACLU opposed VAWA at the time because they thought it was racist. They thought it would put more Black men in jail. My answer was, Well, what about the Black women who are the survivors? It was a day and age when liberals thought that anything that involved crime was racist, and, you know, there is a fine line. Crime had been used by the Republicans to race bait for a very, very long time. But where were the Black women? Hernandez Stroud, a senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law: The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) supported the idea of addressing crime, but members of the CBC were critical of the 1994 bill. There were communities, Black communities, that certainly wanted to address crime, but the question was about the way in which you do that. And so members of the CBC, while criticizing the bill, had also introduced an alternative bill that included investment in prevention and alternatives to incarceration. They devoted $2 billion more to drug treatment and $3 billion more to early intervention programs. Rep. Scott, a member of the CBC: There were a few of us who just decided to follow the evidence and research. That pretty much put us opposed to most of the provisions in the bill. We had initiatives to try to put money into evidence-based approaches that have been shown to actually reduce crime. But all the politics is on the side of slogans and sound bites. Slogans polled extremely well, and members of Congress are politicians trying to get elected. The crime bill passed in the House and Senate in August 1994 and was signed into law by Clinton the next month. For the first time, through VAWA, there were federal provisions on rape and battery prevention, funding for victim services and more legal teeth in battery charges and orders of protection. Bill Clinton walks across the White House lawn following a meeting on crime, in April 1994. (Jeffrey Markowitz/Sygma via Getty Images) Stephanie Love-Patterson, president and chief executive of the National Network to End Domestic Violence: I was working as a sexual assault advocate at one of the hospitals in Chicago back in the 1980s. Oftentimes it takes some time for a change [like the passage of VAWA] to spread throughout communities so that people understand it. But one thing I can say from the sexual assault and domestic violence side, we advocates could more confidently tell victims what they had rights to and that was really, really good. Rachel Graber, vice president of government relations and advocacy at Jewish Women International, which is part of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence: VAWA brought together domestic violence programs, sexual assault programs and victim advocates with law enforcement and prosecutors building a coordinated community response. So instead of having a piecemeal response where no one is talking to each other, the idea was to have a united front with everybody working together. Victims were better protected and offenders held more accountable. Despite VAWAs landmark protections, the crime bills broader impacts on incarceration had dramatic consequences for marginalized communities. Christian Nunes, president of the National Organization for Women, one of the countrys largest feminist advocacy groups: This is the first time you really saw a huge push for guidelines to establish tracking sex offenders. That was very helpful, particularly for women and children, survivors and victims. However, many women victims of trafficking were swept into the crime bill under extreme penalties and given harsh sentences even though they were actually victims. Then we had the sex-abuse-to-prison pipeline that we see has contributed to a lot of mass incarceration for women. Stroud: Although our incarceration was already steadily rising before the crime bill, several of its provisions, to many people, helped to accelerate incarceration. From 1970 to 1994, the rate of imprisonment had exploded 400 percent and from 94 to 2009 which is when incarceration was at its highest imprisonment continued to rise, doubling. So how did the crime bill contribute to this increase? First, it banned 19 types of semi-automatic assault weapons. It authorized the death penalty for dozens of existing and new crimes. It instituted a federal three-strikes-and-youre-out provision. But, those facets were likely less pernicious than how the crime bill influenced states to increase their prison roles. The bill granted states $12.5 billion to build prisons if they passed truth in sentencing laws, which required incarcerated people to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences. And so, it was this idea that the federal government was using the power of the purse to engage states in the project of incarcerating ever more people for longer periods of time. The way that these policies defined crime, the punishments that they attach to those definitions of crime, fell hardest on communities of color. I think that is reflected in the glaring racial disparities of our prisons when it comes to those who are behind bars. So theres no doubt that communities of color and low-income communities were suffering disproportionately as a result of many of these policies. Henning: It had an inordinate, outsized impact on the mass incarceration of Black youth and spawned these draconian provisions all across the country to try more children as adults at younger ages for more crimes instead of helping them in ways that would make all of us safe and would make children safe. The 1994 crime bill itself creates the COPS program, the Community Oriented Policing Services program. That is huge at that moment because its creating the authority for the attorney generals office to create grants to increase the police presence throughout communities. In 1998, the bill got amended to specify that those COPS grants could be used and should be used for schools. So the 1994 bill is so critically important because it paved the foundation for the federal funding of cops in schools. Over the years, time and research further highlighted the far-reaching ways the crime bill shaped the U.S. justice system. Henning: Its really critical to understand that the 1994 crime bill literally, unequivocally, in every practical way, shifted the way we police children in schools. The way that this funding has been allocated, schools with a predominantly or disproportionately high presence of Black and Brown students are more likely to have school resource officers than White schools. We know this to be true that more police in schools means more arrests of students. More arrests of students means more arrests of Black and Brown students. Data shows that Black girls are 3.6 times more likely to be arrested at school than a White girl. And a Black boy is 2.4 times more likely to be arrested than a White boy. Juvenile court is supposed to be different, more rehabilitative and confidential. But when you transfer kids to adult court, they are sentenced in adult facilities. We know that sending children to adult facilities radically increases the chance that theyre going to be sexually assaulted, physically assaulted by other inmates, by guards. We know that theyre not going to get the educational support that they need. Theyre not going to get the mental health support that they need. Theyre going to learn to adapt to the prison mindset in order to protect themselves. Theyre more likely to be in solitary confinement. Nikola Nable-Juris, national legal and policy director, Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth: Family members are some of the most compelling and powerful advocates and voices on this issue because they can really speak to how incarcerating a child can tear a family apart and really create so many challenges that people never anticipated, because many children had never encountered the justice system before their arrest. Theres the challenges of going through court proceedings, the burden for a parent seeing your child incarcerated, the challenges in prison in terms of communication with family contact, the lack of educational opportunities. Patrice Sulton, founder and executive director of the DC Justice Lab: What we know about the U.S. approach to policing and the U.S. approach to the number of people we put into prison and how long we keep them there, is that it is criminogenic its actually making crime worse. It should have been obvious that if you keep throwing kids up against the wall, if you keep throwing people into jail, at a certain point you will have destabilized a community enough that it cannot thrive. You cant pull all the Black men out of the neighborhood, put them in cages, torture them for years, put them back and expect crime to go down. Thats not a winning strategy, although that was the prevailing wisdom at the time. Experts also identified flaws and gaps in the protections afforded by VAWA. Goldfarb: VAWA absolutely did not solve all the problems when it passed in 1994, and since then the law has been reauthorized five times. Its been expanded and provisions have been added; the most recent reauthorization in 2022 expanded protections for LGBTQ+ survivors, survivors with disabilities and people living on tribal reservations. It also had important programs to provide housing for victims. Nunes: Over the last few years, were definitely seeing a better understanding of the complexity of what domestic violence looks like. Before, it was a lot more rigid with the expectation that domestic violence was just your partner or spouse offending you. But now, were looking at different violence with different gender identities, with different technologies including artificial intelligence, location tracking, cyber stalking and considering economic, financial and emotional abuse. Dale Cecka, director of the Family Violence Litigation Clinic at Albany Law School: I dont think that the general public is aware of just how stuck between a rock and a hard place [domestic violence] victims really are. The gun aspect is so crucial: If youre in a home with a firearm, youre five times as likely as a woman to be killed. I have literally never seen in the hundreds of cases Ive done, Ive never seen a protective order where the sheriff who serves the order actually confiscates guns or forces the abuser to bring them into court or relinquish them somehow. And the woman in those instances has done everything that weve given her to do. Even with 20 years of experience, I sometimes wish our clients would just run away and hide, because I have nothing effective to help them. Graber: I was the chairperson of the work on firearms, and so we had some success in partially closing the dating loophole after VAWA passed. Under federal law, people who are subject to final domestic violence protective orders that meet certain requirements, they cant have guns if theyre married to, living with or have a child with the victim. They are still allowed to have a gun, however, if theyre just dating partners we need to fully close that loophole. Thirty years later, does the country think about and respond to crime differently? A prisoner walks back to his cell block at a California State Prison in Vacaville, California, in December 2013. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images) Henning: Crime has never gone back to the levels it was at in the 80s and early 90s. Were not back there. But what we are seeing is that in many urban areas theres an uptick in a few types of offenses robberies, carjackings and shootings. So youre seeing a slight uptick, but people start to feel unsafe because theyre high-profile incidents. And now youre seeing the draconian policies again. Youre seeing the criminalization, again, of normal adolescent behavior. Stroud: I dont know that it would be fair to say that as a nation our federal policy has fallen back into the mold of 1994. I dont think were living in the same sort of era in terms of policy. I do worry about the impulse to punish more at the first whiff of heightened crime. Nunes: When it comes to domestic violence, theres still a disconnect and underrepresentation of crimes being reported by persons of color and marginalized communities. So that still needs work. We still see systemic inequalities and bias or discrimination in reporting agencies, law enforcement, in the justice system. Graber: Not all domestic violence survivors are White, middle class, cisgender, heterosexual women with college educations and mortgages. Some survivors may, as a result of being victims, be involved in the legal and criminal justice systems themselves. Some survivors are not in a position where calling law enforcement would make them safe, so we need to make sure that every victim has an avenue to safety that works for them. Nable-Juris: The way that communities stay safe is by doing prevention work, is by investing in the community. Incarceration is not the solution to do that. In many ways, the people who are incarcerated are key contributors to that solution. Those are the people who can come home and connect with children and young folks and explain what they have experienced and serve as a support to prevent future crimes. Scott: Gradually theres more acceptance of an evidence-based approach [to crime]. One of the problems is that you just cant afford the foolishness: just locking people up without doing anything about crime. The costs of incarceration have skyrocketed. What states are spending has just gone totally out of kilter. If they put some of that money into prevention and early intervention, education generally, afterschool programs, there would be much less crime. When you just put it all into longer sentences, you have a massive expense without any concurrent reduction in crime. Sulton: The majority of people understand now that long-term solutions and meaningful investments are the way to make change. And although movements are cyclical we expect a certain degree of backlash following a moment like 2020 or a moment like 2014 its kind of wild that our local lawmakers still dont feel the urgency, the necessity or the political support from their constituency to make the big changes that need to happen. Eddie Ellis, co-director of outreach and member services at the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth: A lot of communities are trying to do the right thing with programs and support, but not the government. Theres many programs out here that are doing transformative, healing work, restorative justice work, but a lot of courts are not using those resources. In our organization, transformative healing which is a part of restorative justice is about trying to bring healing to people and to help them find space to heal. You find a lot of children in these populations that have been sexually assaulted, verbally abused and in unhealthy environments that they have no control over. In Maryland, they just passed a bill to lower the age so that 10 year olds can be arrested and charged with crimes. So you tell me: How far have we come? The post The complicated legacy of the 1994 crime bill appeared first on The 19th. News that represents you, in your inbox every weekday. Subscribe to our free, daily newsletter. LAKEWOOD Hatzolah of Central Jersey, the longtime Orthodox-led rescue squad, is publicly criticizing a new ambulance service that formed two years ago, claiming the rival outfit is harming its operation and urging residents not to call them. That new service, Hatzulas Nefashos of Jackson, is a registered nonprofit under the name Jackson Jewish Volunteer Ambulance, according to its director, Yitzchok Birnhack. More: Calls for Lakewood rescue squad doubled, new larger home sought He says Hatzolahs campaign to oppose them has sparked prank calls and false information being spread on social media and elsewhere. The last three months we have gotten phony calls and people telling us to shut down, Birnhack said. It is all about control, they want full control. Hatzolah public letter critical of new rival organization Public statement claimed to have been signed by 100 rabbis and Orthodox leaders critical of new ambulance squad Hatzulas Nefashos Hatzolah leaders did not respond to requests for comment. The most recent salvo came in an August 26 letter sent to local residents and some media by Hatzolah of Central Jersey urging local citizens not to call the new service. It has come to our attention that an organization previously condemned by Rabbonim of all our towns for their unsanctioned and unnecessary services, has been aggressively promoting and advertising their hotline number using various gimmicks, the letter said. It later accused the organization of seeking to closely mimic Hatzolah of Central Jersey and claimed such confusion could cause a potentially critical delay during a crisis. The warning urges residents to remove any magnets, stickers or other paraphernalia promoting the rival EMS service from their homes. A similar statement issued by an unknown group and claiming to have been signed by several dozen rabbinical leaders, was posted on several social media outlets and by Yeshiva World News of New York. It accuses Hatzulas Nefashos of trying to undermine Hatzolah of Central Jersey while seeking to pass itself off as a similar operation and called it unsanctioned. Launched two years ago, Hatzulas Nefashos claims to have 50 volunteers and seeks to fill a need created by the recent population growth that has affected Lakewood and the surrounding area. More: Lakewood Township tax hike may double last year's increase Hatzolah of Central Jersey, which dates back more than 40 years, boasts 200 volunteers and recently built a new headquarters after revealing demand had skyrocketed with twice as many calls as it had 14 years ago. The increased demand is no surprise given that Lakewoods population has grown from about 95,000 in 2010 to 135,000 in 2020 and is estimated to be approaching 150,000. Hatzolah leaders said in February that emergency calls rose from about 10,000 in 2018 to nearly 20,000 in 2023. Neither Hatzolah nor Hatzulas Nefashos are tied into the county 911 call system and respond to direct calls from residents seeking their services. Created in 1981 as an EMT service for students at Beth Medrash Govoha, Hatzolah of Central Jersey has expanded to serve all of Lakewood and many nearby areas. Birnhack, who moved to Jackson from Brooklyn five years ago, said he sought to launch Hatzulas Nefashos after a neighbor had difficulty getting an ambulance in an emergency. He claims to have raised $3 million to launch the service, which has eight ambulances and serves Jackson, Toms River and Lakewood. The organization has yet to file an IRS form 990 disclosing its financial status. Federal tax records indicate Hatzolah of Central Jersey raised more than $4.6 million in 2022 through donations and grants, with total revenue of about $5.6 million. Since 2018, Hatzolah has received more than $18 million in donations and grants. Hatzolahs annual expenses run about $4.4 million per year, according to data. Tax documents list three full-time employees, each of whom earns more than $140,000. More: How Lakewood population growth has boosted its cash flow, and spending Some local Lakewood leaders joined in the condemnation of Hatzulas Nefashos, claiming it will hurt local emergency needs if it continues. The creation and continued operation of Hatzulas Nefashos is an unfortunate event, said Rabbi Moshe Weisberg, spokesperson for the Lakewood VAAD, an influential group of political and business leaders. The original Hatzolah has an extensive and constantly expanding service area, with dozens of highly trained EMTs the arrival of Hatzulas Nefashos seems to be a service for which no need exists. It is at best duplicative, and at worst can potentially be life-threating as it sows confusion for a patient or family in an emergency -- when every second counts. Lakewood Mayor Ray Coles offered a similar rebuke: Hatzolah has spent years perfecting their operation, training and response and for someone to come in and mimic that has caused a lot of unease in the community. When they pick up the phone and call Hatzolah they know they will get a good level of care. This new organization is an unknown. Birnhack said if residents prefer Hatzolah that is their choice. If you dont want our service, dont call us. There are people out here who dont want to call us and thats fine. Birnhack said he has reached out to Hatzolah but has received no response. He also said he is considering legal action against the organization. We try to reach out to them but no good. I think they do not like competition, he said. This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lakewood NJ rescue squad attacks new rival, urges opposition Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) moderates a panel Thursday on addressing gun violence at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundations legislative conference. Panelists from left to right are Roger Mitchell, Armani White, Maciah King-Brooks, Mariah Cooley and Angela Ferrell-Zabala. Photo by William J. Ford The U.S. Surgeon Generals declaration this summer that gun violence is a public health crisis is a positive step toward addressing the problem, says 15-year-old Maciah King-Brooks. However, the Washington, D.C., high school student said more needs to be done. People have easy access to guns. At this point, its uncontrollable. I mean, people younger than me walking around with guns, Kings-Brooks said Thursday during a session on gun violence at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundations annual legislative conference in D.C. The teens remarks to a standing-room-only crowd earned him an invitation from U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia) to sit on stage during a discussion entitled, Youth on Fire: Addressing Gun Violence in Our Communities. Warnock hosted the discussion a week after a shooting at a Georgia high school left two students and two teachers dead, and then two days later another shooting at a Maryland high school. He said hes given speeches on the Senate floor each year for three years about a mass shooting in his state. We have to underscore that we also have to deal with this everyday violence that goes on in Black communities, he said to the standing-room-only crowd inside a room at the Washington E. Convention Center. We have to ask the hard questions of politicians who show up and this happens, and they send their thoughts and their prayers. To say that youre sending thoughts and prayers while refusing to act makes a mockery of faith. Warnock said a Fox News poll from last year found 87% of voters surveyed supported universal background checks as a requirement for gun ownership. But yet we cant even have a debate in the Senate, he said. But the good news public opinion has shifted. Panelists called for politicians to pass policies to make the gun industry accountable. Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action, said the industry generates $9 billion annually. Ferrell-Zabala said the city of Chicago filed a lawsuit against Glock Inc. over semiautomatic weapons that can be easily modified. She said the gun industry should focus on safety versus marketing, especially to youth. They make them like Barbie now. They make them really pretty and cute and pink, she said. Some states enacted legislation on tougher gun laws such as Maryland. The states Gun Industry Accountability Act, which went into effect in June, allows the states attorney general, county attorneys and the Baltimore City solicitor to file civil suits against members of the firearm industry that knowingly create public harm. But some teens said they just want to be heard. Just have an ear for us as young men, Rashad Starke, 18, a high school senior in D.C., said after the discussion. Build bonds up. Build trust up. Thats what Im looking for. The session also encouraged young people such as Starke who are eligible to vote to do so. He will vote for the first time in the Nov. 5 general election. The conference also held a National Town Hall that focused on advancing democracy and Black economic opportunity. NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson said capitalism and democracy are two separate issues. But when democracy is strong, then prosperity grows for all Americans, he said. Former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, has said the economy remains one of the biggest issues currently hurting the nation. Its the capital class that will put a clown on the ticket, separate them [capitalism and democracy] to get him elected so they can maintain public policy, regardless of what happens with the democracy, Johnson said. They only care about protecting their capital. Thursdays discussion on gun violence continued a theme from Wednesday that called for young people to become part of the political process. Zyahna Bryant, Deyona Burton, Derrick Lewis II and Mantryll Williams and all under the age of 30 offered recommendations Wednesday for elected officials to meet people where they are. They said officials should accept young people who dont wear business attire, arent enrolled in higher education and dont have a college degree. Bryant, 23, said social media can promote social change, but must be done to help others. Unfortunately in this world, a lot of people are not craving community. Theyre craving fans, said Bryant, a graduate student at the University of Virginia and program lead for Youth Mentoring Action Network. If they want fans, lets at least hope that theyre giving the proper information to their fans and getting their fans to move to action. Nicarra Campbell Wallace, who moderated the discussion, asked how can Black men stay engaged in the political process. Williams, a 24-year-old youth policy consultant with the Childrens Defense Fund, said one way is to help them with basic needs such as learning about credit and access to housing that connects to their personal deficits in their life. Then bring them into the political process that will help others, he said. It will bring a lot more Black men to the movement, said Williams, a North Carolina native. Editors note: This article is part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces. To learn more, visit usdemocracyday.org. The fears are similar at each stop: a refusal to certify ballots, noncitizens voting and miscounted ballots by poll workers. But most of those concerns are rumors that can be dispelled with evidence, said Jennifer Roberts, the former Charlotte mayor whos helping lead election education efforts across North Carolina. The Trusted Elections Tour, first launched in 2022, is a 27-city tour hosted by The North Carolina Network for Fair, Safe, and Secure Elections and The Commission on the Future of NC Elections meant to dispel voters fears about election integrity. The tour educates voters on what has been proven by the groups research as well as other state experts the North Carolina election system is safe and secure. We are concerned about not just Election Day, but between Election Day and inauguration, very concerned about rumors and attempts to change results or to say theyre not valid, Roberts said. So thats why were working so hard to get people to understand ahead of time that heres how the system works. Partisan divide Democracy Day is a nationwide collaboration that aims to provide the public with information about voting. Logo provided by Center for Cooperative Media. Generative AI was involved in the creation of this illustration. The mistrust stems from former President Donald Trumps refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election, Roberts said, and his repeated comments that the election was rigged against him rhetoric that led to the Jan. 6 capitol riots. The claims stand in contrast to officials who worked for Trump. Former Attorney General William Barr, who served under Trump, said shortly after the election in 2020 he hadnt seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election. Trump once again repeated the claims that elections are unfair this month in Charlotte while addressing a room full of law enforcement officers. If we can keep the cheating down to a minimum, because these people cheat, they cheat like hell, if we can keep it down to a minimum, we win easily, Trump said during the university-area event. A May poll from Elon University reported 38% of voters said they were not at all confident or not too confident this years election will be accurate. The poll showed a partisan divide, with most Republicans lacking confidence and the majority of Democrats expressing confidence. The key to boosting confidence, according to North Carolina Republican Senate leader Phil Berger, is a State Board of Elections with a better balance of Republicans and Democrats. Its no surprise that North Carolinians question the fairness of the election process. Gov. (Roy) Cooper has handpicked partisan Democrats for that board; their actions ignore reasonable compromise, Berger said in an email to The Charlotte Observer. Neither political party should control the election process. In order to increase trust and confidence in our elections, we must have balanced representation on the Board. Members of the state board are appointed by the governor based on a list of nominees from both parties. State law prohibits more than three members of the same political party from serving on the board. Currently, three Democrats and two Republicans serve on the board. The boards director, Karen Brinson Bell, is a Democrat. Improving trust In addition to the tours, The Commission on the Future of NC Elections is studying bipartisan solutions to election mistrust and fairness concerns. The commission will release its findings along with proposed election reforms early next year. Some potential reforms include ranked-choice voting, increasing accessibility to polls for people with disabilities, more funding toward poll worker safety and making voter IDs more attainable, Roberts said. Gary Brown, who has been a poll worker in Surrey County at the Virginia border for 48 years, is part of a bipartisan team that tests machines in the county, delivers voting materials and picks them up to bring back to the board of elections office. Brown, a Republican, said the elections are absolutely secure in the state. Part of the problem is you have these conspiracy theories, he said. Theyre welcome to have their opinion, but the problem is a lot of it is rumor, hearsay, word of mouth and they dont take the time to really check into it and see whats going on. Brown, who attended a stop with his friend, a Democratic poll worker, said he hopes people learn about the election process so they can be confident when voting. Im proud of the process. I am. And I take pride in the fact that, especially our office over there, they do what theyre supposed to do by the book and they try to make sure that the process is done like its supposed to be done, he said. I work so hard to be neutral and make sure that when they come in there theyre able to have confidence that whatever they decide to do, they accomplish that. The Trusted Elections Tour has around a dozen more stops throughout North Carolina this year including a virtual town hall on Oct. 15. The logo of AT&T outside of AT&T corporate headquarters on March 13, 2020, in Dallas. The logo of AT&T outside of AT&T corporate headquarters on March 13, 2020, in Dallas. The telecom reached an agreement with union workers in the Southeast this weekend that could mean pay raises of 19.3% for many employees. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) AT&T workers with the Communication Workers of America (CWA) in the Southeast returned to work Monday after a 30-day strike. Approximately 300 AT&T technicians, customer service representatives and other workers in north Alabama were on strike for the past month. There were several picket lines across the region, with about 17,000 CWA District 3 members on strike across the Southeast. The AT&T Southeast union contract covers workers in Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky and North Carolina. That ended when AT&T and the union made a strong tentative agreement Sunday according to the unions press release. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX We are incredibly proud of our members and thank CWA members, retirees and allies across the country for the solidarity that has sustained us through these difficult negotiations, said CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt. Their willingness to make sacrifices in order to win major improvements in their contract not just for themselves, but for future members is truly inspiring. AT&T and CWA reached a five-year contract with a focus on wages and healthcare costs. All workers will receive a 19.33% wage increase and wire technicians and utility operations will see an additional 3% increase. Healthcare premiums will remain the same this year but will lower in the second and third years. The union reports that there will be modest monthly increases in the final two years. AT&T Chief Operating Officer Jeff McElfresh said the companys initial goal was to come to a fair contract for the workers. As weve said since day 1, our goal has been to reach fair agreements that recognize the hard work our employees do to serve our customers with competitive market-based pay and benefits that are among the best in the nation and thats exactly what was accomplished, McElfresh said. These agreements also support our competitive position in the broadband industry where we can grow and win against our mostly non-union competitors. Prior to the agreement, CWA filed unfair labor charges against the Dallas-based telecom with the National Labor Relations Board. It accused the company of not bargaining in good faith; engaging in surface bargaining and not sending representatives to the bargaining table with the authority to make decisions. Negotiations had been taking place since June. The tentative agreement is not set yet. Union members will review the agreement and then hold a ratification vote. If more than 50% of the members vote for the agreement, then the districts bargaining committee will recommend ratification. McElfresh said that is expected to happen in the coming weeks. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com. Follow Alabama Reflector on Facebook and X. The $1.559 billion would be part of a total investment of $2.4 billion that Wabash Valley Resources would secure for the project through private investment. (U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday that it has made a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $1.559 billion to Wabash Valley Resources, LLC for a West Terre Haute fertilizer development. The project will have the potential to be the worlds first, carbon-negative ammonia production facility underscoring the Biden-Harris Administrations continued commitment to ensuring the United States leads the world in clean energy manufacturing, a DOE news release said. Wabash Valley Resources (WVR) would be the first domestic producer located in the Corn Belt to produce low-carbon ammonia for local farmers and co-ops in the region. WVR intends to pipe and inject 1.67 million tons of carbon dioxide annually a mile below the earths surface as part of its plan to produce low-carbon-intensity anhydrous ammonia fertilizer at a former coal gasification plant in Vigo County. Its permit allows it to build wells in Vermillion and Vigo counties. Dan Williams, WVRs chief operating officer, said, This close to a-decade-long development phase has been made possible through the dedicated efforts of the Department of Energy, the building trades unions, and our strategic partners. WVR is thrilled to be at the forefront of a new industrial era that harmonizes environmental, social, and economic benefits, and we cannot thank our partners enough. The $1.559 billion would be part of a total investment of $2.4 billion that WVR would secure for the project through private investment. But the project hasnt come without criticism. Residents have mobilized against it, citing potential consequences like pipe ruptures and water contamination. Many have been skeptical of the companys intentions and its use of public incentives. Citizens Action Coalition Executive Director Kerwin Olson called the announcement incredibly disappointing, adding that DOEs Loan Program Office is putting the American taxpayer on the hook for this exceptionally dangerous and risky project. Thanks to officials on both sides of the aisle at the State and Federal level, this proposed project is the poster-child of shifting the economic and environmental risks onto the back of the public to enrich the few at the expense of the many, Olson said in a statement to the Capital Chronicle. The impacted community would be exposed to significant threats to their environment, their health and safety, and especially their water, he continued, noting permit violations by an Illinois sequestration facility. There is simply nothing clean about this proposed project. From cradle to grave, this project will increase toxic emissions, CO2 emissions, and is a false solution to climate change. (Its) an economic and ecological disaster. WVR aims to produce 500,000 metric tons of anhydrous ammonia annually. The company says its product would be cost-competitive compared to existing ammonia imports, helping to drive down costs for local consumers and providing a stable, domestic fertilizer source. The market for ammonia can be volatile, subjecting farmers to price fluctuations. For instance, the Russian invasion of Ukraine significantly increased ammonia costs for U.S. farmers. By using carbon sequestration, WVR would also be part of the countrys efforts to reduce agricultural industry emissions. The federal news release said ammonia-based fertilizer is a crucial element of the U.S. agricultural system, but its production is a significant contributor to climate change. Globally, ammonia manufacturing accounts for 1% to 2% of all CO 2 emissions. Creating a large new source of anhydrous ammonia in Indiana would be of enormous benefit to Hoosier farmers. And, manufacturing fertilizer with a low carbon rating is even more powerful, said Don Villwock, former president of Indiana Farm Bureau and a farmer in Edwardsport, Indiana. XX The facility would also support hundreds of union jobs in West Terre Haute, according to the release. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX (Bloomberg) -- Liquefied natural gas company MidOcean, which is backed by private equity fund EIG, expanded its stake in Peru LNG, the second-largest Latin American exporter of the fuel after Trinidad and Tobago. Most Read from Bloomberg The deal announced Monday expands MidOceans stake in Peru as the company looks to shore up its position in LNG, alongside Saudi oil giant Aramco, which invested in MidOcean last year. Export plant Peru LNG has a 4.5-million-metric-ton-a-year capacity. The move comes at a time when the liquefied natural gas market is rapidly expanding, led by the US and Qatar as countries in Europe and Asia look to decarbonize and move away from other fuels. Pending the transaction closing, MidOcean will increase its stake in Peru LNG to 35%, up from 20% announced in February. Dallas-based Hunt Oil will remain operator of Peru LNG and keep a 35% share in the facility. MidOcean also has shares in a portfolio of Australian LNG projects. Saudi Aramco, which is funding the latest Peru transaction, is also increasing its interest in MidOcean by 49%, according to a statement from MidOcean. The value of the Peru transaction was not disclosed. MidOcean was among the companies initially interested in Tellurians Driftwood LNG, which was later acquired by Woodside Energy Group Ltd. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. A controversial overhead transmission project in Tucson can move forward despite worries from residents of historic neighborhoods concerned about decreased property values and adverse effects to their scenic, historic neighborhoods. The Arizona Corporation Commission on Sept. 5 approved a certificate of environmental compatibility allowing Tucson Electric Power to build a new overhead transmission line and substation to replace older lower-voltage equipment in midtown, some of which was installed in the 1950s. Residents had advocated for underground lines. TEP says its Midtown Reliability Project will work to modernize an aging electrical grid to keep pace with the city's growing population. The project includes a 138Kv Kino-DeMoss-Petrie transmission line that will travel through central Tucson and include steel poles measuring 75 feet to 85 feet tall, and at times 130 feet tall over bridges or railroads, and wire spanning 600 feet between poles. The estimated cost for overhead construction of the transmission line is about $23 million. The transmission line will connect the DeMoss-Petrie Substation, near Interstate 10 and West Grant Road, and the Kino substation, near East 36th St. and I-10. The project will encircle downtown Tucson and growing southside neighborhoods served by the Kino substation. The Midtown Reliability Project will reduce the strain on TEPs remaining 46 kV system, helping to avoid overload conditions in other parts of the city, TEP said in response to a written public comment. The company noted that power outages would be less frequent and shorter because it would supply energy from more than one direction to substations in central Tucson. The transmission line is slated to be in service by 2027. TEPs preferred route, one out of several route options across the Tucson's midtown, traverses historic neighborhoods near the University of Arizona. Residents worry if the transmission line is built overground, it could visually mar culturally significant and historic neighborhoods. Many said they supported the project but asked TEP to put the transmission line underground. Tucson skyline. Undergrounding is the only way to avoid marring the visual integrity of Tucson's distinctive, carefully preserved historic resources, wrote the Tucson-Pima County Historical Commission in a letter. Remember it is Tucson's unique sense of place that attracts tourists, new residents, filmmakers, industry, etc., to our picturesque city. In support of the project, the Tucson Metro Chamber said the project would increase economic development in the region. Michael Guymon, president and CEO of the chamber, said when he worked for the economic development organization Sun Corridor, TEP was in almost every conversation with companies looking to relocate to Tucson. "Reliable power infrastructure is foundational to economic development," he said. Cost, commission policy cited as reasons to support TEP plan TEP maintained the cost of undergrounding the project would increase the total project cost by $64 million for the company's preferred route, and that cost typically would be passed on to ratepayers. Daniel Dempsey, co-founder of Underground Arizona, and city of Tucson officials told commissioners the impact on ratepayers would be negligible. Dempsey estimated the increase to be a few cents' increase on a $100 utility bill. During the hearing, TEP noted its hesitation to support any rate increase related to putting the transmission line underground, assuming its rates could increase with any future transmission line the company may be required to put underground and knowing that 20% of the utility's customers were classified as low-income. On Sept. 5, the commission voted unanimously in support of TEP, and building the transmission line above ground, citing a desire to avoid increasing utility costs for ratepayers if the project were constructed belowground. The vote approved the certificate of environmental compatibility issued by the commission's Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee on July 29 before after a 10-day public hearing. The Power Line Siting Committee, a commission committee tasked with evaluating applications to build power plants, said if TEP could not find an alternative way to pay for undergrounding the project, or obtain a special exception from the city, then any local ordinance or plan requiring the company to incur additional cost to construct the project below ground "is unreasonably restrictive and compliance therewith is not feasible in view of technology available." In a news release, Commissioner Nick Myers said he was pleased with the commissions decision. He said while he understands why some Tucson residents want the project constructed underground, he opposed burdening customers with that cost. Constructing the project below ground is not needed for safety, reliability or other utility operational reasons, he said in a news release. Therefore, is not acceptable for all TEP customers to shoulder the $67 million cost for undergrounding the project. Previous court ruling allows Tucson to require undergrounding in certain areas. In a July 3 ruling, a Pima Superior Court judge upheld Tucsons authority to prohibit the construction of overhead transmission lines. "The Court has been unable to locate any law which restricts the Citys authority to regulate how transmission lines are constructed," said Judge Kyle Bryson in his ruling. "TEP is correct that there is no law which explicitly grants the City the authority to require undergrounding, but neither is there a specific law which purports to exempt utilities from all zoning regulation." Despite the ruling, the Arizona Corporation Commission voted unanimously to allow TEP to move forward with its project. At the commissions Sept. 5 meeting, Adam Stafford, Line Siting Committee chair, said commission policy states undergrounding should not be considered just for stakeholder preference or aesthetic reasons but for a health, safety, or operational need. The Line Siting Committee found that any local ordinance requiring TEP to incur an incremental cost to construct the project below ground "is unreasonably restrictive and compliance therewith is not feasible in view of technology available." This finding is conditioned on the city and TEP failing to find a way to fund the increased cost to construct the project underground or failing to obtain the citys authorization to construct the project above ground. Dempsey contended the commission went out of the bounds of its authority in its finding about how constructing the project underground should be financed. Finding of Fact 10 attempts to limit how undergrounding can be financed, such conditions and limitations on undergrounding and how its paid for are beyond the jurisdiction of the line sighting process, Dempsey also argued. Dempsey also argued that portions of a state law detailing factors to be considered in issuing a certificate of environmental compatibility should be given more consideration, including existing city plans, historic districts and high, increasing density of the university area. Chief deputy City Attorney Roi Lusk said in a statement the city and Underground Arizona argued that TEP had not adequately showed that compliance with the city's zoning code was "unreasonably restrictive" and "not feasible in view of technology available" as TEP only focused on cost, rather than technological feasibility. He said the city was working with TEP to outline the process to obtain the special exceptions required to build the preferred line for three intersections that cross areas in the Gateway Corridor, including Oracle and Grant, Broadway and Park, and Kino and 36th Street, and the Vine substation near the University of Arizona. Gateway Routes are streets and entrances to and through the city used regularly by a large number of people that present a visual impression of Tucsons character. "TEP now can proceed with attempting to get the special exceptions required to build the preferred line," Lusk said. He noted the city was working with TEP to clarify the process and he anticipates continuing to work with the company to ensure "TEP is afforded the best opportunity to increase its capacity for the Midtown area and broader community." Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com. The Republics coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Controversial transmission line in Tucson gets OK from regulators Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota narrows the competition to 16 products. Which product will get your vote? Lotzza Motzza frozen pizzas, a shrimp processing machine and wool map blankets are not the Coolest thing made in Minnesota, according to voters. Narrowed down from over 100 submissions, the competition for the title of Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota heats up this week as voters have 16 products to weigh in on. The competition, hosted by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and BMO Bank, pits products against each other in a head-to-head format with voting open to the public. A classic Minnesota showdown is taking place this week as Hormel Foods Spam takes on Scotch Tape from 3M. Other matchups this week include: Sugar from the American Crystal Sugar Co. versus a folding bow saw from Sven-Saw Action Trackchair, an all-terrain wheelchair, from Action Manufacturing versus an absorbable, single-use antibacterial envelope for implantable electronic devices from Medtronic JonnyPops frozen Rainbow Fruit Stacks versus EyeBOX, a device from Minnetronix Medical that tests for concussions A new snowmobile from Arctic Cat versus Rubber Track Conversion System from Mattracks The leather Beckman boot from Red Wing Shoe Co. versus EasyStand, a sit-to-stand device for people with physical disabilities Floating wetland islands from Midwest Floating Island versus Mozaic Transducer, a hard drive platform, from Seagate Technology Industrial 3D printer from Stratasys versus Nuclear Heat Exchangers from Super Radiator Coils The top eight products will be announced on Sept. 23 with the final four revealed Sept. 30. Voting is open to the public until Oct. 4 and the winner will be announced Oct. 8 at the 2024 Manufacturers Summit. To vote, go to: www.mnchamber.com/coolest-thing-made-minnesota. Related Articles Cornell prof who lauded Hamas attack as exhilarating is back at school after dodging punishment The radical Cornell University prof who lauded the Hamas terror attack on Israel as exhilarating and energizing dodged any punishment and is now back teaching at the upstate Ivy League school. Shamed history Professor Russell Rickford was out for the past year on voluntary leave after widespread public outcry when he was recorded at an off-campus anti-Israel rally cheering Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, invasion that slaughtered 1,200 Israelis. It was exhilarating, it was energizing .I was exhilarated, Rickford said at the time before apologizing for applauding the mass murder of innocent civilians. History Professor Russell Rickford has returned to teaching at Cornell University. Rickford was out for the past year on voluntary leave after widespread public outcry when he was recorded at an off-campus anti-Israel rally cheering Hamas. @samaberman / X Rickford is now teaching at least two courses at Cornell this semester African Americans Vision of America and Socialism in America and a seminar. Cornell confirmed in a statement to The Post on Sunday that the university did not discipline Rickord for his hateful remarks. It would not say whether Rickford was paid while on leave. Rickfords comments were condemned by the administration at the time as reprehensible for showing a complete disregard for humanity but they are still protected by his free-speech rights, said Cornell VP of University Relations Joel Malina. Given that Professor Rickfords comments were made as a private citizen in his free time, the universitys academic leadership has concluded that Professor Rickfords conduct in relation to this incident did not meet that high bar to warrant otherwise, Malina said in his e-mail. Outrage was swift. Its ridiculous, said Amanda Silberstein, a 21-year-old junior who is vice president of Chabad and Cornellians for Israel. Letting his actions go unpunished will allow other professors to follow suit without repercussions. It allows [Rickford] and other professors to indoctrinate students in the classroom, she said. Cornells policies are laughable at best. Rickfords comments were condemned by the administration at the time as reprehensible for showing a complete disregard for humanity. Getty Images Cornell, though a private university, receives $127 million in state funding to help fund the four State University of New York schools it operates, according to a previous Post analysis. Antisemitism has been so widespread on New Yorks college campuses since the Mideast war began that Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered the states former chief judge, Jonathan Lippman, to conduct an independent review of the situation. His report is expected to be released within weeks. As for Rickford, upstate Rep. Claudia Tenney said she is sending a letter to Cornell interim President Michael Kotlikoff to protest his return. I am deeply disgusted by Cornells decision to continue employing Mr. Rickford after his horrific statements that celebrated the murder of innocent people and incited violence, Tenney said in the letter provided to The Post. Regardless of ones views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the loss of human life, especially the lives of women, children, and the elderly, including Holocaust survivors, should never be referred to as `energizing or `exhilarating, the pol said. Professor Rickford holds a position within the university that allows him to mold and influence young minds. This position demands a higher standard of behavior, one that is free from anti-Semitic rhetoric and vocal support of terrorism. By perpetuating these abhorrent views, Professor Rickford has not only violated his ethical responsibility as an educator, but has also jeopardized the safety of the Jewish community and tarnished Cornell. Rickford apologized for his comments, saying his speech did not reflect my values. The Cornell Daily Sun Benjamin Malaken, president of the student Center for Jewish Life at Cornell, said, I dont think someone who makes those comments should be educating students. Its not appropriate that hes teaching. Mark Treyger, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, said allowing Rickford to return is crazy! Educators have a legal and moral obligation to ensure all of their students are safe and supported in their classes. This professor failed on both fronts when he proudly and openly glorified the worst massacre against Jews since the Holocaust, which included the slaughter and abduction of college-aged young people, said Treyger, a former history teacher and Brooklyn city councilman who chaired the Education Committee. He has no business working in a classroom with students ever again. Period, he said of Rickford. Rep. Claudia Tenney said she is sending a letter to Cornell interim President Michael Kotlikoff to protest Rickfords return. Cornell University Hochul, who is considered part of Cornells board of trustees through her position as governor, was asked by The Post through a rep whether she thought it was appropriate for Rickford to return to Cornell. The representative responded in an e-mail, Governor Hochul has repeatedly condemned the brutal Hamas terror attacks of October 7th and believes any glorification of that brutality is outrageous and unacceptable. The Governor has directed public colleges and universities to protect students from vile antisemitic harassment and violence, and recently convened leaders from public and private institutions to urge them to keep all students safe. In Cornells statement to The Post, the school veep, Malina, noted that Rickford apologized for his comments and took a voluntary leave of absence for the remainder of the academic year. But the university determined that Rickfords hateful comments ultimately did not warrant disciplinary action, given, Consistent with well-established principles of academic freedom, Cornell has a process for considering whether public statements such as those expressed off campus by Professor Rickford at a political rally fall under the category of protected speech, or rather demonstrate prohibited bias, discrimination, or harassment, Malina wrote. Rickford declined a Post email request for comment. Cornell was plagued by antisemitism and fiery anti-Israel protests and encampments at its leafy Ithaca campus last school year, along with other campuses. One student, Patrick Dai, pleaded guilty to posting antisemitic threats on the universitys website. The protests arent going away. Anti-Israel vandals defaced a campus building on the first day of classes last month. The Beaufort County Coroners Office has identified the 17-year-old girl killed in a shooting at a Burton apartment complex Sunday night. She was one of three minors shot during the altercation in the parking lot. Arianna Mulligan, 17, of Beaufort, was pronounced dead at 12:18 a.m. Monday after being airlifted to the Medical University of South Carolina, according to Coroner David Ott. The teens autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday at the Charleston hospital. Beaufort County deputies responded around 10 p.m. Sunday to multiple reports of shots fired at the Magnolia Park Apartments, located off Laurel Bay Road in the unincorporated community of Burton. In the parking lot, police found three juveniles who had been shot. Department spokesperson Master Sgt. Danny Allen would not say if the incident was a drive-by shooting but advised that multiple shooters may have been involved. Mulligan was taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital and then airlifted to MUSC, going into cardiac arrest during the flight, according to Ott. The coroner would not specify how many times the teen was shot. Authorities had not publicly identified any suspects as of Monday morning. An update on the remaining two gunshot victims was not immediately available, according to Allen. A teen girl was killed and two others were shot during late-night gunfire Sunday at the Magnolia Park Apartments, located about three miles west of the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. The teens death is believed to be the 16th homicide in Beaufort County so far this year. Current numbers are poised to outpace the death toll of 2023, which was the deadliest year in decades for gun violence in the Hilton Head Island area. The fatal gunfire occurred about six hours before another shooting in northern Beaufort County about 10 miles north. Around 4:20 a.m., a home on Community Center was struck several times by bullets, although no one inside was injured. As of Monday morning, investigators were not sure if the cases were connected, Allen said. Anyone with information regarding the two incidents is encouraged to call lead investigator Master Sgt. Duncan at 843-255-3418. Tips can also be submitted online at bcso.net. This report will be updated as more information becomes available. The Vermont Department of Health has fined the owners of the Cortina Inn in Rutland Town $300 after discovering extensive code violations, according to the Rutland Herald. The health department recently inspected 133 of the former Holiday Inn propertys guest rooms. The newspaper reports that code violations were documented in 119 of the rooms. The owners have been ordered to do several things by this Wednesday. They have to ensure that all of the plumbing and all smoke detectors are working properly. All rooms must also be inspected for pests and treated as necessary. By mid-October, the owners will be required to repair or replace all bedding, carpeting and window screens and clean up all visible mold. If a subsequent inspection finds any rooms that still arent up to code, the owners will be fined $500 for every such room. Until that subsequent inspection, the management must also see to it that any rooms not up to code are kept vacant. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC22 & FOX44. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day, and in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi the deadline to register to vote in this upcoming election is October 7. The upcoming Presidential election is less than two months away and the Tennessee Secretary of States Office is gearing up. Its a busy and exciting time, you know I refer to the Presidential election kind of as our Super Bowl that comes every four years. Its when we have the highest turnout. Its when the most people will come and vote and make their voice heard, said Tre Hargett, TN Secretary of State. Your Local Election Headquarters Hargett acknowledges that even though presidential elections have a high turnout, he says What we really want people to do though is dont just vote in the presidential race, be an educated consumer and vote all the way down the ballot. You know there are other races that affect your community as well. Be an educated consumer and vote in those races as well. In Tennessee, to register you can fill out a physical application and mail it in, you can fill out the form online and submit it from a computer. Or you can download the app. Its a Go VoteTN app its available in the Apple Store or Google Play and you can go on just with your phone and become a registered voter, Hargett said. See more breaking news, local news and weather from WREG.com for Memphis and the Mid-South. Sign up for WREG newsletters and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox. Hargett also encourages voters to take a few extra minutes before the deadline to make sure information is current. That app or that website is also a good way to confirm your voter registration to make sure that you are in fact registered and that youre registered at the address that you think you are, Hargett said. You certainly dont wait until the voter registration deadline of October 7 and realize that youve got a problem. Lets go ahead and get those things straightened out right now. For more information about the GoVoteTN app/website, click here. For information on how to change your address, click here. For information on voter registration in Mississippi, click here. For information on voter registration in Arkansas, 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 WREG.com. Amber Haigh, who is pictured with the father of her child Robert Geeves, disappeared in 2002 [Supreme Court of New South Wales] On a cold winters day in June 2002, an intellectually disabled teenage girl disappeared from the New South Wales Riverina without a trace. Since then, the mystery of what happened to Amber Haigh has captivated the vast Australian farming region, due to a stunning allegation: that the 19-year-old was killed by the father of her five-month-old baby and his wife, so that they could take her child. Two decades on, Robert and Anne Geeves - both 64 - were charged with her murder, but on Monday were acquitted after a high-profile trial. Justice Julia Lonergan found that prosecutors had failed to prove their alleged motive, saying: "Cases are not decided on rumour, speculation or suspicion." The Geeveses are the last known people to have seen Amber alive. They have long said they dropped her at a train station 300km (186 miles) from their home in Kingsvale - where the three had been living at the time - so that she could visit her dying father on 5 June. Despite extensive police investigations, a coronial inquiry, and a million-dollar reward for information, her body has never been found. Prosecutors relied on witness testimony and hundreds of documents to support their theory - that the Geeveses had manipulated Amber into having Roberts baby, and then removed her from the equation when she wouldnt relinquish custody. The court heard the couple had an adult son - who had previously dated Amber - but in the early 2000s still desperately wanted another child, having endured several miscarriages and a stillbirth. However, the defence said the allegation they killed Amber to steal her baby was baseless, and that the investigation into the pair - who have spent two years in prison awaiting trial - was flawed from the start. They told the court a haze of mistrust had clouded the local communitys view of the Geeveses due to Roberts history - which included acquittals for the murder of an ex-partner who was found shot in the face on his property, and sexual assault charges involving two schoolgirls. That past, the Geeveses' lawyers said, had created a presumption of guilt that persisted for decades, and ultimately blinded police as they looked for Amber. Over nine weeks, dozens of witnesses gave evidence about the final months of the teen's life describing a "kind hearted" yet vulnerable young woman who struggled to discern between love and exploitation. Two recalled how Amber had shared stories of abuse with them - including instances where Robert Geeves had allegedly plied her with alcohol, tied her up, and had sex with her. And the couples son Robbie told the court that his mother had referred to his ex-girlfriend as a surrogate and that both parents had turned up at his home in the dead of night asking him to accept Ambers child as his "little brother. The prosecution also tendered an agreement Amber made Robert sign, promising not to take her child, as well as a will shed created stipulating her aunt be given custody of the baby in the event of her death. "There was little sign, in the sea of evidence in this case, that Amber was ever shown the love she needed or deserved," Justice Lonergan said, adding that it is clear beyond a reasonable doubt" that she is dead. But the judge ultimately found a critical problem with the prosecutions case - there was no satisfactory evidence that Anne and Robert still held a desire for more children when Amber became pregnant. She criticised the accounts of prosecution witnesses and said the investigation had focussed on "disproving the Geeveses version of events" rather than investigating the cause of Ambers disappearance. Looking at the couple as they sat in the dock, Justice Lonergan ordered that they be released from custody immediately. One member of the public gallery stormed out of the courtroom to scream. Ambers relatives, too, were visibly shaken, with some later quietly breaking down in tears outside court. A teenager looking for love and solace The prosecution and defence agreed on little throughout the trial - other than that Ambers life had been exceptionally difficult, and that her death came prematurely. Amber went back and forth between places and people looking for love and solace. She never found it. She was still looking for it when she disappeared, Justice Lonergan concluded. The court heard that Amber had come to Kingsvale - an isolated suburb near the regional town of Young - in the 1990s to live with her great aunt Stella Nealon, after fleeing a dysfunctional childhood in Sydney marred by epilepsy, learning difficulties, and a violent alcoholic father. Ms Nealon had lived next door to the Geeveses, who were both in their 40s at the time and were introduced to Amber by their 17-year-old son Robbie. The court heard that Ambers life at her great aunts house was volatile, and at times physically violent. Much of the tension stemmed from Ambers relationship with one of her cousins, which had resulted in an abortion at age 14. In police interviews played to the court, the Geeveses said they had offered Amber refuge and that she had entered a sexual relationship with Robert shortly after. The Geeveses said that although their relationship with the teen may have seemed weird or confronting to outsiders, the three of them got along very well, with Anne telling police that Amber saw her as a maternal figure. When it became clear in 2001 that Amber had fallen pregnant with Roberts child, it caused a rupture within the local community, and ultimately severed Robbies relationship with his parents - an estrangement still apparent in court on Monday. By all accounts, Amber adored her son, but social workers and friends testified that shed also struggled to keep up with the ceaseless demands of motherhood. The Geeveses have maintained that they did their best to help Amber navigate those challenges, and that they did so without vested interest. And in her ruling, Justice Lonergan found nothing sinister in their provision of assistance for Amber and her child - whose privacy is still subject to strict legal protections. Further, she said the consistent account given by the Geeveses - that they last saw Amber as she walked towards the station after kissing her son goodbye - was not inherently implausible. Listing the details of the case, she noted that while it was clear Amber was attacked, abused and made to feel unsafe since childhood, the prosecution had failed to establish how she met her end. She conceded it is an outcome which leaves some of the factual matters in the case - which has tortured so many close to it for decades - unresolved. The News Rupert Murdochs court battle to decide how his sprawling news empire will be divided among his children after he dies gets underway in a Nevada court Monday. Much of the courts proceedings were set to be conducted behind closed doors. Murdoch reportedly wanted to change the terms of a 1999 Murdoch Family Trust agreement so that one son, Lachlan Murdoch, can take full control of his businesses. Murdochs media brands include The Wall Street Journal, The Sun, Fox News, and multiple Australian outlets. Three of his other children James, Elisabeth, and Prudence Murdoch have contested the move. Lachlan Murdoch is aligned with his fathers right-wing views," Sky News wrote, and the senior Murdoch has argued that Lachlans three siblings could change the conservative tone of key properties, like Fox News, or create leadership problems, harming the value of the businesses. TAUNTON, Mass. (WPRI) A 24-year-old woman is dead and a 27-year-old Fall River man is injured after a deadly crash on Route 44 in Taunton early Sunday morning. The Bristol County District Attorneys office said the woman, Mallory Humphreys of Taunton, was a passenger in a car that hit the back of a tractor trailer truck around 1:24 a.m. The man driving the car was eastbound on Route 44 at 608 Winthrop Street when he hit the tractor trailer, who was also traveling eastbound, according to the DAs office. Humphreys was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the car was taken to Rhode Island Hospital for not life-threatening injuries, and the tractor trailers driver, a 39-year-old Brockton man, didnt suffer any injuries. An investigation into the crash by multiple agencies is underway. NEXT: Mass. State Police recruit dies after training exercise Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. Editors Note: The following arrest and incident reports were supplied by the Abilene Police Department. All information below comes from reports made by responding officers, and all suspects are considered not guilty unless determined otherwise in a court of law. Incidents 1300 block of Sammons Street Unauthorized Use of Vehicle A report for a stolen vehicle was taken. 500 block of N Judge Ely Boulevard Assault Family Violence A victim reported assault family violence in north Abilene. 4500 block of S 1st Street Forgery A report for fraud was taken. 4500 block of S 1st Street Assault Family Violence A victim entered the police department and reported she was assaulted by her husband. 400 block of Reading Avenue Forgery A report for fraud was taken in north Abilene. 3200 block of Sherry Lane Burglary of Vehicle A suspect was caught burglarizing a vehicle in north Abilene. 300 block of S 1st Street Violation of Bond/Protective Order A criminal mischief report was taken in north Abilene. 4500 block of S 1st Street Violation of Bond/Protective Order A suspect was arrested for violating a protective order. 7900 block of Starlight Drive Assault Family Violence A report was taken for assault family violence. 400 block of S Leggett Drive Assault Family Violence A suspect was arrested for assault and violation of bond conditions in north Abilene. UNDISCLOSED LOCATION Aggravated Assault Deadly Weapon A victim reported an unknown suspect pointed a firearm at him in north Abilene. 300 block of Arnold Boulevard Assault Family Violence An assault family violence report was taken in south Abilene. 100 block of S Leggett Drive Burglary of Coin Operated Machine An unknown suspect burglarized a coin-operated machine and caused more than $600 worth of damage. 2000 block of Jameson Street Assault A victim claimed a known suspect hit him in the back of the head. 800 block of S Clack Street Burglary of Vehicle Multiple items, including electronics and clothing, were reported stolen during a vehicle burglary. 5000 block of Hwy 277 S Fraudulent Use/Possession of Identifying Information A report for burglary of motor vehicel and unlawful possession/use of identifying information was filed. 1600 block of Highway 351 Theft of Property A suspect was arrested for theft at an Abilene business. 00 block of Lariat Trail Assault Family Violence A suspect was arrested for assaulting her girlfriend in south Abilene. 3700 block of Rolling Green Drive Publish/Threaten to Publish Intimate Visual Material A report was taken for unlawful disclosure. 3300 block of Sherry Lane Assault Family Violence A victim reported his girlfriend assaulted him in north Abilene. 1400 block of Dub Wright Boulevard Assault Family Violence A suspect was arrested for assault family violence in south Abilene. UNDISCLOSED LOCATION Assault A victim alleged she was struck in the face by a known suspect. 200 block of Chapel Hill Road Assault Family Violence An assault family violence report was taken in south Abilene. 5600 block of S 1st Street Assault Family Violence 500 block of Palm Street Assault Family Violence 1000 block of Poplar Street Aggravated Assault SBI A victim reported she was stabbed multiple times at a south Abilene residence. 1300 block of Austin Street Assault Family Violence A suspect was arrested for assaulting her former boyfriend. 3000 block of W Lake Road Criminal Mischief A report for criminal mischief was taken in north Abilene. 1400 block of Barrow Street Assault Family Violence A victim was assaulted by a known suspect in south Abilene. 2600 block of Clinton Street Burglary of Habitation A report was taken for burglary of a habitation. UNDISCLOSED LOCATION Aggravated Assault Deadly Weapon A victim claimed her spouse hit her in the head with a metal object. 1200 block of Yeomans Road Credit Card or Debit Card Abuse A victim reported her ex stole his money and used his debit card without permission. 1600 block of W Stamford Street Assault Family Violence A report for assault was taken in the hospital. 3100 block of S 1st Street Possession of Drug Paraphernalia A suspect was arrested for criminal trespass in south Abilene. 3000 block of Orange Street Assault A victim reported a suspect came onto his property and punched him in the face. 3900 block of Duke Lane Assault Family Violence A victim reported her husband assaulted her. Arrests Drelend Smith Driving While Intoxicated, Possession of Controlled Substance Timothy Williams Unauthorized Use of Vehicle Russel Spencer Warrant Antonio Sauceda Failure to Comply Sex Offender Duty to Register Trevon Woodards Burglary of Vehicle Sonya Caswell Public Intoxication Jimmy Garcia Warrant Lakrisna Porter Evading John Long Assault, Violation of Bond/Protective Order Marquise McCrary Warrant Michael Price Public Intoxication Tygee Gambrell Warrant Timothy Townsend Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Controlled Substance Kenkalius Howard Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Controlled Substance Rosland Howard Possession of Marijuana Christopher Crosier Criminal Trespass Kelly Stewart Theft of Property, Criminal Trespass Joseph Dodson Public Intoxication Guadalupe Garcia Public Intoxication Laressa Beuoy Warrant Angelica Boggess Assault Family Violence San Juana De La Cruz Assault Family Violence Christopher Webber Assault Threat/Contact, Interfer with Emergency Request for Assistance Ashley Montgomery Possession of Controlled Substance Kasey Lee Driving While Intoxicated with Child Under 15 Frederick Lundsford Assault Family Violence, Resist Search Arrest or Transport Gilbert Paiz Assault Family Violence Juan Carlos Lopez Gonzalez Possession of Controlled Substance Fernando Jose Castillo Jimenez Public Intoxication Marco Gonazlez Display Expired License Plate Sierra Mesta Assault Family Violence Christopher Holcomb Public Intoxication Winona Braxton Driving While Intoxicated James Morales Injury to Child/Elderly/Disabled Otis Letman Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Criminal Trespass Samantha Abila Driving While Intoxicated Lionel Flores Warrant Masion Boyd Bicycle Missing Lighting Lisa Lott Warrant Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC) has a dire prognostic outlook, with an 18.4% five-year survival rate in non-metastatic and a 2% survival in metastatic disease. At the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024, the results of the Phase III APOLLO trial, assessing the viability of an immunotherapy-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (IO-TKI) combination for treating aHCC in the first line were presented. The study evaluated Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceuticals Focus V (anlotinib) in combination with Akesos penpulimab. Focus V is a novel multi-kinase inhibitor that acts on vascular endothelial, fibroblast, and platelet-derived growth factor receptors effectively fulfilling a potent multirole in tumor angiogenesis, and penpulimab is a programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) checkpoint inhibitor. The study randomised 649 patients 2:1 to the Focus V plus penpulimab combination (n=423) or the long-established sorafenib (n=212). The progression-free survival (PFS) showed significant benefit with the Focus V arm, with a median PFS of 6.9 months compared to sorafenibs 2.8 months (p<0.0001). Overall survival (OS) improved similarly to PFS in the Focus V treatment arm (16.5 vs 13.2 months; p=0.0012). The safety profile of the Focus V arm was manageable, with fewer treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) compared to sorafenib. This news was well received at ESMO owing to the previous failure of the LEAP-002 trial, where Merck & Cos Keytruda (pembrolizumab) could not prove clinically significant benefit in combination with levantinib. Elevar Therapeutics PD-1 IO camrelizumab and TKI rivoceranib had clinical data presented in the Phase III CARES-310 trial, which enrolled 543 patients. Like Focus V and penpulimab, this IO-TKI combination was compared against sorafenib in first-line HCC. The trial demonstrated similar results to APOLLO, with the IO-TKI arm generating significant benefits to PFS (5.6 vs 3.7 months, p<0.0001) and OS (22.1 vs 15.2 months, p<0.0001). One area where Focus V and penpulimab seem to hold an edge is in their safety profile. There were fewer TRAEs when compared to sorafenib. This wasnt seen with the camrelizumab and rivoceranib combination. Focus V and penpulimab are competitive IO-TKIs in the first-line landscape for treating aHCC and generally exhibit a well-tolerated safety profile. Ultimately, the greatest competition lies outside of the IO-TKI domain. The field has seen Roches Tecentriq (atezolizumab) with bevacizumab rise as a first-line standard-of-care in the aHCC space. This approval was granted on the back of a Phase III trial that showed Tecentriq and bevacizumab combination significantly improved median PFS compared to sorafenib alone (6.8 vs. 4.3 months, p<0.001) and had a relatively indifferent safety profile. Story continues GlobalDatas patient-based HCC forecast predicts Tecentriq sales will grow to $980m across the eight major markets (US, UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, China, and Japan) by 2029. While the Focus V and penpulimab combination is offering strong performance, it is not the first in the IO-TKI space to demonstrate tangible results and they will face great difficulty toppling Tecentriq from its current seat atop the aHCC first-line treatment paradigm. "ESMO 2024: Anlotinib and penpulimab gather attention in HCC with APOLLO results" was originally created and published by Clinical Trials Arena, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Editors note: This story has been updated to reflect the correct year the cross-burning incident happened. CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) The victims of a 2023 cross burning incident just outside Conway praised city leaders on Monday after they made the municipality South Carolinas latest to adopt a hate crime law. We are all excited to be a part of this moment. A moment that offers a solution, a step toward closure and the possibility of healing for so many, Monica Williams said at a city council meeting. Hate in any form must be confronted with strength and resolve, and today you had the opportunity to take a stand to ensure our laws reflect respect, dignity and protection for all. Alexis Paige Hartnett and Worden Evander Butler, both of Conway, have been charged with second-degree harassment in connection with the cross burning. Center for harassing: Horry County says couple accused of cross burning are chronic safety threat The charges stem from multiple incidents between Nov. 23 and Nov. 24 on Corbett Drive, according to an Horry County police report. During one of the incidents, Butler and Hartnett erected a cross facing the victims home and set it on fire. Conway officials began exploring the possibility of a local hate crime law in March and gave initial approval to a formal policy earlier this month, spurred not only by the cross burning but a string of incidents involving the spread of antisemitic literature that could only be punished under littering violations. Anyone convicted under the local ordinance can be jailed for up to 30 days and fined $500. Several other communities across the Grand Strand and Pee Dee have similar ordinances in place including Florence, Lake City and Myrtle Beach. Monica Williams and her husband Shawn, who currently live in Charlotte but plan to retire in Conway, have spent nearly two years urging lawmakers to remove South Carolinas status as one of just two states without a hate crime measure on the books. Wyoming is the other. The 2023-2024 regular session of the South Carolina General Assembly has ended, and supporters who want the state to implement a hate crimes law will have to wait a little bit longer. The bill, known as the Clementa C. Pickney Act, would have enhanced penalties for violent crimes fueled by hate. Its named after a state senator and one of the nine victims of the 2015 church shooting in Charleston. The bill previously passed the house in March of 2023, where it then went to a Senate committee and sat undebated on the chambers calendar for nearly a year. In Conway on Monday, Shawn Williams said the citys vote was an historic decision. This ordinance is a call to action for all of us. It challenges us to engage in conversations about tolerance and understanding. It encourages us to educate ourselves and our neighbors to foster empathy and compassion and build bridges where there have been walls. * * * Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. CRRUA says it has passed quarterly arsenic tests again EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The Camino Real Regional Utility Authority says for the second consecutive quarter, testing results show that its arsenic levels meet federal drinking water standards. The utility also says it has passed 13 arsenic water sample tests since late January, including two quarterly tests from the New Mexico Environment Department and 11 independent lab tests. The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) has released its third quarter arsenic test results of CRRUA water samples taken July 30, at all four arsenic treatment facilities, the utility said. For the second consecutive quarter, NMEDs test results show that arsenic levels in CRRUA water samples are below the federal drinking water maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 parts per billion (ppb.), the utility said. Here is a look at the most recent quarterly results. NMED RESULTS/July 30, 2024 Sample Location Arsenic Treatment Facility (ATF) Sample Result (ppb) Arsenic MCL 10 (ppb) Santa Teresa Border Entry (ATF) 3.0 Below MCL Industrial Park Arsenic (ATF) 4.0 Below MCL *Sunland Park Arsenic (ATF) 9.0 Below MCL Santa Teresa Community 5.0 Below MCL The utility also said that it recently replaced filter media at the Sunland Park and Santa Teresa Industrial Park arsenic-treatment facilities. That will increase the efficiency of the arsenic removal process and ensure the continued delivery of consumable water that meets government standards, the utility said. The utility also said that the Sunland Park facility was operating with one of the two filter media chambers offline for media replacement when water samples were taken on July 30. NMEDs previous quarterly arsenic test was taken April 3. Here is a look at those results. NMED RESULTS/APRIL 3, 2024 Sample Location Arsenic Treatment Facility (ATF) Sample Result (ppb) Arsenic MCL 10 (ppb) Storage Tank #1 (Border Entry) 3.0 Below MCL Industrial Park Arsenic (ATF) 7.0 Below MCL Sunland Park Arsenic (ATF) 5.0 Below MCL Santa Teresa Community 6.0 Below MCL Monday night, Sept. 16, New Mexico health and environment agencies will host a town-hall meeting from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Dona Ana Community College Sunland Park Center, 3365 McNutt Rd., to discuss arsenic levels in local drinking water. Water quality and discolored water in the CRRUA service area has been a hot topic for months, with some residents saying the issues go back years. NM agencies to address arsenic in drinking water Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Soaring international food prices and low domestic production are further squeezing import-dependent Cuba's ability to feed its people. HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba's communist-run government on Monday slashed by a quarter the weight of its subsidized ration of daily bread, the latest shortage to strain a decades-old subsidies scheme created by the late Fidel Castro. The bread, one of a handful of still subsidized basic food products in Cuba, will be reduced from 80 grams to 60 grams (2.1 oz), or approximately the weight of an average cookie or a small bar of soap. Its price, too, was slightly reduced, to just under 1 peso, or 1/3 of a cent. Still, many Cubans, who earn around 4648 pesos a month, or around $15, can scarcely afford to shop for more expensive bread on the private market, leaving them with few alternatives. "We have to accept it, what else can we do?" Havana-resident Dolores Fernandez told Reuters while she stood outside a bakery on Monday. "There's no choice." Cuba last week said it had run short of the wheat flour it needs to produce the bread, a predicament the government blames on the U.S. trade embargo, a complex web of restrictions that complicates Cuba's global financial transactions. The Caribbean island nation is suffering from extreme shortages of food, fuel and medicine, shortfalls that have primed a record-breaking exodus of its citizens to the nearby United States. Cuba's ration book, or "libreta," as it is known among island residents, was once considered a hallmark of Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, providing a range of deeply-discounted products to all Cubans, including bread, fish, meat, milk, and cleaning and toiletry supplies. Today, the crisis-racked government offers just a fraction of those products, and often, they arrive late, in poor quality or not at all. Bernardo Matos, of Havana, said he had not detected a change in bread size on Monday, but said he was unhappy with the quality. "The quality is terrible," he said shortly after purchasing his ration. "The flour tastes like acid." Cuba's government has said it planned to reinforce inspections at state bakeries to assure quality does not suffer. Cuba earlier this year sought help from the World Food Programme to guarantee the supply of subsidized powdered milk for children, another key staple of the Cuban ration book that has recently grown scarce. Beyond the few remaining centrally planned economies like Cuba's and North Korea's, rationing is typically only used during war-time, natural disasters or specific contingencies. (Reporting by Mario Fuentes and Alien Fernandez, writing by Dave Sherwood; Editing by Marguerita Choy) Youre curbing our freedom, Germans tell Scholz as he tears up Merkels migration legacy Dozens of cars and coaches slow to a crawl as they cross the bridge from Poland into Germany, under the watchful eyes of armed border guards. It is past morning rush hour on the bridge connecting Frankfurt an der Oder, east Germany, and the Polish town of Subice, but border checks are still causing delays. As one coach approaches, German police halt the driver for further questions, while a white van is flagged down and sent into a white gazebo. It is the sort of scene that would have been abhorrent to Angela Merkel, the former chancellor who famously threw open Germanys borders during the 2016 refugee crisis. But Germany has changed: reeling from terrorist attacks carried out by Syrian and Afghan asylum seekers, its centre-Left government is stepping up border controls in a bid to slow down migration and appease the hard-Right, which is surging in the polls. On Monday, Olaf Scholz, Germanys chancellor, introduced passport checks at all of the countrys land crossings, as part of controls that will last for six months. Some of the checks were already in place on Germanys eastern frontiers, though on the German-Polish border they appeared to have intensified on Monday, with tailbacks on the Frankfurt an der Oder bridge snaking back into Poland. Passport checks have been introduced at all of Germanys land borders - Maja Hitij/Getty Images Nancy Faeser, the German interior minister, says the new border controls will protect against the acute dangers posed by Islamist terrorism and serious crime. But critics suspect the controls are largely a political stunt to appease the hard-Right, with the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party securing its first election victory in the state of Thuringia earlier this month. The Moscow-friendly, anti-migrant party could achieve the same result in elections in Brandenburg this weekend, where it is also set to give Mr Scholzs SDP party a drubbing. On Monday, German border police seemed to be stopping roughly one in every forty cars. Despite this, the need to slow down while passing the police checkpoint created a fairly long tailback across the bridge. Police stop roughly one in 40 cars - but this still has an effect on traffic crossing the border - Maja Hitij/Getty Images People think if there are no foreigners things will be better but its not true The checks have caused commuter delays and anxiety for residents in Frankfurt an der Oder and Subice, two mid-sized border towns connected by a bridge that is about 200 yards long. Charlotte Grunberg, a 23-year-old politics student at Viadrina University, told The Telegraph: It is problematic for us because we are a Doppelstadt [two combined border towns], and a university town with many international students. Its completely political for Scholz, he is doing this because the AfD has gone after the issue of migration. People are thinking if there are no foreigners then things will be better but its not true. Ms Grunberg was taking part in a small demonstration by Frankfurt Bleibt Bunt [Frankfurt Stays Colourful], a campaign group holding the placards Open hearts, open minds, open border and Asylum is a human right. Jan Augustyniak, the groups leader, remembers all too well the physical and mental borders of his childhood in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), the Communist post-war state of East Germany. Three decades on, border controls have returned to Frankfurt an der Oder, which was a major crossing point during the GDR period. He said the checks between Germany and Poland, which were introduced last October, should be a warning to other German border communities which will now deal with the same kind of disruption for the next six months. The passport checks have led to an increase in traffic jams in border towns - Maja Hitij/Getty Images There is a feeling of anxiety, the 42-year-old said. When the border checks started they damaged the economy of the town, and they caused traffic jams. It is supposedly about migration but it has an effect on the general freedom of inhabitants here. Asked what their message was for Mr Scholz, he said: Dont break our Doppelstadt, referring to Frankfurt an der Oder and Subices double town status. Frankfurt an der Oder and Subice form a Doppelstadt, two combined towns where the German-Polish border runs through - Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto Not all Germans in Frankfurt an der Oder were unhappy with the checks, however. A passing dog walker, 73, who gave his name as NN, said: Its a start. But its impossible to control the borders completely due to the political rules of the EU and that is the problem. His wife, also 73, agreed, saying: I think its a good idea because the borders do need to be controlled. Every time I cross the border I have to wait Subice is a two-minute walk over the bridge: on the other side, German signs for beer and Bratwurst bars give way to Polish shop windows offering Pierogi dumplings. A town of 16,000 people, Subice is smaller and less striking than Frankfurt an der Oder: instead of red-brick Gothic buildings, much of the town consists of old, tired concrete structures. I think open borders are a good thing, said Polish shop worker Batta, 25, as she rearranged dress racks inside Moda de Lux, a fashion outlet in Subice. Every time I cross the border I have to wait. And its stopping people coming [to shop] from Germany. You can see the problems its causing, a Subice watchmaker in his sixties, who declined to give his name, said. Its one single town but if you live in Frankfurt and work here then you have to cross a border. We dont like this situation, its not good for either side, said Walmder Kodzis, working behind the counter of a traditional Polish food shop. No one is coming because they are afraid of being stuck at the border for a long time. We thought that being in Schengen was supposed to avoid this sort of problem. Some leaders have claimed that Germanys border controls do not reflect the spirit of the EUs Schengen zone. - Maja Hitij/Getty Images While the checks have clearly disrupted daily routines on the German-Polish border, their impact on the rest of the country was less clear on Monday. Traffic was reportedly flowing freely between Germany and France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium and Luxembourg, the five additional borders where the checks have been imposed. However, on the Franco-German border, German police were filmed stopping and detaining a man on a tram that runs between the two countries, apparently as part of passport control. Temporary border controls are not unique to Germany, with seven other EU member states already running the same controls: France, Italy, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Slovenia and Sweden. But Germanys decision to impose them nationwide, and in part for domestic political reasons, is testing European unity; some leaders claim they do not reflect the spirit of the EUs open border Schengen zone. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister, said: The response [to migration] cannot be unilaterally scrapping Schengen and dropping the ball to countries which sit at Europes external borders. Meanwhile Donald Tusk, Polands prime minister, claimed the checks were responding tointernal political situation and may lead to the de facto suspension of the Schengen agreement on a large scale. But Germanys new border controls have delighted the hard-Right, with Geert Wilders, the Dutch coalition member, announcing: If Germany can do it, why cant we? Marine Le Pen, from the French National Rally party, said much the same: Now Germany is doing it. When will France follow? As for Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, himself a proponent of tough controls at Europes borders, he ironically told Mr Scholz: Welcome to the club. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. (KTAL/KMSS) The Communications Workers of America (CWA) have reached strong tentative agreements with AT&T Southeast and AT&T West, settling new union contracts after lengthy negotiations. More local news In the Southeast, the agreement marks the end of a historic 30-day strike, the longest telecommunications strike in the regions history. Union members from nine states, including Louisiana, had been pressuring AT&T to negotiate in good faith. The five-year contract covers 17,000 workers, including technicians and customer service representatives who maintain AT&Ts residential and business wireline network. The deal includes a 19.33% wage increase and improved healthcare, with premiums held steady for the first year and reduced in the second and third years. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Headlines CWA members in the Southeast are expected to return to work on Monday, September 16. Meanwhile, in AT&T West, workers reached a new agreement after rejecting a previous proposal earlier this month. The West contract was negotiated separately, but key issues like wages and healthcare were central in both regions. I believe in the power of unity, and the unity our members and retirees have shown during these contract negotiations has been outstanding and gave our bargaining teams the backing they needed to deliver strong contracts, said CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. Im not just talking about AT&T members in the Southeast and West, although the determination of our striking AT&T Southeast members was remarkable. CWA members and retirees from every region and sector of our union mobilized in support of our bargaining teams, including by distributing flyers with information about the strike at AT&T Wireless stores. Union members will convene to review the tentative agreements before casting ratification votes in each region, ensuring every member has a say on the proposed contracts. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com. A Fort Eisenhower staff sergeant assigned to the Army Cyber Command was recently sentenced to five years of probation after admitting to having illegal and unregistered weapons. Thomas J. Fazio II, 41, of Grovetown, was sentenced to five years of probation and fined $2,500 after pleading guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia. In May 2023, Homeland Security investigations and Customs and Border Protection intercepted suspected firearms silencers being shipped to Fazio, a U.S. Army staff sergeant, The Chronicle reported. During a search of Fazio's home, investigators found multiple firearms including an illegal short-barrel assault-style rifle and an unregistered firearm silencer, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. In June, Fort Eisenhower U.S. Army Cyber Command confirmed Fazio is a soldier currently assigned to "ARCYBER," but said further inquiries about his role needed to be directed to the Department of Justice. Previous report: Cyber Command staff sergeant at Fort Eisenhower pleads guilty to illegal firearm charge This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Army staff sergeant sentenced for illegal firearm charge Czechs May Have to Amend Budget Due to Flood Damages, CTK Says (Bloomberg) -- The Czech government may need to amend this years state budget due to damages caused by the recent widespread flooding, the CTK newswire reported, citing Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura. Most Read from Bloomberg The decision on whether to change the budget will depend on the total amount of damages, which Stanjura estimated could be in tens of billions of korunas, the newswire said. The government will hold talks with opposition if it deems a budget amendment necessary, according to the minister. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) Monday on the Daily 8, were looking at the start of Tech Week in Grand Rapids, a new replacement for masks, an upgrade coming to the Kent District Library and more. You can watch the full Daily 8 for Sept. 16, 2024, in the video player above or check out any of the stories mentioned below: Each weekday, the Daily 8 brings you the top eight stories we are keeping an eye on in and around West Michigan. Join us again Tuesday for the Daily 8. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. takes the stage at the Des Moines Register soapbox Aug. 12, 2023. On Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, national Democrats alleged Kennedy has illegally coordinated with a super PAC to gather signatures for his bid. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Iowa Capital Dispatch) A Dane County judge has rejected a request from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., shown here campaigning for president in Iowa in August 2023, to have his name removed from Wisconsin's presidential ballot in November. (Jay Waagmeester | Iowa Capital Dispatch) A Dane County judge on Monday rejected a request from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to have his name removed from the presidential ballot in Wisconsin this November. An attorney for Kennedy said immediately after the decision that he plans to appeal. A separate case on the issue had already been separately filed with the more conservative District 2 Court of Appeals, which covers the suburban counties around Milwaukee. Dane County Judge Stephen Ehlke ruled that state law does not allow a candidate to withdraw from the presidential race once they file nomination papers. Ehlke said Kennedy was asking him to make an exception to the law for only him. However, courts are required to apply the law as written, not as some party wishes it were written, Ehlke said. Kennedy dropped out of the race in August, after hed filed to get his name on the ballot in Wisconsin. After ending his campaign, Kennedy endorsed former President Donald Trump. Polls show that Kennedys candidacy likely pulled supporters from Trump. Last week in a similar case, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that Kennedys name must be removed from the states ballots, causing a delay of up to two weeks. The Wisconsin Elections Commission previously ruled that Kennedys name must appear on the ballot, finding that if a candidate successfully files nomination papers to appear on the ballot, the only event that can cause the candidates removal is death. In Wisconsin, a ruling to take Kennedys name off the ballot would cause delays and added expenses to county clerks responsible for printing ballots. Ballots with his name on them have already been printed across the state because county clerks must get them in the hands of municipal clerks by Wednesday. The first absentee ballots for requests that clerks already have on file must be sent this week. If a candidate dies after ballots have been printed, the candidates name may be covered by a white sticker on the ballot. Kennedys attorneys pushed for his name to be similarly covered with stickers. Assistant Attorney General Stephen Kilpatrick said that the labor required to cover Kennedys name on ballots and the unknown effect the stickers would have on vote tabulating machines made that an impossible request that would also force clerks to miss state and federal deadlines. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Dangerous commute one of greatest risks to Hanford nuclear workers. What can be done? The Department of Energy needs to improve driving conditions for workers commuting to the Hanford nuclear site, both to save lives and improve driving time, says the Hanford Advisory Board. It warned that commuter traffic and delays will only get worse as Richland and West Richland continue to grow and the vitrification plant at the nuclear reservation begins treating radioactive waste. The board agreed on recommendations at its two days of meetings last week in Spokane that focused on issues at: The intersection of Highway 240 at the roundabout at Route 10 and Highway 225 The Wye Barricade secure entrance to the site The Hanford 300 Area fire station The board said ... the daily commute to and from the site represents an impediment to attracting and retaining Hanford workers, as well as being one of the greatest physical risks to the workers. Over the last several years the number of vehicles commuting to the Hanford site has increased dramatically. Highway 225 becomes Hanford Route 10 at the Highway 240 roundabout. There have been serious and also deadly accidents in recent years by workers commuting to and driving home from their Hanford jobs: In January 2024, a Hanford worker changed lanes early in the morning in his Ford 250 on Highway 240 just northwest of the intersection of Highway 240 and Highway 225/Route 10. The worker, Thomas Woody Woodrich, died. In February 2022, a vanpool crash on Route 4 North at Hanford sent six workers to area hospitals, one with his neck broken in three place and vertebrae in his back broken. In January 2021, a Hanford worker, Reese Cameron, died after his car crossed a gravel median and slammed into an oncoming pickup as he drove on Hanford Route 4 toward the Wye Barricade for a Hanford night shift. In October 2019, a Hanford worker was passing several cars in a no-passing zone as he was headed to his job at 6:15 a.m. when his car crashed head on into a pickup on Route 4 on the secure portion of the Hanford site. Raj Ganapathy, the driver of the car, died. In August 2019, Kenneth Ross Crawford, of Mesa, and his wife were headed to their Hanford jobs a month before their planned retirement, when their car was hit by an oncoming car about 5 a.m. on Highway 24 close to the Vernita Bridge. Crawford died and his wife was hurt. A passenger in the car that hit the Crawfords car also died. In November 2018, a Hanford worker driving a motorcycle on Route 4 South toward the Wye Barricade entrance to the site hit a deer. Mikhail Mike Stewart died. Hanford Route 4 DOE needs to make improvements to Route 4 South sooner than now planned, the Hanford Advisory Board said in recommendations to be sent to DOE. The board says that DOE does not plan to start any road improvements to Route 4 South before at least 2030, despite possible increases to truck traffic both as the vitrification plant begins glassifying waste and also the possible grouting of waste moves forward. Workers coming north from Richland to the Wye Barricade secure entrance to Hanford often use Route 4 South. Now Hanford Route 4 South is used by an average of 7,562 vehicles a day, according to Hanford data. Expanding Route 4 South to make it a divided four-lane road would reduce delays at the Wye Barricade, the entrance to the site used by many Tri-Citians who work at Hanford, the board said. Cars can be backed up for nearly 8 minutes at the barricade as workers are cleared to drive onto the secure portion of the site, it said. The board also had concerns about the need to resurface Route 4 South. DOE should build a separate parallel roadway before the resurfacing starts to prevent disruption of the commute, the board said. A 2020 DOE Hanford roadway study made the same recommendation. Highway 240 roundabout A roundabout was built in 2023 to improve the intersection at Highway 240 where it meets Highway 225, which becomes Hanford Route 10 as traffic moves onto the Hanford site. It has been a great safety improvement, the board said. The Highway 240 roundabout has a slip lane for traffic turning onto Hanford Route 10. But it also caused traffic backups on Highway 240 that may become worse as traffic entering Route 10 increases as plans call for adding housing on Lewis and Clark Ranch land near Highway 225 in West Richland and Richland expands along Highway 240. The roundabout has a slip lane that allows traffic coming from Richland on Highway 240 to turn onto Route 10 without entering the roundabout circle. DOE needs to work with the Washington State Department of Transportation to either extend the slip lane to move traffic off Highway 240 with fewer delays or to resurrect an abandoned cutoff road from Highway 240 to Route 10, the board said. 300 Area emergency vehicles The Hanford Fire Department is restricted from using the merge lane leaving the 300 Area just north of Richland and must instead travel through an area with other traffic and pedestrians with emergency vehicle lights and sirens on, according to the advisory board. The response time is increased and there is a greater potential for accidents, the board said as early as 2019. Hanford firefighters prepare for a short ceremony before putting a new ladder truck into service at the nuclear reservation. The issue was expected to be resolved as the fire station just north of Richland was closed and another fire station built in central Hanford. However, now the aging station will remain open longer as work has been delayed to clean up a high-level radioactive waste spill under the 324 Building just north of Richland, according to the board. In 2023, DOE discovered that the decades-old waste spill beneath the building was deeper and wider than anticipated, and a new cleanup plan will need to be executed that likely will not have the spill cleaned up by a legal deadline next year. The fire station is expected to continue to operate during the spill cleanup. The board did not give a specific recommendation on the issue, but said DOE needs to address the issue of pedestrian safety. Pfizers cancer cachexia candidate has provided patients with clinically meaningful weight gain in a Phase II trial, with the company sharing aims to start a pivotal programme in 2025. The companys Growth/Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF-15)-targeting monoclonal antibody ponsegromab met the primary endpoint of the Phase II study (NCT05546476) in all treatment arms, with more than 5% weight gain in the high dose arm. Cachexia, also known as wasting syndrome, is characterised by weight and muscle mass loss that commonly affects cancer patients, yet there are currently no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved options for its treatment. Current standard of care for cancer cachexia patients in feeding tubes or intravenous nutrition, nutritional supplements, and anti-inflammatory medications. Pfizer shared the data at the 2024 European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) meeting, taking place in Barcelona, Spain from 13 to 17 September. Results of the study have also been published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). The ongoing Phase II trial is a double-blind study evaluating the effect of ponsegromab in 187 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), pancreatic cancer or colorectal cancer who suffer with cachexia and elevated serum GDF-15 concentrations across several dose groups. After 12 weeks, ponsegromab patients achieved mean weight increases of 2.2% in the 100mg dose group, 3.48% in the 200mg group, and 5.6% in the 400mg group with the drug generally deemed safe across all dose groups. Pfizer previously published Phase Ib data that demonstrated ponsegromabs proof-of-mechanism in cancer cachexia patients, with robust suppression of unbound circulating GDF-15 levels observed. The mean weight increase of 5.6% in the 400mg dose group is especially notable, with Pfizers head of discovery and early development, Charlotte Allerton stating that the Cancer Cachexia Endpoints Working Group recently suggested weight gain of 5% as being a clinically meaningful difference. These results provide strong evidence that we have unlocked a mechanism to interrupt a critical driver of cachexia, GDF-15, which has the potential to impact patients with cancer cachexia and other life-threatening conditions, Allerton said. We look forward to advancing this programme as part of our broader cardiometabolic portfolio to address weight management across the spectrum of patient need, Allerton added. In light of the results, Pfizer said it is discussing late-stage development plans with regulators with the goal of starting registration-enabling studies in 2025. Story continues According to GlobalDatas Clinical Trials database, there are currently 138 trials underway in addressing cachexia. GlobalData is the parent company of Clinical Trials Arena. The pharmaceutical giant also has ponsegromab under investigation in a Phase II study in patients with heart failure (HF) and elevated serum GDF-15 concentrations (NCT05492500). "ESMO 2024: Pfizers cachexia drug provides meaningful weight gain" was originally created and published by Clinical Trials Arena, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. ANKENY, Iowa The Central Iowa Out of the Darkness Community Walk took place at DMACC on Sunday. The walk began at 1 p.m. and followed a 1.2-mile-long path around the DMACC Ankeny Campus Lake. Around the event there were also stations with food and drinks, honor beads, activities, and speakers. Nick Neibauer performed live music during the event. The event provides a safe and welcoming place for individuals and families to come together to support each other and face the realities of mental health. The walk also acts as a way to remember those who have lost their battle to mental health and suicide. During the event speakers came forward to share their experiences and those of the loved ones they have lost to suicide. Sayli Simms and her mother began participating in the event in 2008 after losing her father to suicide in 2004. Simms gave a speech describing her and her familys journey and the impact the walk and community has had on her life. Its important to me to remember him in a loving way, so to support him is coming here and walking for him, said Simms. I think its a great thing to support your loved one that youve lost, it just makes you feel better. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention hosts these walks all around the country to bring awareness and support to communities. The Out of the Darkness movement began in 2004 and hosts a variety of events including community walks, campus walks, and overnight walks. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Governor Kristi Noem speaks during a tribal-focused law enforcement graduation ceremony on Sept. 3, 2024, in Pierre. (Courtesy of Governor's Office) Three days after the U.S. Department of Justice announced a plan to help a Native American tribe in South Dakota reduce domestic violence, Republican Governor Kristi Noem called on the department to do more for public safety on reservations. On Friday, the department announced the Oglala Sioux Tribe as one of 78 communities across 47 states to be designated under Section 1103 of the Violence Against Women Act. The designation means the tribe will receive focused law enforcement efforts and legal support to prosecute people convicted of domestic violence who own firearms. The initiative aims to prosecute offenders under a federal law prohibiting certain people from possessing firearms. Intimate partner violence involving guns presents a grave danger to victims trapped in violent relationships, said Alison Ramsdell, U.S. attorney for the District of South Dakota, in a statement. According to Native News Online, 911 emergency calls on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 2021 included 1,463 domestic violence calls and 522-gun related calls. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX On Monday, Noem said in a news release that she sent U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland a letter asking him to take action to address public safety on Native American reservations in South Dakota. Noems recommendations include audits of federal funds provided to South Dakota tribes; creating a Special Assistant United States Attorney initiative within the state to boost federal prosecutions on tribal lands; more federal support to assist tribes in investigating crime; and encouraging tribes to establish law enforcement agreements with the state. Elected representatives of all nine tribes in the state have voted to ban Noem from their lands for remarks she made earlier this year, including her allegations that Mexican drug cartels are operating on reservations and that tribal leaders are benefiting from the activity. Garland met with representatives of the nine tribal nations in South Dakota about their law enforcement and justice system needs on Aug. 14 in Sioux Falls and Wagner. U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, participated in the Wagner meeting. Noem was not invited. Tribes across the state have treaty agreements that require federal law enforcement support, but the tribes have consistently reported theyre underfunded. Oglala Sioux Tribe Acting Police Chief John Pettigrew told a congressional subcommittee in May that his department is funded at 15% of its needs. Noem, Rounds and other South Dakota officials have taken various actions this year to help improve public safety on tribal lands. After Garlands visit, Rounds sent a letter urging the head of a federal department to change the funding formula for tribal law enforcement, and he has also advocated for the federal government to open a tribal law enforcement training center in South Dakota. Noem recently worked with Republican South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley to launch a new tribal-focused law enforcement training course that graduated eight recruits. Noems Department of Public Safety recently signed an expanded cooperative law enforcement agreement with the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, and Noem has hosted a Tribal Public Safety Crisis Summit and appointed a tribal law enforcement liaison in her office. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE CHICAGO The gunfire detection system ShotSpotter is set to go dark on Sunday. Canceling the citys contract with ShotSpotter was a campaign promise from Mayor Brandon Johnson, but several City Council members are continuing their efforts to save it. A special meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday to discuss ShotSpotter, but the mayor doesnt appear to be backing down. Ald. Raymond Lopez on Monday filed paperwork calling for a special session of the City Council in hopes of overruling Johnsons decision to cancel the citys contract with SoundThinking, the company behind the ShotSpotter gunshot-detection technology. The mayor said ShotSpotter is ineffective technology that leads to over-policing in minority communities. However, Johnson last February extended use of the gunfire detection software through last months Democratic National Convention, setting a Sept. 22 expiration date. A group of alders want the tech to remain in place. The City Council has already given him an order to continue this technology in the wards that want it, said Lopez, who represents the 15th Ward. Like every other order that this body gives him, he has to follow it, and hes willfully choosing to disregard the will of the body. He is the chief executive. He has to execute the will of the City Council, and were at a point now when were going to see which one of us is correct. Johnson insists he wont reverse course, however, on Monday slamming the tech as a walkie talkie on a pole. The reason why they said we needed it was to reduce gun violence, the mayor said. It didnt do that. So its incumbent upon all of us that the investments that were making, they have to get at the problem. Johnson pointed to Houston Mayor John Whitmire, who called the technology a gimmick in expressing his desire to cancel his citys contract. Johnson was adamant that the City Council cannot overrule him, setting him on a collision course with the alders. Were going to tune in Wednesday and see exactly what happens, Ald. Michelle Harris (8th Ward) said. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Lopez was joined in calling for a special session by Ald. Anthony Beale (9th Ward), Ald. Peter Chico (10th Ward), Ald. Marty Quinn (13th Ward), Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd Ward), Ald. Monique Scott (24th Ward) and Ald. Felix Cardona (31st Ward). The City Council members who want to keep ShotSpotter are holding a press conference later Wednesday morning. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) Yesterday residents met at a solidarity rally in Dayton. Stories, concerns, calls to action were voiced from members of the community. I awoke to robocalls and mass texts from my hospital, advising employees of a code black, a bomb threat, said nurse Lauren Morisseau at the rally. The meeting followed days of threats placed against schools, hospitals and city offices in Springfield, as well as months of detrimental rhetoric towards members of the immigrant community. Attendees at the park Sunday afternoon agreed that changes were necessary. Rejecting that kind of discourse begins with actions like this, said Dr. Xavier Johnson. So, at Bomberger Park, community members advocated for those changes, many hoping for a peaceful address of everything thats happened recently and over the last few months. to be made in support of the Haitian population in Springfield. As long as we are fair, you know, said resident Jehanne Dufersne. We all have to be accountable no matter what party youre in. Its just, we want to welcome everybody. Morisseau wants to see a perspective shift take place. I want to see an embrace. Human migration isnt new. People have always moved and there have always been waves of immigrants coming, Morisseau said. Welcome them, volunteer on their behalf, advocate for more resources sent by the government to Springfield so that we can welcome them well, so that we can build and grow, all together and revitalize the city and make sure this community stays safe. City leaders and law enforcement officials in Dayton have also spoken out, denying that there have been instances of cat-eating on behalf of the local immigrant community. Dayton Police Department Chief Kamran Afzal issued a statement, which was posted on social media on Saturday. About those same allegations dispersed over social media, Dayton Mayor Jeffrey J. Mims also issued a statement, which can be read below: Courtesy of the city of Dayton/Mayors Office Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. DC police identify man killed in shooting on Adams Place in Northeast WASHINGTON (DC News Now) The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has released the name of the man who was killed in a shooting in Northeast D.C. on Saturday. In an update, police identified the victim as 44-year-old Erik Mewborn, of Northeast. On Sept. 14, shortly after 5 a.m., D.C. police officers responded to a report of a man down in the 2200 block of Adams Place. Man killed in shooting near Dupont Circle in DC, police investigating Once on the scene, crews found Mewborn suffering from a gunshot wound. DC Fire and EMS responded; however, he died at the scene. The investigation is ongoing. Police encourage anyone with information to call 202-727-9099 or text tips to 50411. MPD said it is offering a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest and conviction. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown recently announced additional grant funding for Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), but the deadline to enter is fast approaching. About Project Safe Neighborhoods The Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force has recently announced the availability of $148,319 in PSN grant funding that will be used in the Western District of Louisiana. A minimum of 35% of grand funding must be used for grants that fund new or current gang violence reduction strategies. PSN believes in fostering trust and legitimacy in communities. They support community-based organizations that help prevent violence. The goal of the grant funding is to reduce violent crimes, not to increase the number of people arrested and prosecuted. Applications for the grant funding are being accepted now. Brown on violent crime in Western District Brown said that the violent crime rate is down in the western district, but that we cannot rest and become complacent. The awarding of this grant is evidence that the federal government is continuing to collaborate with our state and local law enforcement partners and non-governmental organizations to make Shreveport, Monroe, Alexandria, Lake Charles, Lafayette and all points between a safe place to live. Brown encourages law enforcement partners and organizations that are ready to combat violent crime to apply for the funds. How to apply The Shreveport Police Department will distribute the funds through the PSN grant. A committee of volunteers from five major cities in Louisianas Western District will review the grant proposals. Grant applications are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on Fri., Oct. 18. Email grant proposals (or questions) to USALAW.PSN@usdoj.gov More information is available on the OJPs Grant Awards page. Contact Lisa Alwers with questions at (337) 262-6618. Send your email and contact information to USALAW.PSN@usdoj.gov by Fri., Sept. 27 at 5:00 p.m. for a link to a WebEx meeting about PSN and OJP grant requirements. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com. Deans List: What UNC leaders are saying about DEI changes following release of reports About four months after the UNC System Board of Governors repealed the public university systems diversity, equity and inclusion policy, we got our first look last week at the changes colleges have made to comply with the new version of the policy. By Sept. 1, chancellors at each of the 17 campuses were required to submit a report to system President Peter Hans detailing the changes undertaken by their universities to comply with the new restrictions. System officials did not make the reports public until 10 days after that deadline, despite requests from reporters. Instead, they posted the 17 documents online as a Board of Governors committee discussed them in a committee meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The reports showed widespread variation in changes across campuses, as my colleague Kyle Ingram and I reported last week. For instance: UNC-Chapel Hill eliminated the most DEI-related jobs, at 20 positions. The next-most was at UNC Charlotte, which eliminated nine positions. Some campuses, including Western Carolina University and UNC Pembroke, eliminated just one or two positions. Other campuses, including the UNC School of the Arts, UNC Greensboro and Fayetteville State University, did not eliminate any positions. NC State University realigned the most positions, at 29, followed by UNC-Chapel Hill at 27. Other campuses reported realigning just a handful of positions. Some of those variances could be a result of the differences in size and operations across the campuses, as UNC System general counsel Andrew Tripp told the Board of Governors last week. The larger campuses had more work to do, he said. The smaller campuses, less so, but there was plenty of work to be done. In all, campuses reported more than $17 million in savings from implementing the new policy. That money, per the policy, should be redirected toward student-success initiatives. Our focus here, from the beginning, has been to get back to basics, which is our student success, Hans told reporters last week. And by reinvesting that $17 million in support for all students, regardless of background and belief, is the outcome, I believe, the board hoped to achieve. But plenty of questions still remain about the reports and the changes detailed in them. And so far, answers from university leaders havent provided much clarity. Welcome to Deans List, a roundup of higher education news in the Triangle and across North Carolina from The News & Observer and me, Korie Dean. In this weeks edition, I share what UNC System leaders have said so far about DEI changes, a new inclusive education program at NC State and more. Lets get started. UNC leaders answer questions about DEI changes Perhaps the biggest question that remains unanswered is whether any employees lost their jobs or were laid off from their respective universities as a result of the changes. In some cases, jobs that universities eliminated were vacant at the time of the change, meaning no employees were terminated when the job was cut. That was the case at Western Carolina, for instance, where the now-eliminated chief diversity officer position had not been filled for more than a year. But the fate of other eliminated positions and the employees who held them are less clear. For instance, UNC-Chapel Hill closed the School of Medicines Office of Rural Initiatives and eliminated several positions in the department, including its director role. That position, which appears to have been filled prior to the DEI changes, is not listed in the universitys report as a job that was realigned making it unclear what became of the employee who held the role. Asked last week why the office was closed and what might happen to its employees, UNC Vice Provost Leah Cox who formerly served as the universitys chief diversity officer prior to these changes said it doesnt look like it was closed yet, and some of the programs that you may see in the report may be being reworked, refocused, reallocated in different ways or moved to different reporting structures. Such changes to the Office of Rural Initiatives, if they are happening, were not detailed in the universitys report. Other university leaders, including Hans, have generally characterized job changes resulting from the policy by saying that most affected employees were offered new jobs at their campuses. Still, it remains unclear how many employees accepted those positions or how many were not offered new positions. I cant speak to individuals, and I dont know that one would be allowed to do so under various employment laws, Hans said Thursday when asked if any employees were laid off. But most of the people most directly affected here were reassigned to open student-success positions. Asked if he anticipated more positions to be eliminated as campuses continue to implement the new policy, Hans did not directly address the question, instead directing reporters to read the reports from campuses, which he said have a great deal of detail in there. The system will continue to operate transparently as we proceed, he added. University leaders have continued to emphasize that diversity remains an important value of individual campuses and across the system. Diversity is a reality in North Carolina. Diversity is a reality in the UNC System. Its a strength. We celebrate it, Hans told reporters. We dont have a singular, narrow ideological focus on it. We want to welcome and support things of all backgrounds and all beliefs. Ill continue to cover the fallout of this policy change in the coming months. If you have tips or suggestions from your campuses, dont hesitate to reach out at kdean@newsobserver.com. NC State inclusive education program taking applications NC States new inclusive education program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is now accepting applications for its first class of students. Housed in the universitys College of Education, Elevate will offer educational credentials, such as certificates, to North Carolina residents with IDD. The program focuses on five pillars of success: academics, employment, personal development, independent living and social engagement. Elevate is a new opportunity for young adults with IDD to come to college, continue to grow intellectually, and explore and find careers that align with their passions, Elevate program director Tamira White said in a news release. They will have access to the rich resources at NC State and in the surrounding communities. We will use cutting-edge technology to provide each Elevate student an opportunity to grow academically and socially, and prepare them to launch their successful careers. To be eligible for Elevate, students should be North Carolina residents who are at least 18 years old and are identified as having IDD or have previously been eligible for special education services through an individualized education program (IEP) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. A great candidate for Elevate is a young person who is motivated to come to college to learn and grow and who is highly motivated to work, White said. Elevate is going to be a transformational experience related to academics, employment and connections to the community. The program will begin in the spring 2025 semester with commuter students before residential options become available next fall. More information about Elevate, including application information, is available here. Higher ed news Im reading A UNC-Chapel Hill police captain remains on the force despite multiple accusations of violence toward protesters, The Daily Tar Heel reports. Applications and enrollments are soaring at historically Black universities around the country, one year after the end of race-conscious affirmative action, Inside Higher Ed reports. See you next week Thanks for reading this weeks Deans List. I hope to see you right back here, in your inbox, next week. The death toll from severe flooding in central and eastern Europe climbed to 16 on Monday, with more heavy rains on the way. More than a dozen casualties have now been confirmed across Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania in the floods that began inundating the region over the weekend, with the toll expected to continue rising. In large parts of the extensive disaster zone, kilometres of land remain submerged, with roads and field flooded, basements and houses filling with water and dams and dykes overwhelmed. In Poland, authorities said on Monday afternoon that three men and one woman have died in separate incidents across the affected regions, bringing the total death toll in the country to five. The latest developments saw the mayor of the small south-western town of Paczkow order a compulsory evacuation after a crack appeared in the wall of a nearby reservoir. Mayor Artur Rolka warned that "no one can guarantee that the damage will not worsen" in an appeal on social media and said on Polish television that he decided on a compulsory evacuation after residents failed to heed his calls for them to leave their houses voluntarily. He called on all remaining residents to leave low-lying districts which could soon be overrun by floodwaters after days of historic rainfall. An immediate evacuation was also ordered in Nysa, another town in the Opole region with more than 40,000 inhabitants which had seen dramatic scenes on Sunday as 33 patients were rescued from the local district hospital in rubber dinghies. The situation in Nysa had initially seemed under control on Monday, but sirens later wailed through the town and television footage showed long queues of cars on the city's bridges after the mayor warned that a dyke could breach and flood the city. "The situation is very dangerous, the health and lives of the residents are at risk," said a statement from the city. After an emergency Cabinet meeting in the western city of Wrocaw on Monday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced 1 billion zloty ($260 million) in aid for victims of the flooding. Tusk said he would speak to his counterparts in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia about jointly seeking European Union funding to help with reconstruction efforts. Those affected by the flooding can submit applications for funds to municipal administrations with immediate effect, the prime minister said. Tusk also addressed reports of looting in flooded areas, promising to take tough action against perpetrators exploiting the plight of those affected by the flooding. Further downstream, Wrocaw is preparing to be hit with high water later this week, Mayor Jacek Sutryk said on Monday morning. There is round-the-clock monitoring of flood dykes as well as the canals and tributaries of the Oder river, which runs through the city, Sutryk said in a video posted on Facebook. Flooding is currently expected to reach Wrocaw on Wednesday, with earlier forecasts suggesting the city could avoid the worst of the weather being revised, the mayor warned. However, the flooding is not anticipated to reach the level of the catastrophic conditions of 1997, when one-third of the city was inundated. Three dead in Lower Austria The latest victims in Austria included two elderly men who died in their homes in the flood-hit state of Lower Austria, which has been declared a disaster zone by the national government. The flood situation in the eastern region - which surrounds the capital Vienna and borders the Czech Republic - is still serious despite a brief let-up in rain overnight, Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner said on Monday. "It is not over, it remains critical, it remains dramatic," Mikl-Leitner added. Up to 80 millimetres of rain were expected in the state on Monday, putting significant pressure on the region's dams. More than 200 roads in Lower Austria are closed, 1,800 buildings have been evacuated and many pupils were staying at home, she said. Around 3,500 households are currently without electricity. In Lower Austria, up to 370 millimetres of rain have fallen in recent days, several times the monthly average of precipitation. A firefighter lost his life while pumping out a basement over the weekend. The situation could ease somewhat from Tuesday, when an end to the persistent rain is forecast. One dead, seven missing in Czech 'apocalypse' The Czech Republic confirmed on Monday its first death from the flooding, while reporting up to seven people missing. Czech Police President Martin Vondrasek said an individual drowned in the small Krasova river in the eastern Moravian-Silesian region. Three of those missing are believed to have been trapped in a car when it got caught in a raging river near the spa town of Jesenik, near the border with Poland. There is no trace of the vehicle so far. The other missing persons are said to have fallen into various bodies of water, such as the Otava river. Additionally, a man from a nursing home near the Polish border is missing. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has described the situation as a once-in-a-century flood. Over the weekend, streets in town like Jesenik in the Altvater Mountains, Opava on the river of the same name and Krnov on the border with Poland turned into raging torrents. In Jesenik, emergency services rescued hundreds of people with boats and helicopters. The mayor of the town said on television: "It was an apocalypse, there is mud everywhere, everything is destroyed." The main square in the city centre temporarily turned into a single body of water, with cars floating on it. Several houses collapsed in the region, while authorities reported a risk of landslides after the floodwaters receded. On the Morava river, entire streets were underwater in Litovel, the CTK news agency reported. Authorities in the small town of almost 10,000 residents appealed to the population to heed the emergency services. Levels continued to rise in many other places. Evacuation orders have been expanded in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic after dykes were breached. A state of danger was declared for the area around the town of Frydlant in North Bohemia. Casualties in Romania as Orban cancels obligations Other countries have also been affected by the historic storm front, with Hungarian President Viktor Orban announcing on the social media platform X that he has postponed all "international obligations" due to "extreme weather conditions and the ongoing floods in Hungary." As Germany prepares for swollen rivers to bring flooding to its border regions, the government in Berlin pledged support to countries coping with the flooding should they ask for help. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the floods were "distressing," adding: "We will help as much as we can." The worst-hit country so far is Romania, where at least seven people are now known to have died in heavy rain and severe flooding since the weekend. The regions of Galati, Vaslui and Iasi in the east of the country were particularly hard hit. About 300 people had to be evacuated, and around 6,000 farmhouses were impacted by the flooding. The water mostly affected remote villages, where people climbed onto rooftops to avoid being swept away by the floods. An ambulance drives through the streets in the centre of the town after the heavy rainfall. Peina Ludik/CTK/dpa Local residents walk among debris in a flooded street as a result of the heavy rainfall. Peina Ludik/CTK/dpa Emergency workers are on duty in the aftermath of heavy rains and floods in Otovice. Taneeek David/CTK/dpa A park is seen flooded after the Elbe river flooded its banks, following heavy rains. Hajek Vojtich/CTK/dpa A drone image shows the BorsodChem MCHZ chemical plant is under water following heavy rains. Sznapka Petr/CTK/dpa A drone image shows a flooded area following heavy rains. Sznapka Petr/CTK/dpa A bridge is seen partially collapsed in the Austrian town of Boeheimkirchen, after a crane fell on it due to the severe weather conditions and heavy flooding in Austria. Christoph Reichwein/dpa Further casualties were reported across Central Europe on Monday as severe flooding continued to overwhelm parts of Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic, with more heavy rains on the way. Eleven people are confirmed to have died in the floods that began inundating the region over the weekend, with the toll expected to rise. The latest victims included two elderly men who died in their homes in the flood-hit state of Lower Austria, which has been declared a disaster zone by the Austrian government. The flood situation in the eastern region - which surrounds the capital Vienna and borders the Czech Republic - is still serious despite a brief let-up in rain overnight, Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner said on Monday. "It is not over, it remains critical, it remains dramatic," Mikl-Leitner added. Up to 80 millimetres of rain were expected in the state on Monday, putting significant pressure on the region's dams. More than 200 roads in Lower Austria are closed, 1,800 buildings have been evacuated and many pupils were staying at home, she said. Around 3,500 households are currently without electricity. In Lower Austria, up to 370 millimetres of rain have fallen in recent days, several times the monthly average of precipitation. A firefighter lost his life while pumping out a basement over the weekend. The situation could ease somewhat from Tuesday, when an end to the persistent rain is forecast. One dead, seven missing in Czech 'apocalypse' The Czech Republic confirmed on Monday its first death from the flooding, while reporting up to seven people missing. Czech Police President Martin Vondrasek said an individual drowned in the small Krasova river in the eastern Moravian-Silesian region. Three of those missing are believed to have been trapped in a car when it got caught in a raging river near the spa town of Jesenik, near the border with Poland. There is no trace of the vehicle so far. The other missing persons are said to have fallen into various bodies of water, such as the Otava river. Additionally, a man from a nursing home near the Polish border is missing. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has described the situation as a once-in-a-century flood. Over the weekend, streets in town like Jesenik in the Altvater Mountains, Opava on the river of the same name and Krnov on the border with Poland turned into raging torrents. In Jesenik, emergency services rescued hundreds of people with boats and helicopters. The mayor of the town said on television: "It was an apocalypse, there is mud everywhere, everything is destroyed." The main square in the city centre temporarily turned into a single body of water, with cars floating on it. Several houses collapsed in the region, while authorities reported a risk of landslides after the floodwaters receded. On the Morava river, entire streets were underwater in Litovel, the CTK news agency reported. Authorities in the small town of almost 10,000 residents appealed to the population to heed the emergency services. Levels continued to rise in many other places. Evacuation orders have been expanded in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic after dykes were breached. A state of danger was declared for the area around the town of Frydlant in North Bohemia. Emergency Cabinet meeting in Poland as Wrocaw threatened The situation remained tense in south-western Poland, as Prime Minister Donald Tusk called an emergency Cabinet meeting for Monday. Tusk said that he had drafted a decree to declare a state of natural disaster, pending Cabinet approval. The persistent rainfall has led to widespread flooding in areas near the border with the Czech Republic. One person has been confirmed dead in Poland, with fears the number could rise. In the small town of Kodzko in Lower Silesia, entire streets were underwater, with at least one fatality recorded. The village of Guchoazy in the Opole region has also been heavily damaged by the floodwaters. On Sunday night, the town of Nysa in the Opole region was particularly affected. Floodwaters from the Nysa Kodzka, a tributary of the Oder river, inundated the emergency admissions ward of the local district hospital, according to news agency PAP. A total of 33 patients, including children and pregnant women, were evacuated to safety using rubber dinghies. Further downstream, the major western city of Wrocaw is preparing to be hit with high water later this week, Mayor Jacek Sutryk said on Monday morning. There is round-the-clock monitoring of flood dykes as well as the canals and tributaries of the Oder river, which runs through the city, Sutryk said in a video posted to Facebook. Flooding is currently expected to reach Wrocaw on Wednesday, with earlier forecasts suggesting the city could avoid the worst of the weather being revised, the mayor warned. However, the flooding is not anticipated to reach the level of the catastrophic conditions of 1997, when one-third of the city was inundated. Casualties in Romania as Orban cancels obligations Other countries have also been affected by the historic storm front, with Hungarian President Viktor Orban announcing on the social media platform X that he has postponed all "international obligations" due to "extreme weather conditions and the ongoing floods in Hungary." As Germany prepares for swollen rivers to bring flooding to its border regions, the government in Berlin pledged support to countries coping with the flooding should they ask for help. The situation in Romania remained tense on Monday after at least six people died in heavy rain and severe flooding over the weekend. The regions of Galati, Vaslui and Iasi in the east of the country were particularly hard hit. About 300 people had to be evacuated, and around 6,000 farmhouses were impacted by the flooding. The water mostly affected remote villages, where people climbed onto rooftops to avoid being swept away by the floods. The German-Polish border river Neisse in the city center of Guben. The water levels in the Neisse, Oder and Elbe continue to rise. In Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria, the situation is already taking a dramatic turn for the worse. Flooding could occur on some rivers in Brandenburg in the coming days. The State Office for the Environment (LfU) is expecting drastically rising water levels on the Oder in the coming days. Patrick Pleul/dpa Emergency workers are on duty in the aftermath of heavy rains and floods in Otovice. Taneeek David/CTK/dpa Emergency workers are on duty in the aftermath of heavy rains and floods in Otovice. Taneeek David/CTK/dpa A park is seen flooded after the Elbe river flooded its banks, following heavy rains. Hajek Vojtich/CTK/dpa The mayor of a Polish city has asked all 44,000 residents to evacuate, as widespread flooding continues to batter central Europe. Nysa mayor Kordian Kolbiarz asked people to head for higher ground, citing the risk of an embankment breaching and releasing a cascade of water into the town from a nearby lake. The death toll from the floods that hit over the weekend rose to at least 16 on Monday, with seven confirmed fatalities in Romania. Casualties were also recorded in Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland. Budapest said it would close roads near the river Danube which runs through the Hungarian capital, citing the risk of flooding later this week. Please evacuate your belongings, yourselves, your loved ones. It is worth getting to the top floor of the building immediately, because the wave may be several metres high. This means that the whole town will be flooded, Nysa Mayor Kolbiarz wrote. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said one billion zloty (197m) would be allocated for flood victims in the country, adding that Poland would also apply for EU relief funds. His government has also declared a state of natural disaster. Although conditions have stabilised in some places, others are bracing themselves for more disruption and danger from the floods, sparked by Storm Boris. In Slovakia, the overflowing of the Danube River caused flooding in the Old Town area of the capital, Bratislava, with local media reporting that water levels exceeded 9m (30ft) and were expected to rise further. Polish rescuers and soldiers evacuated local residents and their pets in the village of Rudawa, southern Poland [Getty Images] Hungary is bracing itself for floods in the coming days. Warnings are in force along 500km (310 miles) of the Danube. The river is rising by about a metre every 24 hours, with Budapest's mayor offering residents a million sandbags to protect against floodwaters. Some tram lines will not operate, while roads along the river will be closed in the Hungarian capital from Monday evening. Trains between Budapest and Vienna have also been cancelled. Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on X that he had postponed all his international obligations "due to the extreme weather conditions and the ongoing floods in Hungary". The highest rainfall totals have been in the Czech Republic. In the north-eastern town of Jesenik, 473mm (19in) of rain has fallen since Thursday morning - five times the average monthly rainfall. The Czech fire service delivered bottles of drinking water to stranded villages, where people were told not to drink water from their taps or their wells as it is likely heavily contaminated. In the Austrian town of St Polten, more rain has fallen in four days than in the whole of the wettest autumn on record, in 1950. Chancellor Karl Nehammer said the armed forces had been deployed to offer assistance to storm-hit regions. Austria's Climate Ministry said 300m (253m) in recovery funds would be made available. Most parties paused campaigning for the federal elections due in less than two weeks, on 29 September. Villages and town were submerged in eastern Romania. Emil Dragomir, mayor of Slobozia Conachi, told media that the flooding had had a devastating impact. "If you were here, you would cry instantly, because people are desperate, their whole lives' work is gone, there were people who were left with just the clothes they had on," he said. Thousands of people have been evacuted in Poland, including the personnel and patients of a hospital in the town of Nysa. Roads have been badly disrupted and train traffic was suspended in many parts of the country. On Monday morning, the mayor of Paczkow in south-west Poland appealed to residents to evacuate after water began overflowing in a nearby reservoir, endangering the town. In other parts of Poland, however, water levels are now falling, according to local officials. The mayor of Klodzko city, Michal Piszko, told Polish media the water had receded and the indications were the worst was now over. Video footage from Monday morning showed that city centre streets which were inundated on Sunday were now water-free, although the footage also revealed the extent of damage done to the buildings. Where will Storm Boris go next? More rain is expected throughout Monday and Tuesday in Austria, the Czech Republic and south-east Germany, where another 100mm could fall. While it may still take days for the flood waters to subside, the weather will improve in central Europe from mid-week with much drier conditions. Storm Boris will, however, now move further south into Italy, where it will reintensify and bring heavy rain. The Emilia-Romagna region is set to be worst hit, with 100-150mm of rain falling. The record rainfall seen in central Europe has been caused by a number of factors, including climate change. Different weather elements came together to create a perfect storm in which very cold air from the Arctic met warm air from the Mediterranean. A pattern of atmospheric pressure also meant that Storm Boris was stuck in one place for a long time. Scientists say that a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, leading to more intense rainfall. Warmer oceans also lead to more evaporation, feeding storm systems. For every 1C rise in the global average temperature, the atmosphere is able to hold about 7% more moisture. [BBC] Electric cars sit charging in a parking garage at the University of California, Irvine, in January 2015. Sales of zero-emission cars are still growing in Canada though perhaps not as quickly as had been expected. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters - image credit) Some of the headlines about electric vehicles lately might give the impression that the market is headed for a crash. But new data shows electric vehicle sales are still growing in Canada, and have hit a record high. More than 65,000 new zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) meaning battery electric and plug-in hybrid electric were registered in the second quarter of this year, according to Statistics Canada. That's equal to 12.9 per cent of all vehicle registrations. Over the same period five years ago, ZEVs made up just 3.4 per cent. The trend hasn't been entirely linear, but it's clear sales are still growing though perhaps not as quickly as had been expected. "We're past the early adopter phase," said J.D. Ney at the market research firm J.D. Power, referring to customers who buy into new technologies before most people. "The next step, though, is to convince a much wider swath of Canadians that electrification is right for them." That mainstream buyer, Ney says, is less wealthy and more practical, and it will take extra effort to convince them to ditch gas-powered cars. When J.D. Power surveyed new vehicle shoppers in Canada, respondents who said they wouldn't consider an EV said the models are still too expensive, and they worry about how far they can travel and how difficult it will be to charge the battery. "If I make a mistake buying an EV or it doesn't suit my lifestyle, that's a $65,000 problem," Ney said. "It's the second biggest purchase that most Canadians will make. And so I think they are rightfully cautious." That could explain why sales of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are revving up, with new registrations jumping 43.1 per cent in the second quarter compared with the same period last year. PHEVs allow drivers to travel moderate distances on electric power. Once the battery is depleted, the gas-powered engine can take over. It's a compromise that may appeal to customers concerned about range and charging infrastructure, offering a less risky choice than going all-electric. Shifting gears Just a few years ago, carmakers were investing billions of dollars into their electric lineups, and pledging they would soon stop building gas-powered cars. But customers aren't going fully electric as quickly as predicted, so many companies are making adjustments to better meet demand. General Motors has scaled back its electric vehicle production this year and will build an estimated 50,000 fewer EVs. Ford is shifting its strategy, stalling plans for an electric SUV and building a hybrid version instead. Despite all that, carmakers insist they're still committed to the cause. Story continues WATCH | Slower growth than expected: "The thought of changing to electrical propulsion after decades of driving an internal combustion engine is a big step," Volvo Cars CEO Jim Rowan said earlier this month, noting the company will pull back slightly on its EV goals. "We will be ready to go fully electric this decade, but if the market infrastructure and customer acceptance is not quite there we can allow that to take a few more years." For those customers hoping overseas carmakers like China's BYD would bring cheaper EV models to North America, that may also take a little longer. Last month, the federal government slapped 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese-made EVs. The move is meant to give companies here time to build up domestic EV manufacturing and to protect the billions of dollars Ottawa has invested in the supply chain. "We are building an EV industry here. We have all of the ingredients for Canada to succeed in this sector," said Brian Kingston, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association. "I'm convinced we'll continue to see a growth in EV adoption, but we do have to address some of those barriers to demand." Laying out a road map The federal government introduced new regulations meant to speed up the transition to electric, pushing automakers to build enough EVs to meet demand. The policy says by 2026, 20 per cent of new cars sold should be zero emission. The target jumps to 60 per cent by 2030, and 100 per cent by 2035. Carmakers, however, have said those goals won't be achievable unless Ottawa does more to boost charging infrastructure and address EV affordability. The federal government has offered financial incentives since 2019. The program offers $5,000 toward the purchase of an eligible zero-emission vehicle. JD Ney, Director of the Canadian Automotive Practice at market research firm JD Power, said electric vehicles have passed the early adopter phase. J.D. Ney at the market research firm J.D. Power, says electric vehicles have passed the early adopter phase. (Jared Thomas/CBC) Some provinces have their own incentives that offer additional savings on top of federal rebates. Quebec's is the most generous at $7,000. It's clearly made a difference EV adoption in the province is soaring but the subsidies will decrease starting next year before being phased out completely. There are also incentives available in the Atlantic provinces, Manitoba, B.C. and the Yukon. Still, the upfront cost of EVs is enough to give mainstream buyers sticker shock. A small SUV like the gas-powered Toyota Rav4 costs about $36,215, while the all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 has a price tag of $57,676 (without incentives). Kingston says as technology improves, he expects that price gap to close toward the end of the decade. In a recent report, the Parliamentary Budget Officer said to spark consumer demand and meet federal targets, overall costs of EVs must drop by 31 per cent. There is another simple factor that could persuade more Canadians to choose an EV, according to Ney. "Fifty per cent of Canadians have never even sat in an EV so there's a large educational curve. Between manufacturers, policymakers, lobby groups, that's going to be one of the big tasks in the next couple of years." Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister and PDP leader, greets her supporters at a rally [AFP] On a bright September afternoon, a caravan of colourful cars, festooned with flags, arrives at a village in Indian-administered Kashmir for an election rally. Iltija Mufti, a politician from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), slowly rises from the sunroof of one of the cars. Yeli ye Mufti (When Mufti will be in power)," she shouts at a crowd that has gathered to hear the third-generation leader of one of the most influential political dynasties of the region. Teli Tchle Sakhti (Then the repression will end)," they respond in unison. From a distance, army personnel in bulletproof jackets, armed with automatic rifles, stand watch, tracking every movement. For the first time in a decade, elections are being held in 47 assembly seats of Kashmir, long marked by violence and unrest. The region, claimed by both India and Pakistan, has been the cause of three wars between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Since the 1990s, an armed insurgency against Indian rule has claimed thousands of lives, including civilians and security forces. The three-phase polls will also extend to the 43 seats in the neighbouring Hindu-majority Jammu region. The election is the first since 2019, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government revoked Jammu and Kashmir's autonomy, stripped its statehood, and split it into two federally-administered territories. Since then, the region has been governed by a federal administrator. In the fray are 13 main parties vying for a majority in the 90-seat assembly. The major players are the two main regional parties - the PDP led by Mehbooba Mufti and the National Conference (NC) which is headed by Omar Abdullah. Both Mufti and Abdullah are former chief ministers of the region. The NC has formed an alliance with India's main opposition party Congress. Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also contesting but not many are betting on the party, which has a stronghold in Jammu but a weak political base in the valley. In the last elections in 2014, the BJP had formed a government in alliance with PDP after sweeping Jammu. The alliance fell apart in 2018 after years of disagreements. Also in the picture, this time, is Engineer Rashid - a controversial politician who has spent five years in jail accused in a terror case and was released on bail this week. Rashid came to limelight earlier this year when he pulled off a stunning victory in the general election over Abdullah. He fought the election from jail, with his sons leading an emotional campaign on the ground. Elections are being held in Indian-administered Kashmir after a decade [Getty Images] Elections in Kashmir have long been contentious, with residents and separatist leaders often boycotting them, viewing the process as Delhi's attempt to legitimise its control. Since 1947, Kashmir has held 12 assembly elections, but voter turnout has often been low and marked by violence. Militants have attacked polling stations, and security forces have been accused of forcing voters to come out and vote. Since the 1990s, hundreds of political workers have been kidnapped or killed by militant groups. But for the first time in decades, even separatist leaders are contesting in several seats. The most keenly watched of these is the outlawed Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) party, which has joined hands with Rashid's Awami Ittehad Party (AIP). Residents will vote to elect a local assembly, led by a chief minister and council of ministers. Though the assembly will have limited powers under Delhi's rule, it has sparked hopes for a political change in the valley. Almost all opposition parties have pledged to restore statehood and the region's special status. The BJP has ruled out restoring autonomy but has promised to reinstate statehood to Jammu and Kashmir "at an appropriate time after the elections". Most residents appeared to be reconciled to the loss of their region's autonomy. I dont think Article 370 will come back unless any miracle happens, said Suheel Mir, a research scholar, adding that parties were making promises about restoring autonomy in a politically charged atmosphere to get votes. Several young men and women said they were more concerned about issues like political instability, corruption and most of all, unemployment - also a major concern in Jammu. We want to cast our vote to resolve our day-to-day issues. It has nothing to do with the Kashmir dispute, said a man who did not wish to be named. Omar Abdullah, leader of National Conference, addresses a campaign rally [AFP] But others said they didn't want to give the impression that they had accepted the events of 2019 and would participate in the election solely to vote against the BJP. "We want to send a message to the government that the revocation is unacceptable to us no matter what," said 38-year-old Zameer Ahmad. Five years ago when Modi's government abrogated Article 370, the 70-year-old constitutional provision that gave the region its autonomy, the government said it was necessary to restore normalcy in Indias only Muslim-majority region. The move triggered a severe security clampdown, mass detentions, curfews and a months-long internet blackout, stripping residents of rights to jobs and land. Since then, Modi and his ministers have extensively talked about a new era of peace and development in Kashmir, announcing projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars that they say are part of a plan to integrate the region's economy with the rest of India. (Until Jammu and Kashmir's special status was removed, outsiders could not buy land to do business there). But locals say they have yet to see the benefits of such projects and continue to struggle with violence and high levels of unemployment. Thousands of Indian army troops continue to be perpetually deployed there, with powers that have led to decades of allegations of human rights violations. "There is an absence of democracy and freedoms in Kashmir and many political activists remain in jail," said political scientist Noor Ahmad Baba. "The election allows people to give their verdict for or against these changes." The BJP is contesting in 19 of the 47 seats in the valley [AFP] The change in mood is visible everywhere. Across Jammu and Kashmir, streets are adorned with posters, party flags, and billboards and men at local bakeries freely discuss election outcomes over chai. "There has been a complete overhaul of traditional political narratives," said Tooba Punjabi, a researcher. "Earlier, public boycotts defined elections. But now, it's a means of putting the right party in place to undo damage." The shift in political attitudes was also evident earlier this year, when Kashmir registered a historic 58.46% voter turnout in the parliamentary election. Many residents are now pinning their hopes on regional parties to raise their demands. "These parties have acted as a shield between Delhi and Kashmir," said businessman Tahir Hussain," adding that "it didn't matter who will form the government as long as it's a local one". Analysts say the BJP's performance could also receive a significant blow in Jammu this time, where internal discord and infighting has derailed its ambitions. There's also growing anger among the residents who are unhappy with the party's policies. Until now, the BJP's push for development has resonated with people in Jammu who hope it would bring in more economic opportunities for them. But many say they are yet to see any signs of change. In fact, now that Article 370 has been scrapped, people from other states are coming to Jammu. Our rights on jobs and land are being taken away from us," said Gulchain Singh Charak, a local politician. Sunil Sethi, BJP's chief spokesperson in the region, rejected the allegations. We have done massive infrastructure developments, build roads and brought foreign investors here, he said. DPharaoh Woon-A-Tai made a strong political statement at the 2024 Emmy Awards. The actor walked the red carpet with a red handprint over his mouth, a symbol of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement. According to a 2019 report from the Justice Department, on some reservations, women are 10 times more likely to be murdereda stark comparison to the national average. The handprint stands for all the missing sisters whose voices are not heard. It stands for the silence of the media and law enforcement in the midst of this crisis, according to Native Hope, an organization meant to address injustice in Native communities. The site continues, It stands for the oppression and subjugation of Native women who are now rising up to say #NoMoreStolenSisters. Amy Sussman - Getty Images Tonight, Woon-A-Tai, who identifies as Oji-Cree First Nations and Guyanese, is nominated for playing Bear Smallhill in the FX on Hulu comedy-drama Reservation Dogs. I think were pushing to a time when we dont need anybody to tell our story for us, he previously told ELLE. If you want to make a story regarding Native people, it should definitely be mandatory, in my opinion, to have a Native director, Native writer, and Native casting director. You Might Also Like YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) The man convicted last week in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court of killing a man he chased across parts of the South Side and wounding his fiance and their 3-year-old child was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole. Read next: Woman blames alcohol for mans death, receives sentence for running him over Judge R. Scott Krichbaum gave the sentence to Vashuad May, 22, who was convicted Thursday by a jury following a two-day trial on charges of aggravated murder, attempted murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm for the April 26, 2022, shooting death of Rawsheem Aponte, 24, and the wounding of his fiance, Rekia Wright and a child. A second child was in the car but not injured. May received an additional sentence of 36 to 41 and a half years on the other charges. The four were shot in a car Aponte was driving that was chased from Belden Avenue to a dead end on Mohawk Avenue. Wright testified during the trial that Aponte had a feud with members of the May family. Wright said her children are traumatized by seeing their father killed in front of them. Rawsheem was my best friend; he was my kids best friend, Wright said. He [May] was the best part of our lives. He broke the best part of me. He took the best part of me. Rawsheem is at peace now. This is a chapter of my life I have to let go because its full of hate. Assistant Prosecutor Michael Rich asked for a sentence of life without parole. He said May had a plan to carry it out and carried it out, firing point blank into his car. Theres one intention when you do that: To kill, Rich said. During the trial, prosecutors said two cars chased Apontes car, but once Aponte got to Mohawk Avenue, there was only one car that followed him there. That car, a white Malibu, was found a few days after Aponte was killed. Police issued a warrant for Mays arrest a couple of days after Aponte was killed, but he managed to elude police until he was found in November by U.S. Marshals in Minnesota and brought back to Youngstown. Prosecutors said Wright had identified May as the shooter, and she testified she knew it was him because she knew his eyes. Prosecutors also said that May made a rap video a few days before Aponte was killed where he wielded a rifle similar to the one used to kill Aponte and that May held the rifle the same way the person who shot Aponte did. Jurors viewed that video and another from a surveillance camera from a nearby home on Mohawk Avenue that showed the shooting. Defense attorney Aaron Meikle said his client did not kill May, and police did not have solid evidence that he was the man who fired the shots that killed Aponte and wounded the others. Meikle asked for a sentence of 20 to life on all charges, saying his client is still a young man and also that there jurors said there were problems with the evidence. May said he is innocent but added he is praying for Wright and the Aponte family. Im innocent, Im standing on it, May said. Im praying for the family and her because I have kids also. To my family and friends: Head up, chest out. The fight has just begun. Judge Krichbaum called the shootings unforgivable and said May chased down Aponte until he was trapped before opening fire. This is as bad as it gets, the judge said. If this is how you want to roll, this is going to be the toll. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. Former officer testifies Tyre Nichols 'wasn't a threat' when he was snatched from car during stop Emmitt Martin III, a former Memphis Police Department officer, second from left, accused of killing Tyre Nichols, walks into federal court Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Tyre Nichols posed no threat to police when he was snatched out of his car during a traffic stop that preceded a fatal beating by five Memphis officers, according to testimony Monday by a former officer who has pleaded guilty in the case, which led to national protests and sparked renewed calls for police reform. Emmitt Martin III took the stand in the federal trial of former colleagues Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith. The three officers have pleaded not guilty to charges that they deprived Nichols of his civil rights through excessive force and failure to intervene, and obstructed justice through witness tampering. The four men, along with fellow officer Desmond Mills Jr., were fired after the January 2023 death of Nichols. The beating was caught on police video, which was released to the public. The officers were later indicted by a federal grand jury. Martin and Mills have taken plea deals and are testifying against the other officers. For the first time in the trial, jurors heard from one of the officers who beat Nichols. Martin said he and his former colleagues members of the Scorpion Unit, a Memphis police team that looked for drugs, illegal guns and violent criminals would justify the force they used against a person by exaggerating the person's actions against them. The unit was disbanded shortly after Nichols death. Martin said he saw Nichols speed up to beat a red light and then change lanes without signaling, leading Martin to follow Nichols with his police car lights on. Haley eventually stopped Nichols' Nissan, pulled out his gun and snatched Nichols from his vehicle without telling Nichols why he was stopped. Martin also had his gun out, and joined Haley in trying to restrain Nichols while yelling various conflicting commands, such as telling Nichols to give the officers his hands, turn on his stomach and put his hands behind his back. Meanwhile, Nichols was passively resisting the officers in a non-aggressive manner by pulling his hands away from the officers, who were trying to handcuff him without telling him why, Martin said. He wasn't a threat, Martin said. Nichols, who was Black, was pepper sprayed and hit with a stun gun during the traffic stop, but he was able to run away, police video shows. The five officers, who also are Black, caught up with Nichols and punched him, kicked him, and hit him with a police baton just steps from his home, as he called out for his mother. Video also shows the officers milling about and talking as Nichols struggles with his injuries. Nichols died Jan. 10, 2023, three days after the beating. During her opening statements, prosecutor Elizabeth Rogers told jurors that the attack was punishment because Nichols tried to run away known as a run tax in police slang. Martin said that if someone runs from his team, you get your ass beat. Martin also added that he and his team would justify using force against a person if we exaggerate what they did during the arrest. The officers are accused with lying on forms in which they must describe the force they used against a person. Martin also acknowledged that Memphis officers are not trained to punch or kick people to handcuffed them, and that officers have a duty to intervene if other officers use unnecessary, unreasonable force. Those policy violations could result in the officers being fired and face criminal charges, Martin said. Earlier Monday, defense attorneys tried to poke holes in officer training practices and policies while questioning Lt. Larnce Wright, who trained all five officers and testified about use of force, handcuffing and other techniques. Wright testified about the distinction between active and passive resistance, saying passive resistance is when a person wont give officers their hands to be handcuffed by pulling away, while active resistance is fighting officers with punches and kicks. Martin Zummach, Smiths lawyer, asked Wright where in the police departments lengthy training manual the definition of active or passive resistance is listed. Wright acknowledged that those definitions are not written down in the manual. Wright also testified that handcuffs can be used as a deadly weapon. Officers struggled to handcuff Nichols, and Zummach noted that Smith managed to get one handcuff on Nichols and was trying to get another on him. Zummach posed a question to Wright: If a suspect pulls away one handcuffed hand from an officer, can it be used as a deadly weapon, and could lethal force be used? Wright said it could. Until a suspect is handcuffed, no one is safe. Do you agree with that? Zummach asked. Wright said, Yes. Kevin Whitmore, Beans lawyer, asked Wright if officers are trained to stay in the fight until they have handcuffed and arrested someone. Wright said they are. Its a dirty job, Wright said. Wright began testifying Thursday, when he said the officers should have used armbars, wrist locks and other soft hands tactics to restrain Nichols. An autopsy report shows Nichols the father of a boy who is now 7 died from blows to the head. The report describes brain injuries, and cuts and bruises on his head and other areas. The five officers also have been charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they pleaded not guilty, although Mills and Martin are expected to change their pleas. A trial date in state court has not been set. ___ Associated Press reporter Jonathan Mattise contributed from Nashville, Tennessee. A surprising alliance between Sen. Tiara Mack, left, and Rhode Island Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, right, was showcased during the 2024 primary campaign trail. (Contributed photos) Forty-five years and a world of ideological differences separate Senate President Dominick Ruggerio from Sen. Tiara Mack. But that didnt stop Mack, a 30-year-old Black, queer woman who describes herself as an abortion fundraiser, from pounding the pavement in North Providence for 75-year-old Ruggerio in his primary against progressive challenger Lenny Cioe. Ive talked with Lenny as well, hes a good friend of mine, Mack, a two-term incumbent representing Providences Senate District 6, said in an interview on Monday, the day before the primary election. But Ive also been happy with the leadership under the current Senate President. The alliance between Mack and Ruggerio was one of the more surprising partnerships showcased on social media leading up to Sept. 10 primary, in spite of, or perhaps because of, the lack of competitive elections. I am grateful to every single person who has helped out on our campaign. You have my back, and I will always have yours. Your efforts have led us to success #TeamRuggerio pic.twitter.com/vMslrQFLkX Dominick Ruggerio (@SenatorRuggerio) September 8, 2024 More than half of the 105 state lawmakers running for reelection are unopposed in both the primary and general elections, Mack among them. Just 12 sitting lawmakers, all Democrats, faced primary challengers, including Ruggerio, who defeated Cioe with more than 70% of the vote, according to unofficial results published by the Rhode Island Board of Elections. Mack canvassed for Ruggerio once during the summer, devoting most of her time to help fellow Providence progressive Enrique Sanchez in his reelection bid for Providence House District 9. Mack also knocked on doors in Westerly for peace activist Jonathan Daly-LaBelle, who lost by 30 percentage points to incumbent Democratic Rep. Samuel Azzinaro in the House District 37 primary. Nobody matters as much as voters in the district. Its a cliche thing to say, but its true. Georgia Hollister Isman, New England regional director for the Working Families Party Sanchez and Daly-LaBelles progressive platforms more closely align with Mack, who ran under the backing of the Rhode Island Political Cooperative in 2020. But Ruggerio, known for conservative stances on gun rights and abortion access, has also voted in favor of some progressive-led policies, including a 2024 bill sponsored by Mack making it easier for residents to change their names in municipal probate court. The policy signed into law by Gov. Dan McKee on June 27 was praised for inclusion and safety for members of the LGBTQ+ community and domestic violence victims. In 2023, Ruggerio also cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee that allowed the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act to advance to the full Senate, where it also passed and was signed into law. The most senior senator has not budged on his opposition to other progressive priorities, like passing an assault weapons ban. Which is why Macks support for Ruggerio rankles Sen. Sam Bell. That was absolutely the wrong decision, Bell, a Providence Democrat representing District 5, said in an interview. Its disrespectful for any Democrat to canvas for, or in any way support, the Senate president. His values are not the values of Democratic voters. Bell attributed Macks support for Ruggerio to political pressure. She framed it differently. Elections are only one piece of the puzzle in getting good legislation passed, she said. I have seen how to build movements, and I recognize the work of leadership to prioritize my bills. Democracy is not about agreeing 100%. Youre much better off having a good relationship with him Its also not about personal vendettas. But thats what Cranston Rep. Brandon Potter says drove Ruggerio to recruit a Democratic challenger to run against Potter in his reelection bid for House District 16. Potter, a progressive Democrat aligned with the Rhode Island Working Families Party, accused Ruggerio of recruiting Joseph Graziano to run against him after Potter voted against Ruggerios iGaming bill in 2023. Ruggerio and Graziano both denied these allegations. Potter, who trounced Graziano with more than 75% of the vote in Tuesdays primary, said he understood why progressives might align themselves with Ruggerio. Hes one of the most powerful people in the state, Potter said in an interview on Thursday. Its not a crazy concept to understand that youre much better off having a good relationship with him than having a poor relationship with him if you are able. Especially in Rhode Island, where power rests almost entirely with legislative leaders, who control which bills advance to their respective chambers for votes. If youre a rank and file member and you want to have any success with legislation, it might be wise to support the leader, John Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, said. Mack and Ruggerio are hardly the first example of a surprising alliance within the Rhode Island Democratic Party. Among the most unlikely Democratic duos was former Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea and former House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello. Gorbea knocked on doors for the former House leader in his 2016 reelection bid, despite their opposing views on abortion access and gun safety, among other issues. Still, some lines are too far to cross. You wouldnt see Brian Newberry doorknocking with Joe Shekarchi, said Marion, referring respectively to the former Republican House minority leader and the Democratic House speaker. Legislative leaders control extends beyond the confines of the State House. Particularly for Shekarchi, a top fundraiser who can share his campaign wealth, along with that of the legislative PAC, with candidates of his choosing. Leadership controls the party machine, Marion said. Many of the employees from the General Assembly volunteer on campaigns. So leadership signaling support for a rank-and-file candidate is also a signal to the machine they control. Shekarchis sphere of influence Shekarchi said in an interview that his support drew upon personal relationships, not policies. He backed every incumbent Democratic representative, offering sizable campaign donations of $1,000 to many of them, including Potter and progressive Pawtucket Rep. Cherie Cruz, according to campaign finance statements filed with the Rhode Island Board of Elections. One exception to Shekarchis generous donation list: Sanchez, one of three Democratic representatives to abstain in the vote to reelect Shekarchi as speaker in 2023. I am not involved in that race at all, Shekarchi said. Enrique didnt vote for me, but I dont hold that against him. Honestly, I dont think my support would really be a welcome asset in that race. Sanchez secured a second term after beating his two Democratic, primary challengers with more than 50% of the vote. On the other end of the spectrum, conservative Democratic Rep. Charlene Lima, of Cranston, enjoyed Shekarchis support and a $1,000 campaign contribution, despite the policy differences over gun safety, abortion access, and, during the pandemic, school masking requirements. Lima, a three-decade legislator, also touted an endorsement from U.S. Sen. Jack Reed on her campaign website. She ultimately defeated Working Families Party-backed challenger Giona Picheco by a 14-percentage-point margin. Georgia Hollister Isman, New England regional director of the Working Families Party, acknowledged the influence that top name endorsements lend to candidates. In Limas case, Reeds endorsement legitimized her policies in a way that might be misleading, given her conservative voting record, Hollister Isman said. Lima and Reed did not immediately respond to inquiries for comment. Still, no single legislative leader, no matter how powerful, can determine the election outcome. Nobody matters as much as voters in the district, Hollister Isman said. Its a cliche thing to say, but its true. Hence, why Potter never truly considered Graziano a serious threat to his reelection bid. I am known to be a really strong campaigner, he said. I was in a pretty strong electoral position. Potter continued, From what we saw not just in my race, in many other races, voters care about people who are focusing on issues and paying attention, and they support people who are really fighting for core Democratic values. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX State Rep. Ana-Maria Rodriguez Ramos, D-Richardson, speaks at a Texas House Progressive Caucus press conference at the Capitol on Sept. 20, 2021. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune A Texas House Democrat is joining the crowded field to challenge Republican Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, for the speakership. Rep. Ana-Maria Rodriguez Ramos, D-Richardson, told The Texas Tribune she felt energized to run for the leadership post after attending the National Democratic Convention and speaking to grassroots activists around the state. Michelle Obama stated a call of action and said, Don't sit around and complain, do something, Rodriguez Ramos said. So I decided to run for speaker of the House. Democrats are the minority party, with 64 seats in the 150-member Texas House, so Rodriguez Ramos faces an uphill battle. Despite that, Rodriguez Ramos is confident that Democrats can flip the house this November. We need every voter to not only come out and vote for the national level, Rodriguez Ramos said. But also vote to change this extremist agenda that's been advancing here in Texas. She said Democrats are unified with her, unlike state Republicans. As of Friday, five state House Republicans were challenging Phelan, who has served as speaker since 2021: John Smithee, R-Amarillo; Shelby Slawson, R-Stephenville; Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress; James Frank, R-Wichita Falls; and David Cook, R-Mansfield. Phelan narrowly survived a primary challenge backed by his partys rightmost flank after supporting the 2023 impeachment of Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton on corruption and bribery charges. Phelan was also criticized for not taking a more active approach to pass school vouchers. Phelan won the gavel in 2021 and again in 2023 with widespread bipartisan support. Rodriguez Ramos, who voted present, was the only Democrat to not vote for Phelan in 2023. "It's not his personality; it's his politics, she said. Rodriguez Ramos said the contested speakership race shows how chaotic Republicans have become. She pointed to Republicans' legislative priorities, which she said dont represent all Texans, and compared the State GOP priorities to Project 2025. I am the right Democrat to help us as we stop this extremist agenda, Rodriguez Ramos said. As speaker, Rodriguez Ramos said she would work across the aisle and vowed not to shut down debates like the Republicans did last legislative session. Bipartisanship is important because Texas has Republicans, Democrats, and independents, Rodriguez Ramos said. They all have a valuable voice. The Texas Tribune answering reader questions about 2024 elections. To share your question or feedback with us, you can fill out this form. Democrats are seeing new signs they could make inroads in the traditionally deep-red state of Texas this fall. The party has long faced hurdles in the Lone Star State. Winning the White House race this year still looks like a long shot, and the party has experienced disappointing losses in recent cycles after then-Rep. Beto ORourke (D) nearly ousted Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in 2018. But new polling suggests the party is competitive in Texas, both on the presidential level and in the race between Cruz and Democratic challenger Rep. Colin Allred, fueling hopes that this could be the year the state finally trends in the partys direction. Anybody that says, It just doesnt happen in Texas it doesnt happen until it does, pollster Brett Loyd said of the possibility Allred scores an upset in the Senate race. The contest between Cruz and Allred, whose entry last year shifted Cook Political Reports rating of the Senate seat from solid Republican to likely Republican, is one of a small handful that have emerged as unexpectedly competitive in the high-stakes fight for the Senate this fall. Cruz fended off a strong Democratic challenge six years ago, when ORourke came within 3 percentage points of flipping the seat. ORourkes bid benefited from the broader blue wave in the midterm election that year, and some in the state are skeptical that Allred can snag the energy he needs to finish the job this cycle. In 2022, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) defeated ORourkes bid for the governors mansion by double digits. But several recent polls show Cruz struggling to cross the 50-percent mark, making the Texas Senate race a potential bright spot for Democrats as they battle to hold their slim majority in the upper chamber. If youre Ted Cruz or a Ted Cruz fan, if in the closing months of an election, youre not at 50 percent and youre not closing that margin up towards 50 percent, thats going to be problematic, Loyd said. Two new surveys have found Allred at incumbent Cruzs heels, within the margin of error. An Emerson College Polling/The Hill poll this week put Allred just 4 points behind, and a University of Houston/Texas Southern University (UH/TSU) survey late last month found the rivals a mere 2 points apart among likely voters. A University of Texas/Texas Politics Project (UT) survey last week found Allred further behind, trailing Cruz by 8 points among registered voters. But the pollster noted the Democrat has steadily chipped away at the incumbents lead since a December poll put him down 16 points likely as more Democratic voters become familiar with the Dallas-area lawmaker. Youve got a Senate race you can win, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Vice President Harriss running mate, said at a campaign stop in Dallas this week. Republican former Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.) has also stepped in with a surprise endorsement of Allred, hailing him as a tremendous, serious candidate. Allreds momentum to defeat Ted Cruz continues to build, his campaign said in a statement touting the new polls and Cheneys backing. The Democrat notably outraised Cruz in the second quarter, though Cruz had a larger war chest. Monique Alcala, executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, stressed in a statement to The Hill that enthusiasm is high, as polling suggests a sizable bump in party excitement in the state since Harris launched her fast-tracked bid. For a Democrat to win statewide Texas, its a big lift. Its a heavy lift. But Colin Allred has pretty skillfully put himself in a position to be in striking distance here, said Matt Angle, founder and director of the Lone Star Project, a Democratic PAC in the state. The Texas race has moved further into the spotlight as Democrats fret over the fate of vulnerable incumbents, including Sen. Jon Tester (D) in Montana. Even if Tester wins, were still 50-50 in the Senate, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) said at a recent panel hosted by The Texas Tribune. The only way we hold [the] majority is if Allred wins, or if we win in Florida. Recent polling has also been promising for Democrats in the Sunshine State, where former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) is running to oust incumbent Sen. Rick Scott (R). There, the Emerson polls found the Senate race in a dead heat, and showed former President Trump up 5 points in the presidential race. The chair of Democrats Senate campaign arm told The Texas Tribune this week that incumbents are the top priority, but that the group is eyeing both Florida and Texas. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Tommy Garcia told The Hill in a statement that Cruzs unpopularity coupled with the strength of Colin Allreds campaign makes Texas one of Senate Democrats top offensive opportunities. Austin-based Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser, on the other hand, shrugged off the new Lone Star State numbers. I just find it hard to believe that Trump is going to do significantly worse than he did last time in Texas, and the same for Cruz. I just feel like were in a better position now with the national political landscape, Steinhauser said, though he acknowledged that obviously, it would have been better with Biden on the ticket than Harris. Before President Biden dropped out of the race, Decision Desk HQs polling averages had him 9 points behind Trump in Texas. A new Emerson survey found Trump leading Harris in the state by just 4 points, 50 percent to 46 percent. Both the UH/TSU poll and the UT poll found similar results, with the Republican up by about 5 points in each. Texas is more in play for Democrats with Harris leading the ticket than it was under Biden, said Andrew Smith, a political science professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. But Texas has consistently voted red in White House races since 1980, and Smith and other observers in the state remain highly skeptical that this cycle could see a presidential race flip. The joke is that the future of Texas is Democrat, and it always will be, Smith said. Still, a competitive presidential race could be a boost to Allred and other Texas Democrats down the ballot, Angle said. That doesnt mean that [Harris] will carry Texas but she is liked by our base voters, and will help turnout, for not just Colin Allred, but for every Democrat whos running in a competitive environment in Texas, Angle said. Flipping the state might feel far off, Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright said, but Democrats have been getting closer and closer, and pretty soon closer is going to be close enough. The Lone Star State, which boasts a whopping 40 Electoral College votes, went to the Republican candidate by 16 points in 2012 and by 9 points in 2016. Biden narrowed that margin to fewer than 6 points in 2020. Its certainly notable that Texas has been won by Republicans in smaller and smaller and smaller numbers every cycle, Democratic strategist Jon Reinish said. I dont know if this will be the year the Democrats snatch the crown, but certainly were hearing that its very competitive. Reinish said he wouldnt rule out a late-game investment in Texas if the party continues to see promise and progress in the polls. There has been so much speculation in recent years about demographic and other changes in Texas, and is this going to be the year that it flips? Reinish said. Well see what happens. Saul Elbein contributed. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. ATLANTA (AP) Trying to defend their narrow Senate majority with a challenging slate of contests on Republican-leaning turf, Democrats are pumping $25 million into expanded voter outreach across 10 states. The new spending from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, first shared with The Associated Press, comes less than two months until the Nov. 5 election and as Democrats are benefiting from a fundraising surge since President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid in July and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the party standard-bearer. A formidable ground game makes all the difference in close races, DSCC Chairman Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan said in a statement. We are reaching every voter we need to win. The latest investment will be distributed across Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. The money will go toward efforts to defend five Democratic incumbents and open seats in Michigan, Maryland and Arizona that are currently included in Democrats majority, as well as efforts to unseat GOP incumbents in Florida and Texas. Plans for the money will vary by state but will include hiring more paid field organizers and canvassers; digital organizing programs targeting specific groups of voters online; texting programs; and in-person organizing events targeting younger generations and nonwhite voters. Democrats currently hold a 51-49 Senate advantage, a split that includes independent senators who caucus with Democrats. But of the 33 regular Senate elections this November, Democrats must defend 23 seats, counting the independents who caucus with them to make their majority. Theyve devoted few national resources to West Virginia, a Republican-leaning state where Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat-turned-independent, is retiring. The playing field gives Democrats little margin for error. If they lose West Virginia and hold all other seats, they still would have to upset Florida Sen. Rick Scott or Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to win a majority or hope Harris wins the presidential election an outcome that would allow her running mate, Tim Walz, to cast the tiebreaking vote for Democrats as vice president, as Harris did in a 50-50 Senate during the first two years of Biden's administration. The DSCC declined to disclose a state-by-state distribution of the $25 million. But its no secret that Democrats defense of the majority starts with tough reelection contests for Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio. Both are relatively popular, multiterm incumbents, but theyre running in states where Donald Trump, the former president and current Republican nominee, has twice won by comfortable margins. That means Tester and Brown would need a considerable number of voters to split their tickets between Trump and their Senate choice. Senate Democrats already have financed field offices in Montana and Ohio, since those are not presidential battleground states where the Harris campaign leads Democrats coordinated campaign operations. And even with the money coming from national coffers, the additional on-the-ground spending will reinforce the two Democratic senators' strategies of distancing themselves from Harris and the national party. Five of the 10 states getting money, meanwhile, overlap with the presidential battleground map: Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Biden won all of them four years ago, while Trump won all except Nevada in 2016. Both presidential campaigns see the states as tossups this fall. The voter outreach spending comes alongside an ongoing $79 million advertising effort by Democrats Senate campaign arm and builds on staffing and infrastructure investments that the national party arm already has made. The outlay comes after Harris, who has raised more than $500 million since taking over the Democratic presidential ticket in July, announced plans to distribute $25 million to party committees that focus on down-ballot races. Senate and House Democrats respective campaigns each got $10 million of that money, an acknowledgment that Democratic majorities on Capitol Hill would make a Harris presidency more successful and that Harris and down-ballot Democrats can help each other at the ballot box. Democratic aides said the on-the-ground spending was always in the Senate committees plans, but Harris bounty certainly expands options for all party-affiliated campaign groups. Democrats believe they have a superior campaign infrastructure to Trump and the rest of the GOP in a campaign year where the White House and control of Capitol Hill could be decided by marginal turnout changes among the parties' core supporters and a narrow band of persuadable voters. Still, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has outraised and outspent Senate Democrats this cycle, though Democrats had more cash on hand at the end of July, the last reporting period disclosed to the Federal Election Committee. Through July 31, the NRSC had raised $181.3 million and spent $138.5 million. Republicans reported a balance of $51 million. Democrats had raised $154 million and spent $103.3 million. They reported a balance of $59.3 million. Democrats say democracy and voting rights are under attack, and that they will take measures to protect the franchise if they win a sweep in this year's election. "Its clear that the peoples voices are being squeezed out of our democracy and that its impacting our ability to address a whole range of problems facing the American people," said Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia. When Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the nomination for president, she pledged to sign into law two voting rights bills if they pass Congress: the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, an update of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act; and the Freedom to Vote Act, a sweeping bill that targets voting access, money in politics, and how congressional maps are drawn. Democrats have been trying to pass these measures since 2021. "We swore to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and we will," Harris said in Atlanta in 2022. "We will fight. We will fight to safeguard our democracy. We we will fight to secure our most fundamental freedom the freedom to vote." Versions of these bills passed the House two years ago but failed in the Senate, never making it to President Joe Bidens desk because Republicans used the filibuster, which requires 60 votes to overcome, to block the measures. All 50 Democrats at the time supported the new voting laws, but two senators, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who later left the party to become independents, were unwilling to change procedural rules in order to pass the bills. One of the first things I want to do, should we have the presidency and keep the majority, is change the rules and enact both the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Act, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told a panel in Chicago, according to the Washington Post. This is vital to democracy, Schumer told the Post about the two bills. This is not just another extraneous issue. This is the wellspring of it all. Implementing the agenda is an uphill battle that requires the Democrats to win back the House from the Republican Party, keep a majority in the Senate, and win the White House. The Senate may be their biggest obstacle because three Democratic seats are up for election are in states that Republicans consistently carry Montana, Ohio, and West Virginia. But if the Democrats can pull it off, what they're proposing is the biggest expansion of voting rights in a generation. Here's a look at their plans. Voting rights activists hold a sign that reads "Freedom To Vote" during a Good Trouble Candlelight Vigil for Democracy at Black Lives Matter Plaza July 17, 2021 in Washington, DC. Organizations The Declaration for American Democracy, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, DC Vote and Transformative Justice Coalition held the event to mark one year since the passing of U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and to celebrate his legacy. Advocates urged Congress to pass legislations, including the For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and DC Statehood to protect the freedom to vote. Bringing back federal preclearance The bill named for civil rights activist and former Democratic Congress member John Lewis would bring back major pieces of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that courts have struck down over decades of litigation. A key one would require states with a history of racial discrimination at the ballot box to get approval from the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal court before enacting new voting laws. That policy, called preclearance, was designed to stop discrimination before it happened, and was a key part of overturning Southern states' laws that functionally stopped most Black citizens from voting. But the Supreme Court decided in 2013 that the federal government could no longer use decades-old standards to decide whether states should be subject to preclearance because times were no longer "extraordinary" and the states in quest no longer needed such "strong medicine." Thats part of why in many places, we are seeing a real surge in voting discrimination and a real increase in voter participation gaps between white voters and nonwhite voters, Wendy Weiser, the vice president of democracy at the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan good government group whose lawyers have sued to protect voting rights. [Its] because of this because we've lost our protections against voting discrimination so hard won back in 1965. Melanie Campbell, president/CEO, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and the Black Womens Roundtable leads the "The Freedom Walk" in support of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act on Nov. 16, 2021 in Washington. A study from the Brennan Center earlier this year found that while voter participation has increased overall across the United States, white voters have been driving the trend. The turnout gap between white voters and nonwhite voters increased from 10% to 12% from 2012 to 2020. In Texas, a photo ID law that was subject to preclearance went into effect immediately after the 2013 decision. A federal court later overturned the law as discriminatory. The Democrats' bill would create a modern formula for determining which places would be subject to preclearance based on whether a state, county or city has recent evidence of discrimination. The 2013 decision said the old standards were only supposed to last five years but lasted nearly 50. The political activism arm of the right-wing Heritage Foundation urged lawmakers to vote against the package in 2022, saying the Democrats proposal would allow the federal government to overturn voter ID laws and prevent states from ensuring the integrity of their own elections. Ending gerrymandering The Freedom to Vote Act takes aim at the longtime practice of partisan politicians drawing congressional districtss in unusual shapes so that their party is likely to win more seats. Democrats and Republicans alike have used this practice, called gerrymandering, and ended up in lengthy court battles as people fight the maps. While its illegal to draw maps that discriminate based on race, the Supreme Court has said its legal to draw maps that benefit a party. The bill would make partisan map-drawing illegal. As part of the revival of preclearance, the bill would also require certain states to have the federal government review the boundaries before they go into effect. Thered still be districts that were heavily Democrat and districts that are heavily Republican, but it wouldnt allow for some of the shenanigans that were seeing now where we have these bizarrely drawn districts that really dont keep communities cohesively represented, said Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, who helped the House pass the bill in 2021 and is now running for Senate. What may be in the interest of one part of the district may not be in the interest of the other part, and thats counter to the idea of a representative, said Allred. Twenty-one states have had their congressional maps challenged in court since they redrew them in 2022, according to the Brennan Center. The majority were drawn by Republicans to benefit Republicans, but Democratic strongholds such as New York were also accused of gerrymandering. As of August, 10 states had ongoing lawsuits. In Alabama and Louisiana two states that would have had to have their maps precleared under the old version of the Voting Rights Act legal challenges arguing gerrymandering led to under-representation of Black voters mean the Nov. 5 ballot will have new majority-Black seats that Democrats are likely to win. States have tried to end gerrymandering with mixed success, the Brennan Center found. Ohio amended its constitution to prevent gerrymandering, but left politicians in charge of drawing maps, leading to Republican-leaning districts that courts found unconstitutional. An anti-gerrymandering measure will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot in Ohio. Rep. Bill Pascrell. D-N.J., wears a John Lewis lapel pin as he leaves the House Chambers at the U.S. Capitol on Aug. 24, 2021 in Washington, DC. Voter registration The Freedom to Vote Act would make it easier to register to vote, which almost all states require before casting a ballot. Instead of just being allowed to register to vote when getting a drivers license, motor vehicle offices would be required to register a person to vote unless they specifically opt out. The bill would also allow people to register to vote on Election Day, ending state cutoff dates that block people from voting if they suddenly decide to vote on or shortly before Election Day. In the aftermath of the 2020 election, some states have moved up those cutoff dates as part of election administration bills. It would be the most significant expansion of voter registration access since the 1993 law that first required states to allow people to sign up at the motor vehicle offce. But election administration has historically been a local issue, and conservatives call the proposal federal government overreach. "It would have federalized and micromanaged the election process administered by the states, imposing unnecessary, unwise and likely unconstitutional mandates on the states, wrote Hans von Spakovsky, an election reform expert at the Heritage Foundation, after the bill failed. Weiser from the Brennan Center said automatic voter registration is a best practice thats the law of the land in more than half the country that increases how many people can vote. Weiser also pointed to an administrative benefit that conservatives have targeted in recent years accurate voter rolls. She said the automatic voter registration process is all electronic, and the burden goes on the government to update records, not on the citizen to fill out the application. You dont have all of the errors when people are typing in information, when people are deciphering handwriting, when people are assisting people in filling out forms, she said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Here's what's in the Democrats' democracy and voting rights agenda Two Florida ballot measures on abortion and recreational marijuana are turning the states elections upside down, worrying Republicans while giving Democrats hope in this years presidential battle and in a key Senate race. Polls have tightened in the battle between former President Trump and Vice President Harris, and in the Senate race between GOP Sen. Rick Scott and former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D). The abortion and marijuana measures could bring more Democratic-leaning voters to the polls. Florida voters will be able to weigh in on Amendments Three and Four, which would legalize recreational marijuana and enshrine abortion rights in the states constitution, respectively. Democrats point out that the issues fired up key parts of the Democratic constituency during the 2022 midterm elections and in Virginias off-year elections. Its clear that those ballot measures are going to have an impact on turnout and enthusiasm, but most importantly theyre also going to be investing aggressively in efforts to mobilize voters, which is a tool we need as Democrats, said Christian Ulvert, a Florida-based Democratic strategist who served as a senior adviser to President Bidens 2020 campaign in the state. Republican strategists, on the other hand, warn the state has a history of voting for liberal ballot measures and Republican candidates during the same election. For example, in 2020, former President Trump won Florida by just more than 3 points, while the measure to raise the states minimum wage passed with 60.82 percent of the vote. Florida Republicans have seen major victories since 2020 that have helped move the red state further into the conservative column. While Democrats across the country successfully campaigned on tying their Republican opponents to the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, Florida Republicans saw sweeping double-digit victories. But abortion access has since changed in Florida, impacting the political climate. In 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed the states six-week abortion ban into law. One year later, Floridas Supreme Court approved the ban but also allowed for the ballot measure to go before voters in November. Harriss and Mucarsel-Powells campaigns have zeroed in on the issue of abortion in the state. Earlier this month, Harriss campaign launched her Reproductive Rights for All bus tour in Palm Beach, with Mucarsel-Powell in attendance. Theyre motivated to vote on abortion, said Mucarsel-Powells communications director Lauren Chou. Its not just that Democratic voters or women voters are drawn out because of the abortion issue, its mobilizing all across the spectrum, I would say. Theyre coming out, and theyre voting for Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, somebody whos going to fight for freedom. Last month, Trump confirmed he would vote no on Amendment Four, after saying the states six-week ban was too strict. At the same time, the Democrats are radical because the nine months is just a ridiculous situation, the former president said. All of that stuff is unacceptable, so I will be voting no for that reason. Florida Republican strategist Ford OConnell called Trumps position most acceptable to Floridians on abortion statewide. Scott has also said he will vote no on Amendment Four. Earlier this year, he said he would support a 15-week abortion ban with exceptions over the six-week ban. Other Republicans facing reelection in Florida have been less clear about how they will vote on the amendment. In a Thursday interview with Politico, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said her opinion on the measure doesnt matter and that questions of policy should not be placed on the ballot. While Republicans like Luna are facing attack from Democrats on abortion, DeSantis is urging Republicans to publicly voice their support for the amendment. Its important that all of our political leaders, you know, stand up and be counted. Right now. You know, theres some people that just, its like the political winds. Like if the winds are against you, you run and hide. Thats not leadership, that is not whats going to make this state great, DeSantis said on Sept. 7, speaking at a Florida GOP fundraising dinner. Republicans are less united in their support for Amendment Three. Trump confirmed last week that he would vote for the measure to legalize recreational marijuana. The announcement led to swift pushback from the Harris campaign, which accused Trump of blatant pandering. However, Scott and DeSantis have come out against the measure. Scott referenced his brothers lifelong struggle with substance abuse in his decision. Republicans say there is a strategy behind Trump and Scotts stances on the marijuana amendment when it comes to appealing to certain age demographics. [Trump] understands that that plays better with voters under 40, OConnell said. A Florida Atlantic University/Mainstreet Research poll released last month showed an age gap in support for the amendment, with 69 percent of 18- to 49-year-olds saying they were in support and only 47 percent of voters over 50 saying the same. In Collier County, which includes the Naples-Marco Island metropolitan area, support for the amendment could end up having a significant impact among the regions large senior population. Earlier this week, the countys board of commissioners voted 5-0 to formally oppose Amendment Three. Scott, who has a home in Collier County, won the county with 65 percent of the vote in 2018. But proponents of Amendment Three are skeptical of the narrative that seniors are less supportive of legalizing marijuana. They were the same people I was worried about with my other amendments, said Florida attorney and Democratic donor John Morgan, who led two major campaigns to legalize medical marijuana in the state, one of which passed with more than 70 percent support. Morgan has been dubbed Pot Daddy for his marijuana legalization efforts. Republicans and Democrats acknowledge that the efforts behind the ballot measures are technically nonpartisan. Sixty percent is a pretty high threshold to meet, said Chris Hartline, a senior adviser to Scotts campaign. The reality is to get 60 percent they need Republicans to vote for them. They dont want those ballot measures to be tied to Debbies campaign or Kamalas campaign, frankly, he said. But Democrats maintain they are building a broad tent with the help of the two issues. Neither of these issues are partisan, said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried. Youre seeing that Democrats, Republicans and Independents are coming together for Amendment Four and the same thing on the cannabis side. Morgan predicted the two measures will not hurt Democrats. It can only help, he said. By Divya Rajagopal and Elida Moreno TORONTO (Reuters) -Canadian miner First Quantum Minerals has opened a voluntary retirement scheme to workers at the Cobre Panama mine, two sources familiar with the matter said, as the company waits for a government decision on restarting the operation. The mine, one of the world's top sources of copper, was shut down in November, hours after Panama's Supreme Court declared its contract unconstitutional. The decision to close down the mine was also triggered by environmental protests against the operation. Panama's new government led by President Jose Raul Mulino has said the mine is not on his government's agenda this year and he will take a decision on its future in early 2025. A significant reduction in the number of workers at the mine could lengthen the time needed to resume production. First Quantum has asked its employees in Cobre Panama to choose between taking the voluntary retirement offer that would come into effect from January 2025 or work with reduced hours, the sources said. Employees are expected to make a decision by the end of September, they added on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. First Quantum declined to comment. Michael Camacho, the union leader for Panama Mining Workers Union, said the operation was undertaking a voluntary retirement process and a small number of workers had taken up the offer. He said Panama's government has not indicated what would constitute a safe management plan for the mine. "There are around 900 people working at the site, down from 6,000 last year and most of the employees would prefer to work with reduced work hours, than take a voluntary retirement", said one of the sources, who did not wish to be identified. Reuters could not independently verify the number of people currently working at the mine. Shares of First Quantum closed 0.5% lower on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Monday. For First Quantum, reopening Cobre Panama mine is essential to managing its debt. Commodities markets are also watching to see what happens to 130,000 metric tons of copper concentrate that is stuck at Cobre Panama. The Panama government is yet to make a decision on whether it will allow the export of the copper concentrate. (Reporting by Divya Rajagopal in Toronto and Elida Moreno in Panama City; Editing by Veronica Brown, Marguerita Choy and Jamie Freed) Denmark announces provision of second batch of its F-16s to Ukraine Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen has announced that Ukraine will receive another batch of F-16 fighter jets by the end of 2024. Source: Poulsen in an interview with Ritzau news agency, as reported by European Pravda Details: The minister confirmed in early August that Ukraine had received the first batch of Danish F-16s. "Denmark will provide the next batch of F-16 fighters in the second half of 2024," he said. As with the first delivery, neither the number of fighter jets nor the date of their arrival in Ukraine will be disclosed. "This is done for reasons of operational security," Poulsen said. Copenhagen has pledged to supply 19 F-16s to Ukraine. Denmark, in partnership with the Netherlands, is leading an international fighter jet coalition which is tasked with arranging training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16s. According to media reports, Ukraine is expecting to receive 20 F-16s by the end of the year. Support UP or become our patron! DENVER (KDVR) Denvers migrant shelters will be used as part of Denvers new round-the-clock emergency shelter plan during harsh winter weather, the mayors office announced Friday. Part of the reason for consolidating migrant shelters with Denvers 24/7 cold weather shelters is because of the low levels of newcomers to the city. The city reported receiving under 160 migrants in August, and some sites have gone unused for days at a time. According to the citys migrant sheltering and support dashboard, just one migrant was in a city shelter as of Sunday evening. New Aurora police chief tours troubled apartment complexes Once the city consolidates the migrant shelters with 24/7 cold weather shelters, there will no longer be short-term shelter operations specific to the migrant population, and Denver will also no longer pay for migrants to travel from the city. Were extremely proud to have met the moment by meeting the needs of the nearly 43,000 people who arrived in our city over these last two years, said Denver City Council President Amanda P. Sandoval in the citys release. We will forever be indebted to and amazed by the countless individuals who stepped up and came forward to assist newcomers during this once-in-a-lifetime crisis. The city attributed the drop in immigrants arriving in Denver to an executive order by President Joe Biden to strengthen the southern borders protections as well as Denvers move toward long-term sustainability. The consolidation of the two shelter programs will not impact the citys Asylum Seeker Program, which the city said is currently providing workforce training, legal support and food to about 850 individuals. The work authorization clinics are also expected to continue. Whats in Denvers consolidated shelter plan? The new plan will take effect in late September, the city said in a Friday release. Under the cold weather shelter plan, Denver will provide 24-hour emergency shelter when the overnight forecast low is 25 degrees or lower, or if there is two inches of snow accumulation forecast. Man cited for posting anti-migrant signs in March near Colorado Capitol Time of day and a difference of a few degrees should not be the determining factor in whether you have a warm place to stay, said Denver Mayor Mike Johnston in the citys release. Under this new policy we will protect more people from life-threatening cold weather by providing the services they need to be safe and feel secure. Because of this, the city is projecting around 80 days of cold weather shelter availability in the winter season. Previously, the city would not provide cold weather shelters unless the projected low was under 20 degrees and only offered shelter from evening to the following morning. The city also stated it would increase shelter capacity, meal services and access to transportation. Bringing people inside saves lives, and this plan removes known barriers to shelter access and will double the hours of availability of cold weather emergency shelter this winter, said Denver City Councilwoman Sarah Parady in the citys release. Im grateful to have worked alongside advocates, Council colleagues, city agencies, and Mayor Johnston to make this expansion happen. Parady was one of the leading council members who proposed the new cold weather shelter strategy, according to the city. Under the new plan, the city will be operating three primary cold weather shelters. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox One of these was previously used for cold weather, and the other two have been set aside for migrant shelters. The city did not provide the shelters locations, but in July, the city said it would keep two migrant shelters open: one for families and one for individuals. Out of an abundance of caution, Denver is also creating an emergency shelter plan in case the number of migrants once again rises to above-normal patterns. The city will coordinate with Catholic Charities to offer bridge housing for a limited number of migrant families at the former Mullen Home. The partnership is slated to run through December, at which point the contract will end as scheduled and all families will have received assistance with next steps, the city said. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. PORTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) A speeding drivers vehicle flipped over and hit a tree near the Michigan-Indiana state line, killing him, according to deputies. Around 11:30 p.m. Friday, a 24-year-old Indiana man was headed west on Teasdale Lake Street west of Robbins Lake Road in Porter Township at a high rate of speed, according to the Cass County Sheriffs Office. The driver lost control of the vehicle and it flipped, sliding down an embankment and hitting a tree. The driver, identified as James Neal Shaw, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt, deputies said. The 23-year-old passenger, also from Indiana, was taken to the hospital with injuries. The passenger was wearing a seat belt, the sheriffs office said. This embedded content is not available in your region. Deputies believe alcohol and drugs contributed to the crash. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. Deputies, family seek help looking for 14-year-old daughter in Los Angeles Deputies and family members are asking for the communitys help in searching for 14-year-old Makiyah Shirley, also known as Kiyah, in the city of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department said Shirley was last seen on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 7:10 p.m. on the 9300 block of Firth Boulevard. Shirley is described as a Black girl, 5 feet 2 inches tall, about 116 pounds, with short red and black hair in a bun, brown eyes and a scab on her left knee. The department said she was last seen wearing gray shorts with a flower design, a black hoodie, gray shoes, gold heart earrings and a gold heart necklace. Her family is concerned for her well-being and asking for the publics help in bringing her home. Officers encourage anyone with information about Shirleys whereabouts to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department at 323-568-4913. To provide information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers by dialing 800-222-TIPS (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 KTLA. MARENGO TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) An Illinois man was arrested near Marshall after a deputy K-9 detected drugs in his vehicle, according to the sheriffs office. Around 11:35 p.m. Saturday, the Calhoun County Sheriffs office was called to westbound I-94 near Partello Road in Marengo Township for a report of an erratic driver. The arriving deputy found that the driver was driving erratically and had numerous traffic violations. The deputy tried to pull the driver over but the suspect continued. Eventually, the driver pulled over and a K-9 alerted that there were narcotics in the vehicle. The deputy searched the vehicle and found bags of substances suspected to be fentanyl and heroin. They looked to be packaged for individual sales, the sheriffs office said. This embedded content is not available in your region. The driver, a 25-year-old Illinois man, was arrested for possession of narcotics with intent to distribute and for not stopping for a police signal. He is booked into the Calhoun County Jail. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. Deputies with the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department rescued an woman and her pet cat from a home within the mandatory evacuation area of the Bridge Fire, authorities said. The rescue took place at about 10 p.m. Tuesday when authorities received a report that a 78-year-old woman was stranded in her Wrightwood home, after a mandatory evacuation order was given. The caller said the woman couldnt leave her home and didnt own a vehicle. Deputies arrived at the home and found the woman inside. She was frightened, according to authorities. Firefighters watch as the Bridge Fire burns near homes in Wrightwood, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) After gathering personal belongings and her pet cat, deputies helped her into a vehicle and escorted her away from the danger area. Authorities said the woman was appreciative toward the deputies and thanked them for their assistance. Firefighters were successfully able to protect her home from the fire, the sheriffs department confirmed. As of Sunday, the Bridge Fire has burned more than 54,000 acres and is at 9% containment, per officials. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Woman missing out of Montgomery County found dead, deputies say MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) An 80-year-old woman who went missing in Montgomery County Sunday morning has appeared to have passed away from natural causes, authorities said. The Montgomery County Sheriffs Office said asked for the publics assistance in locating 80-year-old Retta Bluedorn on Sunday, Sept. 15. Authorities reported she was last seen at a home in 2500 block of Highway 48 around 9 a.m. and left in a blue Ford Explorer. Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts The sheriffs office said Bluedorn may have exhibited signs of dementia. Just hours after alerting the public about her disappearance, deputies announced that the Clarksville Police Department found Bluedorn dead in the parking lot of a business on Wilma Rudolph Blvd. According to the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office, Bluedorns passing appeared to be of natural causes. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Ms. Bluedorn during this difficult time. We appreciate the outpouring of support from our community and will continue to serve our residents in helping to locate our missing loved ones, wrote the sheriffs office. No other information was released. Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go. Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox. 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. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The man accused of killing five women in a high-speed crash in Minneapolis last year is now facing murder charges. Derrick John Thompson, 28, of Brooklyn Park, has been charged with five counts of 3rd-degree murder after he allegedly ran a red light in a rented Cadillac and smashed into the vehicle carrying the women at the intersection of Lake Street and Second Avenue in June 2023. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced the amended charges against Thompson on Monday. He remains charged with the original ten counts of criminal vehicular homicide. Thompson, the son of former Minnesota Representative John Thompson, was allegedly was weaving in and out of traffic and traveling at 95 mph on I-35W shortly before exiting and running the red light at the end of the ramp. Derrick J. Thompson. Courtesy of the Hennepin County Jail. The women killed were between 17 and 20: Sabiriin Ali, 17; Sahra Gesaade, 20; Salma Abdikadir, 20; Sagal Hersi, 19; and Siham Odhowa, 19. According to the Sahan Journal, the women, some of whom were related, had been together to get henna tattoos applied at Karmel Mall ahead of a friend's wedding. The senseless deaths of these five young women at the hands of Mr. Thompson has devastated their families and communities, said Attorney Moriarty. Clockwise from top-left: Saga Hersi, Siham Adam, Sabiriin Ali, Salma Abdikadir, Sahra Gesaade. Moriarty said this was not Thompson's first offense; only six months earlier, he was released from a California prison after fleeing police, speeding onto city streets where he struck and severely injured a woman. "His lengthy record of dangerous driving, the trail of devastation hes left in his wake, and his conduct in this case make these more serious charges appropriate," Moriarty added. Before this fatal crash, Thompson had prior convictions for his reckless driving, including multiple convictions for driving after the suspension of his license and driving after it was revoked. His Minnesota drivers license was revoked in 2018 after he was convicted of fleeing police, but it was reinstated in March 2023. Related: Driver in Minneapolis crash charged with 10 counts of criminal vehicular homicide DES MOINES, Iowa Police have released more details about an officer-involved shooting early Monday morning that left a suspect dead and two Des Moines police officers hospitalized. Sgt. Paul Parizek of the Des Moines Police Department says the preliminary investigation includes a review of officers body camera footage and indicates the incident began around 1:40 a.m. as a traffic stop due to an equipment violation in the 2500 block of Easton Boulevard. The 37-year-old male driver of a 2005 Ford Focus initially stopped in a parking lot, but Parizek said the driver sped away as officers were exiting their patrol vehicles. About 20 seconds later, the suspect crashed the car after turning north onto E. 24th Street. The suspect then attempted to drive away but the car was blocked in by the officers vehicles. At this point, Sgt. Parizek said officers instructed the suspect to turn off the car and exit the vehicle. He refused. Suspect in apparent assassination attempt camped outside golf course for 12 hours, records show Officers warned if he didnt follow the instructions a Taser would be used, but the suspect did not comply and the Taser was deployed. Sgt. Parizek said the officers tried to remove the suspect from the vehicle and during the struggle, the suspect produced a handgun and began shooting at the officers. Three police officers returned fire and the suspect was struck by gunfire. Sgt. Parizek said officers on the scene immediately provided first aid to the injured officers and the suspect until rescue personnel from the Des Moines Fire Department could transport them to local hospitals. The suspect was later pronounced dead. Police are waiting until family members have been notified to release his name. The two officers who were injured remain in the hospital receiving treatment. Sgt. Parizek said one officer received a gunshot injury to the head and the other officer a gunshot injury to the arm. Both officers have been with the department since 2022. The Division of Criminal Investigation has been called in to join the investigation into the officer-involved shooting. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com. Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed a news conference on March 5, 2024, in Miami Beach. Source: Screenshot/Florida Channel Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is again expressing dissatisfaction that members of Floridas Republican congressional delegation have yet to speak out publicly against Amendment 4, the ballot initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the Florida Constitution. DeSantis has been passionate in advocating against the proposal, which would repeal Floridas existing ban on most abortions after six weeks and restore it legally to the point of viability, estimated at around 24 weeks. The measure needs 60% support on the ballot to become state law. Almost daily, the governor has been speaking out about how Floridians need to reject the proposal, and in the past 10 days has been taking on the few GOP federal lawmakers who have yet to weigh in. You have people who have been elected as Republicans to have run saying that how passionately pro-life they are. Talking about how this is such an important issue and this and that, DeSantis said Monday on WFSX 92.5 FM in Fort Myers with state GOP Rep. Spencer Roach. These are people that ran on this, saying that this was something that was so important. And so now you have this amendment, which would make Florida one of the most radical abortion jurisdictions in the world, and yet you have people that wont even say that theyre going to vote no on it? I mean, forget about actually putting in some sweat to say they shouldnt be in the Constitution and actually going out and doing something about it they wont even say that. This is the second time that DeSantis has mentioned his disappointment that not all 20 members of Floridas Republican congressional delegation have publicly opposed the measure. Speaking during the Republican Party of Floridas Victory Dinner fundraiser earlier this month, DeSantis individually named each member of the Florida Cabinet and Congress who have opposed the measure, highlighting lawmakers who have made financial contributions. The only Republicans he did not mention in that speech were Laurel Lee, Anna Paulina Luna, Bill Posey, and Brian Mast. However, both Mast and Lee have said that they oppose the measure. The congresswoman has been public in her opposition to amendment 4, said Sarah Bascom, a spokesperson for the Laurel Lee campaign. We cannot explain why she was left off the list with the other members of the delegation. Mast also said he opposed the measure in a statement he made on Sept. 6. Posey is not running for re-election, but the reluctance of Luna to speak publicly has become campaign fodder for their Democratic opponents. Luna is dodging questions on the FL abortion amendment, even from her own supporters, Democrat Whitney Fox, who is running against Luna in Floridas Congressional District 13 race, wrote last week on X. Shes willing to force her extreme beliefs on you but is too afraid to answer honestly when challenged. Theres only one word for that: cowardice. Dripping hints Luna hinted that she would vote against the measure when speaking to this reporter during a radio interview last month but refused to take a public stance. What I will tell you is that I am personally very pro-life and Im not ever going to change that position, Luna said on WMNF 88.5 FM in Tampa on Aug. 2. I think that as a federal legislator, that it would be wrong for me to tell the states what to do on these topics because thats not what our founding fathers anticipated, so what I will tell people is to vote your conscience. I think you know how I will probably be voting on that, but again, thats not my decision, thats up for the people to decide. Heres the thing, DeSantis said to Roach on Monday. What I have found is that you cant expect politicians by and large to do the right thing for the right reason. Sometimes theyll do the right thing because their feet are held to the fire, they fear the political consequences or whatever, but I think the people that are just willing to get out there, stand up for whats right, do whats right, because it is right, you know, those are few and far between, unfortunately. First Lady Casey DeSantis on Friday reposted a comment on X by a man who had linked to a POLITICO post quoting Luna saying that it was a states rights issue. The clear answer to whether FL should enact a constitutional amendment that allows abortions until birth, removes doctors from the process, and takes away parental consent for minors which Amendment 4 would do is: No, Mrs. DeSantis wrote. The proposed Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortions ballot summary reads: No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patients health, as determined by the patients healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislatures constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion. Campaign issue Several polls have shown the measure getting more than 60% required for passage, but the last major survey from Emerson College showed the measure falling short by getting 55% of the vote. The story initially reported that Congresswoman Laurel Lee had not spoken out in opposition to Amendment 4. Michelle Ntalami, one of Kenyas young women entrepreneurs and a popular social media personality, announced that she is no longer part of the LGBTQ+ community after her encounter with Christ. Ntalami said she took time to seek God in prayer about her lifestyle that is a prevalent stronghold in our world today. Ntalami, who is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Marini Naturals, a haircare company, said she made the decision to share her testimony with the world in obedience to God. I stand as a conqueror in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Since my life-changing encounter with Christ, I no longer identify as androsexual. And for a long time now, I am not part of the LGBTQ+ community, said Ntalami on her Instagram account which has over 560,000 followers. She said that God revealed to her the truth about her past life choices and how it was against His divine plan for humanity. Without providing details about her past, Ntalami said she took a wrong turn during a vulnerable time in her life where she was going through grief, loss and pain. I believed it would bring healing and truth but it shuttered and confused me more. Deep down, I knew it was never meant for me. On that day, God confirmed this, He healed and set me free! said Ntalami. Stay informed with The Christian Daily Newsletter Sign up She added that she understands the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community emphasizing that her statement was not to condemn anyone. However, our feelings, preferences, experiences and culture do not determine the truth. You are dealing with dark spiritual forces that are deeper than your own understanding. The good news is, there is hope for those who truly seek freedom. It starts by accepting Jesus into your life, said Ntalami. The social media personality first announced that she had surrendered her life to Christ on her YouTube channel on May 23, 2024. She shared a detailed powerful encounter with God that happened in August 2023 which led to a life-changing transformation and a nine-month social-media break after that experience. I felt like I was hitting rock bottom, like the emotional pain of everything that I have gone through was taking a toll on me. I recall one time I was in my room and I had these thoughts that this is the end of my life and that my best days are behind me, and I was just seeing so much darkness, remembered Ntalami. It was during this time that she thought about her life, death and God in a way she hadnt done before. She cried out to God who reminded her that He still loves her despite the choices she had made. Ntalami said she now uses her social media accounts to glorify God through her testimony. She deleted her previous instagram posts choosing to start afresh based on an identity grounded in Jesus. I vowed to use my platform to influence (the world) for Christ. As bold as I was in the secular world, is as bold as I will be for Jesus: I, Michelle Ntalami, stand for Gods Word alone, and my identity is found only IN CHRIST." She said that God had sent pastors and godly friends to support and encourage her through her faith journey. Ntalami reiterated that her scars from her past have become a platform for her to share the gospel. Since her public declaration of salvation, she has been invited to several church events, youth meetings and conferences to speak about her testimony. So much gratitude to you all; my Senior Pastors, my powerful Spiritual prayer cover and counsel, my church, my Kingdom friends, my ever-supportive fans and followers, the media and blogs, those praying for me and fighting battles on my behalf in the natural and spiritual, and the entire body of Christ for holding me up, said Ntalami. (Bloomberg) -- Floods ripped through central Europe killing at least 17 people, as governments across the region took emergency measures and prepared to spend hundreds of millions of euros on the cleanup. Most Read from Bloomberg Flows in the Danube Europes second-longest river were at levels statistically likely only once every 85 years, after Storm Boris dumped torrential rain on Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary. Red weather alerts remain in place, with thousands of people already evacuated over the weekend. After a summer of heat waves across southern Europe, the destructive storm mixing cold air from the north with moisture drawn from the warm waters of the Mediterranean may be another sign that climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. Its also forcing governments to set aside scarce funds to rebuild. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is channeling 1 billion zloty ($260 million) to flood-affected areas, as well as appealing to the European Union for financial help. The Czech government may amend its 2024 budget because of the flood-related damages, according to Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura. Austria has freed up 300 million ($334 million) in emergency budget reserves, while Romania is allocating an initial 100 million lei ($20 million) to those affected. The Polish government announced a state of emergency in some regions on Monday, while a similar declaration was made in Lower Austria on Saturday. Romania is poised to declare a state of alert in the two counties hit hardest by the floods, as it looks to speed repairs to houses, bridges and infrastructure. In Poland, the mayor of Nysa has ordered the town to be evacuated as the floods threaten to overwhelm an embankment, potentially putting thousands at risk. Authorities are also monitoring the rising waters in the Czech city of Ostrava and in the nations south. Still, Czech politicians decided to proceed with elections set for Friday and Saturday in which a third of Senate seats are being contested. Austrian politicians canceled campaign events in the run-up to Sept. 29 elections. Polands biggest insurer PZU slumped after reporting more than 3,000 weather-related claims over the past two days, or nearly nine times more than on a typical weekend. That could curb PZUs profit by 10%, according to Ipopema brokerage estimates. Austrian insurers Uniqa and Vienna Insurance Group also declined. Story continues The slow-moving cold weather system also brought over a meter of snow to parts of the eastern Alps, with more forecast this week. Thats a stark contrast to the challenge faced in northern Portugal, where more than 500 firefighters are battling wildfires, as temperatures reach a high of 31C (88F) on Monday. Analysis by scientists at ClimaMeter a project funded by the EU and French National Centre for Scientific Research found that climate change means that depressions like Storm Boris have become 20% more intense in the past two decades compared with the preceding 22 years. These are not just isolated natural disasters, Davide Faranda of CNRS France said in an email. Research shows that extreme rainfall is becoming more frequent and intense due to man-made climate change. Hungary is bracing for its worst flooding in more than a decade, with Budapest on the highest alert. More than a million sand bags will be deployed along the Danube in the capital, while roads along the river will be closed this evening. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose government holds the European Unions rotating presidency, canceled all international engagements, according to a post on X. Orban was due to present the presidencys priorities to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France on Wednesday. Cross-border trains have been halted to neighboring Austria, where many intercity rail services have been canceled around Vienna. The national rail operator has advised against any unnecessary travel until Tuesday evening. Water flows on the Danube in Korneuburg, just upstream from Vienna, peaked early on Monday at 10,300 cubic meters per second. Thats a once-in-85-years volume. Kofola CeskoSlovensko, a Czech-based drinks maker, was forced to suspend production at its key plant in Krnov. The company, which has more than 2,800 employees, said it would cope as it had after major floods 27 years ago. The water level in Krnov was higher this time than in the dramatic year of 1997, when my father and I sat on the roof of our production hall, Kofola co-founder and Chief Executive Officers Jannis Samaras said in a statement on Monday. Tomorrow well start with the cleanup. Germany has experienced some flooding in Saxony and Bavaria, with water levels continuing to rise. German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said it underlined the need to accelerate the transition to renewable energy, according to comments cited on Monday by the Funke media group We should be clear about the cause: increasingly frequent floods, disasters like in the Ahr Valley, this year in Bavaria they are a consequence of the climate crisis, Habeck said. We must prepare for more extreme weather events and take precautions. Flood Impacts: Poland: In Poland, four fatalities were reported as more than 3,000 people were forced to evacuate. While water levels are receding in highland areas, cities including Wroclaw are now threatened. Poland has suspended cross-border rail services to the Czech Republic and closed several roads. Czech Republic: In the Czech Republic, about 13,500 people were evacuated from their homes and over 80,000 households remain without electricity. Three people died, with another seven still missing, according to Prime Minister Petr Fiala. Austria: In Lower Austria, two elderly people died after being trapped in their flooded homes, news service ORF reported, citing a police spokesperson. In Vienna, four out of five metro lines are operating shortened services. Hungary: Thousands of volunteers are expected to join as many as 17,000 soldiers helping with flood-defense work, according to Interior Minister Sandor Pinter. Water levels are only projected to peak later this week. Romania: The flooding could further curb Romanias already drought-hit corn crop, according to a farmers body. Serbia: Serbia is bracing for a possible flood wave from the Danube later in the week. --With assistance from Zoltan Simon, Konrad Krasuski, Natalia Ojewska, Misha Savic, Peter Laca, John Ainger, Maciej Martewicz, Agnieszka Barteczko, Julia Janicki, Celia Bergin, Gina Turner, Zoe Schneeweiss, Iain Rogers, Irina Vilcu and Andrea Dudik. (Updates with Czechs sticking to Senate elections date in eighth paragraph) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis believes the proposed amendment that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution was built on fraud, from the petition collection process to how the ballot measure was written. DeSantis defended the states election police against criticism of their investigation into potential petition fraud in a news conference Monday. ACLU responds to Floridas Amendment 4 petition investigation Whats going on with this petition stuff, its just become a cottage industry of nonsense, DeSantis said. You know, youre having petitions that are being submitted and voters are saying, I never signed that. How does that happen? DeSantis stated that the election crimes unit conducted a thorough investigation of the petition process and referred the appropriate cases to local law enforcement, but the full extent of the alleged fraud remains to be seen. Theres a lot of money thats at stake here, DeSantis said. People make money off the petition process. Theres an incentive to commit fraud. The ACLU of Florida said the group behind Amendment 4, Floridians Protecting Freedom, sorted out questionable petitions during the ballot collection process, but was still required to submit them to state officials. The ACLU is also suing the state after Floridas health agency created a website urging voters to help defeat the citizen-led amendment. After addressing the petition investigation, the governor claimed the entirety of Amendment 4 was built on fraud. He reiterated issues the state brought before the Florida Supreme Court during the judicial review process, claiming that the ballot summary is misleading. Earlier this year, the DeSantis-stacked court determined that the ballot summary is not misleading to voters and was eligible to appear on the ballot. A Republican-dominated panel later used a procedural process, the crafting of a financial impact statement, to add language that advocates fear will dissuade voters from voting yes on the amendment. DeSantis claimed that if Amendment 4 passes, a non-physician would be able to perform an abortion up until the moment of birth and the amendment would strip the rights of parents to give their consent for a minor having an abortion. The ballot summary says that no law should restrict the right to an abortion before viability. It also reads, in part, This amendment does not change the Legislatures constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion. DeSantis called this a bait and switch. They write in the summary, notification, but thats not consent, DeSantis said. Understand, thats rolling back rights for parents in the state of Florida. DeSantis took issue with the phrase healthcare provider in the ballot summary, claiming that non-physicians would be able to approve abortion procedures and create a lot of bootleg abortion clinics around the state. Remember, were in a region of the country where every state that borders us has very strong pro-life legislation, DeSantis said. Youre going to have people coming and theres going to be a lot of people taking advantage. People are going to make money off of this. He also warned the amendment, as written, would open up the state to lawsuits over taxpayer-funded abortions, citing a Michigan lawsuit seeking to overturn the states ban on taxpayer-funded abortions for low-income residents. Proponents of the Michigan lawsuit claim the law cannot stand after voters approved an abortion rights amendment in 2022. DeSantis argued that the bar to amend the states constitution needs to be high and voters should strike down any amendment in the face of uncertainty. Proponents of Amendment 4 have maintained that the ballot summary is not misleading and voters have a common understanding of terms like healthcare provider and viability. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. San Joaquin County investigators on Saturday arrested a man accused of killing two people and their adult son who were found dead with gunshot wounds three months ago at a Lodi home. Detectives arrested 25-year-old Steven Guerrero Jr. on suspicion of homicide three counts and burglary, according to the San Joaquin County Sheriffs Office. Joe Pena, 60, Kim Huynh, 69, and their son Alfred Nguyen, 45, were killed in the shooting, said Heather Brent, a sheriffs spokeswoman, confirmed on Monday afternoon. The bodies of the three victims were found about 6:30 p.m. on June 8 at the home in the 1500 block of East Mettler Road, an unincorporated area of Lodi. Sheriffs officials said concerned family members reported they had not been able to reach the residents at the home for more than a week. Deputies arrived and found the three adult residents dead, each with fatal gunshot wounds. The (homicide) investigation immediately led our detectives to believe that it was a targeted incident, and they had evidence leading them to a suspect, sheriffs officials said Monday in a Facebook post. At a news conference Monday, Sheriff Patrick Withrow said detectives collected evidence that showed the shooting deaths were not a random crime but a targeted act of violence by someone who knew the family. He said its possible the victims were killed days before their bodies were found. During the investigation, the Sheriffs Office did not inform the public the three residents had been killed in a shooting nor did detectives announce they were looking for a suspect. Sheriffs officials said on Monday they made the decision to not release information for fear it would jeopardize the integrity of the investigation. The sheriff and San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas declined to reveal any further details about the homicide investigation, including how the suspect knew the victims or any suspected motives behind the deaths. Withrow said evidence gathered in the investigation did show a burglary had occurred. Susan J. Demas One in four Detroit households is facing a high burden from energy bills, with low-income, Black and Hispanic residents particularly impacted, according to a study from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) which examined the average energy burden in various U.S. cities. Energy burden is determined by the share of a households annual income that goes toward energy costs, with burdens above 6% considered high and a burden of 10% or greater considered to be severe. According to the study, which pulls data from the Census Bureaus American Housing Survey, low-income households in the U.S. spent a median of 8.4% of their income on energy bills, while U.S. households as a whole spent a median of 2.9% on energy. Additionally, more than a quarter of low-income households have an energy burden above 15.2%, well above the margin considered to be severely energy burdened. While more than a quarter of U.S. households had an energy burden above 5.7%, low-income households, Black households, Hispanic households and renters experienced higher median energy burdens than all households in an area. Low-income households are more likely to reside in older and less energy-efficient homes that have inadequate insulation, drafty air leaks, and outdated heating and cooling systems. The households that are least able to afford the upfront costs of home energy upgrades are the ones that most need utility bill savings, so bringing low- or no-cost efficiency improvements to them is vital to reduce their burdens, said Roxana Ayala, lead author of the policy brief and senior local policy research analyst at ACEEE. data_update_-_city_energy_burdens_0 In 17 of the 25 regions analyzed, more than 25% of low-income residents spend 15% or more of their income on energy bills. The Baltimore, Md., metropolitan area recorded the highest energy burden among low-income households, with a quarter of low-income households putting 26% of their income towards energy bills. The Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.; and Rochester, N.Y., metropolitan areas also recorded high energy burdens with one in four low-income residents facing energy burdens above 20%. In Detroit, one in four households faced an average energy burden of 6% or more. A quarter of low-income residents were severely energy burdened, spending more than 15.2% of their income on energy bills, with low-income renters spending 16.4%. Half of Detroits low-income households paid more than 9% of their income towards energy bills. One in four Black Detroiters paid more than 8.8% of their income towards energy bills, while 25% of Hispanic households were at the 6% threshold for a high energy burden. In examining the scale of energy insecurity across the nation, ACEEE called on governments to prioritize access for weatherization and energy efficiency programs for low-income households including renters and homeowners to help lower their energy use. It also recommends increasing funding to federal, state, local and utility programs for efficiency and weatherization. Michigan offers free weatherization services to low-income homeowners and renters through its federally-funded weather assistance program. Provided services can include: A home energy audit Weather-stripping, caulking, general air sealing Attic, foundation, wall, or sill box insulation Programmable thermostat installation Furnace or water heater tune-up or replacement Refrigerator replacement Those interested in weatherization services can contact their local community action agency, or visit the states online map of weatherization providers. Wayne County residents can visit waynemetro.org/weatherization for eligibility information and to apply for weatherization services. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX UPDATE (11 a.m.): The Binghamton School District, in conjunction with Binghamton Police, has updated the community on threats against the school over the weekend. According to BPD, there is no evidence of the threat of violence against the high school. BPD worked with BHS to identify the validity of the supposed threats on social media. The first post was identified as one that had been circulating around several area counties throughout New York State over a week, Binghamton School District said in its email to the community. BPD was able to identify the person who sent out the second post, which was determined to be a student who was issuing a warning to other students of the original post and claimed they had knowledge of the events that were supposed to take place. BPD deemed the rumor as false. Binghamton City School District had this to say regarding violent threats amongst students: It is important to note that anyone, including our students, writing or engaging in the spread of viral threats of violence faces consequences as outlined in the code of conduct and if a crime has been committed, criminal charges. BINGHAMTON, NY (WIVT/WBGH) Police are investigating a threat made on social media over the weekend related to Binghamton High School. Binghamton School District announced a delayed opening Monday, Sept. 16, due to threats against the school. Students are expected to report for sixth period at 11:58 a.m. on top of morning and afternoon BOCES sessions being cancelled for the day. According to BHS students, the following message has been circulating on social media since Sunday, Sept. 15: Better tell yall parents to post this on social media unless they want to be missing at child. We will be there at 10:45 (a.m.). The school district says the delayed opening is done out of an abundance of caution as Binghamton Police actively investigate the threat for its credibility. This is a developing story, stay with News 34 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 WIVT - News 34. A Liberal Democrat councillor has revealed that she was diagnosed with PTSD because of Brexit, speaking movingly of the profound impact it has had on her life. Antonia Harrison, who represents the party in Havant, near Portsmouth, said something died in me I just gave up after Britain left the European Union. Speaking at the partys autumn conference in Brighton, Ms Harrison told The Independent: I have not been in Sudan fighting in a war, but it has had a profound impact on me. I am European to my core, and my identity has been ripped out. Antonia Harrison said she is European before she is English (Facebook) I am European before I am English. Ms Harrison, a mental health therapist who stood against Penny Mordaunt in the 2019 general election, was speaking at a fringe event at the partys conference. She said: I actually have in my medical history, a diagnosis of PTSD over Brexit. Asked after the session about the claim, she said: It is just on my record, at some point, they just put it on my record. It has had so many effects on my physical body, and things that have come out since. I have lost my voice many times and they put that down to trauma. Ms Harrison said she will not be able to retire in Marbella because of Brexit (Facebook) Ms Harrison said her life was enriched by Britains membership of the EU, having lived in Brussels and learned eight languages. The day after the election, I told my daughter this is the worst day of your life, Ms Harrison said. She added: She has a masters in international law, she should be in Brussels like I was at her age, and instead she is stuck here. The Lib Dems long-term objective is to campaign for Britain to rejoin the EU, but the party first wants to fix the UKs broken relationship with the bloc. Senior party figures including Sir Ed Davey have used the gathering in Brighton to call for Britain to foster closer ties with its European neighbours, including by implementing a free movement policy for young people that would let 18 to 35-year-olds live and work across the bloc for up to three years. The Lib Dem councillor said it is for the British people to realise that Brexit was a mistake (@havantlibdems/X) Ms Harrison said the party needs to wait for people to realise themselves it was a massive mistake before campaigning to reverse Brexit. Asked how Brexit has impacted her personally, Ms Harrison told The Independent: We have a property in Marbella, I planned to retire there, I cant. We still have the property, but we cannot get health coverage because of pre-existing conditions. Ms Harrisons mother spent her last eight years in Spain and is buried in the country, she added. She went on to describe how travelling through Malaga airport gets me, adding that the UK flag is now alongside the Moroccan flag in the sign for the non-EU passport queue. Every time, I start saying something and we get back to the UK and its EU over there, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, all these far away places I have no intention of ever visiting, she said. Ms Harrisons intervention came days after The Independent revealed that, were another referendum on Britains membership of the EU held today, the public would vote to reverse Brexit. In a Redfield & Wilton poll, a clear majority of all voters said they would opt to rejoin the EU, while among Generation Z two to one would back the move. The public thinks Brexit has made almost everything worse, from the economy to immigration, cost of living, NHS, wages, exports and Britains standing abroad to hopes of keeping Scotland and Northern Ireland in the union. SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) Just prior to the Louisiana Purchase, early settlers in Mississippi and Louisiana had the ability to vaccinate themselves and the enslaved against smallpox, but it appears that they did not share their vaccines with Native Americans in the region. Heres the story. Meet William C. C. Claiborne, Governor of the Mississippi Territory It was late November of 1801, and William C. C. Claiborne arrived in Natchez only a few months before a smallpox epidemic hit the Mississippi Territory. Claiborne had just been appointed to his position by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, and at the time the Mississippi Territory was surrounded by French and Spanish empires. The Mississippi Territory had been settled, for thousands of years, by Native Americans who were still living off the land. The Louisiana Purchase was still two years away. Natchez was pretty much the wild, wild west on the frontier of a young United States. It had become part of the border between nations, for once you crossed the Mississippi River you found yourself in French territory. If you went much further west after that, you were in Spanish territory. And if you were living in the Mississippi Territory and you decided to spend your spring break on the land that would later become Walt Disney World, you were vacationing in Spanish territory. Map showing territories owned by Spain, France, Great Britain, and the United States in 1800. Source: Pin page (pinterest.com) Natchez was an interesting place in 1801. Spaniards were more than happy to cross the Mighty Mississip and give Natchez settlers a hard time. Baptists were rushing toward the edge of the nations border to grow the Protestant faith in lands adjacent to Catholic settlements. Cultures were colliding in Natchez when suddenly, a few of the residents of the area developed smallpox. Louisianas father of the Baptist religion was enslaved, Revolutionary War soldier Only a few people had smallpox in American Natchez and French New Orleans at first, but soon the numbers began to swell. The history of smallpox and inoculations/vaccines Smallpox didnt begin in the New World. It plagued the Old World for thousands of years before Columbus ever discovered the Americas. The Washington Post estimates that somewhere between 25 and 55 million people in the New World died of smallpox after Columbus first came to the Americas. But is it possible that many of the New Worlds smallpox deaths could have been prevented? Accounts from both China and India in the 1500s tell of how these civilizations were inoculating their people against smallpox. Some of the earliest methods of inoculating against smallpox included scratching matter from smallpox sore into the skin of a healthy person, which gave said person a mild case of smallpox that could be survived and would give them immunity to the disease. But those who were inoculated were still highly contagious. William C. C. Claiborne, governor of Mississippi Territory. (Source: Public domain) Inoculation was a double-edged sword: good for the inoculated, bad for everyone else. By the 1600s, smallpox was spreading across the New World. But smallpox still wasnt finished killing people in the Old World. In 1661, Chinese Emperor Fu-Lin was killed by smallpox, and his son, the new emperor, wrote the following letter: The method of inoculation having been brought to light during my reign, I had it used upon you, my sons and daughters, and my descendants, and you all passed through the smallpox in the happiest possible manner. In the beginning, when I had it tested on one or two people, some old women taxed me with extravagance, and spoke very strongly against inoculation. The courage which I summoned up to insist on its practice has saved the lives and health of millions of men. That was in the 1600s, yall. By 1679, smallpox had a new name in the court of Count de Frontenac Louis de Baude in France: the Indian Plague. The queen of England, Mary II, died of smallpox in 1694. In the early 1700s, a minister in Boston named Cotton Mather learned about something called smallpox variolation. Smallpox variolation is another way of describing smallpox inoculation, and we know that Cotton Mather learned it from an enslaved man named Onesimus. More than likely, Onesimus learned the tradition from others who had been taught old Chinese and India(n) inoculation methods. Image of Cotton Mather. (Source: public domain) Benjamin Franklins 4-year-old son died of smallpox in 1736. A few years later, an epidemic had hit Charleston in South Carolina. It killed 4% of the citys residents who had been variolated, but it killed 18% of the residents who werent variolated. It also killed half of the Cherokee Indians who were in the area. They didnt even have a chance. Then in 1751, more than 3500 people in London, England died when smallpox struck again. Benjamin Franklin asked physician William Heberden to do something to help, and in 1679 the physician published Some Account of the Success of Inoculation for the Small-Pox in England and America: Together with Plain Instruction By which any Person may be enabled to perform the Operation and conduct the Patient through the Distemper. Parents were encouraged to inoculate their children. But because the inoculated quickly spread the contagion and accidentally caused an epidemic in France, the practice was banned in Paris. Louisianas first permanent European settlement was not New Orleans or Baton Rouge During the Revolutionary War, Continental Army troops were intentionally exposed to smallpox by their enemies, so in 1777 George Washington insisted that troops be inoculated against smallpox. Of men and microbes After the Spaniards first arrived in the New World in the 1490s, smallpox assisted them in overcoming massive indigenous populations. Take Tenochtitlan, for instance. Smallpox killed 40% of the native population of the city in 1520, making it much easier for the Spaniards to take the city from the natives. Tenochtitlan may sound far-removed from the ArkLaTex, but its not. Tenochtitlan was directly connected to Natchitoches in modern-day Louisiana and even Natchez in modern-day Mississippi. Why does a 2500-mile-long, ancient roadway connect Natchitoches, La., to Mexico City? Old World cities could be quite massive prior to the arrival of the Spaniards. Tenochtitlan (today we call it Mexico City) had hundreds of thousands of residents before the Spaniards battled the Aztecs. A Franciscan monk who traveled with one of the Spanish explorers wrote, As the Indians did not know the remedy of the disease, they died in heaps, like bedbugs. In many places it happened that everyone in a house died, and as it was impossible to bury the great number of dead, they pulled down the houses over them, so that their homes became their tombs. It was awful. By the 1700s, the British were attempting to infect Native Americans with smallpox by giving them blankets from a smallpox hospital. Smallpox became used as a weapon against innocent people. Copper plate of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) made in the 1600s by Dutch painter Jan Karel Donatees Van Beecq. It is estimated that around 90% of Native Americans died of smallpox and other contagious diseases that were spread to the New World from the Old World. But were many of those deaths unnecessary? Breakthrough treatment for smallpox In 1796, Edward Jenner noticed that people who worked near cows and developed cowpox were not catching smallpox. The poxes, Jenner determined, must be related. Jenner invented a way to prevent smallpox by giving people vaccines that caused them to have a mild dose of cowpox. Jenners kind of a big deal, yall. So is the woman who inspired his work. Meanwhile, in the New World, Winthrop Sargent was the first Governor of the Mississippi Territory. He approved an act on Mar. 18, 1799 that was called A law concerning aliens and contagious diseases. The law declared lawful for the governor, upon information from any physician within this territory that the plague, yellow fever or smallpox, or other contagious disorder, is at any house in the town or country, or on board any boat or vessel at or near the shores of the said territory, to take such measures to prevent a communication of the infection and for the aid and comfort of the sick as he shall deem meetand all expenses incurred in the prosecution of this humane intention, may in the first instance be made by the territory, and upon the warrant of the governor, whenever there shall be monies sufficient in the territorial treasury Two doctors, who just happened to be brothers (David Lattimore and William Lattimore) set up a medical practice in Natchez sometime around 1801, a few years before the Louisiana Purchase. Caddo legend: Shreveports Market Street was once the shore of a lake Laura D. S. Harrels book Preventative Medicine in the Mississippi Territory, 1799-1802 explains that the new governor of the Mississippi Territory (Claiborne) was fully cognizant of the procedure of vaccination for the prevention of smallpox because of the Drs. Lattimore. Its also interesting to note that Edward Jenners study of the cause and effects of Variolae Vaccinae had been published in England four years earlier. The Royal Jennerian Society for the Proper Spread of Vaccination was founded in London in 1803, after the residents in and around Natchez in the Mississippi Territory. (A remarkable feat when you consider that communications in those days were dependent upon letters sent by horse-back or sailing vessels.) Orphan children used to vacinnate Spanish territories in the New World In 1803 a dozen orphans were placed on a Spanish sailing ship named the Maria Pita. The voyage departed from Spain on a medical mission to the Americas. There were physians, surgeons, and four nurses onboard. And it was the job of the adults to slowly infect the children, one at a time, with cowpox. They were using Jenners new vaccine, but because there was no refrigeration to keep samples alive on the trip across the ocean, the orphan children were infected one at a time. The idea was that if cowpox could be kept alive while crossing the ocean, once the ship reached the New World they could then find new children to infect. Vaccinations could then be made from their sores for Spanish citizens. The orphan boys were told that if they cooperated, they would be protected and educated once they reached Spanish territory in the New World. That was their reward. The Royal Philanthropic Vaccine Expedition, as it was called, traveled from Spain to Spanish holdings in the New World, including the Caribbean, modern-day Mexico, South America, the Philippines, and into China. Twenty-six children became a part of the campaign. Four boys died. And more than 100,000 people in New Spain were immunized against smallpox as a result of the expedition. Vaccine makes it to the Mississippi Territory On Apr. 16, 1802, Governor Claiborne wrote a letter to William Dunbar, an explorer with the Hunter/Dunbar expedition. Claiborne basically explained to Dunbar that the introduction of Small-pox would be a very bad thing in the territory. Claiborne wanted every precaution to be taken that would prevent smallpox from entering into the territory. Image of William Dunbar found at the Library of Congress. (Source: Public Domain) Claiborne explained that he was not going to allow inoculation in the territory, and he discussed how he wanted to locate vaccine matter. I am persuaded that in this quarter Inoculation will not be resorted to, but by general consent, and I flatter myself that the Citizens will every where observe the like propriety It would be a fortuitous circumstance if the Vaccine Matter could be obtained & I hope that a disappointment will not ensue;I should esteem it peculiarly unfortunate, if at this time, we Should not be benefited by this important discovery. Source of Shreveports Red River is most popular state park in Texas for my own part I should think the citizens would act wisely, were they immediately to assemble, and raise by subscription a fund, to employ a confidential character to proceed direct to Kentucky & procure the (cowpox) Matter, wrote Claiborne. From the account I have received of the Cow-pox, it is safe at all Seasons of the Year & so mild in its operation, as seldom to require either nursing or confinement. Claiborne also wrote to Captain Samuel Postlethwait on April 16, 1802. He told the Captain of his fears of merchants from French territories, including New Orleans and other places where cases of smallpox had been reported. He also banned the sale of any fur hats or wool cloths from New Orleans, as he believed that cloth carried the disease. Claiborne also wrote William McCormick and asked settlers to be more empathetic with those who became sick after inoculation. He told McCormick that he wanted the people of Natchez to build a hospital for patients who had smallpox and had been forced to leave the town and reside in the woods. I must confess, that the idea, of having sent a fellow mortain in the woods, while on a sick bed, is distressing to my feelings, wrote Claiborne. A hospital camp for the isolation of smallpox patients was in operation near Natchez by May 1, 1802. Ten days later, on May 13, Claiborne approved An act to prevent the importation and spreading of the small-pox within this territory. The act fined and imprisoned people who brought small pox matter that could be used to inoculate people for small pox. Those convicted faced a $2000 fine and be imprisoned for up to twelve months per offense. A few months later, on October 1, 1802, the Lattimore brothers wrote the following to Claiborne: We avail ourselves of the first leisure to report to our Excellency, relative to the occurrences at the smallpox camp, which was erected in the Spring The brother-physicians listed the names of those who had contracted smallpox. Then they shared two people had been inoculated for smallpox in French-owned New Orleans, and when the two arrived at Natchez they broke out with smallpox. Six more people were infected with smallpox, three as a result of inoculations. The five inoculated persons had light cases of smallpox, but the other six who caught it by accident were so ill that two of them died of smallpox. The brothers praised Governor Claiborne for his quick-thinking. They wrote that two-thirds of the inhabitants of Natchez took the vaccination and that no one who took the vaccine died. It is not easy to say, what might have been the fate of this menaced country, without the advantages of this invaluable preventative; but it would seem as if, its opportune arrival among us was something providential, wrote the brother doctors. Smallpox had been purged from Natchez before the vaccine virus (cowpox) sample had died. DeSoto was one of the first explorers to bring smallpox to Natives in North America. (Source: Oil on canvas by William H. Powell) The governor wrote to the brothers again on October 5, 1802. Accept gentlemen, my thanks for the attention and humanity with which the duty assigned you was discharged and I pray you to be assured of my great respect and sincere esteem. Hidden history: Before it was Shreveport it was called by this name Many Mississippi Territory settlers were saved from smallpox in the early 19th century because of actions taken by William C. C. Claiborne. There is no question that he implemented smallpox vaccine methods (which used cowpox) and located the materials to create the vaccines while also forbidding smallpox inoculation methods and smallpox samples for inoculations in the Mississippi Territory. But as wonderful as it is that many lives were saved because of the vaccination, there is still a side story that hasnt been told. Thousands of Native Americans were given smallpox vaccines in the early 1800s. More information is needed, however, to determine what percentage of Native American populations in and around the Mississippi Territory were given access to information about the vaccines and materials needed to create them. The same is true of French and Spanish territories in the New World. The U.S. Government created an act in 1932 that provided needed vaccines to protect Native Americans against the spread of smallpox. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com. FRANKLIN, Ohio (WDTN) A local woman is being commended for her professional work to locate and bring a missing child to safety. Amy Cole, dispatcher for the Franklin Division of Police, answered a call on Aug. 15 from the Middletown Division of Police informing her of a missing young girl who was believed to be in Franklin. According to Franklin Police Adam Colon, the child was believed to have been with a wanted adult suspect, who was allegedly not the legal guardian. Since Franklin authorities were unable to initially locate the child, the dispatcher looked into information that could create any new leads. Through determination, Colon says Cole located a phone number which was not known to authorities before. Investigators were then able to locate the suspect, which ultimately led to officials bringing the missing child to safety. Amys tenacity and quick thinking directly contributed to saving this young girls life, said Colon. Her actions go beyond the call of duty and demonstrate the true meaning of public service. She exemplifies the best of what our department stands for. Cole will receive formal public recognition on Sept. 16 during the Franklin City Council meeting. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. Director of Russians at War film included on list of persons threatening Ukraine's national security Anastasia Trofimova, a Russian-Canadian director, was added to the list of individuals who pose a threat to Ukraine's national security. Source: press service of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications reports that Trofimova was included on the list for her documentary Russians at War. Details: The ministry explained that Trofimova's propaganda film "spreads Russian propaganda and demonstrates unacceptable neutrality regarding Russia's war against Ukraine" and "does not pay due attention to the atrocities committed by Russia during the invasion and does not recognise them." Quote: "Cases like Trofimova are part of the Russian Federation's larger information war, which uses culture and media to justify its actions. We are struggling with the propagation of false narratives and manipulations that try to supplant the truth and shift accountability from the aggressor," commented Mykola Tochytskyi, Ukraines Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications. Trofimova was listed as the 233rd person posing a threat to Ukraine's national security, according to the ministry. About the film Russians at War Anastasia Trofimova, a Russian-Canadian director, created the documentary film Russians at War. Trofimova was born in Moscow. She has worked in the media for almost 10 years, contributing to documentary projects in Canada, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Russia. She produced a number of films for the Russian propaganda outlet Russia Today. The film Russians at War depicts Trofimova's seven-month deployment alongside the Russian military in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. However, the film does not depict the destruction and casualties that the Russians are inflicting on the people of Ukraine. One of the soldiers in the film openly denies the accusations that Russian troops are committing war crimes. The Venice Film Festival hosted the international premiere of Trofimova's film. Before the film's showing at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the Ukrainian community in Canada staged a series of protests. The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine, Oleh Nikolenko, Consul General of Ukraine in Canada, and others joined the appeal not to screen Russians at War. Finally, the organisers of the festival declared that they would not show Trofimova's film, citing security concerns. However, after the film festival had officially closed, two separate screenings of the film were announced on Tuesday, 17 September. Support UP or become our patron! Robby Kerr, head of the state's Medicaid agency. (Provided/Governor's Office) COLUMBIA The head of South Carolinas Medicaid agency will retire Nov. 1, the governors office announced Monday. This will be the second time Robby Kerr has retired from the role leading the state Department of Health and Human Services. He previously ran the agency from 2003 to 2007, during the tenure of Gov. Mark Sanford. It has been my great pleasure and honor to serve the citizens of this state in your administration, Kerr wrote in his resignation letter Monday to Gov. Henry McMaster, which was provided to reporters. With utmost appreciation and gratitude, I thank you for giving me the opportunity. The agency provides health insurance for more than 1 million poor and disabled South Carolinians. With more than 1,300 employees, it is one of the states largest agencies. This year, it accounts for 15% of the states $14.5 billion budget for state tax dollars, not counting federal aid. South Carolina is among 10 GOP-led states that have not expanded eligibility to more poor adults as the 2010 federal law known as Obamacare intended before the nations high court made it an option. McMaster has not yet named Kerrs successor. After former Director Joshua Baker resigned in December 2020, McMaster tapped Kerr to again lead the agency, where his annual salary is $286,000. Kerr was confirmed by the Senate in April 2021. Kerr said at the time he can think of no better way to close out my career, according to a news release. Kerr has transformed and modernized our states Medicaid program and has led efforts to improve service, efficiency, and health outcomes at agencies across state government, McMaster said in the announcement. South Carolina is a better place today because of the contributions and accomplishments of Director Kerr. He will be missed. Kerr started working for the agency in 1985. Between stints as director, he ran consulting firm Kerr & Company, Inc., which he shuttered as part of his return to office three years ago. Under Kerrs leadership, the agency made strides in improving mental health resources. After raising reimbursement rates for mental health counselors in schools, the agency doubled the number of mental health professionals working with students. The department invested more than $45 million to place crisis stabilization units in hospitals for people with mental health and substance use issues to get help. And Kerr led the department in establishing a hub for behavioral health services in Florence in an effort to expand the areas mental health resources, he wrote in his resignation letter. Kerr also focused on raising employee morale, emphasizing the difference that workers make on health care for South Carolina residents, he wrote. He praised his staff for the work they do, adding theres more to be done. It is a humbling privilege to work among such everyday heroes who often go unseen themselves but whose work is clearly visible in the lives of so many, Kerr wrote. I am convinced this agency has the best workforce in the state. I am equally confident that they are poised to handle the challenges necessary to move us forward and achieve greater things. Disabled veteran arrested at Rutgers after posting anti-Hamas flyers: Not going to let anyone censor me A Rutgers Law School student who mounted a counter-protest against anti-Israel demonstrators on campus was arrested by police after he refused to stop posting flyers that labeled Hamas as "savages." Yiorgos "George" Maravelias, a disabled veteran who previously served as a United States Army First Lieutenant and deployed to Afghanistan, first engaged in campus activism in November 2023. He told Fox News Digital that after October 7, a vocal minority of law school students erected tables and hung flyers that criticized Israel's actions in Gaza. "I set up a table right next to them with my beliefs, which is that Hamas are rapists, that they are monsters, savages. That October 7 was a terrorist attack. You know, basically, I believe that a lot of the statements that they apply towards Israel, I think they fully hold against America," he said. Maravelias said he then began hanging his flyers on walls and spaces that were riddled with anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian content. Soon after, a woman began ripping down his posters. RUTGERS STUDENTS WHO STOOD UP TO ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS WITH USA CHANT SPEAK OUT: FED UP WITH ANTI-AMERICANISM' "I addressed this person. I said, what are you doing? Like, why are you ripping down my flyers? And she told me that it was against the policy to put flyers where I had my flyers, which were right next to where these there were these bulletin boards that the whole entire bulletin board was one speech and one viewpoint," he told Fox News Digital. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP The woman, who was later identified as distinguished professor of law and Chancellor's Social Justice Scholar Sahar Aziz, escorted Maravelias up to Dean Cate Lysionek's office with his crumpled papers in hand. Maravelias claimed that Aziz was informed that no such policy prevented him from engaging in political speech. Speaking in her individual capacity and not as a representative of Rutgers, Aziz refuted Maravelias' claim that she was informed no policy against his actions existed. She told Fox News Digital that at the time the flyers were posted, the law school had a signage policy prohibiting students from posting flyers on the bare walls of the law school atrium. Flyers could only be posted on the bulletin boards. Aziz stated that Maravelias violated this policy when he posted numerous signs on the walls and claimed that no other flyers were taped on the atrium walls at the time. Maravelias said Lysionek told him to report the incident to Dean Johanna Bond as there were consistent reports of Aziz interfering with the free speech of students opposed to the pro-Palestinian activists. Aziz said she has not interfered with the free speech of students on campus, regardless of their viewpoints, and suggested there is no evidence of Maravelias' "false claim." RUTGERS UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR SAYS WITHOUT DEI OFFICES, THERE IS NO ABILITY TO MAKE MEANINGFUL PROGRESS' She noted that other faculty have hosted at least two pro-Israeli events featuring the Zionist Organization of America and Stand With Us. To her knowledge, the events occurred without interference. "In stark contrast, there are external self-described Zionist organizations who have sought to censor Palestine-related programming hosted by the Center for Security, Race and Rights - which is an academic center focused on the civil rights of Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians. Fortunately, Rutgers University has an academic freedom policy that applies to all faculty regardless of viewpoint or identity," she added. Maravelias said he brought the incident to the attention of Dean Johanna Bond and Dean Sarah K. Regina. Bond allegedly declined to repudiate Aziz's actions and refused to meet with Maravelias to discuss the matter. He also emailed Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway, alleging the school had violated his First Amendment rights. "In the Army it's an open-door policy. You send it up the chain of command. I heard nothing," Maravelias said. Dean Bond, Dean Regina, Lysionek, and President Holloway did not reply to Fox News Digital's request for comment. He would again engage in a counter-protest in May when protesters set up an encampment on Rutgers' Newark grounds. Protesters hung signs with phrases like "From the river to the sea" and "Globalize the Intifada." They also created a list of demands one of which stipulated that no military recruiters could be allowed on Rutgers campuses. JEWISH STUDENTS AT RUTGERS SPEAK OUT IN WAKE OF LATEST ANTI-ISRAEL INCIDENT ON CAMPUS: 'HORRIFYING EXPERIENCE' "I found that to be grotesque, disgusting, offensive. So, I decided to go down to Rutgers and participate with, once again, the speech that I had in the fall. Same, same exact point of view. Nothing that I would deem to be offensive. Nothing against Palestinian people, nothing racist, Islamophobic or bigoted otherwise," he said. That night, several individuals ripped down his flyers. Campus security instructed him to file a complaint with the police. "I go to the police. They say, 'Oh, we can't do anything about this.' So, I'm like, where's the accountability? Like, why is my speech being ripped down?" he told Fox News Digital. The following day, Maravelias visited Dean Regina's office and asked what the rules were for posting around the school and how he could get accountability if anyone obstructed his speech. Leadership, according to Maravelias, had no answer. "I said, 'I'm going to go participate in my speech. I'm letting you know right now that if anybody touches my flyers, it's tit for tat. They rip down mine; I'm gonna rip down theirs. I'm not gonna let anybody censor me while I'm participating in free speech,'" Maravelias recalled. He then went outside and taped up flyers that criticized Hamas and tied small Israeli and American flags together. Maravelias said he was verbally excoriated by the pro-Palestinian crowd calling him a "baby killer, genocidal maniac, Zionist" and more. While he left the encampment's messages in place, activists tore them down as soon as he posted his flyers. RUTGERS UNIVERSITY LIFTS SUSPENSION OF STUDENTS FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE CHAPTER, PLACES GROUP ON PROBATION A large group of Rutgers University police officers then surrounded Maravelias. They allegedly asked to speak with him privately. "I'm like, I'm going to post my flyers where their flyers are posted. If you want to talk to me, I'll talk right here. They kept on trying to, you know, reason with me or try to stop me from posting my flyers," he said. One police officer instructed another to rip down his flyers that said, "Stand with Israel" and "Stand with America." Maravelias said he was told his speech was "inflammatory." "I go, what happens if I continue to post my speech? Am I going to be arrested? Because if you're ripping down my flyers and I keep posting flyers like, where does this go? What's going to happen? He's like, yes, you'll be arrested," Maravelias said. When he refused to stop posting flyers in the same area where the protest encampment had placed hundreds of signs, the police asked Maravelias to put his hands behind his back. The Rutgers Police Department then arrested Maravelias, detained him at their station, fingerprinted and photographed him. He was in custody for several hours before being released. Rutgers University Police Department did not return Fox News Digital's request for comment. Maravelias had charges filed against him for a petty disorderly persons offense. BROWN UNIVERSITY BOARD TRUSTEE ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION AHEAD OF VOTE ON DIVESTMENT FROM ISRAEL: 'COWARDICE' The summons issued to Maravelias said, "Within the jurisdiction of this court, purposely cause or recklessly create the risk of public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm by, specifically by creating a hazardous or physically dangerous condition by an act which serves no legitimate purpose of himself." He graduated from Rutgers Law School soon after. Maravelias said he does not believe there is anything wrong with Rutgers as an institution. Still, he said there needs to be an evaluation to see if people in leadership positions at the school are living up to university standards. "I think we need to have a real leadership reckoning with the Rutgers institution, especially the law school," he said. Charges against Maravelias were dismissed in July 2024 at the first substantive court date. Rutgers also filed student conduct administrative charges against him and refused to expunge them, according to his lawyer, Christopher J. D'Alessandro. D'Alessandro was in the Army in the early 1990s. He went to college on a GI Bill and started working for the New Jersey State Parole Board in 1997. He re-enlisted in the New Jersey Army National Guard in 2005 and deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, citing the impact of the 9/11 attacks. D'Alessandro continues to serve as a logistics officer and retired from parole in 2015. He later attended Rutgers Law School and did a fellowship at Rutgers Law Associates. D'Alessandro is also the former VP of Veteran Alumni at Rutgers University. COLUMBIA ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS TO REACH CRESCENDO OF INTIMIDATION AS SCHOOL SUFFERS LATEST BLACK EYE "This is an issue not just for [Maravelias], but for any veteran that would go to Rutgers, and I've encouraged many veterans to go to Rutgers Law School. In fact, I try to talk every veteran into going to Rutgers Law School," D'Alessandro told Fox News Digital. "So, this is a problem that needs to be fixed because I want to be proud of the school I went to and I want to be able to tell a veteran in good conscience, this is a law school that you want to go to because they'll teach you how to obtain justice," he continued. D'Alessandro said that the manner in which Rutgers addressed the Newark anti-Israel encampment was wildly divergent from the way they treated his client. Citing a Rutgers statement, D'Alessandro, in his personal opinion, said that the school negotiated with the "pro-Hamas encampment," many of whom were non-students, and instead of applying laws, rules, and regulations, allowed the encampment residents to act with impunity. Maravelias revealed that Newark Mayor Ras Baraka issued 10 housing stipends to encampment protesters because they were homeless. He also noted that Rutgers had expressed no interest in settling the matter. Baraka's office did not return Fox News Digital's request for comment. Maravelias said he received a letter directly from the school stating that while the conduct charges would not be pursued (as he had since graduated), should he ever re-enroll at Rutgers, the charges would be reinstated. RUTGERS STUDENTS COUNTER ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS ON CAMPUS BY WAVING AMERICAN FLAG, CHANTING 'USA! USA!' D'Alessandro said that to obtain the Body Worn Camera footage of Maravelias' arrest, Rutgers is requiring them to pay an $804 fee. In addition, they claim Rutgers has refused to produce CCTV surveillance footage of the event, claiming it would jeopardize campus security. "I did not take the bar exam because I have been too distracted by fighting the criminal charges to study effectively. The actions of Rutgers taken against me also affect my being barred, as I have to pass Character and Fitness, disclosing all that has transpired to the Bar," Maravelias said. D'Alessandro said Maravelias' situation reminds him of an old police adage he recalled from his time in law enforcement: "You might beat the rap, you won't beat the ride." While Maravelias had his charges dismissed, D'Alessandro said he was still arrested, publicly humiliated, made to feel like a criminal, taken down to the station, stuck in a cell, fingerprinted, and photographed. That booking will go into the system that anybody who looks up his client will be able to see. Maravelias had no legal fees for the Defense. He was represented pro bono by a defense attorney. D'Alessandro said the case is disappointing because, as a veteran who often represents other veterans in employment cases, they are a group who routinely have their rights violated. "I learned how to be a lawyer at Rutgers. They taught me to do what I'm doing now. That's a school where I learned to seek justice for my clients. So, it's extremely disappointing that I have to go up against the place I graduated from because they denied a law student First Amendment rights. You can't even make that up," he said. Rutgers Law School did not return Fox News Digital's request for comment. Original article source: Disabled veteran arrested at Rutgers after posting anti-Hamas flyers: Not going to let anyone censor me Health care costs can derail even the best-laid financial plans. But if youre on a tight budget, the pain can be even worse. I have really good health insurance, but nothing covers everything, apparently, Wendy Jones, 71, told Business Insider. Wendy and her husband, Roy, both have health issues and rely mainly on Social Security to get by. The Florida residents both had good jobs earlier in life and should have been able to retire comfortably but life had other plans. Don't miss Roy was working as a mechanic when he was injured in a workplace accident in 1992, which left him permanently disabled and unable to work. He started receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), while Wendy worked as a civil trial paralegal making $70,000 to $90,000 per year in the 1990s and early 2000s. With four children, money was often tight, but their finances improved when the kids left home. Then, in the mid-2000s, Wendy was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She eventually had to leave her job and go on disability, which covered only two-thirds of her salary. Despite having good health insurance, she learned that it didnt cover everything, and the couple quickly used up their 401(k). She wasnt eligible for Medicare until two years after she was approved for SSDI, and during that time she was paying for Roys insulin (hes also a diabetic) and $500 a month out of pocket for her own medication. At one point, they had to declare bankruptcy. Their unexpected medical costs have continued after Wendy was diagnosed with various forms of cancer over the past two decades. Wendy and Roy get about $3,200 per month in Social Security and theyve taken out a reverse mortgage on their home to make ends meet. Wendy makes about $300 per month working part-time, but she doesnt necessarily want to work more since her benefits would get clawed back. Preventative financial care can temper the pain To help meet unexpected medical costs without having to resort to a reverse mortgage financial planners recommend setting up an emergency fund that will cover your regular expenses for at least three months. Many suggest it should cover six months or more. Its also worth talking to a licensed insurance broker who can suggest coverage if you dont have any or to review the coverage you have through work to ensure its adequate. Even if you have health insurance, you may want to top it up. For example, you may want to consider long-term disability insurance and critical illness insurance, which could help to cover costs that your health insurance wont. Also speak to your broker about whether long-term care insurance could make sense for you. If you currently have a high deductible health plan (HDHP), you may want to consider opening a health savings account (HSA), which is a tax-advantaged account that can help with medical costs not covered by your health insurance. Read more: These 5 magic money moves will boost you up America's net worth ladder in 2024 and you can complete each step within minutes. Here's how Get help with your medical costs Federal and state governments offer a variety of plans that can help with medical costs, prescription drugs and vaccines. Its worthwhile to investigate these and apply if youre eligible. Organizations such as the American Cancer Society also offer programs and resources to help with expenses. If you need non-emergency care, make sure you go to an in-network hospital that will accept your insurance. Keep in mind, non-profit hospitals must offer financial assistance programs by law. If you need medication, ask your pharmacist to substitute a generic drug where applicable, as these are normally cheaper. Always review your bill and dont be afraid to question it. Websites such as FAIR Health Consumer can help you determine how much your care should cost. Be sure to exercise your rights related to medical bills and collections. For instance, you can ask your provider for a good faith estimate of what your visit or procedure will cost, and you can file a dispute if its $400 or more above this amount. Wendy and Roys story shows that unexpected medical expenses can devastate your finances, even if you have a good job, insurance and savings. Preventative financial care can help lower your medical costs and protect your wealth. What to read next This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Lakes of melted water in the Tian Shan mountain range -- home to thousands of melting glaciers in Central Asia (ARSENY MAMASHEV) (ARSENY MAMASHEV/AFP/AFP) Near a wooden hut high up in the Kyrgyz mountains, scientist Gulbara Omorova walked to a pile of grey rocks, reminiscing how the same spot was a glacier just a few years ago. At an altitude of 4,000 metres, the 35-year-old researcher is surrounded by the giant peaks of the towering Tian Shan range that also stretches into China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The area is home to thousands of glaciers that are melting at an alarming rate in Central Asia, already hard-hit by climate change. A glaciologist, Omarova is recording that process -- worried about the future. She hiked six hours to get to the modest triangular-shaped hut that serves as a science station -- almost up in the clouds. "Eight to 10 years ago you could see the glacier with snow," Omorova told AFP. "But in the last three-to-four years, it has disappeared completely. There is no snow, no glacier," she said. The effects of a warming planet have been particularly visible in Central Asia, which has seen a wave of extreme weather disasters. The melting of thousands of glaciers is a major threat to people in the landlocked region that already suffers from a shortage of water. Acting as water towers, glaciers are crucial to the region's food security and vital freshwater reserves are now dwindling fast. - 'Measuring everything' - Equipped with a measuring device, Omorova kneeled over a torrent of melted water, standing on grey-covered ice shimmering in strong sunshine. "We are measuring everything," she said. "The glaciers cannot regenerate because of rising temperatures." A little further on, she points to the shrinking Adygene glacier, saying it has retreated by "around 16 centimetres (six inches)" every year. "That's more than 900 metres since the 1960s," she said. The once majestic glacier is only one of thousands in the area that are slowly disappearing. Between 14 and 30 percent of glaciers in the Tian-Shan and Pamir -- the two main mountain ranges in Central Asia -- have melted over the last 60 years, according to a report by the Eurasian Development Bank. Omorova warned that things are only becoming worse. "The melting is much more intense than in previous years," she said. With scientists warning that 2024 is likely to be the hottest year on record, professions like hers have hugely grown in importance. But resources are scarce in Kyrgyzstan -- one of the poorest countries in former Soviet Central Asia. "We lack measuring equipment and there is not enough money to transport things to our observation station, where we don't even have electricity," Omorova said. She hopes the Kyrygz government will draw up a law to protect the ice-covered giants. - Dangerous torrents - The shrinking glaciers have also created a new threat for Kyrgyz towns and cities, with meltwater forming new lakes before tumbling down mountains in dangerous torrents, including towards the capital Bishkek. Further down the valley -- in a grass-covered part of the mountain at 2,200 metres -- two scientists, brothers Sergei and Pavel Yerokhin, worked on the banks of the fast-flowing water. The elder brother, 72-year-old Sergei, warned of the dangers of the torrents. "This water mass takes rocks with it, flows down the valley and can reach towns," he told AFP. He said their task was to monitor and predict the water flow and to "draw up maps to ensure people and infrastructure don't end up in these dangerous areas". His brother Pavel had a sensor installed about 50 centimetres above the water that would send radio signals in case of flooding. - 'Halve by 2050' - For the Kyrgyz government, the melting glaciers threaten more than infrastructure damage. Water distribution in the region -- devised in the Soviet era -- remains a thorny issue and is a frequent source of tension between neighbours. Mountainous Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan -- home to around 10,000 glaciers each, according to Omorova -- are the main water providers for Central Asia. "We share water with our neighbours downstream," Omorova said, referring to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, home to most of Central Asia's population. Aside from rising temperatures, the glaciers also face another threat: a growing appetite for immense natural resources in the region, including for gold, whose extraction with chemicals accelerates the melting of ice. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have stepped up efforts to draw attention to a looming catastrophe. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov warned last year that forecasts show Central Asian glaciers "will halve by 2050 and disappear completely by 2100". bk/led-oc/cw/bc Former BBC News presenter Huw Edwards has been handed a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years after pleading guilty to making indecent images of children. The 63-year-old said he was profoundly sorry for the repugnant images before he was sentenced Monday at Londons Westminster Magistrates Court in a case that has shocked the U.K. More from The Hollywood Reporter He must also attend a sex offender rehabilitation program, of which there are 25 sessions in total. The suspended sentence means that Edwards will only serve jail time if he reoffends in the next two years. The former newscaster was arrested in November and charged in July after he was found to have 41 indecent images of children sent to him by another man, a convicted pedophile, on WhatsApp. The offenses are alleged to have taken place between 2020 and 2022. Seven of the photos were category A images, the most severe classification, two of which showed a child between seven and nine, the court heard. A BBC spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter after the sentencing news: We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him. The anchorman, who hosted the BBCs flagship News at Ten program and led landmark coverage for the corporation including the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the London 2012 Olympics arrived at the court to a swarm of photographers. He was suspended by the BBC in July 2023 after allegations in The Sun emerged that he paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos (police did not take any action against Edwards relating to those charges, saying there was no evidence a criminal offense had been committed). He officially resigned from the channel in April this year. But the U.K.s leading news organization faced a grilling on exactly what they knew and when. Edwards was paid between 475,000 and 479,999 pounds (around $627,000 to 632,000) from April 2023 to April 2024. Last month, he was asked to pay back the BBC around 200,000 pounds ($255,000). The BBC was told by the Metropolitan Police in strict confidence that Edwards was arrested in November. Director-general Tim Davie said: We knew it was serious, we knew no specifics, apart from the category of the potential offenses. He added bosses at the BBC were not aware of the ages of the children in the images, and when asked why Edwards was not sacked at the time of his arrest, Davie responded: Because the police came to us and said they need to do their work in total confidence, [and said], please keep this confidential.' We thought long and hard about this. This wasnt a knee-jerk decision. When you think about this in terms of precedent, people do get arrested, and then weve had situations where [there are] no charges, and theres nothing there to be followed up on. Davie said that the BBC also had to consider its duty of care to Edwards. Even the U.K. governments culture secretary Lisa Nandy intervened to probe the BBC on its handling of the case. A spokesperson for the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) told The Hollywood Reporter in August that Nandy was shocked by Edwards abhorrent actions. The DCMS said it was up to the judiciary to decide on an appropriate sentence for the former news anchor. Under British law, images can mean photos or videos. Making indecent images covers a range of actions per its legal definition. It can, for example, include opening an email attachment with an image, downloading an image from a website to a screen; storing an image on a computer; accessing a pornographic website in which images appear in pop-up windows; receiving an image via social media, even if unsolicited and if part of a group; as well as live-streaming images of children. After the news of Edwards guilty plea was announced, a Doctor Who episode co-starring the former news anchor was removed from BBC iPlayer. Fans are also called for his scene in the James Bond film Skyfall to be cut. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Sign up for THR's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Dixmoor marks completion of water main project but work is not done Officials marked the completion of a new water line in Dixmoor, a community plagued with water supply disruptions, but said Monday much more money is needed to ensure reliable water supplies in Dixmoor and other south suburbs. Construction on the work got underway in June of last year, and officials marked the completion Monday, although the new water line itself is underground. The total project cost a bit more than $3 million, with about $2 million in federal funding and about $1 million from Cook County through its Build Up Cook program. Our work is not done, said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, noting that many communities, especially Black and brown communities, have lacked the resources needed to keep water systems in good repair. This is not just a Dixmoor problem, as an isolated phenomenon, said Drew Williams-Clark, director of Build Up Cook. Taking in large portions of the south and southwest suburbs, addressing water system needs has a price in the billions, billions with a B, he said. Its widely understood we have this longstanding need for water main replacement projects, Williams-Clark said. The Dixmoor project included replacing an existing 8-inch water main with about 4,400 feet of new 12-inch main from Seeley Avenue (south of 139th Street), running south under Interstate 57 and extending east to 143rd Street, where officials gathered to snip a ribbon to mark the projects completion. Construction was completed earlier this summer, according to the county. Five existing water mains were also capped throughout the area. The installation of new, larger pipes and the capping of existing, inaccessible and aging mains will result in increased water pressure and system reliability, and prevent water loss throughout the village, according to the county. Dixmoor had experienced numerous water line breaks around the community, and matters had gotten so bad that at one point Dixmoor Mayor Fitzgerald Roberts asked Gov. J.B. Pritzker to issue an emergency declaration for the village due to the water troubles. Toward the end of July 2022, all 3,500 Dixmoor residents were without clean drinking water following a series of breaks and, in October 2021, main breaks also left residents without water. At the end of August 2022, West Harvey-Dixmoor District 147 canceled classes for two days at Martin Luther King Elementary and Rosa Parks Middle School because of a water main break. Im overwhelmed, Roberts said Monday. This is something the residents have been needing for years, for years. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced in April 2022 the village would receive $2 million in federal money for the water main project. Lt. Joseph Baumann, deputy district commander for the Corps Chicago district, said Monday completion of the water line is the beginning of a new chapter for Dixmoor. He said it is vital in addressing longstanding challenges with the villages water supply infrastructure. One of the great challenges faced by communities nationwide is aging infrastructure, said U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Matteson, said. She said having reliable access to water is the lifeblood of a community. South suburban mayors with aging water infrastructure have called it an invisible problem because the water lines dont draw much attention because they are unseen until a break and the water stops flowing. They have said that low-interest loans or large federal grants are needed because their communities lack the money to tackle infrastructure projects costing tens of millions of dollars. mnolan@southtownstar.org SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) A case from 2022 of an attempted rape is being reopened following the collection of a DNA sample. Attorney General Marty Jackley announced the South Dakota Forensic Lab has collected a new DNA sample that matches a sample from a 2022 attempted rape case. The DNA and the State Forensic Labs work is a significant breakthrough in solving a violent crime and protecting victims in South Dakota, said Jackley in a news release. Our South Dakota Forensic Lab sets the national standard, is one of the only state labs with contracts to complete FBI evidence testing, and often handles the challenging cases from other states. Local banker plans to plead guilty to Bank Embezzlement The Forensics Lab oversees the states Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which is a database that collects and organizes forensic and offender DNA samples managed by the FBI. There are two types of DNA profiles that CODIS uses. One is developed from crime scene evidence, and the other is made up of samples from known offenders that are entered as they are collected. Once entered into CODIS, it searches against new database samples as they are entered. This is what led to the connection being made. This case is currently pending. No further details of the case have been released at this time. The cooperation between the Forensic Lab and South Dakota law enforcement agencies is a major reason so many investigations are successful, said Jackley. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Zohora Harry flew from Trinidad to the UK to help raise her granddaughter after her son-in-law's death [Family] A specialist children's doctor has threatened to leave the NHS after her mother became embroiled in a three-year visa battle with the Home Office. Dr Liza Harry's husband died after catching Covid while working for the NHS in April 2020. Her mother, Zohora Harry, flew from Trindad to help raise her 11-year-old granddaughter. However, her application to extend the visa was refused on the grounds that there were no exceptional circumstances. "All applications are carefully considered on their individual merits and in line with the immigration rules," a Home Office spokesperson said. Dr Harry's husband Dr Shree Vishna Rasiah, 48, a leading neonatologist at Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital, was one of the first doctors to die after catching Covid on duty during the pandemic. Two months later, her mother Zohora, a 76-year-old widow, arrived to help look after her granddaughter and offer support. Dr Harry works at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital and said she needed the childcare when she was away from home, especially on night shifts. She said she had no other family in the UK and did not want to leave her daughter with a stranger. Zohora said: "When I heard the possibility that I may go back home, not being able to support her [her granddaughter] and by extension her mum, it made me very sad, very emotional. It broke my heart." When she applied for a visa extension in October, the family thought that it would be a formality, but the Home Office rejected it. A first tier tribunal, which heard the appeal, also ruled against the family, saying Zohora had failed to show there were exceptional or compelling circumstances that her absence would have a significant impact on her granddaughter. It stated she could maintain her relationship and bond with her granddaughter via modern communications and regular visits between the UK and Trinidad and Tobago. But Dr Harry said: "I don't think that would work. I think we would then have to think seriously if all three of us leave." The family launched a second appeal last week, claiming that the judgement was "perverse". "The first tier tribunal does not go on to make any finding as to how the grandchild's care can be safely managed with regard to school needs and out of hours, given the extensive evidence from the appellant, the child's mother and the child that it was neither viable or child centric," the appeal document reads. An online petition has collected more than 3,500 signatures in support since its launch on 8 September. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. More on this story Related internet links How does poverty affect students in East St. Louis? Here are 5 things to know East St. Louis residents, educators, elected officials and others gathered at the Wyvetter H. Younge Higher Education Campus Tuesday to discuss an issue prevalent in the community and in many others across Illinois: child poverty. Once a transportation and industrial powerhouse, industry in East St. Louis declined throughout the 20th century, which, combined with white flight, led to a decreasing population, diminishing tax base and economic disinvestment. Now, 31.6% of residents live below the poverty line and the median household income is $28, 519, according to 2022 U.S. Census data. Nearly half of the children in East St. Louis 48.1% are living in poverty, three times the state average. The effects of poverty manifest in the lives of children in various ways, experts said at the event. Poverty is about robbing young people of opportunity, said Rev. Starsky Wilson, president and CEO of the Childrens Defense Fund. When we talk about child poverty only in terms of resources and money, were having too small of a conversation, he added. Its really about how were able to unlock and enliven the realities of childrens lives, Wilson said. Rev. Starsky Wilson, president and CEO of the Childrens Defense Fund, talks about the root causes of systemic poverty with Tasha Green Cruzat, president of Childrens Advocates for Change, during a forum on child poverty in East St. Louis, Ill., on Sept. 10, 2024. Poverty especially affects childrens educational outcomes, which was the topic of one of the panels at Tuesdays event organized by Childrens Advocates for Change, a Chicago-based nonprofit. Here are five key takeaways from the panel discussion: Early childhood is a critical time frame to provide resources In 2023, Birth to Five Illinois Region 50 published a report assessing early childhood needs throughout St. Clair County. Birth to Five Illinois is a program aiming to address early childhood needs in communities across the state. Research shows that the first five years of a childs life are the most crucial for physical, intellectual and social-emotional development. Among the top needs identified across the county and in East St. Louis were full-day or wrap-around services so families can return to work, transportation to access those services, and family outreach from the relevant agencies providing the services. Much of the state funding for preschool goes to half-day programs, which doesnt work for many families, Regional Council Manager Stephanie Herling said. Additionally, many areas lack accessible, reliable and safe public transportation, creating an additional hurdle for getting kids to preschool and other essential early childhood services. And sometimes, people dont know about the programs available to them, learn about them too late, or struggle to balance the long, tedious processes with their immediate family needs. East St. Louis School District 189 has taken the lead in addressing those needs locally by providing full-day preschool and transportation for all kids within district boundaries to preschool, according to Herling. A more recent report by Birth to Five Illinois Region 50 looked specifically at mental and behavioral health needs, which found a lack of available services, long waitlists to access services that are available and other issues. There are very, very little resources available for children under the age of 5, Herling said. Birth to Five Illinois Region 50 is trying to work with communities and families in St. Clair County, including East St. Louis, to get kids the support they need early in life. Additional school funding has been important, but money alone isnt the solution When he first came to District 189 in 2011, Superintendent Arthur Culver said the biggest issue was funding. There were so many programs and positions that we didnt have because of money, he said. Every year, Culver said he has advocated to the state legislature for additional resources for District 189 and other districts in communities where poverty is widespread. Before the state revamped its education funding formula in 2017 to make it more equitable and direct dollars to the school districts most in need, Illinois school districts relied mostly on local property taxes for revenue. As a result, schools in communities with a diminishing tax base like East St. Louis were chronically and severely underfunded. Once District 189 started getting more resources from the state to add staff and programs, Culver said he thought things would start to improve. It didnt happen that way, he said. What I found out was that the mindset, the culture, wasnt right, and it takes so much time to change culture. We had educators that were providing resources for students, teaching students, but did not really believe in their hearts and minds and souls that kids could get the job done. In addition to changing that mindset, the district also needed to make its curriculum and teaching methods more consistent within and across schools, weather the Covid-19 pandemic that set things back, and provide principals space to support teachers and help them improve their teaching practices and students learning outcomes for teachers instead of putting out fires on a daily basis, Culver said. While the district is still behind the state average, its making progress. For the last two years, students meeting state reading standards increased by six percentage points, according to Culver. The improvement from the 2021-22 to 2022-23 school year is verified by the Illinois School Report Card. Scores for 2023-24 have not yet been released publicly by the state. Were making progress, but it just takes time, he said. Another sign of progress came last fall, when all of the districts elementary schools received a commendable designation on the Illinois State Report Card. Soon, Avant Elementary School will get an exemplary designation, Culver said. That indicates Avant is in the top 10% of Illinois schools in terms of overall performance. Arthur Culver, superintendent of East St. Louis School District 189, talks about the challenges students living in poverty face during a forum on child poverty in East St. Louis, Ill., on Sept. 10, 2024. Radically smaller class sizes are needed Sheila Burton is the executive director of Every Child Education Equity Project, an East St. Louis-based organization that advocates for individualized education for children growing up in the toxic stress and trauma of poverty. Burton said she has worked with families and children experiencing poverty for decades, looking at what can be done to break the cycle of poverty and asking herself: If I had to put my finger on one thing that I think could make a huge difference, what would it be? And I kept coming back to education and education equity and the fact that the education that the children are getting in East St Louis is not enough, she said. Burtons organization seeks to change the way children living in poverty are educated, and she said it is pushing for radically smaller class sizes to provide individualized education for kids who have had adverse childhood experiences, a term that refers to traumatic events in a childs life that can have long-term health consequences. The science of trauma is now telling us that a childs brain actually changes, Burton said. If we know this, and if children in poverty actually have a right to education, it has to be in a way that they can actually learn. What Every Child Education Equity Project is doing, she said, is working with parents and students to stand up and say no more. We cant have another generation of kids go through and be graduating with these reading levels, with these math levels, Burton said. Yes, there are schools that are making some improvements, but its not enough. Its not enough, and our kids deserve better. Out-of-school time is just as important as in-school time Students living in poverty depend on their schools for necessities, said Tiffany Gholson, director of parent and student support services at District 189. Gholson is a social worker by trade and also the founder of Breaking Barriers International, a new organization working to help children in urban and impoverished areas who have experienced trauma or violence. In East St. Louis schools, she said kids get free meals and snacks, uniforms, books, health care at the high school-based health clinic and transportation services regardless of where they live. But what I realized in my 25-plus years in this work is we only have the kids about 40 hours a week, and we have about 128 hours in the rest of the week when theyre at home and in their community, Gholson said. I realized that out-of-school time is just as important as in-school time. Theyre with their families, theyre in the community, and they need to be safe. Her organization provides professional counseling services for kids to help them heal, grow and learn news skills as well as expose them to new experiences and opportunities. It also provides support to parents and families, since some parents may not have graduated from high school themselves, or if they did graduate, it was without the skills they needed to be successful. They stay in that cycle of poverty, which then impacts their kids, Gholson said. She referred to Maslows hierarchy of needs, a five-tier pyramid model created by psychologist Abraham Maslow that categorizes human needs. At the foundation of the pyramid are physiological needs like water, food and shelter that are essential for basic survival. A lot of families in poverty that Gholson and her colleagues work with are stuck on that level, she said. We cant get past that, because I think its more than income, she added. They dont just need income. They just dont need material wealth, but they need to learn how to access new capabilities and opportunities. Chronic absenteeism remains a big issue Among the biggest issues schools have been grappling with post-pandemic has been chronic absenteeism, which refers to the percentage of students who miss 10% or more of school days and is associated with higher dropout rates and poorer life outcomes. According to a recent study by the Brookings Institute, chronic absenteeism nearly doubled nationally between the 2018-19 and 2021-22 school years from 15% to 28% with only marginal declines since then. In District 189 specifically, 65.5% of students were chronically absent during the 2022-23 school year. Following national trends, the issue is most acute at East St. Louis Senior High School, where 89.1% of students were chronically absent. Its hard to teach kids that arent here, Superintendent Culver said. Some of the reasons students in the district are chronically absent are related to poverty, he said. For example, kids living in poverty are more likely to have mental and physical health issues that prevent them from going to school. In some cases at the higher grade levels, students are working to help provide for their families and getting home late at night, Culver said. When they wake up early the next morning, they dont want to go to school. In other cases, students have to stay home to babysit their younger siblings. The district tries to incentivize attendance and provide support to parents to get their kids to school, but in some cases, the district will have to start referring parents to the judicial system because they are allowing their kids to be chronically absent. And for teachers, Culver said he stresses the importance of providing engaging, interesting lessons so that even when students arent feeling their best, they want to come to class so they dont miss out. You gotta teach lessons that are engaging, that actually correlate to what kids do in their everyday lives. They see how its going to help in the future, Culver said. How this dog is improving safety at an Ogden high school OGDEN, Utah (ABC4) Meet Piper, a two-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer who will be paw-trolling the halls of Ben Lomond High School in the Ogden School District to help keep students safe throughout the school day. Her main job? Sniffing out guns, ammunition, and explosive materials to help prevent any threats on school grounds. Piper and her handler, Officer R. Mackley. (Courtesy: Ogden City Police Department) Piper received two months of specialized training at the Utah Peace Officers Standards and Training Academy to prepare for her new role alongside School Resource Officer Reed Mackley. In addition to her formal training, Piper participates in daily training sessions with Mackley and formal training twice a month with other Ogden PD K-9s. The Ogden City Police Department said Piper has already become a favorite among students after several demonstrations of her skills for elementary schools. It is amazing how many elementary school students come up to me and know Pipers name, said Mackley. These are students who I have never met before, but they still know about Piper and are excited to see her. Mackley said he picked Pipers name in honor of Ben Lomond High School, where the two will be working together. The name honors the schools mascot, the Scots, and their long-standing tradition of a student bagpipe group. Flight returns to Salt Lake City after malfunction at 10,000 feet Veldon Wardle, the principal at Ben Lomond High School, said the two have already begun making a positive impact within the schools halls. Having the K-9 unit in our school in addition to a human school resource officer enhances the physical safety at our school, said Wardle. Additionally, having Piper on our campus has been a positive influence on the social-emotional well-being of our students. According to the Ogden City Police Department, Piper works in a coordinated effort with school administration to identify areas for firearm detection. Once an area is selected, students are temporarily removed from the area and Piper begins her sweep. Since she began active service in April 2024, Piper has not detected any firearms on Ogden School District campuses. Thats not to say Piper has yet to put her specialized training to use. Outside of her job patrolling the Ogden School District, Piper has successfully assisted in detecting firearms during police calls off campus, proving her value within the police force. The Ogden City Police Department said Piper is only the second K-9 in Utah with her specialized skills, joining another K-9 unit that patrols the Granite School District. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) Four dogs are at the Mahoning County Dog Wardens facility after they were found in a stolen U-Haul van following a police chase early Monday morning. Read next: Defendant insists innocence as hes sentenced for shooting that killed man, injured woman and toddler A Liberty police officer noticed a U-Haul vehicle at a gas station on Belmont Avenue around 1 a.m. and checked the vehicles registration due to an increase in stolen U-Hauls in the area, according to a police report. The officer then discovered that the van had been reported stolen in Warren. The officer then tried to pull over the vehicle on Interstate 80 but said the vehicle took off, leading police on a chase along Interstate 680 south. The chase reached speeds of up to 102 miles per hour, and the U-Haul was swerving back and forth between two lanes, the report noted. The officer noted that the vehicle was also running through red lights and stop signs as the chase continued down residential streets. Officers lost sight of the U-Haul on Landsdowne Boulevard and terminated the pursuit near Parker Street, according to the report. Later, Campbell police officers were also involved in a pursuit of the vehicle before it was found abandoned in the 800 block of E. Avondale Ave. in Youngstown, with multiple dogs inside. Police were able to obtain a photo of the driver from surveillance cameras and are continuing to 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 WKBN.com. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) National Service Dog Month has been honored every September since 2008. The month exists to appreciate and bring light to the work that service dogs do. Service dog handler Amanda has had her service dog, Charlie, for two and a half years. Amanda and Charlie have an Instagram account called charlie.the.service.doodle, where they create content about service animals and disability awareness. There is no one specific way to go about getting a service dog, Amanda said. The process really depends on what youre looking for and your financial situation. You can purchase a fully trained service animal, adopt a puppy and hire a trainer, put your dog in a board and train program or train a service dog yourself. Country artist Niko Moon to perform in Tuscaloosa Amanda also explained the importance of service dogs as medical tools. I wish more people understood that needing a service dog isnt a trend. Service animals are usually not a first option for disabled individuals, and they are extremely important for improving the safety and quality of life for the individual, Amanda said. Service dog handlers are not taking their dogs with them for attention. They are using them as a lifesaving medical tool. Elizabeth Morgan, owner of Alabama Dog Academy, has been training dogs for 20 years. She has been training service dogs specifically for 17 years. I worked in Texas with a service dog nonprofit called Service Dogs Inc., and I was there for 10 years, Morgan said. Then, I moved back here, and Ive been running my own business training service dogs for the past seven years. Former Alabama news anchor Melissa Riopka dies Morgan explained some of the differences between basic dog training and the training that service dogs go through. Service dogs have to be able to do their job and focus, even with all the distractions of being in public with humans. So people and noises and sights and smells, they have to still be able to focus enough on their job to be able to do the jobs their person needs them to do, Morgan said. A pet dog is usually just around their house and familiar areas, and they can do what theyre trained to do there, but they dont have all those crazy distractions that a service dog does. Amanda and Morgan explained the independence that service dogs allow their handlers to have. If someone has a mobility disability, and they cant open a door, they would have to wait until they can ask someone to open it for them, Morgan said. If they drop their keys, they may not be able to just pick them up. They have to wait for someone to come and pick them up for them. The dog gives them a lot of independence, so that they dont have to reply on other people and strangers to help them. They can just do it themselves. That independence is one of the biggest things that service dogs can provide for people. Service dogs provide more independence for disabled individuals and allow them another chance at living a more normal life, Amanda said. When it comes to service dogs, one important thing for people to keep in mind is etiquette. Since service animals are working dogs or miniature horses and are considered medical equipment, harassing and interfering with them can be extremely dangerous for the animal and the handler, Amanda said. In most states, harassing a working service animal is punishable by a fine and/or a misdemeanor charge. The best thing to do if you see a service animal in public is to ignore them. They are doing an important job to keep their handler safe. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. DOJ: Illegal immigrants kidnapped other migrants, held them for ransom in L.A., across southwest U.S. A Honduran man living illegally in New Mexico has been federally indicted for allegedly conspiring to kidnap an illegal Guatemalan immigrant and demanding a ransom payment from the mans SoCal family as part of a multi-state operation. According to the United States Department of Justice, Darwin Jeovany Palma Pastrana conspired with others to kidnap and hold for ransom migrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Once they were in the U.S., the migrants were driven to stash houses in Phoenix, El Paso, Texas and Albuquerque, New Mexico; upon arriving, the migrants cell phones were seized and not returned to them. Other times, Palma and his co-conspirators, including another illegal Honduran immigrant named Eduar Isrrael Sauceda Nunez, would drive migrants to various locations including Los Angeles to reunite them with family and friends. Trump threatens to withhold federal firefighting aid, blames Newsom In one specific incident this year, Palma told Sauceda that a Guatemalan man who illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico had to have his family pay them $1,500 to secure his release. On April 1, Sauceda ordered the victim to contact a family member to meet at a Jack in the Box parking lot in Norwalk to exchange the money, but according to federal officials, the meeting did not go smoothly. At this parking lot meeting, Sauceda locked the victim inside the car and demanded a $1,500 ransom payment from the victims relative before driving away with the victim inside his car, the Justice Department said. Later that day, Palma contacted the victims relative and said that unless $1,500 was paid, the victim would be returned to Mexico [while suggesting] the victim would be killed there. Afterwards, Sauceda returned to the Jack in the Box parking lot expecting the family to pay the ransom; however, law enforcement officials were standing by and arrested him. As he was being pulled over, Sauceda placed approximately $9,290 in cash, as well as receipts memorializing money transfers to individuals outside of the United States, in the center console of his car, a DOJ release stated, adding that the following day, Palma messaged the victims relative on WhatsApp and threatened to kill her. A California pastor detained in China for nearly 20 years has been released Palma, 30, and Sauceda resided in Albuquerque near stash houses, including one where 57 migrants were found by federal officials on May 21. Palma was known to drive a school bus with a non-resident permit issued to him to and from the stash house; this bus was parked at the house on May 21 when authorities located the undocumented migrants being detained there. Officials noted that the day before, when law enforcement was in the area investigating a kidnapping complaint, one co-conspirator drove up to the house and appeared to point at officers while another fired multiple gunshots in the vicinity of the home. Palma was charged one count of conspiracy, one count of conspiracy, one count of kidnapping, one count of interstate communication containing a demand or request for ransom and one count of making a threat by interstate communication. He was arrested on Aug. 21 in New Mexico and arraigned on Friday at the U.S. District Court in Riverside, where he pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. His next court date is scheduled for Nov. 5 and he is being held without bond. Man kissed 3-year-old at train station before threatening mother with handsaw: police Sauceda who, according to the DOJ, is a fugitive faces the same charges as Palma except for making a threat by interstate communication; he is charged with one count of transportation of aliens within the United States for private financial gain. If convicted, both men would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Everyone in this country who is a victim of a serious crime is protected by U.S. law and this is no exception, said Assistant Director in Charge of the FBIs Los Angeles Field Office Akil Davis. The exploitation of vulnerable individuals and their families will be fully investigated by the FBI and its local law enforcement partners. Davis said that anyone with information on the whereabouts of Eduar Isrrael Sauceda Nunez should contact the FBI or the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The companies are focused on making an impact on healthcare accessibility SPOKANE, Wash., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Gestalt, a leader in AI-driven digital pathology solutions, is excited to announce its international expansion with the onboarding of its first client in Africa, DataPathology. This partnership marks a significant milestone as Gestalt continues to extend its global footprint, leveraging its innovative PathFlow digital solution with the new PathCloud platform to provide streamlined cloud-based digital access. Gestalt Diagnostics (PRNewsfoto/Gestalt Diagnostics) DataPathology, a pioneering MedTech startup, operates five laboratories across Morocco and Djibouti. This collaboration aims to create a robust ecosystem that addresses two critical challenges in North Africa: the severe shortage of anatomic pathologists and the accessibility to specialized medical expertise. Addressing the Pathologist Shortage Africa faces a daunting shortage of pathologists, with an estimated ratio of 1 pathologist per 500,000 people. Given the continent's population of approximately 1.2 billion, this translates to around 2,400 pathologists. In stark contrast, the United States boasts about 22,000 pathologists, resulting in a ratio of 1 pathologist per 15,000 people. This disparity underscores the urgent need for innovative solutions to bridge the gap in medical diagnostics and care. Enhancing Accessibility to Medical Expertise Through the integration of Gestalt's PathCloud platform and the 3DHistech and Roches scanners, DataPathology will be able to connect its laboratories seamlessly, facilitating the rapid and accurate diagnosis of pathological samples. This technological advancement not only enhances the efficiency of diagnostic processes but also ensures that patients in remote and underserved regions have access to high-quality medical expertise. A Vision for the Future "We are excited to partner with DataPathology and bring our leading-edge technology to Africa," said Lisa-Jean Clifford, COO & Chief Strategy Officer of Gestalt. "This collaboration is a testament to our commitment to improving healthcare accessibility and addressing critical shortages in medical expertise. Together, we aim to revolutionize the field of pathology and make a significant impact on patient care in North Africa." DataPathology's co-founder, Dr. Hicham El Attar, added, "Our partnership with Gestalt is a game-changer for pathology services in Morocco and Djibouti. By leveraging advanced digital pathology solutions, we can provide faster, more accurate diagnoses, ultimately improving patient outcomes and saving lives." About Gestalt Gestalt Diagnostics transforms pathology through an intelligent, configurable, vendor-neutral, and AI-driven digital workflow that provides true interoperability enabling pathologists to diagnose* diseases faster and more efficiently. Our PathFlow solution consists of professional, education, and research modules for ease of mixing and matching the digital needs of your facility in a single solution, freeing pathologists from tedious, repetitive, and manual tasks, allowing them to focus on their expertise providing invaluable experience where it matters most. To learn more, visit www.gestaltdiagnostics.com and follow @Gestalt on LinkedIn and @Gestalt122 on Twitter. About DataPathology Founded in 2020, DataPathology is a MedTech startup specializing in pathology diagnostics. With a network of laboratories across Morocco and Djibouti, the company leverages artificial intelligence and digital technology to provide quick and accurate pathological diagnoses, addressing critical healthcare challenges in Africa. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gestalt-expands-internationally-with-first-client-in-africa-datapathology-302248370.html SOURCE Gestalt Diagnostics A Justice Department (DOJ) indictment revealing Russias use of conservative influencers to peddle its viewpoints has shined a light on its newest tactics for tapping into existing right-leaning media to push its agenda. An indictment unsealed by the department last week shows two employees of RT, formerly known as Russia Today, contracted with conservative Tenet Media to offer lucrative contracts to its band of influencers, including Tim Pool, Dave Rubin and Benny Johnson. Those influencers have mirrored the DOJs language, calling themselves unwitting participants in the scheme and in some cases victims of the operation. The State Department on Friday indicated RTs efforts were even broader than those revealed by the DOJ, noting the outlet similarly hired a French influencer to push its viewpoints there. But the episode shows how the conservative media landscape is ripe for being co-opted by Russia, raising questions about the extent to which the U.S. adversary has sought to steer existing media. Laura Thornton, senior director of global democracy programs at the McCain Institute, said the plot marked the first time the DOJ has exposed these direct linkages. Weve seen Russian state media amplify existing narratives and use their bot farms or other sites to spread that information. But in terms of directly paying for an American media company to produce content on their behalf, this is quite unusual, she told The Hill. Given that a lot of the false information and pro-Russia narratives actually come from within, its much easier to just throw a flame on those tinders, she added. The influencers themselves are claiming that they didnt really change their content, which to me is almost even more alarming. Theyre not being paid to change things because they already are [broadcasting] pro-Kremlin, pro-Russian disinformation narratives. The DOJ didnt identify the players involved, but details in the indictment make clear some identities, including that of Tenet Media, which like the company listed in the filing describes itself as a network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues. Its owners, Lauren Chen and her husband Liam Donovan, took in some $10 million in contracts from sources they referred to in internal communications as the Russians. The two relayed the name of a fake investor, Eduard Grigoriann, to influencers who were paid handsomely for a series of videos that were in fact funded by the Russian government through two employees of RT. One of those employees, Elena Afanasyeva, later edited, posted, and directed the posting of hundreds of videos at Tenet. Some of the content reviewed in the indictment promoted key Russian talking points, including a video of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson visiting a Russian grocery store. Though one producer at Tenet initially raised concerns that it just feels like overt shilling, they acquiesced and shared the content the next day. In another case, Afanasyeva wanted to promote the Ukraine/U.S. angle in the wake of a terror attack in Moscow, despite reports indicating ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack. Nevertheless, one of the influencers said hes happy to cover it. Many of the influencers involved in the plot say they were unaware of the Russian involvement and never shifted their content. Never at any point did anyone other than I have full editorial control of the show and the contents of the show are often apolitical, Pool said in a statement on social platform X shortly after the indictment was unsealed. Pool and Johnson referred to themselves as victims of the plot. The FBI has notified me that I am the victim of a crime. [Attorney General] Merrick Garland said the same in his press conference. I am the only person who ever had editorial control of my program. Period, Johnson said on X. In another statement, he said he had been involved in a standard, arms length deal, which was later terminated. But theyve faced criticism for not being more skeptical of the high-dollar contracts they were offered, as well as questions about why their messaging was appealing to a U.S. adversary in the first place. Theyre also claiming, of course, that they were themselves deceived, in which case, I guess the question really is, they should ask themselves why they were chosen why their messaging is in such lockstep with Russian disinformation in the first place, Thornton said. Why do we have this constituency in our country? And that, to me, is more concerning and makes life a lot easier for the Russians, because then they can just retweet what our own congressperson is saying or our own media. Ben Dubow, a fellow with the Center for European Policy Analysis who studies disinformation efforts, said the large existing followings are a major part of the appeal for Russia. Johnson and Rubin have about 2.5 million followers on YouTube, while Pool has 1.4 million. I would not be shocked if there were other incidents of this. What attracts Russia to influencers like this is kind of the isolationism, which is very directly related to Russian interest. The other is just promoting cleavages within American society. And there are a lot of people on social media who make their living essentially doing exactly that, he said. But others see a severe lack of due diligence on the part of influencers who were receiving significant sums to make the content. One of the influencers was paid $400,000 a month while another was given $100,000 per video. They were given a false profile of Grigoriann after asking about the source of financing, though the indictment notes there were little results on Google for anyone by that name and none associated with the bank he claimed to work with. I would love to be a victim of a crime where I get paid $400,000, quipped A.J. Bauer, a professor at the University of Alabama who studies right-wing media. Even if they were unaware that Russia was the one providing the funds, if somebodys giving you $100,000 per podcast episode, that should raise some questions, right? Whos bankrolling this? He described the conservative media landscape as a highly entrepreneurial space that has long been funded by wealthy Americans seeking to influence public opinion a legal activity when pushed by U.S. citizens. He said there will likely be a lasting impact for the influencers. Among right wing folks there has been an increasing sympathy with Russia, but I still think that a lot of conservatives and right wingers dont necessarily want to follow somebody who is overtly engaging in propaganda or who would be willing to, and so I think thats probably going to damage their reputations mid-term, he said. I would imagine that they can kind of rebrand themselves [in the long term]. Theyve done so multiple times already. The consequences have been most severe for Chen and Donovan, who have gone silent since the indictment dropped. The indictment notes that neither ever registered as a foreign agent, raising the specter that additional charges could be coming. YouTube took down content from Chen and Tenet Media while Glenn Becks Blaze Media said it had terminated a contract it had with Chen. The YouTube channels for Pool, Johnson and Rubin were not impacted. Tenet Media declined to respond to a request for comment. Russia has been ramping up its use of RT, which the State Department accused Friday of having ties to Russian intelligence. We know that for over two years, RT has leveraged its extensive state funding to covertly recruit and pay social media personalities and provide them with unbranded content to disseminate and promote around the world while hiding RTs involvement, the State Department wrote. Its not clear, however, just how wide an audience the Russian-backed content reached. The indictment says the company posted about 2,000 videos since launching, generating about 16 million views. But Dubow said thats not as much of a splash as one might think. He said advertisers expect to spend $10-$15 per every thousand views while content creators often get about $1 for every thousand impressions they generate. By either metric, Russia was spending orders of magnitude more than market rates to reach a relatively small audience. It really does look like the influencers got the best of this deal, as opposed to Russia really achieving all that much with it, he said. But Thornton stressed that $10 million is a drop in the bucket for Russia, which has advanced its influence operations since 2016 and also faces its own internal unrest as it engages in war with Ukraine. Russia has never had more of an incentive to interfere with our elections than it does today, she said. They are facing an existential threat, right? And the war in Ukraine and how it turns out for Russia is their entire future. And a lot of it is going to depend on who the next president of the United States is. So if ever theyve had an incentive to get involved in our politics, I would say this is the year. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A word of caution to those who are looking for a good deal on auto glass repair: Safelite AutoGlass says someone is pretending to be them online. The company alerted the Chelan County Sheriffs Office that someone has been posting on Facebook Marketplace, posing as a technician. According to the sheriffs office, people interested in the discount are told to set up an appointment and pay through a third-party app. When the supposed technician arrives, the sheriffs office says the cost of the services is signifyingly higher than what was advertised, leaving customers in a difficult position since they have already paid. In the past week alone, Safelite says it has counted at least five incidents of this happening, specifically in the Central Washington area. The company is working closely with law enforcement agencies to address the issue. The sheriffs office suggests taking the following precautions, so you dont fall victim to similar scams: 1.) Always contact the company you intend to do business with directly through their official website or customer service number to schedule appointments. 2.) Be Wary of Unusual Payment Requests. Businesses do not typically ask for payments via third-party apps. 3.) Ensure that the employee arriving at your location or providing services is properly identified and affiliated with the company you intend to do business with. Alistair Wilson, a father of two, was gunned down at his home in Nairn in November 2004 - PA A complete reinvestigation has been ordered into the mysterious assassination of a middle-class banker in the Scottish Highlands. The killing of Alistair Wilson in the seaside resort of Nairn has baffled detectives for almost two decades and the case known as the doorstep murder has become one of the UKs most notorious unsolved crimes. The Lord Advocate, Scotlands top law officer, announced on Monday that she had instructed a new team of police officers and prosecutors to launch a full cold case reinvestigation. She made the announcement after a series of appeals and apparent breakthroughs over recent years failed to result in arrests or charges. Wilson, a father of two, was shot three times by a man who arrived at his home on the evening of Nov 28 2004 and asked his wife Veronica for him by name. A police forensic team at the scene of the doorstep murder - Andrew Milligan/PA He had been reading bedtime stories to his two young sons after their evening bath at the time. In a detail that has been subject to a series of true crime podcasts and documentaries, he was handed an empty blue envelope with the word Paul written on it by his assailant. Wilson went back inside briefly before returning to the door, where he was gunned down and his killer fled. Dorothy Bain, the Lord Advocate, said: This was a deeply disturbing crime in which a devastating loss was suffered by Mr Wilsons family. There have been strenuous efforts made over many years to resolve this case and a great deal of evidence has been gathered. She added: However, I have decided that it is appropriate for all the details of the case to be considered afresh and for further investigations to be made. It is my sincere hope that this secures justice for Alistair Wilsons family and for the wider community who have been affected by this violent crime. Veronica Wilson with a photograph taken of her and Alistair on their wedding day - PETER JOLLY NORTHPIX Police officers said in 2022 that they believed the answer to the mystery lay within Wilsons personal life, apparently discounting theories that the 30-year-olds murder was linked to his work as a business manager at the Bank of Scotland. They believed it may have been linked to a planning row over a seating area at a pub opposite his home, The Havelock Hotel, and appealed for information about two men seen with a handgun on a nearby beach a month before the killing. Detectives also travelled to Canada to interview a man who they believed to be a key witness, but more than two years on, there have been few further significant developments made public. A photo issued by Police Scotland of the handgun used to shoot Wilson - Police Scotland/PA Complaints about Police Scotlands handling of the case were upheld in March after an arrest of a suspect, allegedly promised to Mrs Wilson last year, failed to materialise. Police Scotland apologised to the family after three complaints were upheld by the forces professionalism and assurance department. Wilson was shot with a small German-made pistol, which was later discovered in a drain by council workers. Police believe that it may have been brought to Britain shortly after the Second World War. But despite a massive police probe, no one was ever apprehended. In 2020, Wilsons son Andrew, who was four years old at the time of the killing, led a new appeal for information and revealed that his only memory of his father was him lying shot on the doorstep of the family home. Gov. Doug Burgum speaks during a change of command and retirement ceremony for the North Dakota National Guard in Bismarck on Sept. 15, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is traveling to Israel this week through a trip sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition, his office said Monday. Burgum is traveling in his personal capacity, and theres no expense to the state, said spokesman Mike Nowatzki. Dates of the trip were not released. At a time when Iran is at war with Israel on seven fronts, in the wake of Hamas brutally executing six hostages, including one American citizen, and as Israelis continue to battle the daily attacks from Hezbollah on their northern border, now is the time to stand with Israel in Israel, Burgum said in a statement. Burgum was a speaker last week in Las Vegas at the Republican Jewish Coalition Leadership Summit. During his remarks, Burgum criticized the foreign policy of the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration and praised former President Donald Trumps policies. We need to stop the current administrations policy of appeasing Iran and pressuring Israel, and restore the policy of maximum pressure on Iran with maximum support for Israel, Burgum said in a statement Monday. Were thankful to the Republican Jewish Coalition for the opportunity to visit Israel on this solidarity mission. Trump has hinted that hes considering Burgum for a Cabinet post if hes elected president. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A new book about water management on the Colorado River offers treasures for at least four semi-distinct groups of readers: avid outdoor adventurers (particularly dusty river runner types); students of hydrologic science, policy or infrastructure; social justice advocates; and those with a romantic penchant for western environmental history. It's an ambitious target to aim for all these audiences at once, but Zak Podmore's "Life After Dead Pool: Lake Powell's Last Days and the Rebirth of the Colorado River" hits the mark, perhaps because he embodies all four. Published in late August by Torrey House Press, Podmore's second book builds on his 2019 "Confluence: Navigating the Personal and Political on Rivers of the New West" to further establish his as a modern voice of western waterways. He has put in the time to know his subject, both on-site in his kayak and in print as an environmental journalist, recently for the Salt Lake Tribune. His new work leverages a lifetime of learning while paddling with legends to paint a vision of revival in the desert canyons and portion of the Colorado River still mostly buried beneath Lake Powell. The book stems from Podmore's return to Lake Powell 10 years after passing through it during a 1,700-mile kayak down the lengths of the Green and Colorado Rivers in 2011. He found a landscape much altered by the megadrought that, since 2000, had been slowly vaporizing river flows and storage in the nation's second-largest reservoir. In 2021 and 2022, as a changing climate exposed new trash and old landmarks along Lake Powell's retreating shorelines, news reports poured out from places and on topics where Podmore had been used to near-total solitude. With levels drawing ever closer to dead pool the point at which billions of gallons of water would be trapped below the lowest outlets on Glen Canyon Dam the attention of a nation was suddenly fixed on the contentious and urgent issue of water management on the Colorado River, upon which 40 million residents of the Southwest depend. Weaving together facts and fables with calm and clear prose, "Life After Dead Pool" transcends the resulting frenzy by presenting an uncommonly comprehensive outline of the stakes for regional water and power supplies, as well as the kind of intimate backstory on how we got here that only a local who has walked back to his home from the reservoir's side canyons could provide. A book for environmental history lovers: Arizona author charts a course through 1930s science and sexism on the Colorado River A reading and camping spot next to the Green River along the Gates of Lodore section in July 2024. The book aims to make sure people know that drought-era concerns about the visible bathtub ring on the sandstone walls surrounding a diminished Lake Powell is literally just the surface of a much deeper and older story one about mostly-white settlers flooding one landscape to enable expansion in another, only to watch their creation be steadily siphoned off by resulting population growth and rising temperatures. Slowly, methodically, Podmore brings readers around to the idea that maybe our journey with Glen Canyon Dam has run its course. I had done the source-to-sea trip and was not very interested in spending a lot of time on Lake Powell at that point," Podmore told The Arizona Republic. But 10 years later I realized there were a lot of reasons to go to Lake Powell, like the fascinating research that was being done. I started to realize for the first time that it might make sense to modify the Glen Canyon Dam and return a river to most or all of Glen Canyon, just from a water management perspective." The inveterate wilderness kayaker acknowledges the loss for houseboat and infrastructure enthusiasts. But unlike the federal officials pitching reclamation plans from conference room lecterns in Las Vegas casinos, he offers a promise of something more original that looks poised to be reborn, and perhaps returned the once-drowned canyon ecosystems, hiker destinations and Indigenous artifacts that are already re-emerging, remarkably intact. More to read on water: New book tells the story of water across three ages, offering a path forward Land back can be a win for water worshipers too By converging and holding the attention of diverse readers on these thoroughly reported and authentically sourced details, Podmore's greatest achievement with "Life After Dead Pool" may be in exposing each audience to the primary regional concerns of the others. As the drought news frenzy of 2021 and 2022 showed, coverage that coalesces the many issues and interests at play when it comes to the future of Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam is rare. For recreators, Podmore sprinkles in humorous anecdotes about rafting culture, like when early boaters realized they could protect camping beaches more comfortably by putting a toilet seat on top of the metal boxes now called "groovers" they used to haul out their human waste. He introduces readers to his quirky friends who somehow pack kayaks with 12-person canvas tents and titanium woodstoves, and to river legends like Norman Nevills, a pioneer of commercial river-running in the Southwest whose untimely demise in a 1949 plane crash might have launched us all on this water management collision course. These historical morsels help non-outdoorsy types understand what river lovers lost when Glen Canyon and the Colorado River were slowly drowned by Lake Powell throughout the 1960s and 1970s. They also keep readers engaged long enough to learn of the grief boaters share with Indigenous tribes who once called those hollows home. "Life After Dead Pool" doesn't shy away from the social injustices behind the creation of Lake Powell and the lifestyles now enjoyed by descendants of European immigrants to the American Southwest. Podmore dedicates a full chapter, rich with environmental history and canyon descriptions, to the land and opportunities stolen from the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe and the Navajo Nation that could be justly returned if Glen Canyon Dam is decommissioned. He also inserts biting reminders throughout of the political deception involved in getting the dam approved, and of the repeated government failures to compensate or honor the history of affected tribes. Indigenous landholders were paid a tiny fraction of what whites got for tens of thousands of soon-to-be-submerged acres in the 1950s, and the economics of recreation on Lake Powell have systematically failed to benefit the Navajo Nation as promised. Podmore writes about Navajo leaders being led to believe Glen Canyon Dam would result in their improved water access, which incentivized them to endorse its construction, only for that fight to be ongoing more than 70 years later. Water on the Navajo Nation: As the Supreme Court debates a Navajo water rights case, climate change adds new questions A modern glimmer of hope in this situation, Podmore explains, is that the compounding problems of climate change, white population growth and a megadrought have now created an opportunity for federal officials to better manage resources re-emerging as water levels drop by returning land to stiffed tribal members and by protecting the vast historic artifacts and Indigenous ruins with the same care as at sites like Arlington cemetery. A pathway forward, for a river ecosystem and diverse peoples While tracing the history of local loss and distant ambition that brought Lake Powell to this brink, "Life After Dead Pool" also looks at shifting sentiments about dams and at likely pathways forward. Once championed by the likes of Woody Guthrie, dams had support from conservationists in the World War II era. During this period, though the Sierra Club did put up some fights, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation benefitted from widespread populist enthusiasm for its public works projects. Only later would Glen Canyon Dam earn the white-hot ire of environmentalists, from characters in famed southwestern writer Edward Abbey's 1975 "The Monkey Wrench Gang" conspiring to blow it up, to lyrics sung by a Utah-based band in 2024 proposing the same. This latest literary attempt at deconstructing Lake Powell published the same month that the last of four dams on the Klamath River in Oregon came down as part of the nation's largest-ever dam removal project. Twenty years in the making, this reversal of philosophies on water management enabled fish migration and habitat recovery along another large western river corridor. More on western dams: Klamath River flows free after last dams come down, leaving the land to tribes and salmon Now, Podmore suggests, Glen Canyon Dam should be next. Though he cops to sympathizing in his youth with Abbey's ideas, he doesn't reach that conclusion without considering other perspectives and re-examining his own. To round out his reporting, Podmore spends time on the water with an economist who offers viewpoints about the value of federal programs to build public power projects as separate from the drawbacks of this particular dam. He connects this top-down action mentality to the Green New Deal type of approach that many environmentalists feel will be necessary to truly reshape domestic power infrastructure and escape fossil fuel dependence, but has lacked broad support. In this way, Abbey-era environmentalist opposition to government solutions to shared problems may have damned the best options for current climate action. In other chapters, though, the scales tip back toward decommissioning the dam. On a rafting trip, scientists explain to Podmore that the sediment being deposited where the silty San Juan River meets the Colorado River just north of Lake Powell has formed a giant, underwater mud glacier slowly advancing down-river to threaten the structural integrity of the Glen Canyon Dam. For every moment this happens, more canyonlands and Indigenous cultural sites that archeologists say show great potential for recovery will be buried in muck and likely lost forever. That gave me a different perspective and more hope of what a recovery would look like in Glen Canyon, but it also adds a sense of urgency," Podmore told The Republic. In a late chapter, he does some "back-of-the-eyelid math" to envision how solar panels could replace lost hydropower along Lake Powell's dried shorelines. More writing on water in the West: From Arizona to Japan to Bangladesh, author offers lessons from water management mistakes Overall, Podmore's artistic and immersive account shines new light on options for management of western rivers and these buried landscapes, many of which he visited at multiple times and water levels, often in the company of iconic characters of the American West. His book threatens to shake up years of stagnant conversations about the Colorado River. But it's not naive. "Life After Dead Pool" is sober to the many hurdles and habits that will need to be overcome by policy leaders, water managers, dam engineers, scientists, visitors and water users for Glen Canyon to be reborn. "To avoid dead pool, the water budget needed to be balanced," Podmore wrote in his prelude. "Since increasing the natural supply of water in a warming world was not possible, the only way to stabilize the system was to reduce demand. When tasked with that problem, however, all of the tenacity and ingenuity that was marshaled to build the great dams and diversions in the twentieth century evaporated like a slickrock pothole on a summer afternoon." Given how quickly and aggressively national media jumped on the story of drought on the Colorado River between 2021 and 2023, it's surprising this book showcasing such a deep understanding of the issue and the region hasn't made more of a splash since debuting a few weeks ago. Even with the steady drying influences of climate change, though, water years will ebb and flow. When "Life After Dead Pool" published, an unusually wet year had restored Lake Powell to 40% full, diluting a sense of urgency to rethink western reservoirs and ignoring the certainty that drought conditions will be back. "I think it does a disservice to people in and around the Colorado River basin when we treat a couple of good snow seasons as a marked shift out of the crisis," Podmore told The Republic. Read our climate series: The latest from Joan Meiners at azcentral on climate change For some writers and readers, perhaps it's enough to discover this region once and then move on to other topics. For Podmore, though, it feels like he will never be done exploring and writing about water and wilderness in this most domestically critical region. His knowledge of this place, won one paddle stroke and one news story at a time, is as underappreciated as the drowned artifacts, as vast and nuanced as the canyons he's among the few to have explored. Like the dam he has exposed as blocking rebirth and recovery, the logic and perspectives he presents in "Life After Dead Pool" will loom large over future Colorado River water negotiations for those willing to listen. Joan Meiners is the climate news and storytelling reporter at The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Before becoming a journalist, she completed a doctorate in ecology. Follow Joan on Twitter at @beecycles or email her at joan.meiners@arizonarepublic.com. Read more of her coverage at environment.azcentral.com. Sign up for AZ Climate, The Republic's weekly climate and environment newsletter. Support climate coverage and local journalism by subscribing to azcentral.com at this link. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Life After Dead Pool' envisions Glen Canyon, Colorado River recovery Downtown OKC has had only local coffee shops as options. That's about to change A new Starbucks is under construction at 100 Park Ave. in downtown Oklahoma City. The store will enter the local coffee market in spring 2025. When visiting a new city, Ellen Broadhurst and her husband, John, of San Francisco, seek out Starbucks coffee shops nearest their hotel. The couple have quenched their coffee fix in stores from Seattle to London. But when they stayed at The National in downtown Oklahoma City recently, there were no nearby Starbucks to be found. "Usually, when we travel, we search out a Starbucks depending on where our hotel is unless we're in really small towns where local shops are the only option," Ellen Broadhurst said. Fortunately for the couple, both 72, there were local coffee shops close by. But their experience pointed to a downtown oddity. While Starbucks stores have become ubiquitous in city centers across the country, some having competing shops across the street from each other, they have been strangely absent from Oklahoma City's downtown core. That is about to change. Starbucks plans to open its first coffee store in downtown Oklahoma City in Spring 2025, a company spokesperson said. Developers at Gardner Tanenbaum Holdings, the real estate firm managing the project, already have begun construction for the new store at 100 Park Ave. Architectural renderings show the 2,786-square-foot cafe will feature a 54-seated indoor cafe with a community table, a banquette, and lounging areas with couches and sofas. The $800,000 renovations also include a 312-square-foot, 20-seated patio facing Park Avenue. A design shows one perspective of a Starbucks planned for 100 Park Ave. in downtown Oklahoma City. Although no drive-through will be added to the new restaurant, the design measures larger in comparison to the nearest Starbucks store at 132 NW 23, which totals 2,005 square feet and cost $250,000 to build. Cindy Murillo, chief operating officer at Gardner Tanenbaum Holdings, gave 100% credit to Downtown OKC Partnership for helping convince Starbucks to locate in the central business district. The nonprofit manages the downtown business improvement district and serves as advocates, coordinators, facilitators and communicators for downtown revitalization. They were awarded a program called Placer ID through a series of grants, Murillo said. We were the Guinea pigs. We worked closely with them to coordinate traffic counts, walkability, pedestrian traffic. So, we were able to provide enough information to make this project. More: Maureen Heffernan who transformed Myriad Gardens, opened Scissortail Park, set to say goodbye Many factors contribute to when and where large corporations like Starbucks decide to make an investment and depend on negotiations made with host properties, said Jennifer Nakayama, executive director for Downtown OKC, which manages and markets Oklahoma City's Business Improvement District. "Most corporate food and beverage establishments and their potential host property have negotiation terms that will determine how jointly feasible it is to enter into a tenant agreement," Nakayama said. "Many factors play into those negotiation terms for both sides, and therefore each potential site is different and independent from the next." A blended consumer base of businesses, employees, residents, visitors and tourists, like the Broadhursts, make the business district an attractive area for new investment, Nakayama said. "Customers are tried and true, but we know clients [who] come for business meetings from out of town and from neighboring communities seek out commercial [restaurants]," Nakayama said. John Broadhurst agreed that most state capitals he traveled to had no shortage of the franchise stores. He added the chain was great when the couple traveled. Starbucks offers him a particular, refined blend while traveling that many local shops may not serve, catering to younger markets who prefer lighter blends. "I'm a big coffee nut, and I like dark roast, which is hard to find," John Broadhurst said. "I mean, we've been to Starbucks all over the country and even internationally. Even in Seattle, the nation's coffee capital, and in places like London, we've been to stores there." Nakayama said the nonprofit views the new development with optimism. However, some small cafes in downtown worry the franchise might overwhelm local shops that can't compete against such a large corporation. Stella Nova is one of the established coffee houses in downtown Oklahoma City. Downtown Oklahoma City has many small restaurants and cafes competing in the same market. Among the coffee shops in OKC's city center are Aravalli, Clarity Coffee, don't stress meowt- Cat Cafe, Kitchen No. 324, Krave Coffee, Park Grounds, Sunnyside Diner, Stella Nova and The Gilded Acorn, according to VisitOKC. Not Your Average Joe's, a Norman-based nonprofit with multiple national locations, also operates a store on Park Avenue in the same building as the Downtown Library. The Gilded Acorn in The National is a choice for downtown Oklahoma City coffee drinkers. At a local restaurant in the center of the city at 146 Park Ave., chef Dan DeGiusti, 48, spends his time at work baking pastries and lunch meals in the kitchen of the Gilded Acorn, while baristas brew coffee inside the main indoor area. Unlike Starbucks, everything is prepared in-house. Although the product differs, DeGiusti worries that a Starbucks so close by could take customers away from the restaurant. "A Starbucks, just down the street in the same building, but just on the other side I think it kills businesses like [The Gilded Acorn]," said DeGiusti. Although The Gilded Acorn offers more of a fine dining experience, DeGiusti said, despite The Gilded Acorn's partnership with award-winning partner chef Andrew Black, owner of Gray Sweater and Black Walnut, that might not convince consumers who prefer to spend less time and money dining. "People want fast and cheap," he said. "Starbucks does that. They're a chain. Everything's made in a microwave." More: 14 major projects planned for downtown OKC that we're following, and where they stand Food and beverage workers aren't alone in their concerns. Downtown residents also want to see the local coffee shops thrive. Karina Cisneros, 45, a daily coffee drinker who lives across the street from The Gilded Acorn, said though she likes Starbucks, she prefers to support local businesses. As a local who walks past the cafes every day while walking her dog, she knows the restaurants well. "I like what the local shops are doing here now," Cisneros said. "I like that you have choices like The Gilded Acorn, which is more upscale, and then Stella Nova, which is more casual. I don't know how I feel about a Starbucks here. It doesn't really go with the neighborhood." Another downtown resident, Robbie K., who spoke on a first-name basis, felt indifferent about Starbucks' new footing in downtown, adding he generally disliked the company and didn't agree with its corporate values. "I don't do business with Starbucks," he said. "I don't drink Starbucks. I don't eat Starbucks. But, I think it will do well here. The area is booming right now." Downtown employee Susan Greenwood doesn't drink Starbucks, either. She said it was too expensive. Instead, the 60-year-old prepares coffee available to her at the kitchenette in her office. Her colleague, Dalana Seay, 54, said the new store will have plenty of customers, although she doesn't consider herself one of them. "People who like Starbucks really like Starbucks," Seay said. "I don't usually drink Starbucks," Seay said. "I'd rather support a small home business than a corporate giant. But, if they serve Dr. Pepper, I might go." A new Starbucks will join the downtown OKC coffee market in the spring. The Gilded Acorn in The National. Construction is continuing at 100 Park Ave., where a new Starbucks store will open in 2025. Whether someone is staying at downtown OKC hotels like The National or working in the central part of the city, there are plenty of options for a cup of coffee. The National in downtown Oklahoma City. Design sketches show the layout of a new Starbucks planned for 100 Park Ave. in downtown Oklahoma City. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Starbucks coffee shop coming to downtown Oklahoma City in the spring Traffic collisions are common in Nigeria as people sometimes do not take stick to the regulations or rules of the road [Auwal Muhammad Umar] Dozens of Muslim worshippers have been killed in a crash in northern Nigeria's Kaduna state. The victims were travelling to celebrate Eid-el-Maulud - Prophet Muhammad's birthday - in the northern town of Saminaka. Their bus collided with an oncoming truck near the town of Lere, an organiser of the Eid celebration said. Fatal road collisions are very common in Nigeria. Both drivers and passengers have been known to flout safety measures, which are loosely enforced by the authorities. An official at the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency put the death toll at 36 on Monday morning. However, event organiser Ahmad Dayyabu told the BBC up to 40 people had died and 31 more were being treated in hospital. They took off from the town of Kwandare on their way to here, Saminaka. On reaching the town of Lere, their vehicle was run over by a trailer truck," he said. From our investigation, there were 71 people in that ill-fated vehicle." The bus is said to have been overloaded. More than 1,470 people died in road collisions across Nigeria in the first quarter of 2024, official statistics show. That is around 16 people per day on average. The government declared Monday a public holiday in order to mark this year's Eid-el-Maulud. Map More BBC stories from Nigeria: [Getty Images/BBC] Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts DPS to students: School threats will not be tolerated (KMID/KPEJ)- The Texas Department of Public Safety has issued a warning to students across Texas: School threats are a serious crime with serious consequences and will not be tolerated. In a news release, a DPS spokesperson said school threats are not a joke. Whether a prank or a false alarm, law enforcement treats all threats with the utmost urgency to protect the safety of students, teachers, and staff. Texas law considers making a threat, even if its not carried out, a felony offense that can lead to: Arrest by law enforcement A permanent criminal record Heavy fines Potential jail time In addition to legal consequences, students who make school threats can face expulsion, suspension, or other disciplinary actions from their school. Law enforcement in Texas works closely with school officials to ensure that any threat is thoroughly investigated and taken seriously. RELATED: Area ISDs on alert amid school threats, one arrested in Andrews Remember, one bad decision can have lifelong consequences. Speak up, stay safe and always report suspicious behavior. Our schools should be a place for learning, not fear. Lets work together to keep them safe, a DPS spokesperson said in a statement. The public can report suspicious behaviors through the iWatch Texas program via the mobile app, online, or by calling 1-844-643-2251. All reports are confidential. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Yourbasin. CANTON, Ohio (WJW) A classic ice cream parlor thats been around since the 1920s is closed after an incident inside the store. We had an unexpected visitor in the middle of the night, Taggarts Ice Cream wrote on its Facebook page, along with photos of a Honda crashed into the stores dining room. SEE IT: Dashcam shows 8-year-old driving to Target This embedded content is not available in your region. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Honda was stolen. The car crashed while troopers were pursuing it early Monday just after 2 a.m. OSHP reports troopers had attempted a traffic stop, when the driver of the Honda made a high-speed backing maneuver, which took the car directly into the ice cream shop. OSHP said the driver, identified as Preston Cingle, 23, ran away but was caught by Canton police a short time later. New beverage illegal in Indiana, selling in NE Ohio No one was hurt, but the classic ice cream parlor is indefinitely closed. Fortunately, there are no injuriesEveryone is safe and we are going to work diligently to get Taggarts back open, the business wrote on Facebook. FOX 8 photo FOX 8 photo FOX 8 photo FOX 8 photo Cingle faces more than half a dozen charges, including grand theft of a motor vehicle and OVI. He was booked into the Stark County Jail. Taggarts has been in business in Canton since 1926. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. HINTON, WV (WVNS) A local firefighter said these drought conditions are affecting their fire control, particularly in rural areas. On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, the Summers County Volunteer Fire Department helped respond to a rural wild land fire. When trying to tame the flames, the responders were forced to call in additional backup for more water. Fire dangers ahead of dry weather Fire Chief Jacob Jeffries said this call for backup was partially due to lack of manpower. The creeks that were in the area, they were so low, they wouldnt be able to supply the water that we needed to fight that fire actively. So, we had to call additional units to stage in a close area so we could go not so far away, draft water from their trucks and get it back to the scene quickly, said Jeffries. One of the issues when it comes to fighting fires in rural areas boils down to water. Jeffries told 59News that some rural areas do have fire hydrants they can pull from, but others may not. You have to do whats called drafting, where we have to use the fire truck to suck water out of natural water sources like the river, creeks, ponds, so on, so forth. But with the conditions that weve had recently, those are limited sources, said Jeffries. Jeffries said that fire stations all over southern West Virginia are facing shortages on manpower. He is urging citizens to sign up to help out if they can. At Summers County Volunteer Fire Department, they will help you get certified if you do not already have firefighter certifications. He also explained that you dont have to be fully certified to work with them. Positions that dont involve certification include driving the trucks and helping pump the water. Jeffries also spoke on the state of burning in Summers County. Mild night with mostly clear skies; showers likely this week Summers County Commission has implemented a burn ban for the county. That right now is enforceable by local law enforcement. So, if you are burning outdoors and we show up, you could be fined, said Jeffries. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS. Getting gas at Costco can be great for your bank account, as you typically save around $0.20 per gallon compared with other stations. But there's one potential downside to buying fuel at some club locations. Costco has taken steps to make things flow as smoothly as possible at its stations, including one-way entry with long hoses so traffic can flow through more easily. But the pumps can still get crowded. There's some good news on the horizon, though, for those who want to get Costco gas without having to worry about waiting. Getting gas at the warehouse club could soon be faster and easier, even in busy areas. That's based on a recent statement from the company's CEO during a third-quarter earnings call. Here's why getting gas at Costco could get easier soon When speaking in the third-quarter earnings call about some upcoming changes planned for Costco stores, CEO Ron Vachris made a statement about future plans that should have Costco gas fans smiling. The CEO mentioned that the company is trying to speed up processes for shoppers with several new initiatives, one of which includes "gas expansions where those are needed." Numerous news articles in recent years have highlighted Costco's efforts to increase the size of gas stations across the country, including in Sacramento, California, Potomac Mills, Virginia, and Rochester, New York, among other places. With the CEO on board with gas expansions, Costco shoppers can expect more of this. Bigger gas stations could be a huge relief for those who appreciate the low credit card bills that come with fueling up at Costco, but who aren't a big fan of sitting in traffic just to put gas in the tank. How to beat the crowd at Costco gas stations If you're tired of long waits for gas, perhaps the CEO's words will bring you some hope of a better future but not every store is immediately going to offer more pumps you can visit to fill up your vehicle. If you're stuck dealing with big crowds and your store isn't part of the expansion, there are still some techniques you can implement to buy cheap gas with minimal hassle. Costco gas stations usually open around the same time as the warehouse, but some stay open a bit later. Since many people like to combine gas and a club trip, shopping after warehouse club hours could result in shorter wait times. Many stations are also emptier during the middle of the week, as well as during the mid-morning on weekdays when many people are working. If you have the Costco app, you may also be able to pinpoint good times to visit the warehouse club's gas station. The app sometimes displays real-time data on how long you can expect to wait at your station before a pump becomes available. Story continues These techniques can help you unless or until the planned expansion of Costco gas stations hits your area and provides more opportunity to fuel up fast without the long delays. Top credit card to use at Costco (and everywhere else!) We love versatile credit cards that offer huge rewards everywhere, including Costco! This card is a standout among America's favorite credit cards because it offers perhaps the easiest $200 cash bonus you could ever earn and an unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases, even when you shop at Costco. Add on the competitive 0% interest period and it's no wonder we awarded this card Best No Annual Fee Credit Card. Click here to read our full review for free and apply before the $200 welcome bonus offer ends! 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. Getting Gas at Costco Could Soon Be a Little Easier. Here's Why was originally published by The Motley Fool Leer en espanol aqui Yo me siento muy feliz porque yo hace mi proyecto, says a small blond third grader, sitting on the carpet (I feel very happy because I does my project.) Hice mi proyecto, corrects teacher Maria Lomeli, speaking through a microphone linked to speakers set off to the side of the gathering (I did my project). Its a calm start to the 100th day of school at Desert Sands Unified School Districts Ronald Reagan Elementary, in Palm Desert, California. Its Lomelis fifth year working on campus, and she has the classroom set up to foster a tranquil atmosphere. As students share how theyre feeling that day, the speakers play gentle piano music overlaid with nature soundschirping birds and rustling leaves. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Relaxed, untroubled, and bilingualits remarkable, particularly in the context of Californias history of roiling language education politics. From 1998 to 2016, Lomelis peaceful bilingual classroom would likely have been illicit, framed by political pressures, andabove allillegal under California law. For most of the past thirty years, English-only advocates waged a pitched battle to prevent schools from offering bilingual education to the states English learners (ELs). In 1998, conservative activistssupported by large majorities of white voters and Republican votersimposed an English-only mandate on the states K12 schools, arguing that bilingual education was ineffective at advancing ELs linguistic and academic development. Some argued that schools cultivation of non-English languages separated children from their English-dominant peers and slowed immigrant childrens integration into their schools and broader society. Jaime Escalante, the Los Angeles teacher whose work inspired the movie Stand and Deliver, emphasized this point, arguing that California schools [were] forced to use bilingual education despite parental opposition in the years before the English-only mandate. Nonetheless, the data on Californias English-only experiment were largely discouraging. Thats why, in 2016, voters repealed the statewide mandate imposing English-only education. Since then, California schools havein fits and startsbegun to rebuild a new, multilingual K12 system. This time, the state is growing a wide variety of bilingual programsincluding popular dual language immersion (DLI) modelsto appeal to a range of priorities from different families, regardless of the languages they speak at home. Perhaps Lomelis classrooms pervasive calm stems from that changebilingual learning opportunities are now offered as an option for families to choose, rather than as a blanket mandate. Career educator Daniel Salinero, in his fourth year as a first grade teacher at Reagan, thinks so. One of the differences between now and the 90s, when I taught in bilingual ed, he says, Back then, they were kind of funneled that way. Here, the parents want their child in the program. There are good reasons for families to choose DLI, a version of bilingual education where students learn academic content in both languages and proficiency in both languages is a key goal. Research suggests these programs are the most effective way for schools to support ELsparticularly when they are linguistically balanced, enrolling native speakers of both languages. In Californiaand around the countrymany English-dominant families are also attracted by the possibility of raising their children bilingually. Desert Sands launched its DLI programs in 2019 as a way to better serve its ELswho make up more than 20 percent of the Reagan student body. Meanwhile, at Jackson Elementary, the districts other DLI program, nearly 50 percent of students are ELs who speak Spanish at home. The first year was rockystandard issue for the implementation of any new educational programbut the pandemic dramatically raised the difficulty of teachers work. I transferred from a school where I was teaching fourth- and fifth-grade to Spanish-speaking students to [here], where I was teaching kindergarten to non-Spanish speakers who had no clue what I was saying, says Lomeli. And then we had to close and I had to teach online and She trails off. Salinero offers, It got worse. But as the pandemic wound down and campuses reopened, Desert Sands DLI programs moved towards full implementation, growing by one grade each fall. The kindergarteners who inaugurated the program in 2019 will round out their elementary school years as increasingly bilingual fifth-graders at the end of the 202425 year. I think also what has helped a lot is the parental support, says Reagan first-grade teacher Juan Gutierrez. Were very lucky to have that. All the parents are very investedThey want the kids to be in the program. Its not like the students are being chosen by the school. The parents are, like, actively seeking the dual language program so their kids can become bilingual and biliterate. Desert Sands leaders say that this is one of the virtues of Californias new, burgeoning bilingual education moment: it gives families the chance to opt into bilingual or DLI programs on the strength of these programs many virtues. The district aims for diverse, balanced DLI campuses with one-third of students who are Spanish-dominant, one-third who are English-dominant, and one-third who arrive in kindergarten with emerging bilingual proficiencies in both languages. This is an achievable goal here, in Riverside County, where over half of households speak a non-English language at home. This is also DLI operating precisely as promised. In a prescient 2009 article, researcher Laurie Olsen noted, there is real potential in presenting culture and language as assets for children and families, two languages as better than one, and cross-cultural competencies as necessary for all students in a 21st-century global society. By making bilingual programs a choice available to families of linguistically varied backgrounds, rather than a mandatory assignment, state and local education leaders have broadened the base of political support for bilingualism. That approach is creating calm classrooms like Lomelis, but it also carries costs. Foremost among them: the states bilingual teaching force shrank considerably during its English-only period, and it has not yet invested enough in building it back. This makes it difficult to rapidly regrow the states bilingual and DLI classrooms. The resulting scarcity of bilingual seats produces a challenge: when districts make room for English-dominant families in their DLI programs, they may inadvertently reduce English learners accessand key opportunities to develop their emerging bilingualism. We have a diverse population, says Salinero, we have native Spanish-speakers and native English-speakers, and they have different needs and they bounce ideas off of each other. By clarifying local priorities from the start in its Multilingual Learner Master Plan and insisting on treating Spanish proficiency and English proficiency alike as valuable assets, the district is taking advantage of new terrain California voters opened up in 2016. The Domestic Violence Intervention of Lebanon County is ready to send another flock of ducks down the Quittie at its 4th Annual Rubber Duck Derby fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. The derby is being held along the Quittie Creek between 7th and 8th Streets in Lebanon, next to the Lebanon Library and YMCA. Free parking is available in the YMCA lot closest to the creek at 201 N. 7th Street. Officials said the race will start promptly at noon. We cant believe this is our 4th year and are grateful to have so many sponsors. We will also have childrens activities and a health fair at the event this year, DVI executive director LeAnne Burchik said. The Domestic Violence Intervention of Lebanon County gearing up to dump more than 1,000 rubber ducks at its 4th Annual Rubber Duck Derby fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 28. One thousand rubber ducks will be up for adoption this year. There are four individual adoption options: Lone Duck (1) for $5; Quack Pack (5) for $20; Ducks in a Row (10) for $30; and Duckload (20) for $50. The top three winners will walk away with a cash prize. First place finisher: $300; second place: $200; third place $100. Community members may support DVIs critical services by adopting ducks online at https://www.dviolc.org/duck-derby/. Online adoptions will close at 5 p.m. on Sept. 26 but ducks may be adopted in-person the day of the race. Various sponsorship levels are available for interested businesses, according to officials. Interested businesses may visit the derby webpage or contact LeAnne Burchik for more information at (717) 273-7154. Follow DVI on Facebook for more events and announcements during the month of October. Residents paint rubber ducks before they are dropped at DVI's 3rd Annual Rubber Duck Derby fundraiser in 2023. More than 1,000 rubber ducks will be up for adoption this year to be dumped in Quittie Creek between 7th and 8th Streets in Lebanon on Saturday, Sept. 28. "DVIs mission is to unite and educate the Lebanon County community by advocating for justice and creating safety for victims and their families so they may live free from abuse," DVI officials said in the release. "Preventing domestic violence requires the collective voice and power of individuals, families, institutions, and systems each whose 'one thing' adds a valuable and powerful component to transforming our communities." The Domestic Violence Intervention of Lebanon County provides free and confidential help 24/7 for individuals experiencing domestic violence. Those seeking help may contact DVIs hotline at (717) 273-7190. To learn more about The Domestic Violence Intervention of Lebanon County, residents can visit their website at dviolc.org. Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on X at @DAMattToth. This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Domestic Violence intervention's Rubber Duck Derby returns Sept. 28. Abdullahi Suleman, 41, is still in jail 19 years after he stole a laptop as he battles mental health problems (Supplied) The governments decision to release thousands of prisoners after serving just 40 per cent of their sentence has been branded a slap in the face to thousands languishing on indefinite jail terms. Those trapped under abolished imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences say they have been forgotten as they watch hundreds of prisoners celebrate being freed early to ease prison overcrowding. Almost 3,000 people serving IPP sentences are not eligible for the governments SDS40 early release scheme, which is expected to see 5,500 prisoners walk free by the end of October, despite more than 700 having served at least 10 years longer than their minimum tariff. They include the father of three Abdullahi Suleman, who is still incarcerated almost 20 years after he was jailed for a laptop robbery. Campaigners have hit out at the missed opportunity to right the wrongs of the IPP sentence as well as freeing up much-needed prison space. It is estimated releasing IPP prisoners would empty up to four entire prisons. Abdullahi Suleman, 41, and his wife Bernadette Emerson, 39, from Cardiff (Supplied) Sulemans heartbroken wife Bernadette Emerson, from Cardiff, revealed her husband has been left devastated by the latest blow for IPP inmates. She told The Independent: Its a slap in the face isnt it really? Its affecting IPPs and their families because theres hope there that they could do something for IPPs and they are just not. Why cant IPPs fall under the 40 per cent early release scheme? Their tariff ended years ago. I have had other IPPs messaging me saying they are suicidal because of this. Its playing on their hope. Hes impacted by this because all he wants to do is come home to his family. The 41-year-old, who has been diagnosed with bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorder, was sentenced to a minimum of three years and 276 days for robbery aged 22. But he is still languishing in prison 19 years later despite having committed no further crimes having been hauled back to jail four times after attending mental health care appointments was made part of his licence conditions. In total, he has served nearly 15 years of the last 19 years in custody and is currently back in prison with little hope of being freed after missing an appointment. Its barbaric. It really is unfair, she added. Whats upsetting me is the fact that I know this is going to have a mental impact on IPPs because they are going to see people being released early when their IPP sentence ended years ago. Its playing further psychological games with IPPs minds. We are really disappointed that the MoJ are letting IPPs down with this early release scheme. My partner is devastated and I cant do anything. You just become the forgotten ones. Prisoners celebrated their release from HMP Liverpool after serving 40 per cent of their sentence under emergency measures to ease overcrowding (PA) IPP jail terms were introduced under New Labour in 2005 and saw offenders given a minimum tariff but no maximum. They were scrapped in 2012 over human rights concerns but not for people already detained leaving almost 3,000 prisoners languishing in prison with no release date. The sentences have been branded psychological torture by a UN human rights expert after at least 90 IPP prisoners have taken their own lives. Other tragic injustices highlighted by The Independent, which is calling for all IPP prisoners to have their sentences reviewed, include Thomas White, who set himself alight after serving more than 12 years for stealing a mobile phone, and Yusuf Ali, who has twice starved himself in desperation after serving 16 years for a three-year minimum tariff. A spokesperson for the United Group for Reform of IPP (UNGRIPP) said being excluded from the early release scheme was a double blow for unreleased IPP prisoners after they were also left out of a recent government overhaul of IPP licence periods. Obviously we are extremely disappointed that the IPP hasnt been included or even considered in the scheme, the spokesperson added. We know that this is also what people on the sentence are really feeling. People who are unreleased have not only not been considered in the changes to the licence period but also not in the early release scheme. Our message is really what about them? IPP prisoner Thomas White has served more than 12 years for stealing a mobile phone. Pictured with his son Kayden, aged 10 months (Margaret White) Richard Garside, director at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, said the decision not to address the IPP injustice in the midst of a prison overcrowding crisis was a massive missed opportunity. Both on the grounds of justice and on pragmatism it kind of seems like a no-brainer, added Mr Garside, who is backing a private members bill for all IPP prisoners to be resentenced. The governments early release policy sees the proportion of sentences which some inmates must serve behind bars temporarily cut from 50 per cent to 40 per cent amid government warnings jails were being pushed to the point of collapse. Criminals serving determinate prison sentences of less than four years, including violent offences, are among those eligible to be freed under the scheme although sex offenders and terrorists are excluded. Around 1,750 prisoners were freed early last week from jails across England and Wales with many seen celebrating as they met friends and family at the prison gates. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: It is right that IPP sentences were abolished. The lord chancellor is committed to working with organisations and campaign groups to ensure the appropriate course of action is taken to support those still serving IPP sentences. (KRON) An employee at an East Palo Alto middle school was arrested on Monday after allegedly engaging in lewd acts with a minor, the East Palo Alto Police Department said. Police received an allegation on Sept. 6 that the suspect, 54-year-old James Edward Fitch of Stockton, had engaged in lewd acts at his place of employment, Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School. Fitch served as the campus relations coordinator at the school. Rain in September? Chance of showers forecast for Bay Area East Palo Alto PD launched an investigation and developed probable cause to arrest Fitch for three felony counts of lewd acts with a minor and one felony count of enticing a minor for lewd acts. On Monday, East Palo Alto PD along with the United States Marshals Fugitive Apprehension Team served a $500,000 arrest warrant and search warrant for Fitch at his residence. The suspect will be booked into San Mateo County Jail. East Palo Alto police are now searching for more potential victims. As a long-time employee of the school, Fitch had access to hundreds of children. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ANDERSON COUNTY, TENN. (WATE) As East Tennessee suffers a drought, farmers are working to protect their crops. Ernest Meadows and his family run Mountain Meadows Farm in Anderson County, where they grow fruit like peaches, apples, pears, and berries. Meadows said the drought conditions point to a bigger problem. Climate change has affected the fruit crop every year, because every year the winters get slightly warmer, and what it does, it causes the fruit to bloom earlier and earlier every year and usually it gets killed by frost because it blooms too early, he said. When it comes to a drought, fires are his biggest concern at the farm. This is just covered with trees everywhere. If we got a major drought here, and we had two or three days of wind, well get the fires, he said. Woman seeks answers 17 years on from mothers unsolved murder in Knoxville 6 Storm Team Meteorologist Matt Condon said conditions are dry across the region. This is the latest drought monitor, we can see some of the area under severe drought. It takes a while to get into drought. You need weeks upon weeks of dry conditions and weve had that across East Tennessee and in Southeast Kentucky, prolonged weeks of high humidity and very little rain chances, he said. Multiple rounds of heavy rainfall will be needed to end the drought. However, if the rain comes all at once it could cause flooding. Drought impacting fall foliage in East Tennessee Looking at last year, if you remember, it was the second driest fall on record in Knoxville. So looking back at the drought monitors in comparison last year to this year, last year at this time, nowhere in East Tennessee or Southeast Kentucky was under drought. And remember, that was the second driest fall on record. Already, we have areas dealing with severe drought and we still have several weeks. Were entering October, which is usually our driest month on record, he said. Climate change brings extremes, whether its long dry episodes, prolonged rainfall, or severe weather events. Meadows is hoping U.S. and world leaders will take action on the issue. Were getting into a critical situation where we wont be able to feed the people in this country, much less the rest of the world, if we dont stop and do something about this, Meadows said. See more top stories on WATE.com According to NASA, the current warming of Earths climate is happening at a rate not seen in the past 10,000 years. Scientific information taken from natural sources and modern equipment all show signs of a changing climate. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side. Rep. Bud Hulsey, a Bristol Republican, says he will bring legislation aimed at easing the voting rights restoration process. (Photo: John Partipilo) Rep. Bud Hulsey, a Bristol Republican, says he will bring legislation aimed at easing the voting rights restoration process. (Photo: John Partipilo) The chairman of the House Criminal Justice Committee is looking at legislation that could streamline the process for voter rights restoration, making it easier for felons whove served their time to go to the ballot box. Republican state Rep. Bud Hulsey of Bristol told the Tennessee Lookout he started holding meetings last week on a measure to simplify the process, a move that could help nearly half a million Tennesseans, 200,000 of whom are Black residents, to regain their voting rights. Its been patchwork for so long that its a mess for a judge to try to interpret what is the right decision, Hulsey said. Hulsey noted at least five bills designed to improve the system for voter rights restoration came before his committee last session, leading him to ask his legal assistant to start formulating legislation that will clean all that mess up and come up with a reasonable, lawful way for somebody to get their voting rights back. Hulsey agreed that it is difficult to regain voting rights in Tennessee and blamed disparate laws placed in state code at different times. Gov. Bill Lee offered mild support this week for an effort to ease the process in light of a New York Times video commentary critical of Tennessees voter rights restoration requirements. The state is tied up in a lawsuit over restoring those rights to felons, a case set to be argued this fall. A federal judge ruled in April that Tennessee election officials cant deny eligible felons the opportunity for voter registration and that they must inform potential voters of eligibility requirements. Under state law, people whove served their time for felony convictions can regain their voting rights, but the prospects are dim. They can either obtain a pardon from the governor after filling out a litany of paperwork and making a formal request or go through the expensive proposition of hiring an attorney and persuading a judge they should be allowed to vote again. This requires a certificate of restoration and proof that all fines and fees have been paid. The video points out fewer than 1% of applicants succeed, and only 3% of those who seek a pardon from the governor receive one. In addition, applicants have to regain their ability to carry a weapon, because in Tennessee the right to bear arms is a right of citizenship, based on an interpretation the Secretary of States Office started enforcing early this year. Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton ruled recently that four people convicted of felonies cant be barred from regaining their voting rights because the offenses prohibit them from carrying a gun, according to an Associated Press report. Tennessee Democrats, contending the state has one of the lowest percentages of voter participation nationally, have sponsored numerous bills in the Legislature over the years to simplify the process for voter rights restoration but failed to pass them in the body controlled by supermajority Republicans. One that failed last session would have changed the revocation of voter rights for infamous crimes to a temporary suspension and restore them once a prison sentence and probation or parole are completed. Another would have set up automatic restoration of voter rights once a person completes a prison sentence, along with adding seditious conspiracy to the list of offenses for which voting rights could be revoked. Hulseys plan marks a bit of reversal for the conservative lawmaker, a retired law officer from upper East Tennessee who also believes the state should be able to nullify federal laws and orders it believes are unconstitutional. Nevertheless, he met with interested groups last week to start determining whether the proposal would fix all the problems. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX New rules were introduced in 2022 requiring short-term landlords to obtain a licence and planning permission - Westend61 Hundreds of holiday-let owners in Edinburgh have had suspensions lifted after the city council was threatened with legal action. More than 450 landlords were thought to have been banned from operating in the Scottish capital after applying for letting licences without first receiving planning permission. But council leaders have now withdrawn the three-month suspensions amid claims they were unlawful. A legal challenge submitted by campaigners argued there is no rational basis to ban holiday-let owners from having their licence applications considered. It said the councils blanket and arbitrary approach did not take into account individual circumstances. The about-turn is another victory for the campaigners, who have forced three policy changes from the Labour-led authority in just two years. The Scottish B&B Association said it is deeply shocking that the council was operating an allegedly illegal policy. Fiona Campbell, of the Association of Scotlands Self Caterers, said Edinburghs regulations were an example of how the countrys holiday-let policy has turned into an international laughing stock. She said: While we are obviously delighted that Edinburgh council has been pushed to reverse its position on three-month suspensions, we also must look again at why we are here. Despite countless engagements with Scottish government ministers and officials spanning years, the legislation which has been forced on the short-term let sector in Scotland is, once again, shown to be not fit for purpose. A control area was set up in Edinburgh in 2022, forcing second-home owners letting out their property to gain a licence and planning permission. The rules were introduced in an effort to curb tourists reliance on sites such as Airbnb and Booking.com, which the Scottish government argued has pushed up rents and house prices. City of Edinburgh council issued three-month suspensions to those who applied for a licence without first securing planning permission but it has now backed down over the policy. It means short-term let operators are now able to apply for a licence before planning applications are determined. Councillor Neil Ross said: We issued suspension notices to allow landlords to make relevant planning applications before their licences were determined. However, following the threat of legal challenge, we have decided to withdraw these. This does not change the need for short-term let premises to have planning permissions in place as appropriate in order to operate lawfully. All short-term let properties within Edinburgh remain subject to the statutory licensing regime and where licences are not in place, or conditions are breached, well take appropriate enforcement action. A consultation by the council into how the licensing scheme is working in the city closes on October 14. The scheme has been blamed for causing Edinburghs accommodation black market to grow exponentially. Comedian Jason Mamford said room prices during the citys Fringe festival were an absolute joke. Last year, the Court of Session ruled that parts of Edinburghs policy relating to tenement flats were unlawful. Scotland is not the only country punishing holiday-let owners. In Wales, the Labour Government announced new rules last year which require holiday lets to be occupied for at least 182 days of the year. Previously holiday homes had to be occupied for at least 70 days. If short-term let owners cannot meet that target, they face council tax premiums of up to 300pc of standard rates. Dozens of owners have listed their second homes for sale with no intention of selling as they are rewarded with a 12-month council tax exemption. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Edison losing two big supermarkets in coming days, leaving just one in town EDISON In several weeks the township will lose two big chain supermarkets, one each in the northern and southern sections of the community, leaving just one physically in one of the largest towns in the state. And so far it appears the town has not heard if new supermarkets will replace them, especially the Stop & Shop store in the shopping center at the intersection of Inman and Grove avenues, which is located across the street from the multi-story Inman Grove Senior Citizen Residence. Mayor Sam Joshi said he spoke with Stop & Shop corporate officials, and they are working with the store landlords to backfill with another replacement supermarket. Earlier this summer Stop & Shop announced it would be closing four underperforming Central Jersey stores and 10 statewide by the end of the year. The three in Middlesex County are located at 1083 Inman Ave., Edison; 1049 Route 1, Edison and 581 Stelton Road, Piscataway and the one in Somerset County at 1221 Route 27 in Franklin. Empty shelves are a common sight at the Stop & Shop on Inman Avenue in Edison. The Massachusetts-based supermarket chain is scheduled to shut the doors on a total of 32 stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. Although the Edison stores are slated to close in late October or early November, bare shelves and displays have already been spotted at the Inman Avenue store. Even without the two Edison Stop & Shop stores, the 30-square mile community with a population of more than 107,000 residents, is not without several stores that sell food. There is a ShopRite at Route 1 and Old Post Road not far from the Stop & Shop on Route 1; Costco, BJ's and Sam's Club have warehouse stores in town,; there is a Target with a market department and Walmart ; the Lotte Plaza Market on Amboy Avenue in Tano Mall; and a number of food, grocery and convenience stores that cater to residents of various cultures who live in town. Empty shelves are a common sight at the Stop & Shop on Inman Avenue in Edison. There also are plans for a grocer of culturally diverse foods to locate in the shuttered Sam Ash Music shop on Route 27 near the intersection with Plainfield Avenue. In addition there is a Whole Foods in nearby Metuchen, Wegmans and ShopRite in Woodbridge and two ShopRite stores in neighboring South Plainfield. Recently Edison resident Elizabeth Conway mentioned during a Township Council meeting that when she moved into her home near the Inman Avenue supermarket and the senior housing complex was being built, she recalls hearing that a nearby supermarket had to be provided for the seniors. She said the supermarket has changed names over the years, but the store has remained at that shopping center. A pedestrian crosswalk adjacent to the senior housing complex on Grove Avenue allows seniors to walk over to the shopping center. Conway asked township officials what would happen to the Inman Avenue store, which has been the subject of a lot of talk in the community. Empty shelves are a common sight at the Stop & Shop on Inman Avenue in Edison. Council President Nishith Patel said the governing body has not heard anything about the future of the Inman Avenue supermarket. Since then some residents online have advocated for a Trader Joe's store to locate at either of the two Edison Stop & Shop locations, while others have suggested the ShopRite on Route 1, which is an older model store, relocate to the Route 1 Stop & Shop location. Representatives from Wakefern Food Corp, which operates the Edison ShopRite, have not yet responded to an email request for comment. When neighboring Highland Park lost its Stop & Shop store in 2023, the only general chain supermarket in the borough, local officials made finding a replacement a top priority. On Friday the borough will hold a ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony for a new SuperFresh supermarket on Raritan Avenue at the former Stop & Shop site. Email: srussell@gannettnj.com Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Two big supermarkets in Edison set to close in a few weeks In May 1963, civil rights demonstrators in Birmingham, Alabama, demanded the integration of public schools. White authorities ordered them pummeled by fire hoses. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that racial segregation in public education violated the U.S. Constitution. One response in the South was to give white parents vouchers to pay to send their children to all-white private schools. (Photo by Frank Rockstroh/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) The Kentucky State AFL-CIOs opposition to Amendment 2 shouldnt surprise anyone who knows labor history. Unions have always championed public schools. The Republican-backed amendment, which will be on the Nov. 5 ballot, would change the state Constitution to permit the General Assembly to pass laws letting tax dollars go to private schools. You can bet if voters approve the measure, come January, the GOP supermajority House and Senate will lose no time approving a voucher program in which parents and guardians can use those public funds to send their children to private schools. Just as unions have historically supported public schools, Republicans, and white conservatives, have long been hostile to public schools, Brynn Tannehill wrote in the New Republic. School desegregation drove white evangelicals to become the strongest Republican demographic. Ronald Reagan promised to end the Department of Education in 1980. Trump put Betsy DeVos in charge of the Department of Education, precisely because she was a leading proponent (and funder) of defunding public schools, and funneling it to religious schools. Simply put, a voucher program will severely weaken public schools by draining away funds desperately needed to keep schools open. Depending on its size and scope, a voucher program in Kentucky would cost between $1.19 billion and $199 million, the equivalent of employing between 9,869 and 1,645 teachers and other staff, according to the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. Supporters of Amendment 2 claim vouchers enable parents or guardians to choose where to send their kids to school. While Amendment 2 proponents maintain that vouchers especially benefit poor families, evidence points the other way, starting with the origin of voucher programs. Vouchers were first created after the Supreme Court banned school segregation with its ruling in Brown v Board of Education, explains the National Education Association. School districts used vouchers to enable white students to attend private schools, which could (and still can) limit admission based on race. As a result, the schools that served those white students were closed, and schools that served black students remained chronically underfunded. The NEA points out that unlike public schools, private schools can (and some do) limit their admission based on race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, and any other number of factors. Furthermore, vouchers rarely cover the full tuition, so families who were promised a better education are left footing the bill. Its no coincidence that supporters of vouchers are also anti-labor. Theyre against the teachers unions, said Jeff Wiggins, Kentucky AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer. They want their own private schools so they wont have any unions. Added Wiggins, These conservative private schools have their own agendas. They want to teach students what they want them to learn. They dont want them to learn about unions and the struggles of working people. Writing in HuffPost, Robert J. Elisberg warned that the less educated the public is, the more it relies on authority figures, rather than question anything. And the more that education is disdained, the less that inconvenient facts will be believed. Public schools didnt become common in the U.S. until the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since colonial days, almost all schools had been private and too expensive for working class Americans. Hence, the labor movement was instrumental in establishing free public schools, American Federation of Labor President Samuel Gompers said in a speech at the National Education Associations 1916 national convention. He explained that wage-earners are more vitally interested inpublic schools than any other group of citizens because public schools are the only educational institutions available for their children and for them. Amendment 2 reflects old-time Social Darwinism, a pseudoscientific theory popular among the rich in Gompers time. A perversion of Charles Darwins theory of evolution, Social Darwinism was an elitist notion that the rich and their apologists in the press and pulpit often cited to justify the brutal exploitation of workers by millionaire industrialists. In the main, Social Darwinian theorizing held that the powerful in society are innately better than the weak and that success is proof of their superiority. Thus, Social Darwinists argued that public schools, unions, worker and safety and health laws and anything else that helped inferior folk should be resisted as violations of what they claimed was an immutable law of human nature: the strong survive, and the weak dont. The self-styled Captains of Industry worshiped at the altar of Social Darwinism and sent their kids to posh private schools while cheerily hiring poor kids the younger the better to work in their hellish factories, mines and mills. (Today, some right-wing Republicans are talking up rolling back child labor laws.) In the heyday of Social Darwinism, industrialists stubbornly, and often violently, resisted unions. Wages for industrial workers were so low, their children as young as 10 had to go to work to help their families make ends meet. Precious few families did, even with mom, dad and the kids all working. Unions saw public education as the surest way out of poverty for the children of workers. Elisberg said conservatives have always wanted just private schools and homeschooling which he said will be the end of an educated nation. . But for conservatives, thats okay. The wealthy and privileged will get their children a great education. And the rest of America? Youre on your own. He concluded: Public education is what helped make America the envy of the world. A nation of well-informed citizens. Leading the way in the space race, technology, finance, and medical advances. But conservatives? They want to go back to the old fashioned way. Like the Dark Ages. Where kings and the aristocracy ruled. And you peasants, obey thy overlord. Make no mistake, this is nothing new. The attack against education is the drug that conservatives have been pushing through history. In Kentucky, that drug is Amendment 2. Power is their drug, Wiggins said. They want to control everything, so theyre coming after public schools. My tax money belongs in public schools, not private schools. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX An 18-year-old from Rhode Island riding with three close friends died in a crash on a Connecticut highway late Friday night. Timothy Campbell, of 20 Chambers Street, Cumberland, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on Route 25, the Connecticut State Police said in a report. Campbell was a 2024 graduate of West Bay Collaborative, a nonprofit organization that offers alternative learning programs, and in August was hired to work there as a teacher assistant, West Bay Collaborative Principal April Seppala said in a GoFundMe fundraiser. Campbell was a back-seat passenger in a 2013 BMX X2 driven by an 18-year-old male from Cranston which was also carrying a 19-year-old female and an 18-year-old male, both also from Cranston. The four were close friends, according to Seppala. According to the state police preliminary investigation, the car carrying Campbell was traveling south on Route 25 when it approached another vehicle from behind and sideswiped the right side of the first vehicle, the police report said. The car carrying the Rhode Islanders spun out of control, went into the median, rolled over and hit multiple trees, the report said. The three others in the car were taken to hospitals for treatment of injuries that were not considered life-threatening. The report indicates Campbell wasn't wearing a seat belt. The southbound side of the highway was closed for several hours as the state police investigated. Seppala described Campbell as "a student and child who overcame so many obstacles and challenges that life provided him. He was the definition of a survivor and a leader." "He grew up with us at WBC from his middle school years through high school and in June 2024 graduated with his HS Diploma," Seppala wrote in the GoFundMe. "He matured and grew so much as a student and young man that we hired him in August of 2024 to be a teacher assistant with our primary school students." "For two weeks he started to make a difference in our student's lives serving as a role model for a 5th/6th grade classroom," she wrote. "The kids loved him, the staff loved him and his grandmother, mother, girlfriend and family were so proud of him." Seppala organized the fundraiser because "the last thing I want his family to deal with is the stress of raising money for his services." The state police ask anyone who saw the crash or has dash camera video to contact them at (203) 696-2500. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI's Timothy Campbell dies in car cash on Connecticut's Route 25 ETF Launches Hit Record 1,192 in First 8 Month of 2024 Global ETF launches hit a record in the year's first eight months, driven by demand for a wider range of the products from investors and advisors. Through September, 1,192 new products were launched this year, according to data from U.K.-based research and consulting firm ETFGI. That tops the previous record of 1,140 new ETFs listed year-to-date in 2021, ETFGI reported. BlackRock Inc.'s iShares led with 58 new exchange-traded funds, followed by 45 at Global X. Vanguard Group, the world's second-biggest ETF issuer, wasn't among the top 15. After accounting for 347 closures, the net increase stands at 845 products, the report noted. Top 15 providers of new launches YTD through end of August Source: ETFGI Factors Driving ETF Growth The surge in ETF launches is driven by a growing acceptance of ETFs across a broad spectrum of investors, said to Deborah Fuhr, managing partner and founder of ETFGI and a member of etf.com's editorial advisory board. ETFs are being embraced by various types of investorsretail, advisors, and institutionsaround the world, Fuhr told etf.com. Fuhr furthermore noted that asset managers are increasingly recognizing the advantages of the ETF structure. Fuhr mentioned the embracing of the ETF wrapper as a delivery mechanism for more asset managers as a key driver of growth. The United States led with 403 new funds, followed closely by the Asia Pacific region (excluding Japan) with 390, and Europe with 178, according to the ETFGI report. Among the new products, actively managed funds led with 529 launches, followed by 408 equity and 118 fixed income offerings, the report stated. Cryptocurrency ETFs have emerged as a strong force in asset accumulation, with the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) holding over $21 billion in assets, according to ETFGI data. IBIT 3-Month Fund Flows However, Fuhr noted some challenges she has seen in the crypto ETF space. I think the real challenge is going to be, to-date, it is highly unusual to see any of the model portfolios have allocations to any crypto, Fuhr explained. We also know that many of the platforms, wirehouses, etc, have still limitations on being able to allow the use of crypto. Despite the record launches, the industry also saw 347 closures from 117 providers across 24 exchanges, highlighting the competitive nature of the ETF space. ETFs do not sell themselves. You cannot rely on APs [authorized participants] and market makers to sell them, Fuhr said, emphasizing the importance of a well-thought-out strategy for new ETF launches. You basically have to have a very well thought-out sales and marketing plan if youre going to launch products. Story continues The global ETF industry reached a record $13.9 trillion in assets at the end of August, with 12,677 products from 744 providers listed on 81 exchanges in 63 countries, according to the ETFGI report. Permalink | Copyright 2024 etf.com. All rights reserved Election 2024: Attending college in Tennessee and not sure where to vote? Here's a guide. Hundreds of thousands of people are registering to vote for the first time as the Nov. 5 presidential election approaches, and many of them are young. One surge began in late July when President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Vice President Kamala Harris announced her bid, with the vast majority of new registrations coming from people under the age of 35. A new surge made headlines after Taylor Swift's endorsement of Harris following the presidential debate against former President Donald Trump on Sept. 10. Swift directed people to visit Vote.gov to register. Within 24 hours, more than 400,000 had visited the site. For students who live away from home to attend school in Tennessee, things can be a little confusing to navigate when it comes to registering and voting. Here's a guide on what to know, where to register and how to vote. Related: Taylor Swift's endorsement of Harris sends more than 400,000 visitors to Vote.gov Determine your eligibility To vote in Tennessee, you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old on or before the date of the next election and a resident of the state of Tennessee. If you have been convicted of a felony, it may not automatically mean you are ineligible to register or vote. It depends on the crime, date of conviction, expungement and other factors, according to the Tennessee Secretary of State website. More information can be found at SOS.tn.gov/elections/guides/restoration-of-voting-rights. Determine your residency For the purpose of the rest of this guide, we'll use a student who attends college in Nashville as the primary example. You do not lose your residency status by attending school in another city or state. Generally speaking, if you only live on campus for part of the year and go home to another address during breaks and holidays, that counts as your permanent address. It also determines your place of residency and where you should register to vote. So if you're from Ohio and attend school in Nashville, that means you should register with your local county election commission in Ohio. If you're from Gallatin, Tennessee, and attend school in Nashville, that means you should register with the Sumner County Election Commission. However, there are a few exceptions. What if I'm from Nashville? If you're a student who is from Nashville and also attends college here, you should still register to vote with your permanent address. Polling locations and your voting district are specific to your permanent address. Kym Kuhns makes her selections as she votes in the primary election at Sylvan Park Elementary School polling location on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. What if I live off campus? If you attend college in Nashville but live off campus within the city, you must establish residency there to register to vote in Nashville. Fully establishing residency means your off-campus home is your permanent address that you list for things like a driver's license, car registration, tax return information and other official business. New to Tennessee? Why you can thank this Vanderbilt professor for your voting rights Can I establish Tennessee residency with an on-campus address? Technically, yes. But there are several critical factors to consider, according to Davidson County Election Commission Administrator Jeff Roberts. Residential address : This is the address of where you sleep at night, like a dormitory or other on-campus housing. Mailing address (if different from your residential address) : This should be your dedicated campus post office box. That will ensure all election mail is delivered to you. Roberts warned against listing the university's general street address as a mailing address, since any mail sent to that address could be returned as undeliverable by the post office. Timing : The deadline to register to vote in Tennessee is Oct. 7. Since a valid Tennessee or federal government-issued photo ID is required to vote in Tennessee, Roberts said it's important to consider if you have enough time to get a new ID to meet this requirement when contemplating changing your residence from your home state, county or city. Scholarships or other assistance: Some scholarships, grants or other forms of financial assistance to colleges and universities are tied to where a student lives. Changing your residency may affect your ability to receive that assistance. Can I vote absentee? Absentee voting rules vary by state. Consult your local election commission or secretary of state for more information. In Tennessee, students who attend an accredited college or university full-time outside the county where they are registered are allowed to vote absentee. That rule also applies to spouses of those students. Tennessee absentee ballots are sent by mail and must be requested no later than seven days before the election. Your absentee ballot must be mailed so your local county election commission receives it by the time polls close the day of the election. More information on voting absentee in Tennessee can be found at SOS.tn.gov/elections/guides/guide-to-absentee-voting. Bill Vinett scans mail-in ballots into the system at the Election Commission so they can then be counted in Nashville, Tenn. Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020 Can I use my college ID card to vote? No. Tennessee requires a government-issued photo ID to vote. A list of frequently asked questions, including those about valid photo IDs, can be found at SOS.tn.gov/elections/FAQs. Find information on voter registration, deadlines and more Voter registration deadlines vary by state, but some are as early as 30 days before the election. Considering the presidential election coming up on Nov. 5, it's a good idea to check deadlines for your state as soon as possible. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission is a helpful hub to find voter information for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Go to EAC.gov and scroll down to find a drop-down menu that allows you to look up registration and voting information for your state. For Tennessee voting information and resources, visit GoVoteTN.gov. For more resources and guidelines on voting as a college student, visit vote.gov/guide-to-voting/college-student. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Election 2024: Where to vote, register for Tennessee college students All through Kamala Harris political career, success in debates has keyed her victories in very tight elections. Her tactic of letting opponents beat themselves may have provided winning margins in two of her four major triumphs, including the one that propelled her into major league politics. That was her 2010 exchange in a so-far unique contest for what is Californias de facto No. 2 elective job, attorney general. It was the only time in state history that the states two most prominent district attorneys, the chief prosecutors of San Francisco and Los Angeles counties, have faced off. Befitting a once-time-only contest, that campaign was exceptionally close, pitting San Francisco Democrat Harris against Republican Steve Cooley of Los Angeles in a race decided by a margin of less than 1%, or 74,000 votes out of 9.7 million cast. There was only one debate in that contest, staged on Oct. 10, 2010, in a mock courtroom at the UC Davis School of Law. Thats where Harris first showed her ability to calmly let an opponent self-destruct. The significant moment came when a moderator asked Cooley, faced with being paid less as attorney general than he was as district attorney, whether he would use his county pension to make up the salary difference. Responded Cooley, I definitely earned whatever pension rights I have, and I will certainly use that to supplement the very low, incredibly low salary thats paid to the attorney general. At the time, that official was paid $150,000 per year, while the average household income in California was $54,280. Harris, meanwhile, stood by silently, much as she merely chuckled over some of the falsehoods ex-President Donald Trump told in their Sept. 10 debate, including his calling her a Marxist and contending that illegal immigrants from Haiti are eating the pets of Americans. Cooley later conceded he erred in being so frank, but not before the Harris campaign featured his admission in campaign fliers. No one knows for sure, but theres a strong likelihood his admission cost Cooley enough votes to win an election not decided until the very last day of vote-counting. Harris performed similarly in her other squeaker election victory, the one she shared with President Biden in narrowly beating Trump and then-Vice President Mike Pence in 2020, an outcome Trump still refuses to concede. The closest hes come to that was his offhand remark during the Sept. 10 debate, when he said Im not President right now. In the Pence-Harris encounter, Pence tried to ape Trumps often-used debating style of interrupting his opponents, who usually have been overwhelmed by Trumps energy and not protested. But Harris broke in, reminding Pence that Im speaking! Pence stopped talking. Polls showed that moment gained Harris and Biden significant support among undecided women voters. Which demonstrates that Harris has a gift for not beating herself while letting her opponents do just that to themselves. The key question all this raises, in light of many polls indicating a large majority of voters including many Trump supporters who said their votes would not change thought Harris won their debate: Will that debate be a new difference-maker for Harris in what figures to be another ultra-close election? Another key question: Should Trump agree to a second debate on another television network, as Harris now suggests, in an effort to reverse the apparent outcome of the September encounter? Trump says he wont, but candidates often change their minds about debating or not. If he does that, Trump will figure he is capable of restraint when Harris tries to bait him into wandering far off his intended themes, as she did by questioning the Trump campaigns tally of crowd sizes and reactions at Trump rallies. He has yet to demonstrate that capability, while Harris has, possibly thanks to her experience in courtroom exchanges that come about as close as real life gets to an election debate. Its a key strategic decision for Trump, who has been reluctant to admit theres anything he cannot do. Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Elias: Will debating skills key another Harris win? Farm runoff, while improved, is still a contributor to poor Chesapeake Bay water quality. File photo from 2007 in Lexington, Ky. Photo by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Forty years of formal efforts to restore the water quality and living resources of the Chesapeake Bay have failed despite the expenditure of more than $12 billion. For 27 years, the Bay states solemnly agreed upon repeated voluntary restoration agreements and failed to comply without Environmental Protection Agency sanctions. In 2010, the EPA was forced by a court settlement to impose mandatory requirements for Bay states to assure that Bay-choking nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution were reduced. This was to comply with Clean Water Act (CWA) requirements so that 100% of Bay waters met the laws minimum standards for clean water. EPA generously gave the recalcitrant states until 2025 to comply or face penalties. As the states fail again by wide margins to meet CWA requirements, a feckless EPA again refuses to impose any sanctions to prod the states into compliance. Instead, EPA and the Bay state governors decided in 2022 to punt in lieu of ramping up efforts to tamp down the most egregious pollution sources agriculture and developed land stormwater. They agreed to take two years to recalibrate (read delay) and develop a new plan for beyond 2025. The draft issued in July was a real nothingburger. A Maryland Matters article from the Bay Journal noted the latest EPA two-year milestone evaluation (2022-2023) of state progress acknowledged that only 57% of the required nitrogen reductions were achieved since 1999 and 67% of phosphorus. But newer EPA data established nitrogen reductions were grossly overstated by nearly 50% which the EPA ignored. After nearly 15 years and record spending, states are less than a third of the way toward achieving needed nitrogen reductions. This cover-up of the wider margin of failure is typical. It is partially caused by the agricultural sector, the largest source of water-fouling nutrients 60% of nitrogen and 44% of phosphorous. The culprits are increased farm fertilizer, more farm animals and their excrement, and the ineffectiveness of farm best-management practices despite $2 billion in grants to farmers since 2010. More than 50 top Bay scientists, advising EPA on Bay restoration, found that there was limited evidence of reductions in phosphorus concentrations or of significant gains in nitrogen reductions, particularly from agriculture and other nonpoint sources. They noted that the best that can be said is that at least the Bay has not gotten worse over the last 40 years. They concluded that throwing more money at farmers for voluntary best management practices has not and will not significantly reduce nutrients precisely the safe plan still being followed. Unfortunately, most of the Bay conservation community has gone along with this agricultural strategy as some siphon off millions for their own coffers. The results are that only 28.1% of the Bays waters are unimpaired (not polluted), an improvement of just 1.6% since 1985 when 26.5% of Bay waters were unimpaired. The CWA requires 100% to be unimpaired. Despite all the claims of success and the greenwashing, there is no better indicator of achievement or failure than this data. Excess nutrients also have led to the proliferation of bacterial flesh-eating diseases threatening both life and limb. Restoring the Chesapeakes living resources is at the core of cleaning up our waters. So how are we doing? Gov. Wes Moore wrote to the Secretary of Commerce last year pleading for money because of an ongoing commercial fishery disaster Since 2012, landings of seven of Marylands marquee commercial fishery species have declined between 27% and 91% These species dockside value has likewise declined between 12% and 85%. They include crabs, rockfish, white and yellow perch. The application was denied. Despite in excess of $450 million spent on oyster restoration, oyster populations remain at 3% of historic levels. Bay grasses are critical to Bay ecosystem functioning but the Bay states commitment to achieve 185,000 acres by 2010 stood at only 82,937 acres in 2023, 45% of the goal. Strikingly, three Bay leaders published a Maryland Matters column quoting the misleading EPA nutrient reduction data and repeating overblown claims of success in agricultural pollutants. Their entire column is focused on development land runoff which is a real problem and where little progress is being made. This issue must be better addressed, but the EPA failed to impose any measures to do so. This urban runoff contributes 7% of all nitrogen flows compared to farms 60%. Even EPAs Ortiz acknowledged there is still a big gap in reducing agricultural nutrients which the environmental authors ignored. When the enforcer (EPA) lies down on the job, and many in the conservation community fail to act or contest this fecklessness, there is no hope for a restored, thriving Chesapeake. Erie Irish Festival caps off with plenty of food, drinks and good times One of Eries largest heritage festivals wrapped up its cultural celebration Sunday. The Erie Irish Festival came to a close Sunday after hundreds flocked to downtown erie to celebrate their Irish heritage. NAMI Erie continues efforts with first walk event East 4th Street turned into the Emerald Isle this weekend for the 31st annual Erie Irish Festival. The event took place outside of the almost 200-year-old Saint Patrick Church, which has been a symbol of the Irish community in Erie for decades. We are actually in the heart of old Irish Erie. Saint Patrick Church was the heart of it. This neighborhood was all Irish, and its just so great to celebrate our Irish heritage, said Gary Johnson, Irish Festival co-chairman. Anyone was invited to attend the festival for a weekend of Irish music, dancing, vendors and of course, beer. Locals taking action after lawsuit leads to veteran banner takedown in Union City Johnson said the event has been a great success this weekend, going through 60 to 70 kegs of beer and expecting to run out of food by the end of the day. Here in the Irish festival kitchen, its all hands on deck with volunteers making shepherds pie, Irish stew, and Reuben sandwiches. The weekend has been unbelievably successful. We are doing a fantastic job, our main dishes have been going over fantastically. Our volunteers have been working outstandingly. Theyve been working really hard. Theyve been doing a great job and were so proud of them, said Catherine Kern, an Irish Festival volunteer. Kern said the Rueben and Irish stew have been the most popular menu items this weekend. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Around 200 volunteers joined the effort for the festival, from working in the kitchen to setting up the stage. And for the volunteers and attendees alike, the festival was a way to celebrate their heritage. It feels very good to walk around with a green shirt that says Slainte and people ask What does that mean? Well, that means good fortune cheers in Gaelic, and so to share that with anybody, to share good food, to share good music that comes from just a wonderful country that always has that wonderful spirit, yeah, always proud to share that, Kern went on to say. All the money raised from the festival will go toward the upkeep of Saint Patrick Church. Fall season is upon us as Pumpkintown 2024 kicks off at Mason Farms Eries Irish community will get another chance to celebrate their heritage come Saint Patricks Day in March. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. (Bloomberg) -- A newly established Estonian defense company announced it will start producing anti-drone missile systems in Ukraine at a time when the war-torn nation faces increasingly intense Russian air raids. Most Read from Bloomberg The announcement by Frankenburg Technologies is the latest sign of European arms producers interest in opening up production facilities on Ukrainian soil. In February, German manufacturer Rheinmetall AG announced it would open a new plant in Ukraine to produce artillery ammunition. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in March that the country had signed five contracts with foreign arms companies to found joint enterprises in Ukraine. In the future, there will be dozens of joint productions, he said at a press conference. Frankenburg Technologies was established in January with the involvement of leading figures in the Baltic countrys defense and technology industries. The company is being advised by Estonias recently retired top military commander Martin Herem and chief executive officer of Milrem Robotics Kuldar Vaarsi has joined as a strategic investor. The companys cofounder is Taavi Madiberk, chief executive of Estonian supercapacitor maker Skeleton Technologies which has investments in Germany and France and a technology partnership with Siemens. Frankenburg Technologies indirect owners include Margus Linnamae, one of Estonias richest businessmen, according to company filings. The company has appointed Sergiy Koshman, who has previously worked as an expert for the Ukrainian presidents office and at Nokia Siemens Networks, as CEO in Ukraine, the Baltic News Service reported. (Corrects Shmyhals role in the third paragraph of a story dated Sept. 16) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. The News ADDIS ABABA Only 5.4% of Ethiopias high school students passed this years university entrance exams, in what experts see as the latest sign the educational system is still reeling after bold reforms were implemented three years ago. Last year, just 3.3% of applicants passed the all-important exam. The education ministry undertook the reforms in 2021 to improve the standards of education, teaching, and to root out exam cheating which was believed to be widespread. Know More When the current education minister, Birhanu Nega, took charge of his portfolio three years ago, he announced that the government was committed to stopping exam malpractices from taking place online and vowed to stop corruption within the education system. He also set out to test teachers competence amid allegations of certificate fraud in academic qualifications among the tutors. The following year, fears of not having enough students to start the academic year forced the government to lower its entrance grades to 30%. It also admitted more students. The result reflects the lack of proper preparation of students, training of teachers... with little psychosocial support and infrastructure to assist them, said Tirussew Teferra, an education professor at Addis Ababa University. He told Semafor Africa the current system focuses on exam results rather than fostering the necessary competencies at other levels. Step Back Before the government commenced with the education reforms, the acceptance of students at the tertiary institutions was much higher. In 2021, the acceptance rate was capped at 55% followed by 48% in 2022 while the recurring conflicts in the Horn of African nation have also severely harmed its education sector. UNICEF estimates that more than 8.3 million school-age children have not been enrolled in any learning institution. It estimates that more than 5,430 schools have closed and more than 9,000 schools were damaged due to the combination of climate shocks and conflict. EU agency: Over 500,000 asylum applications in first half of 2024 A migrant sits on a bench on the grounds of the Central Reception Center for Asylum Seekers (ZABH) in the state of Brandenburg. Patrick Pleul/dpa The number of asylum seekers in the EU, Norway and Switzerland decreased slightly in the first half of the year but still stands at over half a million, official figures showed on Monday. From January to the end of June, the Malta-based European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) recorded a total of 513,000 new applications, a slight fall of 6,000 compared to the first half of 2023. The statistics include figures from all EU countries as well as Norway and Switzerland, which are not part of the union. The most applications among the 29 countries were again registered in Germany: 124,000, or almost a quarter of the total number. However, the EUAA said that around 30,000 fewer applications were received by German authorities than in the same period last year. Across the entire region, the agency expects more than a million applications by the end of the year. Some 71,000 asylum seekers came from war-torn Syria, a 7% increase over the prior year. They were followed by 45,000 Afghans applying for asylum, which marked an 18% decrease. From Venezuela, 37,000 people applied for asylum, almost all of them in Spain. Not included in these figures are approximately 4.5 million people from Ukraine who have sought refuge in the EU and received temporary protection since the Russian invasion in February 2022. In the EU-wide comparison, Spain ranked second in absolute terms in the first half of the year with 88,000 applications, about the same as last year. Italy followed closely behind in third place with 85,000 applications, an increase of about one-third. Per capita, the small country of Cyprus had the most applications with 4,900. Figures from the United Kingdom, which is no longer part of the EU, are not included in the statistics. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, gives a press conference on the report of the future of European competitiveness. Christophe Licoppe/European Commission/dpa France's Thierry Breton abruptly resigned as the EU's internal market commissioner on Monday and said in a pointed letter he would not seek a post in President Ursula von der Leyen's new team of European commissioners. Breton said in his resignation letter posted on X that von der Leyen asked Paris to nominate another person in exchange for "an allegedly more influential portfolio for France" in the EU executive arm. Breton, who is the incumbent French commissioner, said this "political trade-off" was made "for personal reasons that in no instance" von der Leyen discussed directly with him. The French candidate, who publicly criticized von der Leyen's leadership during the recent European Parliament elections, said this was "further testimony to questionable governance" in the commission. A spokeswoman for the commission declined to comment on the public contents of Breton's letter and the attack made on von der Leyen's leadership of the commission. The spokeswoman also declined to comment on von der Leyen's engagement with Paris about the assignment of commission portfolios, citing the confidentiality of the engagements. The resignation comes as the commission president is preparing to unveil her new leadership team to the European Parliament on Tuesday. The process has already been delayed over a domestic political row in Slovenia about the nomination of a candidate to the commission. Von der Leyen is wrangling with EU countries over policy portfolios, trying to balance geographic and political factors in the composition of the EU executive arm. Complicating matters further is von der Leyen's request for EU member states to nominate a man and a woman for the commission roles in pursuit of gender parity among her 26 commissioners. The commission president made exceptions to this request for EU countries that wished to nominate their sitting European Commissioner, like Breton, for another term. However, most EU member states defied von der Leyen's request and nominated only one candidate to the commission - the majority of them being male. There is no legal requirement in EU treaties to nominate a male and female. After the surprise resignation of Breton, the Elysee Palace announced the nomination of Stephane Sejourne, the outgoing French Foreign Minister. Paris did not nominate a woman to replace Breton. In a statement the Elysee Palace thanked Breton and said Sejourne, a former EU legislator in the European Parliament, "meets all the required criteria" for the commission. Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, speaks at the event "Economic Transformation, Net-Zero Valley and Digitalization" at DOCK3 on the border of Saxony and Brandenburg. Patrick Pleul/dpa EU to name new defence tsar - but is the job a dud? EU chief Ursula von der Leyen is set to name a new commissioner to boost Europe's efforts to rearm (Lionel BONAVENTURE) (Lionel BONAVENTURE/AFP/AFP) Faced with Russia's war on Ukraine, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has promised to name a designated defence commissioner as a key part of her new top team. The message is meant to be clear: Europe is serious about rearming. But while the position was originally billed as central to the EU's ambitions, there are now major doubts over how much power it will actually have. That has meant heavyweight EU member states no longer seem so keen to snaffle up the role, set to be unveiled as part of the bloc's new line-up in the coming days. "The idea of creating a new position of an exclusive defence commissioner reflects the growing importance of defence for Europe today," Burkard Schmitt, defence and security director at industry association ASD, told AFP. "While the ambition behind this idea is commendable, the key question is: what would it actually mean in practice?" said Schmitt, who was speaking in a personal capacity rather than for his organisation. For now, commission president von der Leyen has been tight-lipped about what exactly the job would entail. One thing is sure -- the new defence commissioner is not a sort of EU defence minister. The 27-nation bloc has no army of its own and is not planning to set up one any time soon. Instead the main focus will be overseeing efforts to try to bolster the continent's defence sector. During von der Leyen's first five years at the helm, the defence industry was overseen by powerful French commissioner Thierry Breton as part of his wide-ranging mandate. Now the defence brief is expected to be spun off to a dedicated new commissioner -- with Breton promoted to a more senior role overseeing industrial growth across the bloc. - Show them the money? - Since Russia's tanks rolled into Ukraine in 2022, the defence push has become a major preoccupation in Europe. But after years of underinvestment, Europe has struggled to ratchet up capacity and remains a long way behind Russia in the race to churn out arms. Despite a slew of initiatives since Moscow's all-out invasion, the EU has yet to come up with the major sums needed to match its ambitions on defence. Countries jealously guard their defence industries and have been reluctant to cede more control in the sector to Brussels. While von der Leyen has estimated that the bloc will need to invest 500 billion euros ($550 billion) overall on defence over the next decade -- the figures on the table at an EU level are far below that. Convincing member states to spend chunks of their tightly guarded budgets on EU efforts will be a tough ask -- as will getting them to open up their national producers to competition. And unless the new commissioner has considerable funds to play with, their job risks lacking firepower. "Whether a dedicated defence commissioner will make a difference depends mainly on the budget allocated to that file," said Schmitt. "A defence budget of 100 billion would obviously have a bigger impact than a budget of 10 billion." - Turf war? - Experts say that to increase the heft of the new job von der Leyen could fold in other responsibilities. Those may include cyber security, protecting critical infrastructure, space, or efforts to boost the ability to transport troops from one part of Europe to another. "You can fatten out the portfolio beyond the perimeters that have been sketched out, that isn't too difficult," said Camille Grand, of the European Council on Foreign Relations. But whoever takes the new job could face a challenge carving out their niche in a turf war for influence in Brussels with some of the big names in the next commission. Breton will likely be looming from one side and on the other will be new foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, whose role involves overseeing the bloc's security policy. "It's up to the president of the Commission to properly define the role," said Guntram Wolff of the Bruegel think tank. Diplomats say the questions swirling over the new job have seen EU powerhouses such as France and Poland switch their priorities to obtaining other positions -- with defence now a fall-back option. "I think it's a very attractive plan B for many," said one EU diplomat. Despite the doubts over the role, analysts said that given growing threats in the world and since the United States may continue to step back from Europe, the defence gig was likely to be a mainstay in future administrations. "It's possible that the job will become more important and more significant over time," said Ian Lesser, Brussels head at the German Marshall Fund think tank. "I don't see it as a transient experiment." del/ec/rlp/bc (Bloomberg) -- Thierry Breton, the European Unions influential internal market chief, resigned Monday from the blocs executive arm, saying that France was asked to provide a different nominee for the next European Commission. Most Read from Bloomberg The surprise move complicates Commission President Ursula von der Leyens task to begin the new five-year term, likely delaying the planned Nov. 1 start. It also underscores the difficult relationship between von der Leyen and Breton, who said in his resignation letter that her request was further testimony to questionable governance. He said that von der Leyen asked France to withdraw his name as a nominee for personal reasons that in no instance have you discussed directly with me, and in return France would get a more influential role in the commission. Von der Leyen had previously asked member states to rethink their male commissioner nominees in an effort to get closer to her target for a gender-balanced commission, a process that was already causing delays. Von der Leyen was expected to announce her new commission Tuesday in Strasbourg. That timeline was under pressure after the Slovenian opposition party led by populist Janez Jansa delayed the confirmation of its commission candidate. Bretons departure could also further complicate plans to boost EU competitiveness, as he was in charge of the portfolio covering the blocs industrial policy and was an advocate of joint borrowing for areas including defense, another of his policy areas. Breton served as the blocs industry chief and also was the chief enforcer of the new Digital Services Act, which regulates content moderation on social-media platforms. As such, he often tangled with Elon Musks X and Meta Platforms Inc. In August, Breton penned an open letter to Musk, pointing out that X was facing EU scrutiny for potential failures to tackle disinformation, and warning him against disseminating problematic content. The timing of Bretons letter, posted ahead of Musks interview with US presidential candidate Donald Trump, led a Trump adviser to accuse the EU of meddling in the US election. Musk replied to Breton by posting an expletive-laden meme. Over his five years in charge of the commissions internal market unit, the 69-year-old has overseen the roll-out of a string of landmark digital regulations, including the content moderation rulebook the DSA, the Artificial Intelligence Act, and the chips act. Breton who was formerly CEO of French software maker Atos and France Telecom, Frances finance minister and a bestselling sci-fi writer would eagerly go toe to toe with technology moguls and founders he thought were not following EU regulation strictly enough. That put him on a collision course with Musk, with whom he traded barbs online, but also with other commissioners who felt the Frenchman was hogging the limelight. (Updates with planned commission start date in the second paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. What happens if I find an unregistered easement running through my property does it make my home worthless? Homeowners are often warned to brace for the unexpected. After all, you could purchase a home that passes its inspection with flying colors only to face a costly repair a few months down the road. Similarly, its possible to be living in your home for years, if not decades, only to discover that a portion of your land is restricted due to an unregistered easement on your property. Dont Miss Thats exactly what happened to Hamid Salahutdin, a 74-year-old Florida homeowner who found himself in a bind last year because he didnt know about a 50-foot easement that ran through his property. The house and everything its worthless, he told ABC Action News at the time. Its not his fault that he didnt know about the easement, either it allegedly wasnt properly recorded, so it didnt come up in a title search when hed purchased the home 14 years ago. Unfortunately, things like this can happen when you buy a home which is why its a good idea to consider title insurance. A costly surprise Salahutdin, the Florida homeowner, sued the City of St. Petersburg in 2023 over a failure to record an easement on his property. The easement contains pipes that supply water to 360,000 residents. The problem is that those pipes are now nearly 100 years old, so a rupture could happen at any time, resulting in untold damages. This discovery has eroded the value of Salahutdin's home. While Zillow puts the value of the property at nearly $1 million, that estimate doesnt account for the previously unknown easement. Now that its been discovered, the home is likely going to be a tough sell, and Salahutdin is realistically looking at much lower offers whenever he decides to list his property. An easement is a legal arrangement designating land for a specific use, and it isnt typically a problem. Some properties have conservation easements, for example, which require property owners to preserve that portion of their land for the sake of natural or cultural heritage. If part of your backyard is a conservation easement, for example, it means you cant build a pool or permanent shed in that area. Story continues It may, or may not, impact the value of your home, depending on the specifics of the situation. What makes Salahutdin's situation far worse is the potential for a catastrophic flooding event due to the old pipes. He had even originally purchased a $350,000 title insurance policy to cover a situation like this but the title company is refusing to pay, claiming that they are not liable because the city didn't officially record the easement. Now, Salahutdin's best course of action is to sue the city for the financial losses he's still incurring. Read More: Feeling broke on a $665K salary: This surgeon and his wife didn't realize their financial adviser may have been charging a high fee until Ramit Sethi set things straight Why it pays to have title insurance Depending on the kind you have, title insurance is designed to protect you (and your lender) against loss or damage that may result in liens or defects in a propertys title. Title insurance can come in handy with such common title issues as: back taxes, filing errors, liens, title forgeries, conflicting wills and undocumented easements. In general, the title insurance company would cover the financial damages incurred by a homeowner due to an easement that was never disclosed at the time of the sale. In Salahutdin's specific case, however, it could be that, because the city was allegedly at fault for not properly recording it, the title insurance company doesnt consider itself liable. Its common to buy title insurance in the process of closing on a home, and its a good idea to purchase title insurance even if your initial title search which is done in the course of your mortgage closing comes up free and clear of issues. As evidenced by Salahutdin's situation, surprises can still arise. Another important thing to do in the course of buying a home is to review the results of your title search carefully for red flags. In addition, take a peek at your property survey because, typically, if theres an easement on it, itll show up there. In the aforementioned situation, Salahutdin couldnt have done anything more to protect himself. Hes in a bind due to the citys alleged failure to properly record the easement on his property. But most of the time, that wont be the case, and many homeowners will have a relatively easy time finding out if theres an easement on their property or not. What to read next This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Lara Trump, the Republican National Committee co-chair and daughter-in-law of Donald Trump, defended the Trump campaigns lies about Haitian immigrants abducting and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. Given that the rumors amplified last week by the Trump-Vance campaign have been repeatedly discredited by Springfield police and local government officials, Fox Newss Howard Kurtz asked, Do you now accept, based on what local officials say, that this is untrue? Its not up to me to decide that, Lara Trump replied. This information came directly from the people of Springfield. No one at our campaignDonald Trump didnt make this up himself. You heard from people at a city council meeting, I believe, that they were very concerned about whats going on, she continued, referring back to rumors roundly debunked by those on the ground in Springfield. I think its a shame that people are trying to discredit the impact that the illegal immigration in this country has had on towns like Springfield, Ohio, she addeda sentiment that runs against remarks made by Ohios Trump-supporting Republican Governor, Mike DeWine, that same day. DeWine called the smears against the Haitian Springfield residents garbage, adding, Theyre here legally, and they want to work, and they are, in fact, working. Lara Trump was not the only member of Team Trump asked to answer for the campaigns lies this weekend. J.D. Vance told CNNs Dana Bash, If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then thats what Im going to do. The demonization of the Haitian residents in Springfield has given rise to threats against government offices, public schools, and hospitals. Kurtz: Do you accept what local officials say this is untrue. Lara Trump: It is not up to me to decide that, this information came directly from the people of Springfield. No one at our campaign Donald Trump did not make this up himself. pic.twitter.com/GvKH9NdLNO Acyn (@Acyn) September 15, 2024 LONDON (Reuters) -Former British TV presenter Huw Edwards, the long-time face of the BBC's flagship news programme, was given a suspended sentence at a London court on Monday after admitting making indecent images of children. Monday's sentencing sealed a fall from grace for Edwards, a household name in Britain for around two decades who as the BBC's leading news anchor announced the death of Queen Elizabeth to the nation in 2022. Edwards, 63, pleaded guilty in July to three charges of making indecent images of children, relating to 41 illegal images he was sent via WhatsApp - including two pornographic videos of a child aged between seven and nine-years-old. Judge Paul Goldspring sentenced Edwards to six months in prison suspended for two years, meaning Edwards will not go to jail unless he commits another criminal offence in that time. Seven of the illegal images were of the most serious category, prosecutor Ian Hope said, and both of those videos were marked as "read" on WhatsApp. In response to the second video, Edwards asked the man sending them: "Any more?" The offence of making indecent images of children relates to the images that were sent to Edwards. Prosecutors did not allege Edwards had literally made the images in question. His lawyer Philip Evans said Edwards was at the time of the offending suffering with his mental and physical health and he no memory of actually viewing any particular images. "He didn't use them for any personal gratification and he didn't gain any gratification from those indecent images," Evans said. Edwards' was "profoundly sorry," he added. "He recognises the repugnant nature of such indecent images and the hurt that is done to those who appear in such images." Claire Brinton of the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement: "Accessing indecent images of children perpetuates the sexual exploitation of them, which has deep, long-lasting trauma for these victims." The judge said that Edwards' reputation was now "in tatters", but that the personal impact on Edwards was "the natural consequence of your behaviour which you brought on yourself". A BBC spokesperson said: "We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him." (Reporting by Sam Tobin, Editing by Kylie MacLellan and Angus MacSwan) Former Vice President Mike Pence is set to speak at Middle Tennessee State University Tuesday on Defining Democracy, as part of the universitys annual Constitution Week organized by the universitys American Democracy Project. The choice has brought pushback from some student groups, but university administration has emphasized the choice is an example of the universitys dedication to free expression, and not partisan. MTSU throughout the years has hosted speakers representing a wide spectrum of beliefs, perspectives and points of view, MTSU President Sidney McPhee said in a statement. I have long held that providing a welcoming environment for the free expression of ideas is essential for preparing students to become successful scholars, engaged citizens and well-rounded human beings. Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the Tennessee Republican Party's Statesmen's Dinner at Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017. The annual event stems from a Cold War federal law passed in 1954, and later amended in 2004, that mandates universities that receive federal funding to hold educational events regarding the Constitution on Sept. 17, which is National Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. Former speakers at MTSU for the celebration have included former U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Nashville, former U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, as well as former Vice President Al Gore. McPhee said principles the university adheres to dictate that it is not the universitys role to attempt to shield individuals from ideas and opinions they may find offensive, unwise, immoral, indecent, disagreeable, conservative, liberal, traditional, radical, or wrong-headed. In a statement, John Vile, dean of the Honors College at MTSU, said the decision to host Pence was years in the making. According to him, Pence was suggested to the university as a speaker prior to his election as vice president. This, along with Pences defense of democracy on Jan. 6, 2021, encouraged the school to book him. We decided that Pence would be a good Constitution Day Speaker, especially in light of the important role that he played in certifying the 2020 presidential election a decision that went against his own political interest and likely spared the nation a great deal of turmoil, Vile said. The Honors College is a key organizer of the event. But some large student organizations on campus have expressed frustration at the choice. MTSUs Young Democratic Socialists of America, in a statement on social media, said the event will glamorize a legally corrupt and homophobic psychopath on our campus. The justification to bring Mike Pence on campus during Constitution Week likely stems from an admiration of his refusal to falsely certify former President Donald Trump as the victor of the 2020 election, the group said. While he certainly made the appropriate choice, one instance of doing the bare minimum to preserve our pseudo-democratic system does not automatically make him some enlightened beacon of democratic principles. Students man the voter registration table at the 2023 Constitution Day activities on Sept. 28. Efforts like this helped win Middle Tennessee State University the top spot for the Tennessee College Voter Registration Competition. MTLAMBDA, the schools largest LGBTQ+ organization, also condemned the event in a social media statement, detailing a number of anti-LGBTQ+ positions Pence has taken over the years and calling him an infamous queerphobe and a danger to democracy. In July, MTSU received a "green light" rating for free speech protections from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, one of 68 universities nationwide to achieve the highest rating offered. The school had previously been ranked as yellow light school in January 2024, but improved due to a number of clarified free speech policies. The USA TODAY Network - Tennessee's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Have a story to tell? Reach Angele Latham by email at alatham@gannett.com, by phone at 931-623-9485, or follow her on Twitter at @angele_latham This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ex-VP Mike Pence's invite to speak at MTSU prompts student pushback BEAVERCREEK, Ohio (WDTN) Authorities are investigating a reported alligator sighting at a local park. The city of Beavercreek reports the Beavercreek Police Department responded to Dominick Lofino Park around noon on Saturday, Sept. 14. According to the city, officers were called to the location for a reported alligator spotting. Local teen James Bond, III, was at the park fishing with his father when a large shadow went near his fishing line in the water. He was fishing out here with his dad, and he was fishing in between the two tree areas, his line, and he cast it out and he seen a large shadow go underneath his line, said Megan Stanley, mother of Bond. We fish all the time of Indian Lake, Caesars Creek, and hes never seen anything like that before. Bond decided to take images of the large animal in the water. Although Beavercreek Police has only received the one call for a reported sighting, the city is now working with wildlife officials to assist with the investigation. Proposed AES Ohio plan would mean cost increases for customers Although there is no immediate danger to the public, we ask residents to exercise caution around the pond as a precaution until further notice, said the city. Our team is working diligently to confirm the situation and will provide updates as more information becomes available. If you believe you have information that could help investigators, please call the Beavercreek Parks Division at 937-427-5514. This embedded content is not available in your region. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. Experts sound alarm on surprisingly 'sweaty' way extreme heat is being worsened: 'It is the plants reacting to that warmer weather' It seems that humans weren't the only ones sweating during our scorching summer in the United States. Corn sweat contributed to heat waves in the central part of the country, making the heat worse by adding more moisture to the air. What's happening? Corn sweat is a type of evapotranspiration. The definition of evapotranspiration from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) is "the sum of all processes by which water moves from the land surface to the atmosphere via evaporation and transpiration." "It is the plants reacting to that warmer weather. They also then need more moisture, so they're uptaking more from stored-underground water and bringing that up to the atmosphere that we're in," Chris Clark, an agronomist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said in an interview with Green Bay's WFRV-TV, per the Guardian. The amount of moisture from "sweat" that corn and other crops release into the atmosphere is astounding. One acre of corn can release 3,000 to 4,000 gallons of water daily, according to the USGS. Why is corn sweat important? Corn sweat can make heat waves more harsh by increasing the relative humidity of the air. This is most prevalent in the Midwest, home to the country's highest-corn-producing states, such as Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska. A heat wave in late August sent temperatures soaring to nearly 100 degrees in Chicago. According to the National Weather Service, the city hit a record-breaking high of 99 degrees on Aug. 27, NBC Chicago reported. When the relative humidity was taken into consideration, the heat index value, or feels-like temperature, reached as high as 115 degrees at O'Hare International Airport. Heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates around 1,220 people are killed by extreme heat every year in our country. A research letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found heat-related deaths have risen sharply, by 117% from 1999 to 2023, as the Guardian summarized. What's being done about extreme heat? The buildup of heat-trapping gases in our planet's atmosphere is making heat waves longer-lasting, more intense, and more frequent. This summer featured several record-breaking heat waves. Even though builders are using cutting-edge home designs to withstand heat waves, and cities in Europe are testing a promising new method for dealing with summer heat, it is clear that we need to cool our overheated planet. Talking about climate issues with your family and friends and advocating for change at work are some places to start. You can also have your voice heard at the ballot box by voting for pro-climate candidates. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Extreme Weather to Hit 70% of Humans in Next 20 Years, Study Warns Nearly three in four of us will face extreme weather changes within the next two decades, a new study predicts. "In the best case, we calculate that rapid changes will affect 1.5 billion people," says physicist Bjrn Samset from the Center for International Climate Research (CICERO) in Norway. This lower estimate would only be reached by dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions something that is yet to occur. Otherwise, CICERO climate scientist Carley Iles and colleagues' modeling finds that if we continue on our current course, these dangerous changes will hit 70 percent of Earth's human population. Their modeling also suggests that much of what's to come is already locked in. "The only way to deal with this is to prepare for a situation with a much higher likelihood of unprecedented extreme events, already in the next one to two decades," explains Samset. We've already lived through examples of these extremes. Data from Europe's climate service Copernicus shows Earth just had its hottest Northern Hemisphere summer on record. The previous record was just last year. The Southern Hemisphere has been experiencing a record-breaking warm winter too. Monthly global surface air temperature anomalies (C) relative to 18501900. (Copernicus Climate Change Service /ECMWF) This global temperature increase has brought with it fatal fires, floods, storms, and droughts that are decimating crops and leading to increasingly widespread famine, creating favorable conditions for the spread of more diseases as well. "Like people living in a war zone with the constant thumping of bombs and clatter of guns, we are becoming deaf to what should be alarm bells and air-raid sirens," Woodwell Climate Research Center climate scientist Jennifer Francis told Seth Borenstein at the Associated Press, in response to the new Copernicus data. Iles and team's modeling suggests further extreme weather changes will occur even more rapidly than we have seen so far. This increases the chances that more dangerous extremes in temperatures, rain, and winds could occur in succession or even simultaneously. For example, the increase in dry lightning combined with greater dry conditions is creating more frequent and intense wildfires around the world. And in 2022, a severe heatwave in Pakistan was immediately followed by unprecedented flooding, impacting millions of people. "Society seems particularly vulnerable to high rates of change of extremes, especially when multiple hazards increase at once," the team explains in their paper. "Heatwaves may cause heat stress and excess mortality of both people and livestock, stress to ecosystems, reduced agricultural yields, difficulties in cooling power plants, and transport disruption. "Similarly, precipitation extremes can lead to flooding and damage to settlements, infrastructure, crops and ecosystems, increased erosion and reduced water quality." Under our current high emissions trajectory, the tropics and subtropics in particular, where most humans call home, will face the biggest weather extremes. "We focus on regional changes, due to their increased relevance to the experience of people and ecosystems compared with the global mean, and identify regions projected to experience substantial changes in rates of one or more extreme event indices over the coming decades," says Iles. With drastic emissions cuts we can reduce some of these impacts, but this will cause some regions more immediate issues too. "While cleaning the air is critical for health reasons, air pollution has also masked some of the effects of global warming," explains meteorologist Laura Wilcox from the University of Reading in England. "Now, the necessary cleanup may combine with global warming and give very strong changes in extreme conditions over the coming decades. Rapid clean-up of air pollution, mostly over Asia, leads to accelerated co-located increases in warm extremes and influences the Asian summer monsoons." But not acting means these worsening weather extremes will likely impact most of us within the very near future. You can see the sorts of climate shifts expected in your home area in an interactive map here. "These conclusions emphasize the need for both continued mitigation and adaptation to potentially unprecedented changes over the next 20 years even under a low-emissions scenario," write Iles and colleges. This research has been published in Nature Geoscience. Related News A woman was injured due to the fall of debris from a downed Russian drone in Kyiv Oblast on the night of 15-16 September, and she was taken to hospital. Source: Ruslan Kravchenko, Head of Kyiv Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Quote: "Unfortunately, a woman was injured as a result of falling debris from downed targets. She was taken to one of the oblasts medical facilities, and all necessary assistance is being provided." Damaged car Photo: National Police of Ukraine Details: Kravchenko said that residential or critical infrastructure facilities had not been hit. The aftermath of The Russian attack on Kyiv Oblast Photo: National Police of Ukraine As of 08:30, damage to five cars and five houses had been recorded in Kyiv Oblast. They have broken doors and windows, as well as damaged facades and roofs. Grass and forest litter caught fire in four districts of the oblast. All fires have been extinguished. Grass and forest litter caught fire Photo: National Police of Ukraine Background: On the night of 15-16 September, Ukrainian air defence shot down almost 20 Russian UAVs in the airspace around Kyiv. In total, the Russians bombarded Ukraine with 56 Shahed attack UAVs. Ukrainian air defence forces destroyed 53 of the drones, while the remaining three disappeared from radar. Support UP or become our patron! Family Says Young, Black Man Was Lynched In NC, But Is That How He Really Died? Photo: Facebook A TikTok video about the alleged lynching of a Black truck driver has taken over social media. Police claim theres no reason to assume foul play. However, the victims family believes theres a coverup afoot. Last week, authorities from the Vance County Sheriffs Office in North Carolina responded to the accusations of covering up the alleged lynching of 21-year-old Javion Magee. The truck driver and Chicago native was found dead in a rural area on Sept. 11, police said. Authorities say he was found a short way from his truck, leaning against a tree with a rope around his neck. However, a woman who said Magee was her younger cousin made a TikTok video alleging Magee was found hanging from a tree in Henderson, NC. She also stated the police told her he went to Walmart to purchase the rope and hung himself. On top of that, she alleged the police wouldnt allow Magees mother to identify his body using a variety of excuses. However, authorities refuted those claims, leaving everyone invested in this story with even more confusion. I understand theres over 1,000 hits on TikTok (accusing) the sheriffs office of not being transparent, not providing information to the family, and that is not true. There is not a lynching, said Vance County Sheriff Curtis R. Brame via ABC 11 News. The young man was not dangling from a tree. He was not swinging from a tree. The rope was wrapped around his neck. It was not a noose. There was not a knot in the rope. So therefore, it was not a lynching here in Vance County. He also alleged Magee bought the rope from Walmart. There are currently no signs of foul play, though it is still too early to call Magees death a suicide, the sheriff told local reporters. Preliminary autopsy results have been shared with the family, per ABCs report. The report showed signs of hemorrhaging around Magees neck but no other signs of trauma. The official cause of death is still pending. Sheriff Brame also said the FBI and State Bureau of Investigation joined the probe into Magees death. As of now, Magees family demands transparency and for the holes in the case to be filled with answers. The family hired legal representation to further support their claims that Magee didnt hang himself Harry Daniels, the familys attorney, said in a statement that As of today, the authorities havent shown us anything proving that this young man with no history of mental illness took his own life. He also asked how could police expect the family to take their word when they wont even let this family view the body? For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. A warning has been issued for farmers to watch out for overhead lines [ENW] A farmer was lucky to survive after crashing into an electricity pole and bringing down overhead lines carrying 33,000 volts, an energy company has said. The accident in a field in Preston in July was one of seven incidents across Lancashire as the harvest season got under way, Electricity North West said. The firm has issued a warning to farmers, calling on them to "look out and look up" to avoid live electricity infrastructure. Spokesman Paul Killilea said: The farmers involved are lucky to be alive". 'Be vigilant' He continued: "Weve also seen considerable damage to the power network, which has then gone on to affect customers due to the power cuts that have been caused, but the reality is this could have been a very different situation for those involved. We are again calling on farmers to take note of their surroundings, be vigilant and stay aware. I urge everybody who works on farmland to take note - these incidents are serious and by being aware, it really could save a life. Other incidents in the last few weeks have happened in Croston, Rossendale, Clitheroe, Burnley, Lancaster and Goosnargh. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk More on this story A farmer pulls a roller across a field in Stutsman County on May 16, 2024. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) Two of North Dakotas largest farm groups are taking opposite stances on a ballot measure that could bring major changes to how farmland is taxed and how local governments are funded. North Dakota Farm Bureau announced last week that it would support Measure 4, which would prohibit governments from levying taxes on the assessed value of property if the measure is approved by voters in the Nov. 5 general election. The freedom to own property is the foundation of our American dream, North Dakota Farm Bureau President Daryl Lies said in a news release. We believe the passage of Measure 4 will enhance our freedom by removing valuation-based taxation of our private property. Matt Perdue, policy analyst for the North Dakota Farmers Union, said that group supports property tax relief but opposes property tax elimination as put forward in Measure 4. Theres really no plan for replacing those revenues, Perdue said. Lies said Farm Bureau is committed to assisting and guiding the Legislature in the essential task of prioritizing funding to replace the resources allocated to municipalities, as specified in the measure. North Dakota Farmers Union calls itself the largest general farm organization in the state with more than 60,000 families as members. North Dakota Farm Bureau says it has more than 28,000 member families. The state has estimated that Measure 4 would cost $3.15 billion for the 2025-2027 biennium. Rick Becker, who has led to the effort to repeal property taxes based on assessed value, has said the state has plenty of money to replace local property tax revenue. He said the state needs to cut wasteful spending. Perdue said local governments dont want to rely on the state for funding. It transfers that control, Perdue said, with rural areas feeling the greatest impact. Farmstead homes and buildings are already not taxed, though the land beneath the buildings is. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Non-core operations are being wound down, the firm said [Getty Images] Shipbuilding company Harland and Wolff has confirmed the business is to be placed into administration for the second time in five years. Insolvency practitioners Teneo are being lined up to act as administrators and some "non-core" staff are being made redundant. However, the companys board said there was a "credible pathway" for its four shipyards to continue trading under new ownership. Its main yard is in Belfast, best known for building the Titanic, with other operations at Appledore in England and Methil and Arnish in Scotland. Harland & Wolff's main yard is in Belfast and is best known for building the Titanic [Getty Images] The company said the administration process would be confined to the holding company, Harland & Wolff Group Holdings plc, and the operational companies which run the yards are expected to continue trading. However, shareholders will see the value of their investments in the business entirely wiped out. The firm said its non-core operations are being wound down. That process had already started with the closure of its Scilly Isles ferry service before sailing had even begun. Other non-core operations include a small business in the US and a marine services business which is to be sold in the hope of preserving 14 jobs. A small number of non-core staff and others in support roles were told Monday they were losing their jobs. The company warned that "a further reduction in headcount in our core activities may be necessary" depending on the progress of the sales process. Shipbuilding has been a major part of Belfast's industrial history [Reuters] A government spokesperson acknowledged that it was "a concerning time for those affected" but added that Harland and Wolff has been clear that the process will not "affect jobs at its shipyards or core operations". This includes delivering its contracts for the Ministry of Defence. The spokesperson said: We are clear that following a thorough review of the companys financial situation, at present the market is best-placed to address these challenges and providing government funding would have meant a significant risk of losing taxpayer money." The spokesperson added that the government will work with all parties to find an outcome "that delivers shipbuilding and manufacturing in Belfast, Scotland and across the rest of the UK and protects jobs". 'A credible future' On Saturday, the firms executive chairman, Russell Downs, said the yards "together or separately have a credible future". "We have strong leadership in all of our yards," he said. "We have a strong business case around the work they are currently doing and the work they expect to do in the future. Story continues "They have a funding need in the near term but into the future they will be generating cash." Rothschild bank is running the sales process and the company said a number of parties had contacted it to express an interest in acquiring some or all of the yards with a first-round bid deadline due shortly. It is understood that Spains state-owned shipbuilder Navantia is interested in the Belfast operation. Navantia is the major partner in the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme to build three Royal Navy logistics vessels with Harland and Wolff as subcontractor. Sky News has reported that Babcock International, the UK defence contractor, is also a potential bidder for the Belfast business. Mr Downs told the BBC he hoped to be able to conclude a deal or deals by the end of October. Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said the interest in acquiring the company showed that "the future of Harland and Wolff is very strong". She described it as an "absolutely iconic and key company for Northern Ireland". Both Little-Pengelly and First Minister Michelle O'Neil, said they'd work with the company to find a solution that would protect jobs. A photograph circa 1912 of the Titanic ship [PA Media] The company has also given more details of an investigation into the alleged "misapplication" of funds under previous management. Accountants PwC and law firm Simmons and Simmons have been appointed to conduct the investigation. It said Mr Downs took the step in response to concerns raised by customers over "the alleged misapplication of remittances in excess of 25m and certain other lower value matters, such as the disbursement of funds for little or no corporate benefit". The companys former chief executive, John Woods, told the Financial Times that the allegation of misapplication of funds was ridiculous". The GMB union said the yards were needed for "future capabilities" [Getty Images] GMB union national officer Matt Roberts said "workers, their families and whole communities now face their lives being thrown into chaos due to chronic failures in industrial strategy and corporate mismanagement". Mr Roberts said the four Harland and Wolff yards were "needed for our future sovereign capabilities in sectors like renewables and shipbuilding". The government must now act to ensure no private company is allowed to cherry pick what parts are retained, in terms of which yards or contracts they wish to save," he said. Unite the Union's Irish regional secretary Susan Fitzgerald said that it was "essential that all measures are taken to protect the workforce" at Harland and Wolff. "It is vital that the right buyer is found, failing that the government should be prepared to intervene," she said. Workers at Harland and Wolff should be in no doubt that Unite has their back and will leave no stone unturned in securing a long-term viable future for the workforce. Speaking on Monday, Mr Downs said it was "important to recognise that this is extremely difficult news for the company's staff directly affected and will impact many others within group". "We will work to support our staff through this transition. Unfortunately, extremely difficult decisions have had to be taken to preserve the future of our four yards," he continued. "This will clearly be very unwelcome news for shareholders who have shown significant commitment to the business over the last five years." Favre, current & former MS Coast officials owe millions, state says. Heres who & how much Mississippi Coast native and former Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Brett Favre is among those who still owe money to the state for alleged misspent public funds, according to State Auditor Shad Whites 2024 audit exceptions report. The report covers the fiscal year that ended in July, and includes a list of current and former Coast officials who owe over $2 million in fines , restitution, or both, for embezzling or misspending public money. Auditor Shad White is paying a Massachusetts-based consulting group $2 million in public money with a directive to find at least $250 million in waste in state agencies. The state auditors office recovered $6,290,619.64 for the fiscal year. Of that, the states Investigations Law Enforcement Division issued 37 demands for the recovery of $1. 35 million in misspent or embezzled money. Not all audit exceptions listed in the report are criminal violations. In Favres case, White is pursuing civil action to recover $729,790 in interest on $1.1 million in public welfare dollars that Favre and his business partner at Favre Enterprises received. In the civil filing, White argues the money was misspent on projects backed by Favre. Favre received the welfare dollars in 2017 from the Temporary Assistance for the Needy Families program, or TANF, to do promotional work for a volleyball arena at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi. Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. Favre repaid $500,000 to the state in 2020 and 600,000 in October 2021, but White has pursued civil action against Favre to recover the interest. Favre, who has not been charged with a crime, is among 14 other people or organizations that were issued demand letters for repayment to the state for misspent or embezzled funds as part of the states largest welfare investigation. Heres a list of other Mississippi Coast cases with repayment demands: Harrison County Mike Ludlow Embezzled: $6,678.32 Payments in 2024 fiscal year: none Balance owed: $6,678.32 On May 5, 2021, the auditors office sent Mike Ludlow, a former maintenance director for the Biloxi Public School District, a formal demand for $6,678.32. Ludlow was indicted on felony charges of embezzlement and false representations to defraud the government by submitting fraudulent timesheets for work in the Biloxi School District when he wasnt present. He has since pleaded guilty to the charges. Paul Cannette Embezzled: $244,819.78 Payments for fiscal year 2024: $4,400 Balance owed: $219,236.28 Paul Cannette In November 2017, Cannette, as former chief of police for Biloxi Schools, was indicted on a charge of embezzlement and a formal demand of $244,819.78 was issued. Cannette pleaded guilty and was sentenced in August 2018 to 10 years in prison with 5 1/2 years of that sentence suspended and 4 1/2 years to serve in prison, followed by 5 years of post-release supervision. Harrison County District 4 Supervisor Kent Jones Misspent funds: $37,095.28 plus interest and investigative costs. Payments: Paid in full On May 31, 2023, a formal demand was issued to Jones to repay $37,095.28. The total includes $3,989.63 in interest and $12,400.63 in investigative costs. The auditors office investigated Jones and demanded repayment for a television set, carpet, and other items purchased for a makeshift apartment at the ball field press box. Jones has not been charged with a crime. Mississippi Department of Marine Resources William W. Bill Walker Embezzled: $362,689.14 Payments in fiscal year 2024: $78,000 Balance owed: $50,105.14 The auditors office formally demanded $362,689.14 from Bill Walker, former MDMR executive director, on Nov. 7, 2013. Former Department of Marine Resources Director Bill Walker arrives at the FBI office in Gulfport on Friday, Nov. 8, 2013, after being indicted on charges related to his work at the agency. On March 10, 2014, Walker pleaded guilty to embezzlement and was later sentenced to 5 years in prison, 3 years supervised release, a fine of $125,000, $572,689 in restitution. Of the $572,689, Walkers son, Scott Walker was responsible for repaying $210,000. Joseph Ziegler, Jr. Admitted involvement in the embezzlement of $258,268.75 Payments in fiscal year 2024: none Balance owed: $63,462.57 Former DMR Chief of Staff Joseph Ziegler, Jr. was issued a formal demand in the amount of $258,268.75 on Nov. 7, 2013. On Aug. 14, 2014, Ziegler pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor misprision of a felony, meaning he knew a felony crime had been committed. He was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest and three years of supervised probation. Mississippi Department of Health Casey Craven Allegedly embezzled: $2,282.19 Payments in fiscal year 2024: None Balance Owed: $1,171.19 The auditors office sent a formal demand for $2,282.19 to Casey Craven, a former Health Department employee, for misappropriated funds in December 2019. Gulf Coast Community Action Agency Linda Harvey-Irvin and Markuntala Croom Restitution for bribery: $531,236 Payments in fiscal 2024: None listed Balance Owed: $531,236 Former Gulf Coast Community Action Agency Deputy Director, Linda Harvey-Irvin, and Markuntala Croom, a former vendor to the agency, were ordered to jointly pay $531,236 in restitution. On Feb. 19, 2015, Irvin pleaded guilty to bribery and was sentenced the following July to 85 months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release and 100 hours of community service. She was ordered to jointly pay $531,236 in restitution with Croom. Croom also pleaded guilty to bribery and was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release. She was also assigned 100 hours of community service. This case was worked jointly with the FBI. Federal restitution is still owed. Donald Walton Restitution for bribery: $31,000 Payments in fiscal year 2024: None listed Balance owed: $31,000 A second Gulf Coast Community Action Agency vendor also pleaded guilty to bribery. Donald Walton was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison and two years of supervised release. Walton was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and a forfeiture judgment of $31,000 that covered the amount he received in the bribery scheme. This case was worked jointly with the FBI. Federal restitution is still owed. Gautier Eric Maye Embezzled over $1,433 Payments in fiscal year 2024: $300 Balance owed: $1,133.34 Now ex-Moss Point police officer Eric Maye waits for a hearing at Jackson County Circuit Court in Pascagoula on Thursday, March 24, 2022. The hearing was delayed to give the officer time to hire his own attorney. Eric Maye, a former Gautier and Moss Point police officer, was indicted on two counts of felony embezzlement in two cases in 2023. In the Gautier case, Maye admitted using his city of Gautier gas card to fuel up his personal vehicles. In the Moss Point case, Maye admitted to stealing an unspecified amount of money from a drug suspect while working as a Moss Point police officer. Maye pleaded guilty to both charges and was sentenced to five years of house arrest followed by five years of post-release supervision. The OSA issued a demand letter to repay the amount embezzled in 2023. George County Kevin Mardis Embezzled: $13,480.94 Paid in fiscal year 2024: $1,192.44 Balance owed: Paid in full Former JROTC Instructor Sgt. Kevin Mardis pleaded guilty to embezzling $13,480.94 in 2015. He was sentenced to 3 years of non-adjudicated probation and ordered to pay $6,740.47 to the George County School System and $6,740.47 to the Office of the State Auditor. Mardis paid $1,194.44 in fiscal year 2023. Gulfport Courtney Page Allegedly embezzled: $3,106.28 Payments in fiscal year 2024: None Balance Owed: $3,106.28 On Aug. 25, 2016, the auditors office sent a formal demand for $3,106.28 to Courtney Page, a former utility cashier for the Gulfport. The misuse of funds case was sent to the attorney general on March 17, 2017. For Fiscal Year 2022, no payments have been received. Pam Baker Overpayments to staff: $423,801.15 Payments in fiscal year 2024: None Balance owed: $179,977.22 On June 27, 2012, the OSA issued a formal demand for $423,801.15 to Dr. Pam Baker, former director of the South Mississippi Regional Center, for the overpayments she allegedly made to her staff. Jackson County Alicia Landaverde, former utilities clerk in city of Gautier Embezzled $8,514.06 Amount owed: $8,514.06 Balance owed: Paid in full. Alicia Landaverde The former utilities customer service representative embezzled $8,514. In June 2023, she was indicted on embezzlement charges and making false statements. In February, she pleaded guilty, was sentenced to five years probation, and was ordered to pay fines, fees and court costs. Roger Gibson Allegedly embezzled: $3,912.71 Payments in 2024 fiscal year: None listed Balance owed: $1,514.75 Roger Gibson, an employee at Jackson County Emergency Services, was indicted in December 2016 for conspiracy to commit fraud. The auditors office formally demanded the missing $3,912.71 in March 2017. Prosecutors decided not to pursue the 2016 indictment, but the auditor sent the case to the attorney general in March 2018. For fiscal year 2022, no payments have been received. Linda Smeby Embezzled: $9,113.85 Payments in fiscal year 2024: $700 Balance owed: $1,082.35 Linda Smeby, a former bookkeeper for the Keys Vocational Center, pleaded guilty to embezzlement and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in May 2013. The sentence was suspended and she was ordered to serve five years of probation and pay restitution of $9,113.85 by making payments of $100 per month. For fiscal year 2024, $700 payments have been received, leaving a balance of $1,082.35. Cherie Ward Embezzled: $2,970 Payments in fiscal year 2024: None listed. Balance owed: $1,636.70 Cherie Ward, a former employee of the sheriffs office, was indicted on a charge of embezzlement of $2,970 in November 2017. That November, the OSA sent a formal demand for the missing funds. The case was sent to the attorney general in March 2018. The sentence was suspended pending no violation of state or county law for six months, payment of $100 to the Jackson County Circuit Court and restitution to the Jackson County Sheriffs Department in the amount of $1,340 plus interest. Prosecutors reduced the charge to a misdemeanor offense. Hancock County Dana Beaman Embezzled: $197,408.94 Payments in fiscal years 2023 and 2024: $1,200 Balance owed: $92,912.43 Dana Sue Beaman Beaman received a formal demand for $197,408.94 in embezzled funds in July 2017. In 2018, a grand jury indicted then Deputy Justice Court Clerk Dana Beaman on a charge of embezzlement. She pleaded guilty on Dec. 19, 2019. Beaman was sentenced to 20 years in prison with 14 years suspended and six years to serve, plus five years of post-release supervision. Pearl River County Michelle McBride Embezzled: $82,416.37 Payments in fiscal year 2024: None Balance owed: $22,225.55 Michelle McBride The OSA issued a formal demand to Michelle McBride, a former Pearl River County Crime Stoppers board member, for $82,416.37 plus interest in March 2021. On Aug. 20, 2021, McBride pleaded guilty to embezzlement and making fraudulent statements and representations. She was sentenced to 20 years, with 18 months to serve under house arrest and 18.5 years of post-release supervision. Darlene Comesana Embezzled: $92,394.75 Payments in fiscal year 2024: None listed. Balance owed: $74,255.25 Darlene Comesana, a former Pearl River County School District bookkeeper, pleaded guilty to embezzlement in August 2009. The court withheld acceptance of the plea for five years and ordered her to pay restitution in the amount of $40,000. The OSA issued a formal demand in the amount of $92,394.75 in March 2011 and the case was transmitted to the attorney general the following May. Election Commissioner, Reggie Hanberry Salary overpayment: $3,903.39 Payments in fiscal year 2024: $1,600 Balance owed: $1,703.39 OSA issued a formal demand to election commissioner Reggie Hanberry on March 30, 2023, for overpayment of his salary. STONE COUNTY In September 2021, the OSA issued formal demands to the following former and current county supervisors: Former Supervisor Scott Strickland, $28,758.53; Former Supervisor Dale Bond, $36,085.32; Supervisor Lance Pearson, $29,805.33; Supervisor Daniel Harris, $24,698.22; Former Supervisor Clark Byrd, $36,085.32. For Fiscal Year 2023 and 2024, no payments have been received. Former Circuit Clerk Jeffrey ONeal Embezzled: $335,353.61 Payments in fiscal year 2024: None listed Balance owed: $149,840.98 Former Stone County Circuit Clerk Jeffrey Oneal was arrested Friday after he didnt show up for a pre-trial hearing in a public corruption case accusing him of stealing public money. Former Circuit Clerk Jeffrey ONeal was indicted on four counts of embezzlement totaling $335,353.61 in September 2021. That month, the OSA sent a formal demand for the embezzled funds. In February, a special judge sentenced ONeal to 10 years in prison, suspending five years of that sentence and leaving five years to serve. A day after the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the FBI put out a call to the public for information on the whereabouts of a once-close associate of Usama bin Laden for his alleged involvement with al Qaeda. Hamza Al Ghamdi, who served as a trusted member of bin Laden's security detail in the period leading up to the 2001 attacks, held significant roles within the terror network and served in various conflict zones over the years, Tony Molloy, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force in the bureau's New York office, told Fox News Digital. "The FBI has information dating back to his affiliation in fighting violent and waging violent Islamic extremist jihad in foreign conflict zones dating back to the late '90s," Molloy said. IRAN THREATENS 'NIGHTMARE' FOR ISRAEL AS UN WATCHDOG WARNS TEHRAN NUCLEAR PROGRAMS RUNS UNCHECKED Hamza Al Ghamdi, a citizen of Saudi Arabia, is wanted for questioning in connection with his membership in al Qaeda. He once served on the security detail for Usama bin Laden, the FBI said. Ghamdi is wanted for questioning in connection with his alleged membership in al Qaeda, during which he served as bin Laden's personal bodyguard and other roles. "We know through his affiliation and his associations that put him in direct contact with those senior leaders that he likely has information of historical relevance to our investigations and our current investigations into al Qaeda operations and attacks globally in the last 20 years," Molloy said. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Like bin Laden, Ghamdi is a native of Saudi Arabia and fought alongside the deceased terror leader against Russian troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s, the FBI said. He also participated in terrorist attacks in Tajikistan in the early 1990s and operated an al Qaeda guesthouse in the Afghan capital of Kabul, authorities said. Hamza Al Ghamdi has allegedly participated in armed jihad in various conflict areas, including Afghanistan and Tajikistan. In December 2001, he fought in the last battle of Tora Bora, a U.S. military operation in eastern Afghanistan aimed at capturing or killing bin Laden, who was believed to be hiding out in caves. Bin Laden eventually evaded capture until he was killed by U.S. forces in 2011 while hiding out in Pakistan. Ghamdi is believed to be somewhere in Afghanistan, possibly near the country's border with Pakistan, said Molloy. The State Department is offering a $5 million reward for his capture. "He tends to operate in non-permissive locations, which makes it difficult to locate and question him," Molloy said. Far from being just a member of al Qaeda, Ghamdi worked with the group's senior leaders, including Ayman al-Zawahiri, who played a role in the Sept. 11 attacks and was killed in a 2022 U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan. VANCE SLAMS 9/11 PLEA DEAL DURING RALLY: NEED A PRESIDENT WHO KILLS TERRORISTS, NOT NEGOTIATES WITH THEM Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was killed in a CIA drone strike in Afghanistan, appears in an undated FBI Most Wanted poster. "His death deals a significant blow to al Qaeda and will degrade the group's ability to operate, including against the U.S. homeland," President Biden said at the time. Biden said Zawahiri also masterminded other attacks against the U.S., including the October 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen, which killed 17 U.S. sailors, and the 1998 attacks on the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 223 people. Despite the 23 years since the Sept. 11 attacks, the FBI is still looking to apprehend those involved, the agency said. "We have not forgotten," Christie M. Curtis, acting assistant director in charge of the FBIs New York City Field Office, said in a Thursday news release. "Twenty-three years later, the FBI is still seeking justice for the victims of the September 11th attacks by continuing to seek those who desire to harm us." Usama bin Laden's infamous "Letter to America" justified terror attacks on the United States. The FBI has noted that Ghamdi is not the same Hamza al Ghamdi who was one of the terrorists on United Airlines Flight 175 that took over the plane and crashed it into the World Trade Center in New York City. Molloy said people like Ghamdi need to be taken off the "global jihad battlefield." "The American people expect it. The victims deserve it and it will make us all safer," he said. Original article source: FBI manhunt for Bin Laden deputy puts heat on al Qaeda's next generation of terrorists Harland & Wolff Shipyard Titanic shipbuilder Harland & Wolff is preparing to go into administration after bosses admitted the troubled group is insolvent, putting up to 1,000 jobs at risk. The Belfast-based company confirmed reports that administrators at Teneo had been lined up to handle the process, which is likely to begin this week. It said the move would lead to head office redundancies as well as the delisting from the London Stock Exchange. Shares in the company have been suspended since July. The turmoil has also triggered fears about the companys role in the Royal Navys 1.6bn fleet solid support (FSS) programme to build three supply ships. Under the scheme, Harland & Wolff has been subcontracted by Spanish state shipbuilder Navantia to partially build the ships and then assemble all three at its Belfast yard. The ships may now be built at the shipyards owned by Navantia in Spain, prompting calls from unions for the UK Government to step in. Ministers have so far insisted that it is a matter for the market. The turmoil has triggered fears about Harlands role in the Royal Navys 1.6bn fleet solid support (FSS) programme to build three supply ships The administration will affect only Harland & Wolff Holdings Plc, the group holding company, with its four yards, Belfast, Appledore, Arnish and Methil, continuing to trade. Harland & Wolff said: The board has concluded that the company is insolvent on a balance sheet basis per its last audited accounts and most recent management accounts. Accordingly, contingency planning for the making of an administration order and appointment of administrators from Teneo is underway for the company. This process will likely commence this week. Should administrators be formally appointed then the companys shares would not resume trading on the (Alternative Investment Market). In these circumstances, the board expects there will be no return likely for shareholders. Appropriate plans are in place for a number of the groups employees with the unfortunate but inevitable consequence of redundancies. In the announcement, bosses blamed the crisis on the UK Governments refusal to underwrite a 200m refinancing of the group, which is groaning under massive debts. This was originally promised by Conservative ministers, but Jonathan Reynolds, the new Business Secretary, vetoed the deal in July amid concerns it would lose taxpayers money. The decision prompted the ousting of former chief executive John Wood and the appointment of caretaker bosses including restructuring expert Russell Downs, who is currently executive chairman. Separately on Monday, Harland insisted it was still trying to salvage its role in the Royal Navys 1.6bn fleet solid support (FSS) programme to build three supply ships. Story continues Bosses are in regular discussion with Navantia and the Ministry of Defence, Mondays statement said, with talks between Harland and Navantia focused on the terms of a plan to enable work to resume on the preparatory stages. Over the weekend, Mr Downs also said Navantia was weighing up a possible takeover offer for the companys Belfast operations. In a statement, Harland added: The group has undertaken significant planning over the last eight weeks to review and revise its plans for building the three FSS vessels. When the announcement of new directors was made in July, preparatory work at Belfast was almost at a standstill and production slots on key equipment were suspended due to certain delayed payments. The board is in regular discussion with Navantia and [the] MoD on its plans to ensure that key milestones of cutting steel, production readiness and delivery of the vessels remain on track. The plan for delivery of the FSS contract has been tested and been subject to significant review. The company also confirmed it had begun an investigation into the alleged misapplication of remittances in excess of 25m and certain other lower value matters under former boss Mr Wood. He has dismissed the allegations as ridiculous. Matt Roberts, national officer for the GMB union, which represents workers at Harlands sites, said: Workers, their families and whole communities now face their lives being thrown into chaos due to chronic failures in industrial strategy and corporate mismanagement. All the four Harland & Wolff yards are needed for our future sovereign capabilities in sectors like renewables and shipbuilding. The Government must now act to ensure no private company is allowed to cherry pick what parts are retained, in terms of which yards or contracts they wish to save. Leaving these vital yards and the crucial FSS contract with all its promises for UK shipbuilding to the mercy of the market is not good enough. The Government must provide support and oversight to get the market to the solution we need. On Monday, the Government claimed the administration would in no way affect jobs at the companys shipyards or its contracts for the Ministry of Defence. A spokesman added: We are clear that following a thorough review of the companys financial situation, at present the market is best-placed to address these challenges, and providing government funding would have meant a significant risk of losing taxpayer money. We are continuing to work extensively with all parties to find an outcome for Harland & Wolff that delivers shipbuilding and manufacturing in Belfast, Scotland and across the rest of the UK and protects jobs. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) The Environmental Protection Agency and state health officials are contesting a recent discovery of hydrogen cyanide in the Tijuana River Valley by local researchers that stoked panic among South Bay residents about the sewage crisis health impacts. The federal and state officials, who were enlisted to investigate concerns about worsening air quality due to the sewage and a recent heat wave, echoed statements made by county leaders last week to ease fears that the conditions the pose an imminent danger to residents in the area. In a statement on Friday, EPA press officer Julia Giarmoleo described the monitoring methods that caught the spike in toxic gases, like hydrogen cyanide, as flawed and added that their assessment indicated no imminent danger or threat from hydrogen cyanide. West Nile virus confirmed in crow found dead Dr. Tomas J. Aragon, director of the California Department of Public Health, took this determination a step further calling the reports of hydrogen cyanide in the air inaccurate. On Monday, Dr. Kimberly Prather, a researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography who leads the team studying the Tijuana River Valley that reported observing hydrogen cyanide, said the compound was no longer showing up on their monitors. Nonetheless, Giarmoleo added that the EPA will be conducting further analysis related to the gases emanating from the sewage in coordination with county officials to determine if there is any possibility, however remote, of hydrogen cyanide presence in the area. The other toxic gas from the raw sewage, hydrogen sulfide, that Prather and her team identified last week remained within levels considered safe for the health of the general public, although both state and federal officials noted its stench likely still contributed to short-term illness. According to Aragon, this includes headaches, throat and lung irritation, and gastrointestinal issues in those especially sensitive to the odor. Investigations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and CDPH into the risks with continued exposure remain ongoing. The EPA added they are also supporting county health partners to implement enhanced monitoring protocols for pollutants tied to the sewage. The statements from both the state and federal officials on Friday come after days of back and forth between county leaders and local researchers sounding alarms about the sewage crisis apparent health impacts. Prather has been one of the predominant voices pushing against health officials assessments in a number of posts on social media. In one post on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday, Prather took issue with the description of hydrogen sulfide as within safe levels, pointing to reports from residents dealing with health impacts from the sewages odor. These people have nonstop headaches, mental health issues, and the potential for long term neurological and other serious health issues, she said. Just because [hydrogen sulfide] levels in South Bay are below the threshold for causing instant fatalities of all residents doesnt mean the air is safe, Prather continued in another post. Sewage flows temporarily slowed through the Tijuana River Valley towards the end of the week after Mexico brought a third pump at a treatment plant on its side of the border online, easing some of these impacts. The atmospheric chemist told FOX 5/KUSI that the reduced flows were a good step, but noted there is still a long way to go to fully address the pollution and associated health concerns. We had a hypothesis that if they stopped the flow, if they could lower the flow at that point, levels of hydrogen sulfide would go down, Prather said. Clearly, were not done. $44.2 million worth of cocaine captured, brought to San Diego: Coast Guard South Bay leaders are continuing to lobby Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden to declare an emergency over the sewage crisis, which has been ongoing for decades but worsened in the last few years due to failing treatment infrastructure along both sides of the border. Last month, closures in Imperial Beach due to unsafe bacteria levels reached a landmark 1,000 consecutive days or over two-and-a-half years. We dont know whats in that water and what people are being exposed to when they breathe in that air, Dr. Matt Dickson with South Bay Urgent Care told FOX 5/KUSI last week. My honest concern is this going to be the next Flint, Michigan? FOX 5/KUSIs Elizabeth Alvarez and Tony Shin contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) Two Rhode Island men were arrested Monday for their alleged roles in a multimillion-dollar organized theft ring that targeted major retailers nationwide, U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha announced. Norman L. Cipriano, 52, of Warwick, and Patrick M. Vigneau, 59, of Cranston, are facing federal charges including interstate transportation of stolen goods, conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen goods, money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions involving property derived from unlawful activity. According to court documents, Cipriano and Vigneau are accused of raking in nearly $12.3 million by reselling goods stolen from various stores to other retailers and private citizens. The stores that were targeted include Walmart, Stop & Shop, CVS, and The Home Depot. Watch the press conference below: This follows a seizure on Wednesday of approximately 60,000 stolen items, court documents said. The items were primarily over-the-counter medications and cosmetics and had an estimated total value of $1.6 million. Investigators searched both suspects homes, along with two storage units in Pawtucket. Photos of numerous stolen products allegedly seized from Cipriano's Warwick residence 9-11-24 (Rhode Island U.S. Attorney's Office) Photos of numerous stolen products allegedly seized from Vigneau's Cranston residence 9-11-24 (Rhode Island U.S. Attorney's Office) Photos of numerous stolen products allegedly seized from storage unit owned by Cipriano in Pawtucket 9-11-24 (Rhode Island U.S. Attorney's Office) Boxes of stolen products allegedly seized from storage unit owned by Cipriano in Pawtucket 9-11-24 (Rhode Island U.S. Attorney's Office) Truckload of stolen products allegedly seized from storage unit owned by Cipriano in Pawtucket 9-11-24 (Rhode Island U.S. Attorney's Office) Room full of boxes and stolen products allegedly seized from storage unit owned by Cipriano in Pawtucket 9-11-24 (Rhode Island U.S. Attorney's Office) Court documents describe the pair as high-level diverters in the organized theft ring, responsible for setting up shell companies, owning warehouses for stolen merchandise, and supplying smaller retail chains. As diverters, Cipriano and Vigneau allegedly received stolen goods and sold them in bulk over sites like eBay, Walmart, and Amazon. Prosecutors said they used third-party payment systems like PayPal, linking them to bank accounts to avoid detection. The men allegedly operated under various storefront names, including Angies Discount Store on eBay and JDC Wholesale LLC on Amazon. So far, Cunha said investigators have seized enough stolen goods to fill three 24-foot box trucks, along with more than two dozen boxes in transit via UPS. Authorities have also frozen several bank and e-commerce accounts. Court records show Cipriano was convicted in Rhode Island in 2005 for conspiracy and receiving stolen goods. He served a six-year term, then was convicted again in 2013 for trafficking counterfeit goods and sentenced to 50 months in federal prison. In 1998, Vigneau was convicted by a federal jury on charges of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and conspiring to commit money laundering. He was released from federal prison in 2020 and is currently on supervised release. AHEAD: Want to be a RI federal judge? Applications now being accepted for magistrate job Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Watch Now: Livestreaming Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Nearly $7 million has been approved for FEMA disaster money in four South Dakota counties, the agency said in a news release Monday. The FEMA aid is from flooding and storm damage from June. The bakery thats hidden inside a hardware store A total of 1,162 individual households have registered for $6.92 million. FEMA has registered 297 households in Union County for about $3.6 million. The most registered households are the 404 in Lincoln County, with nearly $1.4 million approved. FEMA approved about $1.5 million for 360 households in Davison County and about $370,000 for 101 households in Turner County. The amount of approved money has increased by more than $1 million since early September. As of Sept. 5, FEMA had approved more than $5.5million to 926 applicants. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Final Message from Doomed Titan Sub Revealed, Sent Seconds Before Losing Contact with the Surface The vessel experienced some communications issues but felt they were "all good," a U.S. Coast Guard investigation found JOEL SAGET,HANDOUT/Dirty Dozen Productions/OceanGat/AFP via Getty Images The Coast Guard is holding a hearing that began on Monday, Sept. 16, into how the deadly Titan implosion happened As part of that, officials showed an animated recreation of the dive in June 2023, which ended in tragedy The submersible passengers messaged that things were "all good here" and, later, that they had dropped two weights and then contact was lost The last messages sent by the Titan submersible before it imploded last year during a doomed voyage to the wreck of the Titanic have now been revealed, showing how the five passengers experienced communications problems but nonetheless felt things were all good here before losing contact with the surface. The texts exchanged between the Titan and its support ship, the Polar Prince, were confirmed as part of a recreation of the dive that was shown by U.S. Coast Guard officials on Monday, Sept. 16, at the start of what is expected to be a two-week hearing into the tragedy. The animated video details how the Titan began diving down from the Polar Prince off the coast of Canada around 9:20 a.m. local time on June 18, 2023. While the submersible and the ship trade a series of routine messages for the next 40 minutes, an issue arises just before 10 a.m. when the Polar Prince repeatedly asks the Titan if the submersible can see the ship on its display to no answer leading to more urgent messages. JOEL SAGET,HANDOUT/Dirty Dozen Productions/OceanGat/AFP via Getty Images Hamish Harding; Stockton Rush; Paul-Henri Nargeolet; Suleman Dawood; Shahzada Dawood Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. After about 15 minutes, the Titan responds, acknowledging that it has communication and the Polar Prince says, I need better comms from you, to which the Titan responds yes and says they lost system oand [sic] chat settings. Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a noted explorer aboard the submersible at the time, is believed to have been sending these messages, according to the Coast Guard. The Polar Prince asks again, status? do you see polar prince on your display? And soon after, the Titan responds yes and all good here at 10:15 a.m. Nine minutes after that, the Titan notifies the Polar Prince that they are east south east [of] the nbow, which officials think means the vessel was close to the Titanic wreckage. Minutes later, Polar Prince asks again if Titan sees them on their display. Xinhua/Shutterstock The Titan submersible Titan then asks the Polar Prince if they are also at the bow, and Polar Prince says making our way there your position jumps significantly each ping which the ship repeats to the Titan at 10:36, only 11 minutes before losing contact with the submersible. At 10:47, at a depth of about 3,350 meters and a pressure of 4,900 pounds per square inch, the Titan messages that they dropped two wts, referring to their weights and contact is then lost almost immediately, at 10:47:32 a.m., according to the Coast Guard. Four days later, some of the wreck of the Titan was found about 500 meters from the Titanic. All five passengers died in the implosion: Nargeolet and another adventurer, Hamish Hardin; father and son Shahzada and Suleiman Dawood; and Stockton Rush, who co-founded OceanGate, the company operating the Titan. OceanGate has since suspended its operations amid the ongoing investigation into what happened. According to the Associated Press, the company says it has cooperated fully with the government probes. Related: Did Titan Passengers Know They Were About to Die? 1 Year Later, Questions Still Swirl About Their Final Moments The hearing that began Monday will review testimony from technical experts, crew members, and other relevant parties, and will examine evidence related to the submersibles design, operation, and safety protocols, the Coast Guard has said. The final moments of the Titan passengers have been the subject of much discussion. Nargeolets family has claimed in a lawsuit that they experienced "terror and mental anguish" and were aware they were in danger before the implosion, though some outside experts have pushed back on this. The way a sub operates is that you load it up with weight at the top so that on the surface it's heavy and that drags it down through the water column down to the bottom, one expert tells PEOPLE. But as you are nearing the bottom, you want to slow down, says this expert, who asked not to be quoted by name given the sensitivity of the investigation and legal issues surrounding it. And so you release weight so that you are not as heavy, more neutrally buoyant, and that enables you to swim around the bottom using the minimum of energy. People read that oh, we dropping weight, they must be in trouble, the expert says. It's actually, no, they're just approaching the Titanic. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. All good here. Those were some of the final words that the doomed Titan submersible crew communicated before the submersible imploded on its mission to the Titanic wreckage site in June 2023. The message, revealed as part of the Coast Guards Monday hearing into the circumstances of the failed mission, was sent to support vessel Polar Prince on June 18, 2023, shortly before the submersible imploded, killing all five of its crew members. It was an incident that captivated both sides of the Atlantic as crews made a mad dash to save the crew after the sub lost contact with the surface - with the world unaware that the lives had been lost. The Coast Guard played an animated re-enactment of the Titans voyage that captured the submersibles final, spotty exchange with the Polar Prince, during the Monday hearing that shed new light on the subs final mission. Around 10am on June 18, Polar Prince asked the Titan crew whether they were able to see the support vessel on the submersibles display. The support vessel asked the crew the same question seven times over the course of seven minutes. The Titan crew then sent k, meaning it was asking for a communications check. The Polar Prince then repeated its question three more times before writing: I need better comms from you. The crew finally replied yes at 10.14am before adding: All good here. At 10.47am, the communication between the two vessels was lost. The Titan submersible was found on June 22, 2023, the seafloor after days of searching after it imploded. New photos show it on the ocean floor after it was discovered, and the lives of the five on board were lost on the way to the Titanic wreckage site. (ROV image of TITAN tail cone. Source: Pelagic Research Services, June 2023) All five of its crew members later died as a result of the implosion: founder Stockton Rush, 61, French explorer Paul Henri Nargeolet, 77, British explorer Hamish Harding, 58, UK-based Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48 and his 19-year-old son Suleman. In its presentation on Monday, the Coast Guard also revealed a pattern of failures that the Titan experienced during its test dives long before it set out to the wreckage site. Test dives in 2021 revealed 70 equipment issues while dives the following year revealed 48 equipment issues, including drop weights malfunction. On top of those issues, after the last test dive in 2022 until February 6, 2023, the vessel was stored uncovered in a dock without protection from the elements. The first witness before the panel, Tony Nissen, former OceanGate engineering director, took the stand on Monday, pulling back the curtain on the internal dynamics of the company as well as some disagreements between Stockton Rush and OceanGate employees. This undated image provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible (OceanGate Expeditions) When Nissen was hired, he wasnt directly told that the submersible was going to the wreckage site. He testified: I was never told they were going to the Titanic. Nissen also said he was struggling to find the professional words to describe Rush. Stockton would fight for what he wanted...And he wouldnt give an inch much. At all, he said. Most people would eventually back down from Stockton. It was like death by a thousand cuts. The submersible was struck by lightning in 2018, partially damaging the hull, Nissen testified. The following year, after finding that the accoustic tests were not coming out clean, he objected an expedition to the Titanic site, since he found the hull was compromised. After refusing to give his approval, he was fired. He told the panel: I wouldnt sign off on it. So I got terminated. Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John's, Newfoundland, June 28, 2023. (AP) When asked if there was pressure to start operations, Nissen said: 100 percent. The Coast Guard is investigating the circumstances surrounding the loss of the submersible, Marine Board of the Investigation chair Jason Neubauer said. The investigation will look for factors that led to this catastrophe and try to learn how to prevent them in the future as well as examine whether the acts of misconduct, negligence, or willful violation of the law contributed to these casualties. The hearings, expected to span two weeks, will also investigate the Coast Guards search and rescue operations. After the hearing, it was clarified that Tony Nissen was referring to a prototype carbon fiber hull created in 2016, which was never used on Titanic expeditions. After Nissen left OceanGate in 2019, the company manufactured a new carbon fiber hull, which was used on the Titanic expeditions. Finish Gaza deal now, Israel opposition leader says in US Israel's opposition leader and former prime minister Yair Lapid delivers a statement to the press following his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department (ROBERTO SCHMIDT) (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/AFP) Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called Monday for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seal a Gaza truce deal immediately, as he met top US officials in Washington. "I believe that any political interests should be set aside for this. This is way more important," Lapid told reporters outside the State Department after meeting Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "Israel as a nation will not heal unless we will bring them back home," Lapid said of the hostages. "This is essential to our existence." "It's doable," he said. "We can do a hostage deal -- and we need to do it." Lapid, a former prime minister, renewed his promise not to work to topple Netanyahu's government -- which relies on support from far-right members -- if he goes ahead with the deal. While describing Hamas as a "terrible terrorist organization," Lapid said that Netanyahu's government "should do more" to reach a deal to free hostages. US President Joe Biden on May 31 put forward a plan for a ceasefire in the bloody Gaza war that would include a six-month freeze in fighting and a release of captives. Blinken has previously insisted that Netanyahu was on board with US proposals to bridge gaps and complete the deal, which enjoys wide support from the Israeli public. Netanyahu has publicly rejected US assessments that the deal is nearly complete and has insisted on an Israeli military presence on the Egypt-Gaza border. Netanyahu's stance on the so-called Philadelphi Corridor has angered Egypt, the first Arab country to make peace with Israel and a key mediator in the crisis. The Philadelphi Corridor and details on the release of captives remain the main sticking points to a deal, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. The United States is working "expeditiously" on a new proposal to bridge remaining gaps, Miller said. "We continue to engage with our partners in the region, most specifically with Egypt and Qatar, about what that proposal will contain," Miller said. "We're trying to see that it's a proposal that can get the parties to an ultimate agreement." sct/jgc Oliver Lee said the fire service's governance lacked "courage, transparency, care and honesty" [West Midlands Fire Service] The interim boss of West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) has said the organisation's governance is "wholly impossible" and that he will not apply for the permanent role. Oliver Lee, who became WMFS's executive in March, said in a LinkedIn post on Sunday that the service's governance lacked "courage, transparency, care and honesty". He was appointed following the death of the service's previous chief Wayne Brown in January. Greg Brackenridge, chair of the West Midlands Fire Authority, said they were "disappointed" by Mr Lee's decision and he was meeting him on Monday to discuss concerns. Mr Lee remained in his role as interim CEO and the process to recruit permanently had been advertised, he added. "West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority remains committed to good governance and in following due process in everything we do," Mr Brackenridge said in a statement. Our priority, as always, remains on ensuring that our amazing 1,900 staff can keep doing what they do best for the benefit of nearly three million people across the West Midlands, who depend on us 24/7. Mr Lee, who was appointed for an interim period of up to one year, praised the "well-intentioned" and "brave" people who worked at the service. He added that WMFS "should be, and could be, a superb public sector organisation". Mr Lee previously spent 18 years in the Royal Marines, and he went on to receive an MBE and later an OBE for his service in Afghanistan. In July, after taking on the WMFS role, he had objected to a national newspaper report that called the service "scandal-ridden". He said at the time: "I don't accept that it's 'scandal-ridden' and nor will it be during my tenure here." Mr Brown was found dead at his home in Birmingham in January. The death was not treated as suspicious. At the time of his death, Mr Brown, 54, was being investigated over claims made on social media about his qualifications for the role. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. More on this story Related internet links Many business and tech leaders want to see Harris replace Gensler and Khan. Chris Carlson Biden made commitments during the campaign that impacted key economic appointments. Should Harris become president, she'll have much more freedom, and industry leaders have high hopes. Many business and tech figures told BI that appointments are key to the future of American industry. When President Joe Biden stepped into the White House in January 2021, he was hamstrung not only by the pandemic but also by a promise he'd made to a former challenger: Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. When slogging through the political thicket of a crowded Democratic primary, Biden had assured Warren that she would have significant sway over economic regulatory agency appointments. Warren's desired appointees namely Lina Khan and Gary Gensler, chairs of the Federal Trade Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission respectively have drawn the praise of many economic progressives and ire of many business leaders. But now that Vice President Kamala Harris is running for president in Biden's place after he dropped out, Khan and Gensler's future as chief regulators is in doubt. Biden made a key commitment to Warren when he was running for president "One of [Warren's] preferences was, 'I want Lina Khan to run the FTC,'" William Kovacic, former FTC chair and current law professor at George Washington University, previously told Business Insider. "Biden fulfilled that promise. But that was Biden's promise. That's not Harris' promise." Adam Kovacevich, a Democratic lobbyist and the CEO of tech industry coalition Chamber of Progress, doesn't think that Biden was particularly interested in regulatory economic issues. Big Tech companies including Apple, Google, and Meta help fund Chamber of Progress. "I think giving some picks to people like Elizabeth Warren kept Warren off his back on other issues," Kovacevich said. "Flash forward to today: Kamala Harris doesn't owe Elizabeth Warren anything." During the 2020 cycle, various media outlets reported that Warren is singularly attuned to the power of economic regulatory agencies. A former Democratic aide told Politico that "Warren will be the most influential voice in the financial policy debate under the new administration," and the president of the Consumers Bank Association said that she "virtually hand-picked the financial and other regulatory nominations she cares deeply about." But business and tech leaders who winced at the current appointments see an opportunity in Harris. Story continues With deep ties to California, Harris is presenting herself as a pro-business candidate who understands the tech industry far better than her current boss. And she's garnering support among industry executives across the country a group of powerful venture capitalists have vowed to vote for her and nearly 100 corporate leaders recently endorsed her in a joint letter. Her supporters in the upper echelons of business and tech are particularly focused on appointments, with many saying that leaders should effectively balance regulation with innovation. In particular, they want appointees that institute clear crypto guidelines and veer away from the current regulatory approach that Warren had championed. Yet Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, said that there isn't consensus in the tech world about anti-trust doctrine, as big and small companies have different priorities. There are many individuals in the Biden administration, such as Arati Prabhakar of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, who are thoughtful tech leaders but aren't widely discussed, he said. Harris could chart a different path Still, founders and business executives seem, on the whole, dissatisfied. Democratic donors on Wall Street are quietly encouraging Harris to oust Khan and Gensler, Bloomberg reported. Chris Larsen, the billionaire founder of blockchain payments company Ripple who is among the execs to endorse Harris, told Business Insider he wants her to make different appointments if she wins. Larsen said he wants regulators that are "not pre-selected by the Warren camp and can balance both consumer protection with ensuring our national champions dominate their industries." Christian Catalini, the founder of the MIT Cryptoeconomics Lab, said that Gensler demonstrated "reluctance to engage in constructive dialogue with startups seeking regulatory clarity." He thinks that tech entrepreneurs are particularly hung up on who Harris would choose for the SEC. Recently, billionaire investor and owner of the Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban offered himself up for a spot at the SEC. Cuban is in close communication with the Harris team and said that she will likely surround herself with more individuals from the private sector than Biden. Levie also said that engaging with the private sector is "absolutely critical" and hopes Harris invites more industry actors to join the margins of her administration. "The way that they have already been interacting with business leaders is a compelling indication of where things could go in the future," Levie told Business Insider. However, the vice president has been relatively quiet about her views on antitrust enforcement and who she would appoint. Khan's tenure as chair of the FTC is up in September and she is open to staying on in her position. Gensler's term lasts until June, 2026; in February, he said he would "absolutely" stay on if Biden, who was then still the nominee, won a second term. Kovacic previously told Business Insider that Harris' relationship to economic progressives like Warren remains unclear. "A factor to be assessed is, what is the nature of her relationship with this wing of the Democratic Party? How much loyalty does she feel to them? How much does she believe that she has to cater to their tastes in order to maintain a harmonious political relationship? But she has a bit more freedom than Biden did," he said. Kovacevich, who calls himself a "pro-business and pro-Harris Democrat," doesn't think that Harris needs to win over Warren voters. He suspects that the Vice President will "reset" the current environment and return to the Obama era, which was friendlier to corporations. "I do think it's notable that she has not prioritized attacks on corporate power in her campaign rhetoric. I think she correctly sees how that's not a motivator to most voters," he said. The Vice President's precise plans remain unclear with only 50 days until the election. The relationship between Harris and Warren's philosophical counterparts has been testy at times. In March of last year, Warren gave a lukewarm answer when a radio host asked whether Biden should keep Harris on as his vice president. "I really want to defer to what makes Biden comfortable on his team," she said at the time. The senator quickly issued a statement saying that she supports the Biden-Harris 2024 ticket. She reportedly called Harris twice after the incident without receiving a call back. Kovacic suspects that economic progressives don't entirely trust Harris, given her ties to the business world. "It's not as though they think she will simply be an agent of Big Tech," he previously told Business Insider. "It's a concern that she is too sympathetic to their interests, that she will not be as aggressive." He anticipates that Harris will move to the center on mergers, but maintain the Biden administration's approach to monopolization and price-gouging. A spokesperson for the SEC declined to comment, and representatives for Harris and Warren did not respond to Business Insider's request. Douglas Farrar, a spokesperson for the FTC, emphasized Khan's efforts to lower costs and said that "there is a lot of work yet to do to bring the benefits of fair competition to American consumers and entrepreneurs." Should Harris win the election, the question of appointments will loom large. The leadership plays a major role in determining how successful American industries and companies are, Levie said. "In the next four years, we'll be dealing with major policy subjects that relate to the next many decades of innovation," he told Business Insider. "And you want very smart, thoughtful, highly competent, experienced people in a stable environment that can help define where we're going to go with AI, with new energy sources, with advanced manufacturing, biotech." Unhampered by campaign promises yet caught between opposing factions of her party, Harris may usher in a new regulatory era. But since regulatory appointments don't make a good political sound bite, it's likely we won't know her plans unless she wins in November. Read the original article on Business Insider DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) Dayton fire crews battled an apartment fire Monday afternoon. The fire broke out on the fourth floor of a high-rise apartment in the 900 block of Wilmington Avenue. District Chief Nick Judge told 2 NEWS that upon arrival, crews saw people hanging out of windows on the fifth floor. He says if you find yourself in a similar situation to shelter in place and await rescue rather than to self-extricate, especially out of a window or on a balcony. Exercise caution: Alligator reportedly spotted at Beavercreek park The building is considered an older structure and does not have a sprinkler system to contain the fire, which created a serious and immediate concern. Judge says theyve battled several fires in this building over the years, though they tend to be contained to one apartment. These apartment buildings are very compartmentalized, meaning that smoke and fire doesnt tend to travel from one apartment to the other very easily. So a lot of times, the best thing you can do is stay put in your apartment and come get you, said Judge. Two or three apartments were displaced due to the fire, and two individuals on the scene were treated for smoke inhalation. Smoke damage was found in the apartments in the main hallway on the fourth floor. Additional damage was found in apartments directly above the apartment where the fire broke out. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. (FOX40.COM) Arsonists set fire to a hillside covered in dry grass below the towering deck of Californias tallest bridge on Saturday afternoon, according to CAL FIRE Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit. Hikers spotted flames racing along the canyon walls of the North Fork of the American River in the Auburn State Recreation Area and contacted first responders. Alarming trend: Tenth drowning in Stanislaus County sets new record for deaths Units with CAL FIRE NEU and the Foresthill Fire Protection District responded to the fire, along with aerial resources from CAL FIRE. Within minutes, fire crews halted the forward progress of the fire and CAL FIRE mapped the total acres burned at four acres. When the flames were initially seen in the canyon, two people were reportedly fleeing from the area towards a parking lot in the state recreation area. CAL FIRE believes that these two people are responsible for starting the fire and are asking for anyone with information about the two subjects to contact CAL FIRE Law Enforcement at 530-889-0111 ext. 1022. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Firefighters battled a house fire Sunday afternoon, according to the Dayton Police & Fire Facebook page. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: Dayton fire crews responded to reports of a fire in the 50 block of Gebhart Street just before 6 p.m. >> PHOTOS: Firefighters extinguish house fire in Dayton Upon arrival, crews saw heavy fire coming from the 2-story house. News Center 7 is working to learn more information and will continue to follow this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) A fire broke out at an Italian restaurant in La Jolla before opening early Sunday morning. Firefighters with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department responded to calls for a fire at 6:35 a.m. Sunday at Marisi La Jolla, an Italian restaurant located at the intersection of Herschel and Wall streets. Barrio Logan shooting leaves one dead, two injured According to the San Diego Fire-Rescue battalion chief, crews located a hot wall using thermal imaging cameras and were able to open the wall and douse the fire in around 20 minutes. The battalion chief confirmed firefighters were able to contain the fire to the wall, keeping it from spreading to any adjacent buildings or upstairs apartments. High-speed chase in South Bay ends in crash with police cruisers Marisi La Jolla posted on Facebook Sunday morning they will be closed to the public the remainder of Sunday and Monday for repairs. Firefighters knock down fire at Marisi La Jolla (FOX 5/KUSI) Firefighters knock down fire at Marisi La Jolla (FOX 5/KUSI) Firefighters knock down fire at Marisi La Jolla (FOX 5/KUSI) No injuries were reported. The San Diego Fire-Rescue battalion chief said they are investigating the cause of the fire that started within the wall early Sunday, and that it may be related to an electrical issue. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Firefighting conference being held at the Peoria Civic Center PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) The Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts kicked off its annual conference which is being held at Peoria. Firefighters came from all over the state to attend educational seminars, learn about new firefighting equipment, and hear from experienced fire chiefs. The two-day conference is happening Monday and Tuesday. They held a special ceremony to honor fallen firefighters by raise a giant American flag outside the Peoria Civic Center. More than 120 fire chiefs came to pass knowledge and show off more than 20 fire engines on the trade show floor. Deerfield Deputy Chief Ray Larson said experience and knowledge sharing is the most valuable part of the conference. From IT to EMS, uniforms, fire apparatus and equipment and everything in between. Insurance, you know, for an organization. So all the vendors that you dont even realize that takes to run a fire department or a fire district are represented here today, he said. Next years conference will be held in Champaign. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. First conviction under Hong Kong's new national security law for wearing "seditious" T-shirt A Hong Kong flag is seen on a vessel at Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong By Jessie Pang HONG KONG (Reuters) - A Hong Kong man on Monday pleaded guilty to sedition for wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan, becoming the first person convicted under the city's new national security law passed in March. Chu Kai-pong, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of "doing with a seditious intention an act". Under the new security law, the maximum sentence for the offence has been expanded from two years to seven years in prison and could even go up to 10 years if "collusion with foreign forces" was found involved. Chu was arrested on June 12 at a MTR station wearing a T-shirt with the slogan Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times and a yellow mask printed with FDNOL- the shorthand of another slogan "five demands, not one less. Both slogans were frequently chanted in the huge, sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019 and June 12 was a key kick-off day of the months-long unrests. Chu told police that he wore the T-shirt to remind people of the protests, the court heard. Chief Magistrate Victor So, handpicked by the city leader John Lee to hear national security cases, adjourned the case to Thursday for sentencing. Hong Kong was returned from Britain to China in 1997 under Beijing's promise of guaranteeing its freedoms, including freedom of speech, would be protected under a "one country, two systems" formula. Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020 punishing secession, subversion, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, after the months-long protests in the financial hub. In March 2024, Hong Kong passed a second new security law -- a home-grown ordinance also known as "Article 23" according to its parent provision in the city's mini constitution, the Basic Law. Critics, including the U.S. government have expressed concerns over the new security law and said the vaguely defined provisions regarding "sedition" could be used to curb dissent. Hong Kong and Chinese officials have said it was necessary to plug "loopholes" in the national security regime. (Reporting by Jessie Pang; Editing by Michael Perry) Japan is officially starting work on the worlds first zeta-class supercomputer. When completed, the machine should run at least a full 1,000 times faster than the worlds current fastest supercomputer. The computer is expected to go online in 2030 and will cost the Japanese government an estimated $775 million. Supercomputers have unequivocally changed our world. Theyve solved complex math problems, simulated massive physical systems, enabled breakthroughs in biology and medicinename a scientific field, and its probably been impacted by supercomputing. And these massive bastions of computing power have only gotten better over time. The faster a supercomputer can work through calculations and analyses, the more uniquely helpful it can be to the people using it as a research tool. The speeds of computers are measured in floating-point operations per second (FLOPS), and the fastest supercomputers currently functioning boast speeds in the realm of exaFLOPSone quintillion (10^17) calculations per second. Now, Japan is looking to challenge that record by building the worlds first-ever zeta-class supercomputer. Known as Fugaku Next, the revolutionary machine should eventually be capable of speeds in the realm of zetaFLOPSa full 1,000 time faster than exaFLOPS. The announcement comes from Japans Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), whichaccording to a translated article from Japanese news site Nikkeiis expecting to allocate approximately 110 billion (approximately $775 million) to the project over the course of its development, with about 4.2 billion ($29 million) of that money going to the first year of development. If all goes well, the supercomputer is expected to go online in 2030. The biggest goal for the project is to keep Japan on level with the rest of the world when it comes to AI computational power, and ideally, MEXT would like for it to be completed largely with Japanese parts. The development will be headed by prominent Japanese research institution RIKEN, and supplementedaccording to Nikkeiby either Japanese company Fujitsu (which jointly developed Fugaku Nexts predecessor, Fugaku), or one of three American companies: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Nvidia, and Intel. Other countries are ahead in supercomputer technology for AI, Satoshi Matsuoka, director of the RIKEN Center for Computational Science, told Nikkei. We would like to incorporate their knowledge and evolve Japan's core technologies into technologies that can win in the international market. The plan is ambitious, but if it succeeds, it will make Japan the undisputed king of supercomputersat least, while the rest of the world inevitably starts playing catch-up. If it works as advertised when completed, this machine (in combination with current and to-be-developed AI technology) could usher in breakthroughs that have so far been impossible. The rest of the world will just have to wait and see what fascinating new technologies are about to emerge. You Might Also Like Chloe's family say there is growing public and political support for their campaign [BBC] A boarded-up flat linked to the suspected murder of a young woman has been described as "a living nightmare". The remains of Chloe Mitchell, 21, were found almost a week after she went missing in Ballymena last summer. A flat at James Street has remained boarded up and vacant since her death and a campaign is now under way to have it demolished. The victim's brother, Philip, 27, said: "Nobody wants to look at the flat and to look at that flat every day is horrific." The flat at James Street has remained boarded up and vacant since Chloe's death in June 2023 [BBC] Almost 3,000 people have signed an online petition seeking the demolition of the ground floor flat. Philip Mitchell said there is growing public and political support for their campaign. "Local representatives have been in with us, have talked with us, they're also doing their best on their side to compete to have the flat demolished." He said the presence of the boarded-up flat was adding to the ongoing suffering of his family, especially his parents. "My mother hasn't left the house, she still goes up to her room and speaks to her, speaks to Chloe, and she just can't get over it, none of us can," he said. "My dad's the same, he tries to stay strong for her, tries to stay strong for us, but just as a family it's a living nightmare." Mr Mitchell believes if the flat was demolished it would bring "comfort" not only for his family but the whole community. "They just don't want to be looking at the flat every time walking past and it's just, nobody wants to bear to look at it." Chloe Mitchell's aunt, Linda McDowell, who lives a short distance away, is part of the campaign group demanding the demolition of the flat. "I just live a hundred yards away, just down the road there, and I have to walk past this flat every day if I'm going to the shops. It's just a nightmare," she said. "It needs to go, it really does need to go. The neighbours, the community, they don't want to look at it. "We will fight until we do get it demolished, there'll be no stopping us, so it's up to the chief executive (of the Housing Executive) now." A memorial garden has been created for Chloe in Ballymena [BBC] Independent councillor Rodney Quigley is among the local political representatives backing the family campaign. "It's a living nightmare for the family and the community to have this flat still here," he said. "There have been many requests from the community to have this flat demolished." Mr Quigley called on the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) to listen to the concerns. Believing there is strong cross-party political support, he said he would "keep pressure" on the NIHE. "I will keep challenging them on the fact that this isn't about a lack of housing, this is about doing the right thing," he said. NIHE's chief executive Grainia Long said: We are deeply sympathetic to this family at what is a time of absolutely tragic loss. Were aware of their concerns and our staff have already met with them to hear their views in person. We have also heard the views of local representatives on this case. The demolition of any property requires significant deliberation. As this property is part of a wider block, we would also need to consider the residents of adjoining properties in any future decisions. We will reflect on the views of all relevant parties in the time ahead. Brandon Rainey, 27, of James Street, has been charged with murder and attempting to prevent the burial of the 21-year-old's body. He denies both charges and is due in court again later this month. The disappearance of Chloe Mitchell prompted a series of extensive searches around Ballymena before her remains were found in June 2023. State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue, a Democrat, and U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., faced off in an hourlong debate Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at Nebraska Public Media's studio in Lincoln for Nebraska's 1st Congressional District election this fall. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., and his Democratic challenger, State Sen. Carol Blood, spent much of a debate Sunday categorizing the other as more extreme and out of touch with voters. Flood, who is seeking his second full term in Congress in Nebraskas 1st Congressional District, said he was elected to turn the page on an extreme liberal agenda in Washington in 2022, which he said Blood would follow. Blood said Flood has contributed to hyperpartisanship and inaction while in Congress and that she wouldnt follow the Democratic Party. My opponent has endorsed Kamala Harris, and she would be a rubber stamp for the Democrats if she goes to Washington, and thats bad for Nebraska, Flood said. Said Blood: You can keep talking about Kamala Harris, I dont know her personally and I didnt think she was standing here debating Congressman Flood. The two candidates addressed more than a dozen questions in an hourlong debate sponsored by Nebraska Public Media at its Lincoln studio in partnership with the Nebraska Examiner, Lincoln Journal Star, Omaha World-Herald and KRVN Rural Radio Network. No live audience was present. Aaron Sanderford, the Nebraska Examiners political reporter, moderated the debate. A panel of three local journalists served as hosts: Kassidy Arena (Nebraska Public Media), Chris Dunker (Lincoln Journal Star) and Dave Schroeder (KRVN). Foreign policy One of the biggest topics where the candidates disagreed involved foreign policy, including their views on the Israel-Hamas war, including a possible ceasefire, and national security threats. Blood said people must remember the innocent bystanders who have been caught in the Middle East conflict and who must be protected. She said anything the United States does should support those people and move toward peace. Flood said he supports Israel and described the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack from Hamas as their 9/11. He said Israel has a right to retaliate and to eradicate Hamas, stating the war extends to relations with Iran. War is horrible. War is not fair. War is an abomination, Flood said. But there is no choice when a terrorist organization full of rancid animals like Hamas did what they did on October 7. They must be rooted out. Blood said she agrees that what happened last October was horrible but said Congress rarely talks about the innocents killed by Hamas and the Israeli military. We have to protect the people who have nothing to do with this conflict that just happened to be living there and trying to survive and provide for their families, Blood said. National security and immigration Blood said she sees Russia at the top of a very long list of national security concerns that extends to agroterrorism and protecting Nebraskas farmers, crops and water. She said the U.S. shouldnt try to appease Russia, which she said was former President Donald Trumps policy. Were not there to be good friends, Blood said of Russia. Flood said the largest threat is China for directly seeking to usurp the United States superpower status by 2050 and challenging its economic power. China is a juggernaut, and they want to end America, Flood said. Flood complimented Blood for many years of championing support for Offutt Air Force Base but disagreed about pushing woke or the Green New Deal about environmental policies in every nook and cranny of military policy. He said that distracts from North Korea, China and Russia. Blood said Flood is ignoring the effects of climate change and the need to give the military every tool necessary to take care of families and ensure equipment remains up to date. Blood said Congress also needs to be serious about funding judges and the boots on the ground at the U.S. border with Mexico. She said asylum seekers shouldnt face yearlong waits to have their day in court. Flood said he supports Trumps Remain in Mexico executive order that had asylum seekers wait in Mexico while their applications were pending rather than waiting in the U.S. for whatever president made certain promises to them. Gun violence and federal legislation On a question about gun violence, including in the aftermath of a shooting at an Omaha high school just last week, Flood and Blood each agreed that mental health needs to remain a focus. And both said the Second Amendment right to bear arms needs to be preserved. Blood, who has served eight years in the Legislature and eight years on the Bellevue City Council, said thoughts and prayers arent enough and that action must follow any talk about mental health. She suggested that safe weapons storage and having stronger, national laws would be next steps. Our children are more precious than gun rights, Blood said. Children being murdered on a daily basis has become the norm, and until we take action at congressional level and not a patchwork of laws across the United States, we will never solve this problem. Flood defended his mental health record by pointing to his almost 10 years in the Legislature, including six years as speaker. He said he has partnered with local sheriffs and schools to increase grant funding for security and sees mental health as a continuum of care. Im not interested in infringing on any Nebraskans Second Amendment rights, and I think we have to keep that in mind because that is a right afforded to the citizens that came through the Bill of Rights, and it is a core value of mine, Flood said. Other topics of note Abortion: Flood said the U.S. Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade on abortion policy was an answer to what states had wanted for 50 years: to set individual policies. He praised Nebraska for adopting his 2011 legislation that established the first 20-week ban in the country. Flood said he supports exceptions for rape, incest and the life or health of the mother. Blood said there is no such thing as abortion at or after birth, as Flood said she supports, and said abortion is a health care issue. She said she trusts people to make the right decision with their doctors. Blood said abortion-related laws nationwide are making doctors criminals and leading to fewer OB-GYNs and clinics. Artificial intelligence: Flood said he sees benefits and possible concern with AI, pointing to the software potentially helping new customers who dont have a history of credit determine their creditworthiness. However, he said he is concerned AI could utilize certain biases and advance discrimination in violation of federal law. Blood said she has regularly warned people that AI or robots were coming throughout her time in office but said policymakers need to be educated before writing policy. She noted the more AI is used, the more knowledge it has and the more dangerous it could become. Flood suggested creators of AI models should make their work accessible for public scrutiny. He said regulation could be needed so as not to upset a balance in market trades or security. Blood said regulation needs to get ahead of and set proper guidelines before issues arise. She said those laws cant step into government overreach, however. Student loan debt: Blood said the focus should be on predatory lending on 18 year olds who took out loans without realizing the consequences. Flood said thats another way of evading accountability to support Democrats and Biden. Blood questioned why there was a double standard for small businesses being offered forgivable loans during the pandemic, including Flood and his media organization in Norfolk. Flood said that plumbers, carpenters and nurses shouldnt subsidize the loans of doctors, lawyers and accountants and that Biden should respect the U.S. Supreme Courts rulings on the issue. Agricultural policy and exports: Both candidates said Congress needs to be serious about the farm bill, which is supposed to be renewed every five years. Flood blamed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, for being a roadblock in the bills advancement in the Senate, while Blood said the U.S. House needs to be serious about its legislative authority. Flood said President Joe Biden needs to step up to foreign countries, such as Mexico, while the U.S. finds other markets to increase exports. Blood said the country should continue to work with associations to find other outlets in other countries for farmers to export their goods. Looking ahead to November Blood told reporters after the debate her campaign for Congress is the last elected position she plans on running for but said she would run for reelection if she wins. She said she hasnt fed at the trough of the lobby, isnt beholden to party labels and argued hyperpartisanship is killing this country. Flood said after the debate that Congress is different from the officially nonpartisan Legislature because members of Congress organize around party labels. He said that if Blood sits at the back of the bus, she wont have influence over what really matters. Flood said during the debate that if voters take one thing away, its that the nations future is on the line come November. He said if Nebraskans are better off now under Biden than in 2020 under Trump, he invites them to vote for Blood. Otherwise, he wants to earn those votes. The stakes have never been higher and the choice on your ballot has never been starker, Flood said. Blood said Flood helped to illustrate the hyperpartisanship shes seeking to defeat. She said Congress and the nation must move past a nanny government to respect the rights and freedoms of Nebraskans. Weve got to stop putting people in that put politics over people, Blood said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX WARSAW, Poland (AP) Exceptionally heavy rainfall pounding Central Europe has prompted deadly flooding in the region, with four new deaths reported Monday in Poland, three in the Czech Republic and one in Romania. The flooding has swamped parts of Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania as a low-pressure system crossing the region has unleashed record-high rains for days, and it was expected to affect Slovakia and Hungary later in the week. So far 16 people have been reported killed seven people in Romania, five in Poland, three in the Czech Republic and one in Austria. In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk held an emergency meeting and later declared a disaster in flooded areas, a government measure to facilitate evacuation and rescues. He also said the government would provide 1 billion zlotys ($260 million) in immediate payouts to victims. The flooding in Poland has burst dams and embankments while receding waters left streets covered in piles of debris and mud. It prompted a hospital in the southwestern Polish city of Nysa to evacuate about 40 patients. Schools and offices in the affected areas were closed Monday and drinking water and food were being delivered by trucks. Many Polish cities, including Warsaw, have called for food donations for flood survivors. Experts warned of flood threats due to the cresting Oder River in Opole, a city of some 130,000 residents, and Wroclaw, home to about 640,000 residents and where disastrous flooding happened in 1997. Firefighters in southwestern Poland said flood victims included a surgeon whose body was found Monday morning in Nysa after he returned from hospital duty. The bodies of two women and two other men have been found in other communities in the region. Police in the Czech Republic said that a woman and two men drowned in the northeast, which has been pounded by record rainfall since Thursday. The woman was found in the water in the town of Krasov and the men were found dead at different locations after water receded in the town of Krnov which was almost completely submerged on Sunday Romanian authorities said Monday that another person died in the eastern county of Galati, bringing the total number of deaths there to seven. One death previously was reported in Austria. Authorities in the Czech Republic declared an emergency in two northeastern regions, including in the Jeseniky mountains near the Polish border. A number of towns and cities had been submerged in the northeast, with thousands evacuated. Military helicopters joined rescuers on boats in efforts to transport people to safety. Waters were receding from the mountainous areas on Monday, leaving behind destroyed houses and bridges and damaged roads. In most parts of the country, conditions were expected to improve later Monday. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala visited the town of Jesenik, one of the hardest hit places. The worst is behind us and now, we have to deal with all the damage, Fiala said following the visit. In Hungary, the mayor of Budapest warned residents that the largest floods in a decade were expected to hit the capital later in the week, with the waters of the Danube River set to breach the citys lower quays by Tuesday morning. Prime Minister Viktor Orban canceled his planned foreign engagements, including an address to a plenary session of the European Parliament on Wednesday where heated debates were expected over his conduct since Hungary took over the European Unions rotating presidency in July. Until we reach the peak and get past the worst of it, I naturally wont be leaving the country, Ill be here at home, he said. Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony wrote on Facebook that the city would use 1 million sandbags to bolster flood defenses, and asked residents to take extra care when near the river. ___ Karel Janicek reported from Prague. Justin Spike contributed to this report from Budapest, Hungary. ___ The version corrects a dollar conversion in the third graf, $260 million not $258,000. As European markets experience a boost from the ECB's recent rate cut and global tech stocks continue to outperform, Sweden's high-growth tech sector is drawing significant attention. In this favorable environment, identifying stocks with strong fundamentals and innovative potential becomes crucial for investors looking to capitalize on emerging opportunities. Top 10 High Growth Tech Companies In Sweden Name Revenue Growth Earnings Growth Growth Rating Truecaller 20.32% 21.61% Fortnox 20.18% 22.60% Xbrane Biopharma 53.90% 118.02% Yubico 20.52% 42.35% Bonesupport Holding 33.76% 31.20% Scandion Oncology 40.71% 75.34% Hemnet Group 20.13% 25.41% Skolon 31.76% 121.72% BioArctic 42.38% 98.40% KebNi 34.75% 86.11% Click here to see the full list of 80 stocks from our Swedish High Growth Tech and AI Stocks screener. Here's a peek at a few of the choices from the screener. Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ), along with its subsidiaries, offers mobile connectivity solutions for telecom operators and enterprise customers across multiple regions including North America, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, North East Asia, South East Asia, Oceania, and India; its market cap is SEK253.05 billion. Operations: Ericsson's primary revenue streams are derived from its Networks segment, generating SEK157.93 billion, and its Cloud Software and Services segment, which brings in SEK63.35 billion. The Enterprise segment contributes SEK25.83 billion to the company's total revenue. Ericsson's revenue is forecast to grow at 2.7% annually, outpacing the Swedish market's 1%. Despite a net loss of SEK 11.13 billion for Q2 2024, the company remains committed to innovation with significant R&D investments. In collaboration with NRTC and Southern Linc, Ericsson aims to enhance private network solutions for U.S. electric cooperatives, showcasing its strategic focus on resilient infrastructure and advanced communications technologies. The company's earnings are projected to grow by 98.9% per year as it transitions towards profitability in the next three years. OM:ERIC B Earnings and Revenue Growth as at Sep 2024 Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: Sectra AB (publ) offers solutions in medical IT and cybersecurity across Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and other parts of Europe, with a market cap of SEK 51.94 billion. Story continues Operations: Sectra AB (publ) generates revenue primarily from its Imaging IT Solutions and Secure Communications segments, contributing SEK 2.67 billion and SEK 388.55 million respectively. The company operates in the medical IT and cybersecurity sectors across multiple European countries. Sectra's recent earnings report for Q1 2024 shows sales of SEK 736.75 million, up from SEK 601.71 million a year ago, while net income rose to SEK 80.4 million from SEK 61.56 million. The company's revenue is forecast to grow at an impressive rate of 14.2% annually, significantly outpacing the Swedish market's growth rate of 1%. Notably, Sectra has been investing heavily in R&D, with expenses reaching SEK X.X billion last year, underscoring its commitment to innovation and long-term growth prospects. In addition to strong financial performance, Sectra has successfully implemented its public cloud service in two Belgian hospitalsAZ Sint Lucas and AZ Sint Janenhancing their operational efficiency and resource sharing capabilities through Microsoft Azure-based solutions. This move not only streamlines workflows but also reduces IT burdens on hospital staff, showcasing Sectra's strategic focus on leveraging cloud technology for healthcare improvements and positioning it well within the high-growth tech landscape in Sweden. OM:SECT B Revenue and Expenses Breakdown as at Sep 2024 Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (publ) is an integrated biotechnology company that researches, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceuticals in haematology, immunology, and specialty care across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia with a market cap of SEK111.94 billion. Operations: Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (publ) generates revenue primarily from three segments: Hematology (SEK 15.07 billion), Immunology (SEK 7.49 billion), and Specialty Care (SEK 1.15 billion). The company focuses on developing and commercializing pharmaceuticals in these therapeutic areas across multiple regions globally. Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi) has demonstrated strong revenue growth, reporting SEK 11.70 billion for the first half of 2024, up from SEK 10.11 billion in the previous year. Despite a net income decline to SEK 1.02 billion from SEK 1.29 billion, Sobi's earnings are projected to grow at an impressive rate of 25.8% annually over the next three years, significantly outpacing the Swedish market's average growth rate of 15.3%. The company's R&D investment underscores its commitment to innovation; with recent pivotal studies like VALIANT and XTEND-Kids showing promising results in rare disease treatments, Sobi is well-positioned within Swedens tech landscape despite some challenges such as lower profit margins (9%) compared to last year's (15.5%). OM:SOBI Earnings and Revenue Growth as at Sep 2024 Seize The Opportunity Take a closer look at our Swedish High Growth Tech and AI Stocks list of 80 companies by clicking here. Are these companies part of your investment strategy? Use Simply Wall St to consolidate your holdings into a portfolio and gain insights with our comprehensive analysis tools. Streamline your investment strategy with Simply Wall St's app for free and benefit from extensive research on stocks across all corners of the world. Interested In Other Possibilities? This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Companies discussed in this article include OM:ERIC B OM:SECT B and OM:SOBI. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com A drone image shows the BorsodChem MCHZ chemical plant is under water following heavy rains. Sznapka Petr/CTK/dpa There was still no sign of relief in flood inundated areas of the Czech Republic on Monday, after persistent rain swelled rivers across the country over the weekend. The flood wave on the Morava river reached Litovel, nearly 200 kilometres east of Prague, with entire streets underwater, the CTK news agency reported. Authorities in the small town with almost 10,000 people appealed to the population to heed the emergency services. The mayor warned on social media: "In the next few hours, we expect a further increase in the river's water level." Levels continued to rise in many other places. A state of danger was declared for the area around the town of Frydlant in North Bohemia. The highest flood alert level was in effect in the city of Hradec Kralove on the Elbe river. In Usti nad Labem, a city near the border with Germany, additional flood protection walls were to be erected during the course of the day to shield the city centre. The Elbe's crest was not expected there until Wednesday, at around 7.65 metres above the zero gauge point. Contrary to fears, in the town of Troubky there have been no major impacts so far. The Becva river has not yet overflowed its banks. The town became a symbol of the 1997 flood disaster in the Moravia region, where nine people died and 150 houses destroyed. Further rain was expected across the Czech Republic on Monday, which could be intensive in the south. During the worst storms in years, masses of water swept through entire towns over the weekend, including Jesenik in the Altvater Mountains and Krnov near the border with Poland. In Jesenik, emergency services had to rescue hundreds of people from the floods using boats and helicopters. Florida looks to clamp down on noncitizen voters despite outcry that it's a non-issue Florida is cracking down on noncitizens attempting to vote, with officials saying barring them from the ballot boxes is vital to protect the integrity of elections despite the small fraction of incidents involving noncitizens voting. Last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis administration requested data from federal immigration officials regarding the citizenship status for seven people on Florida voter rolls, which totals over 13.6 million people, whom the state suspects could be noncitizens. The letter sent last week from deputy Secretary of State Brad McVay to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services associate director Tammy Mackley says federal law requires them to provide the information, and suggests the state could file suit if it isnt provided within 14 days. The immediate need for accurate citizenship information is critical as we are less than ninety days from the next general election, McVay wrote. If verification is not provided within the time requested, Florida will pursue other remedies, including potential litigation. McVay also noted 144 people on Florida voter rolls were found to be noncitizens last month. In footnotes, he also cited the arrests of two noncitizens for voting illegally in the last two years. Florida has one of the largest noncitizen populations, with more than 2.16 million residents who dont have U.S. citizenship, according to a U.S. Census Bureau survey. At the same time, critics of DeSantis say that his and other Republicans' alarm over foreign nationals possibly casting ballots in U.S. elections is scaremongering. FLORIDA under @GovRonDeSantis takes election integrity seriously. To that end, the Florida Dept. of State is demanding information from the Fed Gov't on the status of individuals identified on FL voter rolls who are believed to be non-citizens. Illegal aliens will not vote in FL, pic.twitter.com/CwQ3idbX6u Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) September 10, 2024 Democrats have criticized the crackdown, noting that incidents of noncitizens voting are rare. Because immigration continues to be such a polarizing issue, and instead of offering solutions to address our backlog or to address the need for comprehensive immigration reform, instead they focus on this myth that undocumented people are flooding into our election systems, said Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando. As part of a broader push to prevent voter fraud following former President Donald Trumps false claims after the 2020 election, Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022 got the Legislature to set up the Office of Election Crimes and Security within the Department of State. The office was given statewide jurisdiction to investigate and arrest those suspected of voting illegally. That includes investigating reports of noncitizens voting, Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd told the U.S. House Committee on House Administration on Wednesday. For all of the people who say there is no evidence of noncitizens voting come to Florida, Byrd said. We have the evidence because Im required, my office is required, to report it to the governor and the Legislature every year. The latest report came out in January, showing there were more than 1,300 complaints of election crimes, including fraudulent petitions and campaign donations in violation of state laws, filed in 2023. Eskamani said the crackdown is misguided and actually could end up hurting Republicans at the ballot box: Theres always been accusations that the reason why Democrats want immigration reform is because we want to change the electorate but they forget that many immigrants are also Republicans. To be sure, noncitizens are banned from voting in U.S. elections, and the Florida constitution also bans noncitizens from voting. But conservatives want more barriers to prevent noncitizens from voting in practice, and point to a push in major cities such as Washington, D.C., and New York City to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections. In New York, that law was struck down by the courts but the city is appealing. In Washington, D.C., more than 500 noncitizens registered to vote ahead of local elections there earlier this year, according to the Washington Post. The GOP-controlled U.S. House passed a bill to block noncitizens from voting in that city's elections, but it hasnt advanced in the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate. Supporters of various candidates wave signs Tuesday in front of the polling place at Merritt Island Moose Lodge during primary voting in Brevard County. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK There have also been incidents where some noncitizens were found to have been on voter rolls. For example, Texas officials said recently about 6,500 potential noncitizens have been removed from its rolls since 2021, with 1,930 having voted in elections. Texas has about 18 million registered voters. Republican leaders in Congress have attached the SAVE Act, which would require states to obtain proof of citizenship before registering someone to vote, onto a key budget bill that would continue to fund the federal government after Sept. 30, when the current budget authority elapses. U.S. Sen. Rick Scott led a press conference last week to emphasize the importance of the bill, and the need to pass it ahead of the November elections. People are really mad. People are scared to death, the Naples Republican said. People really believe these elections are unfair. How is that good for us? The SAVE Act would alter the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, also known as the Motor Voter Law, which allowed people to register to vote at their local Department of Motor Vehicle when they renewed their drivers license. The move led to jumps in registrations but conservatives say it created a system ripe for fraud, allowing people to register to vote without proof of citizenship. Instead, applicants need to simply assert they are U.S. citizens. Congressman Cory Mills speaks at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach on Sunday, July 21, 2024. Mills represents Florida's 7th District in Seminole and southern Volusia counties. Not all Republicans are on board with the plan to tack the SAVE Act onto the budget bills, however, with Florida GOP U.S. Reps. Cory Mills and Greg Steube opposed to the tactic, saying it couldnt be implemented in time to affect the November elections. At the congressional panel, Byrd said his department's efforts are part of the broader effort to eliminate election fraud completely. Florida is committed to ensuring that all eligible Floridians who want to vote have the opportunity to do so, however, we are equally committed to preventing election fraud and protecting the integrity of Floridas voting rolls, Byrd said. Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida looks to clamp down on immigrant voters despite few incidents Florida man arrested after falling out of boat, giving false name to deputies: PCSO Florida man arrested after falling out of boat, giving false name to deputies: PCSO LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) An Auburndale man was arrested after giving a false name to deputies after falling out of a boat, Polk County Sheriffs Office said. On Sunday, Polk County Fire Rescue responded to a call about two boaters falling into Crystal Lake in Lakeland. Another man jumped in with pool noodles to save the two boaters, according to PCSO. Timothy Lanthrip, 36, gave a false name to deputies after they were both checked out by medics, according to PCSO. Deputies later found out his true identity through his fingerprint. 13-year-old girl missing in Hillsborough County According to PCSO, when running Lanthrips name, deputies uncovered he had six active warrants. Lanthrip was arrested for his six warrants and charged with giving false information to deputies. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. PIEDMONT TRIAD, N.C. (WGHP) A coastal low will be producing heavy rain and blustery conditions across portions of NC today and tonight A Flood Watch will go into effect at 8 am today and last until 8 am tomorrow. Were starting with cloudy skies this morning and temperatures in the mid-60s. Showers are expected to move into our southeastern counties later this morning, then spread across the Piedmont through the day. Highs will be in the upper-60s this afternoon. The rain will become most intense during the overnight hours. Lows are going to be in the mid-60s. Showers become more scattered Tuesday with highs in the lower-70s. A total of 1.5 to 2 is expected through tomorrow evening. Wednesday and Thursday, the coastal low will be well inland, but likely sitting and spinning along the NC/SC line. It will be cloudy with rain chances hovering around 50%, and highs in the upper-70s. Friday through Sunday, we will be able to whittle the chance of rain to between 20% and 25% under partly cloudy skies. There will be a lingering threat of another low hovering near the NC coastline, but it wont bring the rain threat inland that were experiencing today. Temperatures are going to gradually cool off, from the upper-70s Friday to the mid-70s this weekend. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP. How British is the world? Perhaps you could try and measure it by the reach of the English language, or our common law. But I like the metric attributed to Japans Science and Technology institute in 1981. It is said to have concluded that 54pc of the radical inventions that made up the modern world originated in Britain. The veracity of this claim has been questioned but, regardless, evidence of British inventiveness is all around us. From Concorde to IVF, civilian nuclear energy and the automated cash machine, all were invented by scientists and engineers here, and unleashed on global markets. You can add to the list now ubiquitous technologies like the fanjet, carbon fibre and optical cables. None were devised with the idea that other nations would get rich from them. But industry and manufacturing became dirty words, and we no longer collect much of a windfall. Thats because the clever people told us that we should give up on industry. China would manufacture everything the world would ever need, and UK growth would come from service sectors like law and insurance. The consequences of this were predictable: low wage mass immigration and slow growth, pampered cities and neglected towns. The policy class talk endlessly about innovation. For example, the slick former New Labour quango Nesta has just greeted the new Government with its own plan for growth. It calls itself the innovation agency for social good, so you forget that the s and the t in its name originally stood for science and technology. As with the NHS, Nestas primary task is serving itself, so its primary demand is to create a brand new growth quango, one just like Nesta. But Nesta isnt some outlier. Its part of a sprawling collection of agencies that set the policy mood music, none of whom regret the decline of British industry and manufacturing. The granddaddy of these is the sprawling UK Research and Innovation agency (UKRI), which has a budget of almost 9bn of our money in 2024. Its currently appointing a new council, seeking applicants from a variety of backgrounds, including business, civil society, academia and government. Can you spot anything missing from that list? In reality, its a vehicle for academics to pursue their own agendas something that infuriated Dominic Cummings so much that he created a rival, ARIA. Engineers and innovators with a strong record of growing successful companies warn of the perils of dealing with these agencies. Academics use the money to fund their own research, one Cambridge based engineer and founder tells me. Call them up and theyll say were not supporting industry at this time but if they are interested, your invention will become their next research paper. Innovate UK, a Russian doll within UKRI, is also regarded with suspicion. Its agendas have shifted, too, drifting away from the idea of fostering productive new businesses. Innovate UK will now be tasted with delivering Labour missions including making Britain a clean energy superpower and building an NHS fit for the future. Why? Within Innovate UK is yet another, smaller Russian doll: the Catapult network, each meant to help supercharge the development of ideas in certain sectors. Ive found some of the Catapults to be highly competent in areas that require technical experience from industry itself, like space and telecommunications. Others are rather less impressive. In 2018, EY recommended that three should be put out to pasture as they contributed so little, including the spectacularly pointless Digital Catapult. Of course the Conservatives could never say no so they roll on. Finally, completing the picture are many dozens of attention-seeking freelance policy experts, Twittering away on social media about growth or innovation, but still anchored to the logic of the 1990s. JS Mill derisively described the Victorian civil service as indoor relief for the middle class, but thats even more applicable to the growth quangos and wafflers: it all looks like a giant makework scheme. Nick Timothy used his maiden speech in Parliament to make a bold call for change. Being a services superpower is a great advantage, but alone it is not enough: we need a serious strategy to reindustrialise, narrow the trade deficit and rebalance the economy, he concluded. With China now hostile, and industry being reshored back to the West as a consequence, the globalisation ideology of the past few decades looks well past its sell by date. Theres no reason, Timothy tells me, why we cant be as prosperous as Switzerland, and I agree. Approximately 25pc of its economy comes from engineering, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. In Poland, manufacturing contributes over a third of GDP, and by some calculations, Polands GPD per capita is set to overtake the UK by 2030 or come very close. Notice how few of our innovation or growth wonks cite these examples when promoting their plans for the economy, but then Poland has a much more useful policy elite: advisors there tend to have an engineering or science background, rather than a degree in psychology or economics. Poland already feels more prosperous than much of Britain. As Andy Haldane pointed out this week, however, the long-term consequences of pursuing an anti-industry agenda are dire. Without industrial strategy, whatever your trade deal, you will not sell enough to pay your way in the world, he said this week. No doubt things will get worse before they can get better: high energy prices will ensure a hard winter before there can be a spring. But at least the path to growth is clear. We already invent the things the world needs, now we just need to make them and sell them. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Former Abercrombie & Fitch chief executive officer Mike Jeffries is facing more allegations of sexual abuse in a new BBC report. After the BBCs initial investigation into the clothing chains former leader was released last fall, one of the alleged victims, David Bradberry, filed a civil action complaint in a New York federal court against Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith and Abercrombie & Fitch claiming that the company allowed Jeffries to run a sex-trafficking organization during his tenure. More from WWD On Friday, the BBC reported that eight more men have come forward alleging sexual exploitation and sexual abuse that was related to incidents which were said to have occurred between 2009 and 2015. The new allegations claim for the first time that Jeffries staff was involved in some instances. Last fall after what was a two-year investigation by its Panorama team, the BBC released The Abercrombie Guys documentary and podcast. Some accusers claimed they had been exploited or abused at the gatherings, which were said to have been held at Jeffries former home in the Hamptons, at Claridges in London, La Mamounia in Morocco and Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in the South of France. The events were said to have been held between 2009 and 2015, and the men were allegedly recruited by a middleman, James Jacobson. The men allegedly received cash for sexual acts. At that time, an Abercrombie & Fitch spokesperson said the company was appalled and disgusted and it had initiated an independent investigation. In November, Abercrombie & Fitch suspended Jeffries lifetime annual bonus of $1 million. Late last year Jeffries filed a lawsuit in Delaware asking that the legal fees that he is incurring for defending himself in the civil complaint be covered by Abercrombie & Fitch. In March, a judge reportedly ruled in his favor. Media requests to executives at Abercrombie & Fitch seeking comment about the new allegations were unreturned Monday. Jeffries and Smiths attorney Brian Bieber did not respond to media requests Monday, nor did a spokesperson at his firm Gray Robinson. There are also claims in the just-out BBC report that Jeffries assistants injected some attendees in the penis with what they were told was liquid Viagra, according to multiple men interviewed by the BBC. Some of the alleged victims described sex events including one in Jeffries presidential suite in a Madrid hotel in 2011 that was like a movie set of an Abercrombie store. That unnamed accuser said he had been offered the chance to appear in an advertisement for the brand, if he flew to Madrid to meet Jeffries. The accuser told the BBC that he thought we were going to do a photo shoot. What he allegedly found was a group of assistants in Abercrombie & Fitch uniforms polo shirts, jeans, and flip-flops folding clothes on a table pretending to be store workers in a dimly lit room that had erotic photos of mens abs on the dark walls. After allegedly being encouraged to act like one of the shirtless greeters who welcomed shoppers to Abercrombie & Fitch stores as was customary in the brands stores at that time, the victim was allegedly informed that two very important guests were going to be the customers that you need to impress and entertain because theyre going to be buying a lot of clothes from you. The accuser said that Jeffries and Smith then came out of a corner of the room, and Jeffries allegedly forcibly kissed him and then performed oral sex on him, despite him trying to say no repeatedly, according to the BBC report. A former model for the brand Keith Milkie claimed that one of Jeffries former assistants bragged about having done some work for Abercrombie & Fitch at the same time as working at the alleged sex events in the BBC article. Milkie could not be reached for comment Monday. In November, Bradberrys suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York alleged international sex trafficking and abuse of prospective models. The complaint said that Abercrombie & Fitch allegedly funded a criminal enterprise that Jeffries and his partner Smith orchestrated between 1992 and 2014. After turning the preppy label into a multibillion-dollar brand that was associated by many for its ad campaigns with muscular men, Jeffries exited the top job at Abercrombie & Fitch in 2014 after a 22-year run. Brad Edwards, a lawyer at the Crime Victim Law Firm who is representing Bradberry and other plaintiffs, said he and his team are still in the discovery phase of their civil action case and are gathering documents, speaking with witnesses and (alleged) victims, and are preparing to take depositions. Edwards said Monday, The BBC piece was another informative piece that continues to shed light on this important case. The number of victims is much, much higher than what has been reported and we continue to urge everyone, whether victim or witness to anything, to contact our office as soon as possible. One of the reportedly former attendees of the sex parties, Diego Guillen, confirmed Monday that he had been interviewed by Federal Bureau of Investigation officials and that for a period of time he had made wake-up calls to a list of people in 2011. Guillen told WWD that for some months in 2011, possibly seven, he was paid $500 to call a list of people to wake up. Hey, please wake up. You will be picked up at 8 in the morning. I dont have a list anymore. I dont know names. I dont remember anything about it. Later in Mondays interview, Guillen said that he had called only to wake them up. The BBCs report claimed that Guillen, who is now a Miami-based lawyer and real estate broker, said he had never had sex for money before. At that time unemployed and homeless, Guillen had reportedly said he did not feel exploited. Reached Monday, Guillen said he was not very pleased with how they laid it out in the BBC report, but he will maintain his story. I have no evidence that there was any abuse whatsoever in any of these events. None. Zero, he said. I find it incredibly unfair that, at this point in time there are so many men that are coming forth so many years after for one reason only, because they are trying to get money out of this. I think its absolutely gross. Guillen claimed that Jacobson had instructed him to make the calls. Nobody was an employee that I am aware of. I wasnt part of the organization. I never worked for Abercrombie & Fitch so I dont know if they were employees or how much they were getting paid, he said. Declining further questions, Guilen said that he was no longer interested in continuing to speak with the media about the matter. He said, Im sick of it. I dont want to be involved. I dont want to have anything to do with it any longer. I wish Matthew [Smith] and Michael [Jeffries] good luck with this in court. I hope that they prevail, because I think thats the fair thing. But if they dont, it is really no longer my problem. Guillen said that he has cooperated with the FBIs investigators, who visited his house. He said that he has been very kind to the BBC, because they were draining me over this. Guillen said that he felt an obligation to speak about the matter, because he finds it incredibly unfair that these people continue to press charges against Jeffries and Smith, based on allegations that are not true. And if they are true, lets say they are true for a minute, then I hope they have all of the evidentiary support to prove that their testimony is truthful. It must be corroborated, and there is no way to corroborate that. I hope they have pictures or videos or something. Jacobson could not be reached for comment Monday. Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. ESTHERVILLE, Iowa (KCUA) The former police chief of Armstrong, Iowa changed his plea just as trial was set to start for his part in the alleged wrongdoing by multiple Armstrong officials. Craig Merrill, 47, entered an Alford plea Thursday to two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, aggravated misdemeanors. One of the charges will then be amended to aiding and abetting. An Alford plea is one in which is a plea entered for defendants not admitting guilt but acknowledging there is enough evidence to convict them. Other charges of the felonies ongoing criminal conduct and first-degree theft as well as the two misdemeanor counts of nonfelonious misconduct in office were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. As part of Merrills plea, the state will not make a sentencing recommendation while Merrrill will request a deferred judgment. The court will not be bound by the agreement. Sentencing is set for Tuesday morning. Sioux City man arrested for allegedly holding knife at victim, stealing vehicle A court orders states that a jury had been assembled and sworn in on Tuesday. They were excused so that the court and counsels could make arguments over a motion on admitting certain evidence with the court concluding at 4 p.m. Later that night at 9:45 p.m., the court was informed that a plea agreement had been reached. A written plea was presented then on Wednesday. The jury was then excused from their service Merrill is one of five Armstrong city officials accused of mass wrongdoing. The others are former mayor Greg Buum and former city clerks Connie Thackery, Tracie Lange, and Mary Staton. All fiver were charged in early 2021 after state officials conducted multi-year investigation, finding that city officials had misappropriated of city funds, presented fraudulent public records, deployed a TASER against a civilian in exchange for cash, and falsified ledgers to conceal embezzlement. Criminal complaints were available a few days later further detailing the alleged activities in which each of the five took part. Merrill is said to have assaulted a man using a Taser. The also allegedly then failed to report the money collected meant to reimburse the city for the use of the city-owned Taser at a party. Court cases for the other four are in various states, with Buums trial scheduled for Oct. 1 with a pre-trial hearing set for Sept. 20 at 1:15 p.m. One arrest made in Amazon theft totaling over $200,000 in South Dakota Thackery pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree theft in March. The other charges of ongoing criminal conduct, third-degree theft, and nonfelonious misconduct in office were dismissed. In the agreement, she admitted to misappropriating checks between $1,500 to $10,000. Thackery was then sentenced in May to a deferred judgment and placed on probation for two years. She is also responsible for court costs and fees Tracie Lang pleaded guilty in February 2021 to one count each of felonious misconduct in office and falsifying public documents, both class D felonies. As part of a plea agreement, the other charges of first-degree fraudulent practices, three counts of felonious misconduct in office, two counts of falsifying public documents, and two counts of tampering with records were dismissed. As long as Lang would follow through with the obligations of the agreement, the state would then recommend a suspended sentence and that Lange would be places on probation. She has not yet been sentenced as her sentencing is set to happen after the prosecution of Buum, Merrill, and Thackery. As part of a plea agreement, Staton pleaded guilty in March 2021 to one count of third-degree theft and one count of tampering with records, both aggravated misdemeanors. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KCAU 9 Morning Update Prosecutors would then recommend a deferred judgment without jail and a suspended fine as long as she satisfies the condition of the agreement. Like Lang, her sentencing is set to happen after the prosecution of Buum, Merrill, and Thackery. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Huw Edwards has been handed a suspended prison sentence of six months after pleading guilty to making indecent images of children. He has also been ordered to complete a sex offender treatment program and will be added to the sex offender register for seven years. The decision means he will not face jail time. More from Variety The former BBC news anchor appeared in person to hear the sentence at Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday morning. Eschewing his usual suit and tie for a dark blue cardigan, white shirt and dark trousers, he remained impassive in the dock as Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring made his sentencing remarks, leaning forward with his chin in his hands before being asked to stand as the sentence was read out. Edwards, who was once the highest paid news anchor at the BBC, first appeared in court back in July where he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children. Sentencing was delayed until today to give parties time to prepare a pre-sentence report. At the original hearing, the prosecutor explained that Edwards did not take the images himself, which included six deemed Category A, the most serious. They were sent to him via WhatsApp by another man who first made contact with Edwards on social media. However, the offence is considered strict liability in the U.K., meaning that even if Edwards did not intend to view or download the images, the fact they were found on his phone makes him culpable. However it emerged during the sentencing hearing that Edwards had sent Williams gifts of money during their correspondence, ostensibly for university fees and items such as new sneakers. Edwards claimed these sums were not intended as payment for the images Williams was sending him, which the Chief Magistrate accepted. Via his lawyer, Edwards apologized to the court for receiving the images. He wishes the court through me to know how profoundly sorry he is, said his lawyer, Philip Evans KC. He recognises the repugnant nature of such indecent images and the hurt that is done to those that appear in such images. For his part in that he apologises sincerely and makes it clear he has the utmost regret. Altogether police found 41 images, which included videos as well as photographs, of children as young as seven. The images were sent to Edwards by a man identified in the British press as Alex Williams, who pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing indecent images earlier this year. He was given a 12-month suspended sentence. Edwards glittering 40-year career as a BBC newsman which saw him tasked with delivering news of Queen Elizabeth IIs death to the world in Sept. 2022 came crashing down last year after British tabloid The Sun ran a story saying a senior BBC presenter had paid a teenager for sexual pictures. Edwards was not charged over the incident although he immediately went on medical leave, checking into a facility for his mental health. He continued to be paid until he finally resigned in April 2024, despite the BBC being made aware that he had been charged with making indecent images of children in 2023. The BBC claims it is now trying to get Edwards to repay around 200,000 ($262,000) of his salary for that period. Best of Variety Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Former Boston Market restaurant in Sacramento destroyed by fire Former Boston Market restaurant in Sacramento destroyed by fire (FOX40.COM) The site of a former chain restaurant in Sacramento was destroyed in a fire Sunday. Sacramento Metro Fire said that when crews arrived at the building, located on Fair Oaks Boulevard in the Arden-Arcade neighborhood, they found heavy fire conditions. Fire intentionally started under Californias tallest bridge, officials say Anytime we have an old restaurant, theres a lot of material still in there, said Battalion Chief Chris Vestal. According to the fire department, the building is a total loss. The fire department is investigating the cause of the fire and asks that anyone with information on how the fire started should call the fire department. Most fires are somewhat caused by some kind of human behavior, Vestal said. So, of course in a vacant building that shouldnt have power supplied to itWhat was the ignition source? Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Retired federal Judge Thomas Griffith, left, and Gov. Spencer Cox speak at the Faith Matters Restore Conference at Mountain America Exposition Center in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News Thomas Griffith, a retired federal judge and former general counsel for BYU, appeared Sunday on a 60 Minutes segment examining the ongoing fallout from the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Griffith spoke about his research into the 2020 election, the results of which fueled the events of Jan. 6. He argued that protesters who believed the election had been stolen from former President Donald Trump were duped and that theres no evidence of election fraud. All of the evidence not the speculation, not the conspiracy theories all the evidence points in one direction and that is that President Biden won and President Trump lost, Griffith said on 60 Minutes. Retired federal judge Thomas Griffith, a conservative, co-authored a report looking into the 2020 election. He says Jan. 6 protestors were duped. All the evidence points in one direction, he says. And that is that President Biden won, and President Trump lost. pic.twitter.com/7OZmGYcPgb 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 15, 2024 60 Minutes explores Jan. 6 Griffiths comments rounded out a 60 Minutes segment that was primarily about efforts to hold Jan. 6 protesters criminally liable for their actions. As CBS News reported in its summary of Sundays episode, More than 1,000 Americans have been convicted in the January 6th, 2021 attack on the Capitol. About 350 trials are still pending and the FBI continues its dragnet for suspects. Those convictions, trials and investigations have been controversial, in part because of debates over what the protesters have been charged with and in part because of Trumps claim that the protesters are patriots. In June, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of one protester in a case that will affect many more. The justices determined that a law on destroying official records had been improperly applied in some Jan. 6 lawsuits, as the Deseret News previously reported. Matthew Graves, a U.S. attorney who has worked on more than 1,000 Jan. 6-related cases, told 60 Minutes that its essential to hold those who stormed the Capitol accountable. The crime was severe. It was an attack on our democracy. Once you replace votes and deliberation with violence and intimidation, youve lost the democratic process, he said. But Graves added that his team is not treating all protesters equally. Theyre focusing on charging those who forcibly entered the Capitol and threatened others and/or engaged in violent activity. Griffith, who served on the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit before he retired in 2020, applauded his former colleagues work during his interview. The D.C. Circuit has heard hundreds of Jan. 6 cases. None of these judges is politically biased. These defendants had every chance in the world to defend themselves against these charges and they didnt succeed, he said. Thomas Griffith on 2020 election Griffiths interview with 60 Minutes built on his past efforts to turn the temperature down on debates about the 2020 election. After that election, he worked with other high-profile conservatives to research fraud claims. They laid out their case that Trump really did lose the election in a 2022 report titled Lost, Not Stolen. We are a great nation founded on the rule of law, and I am hopeful that by releasing the results of our painstaking review, we will help set the record straight, once and for all, Griffith wrote for the Deseret News after the report was released. (Bloomberg) -- Iberdrola SA plans to provide a Spanish data center with a grid connection and renewable power in exchange for up to 20% of the facility, which will cost as much as 2 billion to build. Most Read from Bloomberg Europes top clean energy generator is in advanced talks with developers to provide land connected to the grid for the joint venture, but no cash, while its partner would make the investment to build the center and operate it, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be named because the information isnt public. The unusual deal structure is a sign of how keen Iberdrola is to develop a global data center portfolio. Providing electricity in exchange for equity is a way for the Spanish utility to expand its presence in a capital-intensive but fast-growing sector. Processing a ChatGPT query uses nearly 10 times more energy than a Google search, according to analysts at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., who expect AI to drive a 160% surge in power demand from data centers and reach as much as 4% of global electricity consumption by 2030. That makes it an especially attractive business for renewable power generators, as large technology firms like Microsoft Corp. and Meta Platforms Inc. have set ambitious clean energy goals. The joint venture is expected to be set up in the first half of 2025 and would initially focus on Bilbao-based Iberdrolas home market, according to the people. The new company would later seek to expand in other markets. Through the venture, which is in line with its business plan, Iberdrola is seeking to position itself ahead of competitors in the data center market, the people said. Iberdrola is already selling energy to several data centers through power purchase agreements, or PPAs. For the new venture, the company will also provide land with 200-megawatt grid connection capacity and will rely on pumped-storage hydropower to ensure that the PPA suffers no interruptions, even though the energy will be fully renewable. Later, Iberdrola may decide to add a solar plant, the people said. The first data center is expected to start operating by 2030, when Ibedrola aims to reach 20% of Spains data center market share. The utility has created a new unit, named CPD4Green, to manage the development of the new business. It has chosen Spain as the initial market because of the vast availability of land, along with a well-developed power network and more than 22 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity. Story continues Other Spanish companies have also shown interest in the data center boom. Earlier this month, Solar developer Solaria Energia y Medioambiente SA signed a deal with Japanese company Datasection Inc. to build a data center of as much as 200 megawatts. Real estate company Merlin Properties Socimi SA in July raised almost 1 billion ($1.1 billion) to expand its data center business. --With assistance from Rachel Morison. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Former Canadian vice admiral found not guilty of sexually assaulting a sailor on a ship in 1991 Former vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson listens to questions outside the courthouse after being found not guilty of sexual assault and an indecent act, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Ottawa. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP) OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) A former high-ranking member of the Canadian military was found not guilty by a judge Monday of sexual assault and committing an indecent act in a 33-year-old case involving a younger, lower-ranking servicemember. Former Vice Adm. Haydn Edmundson was head of the militarys personnel in 2021 when he was accused of assaulting another member of the navy during a 1991 deployment. The complainant, Stephanie Viau, testified during the trial that began in February that she was 19 years old and had the navys lowest rank at the time of the alleged assault, while Edmundson was an older officer. Edmundson pleaded not guilty and testified that he never had sexual contact with Viau. In reading his decision in the Ontario Court of Justice, Justice Matthew Webber said prosecutors did not prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. He cited concerns with the Viau's memory of what happened more than 30 years ago, and a lack of evidence to corroborate her account. There are just too many problems, and Im not in the business of ... declaring what happened, Webber said. Thats not my job. My job is to just decide whether or not guilt has been proven to the requisite standard, and it hasnt. A small group of Edmundsons supporters gasped in court when the verdict was read. Edmundson shook his lawyers hand. Outside court, defense lawyer Brian Greenspan said his client was gratified by the clear, decisive vindication of his steadfast position that he was not guilty of these false accusations. During the trial, Viau testified that one of her responsibilities on board the ship was to wake officers for night watch and other overnight duties, and that she woke Edmundson regularly during that 1991 deployment. The court has heard conflicting evidence about the wake-up calls. Viau estimated that she woke Edmundson every second or third night, and she told the court that his behavior became progressively worse during the deployment. She testified that he started sleeping naked and that one night she found him completely exposed on top of the sheets. Viau said she went berserk, yelling at him and turning on the lights to wake the other officer sleeping in the top bunk. That incident was the basis for the indecent act charge. Viau alleged that the sexual assault happened a couple of days after her yelling at Edmundson. When Edmundson took the stand in his own defense, he denied having physical or sexual contact with Viau. Edmundson was one of several senior military leaders accused of sexual misconduct in early 2021. He stepped down from his position as head of military personnel after the accusation against him was made public in 2021. The charges were laid months later, in December 2021. Edmundson testified that in February 2022, he was directed by the chief of the defense staff to retire from the Armed Forces. A former corrections officer at a federal prison in Lexington has admitted to sexually abusing three women who were under the prisons care. According to the federal plea agreement, Jacob Salcido assaulted three women at the Federal Medical Center between September and December 2020. Separate lawsuits filed by two of the women also accuse the prison, which houses nearly 1,300 prisoners, both male and female, who require medical care, of failing to address longstanding problems of sexual assaults. Salcido received a sentence of more than eight years in prison, will be supervised for life upon release, and must pay the victims a total of $63,000, according to the plea agreement. He will also register for life as a sex offender. Salcido resigned from the Federal Bureau of Prisons on July 26, 2024, according to a spokesperson with the Federal Medical Center. The FBOP takes seriously our duty to protect the individuals entrusted in our custody, as well as maintain the safety of correctional employees and the community, FMC said in an emailed statement. We make every effort to ensure the physical safety and health of the individuals confined to our facilities through a controlled environment that is secure and humane. Additionally, for privacy, safety, and security reasons, the FBOP does not comment on matters which could be pending before the court. Salcidos lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Salcido raped, assaulted women prisoners, lawsuits state Before the criminal case was filed against Salcido, two women filed civil lawsuits in recent years claiming Salcido sexually assaulted them at the prison. Those suits, which are pending while the criminal case is being resolved, detail the allegations against Salcido. One victim, identified as C.J. in court documents, filed suit on February 10, 2023, against Salcido and the U.S. government, claiming federal officials failed to hold their employees accountable. and claimed they were negligent in holding their employees accountable. C.J.s lawsuit alleges Salcido was known by management and investigative agencies at the prison to be a sexual predator. He was investigated numerous times for sex crimes against inmates, the suit claims. The Bureau of Prisons denied a records request made by the Herald-Leader that sought Salcidos personnel file, complaints filed against him, or any disciplinary actions taken against him. Despite Salcidos reputation, the suit claims, the facility allowed Salcido unrestricted and unsupervised contact with the women during work details. Management at the facility instituted a policy where prisoners who complained of mistreatment were moved to a county detention center or special housing unit intentionally suppressing complaints of misconduct the suit claims. In September 2020, C.J. was in a 21-day quarantine pending her release. While isolated, Salcido was working extra shifts to monitor the womens quarantine area due to staffing shortages. C.J. reported to a corrections counselor that Salcido had made sexual comments to her, the suit says, but the counselor downplayed the accusations and told her she was imagining it. Then, while Salcido was working in the womens quarantine unit, he entered C.J.s cell around 3 a.m., grabbed her by the wrists and began to rape her on a cot, according to court documents. When C.J. reported the rape to other prisoners, she was told reporting the rape could delay her release from prison. C.J. reported the rape to a nurse employed by an outside contractor to provide COVID care, and the nurse then reported the rape to prison staff, according to the suit. Another former prisoner, with the initials A.R., filed suit in August 2022 claiming she was sexually assaulted multiple times by Salcido. A.R. was working as an orderly in the prisons COVID unit when Salcido began making sexual comments toward her, according to the suit. The comments escalated to Salcido grabbing, touching, and pressing his body against A.R. , according to the suit. He would tell her not to cross him, or she would not receive access to her medications. In September 2020, Salcido told A.R. he needed her assistance in the hair salon, where he later forced her to perform oral sex on him and raped her, according to the suit. And for more than 18 months, according to the suit, the Bureau of Prisons denied her a medical procedure related to injuries suffered during the rape. Sanctuary for sexual assault against women prisoners In addition to claims against Salcido, the civil lawsuits accuse the federal government and the Bureau of Prisons of systemic failure to protect women from sexual assault by prison guards. Contrary to its mission statement, (Bureau of Prisons) has created and maintained a sanctuary for male correctional officers to sexually assault and abuse female inmates, the lawsuit claims. The sexual abuse of female prisoners in the care and custody of BOP is epidemic and largely unchecked as a result of cultural tolerance, orchestrated cover-ups, and organizational reprisals of inmates brave enough to report sexual abuse. BOP employees sexually abused female prisoners in at least 19 of the 29 federal prisons that held women between 2012 and 2022, according to report from a U.S. Senate subcommittee on investigations. The report identified at least 134 instances of sexual assault of female prisoners by BOP employees over the 10-year span. And the U.S. House of Representatives, in a nine-page government oversight report released in 2004, found that misconduct by federal prison officials is largely tolerated or ignored altogether. Other findings included: The bureau has not systematically analyzed complaint data under the 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act; the Office of Internal Affairs has a backlog of 8,000 cases, which includes hundreds of sexual abuse claims, and its annual reporting is confusing and obscures its backlog. The case against Salcido is at least the fourth case in as many years involving allegations of rape or sexual assault by staff members against women prisoners. In 2021, two separate lawsuits were filed against FMC employees Christopher Brian Goodwin and Hosea Lee for raping women detainees. Both victims were later transferred to a prison camp in West Virginia. Two years later, Gregory Barrett, a former senior officer, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of an inmate. Salcido is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 13 at 9 a.m. A former prisoner has defended the television programme 24 Hours In Police Custody after it was criticised by a local council, and said it helped rebuild his life. In September 2019, Adam White, from Bedfordshire, unintentionally injured two men who had attempted to break into his home after he chased them with his car. The Channel 4 programme, which has been accused of "Luton-bashing" by the town council, featured Mr White's story in November 2022 and sympathetic viewers raised 170,000 for him and his family. He said: "Without them and their audience, I think my mental health would've got the better of me." During an appearance at Luton Crown Court, Mr White was found guilty of causing injury by dangerous driving and on 24 February 2022, and jailed for 22 months. He was also given a driven disqualification, which expires in January. Mr White, now 36, has praised the show for giving his story a platform that led to support from around the world. He said: "The messages I received from people all over the world were heart-warming. "I got contacted by people all over the world, including one lady in New Zealand who wants us to come out there and meet the family. "It was amazing, we got people from local companies, like one in Watford, offering free crazy golf. Recruiters got in touch, too. "When I came out of prison I suffered with depression; I had to seek help. It was a low time for me. Reading all those messages helped me get through it." Mr White said viewers raised 170,000 for him and his partner Lindsay [Adam White] Mr White was released from prison on 12 September 2022 after demonstrating good behaviour and wore a tag until 24 January 2023. He recalled: "We were struggling financially. We had to pause the mortgage; we had to sell my car when I was inside; we were on the brink of the position where we were going to have to downsize." Episodes of 24 Hours in Police Custody featuring the story were broadcast on Channel 4 on 28 November 2022. Viewers, who felt sympathy for the dad, set up an online fundraiser that went on to raise 170,000. Mr White said: "The money that got raised changed our lives drastically. We cleared our credit card, it helped our mortgage and we gave to charity" 'I don't blame the police' The electrical engineer now works on high-speed trains after a fellow inmate helped him find a job. In August, Luton Borough Council urged Bedfordshire Police to stop working with television show 24 Hours In Police Custody because it fuels "Luton-bashing". Mr White told BBC Three Counties Radio: "It doesn't give the area a bad representation; it portrays the area in black and white, how it is. It's non biased. "I made some wrongs, I shouldn't of left my house and done what I did, but they are documenting how it is and that's that. I think they do a good job." "It brings awareness to what normal crime happens in Bedfordshire and the whole of the UK. I think they do a good job. "I don't blame the police at all, I think they did a brilliant job... Bedfordshire Police in general are massively underfunded and understaffed, they do a brilliant job with what they've got." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story Former Reps Bullock and Kinseys Philadelphia state House districts are up for grabs Tuesday The ceiling of the main Rotunda inside Pennsylvanias Capitol building. May 24, 2022. Harrisburg, Pa. (Photo by Amanda Berg, for the Capital-Star). The ceiling of the main Rotunda inside Pennsylvanias Capitol building. (Photo by Amanda Berg for the Capital-Star). Special elections are set for two Pennsylvania state legislative districts in Philadelphia on Tuesday, but without Republican candidates, theres little question that Democrats Keith Harris and Andrew Carroll will become the citys next state representatives. Harris, who is the nominee for former Rep. Donna Bullocks 195th Legislative District seat, boasts four decades of work in the northwest Philadelphia community he would represent in Harrisburg. Carroll, the nominee for former state Rep. Stephen Kinseys 201st Legislative District seat, says he would bring the perspective of a Philadelphia public school educator who has lived experience overcoming adversity and finding opportunity in a neighborhood thats been left behind for way too long. Bullock was appointed in June to become CEO of the nonprofit homeless support group Project HOME. Bullock has represented the 195th Legislative District since 2016. Kinsey announced in January that the current legislative session would be his last. Kinsey has served as state representative for the 201st Legislative District since 2013. Both officially resigned in July. Their districts are considered safe for Democrats, who hold a 102-seat majority in the House, which the caucus has maintained through a series of special elections this session. House Republicans criticized the decision to hold special elections only weeks before the Nov. 5 presidential election, where the entire state House is on the ballot. Citing Bullock and Kinseys resignations, state Rep. Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia), whose 200th Legislative District borders both districts, has proposed legislation to streamline the special election process in the Pennsylvania House. He noted Pennsylvania spent nearly $1 million to conduct special elections in 2023, according to the Department of State. House Bill 1831 would ensure special elections are timely, cost effective and accessible by requiring that special elections happen sooner when a seat becomes vacant more than 90 days before the next election. It would require a special election to be held at least 60 days before the next primary or general election. The legislation would also require automatic mail-in voting for all elections while providing county boards of election the option to establish satellite voting sites; allowing for non-partisan participation; and allowing candidates to electronically obtain nomination petition signatures, Rabb said. According to his campaign website, Harris began his work in community service in 1984 with the Philadelphia anti-graffiti network, which gave rise to the citys mural arts project. Harris has served as 28th Ward leader, where he addressed issues of fair housing and community-friendly development. Harris said experience serving as Philadelphia City Councils sergeant at arms has also given him experience in the legislative process. In the House, Harris said he hopes to promote mental health advocacy, employment and career opportunity, education and public safety, his website says. Carroll says on his campaign website that he was raised by his grandmother because his father was incarcerated and his mother struggled with substance abuse. When his grandmother died, he took over at a young age to provide for his younger brother. His grandmothers lessons of hard work, perseverance and identifying opportunity gave him the motivation to graduate from school, earn a degree while working full time and become a teacher in the public school system. Carrolls website says he has also worked for the Philadelphia City Controllers Office, where he created a course in financial literacy for high school students, and for state Sen. Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia) providing constituent services. He has also volunteered for Democratic campaigns and Working Families Party candidate Nicolas ORourke, who ran for Philadelphia City Council in 2019. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) A former teachers aide at a school for children with disabilities faces a slew of charges after he is accused of sexual activity involving two teenagers. The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said an investigation by Youth Services detectives led to the arrest of 33-year-old Justin Henderson. Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts Justin Henderson (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department) Authorities reported Henderson was formerly a teachers aide at Genesis Academy, which is a private school in South Nashville for youth with learning disabilities. In June, two 16-year-old students told a school employee that Henderson had engaged in video calls with them depicting sexual activity, police said. CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime-related reports from across Middle Tennessee On Monday, Genesis Learning Centers issued a statement concerning Hendersons arrest, stating that he was terminated on June 24. On June 19, 2024, Genesis received a report from an 18 year old former student and graduate about prior abuse by Henderson. Genesis followed up with the former student, made an immediate report to DCS and ensured that Henderson did not work with or have access to any current students pending an internal investigation. During discussions with the former student, possible abuse of a current student came to light and Genesis immediately followed up with that student and their guardian. The actions reported did not take place on school grounds or during school hours. There were no other affected students identified during Genesis investigation Based upon the results of the internal investigation, Henderson was terminated on June 24, 2024. Genesis has and will continue to cooperate fully with DCS and has provided all information from their internal investigation to the DCS Special Investigator. Genesis Learning Centers Read todays top stories on wkrn.com During an interview with detectives, Henderson allegedly admitted to his involvement with the victims. He was charged with four counts of inducing sexual activity by a minor and three counts of displaying sex acts to a minor. Records show Henderson is being held in Metro Jail on a $150,000 bond. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. Former Trump aide: Youre going to get the Laura Loomers of the world in second administration Former Trump aide: Youre going to get the Laura Loomers of the world in second administration Sarah Matthews, a former spokesperson for former President Trump, warned that if he is reelected, his administration would be staffed with the Laura Loomers of the world. Matthews joined MSNBCs Jen Psaki on Sunday for Inside with Jen Psaki, where she weighed in on the growing concern about Trumps connection to Loomer, a former congressional candidate with a history of anti-Muslim and racist comments. I would imagine maybe she wants to be White House press secretary and that is what is most concerning to me, because Ive talked about this threat of, Who will be staffing a second administration? Matthews said. I like to think that during the first administration, you had people of good character who wanted to staff him and would push back on him, but in a second administration, youre going to get the Laura Loomers of the world who are in his ear, who are the ones helping run the country, she continued. Loomer has been thrust into the spotlight after posting online that if Vice President Harris wins the election, the White House will smell like curry, among other racist comments about Harriss Indian heritage. Her visible presence alongside Trump in recent days has sparked questions about her influence over his campaign. On Tuesday, she flew on Trumps plane to Philadelphia ahead of the presidential debate. Loomer does not have an official role with Trumps campaign. The former president said he does not agree with the statements made by Loomer, though in the past he too has invoked Harriss race. A group of Republican lawmakers released a joint statement this weekend denouncing Loomers comments. They are attempting to separate Trumps campaign from her remarks. Matthews argued its terrifying to think that if Trump is reelected, he could place someone like Loomer in a position of power. He would create a staff of yes men and women, unlike his former administration with John Kelly and Mark Esper, who pushed back on Trumps ideas, she said. This is the type of person who could potentially have the ear of the leader of the free world, someone who traffics in conspiracy theories, says racist, awful, vile things, and it makes me nervous about what a potential staff for a second Trump term could look like, she 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. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Fort Bliss will pause to recognize and honor the nations prisoners of war and missing in action during a special ceremony on Friday, Sept. 20. The POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony will be at 9 a.m. Friday at Memorial Circle on Fort Bliss. National POW/MIA Recognition Day was established in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter. Since then, the day has been recognized on the third Friday of September, a date that is not associated with any particular war. The Defense Department remembers and honors those Americans who were prisoners of war and those who served and never returned home. DODs POW/MIA Accounting Agency continues the search for the missing, fulfilling the nations promise to leave no service member behind, according to the Defense Departments website. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says more than 81,600 Americans remain missing from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf Wars and other conflicts, according to U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum. Out of the more than 81,600 missing, 75% of the losses are located in the Indo-Pacific, and over 41,000 of the missing are presumed lost at sea, according to the same U.S. Army museum. The official POW/MIA flag has flown just below the U.S. flag at the White House for every POW/MIA Recognition Day since 1982, according to the airborne 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 KTSM 9 News. Superintendent Angelica Ramseys performance will be discussed in a closed session on Tuesday after the Fort Worth Independent School Districts board called a special meeting amid recent pressure from community leaders to revamp the districts academic performance. The 5:30 p.m. meeting on Tuesday comes three weeks after Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker sent a letter to school board members co-signed by every City Council member, three former Fort Worth mayors and multiple philanthropic leaders calling on the district to fix its lack of progress and citing a decade of stagnant state test scores that trail behind other urban Texas school districts. Ramsey and school board President Roxanne Martinez released statements in response saying they were committed to partnering with city leaders to strengthen Fort Worths public education system, acknowledging the need to improve its current level of academic achievement. Its unclear whether any potential vote by board members on Tuesday will immediately reveal the action that is being taken. The board has previously approved vague motions after returning from closed-session evaluations, declining to reveal information until the following day. Ramseys most recent evaluation was two months ago in July, and the board released a statement the following day saying she had received a $15,000 performance bonus in a close vote of 5-4. The bonus was the lowest amount she could receive, according to her contract. The boards statement at the time said she was awarded the bonus after meeting the key performance indicators listed in her contract. When the Star-Telegram made open records requests asking for the data showing the indicators were met, district officials sent the requests to the Attorney Generals Office for review. Ramsey, who joined the district in September 2022, earns $335,000 a year, and her contract ends in July 2026. On Tuesday, the possible actions that could be taken through mutual agreement are reassignment to a different position in the district, a salary adjustment or contract termination, according to the terms of the contract. A dismissal for good cause could happen if the board determines Ramsey failed to fulfill her duties as outlined in her contract; Ramsey also has the option to resign without penalty through a written resignation to the board and with the boards consent. The board also has the duty to address substantive criticisms, complaints, and suggestions called to the Boards attention to the Superintendent for review and appropriate action, her contract states. This refers to alleged wrongdoing such as possible criminal behavior or complaints about personnel which, if true, would require action by the superintendent and/or administration. The board has the right to investigate complaints about the superintendent. More top stories from our newsroom: Fort Worth medical school stops using unclaimed bodies for research The fight to save one of Fort Worth's oldest homes Who's driving Cybertrucks? Meet some Fort Worth drivers [Get our breaking news alerts.] The Tuesday meeting also comes a week after the district released its self-calculated A-F accountability scores for its campuses, with estimates showing that about 16,000 fewer students are attending D- or F-rated schools this year. The scores are primarily based on the results of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam, or STAAR, in addition to the closure of performance gaps among various student groups and the amount of academic growth seen over the school year. The district released its own scores after the Texas Education Agency was blocked from releasing them statewide due to a court order issued days before the state was scheduled to issue them. District officials calculated the scores based on the states scoring rubric, following the lead of several other Texas districts, but it did not confirm its calculations with TEA, according to an agency spokesperson. The district issued itself a C rating this year based off of a 8-point improvement that raised it from the previous years D rating, which was also an in-house calculation. During a school board meeting last Tuesday, the board heard a presentation from Deputy Superintendent of Learning and Leading Mohammed Choudhury about accountability ratings. Board member Camille Rodriguez noted how she feels changes in administration and a focus on Tier 1 learning are the reasons campuses with longtime principals have seen improvement in their accountability scores. We are headed in the right direction. We are nowhere close to being happy, but I am positive in how were going the direction were going, Rodriguez said. Board member Wallace Bridges asked Choudhury about how the district is moving the needle academically for African-American students. Choudhury acknowledged the student group is not making the progress needed overall but said there were examples at high-performing schools of double-digit gains in certain subjects. When asked why African-American students werent moving at the same pace as other student groups, Choudhury said its because of the legacy of the soft bigotry of low expectations. So much of the feedback that I get from parents is thats their biggest concern: That we are not doing what we need to do when it comes to African-American students, Bridges said, noting that parents are moving their children to other schools in the area as a result. I guarantee you thats where a lot of our loss is coming from I could almost record this conversation from a year ago, and Its almost like Im hearing the same thing. A Fort Worth school has suspended a program that used unclaimed bodies for medical research and sold some of those bodies to companies around the country. The University of North Texas Health Science Center announced the suspension in response to an investigation from NBC News, which detailed how the school had used more than 2,000 unclaimed bodies from Dallas and Tarrant counties since 2019. More than 830 bodies were used by the center for dissection and study, according to NBC News. Other bodies were sold, sometimes limb by limb, to medical research companies and even the U.S. Army, according to the report. In a statement to NBC News, the Health Science Center said on Friday that it was immediately suspending the program and had terminated program leadership. The statement also said that the medical school would hire a consulting firm to review the program. A spokesperson for HSC declined to say how many people were fired in response to a quetion from the Star-Telegram. Separately, Tarrant County is scheduled to vote on terminating a contract with HSC at a Tuesday meeting. Since 2018, the county has given HSC indigent and unclaimed minor children or adult decedents, according to the contract. The countys original agreement with HSC said that a dead body that is not claimed for burial or requires disposition at County expense could be donated to HSC for clinical training, research, and medical education programs. After the body was used by HSC, it would be cremated with ashes returned to the decedents family, according to the contract. For bodies that could not be used for medical training, HSC charged the county a $300 fee per person for cremation. On Tuesday, county commissioners will vote on whether to end the contract with HSC. NBC News identified at least 12 people who had died and whose bodies were used by HSC without their families knowledge or consent. In addition, ten companies interviewed by NBC News said they were unaware that the bodies they had purchased from HSC were not willingly donated. Eli Shupe, a bioethicist at the University of Texas at Arlington, has been advocating against the use of unclaimed bodies in medical research since 2021, when she first learned that the practice was both legal in most states and in use by HSC and other schools. Shupe twice spoke out against the countys contract with HSC at commissioners court meetings, and also researched the increasing use of unclaimed bodies in Texas medical education. She argued that the use of someones body without their consent or their families consent was unethical, and even donated her own body to HSC to underscore that the use of a body in medical research and education should be consciously made. She welcomed the news that HSC decided to suspend its program. I feel like justice has been done, Shupe said. Were finally having a public conversation about something that has happened in the quiet in our county. Shupes research helped correct the assumption that the use of unclaimed bodies was declining in the U.S. Instead, she found that the use unclaimed bodies by Texas medical schools had increased between 2017 and 2021. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Paris prosecutors said Monday they were investigating online threats against female Afghan taekwondo fighter Marzieh Hamidi, who fled to France in 2021 after the Taliban seized power in Kabul. Hamidi had suffered "cyber-harassment including death, rape and other threats via social media," the prosecutors said. They added that a specialist online hate unit was investigating. "I want the terrorists threatening me with death to be identified and tried in court, so that I can live freely without fear and in full safety," Hamidi said in a statement sent to AFP. The martial artist "has been placed under police protection for an indefinite period," said her lawyers Ines Davau, adding that "we hope the perpetrators of the threats will be swiftly identified". Hamadi did not manage to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics in her under-57 kilogrammes (126 pounds) category. But she has been in the media spotlight in France for "speaking out publicly about women's rights and the Taliban regime," according to her September 3 criminal complaint, seen by AFP. The document states that the current wave of threats followed her denunciation on social media of an August Taliban law barring women's voices from being heard in public. Hamidi reiterated her opposition to the law in a press interview and launched the social media hashtag #letusexist. From the afternoon of September 1, "a vast wave of hatred smashed down on her... her Afghan Whatsapp phone number was shared and she received hundreds of calls and thousands of messages in the space of just a few hours," the complaint read. Hamidi's criminal complaint specifies the offences of sharing private information, malicious phone calls, death or rape threats, online harassment and online sexual harassment. gd/tgb/jh/cw Church leaders and rights activists in Pakistan condemned the killing on Thursday (Sept. 12) of a Muslim in custody on charges of blasphemy. The alleged assassination of Abdul Ali by a constable identified in news reports as Saad (or Syed) Khan Sarhadi at the Cantonment police station in Quetta, capital of Balochistan Province, shocked citizens across the country, including Christians still reeling from the May 25 lynching of 75-year-old Nazeer Masih Gill on a false blasphemy accusation. Ali was arrested on Wednesday (Sept. 11) after he allegedly posted a video on social media deemed disrespectful to Islams prophet, Muhammad. A raging mob led by members of Muslim extremist religio-political parties Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) stormed the Kharotabad police station shortly after the case was filed under Section 295-C of the blasphemy law, demanding that police hand him over. The protesters also lobbed a grenade into the police station, but no one was injured, according to media reports. Sensing Alis life was in danger, police had reportedly moved him to the heavily fortified Cantonment police station, where Sarhadi allegedly shot and killed him with his personal pistol, according to news reports. Police reportedly said they had arrested a policeman and charged him with murder but did not name him. Stay informed with The Christian Daily Newsletter Sign up Sarhadi was reportedly arrested on the spot, but TLP and JUI-F activists exalted the crime, calling him a Ghazi (victorious warrior). Media reports indicated local residents began visiting Sarhadis home, offering their support and presenting flowers to his parents. The alleged murder was reminiscent of the Jan. 4, 2011 assassination of former Punjab Province Gov. Salmaan Taseer by his police bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri, who opposed his criticism of blasphemy laws. Qadri was later convicted and executed. The TLP has made headlines for controversial and radical statements and for blasphemy-related violence in recent years, including attacks on multiple churches and homes of Christians in Jaranwala on Aug. 16, 2023 and the lynching of Masih Gill in Sialkot in May. Church of Pakistan President Bishop Azad Marshall said the manner in which Islamist groups and the general public supported the alleged assassination showed how deeply extremism has become rooted in Pakistani society. The societal approval of extrajudicial actions not only undermines the judicial process but also fuels a cycle of violence where accusations of blasphemy can lead to immediate and deadly consequences, bypassing due process, Marshall told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. Such incidents have become routine, but despite repeated appeals for action, the government has done nothing to stop such senseless violence, he said. Marshall said glorification of murderers would encourage more abuse of the blasphemy laws. This is very dangerous situation for all Pakistanis, especially Christians, as we are already a very vulnerable community, he said. U.K.-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) condemned the killing and urged the Pakistani government to take strict measures against all those responsible for such acts and to curb the misuse of the blasphemy laws. Regardless of the accusations against him [Ali], it was the duty of the police to protect him, and thus it is extremely worrying that he was shot and killed while in custody, CSW President Mervyn Thomas said in a Sept. 12 statement. Who will ensure the safety of such victims when the police itself is involved in such acts of violence? The continued criminalization of blasphemy is wholly incompatible with Pakistans national and international commitments to freedom of religion or belief, and a dangerous driver of religious extremism in the country. Samson Salamat, chairman of the Rwadari Tehreek (Movement for Equality), called for enacting and enforcing comprehensive laws that address all aspects of violent extremism. However, it should be ensured that the legislation upholds human rights and civil liberties to avoid alienating communities, he told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. Salamat said that an affiliate of the Rwadari Tehreek, the Center for Human Rights Education, has prepared a policy paper that contained recommendations and strategies to counter religiously-motivated violence. Turning violent trends into nonviolence requires a concerted effort across multiple sectors, including education, community engagement, legal reforms, media, and governance, he said. By implementing recommendations in the policy paper, Pakistan can gradually transition towards a more peaceful and inclusive society where conflicts are resolved through dialogue and cooperation rather than violence and coercion, he added. In Muslim-majority Pakistan, mere accusations of blasphemy, which is punishable by death in the country, have led to street lynchings. Human rights groups say Pakistans harsh blasphemy laws are often misused to settle personal scores. At least seven persons accused of blasphemy have been killed by individuals or mobs over blasphemy allegations across Pakistan since January, according to the Lahore-based Center for Social Justice (CSJ). A total of 94 people accused of blasphemy were killed in mob attacks between 1994 and 2023. Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors' 2024 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian, as it was the previous year. By Praveen Paramasivam and Dhwani Pandya CHENNAI (Reuters) -Indian police late on Monday released most of the 104 striking workers at a Samsung Electronics plant who were detained for planning a protest march without permission, with the dispute disrupting output at the factory for the past week. The detention marked an escalation of a strike by workers at the Samsung home appliance plant near Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. Workers who want higher wages have since Sept. 9 stopped work at the plant that contributes roughly a third of Samsung's annual India revenue of $12 billion. The Samsung protests have cast a shadow on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan of courting foreign investors to "Make in India" and tripling electronics production to $500 billion in six years. Lured by cheap labour, foreign companies are increasingly using India for manufacturing to diversify their supply chain beyond China. On Monday, the workers planned to start a protest march, but were detained as no permission was given since there were schools, colleges and hospitals in that area, according to senior police officer of the Kancheepuram district K. Shanmugam. Late on Monday night, all detained workers, except for three were released, said A. Soundararajan, state president of influential labour group, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), which is supporting the Samsung strike. Samsung workers have been protesting at a makeshift tent near the plant, demanding higher wages, recognition for a union backed by CITU and better working hours. Samsung is not keen to recognise any union backed by a national labour group such as the CITU, and talks with workers, as well as state government officials, have not yielded any resolution. The CITU Tamil Nadu Deputy General Secretary, S. Kannan, condemned the police action, saying "This is an archaic move by the state government." Despite Monday's police action, 12 union groups, including one affiliated with the ruling party of Tamil Nadu, said in a public notice dated Sept. 11 that they will stage a protest in support of the striking workers in Chennai on Wednesday, a move that could intensify the tensions between the company and the workers. The protests add to Samsung's challenges in India, a key growth market. The South Korean company is planning job cuts of up to 30% of its overseas staff in some divisions, including in India. And India's antitrust body has found Samsung and other smartphone companies colluded with e-commerce giants to launch devices exclusively, violating competition laws, Reuters has reported. Story continues Samsung did not respond to a request for comment on Monday, but on Friday said it has initiated discussions with workers at the Chennai plant "to resolve all issues at the earliest." Video footage from Reuters partner ANI showed dozens of Samsung workers wearing the company uniform of blue shirts being transported in a bus to a hall. The Samsung plant roughly employs 1,800 workers and more than 1,000 of them have been on strike. The factory makes appliances like refrigerators, TVs and washing machines. Another Samsung plant that makes smartphones in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh has had no unrest. (Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam, Rishika Sadam; Additional reporting by Rishika Sadam, Munsif Vengattil and Writing by Aditya Kalra; Editing by Tom Hogue, Michael Perry, Lincoln Feast and Christian Schmollinger) Thierry Breton claimed the request to pull his candidacy was made 'for personal reasons' (Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD) (Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/AFP) France's powerful European Union commissioner Thierry Breton abruptly resigned with a parting shot at the bloc's chief on Monday, in a dramatic upset the day before Ursula von der Leyen unveils her new top team. President Emmanuel Macron swiftly tapped Stephane Sejourne, his outgoing foreign minister and a close ally, to succeed Breton as Paris's man at the EU. One of the most influential figures in Brussels, Breton has been the bloc's internal market commissioner since 2019 and has taken a hard line against abuses by the world's biggest digital platforms -- including sparring publicly with Elon Musk. Put forward by Macron for a second term, Breton's reappointment to a sizable commission role -- reflecting the country's weight within the 27-nation bloc -- had been taken as a given. But his abrasive relationship with his German boss von der Leyen -- who he publicly challenged on multiple occasions during her first five-year term -- appears to have proven untenable. While Breton's announcement he was quitting came as a surprise, he presented it as the result of backroom manoeuvring by von der Leyen to have him pushed out. "In the very final stretch of negotiations on the composition of the future College, you asked France to withdraw my name," Breton wrote in a scorching letter to von der Leyen, shared on X. "In light of these latest developments -- further testimony to questionable governance -- I have to conclude that I can no longer exercise my duties in the College," he said, referring to the body of EU commissioners. Von der Leyen late on Monday said on X that she had "taken note and accepted" Breton's resignation and thanked him for his work. "Executive Vice-President (Margrethe) Vestager will take over the Internal Market portfolio and all the relevant responsibilities until the end of the mandate," she added. - No love lost - A former CEO of France Telecom, the 69-year-old Breton was seen by Paris as a key counterweight to Berlin's influence at the heart of the EU. He was the architect of the EU's landmark rules demanding web giants better police content online -- something that led him to lock horns with Musk, the billionaire boss of X. "It's a good day for free speech," X chief executive Linda Yaccarino wrote on the social media site, commenting on Breton's resignation. Breton's wide-ranging portfolio also included defence and space, overseeing a defence industry push and marshalling the production of Covid jabs. But his dislike of von der Leyen was no secret. A centrist, Breton caused a stir earlier by publicly questioning the depth of support for her re-election within her centre-right grouping. He also questioned her "transparency and impartiality" over the appointment of a political ally to a highly-paid post. In his resignation letter, he claimed von der Leyen blocked his candidacy "for personal reasons", adding she had offered France an "allegedly more influential portfolio" as a political trade-off. Paris insiders meanwhile indicated it was important for France to send to Brussels someone who had the EU chief's trust. "It shows her strength to kill 'powerful' Breton," commented one EU diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, judging that von der Leyen "comes out stronger out of this." - Macron loyalist - How the 27-member commission's portfolios are divided up sends a strong signal regarding the bloc's political direction and the relative influence of each member state -- after EU parliament elections in June marked by far-right gains. In Paris, Macron's office said the president was proposing Sejourne for a portfolio focused on "industrial and technological sovereignty and European competitiveness", highlighting his past experience leading the centrist Renew group in the European Parliament. A longtime Macron loyalist, Sejourne's dispatch to Brussels comes at a time of political turbulence at home that has weakened the French leader's international clout. France is awaiting the formation of a new government by conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier, a compromise pick after June elections produced a hung parliament. The 39-year-old Sejourne was made foreign minister only in January this year, the youngest person to hold the office under the Fifth Republic. In a statement on his nomination, Sejourne called it "an honour". Despite France's late swap, parliament officials confirmed von der Leyen would go ahead with presenting her top team as planned on Tuesday -- a timeline already pushed back once amid a row over gender parity. The commission chief has been leaning on member countries to put forward more women for the bloc's executive arm, after most -- including France -- ignored her request to offer a choice of male or female candidates. A question still hangs over Slovenia's -- female -- nominee, who has yet to be approved by the country's parliament after being switched out for the initial male candidate. aro-ec-ub-raz/rlp ROYAL PALM BEACH Fred Pinto, Royal Palm Beach's longtime mayor, died during the weekend. He was 73. Pinto in March had just won reelection to his fifth consecutive term in the village's top office. "Mayor Pintos unwavering commitment and service to our community will forever be remembered and cherished," wrote the village in a statement posted on Monday, Sept. 16, on Facebook. "Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Mayor Pintos family, friends, and all those whose lives he touched." A family member first announced Pinto's death on Sunday through a Facebook post. The cause of death and date of death were not immediately available. Royal Palm Beach Mayor Fred Pinto. ( Royal Palm Beach officials said in a prepared statement that Vice Mayor Jeff Hmara will take over his seat. Hmara has been a council member for more than 10 years. A native of Harlem, New York, Pinto had lived in Royal Palm Beach for more than 25 years. He first won a seat on the Village Council in 2003 and in 2016 became mayor. He was the first Black person to hold the office. Before moving with his family to the village, Pinto served in the U.S. Army and had a career as a project manager and director for technology and investment companies. He was employed as an agency development manager for the Colonial Life insurance company. Pinto was a longtime champion of Royal Palm Beach, taking pride in developments such as the Tuttle Royale community, now rising at State Road 7 and Southern Boulevard, the renovation of Village Hall and the ongoing expansion of the recreation center. He also served constituents in years past as an aide to the Palm Beach County Commission. Pinto also was chairman of the Palm Beach County Transportation Planning Agency and had previously served as president for the Palm Beach County Caucus for Black Leaders and Caribbean American for Community Involvement. Steve Avila, who challenged in Pinto the March election, also took to Facebook to share his condolences and praise Pinto's for his 21 years of service to Royal Palm Beach. "His passion for serving out community was undeniable and his commitment to making a positive impact and will leave a lasting legacy," Avila wrote. Pinto, who was set to celebrate his 74th birthday on Sunday, Sept. 21, was survived by his wife, Donielle Pinto, three adult sons and two grandchildren. Information on funeral arrangements was not immediately available. Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, Palm Springs and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Fred Pinto, Royal Palm Beach's longtime mayor and champion, dies at 73 Free one-on-one tutoring is now just a click away for Wake residents. How to access it Wake County library cardholders now have access to free online, one-on-one tutoring help. Wake County Public Libraries announced Monday that it has partnered with Tutor.com, which says it has more than 4,000 expert tutors in more than 250 subjects.. Library cardholders can get personalized help in subjects like math, science, English and social studies. The service is open to learners of all ages, both children and adults. Providing access to Tutor.com aligns perfectly with our mission to support lifelong learning in our community, Theresa Theall, Wake Countys senior library manager for Collection Development Services, said in a news release. We are thrilled to offer this valuable resource to our patrons, helping students excel in their studies and empowering adult learners to achieve their goals. How to get tutoring help with Tutor.com Library cardholders can get to Tutor.com by clicking the Research button at wake.gov/Libraries. Users will log in with their library card number to start a two-way chat with a tutor. Users can do things such as get homework help, practice for a test and submit a paper for review. The site features interactive tools, including a two-way whiteboard, code editor, text editor and graph paper plus a range of drawing tools, graphing calculator, formulas and file sharing. Users can access practice tests and study guides to prepare for exams. All of Tutor.coms most popular subjects are available in Spanish, helping to address equity concerns for Wake County students. The library system says its working with the school district to inform families about the new service. Offering this service to our residents is a significant step toward providing equitable access to educational resources across Wake County, Susan Evans, vice chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, said in a news release. This initiative reflects our commitment to supporting lifelong learning and ensuring that every student, regardless of their background or circumstances, has the tools they need to succeed. How to get a library card in Wake County People who dont yet have a library card can sign up for a digital card by completing the online registration form at wake.gov/Libraries. A physical library card isnt needed to access Tutor.com. But Wake County residents can pick up a newly redesigned library card at their local library by bringing a photo ID that includes their current address or a photo ID and a separate item (such as a bill or a lease) that verifies their current address. Children aged 16 and under will need a parent or guardian to sign for a library card. Free school meals are on the rise in the U.S. That could change depending on the next president Students eat lunch at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in South Salt Lake, Utah, in March 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) Should all U.S. public school students be able to eat breakfast and lunch at no cost, regardless of their familys income? This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The federal government temporarily made that possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, some states have taken it upon themselves to make it happen on a permanent basis. The Conversation U.S. asked Marlene B. Schwartz and Juliana Cohen, two scholars of school nutrition, to explain why this issue has become more prominent and what they expect the next presidential administration to do about it. How many K-12 students get free meals at school? The National School Lunch Program provides nutritious meals for over 28 million students each day. Students living in low-income households can receive meals for free or at a reduced price. However, there can be barriers to participating in school meals for families, including the stigma associated with receiving free meals or challenges completing school meal applications. Many families are also not eligible for free or reduced-price meals but may be struggling financially. Overall, this can lead to school meal debt if a child eats breakfast or lunch at school but the family cannot afford the cost. In March 2020, Congress realized that more students might face food insecurity not having consistent access to enough nutritious food due to school closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. So lawmakers temporarily authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide school meals at no cost for all students nationwide and to give schools more flexibility in terms of how they could distribute food to families with children. This unexpected natural experiment illustrated the benefits of providing healthy meals for all children. Eight states California, Colorado, New Mexico, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota and Vermont have chosen to provide free meals for all public school students since the USDA stopped funding universal free school meals after the 2021-22 school year. There is evidence that families with children living in states that provide free meals across the board have lower rates of food insufficiency, another way to measure the share of people who cant get enough food on the table. Some states have instead opted to expand access to free meals without making them universal, including Connecticut, Arizona, Louisiana and Texas. They are providing free meals to students who were previously eligible for reduced-price meals. New Jersey has increased the number of students with access to free meals at its public schools by 60,000. At the federal level, the USDA expanded access to the Community Eligibility Provision in the fall of 2023. This enables individual schools or entire school districts with large numbers of low-income students to provide free meals to all students. This policy was originally implemented as part of the Obama administrations Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The number of schools where all kids get free meals is rising. Nearly 20 million U.S. children attended a public or charter school participating in the Community Eligibility Provision during the 2022-23 school year, up 22.5% from the prior school year. Due to all the steps taken to increase access to free meals, about two-thirds of public and charter school students received school meals for free during the 2023-24 school year. What does the latest research say about universal free school meals? A large body of research has found that universal free school meals benefit students. When the meals served at school are free for everybody, studies have found that more students eat them, including students who were already eligible for free school meals. This could happen because providing free meals to all children may reduce the stigma of eating school meals. A literature review we conducted with several colleagues found that providing lunch at no cost for all students was associated with multiple positive outcomes: better nutrition, lower food insecurity rates, higher attendance and higher academic achievement. The nutrition finding makes sense in light of research documenting that school meals are usually healthier than what children eat at home and elsewhere. We are working on a new study that assesses whether the families of students at schools with universal free meals are less likely to experience food insecurity because they can spend more money on food eaten at home. Free meals also mean students run no risk of incurring unpaid school meal debt. This debt can take a toll on kids, their families and even their schools, which often have to use other operational funds to cover this debt. In states without universal free school meal policies, unpaid school meal debt continues to climb. In the fall of 2023, this debt ranged from as little as US$10 up to $1 million per school district. The median amount was about $5,500 more than double the debt owed a decade earlier. Why did Walz make this a priority in Minnesota? In March 2023, Gov. Tim Walz signed a measure into law making all meals served at the states public and charter schools free. It also eliminated all preexisting school meal debt. As a former teacher, Walz recognized the benefits of free meals. It makes a huge difference in the lives of those families and the savings they see, he said in January 2024. It makes a huge difference in the moment for those students, and we know in the long run itll make a difference in achievement and the well-being of those students. What might happen in a Harris-Walz administration? Universal free school meals has been a priority for Walz in Minnesota, and as such, we are optimistic that a Harris-Walz administration would recognize the potential benefits of making school meals available at no cost for all children in the United States. Another option would be to boost federal funding to enable more schools to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision. What would you expect to see in a second Trump administration? Donald Trumps administration made multiple attempts to weaken the nutritional quality of school meals despite evidence supporting their benefits for students. For example, they rolled back expectations that kids would be served more whole grains and stalled efforts to decrease sodium levels. Project 2025, a package of policy proposals authored by people closely tied to Trumps 2024 presidential bid but that the campaign has sought to disavow calls for cuts in federal spending that helps fund universal free school meal programs. It also recommends eliminating the Community Eligibility Provision, a step that many Republican lawmakers support. We would expect a second Trump administration to weaken the positive impacts of school meal programs. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Peter Cherif was close to the brothers behind the 2015 massacre in Paris (-) (-/AFP/AFP) A French jihadist, who was close to the brothers behind the 2015 massacre at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, went on trial in Paris on Monday. Peter Cherif, also known as Abou Hamza, was arrested in Djibouti in 2018 after years allegedly fighting in the ranks of Al-Qaeda in the Middle East. He is being tried for terrorism-related offences allegedly committed between 2011 and 2018, and the 2011 kidnapping of three French aid workers in Yemen. In 2015, Cherif was placed on a US blacklist as a member of the Yemen-based militant group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Cherif, 42, was linked to a Paris jihadist cell and was named in the enquiry into the January 2015 attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, due to his regular contact with the perpetrators, brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi. Twelve people were killed in the massacre that sent shock waves across France. Peter Cherif has not been formally charged over the attack but his potential involvement is expected to be at the centre of the trial. Investigating judges believe that he "facilitated the integration into AQAP of one of the Kouachi brothers, most probably Cherif" and that he had knowledge of the plan to carry out an attack in France According to several witnesses, AQAP advised foreign fighters in Yemen to return to their countries of origin to stage attacks. Peter Cherif is also believed to have maintained contact with Cherif Kouachi on his return to France. He has denied having knowledge of the planned attack. In 2020, he was called as a witness during a trial over the 2015 attacks and claimed to have had "nothing to do" with the massacre. According to Sefen Guez Guez, one of his lawyers, Cherif "knows that the Charlie Hebdo trial weighs heavily in the balance but he will come forward with a sincere statement." Cherif, who converted to Islam in 2003, faces life in prison if convicted. - 'From Buttes Chaumont to bin Laden' - Like the Kouachi brothers, he grew up in northeastern Paris. He was a member of the jihadist cell in France known as the Buttes Chaumont network, named after the district around one of the French capital's largest parks. "We expect Peter Cherif to answer our questions in a way other than by quoting the Koran," Charlie Hebdo's lawyer Richard Malka told journalists ahead of the trial. Malka said it was important to understand how "one gets from Buttes Chaumont to bin Laden", referring to the slain Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. In 2004, Cherif left Paris to fight in Iraq and was captured by coalition forces in the ruins of Fallujah a few months later. He was convicted in Baghdad in 2006 of illegally crossing the border and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He escaped to Syria in 2007. Cherif eventually reported to the French embassy in Damascus and was deported in early 2008, before being indicted in Paris. He went on trial in early 2011, but before he was sentenced to five years in prison, he fled to Yemen where he joined Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). He spent seven years there before travelling to Djibouti in 2018 under a false identity, with his wife and two children. Cherif was arrested in Djibouti, a country in the Horn of Africa, several months later and handed over to France. According to the prosecution, during his stay in Yemen, Cherif met Anwar al-Awlaqi, an American-Yemeni radical preacher and senior AQAP member who was killed in 2011, and took part in the jihadist group's military activities. The trial is scheduled to last until early October. edy-as/tgb/fg 'Call for the Last Victims of the Terror' - painting by Charles Louis Lucien Muller, c. 1850. Credit - Culture Club/Getty Images Legal experts across the political spectrum expressed alarm when the U.S. Supreme Court, ruling on Donald Trumps claims to absolute immunity, granted immunity to past and future presidents for official acts, broadly defined. For voters, this means that the moral character of presidential candidates is now, more than ever, an essential qualification. If they face no legal consequences for criminal overreach, only the ballot box results will constrain themwe hope. This is not new, but it is problematic. In the 18th century, as democratic revolutions undergirded by Enlightenment principles allowed newly-empowered citizens to introduce democratic principles, they worried about the character of their rulers and emphasized the importance of public virtuepolitical leaders who put the public good before personal gain. However, they soon discovered that relying on the integrity of their leaders, unconstrained by effective laws, was a dangerous thing. Unchecked power allows even leaders of good character to cross legal boundaries in pursuit of outcomes they favor, sometimes with damaging or even devastating results. Convinced that their motives are pure, they see the means as justified. The French grappled with this issue in the wake of revolution in 1789 as they worked on a new constitution, based on principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Steeped in the language of philosophers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau, their new politys founding document, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, touted a government whose sovereignty resided in the nation and whose laws represented the general willthat is, the common good. How best to determine the general will was an open question, but most agreed that only men willing to set aside their private interests and rule in the interest of all could effectively implement it. Read More: Supreme Court Rules Trump and Former Presidents Have Some Immunity for Official Acts The first iteration of the French constitution, ratified in 1791, was a constitutional monarchy rather than a republic, leaving the king, Louis XVI, as the chief executive. However, French citizens and members of the Legislative Assembly suspected he was undercutting the constitution and deemed him not sufficiently committed to the good of the nation. And so, the people of Parisrepresented by the Paris Communeoverthrew the monarchy on Aug. 10, 1792 and legislators created the French Republic a month later. Faced with internal dissent and war with other European nations, the new government, the National Convention, vested broad governing authority in the Committee of Public Safety, which was charged with protecting the new republic against domestic and foreign enemies. Newly created laws conferred more power and less accountability for this work. The Law of 14 Frimaire (Dec. 4, 1793) assigned executive power to the Committee of Public Safety in matters of internal administration and police, which created a dictatorship. The Law of 22 Prairial (June 10, 1794) removed all legal safeguards for those accused of being enemies of the people. Their efforts resulted in the bloody year of revolutionary tribunals and executions known as the Terror, led by men like Maximilien Robespierre. A member of the Committee of Public Safety, Robespierre was considered so virtuous that he was nicknamed The Incorruptible. Robespierre believed that the new republic must be based on the general will as discerned by righteous leaders like him. Convinced of his own probity and the purity of his motives, Robespierre believed that he represented the will of the virtuous French people; he was closely allied with the working-class people of the Paris Commune. But this led to a dangerous dynamic because Robespierre and other members of the Committee of Public Safety were empowered to determine how best to govern and purify the republic of those they deemed insufficiently virtuous. Because they were largely unrestrained by laws, they could remove challenges to their authority with chilling efficiency. This unconstrained power and willingness to use it eventually turned inward. Tensions between Robespierre and his allies and other members of the National Convention boiled over as it became clear that he planned to eliminate them next. This group of representatives came together to arrest Robespierre and his allies on 9 Thermidor (July 27, 1794) and guillotined them the next day. The experience of the Terror led French legislators to construct a new government in which it would be impossible for a virtuous dictatorship backed by the Parisian Communeor, in their view, a mobto regain control. However, rather than a system with strong legal institutions and constraints on executive power, the Constitution of Year III relied on the probity of its voters and representatives. It restricted the franchise so that only well-to-do men could vote or hold office, thus making sure that the mob, the low-paid workers who had supported Robespierre, did not have a political voice. It also vested significant power in its five executive Directors. Those writing the new constitution determined that men of substance, the wealthy, could be counted on to vote for men of good character who would end the chaos in the country and protect the interests of the propertied classes. Read More: In Bid for Immunity, Trump Distorts the History of His Second Impeachment However, the new government proved that elite class status is no guarantee of public virtue. Known as the Directory, it is widely considered one of the most corrupt governments in French history. And with neither effective legal safeguards on the Directorys authority nor consequences for abusing it, the Directory was willing to act extra-judicially to maintain its power. When the legislative elections of spring 1797 favored resurgent monarchists, three members of the Directory annulled the results and arrested those opposing their actions in what was called the coup of Fructidor (Sept. 1797). They meddled with election results again in April 1798 in the coup of Floreal. They justified such democratic abuses in the name of protecting the young republic against both reactionary royalists and radical Jacobins. But their behavior demonstrated to a young general Napoleon Bonaparte that neither the law nor respect for the constitution would impede his own overthrow of the government, which took place on Nov. 9, 1799. Writing for the majority in Trumps immunity case, Chief Justice John Roberts privileged a bold executive, unhampered by concern for future legal consequences, afforded maximum ability to deal fearlessly and impartially with his duties. Roberts seems to envision a president of high moral character, who will act in the best interests of the country. However, the Supreme Court has set us on a dangerous path, even if future presidents demonstrate the public virtue Trump lacks. As the case of the French Revolution demonstrates, even individuals of integrity with a desire to govern in accordance with the common good can go astray. The ability to exercise and maintain raw power is dangerously seductive, and future American presidents will pay little price for criminal overreach. We now lack the legal tools to do anything about it, which means that our options for holding a corrupt president accountable are bleak. Christine Adams, a former American Council for Learned Societies and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation fellow at the Newberry Library, is professor of history at St. Marys College of Maryland and author of The Creation of the French Royal Mistress with Tracy Adams. Made by History takes readers beyond the headlines with articles written and edited by professional historians. Learn more about Made by History at TIME here. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors. Write to Made by History at madebyhistory@time.com. WAYNE, NJ Classes are underway at Wayne's William Paterson University, and the school reported an almost 14 percent increase in the number of full-time freshmen who are attending college for the first time. Overall, enrollment grew 5.3 percent for the fall 2024 semester, with nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students attending on-campus and online. This is the largest number of students since before the COVID-19 pandemic, William Paterson leaders said. The Class of 2028 includes students from 18 NJ counties, 13 states, and 17 countries, including a 25.6 percent increase in new international students, according to WPU. President Richard J. Helldobler pointed to the university's emphasis on student support resources, and expansion of new degrees and credential offerings, as reasons for enrollment growth not just for the new freshman class, but for graduate students and adult learners too. "Our enrollment growth is great news for New Jersey, as William Paterson is educating more students who are changing the social fabric of our State and our nation, he said in a statement. The university has doubled its campus percentage of adult learners in the past five years, with more than 5,860 adult students enrolled on the main campus and through WP Online. William Paterson also launched a new College of Adult and Professional Studies in July for those seeking an online Bachelor's degree, to advance their career through professional certificates and training, or to get college credit for courses they took in the past. Graduate student enrollment also increased by 14.6 percent, while the number of transfer students went up 4.6 percent. These gains show that our emphasis on Student Success Teams, social mobility and social justice focus, and other critical support resources are working to attract and retain more students and that our strategic expansion of new degree and credential offerings via WP Online and on-campus are appealing to more graduate, adult degree completer, and international students," Helldobler said. "Together with our excellent faculty and dedicated staff, this growing student body makes William Paterson a true Powerhouse of Progress.'" William Paterson University offers more than 150 academic programs, including accelerated degree pathways, fully-online programs, and certificate programs. The university, which was founded in 1855 and is part of the state's public higher education system, is located along Pompton Road, with the campus falling between Hamburg Turnpike and Belmont Avenue. Freshman Class Grows By 14 Percent At Wayne's William Paterson U. originally appeared on the Wayne Patch WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) Two weeks removed from the tragic accident that took the life of Derick Beeman, his family, friends, and co-workers are remembering him with a fundraiser and a celebration of life. A last bash for the man known to many as Bam-Bam. The crew at the Sonic Beeman worked at on Southwest Parkway thought a fundraiser for his funeral expenses would be a great way to help celebrate his life. Its something co-worker Marley Rodriguez believes Beeman would do for any of his friends. United Regional held Home Run Durby fundraiser We just felt like we all wanted to rally together and do something special for Derrick because we know that he would have done something special for us, Rodriguez said. So, it was just more of a team thing, and we just wanted to rally for him and celebrate his life. The Sonic crew made t-shirts and took donations throughout the workday all while remembering Beeman, who fellow co-worker Deanna Molinaro said always knew how to light up a room. He was always so positive. He got along with everyone; he was just always making everyone laugh. He was like the bright part of the day, Molinaro said. Through the photos and memories shared by his friends, it was easy to see Beeman was more than just a friend. To them, he was a part of each of their families, making a mark on their lives through his infectious humor which Magen Brown experienced often. If you can tell by this, the last picture that was taken of him, he was just silly, Brown said. I had got something on my glasses, and I looked up and had to take my glasses off and I was like I had made this horrible face, and he goes, Whats that face for? I said, I cant see! He goes, Yeah if I took my glasses off, I couldnt see anything either.' Wichita County offering rebates for safe shelter installations But now that Beeman is gone, the light he brought to work with him every day was noticeably absent the day after he passed. That was the hardest, Brown said. Just knowing that he wasnt going to come in and check on us and hes not here, its like a light went out and you cant turn it back on. As Beemans family and friends continue to move on, theyre doing their best to emulate what he acted on each day. Smile even when youre having a bad day because you never know who might need it. Those who wish to donate but missed the celebration can give via Venmo: heather-Goodwin-42 or Cash app: $hj5705 or to the GoFundMe set up by his family. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily 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 Texomashomepage.com. We are on the friends and family plan now: Jury sees emails from Speaker Madigans son in bribery trial of ex-AT&T boss CHICAGO When AT&T Illinois boss Paul La Schiazza received an email from the son of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan asking for a charitable contribution in 2017, he forwarded it immediately to a member of his government relations team with a note that almost reads like a weary sigh. Here we gothis will be endless, La Schiazza wrote about the request from Andrew Madigan. The assistant, Bob Barry, responded, I suspect the thank you opportunities will be plentiful. Yep . . . we are on the friends and family plan now, La Schiazza replied. Those words were displayed for jurors at La Schiazzas bribery trial Monday, where prosecutors allege they show his state of mind in the weeks after Madigan helped shepherd AT&Ts bill ending mandated landline service known by the acronym COLR through the General Assembly. In his donation request, Andrew Madigan made clear that our good friend Mike McClain had suggested he reach out to AT&T. McClain, according to prosecutors, was at the center of a scheme to have AT&T funnel payments to former state Rep. Eddie Acevedo, a Madigan ally, to help win the speakers support. In the email exchange shown to jurors, Barry told La Schiazza: We areand there is a sensitivity in that office about us going away now that we got COLR. That is something to keep in mind in rest (of) 17 and in 18 regarding budget and profile with the Speakers office. La Schiazza responded by noting they still had other pending legislation that would require the speakers assistance. I will emphasize that to leadershipEspecially if we expect to pass a small cell bill, La Schiazza wrote. AT&T wound up donating $2,500 to Andrew Madigans charity, according to evidence presented in court Monday. La Schiazza, 66, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in October 2022 with conspiracy, federal program bribery and using a facility in interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity. The most serious counts carry up to 20 years in prison if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty and has been free on bond while his case is pending. La Schiazzas lawyers contend that what happened was nothing more than the typical relationship building that is necessary in politics, especially when a company is trying to get lawmakers to consider its agenda. The trial, could wrap up as soon as Tuesday, has offered a sneak peek at evidence that will be presented at Madigans own racketeering trial, which kicks off in three weeks. Earlier Monday, La Schiazzas attorney, Tinos Diamantatos, had a chance to cross-examine Tom Cullen, a lobbyist and former aide to Speaker Madigan who allegedly acted as the go-between for the payments from AT&T to Acevedo. Cullen, who was granted a non-target letter from the government, testified on direct examination Friday that he was just trying to be a team player when he agreed in 2017 to take on Acevedo as an off-the-books consultant as a favor for AT&T, one of his top clients. But Cullen told the Acevedo was not very pleased with AT&Ts $2,500-a-month offer, even though the job called for little or no work. In fact, Cullen said, after a meeting about the proposal, Acevedo called him and blew his stack. He basically said, What the F is goin on here? Im worth more money, Cullen testified, adding that his recollection was that Acevedo demanded double what was being offered. When the prosecutor asked Cullen to use Acevedos exact words, Cullen quoted Acevedo as saying, F AT&T, they can kiss my ass. Cullen told the jury he never would have hired Acevedo if AT&T hadnt asked him, citing the Chicago Democrats inexperience and penchant for carousing after legislative sessions. I didnt think that he was a serious lobbyist, Cullen said. He was brand new, potentially liked to go out and party and drink a lot, so he just wasnt somebody I wanted to hire. On cross, Diamantatos pointed out that even though Cullen was protected by a non-target letter, it was up to the U.S. attorneys office to determine if that changed which could be any time. Those meetings with the government are pretty intimidating, arent they? Diamantatos asked. Theyre not fun, Cullen agreed. Diamantatos also pointed out repeatedly that there were no emails between Cullen and La Schiazza about the alleged scheme to hire Acevedo, and that Cullen had no direct knowledge that Madigan had requested AT&T hire him. Cullen testified he knew La Schiazza only casually through the years. Would it surprise you to know that between 2015 through 2019, there were zero calls between yourself and my client, Mr. Paul La Schiazza? Diamantatos asked. No, Cullen responded. While Cullen was testifying, his former boss, Madigan, was by happenstance appearing in a courtroom five floors below, where U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey was holding a final pretrial conference in Madigans case. ____ Russia's Astrakhan Oblast Governor Igor Babushkin appointed Andrii Derkach, a fugitive ex-member of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada, as a senator, according to a Sept. 12 decree. Members of the Russian Federation Council, the upper house of Russia's parliamentunofficially called the Russian Senate are not directly elected in a popular vote but are nominated by regional administrations. A region can send two representatives to the Senate: one proposed by the governor and approved by the regional legislature and another elected by the legislature itself. Derkach, who had been a Ukrainian lawmaker for nearly 20 years, had not attended meetings of the Ukrainian parliament since the start of the full-scale invasion. In 2023, his parliamentary powers were prematurely terminated. The U.S. government has called Derkach "a Russian agent" and sanctioned him in 2022, accusing him of attempted election interference. Kyiv also imposed sanctions against the ex-lawmaker in 2021 and placed him on its wanted list. According to TASS, Derkach now lives in Astrakhan and has Russian citizenship. President Volodymyr Zelensky revoked Derkach's Ukrainian citizenship in January 2023. In 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) exposed a Russian agent network in Ukraine, which included Derkach. Authorities said that the former lawmaker received funds from Russia's military intelligence agency (GRU) to create private security structures that Russia planned to use to capture Ukraine. Russia allocated $3-4 million every few months for the purpose, according to law enforcement. In 2023, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) completed an investigation into suspected treason and illicit enrichment on Derkach's part. Derkach, a former member of the now-banned pro-Russian Party of Regions, received at least $567,000 from Russian law enforcement and intelligence agencies for subversive activities against Ukraine, NABU said. The politician was supposed to discredit the country at the international level, deteriorate diplomatic relations with the U.S., and hinder Ukraine's integration into the European Union and NATO, according to the investigation. Read also: Ukraine launches international search for controversial lawmaker Artem Dmytruk Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. France-based insurance technology company Akur8 has raised $120m (107.83m) in a Series C funding round led by One Peak. The round, which takes Akur8s total raised investment to $180m, also saw participation from Partners Group and existing investor Guidewire Software. Set up in 2018, Akur8 is engaged in offering AI-powered pricing solutions for the non-life insurance sector. The insurtechs fully integrated and cloud-based platform is said to enable insurers to price with speed, directly impacting financial results and improving risk assessments. Akur8 plans to use the funding for research and development to enhance its insurance pricing platform with two new modules. The first, Optim, will allow insurers to identify the most effective pricing strategy to achieve their business goals, the company said. The second, Deploy, is Akur8s new rating engine designed to streamline the transition of pricing rates into production. The funding will also be used to drive growth through Akur8s acquisition of Arius. By entering the insurance reserving sector, Akur8 aims to target new market segments and integrate reserving with pricing. Leveraging its expertise in software-as-a-service and AI, Akur8 seeks to expedite the development of the Akur8 Reserving platform. Another key focus of the funding is to accelerate global expansion. Beyond research and development, this investment will support Akur8s strategic efforts to grow in critical markets, especially North America. Akur8 chief client officer and co-founder Brune de Linares said: This latest round of funding will empower us to better meet our customers' evolving needs, enhance their operational efficiency and equip them with innovative tools to thrive in an increasingly competitive insurance landscape. One Peak co-founder and managing partner Humbert de Liedekerke Beaufort said: Akur8 offers a truly unique cloud-based, end-to-end actuarial platform, which leverages proprietary machine learning algorithms to inject speed and accuracy to insurers pricing process, whilst ensuring full transparency, auditability and control over the models created. We have been particularly impressed by Akur8s user-friendly interface, ease of deployment and reputation among the worlds leading insurers for its outstanding customer service. "Insurtech Akur8 raises $120m in Series C funding round " was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. (Getty Images) Washington voters will get a chance this week to hear from candidates running for several statewide offices, including governor, attorney general, public schools chief, and lands commissioner. More information on upcoming debates A full schedule for the Association of Washington Business Policy Summit in Spokane, including debates, can be found here. More about the Washington State Debate Coalitions lineup, including links to register to attend in person, can be found here. And you can find debates streaming on TVW here. In the governors race, the Association of Washington Business and Greater Spokane Inc. will host the second debate of the election cycle between Democrat Bob Ferguson and Republican Dave Reichert at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Spokane. NonStop Local KHQ-TV will serve as the broadcast partner, airing the debate on TV and streaming it at nonstoplocal.com. The debate will also air on KOMO-TV and KUNS-TV in western Washington, and on NonStop Local KNDU/KNDO in the Tri-Cities and Yakima. The debate will be rebroadcast on TVW and C-SPAN. Earlier on Wednesday, the Association of Washington Business will host debates between the candidates for three other statewide offices: Superintendent of public instruction; Candidates: David Olson, Chris Reykdal; 11 a.m. Attorney general; Candidates: Nick Brown, Pete Serrano; 12:30 p.m. Lands commissioner; Candidates: Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dave Upthegrove; 2:30 p.m. The Standards editor, Bill Lucia, will moderate the lands commissioner debate. These debates will take place as part of AWBs 2024 policy summit in Spokane and will be streamed on TVW. On Thursday, the Washington State Debate Coalition will host a debate in the attorney generals race at 8 p.m. at Seattle Central College. FOX 13 will televise and livestream this debate and it will be streamed by other media partners. The Standards Laurel Demkovich will join FOX 13s Hana Kim, Cascade PBS Shauna Sowersby and KUOWs Libby Denkmann moderating. Next Thursday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m., the Debate Coalition will host a debate in the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction race at the Edmonds Center for the Arts. Seattle CityClub and GSBA Washington States LGBTQ+ and allied chamber of commerce are co-hosts of the Washington State Debate Coalition events. The coalition also has a Seattle City Council debate scheduled for this Wednesday, Sept. 18. The Government of Jersey has launched an incentive for businesses to switch from petrol and diesel vehicles to electric [PA Media] The Government of Jersey has launched a scheme to help island businesses reduce their carbon emissions. It said businesses could apply for funding towards the purchase of second-hand electric vans to help make the switch away from petrol and diesel vehicles. It said 25 incentives of up to 4,000 - 40% of the purchase value - would be available on a "first come, first served basis". Previously published figures showed transport was the biggest source of carbon emissions in the island and accounted for about 45% of all emissions in 2022. Minister for the Environment, Deputy Steve Luce, said he encouraged local businesses to go electric with the government's additional incentive. He said: "Business transport vehicles are responsible for a significant proportion of our transport emissions. "So this represents a great opportunity for local firms to support Jerseys decarbonisation journey and make a substantial saving on a used electric van." The government's electric vehicle purchase incentive continues to be available for individuals and businesses with up to 3,500 towards the cost of an electric car or van. Follow BBC Jersey on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk. Related internet links More on this story The U.S. Air Force's still evolving requirements for a next-generation aerial refueling 'system of systems' will directly impact the service's reassessment of plans for a new sixth-generation stealth 'fighter.' The Next-Generation Air-Refueling System (NGAS) effort will also inform work on a second tranche of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones. The U.S. Air Forces still evolving requirements for a next-generation aerial refueling system of systems, including a possible stealth tanker, will directly impact the services reassessment of plans for a new sixth-generation stealth fighter. The Next-Generation Air-Refueling System (NGAS) effort will also inform work on a second tranche of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones. This comes amid broader and still growing questions about how the Air Force expects to achieve and maintain air superiority and refuel aircraft in flight, especially in and around highly contested environments in future major conflicts like one in the Pacific against China. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall provides brief updates on NGAS and the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative during a keynote address today at the Air & Space Forces Associations (AFA) main annual conference just outside Washington, D.C. The overall NGAD effort currently includes the development of a crewed sixth-generation combat jet and the CCA drones, as well as a host of other related technologies, including new weapons, sensors, networking and battle management suites, and advanced jet engines. Work on an initial tranche of CCA drones, also known as Increment 1, is ongoing now, while requirements for a follow-on Increment 2 are being refined. The Air Force also confirmed in July that the NGAD combat jet program had been put on hold so that the service could take a deep look at the very core of what it wants out of that aircraft, as you can read more about here. Lockheed Martin Skunk Works During my tenure, weve gone through an evolution in our strategy to recapitalize the tanker fleet, Kendall said today. The threat is now reaching out to longer and longer ranges. That puts both tanker and transport aircraft at risk over ever-increasing ranges. This is a particular problem for aerial refueling fighters within their combat radius ranges. The Air Forces current plan to modernize its aerial refueling fleets is to proceed with the planned acquisition of at least 179 Boeing KC-46 Pegasuses and 75 additional tankers in a traditional configuration. The latter aircraft are increasingly expected to just be more examples of the KC-46, a design that continues to be beset by major technical issues. Those acquisitions would then be followed by the NGAS family of systems, which could include a new crewed stealth tanker, uncrewed aerial refueling platforms, and/or other novel capabilities. Kendall has previously said that new more survivable aerial refuelers are not just desirable, but critical for succeeding future conflicts. The Air Force has previously stated a goal of having elements of NGAS start to enter service no later than 2040, if not well before then. In the meantime, the Air Force is already on the verge of retiring its entire fleet of KC-10 tankers and has been divesting KC-135s, as well. KC-135s, KC-10s, and KC-46s make up the services current aerial refueling force. The three tankers that make up the US Air Forces current aerial refueling fleets. Left to right, a KC-135, a KC-46, and a KC-10. USAF All three of the US Air Forces current tankers. From front to back, a KC-135, a KC-46, and a KC-10. USAF Almost two years ago, we started an Analysis of Alternatives, what we now call NGAS, the Next-Generation Air-Refueling System, Kendall continued in his keynote. We are about to complete that analysis, and we are folding that work into our reconsideration of both the NGAD [combat jet] platform and the next increment of CCAs. The Air Force has previously raised the possibility of adding aerial refueling capability to one or more tranches of CCAs, primarily as a way to increase the range of those drones. The War Zone has highlighted in the past how this, in turn, points to a desire for greater performance and/or payload capabilities, and the potential for greater-than-expected unit costs. A US Air Force graphic depicting a drone being refueled in flight. USAF Late last week, we issued an RFI [request for information] to industry seeking input on mission systems for NGAS and potentially for the rest of the tanker fleet, as well. This is the first step in establishing competitive vendor pools that will evaluate and enable new approaches to refueling the joint force, the Air Force Secretary added. Our intent is to have simultaneous answers about the design concepts for NGAS, NGAD, and CCA Increment Two over the next few months. The existence of NGAS has already been a clear reflection of the fact that existing non-stealth tankers would already face serious challenges getting anywhere near the tactical edge in a high-end fight, such as one with China in the Pacific. At the same time, the U.S. militarys current tactical combat jet fleets are designed around the expectation that close proximity aerial refueling support will be readily available. Fuel-hungry stealth fighters like the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that would be operating out in front in higher-risk areas have added limitations when it comes to carrying additional fuel in draggy external drop tanks that would negatively impact their radar-evading capabilities. Stealthy drop tanks are now in development for the F-22 and have at least been proposed for the F-35 family in the past. Cropped into oblivion but this is the first time I've seen the LO fuel tanks and pods on the F-22 https://t.co/CpqnouNYO8 pic.twitter.com/srOgbeht1e TaskForce23 (@Task_Force23) March 22, 2024 In addition, the distributed and dispersed concepts of operation that will be key to the survival of friendly air power in a major conflict scenario will demand that tankers of any kind operate very far forward. Larger aerial refuelers will also be limited in what forward bases they can operate from. As already noted, NGAS is a family of systems concept that is expected to include multiple tiers of capabilities that could be employed in a hub-and-spoke manner, with larger tankers operating further away from threats offloading fuel into smaller and more survivable platforms. Boeing is notably set to formally unveil a proposed Land-Based Variant (LBV) of the MQ-25 Stingray tanker drone it is developing for the U.S. Navy at the AFA conference, a development that Aviation Week was to first report. The company says work on this design, which has a longer overall wingspan and the ability to carry more fuel compared to the naval MQ-25 configuration, has been funded internally and is not officially tied to NGAS, at least as of yet. Scoop: @BoeingDefense is unveiling a land-based MQ-25 with a longer wingspan, targeting potential U.S. Air Force and international interesthttps://t.co/xFX33lxKGe Brian Everstine (@beverstine) September 16, 2024 The Air Force also just recently awarded two contracts for work on new buddy store podded aerial refueling systems that can offload fuel to aircraft that use the boom method. The pods could give the services tactical jet fleets and other crewed and uncrewed aircraft the ability to turn into small, but still valuable organic tankers for forward-deployed forces. You can read more about what is known about the Small Hybrid Aerial Refueling Kit (SHARK) project here. In the meantime, questions about the complexities and costs of developing and fielding a fleet of new crewed stealth tankers are emerging. I havent heard anybody recently tell me that they think thats remotely achievable within the timeframe and the budget, an unnamed industry executive said, according to a report last week from Defense One. A rendering of a blended wing body (BWB) tanker concept from JetZero, with F-35A Joint Strike Fighters flying in formation and receiving fuel. JetZero A rendering of JetZeros blended wing body concept configured as a tanker, with F-35A Joint Strike Fighters flying in formation and receiving fuel. JetZero I will say that we are still looking at our existing capabilities with what we have for air refueling, but looking for ways to be more agile with that, Gen. Kevin Schneider, head of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), also said in response to a question from The War Zone at a separate media roundtable on the sidelines of the AFA conference today. We continue to expand Agile Combat Employment [concepts of operations] to find ways that we can move into austere airfields, you know, to disaggregate our force for survivability [and] re-aggregate it for lethality. Getting gas into airplanes is a key piece of that. the Air Forces top commander in the Pacific continued. [But] in terms of changing how we put gas into airplanes in the air, were not going down that road yet. Gen. Schneider also noted that his command was looking at being more creative in how it gets gas into aircraft on the ground, but did not elaborate. He differed on further questions about aerial refueling to Air Mobility Command (AMC), which oversees the bulk of the Air Forces tanker fleets. The Air Forces plans for the crewed NGAD combat jet have been facing similarly increased scrutiny over cost for months now. As I expect everyone here knows, we are re-evaluating the NGAD [combat jet] platform design concept. The initial impetus for this was a concern over the affordability of total program cost and high unit cost, Secretary Kendall reiterated today. As the Air Force operational committee looked at the design concept, which is essentially an F-22 replacement, concerns expanded to include the cost-effectiveness of the operational concept, the implications of changes in the threat, the evolving nature of the most stressing operational environments and scenarios we have to plan for, and the maturation of technology, including the introduction of CCAs. Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, head of Air Combat Command, said in July that the Air Force currently has no formal replacement plan for the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter. The Raptors are in the process of receiving significant sensor and other upgrades, as well. A row of F-22 Raptor stealth fighters. USAF We plan to move quickly to conduct the assessment for a variety of reasons, including industrial base impacts and the fact that both the FY25 and FY26 [Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026] budgets still have to be finalized, Kendall continued. But if I were going to make a change in the NGAD platforms requirements, now is the time to do so before the next major contractual commitment and the commitment to proceed towards production. In terms of potential industrial base impacts, competing NGAD combat jet designs from Lockheed Martin and Boeing are already understood to be in development. Northrop Grumman publicly withdrew from the competition voluntarily last year, but has said more recently that it could seek to jump back in depending on what revised requirements look like in the end. In the past at least, the expected NGAD combat jet contract looked set to be a major windfall for the winner and its associated supplier base. Tying plans for the NGAD fighter now directly to expectations about future aerial refueling capabilities can only raise new questions about what the future might hold for the program. Kendall has previously left the door open for a dramatic shift in requirements, including a reduction in emphasis or even elimination of the demand for the design to be crewed. The Secretary has also previously said he was absolutely confident that work on a crewed sixth-generation combat jet of some kind would move forward, but his choice of language in this regard has been steadily evolving. How larger stealth tankers fit into the NGAS equation could have particularly significant impacts on the NGAD combat jet requirements. The new sixth-generation stealth aircraft could carry less gas, and be smaller and less expensive, as well as have higher performance, if aerial refueling support could be more assured in higher-risk areas. There would still be trade-offs and risks, as The War Zone has highlighted in analyzing the growing need for stealthy aerial refueling platforms in detail in the past. One thing I would like to make very clear: we are not walking away from the core United States Air Force function of providing air superiority. Ill say that again, we are not walking away from the core United States Air Force function of providing your superiority, Kendall said today to great applause from the audience. We are looking at what we need in order to achieve our superiority in a manner consistent with the increased threat, the changing character of war, and [in] the most cost and combat-effective way. A rendering of a notional sixth-generation crewed combat jet. Lockheed Martin A direct link between NGAS and CCA Increment 2 could also have major impacts on the latter effort. So what should Increment 2 be? Do not assume and it may not be just an evolution of Increment 1. It could be an entirely different set of missions. Could be [an] entirely different kind of an aircraft, Andrew Hunter, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, said at the 2024 Defense News Conference earlier this month. And so part of that initial work is, again, starting with a large vendor pool, what are the good ideas out there? Well have some ideas [about] what we think Increment 2 needs to do as part of a broader force, and thats part of this broader look at air dominance and how were going to deliver that. The Air Force is still voicing a clear commitment to the broader NGAS and NGAD initiatives no matter how they might evolve going forward. Questions about how aerial refueling support will be provided in high-end conflicts are also now clearly emerging as a central factor in the services planning for the future. We have a strong sense of urgency here. Our analysis must be adequate to support major decisions and to help us align our requirements, our acquisition strategies, and funding for these three programs, Kendall said in his keynote, referring to NGAS, the NGAD combat jet, and CCA. Stand by for answers in the next few months. Howard Altman contributed to this story. Contact the author: joe@twz.com GAFFNEY, S.C. (WSPA) A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder in connection with a shooting which left one dead over the weekend. According to the Cherokee County Coroners Office, at around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Kirsten Phillips, 41, was shot and killed outside of Limestone Courts Apartments on Limestone Street. On Monday, Gaffney Police said officers have arrested a 15-year-old juvenile for the shooting. The teen has been charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. Police said the teen was taken to Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia where he will await a hearing to determine if he will be tried as an adult. The shooting remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call Brian Blanton at 864-206-3334. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) The month of September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month, and many Panhandle libraries are encouraging residents to take advantage of all the perks that come along with owning a library card. Residents of Bay, Gulf, and Liberty County can get their cards for free as long as you provide proof of residency. Having a library card not only gives you access to books but other items including audiobooks, DVDs, musical instruments, and telescopes. Owning a library card and reading in general are very important in todays world, as literacy rates and a general love of reading have fallen off in recent years. Enjoy a wide variety of art at Gulf Coast State College Getting excited about books at an early age is really important, said Bay County Public Library Marketing Coordinator Sarah Burris. Literacy levels are lower across the nation, so were trying to kind of combat that at the earliest of age, kind of get kids falling in love with books. Its encouraged to read at least 15 minutes a day with your child, which is one way that libraries are great. Libraries are beginning a new campaign on Monday, September 16th called Little Library Readers, where kids five and under can go to a library and receive a bag with books, stickers, and reading tips and tricks. All you need to participate in this campaign is a library card. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Garcelle Beauvais slammed Donald Trump and JD Vance for continually spreading what she and many others have described as lies about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio. The Haitian actress and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star then called on her followers to go out in vote in the 2024 presidential election. Staying silent in the face of racism and hate is something that I refuse to do, Beauvais said in an Instagram post on Sunday, which you can watch below. This past week, the lies that have been spewed about the Haitian community about my community have been disgusting, deeply hurtful and dangerous. Check out the video below: She continued, saying the issue isnt about a persons race, gender, ethnicity or religion, but rather a people issue that shouldnt be accepted or tolerated by anyone. Now this is not about politics. Its about humanity. We must condemn this kind of hatred. This kind of racism for anyone. I have always been a proud Haitian immigrant, Beauvais went on. Coming to America, working hard, thats what we do. Coming from gratitude, and I will not sit by and let people talk about my community any way they want for their own gain. She concluded her message by encouraging fans and followers to register and use their power to vote. The power we have is the power to vote to register and vote, and stop this madness, this chaos, she said. I am not going to sit by. Its just not OK to treat people like this. Were supposed to be uplifting each other. From our leaders to our neighbors, this has got to stop. And we have to do something about it; we cant just sit by. Thanks for listening, register to vote go out and vote. We need to end this chaos. Several A-listers filled Beauvais comments, applauding her for speaking, including Jamie Foxx, Sherri Shepherd, Erika Alexander, Larry Wilmore and Bravo executive Andy Cohen, who wrote: Its about HUMANITY. Thank you @garcelle. Beauvais words come as Trump and Vance continue to spread anti-Haitian rhetoric against Haitian refugees who have moved to Springfield in an effort to flee ongoing violence in their home country. The politicians remarks, which stem from baseless claims about Haitians eating house pets, have led to a rise in violence targeted at Ohio-based Haitians, including bomb threats throughout the city. Beauvais isnt the first to speak out about the dangerous misinformation. The Office star Rainn Wilson announced hed be leaving X because the Elon Musk-owned platform allows the circulation of disinformation, including these ones. Everyone was in on this horrific, racist, unsubstantiated lie simply to throw kerosene on the fire of immigrant hate and distrust, Wilson, who has a long history of charitable work in Haiti, said. Twitter used to be a fun place to post jokes for your friends and laugh at some memes and get some news as it unfolded. It is now an echo-chamber, cesspool of hate and misinformation. Im out. The actor has since left the platform. In a statement to media Tuesday, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby also responded to the mounting misinformation against Ohio-area Haitian migrants, stating: Whats deeply concerning to us is youve got now elected officials in the Republican Party pushing yet another conspiracy theory thats just seeking to divide people based on lies and, lets be honest, based on an element of racism. The post Garcelle Beauvais Condemns Lies of Haitians Eating Pets Spread About My Community by Trump and Vance | Video appeared first on TheWrap. Garys budget season kicks into high gear on Monday with a week full of daily meetings and presentations as city departments, including the mayors office, go before the Common Council with their budget proposals for the 2025 fiscal year beginning in January. Throughout the week, residents have a rare opportunity to see firsthand how their tax dollars are allocated across various departments, including public safety, infrastructure, and social services. Here are a few things to look for: First budget proposal from the Melton administration From the day of his inauguration in January, Mayor Eddie Melton has been largely operating on the budget designed by his predecessor, Jerome Prince. Based on the most recent proposal, the 2025 budget is right on par with the 2024 budget, with no major increases or decreases in any department. The administration has requested $3.4 million in ARPA funding for streetlight repairs from the council, which Capital B Gary reported earlier this year, along with approximately $1.2 million in grants for local nonprofits. 2025 Budget Proposal by Calvin Davis Fire Department: $14,081,627 Police Department: $12,444,596 Employee Insurance: $10,645,000 Consolidated Services: $10,839,350 American Rescue Plan Act Funds Over the past four years, the spending of funds received through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) has been a major focus of both the mayors office and the Common Council. The legislation, passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in 2021 in response to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, delivered $80.3 million to the city. One of the spending categories for ARPA funding is revenue loss, of which, according to City Controller Celita Green, $7 million remains. The Common Council, department heads, and the mayors office are now tasked with determining how to effectively allocate the remaining ARPA funds. At a recent Ways and Means Committee meeting, Green proposed using a portion of the funds for an employee incentive pay program. However, Councilman Darren Washington advocated for a stronger focus on public safety. Since that ARPA money is for public safety, I know everyone works hard, but we need more code enforcement at night because thats when a lot of nonsense happens in our city. So we would ask to go back to the table, Washington said. Council President Tai Adkins highlighted several ways neighboring municipalities have used their funds and expressed hope that Gary will do the same with the balance of funds remaining. Some of our colleagues are doing great work across the state of Indiana with their use of funds, mainly to impact the masses, Adkins said. She highlighted programs started by Fort Wayne, which broke its program up into four categories healthy communities, strong neighborhoods, energized cities, and city operations with the majority of funding going to strong neighborhoods. The council has approved ARPA expenditures, including $10 million toward a $30 million match with the state of Indiana and the Dean and Barbara White Foundation to build a state-of-the-art YMCA at the current Boys & Girls Club Tolleston location, which is set to break ground early next year. $2.5 million of ARPA funds were dedicated to assist small-business owners during the Prince administration. President Adkins says she looks forward to engaging in conversations with the administration over the next two weeks so that the Council is able to finalize the vote by October 1. We look forward to the public watching and being able to see how their tax dollars are spent, Adkins said. Budget Schedule Below is the schedule for when each city department representative will appear before the Gary Common Council Finance Committee to propose, explain, and forecast their financial needs for the upcoming year. The citys final budget will be finalized in October. Gary Budget Schedule by Calvin Davis *CEDIT = County Economic Development Tax *CCI = Community Capital Improvement *CCD = Cumulative Capital Development Each budget hearing is open to the public and will be available to watch on the Gary Common Council Facebook page. The budget committee hearings are scheduled for Sept. 16, Sept. 18, and Sept. 19, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at City Hall. The post Garys 2025 Budget Season Kicks Off: How Will the City Spend Its Money? appeared first on Capital B Gary. Gas prices are currently under $3 in Wisconsin and could continue declining this fall Gas prices in Wisconsin are now under $3 per gallon, on average, for the first time since last winter. According to data from AAA, the average gas price per gallon in the state has fallen from $3.37 a month ago to under $2.98 on Monday. This also represents a significant drop from this time last year when Wisconsin's average price was $3.66 per gallon. Additionally, prices are dropping nationwide from $3.43 per gallon on average last month to about $3.21 on Monday, AAA says. These are the lowest prices Wisconsin has seen since February 2024, data from GasBuddy.com shows, and they could approach the lowest seen nationwide in three years, Gas Buddy head of petroleum analysis Patrick De Haan said. So, what's causing this steep drop in prices at the pump, and what can Wisconsinites expect in the coming months? Here's what to know. A chart showing the change in average gas prices over the past 18 months through Sept. 16, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and nationwide. Gas prices are under $3 in Milwaukee and continue to decline Average gas prices in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area are about $2.90 per gallon on Monday, AAA says. This is down from about $3.02 per gallon last week, $3.44 a month ago and $3.60 at this time last year. A chart from Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, showing average gas prices in Wisconsin and nationwide. Why are gas prices going down in Wisconsin? The incremental switch from more expensive lower-butane summer-blend gasoline to cheaper higher-butane winter-blend gasoline usually causes gas prices to drop each fall. The Environmental Protection Agency requires refineries to produce summer gasoline from May 1 to Sept. 15 and retailers to sell it from June 1 to Sept. 15. Most stations across the country will begin switching back to winter gasoline on Monday, De Haan said. However, in August, stations in Wisconsin and other Midwestern states were granted a waiver to make the switch to winter gasoline early this year after a tornado-related outage at a fuel refinery in Joliet, Ill., caused gas prices to skyrocket. At this time last year, refinery issues in other areas of the country caused prices to be much higher than they are this year, De Haan said. "That's why, all of a sudden, some states are looking at an 80-cent difference between today and a year ago. ... Typically, if there aren't refinery issues or hurricanes, what we're seeing this year is normally what happens. Gas prices usually peak in the spring, and then, as summer progresses, gas prices usually trend slowly lower." Even before the typical Sept. 16 switch to winter gasoline, the reopening of schools and the slow down of summer road trips at the end of August tend to cause people to drive less, lowering the demand for gasoline, De Haan explained. Additionally, GasBuddy.com data shows that crude oil prices are at their lowest in over a year, further helping drive gasoline prices down. A customer fuels a car Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at Kwik Trip, 2900 Holy Hill Rd. in Richfield, Wis. How will gas prices change in the fall and winter? "With the change to winter gasoline happening today at most stations across the country, the outlook is bright for the national average to continue to make a run at falling to $2.99 per gallon for the first time since 2021," De Haan said. De Haan said he expects Milwaukee gas prices to remain below $3 for the remainder of the calendar year unless another refinery outage or other major global event occurs. Prices could drop between 10 and 25 cents per gallon over the next few weeks, he said. "I don't really think it's going to get a whole lot better than $2.60 or $2.50," he continued. "I think we'll probably hang out in the mid-to-upper twos for much of the rest of the year. If there are any refinery issues or if things develop economically for better, then we could see the higher side of that, or potentially slightly over $3 a gallon." Gas is for sale for $2.97 a gallon at the Petro Mart gas Station on West Oklahoma Avenue at South 7th Street in Milwaukee on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. Where can I find the lowest gas prices in Milwaukee? GasBuddy maintains a list of the cheapest gas prices in the Milwaukee area, based on reports from local GasBuddy users. As of Monday morning, the cheapest prices per gallon could be found at Costco in Menomonee Falls ($2.59), Kwik Trip in Colgate ($2.59), Costco in Pewaukee ($2.59) and Kwik Trip in Sussex ($2.59). The lowest price within the city of Milwaukee can be found at Sam's Club on 124th Street ($2.69), while numerous other Milwaukee stations are selling gas for $2.73 per gallon. For an up-to-date list of the cheapest gas prices in the Milwaukee area, click here. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How long will gas prices stay under $3 in Milwaukee and Wisconsin? Gavontay Johnson pleads guilty to obstruction in 2022 death of 13-year-old girl SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) Gavontay Carnelious Johnson was driving a Chevrolet Cavalier down Erie Street, near Fairfield and Line Avenues in Shreveport, when a passenger in his car suddenly opened fire on a Chrysler 300. Johnson pleaded guilty-as-charged to obstruction of justice for his role in the death of a 13-year-old girl named Landry Anglin. A stray bullet from Kenmiccael Rays Kel-Tech rifle, which he fired more than ten times, struck and killed Anglin while she was visiting relatives in the 4500 block of Fairfield Avenue. After the shooting, Johnson fled to a family members house near the intersection of Mitchell Street and Fairfield Avenue, where a Dodge Charger fired upon the Cavalier. Ray to serve life in prison for teen girls shooting Video taken on the scene shows Johnson helping load the Cavalier onto a trailer before fleeing Louisiana for Texas. Johnson and Ray were apprehended by law enforcement less than a week later. They were taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service, where it was discovered that the men possessed the murder weapon. In June, Ray was convicted of the slaying of Anglin. Johnson, 30, is the second person to be convicted in connection to Anglins death. His trial would have begun on Nov. 4. Family of Landry Anglin give emotional testimony of day of fatal shooting District Judge Ramona Emanuel sentenced Johnson pursuant to a plea agreement. He will serve 20 years in prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Christopher Bowman and Ron Christopher Stamps. Johnson was defended by Sean Landry. Two co-defendants are still awaiting trial for the slaying of Anglin. Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com. TechCrunch Fledgling fintech startup OpenBB is revealing the next step in its plans to take on the heavyweights of the investment research world. OpenBB is the handiwork of software engineer Didier Lopes, who launched the Python-based platform back in 2021 as a way for amateur investors and enthusiasts to do investment research using different datasets for free, via a command line interface (CLI). While the community-based, open source project has amassed some 50,000 users, OpenBB has also been building an enterprise incarnation called Terminal Pro. (Reuters) -The Biden Administration on Monday awarded Intel Corp up to $3 billion from the CHIPS and Science Act to develop a "Secure Enclave" for microelectronics, which are a critical component to a wide range of weapon systems and other national security products. Shares of Intel were up 5.7% after the announcement. The award pushes forward the administration's commitment to re-shore semiconductor manufacturing and advance cutting-edge technology research and development. The administration's focus on the Secure Enclave reflects a broader strategy to enhance national security through targeted investments in critical semiconductor manufacturing and technology development. The Secure Enclave initiative is designed to ensure a secure supply of microelectronics for defense requirements, aligning with the Department of Defense's enduring need for state-of-the-art, commercial, bespoke and classified microelectronics. "Today's announcement highlights our joint commitment with the U.S. government to fortify the domestic semiconductor supply chain and to ensure the United States maintains its leadership in advanced manufacturing, microelectronics systems, and process technology," said Chris George, president and general manager of Intel Federal. The CHIPS Program Office at the Department of Commerce is also negotiating a separate potential award for Intel under the CHIPS Notice of Funding Award (NOFO) 1 for commercial fabrication facilities, a U.S. official said. The department is conducting due diligence, and did not address this potential award. Intel has a history of working with the DoD, having won a second-phase contract in a project aimed at helping the U.S. military make more advanced semiconductors within the country in 2020. In 2021, Intel was awarded a project to provide commercial foundry services for the first phase of the DoD's multi-phase program called Rapid Assured Microelectronics Prototypes - Commercial (RAMP-C). (Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City and Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Alan Barona) GENEVA, Ala (WDHN) Despite being just a month into the school year, Geneva City Superintendent of Education Ron Snell announced he would retire at the end of 2024. This was confirmed during a brief Geneva City School Board meeting early Monday morning. Snells retirement will take effect on December 31. One Board Member, Tewanna Marks, was protesting Snells abrupt retirement and questioned the timing, saying the board could never finish an internal investigation into Snell. The investigation was approved during a school board meeting on September 12. Snell told the board that his decision to retire at the end of the year was made to give the board time to find a replacement and for financial reasons. Marks also claims the Geneva City School Board President violated the Sunshine Law, which requires government agencies to be transparent and disclose activities to the public. She believes the president met with Snell and some board members to work out an agreement. The board approved Snells retirement in a 3-2 vote. The board also suspended the internal investigation into Snell. The board president and Snell refused to comment on details of the internal investigation. Snell was appointed superintendent in 2018 after around 37 years in education. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDHN - wdhn.com. Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascon, left, and former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman, Gascon's challenger in the November election, have agreed to an Oct. 8 debate. (Christina House, Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascon and his opponent in the race for his office, former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman, have agreed to a debate next month to be presented by KNX News and the Los Angeles Times. The debate will air live at 5 p.m. Pacific time on Oct. 8 on KNX (97.1 FM and 1070 AM) and the digital and social platforms of The Times and KNX. The showdown in the hotly contested race comes at a pivotal moment in the closing weeks before the Nov. 5 vote. The candidates are selling voters vastly different visions of crime and justice in L.A. County. Polling indicates that Hochman, with his pledge to reverse many of Gascon's progressive policies, has strong momentum in the race. Read more: Poll shows Hochman has momentum to unseat L.A. County Dist. Atty. Gascon Gascon will seek to defend his record of reform-minded policies aimed at reducing prison populations and instituting alternative approaches to prosecution and punishment. Hochman is pitching himself as a more traditional prosecutor, tough on crime but still focused on stemming mass incarceration. The candidates have rarely gone head-to-head so far in the campaign. At last weeks Zoom forum hosted by Jewish Federation Los Angeles, they squared off for the first time, trading polite barbs as technical difficulties and a rapid-fire format left room for further dialogue. Read more: He's not George Gascon. But is that enough to make Nathan Hochman L.A.'s next D.A.? In the October debate, both candidates will seek to break through to voters in what could be their final face-off before election day. Viewers can listen for free on KNX News (97.1 FM and 1070 AM) or watch via streaming video on latimes.com , KNXNews.com , the L.A. Times app or the L.A. Times YouTube channel . The debates moderators are KNX anchor Mike Simpson and chief correspondent Charles Feldman. Times reporters James Queally and Brittny Mejia and KNX News reporter Emily Valdez will serve as panelists. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Mourners carry the casket of Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, after her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) ATLANTA (AP) Georgias state school superintendent says he wants the state to spend more money to guarantee security officers and wearable panic alert buttons after a school shooting killed four at Apalachee High School northeast of Atlanta. Richard Woods, a Republican elected statewide, also said Monday that he wants to expand a state-sponsored program to provide mental health care to students and to better share information about threats among police, schools and other agencies. It is crucial that we redouble our efforts to secure our schools and protect every student in our state, Woods said in a statement. Woods is the second statewide leader to make proposals following the the Sept. 4 shooting at the high school in Winder. His ideas on expanding mental health care and information sharing mirror those voiced last week by Republican state House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington. Gov. Brian Kemp has said he would review any proposals but said the investigation is still turning up new information. A spokesperson for Republican Lt. Gov Burt Jones said he is preparing a response. Democrats have been slamming Republicans, arguing that the shooting is an outgrowth of the GOP loosening Georgias gun laws. Woods didnt propose any changes to gun laws. Teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, died in the shooting. Nine others were injured seven of them shot. Investigators say the shooting was carried out by 14-year-old Colt Gray, who has been charged as an adult with four counts of murder. Authorities charged his 54-year-old father, Colin Gray, with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children. Investigators allege Colin Gray gave his son access to a semiautomatic AR-15-style rifle when he knew the teen was a danger to himself and others. Woods call for information sharing reflects the fact that Colt and his father were questioned in 2023 by a Jackson County sheriffs deputy over an online post threatening a school shooting. Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum has said her office didnt find enough evidence to bring charges. Its unclear if Colt Grays earlier schools were notified about the threats. The superintendent also said he wants to expand mental health care for students. The states voluntary Apex program steers students toward counseling. The program covered 540,000 of Georgias 1.75 million students in 2022-2023, about 31%. The state budget that began July 1 includes more than $100 million in ongoing funding for school security, enough to provide $47,000 a year to each public school for safety. Kemp and others have said they want that money to pay for at least one security officer for each school, but local superintendents have said the cost for to pay for a school resource officer is significantly higher. Woods said he wants the state to spend more money specifically for school resource officers and alert systems, but didn't specify how much. Georgia Department of Education spokesperson Meghan Frick said Woods "hopes to engage in an open discussion with lawmakers and other partners to determine more specific details, including the specifics of APEX expansion and record-sharing. Burns also said last week that he wants to examine ways to catch guns before they enter schools, increase penalties for threats against schools, and said House Republicans would again promote safe firearm storage using a tax credit. State Democrats gained little traction on legislation that would have created a misdemeanor crime for negligently failing to secure firearms accessed by children. Rep. Michelle Au, a Johns Creek Democrat, has promised to bring back that proposal. (Bloomberg) -- The lobby group representing Deutsche Bank AG and Commerzbank AG has urged the German government to seize on the recent interest in reviving the securitization market as a way to boost lending across the region. Most Read from Bloomberg European Union rules on securitization scare off investors because theyre overly bureaucratic and make transactions too costly, Commerzbanks Chief Executive Officer Manfred Knof said during the banking lobby securitization forum on Monday. Boosting that market would, among other things, free up lending for the transition to a more sustainable and digital economy, he added, speaking at the ESMT Business School in Berlin. European politicians, scarred by the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis, have looked skeptically at banks efforts to slice up loans and sell them on to investors. Because banks are limited in their efforts to free up capital via securitization, they cant lend as much to companies. The need for additional funding sources is driving a rethink however, with ex-European Central Bank President Mario Draghi calling for efforts to deepen the financing method earlier this month. Securitization is once again seen as an important and sensible tool, Knof, who is also a board member at the Association of German Banks, said in prepared remarks. It is the bridge between bank-based corporate finance and capital markets. Thats why its almost indispensable to mobilize enough capital for the big challenges of our time. The lobby said it submitted a report on securitization to the German Finance Ministry together with True Sale International. The report contains good suggestions that we want to pursue here and in Brussels, Heiko Thoms, a deputy finance minister, said at the conference. This new focus is overdue. We cannot be satisfied with our competitiveness or the situation in the EU. The analysis can hardly be disputed. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Doctors demonstrate on the Roemerberg for higher salaries and better working conditions. The Marburger Bund union had called 60,000 doctors at municipal hospitals across Germany to go on warning strikes after negotiations with the Federation of Municipal Employers' Associations (VKA) failed to produce any results in the second round of negotiations. Lando Hass/dpa An all-day strike on Monday by doctors at municipal hospitals across Germany is intended to give impetus to upcoming wage negotiations. The Marburger Bund, a major trade union that represents 60,000 doctors, is demanding an 8.5% pay rise over the next year, as well as reforms of regulations on shift work. Thousands of doctors attended a rally in the western city of Frankfurt. Armed with whistles and signs, participants highlighted issues of staff shortages and excessive workloads. The doctors carried signs, some of which read: "Everything has an end, only on-call duty has none" and "Doctors pushed to the limit = Patients in danger." The union said that some 3,000 people attended the rally in Frankfurt. According to the doctors' association, several thousand doctors took part in the nationwide strike. A spokesman said that exact figures were not initially available. In the south-western state of Baden-Wurttemberg, roughly 10,000 doctors from 80 hospitals across the state were called on to strike, the trade union said. Additional regional rallies were held in other states, with several hundred doctors participating, it added. The union said doctors it represents are dissatisfied after two unsuccessful rounds of negotiations with employers. The talks are set to restart on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the VKA municipal employers' associations criticized the strike, calling it excessive, especially one day before the next round of negotiations. The union said emergency care will be arranged with the hospitals affected for the duration of the strike. Doctors demonstrate on the Roemerberg for higher salaries and better working conditions. The Marburger Bund union had called 60,000 doctors at municipal hospitals across Germany to go on warning strikes after negotiations with the Federation of Municipal Employers' Associations (VKA) failed to produce any results in the second round of negotiations. Lando Hass/dpa Doctors demonstrate on the Roemerberg for higher salaries and better working conditions. The Marburger Bund union had called 60,000 doctors at municipal hospitals across Germany to go on warning strikes after negotiations with the Federation of Municipal Employers' Associations (VKA) failed to produce any results in the second round of negotiations. Lando Hass/dpa German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habeck (R) and Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of North Rhine-Westphalia and Deputy Minister President Mona Neubaur give a press conference at the "National Steel Summit" of the NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs in the Mercatorhalle. Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa German politicians and trade unionists advocated for preserving Germany's steel industry and converting it to become climate-neutral at a National Steel Summit held in the western city of Duisburg on Monday. "Green steel made in Germany is our drive," said Economy Minister Robert Habeck, noting that Germany and the EU are global leaders when it comes to the decarbonization of the steel industry. "In Germany, we will convert around one-third of German crude steel capacity by 2030 and, in doing so, produce around 12 million tonnes of CO2-free steel," he said. German steel production is at the beginning of many important value chains, he added, making it an important driver for key sectors such as automotive and mechanical engineering and their transformation. But steel, a key industry in Germany, is energy intensive and accounts for around 7% of Germany's total greenhouse gas emissions. New technologies and the use of renewable or green energies - including hydrogen - could provide solutions. The German government is funnelling billions of euros into building the large-scale plants needed for this process. The German steel industry is also facing further difficulties, from the weak economy to high energy prices and cheap imports mainly from Asia. In the run-up to the congress, IG Metall called on steel companies to make a "clear commitment to Germany as an industrial location and to invest in domestic sites." Politicians must create a reliable environment for investment and work to ensure competitive prices for electricity in the industrial sector, the union argued. German manufacturing companies say they are being battered by high energy prices and lack of reliable supplies, leading to warnings that they could consider relocating to other countries or curtail operations. The summit was organized by North Rhine-Westphalia's (NRW) economy ministry, as of the more than 80,000 employees in the industry, some 25,000 work in NRW, according to the ministry. With six blast furnaces alone, Duisburg is considered Europe's largest steel location. "Together we send a strong signal: steel has a future," said Mona Neubaur, the state's economy minister. A competitive domestic steel industry is essential for industrial value chains, prosperity, employment and a green transformation in Germany and Europe, the industry action plan says. "Steel is of great importance as a material for the German and European industry," it says. It is now crucial to make rapid and visible progress in the implementation of the measures, the authors write, calling for an immediate programme from the government. The eleven German states, calling themselves a "steel alliance," advocate the creation of green lead markets in the action plan, where demand for CO2-reduced steel is promoted through public procurement. The industry is under considerable pressure, said the president of the Steel Federation, Gunnar Groebler. "To ensure the boiler doesn't burst, the three biggest screws must now be tightened: establishment of green lead markets, keeping energy prices in check and creating effective protection against unfair competition." "Tens of thousands of well-paid, collectively secured jobs depend on the steel industry," said trade union IG Metall's deputy chairman, Jurgen Kerner. As a basic materials industry, the steel sector is also central to the value creation network that makes Germany successful as an industrial location. "This must be preserved and transformed into a CO2-neutral future." The companies are expected to clearly commit to Germany as an industrial location and invest in the future of domestic sites, he said. Some 1,500 employees from 34 steel companies across the country were expected to attend a rally outside the conference on Monday. German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habeck takes part in the "National Steel Summit" of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia in the Mercatorhalle. Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa Police officers stand in front of a damaged building on Hohenzollernring in Cologne city center after an explosion. f the explosion. Benjamin Westhoff/dpa German police are searching for a man following an explosion at a building in the centre of Cologne that left one person slightly injured. The man who fled after the blast is believed to be "connected to the crime," investigators said. Video surveillance recordings were said to be available. The explosion in a building entrance early Monday morning caused minor injuries to one person and extensive damage to doors and windows. Police spokesman said that the act was likely to have been intentional. The injured person is a 53-year-old man, as the police further reported. The area in which the explosion occurred was initially cordoned off over a wide area. Police officers stand in front of a damaged building on Hohenzollernring in Cologne city center after an explosion. f the explosion. Benjamin Westhoff/dpa German warships visit the Philippines amid its South China Sea clashes after angering Beijing by sailing through the Taiwan Strait Two German Navy ships are visiting the Philippines for the first time in over 20 years. The port call comes amid clashes between Chinese and Philippines vessels in the South China Sea. The German ships just transited the Taiwan Strait, which sparked anger in China. Two German warships are visiting the Philippines for the first time in over 20 years after making a notable transit through the Taiwan Strait. The port call, which Germany said is a reaffirmation of its commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and rules-based international order, rhetoric commonly used by the US, as well as a testament to its defense cooperation with the Philippines, is set against the backdrop of flaring tensions between China and the Philippines due to disputes in the South China Sea. The vessels, the first-in-class frigate Baden-Wurttemberg and the Berlin-class supply ship Frankfurt am Main, arrived in Manila on Monday and will remain in port until Thursday. Per Andreas Pfaffernoschke, the German ambassador to the Philippines, the visit speaks to the ongoing cooperation between the two nations and "underscores how politically significant the Indo-Pacific region has become for Germany." In an opinion piece for The Philippine Star, Pfaffernoschke noted that Germany's visit also showcases its commitment to upholding international law and freedom of navigation, coming at a time "when the international rules-based order in the South China Sea is constantly being challenged." Pfaffernoschke added that recent incidents between China and the Philippines have raised concerns about security and stability in the area. Tensions are high in the South China Sea, as China continues its aggressive tactics against Philippine vessels. JAM STA ROSA/AFP via Getty Images Clashes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea have been escalating for months as China unjustly claims sovereignty over a majority of the South China Sea, defying international law while increasing efforts to assert its authority in the area. The Philippines says that China is engaging in aggressive behavior within its exclusive economic zone. Chinese vessels have been documented ramming and harassing Philippine vessels, as well as blocking them from sailing through Philippine waters. The port call by the German warships also comes at a particularly tense moment between Berlin and Beijing. While traveling to Manila, the Baden-Wurttemberg and Frankfurt am Main transited the Taiwan Strait, sparking backlash from China. The German warships transited the Taiwan Strait last week for the first time in 20 years. Hauke-Christian Dittrich/picture alliance via Getty Images Unlike most countries that acknowledge that the strait is an international waterway open for freedom of navigation, China claims the strait as its waters. "The waters of the Taiwan Strait, from both shores toward the middle of the Strait, are China's internal waters, then territorial sea, then contiguous zone, and then exclusive economic zone," Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said last week, noting that countries who navigate the strait should do it in accordance with Chinese and international laws. When the Baden-Wurttemberg and Frankfurt am Main sailed through the strait last week, German Defense Ministry Boris Pistorius asserted this example of innocent passage was reasonable. "International waters are international waters," he said . "It's the shortest and, given the weather conditions, the safest route. So we are passing through." In a regular press conference last Friday, Mao said China "firmly" opposes " any act of provocation under the pretext of freedom of navigation that harms China's sovereignty and security." The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command took things further, saying "the German side's behavior increases security risks and sends the wrong signal," while the Chinese embassy in Berlin said that "the question of Taiwan is not a matter of 'freedom of navigation,' but of China's sovereignty and territorial integrity." Read the original article on Business Insider Gerda Philipsborn left her home in Germany to dedicate her life to serving the people of Jamia [Family of Muhammad Mujeeb] In a Muslim graveyard in Delhi, a tombstone stands out. It has an inscription written in the Urdu language, but beneath it lies the name of a German-born Jewish woman - Gerda Philipsborn - followed by the epithet 'Aapajaan' or 'elder sister'. This is an unusual sight as the graves of the founders of Jamia Millia Islamia - a top Muslim university rooted in India's independence movement rest here. Its students have upheld this legacy of political activism, including protests against a controversial citizenship law introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in 2019. So, how did a German Jew come to be invested in a place so distant and disconnected from her homeland? The answer lies somewhere between friendship and a woman's search for meaning, says Margrit Pernau, author of Jamia's Aapa Jaan: The Many Lifeworlds of Gerda Philipsborn. Pernau, who has spent a decade researching Jamia, says that though she had come across Philipsborn's name several times during her research, her life was shrouded in mystery. Even today, not many students know about Philipsborn and her contribution to the university. Syeda Hameed, a prominent activist and historian, says there's a need for writings on her to be translated and made available to students "for their benefit and the benefit of future generations". Philipsborn's journey from being a German memsahib - a term of respect for white European women in colonial India - to becoming Jamia's Aapa Jaan began in 1933 when she traveled to India after forging an unlikely friendship with three Indian men, Zakir Husain, Muhammad Mujeeb, and Abid Husain, who had gone to Berlin to study. The men would go on to become the main founders of Jamia and also play important roles in India's political history, with Zakir Husain becoming the country's third president in 1967. Philipsborn's grave in the Jamia graveyard [Margrit Pernau] In the 1920s and 30s, it was uncommon to find cross-national friendships, let alone close, platonic relationships between three men and a woman. The men, who were involved in the freedom movement, often spoke to Philipsborn about their plans to build an institution that would contribute towards India's fight for freedom. At the time, there were very few universities in British India, and even fewer ones that were not funded by the government. The men wanted Jamia to be a place where Muslim boys and girls could educate themselves, so that they could take up an active role in India's freedom struggle. They also wanted the institution to promote unity between Hindus and Muslims and love for the motherland. These altruistic plans had a deep impact on Philipsborn. Born into a wealthy family in 1895, she had seen her life, and the world around her, change due to war, industrialisation and a wave of anti-Semitism. She understood what it felt like to be oppressed, to long for freedom and to be driven by the desire to become an instrument of change, Pernau writes. And so, shortly after her friends left Berlin to dedicate their lives to building Jamia, Philipsborn followed them to India. But moving from a bustling, modernised Berlin to a country mired in poverty was not an easy decision. Pernau sheds light on the many times Zakir Husain forbade Philipsborn from making the journey. "More than once she had offered to join him [in India], and more than once he had proffered 'advice, warnings, and admonitions not to come'," Pernau writes. Meanwhile, Muhammad Mujeeb wondered how a "still young, unmarried and unaccompanied woman would fit into Jamia, whose women at this time still observed purdah [the seclusion of women from the sight of men or strangers, practiced by some Muslims and Hindus]," she writes. But Philipsborn made the journey despite these calls for caution. Within months, she managed to make friends with the people of Jamia and even began teaching in the university's primary school. Like the rest of the teaches there, she worked for minimal wage and agreed to dedicate her life to serving the institution. She used the knowledge she had gained teaching at kindergartens in Germany to make education enjoyable and approachable for her students. When she was appointed the warden of a hostel for children, she took on the role of an Aapa Jaan for them, Pernau writes. She did menial tasks like washing and oiling their hair and kept them close to her, emotionally and physically. "When the little children under her care fell sick, she attended to them with such devotion that they didn't miss their mother," Pernau says. Philipsborn with staff and students in Jamia [Payam-e ta'lim] Philipsborn also encouraged Jamia's girls and women to play a more active role in society. When she joined the editorial team of Payam-e Ta'lim, Jamia's children's journal, she contributed articles that spotlighted the hobbies and interests of women and encouraged girls to write for the journal. Apart from her work with the children of Jamia, Gerda also helped its founders raise funds for the university, prepare speeches and often acted as their sounding board for all matters related to teaching and politics. But seven years after she arrived in India, her work hit a roadblock. Amid Britain's war with Germany, German citizens in British India were viewed with suspicion, leading to their arrest and internment in camps where they endured harsh conditions, including inadequate water, blankets and food. Philipsborn was taken to one such camp in 1940. Her internment made her fearful for her life as there was the possibility of authorities deporting her to Germany, where Hitler was persecuting the Jews. But even in the camp, she did her best to serve her inmates by organising small events to cheer them up and looking after those who had taken ill. But a couple of months after being brought to the camp, Philipsborn developed a gastric ulcer. She was taken to a hospital for treatment and then moved back to the camp, where she stayed for a whole year. After being released, she went back to Jamia and continued her work, but struggled to perform with the same gusto as her ulcer turned cancerous. She became increasingly weak, but tried to connect with children through her articles in the Payam-e Ta'lim. In April 1943, Philipsborn died and was buried in the graveyard for Jamia families. "She died miles away from her family, but was surrounded by the people who loved her," says Hameed about Gerda's death. And long after her death, her legacy as "Aapa Jaan" lives on in the corridors of Jamia, with a hostel and day care centre named after her. Key Insights The projected fair value for Imdex is AU$3.51 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity Imdex's AU$2.19 share price signals that it might be 38% undervalued Our fair value estimate is 61% higher than Imdex's analyst price target of AU$2.18 In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Imdex Limited (ASX:IMD) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine. We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model. View our latest analysis for Imdex The Method We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 Levered FCF (A$, Millions) AU$73.4m AU$72.6m AU$84.5m AU$88.2m AU$91.4m AU$94.5m AU$97.4m AU$100.1m AU$102.9m AU$105.6m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x3 Analyst x3 Est @ 4.28% Est @ 3.72% Est @ 3.33% Est @ 3.05% Est @ 2.86% Est @ 2.72% Est @ 2.63% Present Value (A$, Millions) Discounted @ 7.1% AU$68.5 AU$63.4 AU$68.9 AU$67.1 AU$65.0 AU$62.7 AU$60.4 AU$58.0 AU$55.6 AU$53.3 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = AU$623m We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.4%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 7.1%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2034 (1 + g) (r g) = AU$106m (1 + 2.4%) (7.1% 2.4%) = AU$2.3b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$2.3b ( 1 + 7.1%)10= AU$1.2b The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is AU$1.8b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of AU$2.2, the company appears quite good value at a 38% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind. dcf The Assumptions The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Imdex as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 7.1%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.130. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. SWOT Analysis for Imdex Strength Debt is not viewed as a risk. Weakness Earnings declined over the past year. Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Metals and Mining market. Opportunity Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Australian market. Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%. Threat Annual revenue is forecast to grow slower than the Australian market. Looking Ahead: Although the valuation of a company is important, it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For Imdex, there are three essential items you should assess: Financial Health: Does IMD have a healthy balance sheet? Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis with six simple checks on key factors like leverage and risk. Future Earnings: How does IMD's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the ASX every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Germany angers European neighbors as it tightens migration along all land borders Germany has begun new controls at all of its land borders as part of a crackdown on migration, placing restrictions on a wide area of free movement known as the Schengen Zone and stirring anger among its European neighbors. From Monday, as well as existing border controls with Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Poland, Germany will now also have internal border controls with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. Berlin will have the power to reject people at all land borders, a statement from the Interior Ministry said. The new rules will last for six months initially. The move marks how far Germany has shifted in recent years on the flashpoint issue of migration. The German government under Angela Merkel welcomed more than one million new arrivals during the migrant crisis of 2015-2016 but is now following other European countries in toughening up rules as it faces a surging far-right opposition. It comes after Germany on Friday struck a controlled migration deal with Kenya, which will see Berlin open its doors to skilled and semi-skilled Kenyan workers. A German police officer holds the sign "Hold, police" as he watches over cars arriving at the German-Polish border. - Maja Hitij/Getty Images Announcing the changes, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that Germany was strengthening internal security through concrete action and continuing its tough stance against irregular migration. She signaled the move was aimed at protecting German citizens from the dangers posed by Islamist terrorism as well as serious cross-border crime. The move has put the unity of the European bloc to the test and attracted criticism from Germanys neighbors. Germany is part of the Schengen border-free area. Under European Union rules, member states have the ability to temporarily reintroduce border control at internal borders in the event of a serious threat to public policy or internal security. However, this must be applied as a last resort. Polands Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the introduction of tighter controls at land borders was unacceptable for Poland, adding that Warsaw would request urgent talks with all countries affected. Both Greece and Austria have warned that they would not accept migrants rejected by Germany. Closer to home, Germanys Council for Migration warned that the plan risks violating EU law. The current policy goal of turning back (migrants) seeking protection at Germanys borders represents a dangerous form of populism in the migration policy debate, a statement said, which called for an evidence-based debate on migration policy in Europe. Germanys government, led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, has been spurred into action to tackle uncontrolled immigration after receiving criticism for not doing enough to tackle the issue. The countrys approach to migration has toughened in recent years, in light of a surge in arrivals particularly from the Middle East and Ukraine as well as terror attacks motivated by Islamic terror. The coalition government seeking to counter the countrys burgeoning far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is known for its explicitly anti-immigrant and anti-Islam agenda. The new security package came in the wake of a fatal attack in the western city of Solingen, in which three people were stabbed to death on August 23. The suspect was identified as a 26-year-old Syrian man with alleged links to ISIS, who had previously been due for deportation. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Germany will expand border controls with all its nine neighbours (Odd ANDERSEN) (Odd ANDERSEN/AFP/AFP) Germany will from Monday expand border controls to the frontiers with all nine of its neighbours to stop irregular migrants in a move that has sparked protests from other EU members. Berlin announced the sweeping measure following a string of deadly extremist attacks that have stoked public fears and boosted support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Sunday said that the step aimed to limit irregular migration and "put a stop to criminals and identify and stop Islamists at an early stage". The border controls will be in place for an initial six months and are expected to include temporary structures at land crossings and spot checks by federal police. Poland and Austria have voiced concern and the European Commission has warned that members of the 27-nation bloc must only impose such steps in exceptional circumstances. Germany lies at the heart of Europe and borders nine countries that are part of the visa-free Schengen zone, designed to allow the free movement of people and goods. Border controls with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland were already in place before the crackdown was announced. These will now be expanded to Germany's borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. Faeser said the government hoped to minimise the impact on people living and working in border regions, promising "coordination with our neighbouring countries". The interior ministry however noted that travellers should carry identification when crossing the border. - Islamist attacks - In recent weeks, a string of extremist attacks have shocked Germany, fuelling rising public anger. Last month, a man on a knife rampage killed three people and wounded eight more at a festival in the western city of Solingen. The Syrian suspect, who has alleged links to the Islamic State group, had been intended for deportation but managed to evade authorities. The enforcement failure set off a bitter debate which marked the run-up to two regional polls in the formerly communist east, where the anti-immigration AfD scored unprecedented results. With national elections looming next year, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government has been under intense political pressure to toughen its stance on migrants and asylum seekers. Scholz was in Uzbekistan on Sunday to sign a migration deal for workers to come to Germany, while simplifying deportation procedures in the opposite direction so that "those that must go back do go back", the chancellor said. Closer to home, the German government has presented plans to speed up deportations to European partners. Under EU rules, asylum requests are meant to be handled by the country of arrival. The system has placed a huge strain on countries on the European periphery, where leaders have demanded more burden-sharing. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that Germany tightening its borders means that it would "essentially pass the buck to countries located on the outer borders of Europe". Austria's Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said his country "will not accept people who are rejected from Germany", while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk condemned Germany's move as "unacceptable". - 'Welcome to the club' - Warsaw has also struggled with migration and accused Moscow of smuggling people from Africa and the Middle East into Europe by sending them through Belarus to the Polish border. Berlin on Friday said that Tusk and Scholz had discussed the issue and agreed to strengthen EU external borders, "especially in view of the cynical instrumentalisation of migrants by Belarus". Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, meanwhile, mocked the German chancellor on social media site X, writing: "Bundeskanzler Scholz, welcome to the club! #StopMigration." Germany took in more than a million asylum seekers in 2015-16, many of them Syrians, and has hosted over a million Ukrainians since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022. The extra burden on municipal authorities and integration services in Germany needed to be "taken into account" when talking about new border controls, Berlin's interior ministry said. In the Netherlands, Prime Minister Dick Schoof on Friday unveiled the country's strictest migration policy yet, saying it will request an opt-out from EU common policy on asylum next week. A four-party coalition dominated by far-right firebrand Geert Wilders's Freedom Party wants to declare an "asylum crisis" to curb the influx of migrants through a tough set of rules including border controls. clp-fz-sea/sbk/sea/sbk/bc A view of the flooded Vienna River, a tributary of the Danube. The storm-related flooding has now also reached the federal capital. Franz Spiegelfeld/APA/dpa The German government has pledged support to countries coping with the flooding that has struck Central Europe in recent days, as reports put the number of deaths at 11. "People in our neighbouring countries, our partners in Europe and our own people need to know that we are watching the situation very closely and are ready to help," a government spokeswoman said in Berlin. She noted the devastation in Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that the technical relief agency (THW) was ready "to provide immediate support when assistance is requested." A ministry spokeswoman said that no request had as yet been received. Faeser said that the THW was watching the situation closely along the Elbe and Oder rivers in Germany and was ready to offer its support in the event of flooding. A drone image shows the BorsodChem MCHZ chemical plant is under water following heavy rains. Sznapka Petr/CTK/dpa (Bloomberg) -- Germany and Uzbekistan sealed an agreement on migration and labor mobility and concluded a number of other accords designed to deepen cooperation in areas including critical raw materials like copper. Most Read from Bloomberg The pacts were signed Sunday in Samarkand in the presence of Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whos traveling to Central Asia for the first time and will head on to Kazakhstan later on Monday. In a speech at an economic forum in Samarkand Monday, Scholz said that very concrete contacts between a delegation of executives traveling with him and their Uzbek counterparts had yielded great progress in relations between the two nations. Together we want to use and develop the opportunities around the raw materials that are found here, for the benefit of the economies of both countries, Scholz said. We want to work together in many technological areas, this is of great importance, he added. The German leader highlighted progress made on a project involving German copper producer Aurubis AG, without providing further details. Scholzs trip is part of a wider push to strengthen ties with Central Asian nations in areas like industry, energy and the environment, as well as in security and defense. Its also important to an ongoing effort to diversify Germanys sources of energy and raw materials away from countries like Russia and China. According to the government in Berlin, the migration agreement with Uzbekistan will help Germany attract skilled workers, though how far that helps address a persistent shortfall in Europes biggest economy remains to be seen. The accord also establishes a mechanism for cooperation on sending migrants back who dont have the right to stay in either country. Scholzs government has toughened its stance on migration in recent months in response to the rise of extreme parties on the left and right which want to curb the number of immigrants arriving in the country. Germany inked a similar accord on Friday with Kenya during a visit by the African nations president, William Ruto. Scholz said that it provides opportunities for Kenyans because skilled workers or young people can come to Germany for training. The agreement and this is basically the other side of the coin also provides for effective procedures to return those who have come to us from Kenya but do not have or cannot acquire the right to remain, he said at a joint news conference with Ruto at the chancellery in Berlin. As well as the migration pact, Germany and Uzbekistan signed the following accords Sunday: Joint declaration of intent on deeper cooperation on critical raw materials, including copper, to help make supply chains more resilient Declaration of intent on veterinary medicine and livestock farming Declaration of intent on cooperation on sustainable use of water resources Agreement on transport cooperation, including high-speed rail travel Scholz is due to hold talks in Astana later on Monday with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the two countries will also sign a number of agreements. These relate to cooperation between the Bundesbank and Kazakhstans central bank, as well as the establishment of a German-Kazakh Institute of Science and Technology and a German school in Astana. Scholz will also seek to encourage Kazakhstan to expand deliveries of crude oil to a key refinery in eastern Germany, according to a senior German government official, who asked not to be identified in line with briefing rules. The Schwedt facility gets about 70% of its crude oil via pipeline from the German port of Rostock, some 15% via pipeline from Gdansk in Poland, and about 15% via the Druzhba link from Kazakhstan. Scholz, Tokayev and Mirziyoyev are due to meet with the presidents of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan on Tuesday in Astana. (Adds Scholz comments starting in third paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed his concern regarding the current floods in several European countries. "The floods we are witnessing are distressing," Scholz said during a visit to Kazakhstan. He added that he has already promised support to the citizens in the affected neighbouring countries. "We will help as much as we can." The flooding situation is critical in several countries, and the death toll is rising: At least 12 people have lost their lives in the devastating rainfall in Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria. In large parts of the extensive disaster zone, land remains submerged for kilometres. Roads and fields are flooded, basements and houses have filled with water, and dams and dykes have been partially destroyed. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (L) is greeted with military honors by Kassym-Shomart Tokayev, (Qassym-Shomart Kemeluly Toqayev), President of Kazakhstan. Scholz continues his three-day trip to Central Asia in Kazakhstan. Michael Kappeler/dpa German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday visited Kazakhstan for talks on developing economic ties, on the second leg of his three-day trip to Central Asia. In the Kazakh capital Astana, Scholz met with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, with petroleum deliveries and an extension of bilateral relations on the agenda. Scholz said he would "do everything to improve possibilities for economic relations," calling for "continuous collaboration" in the raw materials sector. Kazakhstan is Germany's third-highest supplier of oil after Norway and the United States. Around 11.7% of German petroleum is sourced from the Central Asian giant, which has stepped in to replace Russian deliveries since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, especially to the vital PCK processing plant in the eastern German state of Brandenburg near Berlin. During Scholz's visit, which followed his trip to Uzbekistan on Sunday, the two countries plan to strike a deal to extend and increase deliveries - currently amounting to 100,000 tons of crude oil per month - beyond the end of 2024. Tokayev said the meeting was bringing relations between Germany and Kazakhstan to a "new level." "Our bilateral cooperation will be expanded in the spirit of a strategic partnership," he added. Further agreements were to be signed to extend cooperation between the National Bank of Kazakhstan and Germany's Bundesbank, to establish at institute for science and technology at the German-Kazakh University in the eastern metropolis of Almaty, and to set up a German-language school in the country. Kazakhstan, with a population of 20 million, is the ninth-largest country in the world and Germany's most important economic partner in Central Asia. The country has enjoyed above-average economic growth in recent years, due in part to trade with its neighbours Russia and China. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivers a speech during a visit to the German-Kazakh Economic Forum alongside Kassym-Shomart Tokayev,President of Kazakhstan. Michael Kappeler/dpa German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday visited Kazakhstan for talks on developing economic ties, on the second leg of his three-day trip to Central Asia. In the Kazakh capital Astana, Scholz met with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, with petroleum deliveries and an extension of bilateral relations on the agenda. Scholz said he would "do everything to improve possibilities for economic relations," calling for "continuous collaboration" in the raw materials sector. Kazakhstan is Germany's third-highest supplier of oil after Norway and the United States. Around 11.7% of German petroleum is sourced from the Central Asian giant, which has stepped in to replace Russian deliveries since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, especially to the vital PCK processing plant in the eastern German state of Brandenburg near Berlin. During Scholz's visit, which followed his trip to Uzbekistan on Sunday, the two countries struck a deal to extend and increase deliveries - currently amounting to 100,000 tons of crude oil per month - beyond the end of 2024. "The German government welcomes the continued supply of the PCK refinery beyond 2024," said a government spokesman. "We thank Kazakhstan for its support." Tokayev said the meeting was bringing relations between Germany and Kazakhstan to a "new level." "Our bilateral cooperation will be expanded in the spirit of a strategic partnership," he added. Further agreements were signed to extend cooperation between the National Bank of Kazakhstan and Germany's Bundesbank, to establish at institute for science and technology at the German-Kazakh University in the eastern metropolis of Almaty, and to set up a German-language school in the country. Kazakhstan, with a population of 20 million, is the ninth-largest country in the world and Germany's most important economic partner in Central Asia. The country has enjoyed above-average economic growth in recent years, due in part to trade with its neighbours Russia and China. However, it has also attracted criticism over violations of human rights, with freedom of the press and freedom of expression heavily restricted. A press conference after Scholz's meeting with Tokayev was abruptly cancelled at short notice. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivers a speech during a visit to the German-Kazakh Economic Forum alongside Kassym-Shomart Tokayev,President of Kazakhstan. Michael Kappeler/dpa German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday visited Kazakhstan for talks on developing economic ties, on the second leg of his three-day trip to Central Asia. In the Kazakh capital Astana, Scholz met President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, with petroleum deliveries and an extension of bilateral relations on the agenda. Scholz said he would "do everything to improve possibilities for economic relations," calling for "continuous collaboration" in the raw materials sector. Kazakhstan is Germany's third largest supplier of oil after Norway and the United States. Around 11.7% of German petroleum is sourced from the Central Asian giant, which has stepped in to replace Russian deliveries since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, especially to the vital PCK processing plant in the eastern German state of Brandenburg near Berlin. During Scholz's visit, which followed his trip to Uzbekistan on Sunday, the two countries struck a deal to extend and increase deliveries beyond the end of 2024. According to government sources, the country supplied around 1 million tons of crude oil to PCK last year. For the current year, a total of 1.4 million tons is planned. On the sidelines of the visit, an extension of these deliveries beyond the end of 2024 was agreed upon. Kazakhstan's contract partners are the German subsidiaries of the Russian state-owned company Rosneft. They hold the majority stake in PCK, although they are currently under trusteeship. Rosneft spokesman Burkhard Woelki told dpa that the contract with Kazakhstan has been extended for an oil delivery of 100,000 tons per month until the end of 2025. Woelki added that it is possible to obtain more, and this would be arranged flexibly. "The German government welcomes the continued supply of the PCK refinery beyond 2024," said a government spokesman. "We thank Kazakhstan for its support." Tokayev said the meeting was bringing relations between Germany and Kazakhstan to a "new level." "Our bilateral cooperation will be expanded in the spirit of a strategic partnership," he added. Further agreements were signed to extend cooperation between the National Bank of Kazakhstan and Germany's central bank, the Bundesbank, to establish an institute for science and technology at the German-Kazakh University in the eastern metropolis of Almaty, and to set up a German-language school in the country. Kazakhstan, with a population of 20 million, is the ninth largest country in the world and Germany's most important economic partner in Central Asia. The country has enjoyed above-average economic growth in recent years, due in part to trade with its neighbours Russia and China. The German government is interested not only in oil but also in Kazakhstan's gas reserves and, in the long term, in hydrogen derived from renewable energy sources. The authoritarian-led country also has reserves of uranium, iron ore, zinc, copper and gold. Like other authoritarian-led states in the region, Kazakhstan has attracted criticism over violations of human rights, with freedom of the press and freedom of expression heavily restricted. A previously planned joint press conference after Scholz's meeting with Tokayev was abruptly cancelled at short notice by the Kazakh side. In Uzbekistan, the first stop on the chancellor's three-day trip, no joint press conference was planned from the outset. There was one potential area of conflict that emerged during the trip when Tokayev described Russia as "invincible" and called for swift peace negotiations in the Ukraine war, according to Kazakh news agencies. Scholz emphasized that Germany will continue to support Ukraine in defending itself against the Russian aggressors. At the same time, he reiterated that he would be in favour of a peace conference involving Russia. Now is the time to see what can be done, Scholz said. However, he added, Russia must contribute by ceasing its aggression. Scholz has been openly advocating for a peace process since the end of August. In June, 93 countries met for a first peace conference in Switzerland, to which Russia was not invited, and which was boycotted by Russia's key ally China. The follow-up conference is now supposed to include Russia. However, the location and date have not been set yet. The former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan shares a more than 7,600-kilometre-long land border with Russia and is closely intertwined with the great power. At the same time, the country is seeking closer ties with Western states. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gives a press statement at Maksut-Narikbayev University before a discussion with students. Michael Kappeler/dpa (NewsNation) Investigators on Monday released new images of a Gilgo Beach homicide victim whose remains were discovered in 2011 and is known by officials only as Asian Doe. Genetic genealogy revealed a strong likelihood the victim was of Southern Chinese descent, specifically Han Chinese, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said at a news conference Monday. He asked for the publics help identifying the person, whose name and age remain unknown to investigators. Their gender expression is unclear but Tierney said the victim was a biological male. Secret Service scrutinized over apparent Trump assassination attempt The body was dressed in womens clothing, including a Chrysanthemum blue, ribbed short-sleeve shirt with crew neck, a Rafaella brand shirt and Bill Blass pants and a bra. Because the victim was wearing exclusively womens clothing at the time of death, it is possible that they identified as a woman or were known by others as being a woman, Tierney said. What have police said about the unidentified Asian victim? The investigation dates back to April 4, 2011, when skeletal remains were recovered on Ocean Parkway near Long Islands Gilgo Beach. The cause of death was ruled a homicide by blunt force trauma. On Monday, Tierney said officials believe the victim died at least five years before their remains were found. Asian Doe would have been about 17 to 23 years old and 5 feet, 3-9 inches tall when they died, according to a news release authorities issued Monday. We ask that if you were around in the late 90s and early 2000s think about the people you associated with, Tierney said. Think about the people you know. Did anyone of Asian descent go missing? Investigators believe the victim may have been working as a sex worker at the time of their disappearance during or before 2006 and spent time in New York City before they died. We want to urge the public dont discount someone just because you know them to be from somewhere outside of New York City, Tierney said. As we know, people often come to New York City for myriad reasons. No charges have been filed in connection with the persons death. 19 Kids and Counting star accused of fraud, posing as licensed contractor Is Asian Doe tied to the Gilgo Four? Police spent the past 14 years investigating the deaths of at least 10 people, most of whom were sex workers whose remains were discovered along an isolated highway near Gilgo Beach on Long Island. Stigma around sex workers can distance them from friends and family, discourage them from reporting to police and, in turn, make them more vulnerable to violence, experts say. Architect Rex Heuermann is charged with murder in connection with the deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello and Maureen Brainard-Barnes. The bodies of the so-called Gilgo Four were among several found on Gilgo Beach between 2010 and 2011. Prosecutors in June announced additional charges against Heuermann tied to the deaths of two more women Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla. Taylor, 20, went missing in 2003 while working as an escort in New York City. Some of her remains were discovered in Manorville that year, and more were found by the side of Ocean Parkway. The body of 28-year-old Costilla was discovered in 1993. The body of the victim at the center of Mondays news conference was found about a half-mile east of the Gilgo Four in Oak Beach. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty on all counts. His next court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 16 in Suffolk County. Tierney didnt name Heuermann as a suspect in Asian Does death and instead emphasized public assistance in identifying the victim. Its all nice to speculate, but it basically doesnt matter until you can bring charges and were certainly not at that stage, Tierney said. Police have asked anyone with information about the case or the victimm to contact Crimestoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS, or by email or mobile app. Translation services are available. Suffolk County Crime Stoppers is offering reward of as much as $2,500 for information leading to the identification of each victim. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. Residents in the area near Doctor Philips and Big Sand Lake say they are concerned about their homes. They say theyve been watching the water rising constantly in their backyards following the recent rains weve been seeing across Central Florida; as a result, many of the docks in the area are now gone. It really doesnt work as we were told it would work, said John Jennings, a long-time Orange County resident, whos also a chairman of the Big Sand Lake Advisory Board. Big Sand Lake is basically a dumping ground, a retention pond for the 5,000 acres that flow into it. And now weve taken so much water up and down at such a rate it cant handle it. Channel 9 caught up with Jennings just moments after he spoke with the Florida Department of Transportation yet again. Read: You can smell it: Consumer claims flooding at storage unit ruined $45,000 worth of furniture He says its been a long battle - since last year, at least - but things got worse after hurricane season came along. I went back to a meeting we had on January 9, 2018, and they told us a very extensive study was done, and they drew the outfall that they built, said Jennings. It really doesnt work as we were told it would work. Heres what Jennings said is going on - the original project was supposed to drain the water from Big Sand Lake into nearby lakes, like Lake Serene and Spring Lake. But instead, he said the opposite is happening and as many as 8 nearby bodies of water are flowing straight into Big Sand Lake. Over half the docks in the lake, over 200 docks in the lake, and theres 100 up underwater right now. Were going underwater. Read: Homeowner who caused flooding by plugging drainpipe to make court appearance The Big Sand Lake Outfall project is powered by the Florida Department of Transportation. FDOT said it is watching the water levels, especially after the past couple of weeks of extensive rain. FDOT said the water is currently flowing out of Big Sand Lake toward Shingle Creek, and the only part missing from the project is a water gate that would allow Orange County to regulate the system and control the flow of water. Read: Orlando residents say poor drainage is leading to neighborhoods flooding during heavy rain That portion of the project is expected to be fully finished by the end of the month. Still, residents say they are not sure if the project would handle the amount of water and rain if severe weather strikes. I do lose sleep over it, as residents do, as their property is damaged by the water level, said Jennings. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. MILAN (Reuters) - Italy's competition watchdog said on Monday a planned tie-up between Swisscom's and Vodafone's Italian units could pose a threat to competition in the country's fixed-line connectivity services. Last week the Italian antitrust authority, called AGCM, opened an in-depth review of Swisscom's 8-billion-euro buyout of Vodafone Italia, which will be combined with Swisscom's Italian subsidiary Fastweb, subject to regulatory approval. The tie-up would create Italy's second-biggest fixed-line broadband operator behind Telecom Italia (TIM), with a strong presence in the prized business segment and in the full-fiber connectivity market. In its weekly bulletin published on Monday, AGCM said the deal could create a dominant player in the fixed-line wholesale service market as well in retail services to residential, public administration and corporate customers. The investigation will last 90 days. The tie-up, announced in March is expected to be finalised in the first quarter of next year. (This story has been refiled to fix AGCOM to AGCM, in paragraphs 2 and 4) (Reporting by Elvira Pollina, editing by Gavin Jones) Photos of the AK-47 rifle, backpack and GoPro camera found by the chain-link perimeter fencing at the Trump International Golf Club on Sunday. (Stephany Matat/Associated Press) Another unwell person sought to kill Donald Trump, according to the FBI and other officials. We should all be grateful that no one was hurt, and that the Secret Service and local law enforcement appear to have done their jobs properly. Im also grateful to former President Trump for assigning blame for the foiled assassination attempt to Democratic rhetoric, specifically that of Biden and Harris. On Monday, he told Fox News Digital, Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country both from the inside and out. Why am I grateful to Trump? For starters, because he saved me an enormous amount of time. I planned to address this claim using examples from Trump boosters. "Dems Still in 'Stop Hitler Incitement Mode" read one headline at Breitbart.com before it got muted. But collecting such quotes often from second- or third-rate MAGA sycophants and apologists is tedious and it requires arguing with people Id rather not elevate by taking seriously. Read more: Feds charge suspect with gun crimes as Trump blames 'rhetoric of Biden and Harris' But here we have the claim stated concisely by the presidential candidate, and target, himself. Even better, it contains the fundamental cynicism and hypocrisy of much lengthier versions of this talking point. Trump believes that the threat to democracy charge against him is inciting people to violence. This could be possible, though there is little evidence that the would-be assassin in Butler, Pa., in July was motivated by politics. The latest assailant, a onetime Trump supporter turned critic, certainly seems to have been very political, whatever his specific motivation. In a country of 337 million people, its always going to be the case that some tiny fraction of unwell people will be motivated to violence by extreme claims. But heres the problem with the argument as its made by Trump and his defenders. They are not against allegedly violence-inciting, rhetorical extremism, theyre against such rhetoric deployed against Trump. Similar rhetoric targeting Biden and Harris is just fine. Read more: A second assassination attempt against former President Trump raises new questions Go back and look at Trumps complaint. They are the ones that are destroying the country, he insists. Later he adds, It is called the enemy from within. They are the real threat. In other words, Trump believes the problem isnt apocalyptic rhetoric that incites violence. No, the problem is that people believe the rhetoric about him, when what they should believe is his similar rhetoric about his political opponents. Indeed, Trump routinely insists that if Harris whom he calls a communist and fascist is elected the country will be over. Few of the people, including Trump himself, who will blame hateful rhetoric constantly aimed at Trump, in the words of the New York Posts Miranda Devine, for Sundays assassination attempt, have any problem with Trumps hateful rhetoric. Its a remarkable double standard. We can wax Jesuitical about the differences between saying Harris will destroy the country and saying that Trump is a threat to democracy. But logically and empirically, the differences between the claims are nugatory. Read more: Goldberg: Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both call for unity. Here's why they're wrong There is an objective divergence however. People including some unhinged ones find the charges against Trump plausible. That might have more to do with Trumps past behavior (say, on Jan. 6) or his stated positions (his call to terminate the Constitution so he can retake power, perhaps) than with the persuasiveness of his critics or the power of the media. Indeed, whether the claim that Trump is a threat to democracy is extreme depends largely on whether it is true. If he is a threat to democracy, then calling him one is merely an accurate description. Its irresponsible or extreme in the colloquial argot of politics these days to falsely shout, Fire! in a crowded theater. If you actually see a fire, its a defensible warning. This assassination attempt came amid a broiling controversy over baseless claims by Trump and JD Vance about Haitian immigrants feasting on pet cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio. These claims resulted in school closures over bomb threats and shooting threats against Haitians in Springfield. Bear in mind that Trump routinely refers to migrants as blood-poisoning vermin. And yet, complaints and concerns from the hand-wringers about inciteful rhetoric aimed at Trump have not been forthcoming. Its worth recalling that conservatives used to denounce efforts to blame politicians for the actions of madmen. When then-Rep. Gabby Giffords was shot in Arizona in 2011, many liberals ludicrously insisted that Sarah Palin was to blame and conservatives rightly objected . Now, many conservatives sound like those liberals, only in defense of Donald Trump. If hypocrisy was helium, many people would have funny voices, and some would just float away. @JonahDispatch 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. One of the last messages sent from the doomed Titan submersible during its June 2023 voyage to the Titanic wreckage was "all good here," according to a presentation from a U.S. Coast Guard hearing on the deadly implosion. The Marine Board of Investigation for the U.S. Coast Guard's two-week hearing into the incident began on Monday, 15 months after the OceanGate vessel catastrophically imploded during its deep-sea voyage, killing all five people aboard. An animation created by the Coast Guard during the Monday hearing showed the text communications between the Titan and the surface vessel, Polar Prince, as the submersible descended toward the ocean floor on June 18, 2023. The short text messages were the only means of communication between the Titan crew and the personnel on the Polar Prince as the vessel attempted to reach the Titanic, which sits 3,800 meters below sea level. PHOTO: This undated image provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP, FILE) At approximately 2,274 meters, the Titan sent the message, "All good here," according to the animation. The last communication from the submersible was sent at approximately 3,341 meters: "Dropped two wts," meaning drop weights, according to the Coast Guard. All communications and tracking from the submersible to Polar Prince were lost at 3,346 meters, according to the Coast Guard. Debris from the Titan was found on the ocean floor four days later. All five crew members -- including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush -- were determined to have died in a catastrophic implosion. The Coast Guard released a new image during the hearing Monday that shows Titan debris, including the tail cone, at the bottom of the ocean. PHOTO: Remotely operated vehicle image of the Titan submersible tail cone presented by the U.S. Coast Guard during a marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (Pelagic Research Services/U.S. Coast Guard) Tym Catterson, a former contractor for OceanGate, testified during Monday's hearing that there were "no red flags" on the day of the incident. He said he believes the intention of shedding the two 35-pound weights was to slow the vessel down as it approached the ocean floor. He thought the weight was dropped a little early than is typical -- not due to any emergency but to ensure a smooth landing, he said. "Considering who was in the cab with Stockton at that particular time -- there are two billionaires in there with him -- I would absolutely guarantee that he's trying to make sure that this just goes as absolutely perfect and spot-on as he can," Catterson said. He said when the tracking and communications were lost, the initial thought was that the transponder failed. When rescuers heard banging noises during their search for the vessel, he said they believed the vessel was drifting. "This was all theories that were just flying around between people that were totally without sleep and very anxious," he said. "It's the worst thing that could be happening." 2 witnesses say they wouldn't go in the Titan Some two dozen witnesses are scheduled to testify during the two-week hearing. The hearing's first witness -- Tony Nissen, OceanGate's former engineering director -- testified that he was kept in the dark and didn't know that OceanGate's goal when he was initially hired was to go to the Titanic. Asked whether he felt comfortable going down to the Titanic in the first prototype of the submersible, Nissen responded that Rush had asked him to be the pilot to run the Titanic missions, and he turned him down. "I told him, I'm not getting in it," Nissen said. "He asked me why, and I said, 'Because the operations crew, I don't trust them.'" "He said, 'Well, what if I'm mission director?'" Nissen continued. "I said, 'You still have the same operations crew.' But I didn't trust Stockton either. Take a look at where we started and when I was hired, nothing that I got was the truth." MORE: Wrongful death lawsuit filed over Titan submersible implosion Catterson also testified that he would not have felt comfortable going to the depths of the Titanic wreckage in the Titan, saying he had questions about the integrity of its carbon fiber and titanium construction. "I don't believe that the composites are the correct material for a pressure vessel that's experiencing external compression," he said. "I had my doubts." When asked if he ever voiced his concerns to OceanGate employees, he testified that he told Rush, Nissen and David Lochridge, the former OceanGate operations director -- "pretty much anybody that would listen." Catterson said he had raised the issue about the integrity of the carbon fiber hull with Rush "no less than half a dozen" times. He said he thought the sub was "underbuilt" and that Rush responded to his concerns by saying, "I have several engineers working on this and they say otherwise." The company's former finance director, Bonnie Carl, a former contractor for OceanGate, testified Monday that she was aware of a conversation between Lochridge and Renata Rojas, a mission specialist, when Lochridge told Rojas not to go on the Titan, warning that it was "unsafe." Titan not classified It is common for submersibles to get classification, but both Catterson and Nissen testified that the Titan had not been classified. Catterson talked about recommending classification for it to Rush. The reason for the classification is basically that it's proof of due diligence. It's also primarily one of the ways that you can get insurance for the submersibles. That's one of the very big things," he said. "I had explained this to [Rush], and he, well, I guess that wasn't as big of a worry for him as it would be for most people. I don't know, I said my piece. According to a Coast Guard presentation during Monday's hearing, the Titan was tested to 1.09 times its operating pressure -- the industry standard is 1.25 times. The Coast Guard and witnesses also detailed issues and concerns with the sub. The vessel had 70 equipment issues in 2021 that needed correcting, and 48 more in 2022, according to the Coast Guard. The Titan partially sank four weeks before the incident following a night of high seas and fog, according to the Coast Guard. Days before the implosion, passengers slammed against the vessel during resurfacing, the Coast Guard said. PHOTO: Tony Nissen speaks with the Coast Guard's lead counsel Lars Okmark during a recess in a Coast Guard investigatory hearing, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (Mic Smith/AP) Nissen testified that he believes the Titan was struck by lightning in April 2018. Jason Neubauer, chair of the Marine Board of Investigation, clarified during the hearing on Tuesday that Nissen was referring to a prototype carbon-fiber hull that was not used on Titanic missions. Nissen also testified that he wouldn't sign off on a dive to the Titanic in July 2019 due to a crack in the sub's hull, and said he was subsequently fired. Neubauer further clarified during the hearing on Tuesday that Nissen was referring again to the prototype hull, which the chair said was not used after 2019. Carl said she was concerned about some of the employees working on OceanGate submersibles. "There were some young engineers -- and by young, I mean late teens, early 20s -- without any experience, we were aware of, wrenching on the sub, and without supervision right there on them," she said. "And that made me nervous." Hearing to last 2 weeks The hearing is scheduled to run through Sept. 27. Former OceanGate employees scheduled to testify later in the hearing include Lochridge; co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein; and Steven Ross, former scientific director, according to a schedule released by the Coast Guard. The main purpose of the hearing is to uncover the facts related to the implosion and to make recommendations, Neubauer. "The Marine Board's investigation will determine as closely as possible the factors that contributed to the incident, so that proper recommendations for the prevention of similar casualties may be made," Neubauer said at the start of Monday's hearing. The investigation will also examine whether there is any evidence of misconduct or criminal acts in connection with the incident, he said. MORE: New docs detail whistleblower's battle with Titanic submersible company The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the implosion and will make its own determination as to the probable cause, according to Marcel Muise, an investigator with the agency's Office of Marine Safety. Attorneys with the firm Debevoise & Plimpton, which represents OceanGate, are also attending the hearing. "There are no words to ease the loss endured by the families impacted by this tragic incident, but we hope that this hearing will help shed light on the cause of the tragedy and prevent anything like this from happening again," Jane Shvets with Debevoise & Plimpton said during opening remarks. In addition to Rush, those killed in the implosion included French explorer Paul Henri Nargeolet, British businessman Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman. The submersible company suspended all exploration and commercial operations after the deadly implosion. 'All good here': Last messages revealed from Titan submersible before implosion: Coast Guard originally appeared on abcnews.go.com ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference in Orlando on Monday. DeSantis spoke at an elementary school alongside Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr., State University System of Florida Chancellor Ray Rodrigues and Florida Prepaid College Board Chairman John Rood, according to a release from the governors office. DeSantis touted the states nationally-ranked higher education institutions and efforts to keep tuition low. He highlighted a program meant to help parents afford the cost of a college education. The governor highlighted the Florida Prepaid college program, which locks in the cost of a 4-year degree at a state college or university at the current tuition rate and allows parents to prepay the cost. If a student ends up attending a school outside of Florida, or has their tuition covered by another program like Bright Futures, parents can receive a refund or apply the prepaid funds to out-of-state tuition. DeSantis announced the state provided prepaid scholarships for the Little League champions in Lake Mary, who recently visited the governors mansion. Officials urged parents to look into Florida Prepaid, as well as programs like Bright Futures and high school dual enrollment that help curb the cost of college tuition. DeSantis claimed it is possible for a student to work a minimum wage job over the summer and pay for tuition at a Florida college or university. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. Gov. Greg Abbott arrives at a press conference with several other state leaders at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass in February. Abbott on Monday announced a state crackdown on a Venezuelan gang. Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday announced the state is going to target a Venezuelan gang that he said was notorious for brutal violence and murder and posed a threat to Texans safety. At a press conference in Houston, Abbott signed a proclamation that declares the Tren de Aragua gang a foreign terrorist organization, and directed the Department of Public Safety to create new strike teams of highway patrol officers, SWAT teams, helicopters, canines and Texas Rangers to target areas with known TDA activity. We will bring the full weight of the government against the TDA by declaring TDA a foreign terrorist organization, Abbott said before signing the proclamation. Texas will use the courts to halt their operations, use civil asset forfeiture to take their property, use enhanced criminal penalties to keep them in jail, behind bars for longer periods of time. The governor singled out El Paso as a hotbed for recent criminal activity by suspected members of Tren de Aragua. He said residents there had recently been concerned about criminal activity in a local hotel where 20 suspected Venezuelan gang members were arrested. El Paso County has denied the hotel was taken over by any gang and said it was shut down because of a lawsuit focused on broad criminal activity at the hotel. It's important to clarify that this lawsuit was not prompted by criminal activities attributed to any specific group or gang, El Paso County Attorney Christina Sanchez said in a statement. I want to be clear that at no time did we allege in our lawsuit that the hotel was taken over by any gang or group of individuals. Abbott also said a law the Legislature passed last year would be used against members of Tren de Agua who smuggle immigrants. Under Senate Bill 4, people convicted of smuggling immigrants or operating a stash house receive a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. We are not going to allow them to use Texas as a base of operations to terrorize our citizens, Abbott said at the press conference, where he was joined by DPS Director Steve McCraw, Texas Border Czar Mike Banks and National Border Patrol Council Vice President Chris Cabrera. Abbotts announcement comes on the heels of false claims by former President Donald Trump and other GOP leaders of Venezuelan gangs taking over a Colorado apartment complex. In July, the U.S. Department of the Treasury declared Tren de Aragua a transnational criminal organization that posed a threat to American communities. The gang focuses on human smuggling but also has engaged in human trafficking, extortion, and drug trafficking, according to the Department of the Treasury. The U.S. State Department also announced reward offers of up to $12 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the gangs leaders. A database identifying who is involved in the gang does not currently exist, Abbott said, and Texas law enforcement officers will work to create one. According to Abbott, there has been Tren de Aragua activity in Texas since 2021, and more than 3,000 undocumented immigrants from Venezuela have been arrested in Texas for crimes, and another more than 200 are wanted. I could sit up here and throw statistics at you and give you numbers as far as how many people are crossing and how many got away, said Cabrera, the Border Patrol councils vice president. But none of that would really matter when dealing with the issue that we have here with this gang. Across the country, the gang has been linked to more than 100 law enforcement investigations, Abbott said, including the shooting of two New York City police officers. Texas leaders develop new database to stop threats from Venezuelan gang members HOUSTON (KXAN) Texas Gov. Greg Abbott discussed Texas new database aimed to help identify and stop the threat of Venezuelan gang members entering the United States, according to a release from the governors office. Abbott held a press conference Monday morning to announce the database. He was joined in Houston by the Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw, Texas Border Czar Mike Banks, Houston Police Department Chief J. Noe Diaz and National Border Patrol Council Vice President Chris Cabrera. Abbott said, since 2021, more than 3,000 illegal immigrants from Venezuela have been arrested in Texas. Abbott focused his discussion around the vicious Venezuelan gang Tren De Aragua or TDA. We need to aggressively address this threatening challenge, Abbott said. According to a report from the United States Customs and Border Protection Agency, in 2024, reports of single adult encounters at South Texas borders have dropped by 27.9%. According to a recent report from News Nation, TDA started in a prison in Venezuela nearly a decade ago. TDA has now expanded to what state and federal officials are calling a transnational criminal organization. TDA is notorious for their brutal violence, murder, kidnapping, extortion, bribery and trafficking of drugs, weapons and even humans, Abbott said. Abbott said through a collaboration between the State of Texas and several other state and federal agencies, they have discovered that TDA has been given the green light to shoot U.S. law enforcement officers. Abbott announced that through efforts working alongside state and federal government agencies, Texas is working on a database that will help figure out which immigrants are affiliated with TDA. We will build that database by looking at common traits shared by TDA. Some of those characteristics include tattoos, scars, marks, types of crime and methods of operation, Abbott said. In an effort to directly target TDA, Abbott directed DPS to elevate TDA to a tier 1 gang, ensuring that DPS has the resources needed to stop the growing gang. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. The grants aim to support events that will increase tourist numbers [BBC] Grant applications are open for event and activity providers looking for financial support for their plans in 2025. The government funding is overseen by the Guernsey Tourism Management Board as part of its Tourism Framework to boost the visitor economy in the island. Funding is open to events taking place between January 2025 and April 2026, with preference given to proposals outside the peek season and around the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day in May. Event organisers have until 30 October to apply for funding. Chair of the Tourism Management Board Hannah Beacom said it was a great opportunity for some fresh ideas to be put forward. "Weighting will be given to proposals that would increase bed nights and spend in the shoulder months of the traditional season," she said. "With the island heading towards the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day, the board will welcome events and activities that highlight our unique history and heritage throughout a year which marks such an important milestone." The board said it was looking for submissions that enhance visitor experience, drive growth, promote economic development, encourage business opportunities and were sustainable. Successful grant recipients would be required to provide twice-yearly updates and report to the board. Applications of between 1,000 and 15,000 can be applied for and larger grants can be considered for "exceptional projects". Follow BBC Guernsey on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk. More on this story Related internet links From grassroots to government, Kentuckians will gather this month to talk about climate change Record rainfall at times more than 4 inches in an hour in late July 2022 produced widespread flash floods in southeastern Kentucky, killing 45 people. Command Sergeant Major Tim Lewis of the Kentucky National Guard secures Candace Spencer, 24, while she holds her son Wyatt Spencer, 1, after being airlifted on July 30, 2022 from South Fork in Breathitt County. (Photo by Michael Swensen/Getty Images) Lauren Cagle wants to make something clear. Despite popular assumptions about Kentuckians priorities and politics, they do care about climate change. Cagle, a University of Kentucky professor of writing, rhetoric and digital studies, told the Lantern despite narratives that red states have a certain point of view on climate change, the reality of whats happening in communities across the state is much different. Theres so much work happening around climate, and when we put all those people in a room together, that becomes visible in a way thats undeniable, Cagle said. Kentucky Climate Symposium When: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Sept. 26, 2024 Where: Harris Ballroom, Gatton Student Center, University of Kentucky Organizer: Kentucky Climate Consortium More info: Click here. An event at the University of Kentucky later this month will do that by bringing together Kentuckians from a wide range of fields including researchers, grassroots organizers and government employees and leaders to share insights and spark collaboration on dealing with the increasing threat of climate change. Speakers at the Kentucky Climate Symposium on Sept. 26 will include nonprofit housing developers in Eastern Kentucky, a representative from the Kentucky Division for Air Quality, and former Kentucky Poet Laureate Silas House, who will be one of those giving opening remarks at the event. Cagle also leads the Kentucky Climate Consortium, a network of higher education researchers that organized the day-long event. She hopes sessions and speakers on disaster preparedness and public health can build a broader network of Kentuckians focused on climate change. There are so many ways that we can partner with people that we dont see eye to eye with on every issue and still make progress heading in a direction that we all like, Cagle said. That is an approach to climate solutions that we have seen be successful in other places, and it can be successful here in Kentucky. Speakers come from a variety of backgrounds including: Michael Borchers, the hydrology and hydraulics section chief at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District. Scott McReynolds, the executive director of the Housing Development Alliance in Eastern Kentucky. Jerry Brotzge, the Kentucky state climatologist at Western Kentucky University. Misty Skaggs, a co-founder of EKY Mutual Aid, a network of volunteers providing financial assistance and other support to Eastern Kentuckians. Steve Velasco III, the Kentucky state veterinarian Eboni Cochran, co-director of Rubbertown Emergency ACTion (REACT), a grassroots organization trying to protect Louisville residents from air pollution coming from Rubbertown, the name for a collection of industrial and chemical plants along the Ohio River. Cochran, the co-director of REACT, told the Lantern she wants to make sure the discussion goes beyond conversations about reducing greenhouse gas emissions to also look at climate change through an environmental justice lens and how it directly impacts Kentucky. In Louisvilles Rubbertown, she said, more storms, flooding and higher risks of tornadoes from climate change could expose residents to chemical leaks from nearby chemical and other industrial plants. How do chemical facilities fortify their facilities to make sure that when their power goes out, or if theres flooding, that we dont have adverse impacts in our neighborhoods where we either have to evacuate, or we just have to shelter in place or we just have to breathe it in all of that, Cochran said. Cochran said shes looking forward to dialogue at the symposium between government leaders and grassroots organizers and hearing about each others work. How to fortify people living in impacted neighborhoods is a critical part of that conversation for her. Cagle believes finding common ground on solutions for climate change in Kentucky is possible, despite sometimes conflicting stances among the expected attendees. For example, she said nonprofit electric utility East Kentucky Power Cooperative is sending representatives to the symposium. The utility has welcomed major federal funding to add renewable energy while also fighting federal regulations seeking to curb greenhouse gas emissions from its fossil fuel-fired power plants. An East Kentucky Power spokesperson didnt immediately respond to requests for comment asking about their attendance. The only baseline attendees should have in the room, Cagle said, is that everyone agrees climate change is happening. According to December 2023 estimates from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, 62% of Kentuckians think global warming is happening, below the national average of 72%. Among Kentuckians, 48% think global warming is caused mostly by human activity, below the national average of 58%. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body of the worlds leading climate scientists, in its latest synthesis report found human activities primarily from greenhouse gas emissions have unequivocally caused global warming with impacts to ecosystems on land and water, increases in extreme heat events and sea level rises likely attributed to climate change. Obviously, were going to have disagreements. Thats healthy, Cagle said. We need to create spaces where we can have those conversations and where we can get out of the trap of just constantly talking about, is it happening or not. Bury Blast A new analysis of Mars' gravitational field has revealed hidden structures buried beneath the remains of an ancient ocean. The work, which was presented this week at the Europlanetary Science Congress in Berlin, could add to a growing body of evidence that suggests the Red Planet may not be as geologically "dead," or inactive, as once believed. Overlaid with a thick and smooth layer of sediment which may have once been a seabed, the structures are significantly denser than their surroundings though a more precise explanation of what they might be has so far eluded researchers. Scar and Away These aren't the first oddities detected in Mars's interior. Last year, scientists revealed that China's Martian rover, Zhurong, found evidence of underground structures shaped by water ice deposits. Explaining these latest anomalies, however, is trickier. According to lead author Bart Root, an assistant professor at TU Delft in Denmark, the structures which are about 300 to 400 kilograms per cubic meter denser than their surroundings could have been formed by some kind of volcanic activity, or they could have been compacted by ancient impact events, like meteor strikes, of which Mars has a long history. "There are around twenty features of varying sizes that we have identified dotted around the area surrounding the north polar cap one of which resembles the shape of a dog," Root said in a statement about the work. "There seems to be no trace of them at the surface," he added. "However, through gravity data, we have a tantalizing glimpse into the older history of the northern hemisphere of Mars." Thar Side The discovery was made by using satellite orbits to form a picture of Mars' gravitational field, paired with on-the-ground seismic data collected by NASA's InSIGHT lander. In addition to the dense structures, this revealed another subterranean secret: the Martian mantle appears to still play host to active processes which may be feeding into Olympus Mons, the largest known volcano in the Solar System. The evidence for this, according to the work, was the detection of another gravitational anomaly below a volcanic plateau called Tharsis Rise where Olympus Mons resides which indicates that this incredibly dense region is undergirded by a much lighter mass nearly 700 miles underground. Root suggests that this could be an enormous plume of magma around 1,000 miles across in the Martian mantle, which may be in the process of slowly bubbling towards the surface. "This means we need to rethink how we understand the support for the Olympus Mons volcano and its surroundings," Root said in the statement. "It shows that Mars might still have active movements happening inside it, affecting and possibly making new volcanic features on the surface." More on Mars: Scientists Discover Massive Reservoir of Water Hiding on Mars FORT GREGG-ADAMS Family, friends, colleagues and admirers gathered Monday morning to remember a military trailblazer on the Army post that now bears his name. Even though he lived to be 96 years old, we still feel like he was gone too soon, retired Gen. Dennis Via said of his longtime friend, retired Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg. Via called Gregg a very kind, generous, magnificent, wonderful man who was larger than life yet remained humble who believed in earned and returned respect. You never forgot how personable and how special he made you feel, Via told mourners inside the posts Memorial Chapel. Whether you were a private or a general, a business executive or a security guard, you mattered to General Gregg. Gregg, the first Black soldier to be a three-star general in Army history, died Aug. 22 in Richmond. On Monday, he was memorialized in a 75-minute, invitation-only service that was livestreamed on Fort Gregg-Adams' Facebook page. 'Our hearts ache': Family, admirers remember one of the Fort Gregg-Adams' namesakes The setting for the service Retired Gen. Dennis Via speaks at the memorial service for his longtime friend, retired Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg, Sept. 16, 2024, at Fort Gregg-Adams, Va. As Greggs flag-draped casket lay in state at the front of the chapel, the service featured a video of his life and military career, musical selections, words of comfort from chaplains and a bevy of tributes. A letter from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was read citing how the 2023 renaming of the post from Fort Lee to Fort Gregg-Adams was a permanent tribute to his lasting legacy. Virginia state Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Craig Crenshaw presented a state flag to Greggs daughter, Alicia Collier. Craig Crenshaw, Virginia's secretary of veterans and defense affairs, presents a Virginia flag to Alicia Collier Sept. 16, 2024, during the memorial service for her father, retired Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg, at Fort Gregg-Adams, Va. Inside the chapel, soloists sang Ave Maria and Great is Thy Faithfulness, and the posts TRADOC Band played Battle Hymn of the Republic. Outside, an honor guard fired ceremonial volleys, followed by a rendition of Taps. Granchildren share memories with 'Grady' Avery Collier speaks at the memorial service for her grandfather, retired Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg, Sept. 16, 2024, at Fort Gregg-Adams, Va. She is flanked by Gregg's other grandchildren, Alexander Gregg and Sydney Collier. Some of the most poignant moments of the service came from Greggs three adult grandchildren, all of whom spoke of the love and honor they had for the man they called Grady. He taught us what it meant to stand tall even in adversity, grandson Alexander Gregg said. Gregg called his grandfather a man of action, thought and balance ... who taught us how to live, how to love and how to lead. Granddaughter Avery Collier brought smiles and chuckles when she recalled never seeing Grady in anything but a dignified state. He had one pair of jeans that were starched and in his closet, but I dont think he ever wore them, she said. I dont remember ever seeing him in anything but a suit and tie. Her sister, Sydney Collier, called him a listening ear and confidant who always had a hello or howdy for everyone he met. She encouraged the attendees to, in her grandfathers memory, take time to say Howdy and make a new connection. Do that, she added, in remembrance of a great life led. Why the name change was necessary Retired Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg, left, and the late Lt. Col. Charity Adams are depicted in this image from the Naming Commission, which selected their names as the replacement for Fort Lee in Prince George County Gregg and the late Lt. Col. Charity Adams are the namesakes for Fort Gregg-Adams, the former Fort Lee in Prince George County. Fort Lee was one of nine Army posts across the South to get new designations as part of the Pentagons removal of post names tied to Confederate leaders during the American Civil War. Three Virginia posts Fort Lee, Fort A.P. Hill in Caroline County, and Fort Pickett in Nottoway County got new names. A.P. Hill is now Fort Walker, and Pickett is now Fort Barfoot, both named after Congressional Medal of Honor recipients in the Civil War and World War II, respectively. Since the Prince George County Army post's name was changed from Fort Lee in April 2023, Gregg was a frequent visitor from his home in Prince William County, Virginia. His last appearance on post was July 31 when he attended a garrison change-of-command ceremony. At that name-changing ceremony, Gregg told The Progress-Index about how he felt when the Pentagon selected him and the late Lt. Col. Charity Adams as Fort Lee's new namesakes. I was obviously very honored that they felt I was worthy of my name being here, he said then. But you know, you dont take it too seriously that early in the process because I was aware of a number of really outstanding people under consideration, so I bided my time. Then when the decision was made that the post would be redesignated Gregg-Adams, I was really overwhelmed with pride and with joy. Adams, who died in 2002, was the first Black woman to be made an officer in the Army and the first to command a battalion of Black and Hispanic female soldiers in World War II. Her command, known as the 6888th, delivered mail and other necessities to soldiers on the front lines of the European Theater. The name change was mandated by Congress as part of a Defense budget bill. At the time, there were 10 posts across the South that were named after Confederate leaders, and the move was done to reflect diversity and inclusivity among the armed forces. Post commanding general recalls moment when reality of new Fort Lee name hit him Salutes and other forms of respect The family of retired Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg listens to speakers during a memorial service Sept. 16, 2024, at Fort Gregg-Adams, Va. Gregg, one of the namesakes for the post, died Aug. 22, 2024. Prior to the service at the Memorial Chapel, more than 3,000 soldiers stationed at Fort Gregg-Adams lined Sisisky Boulevard and other roads along the route. As the motorcade with Greggs hearse passed, they stood at attention and saluted. As the service ended, mourners paused as they passed Greggs casket. Active-duty and retired military personnel offered a ceremonial salute, while others placed their hands over their hearts and bowed their heads out of respect. Several blew kisses in his direction as they filed out. Following the service, Fort Gregg-Adams hosted a reception for the family and guests. Gregg is scheduled to be buried with full military honors Thursday, Sept. 19, at Arlington National Cemetery. Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI. This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Fort Gregg-Adams holds memorial service for namesake SEBASTIAN COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) A member of the Greenwood City Council is facing a driving while intoxicated charge after he was arrested over the weekend, according to booking records. Tim Terry, 50, was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center at 3:53 a.m. on September 14 and released on a $1,000 bond at 8:08 a.m. Tim Terry, 50 (Courtesy: Sebastian County Detention Center) According to an arrest report from the Sebastian County Sheriffs Office, an officer noticed a vehicle turning on West Center Street from Highway 71 around 2 a.m. that crossed over the center line and repeatedly over the fog line. The officer then initiated a traffic stop and attempted to pull the driver over at a gas station but Terry reportedly passed multiple spots that would have provided a safer stop location. Fayetteville man accused of fatally shooting father after argument The report said the car and Terry smelled of alcohol. Terry told the officer that he and his wife were at the casino and his wife had been drinking. However, the officer said in the report that the odor became stronger when Terry would turn to him. The officer asked Terry to step out of the vehicle and perform multiple sobriety tests, all of which he allegedly failed. He asked Terry how much he had to drink and Terry said he had a drink a while ago, but did not elaborate further. Terry reportedly refused to take a Blood-Alcohol Content (BAC) test and was arrested for a DWI and refusal to submit to a chemical test. The alderman took to his X account shortly after being arrested and said the deputy was professional but his traffic stop was bogus. He also said he planned to plead not guilty. Terry represents Ward 2 on the Greenwood City Council. Greenwood District Court Judge Michael Wagoner confirmed that Terry pleaded not guilty in a court appearance on Monday. Wagoner said no further court dates have been set, but Terry has two weeks to hire a lawyer. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24. Reto Buerer has been appointed as team head Asia Switzerland by Julius Baer. He is based in Zurich and will report to Christian Capelli, head Asia Switzerland for Julius Baer. Reto brings to the Bank over two decades of experience in wealth management covering UHNW clients across multiple countries in Asia as well as Australia and New Zealand. His extensive background in managing key clients and leading high-performing teams positions the Bank for growth in this important segment. In addition, he joins from UBS where he headed South East Asia coverage for Credit Suisse out of Switzerland. Effective 1 September 2024, Julius Baer has renamed its subsidiary Kuoni Mueller & Partner (KM&P) to Julius Baer Real Estate. Meanwhile, Julius Baer bought the last minority shares in the business, which the Group now owns in full. In order to address the need for real estate solutions as part of an all-encompassing wealth management strategy, Julius Baer purchased 83% of Zurich-based real estate services firm KM&P in October 2021. Additionally, Julius Baer has revealed that Thomas Hodel will take over as CEO of Julius Baer Real Estate on 1 February 2025. In this capacity, he will guide the business and strengthen its standing as one of Switzerlands notable suppliers of real estate services. Hodel has extensive expertise at the transaction and managerial levels in the real estate brokerage industry, which is Julius Baer Real Estates primary business. Dominik Weber, the companys long-time CEO and previous majority shareholder, will continue to serve as a member of the Board of Directors and adviser to Julius Baer Real Estate once Hodel takes over. "Julius Baer appoints team head for Asia Switzerland" was originally created and published by Private Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. The federal government has paid north of $1 trillion in gross interest payments on its debt for fiscal 2024 as the national debt continues to climb. The Treasury Department said in a recent statement that the U.S. paid about $1.05 trillion in gross interest on treasury debt securities in the current fiscal year. The figure is estimated to reach roughly $1.16 trillion in the 12-month period ending Sept. 30. By contrast, the Treasury Department said total outlays for net interest reached $843 billion in fiscal 2024, topping other big ticket items like national defense, for which outlays have reached $798 billion so far. Outlays were still higher, however, for two other highlighted functions: Social Security and Medicare. When looking at the interest costs, fiscal hawks typically look at net interest versus gross interest on Treasury Department securities, as the latter also includes intragovernmental payments. However, the $1 trillion mark has gotten attention; and according to CNBC, it marks the first time that gross interest payments have topped the figure, which also marks a 30 percent jump from the previous year. The Hill has reached out to the Treasury Department for confirmation. The development comes in the backdrop of a heated fight over government funding in Washington ahead of a looming shutdown deadline later this month. House Republicans prepared for a major opening salvo in a budget showdown with Democrats last week, pushing to pass a partisan stopgap measure that would keep the government funded through next year, along with a proof-of-citizenship voting bill backed by former President Trump that was seen as dead-on arrival in the Senate. However, GOP leadership had to scrap plans for a vote amid resistance from members of various corners of the conference, including opposition from hard-line conservatives demanding more be done to curb government spending while citing the national debt, which sits at more than $35 trillion. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PANAMA CITY Gulf Coast State College has received a $26,526 donation from the Florida College System Foundation. This grant will help and support GCSCs scholarship programs. The Florida College System Foundation has been providing student scholarships to Floridas 28 colleges since 1999. According to a press release, this contribution will be used to support the Bank of Americas Dream Makers Scholarship for first-generation students, the First Generation/Helios Education Scholarship, also for first-generation college students, and the Florida Blue Scholarship supporting Nursing and Health Sciences students. In addition, the Florida Blue Nursing and Allied Health Scholarship requires a local match partner. The release says. This year, GCSC District Board of Trustees Chairman, Mr. William C. Cramer, Jr., has matched the Florida Blue Scholarship of $16,206.61, to total over $32,000.00 towards student scholarships. A check presentation was held during the District Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 12. Over the years, the Florida College System Foundation has provided approximately $513,000 to the Gulf Coast State College Foundation in the form of direct support scholarships for tuition, books, and fees, according to the release. For nearly 24 years, the Florida College System Foundation has proudly supported Florida College System institutions by funding scholarships for students, Chancellor Kathy Hebda of the Florida Department of Education is quoted as saying in the release. And again this year, the Foundation Board of Directors is proud to announce that we are awarding $1.3 million to Florida College System Institutions to provide scholarships to students who are pursuing degrees in Nursing, Allied Health Programs, Teacher Education, and to students who are the first in their family to attend college. This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City: GCSC receives $26K donation for scholarship grants Two Fresno-area gun stores have shut down after years in business. The owners of both businesses blamed strict California gun laws and high taxes as the primary reason for closing. They said there was little to no money to be made as a gun store owner, citing newer California laws that they said increased owner expenses and turned off customers from buying as much guns and ammunition as before. Thats all on top of increases in rent and energy bills along with workers compensation and insurance inflation factors that all types of businesses deal with, especially those in California. So after 16 years, PRK Arms in Fresno shut its doors for good. So did South Gate Firearm Supply in the Coarsegold area after five years. Both closed at the end of August. It hurts, said Ryan Farrell, owner of South Gate Firearm Supply. I wish we could stay open. But its just not there. Farrell estimated 5% of the reason he was closing was the typical stress of owning a shop and 95% because of these regulations. After five years in business, Ryan Farrell is closing his South Gate Firearm Supply shop on the last day of this month, citing high costs of doing business due to new state laws for selling firearms. Photographed Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024 in Yosemite Lakes Park near Coarsegold, CA. New 11% tax on guns, ammo in California On July 1, Assembly Bill 28 went into effect, requiring customers, manufacturers, vendors and dealers to pay an 11% tax on firearms and ammunition. The purpose of the 11% tax also known as the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act was to fund violence prevention efforts. But from the perspective of the two former gun store owners, they believe the 11% tax was the nail in the coffin. The owner of PRK Arms confirmed his gun shops closing but declined an on-the-record interview. The PRK owner did express many similar views as Farrell, the South Gate Firearm Supply owner. The PRK owner called the struggles of owning a gun store a perfect storm thats caused damage due to the economy, higher gun taxes and limitation to the number of guns a customer could buy during the majority of this year. The South Gate Firearm Supply owner, meanwhile, said sales dropped by 50% in July, signaling to him that he could not endure staying open beyond his lease. Just isnt sustainable, Farrell said. The PRK Arms owner added that his store could not survive solely on selling weapon accessories; the 11% tax is not applied to accessories like a holster or scope. Ammunition is seen on shelves as Ryan Farrell is holding a sale at his South Gate Firearm Supply shop which will permanent close its doors on the last day of this month. Farrell cites high costs of doing business due to new state laws for selling firearms. Photographed Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024 in Yosemite Lakes Park near Coarsegold, CA. One-gun-in-a-month law reversed for now At the start of 2024, a California law took effect that limited residents to the purchase of one firearm of any kind within 30 days. The law was later overturned in mid-August. But gun store owners said that 7 1/2-month stretch in which customers were limited in how many guns they could buy caused too much damage for their business to overcome. The intention of the one-gun-per-month law, the state said, was to address unprecedented social concerns, such as gun trafficking and straw purchases, which is when someone legally buys a gun, then gives it to someone else who is prohibited from possessing a firearm. By mid-August, a three-justice panel from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the California one-gun-in-a-month law. So at least for the time being, California residents can purchase firearms as frequently as they want. I understand that the (Department of Justice) is trying to address public safety, Farrell said. They want the citizens of California to be safe, and they feel like firearms are contributing to making society unsafe. But I dont think thats right. Its in our culture, Farrell added, regarding gun enthusiasts buying multiple guns. They buy guns for investments and buy guns for collections. If youre a sporting clays shooter, you dont have one gun for sporting clays. You probably have 20, 30 different guns. To limit it to 12 guns a year, thats not in our culture, Farrell said. It affected us. There definitely had been people who wanted to buy more than one gun and I turned them away because they bought a gun like 20 days ago. The gun restriction fight remains ongoing with a federal appeals court now considering the constitutionality on that California law that limited residents to one gun purchase every 30 days. Some of the remaining firearms available at Ryan Farrells South Gate Firearm Supply shop are seen as the final day of business approaches. Photographed Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024 in Yosemite Lakes Park near Coarsegold, CA. Surveillance law Another law that went into effect in 2024 that didnt directly impact customers but gun store owners have had to deal with was California senate bill 1384. The bill, which was signed in September 2022, created new requirements for licensed firearms dealers to maintain digital video and audio surveillance systems on their premises. The surveillance systems required digital records of all entries and exits to a building, all areas where firearms are displayed, and all points of sale. And the surveillance, which must be sufficient to identify all parties involved in any firearm transactions, must record for 24 hours per day and have video time stamps. In addition, the surveillance footage recordings must be stored for at least one year. That created another expense for store owners. The storage requirements are massive, Farrell said. It wasnt the camera cost; it was the data recorder/data storage cost that really kicked in. The DOJ couldve done something simple like motion-activated only. ... Start recording when somethings moving in the area. Thatd cut (expenses) at least by half. I mean we also have an alarm system. So if someone breaks in, its going to set off a motion-detection system. To record while no one is in here, I dont know what the purpose is for that. Ryan Farrell is closing his South Gate Firearm Supply shop on the last day of this month, citing high costs of doing business due to new state laws for selling firearms. Photographed Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024 in Yosemite Lakes Park near Coarsegold, CA. Future of gun stores With Californias firearms regulations driving smaller gun store owners out of business, some in the local gun community are concerned additional mom-and-pop gun stores will close. They theorize only big box retail stores such as Wal Mart and Sportmans Warehouse will remain as places to buy guns and ammo in California. Hell of a loss for our community, said Delbert Greer, a longtime gun enthusiast and resident of Prather. They already dont have many gun shops nearby. When you lose these small gun shops a place where the people look you in the eye, know what theyre talking about, actually caters to the people thats not good. The gun store owners of PRK Arms and South Gate Firearm Supply think the only smaller gun stores thatll remain in California are those that offer a service or product beyond selling guns and ammo like security service. Or in the case of big box stores that sell guns, other types of merchandise like sporting equipment to help make up for possible stagnant sales guns. The big companies, they sell guns, Greer said. But they dont have half the stuff someone like me is looking for because guns arent what they focus on. They sell bulk; they sell a lot of things like camping gear and coolers. Im not looking for that. These mom and pop gun shops like South Gate Firearm, were going to miss them. Business continues at Ryan Farrells South Gate Firearm Supply which closes permanently on the last day of this month. Farrell cites high costs of doing business due to new state laws for selling firearms. Photographed Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024 in Yosemite Lakes Park near Coarsegold, CA. Business cards forr local contacts are seen on a bulletin boarda at Ryan Farrells South Gate Firearm Supply shop, showing the local network that as grown around his firearms business. Farrell is closing his shop on the last day of this month, citing high costs of doing business due to new state laws for selling firearms. Photographed Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024 in Yosemite Lakes Park near Coarsegold, CA. HADDAM, Conn. (WTNH) A Haddam woman was arrested on Monday and charged with four counts of animal cruelty, according to state police. Haddam woman arrested after animal cruelty investigation Josephine Ragland, 28, turned herself in to Middletown Police on an active arrest warrant. She and Jacqueline Witt were accused of running a fraudulent dog sitting business, where one French bulldog died in their care. According to the arrest warrant, Ragland would charge dog owners between $1,000 and $2,500 to pick up their dogs under the alias Lily and bring them back to Witts residence in Haddam, where they were left in crates. When the bulldog died, Witt and Ragland allegedly did not notify the family, put the dogs body in a bag and left it on the side of the road in Norwichtown. Ragland was released on a $50,000 cash bond. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com. Springfield, Ohio, mayor granted emergency powers as Haitian immigrants say they fear for their safety amid Trump and Vances false claims Daily life for many Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, has been upended following false claims made by former President Donald Trump and Trumps running mate (and Ohio senator) JD Vance, that Haitian immigrants had been stealing pets and eating them. Springfield Mayor Rob Rue issued a proclamation on Thursday that allows him temporary emergency powers to address safety concerns amid violent threats tied to the baseless claims. Ensuring the safety of Springfields residents is our top priority, Rue said in a statement, according to local outlets. The emergency proclamation will allow the city to quickly and efficiently respond to possible threats, including potential acts of violence, civil unrest and cyber threats, a local CBS affiliate reported. It will reportedly remain in effect until a determined decrease in the risks to public safety. The city located about 45 miles from the capital city of Columbus and with a large Haitian immigrant population has had to close college campuses, elementary and middle schools, grocery stores and government buildings and canceled a two-day cultural festival due to safety concerns surrounding the debunked rumors. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine also announced on Tuesday that Ohio state police would be stationed in city schools to alleviate growing safety concerns. Additionally, bomb-sniffing dogs and security cameras have been stationed around the city. Honestly, I dont feel safe. Its not good right now, Jean-Patrick Louisius, a Haitian immigrant and business owner who moved to Springfield four years ago with his wife and two daughters told the New York Times. Other residents in Springfield have voiced concern over conspiracy theories fueled by Trump and Vance, leaving many immigrants to question their place in Springfield. Claims, threats persist During the Sept. 10 presidential debate, Trump said he had seen people on television claiming their dog was taken and used for food, by immigrants in Springfield, claims that have been widespread among far-right conspiracy theorists since August. Theyre eating the dogs. The people that came in, theyre eating the cats, Trump said during the ABC primetime debate against Vice President Kamala Harris. Theyre eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is whats happening in our country. Trump told supporters at a Uniondale, N.Y., rally Wednesday night that he would visit Springfield in the next two weeks. However, a day before, Rue discouraged either of the presidential candidates from visiting Springfield citing limited resources to host them. "It would be fine with me if they decided not to make that stop right now," said Rue, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck has said there was no credible evidence of pets being harmed or eaten by Haitian immigrants, even as the city has been inundated with threats since the debate. However, on Sunday, Vance doubled down on the baseless claims, even acknowledging they were false. "If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people then that's what I'm going to do," Vance told CNN's "State of the Union." Trump, too, refused to correct the record when asked Friday. "I can say this. We will do large deportations from Springfield, Ohio, large deportations," he said. The disruption has continued into this week. On Sunday and Monday, Springfields Wittenberg University, a private liberal arts college, and Clark State College, a public community college, canceled campus activities and decided to move to remote instruction for those days after receiving threats of violence in connection with the claims. On Monday, the organizers of CultureFest, the citys popular annual festival scheduled for Sept. 27-28 billed to celebrate diversity, arts and culture, announced that it was canceling the event, in light of recent threats and safety concerns. Haitian migrants are on high alert and fear for their safety A Springfield police officer talks to a parishioner at St. Raphael Catholic church, Sept. 15. (Luis Andres Henao/AP) Haitian immigrants make up about a quarter of the citys population of 60,000, who have moved to Springfield in recent years largely due to the Department of Homeland Security's Temporary Protected Status, a designation that enabled many Haitians to escape natural disasters and political unrest in Haiti. Local leaders have said that the immigrants are here legally and have contributed positively to the city's economic and development boom. As immigration to Springfield has increased, public debates have emerged about how the city's resources are equipped to handle the influx of new residents, which has caused a strain on the community. Hours before the debate, DeWine announced he was sending the Ohio State Highway Patrol to assist local law enforcement in handling the surge in traffic issues. The state has also earmarked $2.5 million over two years to provide health care support. Following the recent threats, however, some Haitian immigrants say they feel compelled to keep a low profile. Im not sure if I can stay in business, because people are leaving, said Louisius, a small business owner who opened a small market to sell groceries, give haircuts, and provide money transfers back to Haiti. Mia Perez, a Haitian immigration lawyer in Springfield, told the Associated Press that her 9-year-old daughter came face to face with the claims in school. Kids in school are being asked by other kids: How does the dog taste? How does the cat taste? Perez said. Shes asking, 'Are we the kind of Haitians who eat this kind of stuff? Is it true? Whats happening?' This is a conversation that I was not ready to have with my daughter, she continued. I felt disrespected of our culture. I know a woman whose daughter hasn't gone to school since this happened because at the school the kids are asking her about eating cats and dogs, Sophia Pierrelus, a Haitian American small business owner in Columbus, told the Columbus Dispatch. They're afraid to go into the street because they feel they may be attacked. Johnson Salomon, a Haitian immigrant who moved to Springfield in 2020, told the Guardian that he has noticed the sparse presence of Haitians in places in the city where they used to frequent. Normally, when I drive through south Springfield, where a lot of Haitians live, you see people walking on the streets, at the Haitian markets and restaurants, Salmon said. For the past few days, I have seen far fewer people. On Sunday, attendance by Haitians was reportedly low at churches where their congregants are known to have weathered hurricanes to get in. They feel the threat. They feel not welcome, Bernadette Dor, a pastor at the First Haitian Church, told the Associated Press. Even in the school system sometimes, they feel different, not because of their skin color but because theyre Haitian. Casey Rollins, executive director of the Springfield chapter of St. Vincent de Paul Society, a Catholic volunteer organization, said she has received threats that the local branch would be destroyed for supporting Haitian immigrants. Rollins said Haitians have come to the organization looking for work in the community. People are messaging me telling me that Ive destroyed Springfield, Rollins said. Were just trying to help people. People perform funeral prayers for the Palestinians, who died in the Israeli attacks at the Nuseirat Refugee camp, at Al Awda hospital in Gaza City Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa The Hamas-run health authority in Gaza on Monday published a list of names of almost 35,000 Palestinians killed since Israel launched its military operation in the territory last October. A total of 34,344 casualties are named in the 649-page list, which counts victims killed up to late August and does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. The first 14 pages of the document deals with 710 victims under a year old. Overall, 11,355 children and adolescents under the age of 18 are listed, while the oldest casualties recorded are two men aged 100 and 101 years old. The war in Gaza was triggered by the unprecedented October 7 attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas and other extremists. Some 1,200 people were killed in Israel and 250 hostages taken to Gaza. Israel's military response has provoked enormous international criticism due to high civilian casualties and the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. The latest count by the Gaza health authority suggests more than 41,200 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict. Israel claimed last month that it has killed more than 17,000 terrorists in the coastal strip. The figures cannot be independently verified. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks onstage during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundations 53rd Annual Legislative Conference Annual Phoenix Awards Dinner at Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Sept. 14, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Congressional Black Caucus Foundation) WASHINGTON Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, warned members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Saturday that its vision is under profound threat. Harris, alongside President Joe Biden, cautioned the crowd on whats at stake if the GOP presidential nominee former President Donald Trump takes back the White House in November during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundations Phoenix Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C. The gala followed a series of events during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundations annual legislative conference this week. According to a pool report, about 3,500 people were in attendance at the dinner at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The CBC has always had a vision for the future of our nation, a future where we can see what is possible, unburdened by what has been, a future where we fulfill the promise of America, a promise of freedom, opportunity and justice, not just for some, but for all, Harris said. While we moved and fight to move our nation forward toward a brighter future, Donald Trump and his extremist allies intend to take our nation backward, she said, adding that they will give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations, cut Social Security and Medicare and end the Affordable Care Act, which the CBC fought so hard to pass but we are not going back. Harris who now has the chance to become the first woman president, the second Black president and the first president of South Asian descent was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus while she served as a member of the U.S. Senate from California. After Biden passed the torch to Harris following his disastrous debate performance in late June, the veep has conducted an unprecedented and expedited campaign as she and Trump vie for the Oval Office. Lets be clear: there are old ghosts with new garments trying to seize your power and extremists coming for your freedom, making it harder for you to vote and have your vote counted, closing doors of opportunity, attacking affirmative action and the value of diversity, equity and inclusion banning books, erasing history, Biden said Saturday. The president received the Congressional Black Caucus Foundations Lifetime Achievement Award ahead of his remarks. He was praised by Rep. Terri Sewell, an Alabama Democrat and the chair of the board of directors of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and Rep. Steven Horsford, a Nevada Democrat and the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. The White House hosted its first-ever brunch in celebration of Black Excellence on Friday, where Biden underscored some of the efforts of his administration in aiming to advance opportunities and equity for Black communities. Biden on Saturday again denounced the attacks against Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, saying its wrong and its got to stop. He added that any president should reject hate in America and not incite it. On the other side of the presidential campaign aisle, Trump has been demonizing immigrants, most recently at a rally in Las Vegas on Friday night. Hes made false and baseless claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, and Venezuelan gangs in Aurora, Colorado, while threatening mass deportations if he wins another term. At a press conference in California on Friday, Trump promised that, if elected, he would carry out the largest deportation in the history of our country and that it would start with Springfield and Aurora. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Fifty days until Election Day - and the race for the White House is rocked once again. Two months after former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in western Pennsylvania, the Secret Service opened fire while Trump was playing golf at one of his courses in southern Florida to prevent what appeared to be a second assassination attempt against the former president. After decades without an assassination attempt against a sitting president or major party presidential nominee, for the second time this summer, the nation has narrowly avoided a tragedy of gigantic proportions that would only further deepen the nation's already firmly cemented polarization. "Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!" the former president vowed in a fundraising email to supporters on Sunday, following the incident. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SECOND ATTEMPTED ASSASINATION OF DONALD TRUMP Members of the FBI are seen at the crime scene outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, 2024 following a shooting incident at former President Donald Trump's golf course. The incident is being investigated as an assassination attempt against the former president. A top Trump ally, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, argued in a statement that "as Americans we must unite behind him in November to protect our republic and bring peace back to the world." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP It is way too early to gauge whether the latest incident will impact the race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed President Biden. The only thing that is certain is that the time left in the 2024 campaign is fleeting. Harris emphasized that the "clock is ticking," as she called on supporters at a fundraiser on Saturday to volunteer and mobilize their friends to vote. "Please join our teams in our battleground states and help register folks to vote. And talk with your neighbors and your friends about the stakes," she urged. WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE SHOW With the first and potentially only debate between the Democratic and Republican Party presidential nominees now in the rearview mirror, and early voting and absentee balloting starting to get underway, the showdown between Harris and Trump remains a margin-of-error race in the seven crucial battleground states that determined the outcome of Biden's 2020 victory over Trump and will likely determine the winner of the 2024 election. Fox News Power Rankings presidential forecast. The latest Fox News Power Rankings currently rates six of the seven states as toss-ups. Those states - Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada - have seen the bulk of the campaign traffic from the Democratic and GOP tickets and are the battlefields in the ad wars between the two sides. "I think this is going to be a turnout exercise. Whoever does a better job of turning out their voters in those seven states will win," veteran Republican strategist Nicole Schlinger told Fox News. HARRIS AND TRUMP HOLD DUELING RALLIES IN KEY BATTLEGROUNDS Harris' campaign, touting an "historic, 24-hour haul," last week showcased their fundraising prowess by hauling in $47 million in the immediate aftermath of the debate. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. The money raked in by the Harris campaign was the latest sign of the vice president's surge in fundraising in the nearly two months since she replaced Biden atop the Democrats' 2024 national ticket. "Fifty-days is a lifetime in politics, but today Id much rather be Kamala Harris than Donald Trump," longtime Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo, a veteran of multiple presidential campaigns, said. "I think the enthusiasm remains overwhelmingly with the Democrats but theres still a lot of work to be done." CASH DASH: HARRIS BRINGS IN BIG BUCKS AFTER DEBATE WITH TRUMP The Harris campaign highlights that it is investing much of its fundraising dollars into its grassroots outreach and get-out-the vote efforts, noting that it is "putting its resources into reaching the voters who will decide the election." The large ground game operation, originally constructed when Biden was the nominee, according to the campaign, includes over 312 offices and more than 2,000 staff in the key battlegrounds coordinated between the presidential campaign, the DNC and state Democratic parties. In a straight Harris campaign and the DNC comparison to the Trump campaign and the RNC, the Democrats enjoy a sizable ground game advantage. However, Trump is relying on a handful of aligned outside groups to help run turnout operations that are traditionally performed by a presidential campaign. Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley took issue with the suggestion that the Democrats enjoyed a stronger get-out-the-vote operation. "No, they dont have a stronger ground game. I feel very, very comfortable about the ground game were putting in place through Trump Force 47," the RNC chair emphasized in a Fox News Digital interview last week. Whatley pledged that "we absolutely have the resources that we need to get our message out to all the voters that were talking to and feel very comfortable that were going to be able to see this campaign through, and were going to win on November 5." Additionally, Schlinger, a veteran of numerous Republican presidential campaigns, says on the key issue, Trump has the advantage. "Voters whose number one issue is the economy believe the economy is headed in the wrong direction and believe Donald Trump will do a better job fixing that," she emphasized. "Harris, I think, has an uphill climb explaining how shell do anything different than Joe Biden on that." Schlinger added for undecided voters, familiarity with the GOP nominee could give Trump an edge. "Nearly a third of voters have said they need to know more about Kamala Harris. With President Trump you know what you get, and I think thats an advantage for Republicans," she argued. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. Original article source: Harris-Trump showdown: Presidential race rocked by 2nd assassination attempt with 50 days until election The University of Texas will lower its auto-admissions rate for the state's top high schoolers to 5%, down from its existing threshold of 6%, President Jay Hartzell announced at a Faculty Council meeting Monday. As per state law, the University of Texas automatically admits 75% of its freshman class from the state's top high school students. Students who are within a high school's top 10% of their graduating class gain automatic admission to any public university in Texas, but a special carve out that the Texas Legislature approved for the 2011-12 enrollment cycle allows UT to set its own auto-admittance rate annually. The university last changed its rate from 7% to 6% in 2017, when UT received 51,000 applications. University of Texas at Austin students walk through campus in front of UT Tower on the first day of the spring semester Monday, Jan. 9, 2023 in Austin. Hartzell said the university received 73,000 applications this year, its second 10% increase in as many years. UT is nationally and internationally ranked and has added multiple degree programs this year. The state's youth population has also been rising, contributing to lowering the percentage of automatically-admitted students. The new rate will go into effect in two years, beginning in the fall 2026 class, Hartzell said. In a university statement shared by UT Spokesperson Mike Rosen said the university is facing "record demand" "UT Austin is committed to continuing to provide world-class classroom and research experiences for our students, even while we are facing record demand," the statement said. "That demand has been driven both by the success and growth of Texas, and by greater interest in UT among the states best high-school students. We see no signs that our demand will substantially fall, and revising our auto-admit percentage to 5% will allow us to continue to meet the states requirement that 75% of the Texas residents in each freshman class are admitted based on high-school class rank. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: UT Austin to cut auto-admission to 5% for fall 2026 admissions cycle Hawley entered the Senate pledging to take on big tech. Has he succeeded? Reality Check is a Star series holding those with power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at RealityCheck@kcstar.com. A month before he took office, Sen. Josh Hawley appeared on Fox News and made a pledge: He was going to hold large tech companies accountable. These tech companies Facebook, Google, Twitter they have gotten huge. They have gotten powerful. They have gotten rich on the backs of this special immunity that they get from the federal government, Hawley said at the time. And I think its time we ask some hard questions. Its an effort the Missouri Republican has made throughout his political career from launching an investigation against Google while briefly serving as Missouri Attorney General to scolding tech executives in Senate committee rooms. But as Hawley wraps up his first term in the Senate and is the favorite to win another six years in Novembers general election against Democrat Lucas Kunce his track record on tech legislation has featured more political attention than legislative action. Hawley has introduced more than 20 bills aimed at the tech industry, not including the dozens of bills he joined as a co-sponsor or amendments he filed. Only one legislation to ban TikTok from federal devices passed the Senate, though failed in the House in both 2020 and 2022. The bill eventually became law in 2023 as part of a larger spending package that Hawley opposed. Congress is dysfunctional and thats across all topics of which tech policy is just an example, said Eric Goldman, a professor at the University of Santa Clara School of Law who focuses on internet law. And as a result, very few things are getting through Congress, whether theyre needed or not. When asked about his record on the tech industry over the past few years, Hawley said he had made progress, particularly when it came to TikTok. But he placed any struggle to pass more significant legislation at the foot of Senate leadership, claiming the tech industry had too much power in Washington. I would say we made some progress, Hawley said. But is there a lot more to do? Yeah. A lot more to do. Legislative attempts By the time Hawley had served in the Senate for seven months, he had already filed eight bills aimed at the tech industry. The bills had a conservative populist edge to them. He wanted to prevent social media addiction by preventing endless scrolling on social media apps and auto-play features on YouTube. He wanted to keep tech companies from moderating political content on their sites. He wanted to prevent websites from showing ads that were based on data collected from a user. While some of the legislation was praised by then-President Donald Trump, it floundered in the Republican-controlled Senate, where Hawley struggled to secure support from his colleagues. Crafting tech policy is often difficult work. Lawmakers try to cobble together ideas in the hopes that it will overcome partisan rancor and still allow for growth in the American tech sector while providing guardrails against harms that have emerged from the internet. In the past two years, Hawley has begun teaming up with Democrats on several pieces of tech legislation. He has co-sponsored artificial intelligence bills with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat; a bill to prevent the deceptive use of artificial intelligence in elections with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat; and an anti-child pornography bill with Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat. Mark Jamison, a technology expert at the American Enterprise Institute, a center-right think tank in Washington, said its often difficult to find a policy solution in a subject area that is often evolving rapidly. He used efforts to stop the spread of child pornography Hawley has teamed up on legislation with Democrats on the issue as an example of why it can be difficult to find a bipartisan policy solution. On the one hand, everybody wants to protect children. But on the other hand, how do you do that without requiring the tech companies to gather lots of data on children, which is what you want them to not do at the same time? Jamison said. So that contradiction makes it really hard to actually write laws that can make sense. Hawley often tries to take a simpler approach. His policy solutions focus on opening up social media and tech companies to more lawsuits saying they would be more afraid of losing expensive legal battles than regulations in Washington. Goldman, who studies internet law, said Hawleys approach has earned him a reputation as someone who is just focused on building a national profile, not as someone attempting to craft meaningful tech legislation. I view Senator Hawley as a deeply unserious contributor to tech policy, Goldman said. He has almost never attempted to do anything that was clearly in his constituents best interests. Hawley has dismissed criticism of his legislation arguing that the courts would have an easier time reining in tech companies than regulations, which he said could end up being determined by people who support the tech industry. Already, he accuses the tech industry of making it difficult for any of his legislation to pass. I mean, Durbin, Hawley, not the most common combination of senators, Hawley said. But our bill on CSAM (child sex abuse material), we cant even vote on it on the floor. I mean, we cant vote on it. This is an unbelievable indictment of this body and of the money that is behind the big tech companies. The attention economy Hundreds of people who had been harmed by social media and their family members wearing bright yellow shirts packed into a Senate committee room in January as the CEOs of several tech companies testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. When it came Hawleys time to speak, he focused on Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram. Hawley had a request amid his excoriating line of questioning: he wanted Zuckerberg to stand up and apologize to the people and families who came to the hearing. Zuckerberg did. One of the very effective tools of Congress is to have people come in and testify, and you can shine light on things, Jamison said. It may not be your best role to pass a law about something. But if you can trust people to think about it and draw public attention to it through the hearings, the speeches, etc, that can be very useful. In the absence of passing legislation, Hawley said he views attention to legislation or an issue as a key tool. He often attempts to force votes on his legislation amid the full Senate, even if he knows it will be blocked by another Senator. If thats his goal, he has to be a credible contributor to the conversation, Goldman said. If hes viewed as a clown, then actually, hes not shaping the conversation at all. Hes just sidelined. For years, Hawley drew attention for his efforts to ban TikTok, a popular social media app. The app is owned by ByteDance, a China-based company, which sparked national security concerns that the Chinese Communist Party could use it to collect information on Americans. Hawley proposed several bills and amendments to ban the app none of which were able to gather enough support to clear Congress. But, over time, both Democrats and Republicans appeared to grow increasingly concerned about the app. By 2023, several lawmakers had proposed versions of restricting TikTok, from using the Department of Commerce to regulate its ownership to Hawleys efforts to ban the app outright. Those efforts came to a head in April, when the Congress passed a law that would force ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, to sell the app within nine months. But the TikTok language was tacked onto a larger, more controversial package: A bill that would send billions in military aid to Ukraine, and Israel and to help shore up Taiwans defenses in the Pacific. Hawley, who is adamantly opposed to providing additional military aid to Ukraine, voted against the bill. It was the second time Hawley voted against a TikTok ban. The first time, he voted against a version of his bill to ban TikTok from federal devices. It, too, was tucked into a larger defense spending bill Hawley opposed. The South Korean market is up 1.4% over the last week, though it has seen a decline of 3.9% over the past year, with earnings forecasted to grow by 29% annually. In this context, identifying growth companies with high insider ownership can be crucial for investors seeking stability and potential long-term gains in a fluctuating market. Top 10 Growth Companies With High Insider Ownership In South Korea Name Insider Ownership Earnings Growth People & Technology (KOSDAQ:A137400) 16.5% 35.6% Seojin SystemLtd (KOSDAQ:A178320) 30.5% 52.1% Bioneer (KOSDAQ:A064550) 17.5% 97.6% Park Systems (KOSDAQ:A140860) 33% 35.7% Oscotec (KOSDAQ:A039200) 26.3% 122% Vuno (KOSDAQ:A338220) 19.5% 110.9% HANA Micron (KOSDAQ:A067310) 18.3% 100.3% INTEKPLUS (KOSDAQ:A064290) 16.3% 96.7% UTI (KOSDAQ:A179900) 33.1% 134.6% Techwing (KOSDAQ:A089030) 18.7% 83.6% Click here to see the full list of 87 stocks from our Fast Growing KRX Companies With High Insider Ownership screener. We're going to check out a few of the best picks from our screener tool. Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: ALTEOGEN Inc., a bio company with a market cap of 16.97 trillion, focuses on developing long-acting biobetters, proprietary antibody-drug conjugates, and antibody biosimilars. Operations: The company's revenue from biotechnology amounts to 90.79 billion. Insider Ownership: 26.6% Earnings Growth Forecast: 99.5% p.a. ALTEOGEN Inc. has a significant growth outlook, with earnings forecast to grow 99.46% annually and revenue expected to increase by 64.2% per year, outpacing the South Korean market's growth rate of 10.4%. The recent approval of Tergase by the MFDS marks a critical milestone, enhancing its product portfolio and commercial potential. Despite past shareholder dilution, ALTEOGEN is trading at 75.3% below its estimated fair value and is projected to achieve high profitability with a return on equity forecasted at 66.3%. KOSDAQ:A196170 Earnings and Revenue Growth as at Sep 2024 Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: Enchem Co., Ltd. manufactures and sells electrolytes and additives for secondary batteries and EDLC, with a market cap of 3.81 trillion. Operations: Revenue from electronic components and parts for Enchem Co., Ltd. amounts to 348.75 billion. Insider Ownership: 19.4% Earnings Growth Forecast: 155.2% p.a. Enchem exhibits robust growth potential, with revenue forecasted to grow 63% annually, significantly outpacing the South Korean market's 10.4% growth rate. The company is expected to become profitable within three years, with earnings projected to increase by 155.2% per year. However, its share price has been highly volatile over the past three months and shareholders experienced dilution in the last year. Despite these challenges, high insider ownership underscores management's confidence in Enchem's future prospects. Story continues KOSDAQ:A348370 Ownership Breakdown as at Sep 2024 Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: Doosan Corporation operates in heavy industry, machinery manufacturing, and apartment construction across South Korea, the United States, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and internationally with a market cap of approximately 2.48 trillion. Operations: The company's revenue segments include Doosan Bobcat with 9.31 billion, Doosan Energy at 8.25 billion, Electronic BG contributing 855.42 million, Doosan Fuel Cell at 279.99 million, and Digital Innovation BU providing 286.29 million. Insider Ownership: 38.9% Earnings Growth Forecast: 65.5% p.a. Doosan Corporation is expected to see earnings grow by 65.51% annually, although its revenue growth of 3.7% per year lags behind the South Korean market's average. The company is trading at a substantial discount, 68.1% below its estimated fair value, and is forecasted to achieve profitability within three years with a high return on equity projected at 20%. Despite recent share price volatility, high insider ownership suggests strong management confidence in Doosan's future growth prospects. KOSE:A000150 Earnings and Revenue Growth as at Sep 2024 Next Steps Investigate our full lineup of 87 Fast Growing KRX Companies With High Insider Ownership right here. Are any of these part of your asset mix? Tap into the analytical power of Simply Wall St's portfolio to get a 360-degree view on how they're shaping up. Maximize your investment potential with Simply Wall St, the comprehensive app that offers global market insights for free. 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.The analysis only considers stock directly held by insiders. It does not include indirectly owned stock through other vehicles such as corporate and/or trust entities. All forecast revenue and earnings growth rates quoted are in terms of annualised (per annum) growth rates over 1-3 years. Companies discussed in this article include KOSDAQ:A196170 KOSDAQ:A348370 and KOSE:A000150. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) Monday morning public hearings meant to piece together why a submersible set to explore the Titanic wreckage imploded and whether criminal charges are necessary have begun. MORE ON THE TITAN SUBMERSIBLE The Coast Guards Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) will examine everything related to the loss of the Titan submersible, hearing from former employees of the company that created the vessel, OceanGate Expeditions, and providing a detailed report of what happened following the conclusion of the two-week hearing. Former top OceanGate employees to speak at hearing for imploded submarine In addition, We are charged to also detect misconduct or negligence by credentialed mariners, and if theres any detection of a criminal act, then we will present our findings to the DOJ, U.S. Coast Guard Chief of Office of Investigations, Jason Neubauer said. Coast Guard documents say the Titan left to explore the Titanic wreckage on June 18, 2023. An hour and 45 minutes into its dive, the vessel lost contact with its support, POLAR PRINCE. On June 22, pieces of the Titan were found about 500 meters from the bow of the Titanic. Coast Guard officials quickly confirmed the vessel had likely imploded and declared all five passengers dead. The passengers included pilot Stockton Rush, who was the CEO of OceanGate. Others who perished were Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, members of a notable Pakistani family. British explorer Hamish Harding and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet were also killed. Officials announced the hearing will begin with a general overview of the incident and a reanimation of the Titans voyage. Following the animation, the panel will hear testimony from former OceanGate Engineering Director Tony Nissen. LIVE UPDATES: 8:30 a.m. An OceanGate council will have the ability to cross examine witnesses, according to Neubauer. All witnesses are under oath and can face financial penalties. 8:36 a.m. Marcela Muse with the National Transportation Safety Board provides opening statement. OceanGate representatives offer condolences on behalf of the company for loved ones loss in the Titan tragedy. 8:39 a.m. Parties observe a moment of silence for those lost in the tragedy. 8:43 a.m. Principal components of the manned submersible Titan: 8:44 a.m. OceanGate was founded in 2009 by Stockton Rush, Guillermo Sohnlein and Sarah Schwitters. In 2009, the company applied for a Coast Guard certification which is was unable to obtain due to sub-T regulations. The company did obtain an oceanic research research vessel designation and conducted dives. 8:48 a.m. 8:50 a.m. TITAN PROTOTYPE HISTORY: 8:55 a.m. Final hull before implosion: 8:59 a.m. Launch and Recovery and expedition map: 9:00 a.m. 9:04 a.m. Titan expeditions to Titanic wreckage and incidents that occurred before implosion: 9:05 a.m. 2023 Titan expeditions before mission 5 implosion: 9:19 a.m. Animation of Titans mission 5 trek and subsequent disaster by Gary T Mark USCG Auxiliary. The animation was dedicated to the memory of the five Titan passengers who perished. 9:30 a.m. 10-minute recess called before hearing from first witness, Mr. Tony Nissen, former OceanGate Engineering Director. 9:40 a.m. Nissen swears to give truthful testimony. 9:42 a.m. Nissen expresses condolences to those who perished and says certain instances in investigation are disturbing, then details professional background. 9:51 a.m. Nissen says he was initially hired as engineering director in March 2016. He was pitched to take Cyclops 2, or Titan, over the finish line. 9:53 a.m. Nissen says he had no idea that the Titan was going to explore the Titanic wreckage when he was first hired and realized a few weeks later that was the goal. 9:57 a.m. Nissen explains when he began, there was no one in the OceanGate engineering department. He approximates that ten people worked at OceanGate when he first started including Stockton Rush. 10:05 a.m. Serial number one and serial number two are completely different, according to Nissen. Also, the Coast Guards presentation was missing a culture, he said. 10:12 a.m. 10:16 a.m. 10:19 a.m. Stockton made the majority of engineering decisions, according to Nissen. Stockton would fight for what he wanted and wouldnt give an inch much at all. 10:38 a.m. Nissen says he does not know if OceanGate notified the Coast Guard about building the Titan. He said that was Stocktons job and pertained to the business side of the company. 10:55 a.m. 10:58 a.m. Testifies that during the Bahamas test missions in 2018, the Titan got hit by lightning and believes this compromised the hull, however that is very difficult to detect. Following this, Nissen said the team took the vessel apart. He said he told Stockton that the hull was likely compromised but Stockton responded that the it would be okay. As a result, the team did not work on the hull. 11:06 a.m. 10-minute recess called. 11:16 a.m. Hearing called back in session and new document introduced into to evidence by Neubauer. 11:18 a.m. Nissen explains new piece of evidence below. 11:32 a.m. -11:37 a.m. Nissen testifies that there was a confirmed crack in the hull following the 2018 Bahamas expedition. He went on to say that the hull could not be used and was not working like they thought. He said he got fired in June 2019 because he would not sign off on the July 2019 expedition to the Titanic wreckage. Nissen also said he explained to Stockton that the hull could not be used and was unaware if Stockton notified others. 11:40 a.m. Nissen speaks about lying previously to the Coast Guard. 12:14 p.m. Nissen testifies that the hull was reduced from grade 5 titanium to grade 3 titanium over the course of the project. He said the decision was Stocktons and the significance of the decision would result in reduced margins. When asked why he thought Stockton may have made the decision, Nissen said it would have cost more to have grade 5 and the materials would have needed to be shipped from overseas. 12:35 p.m. Nissen says he does not know if there was a designated OceanGate safety operations officer while he worked there, but he did not think so. 12:44 p.m. Neubauer asks Nissen if he felt rushed to complete the Titan submersible. Nissen said, 100% When asked if he felt like this sense of being rushed effected his work on the engineering side, Nissen said it did not. 12:52 p.m. 1-hour lunch break. 1:55 p.m. Hearing reconvenes with testimony from Bonnie Carl who was the former OceanGate human resources and finance director. 2:01 p.m. Carl says most of the shareholders in OceanGate were friends and family of Stockton through her understanding. She said most of the donations would come through the mail in check form and Mission specialist was someone who would help out with the missions in some capacity whether they were a photographer or histographer, according to Carl. 2:05 p.m. Mission specialists did have to go through helicopter egress training but farther than that Carl was not sure. She said money was the only qualification required for mission specialist. 2:08 p.m. Carl said she had never seen the job description page for mission specialist. 2:10 p.m. Although she assumed mission specialists would have to sign a waiver later down the line, Carl said she never saw a mission specialist sign a waiver. 2:14 p.m. Individuals like reporters would be taken on OceanGate dives in Washington when they were not paying customers, Carl said. 2:18 p.m. Carl explained all decisions in the end were made by Stockton. 2:21 p.m. Carl discusses major concerns she had with the Titan equipment. 2:24 p.m. She also said she saw young teens like 18-year-old wrenching on equipment which made her concerned. 2:30 p.m. Carl left OceanGate in February 2018. She said she left because of their attitude towards safety. 2:32 p.m. Carl regularly attended management meetings and never saw OceanGate minute agendas for management meetings. 2:45 p.m. Carl said OceanGate never had any money coming in other than investor payments and occasional dive payments while she was employed there. If the company could not make payroll, Stockton would provided a temporary loan to the company for payroll payments, Carl testified. Carl began working at OceanGate in March 2017. All on-water activities Carl participated in were on Cyclops 1 not Cyclops 2, which was the submersible that imploded. 3:10 p.m. The panel calls forward former OceanGate Contractor Tym Catterson. 3:14 p.m. Catterson said his relationship with OceanGate started because the company was seeking intel on how to use the submersible. The working partnership began sometime around 2003 or 2004 after being called by both Stockton and Guillermo, he testified. 3:23 p.m. The Titan had not been classified as a submersible, according to Catterson. He said he explained to Stockton that classification proves due diligence and allows the vessel to be insured. He explained that getting a submersible classified is getting a third-party opinion akin to getting a second opinion from your doctor. Classification review is standard practice. *Note: The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) classify submersibles. 3:34 p.m. Catterson says the carbon fiber hulls for the Titan were exactly the same in 2018 and 2023. 3:39 p.m. Catterson went out on the Titans three major Titanic expeditions before implosion, however he did not do every dive on the expeditions. 3:42 p.m. Catterson explains how LARS worked for OceanGate. *Note: Catterson refers to LARS as LRT when speaking. 3:55 p.m. Everett, where the Titan would perform dive trainings, is like a bathtub compared to the north Atlantic Ocean, according to Catterson. Basically, he said the training was slightly comparable but going out into the Atlantic was higher stakes. 4:22 p.m. Catterson said he stayed on the POLAR PRINCE, Titans support vessel, searching for the submersible after it lost contact. 4:46 p.m. Catterson says he would not have felt comfortable going on Titan to the depth of the Titanic wreckage because he does not believe composites are the correct material for a pressure vessel thats experiencing pressure to those depths. He went on to say he had doubts about the vessel makeup. 4:50 p.m. When asked, Catterson explained he did voice concerns about the vessel makeup to Stockton alongside other top OceanGate employees. 5:24 p.m. Catterson said team members were not assigned specific roles for dives until missions came up. 5:29 p.m. Approximately, more than six times Catterson said he held safety concerns for the Titan to Stockton, he testified. Stockton replied that he had several engineers working on the vessel and was confident in it. STAY CONNECTED: Receive news alerts from this hearing and watch it on the go with the NEWS 2 APP (download it here). You can also subscribe to daily emails for the latest news on the titan hearings. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2. NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) Monday morning public hearings meant to piece together why a submersible set to explore the Titanic wreckage imploded and whether criminal charges are necessary have begun. The Coast Guards Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) will examine everything related to the loss of the Titan submersible, hearing from former employees of the company that created the vessel, OceanGate Expeditions, and providing a detailed report of what happened following the conclusion of the two-week hearing. Former top OceanGate employees to speak at hearing for imploded submarine In addition, We are charged to also detect misconduct or negligence by credentialed mariners, and if theres any detection of a criminal act, then we will present our findings to the DOJ, U.S. Coast Guard Chief of Office of Investigations, Jason Neubauer said. Coast Guard documents say the Titan left to explore the Titanic wreckage on June 18, 2023. An hour and 45 minutes into its dive, the vessel lost contact with its support, POLAR PRINCE. On June 22, pieces of the Titan were found about 500 meters from the bow of the Titanic. Coast Guard officials quickly confirmed the vessel had likely imploded and declared all five passengers dead. The passengers included pilot Stockton Rush, who was the CEO of OceanGate. Others who perished were Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, members of a notable Pakistani family. British explorer Hamish Harding and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet were also killed. Officials announced the hearing will begin with a general overview of the incident and a reanimation of the Titans voyage. Following the animation, the panel will hear testimony from former OceanGate Engineering Director Tony Nissen. LIVE UPDATES: 8:30 a.m. An OceanGate council will have the ability to cross examine witnesses, according to Neubauer. All witnesses are under oath and can face financial penalties. 8:36 a.m. Marcela Muse with the National Transportation Safety Board provides opening statement. OceanGate representatives offer condolences on behalf of the company for loved ones loss in the Titan tragedy. 8:39 a.m. Parties observe a moment of silence for those lost in the tragedy. 8:43 a.m. Principal components of the manned submersible Titan: 8:44 a.m. OceanGate was founded in 2009 by Stockton Rush, Guillermo Sohnlein and Sarah Schwitters. In 2009, the company applied for a Coast Guard certification which is was unable to obtain due to sub-T regulations. The company did obtain an oceanic research research vessel designation and conducted dives. 8:48 a.m. 8:50 a.m. TITAN PROTOTYPE HISTORY: 8:55 a.m. Final hull before implosion: 8:59 a.m. Launch and Recovery and expedition map: 9:00 a.m. 9:04 a.m. Titan expeditions to Titanic wreckage and incidents that occurred before implosion: 9:05 a.m. 2023 Titan expeditions before mission 5 implosion: 9:19 a.m. Animation of Titans mission 5 trek and subsequent disaster by Gary T Mark USCG Auxiliary. The animation was dedicated to the memory of the five Titan passengers who perished. 9:30 a.m. 10-minute recess called before hearing from first witness, Mr. Tony Nissen, former OceanGate Engineering Director. 9:40 a.m. Nissen swears to give truthful testimony. 9:42 a.m. Nissen expresses condolences to those who perished and says certain instances in investigation are disturbing, then details professional background. 9:51 a.m. Nissen says he was initially hired as engineering director in March 2016. He was pitched to take Cyclops 2, or Titan, over the finish line. 9:53 a.m. Nissen says he had no idea that the Titan was going to explore the Titanic wreckage when he was first hired and realized a few weeks later that was the goal. 9:57 a.m. Nissen explains when he began, there was no one in the OceanGate engineering department. He approximates that ten people worked at OceanGate when he first started including Stockton Rush. 10:05 a.m. Serial number one and serial number two are completely different, according to Nissen. Also, the Coast Guards presentation was missing a culture, he said. 10:12 a.m. 10:16 a.m. 10:19 a.m. Stockton made the majority of engineering decisions, according to Nissen. Stockton would fight for what he wanted and wouldnt give an inch much at all. 10:38 a.m. Nissen says he does not know if OceanGate notified the Coast Guard about building the Titan. He said that was Stocktons job and pertained to the business side of the company. 10:55 a.m. 10:58 a.m. Testifies that during the Bahamas test missions in 2018, the Titan got hit by lightning and believes this compromised the hull, however that is very difficult to detect. Following this, Nissen said the team took the vessel apart. He said he told Stockton that the hull was likely compromised but Stockton responded that the it would be okay. As a result, the team did not work on the hull. 11:06 a.m. 10-minute recess called. 11:16 a.m. Hearing called back in session and new document introduced into to evidence by Neubauer. 11:18 a.m. Nissen explains new piece of evidence below. 11:32 a.m. -11:37 a.m. Nissen testifies that there was a confirmed crack in the hull following the 2018 Bahamas expedition. He went on to say that the hull could not be used and was not working like they thought. He said he got fired in June 2019 because he would not sign off on the July 2019 expedition to the Titanic wreckage. Nissen also said he explained to Stockton that the hull could not be used and was unaware if Stockton notified others. 11:40 a.m. Nissen speaks about lying previously to the Coast Guard. 12:14 p.m. Nissen testifies that the hull was reduced from grade 5 to grade 3 over the course of the project. He said the decision was Stocktons and the significance of the decision would result in reduced margins. When asked why he thought Stockton may have made the decision, Nissen said it would have cost more to have grade 5 and the materials would have needed to be shipped from overseas. 12:35 p.m. Nissen says he does not know if there was a designated OceanGate safety operations officer while he worked there, but he did not think so. 12:44 p.m. Neubauer asks Nissen if he felt rushed to complete the Titan submersible. Nissen said, 100% When asked if he felt like this sense of being rushed effected his work on the engineering side, Nissen said it did not. 12:52 p.m. 1-hour lunch break. 1:55 p.m. Hearing reconvenes with testimony from Bonnie Carl who was the former OceanGate human resources and finance director. 2:01 p.m. Carl says most of the shareholders in OceanGate were friends and family of Stockton through her understanding. She said most of the donations would come through the mail in check form and Mission specialist was someone who would help out with the missions in some capacity whether they were a photographer or histographer, according to Carl. 2:05 p.m. Mission specialists did have to go through helicopter egress training but farther than that Carl was not sure. She said money was the only qualification required for mission specialist. 2:08 p.m. Carl said she had never seen the job description page for mission specialist. 2:10 p.m. Although she assumed mission specialists would have to sign a waiver later down the line, Carl said she never saw a mission specialist sign a waiver. 2:14 p.m. Individuals like reporters would be taken on OceanGate dives in Washington when they were not paying customers, Carl said. 2:18 p.m. Carl explained all decisions in the end were made by Stockton. 2:21 p.m. Carl discusses major concerns she had with the Titan equipment. 2:24 p.m. She also said she saw young teens like 18-year-old wrenching on equipment which made her concerned. 2:30 p.m. Carl left OceanGate in February 2018. She said she left because of their attitude towards safety. 2:32 p.m. Carl regularly attended management meetings and never saw OceanGate minute agendas for management meetings. 2:45 p.m. Carl said OceanGate never had any money coming in other than investor payments and occasional dive payments while she was employed there. If the company could not make payroll, Stockton would provided a temporary loan to the company for payroll payments, Carl testified. Carl began working at OceanGate in March 2017. All on-water activities Carl participated in were on Cyclops 1 not Cyclops 2, which was the submersible that imploded. 3:10 p.m. The panel calls forward former OceanGate Contractor Tym Catterson. 3:14 p.m. Catterson said his relationship with OceanGate started because the company was seeking intel on how to use the submersible. The working partnership began sometime around 2003 or 2004 after being called by both Stockton and Guillermo, he testified. 3:23 p.m. The Titan had not been classified as a submersible, according to Catterson. He said he explained to Stockton that classification proves due diligence and allows the vessel to be insured. He explained that getting a submersible classified is getting a third-party opinion akin to getting a second opinion from your doctor. Classification review is standard practice. *Note: The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) classify submersibles. 3:34 p.m. Catterson says the carbon fiber hulls for the Titan were exactly the same in 2018 and 2023. 3:39 p.m. Catterson went out on the Titans three major Titanic expeditions before implosion, however he did not do every dive on the expeditions. 3:42 p.m. Catterson explains how LARS worked for OceanGate. *Note: Catterson refers to LARS as LRT when speaking. 3:55 p.m. Everett, where the Titan would perform dive trainings, is like a bathtub compared to the north Atlantic Ocean, according to Catterson. Basically, he said the training was slightly comparable but going out into the Atlantic was higher stakes. 4:22 p.m. Catterson said he stayed on the POLAR PRINCE, Titans support vessel, searching for the submersible after it lost contact. 4:46 p.m. Catterson says he would not have felt comfortable going on Titan to the depth of the Titanic wreckage because he does not believe composites are the correct material for a pressure vessel thats experiencing pressure to those depths. He went on to say he had doubts about the vessel makeup. 4:50 p.m. When asked, Catterson explained he did voice concerns about the vessel makeup to Stockton alongside other top OceanGate employees. 5:24 p.m. Catterson said team members were not assigned specific roles for dives until missions came up. 5:29 p.m. Approximately, more than six times Catterson said he held safety concerns for the Titan to Stockton, he testified. Stockton replied that he had several engineers working on the vessel and was confident in it. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Hearing set this week on latest RFK Jr. request to get his name removed from Michigan ballot Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. takes the stage at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox Aug. 12. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Iowa Capital Dispatch) A hearing is set Tuesday for former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedys Jr.s request to be removed from Michigans November ballot. U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood on Friday rejected Kennedys motion for an immediate decision on the matter, instead scheduling a hearing for 4 p.m. Tuesday, noting that federal rules of civil procedure clearly state that a trial court must give careful consideration to the kind of request that Kennedy has made. Before a court may issue a temporary restraining order, it should be assured that the movant has produced compelling evidence of irreparable and imminent injury and that the movant has exhausted reasonable efforts to give the adverse party notice, wrote Hood. Because the final deadline for county clerks to have a final copy of the absent voter ballot is 47 days before the election, which would be Thursday, Hood ruled an immediate decision without a hearing was not appropriate. Kennedy filed for the injunction last week after being rejected by the Michigan Supreme Court in his quest to have his name removed from the ballot. The 70-year-old environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist sought to do that following the suspension of his independent presidential campaign last month and endorsement of the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, who is challenging Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Initially, the Michigan Court of Claims upheld the decision by the Michigan Department of State (MDOS), led by Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, that Kennedys request violated a section of Michigan Election Law concerning candidates nominated by minor political parties, saying they could not withdraw. That was followed two days later by a unanimous ruling from a three-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals (COA) that overruled the Court of Claims decision and said Kennedys name could be removed because MDOS incorrectly interpreted state election law. Kennedys request for a federal court injunction was filed by Brandon Debus with the Dickinson Wright law firm, who argued that keeping Kennedys name on the ballot was unconstitutional as it was compelled speech and would serve only to mislead voters (and) upend election and ballot integrity Debus also represented independent candidate Cornel West in his efforts to keep his name on the ballot. West has been assisted across the country in his campaign by a number of attorneys with connections to Republican politics. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Three tribal education directors, and a representative of the South Dakota Education Equity Coalition, would like to see the proposed Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings standards be a required standard, not an optional one. Oceti Sakowin means Seven Council Fires and refers collectively to the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota people, according to the proposed standard document. This request was one of several made during opposition testimony time for the OSEUs at the Board of Education Standards meeting held in Aberdeen and livestreamed on Monday morning. Eleven-year-olds Jaylee Fallis and L. In The Woods march with a sign that reads "Let us learn our history" during a demonstration through the streets of Pierre after the final draft of the state's proposed social studies standards left out multiple specific references to the Oceti Sakowin on Monday, September 13, 2021. But South Dakota Department of Education Secretary Joe Graves explained in his rebuttal that the only real required standards in South Dakota are for English/Language Arts, math, science and social studies, and that other standard areas like computer science, arts and the OSEUs are optional, but if theyre taught, the standards must be used. Fred Osborn, director of the Office of Indian Education inside the Department of Tribal Relations, was one of the two proponents who spoke during the meeting and said Native elders, tribal representatives, teachers and community members worked in great detail to make the proposed standard inclusive of all nine tribes. Osborn told the board that in a 2021 survey with 60-70% of school districts responding, about 45% of educators said they were teaching the OSEUs. In a second survey taken in 2023 with about 20% of districts responding, 62% of educators said they were teaching the OSEUs, Osborn said. The conflicting data means theres no way to know for sure how many schools are using the OSEUs, Osborn confirmed when a board member asked. More: Less than half of South Dakota's teachers using Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings A bill attempting to require the OSEUs standards failed in 2022. Consult the people who are part of this history, tribal education directors say Sherry Johnson, tribal education director for the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, said she was pleased when the OSEUs came up for a standards review after being adopted in 2018 and was happy to participate in the workgroup, but said she would like to see several changes or inclusions made, like adding each tribes origin story. Cherie Farlee, member and tribal education director for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, said each of the nine tribal nations in South Dakota hold a rich cultural heritage and said students and educators need to see themselves reflected in their education. She encouraged the DOE to hire Native American education specialists. Brian Wagner, tribal education director for the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe and tribal education consultant for the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, said he and his fellow opponent speakers support the importance of the OSEUs, but we need you to understand how important it is to have the people who are part of this history to come and write (the OSEUs standards), he said. He added that the state could support its tribes more strongly by mandating the OSEUs. If we do not address the lack of knowledge, we will have a barrier, Wagner said. More: 'Senseless erasure': Across the U.S., states are reckoning with the need for Indigenous education Rachel White Buffalo, the research and policy director for the Coalition, said its imperative that the standard reflects the experiences of tribal communities, and said the standard should be mandatory. Johnson, Wagner and White Buffalo all said the pictures used in the standard document, which are mostly landscapes, should be updated to be more representative of all tribes, more modern and more culturally appropriate. Wagner suggested the images could be of tribal members or councilors, and White Buffalo suggested the images should be of Oceti Sakowin individuals from various professions. White Buffalo and Johnson both pointed to a lack of Dakota inclusion in the proposed standard, which White Buffalo said perpetuates an inequity. Johnson and White Buffalo also said the use of Wikipedia as a source for glossary terms -- the standard document uses Wikipedia definitions of imperialism, manifest destiny, treaty, tribal sovereignty and winter count -- is inappropriate, isnt a reliable source, and isnt a professional source that should be used in education. Those definitions should be developed with elders and educators, White Buffalo said. Graves said the testimony from people who spoke in-person, online or in written testimony to the board by Monday will be taken into consideration and changes could be made before the second public hearing is held on these standards Nov. 4 in Sioux Falls. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Tribal education directors call for required Oceti Sakowin standards In an alarming testament to the escalating climate crisis, a staggering 2,325 Americans succumbed to extreme heat last year, marking the highest annual toll on record, according to the American Medical Association journal JAMA. This sobering statistic underscores a 117 percent surge in heat-related deaths since 1999, with over 20,000 lives claimed by blistering temperatures over the past two decades. As climate change relentlessly drives up global temperatures, experts warn that the true extent of these fatalities may be severely underestimated, casting a grim shadow over the future. People spend a day at the beach. (Photo credit: Getty Images) "Heat sometimes doesn't get the attention that other types of severe weather do because you don't have the compelling video of homes or businesses being destroyed by a hurricane or a tornado or by a blizzard, but it's even more dangerous because people can be caught off guard," Chief AccuWeather Meteorologist Jon Porter said, adding that the number of deaths being reported is likely underestimating the actual impact because heat-related illness and deaths are categorized as another medical issue. "So many times, we've seen heat-related illnesses and deaths categorized as another medical issue because the heat can aggravate underlying medical conditions such as heart diseases, COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and asthma, just to name a few. So, many times, the toll of extreme heat is not captured." The amount of land area in the United States impacted by extremely hot days and very warm nights has significantly increased over the past 30 years, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As a result, many more people are now being exposed to potentially dangerously hot weather during the summer and even portions of the spring and fall. People cool off in misters along the Las Vegas Strip, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) Last year was the warmest year on record globally, according to NOAA, and the fifth warmest on record for the contiguous U.S. Based on observed surface temperature data so far this year, it is highly likely that 2024 will end up even warmer than 2023 in terms of global surface temperature, as climate change continues to be the primary driver of all this record heat. And it's not just the overall temperature that is rising; the types of temperature records being set are also changing. During the 1960s and 1970s, the number of new record-low temperatures outweighed the number of record-high temperatures by almost a 2 to 1 margin. Since 2000, there has been a major reversal within this category, with the number of new daily record high temperatures outweighing record low temperatures by an average ratio of about 3 to 1, with some years reaching above 5 to 1. This means for every record low set, there are up to five new record highs. The sunlight flares around the buildings in lower Manhattan as the sun rises, Monday, July 1, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/J. David Ake) Certain characteristics of heat waves have also been changing for the worse in recent decades. The frequency and duration of heat waves in the U.S. have been trending upward since the 1960s, with the most notable uptick during the two most recent decades. Climate change has also significantly lengthened the heat wave season. In the 1960s, the average heat wave season in this country lasted about 24 days. So far this decade, it has increased to 72 days. (Photo credit: Getty Images) Being exposed to extended periods of extreme heat takes a toll on the body and can be especially dangerous for those in poor health, older adults and young children. "Extreme heat is the silent killer and can catch people off guard, unlike large storms and other severe weather, which typically get most of the headlines and video coverage", said Porter. In parts of the world, such as the Middle East and India, there are normally several days during the year when the heat is so intense (in excess of 120 degrees) that it reaches the threshold of human survivability. Most people in these regions have learned to adapt and survive when there is extreme heat for days or a week or two, but when these periods of dangerous heat extend to multiple weeks to over a month, there will likely be many people who may not be able to survive, according to Dr. Joel N. Myers, AccuWeather's Founder and Executive Chairman. Looking along the desert towards Dubai's business district. (Photo credit: Getty Images) "The temperature and other indices do not tell the whole story of how weather conditions make us feel. Other weather variables in addition to temperature such as sunlight, humidity, wind, precipitation and a multitude of other factors can impact our comfort or discomfort outside and may even cause harm or illness," Myers said. The way a temperature actually feels to a person can be more important than a specific temperature number because the experience of extreme heat over number values can be life-threatening in a matter of minutes. This is why AccuWeather created The AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature. "It's an exclusive tool that helps you optimize health, safety and comfort," said Porter. It is a great way to help the user understand the impact of a particular temperature and how best to prepare for that, especially during periods of extreme heat or cold. I can help, I love both sides, Governor Green weighs in on Kapiolani lockout HONOLULU (KHON2) Even though Governor Josh Green is not legally allowed to intervene in a private dispute, he is open to helping mediate contract negotiations between Kapiolani Medical Center and its nurses. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You On Saturday, about 600 nurses were not allowed to return to work following their one-day strike on Friday. Locked out: Hawaii nurses barred from local hospital The Hawaii Nurses Association and the hospital have been at odds over a new contract with the union wanting better wages and staffing ratios. I think that because we love our nurses so much and our nurses so much and our hospitals so much, Id be honored to offer a conference room table for people to finish negotiations. Governor Josh Green, M.D. Kapiolani has offered HNA nurses a three-year deal which calls for three-day work weeks for nurses with 12-hour shifts. Officials said nurses who have been locked out will maintain their medical and dental benefits through the end of September. Both Kapiolani and HNA do not see eye-to-eye on who can end the lockout. Like I said, Im not allowed to just stop something as governor. No governor is. But I can help and I love both sides. KHON2 was told the nurses will hold a peaceful demonstration outside the hospital on Monday morning. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2. KAPOLEI, Hawaii (KHON2) Honolulu Fire Department crews have begun fire watch for a wildland fire in Kapolei. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Reports of the fire came in just before 12:30 p.m. on Sunday on Coral Sea Road and Ranger Road as flames sent thick smoke into the sky. No evacuations have been issued at this time and no injuries have been reported. Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control before 6 p.m. and deployed drones for fire watch at 9 p.m. In the Incident Commanders last report of the night, the fire has been 65% contained. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Power issues at the high school in Jefferson have forced the administration to send students home early Monday morning. The Jefferson School District 14J announced the early release around 8 a.m. when the building began experiencing unforeseen power issues at the high school that are impacting our ability to conduct classes and provide lunch services. Large vegetation fire burns in St. Johns neighborhood Our team is actively investigating the problem to resolve it as swiftly as possible, the school district said in their announcement on Parent Square. However, in light of these challenges, we have decided to send high school students back home today. Buses returned to pick up students from the school to bring them home. The cause of the power issues remains unknown. Portland traffic among the worst in the U.S., report shows We understand that this situation may cause some inconvenience, and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation, the school said. Our priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of our students while we work to resolve the issue. Meanwhile, middle and elementary schools in the Jefferson School District 14J will continue their classes. Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. Water levels at Loch Ness could fluctuate by up to four feet each day to feed new manmade lakes nearby, critics fear - Jiangli/iStockphoto They have survived for millions of years, but Scotlands remotest and wildest highland lakes are now under threat. Up to a dozen upland lochs are being targeted by developers of pumped storage systems where water is pumped uphill in times of energy surplus and then released to drive generators at times of need. If approved, the projects would mean construction of massive dams to enlarge the ancient lochs into artificial lakes. That would be accompanied by networks of service roads, pylons and pump houses across some of Scotlands remotest and wildest highlands, the UKs only remaining sizable wilderness. One cluster of schemes is centred around Loch Ness where critics say the vast amounts of water to be shunted between it and new lakes high in the surrounding hills would alter the water level by three to four feet each day. Critics have dubbed it the Loch Ness monstrosity. Another scheme, Fearna, centred on Loch Quoich, to the north of Loch Ness, would block the footpaths leading to the classic Scottish mountain ridge walk around the Quoich Munros said to be one of the finest ascents in the Highlands. One of the largest is Earba, near Dalwhinnie, on the Ardverikie Estate, whose stately home was used for filming TV series including The Crown and Monarch of the Glen. The scheme would see a 350-foot-high dam built, turning a rare twin loch adjacent ice-age lakes into a single massive reservoir. We have a tsunami of mega pumped storage hydro schemes breaking on our hills, said David Jarman, a mountain geomorphologist someone who studies how and why the land around us changes. Jarman has searched 200 planning documents to compile the first full list of the schemes. You might think this information would be on some Scottish government website, but no, the fate of our lochs and glens was hidden, buried under barrow loads of impenetrable box-ticking planning documentation, he says. Jarman is part of Scotlands ParkWatch group, which monitors the surging number of schemes that are looking to exploit Scotlands wild mountains to provide electricity for Englands energy-hungry cities. He acknowledges the need for lower carbon energy but says Scotland is paying too high a price and getting little in return. No corrie [a bowl shaped hollow formed by a former glacier] will be safe, no classic Munro round [a Scottish mountain] will remain sacrosanct, if they approve Earba and similar projects, says Jarman. Earba, for example, would drown lovely valley lochs and a fine corrie lochan [a small loch], destroying old paths, and wholly altering the popular Ardverikie Three Munro-circuit. Such clashes between two green goods low-carbon energy and landscape preservation are a growing feature of the UKs decarbonisation efforts. Green power generation is usually diffuse, exploiting sunlight, wind and moving water. The energy extracted is low carbon but comes at the cost of industrialising entire landscapes with wind turbines, solar panels or vast dams. Such schemes inevitably leave environmentalists conflicted and generate protest. Pumped storage hydro (PSH) involves two reservoirs at different elevations. When there is surplus energy, water is pumped into the upper lake. When needed, the water can be released, spinning generators to produce power. It means such systems effectively work as giant batteries. These systems are attractive in Scotland as the pumps can soak up surplus energy from Scotlands wind farms. Currently, many are paid to switch off when there is too much power generated, with consumers billed for the consequent constraint payments. The UK already has four such hydro schemes, at Dinorwig and Ffestiniog in Wales and at Cruachan and Foyers in Scotland. No more have been built for the last four decades because of the huge costs. However, the expansion of renewables and especially the accompanying subsidies has made the economics favourable. We are experiencing a pump storage hydro gold rush, says Brian Shaw, river director of the Ness District Salmon Fishery Board. SSE, a major power generator and supplier, was among the first to spot the new potential. It has already won approval for a massive scheme at Coire Glas, a U-shaped set of hills overlooking Loch Lochy. It plans to build a dam across the open end of the hills and then fill the resulting hollow with water, using Loch Lochy as the lower reservoir. It describes the scheme as a golden opportunity for a secret power station hidden under centuries old rock. But Loch Lochy is part of the same string of lakes that lie along Scotlands Great Glen, which includes the best known of all: Loch Ness. It is Nessies home that is now the focus for some of the greatest concerns. Plans to pump water from Scottish lochs into newly dammed reservoirs higher in the glens risk dramatically altering the areas landscape - Antonio Siwiak / Alamy Stock Photo Its location, surrounded by hills harbouring smaller high-level lakes, makes it ideal in the eyes of developers who have drawn up a raft of schemes to exploit it. The Foyers scheme, next door to Loch Ness, is already in operation but another has been approved with two more in the planning pipeline. Shaw believes the cumulative effect would be disastrous effectively creating an inland sea with artificial tides that would sterilise the lochs shorelines. These schemes move huge volumes of water. Cumulatively the four operational or proposed Loch Ness schemes could pump water out of Loch Ness at 1,100 cubic metres a second, on a daily basis. The highest flow rate ever seen naturally was 800 cubic metres in 1989 when it swept away the rail bridge across the River Ness. Shaw warns that the schemes risk destroying the lochs delicate ecology, threatening the Ness salmon population, and everything that feeds on them. The ParkWatch group focuses on landscape but our campaign centres on the ecology of Loch Ness. There is no greater example of an ecosystem in action than the dolphins that feed on wild salmon at Chanonry Point, Fortrose. This is the greatest wildlife spectacle in the Highlands, and if the Ness salmon population declines, so will they. Other wildlife organisations are also deeply concerned. Ruchir Shah, at the Scottish Wildlife Trust, said: While we support the move towards renewable energy and net zero, this cannot come at the expense of Scotlands wildlife. The Scottish Wildlife Trust supports small-scale hydro schemes if they are strategically designed and developers can provide evidence that they have investigated and mitigated for impacts to wider freshwater and terrestrial systems. We believe that opportunities for larger hydro plants are limited in Scotland, and any proposal must be supported by rigorous assessments of the site and wider landscape. Such concerns are, however, being swept away by the Governments mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. A spokesman for Ed Milibands Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said there was broad support for such schemes and he would soon publish a strategy on how to boost them. They said: We will ensure we have the long-term energy storage the UK needs to make the most of clean, homegrown power. We are embracing the future of energy production and storage, and will lay out further plans on this in due course. More developments are likely. Current or planned schemes could generate about 12 gigawatts (GW) of power. But the UKs Electricity System Operator the new name for the operational part of National Grid, which was last week nationalised by Miliband has estimated that 15GW of electricity storage will be needed for the UK to hit net zero by 2050. The Scottish government is similarly enthused. A spokesman said: Our planning framework places climate and nature at the centre of our planning system and makes clear our support for all forms of renewable, low-carbon and zero emission technologies. The Fearna and Earba schemes are both being promoted by Gilkes Energy, based in Kendal, Cumbria, which manages projects and helps landowners raise capital. Managing director Carl Crompton defended the Earba and Fearna schemes, claiming they would cut costs and CO2 emissions but did not respond to questions on the landscape damage. Crompton said: Investing in energy storage benefits UK consumers because it allows the country to waste less wind energy in the form of curtailment, and reduces gas generation. These savings will be passed to consumers in the form of reduced energy bills. Kate Gilmartin, chief executive of trade body the British Hydropower Association, disputed claims about the landscape impact. She said: Pumped Storage Hydropower is one of the least visibly intrusive renewable energy technologies. It is usual to use an existing loch and then to add a lower or upper reservoir which becomes part of the landscape like the thousands of reservoirs we have for water management across the UK. The owners of perhaps the largest scheme yet proposed, at Glen Earrach, want to turn a small mountain lochan, or mini-loch, 500 metres above Loch Ness into a giant reservoir by damming the open end of a U-shaped valley. Jonathan Millman, a spokesman for Glen Earrach Energy, says the massive height difference means the scheme would be highly efficient at generating power. Its energy output could surpass that of over 400-, 200-metre-high wind turbines, Millman argues. Jarman admits that a very few schemes may be justified but argues that giants like Fearna and Earba risk wrecking world-renowned mountain landscapes. These developers take magical thinking to surreal heights describing their schemes as sensitively designed to fit their settings, but casually omitting the industrial-scale access roadways, stark dam crests, and daily draw-down to near-empty, he says. These will never be pretty sights but once built they will sit there until the next ice age. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Leil Storage TALLINN, Estonia, Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leil Storage introduces its Infinite Cold Engine (ICE) feature to address the significant energy inefficiencies in traditional storage systems. These systems often keep numerous drives powered on to ensure data redundancy, leading to substantial energy waste and increased operational costs. Legacy MAID (Massive Array of Idle Disks) technology aimed to reduce energy usage by powering down inactive drives. However, it struggled due to the lack of a distributed file system, which made it difficult to keep drives off when data needed frequent access for redundancy. Unlike MAID, ICE leverages SaunaFS, a robust distributed file system, allowing it to concentrate data access on a small group of drives at any time. This approach enables the majority of drives to remain powered off for extended periods, significantly cutting energy use while maintaining high performance. Key Technical Details: - Installation: 8 servers with 60 or 102 hard drives each. - Energy Efficiency: ICE uses the SATA power pin 3 feature to power off inactive drives completely. - Data Redundancy: ICE employs Erasure Coding (6+2) for full data recovery even if two servers fail. Disks are organized into Write Groups, with one designated as the Active Write Group for current operations. This phase of ICE is part of a larger strategy to enhance storage efficiency. The first phase involved supporting HM-SMR drives. Together with ICE, these innovations enable businesses to save up to 43% in energy consumption. Target Market: Leil Storage targets enterprises and service providers needing long-term, high-capacity storage solutions that are both cost-effective and environmentally friendly. This includes industries such as healthcare and finance, as well as media companies, archives, research laboratories, and data center providers where large volumes of data must be stored securely and accessed efficiently. Conclusion: The official announcement of ICE will take place on September 18th at SNIA's Storage Developer Conference in Santa Clara, California. Leil Storages ICE feature empowers data-intensive businesses to significantly reduce energy use and costs without sacrificing performance. By optimizing power usage, ICE helps lower operational expenses and minimize environmental impact. For more information, visit leil.io or contact press@leil.io HK Convicts Man for Seditious T-Shirt in First Under New Law (Bloomberg) -- A Hong Kong man pleaded guilty to one charge of sedition for wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan, marking the citys first conviction under its new national security law. Most Read from Bloomberg Chu Kai-pong on Monday admitted to committing an act with a seditious intention, an offense carrying as long as ten years in jail under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance passed in March, local news outlet i-Cable reported. That legislation, known as Article 23, bolstered the citys security toolkit, after Beijing imposed a law in 2020 thats been used to suppress dissent in the former British colony. The 27-year-old was arrested in June for wearing a T-shirt with the slogan Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times, as well as a yellow mask with the wording FDNOL short for five demands, not one less. That phrase was used by protesters during anti-government demonstrations that rocked the financial hub in 2019. That unrest prompted Beijing to crackdown on political opposition, with scores of pro-democracy activists now facing security charges that carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. Among them is former tycoon Jimmy Lai, who will take the stand to defend himself in November over collusion charges, while 45 others such as former student leader Joshua Wong are waiting sentencing on subversion convictions. Chu, who has no known political background, was previously sentenced to three months in prison for wearing a T-shirt with the same slogan, under a colonial-era law that also criminalized sedition. That charge carried a maximum sentence of two years for first-time offenders, but the penalty was raised to as much as a decade under Article 23. He will be sentenced Thursday. --With assistance from Josh Xiao. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Home Depot has settled a civil enforcement claim over false advertising and other misleading business practices. The home improvement store will pay out nearly $2 million despite refusing to admit any wrongdoing. District attorneys in California initially filed the complaint in San Diego Superior Court. According to the District Attorneys Office in Los Angeles County, Home Depot allegedly duped customers into paying more than a products advertised price. Deemed a scanner violation, the products shelf tag would not ring the same at the register due to a pricier UPC code. An attorney leading the case, George Gascon, called the settlement a clear message that these unlawful practices by large businesses will not stand. False advertising and unfair competition are serious offenses that undermine consumer trust and distort the marketplace, explained District Attorney Gascon in the news release. When companies engage in deceptive practices, they not only cheat consumers but also gain an unjust advantage over businesses that operate ethically and transparently. This settlement is a clear message that such behavior will not be tolerated and underscores our commitment to safeguarding the rights of consumers in our community. The company entered negotiations with the district attorneys on Aug. 26. As a result, the judgment ordered Home Depot to pay $1,700,000 plus an additional $277,251 for investigation costs and restitution. The extra charge will also support the enforcement of consumer protection laws. Moreover, Home Depot is prohibited from promoting false advertising and charging more for an item than displayed. The judgment also ordered that they introduce a price accuracy program. This includes more audits and training while also eliminating increased prices on weekdays. However, an admission of guilt was not among the requirements, as Home Depot did not confirm wrongdoing. The LADA noted that the company, which identifies as the worlds largest home improvement retailer, was cooperative throughout the investigation. Anthony Francisco Jones, 30, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder and sexual assault of one woman and the sexual assault of another woman in the Venice Canals neighborhood on April 6. Jones attacked the first victim Sarah Alden, a 53-year-old jewelry designer who had just signed a lease on an apartment in the neighborhood after moving west from Massachusetts around 10:30 p.m. Law enforcement officials say she, was struck from behind with a blunt object and brutalized into a coma. She was taken off life support in late May. "At one point, the victim regained consciousness, and Mr. Jones is accused of kicking her in the head again and standing over her throat," Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon said. About an hour after assaulting Alden, Jones attacked Mary Klein, a nurse who lives in Venice, near Sherman Canal leaving her with serious injuries that require facial reconstruction surgery, according to a GoFundMe page. Gascon called the crimes "heinous." On Friday Jones pleaded no contest and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 107 years to life in state prison, prosecutors said. "Our prosecutors fought hard to serve justice today in response to Mr. Anthony Jones vile actions, including a brutal murder. Our hearts go out to the victim, the survivor, their families, and the Venice community. The pain and loss experienced by these individuals and their loved ones is horrific, and we extend our deepest empathy and compassion to them during this incredibly difficult time, Gascon said. Jones was a transient living in a RV parked in Venice at the time of assaults. After the vicious beatings, he went on the run and was tracked by law enforcement to San Diego five days later. The brutal crime led to citywide outrage. Venice residents came out in droves to honor Alden after she was taken off life support. Klein continues to recover from the serious injuries she suffered. YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) Police are looking for a gunman from a Sunday night shooting in Manchester Township, where multiple vehicles and homes were hit. There was a shots fired call in the 300 block of Bruaw Driver just before 11 p.m., and after officers arrived on the scene, they saw that two homes and three vehicles were hit, Northern York County Regional Police say. Police say they found at least nine shell casings from two different caliber handguns at the scene. Lyft driver allegedly followed, kissed passenger in Cumberland County A description of one gunman was provided to police by a witness. Police say the shooter is a thin, teen-aged male that was wearing dark clothing. He was reportedly running from the scene while shooting a handgun back in the direction of homes. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now abc27 Evening Newsletter Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact police at 717.467.TELL (8355) or tips@nycrpd.org. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. Northern York County Regional Police are investigating after two homes and three vehicles in Manchester Township were hit by bullets Sunday night, according to a news release. No one was injured, police said. Police investigated the shots fired call in the 300 block of Bruaw Drive, the release states. The time was 10:52 p.m. Officers collected at least nine shell casings from two different caliber handguns at the scene, the release states. A witness told police that one shooter was a teenage boy who was wearing dark clothing, the release states. He was running from the scene while shooting a handgun towards the homes. Anyone with information may contact police at (717) 467-TELL (8355) or tips@nycrpd.org. The case number is 2024-040181. This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Bullets hit two homes, three vehicles in Manchester Township: police PULASKI COUNTY, Ark. A man from Honduras living in Arkansas illegally faces several charges including negligent homicide and driving under the influence in connection with a deadly crash in Pulaski County. According to Arkansas State Police, 30-year-old Maynor Yair Sorto-Herrera was arrested on Sept. 9 in connection with a crash that killed 48-year-old Jennifer Ann Morton of Little Rock near Arch Street. Little Rock police asking for tips in deadly July hit-and-run investigation ASP officials said that Herrera was driving a truck south on Arch Street on the morning of Sept. 8 when his vehicle crossed into the northbound lane, striking Mortons car. Special agents said that Herrera was found walking away from the scene and taken to a local hospital for treatment for his injuries. He was later taken to the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility, ASP officials said. ASP Colonel Mike Hagar shared his agencys condolences for the family of Morton, who worked as a respiratory therapist in the infant toddler unit at Arkansas Childrens Hospital. Our hearts are heavy for the Morton family as they are devastated by the loss of Jennifer, who devoted her life to compassionate care of children, Hagar said. I know our Troopers want to honor her memory by doing their part to make sure this man is held responsible for her death. ASP investigators said that Herrera is a native of Honduras and has been illegally residing in Alexander. Arkansas State Police identify the suspect in deadly Jefferson County hit-and-run Herrera was charged with negligent homicide, battery, DUI, violation of the concealed weapons act, reckless driving, driving without a license, failure to stop after accident with death and other traffic violations. He had his first hearing on Sept. 10, where he pleaded not guilty to his charges. Herrera is scheduled to be back in court in November. He is currently being held on a $150,000 bond. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. A total of 59 workers have walked out at Great Western Hospital in Swindon [BBC] Security guards and porters at a county's major hospital have begun a 48 hour strike in a dispute over pay. Serco, which employs the staff at Great Western Hospital in Swindon, Wiltshire, has been accused of refusing to honour a pay rise offered to other NHS staff, sparking the strike action. The staff - which also includes caterers and housekeepers - walked out at 07:00 BST and will end the strike at 07:00 BST on Wednesday. A spokesperson for Serco said they are "disappointed" with the strike, but hope to find a "mutually acceptable outcome." A spokesperson for Great Western Hospital said 59 Serco staff will be involved in the walkout and they are working closely with the company to "minimise impact" on services. A wage deal was agreed from June 2023 for staff on NHS contracts which included a one-off payment for the previous financial year. 'Simply unjust' But trade union Unison said Serco has refused to pass on the payments - worth at least 1,655 - to its employees at Great Western Hospital. It added that this has "left hard-working hospital staff struggling to make ends meet". Unison South West regional manager Jayne Jackson said: All NHS workers deserve to be paid fairly for the work they do. Sercos refusal to honour the NHS bonus has left hospital staff with no alternative but to vote for strike action. "Its simply unjust that hard working and low-paid NHS workers should have to take industrial action to get the money theyre entitled to and deserve." The union added more industrial action may follow if the dispute is not resolved. Serco said: "Serco has a great relationship with our colleagues and Unison at the hospital. "We are as disappointed as they are that our NHS funding application for the non-consolidated agenda for change bonus has not been successful." Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. More on this story Related Internet Links A host of upgrades are planned for this North Camden community. Here's what we know. CAMDEN For the second time in recent weeks, a city neighborhood has been the beneficiary of a sizable federal grant meant to boost affordable housing. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a $5.6-million grant to upgrade 94 homes at a North Camden affordable-housing complex, Northgate II. That follows news of a $1-million federal grant to clean a brownfields site near North Camden's waterfront, expected to one day hold 42 affordable homes. And it comes as a private developer is spending more than $40 million to acquire and renovate Northgate I, a long-troubled 21-story tower. That building is a short distance from Northgate II along North 7th Street. Pollution clean-up planned: North Camden homes to rise once contaminants are gone "It's our time, it's our time," Camden Councilwoman Jannette Ramos, a North Camden native, said at a Sept. 9 event announcing the HUD grant. "Many years ago, things weren't as great as now," Ramos added of the still-struggling neighborhood. "So, this is just inspiring, this is so motivating." HUD awarded the grant on a competitive basis to nonprofit Fair Share Housing Development, which owns Northgate II. "We measure how far our funding will go in achieving our goal" of improving energy efficiency, climate resilience and quality of life," said Adrianne Todman, HUD's acting secretary. Northgate II consists of a 23-story tower with 308 apartments for elderly and disabled tenants on one block along North 7th Street near Linden Street. The low-rise complex holds 14 garden-apartment buildings on two blocks across 7th Street and between Pearl and Elm streets. Among other changes, the grant will allow low-rise units to convert from gas to electric service, upgrade insulation and modernize lighting systems. "They're going to be improving the air conditioning and the heating systems, improving the windows," Todman said. Residents speak at the low-rise apartment complex at Northgate II, where 94 units will benefit from a $5-million federal grant for energy-efficiency improvements. The project also calls for "complete renovation of the buildings using environmentally friendly clean building materials," according to HUD. "We want to be sure that regardless of income, you are able to thrive and be part of a new economy, particularly an economy that's trying to invest in a smart way to lower energy costs," Todman said in an interview. A 94-unit low-rise affordable-apartment complex in Camden, part of Northgate II, will benefit from a $5-million grant in federal funds for energy improvements. Fair Share has "a long vision that this investment is just a piece of," she added. "The investment for the high-rise will follow." The site was developed between 1978 and 1980, said Peter O'Connor, Fair Share's founder. Apartment residents welcomed HUD's decision. "I'm happy," said Sonya Freeman, a 24-year tenant of the low-rise complex. "It's about time." Separately, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Aug. 29 announced a $1-million grant to Camden Lutheran Housing, a nonprofit that plans to build affordable homes at a now-polluted lot at Front and Elm streets. The half-acre site, which held a paper-manufacturing plant for more than a century, has been unused since 1977, according to Brandi Johnson, Camden Lutheran's executive director. A new owner is renovating the Northgate I apartment tower, which rises 21 stories above North 7th Street in North Camden. And in June a New York firm, Hudson Valley Property Group, began an extensive upgrade at Northgate I, a long-troubled property built in 1963 near the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. HVPG, an affordable-housing developer, received a $43-million state tax grant to support the Camden project. The company has said it plans renovations and energy efficiency upgrades for the building and its 321 apartments, as well as enhanced security and other improvements. HVPG has already put a new roof and elevator at the building, which has also gained an indoor play area. Jim Walsh is a senior vice president with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Time and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com. This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: North Camden affordable housing Northgate II upgrades planned Hotel rooms, apartments, second homes: Where do Indianas members of Congress live when in D.C.? When elected to serve in Congress, delegation members have to walk a tightrope of being in district vs. in D.C. (Getty Images) From Indiana to Washington, D.C., and back to Hoosierdom again, members of Indianas congressional delegation split time between their districts and the nations capital more than 500 miles each time. Hoosier representatives and senators all maintain homes in Indiana, and some additionally rent or own separate houses or apartments in D.C. Several of those with dual residences told the Indiana Capital Chronicle they chose to do so for their familys sake, as well as to cut down on travel time and costs that mount up quickly from circling back and forth between cities. Its a common practice in Congress. Many elected officials have famously shared apartments and houses. And for some members of Congress, an office on Capitol Hill becomes a home of sorts, doubling as an apartment while they live and work in D.C. Opinions among constituents have long varied, with some arguing that representatives should set up bases in D.C. to focus on legislative work. Others yearn for more face time with elected officials, even lodging criticisms on social media at members like Third District Rep. Jim Banks who notably owns a second house not far from the U.S. Capitol. The Republican congressman maintained that his D.C.-area home while valued at about $1 million is modest for the capital region, where average house prices currently exceed $800,000. The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette reported in 2018 that Banks and his wife bought the home after he spent much of his first year sleeping on an air mattress in his office. It has been an honor for me and my family to serve northeast Indiana in Congress for the last eight years, Banks, whos now running for Indianas open U.S. Senate seat, told the Indiana Capital Chronicle. With three young daughters, my wife and I have done everything we can to put our family first and have maintained our home in Columbia City, as well as a house in Washington, D.C., so my family can go back and forth with me as much as possible. I will never apologize for that. Candidates with D.C.-area addresses including Richard Lugar in 2012 and Evan Bayh in 2016 have lost races after being portrayed as out-of-touch with Hoosier voters. Homes away from home During the 20th century, members of Congress spent more time living in the city where they worked, according to the non-partisan Congressional Management Foundation, which works with members and their staffs to improve the way congressional offices operate. It was after 1994, however, that former GOP Rep. Newt Gingrich condensed Congress work week from five days into three, allowing members to spend more time and raise more dollars in their districts. U.S. representatives and senators are required to have a residence in their home states but there are no formal requirements around accommodations in the nations capital. Even so, most members maintain a residence in D.C. for the sake of convenience. Each member of Congress maintains at least two offices: one in D.C., and another if not more back home in the district or state. While those offices are typically hundreds or thousands of miles and one or more time zones apart, the outposts are meant to serve constituents, keeping them connected to their elected representatives. Roughly 40% of a members personal office staffers are located in district and state offices, and most senators and representatives spend more than 40 weekends a year back home, per data reported by the Congressional Management Foundation. Stipends can help, but they arent always enough. Since 2009, congressional members have received an annual $174,000 salary. Cost of living in D.C. frequently listed among the top 10 most expensive U.S. cities can chip away at that quickly. But travel to and from Indiana can add up, too, when considering the cost of transportation and flights. Previous reports have further estimated that dozens of members of Congress mostly Republicans lived in their offices while in D.C. as of 2018. Among them have been the likes of former House Speakers Rep. Paul Ryan and Rep. Kevin McCarthy. A rule change proposed last year by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives sought to increase members yearly compensation, but the effort was ultimately unsuccessful. The provision would have allowed reimbursement for a number of living expenses, including lodging, food and travel in D.C. A congressional report justified the compensation change, noting that unlike their counterparts in the executive branch and private sector, members do not receive a per diem or reimbursement for their out-of-pocket living expenses when they are at work in Washington. The report conceded that $174,000 is far higher than the average American income, but emphasized that many members have to maintain homes in both D.C. and their local districts. Among Indianas congressional members with D.C.-area apartments is Democratic Rep. Andre Carson, who represents Indianas Seventh District. Financial disclosure reports show Carson owns a home in Indiana and another property, valued between $250,000 and $500,000, in D.C. Separate from his house in Evansville, Eighth District Rep. Larry Bucshon, a Republican, stays at a rental unit he owns in D.C., per disclosure documents. His office did not confirm whether Bucshon or anyone else currently takes up residence in the apartment. GOP Sen. Todd Young additionally juggles his familys home in Johnson County with an apartment he rents while staying in D.C. Young said he travels to the Capitol when the Senate is in session, typically Monday through Thursday. Early in his congressional career, Sen. Young and his wife, Jenny, decided they want to raise their children in Indiana, his office told the Capital Chronicle. Committed to commuting When the U.S. Senate is in session, Sen. Mike Braun told the Capital Chronicle he goes back to Indiana right after the last vote, usually straight from the Senate floor to the airport, and then returns back for votes on Monday or Tuesday, depending on when the get-back vote is scheduled. One of the biggest reasons Sen. Braun left his hometown business to run for Senate was a belief that politicians get too entrenched in Washington, D.C. its why he supports term limits at the federal level and why he heads straight home for Indiana as soon as official business is over. Thats one of the things that enables him to visit all 92 counties, which he will do for the sixth time this year, Brauns office said in a statement. The Republican is stepping down from his senate post and is currently vying for Indianas governorship in the November election. Specifically, Braun said he bunked at the Best Western Springfield a short drive from the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport until he recently started subletting an apartment for session nights earlier this summer. In the last six years, Braun has probably stayed in Washington for six weekends for impeachments, government spending showdowns, reconciliation vote-a-ramas, etc., his office said. He often meets with constituents in his hometown on Fridays and spends the weekends with his wife and family. His position on splitting time between Indiana and D.C. has always been that its a tremendous honor to serve Hoosiers in Washington, but the Founders never intended there to be a permanent political class in the capital, Brauns office continued. Representatives should do their jobs and then get back to the people they represent so theyre getting their perspective on what matters from the people they serve rather than lobbyists and special interests. Its a similar decision made by Second District Rep. Rudy Yakym, who said he does not own or rent any properties in the D.C. area. he and his wife Sallyann made the decision together not to uproot their three children and move to D.C., his office said in a statement. Additionally, Rep. Yakym travels home to Indiana after final votes each week in order to constantly meet with constituents and continually receive feedback from Hoosiers of the Second District that he is proud to represent. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Maxted's reaction was "over the top", Nottinghamshire Police said [Nottinghamshire Police] A man has been sent to prison for launching a savage attack on an old school friend over a meal. Mark Maxted was jailed for eight years for the prolonged assault carried out in the victims home. The 54-year-old was staying at his victims house in Rainworth, Nottinghamshire, in March 2022 and had bought some food for the pair to eat. But after his friend declined the meal, Maxted headbutted, punched and strangled him, bit his hand when his victim tried to defend himself, and then struck him on the head and knee with a glass bottle. Maxted then fled the scene, leaving his victim with injuries to his face and knee. He also required multiple operations afterwards for an injury to his hand. Maxted was caught by police soon afterwards. He denied wounding with intent but in June this year was found guilty at a trial at Nottingham Crown Court. On 9 September Maxted, of Harrison Road in Mansfield, was jailed for eight years, and was told he will then have to serve a further four years on licence. He was also issued with an indefinite restraining order, preventing him from contacting his victim again, and fined a 190 victim surcharge. Detective Constable Chloe Baugh said she was pleased Maxted had been locked up for a savage attack. She said: Maxteds response to the smallest of perceived slights was staggeringly over the top. This type of behaviour simply cannot be allowed to go unpunished and has absolutely no place in our communities. Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Related internet links Jacob Wackerhausen / iStock.com When it comes to expressing your values, there are some common ways of putting your money where your heart is. You may set up recurring donations to an animal shelter, or participate in fundraisers for a human rights organization. But this may feel like its not enough in terms of a long-term contribution. Or you might be looking for a way to make some money back as you make a difference. Check Out: 5 Ways To Pick Your Next Investment, According to Experts Read More: 7 Reasons a Financial Advisor Can Grow Your Wealth in 2024 Thats where sustainable investing comes in. If youre wondering exactly what sustainable investing means, in a nutshell, its about investing in companies whose practices and mission align with your worldview. The Harvard Business School defines sustainable investing as a range of practices in which investors aim to achieve financial returns while promoting long-term environmental or social value. GOBankingRates talked to experts to learn more about how sustainable investing can help do some good in the world while achieving greatness for your portfolio. Earning passive income doesn't need to be difficult. You can start this week. Sustainable Investing Allows You To Advance Causes That Matter If youre an eco-conscious investor, there are many kinds of green that you care about. In fact, climate change is motivating an increasing number of investors as they make their decisions about which companies deserve their investments and their trust. Concerns about the dire consequences of a warming planet are driving many investors to rid their portfolios of companies that are contributing to climate change and, alternatively, are seeking to invest in companies that offer alternative opportunities to mitigate the effects of climate change, said Frank Altman, founder and retired CEO, Community Reinvestment Fund, USA. While investors who want to ensure that their portfolios minimize environmental harm make up a substantial number of people looking to make a change through their investing strategy, the same approach is applicable for several causes. For instance, if you want to advocate for animal welfare, you might invest in companies that dont perform animal testing, or have a cruelty-free seal of approval. Find More: Ethical Investing: 3 Easy Ways To Align Your Financial Goals With Your Values Sustainable Investing Is Also About Saying No to Certain Companies Working with an advisor to find the companies that best align with your values can be fun, but building a portfolio oriented around good causes requires a lot of research. Youll want to know which companies are on the other side of the spectrum of your beliefs. A good way to approach this is through the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria that was popularized through the UN Global Compacts Who Cares Wins report. Story continues But if you dont want to sift through a massive report, let Robert Bikel, DBA director of the Socially Environmentally and Ethically Responsible (SEER) Program at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School break it down further: ESG investing typically promotes the idea of a win-win, aligning financial returns with positive social and environmental outcomes for both investors and stakeholders. Bikel added that ESG investing operates across a wide spectrum of approaches, including negative screening that identifies companies that have a poor ESG performance or have attributes that dont reflect your values or concerns. For instance, you might also want to screen out companies with bad gender representation, lack of diversity in leadership or initiatives, poor community engagement, or lack of emphasis on the environment. It Can Influence Companies Behavior Maintaining appeal to shareholders is essential to a companys health and viability. Understanding the kinds of actions and initiatives that will motivate or discourage investors, including investors who factor in positive ESG into their decision-making, is key to success. As Chris Berkel, investment adviser and president of AXIS Financial explained it: ESG, as originally studied decades ago, was a way to identify corporate behavior by companies that are non-quantifiable yet should add value to shareholders over time. Bikel went on to use the example of an oil company that focuses on the environmental impact of oil spills by having safety protocols that go above and beyond government mandates. The idea is, if money is spent on safety now, then it will be less costly and damaging to reputation and shareholder value if there was an accident. ESG can also be a powerful determinator in how boards are created, specifically the practice of holding regular elections where all members are up for reelection at the same time, which allows the composition to change based on prospective members qualifications. Boards that are shareholder unfriendly may have staggered terms so that once youre in, your buddies on the board can continue to reelect each other, creating a good ole boys club which could hurt shareholder value, he added. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Im a Financial Expert: What You Need To Know About Sustainable Investing and Its Benefits What happened: Pandey's body was discovered in her apartment on Aug. 26, two days after she had been killed. Security camera footage from the day of the crime captured her with Bobby Shah outside her unit. In the video, Pandey is heard asking, "What are you going to do?" to which Shah responded by racking his gun and telling her to open the door. According to KHOU 11, Pandey previously worked at a Hillcroft restaurant, where Shah was a frequent customer. His motive remains unknown. The Houthis painted the word "hypersonic" on the new ballistic missile they fired at Israel, which says it's actually just a regular missile The Houthis fired what they claimed was a "new hypersonic ballistic missile" at Israel on Sunday. The missile traveled more than 1,200 miles in roughly 11 minutes and 30 seconds, the Houthis said. The Israeli military said the missile, despite its speed, was not actually a hypersonic missile. The Houthi rebels painted the word "hypersonic" in English on the missile they launched at Israel over the weekend, emphasizing a new capability. The Israeli military, however, is pouring cold water on the Houthis' claim that the missile is a hypersonic weapon. The Houthis published footage on Monday purportedly showing the launch of their new missile at Israel on Sunday. They claimed the Palestine 2 missile is hypersonic, features stealth technology, and has high maneuverability that allows it to surpass advanced air defenses. The rebels even wrote "hypersonic" on the side of the missile in red to make their point, the video shows. The Houthis wrote "hypersonic" on their new Palestine 2 missile. Houthi media/Screengrab via X The Houthis claimed responsibility Sunday for the attack, which they said targeted an "important" military site in Israel with a "new hypersonic ballistic missile" that traveled more than 1,200 miles in roughly 11 minutes and 30 seconds. That would indicate that the rebels' missile hit hypersonic speeds, which are at least five times the speed of sound. Such speeds are not uncommon for ballistic missiles. True hypersonic weapons are about more than speed. The Israeli Air Force has determined that the missile was not hypersonic as the Houthis claimed, Israeli media reported. It traveled on a set trajectory and did not maneuver in flight, meaning it lacked a key characteristic of hypersonic weapons, a term typically used for glide vehicles and hypersonic scramjet cruise missiles. Iran, which has long provided the Houthis with weapons, previously unveiled what it says is a hypersonic ballistic missile, but Tehran has denied providing such capabilities to the Yemeni rebels. Business Insider was unable to independently verify any of the Houthis' claims. A Pentagon spokesperson said on Monday that the US assessed the Houthis to have fired a ballistic missile, adding that the rebels "certainly have advanced capabilities." The Israel Defense Forces said that a surface-to-surface missile was launched from Yemen at Israel early Sunday morning local time, adding that an initial inquiry suggests the missile likely fragmented mid-flight. The Palestine 2 missile launches from Yemen. Houthi media/Screengrab via X "During the incident, several interception attempts were made by the Arrow and Iron Dome Aerial Defense Systems, and their results are under review," the IDF wrote in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. Arrow and Iron Dome are designed to defend against longer-range and shorter-range attacks, respectively. The IDF said fragments of its interceptor missiles landed in open areas and at a train station. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said that the Houthis "should know that we exact a high price for any attempt to attack us." "Whoever needs a reminder of this is invited to visit the port of Hodeidah," he added, referring to the Yemeni city that Israeli fighter jets bombed in July in response to a deadly Houthi drone attack in Tel Aviv. The Iran-backed Houthis have carried out a number of attacks against Israel since Hamas' October 7 massacre triggered an ensuing war in Gaza. The rebels have also fired missiles and drones at merchant shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which has led to US-led military action, including strikes in Yemen, in response. Read the original article on Business Insider The hub will see education, health and social care professionals brought together in one place [Getty Images] Plans for a specialist hub for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families in York have been approved. The centre will see education, health and social care professionals brought together in one place at Clifton Family Hub in the grounds of Clifton Green School. The council said it hoped the hub would enable families to get the advice and support they needed more quickly and reduce waiting times and unnecessary assessments. It said the plans, approved by the council's executive last week, would make it easier for families to "navigate an often complex system". The hub scheme is supported by Yorks Parent Carer Forum and the council said it would work with families and partner agencies to ensure it delivers what children and young people and their families need. Bob Webb, the councils executive member for children, young people and education, said: "We want to put children and young people with SEND and their families at the centre of local support - making it easier for them to access the help they need and navigate an often complex system. "These plans build on our existing Raise York Family Hubs model, to ensure that all families in York can access information, advice and services in one place, whether thats online, or in their local community." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here. External links More on this story An illegal Salvadoran immigrant was arrested and charged with several sex crimes against a child in Massachusetts after reentering the country at an unknown time, ICE Boston announced on Monday. According to ICE Boston, agents successfully apprehended unlawfully present 28-year-old Salvadoran national Bryan Daniel Aldana-Arvelo, and charged him with numerous sex crimes against a child on Nantucket Island. "Bryan Daniel Aldana-Arevalo stands accused of some detestable and disturbing crimes against a Nantucket child," said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons in a statement. "He represents a significant danger to the children of our Massachusetts communities. ERO Boston will not tolerate such a threat to the most vulnerable of our population. We will continue to prioritize the safety of our public by arresting and removing egregious noncitizen offenders from our New England neighborhoods," Lyons continued. LAKEN RILEY MURDER: VIDEO SHOWS MAN HIDING BLOODY JACKET, GLOVES MINUTES AFTER STUDENT DEATH, PROSECUTORS SAY Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston apprehended an unlawfully present 28-year-old Salvadoran national Bryan Daniel Aldana-Arevalo and charged him with numerous sex crimes against a child on Nantucket Island. Authorities said Aldana unlawfully entered the United States on an unknown date, at an unknown location, without having been inspected, admitted or paroled by a U.S. immigration official. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP ILLEGAL ALIEN FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC SUSPECTED IN MURDER OF NEW YORK STATE FAMILY: POLICE Nantucket authorities arraigned Aldana on July 26 in Nantucket District Court for one count of rape of a child with a 10-year age difference and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. The Nantucket District Court released Aldana on bail July 29. Officers from ERO Boston arrested Aldana on Sept. 10 in Nantucket and served him with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge. HAITIAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FACING SEVERAL CHARGES WAS RELEASED AT US BORDER LAST YEAR An El Salvadoran citizen with multiple arrests was arrested in June and implicated in an armed robbery spree throughout Southern California, federal prosecutors said Monday. Last week, ICE Boston conducted an operation in Nantucket targeting several "egregious" illegal immigrant sex offenders, resulting in several arrests. This is the first arrest ICE has announced as a result of that operation. "ERO Boston can confirm that we have been conducting targeted enforcement actions in coordination with Nantucket Police in Nantucket, Massachusetts. The actions, which targeted several egregious noncitizen offenders, have been going on for the last few days and wrapped up this morning," ERO Boston Spokesperson James Covington said in a statement issued to Fox News Digital. "ERO Boston would like to thank the Nantucket Police for their cooperation and support throughout this process. As many aspects of the analysis remain ongoing, ERO will not comment further at this time. ERO Boston will release further details in the coming days," Covington said. Authorities said Aldana remains in ERO custody. Original article source: ICE nabs Salvadoran illegal immigrant who allegedly raped child, reentered US as gotaway Bryan Kohberger, the 29-year-old criminologist accused of a quadruple home invasion murder, will soon get a change of scenery after more than 18 months behind bars in the Latah County Jail in Moscow, Idaho. In a one-page order signed by Idaho's Chief Justice Richard Bevan, the state's high court chose Ada County for Kohberger's trial, assigned District Judge Steven Hippler to the case and ordered Kohberger's transfer to a jail closer to the Boise courthouse. Ada County has a larger courthouse to accommodate more members of the public and what is expected to be a large gallery of reporters for Kohberger's trial, which was scheduled to begin next year. And Hippler is no stranger to high-profile murder cases. "Judge Hippler appears to be an experienced trial judge who handles serious cases," said David Gelman, a New Jersey-based defense attorney who has been following the saga. "This case, of course, will be an entirely different animal given the national interest it has generated." BRYAN KOHBERGER GETS NEW JUDGE IN CHANGE OF VENUE FOR STUDENT STABBINGS TRIAL Last month, he oversaw the trial of a brutal prison beating that was so severe the victim died from his injuries while in the hospital. In March, Hippler handed down a life sentence to a drunken driver who intentionally struck two pedestrians, one fatally, noting at sentencing that "[the defendant] has shown that the community is not safe with him in it at this time and for a long time." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Last year, Hippler oversaw the conclusion of the murder case against David Randall, who tortured and beat his ex-girlfriend before stabbing her to death when she stopped by to pick up some belongings. Bryan Kohberger is led to an awaiting Ada County Sheriff vehicle at Boise Airport in Boise, ID on Sunday, September 15, 2024. Kohberger, who is accused in the murder of four University of Idaho Students in 2022 has had his trial moved from Latah County to Ada County. The killer initially pleaded guilty in a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, but then he tried to take it back. Hippler rejected his arguments and ultimately sentenced him to life in prison with a change for parole after 25 years. The victim in that case, Darla Fletcher, was stabbed more than 50 times with a screwdriver and a drumstick, the Idaho Statesman reported at the time. Madison Mogen, top left, smiles on the shoulders of her best friend, Kaylee Goncalves, as they pose with Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and two other housemates in Goncalves' final Instagram post, shared the day before the four students were stabbed to death. And back in 2022, Hippler sentenced both parents of 9-year-old Emrik Osuna to life without parole for killing their son. He was tortured, beaten and starved to death, and police were able to recover evidence from a "nanny cam" running in their apartment. He also imposed a 100-year no-contact order barring the parents from speaking with their other children. While Hippler has often agreed to prosecutors' sentencing requests, he hasn't imposed a death penalty. Records show he took the bench in 2013, and Idaho's last execution was carried out a year earlier. Bryan Christopher Kohberger arrives at the Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg, Pa., Jan. 3, 2023, before waiving extradition to Idaho to face murder charges in the stabbing deaths of four university students. Prosecutors in Kohberger's case have already said they plan to seek the death penalty if he is convicted. The defense is trying to have it taken off the table. BRYAN KOHBERGER'S DEFENSE CITES IDAHO TOWN'S MOB MENTALITY IN BID FOR VENUE CHANGE Ada County is Idaho's most populous and includes the city of Boise, which is both the county seat and state capital. There are nearly 500,000 residents, compared to less than 40,000 in Latah County. Investigators set up outside the home where four University of Idaho students were slain in November 2022 in Moscow, Idaho, Oct. 31, 2023. Latah County District Judge John Judge agreed to the defense's request for a change of venue last week. In his order, he wrote that the state's Supreme Court would make a final determination about where the trial would be moved. Some Boise legal experts had anticipated Hippler's selection, according to Edwina Elcox, a defense attorney based in the city who once represented "cult mom" killer Lori Vallow, whose trial also took place in Ada County after a change of venue. She said she expects the trial to be held as scheduled in June 2025, but the judge will likely make his presence known right away. SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER "I think they will want to get things moving and established," she told Fox News Digital. "Judge Hippler will want his own timelines and deadlines set and strictly adhered to." Prosecutors sought to have the trial held at the courthouse in Moscow, next to the jail where the 29-year-old Kohberger had been held without bail since shortly after his arrest in Pennsylvania at his parents' house, roughly seven weeks after the Nov. 13, 2022, slayings. He was transferred to Ada County over the weekend. The Ada County Sheriff's office in Boise, Idaho, Sept. 13, 2024. FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X The defense complained the local community and media coverage were too biased for him to get a fair trial in Latah County, claiming he could face a lynch mob if acquitted. Ada County was on a list of three larger counties the defense said it would "gladly agree to" for a change of venue. Defense attorney Elisa Massoth talks to fellow counsel Anne Taylor during Bryan Kohbergers hearing Aug. 18, 2023, at the Latah County Courthouse in Moscow. Kohberger is accused of entering a six-bedroom rental home at 4 a.m. Nov. 13, 2022, and killing four students inside with a large knife. They were Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20 and Ethan Chapin, also 20. All four were attending the University of Idaho, and the house, which has since been torn down, was just steps off campus. The Ada County Jail in Boise, Idaho, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. Kohberger was studying for a Ph.D. in criminology at neighboring Washington State University, about 10 miles away across the state line. Judge entered not guilty pleas on Kohberger's behalf at his arraignment in May 2023. Kohberger faces four charges of first-degree murder and another of felony burglary. Original article source: New Idaho judge in Bryan Kohberger trial no stranger to brutal murder cases The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is proposing a rule that would require nursing facilities to have registered nurses on staff 24 hours a day. While this might sound like a good idea, the truth is Idaho doesnt have enough nurses to make it happen, writes guest columnist Robert Vande Merwe. (Getty Images) Idahos health care system faces a serious challenge, and its not just about doctors. The entire health care workforce is stretched thin. This workforce shortage affects all of us, and we need to find solutions now before it gets any worse. Lets focus for a moment on one just part of this system-wide problem: Idahos nursing shortage. Our state is ranked 50th in the United States for the number of nurses per capita, with just 7.83 registered nurses per 1,000 people. With so few nurses, hospitals, nursing facilities and other care facilities are all competing for the same small pool of talent. As the need continues to grow, nurses will get poached from one place to another, leaving even more gaps in care everywhere. This shortage is already causing real problems. Since the pandemic, Idaho has lost one nursing facility, 30 assisted living facilities and other providers are on the verge of closure. When facilities close especially within rural communities its the patients and their families who feel the greatest effects. Families are forced to drive dramatically longer distances that can add up to an hour each way just to see their loved ones. If more facilities close, more families will face this same hardship. Instead of daily visits, trips to see loved ones might be reduced to just one or two times per week because of the time and cost associated with these trips. Idaho has only 80 nursing facilities in the entire state with about 6,000 beds available to our population that requires this specialized care. Some nursing facilities in Idaho licensed for up to 150 beds but only care for about 80 patients because they cant hire enough staff to care for more. Hospitals dont have enough nurses either, but they experience the nursing shortage in others ways too. Its common to hear of patients that needlessly remain in hospitals when theyre ready to be discharged to a nursing facility but cant be discharged because a staffed bed is not available. These patients dont belong in a hospital. They could end up getting sicker, feel disoriented or lose their spirit. Everyone agrees theyd be better off in a nursing facility, but theres just no room for them without more nurses. Some patients have stayed in hospitals for an extra 200 days because they have nowhere else to go. And in most cases, these extended stays are not reimbursed to the hospital. This nursing shortage isnt something we can fix overnight. Its going to take years, even decades, to get enough nurses trained and working. But with every new nursing graduate getting multiple job offers, its tough to fill the gap. Things may get worse for Idaho nursing facilities before they get better. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is proposing a rule that would require nursing facilities to have registered nurses on staff 24 hours a day. While this might sound like a good idea, the truth is Idaho doesnt have enough nurses to make it happen. Most facilities have an RN on one shift and LPNs when an RN is not clinically necessary. If the CMS rule goes into effect, the options will be grim for many Idaho facilities. Either pay sky-high rates for traveling nurses, which Medicaid wont fully cover, or close their doors for good. At the Idaho Health Care Association, we support the idea of better patient care, but this rule isnt possible without major changes. We need to ensure our nursing facilities have enough staff to provide the care that Idahoans deserve. Thats going to require action from the state and federal government, Idahos education institutions, and private health care establishments. If we dont act now, we risk losing more nursing facilities and leaving even more families without the care they need. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Ill. Mom Obtained Order of Protection Against Ex. He Still Stabbed Her to Death in Front of Her 3 Kids Marco-Antonio Rubio, 29, was sentenced to 70 years in prison for the 2021 killing of Esmeralda DeLuna, 24 Go Fund Me Esmeralda DeLuna An Illinois man who stabbed the mother of his children to death 10 days after she was granted an order of protection against him will spend decades behind bars, authorities said. Marco-Antonio Rubio, 29, was sentenced to 70 years in prison for the 2021 killing of Esmeralda DeLuna, 24, on Sept. 11, according to a press release from the DuPage County States Attorneys Office. He pleaded guilty in March to one count of first-degree murder. Prosecutors said Rubio broke into DeLunas Villa Park home on May 21, 2021, and stabbed her multiple times with their three children in the home. Officers responded to the apartment at about 9:25 p.m. that night after receiving a report of a disturbance. Authorities said they heard crying from inside and found two girls and one boy between the ages of 1 and 6. As they continued inside, officers found a trail of blood in the living room that led to the body of DeLuna in the kitchen. Prosecutors said DeLuna was lying on the ground with an eight-inch butcher knife in her leg and stab wounds to her torso. First responders brought her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead the next morning. Investigators learned that DeLuna was the petitioner on an order of protection previously filed against Rubio, who was also required to move out of the Villa Park home. According to the prosecutors office, the order of protection was served to Rubio on May 7, 2021, just 10 days prior to the killing. Authorities said Rubio fled the scene after the murder but was arrested the next morning while walking around the neighborhood. DuPage County State Attorney Marco-Antonio Rubio Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. On a GoFundMe campaign created to help with funeral and other expenses in the wake of her death, DeLunas family said they lost her in a very inhuman and cruel way. After the sentence, DuPage County States Attorney Robert Berlin said in the press release, "While what essentially amounts to a life sentence behind bars cannot erase the vicious murder of a loving mother, perhaps Esmeraldas surviving family and friends can find some measure of solace knowing justice was delivered in Esmeraldas name." If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. ST. LOUIS An East St. Louis, Illinois, man received a suspended sentence and probation after pleading guilty earlier this summer to causing a deadly crash in downtown St. Louis. Sierra Rubymae Ward-Micke of De Soto was killed around 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 17, 2020, while joyriding with friends in downtown. St. Louis police said Ward-Micke was riding in the back of a pickup truck on southbound 10th Street and was ejected during a collision. Three others were also ejected in the crash. Ward-Micke did not survive. She was 17. According to investigators, LaJavion D. Ramsey was traveling eastbound on Washington Avenue, traveling 43 miles per hour in a 25-mph zone, when he ran a red light and collided with the pickup truck. At the time, family members said Ward was just weeks away from starting her senior year of high school and college acceptance letters were already coming in. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News The St. Louis Circuit Attorneys Office charged Ramsey with first-degree involuntary manslaughter, meaning he could have faced up to 10 years in state prison. However, a state sentencing assessment report, filed by Ramseys attorney in July, requested the judge sentence Ramsey to probation with conditions or a mix of incarceration and probation. The report mentioned Ramseys conduct, remorse, criminal history, substance abuse, and other life circumstances. While appearing in court on Monday for sentencing, Ramseys attorney said his client remained at the crash scene that evening and cooperated with police. For his part, Ramsey apologized in court and said he understood that his actions that night caused Ward-Mickes death. Circuit Court Judge Thomas McCarthy sentenced Ramsey to 60 days in jail and probation. However, since Ramsey already spent that time in jail, it was considered time served. Ramseys probation includes completing a substance evaluation and treatment program, a driving program, and maintaining a full-time job. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Illinoisans pay the second-highest property taxes in the nation. And this election, voters in Illinois can vote on a non-binding referendum called the Illinois Property Tax Relief Amendment Referendum. It asks: Should the Illinois Constitution be amended to create an additional 3% tax on income greater than one million dollars for the purpose of dedicating funds raised to property tax relief? Pat Quinn joined the WGN Evening News on Monday. He is the former governor of Illinois and has taught property tax law at Chicago Kent College of Law for 25 years. Hes now an advocate for the referendum and can explain what its all about. He recently wrote a guest column for Crains on the topic. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NOTE: This is the fourth of seven stories previewing the seven different ballot questions South Dakota voters will weigh in on in the 2024 General Election. Absentee voting starts Sept. 20, the voter registration deadline is Oct. 21 and Election Day is Nov. 5. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Recreational marijuana is once again on the ballot in South Dakota in 2024. The question comes in the form of Initiated Measure 29: An Initiated Measure Legalizing the Recreational Use, Possession, and Distribution of Marijuana. What would the measure do? IM 29 would allow those 21-years of age or older in South Dakota to possess, grow, ingest and distribute marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia. Specifically, people would be able to possess up to two ounces of marijuana, with separate limits on forms of marijuana such as concentrates and other products. KELOLAND 2024 General Election coverage Concentrates, including hashish and cannabis extracts, would be limited to 16 grams per person Individuals would be allowed to possess up to 6 marijuana plants, but no more than 12 per household would be allowed. All ingestion, possession and distribution of marijuana and paraphernalia would remain illegal for those under 21, as would driving under the influence of marijuana. KELO Sioux Falls voting election ballot vote voters KELOLAND News election resources Possession and use of marijuana would be restricted in schools and places where tobacco is prohibited. Employers would be allowed to restrict use by employees, as would property owners on their own property. The measure would not impact hemp, and would not change laws concerning the states medical cannabis program. The explanation of the measure by the Attorney General also carries a fiscal note, stating that while sales tax revenues may be minimal due to only the sale of cannabis accessories (not the sale of cannabis itself) being decriminalized, there would be an economic impact for counties. Counties, the note states, could see incarceration expenses drop by $581,556 every year. Yes vs. No vote A Yes vote on IM 29 is a vote to approve access to recreational marijuana in South Dakota. A No vote on IM 29 is a vote to reject allowing access to recreational marijuana in South Dakota. History Legalizing marijuana first hit the ballot in South Dakota in 2020 with a pair of ballot measures. The first was IM 26, a measure to legalize medical marijuana, and the second was Constitutional Amendment A, which looked to amend the state constitution to legalize marijuana for both recreational and medical use. IM 26 passed by 70%, and Amendment A by 54%, but recreational did not come to fruition. In the end, a judge ruled that Amendment A, by including both medical and recreational marijuana, had violated the states single subject clause, killing Amendment A. How legal marijuana failed in South Dakota In 2022, another attempt at recreational was made, this time with IM 27. This measure failed on a 163,584 to 183,879 vote (53% to 47%) in a non-presidential election year, with proponents of the measure chalking the failure up to low voter turnout. In 2024, Matthew Schweich and Quincy Hanzen sponsored another ballot measure to legalize marijuana in South Dakota. Gaining more than 17,500 signatures, the question was officially validated by the secretary of state in June. What proponents, opponents say In the South Dakota Secretary of State 2024 Ballot Question Pamphlet, proponents Matthew Schweich and Quincy Hanzen, both with South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws, said IM 29 would protect personal freedom, improve public health and safety and restore the will of the people. WILL improve public health and safety. Instead of wasting time and resources on arresting people for cannabis possession, law enforcement can focus on fighting real crime in our communities, the proponent statement said. At the same time, we can replace the illicit market with licensed businesses selling products that are tested for safety. The opponents to IM 29 in the ballot question pamphlet are Jim Kinyon and Rhonda Milstead, with Protecting South Dakota Kids, Travis Ismay, Concerned Citizens of South Dakota, and Dr. Forrest Brady, MD and Dr. April A. Anderson, LPC, EdD. The opponents say South Dakota already laws allowing marijuana products for health reasons. IM 29 opens the door for increased crime, suicide rates, traffic fatalities, workplace injuries, reduction in workforce, mental health problems and youth use. This measure would harm South Dakota children, families, communities, the opponent statement says. Research shows that marijuana is a highly addictive gateway drug that increases abuse of opioids, fentanyl, alcohol, meth and other illicit drugs. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Billionaire investor Mark Cuban has extended an invitation to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to engage in a direct discussion about Vice President Kamala Harris tax policies and approach. What Happened: Over the weekend, Musk shared a users post on X, formerly Twitter, that criticized Cubans stance on taxation. The post alleged that Cuban, a frequent communicator with Harris campaign, advocates for higher taxes for the top earners in the US. Dont Miss: In response, the Shark Tank star offered Musk the chance to directly question him about Harris policies. He also asked Musk to share his insights about the Republican candidate Donald Trump in return. Hey @elonmusk ! 1st. Congrats on Polaris. Truly an amazing accomplishment 2nd. If you want to directly ask me questions about any of @KamalaHarris policies and approach, I'm happy to tell you what I know In exchange I'm hoping you will do the same about the Republican... https://t.co/Jdqx9UAmER Mark Cuban (@mcuban) September 15, 2024 Earlier this month, Harris revealed plans to implement a 25% tax on unrealized capital gains for individuals with a net worth exceeding $100 million. At the time, Cuban appeared on CNBCs Squawk Box saying that Harris has no plans to tax unrealized gains. Trending: Warren Buffett once said, "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die." These high-yield real estate notes that pay 7.5% 9% make earning passive income easier than ever. I'm not going to speak for the vice president, she makes the final decision, he stated, adding, I'm talking to these folks three, four times a week, having back-and-forth conversations, and their verbatim words to me is, That's not where we want to go.' Why It Matters: This latest development comes in the wake of concerns raised by Kevin O'Leary, chairman of O'Leary Ventures, about the potential negative impact of Harris tax policies on the U.S. economy. Story continues O'Leary warned that these policies could hinder capital growth and disrupt the American dream. Thats a debate that's going on in terms of the classic, make the rich pay their fair share. That's a narrative that goes into every single election cycle. Meanwhile, Cuban has been vocal about his support for Harris, particularly her policies around entrepreneurs and startups. He has praised Harris for being pro-business and more supportive of entrepreneurs than any other recent candidate. Read Next: Photo courtesy: Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Mark Cuban Asks Elon Musk He Can Directly Question Him About Kamala Harris' Economic Policies, But Wants This In Exchange originally appeared on Benzinga.com 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Jose Patino, a 35-year-old DACA recipient and Arizona community organizer, says it took him a long time to overcome the fear of sharing his personal information including his legal status on social media. (Photo courtesy of Jose Patino) For more than a decade, San-Francisco-based Miguel has been successfully filing renewals for his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status every two years, at least until 2024. For some reason, this year, it took more than five months to get approval, during which his enrollment in the program lapsed, leaving him in a legal limbo. He lost his work visa and was put on temporary unpaid leave for three months from the large professional services company where hes worked for a decade. In those three months, I was trying to do a lot of damage control around getting an expedited process, reaching out to the ombudsman, congressmen all of the escalation type of actions that I could do, he said. He was also being cautious about what he put in his social media and other online postings. Like many, he realized such information could put him at risk in an uncertain political environment around immigration. Given my current situation, I try not to brand myself as undocumented, or highlight it as the main component of my identity digitally, Miguel said. Miguel, who came to the United States at age 7 with his parents from the Philippines, says he was already mindful about his digital footprint before his DACA protections lapsed. His Facebook and Instagram accounts are set to private, and while amplifying the stories of immigrants is one of his goals, he tries to do so from an allyship perspective, rather than centering his own story. While his DACA status has now been renewed reinstating his work permit and protection from deportation and Miguel is back at work, hes taking extra precautions about what he posts online and how hes perceived publicly. Its the reason that States Newsroom is not using his full name for this story. Miguels company is regulated by the SEC, and has to take a nonpartisan approach on political issues, he said, and that extends to employees. Staying neutral about political issues may be a common rule for many American workers, but its more complicated when an issue is a part of your core identity, Miguel said. I think thats been a huge conflicting area in my professional journey, he said. Its the separation and compartmentalization that I have to do to separate my identity given that it is a very politicized experience with my actual career and company affiliation. Digital footprints + surveillance Its not unusual for your digital footprint the trail of information you create browsing the web or posting on social media to have real-life ramifications. But if youre an immigrant in the United States, one post, like or comment on social media could lead to an arrest, deportation or denial of citizenship. In 2017, the Department of Homeland Security issued a notice saying it would begin tracking more information, including social media handles for temporary visa holders, immigrants and naturalized U.S. citizens in an electronic system. And Homeland Security would store that information. But in recent years, theres been more data collection. In 2019, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was found to have contracted with commercial data brokers like Thomson Reuters CLEAR, which has access to information in credit agencies, cellphone registries, social media posts, property records and internet chat rooms, among other sources. Emails sent by ICE officials were included in a 2019 federal court filing, showing that information accessed via the CLEAR database was used in a 2018 deportation case, the Intercept reported. ICE agents used an address found in CLEAR, along with Facebook posts of family gatherings, to build a case against a man who had been deported from his home in Southern California and then returned. The man had been living in the U.S. since he was 1, worked as a roofer and had children who are U.S. citizens. Ultimately, a Facebook post showing the man had checked in at a Southern California Home Depot in May 2018 led to his arrest. ICE agents monitored the page, waited for him to leave the store, then pulled him over. He was charged with felony illegal reentry. Ray Ybarra Maldonado, an immigration and criminal attorney in Phoenix, said hes seen more requests for social media handles in his immigration paperwork filings over the last few years. It can be nerve-wracking to think that the federal government will be combing through a clients posts, he said, but clients have to remember that ultimately, anything put on the internet is for public consumption. We all think when we post something on social media that its for our friends, for our family, Ybarra Maldonado said. But people have to understand that whatever you put out there, its possible that you could be sitting in a room across from a government agent someday asking you a question about it. Ybarra Maldonado said hes seen immigration processes where someone is appealing to the court that they are a moral, upstanding person, but there are screenshots of them from social media posing with guns or drugs. Ybarra Maldonado suggests that people applying for citizenship or temporary protections consider keeping their social media pages private, and to only connect with people that they know. He also warns that people who share info about their legal status online can be the target of internet scams, as theres always someone looking to exploit vulnerable populations. But maintaining a digital footprint can also be a positive thing for his clients, Ybarra Maldonado said. Printouts from social media can provide evidence of the longevity of someones residence in the U.S., or show them as an active participant in their community. Its also a major way that immigrants stay connected to their families and friends in other countries, and find community in the U.S. Identifying yourself online For Jose Patino, a 35-year-old DACA recipient, that goal of staying connected to his community was the reason he eventually began using his full name online. When he was 6, Patino and his mother immigrated from Mexico to join his father in West Phoenix. From the beginning, he said, his parents explained his immigration status to him, and what that meant he wasnt eligible for certain things, and at any time, he could be separated from them. If he heard the words la migra, or immigration, he knew to find a safe place and hide. In Patinos neighborhood, he described, an ever-present feeling lingered that the many immigrants living there felt limited and needed to be careful. He realized he could work, but it would always be for less money, and hed have to keep quiet about anything he didnt agree with. Most people in his neighborhood didnt use social media or didnt identify themselves as undocumented. You dont want your status to define your whole identity, he said. And its something that you dont want a constant reminder that you have limitations and things that you cant do. But like most millennials, when Patino went to college, he discovered that Facebook was the main way of communicating and organizing. He went back and forth at least 100 times, over signing up with the social media platform, and eventually made a profile with no identifying information. He used a nickname and didnt have a profile photo. Eventually, though, he realized no one would accept his friend requests or let him into groups. And then little by little, as I became more attuned to actually being public, social media protected me more my status than being anonymous, he said. If people knew who I was, they would be able to figure out how to support me. Patino and others interviewed for this story acknowledged that the DACA program is temporary and could change with an incoming federal administration. In his first few months of his presidency in 2017, Donald Trump announced he was rescinding the program, though the Supreme Court later ruled it would stand. People have to understand that whatever you put out there, its possible that you could be sitting in a room across from a government agent someday asking you a question about it. Ray Ybarra Maldonado, an immigration and criminal attorney in Phoenix That moment pushed Patino toward community organizing. He is now very much online as his full self, as he and his wife, Reyna Montoya, run Phoenix-based Aliento, which aims to bring healing practices to communities regardless of immigration status. The organization provides art and healing workshops, assists in grassroots organizing, and provides resources for undocumented students to get scholarships and navigate the federal student aid form. Now, Patino said, he would have very personal conversations with anyone considering putting themselves and their status online. The community has gained a lot of positive exposure and community from immigrants sharing their personal experiences, but it can take a toll, he said. His online presence is now an extension of the work he does at Aliento. Basically, I want to be the adult that my 17-, 18-year-old-self needed, he said. For me, thats how I see social media. How can I use my personal social media to provide maybe some hope or some resources with individuals who are, right now, maybe seeing loss or are in the same situation that I was in? Tobore Oweh, a 34-year-old Nigerian immigrant who arrived in Maryland when she was 7, has spent the last decade talking about her status online. After she received DACA protections in 2012, she felt like it was a way to unburden some of the pressures of living life without full citizenship, and to find people going through similar things. That was like a form of liberation and freedom, because I felt like I was suppressing who I was, and it just felt like this heavy burden around immigration and just like, its just a culture to be silent or fear, Oweh said. And for me, sharing my story at that time was very important to me. She connected with others through UndocuBlack, a multi-generational network of current and former undocumented Black people that shares resources and tools for advocacy. Being open about your status isnt for everyone, she said, but shes a naturally bold and optimistic person. She referred to herself as DACA-mented, saying she feels she has the privilege of some protection through the program but knows its not a long-term solution. Shes never felt super safe, but was uneasier through the Trump administration when he made moves to end the program. Everyone with DACA is definitely privileged, but you know, we all are still experiencing this unstable place of like, not knowing, she said. Since sharing more of her experiences online, Oweh said she feels a lot more opportunities and possibilities came into her life. Oweh moved to Los Angeles seven years ago and runs a floral business called The Petal Effect. She feels safe in California, as the state has programs to protect immigrants from discrimination through employment, education, small businesses and housing. For Oweh, it was never a question of if shed use social media, but rather how she would. She feels the accessibility to community and for sharing resources far outweighs the risks of being public about her status. Growing up, it wasnt like what it is now. I feel like, you know, future generations, or you know, the people that are here now, like we have more access to community than I did growing up just off of social media, Oweh said. So its been instrumental in amplifying our voices and sharing our stories. Being vocal about your status isnt right for everyone, Beleza Chan, director of development and communications for education-focused Immigrants Rising, told States Newsroom. Social media, student organizing, protests and blogging led to the passing of the DREAM act and DACA in the last two decades, and those movements were essential to immigrants rights today. But those feelings of security come in waves, she said. I think the political climate certainly affects that, Chan said. In the previous years, it was undocumented and unafraid, and since Trump, its been like youre undocumented and youre very afraid to speak up. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The capital murder trial of a 25-year-old Hockley County man accused of killing a Lubbock County Sheriff's Deputy has been delayed after he was deemed incompetent to stand trial. However, officials believe Omar Soto-Chavira can be restored to competency to face trial in the future. Soto-Chavira was set to stand trial this month for capital murder in the shooting death of Sgt. Joshua Bartlett, a nine-year veteran of the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office, during a July 15, 2021 standoff in Levelland. The City of Levelland honored fallen LSO Sgt. Joshua Bartlett by renaming a park after him. Bartlett was killed during a SWAT standoff in Levelland on July 15, 2021. The case is charged in the 286th District County in Hockley County, however, District Judge Pat Phelan moved the trial venue to Lubbock. The trial was set to begin on Sept. 16 in Lubbock County, with attorneys picking a jury who will determine Soto-Chavira's guilt and punishment, which includes life in prison without parole and the death penalty. Attorneys with the Regional Public Defender's Office have indicated that they plan to raise an insanity defense. An insanity defense requires defendants to admit they committed the crime but were under the grips of a severe mental illness or defect and didn't know their actions at the time were wrong. Meanwhile, court records indicate that during the pendency of the case, Soto-Chavira, had previously been found competent to stand trial. Ahead of the trial, however, Soto-Chavira's attorneys filed a 300-page motion suggesting he was incompetent to stand trial and Phelan set a jury trial for Monday, Sept. 9, to determine if Soto-Chavira had a rational and factual understanding of the proceedings against him and the ability to consult with his attorneys with a reasonable degree of rational understanding. On the day attorneys were supposed to pick a jury, the competency trial was canceled after the court found Soto-Chavira incompetent but restorable. "The Court heard the evidence submitted by the parties and finds the defendant is incompetent to stand trial and is likely to be restored in the foreseeable future on this date as the parties have agreed that the defendant is incompetent to stand trial and is likely to be restored to competency in the foreseeable future," court records state. Phelan issued an order sending Soto-Chavira to a mental health hospital for up to 120 days for competency restoration. However, according to a May Texas Health and Human Services report, defendants on average wait close to 600 days before a bed is available for them at a maximum security mental health unit. Bartlett and the SWAT team he led traveled to Levelland, where police were engaged in a standoff with a man, later identified as Soto-Chavira, who shot at officers. Earlier in the day, Levelland police responded to the 1100 block of 10th Street, where residents reported a man lying on the ground holding a large weapon described as a rifle, according to the arrest warrant. The man, identified as Soto-Chavira, retreated to his home when police arrived. A Levelland police negotiator arrived at the scene, but Soto-Chavira reportedly refused to communicate and shot at police, who returned fire. Levelland Police Chief Albert Garcia called the Lubbock County Sheriff's SWAT team for backup, the warrant states. Immediately after the SWAT team arrived, Soto-Chavira reportedly began shooting again. One of the bullets struck Bartlett in the neck, while another bullet struck Levelland police Sgt. Shawn Wilson in the head. Another Lubbock County Sheriff's Deputy was struck by a bullet in the hand, the warrant states. The officers returned fire and the injured officers were taken to the hospital. Bartlett was taken to Covenant Medical Center in Levelland, where he died. Soto-Chavira was arrested later that night when the SWAT team forced its way into his house. He was taken to University Medical Center in Lubbock for treatment for a gunshot wound he reportedly suffered during the shootout with the SWAT team, officials said. The case was initially moved to Johnson County in January 2023. However, more than a year later, the case was transferred to Lubbock County. This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Incompetency finding delays Hockley County capital murder trial Indiana students could see more testing this school year. See what your school is doing Indiana kids will see more standardized testing this year as schools opt to participate in "checkpoint" evaluations meant to identify struggling students sooner. Schools had the option this year to begin the testing, which involves three shorter evaluations spread throughout the academic year before a shortened final test in the spring. The checkpoints are not meant to be high-stakes but rather diagnostic to identify students needing remediation earlier in the school year. While some parents are worried that handing out more testing throughout the school year may increase student stress, some experts like Sara Witmer, an associate professor of school psychology at Michigan State University, say that as long as the changes to testing are well communicated and students understand that the tests are low-stakes, students shouldn't have to deal with problematic levels of anxiety. "If there are concerns about student anxiety, it can be important to model and teach students skills for coping with their anxiety and effectively approaching anxiety-producing situations rather than allowing for or encouraging avoidance of anxiety-producing situations," Witmer told IndyStar. More on ILEARN: 2024 ILEARN statewide results show slight ELA growth but math scores unchanged Indianas Learning Evaluation and Assessment Readiness Network commonly called ILEARN is administered to grades 3-8 and they are tested in English language arts and math. This change in the ILEARN testing format comes after the legislature passed changes in 2022 asking the IDOE to streamline Indiana's academic standards and requiring ILEARN to be reformated to fit the new standards. Over 70% of Indiana schools have opted to do the checkpoint testing this school year. All Indiana schools will require checkpoint testing starting with the 2025-26 school year. When ILEARN checkpoints will take place this school year: 1 st checkpoint: Sept. 16 Nov. 15 2 nd checkpoint: Nov. 18 Feb. 7 3 rd checkpoint: Feb. 10 April 11 Summative test: April 14 May 9 Each checkpoint test will have about 20-25 questions, and the shortened final test will have around 30-37 questions. Students who move to a new school mid-year that is doing checkpoint testing wont have to make up any missed tests but schools can choose to use the second window of testing for them if they wish. Here are the schools across central Indiana that are and are not participating in the pilot testing: MARION COUNTY SCHOOLS Indianapolis Public Schools All 3-8 grades in IPS are participating in the checkpoint testing this year, including in-LEA innovation schools which includes Cold Springs School, Edison School of the Arts, Sankofa School of Success at Arlington Woods School 99, Thomas Gregg School 15 and Washington Irving Neighborhood School 14. Washington Township All 3-8 grades in Washington Township are participating. Lawrence Township All 3-8 grades in Lawrence Township are participating. Warren Township All 3-8 grades are participating as well as Warren's online academy. Franklin Township All 3-8 grades in Franklin Township are participating. Perry Township All 3-8 grades in Perry Township are participating. Decatur Township Only designated fourth-grade, seventh grade and eighth-grade classes are participating. Wayne Township Chapelwood, Stout Field and Westlake elementary schools are participating and all of their 7th and 8th grade centers are participating. More school news: Jail time if your kid misses too much school? Indiana law makes it possible. What it says Pike Township Only sixth, seventh and eighth grade classes are participating in Pike Township. Speedway Schools Only seventh and eighth-grade classes are participating for Speedway schools. Beech Grove Schools All 3-8 grades in Beech Grove schools are participating. SUBURBAN NORTHSIDE SCHOOLS Carmel Clay Schools Carmel Schools is not participating in the pilot. Hamilton Southeastern Schools Only the three junior high buildings are participating in Hamilton Southeastern. Lebanon Community Schools All grades 3-8 are participating in Lebanon Schools. Noblesville Schools Noblesville Schools is not participating in the pilot. Westfield Washington Schools Only grades 5-8 are participating in Westfield Washington Schools. Zionsville Community Schools Zionsville Schools is not participating in the pilot. SUBURBAN WESTSIDE SCHOOLS Latest diploma updates: State universities approve of latest changes to Indiana high school diploma plan Avon Community Schools All 3-8 grades in Avon schools are participating. Brownsburg Community Schools All 3-8 schools in Brownsburg are participating. Plainfield Community Schools All 3-8 grades in Plainfield are participating. SUBURBAN SOUTHSIDE SCHOOLS Center Grove Community Schools Only grades 4, 6, 7 and 8 are participating in the pilot. Clark Pleasant Community Schools All 3-8 grades in Clark Pleasant Schools are participating. Martinsville Schools All 3-8 grades in Martinsville Schools are participating. Mooresville Schools All 3-8 grades in Mooresville Schools are participating. Shelbyville Central Schools All 3-8 grades in Shelbyville Schools are participating. Greenwood Community Schools All 3-8 grades in Greenwood Schools are participating. Keep up with school news: Sign up for Study Hall, IndyStar's free weekly education newsletter. SUBURBAN EAST SIDE SCHOOLS Eastern Hancock Schools All 3-8 grades in Eastern Hancock Schools are participating. Greenfield-Central Community Schools Greenfield-Central Schools are not participating. Mt. Vernon Community Schools All elementary schools and the Mt. Vernon middle school are participating in Mt. Vernon Schools. New Palestine Community Schools New Palestine Community Schools is not participating. Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: More ILEARN testing coming to Indiana schools this year A spokesperson for an association of the bottled water industry in Indonesia has told AFP a claim circulating online that the colour of bottled water caps indicates the product's type or source is false. The country's food safety authority has similarly rejected the claim, adding that the colour and design of the bottles -- including the bottle cap -- is a design by individual companies. "Beware, don't be careless or you will not get its benefit. This is the meaning behind the colours of bottled water caps that you need to know," read the Indonesian-language sticker text on a Facebook video uploaded on August 16, 2024, where it has racked up more than 948,000 views. The clip features Filipus Adimas, an Indonesian social media influencer who claims to use his platform to share "science-based tips for a healthy lifestyle", explaining the purported "meaning" behind different bottled water cap colours. He claimed blue-capped bottles meant the product contained refined underground water, green caps contained underground water with high levels of minerals, and while white ones contained tap water with "added chemicals". He went on to claim that purple caps contained water from mountains, while orange or red caps meant the water had a "certain flavour" or unspecified source information. Screenshot of false post, taken on September 13, 2024 Filipus' original clip has since been deleted, but not before it was shared by other social media users across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and SnackVideo, garnering millions more views. Similar videos making the same false claim in English also surfaced on TikTok here and here. The influencer uploaded a clarification on TikTok and Instagram on July 25, 2024, saying there was no such regulation on bottled water cap colours in Indonesia and the information was "not precise". However, social media users left comments on the posts indicating they believed his claim. "Where can I buy the purple one?" asked one. Another said: "How about the ones with yellow caps?" 'Not true' Eka Rosmalasari, a spokeswoman for Indonesia's Food and Drug Authority, told AFP "there is no connection" between the colour of bottled water caps and its contents. The agency also debunked the claims on its official Instagram page on July 31, 2024 (archived link). "That information is not true," the post read. "The colour and design of the packaging, including the bottle cap, is a design by the company.". The chairman of the Indonesian Association of Bottled Drinking Water Companies, Rachmat Hidayat, also rejected the claim. "There is not a single regulation regarding bottled water packaging and labels in Indonesia or the world that regulates the colour of bottled water caps as said in the video," he told AFP on September 12. The US Food and Drug Administration regulates how bottled water products can be labelled based on their sources, classifying products as artesian well water, mineral water, spring water or well water, but these are not identified by the colour of bottle caps (archived link). AFP checked several brands of bottled water sold in Indonesia and found the colours of the caps do not align with the claims. For example, the Cleo brand -- which has orange caps for all its products -- is not flavoured (archived link). Another brand, Ron 88, states it uses water from natural springs in West Java, not tap water (archived link). An industrial chemical is showing up in fentanyl in the U.S., troubling scientists UCLA project director Ruby Romero, left, and project manager Caitlin Molina demonstrate how they test street drugs. Romero and Molina are part of a team of researchers from UCLA and other groups that released an analysis about an unfamiliar chemical called BTMPS now surfacing in the nation's illicit drug supply. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) An industrial chemical used in plastic products has been cropping up in illegal drugs from California to Maine, a sudden and puzzling shift in the drug supply that has alarmed health researchers. Its name is bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl) sebacate, commonly abbreviated as BTMPS. The chemical is used in plastic for protection against ultraviolet rays, as well as for other commercial uses. In an analysis released Monday, researchers from UCLA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and other academic institutions and harm reduction groups collected and tested more than 170 samples of drugs that had been sold as fentanyl in Los Angeles and Philadelphia this summer. They found roughly a quarter of the drugs contained BTMPS. Read more: Cedars-Sinai terminates OB-GYN's hospital privileges after complaint investigation Researchers called it the most sudden change in the U.S. illegal drug supply in recent history, based on chemical prevalence. They found that BTMPS sometimes dramatically exceeded the amount of fentanyl in drug samples and, in some cases, had made up more than a third of the drug sample. It was also a growing presence in fentanyl over the summer: In June, none of the L.A. fentanyl samples tested by the team contained BTMPS, the analysis found. By August, it was detected in 41% of them. "This is effectively unprecedented," said Morgan Godvin, one of the authors of the study and project director for Drug Checking Los Angeles, a UCLA project that works in partnership with the L.A. County Department of Public Health to analyze illicit drugs. "We have no idea just how many people have been exposed," Godvin said, but if the high prevalence among drug samples tested so far is any indication, "that translates to tens of thousands of fentanyl users being exposed to BTEMPS, sometimes at very high volume." The findings were publicly released as a preprint research that has not been peer reviewed on the website of Drug Checking Los Angeles and on medRxiv, a website where scientists share preliminary findings. BTMPS has been studied in rats for its potential to reduce withdrawal symptoms from morphine and affect nicotine use, but it can be toxic and even deadly to rodents at sufficient doses, and health researchers say there is an urgent need for more studies on its effects on the human body. The PubChem database lists a number of possible hazards associated with BTMPS, including skin irritation and eye damage. Godvin was alarmed by animal studies indicating dangers from inhaling BTMPS such as tremors and shortness of breath because smoking is now common in L.A. among people who use fentanyl. People who use drugs have said that BTMPS can smell like bug spray or plastic and have reported blurred vision, nausea and coughing after ingesting it. One told researchers that "it smelled so bad I could barely smoke it." The UCLA and NIST researchers warned that "with such a sudden and sustained prevalence in the drug supply, users are at risk of repeated, ongoing exposures, which may compound health effects." A 35-year-old man in Los Angeles said that in recent months, he had noticed a rubbery or synthetic taste in the fentanyl he used. "I was asking my friend that I buy from, 'What the hell is this?'" said the man, who requested anonymity to speak about his drug use. When he took samples that were supposed to be fentanyl to Drug Checking Los Angeles to analyze, he learned that some contained the strange chemical. The 35-year-old said he now tries to avoid BTMPS, but "a lot of people are just trying to get anything to keep from being sick" from opioid withdrawal. Whatever clandestine labs are doing, he said, "we're the guinea pigs." Read more: 'I don't want him to go': An autistic teen and his family face stark choices L.A. and Philadelphia are far from the only places where the chemical has popped up: The team also detected BTMPS in trace amounts of drugs left behind on drug paraphernalia from other locations, including Delaware, Maryland and Nevada. As of last week, a University of North Carolina program that tests drug samples from across the country had also found BTMPS in more than 200 samples from a dozen states stretching from the West Coast to Maine. UNC senior scientist Nabarun Dasgupta said the chemical began showing up in drug samples that it tested this summer, most often mingled with fentanyl, both in powder form and in fake pills. Alex Krotulski, a director at the nonprofit Center for Forensic Science Research and Education in Pennsylvania, said the amount of BTMPS found in drug samples it has tested varies dramatically sometimes making up a small amount, sometimes amounting to the "primary component" in the sample. Unlike other adulterants added to fentanyl for their psychoactive effects, "it's not like it's something that you go out and you use a bunch of to get high," Krotulski said. The UCLA and NIST team found that people who use drugs rated samples high in BTMPS as "bunk" low in quality and broadly saw it as "highly undesirable." Yet another oddity is that BTMPS has not followed a familiar path for new drugs in the U.S. Instead of showing up in one area and spreading to others, "this one has hit all at once across the U.S. within a two-week period," said Tara Stamos-Buesig, founder and chief executive of the Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego. Stamos-Buesig, whose group helps analyze the contents of illegal drugs in San Diego to inform and protect people, said that "I've told people for a while we can't hyper-focus on fentanyl" as if it were the only threat. "There's a lot of other stuff coming on board," Stamos-Buesig said. Read more: Jury finds stone companies at fault in lawsuit by countertop cutter sick with silicosis The UCLA and NIST analysis suggested one possible scenario: Illegal drug manufacturers might be adding BTMPS to fentanyl precursors or to the final product "at a high level in the supply chain," possibly to stabilize them from degrading from light or heat exposure as illicit drugs are made, stored and transported, they wrote. UCLA assistant professor Chelsea Shover added that the team had found BTMPS for sale on online platforms like Amazon and Alibaba with similar wording to what Chinese chemical companies had used in the past to market to fentanyl producers, with sellers touting their "experience getting through Mexican customs." "This is clearly implying that this is to be used to make illicit drugs," Shover said. "It's stuff you wouldn't expect to see if it was just selling an industrial chemical in a standard way." As it stands, there is no test strip that can quickly detect BTMPS as there is for fentanyl. Nor is the chemical routinely tested for by doctors or medical examiners, which means that if someone has been harmed by BTMPS they took accidentally, "clinicians would have no way of knowing," the UCLA and NIST team wrote. The UNC Street Drug Analysis Lab likewise said that much remains unknown at this point, including whether BTMPS poses an overdose risk, although the lab cautions that "EVERY substance at some volume will be toxic." Dasgupta said the detection of BTMPS represents the first example of the burgeoning network of drug checking programs working together to find a substance "before any health authorities or any law enforcement did." Godvin said that "just a few years ago, we wouldn't have even known about this" and urged Angelenos to get drugs analyzed through Drug Checking Los Angeles if they are able. In a drug supply already riddled with threats like fentanyl and the animal tranquilizer xylazine, "this gives us a whole other thing to worry about," Godvin said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Hoax or not, threats of violence against schools making the rounds late last week prompted some Indianapolis parents to keep their kids home. Even though most districts sent messages to parents stating the threats were not credible, parents remained on edge, especially in the wake of another school shooting that resulted in four people killed in a Georgia High School. "If I'm getting this email ... then I know there's still a (small) chance of me sending her to school and then, bam, (shooters) picked her school that day," said Makayla Clemons, whose daughter is a first grader in Indianapolis. Indianapolis Public Schools sent out a second email late Friday night confirming to parents that there was no active threat to its schools and that the threats they were seeing were part of a national trend. Completed investigations have found these threats as not credible," IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said via email and prerecorded phone message to parents late Friday. More on recent school threats: Arrests made after Indy-area schools threatened in social media posts It is unknown what the impact was on attendance for Indianapolis Public Schools. IndyStar has requested that information. Other school districts in Marion County said that their attendance rate did not see that big of a drop last week despite the threats. Lawrence Township school district said its attendance rate held steady at 94% during the past three weeks. Beech Grove City schools, which also saw threats last week, said its attendance dipped slightly the day or two immediately following the threats but then stabilized. Beech Grove also investigated four students and two students were arrested but the district did not share any further information about the investigations or arrests. Indiana State Police confirmed Friday that a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old were arrested in two separate cases concerning school threats but did not say which districts were affected. These threats come at a time when the state is trying to improve its chronic absenteeism rate and a new law that went into effect this school year could see more families being punished for too many unexcused absences. More on the new law: Jail time if your kid misses too much school? Indiana law makes it possible. What it says Schools have seen a rise in student absences, both excused and unexcused, since the start of the pandemic and rates of absenteeism are not back to pre-COVID levels. The new law says if a student in grades K-6 has missed five days of school within 10 weeks without being excused parents would be notified by the school and required to create a plan to improve the students attendance. But attendance rules didn't phase parents who kept their kids home. "My last thought was her attendance," Clemons said. "They have to understand" that parents are fearful and the safety of their children is the priority. Now districts must walk a tightrope of being transparent without inciting fear. Superintendent Johnson said in her email to parents that she understands the kind of anxiety and stress these kinds of announcements can place on families but that their top priority is to keep students safe. It is tragic that violent threats of this nature have become a part of modern life, Johnson said. But we must treat every threat as serious until police confirm otherwise. You have entrusted us with what is most precious in your lives, and we can take no other stance. Keep up with school news: Sign up for Study Hall, IndyStar's free weekly education newsletter. In the weeks following the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, there have been several dozen cases of children being arrested for making threats to schools, causing them to increase police presence at schools or even temporarily close campuses. Johnson is stressing that parents remind their children of the serious consequences of making threats, even if it is a joke, and encourage them to inform a trusted adult if they hear or see anything that may seem unsafe. Clemons would like to see more armed police officers and metal detectors at campuses, even elementary schools. "That's what the world has come to," she said. She's considering home-schooling her children next year. Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy. IndyStar public safety editor Jen Guadarrama contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana parents navigate threats as schools try to keep kids in class Infant Found with 50 Rat Bites Nearly Died from Blood Loss. His Father Was Just Convicted The 6-month-old child is "permanently disfigured" from the injuries, according to authorities Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office David Schonabaum Content warning: The following article contains disturbing descriptions. A Southern Indiana father was found guilty on three felony charges after his 6-month-old son nearly died, according to prosecutors, after suffering more than 50 untreated rat bites at the familys dilapidated house last year in 2023. The Vanderburgh County Prosecutors Office announced a jury found David Anthony Schonabaum guilty on three felonies on Sept. 11. Last September, first responders discovered the baby in his bassinet in a pool of blood with over 50 bites to his body including his face and extremities after Schonabaum, now 32, called 911 saying he found his infant son covered in blood, according to the prosecutors office statement last week. The infants right hand suffered the most traumatic injuries with all four fingers and the thumb missing flesh and exposing the fingertip bones, the prosecutor's office said. Related: Indiana Baby Found with More Than 50 Rat Bites Covering His Body According to authorities, officials from the Department of Child Services had already been to the Evansville, Ind., home to address the safety concerns at the house and got a third party involved with helping fix up the house, telling Schonabaum that his participation was necessary to help upkeep the house, as well. However, the prosecutors office said photographs taken of the house on the day the 6-month-old child was found nearly bleeding to death had revealed the home in a deplorable, unlivable condition. A medical professional testified at the trial to the severity of the infants injuries, reporting the infant child nearly died from blood loss, the prosecutors office added. This baby now faces permanent injuries from this incident. Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Diana Moers said in a statement last week that Schonabaums most serious charge of child negligence causing serious bodily injury carries a potential maximum sentence of 16 years in prison. Moers said the rat bites had permanently disfigured the baby boy. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. The home he was forced to live in with his young siblings was overrun by rats and bugs, and the photos of the home show it full of trash and rat feces, Moers added. This baby lived in an absolute house of horrors along with his siblings and pet dog. Calling the situation unimaginable, Moers continued: This case is horrific, and we will live with the images of this baby forever. It is completely shocking to the conscience that anyone would live in these conditions, much less allow their children, baby, and animals to live among absolute filth when they cannot help themselves. If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. An accused gunman who was arrested in an apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump at his golf course in West Palm Beach on Sunday has been charged initially with possessing a gun with a scratched-out serial number and with possessing a gun illegally as a felon though more serious charges are likely pending. Ryan W Routh, 58, made his first appearance in court Monday morning at the Paul G. Rogers Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in West Palm Beach, during a hearing before Judge Ryon M. McCabe. Slender and with a full head of dyed-blonde hair, Routh wore a navy blue inmate uniform and cuffs on his wrists and ankles as he waited for the court to take up his case. Routh, a North Carolina man living in Hawaii, was assigned a federal public defender after he told the judge that, while he has a job earning $3,000 a month, he has no money in the bank and owns no real estate. Speaking calmly and politely, he said he supports one adult son. He chatted before and during his hearing with a court-appointed defense attorney, Kristy Militello. From what Im hearing, you have little to no assets, the judge said to Routh. Both charges levied against Routh who has a prior criminal history from an incident more than 20 years ago in North Carolina in which he barricaded himself inside a building while wielding a gun are felonies, carrying a combined maximum fine of $500,000 and up to 20 years in prison. He has not yet been charged in relation to the apparent assassination attempt on Trump, though he is likely to eventually face charges of making threats against a former president, or against a candidate for president who is protected by the Secret Service. New details An affidavit filed in support of the criminal charges and unsealed following Rouths hearing suggests that investigators believe he had been waiting at the golf course overnight for nearly 12 hours when he was first spotted by a Secret Service agent surveilling the course ahead of Trump as the former president played a round of golf. The document states that Rouths cell phone signal confirmed that he arrived at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach just before 2 a.m. Sunday and remained there until he was spotted at 1:31 p.m. The document states that law enforcement found a plastic bag filled with food, a GoPro camera and a loaded SKS-style rifle in the treeline where the gunman had been spotted by Secret Service. The special agent who signed the affidavit, Mark A. Thomas, noted that such weapons arent sold in Florida, meaning it was likely brought into the state from elsewhere, rather than purchased locally. The document also states that when Routh was stopped by sheriffs deputies on the highway at 2:14 p.m., he said he knew why he was being pulled over. The license tag on the Nissan SUV he was driving was lifted from a Ford truck that had been reported stolen, Thomas wrote. Routh did not enter a plea on Monday. The judge set a bond hearing for Routh on Sept. 23. An arraignment is set for Sept. 30 should Routh be charged by a grand jury indictment, at which time the defendant would enter his plea. In the meantime, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, which was represented in court on Monday by prosecutor Adam McMichael, wants to keep Routh in jail, citing the potential that he might flee and noting that he is a danger because hes accused of carrying a weapon illegally as a felon. Later Monday, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District Markenzy Lapointe and other local and federal authorities said at an afternoon news conference at the Palm Beach Sheriffs office that the investigation is in its early stages, with a focus on an apparent assassination attempt on former President Trump. The FBI has executed search warrants to gather evidence on Routh, including video recordings, cell phones, other electronic devices and vehicles, along with interviewing seven civilian witnesses who were at or near the West Palm Beach golf course and Rouths family members in North Carolina and Hawaii. Agents are also analyzing Rouths social media posts and his reported efforts to recruit Afghanis to fight in Ukraine against Russia. Asked if Routh acted alone or with others, Miami FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Veltri said: Were still exploring that but so far we dont have information that he acted with anyone else. Asked about the the Secret Services protection of former President Trump on Sunday, Acting Special Agent in Charge Ronald L. Rowe Jr. said the presidents golf game was not on his schedule. But he stressed that since the first assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania in July, the FBI has heightened its security for Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris to top levels. Those things were in place yesterday, Rowe said. In a new disclosure, Rowe said that when a Secret Service agent fired shots at a rifle barrel sticking through the shrubs at the golf course on Sunday, the suspect did not shoot back. The subject [Routh] did not fire or get off any shots at our agent, Rowe said. BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) The Louisiana chapter of the National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA) offers support and helpful tips for anyone impacted by Francine. According to the Louisiana Department of Insurance, flood damage is not covered under homeowners policies. It is covered under the National Flood Insurance Protection Program (NFIP) or a separate flood policy from a private insurer. Although its too soon to tell, natural disasters can cause insurance rates to go up. However, a spokesperson for NAAIA said there are many benefits to keeping your policy or getting coverage if youre uninsured. The obvious is recovering valuable items lost or damaged during a storm. Step one is call your homeowners company and report that claim because the adjusters who are coming in to look at the damage will be overwhelmed right after the storm. And so you want to get in line really quick. But the key is stopping the damage from getting worse, said Kendrick Slan, owner of Omega Insurance Group. IRS gives some relief to Francine victims in Louisiana: What to know about deadlines If youve experienced property damage from Hurricane Francine and you have storm insurance, here are some things you should do. Take photos and videos of the damage to your home before cleaning. Make temporary repairs to prevent further damage and secure your property. Place wet items outside to prevent the growth and spread of mold. Do not throw items away until an adjuster has seen them. Dont start permanent repairs until the insurance adjuster advises you to do so. You can also contact FEMA if your property was damaged during Hurricane Francine. NAAIA is holding its national convention starting Tuesday, Sept. 17, at the New Orleans Marriott. They will share resources and connections to help people navigate the insurance landscape. 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 BRProud.com. NEW YORK In an ongoing battle over who will be financially responsible for payouts to survivors of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of clergy, an insurance company suing the Archdiocese of New York filed a suit against the New York attorney generals office Monday. Chubb, an insurer of the Archdiocese of New York, filed papers in New York Supreme Court in Albany seeking a judgment to overturn a decision made by Attorney General Letitia Jamess office to withhold legal documents the insurance company says they are entitled to. In 2018, then-AG Barbara Underwood issued subpoenas to every Catholic diocese in New York State, kicking off a probe into the churchs handling of the abuse allegations. In February, lawyers for Chubb filed a Freedom of Information Law request for documents uncovered during the investigation of the Archdiocese. In April Chubb received a rejection from the AGs office saying the records were exempt from disclosure, according to correspondence included in Mondays court filings. The documents requested were compiled for law-enforcement purposes and would, if disclosed, interfere with law-enforcement investigations or judicial proceedings, the response continued, citing a section of New Yorks Public Officers Law. When an appeal was filed by Chubb in May, a lawyer for the insurance company argued that the refusal under Public Officers Law didnt apply because the risks of releasing the documents were not outlined. The appeal also pointed out that some of the records would include information on members of clergy who had already been convicted of sex abuse or had died. In return, the FOIL appeals officer wrote that releasing the documents would tip the offices hand by revealing legal strategy and bring unwanted publicity to the investigation and the ADNYs response to it, interfering with the OAGs ability to pursue the investigation in the manner it deems most effective, according to papers filed in court. A small number of documents were later produced by the AGs office, none of which were substantively responsive to Petitioners interest, read Mondays filing. People familiar with the FOIL request said the documents turned over included lists of archdiocese employees, policy manuals and employee guides. After the New York Child Victims Act of 2019 signed by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the newsroom of the Daily News went into effect, allowing survivors of childhood sexual abuse to sue abusers and the institutions that harbored them, the floodgates opened for past victims seeking justice. According to court filings, the Archdiocese of New York has been sued by over 3,000 claimants under the Child Victims Act. Chubb is the insurer on about 60% of the unsettled claims that went to litigation, said sources, which are valued at $859 million. Chubb has their own citation of the Public Officers Law in their suit, claiming that the AGs office should foot the bill for Chubbs lawyers because the documents are being withheld improperly. Mondays suit by Chubb argues the Attorney Generals investigation is not reason enough to hold back the documents. Lawyers for the insurer wrote that they were not provided with evidence that any investigation is ongoing. The public has endured six years of silence since the OAG announced its ADNY investigation to great public fanfare. The public has a right to know and to see what information the OAG obtained from the ADNY in connection with an investigation that did not go anywhere and has run its course, reads the filing. Avi Schick, one of the lawyers who filed the suit and a former Deputy Attorney General in New York, says Chubb wants the documents released so they can determine what the archdiocese knew about the abuse and when they knew it. Any victim with a valid claim deserves to get compensated. The question is, from whom should that compensation come? To make that determination, one needs to see contemporaneous documents, Schick told the Daily News. Were talking about documents that the archdiocese provided to the Attorney General six years ago. And so, the Attorney General disclosing those documents would only expedite the process by which the victims can get compensated. Chubb filed suit against the archdiocese in Manhattan Supreme Court in June 2023, arguing that the payouts to survivors are outside the scope of what insurance should actually cover, and that policies were not designed to cover abuse the church covered up. In October, the archdiocese tried to have the case dismissed. Lawyers from firm Blank Rome, representing the archdiocese, wrote that Chubbs heavy-handed conduct highlights that this lawsuit is a tactical maneuver in what appears to be a nationwide corporate decision to walk away from sexual abuse claims from California to New York. Supreme Court Justice Suzanne Adams dismissed the case in December, but a unanimous ruling in state appellate court on April 23 found that the insurance company can proceed in its case against the archdiocese. _____ In the first week of September, more than one hundred evangelical Christians from Israel, the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, Lebanon and Jordan came together for three days in Amman under the theme That They May Be One. Hosted by the Alliance of Evangelical Councils in Jordan and the Holy Land, the extraordinary meeting was overshadowed by the ongoing war in Gaza, the mourning for fellow Christians killed in the conflict and the struggle with the reality that many in the global Church seem ignorant or indifferent to the suffering of their brothers and sisters in Christ in the region. Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab, who reported for Word&Way about the rare gathering of Christians from the four countries, writes that the war in Gaza and the international response over the past year has alienated and angered many Palestinian Christians, who feel their co-religionists around the globe are oblivious to the suffering the war has brought. Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7 left some 1,200 people dead, and of the more than 250 hostages taken to Gaza, almost one hundred remain unaccounted for. Israel's response over the past eleven months has resulted in widespread devastation and reportedly cost more than 40,000 lives. Hamas has been accused of embedding itself in civilian infrastructure like schools and hospitals, hiding in underground tunnels, and using the Palestinian population as human shields, while Israel has been accused of violating international law by indiscriminate bombing and using Palestinian civilians as human shields to scout dangerous places. While Gaza is overwhelmingly Muslim, the small Christian community has been caught in the crossfire as well. A fact that some Christians in the Middle East feel is not understood or recognized by fellow believers in other parts of the world. Churches and a Christian-run hospital have been hit by Israeli shells with hardly a word from Christian leaders, they lament, amid reports that at least 23 Christians were among those who died in Gaza. Stay informed with The Christian Daily Newsletter Sign up Especially painful are news headlines of politicians who publicly flaunt their Christianity like last January when former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence approvingly signed his name on Israeli bombs destined for Palestinian and Lebanese communities. The worldwide polarization surrounding the war is also reflected in the global Church. While some Christians are calling for an immediate ceasefire and emphasize the need to prevent more loss of life and negotiate the release of the hostages, others support Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahus stance that there cannot be peace unless Hamas is defeated. After all, Hamas pledged to eradicate Israel at all costs and promised to repeat the October 7 attacks again and again. Adding to the complexity of the situation, Hezbollah's continuous rocket fire from Lebanon into northern Israel forced people in the region to flee their homes and has raised the specter of a wider war with the Iran-back group. (An op-ed published on Christian Daily International last February captured some of the dilemmas of the different views, their reasonings as well as their limitations.) Yet what Christians in the Middle East bemoan is that fellow believers in many parts of the world seem to forget that they even exist, let alone that they understand their daily reality. Simply for believers in the region to meet poses a challenge, Kuttab writes. While, technically, Arab Christians in Israel can visit Jordan and Palestine, the opposite is not true especially since Oct. 7. The Israeli embassy that would normally issue visas to Jordanians has been closed since Hamas attack on southern Israel. Palestinians from the West Bank need Israeli army-issued permits to travel to nearby Nazareth or even East Jerusalem, but no such permits have been issued since the war on Gaza. Kuttab goes on to write that during the gathering in Amman difficult stories were told about the war in Gaza and the dislocations caused by the Israeli occupation in the West Bank. He describes how participants shed tears as they looked at photos of Palestinian Christian families who died in Gaza and listened to stories of the difficult life in the West Bank. Then they prayed for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the conflict and suffering to come to an end. There was also a strong sense among participants that evangelicals in the region must become more united despite the tense situation that can strain relationships among Christians. The theme itself was inspired by Jesus last prayer as recorded in the gospel of John 17:20-23, where he prayed for unity among his disciples. Kuttab reports that Lebanese pastor and director of the Living Word Ministry in Beirut, Rev. Charlie Costa, encouraged participants to seek unity despite differences. Although there may be disagreements on matters of faith among Christians, [they] should look to biblical teaching in resolving disputes, while avoiding public criticism and defamation, Costa emphasized. We need to keep these differences in confidence, communicating calmly with the offender in the presence of brothers in adhering to the biblical mechanism of resolving disputes while maintaining unity, he said, as he referred to a recent argument between Palestinian Christians and an Arab Christian TV anchor, Kuttab writes. Another speaker, Matt Nance, who heads up the Indiana-based Christian Holy Land Foundation and attended the gathering in Amman, addressed the participants on the last day emphasizing how much Christians in the Middle East matter for the global body of Christ. Meetings like the one in Amman are not only relevant for the churches locally but are important for believers around the world, he said. We think that the issues the Church and the Holy Land are facing are critically important to the Holy Land, its critically important that Christs followers are at the center of peacebuilding and unity building in this place, Nance said. But we also think that the struggles that the Holy Land Church is facing are a microcosm of the struggles that the Church in the entire world is facing. Referring to politics, marginalization and justice, he said that Christians in his own country struggle with some of the same issues. And he added that he believes the voices of the Christian leaders who have been stewarding our faith for 2,000 years is a very important and necessary voice as we are trying to understand the world we are living in. Although the meeting ended on a high note, Kuttab describes how participants were promptly reminded of the current reality as Israel blocked all border crossings following a violent incident in which three Israeli soldiers were killed. After a three-hour delay, Palestinian citizens of Israel could cross the border, but Palestinians from the West Bank were not allowed passage for two days. Jordanian families took care of their Palestinian brothers and sisters until they were able to return home. Concluding his report, Kuttab writes that as Christians in the Middle East continue to plea for the global Church to understand and empathize with them, the conference participants agreed that Arab evangelicals must search for the common ground between themselves and the global Church for this dialogue to unify all Christians behind the calls of Jesus to all his followers to be peacemakers. Update Sept 16: more context was added regarding Hamas and Israel. Billionaire entrepreneur and Shark Tank star Mark Cuban has never been one to shy away from online battles, and the latest one was with Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to Donald Trump. The two have been sparring on social media about tariffs, American jobs, and where products are made. Cuban, who's been vocal about his opposition to Trump's economic policies, put Miller in the hot seat with a simple question: Does Donald Trump make products overseas? Yes or No? Don't Miss: It all started when Cuban took to X (formerly Twitter) to argue that Trumps tariffs taxes on foreign goods aren't as helpful as they seem. According to Cuban, tariffs result in higher prices for American consumers and create a bureaucratic nightmare for businesses, especially smaller ones, as companies often need to hire specialists to navigate the complex tariff process, adding unnecessary costs and paperwork. Trending: General Motors and other leaders revealed to be investing in this revolutionary lithium start-up allowing easy entry by launching at just $9.50/share with a $1,000 minimum. There is a huge difference between targeted and across-the-board tariffs, Cuban explained to his nearly nine million followers. Across-the-board tariffs are a tax on everyone. Stephen Miller, best known for his hard-line stance on immigration, jumped into the debate, accusing Cuban of supporting offshoring (moving jobs and production overseas) to keep his profits up. Miller claimed that Trump's tariffs were designed to protect American industries, while accusing Kamala Harris, whom Cuban supports, of being more interested in benefiting foreign workers. See Also: A billion-dollar investment strategy with minimums as low as $10 you can become part of the next big real estate boom today. Cuban wasn't having it. He shot back, reminding Miller that he had worked to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. The first question I ALWAYS ask is how can we bring anything you source overseas back to the USA, Cuban wrote. He then asked the question that Miller avoided: Does Donald Trump make products overseas? Yes or No? ZERO The first question I ALWAYS ask is how can we bring anything you source overseas back to the USA Another fact for you. I invested in https://t.co/dfPnsgcw49 whose mission is to be a browser extension that allows shoppers to determine if a product was made in the USA... https://t.co/oug3vIrfpg Mark Cuban (@mcuban) September 8, 2024 Trending: Heres the AI-powered startup that turns traders into influencers achieving 12% monthly growth invest in it at only 10 cents per share. Story continues Miller dodged the question and continued criticizing Cuban's opposition to Trump's China tariffs, claiming Cuban was more interested in importing cheap materials from abroad than restoring American supply chains. However, Cuban stood firm, pointing out that none of the companies he invested in on Shark Tank had moved their production overseas. Cuban also highlighted his investment in Wecultivate.us, a browser extension that helps consumers identify whether a product is made in the U.S., further proving his commitment to American manufacturing. Trending: Unlock a $400 billion opportunity by investing in the future of EV infrastructure on this startup already valued at $50 million. In a separate incident, Miller recently had an on-camera meltdown when pressed by a journalist over false claims about Venezuela's crime rate. During an interview with reporter Jose Maria del Pino, Miller claimed Venezuela had become safer than the U.S. because, he suggested, its criminals had been sent across the U.S. border. I asked Stephen Miller, one of Donald Trump's top advisors, what is the evidence for saying that Caracas and Venezuela are safer than the United States. He began by answering that it is the government's numbers. I asked him if he trusted Maduro's numbers. And this was his... pic.twitter.com/qkXTNiGmt0 Jose Maria Del Pino (@josemdelpino) September 11, 2024 Trending: Groundbreaking trading app with a Buy-Now-Pay-Later' feature for stocks tackles the $644 billion margin lending market heres how to get equity in it with just $500 When del Pino repeatedly questioned Miller on the source of his information particularly given Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's unreliable crime statistics Miller lost his composure, shouting about immigrants committing violent crimes in the U.S. I am trusting the fact that Kamala Harris is letting illegal immigrants into this country who are raping and murdering children, Miller yelled, deflecting from the original question. When the reporter calmly asked Miller why he was yelling and requested clarification on the crime figures, Miller walked off camera without answering. Read Next: Teens may never need wisdom teeth removed thanks to this MedTech Company Be an early investor for just $300 for 100 shares! Warren Buffett once said, "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die." These high-yield real estate notes that pay 7.5% 9% make earning passive income easier than ever. Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Mark Cuban Puts Stephen Miller On The Spot: 'Does Donald Trump Make Products Overseas? Yes Or No?' In Tariff Debate originally appeared on Benzinga.com 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Cindy Drake, the former chief librarian at the Nebraska state historical society, was recently appointed interim director by Gov. Jim Pillen, earning both praise and complaints from current and past staffers. (Paul Hammel for the Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN Two years after being fired at Nebraskas historical society, Cindy Drake is back at the agency, this time as its interim executive director. Drake, 67, had opposed the policies of the former director who is now facing felony charges for misappropriating a private donation that led, in large part, to her dismissal after 45 years of serving as the chief librarian at the Nebraska State Historical Society. In July, Gov. Jim Pillen appointed Drake to the $136,449 a year post as an interim director, calling her the right person to fill this role and someone familiar with (the Societys) operations who could be immediately responsive. Meanwhile, the search for a permanent director with an unnamed timeline remains underway for the agency, which collects and preserves state history, is the official state archives, publishes a quarterly magazine and operates a state history museum in Lincoln and six other historic sites across the state. Drake and the governor have moved quickly to make changes at the 146-year-old agency, restoring the operations name to Nebraska State Historical Society, rescinding a decision by the former director, Trevor Jones, to rebrand it as History Nebraska in 2018. Several employees have been reassigned, the departmental structure of the society has been reshuffled and two assistant directors were named to replace a management council established by Jones. A diversity council established by Jones has been disbanded. Drake also plans to restore more public visiting hours at the societys research room hours that had dwindled to one morning a week under Jones. Among other plans, Drakes said, she will seek to bolster marketing of the societys programs, launch a series of exhibits on agriculture at the State History Museum and revive a movie series and a volunteer docent program. Overall, she said she is committed to restoring the public service mission and traditional values of the agency, which she believes strayed under the past administration and tilted too far to focus on marginalized groups. We need to be more receptive to the residents of this state and what they want from history, not what we want, but what they want, Drake said in a recent interview. They dont want revisioned history. She described the past administration as deciding this is the history you need to know and trying to fit (it) into the political and social values of what is going on today. The State Historical Society cannot be all Right, and it cannot be all Left. We have to be down the middle. We have to present both sides, Drake said, and let members of the public make up their own mind. Some static from staffers While she is getting good marks from both Pillen and the head of the State Historical Society Foundation for seeking to turn around a troubled agency, the new director is getting static from current and recently departed staff. They maintain that shes forcing some talented people out the door, making unnecessary and unexplained changes and creating an environment of fear and uncertainty in the name of erasing Jones policies and culture. At least six staffers have left in recent weeks, and a complaint was filed recently with the State Ombudsmans Office that staffers say is focused on Drakes management style. Ive found staff crying at their desks. Ive cried at my desk, said Mary Schulte, who had replaced Drake as chief librarian until resigning recently amid what she described as unfair criticism. In an interview, Drake acknowledged that shes gotten some pushback on the changes she has implemented and says shes learning to be more patient about altering the organization, which has more than 60 full-time employees and a yearly budget of about $8 million. As librarian, she had supervised six or more employees until her department was slowly reduced to just herself before she was fired. During the interview, Drake said that some people might consider her unqualified to lead the agency. But she pointed to her 45 years with the Historical Society, being mentored by key agency staffers of the past such as Jim Potter, John Carter and Tom Buecker, and being focused on the agencys mission to collect, preserve and open our shared history to all Nebraskans. Roger Lempke, a former adjutant general of the Nebraska National Guard who serves as chairman of the State Historical Society Foundation, said staffers beholden to the old administration are bound to be disgruntled, but he said changes were necessary to get the agency back on track. Its important that they get back to some of their core functions and do them well, said Lempke. Under Jones, he said, the agency had been too inward looking instead of serving the public. She knows right away some of the immediate things that need to happen, Lempke said. Shes already getting the organization back on its feet. Interviews with two current employees who spoke on the condition they not be named and Schulte, who has resigned, painted a different picture. Talented and productive staff, they say, are being forced out in the name of erasing any remnant of the old regime. Job responsibilities and department structures are being revamped without explanation, they maintain, which has accelerated the exodus of staff. During the past two years, turnover at the society was 22.7% and 31.7%, respectively among the highest among state agencies, according to state personnel figures. Toxic work environment Schulte, who had replaced Drake as chief librarian, maintained that the library was running well despite the agencys recent turmoil. But she told the Examiner that Drake had singled her out for criticism during a committee meeting and had told her she was being put under the gun for her job performance. The former staffer said it has resulted in a toxic work environment where staff members are fearful for their jobs due to the extreme stress of all the changes. Its never been the perfect workplace, but everyone did their jobs well and, for the most part, supported each other, Schulte said. Thats all gone now. Drake dismissed the criticism, saying that at least two staffers had departed for better paying jobs and one persons resignation had been announced before she took office. Some of it could be they didnt like the changes Im bringing in. But you can always look back at how many people we lost between 2018 and 2020 (when Jones was director), Drake said. I came in here determined to treat people with respect the respect that I was not given, she said. They have no idea what its like to not be treated with respect. Drake, as well as other employees, had opposed some of the policies under Jones, including a management program called the Entrepreneurial Operating System that required employees to document regularly how many books they had filed and how many files they had scanned. One of Jones guiding principles was fire fast and hire slow. While some employees said the EOS system made sure staffers were being productive, others complained that it was a waste of time documenting what they did at work instead of doing the actual work. Drake, among others, said it was more appropriate for a private company than a history agency. Message on a rock In 2020, Jones fired Drake for allegedly violating agency policy by taking home a book from the societys collection. The firing was overturned upon appeal because the book in question, which had been donated by a history buff, had not been accepted into the states permanent collections. Two years later, Drake was fired again by Jones two weeks before he resigned over a purported threatening message that had been painted on a rock displayed on Drakes desk. Drake, during the interview, disputed that the message painted on the rock during a staff retreat was in any way threatening. The rock, however, could have been interpreted as a sarcastic dig because Jones management system awarded rocks to workers who met production quotas. I didnt hurt anyone with the rock, Drake said, adding that it was used as an excuse to dismiss her. Jill Dolberg, who had taken over as interim director after Jones left, resigned just before Drake was appointed by Gov. Pillen, who took over governance of the State Historical Society in July after the State Legislature approved a bill shifting the agency from its independent status, governed by a citizen Board of Trustees. That board is now an advisory council, with the governor hiring a director and overseeing budget decisions a change many society employees opposed, concerned it could interject politics into decisions about the subject of museum displays, research projects and magazine articles. State lawmakers who voted for the change said that it should increase financial oversight and trust in the society, given the recent charges against Jones. Also cited was an incident 16 years ago in which the societys assistant director was convicted of embezzling $73,000 in agency funds. Drake said she eventually came to support changing the society into a code agency under the executive branch because of the drastic changes that happened under Jones. The end of the societys independent status has been a challenge for everyone, she said, including herself. But Drake said shes looking forward and not backward in making changes. Renewed focus on historic artifacts She has met with the State Historical Society Foundation which has nearly $20 million in assets it donates for history projects and mended the relationship with that organization, with whom Jones had replaced with the mostly defunct History Nebraska Foundation. That foundation has no executive director but is still paying back the funds Jones improperly deposited with it. Ironically, one of the main sources of friction between Jones and the old foundation was a private grant given to the society to establish an exhibit on agriculture. Drake said she has launched plans for five yearly exhibits related to different eras of agriculture at the State History Museum to satisfy the grants goal. She has revamped the organizational structure of the society, returning to an accountability chart that was used in the 1970s, when she was hired. She said shes also restoring a focus on historic artifacts in museum displays. Jones had been criticized for removing a replica sod house and general store from the state museum and for new displays lacking such historical artifacts. Were not keeping (artifacts) hidden in the basement, Drake said. Public visiting hours at the societys research room will eventually be restored to four days a week, she said, and possibly on Saturday mornings, she said. Under Jones, it was open only one morning a week. Not everything can be researched online, the new interim director said, noting the societys vast collection of original historic manuscripts. The diversity committee, which had encouraged staff to participate in events such as gay pride parades, was dissolved. Drake said that under Jones, employees got better job reviews if they participated in the diversity events. Overall, she said, there were too many committees and meetings under Jones that took away time from serving the public. When asked if she wants to be the permanent director, Drake demurred, saying shed have to think about it. There have definitely been challenges in the first month, she said. Jones faces trial after fund diversion LINCOLN Trevor Jones, the former director of History Nebraska, resigned in 2022 after serving six years as the top administrator. Trevor Jones His tenure was marked by efforts to modernize the agencys collections, but also by employee complaints about unnecessary and heavy-handed supervision of their work. He also sparred with the long-established Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation, a spat that prompted him eventually to cut ties with that foundation and establish a replacement to raise funds, the History Nebraska Foundation. Shortly after he resigned, Jones was charged with felony theft by deception for diverting two donations from the older foundation intended to cover anticipated agency revenue losses due to COVID-19. He instead deposited the funds in the rival foundation he had set up. In one instance, he altered a check so it could be deposited in the bank account of the new foundation. The History Nebraska Foundation has no employees now and is not soliciting donations. Jones, 52, awaits trial in Lancaster District Court. The charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Claudia Cazares believes that as a Fresno Unified trustee, her main priority is to make decisions based on comprehensive information. She spoke with The Fresno Bee about being criticized for supporting an internal search for a superintendent in April and then switching after internalizing feedback from the public. A post one of the (community) members made (said) that Ive been slow to make decisions, she said. To you, it means slow to make decisions; to me, it means I wait to have the correct information; I discussed the potential options with my school representative, my principals, my parents, my students. To me, thats an informed decision to make and not that acts out of public pressure. Representing the Hoover area, Cazares has served on the board for eight years and is one of the trustees who actively asks questions during board meetings, which she attributes to her 24 years working in the public sector. Her career has centered around housing and community development. She has worked for Fresno government, city and county, Granville Homes and, in recent years, as a management analyst for the City of Clovis affordable housing program. She said her day job brings a good balance to the board. Cazares said shes familiar with the process, knows what questions to ask, and she is very open and quick and adept at asking the questions, especially when large contracts appear on the consent calendar. Theres transparency involved that I promised I would do eight years ago and I continue to do that, ensuring that our public and our trustees have the best information available, she said. Cazares was first elected to the board in 2016, and served as the board president in 2019. For Fresno Unifieds school board races, The Bee sat down with each candidate to discuss their experience and priorities. Here are five questions we asked Cazares. Her answers were edited for length and clarity. Youve been a trustee for eight years. What gains have you seen? Our goals have always been to ensure that our students are given the best tools to prioritize learning, and provided an opportunity to become really good college students or profession-ready adults. I would continue adding our CTE courses. One of my favorite projects on our list is our agricultural department. We have a large population of students whose parents are farm workers, but they probably have never set foot on a farm themselves. Weve also been adding dual enrollment courses throughout all of our high schools, and we will continue to do that with our partnership with Fresno City College and Fresno State. I just got an invitation this weekend that there are two online dual enrollment courses available to high schoolers. My son is in 10th grade, and Im getting ready to make sure he registers for the class. Along with that, just ensure that our children are advancing in their test scores. We have two goals set by our interim superintendent, so we want to be able to push that as much as possible and continue to provide the daily necessities for our kids. Lowering class sizes, weve gone to lower class sizes consistently over the last eight years, and well continue to do that. Weve added nurses and psychologists to all of our schools. Id love to be able to add additional psychologists. Thats a lot weve done and a lot to be done. People are mostly concerned about academic achievement and superintendent search. What does it mean to the board? We definitely keep an eye on the release from the superintendents office, the testing and evaluations. Were hoping thatll show us that our investment and our changes have brought good results. If not, we need to pivot into something else that works better. But if you consider that our bonds have been successfully passed over the last several years, and we recently sold bonds out in the market to finance the last few of our projects. We realized $7 million in interest payment savings. That means that there are a whole world of investors out in the investment world looking to invest in Fresno Unified because they know we are trustworthy, that our board is balanced and we make wise decisions, and that our budget is balanced. What are your priorities for the Hoover region? Ive lived here for 24 years now. I love my region. It was a good mix of young families and established residents who moved into the neighborhood when it was first built, and they lived here and wouldnt move anywhere else. I love seeing the whole mix of everybody. So were interested in making sure that over the next four years, we grow our junior high and high schools to be more attractive to our students. We want to grow our programs and make them stronger so that our kids stay here and go to their local schools. You were supportive of the superintendents internal search, and then you announced on Facebook that you switched to an external search. We have had several sessions for feedback from our parents, and I have talked to several parents in my region and students as well. Initially, the support was for us to move forward with interim appointments while we figure out what to do. That was discussed in our meeting based on the community feedback provided to board trustees. Again, we made our decision based on the information provided to us. When the community came out in full force and said, Thats not actually what we had said, we were misunderstood or misquoted, then, given the new information I had, I made a new decision. It wasnt a difficult change for me to make based on the information provided. Why does the teachers union not support you this year? What did they want from you? I still very much appreciate the support given to me over the last eight years, and I would have loved to have their support this year. When I first started, they just wanted to make sure that I was listening to them, that I understood the plight of the teachers, that I was empathetic towards their needs. I have always been, and will continue to be, very open to listening to teachers. I will do my best to fix whatever concerns they may have. They have never demanded anything from me over the last seven years, it was a little bit different this last time (with contract negotiations), and I made my decisions over the last year based on the information that was available to me, the questions that I asked, the feedback from my parents and my students. And apparently, that didnt sit well. It impacted me personally because I care a lot about our teachers. They are a very important part of my everyday work. I had told the Teachers Association that they could endorse me and not give me funding, and I would pay for my campaign myself. Thats how much I want to continue serving the district. Investigation underway after crash involving high-ranking state official left one injured ANDALUSIA, Ala (WDHN) State troopers are investigating a crash involving a high-ranking official with the Alabama Department of Transportation late last week that injured at least one. According to Alabama State Troopers, ALDOT Deputy Director Willie Bradley was driving along Highway 331 near Andalusia on Thursday when his state-issued SUV crashed into a pickup truck as he attempted to turn around. ALEA Spokesperson Kendra McKinney tells WDHN the driver of the pickup truck suffered a head injury but was released from the hospital and is expected to recover. Bradley was reportedly uninjured, and it is unknown if there were passengers in the SUV. The investigation is ongoing, and troopers expect to release additional information soon. ALDOTs website shows Bradley joined the department as the Deputy Director of Fleet Management in 2013. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDHN - wdhn.com. Iran will never give up on its missile programme, says president DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that Tehran would never give up on its missile programme as it needs such deterrence for its security in a region where Iran's arch-foe Israel is able to "drop missiles on Gaza every day". The Islamic Republic has for years defied Western calls to limit its missile programme. The United States and its allies have more recently accused Iran of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine, imposing fresh sanctions on Moscow and Tehran. Both countries have denied the claims. "If we dont have missiles, they will bomb us whenever they want, just like in Gaza," Pezeshkian said, referring to the conflict in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. He reiterated Tehran's official stance, calling on the international community "to first disarm Israel before making the same demands to Iran". (Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Gareth Jones) New Iranian president vows not to bother women on anniversary of Aminis death Masoud Pezeshkian speaking to reporters in Tehran on Monday - Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian president, has vowed to ensure morality police will no longer bother women on the second anniversary of Mahsa Aminis death. Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, died in police custody on Sept 16 2022 after morality police arrested her for an alleged breach of the Islamic republics strict female dress code in Tehran. Her death triggered months-long protests in which thousands of demonstrators were detained and hundreds killed. On Monday, in his first press conference since taking office in July, Mr Pezeshkian said: The morality police were not supposed to confront [women]. I will follow up so they dont bother [them]. He replaced the ultra-conservative Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. Mahsa Amini, 22, at Irans Kasra Hospital after she was taken to the Vozara detention centre - Shutterstock Aminis death triggered months-long protests across Iran - Shutterstock Mr Pezeshkian promised to fully oppose police patrols enforcing mandatory hijab headscarves throughout his election campaign and to ease long-standing internet restrictions. Iran has tightly controlled internet use over the years and restricted popular social media platforms such as Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter. Stricter controls were enforced in 2019 following protests against fuel price increases and demonstrations triggered by Aminis death. On Monday, Mr Pezeshkian confirmed that his government was working to ease social media restrictions and touched on Irans fraught relations with the US. We do not want to fight with America if it respects our rights, he said. It is not us who are hostile [to the Americans]. We have not built military bases around their country. Iranian women remove their headscarves in front of police during protests after Mahsa Aminis death in custody - SalamPix Iran and the US have had no diplomatic relations since 1980 after the Islamic Revolution toppled Western-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the countrys last monarch. A landmark deal between Iran and world powers granted the country sanctions relief in return for curbing its nuclear programme. However, the agreement collapsed and tensions reignited after the US unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran the following year. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Iran's new president has said that morality police will no longer "bother" women over the wearing of the mandatory hijab headscarf, days after the UN warned women were still being violently punished for breaking the strict dress code. Masoud Pezeshkian's comments came on the second anniversary of the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was arrested for allegedly not wearing the hijab properly, sparking nationwide protests. The UN last week said Iran's government had "intensified efforts" since that period to suppress women's rights and crush any last vestiges of activism. But on Monday, Pezeshkian said that the regime's morality police should no longer be confronting women on the street. Pezeshkian, who became president after his predecessor died in a helicopter crash, is seen as a potentially reformist leader. He was responding to questions from a female reporter who said she had taken detours en route to the press conference to avoid police vans. She was wearing her head scarf loosely with some hair showing. When asked by Pezeshkian if the police were still on the streets she confirmed that was the case. In response he said: "The morality police were not supposed to confront [women]. I will follow up so they don't bother [them]". His comments were broadcast live on major state TV networks, including rolling news channel IRINN. The clip of the conversation with the female journalist has since gone viral online. It was Pezeshkian's first press conference since coming into office in July, replacing the ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi. During his election campaign he pledged to oppose police patrols enforcing the mandatory hijab headscarf. He has also vowed to ease some of the country's long-standing internet controls. Iran stepped up surveillance of social media following the nationwide women-led anti-establishment protests in 2022. Signs of a potentially more relaxed attitude to the country's strict dress code for women were present at Pezeshkian's press conference on Monday, where some female journalists wore loose head coverings. This was a noticeable departure from previous official events where female journalists are required to appear in full hijab, BBC Monitoring reported. But the UN's latest fact-finding mission in the country says women "still live in a system that relegates them to second class citizens". In its report released last week, the UN said: "State authorities have expanded repressive measures and policies to further deprive women and girls of their fundamental rights." It noted the government had "enhanced surveillance of hijab compliance" in both public and private environments while also endorsing an escalation in violence in punishing women and girls who break the rules. "Security forces have further escalated pre-existing patterns of physical violence, including beating, kicking, and slapping women and girls who are perceived as failing to comply with the mandatory hijab laws and regulations," the UN said. It said authorities had also increasingly invoked the use of the death penalty against women activists and "scaled up" executions of those who had expressed solidarity with the 2022 protests known as the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. The UN mission also noted that a Hijab and Chastity bill was in the final stages of approval before Irans Guardian Council and could be finalised imminently. "The Bill provides for harsher penalties for women who do not wear the mandatory hijab, including exorbitant financial fines, longer prison sentences, restrictions on work and educational opportunities, and bans on travel," the UN investigators said. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran's new reformist president insisted Monday that Tehran didn't want to enrich uranium at near-weapons grade levels but had been forced to by the U.S. withdrawal from its nuclear deal with world powers. The comments by President Masoud Pezeshkian, in response to a question by The Associated Press at his first news conference, underlines a campaign promise he made to try to see international sanctions on the Islamic Republic lifted. However, it remains unclear just how much room for negotiation Pezeshkian will have and just who will be in the White House come next year. I think, we said many times, we dont want to do this at all. We want to solve our technical and scientific needs, we are not looking for nuclear weapons," Pezeshkian said. We adhered to the framework written in the (nuclear deal). We are still looking to maintain those frameworks. They tore them, they forced us to do something. He added: If they dont continue, we will not continue, Pezeshkian's comments came as Iran enriches uranium up to 60% purity, which is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran long has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, but Western nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Iran had a military nuclear program up until 2003. Iran's supreme leader, the 85-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has opened the door to possible negotiations by earlier telling its civilian government there was no harm in engaging with its enemy. There have been indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. in recent years mediated by Oman and Qatar, two of Washington's Middle East interlocutors when it comes to Iran. Pezeshkians new foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, also was deeply involved in negotiating the 2015 deal. Pezeshkian, asked if he'd meet or talk with U.S. President Joe Biden or whoever wins the November election, said that Washington should return to the nuclear deal first, then we will talk, there is no dispute. They have blocked all roads to us, Pezeshkian said. They should show that they have no enmity towards us. We have no enmity toward them. Pezeshkian urged the U.S. not to threaten Iran with its regional military bases or impose sanctions on the country. Otherwise, we are a brother with them," he said. Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and Israel have hit a new high during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Tehran launched an unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel in April. A shadow war between the two countries over the years reached a climax with Israels apparent attack on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed two Iranian generals and others. The July assassination in Tehran of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, suspected to have been carried out by Israel, also prompted Iran to threaten to retaliate against Israel. Pezeshkian, meanwhile, said that Iran wouldn't give up its ballistic missile arsenal unless all are disarmed in our region. He made a point to say that Israel should disarm after earlier criticizing its conduct in the ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. "We need military power for the security of our people and country," he said. We will not lose our defense power unless all are disarmed in our region. If America also respects our rights, we have no dispute. Do not sanction or threaten us, we will not be threatened. ___ Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks at his first press conference since taking office (ATTA KENARE) (ATTA KENARE/AFP/AFP) Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed Monday to ensure the morality police would no longer "bother" women, in remarks to the media on the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in custody. Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, died in police custody on September 16, 2022, days after the morality police arrested her in Tehran for an alleged breach of the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women. Her death triggered months-long protests nationwide, with hundreds of people killed, including dozens of security personnel. Thousands of demonstrators were arrested. "The morality police were not supposed to confront (women). I will follow up so they don't bother" them, Pezeshkian said during his first press conference in Iran since he took office in July. Pezeshkian replaced the ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. During election campaigning, he had vowed to "fully" oppose police patrols enforcing the mandatory hijab headscarf, as well as easing long-standing internet restrictions. Iran has over the years tightly controlled internet use, restricting popular social media platforms such as Facebook and X. Harsher curbs were enforced following 2019 protests against fuel price hikes and during the demonstrations triggered by Amini's death. On Monday, Pezeshkian said his government was working to ease restrictions online, especially on social media. - Relations with the West - At his press conference, Pezeshkian briefly touched on other topics including Iran's fraught relations with the United States and the 2015 nuclear deal. "We do not want to fight with America if it respects our rights," he said. "It is not us who are hostile (to the Americans). We have not built military bases around their country," Pezeshkian added, referring to US bases in the Gulf and in Iraq. Iran and the United States have had no diplomatic relations since 1980, the year after the Islamic Revolution that toppled its Western-backed Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. A landmark 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers granted Iran sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear programme. But the deal quickly collapsed and tensions reignited after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran the following year. Iran has since suspended its compliance with caps on nuclear activities. "We are not seeking nuclear weapons. We have respected the framework of the nuclear agreement," Pezeshkian said. He charged that Washington "broke the agreement and forced us to do something." Pezeshkian also spoke about newly imposed European sanctions targeting Iranian air transport over accusations that Tehran had delivered ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the Ukraine war. Iran has repeatedly denied sending weapons to Russia for use in the war, and vowed to respond to the latest in a long string of Western sanctions. Pezeshkian said Iran has "not given" Russia any weapons at least since he assumed the presidency. "It is possible that Iran and Russia had military cooperation in the past... because there was no ban at the time," he said. "What I can say with certainty is that since our arrival, we have not given them anything." - 'Disarm Israel' - He also insisted on Iran's right to maintain its missile programme, which has drawn Western criticism, as a deterrent against its arch-foe Israel. "They (the West) want us not to have missiles, that is fine, but you need to disarm Israel first," he said, adding that otherwise "they can drop bombs on us whenever they want, like in Gaza". Pezeshkian also said "we don't have in Iran the type of hypersonic missile" that Tehran-backed Huthi rebels claimed to have fired at Israel on Sunday, rejecting accusations that Iran had supplied the missile used in the rare attack. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier denied as a whole any weapons transfer to Yemen. Israel launched a relentless campaign against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, following the October 7 attack that resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Israel's offensive has killed at least 41,226 people in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry. Tehran hailed Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel but denied any involvement. Iran does not recognise Israel, and has made support for the Palestinian cause a centrepiece of its foreign policy since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. ap-pdm/mz/ami Sulaymaniyah, Iraq Officials, family members and journalists gathered Saturday in Freedom Park, in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah, for the unveiling of a new monument to the "Guardians of Truth." The monument commemorates the lives of journalists killed covering the more than two decades of warfare that have plagued Iraq since 2003. The monument features the names of 551 Iraqi and foreign journalists, in alphabetical order under the year in which they were killed, set on massive metal plates. Among guardians of truth memorialized on the monoliths are two of CBS News' own heroes. On May 29, 2006, CBS News sound engineer James Brolan and cameraman Paul Douglas were killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. Correspondent Kimberly Dozier was badly wounded in the same explosion. A file photo shows CBS News cameraman Paul Douglas, left, and sound engineer James Brolan on assignment in Baghdad, Iraq. / Credit: CBS News "The shock was so deep and the loss so great that no amount of time could really diminish it," correspondent Mark Phillips said of his fallen friends and colleagues 10 years after the blast tore a hole in the CBS News family. CBS News' London bureau has continued to pay tribute to Brolan and Douglas since they were killed, including through support of the The Rory Peck Trust and Reporters Without Borders, two charities that work to protect and support journalists and their families around the world. Brolan's and Douglas' names are also etched on a memorial to fallen journalists in Bayeux, northern France, which three of their colleagues cycled to from London in 2009, covering 200 miles in five days to raise money for those charities in their honor. Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government, delivers remarks at the unveiling of the The man behind the new monument in Iraq is the Kurdistan Regional Government's Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani, who told the audience it was "a recognition of those fallen journalists' courage and commitment to tell the truth. It is an attempt to preserve and keep their names, their memories, alive. They are our heroes." The vast majority of the names on the monument belong to Iraqi journalists who died covering the calamity in their own country. Journalism has remained one of the most dangerous jobs in Iraq since 2003. The names of CBS News journalists James Brolan and Paul Douglas, both killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad on May 29, 2006, are seen on the "We saw more than 530 journalists sacrificed since 2003," Mouaid al-Lami, who leads the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, said at the monument's unveiling. "It is an unprecedented number of fallen journalists in one single war." Most of the journalists at the ceremony weren't there to cover the ceremony, but to pay their respects to fallen friends and colleagues. That includes Yassir Ismael, 43, who lost his father and his older brother in 2006, when they were both working as journalists for The Associated Press in Baghdad. The newly unveiled "It is emotionally overwhelming to see such recognition for fallen journalists," he said, noting that the monument is "the first of its kind in Iraq." "We are in debt to all those heroes," Ismael added, "especially to foreign journalists who came and helped to tell the stories of our suffering to the world." New bodycam video of Trump apparent attempted assassination suspect arrest Suspect charged in Trump apparent assassination attempt near Florida golf course The Climate Election: Rising home insurance costs, explained Officers detained a 15-year-old boy after a possible threat of school violence, according to the New Brighton Department of Public Safety. The department thanked many members of the Irondale High School community in New Brighton for quickly bringing to our attention a possible threat of violence posted on social media, New Brighton police wrote on social media late Sunday. Through the investigation, police located the teen, spoke with him and searched his familys residence, where they found no evidence of weapons, said Tony Paetznick, New Brighton Public Safety director. Police said they will be referring the case to the Ramsey County Attorneys Office. The county attorneys office said they cant provide additional information because of the youths age. The investigation has concluded there is no ongoing danger to our students or staff, Irondale High School Principal Vichai Saefong wrote to parents. As such, school will be in session on Monday as usual. The case comes on the heels of a 12-year-old girl who St. Paul police say last week admitted to making a social media threat against schools that was widely circulated. She did not have the means or desire to carry out the threat, police wrote in a social media update last week. That post named 22 schools in St. Paul, Maplewood, Roseville and Little Canada and led two charter schools in St. Paul to close on Thursday. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has noted an increase in mentions on social media regarding school violence, according to Howie Padilla, Minnesota Department of Public Safety spokesman. Investigators take each mention seriously and work with partner agencies to investigate it, he said. On Sept. 4 in Georgia, a 14-year-old is accused of fatally shooting four people at his high school. Related Articles Billionaire founder Larry Ellison and his daughter Megan Ellison. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Annapurna Interactive's entire 25-member staff resigned this week amid internal tensions. Megan Ellison, the daughter of billionaire Larry Ellison, owns the company. The resignations came after failed talks to separate the studio into its own company. Megan Ellison's award-winning video game company has a problem: Nobody wants to work there. Ellison is the daughter of Larry Ellison, the billionaire cofounder of the world's third-largest software company, Oracle. Megan Ellison founded her film studio, Annapurna Studios, in 2011, later adding Annapurna Interactive, the company's gaming division, in 2016. Annapurna Interactive has produced several popular games since 2016, including "Outer Wilds," "What Remains of Edith Finch," and "Stray," which lets the player discover a futuristic, cyberpunk-inspired city through the eyes of a cat. "Stray" won Best Debut Indie Game at the 2022 Game Awards. Despite its success, tension inside the company reached a breaking point this week when the studio's entire 25-member staff resigned, Bloomberg reported. Former Annapurna president and cofounder Nathan Gary who left the company earlier this month told the outlet the staff's collective decision to leave was "the hardest decision we have ever had to make, and we did not take this action lightly." The mass resignations followed failed talks between Gary, other Annapurna Interactive executives, and Ellison, about letting the studio separate into its own company, according to Bloomberg. Deborah Mars and Nathan Vella, two top executives in the gaming division, also resigned from the company, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Annapurna hired Hector Sanchez, former head of content and Unreal Engine Games at Fortnite maker Epic Games, to lead its interactive divisions moving forward. Annapurna Studios did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider. The company told Bloomberg that it explored the idea of a "spinoff" company, but could not reach an agreement. "Our top priority is continuing to support our developer and publishing partners during this transition," Ellison told the outlet. "We're committed to not only our existing slate of games but also expanding our presence in the interactive space as we continue to look for opportunities to take a more integrated approach to linear and interactive storytelling across film and TV, gaming, and theater." Read the original article on Business Insider There is a particular kind of horror in watching footage of the October 7 attack. Israel and Gaza: Into the Abyss (ITV1), an at-times unbearable documentary from filmmaker Robin Barnwell, featured a video shot by Hamas terrorists as they held a family at gunpoint in their home. The father is in a blank state of shock: the blood on his clothes is that of his teenage daughter, shot dead moments earlier. The mother tries to comfort their two younger children. One of them, a little boy almost delirious with fear, sobs: Dad, Im scared, I dont want this, and asks: Are they killing us? That the terrorists live-streamed these moments as a symbol of triumph is grotesque; that they committed these crimes while looking children in the eye is a mark of their sheer inhumanity. Another kibbutz dweller, whose husband and 12-year-old son were taken hostage, says: We knew they hated us but we still thought there was a limit to their cruelty. The first portion of this distressing film tells the story of October 7, using footage from that day and interviews with survivors. Another terrifying video was taken by a reveller at the Nova music festival, hiding in a bush as they were hunted down. We hear the terrorists, feet away: Brothers, we dont want hostages. Weve got a lot already. Kill. The second part of the film takes us inside Gaza, documenting the misery and death rained down by Israels bombs. Because scenes of war are so commonplace in news bulletins, fatigue can set in: another bombed-out city, more bloodied faces and grieving relatives. But here were hideous scenes of suffering. A traumatised young boy in hospital, who has narrowly survived the bombing of his home, asks for his father. His uncle tells him that his father is fine: How could I make it worse? How could I tell him Ive just seen your dads body in pieces? Everyone has their view about who is to blame or whether Israels response is justified. We can debate broadcasters bias. But Barnwells focus is on the victims, and here he achieves balance. The terrified Jewish child in the kibbutz and the terrified Palestinian boy in the hospital are both suffering through no fault of their own. Depressingly, interviews with civilians illustrated the depth of hatred, deepened by this latest conflict. October 7 taught me there are no innocent people in Gaza, says an Israeli woman. They made the decision to be monsters, so they are dead to me, says a Palestinian doctor. A teenage girl from a kibbutz close to the border, kidnapped but later released, had not realised what life was like in Gaza. Its 10 minutes away, but theres a gap between this world and what lies beyond the fence the darkness and despair there. I thought in another universe we might live together. The opportunity is gone. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. (Bloomberg) -- Israeli markets weakened after widespread reports in local media that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was considering firing his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, and replacing him with Gideon Saar, an opposition lawmaker. Most Read from Bloomberg The shekel fell 0.7% to 3.74 per dollar as of 2:25 p.m. in Tel Aviv, one of the worst performances globally, while yields on local bonds rose. Netanyahus office put out a statement soon after the emergence of the reports, carried by broadcaster Kan, the Jerusalem Post and others. While he denied he was in negotiations with Saar, he did not refer to Gallant. The reports on the matter of negotiations with Gideon Saar are not correct, Netanyahus office said. Gallants office declined to comment to Bloomberg. Netanyahu and Gallant have frequently clashed over the war in Gaza against Hamas and whether or not to accept a cease-fire that would lead to the release of hostages held by the Palestinian militant group. Most recently, Gallant was the only member of the 10-person security cabinet to vote against a policy to maintain a military presence in Gazas so-called Philadelphi corridor. Netanyahus insistence that troops remain in the corridor, which runs along the Gaza-Egypt border, has angered Hamas and Cairo and proved a key sticking point in the truce talks. Gallant, a retired admiral, also crossed swords with Netanyahu last year over a divisive judicial overhaul plan championed by the prime minister. Noting that some anti-government protesters were threatening not to turn up for military reserve duties, Gallant warned that Israels warreadiness was being sapped. Netanyahu announced Gallants dismissal and then walked back after a wave of street demonstrations. Gallants open channels with the Pentagon have helped the Israel-US alliance weather tensions between Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden, especially after the Gaza war erupted last October. Israeli polls have generally shown Gallant to be more popular than the legally-embattled prime minister. The defense minister belongs to Netanyahus Likud party, while Saar, a veteran lawmaker, heads a party that has four members in the 120-seat parliament, or Knesset. If Saar joined the ruling coalition, that would boost Netanyahus political strength. Political Machinations Benny Gantz, another opposition leader who quit the emergency government in June after clashing with Netanyahu, said the prime minister was prioritizing his political survival over the return of the hostages, defeating Hamas and dealing with Hezbollah militants based across Israels northern border in Lebanon. He is busy with disgraceful political machinations and a replacement of the defense minister ahead of an intensive campaign in the north, Gantz said on Monday on X, formerly known as Twitter. This indicates poor judgment. Saar held cabinet portfolios in previous Netanyahu governments. After a failed bid to unseat Netanyahu as Likud leader in 2019, Saar created the New Hope party and later allied himself with Gantz. Together with Gantz, Saar joined Netanyahu in the emergency government after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that triggered the Gaza war. In March, Saar split with Gantz and withdrew from the government, complaining of his exclusion from the narrow war cabinet that was handling day-to-day decision-making. Saars military experience is limited to a stint as an infantry conscript. He is a lawyer by training and former attorney-generals aide. --With assistance from Galit Altstein. (Updates throughout.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told a visiting US envoy on Monday that prospects were dimming for a halt to nearly a year of fighting with Hamas ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Iran-backed Lebanese armed group has traded regular cross-border fire with Israeli forces since Hamas's October 7 attack sparked war in the Gaza Strip, in a campaign Hezbollah has said was in support of its Palestinian ally. Gallant on Monday met with visiting US envoy Amos Hochstein to discuss Israeli military operations against Hezbollah and the plight of Israelis displaced by the cross-border strikes, the defence ministry said in a statement. He "emphasised that the possibility for an agreement is running out as Hezbollah continues to 'tie itself' to Hamas, and refuses to end the conflict," the statement said. "Therefore, the only way left to ensure the return of Israel's northern communities to their homes, will be via military action." Earlier on Monday the ministry said Gallant delivered a similar message by phone to his US counterpart Lloyd Austin about time "running out" for an agreement that would end the conflict. While repeated rounds of talks mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt have sought a truce in Gaza, there have been no signs of progress in diplomacy aimed at halting the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. Hezbollah officials have said the group would stand down if a Gaza ceasefire is reached, while Israel insists it cannot allow militants to remain in the border area in Lebanon's south. The violence has killed hundreds of mostly fighters in Lebanon, and dozens of civilians and soldiers on the Israeli side. The fighting has also forced tens of thousands of people on both sides to flee their homes. Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem said Saturday his group has "no intention of going to war", but if Israel does "unleash" one "there will be large losses on both sides". Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in the summer of 2006 that killed more than 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, as well as 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers. The Israeli defence ministry statement about Gallant's call with Austin said the Israeli minister "reiterated Israel's commitment to the removal of Hezbollah presence in southern Lebanon, and to enabling the safe return of Israel's northern communities to their homes" after more than 11 months. - Tensions in cabinet - Monday's defence ministry statements came as several Israeli media including the left-leaning Haaretz daily reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was considering firing Gallant, which Netanyahu's office denied. Gallant, who had already survived an attempt by Netanyahu to dismiss him in March 2023, is among several Israeli officials who have been at odds with the prime minister on war policy. While Gallant, a former general, remains grimly committed to destroying Hamas over its October 7 attack, he has clashed with Netanyahu on the issue of Gaza's post-war governance and pressed the prime minister to declare a policy. Gallant has opposed any permanent Israeli occupation of Gaza, which Israel seized in 1967 before withdrawing troops and settlers in 2005, then imposing a crippling blockade and, after October 7, a siege. The Israeli defence minister had said that "the 'day after Hamas' will only be achieved with Palestinian entities taking control of Gaza, accompanied by international actors", rejecting long-term Israeli administration of the Palestinian territory. Israeli media last month quoted Gallant as telling a parliamentary committee that a deal to release hostages held in Gaza "is stalling... in part because of Israel", prompting Netanyahu's office to accuse Gallant of adopting an "anti-Israel narrative". Netanyahu on Sunday publicly addressed the crisis on Israel's northern border, saying at a cabinet meeting that the current situation was not sustainable. "The status quo will not continue. This requires a change in the balance of power on our northern border," said Netanyahu, without specifying how he planned to achieve it. bur-lba/rcb/jd/dv Time running out for diplomatic solution to Hezbollah conflict, Israel tells US Yoav Gallant, Israels defence minister, informed Lloyd Austin, his American counterpart, that war is imminent - KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS Israel has told the United States that hopes for a diplomatic solution to the conflict with Hezbollah are dwindling and a full-scale war is looming. Yoav Gallant, Israels defence minister, informed Lloyd Austin, his American counterpart, on Monday, that the possibility for an agreed framework in the northern arena is running out. Mr Gallant blamed Hezbollahs ongoing position of tying itself to fellow Iran-backed terror group, Hamas. The trajectory is clear, said Mr Gallant, indicating that Israel will have to go to war with the Lebanon-based Hezbollah to solve the daily rocket and drone attacks on its northern border. At least 40 rockets were fired by Hezbollah at Israel on Sunday and, separately, several IDF soldiers were wounded in a drone explosion in the Golan Heights. Israel firing shells over the southern Lebanese border village of Khiam - RABIH DAHER/AP Mr Gallant has previously warned Hezbollah that Israel will turn Lebanon back to the Stone Age in the event of a full-fledged war. His latest warning comes after Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, also implied that Israel would have to take further steps to allow the 60,000 internally displaced Israelis to return to their homes in the north. The current situation will not continue, said Mr Netanyahu during Sundays cabinet meeting. This requires a change in the balance of forces on our northern border. We will do whatever is necessary to return our residents securely to their homes. The IDF and the Israeli defence ministry also made further preparations to defend the northern border, announcing on Monday that civilian defence squads in 97 communities close to Lebanon have been equipped with new arms and combat gear. Communities in the Golan Heights are also set to be rearmed in the coming weeks, amounting to a total of 120 civil defence squads receiving new equipment. An Israeli strike hits the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of Rachaya al-Fukhar - RABIH DAHER/AFP The ministry said it purchased 9,000 Arad-type rifles at the cost of 10 million. Meanwhile, unsanctioned leaflets with evacuation orders for civilians were dropped in the village of Wazzani in south Lebanon on Sunday, raising further fears of a major attack by Israel. To all residents and refugees living in the area of the camps, Hezbollah is firing from your region, the leaflet read in Arabic according to AFP. You must immediately leave your homes and head north of the Khiam region before 4pm. Do not return to this area until the end of the war. Anyone present in this area after this time will be considered a terrorist. The IDF later said the leaflets had not been authorised and an investigation into the incident had been opened. Hezbollah began launching daily rockets, anti-tank missiles and drones at Israel on Oct 8 last year in support of Hamass war against Israel. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, has since said that the terror group will stop attacking Israel when a ceasefire in Gaza is reached. But both Hamas and Israel have refused to give up on core demands in recent weeks, making the prospect of a ceasefire deal bleak. Israeli airstrikes killed 16 people in Gaza on Monday, including five women and four children, according to Palestinian health officials. A strike flattened a home in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least 10 people, Associated Press reported. The Awda Hospital, which received the bodies, confirmed the death toll to AP and also said 13 people were wounded. Hospital records show that the dead included a mother, her child and her five siblings. Another strike on a home in Gaza City killed six people, including a woman and two children according to the Civil Defense, rescue workers who operate under the Hamas-run government. Israel says it only targets militants and accuses Hamas and other armed groups of endangering civilians by operating in residential areas. The IDF rarely comments on individual strikes, which often kill women and children. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Heavy white smoke billows from the southern Lebanese Marjayoun terrain, facing the Israeli settlement of Mutella following heavy Israeli shelling. Stringer/dpa One Hezbollah fighter was killed on Monday and six other people were wounded in violence that engulfed areas on the Lebanese-Israeli border. The Lebanese Health Ministry said one person was killed and four others were also injured in an Israeli airstrike on the village of Houla in southern Lebanon, with three of them taken to hospital. Hezbollah announced the death of one of its fighters on Monday but did not say where or when he was killed, however a Lebanese security source said he was killed in the airstrike on Houla. The ministry added that a new Israeli airstrike had slightly wounded two paramedics working for a Hezbollah-affiliated medical emergency group in Tayr Harfa in south Lebanon. It said that an Israeli mortar shell hit near the car of the paramedics while they were "carrying out their humanitarian duties" after the Israeli strike. Earlier, the Israeli army said it had attacked terrorist infrastructure in the Houla area. The Israeli strikes came after a number of projectiles were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel and were intercepted. No injuries were reported on the Israeli side of the border. Hezbollah said it fired rockets at various targets in northern Israel to avenge Israeli strikes on civilian areas in southern and eastern Lebanon on Sunday. Since the war began 11 months ago in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, which is allied with Hezbollah, there have been almost daily military confrontations between the Israeli army and Hezbollah in the border area between the two countries. There have been deaths on both sides, most of them members of Hezbollah. Hezbollah says it is acting in solidarity with Hamas. 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 window for a diplomatic solution in the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia in the northern Israeli border region is closing, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement issued on Monday. Following an overnight call between Gallant and his US counterpart Lloyd Austin, Gallant's office said the minister told Austin that the trajectory is clear regarding the potential for a broader conflict in the region. "The possibility for an agreed framework in the northern arena is running out as Hezbollah continues to tie itself to Hamas," Gallant told Austin. According to media reports, US mediator Amos Hochstein, who has been striving for months to achieve de-escalation, plans to hold further talks in Israel. He is also expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in addition to Gallant. Since the beginning of the war in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militant Hamas group nearly a year ago, there have been almost daily military confrontations between the Israeli army and the Iran-aligned Hezbollah in the border area of the two countries. There have been casualties on both sides, most of them members of Hezbollah. Tens of thousands have had to flee their homes on both sides of the border. The mutual shelling has caused significant destruction in Lebanese and Israeli towns. Hezbollah has said it is only willing to stop their attacks in when there is a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Israel is committed to ensuring the safe return of its citizens to their homes in the north as well as to efforts for a ceasefire in the Gaza war, Gallant said during the call. However, the goal remains the destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages "by any means." Israel demands that Hezbollah also withdraw from the border area, as stipulated by a UN resolution. In a meeting with a top adviser to President Biden on Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that "military action" against Hezbollah was the "only way" to safely return its citizens to their northern homes. U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein met with both Gallant and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an attempt to avoid a broader conflict between the Jewish state and the Iran-backed terrorist groups. But Israeli officials appeared steadfast in their position on handling Hamas to the south and Hezbollah to the north, and noted the time to secure a cease-fire agreement to end the war in Gaza was running out, particularly as Hezbollah continues to "tie itself" to Hamas. Amos Hochstein, left, senior adviser to President Biden, meets with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during his visit in Tel Aviv, Israel on Sept. 16, 2024. HEZBOLLAH RELIES ON 'SOPHISTICATED' TUNNEL SYSTEM BACKED BY IRAN, NORTH KOREA IN FIGHT AGAINST ISRAEL Instead, Gallant told Hochstein that Jerusalem needed to "change the security situation on the northern border," though he did not detail what this would entail. Israeli security experts have been warning for months that Jerusalem faces a far greater threat along its northern border as Hezbollah already better financially backed and militarily equipped than other Iranian proxy forces like Hamas has been gaining power for decades. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Israeli citizens fled their homes in the north following the catastrophic attacks by Hamas in the south on Oct. 7, 2023, fearing a similar attack could be carried out by Hezbollah. Additional evacuations have since been enforced by government officials along the northern border as Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah routinely engage in cross-border skirmishes. Israeli soldiers evacuate an injured man following a cross-border attack from Lebanon into Israel, Sept. 1, 2024. ISRAEL'S UN AMBASSADOR SLAMS WORLD BODY, SAYS UNRWA TAKEN OVER BY HAMAS TERRORISTS IN GAZA It is unclear how many Israeli residents have been displaced since the onslaught of the war against Hamas nearly one year ago, though some estimates suggest that figure could be as high as 80,000. "We are in a multi-front campaign against Iran's axis of evil, which is striving for our destruction," Netanyahu said following Houthi and Hezbollah missile strikes on Sunday. "I am attentive to the residents of the north. "I see their distress. I hear their anguish. The current situation will not continue," he added. "This requires a change in the balance of forces on our northern border. We will do whatever is necessary to return our residents securely to their homes. "I am committed to this. The government is committed to this, and we will not suffice with less than this," Netanyahu warned. Israeli officials have shown increasing resistance to a cease-fire deal with Hamas and have said no deal can be reached without the return of all hostages, despite pressure from the Biden administration. An explosion takes place as Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon, as seen from Zibqin, Lebanon, Aug. 25, 2024. Netanyahu has also said there are major security concerns that cannot be compromised for the sake of a cease-fire, like the continued presence of Israeli forces in the Philadelphi Corridor in Gaza, which runs along the border with Egypt. Following the Monday meeting between Netanyahu and Hochstein, the prime minister, according to a readout of the exchange, said Israel "appreciates and respects the support of the United States," but added that Jerusalem "will do whatever is necessary to maintain its security and return the residents of the north to their homes safely." Fox News' Yonat Friling contributed to this article. Original article source: Israeli defense minister tells US only military action can return people to homes amid Hezbollah threat Heavy white smoke billows from the southern Lebanese Marjayoun terrain, facing the Israeli settlement of Mutella following heavy Israeli shelling. Stringer/dpa A potential larger war between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah may be approaching, remarks made by the Israeli government on Monday suggested. The possibility for an agreement is running out as Hezbollah continues to "tie itself" to the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, and refuses to end the conflict, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said at a meeting with US mediator Amos Hochstein. "Therefore, the only way left to ensure the return of Israel's northern communities to their homes will be via military action," Gallant said. His comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Hochstein, "It will not be possible to return our residents without a fundamental change in the security situation in the north." They were discussing the efforts to change the security situation on Israel's border with Lebanon and ensure the safe return of Israel's northern communities to their homes, after the violence in the area between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah. There have been almost daily military confrontations between the Israeli army and Hezbollah in the border area between the two countries since the war between Israel and Hezbollah ally Hamas broke out in Gaza Strip 11 months ago. There have been deaths on both sides, most of them members of Hezbollah. Hezbollah says it is acting in solidarity with Hamas. Hochstein has been working for months to de-escalate the highly tense situation at the border, where tens of thousands of people have fled their homes. He also warned senior Israel's top politicians of dangerous consequences of a larger war which could further spread to the broader region, according to the Israeli TV channel N12. Netanyahu said that while Israel appreciates and respects the support of the US, it would ultimately "do what is necessary to safeguard its security and return the residents of the north securely to their homes." Earlier, a Hezbollah fighter was killed and six other people were wounded in violence that engulfed areas on the Lebanese-Israeli border. The Lebanese Health Ministry said one person was killed and four others were also injured in an Israeli airstrike on the village of Houla in southern Lebanon, with three of them taken to hospital. Hezbollah announced the death of one of its fighters on Monday but did not say where or when he was killed, however a Lebanese security source said he was killed in the airstrike on Houla. The ministry added that a new Israeli airstrike had slightly wounded two paramedics working for a Hezbollah-affiliated medical emergency group in Tayr Harfa in southern Lebanon. It said that an Israeli mortar shell hit near the car of the paramedics while they were "carrying out their humanitarian duties" after the Israeli strike. Earlier, the Israeli army said it had attacked "terrorist infrastructure" in the Houla area. The Israeli strikes came after a number of projectiles were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel and were intercepted. No injuries were reported on the Israeli side of the border. Hezbollah said it fired rockets at various targets in northern Israel to avenge Israeli strikes on civilian areas in southern and eastern Lebanon on Sunday. Israeli minister says time running out for diplomatic solution with Hezbollah in Lebanon JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday that the window was closing for a diplomatic solution to the standoff with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon. Gallant's remarks came as the White House Special envoy Amos Hochstein visited Israel to discuss the crisis on the northern border where Israeli troops have been exchanging missile fire with Hezbollah forces for months. "The possibility for an agreed framework in the northern arena is running out," Gallant told Austin in a phone call, according to a statement from his office. As long as Hezbollah continued to tie itself to the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza, where Israeli forces have been engaged for almost a year, "the trajectory is clear," he said. The visit by Hochstein, who is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, comes amid efforts to find a diplomatic path out of the crisis, which has forced tens of thousands on both sides of the border to leave their homes. On Monday, Israeli media reported that the head of the army's northern command had recommended a rapid border operation to create a buffer zone in southern Lebanon. While the war in Gaza has been Israel's main focus since the attack by Hamas-led gunmen on Oct. 7 last year, the precarious situation in the north has fuelled fears of a regional conflict that could drag in the United States and Iran. A missile barrage by Hezbollah the day after Oct. 7 opened the latest phase of conflict and since then there have been daily exchanges of rockets, artillery fire and missiles, with Israeli jets striking deep into Lebanese territory. Hezbollah has said it does not seek a wider war at present but would fight if Israel launched one. Israeli officials have said for months that Israel cannot accept the clearance of its northern border areas indefinitely but while troops remain committed to Gaza, there have also been questions about the military's readiness for an invasion of southern Lebanon. However, some of the hardline members of the Israeli government have been pressing for action and on Monday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a longtime foe of Gallant, called for him to be sacked. "We need a decision in the north and Gallant is not the right person to lead it," he said in a statement on the social media platform X. Hundreds of Hezbollah fighters and dozens of Israeli soldiers and civilians have been killed in the exchanges of fire, which have left communities on both sides of the border as virtual ghost towns. The two sides came close to all-out war last month after Israeli forces killed a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut in retaliation for a missile strike that killed 12 youngsters in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. On Monday, Israel's defence ministry said it had approved the distribution of 9,000 automatic rifles to civilian rapid response units in northern Israel and the Golan Heights. (Reporting by James Mackenzie; Editing by Susan Fenton) JERUSALEM - Israels ambassador to the world body, Danny Danon, issued a scathing indictment of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), declaring Hamas terrorists are running the organization in the Gaza Strip. Danons remarks came after last week's Israeli air strike that hit the UNRWA al-Jaouni school in a Gaza refugee camp. Danon questioned, "How long will the U.N. continue to bury its head in the sand and ignore the fact that Hamas terrorists have taken over UNRWA? Those who were killed yesterday (Wednesday) in the IDF strike were nine terrorists with blood on their hands, and some of them participated in the barbaric massacre on October 7. In case there are still any doubts, there are the names of the Hamas terrorists who were at the school compound disguised as local UNRWA employees." The school, which was not operational, was being used as a Hamas command and control center, according to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER: 'DOZENS' OF UNRWA STAFF TOOK PART IN HAMAS OCT 7 MASSACRE A protester holds a flag outside the UNRWA headquarters during the demonstration in Gaza, 2020. Danon listed the names of the Hamas terrorists who were affiliated with UNRWA on his X post, while noting "UNRWA-Gaza is a terrorist organization whose members participated in the October 7 massacre, and whose members abducted and murdered innocent Israeli civilians. It is time to shut down UNRWA." Just last month, Fox News Digital reported that UNRWA was forced to fire nine employees because of their likely involvement in Hamass slaughter of nearly 1,200 people on Oct. 7 in southern Israel. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP When approached by Fox News Digital, Juliette Touma, a UNRWA spokesperson, claimed "The Israeli authorities have not requested UNRWA officially to provide them with the list of staff killed in yesterdays attack on the UNRWA school." She added, "The names that appear on todays statement from the Israeli Army have not been flagged to us before by the Israeli authorities in previous occasions prior to today." She complained, "We always find out about these very serious allegations in the media. After the event." Schools in Gaza have not been in session since shortly after Israel waged war on Hamas in reaction to the Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel. DOSSIER REVEALS INFORMATION USED TO EXPLAIN UN AGENCY'S DEEP TIES TO HAMAS IN GAZA Fox News Digital asked the Israel Defense Forces about Toumas statement. An IDF spokesman said "From what I understood, its pretty clear in Gaza who belongs to who. I dont think this is a surprise at all to anyone in UNRWA, just an attempt to shift the discussion and blame." The IDF spokesman stressed that the UNRWA spokeswomans comment "Sounds like a diversion from talking about the important issue - terrorists working for the organization and using UNRWA as a cover." Hillel Neuer, executive director of U.N. Watch, told Fox News Digital. "This was a precision strike targeting terrorists who embedded a command and control center within a compound that had previously served as a school. The U.N. should be condemning Hamas for using civilian buildings for military purposes, which is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. Instead, they rushed to condemn Israel." Israeli Permanent Member to the United Nations Danny Danon speaks during a session of the Security Council at the New York City headquarters. Neuer, who has testified to Congress about the controversial agency, claimed, "UNRWA is deeply complicit with the Hamas terrorist organization. Their staff routinely celebrate terrorist attacks against Israelis and Jews, as we have identified in numerous of our reports, listing some 200 names. Next, we identified heads of UNRWA teachers unions, who are senior officials within Hamas. Suhail al-Hindi, who for many years headed the UNRWA teachers union in Gaza, is sitting on the Hamas political bureau with Yahya Sinwar. Likewise, the head of the UNRWA teachers union in Lebanon, Fathi al-Sharif, is a senior Hamas terrorist, documented on our website, unwatch.org." He called on foreign governments to stop funding UNRWA. "It is high time for all western states who are giving more than a billion dollars to UNRWA to stop funding a terror-infested agency. The Swiss parliament rightly called to stop funding it, and to end UNRWA altogether. We urge all other democracies, the U.S., UK, France, Germany, and Japan, to do the same." Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) armored units launch an attack on the Jabalia Refugee Camp in Gaza on May 15, 2024. UNRWA's Touma decried the Swiss decision. "Switzerlands lower parliament votes to suspend funding to UNRWA. It is beyond comprehension that this happens in circumstances where the Agency is at the forefront of lifesaving humanitarian work in Gaza. Switzerland has been known for championing humanitarian aid and playing a leading role in promoting international humanitarian law." Touma added, "Parliamentarians voting to phase out a U.N. General Assembly mandated Agency without offering a political alternative to Palestinians under occupation are again on the wrong side of history." CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The U.S. suspended funding to UNRWA because of the role some of its employees played in the Oct. 7 massacre. President Biden had initially restarted aid to the controversy-hit agency upon assuming office after former President Donald Trump's decision to defund the controversial organization in 2018. Original article source: Israel's UN ambassador slams world body, says UNRWA taken over by Hamas terrorists in Gaza (Reuters) -Microsoft (MSFT) said on Monday its board has approved a new share buy back program of up to $60 billion. The tech giant declared a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share, reflecting an 8 cent, or 10%, increase over the previous quarter. Microsoft said it will hold its annual shareholders meeting on Dec. 10. In July, the company said it will spend more this fiscal year on AI infrastructure. It reported a 77.6% rise in capital spending in the quarter ended June 30, largely due to AI-related expenses. The company reported a slowdown in growth at its Azure cloud business in the reported quarter but said growth would accelerate in the second half of fiscal 2025. Big tech companies, including Microsoft and Alphabet's Google, are facing investor pressure to show a pay off for the billions of dollars they have been investing in AI infrastructure. Microsoft is one of the few big companies that break out AI contributions in their quarterly earnings, as most firms are yet to see a big boost from AI investments. Last month, it had restructured how it reports results for its business units, moving some search and news advertising revenue under the Azure cloud-computing unit. Among other big technology companies, Apple unveiled a record $110 billion share buyback program in May after it reported upbeat quarterly results. Shares of Microsoft rose marginally in aftermarket trade. Stock has risen about 15% so far this year. (Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri) J.D. Vance seemingly admitted that he and Donald Trump have been spreading racist lies about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. During an interview Sunday with CNNs Dana Bash, Vance flailed as he attempted to downplay his tickets role in spreading completely discredited rumors that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating their neighbors cats and dogs. With Vance and Trumps help, the cartoonishly racist lies made their way to the national stage, fueling right-wing hysterics and resulting in multiple bomb threats in the city of Springfield. Why have I talked about some of the things that Ive been talking about? Vance said. My constituents have brought approximately a dozen separate concerns to me; 10 of them are verifiable and confirmable. And a couple of them I talk about because my constituents are telling me, firsthand, that they are seeing these things. Vance seemed to want to push the blame away from himself and onto his favorite punching bag: the media. Many of the things that the media says that are completely baseless have since been confirmed, Vance continued. For example, I was told, Dana, by the American media, that it was baseless that migrants were capturing the geese from the local park pond and eating them. Vance claimed that there were 911 calls from well before he had chosen to elevate the claims to national scrutiny that proved these things had taken place. So my attitude is, Listen to my constituents. Sometimes theyre going to say things that people dont like. But theyre saying things that people dont like because their town has been overwhelmed, Vance said, claiming he was protecting them by elevating these claims without ever actually confirming that they were true. An important difference between the media and Vance, however, is that news outlets actually bother to confirm their stories. Senator, I have to go through several things you just said, Bash replied. First of all, the Clark County Sheriff and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reviewed 11 months of 911 calls; they only identified two instances of people alleging Haitians were taking geese out of parks. They found zero evidence to substantiate those claims, Bash explained. Bash said the rest of his alleged evidence was unsourced social media videos from a different city. Apparently no connection to Haitians. She also noted that people had been paid to drum up so-called proof. Nobody is disputing that the town of Springfield, Ohio, needs help. But, youre not just a bystander, Bash said. Youre the senator from Ohio, so instead of saying things that are wrong, and actually causing the hospitals, the schools, the government buildings to be evacuated because of bomb threats, because of the cats and dogs thing, why not actually be constructive, in helping to better integrate them into the community? Because there are a lot of employers there who say that the Haitians workers are helping fill jobs that they need desperately filled. Rather than take any ownership of his role in spreading false claims and incendiary rhetoric, Vance recoiled, saying that any suggestion that hed been responsible for inciting the bomb threats in Springfield was disgusting. The Ohio senator scolded Bash for sounding like a Democratic propagandist as she called him out on his reckless lying. There is nothing that I have said that has led to threats against these hospitals. These hospitals, the bomb threats and so forth. Its disgusting. The violence is disgusting. We condemn all violence, Vance said, downplaying his obvious role in inciting the violence. wow -- Dana Bash with a brutal fact-check of JD Vance after Vance smears *legal* Haitian immigrants in Springfield with debunked claims. Vance responds by calling what she said "disgusting" as Bash looks shocked at him making it personal. pic.twitter.com/gbjDRjS2nF Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 15, 2024 Faced with Bashs evidence, though, Vance struggled to keep up his story. Bash tried to give him an out, asking him whether he could affirmatively say that the story about migrants eating their neighbors pets was a rumor that has no basis with evidence. Vance again said that he was describing the firsthand account of his constituents, before finally showing a crack in his week-long farce. The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes, Vance said. But it wasnt just a meme, Dana replied. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then thats what Im going to do, Dana, Vance said, before trying to pivot to complain about Harriss preferential treatment in the media and her public policy. You just said that youre creating a story, Bash said. Vance fell silent for a moment. You just said that this is a story that you created, Bash said. Yes! Vance replied, not getting it. So the eating dogs and cats thing Bash asked. We are creatwe are creating Dana, Vance said firmly, obviously frustrated. It comes from firsthand accounts from my constituents. I say that were creating a story meaning were creating the American media focusing on it. Vance claims he and Trump have to "create stories" about migrants eating cats and dogs "so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people." There is then some awkward dead air as Bash tries to highlight the absurdity of what he just said pic.twitter.com/IN26ZGYsvE Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 15, 2024 Sen. J.D. Vance (ROhio), Donald Trump's running mate, is sticking with the debunked story about Haitian immigrants who supposedly have been eating purloined pets in Springfield, Ohio. That tall tale provoked wide ridicule after Trump repeated it during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris last week. Undaunted, Vance told CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday that he preferred "the firsthand account of my constituents who are telling me that this happened" to the denials from Springfield officials, who say there is no evidence to substantiate it. Whether or not it is true that Haitians are dining on stolen cats and dogs, Vance said, the story has proven important in calling attention to the problems that Springfield is experiencing as a result of a migrant influx. "I've been trying to talk about the problems in Springfield for months," he told Bash. "The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do." That attitude is consistent with what Vance said when he gave the "cat memes" a boost shortly before Trump's debate with Harris. "Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio," he wrote on X the morning of September 9. "Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country. Where is our border czar?" The following morning, Vance reiterated that "my office has received many inquiries from actual residents of Springfield who've said their neighbors' pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants." He acknowledged that "it's possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false." But it is "confirmed," he said, that "local health services have been overwhelmed"; "that communicable diseaseslike TB and HIVhave been on the rise"; that "local schools have struggled to keep up with newcomers who don't know English"; and that "rents have risen so fast that many Springfield families can't afford to put a roof over their head." Vance added: "Don't let the crybabies in the media dissuade you, fellow patriots. Keep the cat memes flowing." Even if "all of these rumors" have no basis in reality, in other words, they are politically useful because they help bring home the problems caused by the Biden administration's lax immigration policies. Vance reiterated that stance on Sunday, simultaneously suggesting the rumors might be true, since his constituents had shared them, and that it does not really matter, because the main point is that Americans are suffering as a result of those policies, even if that suffering does not actually include the loss of beloved pets callously consumed by hungry Haitians. Meanwhile, Ohio's Republican governor, Mike DeWine, was appearing on ABC, where he condemned the pet-eating migrant story as "a piece of garbage that was simply not true," since "there's no evidence of this at all." Bash got into a spat with Vance, who complained that she was determined to ignore the broader issue. Bash, by contrast, argued that Vance and Trump, by "making unsubstantiated claims" with "racist undertones," were the ones who were making it difficult to have a rational conversation about "totally legitimate" concerns raised by the migrant influx. It seems clear that neither Trump nor Vance is interested in a rational conversation. "With this rhetoric," the Republican party is picking from the most predictable xenophobic playbook and invoking time-worn fear mongering." The idea that "immigrants 'eat pets,'" she wrote, "is meant to signify their backwardness, danger, and inferiority, " which "then justifies the Republican party's efforts to curtail immigration." For politicians "perpetuating this false narrative," the truth has taken a back seat to the intended message: that immigrants are not 'like us' and therefore pose a threat to hard-won American lives." Trump and Vance, she said, white 'Americans' with household pets like Fluffy and Fido as members of the family" and dark-skinned immigrants who are "trouncing on that which is held dear." Implicit racism aside, Vance is proving to be just as impervious to reality as the man he once condemned as a "total fraud" who was shockingly xenophobic, "reprehensible," "a moral disaster," and even possibly "America's Hitler." In crediting what he previously described as possibly false "rumors," Vance told Bash, he was simply "talk[ing] about what people are telling me," just as Trump said he was merely repeating what "people on television" had reported when they claimed "my dog was taken and used for food." Suggesting that the ensuing fact checks cannot be trusted, Vance averred that "many of the things that the media says are completely baseless have since been confirmed." For example, he said, "I was toldby the American media that it was baseless that migrants were capturing the geese from the local park pond and eating them." Yet "there are 911 calls from well before this ever became a viral sensation of people complaining about that exact thing happening." Bash noted that "the Clark County sheriff and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reviewed 11 months of 911 calls" and "only identified two instances of people alleging Haitians were taking geese out of parks." Upon investigation, she said, "they found zero evidence to substantiate those claims." All of this is reminiscent of Trump's attitude toward claims of fraud during the 2020 presidential election, which he was eager to accept no matter how outlandish and unsubstantiated they were. During the notorious telephone conversation in which he pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" the votes necessary to reverse Joe Biden's victory in that state, for example, Trump mentioned a rumor that election officials had "supposedly shredded3,000 pounds of ballots." That report, he conceded, "may or may not be true." Yet within a few sentences, Trump had persuaded himself that the allegations were reliable enough to establish "a very sad situation" crying out for correction. Where does Vance stand on Trump's claim that the 2020 election was stolen through systematic fraud? He recently argued that Trump had raised concerns that were valid and troubling enough to justify "a big debate" about whether electoral votes for Biden from battleground states should have been officially recognized, although "that doesn't necessarily mean the results would have been any different." Alluding to "the problems that existed in 2020," Vance said that if he had been vice president at the time, "I would've told the states like Pennsylvania, Georgia and so many others that we needed to have multiple slates of electors, and I think the U.S. Congress should've fought over it from there." Just as he refuses to definitively say whether he believes Hatians actually have been eating people's cats and dogs in Springfield, Vance has declined to explicitly endorse or reject Trump's stolen-election fantasy. In both cases, he seems to think the fact that someone made a wild allegation is enough to justify "a big debate" about whether it might be true, even when there is no evidence to support it. You can either live in the real world or be Donald Trump's running mate. Vance has made his choice. The post J.D. Vance Says It Does Not Matter Whether 'Rumors' of Pet-Eating Migrants Are True appeared first on Reason.com. Allison Joyce/Getty Images Vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance has now claimed, more than once, that Haitian immigrants coming to Springfield, Ohio, are responsible for a rise in the number of HIV transmissions happening in the area. The Ohio senator first made the claim on X September 10, alongside the false and racist claim that Haitian immigrants were eating the pets of local residents. After claiming a Haitian person had murdered a child, Vance went on to say that local health services have been overwhelmed and communicable diseases--like TB and HIV--have been on the rise. He repeated the claim following the debate between vice president Kamala Harris and former president Trump. While speaking to CNNs Kaitlin Collins, Vance said: Communicable diseases like HIV and TB have skyrocketed in this small Ohio town. This is what Kamala Harris border policies have done. Vance repeated the claim while appearing on Face the Nation on Sunday. While framing this as an issue about Harriss open borders, Vance said, Thanks to her open border, there is a rise in HIV cases in Springfield, Ohio. Thanks to her open border, murders are up 81% in Springfield, Ohio. Vances comments are part of a larger, racist campaign that both the former president and the vice president have been leveraging against Haitian immigrants in Ohio. During the Tuesday night debate, in front of an audience of more than 67 million Americans, Trump lied about Haitian immigrants eating Springfields pet population. Vance repeated the claim multiple times on television interviews and, as previously mentioned, on social media. In a stunning admission made Sunday morning on CNN, Vance admitted that the stories about pet-eating Haitians were false. The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes," Vance said, per NPR. "If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do." Elon Musks Trans Daughter Called His Taylor Swift Tweet Heinous Incel Nonsense The right-wing billionaire made a disturbing post saying he would impregnate Swift and guard her cats. About 15,000 Haitian immigrants live in Springfield, Ohio, according to The Guardian. Some had faced violence and resistance from neo-Nazi groups in the area even prior to Trumps comments; Haitian churches have been broken into and damaged, local Black residents report harassment because of presumed Haitian heritage and one man received a 20-year prison sentence for attacking 8 Haitian residents. But the violence has escalated since Trump and Vance went on the offensive. By the end of the week, just days after Trump had lied about Haitians on stage, the city was forced to close schools twice in two days because of bomb threats. Haitian residents have also feared leaving their homes since Tuesday, per NBC. Wittenberg University, a college located in the town, received a shooting threat against Haitians after Trumps comments, as well. The racist scapegoating of Haitians has a long political history, but also a very personal one for Trump. A 2017 New York Times report specifically mentioned that the president claimed that the 15,000 Haitians who entered the United States in 2017 all have AIDS. Hes also referred to Haiti as a shithole country. Haitians have also long been the target of racist fearmongering surrounding the AIDS crisis. In 1983, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the absence of concrete information, listed four at-risk groups that came to be known colloquially as the 4-H Club, which included homosexuals, heroin users, hemophiliacs and Haitians. Ironically, while Vance and Trump continue to falsely blame immigrants for rising HIV rates, we know that it is actually right-wing policies that have led to some of the worst HIV outbreaks in recent memory in the Midwest. As governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, who served as Trumps vice president during his one term in office, caused a number of new HIV cases by defunding Planned Parenthood, which was the only place to test for HIV in some of the states counties. Pence also refused to open a needle exchange for months to stem the number of new transmissions, despite public health experts advice. Them has reached out to Ohios Department of Health for comment regarding whether there has been a rise in the number of HIV diagnoses in Springfield, Ohio, or the surrounding county. Get the best of whats queer. Sign up for Thems weekly newsletter here. Originally Appeared on them. HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) The Jasper Police Department is investigating a property damage incident at the Victory Temple Assembly of God. Church officials contacted police Tuesday after finding damage on the property. Police say this was the second incident reported. In a press release obtained by Eyewitness News, police ask help in identifying the man pictured below. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Jasper Police Department at 812-482-2255 or the anonymous tip line at 812-481-COPS. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft announcing a lawsuit Thursday against President Joe Biden's 2021 executive order for federal agencies to promote voting (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent). His waning days as Missouris secretary of state have not been kind to Jay Ashcroft. Once considered a frontrunner to become governor, he finished a dismal third in the August Republican primary. A few weeks later, he was forced to certify Amendment 3, an initiative petition clearing the way for voters in November to decide whether to remove Missouris near-total abortion ban and embed the right to an abortion in the state constitution. Back when he expected to be governor, Ashcroft told reporters he would have to quit if being in that office meant defending a womans right to end a pregnancy. So you know he hated putting that initiative on the ballot. Now, in the unkindest cut of all, Ashcroft has unwittingly become the fall guy for a last-ditch effort by abortion opponents to stop a vote on Amendment 3. The irony here is rich, because Ashcroft used every trick at his disposal to thwart a public vote on abortion rights. He wrote outlandish ballot language, invited legal challenges, delayed and delayed some more in hopes of running out the clock on signature-gathering efforts. None of it worked. The campaign, known as Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, gathered 380,000 signatures in short order. Ashcroft waited until Aug. 13, the last day possible under Missouri law, to place the initiative on the Nov. 5 ballot. And then because this is Missouri, where the will of the people is always at risk some anti-abortion legislators and lawyers went to court to claim that the secretary of state erred when he placed the amendment on the ballot. The rationale of the plaintiffs in the case officially titled Coleman et al. v. Ashcroft is almost incomprehensible to anyone who isnt a lawyer. But they managed to have their case heard by a judge ideologically inclined to agree with them. Cole County Circuit Court Judge Christopher Limbaugh, cousin to Rush, the late conservative radio host, ruled in so many words that defendant Ashcroft had indeed screwed up. Ashcroft announced that on further review he now realized he never should have certified the petition in the first place. He removed it from the list of 2024 ballot measures on the Secretary of States website. The Missouri Supreme Court quickly interceded. Judges last week reversed Limbaughs ruling and ordered Ashcroft to place Amendment 3 back on the statewide Nov. 5 ballot. The Coleman et al. v. Ashcroft saga played out over a whirlwind five days, from the time Limbaugh held his hearing in Cole County on a Friday until the state Supreme Court reversed his ruling last Tuesday. It was a bad look all around for Ashcroft, and in the end he is left with the task, as secretary of state, of standing watch over a statewide ballot that now contains a constitutional amendment that he loathes and lists Mike Kehoe, the current lieutenant governor, as the GOP nominee for the governors post that Ashcroft had sought. Despite his early lead and name recognition as the son of John Ashcroft a legend in Missouri politics who went on to become George W. Bushs U.S. attorney general Jay Ashcroft was outflanked in the governors primary. Moderates favored Kehoe and ultraconservatives voted for the anti-establishment state Sen. Bill Eigel. Ashcroft was left in the middle, a bleak no-mans land in primary politics. He will not follow in the family footsteps. He will not impose his controversial beliefs on the people of Missouri. I say this because beneath the rumpled, somewhat goofy exterior that Ashcroft puts forth to the public beats the heart of an ideologue. As secretary of state, Ashcroft took it upon himself to draft an administrative rule telling public libraries how to shield children and teenagers from material that he worries may be inappropriate. He used his rule-making ability to restrict banks in the state from using environmental and other social factors in investing practices. In January, Ashcroft suggested that President Joe Bidens border policies are akin to an insurrection and could theoretically be used to keep him off Missouris presidential ballot. In 2019, after Gov. Mike Parson signed a bill criminalizing abortion after eight weeks of pregnancy, Ashcroft snuffed out efforts to place a referendum on the new law on the statewide ballot. He simply rejected petitions and dragged his feet until time ran out on signature gatherers. For nearly eight years, Ashcroft has stretched the limits of his office to get his way. Especially with his handling of abortion-related petitions, he has shown deep disrespect for the volunteers who gather signatures and the voters who provide them. If things have gone south for him at the end, a bit of gloating is not out of order. But lets not get carried away. Waiting in the wings to replace Ashcroft in the secretary of states office is Denny Hoskins, a member of the far-right Senate Freedom Caucus. Among other worrisome concerns, he believes with all his heart that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. Ashcroft politicized the secretary of states office, but he did recognize boundaries such as court orders. As impossible as this sounds, we may miss him once hes gone. Police said they are investigating an alleged antisemitic attack in Ann Arbor against a 19-year-old man who is Jewish. The incident happened at about 12:45 a.m. Sunday on Hill Street and South Forest in an area just southeast of the main campus at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, according to a news release from Ann Arbor police. The assailants asked the man if he was Jewish before attacking him, police said. The teen said "he was walking when a group of unknown males behind him asked if he was Jewish," police said in their release. "When the victim replied yes, the group of males proceeded to assault him. The suspects then fled the area on foot." The alleged victim suffered minor injuries did not require hospitalization, police said. "We take bias-motivated crimes very seriously and have assigned this incident to our hate crimes detective," Ann Arbor police said. "Right now, it is very early in the investigation and have limited information on the suspects." Ann Arbor Police Chief Andre Anderson said in a statement accompanying the news release: "There is absolutely no place for hate or ethnic intimidation in the City of Ann Arbor. Our department stands against antisemitism and all acts of bias-motivated crimes. We are committed to vigorously investigating this and other hate-motivated incidents and will work with the County Prosecutors office to aggressively prosecute those who are responsible." Earlier this month, a neo-Nazi group distributed antisemitic fliers at homes in Ann Arbor, according to a Jewish leader, MLive and WEMU reported. More: Police investigate attack on Michigan synagogue members by 'Jew hater' There have been other antisemitic incidents in southeastern Michigan this year, including at a synagogue in Oak Park, concerning Jewish and civil rights advocates. University of Michigan President Santa Ono released a statement on X Sunday night, saying in part: "We stand firmly against antisemitism and all bias-motivated behavior." Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Ann Arbor police at 734-794-6939 or by email: tips@a2gov.org. Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com or X @nwarikoo This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ann Arbor Police investigate alleged antisemitic attack on teen John Duarte vs. Adam Gray for Congress: Why experts are watching this California election Californias 13th Congressional District, home to one of the nations closest House of Representatives races in 2022, is expected to be just as hotly contested this fall. Nonpartisan political analysts say that the 2024 rematch election between freshman Rep. John Duarte, R-Modesto, and former Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, is a tossup. Gray lost to Duarte, a farmer and businessman, by 564 votes about four-tenths of a percentage point in 2022. Duarte prevailed on the second-smallest margin of any House race winner nationwide that year. The Bee has spoken to nonpartisan analysts at The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections and Sabatos Crystal Ball over the past year about the race, which is drawing a lot of national attention to the San Joaquin Valley, a politically purple agricultural section of California. There are 220 Republicans, 211 Democrats and four vacancies in the House. Three of those empty seats were held by Democrats, one by a Republican. The number for control of the chamber is 218, meaning Democrats need to flip four seats nationwide to win control of the House. Stay Informed On Election News Sign up here to get our Election 2024 newsletter, with local, state and national political news and analysis sent right to your inbox. Analysts say Duarte will have a tougher time in November than other vulnerable incumbents because he is a first-term congressman. Anything thats good for Democrats is going to have an outsized effect on Duarte simply because hes the less-tested candidate, said Jacob Rubashkin, deputy editor of Inside Elections, in an August interview. Compared to other Republicans on the ballot in the 13th in 2022, Duarte underperformed, Rubashkin said. (Duarte) can also be more easily roped into the national Republican Party because he hasnt had as much time to show voters that hes not like other Republicans, said Erin Covey, a House analyst and editor at The Cook Political Report, in an August interview. Californias 13th Congressional District The 13th district, which includes all of Merced County and chunks of Madera, Stanislaus, Fresno and San Joaquin counties, has more registered Democrats than Republicans. It is one of more than a dozen congressional districts across the country held by GOP congressmen where President Joe Biden would have beaten former President Donald Trump in 2020 had current legislative boundaries been in place. Boundaries were redrawn to reflect the 2020 census. Voters in the new 13th would have picked Biden by 11 points in 2020. Its a Latino-majority voting-age district with a large population of young people. Compared to the rest of California, this district tends to have low turnout, leading older, white, more conservative voters to disproportionately impact elections there. Candidates Legislative issues touted by the candidates concern affordability, water access, health, immigration and public safety. Gray, 46, served in the California State Assembly for a decade before leaving his seat to pursue a congressional bid. He said that Congress wasnt working hard enough on San Joaquin Valley issues, including water infrastructure and energy. These are all issues that are extraordinarily important to a district that is part of the greatest, largest agricultural valley in the world: Congress can make investments in water infrastructure, Gray said in an interview. Congress can make investments in renewable energy and new opportunities to take advantage of the biocircular economy here in the Valley. The biocircular economy aims to reduce pollution and promote sustainable products by repurposing organic waste from agriculture, forestry and other industries. Duarte, 58, serves on House committees concerning agriculture, natural resources and transportation and infrastructure. He emphasized energy costs when asked about the districts toughest challenges. Weve got to drill American oil. Weve got to continue to develop natural gas and welcome it as a key energy resource for the future, Duarte said in an interview. And and were spending too much money, bringing in too much debt and driving up power costs too high with the green energy initiatives, especially here in California. Duarte said he preferred a potential Trump administration to one under Vice President Kamala Harris, asserting that voters will recall quality of life improving under the former president five years ago before the coronavirus pandemic. Families were doing better before Joe Biden, Kamala Harris had control, he said. Gray said he was excited for a generational change in a potential Harris administration, that hed be right up there alongside her to focus on constructive bipartisan issues, which he said was encouraging with the Republican speakers at the Democratic National Convention. Im excited for turning the page, something different, a generational change in leadership, Gray said. But more importantly, somebody whos willing to embrace Republicans. Fundraising Gray has fundraised well against Duarte recently, though the Republican retains an edge in overall funds. While campaign finances are far from the only factor in determining an election, cash on hand lets candidates spend more on advertisements, events and other supplies necessary to a campaign. Its also good to reserve money in case of unexpected issues. Campaign funds come from a wide range of sources, including those not specified in the candidates official report, from individual donors, political action committees, other lawmakers and joint-fundraising groups. Grays campaign committee collected almost $992,000 from the beginning of April to end of June, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission reports, which became available in July. Duartes reported receiving nearly $463,000 during that same period. Duarte had almost $2.1 million on hand to Grays over $1.8 million. Just as national monetary attention floods into the San Joaquin Valley, national issues are key to the race, analysts said. Those local issues do matter, Covey said. But so many of these House races have become nationalized, and were going to see that the dominant issues that all these other races are focused on are also going to be the dominant issues in the Central Valley races. JONES COUNTY, Miss. (WHLT) A Jones County woman pled guilty to four counts of Organized Theft or Fraud Enterprise (RICO) charges. According to State Auditor Shad White, Christy Gomez fraudulently received proceeds from the Rental Assistance for Mississippians Program (RAMP) at the Mississippi Home Corporation and the Mississippi Department of Employment Security between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022. Man arrested for kidnapping teen in George County Our team of investigators worked tirelessly to uncover this scheme, said White. We will continue to work alongside prosecutors to deliver record results for Mississippians. Gomez was sentenced by Mississippis 18th Judicial District Court to 13 years, with eight years to serve and five years of probation per count, to run concurrently. Gomez was also ordered to pay back $81,035.63 in restitution. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily 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 WJTV. Journalist Georgiy Gongadze, murdered 24 years ago, commemorated in downtown Kyiv on the day of his abduction A memorial was held in Kyiv on Sept. 16 to mark the 24th anniversary of the abduction of Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Gongadze. A number of Ukrainian journalists gathered in downtown Kyiv to open a temporary "memorial alley," where, over the course of a week, people can learn more about one of Ukraine's first high-profile journalists murdered for his work. Gongadze, who was critical of then-President Leonid Kuchma, was kidnapped on Sept. 16, 2000. Two months later, his headless body was found in a forest some 70 kilometers outside Kyiv. Tapes later surfaced of Kuchma talking about Gongadze, saying he needs to be dealt with, without explicitly ordering his assassination. Though there was no direct order to kill Gongadze, the scandal prompted mass protests in Kyiv, calling for Kuchma's resignation and making him a prime suspect in the case. He was never officially charged. Three police officers were sentenced to 12 years in jail for their roles in Gongadze's murder, while in January 2016, Oleksiy Pukach, ex-head of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine's surveillance department, was sentenced to life. But despite the sentences, no one has ever been charged with ordering Gongadze's murder. In an op-ed for Ukrainska Pravda on Sept. 16, Gongadze's daughter, Nana, paid tribute to her father as well as "other fallen journalists" who "put themselves in harm's way to show the world what is truly happening here, just as my father did when he exposed the corruption of the Kuchma regime." She highlighted that despite the importance of the work of journalists, "press freedom in Ukraine is at risk." Highlighting in particular the work of David Knowles of The Telegraph, who died of a cardiac arrest earlier this month, she added: "We must honor their sacrifices by closely monitoring and strengthening our press freedom." Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Note: This story discusses self-harm. If at risk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for support at 1-800-273-8255 or text the Suicide and Crisis Line at 988 to connect with help. A case involving an aggravated sexual battery charge of a minor against long-time Columbia pastor David M. Baker, 57, has been abated due to the pastor's death on Sept. 11. Baker died by apparent suicide just a day after he was arrested and charged by the Maury County Sheriff's Office on Sept. 10. An arrest affidavit obtained from Mt. Pleasant General Sessions Court shows Baker was charged with aggravated sexual battery involving a minor family member between the estimated timeframe of Dec. 9, 2013 and Dec. 9, 2015. Mt. Pleasant General Sessions Judge J. Lee Bailey, III dismissed the case on Sept. 13 due to the death of Baker. More: Columbia pastor dies of apparent suicide a day after sexual battery charge A Santa Fe native, Baker was the father of 11 children and Columbia pastor of 35 years with his most recent church being Family Baptist Church, where he served as lead pastor. Before becoming a pastor, he served in the U.S. Army Airborne Division. David Baker More: Maury mayoral candidate David Baker outlines platform, responds to controversy More: Past Lighthouse Baptist member supports sexual assault victim, denounces Baker's response After Baker made $200,000 bond at 3:13 a.m. Sept. 11, just over nine hours later, he entered the emergency room of Maury Regional Medical Center, walked to the bathroom and was soon found deceased in the bathroom at approximately 12:45 p.m. by apparent suicide. The hospital was put on temporary lockdown, according to a Sept. 11 press statement by Maury Regional Medical Center. "The ED staff initiated life-saving medical treatment; however, he succumbed to his injuries. No other individuals were present in the restroom at the time and no patients or staff members were harmed," the statement said. Columbia Police Department investigated the incident. We are deeply saddened by todays events. Our prayers are extended to the family and friends of this individual as well as the members of our team who responded, said CEO Martin Chaney, MD in the previous hospital statement. The welfare and safety of our patients and health care team members are paramount at Maury Regional Health. I am proud of the quick response of our security team, Emergency Department staff and Columbia Police Department. Controversy during mayor's race The embattled pastor faced much controversy in 2022 when he ran for Maury County mayor after now U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles dropped out of the race to run for the 5th District Congressional seat, which he ultimately won. Baker brought a defamation lawsuit against Maury County Mayor Sheila Butt, who was his then opponent, during the election regarding text messages Butt sent to Republican Rick Williams, regarding criticism of Baker's previous business dealings. The case was later dropped. Also during the election, Aimee Spires, past member of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Columbia (which filed for bankruptcy in 2011), where Baker served as lead pastor, denounced Baker claiming he told her not to talk to authorities when she was sexually assaulted by a fellow church member when she was a minor. Spires says she felt he "threw me away," according to a 2022 interview with The Daily Herald. Previous court affidavits show that Baker cooperated with authorities about the sexual assault, and the church member, James Earl Lovett, was convicted of sexual battery and aggravated sexual battery in 2004. Maury County Commissioner Ray Jeter, who was close to the Bakers as a teen, spoke out during the election to support Spires' claims. In a 2022 interview with The Daily Herald, Baker said after he got a DUI 35 years ago and spent a night in jail, he dedicating his life to the ministry. He said he remembers wishing there was a preacher to help him. He served as a volunteer at the Maury County Jail for 28 years, including as chaplain, but he was asked to step down from that role in 2022. Controversy over business partners Bakers affiliation with accused Indiana Independent Baptist pastor David Hyles was also questioned during the 2022 election. Hyles is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl, Joy Ryder, when he was a youth pastor at a megachurch, according to 2018 reports by the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram and other media outlets. Baker partnered with Hyles in running a ministry Fallen in Grace, a ministry of Family Baptist Church, which once included a retreat center called The Red Barn in Georgia, Baker explained in a previous interview. Hyles has never been charged. It is a ministry of our church, Baker said in 2022. We help people, Christians, and pastors who have fallen. A memorial service will be held Sep. 17 at 3 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home & Cremation Services, LLC Heritage Funeral Home. Visitation will start at 1 p.m. and last until the service. This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Judge dismisses sexual battery case against deceased Columbia pastor By Dawn Chmielewski LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A battle over control of Rupert Murdochs global television and publishing empire begins Monday in a Reno, Nevada courtroom, where a judge will consider the contentious matter of succession. Murdoch, 93, is attempting to change the terms of the familys trust -- which holds significant stakes in Fox News parent Fox and Wall Street Journal owner News Corp. The billionaire is looking to ensure that, upon his death, the media companies remain under control of his eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch, according to the New York Times, which obtained a sealed court document detailing the succession drama. A hearing to determine whether Murdoch is acting in good faith will take place in probate court, where the proceedings are closed to the public. A Nevada judge on Thursday rejected an appeal by Reuters and other news organizations to open the hearings to the public. The news organizations had said the fate of such culturally and politically influential media outlets was a matter of public interest, but the judge cited the need to prevent disclosure of confidential personal and financial information. Most documents also remain under seal. The Murdoch trust was formed around the time of Rupert Murdoch's divorce from his second wife, Anna, in 1999. The trust is the vehicle through which the elder Murdoch controls News Corp and Fox, with roughly a 40% stake in voting shares of each company. Upon Rupert Murdochs death, News Corp and Fox voting shares will be transferred to his four oldest children Prudence, Elisabeth, Lachlan and James. Potentially, three of the heirs could out-vote a fourth, setting up a battle over the future of the companies, even as Lachlan Murdoch runs Fox and is sole chair of News Corp. The Murdoch family members arrived in Reno on Monday morning for the hearing. James, Elisabeth and Prudence arrived first, and Rupert and Lachlan came later. The hearing was set to begin at 9 a.m. Rupert Murdochs proposed amendment would block any interference by three of Lachlans siblings, who are more politically moderate, the Times reported, citing a sealed court document. Lachlan Murdoch is viewed as ideologically aligned with his conservative father. James Murdoch, who has donated to progressive political groups, resigned in 2020 from the News Corp board, citing disagreements over editorial content. (Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski; Editing by David Gregorio) A district court judge in San Antonio ruled against the Texas attorney generals attempt to stop one of the states biggest counties from mailing voter registration applications to a large number of unregistered voters. Judge Antonia Arteaga on Monday dismissed a temporary restraining order and a temporary injunction filed by Attorney General Ken Paxton as moot, since Bexar County had already mailed out the applications. County commissioners approved a plan on September 3 to mail roughly 210,000 applications through a contract with an outside vendor. Paxton, a Republican, had warned of legal action if Bexar County moved forward with its plan to work with the vendor, Civic Government Solutions, and filed a lawsuit the next day. The attorney general argued in his challenge that it was illegal for the county to arrange for the unsolicited, mass mailing of voter registration applications. But county officials felt confident they were on solid legal ground and moved forward with their plan. The applications were mailed by the end of last week, according to county officials. Our position from the very beginning was that the commissioners had every right to do what they did, and we are very pleased with the judges ruling today, Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales told reporters after the hearing, according to CNN affiliate KABB. Paxtons office filed a notice of appeal Monday night. His office argued that Bexar County rushed to mail the applications before the hearing took place and expressed concern that some recipients may be ineligible to vote. In a statement, he vowed to fight every step of the way to hold (the county) accountable. In a display of bad faith, Bexar County engaged in dirty tricks to avoid appropriate judicial review of a clearly unlawful program that invites voter fraud, Paxton said in the statement. Paxton has filed a similar suit against Travis County, which includes Austin, as part of a large-scale effort by Republican leaders in Texas against largely Democratic cities that are trying to make voting easier and more accessible. His office also launched an election integrity unit in 2018 investigating allegations of voter fraud, but it has yielded few convictions. This story has been updated with additional information. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com MADISON, Wis. (AP) Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s name will remain on the ballot in the swing state of Wisconsin, a judge ruled Monday. Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke ruled that Wisconsin law clearly states presidential candidates who have submitted nomination papers cant be removed from the ballot unless they die. Kennedys campaign submitted nomination papers before the states Aug. 6 deadline. Voting now open for this years Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin Contest The statute is plain on its face, Ehlke said, adding later: Mr. Kennedy has no one to blame but himself if he didnt want to be on the ballot. Time is running out for Kennedy to get his name off the Wisconsin ballot. County clerks face a Wednesday deadline to print ballots and distribute them to more than 1,800 local officials in cities, towns and villages who run elections. Kennedy asked a state appellate court to consider the case last week, days before Ehlke issued his ruling. The 2nd District Court of Appeals has been waiting for Ehlkes decision before deciding whether to take the case. Kennedy suspended his campaign in August and endorsed Republican candidate Donald Trump. Kennedy said he would try to get his name removed from ballots in battleground states while telling his supporters that they could continue to back him in the majority of states where they are unlikely to sway the outcome. Kennedy won a court order in North Carolina earlier this month to remove his name from ballots there. Kennedy filed a lawsuit Sept. 3 in an attempt to get off the Wisconsin ballot, arguing that third-party candidates are discriminated against because state law treats Republicans and Democrats running for president differently. Republicans and Democrats have until 5 p.m. on the first Tuesday in September before an election to certify their presidential nominee. Independent candidates like Kennedy can only withdraw before the Aug. 6 deadline for submitting nomination papers. The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 5-1 earlier this month to approve Kennedys name for the ballot after an attempt by Republican commissioners to remove him failed. The commission noted the statute that candidates from removing themselves from the ballot short of death. Wisconsin State Patrol: Are your children in the right seat? The presence of independent and third-party candidates on the ballot could be a key factor in Wisconsin, where four of the past six presidential elections have been decided by between 5,700 votes and about 23,000 votes. In 2016, Green Party nominee Jill Stein got just over 31,000 votes in Wisconsin more than Trumps winning margin of just under 23,000 votes. Some Democrats have blamed her for helping Trump win the state and the presidency that 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 WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. Juno Beach Town Council member heads to court after incident with former mayor's wife JUNO BEACH Town Council member Marianne Hosta and Bianca Giancoli Cooke used to be friends. Now, theyre headed to court. Hosta, a 79-year-old retired math teacher, is charged with battery for allegedly attacking Giancoli Cooke, 44, the wife of former Juno Beach Mayor Alexander Cooke, during a candidate event 12 days before the town election in March. It wasn't the first time tempers flared between the two women. A month earlier, Giancoli Cooke sued Hosta for defamation over remarks she said the older woman had made about some of her relatives. Hosta has denied the charge, and the matter remains before the courts. The two also had publicly disagreed over the purchase of equipment for a playground in Juno Beach, an oceanfront town of 4,000 south of Jupiter. How north county is growing: Wealthy newcomers, luxury homes changing family-friendly area The first-degree misdemeanor charge against Hosta carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in the Palm Beach County Jail, according to a State Attorneys Office spokesperson. A jury trial on the charge is scheduled to begin Tuesday, Sept. 17, before County Judge August Bonavita. It was previously set for July 30, but rescheduled because Hosta and her husband contracted COVID-19 while on a cruise. Hosta recuperated at home, but her husband was hospitalized, records show. Hostas attorney, Flynn Bertisch of West Palm Beach, said this summer that he and prosecutors have tried to resolve things before trial but were at an impasse. Ms. Hosta has entered a plea of not guilty and maintains her innocence, Bertisch said in a prepared statement. From the courts: A South Florida woman killed her abusive husband. Does she belong in prison? Juno Beach dispute hinged on whether anyone could film candidate forum The Juno Beach Town Council, from left to right: Marianne Hosta, Diana Davis, Peggy Wheeler, Jacob Rosengarten and DD Halpern. Hosta was first elected to the Juno Beach Town Council in March 2023. Her term expires in March 2026. She moved to Juno Beach from North Palm Beach in 2014 and had lived in France before then. Often outspoken from the dais, she has made the preservation of the towns natural resources her top priority, according to her newsletters website. Juno Beach police say the alleged battery happened during a March 7 campaign event led by Alexander Cooke at the Brigadoon condominiums along Ocean Drive, where Hosta lives. Giancoli Cooke told officers she saw Hosta, against whom she'd filed the defamation lawsuit Feb. 20, filming her with her cellphone before the event started. She asked Hosta to stop filming and Hosta later stood up and attacked her" by grabbing her right ring and pinky fingers and sticking her nails into them while pushing down on Giancoli Cooke's hand, records show. However, police say they did not see marks on Giancoli Cookes fingers. PACs come to Juno Beach: Critical mailers target candidates in March 19 town election Hosta told police that the reason she approached Giancoli Cooke was to cover her cellphone camera to stop her from filming the event. Hosta said someone had told her earlier that filming was not allowed. Hosta said Giancoli Cooke then struck her right arm. Two witnesses told police they saw Hosta lurch at Giancoli Cooke, but only one of them said they saw Giancoli Cooke hit Hosta, according to the police report. Police did not report seeing bruising on Hostas arm. Disputes between Hosta, Giancoli Cooke preceded battery allegation at Juno Beach campaign event Alexander Cooke smiles with Bianca Giancoli Cooke outside of the Jupiter lighthouse in November 2023. The defamation lawsuit alleges that Hosta in late 2023 asked some people in town to complain to a government agency about Giancoli Cooke's treatment of family members. Giancoli Cooke and her husband have strongly denied the allegations. Juno Beach police said their inquiry determined the allegations were unfounded and did not rise to the level of criminal investigation. The defamation lawsuit remains before the courts. Want to party like JFK? Rent the 'Honey Fitz,' the presidential yacht now based in Jupiter Hosta has said her friendship with Giancoli Cooke changed in October 2023, when they disagreed on what playground materials to buy for Kagan Park. Giancoli Cooke had led a fundraising effort to buy a particular brand of play gear, but council members including Hosta questioned the cost of the equipment and whether Juno Beach should buy it. There was a pointed exchange between Alexander Cooke and Hosta during a January council meeting when Hosta brought up the allegations made against her before a playground-related discussion. The council ultimately chose to buy a less expensive set, with Alexander Cooke recusing himself from the vote. Sign up for our Post on Jupiter weekly newsletter, delivered every Thursday! Maya Washburn covers northern Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trial looms for Juno council member after clash with ex-mayor's wife Mali's leader, Col Assimi Goita (L) and his Nigerien counterpart Gen Abdourahamane Tiani (R) pictured in July when they met, along with Burkina Faso's leader, in July [AFP] Three West African countries run by military juntas will be launching a new biometric passports in the coming days as part of their withdrawal from the wider regional bloc Ecowas. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, whose military leaders took over power in series of coups between 2020 and 2023, announced their plan to leave the bloc in January. Following the coups, West African countries sanctioned the juntas, aiming to push them to quickly restore civilian rule. But the three nations that now form the Alliance of Sahel States have so far resisted the calls, opting to cement their alliance. "In the coming days, a new biometric passport of the [alliance] will be put into circulation with the aim of harmonising travel documents in our common area," Malian junta leader Col Assimi Goita said in a televised address on late on Sunday. Col Goita, who is the acting president of the Sahel alliance, spoke a day before the military governments were due to mark the first anniversary since they made a decision to create their own alliance. He said they were also planning to launch a joint service that would promote a harmonious dissemination of information in our three states. Burkina Faso had earlier revealed its decision to launch a new biometric passport without the Ecowas logo. It remains unclear how the new passports will affect the travel of their nationals to other Ecowas states where they enjoyed visa-free movement as holders of a 15-nation regional passport. In July, the junta chiefs said they were irrevocably turning their backs on Ecowas. They said they wanted to build a community of sovereign peoples based on African values and "far from the control of foreign powers. The latest announcement comes as Ecowas is engaged in efforts to get the three Sahel nations to return to the bloc. Ecowas recently warned that formalisation of the breakaway group posed a risk of regional disintegration and worsened insecurity. The three countries created the Sahel alliance last year to boost military co-operation. In July they formed a confederation to broaden the nature of their work together beyond security. The Sahel region has been battling jihadist violence for decades, which is estimated to have killed thousands and displaced millions across the region. Tackling the insurgency is one of the reasons that the military leaders gave for the takeovers, although they have so far failed to quell the violence. The three military-led countries have all expelled French soldiers who were there helping to fight jihadist groups and turned towards Russia for military assistance. You may also be interested in: [Getty Images/BBC] Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's approval rate has plummeted as some voters signal their desire for change [Reuters] In late August, a tense exchange was caught on camera between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a local steel worker in northern Ontario. As Trudeau reached out for a handshake, the worker refused it, confronting the prime minister instead about his struggle to make ends meet despite having a steady job. Trudeau responded by listing things his Liberal government has done to help working families, including a national dental care programme and a tariff on Chinese steel that is designed to protect Canadian workers. I dont believe you for a second, the steel worker replied, after telling the prime minister: I think you are only here for another year. The clip, viewed millions of times on the internet, and has been described by the Toronto Globe and Mail as a perfect miniature of the moment in Canadian politics, encapsulating the fatigue and frustration that Trudeau is facing from the public. In his ninth year as prime minister, Trudeaus approval rate has plummeted from 63% when he was first elected to 28% in June of this year, according to one poll tracker. This sinking popularity has already brought consequences to Trudeaus governing Liberal Party. In a recent by-election, the party lost a Toronto federal seat that it had held for 30 years to the opposition Conservative Party - a major sign of trouble. On Monday, Trudeau and the Liberals face another set of tests - a crucial by-election in a Liberal stronghold in Montreal, Quebec, and the resumption of parliament, where Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has vowed to table a motion of no-confidence as early as possible in an attempt to bring down the minority government. If Poilievre is successful, Canadians could head to the ballot box. And if current polls are any indication on how they might vote, the next federal election may mark the end of the Trudeau era. In Montreal, a by-election on Monday presents a new test for Trudeau's Liberal Party [Getty Images] Darrell Bricker, a political scientist and pollster with Ipsos, compared the current moment in Canadian politics to this summers historic defeat of the UK Tories, who lost 251 seats in British parliament. Its basically over, said Mr Bricker of Trudeaus government in an interview with the BBC. All that is happening is sands sliding out of the sand dial, and were working our way towards an inevitable conclusion. It is a dramatic reversal of fortune for Trudeau, the son of former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who was enthusiastically elected in 2015 by Canadians on a message of positivity, change and strengthening the middle class. In his first years as prime minister, Trudeau became a global progressive icon. He appeared in Vogue and on the cover of Rolling Stone, which carried the headline Why Cant He Be Our President? But in recent years, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Canadians say they have noticed a downward shift in their country. Homes are becoming unaffordable, grocery prices have skyrocketed, crime has become more visible, and Canadas public healthcare system is struggling. While many of these issues do not fall squarely on the shoulders of the federal government - healthcare, for example, is largely overseen by the provinces - Canadians seem to have mostly directed their frustration at Trudeau. In an August opinion piece published in Canadas national newspaper the Globe and Mail, author and lawyer Omer Aziz wrote that the country is witnessing a systemic political failure and, more broadly, the decline of the Canadian dream. Mr Aziz, who previously worked as a policy advisor under Trudeaus government, told the BBC that Canadians feel the prime minister has failed to deliver on his promises. He recalled the jubilation of Liberal supporters when Trudeau was first elected. People were cheering on the streets, and I saw a new era, he said. But after three terms under Trudeau, that progress hasnt come to pass," Mr Aziz said. There is a sense that political leaders, the prime minister and the government, have been unwilling or unable to respond to these concerns that have been building for a number of years, he said. People now are looking anywhere else for an alternative. Following Junes by-election defeat in Toronto, Trudeau has faced pressure to quit from members of his own party. The Liberals campaign manager, Jeremy Broadhurst, later resigned in September, after reportedly telling Trudeau that he did not believe he could win the next election. The prime minister has held on, making various stops at events across the country this summer. At those appearances, Trudeau has presented his governments solutions to Canadas problems, like a plan to build nearly four million new homes by 2031 to increase the housing supply, or a cap on immigration to ease the stress on public resources. He has also sought to draw a sharp contrast between himself and his Conservative opponent, saying that his party believes in "investing in Canadians" while Poilievre wants to "cut programmes Canadians are relying on". "That's the choice that people are going to make next year," Trudeau told reporters last week. None of this seems to have bought the Liberal Party and Trudeau any goodwill. The gap between the Liberals and the leading Conservatives among decided voters has grown wider since the beginning of this year, according to a number of opinion surveys. I think people have made up their minds now, and anything that they're doing now is too little, too late, Mr Aziz said. It should have been done years ago. Canadas progressive New Democratic Party (NDP) also recently withdrew from a supply-and-confidence agreement that kept Trudeau in power in exchange for assurances on key progressive policy pieces. Announcing the end of the agreement, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said "the Liberals are too weak, too selfish and too beholden to corporate interests to fight for people". That deal was supposed to be in place until next June, with an election scheduled for October 2025. With that support gone, every day in parliament is going to be consequential, Mr Bricker noted. Its going to be a very difficult autumn for the Liberals, he added. Kamala Harris campaign confirmed Monday that the Democratic candidate for president will participate in a Thursday night livestream event with talk show trailblazer Oprah Winfrey. The pair will broadcast from an undisclosed location in the Detroit area in front of a small, in-person audience, according to the Michigan Chronicle, which first caught wind of the interview over the weekend. Whether youre part of pro-Harris grassroots groups like #WinWithBlackWomen, Swifties for Kamala, or White Dudes for Harris, or even if you are new to our campaign, this will be the place to assemble, organize, and mobilize under one big tent, an online promo for the gathering reads. The aforementioned groups including fans of pop star Taylor Swift, who endorsed Harris after last weeks presidential debate have worked to draw attention to the first female presidential candidates bid for the nations highest office. Winfreys conversation with Harris gets underway at 8 p.m. and is schedule to last two hours. Harris camp confirmed the meeting Monday, according to the Detroit Free Press. The White House said Sunday that Harris was traveling to Michigan, but didnt mention her date with Winfrey. The 70-year-old billionaire entrepreneur on Saturday confirmed she was hosting Vice President Harris with a video, but didnt say where. Winfrey formally endorsed Harris at last months Democratic National Committee convention in Chicago. Let us choose truth, let us choose honor and let us choose joy! Winfrey said to an excited crowd in the town where the Oprah Winfrey Show taped more than 4,500 episodes between 1986 and 2011. The News House Democrats havent exactly had President Joe Biden on speed dial. They might have an easier time reaching Kamala Harris if she succeeds him. Thats because the vice president has a closer working relationship with them and their leader, Hakeem Jeffries, than many on Capitol Hill realize. The Harris-Jeffries bond may become the most important one in Washington, if the election goes Democrats way particularly since the GOP has a strong chance of taking back the Senate majority this fall. The two barrier-breaking Black leaders, less than six years apart in age, forged their ties through the Congressional Black Caucus and later worked together on two criminal justice bills. Harris and Jeffries stay in touch regularly; the day after her commanding performance in her first debate with Donald Trump last week, they connected to discuss the path forward. Harris and Jeffries got to know each other during her time in the Senate, and these days a White House official describes them as colleagues and friends. Its a sign that Harris, despite her status as a relative newcomer to Washington, is already notably connected to the House. Biden, by contrast, spent nine times as long as Harris did as a senator (36 years versus four) which effectively branded him as a Senate guy in the eyes of Washington. Some House Democrats say Harris has already developed a strong relationship with them because, quite simply, she picks up the phone. As weird as this may seem, you can call her. We can reach her, Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., told Semafor, adding that she hasnt changed her focus, her accessibility since becoming the nominee. Jeffries called Harris a dynamic leader in a statement to Semafor, adding that I got to know her when she joined the Senate in January of 2017 through their work in the Black Caucus. That powerful bloc brought Harries and Jeffries together early on through the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice law that cut mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenders, among other changes. Trump signed it into law in 2018, then stopped touting it on the trail, though he has since indicated an interest in expanding it. Former Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., who joined the Biden-Harris White House in 2021, recalled in an interview that he, Jeffries, and the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, shepherded the bill through the House. They then leaned on Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Harris to help get it to Trumps desk, he added. Harris and Booker helped get the bill in a much stronger place in the Senate, Richmond said. And it came back a much broader bill, with Republican and Democratic support. The Black Caucus served as a connector between Harris and Jeffries even after she won the vice presidency. The New Yorkers first White House visit during the Biden administration came in 2021, before he took over for Nancy Pelosi as House Democratic leader, for a Black Caucus meeting with Harris. Harris and Jeffries are nearly the same person, in terms of how they see the world, said Ashley Etienne, a former aide to Biden, Harris, and Pelosi who worked with Jeffries on Trumps first impeachment. Know More While the Black Caucus helped connect Harris and Jeffries, it also put the future vice president in occasionally humanizing situations. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., shared a memory of Harris appearance at a Black Caucus luncheon during her 2020 presidential bid (against Biden and Booker, among others). She approached Cleaver to ask who he was supporting in that years primary and, as he recalled, followed up without giving him a chance to respond: I aint too proud to beg. One source close to the Black Caucus described Harris bond with its members as better than that of former President Barack Obama, who also served as a member during his time in the Senate. However, Harris has burnished her House Democratic relationships in other major ways. She was an executive member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus during her time in the Senate, and Asian American lawmakers have fully embraced her potential to become the first South Asian president in US history. Befitting the importance of the Latino vote to both her state and her party base, Harris invited the Hispanic Caucus chair to join the Asian Pacific American and Black Caucus chairs in her guest box during her Democratic National Convention acceptance speech last month. Then theres the massive California delegation in the House, which currently counts 40 Democratic members who are near-automatic go-tos for Harris. One of them, Rep. Robert Garcia, is a national co-chair of Harris campaign, alongside Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a rising star in the freshman class. Harris has also separately had dinner with the so-called pew crew, a group of eight Black younger (think millennial and Generation X) Democratic women members of Congress who became friendly while seated together in the House chamber during the GOPs speaker race. She invited us to dinner, and it was mostly just, I have been where you are, and I want to be a resource and be helpful to you all, just even if its just a safe space to talk, Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-Va., told Semafor of Harris. McClellan added that she was surprised the vice president even knew about the group. All of those House relationships are set to help Harris get things done, should she defeat Trump in November. Yet none will be as critical as her tie to Jeffries. Their shared blue-state background is already helping bolster confidence on the Hill that a President Harris would be able to unwind Trumps cap on federal deductions for state and local taxes, a wonky issue that hits taxpayers in New York and California. Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., both said yes when asked if they see the chances of unwinding the cap on state and local tax deductions as higher during a Harris presidency. Kadias view The Black Caucus is often talked about as a power base for Biden, whose support from Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., during the 2020 primary has become something of a party legend. Yet its even more critical to Harris, who has a much stronger base in the House than even some sitting House Democrats realize. Beyond their work as Black Caucus members, though, Harris and Jeffries belong to the same generation and share a cultural language in terms of how they practice politics much like Biden and Pelosi did, though the outgoing president was always a Senate guy first. All of which means that, no matter who controls the Senate, a President Harris and a Speaker Jeffries can expect to work well together. They might even align on the East-West Coast divide thats dominated hip-hop for decades. After all, then-Sen. Harris praised Jeffries for quoting the New York-based Notorious B.I.G. during his remarks at Trumps first impeachment trial. Notable Over in Harris old stomping ground, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also speaks with her fairly often (and is characteristically upbeat about his majority prospects), he told Spectrum News. Trumps appeal to younger Black men in particular threatens the high Black turnout Harris is counting on to win, Politico reports. Kamala Harris sat down today in Washington D.C. with the Teamsters leadership and members for what could be the precursor to an endorsement for the vice president from the powerful union. The meeting was behind closed doors, with the VP exiting the 1.3 million-strong unions 25 Louisiana Ave. building by a side entrance at 1:57 p.m. ET. More from Deadline While there has been talk for over a week that the Democratic presidential candidate would meet with Teamsters chief Sean OBrien and the unions board, nothing was on Harris schedule for today. The Vice President will be in Washington, DC where she will receive briefings and conduct internal meetings with staff. These meetings will be closed press, last nights White House guidance for Harris obliquely said. Then, at 1:30 PM ET the Vice President will participate in a campaign meeting. This meeting in Washington, DC will be closed press. Today, the Harris team put out a statement confirming Harris participation in an International Brotherhood of Teamsters candidate roundtable just like the Teamsters said on September 5: VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS TO ATTEND TEAMSTERS RANK-AND-FILE ROUNDTABLE The International Brotherhood of Teamsters will host a rank-and-file Presidential roundtable with Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday, Sept. 16, in Washington, D.C. Harris has committed to meet with pic.twitter.com/JAz2Z5WIWC Teamsters (@Teamsters) September 5, 2024 OBrien and the Teamsters board have previously met with Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, when the latter was still top of the Democratic ticket. The Teamsters have yet to endorse a presidential candidate, despite some backlash from members after President Sean OBrien made an appearance at the Republican National Convention in July. Despite past endorsement of GOP candidates by the Teamsters, OBrien was the first Teamster leader ever to speak at a Republican National Convention. In his speech this summer OBrien warned that the union is not beholden to anyone or any party, adding that he didnt care about any criticism the move might draw. OBrien did not appear at the DNC last month, and the Teamsters have left their official endorsement up to the members. So far, the union has not announced the results of the supposed rank-and-file vote, though it has historically thrown its weight behind the Democrats. With that said, now Harris has sat down with the board and OBrien and with the election less than 60 days away, an endorsement could come as early as this week, a well placed source tells us. The union has not endorsed a Republican since 1988 when the Teamsters put their muscle behind George H.W. Bush. The Teamsters had previously backed Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984, with Richard Nixon receiving the endorsement in 1972 and in 1960. With the strong support Biden and Harris have given to unions since taking office in 2021, a number of Teamsters members were angered by the unions donation to the GOPs convention fund in January. However, playing both sides of the aisle, the Teamsters also donated to the Democratic National Committee, indicating less that the union is shifting alliances and more likely that it is hedging its bets in an unpredictable election year. Still, as internal polling has displayed, a significant number of Teamster members said earlier this year they will be voting for Trump. That was before the blue collar friendly Biden stepped aside for his VP, before OBriens badly received RNC speech, and before the union boss accused Trump of economic terrorism for agreeing with Elon Musk on possibly pink slipping union members who went on strike. Closer to home, worries of another Hot Labor Summer in Tinseltown proved unfounded for the still fragile industry. Led in no small part by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 399, the Hollywood Basic Crafts sealed their latest deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on August 1 with the overwhelming ratification of their new three-year contracts with the studios. While the Teamsters national board has yet to offer an endorsement to any candidate, the volunteer-run Teamsters National Black Caucus, United Auto Workers, and the 13-million member AFL-CIO have all publicly backed Biden and transferred that support to Harris when she became the Dems standard bearer in late July. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Kamala Harris' Wisconsin visit this week will be in liberal voting stronghold of Madison MADISON Vice President Kamala Harris will hold a rally early in the evening in Madison on Friday, her campaign confirmed Monday. The Democratic presidential candidate's return to Wisconsin is part of a swing through "blue wall" battleground states including Pennsylvania and Michigan. Harris is scheduled to participate in a "fireside chat" hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia on Tuesday, followed by a "Unite for America" livestream event with Oprah Winfrey in Michigan on Thursday and the Madison event on Friday. More: Wisconsin voter registrations bumped by 1,300 after Taylor Swift's Harris endorsement The latest swing follows the campaign's "New Way Forward" tour and the only scheduled debate between Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump. The campaign is set to host events "in every media market in every key battleground state in just four days." Madison most recently hosted a presidential campaign rally when President Joe Biden visited Sherman Middle School in July, as he faced calls from within his own party to abandon his reelection bid following his debate against Republican former President Donald Trump. The state's capital city was also the site of massive rallies held by Democratic former President Barack Obama, including a 2012 visit with an introduction by Bruce Springsteen. Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance is also scheduled to return to Wisconsin this week, with a Tuesday campaign stop in Eau Claire. It will be the Ohio U.S. senator's second stop in Eau Claire and fifth trip to the state since Trump tapped him to be his running mate in July during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, campaigned in Wausau on Friday and held a rally in Superior on Saturday. A new Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday showed Harris with a four-point lead over Trump. It also showed Harris leading for the first time among the most enthusiastic voters, while Trump held that advantage when President Joe Biden was still in the race and during the early days of Harris' own campaign. In the poll, Walz was the only name at the top of the ticket including third-party candidates with a net positive favorability rating, meaning more people view him favorably than unfavorably. Harris and Trump both have net negative favorability. Harris' last Wisconsin rally was at Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum on Aug. 20, appearing along with Walz during the second night of the Democratic National Convention. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Kamala Harris' Wisconsin visit this week will be in Madison Many investors define successful investing as beating the market average over the long term. But the risk of stock picking is that you will likely buy under-performing companies. Unfortunately, that's been the case for longer term Kronologi Asia Berhad (KLSE:KRONO) shareholders, since the share price is down 38% in the last three years, falling well short of the market return of around 17%. And the ride hasn't got any smoother in recent times over the last year, with the price 22% lower in that time. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 26% in the last 90 days. 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 Kronologi Asia Berhad While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price. Although the share price is down over three years, Kronologi Asia Berhad actually managed to grow EPS by 59% per year in that time. This is quite a puzzle, and suggests there might be something temporarily buoying the share price. Alternatively, growth expectations may have been unreasonable in the past. It's worth taking a look at other metrics, because the EPS growth doesn't seem to match with the falling share price. The company has kept revenue pretty healthy over the last three years, so we doubt that explains the falling share price. We're not entirely sure why the share price is dropped, but it does seem likely investors have become less optimistic about the business. The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image). It's probably worth noting that the CEO is paid less than the median at similar sized companies. But while CEO remuneration is always worth checking, the really important question is whether the company can grow earnings going forward. Dive deeper into the earnings by checking this interactive graph of Kronologi Asia Berhad's earnings, revenue and cash flow. A Different Perspective Investors in Kronologi Asia Berhad had a tough year, with a total loss of 22%, against a market gain of about 15%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 6% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Kronologi Asia Berhad that you should be aware of. Story continues If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Malaysian exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) What the FBI is calling an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump is sparking local reaction in Kansas. If the incident is confirmed to be an attempt on Trumps life, it would be the second such attempt in roughly two months. People on all sides of the political aisle said political figures and citizens should not be under threat of violence because of their ideology. U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kan., said on X, This shouldnt be happening in the United States of Americaour constitutional republic works through voting, not through violence. Trump safe after what FBI describes as apparent assassination attempt U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., thanked law enforcement officers for acting quickly. Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, called for unity and a fair election. Others also called for de-escalation. I think its traumatic for every American to see someone who had such great levels of protection attacked twice, said Rep. Linda Featherston, D-Overland Park. Political ideology drove a gunman to shoot at the president in July and another to set up shop in what appears to be an attempted assassination over idea, said Mike Brown, Party Chair of the Kansas Republican Party. Brown said political figures should have increased U.S. Secret Service detail to prevent violent events from happening. Meanwhile, Featherston called for more gun control measures. KSN reached out to the Kansas Democratic Party and several other leaders on the state and federal level for comment, but they were unavailable. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) The Rev. Anthony Navaratnam stood before his congregation and urged them to pray for the women from surrounding states who will flock to the new abortion clinic in town that opened in August. God is giving us an opportunity to be missionaries in Pittsburg, Kansas, he told those at Flag Church, which hosted a training on how to protest outside of the clinic. The debate over reproductive rights has landed in this college town of 20,000 in the southeast corner of one of the few states left in the region still allowing abortions. It is near Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas and not terribly far from Texas. A place this size, especially one in a historically red state, was unlikely to have an abortion clinic before Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. Since then, Kansas has become one of five states that people are most likely to travel to in order to get an abortion when theyre unable to at home, said Caitlin Myers, an economics professor at Middlebury College who researches abortion policies. Abortions spiked in Kansas by 152% after Roe, according to a recent analysis by the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. Using Myers count, six of the clinics in Kansas, Illinois, New Mexico, North Carolina and Virginia that have opened or relocated post-Roe are in communities with fewer than 25,000 people. Two others are in communities of fewer than 50,000. Kansas is really the only one in this region that can provide care to many people in these surrounding states, said Kensey Wright, a member of the board of directors for the Roe Fund in Oklahoma, which supports Kansas abortion clinics through grants. Without abortion clinics in that state, we would be without hope, Wright said. Providing abortions for out-of-state people Housed in a former urology office, Pittsburgs Planned Parenthood clinic sits across the street from a medical clinic run by a Catholic health care system. Behind the clinic are houses. Clinic manager Logan Rink said her mother used to work in this building as a nurse a connection thats small-town stuff. She loves this town, and said her neighbors agree the clinic is needed. But she was guarded in her optimism, saying the reception that we are going to get from the community is going to be favorable in some ways and probably not always. Experts said smaller-sized clinics can be less overwhelming for women who are coming from rural areas, like those surrounding Pittsburg. But there is no anonymity in these smaller communities, where religious and family ties often run deep. Pittsburg was established in 1876, and settled largely by immigrants from Catholic-leaning countries who came to work at surrounding coal mines. Theres a typical main street and a state university with about 7,400 students. In a small town, its not just that youll know that person. Your family will know them. You will have known them for 40 years, said Dr. Emily Walters, a supporter of the Pittsburg clinic who works as an anesthesiologist at a hospital in neighboring Missouri. Your stories will be intertwined. She wondered aloud, How do I see you at a protest and then see you the next day at the grocery store and still be able to be polite and civil with each other? Walters also chairs the Crawford County Democratic Party in an area that is increasingly Republican and has no Democratic state legislators a change from 20 years ago when there were six. The county also has become increasingly religious in the same span; it now has twice as many white evangelical Protestants as the national average, and slightly more Catholics, according to the Public Religion Research Institute. Just five weeks after Roe was overturned in 2022, voters in Kansas had to decide whether to strip the right to an abortion from the state constitution, which could have led to an outright ban. Despite the Republican and religious leanings, 55% of Crawford County voters were part of the 59% of voters statewide who killed the proposal. Its in line with an Associated Press-NORC poll from 2024 that showed 6 in 10 Americans think their state should generally allow a person to obtain a legal abortion if they dont want to be pregnant for any reason. But the rural counties that surrounded Pittsburg chose otherwise at the ballot box. I remember people were stealing yard signs, putting up different ones in peoples yards, said Anastin Journot, an 18-year-old from Independence, Kansas, who is majoring in elementary education at Pittsburg State. She said she was alarmed by Roe getting overturned, remembering she thought: What if Im in a situation where Im needing to get an abortion and its not an option? Abortion in Kansas is generally legal up until the 22nd week of pregnancy. The clinics southern location puts it closer to states that have banned abortions instead of sending people to Kansas larger cities, where hours have been expanded and appointments are still in short supply. About 60% to 65% of people who call Planned Parenthood clinics in Kansas for an abortion appointment are turned away because there isnt enough capacity, said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains. Already, Wales said, the bulk of people seeking abortions in Kansas are from out of state mostly Texas, which is about five hours south. After that, its Missouri, a few minutes drive east and Oklahoma, less than an hour away. She said some come from as far away as Louisiana and even Florida, which now prohibits the procedure after six weeks. Clinics strategically placed near (a states) border can really help ease the congestion, said Ushma Upadhyay, a public health scientist at the University of California San Francisco who studies abortion. Most of the area thats 100 miles from the new clinic has been designated as medically underserved for primary care by the federal government, and the number of obstetricians and gynecologists for every 100,000 female residents is less than half of the U.S. average. For now, though, the focus at the Pittsburg clinic will be on abortion. Wales said Planned Parenthood wants to slowly add more services over the next two to three months, and one future goal for the clinic is to provide gender-affirming care. Neighboring states have restricted that, too. Pittsburg is going to lift up a whole lot of states in the South and help people get care, Wales said. But those additions, she added, will come after staff gets used to the patients and the presence of protesters and opposition. Protesters are at the ready Donations are up at Vie Medical Clinic, the towns crisis pregnancy center, executive director Megan Newman said. Such centers are typically religiously affiliated and encourage clients to continue their pregnancies. People opposed to the Planned Parenthood clinic also are picking up pamphlets about Vie so they can hand them out to those seeking abortions. When we got word that Planned Parenthood was coming, you could just kind of feel that in the town, Newman said. Jeanne Napier, a 68-year-old who attends a local Baptist church, vowed as she shopped at the local mall that shell be there every day with signs. Her daughter, Terri Napier, said in a phone interview she believes part of her parents opposition to the clinic is from watching her struggle about 20 years ago. She was in an abusive relationship with someone who has since died. She got pregnant. The family was fearful of bringing a child into the situation. She had an abortion, and spiraled into drug use. I was at war with forgiving myself, said the 43-year-old, who is now clean. Jeanne Napier said she felt like she encouraged the abortion. And I hate that, she said, because I wish I could take that sin upon myself, so its real personal. I had an active play in terminating a life, and we dont have that right. Brianna Barnes, a 19-year-old journalism major at Pittsburg State who is from Wichita, has protested and prayed outside of a clinic in her hometown. If someone made eye contact with us, we just smiled at them, kind of showing that love and care because no one responds well to screaming, yelling, violence no matter what side its on, she said just after arriving on campus for the fall semester. Most of the students the AP talked to voiced support for the clinic. Her mother, Crystal Barnes, 42, turned to her daughter: Youre going to be the odd man out being a Catholic, and conservative, especially with things like abortion. It is so heated. The Friday before the clinic opened, crews installed a wooden facade outside, the air filled with the smell of fresh-cut lumber. Walters, the local anesthesiologist, had stopped by to check on the progress. Walters support comes from a personal place. When she was 20 and the same number of weeks pregnant, she went to an emergency room, bleeding. She said she was sent home to miscarry instead of having her labor induced or having a procedure to remove the fetus. That experience horrific, and wouldnt be considered standard of care, in modern practice, she said left her with a deep empathy for women in tough positions. Just before the 2022 vote, an ad backed by 400 Kansas doctors who support abortion rights ran in some of the states largest papers, including The Kansas City Star. Walters name was listed first. During that time, her home address appeared online, a frightening prospect in a state where abortion provider Dr. George Tiller was shot dead in 2009 at his Wichita church by an anti-abortion extremist. It is critical health care for women, she said. It is going to be disruptive to Pittsburg. And that part hurts my heart. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Kassym-Shomart Tokayev, (Qassym-Shomart Kemeluly Toqayev), President of Kazakhstan speaks to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Scholz continues his three-day trip to Central Asia in Kazakhstan. Michael Kappeler/dpa Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, during a visit from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday, stated that he views Russia as invincible and urged swift peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, according to reports from Kazakh news agencies. On the second leg of his three-day trip to Central Asia, Scholz met Tokayev in the Kazakh capital Astana. "A further escalation of the war will lead to irreparable consequences for all of humanity and first and foremost for all countries directly involved in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict," Tokayev said. "It is a fact that Russia is invincible in military terms," he added. According to Tokayev, there is still "a possibility of achieving peace." He stated that all peace plans must be examined and hostilities must cease. The territorial issues could then be resolved. Russia has now occupied around a fifth of Ukraine since it launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. However, Moscow is laying claim to further parts. In the autumn of 2022, Putin annexed the regions of Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhya, although the Russian military only partially controls the regions. Kiev is demanding the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory. Ukraine is being supported in its defence campaign by Western countries, including Germany. During Scholz's visit, petroleum deliveries and an extension of bilateral relations were on the agenda. The two countries struck a deal to extend and increase deliveries - currently amounting to 100,000 tons of crude oil per month - beyond the end of 2024. Kazakhstan is Germany's third largest supplier of oil after Norway and the United States. The country has enjoyed above-average economic growth in recent years, due in part to trade with its neighbours Russia and China. However, it has also attracted criticism over violations of human rights, with freedom of the press and freedom of expression heavily restricted. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (L) takes part in a visit to the German-Kazakh Economic Forum alongside Kassym-Shomart Tokayev,President of Kazakhstan. Michael Kappeler/dpa Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a visit to Astana on Sept. 16 that "Russia cannot be defeated in the military sense." Despite Astana's historically close ties to Moscow, Tokayev has taken a cautious approach to the full-scale war, refusing to recognize the legitimacy of Russia's illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories in 2022. At the same time, Kazakhstan has declined to abandon its long-standing relationship with Russia. "It is a fact that Russia cannot be defeated in the military sense," Tokayev told Scholz, in what was one of the clearest examples of Kazakhstan's pragmatic approach to Russia amid the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. "A further escalation of war will lead to irreparable consequences for the whole of humanity and above all for the countries involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict," Tokayev added. The Kazakh president also expressed support for a Chinese-Brazilian peace plan first pitched in May, which was dismissed by Scholz. In an interview earlier in September, President Volodymyr Zelensky called the six-point plan "destructive" and characterized it as a "political statement." Kazakhstan has been an increasingly important player in the region amid Russia's deteriorating relations with the West and has been accused of being a key transit intermediary for sanctions evasion. Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin said in August that Kazakhstan will not "blindly follow the sanctions" if they affect domestic Kazakh companies. The Kazakh government has sought concessions from the West to allow for trade with Iran or to use the country for transit, but has been unsuccessful. According to Zhumangarin, Kazakhstan does not acknowledge any unilateral sanctions and intends to move forward with its domestic trade agenda regardless of the West. While visiting Germany in October 2023, Tokayev said that Kazakhstan would continue its economic cooperation with Russia while promising to adhere to the sanctions imposed on its northern neighbor. Read also: Russia, West fight for Kazakhstan as Astana plays both sides Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Kansas City police are investigating after a zTrip driver was shot and critically hurt on Sunday near 9th and Myrtle. KCPD says the shooting happened just after 9 p.m., the driver was rushed to a hospital. Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco suffers ankle injury vs. Bengals Details on what led up to the shooting havent been revealed, but the Kansas City Transportation Group says cameras are in all zTrip vehicles, so police will have video to look at during their investigation. Homeowners want to know whos responsible for the shooting in the citys historic northeast neighborhood. Terry OToole, Z-Trips general manager, had no comment for FOX4 on Monday, but another source close to the driver said he remains in critical condition in an intensive care unit. A neighbor who spoke with police on Sunday said officers told him the driver was picking up a passenger when that rider tried robbing the driver. Thats when gunfire rang out. If you have any information that will help police make an arrest, call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS. The neighborhood has kind of gone down recently, Willie Rogers, who lives near 9th and Myrtle, said. Rogers has lived there for six decades. The military veteran said he believes theres too much crime in that area, and the problems have mounted up in recent months. All of a sudden, its been going downhill. Its never been that way. Its a great little area. A lot of people want to come here and start families, but theyre not going to do it with this, Rogers said. 35,000 people live in the Old Northeast, and many of them use ridesharing services, like Z-Trip, all the time. Bobbi Baker-Hughes, who leads the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, said her region is safe, but she expects something to be done concerning this violent incident from the weekend. Shawnee mom has message after stranger tries to lure kids into truck We, as a city, have to start looking at solutions for accountability, bad choices, and making sure the people and businesses are safe. Our city has a responsibility as well as we, ourselves, to make sure we maintain our own personal safety, Baker-Hughes said on Monday. A Kansas City Police spokesperson said officers dont know of any other recent incidents involving ridesharing drivers. Anyone with useful information is asked to call the Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline at (816)-474-8477. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. HARLAN, Ky. (AP) A Kentucky lawmaker was critically injured when the lawn mower he was riding plunged into an empty swimming pool at his home, authorities said Monday. State Sen. Johnnie Turner, a Republican from Harlan, was in critical but stable condition at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, said Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers. Turner was injured when he drove his mower into the deep end of the pool, Kentucky State Police said. Authorities received the 911 call shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday. State police had no details about what caused the accident. Turner was taken to a local hospital and then transferred to UT Medical Center. Turner's injuries were not immediately disclosed. His family requested prayers for his speedy recovery, Stivers said in a statement. Turner, an attorney, represents multiple counties in eastern Kentucky. He won election to the state Senate in 2020, ousting a Democratic incumbent with the same last name. Turner defeated two challengers in the Republican primary in May, and he is being challenged by an independent candidate in the November election. Turner served in the Kentucky House from 1999 to 2002. Turner is a staunch defender of the coal industry, once the backbone of the eastern Kentucky economy. Coal employment in Kentucky fell sharply over the last decade as cheaper natural gas prices and tougher environmental regulations prompted electric providers to move away from buying coal. Kentucky's GOP-dominated legislature will begin its 2025 session in January. Until then, lawmakers are meeting in interim committees to study a range of issues in preparation for next year's 30-day session. Kentucky state Sen. Johnnie L. Turner was taken to a hospital Sunday night after being injured while riding a lawnmower. Turner, R-Harlan, drove the mower into the deep end of an empty swimming pool at his home, said Kentucky State Police Trooper Shane Jacobs. He said state police were called just before 8 p.m., and they responded to the scene with the local fire department and emergency medical services. Sen. Johnnie Turner remains in critical but stable condition at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, Senate President Robert Stivers said in a statement Monday morning. Ive been in touch with Johnnies family, who are with him at the hospital. The family requests prayers for a speedy recovery. Turner lives in the Sukey Ridge area, according to WRIL-FM. He was taken to Harlan ARH Hospital and then transferred to the University of Tennessee Medical Center by helicopter, WYMT reported. The television station said he was stable. Turner represents District 29, which includes Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Knott and Letcher counties. Turner, 76, is an attorney who has served in the state Senate since 2021, according to the Legislative Research Center. He served in the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002. On behalf of the Kentucky Senate Democratic Caucus, we send our thoughts and prayers to Senator Johnnie Turner and his family. pic.twitter.com/1KSQfVFdB4 KY Senate Democrats (@KYSenateDems) September 16, 2024 Sen. Johnnie Turner was involved in an accident yesterday. Please pray for a speedy recovery. #kyinterim24 pic.twitter.com/pfzeDRXzog KY Senate Majority (@KYSenateGOP) September 16, 2024 Sen. Johnnie Turner, R-Harlan, spoke during a meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Transportation, July 18, 2023. (LRC Public Information) Sen. Johnnie Turner, a Republican from Harlan, has been hospitalized following an accident involving a riding lawn mower Sunday afternoon. In a statement Monday morning, Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, said Turner was in critical but stable condition and had been admitted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. Ive been in touch with Johnnies family, who are with him at the hospital, Stivers said. The family requests prayers for a speedy recovery. Turner has been serving in the Senate since 2021. He represents Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Knott and Letcher counties. He previously had a stint in the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2022. He is 76 years old. According to multiple media reports, Turner drove a lawn mower into the deep end of an empty swimming pool. Kentucky Wild will celebrate its birthday and native species Saturday in Georgetown, public invited A brown mussel shell with a white end sticks out of the Licking River. Saturday's Kentucky Wild event will include a presentation on Kentucky's freshwater mussels, like this one in the Licking River, its whitened end worn by erosion. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Liam Niemeyer). Bats, butterflies and a native plant sale will be featured at a celebration of Kentucky Wilds sixth birthday Saturday, Sept. 21, in Georgetown. A news release from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources says the public is invited to the event which is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern) at Country Boy Brewings taproom at 101 Innovation Way in Georgetown. The program will feature: Demonstrations on how to support wildlife in your own yard, 10 a.m. Bat Chat program, 12 p.m. Monarch butterflies presentation, 1 p.m. Freshwater mussel filtration program, 2 p.m. Native plant sale, 10 a.m. 1 p.m. (while supplies last) Attendees ages 21 and older can try a special Kentucky Wild Honey Ale and receive a commemorative pint glass. Kentucky Wild staff will also sell new merchandise, including t-shirts, hats, beanies and stickers, and various Kentucky Wild partners and conservation organizations will have tables at the event. Kentucky Wild is a membership-based program dedicated to conserving Kentuckys native wildlife that are not hunted, fished or trapped. Membership fees support conservation efforts for vulnerable and declining species such as songbirds, raptors, freshwater mussels, pollinators, bats and amphibians. To learn more about Kentucky Wild, visit fw.ky.gov. Ysabel Jurado made a huge splash on Los Angeles' Eastside last spring, coming in first in the five-way primary election for a City Council seat representing neighborhoods stretching from downtown to Eagle Rock. The 34-year-old tenant rights attorney, a first-time candidate, pulled ahead of Kevin de Leon, the politically wounded incumbent who once served as president of the state Senate. But De Leon, 57, is making clear he intends to fight for every vote, by taking part in at least four head-to-head candidate debates in the final months before the Nov. 5 election. Residents got a taste of just how bitter that competition is likely to be when De Leon and Jurado traded insults and verbal jabs throughout a 90-minute forum Wednesday co-hosted by the Lincoln Heights Chamber of Commerce. Jurado, who lives in Highland Park, blasted De Leon over his participation in a secretly recorded conversation that featured racist and derogatory remarks. She argued that, in the wake of that scandal, he has governed in isolation and failed to effectively represent the district. De Leon should have stepped down in 2022 after an array of political leaders, including President Biden, called on him to do so, Jurado told the audience. "You've got to put your ego aside to be in service to the community. That's what I was taught in my Jesuit education," she said. "When people tell you to move aside, you do it." De Leon, in turn, portrayed Jurado as politically extreme, saying she has aligned herself with activists seeking to "defund" or abolish the Los Angeles Police Department. He defended his record, showcasing his work on public safety, transportation and efforts to move homeless residents indoors. Since 2020, the year De Leon took office, the city has opened "tiny-home villages" for unhoused residents in Eagle Rock, Highland Park and Boyle Heights. In De Leon's district, shelters or other interim housing facilities have gone up in downtown, El Sereno and elsewhere. "We had 50 RVs on Valley Boulevard right across the street from Lincoln Park. What did we do? We found housing for those individuals, and we got all the RVs off" the street, he told the crowd at Sacred Heart Auditorium. "That's real work. That's real results." The Nov. 5 election features three council contests, with one in the San Fernando Valley and another in South Los Angeles. The De Leon-Jurado race is easily the most contentious of the three. Appearing before a crowd of about 300 people, Jurado pounded on De Leon for missing about two months of council meetings in 2022 the period immediately after the audio leak scandal erupted. De Leon countered that his safety was at serious risk, with protesters shutting down council meetings, demonstrating outside his Eagle Rock home and confronting him at community events. Council President Nury Martinez, another politician caught on the leaked audio, resigned from office that year. De Leon, by contrast, methodically worked his way back into the public sphere, returning to meetings, winning back his committee assignments and securing support from colleagues for his policy proposals. Jurado has taken aim at De Leon's attempt at a comeback, saying too many renters in his district have been evicted, too many streetlights have gone dark and too many businesses are struggling. She disparaged his work on homelessness, referring to the district's tiny homes as "sheds." She touted her support from heavy hitters such as the Los Angeles County Democratic Party and the county's Federation of Labor. She pointed to endorsements from Councilmembers Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunisses Hernandez, who occupy the left end of the political spectrum on the council. Jurado used her endorsement list to argue that De Leon no longer has meaningful allies. "They can't work with you," she said. "That's why your partners in council, in the county, even your former [colleagues] in the state Senate have not endorsed you." De Leon disputed those assertions, saying he has been working successfully with his colleagues, both locally and in Sacramento. He also pointed to his list of supporters. Unions representing construction trades have lined up behind De Leon's campaign. So has the Avance Democratic Club, which recently praised him for his "unwavering commitment to improving the quality of life for everyone." "Kevin de Leon has consistently championed the issues important to the Latino community from affordable housing to economic opportunity to environmental justice more than any other representative in the past two decades," said Nilza Serrano, the club's president, who attended Wednesday's debate. De Leon, for his part, took aim at Jurado's remarks about tiny homes, calling them "insulting." He said those structures have provided homeless residents air conditioning in the summer, heat during the winter and access to bathrooms throughout the year. Tiny homes also have locks, De Leon said, so homeless women have a level of protection against rape or assault that they would not have in a tent. "So they're not just sheds," he said. "They're a lifeline for those individuals who've been suffering." Jurado said she intends to build facilities that provide "dignity" to unhoused Angelenos, citing the 232-bed Hilda L. Solis Care First Village, which is made of used shipping containers. She also trumpeted her endorsement from L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, the Eastside politician who initiated the project. De Leon responded by attacking Solis' record, arguing that the county Department of Mental Health has "failed miserably" at serving mentally ill Angelenos, some of whom can be seen "running down the street naked" or "screaming at the top of their lungs" on L.A. sidewalks. "They are dying on our streets every single day ... whether it be crystal meth addiction or fentanyl," he said. "Yes, there is a clash, there is a conflict with the county. Because I believe strongly that the county has not been doing what they should be doing." De Leon did speak favorably about the Solis shipping container project, noting that the city puts money into services at that facility. This year alone, the city has allocated $5.2 million for those services, said City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, a high-level budget analyst. A day after the debate, Solis shot back with her own criticism of De Leon, posting on Instagram that her office has been working to help homeless residents in Skid Row and other parts of his district "without support from the councilmember." "Councilmember Kevin de Leon has once again demonstrated his inability to take responsibility for his own incompetence and failed policies," she said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. It was a rock star during the coronavirus pandemic, but Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) hasn't been the most exciting company in 2024. Its stock has become something of a value play, at least according to one analyst who released a fresh research note based on meetings with company management. He feels the stock has upside potential that's comfortably in the double-digit percentages. Here's why. An enthusiastic bull BMO Capital's Evan David Seigerman recently reiterated his outperform (i.e., buy) recommendation on Pfizer. He also maintained his $36-per-share price target on the well-known healthcare stock, which anticipates a gain of nearly 20% over the next 12 months. The meetings that led to the recommendation came in the form of non-deal roadshows hosted by BMO that included private conferences between company managers and institutional investors. Of these, Seigerman wrote, "We came away from the meetings with a sense of motivated self-awareness," on Pfizer's part. He feels the company has a sensible strategy to regain its footing somewhat after the years of the COVID-19 pandemic when Comirnaty (co-developed with German peer BioNTech) was a vaccine used to fight the disease. Solid potential Seigerman's takeaway from those meetings is that Pfizer will emphasize the development of pipeline drugs in segments such as oncology and weight loss, and elevate the importance of profit and loss management, among other measures. Might such efforts reap gains in the very near future? Collectively, the analysts tracking the stock seem to think so. On average, they're modeling a nearly 5% growth in revenue for the full-year 2024, to over $61 billion. Profitability should see a more dramatic improvement, with an estimated 43% year-over-year leap to $2.63 per share. I feel that the sluggishness in Pfizer's stock price derives from investors expecting another Comirnaty, and being impatient that the company hasn't lately developed a new world-beating product. Yet its pipeline looks busy, and there are more than a few drugs that could make quite the impact if and when commercialized. I'd agree with Seigerman that this stock is undervalued, and more than worthy of a buy. Should you invest $1,000 in Pfizer right now? Before you buy stock in Pfizer, 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 Pfizer wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Story continues Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $729,857!* 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 September 16, 2024 Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Pfizer. The Motley Fool recommends BioNTech Se. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is Pfizer Stock Going to $36? 1 Wall Street Analyst Thinks So. was originally published by The Motley Fool What we know about Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the apparent second Trump assassination attempt Ryan Wesley Routh put his enmity toward Donald Trump the man he once supported but then dismissed as an idiot, a buffoon and a fool at the center of a rambling and fanciful worldview that also fixated on Ukraine, Taiwan, North Korea, and what he called the end of humanity. The 58-year-old, who was detained Sunday in connection with an apparent assassination attempt on the former president, protested in Kyiv after Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and committed his ideas to paper in a self-published 291-page book. Authorities suspect Routh, who owns a small construction company in Hawaii, was planning to attack the former President as he played a round of golf on Sunday, with US Secret Service agents firing at a man with a rifle in the bushes near the golf club. He was later apprehended after being stopped on a nearby highway. Routh appeared in federal court Monday and was charged with two counts, possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Kristy Militello, the federal public defender assigned to Rouths case, declined to comment after the hearing. For years, he criticized not only Trump but himself, describing Trump as my choice in the 2016 presidential election but later writing that he is man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake. Heres what we know about Routh so far. Who is Ryan Wesley Routh? Rouths thoughts and fixations on global politics appeared idealistic to some who came across him, but his writings show how he became increasingly militant about the geopolitical forces he railed against. His business pursuits, by contrast, appear relatively unremarkable. On Rouths LinkedIn page, he said he started a company in 2018 called Camp Box Honolulu in Hawaii, which builds storage units and tiny houses. A story in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser said he donated a structure for homeless people. During his court appearance on Monday, Routh said he was making $3,000 a month before his arrest, had zero funds in savings and had no assets beyond two trucks in Hawaii. Routh also has ties to North Carolina, where public records show he registered as an unaffiliated voter without a party in 2012. He voted in that states Democratic primary in March of this year, according to public records. Records from the state dating back decades also show Routh has had previous scrapes with the law including being arrested in 2002 after he was pulled over by police and allegedly put his hand on a firearm, and then drove off and barricaded himself in a business premises. He has also been involved in several court cases since the 1990s, with authorities repeatedly accusing him of failing to pay his taxes on time. Separately, judges have ordered him to pay tens of thousands of dollars to plaintiffs in various civil suits. What were Rouths views on Trump? Routh became animated when writing about Trump, and he frequently weighed in on US and global current events on social media. In June 2020, Routh appeared to say that he had voted for Trump in 2016, but that he had since withdrawn his support of the former president. I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving, he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. I will be glad when you gone. Routh also mentioned Trump in his book, which appears on Amazon without a publisher listed, and is titled Ukraines Unwinnable War: The Fatal Flaw of Democracy, World Abandonment and the Global Citizen-Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea and the end of Humanity. In that publication, he described the former US presidents withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 as a tremendous blunder that drove Tehran closer to Moscow, which it then supplied with drones that have caused devastation across Ukraine. He even commented on the first assassination attempt on Trump, when the former president was wounded by a gunshot during a rally in Pennsylvania in July. Routh encouraged President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to visit those wounded in the incident, saying: Trump will never do anything. This screengrab from a video geolocated by CNN to Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, shows Ryan Routh at a rally supporting Ukrainian troops, who at the time were engaged with Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. - @save_mrpl via X (formerly Twitter) What were his delusional ideas on Ukraine? Ukraines defense against Russias 2022 invasion also became central to Rouths philosophy; he expressed support for Ukraine in dozens of X posts that year, saying he was willing to die in the fight and that we need to burn the Kremlin to the ground. He also visited Ukraine in 2022, according to video and photos geolocated by CNN and interviews he gave to international media during his time there. In a flurry of Facebook posts last year, he tried to enlist Afghan conscripts to fight in the war, presenting himself as an off-the-books liaison for the Ukrainian government. A representative from Ukraines foreign legion confirmed with CNN that Routh had contacted them several times but said he was never part of the military unit in which overseas volunteers fight. Oleksandr Shaguri, an officer of the Foreigners Coordination Department of the Land Forces Command, told CNN over the phone that the best way to describe his messages is delusional ideas. He was offering us large numbers of recruits from different countries but it was obvious to us his offers were not realistic. We didnt even answer, there was nothing to answer to. He was never part of the Legion and didnt cooperate with us in any way. Newsweek Romania journalist Remus Cernea first met Routh in Kyivs Independence Square in June 2022, where the American was rallying people to join the foreign legion or to help Ukraine through various humanitarian aid organizations. For me, its a surprise because I viewed him as an idealistic innocent genuine person, without any murderous instinct, Cernea told CNN following news of Rouths detention in the United States. According to Cernea, Routh described Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine as a black and white good versus evil conflict. In an interview with AFP news agency from Kyiv in April 2022, Routh said: Putin is a terrorist, and he needs to be ended, so we need everybody from around the globe to stop what theyre doing and come here now and support the Ukrainians to end this war. He also weighed in on the political situations in Afghanistan, Taiwan and North Korea in his book. Routh has repeatedly voiced support for Taiwan and previously called for international intervention to protect the island against potential Chinese encroachment. What have people said about him? Rouths eldest son, Oran, told CNN via text that Routh was a loving and caring father, and honest hardworking man. I dont know whats happened in Florida, and I hope things have just been blown out of proportion, because from the little Ive heard it doesnt sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent, Oran wrote. But other people have shared testimonies of tense interactions with Routh. Hawaiian business owner Saili Levi told CNN he had paid Routh $3,800 up front to build a trailer for his business. But when Levi came to Rouths shop to review his work, it was shoddy, he said. Levi said when he asked Routh to improve the work via email, Routh ranted at him. He just kind of started ranting about, you know, You think because you have money, youre better than me? Levi said, adding that Routh also mentioned having gone to Ukraine to fight against Russia. I kind of decided maybe I should just let it go for the sake of my family, Levi recalled. Curt Devine, Isabelle Chapman and Daniel Medina contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The suspect in what the FBI has called an "attempted assassination" of former President Donald Trump, Ryan Wesley Routh, suggested Iran should feel "free to assassinate Trump" and himself in a self-published book from February 2023. In the book, which ABC News has unearthed following Sundays incident, Routh directed an apology toward Iran, apparently for his previous support for Trump, who withdrew the U.S. in 2018 from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal with Iran. In the passage, Routh wrote that he "made a terrible mistake" in supporting Trump and said to Iran, "You are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgment and the dismantling of the deal." Details about Rouths book come as court documents show Routh has a lengthy criminal record. The suspect was also a booster of a number of causes, including the war in Ukraine, an ABC News analysis of his apparent social media profiles shows. As authorities try to unravel the motive and details of the case, sources said investigators were looking at whether Routh was frustrated with Trump's position on Ukraine. Trump refused to answer when asked if Ukraine should win its war against Russia during the ABC News presidential debate last week. Authorities recovered a loaded SKS-style 7.62x39 caliber rifle with a scope, two backpacks -- one of which had a ceramic tile in it -- and a GoPro from the scene, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said. The would-be gunman was within 300 to 500 yards of Trump when he was spotted. The serial number on the rifle "was obliterated and unreadable to the naked eye," the criminal complaint states. PHOTO: Ryan Wesley Routh in a picture released by the Martin County Sheriff's Office following his detention by authorities in Florida, Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office) The former president was unharmed in the incident, and Secret Service acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. said in a briefing Monday the suspect did not fire any shots. Routh's vehicle was stopped by police Sunday after a witness reported his license plate number to authorities. He was placed into custody on Sunday afternoon. He was charged Monday with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number but did not enter a plea. More charges relating to the incident are expected in the coming days, sources told ABC News. The suspect's motive remains unknown. Routh told the court Monday he earns a monthly income of $3,000 and owns two trucks, each worth around $1,000, in Hawaii. But he owns no real estate and has "zero" savings, he said. He also has a 25-year-old son, he said. Routh is believed to have ties to North Carolina and Hawaii, according to sources. The FBI is conducting an extensive investigation into Routh's social media activity, travel and any criminal record, sources said. Friends, family and associates are also being sought for interviews. Routh, in self-published book, says he wants to make "every citizen an enemy of me" In addition to the passage addressed to Iran, the suspect wrote that he planned to continue his efforts to support Ukraine, implying that doing so would lead to a spectacular end to his life. Titled "Ukraine's Unwinnable War: The Fatal Flaw of Democracy, World Abandonment and the Global Citizen-Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea and the End of Humanity," Routh wrote in the book, "As you might have figured out by now that this story is also the conclusion of my life." He continued: "It has been my goal to make every country, leader and civilian around the world mad at me. While most hide in the shadows and cover their face for every photo I will sacrifice myself if need be to push the war and the world forward." In his writing, he added, "I will certainly have made every citizen an enemy of me, but the goal is for them to hate me as much as Putin and hopefully render an even greater resolve." He went on to say he was "one insignificant man" and to "let the mafias and kill squads hunt me down and end my life." Rouths former neighbors describe a "weird" loner with guns Former neighbors of Routh's described him to ABC News as a "weird" loner who kept guns, while another called him "a good guy." Routh lived in the same Greensboro, North Carolina, house for nearly two decades, according to Kim Mungo, a woman who said she lived directly next door to him until "three or four years ago," when she said he moved to Hawaii. Mungo described Routh as "a good guy" who did not seem politically engaged or capable of violence. But he did have "guns over at the house," she said, speculating that he kept the firearms to "protect his property." When Routh left for Hawaii, Mungo said he left the house to a family member. When Routh returned in May to clean out the house, she said he hugged her goodbye. Two of Routh's neighbors in Hawaii expressed a contrasting impression of the suspect, telling ABC News he seemed ordinary and never showed any signs of a capacity for violence. Willy Lee, who lives across the street, said his neighbor's arrest came as "a shock." "I don't really know him that well, but he's always saying hello, and he's a very good neighbor," Lee said. Another neighbor, Christopher Tam, said there had been "no indication that [Routh] had any mean bone in his body" that would "drive him to do something like this." "I mean, I don't think we imagine anyone that we know or interact with could possibly do anything like this," Tam added. Routh's social media history A law enforcement source told ABC News that profiles on X, LinkedIn and Telegram are under investigation for a possible connection to Routh. Routh also appears to have operated a Facebook page, which has now been removed, and which listed the same phone number shared on his apparent X profile. When ABC News dialed that number, an answering machine message said: "This is Ryan with Camp Box Buildings in Hawaii, and also the National Volunteer Center sending soldiers to Ukraine as well as Taiwan." Online, he appears to have been a prolific booster of several causes, chiefly of Ukraine's, with numerous posts referring to an effort to recruit soldiers for that country. Specifically, many of Routh's posts referred to an effort to send Afghan soldiers to Ukraine. Ryan Wesley Routh takes part in a rally in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) (Efrem Lukatsky/AP) It was not immediately clear whether Routh had actually recruited any fighters for Ukraine or whether he had any contact with Ukraine's military or government. Routh's apparent X profile contained dozens of posts calling on politicians, celebrities and journalists to support Ukraine. In 2022, shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion, posts on that profile contained claims that Routh had traveled to Kyiv. MORE: Trump thanks 'outstanding' law enforcement after apparent assassination attempt Routh spoke with an ABC News team in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on April 30, 2022 -- two months into the war -- at a protest held by family members of Azov Battalion soldiers defending the city of Mariupol against Moscow's forces. He was wearing an American flag bandana around his neck and was holding a handwritten sign that read: "Please world we need everyone here. This is good against evil. These children want normal lives ... End Russia for our kids." Routh told The Financial Times that he had tried to join Ukraine's International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine -- which is made up of foreign volunteers -- but was rejected for being too old. Routh claimed the Legion then suggested he work to recruit other foreigners to serve in the unit. But a source close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ABC News that Routh was rejected from the International Legion not due to his age, but because he failed to pass a psychological screening. Routh was never hired by any armed forces unit, but visited Ukraine six times in 2022 and 2023, most recently in June 2023. The International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine told ABC News via email: "We would like to clarify that Ryan Wesley Routh has never been part of, associated with, or linked to the International Legion in any capacity. Any claims or suggestions indicating otherwise are entirely inaccurate." A March 2023 post on a LinkedIn profile appearing to belong to Routh contained two undated photos of Routh, respectively showing him in front of the U.S. Congress and at Kyiv's Independence Square. The post was captioned, "In DC and Kyiv to provide soldiers for the war effort." This screengrab taken from AFPTV on September 16, 2024 shows Ryan Wesley Routh speaking during an interview in central Kyiv on April 27, 2022, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by AFPTV / AFP) (Photo by -/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images) (-/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images) On June 10, 2020, Routh's apparent X profile directed a post on X at Trump in which he said he had supported Trump in the 2016 presidential election but that Trump had become a "disappointment." The post concluded, "I will be glad when you are gone." Several X posts in March 2020 referred to support for then-Democratic presidential primary candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. Posts in January 2024 indicated support for former Republican presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Facebook posts from October and November 2023 promoted conspiracy theories about China, COVID-19 and biological warfare. In December, Routh posted to the platform questioning the historical claim of Jewish people to Israel. MORE: Trump safe after apparent 'attempted assassination'; Sources identify detained man Routh's apparent phone number was also listed on a website for a so-called "Taiwan Foreign Legion," which calls on international volunteers to fight for Taiwan in the event of a possible conflict with China. The most recent post on Routh's apparent Facebook page also refers to an effort to convince Taiwan to accept Afghan fighters. Routh's criminal history Routh has an extensive rap sheet in North Carolina dating back to 1997, including an incident from 2002 during which he reportedly barricaded himself inside a business while armed with an assault weapon, according to police and court records. In December 2002, Routh fled a traffic stop and barricaded himself inside a local roofing business for three hours until police finally arrested him, according to the Greensboro News & Record. Routh pleaded guilty to a felony count of possessing a weapon of mass destruction and a misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed weapon, court records show. State incarceration records show he was sentenced to probation for this incident. Court records indicate he still owes a $225 assessment related to the felony charge of possession of a weapon of mass destruction. He also pleaded guilty in 2003 to stealing a state-issued ID card and, in 2010, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor theft charge. He was also repeatedly sued by construction contractors for attempting to write checks with insufficient funds. Routh has several traffic citations, including speeding, running red lights, failing to wear a seatbelt, driving while his license was revoked and driving with a broken windshield, among others. In 2019, the FBI received a tip that Routh was a felon in possession of a firearm, said Jeffrey Veltri, FBI special agent in charge of the Miami Office. "Following up on the tip, the alleged complainant was interviewed and did not verify, I repeat did not verify, providing the initial information. The FBI passed that information to local law enforcement in Honolulu," Veltri said. ABC News' Pierre Thomas, Josh Margolin, Luke Barr, Aaron Katersky, Jack Date, Peter Charalambous, Alexander Mallin, Leah Sarnoff, Joe Simonetti, Helena Skinner, Zohreen Shah, Olivia Rubin, Luc Bruggeman and Julia Reinstein contributed to this report. Trump suspect told Iran 'you are free to assassinate Trump' in apparent self-published book originally appeared on abcnews.go.com KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) Knoxville City Council elections are changing and this November you can have a say on how its done. After a Tennessee law passed last year making our current voting system illegal, city council has presented a new citywide, or at-large, voting system that will appear on our ballots. However, some community members are pushing back against ballot question number 2. Knoxville voters to decide in November if city council should be at-large There are better ways for our democracy to work, there are better ways in my opinion to get power into the hands of people in their communities, so they can have control of their communities, Councilwoman Amelia Parker. In an 8-to-1 vote, city council chose to present an at-large for all system before voters this November. If it is approved, it would let voters cast ballots in primary and general elections for all city council seats. If the at-large system is not approved, voters would only be able to elect the city council representative in their district for both the primary and general elections. Parker was the only city council member to oppose the at-large system. We want to keep district representation intact so that minorities, district residents are working class communities and others, can show up in the election in usually August for our primaries, and feel like our voice has been heard in selecting the representative for their community, said Parker. In a meeting held by City Council Movement, they spoke out on why they think voters should not adopt the second ballot question. How to become a poll worker in Tennessee Were making election so much more inaccessible, right? Were diminishing the power of black people, working class people. But if you vote no, if we vote no, that means we preserve our districts, said City Council Movements Nzinga Amani. Many who attended City Council Movements meeting said this system would allow for more representation Questionable purchases by Farragut HS Band, including $1,500 meal for 11 students, investigated I believe it is important that, minority racial minorities are represented, and I dont think that the at-large system will allow for people in those communities to be represented, said Knoxville resident Jacqueline Capron-Allcott. Others attended the meeting to gain a better understanding of what this change means, and how it could impact residents. It would just make it harder to get people who kind of look like me, people from the historically black district, voted on, said Knoxville resident Michael Adriaanse. I live in a poor neighborhood. I live in a poor part of town and seeing that my vote now is going to be washed away by a lot of the more richer income people in maybe in West Knoxville kind of disappoints me. See more top stories on WATE.com While the proposed voting system detailed in ballot question 2 would make all council seats at-large, council members would still be required to live in the district they represent. Right now, Knoxville voters can only vote for the top two representatives in their district for primary elections, which are then voted for at-large in general elections. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side. Kraft going to for largest cheesecake record in Lowville this weekend LOWVILLE, N.Y. (WWTI) This weekends upcoming Cream Cheese Festival in Lowville be could record-breaking. Kraft Heinz announced that it will attempt to reclaim its throne for largest cheesecake in the world. Sept. 21: Lowville Cream Cheese Festival Philadelphia Cream Cheese received the Guinness World Records title for Largest Cheesecake in 2013 and is looking to shatter the current record by more than 5,000 pounds by creating a 15,000 pound cheesecake. The feat would solidify its place in world cheesecake supremacy for years to come according to Kraft in a press release. Construction will be this week with the reveal on Saturday, September 21. Lowville is home to Phillys biggest factory. Heres a breakdown of what will be in the hopefully record-setting cheesecake: Goal weight: ~15,000 lbs, equivalent to 10 dairy cows Pan: outside diameter of 11ft., 6in. and an inside diameter of 10ft., 10in. Filling: ~13,500 lbs of Philadelphias Ready to Eat Cheesecake Crust: over 870 lbs of graham cracker crumbs and over 330 lbs of sugar Following the reveal, Lieutenant Colonel Adam. Keller, Commander, 6-6 Air Cavalry Squadron, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division will cut the Philadelphia Cheesecake and slices will be handed out to fans. Festival goers can also take home cheesecake with the remaining donated to the Lowville Food Pantry and Watertown Urban Mission to ensure everyone can enjoy the creamy goodness. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWTI - InformNNY.com. Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) said on Sept. 16 that a Kremlin propagandist has been killed in the Russian city of Belgorod. In a post on Telegram, HUR said Aleksandr Korobov died on Sept. 15 after his skull was "crushed." According to Russian news outlets, Korobov was heavily injured in an apparent assassination attempt. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claim. Korobov nicknamed "Crab" appeared as a war correspondent on Kremlin state media channel, Russia 1, and HUR said he also headed its Belgorod branch. "The propagandist not only prepared false materials about the war, but also personally participated in the commission of serious war crimes against Ukraine," military intelligence said, adding that Korobov regularly worked in occupied areas of Ukraine. https://t.co/SYlxXhZP3w pic.twitter.com/UTHwQSLcyp Defence intelligence of Ukraine (@DI_Ukraine) September 16, 2024 While HUR did not claim responsibility for the attack, the post included both current and former home addresses for Korobov, and noted he "periodically visited Moscow according to instructions." It also contained what appears to be covertly recorded, and watermarked footage of a man resembling Korobov walking down the street which then cuts to a close-up of what HUR claims is his dead body. "The military intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reminds that there will be a fair retribution for every war crime," the post reads. The Kyiv Independent contacted HUR for confirmation of who was behind the attack. It replied with a smiling face with sunglasses emoji. After HUR announced details of the attack, the head of the Belgorod State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, Nadezhda Vlasova, said Korobov was injured and in hospital, but had not been killed. Read also: The Russian targets that could be on Ukraines long-range missile strike list Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Kremlin reacts to Ukraine's invitation of International Committee of the Red Cross and UN to Russia's Kursk Oblast Dmitry Peskov, Spokesperson for the Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, has called a provocation of Ukraine's invitation to representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit the territories of Russias Kursk Oblast, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces currently control. Source: Russian propaganda outlet TASS Quote from Peskov: "We expect that the addressees will not perceive such provocative statements. This is a pure kind of provocation." Read more: Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi's raid: how the Ukrainian offensive in Russia's Kursk Oblast is progressing and what to expect next Background: On 16 September, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs appealed to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to join the humanitarian response efforts in the areas of Russia's Kursk Oblast, currently controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On 12 September, the Russians shelled Viroliubivka of Kostiantynivka hromada of Donetsk Oblast with artillery, killing three ICRC staff members and injuring two others. A lorry carrying humanitarian aid and a car were destroyed. [a hromada is an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories ed.] The ICRC said that their team was preparing to distribute firewood and coal briquettes in the village of Viroliubivtsi, Donetsk Oblast when the lorries they were using were attacked. You always feel sorry for civilians, whether theyre Russians or not Ukrainska Pravda's report from Sudzha and its suburbs, two weeks after the Ukraine defence forces' offensive Support UP or become our patron! LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56) As the search for the I-75 gunman entered its second week, Trooper Scottie Pennington pleaded for the suspect to turn himself in. Officials said five people were injured and 12 vehicles were damaged after shots rang out on I-75 on Sept. 7. Since then, law enforcement has been combing through the Daniel Boone National Forest for the 32-year-old man believed to be responsible: Woodbine resident Joseph Couch. RELATED | Who is Joseph Couch? Alleged I-75 shooter warned he was going to kill a lot of people If hes listening to us, man, youve destroyed our community, Pennington said on Monday morning. Mr. Couch, please turn yourself in. If youve got anything left in you as a man, turn yourself into the Kentucky State Police, sheriffs office, or city, please turn yourself into somebody. Over 28,000 acres of land have been searched and cleared, and as the search expands, authorities said they have introduced K9s, cadaver dogs, thermal imaging, and more. Trooper Scottie Penningtion provided an update regarding the search for the I-75 gunman on Monday morning (Laurel County Sheriffs Office) Trooper Scottie Penningtion provided an update regarding the search for the I-75 gunman on Monday morning (Laurel County Sheriffs Office) Trooper Scottie Penningtion provided an update regarding the search for the I-75 gunman on Monday morning (Laurel County Sheriffs Office) They [the dogs] were on a track of something. Not saying it was Mr. Couch, but they were on a track of something for several days, Pennington said. Investigators said that Couch was entered into the NCIC database if he had left the area, but evidence has maintained the belief that he is still somewhere in the dense forest. We know were in the last place he was, Pennington said. We do have evidence that we found along trails in this forest that says this was the last place he was. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Its also believed that Couch had access to food and water at some point, but law enforcement believes his resources have run out by now. Pennington also said that Couch has not attempted to contact family members and emphasized that his family has been cooperative in the investigation. Were not making it comfortable on him. I know he can see us from the air and maybe even hear us on the ground, Pennington emphasized. Its hard on him too and I want it to be hard. I want him to suffer every step he makes. Thats under the assumption that Couch is still alive in the forest. An affidavit revealed that Couch planned to kill a lot of people, before killing himself. It might be something Mother Nature has to take care of, Pennington said. I dont know that. God knows it and one of these days, hopefully, we can find Mr. Couch. Although the reward for information that leads to his arrest has climbed to $25,000, authorities emphasize that the public leave the search efforts to the professionals. Pennington said that law enforcement encountered a couple of vigilantes in the early days of the search, which ultimately set back search efforts. Read more of the latest Kentucky news Dont be the next victim of Mr. Couch by going in there and having heat exhaustion, taking your bloodhound in the woods, he said. This is a police mission at this time. But due to the high reward, Pennington said that investigators are confident that if someone knows something, they will eventually come forward. KSP said anyone with information that could help find Couch is asked to call any of the following Kentucky law enforcement agencies: Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. As Kuwait's temperatures soar to 50 degrees, life is mainly indoors Kuwaiti people walk through the popular Avenues mall. Many of the wealthiest people in Kuwait only leave their air-conditioned homes and offices in summer to drive to air-conditioned shopping centres and restaurants. Johannes Sadek/dpa When Ali Habib can no longer stand the heat outside, when the temperature reaches a sweltering 50 degrees Celsius, he stands up from his chair below a parasol on a street corner and heads to his car. He turns on the air conditioning and cools down for a while. Habib, who spends 12 hours a day selling sunflower seeds to drivers, knows all too well what it feels like to spend a summer in extreme heat. The hot air blowing across Kuwait feels like an oven, making it stifling and hard to breathe. Your skin and hair grow hot in minutes. No one goes outside unless they have to during the day. Kuwait, between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, may be a harbinger of life as the climate changes in other places and as hot regions become uninhabitable and daily life mainly takes place indoors. Rising temperatures over the next 50 to 75 years could make large parts of the country unsuitable for human habitation, says the Kuwait Times, citing figures from the environmental authority. A Harvard study, 13 out of 100 deaths may then be attributable to climate change. 'As if the outdoors doesn't exist' Many of the wealthiest people in Kuwait only leave their air-conditioned homes and offices in summer to drive to air-conditioned shopping centres or shops and restaurants in air-conditioned cars. "It's almost as if the outdoors doesn't exist," Kuwait-based architect Sharifa Alshalfan told the Guardian newspaper. At 53.9 degrees, Mitribah outside Kuwait City recorded the third-highest temperature in the world in 2016, as verified by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Only Death Valley in California (56.7 degrees in 1913) and Kebili in Tunisia (55.0 degrees in 1931) were hotter. In Kuwait, temperatures passed the 50-degree mark in May, the earliest point in the year in decades. Some malls have dedicated lanes for walking and jogging on the upper floors. "I come every day around half past six or seven," says a 50-year-old man wearing green trainers and a cap who has come to the Avenues, a kind of air-conditioned village for shopping and eating. Cold air streams in from wall pipes, you shiver and your nose gets blocked. Birds fly under the glass roof. "It feels like you're walking outside," says one New Zealander enthusiastically. Dead fish wash up, palm trees die off Outside, the sun shines unrelentingly and plants and animals have long since wilted in the heat. Stray cats are being brought into vets' surgeries in summer after suffering from heat exhaustion, a local journalist reports. Birds lie dead on the roofs of houses unable to find shade or water. Dead fish repeatedly wash up on the shore, struggling to get sufficient oxygen in the water in the sweltering bay. On Kuwait's waterfront promenade, pigeons jostle in the shade of a palm tree. City trees are dying on pavements and even the heat-resistant palm trees wither by the roadside, their light brown leaves hanging limply. Doctor: Heat over 40 degrees for several hours can be fatal With the very high humidity level found on the coast of Kuwait, people's bodies are no longer able to cool down by sweating, says doctor Andrea Nakoinz of the German Alliance on Climate Change and Health. Sweat no longer evaporates on the skin, which would otherwise provide a cooling effect. "Then being in heat of over 40 degrees for several hours can be fatal." High-energy air-conditioned buildings are not the solution. The air from the air conditioning systems dries out the airways and makes them more susceptible to germs, says Nakoinz. And, she adds, "If I'm always sitting in air-conditioned rooms, I can't adapt to the heat. Stepping out from 18 to 40 degrees can lead to circulatory collapse in people who are already ill." Kuwait's dilemma lies in its vast oil reserves, discovered in 1938, which are among the largest in the world. With them has come prosperity, skyscrapers and 12-lane motorways. The country aims to have 15% renewable energies by 2030 but for electricity generation, this was recently just 0.2%, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Few countries consume as much electricity as Kuwait and consumption is rising. Petrol is cheaper than cola "Oil and gas keep us moving" and "fuel our world," says a museum near the largest oil field, Burgan. Here, oil is seen as representing progress, it is a source of national pride rather than being seen as a harmful source of energy as it is by environmental activists in other parts of the world. In the museum shop in Kuwait, the mascot is a laughing oil drum with a helmet. You can buy blue oil worker overalls in children's sizes. Kuwait has the cheapest petrol in the Gulf, says the owner of a tourism company. The state subsidizes petrol so that a litre of gas costs around $0.34 - less than a litre of Coca-Cola. When he parks and gets out of the car for about 15 minutes, the man leaves the engine running to keep his SUV nice and cool. His fuel consumption is between 14 and 20 litres per 100 kilometres. Some of the few pedestrians you see at crossroads carry scarves and umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun and exhaust fumes. Most of the beaches are deserted, with only a few people toughing out the searing midday heat or dipping their feet in the water. The heat mainly affects the poorest As in other regions of the world, the impacts of climate change hit the poorest first. On building sites in the suburb of Chaitan, you can meet men from India or Sri Lanka mixing cement, laying water pipes and cladding ceilings. Outdoor work is forbidden between 11 am and 4 pm in summer. The migrant workers, who make up around two thirds of Kuwait's population, are particularly at risk of health problems in the heat and "bear the brunt," says the World Health Organization. Egyptians bring their catch ashore at the fish market even as the temperature hits 48 degrees. "What am I supposed to do?" says Hamid Mohammed Issa, who has been working in Kuwait for 42 years. Sweat runs down his forehead like water. "I have to earn my living." Ali Habib sits under an umbrella in Kuwait City. He spends 12 hours a day selling sunflower seeds to drivers. When he needs a break from the sweltering heat, he heads to his car to turn on the air conditioning and cool down for a while. Johannes Sadek/dpa A woman walks by withered trees in front of Kuwait City's downtown skyscrapers. Kuwait is considered one of the hottest places on earth with temperatures reaching over 50 degrees Celsius. Johannes Sadek/dpa Kalamazoo police looking for witnesses of shooting near WMU KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) Kalamazoo police are looking for witnesses of an early Saturday morning shooting near Western Michigan University. The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety said that several hundred people attended a large block party that was held on Kimbark Avenue near Michigan Street, known as the Garages. Around 12:45 a.m., there was a fight between two people that ended with a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman being shot. 17-year-old, 18-year-old recovering after Kalamazoo shooting KDPS said they were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening and have since been released. This embedded content is not available in your region. Police have no leads on a suspect, KDPS said. Anyone who attended the party, has social media or cell phone videos from the party or has any information about the shooting is asked to contact the criminal investigation division at 269.337.8139 or Silent Observer at 269.343.2100. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. Waco, Tx (FOX44) L-3 Harris Technologies Integrated Systems of Waco has been awarded a contract for up to $1.1 billion of work maintaining a Navy aircraft. While some of the work will be performed elsewhere, the large majority will be done at the local facility located at TSTC Airport. The contracts provide P-8A Poseidon aircraft depot scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and other work that might include such things as airframe modifications. AAR Government Services of Wood Dale, Illinois was awarded a matching contract with the two companies then competing for individual orders. The ceiling of the contract is $1,194,219,236. L-3 is one of Wacos larger employers. The P-8A is the military version of the Boeing 737 civilian passenger aircraft. It is used by the U.S. Navy for maritime patrol and reconnaissance. It performs a major role in anti-submarine warfare and can be armed with torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, and other weapons. It can carry and drop sonobouys used to track submerged submarines. P-8s are also used by several other countries allied with the U.S. It replaced the P3 Orion aircraft which had been in service since 1962. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KWKT - FOX 44. PwCs auditing unit in mainland China has been handed a six-month suspension and a fine of 441m yuan ($62m) over its audit of the now-defunct property developer China Evergrande Group. The penalties have been imposed by the Ministry of Finance of the Peoples Republic of China and the China Securities Regulatory Commission on PwC Zhong Tian LLP, PwC's registered accounting entity and primary onshore division in China. China's securities regulator has accused PwC Zhong Tian LLP of negligence in its audit of Evergrande's onshore flagship unit, Hengda Real Estate, and its bond issuance in 2019 and 2020. PwC Zhong Tian allegedly overlooked fraudulent activities, with the regulator stating that PwC "turned a blind eye" to Evergrande's misconduct. The investigation was prompted by allegations in March of a $78bn fraud at Evergrande over two years. PwC Zhong Tian has audited Evergrande for nearly 14 years, ending its relationship in early 2023. In response to the penalties, PwC in its press statement said: We are disappointed by PwC Zhong Tians (or PwC ZT) audit work of Hengda, which fell unacceptably below the standards we expect of member firms of the PwC network. PwC ZT cooperated fully with its regulators, respects their decisions, and will fully comply with the administrative penalties. PwC Zhong Tian is now prohibited from endorsing essential financial documents for mainland China clients and is barred from acquiring new state-owned or domestically-listed clients for three years. Consequently, PwC China's territory senior partner Daniel Li has resigned from his role due to his "former responsibilities" in the auditing division. The company also terminated the employment of six partners and withdrew five staff involved in the Hengda audit work. The Ministry of Finance (MOF), which also mandated the closure of PwC Zhong Tian's Guangzhou branch responsible for the Hengda audit, found that the firm had ignored "material misstatements" and even issued false audit reports. The MOF fined PwC Zhong Tian an additional $16.4m for its 2018 audit failures of Hengda. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) fined PwC Zhong Tian $46m, highlighting that 88% of the firm's observation records on Evergrande's real estate projects in 2019 and 2020 were found to be "inauthentic or untrue." The CSRC also criticised PwC for failing to inspect properties accurately and for deliberately excluding certain properties from audit samples. China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) was quoted by Reuters as saying in a statement: PwC's behaviour goes beyond mere auditing failure. It, to a certain extent, covered up and even condoned Hengda Real Estate's financial fraud and fraudulent issuance of corporate bonds. Story continues "PwC faces record fine over Evergrande audit in China" was originally created and published by International Accounting Bulletin, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. TAMPA, Fla, (WFLA) A Lakeland man is facing wire fraud charges related to a COVID-19 relief scheme, according to the Florida Department of Justice. The DOJ said Jeanty Cherilus, 54, was an owner of Natransusa Corporation (NATRANS), a business that advertised to provide automobile salvage and transportation services. Despite not being entitled to them, the DOJ said, through NATRANS, Cherilus submitted applications for federal Paycheck Protection Program loans and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan. The applications allegedly contained false information and certifications that the loan would be used for business purposes. After receiving the loans, Cherlius allegedly used them for personal enrichment. The case was investigated by the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General and the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee Task Force. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. UPDATE 9/16/24 A former Lakeland Behavioral Health staff member pleaded guilty to having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a juvenile patient on Friday, Sept. 13. Mark McMannamy was charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. He has pleaded guilty to both counts. McMannamy has a sentencing hearing scheduled for Nov. 8, 2024. Lakeland Behavioral Health also confirmed McMannamy was terminated in January, saying: Lakeland Behavioral Health has a zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate behavior of any sort in our facility. The privacy, safety and well-being of our patients and staff are paramount to us. We have terminated the employee and are fully cooperating with law enforcement on this matter. Lakeland Behavioral Health Original Story (1/18/24): SPRINGFIELD, Mo. A staff member at Lakeland Behavioral Health in Springfield is charged with sexual exploitation of a minor who was a patient at the facility. Springfield Police searching missing Drury student Mark McMannamy, 42, is accused of making a 15-year-old patient take multiple nude photos of herself on his phone earlier this month. The probable cause statement stated that McMannamy offered the teen a vape pen in exchange for the photos and also made sexual advances. The victim disclosed the incident to an employee and the police were called. Investigators gathered enough evidence including statements and security footage to issue an arrest warrant for McMannamy. He was arrested at his home. According to the probable cause statement, during the interview with McMannamy, he admitted to asking the victim for several nude pictures. McMannamy said he went home after work and looked at the pictures. He said once he was home, he realized he did something wrong, so he deleted the pictures. McMannamy said he was aroused by the photographs and the idea that he was doing something that he was not supposed to do. McMannamy also admitted to asking for sexual favors. When police asked how old the victim was, he said she was 15 years old. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) Lakeside Union School District could be the latest in the county to ban cell phones from the classroom. During its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, the East County school districts board is set to take up the question of whether to limit student cell phone usage, which could guide any potential measures restricting devices. According to Lakeside Union Board President Andrew Hayes, a July survey within the district found a significant majority support about 62.1% of parents and 87.8% of staff members for limitations on cell phone use during school hours. The discussion comes on the heels of recent pushes, including calls from Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state legislature, to address distractions like cell phones in the classroom. Supporters of these policies argue they benefit student productivity and academic outcomes while reducing behavior-related issues. New state bill could allow San Diego City College to offer bachelors in nursing I urge every school district to act now to restrict smartphone use on campus as we begin the new academic year, Newsom wrote in an Aug. 13 letter to California school districts. The evidence is clear: reducing phone use in class leads to improved concentration, better academic outcomes, and enhanced social interactions. However, opponents have raised concerns about a possible bans impact on parental accessibility to students in the event of an emergency. Back in July, when the district was conducting its survey, Hayes expressed some of these reservations about banning cell phones from classrooms, raising questions about safety and scope of any potential measures. The question really is, instead of just banning something outright, give us a pathway, give us a roadmap of what that looks like, he said. Mondays discussion could lay out some of the next steps for the district as they explore crafting a cell phone policy. Los Angeles Unified was the first major district in Southern California to implement such a policy limiting cell phone usage, with Carlsbad Unified following suit. At least one public charter school in San Diego, Urban Discovery Academy, similarly has a ban on cell phone usage. San Diego Unified, the largest district in the county, is also looking at implementing a policy on school cell phone usage, although it has not yet come to a vote. Heather Lake and Delaney White contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. Latest Trump shooting attempt recalls past assassination tries against U.S. leaders The FBI is investigating what it said was another assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The incident occurred Sunday at the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach in Florida, where Trump, the former president, was golfing. Law enforcement officials said the Secret Service saw a man with a rifle in the bushes and shot at the suspected assassin. The suspect fled the bushes and was later apprehended on a highway, according to law enforcement. A law enforcement officer walks after reports of shots fired outside Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump's Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida on September 15, 2024. PREVIOUS ATTEMPT ON TRUMP In July, Trump was shot by a gunman during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in what the FBI said was an attempted assassination. The former president was wounded in the ear. The Congressional Research Service says direct assaults against presidents, presidents-elect, and candidates have occurred on at least 15 separate occasions, with five resulting in death. Below is a list of other previous attempts on the lives of American leaders, successful or not. ASSASSINATIONS Four U.S. presidents were assassinated while in office. Abraham Lincoln: Killed in 1865 by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre in Washington. James Garfield: Shot in 1881 in Washington at a train station and died of his wounds two and a half months later. William McKinley: Assassinated in 1901 by an anarchist in Buffalo, New York. John F. Kennedy: Assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963 in Dallas, Texas, as the president rode in a motorcade. President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and Texas Governor John Connally ride through Dallas, Texas, moments before Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 LEADERS WHO SURVIVED ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS Four presidents were wounded but survived assassination attempts, while in office or afterwards. Donald Trump: Trump had just started a campaign speech in Pennsylvania on July 13 when shots rang out. Trump was shot in the ear. He was rushed by security officials to a black SUV. Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures with a bloodied face while he is assisted by U.S. Secret Service after being shot in the right ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. Ronald Reagan: He was shot in 1981 outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington. Reagan was wounded when one of the bullets ricocheted off a limousine and struck him under the left armpit. President Gerald Ford: Survived two attempts on his life in less than three weeks in 1975 without being hurt. Theodore Roosevelt: He was shot in the chest in 1912 while campaigning for election in Milwaukee, but insisted on delivering his speech to supporters before being taken to a hospital. ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS ON OTHER U.S. LEADERS Robert F. Kennedy: A U.S. presidential candidate and a U.S. senator, Kennedy was assassinated in 1968 by a gunman in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Robert F. Kennedy sits alongside the motorcade in this 1968 file photograph. Alabama Governor George C. Wallace: A candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, he was shot in 1972 and became paralyzed from the waist down. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Latest Trump shooting attempt recalls past assassination tries This Latinx Heritage Month, were telling the untold stories of women, women of color and LGBTQ+ people. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. Latinx people in the United States are the nations largest ethnic minority, a kaleidoscope that encompasses one in five Americans representing immeasurable stories and experiences. And yet so often, we are told what shape our futures should take here. The flavor of the American Dream we should strive for. This month, some of the Latinx staff at The 19th are reclaiming that narrative. We are looking at all the ways that our families and our communities have crafted their own path. The ways that they have been pioneers of change and written their own versions of their American Dreams. Some have carried their families through sheer will. Others have served as a crucial tether to the communities we had to leave behind. In other ways, we are still figuring it out. The story isnt always simple in a country that hasnt always welcomed us. And yet we push on. And we each do it in our own way, for the benefit of those who come next. Recuerda: Progress can come in many flavors. A note on the title of this years celebration At The 19th, we are constantly and collaboratively exploring how we can represent ourselves and the communities we cover through our storytelling. During a recent brainstorming session over the celebration of Latin American heritage, we talked about whether to use the name that has historically been used to mark the occasion. Hispanic Heritage Month first came about as a weeklong commemoration under President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. President Ronald Reagan expanded it into a month in 1988. That year, there were 19.1 million persons of Latin American descent in the United States, or 8.1 percent of the countrys population. Much has changed about the size and composition of this group since then. Today, people from or with roots in Latin America account for 19 percent of U.S. residents, a cohort that is increasingly more diverse. Demographics isnt the only thing that has shifted, though. We have also evolved in our understanding of a colonizers role in subjugating peoples and cultures and our definition of gender. After our brainstorming session and a staff poll, we decided to call the commemorative month that begins on September 15 Latinx Heritage Month. Latinx is perhaps the most common word accepted as a gender-neutral representation of Latin Americans in the United States. Its far from perfect, but it is, for now, the best alternative to the binary options available Latino and Latina and to Hispanic, an exclusionary term that signals the presence of Spain as a colonial power. Heres whats not changing: We will continue to defer to how our sources want to identify by asking them. This intention remains a crucial part of our practice in the newsroom. Our identities and lexicon continue to develop, much like our country, so this is not a closed case for us. Though a decision has been made for this year, well remain open and alert to opportunities to do representative journalism well. Fernanda Santos, managing editor (Sarah Porter for The 19th) Nearly half a century ago now, my dad was sitting on a beach in Cuba when he got the news that a boat had arrived for him. It was May 1980, when thousands of Cubans were leaving the island to seek asylum in the United States in what would become known as the Mariel boatlift. But dad didnt want to leave. He didnt know what to expect in this new country and, besides, he was 14. He had a quinces that night with a hot date (Hi, mom). Eventually, his family convinced him to go, and he packed into a shipping vessel with 250 other people for a wet, 12-hour overnight trip to Key West. He eventually settled in Miami to start life as a high school freshman. It was just him, his dad and his sister then. He had floppy black hair and wore donated bell bottom jeans and T-shirts. They navigated life as outsiders in a town that was being flooded by them. More than 100,000 Cubans arrived in the United States by that fall, most of them to Miami. Dad was brilliant and applied. He graduated sixth in his high school class despite speaking only broken English, and he scored a scholarship to work at Ford Motor Company and study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He had a baby then my sister and turned it all down to stay close to home, working two jobs at UPS and a shoe store while attending college for engineering. Then, 16 years after he stood her up, he returned to Cuba to find my mom. Her marriage to my biological father was dissolving, and she agreed to meet him at a reunion party with their old friends. I was just four. They were married later that same year and he helped bring her and I over to the United States (Dad is my stepdad, but hes always been dad to me). We were first, followed by at least three dozen others he has helped bring to the United States over 44 years, all of them in search of something bigger than what they left behind. He has shepherded us through a journey not dissimilar to his own, full of unanswered questions, strange looks and broken English. And in doing so he has created engineers and nurses and analysts and a journalist. His very own Mariel. Chabeli Carrazana, reporter (Sarah Porter for The 19th) My Abuela turned 99 and a half last month, and while most people say her age is a testament to her resilience, she usually replies with, no, solo soy vieja. (Im just old.) But our legacies are defined in some part by the memories we share, and when youve been around for a century, theyre endless. Her stories are shrinking from long, detailed retellings of the past to short novellas she asks my mom to piece together for her when she gets confused. But her hands reflect years of cooking arroz con pollo, churros and natilla for neighbors in Key West. Her eyes still reveal the love she carries for my Pop and the life they built together. Her tiny feet tap along in bed any time we play her favorite music. Even without words, every inch of Aba is the greatest story Ive ever known. I dont know how much time I have left with the strongest tie to my Cuban heritage, the invisible string holding my identity together whether she realizes it or not. In some ways, though, she is my future shes shaped the person Im still becoming and is a 410 pillar behind the lessons I hold tight. For now, Im embracing the simplicity of our time together, soaking up every joke she cracks and every moment big or small shes able to recount from the long life that led her to me. Megan Kearney, digital producer This upcoming December, my family and I will mark 20 years since we immigrated to the United States. We came through a visa program for entrepreneurs, and for a few years, lived in a state of limbo all too familiar to many immigrants. The day our green cards were granted in 2009, we celebrated over cheap wine and cheese with extended family a collection of second and third cousins who were also trying to forge new lives here. Those green cards set off a countdown: In five years, wed be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship. In that five-year stretch, I graduated from high school, then college, and accepted my first full-time job as a reporter. With some exceptions, permanent residency allowed me to live and thrive like the American citizens around me. It also allowed me to ignore bigger questions about my identity: The more settled we got, the more our accents disappeared, the more our Dominicaness became American Latinidad, the more I was pestered by the question, Are we, American? Eventually, the door to citizenship opened, and each member of our family seemed to approach it differently. For my parents, it was the culmination of a lifetime of striving. For me, the moment marked the first time I had to make a personal decision about my immigration story, and for all the time Id spent here, I wasnt eager to walk through that door. It was 2015, a banner year for the brand of anti-immigrant sentiments that would shape national politics in the era of former President Donald Trump. U.S. citizenship would come with the right to vote, but I was plagued by what some experts call the guest complex, the feeling that regardless of your immigration status, you dont have an equal stake in the future of this country. Eventually, my dad sold me on a pragmatic approach: He said an American passport would make international travel easier and safer. After the ceremony was over, a woman gave me a form and asked if I wanted to register to vote on the spot. I declined. Over the 10 years that followed, I cemented my career in political journalism, met and married my husband, un Americano, and gave birth to my daughter, who next month will have both U.S. and Dominican citizenship. I learned a lot of things in that time, most importantly, that my family and I are not guests here. By divine providence and sheer willpower, we opened doors to a great and complicated future that my parents couldnt have imagined 20 years ago. Our lives became tangled up in the fabric of everything that is the United States, one inextricable from the other. When I cast a vote this November, Ill be helping shape its future, too. Mel Leonor Barclay, reporter The post This Latinx Heritage Month, The 19th staff reflect on the power of shaping our own futures appeared first on The 19th. News that represents you, in your inbox every weekday. Subscribe to our free, daily newsletter. The Latvian Defence Ministry will provide Ukraine with CVR(T) tracked combat reconnaissance armoured vehicles which Latvia had previously purchased from the UK. Source: European Pravda, citing Delfi Details: The ministry did not disclose the exact number of vehicles for operational security reasons. Latvian Defence Minister Andris Spruds stated that the acquisition of new armoured personnel carriers to replace the CVR(T) is in its final stage. These new vehicles are essential for rearming the Latvian army and participating in tactical operations. The initial contract was signed in 2014 for 123 armoured vehicles, of which 116 have been upgraded. An additional contract for more vehicles was signed with the UK in 2019. As of 2023, Latvia has committed to providing military aid to Ukraine equal to 0.25% of its GDP annually until 2026. For reference: CVR(T) is a family of British tracked armoured vehicles developed in the mid-20th century, known for their high mobility and versatility. These vehicles can perform a wide range of tasks, including reconnaissance, patrolling, fire support and casualty evacuation. Background: It was reported that Latvia would provide Ukraine with hundreds of units of computer equipment, specialised clothing, binoculars and other gear for the defence forces. On 11 September, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina announced that the new military aid package for Ukraine would include armoured vehicles and drones, along with training and equipment for several thousand more Ukrainian soldiers. Support UP or become our patron! Latvia will provide Ukraine with CVR(T) armored vehicles previously purchased from the U.K., the Delfi outlet reported on Sept. 15, citing the Latvian Defense Ministry. The vehicles' number and other details were not disclosed due to security concerns, Delfi wrote. The news comes shortly after Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina announced a new military aid package for Ukraine, including armored personnel carriers. The CVR(T) (Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked)) is a British-designed armored vehicle family that entered service in the U.K. military in the 1970s. It exists in various variants and is capable of carrying out a wide range of tasks. Latvia operates at least 123 of these vehicles, namely Scimitar reconnaissance vehicles, Sultan command and control vehicles, Spartan armored personnel carriers, Samson armored recovery vehicles, and Samaritan ambulance vehicles. In 2019, the Latvian government signed a contract for over 80 more vehicles, though the number was later reduced to over 70. Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds recently said that the procurement of new vehicles to replace the CVR(T) is in its final stages. Latvia, one of Ukraines biggest supporters, has committed to providing military support at the level of 0.25% of its GDP every year and will provide thousands of drones. Read also: The Russian targets that could be on Ukraines long-range missile strike list Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. While Donald Trumps allies have tried to create the illusion of distance between the Republican presidential nominee and Laura Loomer, the alt-right conspiracy theorist has continued to cozy up to him, going so far as to brag over the weekend that Trump likes and trusts her. The media is full of shit. OK? Loomer said on her podcast, Loomer Unleashed, on Saturday. These people are liars. They are con artists, and all they do is lie. They are running a coordinated smear campaign because I am effective. Donald Trump likes me. Donald Trump trusts me. OK? Obviously, he trusts me if Im on his plane, and I dont work for Donald Trump, she continued. They cant imagine the fact that the president of the United States has people in his life who he considers to be friends. Is the president of the United States not allowed to have a friend? Oh my God. Is he not allowed to invite people onto his own private jet? But Loomers insistence that shes an effective addition to Trumps political fold might not jibe with some of his closest allies. Loomer has taken credit for urging Trump to utter the Haitian migrant conspiracy theory that has plagued his vice presidential pick, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, over the past week. The self-described white advocate also sparked backlash from even the depths of the MAGA movement, including Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and Senator Lindsey Graham, after Loomer posted that Vice President Kamala Harriss ascendency to the Oval Office would make the White House smell like curry. Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt insisted Saturday that Trump does not agree with all of the comments that Loomer has made. But any efforts to paint Loomer as an outsider have fallen flat. Trump has been seen with Loomer several times over the last couple of weeks, with the pair getting eyebrow-raisingly close (Trumps hand has been spotted in the small of Loomers back), while Melania Trump has largely remained out of the limelight. Loomer, a 9/11 denier, attended a 9/11 memorial service with Trump and also accompanied him to the presidential debate. LAURINBURG, N.C. (WBTW) Police are looking for a 38-year-old man in connection with Fridays killing of a Waffle House employee in Laurinburg, police said. Florwer Carlin Lizano, also known as Chulo or Carlos, is wanted on a warrant charging him with first-degree murder in the killing of Burlie Dawson Locklear. Locklear was shot and killed early Friday while working at the restaurant on Scotland Crossing Drive. The shooting happened at about 12:40 a.m., and Locklear died later at Scotland Memorial Hospital. According to Laurinburg police, Lizano is known to frequent Laurinburg, Dillon and the state of Florida. He was last seen wearing a dark blue pullover hoodie, jeans, and white shoes. He was driving a dark gray Chevrolet, last seen driving on Scotland Crossing Drive toward W. Boulevard. Investigators said he went to the restaurant and ordered food. While the food was being prepared, he became agitated and verbally abusive toward the employees. After getting his food, police said he walked toward the parking lot before turning and firing two shots in the direction of the business. At least one of those shots hit Locklear. Anyone with information about Lizano or the investigation is asked to contact Laurinburg police Sgt. Detective Jeffrey Cooke at 910-291-1750. Anonymous tips can be left at www.scotlandcountycs.com or P3 Tips. * * * Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on, Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. Lawmakers ask Oklahoma Supreme Court to bar Hiett from voting on cases Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett during an OCC meeting July 23. (Photo by Kennedy Thomason/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY Three Republican state lawmakers are asking the Oklahoma Supreme Court to bar a corporation commissioner from voting on certain cases following allegations of misconduct. Reps. Tom Gann, R-Inola, Kevin West, R-Moore, and Rick West, R-Heavener, asked the states high court on Friday to force Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett to recuse from voting on rate increase cases involving Oklahoma Natural Gas, Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company, and Public Service Company of Oklahoma and other companies. The lawmakers allege that Hietts impartiality is tainted, but he refuses to recuse himself, according to the court filing. The Oklahoman reported that Hiett was observed groping a man and being intoxicated on June 9 in Minnesota at the Mid-America Regulatory Conference and that he has also been accused of driving drunk after attending a 2023 event in Oklahoma City. Hiett told the newspaper he drank too much June 9 but does not remember the incident. He told the newspaper he is getting treatment. The incidents involve employees of companies regulated by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission or who represent companies appearing before it, according to the court filing. The filing said Hiett violated the Code of Judicial Conduct and Ethics rules. Any party to an OCC case (whether legislative or judicial) with direct knowledge of illegal conduct by Commissioner Hiett who has not yet officially reported it or filed a civil lawsuit against him has leverage over Hiett in their cases before him at the OCC, the filing said. The threat always exists that if he doesnt rule in their favor, the illegal conduct could be reported, or a civil lawsuit could be filed. Gann said the lawmakers filed the case as ratepayers of the state of Oklahoma. Hiett said Monday that because the lawmakers case is pending, it would be inappropriate to comment. Complaints have been filed with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission and Council on Judicial Complaints, the filing said. In addition, an Oklahoma Attorney Generals opinion has been sought, the filing said. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has hired outside counsel to investigate the allegations against Hiett and plans to refer the findings to the Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office. Hiett is the former Oklahoma House Speaker. He is a Republican from Kellyville who was elected to the Corporation Commission in 2014 and reelected in 2020. He stepped down as chairman earlier this year following the misconduct allegations. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE By Xie Yu HONG KONG (Reuters) -PwC is making "tangible investments" to ensure the Big Four firm has high quality and sustainable business in China, it said in a memo to staff after Chinese regulators on Friday hit the company's mainland unit with a record penalty. PwC Zhong Tian LLP was hit with a six-month suspension and a fine of 441 million yuan ($62 million) on Friday over the firm's audit of failed property developer China Evergrande Group. Chinese authorities have been examining PwC's role in Evergrande's accounting practices since the country's securities regulator accused the developer in March of a $78 billion fraud over a period of two years through 2020. "We want to recognize that this has been an extremely challenging period for all of you," said the PwC internal memo issued late on Friday after the regulatory penalty announcement, and reviewed by Reuters. "The PwC network has also shown continued support for our China firm throughout this period... They are making tangible investments to ensure we have long term, high quality and sustainable business in China," it said. PwC declined to comment. "I know that the coming weeks will not be easy as we put in place a detailed remediation plan and begin to position the business for future success," the firm's new China territory head, Hemione Hudson, said in the memo. PwC appointed its global risk and regulatory leader Hudson to replace China territory senior partner Daniel Li as part of its remedial actions. Li stepped down given his "former responsibilities" as head of the local auditing business. The firm said that its leadership team would help staff "navigate any questions or concerns" they might have related to the Chinese regulatory announcements. "One of my areas of focus will be on spending time with you and looking at ways of further developing our talent, including investing in you as our people," Hudson said in the memo. The memo also said that PwC China had a long history of high-quality audits. "We do not believe that the behavior of a very small number of engagement team members is representative of the work of the vast majority of PwC China's 18,000 professionals," it said. Separately, regulators are continuing their investigation into PwC's work by its Hong Kong unit in relation to China Evergrande, which is a Hong Kong listed entity, according to mainland and Hong Kong regulatory statements on Friday. The penalty announced by the mainland regulators "has laid an important landmark in cross-border law enforcement of China Evergrande", said a statement by Hong Kong's Accounting and Financial Reporting Council on Friday. Story continues "Our independent investigation into China Evergrande will roll out in an orderly way," it said. (Reporting by Xie Yu; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee, Sonali Paul and Christopher Cushing) Federal leaders in Washington are pushing for answers about what happened in Florida after a second apparent assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson posted online that its a top priority to understand how the former president has faced multiple assassination attempts. His response comes as President Biden urges Congress to take action. Thank God the president is okay. The one thing I want to make more clear is service needs more help and i think congress should respond to their needs, said President Biden. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] On Capitol Hill, theres already a bipartisan task force in place investigating the first assassination attempt. Now its members plan to meet with secret service leaders again. They want to know what happened Sunday and if the agency has enough resources. Whether or not theyre being deployed appropriately because its simply unacceptable that anybody whos under the protection of the secret service is endangered, said Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D Pennsylvania. Two attempts in two months - clearly there are some systematic failures here, said Rep. Mike Waltz, R Florida. As Ive said to secret service leadership, this has got to stop, the divisive rhetoric has got to stop, clearly people are being radicalized. This latest incident comes after the task force visited the site of the first shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania in August. None of us are looking at it as we have to get a quick answer. were looking at it as we have to get the right answer, said Rep. Mike Kelly, R Pennsylvania, during the task force visit to the rally site on August 26, 2024. Security expert Bishop Garrison said the political climate is different now compared to previous election cycles. Were seeing publicly is a level of rhetoric that arguably we have not regularly maintained in the courts of political discourse for some time now. So you are seeing a lot of online threats, and youre seeing a lot of this type of language that we just typically have not seen, said Garrison, senior fellow at the National Security Institute. He added that congressional and White House leaders will have to work together to figure out where there may be gaps within U.S. Secret Service and what can be done to fix them. You cant just come out flatly and say its all budget or its all people. Youve got to understand well, what are what is our mission, our values, our goals, what are the actual issues? Issues at play here, what are our gaps? Do that analysis and then determine the best way to go about closing them, said Garrison. Ronald Rowe, the acting Director of the Secret Service, has briefed both House and Senate leadership about the investigation. This comes as the previous director of the agency stepped down after the July attempt on former President Trumps life. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Heres a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week. Along with this weeks roll call votes, the House also passed these measures: the Confirmation Of Congressional Observer Access Act (H.R. 6513), to confirm the requirement that states allow access to designated congressional election observers to observe the election administration procedures in Congressional elections; the Subterranean Border Defense Act (H.R. 7404), to require annual reports on counter illicit cross-border tunnel operations; the No Russian Tunnel to Crimea Act (H.R. 7701), to require sanctions on any foreigner who knowingly participates in the construction, maintenance, or repair of a tunnel or bridge that connects the Russian mainland with the Crimean peninsula; and the Economic Espionage Prevention Act (H.R. 8361), to impose sanctions with respect to economic or industrial espionage by foreign adversarial companies. HOUSE COMPETITION WITH CHINA: The House has passed the Countering the PRC Malign Influence Fund Authorization Act (H.R. 1157), sponsored by Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., to authorize $325 million of annual spending, for the next 3 years, on government actions against Chinas attempts at malign influence on the U.S. and its allies. Barr said the bill sought to direct those scarce taxpayer resources effectively so that they actually do the job that the taxpayers deserve and we actually win this fight with China. The vote, on Sept. 9, was 351 yeas to 36 nays. YEAS: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick R-Bucks; Mike Kelly, R-Butler; Chrissy Houlahan, D-Chester; Madeleine Dean, D-Montgomery; Matt Cartwright, D-Lackawanna; Lloyd Smucker, R-Lancaster; John Joyce, R-Blair; Guy Reschenthaler, R-Washington; Glenn Thompson, R-Howard; Dan Meuser, R-Luzerne; Susan Wild, D-Lehigh; Chris Deluzio, D-Allegheny NOT VOTING: Reps. Dwight Evans, D-Philadelphia; Brendan Boyle, D-Philadelphia;Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Delaware NAYS: Reps. Scott Perry, R-York; Summer Lee, D-Allegheny CONTRACTS WITH CHINESE BIOTECHNOLOGY FIRMS: The House has passed the BIOSECURE Act (H.R. 8333), sponsored by Rep. Brad R. Wenstrup, R-Ohio, to bar federal government agencies from reaching contracts with, or sending grant funds to, any of five different China-based biotechnology companies that have been deemed to be a risk to U.S. national security. Wenstrup said the ban will help protect the biologic data of American patients and make sure that their data does not fall into the hands of our adversaries. A bill opponent, Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Mass., cited a lack of due process and transparency for determining which companies to ban, as well as the political nature of the ban. The vote, on Sept. 9, was 306 yeas to 81 nays. YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Houlahan, Perry, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser, Wild, Deluzio NOT VOTING: Evans, Boyle, Scanlon NAYS: Dean, Lee HONG KONG GOVERNANCE: The House has passed the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) Certification Act (H.R. 1103), sponsored by Rep. Christopher H. Smith, R-N.J. The bill would require the removal of various forms of special treatment for the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices should China impair Hong Kongs autonomy. Smith said these offices serve as Beijings propaganda arm in the United States, defending and dismantling the freedom of Hong Kong and obscuring the truth. The vote, on Sept. 10, was 413 yeas to 3 nays. YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Houlahan, Dean), Perry, Boyle, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio NOT VOTING: Evans REPORT ON COLLEGE TIES TO CHINA: The House has approved an amendment sponsored by Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., to the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act (H.R. 1516). The amendment would require a Homeland Security Department report to Congress on colleges and universities that have ties to a Confucius Institute or other Chinese groups deemed national security threats. Cline said of the need for a report: Congress has a duty to conduct oversight of institutes of higher education that value their relationships with Communist China over national security for the American people. An amendment opponent, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., said it would drain Homeland Security resources and could lead to punishing U.S. colleges for innocent ties with Chinese colleges. The vote, on Sept. 10, was 253 yeas to 151 nays. YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Houlahan, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser, Wild NOT VOTING: Evans, Perry NAYS: Dean, Boyle, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES AND COLLEGES: The House has passed the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act (H.R. 1516), sponsored by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas. The bill would bar certain types of Homeland Security Department funding for U.S. colleges and universities that have established ties to Confucius Institutes, which are cultural organizations linked to Chinas government. Pfluger said the institutes were part of an adversarial campaign from China, and that we cannot allow any of these malign activities or actions to continue to undermine the United States. An opponent, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., said the bills overly broad funding ban denies critical homeland security funding to U.S. universities, puts American students at risk, and harms our national security. The vote, on Sept. 10, was 249 yeas to 161 nays. YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Houlahan, Perry, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser NOT VOTING: Evans NAYS: Dean, Boyle, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio TAIWAN AND THE WHO: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Andrew Ogles, R-Tenn., to the No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act (H.R. 1425). The amendment would voice unequivocal U.S. support for Taiwans full participation in the World Health Organization. Ogles said of the need for full participation: Because the world allowed the PRCs [Chinas] pressure campaign against Taiwan to succeed, no one listened when Taiwan tried to warn the World Health Organization of possible human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus on December 31, 2019. The vote, on Sept. 11, was unanimous with 403 yeas. YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Dean, Perry, Boyle, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio NOT VOTING: Evans, Houlahan APPROVING PANDEMICS TREATY: The House has passed the No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act (H.R. 1425), sponsored by Rep. Thomas P. Tiffany, R-Wis., to require Senate approval of U.S. involvement in any pandemic-related international agreement involving the World Health Assembly. Tiffany said Senate review of the draft pandemic treaty currently proposed by the World Health Organization was needed because the draft treaty shreds intellectual property rights. It also contains certain provisions that may police our First Amendment rights. An opponent, Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, D-N.Y., said this bill only serves to undermine diplomatic efforts seeking to strengthen global health security. The vote, on Sept. 11, was 219 yeas to 199 nays. YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Perry, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser NOT VOTING: Evans NAYS: Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Cartwright, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio ANTI-CHINA INITIATIVE: The House has passed the Protect Americas Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act (H.R. 1398), sponsored by Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas. The bill would re-establish the China Initiative at the Justice Department, and rename it the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) Initiative. The Initiative, which began in 2018 and was halted in 2022, aimed to counter threats from China, including spying and economic espionage. Gooden said: The rollback of the China Initiative left us lacking a dedicated approach and no oversight on issues of critical national interest. A bill opponent, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said the Initiative produced little more than a series of unsupportable cases against Chinese academics at the height of their careers that left their reputations in tatters. The vote, on Sept. 11, was 237 yeas to 180 nays. YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Perry, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser, Wild NOT VOTING: Evans NAYS: Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio FARMLAND SALES AND NATIONAL SECURITY: The House has passed the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act (H.R. 9456), sponsored by Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., to require the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to determine whether to make a national security review of potential sales of agricultural land to certain foreign parties, including Russian or Chinese nationals. Newhouse said: This legislation strengthens the safety of our supply chains and opens a door to new reporting mechanisms that USDA [Agriculture Department] can use to keep us safe from this threat. An opponent, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said: The bills broad-brush approach of targeting individuals from China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran amounts to racial profiling. The vote, on Sept. 11, was 269 yeas to 149 nays. YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Houlahan, Perry, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser, Wild, Deluzio NOT VOTING: Evans NAYS: Dean, Boyle, Scanlon, Lee ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERIES AND TAXES: The House has passed the End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles in America Act (H.R. 7980), sponsored by Rep. Carol D. Miller, R-W.Va. The bill would bar electric vehicles that use batteries sourced from certain companies in China and other foreign countries from eligibility for the federal new clean vehicle tax credit. Miller said: This legislation will close the Chinese billionaire loophole that currently allows those entities owned by billionaires from countries of concern to benefit from the electric vehicle subsidies. A bill opponent, Rep. Daniel T. Kildee, D-Mich., said it imposed unworkable, unclear restrictions on electric vehicle makers that would lead the auto industry and battery manufacturers to pull back their U.S. investments and to pull back on investing in manufacturing for those critical elements right here in the United States and from friendly countries and to, instead, go back to relying on China. The vote, on Sept. 12, was 217 yeas to 192 nays. YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Perry, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser NOT VOTING: Evans NAYS: Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Cartwright, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio SENATE MARYLAND JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Adam Abelson to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Maryland. Abelson was a lawyer at a Baltimore law firm before, in 2023, being named a magistrate judge on the Maryland court. The vote, on Sept. 10, was 53 yeas to 43 nays. YEAS: Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa.; John Fetterman, D-Pa. NEW YORK JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jeannette Vargas to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. A staffer in the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District since 2002, Vargas has been the deputy chief of its civil division since 2016. The vote, on Sept. 10, was 51 yeas to 43 nays. YEAS: Casey, Fetterman VERMONT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Mary Kay Lanthier to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Vermont. A public defender for a Vermont county since 2007, Lanthier was previously a private practice lawyer and a public defender. A supporter, Sen. Bernie Sanders, ID-Vt., said: I am confident that she will treat everyone in her courtroom with the compassion, respect, and dignity that they deserve. The vote, on Sept. 11, was 55 yeas to 42 nays. YEAS: Casey, Fetterman MINNESOTA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Laura Margarete Provinzino to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Minnesota. Provinzino, a prosecutor for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the district since 2010, was previously a lawyer in Minneapolis. A supporter, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said: Through her devotion to justice and the rule of law, she has earned the respect and support of attorneys and law enforcement across our state. The vote, on Sept. 12, was 54 yeas to 41 nays. YEAS: Casey, Fetterman Lawmakers request briefing with Secret Service on second attempted assassination on Trump A group of bipartisan U.S. lawmakers on a task force looking into the assassination attempt against former President Trump have requested a briefing from the U.S. Secret Service on Sundays latest attempted murder of the former president. On Sunday, a man with an AK-47 was fired upon by Secret Service agents after raising his rifle from a bush between 300 and 500 yards away from Trump, who was playing a round of golf at his club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The man fled and was later apprehended. The suspect has been identified as Ryan Routh. In a statement later that day, task force chair Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and ranking member Jason Crow, D-Colo., released a joint statement after the attempted assassination. "The Task Force is monitoring this attempted assassination of former President Trump in West Palm Beach this afternoon," the bipartisan statement read. "We have requested a briefing with the U.S. Secret Service about what happened and how security responded." TRUMP SAFE AFTER GUNSHOTS IN HIS VICINITY,' CAMPAIGN SAYS Sheriff vehicles are pictured near Trump International Golf Club, Sunday. Sept. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla., after gunshots were reported in the vicinity of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump. The task force the two lawmakers sit on was established on Aug. 4 by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP It was established after a gunman opened fire on Trump at a Butler, Pennsylvania, campaign rally on July 13. At the rally, Trump was speaking about the border when shots fired by 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks rang out from on top of a nearby building. TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: TEXTS REVEAL OFFICERS WERE AWARE OF THOMAS CROOKS 90 MINUTES BEFORE SHOOTING President Trump famously raised his fist and yelled "fight" to the crowd after surviving an assassination attempt in July. Crooks was about 150 yards away from Trump when he fired off eight rounds from an AR-15-style rifle, grazing the former presidents ear. Sixty-four days after Trump was nearly killed, another gunman came within close proximity of the former president. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "We are thankful that the former President was not harmed, but remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all of its forms," Kelly and Crow wrote. "The Task Force will share updates as we learn more." Original article source: Lawmakers request briefing with Secret Service on second attempted assassination on Trump How this lawsuit against the IRS aims to allow churches a greater role in politics A high-profile group of Christian organizations, including the National Religious Broadcasters, have filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service challenging a key legal precedent that limits the amount of political influence a nonprofit organization can wield. The rule, introduced by former President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1954 when he was serving as the Senate Majority Leader, bans all tax-exempt organizations like churches and charities from directly or indirectly participating in politics, specifically in endorsement or opposition of candidates. It has become known as the Johnson Amendment. Former President Donald Trump addresses the 2024 NRB International Christian Media Convention sponsored by the National Religious Broadcasters association at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday night, Feb. 22, 2024. The lawsuit was filed in Texas on behalf of the National Religious Broadcasters, an international association of evangelical, conservative communicators, as well as Intercessors for America, a conservative Christian prayer advocacy group, and two Texas churches, First Baptist Church Waskom in Waskom, Texas, and Sand Springs Church in Athens, Texas. In a statement, the NRB stated that while the plaintiffs are not seeking a ruling before the 2024 presidential election, the groups feel that their speech has been wrongfully silenced under the Johnson Amendment. For too long, churches have been instructed to remain silent on pressing matters of conscience and conviction during election season or risk their 501(c)(3) status, NRB President and CEO Troy Miller said. We believe that all nonprofits should have the constitutional right to freely express their point of view on candidates, elections, and issues on the ballot. Our challenge to the Johnson Amendment is about securing the future of free expression for all Americans, particularly those standing in the pulpit. The lawsuit calls the classification of churches as unable to speak about political candidates discriminatory, and argues the IRS specifically targets conservative organizations under the law, causing a chilling affect to their speech. The IRS operates in a manner that disfavors conservative organizations and conservative, religious organizations in its enforcement of 501(c)(3), the lawsuit contends. This is a denial of both religious freedom and equal protection. The complaint explicitly says the plaintiffs are not seeking lobbying rights or the right to make political donations: only the right to engage in more political speech. The filing also claims that hundreds of newspapers organized under 501(c)(3) code can endorse political candidates. Plaintiffs believe that nonprofit newspapers have a clear constitutional right to make such endorsements or statements, the lawsuit reads. Plaintiffs simply contend that they should also have the same freedom of speech. According to the Neiman Lab guide for nonprofit newspapers, papers organized under 501(c)(3) status cannot run "editorial page-style endorsements." Lawsuit could have wide impacts Jennifer Safstrom, a law professor at the Stanton Foundation First Amendment Clinic at Vanderbilt Law School, said the issue at the heart of this case is a common one: money. "For organizations who are under 501(c)(3) status, which is a standard nonprofit, there are benefits like the ability for donors to deduct their contributions from their taxes," she said. "But one of the downsides, and what's being challenged here, is the ability to then engage in political activism under that categorization." Although the IRS often sets churches to 501(c)(3) status as default tax status, Safstrom said, based on her reading of the law, churches in the complaint would likely receive the political benefits they are seeking if they switched registration to 501(c)(4) but the move would mean losing their tax benefits. If the groups are hoping to engage in more political speech without changing tax code, however, Safstrom said previous case law does not lean in their favor. She pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court case Bob Jones University v. United States in 1983, which saw the South Carolina university challenge the United States after its tax-exempt status was revoked. The revocation came after the IRS found that the "fundamentalist Christian school" had prohibitions against interracial dating and marriage. The IRS contended that the organization could not be tax-exempt and still participate in discriminatory activities. The university claimed this assertion was violating their First Amendment rights. The Supreme Court disagreed. In an 8-1 ruling, the court found the school did not meet the tax-exemption requirements placed on 501(c)(3) organizations, and could not due to their discriminatory policies. The Court declared that racial discrimination in education violated a "fundamental national public policy," and that the government may justify limitations on religious liberty by showing it is required for "overriding governmental interest" because "not all burdens on religion are unconstitutional." "I think the Johnson Amendment has been the framework for organizational setup for so long that's its hard to know how far a change to the code would go," she said. "I think what you would see is an influx of political speech by nonprofit entities. ...This has the potential to change a lot of what we know about the Johnson Amendment." In 2022, the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State sent a letter to the IRS urging the agency to investigate Mt. Juliet pastor Greg Locke, who repeatedly stated on a livestream from his pulpit at Global Vision Bible Church that you cannot be a Christian and vote Democrat in this nation and If you vote Democrat, I dont even want you around this church. You can get out, in direct violation of the Johnson Amendment. Pastor Greg Locke does his sermon at the Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., Sunday, April 3, 2022. In an official statement in response to the recent lawsuit, Americans United said the case is "an audacious gambit that should be swiftly rejected." "The law in question, known as the Johnson Amendment, protects the integrity of our elections by ensuring that tax-exempt organizations stay focused on their missions, which is usually charitable, spiritual or public policy work, not partisan politics," the statement read. "If the churches in Texas and the NRB, which has espoused Christian Nationalist views, want to engage in partisan politics, there are appropriate vehicles for that. Allowing tax-exempt entities to jump into partisan electioneering, and even funnel money to candidates, would create a huge loophole in our nations campaign finance laws." Johnson Amendment a growing topic as election heats up A 2017 Pew Research poll found that while Americans are nearly split on whether religious institutions should express political views, a heavy, bipartisan majority are against such organizations endorsing candidates. Despite this, the Johnson Amendment has become a frequent target of conservatives in recent years, with former President Donald Trump promising to totally destroy it at a Feb. 2, 2017 National Prayer Breakfast event, an echo of a 2015 campaign promise he made. Although Trump did issue an executive order shortly following the statement, the order did not change the current standing of the law, but rather reaffirmed the Johnson Amendment in friendlier language. A formal repeal of the amendment was included in a House of Representatives tax reform bill in December 2017, but was removed during a reconciliation process with the Senate. Supporters applaud as Former President Donald Trump addresses the 2024 NRB International Christian Media Convention sponsored by the National Religious Broadcasters association at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday night, February 22, 2024. Trump remained largely silent on the matter in the recent election cycle, barring a May 2023 episode of FlashPoint, a Texas-based, far-right evangelical television show hosted on a channel run by megachurch televangelist Kenneth Copeland, in which he promised to repeal it once more. On the show, Trump reamed the Johnson Amendment, and took credit for the IRSs lack enforcement of the law under his administration. We never enforced it. We essentially ended it, he said, later adding I wasnt able to finish it. But Ill finish it this time. Trumps defiance of the legal precedent is popular among his base: since 2008, more than 2,000 pastors across the country have held an annual Pulpit Freedom Sunday, for the purpose of intentionally violating the restrictions in the law to provoke the IRS. The event was created by the conservative Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, an active lobbying group in Tennessee politics and adviser to the Heritage Foundations Project 2025. As the 2024 election cycle hears up, influential conservative Christian speakers are getting involved in the push against the Johnson Amendment as well: evangelical Christian apostle Lance Wallnau and conservative education nonprofit Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk are currently on a multi-state tour that aims to embolden conservative churches to become more involved in politics, despite the Johnson Amendment. The effort is mostly focused on the swing states of Arizona, Wisconsin, and Georgia. The USA TODAY Network - Tennessee's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Have a story to tell? Reach Angele Latham by email at alatham@gannett.com, by phone at 931-623-9485, or follow her on Twitter at @angele_latham This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Texas religious groups file lawsuit against IRS to blur line between church and politics A Washington state anti-trust lawsuit to block the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons is set to begin Monday. Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed the lawsuit, contesting a merger of the two largest supermarket companies in the state, saying it would severely limit shopping options for consumers and eliminate vital competition that keeps prices low. Ferguson will join members of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, at a rally being held outside Seattle City Hall during the courts noon recess on Monday. Other participants will also speak at the rally including U.F.C.W. 3000 President Faye Guenther, MLK Labor Executive Secretary-Treasurer Katie Garrow and Yasmin Ashur, a Port Orchard Albertsons worker. Earlier this year, King County Superior Court Judge Marshall Ferguson rejected a motion from Kroger and Albertsons to dismiss the lawsuit. Free enterprise is built on companies competing, and that competition benefits consumers, said Attorney General Ferguson in a statement released after the decision. My legal team and I will continue working to protect Washington consumers and workers from increased prices and fewer choices. Ferguson filed the lawsuit in January, asserting the merger would violate Washington antitrust law, eliminate Krogers closest competitor and cause consumers to pay more. Kroger and Albertsons are the two biggest supermarket chains in our state. The two companies are also the second and fourth-largest grocery retailers in the nation. The grocery giants employ more than 700,000 workers in nearly 5,000 stores across 49 states. Kroger and Albertsons operate more than 300 supermarkets in Washington, including approximately 194 in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metropolitan area. According to the Seattle Times, which cited statistics from Nielsen, more than half of the households in the Seattle metro area shop most frequently at stores owned by one of the two companies. The Washington Attorney Generals Office says more than half of all supermarkets in the state are owned by either Kroger or Albertsons. Albertsons owns Safeway and Haggen, while Kroger owns QFC and Fred Meyer. The companies have proposed selling hundreds of stores to C & S Wholesale, a company that currently operates 23 supermarkets. That would make C & S the second-largest supermarket operator in the state nearly overnight. Ferguson argues the proposed merger would immediately position the newly combined Kroger-Albertsons brand to outcompete the C & S stores. Albertsons and Kroger have contested assertions that C & S Wholesale would not be a viable operator. Attorneys argued C & S would be well-positioned to operate the stores and that their divestiture plan bears no resemblance to previous failed divestitures Safeway and Albertsons made to Haggen and Lawrence Bros. C & S is not a mom-and-pop operation or a risky private equity venture, Kroger said in a filing to the Federal Trade Commission. It is a well-capitalized company with deep industry experience. The companies announced revisions to their original divestiture plan with C & S on April 22nd. When Albertsons merged with Safeway in 2015, it sold 146 stores to Haggen, including 26 in Washington state. But analysts say Haggen lacked the infrastructure needed to quickly expand to a multi-state national operation. Haggen struggled and was forced to file for bankruptcy less than a year later. Albertsons bought back more than 50 of those stores it had previously divested, including 14 in Washington state. Some stores were reacquired by paying just one dollar per store at auction. Albertsons now owns and operates Haggen stores in our state. Critics fear that if C & S fails, it could lead the way for Kroger to reacquire its divested supermarkets, the same way Albertsons did after Haggens failure. A statement from a Kroger spokesperson was released Monday morning: Statement attributable to Kroger or A Kroger Spokesperson: Kroger joining with Albertsons will mean lower prices for more customers, higher wages for more associates and increased food access in more communities. Kroger will bring down prices for residents of Washington State, with more than $100 million already committed to lower prices in the Evergreen State beginning Day One. In addition to lower prices, this merger will secure the long-term future of union jobs. When the grocery industry lost thousands of unionized roles, Kroger added 100,000 union jobs since 2012. The merger and divestiture package will ensure no stores will close and no frontline workers will be laid off as a result of the merger. And all current collective bargaining agreements, with bargained-for wages and benefits honored. Only global, non-unionized giants like Walmart, Amazon and Costco will benefit from this deal being blocked, allowing them to continue to fight unions while growing their grocery dominance unchecked. Tom Brock is a weekend editor, reporter and anchor for KIRO Newsradio. At least 17 killed in floods as a months worth of rain pounds central Europe At least 17 people have been killed in some of the worst floods to hit central Europe in decades as Storm Boris sweeps through the region, dumping well over a months worth of rain. Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary have all been hit with extreme rainfall. The Polish government declared a state of emergency after days of rain devastated swathes of the countrys southwestern regions. Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced $260 million (1 billion zloty) in emergency aid for the hardest hit regions on Monday, Polish national news agency PAP reported. Across the border in the Czech Republic, thousands of residents have been left without hot water and electricity after authorities shuttered heating plants. In the city of Ostrava, which lies 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the Polish border, the Veolia heating plant was forced to shut down entirely because of the flooding, leaving the citys 280,000 residents without hot water, according to CNN affiliate CNN Prima. Over the past few days, seven died in Romania. In Austria, a firefighter was killed on Sunday and two men aged 70 and 80 were found dead by emergency services after being trapped in their homes on Monday, a spokesperson for the state government of Lower Austria told CNN. Four people died as a result of floods in Poland, and in the Czech Republic three have died, local police said. We are still under immense pressure, as the situation remains highly critical, Lower Austria governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner told a press conference, stressing that the region is still in a state of crisis. Firefighters evacuate people from Moravska Ostrava and Privoz in the Czech Republic. - Jaroslav Ozana/AP General view taken by drone of a flooded area by Nysa Klodzka river in Nysa, Poland September 16, 2024. - Kacper Pempel/Reuters Europe is the worlds fastest-warming continent and global heating is fueling extreme weather events there. A warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor, meaning more intense rain when it falls, and hotter oceans whip up stronger storms. In the Polish city of Nysa, residents were struggling to protect their homes from surging waters once again Monday. Patients from a local hospital, including pregnant women, had to be evacuated Monday after the citys governor said the facility was no longer able to function properly, CNN affiliate TVN24 reported. Dramatic aerial pictures also showed the town of Klodzko nearly entirely submerged under water with one of the towns bridges entirely inaccessible. Floodwaters in the town are reaching as deep as 1.5 meters (5 feet), according to Polish national news agency PAP. After being called on to assist, the Polish army has now evacuated over 2,600 people from flood-stricken regions in the past 24 hours, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Monday, according to PAP. Authorities are also alarmed by the situation in the Czech town of Litovlje, where 80% of buildings are submerged. The towns mayor, Viktor Kohout, told CNN Prima that the Morava river is expected to crest at 2 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET) on Monday. In the hillside town of Jesenik, where residents are used to welcoming visitors to spa resorts, communities are managing dirty flood waters. Drone footage of a sewage treatment plant in the Privoz district in Ostrava, Czech Republic on September 16, 2024. - Petr Sznapka/AP Polish rescuers and soldiers evacuate local residents and their dog in the village of Rudawa, southern Poland, on September 15, 2024. - Sergei Gapon/AFP/Getty Images There are many, many destroyed cars that were floating down to (the) street. Telephones are not working, there is no water, no electricity. So it is difficult, one resident, Zdenek Kuzilek, told Reuters. In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been trying to allay residents concerns in the capital of Budapest. In a video statement filmed along the western banks of the Danube River on Sunday, Orban said Hungarian water management experts were confident water levels wouldnt exceed previous records. It will be difficult but we will be able to do it, Orban said, promising that all the necessary resources have been deployed to deal with the rising flood waters. Concern has been mounting in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, where authorities were expecting the water level of the Danube River to peak sometime on Monday afternoon, the citys spokesperson, Peter Bubla told CNN. The situation remains very serious The level of the Danube River in Bratislava has already exceeded nine meters (29 feet) and is still rising, Bubla added. Heavy rains have already caused extensive damage with teams hard at work to remove uprooted and broken trees after hundreds fell down in the citys forest parks, according to Bubla. Police have also extensively warned the public about the danger of walking along the Danube riverside, a Bratislava Police spokesperson told CNN on Monday. Poland is now set to call on the European Union for emergency financial assistance, Tusk said Monday. The blocs crisis management spokesperson, Balazs Ujvari had previously stressed that if called on, the EU would be extremely quick to send emergency aid such as water pumps, rescue teams, boats, food and water to countries in need. Extreme rainfall events are likely to become more frequent and intense as the planet warms, science shows. An analysis of a 2021 heavy rainfall event in Europe, in which more than 200 people were killed, found human-caused climate change had increased the likelihood and intensity of these events in the region. The World Weather Attribution initiative a group of scientists who study extreme weather and published the analysis concluded these changes will continue in a rapidly warming climate. CNNs Boglarka Kosztolanyi, Amy Croffey, Matties Otto, Marcelo Medeiros and Mia Alberti contributed to this report For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com At least 8 dead as heaviest rain in decades hits parts of central and eastern Europe At least eight people have died after some of the heaviest rain in years hit central and eastern Europe, causing flooding and widespread disruption. A slow-moving low pressure system dubbed Storm Boris dumped months worth of rain onto several of Europes historic capitals, including Vienna, Bratislava and Prague, over just a few days. On Monday, heavy rainfall continued to pummel the region with red alerts, the highest-level warning, still in effect for portions of Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia. In Poland on Sunday, one person drowned in Klodzko county and authorities advised residents of Moszczanka and Laka Prudnicka to evacuate after a dam at risk of collapse breached. In Austria the same day, a firefighter died in action, the fire department told CNN. In Romania, two more people were confirmed to have died from flooding on Sunday, following four deaths on Saturday. Rescuers have been working hard to rescue hundreds of people left stranded by heavy rainfall there. The effects were most critical in seven localities, Romanias Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu told Antena 3. Although teams managed to save 95 people trapped in their homes, the bodies of the dead were found in either their houses or yards, Predoiu added. Around 5,400 houses have been damaged in the southeastern region of Galati which has been hardest hit by the flooding, Antena 3 reported. Residents in one of the regions villages, Pechea, recounted their shock at the devastation wrought by the flooding. I have nothing left, social worker Sofia Basalic told AFP, describing how the gushes of water had entered the house and tore down the walls, destroying her kitchen appliances and killing her farm animals. Factory worker Gica Stan, whose entire house was also flooded, said he didnt even have a needle left and was now relying on donated clothes. Rescue services have been launched in hard-hit counties as authorities warn that they have recorded the heaviest rainfall in 100 years over the past 24 hours. While rainfall is expected to gradually ease for some of the hardest hit areas as Storm Boris slowly heads south towards the Mediterranean, flooding could persist in already waterlogged areas. Garages and a house flooded in the town of Kodzko, in Poland's southwest, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, after days of unusually heavy rain. - Krzysztof Zatycki/AP Rising water along the Wien River during heavy rain on September 15, 2024, in Vienna, Austria. - Christian Bruna/Getty Images Rivers have burst their banks in Poland and the Czech Republic. In southwest Poland, 1,600 people were evacuated in Klodzko county as local rivers reached record high water levels and broke their banks. Klodzko, a town of 25,000, was left partially submerged in water on Sunday. Polands Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters Sunday: We have the first confirmed death by drowning, here in the Klodzko County. The situation is still very dramatic in many place, he added. Unfortunately, these situations are repeating themselves in many places but some residents sometimes underestimate the level of threat and refuse to evacuate. In a post on X, Tusk said the government would announce a state of disaster and seek aid from the European Union. In the Czech Republic, authorities have been grappling with torrential rainfall across the breadth of the country. Czech President Petr Pavel warned reporters on Sunday that the flooding was still far from over with the countrys poorest regions likely to suffer the greatest damage in the coming days. In the northeast, up to 80% of the city of Krnov is submerged under water, CNN affiliate CNN Prima reported on Sunday. Since the beginning of the extreme rains, more than 10,500 people have been evacuated in the Czech Republic, General Director of the Fire Rescue Service Vladimir Vlcek told CNN Prima News Water is flowing over the whole of Krnov. We estimate that 70-80% of the town is under water. The water is almost at the town hall. The square is two-thirds flooded, the towns deputy mayor, Miroslav Binar said. A flooded house on September 15, 2024, in Jesenik, Czech Republic. - Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images A destroyed car under a tree that fell due to strong winds at the Ruinov estate in Bratislava, Slovakia, on September 15, 2024. - Tomas Benedikovic/AFP/Getty Images The swollen Biala River in Glucholazy, southern Poland. - Sergei Gapon/AFP/Getty Images In the southern municipality of Benesove nad Cernou, authorities released footage on Saturday showing two women being rescued by boat from a flooded street after failing to heed mandatory evacuation orders. In Germany, southern and eastern states in particular are preparing for flooding. Flood warnings have been issued for rivers in the state of Saxony. In neighboring Austria, heavy rainfall has caused water levels to rise in several rivers and rescue services have been called out to parts of the country. Many municipalities in Lower Austria have declared a state of emergency as heavy rainfall continued into Sunday. Europe is the worlds fastest-warming continent and global heating is fueling extreme weather events there. A warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor, meaning more intense rain when it falls, and hotter oceans whip up stronger storms. An analysis of a 2021 heavy rainfall event in Europe, in which more than 200 people were killed, found human-caused climate change had increased the likelihood and intensity of these events in the region. The World Weather Attribution initiative a group of scientists who study extreme weather and published the analysis concluded these changes will continue in a rapidly warming climate. European Union chiefs have also offered to assist countries dealing with the downpours. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen expressed her heartfelt solidarity to EU countries impacted by the flooding, also paying condolences to flooding victims and their families in a social media post. CNN meteorologists Taylor Ward, Allison Chinchar, and Elliana Hebert contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com At least two die as wildfires hit Portugal, Europe sends help PENALVA DO CASTELO, Portugal - At least two people died as wildfires raged in central and northern Portugal on Monday, forcing authorities to evacuate villages, close motorways and ask the European Union to send more water-bombing aircraft. The situation was most dangerous in the northwestern Aveiro district where one forest blaze reached the outskirts of the town of Albergaria-a-Velha and burned several houses, the mayor said. More than 1,100 firefighters were battling that fire and three others in the surrounding area. Police shut a stretch of the main highway between Lisbon and Porto as thick smoke blanketed the area. Police said officers had found the remains of a man who had apparently been working for a forestry company nearby. In the same area, another person died of a heart attack as the fire approached, and two people were in hospital with serious injuries, according to the civil protection service. Authorities said they had deployed 12 water-bombing aircraft in that district and were fighting at least 20 fires across the country. The government requested eight more aircraft from the European Commission under the EU civil protection mechanism known as RescEU. Drops of water are seen as two men try to extinguish a wildfire in Penalva do Castelo, Portugal, Sept. 16, 2024. Two arrived from Spain, and two were expected from France, an Interior Ministry spokesperson told Reuters. Greece said it would send two Canadair CL-415 planes. The situation would likely get worse amid unusually dry conditions and wind gusts of up to 70 kph (43 mph), national emergency and civil protection commander Andre Fernandes said. He planned to maintain the current special red alert status across mainland Portugal. Albergaria-a-Velha Mayor Antonio Loureiro told reporters the fire had burned down four houses and was threatening 20 more as it raged in the industrial and residential perimeter of the town of around 25,000 people. Temperatures topped 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) across the country over the weekend and Monday, and were expected to stay high into Tuesday. Portugal and neighbouring Spain have recorded fewer fires than usual after a rainy start to the year. But both remain vulnerable to the increasingly hot and dry conditions that scientists have blamed on global warming. This article originally appeared on The Herald News: At least two die as wildfires hit Portugal, Europe sends help LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) Residents in Lebanon City will have to look elsewhere to get their liquor for the time being after a truck crashed into the side of Fine Wine and Good Spirits on Sunday. A driver of a truck was attempting to park at the Fine Wine & Good Spirits, store at 102 N 8th Avenue, when they crashed into the side of the building, Lebanon City Police said in a news release. DHL Supply Chain closing Lancaster County facility; nearly 270 jobs lost The male driver had a medical issue that caused them to accelerate over the curb and into the building accidentally, police said. No one was injured, and alcohol is not suspected to be a contributing factor. As of Monday, the building is closed for inspection and repairs, and the inside needs to be cleaned up and restocked, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board said. The stores condition also needs to be evaluated. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now WHTM Daily Digest We encourage customers to shop at other, nearby Fine Wine & Good Spirits locations until a determination is made, the spokesperson 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 ABC27. ROME Italian defense group Leonardo will invest 435 million ($575 million) in the UK this year, including upgrades to its helicopter production line and funding for laser and quantum technology work, the UK government said on Monday. The announcement was made as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni during a visit to Rome to discuss the Ukraine war and cooperation on tackling illegal migration. The two leaders also agreed that the Italian Army and Navy will take part in UK Carrier Strike Group Operations in the Indo-Pacific next year. Some 35 million of Leonardos total 435m UK investment in 2024 is being spent at the firms helicopter plant at Yeovil in the UK, where it will launch its Single Site Logistics Hub plan on Wednesday which aims to increase efficiencies at the sprawling site. New investment is also going into apprenticeships, design capabilities, robots and 3D printing at Yeovil, a spokesperson said. Other funding will support work undertaken by Leonardo in the UK on sensors for the sixth-generation Global Combat Air Program fighter. Worth up to 30% of the value of the fighter, the radar and other sensors are a key element of the fighter being built by the UK, Italy and Japan. Leonardo said it was also investing in the greater digitalization of its UK business, making it able to offer a range of digital and data products and services to customers. Investment in research work covered laser, radio frequency and quantum technologies, it added. Starmers trip to Rome to meet with Meloni was his first since being elected in July as the head of a Labour government which is expected to be keener on cooperating in Europe than its Conservative predecessor. Stefano Pontecorvo, the chairman of Leonardo in Italy who took part in a meeting of business leaders with prime minister Starmer in Rome on Monday, appeared to think so. It is clear that the prime minister represents a pronounced change in approach for the UK and its relationship with the European Union, he said. Leonardos presence in the UK is underpinned by transnational collaboration at a governmental level, which also supports cooperation at an industrial level. I look forward to working closely with the prime minister as we continue to invest in the UK and support the defense of Europe, he added. Anton Petrus/Getty Images Russia's oil revenue has plummeted as global crude prices fall. Oil sales dropped to $1.44 billion in the week ending September 8, per data cited by Bloomberg. The price of Russia's flagship crude blend is down 20% from its peak. Russia's oil business has taken a hit, with the nation's crude revenue dropping to its lowest levels in seven months, according to Argus Media data cited by Bloomberg. Moscow, which relies on crude sales for a big chunk of its revenue, saw the gross value of its oil exports drop to $1.44 billion in the week ending September 8, down from $1.52 billion netted the prior week, the outlet reported. That's the lowest amount Russia has netted from crude exports since January, despite the nation pumping out 40,000 more barrels of oil a day over the last week. The decline has largely been fueled by plunging oil prices as the demand outlook falters amid predictions of a recession in the US, while US producers continue to pump record amounts of crude. Urals crude, Russia's flagship oil blend, has edged lower to $67.61 a barrel, down around 20% from its peak in the spring of this year. Russia is also selling less oil than it did in the prior years, thanks to weaker demand from its Asian customers and oil pipeline disruptions to Hungary in August. Russia's four-week average sales volume slumped to 3.13 million barrels a day as of September 8, down 30,000 barrels a day from the prior monthly average. Observed Russian crude shipments to Asia, in particular, dropped to an average 2.92 million barrels a day in the month over that time frame, around 10% below the average shipped earlier this year, the report said. Russia is set to make even steeper oil production cuts later in 2024, as part of OPEC's goal to boost crude prices. The nation is planning to ramp up production cuts in October and November to make up for producing more than it promised earlier in the year, Russia's Energy Ministry said in a post on Telegram, though it didn't clarify how much further it would cut. Read the original article on Business Insider Letters to the Editor: Trump can win. There is something wrong with our nation Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor John Cruikshank holds a MAGA hat while listening to former President Trump speak Friday in his city. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) To the editor: If, as Republican strategist Scott Jennings writes, former President Trump is in a strong position to win despite his debate performance, then there is something wrong with our nation. Trump, who has never won the popular vote, is a beneficiary of the unfair, archaic electoral college. In his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, he defended the violent mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol, he said the 2020 election was stolen from him, he savaged people he appointed to his administration but now oppose him, and he reiterated the made-up story about Haitian migrants eating their neighbors' pets. In the debate, he lost control, affirming his lack of a grasp on reality. Jennings acknowledged that Trump lost the debate. He also described Trumps convention speech as disappointing. He has lost touch with reality and does not have respect for this country. If Trump wins, America loses. Michael Miller, Pasadena .. To the editor: Jennings said the debate moderators ignored Harris' "whoppers." The whoppers she told (maybe two?) weren't anything that would lead her supporters to commit acts of violence. Did Jennings see the same debate I did? Immigrants eating pets, babies being killed after they're born correcting these lies was a public service by the moderators. There was one person on the stage who was stable, intelligent and competent enough to be the leader of our country. The other was racist, narcissistic and just plain creepy with his weird conspiracy theories. Trump has no business being anywhere near the Oval Office. Jennings should stop being such an irresponsible shill for him. Debbie Imsland, Milwaukie, Ore. .. To the editor: Jennings felt the moderators were far more prepared to fact check Trump. Perhaps that's because, according to the Washington Post, Trump lied or gave misleading information more than 30,000 times during his presidency, making it necessary to fact-check him. It is amazing they only fact-checked a few of his lies. Phil Edwards, Murrieta This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Lexington County deputy placed on leave after domestic violence arrest, sheriff says A member of the Lexington County Sheriffs Department was placed on leave Monday after he was arrested on a domestic violence charge. Charles Freeman, 47, was charged with third-degree domestic violence, the sheriffs department said in a news release. Freeman was arrested by Lexington Police Department officers early Monday morning at a home in the 400 block of Ivy Green Lane, according to the release. Thats in Lexington, near the intersection of North Lake Drive and Old Cherokee Road. Officers met with a victim at the home who said that during an argument she was tackled in the hallway of the home by Freeman, who was trying to take his cellphone from her, according to police. During the struggle the victim suffered a cut to her right arm, but she declined medical attention, police said. No other injuries were reported, but police said two witnesses told officers that they heard the argument and the noise of someone falling to the ground. Following the arrest, Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon placed Freeman on paid administrative leave, according to the release. When I became aware of the arrest, we initiated the process to place Deputy Freeman on leave, Koon said in the release. We continue to gather information about what happened in this situation and will take the appropriate action after reviewing the facts of the case. Freeman was booked into the Lexington County Detention Center before getting released after meeting the conditions of his bond, the sheriffs department said. If convicted on the misdemeanor charge, Freeman faces a maximum punishment of 90 days in jail and a $2,500 fine, according to South Carolina law. Lexington County deputy placed on leave after domestic violence arrest, sheriff says A member of the Lexington County Sheriffs Department was placed on leave Monday after he was arrested on a domestic violence charge. Charles Freeman, 47, was charged with third-degree domestic violence, the sheriffs department said in a news release. Freeman was arrested by Lexington Police Department officers early Monday morning at a home in the 400 block of Ivy Green Lane, according to the release. Thats in Lexington, near the intersection of North Lake Drive and Old Cherokee Road. Information about the incident, and the condition of the people involved, was not available. Following the arrest, Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon placed Freeman on paid administrative leave, according to the release. When I became aware of the arrest, we initiated the process to place Deputy Freeman on leave, Koon said in the release. We continue to gather information about what happened in this situation and will take the appropriate action after reviewing the facts of the case. Freeman was booked into the Lexington County Detention Center before getting released after meeting the conditions of his bond, the sheriffs department said. If convicted on the misdemeanor charge, Freeman faces a maximum punishment of 90 days in jail and a $2,500 fine, according to South Carolina law. Libertarian Party nominee for president Chase Oliver condemned a reportedly now-deleted comment from the New Hampshire Libertarian Party on X that appeared to encourage violence against Vice President Kamala Harris. Oliver called the post "abhorrent" in his statement shared on X Sunday. "I 100% condemn the statement from LPNH regarding Kamala Harris. It is abhorrent and should never have been posted," Oliver wrote. MORE: Trump safe after apparent 'attempted assassination'; Sources identify detained man A New Hampshire reporter shared a screenshot of the since-deleted Libertarian Party of New Hampshire post, which reportedly read, "Anyone who murders Kamala Harris would be an American hero." The group addressed removing the X post on Sunday, writing, "We deleted a tweet because we don't want to break the terms of this website we agreed to. It's a shame that even on a 'free speech' website that libertarians cannot speak freely. Libertarians are truly the most oppressed minority." Vice President Kamala Harris (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Congressional B) It's not the first time the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire has posted or shared messages on X that touch on political violence, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric or draw criticism. Later Sunday, the account posted a message saying, "John McCain's cancer didn't go far enough." The post came on the same day that the FBI said former President Donald Trump was the target of an apparent assassination attempt at a Florida golf course. In July, Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Oliver went on to say in his statement that his party is committed to "non-aggression." Chase Oliver, 2024 Libertarian presidential candidate, speaks at the Des Moines Register political soapbox during the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, US, on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (PHOTO: Sergio Flores/Bloomberg via Getty Images) (Bloomberg via Getty Images) MORE: GOP Gov. DeWine defends Haitian immigrants: 'They came to Springfield to work' "As Libertarians, we condemn the use of force, whether committed by governments, individuals, or other political entities," he continued. "We are dedicated to the principle of non-aggression and to peaceful solutions to conflict. This is also something we pledge as part of attaining party membership." Following the posting of his statement, the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire responded with a homophobic slur in a series of posts, accusing Oliver of being an "infiltrating leftist snake." A representative for the group has not responded to ABC News' request for comment. New Hampshire Libertarian Party slammed for 'abhorrent' post about Harris originally appeared on abcnews.go.com LITTLE ROCK, Ark. If youve ever took a drive down West 7th street, then youve seen several paintings. Each piece of art holding a message. Frankie Leighton is a volunteer for the Painting for Peace Day, and she says each piece of art tells a story. Its a strong message about, like, community keeps us safe, community helps us, Leighton said. Each year during Arkansas Peace Week, families from diverse backgrounds join to engage in activities that teach love and fairness amongst all. 7th Street Mural defaced in Little Rock Tanya Hollifield is the organizer for this annual event and says when people come, they get the opportunity to express themselves through paint. Weve been painting on these walls social justice and all about violence that happens to people of color, Hollifield said. Arkansas artists celebrate Peace Week with 7th Street Mural Fest She said its a landscape that lets people use their voices artistically. This year those who organized and volunteered are raising money for the Palestinian childrens relief fund. Hollifield said shes letting people know that America isnt the only place affected by violence. Freedom is a constant struggle from Vedik to Palestine, the violence goes on here just like it goes on in Palestine, its all connected, Hollifield said. She says she encourages everyone to do something this week that pours care and integrity back into the community. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLRT - FOX16.com. CHICAGO Community leaders said their concerns are coming to life now that Starbucks is moving into the Discount Mall in Little Village. The Little Village Community Council led the demonstration near 25th and Kedzie after finding out Starbucks will move into the Discount Mall, the same mall where longtime vendors lost their court fight to stop their evictions last year. Protestors said many residents are worried about gentrification. They fear the chains arrival will hurt more small businesses and undermine Little Villages identity. We have seen that money buys power here, and we have people power which is more stronger than money, because the community doesnt need these type of businesses because we already have great coffee shops here in Little Village, said Little Village Community Councilmember Baltazar Enriquez. City, some residents at odds over future of homeless encampments We have started a campaign called Not One Drop and there will be not one drop of Starbucks consumed by the community until they agree to meet with the community and agree to the demands of the community, Little Village Community Councilmember Graciela Garcia added. Demands include paying a livable wage, hiring local, and investing some of the profits in the community. The Little Village Chamber of Commerce said it advocated for a local business to occupy the space. Moving forward, our focus is on fostering a positive relationship between Starbucks and the neighborhood, encouraging them to engage responsibly, support local initiatives, and contribute to the overall well-being of the area, they said in a statement. The Starbucks is set to open in late September. A Starbucks spokesperson issued the following statement: Were incredibly proud to open a community store in the Little Village community, and we will continue to work closely with community members as this store and our partners connect with their neighbors, build partnerships with local organizations, and support community events. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. (NewsNation) The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday is holding a public investigative hearing over the Titan submersible that imploded last year while on a mission to the wreckage of the Titanic. The Coast Guards Marine Board of Investigation, which is responsible for probing the cause of marine disasters, will question witnesses and review key evidence from the incident that killed the five passengers on board. The goal of the hearing is to determine what led to the deadly implosion during the dive and to examine possible regulatory failures regarding the submersibles design, operation and safety protocols. Early settlers in Deep South had smallpox vaccines. Did they share? Titan submersible implosion Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. (Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP) Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. (Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP) Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. (Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP) Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. Johns, Newfoundland on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. (Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP) A U.S. Coast Guard ship arrives in the harbor of St. Johns, Newfoundland, on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, following the arrival of the ship Horizon Arctic carrying debris from the Titan submersible. The submersible owned by OceanGate Expeditions imploded on its way to the wreck of the Titanic. (Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP) The Titan is a five-person submersible designed to go to depths of 13,000 feet for site survey, inspection, research and data collection. (OceanGate Expeditions) In this image released by Action Aviation, the submersible Titan is prepared for a dive into a remote area of the Atlantic Ocean on an expedition to the Titanic on Sunday, June 18, 2023. Rescuers are racing against time to find the missing submersible carrying five people, who were reported overdue Sunday night. (Action Aviation via AP, File) In this satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies, from top to bottom, the vessels Horizon Arctic, Deep Energy and Skandi Vinland search for the missing submersible Titan, Thursday, June 22, 2023 in the Atlantic Ocean. (Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies via AP) Morning newspapers publish an ad of condolence massages for two victims of Titan submersible incident, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, by their family and firm, displayed at a roadside stall, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, June 27, 2023. As an international group of agencies investigates why the Titan submersible imploded while carrying five people to the Titanic wreckage, U.S. maritime officials say theyll issue a report aimed at improving the safety of submersibles worldwide. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) The Titan, owned by OceanGate, made its last dive June 18, 2023. The craft lost contact with its support vessel an hour and 45 minutes into the dive. Five people were on board, diving 12,000 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. The loss of communication launched a four-day search for the vessel, which ended when evidence of an implosion was found on the ocean floor. Officials concluded that the craft had been destroyed and all five people on board were killed. Few vessels dive that deep into the ocean, and engineers and experts in the field noted previous problems with the Titan as well as warnings that the submersible was unsafe. The search-and-recovery mission is estimated to have cost up to $1.6 million. The U.S. Coast Guard quickly convened a high-level investigation into what happened. Concerns leading up to the investigation included the Titans unconventional design and its creators decision to forgo standard independent checks. The investigation into the Titan implosion originally had a 12-month timeline but has been extended multiple times. In addition to OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush, the implosion killed two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet. United to offer free wi-fi using SpaceX Starlink satellites The Titanic expedition FILE The logo for an OceanGate Expeditions 2019 Titanic expedition is seen on a marine industrial warehouse office door in Everett, Wash., Tuesday, June 20, 2023. Rescuers are racing against time to find the missing submersible carrying five people, who were reported overdue Sunday night. (AP Photo/Ed Komenda, File) In 2021, OceanGate Expeditions began what it expected to be an annual voyage to track the rate of decay of the Titanic, according to the tour groups now-defunct website. The purpose of the Titanic expedition was to chronicle the decay of the iconic ocean liner that sunk in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, killing all but about 700 of the 2,200 passengers and crew on board. The ships wreckage was discovered in 1985 and has been slowly deteriorating to metal-eating bacteria. Tickets for the five-person submersible cost $250,000 a seat, with the vessel being the only one of its size capable of reaching the Titanic wreck. Flying spaghetti monster and other recent eye-catching finds in the deep sea Titan submersible missteps: Report This photo provided by Travel Weekly shows OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush on May 27, 2023. Rush was piloting the Titan submersible when it imploded near the wreckage of the Titanic, killing all five people on board, the U.S. Coast Guard announced Thursday, June 22, 2023. (Arnie Weissmann/Travel Weekly via AP) The CEO of OceanGate overstated how far along the project was and lied about issues with the vessels hull, a Wired investigation revealed. Concerns about the Titan go back at least to 2016. That June, a test tank that evolved into the Titan imploded thousands of miles ahead of the companys safety margin during a smaller-scale test run. Rather than ordering new models to continue testing after the 2016 incident, OceanGate began work on its full-sized model, and the vessel first successfully ventured to the Titanic shipwreck in 2021, Wired reported. Wireds investigation revealed that Boeing and the University of Washington contributed early on to OceanGates carbon-fiber submersible project, but their work wasnt included in the final design. Documents, emails and interviews also pointed to a company culture that was dismissive of employees who were cautious of or questioned decisions along the way. Some were fired. The report also accuses Rush of overstating OceanGates progress and lying about issues with the vessels hull. According to Wired, the hull was warping under compression about 37% more than it should. When an engineer voiced concerns, however, OceanGates director of engineering suggested in an email that the employee simply didnt have the stomach for this type of engineering, reporters found. The Associated Press, NewsNations Steph Whiteside, Caitlyn Becker and Katie Smith 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 NewsNation. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) An up-and-coming Sioux Falls banker admits to taking money out of the vault and keeping it for himself. Cade Weeldreyer has signed federal court documents saying he plans to plead guilty to Bank Embezzlement. According to a Factual Basis Statement, Weeldreyer worked as a branch manager at One American Bank of Sioux Falls. Police investigating Saturday shooting in central SF In 2022 and 2023 he admits taking more than $21,000 worth of mutilated currency out of the banks vault. When he is sentenced, he will face up to 30 years behind bars. In 2023, Weeldreyer was a nominee for the Four Under 40 award from the local Young Professionals Network. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. RUSSELLVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) An annual breast cancer fundraiser is back for its 15th year in Russellville. In 2009, the Russellville Fire Department started the Breast Cancer Awareness Shirt fundraiser to raise money and awareness about breast cancer. The money raised is donated to the Russellville Hospital. Church Street Family Hospitality group named Alabamas retailer of the year Sergeant Grant Tarascou, of the Russellville Fire Department, says this yearly fundraiser begins during the Watermelon Festival and runs through the end of October. The hospital set up what they call a firemans fund, says Tarascou. It provides free mammograms for those who maybe cant afford it or dont have insurance. Each year the department changes the design of the shirts, which the community always looks forward to seeing. This years design is a firefighter carrying a hose lay. We thought it related to the weight of breast cancer, says Tarascou. Since 2014 the Firemens Fund has assisted over 200 women to be screened for breast cancer at no cost. With the continued support of the community, this year will be another success. Athens State University cuts ribbon on new Cyber Lab We have a lot of survivors that come to us and are very appreciative and love that we do it every year and they are always encouraged to see it, added Tarascou. The department is selling both short and long-sleeved shirts this year. The price for a short sleeve shirt ranges from $15 to $17 while a long sleeve is $20 to $22. If you are interested in purchasing a shirt to support the Firemens Fund visit the departments Facebook Page. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. On Sunday, before the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire celebrated the prospect of political violence against Vice President Kamala Harris. Anyone who murders Kamala Harris would be an American hero, the party wrote on X, before receiving swift backlash and deleting the post. Later that day, the party published a follow-up, announcing that it deleted a tweet because we dont want to break the terms of this website we agreed to and claiming that libertarians are the most oppressed minority. On Tuesday, the account released a lengthier additional follow-up, insisting that the original tweet did not call for Harriss assassination but merely acknowledg[ed] how some members would react to one. But the newest post somehow made things worse, referring to historical instances of violence that were supposedly necessary to advance or protect freedom, including the assassination of past tyrants like Abraham Lincoln. Further, it stated that its good when authoritarians (that is, progressives, socialists, and democrats) are made to feel unsafe or uncomfortable, which the accounts provocative posts are frequently explicitly intended to do. On Sunday, Libertarian Party presidential candidate Chase Oliver condemned the post as abhorrent. The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire replied by calling him a homophobic slur. On X, New York Times opinion writer and libertarian Jane Coaston criticized the provocative state party as repellent and noxious to its purported cause: Like if the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire were a CIA plot to destroy the Libertarian Party writ large what would they be doing differently. The still-burning oil tanker Sounion under tow in the Red Sea. (Photo: Eunavfor Aspides) Salvage of the still-burning crude oil tanker attacked by Houthis in the Red Sea is underway as tug boats began towing operations Saturday. The Greek-flagged MV Sounion was the target of a series of attacks Aug. 21 by Houthi militia based in Yemen. Armed Houthis filmed themselves boarding the vessel and rigging it with explosives, crippling the ship and spurring fears of an environmental disaster since the cargo of more than 1 million barrels of crude oil had reportedly begun leaking. The crew had earlier been permitted to leave the ship. The targeting of shipping by the Houthis since the start of the Israel-Hamas war Oct. 7 has led container and tanker lines to detour around the Red Sea, though substantial civilian traffic still transits the shipping lane. The towing was secured by the European Unions Naval Force (Eunavfor), under Operation Aspides protecting Red Sea shipping. The salvage of the MV Sounion is a complex operation and consists of various phases. The tug boats have successfully connected to the vessel and the towing of the MV Sounion to a safe location is in progress, Eunavfor said in a post on X on Sunday. No further details were disclosed. More coverage by Stuart Chirls: Could East Coast port strike spread to West Coast? Schenker buy makes DSV a forwarder colossus Millions in cash and stock await new NS CEO The post Salvage begins on burning tanker attacked in Red Sea appeared first on FreightWaves. BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) With the November election fast approaching, the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce is giving voters the chance to meet some of the candidates they will soon see on the ballot. The chamber is hosting the 2024 Meet the Candidates Night on October 3 at the Holiday Inn in Binghamton. In a discussion forum hosted by News 34s Jim Ehmke, US Congressional and State Senate candidates will share where they stand on issues impacting local business as well as the community. Featured forum candidates include Lea Webb and Mike Sigler who are each running for New York State Senate District 52 as well as New York Congressional District 19 candidates Marc Molinaro and Josh Riley. Other elected officials and candidates in attendance include Assemblywoman and Candidate for District 123 Donna Lupardo, Assemblyman and Candidate for District 121 Joe Angelino, Broome County District Attorney Paul Battisti, Town of Chenango Highway Superintendent Derin Kraack, and Candidate for Senate District 51 Michele Frazier. The event will be held from 5:30 to 7:30. Networking with candidates will be held from 5:30 to 6 and the candidate discussion will begin at 6. Tickets are $15 for elected officials, $30 for chamber members, and $40 for non-members. RSVP is required. Registration must be submitted by September 30. To register, click here. Light refreshments and a cash bar will be available. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WIVT - News 34. (PUEBLO, Colo.) UCHealth Parkview Medical Center and Parkview Pueblo West Hospitals are implementing one of the nations most advanced sepsis monitoring programs that can reduce sepsis-related deaths. On Monday, Sept. 16, UCHealth announced it had added virtual sepsis monitoring to UCHealth Parkview Medical Center and Parkview Pueblo West Hospital. The virtual sepsis program operates out of UCHealths Virtual Health Center (VHC) and uses artificial intelligence tools and specialized VHC nurses to monitor sepsis indicators around the clock. Sepsis is the third most common cause of death in hospitals in the U.S., and it is a life-threatening condition that surges when the bodys response to infection causes injury to tissues and organs, the condition leads to a rapid drop in blood pressure and requires prompt and precise treatment. Treating sepsis quickly can save a life. Giving a patient antibiotics one hour sooner can improve a persons survival rate by 10%. If a patient meets the criteria for sepsis, VHC nurses activate a sepsis alert by notifying bedside nursing and provider teams to quickly order treatment. Virtual monitoring for sepsis is a game-changer for our patients, said Maggie Welte, UCHealth Parkview chief nursing officer. By utilizing this advanced technology, we can detect sepsis earlier and respond more swiftly, saving lives and improving patient outcomes. This program reflects our dedication to delivering exceptional care. The virtual sepsis program has provided an extra layer of safety across UCHealth systems since 2018. UCHealth said the program, which analyzes more than 2,000 patients per day at 12 Colorado hospitals, was estimated to have saved more than 1,000 lives last year alone. The key to improving safety for our patients is having AI algorithms and our VHC nurses and physicians constantly monitoring patients vital signs over a long period of time. When a change in their temperature or blood pressure is identified, we can act immediately to alert the patients bedside care team, said Amy Hassell, chief nursing officer at UCHealths Virtual Health Center. UCHealth also said the program, in partnership with patients in-person care teams, has led to fewer transfers to intensive care, shorter hospital stays, improved outcomes, and reduced mortality. Sepsis has been detected an average of two hours earlier, and the average time to administer antibiotics has decreased from 90 minutes to 27. However, Dr. James Caldwell, chief medical officer of UCHealth Parkview, emphasized VHS is designed to support, not replace bedside care. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Primary school numbers in London are predicted to fall by another 52,000 pupils by 2028, double the national average, according to analysis seen by the BBC. The Education Policy Institute (EPI) told Radio 4's Today programme that student numbers at primary had been steadily falling but numbers at secondary had risen in almost all areas of England. The decrease was down to a combination of falling birth rates, the cost of housing and the cost of living, it said, adding the biggest drops were in central London boroughs such as Westminster, Southwark and Camden, all with primary number falls of greater than 10%. The government said it was committed to repurposing empty classrooms into nurseries. Parent governors Toby and Vanessa say there is not enough provision for families [BBC] Louis Hodge, the associate director from EPI, said: In the whole of London, were expecting primary school pupil numbers to fall by another 52,000 by 2028. "And were also now expecting that trend to occur in other parts of the country but at a slower rate. The national picture is pupil numbers at primary have been falling, more so in London than the rest of England, but pupil numbers at secondary have been rising in almost all local authorities in England. "Thats going to take a peak and turn a corner in the next five years or so. In London, in certain areas, were expecting to see falls in secondary as those falling numbers at primary school work their way through the system 'Budgets likely to fall' He said there could be a knock-on effect to school budgets. With the falling numbers of pupils, given that funding is predominantly allocated to schools based on the number of pupils they have, that means budgets are likely to fall in many schools over the coming period." He added this meant that, "given that many of the costs that schools face are fixed, a teacher still has to be paid for, that classroom still has to be heated, it means we could be seeing particularly squeezed budgets". Since around 2010, birth rates had been falling around the country and that's happened even more so in London. "We know that there is an increase in the cost of living, particularly when it comes to the cost of housing and the cost of childcare." He added: "So, we're probably seeing parents either leaving the capital to start families outside of London and, even those that are potentially staying, are maybe delaying or deciding to have potentially less or even no children. 'Relying on savings' Romy Danflous is moving out of her two-bed rental flat in Peckham, south London, with her husband and children, two and four, because they no longer feel they can afford to live in the capital and are relocating to Norwich. Were basically relying on savings to cover daily costs, which means that we just couldnt manage to keep up with London any more, despite both having full-time jobs and earning pretty decent salaries," she said. Kenny Smyth is 58 and has lived on the Rockingham Estate near Elephant and Castle in south London his whole life. Growing up on the estate, I had lots of friends. Now, with regards to gentrification, these people had to move. It was almost like it was overnight that I lost all my friends. "One week it seemed like we had friends and neighbours. The next week, it just seemed like we had strangers." Kenny Smyth said people have left Rockingham Estate near Elephant and Castle due to gentrification [BBC] Toby is a parent governor at a secondary school in Southwark and has lived in London for 13 years. We moved here when my son was three. I remember touring round primary schools and the schools were so overcrowded they were teaching kids in the corridor. 'There's no kids left' "And then, 10 years later, four primary schools in this area have closed in the last two years. "We wanted to ask if children are being designed out of our inner cities. "What's happened here is that as well as property being expensive, there's been demolition of older council and housing estates. "Whats been built here out of 2,000 flats in Elephant Park - 18 of them are three-bed flats. "There's no provision for families in the area. Ten years after these housing estates were knocked down, there's no kids left." Jasmine Ali, Southwark Council deputy leader and cabinet member for children, education and refugees, said the council supported schools "where there are budget deficits". Weve asked the government to change the per capita formula for funding schools in order to tackle the issue of falling rolls and a low birth rate nationally," she added. "We also offer our support to residents in finding a new school in Southwark if they are displaced from other boroughs. Sir Dan Moynihan, chief executive of Harris Federation, spoke to the Today programme at the Harris Academy secondary school in Peckham, where they are worried about pupil numbers. The impact of depopulation for us is that weve had to merge two very successful primary schools into one. "The other impact is teachers cant afford to live in the capital. "We now recruit teachers from Jamaica, simply because we cannot find teachers who are willing to work and live in central London. A Department for Education spokesperson said: We have increased school funding to almost 61.8bn this year, which will help to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of all children. We have also committed to rolling out 3,000 school-based nurseries by repurposing empty primary school classrooms so we can offer more childcare places to parents by building capacity in the system." Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk More on this story Related links Several major projects are proposed within the multi-million-pound city deal, which was announced in 2019. [Getty Images] Funding for Londonderry and Strabanes city deal will be in the bank and ready for spending later this week, the Foyle MP Colum Eastwood has said. The city deal, one of four in Northern Ireland, had been in doubt after it emerged on Friday that the UK government had paused funding ahead of a spending review. However on Saturday it was back on, with Secretary of State Hilary Benn posting on X that he "looks forward to signing the financial terms of the Derry City and Strabane Deal - in the coming days". Mr Eastwood said Fridays announcement had been a bungle that came out of the blue. It has been a mess, nobody has come out of this well and it cant happen again, the outgoing SDLP leader told BBC Radio Foyles North West Today programme. "We are in the right place now," he said. It hasnt been smooth sailing for last 10 or 15 years, but we are here now. We can start spending money on Thursday." Derry City and Strabane District Council confirmed its financial deal would be signed off as planned on Wednesday", The council said it follows "correspondence received from the office of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland over the weekend. A portion of the money expected from the Derry City and Strabane deal has been earmarked to help fund the medical school in Derry. The 300m deal also involves plans to redevelop Strabane town centre; establish a DNA museum in Derry and open a centre for innovation in data analytics, advanced manufacturing and robotics. City deals are regeneration funding packages worth more than 1.5bn, with about 600m coming from central government. There are four deals in Northern Ireland: the Belfast City region, Derry City and Strabane, Mid South West region, and Causeway Coast and Glens. On Sunday, Stormont's Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald said regeneration funding packages in Derry and Belfast were expected to go ahead - leaving Mid South West and Causeway Coast and Glens under threat. East Londonderry DUP MP Gregory Campbell said he learned of the UK governments intention to pause funding through the media on Friday. It really is a totally unsatisfactory way of doing business, he told BBC Radio Foyle. 'Ear of the chancellor' Part of the problem has been that the Belfast and Londonderry and Strabane deals have been slightly ahead in terms of time and preparation but not by much, he said. Mr Campbell said there was now an onus on Mr Benn to ensure the deals still under threat get the go-ahead. The key player here is the Secretary of State, he said. He is the person that has the immediate ear of the chancellor, and he has got to do his bit to try and ensure that where he sits at the cabinet table, which is batting for Northern Ireland, that he carries out his duty. Thats what needs to happen today, tomorrow and going forward, the DUP MP said. LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK) Johnston-McQueen Elementary School students will be released at noon Monday and Tuesday. Longview Early Childhood Center to help low-income families with new building According to the school, they had a power outage around 8 a.m. Monday. Though the power was restored, their air conditioning was still not functioning properly, leading the school to decide on early release. Buses will be on campus at 11:45 a.m. Monday and Tuesday. Anyone with questions is asked to contact the school directly. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. On a hot summer afternoon Lance Olot Small affixed a small pink basket on a tiny pink bike as its six-year-old rider, Josie Abigail Ortiz watched him with a smile. When he was done she raised a tiny palm and yelled, "thank you Bike Whisperer!" The little girl wasn't the only person who high-fived Small that afternoon. There was a steady parade of bike riders who needed bicycle tires pumped or chains greased or gears adjusted. And everyone on the westside knows Small is the master of not just these ordinary repairs. "He can fix just about anything," said Josie's dad Hector Ortiz, 32. "We have recycled beat up bicycles from the trash, and he can turn them into new rides." Small has become a mini-Instagram celebrity in the beachside community with happy customers posing alongside his van, which he began parking at 7th and Westminster Avenues in 2008 alongside the Oakwood Recreation Center. Street vendors like Lance Olot Small, the Bicycle Whisperer, are supported by new measures passed by the L.A. City Council this summer photo by Michele McPhee His business is supported by a permit from the city of L.A. as a sidewalk vendor. This summer after a unanimous vote by the Los Angeles City Council in June vendors like Small saw their annual vendor's license fee drop from nearly $550.00 to just to $27.51. The dramatic reduction followed another move by the City Council Members to wipe out so-called "no street vending zones" as a way to support businesses like the Bicycle Whisperer. The City Councils decision to lower the annual vending permit fee marks a crucial stride towards equity and fairness for our vibrant community of street vendors in Los Angeles, Councilmember Curren Price said after the vote. By acknowledging the financial realities that these vendors face, we are honoring their hard work and dedication. This ordinance will alleviate financial burdens, allowing more vendors to comply with regulations and cultivate an inclusive, supportive environment. Small said he is grateful for the city's support, but for him, his business is really about "people and the community." He believes there is something special about the resident of Venice. "I have very loyal customers because people love this rea and don't leave. My entire operation is word of mouth mostly and repeat customers." Small is not just popular with people on his corner. Dogs are also pulling owners toward the Bike Whisperer. It could be because of his stash of treats at the back of the van. GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) The man accused of trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a West Palm Beach golf course has a criminal record in North Carolina. Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was allegedly on the Trump-owned golf course with a rifle, a GoPro camera and other items, concealed in bushes in what officials are calling an assassination attempt. The Secret Service fired but did not hit him, and he fled the scene in a car. He was arrested in a traffic stop on I-95. Routh previously lived in the Greensboro area before moving to Hawaii sometime this year. Neighbors say he and his family moved in May. Ryan Wesley Routh takes part in a rally in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Voter records indicate that he was an unaffiliated voter but did vote in the Democratic primary in Guilford County. Social media posts allegedly belonging to Routh indicate he was a believer in COVID-19 conspiracy theories, and he had posted that he had voted for Trump in 2016 but was disappointed with him after the fact, expressing support for Tulsi Gabbard in various posts. Greensboro neighbor describes Routh A woman who lived next door to Routh in Greensboro spoke to Nexstars WGHP on the condition of anonymity. She said she has known Routh for nearly two decades. The neighbor described Routh as unusual, but she said she would have never thought he would be involved in something like this. Him, I mean, trying to shoot Trump. Thats a lot. I would have never guessed, and I would have swore up and down, no, thats not him, she said. I just cant believe it. I mean, if I didnt see it with my own eyes, I mean the pictures and stuff and all, then I wouldnt be able to believe that. The neighbor said she wasnt surprised to hear about guns being involved. She claims to have seen guns in Rouths home over the years. Ive seen the guns myself and all, and, yeah, they had a lot of guns and stuff over there, and, yeah, a lot of people were afraid of him back in the day, she said. She said she last spoke to him in May, just before he moved to Hawaii. She remembers that at the time, everything seemed normal. He told me it was the last day he was here and he hugged me goodbye, and, yeah, he actually hugged me, she said. The neighbor says that Routh gave her a shirt from Hawaii as a gift on that last day and hired her son to help with his move. I thought he was just living the life in Hawaii with the girlfriend and all, so for him to be assassinating the president, thats just crazy, she said. Criminal record in North Carolina The North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections has records for Routh going back to 2002. That year, he barricaded himself inside a business with a gun in Greensboro, per the News & Record. In 2003, he was sentenced for driving without a license, carrying a concealed weapon and hit and run. In 2010 he was convicted of possessing stolen goods. He was given probation for all of these charges, according to the DAC website. North Carolinas eCourts system has records going back to 1997 for charges such as no operators license. Law enforcement has not released any more information on the case. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Louisiana teen dies from injuries in Mississippi crash AMITE COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) A Louisiana teen died after a crash in Mississippi. The crash occurred on Highway 568 in Amite County just before 8:00 p.m. on Friday, September 13. Man dies after two-vehicle crash in Hattiesburg According to the Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP), a 2010 Toyota Tacoma was traveling east on the highway when it left the road and collided with a tree. The driver, 17-year-old Mason Prima, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was airlifted to Our Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge where he was pronounced dead. This crash remains under investigation by MHP. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily 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 WJTV. Louisiana or Texas: which state has more teen tobacco use SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) A new study has listed the top states with the highest rates of teen smokers. Vape manufacturer Yocan Vaporizer conducted the study, which utilized recent data concerning tobacco use among high school students. They were able to determine which states have the highest rate of teen smokers. Using information from the American Lung Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, data was gauged for each state using information from 2019 to 2022. Smokers in the study were identified as teens who smoked cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigars, or electronic vapor products on at least one day during the previous 30 days. The study found that teens in Louisiana have the fourth-highest rate of tobacco us in the nations high schools. More than of teens are now using tobacco products in the Bayou State. Cloudy truth: Shreveport casinos, smoke-free air, sin taxes, and living in tobacco nation Thats more than 7% higher than the national average. Louisiana also has the third-highest e-cigarette usage in the nation. It was also found that 33.7% of Alaskan teens use tobacco products as of 2019. West Virginia, Montana, and New Mexico rounded out the top five. States with the highest rate of high school tobacco usage: Rank State High School Smoking Rate High School E-Cigarette Use Overall High School Tobacco Use 1 Alaska 8.4% 26.1% 33.7% 2 West Virginia 7.6% 27.5% 27.0% Montana 7.0% 25.5% 27.0% 3 New Mexico 3.7% 25.4% 25.6% 4 Louisiana 7.0% 25.5% 25.5% 5 Oregon 4.9% 21.4% 23.1% 6 North Dakota 5.9% 21.2% 23.0% 7 Kentucky 4.9% 21.9% 22.5% 8 Oklahoma 4.0% 21.7% 22.1% 9 Mississippi 5.9% 20.9% 21.6% 10 Missouri 5.1% 19.3% 21.3% Louis Lou of Yocan Vaporizer said that the findings from the study revealed significant areas of concern for adolescent smoking in the United States. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the US, said Lou. Annually, smoking causes over 480,000 deaths, accounting for approximately one in every five deaths. Are candy cigarettes legal or illegal in the United States? Lou said its noteworthy that adolescents are using e-cigarettes, which were initially designed to help with smoking cessation. This trend highlights a troubling pattern wherein teenagers are adopting vaping without prior cigarette smoking experience. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Louisville interim Police Chief Paul Humphrey, a two-decade veteran of the department, was named permanent chief on Monday. Humphrey took over as interim chief in June when former Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel was suspended for her handling of a sexual harassment claim within the department. Read more of the latest Kentucky news Before the permanent assignment this week, Humphrey was the citys fourth interim chief since Breonna Taylor was fatally shot by Louisville officers in 2020. Mayor Craig Greenberg said Monday that Louisvilles police department needs stability in its leadership. Chief Humphrey is thoughtful, fair, and decisive, Greenberg said in a media release Monday. He has earned my respect, and he has earned the respect and trust of this community, including the hardworking men and women of the Louisville Metro Police Department. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Humphrey joined the department as a patrol officer in 2006, was a former SWAT team commander, training division chief and, in 2022, became deputy chief for accountability as the department was dealing with a federal investigation in the wake of the Taylor shooting. The sworn and professional staff of LMPD work tirelessly each day to make Louisville a safer city, Humphrey said in the release. It is a tremendous honor to serve our residents, business community, and visitors. Greenberg announced Chief Gwinn-Villaroels suspension in June, less than a year after she became the first Black woman to lead the department in a non-interim position. The chief was not directly involved in the harassment incident, which involved a female police major openly accusing a male colleague of sexual harassment during a command staff meeting. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. 'Missions:Together' Collective to Host First NYC Regional Gathering Sept. 28 NEWS PROVIDED BY Missions:Together Sept. 16, 2024 RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 16, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- Missions:Together will host its first regional gathering in New York City on Saturday, Sept. 28, at Cornerstone Church in the East Village, with a focus on what it means to live a life on mission. The half-day event is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., with free lunch provided. It is a gathering for like-minded, Great Commission-focused pastors, leaders and believers prepared to have their passion for missions re-ignited. Missions:Together (M:T) NYC will feature times of worship, practical teaching, action-oriented prayer, a panel discussion, and opportunities to network with representatives from a spectrum of missions efforts, including Pioneer Bible Translators. With a number of New York churches represented, Missions:Together will enjoy the ministry of speakers and contributors such as Ray Cazis, City Life Church Gowanus; Ivan Belets, Cornerstone Church; Keith Paulus, Christ Church NYC; Nick Nowalk, Neighborhood Church of Greenwich Village; Pioneer Bible Translators' JR Bucklew; and more. "We dream of a day when congregations work together in a truly intentional, relational, and genuine way," said Mark Knetsch, lead pastor of Resurrection Life in Apex, N.C., and one of the chief M:T NYC organizers. "We hope for this reality because the Holy Spirit accelerates missions by activating gospel unity. Missions:Together is a missional mosaic of churches seeking to do just that." Missions:Together NYC precedes a one-day North Carolina regional gathering on Nov. 2, which will emphasize unity around missions over competition between congregations and groups, while providing practical strategies for mission acceleration. Ryan Doherty, pastor of prayer and mobilization at The Summit Church in Apex, said about the upcoming event, "When a united body of believers work together, we reflect the love of Christ and advance God's mission with greater power and purpose." M:T NYC will take place Sept. 28 at 9 a.m., at Cornerstone Church (9 East 7th St., New York, N.Y.). For more information, visit missionstogethernyc.com. SOURCE Missions:Together CONTACT: Liz Tablazon, 336-354-5801, missionstogether.liz@gmail.com SNP tax rises are could deter top talent from living and working in Scotland, research suggests - Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Scottish businesses are struggling to recruit workers and staff are demanding larger pay rises because of SNP tax raids, research has found. More than a third of Scottish businesses said they had seen either a fair amount of or a significant impact on their operations as a result of Holyrood tax policies, under which middle and high-income workers pay significantly more of their salaries to the Treasury. According to a survey of more than 300 firms, carried out by the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde in May, companies warned that they were struggling to attract or retain talent with Scottish taxes a cause of employee dissatisfaction. Some workers were reluctant to relocate or remain in Scotland while existing staff were making increased wage demands to compensate for their loss of take home earnings. In Scotland, there are six tax bands, double the amount in the rest of the UK, with workers earning 28,867 or above paying more than if they lived in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. The research found that a few of the businesses were considering moving operations or investments south of the border due to the regime. While most firms report minimal impact from the current tax policy, a notable minority are experiencing challenges, especially in areas like staffing and investment, Mairi Spowage, the director of the Fraser of Allander Institute, said. As the Scottish Budget approaches on December 4, the [government] will need to weigh whether the current tax balance is right or if theres any scope for change, she added. Former MP Stewart McDonald, who lost his seat at the general election, was critical of SNP tax policy - Colin Fisher/Alamy Live News A minority of firms (28 per cent) said they had encountered no impact from devolved tax policies while 29 per cent said they had seen a little impact. Meanwhile, 17 per cent said they had seen a fair amount of impact and another 17 per cent said the tax hikes had a significant effect on them. At the weekend, the former SNP MP Stewart McDonald, who lost his Glasgow seat at the general election, blamed tax policies for a loss of support for his party among Scotlands middle classes. He said ministers, who often boast about their progressive policies, had ramped up taxes on middle earners with an air of indifference while condemning anyone who objected as a regressive Thatcherite. Mr McDonald raised the case of Scots earning between 43,663 and 50,270, who face a marginal rate of income tax and national insurance 22 points higher than people on the same income in the rest of the UK. Someone in Scotland on a salary of 50,000 pays 1,542 more in income tax than they would if they lived elsewhere in the UK, while a worker on 100,000 per year pays 3,346 more. Story continues While those on the lowest incomes pay marginally less, the saving is a maximum of 23 per year. Liz Smith, finance spokesman for the Scottish Tories, warns that high taxes risk Scotland becoming uncompetitive and unappealing to top talent - Ken Jack/Getty Liz Smith, finance spokesman for the Scottish Tories, said the SNP Government needed to sit up and listen to businesses which were suffering as a result of them making Scotland the highest taxed part of the UK. She added: SNP tax hikes are putting Scottish firms at a competitive disadvantage with rivals south of the border and making it harder for them to recruit and retain skilled staff. But this is not just a problem for private businesses the BMA and the BDA have spoken about the difficulty of attracting, and then holding on to, Scottish NHS doctors and dentists because of this tax gap. A Scottish government spokesman said: Scotland has the most progressive income tax system in the UK, protecting those who earn less and asking those who earn more to contribute more. This additional income of around 1.5 billion helps support a more comprehensive set of services in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK, including free prescriptions and free university tuition. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. A pressure drop in the cabin of an Airbus A330-300 operated by Lufthansa from Frankfurt in Germany to Dallas-Fort Worth in Texas led the pilot to abort the flight while over Ireland and return to Frankfurt on Monday. "According to current information, during the flight there was a technical problem to the north of Dublin related to air pressure in the cabin," a Lufthansa spokesman said. "At no time was there any danger to the flight's safety," he added. The crew of flight LH438 with 217 passengers aboard had decided to descend to 10,000 feet (3,048 metres) in line with normal procedure in a case like this, he said. Oxygen masks had not been needed, the spokesman said. The aircraft with registration D-AIKL landed without incident in Frankfurt at 2:05 pm (1205 GMT) after taking off at 10:12 am. The passengers would be booked onto other flights, the spokesman said. LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WHTM) Police have arrested a Lyft driver who allegedly assaulted one of his customers back in August. According to Lower Allen Township Police, on August 15 at around 1 p.m., authorities were dispatched to the 1700 block of Creek Vista Drive for a reported incident with a male Lyft driver. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News Police say the female victim used a Lyft to get a ride home from grocery shopping and the driver driver began making sexual comments. When they arrived at her residence, the driver offered to help carry the groceries in. Police say the victim stated that she did not need any help; however, the driver still grabbed a bag and brought it to her door, following the victim into her residence. Police say the male surprised the victim when she turned around, then kissed her on the mouth and made another sexual comment. The victim told him to stop and leave, per police. Through an investigation, Lower Allen Police identified the driver as 36-year-old Ardian Demiri. Charges of burglary and indecent assault without consent have been filed and a warrant was issued for his arrest. On October 2, Demiris arrest warrant was served. Demiris bail was set at $50,000, and he is currently awaiting a preliminary hearing on November 7 at 8:45 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 ABC27. (Bloomberg) -- French President Emmanuel Macron cut loose his outspoken commissioner to the European Union, Thierry Breton, in a bid to secure a more influential role for his country in Brussels. Most Read from Bloomberg Breton had been a key figure in the current commission and as internal market chief he helped ensure that Macron had a hand in shaping the EUs response to the growing power of US tech giants. But his confrontational style saw him repeatedly clashing with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and as the German was finalizing the lineup for her second term. French officials were concerned Breton might not land a meaty enough portfolio, according to a person familiar with the discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. So Macron tapped Stephane Sejourne, Frances outgoing foreign minister and a close ally to the president in his Renew political group, to replace Breton, who made no attempt to conceal his frustration. Breton quit on Monday morning, aiming a volley of criticism at the commission president in his resignation letter. Breton said that von der Leyen asked France to withdraw his name as a nominee for personal reasons that in no instance have you discussed directly with me, and in return France would get a more influential role in the EU executive. Her request was further testimony to questionable governance of the commission under her leadership, he added. The surprise move complicates von der Leyens task to begin the new five-year term, likely delaying the planned Nov. 1 start. Macron Ally Sejourne, 39, has been a close ally of Macron since he worked for him at the French finance ministry a decade ago. Sejourne played a key role in Macrons first presidential election campaign in 2017, as a representative of the left-wing branch of Macrons then newly created party. He was elected to the EU parliament in 2019, quickly becoming a key player in EU politics as Macrons man in Brussels. Sejourne became the head of the centrist Renew group in the EU parliament in 2021, before taking over the helm of Macrons Renaissance party in 2022. Sejourne kept his local politics hat when he was appointed earlier this year to be Frances youngest-ever foreign minister in the modern republic. In a written statement from his office, Macron expressed his thanks to Breton for making a major contribution to advancing a European sovereignty policy in the fields of digital technology. A commission spokesperson said that von der Leyen thanks Breton for his work but declined to address any deliberations regarding his role, calling them confidential. The commission didnt immediately say who would take over his duties at the commission. Von der Leyen was expected to announce her new commission Tuesday in Strasbourg. She was already struggling to put forward a gender-balanced commission, a process that was causing delays. That timeline was under pressure after the Slovenian opposition party led by populist Janez Jansa delayed the confirmation of its commission candidate. Bretons departure could also further complicate plans to boost EU competitiveness, as he was in charge of the portfolio covering the blocs industrial policy and was an advocate of joint borrowing for areas including defense, another of his policy areas. Breton served as the blocs industry chief and also was the chief enforcer of the new Digital Services Act, which regulates content moderation on social-media platforms. As such, he often tangled with Elon Musks X and Meta Platforms Inc. Previously, he was CEO of French software maker Atos and France Telecom, Frances finance minister and a bestselling sci-fi writer. Over his five years in charge of the commissions internal market unit, the 69-year-old has overseen the roll-out of a string of landmark digital regulations, including the content moderation rulebook the DSA, the Artificial Intelligence Act, and the chips act. --With assistance from Gian Volpicelli and Jorge Valero. (Updates second paragraph to include Frances bid to secure an influential EU portfolio.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. When Ronald Reagan lost a debate in 1980, he grudgingly acknowledged that hed performed poorly. When Barack Obama struggled in a 2012 debate, the Democrat joked about his performance on The Tonight Show. When Joe Biden fell far short in a debate a few months ago, he apologized to supporters. When Donald Trump lost a debate last week, he responded in a more Trumpian way. The New York Times reported on the Republican candidates rally in Las Vegas late last week. Over the course of an hour and 20 minutes, Mr. Trump ranted about the moderators of Tuesdays debate. ... And even as Mr. Trump continued to insist that he had been victorious in the debate though some of his allies have acknowledged he had a rough outing he accused Ms. Harris of wearing an earpiece in their matchup, a baseless claim that has proliferated on right-wing social media. And he said that Ms. Harris had obtained the questions in advance, an assertion for which there has been no proof. This was, incidentally, a speech in which the GOP nominee was supposed to talk about the economy. To be sure, Trump didnt have to talk about the debate at all. He also couldve shrugged off his failure, argued that debates arent important, or told a self-deprecating joke or two. Instead, the Republican told his followers that hed heard from whom, he did not say that Kamala Harris received the questions in advance (she did not) and wore an earpiece that allowed her to cheat (which is utterly false). At his Las Vegas rally, former President Trump is now spreading the baseless conspiracy theory that Vice President Kamala Harris had an earpiece in her ear which enabled her advisors to share answers with her while the debate was in progress. This conspiracy theory was started pic.twitter.com/KNDsM5trTE Yashar Ali (@yashar) September 14, 2024 He added by way of his social media platform that ABC News is now under investigation (there is no such investigation). The Washington Posts Dan Balz who hardly has a reputation for being a bomb-throwing ideologue explained in a notable analysis, Former president Donald Trump has long inhabited a bizarre world of his own creation. He rewrites history or makes it up entirely to aggrandize himself, denigrate others and spread the basest of lies. It keeps getting worse. Since Tuesdays debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, hes spiraled ever deeper into conspiracy theories, falsehoods and grievances. Despite all of this, NBC News reported that the Republican nominee left open the possibility of another debate with Harris, saying it might happen if he were in the right mood. Trump said that the day after issuing a written statement that said, in no uncertain terms, THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE! So, whats likely to happen next? Watch this space. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com A 3.6 magnitude earthquake struck Southern Californias coastal region Monday at 4:22 a.m. The quake hit roughly 3 miles northwest of Malibu at a depth of about 10 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. So its possibly an aftershock of the quake we had several days ago, KTLAs Eric Spillman said. The same area was jolted by a 4.7 magnitude temblor on Sept. 12. Mondays quake was felt as far as Long Beach to the southeast and Ventura to the northwest. We didnt feel it here in the studio, Eric said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injury. Latest California Earthquakes. Please wait a moment for map to load. Use controls or your thumb to move and zoom. What to do in an earthquake During an earthquake, experts say knowing the proper steps to protect yourself and minimize injury is crucial. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) provides detailed guidelines on what to do during such events. Here are the key points: Drop, Cover, and Hold On: Drop: Immediately drop down onto your hands and knees. This position prevents you from being knocked over and allows you to stay low and crawl to safety if necessary. Cover: Use one arm to protect your head and neck, and if possible, take shelter under a sturdy table or desk. If no shelter is available, get down next to an interior wall away from windows. Stay on your knees and bend over to protect vital organs. Seismologist warns of increasing earthquake activity in Southern California Hold On: Hold on to your shelter until the shaking stops. Be prepared to move with your shelter if it shifts. Thousands of earthquakes are recorded in California yearly, but the vast majority are incredibly minor. Several hundred reach a magnitude of 3.0, and only about 15 to 20 are greater than magnitude 4.0, according to the USGS. In North America, only Alaska records more quakes per year than California. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Captain Neal Burgess departing Rockland for North Haven as the Everett Libby arrives from Vinalhaven. (Maine DOT photo) The Maine Department of Transportation will receive $16.6 million in federal dollars to modernize rural ferry terminals in the northeast portion of the state. The terminals in Lincolnville and Islesboro were built in 1959 and will receive safety enhancements and other improvements to support the future operation of hybrid ferries, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Transportations Federal Transit Administration. These investments are critical to maintaining the safety and reliability of our fleet while fighting against climate change, said Joyce Taylor, chief engineer at the Maine DOT. The money is part of nearly $300 million in federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding that the Biden administration is using to modernize ferry systems across the nation and lower carbon emissions by adopting low- or zero-emissions vessels. The grants were announced by the FTAs Acting Administrator Veronica Vanterpool Monday afternoon in Rhode Island. At the event, Taylor highlighted the states efforts to fight climate change and maintain connections with island communities. She said the state is exploring how to rely less on fossil fuels when replacing older Maine State Ferry Service vessels, which operate year-round between the midcoast region and six islands in Penobscot and Blue Hill bays. Taylor went on to say that FTA funding allowed for the construction of the first hybrid diesel-electric ferry for the Maine State Ferry Service, which is named the Captain Almer Dinsmore. Additionally, FTA dollars have allowed Maine to pursue a second hybrid vessel, which the state expects to accept construction proposals for later this year, she added. However, that lower emission technology will require upgrades to shoreside infrastructure, which is what the funding announced Monday should help with. Taylor said the latest grant, in addition to FTA funding awarded last year, will allow the Maine State Ferry Service to modernize charging and other infrastructure at the two terminals to support those vessels. Maine is among 14 states to receive new ferry funding. Maines grant comes from the FTAs Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program, which provides resources to states to ensure essential ferry services are provided in rural areas. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Approximately 1,600 gallons of foam containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, was accidentally discharged at Brunswick Executive Airport's hangar 4 on Aug. 19, 2024. (AnnMarie Hilton/ Maine Morning Star) After the largest toxic foam spill in state history at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station last month, Maines congressional delegation is asking the U.S. Navy to work with state and local officials to aid in the clean-up and help address the potential for future incidents. Although the facility is now known as Brunswick Landing and overseen by the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, the Navy still owns certain areas, including hangar four where the spill occurred. U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat, is leading the charge. In a letter to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro Monday, all four delegates including independent U.S. Sen. Angus King, who lives in Brunswick, Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, wrote that their constituents are deeply concerned about the short and long-term health and environmental impacts of this spill, as well as potential future incidents, since [aqueous film forming foam, or AFFF] remains at the site. The letter outlines the dangers posed by the forever chemicals perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS present in the discharged fire suppression foam and asked the Navy to commit to helping with the clean up. PFAS have been linked to serious long-term health problems including cancer, weakened immune systems, developmental issues, and more. Additionally, the delegation asked to be briefed on the Navys involvement in the spills clean up at Del Toros earliest convenience. The Navy had planned to remove the foam from hangar four this month, which is still scheduled as some remains. Foam also remains in hangar six, which has raised concern from local officials and residents because it is located closer to the water district. That foam is not scheduled for removal. The action from federal leaders comes almost a week after state Rep. Dan Ankeles (D-Brunswick) submitted three bill titles to the Maine Legislature aimed at removing and better regulating forever chemical-laden firefighting foam. The 1,450 gallons of PFAS-riddled foam that mixed with 50,000 gallons of water constitutes the sixth largest AFFF spill in the U.S. in the past 30 years. But even before that, the area was a hotbed for the known carcinogen. Shortly after the spill, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued new freshwater fish consumption advisories for the region that were based on pre-spill samples. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A man accused of charging police with "a machete and hatchet" at a residence in Pennsylvania was shot by an officer over the weekend, officials said. At just after 8 p.m. local time Saturday, East Greenville Police received a report of a physical assault from an 18-year-old 911 caller. When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered a 55-year-old man spewing threats to authorities while barricaded in the basement, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office. Multiple agencies responded to the home, and police attempted to negotiate with the man, who was not named in the DA office's statement. Eventually, hours later, at 11:30 p.m., officers broke down the basement door and discovered the man with the machete and hatchet. Crime: Customer fatally shoots teenage Waffle House employee inside North Carolina store "He charged at police officers and refused police commands to drop the weapon," officials said. "An officer attempted to taser the suspect, which failed to stop him. An Upper Perk police officer discharged his firearm, striking the man." The Upper Perk police officer was not publicly identified. It was a 'sad turn of events,' neighbor says According to the DA's office, the man was pronounced dead on the scene. Montgomery County detectives were on site to investigate the incident. Neighbors stood by and watched Saturday night's incident unfold. One woman, Stephanie Young, told Fox 29 that it was a "sad turn of events" and described the man as "friendly." "If he had just come out of the basement his sentence would be far less than death sadly, hed be able to see his babies and his 18-year-old daughter walk down the aisle some day. And thats the part that hurt me most, his babies are growing up without a dad," Young continued. Another neighborhood added, "I really think it was done in a wrong way. He shouldn't have to lose his life." East Greenville is about 50 miles from Philadelphia. Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man killed by officer after charging at police with machete, DA says Man accused of plot to attack New York Jewish center will contest extradition, lawyer says By Anna Mehler Paperny TORONTO (Reuters) - A Pakistani man accused of plotting to attack a New York City Jewish center in support of Islamic State will contest his extradition hearing to the United States, his lawyer told Reuters. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, was arrested in Canada earlier this month as he allegedly tried to enter the U.S. He was charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, namely Islamic State, or ISIS. The United States wants to extradite him. "I have the mandate to contest the extradition hearing," Khan's lawyer, Gaetan Bourassa, told Reuters. "He is a young person, arrested, and we will see what is their proof to ask to be extradited." He would not comment on the case without seeing evidence from the U.S., which has not yet been presented. Khan was in Canada on a student visa, having entered the country in June, 2023. His lawyer would not say what he was studying, or where. The U.S. Department of Justice accused Khan of plotting a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn around Oct. 7, 2024, about a year after Hamas' attack in Israel which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Khan began posting his support for ISIS on an encrypted messaging application in November 2023. He allegedly communicated his attack plans to undercover agents. (Reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny; Editing by Stephen Coates) A neighbor of Ryan Routh, the reported person of interest detained by authorities in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, told a local news station in North Carolina that the man was a little cuckoo and owned a lot of gunsbut still expressed disbelief that he would do anything violent. I mean I didnt think he would go that far. I knew he was a little cuckoo, but assassinating the president? I mean hes going to be going away for a long time, an anonymous former neighbor in Greensboro, North Carolina, told local station Fox 8. I just cant believe it. However, she also said that Routh, 58, had a lot of firearms at his North Carolina home. Ive seen the guns myself and all, and, yeah, they had a lot of guns and stuff over there, and, yeah, a lot of people were afraid of him back in the day, she said. Who Is Alleged Trump Golf Course Gunman Ryan Wesley Routh? The neighbor said Routh moved to Hawaii earlier this year, but before leaving he hired her son to help him move, gave her a Hawaiian shirt as a gift, and embraced her on his last day. I thought he was just living the life in Hawaii with the girlfriend and all, so for him to be assassinating the president, thats just crazy. Rouths son, Oren Routh, also expressed disbelief that his caring father and honest, hardworking man would do anything like that. I do not know whats happened in Florida, and I hope that things have just been blown out of proportion, because from the little that I have heard it doesnt sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent, Oren told CNN. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Ridofranz / Getty Images/iStockphoto When Octavia Goredema made the decision to create her own tech startup, Fire Memos, roughly a year ago, the odds were not particularly in her favor. The main hurdles to overcome had nothing to do with her plan or business model, but rather her race and gender. Goredema is a Black woman, and, according to recent data from Crunchbase, Black women received a mere 0.34% of total venture capital funding in the U.S. in 2021. Goredema had never raised capital before, so she had the added disadvantage of being inexperienced in that regard. But, Goredema persevered and managed to raise a six-figure investment for her tech startup. In the hopes to empower others to chase their dreams of launching a business, Goredema spoke with GOBankingRates about her journey to becoming a highly successful entrepreneur. These are four key moves she made to secure a six-figure investment to launch Fire Memos. Check Out: Im a Millennial in Great Financial Shape 11 Steps I Took To Get Here Read Next: 9 Easy Ways To Build Wealth in 2024 Earning passive income doesn't need to be difficult. You can start this week. She Created a Pitch Deck and Shared It With Her Mentor The first thing I did was create a pitch deck that detailed the business opportunity, Goredema said. I shared that with my mentor at Dells Women Entrepreneur Network, made updates based on his feedback and from there I started to raise capital. She Spent Several Months Fine-Tuning Products Goredema spent several months in development and invested time in reviewing, testing and fine-tuning Fire Memos initial features. She still does this regularly to ensure the business is as strong as it can be. We continue to make updates and add new Fire Memos features every single week, Goredema said. Its really exciting to be able to continue to add components that enable our subscribers to record and evaluate their progress at work. Learn More: I Followed Mark Cubans Genius Advice and Am on Track To Become a Millionaire She Worked With a Highly Active Pre-Seed Investor Gordema received her first investment from Techstars, which she described as the worlds most active pre-seed investor, with a team that has invested in over 4,000 startups across the globe. Securing that investment required us to submit an application that included a pitch deck, Goredema said. We then took part in a series of interviews with the Techstars team. By the end of a comprehensive interview process we secured a six-figure investment and were accepted into the Techstars Anywhere accelerator. She Hired a Legal Firm To Ensure Due Diligence Gordema didnt go through the fine print of securing an investment alone. Wisely, she retained the services of a law firm to help make sure everything was clean and kosher. Story continues Before an investor wires the investment funds, you will need to successfully complete due diligence, Goredema said. Due diligence refers to a comprehensive appraisal process that an investor will undertake before committing capital to your company. The legal firm Goredema hired specialized in startups an important factor. Their team worked side by side with me to prepare everything we needed to close the investment, Gordema said. If youre planning to raise capital for the first time, make sure to have an attorney on standby to work with you to complete necessary paperwork before, during and after you close your investment round. Gordemas story is real-life proof that even when the odds are stacked against you, if you have a solid business plan, a savvy mentor, an experienced legal team and all the determination you can muster, the dream of being a successful entrepreneur can be realized possibly more quickly than you may have thought. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How I Secured a Six-Figure Investment To Start My Dream Business A 33-year-old man has admitted recording details of vehicles parked within Lurgan police station on his mobile phone. Samuel McCaughey was due to stand trial at Belfast Crown Court on two terrorism charges, which he initially denied. After he entered the dock, his barrister Aaron Thompson asked that his client be re-arraigned on the charges. Mr McCaughey, from Kilwilkie Road in Lurgan, was charged that on 27 May 2020 he recorded information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, namely details of vehicles situated at Lurgan police station. When asked how he pleaded, Mr McCaughey replied "guilty". CCTV footage He was further charged that on the same date, he published information about two people "who are, or have been, members of His Majesty's Forces" - namely vehicle details of two individuals who are members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland - which was likely to be useful to a terrorist. He also admitted this charge. Mr McCaughey's barrister said both charges related to recordings which his client made on his mobile phone in an incident captured on CCTV. A prosecutor told the judge it was her intention to play the CCTV footage in court during the plea hearing. The judge set the date for that hearing as 8 November 2024 and told Mr McCaughey to engage with probation, who will be compiling the pre-sentence report. After no objections were raised by the prosecution, Mr McCaughey was released on continuing bail. TUNNELTON, W.Va. (WBOY) A man has been charged after allegedly firing multiple shots and pointing a gun at a state trooper in Preston County. On Sept. 14, troopers with the Preston County detachment of the West Virginia State Police received a call of shots being fired at a residence on Bonafield Street in Tunnelton, according to a criminal complaint. James McCormick When a trooper arrived, they announced themselves numerous times, before James McCormick, 58, of Tunnelton, opened the door with a Taurus Judge handgun in his left hand, troopers said. At that point, McCormick raised his right hand and pointed the firearm at troopers, saying, Ill state police you, according to the complaint. Man allegedly tried to injure unborn baby during rape of pregnant woman in Webster County The trooper noted the firearm was loaded with five 410 loaded Buckshot shells, and that McCormick placed the trooper in immediate danger when he pointed the loaded firearm at them, the complaint said. McCormick has been charged with wanton endangerment. He is being held in Tygart Valley Regional Jail on $25,000 bond. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com. CAMDEN ON GAULEY, W.Va. (WBOY) A man is facing multiple charges, including attempted murder, after two separate incidents in Webster County. On Sept. 14, troopers with the Webster Springs detachment of the West Virginia State Police took a statement from a pregnant victim for a sexual assault which took place on Aug. 24, according to a criminal complaint. Anthony Fletcher The victim told troopers that she was walking on Mill Fork Road in Camden on Gauley when Anthony Fletcher, 48, of Camden on Gauley, stopped while operating his vehicle and made her get into the passenger side front seat and told her he would kill her and her boyfriend if she didnt, troopers said. Fletcher transported the victim to a residence on Mill Fork Road and had the victim shower, go into his bedroom, put handcuffs on and get onto his bed, before he forced the pregnant victim to perform sexual acts, the complaint said. During that time, Fletcher placed his hands around her throat and choked her until she was seeing stars, according to the complaint. Man arrested after vehicle pursuit through Monongalia, Preston counties After that, Fletcher stood the victim up, bit her on the nose, bent her over the bed and began to rape her, and [d]uring the rape, Fletcher hit the victim multiple times on the stomach in an attempt to injure the unborn child, and then made the victim shower in an attempt to get rid of any evidence, troopers said. While performing the sexual assault acts, Fletcher mentioned multiple times that he was going to kill the victim and already had two holes dug, according to the complaint. In a separate incident, summarized in a different complaint, on Sept. 13, troopers received a call of a vehicle accident in Camden on Gauley with a black pick-up truck with farm use written on it that was on its side. When troopers arrived, they discovered both vehicles had left the scene, and were able to locate one of the vehicles on Coon Creek Road, when the vehicles driver stated that Fletcher purposely chased [the victim] down and rammed him at a high rate of speed with his passenger side into the drivers side of the truck, troopers said. Two other individuals who were also in the vehicle at the time of the incident corroborated the victims statement. Juvenile suspect in Preston school threat case could face adult charges The victim further stated that Fletcher then chased him on foot up Coon Creek, screaming, Im going to kill you! You little rat!' according to the complaint. Fletcher has been charged with first-degree sexual assault, malicious assault, abduction, strangulation and attempted murder. He is being held in the Central Regional Jail. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com. EAST GREENVILLE, Pa. - A man is dead after officials say a barricade situation ended with an officer-involved shooting at a home in Montgomery County on Saturday night. The Montgomery County District attorneys office says an 18-year-old in the home originally called police about a physical assault just after 8 p.m. Officers responded to the 100 block of Cherry Street in East Greenville to find the suspect barricaded in a basement, threatening to harm law enforcement. This is a picture of the home and scene of the incident located on Cherry Street in East Greenville. After hours of negotiation attempts and threats by the suspect, police breached the basement at around 11:30 p.m. The suspect, armed with a machete and hatchet, charged at police and refused to drop his weapons, according to the District Attorney's office. MORE HEADLINES: Officials say one officer fired at the suspect after a taser attempt failed to stop him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The names of the deceased suspect and discharging officer have yet to be released, along with any further details. FOX 29s Kelly Rule spoke to neighbor Stephanie Young who says shes used to seeing her neighborhood family-friendly, and quiet, but last night she says she watched for hours as a barricade turned into a deadly shooting. "If he had just come out of the basement his sentence would be far less than death, sadly, hed be able to see his babies and his 18-year-old daughter walk down the aisle some day and thats the part that hurt me most, his babies are growing up without a dad," said Stephanie Young, Neighbor, East Greenville. "He was friendly, very friendly, it was a sad turn of events," said Young. An investigation is underway. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) A passenger in a car that was stopped Friday evening for a traffic offense on the South Side spent the weekend in the Mahoning County Jail on a gun charge. Brailyn Bunn, 29, is expected to be arraigned Monday in municipal court on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, a third-degree felony; and improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle. Reports said he was a passenger in an SUV that was spotted about 10:10 p.m. stopped in the roadway at East Judson Avenue and Rush Boulevard. When police went to investigate, they saw several open containers of alcohol inside, and the driver of the SUV had several open suspensions on his license. When police searched the car, they found a 9mm handgun inside a purse, reports said. Reports said Brailyn Bunn told police the gun was his and he was taken into custody. Reports said he has several felony convictions, including an aggravated robbery conviction in 2018 from Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. The woman who had the purse, Alexis Ivy, 25, was charged with a second-degree misdemeanor improper handling charge because she did not inform police that there was a gun in her purse. The driver was cited for driving under suspension. The driver and Ivy were both cited and released at the scene. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. An autopsy scheduled for Monday in Concord, New Hampshire is expected to help determine what happened to a man who was found dead in Grafton County. New Hampshire State Police say hes John Quinlan, 77, of East Weymouth, Massachusetts. A paddle boarder on Newfound Lake in Bristol discovered Quinlans body shortly after 11:00 a.m. Saturday near Lakeside Road. It wasnt immediately clear how long hed been in the water. Anyone who may know what happened to him is being asked to call the New Hampshire State Police Marine Patrol at (603) 227-2115. The Bristol Police and the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department assisted troopers at the scene. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC22 & FOX44. COLBERT COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) A man accused of leading authorities on a multi-state chase has been booked into a jail in Mississippi. John William Griffin was booked into the Tishomingo County Jail on a $1,000,788 bond on multiple charges on Tuesday, September 10. Colbert County Sheriffs Office said that the chase started in Mississippi and ended in a deputy-involved shooting in Colbert County after Griffin fired shots at deputies. Griffin was injured from the shooting and was taken to Huntsville Hospital for treatment. He was released on September 9. He was then taken into custody by the Madison County Sheriffs Office and extradited to Tishomingo County, Mississippi. He was charged with felony fleeing, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and five counts of aggravated assault on law enforcement. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. Man charged with operating drug factory in Connecticut held on $2 million bond ENFIELD, Conn. (WWLP) A man was arrested in connection with operating a drug factory in Enfield after police executed a search warrant last week. According to the Enfield Police Department, on Thursday, September 12th search warrants were executed at an apartment on 55 Main Street in Enfield. Law enforcement seized five illegal handguns, now of which was confirmed stolen, approximately 400 grams of cocaine/crack cocaine, and a large amount of cash. Firearm manufacturing operation in Springfield discovered during drug bust investigation A resident at the home, 34-year-old Rahkeem Blakely was arrested and charged with the following: Operation of a Drug Factory Possession of Narcotics with intent to distribute Criminal Possession of a firearm (5 counts) Possession of a stolen firearm Negligent storage of a firearm (5 counts) Interfering with a search warrant Violation of large capacity magazine ban Possession of drug paraphernalia Criminal mischief in the 3rd degree Rahkeem Blakely Blakely is being held on a $2,000,000 surety bond. The investigation was conducted by members of the Enfield Police, DEA in Springfield and Hartford, and the DEA New England SRT. 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. Man who claims hes innocent in Blue Springs killing of his wife argues for new trial Did you shoot your wife that day? Kansas City attorney Kent Gipson asked his client, who had taken the stand Monday in Dekalb County, Missouri. Absolutely not, said Ken Middleton, who was wearing a bright orange prison jumpsuit in court. Middleton was convicted in the February 1990 shooting death of his wife Kathy Middleton in Blue Springs and sentenced to life without parole. Now 80, he testified before DeKalb County Circuit Judge Ryan Horsman during a hearing seeking a new trial or his release. Ken Middleton called Kathy Middleton the love of his life and said he was in shock when she died. About 20 years ago, a judge ruled Ken Middleton had received ineffective representation and ordered a new trial. He turned down a plea deal before the judges decision was overturned by a higher court. Court documents argue that Kathy Middleton accidentally shot herself. They also allege that prosecutors froze Ken Middletons accounts, preventing him from hiring the counsel of his choice. The Missouri Attorney Generals Office disputes Middletons claims. Much of the hearing focused on Middletons financial status. He grew up dirt poor in Arkansas, he said, and moved to Kansas City after graduating high school at age 16. He swore he would never be that poor again. He worked various jobs before becoming a truck driver and purchasing land in Arkansas where he raised about 150 heads of cattle. He had a son, Cliff Middleton, in 1969. Five years later, he married Kathy Middleton. He continued driving trucks until he was injured on the job in 1984, but was still able to raise cattle. At the time Kathy Middleton was shot, Ken Middleton estimated his net worth at about $500,000 to $600,000. After he was arrested, he looked into selling a home or cattle, but was not able to do so without the permission of the court and the prosecutor because the assets were held jointly by him and his wife. He wanted the funds to be able to hire a new attorney. He said his attorney Bob Duncan failed to hire experts and did very little to build a defense at trial. Duncan was later disbarred. He had also represented Sandra Hemme, who spent more than 40 in prison for a murder she did not commit and was released in July. Middleton was not able to access money to hire a different attorney. He was convicted in 1991. He appealed on an ineffective counsel claim and his conviction was vacated in 2005. He said Monday that once he had access to money to get a good lawyer, he was able to prove his case. Prosecutors offered him an Alford plea, or no contest. He rejected it and then a higher court overturned the ruling for a new trial. On Monday, Middleton said he turned down the plea deal because he was totally innocent and that its cost me 20 years (in prison). Gipson put on evidence showing that Middletons gunshot residue report was negative, but Duncan failed to present it to the jury. Middleton testified that he was in the living room when he had a seizure. When he came to, he found his wife shot in the dining room. Mr. Middleton would welcome a new trial, Gipson told Judge Horsman. The attorney generals office questioned how Middleton was allowed to be a truck driver with a seizure disorder and said he had told police different stories about the shooting, including that he had been cleaning the gun or handing the gun to Kathy Middleton when it went off. They also said he did not try to use funds that were his alone to hire a defense attorney and that many of the claims had already been presented and rejected by higher courts including the Missouri Supreme Court. Horsman is expected to make a decision in the coming months. Cliff Middleton, who testified earlier Monday, said that the justice system has failed my father for far too long and that he is hoping for a favorable ruling. Protesters take part in a pro-democracy rally in Hong Kong, China, on January 19, 2020. A 27-year-old man was convicted for violating a new security law for wearing a t-shirt to support such protests. File Photo by Jerome Favre/EPA-EFE Sept. 16 (UPI) -- A 27-year-old arrested for wearing a protest T-shirt became the first person convicted under Hong Kong's new security law that supports Beijing. Chu Kai-pong was convicted on one charge of doing acts with seditious intent for wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time," on it. He entered a guilty plea for wearing the T-shirt. Authorities charged that the slogan could incite hatred for the "fundamental system of the state established by the constitution of the People's Republic of China." Chu allegedly said he wore the T-shirt to recognize the massive 2019 pro-democracy street protests in Hong Kong, which led to city leaders establishing many of the new anti-demonstration and sedition laws at the urging of Beijing. The new security law increased the maximum sentence for sedition from two to seven years. Those convicted could receive up to 10 years if it was proven that they were helping "foreign forces." Steven Kwan, Chu's attorney, told the court that the slogan was related to the movement's demands and not carrying out anything illegal. Kwan also said prosecutors showed no proof that anyone was radicalized by Chu's slogan nor did it inspire anyone to take action. The chief magistrate appointed to handle the case postponed sentencing in Chu's case until Thursday. Human rights non-governmental agencies along with the United Nations have complained about the law for being overly vague and broad and could sweep up many people who have no intention of sedition. Hong Kong authorities said the law closes loops to other security laws passed after the 2019 demonstrations. Just like the Titanic more than a century ago, the shipyard that built the iconic vessel is sinking. Harland & Wolff, the British holding company for the shipyard that constructed the Titanic, has gone into administration, a process similar to bankruptcy proceedings in the United States, The New York Times reported on Monday. The company has been dealing with financial hardship for years, and those struggles have only gotten worse in recent months. More from Robb Report The group faces a very challenging time given the overhang of significant historic losses and its failure to secure long-term financing, Russell Downs, a restructuring expert and the interim executive chair of Harland & Wolff, said in a statement cited by the Times. The company has been around for 163 years, building ships including the Titanic, the Olympic, and other notable ocean liners. But as the world has changed, Harland & Wolff has struggled to keep up, with The New York Times citing a failure to adapt to new technologies as one of the reasons for the companys troubles. Back in 2019, it went into administration for the first time, but new owners saved it from an unsavory fate back then. Now, Downs thinks that Harland & Wolff will be sold again and become a private company. (The company stopped trading on the London Stock Exchange in July, after it didnt publicly share audited accounts on time. Executives will meet with shareholders later this week.) Those seeking to potentially buy some or all of the company include Navantia, a state-owned shipbuilder in Spain, and British defense company Babcock International. Both entities have expressed interest in Harland & Wolffs Belfast shipyard, where the Titanic was built. The administration announcement comes on the heels of the British government refusing to guarantee Harland & Wolff a $264 million loan earlier this summer, The New York Times wrote. While its still not looking to give the company any money, the British Department for Business and Trade told the newspaper that it was hoping to find a solution that would protect the 1,300 people currently employed by Harland & Wolff. We are clear that following a thorough review of the companys financial situation at present, the market is best placed to address these challenges, a department spokesperson told the Times. Providing government funding would have meant a significant risk of losing taxpayer money. Story continues In the meantime, the companys four shipyards will continue to operate. Its unclear what will happen with a current contract to build three vessels for the Royal Navy, though. Best of Robb Report Sign up for RobbReports's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. A man was struck and killed by a passing motorist near a Sacramento-area onramp Monday. The fatal hit-and-run crash Monday morning was the latest in a string of Sacramento-area pedestrian and bicyclists deaths that have city leaders now considering a local state of emergency to get a handle on the growing public safety crisis. California Highway Patrol officials say the as-yet unidentified man, 44, was struck as he stood near the onramp for the eastbound Capital City Freeway at southbound Watt Avenue near Auburn Boulevard. The area straddles the city limits and boundaries for Arden Arcade and North Highlands. The driver was heading south on Watt Avenue and preparing to enter the eastbound freeway onramp when the driver struck the pedestrian, said Officer Justin Fetterly, a spokesman for the CHPs North Sacramento office. The driver did not stop, patrol officials said, and is still being sought by authorities. CHP officials say the drivers car is possibly a 2012-2015 Toyota Camry. The toll continues to mount on Sacramento roadways. At least 21 people have been killed in roadway fatalities so far this year, The Sacramento Bee has reported. Of those, 14 were walking or riding bicycles. Two rode electric scooters. Five were motorists. And, last week, a 48-year-old woman was critically injured when she was struck while attempting to cross Sutterville Road in Sacramento. On Monday, police said the woman had died at a hospital. Sacramento Councilwoman Caity Maple, who referred to the Sutterville collision on social media as well as Councilwoman Karina Talamantes and Mayor Darrell Steinberg are expected to bring a proposal at Tuesdays City Council calling for a state of emergency to address the crisis. Im devastated to see yet another person critically injured after being struck by a vehicle on Sacramentos roads, Maple said in a social media post Friday, calling on leaders to take immediate and urgent action. Along with a state of emergency, the proposal calls on Sacramento City Manager Howard Chan to steer funds toward a public education campaign focused on traffic safety, driver education and pedestrian and bicyclists awareness on area roadways. Sacramento police would also step up traffic enforcement on roadways including Sutterville Road that are part of its high-injury network those city streets where the highest numbers of fatal and severe crashes occur. The city would also recommit to its Vision Zero initiative its 2017 resolution to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2027. Man killed after being struck by train at Monmouth Street crossing in Red Bank RED BANK - A man was struck and killed by a train Saturday afternoon, according to authorities. Around 1:30 p.m., North Jersey Coast Line train 7240 which departed New York Penn Station at 12:07 p.m. and was scheduled to arrive at Long Branch at 1:38 p.m. struck and fatally injured a man at the Monmouth Street crossing in Red Bank, according to Kyalo Mulumba, spokesperson for the transit service. Mulumba said the 600 passengers and crew on board the train were not injured. New Jersey Transit Police are leading the investigation. The identity of the man has not been released. Jenna Calderon covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; jcalderon@gannettnj.com This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Man killed after being struck by North Jersey Coast Line train The man killed in Saturday mornings shooting in Lawrence was identified by officials Sunday. The Essex County District Attorneys office says the man shot on Water Street around 7:00 a.m. Saturday was identified as 33-year-old Stephen Hernandez. Hernandez was treated on the scene before being transferred to Lawrence General Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The shooting is still under investigation. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) The man who was killed after an armed standoff with a SWAT Team in rural Linn County Saturday morning has been identified. The original incident happened just after 12:30 a.m., when Linn County Sheriffs deputies responded to an area near Scio on a report of a pedestrian hit by a vehicle. Man charged with manslaughter in fatal Southeast Portland crash Oregon State Police troopers assisting on the call found the vehicle on Shimanek Bridge Drive with an armed man in the drivers seat. Authorities say the man identified as 46-year-old David Tobias Tyler refused to cooperate with officers, resulting in a standoff in which the man fired his gun. This prompted response from the Linn County Regional SWAT Team and a Crisis Negotiation Team. Driver killed in late night Gresham crash According to LCSO, investigators attempted to diffuse the situation by phone. However, due to [Tylers] actions, he was shot and killed, said LCSO. No law enforcement personnel were injured. Additionally, authorities said the pedestrian was treated and released from the hospital on Sunday. Benton County Sheriffs deputy Sergeant Daniel Ball was been identified as the SWAT Team Member who shot Tyler. Oregon State Police will further investigate the incident. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. Gary Fear has already visited Ukraine eight times since the war began [Gary Fear] An estate agent will be travelling to Ukraine to donate supplies for the ninth time after raising almost 100,000 since the conflict started. Gary Fear, from Gnosall, Staffordshire, will be setting off for the eastern European country on Tuesday, where he will buy food and other essentials for people affected by the war. Mr Fear made his first visit Ukraine in April 2022. He has raised more than 92,000 in donations since launching an online fundraiser shortly before that first trip. Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke, Mr Fear said the support from people had been incredible. He will be taking a total of 14,000 with him on Tuesday, which he said would pay for an awful lot of food and at least one generator for a village left without electricity as a result of the war. Mr Fear has used the money raised to purchase food and supplies for the Ukrainian people [Gary Fear] When I do think about it, its quite humbling, he said. When you see the expression on the face of someone you hand some food to, or when they start crying because someone has taken the trouble to do that... it makes it all worthwhile. Asked what the situation was like on the ground in Ukraine, he said it had been getting worse. Weve been to places where weve had to leave because the village we were in was being shelled, he said. Weve seen more and more atrocities in terms of damaged buildings and people being displaced. Mr Fear said he was also planning a 10th trip to Ukraine [Gary Fear] He added that it was fabulous to see so many people in Staffordshire come together to raise money to aid Ukrainians in their plight. Mr Fear revealed he was also planning a 10th trip to the country in January next year. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. More on this story Police arrested a 35-year-old man who tried to kidnap a baby by pulling a handsaw on its mother in August Photo by David McNew/Getty Images It was a normal summer afternoon for a young mother waiting for a bus at the Gateway Plaza in DTLA on August 26 until a stranger approached and kissed her baby on the forehead and "grabbed the harness." The mother shoved the would-be kidnapper away from her, which prompted him to fly into a rage, LAPD officials said. "He threatened to kill her as her removed a handsaw from his backpack," according to the LAPD. LAPD News: NR24258cm Attempt Kidnap Suspect In Custody pic.twitter.com/x0I0DcgtZH LAPD PIO (@LAPDPIO) September 16, 2024 Detectives later discovered that the suspect, identified as Noel Gallagher, 35, was already in custody in connection with an unrelated crime. Details of that crime were not immediately available. He is now also charged with attempted kidnapping and making threats, the LAPD says. The attempted kidnapping was the second thwarted abduction of a child near downtown L.A. On Feb. 25, a woman tried to snatch a child from a Target store on Virgil Avenue in Westlake, police said. The woman released the boy and left the scene when she was confronted by the child's parents outside the store. Vanessa Yara Pineda, 27, was arrested days after the attempted kidnapping near the intersection of Magnolia Boulevard and Tujunga Avenue in North Hollywood after receiving a tip from a person who witnessed her actions. In January, a French bulldog snatching made national headlines after the dog's owner jumped on the hood of the dognapper's getaway vehicle. Ali Zacharias told reporters "she thought she was going to die," after she latched for a wild ride through DTLA after her dog Onyx was picked up by a stranger as she ate lunch with him at her feet at Whole Foods on South Grand Avenue. The theft made national headlines, and the LAPD Gang and Narcotics Division "worked through the night" to solve the case. A month later the suspect, 21-year-old Sadie Slater, was arrested and booked for robbery. It's unclear if Onyx was recovered. TURTLECREEK TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WDTN) An inmate at a Warren County prison has been sentenced for murdering his cellmate. According to Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell, Jedidiah Hayes Lang, 43, of Youngstown, pleaded guilty to the 2023 murder of cellmate Cody Bartimus. Lang was sentenced to 15 years to life. Proposed AES Ohio plan would mean cost increases for customers Fornshell reports Bartimus was found unresponsive by prison staff on Oct. 26, 2023. Bartimus was taken to Atrium Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. It was determined the mans cause of death was strangulation, according to Fornshell. The release provided to 2 NEWS by Fornshell details how Lang claims he conducted the incident. Due to the graphic nature of the details, WDTN.com has decided to exclude the specific information related to the death. Lang was serving time at WCI for a 2013 Knox County murder case. His new sentence for the 2023 death will run consecutively with the other sentence. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. EXCLUSIVE: America First Legal is suing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office for records of any communication related to the prosecution of former President Trump between prosecutors and the Biden-Harris campaign, the Democratic National Convention and other groups. America First Legal (AFL) filed the lawsuit Monday morning. The organization is seeking documents and communication between Braggs office and the Biden-Harris campaign, the DNC, Color of Change and CREW. JUDGE MERCHAN SUED FOR FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES AMID CONCERNS OF DAUGHTER'S DEMOCRAT WORK It is also seeking records related to efforts to raise money off the prosecution of the former president in New York v. Trump. AFL is also looking to see if records exist between Braggs office and Judge Juan Merchans daughter Loren Merchan who runs a Democrat-affiliated political consulting firm, Authentic Campaigns. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stands with members of his staff at a news conference after the conviction of former President Trump in his hush money trial May 30, 2024, in New York City. "It is incumbent for Alvin Braggs office to meet its transparency responsibilities. The public record now reveals a direct contradiction between statements from the U.S. Department of Justice and Braggs own office about coordination between the two," AFL Vice President Dan Epstein told Fox News Digital. "And now it would appear that groups like Color of Change may be coordinating activities between Washington, D.C., and New York City behind the scenes." AFL describes Color of Change as a far-left, Soros-funded group. The organization issued a statement characterizing the prosecution of Trump as the "fruit of our labor." AFL says the group visited the White House 16 times and met with both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The lawsuit comes as part of America First Legals ongoing investigation into Braggs office over concerns of impartiality, politically motivated prosecution and the weaponization of the justice system. AFL sued Merchan last week for refusing to turn over his financial disclosures amid questions about his daughters work at Authentic Campaigns. From left to right: Judge Juan Merchan, former President Trump and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The CEO of Authentic reacted to the subpoena last week, saying the allegations against the company are "completely false and purely politically motivated." Under New York law, judges are required to file annual financial disclosures, which are required to be made available upon request. Trump was found guilty in an unprecedented criminal trial on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree after a six-week trial stemming from Bragg's investigation. Trump had pleaded not guilty. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP His legal team has moved to appeal the verdict. Merchan granted Trumps request to delay sentencing until after the presidential election. The sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 26. Original article source: Manhattan DA's office sued for records related to Trump prosecution A senior enlisted Marine at the service's West Coast recruit depot is in pretrial confinement and under investigation by law enforcement after being fired Thursday for "loss of trust and confidence." Sgt. Maj. Gerardo Trevino, the senior enlisted leader in charge of 3rd Recruit Training Battalion at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, was relieved of his duties last week by Col. Peter Rummler, the commanding officer of the depot's recruit training regiment, the Marine Corps said in a statement to Military.com over the weekend. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service, or NCIS, confirmed Monday that Trevino is in pretrial confinement and said it is conducting an investigation into the case. The battalion Trevino helped lead is responsible for molding recruits through basic training into Marines. Read Next: Amid Latest Quality-of-Life Tweaks for Troops, Defense Secretary Says He Wishes He Could Move Faster "NCIS is conducting an investigation, and no further details will be released at this time," Capt. Austin Gallegos, a spokesperson for the recruit depot, told Military.com after confirming that Trevino had been relieved last week. Gallegos said that Trevino was arrested on Sept. 11, the day before he was relieved, and no charges had been filed as of Monday. While Gallegos would not provide details as to what the Navy's law enforcement agency is probing in relation to Trevino, NCIS is primarily responsible for investigating crimes, as well as preventing terrorism and safeguarding secrets for the Navy and Marine Corps, according to its website. Trevino's firing follows seven known reliefs or reassignments of leaders responsible for Marine training in the last 14 months. Last year, a senior enlisted leader at Quantico's Basic School was fired after she struck two pedestrians in an alleged drunk-driving case. By last July, three top leaders at the Marine Corps' East Coast recruit depot at Parris Island were relieved from their positions. Three leaders at the School of Infantry-West, located aboard Camp Pendleton, California, and responsible for training infantry Marines after boot camp, were also relieved for "loss of trust and confidence." "Loss of trust and confidence" is a catchall term the services use to explain -- often with few details -- why a leader was fired. Trevino joined the Marine Corps in 2004, meaning that he was likely months away from the 20-year mark that most senior service members retire at. He deployed three times, including to Afghanistan and Iraq, according to his official biography, which later appeared to have been scrubbed from the Marine Corps' official site. He was promoted to sergeant major in June 2023 and received orders to the battalion from which he was fired. As a staff sergeant, "Trevino was awarded the Dan [Daly] Award for being the most inspiration[al] Drill Instructor of India Company and was also promoted to the rank of gunnery sergeant [in] March 2016," his biography said. Military.com attempted to reach Trevino through publicly listed contacts as well as by email, but was unsuccessful. Editor's note: This story was updated with additional information from the Marine Corps. Related: Top Enlisted Leader of Armys Washington, DC, Branch Fired After Investigation As the Marine Corps recently established coordinator for dual-military married couples gets to work, service officials are getting more explicit about the policy that inspired the new role. According to a senior Marine Corps manpower leader, a directive from Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith now not only prohibits the involuntary separation of spouses by military orders without a generals approval it also requires the same steps even if couples are voluntarily requesting different assignments. Col. Matthew Markham, the Marines branch head for Manpower Management Enlisted Assignments, briefed the change to the Pentagon-chartered Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services Tuesday. Its the guidance from the commandant that we will not separate families unless those are reviewed and approved by the deputy commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, or Manpower Management director, or Reserve Affairs director, as appropriate, Markham told the committee, saying the step represented the most significant change being applied to the management of the Corps dual-military marriages. The deputy commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs is a three-star general position, while the two director positions are held by one-stars. For couples who request station assignments that are geographically separated, defined by the Marine Corps as more than 50 miles apart, the reviewing general officer will evaluate, and possibly override, their requests. Were not asking that general officer to be a marriage counselor by any means, Markham said. But hes going to take a look at those cases, and especially (evaluate), is their belief that they need to be separated factual, or does it require some type of waiver to allow those individuals to move through their Marine Corps careers while hitting milestones? The Marine Corps first dual-military monitor, Staff Sgt. Nancy Acuna, assumed her position as a trainee in spring 2024 and began adjudicating cases in April. To date, Markham said, she has assisted with 80 cases and elevated 34 cases to senior leaders to secure a waiver so that dual-military couples can be colocated. According to data Markham presented, nearly 7,300 Marines are currently married to other Marines. Another 930 are married to members of the Navy, while just over 500 are married to members of other services. While large bases clustered in places like southern California, North Carolina and Japan make it relatively easier to colocate dual-Marine and Marine-Navy couples, those including a spouse from another service can require more creativity, such as looking for opportunities for the Marine spouse at nearby recruiting or reserve duty stations. Markham said the monitor can also make use of the 8014 military occupational specialty, an enlisted miscellaneous-requirements assignment that doesnt require specific training or background. He also anticipates that coordinating special duty assignment requests may pose future challenges. These high-intensity assignments, which include postings such as drill instructor, embassy security guard and recruiter, can represent a fast-track for promotion and even a preferred or necessary step for enlisted career advancement. Its not good to have two Marines married to each other both on special duty assignments at the same time, because they tend to be taxing, and thats not necessarily great (for) families with children, Markham said. So if we have the opportunity to put one of those Marines in a special duty assignment and hopefully colocate their spouse, thats typically how were addressing this currently. But I think there is a possibility, absolutely, to get to a case where theres going to have to be a hard decision between a family whether they separate to pursue their career aspirations. So far, he said, no case addressed by the monitor has required station separation. The policy, as committee members pointed out, also makes room for more conscious decision-making between dual-military couples regarding who in the relationship might sit back and step back in their career to allow the other spouse to progress. A coming Marine administrative message, to be released ahead of the high-traffic permanent change of station orders season that begins in the spring, will streamline and clarify policy, Markham said. In an interview with Marine Corps Times following the meeting, Markham indicated that the new policy directive was part of a culture shift. While its too early to discern any effect on retention or recruiting, he stressed that the policy will change the perception of what the Marine Corps prioritizes and how decisions are made. Now were taking into account that these are not just Marines, these are spouses and mothers and fathers, he said. Were finding ways that we can keep the efficacy of our force while maintaining the family dynamic. Were ensuring that theres human conversations behind it. Staatsolie, the national energy company of Suriname, has signed production sharing contracts (PSCs) with PetroChina Investment Suriname, a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). The PSCs were signed for the exploration and development of offshore blocks 14 and 15. This agreement grants PetroChina the rights to explore, develop and produce within these blocks, with Staatsolie holding a 30% interest through Paradise Oil Company (POC). The contracts were signed by Staatsolie managing director Annand Jagesar, CNPC representative Yu Zhang, and POC director Rekha Bissumbhar. Additionally, POC and PetroChina will sign a joint operating agreement (JOA) detailing the terms for exploration, development and production, along with the allocation of costs, risks and revenues. Situated in the eastern part of the Suriname-Guyana basin, Blocks 14 and 15 were awarded to PetroChina following its successful bid in the Suriname Shallow Offshore 2 Bid Round 20232024. These blocks are adjacent to Block 52, known for previous oil and gas discoveries, with water depths ranging from 50150m. Staatsolie and POC also have interests in blocks 5, 6, 7 and 8, which are currently undergoing exploration activities. Recent geological studies indicate promising potential in the shallow offshore region. With the addition of these new contracts, approximately 46% of Suriname's offshore area is now under exploration and production contracts. Staatsolie's strategic goal is to develop the Guyana-Suriname basin by interpreting data to identify potential hydrocarbon-rich areas. This expertise is expected to enhance the success of future offshore bid rounds and the discovery of hydrocarbons. In July, QatarEnergy acquired a 20% stake in a PSC for Suriname's offshore block 5, partnering with Chevron, which holds a 40% stake as the operator, and POC, which retains the remaining 40% share. "Staatsolie signs production sharing contracts with PetroChina for blocks offshore Suriname " was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Bart Collart and Alexia Collart, right, speak about their son, Cpl. Spencer Collart, who was posthumously presented the USMCs highest non-combat medal, The Navy and Marine Corps Medal, during a ceremony on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf) WASHINGTON (AP) The Marine Corps in a ceremony at the commandants headquarters on Monday presented their highest noncombat medal to the parents of Cpl. Spencer Collart, who died last year after his V-22 Osprey crashed in Australia. Collart, 21, survived the crash but went back into the burning aircraft to try to save the pilots, who were trapped. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith spoke with emotion in addressing the fallen Marine's parents, Bart and Alexia Collart, who are from Arlington, Virginia. "You raised a Marine who in the final moments of his life thought not of himself but of this fellow Marines, Smith said. He didnt stop to think of the fire or the danger. During the ceremony, Smith, who is the Marine Corps' top military officer, cried twice. The crash in August 2023 was one of four fatal accidents since 2022 that have drawn increased scrutiny of the Osprey, which flies both like a helicopter and an airplane. The Associated Press has reported on the mechanical and safety issues the program has faced, and there are multiple reviews underway to see if the complex aircraft has the resources needed to improve its reliability. Bart Collart called his son one of the best knuckleheads you ever wanted to hang out with. He said the pilots and Spencer lost their lives while managing to save the lives of every Marine they were transporting, and he credited the pilots with leveling out the Osprey before it hit the ground, to give the troops they were transporting a better chance of surviving. Collarts Osprey was participating in an Australian military exercise when it ended up following too closely behind the lead aircraft and maneuvered to avoid it, ultimately putting it in an unrecoverable fall. Seconds after the Osprey hit the ground, the aircraft filled with smoke and flames. According to witness reports in the crash investigation. Collart, the crew chief, had been standing in the tunnel even as the aircraft was going down. Most of the 23 troops on board escaped out the back, including a commander who told investigators he saw Collart escape out a side door. A site team later found Collarts tether what hed use to latch onto the Osprey to move around during flight undamaged outside the aircraft. Collart escaped the burning aircraft and immediately began ensuring the safety of the Marines around him, Smith said. But Capt. Eleanor LeBeau and aircraft commander Maj. Tobin Lewis were still trapped inside, and Collart went back in to try to save them. Investigators believe he may have unbuckled Lewis from his restraints before he succumbed to the smoke and flames. One of the Marines who was riding in the back and survived is the son of Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Ben Watson, who most recently served as the commanding general of the First Marine Division. Watson attended the ceremony to honor Collarts service. Tennessee voters would benefit from debates between the major party candidates for Congress. On Sept. 10, Americans witnessed how presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris answered or did not answer questions, presented policy proposals, and reacted to criticism from each other. The people of Tennessee deserve the same from their direct representatives to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be in the cards. Despite good-faith efforts over several months by the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and the desire from civic groups and members of the public, the incumbents do not see any need to defend their records or allow the public to compare them on stage with their opponents. Vote in our poll: Should Tennessee U.S. Senate candidates Blackburn and Johnson vote? Senate race pits Senator Blackburn against Tennessee Three lawmaker Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn was first elected in 2018 to the Senate. She participated in a few debates against former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen that year including one The Tennessean co-sponsored at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn speaks during a fundraiser for Republican state Sen. Jack Johnson of Franklin, at The Factory on Friday, August 9, 2019, in Franklin, Tenn. The 13th annual Boots & Jeans, BBQ & Beans is hosted by State Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin. Her offices press releases say she has visited the states 95 counties and addressed questions in public gatherings, but she will not face her Democratic opponent state Rep. Gloria Johnson, one of the famed Tennessee Three who protested for firearms law reform on the state House floor after The Covenant School shooting in 2023. Johnson was spared from expulsion from the House by one vote. Our network which spans all three Grand Divisions and includes newsrooms in Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis approached Blackburns campaign in 2023 to invite her to participate in a debate, town hall or forum. Despite a few promising initial exchanges, a few months ago, her campaign stopped answering texts and emails requesting a yes or no. Without her participation, key potential civic partners backed away from producing any event. Justin Pearson, Justin Jones and Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, applaud as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at Fisk University on Friday, April 7, 2023. Jones and Pearson were expelled from the Tennessee House of Representatives the day before. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, survived an effort to expel her. Perhaps this was a deliberate strategy to silently run the clock. To be fair, her Senate office is typically responsive to media requests and has worked with our opinion team to produce guest opinion columns this year from the senator on U.S.-Mexico border security and, ironically, holding robust, bipartisan and respectful debate. She may have meant the latter solely for her colleagues in the Senate and not for contenders for her job, which she is heavily favored to keep, according to Beacon Center polling from July. Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn earns bipartisan win, but she's still a political bruiser Blackburn holds the seat once occupied by Sen. Jim Sasser, the last Democratic U.S. senator from Tennessee who died on Sept. 10. An 18-year incumbent, he agreed to debate his opponent Bill Frist in 1994. Frist won that election. Perhaps Blackburn hopes to avoid a similar result. Good for her, bad for the public. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean/155173798/ Article from Oct 10, 1994 The Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee) Middle Tennessee House incumbents snub Nashvillians Nashville now has three Republicans members of Congress representing the city due to a 2022 gerrymandering of the district: Districts 5, 6 and 7. None the three House members live in Nashville. U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles addresses his supporters after winning the Republican nomination for a second term at an election night returns party at Ludlow & Prime in Franklin, Tenn., Thursday night, Aug. 1, 2024. While supporters of the newly drawn congressional maps said this would increase the state capitals clout instead of having one district representing the whole city, the majority Democratic voter base feels disenfranchised and disconnected from their members of Congress. A debate would alleviate that perception, but this likely will not happen either. District 5 U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles used to be the mayor of Columbia and now lives in Williamson County. His Democratic opponent is Maryam Abolfazli, a nonprofit executive and activist in Nashville. District 6 U.S. Rep. John Rose lives in Cookeville. His opponent Lore Bergman resides in Hendersonville and describes herself as a very average disabled American. District 7 U.S. Rep. Mark Green is in Clarksville. He faces former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry. The Tennessean first sent out an invitation to congressional candidates in late April to fill out the editorial board Q&A and to participate in a forum after the Aug. 1 primary election. Maryam Abolfazli, Democratic nominee for U.S. Congressional District 5, speaks during her first public Town Hall meeting at the John P. Holt Library Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024 in Brentwood, Tenn. Abolfazli, Bergman, Green and Barry filled out the questionnaire. On Sept. 11, Abolfazli held a town hall meeting in Brentwood. While it seemed there might be a possibility of a debate between Barry and Green, the congressmans campaign never committed to any dates. The House is now back in session and he is in Washington, D.C. Debates and forums take time and effort to plan and coordinate Putting on a debate is not an easy task. It requires planning, coordination and cooperation from campaigns, partners and the public. USA Today Network Regional Editor Michael Anastasi speaks with Gov. Bill Lee at an elections forum hosted by the USA TODAY Network Tennessee in partnership with UT and Lipscomb University, held at the University of Tennessee Knoxville campus, Thursday, May 12, 2022. In the spring and summer 2023, The Tennessean and four partners News Channel 5, Belmont University, American Baptist College and the League of Women Voters of Nashville produced the premiere Nashville Mayoral Debates four-event series. That process started in September of 2022. In 2022, our state network partnered with the University of Tennessee system and Lipscomb University to produce forums in six Tennessee cities across the state for gubernatorial and congressional candidates. The first one took place at UT Knoxville and Gov. Bill Lee participated in a pre-primary election one-on-one with Gannett Vice President/Local and The Tennessean Executive Editor Michael A. Anastasi. Meanwhile, UT President Randy Boyd moderated a pre-primary Democratic debate between Dr. Jason Martin of Nashville and Memphis Councilman JB Smiley. Democratic gubernatorial candidates Dr. Jason Brantley Martin, Dr. Carnita Faye Atwater and JB Smiley listen during a primary candidate forum hosted by The Tennessean at George Shinn Events Center on Lipscomb University's Campus Thursday, May 19, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. Subsequent debates were in Nashville, Martin, Chattanooga, Memphis and Pulaski. Ogles, who was running in a nine-candidate Republican primary at the time, initially agreed to come to the Nashville debate at Lipscomb, but he pulled out just a few days before the event. It may have been due to the participation of primary opponent Robby Starbuck, who was kicked off the ballot by the Tennessee Republican Party for not meeting the party's "bona fides" qualification for GOP candidates, but he was contesting it in court. In the interest of equity and inclusion, we agreed to let Starbuck participate. Republican fifth district congressional candidates Stewart Parks, Timothy Lee, Robby Starbuck, Tres Wittum, Natisha Brooks and Geni Batchelor respond to questions during a primary candidate forum hosted by The Tennessean at George Shinn Events Center on Lipscomb University's Campus Thursday, May 19, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. After the 2022 primary, Anastasi interviewed Democratic nominee Jason Martin in a one-on-one at The Tennessean offices. No debate was organized between Martin and Lee because First Lady Maria Lee had diagnosed with lymphoma and the governor limited campaign events. Due to COVID, The Tennessean did not produce debates in 2020, but, in 2018, the USA TODAY Network co-sponsored, co-produced and co-moderated the one Senate debate and multiple gubernatorial forums in a race that Bill Lee eventually won. The Tennessean spent countless hours negotiating and getting candidates to agree upon debate rules. I have received emails and seen social media posts urging The Tennessean and partners to produce debates where the Democratic candidates stand on one side of the stage with an empty podium on the other representing Republicans who did not show up. We are not a theatrical company so someone else will have to commit to that type of production. We do commit to informing the public, offering stories, context and analysis. But if the incumbents have a change of heart on the debates, call me at (615) 259-8063 or email me at dplazas@tennessean.com. And, if Tennessee voters truly care about candidate debates, they should urge their members of Congress and their campaign staffs to participate in robust, bipartisan and respectful dialogue in the spirit of a democratic republic built upon passionate exchanges of ideas. David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee congressional candidates should debate, but incumbents won't PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A bill introduced after a mass shooting in Maine would require the Army to use state crisis intervention laws to remove the weapons of a service member who is deemed to be a serious threat to themselves or others, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, the bills sponsor, said Monday. The Armed Forces Crisis Intervention Notification Act is aimed at addressing missed opportunities by the military and civilian law enforcement to intervene before an Army reservist who had spiraled into psychosis opened fire at two locations in Lewiston, Maine, killing 18 people and injuring 13 others on Oct. 25, 2023. We have a chance to help service members in crisis. We have a chance to help protect our neighbors and families. We have a chance to save lives, Collins said in a statement. Maines other senator, independent Angus King, is a co-sponsor of the bill. This bill seeks to ensure communication between state agencies and military service branches after criticism that the Army wasn't as forthcoming as it could've been with state law enforcement officials about the gunman, 40-year-old Robert Card, before the shooting rampage. It requires the military to participate in state crisis actions, including so-called red flag or yellow flag laws aimed at removing weapons from someone who's experiencing a psychiatric emergency. Law enforcement officials had known about Card's growing paranoia, and Card had been hospitalized last summer while his reserve unit was training in New York state. Health care providers who assessed him said he was psychotic and had a hit list, and recommended that he not have access to weapons. Military officials restricted Card's access to military weapons but Card still had access to privately owned weapons at his home in Bowdoin, Maine. The Army had no immediate comment. The Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office was asked to go to Card's home and check on his well-being after hed threatened to shoot up the home of his Army Reserve unit, but a deputy who tried to meet with Card was unaware of details about what happened in New York state or the extent of his mental health crisis. This bill, introduced Monday afternoon, wouldn't affect the militarys existing authority to disarm service members in a broad range of situations, Collins said. Instead, the bill aims to eliminate a gap in communication between military and civilian law enforcement that couldve prevented the tragedy in Maine. We cannot bring back our friends and family members we lost last October, but we can take steps to fix the cracks in the system that led to the tragedy, King added. The mass shooting has been investigated by an independent commission appointed by the governor, along with the Army Reserve and by the Army Office of the Inspector General. Maine Gov. Janet Mills previously said that the tragedy was caused by a colossal failure of human judgment by several people, on several occasions. Maines so-called yellow flag law has been used 425 times including 344 times since the tragedy in Lewiston, officials said. On Monday, she praised Collins and King for the bill. Providing the military with this authority will equip them with another tool to address potentially dangerous situations among military personnel and close communication gaps, which will help protect people, prevent violence and save lives," she said. It's fashionable for anti-prostitution activists to frame all sex workers as victims and to say it's really the peoplegenerally menpaying for sex who should be punished. But in practice, sex workers still bear the brunt of punishment, according to an analysis by WBUR. The Boston public radio station analyzed Massachusetts court data on prostitution hearings from 2020 through 2022. It found "disparities are common in how courts handle prostitution cases in Massachusetts, with justice often meted out more harshly for sellers than buyers." Women Nearly Twice as Likely To Be Charged In more than 200 closed-door hearings in Massachusetts criminal courts, men's cases were nearly twice as likely as women's cases to be dismissed, WBUR reports. Courts were also more likely to dismiss cases when those arrested had hired a lawyer. "People who hired a lawyermostly menwere also twice as likely to avoid charges," WBUR reports. The hearings were "show cause" hearings, in which a clerk or magistrate decides whether there's sufficient evidence or need to bring charges against someone suspected of a minor crime. "Suspects are typically entitled to these hearings if they have been accused of a misdemeanor but were not arrested for the crime," WBUR explains. "Clerks are supposed to dismiss cases if police cannot produce enough evidence to show there is probable cause to charge someone with violating the law. They also have discretion to dismiss a case if they can facilitate an alternative resolution." Of the 90 women on which WBUR found data, 63 were charged and just 27 escaped charges. Of the 129 men, 54 were charged and 75 saw their cases dismissed. In other words, just 30 percent of the women in question saw their charges dismissed, while around 58 percent of the men in question did. The vast majority of the cases WBUR analyzed did not involve a lawyer. (The state is not obliged to provide counsel for show-cause hearings.) In the 213 cases with no lawyer, 121 led to charges and 92 did not. In the cases where a lawyer was present, however, charges were more likely than not to be dismissed, with charges dismissed in 82 percent of such cases where a defendants' lawyer was present. The Bigger Picture The data presents a strange picture of prostitution cases in Massachusetts, with men seemingly more likely to be the targets of enforcement but less likely to actually face charges. This is interesting because, in recent years, police have been much more likely to publicize high-profile "john stings" than busts of people selling sex. If other locales are anything like Massachusetts, the high-profile hubbub around sex-buyer busts could be masking a situation in which sex workers are still the main locus of prostitution punishment. It's a subject ripe for reporters or researchers outside Massachusetts to explore, and something I definitely want to look into more in the future. To the extent that I thought about it at all, I've always assumed that the people being busted in prostitution stings roughly corresponded to the people being arrested or charged. WBUR's analysis suggests this may not be the case. Just today, perusing news about prostitution stings turned up this story from last week: "A traffic stop on Hilton Head Island last week led to a rare arrest for prostitution. 'Officer discretion' landed the woman in jail while her client was able to drive away freely." A spokesperson for the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office told The Island Packet that the man wasn't arrested because he was very cooperative. But "the incident report shows multiple instances of the woman being forthcoming with police, answering questions about the details of the arrangement and advising deputies she had fentanyl in her pockets," the paper reports. "Despite this, [the spokesperson] says the woman was not cooperative with the investigation." Follow-Up The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will hear oral arguments today in several cases brought against a federal law targeting TikTok. "The hearing consolidates three separate suitsone filed by TikTok and ByteDance, another by a group of eight content creators and the last on behalf of the media nonprofit BASED Politics," reports Politico. "All are asking the court to declare the legislation unconstitutional and to prevent Attorney General Merrick Garland from enforcing it." I interviewed the BASEDPolitics defendants for this newsletter back in June. "Anyone who thinks TikTok is all just frivolous content is probably not a user," BASEDPolitics' Brad Polumbo told me. "There's substantive conversation happening on there on every issue under the sun, from religion to dating to politics." The suit filed by him and colleague Hannah Cox aims to highlight how policies banning TikTok would chill political speech. More Sex & Tech News Must-read of the day: "Kamala Harris helped shut down Backpage.com. Sex workers are still feeling the fallout." "A judge vacated North Dakota's abortion ban in a [September 12] ruling, finding the law unconstitutionally vague and an infringement on medical freedom," The 19th reports. With Operation Underground Railroadan antisex trafficking group on which the hit movie Sound of Freedom was loosely based"Tim Ballard had fashioned himself into a made-for-Hollywood hero," notes The New York Times. "But while the world knew him as a champion of the vulnerable, many of the women he worked with now tell a much darker story: that Mr. Ballard himself was grooming, manipulating, harassing and sexually assaulting women." A peek inside Google's years-long mission to embody artificial intelligence showcases the difficulties inherent in creating humanoid robots. An ode to the Notes app. Today's Image Bushwick | 2013 (ENB/Reason) The post In Massachusetts, Sex Workers Get Charged and Clients Get Set Free appeared first on Reason.com. The use of the nickname "Ketamine Queen" to refer to the woman charged in connection to Matthew Perry's ketamine overdose has sparked a legal debate. While the move was "strategic," the inclusion of the nickname "risks unfairly prejudicing the jury," Duncan Levin, Harvey Weinstein's former defense attorney, told Fox News Digital. Jasveen Sangha, referred to as the "Ketamine Queen" in multiple court documents related to the case, was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. She was also charged with one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine and five counts of distribution of ketamine. However, Sangha's legal team shut down the idea that she had ever met Perry, who died Oct. 28 after an apparent ketamine overdose. MATTHEW PERRY'S FINAL HOURS INCLUDED ALLEGED DEMAND TO ASSISTANT: SHOOT ME UP WITH A BIG ONE "My client never met Matthew Perry, has nothing to do with Matthew Perry and all the supposed rumors otherwise are just that, urban legend," Mark Geragos, Sangha's lawyer, told ABC7. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Geragos criticized the U.S. Attorney's Office for using "Ketamine Queen" to refer to Sangha in the indictment. "I admire the cleverness of it," he said. "I don't think it has any place in an indictment." "We never claimed to have given her the 'Ketamine Queen' nickname. That is something her customers Erik Fleming, included did," the U.S. Attorney's Office told the outlet. The nickname "paints the defendant in a highly negative light before any evidence is even presented, suggesting a central role in drug-related crimes," Levin, who is not involved in Sangha's case, explained. "The defense will likely argue that it's inflammatory and irrelevant, especially if the name came from someone else, as it could bias jurors and shift their focus from the facts. In the end, while it may grab attention, it also opens the door for claims of prosecutorial misconduct or unfair labeling." Jasveen Sangha, the "Ketamine Queen," rented a home in North Hollywood for the purpose of manufacturing, storing, and distributing controlled substances, according to the indictment. MATTHEW PERRY DEATH PROBE REVEALS ACTOR WAS MANIPULATED BY LEECHES IN HIS INNER CIRCLE The U.S. Attorney's Office accused Sangha of providing the fatal dose of ketamine to Perry through her middleman, Erik Fleming, and the actor's assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. Iwamasa had begun to look for additional sources of ketamine as Perry's addiction spiraled out of control, authorities claimed. Fleming, who was acquainted with Perry through a mutual friend, was introduced to Sangha through an unidentified person with the intention of obtaining ketamine. Fleming and Sangha communicated about the price and quantity of ketamine through text messages, according to court documents. "Just got this from my person," Fleming later wrote to Perry's assistant in text messages included in Iwamasa's plea agreement documents. "She only deal[s] with high end and celebs. If it were not great stuff shed lose her business." MATTHEW PERRY, ASSISTANT PURCHASED MORE THAN $55,000 WORTH OF KETAMINE IN WEEKS BEFORE HIS DEATH: DOCS Erik Fleming described the ketamine available to Matthew Perry and his assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, in texts shown in the indictment. Sangha's nickname was "appropriate" to include in the indictment, former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Fox News Digital. However, the West Coast Trial Lawyers founder claimed bringing it up now was just a ploy to "win the public relations battle." Rahmani added, "It's probably too late for that." "At trial, the defense will try to exclude it if the probative value of the evidence is outweighed by its prejudicial effect," he explained. "It may come down to whether Sangha marketed herself as the ketamine queen. If so, its an admission of a defendant and will probably come in." WATCH: MATTHEW PERRY HAS BROUGHT PUBLIC ATTENTION TO THE KETAMINE PROBLEM IN THE U.S. Sangha, allegedly maintained a stash house located in North Hollywood, California, which she used for "manufacturing, storing, and distributing controlled substances, including methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, and ketamine, a Schedule III controlled substance," according to court documents. The ketamine allegedly provided by Sangha and delivered to Iwamasa by Fleming killed Perry on Oct. 28. That morning, Perry's assistant administered a shot of ketamine to the actor around 8:30 a.m. By 12:45 p.m., Perry had instructed Iwamasa to give him another injection while the "Friends" star watched a movie. Roughly 40 minutes later, Perry requested another injection, allegedly telling Iwamasa, "Shoot me up with a big one," according to the plea agreement. The live-in assistant administered a third injection to Perry while the 54-year-old was near or in a Jacuzzi. Iwamasa then left the home to run errands for Perry. When he returned, the assistant found Perry "face down" in the Jacuzzi, deceased. Perry's death was caused by "acute effects of ketamine," according to his autopsy completed on Oct. 29. Drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine effects were listed as contributing factors. LIKE WHAT YOURE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Matthew Perry died in October 2023 from "acute effects of Ketamine." The nickname "Ketamine Queen" would indicate that Sangha was "well known for providing illegal substances to others," Eric Anderson, former prosecutor and current counsel at Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP, told Fox News Digital. "Being called the Ketamine Queen is akin to being known as Dr. FeelGood or The Candy Man, monikers that were given to doctors involved in drug and steroid scandals of other eras," Anderson explained. He added: "It makes it harder for the accused, in this case Jasveen Sangha, to say they never knew the victims were abusing a drug, because everyone knew the defendant in question would provide it." "It indicates that, among the circle of those who abuse prescription drugs and or enable users, Sangha was well-known and reliable. The main source, if you will. No different than being called the King of Sales. A jury will hear this and immediately be told that not only was she dealing medication, but that she was well known for it. In a case like this where we deal with the abuse of prescription medication, the prosecution will paint a world within a world one where the rich and famous go to certain people to get their drugs and that world is small. The imagery will be that she was proud of the moniker and earned it." WATCH: FIVE CHARGED, INCLUDING TWO DOCTORS, IN MATTHEW PERRY OVERDOSE Following Perry's death, Sangha allegedly worked with Fleming and Iwamasa to cover up their involvement. Fleming and Sangha first attempted to cover up their involvement in Perry's death immediately after learning the news, according to the court documents. During a call on Oct. 28, Sangha and Fleming discussed distancing themselves from the drug deal by "deleting digital evidence" from their cellphones. Sangha instructed Fleming to delete all text messages shared between the two and updated Signal an encrypted messaging app settings to automatically delete messages, the court docs read. Fleming and Perry's personal assistant spoke on the phone on Oct. 30, two days after Perry's death. Iwamasa revealed he had "cleaned up the scene" by getting rid of the syringes and ketamine vials, according to the plea agreement. Iwamasa also claimed he had "deleted everything." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER Matthew Perry gained fame as Chandler Bing on "Friends." Sangha will head to trial in March 2025 after pleading not guilty to her charges. Fleming and Iwamasa each accepted plea agreements. Courts have permitted the use of nicknames as evidence in trials, but the inclusion is based solely on the context. "If it was a moniker that the defendant used or embraced, then it is likely that the court will permit prosecutors in the case to introduce evidence of its use," Oleg Nekritin, a defense attorney at the Law Offices of Robert J. DeGroot, told Fox News Digital. "The court will likely bar the prosecutors from using the nickname in a repeated and gratuitous fashion intended to inflame the jurys passions or suggest that she committed similar uncharged crimes." Nekritin added, "Certainly, any permitted references to the nickname will be damning to the defense, as there is a reason for every nickname." Original article source: Matthew Perry death: 'Ketamine Queen' moniker sparks legal debate ahead of criminal trial Mayor Brandon Johnson has made little progress hiring civilians to new administrative positions in the Chicago Police Department this year, leaving mostly unfulfilled his promise to move the cops now doing that work to the street to fight crime. A year ago, the mayor earned plaudits from fiscal watchdogs and policing experts for pledging to create 398 civilian positions in his 2024 budget plan. It was part of a bid to shift desk duty roles away from sworn personnel, thereby freeing up them to do police work while cutting costs. But as of this month, only 51 of those roles have been filled, according to the citys budget office. Those familiar with the hiring process in Chicago government say thats no surprise given the reality of age-old hurdles within City Hall bureaucracy. And the progressive, first-term mayor has often noted that the reforms he promised in policing and fiscal management wouldnt happen overnight. While progress is being made, successfully filling these roles and providing the necessary training will take time, Johnsons budget office spokesperson LaKesha Gage Woodard said in a statement last week. We are committed to achieving this goal and recognize that there is still work to be done to fully realize the intended results. Still, with violence a major concern for residents and the mayor first including rank-and-file police in a new city government hiring freeze to help close a massive budget deficit before changing course to exclude them in the face of widespread criticism, its another example of a Johnson initiative thats seen sluggish movement. His push follows a long tradition of Chicago mayors embarking on such endeavors, but like his predecessors, Johnson is running into roadblocks that risk imperiling its success. That includes a maze of red tape within the hiring process that has at times averaged half a year but can blow past nine months and requires coordination among four city departments. Joe Ferguson, president of the Civic Federation independent watchdog and the former city inspector general, said efforts such as Johnsons to civilianize police jobs are critically important, but there is not enough of an indication that it has been prioritized. One reaction is: Disappointing, but not shocking, simply from the perspective of the complexity of the process that CPD has in going about hiring, Ferguson said. Its rather extraordinary. This is a really cumbersome process in many respects. The steps required to bring on a civilian employee at the Police Department start with the budget office approving the position to be filled. Then, the Police Departments hiring manager must finalize the job description and clear it with the Office of Public Safety Administration and the Department of Human Resources. From there, the posting goes live and DHR oversees minimum screening qualifications before handing a batch of applicants back to the Police Department to conduct interviews. By the end of the timeline, sources who have worked at the Police Department and City Hall say, many candidates have moved on to other jobs and hiring managers have had to go down as far as their fifth choice. For the administrative roles in the Police Department, that presents a unique challenge because the most viable solution during the lags is to assign street cops to those duties, which dont usually match their skill sets and inflate costs because non-sworn employees are typically paid less. At one point in 2018, CBS Chicago reported that more than 800 officers were assigned to civilian desk jobs in the department. Ald. Chris Taliaferro, 29th, Johnsons handpicked chair of the Police and Fire Committee, said those problems were not created by Johnson, but recent inroads the city has made with crime trends signal that his overall vision in this years police budget is working. Chicago police statistics show that shootings are down 6% and homicides down 9% compared with this point last year. I certainly support the goal of civilianizing some of the positions that are traditionally held by police in an effort to get more officers on the street, Taliaferro, a former CPD sergeant, said. I agree that oftentimes it takes a little bit of time to bring folks in those positions. The mayors committed to it, and he started that process of doing it, so I completely support him in it. The city did not elaborate on the specifics of those 51 new hires. But the 398 civilian roles created in Johnsons 2024 budget include: 100 non-sworn training officer roles within the Office of Constitutional Policing and Reform, 22 domestic violence advocate jobs in the community policing office, 31 investigators in the bureau of internal affairs to assist sergeants with gathering evidence, 22 crime victim advocates, 21 members of a review unit made up of retired law enforcement hired to review use of force incidents, and more. At the same time that Johnson created those nearly 400 positions, he slashed 833 unfilled street officer positions. His choice for police Superintendent, Larry Snelling, said during last falls budget season that he was not concerned about those vacancies being cut because he expects the impact to be offset by new supervisory roles and the addition of civilian positions. Besides the 400 new civilian roles, Johnson created new sworn supervisory roles such as the addition of 170 field training officers, 100 sergeants, 100 detectives, 20 lieutenants and 10 captains. In total, the $2 billion CPD budget funds about 14,000 full-time positions this year, but only 12,200 of those were filled as of August, 11,700 of them rank-and-file cops. Before Johnson took office last year, a push for Police Department civilianization by his predecessor Mayor Lori Lightfoot exemplified how uphill the climb can be. Lightfoot created the Office of Public Safety in 2019 to shift some of the administrative responsibilities, including compliance with the consent decree and partnering with local organizations, away from the Police Department. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, hobbling that vision. Facing a budget crunch, civilian positions went unapproved by the budget office and were once again filled by shuffling around sworn officers. It begs the question of why we have the Office of Public Safety Administration, which has never been borne out to actually generate the efficiencies and yield the savings that it was touted as, Ferguson said. Thats something that actually could be looked at and may itself be money saving by just getting rid of a bureaucratic structure that isnt adding much value. Gage Woodard, the budget office spokesperson, said the shift to civilianize administrative positions within CPD remains a commitment of the city. But the future of spending for Chicago police the most expensive city department is up in the air as Johnson stares down a nearly $1 billion budget gap for next year. To plug the shortfall, the mayors Budget Director Annette Guzman already implemented a citywide hiring freeze as of last Monday, though upon backlash the city announced two days later that it would not apply to police and fire employees. Still, progressives may look to vacant positions within Chicago police as places to trim the fat. We are continuously assessing the resources available at the CPD, Gage Woodard said. We remain focused on reallocating officers from administrative duties to active street patrol, while also identifying ways to optimize staffing to meet the departments operational needs. MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) A McDonalds employee is facing a felony charge following a reported theft, according to the Mobile Police Department. The MPD said that the employee was 19-year-old Jaylon Jenkins-Dawson. According to reports, he was arrested after officers responded to the McDonalds at 281 Schillinger Road for a report of employee theft. Video shows people running away from Broad Street shooting INCIDENT LOCATION: This embedded content is not available in your region. Police said they arrived and discovered that a male suspect, later identified as Jenkins-Dawson, had taken money from the restaurants office. Jenkins-Dawson was charged with third-degree theft of property, which is a Class D Felony, according to jail records. He is currently being held in the Mobile Metro Jail. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. McKee admits Miguel Sanchez was fired over social media posts but disputes most everything else Providence City Councilor Miguel Sanchez speaks at a rally outside City Hall Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) A lawsuit by former gubernatorial staffer Miguel Sanchez over his firing last year has become a dispute over basic facts, like the job description. Sanchez, who sued Gov. Dan McKee and two top advisors in August, alleged the state violated his constitutional free speech protections by firing him on Nov. 1, 2023, for his pro-Palestinian activism. But McKee and his advisors are denying most of what Sanchez claims happened leading up to his termination, including if Sanchezs responsibilities in McKees Office of Constituent Services were distinct from politics. The 11-page response, submitted by the Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General which is representing the governor and his advisors, was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island on Friday. Sanchez in the original complaint quotes from a Providence Journal article description of his job as tech support for government services, connecting constituents to the appropriate government agencies. Sanchez insists his $50,000 a year position, for which he was hired in 2021, did not involve politics or policymaking, and that he was never restricted from making his personal beliefs known, including as a Providence City Councilor. Joseph Almond and Antonio Afonso, two McKee advisors, are also named in the complaint. McKees response? Denied, a phrase repeated 27 times throughout the court filing. The governors office also disputed much of what was said in private discussions leading up to Sanchezs firing. For example, Sanchez says that he was told his request to transfer to a job in the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training could be complicated by his pro-Palestine social media posts. McKees office denies this. Both sides agree Sanchez was warned about his social media posts, and that Sanchez was never explicitly asked to remove them. The governors office also acknowledges Sanchezs claim that he was later offered the option of being fired or resigning. After Sanchez asked to speak to human resources, he was fired on the spot, and walked out of the State House by Capitol Police, according to both narratives. While Sanchez claims the firing violates free speech protections under the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, the governors office response invokes the sovereign immunity doctrine under the 11th Amendment, which prevents federal or state governments from being sued, as part of its defense. The Defendants acted, at all times, within the scope of their authority, in good faith, in the exercise of their discretion and in the performance of a governmental function, the response states. And, The alleged acts or omissions of the Defendants were not committed (if at all) in conscious disregard of any of the rights of the Plaintiff. Sanchez declined to comment on the governors legal response when reached by phone Friday. His complaint asks the court to award back pay and compensation for his subsequent job search, and to force McKees office to rehire him. McKees office in its legal response rejected all three proposals. Sanchez now works as a case manager for Better Lives Rhode Island, a Providence social services agency. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Earlier this summer, U.S. womens rugby team player Ariana Ramseycame home from the 2024 Paris Olympics with more than just a bronze medal. She also returned with a pair of free eyeglasses and a new TikTok bio that read: Universal Free Healthcare Advocate. Following her teams victory against Australia, the 24-year-old Olympian went viral on TikTok by documenting her experience receiving completely free healthcare in the Olympic Village. Ramsey had dental and vision exams, as well as a pap smear. Of course, Im amazed. We dont have free healthcare in America, she said in a video responding to peoples comments about her excitement for the complimentary services. So, yeah, Im amazed by free healthcare. Most of us mere mortals will never see the inside of an Olympic Village, let alone partake in its medical practitioner perks. But Ramseys experience reflects a phenomenon that many people are participating in: medical tourism. American patients are traveling all over the world to undergo medical procedures, physical exams and surgeries. One of the main reasons for medical tourism, unsurprisingly, is cost. When Anna McKitrick, a 30-year-old who hosts vegan food tours around the world, woke up one morning in July 2020 with excruciating pain in her mouth, she knew she had to do something and fast. I woke up and thought someone shot me in the face, McKitrick told HuffPost. Id never been in that much pain in my life. She ended up having the tooth extracted in the United States but needed an implant urgently. When you extract a tooth, its a bit of a time crunch, she said. You have to put something in the empty space or it will mess up your teeth for life. She was working as a server in Los Angeles at the time, and even with dental insurance, she was quoted $40,000 to cover the work she needed done. McKitricks mom, who also dealt with a related problem and had a similar procedure done in Switzerland, did some research. She was referred by that Switzerland clinic to a surgeon that trained at a facility in Costa Rica. I didnt have $40,000 to spend on my teeth, McKitrick said. After looking into it, we decided going to Costa Rica would be the best option. Once there, she had two implants, crowns and four cavitation surgeries for a quarter of the price it would have cost in the States around $10,000. The financial appeal is undeniable. Healthcare in the U.S. is often understandably criticized for being overpriced and overcomplicated. According to health policy organization KFF, people in the United States owe at least $220 billion in medical debt. Its just one of the reasons medical tourism has grown in popularity both domestically and internationally, according to David Vequist, professor and founder/director of the Center for Medical Tourism Research at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio. While its difficult to know the exact numbers because there are many procedures done on the gray and black market, wellness tourism by itself is estimated to be an over trillion-dollar industry, Vequist told HuffPost. According to Patients Beyond Borders, a medical tourism guide, Mexico is the most-visited destination for medical travel, followed by Costa Rica, Thailand, Turkey and Colombia. Among the most popular procedures Patients Beyond Borders has reported on are general and complex dental work (65%), cosmetic and plastic surgery or non-invasive cosmetic treatments (15%), bariatric or weight loss treatments (5%), and fertility treatments (5%). Mexico is such a popular destination for medical tourism that it even has dedicated border entrances specifically for medical tourists, with Vequist recalling how he once breezed through a security line with a doctor a process that can usually take hours. But cost is not the only reason for medical tourisms popularity. People also travel to other countries for procedures that are not covered by their insurance in the United States or when something, like a medication or treatment, is not available here. There was a time before Lasik was approved by the FDA in the United States that it was available in Mexico, so people would travel there to have the procedure done, Vequist said. There are some major risks to consider when it comes to medical tourism. SrdjanPav via Getty Images However, not everyone in the medical industry is on board with patients traveling for treatment. Dr. Kelly Killeen, a Los Angeles-based plastic surgeon, has recently emerged as a voice on TikTok, warning her followers about some of the potential downsides of medical tourism, specifically as it pertains to cosmetic and elective surgeries. I try to start these conversations the same way every time, which is to say that there are wonderful doctors all over the world, she told HuffPost. The key to finding a wonderful doctor is being able to check credentials, check facilities, and knowing the local rules for how doctors practice. The problem with going out of the country is that were not familiar with their systems. Unless you are from the country, with an intimate knowledge of how the system works, its a risk. The good surgeons in those countries are not significantly cheaper than the United States, she continued. Its very important to understand that if youre going somewhere thats charging a tenth of what you paid in Los Angeles, its very unlikely that youre going to a top-notch surgeon and facility. Although Killeen acknowledged that the American medical system has made care difficult and cost-prohibitive, she said that in the case of some of these cosmetic surgical procedures, the risk does not outweigh the reward or the savings. On a weekly basis, I get two to three people in my DMs asking for help during a post-op period where they cant get ahold of the surgeon they saw, she said. It breaks my heart to say that legally I cannot provide them with medical care. They end up in the emergency room, and thats not where they should be they should be in their surgeons office. Proximity to your doctor is something to be mindful of as a potential drawback for medical tourism. McKitrick, who ended up having to fly back to Costa Rica for a follow-up procedure, said she was not financially or emotionally prepared to go back. If I were to do it again, Id probably go to a place I was more familiar with, or a place where I know people, as it was a bit tough emotionally being post-op in a completely foreign country, she said. Another consideration to keep in mind when seeking treatment abroad is the difference in legal systems. As Vequist said, the U.S. is extremely litigious, making the process of pursuing damages in the event that something goes wrong more straightforward. You can sue for anything, he said. The doctor, the hospital, the dentist needs to be fearful. Internationally, there is very little ability to pursue damages. The other aspect to think about ahead of any medical tourism is factoring in the cost of travel. In a viral TikTok video posted in June, Bryn Elise shared her experience having a full day of medical exams in Turkey to the tune of $810 something she jokingly said would cost 36537951 zillion dollars in the US. Personally, Id rather spend $700 on a flight to Turkey, get dozens of tests there, and take a whole vacation, rather than spend the thousands that this would have cost in the United States, she said in the video. Since then, she has released other videos where she shares her test results, follow-up appointments and tips on how to schedule the same treatments. Ultimately, doing your research, working with people you trust and vetting your doctors are crucial when considering seeking out treatment internationally. For McKitrick, even with the follow-up, she overall doesnt regret getting her procedure done outside of the country. I didnt have any other options, she said. It was either do this, or not get my teeth done which would mean I would have no teeth. And Im really glad I did it. Even now, I would do it all over again. Related... OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND - MARCH 12: In an aerial view from a drone, the Ocean City inlet and Ocean City boardwalk is seen on March 12, 2021 in Ocean City, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) OCEAN CITY, Md. - Multiple parks and beaches in Maryland and Delaware were closed due to medical waste washing up on the shores. The town of Ocean City and the town of Dewey Beach both decided to close their beaches due to the discovery of the items, saying they could be a danger for swimmers. Ocean City Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald stresses that this situation is serious, especially given the combination of rough seas and the current health concerns. "We will work closely with the Worcester County Health Department and other public health authorities to investigate the source of the medical waste," Theobald stated. "Until we are confident that the situation is under control, we recommend wearing shoes on the beach and avoiding the ocean entirely." The official account for Maryland State Parks also posted on X, saying Assateague State Park was also closed for swimming due to a significant amount of medical waste washing onshore. Access to the ocean at all locations is being restricted until the debris is removed. Officials have not released details on what exactly the items are, and it's not yet known where they came from. (Bloomberg) -- TikTok faces an uphill battle to avoid a US ban if its Chinese owner doesnt sell the wildly popular social media app, judging from a grilling by an appellate court panel. Most Read from Bloomberg A three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit signaled skepticism of TikToks argument Monday that the law signed by President Joe Biden banning the video-sharing app would violate the companys free speech rights. The US government argued that national security concerns about TikToks Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance Ltd., manipulating the content American audiences see justified the law. This argument did not go well for TikTok, said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Matthew Schettenhelm, after the hearing. Theres a real chance the DC Circuit upholds the law, which would make a last-second long shot plea to the Supreme Court the only realistic path to avoid a ban by Jan. 19. The ban is set to take effect on Jan. 19, but TikTok has indicated it will take the challenge all the way to the US Supreme Court. TikTok and the Justice Department have requested a DC Circuit ruling by Dec. 6. The parties then could ask the full court to look at the case. ByteDance, TikTok and a group of its users argued in court that the law violates the Constitutions First Amendment and would quash the free speech rights of its more than 170 million US users. But suggestions from lawyers for TikTok and its content creators that the company should be able to continue to operate in the US didnt resonate with judges. Suppose the United States is at war with a country and theres a question about whether that foreign country can own a major media source in the US while the war is going on, asked Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan. Is your submission that Congress cant bar the enemies ownership of a major media source in the US? TikToks lawyer, heavyweight Supreme Court litigator Andrew Pincus, replied that in such a scenario the law should be subject to a strict scrutiny test in court to determine whether there is a compelling reason to infringe on rights. Foreign Adversaries There are lots of US speakers Politico, Business Insider, we talked about Reuters that are owned by foreign entities, Pincus said, at another point in the arguments. Story continues Judge Neomi Rao interrupted, But not foreign adversaries. Some of the biggest tech competitors to TikTok are likely paying close attention to the case. A TikTok loss is expected to drive more users to Alphabet Inc.s Google, Meta Platforms Inc. and Snap Inc., according to Bloomberg Intelligence. It could also hurt Oracle Corp., which provides internet hosting services to TikTok. The governments arguments also came under question from the judges. TikTok is incorporated in the US and may be entitled to free-speech protection, Rao suggested. She asked whether the government is arguing that the separation between ByteDance and TikTok US is a sham? Daniel Tenny, the governments lawyer, said they werent making that argument. The application of the First Amendment isnt about entities, but activities, he said. The expressive activity that the United States is targeting is the creation and maintenance of the recommendation engine and the content moderation by ByteDance. There are just reams of information that are going back to China, he said. But the panel focused much more on the US governments right to police a foreign adversary than First Amendment concerns, said Michael Forde, a lawyer who specializes in free-speech cases, during an interview following the arguments. The judges were definitely harder on TikTok, he said. Divest-or-Ban Law TikTok argued in court papers that the law would unfairly allow the government to decide that a company may no longer own and publish the innovative and unique speech platform it created, according to the companys petition to the court. But TikToks detractors including the lawmakers who wrote the divest-or-ban law say ByteDance doesnt have constitutional rights because it is a foreign incorporated holding company and in its brief asserts no operations within the United States. The Justice Department claims the Chinese government has the ability to require Chinese companies like ByteDance to gather intelligence on its behalf. Given TikToks broad reach within the United States, the capacity for China to use TikToks features to achieve its overarching objective to undermine American interests creates a national-security threat of immense depth and scale, the Justice Department wrote in its court filing. TikTok has questioned whether the government has evidence that China uses the app to collect information on Americans or influence their behavior. The appellate panel is weighing whether the government can use classified information to argue its case without sharing it with TikTok. TikTok asked that a special master be appointed and that the law be put on hold if the panel lets the government use the secret documents. The panel of judges that will decide that case includes Srinivasan, who is an Obama-appointee; Rao, who was appointed by Donald Trump, and Douglas Ginsburg, a Ronald Reagan-appointee. (Updates with outside comment.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. A statue commemorating so-called comfort women during World War II is displayed in a residential area of Berlin in October 2020. (Markus Schreiber / Associated Press) On a quiet street corner in Berlin's Mitte district, a bronze statue of a young girl in a traditional Korean dress glitters in the sun. Her fists are clenched, her expression tense. She is seated but her heels do not touch the ground. A shadow of an elderly woman is carved into the granite below her. Beside her is an empty chair. To Germany's Korean diaspora 50,000 strong the statue is a poignant tribute to the 200,000 so-called comfort women who were forced or tricked into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese military during World War II. But to the Japanese government, which has never fully accepted responsibility for this dark history, the statue is propaganda meant to reignite an issue it says was settled long ago. Cast into the middle of the conflict is the German government, which has become the target of a high-level Japanese lobbying campaign to take down the statue. Similar fights over memorials to the comfort women have played out elsewhere including Southern California but the dispute has special resonance in Germany, with its own travails in coming to terms with an ugly history. Read more: Sex tourism in Indonesia sells itself as Islamic temporary marriage It was only in 1991 that the first former South Korean comfort woman first came forward in Seoul, setting off a swell of public testimony. Since then, over a hundred memorials have been established around the world. It was no small thing for these elderly women to reveal themselves as victims of sexual violence at the time, said Nataly Jung-hwa Han, who heads Korea Verband, the Berlin-based civic group that commissioned the statue, the first on public grounds in Europe. It is a replica of a comfort women memorial in Seoul called the Statue of Peace. Han named it Ari, which means brave in Armenian. At the unveiling ceremony in 2020, she stressed that the statue is not directed against the Japanese government but an invitation to come to terms with the past together for the future. Thats not how Japanese officials saw it. And to the surprise of many here, it appears that their four-year campaign against the statue is about to pay off. : : The German government has become the target of a high-level Japanese lobbying campaign to take down the statue. (Markus Schreiber / Associated Press) Germanys wartime sins are etched into Berlin. Museums and streetside memorials pay tribute to the victims of the Holocaust. Embedded into the ground throughout the city are more than 5,000 Stolpersteine, or stumbling stones each bearing the name of a person killed by the Nazis. And as in much of Europe, denying the Holocaust happened or rejecting key elements is illegal in Germany. Japan has been far less repentant for its wartime sexual abuse of women, setting it in bitter conflict with South Korea, where the majority of former comfort women have died after decades of campaigning for official recognition. Just eight of the 240 victims formally registered with the South Korean government are still alive. Some were as young as 12 during the war. The Japanese government has continued to dispute the term sex slave, claiming that there was no evidence of force being used, as well as the 200,000 estimate that is widely cited by historians and includes some victims from China, the Philippines and other places that Japan occupied during the war. Japan has long considered the issue resolved with an apology in 1993 in which the government pledged never to repeat the same mistake by forever engraving such issues in our memories and a controversial 2015 agreement with South Korea. Alongside offers of monetary compensation to victims, then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his most sincere apologies and remorse. Lee Yong-soo, a South Korean survivor of sexual slavery, examines a "comfort women" statue during its 2019 unveiling in Seoul. (Ahn Young-joon / Associated Press) But the agreement, which included South Korea promising to refrain from publicly criticizing Japan over the issue, did not have buy-in from the victims and allowed the Japanese government to stop short of admitting full responsibility. The 2015 settlement is representative of this mentality of wanting to draw a line under the past and moving on with your life, said Dorothea Mladenova, a scholar of Japan at the University of Leipzig. Masao Fukumoto, a Japanese journalist living in Berlin, said part of the problem is that Japan sees itself as a victim of the war: The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki play a major role in this. Read more: How far would you go for Shohei Ohtani? This man rearranged his whole life In line with a surge in nationalistic politics that began in the late 1990s, the country has rewritten its history textbooks to downplay its own war crimes. The same forces are driving a government campaign to suppress public commemoration of comfort women overseas. Jason Kim, the former deputy mayor of Palisades Park, N.J., recalled the two delegations of Japanese officials who visited the town of 20,000 after it had installed a small plaque commemorating comfort women in 2010. The first delegation, led by Shigeyuki Hiroki, the Japanese ambassador in New York, began by offering to plant 500 cherry blossom trees, donate books to the local library and start up an exchange program with Japan. In 2010, Japanese Ambassador Shigeyuki Hiroki led a delegation of Japanese officials to Palisades Park, N.J., which had installed a plaque commemorating "comfort women." (Victoria Will / Associated Press) We were like, Wow, the Japanese government is doing all this in the small town of Palisades Park?' Kim said. The official then asked him and Mayor James Rotundo to perform the good gesture of removing or relocating the monument. I was totally speechless, Kim said. After Palisades Park officials declined, the second meeting with three members of the Japanese National Assembly was much less pleasant. It was a big fight, Kim said. They said it was all lies and that the comfort women were not only paid, but they were paid well. Read more: In China's youth retreat centers, millennials seek to escape the grind On their way out, Kim said, the three lawmakers told him: This is not the end. Since then, similar battles have unfolded in Glendale , where a replica of the Statue of the Peace, installed by the Korean American Forum of California in 2013, prompted a pro-Japan revisionist group to file a lawsuit against the city. Despite the Japanese government submitting an amicus brief in support of the case, the Supreme Court dismissed it in 2017. The following year, the Japanese city of Osaka dissolved its 60-year-old sister city relationship with San Francisco to protest a comfort women monument in Chinatown. Both statues remain. Spectators move in for a closer look after a "comfort women" monument was unveiled in San Francisco in 2017. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) : : The Japanese government has found a far more sympathetic ear in Berlin. Since the statue there went up, a procession of high-ranking Japanese officials have lobbied their German counterparts to remove it. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida even raised the issue with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a 2022 meeting about the war in Ukraine. Kai Wegner, the governing mayor of Berlin, has taken Japans position. After meeting with the Japanese foreign minister last May to discuss a development project involving the automaker Mitsubishi, he said in a news release that the statue was a one-sided portrayal and that it is important that we make changes. German media has also reported that Wegner had a hand in ending government funding of a Korea Verband educational program about comfort women called Sit next to me. One of his political allies who sits on an advisory board to the Berlin Project Fund for Cultural Education which had funded the program since 2021 reportedly told fellow members that Wegner had urged him to reject this years grant application to avoid upsetting the Japanese government. Read more: Marijuana was supposed to help Thailand. Why is the country planning to ban it again? Separately, the Japanese Embassy invited several of the board members to dinner at a five-star hotel in the city and asked them to vote against the application, state broadcaster RBB reported. Sasa Martinovic, a history teacher who has been participating in the program, said the topic of comfort women was deeply relevant to Berlin. The German and Japanese fascist regimes cooperated during the war, he said. There is a direct connection. He added: In none of the classes did Korea Verband try to push a racist or nationalistic view of Japanese society. In a statement to The Times, Berlin Senate Chancellery spokesperson Christine Richter said: The Senate shares the view of the Federal Foreign Office that the Japanese-Korean conflict regarding the history of comfort women was resolved through the agreement on this issue reached between Japan and Korea in 2015. A "comfort woman" statue is placed on a bus seat in Seoul during South Korea's memorial day for the women in 2017. (Ahn Young-joon / Associated Press) The Japanese Embassy in Berlin said in an emailed statement that the inscription on the Berlin statue which includes the term sexual slavery was one-sided and inaccurate. The comfort woman statue serves as a symbol permanently denouncing Japan, it said. In July, the Mitte district office gave Han and her Korea Verband group until late September to voluntarily remove the statue. Im afraid they will take the statue away overnight, Han said. In a statement to The Times, a spokesman for the Mitte district office confirmed that it had held several discussions with Japanese officials, but denied that this had influenced its decision. The statue only received temporary permission, and there was never any question of a permanent installation, the spokesman said, citing a local law that says permanent art installations must be selected through public competitions. : : To replace the statue, city officials have endorsed a generalized monument against sexual violence one that doesnt single out Japan. But the suggestion has left some questioning whether Berlin can turn back the difficult moral questions the statue has already opened. It really smells like all lives matter, said Mladenova, the Japan scholar. A new monument would not have the same history, she said. The current statue symbolizes the mechanisms that you find in sexual violence in that once the survivors speak out, there's a lot of silencing. Mladenova also pointed out that the statue is the only public monument in Berlin that speaks to Germanys Korean diaspora, which got its start with a migrant worker program in the 1960s. You have all these people here who are not originally from Germany, and they come with all their histories and they don't have representation in the monuments or memory culture, she said. We are an immigration society in Germany, but I think people have not realized it yet. People attend a 2021 rally in support of keeping the World War II memorial in Berlin. (Peng Dawei / Getty Images ) For Han, who emigrated from South Korea to Germany in 1978 with her mother, the statue has begun to feel like more than just a badge of her heritage, but an inflection point in the citys broader racial equality movement. The situation here is very different from the United States, where the second, third and fourth generations of immigrants have advanced into positions of power, Han said. Things are only getting started here. And until now, we lived in silence. Among the first groups to express their support for the statue was the Armenian community, itself carrying a history of genocide and wartime sexual violence. Messages of solidarity have also streamed in from other diaspora groups in Germany. Anab Awale, a district councilor in Mitte who is Somali German, said the nonchalance of German officials toward comfort women revisionism was clear evidence that Germanys own racial inequalities remain unresolved. We are still at the very beginning of confronting Germanys colonial past and the related institutional racism, she said. For some, this place the statue has found in Berlins fabric, far beyond the diplomatic conflict, is reason enough for it to stay. It was a breezy day in late August, and Richard Linke, a 68-year-old retired factory worker who lives in Mitte, gazed at the statue from a bench. He likes to watch children sit in the empty chair while their parents snap a photo and read them the inscription. Sometimes he will buy flowers from the shop across the street to lay at the base. Earlier this year, he signed Korea Verbands petition to keep the statue in place. Its become a part of the neighborhood, he said. It represents freedom and peace. Of course it belongs in Berlin. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Men, mental health and guns: We can do something about at least two of them. | Opinion On Sunday, a man with apparent mental health issues was found with a semi-automatic rifle in what authorities are calling an attempt to kill former President Donald Trump. Court papers detailed how law enforcement found a loaded SKS-style rifle, two backpacks with ceramic tile and a GoPro camera in the bushes at the scene, according to the New York Times. Two months before, a young man with apparent mental health problems used an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle to try to assassinate former President Donald Trump, and got much closer to doing so, injuring his ear. In between those two attempts, a boy with apparent mental health problems shot up his school in Georgia with an AR-15-style rifle, and here in Kentucky, a man with apparent mental health problems shot at numerous cars on I-75 with an AR-15 style rifle, wounding five people. Miraculously, none of them died. Now Im not a psychiatrist, but I think its fair to say that anyone who either uses political assassination to get attention, or talks about recruiting Afghans to fight in Ukraine or shoots teachers or tries to kills random people in cars, is pretty unstable. So now we can isolate three problems that keep causing mayhem and death men, mental health, and guns. Im not sure what to do about the first one. But on the second two, there are plenty of good solutions that federal and state lawmakers could do something about, such as reinstating a ban on assault weapons, better background checks, longer waiting periods, and better access to mental health resources. In Kentucky, we had a good option. The Crisis Aversion and Rights Retention Act was filed by outgoing Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Fruit Hill, as a response to the Old National Bank shooting in Louisville in 2023, in which five people were murdered by a young man suffering from mental health problems. (Stop me if youve heard this before.) It would have allowed for the temporary removal of guns from someone in crisis, a removal made through law enforcement and the courts. Currently, 21 states and Washington, D.C., have such laws on the books, including neighboring Illinois, Indiana and Virginia. Here in Kentucky, it didnt even get a committee hearing. It could be brought up again by someone with political courage. Or not and we can wait for the next mass shooting. According to Pew Research, about a third of us own guns, but 51 percent of us favor stricter gun laws. How much longer do we want to live under the terror of our children being killed and political candidates being shot at? Forever, I guess. Theres no other country in the developed world that lives this way. Worst of all, its a problem with solutions. Our politicians just dont want to adopt them. Two men learned their punishment in federal court after being found guilty of murdering a Dayton police detective. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Nathan Goddard was sentenced to life plus 10 years in prison. Cahke Cortner was sentenced to life plus 5 years in prison. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Goddard was found guilty in March on all charges, including murder of a law enforcement officer and intentionally killing an individual while involved in trafficking. He was also convicted on three drug-related charges and two weapons-related charges. Counter was found guilty on all charges, including intentionally killing an individual while involved in trafficking. Dayton Police Detective and DEA Task Force Officer Jorge DelRio was shot while serving a search warrant as part of a DEA Task Force at a home on Ruskin Drive in 2019. During the execution of the search warrant, DelRio and other officials announced themselves and entered the home. DelRio descended the stairway to the basement of the residence, where he was shot at from the basement, and was struck and killed. The Dayton Police Department is pleased to see the sentences imposed against Nathan Goddard and Cahke Cortner in the tragic shooting of Detective Jorge DelRio, said Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal. They mark a significant step of closure for Detective DelRios loved ones, our department, and our community. We extend our gratitude to the U.S. Attorneys Office for their diligent efforts throughout this case. It is imperative that those who inflict harm in our community are held accountable. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Metro-east man charged with attempted murder after road rage incident, police say A metro-east man has been charged with attempted murder in connection with a road rage shooting on Interstate 57 in Champaign County, Illinois State Police said. LeJoshua Cortez Smith, 40, also was charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm and multiple traffic citations, according to an Illinois State Police news release. Police listed Smiths hometown as East St. Louis while Champaign County Jail records listed his address as Cahokia Heights. A Champaign County judge Monday ordered that Smith be detained before his trial, court records show. A attorney for Smith could not be reached for comment Monday. The shooting occurred Thursday in the area of northbound I-57 near milepost 223. After a minor crash occurred between Smiths vehicle and another vehicle, a road rage situation developed in which shots were fired at a victims vehicle, police said. The victim was not injured in the shooting. Police spotted Smiths vehicle within minutes and attempted a traffic stop, but Smith fled, the news release stated. Officers engaged him in a pursuit, continuing northbound on I-57 through Ford County, and into Iroquois County. State police officers used stop sticks and Smiths vehicle stopped on I-57 near milepost 285, where he was arrested about 62 miles from where the shooting occurred. (Bloomberg) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador signed a bill into law on Sunday that will require all federal judges, including those on the Supreme Court, to be elected by popular vote. Most Read from Bloomberg AMLO, as the president is known, signed the document in a video published on social media. He was accompanied by President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum. The new law mandates that starting next year, members of the Supreme Court will be elected in a national vote along with half of all federal judges, rather than by appointment. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Demonstrators are seen inside Mexico's Senate after storming the building on September 10 to disrupt a debate on controversial judicial reforms (Silvana FLORES) (Silvana FLORES/AFP/AFP) President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced Sunday that he had signed into law controversial judicial reforms making Mexico the world's only country to elect all its judges by popular vote. The outgoing leftist leader signed the decree in a video posted on social media, calling it a "historic day." He was accompanied by president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, his close ally, who will replace him on October 1 following her landslide election win in June. Lopez Obrador had pushed hard for the constitutional changes, criticizing the current judicial system as "rotten," corrupt, and serving the interests of the political and economic elite. Opponents and legal experts fear that elected judges could be more vulnerable to pressure from criminals in a country where powerful drug cartels regularly use bribery and intimidation to influence officials. Lopez Obrador has frequently lashed out at the judiciary since taking office in 2018 -- in particular the Supreme Court, which has impeded some of his policies in areas such as energy and security. Last week, legislators were forced to suspend their debate and move to another location after demonstrators stormed the Senate, chanting "The judiciary will not fall." Opponents, who accuse Lopez Obrador of overseeing a trend toward democratic backsliding, have held a series of protests against the plan, under which Supreme Court and other high-level judges would be chosen by popular vote. The United States, Mexico's main trading partner, has warned that the reforms would threaten a relationship that relies on investor confidence in the Mexican legal framework. dr/bjt Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador addresses the media in his daily press conference after Mexico's Senate approved a judicial reform, in Mexico City MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's judicial reform overhauling the country's courts, which will allow voters to elect judges, officially took effect on Sunday after the text of the constitutional changes was published in the government gazette. The reforms mark a major legislative victory in President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's final weeks in office. Lopez Obrador, who often clashed with judges he derided as corrupt, argued the overhaul was needed to better serve the interests of ordinary citizens. Critics countered that electing judges rather appointing them, will end the judiciary's political independence while undermining investor confidence. The reform was championed by Lopez Obrador, and approved by his allies in Congress and a majority of state legislatures earlier this month. Lopez Obrador signed a decree for the reform's publication while sitting next to his successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, in a video posted on social media. The constitutional reform's publication in the government's gazette kicks off the process to prepare for the first judicial elections for federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, set for next June. (Reporting by David Alire Garcia and Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Tom Hogue) MHMR could take over Youth Advocate Programs contract for Tarrant Juvenile Services My Health My Resources of Tarrant County is being considered to take over case management, mentorship and skills training for at-risk youth with Tarrant County Juvenile Services. MHMR would replace Youth Advocate Programs Inc., whose contract was discontinued in July over questions about language on its website including diversity initiatives and systemic racism. The nonpartisan Youth Advocate Programs, based in Pennsylvania, provided counseling, mentors and community service in an effort to reduce repeat offenders. The company worked with the county since 1992. Nearly 70% of children under the supervision of Juvenile Services received services from Youth Advocate Programs Inc., according to Bennie Medlin, the departments director and chief juvenile probation officer. The new proposed contract says MHMR would provide a holistic wraparound approach for rehabilitation and support services. MHMR would address the multifaceted needs of at-risk youth through coordinated services, enhancing their chances of rehabilitation, reducing recidivism and promoting positive youth development, according to the contract, which is worth up to $895,000. My Health My Resource of Tarrant County provides community-based services for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental health conditions, substance use disorders and developmental delays. It is a unit of local government whose board is appointed by county commissioners. Susan Garnett, chief executive officer of MHMR, says the county has an obligation to ensure children receive appropriate services when theyre in the care and custody of an institution. What we want to do is spend a childhood period helping a child become a better adult, Garnett said. And so sometimes kids have had lives filled with hard knocks, and we want to help them out, and we want to help things be better for them when theyre an adult and certainly beyond that. Garnett says the organization will start the contract whenever it is approved by the board. The Tarrant County Juvenile Board ended four contracts for a variety of services with Youth Advocate Programs during a July meeting. Three expired on Aug. 31, and one expires on Sept. 30. Garnett says its her understanding My Health My Resources will have only one contract for similar services that were discontinued. A Juvenile Services representative did not respond to a request for comment. MHMR holds other contracts with Juvenile Services such as mental health assessment, residential substance abuse treatment and clinical management for behavioral health. The decision to end the contract with Youth Advocate Programs halted services for about 75 youth. The contracts provided for services for up to 423 youths per year. Youth Advocate Programs and its division called Sante Fe Youth Services cost taxpayers $311 and $440 weekly, respectively, for each adolescent served, compared to a weekly detention cost of $2,207, according to Youth Advocate Programs. Sante Fe Youth Services provided prevention, intervention and counseling services designed for adolescents. Kimberly Brandon, the vice president of Youth Advocate Programs Inc. West Region, has said the organization will continue to work to reinstate its contract with Tarrant County. On Aug. 6, several Tarrant County residents attended the Commissioners Court meeting to speak on behalf of Youth Advocate Programs. MIAMI, Okla. Miami Police Chief Thomas Anderson was reinstated on Monday. Miami police chief placed on administrative leave pending investigation Melinda Stotts, Director of Communications, confirmed Andersons return. The City of Miami placed Anderson on administrative leave in July pending the outcome of an investigation into his alleged official misconduct. Citing personnel confidentially, Stotts said she could not offer more details. Im glad to be back, Anderson said. Anderson said he appreciated the support of the community and the Miami Police Department force during the investigation and the citys due diligence into the investigation. Anderson has been with the Miami Police Department for 29 years and served as Miami Police Chief for nine years. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) Two police officers from Mid-Michigan are being credited for stepping up after a pregnant woman went into labor. The Roscommon County Sheriffs Department announced the news on social media. Around 9:30 Thursday morning, a couple from Houghton Lake drove to the sheriffs office. Chris Meir called for help, saying his significant other, Jessica Schaffer, was in active labor. Chris told officers he was parked in front of the sheriffs office. Multiple sheriff personnel and other agencies that were in the area went out to assist until the ambulance arrived, the post stated. Cpl. Aaron Grace, left, and deputy Austin Martin, of the Roscommon County Sheriffs Department, hold newborn Luca Meir hours after helping deliver him. (Courtesy Roscommon County Sheriffs Department) The baby was born within minutes. The sheriffs department gave a special thanks to Cpl. Aaron Grace and Deputy Austin Martin who assisted in the delivery and posted some pictures of the two of them reunited with Schaffer and her newborn son at the hospital. Sign up for the News 8 daily newsletter Luca Jameson Meir was born at 9:43 a.m. Congratulations to the family, the post read. Martin told News 8 affiliate WPBN-TV that it was just another unpredictable day of serving in law enforcement. Thats the beauty of our job, you never know whats next. Speaking with my partners, officers will go their entire careers without experiencing something like that and it was a thrill to be able to experience that and to be able to provide my assistance when needed, Martin said. He continued: Babys doing great, moms doing great. They were very happy with our assistance and we were able to give them a gift of some flowers and diapers and a card from the sheriffs office. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A lawyer for TikTok and Chinese parent company ByteDance sought on Monday to convince a federal appeals court to block a U.S. law that would ban the short video app used by 170 million Americans as soon as Jan. 19, arguing that it violates free speech protections, but faced tough questions from the judges. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia heard two hours of arguments in the lawsuit filed by TikTok and ByteDance in May seeking an injunction to prevent the law from taking effect. Justice Department lawyer Daniel Tenny pressed the U.S. government's stance that TikTok, under Chinese ownership, poses a national security threat because of its access to vast amounts of personal data on Americans, asserting that China can covertly manipulate information that Americans consume via the popular app. Andrew Pincus, the lawyer arguing for TikTok and ByteDance, told Judges Sri Srinivasan, Neomi Rao and Douglas Ginsburg that the U.S. government had not demonstrated that TikTok actually poses national security risks. Pincus also argued that the law violates the U.S. Constitution on a number of grounds including running afoul of the First Amendment protections against government abridgment of speech. "The law before this court is unprecedented, and its effect would be staggering," Pincus told the judges, saying "for the first time in history, Congress has expressly targeted a specific U.S. speaker banning its speech and the speech of 170 million Americans." The law gives ByteDance until Jan. 19 to sell or divest TikTok's U.S. assets or face a ban in the United States. Driven by worries that China could access data on Americans or spy on them with the app, the U.S. Congress passed the measure with overwhelming support and President Joe Biden signed it into law in April. The lawsuit claimed that if the statute is upheld, it would show that Congress can circumvent the First Amendment "by invoking national security and ordering the publisher of any individual newspaper or website to sell to avoid being shut down." Tenny defended the law and warned of Chinese manipulation efforts. "It's farcical to suggest that with this two billion lines of code - 40 times as big as the entire Windows operating system, changed 1,000 times every day - that somehow we're going to detect that they've changed it," Tenny said. "There is so much happening in China outside the control of the United States that it poses a grave national security risk." Story continues Rao cited an estimate that it could take three years to review the source code, not including updates. "So how are you supposed to have disclosure, or verified disclosure?" Rao asked Pincus. Rao said many of TikTok's arguments appear to want the court to treat Congress as an executive branch agency, rather than a legislature that "actually passed a law." "It's a very strange framework" for thinking about Congress, the judge added. Ginsburg asked why is this any different from another U.S. law that precludes foreign ownership of a broadcast license. Srinivasan, in questioning Pincus, raised the hypothetical situation of the United States being at war with China, and whether Congress in that situation could bar foreign ownership of major media outlets operating in the United States. Pincus said Congress probably would be able to do so, but noted that lawmakers did not include that justification in the current law. The law prohibits app stores like Apple and Alphabet's Google from offering TikTok and bars internet hosting services from supporting TikTok unless ByteDance divests TikTok by the deadline. Under the law, Biden could extend the deadline by three months if he certifies ByteDance is making significant progress toward a sale. TikTok and the Justice Department have asked for a ruling by Dec. 6, which could allow the U.S. Supreme Court to consider any appeal before a ban takes effect. The case is playing out during the final weeks of the U.S. presidential campaign. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic rival, are active on TikTok, seeking to court younger voters. The White House has said it wants to see Chinese-based ownership ended on national security grounds, but not a ban on TikTok. Trump, who unsuccessfully tried to ban TikTok in 2020, has said if elected in November he would not allow TikTok to be barred. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sonali Paul and Will Dunham) As recreational marijuana sales kicked off in Ohio last month, Michigans cannabis industry wondered: How would this impact its own booming market, which attracts customers from across the Ohio border? It's widely acknowledged that Ohio residents cross state lines to buy marijuana in Michigan. There are dozens of dispensaries near the Ohio border in cities like Monroe and Morenci, many of which advertise their proximity to Ohio. In their first month of legal recreational marijuana sales that started in early August, Ohio dispensaries have sold nearly $55 million in recreational cannabis products. But recently released data from Michigan's Cannabis Regulatory Agency shows overall, Michigan dispensaries weren't impacted. Consumers purchased $294 million in recreational cannabis products from Michigan dispensaries in August, compared with $286 million in July, a nearly 3% increase, and a nearly 9% increase compared with the $271 million in product that was sold last August. Along La Plaisance Road in Monroe, Mich., multiple marijuana dispensaries like URB Cannabis sit right off the freeway to attract out-of-state customers like Ohioians, on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. Michigan dispensaries are wondering whether they will be impacted by Ohio starting recreational marijuana sales. Even when breaking out sales by region, sales still increased in August compared with July in regions that border Ohio. In the southwest Michigan region, for example, there was $86 million in recreational marijuana sales last month, compared with $82 million in July. In the east and southeast Michigan regions, there was $123 million in sales of recreational marijuana products in August, compared with $121 million in July. Still, Sean Lyden, president of Green Labs Provisions, a recreational marijuana dispensary in Luna Pier, just about 6 miles from the Ohio border, said sales were down about 15% in August compared with the month prior. Lyden said he's a little bit nervous about what the future holds but said he thinks the worst of it is over, at least for now. "A lot of those customers are realizing that (the cannabis is) not as good in Ohio and they're still driving up to see us," Lyden said. "So we're pretty confident going into the future here." Prices for marijuana are much higher in Ohio compared with Michigan. An ounce of flower costs about $250 in Ohio, while it cost an average of $80 in Michigan in August. Michigan's recreational cannabis market is nearly 5 years old and prices have dropped significantly since sales began as supply and competition increased. More on cannabis use in Michigan: 27% of older adults in Michigan have used cannabis in past year, U-M poll finds More on Michigan's cannabis industry: Cannabis-infused beverages are a small but growing part of Michigan's cannabis industry In the near term, while prices are higher in Ohio compared with Michigan because there are fewer dispensaries that sell recreational marijuana (which means they can charge more because there's less competition), Lyden expects many Ohio consumers will continue to make the drive to Michigan to buy cannabis. As Ohio's market matures, though, Lyden is looking to expand with another dispensary in Michigan and possibly one in Ohio, which would make Green Labs Provisions less reliant on sales from Ohio customers visiting its Luna Pier dispensary. Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@freepress.com This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan cannabis sales rise as Ohio enters recreational market Im glad Pres. Trump is safe. Yet more questions go unanswered. One thing we do know is that in a heated political season, the inflammatory rhetoric used by VP Harris & her allies is helping to create an even more dangerous situation, not only for Pres. Trump, but for the country. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland The race for Michigan's 7th Congressional District is generating national attention as Republicans attempt to tie their Democratic opponent to a controversial deal with a Chinese Communist Party-backed company. Michigan Republicans are calling on former Democratic State Sen. Curtis Hertel, who is currently running to represent Michigans 7th Congressional District, to break his silence on a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) he signed in order to obtain details on controversial plans to use taxpayer funds to help build an electric vehicle battery plant in west Michigan owned by a company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The plant, which was announced by Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in October 2022, was set to get millions in incentives as part of a deal with Michigan lawmakers and Green Charter Township, with promises of bringing over 2,000 jobs to the area. But the project quickly drew the ire of local voters, in large part due to the company behind the plant, Gotion Inc., being a subsidiary of Gotion High-Tech, which has strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party. CCP-BACKED TECH COMPANIES ARE POISED TO CASH IN ON BIDEN'S CLIMATE BILL, NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERTS WARN Last fall, local voters ousted five of the seven township board members over their support of the project, while the other two members resigned. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP That controversy has now bled over into the race for Michigans 7th Congressional District, one of the few true toss-up House races in the state, thanks to Hertel being one of several lawmakers from both parties to sign the NDA with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation that allowed them to learn about and negotiate details on the proposed plans for the plant. Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is vacating her seat in Michigans 7th District to pursue a run for U.S. Senate, recently spoke out against the Gotion deal, further intensifying calls on Hertel to do the same. "To me, until theres a national security vetting, I dont love the idea of moving forward on any project or any sale of farmland" to a Chinese entity, Slotkin told reporters at a campaign event earlier this month. "I believe that we need to not just think about economic [aspects], but also about the national security implications of Chinese-affiliated companies." Rep. Elissa Slotkin. BIDEN ADMIN GREEN-LIGHTS CHINESE EV BATTERY FACTORY IN MICHIGAN, DESPITE LOCAL OPPOSITION "Hertel must answer whether or not he agrees with his comrade pal Elissa Slotkin, and if he regrets signing the NDA to sell out Michigan taxpayers to the CCP," National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella. The controversy over the plant has also garnered attention in the presidential race, with former President Donald Trump saying on Truth social last month that he is "100% OPPOSED" to the plant, adding that Gotion "would put Michiganders under the thumb of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing." Meanwhile, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trumps running mate, highlighted the controversy during a campaign stop in Michigan last week. "I think the most important thing is we have to stop paying Chinese manufacturers to manufacture, whether its here or overseas," Vance told reporters in Michigan after his speech. "We want to build an American manufacturing industry and an American middle class. If we want to pursue these policies, lets do them for Americans and American businesses." FEWER AMERICANS WANT TO BUY AN EV EVEN AS BIDEN PUSHES FOR STRONGEST-EVER CLIMATE CHANGE RULES Republican vice presidential candidate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) speaks at NMC-Wollard Inc. / Wollard International on August 07, 2024 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. But questions over Hertels involvement in the project continue to be the focus of Michigan Republicans, most notably after it was reported last year that Hertel was on of several Democratic lawmakers in the state to receive funds from a Political Action Committee (PAC) linked to the law office of Warner Norcross + Judd, a firm acting as a foreign agent to represent Gotion. According to a Fox News report last September, the firms PAC donated $2,400 to the state campaign for Hertel, who represented Michigans 23rd State Senate district from 2015 until January. One lawmaker who did not sign an NDA related to the project is former Republican State Sen. Tom Barrett, Hertels opponent in the race for Michigans 7th Congressional District. Barrett has also seized on the controversy, arguing Hertel owes people an explanation for his involvement with the project. "Curtis Hertel, a 22-year career politician, owes the people of Mid-Michigan an explanation as to why he signed a secret NDA to give $175 million of their tax dollars to a CCP-backed company," Barrett told Fox News Digital. "The fact that he took money from foreign agents on behalf of Gotion should disqualify him from Congress." Reached for comment by Fox News Digital, Hertel campaign communications director Sam Kwait-Spitzer dismissed the claims by Republicans as a "false attack." "Curtis signed no NDA with Gotion, and Tom Barrett is trying to cover for his own record of voting against 5,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs here in Mid-Michigan and trying to cede the future of the auto industry to China," he said. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. Original article source: Michigan Republicans continue to spar with Dems over deal with Chinese EV company in key House race Microbrewery trainee scheme serves up six new jobs The initiative, if approved, would enable people with learning disabilities to gain new skills [Reuters] An initiative that teaches people with learning disabilities to brew and serve beer inside a working business is being explored by a council. The microbrewery and taproom business would cost Essex County Council 150,000 to launch and could create six jobs. It was hoped the work would help people with additional needs to gain skills required in a mainstream workplace. "All whilst gaining confidence and experience, and whilst being paid," a council statement read. The enterprise would be a combination of a microbrewery and a taproom serving drinks created in-house. Its inspiration came from a similar scheme run in London, the Local Democracy Reporting Service wrote, as well as in Norwich. It would "lead to aspirational, interesting, and sustainable employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities", the council said. If replicated in Essex, a minimum of 96 hours of employment would be created per week. Job roles at the business, which the council is yet to announce, would include porters, bar staff and brewing the ales. "The business shall have a core value of involving and empowering young people and have a deep understanding of the challenges that they experience and how to overcome these," a statement added. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story Related internet links SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) A student at Northview Junior Academy has been charged after allegedly threatening another student on Friday. School resource officers began investigating the reported threat on Friday, September 13. A spokesperson for the City of Sevierville said that the student allegedly told another that they heard a rumor that there was going to be a school shooting that day and if the victim told anyone, the suspect would slit the victims throat. Emerald Academy using pouches to become a phone-free school The student was ultimately charged with misdemeanor assault. Its the latest in a slew of arrests over alleged school threats around Tennessee and the country. This is a developing story. Download the WATE 6 News app or sign up for our email alerts for updates. KAT going cashless: What to know about the new fare system Northview Junior Academy is a public school located in Kodak which serves grades 7-9. 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 WATE 6 On Your Side. This Middle Tennessee town wants a shoreline, lake management committee. What we know Hendersonville city officials and residents are working together to create a new community group focused on shoreline and lake management. The Shoreline Committee aims to support residents dealing with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District, remove litter and debris from the shoreline and provide funds for projects that enhance waterways, city officials said on Facebook. Its open to all Hendersonville residents who own lakeshore property or boats. Shoreline residents have been asking who at City Hall can help them with issues involving TVA, Corps of Engineers, TWRA and forces of nature. The city does not provide any true guidance for those residents, Hendersonville Mayor Jamie Clary said. The property along the lake generates more property tax per square foot than other residential property. We should provide some help to those residents to protect our asset. They have asked the city to create an official committee of residents who will guide and recommend city action. The committee will give suggestions to the board periodically. Clary met with a group of prospective committee members earlier this month, City of Hendersonville Public Information Officer Casey LaMarr said. He was tasked with requesting a formal city committee by the Hendersonville Board of Mayor and Aldermen. If approved, committee parameters like size and structure will be determined by the board. Clary helps coordinate an annual community meeting between residents and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District, LaMarr said. Responsible for navigable waterways in the Cumberland and Tennessee River Basins including the Old Hickory Lake shoreline in Hendersonville, the Nashville District manages flood risk reduction, hydropower and recreation at nine multipurpose projects and the protection, preservation, restoration and improvement of natural resources, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Clary receives feedback from residents quite often about the conditions of the lake, shoreline and more, he said. Residents discussed forming a committee after meeting in 2023. Those interested in joining the group can email Clary at jclary@hvilletn.org for more information. Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Middle Tennessee city starts Old Hickory Lake committee. What to know HOUSTON CO. Ala. (WDHN) Governor Kay Ivey has awarded $42 million for high-speed internet expansion projects in just shy of two dozen Alabama counties. The projects will cover 2,347 miles and provide broadband to more than 15,000 residences, businesses, or institutions in the state that do not presently have high-speed internet. Houston and Coffee County are among those to be provided for by Troy Cablevision, for which Governor Ivey has allotted $5 million to bolster its coverage here, as well as Baldwin, Crenshaw, Covington, and Pike counties, covering 243 miles. With these latest grants, Alabama takes another all-important step to supplying high-speed internet availability to more rural Alabama communities and neighborhoods, said Governor Ivey. Upon completion of these projects, more children will have better learning opportunities, more businesses will have greater opportunities to compete worldwide, and emergency response departments and medical clinics will be able to offer improved services. These expansion projects are last-mile, which means they are in the final leg of their installation, and these funds will be used to push them over that final hill. Once the projects are complete, those covered can connect to the high-speed network and become a customer of that provider. Our state and so many partners are making continued progress in providing high-speed internet access to those unserved areas in Alabama, said ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell. I remain honored in the trust that Governor Ivey and the Alabama Legislature have placed in ADECA in carrying out this mission that will truly change lives for the better. In February, Governor Ivey awarded $148.3 million in grants for broadband accessibility in over two-thirds of the states 67 counties. The grants awarded today are from the remaining funds. The full list of grants and coverage areas are listed below; Central Alabama Electric Cooperative $2.28 million to provide high-speed internet service over a 40-mile area in Chilton County, providing access to 1,046 unserved households, businesses, and community anchor institutions. Connect Holding (Brightspeed) $139,968 to provide high-speed internet to 315 unserved households and businesses over a 51-mile area in Mobile County. Connect Holding (Brightspeed) $69,553 to provide high-speed broadband access to 249 unserved households, businesses, and community anchor institutions over a 19-mile area in Baldwin County. Farmers Telecommunications Corp. $1.93 million to provide high-speed broadband access to 380 unserved households, businesses, and community anchor institutions over a 44-mile area in Jackson County. Innovations America (Bama Fiber) $5 million to provide high-speed internet access to 3,261 unserved households, businesses, and community anchor institutions over a 360-mile area in Randolph County. Mediacom $720,905 to provide high-speed internet accessibility to 122 unserved households, businesses, and community anchor institutions in a 10-mile area of Mobile County. Millry Telephone Co. $2.84 million to provide 51 miles of high-speed internet accessibility to 236 unserved households and businesses in Washington County. Spectrum Southeast $5 million to provide high-speed internet accessibility over a 110-mile area to 934 unserved households, businesses, and community anchor institutions in Shelby County. Spectrum Southeast $5 million to provide 105 miles of high-speed internet accessibility to 1,303 unserved households, businesses, and community anchor institutions in Walker County. Spectrum Southeast $4.43 million to provide high-speed internet accessibility to 662 unserved households, businesses, and community anchor institutions in a 93-mile area in Colbert and Lauderdale counties. Spectrum Southeast $5 million to provide 111 miles of high-speed internet accessibility for 1,017 unserved households, businesses, and community anchor institutions in St. Clair County. Roanoke Telephone Co. $912,171 to supply high-speed internet accessibility over 111 miles to cover 1,118 unserved households, businesses, and community anchor institutions in Randolph County. Troy Cablevision (C Spire) $5 million to provide high-speed internet to 2,132 unserved households, businesses, and community anchor institutions in Baldwin, Coffee, Crenshaw, Covington, Houston, and Pike counties covering 243 miles. Yellowhammer Networks $3.63 million to provide high-speed internet over nearly 1,000 miles to provide access to 2,352 unserved households, businesses, and community anchor institutions in Bibb, Chilton, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry, Shelby, and Sumter counties. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDHN - wdhn.com. Millions of student-loan borrowers are about to lose a key safeguard that'll put their credit scores and debt relief at risk Millions of student-loan borrowers are about to lose a key safeguard that'll put their credit scores and debt relief at risk The on-ramp period for federal student-loan borrowers ends on September 30. This means that borrowers who miss payments will no longer be protected from negative credit reporting. The Fresh Start program to bring borrowers out of default also ends this month. A key protection for student-loan borrowers is ending this month. It could jeopardize their financial standing. On September 30, the on-ramp period for federal student-loan borrowers is coming to an end. Put in place last October, the Education Department established a 12-month period during which any missed payments would not be reported to credit agencies, giving borrowers some leeway if they could not afford payments or chose to skip them for any reason. "This 12-month on-ramp period protects borrowers from the worst consequences of missed, late, or partial payments, including negative credit reporting for delinquent payments," the department wrote in its guidance. However, the department is not extending the on-ramp, meaning that in two weeks, borrowers who miss their payments will be marked as delinquent and reported to credit agencies, and their credit scores could take a hit. Additionally, missed payments typically wouldn't count toward forgiveness progress through programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness and income-driven repayment plans, pushing back borrowers' timeline to see a full or partial reduction to their balances. A recent report from the Government Accountability Office found that just 40% of borrowers with payments greater than $0 were current on their payments as of January 2024, likely reflecting borrowers' participation in the on-ramp period. Additionally, a report from the Congressional Budget Office found that in the years leading up to the pandemic, borrowers made payments greater than $10 in only 38% of the months in which they had a payment due, reflecting challenges in making payments before the on-ramp began. Along with the on-ramp period ending, the Fresh Start program, which began in 2022 to return over 7 million borrowers in delinquency or default to good standing before they enter repayment, is also ending on September 30. The New York Federal Reserve found the program worked while 1.05% of balances were more than 90 days delinquent in the first quarter of 2022, that declined to 0.94% in the first quarter of 2023. However, the program ending means that borrowers who fall into delinquency or default will not only take hits to their credit scores, but they could also suffer the consequences of missing payments, which include wage garnishment and seizure of federal benefits like Social Security. The Education Department has not announced any further protections for missed payments, but it's working to carry out different forms of relief. For example, it implemented the SAVE income-driven repayment plan last summer, intended to make payments cheaper with a shortened timeline for loan forgiveness. But that plan is blocked in court as a result of lawsuits filed by GOP state attorneys general, pending a final legal decision. Additionally, President Joe Biden's second attempt at broader student-loan forgiveness is also already facing a lawsuit, delaying the timeline for millions of borrowers to get debt relief. The legal challenges, along with the conclusion of the on-ramp period, present a challenging time for student-loan borrowers as the year comes to a close. Read the original article on Business Insider Minister for Future Roads Lilian Greenwood (centre) visited the site of the 2023 landslide in Kent [KENT COUNTY COUNCIL] A government minister has visited the site of a landslip in Kent which is awaiting repair 17 months after it happened. Minister for Future Roads Lilian Greenwood was shown the large section of the A226 Galley Hill Road, in Swanscombe, which collapsed on 10 April 2023. The road has remained closed since, while an investigation into the cause and possible solutions has been carried out. Neil Baker, the Kent County Council (KCC) cabinet member for transport and highways, said: "Reinstating Galley Hill Road is a complex issue and there arent any quick fixes, but the ministers visit is reassuring that this issue is being taken seriously by government." Local resident Judith Collins said since the collapse the area had been "one long never-ending road block". She said: "Over the weekend we had another truck got stuck. It was there for a couple of hours, because the roads aren't made for those trucks. "We're still going to be looking at this, I would say, for at least another 12 months." The landslide forced the closure of a nearby main road [HIGH PROFILE AERIAL] KCC, the highways authority responsible for the site, said it was looking into ways the cliff could be reinstated, and would be asking the government to help fund that. Cllr Baker said: "We look forward to continuing conversations with them. Jim Dickson, the Labour MP for Dartford, was among those who met the minister. He told BBC Radio Kent that the investigation into the landslip is reaching its conclusion "so we should know in the next few weeks exactly what went wrong". He added: "At that point you can start to look at solutions and funding packages, and I'm very impatient for us to get to that point." Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Related internet links Missing at-risk minor last seen near Palmer Park (COLORADO SPRINGS) The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) is asking for the communitys help in finding a missing 13-year-old last seen on Friday, Sept. 13. According to CSPD, Jaelynn Fayth Medina was last seen in the 2200 block of Glenwood Circle near North Academy Boulevard and Constitution Avenue. Photo of Jaelynn Fayth Medina a missing minor last seen on Sept. 13, 2024 Medina is described as a Hispanic girl, 48, 114 lbs with medium-length brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a grey spaghetti-strap shirt, and short light blue shorts. CSPD said she took a pair of black pants and a black t-shirt when she left. Anyone with information on Medinas whereabouts is asked to call CSPD at (719) 444-7000. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado. TikTok and the US government clashed in court Monday over the constitutionality of a looming US law that, if left in place, would shutter the Chinese-owned social media app unless it sells to an American owner. The law the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act bars US foreign adversaries China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from controlling certain US mobile applications. TikTok and a group of its users asked the US Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., to block the government from enforcing the act, which requires TikToks Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to either divest its US operations to a US company by Jan. 19 or face a nationwide ban. The matter, however decided, is expected to be challenged in a petition to the US Supreme Court. According to TikTok and a group of content creators who use the platform, the law violates the US Constitution by singling them out and infringing on their protected speech. What its doing is taking away the rights of an American speaker, TikToks lawyer, Andrew Pincus, said during a hearing before a three-judge panel. TikTok Attorney Andrew Pincus, left, accompanied by his team, leaves the federal courthouse in Washington, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, after a hearing on TikTok's lawsuit against the federal government. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) Justice Department lawyer Daniel Tenny disagreed. His view: The act was a valid decision by Congress to protect Americans data from abuse by foreign adversaries, targeting only foreign covert manipulation of content that doesn't qualify as protected speech. If you call the covert manipulation of content expression ... it is not expression by Americans in America. It is expression by Chinese engineers in China, Tenny said. The motivation for the law, he said, was national security and had nothing to do with protected speech and TikToks sale to a US entity would allow expressive activity on the platform to persist. The judges, Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan, Circuit Judge Neomi Rao, and Senior Circuit Judge Douglas Ginsburg, pressed both sides on whether TikToks US entity, ultimately controlled by its Chinese parent ByteDance, is entitled to speech protection and whether a strict or intermediate level of scrutiny should apply to evaluate the laws constitutionality. Tougher scrutiny is applied when certain types of speech restrictions are imposed on US citizens and US entities. Judge Rao, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, asked TikTok why the court should extend any constitutional protections to TikTok when the US Supreme Court has held that no such right exists for foreign speakers outside the US. Does the First Amendment even apply? Rao asked. TikTok's Pincus characterized both TikTok and its users as constitutionally protected speakers and argued that TikTok gained constitutional protection by establishing its US arm, TikTok US. Story continues Jeffrey Fisher, a lawyer for TikToks users, argued that the act directly implicates his clients First Amendment rights by taking away their right to select a publisher of their choice. Once that speech is directed into the US, and certainly once that speech is in concert with other Americans, and indeed propagated by other Americans, the speech is not Chinese speech, it is American speech that, at most, is curated by a foreign company, Pincus said. Judge Ginsburg, a Reagan appointee, shot back at TikToks contention that the law singled out the platform. Thats a rather blinkered view that the statute just singles out one company, Ginsburg said, adding that TikTok happens to be an entity subject to the law after it engaged in two years of negotiations with the US government and failed to reach an agreement. Talia Cadet, TikTok creator and advocate, speaks to reporters outside of the US Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) (Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images) Judge Srinivasan, an Obama appointee, expressed concern that content curated abroad by TikTok is still consumed by American recipients who are entitled to First Amendment protection. What you're doing is you're targeting curation, he told Tenny, ... its just that the curation that's being targeted is happening abroad. But Tenny argued that because the law does not target TikTok users, the expressions they receive on the app are not automatically protected by the First Amendment. Tenny said the law addresses a particular problem for the US in that the data collected by TikTok for its commercial purposes is also valuable to the Chinese government. That data, he said, includes users patterns, contacts, where they go, who they interact with, and what sort of content interests them, and foreign adversaries use that information to recruit Americans as intelligence assets or to cater messages that support their own national security. Under Chinese law, the data can be used to compromise US security, he said, because TikTok must turn over its user data to Chinese officials if they demand it. The judges' ruling could turn on the level of scrutiny applied in their review of the act. Judge Rao asked TikTok why the court would need to apply its toughest standard to TikTok's expressions, even if the platform were entitled to First Amendment rights as a US corporation. Pincus reiterated TikTok's contention that it was signaled out by the law and that in those cases strict scrutiny applies. He said in such cases where a foreign speaker's speech is restricted, US courts have, at most, required a label explaining the content's purported risk. Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled the name of Justice Department lawyer Daniel Tenny. We regret the error. Alexis Keenan is a legal reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow Alexis on X @alexiskweed. Click here for the latest technology news that will impact the stock market Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance This article was originally published in Missouri Independent. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is asking for over $174 million in supplemental funding for this school year after receiving $1 billion less in appropriations compared to the previous year. When the State Board of Education reviewed the budget bill approved by lawmakers in May, Board Chair Charlie Shields predicted that the mother of all supplemental budgets would come, possibly in a special session. In its meeting Tuesday, the board approved a supplemental budget with a high request from the state in general revenue and a budget for next year with increasing costs associated with an education bill that was recently signed into law. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter We cant assume that this is all going to be able to be funded. Theres going to be some really hard decisions and prioritization that has to happen throughout the process, Kari Monsees, DESEs commissioner of financial and administrative services, told the State Board of Education Tuesday. That might be the understatement of the year, he added. The supplemental request includes over $100 million from the states general revenue fund. Last year, the department asked for under $2 million in state funding. Nearly half of the general-revenue request $48 million is from changes to the formula that funds school districts and charter schools. The board did not discuss what changes drove the supplemental, but multiple additions to the formula will boost funding in its fiscal year 2026 request. Other drivers of the expense is an increase in the early childhood special education caseload, which the department requests $20.8 million to manage. The last three or four years, weve been fairly flat in (early childhood special education enrollment) because of the covid impact, Monsees said. We had fewer students entering those programs for a few years, and so we didnt need much in the way of additional funding. Well, that kind of came home to roost last year, and the numbers are up. The department is also requesting $15 million for a grant program it provides to schools with under 350 students. The education package passed by the legislature this year increased the size of the program, so the supplemental request is to meet that demand, Monsees said. He noted that budget instructions for fiscal year 2026 direct the department to specify mandatory new decision items. For that, the department requests an increase of $810 million from this years appropriation of $8.73 billion, of which $719 million would come from the states general fund. A sizable portion of the request is powered by expenses in the education package passed by lawmakers this year, which had a $230 million fiscal note for next year. Requests from state agencies are due to the Missouri Office of Administration by Oct. 1. Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com. Follow Missouri Independent on Facebook and X. In January 2020, I was briefly a celebrity, when my warning about a shockingly transparent attempt to legalize book banning went viral in the press and on social media. I was commenting on Missouri House Bill 2044, the Parental Oversight of Public Libraries Act, which sought to establish parental review boards to censor Missouris public libraries. Every reader and writer in the country should be horrified, absolutely horrified, at this bill, I wrote on behalf of PEN America. The fact that a librarian could actually be imprisoned for following his or her conscience and refusing to block minors from access to a book, that tells you all you need to know about the suitability of this act within a democratic society. The bills lead proponent told news outlets he proposed it after learning that a few public libraries in larger cities had hosted drag queen story hours. The bill envisioned treating librarians as potential criminals, declaring that those who refused to comply with the boards decision could be imprisoned for up to a year. The media largely agreed with me. Put this in the you-cant-make-this-stuff-up category, wrote The Washington Posts Valerie Strauss. Missouris Jefferson City News Tribune opined that while the bill likely wont pass, the proposal is unnecessary. Worse, its dangerous. The idea that librarians could be imprisoned for refusing to censor their own library collections was so shocking, in fact, that snopes.com the website devoted to debunking urban myths ran an article confirming that the claim was true. That bill ended up dying in committee. But what most people saw then as a dangerous and misguided idea has become normalized today at least, for some politicians. Fast forward to present day only four years later. Bills of this type have become law in six states Arkansas, Indiana, Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and yes, Missouri and have been considered by legislatures in at least 17 states over the past year. And across the country, school district after school district has been roiled by a sustained campaign from conservative activists and their think-tank allies who believe that librarians are grooming their children. Thankfully, no librarian has yet been arrested. But it has been close: In Granbury, Texas, a recent report reveals how one law enforcement officer attempted to file felony charges against three school librarians for refusing to pull obscene books including The Bluest Eye by the late Nobel Prize laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Toni Morrison. The officer a man with documented ties to anti-government and far-right extremist groups failed only because the local district attorney refused. If charges had been filed, these librarians would be facing potential prison terms of up to 10 years. One librarian who was targeted by this investigation decided to leave the district. It gets worse: Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation-backed playbook that is widely expected to shape the policies of a potential second Donald Trump administration, is explicitly gunning for librarians. In his foreword to Project 2025, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts argues that children suffer the toxic normalization of transgenderism with drag queens and pornography invading their school libraries. He goes on to say, even more explicitly, Pornography, manifested today in the omnipresent propagation of transgender ideology and sexualization of children has no claim to First Amendment protection. Educators and public librarians who purvey it should be classed as registered sex offenders. What this means is that if Project 2025 is implemented by the next administration, we can expect the federal government to join the witch hunt against librarians. And make no mistake: This is a witch hunt. Public libraries have long-standing procedures in place to evaluate books to ensure literary or educational merit. Not all books will be right for all children but to ban a book from a public library is to take away that choice from every family in that community. That is undemocratic. While the idea of imprisoning librarians for refusing to ban books has become normalized, that doesnt make it normal. It is just as extreme an idea as it ever was. And the damage these laws cause is real. They are scaring off talented librarians, narrowing literary access for young Americans, and imposing ideological constraints on what children can read. As books, libraries and librarians are under increasing attack, we should remember that the fact that the just because book banners have become louder, that does not make them right. James Tager is research director at PEN America, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that defends writers, artists and journalists and protects free expression worldwide. MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) Full-time and part-time employees with the Mobile County Public School System will receive a bonus this week, according to a message to employees from Superintendent Chresal D. Threadgill. Full-time MCPSS employees will receive a $2,200 bonus that will be processed this week, and part-time employees will get $800. Its disturbing: Local political figures react to apparent assassination attempt of Former President Threadgills message to school system employees also said substitutes who worked at least 30 days last year will get an $800 bonus. Those who worked less than 30 days will earn a prorated amount. Therefore, in gratitude of your continued dedication and commitment to our district, I would like to show my sincere appreciation for a great start to the year, which I know will only continue to produce marvelous results for the remainder of the year, Threadgill said. To show this appreciation, all full-time, active employees of MCPSS will receive a $2,200 bonus that will be processed this week. Additionally, part-time employees will receive a $800 bonus. Also, substitutes who worked a minimum of 30 days last year will receive a $800 bonus and those who worked less than 30 days will receive a prorated amount. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Its Monday and were already starting the week with partly cloudy skies. Warm temperatures will linger but scattered showers are expected. Well wake up with mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies going into the afternoon at 91-degrees with winds 5 to 10 mph south. Although were forecasting 95-degrees by 3 p.m., clouds will begin to increase in the evening with scattered thundershowers starting around 6 p.m. While a 30 percent chance of rain is on our radar tonight, winds will stay light. Temperatures will remain above normal. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) The persistent area of low pressure that was once tropical cyclone Francine will spill into the ArkLaTex today bringing isolated to scattered afternoon showers in Arkansas and Louisiana. The rain will not amount to much, but the clouds will keep our temperatures below average for the next day or two. Well be dry and partly to mostly cloudy at sunrise with temperatures in the 60s and low 70s. The mix of clouds and sunshine will keep our temperatures in the 70s most of the morning with highs in the low to mid 80s this afternoon. The warmest temperatures will be in east Texas where the chance of rain will be slightly lower. Futurecast outlook for the next 36 hours Francine remnants will be moving southeast out of Arkansas, so areas closer to the low in southwest Arkansas and northwest Louisiana will have a higher chance of tapping into these mainly afternoon and evening showers. An isolated thunderstorm cant be ruled out. Rainfall accumulations will likely be less than a tenth of an inch. A lingering shower cant be ruled out Tuesday, but the chance of rain will drop off quickly for the remainder of the week as high pressure centers itself over the region, bringing more sun, warm air, and humidity. Highs will settle into the low to mid-90s Wednesday, and remain there through the weekend. A front will likely stall west of the ArkLaTex over the weekend, but we may be close enough to see a few spotty showers or storms Sunday into early next week. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com. A grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. (Photo by Frank van Manen / USGS / Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 / Unedited) Montana plans to manage for a sustained grizzly bear population regardless of whether the animals Endangered Species Act protections are taken away in two Montana ecosystems where there are currently close to 1,000 grizzlies, but plans to continue addressing conflicts between the bears, humans and livestock, according to the final environmental impact statement for grizzly management released by the state last week. The release of the finalized environmental assessment comes after years of work by the agency, Montana governors and the legislature to develop and amend grizzly bear management plans, the first of which was written for western Montana in 2006. A plan for southwest Montana was published in 2013, and Gov. Steve Bullock created a Grizzly Bear Conservation and Management Advisory Council in 2019 that came up with recommendations, which then led to FWP publishing the initial draft EIS in December 2022, two public comment periods, and now the final version. The 224-page document outlines how Montana plans to keep populations of grizzlies in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem near their current levels depending on whether they are delisted there a decision that will come from the federal government by the end of January and how it hopes to manage the species across the 30 counties in western and southern Montana where grizzlies are known to live or expected to soon expand into, which also contain about 89% of the states population. Weve been intentionally very thorough in our process and review of the impacts to the human environment of statewide grizzly bear management, FWP Director Dustin Temple said in a statement. This is a crucial process step that yet again shows the state and FWP are ready to take over grizzly bear management ensuring the future viability of grizzlies in Montana. Conservation and grizzly bear advocacy groups, which have throughout the public comment process opposed Montanas efforts to eventually allow the bears to be hunted if they are delisted in the GYE and NCDE, maintain that the final EIS continues to threaten the recovery of the species and that Montana is not prepared to handle the responsibility of managing grizzlies. The states EIS for the final grizzly bear management plan is yet another demonstration that the state absolutely cannot be trusted to manage for grizzly bears, Lizzy Pennock, the carnivore coexistence attorney for WildEarth Guardians, said in a statement. Plan would manage for long-term grizzly presence in Montana FWP looked at two alternatives under the environmental impact statement. The first was an alternative in which the agency took no different actions than it currently follows, while the second, the preferred alternative, incorporates the draft proposal and a survey about Montanans attitudes toward grizzly bears, administrative rule changes put in place over the past year, and comments that critiqued the original proposal. Gov. Greg Gianforte declares that Montana is ready for grizzly bears to be delisted in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem at a news conference on Aug. 5, 2024. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan) The final EIS says the plan would continue to ensure their long-term presence in Montana, calls grizzly bears an important symbol of the state and part of its cultural heritage, and recognizes grizzlies are among the most difficult species to have in our midst. FWP views grizzly bears as both conservation-reliant and conflict-prone, and embraces the challenges of ensuring the species healthy future, while ensuring the safety of people and their property, the final assessment says. As it supports a thriving grizzly bear population, FWP expects to continue its internationally recognized conflict prevention and response program and fully expects the removal of some animals will be necessary in the implementation of this plan. There are currently an estimated 1,000+ grizzlies in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, around 900 in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, a few dozen in the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem, and none or only a handful in the Bitterroot Ecosystem. Grizzlies have also been spotted in more isolated regions of Montana, including the Missouri River Breaks and Pryor Mountains, in recent years. The final EIS said the plan would seek to keep GYE and NCDE populations close to their current levels but that FWP would not actively manage for grizzly bear presence between core areas. The plan says decisions about grizzlies outside of the existing designated management areas would be based on whether the bear would be likely to contribute to the long-term connectivity of the species between populations. If that likelihood is low, the agency would seek to relocate or remove bears that would not likely contribute to interconnectivity between species. Earlier this year, FWP and the Gianforte administration translocated two bears from northwestern Montana to the Yellowstone National Park area, declaring that showed the state was ready to take over grizzly management from the federal government. The legislature and fish and wildlife commission spent the past two years developing laws and rules for how the state could manage grizzlies if they are delisted. The final plan found that establishing a statewide minimum or maximum number of bears would not be useful. But the plan does show that the state, in the event grizzlies are delisted in the NCDE and GYE, would try to keep the minimum population in those two ecosystems around several hundred bears, with a threshold of 800 bears. The document says any future hunting of grizzly bears in those two ecosystems would stop if there was a 90% probability that the grizzly population in either ecosystem was to fall below 800. Achieving this level of probability translates to about 1,000 bears, at least, in the NCDE DMA, the assessment says. Management goals include conflict prevention, possible hunting In the NCDE, the plan would require sows with cubs to be present in at least 21 of 23 bear management units and six of seven occupancy units for six consecutive years. In the GYE, the plan would require at least 16 bear management units be occupied at least one of every six years, and no adjacent bear management areas to go unoccupied in a six-year period. A photo board at a news conference shows FWP biologists moving a bear that would be translocated to Wyoming from northwest Montana. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan) The plan aims to create genetic connectivity between populations by translocating three-to-six bears per generation in the GYE and trying to cut down on attractants from humans that can cause bears to be killed when they no longer fear humans. The plan says FWP and the Fish and Wildlife Commission do not envision a future where there are cornerstone grizzly populations in eastern or central Montana, but that individual animals in areas more isolated from typical grizzly habitat would be accepted to the degree they remain conflict-free and could also be subject to future hunting plans. Outside of connectivity areas, the plan says FWP would have lower tolerance for grizzly bears involved in conflicts. As stated previously, the final plan would allow FWP to implement a hunting season for grizzlies in the event they are delisted in parts of Montana, but would not begin until at least five years after they are delisted. However, the Fish and Wildlife Commission and legislature could change those dates if they choose. The plan would also allow livestock owners to kill a delisted grizzly if the bear was attacking or killing livestock, and FWP would be allowed to grant a permit to a landowner if a grizzly was threatening livestock. Any of those bears killed would count toward quotas and mortality limits. Should grizzly territory continue to expand in the next decade or so, the plan would have FWP add staff in those new grizzly-inhabited areas to try to find ways to minimize conflict with humans and livestock and to be sure connectivity opportunities remain. The focus on hunting grizzlies in the event they are delisted in the GYE or NCDE, which the Gianforte administration has been pressing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to do, is what the conservation groups like WildEarth Guardians have been mostly staunchly opposed to. They believe the state is already focused on killing too many wolves after they were delisted and turned over to state management, and believe the administration will focus on killing bears to the extent they remain a threatened species and do not continue to recover. While Montanas struggling grizzly bear population is fighting for survival, the states management plan will sanction a trophy hunting season for grizzlies as a management tool if the bear loses federal protections, Pennock, with WildEarth Guardians, said in a statement. That the state is already planning for a trophy hunt shows what they are really after in their push for delisting the bears: more dead carnivores. The plan says that hunting is not likely to be an effective tool for conflict prevention or reduction. But it also says that if grizzlies are delisted in any parts of Montana and the Fish and Wildlife Commission approves a hunting season, hunting could be used to limit grizzly expansion into central and eastern Montana but limited in areas ripe for connectivity between populations. feisclean-format_final The Great Seal of the State of Montana in the Supreme Court (Photo by Eric Seidle/ For the Daily Montanan). Nearly 20 court cases from outside Montana recognize executive privilege, a right for the governor to guard certain pieces of information as confidential, and Montana needs to do the same, argued a lawyer for the state last week to the Montana Supreme Court. Right now, the governor hears robust, unfiltered and sometimes harsh criticisms about proposed legislation, and his staff shouldnt have to worry about retaliation if those criticisms become public, said Dale Schowengerdt, on behalf of Gov. Greg Gianforte. That is ultimately to the publics detriment because it impedes the governors ability to make the best decision possible on whether to sign or veto a bill, said Schowengerdt, of Landmark Law. But take one step back and look at the right of the people in the Montana Constitution, argued Constance Van Kley, on behalf of a plaintiff and political consultant seeking those records. Transparency and open government are the status quo in Montana, said Van Kley, of Upper Seven Law. And its against this backdrop that we should see the governors request for what it is. It is a novel request to create a broad, never-before-recognized exception to our fundamental constitutional right to know. In Missoula on Friday, the Montana Supreme Court heard arguments in Jayson ONeill v. Gianforte. In the lawsuit, ONeill is fighting to see agency bill monitoring forms, which track bills and apparently contain staff advice about how the governor should treat proposed legislation. But the governors office argues his executive privilege means he can withhold them. In 2022, a Lewis and Clark County District Court judge said Montana doesnt recognize any form of executive privilege, and she ordered the governor to turn over the records to the court for private review and possible release to the public. The governor, however, appealed the decision, and in oral arguments on Friday, the Montana Supreme Court justices mulled whether a place exists in Montana for some form of executive privilege. If it does, how far does such a privilege go? What else would it cover? Would legislative legal notes that review proposed bills, and are currently public, end up secret too? On the other hand, if there isnt a place in Montana for such a privilege, how can the state protect the executives decision-making process, as other jurisdictions outside the state have done? Schowengerdt argued the governor respects the publics right to know, having worked with the legislature on a bill that streamlines records requests. But he said small exceptions are needed for candid bill vetting which is in the best interest of the public. Van Kley, however, said the delegates to Montanas 1972 Constitutional Convention believed government needs to be responsible to the people it represents and protect the public trust. This can only occur when the activities of government are visible, Van Kley said. Justices quiz state lawyer on executive privilege At a hearing hosted by the University of Montana law school at the Wilma Theatre, the justices pressed both lawyers about whether an executive privilege was appropriate, and if it was, how it would fit into Montanas legal landscape. Schowengerdt said the delegates wanted to build a stronger executive, the decision to sign or veto legislation is one of the most important functions of that office, and every executive since George Washington has claimed some form of executive privilege. In U.S. v. Nixon, he said, the U.S. Supreme Court found such a privilege is fundamental to the average government. In that case, the justices found the president cant withhold records in a criminal prosecution, but executive privilege is valid in some circumstances. Montana Supreme Court Justice Ingrid Gustafson, however, wanted to know how far such a privilege would go if Montana accepts that idea. Would it apply only to records related to pre-decisional deliberations, such as those forms? And what would the process be for deciding whether the privilege applies? Schowengerdt said the privilege could extend to other pre-decisional deliberations, but he said in this case, the governor was making only a limited request. However you slice it, its narrow, he said. Justice Beth Baker, though, said some of the cases he cited protected the governors schedule: Would that be the case in Montana? Schowengerdt said he didnt know. (In a separate records request, ONeill asked for and received copies of the governors calendar, but with the vast majority of the entries redacted.) District Court Judge Leslie Halligan, sitting in for Chief Justice Mike McGrath who was out for a health concern, wanted to know what happens after a decision is made. Are the forms open to the public then? Schowengerdt said no, or the same chilling effect from frank feedback would occur. But he also said a process has been laid out, and some records could be subject to an in camera review, or a private review and possible release by the court, but the governor has the burden to assert the scope of the privilege. Halligan, though, also said in the Nixon case, the fight was between two branches of government, and in this case, it involves the strong provision of the publics right to know in the Montana Constitution. As such, the justices wanted to know how Schowengerdt suggested executive privilege would work regarding the actual subject matter. For one thing, he said, the ultimate decision the governor makes is known to everyone, and the protection itself is just for the internal devils advocacy. Its for the staff so that (the governor) receives that unfiltered information, Schowengerdt said. Is it an absolute position? Although Schowengerdt said executive privilege is common and the governor in Montana needs just a small amount of protection, Van Kley argued the court shouldnt open that door at all. But Justice Dirk Sandefur pressed Van Kley on the idea that executive privilege shouldnt be recognized. Van Kley said she agreed some records may be outside the scope of the constitutionally protected right to know, and Sandefur wanted to know how she would define them. For starters, she said, those with significant privacy interests. Additionally, she said, the examples used by delegates, such as documents related to property purchases prior to a deal, because disclosing them would interfere with the ability of the government to get a good price. But she said those exceptions arent similar to the case at hand. Executive privilege is fundamentally different from that, Van Kley said. The privilege has no limiting principle, she said; in this case, the governor simply said, no and didnt provide even a blank version of the form her client requested. She also stressed that the governors argument that other jurisdictions have used the privilege omits an important factor: Not one of those shares our constitutional right to know. Sandefur, however, said the court first needs to decide whether it will recognize executive privilege, and then if so, figure out how it would apply to the specific documents in question. Justice Jim Rice raised a question about practice on the ground. He said even though the cases outside Montana all apply different laws, they all stand for the factual reality the governor needs to be able to receive confidential information to make decisions only he can make. So how does Montana law accommodate what appears to be an undisputed factual reality about how the executive has to operate? Rice asked. In other cases, Van Kley said, the fights involve separation of powers, where one branch is fighting with another, but thats not true in this case. Here, she said, the calculus is different because the public has a constitutionally protected right to know, and its typically self executed, except the governor denied information in this case. In that context, she said, executive privilege doesnt hold up in Montana. Justice Beth Baker, however, wanted to know why there would be room to protect judicial deliberations but treat executive deliberations differently. Van Kley said for one thing, the protection for the judiciary is narrow, but the governor wants a much broader protection. She also said transcripts from the constitutional convention show a privilege for judicial deliberations is ingrained in the states legal landscape, but thats not the case for executive privilege. Van Kley said Montanans have a right to observe public bodies deliberate, and the argument that someone might say things differently in public isnt strong enough to keep records private: Our constitution expects the people of Montana can understand that decision-making is sometimes difficult, that it is messy. There is no need for secrecy. Sandefur, however, questioned whether the governor himself is a public body as opposed to a constitutional officer, and Justice Jim Shea said the state already has recognized many exceptions to the right to know besides privacy, including attorney-client privilege, work product privilege, and others. (Shea also said since Nixon wasnt decided until 1974, its fair to say executive privilege wasnt on the radar of the delegates in 1972.) Van Kley, though, said just as the delegates were looking at building a stronger executive branch, they were also concerned about the consolidation of power: And the answer to that is accountability and transparency. Sandefur said he understood her position was that executive privilege wasnt supported in Montana, but if the court found there was at least some need for it, he asked how would she sketch out the parameters. Van Kley said the governor would bear the burden every time of demonstrating the need in connection with a specific task: I think that at this point, the governor has failed to meet his burden. Disclosure: Upper Seven is representing the Daily Montanan in a separate public records matter. Attorney General Austin Knudsen. (Provided by the Montana Attorney General's Office for the Daily Montanan.) Before taking office, every elected official in Montana must take an oath to protect and defend the Montana Constitution. For Attorney General Austin Knudsen, that oath should have included a promise to also read the Montana Constitution. Montanas supposed chief law enforcement officer apparently is unaware of the Constitutions guarantee of press freedom and the publics right to know. He is attempting to censor a Montana news organization by demanding the Daily Montanan, an online publication, stop making available to the public a report revealing a significant portion of Montana Highway Patrol employees are fed up with his inane leadership. And hes threatening to use the power of his office to take legal action if the Daily Montanan doesnt obey. Knudsen claims the report, containing the results of a survey of Highway Patrol staffers, violates the privacy of those employees. That is untrue. The report contains no information that can identify and therefore violate the privacy of any employees. The fact is the report makes Knudsen look bad and hes embarrassed, so he wants to prevent as many Montanans as possible from reading the document and learning that hes lost the confidence and support of many in a key agency in his Justice Department. Hes throwing a tantrum, lashing out the messenger rather than focusing on doing something to address the problems identified in the report. If you want details, you can read and download the report at https://dailymontanan.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MHP-full-report-small.pdf The Daily Montanan, of course, has told Knudsen to blow it out his ear. Good for them. They have the Constitution on their side. And so do Montana citizens who have a right to know that one of their statewide elected officials has major problems within his department. After all, nearly $45,000 of their tax dollars paid for the report. This isnt the first time Knudsen has overstepped. It was Knudsen in October 2021 who sent a Highway Patrol officer to a Helena hospital to interfere with the treatment of COVID patient. In essence, he ordered a traffic cop to get involved in a health care matter. He twice overruled county attorneys in 2021, demanding one throw out gun-related charges against a man accused of assaulting a restaurant worker over a face mask requirement and ordering another to toss a case against a bar that ignored a county order to close early to slow the spread of COVID. In May of this year, Knudsen admitted skirting campaign finance laws by recruiting another Republican to run against him as a token primary election candidate so he could raise more money for the general election. He said he did it because the states campaign laws are ridiculous. This from the very man charged with enforcing those laws. A tin god is defined as a pompous, petty and self-important person. Despite his unconstitutional view of press freedom, Knudsen and his tin throne will find that the Montana news organizations wont bow before his arrogance and bullying. The U.S. Supreme Court. Getty Images photo. A group of Montgomery County parents has asked the Supreme Court to review the school systems refusal to let them opt their children out of classes that use LGBTQ+ books in lower elementary school grades. The petition, filed last week, claims the school systems refusal to let parents opt their children out of the classes infringes on their religious liberty rights by exposing the children to gender and sexuality norms that contradict their religious beliefs. The policy gives parents who include Muslim, Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox families no protection against forced participation in ideological instruction by government schools, as their petition claims. A Montgomery County school spokesman said the system was aware of the Supreme Court appeal and was reviewing it, but that the system would not comment on ongoing litigation. The appeal is the latest twist in a case that began two years ago, when the schools unveiled a list of LGBTQ+-inclusive texts for use in the classroom. Those included books to be used in lower grades, including one for use in kindergarten and pre-K classrooms. The books were introduced in the 2022-23 school year and are not part of a mandatory reading list for the classrooms but can be used by teachers in classroom instruction. At issue are seven books in the lower grades, which include titles such as My Rainbow, which tells the story of a mother who creates a rainbow-colored wig for her transgender child; Uncle Bobbys Wedding, about a girl worried she will lose time with her soon-to-be-married uncle, until his boyfriend befriends her and gains her trust; and Pride Puppy, about a puppy lost at a Pride parade, which uses each letter of the alphabet to describe the people it might have met there. The last book, for kindergarten and pre-K, invites students to search for drag kings and queens, lip rings, leather and underwear, among other items, according to court documents. In court documents, a school system official said the books were not planned to be part of explicit instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in elementary school, and that no student or adult is asked to change how they feel about these issues. Instead, the official said, teachers were expected to make the books available in the classroom, recommend them as appropriate for particular students or offer them as an option for literature circles, book clubs, or paired reading groups; or to use them as a read aloud in class. Parents who objected to the use of the books were originally allowed to opt their children out of lessons that included the books. But the school system in March 2023 announced that opt-outs would no longer be allowed, beginning in the 2023-24 school year. It said parents can opt students out of parts of sex education, but not other parts of the curriculum, like language arts. That sparked a lawsuit by a group of parents who objected on religious and secular grounds. They said they were not trying to ban the use of the books in Montgomery County schools but argued that, with no opt-out requirement, they were being forced to expose their children to ideas that conflicted with their firmly held religious beliefs. So far, the underlying elements of the case have not been heard, merely the parents request for a preliminary injunction of the school systems opt-out policy, which the parents have repeatedly lost. A federal district judge in August 2023 denied the parents request for a preliminary injunction and a divided panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that ruling in May, writing that the parents had not met the high burden of showing that they were likely to win on their claim that the lack of an opt-out policy was actually coercing them to abandon part of their faith. The majority opinion, written by Circuit Judge G. Steven Agee, said that because the record in preliminary injunction hearings was extremely sparse, the parents had not been able to connect the requisite dots to show that a burden on their First Amendment rights existed. While the parents had shown that the books could be used in ways that would confuse or mislead children and, in particular, that discussions relating to their contents could be used to indoctrinate their children into espousing views that are contrary to their religious faith. none of that is verified by the limited record that is before us, Agee wrote. Should the Parents in this case or other plaintiffs in other challenges to the Storybooks use come forward with proof that a teacher or school administrator is using the Storybooks in a manner that directly or indirectly coerces children into changing their religious views or practices, then the analysis would shift in light of that record, Agee wrote. The fact that parents might feel forced to forgo a public school education and pay for private school was not sufficiently coercive to be a burden on the parents First Amendment rights, based on the record so far, he wrote. In a dissent, Circuit Judge A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. said parents had met their burden for a preliminary injunction while the case was heard. Both sides of the issue advance passionate arguments. Some insist diversity and inclusion should be prioritized over the religious rights of parents and children. Others argue the opposite, Quattlebaum wrote. But the parents have made the case for an injunction of the opt-out policy for now, he wrote. The parents have shown the boards decision to deny religious opt-outs burdened these parents right to exercise their religion and direct the religious upbringing of their children by putting them to the choice of either compromising their religious beliefs or foregoing a public education for their children, Quattlebaum wrote. I would enjoin the Montgomery County School Board of Education from denying religious opt-outs for instruction to K-5 children involving the texts. MONTOURSVILLE, LYCOMING COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) The Pennsylvania State Police Montoursville will host a free license plate return event to replace peeling or unreadable plates. State Police and Representative Hamms office will host the event on October 10, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the PSP Montoursville barracks at 899 Cherry St. Montoursville, PA. According to a release, license plates that are unreadable or peeling will be replaced for free. All paperwork will be done and mailed at the event at no charge. Annual Lebanese Heritage Festival kicked off in Scranton Police say the damaged license plates must be attached to the vehicle to be replaced, and attendees must have their current registration card and an unexpired Pennsylvania drivers license to get the plates replaced. For more information on the Pennsylvania State Police, visit www.psp.pa.gov. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com. Dr. Jennifer Smith, an OB-GYN in St. Louis, was among 800 Missouri medical professionals who signed a letter in support of Amendment 3, which would legalize abortion up to the point of fetal viability (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). Dr. Betsy Wickstrom says shes still lacking clarity on what constitutes a medical emergency under Missouris abortion ban, despite the law having been in place for more than two years. In Missouri, health care providers who perform abortions not deemed necessary emergencies can be charged with a class B felony, which means up to 15 years in prison. Their medical license can also be suspended or revoked. So Wickstrom, a high-risk obstetrician in Kansas City more than three decades into her career, must first consult a team of lawyers. When we have something that looks like its skirting the line and theres a flicker of a heartbeat, but someone is desperately ill, sure I can call up the attorney, she told reporters Monday. But theyre not going to put the hospitals licensure on the line. Theyre going to say you know, good thing you live next to Kansas. Dr. Jennifer Smith, an OB-GYN in St. Louis, agreed. I dont think that many hospitals feel comfortable testing this law because the government hasnt provided us any clarity on it, Smith said. Wickstrom and Smith are among more than 500 physicians and more than 300 other medical professionals who signed a letter in support of Amendment 3. If approved by a majority of Missourians on Nov. 5, the amendment would overturn Missouris near-total abortion ban and legalize the procedure up until the point of fetal viability. Missouri became the first state to enact a trigger law banning abortion except for cases of medical emergencies following the fall of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. There are no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest. As a result, Missourians are being denied abortions and forced to continue life-threatening pregnancies, risking their health and lives, the medical professionals wrote in a letter through the Committee to Protect Health Care. Doctors cant treat patients with heartbreaking pregnancy complications until they are on the brink of death. Otherwise, they could be put in jail. The situation in Missouri leaves pregnant patients with few options, the group of physicians contend. It forces many to leave the state to receive care, the letter continues, while others are forced to carry a pregnancy against their will. No one should ever have their health deteriorate or need to flee to receive care, nor should anyone have to carry a pregnancy against their will. Between June 2022 and March 2024, 64 abortions were performed in Missouri under the states emergency exemption, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Wickstrom said she often has difficult conversations with women about growing their families conversations made more difficult by the ban. She has patients diagnosed with cancer who were advised not to start chemotherapy while pregnant. And she has patients with heart disease who might not survive another pregnancy. But can I do anything about that in Missouri? Wickstrom said. No. These are people that have to find their way out of the state to get life-saving care. Smith, who has been an OB-GYN in eastern Missouri for more than 20 years, said the questions shes hearing from patients now are unlike any shes heard in the past. People are very hesitant to start their families and expand their families in this environment, she said. In the past two years Smith said shes had men ask her to promise to save their partner before their baby if something were to go wrong during a wanted pregnancy. Patients planning their families face similar fears. Do you think that its safe to be pregnant here? What if I have an ectopic? What if I have a miscarriage? Smith said she hears often from patients. What if somethings wrong with the pregnancy? What if somethings wrong with me? Russia has called on the United Nations and the Red Cross to reject an invitation from Kiev to participate in an inspection of areas in Russia's Kursk region, some of which are partially controlled by Ukrainian troops. "We expect that such provocative statements will not be accepted by the addressees. This is a pure provocation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said on Monday in Moscow. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry had earlier stated that Ukraine's forces were observing the rights of the people in the occupied zone and doing all in their power to protect the civilian population from the effects of combat. Ukraine was asking for UN assistance in providing humanitarian aid, it said. It called on the Red Cross to join the mission in a letter published on the Foreign Ministry website. By Latifeh Abdellatif GAZA (Reuters) - In August 2023, Hanan al-Bayouk travelled from Gaza to Israeli-occupied Arab East Jerusalem for a high-risk birth. Her triplets, born prematurely and underweight, are doing well, but she had to leave them shortly after they were born and does not know when she will be able to hold them again. Israel's restrictions on the movement of Palestinians meant 26-year-old al-Bayouk returned to Gaza while her babies were still in intensive care for fear of falling foul of the law. By the time they were ready to go home, war had broken out and she got stuck, with video calls her only way of keeping in touch. Her daughters Najwa, Nour and Najmah, are being cared for at the Al-Makassed hospital, where there are colourful drawings on the walls, toys, and baby walkers for them to scoot around in. It is worlds away from conditions for children in Gaza, which has been blockaded and pounded by Israeli forces since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7. In March, the U.N. children's agency said over 13,000 children had been killed in the Gaza conflict, adding that many kids were suffering from severe malnutrition and did not "even have the energy to cry." The triplets are developing normally, said Dr. Hatem Khammash, director of neonatal intensive care at the hospital. "Good mental development, also their breathing is good," he said. "The only thing that makes us sad, is that they are far away from their mother." Doctors and nurses communicate with Hanan via Whatsapp if the family is lucky enough to get internet in Gaza. Communications have been hammered by the war, which was triggered when Hamas militants crossed from Gaza into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking back more than 250 hostages. Israel's subsequent military offensive has killed more than 41,206 Palestinians, wounded 95,337 and flattened many parts of the densely populated strip. Internationally mediated ceasefire negotiations have shown little sign of a breakthrough. In the meantime, staff at the Al-Makassed hospital, repeat "Mama", "Mama" to encourage the girls to focus on their mother's small image on the phone as they reach out to grab the screen. (Additional reporting by Roleen Tafakji; writing by Michael Georgy; editing by Philippa Fletcher) LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) Emma Huver, 26, was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. In April, Huver pled guilty to charges related to the death of King Muhammad, her two-year-old toddler, at a Lansing gas station. Todays sentencing brings us closer to securing a measure of justice for this senseless loss of life. The tragic death of this two-year-old boy, due to the accidental discharge of a gun that wasnt properly stored, could have been prevented, said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. Booking photograph of Emma Huver. (Ingham County) We must keep guns out of the hands of those who cannot legally possess them and do everything we can in our fight against the gun violence epidemic that is now the number one cause of death for our youngest, ages 0-19, said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. Man enters guilty plea in death of toddler Huver entered a guilty plea on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. As part of the deal, she was required to admit she had a purple 9-millimeter Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol in her car on October 24, 2023, reports the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan in a news release. Also charged are Avis Coward, 44, and Gina Schieberl, 27. Both were charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence and evidence tampering. Coward was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Avis Damone Coward, 44, from Lansing, is the man being charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. (Images: US Attorneys Office of Western Michigan) Coward has already pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. In June Gina Schieberl pleaded guilty to conspiring with Coward to tamper with evidence, according to the United States Attorneys Office Western District of Michigan. In addition to hiding the guns, Schieberl also admitted that she moved the vehicle in which the child was shot, to prevent police from finding the vehicle and examining it for evidence. Police later found the vehicle, but it had been set on fire and was badly damaged. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News. LINCOLN PARK, Mich. (WOOD) A Michigan State Police trooper has died days after a crash on a highway near Detroit Friday morning, MSP confirmed. Around 8:30 a.m., Motor Carrier Officer Daniel Kerstetter with the Commercial Enforcement Division was stopped on the side of northbound I-75 near Dix Highway in Lincoln Park during a traffic stop. He had pulled a semi-truck over and was sitting in his cruiser with his seat belt on when a Ford Explorer hit the median wall and eventually hit Kerstetters vehicle. The force of the crash pushed the MSP cruiser into the back of the semi-truck. First responders extracted Kerstetter from his cruiser using the Jaws of Life and both he and the driver of the Ford were taken to the hospital. The driver of the Ford was pronounced dead. Kerstetter was placed on life support but later died, MSP said. His family decided to donate his organs. Kerstetter, 45, joined the MSP Motor Carrier Officers in 2023 and was assigned to the Metro North Post. He was married and leaves behind three children, according to MSP. We are heartbroken for this loss, said Col. James F. Grady II, director of the MSP. Traffic enforcement is dangerous work. The dedication of our motor carrier officers and troopers to keeping the public safe on our roadways is commendable and honorable. With the decision to give the gift of life, even in his death, MC Officer Kerstetter is serving others. In a Monday statement posted to social media, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called Kerstetters death heartbreaking. Michigan is grateful to MC Officer Kerstetter for keeping our families safe during his career. My heart goes out to his family, friends, and MSP colleagues during this difficult time, she wrote. Motor carrier officers enforce traffic safety laws like size and weight enforcement and hazardous material regulations for commercial vehicles, MSP said. The crash is being investigated, according to MSP. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) An annual grant has helped one college at Midwestern State University obtain new equipment. Organic Chemistry research student and teaching assistant Glenna Linthicum prepares a sample for analysis in the NMR spectrometer. Photo courtesy of MSU The Department of Chemistry in the McCoy College of Science, Mathematics & Engineering received a $75,000 grant from the Welch Foundation to help purchase a 100 megahertz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. D.A. files bond motion after reported suicide attempt by Anthony Kienlen This piece of equipment is essential to the colleges accreditation with the American Chemical Society. The new NMR will be housed in the instrument room of the newly remodeled Bolin Hall. According to Chemistry Department Chair Chris Hansen, the NMR effectively does the same thing for organic compounds as magnetic resonance imaging does for a body. Second-semester organic chemistry students mainly use it, and it can be used to determine the molecular structure of a sample at an atomic level. The NMR cost approximately $150,000 new. Alcon, the eye care company, donated equipment for the department to use or sell, which, coupled with the trading in of the previous NMR, made up for the cost difference. The Colleges previous NMR was only 60 MHz, and while Hansen said it served the department well, the resolution could not compete with that of a higher MHz. Our Lady of Guadalupe hosts Fiestas Patrias celebrations Hanson credits former storeroom manager Nate Blank and Manager of Chemical Safety Raelene Keesling for their work with the used Alcon equipment. Its fortuitous for us that we received this, Hansen said. Its good timing with our remodel. This grant has previously gone toward student scholarships, supplies, faculty research travel, and summer pay. Along with the new NMR, the department was able to purchase a new UV spectrometer and use some of the donated Alcon equipment in its labs. Professor of Chemistry Jianguo Shao, Associate Professor of Chemistry Fu Cheng Liang, and Instructor Elizabeth Machunis-Masuoka worked with Hansen to obtain this grant. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily 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 Texomashomepage.com. How much will Hurricane Francine cost in Louisiana as homeowners, businesses assess damage? Hurricane Francine's damage could add up to $1.5 billion in insured losses in Louisiana, according to an early estimate, adding further stress to the state's already fragile property insurance market. The $1.5 billion estimate comes from catastrophe risk modeller CoreLogic. AM Best, an insurance rating agency, said if the estimate is accurate "losses will likely be manageable in aggregate" for the industry, but warned "there could be pockets of concentrations" that create concern. Hurricane Francine made landfall Sept. 11 as a Category 2 storm in what's known as bayou country. CoreLogics insured loss estimate includes damage to buildings, contents and business interruption for residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural property but doesn't include rain-induced inland flooding or losses to the National Flood Insurance Program. Louisiana's property insurance market was thrown into crisis following a rash of devastating hurricanes in 2020 and 2021, threatening affordability and accessibility to home ownership. Hurricanes Laura and Ida alone generated a combined 800,000 Louisiana insurance claims totaling $25 billion ($14 billion from Ida), causing at least eight insurance companies to fail and other companies to stop writing new business below Interstate 10. Ida was one of the most expensive storms in Louisiana history with an overall economic impact $75 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Francine's impacts occurred in a similar strike zone. Last week AccuWeathers preliminary estimate of the total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Francine in the United States was $9 billion. AccuWeathers said its estimate largely accounts for damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure, facilities, roadways and vehicles as well as power outages, which results in food spoilage and interruption to medical care. More: Hurricane Francine leaves Louisiana bruised, but no storm deaths reported Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1 This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Will Hurricane Francine escalate Louisiana property insurance crisis? (WFRV) School administrators in Sheboygan County say a number of students are injured following a school bus crash Monday morning. According to a social media post from the Random Lake School District, Bus 17 was involved in an incident resulting in multiple students being injured and needing medical attention. Wisconsin State Patrol: Are your children in the right seat? School officials say that all the families of the students involved in the incident have been contacted and any remaining students on the bus are being picked up by their parents. Anyone who is concerned about their child at school is asked to contact the school office. School counselors are said to be available to support families and students As of now, no other information on this incident is available. Local Five will update this story as more details are released. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. Harry was fatally stabbed in the neck on New Year's Eve in 2023 [PA Media] A teenager accused of murdering a 16-year-old boy by stabbing him in the neck during a New Year's Eve fireworks night on Londons Primrose Hill has told a court he thought the victim might "stab" him. Harry Pitman was in a crowd gathered to watch the fireworks display over the River Thames from the north London location, when he was fatally injured shortly before midnight on 31 December. The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, denies murder and possessing an offensive weapon. He told the Old Bailey he only intended to hit Harry with a sheath that contained a knife, in order to defend himself. Giving evidence in his defence, the defendant said he had seen Harry and his friends being "rowdy" earlier that evening as if they were drunk, and that Harry was a "bit full of himself". He added he himself had been standing away from his group of his friends when he heard his sister shouting and thought she was "in trouble", so ran into the situation not knowing what was going on. "I thought I would show the handle of my knife to the group to get them to go away," he told the court. Harry had then come towards him, he said, and he screamed at him to move away, but Harry had sworn at him and hit him with a right hook that connected with his face, the court was told. The defendant told the court he obtained a knife from a friend about three weeks before the incident on Primrose Hill [PA Media] The jury was shown a video of the event filmed by a witness, which showed the defendant with his right hand out. Asked by his counsel what he was doing, the boy said: "I am showing the handle of the knife." The teenager's barrister, David Bentley KC, described how the sheath that covered the knife could be seen in a video flying through the air, before Harry suffered the fatal blow. Mr Bentley asked: "Were you wanting to stab him with the knife?" "No," the defendant replied. Mr Bentley continued by asking if the boy knew "how the sheath came off", to which he responded "no". "Did you take it off in order to stab him?" Mr Bentley asked, and the boy said "no". 'He was attacking me' The defendant also denied intending to stab Harry with the knife, or intending to cause him really serious harm or to kill him. The boy told jurors he thought the sheath was still on the knife at the time of the incident. "When you last saw the knife was it in the sheath or out of the sheath?" asked Mr Bentley. "In the sheath," the boy replied. "Why was it necessary to strike out at him even with the knife with the sheath on?" "I think I just wanted him to get away from me because he was attacking me," the defendant said. "What did you think would happen if you didn't get him away from you?" "He might stab me," the defendant replied. 'Paranoid' The defendant, who was studying at college at the time of the incident and has no previous convictions, told the court he obtained a kitchen knife from a friend about three weeks before the incident on Primrose Hill. Asked why he got a knife, the defendant said he was "scared" because "a lot of people were getting hurt around the area". "I was paranoid going out - it was to protect myself," he said. Jurors heard he had witnessed a number of incidents involving knives; including seeing his brother being stabbed when he was aged five or six, witnessing a friend being threatened with a knife, and seeing a boy needing medical treatment after being stabbed. One of his friends had also been stabbed to death outside a college in June last year, he said. The boy also told the court his mental health had suffered as a result and he had started "seeing things and hearing things" and feeling people were going to "hurt" him. The trial continues. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk Rupert Murdoch, 93, is in the eye of a legal storm as several of his children seek to block him changing the terms of a family trust (Leon NEAL) (Leon NEAL/AFP/AFP) A US tribunal began picking over the bitter spat between media magnate Rupert Murdoch and his children Monday in a case that could determine the fate of his empire, including the influential right-wing Fox News. The hearings in Nevada are playing out behind closed doors despite a bid by an alliance of media outlets, including the New York Times, which first reported details of the judicial battle, for access to proceedings. Murdoch, 93, is in the eye of a legal storm as several of his children seek to block him changing the terms of a family trust to ensure his favored son Lachlan gains control of his sprawling media assets after his death. It's a plot worthy of the hit fictional TV series "Succession," in part inspired by the Murdoch family, in which a billionaire mogul fights his children over his empire's future. In Nevada, Murdoch's children James, Prudence and Elisabeth are bitterly opposing changes that would dilute their formerly equal eventual control of Murdoch's companies. Amid a heavy security presence, Murdoch, who wore a blue spotted tie and held hands with his new wife Elena Zhukova, 67, smiled and shook his head as he entered the colonnaded tribunal, TV images showed. - Family feud sensation - Observers warn the legal battle will have profound consequences for Murdoch's empire -- which transformed tabloid newspapers, cable TV and satellite broadcasting across multiple countries, but also faces accusations of stoking populism across the English-speaking world. Critics credit Brexit in Britain and the rise of former US president Donald Trump at least partly to Murdoch and his outlets. Lachlan is reportedly more aligned with his father's deeply conservative worldview, and took the reins of News Corp and Fox Corporation in the fall of 2023. His three siblings are said to be more politically centrist. In a sign of the schism, James, who stood down from News Corp in 2020, has come out in support of Democrat Kamala Harris, facing off against Republican Trump in this year's presidential election. Rupert Murdoch's lawyers argue he "is trying to protect James, Elisabeth and Prudence by ensuring that they won't be able to moderate Fox's politics or disrupt its operations with constant fights over leadership," according to the New York Times, which accessed court documents. In a preliminary ruling, the probate tribunal did not oppose a change to the trust in Lachlan's favor, but will nonetheless hear arguments from all sides this week. It will then make recommendations. News Corp, with revenues of $10 billion in 2023, is a dominating force in publishing through HarperCollins, in US newspapers with the Wall Street Journal and New York Post, and in Britain's cutthroat print market with The Sun and The Times. Fox Corporation is the parent company of Fox News. Following the 2020 election, the conservative TV network agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems nearly $800 million after the voting machine company sued it for airing false claims that it rigged the vote against Trump. arb-gw/nro LONDON (Reuters) -Global commodity trading house Trafigura has announced it will appoint Jiri Zrust to the newly opened role of Global Head of Operational Assets. Zrust will join the company on Oct. 1, the company said in a statement on Monday, from private equity group CVC Capital Partners. "Jiri Zrust will join Trafigura to lead our Operational Assets division, creating a fourth pillar for our business alongside our Oil and Petroleum Products, Metals and Minerals, and Gas, Power and Renewables trading division," Trafigura chief executive Jeremy Weir said. The Operational Assets division will be responsible for the governance and management of Trafigura's controlled and minority-owned operational assets in infrastructure, downstream and midstream for the oil, mining, metals, power generation, logistics and renewables sectors. Zrust joined CVC in March 2022, according to his profile on social media professional networking site LinkedIn. Prior to that, he worked for Australian financial services company Macquarie for just over 10 years. (Reporting by Robert Harvey in London and Ashitha Shivaprasad in Bengaluru, Editing by Louise Heavens) MUSKEGON CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) A Muskegon animal shelter recently broke its fundraising record in just three hours thanks to a one-of-a-kind stream over social media. Muskegons Big Lake Humane Society raised $18,200 on Wednesday night through a Facebook livestream that captured the attention and hearts of people nationwide. Its gonna keep the lights on, Velvet Lyght, the shelters manager, said. Lyght said the shelter is supposed to have 20 dog kennels and space for 55 cats, but they are over capacity with 42 dogs and 70 cats in their care. Theres also a waitlist for new animals. The building, which the shelter has occupied since 1980, is aging. The plumbing is starting to fail and their kennels need to be epoxied and resealed, a project estimated to cost $40,000. We get no government funding, she said. We have no government contracts. Fundraisers like this can make the change that keeps us going. Lyght teamed up with Kris Rotonda, a social media influencer from Florida who runs Jordans Way. Its a campaign in which Rotonda travels to 300 shelters each year and goes live on social media for three-hour fundraisers. I would say my three-hour telethons are a mix between a Jerry Lewis telethon and a Nickelodeon episode, Rotonda said. Rotonda started the movement in honor of his late shelter dog Jordan, whom he adopted in 2009. He wanted to make a difference for other shelter animals as well. He said he is also inspired by his two young daughters. The influencer visits 20 to 25 shelters a month, often two of them a day. Its important because a lot of people dont even know there are shelters in their local communities, he said. To see the money and see where it goes I could see just from walking in there they needed the help. Theyre so overpopulated. The why is right in front of me, he said. These dogs need us. The people are drowning. The community just needs to step up. Since Rotonda started the campaign four years ago, he said $10 million has been raised for shelters and rescues. He does it by getting creative. I get people on teams, Rotonda said. I get people in kennels. They have to raise a certain amount of money in a certain amount of time, and Ill have them under pressure where if they dont raise $500 in the first 10 minutes, the team captain has to eat a tarantula. We actually have these disgusting bugs. As donations came pouring in, dogs got more and more hamburgers. Volunteers ran through a dog agility course. They would also get locked inside the kennel until they reached a fundraising goal. Between 40 and 45 volunteers and community members took part alongside 18 staff, Lyght said. The fundraising record is life-changing for their dozens of dogs and cats in need. Its gonna keep food in the bellies of all these animals here, she said. Its gonna get them the vaccines they need, the spays and neuters they need. Lyght said the money would also help provide medical care for the animals. She added that 25% of the money raised during Wednesday nights event goes to Jordans Way for their fundraising services. The shelters fundraising campaign continues through Wednesday, in which 100% of the donations go right to the shelter. If youd like to donate, you can visit the shelters website. You can also Venmo @BigLakeHumane or use Paypal at BigLakeHumane@gmail.com. While the shelter is thrilled about the recent success, the best way to help these dogs and cats in need is by giving them a home. If youre looking for a friend or even just want to foster temporarily and make an impact that way, this is a really great way for people to make that huge, positive impact, Lyght said. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. This past weekend, at the Yalta European Strategy (YES) Conference in Kyiv, the message from Ukrainian leaders and Western strategists was clear: the West must finally summon the courage to stand firm against tyranny. For too long, Ukraine has been forced to fight for its survival with one hand tied behind its back held back, tragically, by the very partners that profess support for its cause. The most glaring example of this restraint comes from the United States, a country that calls itself the home of the brave. Yet Washington has continually hesitated when it comes to allowing Ukraine to strike targets deep within Russia. American policymakers are so consumed by the fear of escalating the conflict that they have, effectively, limited Ukraines ability to defend itself. Putins regime can launch missiles, bomb cities, and terrorise Ukrainian civilians, but when Ukraine seeks to retaliate against those responsible, it is told to refrain. This is not how wars are won, and frankly, it is shameful. While Ukraine continues to fight bravely, it is not fighting on equal terms. It has the will, the soldiers, and the strategic ingenuity what it lacks is the backing to fully unleash that potential. As a nation at war, Ukraine should have the right to strike back at its aggressor. Instead, it is being held back by the American administration. Unfortunately, our own leadership has not fared much better. The decision to allow Ukraine to use Franco-British Storm Shadows to strike deep into Russian territory needs to be made immediately. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, though a sincere supporter of Ukraine, has also not been as effective in pressuring Americans as previous Conservative governments. It was the Tories who succeeded in moving the dial when it came to supplying tanks and jets to Ukraine vital equipment that allowed Ukraine to repel Russian advances and reclaim territory. But where is that same momentum now? Where is the determined push for ATACMS, the long-range missile systems that could help Ukraine turn the tide? Britain, as Ukraines strongest ally, cannot afford to be complacent. We have always prided ourselves on leading in the defence of freedom. If we are serious about that legacy, the next critical step must be securing the delivery of ATACMS to Kyiv. Time is of the essence and every moment wasted is a life lost. Yet, even the Conservatives have failed to live up to the challenge. I was disheartened to learn that of the eight British MPs who attended the YES conference in Kyiv, not a single one was a Tory. To believe that being in opposition absolves you of responsibility is a fundamental misunderstanding of the stakes. This is not about party politics. This is about Britains role in defending freedom and democracy. The Conservative party must rediscover its sense of duty and its leadership role in foreign policy. I sincerely hope that with a new leader at the helm, the Tories will recommit themselves to this cause. The message from Ukraine could not have been clearer: give them the tools to strike back. They need long-range capabilities, air defence, ammunition, and advanced electronic warfare (EW) technology to maintain their advantage over Russias rapidly evolving military. While Ukraine has become a leader in drone warfare and modern combat technologies, it is still dependent on Western support to sustain its edge. The West must continue to provide these critical resources. Britains role in advocating for Ukraine on the world stage remains instrumental. For the new Labour government, there can be no missteps in this regard. Prime Minister Starmer has yet to visit Kyiv since assuming office almost three months ago a fact that is increasingly difficult to overlook. An official visit should be a top priority, not only as a sign of solidarity but as a statement of Britains unwavering commitment to Ukraines future. And what of the UK-Ukraine 100-Year Partnership Agreement that the previous Conservative government had been preparing? This agreement could solidify a long-term partnership between the two nations and secure the future of Ukraine within the Western alliance. Signing this agreement would be a landmark achievement for Starmer a legacy that would be remembered for generations. The next several months will be pivotal for Ukraine. The upcoming US elections may well determine whether Ukraine is allowed to fight and win or is left to face a far darker reality. The UK has the power to influence these decisions not just for Ukraines sake but for the future security of Europe itself. Let us ensure we do not squander this moment. If Britain is to stand to its values, then we must summon the courage to lead, to advocate, and to act. The price of inaction is too high, and Ukraine cannot afford to wait. Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is an international businessman, philanthropist, author and pollster Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Myntra, India's largest fashion e-commerce platform, is trialing a four-hour delivery service in four Indian cities, two sources familiar with the matter told TechCrunch -- a dramatic acceleration from its standard two-three day delivery time frame as the surge of quick commerce reshapes consumer behavior. The Flipkart Group-owned firm is piloting the fast-tracked delivery service in cities including Bengaluru and New Delhi, one source told us. The company plans to expand the four-hour delivery to numerous Indian cities by year-end, our sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity as the information is not public. The expansion into faster delivery comes amid the rise of quick commerce in India, where a group of firms are increasingly gaining market share in categories including grocery and office supplies with 10-15 minute delivery times. Some of these firms are exploring item returns, signaling plans to expand in fashion, a category with high return rates. Myntra's push also reflects Flipkart's agility in India's e-commerce race. Seeing the fast adoption of quick commerce in India, the Walmart-owned firm recently responded by entering the fast delivery race. Amazon, Flipkart's chief rival in India, has so far avoided joining this race. Myntra, which has traditionally delivered items to consumers in 2-3 days, has been attempting to shorten delivery times over the past two years. Its Express service, for instance, has been delivering products to consumers within 24 to 48 hours in select Indian cities. An internal assessment by Myntra has found a significant increase in consumers' propensity to complete purchases when offered shorter delivery times, according to one of the sources. Myntra didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Fashion has traditionally proven to be a challenging category for e-commerce firms in India due to the large selection of assortments and higher rejection rates by customers. Myntra reported approximately 40 million annual transacting users last year, according to information provided to the Economic Times. During the trial period of the quick commerce service, Myntra is offering a smaller selection of items to customers. Karan Taurani, an analyst at Elara, said quick commerce firms have been dipping their toes in categories including beauty, personal care and apparel, selling items ranging from socks to undergarments. This is putting some pressure on incumbents including Myntra and Nykaa to respond, he told TechCrunch. Quick commerce startups are making deeper inroads in India, attracting customers with convenience. Zomato-owned BlinkIt, Tata-owned BigBasket's BB Now, StepStone-backed Zepto and Swiggy's Instamart are collectively operating at an annualized run rate of over $6 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV), according to TechCrunch's estimates, up from about $2.5 billion last year. The rise of quick commerce has prompted many analysts and investors to speculate that it could have a broader impact on the overall e-commerce sector in India. E-commerce firms recorded sales of approximately $50 billion last year, according to industry estimates. JPMorgan analysts said in a note this month that quick commerce firms have "rapidly been gaining share from the three main incumbents: offline or general trade, modern trade retailers, and other e-commerce players." Zepto anticipates a growth of 150% in the next 12 months, TechCrunch reported last month. NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KETK) Two Nacogdoches High School juniors will attend the Washington Leadership Training Institute conference in Washington D.C. from Sept. 21 to 25. Former Dallas Cowboy talks to students about importance of mental health Cierra Runnels and Haley Sanchez are cosmetology students who represent Nacogdoches High School in SkillsUSA. Its an organization that hosts Career and Technical Education (CTE) competitions, like the one in Washington that Runnels and Sanchez have qualified for. Its all about leadership and responsibility and representing CTE, Runnels said. Their cosmetology teacher, Jan Holland, will be attending the conference with Runnels and Sanchez. The week-long conference is a great chance to tour the capital but will also be a challenge for the two cosmetology students, according to Holland. Haley Sanchez and Cierra Runnels. Photo courtesy of Nacogdoches ISD. Its a full week of activities, Holland said, and includes a lot of leadership tests. For example, the students will also be assigned Congressmen to visit as part of the week. It also teaches the students how to advocate for an industry license. Texas Workforce Commission gives $4 million to East Texas adult education programs Runnels and Sanchez will get the chance to visit several D.C. landmarks like the Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial and the Capitol building. It truly is a trip of a lifetime for these students and even for myself, said Holland. I get so much pleasure out of seeing the growth that the students receive after something such as this trip. I look forward to seeing what it can do for their futures, and we appreciate the school district allowing us to do such a trip. To learn more about the conference, visit SkillsUSA online. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. Nashville Mayor Freddie OConnell said that hes considering halting the citys participation in the demolition of a downtown homeless encampment that its residents call Old Tent City. Demolition was scheduled to begin as early as Monday, but The Nashville Metro Codes Department said that it will allow the structures to remain up for an additional 10 days after receiving an extension request from O'Connell. What is happening at Old Tent City is still something that were reviewing, OConnell said on Friday. We got requests from residents yesterday. We have been very aware of a lot of public health and safety issues that I think prompted Codes to act. The Nashville Metro Codes Department and the Tennessee Department of Transportation distributed demolition notices in the area under and around Silliman Evans Bridge during the first week of September. OConnell clarified on Friday that the city and TDOT have separate ongoing actions in the area. However, a TDOT spokesperson told The Tennessean that there "is no date in which TDOT crews will be clearing state owned property." "Metro is the lead agency when it comes to clearing all structures at this camp," TDOT officials said in a statement. Posted signage directed people to remove their belongings from the area before Sept. 13, and some notices said demolition was scheduled to take place through Sept. 20. Demolition would involve more than tents in Old Tent City. One structure in the homeless encampment is two stories, and its resident said he built it over the course of the last three years. Inside the encampment Six structures have been erected on the government-owned property, some of which include kitchens, working toilets and electricity. These structures have become homes and shelters for dozens of Old Tent City residents over the course of years. One resident said it took him three years to construct his two-story home, according to local nonprofit Open Table Nashville. "Our actions have to consider, health, safety, and codes issues related to the unsafe structures," Metro Codes Deputy Director Brady Rich said in a statement. "This extension will also allow outreach workers to intensify efforts and services for those in and around the structures. Metro is planning to demolish structures in a long-running encampment, but residents who live there won't be forced out." In 2022, the Tennessee legislature made it a felony to camp on public property, penalizing homelessness. Since then, numerous homeless encampments across the city have shut down, and the size of Old Tent City has grown. Signs in the area advised people to vacate the property by Sept. 13. Those living in the encampment gathered with representatives from Open Table Nashville and Councilmember Jacob Kupin on Wednesday to discuss potential solutions to the impending demolition. Residents ask for more time to relocate The Old Tent City residents drafted a statement asking Mayor OConnell and the Tennessee Department of Transportation to delay the demolition by 90 days. Open Table published the statement online, along with other requests that include city-run trash pickup in the area, space for a legal encampment and more permanent housing options. Were no different than anyone else, and everyone is one paycheck or disaster away from homelessness. Were just asking people to treat us like human beings, the statement said. The structures our government is planning to bulldoze are our homes. We have memories here and have invested countless hours and our own resources in constructing them. We cant just pick up and move. Hadley Hitson covers trending business, dining and health care for The Tennessean. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com. To support her work, subscribe to The Tennessean. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville homeless encampment Old Tent City scheduled for demolition National Farm Safety and Health Week is Sept. 15-21. (Photo credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus) Farming continues to be one of the most hazardous occupations in the country. Safety webinars and training are available for agriculture workers Sept. 15 through Sept. 21, which is recognized as National Farm Safety and Health Week. I call upon the people of the United States including Americas farmers; ranchers; and agriculture-related institutions, organizations, and businesses to reaffirm a dedication to farm safety and health, President Joe Biden said in a proclamation about National Farm Safety and Health Week. Workers in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industries had a fatal injury rate of 18.6 per 100,000 people, one of the highest rates per industry, according to 2022 data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Applicable agencies say these numbers are likely higher, considering many injuries and fatalities are unreported. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Tabitha Kuehn, the outreach coordinator for Iowas Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, or I-CASH, said consistent prevention education helps keep safety top of mind as farmers go about their daily chores. Its so important to be getting those resources and having those reminders, because a lot of people get into the mindset that farming is inherently dangerous and theres nothing you can do, Kuehn said. That doesnt have to be the case. The 2024 theme for National Farm and Safety Health week is dont learn safety by accident, with a focus on preventable incidents. Resources AgriSafe, in collaboration with agriculture groups across the country, will host a series of free webinars on topics like equipment and roadway safety, mental and physical wellness, succession planning and reporting ag injuries. Iowans have access to a hotline, 1-800-447-1985, from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach for help with financial, legal, stress and crisis situations. I-CASH partners with state departments and county extension offices to provide free resources where farmers frequent. It also has online resources, like a list to find mental health support. Kuehn said these resources and farm stress trainings have become more prevalent in recent years, as data continues to show the increased likelihood of death by suicide among farming and rural populations. Iowa has the highest rate of tractor rollovers in the country. Farmers can also apply for a rebate program to retrofit their tractors with rollover safety equipment. Even simple things like persistent exposure to the sun, or loud machinery can cause long-term damage to farmers, which is why Kuehn said the program also focuses on getting information to youth groups like 4-H and Future Farmers of America. Farming is a lot more than just a job to a lot of people, Kuehn said. You want to have it set up to be the safest for all of these other people you care about too. Correction: This story has been updated to clarify information about the I-CASH program. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Up to each NATO country to decide policy on Ukraine's long-range strike capabilities, Stoltenberg says Each NATO country will be able to make an individual decision on whether to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons for long-range strikes into Russia, outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with the U.K.'s LBC Radio published on Sept. 16. "It's for the individual allies to make these decisions, but it's important that we consult closely on these issues as we do," Stoltenberg said. Ukraine is hoping for permission to use Western-supplied long-range missiles that it already possesses to strike military targets located deep inside Russian territory. Anticipation had been high last week ahead of meetings between President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Washington, but no announcement on a decision was made. As the discussions on the issue appeared to be closer to reaching a change in policy, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other officials have upped their rhetoric, claiming that such a move would mean that NATO is directly at war with Russia. Stoltenberg acknowledged the threats but said, "There are no risk-free options in war." "But I continue to believe that the biggest risk for us will be if President Putin wins in Ukraine," he added. Saber-rattling aside, some NATO countries have already begun to alter their stance on long-range strikes in recent days. The Guardian reported on Sept. 11, citing unnamed U.K. officials, that the British government had already made a positive decision regarding the usage of its Storm Shadow missiles ahead of a joint trip by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy to Kyiv. Other countries, such as Sweden, Finland, and Canada, have also come out to say they fully support Ukraine using Western-supplied weapons to hit deep into Russia. At the same time, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Germany will not allow Ukraine to use its weapons for such long-range strikes "even if other countries decide otherwise." Read also: The Russian targets that could be on Ukraines long-range missile strike list Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. NATO Secretary General on long-range strikes against Russia: Biggest risk for Europe is Russian victory NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the decision to allow Ukraine to launch long-range strikes on Russian territory will depend on individual allies. He also stressed that there are always risks in war, but the biggest risk for Europe is a Russian victory in Ukraine. Source: European Pravda citing Stoltenberg's words in an interview with LBC Details: The soon-to-be outgoing NATO secretary general welcomed the public debate in recent days over the possible permission for Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western long-range weapons. Quote: "It's for the individual allies to make these decisions, but it's important that we consult closely on these issues as we do." Details: Commenting on the concerns of some allies about the risk of escalation of the war in Ukraine, Stoltenberg reminded that it is about "a full-scale war in Europe launched by Moscow". "There are no risk-free options in the war. But I continue to believe that the biggest risk for us will be if [Russian leader] Putin wins in Ukraine," the secretary general stressed. Ukraine is seeking to use long-range missiles to hit Russian air bases and military targets involved in attacks on Ukrainian cities. Background: Earlier, Russian leader Vladimir Putin warned that allowing Kyiv to carry out long-range strikes would "mean that NATO countries, the United States and European countries are at war with Russia". Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha is convinced that allies should step up support for Kyiv despite Russian leader Vladimir Putin's threats, as he does nothing despite his words. Support UP or become our patron! The United States Navy commissioned its first coed submarine, the USS New Jersey, on Saturday. New Jersey is representative of the future of the submarine force, and integrating this boat is a long time coming, one female sailor s said in the promotion video posted to the social platform X. The Navys newest Virginia-class submarine is the first built to integrate male and female sailors in the 100-year history of its submarines. According to the Department of Defense, more than 60,000 women are serving in the U.S. Navy, which represents more than 20 percent of its total force. Female officers have served on submarines since 2011. Now, enlisted women may serve on them. Its a testament to the strength diversity brings to our Navy. Side-by-side men and women will operate this vessel United in purpose, skill and determination, the narrator shared while videos throughout the new vessel reeled across the screen. The Navys video touts the new inclusivity of the sub. This is really the first time the Navy is truly planning for the future regarding manning and taking advantage of the entire population, for finding those rare humans who can be and should be submariners, another female sailor said in the video. The Department of Defense first released the name of the vessel in May 2015 calling it a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, but Saturdays post describes the fleet as more than a powerhouse. It isnt just a powerhouse beneath the waves, its a symbol of progress breaking barriers as it protects our shores, the narrator said, adding, The future of Navy warfare starts here, and its more inclusive, stronger and more capable than ever. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The most recent assassination attempt against former President Trump followed the "increasingly fierce rhetoric" and "baseless claims" from his campaign, NBCs Lester Holt remarked. While reporting on additional details following the Secret Service opening fire on an allegedly armed man at Trumps West Palm Beach golf course in Florida on Sunday, Holt tied the story to bomb threats against Springfield, Ohio, linking them both to political rhetoric. "Today's apparent assassination attempt comes amid increasingly fierce rhetoric on the campaign trail. Mr. Trump, his running mate JD Vance, continue to make baseless claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. This weekend, there were new bomb threats in that town," Holt said. MSNBC HOST ASKS IF TRUMP CAMPAIGN WILL CALL FOR 'TONING DOWN' RHETORIC AFTER SHOOTING OUTSIDE HIS GOLF CLUB NBC host Lester Holt discussed bomb threats against Springfield, Ohio by tying them to rhetoric from the Trump campaign. NBC correspondent Maggie Vespa reported, "Lester, simply put, Springfield, Ohio, has been inundated by threats over the last several days, closing government buildings, schools, hospitals. Today, effectively closing a local university campus after administrators said someone threatened a mass shooting targeting Haitians. This, in light of what officials say, is a false online conspiracy theory alleging Haitian immigrants in that city are eating peoples pets." Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance pushed back against similar accusations tying him to alleged bomb threats while speaking with NBC's "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance pushed back against efforts to tie him to bomb threats against Springfield, Ohio. "This week in Springfield, buildings were closed because of bomb threats. Haitian immigrants say they are afraid for their lives. Are you not doing the very thing you once called reprehensible, Senator?" Welker asked on the Sunday morning show. "First of all, Kristen, we condemn all acts of violence and all threats of violence. But, Kristen, the reason that I changed my mind on Donald Trump is actually perfectly highlighted by what's going on in Springfield, because the media and the Kamala Harris campaign, they've been calling the residents of Springfield racist," Vance said. "They've been lying about them. They've been saying that they make up these reports of migrants eating geese. And they completely ignored the public health disaster that is unfolding in Springfield at this very minute." Former President Trump survived a second assassination attempt at his golf club on Sunday. The FBI is currently investigating the assassination attempt, which came two months after another assassination attempt against the former president during a Pennsylvania rally in July. Original article source: NBC's Lester Holt: Trump assassination attempt follows campaign's 'increasingly fierce rhetoric' Nadezhda1906 / Getty Images/iStockphoto Nadezhda1906 / Getty Images/iStockphoto Earning passive income doesn't need to be difficult. You can start this week. Perhaps 2025 will be the year you take the family to Europe. After all, its a place known for beautiful destinations and fun cultural experiences. Read More: 3 Places To Travel That Are Like Hawaii but Way Cheaper Find Out: 9 Easy Ways To Grow Your Wealth in 2024 GOBankingRates talked to travel experts about their hidden-gem destinations that are safe, affordable and fun for middle class families, including those with young children. Heres a look at the best European hidden gems for your next family vacation. holgs / Getty Images/iStockphoto Madrid I want to highlight Madrid, Spain, as a hidden gem in terms of being an underrated family destination, said Kristin Espinar, a travel blogger behind Must See Spain. Madrid is not only affordable and convenient but it has many fun, educational and affordable activities that families can enjoy together. Inside Scoop: Dave Ramsey: 7 Vacation Splurges That Are a Waste of Money Check Out: 6 Fall Travel Deals To Jump On Before Theyre Gone Norbert Utz / Wikimedia Commons Toledo, Spain Just a half-hour or so high-speed train ride away from Madrid is Toledo. It has a rich history where families can roam Medieval streets and awe at impressive historical architecture, Espinar noted. Families should definitely visit the Alcazar and Toledo Cathedral, and take their time exploring the maze-like old town. Spending Money: Im a Financial Advisor: 5 Things the Middle Class Wastes Money On Segovia, Spain If youve heard about Segovia, it may be for the Roman aqueduct. But this hidden gem also has a fairytale-like castle and lots of historic charm. According to Espinar, The first thing to do is go to the historic center and make sure to walk under the ancient aqueduct. Then wander the historic center, shopping and trying tapas. Also when in Segovia, you must find a great spot to taste the local cochinillo, or roast suckling pig. VitalyEdush / Getty Images Vienna Vanessa Gordon, publisher at East End Taste, recommended that families choose a hub first and foremost to fly into Europe and have easy access to public transportation. For instance, Vienna is well centered in Europe and families can seamlessly travel to affordable and safe destinations like Bratislava in Slovakia, Brno in Czech Republic or Budapest in Hungary, said Gordon. In Bratislava, for example, the city is walkable and there are great destinations all within walking distance of one another including Bratislava Castle, Michaels Tower, Bratislava Old Town and more. Money Maker: 4 Ways the Middle Class Can Make an Extra $500 a Week From Home Limoges, France Per Gordon, another great way to see Europe is to venture to the smaller cities within a two to three hour train distance from the major cities. Story continues Limoges in France, for example, is a great affordable destination that is family friendly with several beautiful surrounding villages and towns, Gordon said. Oradour-sur-Glane is a very moving memorial town and Pierre-Buffiere and Rochechouart are beautiful villages and communes to visit. Its also a great way to explore the outdoors and countryside and even get a taste of the French language and have the opportunity to practice it for yourself, Bremen, Germany Lastly, I recommend exploring the smaller cities of northern Germany close to The Autobahn, including Bremen and Hamburg, which are both easily accessible by train, said Gordon. Bremen also has an airport which is an easy connection from Frankfurt. If youre searching around for great locations in Europe for your family, one thing that may be helpful to know is the rise of eco-friendly accommodations. There are lots of hidden gems out there if youre willing to look, said Ryan Saylor, a director of product marketing at BEYOND. Our data reveals a rising interest among young people, including families with children, in eco-friendly accommodations, which often translates into more affordable prices, with the added benefit of being located outside crowded hot spots. In addition, Saylor recommended, Try to be flexible with your travel dates and try different filters to find the perfect destination for your family without spending the kids college fund. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Travel Experts Share The 6 Best Hidden Gems for Middle Class Families In Europe Two employees of a now-defunct North Carolina charter school have pleaded guilty to embezzlement charges that cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bridges Academy in Wilkes County closed in 2021 amid what it called insurmountable financial challenges. Federal court records show Shannon Pruitt Caudill, the schools director, and Kimberly Nicole White, the schools finance officer, have agreed to plead guilty to theft of government property and to each pay $112,500 in restitution. The plea deals were reached earlier this summer and first reported last week by The Wilkes Record. Bridges Academy, located about 150 miles west of Raleigh, was one of the first charter schools to open in North Carolina in 1997. Charter schools are taxpayer-funded schools that are exempt from some of the rules traditional public schools must follow. There are 209 charter schools open statewide this year. Bridges closed amid investigations by the State Bureau of Investigation and the State Auditors Office. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also joined the investigation. Bridges Academys falsified student enrollment records Public schools get state and federal funding based on how many students attend. According to court records, Caudill and White falsified student enrollment records for the 2020-21 school year to report more than 60 students the school didnt have. Court records say the duo kept the inflated figures secret from other school employees by keeping two separate systems for recording enrollment. The falsified figures allowed Bridges Academy to receive an additional $404,971 in state funds and more than $80,000 in federal funds. The State Auditors Office also found Bridges misused $78,576 of charter school funding to support a preschool it wanted to open. Court records say White and Caudill used the inflated enrollment figures as documentation to help Bridges get a $2.6 million loan from Surrey Bank and Trust to build the new preschool. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development guaranteed 90% of the loan. The planned preschool died when Bridges closed. Surrey reported losing $121,000 and USDA reported losing $1.1 million after the foreclosure. Probation and restitution as part of plea deal Caudill and White will be sentenced in federal court in February. Both could face a maximum of 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines. But as part of the plea deal, prosecutors have agreed to recommend they each get two years of supervised probation. In return, Caudill and White agreed to pay a combined $225,000 in restitution. Theyre each paying $37,500 to the state Department of Public Instruction, $37,500 to Surrey Bank and $37,500 to the USDA. State Sen. Natasha Marcus has launched an attack website to spotlight her opponents record on rising homeowners insurance rates. And it comes with a special feature: its searchable. On RateHikeMike.com, the site paid for by Marcus campaign, users can see how much rates have increased by county under Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey since 2017. It also shows how much they could rise under a proposed rate increase; the percentage of homeowners subject to consent-to-rate notices; and how much Causeys campaign has received in donations from insurance industry sources. Two-term Republican commissioner Causey is up for reelection. His challenger, Marcus, a Democrat, is a three-term state senator from Mecklenburg County. We wanted to provide voters with the information they deserve, and why their insurance bills have jumped so much, Marcus said. For his part, Causey hasnt viewed the website and doesnt plan to, he told The N&O in a phone call on Monday. Under his watch, he also maintains that hes worked to ensure that any proposed increases are reasonable and actuarially sound. Ideally, youd like to keep [increases] as close to zero as possible, but you have to look at the reality, he said. The insurance commissioner doesnt set insurance rates. The sites launch comes less than a month from a scheduled Oct. 7 hearing on a new proposed rate increase and less than 49 days until the Nov. 5 election a signal the campaign has entered a more aggressive phase. After a filings moratorium lifted on homeowners insurance in January, the N.C. Rate Bureau, which represents companies that write insurance policies, asked for a 42.2% average increase across the state. Its called for even steeper increases for storm-prone areas along the coast. Its been three years since the last rate increase in November 2020, when the Rate Bureau asked for an overall rise of 24.5% and ultimately received 7.9%. On Feb. 6, Causey rejected the latest request, calling it excessive and discriminatory. He closed public comments and promised a thorough review. Since then, the departments actuaries, attorneys and consultants have been working to negotiate a new rate. On May 15, The N&O filed a public records request seeking more information. The request is still undergoing legal review, said Barry Smith, a spokesman for the states Department of Insurance. Seven months on, however, it appears talks have hit an impasse. Last week, Causey said his team met with the Rate Bureau, and they couldnt agree on a new rate. Were so far apart, he said. We asked that they come back with another proposal. The door is still open, but so far that hasnt happened. At this point, he called an Oct. 7 hearing the best solution. Thats where were headed, he said. State law gives the insurance commissioner 45 days to issue an order once the hearing concludes. The Rate Bureau declined to comment. North Carolina is one of the few states if not the only one where a Rate Bureau still exists. In almost every other state, each carrier files its own homeowners rates independently. But here, the Rate Bureau, created in 1977 by the General Assembly, has the responsibility to file and negotiate rates on behalf of the entire industry. Even as the clock ticks down, Marcus casts doubt over the hearing. She also questions Causeys transparency. Its completely opaque the way he runs his office, said Marcus, adding: Hes never required [insurers] to show up in a public setting and be subject to cross examination. Based on that record, she predicted he wont allow a hearing this time, either. She added: Its unacceptable. Hes allowing consumers to get taken advantage of, and insurance companies are making record profits to make up for losses in other states. Ongoing debate as insurers tighten guidelines As climate-driven losses mount and prices have climbed up 21.2% since February 2020, according to Bankrate the insurance industry is teetering. In 2023, insurers saw their net losses jump to $101.29 billion, up 21.3% year-over-year, a May report from S&P Global found, the worst underwriting results in over a decade. The slump has led to skyrocketing premiums for homeowners in North Carolina. In Wake County alone, roughly 46% of policies were subject to consent-to-rate notices in 2023, according to the Marcus campaign website. (The states current threshold, written into law, allows insurance companies to charge rates higher up to 250% more than the state-approved rate.) Its also led to a surge in denied claims and nonrenewals. In October 2023, Ohio-based Nationwide decided not to renew 10,525 homeowners insurance policies in Eastern North Carolina. The fallout appears contained for now; and by all accounts, North Carolina is faring better than most. The average cost of homeowners insurance in North Carolina is $1,975 per year, or about $165 per month, according to a NerdWallet analysis. Thats close to the national average of $1,915 per year, even with the states consent-to-rate threshold. Like disputed filings before, negotiations are typically tense, said Joe Stewart, vice president for government affairs of the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina. Its a delicate balancing act. Though not privy to ongoing negotiations, he predicts a single-digit increase no greater than 9.9% this year. However, its speculative, he added. Other analysts are hedging their bets. I have no idea what Causey is going to do, said Don Hornstein, the Thomas F. Taft Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Theres going to be some increase, whether its through a hearing or litigation. The losses are increasing. Theres no silver bullet. The number of lives lost around the world due to infections that are resistant to the medications intended to treat them could increase nearly 70% by 2050, a new study projects, further showing the burden of theongoing superbug crisis. Cumulatively, from 2025 to 2050, the world could see more than 39 million deaths that are directly attributable to antimicrobial resistance or AMR, according to the study, which was published Monday in the journal The Lancet. Antimicrobial resistance happens when pathogens like bacteria and fungi develop the ability to evade the medications used to kill them. The World Health Organization has called AMR one of the top global public health and development threats, driven by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobial medications in humans, animals and plants, which can help pathogens develop a resistance to them. The new study reveals that when it comes to the prevalence of AMR and its effects, we expect it to get worse, said lead author Dr. Chris Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. We need appropriate attention on new antibiotics and antibiotic stewardship so that we can address what is really quite a large problem, he said. Older adults bear the burden The researchers from the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance Project, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and other institutions estimated deaths and illnesses attributable to versus associated with antimicrobial resistance for 22 pathogens, 84 pathogen-drug combinations and 11 infections across 204 countries and territories from 1990 through 2021. A death attributable to antimicrobial resistance was directly caused by it, while a death associated with AMR may have another cause that was exacerbated by the antimicrobial resistance. About 520 million individual records were part of the data to make those estimates. The researchers found that from 1990 to 2021, deaths from AMR fell more than 50% among children younger than 5 but increased more than 80% among adults 70 and older trends that are forecast to continue. It was surprising to see those patterns emerge, Murray said. We had these two opposite trends going on: a decline in AMR deaths under age 15, mostly due to vaccination, water and sanitation programs, some treatment programs, and the success of those, Murray said. And at the same time, theres this steady increase in the number of deaths over age 50, he said, as the world ages; older adults can be more susceptible to severe infection. The researchers found that the pathogen-drug combination that had the largest increase in causing the most burden among all age groups was methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. For this combination the antibiotic methicillin and the bacteria S. aureus the number of attributable deaths nearly doubled from 57,200 in 1990 to 130,000 in 2021. Using statistical modeling, the researchers also produced estimates of deaths and illnesses attributable to AMR by 2050 in three scenarios: if the current climate continues, if new potent antibiotic drugs are developed to target resistant pathogens, and if the world has improved quality of health care for infections and better access to antibiotics. The forecasts show that deaths from antimicrobial resistance will increase by 2050 if measures are not in place to improve access to quality care, powerful antibiotics and other resources to reduce and treat infections. The researchers estimated that, in 2050, the number of global deaths attributable to antimicrobial resistance could reach 1.9 million, and those associated with antimicrobial resistance could reach 8.2 million. According to the data, the regions of the world most affected by AMR and attributable deaths are South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa and many of these regions dont have equitable access to quality care, Murray said. There are still, unfortunately, a lot of places in low-resource settings where people who need antibiotics are just not getting them, and so thats a big part of it. But its not just the antibiotics. Its when youre sick, either as a kid or an adult, and you get sent to hospital, and you get a package of care, essentially, that includes things like oxygen, Murray said. In low-resource settings, even basics like oxygen are often not available. And then, if you are very sick and you need an intensive care unit, well, theres big parts of the low-resource world most of them, actually where you wouldnt get access to that sort of care, he said. So theres a spectrum of supportive care, plus the antibiotics, that really make a difference. But in a scenario where the world has better health care, 92 million cumulative deaths could be averted between 2025 and 2050, the researchers forecast. And in a scenario where the world has new, more potent drugs, about 11 million cumulative deaths could be avoided. There is possible hope on the horizon The innovative and collaborative approach to this study provides a comprehensive assessment of antimicrobial resistance and its potential burden on the world, Samuel Kariuki, of the Kenya Medical Research Institute, wrote in a commentary that accompanied the new study in The Lancet. Yet he warned that the forecast models do not consider the emergence of new superbugs and might lead to underestimation if new pathogens arise. Overall, these data should drive investments and targeted action toward addressing the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance in all regions of the world, Kariuki wrote. The new paper represents decades of research on the global burden of antimicrobial resistance, said Dr. Steffanie Strathdee, associate dean of global health sciences and distinguished professor at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study. Strathdee saw firsthand the effects that antimicrobial resistance can have on health when her husband nearly died from a superbug infection. Im somebody whos lived with antimicrobial resistance affecting my family for the last eight years. My husband nearly died from a superbug infection. Its actually one of the infections thats highlighted in this paper, said Strathdee, who serves as co-director of the Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics at UC San Diego. During a Thanksgiving cruise on the Nile in 2015, Strathdees husband, Tom Patterson, suddenly developed severe stomach cramps. When a clinic in Egypt failed to help his worsening symptoms, Patterson was flown to Germany, where doctors discovered a grapefruit-size abdominal abscess filled with Acinetobacter baumannii, a virulent bacterium resistant to nearly all antibiotics. The annual number of people dying from gram-negative bacteria, like A. baumannii, that are resistant to carbapenem a class of last-resort antibiotics used to treat severe bacterial infections rose 89,200 from 1990 to 2021, more than any antibiotic class over that period, according to the new study. Thats one of the urgent priority pathogens, which is one of these gram-negative bacteria, Strathdee said. And my husband, when he fell ill from this, he was 69. So hes exactly at the age that this paper is highlighting, that older people are going to be affected by this more in the future, because our population is aging and people have comorbidities, like diabetes, like my husband has. Strathdees husband recovered after treatment with phages, viruses that selectively target and kill bacteria and that can be used as a treatment approach for antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections. The most important alternative to antibiotics is phage therapy, or bacteriophage therapy, and thats what saved my husbands life, Strathdee said. Phage can be used very effectively with antibiotics, to reduce the amount of antibiotics that are needed, and they can even be used potentially in livestock and in farming. The new study gives Strathdee hope that the world can reduce the potential burden of antimicrobial resistance. That would require improving access to antibiotics and newer antimicrobial medications, vaccines, clean water and other aspects of quality health care around the world, she said, while reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock, food production and the environment, which can breed more resistance. There is possible hope on the horizon, Strathdee said. If we were to scale up these interventions, we could dramatically reduce the number of deaths in the future. CNNs Sandee LaMotte contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com While the number of people calling the Charlotte region home continues to rise, many current residents cant afford those homes. About 102,000 households that rent in Mecklenburg County pay more than 30% of their income toward housing costs, according to recently released U.S. Census Bureau data. This leaves renters with less money for other needs. Whats more, nearly 52,000 renters pay more than half their earnings toward housing. Thats about 1 out of ever 4 households that rent in the county. In total, 47% of the estimated 215,400 households that rent in Mecklenburg are struggling to do so, a Charlotte Observer analysis of the census data found. What does cost-burdened mean? If people in a household spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs which includes rent, mortgages, insurance and utilities they are considered cost-burdened, per the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. If a household spends more than 50%, theyre considered severely cost-burdened. The 30% threshold is based on the idea that a household needs to have a certain amount of money left over for other necessities such as food, clothing, medical needs and transportation. If a household is spending too much on housing, they start down a slippery slope, said Stephanie Watkins-Cruz, director of housing policy with the nonprofit North Carolina Housing Coalition in Durham Cost burden is a really important data point for people to pay attention to because its basically a warning light, Watkins-Cruz said. Your budget is your budget, particularly if youre someone with a limited income or lower income. But really anyone of any income. Once that threshold that you spend on housing becomes too large, other stuff automatically begins to fall to the wayside, she said. That has overall quality of life implications. This photo was taken at a 2018 Charlotte City Council meeting where residents spoke out about the lack of affordable housing. About 102,000 households that rent in Mecklenburg County pay more than 30% of their income toward housing costs, according to recently released U.S. Census Bureau data. Wages versus housing cost Part of the issue can be attributed to North Carolinas stagnant minimum wage. A person making the current minimum wage of $7.25 an hour would need to work 139 hours a week to comfortably afford a two-bedroom unit at the fair market rate of $1,311 in the Charlotte-area, according to a July report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. And its important to note that the reports numbers are based on data from last year. According to HUD, fair market rents have increased by about 17% from last year. But a reality for Mecklenburg County renters is that not many two-bedroom apartments cost $1,311 a month. As of September, Apartments.com found that the average cost of a two-bedroom in Charlotte is $1,766. A household would need to make more than $70,640 to pay less than 30% of their income on rent. The math isnt mathing, Watkins-Cruz said. Wages have not kept up with the cost of living and it forces us to recognize how high the cost of living actually is... People are literally living paycheck to paycheck. Thats way more common than people realize at all income levels. Growth is complicated Charlotte is branded as a growing city and the numbers back that up. About 117 people move to the Charlotte-area every day, a new report found But if people who are already here cant afford to be here, is the growth worth the hype? Growth is a complicated thing, Watkins-Cruz said.. It would be too simple to call it a good or a bad thing. Its a precarious balance. Growth boosts the economy and can help fund programs for housing assistance, fixing existing problems, such as lack of housing, lack of affordable housing and large wage gaps. But growth can exacerbate those same issues, Watkins-Cruz said. Ultimately, its a community issue. If households can only afford housing, they cant contribute to their community, Watkins-Cruz said. That hurts growth, Watkins-Cruz said. People dont have money left over to participate in community events. People dont have time left over because they might have to take on another job... This is not an us versus them issue. Shelter is a basic human need. I hope that we begin to see how big this issue is and put our silos aside and figure out how to chip away at this together. Many renters in the Charlotte-area are struggling to keep up with housing costs, according to a U.S. Census Bureau data. A demographic breakdown There are additional ways to looks at how people in Mecklenburg and its neighboring counties are dealing with rent problems, the Observer analysis of the census data found. Between those who identify as White-only, Black-only and Hispanic, the Hispanic population rents the least amount of units, at a little over 29,700 households. Yet Hispanic renters pay the largest portion of their paychecks toward housing, data shows. In the county, more than 16,600 Hispanic households pay more than 30% of their income towards housing. Thats about 56% of Hispanic renters. Black renters in the county are close behind. There are about 87,000 renter households who identify as Black and about 46,000 renters are considered cost-burdened, the data shows. In comparison, households that identify as white rent about 80,962 units. About 42% and 20% are either cost-burdened or severely cost-burdened, respectively. Renters outside of Mecklenburg County Tens of thousands of area renters from Iredell County in the north to Lancaster County in South Carolina pay more than half of their income on housing. The problem is more severe in neighboring York and Lancaster counties in South Carolina. In both areas, more than half of the rental households are considered cost-burdened. But the affordability issues arent just affecting renters. About 22% of Mecklenburg County homeowners with a mortgage and 12% of county owners without a mortgage pay more than 30% of their income toward housing. NC Reality Check reflects the Charlotte Observers commitment to holding those in power to account, shining a light on public issues that affect our local readers and illuminating the stories that set the Charlotte area and North Carolina apart. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@charlotteobserver.com An illustration of campaign cash. (Getty Images) LINCOLN The state agency charged with enforcing Nebraskas campaign finance laws needs a new executive director about a year after promoting a leader from within. David Hunter, whom the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission promoted to the position in July 2023, asked for personal reasons to return to his previous job as deputy director, officials said. David Hunter The group expects Hunter to serve in an interim role until his replacement is hired. That means the group wont be leaderless during a typically contentious presidential election year. A complex job Hunter, reached Monday by the Nebraska Examiner, confirmed the accuracy of the job posting on the NADC and state hiring websites. He referred questions to Jeff Davis, who chairs the NADC. Davis said the commission was happy with the job Hunter has done. Commissioners wanted to keep him in the organization, Davis said. Hunter started working at the NADC in 2000. Hunter spent the past year stepping into the cavernous shoes of former director Frank Daley, who retired after a quarter century as director. Daley first joined the NADC in the late 1980s. The executive director hires and manages the commissions day-to-day staff about seven to eight people. The director often helps candidates and campaigns learn the agencys rules. This sometimes puts NADC leaders at odds with elected officials. The director also interacts regularly with campaign staff, political activists and reporters. Frank Daley Jr. The job pays $110,000 to $115,000 a year. Campaign finance and complaints The NADC handles candidates periodic campaign finance filings, along with addressing formal complaints alleging broken campaign finance laws and working with the commission on enforcement. The theory is that people ought to be able to contribute to campaigns as much as they want as a free speech right, but that its important that everybody is able to know who is contributing to what so that the voters can make a better-informed decision, Davis said. Thats our primary function. The group also handles filings that list lobbyists and statements of financial interest and potential conflicts of interest that help the public identify concerns. Sunshine is the best disinfectant and the way that the public can make an informed decision on whom to support, Davis said. Davis said the NADC expects Hunter to close out this election as executive director and aims to review resumes by the commissions December meeting. We dont necessarily need to be in a hurry, he said. We want to find the person whos the right fit. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A 27-year-old man who posed as a Nebraska high school student to prey on teenage girls has been sentenced to 85 to 120 years in prison, according to multiple reports. Zachary Scheich, who was known by peers as 17-year-old Zak Hess," disguised himself as a high school student for more than 50 days to exploit and sexually assault over a dozen girls, with some being as young as 13, the Washington Post and KOLN reported. Scheich blended in with other students using his 5 feet 4-inch height and 120-pound stature, Lincoln police said. He attended multiple schools throughout the Lincoln Public Schools District. Although Scheich passed as a student, in reality, he had graduated from the same district in 2015, Lincoln Police Department assistant chief Brian Jackson said at a news conference in July 2023. USA TODAY contacted Lancaster County officials on Monday but did not receive a response. It is unclear who Scheich's legal representation is. Springfield, OH threats continue: Officers will conduct daily bomb sweeps at schools in Springfield Judge scolds Zachary Scheich during sentencing hearing Lancaster District Judge Darla S. Ideus handed down the sentence on Sept. 11 on charges of sexual assault, child enticement with electronic communication and generating sexually explicit images of children, the Washington Post reported. Scheich did not talk during his sentencing hearing, but he instead submitted a letter to the judge that was not read aloud in court, according to the outlet. The lengthy sentence comes after Scheich pleaded no contest in July as part of a plea deal to reduce the number of felony counts against him from 15 to five. The children you exploited were not equipped to protect themselves because they thought you were their peer, Ideus said during the brief sentencing hearing," Ideus said during the sentencing hearing, per the Post. How did Zachary Scheich get caught? The investigation in Scheich began on June 1, when Lincoln police were contacted by the school district. The district had discovered that a person was impersonating a student during the 2022-23 school year using the name Zak Hess. Hess, who was secretly Scheich, enrolled at Northwest High School during the first semester and later transferred to Southeast High School during the second semester. Investigators would soon find out Hess was a 26-year-old who graduated from Lincoln Public Schools in 2015. School records revealed Scheich went to the schools under the Hess alias for a total of 54 days, police said. 'I am supposed to feel safe in school' During the sentencing hearing, Ideus read an impact statement from one of the girls Scheich had victimized. I am supposed to feel safe in school, and I no longer feel safe in a place that I used to, Ideus read from the girls letter, per the Post. Im so guarded that anyone who tries to talk to me or get to know me, I shut it down. I never believe what anyone says anymore. My trust is so broken, that even if I want to believe someone, I cant. Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Amber Schlote called the harm to Scheichs victims immeasurable, as it led them to miss school, suffer failing grades and have anxiety, shame and a deep mistrust of adults. It has undeniably altered their lifes trajectories, Schlote said, according to the Post. Along with Scheich, a 23-year-old woman faces criminal impersonation charges related to the case. Angela Navarro pleaded not guilty and maintains she was manipulated by Scheich, KOLN reported. She was arrested on Sept. 29, 2023, according to the TV station. Navarro, who police say was 22 at the time, posed as Scheichs mother while using the alias Danielle Hess to attend meetings with school counselors, KOLN said, citing an arrest affidavit. Navarro remains free on bond and is awaiting trial. What did Lincoln Public Schools say about Zachary Scheich? Lincoln Public Schools sent out an alert to families at Northwest and Southeast High Schools, police said. According to documents provided to USA TODAY by the school division, the alert gave families a breakdown of what happened. October 20, 2022 : He began attending Northwest High School. January 12, 2023 : He transferred to Southeast High School. May 31 : The school district received a report that an adult male may be attending one of its high schools pretending to be a junior. The districts student services and security department contacted the police and turned the information over to the police as it was discovered. July : Police confirmed that Zachary Scheich did enroll and attend two high schools during the 2022-23 school year under the name Zak Hess. He was arrested in July 2023. Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent Paul Gausman and Associate Superintendent for Educational Services Matt Larson spoke to community members in July 2023 and said the district gave out Hess's picture to schools and let them know he was no longer allowed on the premises while police tried to confirm his identity. The officials also said the district follows state and federal requirements for enrolling students, which can be done online or in person. Regardless of whether someone applies online or in person, the district requests a birth certificate, immunization records, physicals and transcripts, school administrators said. The district explained that the man exploited the enrollment process by using fake documents. Now, enrollment processes will be reviewed. Extra safeguards have been put into place, such as multiple in-person conversations with parents and guardians who are trying to enroll students. District officials also said it will continue to accommodate families whose schedules do not allow for multiple meetings. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Zachary Scheich sentenced for impersonating high school student This article was originally published in Nebraska Examiner. LINCOLN The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday left voters with the choice about the future of the latest remake of a scholarship or voucher program to help families offset the costs of private K-12 education. The court unanimously decided, 7-0, that the ballot measure seeking to repeal Legislative Bill 1402 was not an appropriation and therefore is subject to the referendum process under the Nebraska Constitution. We see no language in Section 1 of LB 1402 making an appropriation at all, the court wrote in a joint or per curiam opinion. It is settled law in Nebraska that there can be no implied appropriation. Appropriations must be expressly stated or directly necessary for the implementation of a statutory provision. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Attorneys for the mother of a Douglas County student receiving funds under a scholarship program had argued the measure was regular spending by the Legislature and shouldnt be subject to a vote of the people. Tom Venzor, an attorney known for his work with the Nebraska Catholic Conference, argued on Tuesday that Article III, Section 3 of the Nebraska Constitution reserves that right for the Legislature. He argued that the bill and its related appropriations bill were intertwined. Reasoning telegraphed at hearing Justices on Tuesday telegraphed the majoritys reasoning, that the ballot measure pushed by Support Our Schools sought only to repeal LB 1402 and not its related-but-separate appropriations bill, LB 1402A. Local school choice advocates, including LB 1402s sponsor, State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha, and others who voted for it, including State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, had argued it was an appropriation. We applaud Ms. Collars bravery in bringing the case forward and representing the thousands of Nebraska parents like her who now have hope for their childs education thanks to scholarships, said Jeremy Ekeler of Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska. We are confident voters will stand with kids and families this fall. Daniel Gutman, an attorney for the public school advocates, argued that the $10 million appropriation in LB 1402A would still exist if voters reject LB 1402, and would eventually revert to the general fund. He argued that LB 1402, by benefiting private schools, unconstitutionally directed state funds to private institutions, something prohibited by Article VII, Section 11. The court sidestepped that question, ruling instead on the narrower question of whether a law without its associated appropriations bill could be repealed by public referendum, ruling that it can. Tim Royers of Support Our Schools, the new president of the Nebraska State Education Association, said his group is thrilled that the Supreme Court protected one of our most important rights as Nebraskans, and we look forward to repealing LB 1402 in the upcoming election. His predecessor at NSEA, Jenni Benson, said people seeking public funds for private schooling have fought letting the voters decide at every turn. These voucher proponents want to impose their costly private school voucher scheme on Nebraska taxpayers, she said in a statement. But public school supporters from all across our state joined together to protect our public schools with two successful petition drives and a winning defense of the petition process in the Nebraska Supreme Court. Venzor issued a statement Friday from the Catholic Conference saying the decision hurts the children and families who need support the mostthose facing hardships such as bullying, disabilities, or the unique challenges of military life. Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen, the target of the lawsuit, complicated the lawsuit by filing a pledge to force another lawsuit if the court sidestepped the key legal question and instead ruled on a technicality. The court did not seem pleased with his change in position. Chief Justice Mike Heavican argued that Evnen had already made a determination that the referendum was valid and sufficient. Once done, I am aware of no process by which the Secretary can change his mind and rescind his legal sufficiency determination and not place the referendum on the ballot, Heavican wrote in a concurring opinion, criticizing Evnens attempt to reverse his certification decision. Evnens office had no immediate comment on the decision. Will appropriators gain power? Linehan said she felt badly for the 2,500 students now attending a private school of their choice whose families will now worry about whether the money that helps them attend will be there. But she said she is more worried about what the decisions interpretation might mean for future Legislatures because it seems to increase the power of senators on the Appropriations Committee. She said it will make Lincoln more like Washington, D.C., where she served as chief of staff for former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. She said people who want anything done will go through appropriators. Its horrible, Linehan said. Not to do with school choice. The real problem is that decision says if its not in the budget, if the appropriators dont like it, everybody else in the Legislature is neutered. State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha said the decision could impact even judicial salaries because their funding bills come through the Judiciary Committee. Voters, if they got upset, could cut the salaries, he argued. A bills (appropriations bills) were created as a way for the Legislature to keep track of stuff, he said. Linehan said any bill with spending that is not ongoing and in the budget will be at risk of being rejected by the voters. She partly blamed the tight timeline the court had to decide the case. I think the time crunch probably didnt give the court enough time to think through thoroughly what they were doing here, Linehan said. The governor and the appropriators will now run the place. Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com. Follow Nebraska Examiner on Facebook and X. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem on September 2. On Sunday, he threatened Yemen's Houthi militants who fired a missile at Israel earlier that day. Pool Photo by Ohad Zwigenberg/UPI Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is threatening retaliation after the Houthi rebels of Yemen targeted central Israel with a missile attack on Sunday. "This morning, the Houthis launched a surface-to-surface missile from Yemen at our territory," the Israeli leader said following a government meeting. "They should know that we exact a high price for any attempt to attack us." Yahya Sarea, spokesman for the Houthi military, said they had conducted a "specific military operation" with the use of "a new hypersonic ballistic missile." It had traveled more than 1,267 miles in under 11 1/2 minutes and "caused a state of fear and panic among the Zionists," he said. Though the Houthis claim the missile had reached its target, the Israel Defense Force said the projectile appeared to have "disintegrated in the air." Fragments of the missile fell into open areas, causing a fire near Kfar Daniel village, which is about 12 miles away from Ben Gurion International Airport. The IDF said several interceptor systems responded to the missile and "the result of which are under review." Israel has long been in a proxy conflict with Iran that exploded into a full-out war 11 months ago when Hamas, another Iran-backed militia, launched a bloody surprise attack, killing 1,200 Israelis and seeing another 251 kidnapped. The Houthis amid the war have repeatedly attacked Israel from its borders while attempting to enforce a military blockade of the Red Sea, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza where the conflict is being mostly conducted. In July, Israel conducted an airstrike on the Yemen port city of Hodeidah, killing several people and injuring dozens more. The strike was in retaliation over a fatal drone strike on Tel Aviv. Netanyahu referenced the Hodeidah attack in his statement on Sunday, highlighting it as an example of what happens to those who target Israel. "Whoever attacks us will not evade our strike. Hamas is already learning this through our determined action, which will bring about its destruction and the release of all of our hostages," he said. Netherlands on Russia's violation of NATO airspace: Our response must be clear Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans believes that the North Atlantic Alliance should shoot down drones and missiles that violate its airspace. Source: Brekelmans after a meeting with his Lithuanian counterpart Laurynas Kasciunas, as reported by European Pravda Details: Brekelmans stressed that Russia's violation of NATO airspace "is unacceptable and dangerous". "Our response must be clear. Drones and missiles entering our airspace should be detected and intercepted. If needed, NATO should support individual allies," he added. Background: The Dutch defence minister's statement follows several incidents of Russian drones violating NATO airspace. In early September, at least one Russian Shahed drone crashed in Romania near the Ukrainian border. Additionally, a combat drone was discovered in Latvia, where it is believed to have flown in from Belarus. In both instances, the countries did not intercept the drones but allowed them to fall. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged international partners to act decisively and jointly counter Russian missile attacks, saying that so far, "only Belarus has distinguished itself by shooting down Russian Shaheds". Support UP or become our patron! Jane Dodds said the next Senedd election is a chance to cover Wales in "Liberal Democrat gold". [PA Media] The next Senedd election is the biggest opportunity the Liberal Democrats have had in decades, their Welsh leader has told her party. Jane Dodds told delegates at Lib Dem conference in Brighton that the party could cover Wales in "Liberal Democrat gold" at the 2026 polls. Ms Dodds is the party's only Liberal Democrat Member of the Senedd (MS) - she said she no longer wanted to be "billy no mates". She took aim at the Welsh Labour government, saying it had been a "complete disaster", attacking ministers for their record on child poverty and tackling river pollution. But she praised the Mark Drakeford-era basic income pilot, saying she was "really proud" of the scheme that gives care leavers 400 a week in cash. The Liberal Democrats won a record 72 seats across Great Britain in July. That included one seat in Wales - in Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe - breaking a seven year run of the Welsh party failing to win a seat at a Westminster general election. The next Senedd election will abolish first past the post, and introduce a more proportional system which aims to better reflect how people voted. The system chosen, dubbed closed lists, had sparked concerns from Dodds that it could exclude the Liberal Democrats and other small parties. Ms Dodds told conference: "This year, across the United Kingdom, Liberal Democrats have shown just how well we can win under first past the post. "In 2026, we need to show that we can win big under proportional representation. "The opportunity put on the table is to cover Wales in Liberal Democrat Gold. "This is the biggest electoral opportunity we have had in decades and we need to take it." She said she wanted to replicate the General Election result in Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe "in the Senedd elections in 2026. We have to see that replicated all over Wales." The Mid and West Wales MS added: "I want some friends with me in the Welsh Parliament in 2026. I no longer want to be billy no mates anymore." 'Most polluted' She said Labour in Wales were a "complete disaster". "In Wales today, can you believe that nearly one in three children in Wales live in poverty. In Wales today, our rivers are amongst the polluted in the country". "And our health service; hospital waiting times are the highest they have been since 2022." "Its also personal for me with child poverty. As a social worker in child protection for 25 years, I wanted to see change. I worked with too many families who lived in poverty. "I recently spoke with a young care experienced woman living in west Wales; she and her siblings were brought up by their Mum who was trying to raise her children with no hope of being able to get out of poverty. But sadly she just couldnt do it, and her children needed to live elsewhere." But she said "a lot has been delivered since devolution", praising the lack of prescription charges, the ban on smacking and the pupil development grant, which had been a Welsh Lib Dem policy. The Harris-Walz ticket: A perilous threat to liberty and national security By Mark Alexander web posted September 16, 2024 There was a lot to take in last week regarding the future of our nation. The anniversary of the 9/11 Islamist attack being the first. That attack resulted in two military operations to contain the future threat of Islamic terror, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. By extension, those operations fired a loud and clear shot over the bows of our most dangerous and formidable adversaries, Red China, Russia, and Iran. But since 2021, after the disastrous and deadly Biden/Harris surrender and retreat from Afghanistan, those adversaries have been greatly emboldened by the abject ineptitude of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Should that ineptitude be renewed for another four years as the Harris/Walz regime, our nation is going to face much graver danger from these adversaries. A few days later we observed the 237th anniversary of the signing of our Constitution at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1787. It is the most consequential governing document in the history of mankind, a dramatic departure from the rule of tyrants over the course of all preceding generations and a stark contrast to those totalitarian regimes that have risen since. The Constitution codified and enshrined the foundation of American Liberty enumerated in our Declaration of Independence, providing the assurance that Rule of Law (Liberty) would prevail over rule of men (tyranny). Arguably, though, not since the War Between the States commenced in 1861 has our Constitution's assurance of Liberty been under such perilous domestic threat of erosion and dissolution. Our nation has been through very dark times since then, most notably the Great Depression, two World Wars, and the aforementioned 9/11 Islamist attack on our own soil. But those threats were well-defined, and the Republic endured. However, the imminent domestic threat to our Constitution now is very deceptive, especially because the mainstream and social media platforms where most people get their information are providing full cover for this political ruse. This domestic-enemies threat to Liberty is being led by those who have forsaken their sacred oaths "to support and defend" our Constitution, in deference to their socialist political agenda. And that agenda is wholly antithetical to our Constitution and Liberty. Our Constitution is the greatest obstacle to their agenda, and they are determined to undermine its authority. In the year before Kamala Harris executed the Democrat Party's previously scripted plan to replace Joe Biden as the Democrat presidential nominee, without Harris winning a single Democrat primary vote, the Biden/Harris battle cry was the breathless branding of their political adversary, Donald Trump, as the most "dangerous threat to democracy." The proliferation of this fallacious "democracy" rhetoric was very deliberate in its obfuscation of the fact we are a Republic, not a democracy. It also reveals the real threat to the Liberty enshrined in our Constitution the Harris/Walz ticket and their leftist Demo cadres. In his 1833 Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States, Justice Joseph Story warned about the distinction: "Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall, when the wise are banished from the public councils, because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded, because they flatter the people, in order to betray them." "The profligate are rewarded, because they flatter the people, in order to betray them." Sound familiar? Today, too many Americans, most of whom are good people, are simply unable to discern the difference between a Republic and a democracy; thus, the calculated misuse of those labels by Biden and Harris to describe the most "dangerous threat to democracy" is swallowed whole. As the greatest of American presidents in the last century, Ronald Reagan, reminded us, "The trouble with our Liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so." And never have so many known "so much that isn't so" than in this current era of mass misinformation. But that is not true of the Marxist protagonists now fused with the Harris/Walz tag team they know the difference and know exactly what they are doing. These useful idiots even compared Biden to George Washington after the swap was complete. This deception is at once a remarkable yet disgraceful effort to shred our Constitution. Recent commentary by The New York Times betrayed just how much Demos fear the Constitution, as it predictably made no mention of the word "Republic." In her chameleonic effort to erase the bold line between herself and Trump, Harris is mimicking his policies. Thanks to socialist Bernie Sanders for alerting the nation about her political charade. Asked by a reporter, "Do you think Kamala is abandoning her progressive ideals?" Sanders responded: "No, I don't think she's abandoning her ideals. I think she's trying to be pragmatic and doing what she thinks is right in order to win the election." In fact, Harris is far more "progressive" than her Demo predecessors. The good news is that the Harris/Walz polling bounce we predicted after the Demo convention has started to fade as the "JOY" campaign collides with reality. Harris is not qualified in any respect to be president of the United States. Unfortunately, in the debate between Harris and Trump this week, Trump failed to make that clear. That failure was in part because of disgracefully biased moderation and in part because of his typical rambling digressions. The most significant thing we do know about Harris's disqualification to ever serve as commander-in-chief is her selection of Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, whose long record of stolen valor and other career embellishments is well documented. Every week, we post Profiles of Valor about those American Patriots who have abided by their oaths and have consequently paid for our Liberty with their blood and lives. In his "Open Letter to All Americans" last week, my friend GEN B.B. Bell (USA, Ret.), who served in uniform for almost four decades, including extended deployments overseas in both peace and war, reminded all Americans how important the upcoming election is: God-fearing patriotic Americans owe it to our children and our grandchildren to fully and passionately reject the Marxist dictums aspired to by Harris and her inner circle. Should she become president, your rights and freedoms as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights will be vastly eroded by a torrent of Marxist-appointed bureaucrats brought to Washington by Harris and her associates. They will overwhelm our governmental institutions. Regardless of what Harris says, the hard truth is that in her administration, thousands of dedicated and passionate Marxists will be at the helm in all of America's agencies and departments, and they will take control of your lives and your fortunes, large or small. The Marxists will strangle and destroy the Bill of Rights, regardless of congressional oversight or Supreme Court rulings. Cabinet bureaucrats, especially the Justice Department, are simply that powerful, strong, and intrusive. If you think our Supreme Court or Congress has the power to protect your personal rights and freedoms, your head is buried deeply in the sand. For freedom's sake, please reject this Marxist march to insanity and thus the destruction of these United States. Vote for Trump as our next president. Vote early and ensure 10 of your friends vote for him also. It is our very last hope to save our cherished democracy, our personal freedoms, and our inalienable rights. For those who fail to take this advice, the bloody consequences will be on your hands. Finally, on sustaining our Legacy of Liberty, President Reagan declared: "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." For those who fail to understand this warning, the tyrannical consequences will be on your hands. Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post. SHAWN THEW / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock.com Vice President Kamala Harris is pushing back on former President Donald Trumps proposal for a 10%-20% tariff on imported goods. At the Democratic National Convention, Harris said his policy would cost U.S. consumers a hefty price tag. He intends to enact what in effect is a national sales tax call it a Trump tax that would raise prices on middle-class families by almost $4,000 a year, the Vice President stated. Find Out: 7 Tax Loopholes the Rich Use To Pay Less and Build More Wealth Read Next: 9 Things You Must Do To Grow Your Wealth in 2024 Trump has been forthcoming about increasing tariffs, which he has said will help save American jobs and factories. However, it could backfire for consumers. The Center for American Progress released a report stating a 20% tariff on imports could boost Americans costs by $3,900 per year, while the National Taxpayers Union concluded Trumps original suggestion of a 10 percent tariff might cost households $3,942 per year. Meanwhile, other organizations calculate the cost lower. The Peterson Institute for International Economics stated the average American household could pay over $2,600, and the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center estimated middle-income households would potentially pay about $1,800 more. To better understand the Trump tax, GOBankingRates spoke with tax experts who explained Trumps proposal and its implications for Americans wallets. Earning passive income doesn't need to be difficult. You can start this week. The Trump Tax Is Not a National Sales Tax Harris referred to Trumps tariff policy as a national sales tax; however, Nick Juhle, chief investment officer at Greenleaf Trust, explained its not really a tax. It is important for readers to understand that the Trump sales tax referenced by Kamala Harris is not technically a tax, Juhle stated. Harris used the term sales tax so that voters understand the likely financial impact of tariffs proposed by the Trump campaign on American consumers. At the recent presidential debate, Trump noted hes not calling for a sales tax, but tariffs. Other countries are going to finally, after 75 years, pay us back for all that weve done for the world, he claimed. While the Trump campaign is not proposing an explicit federal sales tax on goods purchased by American consumers, it is proposing increased tariffs on imported goods, which Harris suggests will have a similar effect of raising costs for American families, Juhle noted. Grant Cardone: 4 Ways To Reduce Your Tax Bill To Build Wealth A Tariff Is a Tax on Imported Goods Countries impose tariffs, which are taxes, on imported goods upon crossing the border to generate revenue and protect domestic industries. Story continues When the U.S. imposes a tariff on imports, it makes those products more expensive, Faris Khatib, tax resolution and financial strategy expert, CEO of Ideal Tax, told GOBankingRates. Companies that import these goods typically pass the extra costs to customers by increasing prices, which means you pay more for those goods. How Tariffs Affect Consumers If Trump is reelected and enacts his tariffs proposal, consumers could see a price increase on imported products, affecting everything from food to household items and cars. If a 10% or 20% tariff is imposed, the cost of these items will simply increase, Khatib said. For instance, if you purchase a $1,000 laptop, a 10% tariff can add $100 to its price, adding, With prices increasing on many goods, your money will not stretch as far. How Tariffs Affect the Economy With Americans paying more for imported goods, there will be less money to spend elsewhere, and people could face financial hardships. A tariff-induced price hike on necessary items means you will have less disposable income to spend on other things such as saving for a vacation, investing or just making ends meet, Khatib said. If Americans tighten their budgets because they have less to spend due to increased imported goods prices, it could slow the economy down. Amid higher prices, reduced demand for foreign goods has a secondary effect of slowing economic growth abroad, which can cause a decline in demand for goods exported from the U.S., Juhle noted. U.S. exports may also suffer if foreign countries retaliate by imposing their own tariffs. A tariff increase can also impact jobs. According to Khatib, higher import costs can lead to cut-cutting in other areas for businesses, which he surmised could impact wages or even result in job cuts for some import-dependent industries. On the flip side, he added, some industries may benefit (such as those that manufacture competing US-made goods), but the overall effect usually results in higher customer prices. Editors note on election coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. For more coverage on this topic, please check out What Would Kamala Harris Opportunity Economy Actually Look Like? More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Understanding the Trump Tax and What It Could Mean for Your Wallet Republican and Democratic Party leaders have condemned New Hampshires Libertarian Party for sharing a post saying that anyone who assassinated Vice President Kamala Harris would be an American hero. The party later deleted the post on X, formerly known as Twitter, but appeared unrepentant about the message, saying it was removed because of the platforms rules and complaining about restrictions on free speech. The deleted post read: Anyone who murders Kamala Harris would be an American hero. The @LPNH just replied to me and are publicly endorsing the murder of Kamala Harris They need to immediately be arrested @FBI @SecretService pic.twitter.com/C2OYlQEb4Q David Leavitt (@David_Leavitt) September 16, 2024 When an X user flagged the archived post to the FBI and the Secret Service and called for an investigation, the party appeared to double down on the threat in a thread, writing, Because saying you will violently seize guns is a threat that merits an appropriate response. Explaining why it deleted the post, the New Hampshire Libertarian Party, reportedly the third largest political party in the state, wrote: We deleted a tweet because we dont want to break the terms of this website we agreed to. Its a shame that even on a free speech website that libertarians cannot speak freely. Libertarians are truly the most oppressed minority. We deleted a tweet because we don't want to break the terms of this website we agreed to. It's a shame that even on a "free speech" website that libertarians cannot speak freely. Libertarians are truly the most oppressed minority. Libertarian Party NH (@LPNH) September 15, 2024 By then, the post had been mass reported to the authorities, according to one X user. Chase Oliver, the Libertarian Party nominee for president, said the post was abhorrent. I 100% condemn the statement from LPNH regarding Kamala Harris. It is abhorrent and should never have been posted, he wrote on X. As Libertarians, we condemn the use of force, whether committed by governments, individuals, or other political entities. We are dedicated to the principle of non-aggression and to peaceful solutions to conflict. This is also something we pledge as part of attaining party membership. LPNHs statement should rightfully be condemned by all people. Republican and Democratic leaders in New Hampshire also denounced the posts in the wake of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday. The Libertarian Party of NH encouraging the assassination of Vice President Harris must be condemned in the strongest possible terms, New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Bucklet wrote on X, adding: Political violence is never acceptable, and their statement was disgusting, dangerous and wrong. Trump Tries to Spin Disaster and Disqualification at Libertarian Convention Chris Ager, New Hampshire Republican Party chair, also posted on X: The comments by the Libertarian Party of NH suggesting an assassination of VP Harris are condemned in the strongest possible terms. There is no room for this type of dialogue. PERIOD. Libertarianism is popular in New Hampshire, where the so-called Free State Project in 2001 helped attract 20,000 so-called freedom-loving supporters to the state. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Residents leave the flooded areas with their belongings in Maiduguri Residents leave the flooded areas with their belongings in Maiduguri (This Sept. 16 story has been corrected to remove Goemaere as the source of the statement that the insurgency had driven people from their farms, in paragraph 12) By Ahmed Kingimi MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - People in Nigeria's flood-hit northeastern Borno state are struggling to get medical care as overwhelmed aid agencies warn of an outbreak of waterborne disease following the worst floods to hit the region in three decades. More than 30 people have been killed by the floods, which authorities say affected about one million people, most of whom are housed in camps without food and clean water. The deluge threatens not only the health and safety of the displaced but puts a strain on aid agencies and government resources, exacerbating an already critical humanitarian crisis. The floods in Borno, the birthplace of Boko Haram militants in the Lake Chad basin, started when a dam burst its walls following heavy rainfall that has also caused floods in Cameroon, Chad, Mali and Niger, all part of Africa's Sahel region that usually receives little rain. In the last two weeks of August, more than 1.5 million people were displaced across 12 countries in West and Central Africa due to floods, and about 465 have been killed, according to the United Nations humanitarian affairs office. Over the weekend, an additional 50,000 people were displaced in northeastern Nigeria as the floods intensified, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Monday. "The situation in the Sahel and Lake Chad region is increasingly dire, as the compounding effects of conflict, displacement and climate change take a severe toll on vulnerable populations," said Hassane Hamadou, NRC's Central and West Africa regional director. The floods in West Africa come at a time of flooding in Europe after days of torrential rain that caused rivers to burst their banks in several parts of the region. In a camp in Maiduguri, Borno's state capital, Bintu Amadu was among hundreds of frustrated people waiting for hours to see a doctor because her son had diarrhoea. "We have not received any aid, and our attempts to see a doctor have been unsuccessful. We have been waiting for medical attention since yesterday, but to no avail," she said. Ramatu Yajubu was happy she had obtained an appointment card after waiting for days, but quickly added: "I am uncertain about receiving attention due to the overwhelming number of people seeking care." Years of an Islamist insurgency have driven many people from their farms. Mathias Goemaere, a field coordinator for Medecins Sans Frontieres, said that even before the floods, residents in Borno were struggling with malnutrition. "They are exposed to their environment, so what do we see? A lot of waterborne diseases, diarrhoea, diarrhoeal diseases ... Malaria is around with a lot of mosquitoes," Goemaere told Reuters. "So a lot of people, because of malnutrition, are immuno-suppressed, which makes them more susceptible to diseases." Nigeria's government has separately warned of rising water levels in the country's largest rivers, the Benue and Niger, which could cause floods in the oil-producing Niger Delta region in the south. (Writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe and Bate Felix, Editing by William Maclean) Sandra Hale Schulman Special to ICT All the love shown for Reservation Dogs and Lily Gladstone and Kali Reis and DPharoah Woon-A-Tai being nominated for Emmys didnt translate to award wins on Sunday night, but the visibility, Indigenous designs, and a stunner of a message slapped onto Woon-A-Tais face reverberated around the world. Reservation Dogs was up for four nominations: Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor, Picture Editing and Cinematography. Still, the joyous cast and crew posed up a storm on the red carpet, dressed in their mix of Native accessories and designer dresses and suits. Show creator Sterlin Harjo wore Kenneth Johnsons gleaming silver eagle gorget and Love Knot rings; Dallas Goldtooth piled on Ataumbi Metals jewelry. Paulina Alexis had a baby on board. Woon-A-Tai made the most dramatic statement of all in a black Armani suit, Lionel Thundercloud jewelry, newly shorn hair, and an unmissable red painted hand mark across his face as a message of solidarity for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. This striking gesture draws attention to the growing MMIW movement. Use of a painted red hand stands for all the missing women whose voices are not heard, the silence of the media, law enforcement and oppression of Native women. Oscar nominee, Golden Globe winner and Under the Bridge star Lily Gladstone glowed at the event where she was nominated for playing officer Cam Bentland investigating the murder of a young girl. I am so touched by this nomination, Lily said in a statement after it had been announced. I wholeheartedly share the honor with the stellar cast of Under the Bridge, who brought such deep compassion and unmatched talent to telling Reena Virks story. Every beating heart onscreen gave so much of themselves to honor her legacy, and Id especially like to thank Vritika, Archie and Riley, I am so inspired by you all. Thank you to Quinn Shephard, Samir Mehta, Liz Tigelaar, Stacey Silverman, Gina Gammell, and Riley Keough for bringing this story to light and being champions of radical empathy. Im forever grateful to have been brought along for the journey. Gladstone wasnt totally on board at first. After Killers of the Flower Moon, seeing another true-crime piece, I leaned away a little bit, Gladstone told Vogue of the adaptation. Seeing an Indigenous woman cop, I thought, Thats a really huge chunk of the representation you have onscreen for Indigenous actresses. I think I, a lot of performers, hope that theres room to expand and grow and contextualize the character. Lily Gladstone arrives at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) Gladstone wore a black velvet gown by Rodarte with a large floral-inscribed bronze chest plate, cuff, and rings by Agnes Seaweed Wisden of Sea Wisdom Design from Vancouver. Her makeup was by Petra Battiest, Seminole of @paintedbypetra. On Agnes Wisdens Instagram she wrote: Beautiful @lilygladstone in a custom chest plate by myself, along with rings and bracelet! Many generations of creative makers are in my inherited lineage as a Kwakwakawakw and British woman. My traditional name is lilawikw. It was gifted to me by our people through our Potlatch system and includes me in a long line of traditions fought for and celebrated. Its meaning translates to English as Gatherer of the People. Former boxer Kali Reis, Seaconke Wampanoag, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and the show she was in, True Detective: Night Country, nominated for Best Series. Reis plays Alaskan state trooper Evangeline Navarro investigating mysterious deaths in the Alaskan tundra. On the red carpet, Reis said of her velvet suit and feathers in her hair, Purple is the color of Wampum and Wampum is the Quahog shell which we make jewelry out of. And the more purple it is, the more valuable it is, and we did a lot of trading. That was basically currency of the Wampanoag people, people of the Northeast, our first form of currency and basically to show your status. So, purple means the world to me, it means a lot and I just really want to represent where I come from in the Northeast Woodland tribe people. I represent my people with the Wampum. We put a lot of thought into just being. Sure I represent, because we don't get to see this often. These feathers were gifted to me by elders back home. I'm really proud to be able to represent our people. Marvels Echo was up for Outstanding Fantasy Sci-fi Costume Design. Despite the losing streak, it is a win to be nominated and seen in the mainstream. The only Native American nominated for an Emmy previously is the late August Schellenberg for his role as Sitting Bull in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee in 2007. Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute $5 or $10 today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICTs free newsletter. MANVILLE, N.J. (PIX11) Hurricane Ida survivors in Manville, New Jersey, say Gov. Phil Murphy left them high and dry, still struggling to financially recover three years after the storm. I feel betrayed, said Manville homeowner Eric Vaughn. Im angry. And Gov. Murphy is silent. He wont even meet with us. More Local News Last week, Murphy conditionally vetoed a mortgage forbearance bill that would have allowed Ida survivors to pause mortgage payments for 12 months. In explaining the conditional veto, Murphy said the bill relied solely on a homeowners word that they qualify and wants more guardrails to prevent abuse. He asked that qualification be determined based on participation in programs such as HARP, the Homeowner Assistance and Recovery Program, established after Hurricane Ida. But Manville survivors of Hurricane Ida said qualifying for HARP has proven nearly impossible. We got an email saying we were approved and then a week later, we got another email saying, Oh, sorry, were redirecting funding from the program, said Vaughn, who was told he didnt qualify because his home is in a high-risk area. Manville homeowner Debby Josephs, who said her home was approximately 90% destroyed in Ida, was also denied. Its been devastating, financially, said Josephs. I dont know anyone whos got a dollar in their pocket from it [HARP], and thats three years later, said Leanna Jones, an Ida survivor who now helps other storm victims through the New Jersey Organizing Project. Without relief from HARP, homeowners like Josephs and Vaughn began banking on help from the mortgage forbearance bill. The bill unanimously passed the New Jersey State Legislature in June before Murphy conditionally vetoed it last week. The temporary pause in mortgage payments would have helped Ida survivors make additional home repairs or simply pay off debts that have mounted since the storm. I have a basement that now, every time it rains, the water comes right in because theres damage to the foundation, which the insurance company said it is not responsible for, said Josephs. Affected residents still have the option to participate in the Blue Acres Buyout Program and sell their homes to the state, but several homeowners said the payout is not enough to purchase a comparable house in the current real estate market. We need the help, said Josephs. Weve gotten zero help from the government, said Vaughn. Where is that money? Where did it go? Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) officials are holding a meeting on Tuesday, September 17. Itll be about the I-25 Gibson Interchange Reconstruction Project. NMDOT is going to present its plans and host a question-and-answer session afterward. Its an open house format, and the project team will be there to answer questions. The project will focus on updating the infrastructure by improving safety and efficiency for travelers of all sorts. How fast is too fast? Speed limit confusion surrounds area near Albuquerque speed camera If youre interested, the meeting will be at the Herman Sanchez Community Center at 1830 William Street SE (Albuquerque, NM). It starts at 6 p.m. and will run until 8. Additionally, starting on Tuesday, public comments can be submitted until October 18. The public can fill out a form here, call 505-535-4442, email info@i25gibson.com, mail their comments to I-25 Gibson Project Team (6001 Indian School Road NE, Suite 250), or submit a form at the public meeting. For more details, click here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. No trace of bird flu found in dairy herds in Massachusetts, state officials say No trace of a highly-pathogenic bird flu has been found in dairy herds in Massachusetts, state officials said Monday. The state Department of Agricultural Resources, in partnership with state public health officials, has completed testing of all licensed dairy farms in the state, with no cases of the deadly Avian Influenza virus found, officials said in a statement. Massachusetts is the only state in the nation to test all of its dairy herds from 95 farms with 100 percent negative results, officials said. Massachusetts dairy farmers follow stringent safety protocols and take great pride in producing the highest-quality products, Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle said in a statement. That hard work protects all of us, and these test results demonstrate how supporting local agriculture and sourcing food from Massachusetts farms can keep our food supply strong and resilient. State officials decided to test all herds in an effort to protect public health and demonstrate the safety of the food supply at Massachusetts farms, officials said. Avian Influenza was first detected back in March in dairy cows in Texas. Since then, it has spread to herds in at least 14 states. In this photo provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, an animal caretaker collects a blood sample from a dairy calf vaccinated against bird flu in a containment building at the National Animal Disease Center research facility in Ames, Iowa, on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (USDA Agricultural Research Service via AP) While not all animals have symptoms, those that do become lethargic and show reduced milk production for a few weeks. There have also been several cases of dairy farm workers who have contracted the virus and experienced flu-like symptoms from coming into contact with unpasteurized milk, officials said. Pasteurization kills the virus and makes it safe for humans to drink the milk. State agricultural inspectors visited dairies in August to collect samples of milk from their bulk tanks. The Department of Public Health worked with the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard to test the samples at no cost to the farmers. The safety of our food supply goes hand-in-hand with the health and safety of residents of the Commonwealth, Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein said in a statement. We must remain vigilant and continue monitoring farms across the state to protect animal and public health. This is a great example of how collaboration across government and with communities can result in better health and maintain the integrity of the local dairy industry. Massachusetts dairy farmers are committed to providing Massachusetts consumers with a fresh local milk supply, David Shepard, president of the Massachusetts Association of Dairy Farmers, said in a statement. We are grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for the support needed to assure dairy farming remains a strong Massachusetts business. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen. Sept. 13, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN The Nebraska Secretary of States Office reported a suspicious envelope at its Elections Division headquarters Monday and is advising county election officials to be cautious. Office staff discovered the suspicious envelope Monday morning, which was isolated in a separate area of the office while awaiting support from the Nebraska State Patrol. NSP, with assistance from Lincoln Fire and Rescue and the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, tested a substance inside the envelope that turned out to be nonhazardous. Officials turned over the envelope to the FBI and U.S. Postal Service authorities for further investigation. No one was harmed. The Elections Division has notified county election offices across the state to also be aware of suspicious mail and to use extra precaution. The situation was quickly and safely resolved thanks to the swift action taken by our staff members, law enforcement and other first responders, Secretary of State Bob Evnen said in a statement. Similar incidents occurred Monday in Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wyoming. Tests determined that none of the packages posed a threat to the public, officials in the various states said. Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers on Friday also warned local election officials to be on alert and said law enforcement would be on the lookout to assist in investigating potential wrongdoing. One of our most important duties is to protect the integrity of our particular elections, Hilgers said. We will work together and if we identify things, well investigate, and if appropriate, we will prosecute. Hilgers made those comments while announcing a statewide investigation into alleged irregularities in the signature-gathering process for two ballot measures. At least one Grand Island man has been arrested in connection to that investigation so far. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX LITTLE ROCK, Ark.- The Washitaw Foothills Youth Media Arts & Literacy Collective, through its program Voter Registration, Education & Participation, helps raise awareness and educate communities that are often forgotten during voting registration periods. One of those communities includes convicted felons. Its one of my favorite programs weve done for the last 20 years, Washitaw Foothills Youth Media Arts & Literacy Collective Co-Director Kwami Abdul-Bey said. Federal judge restores Arkansas voter registration Wet Signature requirement Abdul-Bey says that many convicted felons who have served their time and corrected their actions are unaware that they can restore their voting rights. He was told when he was convicted by the judge that he no longer had the right to vote, Abdul-Bey said. While at the time of the conviction, this was true, there are under certain conditions that a felon can restore their rights. As stated on the Arkansas Government Website, Arkansas law affords convicted felons the unique opportunity to have their voting rights restored under certain conditions. The felon must provide proof to the county clerk that he or she (1) has been discharged from probation or parole, (2) has paid all probation or parole fees, (3) satisfied all terms of imprisonment, and (4) paid all applicable court costs, fines, or restitution (Ark. Code Ann. Amend. 51 11(d)(2)(A-D)). Study shows Arkansas ranks last in voter turnout, how ballot measures intend to bring numbers up According to Abdul-Bey, it is often a very special moment when felons are made aware they can vote. Its extremely important for people to vote because Arkansas has the lowest voter registration in the entire United States, Abdul-Bey said. We also have the lowest voter participation, so thats why the program is called Voter Registration Education and Participation, or REP. Abdul-Bey says the only way to change these numbers is to reach out to communities not accessed commonly during voter registration. Felons are not the only ones; the elderly who cant drive anymore or high school students who will be 18 years old on the election date can also be included. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLRT - FOX16.com. A North Carolina man has been charged with sending a threatening email to a Virginia Beach Catholic school that prompted leaders to cancel classes for two days last week. Bobby Dale Francisco, 30, was arrested Friday and charged with threatening bodily harm in writing, according to a Virginia Beach police spokesman. The crime is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $2,500 fine. Francisco was taken into custody at his home in South Mills, North Carolina, by a Currituck County Sheriffs Office SWAT team, according to a post on the sheriffs offices Facebook page. Hes being held on a $1 million secured bond until he can be extradited to Virginia, the post said. St. John the Apostle Catholic School, which serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, received the threat Wednesday and contacted police, according to a notices sent to parents. In one notice, Superintendent of Catholic Schools Michael Riley said the threat had been made in response to news coverage related to a recent student disciplinary decision made by the school. The Virginian-Pilot and other local media outlets reported last week about the schools decision to suspend a sixth-grade student after he told the principal a classmate had shown him a bullet during class. While the boy, 11, was told he did the right thing by reporting the incident, he also was informed that he would be punished for not alerting them immediately, according to his mother, Rachel Wigand. Wigand contacted attorney Tim Anderson in an effort to get the decision reversed, but the school refused. After receiving the threat, school officials decided to cancel classes Thursday, then extended the closure to Friday while police continued to investigate. The school sent another notice late Friday announcing that an arrest had been made, and that classes would resume Monday. The Virginian-Pilot reached out to Virginia Beach police for details that day, but a spokesperson didnt provide the information until Monday. Public opinion overwhelmingly supports my client that St. Johns wrongfully suspended her son, Anderson said Friday before the arrest had been announced. They are in the hot seat for making a dumb decision and now want the parents of the school to be mad at my client because school is shut down. Riley, however, wrote to parents that school officials must take such threats seriously. This has been a trying week for so many in our school community, and the disruption of our school closure may only deepen the sense of unease, he wrote in Fridays letter. We also know that, for some families, the schools recent disciplinary decision may call into question the strength of our security policies. Let me be clear our culture of safety requires that students and adults alike report potential threats as quickly as they are made aware of them; in a real emergency, gaps in reporting time may have major consequences for school safety As with any disciplinary matter, we treat this as an opportunity to learn and move forward. Riley went on to caution parents against discussing student disciplinary decisions with news reporters. This weeks past events also show that media coverage of private disciplinary matters can invite unwanted attention from persons outside our school community, he wrote. We ask for caution and good judgment before taking private matters into the public arena as it can result in unintended consequences that threaten the safety of the school. Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) A 54-year-old man is facing multiple charges including attempted murder in connection with a 2020 shooting in Florence, according to arrest warrants obtained by News13. Robert Wright of Charlotte, North Carolina, was charged with two counts of attempted murder, third-degree domestic violence and grand larceny of more than $2,000 but less than $10,000. After an argument, Wright allegedly stole a Brahmin purse, $60 in cash, four rings and all of his girlfriends credit and debit cards on June 6, 2020, warrants show. Officers also noticed a scratch on the womans finger, which she said was from Wright grabbing her hand. Two days later, on June 8, Wright slowly drove by a residence on Mechanic Street, made eye contact with the two victims, then drove by again and fired at their vehicle, according to the warrant. The shot was heard by a nearby neighbor. Wright was booked into the Florence County Detention Center on Thursday, online records show. He was given a $20,000 bond for the grand larceny and domestic violence charges, but he has not been given bond for his attempted murder charges. * * * Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. BERLIN (Reuters) -A merger of UniCredit and Commerzbank could add value for all stakeholders and create a stronger bank, UniCredit CEO Andrea Orcel told a German newspaper on Monday, adding a decision was in the hands of Commerzbank stakeholders. Italy's second-largest bank took a 9% stake in Commerzbank last week, catching German authorities off guard and getting a hostile reception from local management, who want to fend it off. The Italian banking chief said a merger with the smaller Commerzbank could "create a much stronger competitor on the German banking market", better supporting retail customers and German medium-sized companies, known as the Mittelstand, that play an important role in the economy. "For the moment, we are only a shareholder. But a merger of the two banks could lead to considerable added value for all stakeholders," he told the Handelsblatt newspaper. "There are very few overlaps" between the banks, he said. Now he has laid out the case, Orcel said it was up to Commerzbank to decide. "The decision lies with Commerzbank's stakeholders," he said. Commerzbank declined to comment. Asked when UniCredit would hold further talks with Commerzbank, Orcel told Handelsblatt that there was no firm timeline. If "we come to the conclusion that a merger is best for both of us, that would be great, but ... as a major shareholder I must first ensure that our investment develops well," he said. In an apparent effort to reassure Commerzbank employees worried about their jobs, Orcel said the potential for savings was in central functions, and not in areas of customer business, products, or the geographical network. "I believe that many banks have neglected to make their central functions more efficient," he said. (Writing by Friederike Heine and Tom SimsEditing by Shri Navaratnam, Kim Coghill and Barbara Lewis) BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) A North Carolina woman was sentenced to prison for conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. According to a press release, 24-year-old Crystal Wilks, of Lenoir, North Carolina, was sentenced on Friday, September 13, 2024 to one year and six months in prison, followed by three years of parole, and will need to pay $800 in restitution for conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. North Carolina man sentenced to prison for role in counterfeit currency conspiracy in West Virginia Wilks acknowledged her involvement in a conspiracy to make and pass counterfeit United States currency in southern West Virginia. The press release stated that according to statements made in court, Wilks and her co-defendants 25-year-old Xavier Sanders and 33-year-old Jamarcus Harris, as well as another person, traveled to West Virginia from North Carolina on October 12, 2022 where they used counterfeit $100 bills at Beckley, Summersville, and Fayetteville businesses. Man sentenced to prison for role in Counterfeit Currency Conspiracy Wilks and the others spent a night at a hotel in Summersville and tried to make new counterfeit United States money. She also revealed that they tried making the counterfeit bills by bleaching $1 bills, scanning a real $100 bill, and printing the scanned image on the bleached bills. According to the press release, 25-year-old Xavier Sanders, of Charlotte, North Carolina, pleaded guilty on November 9, 2023, to conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and was later sentenced to five months in prison, followed by three years of parole North Carolina man pleads guilty to role in counterfeit money conspiracy in West Virginia 33-year-old Jamarcus Harris, Lenoir, North Carolina, was sentenced on February 2, 2024, to two years and nine months in prison, followed by three years of parole, and ordered to pay $800 in restitution after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Will Thompson, who thanked the United States Secret Service for their work on 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 WVNS. Natural gas is flared from oil and gas facilities at Fort Berthold in August 2021. (Photo provided by Environmental Protection Agency) A North Dakota judges ruling blocks a federal agency from enforcing new restrictions on natural gas venting and flaring. The preliminary injunction granted Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor temporarily prevents the Bureau of Land Management from enforcing the rule in North Dakota, Montana, Texas, Wyoming and Utah. North Dakota is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit over the rule that took effect in April. The BLMs new rule is aimed at reducing natural gas waste. It not only sets new standards on venting and flaring, but also requires oil operators to do more to detect and fix gas leaks, among other practices. Traynor wrote in his ruling that the states will likely win their case on the merits of their claim the 2024 Rule is arbitrary and capricious, when a final ruling is made. He noted that several elements of the rule are inadequately explained and contradictory. The rule affects federally owned and tribal lands. Most of the oil and gas production on North Dakota tribal lands occurs on the Fort Berthold Reservation. The Bureau of Land Management, part of the Department of the Interior, has argued that venting and flaring of natural gas wastes valuable publicly or Indian owned resources and deprives American taxpayers, Tribes, and States of substantial royalty revenues. It adds that the practices contribute to climate change. Traynor said the BLM doesnt have the authority to regulate air quality. Congress granted that to the Environmental Protection Agency and states under the Clean Air Act, he wrote. This case is an example of where the left hand of the government does not know what the right hand of the government is doing, Traynor wrote in the order. He also voiced skepticism that the rule would meaningfully bring down air pollution. North Dakotas arguments included that the rule infringed on states sovereignty, and that it would cost the state revenue from oil and gas production. The BLM has previously stated that it estimates the rule to generate more than $50 million in tax revenue. Traynor wrote in the order that the rule offers no rationale why flaring is more economically productive than venting. The North Dakota Petroleum Council called the ruling a win for the oil industry, saying the rule would have required additional flaring limits, costly compliance measures and would have been especially hard on small operators. In a news release, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Attorney General Drew Wrigley praised the temporary injunction and said the Biden administration is overstepping its authority on oil and gas production on federal lands. The BLM rule imposes harmful and unnecessary regulations that undermine states authority to be the primary regulator of air quality within their borders under the Clean Air Act, Burgum said in a statement. The courts decision is a temporary victory for consumers, U.S. energy independence and national security. Fort Berthold POWER, which stands for Protectors of Water and Earth Rights, is among the conservation groups that supported the BLM rule. State Rep. Lisa Finley-Deville, D-Mandaree, a co-founder of the group, said the rule reduces the waste of natural resources. My ancestors worked hard not to waste any resources, Finley-Deville, a citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, said in a previous statement to the North Dakota Monitor. To my people, the earth is sacred and to waste any of the earths natural resources is to disrespect the earth. When the rule was finalized, Interior Secretary Deb Haalad said it modernized 40-year-old regulations and would encourage using modern technology to protect the environment and ensure a fair return to American taxpayers. We are taking long-overdue steps that will increase accountability for oil and gas operators and benefit energy communities now and for generations to come, Haaland said at the time. All three members of North Dakotas congressional delegation praised the judges ruling on Friday. U.S. John Hoeven, R-N.D., called it welcome progress in stopping the overregulation that is handcuffing our domestic energy producers. This story was originally produced by the North Dakota Monitor which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. The Burleigh County Courthouse is pictured on Thayer Avenue in Bismarck on March 13, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) A judge vacated North Dakotas abortion ban in a Thursday ruling, finding the law unconstitutionally vague and an infringement on medical freedom. South Central Judicial District Court Judge Bruce Romanicks order came as part of a lawsuit challenging the law brought last year by reproductive health care doctors and an abortion clinic. Romanick declared the law unconstitutionally void for vagueness and found that pregnant women in North Dakota have a fundamental right to choose abortion before viability exists. The ban, enacted by the Legislature in 2023, makes abortion illegal in all cases except rape or incest if the mother has been pregnant for less than six weeks, or when the pregnancy poses a serious physical health threat. The plaintiffs, which include reproductive health care doctors and the Moorhead, Minnesota-based Red River Womens Clinic, in their complaint said the law not only infringes on individual rights, but also puts health care providers in danger by not specifying when an abortion may be performed for health reasons. Attorneys for the state have previously argued that the law is not unlawfully vague, and was written with extensive input from North Dakotas medical community including some of the plaintiffs. Tammi Kromenaker, director of the Red River Womens Clinic, said Thursdays decision gives her hope. I feel like the court heard us when we raised our voices against a law that not only ran counter to our state constitution, but was too vague for physicians to interpret and which prevented them from providing the high quality care that our communities are entitled to, Kromenaker said in an email. The clinic had been North Dakotas sole abortion clinic but moved from Fargo to Minnesota after a prior abortion ban went into effect. North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said the state will appeal the decision. While I have appropriate regard for the State District Court, a careful reading of Judge Romanicks decision reveals flaws in his analysis and interpretation of controlling precedent, Wrigley said in a statement. The ban, which was adopted with overwhelming support by both chambers of the Republican-dominated Legislature, established penalties of up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000 fine for any health care professionals found in violation of the law. The North Dakota Supreme Court last year struck down a similar abortion law adopted by lawmakers in 2007. That law, often referred to as a trigger ban, went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 overturned the federal right to abortion established by Roe v. Wade. When it struck down the trigger ban, the state Supreme Court ruled that North Dakotans have a right to access abortions that preserve the health of the mother, Romanicks order notes. Romanicks order takes issue with both exemptions in the abortion law. Under the health exemption, he reasoned, even doctors who make good-faith medical decisions to perform an abortion could theoretically face prosecution. As currently written, a North Dakota physician may provide an abortion with the subjective intent to prevent death or a serious health risk, yet still be held criminally liable if, after the fact, other physicians deem that the abortion was not necessary or was not a reasonable medical judgment, he wrote. He warned that the law could discourage doctors from performing abortions for legitimate health reasons for fear of criminal penalty. He said the ban also doesnt explain how doctors should determine whether a patient qualifies for the rape and incest exemption, given that physicians are not legal experts and that sex crimes are notoriously difficult to investigate. Romanick wrote that North Dakotas checkered history with womens rights factored into his decision, as well, noting the state constitution did not recognize women as equal citizens when it was originally adopted in 1889. If we can learn anything from examining the history and prior traditions surrounding womens rights, womens health, and abortion in North Dakota, the Court hopes that we would learn this: That there was a time when we got it wrong and when women did not have a voice, he wrote. This does not need to continue for all time, and the sentiments of the past, alone, need not rule the present for all time. Christina Sambor, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the case, said the ruling reaffirms fundamental rights for pregnant people in North Dakota. I think this is a really powerful ruling that speaks to the broad impacts on womens ability to live a full, happy and healthy life, Sambor, an attorney at Gender Justice, said. The law will remain in effect until Romanick issues a judgment repealing the ban, Sambor said. The judge directed the plaintiffs to draft a proposed judgment within 14 days. State Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, who sponsored the 2023 bill that created the ban, blasted the judges ruling Thursday. She said lawmakers had worked to fix legal issues the North Dakota Supreme Court had identified in the trigger ban. North Dakotas Legislature meets again in 2025 but Myrdal said the focus should be on defending the law that was passed in 2023. The losers today are the unborn children and their moms and dads, not any activists. Theres no winner in this, she said. Romanick announced earlier this year he would retire and not seek reelection in November. The former Burleigh County prosecutor was first elected in 2000 and reelected in 2012 and 2018. Judge Romanick will go into his retirement after a long career having made the wrong decision on the most important case hes ever had, Myrdal told the North Dakota Monitor. The North Dakota Catholic Conference said in a statement Thursday it is shocked and greatly disturbed by the judges decision, saying it embraces a position more radical and liberal than Roe v. Wade itself. Meanwhile, North Dakotas Democratic-NPL Party called the ruling a victory for womens reproductive rights. North Dakotans deserve the freedom to make deeply personal health care decisions without interference from government extremists, Rep. Karla Rose Hanson, D-Fargo, said in a statement. This law was especially cruel for victims of sexual violence providing a rape and incest exception but only within six weeks, before most women know theyre pregnant. Sambor noted that even if Rominicks decision is left intact by higher courts, abortion access remains extremely limited in North Dakota. We continue to have a lot of work to do to protect pregnant North Dakotans, Sambor said. This story was originally produced by the North Dakota Monitor 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. James Howard owns a vintage Thermo King truck and a 19th-century clothes wringer. Collecting these antique items is not simply fulfilling the passion of a hobbyist. It is part of his mission to put Black inventors like himself in the spotlight. Ellen Eglin created a special type of clothes wringer and Frederick McKinley Jones designed the first portable air-cooling unit for trucks and co-founded the Thermo King company. They are some of the people Howard plans to feature in the Black Inventors Hall of Fame Museum and STEAM Learning Center that he envisions opening at the end of 2026. Story continues below photo gallery. He also plans to put those items on display in the new museum, a $27 million facility that will encompass over 100,000 square feet and include four exhibition halls, an auditorium and a library along with the STEAM Learning Center. The museum will be in West Orange at the site of the former Mayfair Farms banquet hall. Since 2020, Howard, 65, has overseen the Black Inventors Hall of Fame website, which pays tribute to African Americans whose inventions have had an immense impact on society, but who have been overlooked in the history books. Howard's goal for the museum and learning center is to continue the work he has been doing with the website and to inspire future generations of Black youth interested in being inventors. "It's important because all too often the story truly is sequestered," said Howard, a Dover resident. "It is oppressed. It is oftentimes told, but not to the degree of credit that it ought to be told. "Today's underserved youth have the same aspirations as their white counterparts," he said. "But at the end of this journey, in terms of careers and innovation and invention and STEAM and engineering, their representative percentage is appalling, absolutely appalling, and is just not proportionate to the makeup of this country." "So my goal is to create a place that can inspire youth of all kinds white, Black or indifferent but particularly those youth who need to see someone that looks like them to be inspired to higher goals," he said. Howard, a Chicago native, recently spoke to NorthJersey.com about what inspired him to start the museum and its progress. The following transcript of the interview has been edited for space and clarity. Dover resident James Howard is the executive director of the Black Inventors Hall of Fame and wants to open a museum to spotlight Black inventors. What is the Black Inventors Hall of Fame? It's a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that was started in the throes of the COVID pandemic in 2020. It started initially as a website that would gather information on Black inventors. It sort of serves as a virtual presence. It did not take long in my journey to discover that the higher mission needed to be a dedicated building. So, for the last three years, it's been just that research and concerted efforts on behalf of my board to produce the country's first museum dedicated exclusively to immortalizing the pioneering genius of African American inventors. Where did the idea for the museum originate for you? There have been seeds planted throughout my career. I am an inventor myself. I have over 20 patents and I have designed over 400 products, and there have been incidents throughout my career that have both consciously and unconsciously prepared me for this moment. For instance, when I was in grad school, my graduate adviser told me that I ranked a zero compared to all the other graduate students in the design program and that I had no business being in the design program. In 2016, I am in ShopRite at around 1:30 in the morning and saw that Time magazine made a special magazine, and it was titled, "America's Top 100 Inventors of All Time" [The actual title is TIME-LIFE American Inventors: A History of Genius]. On the front cover were all the usual suspects: Thomas Edison ... Henry Ford. There wasn't a single Black face on the cover. But I'm OK with that. When I grabbed the magazine and started thumbing through it fully expecting to see at least Granville T. Woods and Louis Latimer and Elijah McCoy, someone like that I see not a single Black face. You fast-forward to 2020 when I am being interviewed by a local news station down in the Camden area. I was interviewed by Dale Caldwell, who has his own local show. Dale asked me at the end of the taping, James, you know so much about the history of design and designers and all that. Have you ever thought about opening a Black Inventors Hall of Fame? I really didnt think much about it until three months later, when I decided, you know what, that has a good ring to it, and he and I both opened up the Black Inventors Hall of Fame. What is the current status of the museum project? The museum when it's done will cost $27 million, if not a little more. The average cost for a museum of this quality is anywhere from $200 to $300 per square foot. The STEAM Learning Center will be two upper floors. The annex will have four major exhibition halls divided into four different industry sectors. The Mayfair itself will have two major exhibition rooms. One will be devoted to constantly turning over new exhibits, and the other is going to be devoted to showcasing the amazing contributions of African American inventors in the toy and gaming industry. We are under contract. I have been able to raise money for the due diligence. The town is behind us. I just have to do all of my due diligence and go through the vetting of the space. This is a major acquisition. Were talking not one but two buildings the existing building and the annex that I plan to build. We are about halfway through our due diligence phase of working with the inspectors and working with engineers and planners. I have a pledge for $20 million from another investor who has made millions on his inventions. That's my major benefactor. That has given me the impetus to go into this agreement. I have been fundraising for the last year and a half and wind up having numerous corporate commitments. I have a couple of senators who have pledged to get behind the museum. Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com Twitter/X: @ricardokaul This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: North Jersey resident to open museum about Black inventors North Korea has launched its biggest vaccine drive since the Covid-19 pandemic after a four year hiatus on routine immunisation that has left children exposed to a myriad of deadly diseases and raised the risk of outbreaks. This is the first step in restoring routine immunisation and closing the gap that has left children vulnerable to preventable diseases, said Roland Kupka, Unicefs acting representative for the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, as the state is officially known. The East Asian country, which is under the dictatorship of Kim Jong Un and considered one of the most repressive countries in the world, further tightened its borders in 2020 amid the pandemic. This made food and medical supplies, including vaccines, harder to import while international aid workers were made to depart. Four years later, restrictions have yet to ease, sparking concerns about the health of the countrys estimated 26.5 million citizens. Whilst limited information is available on the health status of citizens, prior to the pandemic North Korean children were already found to be shorter and weigh less than their counterparts in South Korea. Since then, hunger levels are thought to have risen and over 650,000 children are estimated to have missed all three doses of the life-saving pentavalent vaccine. It protects against five deadly diseases, including diphtheria, tetanus, and hepatitis B. Many more are likely to have missed vaccines that stave off the likes of measles, tuberculosis and polio. Not vaccinating children against these diseases means they are more likely to fall sick and potentially die, Mr Kupka explained. Also, the risk of potential vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks becomes much higher. Cases of measles in Central Asia and Europe, for example, soared by 3,000 per cent in 2023 compared to 2022 as a result of lower immunisation coverage. The country, which is under the dictatorship of Kim Jong Un, is considered one of the most repressive regimes in the world - STR/KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images Prior to 2020, North Korea had a 96 per cent vaccine coverage rate but this dropped to 42 per cent by 2021, according to Unicef data. Trying to address this, after 18 months of what Mr Kupka describes as intense planning, in July, Unicef, Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organization were able to deliver four million doses of vaccines against measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, and polio. What were facing in the DPRK is that the borders remain largely closed, and were also facing some important logistical challenges that require us to use flights as the way to bring the vaccines to DPRK, said Mr Kupka, explaining that the vaccines first had to travel to China and then be flown into North Korea. In the past, shipments were sent by rail from China but tighter border restrictions have made that harder to do. Its much more straightforward in other countries, Mr Kupka said. Half of the doses will be administered in the coming weeks by the Ministry of Public Health to 800,000 children and 120,000 pregnant women across the countrys nine provinces. Unicefs 10 national staff members have trained 7,200 health workers on how to deliver the vaccines. The other half will be stockpiled in local health centres to support a reboot of routine immunisation. Unicef has sent freezers and fridges to help maintain vaccine temperatures alongside essential vitamins and mineral supplements. Isolation will only add further burden This is the fourth but by far the largest catch up campaign Unicef has supported since 2021. It expects to send two more vaccine shipments by the end of this year. Whilst North Korea reportedly has some vaccine manufacturing capabilities, they are not reported to be of WHO standard. To restore pre-pandemic vaccination levels, Mr Kupka said the North Korean government must allow UN international staff to return to the country something Pyongyang is yet to permit. In 2020, Unicef had 18 international staff in North Korea whose presence helped to increase the trust from international donors, he added. When it comes to the actual programming in DPRK, the opportunities for collaboration are unfortunately limited at this point, he said. But its important to still work with a country, regardless of how contentious it might be with other states, in order to ensure innocent children are protected like any others from illness, he added. Several other UN officials and human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch who called the country a the giant prison, have urged North Korea to open up and permit monitored international emergency assistance. Further isolation of the country will only add a further burden on the North Korean people who are struggling to find food for their families, said UN officials in a 2023 statement. The suffering of North Koreans has been compouded by typhoons and floods that have destroyed thousands of homes in the past year as well as the prolonged loss of access to food and medicines. While a UNs Food and Agricultural Organization delegation was able to visit the capital of Pyongyang in July to discuss food security and nutrition, Mr Kupka said its not clear whether such visits are tied to a larger discussion on international staff return although we continue to urge the DPRK government to make that possible. Travel companies, however, report a potential opening to tourists at the end of the year. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. (Reuters) - North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui has flown to Russia to attend the fourth Eurasian Women's Forum and the BRICS Women's Forum in Saint Petersburg, Russia's embassy in North Korea said on Monday. "Russian Ambassador (Alexander Ivanovich) Matsegora saw off North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui at the Pyongyang International Airport," the embassy said in a post on its Vkontakte social network. The embassy said that the minister's speeches and participation in discussions are planned at the forum, which will take place Sept. 18 to 20. Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament, said in June that delegations from almost a hundred countries were expected at the forum. "We will strive to ensure a record foreign representation in the entire history of the Forum," Matviyenko said in June, according to a transcript provided on the Council's website. Russian President Vladimir Putin has attended previous meetings of the forum, but the Kremlin is yet to announce his participation in this year's forum. Warming ties between the countries reached a new high this year when Putin signed a deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that included a mutual defence pledge during a visit to Pyongyang. The United States and its allies have accused North Korea of helping Russia by supplying weapons for its war in Ukraine in return for economic and other military assistance. Moscow and Pyongyang have denied this. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Additional Reporting by Hyunsu Yim in Seoul; Editing by Ed Davies) LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A man was arrested in California after a domestic battery in North Las Vegas ended in a police chase and a barricade several miles from the Nevada border, according to North Las Vegas police. Trevion Thomas, 33, faces charges of domestic battery with a deadly weapon, first-degree kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery with a deadly weapon, grand larceny of a motor vehicle, reckless driving, and evading a police officer. Trevion Thomas, 33, faces charges of domestic battery with a deadly weapon, first-degree kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery with a deadly weapon, grand larceny of a motor vehicle, reckless driving, and evading a police officer. (NLVPD/KLAS) On Saturday around 2:30 p.m., North Las Vegas police responded to the 4100 block of Solar System Street after a report of a man battering a woman in front of a residence. The man also was attempting to drag the woman into a residence but was unsuccessful, police said. Before police arrived, the man, identified as Thomas, pulled out a gun and began to point it at the woman and a witness who tried to help her. Police said Thomas also took property from at least one of the witnesses while pointing the gun at them. When officers arrived, Thomas pointed the gun at his head, got into the victims vehicle, and fled the area. A short pursuit began, however, due to Thomas reckless and dangerous driving speed, traffic, and Thomas being positively identified, the pursuit was terminated, police said. The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Around 5:30 p.m. California Highway Patrol notified North Las Vegas police that its patrolmen located Thomas in California, several miles from the Nevada-California border. After another police chase and Thomas barricading himself in the victims stolen vehicle, he was taken into custody, according to police. North Las Vegas police will take custody of Thomas once he is booked and processed by CHP. Police said Thomas is facing further charges in California. Detectives are urging anyone who may have information about this crime to contact the North Las Vegas Police Department by phone at 702-633-9111. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 702-385-5555, or at https://crimestoppersofnv.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 KLAS. North Texas woman sentenced to 39 years for murder of man shot 8 times in Fort Worth A woman who in April 2019 shot and killed William Prygon in Fort Worth has been sentenced to 39 years in prison, according to the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorneys Office. Catrina Renee Guy, now 50, was convicted by a jury of Prygons murder. Guy was arrested after police said she fired eight shots at Prygon, 50, and killed him. Police on April 11, 2019, found Prygon dead in a field on his property in the 7700 block of Sommerville Place Road near Lake Worth. More than a dozen units were sent to the property just before 10:30 a.m. that day. The Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office in 2019 said Prygon died from multiple gunshot wounds. Guy, at the time 45, was arrested on April 16, 2019. The District Attorneys Office said she has previous, unrelated convictions for assaulting a teacher and stabbing a woman. More top stories from our newsroom: Fort Worth medical school stops using unclaimed bodies for research The fight to save one of Fort Worth's oldest homes Who's driving Cybertrucks? Meet some Fort Worth drivers [Get our breaking news alerts.] The aftermath of a strong solar flare this weekend will give rise to yet another decent opportunity to see the northern lights across Canada Monday evening through early Tuesday. Night owls with clear skies should head outside and gaze up for a chance to see dazzling auroras after sunset into the early overnight. Heres a look at conditions across the country and where folks might have the greatest potential to spot a memorable display of colours. DONT MISS: How do the Northern Lights shine? Here's the science behind auroras Aurora potential increases after strong solar storm A powerful solar flare burst forth from the Sun on Saturday morning, sending a coronal mass ejection (CME) racing toward Earth. Tonight's potential arrives just a few days after a similar storm triggered auroras overnight Thursday into Friday. This latest surge of plasma and magnetic field is expected to reach our atmosphere overnight Monday into early Tuesday morning, triggering a strong geomagnetic storm as it arrives on our doorstep. Sept. 16, 2024: Canada' aurora borealis, northern lights potential - G3 Storm The energy of a geomagnetic storm ionizes gasses in our planets upper atmosphere, which glow and dance as a spectacle of coloured lights against the night sky. Experts rate the intensity of geomagnetic activity on the Kp Index, which ranges from Kp 0 on the low end to Kp 9 on the high end. Values around Kp 7 are sufficient for nationwide aurora visibility. Tuesday mornings geomagnetic activity could reach Kp 6, according to the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). This could make the northern lights visible all the way into southern Ontario. The SWPC expects solar activity to reach Kp 6 around 5:00-8:00 a.m. Eastern Time, but won't be visible till after sunset. This timing may provide the western half of Canada with better viewing than across eastern sections of the country, where the peak may occur later after sunset. MUST SEE: The magical experience of seeing the aurora for the first time Conditions great for some parts of the country As always, successful aurora viewing ultimately comes down to the weather. Were looking at vast stretches of clear skies across Canada overnight Monday into Tuesday morning, providing plenty of folks the chance to catch a glimpse of the northern lights. Folks across southern British Columbia, away from the city lights of Metro Vancouver, might score the best opportunity for aurora spotting through the overnight hours. Canada's Cloud Cover Forecast September 17 2024 for the northern lights, aurora borealis While large portions of Alberta will escape significant cloud cover, folks in the southern half of Saskatchewan might miss out as clouds increase ahead of a developing low-pressure system over the southern Prairies. Unfortunately, thunderstorms that are forecast to continue overnight will ruin the chance for people to see the northern lights in southern Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. A powerful ridge of high pressure parked over Eastern Canada will provide crystal clear skies to the majority of Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada. A bit of luck will be required here, though, as the geomagnetic storm will have to race the sunset in order for any auroras to be visible here. Sept. 16, 2024: Canada' aurora borealis, northern lights potential Areas in the orange will have the greatest potential to see the peak of the northern lights, while areas in the green will see some too, but they won't be as intense. (The Weather Network). If Thursday nights display is strong enough to send the aurora into the southern reaches of Canada, many folks across southern Ontario away from the Greater Toronto Area's lights may have a decent chance to view the lights as well. Were in the decades best spell of auroras Two aurora alerts in a week? Its no surprise given that were approaching solar maximum, the peak of the Suns predictable 11-year cycle during which we typically see hundreds of sunspots across our stars surface. Auroras are more common during this point in the cycle. A historic geomagnetic storm back in May sent the northern lights all the way into the tropics, providing a once-in-a-lifetime event for millions of people around the world. Header image submitted by Matthew Burik at Manitoba's Bowden Lake. Article updated on Sept. 16 to include information about Monday night's aurora potential. WATCH: Photograph the auroras like a pro with these shooting tips Click here to view the video We are not OK: Arab Americans, feeling ignored, organize for the long haul There were fits of crying, screaming matches, thoughtful strategizing sessions and joyful rallies. And there was consensus around one thing: Staying home Nov. 5 is not an option. Engage. Speak up. Vote at least in local elections, if not in the presidential race. Those were the primary messages conveyed at ArabCon, a tearful, four-day national gathering of about 1,000 Arab Americans that concluded Sunday in Dearborn. The Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee typically holds its annual convention in the Washington D.C. area. This year, it needed to be in Dearborn. It needed to be here because the loudest and most concentrated Arab American communities reside here. And it was here where activists launched a boisterous, nationwide movement to use their collective voting power to pressure the Democratic Party to alter the way it approaches U.S. foreign policy in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, where a brutal, ongoing military campaign that started after a Hamas attack on Oct. 7 killed 1,200 Israelis has killed more than 40,000 in Gaza and more than 600 in the West Bank over the last year, according to Palestinian health authorities. Attendees were split on who they will support in the presidential election, but united in resolve to redouble long-term organizing efforts, having fallen short this time around, at the most pivotal of moments, to gain mainstream acceptance and influence in American politics. Focused on Harris, Trump? Look at abortion, immigration, Michigan politics Still hoping for change From the perspective of anguished Arab Americans whove waited in vain for a cease-fire and a sign of change from the Democratic presidential campaign, that movement, at least in the short term, appears to have failed, in spite of tireless efforts by Arab Americans in influential positions. Many in this community say they'll vote for third-party presidential candidates, like Green Party nominee Jill Stein and independent Cornel West, who joined the Dearborn gathering. Both will be on the Nov. 5 ballot in Michigan, and both have long spoken out against brutal conditions for Palestinians. Still, some attendees said fear of another Donald Trump presidency, and the Supreme Court appointments that could result, will ultimately lead them to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. Mikey Nasser, left, raises his hands in prayer during noon prayer at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Mich, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. That sentiment was often met with fierce derision by others at the convention, who feel voting out of fear compromises the basic dignity of a community whose concerns have been dismissed at every turn. Were pushing for everyone to not allow the top of the ticket, the presidential race, to dictate whether or not youre going to vote, said Abed Ayoub, national director of the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, who grew up in Dearborn. We have a lot of down-ballot races, and a lot of races that have local impact that we need to voice our opinion on. We know the challenges that are out there. We know theres voter apathy, that people dont believe in either candidate. We know that the Democratic Party has its challenges, and the Republican Party, of course, recently hasnt been a place for Arab Americans to call home." The political parties, Ayoub said, should consider why Arab Americans feel alienated from them, and work to earn, not just demand, the community's votes. "What were telling our community members is: Respect your vote. Respect your voice. Make them earn it. Vote your conscience,'" he said. " And if that means Im going to walk into that booth and only vote for my local voices and skip the top of the ticket, thats their choice." But influence starts in the voting booth, said New York activist Linda Sarsour, co-founder of the Womens March on Washington, chiding the Dearborn crowd about historically disappointing voter turnout. The Arab American community has been in Dearborn for at least 100 years. It took you about 100 years to get an Arab American mayor in Dearborn, she said forcefully, referring to Mayor Abdullah Hammouds election in 2021. She urged focus on long-term, consistent political organizing, regardless of the results of the November election. It was a refrain revisited often, between gut-wrenching discussions on conditions in Gaza and the West Bank, and frustrating accounts of Arab Americans in powerful positions appealing in vain to the White House for a change in its approach to unconditional support for a right-wing Israeli government. Welcome to Detroit, Lions fans take your trash when you go 'Not OK' A group of physicians at the convention provided eye-witness accounts from the remaining hospitals in Gaza, where thousands seek treatment and shelter in facilities meant for hundreds, without access to clean water or basic supplies. Student activists and elected officials from around the country spoke of their efforts to raise awareness in universities and local governments, vowing to continue pushing through exhaustion, backlash and bigotry. And a group of former Biden Administration officials, who resigned in protest of the bombardment and starvation of Gaza, offered insider accounts of their efforts to influence the White House. Ahmad Ahmad, and his son Jude attend noon prayer at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Mich, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. Tariq Habash, a U.S. Department of Education appointee who wrote policy for the office of planning, evaluation and policy development, resigned in January. I took an oath to ensure that I was working in the interests of Americans, said Habash, a Palestinian American. And what I saw was completely disconnected from reality We were going out of our way to make other people around the world, my people, less safe, with our tax dollars. Habash spoke up to his bosses, loudly, and said he was often asked, Hows your family? Is everyone OK? No! Theyre not OK. We are not OK. Arabs are not OK. Palestinians are not OK. We have to do something, he said. "We are the United States government. How can we be here and still feel this helpless?" He quit after deciding he could not reconcile the White House response to events in Gaza with the values at the core of being American: "That we care about human rights, that we care about equal rights, that we care about justice and democracy. Lily Greenberg Call, who was special assistant to the chief of staff at the Department of the Interior, lost loved ones in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. She quit in May, citing in her resignation letter disastrous, continued support for Israels genocide in Gaza. Everything that I have been taught about what it means to be Jewish has been about fighting injustice, because of what we have been through, she said. It was important to be very explicit in how I felt about Palestinian rights to people in the administration, given those parts of my identity ... I did not feel that the retaliation and the massacre of Palestinians would keep my community safe, would keep me safe, was the right thing to do, that anything about the status quo keeps any of us safe." Laying a foundation Hasan Newash, 83, of Detroit, was forced out of his childhood home in the village of Ein Karem, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, as Israel was being established in 1948. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1960, and has since been active in local Arab American political organizing. He's seen decades of ups and downs, progress in community engagement, failures of political influence, spirited rallies, solemn conventions and disappointing presidential debates. Asked if he believes he'll live to see meaningful change in the U.S. approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Newash responded without hesitation: Yes. A Shia muslim places her Turbah, a prayer stone made of clay taken from the ancient city of Karbala, and her prayer beads on the floor in front of her as she prays during noon prayer at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Mich, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. And even if not, he's proud of the foundation he helped lay, as an activist who survived the initial displacement and has spent a lifetime calling attention to his experience and bloodshed. "I learned a long time ago not to attach myself to the results," he said. "I attach myself to the process." Building upon the foundation that Newash and others have laid to affirm the basic humanity and equal rights of Arabs everywhere will require long-term commitment to the most fundamental act involved in building anything meaningful in the U.S.: voting. Newash said he learned that from his father, a stonemason. That's how he built homes. One layer at a time. Khalil AlHajal is deputy editorial page editor of the Detroit Free Press. Contact: kalhajal@freepress.com. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters and we may publish it online and in print. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: At Arabcon, anguished community rallies, works on political strategy (Bloomberg) -- Washingtons envisioned clampdown on the tax-free import of Chinese goods imposes one more layer of uncertainty on consumer-sector mavens from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. to Temu who are already struggling to cope with a consumer crisis back home. Most Read from Bloomberg Alibaba and smaller rival JD.com Inc. sagged about 2% in Hong Kong Monday, as investors parsed the potential fallout from US plans to begin taxing packages worth less than $800. That all but slams shut a loophole that PDD Holdings Inc.s Temu and fashion-focused competitor Shein have employed for years to ship hundreds of millions of packages into the US annually, carving out a market at the expense of Amazon.com Inc. PDD slid 2.4% Friday. The move threatens to reshape parts of the US retail arena and deflate the excitement thats accompanied the meteoric ascent of bargain bazaars like Temu, Shein and Alibabas AliExpress. It also hit shares of other US-reliant retailers such as Australian fashion outlet Cettire Ltd. on Monday. But analysts expect Shein and Temu to take the brunt of the crackdown, depending on the extent and size of tariffs set. While the market has been expecting the US Administration might announce action to change/reform the de minimis exemption, it was still considered as a negative development, Citigroup Inc. analyst Alicia Yap wrote in a research note. The lack of visibility on implementation timing and potential impact will remain an overhang to share price performance near term. White House officials on Friday announced they intend to propose rules that would rein in use of the so-called de minimis exemption, which allows products worth less than $800 to go directly to consumers without customs declarations or duties. The measures are aimed at reducing tariff evasion and preventing fentanyl-laced shipments. Investors have braced for the move for some time. The European Commission has kept the ultra-fast-fashion industry in its sights since at least 2021, when President Ursula von der Leyen denounced it as poison due to the environmental impact of disposable clothes. US officials also worry about the prospect of other illegal items like drugs slipping into the country. In separate statements, Temu and Shein pointed out their growth wasnt contingent on the tax-free policy. The two Chinese-linked firms said they would focus on business efficiencies and keeping consumers happy. Story continues Our success is anchored in our unique on-demand business model, Shein said in its statement, adding that it called for de minimis reform to create a level, transparent playing field where the rules are applied evenly and equally. Investors are adopting a wait-and-see attitude for now, though the impact is expected to be broad. Amazon, for instance, has come under pressure from Temu and Shein so much so that its developing a discount marketplace on its platform for Chinese merchants to ship direct to the US. The clear positive is the potential reduction in competitive pressures from China-based exporters, with impact across marketing cost and demand, Morgan Stanley analysts led by Nathan Feather wrote, outlining how US retailers like eBay Inc. and Etsy might benefit. Still, they said, both of those companies have Chinese seller bases. Shein, which is preparing for an initial public offering that could value the Chinese apparel giant north of $60 billion, pioneered the model of targeting cost-conscious Americans with $2 blouses and $10 shirts during Covid. Temu jumped in around 2022 with its Shop Like a Billionaire catchphrase, rapidly becoming one of PDDs biggest growth drivers worldwide. Analysts estimate Temu accounts for a low-teen percentage of PDDs overall business though a large chunk of that is from the US. Temu likely handled about $20 billion of gross merchandise volume in the first half of 2024, of which about 40% came from America, Jefferies analyst Thomas Chong estimates. And the explosive growth that crowned PDD a market darling is already showing signs of petering out, hammered by Chinas unrelenting consumer downturn. As for Shein, it can ill-afford any uncertainty ahead of its market debut. And both are coming under intensifying scrutiny in the US, as its relationship with China comes into focus ahead of the November elections. Geopolitical risks have long been a concern to investors, in particular the tariff issue related to cross-border e-commerce, Chong wrote. Compared to overseas peers, we expect Temu to maintain pricing advantage, as the former do not charge commissions and operate on a low-price model. --With assistance from Catherine Ngai. (Updates with Temus and Sheins responses from the eighth paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. (Getty Images) The nexus of two recent headlines, one detailing yet another school shooting, the other profiling the reaction to a book banner who was appointed to oversee Nebraskas libraries, reminded me of what comedian Wanda Sykes once said: Until a drag queen walks into a school and beats eight kids to death with a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, were paying attention to the wrong stuff. (I cleaned it up a little.) None of which is funny. For starters, Gov. Jim Pillen has appointed Terri Cunningham-Swanson, a former Plattsmouth school board member, to the Nebraska Library Board, dissing 1,649 Plattsmouthians who voted to remove her from the local board for endless book challenges. Thats dissing with a capital D, underlined, bolded, all caps and set off with a series of asterisks. For the full disrespect picture, go ahead and throw in the thousands of Nebraskans who see both the damage in and folly of an ongoing assault on the maintenance of a rich and diverse literary canon available to the states public school students. Pillen was not the first to imperil book titles with a Nebraska Library Commission board member. His predecessor, former Gov. Pete Ricketts, appointed Tiffany Carter, whose bona fides were honed in the world of book challenges, which, as has been widely reported, often comes from concerned parents who have not bothered to read the book, only what they consider offending passages. The metaphor seems obvious, but doing all the homework might be a good start to make a case for a challenge. Plus, no one is asking third graders to read Myra Breckinridge nor high school English classes to parse the writings of Masters and Johnson. Most Nebraska schools have policies in place for parents to opt their kids out of lessons or books without telling other parents what their kids should be reading the hallmark of challenges with banning the ultimate aim. Nevertheless, having a couple library commission board members with less trust in the professional librarians and experienced teachers across our state than a posse of excerpting book challengers should give us pause. Books and guns. To Sykes point, our focus on restricting or removing the former diffuses the attention we should be paying to the latter and the wake of terror that guns leave when they show up in schools. Which brings us to the most recent school shooting, the ongoing social distemper that presidential candidate Donald Trump wants us to get over it and move on. (Of course, he also told a crowd at a rally last week that schools are performing sex change operations, so there you go.) In an equally callous rendering of the truth, his running mate, J.D. Vance, considers school shootings a fact of life. The sun rising in the East and gravity are facts of life. Change being inevitable and growth being optional are facts of life. The verity of measuring twice and cutting once is a fact of life. Students and teachers dying in schools at the hands of shooters wielding easily accessible weapons of war, which sometimes are Christmas gifts, is not a fact of life; it is a fact of death and death only, searing traumas for the loved ones of those who bleed out in classrooms, hallways and libraries. Those left to grieve them may learn to live with that pain, but telling someone to get over it heals no one. Such nonsense is the same thinking that believes we should further harden schools rather than deal with the threat. The same thinking that insists the problem is mental illness but then justifies a vote against measures to strengthen mental health programs in schools. The same thinking that lawfully arms the too young, the wholly unstable and the historically violent with guns designed for the battlefield, leaving the rest of us with thoughts and prayers: Thinking about being in the wrong place at the wrong time -math class on a regular school day or the produce aisle at a grocery store or the food court at a local mall and praying we survive when the bullets come. Are we OK with living like this? OK sending our children to school each morning knowing that since Columbine, in 1999, our kids have been in someones crosshairs 417 times? Those horrors work out on average to more than one school shooting a month for a quarter century. Are we OK with that? If not, we should spend less time challenging books and more time challenging those standing in the way of a solution to school shootings. BRENTWOOD, N.Y. (AP) Law enforcement officials on Monday released new, more detailed renderings of one of the victims whose remains were found along a coastal highway in New Yorks Long Island more than a decade ago in a string of deaths known as the Gilgo Beach killings. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said at a news conference with other law enforcement officials that the victim was of Asian descent, with the remains found off Ocean Parkway in 2011. More Local News The victim, who for years had been identified by officials as male but who police believe now may have presented outwardly as female, died in 2006 or earlier, was likely between ages 17 and 23 and about 5 feet 6 inches tall, and was likely of Southern Chinese, or Han, descent. The victim was found dressed in womens clothing, Tierney said. New renderings were being released Monday in the hopes they may generate new leads. They include versions that are both male- and female-presenting. This person certainly had a life and loved ones and friends, Tierney said. Its important that this victim get their name back and the people who cared for this individual get answers. Two former FDNY chiefs arrested in corruption scandal Flyers with the renderings and a description of the victim and the clothes they were found wearing are being distributed in Asian communities across New York and will be translated into a range of languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai and Indonesian, he said. Local officials released a more basic sketch of the victim back in 2011. Tierney said DNA records from Asian people are less common in U.S. genetic databases, making it difficult to compare and identify the remains through traditional methods. Tierney said the new facial reconstruction was created by a forensic artist with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. No one has been charged in the victims death, but Tierney noted that the remains were found some 300 feet from those of Megan Waterman and not far from those of Jessica Taylor. The two are among the six women that Rex Heuermann, a 61-year-old local architect, has been accused of killing. Tierney also noted that prosecutors, in recent court filings, have said their investigation into Heuermann turned up evidence hed searched online for pornography featuring slender Asian men. But Tierney stopped short of saying that the cause of death or manner in which the victims remains were disposed matched the hallmarks in the other killings. He said investigators believe the victim was likely working as a sex worker and had spent time in New York City before their death. Heuermann was previously charged with killing four other women: Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello and Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Heuermann was arraigned in June in connection with the deaths of Taylor and Sandra Costilla, following renewed searches of his Massapequa Park home and a wooded area elsewhere on Long Island. Taylor disappeared in 2003 and Sandra Costilla was killed in 1993. Costillas inclusion in the case indicates prosecutors now believe Heuermann was killing women far longer than previously thought. Since late 2010, police have been investigating the deaths of at least 10 people mostly female sex workers whose remains were discovered along an isolated highway near Gilgo Beach. Heuermann, who lived across the bay, was arrested last July. His next court appearance is in October in Riverhead, where he has been in custody since his arrest. He has pleaded not guilty and his attorney, Michael Brown, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Monday. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. (Bloomberg) -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams lost two key allies within a span of days as authorities probe his inner circle, pressuring an administration thats already struggling under record-low poll numbers a year before he seeks reelection. Most Read from Bloomberg Lisa Zornberg, chief counsel to the mayors office, abruptly quit late Saturday night, saying I have concluded that I can no longer effectively serve in my position. That came just two days after Adams police commissioner, Edward Caban, resigned after federal agents searched Cabans home and seized his phone. The investigation that led to the seizure of Cabans phone is one of four separate federal probes that have embroiled the mayors office over the past year and led to searches of the homes of several senior administration officials. In a statement late Saturday night, Adams thanked Zornberg for her work and said that he intends to name a replacement in the coming days. These are hard jobs and we dont expect anyone to stay in them forever, Adams said. Zornberg, a former federal prosecutor, has been one of Adams most ardent defenders in City Hall over the past 10 months, since news broke in early November that federal law enforcement agents had seized his phones and devices as part of a probe into his 2021 campaign fundraising. She has stated that investigators have not indicated to us the mayor or his staff are targets of any investigation. Her resignation comes a little more than a week after federal agents raided the homes of Caban and his twin brother, James, as well as Edward Cabans chief of staff, Raul Pintos. Agents also seized phones from City Schools Chancellor David Banks, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, who is David Banks brother. Agents also seized a phone from Tim Pearson, a former NYPD official who now serves as a senior adviser to Adams. Quinnipiac University surveys have shown Adams approval ratings at the lowest since the school began polling New York Citys registered voters almost 30 years ago. Voters have faulted Adams for his handling of the arrival of thousands of migrants since spring of 2022 and questioned his stewardship of the citys budget. Earlier this year the mayor proposed deeply unpopular cuts to city services and libraries that he later reversed. New challengers are also emerging for the 2025 Democratic primary. Jessica Ramos, a progressive state senator from Queens, has joined former city Comptroller Scott Stringer, current Comptroller Brad Lander and Zellnor Myrie, a state senator from Brooklyn, to formally join the race. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) An NYPD employee was arrested in Queens on Sunday, according to authorities. Shikandar Hoque, a 38-year-old NYPD traffic agent, was taken into custody around 10:15 p.m. More Local News He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and menacing. 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). Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. A fare-beater who walked through an open subway gate at the Sutter Ave. L subway station in Brooklyn and was armed with a knife triggered a harrowing showdown with police Sunday that left four injured by gunfire, including one NYPD officer struck by friendly fire, NYPD officials said. Both the fare-beater and one of the passengers struck in the crossfire, a 49-year-old man, were in critical condition, police sources said. Around 3 p.m., two police officers on transit detail at the station at Sutter Ave. and Van Sinderen Ave. in Brownsville saw the man go through the gate without paying and confronted him only to have the scofflaw, who had a knife in his pocket, threaten the officers, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said at a news conference. The cops opened fire when their Tasers didnt work properly and failed to stop him. In the ensuing gunfire, one of the officers, the fare-beater and two others were hit in a rain of bullets, police officials said. When asked if the injuries were the result of friendly fire, Maddrey said, I dont like to use that term friendly fire, but absolutely we believe at this time that our officers were the only ones who discharged weapons at this time. So everyone that was struck this afternoon, we believe, was by our officers, Maddrey continued. EMS rushed the wounded cop, who was hit in his chest under his right armpit, to Brookdale University Hospital in stable condition, Interim Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon said at the news conference at the hospital. The suspect, 37, who allegedly told the officers, Im going to kill you if you dont stop following me, was hit multiple times in the chest, Maddrey said. In addition to the police officer and the suspect, the 49-year-old man was shot in the head and a 26-year-old woman was grazed in the buttocks by a bullet, according to Maddrey. They and the suspect were taken to area hospitals, according to FDNY. The woman was in stable condition. Sundays shooting marked the second time in less than 48 hours that NYPD officers fatally shot a suspect when their Tasers did not work. On Friday evening, police shot and killed a suspect wanted for three murders in Brooklyn in 2022 after he reportedly charged at them with a knife, cops said. In Sundays incident, police discovered the man was carrying a knife when he refused to take his hands out of his pockets, Maddrey said. The officers then used their Tasers, but when they failed to stop the fare-beater, cops opened fire just as a train arrived on the platform and opened its doors, Maddrey said. A video circulating on social media showed a chaotic scene as people on the elevated subway platform rushed to get away from the carnage. A man who is handcuffed can be seen in a pool of blood just inside the train doors. In a second video, the same man moans as police stand over him. The first video also shows a man in a red shirt immobile in a different subway car half of his body in the train and half on the platform with a red puddle around his head. Theyre shooting recklessly. He hit his own partner, a man can be heard saying in the videos background. The suspect has a long arrest record, according to Donlon. Officers were put in a very difficult situation to save themselves, Maddrey said. Another police officer was also injured and taken to the hospital, according to Brooklyn Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny, though the officer wasnt shot. 2 NYPD Officers were injured earlier this afternoon by gunfire in Brownsville, Brooklyn. We are awaiting further details regarding the extent of injury and the condition of the officers. I offer my prayers for their safety and recovery and remind all New Yorkers to never forget the courage and bravery of our NYPD, Brook-Krasny posted on X. This is a developing story; check back for updates. The New York Police Department (NYPD) has a history of protecting bystanders by shooting them. This March, when Brooklyn man Nathan Scott tried to shoot a mugger who had his wallet, the NYPD killed Scott and wounded an auto mechanic across the street. In 2013, after a man in a road rage incident made finger guns and reached for his pocket, the NYPD tased the man and shot two women nearby. In 2012, after a disgruntled ex-employee murdered his coworker outside the Empire State Building, the NYPD shot the murderer along with nine bystanders. This weekend featured yet another "police-involved shooting" against the publicexcept this time, the alleged threat didn't have a gun, and the confrontation was started entirely by police action. After chef Derrell Mickles allegedly snuck into a subway station without paying his fare on Sunday, the NYPD tried to arrest him. They claim that Mickles muttered "I'm going to kill you if you don't stop following me" and drew a knife. (Mickles' mother says the knife was from his job.) After failing to subdue Mickles with a taser, the officers shot him, two bystanders, and one of their own in the crowded station. Police hit one of the bystanders, a 49-year-old man, in the head; he was in critical condition. So is Mickles, whose family only found out about the incident when a reporter from The Gothamist showed up at their house. "Make no mistake, the events that occurred on the Sutter Avenue station platform are the results of an armed perpetrator who was confronted by our officers doing the job we asked them to do," Interim Police Commissioner Tom Donlan said at a Sunday press conference. But some of the bystanders in the line of fire disagree. One video shared by independent local journalist Talia Jane shows a bystander shouting "They're shooting recklessly! He shot his own fucking partner!" Mickles was within seven feet of the officers when they shot him, the NYPD says. Police are traditionally taught the "21-foot rule," which says that a suspect holding a knife within 21 feet is close enough to pose an immediate threat. But the 21-foot rule is not a license to start shooting anyone within that distance; Lt. Dennis Tueller, the Salt Lake City police officer whose 1983 research led to the rule, also recommended making a "tactical withdrawal" or trying to "avoid the confrontation altogether." And a $2.90 subway fare seems like an awfully small thing to endanger the public over. Earlier this year, the NYPD and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced a crackdown on turnstile jumpers called "Operation Fare Play." In addition to costing around 4 percent of the MTA budget every year, MTA head Janno Lieber said, theft of services "creates a sense of disorder in a public space." Of course, so does shooting up a crowded subway platform. The post NYPD Opened Fire on a Fare Jumper, Shooting 2 Bystanders and a Cop appeared first on Reason.com. LE RAY, N.Y. (WWTI) New York State Police are investigating a fatal motorcycle crash killed one person on Sunday night in the town of Le Ray. According to State Police, they responded just before 6:40 p.m. Sunday to State Route 11 in the town of Le Ray for a motorcycle crash with injuries. State announces applications open for emergency home repair grants from summer storms A preliminary investigation revealed that a 2017 Triumph motorcycle operated by a 26-year-old Evans Mills man was traveling north on State Route 11 at a high rate of speed. This caused him to lose control of the motorcycle and exit the roadway at the intersection of Holbrook Drive, ejecting him from the motorcycle. The victim suffered a traumatic head injury and was pronounced deceased at the scene. The crash closed Route 11 for a time. The investigation is ongoing and State Police were assisted on the scene by Fort Drum EMS. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWTI - InformNNY.com. Over 30 killed in Mexico after cartel leaders arrested in U.S. Eleven more people have been killed in a wave of violence in a Mexican cartel heartland shaken by gang infighting, authorities said Sunday. The latest fatalities included five men whose bodies were found on a highway south of the city of Culiacan, the Sinaloa state prosecutor's office said in a daily update. More than 30 people have been reported dead in a week of bloodshed in Sinaloa, although authorities did not specify how many were believed to be linked to the cartel infighting. The clashes follow the dramatic arrest on U.S. soil on July 25 of Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, who claimed he had been kidnapped in Mexico and delivered into US custody against his will. Zambada pleaded not guilty last week in New York in a drug trafficking case that accuses him of engaging in murder plots and ordering torture. Zambada, 76, was detained along with Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of El Chapo, who is serving a life sentence in the United States. The violence is believed to pit gang members loyal to El Chapo and his sons against others aligned with Zambada, who pleaded not guilty to a raft of charges in a New York court Friday. Schools were closed Thursday and Friday due to the violence and the governor said Sunday's Independence Day festivities had been canceled. The United States on Thursday issued a security alert because of "reports of car thefts, gunfire, security forces operations, roadblocks, burning vehicles and closed roadways" in the vicinity of Culiacan. A member of the Mexican Army stands guard after an armed attack against the facade of a business selling new and pre-owned cars in Culiacan, Sinaloa State, Mexico, on September 12, 2024. / Credit: IVAN MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images In an unexpected twist, last month Mexican prosecutors said they were bringing charges against Guzman for apparently kidnapping Zambada but it also cited another charge under an article of Mexico's criminal code that defines what he did as treason. Nowhere in the statement does it mention that the younger Guzman was a member of the Chapitos "little Chapos" faction of the Sinaloa cartel, made up of Chapo's sons, that smuggles millions of doses of the deadly opioid fentanyl into the United States, causing about 70,000 overdose deaths each year. According to a 2023 indictment by the U.S. Justice Department, the Chapitos and their cartel associates used corkscrews, electrocution and hot chiles to torture their rivals while some of their victims were "fed dead or alive to tigers." El Chapo, the Sinaloa cartel's founder, is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison in Colorado after being convicted in 2019 on charges including drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons-related offenses. Last year, El Chapo sent an "SOS" message to Mexico's president, alleging that he has been subjected to "psychological torment" in prison. Kamala Harris working to secure Teamsters Union endorsement Trump to host town hall in Michigan Tuesday after apparent assassination attempt What we know about the suspect in apparent Trump assassination attempt MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) The University of South Alabama is changing to meet the needs of military veterans and their dependents. The newly created Office of Military Services is intended to help vets and their families with unique challenges. Two dead after car crash over the weekend In a school of more than 13,000 students, more than one thousand are either US Veterans or dependents of veterans. This painting hangs on a wall inside the University of South Alabama Veteran Students Resource Room. (Chad Petri, News 5) Around this office youll still see the old signs for USA Veteran Affairs. Its being changed to the Office of Military Services to help differentiate between the services offered by the state or federal VA and what they offer at the school. David Blair spent 25 years in the Army before going on to similar programs at Mississippi State University and the University of Alabama. This is meant to streamline assistance for vets and dependents and point them in the right direction if they cant help at the university level. Were the first point of contact at the university. So what we do is everything from certifying GI Bill benefits to offering programs and services to help ease the transition for our veterans and service members coming to campus as well as our dependents, said Office of Military Services Director David Blair. Blair estimates there are around 250 veterans and 900 dependents who also have military benefits extended to them enrolled at USA. Its disturbing: Local political figures react to apparent assassination attempt of Former President He says some veteran students face unique challenges. Sometimes they are older than their peers in class or getting back to civilian life and setting their routine when theres no one there to do it. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. The Ohio State Highway Patrol will conduct daily bomb sweeps at Springfield schools in response to a flood of bogus threats, Gov. Mike DeWine said on Monday. The governor said all 33 bomb threats received so far have been hoaxes. "We have people, unfortunately overseas, who are taking these actions. Some of them are coming from one particular country. We think that this is one more opportunity to mess with the United States," DeWine said during a Monday afternoon news conference. "We cannot let the bad guys win. Our schools must remain open. They're going to remain open." 'They hate us': Haitian Springfield residents speak out as city remains in spotlight Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced that state troopers will sweep Springfield City Schools' 18 buildings each day and provide security during the school day for the foreseeable future. The move comes amid 33 bogus bomb threats flooding Springfield in the past week. DeWine declined to name the specific country where the threats are coming from. The patrol will deploy explosive sniffing dogs and will work in concert with the Springfield Police Department. Three dozen troopers will be assigned to provide security before, during and after school hours at the city's 18 school buildings for the foreseeable future. DeWine noted that the thousands of Haitians who relocated to Springfield for work are there under legal status. "There are issues about immigration that anybody has the legitimate right to talk about and to debate. The fact that our southern border is porous and is a total mess is a legitimate issue in a presidential campaign, a Senate campaign or any other campaign," DeWine said. He offered no opinion on whether it is a good idea for former President Donald Trump to make a campaign stop in Springfield. Trump said in the nationally televised debate with Vice President Kamala Harris last week that Haitian immigrants were eating people's pets in Springfield. DeWine, who has visited Haiti more than two dozen times and sponsors a school there named after his late daughter, said those allegations are untrue. He declined to criticize Trump for making the comments and reiterated that problems with illegal immigration are legitimate issues to debate on the campaign trail. An estimated 15,000 Haitians have settled in Springfield over the past several years, a dramatic population increase for a community with nearly 59,000 people as of the 2020 census. The result, local and state officials say: A housing crisis, overtaxed health care system and concerns about driver safety that only increased after a Haitian immigrant caused a school bus crash that killed an 11-year-old on board. DeWine said last week that the state will commit at least $2.5 million to expand primary care access and send state troopers to Clark County to help local police monitor the roads. Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine: Bomb sweeps ordered for Springfield schools Altenar SAN GILJAN, Malta, Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The race for the White House is intensifying and the battle to be able to offer Americans the chance to bet on the outcome is also being hard fought. Analysis of betting odds from global sportsbook provider, Altenar , shows Kamala Harris now has a 55.9% chance of winning Novembers election after her first televised debate with Donald Trump on Tuesday night. Harris only had a 33.3% chance of victory on the day she was elected to succeed Joe Biden and represent the Democrats, but her performance in front of the cameras has seen her odds shortened while Trumps price has drifted. Altenar The election is shaping up to be one of the closest in the countrys history and it could also be the first in which American residents have been able to bet on the outcome, despite an attempted ban by a leading US regulator. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has previously taken steps to prevent election betting, claiming it would be contrary to the public interest, but this has been challenged in court by prediction market platform Kalshi, which hopes to list contracts on the outcome of the election and settle trades in dollars. In what could prove to be an historic case, a judge in the District of Columbia backed the New York-based companys stance, with Kalshi stating on its website: We did it! US election markets are coming to Kalshi. Judge Jia Cobb is yet to publish her reasoning for the verdict and within hours there was another twist as the CFTC submitted an emergency 14-day motion appealing against the ruling. As a CFTC-regulated prediction platform, there is significant interest in whether Kalshi is cleared in time to offer markets on Novembers election. While election betting is permitted in many countries, the CFTC believes that relaxing the rules for US states could harm public perception of election integrity. Supporters of Kalshis case believe betting through a regulated platform is the safer option for Americans than using foreign operators, with other platforms such as crypto-based Polymarket having built a large market share despite being banned from doing business with US residents. Victory for Kalshi could pave the way for sportsbooks to be able to offer election odds in the future but, just as in the battle between Trump and Harris, there is still some way to go before the outcome is known. Photo https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ab09bf6a-8a93-4b88-bed5-0af22430dc02 CONTACT: Marketing@altenar.com Officials announce all Illinois Counties will have 911 coverage STARK COUNTY, Ill. (WMBD) Emergency officials gathered in Stark County on Monday to announce that all counties in Illinois now have 911 coverage. Peoria County had entered an agreement with Stark County to create a Joint Emergency Telephone System Board so that Stark County residents could more quickly receive local emergency services. Stark County prepping for future 911 emergency communication center Stark County Sheriff Steven Sloan said its great that his county can now answer 911 calls directly. We can take the call and know right where its coming from, and we can send our deputies, our emergency personnel, ambulance, and they know exactly where they need to go, Sloan said. An act in 2015 established requirements for public safety dispatch centers. In 2016, the Illinois Statewide 911 Administrator gave out $47.5 million in grants to 911 systems across the state to enhance 911 services across Illinois. Before this, Stark County residents had to call a specific, 10-digit number for emergency services. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating a collision in Springfield between a State Trooper's cruiser and a pedestrian. Officials said a Tennessee State Trooper and pedestrian were involved in a crash on Memorial Boulevard in Robertson County. THP did not provide any details about how the crash happened. Neither the officer nor the pedestrian's identities have been released. Police did not comment on the pedestrian's condition. "The trooper has been reassigned to administrative duties while we conduct an internal review," a THP representative said Monday. The Robertson County Sheriff's Office said Monday on Facebook that the agency was not involved in the incident Sunday night. City of Springfield vehicles were also not involved, Springfield Public Affairs Coordinator Natasha Tice said. The investigation is ongoing. Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Highway Patrol investigates trooper, pedestrian crash Invasive species can wreak havoc on an entire ecosystem. To combat these problematic species, public officials are increasingly urging people to employ a simple method of population control: eating them. The movement to eat more invasive species has grown so much that it now has a name. "Invasivorism" is defined by an organization called Eating for the Ecosystem Applied Research and Education as a "focus on consuming invasive species in order to control those populations and thus eventually restore ecosystem balance." In Oregon, an annual event allowed local chefs to show off their culinary "invasivore" skills, Oregon Live reported in August. The Invasive Species Cook-off, organized by the Institute for Applied Ecology, saw chefs present dishes featuring invasive plants such as Himalayan blackberry, garlic mustard, Japanese knotweed, mint, dandelion, nettles, kudzu, and Queen Anne's Lace. They also served invasive animals, including nutria, American bullfrogs, purple varnish clams, starlings, wild boar, crawfish, Asian carp, and wild turkey. Although you apparently had to be there in person to find out which dish won this year (no public reporting on the event appears to exist on the internet) past winners have included dishes such as ground possum and starling pate-stuffed nutria, Canada thistle and dandelion quiche, and wild boar chicharrones. Oregon is not the only place with invasive species, of course every state has its own invasive plants and animals. They provide something akin to a local delicacy for diners (or foragers, fishers, hunters, etc.) hoping to do their part to help keep the local ecosystem healthy. In the Mississippi River Basin, officials encourage residents to eat more Asian carp, which have taken over local waterways. In Maryland, residents are encouraged to eat more blue catfish and northern snakeheads (which they are trying to rebrand as Chesapeake channa). On both coasts, people are being told to eat more European green crabs, which have few natural predators and destroy seagrass at an alarming rate. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Young voters are one of the most inconsistent populations of voters in the United States, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from the November 2022 election. A New Albany High School senior is trying to do her part to change that among Central Ohios young voters. Our 18 to 25 population is so big, and Ive talked to so many people at school and at work who otherwise would not care too much about politics, said 18-year-old Rachel Malett. Malett teamed up with Morgan Harper and Columbus Stand Up! to host RESET: Political Discourse for a New Generation Sunday afternoon at East High School in Columbus. Everyones focused on the presidential race, but these are the races that impact us at the local level. And I think its important for people to know who theyre voting for instead of just voting on the party line, explained Malett. Harper, a local Democratic delegate and strategist, helped put together the bipartisan forum for young voters up to age 25. We hear so much about how young people are disenchanted with the political process or dont engage. We see it even in the numbers of people who turn out to vote. And so we wanted to create an environment that was organized by students, for students, to make them comfortable and feel like it was really speaking to what they care about, she said. NBC4s Kerry Charles moderated the first panel with two candidates running for Franklin County Prosecutor. The two candidates, current Columbus City Councilwoman Shayla Favor and John Rutan, answered questions from Charles in front of a crowd. Favor discussed the city data leak, and how her position on City Council has a role in the handling of that situation. Rutan answered questions about his conspiratorial comments about 9/11, and the false claims that the 2020 election was rigged. Part of the reason for having this forum for young voters was to show there are very real races at the local level that have an impact on voters daily lives here in Central Ohio. A lot of the federal national cable news discussion, which can feel very disconnected from someones day-to-day experience and young peoples day-to-day experience, Harper said. So thats why we also chose to focus on races that are closer to home. A county prosecutor, race, state supreme court, things that really talk about the lived experience that younger people are experiencing as they are growing up here in central Ohio. Malett discussed the division seen at the national level during debates, and hoped that the same rhetoric would not invade Sundays forum. I think one of the biggest problems with those debates is that a lot of the time, the candidates are interrupting each other and fighting with the moderators in all types of races. I think its important for people to try their best to stay in their lane and to answer the questions that that pertain to them, and to not fight too much over it, she said. Admittedly, that divisiveness is a reason why young people are turned off by national and local politics. I do hope that we get to a place where were able to have candidates who are all in agreement on facts that are not trying to distort history and that are really especially when were talking about educating the next generation, trying to lift them up to a higher place of civic engagement that will inspire them to be part of the political process, not make them want to run in the other direction, added Harper. Sundays forum also featured NBC4s Ohio Statehouse Reporter Natalie Fahmy moderating a panel of three Supreme Court Judge candidates. Since there are multiple seats they are running for, these candidates were not directly opposed of one another, making the questions and discussion less of a debate, and more of a town hall meeting atmosphere. Overall, the goal is to get young people registered to vote, informed, and involved in State and local politics. Its important for our young people to know whats really going on. And the fact is that we do have candidates who are running and saying these types of things, believe these types of things, and how else are you going to vote unless you make an informed choice? And they need to have full information to do that, said Harper. Were going to try to make this an annual thing, a candidate forum for folks under 25, because we know that looking ahead, we have to get this generation engaged in politics if were going to have a truly representative democracy, she added. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. An annual cultural festival held in Springfield, Ohio, has been canceled following dozens of bomb threats against the city, whose immigration population has been the target of racist conspiracy theories in recent weeks. The decision to cancel Springfields CultureFest was made to prevent any potential risks to attendees, staff, vendors and volunteers, the city said in an announcement Monday. We deeply regret having to cancel CultureFest, as we know it is a beloved event for our community, said City Manager Bryan Heck. However, the safety of our residents and visitors must come first. It wasnt clear if any threats were made directly against the festival. Attempts to reach city officials for comment Monday were not immediately successful. A man walks past the Springfield City Hall after bomb threats were made for some buildings earlier in the day in Springfield, Ohio. ROBERTO SCHMIDT via Getty Images As of Monday, there have been 33 bomb threats against the city. All of them have been investigated and determined to be hoaxes and coming from overseas, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said at an afternoon news conference. People have the right to feel safe as well as be safe, he said while announcing the coming arrival of 36 members of the Ohio State Patrol to patrol the citys 17 schools daily for the foreseeable future. They will sweep the building every single day and will remain there during the school day, he said. We want to make sure as schools continue this week in Springfield that parents have confidence that school is in fact safe. CultureFest, scheduled for Sept. 27 to 28 in the citys downtown district, was billed as a family-friendly celebration of diversity, arts and local culture. It would have featured live music and dance performances as well as multi-cultural food and shopping. The city of Springfield, Ohio, will have state troopers conduct daily sweeps of its schools in response to the city receiving 33 bomb threats in recent days, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday. via Associated Press The city of Springfield has received the threats after being targeted by debunked claims that its Haitian immigrants have been stealing and eating peoples pets. In Springfield, theyre eating the dogs, former President Donald Trump baselessly said during his prime-time debate against Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday. Theyre eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is whats happening in our country. And its a shame. Trumps running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, has also spread these rumors. Springfields mayor, city manager and police department have rejected these racist claims. Ohios governor has, too. The allegations come as the city and state face an influx of legal immigrants, which city officials have attributed to Springfields lower cost of living and available work. The executive director of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center holds hands with pastors on Sept. 12 during a prayer at the end of a press conference where religious leaders called for calm and support after growing tensions about the Haitian population in Springfield exploded when former President Donald Trump spread baseless rumors that Haitians were stealing pets and eating them. ROBERTO SCHMIDT via Getty Images Now that there are numerous immigrant families residing in our community, word of mouth is adding to our population, as this communal culture is sharing their positive experiences about living in our community with family and friends who are also seeking to leave the impoverished and dangerous living conditions of their home country, the city has said. The rapid growth has not come without its pains, however, and so the city has encouraged its citizens to reach out to state and federal representatives for support. We need support at the federal level to ensure that our schools, healthcare providers, and other local services have the resources they need to serve our growing population effectively, the city said in a letter template shared with residents. DeWine, addressing immigration concerns at Mondays press conference, emphasized that the Haitian community has a right to be in Springfield, though he agreed that the immigration situation along the U.S.-Mexico border is a legitimate issue that needs to be properly addressed. Its been a mess, he said of the number of people entering the U.S. He added, when asked, that he believes Trump has a right to visit and campaign in Springfield if he desires, especially with the presidential election being just seven weeks away. Related... Ohio Governor Mike DeWine addressed what is happening in Springfield after five straight days of threats. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] As News Center 7 reported at 5:00, two elementary schools in Springfield were evacuated Monday after being targeted by a threat. TRENDING STORIES: The city has been in the national spotlight after false rumors about its Haitian immigrants. Many of these threats are coming in from overseas, made by those who want to fuel the current discord surrounding Springfield. We cannot let the bad guys win, DeWine said. We must take every threat seriously, but children deserve to be in school, and parents deserve to know that their kids are safe. The added security will help ease some of the fears caused by these hoaxes. DeWine announced that he has authorized a contingent of troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrols Mobile Field Force to provide added security at each of the districts 18 school buildings. DeWine said there have been 33 bomb threats across Springfield. All of them have been hoaxes. The head of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Colonel Charles Jones, stood next to DeWine at city hall and said theyll be there with whatever resources the community needs as long as we need to be. Beginning Tuesday and continuing for the foreseeable future, 36 troopers will be stationed throughout the Springfield City School District. State troopers will sweep each building for threats before students and faculty arrive and will stay on-site to provide security throughout the school day and during dismissal. None of the threats that have come in to Springfield to date have been legitimate. Were doing this purely as a precaution to prevent further disruption within the Springfield City School District, DeWine said. DeWine also directed Ohio Homeland Security to begin conducting vulnerability assessments on critical infrastructure in Springfield and to provide various tower cameras for use by the Springfield Police Department to enhance situational awareness. The Ohio Department of Public Safety has also arranged for bomb detection dogs to be stationed in Springfield each day. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Ohio Issue 1 2024: What is it? Would it stop gerrymandering? Do you want to stop gerrymandering in Ohio? It's a question that backers of Ohio Issue 1 want voters to answer with an enthusiastic "yes" on their constitutional amendment this fall. Meanwhile, opponents say the question was already answered when voters overwhelmingly approved anti-gerrymandering rules in 2015 and 2018. For the average Ohioan, gerrymandering can sound more like a rare amphibian than a political process that influences everything from taxes and school policy to abortion access and gun control. Ohio Issue 1: How other states have dealt with redistricting and what Ohio can learn That's why the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau has compiled a one-stop shop to answer your questions about redistricting, gerrymandering, what happened with the previous voter-approved amendments and what this new ballot measure would do. Then, it's up to you. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 7 and early voting begins Oct. 8, both in-person and via mail. Election Day is Nov. 5. What is redistricting and why does it matter? Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says politicians should be removed from the redistricting process. But he opposes how Issue 1 would do that. Most lawmakers representing Ohio voters at the Statehouse in Columbus or Congress in Washington, D.C., run for election in districts. Deciding what these districts look like is called redistricting. Normally, redistricting happens every 10 years after the U.S. Census is complete. New population data determine how many seats each state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ohio currently has 15 congressional seats, down from a high of 24 from 1963 to 1973. The population numbers also help decide where these districts should be. If Columbus and Cincinnati are growing in population, they are entitled to more representation in Columbus and D.C. If Youngstown is shrinking, its representation should, too. While the concept is simple divide the state evenly into 15 congressional districts, 33 state Senate districts and 99 state House districts, the execution is often complicated and deeply political. That's because how you draw the districts can give one political party an advantage over the other. Jul 1, 2024; Columbus, OH, 43215; Boxes of signed petitions are unloaded at the Ohio Secretary of State's office for Citizens Not Politicians, an potential anti-gerrymandering constitutional amendment. Supporters say they have 731,000 signatures which is more than enough to secure a spot of the Nov 5, 2024 ballot. What is gerrymandering? Gerrymandering is drawing districts to give one political party an unearned advantage over the other. The term came from a salamander-like district signed into law by Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry in 1812. There are lots of ways to gerrymander. One method is called packing. Using this technique, mapmakers could cram most of an area's Republicans into one district, which the Republican candidate is guaranteed to win by a large margin while assuring Democrats can win the surrounding districts. Another method is called cracking. Using cracking, mapmakers could divide a Democratic city into two districts with enough Republican voters to dilute the Democrats and ensure two Republicans win those seats. A third tactic pits two sitting lawmakers of the same party against one another, ensuring one will lose. Similar to a game of musical chairs, someone is left without a seat when the music stops. Some limits exist: The federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 prevents disenfranchising voters based on race, color or membership in a language minority group. Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, and Ohio Auditor Keith Faber lead the Ohio Redistricting Commission in September 2023. Ohio voters approved anti-gerrymandering language in 2015 and 2018. What happened? Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved anti-gerrymandering measures in 2015 and 2018 to change how state legislative and congressional districts were drawn. The new rules created the Ohio Redistricting Commission, a seven-member panel of three statewide elected officials (governor, auditor and secretary of state) and four lawmakers who would draw state House and Senate districts and help with congressional districts. The new amendments created rules against splitting counties, municipalities and townships. The commission was also required to try to reflect recent statewide election results. By the end of 2020, Ohio was a red-leaning state, so to meet this requirement, the maps would lean Republican. If the Republican-controlled commission couldn't get approval from at least two Democrats, the maps would last for four years instead of 10. That uncertainty was supposed to drive compromise. But Ohio's new redistricting process was mired in political fights, missed deadlines, last-minute votes and squabbles about seemingly basic decisions, such as who should chair the commission. Rather than draw maps as a seven-member commission, staff for Republican and Democratic lawmakers crafted their own plans. At one point, Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, opined that Republicans could be entitled to up to 81% of the districts. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose called that logic "asinine" in a text message but voted for the maps anyway. Then came the protracted legal battles. A divided Ohio Supreme Court rejected statehouse maps five times and congressional district plans twice as unconstitutional gerrymandering. The Ohio Supreme Court almost held Ohio's top officials in contempt of court, and lawmakers considered impeaching then-Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor. Ultimately, federal judges forced Ohio to use statehouse maps that they called "the best of our bad options" for a costly August 2022 primary with abysmal turnout. And the U.S. Supreme Court got involved, sending the issue back to an Ohio Supreme Court after O'Connor left the bench. In the end, Democrats agreed to GOP-crafted statehouse maps out of concern that the next proposal would be even worse. Former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice was the deciding vote on multiple redistricting decisions that struck down GOP maps. Now, she's leading a group to change how maps are drawn. What would Ohio Issue 1 do? In response, O'Connor and a group called Citizens Not Politicians crafted a new way to draw districts. It's on Ohio's fall ballot as Issue 1. The proposal would replace the current politician-run commission with a 15-member citizen commission of five independents and five members each from the top two political parties, currently the Republicans and Democrats. Members couldn't be elected officials, lobbyists or political consultants. "We're taking the elected officials out of the mapmaking process because they've proven repeatedly that they can't actually be trusted to do it," said Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio and an Issue 1 proponent. Opponents of the measure say elected officials should retain redistricting powers because they are more accountable to the people. Retired judges would narrow down citizen applicants and randomly choose six of the 15 members. Then, those six would pick the remaining nine. If voters approve these changes, the citizen commission will draw new maps next year. Commission members would have to follow certain rules: Craft districts that comply with federal laws, including a ban on disenfranchising minority voters. Create maps that closely correspond to recent statewide election results. That means if Republicans are winning statewide races by about 60% of the vote, they would be favored to win in about 60% of the districts. Not consider where current lawmakers live. Count prisoners at their home addresses instead of where they are incarcerated. Keep "communities of interest" together. These could be cities or counties, but they could also be neighborhoods with similar "ethnic, racial, social, cultural, geographic, environmental, socioeconomic or historic" identities or concerns. There is no ban on splitting cities or limit on how often they can be divided. The proposal has rules to keep the public in the loop and prevent last-minute votes on maps no one has scrutinized. For example, the citizen commission must seek input from Ohioans at multiple public hearings across the state announced at least 14 days in advance. After revisions, the commission must hold at least two public hearings with three days' notice. Secretary of State Frank LaRose listens to an Ohioan voice his concern over Ohio House and Senate district draft maps during a meeting at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio on September 9, 2021. LaRose is one of seven on the Ohio Redistricting Commission. To approve new districts, the commission would need nine votes, including two Republicans, two Democrats and two independents. If they can't agree on a plan, each member would rank proposed maps from their most to least favorite. The least popular plan would be eliminated until only one plan remains. The Ohio Supreme Court would review any lawsuits challenging the approved districts. The justices would use two redistricting experts, called special masters, to determine if mapmakers made mistakes and give the commission a week to fix them. If the commission doesn't fix its mistakes, the special masters would fix them instead. Who supports Issue 1? The Ohio Democratic Party, multiple unions, the League of Women Voters of Ohio, American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, Ohio NAACP, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio and dozens of other organizations support Issue 1. Who opposes Issue 1? The Ohio Republican Party, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson, Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman and others oppose Issue 1. You can read the full amendment here: Ohio Issue 1 Citizens Not Politicians Amendment by Jessie Balmert on Scribd This embedded content is not available in your region. Jessie Balmert covers state government and politics for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What is Ohio Issue 1? Who supports, opposes anti-gerrymandering issue An Ohio sheriff is being accused of bullying his constituents after a social media post suggesting people send him the addresses of citizens with Kamala Harris yard signs. Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski apparently made a Facebook post on Friday, pondering how things might be different should Harris be elected in November. Zuchowski, who is running for reelection, suggested that people write down all the addresses of the people who had her signs in their yards! so that when the Illegal human Locust (which she supports!) Need places to live...Well already have the addresses of the their New families...who supported their arrival! The sheriff of Portage County, Ohio, seemingly posted this message to Facebook on Sept. 13. Facebook/Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski Zuchowskis post seemed to reference the issues currently facing Springfield, Ohio, about 200 miles away. Tensions in the roughly 60,000-person city have been amped up over the past week after former President Donald Trump falsely claimed that legal immigrants from Haiti were eating cats and dogs. Since then, Springfield residents have been subjected to bomb threats and general threats of violence that closed schools and government offices. Many people in Portage County were shocked by Zuchowskis social media rhetoric, and some have filed complaints with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), various state and federal agencies, as well as members of Congress, according to the Portager. Portage County Commissioner Tony Badalamenti, who, like Zuchowski, is a Republican, was so angered by the post that he resigned from the countys Republican Central Committee, saying in a Facebook video that this is not the leadership I want to be part of. He added: [Zuchowski] posted that we should all copy down the addresses of the people that display political signs which are different from our beliefs. It scares people. Its called bullying, from the highest law enforcement official in Portage County. HuffPost reached out to Zuchowski for comment, but he did not immediately respond, nor has he commented publicly after limiting the comments on his post, according to Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC. Related... Ohio woman accused of stabbing 3-year-old sitting in shopping cart will not stand trial, for now The woman accused of stabbing and killing a three-year-old boy at an Ohio grocery store was found incompetent to stand trial at this time, according to our CBS affiliate WOIO-19 TV. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: The stabbing happened in the parking lot of a Giant Eagle in North Olmsted on June 3. Bionca Ellis, 32, allegedly followed 3-year-old Julian Wood and his mother Margot out of the store and stabbed Julian while he was in the shopping cart. Margot was also injured, but survived, according to a previous News Center 7 report. On Monday, a judge ordered Ellis to attend Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare for in-patient care to see if she can be restored to competency, WOIO-19 reported. She was also ordered to cooperate with all treatment and prescribed medications. Her doctors will provide a written update to the court. Ellis was indicted by a Cuyahoga County grand jury on nine felony counts in June, according to a previous News Center 7 report. The charges include: 1 count of aggravated murder 2 counts of murder 2 counts of attempted murder 2 counts of felonious assault 1 count of endangering children 1 count of tampering with evidence 1 misdemeanor count of theft This case is truly devastating. I want to express my heartfelt condolences to the Wood family during this difficult time. As a father, I could not begin to imagine this grief, but I can promise that we will do everything in our power to bring justice for Julian Wood and the Wood family, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor OMalley said. According to the North Olmsted police, the attack appears to be random. News Center 7 will continue to follow this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Revenue: $12.6 million for Q3 2024, down 11% from $14.1 million in Q3 2023. Year-to-Date Revenue: $40.3 million, nearly flat compared to $40.8 million for the same period last year. Respiratory Unit Revenue Growth: 29% increase in Q3 2024 compared to Q2 2024. Specialty Unit Revenue Growth: Redesca grew 21% over Q2 2024. Gross Profit: $3.9 million for Q3 2024, down from $4.4 million in Q3 2023. Gross Profit Margin: Realigned near the 25% mark for Q3 2024. Net Loss: $8.2 million for Q3 2024, up from $5.8 million in Q3 2023. Adjusted EBITDA Loss: $1.5 million for Q3 2024, improved from $2.5 million in Q3 2023. Operating Expenses: Reflective of cost-saving initiatives, with a notable $1.1 million in restructuring costs in Q3 2024. Adjusted Gross Profit (Year-to-Date): $11.2 million for the nine months ended July 2024, down from $13 million for the same period in 2023. Adjusted EBITDA Loss (Year-to-Date): $6.1 million for the nine months ended July 2024, improved from $6.4 million for the same period in 2023. Release Date: September 13, 2024 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Positive Points Respiratory business unit demonstrated a 29% revenue growth in Q3 2024 compared to Q2 2024. Specialty products, particularly Redesca, showed a 21% growth over the prior quarter. Year-to-date revenues of $40.3 million are nearly in line with the previous year's $40.8 million. Cost-saving initiatives have been implemented, leading to operational efficiencies and reduced OpEx. Targeting EBITDA positive status by the first quarter of 2025. Negative Points Total revenues for Q3 2024 decreased by 11% compared to Q3 2023, primarily due to the termination of Xiidra. General and administrative expenses increased by $1.1 million to $1.2 million due to transformation and restructuring costs. Net loss for Q3 2024 was $8.2 million, a 40% increase compared to $5.8 million in Q3 2023. Gross profit decreased by 12% year-over-year, impacted by the loss of Xiidra. Ongoing financial challenges, including the need to extend a CAD10 million repayment and manage convertible debt due at the end of the year. Q & A Highlights Q: The CAD10 million that was due August 31, and that's since been kind of extended or initial prepayment with a bit of that extended. Is that USD10 million or CAD10 million? And then so what is the net balance that's being extended week-to-week? A: It's CAD10 million and that balance continues to be CAD10 million. That's extended week-to-week. Q: The payment from Novartis for the Xiidra transaction, has that been reflected in this quarter? Or is that something that will be reflected next quarter? A: The transaction as it continues with the reconciliation with Novartis, we've made a number of elements that are inputs into this transaction. So from a cash flow standpoint, it will no longer be generating the full face value of that. We've been operating as we have a number of assets with Novartis on this front. As in any good deal you always go through reconciliations with regards to customer acquisitions, transfer price, all that good stuff. And so as we have a consequent level of business, the goal was to minimize the level of cash flows that have been going on between us. There is still going to be an amount, but it's not going to be the full [CAD5.8 million] that was previously announced. Q: I noticed there's a big swing in the working capital, specifically, I think, around the inventory, was some of that related to Xiidra, like kind of returning whatever remaining inventory of Xiidra that you had to Novartis? Or is there other just kind of rebalancing of inventory levels that fed that? A: I would say it's more the latter, where we rebalanced our inventory levels to a lower level, still supporting and being able to serve demand, but something that is probably a little bit more reflective of our means, ambition and the need for us to be a little bit closer to just in time, rather than having five months of stock. Q: For the convertible debt, it's due kind of at the end of the year, no specific mention. Are you still looking at discussions or negotiations or options around refinancing that or pushing that out working with the holders there? A: We've got a number of initiatives that we're working on -- working with the larger debenture holders to look at extending and looking at a few options there. So we're in discussions with them, and we're working with them. And there are a few initiatives on the goal right now, which will help us with that. We hope to be able to announce those soon. Q: Good to hear Redesca seeing some growth. I think I heard 18% growth. Is that year over year or quarter over quarter? And is that kind of starting to see some impact from Ontario? Or is the kind of Ontario opportunity still a quarter to come thing? A: Ontario hasn't really hit yet. We expect some explosive growth for Redesca in coming months and quarters. We were hoping that Ontario would kick in earlier. So the numbers that you're seeing the quarter-on-quarter growth of the year, year-over-year growth is not reflective of the big push that we are expecting to happen within the next few months. Q: On the respiratory side, great to hear, again, growth -- underlying growth there. Is that a tracking with what you're expecting? Are you happy with that level of growth, both on the prescription prescribers as well as the financial revenue growth? A: If you look at the prescription and the adoption it's quite good, are we satisfied? No. We want a faster adoption and higher growth. So we keep pushing for much higher adoption, much higher growth. But we're happy that there is this consistent growth, but we expect more and we're pushing for a better adoption as we go forward on this entire portfolio. Q: Is there a kind of a key barrier for that growth? Is it just competitive nature of that indication? Or there -- I know there's the Quebec reimbursement, if they sell to fill at these forms, like what is the main kind of thing pushing against kind of the growth that you'd like to be seeing? A: Overall, if you take a step back, so there are some very large established players in this market. So it takes a large share of voice to push the needle. Fortunately, the products or the product portfolio is unique and has a great value proposition. So we don't believe we have to spend our way to growth the way others have done in this area. However, that value proposition is still has to be recognized by INAS and Quebec and others, the way we want it to do. So we're working hard on getting that value proposition really registered with INAS and RAMQ and move towards much better access to the product. Q: In terms of the restructuring costs, are there any kind of expected ongoing restructuring costs? Or is this quarter kind of reflect the majority of those severance and other fees related to the change in head count and other restructuring? A: The bulk of the restructuring is done because of the large restructuring we did with asthma. But as any good company, we need to continuously clean up and make sure that we've got the right structure. As you can see with the results, I'm pushing for a lower OpEx. So there will be continued OpEx optimization, both on head count and on other areas of OpEx. But it will not be to the extent that it was done in -- with that one-time restructuring of the respiratory, but it will -- we will continue with the cleanup for the next few quarters. And in terms of one-time -- other one-time cost charges, I think this quarter, it included many of the one-time charges. However, we expect a little bit more in Q4 2024. That way, our 2024 is going to be all clean and then on to a much better, cleaner 2025 without any of these onetime charges in our feet. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Treatment plans for cancer vary depending on several clinical factors, doctors say, refuting social media posts touting a grain-based diet as a "permanent solution" for the disease. The false posts -- shared repeatedly on Facebook -- surfaced in Sri Lanka as its health sector reeled from the island nation's worst economic crisis since independence. "Here is a permanent solution for cancer," read part of a Sinhala-language Facebook post on August 18, 2024. "Eating grains or grain sprouts will cure cancer permanently," it added. The post included a clipping from the weekly Navaliya magazine that misleadingly claimed cancer is "not a disease" and is caused by a deficiency in "vitamin B17" -- a reference to the chemical compound laetrile. Experts have separately said this compound is not a proven cancer treatment (archived link). A screenshot of the false Facebook post. The post circulated online as the bankrupt island nation's health sector grappled with the 2022 economic crisis and unrest that ousted strongman president Gotabaya Rajapaksa (archived link). Similar false posts were shared on Facebook here and here. 'Factually wrong' Dr Sanjeeva Gunasekera from the Sri Lanka College of Oncologists told AFP on August 25, 2024 the article was "factually wrong and should not be disseminated among the general public"(archived link). According to Cancer Research UK, vitamin B17 has long been promoted as an "alternative cancer treatment" but there is not enough reliable evidence that it works (archived link). The substance is a man-made form of amygdalin found in some nuts, plants and seeds of fruit. "When laetrile is processed by the body, it changes to cyanide. Cyanide is a type of poison which is thought to kill cancer cells," the charity said. "The side effects of laetrile are the same as those of cyanide." Dr Charles Jeffrey Tan, a medical oncologist from the Philippines, separately refuted the claims (archived link). "I wish eating healthy food can cure cancer but scientifically it is not sound," he told AFP on September 12. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the treatment plan for cancer depends on the tumour type, cancer stage and other factors. "Treatment options include surgery, cancer medicines and/or radiotherapy, administered alone or in combination," it says on the website for the UN's global health agency (archived link). AFP has repeatedly debunked misinformation about cancer. This is one of the biggest challenges for farms across Massachusetts DEERFIELD, Mass (WWLP) Farmers across Massachusetts have been struggling with the effects of climate change. Our food is actually a little more perilous than we might think. Food is something that hits all of us, everybody eats, said Gideon Porth, owner of Atlas Farm. Record warm summer nationally and in western Massachusetts The Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture or CISA has declared this week as Climate Change and Farming Week. CISA works to bring the farming community together to share ideas to solve climate problems many are experiencing. Why try something that you are not sure about if you can go to a farm and see that it worked or didnt work and learn from that before you try it yourself said Stephen Taranto, climate program coordinator at CISA. A group of local and state leaders traveled to two different farms in Franklin County and spoke with the farms owners, listening to the challenges they are facing in relation to climate change. Farming is a very low margin business, we are always walking a bit of a financial tightrope, so it doesnt take much to tip us negative, said Porth. One of the biggest challenges for Gideon and Atlas Farms along with farms across the Northeast have been experiencing are the extreme temperature changes over the last few years. Many of our farmers last year in the summer of 2023 for example, we had over 1,000 acres of farm land under water during that event that took place in July, the flooding event, said Melissa Hoffer, the Climate Change Chief for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The States Climate Change Chief Melissa Hoffer said theyre working to find solutions, We have been thinking very hard about how we are going to help to finance the cost of resilience. One of those solutions is the Regional Food Resilience Plan, which is looking into how we can produce most of our food here in New England. Unfortunately, there isnt a clear answer, but farmers, researchers and the state are committed to working together. 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. One dead in officer-involved shooting in Olive Branch, MS Editors Note: This story has been edited to correct the age of the suspect, based on new information sent out by MBI. MEMPHIS, Tenn. A person was killed in a shooting by Olive Branch Police officers Monday morning, according to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. Olive Branch Police say around 9:30, officers were serving a search warrant for two counts of child pornography possession to 68-year-old Mark Miller, who had recently moved from out of state to 9142 Railroad Avenue. While attempting to serve the warrant, the suspect opened fire on the officers and the officers returned fire, police said in a news release. Miller is dead. The officers were not injured, police said. DOWNLOAD the WREG mobile app for news alerts and more Im really shocked, a resident said. The consensus from people who spoke with WREG is that this is typically a quiet community where everyone keeps to themselves. Its a very peaceful community, a resident said. The biggest thing is public intoxication or something like that nothing of this magnitude. And its really shocking. The MBI says a SWAT Team was serving a warrant for two counts of child pornography when the suspect pointed a weapon toward the officers and officers shot and killed him. MPD squad car struck by DUI driver on I-240, police say Olive Branch Police have a slightly different story. They say Miller shot at the officers and thats when they returned fire. The cops have to do their job and if the man is guilty, he shouldve went peacefully with officers, a resident said. No information has been released regarding Millers child pornography case at this time. Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is handling the case. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. One killed in officer-involved shooting in Olive Branch OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (WJTV) Agents with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) are investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting in North Mississippi. Bailey Martin, press secretary for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (DPS), said the shooting occurred on Monday, September 16 when officers with the Olive Branch SWAT Team attempted to serve an arrest warrant at a home on Railroad Avenue. Man arrested for Hazlehurst robbery According to Martin, the suspect pointed a weapon at the officers, and the officers fired shots at the suspect. The suspect received fatal injuries, and the officer involved did not receive any serious physical injuries. MBI agents will share their findings with the Mississippi Attorney Generals Office. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily 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 WJTV. One person killed in crash on an SC road that involved a pickup truck, cops say One person was killed Sunday when a pickup truck and bicycle were involved in a crash, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol. The collision happened at about noon in Florence County, said Master Trooper Gary Miller. Both a 2022 Toyota Tacoma and the bicycle were heading east on Vox Highway, according to Miller. Near the intersection with Mill Branch Road the pickup and bike collided, and the bicycle rider died, Miller said. The Florence County Coroners Office said 29-year-old Johnsonville resident Harley Howell was the victim, WMBF reported. Miller said neither the pickup driver nor a passenger in the truck were hurt, and no other injuries were reported. There was no word if the bicycle rider was wearing a helmet, or if either of the people in the pickup had on seat belts. The crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol. Through Sept. 8, at least 597 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,030 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported. At least 12 people have died in Florence County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. A former supervisor with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the city, alleging that he was fired last month after raising concerns of anti-police bias and unprofessionalism within the agency. Matthew Haynam filed the lawsuit against the city last week, alleging that COPA Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten fired him in late August in retaliation for Plaintiffs good faith disclosure of Kerstens outrageous misconduct to both the Office of the Inspector General for the City of Chicago and Civilian Commission on Public Safety and Accountability. Haynams suit accuses Kersten of repeatedly tainting the publics perception of still-ongoing police misconduct investigations. Whats more, Haynam alleges, COPA investigators have a practice of disregarding Chicago police training materials that are critical in determining if an officer engaged in misconduct. Whenever there is a high-profile tragic event involving a Chicago Police Officer, Kersten pushes the increasingly popular narrative that the accused officer(s) engaged in misconduct, regardless of whether facts revealed during the course of an investigation support Kerstens chosen conclusion, Haynam alleges. Representatives for COPA and the citys Law Department each declined to comment on the pending litigation. Haynam points to Kerstens public statements in high-profile COPA cases statements made before the conclusion of any investigation as proof of her alleged political aspirations affecting the integrity of the agency. One such case was initiated in 2023 after rumors surfaced among city employees that a CPD officer assigned to the Ogden District (10th) was having an inappropriate sexual relationship with an asylum-seeker who was, at the time, housed at the police station. Assumptions by Kersten are no proxy for actual evidence, but tellingly reveal her willingness to engage in confirmation bias while investigating police misconduct allegations, Haynam wrote. Unwilling or unable to allow the lack of evidence get in the way of her narrative, Kersten ignored the lack of evidence and made a demonstrably reckless statement to the general public. The first hearing in the case is scheduled for November, court records show. Onetime supervisor at the Civilian Office of Police Accountability in Chicago slams agency leadership in whistleblower lawsuit CHICAGO A former supervisor with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the city, alleging that he was fired last month after raising concerns of anti-police bias and unprofessionalism within the agency. Matthew Haynam filed the lawsuit against the city last week, alleging that COPA chief administrator Andrea Kersten fired him in late August in retaliation for Plaintiffs good faith disclosure of Kerstens outrageous misconduct to both the Office of the Inspector General for the City of Chicago and Civilian Commission on Public Safety and Accountability. Haynams suit accuses Kersten of repeatedly tainting the publics perception of still-ongoing police misconduct investigations. Whats more, Haynam alleges, COPA investigators have a practice of disregarding Chicago Police training materials that are critical in determining if an officer engaged in misconduct. Whenever there is a high-profile tragic event involving a Chicago Police Officer, Kersten pushes the increasingly popular narrative that the accused officer(s) engaged in misconduct, regardless of whether facts revealed during the course of an investigation support Kerstens chosen conclusion, Haynam alleges. Representatives for COPA and the citys Law Department each declined to comment on the pending litigation. Haynam points to Kerstens public statements in high-profile COPA cases statements made before the conclusion of any investigation as proof of her alleged political aspirations affecting the integrity of the agency. One such case was initiated in 2023 after rumors surfaced among city employees that a CPD officer assigned to the Ogden District (10th) was having an inappropriate sexual relationship with an asylum seeker who was, at the time, housed at the police station. Assumptions by Kersten are no proxy for actual evidence, but tellingly reveal her willingness to engage in confirmation bias while investigating police misconduct allegations, Haynam wrote. Unwilling or unable to allow the lack of evidence get in the way of her narrative, Kersten ignored the lack of evidence and made a demonstrably reckless statement to the general public. The first hearing in the case is scheduled for November, court records show. _____ Only one man nominated for Booker Prize following criticism over last years shortlist Percival Everett has been nominated for his novel James, which is a reworking of American classic Huckleberry Finn Only one man has made the Booker Prize shortlist a year after the award was criticised for featuring more men called Paul than women. Last years shortlist of six included two women alongside Paul Lynch, Paul Harding, Paul Murray and Jonathan Escoffery, with Lynch going on to win. This year, a record five women are on the shortlist the largest number in the prizes 55-year history. Past nominee Percival Everett is the only male contender with his latest novel, James, a reworking of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, the runaway slave. The female nominees include Samantha Harvey for Orbital, set aboard the International Space Station, Rachel Kushner for Creation Lake, the tale of a spy who infiltrates an anarchist collective in France, and Anne Michaels for Held, which explores themes of war, memory and connection. The other women nominated are Yael van der Wouden for The Safekeep, a love story between two Dutch women in the shadow of their countrys Nazi past, and Charlotte Wood for Stone Yard Devotional, about a woman who leaves her marriage and joins a convent. Sarah Collins, one of the Booker judges, said the dominance of women writers came as a surprise to the panel. We came up with a shortlist, we sat back and looked at the pile, and someone said: Huh, there are five women there. The first thing to say is that these books rose to the top on merit. They are tremendous books. However, she added: It was such a gratifying, surprising, thrilling thing to realise, especially coming off the back of a year with three Pauls. Its time for the Paulettes and Paulinas. Collins, an award-winning novelist, said some of the authors on the list had been writing for many years but were undersung and had not received the recognition they deserved. My experience as a writer is that publishing is dominated at certain levels by women but the literary recognition has seemed to be reserved for men, she said. For the second year running, only one of the authors is British. This time the UKs sole representative is Harvey, a long-established novelist and reader in creative writing at Bath Spa University. Everett and Kushner are American, Michaels is Canadian, van der Wouden is Dutch and Wood is Australian. Samantha Harvey is the only British author on the shortlist Controversially, the prize rules were changed to allow authors from across the English-speaking world, including the US, to be nominated from 2014 onwards. Previously, eligibility had been restricted to citizens of Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland, writing in English. Gaby Wood, chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, said there were no plans to change the rules again, despite disquiet about American encroachment. Theyre not dominating, she said. The judges really appreciate being able to scan the whole horizon of whats being written in English. Were not prejudiced against people based on their passports. We are finding plenty of writers who would not have fit into the old rules who give us a much better span of writing in the English language. She added: Its the Olympics, its not the Commonwealth Games. Van der Wouden is the first Dutch writer to be shortlisted. A trilingual author who wrote The Safekeep in English, she also writes an online advice column, Dear David, in which she answers peoples problems in the voice of Sir David Attenborough. Yael Van der Wouden could become the first Dutch writer to win the prize The winner of the 50,000 prize will be announced on Nov 12. The judges whittled down the list from 156 entries. Edmund de Waal, chairman of the judging panel, said: My copies of these novels are dog-eared, scribbled in. They have been carried everywhere surely the necessary measure of a seriously good novel. They are books that made us want to keep on reading, to ring up our friends and tell them about them. The majority of the books on this years shortlist were written by women Asked if the longlisted novels would be popular with BookTok influencers now one of the major drivers of book sales de Waal confessed that he was too old to understand the world of TikTok. Im going to hold up my hands because I dont know. I turned 60 this week, he said. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- An Odessa woman was arrested late last week after investigators said she allegedly attacked her boyfriends ex and stomped multiple times on the pregnant womans belly. Tyliah Richardson, 19, has been charged with Burglary of a Habitation Intended Other Felony, a first-degree felony. According to an Odessa Police Department report, on September 10, officers were called to an apartment home on N Dixie Boulevard to investigate a disturbance after a 34-year-old woman called 911 and said she been attacked by her ex-boyfriends current girlfriend, identified as Richardson. At the scene, officers met with a woman who said she answered a knock at her door and was confronted by Richardson. The woman said she asked Richardson to leave multiple times before Richardson attacked her. The victim, who is pregnant with her ex-boyfriends baby, said Richardson also stomped on her stomach during the attack. The woman was taken to the hospital so that doctors could check on the welfare of her unborn child, but the condition of the child was not mentioned in the report. As the investigation continued, officers spoke with Richardson who told them she arrived at the womans home to confront her about some text messages and Richardson alleged that the victim had attacked her first and then provided video evidence of the incident. Tracking Crime: Lamesa PD arrests 17 amid operations aimed at cracking down on crime Investigators, however, said that the video proved that Richardson had been the aggressor and had punched the victim multiple times, which caused her to fall. While the victim was on the ground, investigators said they saw Richardson move the victims arms away from her belly before she stomped multiple times directly on her unborn baby. Richardson was arrested and taken to the Ector County Law Enforcement Center where she remained as of Monday afternoon on a $50,000 bond. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Yourbasin. Opinion - When it comes to race and US elections, ethnicity matters Political analyst Michael Barone recently recalled how a Boston woman some years ago made her voting decisions: I just go down the ballot and vote for all the good Irish names. For decades, party bosses relied on ethnicity as a means of balancing their tickets. John Bailey, the Connecticut Democratic Party boss, would fashion his partys slate of candidates by relying on the three Is: Ireland, Italy and Israel. Candidates from those ethnic backgrounds frequently held the top three slots on his Democratic tickets. Republicans likewise played the ethnic card. In 1960, Richard Nixon stressed his solidarity with those mostly Catholic countries locked behind the Iron Curtain. American Nationalities for Nixon-Lodge distributed 48,000 foreign-language buttons, held freedom rallies in cities with large Polish populations (including Buffalo and Chicago) and printed thousands of postcards showing the famous Nixon-Khrushchev kitchen debate. In 1979, I interviewed Democratic Connecticut Gov. Ella T. Grasso and argued that ethnicity was becoming passe, thanks to the role television and image makers were playing in political campaigns. Her response was a sharp rebuke: Youre very wrong. Ethnicity is alive and well and it is a factor in the country. She was right. In our binary world, we often think of race and ethnicity in simple terms: Its either Black or white; majority (whites) or minorities (other races). But the world has changed. More than 33 million people chose two or more races when filling out their 2020 Census forms. This rising group of Americans, particularly prevalent among young people, matters in 2024. A recent Pew Report, for example, found that among all registered voters, 41 percent believed that Kamala Harriss African and Asian heritage would help her in November. As for Trump, 51 percent said his ethnic background as a white male would make no difference. The Harris and Trump campaigns have prioritized appealing to racial and gender groups. Kamala Harris has support from Black Women for Harris, White Dudes for Harris and Latinos con Harris Walz. Donald Trump has organized support from Women for Trump, Black Voices for Trump and Latinos for Trump. For Harris, making those appeals has paid political dividends. For example, 40,000 Black women joined a Zoom call for Harris, while a celebrity-fueled White Dudes for Harris raised $4 million during one internet outing. However, organizing on the basis of race and gender alone ignores a more complex political reality. Quite often, white voters think of themselves not by race but according to their ethnic heritage. The Harris campaign has begun a concerted outreach to these voters, including Irish Americans for Harris-Walz and Paisanos for Harris. The latter is led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (R-Calif.) who, having been immersed in the ethnic politics of Baltimore as a native, understands the need to appeal to ethnic groups. Voters of Irish and Italian heritage still command large numbers of voters. The most recent U.S. Census found nearly 39 million people in the U.S. were of Irish heritage, while nearly 17 million Americans were of Italian background. But one overlooked group of voters are those whose ancestries trace back to countries located in central and eastern Europe. The so-called Blue Wall states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania in particular have high concentrations of voters hailing from those countries. And Nebraskas 2nd Congressional District, another key 2024 target because it allocates its one electoral vote separately from the rest of the state, has the highest concentration of Czech Americans found anywhere in the U.S. During the Harris-Trump debate, Kamala Harris made a specific appeal to Polish Americans in Pennsylvania. Noting that should Russia prevail in Ukraine, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv with his eyes on the rest of Europe starting with Poland. Harris then issued this challenge to her opponent: Why dont you tell the 800,000 Polish Americans right here in Pennsylvania how quickly what you would give up [in Ukraine] for the sake of a favor . . . to a dictator who would eat you for lunch. Donald Trump ignored her taunt and even refused to say which side he wanted to win in Ukraine. This runs contrary to the sentiments expressed by a vast majority of Americans. A recent poll found 63 percent sympathized with Ukraine while only 3 percent sympathized with Russia a 21 to 1 ratio. And when asked directly which side they wanted to win, 72 percent answered Ukraine. The Harris-Trump exchange is reminiscent of the 1976 Ford-Carter debate when President Gerald Ford wrongfully asserted, There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration. Jimmy Carter immediately pounced on Fords unforced error: I would like to see Mr. Ford convince the Polish Americans and the Czech Americans and the Hungarian Americans in this country that those countries dont live under the domination and supervision of the Soviet Union behind the Iron Curtain. In an extremely close election, Ford pollster Bob Teeter remembered, The controversy used up valuable campaign days when there were all too few left when a steady climb had to be sustained. As Politico recently recounted, Fords remark potentially changed the course of history. Without that error, Ford might have made up the difference with Carter and the Reagan revolution would have never happened. The Harris-Trump race is extremely close, and appeals to ethnicity matter. Consider: Nearly 9 million Americans of Polish heritage live in the U.S., making Harriss appeal to the 67 million watching the debate an exercise in very smart politics. Close elections are won or lost at the margins. The campaign that can best reach voters who strongly identify with their ethnic heritage is a campaign built to win. Right now, give the edge to Kamala Harris. John Kenneth White ( johnkennethwhite.com ) is a professor emeritus at The Catholic University of America. His latest book is titled Grand Old Unraveling: The Republican Party, Donald Trump, and the Rise of Authoritarianism. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think Weng Fine Art (FRA:WFA) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be. Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Weng Fine Art: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) 0.05 = 1.3m (31m - 4.0m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023). Therefore, Weng Fine Art has an ROCE of 5.0%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Specialty Retail industry average of 8.4%. See our latest analysis for Weng Fine Art roce While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you'd like to look at how Weng Fine Art has performed in the past in other metrics, you can view this free graph of Weng Fine Art's past earnings, revenue and cash flow. What Does the ROCE Trend For Weng Fine Art Tell Us? In terms of Weng Fine Art's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 9.4%, but since then they've fallen to 5.0%. And considering revenue has dropped while employing more capital, we'd be cautious. If this were to continue, you might be looking at a company that is trying to reinvest for growth but is actually losing market share since sales haven't increased. On a related note, Weng Fine Art has decreased its current liabilities to 13% of total assets. That could partly explain why the ROCE has dropped. What's more, this can reduce some aspects of risk to the business because now the company's suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of its operations. Some would claim this reduces the business' efficiency at generating ROCE since it is now funding more of the operations with its own money. The Bottom Line On Weng Fine Art's ROCE We're a bit apprehensive about Weng Fine Art because despite more capital being deployed in the business, returns on that capital and sales have both fallen. And long term shareholders have watched their investments stay flat over the last five years. With underlying trends that aren't great in these areas, we'd consider looking elsewhere. Story continues One final note, you should learn about the 6 warning signs we've spotted with Weng Fine Art (including 2 which shouldn't be ignored) . While Weng Fine Art isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets. 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. Three weeks after Joe Biden won the 2020 election, stories emerged about Americans who decided to fly the Stars and Stripes again. Some had kept their flags folded and stored away during Donald Trumps presidency, a silent protest against the MAGA pockets of racial hate, violence, intolerance and insurrection poisoning the nation. The American flag is supposed to stand for something much different: One nation under God, indivisible, with freedom and justice for all. The country did not live up to that promise during the divisive Trump years. Others shied away from flying the flag because the far right had claimed it the Proud Boys, Neo-Nazis, accelerationists and other fringe groups that want to impose their extreme values on America, if necessary, by inciting fear and violence. In 2019, African American writer Damon Young told of a bicycle trip that he, his wife and two friends made through mostly white communities on the Great Allegheny Passage trail. They set out shortly after the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. They found towns adorned with American flags, although the residents clearly did not welcome people of color. The sort of (white) people who clamber to distinguish themselves as the True Americans have weaponized the flag, manipulating it to antagonize those they believe to be less American, Young wrote in TIME. Trump didnt create this dynamic, sure. Prominent American flags are hard to ignore when scanning footage of lynchings and Klan rallies from the 40s, 50s and 60s. But the bedrock of Trumps political career is the ceaseless exacerbation of this feeling. Politico told of a 72-year-old Vietnam veteran who took his flag down one year into the Trump administration. After Bidens victory in 2020, he ordered a new one. I said, Time for my flag to go up,' he told a reporter. The reporter wrote that similar stories were unfolding across the nation, a spontaneous reclaiming of a symbol that, in the Trump years, had come to represent only one side. Weeks later, rioters carried American flags as they attacked the Capitol. Fulcrums co-publisher Kristina Bevar described them using flagpoles as weapons and carrying flags while committing acts of violence. These individualsclaimed the flag and called themselves patriots while acting in contradiction to true patriotism, she wrote. Their actions have deepened divisions and turned many patriotic Americans against the symbol of their country. Now, with Kamala Harris taking over the nomination of the Democratic Party, we are seeing fresh enthusiasm for the flag on the left, along with a new embrace of its promise of individual freedoms. Its as though America is witnessing a national Capture the Flag contest dominated in recent years by fringe groups that have perverted the meaning of the Stars and Stripes. The rest of us have let it happen. Its time for all Americans to take it back and display it as the symbol it was meant to be: the flag of one nation, indivisible. William S. Becker is executive director of the Presidential Climate Action Project and a former senior official at the U.S. Department of Energy. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. After one of the most tumultuous years in the modern history of the university, this new academic year brings a sense of trepidation and even dread for students, staff, faculty and administrators. What was so trying about the past year was the unraveling of the compact that binds the people who attend and work at a university into a community. The rupture began on Oct. 7, the day of Hamas staggering massacre of Israeli civilians. Some students and faculty members at colleges across the country expressed support for the attack or refused to condemn it, leaving many Jews on campus feeling deeply vulnerable. Then, as the Israeli military campaign began to produce thousands of casualties in Gaza, growing campus protests expressed strong support for the Palestinian victims. Many of the protesters (though, sadly, not all) were animated not by solidarity with Hamas but by support for the Palestinian cause and sincere concern about the loss of innocent lives. As we witnessed at UCLA and USC , campus life became tense and fraught. Relations frayed, and openness to differing perspectives evaporated. Administrators, caught off guard, lurched from crisis to crisis. Read more: Opinion: What's behind the Anti-Defamation League's troubling complaints against L.A.-area colleges What can administrators and public officials do to prevent a repeat? We need a better way of determining what is antisemitic and what is not in the context of mass protests over Israel. Thats the question a group of scholars with the Nexus Project , including us, took up recently. The result is a new Campus Guide to Identifying Antisemitism in a Time of Perplexity ." The guide assumes both that antisemitism is a real problem in our society and that not all harsh criticism of Israel is antisemitic. Indeed, political speech may be painful or offensive to people who identify strongly with Israel without being antisemitic. Lamentably, there were expressions of antisemitism and ostracism on campuses last year that created a feeling of discomfort among Jewish students, staff and faculty members, particularly those who strongly support Israel. Antisemitism must be condemned at every turn. Read more: Opinion: Nothing has prepared me for the antisemitism I see on college campuses now And yet it would be simplistic to reduce the protests to a malevolent, antisemitic campaign. Just as Jewish students have felt attacked for supporting Israel, so too have students who support the pro-Palestine movement felt attacked for their views. They faced hostility from right-wing, pro-Israel counter-demonstrators, a deaf ear from university leaders and often violent responses from law enforcement. Moreover, they were frequently accused of being antisemitic because of their support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel even though a noticeable contingent of Jews participated in the protests. So how can one tell whether criticism of Israel is antisemitic or not? The guide proposes a series of framing questions to help make that determination. First, does the criticism rely on traditional antisemitic stereotypes such as the notion that Jews are greedy or intent on global domination? Second, does it promote discrimination, violence and hostility against Jews simply because they are Jewish? And third, does it conflate Jews with Israelis for example, by holding all Jews responsible for the actions of the state of Israel or presuming that Jews support all of Israels actions unless proven otherwise? The guide uses these questions to assess some of the terms and slogans commonly used in the protests, including From the river to the sea, intifada, apartheid, genocide and By any means necessary. Are they antisemitic? The simplest answer is that it depends. But the baseline assumption should not be that these words and phrases are antisemitic unless and until it can be established that they are accompanied by anti-Jewish stereotypes, animus against Jews as Jews, or conflation of Jews and Israelis. For example, the guide maintains that the phrase From the river to the sea is not antisemitic if its proposing a single state in which all citizens, Jewish and Palestinian, have equal rights. By contrast, if the phrase is a call to eliminate Jews from the land between the Jordan and the Mediterranean or to relegate them to second-class status, it is antisemitic. Admittedly, it is deeply challenging to determine intent in speech. In the absence of proof, however, one cannot assume that a speaker intended the more malign interpretation of a slogan. One way to find out is to do something we have gotten out of the habit of doing: ask the person voicing the slogan to tell you what they mean. That kind of interaction is key to rebuilding our muscle to talk across difference. Similarly, apartheid is a legal term that is offensive to the ears of many Jews when applied to Israel, and one can vehemently dispute its applicability. But if it is not linked to traditional anti-Jewish tropes, it is not on its face antisemitic. These distinctions are needed to help restore the nuance to campus debates that has been lost over the years. They can also provide essential guidance for university administrators, who feel called upon to take sides and often struggle to differentiate between legitimate political speech and antisemitic expression. To recapture the trust that has been eroded over the past year, we must focus on listening to different viewpoints, and trying to understand them, rather than rushing to judgment. We can start by adopting a new and careful way of distinguishing antisemitism from political speech that may be unsettling to some but is not at its core antisemitic. David N. Myers is distinguished professor of Jewish history at UCLA. Nomi M. Stolzenberg is a professor at USCs Gould School of Law. 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. The following lecture was delivered in March 2023 at the University of Torontos Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy as part of a benefit conference to raise funds to support public outreach at Kyiv Mohyla Academy. The topic of my speech is: What is it like thinking in dark times? What does it mean? It is an echo of the podcast series I launched within our podcast, Explaining Ukraine, one of the most widely listened-to podcasts in English about Ukraine. The idea was to not stop thinking, even during dark times. When I shared this idea with Marci Shore, a professor at Yale University, she asked: Does it refer to Hannah Arendts book Men in Dark Times? I said: Yeah, I hadnt thought about this. But there is indeed a reference: a parallel between our time and Arendts reflections. For me, the idea of light is very interesting and important, and the idea of darkness as well. I do think that different epochs and times have certain relations to light and darkness. Some eras, like the Renaissance, Enlightenment, or the second half of the 20th century, were infused with the idea of light, transparency, and open space an open perspective that brings everything to light. We have this notion that light is the norm, and darkness is a deviation. But there are other epochs, like the Baroque period in the 17th century or Romanticism in the 19th century, in which reflection starts from the opposite idea. It starts from the idea that darkness is our norm and light is an exception. Light rarely appears and can disappear quickly, so we should cherish it. One metaphor for this is found in Baroque painting: the chiaroscuro of Caravaggio, Rembrandt, van Honthorst, and Georges de La Tour. There is something in the emotion of this chiaroscuro: light emerging from and contrasting sharply with darkness. It is not just a painting technique; it carries an emotion that light is a rarity, a deficit. We actually start with the darkness, and inside the darkness, we start thinking. Read also: Opinion: State predation threatens to derail Ukraines war effort This kind of thinking arises during difficult times. We understand how challenging the 16th and 17th centuries were for Europe, the early 19th century, or even the early 20th century in Europe, where we could also doubt that light is the norm. My first book in Ukrainian, for example, was dedicated to Walter Benjamin. I knew there was something in Benjamin that went beyond the interpretation of him that was popular at the time. That interpretation was very postmodernist: Lets look at Walter Benjamin as a sort of first deconstructionist, Derrida before Derrida. I thought this was wrong because Benjamin was, for me, a Baroque thinker, a thinker of chiaroscuro, where truth is a deficit, a rarity, a kind of enlightenment through darkness. This is important, and we should not overlook it because many influential thinkers start thinking in dark times. We should probably think of Descartes as a Baroque philosopher who says: Look, we are in darkness, deceived by an evil genius, a bad spirit who plays with us. We dont know the right path, so we must invent a method to get out of this place. Suddenly, we realize that Descartes rationalist philosophy is actually more existential than we used to think. I think something is happening in Ukraine right now that we should pay attention to: this experience of facing a war, the fragility of life, and death, which is painful but might be the origin of thinking, literature, poetry, and art. The poetry now produced by Ukrainian poets is incredible. Writers like Serhii Zhadan, Halyna Kruk, Kateryna Kalytko, Kateryna Babkina, Julia Musakovska, Pavlo Korobchuk, and Svitlana Povalyaeva give us very strong poetry. This is more than poetry; its strong literature. Its more than just words. Its existential. "I think something is happening in Ukraine right now that we should pay attention to: this experience of facing a war, the fragility of life, and death, which is painful but might be the origin of thinking, literature, poetry, and art." I hope the current epoch will give us an impetus for new thinking, reflection, and philosophy. I keep thinking about the basic concepts of philosophy. I hope this period will produce something new in Ukrainian philosophy, and maybe it already is. I also believe this time of war shows how important ideas are. I agree with Tim Snyder, who repeatedly says one cause of this war is bad ideas. I think we underestimate how bad ideas can kill people and how morally bad ideas can kill people. They are not innocent; they are not just words. For example, the idea that Russia is an empire that needs to expand, that Ukraine is a non-existent state, that the history of Ukraine is the history of Russia these are bad ideas made by bad historians. But when bad history turns into ideology, it turns into a weapon. Once you say Ukraine does not exist or does not have a right to exist, the next step is to eliminate the idea of Ukraine and all the people who hold it. This is a direct step to genocide, which is happening right now. I think ideas play a big role in our lives and history. Ideas persist and go beyond the material reality of our daily existence, and we should be very attentive to ideas. There has been a devaluation of ideas in recent decades, both in Eastern Europe and the Western world. This may have something to do with postmodernism, or at least with the relativization of ideas, the thought that ideas are interchangeable. I think this is profoundly wrong, and we should pay attention to the power of ideas. For this lecture, I have been thinking about how the current situation leads us to rethink many things. I will try to share some thoughts about words and concepts that I have been rethinking since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. First, we need to rethink our idea of life. Life has become banal, particularly during peaceful times. But during war, when you face death and when death is no longer an abstract word, you understand how fragile life, society, our physical bodies, and culture are, how everything can be undone quickly, and how those who believe in the inevitable progress of history are wrong. Read also: Opinion: How Russian propaganda reached Venices red carpet Seeing this is key. Of course, war is an absolute evil. But when you have no choice but to face war, death, and destruction, you realize how you can cherish life in a new way, how you can value living beings in a new way. One example is the attention Ukrainians now pay to the life of each person, and not just living people. There is an enormous amount of ritual around our dead soldiers. This change dates to as early as EuroMaidan. When a village buries its dead, every resident lines the streets for the procession. When famous people or heroes are killed, social networks talk about them. Recently, a prominent young Ukrainian soldier, known as DaVinci, died, and all of Ukraine talked about it. Life is fragile, but its cherished. I recently returned from Nikopol, a town six kilometers from Russian troops, near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe, which is occupied by the Russians. I met a woman named Olena, who takes care of a shelter for 250 pets despite regular shelling by the Russian army and the threat of a major nuclear disaster. We see over and over again how people care in these difficult times, and I think thats important. Another reflection on life is that life as a biological fact is not full if it is not filled with meaning, with values like freedom. As the famous Ukrainian paramedic Tyra, who spent a lot of time in Russian captivity, recently said: Life without freedom doesnt matter. This brings us back to the old idea of dignity. If we go back to the idea of dignity in Roman times, we understand that dignity is the continuation of life beyond life. Its something non-material, something that goes beyond biology but is cherished no less than or even more than biological life. One story Ukraine is discussing is that of a Ukrainian soldier, a prisoner of war, who was told by Russian soldiers to dig his own grave and remove the Ukrainian symbols from his uniform. He refused, said, Glory to Ukraine, and was shot on the spot. This dignity the refusal to surrender identity even in the face of death is something incredible. This is when the word dignity becomes very practical and material. A woman holds a candle during a minute of silence in Kyiv, Ukraine on Sep. 6, 2022, during a memorial 40 days after the Olenivka attack. (Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP via Getty Images) The second idea we need to rethink is death. Death is not a metaphor; it is not just a word. It was almost sick to see how the word death became popular in the 20th century. We talked about the death of culture, the death of modernity, the death of idealism, the death of metaphysics, and in all this, we played with the word death. It became less scary, something far away with which we could play. But for Ukrainians, death is not an abstract word: its a physical death, a real death, a void when your loved ones die, when your husbands die, when your children die, when your friends die. The third concept we need to consider is evil not just evil in the abstract or philosophical sense, such as Arendt's notion of the banality of evil, which has been validated by the current war, but something beyond that. The evil we are confronting in Ukraine is repetitive. Its an evil that has gone unpunished, unjudged, and uncondemned. This impunity forms a vicious cycle, granting evil the power to assert itself as a new norm. In such cases, those committing these atrocities begin to see themselves not as killers, but as judges an insidious reversal of justice. This mentality is rooted in Russian history and the Soviet legacy, where figures like Putin inherit a tradition of unchecked violence by the KGB, committing atrocities without trial or accountability. The fourth idea that we need to take seriously is the notion that society is very important. We probably entered a period in developed democracies in which we have the illusion that we can all do it by ourselves. We are living increasingly in an atomistic society, where we believe that an individual can do everything. We dont need other people. Even if youre playing music, you dont need other players or other instruments, you can do everything on your computer. You can play video games by yourself; you can do everything by yourself. This is an illusion. Society may be less visible, but we all depend on our societies, we all depend on other people. We are wearing clothes, which other people made. We are reading books, which other people have written. We are using goods, which other people have produced. And if you remove that, if you remove this society, we will be helpless, we will not even be Robinson Crusoe, because we will not have those habits of survival. I think we tend to forget about this in this age of atomization. War actually brings you back to this notion that we can cherish our individual freedoms, we can cherish our individualities, but we are all connected to a wider network. And we will not survive without this network. And this network will not survive without us. Read also: Explainer: Ukraines $15 billion IMF loan program So, one of the lessons that we Ukrainians have learned from this war is that we will not survive without our society and our society will not survive without us, without our individual responsibility. We are all so intertwined, and I think this idea gives you simultaneously a sense of responsibility and modesty. You understand that your effort, however important it might be, is just a drop in the ocean. And if there are no other drops, there is no ocean. The final point I want to make in this lecture is kind of connected with the first idea I mentioned. This war is of course a question of humanity. But at the same time, its a question of going beyond humanity. Its also a war which leads us to think about life in wider terms. Humans are not the only ones suffering from this war. Animals are suffering, ecosystems are suffering. In many aspects, what Russia is doing is not only a genocide but also an ecocide. Look at how they set fire to Ukrainian fields, how they destroy our ecosystems in the South, which are so important for global food. We travel through Ukraine and we see these fields in which harvests were not collected because of the Russian invasion. We understand how long this supply chain is. And from the fact that the harvest was not collected last year, we realize that there are people all around the world who may face hunger or famine. This means we need to see the planet as a single organism in which everything depends on everything else, and in which, when we think about ethics of life, we should think beyond humans. That doesnt mean we should devalue humans, but we should understand that maybe one of the key ethical revolutions of the 21st century will be a revolution in which we extend the idea of dignity from humans to other living beings, to nature as such. I think Ukrainians have an implicit understanding of this idea, due to the impact of colonization and modernization. Death and famine were the result of Soviet colonization and industrial policy in the 1930s, for example. And its clear that we are suffering from Russias colonial aspirations and destructive technology today. So, I do think that the Ukrainian experience, including our experience of this war, can help us rethink our relation to nature as well. Editors Note: This essay was originally published as part of a special issue of Studia Philosophica Estonica entitled Reflections on the Russia-Ukraine War. A copy of the original article can be found here. The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Vice President Kamala Harris surge in the polls since becoming the nominee has Democrats hopeful about their chances in down-ballot races in November. Its support shes going to need if she wins, as many of the policies shes announced so far will require Congress to get on board. The GOPs narrow hold on the House is up in the air, but a shaky Senate race in Montana might be all it takes to block any hopes for a Democratic trifecta in January. As things stand, Democrats have a lengthy wish list in place, should Harris beat former President Donald Trump including codifying abortion rights nationally, expanding voting rights and reforming the Supreme Court. Theres even talk of changing or getting rid of the filibuster in the Senate, the 60-vote threshold needed to pass most legislation. That would still depend on Democrats having a majority in the Senate, which would include a 50-50 split with Tim Walz as vice president casting a tie-breaking vote. Democrats currently hold 51 seats, but the Senate election map is worse for the party than it has been in decades. Twenty-three Democrat-held seats are up for re-election, in contrast to 11 for their Republican colleagues. West Virginia is already counted as a pickup for the GOP, as voters will almost certainly hand retiring independent Sen. Joe Manchins seat to Republican Gov. Jim Justice. The majority will then come down to which party comes out on top in the race for two treacherous seats: Ohio and Montana. For months, these two races had been seen as the toughest for their incumbents, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Sen. Jon Tester of Montana. But the Cook Political Report on Thursday shifted its outlook on Testers race, moving Montana from a toss-up into its lean Republican column. The move follows a similar reshuffling from the University of Virginias Center for Politics the previous week to forecast that Montanas GOP nominee Tim Sheehy holds a slight edge. Testers race was always going to be a tough one, as Montana has gotten steadily redder since he first won his seat in 2006. Running on his background as a moderate state senator and family farmer, he ousted his GOP opponent, Sen. Conrad Burns, by only 3,562 votes. Testers first two re-election campaigns came a little easier. He outperformed Barack Obama by 7 points in 2012, winning re-election in a state the president lost. His third race saw him win more than 50% of the vote during an election season where four of his fellow incumbent red-state Democrats lost their seats. The headwinds that Tester faces now are the toughest yet. NBC News pointed out last year that Montana is a state where former President Donald Trump won by more than 16 percentage points in 2020 and where Republican Sen. Steve Daines defeated the once-popular Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock by 10 points the same year. Tester has an especially large target on his back, as Daines is now leading Senate Republicans efforts to retake the majority. Daines was an early backer of Sheehy, helping drive Rep. Matt Rosendale from the Republican primary a week after hed entered it. When coupled with Trumps quick endorsement, Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL and aerospace entrepreneur, is the toughest challenger that Tester has yet to square off against. The contest between the two candidates has already been brutal, as Leo Wolfson recently wrote for Cowboy State Daily: The Tester campaign has gone to great lengths to promote his dirt farm roots, while portraying Sheehy as a wannabe rhinestone cowboy. Conversely, Sheehy and his supporters say Tester only embraces his agricultural roots when the TV cameras are on. Unlike much of the country, the shift from President Joe Biden to Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket might not have much impact on Montanas mostly white, largely rural population. The state has undergone a boom in growth in the last few years though, thanks to an influx of new residents in cities like Bozeman and Missoula. But Montanans, who once were more focused on state and local issues in a way that benefited Tester, are more likely to view elections through a national lens. So, while hes tried to keep his distance from his fellow Democrats becoming an early voice calling for Biden to drop out and avoiding the convention in Chicago this year theres only so far he can run from the D next to his name. Theres still a chance that Tester pulls out a win here. A recent poll from the AARP that gives Sheehy a strong but not insurmountable lead was the tipping point for the prognosticators to say theres a better chance for Tester to be toppled. But as Semafors Burgess Everett recently noted, Montana is also hard to poll and its statewide elections can turn on just a few thousand votes, leaving plenty of potential wrinkles and unknowns to potentially tip the race. Sheehy has had missteps, too, including being caught on tape demeaning Native American residents in comments at fundraisers. But, it must be said, a Tester loss would almost certainly mean a much tougher political environment for Harris should she win. Without a Senate majority, her Cabinet and judicial nominees are more likely to stall out without at least one Republican crossing over to show their support if a vote is held at all, that is. Any dreams of major legislation would falter in the face of whichever of the three GOP senators named John becomes Senate majority leader in this scenario. In effect, we face a reality where the direction the country takes over the next few years will likely depend on how a relative handful of Montanans vote in November. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Mongolias president welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin in the capital of Ulaanbaatar on Sept. 3 for an official ceremony commemorating a Soviet-Mongolian military victory during World War II. While Putin has attended such ceremonies regularly over the years, the key difference this time was that he traveled to an International Criminal Court (ICC) member country as a fugitive of the ICC. It was the first time Putin visited an ICC member since the court made his arrest warrant public in March 2023. As an ICC member, Mongolia was obligated to arrest him, but it did not. Theres no question about what Mongolia was required to do. Putin should never have been invited in the first place, and as soon as he set foot on Mongolian soil, he should have been arrested not met with a red carpet. Read also: Opinion: State predation threatens to derail Ukraines war effort The Mongolian government failed the victims of grave international crimes in Ukraine. It also failed its own commitment as an ICC member to be part of the global community supporting victims access to justice through the court and its broader system of accountability. The principle that no one, no matter how powerful, is above the law is a cornerstone of that system. The Mongolian government failed the victims of grave international crimes in Ukraine. The ICC cannot, on its own, make this ideal a reality. The court relies on member countries to cooperate and enforce its arrest warrants. Last year, Putin was expected to attend a BRICS summit in South Africa. But along with pressure from civil society groups, a legal case helped ensure that South Africas obligation to execute the ICC arrest warrant would be upheld domestically. By mutual agreement, the South African president announced, Putins visit was ultimately canceled. To be sure, arresting a suspect is one of the most difficult challenges in delivering international justice. It is a long road, but with persistence, principled support for justice, and, crucially, political will, progress is possible. South Africas example shows that the world of ICC fugitives, no matter how powerful, can shrink significantly. Russian President Russian President Vladimir Putin during his speech at the meeting in Zaryadye Hall, in Moscow, Russia Sep. 7, 2024. (Contributor/Getty Images) It took 12 years to arrest Radovan Karadzic, but he was ultimately convicted in 2016 for his crimes in Bosnia by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The European Union conditioned closer ties with Serbia, where Karadzic was hiding, on its full cooperation with the ICTY, including the arrest and surrender of fugitives. This example should remind countries that international justice only works when they support its enforcement. Looking ahead, every step will matter to ensure that future arrests materialize. The ICC treaty provides for enforcement proceedings against non-cooperating states. It remains to be seen whether these will be applied to Mongolia. In the meantime, there are already consequences. The Mongolian governments inaction has been widely condemned, with states and regional organizations like the EU speaking out in support of the court. All other ICC members should reinforce these efforts and strongly condemn Mongolia for failing to meet its legal obligations. This is key to upholding the authority of the courts warrants and ensuring ICC suspects are arrested in the long term. Read also: Opinion: How Kamala Harris foreign policy could depart from Bidens legacy Other ICC members have the responsibility and tools to ensure the Mongolia visit remains just a dent in cooperation and support for the court. Victims, their families, and survivors need to know they can rely on the ICC to pursue justice. At the same time, Ukraine is taking important steps to advance the promise of justice. After years of campaigning by national and international human rights groups, in late August, Ukraines parliament passed a law to ratify the ICC treaty. The country has never been closer to becoming a full member of the court, whose investigation into grave crimes committed in Ukraine has already yielded six significant arrest warrants as the fighting continues. However, Ukraines newly enacted law includes limitations on the ICCs mandate that, if acted on, could shield war criminals from justice. Ukraine should support the court and its work without reservations. Only a strong and full commitment to the ICC will show the principled approach to justice that Ukraine and the world need. Putins trip to Mongolia is an important reminder that there is still much to do to end impunity for the most serious crimes. Today, tomorrow, every day, it takes creative, principled, and sometimes courageous action by ICC members and other supportive states to uphold justice, the courts work, and its decisions. Editors Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. Submit an Opinion Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. American Heritage School A Capella Choir performs at the Founders of America and Constitution Month Kick-Off at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. Programs like Utah Valley Universitys Center for Constitutional Studies and Princetons James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions are currently springing up at a multitude of state and private universities. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News In May 2005, university administrators were rudely awakened from their civic slumbers by a notice of implementation from the U.S. Department of Education. With little advance comment from the academy, Congress had passed and President George W. Bush had signed into law a requirement proposed by Sen. Robert Byrd that each educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 of such year for the students served by the educational institution. The new requirement met a chilly reception from the higher education establishment represented in Washington by the alphabet of organizations that lobby for legislation, regulations and dollars. Indeed, it is likely that, before the Department of Educations intervention, few on most campuses knew about the significance of Sept. 17, the date in 1787 on which the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed our founding document. A 2002 survey of students at the nations 55 best colleges and universities revealed that fully four out of five of their graduating seniors scored a D or an F on test questions drawn from a common high school history curriculum. Many such surveys have followed, all with the same dismal results. Most recently, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni conducted a civic literacy assessment of college students that demonstrated, among other dreary facts, that fewer than one-third of students know when the U.S. Constitution was written. There is an obvious reason for this lamentable state of civic and historical understanding. Such awareness, once thought relevant to thoughtful citizenship and human understanding, is no longer regarded as part of the mission of the American university. How did the American academy become indifferent, if not hostile, to civic education as traditionally understood? There was a time in the not so distant past, as described by the late Allan Bloom, when the purpose of the college curriculum was to provide intellectual clarity about the most important things. After World War II, however, particularly in the immediate aftermath of the Soviet Unions launching of Sputnik in 1957, both the mission and the structure of the universities were dramatically transformed. Two dominant strains of that change are still with us: fragmentation and specialization in the undergraduate curriculum; and the politicization of academic life, from that of the New Left activists of the 1960s to that of the postmodern identitarian left of today. All coherence and hierarchy in the curricular structure of the university were sacrificed to the principle of mutual tolerance and respect among all disciplines. The political upheaval that erupted on American campuses during the late 1960s was launched in the awareness that the university had lost its sense of unifying purpose. The questions that are perennial features of the human condition how should we live, what are the ends of life, what is the best political order were no longer in evidence in the curriculum of specializations. Nothing much stood in the way of a determined group who wished to reorder university life around new directions and purposes. Would not a restoration of the study of American constitutional forms and their history provide a realistic path back to a truly humanizing education? Through that study, we could recover the American principles of public right that have guided our civic life for most of our history. A new attention to the American founding, and to the Western philosophical and religious traditions without which the new American nation could not have been imagined, would serve as a powerful antidote to ideologies and practices that have led to their neglect. And now for the good news: An American renaissance in civic learning is beginning to take shape. Programs like Utah Valley Universitys Center for Constitutional Studies and Princetons James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions are currently springing up at a multitude of state and private universities. We have been bequeathed a political edifice of liberty and equal rights, said Abraham Lincoln. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide. The reinvigoration of the study of constitutionalism, and in particular the American Constitution, is helping our young citizens rediscover the ground of freedom and political security provided by our democratic republic. By encouraging programs, curricula and yes, Constitution Day celebrations devoted to such learning, we can restore the trust in our institutions whose loss is so widely lamented. Bradford P. Wilson is the James Wilson Distinguished Visiting Scholar in Civic Thought at the Center for Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University. He was recently appointed by President Biden to the Board of Trustees of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation. He is the co-editor of The Political Writings of Alexander Hamilton and The Political Writings of George Washington. Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, D-Corvallis speaks on the Senate floor at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. (Amanda Loman/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Democratic state Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin of Corvallis said Project 2025 is terrifying: It is a plan that is unifying a base that is going to expect Donald Trump to deliver. (Amanda Loman/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Toward the end of her life, Sara Gelser Blouins grandmother told stories about what it was like when she was young. A woman wearing pants instead of a dress was frowned upon. People counted the days between a marriage and the date a baby was born to calculate when the child had been conceived. And her grandmother suffered for years with debilitatingly painful reproductive health issues, unable to access a medically necessary hysterectomy. I would come away struck by how restricted her freedoms were compared to mine, said Gelser Blouin, a state Democratic senator from Corvallis since 2015. And then to recognize that my daughters face a future under the Trump plan that could provide them with fewer freedoms than my grandmother had. That plan, known as Project 2025, is a key issue in this years presidential election. For many Democrats, the presidential transition plan crafted by conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation represents the threat posed by a second Donald Trump presidency. Its proposed restrictions on abortion, strict immigration enforcement, and rejection of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, among other measures, are alarming Democrats and motivating them to fight to win. Trump has distanced himself from the initiative, which diverges from the Republican party platform. But CNN found at least 140 Trump administration staffers worked on the plan. The Capital Chronicle sought comment about the document from more than a dozen women in the Legislature, both Democrats and Republicans, as part of a series on women in politics. No Republicans agreed to be interviewed. The Democrats, including Gelser Blouin, said Project 2025 represents a grave threat to Oregonians. Among its most drastic proposals, the projects 922-page policy agenda calls for closing the Department of Education, establishing a pro-life task force in the Department of Health and Human Services and taking employment protections away from certain civil employees. Women are among the groups with the most at stake in the blueprint, which calls for curtailing reproductive health care options. A spokesperson for The Heritage Foundation declined to comment. Gelser Blouin and her Democratic colleagues called some of the agendas key policy areas dangerous, terrifying and dystopian. Heres a look at some of those proposals. Abortion rights Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with a decision that did away with the constitutional right to abortion. Since then, states across the country have adopted abortion bans or restrictions. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit that tracks reproductive access, 41 states now ban abortions with limited exceptions. Oregon has no abortion restrictions. Project 2025 does not call for an outright ban but proposes that the federal Food and Drug Administration reverse its approval of abortion pills, arguing the drugs are unsafe. In the U.S. last year, 63% of abortions were medication-induced, according to the Guttmacher Institute. The policy document also aims to stop abortions by mail. State Sen. Elizabeth Steiner, a physician at Oregon Health & Science University, said medication abortions are the best practice for people seeking to end their pregnancy. In most cases, she said, drug-induced abortions are safer and allow for more privacy than a surgical procedure. The idea of the FDA revoking approval for the drugs is kind of like them saying, were going to take away penicillin, she said. State Rep. Lisa Reynolds, who is a pediatrician, said the proposed restrictions left her a little speechless. However, she noted, Oregons going to be fine. Under the current governor and state Legislature, she said, Oregons strong protections for reproductive health care will stay in place. Having a patchwork across the country of who has access to this care and who doesnt is unethical, Reynolds said. Were fortunate, though, to be here in Oregon, she added, to provide not only for citizens here, but certainly for people who will come from states where maybe theyre not able to get that care. LGBTQ+ rights Project 2025 is clear in its rejection of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. The head of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department should proudly state that men and women are biological realities and that married men and women are the ideal, natural family structure because all children have a right to be raised by the men and women who conceived them, the policy book reads. For Gelser Blouin, that worldview reduces peoples potential down to reproduction. The next generation of Oregonians would feel the greatest impact if those values were to become embedded in federal programs, she said. If those ideas get passed on to a boy who recognizes that he is gay early on, what type of sense of desperation does that cause within him? she asked. Under the projects agenda, the federal Office of Civil Rights would not enforce the Affordable Care Acts anti-discrimination provisions based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In medicine, Steiner said respecting patients identity is critical to providing good health care. Otherwise, patients could feel they cannot speak openly with their doctor about their relationships, she noted. People also might receive inadequate care, she said. For example, a provider might fail to prescribe an HIV prevention medication to a man at risk because he has multiple male sexual partners. Anything that gets in between a health care provider and their patient, Steiner said, and anything that reduces the likelihood that that patient will get the most appropriate, evidence-based care, is not something government should be doing. Immigration The Heritage Foundations policy plan introduces a host of measures designed to restrict immigration. Of particular relevance to Oregon, the document proposes that the federal attorney general help the U.S. Department of Homeland Security get information about criminal aliens in jurisdictions across the United States, particularly those inside sanctuary jurisdictions. The plan would require states and local governments to turn over information to federal law and immigration enforcement to qualify for federal funding. If a Trump administration were to try to enforce that, it would likely meet resistance from the Democrats who lead the state. Oregon is a sanctuary state, which means that public agencies in the state are largely forbidden from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. Project 2025 would also allow the Department of Homeland Security to bypass typical deportation procedures if it were to determine there were a mass migration event. For state Sen. Janeen Sollman, the projects immigration policy demonizes people who come to the U.S. illegally. A lot of the time, it is about fleeing a place that is causing their family harm, she said, that their families are hungry, that their families no longer have a home. Sollman said those coming to the state to work help support Oregons economy. Immigrants represent 13% of the workforce in Oregon, according to the American Immigration Council, a pro-immigration research and advocacy nonprofit. State Sen. WInsvey Campos said the state could fight a federal immigration crackdown, among other scenarios in the Project 2025 agenda, by passing laws to expand protections for Oregonians and leveling court challenges against these new policies. One would hope that justice in these cases would prevail, she said. She added, however, that many of the projects policies would devastate communities. The way Gelser Blouin sees it, rhetoric shes hearing from Trump and from the right about mass deportations show a moral conscience receding. Thats whats terrifying. Its not just a plan that is written down, she said. It is a plan that is unifying a base that is going to expect Donald Trump to deliver. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Jewish Democratic Council of America in May 2023. Jewish voters are reliably Democratic, but even a minor shift could affect results. MANDEL NGAN/Getty Images LOWER MERION, Pennsylvania A Jewish group which played a key role in the ouster of progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) earlier this year is now targeting Pennsylvania in the presidential race, aiming to put on a formally nonpartisan show of Jewish voters power in the state most likely to decide the 2024 presidential election. Pennsylvania Unites, as the initiative is known, officially launched its general-election effort on Monday, announcing the opening of its field office in the heavily Jewish Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion township. The get-out-the-vote program put on by the Modern Orthodox Jewish umbrella group Orthodox Union will have a budget of $250,000, two dedicated staffers, and an untold number of volunteers. Notwithstanding the affiliation of its backers, the campaign is set to target the entire Jewish community in Pennsylvania, regardless of denomination. Politicians are going to see that this is a community that votes and votes at a super-majority rate, and punches above their weight, said Maury Litwack, executive director of Teach Coalition, the Orthodox Unions private education and voter turnout advocacy branch. Theyll say to themselves, OK, this is a group that I have to pay attention to. Jewish voters are traditionally heavily Democratic, though former GOP President Donald Trump has attempted to woo them with unrelenting support of Israels invasion of the Gaza Strip and his record of support for Israel as president. He insists Vice President Kamala Harris will kowtow to the Democratic Partys left wing, which is increasingly skeptical of a war that has killed over 40,000 Palestinians. At the very least, the effort aims to prove Jewish votes can be crucial in deciding a presidential contest and force politicians to focus on combating a spike in antisemitism. In the eyes of some liberal Jews, however, the program seems aimed at moving Jewish voters into the Republican column. Im sure its cast as making sure both candidates are as attentive to Jewish needs as possible, but when you read between the lines, it looks like its geared toward getting out the vote on behalf of the conservative candidate in the race, said David Myers, chair of the Jewish history department at UCLA, and an expert in Orthodox Jewish political views. What most will read in that effort is vote for the candidate who is undeniably supportive of Israel. The result is to complicate an already-complicated balancing act for Harris, who needs to alleviate some Jewish voters concerns over her support for Israel and also avoid alienating the growing number of Democrats, including in the Arab American and Muslim communities in Michigan, who want to see the U.S. take a much harsher line with Israel. She has given hardly any concessions on the topic to the left wing of her party, refusing activists demand for a Palestinian-American speaker at the Democratic national convention. Its not close with the Jewish vote. Its just a question of how badly the Republican loses it, admitted Ari Fleischer, a prominent Jewish Republican who served in the George W. Bush administration and was campaigning with Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick outside Philadelphia on Tuesday. Some Jewish voters expressed disappointment that Harris didn't pick Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), a traditional Jew, as his running mate. He remains a key surrogate. Aimee Dilger/Getty Images The Jewish votes on the move this election, but the move means going from 25% to 30% or 32%, Fleischer added. Thats how you win get a little more of the Black vote, a little more of the Hispanic vote, a little more of the Jewish vote, and it can offset how theyre doing with college-educated women. Teach Coalitions highest-profile state operation in recent months was undoubtedly its Westchester Unites organizing program in suburban New York this past June. Even though the nonpartisan group did not endorse a candidate in the race, Westchester Unites community-wide field operation played a pivotal role in ousting Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman, whose vehement criticism of Israel sparked accusations of antisemitism and opposition from even otherwise left-leaning Jewish voters. Then as now, the message was simple: If you want to combat antisemitism, Dont kvetch. Vote. Although Teach Coalition is nonpartisan, its primary focus is obtaining public resources for the religious private schools of its constituents whether through vouchers, tax credits for scholarships or funding for school security an agenda typically associated with social conservatives. And of course, while the vast majority of Jewish Americans identify as Democrats and voted for Biden in 2020, Orthodox Jews are a mirror image, with a nearly equally high proportion leaning Republican and voting for Trump. I think the Jewish vote is going to be pretty critical to winning the presidency.Maury Litwack, executive director, Teach Coalition To bolster its case that Jewish voters are up for grabs, however, Teach Coalition released a poll of Pennsylvania Jews in early August showing Harris leading Trump 55% to 43% an unusually small lead for a Democratic candidate. I would expect both candidates to do everything they can, Litwack said. I think the Jewish vote is going to be pretty critical to winning the presidency. Other national polls show a more standard lead for Harris: Harris is ahead of Trump among Jewish voters 68% to 25%, according to a Jewish Democratic Council of America poll earlier this month, which was conducted by the Democratic polling firm GBAO. Donald Trump has made zero inroads with Jewish voters since 2016, said Halie Soifer, the CEO of JDCA, who served as national security advisor to Harris while she was in the Senate. And hes clearly frustrated with this fact, because he continues to denigrate millions of American Jews at an alarming rate, added Soifer, referring to Trumps claims that Jewish Democrats are self-hating. At the same time, the group is not taking chances, and plans to spend more than $1 million on digitaladvertisements targeting Jewish voters in Pennsylvania and other swing states. Where Pennsylvania Unites is likely unique is in its ability as a nonpartisan nonprofit to mount a field and relational organizing operation centered on Pennsylvanias synagogues and other Jewish institutions. As in Westchester County, New York, the group plans to organize Jews of all denominations, or lack thereof not just those in the Orthodox community. Whether the effort significantly affects the outcome of the election is another question. One reason it might: Teach Coalitions core constituency of Modern Orthodox Jews a group that blends strict religious observance with modern attire and secular education is likely the closest thing to a swing voting bloc in American Jewish life. Much of the Republican skew of Orthodox Jewry overall comes from Ultra-Orthodox Jews, who are overwhelmingly concentrated in New York and New Jersey. In Pennsylvania, Modern Orthodox Jews, whose politics are more centrist and varied, are a far larger share of the total Orthodox population. In 2020, 65% of Modern Orthodox Jews nationwide reported voting for President Joe Biden, compared to 35% for Donald Trump, according to polling conducted by Myers and Mark Trencher, president of Nishma Research, a Jewish polling firm. Former President Donald Trump addressed the Republican Jewish Coalition in October. He has sought to exploit some Jews' discomfort for the activist left's positions on Israel. FREDERIC J. BROWN/Getty Images This year, Harris is leading Trump among Modern Orthodox Jews, 54% to 46%, according to preliminary polling by Myers and Trencher the pair shared with HuffPost and that will be released to the public later this month. That is down from 60% who were planning to vote for Biden in a February poll. Pennsylvania Unites basement-level field office in Lower Merion was still coming together last week, but there were already maps on the walls of key Pennsylvania counties and their municipalities, scripts for phone banking, and packets with lists of voters and their contact information. Among the volunteers, antisemitism was top of mind. Since Orthodox Jews are visibly Jewish for males, in particular, the kipah head covering is a giveaway they are often the group of Jews most affected by anti-Jewish acts, and serve as an early indicator of rising prejudice. Sara Hirsch said her son was cursed out by a passing driver while walking to synagogue the previous Saturday. Thatll be something that my children feel and that I never felt until recently, she said. And while there was some acknowledgment of the right-wing antisemitism plied by figures like Candace Owens, the people in the room seemed wariest of the kind of antisemitism they see as emerging from pro-Palestinian activism. Robert Morgenstern, a billing manager for a software company, suggested he would benefit from a preview of who Harris would pick as secretary of state, and information about whether Ben Rhodes, a dovish Obama administration national security official whom Morgenstern dislikes, might have a place in Harriss administration. I am going to be very opposed to that [and to] the notion that Iran can be negotiated with as if theyre a rational actor, he said. Yisraela Haor Friedman, a realtor who moved to the U.S. from Venezuela, expressed concerns about Trumps legal troubles and his continued defense of his behavior on Jan. 6, 2021. She still wants more assurances from Harris about her vision for Israeli security, though. When you say rebuild Gaza at one point we need to deal with that, Haor Friedman said. But what are we doing to make sure they will never go into [Israel]? Asked whether they were disappointed Harris had not picked Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a traditional Jew, as her running mate, the room responded with a cacophony of responses indicating that they were. I was heartbroken, Haor Friedman said. In Trencher and Myers forthcoming poll, about 25% of Modern Orthodox voters backing Trump said they would reconsider if Shapiro had been on the ticket. But Shapiro remains her most prominent Jewish surrogate in the state. He told an Israeli reporter after the debate on Tuesday night that he is confident in Harriss support for Israel. Listen, for the Palestinians, they need to make clear that violence has no part in the relationship with Israel, that Israel has a right to exist, Shapiro said. We need to get back to that kind of conversation. And I felt what the vice president did, laying that out, was really effective. Elijah Solomon, 19, was always the first student to show up and the last to leave his summer drivers education class at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School. As someone who had always dreamed of learning to drive but believed he may never be able to, he promised himself he would take it seriously. Since birth, Solomon has faced a unique set of challenges. He was born without any mobility in his legs, instead learning to rely on his arms and a wheelchair to navigate the world. As such, learning to drive always felt out of the question. But through accommodations with the Miami-Dade Schools Driver Education program, Solomon now has a permit. He dreams of buying a car and traveling beyond South Florida, which he has never done. I know its different from how it looks in Miami, said Solomon. At the beginning of the summer of his junior year, Solomon got off the bus and passed through the gate into the drivers education training track at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School. After talking to the other students, he realized he was the only one who had never been behind the wheel. I felt scared, I was pretty much worried that I might not do too good, said Solomon. Elijah Solomon, 19, makes his way inside his home in Miami Gardens. Because of adaptive services provided to him by Miami-Dade schools revamped drivers education program, he was able to get his license. Solomons dreams of getting behind the wheel are possible because of a 2021 Inspector General report which found that the drivers education program run by the Miami-Dade school district suffered from mismanagement. The inspector general is an external watchdog agency tasked with ensuring government agencies and officials abide by the law. Their investigative report found that only about 15 percent of the classes were functioning properly. Meanwhile, the county was sending millions of dollars in reimbursements to the district to run the program. Also revealed during the independent investigation was the lack of adaptive services provided to disabled students. Without the inspector general report bringing to light issues with the drivers education program, Solomon may never have learned to drive. Inspector general report Felix Jimenez, who oversees the Office of the Inspector General, teared up multiple times in his office when talking about Solomons experience in the now-revamped program. I think it personalizes what we do, because you finally see how it makes a difference, said Jimenez. Acting on a tip, Jimenez and his team found myriad problems with the school districts drivers education program. In 2021, the Inspector General released a report that found that Miami-Dade County Public Schools had knowingly submitted ineligible expenses for reimbursement, failed to provide the appropriate amount of instruction behind the wheel, failed to offer classes to private schools and failed to provide accommodations to drivers with disabilities, as required by law. A car with adaptive devices for students with disabilities features a lever to the left of the steering wheel to control the brakes and gas, and a convenient knob to control the turn signals, windshield wipers, and horn. The report found that Miami-Dade County had reimbursed the school district for over $6 million when they were only entitled to a small portion of that amount, given that they did not provide 30 percent of the instruction behind the wheel, as required by law. Between fiscal years 2011 and 2016, of the 36 or 37 schools the district claimed were meeting the requirements, only 6 were operating as required by law. During the investigation into the drivers education program, Jose Gonzalez, who works for the Inspector General, showed up at Miami Beach Senior High School to check on the cars, interview teachers and look at financial records. As he lifted the hood of one car, iguanas started climbing out in every direction. Inside, he found their nest. The car, like many others, was old, had not been used in years, and was not functioning up to standard. Around the time the Inspector General report was released, the school district said in a statement that Miami-Dade County Public Schools is disappointed with the sequence of events that unfortunately led to the findings in the OIG report. We concur with, and are already implementing, the recommendations outlined. Drivers education teacher Michael Turner instructs students during a class. Michael Turner, the drivers education teacher at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School, said that before improvements were made to the program, he recalls starting the ignition of one car with a screwdriver and having to use a wrench to change another car from drive to reverse. There are now 12 certified driving education ranges run by Miami-Dade County Public Schools and there are 41 vehicles spread across the programs. Five other high schools are in the process of creating behind-the-wheel training programs. Revamped program Teaching Solomon was a challenge. Since he could not reach the gas and brake pedals with his feet, they used adaptive technology attached to the steering wheel. With a lever, he could pull down on the control for gas and push the control forward to trigger the brakes. Jeffreal Johnson, who specializes in helping disabled students drive, said they tried out a few different versions of the adaptive tools to see which one was most comfortable, finally landing on what they call the push-down adapter. I really thought I was going to crash, but fortunately that didnt happen, said Solomon. In his class, Solomon learned how to start and stop the car, how to put it in reverse, check his mirrors and make turns. He even learned to parallel park. I had to get a hang of it, said Solomon, but I feel like I am pretty good, he added. Elijah Solomon, 19, who was born with limited use of his legs, at his home in Miami Gardens. The drivers ed program is running better than ever, Turner said. And he hasnt been killed by a student learning to drive. At least not yet. Its an easy system to grade. If they hit me, they fail, Turner jokes. As students drive through a course of cones, practicing turning and stopping, Turner will talk them through their moves using walkie-talkies. Put it in park, shut it off, both drivers out, make your way over here, said Turner to a pair of students practicing driving on a recent afternoon. Drivers education teachers such as Turner across the district are licensed by the Department of Motor Vehicles to administer both learners licenses and permanent license tests. Drivers education teacher Michael Turner instructs students during a driving practice as part of the Miami Dade School District Drivers Ed Programs at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School, on Friday, September 13, 2024. Roberto Portela, 16, a sophomore at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School, said he failed the test the first time he took it. But he plans to take it again soon in the program and hopes to get a car this year. Like Portela, Solomon also failed the test the first time around. But after making his best attempt at studying for the second time around, he passed. His mother Marie was so happy when her son passed that she called Turner in tears to tell him of her sons success. He doesnt let his disability slow him down, he wants to go out and do everything that he can put his mind to, said his mom. Getting his drivers license was just one of the goals Solomon has been working diligently to achieve. He works on anime and screenwriting with his best friend, and does voice over. He plans to attend Miami Dade College next semester, once he can get his financial aid right. My motto is be always be persistent and believe you can do it, said Solomon. OZARK, Mo.- Over one and a half million students in the United States cant afford a school lunch. Those in the city of Ozark recognized that issue right here in Missouri and are doing what they can to make sure all students in Ozark have a nutritious meal. Watching everyone come together and just pour out the love for these for these babies, its amazing, Eleazar Soto, an Ozark parent said. Missouri teacher to be sentenced for sexual relationship with student Students in Ozark will no longer have to go without a proper lunch, even if they cannot afford to pay their lunch bill. During the 2023-2024 school year, Soto decided to sell shirts and donate the proceeds. We were able to raise, after donations and shirt sales, $2,600 last year just to pay off the delinquent school lunches, Soto said. This school year, community members took to their social media groups in hopes of finding a solution. At the beginning or a little before the school year in that same group, people were talking about school lunches and how to afford them, Kimberly Hopkins said. Someone talked to the school about setting up a link where, you know, residents of the community could donate money to school lunches for those kids they couldnt afford, or their parents couldnt afford to pay for their school lunch. Cattle Barons Ball holds fundraising event to fight cancer Hopkins has three children in the Ozark school district. She tells me she is hopeful that the community can put aside their differences and support those who need it. And then I think just the community needs to stop pointing fingers at each other and start pointing their fingers at themselves and saying, how can I help instead of debating and getting ugly with each other, Hopkins said. Soto and Hopkins both said parents in the area should look into filling out an application to take away some of the stress behind school lunches I think every parent should. Every parent should apply for free or reduced lunch. The funding, the government funding is there, Soto said. I dont think parents are utilizing that enough. I dont think theyre taking the time to fill that out, Hopkins 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 KOLR - OzarksFirst.com. Shares Gained Nearly 16% Last Week Source: TradingView.com Key Takeaways Nvidia shares will likely remain on watchlists Monday after the AI investor darling surged last week as investors snapped up a recent dip in the stock. The stock has rallied towards the top trendline of a descending channel, though the move has occurred on lackluster volume, indicating a lack of institutional activity. Investors should monitor key overhead price levels on Nvidia's chart at $126, $136, and $166, while watching important lower price levels at $97 and $75. Nvidia (NVDA) shares will likely remain on watchlists Monday after the artificial intelligence (AI)-darling surged last week, as investors snapped up a recent dip in the stock following favorable Wall Street commentary pointing to continuing growth opportunities amid insatiable demand for AI infrastructure. Last week, the AI chipmakers stock gained nearly 16% after dropping around 23% between late August and early September as investors optimism towards AI cooled in the wake of the company posting slowing quarterly growth, despite exceeding analysts earnings and sales expectations. However, market sentiment received a boost recently after Bernstein analysts called Nvidia the best way to play AI, while Bank of America analysts noted earlier this month that the recent pullback provides an enhanced Buy opportunity. Below, well take a close look at Nvidias chart and use technical analysis to identify important price levels to watch out for after recent swings in the stock. Shares Trade Within Descending Channel Since setting their record high in late June, Nvidia shares have traded within a descending channel, a chart pattern consisting of two parallel downward sloping trendlines that indicates a downtrend in the stock. More recently, the price has made a move towards the channels top trendline, reclaiming the 50-day moving average (MA) in the process. However, similarly to the August rally, the stocks latest advance has occurred on lackluster volume, pointing to lack of participation from institutional investors. The stock gained 15.8% last week and closed Friday at $119.10. Overhead Price Levels to Monitor The first key area to monitor on the chart sits around $126, where the shares may run into resistance near the descending channels top trendline. Its also worth watching for increasing trading volumes at this level, which may signal a looming breakout above the pattern. If a breakout does take place, investors should eye the $136 region, a location where sellers may lock in profits near the stocks June 18 record close, which also closely corresponds with the mid-July swing high. Story continues To forecast a price target above Nvidias all-time high (ATH), we can use the measuring principle. To do this, we calculate the distance between the descending channels two trendlines and add that amount to the patterns upper trendline. For example, we add $40 to $126, which predicts an upside target of $166. Lower Price Levels to Watch If Nvidias shares move lower from current levels, investors should keep an eye on the $97 region, an area where the shares may encounter support near a horizontal line connecting the March twin peaks with a series of comparable trading levels positioned around last months low. Further selling could lead to a breakdown below the channels lower trendline and 200-day MA that may see the stock revisit the $75 area, a location on the chart that would likely attract bargain hunters near the mid-February peak and April trough. The comments, opinions, and analyses expressed on Investopedia are for informational purposes only. Read our warranty and liability disclaimer for more info. As of the date this article was written, the author does not own any of the above securities. Read the original article on Investopedia. (WJET/WFXP) Pennsylvania companies that have been affected by data breaches now have a way of reporting the stolen data directly to investigators. Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced the new online portal Monday for breaches that affected 500 or more PA residents. Pa-based Health Company reaches $65 million settlement after nude photos of cancer patients hacked Additionally, AG Henry said in a release companies must also provide impacted individuals with 12 months of credit monitoring and access to a credit report if the breach involves the persons name and Social Security Number, bank account number, or drivers license or state ID number. This new requirement in the law will offer Pennsylvanians more protections and prompt notifications when sensitive information, such as account numbers and personal data, is compromised, Attorney General Henry said. We have launched this portal to make the process easier and more efficient for businesses who are required to make these notifications. Erie cybersecurity expert speaks on one of the largest data breaches in history Companies that handle peoples personal data will also be required by law starting Sep. 26 to report data breaches to Henrys office after the Breach of Personal Information Notification Act (BPINA) was revised in June. Henry said companies will be given a step-by-step process to navigate the new portal, along with important information on BPINA. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) In recognition of Constitution Day, Paine Colleges Humanities Department will host an Atlanta attorney in a public event on Wednesday. Attorney Kayla J. Bumpus will speak at the event on Sept. 18 at 11 a.m. in the Gilbert Lambuth Chapel. Attorney Bumpus specializes in criminal defense, personal injury and family law in the metro Atlanta area. Bumpus appearance is sponsored by Georgia Shift. This is an opportunity for our students to connect with and hear from someone they may relate to, due to her involvement in a popular rappers case in Atlanta, and hopefully understand the importance of being registered to vote, and exercising that right, said Professor Kimberly Baxter. ALSO ON WJBF: AU to hold Constitution Day Celebration Sept. 17 Constitution Day is observed annually to acknowledge the signing of the United States Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF. ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. A Brentwood man and a Bellefontaine Neighbors man have been charged in connection with a fatal shooting in University City over the weekend. According to the University City Police Departments probable cause statement, the shooting happened in the 6400 block of North Drive Sunday. Police said Terrell A. McCann Jr., 22, and Carlione Boyd, 20, attempted to rob three peopletwo women and a manstanding outside in a parking lot and working on a car. Boyd allegedly pointed a gun at a womans head. The woman being held at gunpoint was able to snatch the firearm from Boyds grasp and open fire on both Boyd and McCann, according to police. Boyd and McCann made an attempt to flee, but a bullet paralyzed McCann. However, police said McCann somehow continued shooting at the victims, who were also fleeing. One of McCanns bullets went through an apartment door and struck Ashleigh Selmon, who was later identified as the mother of one of the initial victims. Selmon was pronounced dead at the scene. She was 39. Its kind of shocking because I havent heard anything thats been going on around here, and all we can do is basically pray for the family, nearby neighbor Alphonso Chappelle said. Sean Diddy Combs pleads not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering charges Police said the incident was captured on surveillance video. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorneys Office charged both McCann and Boyd with second-degree murder and attempted first-degree robbery. Both received a $500,000 cash-only bond. Our office believes that was the appropriate charge. Keep in mind, an A felony has a sentence range of 10 years to life in Missouri, which is defined as 30 years, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said. The defendants injuries do not factor into our chargesit is our belief that the defendant was involved in a robbery, and whoever is harmed in the result of that robbery, the defendants are very much liable for potentially anything that happens as a result of their actions. A family friend said car break-in attempts have been on the rise in the complex, and this shooting Sunday may have been a random act. They also noted that the suspects are strangers to them. University City Police have not responded to FOX 2s request for comment. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. Pakistani pleads not guilty in alleged Iran plot to kill US official A Pakistani man with ties to Iran has been arrested in the United States for allegedly plotting to assassinate a US official (Anna Moneymaker) (Anna Moneymaker/GETTY IMAGES/Getty Images via AFP) A Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran pleaded not guilty Monday to plotting to assassinate a US official in retaliation for the American military killing of Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani, prosecutors said Wednesday. Asif Raza Merchant, 46, allegedly sought to hire a hitman to assassinate a politician or a government official in the United States, the Justice Department and prosecutors said in a statement. A court document showed that Merchant pleaded not guilty to all counts, with a next hearing scheduled for November 6, 2024. Soleimani, the head of Iran's foreign military operations, was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020. Iranian officials have repeatedly vowed to avenge his killing. "As these terrorism and murder for hire charges against Asif Merchant demonstrate, we will continue to hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran's lethal plotting against Americans," US Attorney General Merrick Garland said previously. The intended victim was not identified but the Garland has previously said no evidence has emerged to link Merchant with the July 13 assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. FBI Director Christopher Wray has said the Pakistani national had "close ties to Iran" and that the alleged murder-for-hire plot was "straight out of the Iranian playbook." Another FBI official said the assassins Merchant allegedly tried to hire were in fact undercover FBI agents. "After spending time in Iran, Merchant arrived in the United States from Pakistan and contacted a person he believed could assist him with the scheme to kill a politician or government official," the Justice Department said in a statement. "That person reported Merchant's conduct to law enforcement and became a confidential source." Merchant was arrested on July 12 as he planned to leave the country. Iran's mission to the United Nations said in August it had "not received any report on this from the American government." "But it is clear that this method is contrary to the Iranian government's policy of pursuing Soleimani's killer," the mission said in a statement carried by Iran's official IRNA news agency. gw/bjt PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WMBB) Two years ago Congress passed the Pact Act, expanding and extending eligibility for VA health care to veterans with toxic exposures. The Panama City Beach VA clinic is sponsoring the VetFest resource fair Tuesday to focus on providing information and resources for veterans to enroll in health care and apply for VA benefits. The Pact Act is one of, if not the largest health care and benefit expansion in VA history for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. It requires the VA to provide a toxic exposure screening to every veteran enrolled in VA health care. VetFest takes place Tuesday from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the VA clinic on Veterans Way in Panama City Beach. Representatives will be available to register veterans for benefits, give them information about the Pact Act and other coverage, and theyll be offering flu vaccines for registered veterans. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PARCHMENT, Mich. (WOOD) The Parchment United Methodist Church opened its doors to the community Sunday as it marked 100 years. Church leaders said the group, originally known as the United Methodist Church of Parchment, was first organized in 1924. The first location for services was in the Community House, built by the owner of the Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company. A new church was later built in 1965 with the first service held the following year. To mark the milestone, church members hosted a traditional ham dinner, similar to the ones made when the organization first started. Leaders say the event also brought back members who have long life ties to the church, like an organ player who retired in her 90s last year. Parchment United Methodist Church celebrates 100 years. (Sept. 15, 2024) Parchment United Methodist Church celebrates 100 years. (Sept. 15, 2024) Parchment United Methodist Church celebrates 100 years. (Sept. 15, 2024) The experience today of seeing the sanctuary filled with people and meeting some of the people whose history is part of the Parchment United Methodist Church and meeting some new people was excited. And hope that could be some momentum going forward and God uses that to create new beginnings, said pastor Joe Shaler. Shaler said he hopes the congregation can grow in the coming years after a decline in attendance during the pandemic. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Parents of a Perry Meridian High School student who was attacked while at school last week are accusing the district of failing to protect their child, calling for stronger safety measures to be put in place. The student suffered severe head and facial injuries and needed emergency care after the allegedly unprovoked attack on Thursday, Sept. 12. The family and student are being represented by attorneys Catherine Michael and Tammy Meyer, who said in a news release on Monday the family is demanding urgent action from the school, which they say failed to provide a safe learning environment. Our clients son was not just a victim of an unprovoked and brutal assaulthe is also a victimof the schools failure to protect him, Michael said. When parents send their children to school they have a reasonable expectation that the school will take every measure necessary to ensure their safety. That trust has been broken. More on school safety: Indy parents navigate a world where school threats are the norm The attorneys did not share the age, name of the student or the family's name. Perry Townships director of communications, Elizabeth Choi, told IndyStar that within seconds of the incident a Perry Township schools police officer and school personnel intervened and took a suspect into custody. Police reports indicate the suspect is a 15-year-old boy. We are disturbed by the assault of a Perry Meridian High School student by a fellow student, said Choi in an emailed statement. No student, or person, should be subjected to violence. The school district called it an isolated incident and could not disclose further details but said that discipline procedures as outlined in their student handbook would be followed. Choi also said that only Perry Township district police officers responded to the incident. The father of the student who was attacked said his sons face is swollen, his cheek was slashed through and he has severe head injuries that will result in a long recovery time. His long road to recovery, both physically and emotionally, weighs heavy on our hearts, and we are left wondering how this could happen in a place that was supposed to protect him, the father is quoted as saying in the news release. Keep up with school news: Sign up for Study Hall, IndyStar's free weekly education newsletter. The family and their attorneys are calling on the Perry Township to enact changes like creating stricter anti-bullying policies, providing better training for staff to address violence and higher levels of supervision throughout school premises. The familys attorneys also said they are exploring legal options. Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: After Perry Meridian student attacked, parents demand increase safety CSA-Printstock/Adobe Stock As we approach a not-at-all contentious presidential election, you might be wondering if your partner can find out who you voted for. Between abortion access, gun regulation, immigration policy, LGTBQ+ rights, the United States involvement in the Israel-Hamas war, and the mess of an economy, theres no shortage of problems to get fired up about. And if you dont see eye to eye with your partner on these hot-button issues, it makes sense why youd want to avoid hashing it out with themand keep your ballot private. Everything about this election feels extremely personal. And how could it not? If youre passionate about protecting reproductive rights, of course your blood may boil if your significant other is cool with the government calling the shots on who can (or cant) get IVF or an abortion. If you want nothing more than for your kids to be safe at school, you might be filled with red-hot rage over your partners conservative take on gun ownership. Or maybe youre married to a loyal Trump supporter and youre worried about what your SO would think or say if they found out you went the Harris-Walz route. Even if you guys are on the same page, talking about politics is a high-wire act. It can be uncomfortable and emotional, so maybe you just arent ready to go there. And guess what? Thats okay! Because your ballot is your own damn business. Heres what to know if youre concerned about your partner finding out who you voted forand what to do, and say, if they inquire. Rest assured: Who you vote for is totally private. Before we get into everything you need to know about voter privacy, lets first time travel to the 18th century. Back then, only white men could vote (naturally) and it was done verbally and out in the open. They appeared in public before election officials and stated who they were voting for, Atiba Ellis, JD, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University and voting rights expert, tells SELF. This was a terrible system. Politicians bought votes from citizens and showed up to make sure they held up their end of the bargain, which prevented people from voting with their conscience, Ellis explains. The one good thing to come out of that mess? It eventually led to a ton of laws that prevent vote buying and protect voter privacy, he says. Today, your candidate of choice is completely private information. No state lets individuals know who any person voted for, Ellis says. People cant Google which campaign you supported, they cant go to city hall to access that info, and they cant call up the DNC or RNC and prythere is no way for them to get ahold of it. You are safe. The whole point of keeping your ballot selection secret: It gives you autonomy and puts all of us on a level playing field. It helps you make up your mind, free of any influence. Its that equality that makes democracy work, Ellis adds. But some of your voting information is public. That said, there is some info out there thats up for grabs. The fact that youre a registered voter means that you are in a public database with your name, your address, and depending on the state, your voting history and party affiliation, Ellis says. (Dont worry: Voting history just means if you voted, not who you voted for, he adds.) Whats publicly available fluctuates state to state (you can find out what yours discloses here). Some places, like New York and Alaska, only show your name, address, and party affiliation, while others, like South Carolina, list your name, address, phone number, date of birth, sex, and race. While other people cant see who you outright voted for, no matter what state youre in, they could make an educated guess based on the party youre affiliated with, Ellis points out. And, unfortunately, there's really not much you can do about that, he says. If youre a registered voter, some of your personal info is simply going to be in the public domain. There is one major exception though. A ton of states have voter confidentiality programs for people who have, say, a restraining order against another person or are in a witness protection program. If you can produce a protective order or affidavitor prove you have a need for your voter information to be confidentialthe state will treat that info as confidential, Ellis explains. What to say if your partner asks who you voted for If youre tensing up just thinking about your partner asking you which candidate you chose, pause and remember that no one needs to know who you voted for. Its your right as a citizen of the US to keep that info to yourself. And if they do inquire and you dont want to say, Domenique Harrison, LMFT, LPCC, a Los Angelesbased therapist and relationships expert, recommends going with something like, I dont feel ready to have that conversation right now, and Im not sure when I will be. Your person might feel upset and disappointed that youre not willing to share, Harrison says, which is why she suggests doing your best to avoid always and never statementslike, I will never, ever tell you or You always act entitled to my personal business. These absolutes can cause your partner to feel defensive and shut down, making it impossible to work through conflict, Harrison says. If youre maybe, possibly, potentially down to share, she recommends going into the convo with an open and curious mindset. Just because you think itll suck doesnt mean it actually will. Approach the topic gently and say something like, Im feeling a little scared about sharing that. Is it okay if we table this conversation and reconnect about it on a walk tomorrow? Harrison suggests. Or, perhaps, You deserve honesty and transparency, and I know we havent talked about this yet, but would it be a dealbreaker if we voted differently? This approach invites your partner in, even if youre not ready to open up quite yet, and sets the tone for a calm, honest, exploratory conversation when you do feel ready. Theres a reason youre with this personeven if youre absolutely dreading a politically fueled chat with themand sitting down and talking about why you voted the way you did could lead to a really productive discussion about your values and beliefs. And hey, maybe youll learn you can get through tough stuff and that you guys have a solid-as-hell bond. Or perhaps itll swing the other way, and youll learn that its time to chuck them out the window (just kidding, kinda). Just remember: If you dont see eye to eye, thats not always a bad thing. First, be grateful youre not living in the 18th century and dont have to deal with this in the town square. Then, take a deep breath and remember that who you vote for is your own biz and you can take it to the grave if you want to. Your health is always on the ballotand your vote is more powerful than you realize! Read all of SELFs coverage of the 2024 election and make sure you're registered to vote. Related: Get more of SELF's genuinely helpful relationship advice delivered right to your inboxfor free. Originally Appeared on SELF EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) Sundays assassination attempt happened as many Trump supporters gathered at Harveys Lake for what was billed as a Trump boat parade. 28/22 News spoke with both the Luzerne County Republican and Democratic chairs on Sunday on how this attack could impact the campaign scene and the outcome of the election. Local Trump supporters took to Harveys Lake Sunday afternoon to back the former president in his latest white house bid. Luzerne County Republican Chair Gene Ziemba was among them. He found out later about the apparent assassination plot. It was obviously an incredible shock, Ziemba said. It comes just two months after a would-be assassin opened fire in western Pennsylvania, striking Trump in the right ear lobe. Trump was the subject of an apparent assassination attempt at his Florida golf club, the FBI says I think his message was clear after the first assassination attempt as he was bloody being carried off the stage fight, fight, fight, Ziemba explained. This time, the former president was not hit, but it still raises red flags about the safety of candidate Trump during this campaign. It doesnt concern me for any other reason than Mr. Trump doesnt seem to be afraid of anything, so if people are taking shots at him, he is just going to continue with his campaign as if nothing happened, Ziemba continued. Trump Florida shooting suspect: What we know Always its uncalled for and always its sad we have to once again have this in our news cycle, said Luzerne County Democratic Chairman Thomas Shubilla. Luzerne County Democratic Chair Tom Shubilla believes even though the shooting did not take place at a rally, the call for caution has not stopped. Its something as a party we have to take some extra precautions with our facilities, and we had to four years ago, and we may have to again, Shubilla stated. Ziemba believes the second attempted assassination will fuel the republican vote, while Shubilla disagrees. Right now, we are even with the other group, but in the next week or two, we will be turning the county red, said Ziemba. I dont think its going to change anyones mind one way or the other, but we shall see, Shubilla added. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com. Pearl Fire near Red Feather Lakes estimated at 138 acres; believed to be human-caused DENVER (KDVR) The Larimer County Sheriffs Office said fire personnel are responding to the Crystal Lakes area north and west of Red Feather Lakes for the Pearl Fire, which sparked Monday morning. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered. As of 8:45 p.m., the fire is estimated to be 138 acres and 0% contained, according to the Larimer County Sheriffs Office. According to the National Interagency Fire Center and the Larimer sheriff, the fire began on private property just after 11 a.m. The person involved has been contacted, the sheriffs office stated, and the investigation is ongoing. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for the following areas: Crystal Lakes south of Black Mountain and north of Lake Erie Crystal Lakes north of Black Mountain to the state line The areas of CR86 and CR170 Residents in those areas have been ordered to evacuate immediately. Download the FOX31 App: Breaking news alerts & Pinpoint Weather Voluntary evacuations were ordered for residents in the area of Lake Erie and Mitchell Ditch. People in these areas should gather essential items and prepare to evacuate. A total of 2,010 contacts (not homes or individuals) were notified in evacuation zones on Monday. The Livermore Community Point evacuation point closed at 6:30 p.m. However, an overnight evacuation shelter at Cache La Poudre Middle School opened at 6:30 p.m. This embedded content is not available in your region. A large animal evacuation center was also open at The Ranch, located at 5280 Arena Circle in Loveland. To coordinate bringing in animals overnight, call the Larimer County Sheriffs Office non-emergency number: 970-416-1985, to coordinate Small animals can be sheltered by NoCo Humane, which can be contacted at 970-226-3647. Pre-evacuations have also been ordered for residents who live north of the Colorado-Wyoming border in Laramie County. The Larimer County Sheriffs Office has command of the fire but that will be turned over to the U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday at 6 a.m. A total of 75 personnel were working on the fire on Monday, and more resources have been ordered. Air resources, including fixed-wing tankers and helicopters, dropped water and fire retardant on the blaze throughout the day. Larimer County is no stranger to wildfires. Im grateful for the rapid response by our many regional partners working together seamlessly to protect this community, said Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen in the late-night update. Fire can create uncertainty, especially for those with homes or property in the evacuation zones. Our hearts are with you tonight. At about 5:30 p.m., Gov. Jared Polis issued a verbal declaration of disaster emergency to support the response to the fire. The declaration authorizes the Colorado Department of Public Safety, the Division of Homeland Security and Emergent Management and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control to assist in the response. It also authorizes the activation of the National Guard to assist with response and recovery if the Department of Public Safety deems it necessary. Resident Kris Holcomb was among the over 2,000 contacts for evacuations. She lives up the road from the fire, and said she first saw the smoke while running errands in Red Feather Lake village. She said this isnt the first time shes experienced wildfires, but not like this. This is the closest its been. Ive owned my property for 20 years, so this is very close. Living through the Cameron Peak fire, knowing how fast these fires can travel, Im prepared not to come home, Holcomb said. Holcomb was able to rent a cabin outside the evacuation area for the next two nights, which she says will be covered by her insurance because of the mandatory evacuation order. A hazardous weather outlook has been issued by the National Weather Service for the area, with wind gusts of up to 40 to 45 mph possible, alongside scattered showers and thunderstorms. Pinpoint Weather Meteorologist Liz McGiffin said wind gusts are going to be a concern, with gusts looking to be in the 5 to 15 mph range Monday afternoon, with the occasional 20 mph gust possible. The Pearl Fire in Larimer County sparked Monday morning, forcing residents to evacuate (Credit: KDVR) Flames from the Pearl Fire in Larimer County on Sept. 16, 2024. Flames from the Pearl Fire in Larimer County on Sept. 16, 2024. A smoke plume from the Pearl Fire in Larimer County on Sept. 16, 2024. A smoke plume from the Pearl Fire in Larimer County on Sept. 16, 2024. A fire aircraft responds to the Pearl Fire in Larimer County on Sept. 16, 2024. A smoke plume of the Pearl Fire in Larimer County on Sept. 16, 2024 A smoke plume of the Pearl Fire in Larimer County on Sept. 16, 2024 A smoke plume of the Pearl Fire in Larimer County on Sept. 16, 2024 Fire crews responded to a large smoke plume in the Crystal Lakes area of Larimer County on Monday, Sept. 16 The Pearl Fire burns in Larimer County near the Red Feather Lakes area on Sept. 16, 2024. The Pearl Fire burns in Larimer County near the Red Feather Lakes area on Sept. 16, 2024. The Pearl Fire burns in Larimer County near the Red Feather Lakes area on Sept. 16, 2024. The Pearl Fire burns in Larimer County near the Red Feather Lakes area on Sept. 16, 2024. The Pearl Fire burns in Larimer County near the Red Feather Lakes area on Sept. 16, 2024. The Pearl Fire in Larimer County sparked Monday morning, forcing residents to evacuate (Credit: KDVR) McGiffin said wind gusts were forecasted to increase slightly later in the evening to the 10 to 20 mph range, with gusts of 30 to 35 mph possible. The area, which is part of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, is under stage 1 fire restrictions, which means most fires are prohibited. Numerous agencies aided in the fire response. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. Pennsylvania court rejects Cornel West's bid to get on ballot and clears way for mail voting FILE The Pennsylvania Judicial Center is shown shortly after its completion in Harrisburg, Pa., July 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Pennsylvania's Supreme Court on Monday upheld a lower court ruling that rejected a bid to get independent presidential candidate Cornel West on the ballot for the November election in the battleground state. The courts sided with the secretary of states office under Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in rejecting Wests candidacy paperwork. The decision also sets in motion the process for counties to start printing, testing and sending out mail-in ballots to voters who requested one ahead of the Nov. 5 election. Within hours of the court's decision, Secretary of State Al Schmidt certified the ballot for counties. Counties can now prepare their ballots to be printed, then begin sending mail ballots to voters who have requested one as soon as they are printed, Schmidt said in a statement. The court case had been among a raft of partisan legal maneuvering around third-party candidates, as backers of Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris had aimed to derail third-party candidates who might siphon away support or to help others who might hurt their opponent. In an unsigned one-page order, the state Supreme Court said it had affirmed the lower Commonwealth Court decision. In it, the court had agreed with Schmidt's office that Wests campaign lacked the required affidavits for 14 of Wests 19 presidential electors. The deadline to submit them was Aug. 1. Now, Trump and Harris will appear on Pennsylvanias ballot with the Green Partys Jill Stein and the Libertarian Partys Chase Oliver. Stein and Oliver submitted petitions to get on Pennsylvanias presidential ballot without being challenged. The Nov. 5 election is expected to be close in Pennsylvania, whose 19 electoral votes are tied with Illinois for fifth-most, and arguably are the most awarded by any battleground state. Counties, which typically send out mail-in ballots weeks before the election to voters who request them, have been waiting for the court to rule on the final ballot-access cases. Now that it has, county election officials say they will need time to test, print and mail the ballots. That process could drag into October, depending on the county. Under state law, counties must start delivering or mailing the official mail-in ballots to voters who applied for one as soon as a ballot is certified and available. Counties may also have mail-in ballots available earlier for over-the-counter service for voters who come into a county election office and apply for a ballot in person. The deadline for counties to receive a completed mail-in ballot is when polls close, by law, at 8 p.m. on Election Day. The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is Oct. 29, one week before the Nov. 5 election. ___ Follow Marc Levy at https://x.com/timelywriter. Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirms Cornel West will not appear on state ballots Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirms Cornel West will not appear on state ballots Academic and activist Cornel West, who is running for president as an independent candidate, wont be on the ballot in Pennsylvania, the state Supreme Court decided Monday in upholding a lower courts ruling. West, 71, was fighting to get his name added to the candidate roster in the battleground state before Pennsylvania begins early voting and mail-in voting in the coming weeks, but his candidacy was challenged by Democrats. His long-shot bid was rejected from the ballot because the GOP-aligned electors backing his candidacy didnt meet requirements. The race between Vice President Harris and former President Trump is tight in Pennsylvania, with both candidates making major plays for the Keystone States 19 electoral votes in the stretch to Nov. 5. According to The Hill / Decision Desk HQ polling average, Harris and Trump are polling neck and neck around 48 percent in Pennsylvania. The battle over the left-wing candidate had threatened to delay the printing and distribution of mail ballots in Pennsylvania as he sought ballot access as part of the Justice for All party. West has sought ballot access across the country to mixed results. The Virginia Board of Elections earlier this month ruled he will be on the ballot, despite questions about elector qualifications. The Associated Press reported last month on the Republican-driven effort to boost Wests candidacy across states. Wests campaign didnt immediately respond to The Hills request for comment. In a Sept. 7 statement about the campaigns status in Pennsylvania, spokesperson Edwin DeJesus indicated that West could pursue legal action in the federal court system but didnt elaborate. We are prepared to take on the challenges ahead and ensure that Dr. Wests message reaches every corner of the state, he said. We believe the federal courts may provide some relief, as the current system unfairly burdens First Amendment rights. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Person seriously injured after a shooting at a Macon gas station, deputies say A 40-year-old man was in critical but stable condition after a shooting in Macon Saturday, according to the Bibb County Sheriffs Office. Deputies received a 911 call around 1:16 a.m. regarding a person down, at Exxon gas station at 36 Spring St., a news release from the sheriffs office said. When deputies arrived, they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. Paramedics arrived on scene and took the man to a medical facility, the release said. No one else was injured. Deputies were investigating what led up to the incident Saturday. Anyone was information was urged to call the sheriffs office at 478-751-7500, or Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68CRIME. Pezeshkian says Israel is trying to draw Iran into a regional war Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused Israel of attempting to draw his country into a regional war as he pointed to the killing of a leading member of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran more than six weeks ago. "Israel is trying to entangle us in a regional war by the assassination of Haniyeh. We reserve the right to defend ourselves," the new Iranian president said on Monday during his first press conference following his inauguration. Haniyeh, officially the chairman of Hamas' Political Bureau, was killed in Tehran on July 31. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied a role in Haniyeh's death. Pezeshkian also reiterated that Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons while also defending his country's missile programme. "If we don't have missiles, they [Israel] will bomb us at any time, just like in Gaza," he said. "We will not give up our defensive capability." One of his government's foreign policy goals is a rapprochement with the West, he said. When asked by a journalist whether he would meet the new US president after the elections in November, Pezeshkian said, "a direct meeting requires that promises are kept." "They should not impose sanctions and threaten us, then we will also be fraternal with them," he added. The US and Israel have been considered arch-enemies of Tehran since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Fears have been soaring that a wider war will break out in the Middle East ever since the attacks on Israel by Hamas in October last year, and the subsequent war in Gaza. Tehran supports groups hostile to Israel, including Hamas and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah. Pezeshkian was elected president in July following the accidental death of his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi. During the election campaign, Pezeshkian, seen as a conservative moderate, promised reforms including in civil rights. However, so far his government has not introduced significantly different policies, and in Iran, the main power is held by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian holds his first press conference in Tehran. -/Iranian Presidency/dpa Pezeshkian says Israel is trying to draw Iran into a regional war Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused Israel of attempting to draw his country into a regional war as he pointed to the killing of a leading member of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran more than six weeks ago. "Israel is trying to entangle us in a regional war by the assassination of Haniyeh. We reserve the right to defend ourselves," the new Iranian president said on Monday during his first press conference following his inauguration. Haniyeh, officially the chairman of Hamas' Political Bureau, was killed in Tehran on July 31. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied a role in Haniyeh's death. Pezeshkian also reiterated that Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons while also defending his country's missile programme. "If we don't have missiles, they [Israel] will bomb us at any time, just like in Gaza," he said. "We will not give up our defensive capability." One of his government's foreign policy goals is a rapprochement with the West, he said. When asked by a journalist whether he would meet the new US president after the elections in November, Pezeshkian said, "a direct meeting requires that promises are kept." "They should not impose sanctions and threaten us, then we will also be fraternal with them," he added. The US and Israel have been considered arch-enemies of Tehran since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Fears have been soaring that a wider war will break out in the Middle East ever since the attacks on Israel by Hamas in October last year, and the subsequent war in Gaza. Tehran supports groups hostile to Israel, including Hamas and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian holds his first press conference in Tehran. -/Iranian Presidency/dpa PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) The Prince Georges County Police Department (PGPD) is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information after a man died in a shooting in Silver Spring on Saturday. PGPD said on Sept. 14, around 4 p.m., police officers responded to a shooting in the 9200 block of New Hampshire Ave. Woman slashes officers face, dies after officer opens fire in Reston, Fairfax County police say There, officers discovered 35-year-old Carlos Alberto Ortiz, of Silver Spring, suffering from gunshot wounds in a wooded area. Ortiz died at the scene. Homicide detectives are working to determine a motive for the shooting and identify those involved. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call PGPD at 301-516-2512. Tips can also be entered on the P3 Tips app or online. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. From the outside, Building 21 looks like a typical school in Philadelphias West Oak Lane neighborhood: four stories, brick, impersonal. Cops and metal detectors greet students each morning on the ground floor. Its classrooms are devoid of the high-tech hardware typically associated with cutting-edge schools. But looks can be deceiving. Most weeks, this school sends students to work in high-rise offices, tech firms or a coding center it runs downtown. In fact, the buildings past history as a neighborhood elementary school may be the only reminder of the big, comprehensive and often unsafe public high schools from which its often a refuge. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Offering a dizzying array of internships, college courses and dual enrollment opportunities, Building 21 challenges nearly all of the conventional wisdom about what an urban public high school should do. Unlike most urban high schools, Building 21 is small: Enrollment is capped at 400 students, with classes of just 25 or fewer. Related Future of High School It operates under a complex set of teacher competencies that stress the importance of relationships. When conflicts arise, teachers must help resolve them quickly, interfering as little as possible as students work things out. The school was among the first in Philadelphia to introduce so-called restorative practices, an alternative to traditional often harsh school discipline. Instead of a lecture or suspension for misbehavior, students often find themselves deep in conversation about what happened, talking with teachers, counselors and classmates to get to the bottom of a conflict and resolve it. These practices, the school maintains, also teach problem-solving skills. In operation for a decade, it also boasts something most Philadelphia schools dont: a 94% graduation rate for the past two years. At last count, the districts four-year graduation rate was 75.4%. Nabeehah Parker, a 20-year veteran of the district, came to Building 21 in 2022 to run its partnership program. Her goal, she said, was to make it a place where students can have the same opportunities as students at selective schools. Nabeehah Parker To that end, the school offers a veritable revolving door of experts coming in to teach classes and students heading out for face-time with employers. It features the kinds of risk-taking and experiences often reserved for students in elite schools. Yet it admits virtually anyone, with open-enrollment policies that match those of the citys big neighborhood high schools. Principal Ben Koch started out as a Spanish teacher here, building its world language program around a concept called total physical response. Instead of memorizing vocabulary lists and conjugating verbs, students act out stories in the language theyre learning. The audience responds to the actors in a kind of interactive linguistic improv. I saw that just take off, he said. Students took more risks, retained more vocabulary and learned to speak in full sentences. Related Reinventing High School: 8 Common Trends at Americas Most Innovative Campuses Simultaneously, he organized a class trip to Costa Rica, where students hiked the rainforest, ziplined, helped repaint an elementary school and worked at an elder care center. Closer to home, students learn bioscience through a mobile program sponsored by the Pennsylvania Society for Biomedical Research and game design with a teacher who created a mobile app to help schools track inventory. In a cosmetology class, teacher Samantha Bromfield focuses on ensuring employable skills, believing that everyone should know how to do a range of everything. Ryshine Greene (left) and Payton Sturgis practice pipetting during a biomedical research class. (Greg Toppo) The schools open-admissions policy is a draw for many families, said Parker, the partnership coordinator. The opportunity for any student to attend, no matter their grades or behavioral record, is something that parents are looking for. But it also means much of Building 21s energy is spent getting students skills up to the level where they can reliably pursue their interests. That often takes the form of individualizing assignments and basically personalizing student performance levels. In an English class, all students are writing about topics theyre interested in, but one student may be tasked with writing a cogent essay based on a reading, while another may write one that does more with the reading, incorporating specific details or answering complex questions. Related Internships Rule at The Met, Where High School is a Matter of Trial and Error What were trying to find is that sweet spot where youre not ignoring the truth of what unfinished learning looks like in high school and you want kids to find themselves and get engaged, said co-founder Laura Shubilla. If some of that isnt sexy or new, she shrugs it off. A lot of what works in education, including systemic differentiated instruction, simply isnt. I would say probably were more intentional than innovative. As a result, while the school gets a lot of visitors, it doesnt often appear in the news. These days, one of the main things the school is known for in Philly a district plagued with decrepit building conditions is its three-month closure last spring after inspectors discovered asbestos. In May 2023, one day after it reopened, water damage shut it down again, just hours after a big celebratory barbecue. Four oclock in the afternoon, Shubilla recalled, the ceiling fell in. A backwards-mapped curriculum The school offers four years of competency-based learning, in which mastering skills takes precedence over seat time. Since students progress at their own rate, each enjoys what amounts to an individualized education. Related New Nonprofit Teaches Philly Students CTE Skills and Pays Them for Their Work It turns the idea of grades on its head, offering students the opportunity to submit and re-submit work until it meets high standards. Assignments are graded on a 2- to 12- point scale. If a student hands in a writing assignment thats adequate or only touches on a few competencies, it might earn an 8 or 9 or lower. If she wants to earn a 10 or 11, she can refer to a chart that lays out the skills associated with such a piece of writing: It must have a compelling hook and strong point of view, cite evidence and acknowledge other perspectives. Earning a 10 or higher means its as good as something a college student or at least a college-ready student might produce. We did a lot of studying on what it takes to be successful in college and on a job, said co-founder Chip Linehan, and we sort of backwards-mapped from there. Building 21 co-founder Laura Shubilla looks on as a student explains a class project shes working on. The school uses a competency-based curriculum that essentially creates a personalized education for each student. (Greg Toppo) Hassan Durant, 17, a senior, said the curriculum is challenging but worth the effort. It pushes us to think harder and more on a college-based level, he said Understanding how to move up the grading scale was difficult at first, but many students now welcome it. Related A High School for Dropouts: Goodwill Offers Adults a Second Chance at a Diploma A lot of people that I know that feel like they should have scored higher go to the teachers and ask, What can I revise? What can I work on? What can I fix and change to take this from an 8 and bring it up to at least a 10? Durant said. After years of traditional learning and report cards, he said it was difficult to get his parents to understand the subtleties of competency. He recalled telling his parents, Im not really failing, and I wouldnt say Im passing, but I am getting the work done and doing what I have to do so that I can pass. Hassan Durant Roots at Harvard, MIT Co-founders Shubilla and Linehan created Building 21 after meeting at Harvards Graduate School of Education in 2011, where they studied with renowned scholar Richard Elmore. Elmore pushed students to rethink everything. His question was always, Why does this thing called learning have to take place in this place called school? said Shubilla. If not, he would ask, what would you replace it with? Laura Shubilla She and Linehan soon realized that they had similar answers: Both believed school should start with an anchor learning site connected to opportunities elsewhere. So they designed a school that both brings in experts from outside and gently pushes students into workplaces. Linehan likes to think of it as making the school as permeable as possible. Related Phoenix Teens Build Their Own High School Program From 500 Class, Career Options Elmore, who died in 2021, also pushed students to confront their biases. More broadly, Harvards Graduate School of Education urged teachers to confront bedrock views about their own authority and interact more patiently with students. Their saying was, You cant transform the sector until you transform yourself, Shubilla recalled. Building 21 opened in 2014, and now operates two campuses, one here and another in nearby Allentown. Beyond that, its curriculum is open-sourced, readily accessible to other educators wanting to try their hand at competency-based learning. The schools name is a sly nod to MITs fabled Building 20, which for 80 years served as coded shorthand for a center of innovation. After World War II, it became home to dozens of researchers and technologists, including MITs legendary Tech Model Railroad Club, widely seen as the first group of computer hackers. Mastering skills preoccupies much of the first two years here, but the final two take on a different cast, with juniors spending large chunks of the day connecting what theyre learning to their interests through internships and senior projects. Related To Combat Nursing Shortage, Rhode Island Charter Turns to High School Students Last spring, Durant, the senior, spent a lot of time downtown at Launchpad, Building 21s IT pathway program, to learn the Python computer language. Hes also in the middle of a paid externship with Bentley Systems, an engineering software company that specializes in infrastructure. The company one of 83 outside organizations that partner with the school sponsors five such positions each spring and summer. Last fall, Durant was also enrolled in a public speaking class at La Salle University, one of three colleges where Building 21 students can sign up for dual-enrollment classes. Building 21 also runs three dual enrollment classes onsite through Harrisburg University. Like many schools that emphasize project-based and competency-based learning, it puts seniors through capstone projects that often summarize their learning, scratch an itch or answer a nagging question. In one case, a student who wanted to start a theater program visited stages at nearby schools and returned to Building 21 with a detailed proposal to create a homegrown initiative, complete with budget, staffing projections and recommendations. Another surveyed the African-American history curriculum and came away with a keen observation: When it came to Black Americans, it relied heavily on the oppression narrative of slavery, racism and subjugation, Shubilla recalled. And her question was: Why is there not more Black joy in the curriculum? Related Meaningful, Big Things at One Stone, the Student-Led High School of Invention Not only did teachers listen, they spent the following summer staring down the students complaint and eventually concluded that she was right. They redesigned it. One teacher later wrote that teaching about racial trauma opens a wound for many students of color that teachers often fail to consider. So the school added more readings and projects built around enlightenment and empowerment, such as a study of the crusading journalist Ida B. Wells and others. Taken together, the experiences resonate with students, who mature quickly as they approach graduation. Aaliyah St. Fleur, 18, a senior, admitted that she wasnt really focused on the big picture until last fall, when she met a group of Black women doctors from the University of Pennsylvania Childrens Hospital at a medical conference. She now wants to be a neonatal intensive care nurse or perhaps a gynecologist. Aaliyah St. Fleur More importantly, she realized that if she wants to be a doctor, she has to get serious about school. I was on my grades, but iffy about it, she admitted. But then once I did the trip, I was like, OK, my GPA has to be higher. Most schools might not sympathize with a student realizing in the spring of her junior year that she must focus to get into medical school, let alone college. But Parker, Shubilla and others said shes got time to begin building a transcript that will help get her there. Likely it will take a big investment in dual-enrollment classes come this fall, when she begins her senior year. Related High School 2.0: These Teens Build Drones, Research Cancer & Try Out Careers No one understands that better than Aaliyah, who knows that her time in high school is short. Im actually paying attention. Photo Shows What Was Left of Titan Sub After Implosion as OceanGate Attorney Says 'There Are No Words' The image was taken by a remotely operated vehicle four days after the submersible went missing on a voyage to see the wreck of the 'Titanic' Pelagic Research Services Authorities have released the first photo of what remained of the Titan on the floor of the North Atlantic Ocean after the submersible imploded last summer while on its way to see the Titanic wreck. The image, which features the vessel's tail cone embedded into the seabed more than 12,000 feet below the surface, was presented by U.S. Coast Guard officials on Monday, Sept. 16, as part of what is expected to be a two-week hearing into the tragedy. The photographic evidence, from a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), led to "conclusive evidence of a catastrophic loss" of the Titan and the death of its five passengers, officials said in their presentation. Related: Final Message from Doomed Titan Sub Revealed, Sent Seconds Before Losing Contact with the Surface According to the presentation, the ROV, called the Pelagic Research Services 6000, discovered the aft tail cone and other debris after extensive searching on June 22, 2023, four days after the submersible set off on its voyage to the Titanic and then lost contact with the surface. Pelagic Research Services TITAN Wreckage On board the Titan were noted explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, adventurer Hamish Hardin, father and son Shahzada and Suleiman Dawood and Stockton Rush, who co-founded OceanGate, the company operating the submersible. In addition to the visual evidence of the catastrophe, an animated video shown at the hearing on Monday detailed what is known about the Titan's final dive, including how it went into the water from the Polar Prince, its support ship, off the coast of Canada around 9:20 a.m. local time on June 18, 2023. JOEL SAGET,HANDOUT/Dirty Dozen Productions/OceanGat/AFP via Getty Images The final messages from the doomed vehicle were also revealed. After more than 40 minutes of communication, the Polar Prince informed the submersible, I need better comms from you, to which the Titan responded yes and said they temporarily lost system oand [sic] chat settings. Nargeolet is believed to have sent the messages, according to the Coast Guard. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The Polar Prince again asked, Status? do you see polar prince on your display? And soon after, the Titan responded yes and all good here at 10:15 a.m. Then at 10:47 a.m., the Titan sent another message that it had "dropped two wts, referring to its weights, but lost contact with the surface seconds after. Jason Neubauer of the Coast Guard Office of Investigations and Analysis, said at Monday's hearing that they hope to help shed light on the cause of the tragedy and prevent anything like this from happening again. Related: One Year After Titan Sub Disaster, Investigation into Implosion That Killed 5 Continues Attorney Jane Shvets, representing OceanGate which has ceased operations read a brief opening statement as well in which she echoed that. She said the company "offer[s] our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones, among them those here today, of those who died on June 18, 2023." "There are no words to ease the loss endured by the families impacted by this tragic incident," Shvets said, "but we hope that this hearing will help shed light on the cause of the tragedy and prevent anything like this from happening again." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) A group of veterans flew from north central West Virginia to Washington, D.C. and back over the weekend, getting the chance to see the monuments and memorials in their honor. A total of 97 veterans took the Clarksburg Flight of the Huntington Honor Flight, including one World War II veteran, four Korean War veterans and 92 Vietnam veterans. Along with them were 81 guardianshalf of which are veterans themselves. The veterans and guardians met bright and early at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday morning to depart for the trip. They landed in Baltimore just before 9 a.m. Getting ready to leave West Virginia (WBOY image) Getting ready to leave West Virginia (WBOY image) Getting ready to leave West Virginia (WBOY image) Getting ready to leave West Virginia (WBOY image) Getting ready to leave West Virginia (WBOY image) Getting ready to leave West Virginia (WBOY image) WBOYs Joe Lint, a veteran himself going on his second Honor Flight (WBOY image) Arriving in Baltimore (WBOY image) Arriving in Baltimore (WBOY image) Arriving in Baltimore (WBOY image) Getting ready to leave West Virginia (WBOY image) Arriving in Baltimore (WBOY image) Arriving in Baltimore (WBOY image) Arriving in Baltimore (WBOY image) The first stop for the Honor Flight was the Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Va., which honors active duty service members and heroes who have fallen in the line of duty. Air Force Memorial (WBOY image) Air Force Memorial (WBOY image) Air Force Memorial (WBOY image) Air Force Memorial (WBOY image) Air Force Memorial (WBOY image) Air Force Memorial (WBOY image) Air Force Memorial (WBOY image) Air Force Memorial (WBOY image) Air Force Memorial (WBOY image) The second stop was at the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington, Va. Veterans even got to see the U.S. Marine Corpse Silent Drill Platoon in action. U.S. Marine Corps Memorial (WBOY image) U.S. Marine Corps Memorial (WBOY image) U.S. Marine Corps Memorial (WBOY image) U.S. Marine Corps Memorial (WBOY image) U.S. Marine Corps Memorial (WBOY image) U.S. Marine Corps Memorial (WBOY image) U.S. Marine Corps Memorial (WBOY image) U.S. Marine Corps Memorial (WBOY image) U.S. Marine Corps Memorial (WBOY image) U.S. Marine Corps Memorial (WBOY image) U.S. Marine Corps Memorial (WBOY image) U.S. Marine Corps Memorial (WBOY image) The third stop was the Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where the veterans got the pay their respects and see the changing of the guard ceremony. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (WBOY image) Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (WBOY image) Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (WBOY image) Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (WBOY image) Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (WBOY image) Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (WBOY image) Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (WBOY image) Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (WBOY image) Arlington National Cemetery (WBOY image) Arlington National Cemetery (WBOY image) Arlington National Cemetery (WBOY image) Arlington National Cemetery (WBOY image) Arlington National Cemetery (WBOY image) Arlington National Cemetery (WBOY image) Next, the group traveled to Washington, D.C. and stopped at the World War II Memorial. The only WWII veteran on this Honor Flight was 102-year-old Francis Dalton, who spoke to 12 News about the experience and what it mean to him. You will hear more from Dalton on 12 News at 6 p.m. later this week. 12 News reporter Barbara Ron interviewing WWII veteran Francis Dalton (WBOY image) World War II Memorial (WBOY image) World War II Memorial (WBOY image) World War II Memorial (WBOY image) World War II Memorial (WBOY image) World War II Memorial (WBOY image) World War II Memorial (WBOY image) World War II Memorial (WBOY image) World War II Memorial (WBOY image) World War II Memorial (WBOY image) World War II Memorial (WBOY image) While visiting Washington, D.C.s National Mall, the group got to stop at the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. More than 100,000 names of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice are displayed on the Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. (WBOY image) (WBOY image) (WBOY image) (WBOY image) (WBOY image) (WBOY image) (WBOY image) (WBOY image) (WBOY image) (WBOY image) (WBOY image) (WBOY image) After a very long day, the veterans returned home to the North Central West Virginia Airport. They didnt land until near 10 p.m., almost 18 hours after they arrived. Heading home to Clarksburg, West Virginia (WBOY image) Heading home to Clarksburg, West Virginia (WBOY image) Heading home to Clarksburg, West Virginia (WBOY image) Heading home to Clarksburg, West Virginia (WBOY image) Heading home to Clarksburg, West Virginia (WBOY image) Heading home to Clarksburg, West Virginia (WBOY image) Heading home to Clarksburg, West Virginia (WBOY image) Heading home to Clarksburg, West Virginia (WBOY image) Heading home to Clarksburg, West Virginia (WBOY image) Heading home to Clarksburg, West Virginia (WBOY image) Heading home to Clarksburg, West Virginia (WBOY image) Heading home to Clarksburg, West Virginia (WBOY image) Heading home to Clarksburg, West Virginia (WBOY image) Hundreds of community members gathered at the airport to welcome the veterans home. People waved flags and signs, a marching band played, and firefighters did a water cannon salute. Welcome home! (WBOY image) Welcome home! (WBOY image) Welcome home! (WBOY image) Welcome home! (WBOY image) Welcome home! (WBOY image) Welcome home! (WBOY image) Welcome home! (WBOY image) Welcome home! (WBOY image) Welcome home! (WBOY image) Welcome home! (WBOY image) Welcome home! (WBOY image) Welcome home! (WBOY image) Welcome home! (WBOY image) Welcome home! (WBOY image) Welcome home! (WBOY image) 12 News coverage of the Clarksburg Flight of the Huntington Honor Flight will be broadcast in 12 News at 6 p.m. all week. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Pinellas nonprofit trying to save preserve gets more time to raise money There may finally be an end in sight to the yearslong campaign to save West Klosterman Preserve, according to residents working to conserve the 14 acres of untouched Pinellas County land. County officials and WK Preservation Group, a nonprofit that has fought to purchase the slice of wild Florida near Tarpon Springs threatened by developers, say they are confident the group will meet a fundraising deadline that was extended this week. The nonprofit fell short of its original target Sunday, but worked with county officials to secure an extension until Dec. 10. That agreement is awaiting the county administrators signature, said Paul Cozzie, Pinellas County Parks and Conservation Resources director. We are moving forward with the full intention of being able to acquire this parcel within the allotted timeframe, Cozzie wrote in an email to the Tampa Bay Times on Monday. Tex Carter, the organizations director, said the nonprofit saw more than $100,000 flood its coffers as the previous deadline neared, then passed. That influx of cash, combined with continued support from the county, are encouraging, he said. Carter said the nonprofit still has about $250,000 left to raise. We are much more optimistic now that the county has agreed to work with us on the deadline, Carter said. The purchase would close a deal more than four years in the making. In 2020, Carters group stepped in to stop the sale of the environmentally sensitive land to condo developers. The property on West Klosterman Road is home to Florida scrub habitat, one of the rarest ecosystems in the country, and supports more than 60 endangered plants and animals native to the state. It borders Mariner Point, a 76-acre environmental restoration area owned by the county. The West Klosterman purchase would conserve contiguous habitat important to wildlife including dozens of threatened gopher tortoises that roams both properties. Pinellas County Schools owns the West Klosterman land and is asking $3 million for the preserve, which will go toward school infrastructure and facility projects. The school district sat on its offer from developers, giving Carters group time to gather private donations and seek help from Florida lawmakers. In 2022, the state Legislature approved all $3 million for the purchase, but Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed it. Residents then secured $2.5 million from a legislative budget commission, which gave money to hundreds of projects sponsored by lawmakers following the governors vetoes. When DeSantis failed to distribute those funds to state agencies by the deadline, the West Klosterman grant disappeared, Carter said. Long story short, we realized that we could no longer depend on the state for any support, he said. The nonprofits luck turned around in August 2023, when county officials pledged $1.5 million through Penny for Pinellas funds, halving the amount the group needed to raise. Now, volunteers are racing to meet a new end-of-year deadline. Carter said some big donors are talking with the group to possibly close the fundraising gap quickly. In the meantime, we still need all the public support, because thats whats made a difference to the county officials, Carter said. A strong movement of local people can help government make the right decisions. Those who want to contribute to efforts to preserve the area can donate here. CORNELIUS, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Students were bussed from a Cornelius middle school following a false pipe bomb threat on Monday morning, according to the Cornelius Police Department (CPD) and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The threat was reported around 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 16, at Bailey Middle School. CPD officers immediately removed students and faculty from the location. Police said students were bussed to Foamex which is right down the street from the school. CMS said no devices were discovered following a sweep of the school at around 11:44 a.m., and that nearby Hough High School was also placed into a modified lockdown due to its proximity. Officials said they located a plastic pipe outside of one of the mobile classrooms that seemed to have been there for quite some time from a possible school project. There was no threat to students or staff, but officers say they acted with an abundance of caution to ensure the safety of all. Map of where students are being bussed to via Cornelius PD Due to the time of day, inclement weather, and the nature of the threat the decision was made to dismiss school, CMS said. Buses are at Bailey Middle School transporting to Foamex for pickup. Students will be picked up from FXI Building, 18801 Old Statesville Rd. It will take time to reunify you with your student. Please be patient. Thank you for your cooperation. Parents were advised to NOT go to the school and to go to the Foamex location at 18801 Old Statesville Road. Thats where they can pick up their kids, per the police department. Officers will be at the scene assisting students and answering questions from parents. This is a Developing Story . Check back for updates Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. A pipeline carrying liquified natural gas burns near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP) DEER PARK, Texas (AP) A towering flame gradually subsided Tuesday morning in the aftermath of a massive pipeline explosion after a vehicle drove through a fence and struck an above-ground valve, officials said. Deer Park officials said police and local FBI agents initiated investigations and found no preliminary reports that would suggest a coordinated or terrorist attack and that this appears to be an isolated incident. The investigation included efforts to learn more about the driver of a vehicle that was incinerated by the pipeline explosion as flames scorched the ground across a wide radius, severed adjacent power transmission lines and ignited homes at a distance. Police did not provide any information about the person's condition. An evacuation area included nearly 1,000 homes and initial shelter orders included schools. Operators shut off the flow of natural gas liquids in the pipeline, but so much remained in the miles of tubing that firefighters could do nothing but watch and hose down adjacent homes. Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton Jr. described intense heat from a fire that endured for more than 12 hours as ladder trucks showered houses from above. "A lot of the house structures that are adjacent to that are still catching on fire even though were putting a lot of water on them, Mouton said at an afternoon news conference. A spewing flame still lit up the sky at sunset Monday. Firefighters initially were dispatched at 9:55 a.m., after an explosion at a valve station in Deer Park, adjacent to La Porte, rattled homes and businesses, including a Walmart. Deer Park officials said an SUV drove into the valve after going through a fence on the side of the Walmart parking lot. At the news conference, officials said only one person, a firefighter, sustained a minor injury. Later, Deer Park spokesperson Kaitlyn Bluejacket said four people were injured. She didnt provide details about the severity of the injuries. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a statement that 20 miles (32 kilometers) of pipeline between the two closed valves had to burn off before the fire would stop. Anna Lewis, who was walking into the nearby Walmart when the explosion happened, said it sounded like a bomb went off. She said everyone inside was rushed to the back of the store and then taken across the street to a grocery store before being bussed to a community center. It scared me, she said. You really dont know what to do when its happening. Geselle Melina Guerra said she and her boyfriend heard the explosion as they were having breakfast in their mobile home. All of a sudden we hear this loud bang and then I see something bright, like orange, coming from our back door thats outside, said Guerra, who lives within the evacuation area. Guerras boyfriend, Jairo Sanchez, said theyre used to evacuations because they live close to other plants near the highway, but he hadnt seen an explosion before in his 10 years living there. We just drove as far as we could because we didnt know what was happening, Sanchez said. Houston, Texas largest city, is the nations petrochemical heartland and is home to a cluster of refineries and plants and thousands of miles of pipelines. Explosions and fires are a familiar sight in the area, including some that have been deadly, raising recurring questions about the adequacy of industry efforts to protect the public and the environment. Letting the fire burn out is better, from an environmental perspective, than trying to attack the flames with some kind of suppressing foam or liquid, said Ramanan Krishnamoorti, a petroleum engineering professor at the University of Houston. Otherwise its going to release a lot of volatile organics into the environment, he said. Still, there will undoubtedly be negative environmental consequences, including a release of soot, carbons and organic material, he said. The pipelines owner, Dallas-based Energy Transfer, said air monitoring equipment was being set up near the plume of fire and smoke, which could be seen from at least 10 miles (16 kilometers) away at one point. A statement from Harris County Pollution Control on Monday afternoon said no volatile organic compounds had been detected. The statement said particulate matter from the smoke was moderate and not an immediate risk to healthy people, although sensitive populations may want to take precautions. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said it was also monitoring the air. Natural gas liquids are used primarily in the manufacturing of plastics and basic and intermediate chemicals, Krishnamoorti said. The fire burned through nearby power lines, and the website PowerOutage.us said several thousand customers were without power at one point in Harris County. Krishnamoorti said the areas extensive pipeline infrastructure will have to be closely inspected for damage beyond the explosion site, though the fire wont be a major disrupter of supply chains. The Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates oil and gas in the state, said its safety inspectors were investigating. Margaret Newman, who lives on the edge of the evacuation zone, said that when she heard the explosion she went out into her yard and could see the flame shooting above the trees. She lost electricity but has a generator to keep her home cool and planned to stay put. ___ This story has been updated to correct that the pipeline carries natural gas liquids, not liquified natural gas. ___ AP writers Christopher L. Keller in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City and Jamie Stengle in Dallas contributed to this report. A natural gas pipeline explosion in the Houston area has prompted evacuations and a large response from firefighters to fight the Monday afternoon blaze. The explosion happened in Deer Park, a city about 18 miles east of Houston. According to reports from local news station ABC13, the fire spread south under Spencer Highway into the borders of the adjacent city of La Porte, Texas. Video from the area after the explosion showed a massive fireball shooting high into the air, spewing a thick plume of black smoke over the area. A press release from the City of Deer Park says the pipeline which is still burning is owned by Energy Transfer, a natural gas pipeline operator. The cause of the fire was still under investigation early Monday afternoon. In a Facebook post from the La Porte Fire Department, officials said first responders were dispatched to the scene at about 9:55 a.m. local time. Multiple agencies were at the scene early Monday afternoon with the Deer Park and La Porte Offices of Emergency Management responding to the blaze. At 9:55 a.m. this morning, the City of La Porte Fire Department was dispatched to a fire in the 8700 block of Spencer... Posted by La Porte Office of Emergency Management on Monday, September 16, 2024 Where is the Deer Park fire burning? Evacuation, shelter in place orders issued The fire also led authorities to issue evacuation and shelter-in-place orders in adjacent communities. The San Jacinto College Central Campus has been placed under shelter and evacuation orders have been given for the areas adjacent to the fire. Nearby grocery stores and elementary schools have been placed under these orders as well. The fire is also happening near a property owned by CenterPoint, a utility company that services the area, in a statement sent to USA TODAY, the company said it is monitoring the situation. CenterPoint Energy is monitoring the incident, which is unrelated to the companys natural gas operations or equipment. We are also cooperating with first responders. Putting safety first, the public should avoid this area until further notice from local emergency officials. When it is safe to do so, our electric crews will go into the area to assess the damage to our transmission and distribution power lines, poles and equipment and begin restoring service to impacted customers as safely and quickly as possible, the company said. Energy Transfer also released a statement that said the company is monitoring the blaze. "The line has been isolated so that the residual product in the line can safely burn itself out. We have no timeline at this point on how long that process will take, but we are working closely with local authorities," the company said. "Air monitoring equipment is in the process of being set up in the area. We will continue to release details as they become available," Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: La Porte, Texas pipeline explosion video shows massive flame A pipeline fire sparked by an SUV crash has burned for more than 24 hours and prompted evacuations in a Houston suburb A pipeline fire that began after an SUV struck a valve for a liquid natural gas pipeline near Houston continues burning Tuesday after damaging houses, melting vehicles, and leading to the evacuation of 100 homes, officials said. The huge plume of flames appeared to have decreased in size Tuesday as the fire burns itself out, which is the safest way to manage the incident, said pipeline owner Energy Transfer. We are seeing a significant decrease in pressure within the line, and the situation is steadily improving, the La Porte, Texas, Office of Emergency Management said in a statement Tuesday. Authorities and Energy Transfer said Tuesday that no air quality issues have been reported. Harris County hazmat officials are expected to conduct an investigation once the flames have diminished, officials said. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a Facebook post that once the fire is extinguished, first responders will need to confirm the pipeline is clean and that no more natural gas can reignite. Residents will likely not be allowed to return to their homes until the immediate area cools down, she added. A firefighter directs a line of water around a fire on a pipeline carrying liquified natural gas in La Porte, Texas. - Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle/Getty Images The 20-inch pipeline caught fire just before 10 a.m. Monday in La Porte, about 25 miles southeast of Houston, authorities in La Porte and nearby Deer Park said. An SUV drove through a fence bordering the parking lot of a nearby Walmart store and struck an above-ground pipeline valve, according to Deer Park officials. An initial investigation suggests it was not terroristic activity, they noted. Neither the driver nor the vehicle were identified by officials. Deborah Gamel, 69, was in her home with her husband Carl, 63, directly across from the playground next to the pipeline when the fire erupted. Within minutes of the fire starting, the heat inside the house was so intense it was like being in an oven, Gamel said. By the time Carl managed to get outside to their vehicle, their garage door had melted, as had the tailgate and back lights of his truck, she said. He managed to drive it around to their backyard to pick up his wife and drive them to safety. An estimated 100 homes within a half-mile radius are impacted by the pipeline fire, according to Jamie Galloway, emergency services director for the city of Deer Park. Galloway estimates four or five homes have been damaged from the radiant heat and access is cut off to about 100 houses because theyre so close to the flames. The families who live in the homes have evacuated, he added. Firefighters are monitoring the fire and doing everything they can to keep the fire from spreading to more homes, Galloway said. Four first responders, all believed to be firefighters, suffered heat-related injuries and were treated at the scene, he added. For hours, dozens of firefighters poured water into nearby homes and a park that caught fire. Officials said the pipeline had been isolated but as for the fire, it will be a while before it goes down. Firefighters take a break from battling a fire at a pipeline carrying liquified natural gas in La Porte. - Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle/Getty Images Energy Transfer, in a statement to CNN, said there was an incident at one of its valve stations. The line has been isolated so that the residual product in the line can safely burn itself out. We have no timeline at this point on how long that process will take, but we are working closely with local authorities, the company said. On top of the evacuations, the fire has led to power outages and closures in the area, Deer Park Police Assistant Chief Frank Hart said. CenterPoint Energy, a Houston-based utility company, showed several outages in the area Monday morning. The company said it was monitoring the incident, which it noted was unrelated to the companys natural gas operations or equipment. When it is safe to do so, our electric crews will go into the area to assess the damage to our transmission and distribution power lines, poles and equipment and begin restoring service to impacted customers as safely and quickly as possible, the company said in a statement to CNN. Some schools in the area, including the central campus of San Jacinto College, issued a shelter-in-place order because of the fire and later canceled classes and activities. Geselle Melina Guerra, a 25-year-old who lives in a mobile home within the evacuation area, told The Associated Press she was having breakfast when she heard the explosion. All of a sudden we hear this loud bang and then I see something bright, like orange, coming from our back door thats outside, said Guerra. I was just freaking out, pacing around the living room, not really knowing what to do or what was happening. I thought maybe it was an airplane that had crashed down by our house, Guerra added. CNNs Melissa Alonso contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Warsaw will contribute to the Czech-led initiative to purchase artillery shells for Ukrainian forces in the future, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in an interview with European Pravda published on Sept. 15. Sikorski's statement comes after news that Poland has not yet donated funds to the Czech initiative despite its promises. The minister confirmed that Warsaw has not yet participated in the project due to "temporary formal obstacles." Warsaw plans to allocate 50 million euros ($55.6 million) to the Czech initiative in 2024 and another 50 million euros in 2025, according to Sikorski. "But there are some technical, administrative, and legal issues related to the (Polish) State Agency for Strategic Reserves," Sikorski said. "The (Polish) Foreign Ministry has done its part. I hope that colleagues from other ministries will also do theirs. It will definitely be done," he added. Czechia unveiled its initiative to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine jointly with partners earlier this year amid shell shortages caused mainly by delays in U.S. assistance. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky told the Kyiv Independent in July that the initiative had secured funds for 500,000 rounds and hopes to finance 300,000 more by the end of 2024. Eighteen countries have pledged support to the initial initiative, with 15 having fulfilled their promises and provided the funds, according to the minister. Prague is also preparing to launch a new initiative to purchase artillery ammunition for Ukraine in 2025, Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova said in an interview with the Denik N newspaper on July 24. Read also: 18 Bohdana howitzers delivered to Ukraine, courtesy of Denmark heres what they can do Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Poland's government is ready to declare a state of natural disaster for the first time in Polands southwest, following severe floods there. The state of natural disaster necessitates the alteration of regulations in the affected areas. Source: RMF24, as reported by European Pravda Details: The Polish Council of Ministers states that the state of natural disaster will apply to all places affected by the flood. This will be the first time such a legal regime has been invoked; it was not used in 1997 or 2010. Under this circumstance, the government and local authorities are given more authority to respond to the problem. It is also feasible to make evacuation mandatory rather than just recommended, and to impose a prohibition on staying or moving in specified areas. The condition of natural disaster permits the government to compel private businesses to allocate personnel for tasks related to overcoming the effects of a natural disaster. This legislative regime may be implemented for a maximum of 30 days. Background: The educational process has been interrupted in four affected regions. There have already been two deaths in Poland, and at least one person has lost their life in the accident in the Czech Republic. Support UP or become our patron! Polaris Dawn was a mission for the history books: Look back at the biggest moments Last week, four commercial astronauts boarded a SpaceX capsule for a pioneering spaceflight that was years in the making. For five days, the crew of the Polaris Dawn mission orbited Earth while completing a number of objectives that could one day bolster humanity's yearning to explore deep into the cosmos. Jointly funded by Elon Musk's SpaceX and billionaire Shift4 Payment CEO Jared Isaacman, the mission was one filled with historic moments from the record heights the crew's spacecraft reached to the landmark spacewalk they were able to complete. Dragon and the Polaris Dawn crew splash down off the coast of Florida, completing the @PolarisProgram's first human spaceflight mission pic.twitter.com/Sobt66zxnL SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 15, 2024 And though the astronauts landed safely Sunday off the coast of Florida, the overarching Polaris Program is just beginning with two more spaceflights ahead. But for now, here's a look back at some of the major moments from the daring, history-defining Polaris Dawn mission. The Dragon capsule is photographed aboard the rescue vessel after it splashed down early Sunday off the coast of Dry Tortugas, Florida following the crewed Polaris Dawn mission. The four astronauts spent five days in orbit on the vehicle conducting tests to pave the wave for future deep-space missions. SpaceX Dragon reaches historic heights Prior to Polaris Dawn, Isaacman was the only member of the Polaris Dawn crew to have been to outer space before, having served in 2021 as mission commander of Inspiration4, the worlds first all-civilian mission to space. The Polaris Dawn astronauts are all smiles while preparing for their reentry into Earth's atmosphere Sunday to land off the Florida coast. Under his command was a crew that included pilot Scott Kidd Poteet, a retired United States Air Force lieutenant colonel who flew with the Thunderbirds; and mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, both lead space operations engineers at SpaceX. When the Dragon spacecraft launched last week atop a Falcon 9 rocket, it wasn't long until the vehicle carried the private astronauts farther into space than humans have reached in more than half a century. Ascending to 870 miles above Earth's surface took the crew to a height higher than any crewed vehicle has traveled since NASA's Apollo era came to an end in the 1970s. The craft also surpassed the height reached by NASA's Gemini 11 in the 1960s, SpaceX said. The ascent also marked the highest that the SpaceX Dragon has flown to date, SpaceX said in a day one update. A view of Earth and the Dragon capsule's Skywalker shortly after the Polaris Dawn crew launched into orbit on Sept. 10, 2024. The milestone was one of the defining objectives of the mission, but it accomplished more than just earning the crew bragging rights. Climbing to such a height three times higher than the International Space Station took the vehicle through the treacherous inner regions of Earth's Van Allen radiation belts. The region is one astronauts will have to traverse on future missions to the moon and Mars, and now SpaceX knows that its Dragon and its specially designed spacesuits are capable of doing so. For Menon and Gillis, they are now not only the the first SpaceX employees to travel to space, but have traveled higher than any other women in history. Polaris Dawn astronauts conduct private spacewalk The spacecraft didn't linger at the transcendent height, but eventually descended to a cruising altitude of 435 miles above Earth as the astronauts began preparing for what may have been the biggest test of the mission: completing a spacewalk. Two days into the mission, the Polaris Dawn crew members became the first nonprofessional astronauts to venture outside a spacecraft while in orbit. SpaceX employee Sarah Gillis, a mission specialist on Polaris Dawn, ascends the hatch to exit the SpaceX Dragon during Thursday's spacewalk. The crew members are now the first private astronauts to conduct a spacewalk. The maneuver required extensive preparation to safely perform. Shortly after liftoff, the Dragon's pressure began to slowly lower while oxygen levels inside the cabin increased, helping purge nitrogen from the crew members' bloodstreams and lower the risk of decompression sickness, SpaceX said. Polaris Dawn Flight Day 3 Update Early Thursday morning at 7:58 a.m. ET, the Polaris Dawn crew successfully completed the worlds first spacewalk also known as an extravehicular activity (EVA) from Dragon at 732.2 km above Earth. Shortly after arriving in space on pic.twitter.com/ASEH6G3sR9 Polaris (@PolarisProgram) September 12, 2024 By Thursday morning, the crew donned extravehicular activity (EVA) suits designed by SpaceX, completed suit leak checks and vented the Dragon to match the vacuum of space. Because the Dragon does not have an airlock, the entire cabin was depressurized and all four astronauts were suited up in the EVA suits to receive oxygen through tethers. By around 8 a.m. EDT, Isaacman and Gillis exited the Dragon capsule separately for about 10 minutes each to take in the endless black expanse of outer space while tethered and holding onto handrails. The spacewalk was intended to test the capabilities and mobility of SpaceX's new suits, which the company designed to protect astronauts against radiation and extreme temperatures. Jared Isaacman emerges Thursday from the SpaceX Dragon during a historic commercial spacewalk 435 miles above Earth. Poteet and Menon remained strapped in their seats monitoring vital support systems. But because all four crew members were exposed to the vacuum of space, they are all considered to be part of the first-ever spacewalk conducted by anyone other than government astronauts. "Back at home we all have a lot of work to do, but from here Earth sure looks like a perfect world," Isaacman said as he emerged from the hatch. In response, SpaceX ground crews in Hawthorne, California, could be heard on a livestream bursting into applause. Anna Menon reads children's book from orbit, Sarah Gillis plays violin Anna Menon, a mission specialist and medical officer on the Polaris Dawn mission, poses with "Kisses from Space," a children's book she co-authored. Menon read the book Wednesday from orbit. The mission may be one for the history books, but it was filled with some personal moments as well. Along the way, mission specialist Anna Menon took time to read from orbit a children's book she co-authored to her two kids back on Earth. Menon's son and daughter tuned in for the virtual book reading, as did some youngsters at at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital. Menon, also the medical officer for the spaceflight, was inspired to write "Kisses from Space" while training for the Polaris Dawn mission as a way to stay connected with her children. The story is one of a mother dragon who returns home after an out-of-this-world adventure to regale her children with tails of her exploits. Menon co-authored the book with her cousin Keri Vasek, while award-winning illustrator Andy Harkness created the visuals for "Kisses from Space," which was published June 4. Gillis, a classically trained violinist, also had the opportunity to record herself performing music from "Star Wars" on her violin, accompanied by students from El Sistema, which provides music education. Crew members test Starlink, conduct 40 scientific tests The Dragon spacecraft landed in the ocean at 3:37 am ET off the coast of Florida before a recovery team deployed to retrieve the vehicle and its crew. The capsule was then lifted from the water and onto the recovery vessel. The entirety of the mission represented a new chapter of space exploration as companies like SpaceX increasingly seek to conduct ventures that were once almost exclusively the realm of space agencies like NASA. Along the journey, the crew tested a new laser-based satellite communication system using Starlink by making multiple calls to Earth. They also conducted nearly 40 scientific experiments many of which aimed to understand the human body's reaction to long spaceflights as NASA and other space agencies set their sights on destinations like Mars. Polaris Dawn Flight Day 5 Update The crews final full day on-orbit was dedicated to furthering and finalizing the scientific goals of the Polaris Dawn mission, connecting with one of their training teams, and catching-up with the SpaceX family. Two of the days scientific pic.twitter.com/XQ7dgK88v5 Polaris (@PolarisProgram) September 15, 2024 The first of three missions under the Polaris Program, the venture could set the stage to one day make SpaceX founder Elon Musk's vision of crewed trips to Mars a reality. The second mission "will continue to expand the boundaries of future human spaceflight missions, in-space communications, and scientific research," according to the program's website. Additional details, including a launch date, have not yet been announced. When the day comes that the third and final Polaris Program mission launches, it's intended to be the first human spaceflight on the SpaceX Starship rocket. The gargantuan rocket, which has so far only undergone uncrewed tests, will one day ferry NASA astronauts from lunar orbit to the moon's surface as part of the space agency's Artemis program. Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SpaceX Polaris Dawn made history: Look back at launch, spacewalk Authorities have launched an investigation into an alleged sexual assault on a female student walking near her school Monday afternoon. Brookline Police say around 1:15 p.m., a 14-year-old girl stated that an unknown man in his 20s grabbed her as she was walking between classes at Brookline High School on Tappan Street and forced his hand into her pants. The victim reported the incident to a teacher, who notified the dean, who reported it to police. We ask students to be mindful of their surroundings as they move about our campus, said Superintendent Linus Guillory. While BHS is a safe campus, our high school complex consists of multiple buildings and students move about on public streets. Students, staff and all community members are urged to remain aware of their surroundings at all times and report any suspicious activity to any school staff member. No further information was immediately available. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO) A man was shot in the arm Saturday night near 12th Street and Summit Avenue. According to Sioux Falls Police Department spokesman Sam Clemens, police believe a disagreement broke out between two groups of people, causing one man to shoot another in the arm. There were no life-threatening injuries reported to the person shot, according to Clemens. Local banker plans to plead guilty to Bank Embezzlement No arrests have been made and the shooting remains under investigation. The shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. Saturday. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Police investigating social media threats of violence at Elmira schools. What we know. Local law enforcement agencies are investigating after online threats of violence against Elmira schools were posted on social media. Those threats have also involved schools in other counties, according to Chemung County Sheriff Bill Schrom. Shortly before midnight Sunday, possible threats were posted to Snapchat, according to a notice Superintendent Hillary Austin sent to families in the Elmira City School District. School officials immediately notified law enforcement agencies of the threats, Austin said. "Law enforcement has reported to the district that there is no evidence to suggest that these are credible threats but they continue to investigate all posts that have been shared with us," she wrote in the notice. In the meantime, students and others will likely notice an increased police presence around Elmira schools for the next few days. "The Elmira Police Department has stepped up patrols and targeted enforcements around the schools," Elmira Police Chief Kristin Thorne said. "We will work with the (Chemung County) Sheriffs Office to make our presence as visible as possible in these areas." Schrom said the threats, which he said spread to other schools in Chemung, Tompkins and Broome counties, do not appear to be credible. Public safety Elmira police arrest suspect in Sept. 12 Southside shooting that injured two people "The reports from Chemung County have been thoroughly investigated by the Chemung County Sheriff's Office throughout the night and all day and determined to be noncredible threats," Schrom said. "It appears these incidents may also be related to a 'swatting hoax' circulating across local counties, as well as nationwide." Austin said the school district will continue to work with police, and also asked parents and students to remain vigilant and to be careful about spreading unverified information. "We ask that you not share rumors or hearsay on social media but rather immediately contact police or your school principal if you have questions, concerns, and/or information," she wrote. "This will ensure an effective and streamlined investigation. Law enforcement will remain vigilant if any further information is discovered." Follow Jeff Murray on Twitter @SGJeffMurray. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Elmira schools on alert after online threats of violence Police looking for second person riding with motorcyclist killed in weekend crash in New Hampshire State Police are looking for a person who was riding with a New Hampshire motorcyclist when he was killed in a weekend crash and then left the scene. Scott A. Richer, 55, of Manchester, died after the crash between a motorcycle and a pickup truck hauling a trailer on Saturday in Windsor, state police said. Witnesses told police that a second motorcyclist was riding with Richer at the time of the crash and left the scene before police arrived. Just before 6 p.m. Saturday, troopers responded to a report of a crash with serious injuries near 1347 Second New Hampshire Turnpike in Windsor. A preliminary investigation found that a red 2004 Chevrolet 2500 driven by Paul T. Sousa Jr., 32, of Weare was making a left turn onto an unpaved residential driveway when Richer attempted to overtake the pickup truck by crossing the double yellow line and passing the vehicle on the left side, state police said. Richer, who was riding a black 2017 Harley Davidson Street Glide, subsequently crashed into the side of the turning pickup and was thrown from his motorcycle before becoming trapped under the trailer, state police said. Good Samaritans joined Sousa in raising the trailer and getting Richer out from underneath the truck, state police said. Richer was rushed to Concord Hospital, where he later died. Authorities closed the Second New Hampshire Turnpike near the crash for about two hours. Hillsboro Police and Fire and Henniker Fire and Rescue assisted troopers at the scene. Anyone with information on the crash, including the identity of the second motorcyclist, is urged to call Trooper Noah Brown at 603-451-7882. The crash remains under investigation. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW A police officer is being credited with helping residents escape a burning home on the North Shore early Monday morning. Newburyport Police Sgt. Megan Tierney was driving down Spofford Street just after 3:30 a.m. when she spotted flames shooting from a home and alerted her fellow emergency officials. Tierney and other responding officers started banging on the doors and windows of the group home to wake everyone inside. The Newburyport Fire Department said all residents, including four women with special needs, made it out safely thanks to Tierneys actions. I try to keep my eyes on all different parts of the city on all different parts of the night, Tierney said. Im just glad that I was on Spofford Street at the moment that I was. I think the fire would have grown to a much larger degree before any of us would have known. The home suffered exterior damage but the flames didnt spread inside the structure. The residents were moved to a new location in Amesbury. The fire was growing on the deck, we had a heavy fire. Megan was in the area and her quick thinking was able to get them out, alert us, and we were able to get here pretty quickly and contain it, Newburyport Fire Chief Stephen Bradbury said. There were no reported injuries in the blaze. An investigation is ongoing. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW WAYLAND, N.Y. (WETM) The New York State Police Department released the name of the teen who was killed in a motorcycle crash in Steuben County on Thursday night. Ryder M. Whitman, 18, of Dansville, was killed after his motorcycle crashed with a vehicle on state Route 63 in Wayland at around 7:30 p.m. on Sept 12, according to the New York State Police Department. Original story: Teen motorcyclist dies after crash in Steuben County Police say Whitman was traveling in the southbound lane of the roadway when he passed a vehicle in a no-passing zone. While passing the other vehicle, Whitmans 2007 Chappy Yamaha motorcycle struck a northbound 2015 Kia Sorento head-on. According to the New York State Police, Whitman was ejected from his motorcycle and pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. The 73-year-old female driver of the Kia suffered minor injuries and was transported to UR Medicine Noyes Hospital via a Springwater-Wayland EMS ambulance. The investigation into this crash is ongoing at this time. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. CCTV footage from a friend of Samuel appeared to show a man on the floor being hit by a man in an alleyway [Submitted] A police force said it was reviewing CCTV footage after a student who was arrested claimed he was repeatedly assaulted by an officer. Northamptonshire Police said the man was questioned in relation to drug supply offences but was released without charge. The student told the BBC he had stopped to give change to a homeless person when a man in a hoodie, who he later realised was a police officer, ran towards him. The incident was filmed by a friend, and appeared to show him being hit several times while on the ground. He has made a formal complaint and said the officer should be disciplined. As first reported by The Shade Borough, the 22-year-old student, known as Samuel, said he was walking down Northampton's Barrack Road on 8 August when he stopped to give change to a homeless person he had met before. He said: "As I was walking off, I just felt something walking towards me. It was a white man in a black hoodie. "I admit, I did run, but I stopped because I realised it was a policeman and apologised. "So I'm thinking I'm just going to be arrested or whatever, but I was hit, and hit, and hit, and I was thinking 'this is unbelievable'." He said he was "smashed towards a wooden gate", before losing his balance and falling to the floor, where he alleged he was beaten up. Samuel said he could not believe he had been the victim of "such brutality" [Samuel] Northamptonshire Police said they were aware of the CCTV footage and were talking to Samuel to discuss his concerns. The force added the incident was being reviewed internally, including assessments of officers body-worn cameras. They said the stop was made after a person was seen to exchange a package, which was suspected to be related to potential drugs supply offences. A spokesman added: When officers approached to conduct a stop search, the man ran off, resulting in a short pursuit before he was apprehended. "Following a negative search, the man was released with no further action." Samuel said that he was arrested at the scene and taken to a police station [Submitted] Samuel wants to take the matter further and would like to see the officer "face some kind of disciplinary". He said: "I've hired a solicitor, Miriam Altaf, she's working very hard to bring me some kind of justice. "We've filed a complaint against Northamptonshire Police and we've also contacted the IOPC [Independent Office for Police Conduct]. "I was complying with the officer, I didn't commit any crimes." "I couldn't believe I was the victim of such brutality from a police officer," Samuel added. "I asked myself if I would have been treated the way I was treated if I wasn't of ethnic minority." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story Related internet links MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) Police are asking for the publics help to find the man accused of shooting and killing another man at a party in Muskegon. Keep a lookout for this individual. Take a good look at the picture, Muskegon Department of Public Safety Director Tim Kozal said Monday. If you see him, let us know. We want to be able to put this person in custody as soon as we can. Deangelo Omar Bolden-Sims, 38, is wanted for murder in the death of Carlos Piggee, 48, of Muskegon Heights. Muskegon police: Deadly shooting stemmed from dispute He said Bolden-Sims is still believed to be in Michigan, but not in Muskegon. He said police still hope maybe the suspect will turn themself in. Some of the things that we were trying to work with him and his attorney didnt pan out he did not turn himself in, Kozal said. Weve been diligent trying to locate him; has not panned out. Now, he said, its time to get the publics help. Undated photos of Deangelo Omar Bolden-Sims (Courtesy Muskegon Police Department). Bolden-Sims stands about 5-foot-10 and weighs about 155 pounds, police said. Anyone with information about where he may be is asked to call Muskegon police at 231.724.6750 or Silent Observer at 231.722.7463. I would stay that you still want to consider him dangerous, a dangerous individual, Kozal said. The shooting happened the night of Aug. 31 in the area of Beidler Street and W. Forest Avenue. Police say Bolden-Sims and Piggee, who had a previous dispute, both wound up at the same party. There was a very short interaction and the offender wound up taking the life of our victim, Kozal told News 8 earlier this month. Program works to intervene before Muskegon youth involved in violence He said the shooting was an isolated incident and not related to any other violence elsewhere in the Muskegon area on the same weekend. He said it did not involve drugs or gangs. Piggee and the suspect had known each other for a while. This is an instance where someone was just too angry and took out their frustrations, unfortunately, in an act of violence, Kozal previously said. News 8s Adriana Doria contributed to this report. Editors note: Police originally provided an incorrect spelling of Bolden-Simss name. The story has been updated with a corrected spelling. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. New York City Police fired shots in a Brooklyn subway station while pursuing a person they suspected of fare evasion, injuring the man along with an NYPD officer and two bystanders. Around 3 p.m. Sunday, two NYPD officers followed a 37-year-old man to the platform at the Sutter Avenue station in the eastern part of the borough after observing that he did not pay the subway fare. The man reportedly refused to stop on the platform after police asked him to stop. NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said at a press conference that the individual told officers, Im going to kill you if you dont stop following me. Maddrey added that the police then become aware that he has a knife in his pocket. The officers followed the man onto a northbound train that had arrived in the station. According to police, after the man refused orders from the officers to come with them, they used a Taser on him twice. The individual then moved back onto the platform and advanced towards one of the officers with his knife. Both officers drew their weapons, fired multiple rounds and then handcuffed the man, who was on the ground. At that point, one of the officers noticed he had been hit by a bullet, as well as the individual and other bystanders. According to ABC 7 New York, detectives reviewed video footage from the incident and determined that its possible that a bullet ricocheted off of the inside of the train and hit the officer. The suspect, two bystanders and the officer were hospitalized after the incident. The NYPD officer sustained an injury after being shot in the chest area, but is in good spirits and expected to make a full recovery, NYPD Commissioner Thomas Donlon said at the press conference. There will be a full and thorough investigation conducted into this incident as we always do in cases like this, Donlon said. The individual suspected of fare evasion is currently in critical condition with charges pending, ABC 7 New York reported. HuffPost reached out to the NYPD for additional information and comment on the incident but did not receive an immediate response. In a post on X on Sunday, Mayor Eric Adams thanked the officers involved in the incident. Earlier today, one of our officers was shot while protecting our subway system, he wrote. I am relieved to report he is in good condition now, and we have arrested the suspect who put so many lives in danger. I cannot thank these officers enough for their bravery. Related... Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland, announced a natural disaster emergency on 16 September due to massive floods throughout the country. He noted that a billion zloty would be allocated from the reserve for the needs of the people affected by the floods. Source: European Pravda with reference to Polsat News Quote: "I convened this meeting in order to adopt the decree on introduction of the state of emergency due to a natural disaster as soon as possible." Details: Tusk stated that a detailed list of counties and communities, in which this state will be announced, will be presented in Wrocaw where the meeting of a crisis headquarters is going to be held soon. The conditions and consequences of the state of emergency will also be explained. "In our decree, in the provision about the state of natural disaster emergency, there is such a tool as an order about evacuation but, as I mentioned yesterday, we will only use it in case there is a direct threat to peoples lives," Tusk said. The draft of the decree by the Council of Ministers, a state of emergency will be implemented in flooded districts for 30 days. The decree only provides for "necessary" restrictions of rights and freedoms, including an order about evacuation and the ban on staying in certain places. Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Minister of Climate and Environment of Poland, stated on 16 September that the implementation of the state of natural disaster "would help mobilise more funds and resources for eliminating the consequences of the floods". The authorities had to announce immediate evacuation of a part of the town of Paczkow in Lower Silesia in the southwest of Poland due to a bursting of the dam between the Topola and Kozielno water reservoirs. "I have just been informed about an immediate evacuation of a part of Paczkow. The mayor adopted this decision because, sadly, the dam at the Topola water reservoir had burst," Daniel Palimaka, head of the town of Nysa, said. "The water is flowing very intensely so [we] have to think about the lives and health of locals," he added. Background: This is the second burst of the dam in Poland. As a result of the flood the dam burst on the Moravka River in the settlement of Stronie Slaskie, which was immersed under water and cut off from the outside world. There is information about at least three fatalities in Poland's southwest, Czechias east and Lower Austria. Hungary is preparing for a big flood on the Danube River, the Hungarian part of which will soon host the incoming water from other central European countries. Support UP or become our patron! The Heat on Monday took aim at intensifying political rhetoric involving the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, and condemned threats toward Haitians. In a statement to its five million followers on the social media platform X, the Heat said: The Miami Heat staff, like Miami itself, is a diverse and brilliant mix of vibrant cultures, including many members of our Haitian community. The false narrative surrounding them is hurtful and offensive and has sadly made innocent people targets of hateful speech and physical threats. Our Haitian employees, fans and friends deserve better. Springfield has become the epicenter of a national debate on immigration in recent weeks, amid claims by former President Donald Trump amplified by his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio that Haitian refugees are destroying the town of 58,000 in southwest Ohio. During the presidential debate last week, Trump repeated claims, spread for weeks in right-wing circles, that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are eating dogs and other pets. In an appearance on ABC on Sunday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) called the rumors about Haitians garbage and simply not true, adding: Theres no evidence of this at all. The Haitians who are in Springfield are legal. They came to Springfield to work. Ohio is on the move, and Springfield has really made a great resurgence. Springfields mayor, Rob Rue told the BBC: Peoples pets are safe in Springfield, Ohio. We do not have any evidence that has happened, and Ive made it known in multiple interviews that this is absolutely not true. Since the debate, several municipal buildings in Springfield have been the targets of bomb threats. Rue told The New York Times that those threats were a hateful response to immigration in our town. Wittenberg University, a liberal arts college in Springfield, informed students that an email sent Saturday threatened a shooting and another email included a bomb threat. During an interview with NBC this past weekend, Vance disputed that the pet-eating claims were unfounded, saying I hear you saying that theyre baseless, but Im not repeating them because I invented them out of thin air. Im repeating them because my constituents are saying these things are happening. Clearly, these rumors are out there because constituents are seeing it with their own eyes. The Heat statement did not specifically mention Springfield or Trump. Miami-Dade County has one of the nations largest concentrations of people of Haitian descent; some estimates have suggested that more than 300,000 people in the area have Haitian ancestry. The Heat has routinely commented on social and political issues over the past 20 years, supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and condemning the terrorist group Hamas attack of Israel last October. Political turmoil after NYCs chief legal counsel Lisa Zornberg abruptly quits: Timing couldnt be worse City Council members and political pundits Sunday said they are shocked Mayor Eric Adams chief legal counsel has abruptly resigned, with an insider adding the timing couldnt look or be worse. Saturday nights stunning resignation by Lisa Zornberg a former Manhattan federal prosecutor who has been City Halls lead lawyer since July 2023 left observers more concerned than ever about Adams faltering administration, which is reeling from a slew of recent federal raids targeting top aides. City Hall Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg suddenly announced late Saturday that she is leaving her top post as the administration of her boss, Mayor Eric Adams, reels from a bunch of federal raids. Paul Martinka The timing [of Zornbergs resignation] couldnt look or be worse, political pundit Ken Frydman told The Post. She left her client Eric Adams without a chief counsel just when he and City Hall need one most. Several city pols agreed, with Councilwoman Joann Ariola, a Queens Republican, saying she thought the resignation was really emblematic of the turmoil we are seeing at the heights of city government. Oswald Feliz, a Bronx Democrat, said, This gets more concerning by the day. Zornbergs decision to suddenly punch out comes just as federal investigators are besieging members of Adams inner circle, including his top lieutenants, close political allies and administration officials. Before coming to City Hall, Zornberg was the chief of the criminal division at the Southern District of New York from 2016 to 2018, according to her LinkedIn profile. She left that post to join the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton, where she worked for four years as a member of its white-collar and regulatory defense group, the profile said. Zornberg and hubby Matt Horowitz stroll in Manhasset, LI, on Sunday, the day after she announced her resignation. John Roca Mayor Adams appointed Zornberg to the citys top legal job in July 2023. Robert Miller She took over as the city counsel last summer, replacing Brendan McGuire who himself is representing the mayor in an unrelated campaign fund-raising investigation, according to the New York Times. When Adams appointed Zornberg to the top city legal spot, he called her the right leader at the right time. Her track record speaks for herself, he said at a press conference announcing his choice. I remember sitting down when I did my final interview and asking why [she wanted to work here], and she says, Public life is a great service. She wanted to just continue that and committed herself to it, he said. And we are really pleased that she decided to do so. Zornberg, for her part, said she told Adams she was a straight shooter. I dont BS. Adams on Sunday thanked Zornberg and said he plans to announce her replacement in the coming days. Robert Miller And the mayor looked me in the eyes and said, Thats what I want, Zornberg said at the time. On Saturday, Zornberg said in a statement that she was deeply grateful to Mayor Adams for giving me the opportunity to serve the city, and I strongly support the work he has done and continues to do for New Yorkers. Adams told reporters at a Sunday ribbon-cutting at the African-American Day Parade in Harlem that Zornberg was looking to go on with her next level of her professional life. Former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban resigned as the citys top cop last week. AP She worked for me for over a year after my former counsel left to go back into private practice, Hizzoner said. And, you know how I am, I dont share private conversations, what we talked talk about. But there was nothing involved, any new development. He denied that shed become embroiled in the federal probe that already took down his police commissioner, Edward Caban, who resigned Thursday just a week after the feds raided his Rockland County home in a potential corruption probe. Listen, Im not going to go into that but Im, first of all, [going] to say no to that, because I dont want any innuendos, Adams said. The mayor blamed his recent COVID diagnosis which kept him quarantined in Gracie Mansion last week as part of the reason why Zornbergs resignation was made public so late Saturday. I was under the weather last week with COVID, had a lot going on, he said. She left on her own accord Listen, youre never happy to see a well-qualified person like Lisa [leave]. She loves the city. And not only has she been just a great adviser, friend and confidant she brought a lot of experience to the administration, he said. But she wants to do other things with her life, and I respect that. Adams said he was looking for her replacement and planned to make an announcement in the next few days. The timing of Zornbergs resignation couldnt worse for the administration, political pundit Ken Frydman told The Post on Sunday. Gregory P. Mango But the mayors confident aura did not assuage council members fears that Zornbergs departure was a bad sign a very bad sign. I think this is the most significant thing thats happened in the past two weeks, raids aside, said a council source who wished to remain anonymous. When an attorney resigns so suddenly, it brings into question whether continuing to serve as the top attorney for the mayor would have violated her legal ethics thats usually what this means, the source said. Its either shes giving her client advice that hes not [following] or, second, it could be as simple as she doesnt want this to taint her reputation. City Councilman Bob Holden, a Queens Democrat, said Sunday that when your lawyers are quitting, its never a good sign. KEVIN C DOWNS In her resignation letter, she said she can no longer effectively serve, the source said. This tells me that she feels that shes maxed out on what she can do given the current circumstances. Lincoln Restler, a Brooklyn Democrat, said Zornberg had been a zealous defender of the administration at every turn until Saturday night at 10 p.m. Her sudden resignation implies that the administration has reached a point where she can no longer defend it, Restler said. Political consultant Hank Sheinkopf said the timing was particularly bad for the embattled Dem mayor. Instability during a corruption investigation is not good, he said. It creates doubt. Robert Holden, a Queens Democrat, agreed. At the very least, the optics are certainly bad it plays into the, its time to jump ship talks, Holden said. Only time will tell how bad this really is. But when your lawyers are quitting, its never a good sign. This week on Politics Now with host John Langeler: -Nevadans react to the first debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Katie Williams resigns from the CCSD Board of Trustees after the DA moved to kick her off for living in another state. What happens next with the Board as they go through an important search for a Superintendent. -The Vegas Chamber of Commerce talks to us about their biggest lobbying trip ever, and what they will push for in the next legislative session. -More election related lawsuits filed in Nevada. We talk with the person in charge of making sure Southern Nevadas goes off without a hitch. -Governor Joe Lombardo objects to bills in CA he says will raise our gas prices. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. Tradition and liberty in science fiction and fantasy: Part Nine Alternative History By Mark Wegierski web posted September 16, 2024 Alternative history (popularly called "alternate history") is sometimes termed "uchronia" or counterfactual history. It is important to remember that alternative history pertains to events that are in the past at the time when the narrative is being written. So, for example, the 1920s projections of Hugo Gernsback about the 1980s cannot be properly termed as being alternative history even though his vision of the world of the 1980s is much different from what has actually occurred. The subgenre of alternative history is not especially relevant to traditionalism in its most prominent examples. Among the most common types of alternative history are the "Hitler Victorious" scenario, which obviously portrays a horrific world. The most prominent work of this type is probably Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle (1962). Since virtually everyone today is in agreement with the most vociferous condemnation of Hitler and Nazism, such writing is not deployed politically today. However, there is not even today total agreement about the unredeemable evil of the Old South. Most treatments of "Dixie Victorious" have also tended to portray a Southern victory in the American Civil War/War Between the States, as leading to an awful future. Some exceptions to this trend are seen in Sheldon Vanauken's The Glittering Illusion, and in Winston Churchill's famous story, "What if Lee had not won the battle of Gettysburg?" Churchill tended to project the South's victory as leading to outcomes that would be congenial to both conservatism and old-fashioned liberalism. Such notions that, in the wake of a Southern victory, slavery would actually rapidly disappear in the South, and that the South's alliance with Britain would assure a quick victory by the Allies in World War One, are not very popular today. The allegedly near-Auschwitzian character of the actual South of the 1950s (let alone of the 1850s!), has been massively stressed in left-liberal rhetoric, especially since the 1960s. Keith Robert's Pavane, which portrayed England centuries after the successful landing of the Spanish Armada, was obviously none too cheerful. One critical turning point was the English Civil War. Had Charles I won that conflict in some fashion, how might have subsequent history turned out differently? Another obvious possible turning point would be the dethroning of James II in 1688-1689 which might not have happened if the so-called "Protestant wind" had not blown to successfully convey William of Orange's fleet to England. Another obvious possible turning point would be the success or failure of the 1745 Rising (centered in the Scottish Highlands) led by Bonnie Prince Charlie, against the Hanoverians in England. The Rising came close to success, had Charles Edward Stuart continued his march to London, instead of falling back to regroup (on the basis of poor advice). Some Tory traditionalists have voiced notions that the failure of the Stuarts has had calamitous effects on the subsequent history of the British Isles, and of world-history as a whole. One of the more absurd (if somewhat entertaining though rather gruesome) alternative histories is that of S. M. Stirling's Draka. The central premise is that in the aftermath of the American victory in the American Revolutionary War -- instead of heading for Canada, the United Empire Loyalists go south-eastward to the Cape Colony. There, they establish an ultra-racist, ultra-white-supremacist society, calling themselves the Draka. The Draka are mostly just plain evil, as well as fanatically in favor of ever more transgressive genetic engineering and manipulation. Expanding rapidly northward, they eventually (by the twentieth century) have conquered most of the world. The premise of this alternative history appears to be sociologically and historically ridiculous, as the historical Loyalists were clearly mostly whiggish gentlemen and placid farmers, not proto-Nazis. Had the Loyalists gone to the Cape Colony, the society there would have probably emerged as being more similar to Canada in our own timeline. Indeed, the Boers would have had less influence given a larger British population, and the period of an apartheid South Africa might well have been entirely avoided. Other authors have examined the premise of a British victory in the American Revolutionary War. One of the most prominent alternative-history subgenres has become so-called "steampunk" which portrays an alternative Victorian era with esoteric technologies, such as "Babbage engines". The paradigmatic example of this subgenre is The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, although its dystopic tenor is less frequently seen, as opposed to the portrayals of an often "sunnier" Victorian era. The term "steampunk" has also been extended to apply to some non-AH fantasy settings where magic and steam-age levels of technology co-exist (such as for example, the Iron Kingdoms role-playing game). A prominent role-playing game that portrays a steampunk alternative Earth with the presence of magic and fantastical races and creatures is Castle Falkenstein. It would seem that writing about various scenarios of "Hitler Thwarted Earlier" would be of considerable appeal and interest to conservatives. Had Hitler been thwarted earlier, presumably much more of the older European order would have survived, especially in East-Central Europe. Some authors, however, have voiced the negative conclusion that, had Hitler and Nazism not arisen in Germany, the Soviet Union would have come to dominate most of the world. This seems like a dubious premise. It is also highly dubious to claim that if only Poland had given Danzig (Gdansk) to Hitler, world-history would have taken a better course, as has been recently argued most prominently by Pat Buchanan. The territorial appetites of Hitler and Nazi Germany were virtually limitless in the East, and Hitler in the diplomacy of the pre-war period could continually be seen making ever newer demands, while solemnly declaring these were his "last" claims. The suggestion that Hitler would have been content with Danzig requires a huge amount of credulity in the supposed good faith of a supremely vicious, amoral, genocidal tyrant. Nevertheless, it may be possible to tactically argue that giving Danzig to Hitler would have persuaded him to attack France in Fall 1939. But whether the French would have prevailed in defending themselves in 1939, or, if they would have been as thoroughly defeated as in 1940, is certainly open to question. In the wake of defeating France, Hitler could then have dealt at leisure with Poland, demanding further territories (such as the entire so-called Corridor, Posen (Poznan), Upper Silesia, etc.) Poland's situation would have become ever more untenable despite their having made an attempt to accommodate Hitler's initial demands. Had France and Britain actually acted more decisively against Hitler earlier in the decade (e.g., in 1936 or 1938) the coming world war and its attendant slaughters could have been averted. The Allies could have also possibly won the war in 1939, had France then struck hard against the almost undefended Rhineland. In fact, virtually the entire German army and air force were deployed to attack Poland in September 1939. The French were paralyzed into a defensive stance mostly by the fear of repeating their colossal casualties of the First World War. This had also persuaded them to invest vast resources into the fixed defences of the Maginot Line (rather than, for example, more up-to-date tanks and aircraft). And the Germans managed to simply out-flank the vaunted Maginot Line in 1940! In 1939, the under-equipped and smaller Polish armed forces actually held off the Germans almost as long as the combined armies of France and Britain and the Low Countries later did in the 1940 Battle of France. It may also be agreed that the huge isolationist influences in U.S. politics and culture at this time played an absolutely pernicious role in keeping America disengaged from Europe, at a time when such engagement was, indeed, most profoundly needed. To have become engaged in Europe at this time was not American imperialism or adventurism; it was the salutary defence of a shared and increasingly beleaguered Western civilization. To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home A man walks through misters on a sidewalk on Sept. 3, 2024, in downtown Phoenix, as 2024's endless summer has been especially hot in the city. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) The Port of San Diego Board of Commissioners gave the green light Tuesday for another restaurant development at the Coronado Ferry Landing, moving forward a project that has been years in the making. The development project was first approved in 2018 and is composed of 7,500 square feet, up to 23 feet in height and a seated capacity of 300. Firefighters knock down fire at La Jolla Italian restaurant The board previously approved the construction of two restaurants, but only one Il Fornaio has been built. According to FOX 5/KUSIs reporting partners at The San Diego Union-Tribune, Ferry Landing Associates is asking for a 12-year extension of the current 40-year lease that is set to expire in 2037. In order to get the extension, the group will be required to pay $1 million and complete construction within 577 days of the new leases start date. This has been a long time coming, said Frank Urtasan, chairman of the board. I remember for 30 years the Port wanting to do this second restaurant here. Local chefs keep reaching for the Michelin star Social Syndicate will partner with Ferry Landing Associates on the development project. Social Syndicate is also the group behind other establishments in San Diego County, including Wonderland Ocean Pub in Ocean Beach and Monarch Ocean Pub in Del Mar. Weve been putting all the pieces together for 15 years to get to this point, said Brendan Huffman, chairman of Social Syndicate, during Tuesdays hearing. The concept for the new restaurant will be molded around the community and history of Coronado, although the heart and soul and attitude of it is very aligned with Monarch, he said. Coronado residents phoned in during the meeting to voice their support for the new restaurant concept, which would be built on the vacant lot located next to Il Fornaio. Addressing the concerns of locals who worry about how the new development would affect their ability to enjoy views of the bay, Urtasan requested that 10 parking spaces between both restaurant buildings be designated for people who want to visit the ferry landing for that sole purpose. The construction phase is scheduled to begin in late 2025 with completion expected in mid-2027. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. DUNCAN TWP., Pa. (WETM) A portion of the road will be closed in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, to accommodate a road work project. According to PennDOT, a portion of Antrim Main St. in Duncan Township will be closed between Hall Road and A Street beginning on Monday, Sept. 16, until Friday, Sept. 20. The road will be closed while a maintenance crew replaces a deteriorating pipe. New stop signs coming to Delmar Township A detour using A St. and Hall Rd. will be in place for the duration of the project. Drivers should be alert and expect travel delays when driving through road work areas. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. A Portsmouth prosecutor whos repeatedly been disciplined by the Virginia State Bar and judges in the region for legal missteps is facing federal criminal charges accusing him of possessing and distributing large amounts of marijuana. A two-count criminal information was filed Sept. 10 in U.S. District Court in Norfolk against Matthew Taylor Morris, court records show. The records also indicate the 38-year-old attorney plans to enter a guilty plea in the case on Sept. 24. Morris resigned from his job as an assistant commonwealths attorney Sept. 6, four days before the charges were filed, according to a spokeswoman for the office. He was hired in August 2022, the spokeswoman said. She declined to comment further. Morris attorney James Broccoletti confirmed that Morris plans to plead guilty later this month, but also declined to comment further. Morris is accused of working with at least three others to possess and distribute large amounts of marijuana, according to the complaint. The crimes are alleged to have occurred between March 2021 and May 2022, which was before Morris began his job with the prosecutors office. The complaint didnt specify how much marijuana was involved, but indicated it was less than 50 kilograms. The document also stated that Morris and alleged co-conspirators Nicholas Capehart, Donald Rogers and Jeffrey Sines derived substantial gross proceeds from the illegal dealings. The marijuana was stored at locations across Hampton Roads, including a law office Morris maintained before becoming a prosecutor, according to the complaint. The group used encrypted cellphone messaging applications to avoid detection, the document said. Morris legal troubles with the Virginia State Bar and local judges date back to at least early 2022. Over a period of several months that year, his law license was suspended three times, he was caught with a gun in his briefcase at the Virginia Beach courthouse on two separate occasions, was found in civil contempt three times by judges in the region, and was barred from handling criminal cases in Virginia Beach Circuit Court by one of its judges. Morris first known disciplinary incident occurred in March 2022, when he was ordered to appear at a show cause hearing in Virginia Beach Circuit Court for the two incidents in which courthouse security officers found a gun in his briefcase. Morris told Judge Les Lilley hed forgotten the gun was there when he went through the buildings metal detectors. Lilley found him in civil contempt, but court documents didnt indicate whether a punishment was issued. That same month, the Virginia State Bar suspended his law license for a week for failing to comply with a legal education requirement. It was suspended again shortly after that for unpaid bar dues. Also in March 2022, Virginia Beach Circuit Judge Stephen Mahan banned Morris from representing clients in criminal cases there after he showed up hours late to a court hearing and made troubling statements about the reason for his tardiness and mistakes hed made in his clients case. In August 2022, the bar suspended his law license again that time for six months for a series of threatening texts he sent to a former client. According to the bar, Morris suspected the man had filed a complaint against him. Morris was hired by Portsmouth Commonwealths Attorney Stephanie Morales in fall 2022, after those incidents had occurred. In October of that year shortly after he began working for Morales Morris pleaded guilty to a civil contempt charge in Northampton Circuit Court and was fined $250, according to the Shore Daily News. In that case, hed failed to show up for a court hearing two months earlier, when he was still workingin private practice. While serving as a Portsmouth prosecutor, Morris continued to prosecute dozens of cases during a four-week period when his license was suspended, according to the state bar. He told bar officials he wasnt aware of the suspension. In March 2023 when the bar was considering what action to take against Morris for the threatening texts hed sent his former client Morales submitted a character reference letter in which she described him as knowledgeable, professional and hard-working. She also wrote that she couldnt be more pleased with her decision to hire him. Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy assured state election officials in a letter released Monday that he'll work with them to handle their warnings of problems with election mail delivery during the primary season, while insisting that the Postal Service will be ready for the flood of mail-in ballots ahead of the November election. The Postal Service already dealt with most concerns raised by election officials, he said, after they warned that properly addressed election mail was returned a problem that can cause voters to be automatically placed on inactive status and that mail-in ballots were postmarked on time but arrived after election deadlines. DeJoy said that training is already being beefed up for postal employees and that the Postal Service is already in constant contact with election officials and will work them to address quality problems that caused incorrect deliveries or mail to be returned to sender. He also said he'd work with them to avoid a repeat of flawed ballot envelope designs," though many envelopes were already designed and printed, officials said. The Postal Service also has teams in place to tackle mail flagged as undeliverable as addressed, or any other problem that might arise with election mail, DeJoy wrote. The concerns were raised by the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors, even as former President Donald Trump continues to falsely claim he won in 2020 and seized upon the mail delivery troubles to sow doubts about the upcoming election. He repeated his claim Sunday on social media that the Postal Service is not up to the task. In 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic, election officials reported sending just over 69 million ballots in the mail, a substantial increase from four years earlier. While the numbers this year may be smaller, many voters have embraced mail voting and come to rely on it. And both Democrats and Republicans have launched efforts to push supporters to vote early, either in person or by mail to bank their votes before Election Day on Nov. 5. In a sign of how quickly Election Day is approaching, the first batch of mail ballots were sent last week to absentee voters in Alabama. Steve Simon, president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, on Monday stood by his assessment that the Postal Service has been slow to respond to concerns. He said that localized problems can be easily addressed but that larger issues still remain. If the nations election officials felt these issues had been properly addressed with USPS staff over the last year, then there would have been no need for the election groups to air their concerns last week, he said. Mandy Vigil, president of the National Association of State Election Directors, agreed that the issues weve raised have not been resolved adequately going into the November election. In his response, DeJoy acknowledged that a massive network reorganization caused some temporary problems but assured the two bipartisan election groups that changes are now being limited to avoid slowing election mail ahead of the November election. He suggested that Postal Service's performance in past elections should speak for itself. Postal Service officials said that nearly 98% of ballots were returned to election officials within three days and that 99.9% of ballots were delivered within seven days in the last presidential election at the height of the pandemic in 2020. As demonstrated consistently in previous elections, election mail routinely outperforms our regular service performance due to our long-standing processes and procedures, DeJoy wrote. First-class mail is currently averaging 2.7 days for delivery, DeJoy said, even though the two groups wrote in a letter last week that some election officials received timely postmarked ballots after Election Day and outside the three to five business days Postal Service sets as the standard for first-class mail. Nonetheless, DeJoy said, voters shouldnt procrastinate with mail-in ballots this election season. Both the Postal Service and state election officials are urging anyone voting by mail to return their ballots well before Election Day or to use drop boxes where available. ___ Associated Press writers Christina A. Cassidy in Atlanta and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed to this report. A fissure opened up amid a slow-moving landslide that has caused power to be cut off to some homes in the Rancho Palos Verdes neighborhood of Portuguese Bend. Now, land movement in an adjacent city is resulting in new shutoffs. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Utility shutoffs have again expanded on the Palos Verdes Peninsula amid worsening landslide movement. After the loss of gas and electricity threw parts of Rancho Palos Verdes into turmoil, dozens of residents in the adjacent city of Rolling Hills are for the first time facing the loss of vital utilities. The additional power shutoffs appear to confirm growing concerns that the land movement's recent acceleration and expansion stem from a problem much larger than what officials have long identified as the slow-moving Portuguese Bend landslide complex. Affected Rolling Hills residents are set to have their gas shut off Monday afternoon. The electricity shutoff will follow in about 48 hours. Late last week, Rolling Hills officials citing communications from utility companies announced that about three dozen homes were expected to lose gas service Monday at 3 p.m. and 50 were slated to lose power by 6 p.m. Wednesday because of ongoing land movement that has prompted evacuation warnings and at least one fire in recent weeks. As of Monday afternoon, Southern California Gas officials said that 37 homes were expected to lose gas. Read more: More homes in Rancho Palos Verdes will be without power as land continues to shift Like many of the power shutoffs affecting the Portuguese Bend area in Rancho Palos Verdes, these latest cutoffs are for an indefinite period. Rolling Hills said in last weeks statement that it had asked both Southern California Gas Co. and Southern California Edison to look aggressively at engineering solutions to provide service again as soon as possible. Rolling Hills Mayor Leah Mirsch reiterated that Sunday night in a statement to The Times. The safety and well-being of our residents remains the Citys top priority, Mirsch wrote. We are all impacted by the outages and are committed to holding the utility companies accountable pushing them to implement solutions that will restore services both quickly and safely. The city of Rolling Hills on Monday clarified that the local fire station and sheriff's deputies would not be affected by the shutoffs, and that officials were working to expedite permits for residents who want to install alternative power, such as generators and solar panels. The city's statement also said that the Rolling Hills Community Assn., a private homeowners group that includes the affected homes, hired a geologist who has installed land movement monitors. The association did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Times. For months, neighborhoods in Rolling Hills have not been included in the ongoing mapping and geological reviews about the worsening land movement across Rancho Palos Verdes including cracked foundations, destroyed roadways and transformed landscapes though parts of the city border many areas that have recorded major ground shifts. But in August, after Rancho Palos Verdes officials determined that the landslide forces affecting the region were much deeper and likely more widespread than previously thought, the city geologist's team met with some Rolling Hills residents about new, nearby movement spotted there. Mike Phipps, the city geologist, said last month that the new movement in Rolling Hills, along Cinchring and Quail Ridge roads, could be related to the larger landslide complex in Rancho Palos Verdes, but it would require additional monitoring to confirm that. Gas company officials said the new shutoff in Rolling Hills follows a "recent geological hazard survey and an incident with the water system." California Water Service spokesperson Yvonne Kingman confirmed that Rolling Hills had a water main leak last week, which she said was the "fourth leak weve experienced due to land movement in Rolling Hills in recent months." She said the first of those leaks occurred in late July. However, she said crews were able to repair the break quickly, and that the utility has no plans to cut off its service. "Based on the current circumstances, yes, we still plan to continue providing water service in the landslide areas, both for customers everyday needs and for fire protection," Kingman said in a statement. "We also continue to address and repair any leaks that occur due to the land movement as quickly as possible." She said the utility's multifaceted leak detection system has not been affected by the electrical shutoffs, and noted that many of its sensors operate on cellular service. The shutoffs in Rolling Hills come days after SCE shut off power to several dozen homes in the Portuguese Bend Beach Club and western Seaview neighborhoods of Rancho Palos Verdes. Power and gas were previously cut off to about 140 homes in the Portuguese Bend neighborhood. When electricity is cut Wednesday to the 50 homes in Rolling Hills, there will be a total of almost 300 in the area facing an indefinite power shutoff because of the land movement. Reggie Kumar, an SCE spokesperson, declined to definitely say whether more shutoffs were expected, but said cutting electricity is a last resort for the utility. "We are still assessing the situation and looking for ways to provide power to these communities in a safe and reliable way," Kumar said. Its a very fluid situation, it all depends on the conditions electrical equipment needs stable ground." Some areas also have been grappling with cable and internet shutoffs and evacuation warnings though many residents have decided to stay in their homes, using generators and other off-the-grid power providers. Read more: California declares state of emergency over Rancho Palos Verdes landslide Previously, officials have said power shutoffs on the shifting peninsula are intended to reduce the risk of wildfires caused by electrified wires. Last month, a power line fell and sparked near dry vegetation, igniting a small fire in the Portuguese Bend neighborhood. On Sept. 3, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the city of Ranchos Palos Verdes. In his declaration, Newsom said land in the area had been shifting as much as a foot a week, and that land movement had significantly accelerated after the severe storms of 2023 and 2024. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The Golden Rule, guest columnist writes, benefits all sides of the political spectrum and will help to ensure, in Lincolns words, that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. The importance of preserving our democracy, and the concern that its at risk of being lost, seem to be the overriding themes of this years presidential election. In recent polling, 3 in 4 American adults say they feel this election is crucial to the future of our democracy. But thoughtful people from both sides of the political divide are exploring ways to not only mitigate this threat, but also to ensure that our democracy thrives. A letter signed by nearly 200 democracy scholars, for example, calls for greater protection of voting rights. The Council on Foreign Relations recommends mandating civics education in schools and encouraging national service. And a Stanford-led project identifies strategies to counter anti-democratic attitudes and reduce partisan animosity. Despite the diversity of approaches, one can find a common principle underlying all legitimate efforts for reform. Its called the ethics of reciprocity, or the Golden Rule: In everything do to others as you would have them do to you. More: Oklahoma Standard of kindness, compassion should apply to more than just disasters | Opinion This centuries-tested principle of treating others with dignity and respect brings a moral and spiritual leaven to democracy. It honors the value of each individual regardless of political affiliation. But practicing the ethics of reciprocity involves more than treating others equally or maintaining an outward showing of civility. Its underlying motive, its heart and soul, is love. In the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, the Golden Rule actually means, Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus Christ honors this principle and adds a further commitment. Love your enemies, he says. Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. There may be no greater calling in the weeks ahead than to observe this wise principle of treating and loving others as we would want to be treated and loved. More: Think you know the Bible? What Book says not always same as what's taught | Lori Allen Walke This principle of loving another as oneself isnt limited to a particular place or occasion. Whether were in our homes, at work, in social or civic organizations, or especially in politics, if were practicing the Golden Rule, were promoting the essentials of democracy the exercise of self-government, reason and conscience for ourselves and for those around us. And this can lead to practical solutions to strengthen our various forms of popular government wherever they are found. As we approach election day, as many commentators remind us, our thoughtful and principled participation as voters will be of prime importance to our democracy. But this should include not only going to the ballot box, but also affirming our commitment to observing the ethics of reciprocity. The Golden Rule benefits all sides of the political spectrum and will help to ensure, in Lincolns words, that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. Leroy Gatlin Leroy Gatlin serves on the Christian Science Committee on Publication for Oklahoma. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: As election day nears, treat people as you'd like to be treated Video shows how one of the walls of the prison compound was destroyed [Reuters] The Nigerian authorities say more than 270 inmates are now known to be missing after escaping from custody when severe flooding damaged a prison in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri. So far, seven are back in detention. The flooding was caused by the collapse of a dam following heavy rainfall. Several hundred thousand people in Maiduguri, which is the Borno state capital, have been forced from their homes by the floodwaters and at least 30 have died. Borno state Governor Babagana Zulum described the extent of the damage as "beyond human imagination". This is the first time that the Nigerian authorities have admitted to the numbers who fled custody. The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) said on Sunday that after the walls of the medium security prison had been damaged, inmates were in the process of being transferred and some managed to escape during the "evacuation to a safe and secure facility". Governor Zulum had earlier told the BBC that some members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram were among those who had got out. But it is not clear how many of the fugitives are linked to jihadist violence. NCoS spokesperson Umar Abubakar has tried to assure the public that his organisation is working with security agencies to recapture those who fled. It has published the photos of the missing men and has urged people to remain calm adding that the prison break does not affect public safety. You may also be interested in: [Getty Images/BBC] Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts In July, after Donald Trump was targeted in an assassination attempt, the Republican did not immediately lash out at his perceived political foes. The former presidents restraint did not last long, however, and he ultimately started blaming his critics for the shooting without any evidence, of course and amplifying conspiracy theories. As recently as a few weeks ago, Trump was blaming the Biden administration for the attempt on his life officials werent too interested in my health and safety, he told television personality Phil McGraw and after another conservative media ally questioned whether the shooting mightve been an inside job, the former president responded, You do have to wonder. In the wake of Sundays apparent assassination attempt, the Republican candidate is already on the offensive and pointing fingers without regard for evidence or propriety. Less than 24 hours after the alleged would-be shooter was taken into custody, Trump told Fox News Digital that the suspect acted on highly inflammatory language of Democrats. He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it, Trump said of the gunman in an interview with Fox News Digital. Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at. ... Trump pointed to Biden and Harris past comments casting Trump as a threat to democracy, while telling Americans they are unity leaders. In case that was too subtle, the former president also published a statement to his social media platform condemning Vice President Kamala Harris debate rhetoric, adding: Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse! So, a few things. First, the investigation into the alleged would-be shooter is just beginning. The idea that the former president can speak to the suspects motivations, in detail, is difficult to take seriously. Given the preliminary evidence, Ryan Wesley Rouths politics were, to put it mildly, idiosyncratic, supporting Republican, Democratic and independent candidates including, in 2016, Trump himself. To characterize him as some kind of lifelong Democratic partisan is a stretch. Second, Trump clearly sees accusations that hes a threat to democracy as beyond the pale, but, in reality, the Republican candidate really has endorsed an authoritarian-style vision that would undermine democracy. This assessment is based almost entirely on Trumps own rhetoric and public statements. When the former presidents critics, in Democratic politics and elsewhere, accuse him of being a threat to democracy, their case is rooted in fact. Third, these assessments arent just coming from the left. Trumps own former defense secretary, Mark Esper, has described the former president as a threat to democracy. The Washington Posts Bob Woodward, who remained neutral in every presidential race throughout his lengthy career, made an exception for Trump, calling him a threat to democracy. Retired federal Judge J. Michael Luttig, a giant of conservative jurisprudence, directly accused Trump and his allies of waging a war on democracy, adding that the former president is a clear and present danger to American democracy. Fourth, if Trump genuinely believes that accusations about threats to democracy are beyond the pale, he should probably take a moment to explain why he keeps accusing people he dislikes of being threats to democracy. At last weeks presidential debate, for example, he pointed at his Democratic rival and declared, They talk about democracy. Im a threat to democracy. Theyre the threat to democracy. In fact, literally just a few hours before Sundays apparent assassination attempt, the GOP nominee published an item to his social media platform that read in its entirety, THE FAILING NEW YORK TIMES IS A TRUE THREAT TO DEMOCRACY! By Trumps reasoning, if someone were to target Biden, Harris or the nations most widely read newspaper, would he be responsible for the violence? Fifth, the hypocrisy surrounding the former presidents latest rant was staggering. In the same interview with Fox News Digital in which he accused Democrats of creating security threats by using caustic rhetoric, Trump said Democrats want to destroy our country and are currently destroying the country. He added again, in the interview in which he was arguing that Democrats ought to dial down their comments that Democrats are the enemy from within and the real threat. They use highly inflammatory language, Trump went on say, referencing his partisan detractors. I can use it too far better than they can but I dont. Evidently, in his reality, Trump is unaware of his own choice of words. To be sure, Im mindful of the circumstances. Trump doesnt want to be criticized, and he would love nothing more than to bully Democrats into pulling their punches in the campaigns final 50 days, even as he condemns them in increasingly hysterical terms. Many Republicans apparently want the public to believe that its dangerous to tell voters that a dangerous candidate is actually dangerous. Indeed, one notable politician asked over the weekend, Are we not allowed to talk about these problems because some psychopaths are threatening violence? The question came from Trumps running mate, Sen. JD Vance. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com With hospital staff and officers standing all around her, tears on faces and noses red, the wife of Michigan State Police Motor Carrier Officer Daniel Kerstetter craned her neck up toward the sky for a moment with her eyes closed. Then she walked towards the flag-covered casket. Kerstetter wasnt done serving, even in death. The officer in the commercial vehicle enforcement division, struck while conducting a traffic stop Friday in Lincoln Park, donated his organs following the crash and the choice to remove him from live support. And to honor his continued sacrifices, on Monday morning, his family, the hospital, funeral home staff, and his brothers in blue orchestrated a procession from Detroit Receiving Hospital to Verheyden Funeral Home in Grosse Pointe Park. Staff in scrubs hugged family members, and people gathered around the emergency department doors as Kerstetters black casket, adorned with the Michigan State flag, was rolled out. Then it was time for fellow members of the Michigan State Police to carry their brother the rest of the way to the hearse. The flashing lights of the state police SUVs halted traffic down Jefferson Avenue, cars splitting to the roadsides to let the loved ones through. Onlookers turned their heads watching solemnly, but with interest, as the hearse and police passed. And then, Kerstetter and his loved ones were at the funeral home, where the officer and father of three will remain accompanied by law enforcement at all times until his burial. More: Detroit Red Wings mourn death of former equipment aide: 'Just a vibrant part of our staff' More: Woman dies, MSP officer later dies at hospital after Downriver crash on I-75 Brian Joseph, the owner of the funeral home, thought of the words of Blessed Solanus Casey of the Catholic faith as he made the drive: "Life is to live and life is to give and talents are to use for good if you choose." Kerstetter only joined Michigan State Police last year, according to information released by the department. He graduated from Motor Carrier Officer Recruit School in May 2023. He was a former equipment aide to the Detroit Red Wings, who are now mourning him, too. He'd been in his police vehicle, with a seatbelt on, about 8:30 a.m. Friday on the side of the road of northbound I-75 near Dix Highway when he was struck. Police believe a Ford Explorer crashed into his vehicle, pushing it into the back of the semi-truck he was stopped behind. The Ford Explorer driver was killed as well. It's a dangerous job, said MSP Director Col. James F. Grady in a news release. The loss is heartbreaking. His fellow officers, nine in uniform, looked on and sniffles rippled across the room at the funeral home Monday as the Michigan State Police chaplain, Deacon Aaron Poyer, prayed for comfort. Michigan State Police troopers comfort each other after they helped to escort their fallen fellow officer Daniel Kerstetter from Detroit Receiving Hospital to Verheyden Funeral Home in Grosse Pointe on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. Kerstetter was struck by a vehicle while on duty on Sept. 13 on Northbound I-75 in Lincoln Park after he made a traffic stop. "We certainly don't understand this; we are relying on You to comfort us," he said. Officers placed their hands on the casket, eyes red, as the gathering drew to an end. The final goodbye, a funeral, hadn't been planned at the time. But each paused with Kerstetter, or Danny as Poyer referred to him. One officer knocked lightly on the casket, emotion slipping through as he did. Another officer kept wiping away tears, and a fellow officer placed his arm around him. Kerstetter's family, then, went to greet their beloved amid his final sacrifice. A toddler looked up at the casket. Kerstetter's wife slid her hands across the fabric of the flag. A public visitation is scheduled for 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Chas. Verheyden Inc. funeral home at 16300 Mack Avenue in Grosse Pointe Park. A funeral service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church, 157 Lake Shore Road in Grosse Pointe Farms. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Procession honors slain Michigan State Police officer Kerstetter The human body undergoes profound physiological changes during pregnancy, and the brain is no exception. Neuroscientists in the US have now provided the first detailed map of the human brain across gestation. The breakthrough is based on the neurological changes of one first-time mother, who had snapshots of her brain taken before, during, and after pregnancy. As the pregnancy advanced, researchers noticed a widespread shrinking of gray matter, which is the brain tissue that includes the bodies of neurons. While shrinking parts of the brain might sound scary, these changes are probably for the best. They may reflect a re-wiring of the brain's finite tissue for motherhood. Researchers found the links between neurons, which make up white matter, had increased their connectivity in the final two trimesters of pregnancy. Widespread cortical gray matter volume change occurred in step with advancing gestational week. Darker colors indicate regions most affected by the pregnancy transition. (Laura Pritschet) When neuronal circuits are fine-tuned for whatever reason, gray matter tends to be pruned back while white matter connections increase, allowing information to travel around the brain more efficiently. Neuroscientist Emily Jacobs from the University of California Santa Barbara compares the process to Michelangelo chipping away at a carving of David. The artist starts with a big block of marble, she explains, but through careful honing it turns into a refined piece of art. "We've never witnessed the brain in the midst of this metamorphosis," Jacobs said in a press briefing. "We were able to observe sweeping changes in gray matter volume, cortical thickness, white matter microstructure, and ventricle volume as it all unfolded week by week." Major white matter tracts demonstrated increasing microstructural integrity over pregnancy. (Daniela Cossio) Not so long ago, neuroscientists used to think the human brain was 'hard-wired' with fixed circuits of neurons. Now we know better. The brain is actually soft-wired, meaning it is plastic and malleable, undergoing significant changes as we learn and age. The idea of plasticity took the field of neuroscience by storm, and now, another revolution is on the horizon. To date, barely 2 percent of neuroimaging studies mention sex hormones as influencing factors, even though the few papers that are published suggest there is a statistically significant association between sex steroids and changes in the brain. In 2024, for instance, researchers documented in detail the structural changes that take place in the brain as hormones change during menstruation. But there are only a handful of studies that have investigated what happens to the brain during pregnancy, according to neuroscientist Elizabeth Chrastil from the University of California, Irvine. In 2017, researchers showed that pregnancy coincided with significant reductions in gray matter, and in 2022, a follow-up study among 28 volunteers found that pregnancy hormones changed the way the brain's networks are wired. "There is so much about the neurobiology of pregnancy that we don't understand yet, and it's not because women are too complicated; it's not because pregnancy is some Gordian knot," says Jacobs. "It's a byproduct of the fact that the biomedical sciences have historically ignored women's health. It's 2024, and this is the first glimpse we have at this fascinating neurobiological transition." The new MRI study tracked a 38-year-old woman, who had not had kids before, and who underwent in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to achieve pregnancy. The female participant underwent 26 MRI scans in total, including four scans three weeks before conception, multiple scans in the first, second, and third trimester, and seven scans in the two years postpartum. Researchers also took blood samples from the participant throughout this timeline. During pregnancy, over 80 percent of the brain regions that neuroscientists examined showed reductions in gray matter of about 4 percent, on average, although everything returned to normal at the end of the pregnancy. That's about the same magnitude of change observed during puberty, the authors say. How these brain changes relate to behavioral changes is unknown. All we have at the moment are animal studies to point to, and the majority of these are conducted on male brains. In pregnant rodents, some studies have found a surge in estrogen and progesterone reprograms brain circuits like the hypothalamus, which enhances a mother's sensitivity to the smells and sounds of her newborn pups. Perhaps something similar is happening in humans, although our physiology is more complex, and the findings among rodents may not relate. "This paper really opens up more questions than it answers because really we're just starting to scratch the surface of understanding what does this mean for postpartum depression or how does pregnancy possibly help alleviate some things like migraines?" says Chrastil. "This is really just sort of opening up the box." The study was published in Nature Neuroscience. Related News Residents and volunteers rush to get as many of their belongings out of Aspen Grove apartments on Nome street in Aurora on Tuesday morning. Police arrived at 7am to evict the residents due to the deteriorating conditions of the property. (Stephen Swofford, Denver Gazette) WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WPRI) A new program has been created to support small businesses in Woonsocket that are still struggling from the effects of the pandemic. The LocalBiz Resilience Program will help businesses access money for their day-to-day operations and transition them from a month-to-month operation model to a planned 12-month operational strategy. Skills for Rhode Islands Future (SkillsRI) hosted a kickoff event celebrating the programs launch on Monday. ALSO READ: RI announces new grants for businesses affected by I-195 bridge closure The nonprofit said the program was developed in response to feedback from a number of small businesses who expressed their concerns over continuing operations. Nina Pande, the Executive Director of SkillsRI, explained why the nonprofit decided to launch the inaugural program in Woonsocket. We picked Woonsocket as that inaugural place because as we go up and down main streets here and our small business commercial corridors, youll see pockets of thriving small businesses, and then right next door, youll see boarded up buildings, Pande said. We want to make sure that Woonsocket becomes the epicenter for small business cultivation and making sure that they have the resources to thrive. Iris Ortiz is the owner of With Love Transportation, a Woonsocket business that offers non-medical transportation that is accessible for seniors and people who use mobility aids. Ortiz hopes the new program will help her expand her business. Theyre opening and introducing to me things that I was not aware I needed, Ortiz said. Its a very important program for me to be in right now. According to Pande, the program is free and funded through federal dollars secured by SkillsRI. So far, 14 businesses are enrolled in the program. Pick up the phone, give us a call today at Skills for Rhode Islands future so we can start helping you. Pande said. Whether its a new concept of a business and you want to develop a business plan. Whether you already have a business and youre struggling to figure out how to pay your rent or a way to get on an ecommerce platform. We will do all of that. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) A course at The New England Medical Innovation Center (NEMIC) is looking to put Rhode Island on the map of health technology. The Medtech leadership program is free to all who live, work, or go to school in the state. It runs for about six months and is taught by industry professionals. NEMIC says students consist of undergrads, postgrads, entrepreneurs, and people who want to learn more about the industry. Some students come into the course with an idea ready. Smoltap is a device that stabilizes newborns in need of a spinal tap. NEMIC says the product was further developed during classes and is now in 35 hospitals throughout the country. Once they get through our program theyre able to assist them in that endeavor to reach patients, which is the goal of this, right? Business and Engagement Coordinator at NEMIC Andrew Williamson said. So, for some, its an academic activity, but I think the real mission and goal is to get products on the market that improve patient outcomes. The program is funded by Real Jobs Rhode Island and Rhode Island Commerce. NEMIC says Boston has become a global hub for medical innovations, and they want to invest in the minds of Rhode Islanders to drive the same success to the state. There are many spaces that Rhode Island has carved out success for itself. Whether its blue tech or ocean-based things, if its defense and health technology, said Williamson. We, as a state, can drive that industry forward. So this program, going on its sixth year, slots very nicely into that into that scope. Enrollment is now open for the course and NEMIC said there is plenty of space. LEARN MORE: NEMIC Accelerator Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. PITTSBURG, Kan. Free car seat checks, drive-thru style, were done today in Pittsburg. The event was part of a partnership between the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, the Pittsburg Police Department, and the Crawford County Health Department. Car seat certified technicians checked each childs height and weight, as well as the car seats themselves to ensure they were installed properly. They also checked to see if families were ready to make the change to a booster seat. In addition to the car seats which provide educational materials because a lot of people dont know how car seats actually function or how to how to actually properly install them or to use them once they have them. So not only do we give them the seat that theyre going to need, but we give the education to to be able to use it appropriately and make sure that everyone is safe, said Travis Bowman, Pittsburg Police Department Patrol Sergeant. The police department will do free car seat checks at the department during regular business hours. Folks just need to call ahead. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. Last month, federal prosecutors indicted five people for the overdose death of a celebrity the previous year. Three have pleaded guilty so far, and this month, a trial date was set for the other two. Many of the details certainly reveal heinous behavior, but the case makes clear that prohibition itself bears the most responsibility. On October 28, 2023, Matthew Perrythe actor best known as Chandler Bing on the long-running sitcom Friendsdied at his Los Angeles home. The county medical examiner announced in December that Perry's death primarily resulted from "the acute effects of ketamine"; the full autopsy indicated that he drowned in his hot tub when a sizable dose of the drug depressed his breathing and caused him to slip into unconsciousness. Ketamine was developed for use in anesthesia and pain relief before gaining a reputation as a club drug in the 1980s. Recent evidence suggests it can be used to treat persistent depression and addiction. In the right context, it's also quite safe: A 2022 scientific review of 312 overdoses and 138 deaths in which ketamine was present found "no cases of overdose or death related to the use of ketamine as an antidepressant in a therapeutic setting." Perry struggled with drug and alcohol addictions for most of his adult life, but the summer before his death, he said he had been sober for 18 months. As investigators would discover, Perry was staying clean through therapeutic ketamine treatments but eventually became addicted to the treatment itself; when doctors refused to increase his dosage, he sought the drug elsewhere. Among those indicted are physicians Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, as well as Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry's personal assistant. Iwamasa admitted in a plea agreement that "beginning in or around September 2023," Perry asked for help "procuring illegal drugs for [his] personal use." Iwamasa worked with Plasencia, who supplied ketamine from his own practice, as well as purchasing some from Chavez, who operated a ketamine clinic. Both men falsified prescriptions and medical records to justify ordering ketamine that could be sold to Perry on the side. At times, Plasencia came to Perry's house to administer the drug himself, but he also showed Iwamasa how to administer it "through an intramuscular injection" and left behind syringes for future use. At the same time, Iwamasa worked with Erik Fleming, a drug dealer who is also charged, to get even more ketamine for Perry to take. The indictments include truly odious details of people taking advantage of Perry's desperation for profit. "I wonder how much this moron will pay," Plasencia allegedly texted Chavez. "Lets find out." By the final week of Perry's life, he was receiving multiple injections per day. According to his plea, Iwamasa had found Perry "unconscious at his residence on at least two occasions" in October. On the day Perry died, despite having received two injections already, he told Iwamasa to prepare the hot tub and "shoot me up with a big one." Iwamasa later returned from running errands to find Perry dead. Iwamasa and Chavez have pleaded guilty, as has Fleming. This month, a March 2025 trial date was set for Plasencia and Jasveen Sangha, Fleming's supplier who is colorfully referred to in the indictments as "the Ketamine Queen." Each defendant potentially faces a decade or more in prison. Perry's death, again, is tragicall the more so due to the circumstances behind it, as people took advantage of his desperation for their own gain. But many of the charges are hard to square with reality. For one thing, Perry did not overdose, and his drugs were not tainted; while the medical examiner listed ketamine as the primary contributing factor in his death, the most direct cause was drowning. "Matthew Perry drowned while intoxicated on ketamine the same way people routinely drown while intoxicated on alcohol," Ryan Marino, a doctor of toxicology and addiction medicine at University Hospitals in Cleveland, told Filter. Andrew Stolbach, a physician and toxicologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, "said it's unlikely Perry would have died if he was not in a body of water," VICE reported last year. "It's really dangerous to use sedative drugs in a pool, especially alone, or a bathtub," Stolbach added. There is also no use of force alleged in any of the indictments. After all, Iwamasa did not inject Perry with ketamine against his boss' willrather, he was following Perry's direction every step of the way. At times, the indictments even depict desperation: On October 7, Iwamasa texted Plasencia about buying ketamine the next morning, before texting later that day, "I just ran out," and indicating he needed it sooner. Earlier this month, Deanna Kizis wrote in Vanity Fair that Iwamasa may not have felt he had a choice, as "the assistant community knows all about how hard it is to say no to a Hollywood boss." None of the doctors or drug dealers are alleged to have used force, either: Perry came to them willingly, seeking drugs to nurse his addictions. And there is no allegation that any of them intentionally inflicted harm on himafter all, why would any drug dealer seek to harm a reliable client? If anything, the indictments show a commitment to keeping Perry around: Plasencia texted Chavez to make sure he had access to a consistent supply of ketamine, saying they "would be best served not having him look elsewhere" and should "[b]e his go to." It's also worth noting that California has no law by which state prosecutors can charge a street dealer for selling drugs that someone dies after taking, so long as the drugs weren't intentionally tainted without the user's knowledge. But federal law is another story: If dealers sell a "controlled substance," and "if death or serious bodily injury results from the use of such substance," then federal prosecutors can bring charges punishable by "not less than 20 years or more than life" in federal prison. It's not clear that increasing penalties for people who supply people with the means of their ultimate undoing has the intended effect: In the Philippines, where the punishment for drug trafficking is death, traffickers merely trick or coerce others into muling the drugs on their behalf. British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford has spent a decade on death row after she was caught smuggling cocaine into Indonesia. This is not the first time in recent years that federal prosecutors have thrown the book at drug dealers after a celebrity's death. In 2018, rapper Mac Miller died of a drug overdose. In the years since, two dealers have received prison sentences of more than a decade each. And actor Michael K. Williams died of an overdose in September 2021 after using heroin that had been laced with fentanyl. Last year, the dealer who sold him the drugs was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Instead of throwing the book at the people who sold Perry ketamine, federal prosecutors and legislators should take a good look at the system that pushed him toward more unscrupulous sources for what he was seeking. The post Prohibition Killed Matthew Perry appeared first on Reason.com. In January 2020, I was briefly a celebrity, when my warning about a shockingly transparent attempt to legalize book banning went viral in the press and on social media. I was commenting on Missouri House Bill 2044, the Parental Oversight of Public Libraries Act, which sought to establish parental review boards to censor Missouris public libraries. Every reader and writer in the country should be horrified, absolutely horrified, at this bill, I wrote on behalf of PEN America. The fact that a librarian could actually be imprisoned for following his or her conscience and refusing to block minors from access to a book, that tells you all you need to know about the suitability of this act within a democratic society. The bills lead proponent told news outlets he proposed it after learning that a few public libraries in larger cities had hosted drag queen story hours. The bill envisioned treating librarians as potential criminals, declaring that those who refused to comply with the boards decision could be imprisoned for up to a year. The media largely agreed with me. Put this in the you-cant-make-this-stuff-up category, wrote The Washington Posts Valerie Strauss. Missouris Jefferson City News Tribune opined that while the bill likely wont pass, the proposal is unnecessary. Worse, its dangerous. The idea that librarians could be imprisoned for refusing to censor their own library collections was so shocking, in fact, that snopes.com the website devoted to debunking urban myths ran an article confirming that the claim was true. That bill ended up dying in committee. But what most people saw then as a dangerous and misguided idea has become normalized today at least, for some politicians. Fast forward to present day only four years later. Bills of this type have become law in six states Arkansas, Indiana, Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and yes, Missouri and have been considered by legislatures in at least 17 states over the past year. And across the country, school district after school district has been roiled by a sustained campaign from conservative activists and their think-tank allies who believe that librarians are grooming their children. Thankfully, no librarian has yet been arrested. But it has been close: In Granbury, Texas, a recent report reveals how one law enforcement officer attempted to file felony charges against three school librarians for refusing to pull obscene books including The Bluest Eye by the late Nobel Prize laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Toni Morrison. The officer a man with documented ties to anti-government and far-right extremist groups failed only because the local district attorney refused. If charges had been filed, these librarians would be facing potential prison terms of up to 10 years. One librarian who was targeted by this investigation decided to leave the district. It gets worse: Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation-backed playbook that is widely expected to shape the policies of a potential second Donald Trump administration, is explicitly gunning for librarians. In his foreword to Project 2025, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts argues that children suffer the toxic normalization of transgenderism with drag queens and pornography invading their school libraries. He goes on to say, even more explicitly, Pornography, manifested today in the omnipresent propagation of transgender ideology and sexualization of children has no claim to First Amendment protection. Educators and public librarians who purvey it should be classed as registered sex offenders. What this means is that if Project 2025 is implemented by the next administration, we can expect the federal government to join the witch hunt against librarians. And make no mistake: This is a witch hunt. Public libraries have long-standing procedures in place to evaluate books to ensure literary or educational merit. Not all books will be right for all children but to ban a book from a public library is to take away that choice from every family in that community. That is undemocratic. While the idea of imprisoning librarians for refusing to ban books has become normalized, that doesnt make it normal. It is just as extreme an idea as it ever was. And the damage these laws cause is real. They are scaring off talented librarians, narrowing literary access for young Americans, and imposing ideological constraints on what children can read. As books, libraries and librarians are under increasing attack, we should remember that just because book banners have become louder, that does not make them right. James Tager is research director at PEN America, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that defends writers, artists and journalists and protects free expression worldwide. Providence schools without internet as they deal with unprecedented network outage PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) Rhode Islands largest school district has been unable to access the internet for days following irregular activity detected on the network last week. Providence Public School District spokesperson Jay Wegimont told Target 12 on Monday that the district had been in touch with local and federal law authorities as a result of the activity. Both Providence Police and Mayor Brett Smiley said they were not contacted. Smiley told Target 12 on Tuesday that the citys infrastructure is separate from the school departments, but the city did take precautions in response. Theres one connection on an accounting software that has been blocked to secure the citys computers. Theres been no issues with the citys IT infrastructure, Smiley said. We are fully functional and stand ready to help PPSD, but have not been asked for any of that help. Wegimont clarified what agencies were contacted when asked again on Tuesday. As is standard operating procedure, the district and their professional third-party IT agency contacted Rhode Island State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Homeland Security last Wednesday, Wegimont said. Please note that this was also done out of an abundance of caution and that the analysis is ongoing. A letter was sent to the Providence Public School community on Sept. 12 disclosing that district IT staff detected the activity last Wednesday and they took immediate action to investigate and address it. But in a letter to the PPSD community on Monday morning, the district said all internet-connected systems remain down, during a period of what the district referred to as unprecedented network issues. Mondays letter said the IT staff was working diligently to assess the network and determine the next steps for a swift resolution. In last weeks letter, the district disclosed that IT staff followed proper security protocols and had contained the issue. However, out of an abundance of caution, a third-party IT company was called to provide additional support, and the network was shut down. The district said they then began a forensic review of the network. PPSD Superintendent Dr. Javier Montanez sent an additional letter to the district on Monday. The analysis is currently underway to gather more information but initial findings did not show evidence that district data was compromised, Montanez wrote. Montanez also wrote that there is misinformation being spread about the situation, including that the districts family communication platform, ParentSquare, had been compromised. This is a false and dangerous rumor that would negatively impact our ability to connect and communicate with families, Montanez said. ParentSquare is a cloud based system that is independent of the PPSD network and therefore was not impacted. The superintendent also explained that student and staff information systems are also separate from the districts network. While we do not have an exact timeline as to when the network will be up and running, we assure you that we are doing everything possible and following proper protocol to expedite the process, Montanez added. Story continues below. 9.16-Community-Letter-Update-2Download School officials said there was no evidence that any data was impacted, but that the district would provide updates moving forward and would work to ensure that interruptions to operations would be minimally impacted. The letter said that staff from central administration had also been deployed to provide additional support at the school level, school security systems and protocols would remain active, and classes would proceed as scheduled. In an effort to maintain essential services during the outage, the district said it secured portable Wi-Fi hotspots for school offices. The district also provided a list of phone numbers to use for questions related to registration, special education, multilingual learners, pre-K, health services, transportation and more. September-16-2024-Network-Connectivity-Letter-to-familiesDownload Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. Public inquiries into disasters such as the Grenfell Tower fire take too long and often do not lead to change, a Lords report has found. Inquiries are routinely set up by governments to "learn lessons" and avoid future tragedies. But Lord Norton, who led the report, said: Lessons learned' is an entirely vacuous phrase if lessons arent being learned because inquiry recommendations are ignored or delayed. Furthermore, it is insulting and upsetting for victims, survivors and their families who frequently hope that, from their unimaginable grief, something positive might prevail. The report sets out ways to make inquiries more effective. The government said it would study the recommendations. In recent years there have been large-scale inquiries launched into subjects including Grenfell, the infected blood scandal and the Covid pandemic. However, earlier this year bereaved families expressed their fears that the recommendations from these inquiries would simply disappear. Some campaigners said they have no faith that the reports would lead to change. A report by the House of Lords Statutory Inquiries Committee has now called for a rethink in how inquiries are carried out and crucially, how their recommendations, are implemented. The committee warned that inquiries were perceived as frequently too long and expensive, leading to a loss of public confidence and protracted trauma. Currently, millions of pounds are spent on public inquiries yet too little is done to ensure that the desired outcomes are achieved. A government spokesperson said: "We remain absolutely committed to righting past wrongs and working to ensure justice is delivered for victims. "We thank the committee for its report and will take the time to consider its findings and recommendations." In the course of taking evidence, the Lords committee was told that some patient deaths at Mid-Staffordshire Hospital could have been avoided if recommendations from an inquiry into Bristol Royal Infirmary had been implemented. Similarly, the committee heard that recommendations made following the Lakanal House fire could have prevented the fire at Grenfell Tower. Conversely, witnesses told the committee that a report on the Soham murders led to better child protection rules, while an inquiry after the Dunblane shootings strengthened gun ownership laws. The Grenfell inquiry, which took seven years, made 58 recommendations. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the government will look at them in detail and respond within six months. The Lords committee said there was a perception that inquiries were established by ministers to kick a problem into the long grass. One of their key proposals is for Parliament to establish a new committee which would hold the government to account for implementing recommendations. Lord Norton said such a body could create a deterrent effect and stop minister from not paying enough attention. He says inquiries could also be speeded up if they are placed on a non-statutory rather than statutory footing. Statutory inquires have the power to compel people to give evidence and to give it in public and under oath. In 2018, the Institute for Government think tank found that between 1990 and 2017, 69 inquiries had been launched, taking an average of around two years to report and costing a total of at least 630m. One of the most expensive was the Bloody Sunday inquiry which lasted 12 years and cost 210.6m. Lord Nortons report argues that often inquiries try to investigate too widely instead of focusing on the key purpose of learning lessons. It says ministers should resist the temptation to charge an inquiry with the responsibility of investigating wider policy areas. It also advises setting deadlines to concentrate the efforts of the inquiry chair. The government argues that, by law, the process, timing and procedure of inquiries are decisions for their independent chairs. The News Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the countrys military Monday to add 180,000 troops, bolstering its active-duty forces to 1.5 million. The expansion, the third since the Ukraine invasion, would make Russias military the second largest in the world in terms of manpower after China. It is set to take effect in December. The move came as Moscow continued to push back against a Ukraine offensive in Russias Kursk region: Putin said Tuesday the expansion was necessary to address growing threats on Russias western borders and instability to the east, Reuters reported. SIGNALS Adding troops could deplete Russias already-strained budget Sources: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Dara Massicot/X The military expansion could strain Russias budget, a Carnegie researcher argued, and even require a significant reorganization of the countrys economy: It would need new equipment and larger military bases, and recruiting more soldiers may not be easy in a society that has recently grown accustomed to high wages and expensive social entitlements and benefits. The expansion may be a temporary wartime solution rather than a long-term change, the researcher noted on X, and after the conflict, it may make sense financially for Russia to reduce its troop numbers to one million. Russia has to balance more military recruitment with worker shortages Sources: Euronews, Meduza Russias model for military recruitment during the war has been a mix of mobilization and hiring, Euronews noted. The effort has come at a cost for the government, which is estimated to have spent about $33 billion in one year to pay participants in the war and their families. While the high wages have made enrolling attractive for some Russians, the army competes with the private military industry, which also needs workers and provides better conditions, an expert told the outlet. The country has also had to grapple with labor shortages in other critical sectors, like the police force, Meduza reported, as more people join the army to make a higher income. Russias meat grinder military tactic comes at heavy human cost Source: BBC Casualties for the Russian army have increased in the second year of the war, reaching 50,000 as of April, the BBC reported a reflection of how territorial gains have come at a huge human cost. Russia has adopted a tactic described as meat grinder, which involves sending troops to the front lines continuously to wear down Ukrainian forces. The BBC estimated at least 20% of the fatalities suffered by the Russian army affected inexperienced personnel recruited to bolster the ranks, as more professional soldiers had already been killed or wounded in the conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, speaks with Anna Popova, the Head of the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare, during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) MOSCOW (AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the countrys military to increase its number of troops by 180,000 to a total of 1.5 million, as Moscows military action in Ukraine drags on for more than 2 years. Putins decree, published on the official government website, will take effect Dec. 1. It sets the overall number of Russian military personnel at nearly 2.4 million, including 1.5 million troops, and orders the government to provide the necessary funding. The previous increase in Russian troop numbers came last December, when a decree by Putin set the total number of Russian military personnel at about 2.2 million, including 1.32 million troops. The most capable Russian troops have been pressing an offensive in eastern Ukraine, where they have made incremental but steady gains in the past few months. In June, Putin put the number of troops involved in what the Kremlin calls the special military operation in Ukraine at nearly 700,000. After calling up 300,000 reservists in the face of Ukraines counteroffensive in the fall of 2022, Russian authorities have switched to filling the ranks of troops fighting in Ukraine with volunteer soldiers, who have been attracted by relatively high wages. Many commentators have noted that the Kremlin has been reluctant to call more reservists, fearing domestic destabilization like what happened in 2022 when hundreds of thousands fled Russia to avoid being sent to combat. The shortage of military personnel has been widely cited as a key reason behind the success of Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region launched Aug. 6. The Kremlin has sought to avoid the redeployment of troops from eastern Ukraine and relied on reinforcements from other areas to stem the Ukrainian incursion. The Russian Defense Ministry on Monday reported reclaiming control of two more villages in the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces. President of Russia Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with representatives of BRICS countries in charge of security issues. -/Kremlin/dpa Russian President Vladimir Putin has increased the size of the country's military for the third time since the February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine by boosting the overall number to 2.389 million, according to a presidential decree issued on Monday. The number of soldiers is to rise to 1.5 million, the decree said. In December, Putin raised the military's target strength to 2.2 million, with 1.33 million of them being soldiers. The new target raises the number in the military by 50% compared with a little over 1 million at the start of the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. There was no immediate reaction to the new figures from the Defence Ministry in Moscow. At the last increase, the ministry insisted the increase would be covered by recruiting more volunteers. In September 2022, Putin ordered a partial mobilization in response to a series of military defeats in the war, which led to widespread dissatisfaction among the population and prompted many young men to leave the country. Russian troops continue to storm eastern Ukraine Throughout the day, Russian troops have continued their storming attacks in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian General Staff reported in Monday's evening briefing. The "focus of the day" was the area around Kurakhove on the edge of the Donbass region, the staff said. Throughout the day, there were 26 Russian attacks repelled by the Ukrainian defenders, it said. There was also heavy fighting around Pokrovsk, which has been contested for weeks, as Russian units made 24 attempts to break through the Ukrainian defence lines, though these too were repelled by Kiev's forces, the report said, in details that could not be independently verified. There were also fierce battles between Russian and Ukrainian units in the western Russian region of Kursk, where Ukrainian units launched a surprise attack in early August. Ukrainian airborne troops released a video on Facebook showing the destruction of a Russian tank in an unnamed village in the region, which also could not be independently verified. Eight injured in shelling of Belgorod Earlier, eight people were injured in the shelling of the western Russian city of Belgorod near the border with Ukraine, the regional governor said on Monday. "One of the injured is in critical condition, while the others have sustained moderate injuries," Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on his Telegram channel. He said that a private residence and "over 15 vehicles" were destroyed in attacks by Ukrainian forces early Monday. In total, four residential buildings were damaged, with broken windows and bullet holes in the facade and roof. Additionally, a gas pipeline was hit, Gladkov wrote. The Russian military has not yet commented on the Ukrainian attacks in the Belgorod region. Belgorod is located near the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, where on Sunday a Russian guided bomb killed one person and injured at least 42 others. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Moscow has systematically targeted Ukrainian territory with drone and missile attacks. Cities and civilian infrastructure have been frequently struck. Meanwhile, Russian border regions are increasingly reporting shelling from the Ukrainian side, though the scale of casualties and damage is much smaller in extent than the deaths and destruction inflicted by Moscow. Moscow urges UN, Red Cross to decline Kiev's invitation to Kursk Ukraine, as it fends off the full-scale invasion, has also launched a surprise cross-border offensive in the Russian region of Kursk, in a bid to bring about negotiations and also carry out prisoner exchanges. Kiev invited the United Nations and the Red Cross to join an inspection of areas in Kursk, some of which are partially controlled by Ukrainian troops. Moscow called on the UN and Red Cross to refuse and described the invitation as a provocation. "We expect that such provocative statements will not be accepted by the addressees. This is a pure provocation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday in Moscow. The Russian government was able to lodge its views with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, who had just arrived in Moscow for a visit that was previously planned. She wanted to talk to government representatives in confidence about the humanitarian consequences of the "international armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine," the ICRC said. The ICRC is strictly neutral and refrains from judging any conflict, instead supporting civilians and prisoners in armed conflicts, with a focus on respect for international law, prisoners of war and clarifying the fate of missing people. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry earlier stated that Ukraine's forces were observing the rights of the people in the occupied zone of Kursk and were doing everything in their power to protect the civilian population from the effects of combat. Ukraine was asking for UN assistance in providing humanitarian aid, it said. It called on the Red Cross to join the mission in a letter published on the Foreign Ministry website. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Sept. 16 increasing the number of the Russian Armed Forces from roughly 2.2 million to 2,389,130 people, including 1.5 million military personnel. The decree will take effect on Dec. 1, 2024, and will increase the total number of Russian military personnel and staff by 180,000. The last time the staffing level was increased was in December 2023. It amounted to 2,209,130 people, including 1,320,000 military personnel. In August 2022, six months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine started, the number of personnel in the Russian Armed Forces increased to 1,150,628. The 2017 decree was in force at that time, according to which the staff should have been 1,013,628, a figure relevant at the time of the outbreak of full-scale war. Russia conscripted around 300,000 reservists during a limited mobilization in September 2022 but has sought to avoid a wide-sweeping draft, often targeting recruits from economically weaker regions or migrants. Ukraine believes that Russia continues to covertly recruit around 30,000 soldiers monthly, allowing the Russian military to balance out its losses. While Moscow does not publish its casualty figures, Kyiv believes that Russian losses have exceeded over 630,000 soldiers killed, wounded, or captured as of September. Read also: Putin delays new mobilization, despite Kursk incursion exposing troop shortages Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. After putting Springfield in spotlight, J.D. Vance says, Im still going to keep on talking COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Gov. Mike DeWine spoke in Springfield Monday, as repeated threats in the city shut down multiple buildings. The governor confirmed law enforcement have investigated at least 33 separate bomb threats in the state. All of the threats have been determined to be hoaxes. But to better provide an assurance of safety, DeWine said he would dispatch 36 members of the Ohio State Highway Patrol to station them in every school in Springfield. DeWine added that investigators had zeroed in on the origin of the threats, noting they came from overseas and all from the same country. We cannot let the bad guys win, DeWine said. Our schools must remain open. Springfield saw additional national attention again on Sunday, as Sen. J.D. Vance didnt back down discussing its legal immigrant population and a string of bomb threats in the area. On Monday, one of those threats extended to Columbus, as the Ohio Statehouse closed all of its garage entrances around 10 a.m. Law enforcement gathers Sept. 16, 2024 at the Ohio Statehouse. (NBC4 Photo/Natalie Fahmy) Vance, an Ohio Republican and the vice presidential hopeful alongside Donald Trump, made an appearance on CNNs State of the Union where he readdressed issues he took with around 12,000 to 15,000 Haitian immigrants who legally moved to Springfield under temporary protected status. As national attention to the city grew, DeWine, said he wasnt against the federal program that brought them and added he would send aid in response to concerns about strain on the local healthcare systems and traffic. The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes, Vance said. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then thats what Im going to do. Vance zeroed in on rumors that the immigrants are eating pets and wildlife in the town. On Saturday, he shared an X video posted by a conservative activitist claiming to show proof of migrants grilling a cat to eat in Ohio. Both parties acknowledged the video came not from Springfield but Dayton, and the latter citys mayor came forward within hours against it. This claim is totally false and dangerously irresponsible of politicians aiming to sow division and fear, Mayor Jeffrey Mims wrote on X. There has been absolutely zero reports of this type of activity, and spreading such misinformation undermines our status as a welcoming city. Trump, who on Sunday faced what the FBI is investigating as an apparent second assassination attempt, repeated similar claims in his Tuesday debate with the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. DeWine broke step with the presidential and vice presidential candidates, telling ABCs This Week on Sunday he had absolutely not seen any evidence that Haitian immigrants were eating pets. And Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said the city had no verifiable instances of immigrants eating pets or local wildlife, and instead asked, As a human being, can you imagine being talked about like this? What were doing is were letting these rumors, this national rhetoric come into our community and divide us. And like we said earlier, there are things we need to focus on, Rue said. But because were focusing on X posts and Facebook posts and trying to squash those rumors, it takes a lot of time to getting the truth back. While the mayor and governor have tried to set the record straight, Springfield has been greeted with repeated threats. At a Thursday news conference, Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliot confirmed multiple buildings such as city hall, a local Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles offices and two schools closed as a result of an emailed bomb threat. On Friday, NBC News reported two more public schools and city buildings closed over bomb threats. Saturday saw a bomb threat against two hospitals in the city, forcing both to lock down. Another emailed bomb threat late Saturday prompted Clark State College staff to close the campus down Sunday through Friday, opting for virtual classes instead. Wittenberg University, a private college in Springfield, canceled in-person activities and told students it would only hold remote classes Monday after receiving a threat of a school shooting Saturday and another emailed bomb threat on Sunday. Both messages targeted members of our local Haitian community, Wittenberg officials wrote on the universitys website. A Springfield city spokesperson told the Associated Press that the FBIs Dayton office was investigating where the emailed threats were coming from. When interviewer Dana Bash pressed Vance on creating stories and the bomb threats, he replied that his claims about pets come from firsthand accounts from my constituents. I say that were creating a story, meaning were creating the American media focusing on it, Vance said. There is nothing that I have said that has led to threats against these hospitals. These hospitals, the bomb threats, and so forth, its disgusting. The violence is disgusting. We condemn it. We condemn all violence. Vance did not repeat his message that a Haitian immigrant murdered a student in the area, after the childs father spoke against the vice presidential candidates use of his son for political gain. When Bush played the audio of what Aiden Clarks father said, Vance replied he wanted to focus on the terrible things his constituents reported, including overwhelmed hospitals and schools, and a heightened murder rate. I cant believe what kind of a tragedy theyve experienced, but Im still going to keep on talking about what the migrants have done to Springfield, Ohio, and what Kamala Harris open border has done to Springfield, Ohio, Vance said. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. (Bloomberg) -- The focus of a lengthy probe into PricewaterhouseCoopers LLPs China business now shifts to Hong Kong after the accounting firm was hit with a record fine in the mainland over its audit of failed developer China Evergrande Group. Most Read from Bloomberg Hong Kongs Accounting and Financial Reporting Council said its review of PwCs local practice, which is separate from Chinas probe, is still in progress, according to a statement Friday. An AFRC spokesperson said the watchdog had no further comment. The review shows that PwCs troubles in Greater China are far from over after the firm was fined 441 million yuan ($62 million) and suspended for six months by regulators. Chinese authorities said Evergrande inflated its revenue by 564 billion yuan over two years, in one of the nations biggest accounting frauds. Hong Kongs accounting regulator can mete out as much as HK$10 million ($1.3 million) in fines if it disciplines PwC. Though its based in China, Evergrande is regulated in Hong Kong because its stock traded in the financial hub. The severe penalty coming from the mainland will add pressure to Hong Kong regulators, said Pingyang Gao, an accounting and law professor at HKU Business School. The Chinese regulators characterization of this matter is not only a serious auditing fault, but also to an extent, a collusion with Evergrande. PwC China, which covers Hong Kong, audited Evergrande, while its mainland partnership, known as PwC Zhong Tian, worked with Hengda Real Estate Group, Evergrandes mainland unit. PwC said its taking steps to address the problems, acknowledging that the work on Hengda fell below our own high standards and the standards our stakeholders rightly expect of us, according to a statement. We deeply regret and apologize for the impact this has had on our clients and people. The firm also faces a lawsuit in Hong Kong filed by Evergrandes liquidators as they try to recover creditors investments in the failed developer, which defaulted in 2021 as Chinas housing crisis began to spiral. The liquidators cited the accounting firms negligence and misrepresentation in the auditing work. The probes and legal proceedings threaten to hinder business for PwC, which had more revenue in China than any of the Big Four accounting firms as recently as 2022. Several listed companies have already parted ways with the firm, while China has also been instructing its biggest companies to phase out the Big Four auditors over data risks, Bloomberg News reported earlier. It is very likely that there will be a mass exodus, said Gao. It will likely spell doom for PwCs business in China. PwC said the staff who worked on the audit are no longer with PwC. In other moves, Daniel Li stepped down as the territory senior partner for China, but will continue to support the business as chief accountant of the local unit. Hemione Hudson will take over on an interim basis and relocate to the region. Hudson is PwCs global chief risk and regulatory officer and executive chair heading Europe, the Middle East and Africa from London, according to the firms website. In addition to the executive moves, PwC Hong Kong has told clients its considering another partnership to carry out future business and segregate new income from potential fines and lawsuits, people familiar with the matter said. The idea remained preliminary, the people said. Some clients have been consulting other Big Four firms and the regulators to see if they can drop PwC after using them for the first half of the financial year, according to people familiar who asked not to be identified because the discussions were private. Failing to publish financial reports due to a change in auditors can lead to a trading suspension. When asked if the exchange will grant extension to these companies, an HKEX spokesperson said the bourse expects listed firms to be fully compliant with the requirements of our Listing Rules. Meanwhile, several senior PwC partners in the region advising other industries than developers are considering early retirement to protect themselves from having to share the burden of any potential fines or compensation, people familiar said. The Evergrande case could spark similar actions from other troubled property developer clients and their creditors, the people said. Audit firms typically pay regulatory fines out of their own reserves because professional indemnity insurance generally doesnt cover these penalties, said Clement Chan, chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Registered Public Interest Entity Auditors. Partners can be asked to contribute the rest, based on each firms policies, he said. These costs can be higher in Hong Kong since PwCs partnership there was registered with unlimited liability, whereas Chinas was limited. PwC China had 7.9 billion yuan in revenue in 2022 from about 400 clients from Shanghai to Hong Kong and New York, according to the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Asia-Pacific accounted for almost a fifth of global revenue in 2023. --With assistance from Trista Xinyi Luo. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Escambia County says it is close to finding a partner organization to help sell 17 homes the county built through its new infill housing program. The county says 14 of the homes are complete or near complete and three are out for bid. Several of the houses were built with state dollars shared with city of Pensacola, and there are questions over how the money is being spent. As a government entity, Escambia County cannot legally sell the homes it builds. Its unclear why the county began building homes without a plan in place to sell them. Some have been finished for months, sitting empty. The public information office declined the News Journals request for an in-person interview about the countys construction programs and asked questions be sent in writing. Through an emailed response, Escambia County said it started building homes through an infill housing program that was launched last year to meet the need for affordable housing for lower income families. The county said its currently putting together a request for proposal (RFP) to find a partner organization to sell them. Escambia County is trying to find a partner to help sell workforce homes like this one in Southwest Pensacola built through the county's infill housing program. Some housing advocates question how the county is spending housing dollars after funding for a down payment assistance program ran dry. Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com We are currently finalizing the RFP to publish to the community and select a partner organization, with a goal of making these homes available for purchase as expeditiously as possible. This RFP will be posted publicly through OpenGov, per our procurement policy, the county said. In the emailed response, the county said variables are still being discussed as to what the asking price for the homes will be, but it anticipates the price will include the cost of the build plus a small administrative fee to cover project management and resources, as well as whatever fee is determined by the countys future partner for finding and selling the homes to qualified applicants. Keeping the homes affordable for households making 80% (area median income) or less is our main priority with these projects, so our goal is to keep any accompanying costs as low as possible, the county said. The selection of the buyer will be determined by the selling partner, the county said, in coordination with any grant requirements. Escambia said it expects it will be based on a first received, first qualified process with applicants that are free from encumbrances of other programs. Escambia housing controversy: Affordable homes built by Escambia County sitting empty during housing crisis. Here's why: According to the county, three house were built with State Housing Initiative Partnership dollars, better known as SHIP funds. Each of those houses cost $192,300, $192,300, and $193,500, to build. They were built by county hired contractor McDelt LLC. Seven infill houses were built with federal monies provided through the American Rescue Plan Act in the amounts of $189,600, $189,600, $189,600, $189,600, $197,300, $197,300 and $182,000. Those were built by county-hired contractor Shaffer Construction. Four more houses were built with federal Housing and Urban Development dollars set aside for Community Housing Development Organization, in the amounts of $188,986, $188,315, $168,550, and $181,603. They were built by the nonprofit organization Habitat for Humanity. The county said it has also rebuilt four homes for residents under its demo and rebuild program, which the county said was reactivated two years ago. The county said the determination of who receives the assistance is made by the programs inspection staff, county inspectors, and Local Housing Assistance Plans, but it's unclear how those recipients are initially identified. "We do not let someone request this service, though in the initial consultation, we get a sense of the scope based off the questions we ask," the county wrote. "The home must be evaluated by our staff to go on this list under normal circumstances. Once the inspection has occurred, we will recommend the home for demo and rebuild and give the owner the option of going on the waiting list for that service. There is a longer lien period with this strategy than others, so it is a major commitment from the potential client." If the home repair is estimated to cost more than 50% of the homes value the county recommends replacement. The News Journal was referred to the Neighborhood Enterprise webpage for the programs eligibility requirements. These homes make a significant positive impact for low-income individuals who often are not eligible for other types of assistance, the county explained. Opportunities for residents to apply for Escambia Countys infill program and demo and rebuild programs have not been publicly advertised, however the county issued a press release on some recipients of the programs and services two days after the county first informed city housing staff that SHIP funds for down payment assistance were running low, according to an email chain of the conversation obtained from the city of Pensacola through a public records request. The issue came up after the county abruptly announced in July that SHIP funds were no longer available for first-time homebuyers needing down payment assistance and funds would not be available for new applicants until at least fall of next year. Escambia County and the city of Pensacola share SHIP funds under an interlocal agreement, and city housing administrators as well as others who work to help people buy homes say they were blindsided by the news the down payment assistance pot had run dry and wanted more detailed information as to how the county was spending SHIP dollars. During Escambia Countys agenda review meeting on Sept. 5, Commissioner Lumon May brought up the issue to staff and asked for an update on SHIP funding. According to staff, the county wants to move full steam ahead to build more homes and make more repairs under the demo and rebuild and rehabilitation programs. There has been what I believe is misinformation, said May, although he did not say specifically was that misinformation is. Do you have any information on the housing program, where we are with SHIP funding and HUD funding? Escambia Neighborhood Enterprise Division Manager Garett Griffin, who helps manage the SHIP dollars, responded, Weve expended all of our funds for the purchase assistance strategy. We had originally budgeted about half a million, but we went up to $1.3 million. Griffin said because the down payment housing assistance program went over budget the county backfilled it with county home rehabilitation dollars until the latest allotment of state SHIP funds comes in October. According to Escambia County, how much government money each county managed housing program receives is "determined by city and county staff," with the Florida Housing Finance Corporation determining what funding each entity receives. The county said the funding strategy is also "based off of the need in the community as determined by maintained waiting lists." Mandated set-asides are also considered, as follows: 65% of each allocation must be spent on homeownership 75% of each allocation must be spent on construction/rehab activities At least 30% of each allocation must be spent on very low (50% AMI) At least 60% of each allocation must be spent on very low and low combined (50-80% AMI) 20% of each allocation must be spent on households meeting the statutory definition of "special needs" Ive only had two or three rehabs in my district in the past couple of years, May said in response to Griffin, but theres a long waiting list. As a board, what do we need to do to help you because Ive had people on the waiting list for three to five years. How do we move that forward? I dont care what theyre writing, but its important to me that constituents get those services. According to the county, over 350 people are on its waiting list for home rehab and there are close to 40 people on the waitlist for the demo and replacement program. The county said residents cannot ask to be put on a waiting list for the assistance and it's unclear how the decision is made as to who is placed on it and why. In the meantime, local leaders are hoping to get more clarity on how the county is spending government housing dollars. Per request of the city and the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, Escambia County staff said they will provide an itemized account of SHIP spending to AHAC this month. Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves and the county have expressed the need for better communication. Reeves has said he is still deciding if the city should continue its interlocal agreement with the county on SHIP funding when it expires next year. This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia County SHIP program depleted amid affordable housing crisis After racist incidents, Oak Creek-Franklin schools spent $27k to study how to improve. Now what? Genene Hibbler stands in front of the Oak Creek-Franklin School District Administrative Offices on Thursday in Oak Creek. Hibbler's daughter transferred to a different school her senior year due to the district's lack of response to repeated incidents of racial discrimination, including racial slurs and micro aggressions from students and staff. Over the years, Oak Creek-Franklin schools have made headlines several times for racist incidents like when Kenosha basketball players found racial slurs written in dust on their lockers before their game with Oak Creek in 2021. According to Milwaukee-based consulting firm Derute Consulting Cooperative, these aren't isolated incidents. Instead, they're "rooted in a deeper community and cultural context," according to its report published in April. At the request of parents, the district hired Derute in July 2023 to interview parents and students to study how the district could improve "inclusion and belonging." But now that the study has backed up their long-standing concerns about treatment of students of color, some are asking why the district hasn't moved to implement the firm's recommendations more urgently. "Stop investigating implement," former district parent Genene Hibbler told Public Investigator. "We want implementation. We want change." The study cost the district about $28,000, according to a copy of its contract obtained by Public Investigator through an open records request. Public Investigator asked Superintendent Dan Thielen how the district plans to execute recommendations presented in Derute's study. Thielen said in an email he "does not have anything to communicate now" because plans are still in progress. However, Thielen said administration will present the study's findings to the school board on Sept. 23. "There is more to come based on the recommendations of the audit," said Thielen. Thielen said other efforts include incorporating professional development with staff and updating student handbook language to address "inappropriate racial language." When Public Investigator asked Thielen to specify what "incorporating professional development" means, Thielen said it involves "training for staff." Jeff Roman, one of the report's authors, told Public Investigator there was no specific timeline for implementing recommendations "other than a commitment to begin engaging leadership staff this summer." "At this point, we have not been asked to support implementation of recommendations," said Roman. Parent's calls for district to address racism have become 'more than a second job' Hibbler's daughter was set to graduate from Oak Creek High School at the end of this school year. However, after years of reporting racist incidents without results, followed by her participation in the recent study that yielded no immediate action, her daughter decided to transfer schools, Hibbler said. But that hasn't stopped Hibbler from spearheading efforts to make the district safer for students of color. Hibbler first filed a complaint with the district in 2021 after racial slurs were found written in the dust on Oak Creek lockers. Since then, Hibbler has become a liaison between the school and the community. Hibbler regularly attends school board meetings, where she points out ways the board can improve its approach to address incidents of racial discrimination. "It's more than a second job," Hibbler said. Emails viewed by Public Investigator between Hibbler and district administrators last year show her efforts to form a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advocacy group involving parents and district staff, which came to fruition in August 2023. The emails show that Hibbler regularly followed up to ensure the district recorded and scheduled DEI meetings. "It's been a month since you hosted a discussion with parents that are advocating for Oak Creek Franklin Joint School District to implement a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program to address the racial slur incidents that have been occurring," Hibbler wrote to Assistant Superintendent Bridget Kotarak in July last year. "I would appreciate if you could schedule a series of meetings so that everyone can secure the dates." The email prompted Kotarak to schedule a DEI meeting with parents for the following month. "I take the initiative, I take the time, my energy, my computer, my resources," Hibbler told Public Investigator. "Whatever it is, it's been really dumped on the taxpayers who pay the school district to do the job." This summer, Hibbler submitted a formal complaint to district human resources director Troy Hamblin regarding concerns of racial discrimination and the need for a more defined process for reporting such incidents. In response, the school board began to revise student handbooks in August to define culturally offensive acts and how students would be disciplined for them. "What you're seeing here tonight is one of the things that the complainant actually recommended we do," Hamblin said as he presented the handbook revisions to the school board on Aug. 12. But Hibbler said her work continues. As of the August meeting, the revisions to the handbook on culturally offensive acts were only being considered for high schools. Hibbler reminded board members that, during a school board meeting last year, a parent reported students had called her elementary-aged daughter racial slurs. "That is outside of the high school realm," Hibbler told the board. "I would like to see it district-wide." Students and parents report a lack of cultural awareness, study finds Hibbler told Public Investigator she remains concerned that the district hasn't followed up with students and parents about specific plans to address the Derute study. For Derute's report, prepared by Dr. Latish Reed and Roman, the district recruited parents and students within Oak Creek High School to participate in focus groups. Parent focus groups consisted of seven to eight participants, half of which were from the district's newly formed DEI advocacy group. Student focus groups were made up of three to five Oak Creek High School students. After learning of how anxious parents were for change, Derute scratched its plan to also include staff focus groups to expedite the process, the report said. That decision was meant to allow the district enough time to take action on Derute's recommendations before the 2024-25 school year. Focus groups were held from late November 2023 to mid-January 2024. Derute's report said students felt pressure to conform to a "white-washed" standard, and wished staff was more diverse with a better understanding of cultural experiences. Overall, theres a widespread sentiment among students that the districts response to racial incidents is inadequate and that more needs to be done to address the problem," the report said. Similarly, parents voiced the need for more adults of color for students to go to for support, as well as common incidents of insensitivity "reflecting a systemic lack of understanding." The firm's recommendations included expanding staff diversity and ongoing training for district leadership. It also recommended creating safe spaces for students of color. Last year, the Oak Creek-Franklin School Board banned safe space signage for LGBTQ+ students, though a board member also raised concern about Black Lives Matter signs. Oak Creek-Franklin School Board president Frank Carini did not respond to requests for comment. Derute presented its findings to the DEI parent group in April. However, parents like Hibbler say the school district has not acknowledged the parents' or students' contributions and has not publicly released the report, which Public Investigator obtained through a records request. Four months later, as students enter their third week of school, an exact plan of action remains unclear. Change is especially important amid growing number of students of color, report says In its report, Derute said it is important for the district to embrace and value differences as student demographics change. In the last decade, the district's student population has become increasingly diverse, Derute's study said, with the percentage of students of color rising from 29% in the 2014-15 school year to 37% in the 2023-24 school year. The report also shows an increase in students with limited English proficiency, students who qualify for free or reduced lunch, and students with disabilities. "This underscores the importance of being attuned to demographic shifts," the report said. The district is about 5% Black, 8% Asian and 17% Hispanic or Latino, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. According to a tentative meeting agenda, the school board will hear the results of the report at its next meeting on Sept. 23. But Hibbler said she remains frustrated at how little action she has seen since her initial complaint three years ago. "That's someone's whole high school career," she said. Editors note, Sept. 16, 2024: A previous version of this article included a reference to an incident at a different school district. The article has been corrected Quinn Clark is a Public Investigator reporter. She can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Quinn_A_Clark. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 'More to come' after Oak Creek-Franklin schools' racial justice audit SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) It was quite a community outpouring Sunday for a Scranton firefighter who is battling a devastating disease. Montage Mountain Resort was the scene of a fundraiser called Raise Some Hell for Hoppy. Hundreds turned out to support Scranton Fire Department Lieutenant Kelly Hopkins. He is battling stage four cancer of the esophagus. Party chairs react after 2nd assassination attempt on Trump The fundraiser brought together family, friends, and firefighters who came through the ranks and worked with Hopkins during his almost four-decade firefighting career. We can be here to support him and as a team get through this with him and just keep him fighting the good fight, said Scranton Fire Department Assistant Chief Jeff White. He is a fine, distinguished gentleman and would do anything for anyone. So, were all sorry that he has this sickness and with the help of God everything will work out for him, said Scranton Fire Department Former Chief Tom Davis. A friend surprised Hopkins with a bell from an old fire truck to help lift his spirits and show support. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com. Richard Geary heard word of the contagion around the turn of spring, when it was still distant. News reports and murmurs among fellow veterinarians revealed livestock herds about 1,000 miles away in Kansas had fallen ill with a confusing new ailment. In the 35 years hes been treating animals across southeast Idaho, Geary had never heard of anything like it. Nor did he think hed soon be at the center of an outbreak that threatened national, even global, consequences. Shortly after, highly pathogenic avian influenza colloquially known as bird flu was confirmed for the first time in dairy cows from New Mexico, Texas and Kansas. In my mind, I was thinking, Well, I sure hope that they can contain it, Geary says. But just one week after the news broke, the first reported case reached an Idaho dairy farm and sent farmers into a panic. Their questions to me and to the other veterinarian in my practice are: What do you know about it? he says, and, What do we do when we get it? Now, Western states like Idaho and Colorado have more infected livestock herds than anywhere else in the country. Scientists discovered this strain of influenza, H5N1, in waterfowl almost three decades ago. Its killed hundreds of millions of birds, either through complications posed by infection or mandatory cullings to prevent its spread. Its infected bears, seals, sea lions, cats and dogs. Somewhere along its interspecies journey, as the scariest viruses do, it learned how to infect people, too. About 900 human cases have been recorded since 2003, and its estimated that more than 50 percent of those have been fatal. Yet the novel jump to cattle leaves scientists and farmers particularly worried. In the short term, there are economic lags and repercussions. An infected herd can cause tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a day in production losses for farmers. But in the long term, theres the potential for another pandemic. Like the name suggests, highly pathogenic avian influenza is almost too easy to spread. Infected cattle circulate H5N1 through entire herds in a matter of days. Sometimes the infected cattle die of the disease. Sometimes theyre slaughtered in fear of spreading it. Although personal protective equipment like gloves, goggles and masks can prevent farmers from contracting the virus, all it takes is one virion that microscopic single viral particle in the eye, nose or mouth to infect a human. Ten dairy workers in the United States have already gotten the disease. Theres no publicly available vaccine to prevent it yet, either. And since influenza viruses are known to mutate and adapt to different species after enough exposure, these mounting cases among dairy farmers could lay down the groundwork for a more widespread human threat. This virus could be spreading right now to lots of dairy workers and to their families, but we dont know, because were not doing enough surveillance to find out. This outbreak is part of a new frontier for infectious diseases. From dengue fever to cholera, monkeypox to measles, and even other strains of influenza, illnesses are intensifying around the world. More than 900 new viruses have been discovered since 2009, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 3 of every 4 emerging infectious diseases that affect humans originate in animals. Booming animal agriculture, growing human populations and changing climates create a perfect environment for viruses like bird flu to spread and adapt to new hosts. As those risks compound, pandemics grow more frequent. Experts predict the annual likelihood of extreme epidemics will increase threefold within the next few decades. How the West, the nation and the world responds to H5N1 will foreshadow how prepared the public is to live in a future with more of these viruses and their fallouts. As much as half of all the biological material that makes up the human body is not actually our body. We are only about 40-50 percent human. Bacteria, fungi and viruses existing on and within every living person make up the rest. Viruses most of all. At any given time, a human being is host to around 380 trillion viruses. Many cause illness and infection. Some actually ward off disease. Most just tag along for the ride. Viruses are genetic material, RNA or DNA, wrapped in protein. They vary in shape and size but are all exceptionally small much smaller than bacteria and about 10,000 times smaller than a single grain of salt. They can infect plant, animal, bacterial and fungal cells by attaching themselves to receptors found along a cells surface before forcing their way inside. Once in a host cell, they replicate. Influenza viruses are among the most common viruses to result in infectious diseases. There are four types: A, B, C and D. Avian influenzas, including the current H5N1 strain in cattle, fall into the first category, a camp reserved for the viruses most capable of causing pandemics due to how rapidly they multiply. When a virus jumps from one species to another, its usually by chance. Viruses train themselves over time to infect a particular host. But if another species has cells with similar receptor sites, and the virus comes into contact with those receptor sites, it can try to infect the unfamiliar species by swapping out parts of its genetic material with other viruses of the same type that already exist in that host. These reconfigurations are random. Theyre difficult, maybe even impossible, to predict and usually dont work. However, when they do, they can result in mass outbreaks. The swine flu pandemic of 2009 is the most recent example. A mishmash of influenzas that originated in birds, pigs and humans recombined to create a transmissible strain that killed more than 12,000 people in the United States alone. For a pandemic to take place, a virus must be able to infect humans, spread easily from person to person, and be unfamiliar enough that the body has little or no immunity to it. So far, H5N1 checks two of the three boxes. The 10 confirmed cases in farm workers resulted in only minor symptoms. The most recent cluster of human infection took place on a dairy farm in Colorado in July the first of its kind in the West. Each infected person so far has recovered and, although humans can contract it from cattle, the virus has not yet adapted to easily transmit from human to human. There are lots of question marks in terms of how to prevent this from happening, and until we have proper epidemiology, we really cant make strong recommendations to prevent it, says John Swartzberg, a clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases and vaccinology at UC Berkeley. This virus could be spreading right now to lots of dairy workers and to their families, but we dont know, because were not doing enough surveillance to find out. In the short term, there are economic repercussions. Infected cattle cause tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a day in losses for farmers. In the long term, theres the potential for another pandemic. Nobody knows for certain how H5N1 jumped from wild birds to cows this past year. By the time health officials identified it, the virus had been spreading undetected for months. That gave it ample time to grow accustomed to this new host. Now, since the virus can latch onto cell receptors in cows udders, dairy workers exposed to infected milk are left uniquely vulnerable. Worse yet, if H5N1 gets enough exposure to the human body through these dairy farm infections, it could similarly mutate to become more contagious among people. Whats disturbing is that the receptor sites in the mammary glands of cattle are very similar to receptor sites in human beings, Swartzberg says. All of that increases the probability of spillover and then a pandemic. The risk to the general public is still low since pasteurization kills the virus in commercial dairy products. Though, to err on the side of caution, the federal government is contracting deals with pharmaceutical companies to develop H5N1 vaccines should the virus snowball into a public health emergency. Late-stage testing of these vaccines is only estimated to begin sometime next year. But to a virus including this particular one a year is like a hundred lifetimes. Plenty could change. Plenty already has. When a bird flu outbreak overtook poultry farms across the country in 2022, the disease spread so quickly that it forced farmers to cull tens of millions of birds. It cost the poultry industry hundreds of millions of dollars and more than doubled the cost of eggs for consumers. News reports at the time speculated what would happen if the virus spread to other mammals on farms, and how it could heighten the risks for humans. The present outbreak in cattle is the next step in that evolution. Its a manifestation of the fears that first surfaced just a couple of years ago. At least nine counties across southern Idaho have had to quarantine dairy facilities due to H5N1 infection and exposure. As quickly and as thoroughly as that spread through different herds of cows, Im assuming that everybody either has got it or will get it, Geary says. My guess is its not a matter of if, its a matter of when that will happen. Farms in different states have slaughtered some dairy cows that did not recover from the H5N1 virus, much like the cullings of infected poultry that took place during the last outbreak. But where a chicken can cost less than $500 a year to raise, each dairy cow costs farmers at least a few thousand dollars annually. Between production losses, thinned herds and sick farm workers, the financial strain has already proven brutal for those in agriculture. And its been less than a year since cows were even able to be infected with the virus. Idaho is home to the third largest population of dairy cows in the country. There are more cattle than there are people, and much to the potatos chagrin dairy is the single most valuable agricultural commodity produced in the state. We have a much larger average herd size than the rest of the country, says Rick Naerebout, chief executive officer of the Idaho Dairymens Association. Were milking about 2,500 cows on our average dairy. And so, looking at production losses, losing 20 percent of your milk production on a herd that size, that equates to just shy of $10,000 a day in losses. Much of the Mountain West similarly relies on animal agriculture, which makes the region more susceptible to infectious diseases like this one. Like the name suggests, highly pathogenic avian influenza is almost too easy to spread. All it takes is one virion that microscopic single viral particle to infect humans. The Department of Agriculture mandates dairy cattle be tested for avian influenza before herds can cross state lines, but it relies almost entirely on farmers to test and track cattle themselves. That not only places the burden on vulnerable farmers, it leaves room for error. There have been far more anecdotal reports of sick farm workers across the country in states with outbreaks than there have been confirmed human cases. This leaves health experts to speculate that many infections go untested and unreported. You can imagine, if you were a rancher, the last thing youd want to see is epidemiologists coming from the government to try and find evidence of infected cattle, Swartzberg says. And if they do find evidence of infected cattle, you dont want to know that because its going to have a major impact on your business. In May, the federal government allocated $200 million to incentivize more surveillance, biosecurity and research on dairy farms. A program to compensate farmers for production losses launched in July. Now, dairy farmers can apply to receive funding that equals up to 90 percent of revenue lost due to H5N1 infections in their herds. I think one of the things wed really like to see (next) would be the option for our dairy producers to vaccinate for it, Naerebout says. Especially since the virus looks as though its here to stay. Whether this virus will evolve and threaten the next pandemic will depend not only on its ability to develop specific mutations, but on the attention paid to it. The World Health Organization views surveillance as a necessary pillar of an effective public health response. It is the first line of defense against the spread of viruses and the pandemics or epidemics that follow. As H5N1 continues to evolve and infect farmers on the front lines with Idaho at its epicenter, Geary tries his best to maintain that vigilance. At times it feels like its all he can do. I feel for my producers that havent got it yet. Because its a hit thats coming, he says. I would like to see them avoid that. But its probably not going to be that way. This story appears in the September 2024 issue of Deseret Magazine. Learn more about how to subscribe. (Bloomberg) -- Kamala Harris will meet with donors in Manhattan for a fundraising event that is being billed by organizers as a final chance to see Harris in New York before the election. Most Read from Bloomberg Tickets for the Sept. 22 Afternoon with Vice President Kamala Harris start at $500 and go up to $1 million, an option that gives donors access to two additional events a Liberty luncheon and a reception for top donors and a photo with Harris. Since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July, Harris has largely stayed out of fundraising, leaving that role to surrogates including her husband Doug Emhoff, her running mate Tim Walz, and other politicians including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Instead she has focused her public appearances mostly in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and North Carolina. The Manhattan stop is sandwiched in between one in Washington this past weekend, and another planned for Sept. 29 in Los Angeles, designed to tap into traditional big-cash reservoirs for the party. When Biden was campaigning, his team used the model of large events with multiple headliners of past presidents and celebrities like George Clooney, to bring in major hauls: $30 million in Los Angeles and another $26 million in New York. The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request to comment. Harris campaign has built a large cash lead over Donald Trump. She raised $361 million in August, nearly three times what the Republican nominee reported. When Taylor Hanex, a financial advisor who lives in Midtown Manhattan, saw the Harris invitation, she bought a ticket almost immediately for $50,000, a level that allows her to have a photo with Harris. Its the first check shes written since Harris took the top of the ticket. We want to hear Kamala in person, we want to see the crowd, enjoy the enthusiasm we want to be part of it, Hanex said. I was figuring I better go to this one because she probably isnt going to come back. Hanex was told of the invitation by Melissa Prober, whos based in Brooklyn and is a national co-chair of Women for Harris. This is the hottest ticket in town, Prober said. She sent the invitation to her network on Sunday, which she called her single best day of fundraising during the entire campaign in terms of both number of donations and total raised. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Thought to be one of the world's rarest penguin species, the hoiho is native to New Zealand [Dunedin NZ] A shy yellow-eyed penguin has come out on top of one of New Zealand's most contested competitions to win Bird of the Year. More than 50,000 people voted in the competition - which has in the past seen its fair share of scandal - including claims of foreign interference and allegations of cheating. Last year, the puteketeke won the competition after comedian John Oliver threw his weight behind it, launching a campaign that involved him dressing up as the bird, complete with a striking burnt-orange mullet. Thought to be one of the world's rarest penguin species, the hoiho can be found only in New Zealand. According to Forest & Bird, the organisation that runs the competition, the hoiho secured a victory with 6,328 votes - ahead of the Karure Chatham Island black robin with more than 5,000 votes. This is the second time the hoiho has swooped in to win the competition, having also come in first in 2019 - the same year where allegations arose that the hoiho had only won after Russian interference. Hundreds of votes for the bird were found to have come from Russia, though Forest & Bird said these were likely not fradulent votes, but those from Russian ornithologists. In 2018, there were also claims that Australians tried to rig the contest in favour of the shag - a species of cormorant. The hoiho, whose Maori name means "noise shouter", is notoriously shy despite its loud, shrill call, says the organisation, who said the win would raise conservation efforts for the species. It is an endangered species or three steps away from extinction and its numbers are decreasing, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. This spotlight couldnt have come at a better time, said Forest & Bird's chief executive Nicola Toki. This iconic penguin is disappearing from mainland Aotearoa (New Zealand) before our eyes. Conservation efforts are taking place on land but Ms Toki says they are also needed at sea. Theyre drowning in set nets and cant find enough food," she said. "Our hoiho urgently need marine protected areas to give them a shot at survival. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Almost exactly two months to the day Thomas Matthew Crooks fired off an AR-style rifle in an attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump, tension is heightened once again in a second apparent assassination attempt, this time in West Palm Beach, Florida. The FBI has detained 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh in the alleged apparent assassination attempt against Trump on Sept. 15 while he was golfing at the Trump International Golf Course. Ryan Wesley Routh. A Secret Service officer spotted Routh in the bushes with an AK-47 and fired shots before Routh allegedly fled in a black SUV before he was apprehended by local law enforcement in a neighboring county. The former president has shared he is safe and well following the incident. "Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!" Trump said earlier. In a Truth Social post, Trump thanked the Secret Service and all those giving well-wishes and sharing concern, saying it was "an interesting day." "I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes - It was certainly an interesting day! Most importantly, I want to thank the U.S. Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his Office of brave and dedicated Patriots, and, all of Law Enforcement, for the incredible job done today at Trump International in keeping me, as the 45th President of the United States, and the Republican Nominee in the upcoming Presidential Election, SAFE. THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!" Trump posted. In response to the incident, politicians across the nation and the political aisle have shared their thoughts and well-wishes for Trump, condemning the violence. I have been briefed by my team regarding what federal law enforcement is investigating as a possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today. A suspect is in custody, and I commend the work of the Secret Service and their law enforcement partners for their President Biden (@POTUS) September 16, 2024 "I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today. As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence," said Vice President Kamala Harris. "I am thankful that former President Trump is safe. I commend the U.S. Secret Service and law enforcement partners for their vigilance. As President Biden said, our Administration will ensure the Secret Service has every resource, capability, and protective measure necessary to carry out its critical mission." Harris also tweeted an additional statement condemning the attacks. I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America. Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) September 15, 2024 Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi also shared her thoughts on the incident, saying there's never a place for political violence of any kind in America. There never is a place for political violence of any kind in America. As the investigation into todays incident continues, let us commend law enforcement for their actions to keep the former President safe from harm. Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) September 16, 2024 Rep. Ro Khanna spoke out against the incident, sharing his relief for Trump's safety and calling two attempts on the former president "unacceptable." I am relieved that President Trump and those that were with him are safe. This is a deeply concerning time for our country, and I pray we can prevent this kind of violence and find ways to heal the divisions. Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) September 15, 2024 Two assassination attempts in 60 days on a former President & the Republican nominee is unacceptable. The Secret Service must come to Congress tomorrow, tell us what resources are needed to expand the protective perimeter, & lets allocate it in a bipartisan vote the same day. Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) September 16, 2024 State Sen. Scott Wiener publicly responded to a controversial tweet by Elon Musk, who posted on his account that "no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala," calling it despicable. The tweet has since been deleted, but not before it garnered millions of views. This is one of the most despicable tweets Ive seen on this platform. And believe me, Ive seen many despicable tweets. pic.twitter.com/uYufWS2BWQ Senator Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) September 16, 2024 The tech mogul endorsed Trump for the presidency after the first assassination attempt. Musk could not be reached for comment. Wiener did not respond to KTVU's request for comment. The Colorado Springs Police Department is asking for the community's help in locating 13-year-old Jaelynn Fayth Medina. Medina was last seen on Friday in the 2200 block of Glenwood Circle in Colorado Springs, police say. Medina is described as a Hispanic female, standing 48 tall and weighing 114 pounds with medium-length brown hair and brown eyes. Jaelynn was last seen wearing a grey spaghetti-strap shirt and short light blue shorts. She took a pair of black pants and a black t-shirt when she left, according to police. Anyone with information on Jaelynn Medinas whereabouts is being asked to call Colorado Springs police at (719) 444-7000. Protestors lined their signs up outside of the Talihina Junior High School auditorium before heading into a meeting with federal regulators. (Photo by Graycen Wheeler/KOSU) The morning of August 9th was a hectic one at Talihina Junior High in Southeast Oklahoma, even though the school year hadnt started yet. The auditorium was packed with community members waiting for a turn to share their thoughts on a proposed hydropower project . Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation, an energy company, wants to create two reservoirs just south of Talihina on the Kiamichi River. Theyd sit right next to each other, but one would be at a higher elevation than the other. Together, these reservoirs would act like a giant battery. When the sun is beaming down on solar panels and wind turbines are twirling, they often generate more power than people need. That extra electricity could be used to pump water into the upper reservoir. Electricity demand peaks in the evening, when the sun isnt overhead. And the wind isnt always blowing. But stored water could be released from the upper reservoir, generating electricity to close that gap between supply and demand. In the proposed Pushmataha Project, those reservoirs would be filled with water from the Kiamichi River. But once filled, theyd form a closed loop, where the water could be pumped uphill, released downhill, and then pumped uphill again. The hydropower from the Kiamichi reservoirs would be sent to a substation in Paris, Texas. Then it would enter Texass electric grid or the Southwest Power Pool thats the multistate electric grid Oklahoma is part of. Project leaders said both grids would contribute extra power to the system, and both grids would use the stored power based on need. In Talihina, Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation leaders briefly spoke to residents in the auditorium, using a video from the U.S. Department of Energy to explain what theyre trying to do. The video illustrates pumped storage hydropower with charming hand-drawn diagrams on a whiteboard. But those reservoirs wouldnt be floating on a white background in real life. Theyd sit on top of land that belongs to Oklahomans and most of them are not happy about it. Locals say project would have wide consequences for the community Alan Kight Jr., 42, has lived near the Kiamichi River his whole life. My grandpa was the one who bought the property when my dad was five, Kight said. That was in 1960, and our familys lived here ever since. Kight is one of more than 500 people who own property within the projects study area. That doesnt necessarily mean it will all be purchased via eminent domain and flooded. But at least some of it will be if the project is approved. Weve not seen a clear enough map to know exactly where its going, but even if it doesnt take our property, the burden of it still affects all of us, Kight said. Kight isnt just an affected resident hes also the Pushmataha County Rural Water District #2 manager. He says a quarter of the districts meters are within the study area. Losing those customers would mean upping everybody elses water rates to keep the district operational. We have taken out a big loan to upgrade our water district, and the meters that will be lost will put a burden over on the existing customers that would be left, Kight said. Its not fair to our customers to have to be burdened over somebody elses project. Kight shared his thoughts with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which oversees the approval process for projects like this. Hundreds of other residents put in their opinions, too. Choctaw Nation leads opposition to project Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton says its not enough for FERC to document the publics disapproval. This FERC process is not very transparent at all, Batton said. You should be able to have dialogue as true consultation they are required to consult with us. This is not the consultation. The land in question is within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation. Many affected people are Choctaws, including Kight and more than half of his water districts customers. From a cultural perspective, if we lose our way of life, we lose our culture, Batton said. This would drastically change the way we live here. And then, of course, the environment there are endangered species along the Kiamichi River that this would impact. The project could affect ten federally listed endangered or threatened species, according to a letter the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wrote to FERC. Most of those are bats and freshwater mussels. The letter said the project would affect five additional species under consideration for federal listing. Batton grew up in the area and lives just a quarter mile from the Kiamichi River. He says the whole thing smacks of forced removal. We as tribes know what its like to lose our homeland, and so we dont want that to happen again, he said. Sure, times have changed. Weve got new neighbors, new friends. But as a family, were going to stay unified. Were going to fight this. First, Batton says hell oppose the FERC process for not meeting consultation requirements. The Choctaw Nation may involve the U.S. Department of the Interior, which acts as a trustee of the tribe according to their 1831 removal treaty. Batton said the Choctaw Nation will take legal action if necessary. If we go to court, who knows, but were in the battle for 20, 30 years, he said. And if thats what we have to do, were ready for the fight. Both the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations have written letters to FERC opposing the project. In addition to protecting their citizens and the environment, both tribes seek to enforce their water rights. The Chickasaw and Choctaw governments are part of an agreement to sell water from Sardis Lake (part of the Kiamichi Basin) to Oklahoma City. The tribes, Oklahoma City, the state of Oklahoma and the federal government all signed onto that agreement. In that settlement agreement, it said the lake levels would stay a certain level that wed have certain stream flows, Batton said. If it impacts that, its going to violate the water Settlement Agreement. . . Itd be a violation of federal law. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond wrote a letter to FERC urging them to deny the project application. I will not tolerate violation of Oklahoma law or flagrant disregard for the sovereignty or federal law, protected rights of a tribal nation and similarly situated property owners, Drummond wrote. Sen. George Burns and Rep. Justin Humphrey , who represent the area in the Oklahoma legislature, have also expressed opposition to the project. Project developers emphasize need for power storage The people behind the project Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation president Johann Tse and civil engineer Fred Brown wouldnt speak on the record. But, the pair agreed to answer questions over email. They say the public pushback hasnt changed how they approach the project and are confident it will come to fruition. They explained why this site was selected for the pumped storage hydropower project. An efficient pumped-storage facility needs the water reservoirs to be vertically far from each other and horizontally close to each other, Tse wrote. The site selected has such a feature, which is not found elsewhere. Tse wrote storing extra energy from wind farms means fewer might need to be built in the long run. Tse also emphasized that the power storage would benefit area residents directly, because some of the power will go back onto the Southwest Power Pools grid, which includes all of Oklahoma. If people keep an open mind, the benefits of the project become clear, Tse wrote. Tse pointed out that FERC has received at least two positive comments from local builders who see the project as a way to generate well-paying jobs in the area. However, most people who have submitted feedback to FERC dont see it that way. Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation had false starts on this project in 2018 and earlier this year. Batton said the Choctaw Nation has been fighting similar projects since the 1980s. Kight expressed frustration with how long the community has been playing Whac-A-Mole with hydropower projects. Its been a fight for years for this area, Kight said. Were small, everybody wants what we have, and wed just soon be left alone. Leave southeastern Oklahoma alone. This article was originally published by KOSU. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX (WHNT) The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a recall for a Volkswagen car defect in which the doors could open while driving. On September 4, NHTSA posted a recall for Volkswagen ID.4 cars made from 2021-2024. On the NHTSA website, it says the door handles may get water trapped in the circuit board leading to a open command being triggered. Janes Addiction removed from South Star Festival lineup following tour cancellation The NHTSA said Volkswagen has not issued a stop drive for this recall. However, if the malfunction affects your car, drivers may notice an audible clicking noise, similar to the sound of a door being unlocked/locked. Should this issue occur in your car, customers are advised to contact a local Volkswagen dealer to have the car inspected. As of now, there is no remedy other than Volkswagen dealers inspecting and replacing door handles and updating the vehicle software, free of charge. Volkswagen is working diligently to make the recall remedy available as soon as possible, the NHTSA recall document stated. 56-year-old woman with outstanding warrants arrested after leading deputies on chase There are roughly 119,000 ID.4 vehicles that could be affected by this defect. In the NHTSA frequently asked question (FAQ) sheet, cars in the U.S. and Canada could be affected by this specific issue. The FAQ sheet says the U.S. has about 98,806 cars in the recall list and Canada has around 20,602 cars issued in this recall. In February, Volkswagen was notified of several complaints about door handle parts that were made after countermeasures were implemented by suppliers. Despite this recall, Volkswagen said it is not aware of any crashes or injuries because of this defect. Owners are expected to be notified about this recall in November. You can read the full recall manufacture notice, report and acknowledgment on the NHTSA website. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. (WJET/WFXP) The American Red Cross is hosting a blood drive in the coming weeks to honor the memory of Ryan Clinkunbroomer, a former Los Angeles sheriffs deputy who grew up visiting Erie. The blood drive is set to take place on Monday, Oct. 7, what wouldve been Clinkunbroomers 32nd birthday, from noon to 6 p.m. at the Red Cross NWPA chapter located at 4961 Pittsburgh Ave., Erie, PA while a second one goes on the same day in Los Angeles. Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy killed in ambush shooting Clinkunbroomer was murdered in an ambush-style attack while at a stoplight in Sep. 2023 near the Palmdale Sheriffs station after joining the department in 2015. His mother is encouraging members of the community and law enforcement to join them in honoring Ryans life and service. Our son loved to help others and give back to his community as a Deputy Sheriff, said Kim Clinkunbroomer, Deputy Clinkunbroomers mother. I cant get Ryan back, but I can give back and honor his legacy of helping his community. A suspect has been arrested in the ambush killing of a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy Growing up Clinkunbroomer often visited family on his grandmothers side in the Erie area going boating, fishing and kayaking. The Red Cross is also offering anyone who donates between Oct. 1 and 31 a $10 gift card by email. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference in Orlando highlighting the Florida Prepaid College Plan on Sept. 16, 2024. (Screenshot via the governor's X livestream.) More than $130 million in refunds remain for Florida Prepaid College Plan families following years of unchanged in-state higher education tuition, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday. According to DeSantis, the government has issued $850 million in refunds, and more than $130 million remain unclaimed. The governor was joined by Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr., State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, and Florida Prepaid College Board Chairman John Rood during a news conference at an elementary school in Orlando to tout the program and the nations lowest tuition. Approximately 40,000 families have not claimed their refunds, Rood said. Our staff is working tirelessly to try to get this money out to the policyholders, Rood said. Theyll never lose it. When they come to use the money when their childs about to go to college, theyll then reach out to us and well be able to, you know, square it up. But we would like to do it as soon as possible so they can convert to a 529 or use that money for some other purpose thats important to them. He referred to a form of tax-free account for educational spending. Average refunds per family since 2020 have ranged from approximately $2,500 to $4,500, according to DeSantis. Thats just going basically right into your pocket, so you continue to get the benefits, but then you get the money back, DeSantis said of the refunds. What other state would be sending you money back? In January, the Florida Prepaid College Board reduced contribution levels for the program while maintaining coverage. The reduction was for plans purchased since 2008 from which families have not begun withdrawing funds. Three factors contributing to lower costs, according to the Florida Prepaid program, are current college costs, assumptions about future college costs, and investment returns. Any payments families have made in excess of the estimates are available for rebate. Due to continued years of lower than anticipated tuition and fee increases, the Board determined that it was possible to incorporate recent tuition and fee experience to lower certain Prepaid Plan prices, according to the website issuing the refunds. Please note that the Board will never increase the cost of your existing Plan(s). Florida public universities have charged the same tuition and fees since the 2024-2015 college year. According to the Education Data Initiative, nationally, public four-year institutions have increased tuition by 36.7% since 2010. When theres more money in the kitty, its going back to you in your pockets, DeSantis said. This is not money that is going to be squandered. And I can guarantee you this, you know, as long as Im kicking and screaming, were going to hold the line on tuition at our state colleges and universities. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Families curious about availability of a refund may visit myfloridaprepaid.com/lowprices for further details. If you have a plan and you havent claimed your refund, log on to your account, check it out, because you may have a couple thousand dollars coming your way, DeSantis said. Families with money available may be refunded the excess amount or move it to a different 529 savings plan. Families who enroll a student in the program before Oct. 28 will get a $50 gift card. There is no better deal in the country right now than to make an investment in Florida Prepaid for your child, and so I encourage everyone to do so, Rodrigues said. Each player on the Lake Mary Little League World Series champion team was awarded a two-year prepaid plan during their trip to the governors mansion and Florida State Universitys Doak Campbell stadium over the weekend, DeSantis said. What is the program? The state has been selling the prepaid college plan since 1988, an initiative of Stanley Tate, a Republican donor for whom the program is named. Tate died in July. Families can invest in a prepaid plan, which has fixed payments and can be applied to tuition at Florida colleges and universities or out-of-state schools, as well as trade schools. The program can be cashed out or used by other family members if it goes unused by the designee, including if they qualify for the merit-based Bright Futures Scholarship. In the prepaid plan, tuition is locked in on the date it is purchased. The state offers a savings plan, too, which allows contributors to invest whenever they have money to spare. Both versions are 529 accounts, or tax-free accounts for educational expenses. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE "We face unprecedented challenges to the reliability of our nation's electrical system." That was the testimony of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) chairman Willie L. Phillips in a May 4, 2023, hearing of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. FERC is the agency that regulates the interstate transmission and wholesale of electricity, and it is sounding the alarm about our electrical grid. Until recently, Americans took electrical grid reliability for granted. "The average U.S. customer loses power less than two times per year for a total of less than five hours, which represents 99.95 percent reliability," notes National Renewable Energy Laboratory grid analyst Paul Denholm. But that may be changing. Former FERC Commissioner James Danly pointed out during the hearing that a large part of the growing challenge to electrical grid reliability stems from the "premature retirement of the dispatchable generators"those power sources, such as coal-fired and natural gas plants, that can be adjusted rapidly to meet electricity demand. The "premature retirement" of those power sources is largely because of federal efforts to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel plants to combat climate change. The result? Always-on coal and gas plants cannot compete with massively subsidized intermittent wind and solar power. "Our nation's grid infrastructure is nothing less than the backbone of the U.S. economy," stated thenFERC commissioner Allison Clements. That backbone, according to the Energy Information Administration, includes nearly 160,000 miles of high-voltage power lines, millions of low-voltage power lines, and distribution transformers that altogether connect 145 million customers. Clements proposed addressing the looming reliability crisis by coming up with ways to "improve the efficiency of the existing grid via grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) and leverage the potential of distributed energy sources," such as wind and solar power. Deploying GETs, she argues, "would reduce the immediate need to build a more costly transmission line." Assuming federal climate change policies persist, the Department of Energy estimates that the U.S. will need to increase its transmission capacity by 60 percent to 125 percent by the year 2035. The rise of power-hungry data centers, electric vehicles, and the electrification of home heating and cooling will increase domestic electricity demand by 18 percent by 2030 and 38 percent by 2035. Can GETs solve our self-inflicted grid reliability problem? One key GET is new high-voltage transmission lines capable of conducting up to three times as much electricity as conventional lines. Traditional high-voltage lines use century-old technology: a steel core surrounded by aluminum wire. As current increases, these lines heat up and sag, which can cause them to touch brush or trees and spark damaging wildfires. This sagging also limits the amount of electricity that a line can carry. Companies such as the California-based startup TS Conductor offer a promising solution. Their advanced transmission wires replace the steel core with carbon fiber, which is twice as strong, weighs 80 percent less, and barely sags when heated. This allows the carbon cores to support more tightly packed, flat trapezoidal aluminum wires, safely transmitting two to three times as much power as conventional lines. Typically, securing permits for and building a new high-voltage transmission line takes about 10 years. But restringing existing lines with advanced conductors could double the current capacity of our transmission system in the near term, according to an April report on reconductoring by researchers at University of California, Berkeley, and the nonprofit GridLab. This approach avoids the costs and regulatory hurdles of new lines. The researchers calculated that "reconductoring projects typically cost less than half the price of new lines for similar capacity increases." Even new transmission would be cheaper, as stringing lighter lines requires fewer, less bulky towers. A February companion working paper concludes that reconductoring existing rights-of-way "can rapidly and cost- effectively increase transmission capacity and unlock [renewable energy] on a US-wide scale," which would contribute over 80 percent of the new interzonal transmission needed to achieve over 90 percent of the federal government's clean electricity goals by 2035. The future of the U.S. electrical grid might hinge on these innovative solutions. The post How Reliable Is America's Electrical Grid? appeared first on Reason.com. TechCrunch Actress Emma Watson has made a previously undisclosed investment into the womens health company Hertility, bringing its total funding to more than $14 million, the company told TechCrunch in an interview on Monday. Dr. Helen ONeill, the CEO and co-founder of Hertility, said she met Watson through one of her investors who felt that the actress' stance on womens rights would make her a natural fit as an investor. Hertility was founded by women and focuses on womens health an area that historically hasn't received enough attention or funding, ONeill told TechCrunch. Rent is eating up a greater share of tenants income in almost every state An apartment maintenance man changes the lock of an apartment after constables posted an eviction order in Phoenix. In Arizona, low wages, a housing shortage, and short-term rental and vacation homes are eating away at the stock of affordable housing for renters. (John Moore | Getty Images) There were 21 states where a majority of tenant households spent 30% or more of their incomes on rent and utilities last year, compared with just seven states in 2019. Nationwide, about 22 million renters are shouldering that percentage. Anyone paying more than 30% is considered cost burdened, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and may struggle to pay for other necessities, such as food, clothing, transportation and medical care. Three presidential swing states had among the biggest increases in the share of renters who spent that much on housing: Arizona (to 54% from 46.5%), Nevada (to 57.4% from 51.1%) and Georgia (to 53.7% from 48.4%). The numbers are based on a Stateline analysis of American Community Survey data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Florida and Maine also saw large jumps. In Arizona, low wages, a housing shortage, and short-term rental and vacation homes are eating away at the stock of affordable housing for renters, according to Alison Cook-Davis, associate director for research at Arizona State Universitys Morrison Institute for Public Policy. Youve got people across the state kind of pulling their hair out, saying I thought Arizona was supposed to be the affordable state, Cook-Davis said. Rents in Arizona have shot up 40% to 60% in the last two years, she said. And the states eviction filings spiked 43% to 97,000 between 2022 and 2023, she said. In places such as Arizona and Nevada where the housing bubble of the late 2000s left vacant houses, the construction of apartments and other homes has not caught up with population increases, Cook-Davis added. A University of Nevada, Las Vegas, data brief reported in May that the Las Vegas area had the highest percentage of cost-burdened renters in the state, at 58.3%, more even than the New York City metro area (52.6%) or San Francisco metro area (48.9%). Todays newly released census figures showed that in addition to Arizona, Nevada and Georgia, the states with the highest jumps in the share of cost-burdened renters were Florida, which increased to 61.7% from 55.9%, and Maine, at 49.1% from 44%. That jump left Florida as the state with the highest rate of cost-burdened renters. It was followed by Nevada (57.4%), Hawaii (56.7%), Louisiana (56.2%) and California (56.1%). Youve got people across the state kind of pulling their hair out, saying I thought Arizona was supposed to be the affordable state. Alison Cook-Davis, associate research director for Arizona State Universitys Morrison Institute for Public Policy Florida isnt the deal it used to be, said Christopher McCarty, director of the University of Floridas Bureau of Economic and Business Research. Florida still has disproportionately lower-paying jobs compared to other states, and rents are increasing compared to other states as well. The states with the lowest rates of cost-burdened renters as of 2023 were North Dakota (37%), Wyoming (41.2%), South Dakota (41.3%), Kansas (43.5%) and Nebraska (44%). The share of cost-burdened renters increased since 2019 in every state except Vermont (down to 47.8% from 54%), Wyoming (down to 41.2% from 44%), North Dakota (down to 37% from 38%) and Rhode Island (down to 48.1% from 49%). Theres hope for the future in Arizona and other states with increased home construction, Cook-Davis said. If you keep building, eventually this will sort itself out. But that could take years. Its a slow process, she 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. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Rep. Joe Wilson out of the hospital, thanks well wishers in video from US Capitol Subcommittee Chairman U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) speaks during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on Capitol Hill on January 11, 2024 in Washington, DC. (File/Samuel Corum/Getty Images) U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson was discharged from the hospital over the weekend with a pacemaker after collapsing Sept. 10. In a one-minute video recorded in the U.S. Capitol on Monday, Wilson said he fainted after a significant drop in blood pressure. He received medical attention on the scene and was taken to George Washington University Hospital, where he said he received excellent care. Wilson was at an event at Ukraine House in Washington celebrating Ukraines Independence Day when he fell ill, according to a report from Reuters. In the video, he said he was attended by two heart surgeons and the House chaplain. Roxanne (his wife) and I are so grateful for the hundreds of messages of prayers by constituents, Wilson said in the video. Dozens of congressional colleagues, House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats have been so thoughtful. Wilson expressed his appreciation for the work of his staff during his stay in the hospital. He also said he was grateful that former President Donald Trump had survived what appears to have been an assassination attempt on Sunday. The 77-year-old Republican congressman from Lexington County has represented the 2nd District since winning a special election in 2001. He was previously a state senator for 17 years. In 2003, he retired from the South Carolina Army National Guard as a colonel. Wilson is the senior member of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee and chairman of its Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia subcommittee. He is running for re-election in November against Democratic challenger David Robinson II. The district stretches from Aiken and Barnwell counties at the Georgia border to northern Richland County. The man Licking County officers shot and killed after they alleged he tried to stab and kill his sister at an Alexandria home has been identified. Through a records request, The Advocate obtained a sheriffs office field report, which identifies Douglas L. Plott, 54, of Alexandria, as a suspect. The agency redacted some information in the report. According to the report, responding officers who entered the home say they located Plott and his sister in a bedroom, where they allege Plott held her at knifepoint. Officers reported unsuccessfully making contact with Plott while the sister was barricaded in a bedroom, the report states. Officers also reported giving Plott CPR before EMS personnel arrived, treated him and pronounced him dead at the scene. Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp did not respond to an email seeking comment. Attempts to reach him by phone were unsuccessful. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations examination of the shooting remains active and ongoing, Ohio Attorney Generals Office Press Secretary Steve Irwin told The Advocate in an email. The investigation will be referred to the Licking County prosecutors office once completed, Irwin said. Irwin did not have an estimate on completion of the investigation, stating the scope and scale of each incident determine the length of them. He declined further comment, citing the active investigation. Deputies responded Aug. 30 to a domestic violence report in the 4000 block of Northridge Road, where they allege witnesses saw a man trying to stab and kill his sister, according to the sheriffs office. Shortly after the shooting, Thorp told local news media, including The Advocate, during a news conference that officers shot the man and gave him CPR after encountering him inside the home. He did not say whether the man charged at deputies or threatened them with a weapon before they shot him, stating at the time that its being reviewed. No officers suffered any injuries, though the sister suffered a cut to her hand, Thorp said. The Advocate has submitted records requests seeking body-camera footage of officers involved in the shooting. The sheriffs office and Johnstown police each placed an officer on administrative leave after the shooting. In 911 calls shared with The Advocate, one caller told dispatchers that Plott had been threatening to kill his sister and himself with butcher knives. Another reported the sister texting them that Plott was threatening her with a butcher knife and possibly a firearm. Advocate reporter Josue Perez can be reached at jhperez@newarkadvocate.com. This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Report identifies man shot and killed by Licking police in Alexandria One of the many big stories of this past Supreme Court term is Justice Samuel Alitos refusal to recuse himself from Jan. 6-related cases, despite the appearance of impropriety from flags flying at his homes that Jan. 6 rioters also carried. A new report from The New York Times sheds more light on the situation, painting a potentially even more damning picture of the episode. The Times reported Sunday that Alito was originally assigned by Chief Justice John Roberts to write the majority opinion in Fischer v. United States, the case that narrowed obstruction charges against Jan. 6 defendants. The appeal didnt involve Donald Trump directly, but some of the Republican presidential nominees charges in his federal election interference case involve alleged obstruction, so he could benefit from the Fischer decision as well. But according to the Times, Roberts took over the opinion shortly after the Times reported in May that an upside-down flag a symbol of the Stop the Steal movement flew outside Alitos home following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. We already knew that Roberts authored the 6-3 ruling in Fischer, published June 28, which Alito joined. But Alito initially being assigned by Roberts to write it is a new detail. When hes in the majority, the chief has the power to assign who writes the opinion; otherwise, its the senior-most justice. NBC News and MSNBC have not independently confirmed the Times report, which also explored the rulings granting Trump broad criminal immunity and keeping him on the presidential ballot despite the Constitutions insurrectionist ban. The report said its based on justices private memos, documentation of the proceedings and interviews with court insiders, both conservative and liberal, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because deliberations are supposed to be kept secret. So why did Roberts reportedly make the highly unusual move of taking the Fischer opinion from Alito? The Times reported: Who initiated the change, and why, is not clear. The switch came days after The Times reported that an upside-down flag, a symbol of the Stop the Steal movement, had flown outside the Alito home following the Capitol attack. While that timing is suggestive, it is unclear whether the two are linked. (All nine justices declined to respond to written questions from The Times, a Supreme Court spokeswoman said.) But if the change in authorship was motivated at all by the appearance of impropriety of Alito authoring a Jan. 6-related opinion while facing recusal calls, then that should have been a sign to Roberts and Alito that Alito had no business sitting on the case. That is, if potential concern with making Alito the face of a pro-Jan. 6 defendant ruling was enough to take away the opinions authorship from him, then that same concern should have led to Alito not participating in the case, whether he was the author of the opinion or not. (The court did not immediately respond to my questions about the Times report regarding authorship and motivations behind Roberts reported reassignment.) If Roberts thought that taking over the opinion would avoid appearance concerns, he actually has only made things worse. 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 JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) Lee Keith started his law enforcement career as an officer for the Marianna Police Department. He spent more than a decade as an investigator in Miami and West Palm Beach, before moving back to the Panhandle. Liberty County Sheriffs Office searching for wanted suspect He became the director of law enforcement at the Liberty County Sheriffs Office, second only to the sheriff, before retiring in Jackson County. He said hes running for sheriffs because he wants to give residents access to their law enforcement agency. The only way you can make an appointment to have services done at Jackson County Sheriffs Office is through a Facebook portal where you have to go in and try to make an appointment through their Facebook page. Thats unheard of, Keith said. Keith said hell use a community policing style, putting deputies in neighborhoods. One of the biggest things you hear when youre out there walking and talking and shaking hands is that we dont have any officers in our community. Were going to change that. Were going to assign officers in those communities who live, work, and patrol in those communities, Keith said. Many in the community are upset over the way deputies handled the Ervin Mathis case. On July 4th, 2022, they answered a domestic abuse call at the 61-year-olds trailer. Mathis, who suffered physical limitations from a previous stroke, tried to explain they had the wrong house. But they arrested him anyway. Jackson County residents demand justice for alleged wrongful arrest victim Residents believe their use of force was unnecessary. Mathis died 5 months later. Keith would not comment on the case directly but believes the entire department could use more training. Ive committed to recontribute or to donate back into the general fund, a third of my income as a share of to help pay for resources like school resource development for our school resource deputies, to help pay for mental health and crisis development training for our officers. I want to walk the walk and not talk the talk, because training is expensive and Im willing to put my dollars, my money, my pay back into this county so that the citizens can get the service they need from trained and qualified officers, he said. We reached out to current Jackson County Sheriff Donnie Edenfield, but the sheriff did not want to comment. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com. Kids born in 2020 worldwide will experience twice the number of wildfires during their lifetimes compared with those born in 1960. In California and other western states, frequent wildfires have become as much a part of summer and fall as popsicles and Halloween candy. Wildfires produce fine particulate matter, or PM., that chokes the air and penetrates deep into lungs. Researchers know that short-term exposure to wildfire PM. increases acute care visits for cardiorespiratory problems such as asthma. However, the long-term effects of repeated exposure to wildfire PM. on chronic health conditions are unclear. One reason is that scientists have not decided how best to measure this type of intermittent yet ongoing exposure. Environmental epidemiologists and health scientists like us usually summarize long-term exposure to total PM. which comes from power plants, industry and transportation as average exposure over a year. This might not make sense when measuring exposure to wildfire. Unlike traffic-related air pollution, for example, levels of wildfire PM. vary a lot throughout the year. To improve health and equity research, our team has developed five metrics that better capture long-term exposure to wildfire PM.. Measuring fluctuating wildfire PM. To understand why current measurements of wildfire PM. arent adequately capturing an individuals long-term exposure, we need to delve into the concept of averages. Say the mean level of PM. over a year was 1 microgram per cubic meter. A person could experience that exposure as 1 microgram per cubic meter every day for 365 days, or as 365 micrograms per cubic meter on a single day. While these two scenarios result in the same average exposure over a year, they might have very different biological effects. The body might be able to fend off damage from exposure to 1 microgram per cubic meter each day, but be overwhelmed by a huge, single dose of 365 micrograms per cubic meter. For perspective, in 2022, Americans experienced an average total PM. exposure of 7.8 micrograms per cubic meter. Researchers estimated that in the 35 states that experience wildfires, these wildfires added on average just 0.69 micrograms per cubic meter to total PM. each year from 2016 to 2020. This perspective misses the mark, however. For example, a census tract close to the 2018 Camp Fire experienced an average wildfire PM. concentration of 1.2 micrograms per cubic meter between 2006 to 2020. But the actual fire event had a peak exposure of 310 micrograms per cubic meter the worlds highest level that day. Classic estimates of average PM. levels miss the peak exposure of wildfire events. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images Scientists want to better understand what such extreme exposures mean for long-term human health. Prior studies on long-term wildfire PM. exposure focused mostly on people living close to a large fire, following up years later to check on their health status. This misses any new exposures that took place between baseline and follow-up. More recent studies have tracked long-term exposure to wildfire PM. that changes over time. For example, researchers reported associations between wildfire PM. exposure over two years and risk of death from cancer and any other cause in Brazil. This work again relied on long-term average exposure and did not directly capture extreme exposures from intermittent wildfire events. Because the study did not evaluate it, we do not know whether a specific pattern of long-term wildfire PM. exposure was worse for health. Most days, people experience no wildfire PM. exposure. Some days, wildfire exposure is intense. As of now, we do not know whether a few very bad days or many slightly bad days are riskier for health. A new framework How can we get more realistic estimates that capture the huge peaks in PM. levels that people are exposed to during wildfires? When thinking about the wildfire PM. that people experience, exposure scientists researchers who study contact between humans and harmful agents in the environment consider frequency, duration and intensity. These interlocking factors help describe the bodys true exposure during a wildfire event. In our recent study, our team proposed a framework for measuring long-term exposure to wildfire PM. that incorporates the frequency, duration and intensity of wildfire events. We applied air quality models to California wildfire data from 2006 to 2020, deriving new metrics that capture a range of exposure types. One metric we devised is number of days with any wildfire PM. exposure over a long-term period, which can identify even the smallest exposures. Another metric is average concentration of wildfire PM. during the peak week of smoke levels over a long period, which highlights locations that experience the most extreme exposures. We also developed several other metrics that may be more useful, depending on what effects are being studied. Interestingly, these metrics were quite correlated with one another, suggesting places with many days of at least some wildfire PM. also had the highest levels overall. Although this can make it difficult to decide between different exposure patterns, the suitability of each metric depends in part on what health effects we are investigating. Environmental injustice We also assessed whether certain racial and ethnic groups experienced higher-than-average wildfire PM. exposure and found that different groups faced the most exposure depending on the year. Consider 2018 and 2020, two major wildfire years in California. The most exposed census tracts, by all metrics, were composed primarily of non-Hispanic white individuals in 2018 and Hispanic individuals in 2020. This makes sense, since non-Hispanic white people constitute about 41.6% and Hispanic people 36.4% of Californias population. To understand whether other groups faced excess wildfire PM. exposure, we used relative comparisons. This means we compared the true wildfire PM. exposure experienced by each racial and ethnic group with what we would have expected if they were exposed to the state average. We found that Indigenous communities had the most disproportionate exposure, experiencing 1.68 times more PM. than expected. In comparison, non-Hispanic white Californians were 1.13 times more exposed to PM. than expected, and multiracial Californians 1.09 times more exposed than expected. Better metrics for long-term PM2.5 exposure can help researchers better understand whos most vulnerable to wildfire smoke. Eric Thayer/Stringer via Getty Images News Rural tribal lands had the highest mean wildfire PM. concentrations 0.83 micrograms per cubic meter of any census tract in our study. A large portion of Native American people in California live in rural areas, often with higher wildfire risk due to decades of poor forestry management, including legal suppression of cultural burning practices that studies have shown to aid in reducing catastrophic wildfires. Recent state legislation has removed liability risks of cultural burning on Indigenous lands in California. Understanding the drivers and health effects of high long-term exposure to wildfire PM. among Native American and Alaska Native people can help address substantial health disparities between these groups and other Americans. 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: Joan Casey, University of Washington and Rachel Morello-Frosch, University of California, Berkeley Read more: Joan Casey receives funding from the National Institutes of Health. Rachel Morello-Frosch receives funding from the National Institutes of Health, California Air Resources Board, and the California Breast Cancer Research Program.. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The Socorro Police Department is urging residents to be cautious due to a recent scam involving the fraudulent sale of land within Socorro, the Police Department said in a press release on Monday, Sept. 16. The Police Department is currently investigating multiple cases where people have posed as landowners, offering parcels of land for sale in exchange for cash, Cash App payments, or other forms of payment. The Police Department says scammers have also been accessing the El Paso County Appraisal Districts open records to obtain the names of legitimate property owners and forge documents, including using fake notaries, to make the fraudulent sales seem legitimate. Residents are encouraged to be vigilant and to verify all documents thoroughly before proceeding with any land purchase. Those who are approached on purchasing property and have any doubts or concerns should refrain from making a transaction and contact the Socorro Police Department. Those who believe they may have been targeted or who have information regarding this scam should contact the Socorro Police Department at (915) 858-9237 or email their Criminal Investigations at CID@costx.us. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. NORTHERN TIER, Pa. (WETM) FEMA funding is now available to residents in the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania impacted by heavy flooding from storms in early August, but unfortunately, some people are using this opportunity to take advantage of flood victims in the form of FEMA scams. According to Representative Clint Owlett, residents in Tioga County are to be advised of a person or a group of people claiming to be FEMA workers and trying to get personal information off of flood victims. FEMA announces disaster assistance for Pennsylvania counties impacted by Tropical Storm Debby The release states that these individuals are trying to collect social security numbers, bank account information, and other personal information. Owlett wants to let residents know that FEMA members will never ask for this information. My office was contacted this morning about this, (Monday, Sept. 16) and we verified with both FEMA and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency that they do not and will not have people walking around gathering that sort of personal information, Owlett said. Trey Paul a representative from FEMA told 18 News on Monday that crews from FEMA will be going door to door in the Westfield area and other areas impacted, but only to sign them up for assistance. They will always have a badge with them, so make sure you always ask, May I see your badge? they can show it to you, they have a lanyard (with the badge on it) always check and well be happy to talk to you about that, said Paul. Arctic League seeks bell ringer for 2024 Christmas season Paul said that FEMA wants as many people to sign up as possible who were impacted by the storms on Aug 9 and Aug 10, even if they dont have insurance. Residents can show receipts, and credit card statements, or show items that need to be replaced or repaired and FEMA agents will be willing to work with you. Paul added that FEMA can even help residents with rental assistance, temporary housing, and other assistance such as minor home repairs. FEMA crews will be in the area in Tioga County for as long as theyre needed, and residents can contact them by calling 1-800-621-3362, downloading the FEMA App, visiting disasterassistance.gov, or visiting a disaster recovery center. The deadline to apply for FEMA funding is Nov. 12. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he is being investigated for chainsawing off and collecting the head of a whale carcass in the early aughts. During a campaign event on Saturday for Donald Trump, the former independent presidential candidate said he received a letter from the National Marine Fisheries Institute shortly after endorsing Trump informing him of the probe. This is all about the weaponization of our government against political opponents, he added, telling the crowd that he had responded to the institutes correspondence with the unfounded allegation, also espoused by Trump, that the governments permitting of offshore wind farms kills whales en masse. Kennedys whale saga began after a 2012 interview with his daughter Kick resurfaced in which she described her father decapitating the dead animal and driving five hours across state lines with it affixed to the roof of their car. Collecting parts from a protected marine animal that still has soft tissues on the carcass is against federal law. RFK Jr.: Heres What My Family Really Says to Me About Trump In August, the political arm of the Center for Biological Diversity, a left-leaning environmental organization, asked federal authorities to look into Kick Kennedys decade-old story, accusing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. There are good reasons why it is illegal for any person to collect or keep parts of any endangered species, Brett Hartl, the national political director of the organization, wrote in a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Most importantly, vital research opportunities are lost when individuals scavenge a wildlife carcass and interfere with the work of scientists. This is particularly true of marine mammals, which are some of the most difficult wildlife species in the world to study. Hartl also alleged that Kennedy may have violated the Lacey Act, a 1900 law that outlaws the transportation of illegally gathered wildlife, dead or alive, across state lines. During the Saturday rally, the former presidential candidate did not deny the rumored whale incident and instead suggested the statute of limitations governing the legal codes had passed before dismissing a federal probe into him as gossipy nonsense. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Rhode Island men accused of leading roles in multi-million dollar theft ring. What we know. The 52-year-old Warwick man swore at the investigators as they went through his home, finding allergy medicine and makeup products stickered with the logos of stores such as CVS and Walgreens. The products in Norman L. Cipriano's basement were among some 60,000 items seized as part of a sweeping investigation into a Rhode Island-based retail theft operation that targeted retailers across the country, U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha said Monday. And both Cipriano and 59-year-old local counterpart, Patrick M. Vigneau, of Cranston, had high-level wholesaling roles in the scheme, which heavily relied on shoplifting, and netted about $12.3 million in sales over a period of several years, Cunha said. "If I were younger, I would whip your a** (expletive)," Cipriano told investigators as they went through his home on Sept. 11, according to records filed in federal court. Two Rhode Island 'diverters' under arrest, prosecutors say Both men were arrested and taken into custody earlier Monday after last week's raids at locations in Pawtucket, Warwick, and Cranston brought new momentum to a three-year investigation carried out by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations and the Warwick Police Department. Investigators found "vast quantities of stolen" goods, primarily cosmetics, and over-the-counter drugs, Cunha said at a news conference Monday afternoon. At a location in Pawtucket, for example, they entered an indoor space lined with "all manner of stolen goods, organized, neatly stacked, and ready for resale," said Cunha, who likened it to a "warehouse storeroom." The value of the 60,000 items seized by investigators has been estimated at about $1.6 million, prosecutors say. Investigators, they say, needed three box trucks, each 24 feet long, to haul away the stolen goods. As investigators worked at a Pawtucket location owned by Cipriano, UPS arrived at the scene to deliver 10 to 15 additional boxes containing health and beauty products and automotive accessories, according to an affidavit that was compiled to support the arrest warrants. As part of the investigation, authorities also froze several bank and e-commerce accounts. How organized retail crime works In court records, investigators say Cipriano and Vigneau's warehousing activity reflects their involvement in a criminal scheme that relies on an entire team of law-breakers. Cunha had a diagram on an easel. Some members of the organization, the ones recruited to shoplift items from store shelves, are known as "boosters." "That theft isn't random," Cunha said, adding that the thieves target specific items at the direction of a crew boss. The boss tells them what to steal and pays them for their work, often in cash or cryptocurrency, he said. Such schemes, he said, also receive assistance from middlemen and logistics coordinators, or "fencers," who provide warehousing services and cleaning services to remove labels from stolen items. "Diverters" like Cipriano and Vigneau are at the top of the ladder. Diverters often set up shell companies to conceal their roles and launder illicit proceeds. Their diversion supplies small and mid-size retailers who unwittingly purchase the stolen goods. They also sell to consumers via online marketplaces. The schemes frequently utilize e-commerce marketplaces to promote and offer their goods and use unregulated third-party processors such as PayPal in order to avoid detection. Cipriano and Vigneau operated under the names of various shell companies, and working with others, sold large volumes of stolen merchandise via e-commerce sites such as eBay, Walmart, and Amazon. A crime with victims Last year, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce calculated that retail theft had inflicted $125.7 billion in economic losses. And that toll doesn't include $14.9 billion in lost federal tax revenue. "Contrary to popular belief, organized retail crime is not a victimless crime," said Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge, Michael J. Krol. "When theft groups undermine international commerce and the supply chain," he said, "we all pay." Both suspects have records, prosecutors say Cipriano and Vigneau are charged with interstate transportation of stolen goods, conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen goods, money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity. According to court records, Cipriano was convicted in Rhode Island state court in 2005. He served a term of six years of incarceration for conspiracy and receiving stolen goods. In August 2013, Cipriano was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison for trafficking counterfeit goods. A federal jury found Vigneau guilty of offenses that included marijuana possession with intent to distribute marijuana and conspiring to launder money. He was released from federal prison in 2020. He is serving a term of federal supervised release. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ly T. Chin. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI theft ring: Two accused of helping to sell millions in stolen goods Rich Lowry, editor-in-chief of the conservative magazine the National Review, denies saying the N-word during his Sunday appearance on The Megyn Kelly Show. Lowry was discussing baseless claims about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, when he seemed to stumble over his words. In the clip, which began trending across social media on Monday, Lowry said, Theyve only found two Springfield residents calling to complain about Haitian migrants taking geese from ponds. However, a number of users on social media are saying that, before he corrected himself, it sounded like Lowry used the N-word instead of migrants. Host Megyn Kelly did not seem to react to Lowrys stumble. X user @peltzmadeline posted the clip and wrote, Having a hard time coming to any conclusion besides the obvious one about what Rich Lowry catches himself blurting out here. Having a hard time coming to any conclusion besides the obvious one about what Rich Lowry catches himself blurting out here pic.twitter.com/PFHQMCS8UP Madeline Peltz (@peltzmadeline) September 16, 2024 In a reply to the post, Andrew McCarthy, a colleague of Lowrys at the National Review, came to his defense. Ridiculous, he wrote, @richlowry (not tagged here, natch) obviously got crossed up between immigrants (short i) and migrants (long i) -- started mispronouncing migrants with short i; instantly corrected himself with no embarrassment because it was patently a mispronunciation. Geez. Lowry himself soon after agreed with McCarthys characterization of what happened. He replied on X, I began to mispronounce the word migrants and caught myself halfway through. Kelly also backed Lowrys character in response to the clip. This is so disgusting and obviously leveled by someone that doesnt know @RichLowry at all, she posted on X. A finer, more gracious man of good character you will never meet. The Haitian migrants of Springfield, Ohio, have been a political talking point in the past days since former President Donald Trump endorsed the baseless conspiracy theory that some have been caught eating peoples pets. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) Mayor Domenic Sarno, Congressman Richard Neal, and community leaders gathered at Union Station for the grand opening of a new cyber-security center. Springfield Vietnamese Cultural Association hosts traditional Moon Festival The Richard E. Neal Cybersecurity Center of Excellence is the newest addition to Union Station in Springfield. The center will act as a cornerstone for training the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and one of two facilities in Massachusetts open and running. Back in March of this year, officials announced the name of the facility honoring the Congressman. Neil is committed to leading-edge cybersecurity education and bettering Union Station. The 6,000-square-foot center will be a hub in western Massachusetts for advancing cyber security awareness, education, innovation, and battling global security threats. The center is in collaboration with Springfield Technical Community College (STCC). Sarno says this is an entryway to a great career that will help to ensure the safety of those in the city, First, I want to thank STCC President John Cook, MassTech CEO Carolyn Kirk, CyberTrust Massachusetts CEO Peter Sherlock, my Chief Development Officer Tim Sheehan, Springfield Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Amanda Pham, SRA Board Chair Armando Feliciano, Senior Project Manager My-Ron Hatchett, and all of our community stakeholders for their efforts in establishing this much-needed economic development project that will help create more of that good four-letter word, Jobs, while also closing the talent gap in this growing sector. Once a mayor always the heart of a mayor. Congressman Richard Neal continues to provide exemplary leadership on behalf of our city of Springfield and Union Station the house that Neal built, Mayor Sarno continued. This transformative and dynamic Richard E. Neal Cybersecurity Center of Excellence is a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to advancing education and innovation in the field of cybersecurity. My administration is proud to have supported this endeavor thanks to $500,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, which Congressman Neal also helped to secure direct funding for our communities. I cannot think of a more deserving honor than dedicating the Cybersecurity Center to our Congressman Richie Neal. Congressman Neal, you continue to build upon your tremendous legacy, and on behalf of the city of Springfield we thank you for your continued leadership and advocacy on the federal level. The number one responsibility of the federal government of the United States is to provide for the security of its people. National Security is a really critical part of the democracy that we enjoy. 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. Richmond mayor candidates ideas on housing and how the state can help the city City Hall in Richmond, Va. (Parker Michels-Boyce for The Virginia Mercury) Typically a very local issue, presidential candidates are discussing housing policy this year and Virginias state legislature continues to play a role in addressing related issues. The states capital city, Richmond, has a mayoral election in November that could shape housing policy for at least the next four years. Last year council passed a resolution to declare that the city had a housing crisis. Efforts to help will be paramount for the citys legislative body and next mayor because Richmonds eviction rate is second highest in the nation, the amount of people experiencing homelessness is on the rise, and the city has not been immune to national struggles for people to afford purchasing homes. Richmonds five candidates for mayor Andreas Addison, Danny Avula, Michelle Mosby, Maurice Neblett and Harrison Roday share their ideas on this front, including dedicating more money to existing land trust funds, supporting updated zoning that will foster the development of more housing and diversify housing types, and furthering existing eviction diversion programs. Below is an overview of some of their other proposals. Land value taxes Having passed in 2020, Virginia law allows for the use of land value taxes, when property is taxed by the land and not the structure sitting on top of it. Addison, as a Richmond City Council member representing District 1, advocated for that law and asked then-state Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, to carry it. Now he wants to see it put to use. He said this measure can help homeowners, particularly seniors and people on fixed incomes, to remain in their homes. Usually home sales in a neighborhood are what drives peoples tax assessments up over time and can push longer-term residents out of certain neighborhoods. Land value taxes could also spur action on vacant or blighted properties because it would become more costly to hold onto empty properties than to develop them. Addison noted empty lots and derelict buildings around Richmond that could become housing or mixed-use development if owners had a nudge to move forward on projects. This strategy lowers the tax burden on residents and incentivizes investors who are sitting on valuable property to either sell it or develop it, which will spur the development of infill, Addison said. Fast tracking the approval process for affordable developments Mosby, who represented District 9 as a city councilor 2013-2016, wants to create an Affordable Housing Strike Team, she said. It would be composed of key department heads involved in housing and development approvals within the city, their work overseen by her office as mayor to ensure accountability and efficiency, she said. The goal is simple cut through the red tape and get affordable housing projects completed as quickly as possible, Mosby said. Similarly, Roday, who founded the community development nonprofit Bridging Virginia, plans to institute a shot clock approach to building permits in Richmond. When asked for more details of how that could work, he pointed to how North Carolinas state legislature has proposed a statewide mandate to set clear targets for results. Resident feedback boards Both Roday and Avula plan to create advisory boards that can weigh in on housing policy. As more than half of the renters in Richmond spend more than 30% of their income on rent, Rodays board would have a focus on renters, he said. Bolstering the Office of Community Wealth Building Avula, a pediatrician and former director of the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts, wants to allocate additional funding for case workers in the Office of Community Wealth Building with a goal of helping low-income Richmonders be better able to raise their incomes thus alleviating some of the strain of housing costs. This level of intensive support gives families residing in (Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority) properties a greater likelihood of upward economic mobility, he said. Support for public housing residents The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority manages about 4,000 units around the city and owns some undeveloped land parcels as well. This summer it opened up waitlists, which can expand housing access for people who need it most, but earlier this year had filed eviction proceedings that it later paused as it reviewed its rent calculations. Addison noted how the council was able to bolster the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authoritys ongoing work on the Creighton Court transformation, but said that the city will need to think more outside of the box on additional funding for RRHAs needs. He said Richmond could explore a local add-on to the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, a federal resource that some Virginia localities have access to. We just need the political will to go to bat for residents in public housing, Addison said. It doesnt just take new revenue streams, it takes political courage. Accountability for landlords on maintenance Mosby plans to go after landlords who let their properties deteriorate. To address this, she said that we will focus on enforcement and proactive partnerships with landlords, tenants, the fire department, and code enforcement to ensure buildings are maintained and safe. Her administration will also ensure that code enforcement officers are able to monitor properties to take action when violations are visible. Boosting nonprofit organizations and supporting public-private partnerships The city has already been working with local organizations, like Continuum of Care a local network of homelessness resource groups that receive federal funding or Habitat for Humanity, for example. Continuing collaborations and building partnerships will be important, candidates said. By working with groups like Virginia Supportive Housing, we can offer not just a place to live but also job training, healthcare, and other critical services to address the root causes of homelessness, said Neblett, an entrepreneur and first-time candidate for elected office. We cant forget the recovery community in this, people working to rebuild their lives deserve every opportunity to have stable housing as they recover. Other candidates also mentioned ways the city can bolster efforts of nonprofit organizations. Addison noted how Project:HOME purchased a mobile home park in Chesterfield County to preserve it for residents. Hed like to support the organization in efforts to preserve affordable neighborhoods and construct new home types. Roday stressed how public-private partnerships can help yield more home construction and that projects should be available at or below 50% of Richmonds area median income. We can invest more in affordable housing with public-private partnerships that include flexible capital, including municipal dollars, Roday said. Local requests to the state legislature In Virginia, there are many instances where local government needs permission from the state government to take certain actions, and more broadly, state laws related to housing can make a significant impact on certain localities. Ahead of the 2025 legislative session, Richmonds mayoral candidates already have ideas on what to press the legislature for. Addison said that he supports a proposal that failed this previous legislative session. Dubbed 5,000 Families, the bipartisan effort from Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield and Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chesterfield would help families that experience a housing crisis during a school year remain in place through funding vouchers. He also has his eye on a bill by Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax, that the legislature plans to address next year that would set a cap on how much landlords can increase rent within a year. Mosby plans to advocate for state-level assistance on solutions to sheltering localities unhoused populations and for more funding that localities can use towards affordable housing development. Roday and Avula both said they would push for more funding to Virginias K-12 education system and reshaping Richmonds combined sewage overflow system. Both of these would add dollars to our budget from the state level, Roday said. Then more local dollars could be freed up to invest in housing. Neblett said hell push for enhancements to Virgninas tenant protections and for more funding in the Virginia Housing Trust Fund. Visit the candidate websites for more information on their housing policy and other ideas for Richmond: SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The South Dakota Republican Party logo hangs on a podium during a rally Sept. 8, 2023, at The Monument in Rapid City. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight) The South Dakota Republican Party is arguably the most powerful special interest group in the state. With just over half of the states registered voters, Republicans dominate all statewide offices and over 90% of legislative seats. They control the states election system and government. The Republican primary is the only election that usually matters in South Dakota. The party employs a closed primary system, allowing only registered Republicans to vote in it though all taxpayers fund it. In most cases, the Republican primary winners are the default winners of the general election. Thats been a cozy system for the Republican Party for many years. However, it is no longer working so well. Internal conflicts are threatening the partys cohesion, highlighting the need for electoral reform. In the last several years a new and powerful faction has emerged in the party. The new group surprised mainstream Republicans at a recent party convention and primary election. This new group thinks the party should be more conservative. They have been labeled by some traditional party leaders as wackadoodles. Meanwhile, the new faction refers to traditional Republicans as RINOs, which stands for Republican In Name Only. The situation is not ideal. But change may be on the way. South Dakota voters have a chance to change the states primary election system in November. Amendment H is on the ballot and would eliminate the Republican and Democratic primaries. It would create a South Dakota primary in which all candidates would be listed on a single ballot, all voters would get that ballot, and the top-two vote getters would move on to the general election. Many RINOs see this as a chance to broaden the partys base and restore more traditional South Dakota values in government. The wackadoodles are generally opposed to the idea. RINOs are the traditional, mainstream, business-friendly Republicans who have controlled the party and the state for decades. Up until recently, they were recognized as the states conservatives. Most registered Republicans, maybe as much as 90% of them, fall into this category, and most seem largely unaware of the takeover battle going on within their party. Unaware of the real menace to business as usual, those inattentive RINOs see Amendment H as a threat to the monopolistic power their party and views have enjoyed for many years. Thankfully, their more engaged leaders are aware of the partys growing divisiveness. They tend to be quietly supportive of Amendment H, or at least resigned to its necessity. The wackadoodles are populists tapping into a litany of frustrations with the political establishment. They are a small but effective group. Individual members are each energized by one issue or another, but united in their disdain for the establishment. Some express anti-business attitudes. Their version of conservatism often is more concerned with social issues than the traditional group. The wackadoodles have unspecified standards for deciding who qualifies as a true conservative. Many of them reportedly consider our conservative congressional delegation and governor to be RINOs. The 2023 party convention in Watertown demonstrated the divisions within the party. The wackadoodles showed up in large numbers while the RINOs didnt. The incumbent Republican secretary of state was dumped, and the incumbent lieutenant governor nearly was, too. Only a last-minute appeal from the governor kept him on the ticket. Then in the June 2024 Republican primary, there was a record low 17% voter turnout. Once again, the wackadoodles showed up and the RINOs did not. About a dozen mainstream incumbent Republican legislators were kicked out of office by candidates supported by the wackadoodle faction of the party. As a result, legislative leadership and agendas are certainly up in the air leading into the 2025 legislative session. This takeover of the state Republican Party poses real threats to South Dakota and its favorable business climate. The business community has long had significant sway within the party. Perceptive business leaders are now worried about what this new direction for the party might mean for the states business climate. This shift could undermine the historically stable, business-friendly environment. South Dakota voters will have the opportunity in November to change the way our primary election system works and reduce the risk created by fringe groups. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX LITTLE ROCK, Ark. A possibly threatening message on social media has led the Riverview School District to caution families and increase campus police presence. Superintendent Stan Stratton posted an update on social media Sunday night to explain the situation to parents. The school had been made aware of a post on Snapchat that contained our District logo and a possible threat, Stratton wrote. Central Arkansas school officials warn of consequences as multiple school districts listed in social media threat The superintendent continued that law enforcement had been notified and an investigation is underway, adding that the school was working with investigators to identify the person who made the threat. Stratton said the nature of the investigation meant the district, which serves the Judsonia and Kensett communities, could not disclose all its information. We want our students and others to understand that threats of violence against schools are felony acts, and once suspects are identified and found to be responsible, appropriate school discipline policy will be enacted, and the suspect will be turned over to law enforcement and prosecuted, Stratton stated. But, know that in order to perform the most thorough investigations, we are unable to provide confidential details to the public. Social media posts cause increased police presence at school districts in central Arkansas He continued asking parents to speak with their children about the gravity of such acts. Stratton said the district would have an elevated police presence on campus on Monday. He also said parents who wish to keep their child at home for the day may do so without a penalty for missing school. Stratton closed by asking parents to be watchful of their childrens social media use and ensure all firearms in the home are properly secured. He also thanked the White County Sheriffs Office and the Judsonia and Kensett police departments for working to keep students safe. Some Cabot High School students stay home Wednesday after a report of a threat Multiple Arkansas schools have taken precautionary measures in recent weeks after being made aware of threats made via social media. Officials caution that making threats of this nature is a felony with a possible prison sentence attached. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Ruth Todd was a programme director of the UK Vaccine Task Force during the pandemic - Source: Rolls Royce A former executive of Britains Covid vaccine rollout has been drafted in to help Rolls-Royce turn mini nuclear power plants into reality. Ruth Todd was a programme director of the UK Vaccine Task Force during the depths of the pandemic and also served as commercial director for the Submarine Delivery Agency and HS2. From Sep 30, the logistics and supply chain veteran will join efforts at Rolls to develop the first commercially viable nuclear small modular reactors (SMRs), the company said. SMRs have been heralded as a potential breakthrough for the nuclear industry that could dramatically reduce construction times and costs with modular and factory-produced structures. While the concept is technically sound, they remain unproven on a commercial basis with a global race now underway to demonstrate the technology can be deployed at scale. Rolls-Royce is vying against four rivals to secure funding from Great British Nuclear to demonstrate its reactor design Ms Todd is taking on the role of operations and supply chain manager at Rolls-Royce SMR at a critical juncture, as the company is vying against four rivals to secure funding from the UK government agency Great British Nuclear (GBN) to demonstrate its reactor design. The others are GE Hitachi, Westinghouse, Holtec Britain and NuScale Power. Rolls described Ms Todd as a well-known and respected major programmes professional with an impressive track record in leadership and delivery and said her immediate focus would be on industrialisation and scale up. During her time leading the programme to deliver a Covid vaccine to the UK, she was reportedly among officials who worked for 36 hours straight to ensure a consignment of Pfizer vaccines were safely transported from Belgium to the UK. On Monday, Ms Todd said: We have an opportunity at Rolls-Royce SMR to transform power generation and provide clean, sustainable energy for generations to come. I am excited by the opportunity to bring my experience in infrastructure delivery to the business and support its future growth and success as we shift into a project delivery organisation at home and overseas. Rolls-Royce SMRs technology is based on the reactors Rolls already builds for the UKs military submarines, including the Astute and Dreadnought classes. But engineers are seeking to adapt the designs so that the reactors can be assembled from modular chunks which can be mass-produced in a factory. An easily-repeatable process that can be automated as much as possible is seen as critical to the success of SMRs. The ultimate goal is for the reactor modules to then be transported to a site and clicked together relatively quickly. If this can be done, supporters say the newer reactors will be much faster and cheaper to build than larger, more conventional nuclear power stations. Rolls had said it wants to get the cost of the devices, which would be capable of generating 470 megawatts of electricity, down to around 2bn to 3bn each eventually. By contrast, Hinkley Point C, the 3.2 gigawatt (GW) power station being built in Somerset by EDF, has seen its budget balloon from an initial estimate of 20bn to as much as 46bn today. Hinkley Point Cs budget has ballooned from an initial estimate of 20bn to as much as 46bn - Ben Birchall/PA Sizewell C, the large nuclear power station proposed by the Government in Suffolk, is expected to cost at least 20bn and generate 3.2 GW of electricity. Chris Cholerton, chief executive of Rolls-Royce SMR, said: I am delighted to welcome Ruth to the team at this important time. Much of our work in recent years has been on product development and securing contract certainty as we make meaningful progress on both, our emphasis moves to the industrialisation and significant scale-up ahead of us. Ruths experience and expertise in complex infrastructure programmes will further strengthen our leadership team as we focus on de-risking the challenges ahead and implementing our industrialisation plan. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Abortion is on the ballot in 10 states this election. Direct democracy has provided an extraordinary avenue for protecting abortion in red states, but its also become the target of increasingly dangerous attacks on voting rights from anti-abortion groups, politicians, and state officials. On this weeks episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick was joined by Jessica Valentifeminist columnist and author of the forthcoming Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Winand Lauren Brenzel, campaign director for the Yes on 4 initiative seeking to put abortion protections to Florida voters in November. The discussion focused on the mounting campaign to prevent voters from actually voting on abortiondespite Justice Samuel Alito having promised to return the issue to the voters in Dobbsand the reason Donald Trump said he supports returning abortion to the states at the presidential debate. The following transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity. Dahlia Lithwick: So Lauren, one of the reasons I really wanted to talk to you as part of this conversation is this story from the Tampa Bay Times revealing that Floridas Department of State is scrutinizing Amendment 4 signatures for vote fraud, and that Secretary of State Brad McVay is contacting supervisors to collect signatures for review. I think what is so crazy about this is how quickly we vaulted from We want to make sure people have the right information to Oh no, were knocking signatures off the freaking ballot. Tell us how we got here in Florida. Lauren Brenzel: This is the playbook in Florida right now. Its what our government does. There are a few people who are deeply in charge; who weaponize state systems against people. In 2022, we saw the arrest of numerous individuals who had felony convictions for registering to vote. Most of those cases were dismissed afterwards. Weve had democratically elected officials removed from office for saying that they were going to protect abortion patients and abortion providers. This is the model and the playbook, and its really disheartening on our end because this coalition has worked incredibly hard to make this process as nonpolitical as possible. We have really relied on the voters of Florida, on the coalition of organizations, on patient stories, and on activists in order to qualify this measure for the ballot. We have not been talking about any political party, we are not coordinated with the Florida Democratic Party. We are not speaking out against Republican actors because we know we have a 60 percent threshold to get Amendment 4 passed and we are aware that that means that people need to think of this issue as a health care issue, not a partisan issue. And so to have a year and a half of work entirely disrupted, and have this turn into a fight about Gov. Ron DeSantis, is very frustrating. Were talking about our state constitution. This needs to last beyond any administration in Florida. Were facing a distraction and a misinformation campaign designed to cause fear and to weaponize all the systems. Were having to fight on the legal front, were having to fight on the communications front, were having to fight on the reputational front. Its the playbook of authoritarianism. People let a campaign like this happen against abortion rights because there are actors who are so radicalized on this issue that they believe that abortion advocates are actual murderers, so theyre willing to put aside any belief they have in democracy or democratic processes because they are such radicalized actors on this subject. In Florida, we need 891,523 verified petitions to get on the ballot. Thats 8 percent of the electorate in our previous electoral cycle. We then also need to make sure that we reach 8 percent of the electorate in 14 congressional districts. Petitions also go through a financial estimating conference, and then you also have Florida state Supreme Court review. Petition collection ends in December, Supreme Court review doesnt happen until April. We had to wait all the way until April 1 to get a ruling. Were the only initiative I know of that was fined for having late petitions. Over half of those fines were later found to be not valid. Now were seeing these investigations into the process of petition collecting, including having officers go to peoples doors. When that happens, there are some people who will say they didnt sign the petition, whether they validly signed it or not, because it is intimidating to have an officer come to your door and ask you about the abortion petition. I have 70-year-old white women telling me that theyre afraid to go vote this November. They think the election police are going to come after them to ask about whether they signed the abortion petition and what their vote is. All of this is just creating this culture of fear and distraction and questioning legitimacy. And I also question whether or not it will be utilized to undermine future direct democracy. We had an initiative here that paid $100 million to collect petitions, because it was backed by the gaming industry. They will always be able to spend enough money to overcome hurdles and laws in the corporate sector. So these things become less about citizens referring things to the ballot, as the cost increases exponentially, because the weaponization of democracy against us increases exponentially. It removes the ballot initiative process from the peoples hands and places it only in entities that have the most money possible to overcome all of these legal hurdles that become more and more expensive and more and more challenging. Im reminded how so much of the language we heard from Trump at the debate was about how you cant trust women with reproductive rights because theyre going to stagger in at the ninth month, or, in the EMTALA lawsuit, theyre going to lie, right, about mental health reasons to terminate. The presumption that women cant be trusted with reproductive freedoms has been shot through since Roe. But the layer youve just added, Lauren, is that also, women actually cant be trusted with voting and democracy, either, because we lie and cheat there as well. And thats how you vault yourself into alleging election fraud and false signatures. Jessica, you warned us last February that people were being arrested for allegedly submitting fake signatures for Amendment 4. You said this was coming and you warned us about Floridas Department of Election Crimes and Security that also is Orwellian and creepy in the extreme. Jessica Valenti: As soon as I saw those couple of arrests and as soon as I saw that it was from the election security department that DeSantis had used previously to target Black voters, it was clear to me that this would be the perfect way for them to undermine and interrupt direct democracy for abortion rights, because it gives them the ability to pretend that the overwhelming support for abortion rights isnt real. They can say, Actually those are fake voters, or fake votes. People do want the abortion ban. This is the will of the people. They know that voters overwhelmingly support abortion rights because they know that Americans overwhelmingly dont want the government involved at all in pregnancy decisions. They know theyre losing so badly on that front, but they need to pretend otherwise. Thats why theyre using language like will of the people, and using language like consensus. Anything that gives them the ability to say that support for abortion rights isnt real was going to appeal to them. Thats what were seeing. Its so upsetting on so many different levels, but its also the gaslighting that really pisses me off. Just this absolute gaslighting, claiming this support for reproductive freedom isnt realclaiming its invented, made-up, paid support. The chilling effect, the intimidation, is just par for the course with everything that theyre doing around abortion. There is so much fear and they are taking advantage of that, and weve seen the same playbook in so many different states. I wrote about how, in South Dakota, folks who signed a pro-choice petition there got calls from folks who said they were from the Secretary of States office, pressuring them to take their names off the petition. In fact, they were not from the Secretary of States office. They were from an anti-abortion group. And in addition to that chilling effect, all these efforts are not just being led on a state level. Theyre all very similar for a reason. Theyre all very similar because big national anti-abortion groups and conservative legal organizations are dictating exactly how to do this. In Florida and Missouri, opponents of abortion rights tried to jam up the ballot initiative in the financial assessment stage. In Missouri, the Republican state auditor said that restoring abortion rights would cost about $51,000, and then the Missouri attorney general said, Im not signing off on that because you need to write that it would cost $51 billion, and so that held up the signature-gathering process for months. All of which is to say they are all using the same playbook. This is not just happening on the state level. This is a national scheme to disenfranchise voters in general, but really when it comes to abortion rights in particular, using dirty trick after dirty trick. Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has commented on the Russian Federation's reaction to a possible visit to Kursk Oblast by the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Russia is afraid of international monitors seeing the true state of affairs in the region, Tykhyi said. Source: Heorhii Tykhyi, Ukraines Foreign Ministry spokesperson, on Twitter (X) Quote: "The Kremlins reaction to Ukraines offer for the UN and ICRC to join humanitarian efforts in the Kursk region shows Russias disregard for its own people and their humanitarian needs, as well as fear of allowing international observers to see the real situation. Quite telling." Background: Ukraines Foreign Ministry has invited the UN and the ICRC to join humanitarian response efforts in the areas of Russia's Kursk Oblast currently controlled by Ukrainian forces. Dmitry Peskov, Putins spokesperson, described Ukraine's invitation as "a provocation". Three ICRC staff members were killed and two others were injured when Russia launched a morning artillery strike on Viroliubivka in Kostiantynivka hromada on 12 September. ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said the team had been preparing to distribute firewood and coal briquettes to vulnerable households in the village north of Donetsk when their vehicles came under attack. Support UP or become our patron! Russian forces continue to use the territory of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to deploy military personnel and store ammunition and explosives, Ukraine's National Resistance Center reported on Sept. 15. In a statement made less than two weeks after a visit by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director Rafael Grossi to the plant, the center criticized the IAEA for supposedly ignoring the presence of the military contingent and arms. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest nuclear power station, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. Its position near the front line has led to heightened nuclear safety risks throughout Russia's full-scale war. The facility houses Russia's National Guard units, totaling 1,300 people, the center said, citing data from Ukrainian citizens on the ground. The Akhmat-Grozny mobile special-purpose unit and special rapid response unit Agat were identified among the personnel stationed at the facility, according to the center run by Ukraine's special forces. As a disguise, some Russian troops allegedly wear the uniform of the plant's paramilitary guard rather than of the Russian National Guard. Read also: Explaining Russias new nuclear doctrine saber-rattling or real threat? Russian forces store small arms and artillery ammunition in the station's technical and basement areas to supply both the troops stationed at the plant and the forces at adjacent positions. Russia has also set up more than 20 minefields around the city of Enerhodar and the plant with a total length of about 6.5 km (nearly 4 miles) to prevent Ukrainian forces from crossing the Dnipro River, the center claimed. IAEA's Grossi made his fifth visit to the plant during the full-scale invasion on Sept. 4. He inspected various sections of the plant, including a pumping station and a nuclear fuel storage facility. Following the visit, Grossi said that a cooling tower at the facility would require demolition after a fire on Aug. 12 rendered the structure unusable. The fire did not pose a risk to nuclear safety at the plant. According to the center, Russian leadership controlling the facility planned the IAEA's route. This is not the first time the agency has been denied access to the western part of the two turbine halls. "However, the (IAEA's) representatives only recorded this fact and did not make any decision regarding the representatives of Rosatom, which manages the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant," the statement read. The center also criticized the agency for supposedly ignoring the presence of the military contingent at the facility and the storage of ammunition and substances that endanger nuclear safety. Prior to his visit to the plant, Grossi visited the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant after Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of attempting to attack the plant amid the ongoing incursion in the area. Ukraine has refuted Putin's accusations. Read also: Russia launches counteroffensive in Kursk can it push Ukraine off its own turf? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russia is evacuating a number of villages in the Kursk region close to the Ukrainian border (TATYANA MAKEYEVA) (TATYANA MAKEYEVA/AFP/AFP) Russia ordered the evacuation of villages close to the Ukrainian border in the Kursk region on Monday, as Moscow ramped up efforts to regain control of land seized in Kyiv's incursion. The reason for the border evacuations was unclear, but came days after Moscow began what appeared to be a major counteroffensive aimed at driving Ukraine out of the border territory. Authorities have decided to order the "obligatory evacuation of settlements in the Rylsky and Khomutovsky districts that are within a 15-kilometre (nine-mile) zone adjacent to the border with Ukraine," Kursk region governor Alexei Smirnov said on Telegram. There are dozens of villages and towns within this 15-kilometre radius. The regional administration urged those fleeing to take their belongings with them and "take care of pets" amid reports residents in previous evacuations had left their animals behind. More than 150,000 people in the region have fled their homes since Ukraine launched its offensive on August 6, advancing across tens of kilometres of Russian territory and seizing dozens of settlements. The attack -- which began more than two years after Russia launched a full-scale military assault on Ukraine -- caught the Kremlin off-guard and was only halted after Moscow scrambled reinforcements to the area. The Russian army said on Monday it had taken back the "settlements of Uspenovka and Borki" during counteroffensive operations, four days after announcing it had regained 10 other villages. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address that his forces were acting "exactly as we planned". "I would like to thank each of our brigades and units for their coordinated efforts and resilience," he said. - 'Pure provocation' - Ukraine had hoped its major cross-border incursion into the Kursk region would slow down Russia's advances in the east, where Moscow has made a string of gains in recent weeks. But on Friday, Zelensky conceded that while Moscow had been slowed down somewhat, the situation on the eastern front was "very difficult". Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month his army's target of capturing the Donbas -- which includes the east Ukrainian regions of Lugansk and Donetsk -- was a priority. Russia's announcement came as Kyiv urged the United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit the parts of the Kursk region it controls. Ukraine has sought to paint its army in a different light from the Russian forces that currently occupy around 20 percent of its territory. "I instructed the Ukrainian foreign ministry to officially invite the UN and ICRC to join humanitarian efforts in the Kursk region," Kyiv's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said on social media. "Ukraine is ready to facilitate their work and prove its adherence to international humanitarian law," he added. Russia, which is currently hosting ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric, pushed back at Ukraine's proposal. "This is a pure provocation. And we expect a sober assessment of such provocative statements," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The United Nations said on Monday that it stood ready to assess and verify the situation in the Kursk region -- but only with Moscow's blessing. "We are ready to do it. We will need authorisation from the Russian Federation," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. bur/rlp Russia to face shortage of weapons for its war against Ukraine ISW Russian military equipment that was struck by Ukrainian defenders. Stock photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook Experts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have pointed out that Russia will face a shortage of weapons and material resources for its war against Ukraine and will deepen its dependence on foreign partners in this matter. Source: ISW Quote: "Russia will likely face growing challenges in the production and procurement of the materiel that Russian operations in Ukraine require, and the Kremlin will likely become increasingly reliant on foreign partners to meet its materiel needs." Details: The analysts noted that the Russian military was relying heavily on the refurbishment of Soviet-era weapons and military equipment, especially armoured vehicles, to maintain the momentum of its offensive operations in Ukraine. Quote: "The Russian government will likely have to further mobilise the Russian economy and defence industry and invest in capacity building if the Russian military intends to sustain its current tempo of operations in the medium- to long-term as Russia depletes its finite Soviet stockpiles, but it is unclear if the Russian defence industry will be able to produce enough to sustain the high level of equipment losses that Russian forces suffer in Ukraine even with further economic mobilisation." Details: ISW has previously assessed that Russia's efforts to expand its defence industry are unlikely to be sustainable in the medium to long term due to the expected shortage of labour and the impact of Western sanctions. Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, drew attention to North Korea's role as Russia's most influential military ally. He noted that the supply of North Korean artillery ammunition to Russia had had a direct and rapid impact on the dynamics of the war, with Ukrainian troops experiencing an increase in the pace of Russian operations within days of the arrival of North Korean artillery ammunition. North Korea has reportedly supplied 4.8 million pieces of artillery ammunition to Russia as of June 2024. Quote: "North Korean support has previously enabled Russia to maintain significant artillery advantages over Ukraine, and Russia has used these advantages to support consistent offensive operations designed to prevent Ukrainian forces from being able to contest the initiative." More details: ISW pointed out that Russian authorities had recently stepped up military cooperation with North Korea, as demonstrated by the visit by Sergei Shoigu, Chairman of the Russian Security Council, to Pyongyang on 13 September and Putin's visit in June 2024, when Putin signed an agreement on a comprehensive strategic partnership with North Korean President Kim Jong Un. The experts noted that the deepening of Russia's military partnership with North Korea symbolises the relations that Russia seeks to build with Iran, the People's Republic of China, and other desired partners. Quote: "Russia will likely face dwindling weapons and equipment stockpiles and struggle to offset these shortages unless it can circumvent Western sanctions at scale and significantly expand its engagements with foreign partners to obtain sufficient military materiel, component parts, and dual-use items." To quote the ISWs Key Takeaways on 15 September: Russia reportedly aims to achieve a decisive victory in Ukraine by 2026 before likely medium- to long-term economic and force generation constraints begin to significantly degrade Russia's ability to sustain its war effort in Ukraine. Russia will likely face growing challenges in the production and procurement of the materiel that Russian operations in Ukraine require, and the Kremlin will likely become increasingly reliant on foreign partners to meet its materiel needs. Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Oleksandr Kamyshin stated on 15 September that Ukraine has started domestic serial production of 155mm artillery shells. The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) promptly responded to ultranationalists' outcry surrounding the controversial deaths of two drone operators in Ukraine, highlighting how Russian authorities continue to be highly attentive to backlash from the ultranationalist community. Russian ultranationalist milbloggers praised the Russian MoD's response to the drone operators' deaths but expressed concern about the MoD's ability to solve the systemic issues that led to the deaths. Chechen Akhmat Spetsnaz Commander Apty Alaudinov aggravated Kremlin efforts to conduct prisoner of war (POW) exchanges for soldiers who defended against the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast while balancing his attempts to appeal to both the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) and hardline facets of Chechen society. Ukrainian forces reportedly advanced in Glushkovo district, Kursk Oblast, and Russian forces reportedly recently recaptured territory in the area as of 15 September. Ukrainian forces continued offensive operations throughout their salient in Kursk Oblast, and Russian forces recently advanced in the salient. Russian forces recently advanced near Svatove, Siversk, and the city of Donetsk. Russian authorities continue to strengthen coercive mechanisms to support ongoing crypto-mobilisation efforts in order to avoid conducting a wider mobilisation. Support UP or become our patron! Russian telecommunications equipment manufacturers have faced a shortage of domestic components and asked the government to reconsider the terms of import substitution. Source: According to the Russian newspaper The Moscow Times, this follows from a letter from the Telecommunication Technologies Consortium (TT Consortium, which unites Rostech, Rostelecom, Element, etc.) to the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Digital Transformation, a copy of which was obtained by Vedomosti. Details: In particular, the manufacturers suggested that the agencies loose the new requirements for recognising equipment as domestic. A draft government decree prepared by the Ministry of Trade and Industry at the end of August suggests that Russian telecom equipment must contain at least 10% of domestic electronic components in 2026, 30% in 2028, and 60% in 2030. However, according to a letter from ANO TT, telecoms market participants analysed the domestic market for analogues of foreign components and found that the proposed percentage of Russian components was "unattainable". The newspaper writes that most telecom equipment will have to be redesigned to meet the new requirements of domestic equipment, which is impractical. ANO TT reported that this could cause problems with the supply of equipment to government customers, the largest telecom operators, and critical information infrastructure (CII) entities. The organisation warned that if the government's resolution is adopted in its current form, all decisions on the recognition of telecom equipment as domestic will be terminated from 1 December 2024. Thus, the country will have no domestic telecom equipment left, the industry representatives concluded. Background: The Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation predicts that the country's industrial production growth rate will halve to 2% in 2025. Support UP or become our patron! Russia has launched over 640 Shahed-type drones at Ukraine in September, Zelensky says Russian forces attacked Ukraine with more than 640 Shahed-type drones during the first half of September, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 16. Zelensky's statement comes after a recent Russian attack against nine oblasts and Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, with 56 Shahed-type drones. Fifty-three of them were reported as shot down, while the remaining three "disappeared" from radar on Ukrainian territory. "We are constantly working to make the Ukrainian air shield more effective. We are strengthening our Air Force, mobile fire groups, and all air defense units," Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel. Tehran has provided Moscow with thousands of Shahed kamikaze drones since the start of the all-out war. The U.S. confirmed on Sept. 10 that Iran has also supplied Russia with shipments of Fath-360 close-range ballistic missiles as a boost to Moscow's war against Ukraine. The U.S., the U.K., France, and Germany announced additional sanctions against Iran in response. The Iranian government has denied sending the weapons and criticized the sanctions. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to attend the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, in October. Pezeshkian reportedly told Putin in July that Iran was prepared to enter "a comprehensive strategic partnership" with Russia during the BRICS forum. Iran is one of Russia's closest allies. The two countries have deepened their military and political cooperation since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Read also: Russia now has Irans Fath-360 ballistic missile heres what it means for Ukraine Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Since 2022, Russia and its partners have sold nearly one billion dollars worth of grain stolen from the occupied territories of Ukraine. Source: The Wall Street Journal Details: This "business" has a wide network of clients, which includes the firms responsible for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as a company linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Crimean businessman Mykhailo Hanaga, who cooperates with Syria and Israel through his company Agro-Fregat LLC, and a company that trades with the UAE. In the first half of 2024, Russians sent 15 ships with 81,000 tonnes of wheat to Turkiye from Mariupol. The Turkish authorities say they have banned ships from the occupied Ukrainian terminals and are cooperating with Kyiv to block illegal trade. It is noted that the exact commercial value of the stolen agricultural products is difficult to determine. However, Ukrainian Deputy Agriculture Minister Dmytrasevych reported that since 2022, at least 4 million tonnes of grain from the occupied part of Ukraine have been sold on international markets, which is worth about US$800 million. The sale of loot helps Russia cope with the economic pressure of sanctions. In this way, the loot stolen during the war helps it finance the war itself. Most of the stolen goods were reportedly exported by small ships or by land. The total value of the grain stolen by the Russians could reach US$6.4 billion. The complicity in this takes many forms. The US government notes that three of the ships exporting large volumes of illegal grain are owned through a network of corporate entities by the Russian state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation, which also produced the warships used to fire on Ukraine. A Russian company that sells grain from the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast donated US$111,000 to the Russian battalion. The report also adds that sometimes foreign vessels are involved in the sale schemes. In June, Ukrainian prosecutor Ihor Ponochovnyi began monitoring the Turkish vessel Usko MFU, which he suspects was transporting stolen grain last year from the port of Sevastopol. In November, this vessel transported 2,100 tonnes of crushed sunflower and brown wheat seeds to Turkiye with a potential value of US$500,000. Investigators said they found a message on board from the ship's managers to the captain instructing him to conceal the cargo's Crimean origin. Yemen and Iran are the markets for Crimean grain. Egypt, Israel, and Lebanon stopped buying it after they were told that it had been stolen. Tehran buys barley from Crimea for US$140 per tonne, a 34% discount from market prices. Background: Wheat futures jumped to the highest level in two months after the Russian attack on a grain carrier in the Black Sea. Sales of agricultural machinery in Russia in the period from January to July decreased by 10.9% compared to the same period last year, reaching 127.7 billion roubles (US$1.4 billion). Russia's systemic military attacks on the port infrastructure of Odesa ports, where agricultural products are stored, have caused Ukraine losses of US$500,000 million in destroyed equipment and products over the year of the operation of the grain corridor. Support UP or become our patron! Russia spreads fake news about Ukraine's intention to attack its own kindergarten or hospital Russian propaganda media have spread false information that Ukraine is preparing "a scenario of a Russian missile attack on a childcare facility, kindergarten or hospital in the territory controlled by Kyiv". The Centre for Countering Disinformation (CCD) has stressed that such statements are just another form of disinformation. Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti; Russian Foreign Intelligence Service; Ukraines National Security and Defence Council's Centre for Countering Disinformation Details: The Russians claim that with this provocation, Ukraine hopes to "boost morale among the Armed Forces of Ukraine, justify the lifting of restrictions on the use of long-range missiles deep into Russia by Western countries and attract support from the countries of the Global South". The CCD immediately responded to this claim, emphasising that such statements are outright disinformation that has nothing to do with reality and may indicate that the Russians are preparing further attacks on civilian targets. Quote from CCD: "Russia continues to use disinformation campaigns to justify massive crimes committed by its army, such as attacks on civilian targets, including children's institutions." More details: The CCD also recalled that similar attempts to shift responsibility to Ukraine have already been observed during the occupation of Bucha and after the missile attack on the Okhmatdyt children's hospital. Background: In early 2024, the then NSDC Secretary Oleksii Danilov reported that Russian special services spread 166 million disinformation posts about Ukraine every week on platforms such as Telegram, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (X). Support UP or become our patron! A residential building in Kharkiv after the Russian attack. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, has said that 14 people were taken to hospital as a result of the Russian 15 September strike on Kharkiv. A child and an elderly man were reported to be in a critical condition. Source: Syniehubov on Telegram Quote: "A total of 14 people who were injured in the attack on Kharkiv were taken to hospital. Among them are two children, one in a critical condition." Details: Syniehubov said that a 70-year-old man was also in critical condition. He is being provided with all the necessary medical care. Background: On the afternoon of 15 September, a high-rise building was damaged by Russian strikes on Kharkiv, and a fire broke out there. It was later reported that the number of people who were injured had risen to 42, including four children. Later, the body of an elderly woman was pulled from under the rubble, and the number of people who were injured had risen to 43. Support UP or become our patron! Russian aircraft detected near Alaska for third time in 1 week Two Russian IL-38 military aircraft were detected and tracked while operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Sept. 14, marking the third such incident in one week, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) reported on Sept. 15. The Russian planes remained in international airspace and did not violate U.S. or Canadian airspace, NORAD reported. The flights are "not seen as a threat." Earlier in the week, NORAD on Sept. 11 said it detected two Russian military aircraft operating in the ADIZ. Two days later, the agency on Sept. 13 detected a pair of Russian Tu-142 military aircraft in the area. NORAD defines the ADIZ as a "stretch of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security." Earlier this summer, the U.S. and Canada, which make up NORAD, scrambled fighter jets to intercept Russian and Chinese military planes in the ADIZ on July 25. NORAD in mid-August also detected and tracked four Russian warplanes flying in the ADIZ. According to NORAD, such incidences occur "regularly." Read also: The Russian targets that could be on Ukraines long-range missile strike list Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russian attacks against Ukraine killed two and injured 63 people over the past day, local authorities reported on Sept. 16. Ukrainian air defense shot down 53 of the 56 Shahed-type drones launched by Russia overnight on Sept. 16, according to the Air Force. Three Russian drones were "lost" on the radar on Ukrainian territory, the statement read. Russia reportedly launched the drones from Kursk Oblast and the town of Yeysk in Krasnodar Krai. Ukrainian forces used aircraft, mobile fire groups, anti-aircraft missile troops, and electronic warfare units to repel the air attack. Air defense systems were active in Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Sumy, Poltava, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts. In Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces struck a high-rise building in Kharkiv, killing a 94-year-old woman and injuring 43 people, including four children, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported. A 76-year-old woman was injured due to the Russian attack on the village of Pisky Radkivski in the Izium district. In the city of Kupiansk, a man and two women suffered injuries following the Russian strike with aerial bombs. In Donetsk Oblast, one person was killed and three injured in an attack on the town of Pokrovsk. Three people in the town of Mykolaivka and one person in the city of Chasiv Yar also suffered injuries, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin. In Kherson Oblast, Russian forces attacked 10 settlements over the past day, including its regional center, the city of Kherson. Six people were injured in Russian strikes, the local military administration reported. In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russia attacked with "kamikaze" drones in the Nikopol district, targeting the city of Marhanets. Two men, aged 48 and 86, were injured, Governor Serhii Lysak reported. In Kyiv Oblast, one woman suffered injuries due to fallen drone debris. Governor Ruslan Kravchenko reported that she was hospitalized. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Over 100 Ukrainian POWs returned from Russian captivity, Russia strikes Kharkiv Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The Russian troops struck the city of Bohodukhiv and the village of Podoly in Kharkiv Oblast on 16 September, injuring two people. Source: Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office Quote: "According to the investigation, on 16 September at around 16:45, the Russian Armed Forces carried out air strikes on the city of Bohodukhiv. The premises, equipment of an agricultural company and at least 25 residential buildings and outbuildings were damaged. A 50-year-old woman suffered an acute stress reaction. Preliminary data suggests that the enemy struck the city with three KAB-250s (guided aerial bombs)." Photo: Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office Details: Also, at around 17:00, Russian troops attacked the village of Podoly, Kupiansk district, injuring a 63-year-old man. Private households were damaged. Quote: "Under the procedural supervision of the Bohodukhiv and Kupiansk District Prosecutor's Offices of Kharkiv Oblast, pre-trial investigations were launched into the violation of the laws and customs of war (Article 438.1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)." Support UP or become our patron! Russian forces have attacked civilian energy infrastructure in Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Sumy, Kharkiv and Kherson oblasts over the past 24 hours. Source: press service for Ukraine's Energy Ministry Details: A Russian attack on Donetsk Oblast resulted in a power outage for substations, household consumers, local industry and the railway (disruptions to train traffic). The power supply has been restored. Overhead lines were disconnected in Chernihiv Oblast due to a bombardment, leaving 404 subscribers in 4 settlements without power. The power supply has been partially restored. In addition, substations and household consumers in Donetsk and Cherkasy oblasts lost power due to fires. A renewable energy facility in Cherkasy Oblast also reduced voltage. The power supply has been restored using the backup system. Overhead lines were disconnected in Kyiv and Kharkiv oblasts for technological reasons. Substations, household consumers, and local industry lost power in Kyiv Oblast. The power supply to consumers has been restored using the backup system. Support UP or become our patron! Russian troops launched a Shahed drone attack on the town of Konotop in Sumy Oblast on the evening of 16 September. Source: Sumy Oblast Military Administration Quote: "The Russians do not stop their terror against the civilian population of Sumy Oblast. This evening, 16 September, the enemy carried out an airstrike on the city of Konotop, using a Shahed UAV." Details: The Oblast Military Administration reports that all the relevant services are working at the scene. The consequences of the attack are being established. Support UP or become our patron! If Russians occupy Pokrovsk, it will hit Ukraine's economy CEO of Ukraine's largest mining company Pokrovsk Coal Group (PCG), the largest coking coal producer in Ukraine, supplies production facilities belonging to Metinvest, an international steel and mining group. The company has a contingency plan in place should the city of Pokrovsk and the surrounding area fall to Russian forces. Source: Metinvest CEO Yurii Ryzhenkov in an interview with Forbes Ukraine Details: The Metinvest CEO emphasised that even if Pokrovsk is captured by Russia, production will continue. The company can source coal from DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy investor, and from Poland and Metinvests own mines in the US. In addition, the company can import coking coal. However, Ryzhenkov noted that losing the city and the PCG would not go unnoticed and would deal a blow to the Ukrainian economy. If coal has to be imported, production costs will rise. This could lead to a reduction in production in some markets and a decline in metallurgical production and output of mining and processing plants. The Ukrainian government will lose a significant portion of tax revenues. Metinvest's CEO emphasised that the economy had already endured severe losses following the fall of the city of Mariupol to Russian forces. However, financial support from partners provided temporary relief to help cover these setbacks. However, Ryzhenkov warned that the impact of these losses would become much more apparent after the war when Ukraine would need to rely on its own resources. Background: Metinvest plans to start construction of a steel plant in Piombino, Italy, late this year or early 2025. Support UP or become our patron! Ryan W. Routh, a suspect identified by news organizations, as the FBI investigates what they said was an apparent assassination attempt on former U.S. President Trump in Florida is seen in Kyiv Ryan W. Routh, a suspect identified by news organizations, as the FBI investigates what they said was an apparent assassination attempt on former U.S. President Trump in Florida is seen in Kyiv By Anastasiia Malenko and Pavel Polityuk KYIV (Reuters) -Ryan Routh, the reported suspect in an apparent assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, visited Kyiv in the summer of 2022 to encourage people to fight for Ukraine, he told a news outlet that year. Ukrainian officials distanced themselves from Routh on Monday, saying they had no links with him and warning that Russia would use his support for Ukraine as propaganda. CNN, Fox News and the New York Times identified Routh, 58, of Hawaii, as the suspect in Sunday's incident, citing unidentified law enforcement officials. The FBI declined to comment and Reuters could not independently verify his identity. "A lot of the other conflicts are grey but this conflict is definitely black and white. This is about good versus evil," Routh said in an interview posted by Newsweek Romania in June 2022. His comments suggested he was in Kyiv at the time. Reuters video footage showed him in Kyiv in May 2022 at protests calling for international support for Ukrainian fighters. A photograph taken in Kyiv at the time shows him holding a Ukrainian flag and wearing a scarf with the U.S. stars and stripes on it. Videos posted on X also showed Routh attending events that month backing Ukraine, including a protest held in support of the Azov brigade, which took part in the particularly fierce battle for the southern city of Mariupol. Some four months into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Routh perceived the war to be at a critical juncture and called for more international support. Routh told Newsweek Romania his initial goal in Ukraine was to fight but the plan did not work out because his age and lack of military experience meant he was not accepted. Instead, he turned to promoting the cause to others, he said. "If the governments will not send their official military, then we, civilians, have to pick up the torch and make this thing happen and we have gotten some wonderful people here but it is a small fraction of the number that should be here," Routh said. Reuters could not independently verify his assertions. Hundreds of non-Ukrainians have fought against Russian forces in Ukraine and others have helped try to recruit them. PROPAGANDA WARNING Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the suspected assassination attempt, saying on X: "I am glad to hear that Donald Trump is safe and unharmed." The Kremlin said Routh's reported association with Ukraine showed that "playing with fire" had consequences. Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation said Sunday's incident was already a "topic for Russian propaganda" and suggested Moscow would spread conspiracy theories attempting to show a "Ukrainian trace" to the apparent assassination attempt. "Of course, all of this is a lie," Andriy Kovalenko, who leads the center, said. The Azov brigade's press service denied any connections with Routh, saying it had never communicated with him. The International Legion, where many of the foreign fighters serve, also said it had no links with Routh and that he had never been part of it. Routh told the Semafor news outlet in March 2023 that he had tried to recruit U.S.-trained Afghan fighters to fight for Ukraine against Russia but that Ukraine's defence ministry had not agreed to issue visas to them. An official source in Kyiv said authorities were looking into his role, if any, in Ukraine. The defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Semafor article identified Routh as the head of the International Volunteer Center, which it said helped foreigners wanting to support Ukraine through military and humanitarian means. Reuters contacted an aid group with the same name. Its founder said the NGO had no connection with Routh. (Editing by Mike Collett-White, Timothy Heritage and Andrew Heavens) (FOX40.COM) A student at Will C. Wood Middle School was arrested on Friday after being found to have a firearm, according to the Sacramento Police Department. Police say that it is unclear if this student is connected to the nationwide trend of school threats that have also been made to students in the Sacramento region. The student was arrested at around 2 p.m. on Friday after a student noticed the firearm and alerted staff. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40. LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56) As law enforcement continues its search for Joseph Couch, the man wanted for opening fire on drivers on I-75 last weekend, many people who live in Laurel County and surrounding counties are scared and on edge, just as much as they were on Sept. 7. Its kind of scary just coming to work or just being out you know, you dont know what hes thinking or where hes at, says a London resident who wishes to be anonymous. RELATED l Law enforcement announces $25K reward for information, agencies clear 28K acres of land as search for Joseph Couch reaches day 9 Shes been dealing with fear she says wont go away until Couch is located. Shes even more unsettled because she says he had an encounter with him earlier on the day of the mass shooting. They (law enforcement) showed me the picture of him when the lady got here for night shift and I said, He was here! And then, I remembered the map. The woman says Couch came into her workplace asking for a map. She gave it to him, he took a picture of it, then left. She said she wishes to remain anonymous out of fear and for her safety, and said shes even scared of driving to work. Im thinking maybe what if hes there, what if hes looking at me or if hes about to act again. So, I kind of squat down in my car as Im driving, she says. Kentucky State Police released a statement on X saying officials have searched 28,000 acres so far, most of it in the Daniel Boone National Forest. Some residents think its too late. Personally, I dont think hes going to get caught, says Ashley Carter, a resident of Wildie, Ky. Ive been out in that area, I used to ride four wheelers in that area. It is a very big area. But theres some roads, you can be on them for half a mile and youre in another county. I mean its thats the scary part. As the search continues, officials urge people to stay aware of their surroundings and check on their neighbors. carter says, It really makes you think, you know, are you safe? I mean, we used to not lock our doors, I mean, now you have to. The anonymous London woman says, I just hope that theyre able to get him without anyone else getting hurt, I think wed all feel a lot better. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Anyone with information relating to the case can reach out to any of the following Kentucky law enforcement agencies: KSP Post 11 London: (606) 878-6622 Crime Stoppers: (606) 682-1013 County Communication: (606) 878-7000 Laurel County Sheriffs Office: (606) 864-6600 Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 56 News. Vessels in the Mississippi River work on raising a sill in the Mississippi River near Alliance to reduce the flow of saltwater upriver. Contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work on raising a sill in the Mississippi River near Alliance to reduce the flow of saltwater upriver in 2023. (USACE photo) Construction has begun on a saltwater sill near Myrtle Grove to help mitigate the effects of saltwater intrusion up the Mississippi River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a construction contract to Weeks Marine to pile up sand in a hill along the bottom of the Mississippi to a height of minus-55 feet thats 55 feet below the surface of the river in order to trap the traveling salt water and prevent it from invading drinking water supplies further upriver. The sill will erode naturally when fresh water in the Mississippi river begins flowing enough to push the saltwater wedge back down the river to the Gulf of Mexico, according to a press release from the Army Corps. Saltwaters movement up the Mississippi River is a naturally occurring event, but low water levels in the river can allow salt water to move further upriver than it would otherwise. Normally, fresh water flows south, impeding the upstream movement of saltwater, which moves in a wedge shape because of its density. But low water levels in the Mississippi River this year have allowed the more-dense salt water from the Gulf to move farther upstream underneath the rivers less-dense, flowing fresh water. The Mississippi River is currently experiencing low water levels, which can exacerbate the effects of saltwater intrusion as well as impact shipping activities. Too much saltwater upstream in the river can threaten fresh water supply used for industry and drinking water. The construction of the sill is a tactic to impede the wedges movement up the Mississippi as efforts to dredge the Mississippis deep-draft channel cause an increase in the duration and extent of annual saltwater intrusion, according to the Army Corps. Deepening the river allows larger ships to move upriver, allowing about $1 million in additional cargo per vessel for every 1 foot deeper the river becomes. This isnt the first time sills have been built to contain saltwater movement in the Mississippi. Similar efforts took place near Myrtle Grove in 1988, 1999, 2012, 2022 and 2023 at river mile 64 during low-water events. Last years sill, originally constructed at a height of minus-55 feet, was increased to a height of minus-30 feet when salt water began to creep over the top of the reservoir. The corps plans to keep an eye out in case similar changes are needed this year. JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) The Salvation Army is preparing for another demanding season of need with just 100 days until Christmas. We have found that we are receiving more requests for assistance than ever before, said Major Timothy Delaney of the Salvation Army in Jackson. Many people are still struggling to make ends meet. Thousands attend 10th annual Mississippi Book Festival The Salvation Army of Jackson serves the Greater Jackson Metro Area, including six surrounding counties, and anticipates requests for services to increase this holiday season over previous years. To offer more convenient giving options, the Salvation Army allows donors to support their neighbors through giving in different ways: Enlist in Loves Army with a sustaining gift of $25 per month Visit Jackson MS Corps (salvationarmy.org) and sign up to volunteer at a Red Kettle or Angel Tree Provide new toys and clothing through The Salvation Army Angel Tree Program Every donation stays right here in Central Mississippi to support the local programs and services we offer, Delaney said. When you give, you are strengthening our community by helping your neighbors right where you live. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily 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 WJTV. San Diego leaders considering resolution to raise priority of street safety SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) The San Diego City Council is considering a resolution on Monday to declare safety on the citys network of streets as a top transportation priority, initiating the exploration of possible solutions to prevent traffic-related injuries and fatalities. According to city staff, more than 70 people have died in traffic-related incidents almost every year since 2019. Should the resolution be passed, it would build off of other efforts to improve the safety of street infrastructure, including the Zero Vision Strategic Plan and Complete Streets Policy. Watch Ed Lendermans report for KUSI in the player above. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. By Francois Murphy VIENNA (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia plans to scrap light-touch oversight of its nuclear facilities by the U.N. atomic watchdog and switch to regular safeguards by the end of this year, the kingdom said on Monday, a step the watchdog has long been calling for. Saudi Arabia has a nascent nuclear programme that it wants to expand to eventually include activities like proliferation-sensitive uranium enrichment. It is unclear where its ambitions end, since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said for years it will develop nuclear weapons if regional rival Iran does. Riyadh has yet to fire up its first nuclear reactor, which allows its programme to still be monitored under the Small Quantities Protocol (SQP), an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency that exempts less advanced states from many reporting obligations and inspections. "The kingdom ... has submitted a request to the agency in July 2024 to rescind the Small Quantities Protocol and implement to the full Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement," Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told the IAEA's annual General Conference, speaking through an interpreter. "We are currently working with the agency to finalise all necessary subsidiary agreements for the SQP to be effectively rescinded by the end of December of this year." Prince Abdulaziz announced a year ago that his country had decided to scrap the SQP but he did not say when it would switch and there were no immediate signs that it was following through. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has been calling on the dozens of states that still have SQPs to amend or rescind them, calling them a "weakness" in the global non-proliferation regime. The IAEA has for years been in talks with Riyadh on making the switch to a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement that covers issues like inspections in countries that have ratified the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. "Saudi Arabia's decision to rescind its Small Quantities Protocol increases (the IAEA)'s ability to verify the peaceful use of nuclear material in the country," Grossi said on social media platform X, adding he commended Riyadh for the move. Neither Grossi nor Prince Abdulaziz mentioned the Additional Protocol, a supplementary agreement that allows more thorough oversight than the CSA, including snap inspections by the agency. While the IAEA would like Saudi Arabia to sign the Additional Protocol, it has been unclear whether it will. (Reporting by Francois Murphy, Editing by William Maclean) Search day 2: Swimmer went missing on Lake Wylie after wind carried boat away South Carolina officials are continuing a search for a swimmer reported missing who lost contact with a boat Sunday at Lake Wylie, officials said Monday. The missing swimmer was one of two people Sunday evening whose boat was pushed away by wind after going swimming, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources said in a social media statement. One of the people was rescued by another boat, while the other remains missing, DNR officials said Monday. Our officers responded Sunday night to a missing boater on Lake Wylie in York County. Two people left their boat to swim and the wind carried the boat away, leaving them unable to return. One of the people was rescued by another boat, while the other remains missing. (1 of 2) pic.twitter.com/UITUWjhVJx S.C. Dept. of Natural Resources (@SCDNR) September 16, 2024 No other information about the missing swimmer has been released. The area of the search is south of the Buster Boyd Bridge, according to the York County Sheriffs Office. The lake is on the border of York County and North Carolina. Deputies and DNR officers searched the lake Sunday night until dark when weather and nightfall caused the search to be suspended until Monday morning. South Carolina officials search for a missing swimmer Sunday Sept. 15, 2024. The search continued into Monday afternoon even with windy and rainy conditions, said Trent Faris, spokesman for the sheriffs office. The search included the DNR dive team, along with York Countys lake patrol and other units, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department emergency responders. NOTICE: The YCSO Lake Patrol Unit, Aviation Response Unit, and Dive Team are currently assisting SCDNR with missing swimmer on Lake Wyle, south of the Buster Boyd Bridge. No other details are available at this moment. #YCSONews pic.twitter.com/5GLVio2FHY York County Sheriff (@YCSO_SC) September 16, 2024 According to an advocacy group for disabled people, conditions surrounding the Daufuskie Ferry including the boats, docks and gangplanks are getting worse. In a letter to Beaufort County, Disability Rights South Carolinas analysis concluded, For almost nine months, DRSC and Daufuskie Island residents have repeatedly alerted Beaufort County to deficiencies, including violations of the (Americans with Disabilities Act), surrounding its ferry contract with Lowcountry Ferry, said Rebecca Guental Fulmer, Attorney for DRSC. DRSC expanded its concerns beyond the vessels to include ground access, docks and gangplanks. It is unknown if the concerns raised about the areas outside of the boats are the responsibility of Lowcountry Ferry or the county itself. The County has taken no effective action to remedy the deficiencies and discrimination we have identified, the letter continues. The 11-page letter, dated Sept. 10, gives a critical rundown of the various inefficiencies of the service and hardships island residents face with the current provider and the county including: lack of functional ground access for those with mobility problems to and from the dock at Melrose Landing on Daufuskie Island lack of assistance traveling the length of dock at Melrose Landing dilapidated, unstable and unsafe condition of the dock at Melrose Landing the steep and slick surface (especially when wet by rain or dew) of the gangway between the stationary dock to the floating dock Melrose Landing unsafe and inadequate access onto and from the ferry boats the steep and slick surface (especially when wet by rain or dew) of the gangway between the floating and stationary docks at Pinckney Island Landing on Hilton Head lack of functional ground access, for those with mobility problems, to and from the dock at Pinckney Island. Beaufort County Administrator Michael Moore issued a notice of noncompliance to Lowcountry Ferry in July. But to reach the countys compliance, the ferry service provider just had to secure an approved backup vessel and ensure the air conditioning on the primary vessel, the Manatee II, was functional. Lowcountry ferry complied and began using the Queen Jean. Moore said he wants to reach ADA compliance and is continuing to work with Lowcountry Ferrys operator Neil Turner, who has been cooperative according to Moore. But, the bar for DRSC and what they consider ADA compliance is much higher. Acquiring a new boat wasnt sufficient is quelling their grievances. (Lowcountry Ferry) merely produced a second unsafe and inadequate boat, the Queen Jean, a dilapidated fishing vessel, and only temporarily repaired the Manatees air conditioning, DRSC said. In effect, the County has now approved LCFs use of two unsafe, inadequate vessels for its public ferry service. The Manatees air conditioning repeatedly fails; moreover, that vessel is currently down and out. LCFs only running vessel, the Queen Jean, in addition to safety issues, has no working toilet, bathroom or holding tank for sewage; yet, incomprehensibly, the County approved its use. Disability Rights South Carolina makes it clear that if the grievances arent addressed theyll pursue litigation against the county. However, at multiple points, theyve invited county officials to engage in a pre-litigation settlement. Is Council listening? At nearly every Beaufort County Council meeting this year, Daufuskie residents used public comment to repeat their concerns. As the year has progressed, the pleas have turned to requests that the council to terminate the contract. We are not aware that the County has paid any credence to their heartfelt stories, DRSC said. The council has had multiple private executive sessions about the ferry, but none have resulted in any action on the contract. I dont know how (council is) ignoring these past eight months and everything thats happened, said Daufuskie resident Sue Sablosky at a council meeting. I dont know how they can extend (Lowcountry Ferrys) deadlines again and again. Eden Hendrick, director of the Department of Juvenile Justice, speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (Skylar Laird/SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA A new psychiatric treatment center is meant to help incarcerated youth with mental health issues, officials said Monday. The $23 million treatment center is expected to open in November 2026 for teens with mental health issues who are housed at a state detention center, officials said. Hard work and tenacity paid off, and soon, were going to have a new tool at the states disposal to help those children those who need it most, Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, said at Mondays groundbreaking celebration. About four years ago, advocates and agency heads told Shealy they didnt have the resources to care for some of our sickest children, said Shealy, a former DJJ volunteer whos fought for improvements. Private treatment centers took some teenagers with serious mental and behavioral health concerns, but they couldnt take everyone, she said. Many providers would turn them away because they presented too much of a challenge for them, Shealy said. Since then, legislators and agency heads have been working to build their own facility. The budget that began in July 2022 included $20 million for DJJ to get started. Since then, officials have been touring sites and making plans for the building, said Amanda Whittle, who leads the Department of Childrens Advocacy. The William R. Byars Jr. Treatment Center will hold up to 24 children, with space to expand to 32 if needed. Located across the street from another psychiatric hospital, it will be about a 20-minute drive from DJJs Broad River Road Complex. That will keep the center close to both the juvenile justice and mental health departments. The 50,000-square-foot building will have high ceilings, as well as fences and unscalable walls, Whittle said. It is named for the late Bill Byars, a longtime family court judge before he led DJJ for eight years during Gov. Mark Sanfords tenure. Byars, who died in 2019, was credited with turning around an agency under federal court orders due to overcrowding and abuse. However, the agencys progress backslid following Great Recession-era budget cuts and Byars departure in 2011. The latest federal lawsuit is ongoing. Correct Care of South Carolina, a local branch of a national company that provides behavioral health services, will run the treatment center. The same group has run the states Sexually Violent Predator Treatment Program since 2016, according to its website. The facility will fill a gap for children who do not need psychiatric hospitalization but who can not get effective treatment at DJJs detention center. For years, the detention center has been overcrowded and understaffed, making it a difficult place for children to recover from mental health issues. And the department doesnt have the resources it needs for serious cases of mental illness, said Director Eden Hendrick, who took the agencys helm in 2021 after legislators pushed for the ouster of her predecessor. We do the best we can, but these youth need something more, Hendrick said. Children who go untreated before their release are more likely to have trouble later in life, including the possibility of reoffending and ending up in prison, Whittle said. The treatment center is designed to improve outcomes for youth by setting them on a path to recovery that promotes a healthy, productive, law-abiding future, Whittle said. Ideally, teenagers would have access to mental health resources before getting in trouble with the law, said Robby Kerr, director of the state Department of Health and Human Services. As many as 70% of youth in juvenile detention centers have a diagnosable mental health problem, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Having resources available where teenagers live could keep them from ending up in DJJs custody, Kerr said. The department has been working on efforts to that effect in recent years, including doubling the number of mental health counselors in schools. But the states health and justice departments need to do more, he said. Weve got to do community care to keep them out of that justice-involved situation, Kerr said. I hope we dont stop here. Im looking forward to greater things to come. Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz has signed a migration agreement with Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the first day of his three-day trip to Central Asia. The bilateral deal, which was signed in the ancient Silk Road city of Samarkand, is intended to ease the entry of skilled workers from Uzbekistan to Germany, particularly those working in the healthcare sector. The agreement will also speed up and simplify the repatriation of Uzbeks living in Germany without a legal residence permit. Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, left, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hold talks in Samarkand, September 15, 2024 - AP/Uzbekistan's Presidential Press Office The German press agency dpa estimates around 13,700 Uzbek nationals currently live in Germany and while the vast majority do so legally, around 200 are reportedly eligible for repatriation. "With our agreement on migration and mobility signed today in Samarkand in Uzbekistan, we are enabling people with great talents to enter our country. Also, we committed to unbureaucratic processes so that those who cannot stay in our country must go back," Scholz said in a post on X. Scholz and Mirziyoyev signed seven other agreements covering areas such as sustainable water resource management and a critical minerals partnership. Scholz will head to Kazakhstan on Monday and his talks there are expected to focus on oil and gas supplies to Germany and also on sanctions on Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Central Asian republics are traditionally close to Moscow and Astana has been accused of enabling Russia to circumvent trade restrictions. But Scholz's trip has also attracted criticism. While he is in Kazakhstan, he's expected to attend a summit with the heads of all five former Soviet republics (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan), the first German Chancellor to do so. International watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) says that summit would be a wasted opportunity if Scholz didn't raise alleged human rights shortcomings in all five countries. "The German government cannot pretend closer ties with Central Asia are possible without a significant improvement in human rights in the region. The upcoming summit offers a chance to make this clear," HRW said in a statement. The watchdog cited persistent human rights abuses in the region including the, "suppression of the rights to protest and express opinions, including online, jailing of activists, torture in detention, crackdowns on civil society, violence against women, impunity for abusive security forces, and a lack of free and fair elections." Screenshot of a North Dakota Educational Opportunities Task Force virtual listening session hosted by members of the Hunt Institute on Sept. 12, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) Stakeholders who participated in a listening session on school choice advocated last week for public education funds to follow students regardless of educational institution or model. The listening session held Thursday evening was the first of two days of meetings facilitated by the Hunt Institute to gather comments on different aspects of school choice and how it could look, if implemented in North Dakota. The discussion was related to a school choice task force, also known as an educational opportunities task force, which came under fire in recent weeks for not publicizing its meetings. All of the listening sessions and the final meeting of the group on Sept. 26 have been advertised through the Secretary of States website. Upcoming school choice virtual listening sessions 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17 The next online listening session is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, to be conducted via Zoom. An evening listening session will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Both sessions require attendees to register their names and emails through the Zoom link prior to the session start times. Jaalil Hart, interim director of K-12 for the Hunt Institute, led Thursdays online discussion, which consisted of six questions on defining school choice, the perceived benefits and drawbacks, and the role of public funding in a school choice education model. This session today, its really to get some input from everyone on the call to get your thoughts and feedback around what you think about school choice, Hart said during the listening session. What might be the implications for yourself, your family, your community? Participants were invited by various North Dakota education associations, said Michelle Fockler, managing director of the Hunt Institute. When asked to define school choice, some attendees wrote in the meeting group chat that it means flexibility, having a say in your own education, allowing funding to follow the student, and options for a personal experience for our students. When asked what the role public funding would play to support public charter schools, private tuition, material support and services, some attendees reiterated that support funding should follow the students. One attendee said parents should be able to use public education funding to purchase educational services from multiple providers to find the best education for their child. When asked how school choice can benefit North Dakota students and families, Ashley Baldwin of Williams County said having more educational options in rural communities would be helpful. My children have long travel times to school and having an option of homeschooling or charter school would be huge for us, Baldwin said during the meeting. Others wrote comments that included: Children with unique needs can choose schools that meet the childs needs best. When asked about the challenges or barriers families face when considering educational options for their kids, multiple respondents cited cost as being a barrier for families. Others cited lack of flexibility, transportation, and families not knowing how to find comparable educational options for their children as the biggest barriers. The Legislatures interim Education Committee is charged with studying school choice models that have been implemented nationally for K-12 schools, including charter schools, magnet schools, private schools, voucher systems and home schools. The committee next meets on Sept. 24. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn (PIX11) Two non-credible threats were investigated at a Williamsburg school Monday, according to a spokesperson for New York City Public Schools. Officials responded to a call claiming bombs had been placed at a school on Graham Avenue near Maujer Street just after 9 a.m., police said. Students were evacuated until the threat was determined non-credible by 11 a.m., according to a spokesperson for New York City Public Schools. More Local News It was one of two threats investigated at the school on Monday, according to school officials. Students had returned to normal operations by Monday afternoon. The NYPD did not immediately provide information on the nature of the second threat. This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates. Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter from Los Angeles who has covered New York City since 2023. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. School violence is soaring in Milwaukee and across nation. We can't give up on these kids. If you witnessed a young person engaging in inappropriate behavior would you intervene? While many might quickly answer "yes," consider last week's where several Milwaukee Tech High School students were dancing and loitering around cars near the school when three men asked them to stop. In the past, the situation might have ended there. Times have changed. Phone video shows a mob of teenagers surrounding the men before one teen got in the face of Freddie Vega, 63. The teen punched and kicked Vega as the crowd cheered and captured the beating on their phones. Vega's face was stomped, and another man was chased and kicked. The video ends with Vega on his knees, his face soaked in blood. He suffered a broken nose and collarbone. Two other men, Jesse Andino Sr, 62, and a 53-year-old co-worker, who was not identified, were treated at the scene. School violence shows need for MPS to communicate strategies A 44-second video of the incident was shared online. Police were called to the scene around 4 p.m. and subsequently arrested three boys, two 14-year-olds and a 15-year-old. A fourth teen was arrested Sunday. Police are still looking for more suspects. While the incident has garnered significant attention due to its severity, multiple altercations have occurred at schools throughout the city within the first week of the year. The incident on Wednesday occurred amidst social media rumors regarding potential violence in schools nationwide. This all coincides with MPS's delay in implementing school resource officers despite a state mandate to do so. In the absence of police officers in schools, it is imperative for MPS to clearly articulate its strategies for safeguarding the well-being of both students and the public. One thing is clear. Conflict resolution skills, de-escalation techniques, and teaching youth how to manage their emotions must be an everyday part of their curriculum. Nobody wants to be corrected, even when they are wrong There is no excuse for the attack, which occurred in an alley two blocks away from Milwaukee Tech. During a press conference, community leaders stressed that parents must increase their involvement, emphasizing that the recent situation could have escalated to a much more severe level. Some even voiced disbelief at what they observed on video. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson released a statement saying he was appalled. "The attack on the victims was without any conceivable justification. The victims have my prayers for a speedy recovery," his statement said. Interstate projects pointless: Buses and bikes beat the I-94 expansion. Anyone following youth violence over the past several years should not be shocked at what happened. You must be prepared for a verbal or physical confrontation if anyone addresses any misconduct. Why? Because nowadays, nobody wants to be checked or corrected even when they are wrong. While school resource officers could help to slow down violence in the hallways, classrooms and playgrounds, more attention is needed in addressing our youth's conflict resolution skills. Jesus Andino Jr. discusses an incident where Freddie Vega and two other adults were attacked by a group of youths, leaving Vega with serious injuries, on the day after the Wednesday attack, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Milwaukee. Howard Fuller says attack shows that every child needs adults Howard Fuller, who oversees the Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy, a tuition-free, non-profit public charter high school, emphasized that the most crucial lesson he has learned as an educator is that every child needs adults. Fuller, who served as MPS superintendent, said that adults must guide children. However, when children attack adults, one wonders if they are mimicking what they see adults in their lives do. While schools across most of the country started about a month ago or less, violence has been a common theme. On Tuesday, Omaha police arrested a 14-year-old boy after a shooting that critically injured a 15-year-old at Omaha Northwest High School. The shooting allegedly took place after a fight between two boys led to one using a gun hidden inside his hoodie to shoot the other one in the stomach. Wisconsin school funding: Tax dollars that flow to choice schools take away critical funds for public education On Sept. 4, Colt Gray, 14, was arrested after he allegedly shot and killed four people and injured nine others at Apalachee High School in Georgia. Gray is charged with four counts of murder. Grays father, Colin, was also charged with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree murder because he knowingly allowed his son to possess a gun. Then, late last week, MPS issued a notice to families after rumors spread on TikTok and Snapchat warned of potential violence at schools across the United States. Many kids face challenges before even arriving at school, such as uncertainty about their living situation, sexual assault, and going to school on an empty stomach. These are the realities educators deal with daily. Knowing these issues, the adults in these kids' lives must teach them how to deal with their anger and conflict resolution. Victim's son calls for accountability, but not giving up on kids Felipe Martinez, who is the son of the man who was bloodied in the attack near Tech, was left with many questions. It makes you think, how is that OK? Martinez said of the assault. What makes you do something to somebody who looks like a grandfather? He put out a clarion call to the public. Were evangelical pastors in Wisconsin. Heres what our faith says about immigration. "Im calling for more than accountability. Im calling for action from parents, school officials, community leaders, and adults to act and not give up on these kids," he said. While the youth involved must be punished, theres something to be said equally for the dozens of kids who watched, videoed, and laughed at the attack. That is just as disturbing. With the recent school violence, it is crucial to implement mandatory conflict resolution education and training. Providing students with the skills to solve problems, communicate, and assert themselves effectively and respectfully can reduce acts of violence and create a positive learning environment. You can reach James E. Causey at jcausey@jrn.com or follow him on X @jecausey. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Three men attacked by mob of students blocks from Milwaukee school HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) Several schools and colleges have made schedule changes for Monday because of weather concerns. Coastal Carolina University classes and offices are closed on Monday because of weather concerns. Only essential personnel will report for work per their supervisors direction. The Hicks and UP dining halls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. All other food service locations are closed. Transportation will continue to operate Teal Mobile and East campus express 24/7, and the Bronze route will operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. These services will need to stop operation if sustained winds of 40 mph occur and will resume when winds subside CMC Student Health Services will operate from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Housing desks will remain operating. Student and professional staff remain on-call. All students have free and immediate access to medical and mental health support through TimelyCare. CHANT411 is operating remotely from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Text or call 843-234-3411 for assistance. Dillon School District 3 will dismiss early on Monday because of road conditions, winds, and uncertain amounts of rain forecast for the region. Latta Elementary School will dismiss at 11 a.m., while Latta Middle School and Latta High School will dismiss at noon. All offices will close at 1 p.m. All afternoon activities including practices and games are canceled. Dillon School District 4 will have an early dismissal due to weather conditions. Florence-Darlington Technical College will close Monday at 4 p.m. All evening classes and programs are cancelled for the day. Horry County Schools are operating on an e-learning schedule. All schools are closed but will operate with an eLearning day for all students and staff. Students who are unable to participate due to power outages, lack of a computer device or internet service, or other barriers will have the opportunity to complete assignments at a later date. All extracurricular competitions scheduled will be rescheduled. All HCS employees will work remotely with the exception of school-based nutrition services staff, paraprofessionals, and bus drivers. School-based nutrition services staff, paraprofessionals, and bus drivers will not report to work but will be allowed to make up the day based upon schedules provided by their supervisors. Horry Georgetown Technical College is closed on Monday All employees will not work remotely or provide remote services. Assistance with enrollment, registration, or financial aid is available through FA Solutions. Students can reach out for support by calling 843-347-3186 or emailing info@hgtc.edu. Robeson Community College will close at noon on Monday and shift to remote learning. Students should check Moodle and their college email for instructions from faculty regarding classes, assignments, and clinicals. Online classes will proceed as scheduled. Employees will work remotely unless otherwise instructed by their supervisor. Public Schools of Robeson County will dismiss at noon, and all afterschool care and activities are canceled. Scotland County Schools will operate as normal on Monday, but out of an abundance of caution, all afterschool activities and events including sports practices, games and extracurricular programs are canceled. The district will also operate on a two-hour delay on Tuesday. Public Schools of Robeson County will operate on a two-hour delay on Tuesday. * * * Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on, Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. Republicans blocked a Democrat-backed bill on in vitro fertilization (IVF) from proceeding on Tuesday, which has already failed in the upper chamber. The bill failed to garner the 60 votes necessary in the procedural vote, failing 51 to 44. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced he was scheduling an additional vote on the measure in a letter to senators on Sunday. "As our national debate on reproductive rights has continued to unfold, we have seen the Republican Partys nominee for president claim to be a leader in fertilization and come out in support of expanding access to IVF by requiring insurance companies to cover IVF treatment a key provision included in the Right to IVF Act," Schumer wrote. DEMS POUR $25M INTO GROUND GAME AS GOP INCHES CLOSER TO SENATE MAJORITY "So, we are going to give our Republican colleagues another chance to show the American people where they stand." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Schumer's decision to bring the bill back to the Senate floor comes after former President Donald Trump vowed to mandate insurers to cover IVF, as he emphasized his support of the procedure. "I'm announcing today in a major statement that under the Trump administration, your government will pay for or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for all costs associated with IVF treatment," Trump said at a Michigan event last month. "Because we want more babies, to put it nicely." TAMMY BALDWIN FACES CONFLICT OF INTEREST CONCERNS OVER PARTNER'S WALL STREET GIG Under the IVF bill, which was introduced by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., "A group health plan or a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage shall provide coverage for fertility treatment, if such plan or coverage provides coverage for obstetrical services." This would extend to nearly all insurers, as obstetrical coverage is considered a routine inclusion. In June, nearly all Senate Republicans voted the measure down during a key procedural vote, preventing it from getting the 60 necessary votes to advance. JON TESTER CASTS DOUBT ON UNFAVORABLE POLL IN MONTANA SENATE RACE: 'GIVE ME A BREAK' Duckworth led the Democrat-backed IVF bill. Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Katie Britt of Alabama proposed their own IVF bill later in the summer, which they said would prevent bans on the procedure but allow for commonsense regulation. That measure was blocked from being voted on when Cruz made a unanimous consent request to proceed with it. It has not been slated for a traditional vote by Schumer, either. At the time, Cruz and Britt also led a statement that was signed by the entire Republican conference, reiterating their support of IVF. Ahead of the cloture vote on Tuesday, Cruz and Britt once again sought to proceed to a vote on their bill by way of unanimous consent. However, their request was objected to. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., also led a bill designed to promote IVF earlier this summer, which was bicameral and introduced in the House by Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla. His measure sought to decouple Health Savings Accounts (HSA) from health insurance plans and raise the contribution limits for families to assist in paying for expenses such as IVF. The Florida senator similarly sought to advance his bill to a vote on Monday night, making a request for unanimous consent. This was objected to by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. Scott said he wouldn't speak about private conversations with Trump when asked by Fox News Digital ahead of the vote if they had discussed the former president's IVF proposal, but he reiterated, "I'm very supportive of IVF, and we'll see what Schumer brings up." Pressed on the component to mandate insurers to cover the procedure, he said he would see what's written in the bill. TOP SENATORS BRIEFED ON 'MAJOR ERRORS' LEADING UP TO TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT A microscopic view of a cryo solution during embryo prep in the IVF lab at Brigham & Women's Hospital. Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., who is running for Republican Senate leader in November, said he hadn't discussed the IVF proposal with Trump but perhaps some of his colleagues had. "Obviously, it's an idea that's out there that we're having discussions about. But, we'll react to it if and when it happens, if that's the direction Schumer decides to go," he told Fox News Digital after Schumer announced the scheduled vote. Asked about mandating private insurance coverage for a procedure, which isn't a traditionally conservative position, Thune said, "I guess that's the conversation we're going to have to have." "Obviously, it's something that our nominee has come out in support of, but there are lots of mandates that are imposed on insurance companies, which raise rates," he explained. "Every Republican is for IVF. I don't know of any Republican that isn't," he said. "The question of whether or not insurance ought to cover it is another issue that we need to talk about." Original article source: Republicans block Dem-backed IVF bill revived by Chuck Schumer Of the 32 eels that were swallowed whole by dark sleeper fish in a recent study, nine of them successfully escaped to safety izumi yokoduka/Getty Stock image of a wild eel Eels are evading becoming supper by slipping out of hungry predators. A study published on Monday, Sept. 9, in the journal Current Biology has found that, while the Japanese eel (or Anguilla japonica) might be prey to dark sleeper fish (Odontobutis obscura), the circle of life doesn't have to end there for the snake-like creatures thanks to a unique escape plan. According to the study titled "How Japanese eels escape from the stomach of a predatory fish," researchers used a few eels, x-ray footage, and a predator fish to determine the impressive way eels avoid getting eaten. Researchers found that the eels wiggle out of their predator's stomach and escape through their gills after circling the stomach, along the eels to narrowly avoid becoming somebody's lunch even when their "entire bodies were completely inside the stomach." "We thought the eel escaped from the mouth of the predator, but in the first footage we recorded, the eel escaped from the stomach of the predator," Yuha Hasegawa, assistant professor at Nagasaki University and the initial author of the research, said, per The Japan Times. "It moved back up the digestive tract towards the gill of the fish." Antonio Duarte/Getty Stock image of wild eels Related: Rare Ghostly-Looking 'Dumbo' Octopus Spotted on Deep Sea Camera Speaking with CNN, Hasegawa said while he and study coauthors Dr. Kazuki Yokouchi and Dr. Yuuki Kawabata previously saw the eels escape from the gills of dark sleepers thanks to a previous study in 2021, they had "no understanding of their escape routes and behavioral patterns during the escape because it occurred inside the predator's body." To learn more about the eels' journey to the gills, the researchers injected the fish with barium sulfate, which allowed them to use an X-ray video to see what was occurring inside the predator fish. Hasegawa told CNN that the research began with 104 eels, which were then one at a time placed inside "experimental tanks" with predator fish. Of the 32 eels swallowed whole by the predator fish, 13 reached the fish's gills and poked their tails out, while nine of the 13 "completed their escape," per the study. The study added that the eels typically escaped with an "initial tail-insertion towards the esophagus," swimming backward, poking their tail through the gills, and eventually pulling their heads and the rest of their body free. The process took an average of three-and-a-half minutes. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Kory Evans, an assistant professor of biosciences at Rice University in Houston, told CNN that the findings were "super surprising and informative." "The X-ray video of the eels circling in the stomach looking for a way out is particularly striking and shows that for some prey animals, the fight for survival doesn't end after being eaten kind of inspiring, really," Evans said. Related: 'Stout' Snake Gets Collected for Nature Survey. Then It Vomits Up Two More Snakes One Living! Hasegawa told The Guardian that the predatory fish were unharmed in the study, and the eels that escaped to freedom sometimes "showed signs of abrasions." "At this point, the Japanese eel is the only species of fish confirmed to be able to escape from the digestive tract of the predatory fish after being captured," author Yuuki Kawabata said, per the outlet. The study's authors added that more research needs to be doneincluding on different-size eels and environmentsto determine "specific factors that enable successful escape," per CNN. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Scientists Found the Missing Glue That Binds Our Memories Togetherand May Help Us Edit Them "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Scientists have long known that the molecule protein kinase Mzeta (PKMzeta) plays a central role in forming memories. Now a recent study identifies its partner-in-crime, another molecule named kidney and brain expressed adaptor protein (KIBRA), which forms long-term memories through interactions that tag certain synapses in neurons. Further study of this interaction could help scientists develop therapies in relation to memory. Famous Irish poet, author, and playwright Oscar Wilde once wrote that memory is the diary we all carry about with us, but the biological author of this lifelong memoir is far from certain. In the 1970s, scientists discovered long-term potentiation (LTP), which detailed how strengthening and weakening synapses helped form memory, but thats only part of the story. In order to pull off this wondrous feat, synapses rely on a variety of molecules to form certain types of memories. One of these is PKMzeta (protein kinase Mzeta), which, when inhibited in the brains of rats during a 2006 experiment, caused disruption in spatial memory in the hippocampus. So there you go. Problem solved, right? Well, as you might imagine, when it comes to understanding the inner workings of the human brain, things are bit more complicated. One of the big drawbacks of relying on PKMzeta to be the molecule responsible for memory formation is that it simply doesnt last in the brain very long, sticking around for only a couple hours or days. Humans likely wouldnt have invented agriculture let alone launch rockets into space with such subpar recall. Also, with 10,000 synapses to every one neuron, scientists didnt know exactly how PKMzeta strengthened some synapses and not others. Now, a recent study from scientists at the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Health Sciences University has an answer for those long-standing questions. It turns out PKMzeta gets a little help from a friendin this case, another molecule known as the kidney and brain expressed adaptor protein, known as KIBRA. The results were published in the journal Science Advances this past June. During memory formation the synapses involved in the formation are activated, SUNYs Todd Sacktor, senior author of the study, said in a press statement, and KIBRA is selectively positioned in these synapses. PKMzeta then attaches to the KIBRA-synaptic-tag and keeps those synapses strong. This allows the synapses to stick to newly made KIBRA, attracting more newly made PKMzeta. The researchers call this KIBRA the missing link molecule that acts as a glue that allows memories to persist for years or even decades. The study analyzes these molecules in laboratory mice and found that blocking this molecular interaction disrupted spatial memory, and while both molecules are short-lived, their interaction persists. Sacktor references a 1984 hypothesis by Francis Crick, the co-discoverer of DNA, that described the creation of memories as molecular turnover. Sacktor compares the idea to the famous philosophical concept known as the Ship of Theseus, which asks whether a ship thats been repaired so frequently that not even the keel is original is still the same ship that first left port. Similarly, Sacktor says, PKMzeta and KIBRA could work together to create long-term memories. The persistent synaptic tagging mechanism we found is analogous to how new planks replace old planks to maintain Theseuss Ship for generations, Sacktor said in a press statement, and allows memories to last for years even as the proteins maintaining the memory are replaced. Francis Crick intuited this Theseuss Ship mechanism, even predicting the role for a protein kinase. But it took 40 years to discover that the components are KIBRA and PKMzeta and to work out the mechanism of their interaction. Exploring the interactions of these two molecules opens a world of possibilities, some of which are decidedly sci-fi. Im seeing more and more the possibilities of directly putting proteins in neurons through gene therapy, Sacktor told Scientific American , which would theoretically strengthen fading memories. But for now, memory wiping like some sort of Harry Potter spell or Men in Black gadgetpick your favorite cultural referenceare a bit more far-fetched. If you wanted to use this sort of mechanism to target unwanted memorieswhich creates ethical issues anywaysyoud have to find a way to make it specific to certain memories. True to Wildes words, memory might be the diary we carry with usbut in the future, who says we can edit a few chapters? You Might Also Like Scientists issue warning about project proposal to change the world's largest wetlands: 'It would be a senseless tragedy' South America's Pantanal is the largest wetland in the world and it may be under just as large a threat, as reported by the Guardian. It faces potentially catastrophic losses from the construction of a commercial waterway within the stunning wetland locale, which is home to plant, animal, and human communities alike. What's happening? Scientists cautioned about the dangers of development in a recent paper. Per the Guardian, the waterway project arose because of increasing demand for soybeans produced in the area. To enhance industrial expansion, the route would facilitate transit from the Pantanal region (Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay) to coastline shipping hubs. However, experts say the project "represents an existential threat to the [Pantanal] ecosystem," as reported by the Guardian. Rainforest Trust said the iconic wetland "is in danger of drying up as temperatures rise, water is overused, land is converted for agriculture, and wildfires burn." The Pantanal "is a real paradise on Earth," ecologist Karl M. Wantzen told the Guardian. "All of that is at risk." Why is the Pantanal so important? Wetland ecosystems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "are among the most productive in the world." Wetlands are indispensable: They sustain a broad range of species, cultivate important goods (seafood, berries, and even medications), and regulate our atmosphere supporting human survival. But wetlands everywhere are disappearing at alarming speed. Wetland "loss rates have increased by 50% since 2009," stated the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Just four years ago in the Pantanal, devastating wildfires decimated close to one-fifth of the region and this year, per the Guardian, "fires were the worst on record." Constructing the commercial waterway could displace populations and escalate the likelihood of disasters, warned experts. "It would be a senseless tragedy," Wantzen lamented. "[It] will probably mean the end of the Pantanal as we know it," researcher Pierre Girard added. What can we do about it? Considering that the Pantanal waterway may not even be viable if it were to reach completion, "scientists believe the water level in the river would be too low to allow navigation," the Guardian reported scientists hope to encourage officials to explore alternatives. Railways, for example, could support economic growth in the region without destroying the resources it relies upon for that growth. Regarding the Pantanal situation, Rainforest Trust said: "Human impact is rapidly taking its toll." But our impact doesn't have to be negative. Help chart a new course one where our natural wonders thrive for years to come by spreading awareness and taking action to conserve wetlands, prevent deforestation, and preserve biodiversity. Because pathways worth investing in should inspire, not inhibit, positive progress for all. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. The first move towards a law covering the restraint and seclusion of school children will be taken at the Scottish Parliament later. Labour MSP Daniel Johnson said his Members' Bill to bring Calum's Law into legislation was a "huge step forward". It is named after Calum Morrison who was was restrained at a special educational needs school when he was 11 years old. It aims to ensure that restraint and seclusion of children and young people in schools is only used as a last resort where there is an immediate risk of harm and using appropriate methods. The bill also promotes compulsory training for all teachers on how to de-escalate difficult situations. Beth Morrison, from Angus, has been campaigning for more than a decade over what happened to her son Calum, who has learning disabilities, autism and epilepsy. She says he was still at primary school when he was restrained on the floor by four adults until he lost consciousness. Ms Morrison thanked Daniel Johnson for his work on the Members' Bill and said that in the last school year they had heard from 208 "desperate families" who said their child had been physically and emotionally harmed because they had been subjected to the use of restraint and/or seclusion in Scottish schools. "These are not large, out-of-control teenagers, they are small children," she said, adding that 33% were just six years old, 23% were aged five and there had not been a single case involving a child over the age of eight this year. Ms Morrison said 91% of the children were Autistic or had ADHD. The Scottish government has incorporated the United Nations Convention of Rights of a Child (UNCRC) into Scots law. Ms Morrison said the UNCRC was clear that restraint and seclusion must only ever be used as a last resort to keep a child safe from harm. "Our evidence tells us that it is being used as a punitive response to distressed behaviour due to unmet needs in school," she said. "We are bitterly disappointed that despite being well aware of the problem, the Scottish government continue to allow children to suffer bruises, injuries and emotional trauma every single day in school. "This is happening on their watch and they have refused to protect our most vulnerable in law. That is utterly scandalous." She added that Calum's Law would uphold the human rights of all children, make sure the incidents were recorded and ensure that education staff were given the training and support they desperately needed to respond in the right way when a child is distressed. "It's the right thing to do," she said. Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, said pupils, parents and teachers were "deeply frustrated" at Scotlands current approach to the use of restraint and seclusion. He said: "Not only was this evident from the number of individual respondents who supported my proposed bill, but also from the number of parents and guardians who responded with emotionally personal accounts of their childrens experience, which, at times, I found difficult to read. Johnson added: "Today marks a huge step forward in this campaign." [BBC] Six years ago, Scotlands childrens commissioner published a report revealing thousands of restraint incidents affecting hundreds of children. Parents and campaigners say that despite that report, children especially those with special educational needs - continue to be inappropriately physically restrained in schools in Scotland. Beth Morrison has been campaigning for more than a decade for legally enforceable guidelines on the use of physical restraint in schools. She says she has been contacted by hundreds of distraught parents and says her own son Calum, aged 11, who has learning disabilities, autism and epilepsy, was restrained on the floor by four adults until he lost consciousness. She says Calum, who is now 25, is still traumatised by what happened. MSP Daniel Johnson wants physical restraint guidelines in schools to be legally enforceable. The law, if passed, would ensure compulsory training for all teachers on how to de-escalate difficult situations. The members' bill needs the support of 18 MSPs to go through to committee stage in Holyrood. Johnson said the consultation on the bill had 151 responses, 91% of which were supportive. In the past, the Scottish government said some of these concerns would be tackled though their mooted Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Bill. But that bill was missing from the recent Programme for Government. Ministers have said on several occasions they do not think statutory ie legally enforceable guidelines are necessary. But there are clearly many parents who disagree. SEATTLE - Police in Seattle have arrested a man for several felonies following a violent attack inside a movie theater over the weekend. Just before 10 p.m. on Friday, September 13th, police say a man caused a panicked evacuation after assaulting moviegoers for walking in front of his seat at Regal Thornton Place on Northeast 103rd Street in Seattle. According to the officers report, during the altercation, the suspect threatened, "Ive got a gun," and "Ill shoot you," and "Ill shoot everyone." Someone posted to Reddit a note to the man they say stopped further harm. Officers responded to reports of an armed man assaulting multiple people in the theater. Upon arriving on scene, police say they arrested an "uncooperative, argumentative suspect." Two victims of the 30-year-old's assault approached officers for help, one man had a partially severed ear, and a woman had injuries to her head. Medical first responders tended to them on scene before being transported to the hospital. According to law enforcement, the suspect was angered that the moviegoers had passed his row of seats twice. He then pulled out a gun. When fellow patrons tried to wrestle the gun out of his hands, the magazine ejected. Police say this is when the theater emptied out in a panic. The 30-year-old man has since been booked into the King County Jail for assault in the first degree, felony harassment, and unlawful imprisonment. MORE NEWS FROM FOX SEATTLE New Boeing CEO buys $4.1M Seattle home amid factory worker strike PCC returning to downtown Seattle after January closure Green River Killer Gary Ridgway transferred out of King County Jail Otter captured, euthanized after attacking child at Bremerton marina Seattle bank robbers make off with $9k using a handwritten note To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle newsletter. SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia received a $25,000 grant from Bank of America just in time for Hunger Action Month in Savannah. Hunger Action Month is Feeding Americas annual national wide campaign designed to inspire people to take action and raise awareness of hunger in the United States. Second Harvest says the grant comes at an opportune time and will significantly benefit their childhood hunger initiatives. According to Feeding America, there are 13,394,000 children that face hunger and food insecurity in the United States and 43,580 children in Coastal Georgia that are struggling, said Mary Jane Crouch, Executive Director of Secon harvest of Coastal Georgia. This grant will allow us to continue to grow our Kids Cafe meal program that currently provides 4,227 a day to children across six counties of our service area. With the opening of our state-of-the-art Kids Cafe Kitchen and new facility, we are on schedule to increase our daily meal production and delivery to 5,500 meals by January 2025. Bank of America Savannah Market President Patrick ONeil said, Continuing to partner with Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia is part of our commitment to address needs like food insecurities in Savannah. The investments in Savannah nonprofits demonstrates how Bank of America is taking action to build thriving communities long-term. 100 Black Men of Savannah, Inc. showcased youth programs Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV. A secretive group recruited far-right candidates in key US House races. It could help Democrats DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Joe Wiederien was an unlikely candidate to challenge a Republican congressman in one of the nations most competitive districts. A fervent supporter of former President Donald Trump, Wiederien was registered as a Republican until months earlier. A debilitating stroke had left him unable to drive. For a time, he couldnt vote because of a felony conviction. But he arrived last month at the Iowa Capitol with well over the 1,726 petition signatures needed to qualify for the ballot as a conservative alternative to first-term Republican Rep. Zach Nunn. Similar stories have unfolded across the country. For the past year, a group called the Run Patriots Project has recruited Trump supporters to run as independent candidates in swing districts where they could siphon votes from Republicans. In addition to two races in Iowa, the group recruited candidates in Nebraska, Montana, Virginia and Minnesota. All six recruits described themselves as retired, disabledor both. The groups operation provides few clues about its management, financing or motivation. But interviews, text messages, emails, business filings and other documents reviewed by The Associated Press show that a significant sum has been spentand some of it traces back to Democrats. Dirty tricks are as old as American elections, but the efforts this year could have profound consequences in the fight to control Congress, which is expected to be decided by a handful of races. I was thinking, well, it would be nice to be in Congress and get to work with President Trump, Wiederien, 54, reflected in an interview outside the Veterans Affairs hospital in Des Moines, where he was seeking treatment for a leaking incision on his head from previous brain surgery. It looks like its a dirty trick now. Wiederien withdrew his candidacy last month after he says it became clear hed been manipulated into running. As with other recruits, his story begins with Facebook, where the Patriots Run Project operated a series of pro-Trump pages and ran ads that used apocalyptic rhetoric to attack establishment politicians in both parties while urging conservatives to run in November. Once recruited, they communicated with a handful of operatives through text messages, emails and phone calls. In-person contact was limited. Run Patriots Project advised them about what forms to fill out and how to file required paperwork. In at least three races, petition signatures to qualify for the ballot were circulated by a Nevada company that works closely with the Democratic consulting firm Sole Strategies, according to documents, including text messages and a draft contract, as well as the firms co-founder. In Iowa, a different Democratic firm conducted a poll testing attacks on Nunn, while presenting Wiederien as the true conservative. Despite the ties to Democratic firms, there is a scant paper trail to determine who is overseeing the effort. Patriots Run Project is not a registered business in the U.S., nor is it listed as a nonprofit with the IRS. And it has not filed paperwork to form a political committee with the Federal Election Commission. The only concrete identifying detail listed on the groups website is a P.O. box inside a UPS store in Washington, D.C. Messages left at email addresses and phone numbers for the groups operatives went unanswered. Jason Torchinsky, a prominent Republican election lawyer and former Justice Department official, said investigators should take interest. There could be a wide variety of federal and state criminal violations, he said. In Iowa, it is a crime to deprive or defraud voters of a fair and impartially conducted election process, while in Virginia conspiracy against rights of citizens is a felony. Thomas Bowman, who is 71 and disabled after a kidney transplant, said he believes he likely was recruited to run against Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota to split the conservative vote and help Craig win reelection in the suburban Minneapolis district. But the self-described constitutional conservative expressed gratitude for free help getting signatures. They got me on the ballot, Bowman said. If I had to do that all by myself, I couldnt do it. In Montana, Dennis Hayes was recruited to run as a Libertarian against GOP Rep. Ryan Zinke. The group found a donor to give him $1,740 to cover his candidate filing fee, Hayes recalled. Robert Reid, a widowed retiree running against Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans in southeastern Virginia, said he was contacted by Patriots Run Project after posting his views to Facebook. His sole in-person contact was when a man drove to his home in a Mercedes SUV to drop off his completed petition signature paperwork. In Nebraska, Army veteran and Trump supporter Gary Bera said he was asked to run as an independent against Republican Rep. Don Bacon. The district, which includes Omaha, is the states most competitive. Plans changed abruptly last month when he was informed that the group had not collected enough signatures for him to qualify. In Iowa, the group recruited longtime GOP activist Stephanie Jones to run as an independent against Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks. Jones said the group paid to gather signatures for her but fell short. Wiederien wants Patriots Run Project to be investigated. The group convinced Wiederien to change his party affiliation from Republican to unaffiliated so he could qualify. They assured him a 2013 felony conviction wasnt disqualifying and arranged for a firm to gather signatures across the district. Those signatures were gathered by Common Sense America, a Nevada limited liability company created in February. A company disclosure filing in Colorado, which requires signature gatherers to register, lists a phone number for a co-founder of the Democratic consulting firm, Sole Strategies. We work very closely with Common Sense America, said Zee Cohen-Sanchez, the co-founder. Last month, a poll attacked Nunn, calling him an errand boy for the uniparty elite, while painting Wiederien as the pro-Trump conservative in the race. A spokeswoman for the firm that operated the poll, Dynata, said that its customer was Patinkin Research, which says it has worked to elect dozens of Democratic candidates. When it was time to submit his petitions, Wiederien was driven by a Patriots Run Project operative to Des Moines, where they met a man in an office near the Capitol. He gave them paperwork and a binder full of his signatures. All Wiederien had to do was sign a form. Not long after he heard from Republicans who convinced him hed been tricked into thinking the Patriots Run Project had Trumps support and he withdrew his name from the ballot. ___ Slodysko reported from Washington. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Section 3 of Ohio River Crossing to break ground in Evansville HENDERSON, Ky (WEHT) Section 3 of the Ohio River Crossing is set to break ground on Tuesday, September 17 at 10 a.m. ORX officials state local officials, along with Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb and INDOT Commissioner Mike Smith, will be in attendance. Officials also state the approach work in Indiana will provide the all-weather construction access needed to build the future I-69 bridge over the Ohio River. Eyewitness News. Everywhere you are. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). CARBONDALE, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) A male juvenile was arrested Friday after threats closed Carbondale Area High School and led others to ramp up security. The juvenile, arrested in Savannah, Georgia, is accused of making multiple online threats targeting schools in NEPA. Although the threats were deemed uncredible, districts like Carbondale Area, Scranton, and Valley View are using the incident as an opportunity to take extra precautions and review their protocols. Administrators are focusing on ensuring they are fully staffed with security and working closely with law enforcement to guarantee student safety. Two injured during shooting in Williamsport In a statement to 28/22 News, Scranton School District Superintendent Erin Keating states: The District has made significant investments in safety and security, including the creation of a dedicated Safety and Security Department. Key enhancements include hiring armed school safety officers, adding patrol vehicles, installing Evolv Technologies weapons detection systems, making capital improvements, upgrading communication and video surveillance systems, and introducing body-worn cameras for our officers Scranton School District Superintendent Erin Keating In a statement to 28/22 News, Valley Views Superintendent Brian Durkin says: Valley View School Districts number one priority is the safety of our students and staff. We have a School Resource Officer (SRO) present in each building and maintain close collaboration with the Chiefs from each borough to ensure additional officers are available whenever necessary. Valley Views Superintendent Brian Durkin The juvenile charged with making the threats to Carbondale remains in a juvenile detention center as the investigation continues. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com. Cash seized from criminals is set to be used for projects which will focus on bringing communities together, a police and crime commissioner has said. Organisations across Merseyside have been invited to apply for a share of 100,000 to run projects which would promote diversity, equality and inclusion in the wake of recent violent disorder. The funding comes from money taken from criminals through the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) which is then invested into good causes in communities through the Community Cashback Fund. Emily Spurrell said the move would "tackle hate crime at the earliest opportunity and focus on building and improving community cohesion and resilience". Emily Spurrell said the cash would go to organisations working to "make areas safer" [BBC] "The scenes of violence we saw in our region last month were shocking and appalling," Ms Spurrell said. "It was not protest. It was mindless crime and disorder motivated and manipulated by racism and islamophobia and all those involved are now feeling the full force of the law." She said it was "a sad reminder that if stereotypes and hate-fuelled attitudes are allowed to fester it can lead to very serious crimes that have devastating consequences on many lives". But she added in the wake of the riots people "saw the very best of our region as communities came together to help each other to cope and recover". 'Make areas safer' She said: "Through this funding we want to support those brilliant local organisations which are working to prevent crime and make their areas safer and stronger. "By taking the cash out of the pockets of those who bring misery to our communities and investing it into these projects, we can effectively turn bad money into good." About 20 grants have been made available for projects which have a focus on improving understanding of minority communities, raising awareness of the impact of hate crime and challenging harmful attitudes towards other people. The fund is being managed by the Community Foundation for Merseyside and applications can be made until 14 October. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk The News Semafor Gulf launches today, marking the companys third global edition following the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa. Led by veteran journalist and editor Mohammed Sergie, the new platform will examine how the regions financial, business, and geopolitical direction shape the world, from culture and investment to infrastructure, climate and technology as well as the dramatic transformations of the Gulf states themselves. To drive its coverage, Semafor has assembled a world-class regional editorial team consisting of award-winning journalists and contributors who will provide in-depth coverage of the dramatic, high-stakes story of the Arabian Gulf. Reporting from Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and around the region, they will work in concert with Semafors top flight business reporters in New York, its technology journalists in San Francisco, and its Washington D.C bureau. Representative pre-launch coverage includes scoops on chip maker Nvidias plans to sell chips to Saudi Arabia and tensions in the office of a major global consulting firm in the United Arab Emirates. Semafor Gulf editorial team: Mohammed Sergie, editor: former editor of Bloomberg News Sarah Dadouch , reporter: former Middle East correspondent of The Washington Post Kelsey Warner, reporter: former editor of The Circuit UAE Semafor Gulf contributors: Faisal Abbas : Award-winning journalist and editor-in-chief of Arab News Omar Al-Ubaydli : Economist, affiliated associate professor of economics at George Mason University and senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center in Washington, DC Hadley Gamble : Award-winning international journalist and host of Al Arabiya Wael Mahdi : Veteran journalist and editor, former energy correspondent of Bloomberg, co-author of OPEC in a Shale Oil World: Where to Next? Camilla Wright: Media commentator and writer of global news and popular culture outlets, including Britains biggest and best known newsletter Know More Semafor Gulf will feature original reporting and thrice-weekly newsletter, serving as a fresh destination for sophisticated audiences in the region and in the global capitals, delivering Semafors signature independent, intelligent and transparent journalism. In addition, the company has established digital and event collaborations with some of the regions top brands across a diverse range of sectors. Joining Semafor Gulf as its inaugural launch partners are: First Abu Dhabi Bank, G42, Mubadala, and Invest Qatar. This expansion builds on the companys success since its 2022 launch, having built a global audience of over 700,000 newsletter subscriptions across nine premium newsletters. This year, the company was named to Most Innovative Companies of 2024 for rewriting the story on international reporting. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released a video Monday emphasizing the urgent need to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), aimed at increasing childrens digital safety and privacy. In the two-and-a-half-minute long video, titled Why We Must Pass the Kids Online Safety Act, Blackburn spoke with a Tennessee woman whose 17-year-old son, Vaughn-Thomas, took a pill laced with fentanyl that he potentially bought from Snapchat. Thomas suffered fentanyl poisoning and died after taking what his mother called counterfeit Xanax. When Vaughn-Thomas didnt wake up to his alarm, thats when we found him, the mother, Kathy, told Blackburn. He took what he thought was a Xanax, it was a counterfeit Xanax [laced with fentanyl]. When Blackburn asked how he acquired it, Kathy said some of it may have been acquired through the social media platform Snapchat. One mistake should not have been a death sentence for Vaughn-Thomas, Kathy said. Blackburn, a co-author of the KOSA bill alongside Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), said the bill would require social media platforms to design for safety and to have that duty of care. The bill would create regulations to govern the kinds of features tech and social media companies could offer to minors online. It comes after years of advocacy regarding the potential risks of social media and its impact on youth mental health. We have found so many kids that are meeting these drug dealers online, and the precursors come from China into Mexico, and then the drug cartels bring it into the country, Blackburn said. Over 100,000 Americans a year die. KOSA passed the Senate in a 91-3 vote in late July as part of a package that included the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Action Act, called COPPA 2.0. While it received overwhelming support in the upper chamber, the legislation has remained stalled in the House amid resistance from leadership. House GOP leadership suggested last month that the legislation cannot be brought to the floor in its current form, arguing it could prompt censorship of speech and give new authority to the Federal Trade Commission. The pressure is on the House Energy and Commerce Committee to mark up the legislation before lawmakers depart Washington for a preelection recess that will stretch past the November election. A group of parents whose children have died or been seriously harmed as a result of social media gathered outside the Capitol last Thursday morning to call on the committee to advance the bill. Blackburns and Blumenthals offices told The Hill dozens of parents and youth from multiple advocacy groups will meet with House offices this week to urge them to take up KOSA. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. (Bloomberg) -- Senegals dollar bonds fell after the International Monetary Fund said the African nations fiscal position was expected to deteriorate. Most Read from Bloomberg The bonds were the worst performers in a Bloomberg index of emerging and frontier sovereign dollar debt. The yield on notes due 2048 climbed 14 basis points to 9.78%. Senegals bonds have been volatile since President Bassirou Diomaye Faye signaled plans to dissolve the opposition-controlled parliament last month. On Friday, he disbanded the lawmaking body in an effort to consolidate power and push forward his reform agenda. Elections for new representatives will be held on Nov. 17, he said in a statement. Senegal President Dissolves Parliament (Video) In its end-of-mission statement, the IMF said Senegals economy slowed in early 2024, with growth in key sectors like mining and construction weaker than expected. The fiscal deficit widened due to reduced revenues and rising energy subsidies. The international lender highlighted the urgent need for reforms, including cutting untargeted subsidies and streamlining tax exemptions to stabilize public finances and reduce debt. Last year, the IMF reached a staff-level agreement with Senegal on a $1.5 billion facility to support a program of economic reforms. Faye, who won a presidential vote in March by a landslide, is seeking a legislative majority to reassure voters and investors that he can fulfill his pledges to tackle corruption, ease a cost-of-living crisis and review oil and gas contracts with Senegals foreign partners. Hes faced a deadlock with a National Assembly dominated by lawmakers loyal to his predecessor, Macky Sall. The end-of-mission statement published by the IMF points to some fiscal slippage, in contrast to earlier government reports that suggested otherwise, said Michael Kafe, an economist at Barclays Bank Plc, in a note to clients. That said, if the upcoming elections lead to a parliamentary majority, it would help avoid unnecessary delays in implementing the economic program, he said. You can follow Bloombergs reporting on Africa on WhatsApp. Sign up here. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. The Canton United Methodist Church will host a drive-thru roast beef dinner on Friday, September 20. The dinner will have roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetable, roll, and dessert. The cost $15.50 and is pre-order only. To order a meal, call Linda D. at 315-379-9858 or church office at 315-386-4500 to reserve a meal. All reservations are due by Tuesday, September 17 Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWTI - InformNNY.com. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning in Salt Lake City. Wind gusts up to 60 mph are expected. Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees. Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Sandy, Murray, Bountiful, West Jordan, Taylorsville, Midvale, South Salt Lake, North Salt Lake, Woods Cross, Millcreek, Kearns, Salt Lake City International Airport, Magna, Oquirrh, Cottonwood West, Canyon Rim, East Millcreek, and Sugar House. DWR: 31 animals killed, left on St. George golf course This includes the areas of I-15 between mile markers 296 and 316, as well as I-80 between mile markers 109 and 126. For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building, the NWS stated in the alert. The warning is in effect until 5:45 p.m. No further information is available at this time. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) Multiple school districts across the Lowcountry canceled classes Monday due to a threat of severe weather. The Charleston County School District will shift to an eLearning day for students. Teachers or schools will provide information about the days learning plan. Kaleidoscope and all other extracurricular activities and afterschool programs scheduled for Monday are canceled. Georgetown County schools are also closed Monday. Students will have an eLearning day on October 7. Williamsburg County schools will not be open for students; however staff should report to work if they are able. This is due to potential impacts from a tropical system that is expected to make landfall north of Charleston on Monday. Forecasters say periods of rainfall, gusty winds, and flooding are likely. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2. Lee Lara, who has worked for for Boeing for 16 years, yells in response to honking from passing drivers as workers wave picket signs Sunday near the company's factory in Everett, Wash. The company warned employees Monday the strike is leading to reduced travel and possible furloughs. Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press Boeing workers wave picket signs as they strike Sunday near the company's factory in Everett, Wash. Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press Denise Strike, a 13-year employee of Boeing, right, waves picket signs with 10-year employee Jacob Larson as they strike Sunday in Washington state. Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press Boeing Co. will freeze hiring, reduce spending on suppliers and is considering temporary layoffs to save cash during a factory workers strike at its main hub near Seattle, the company told employees Monday. Chief Financial Officer Brian West detailed 10 immediate cutbacks in his memo to employees including 3,000 in San Antonio in which he informed them of the necessary and immediate actions to support the companys recovery. Our business is in a difficult period, he said. This strike jeopardizes our recovery in a significant way and we must take necessary actions to preserve cash and safeguard our shared future. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The sweeping measures also halt non-essential travel, pause manager and executive pay increases from promotions, cut back outlays for air shows and charitable donations and make significant reductions in supplier expenditures. The airplane maker will stop issuing a majority of its supplier purchase orders for the 737, 767 and 777 jetliner programs affected by the walkout, according to the memo. We are also considering the difficult step of temporary furloughs for many employees, managers and executives in the coming weeks, West said. About 33,000 workers represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers began a strike early Friday. The walkout came after workers rejected an offer with pay raises of 25% over four years. Representatives of the company and the union are scheduled to meet Tuesday with federal mediators. The union has started to survey its members to learn what they want most in a new contract. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Striking workers are picketing at several locations around Washington state, Oregon and California. We just keep losing Outside Boeings huge factory in Everett, Wash., Nancie Browning, a materials-management specialist at Boeing for more than 17 years, said last weeks offer was worse than the one that prompted a two-month strike in 2008. She said that without annual bonuses workers have come to depend on, the proposed pay increase was more like 9%, not 25%. We just want a piece of the pie like everybody else, she said. Why should we work all this overtime and bust our backs while these guys (Boeing executives) are sitting sitting up in their suites just raking in the cash? The bonuses have emerged as a flash point for union members. Workers say they ranged from $3,000 to $5,000 a year. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Boeing says it is hard to calculate bonuses in a way that is fair to 33,000 people who perform different jobs. So instead, the company proposes to ditch the payouts and replace them with automatic contributions of $4,160 per year to each employees 401(k) retirement account. Workers are bitter that in contract extensions over the past 16 years, Boeing ended its traditional pension plan and reduced health care benefits. We want our pension back, said Jacob Bustad, a machinist with Boeing for 14 years who was also on the picket line in Everett. We just keep losing and we never gain while the people at the top just get more and more money. Boeing has done really good for me and my family, but these last years have been hard. In San Antonio, Boeing is easily the largest employer at Port San Antonio and one of the largest in the city. Its 3,000-strong local workforce is among about 5,700 employees the company has at operations across the state. Other key locations are in Plano, Irving and Dallas. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The local employees are not represented by the machinists union and not on strike, but the cuts announced Monday would hit them. Boeings facility on the Ports South Side campus has multiple responsibilities. It is the service depot for the militarys Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport planes and for maintenance of the Air Force One fleet. The company also has upgraded F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets at the site and outfits the presidential aircraft there. Financial realities The steps laid out by West underscore the difficult financial position in which Boeing finds itself, with its credit rating at risk of dropping below investment grade and the company bleeding cash as aircraft output sputters. Boeing has lost more than $25 billion since the start of 2019 and burned through $4.3 billion in the second quarter of 2024 alone as it stood poised to post another money-losing year. The strike will delay deliveries of new planes, which are an important source of cash for the company. Advertisement Article continues below this ad RBC Capital Markets analyst Ken Herbert estimates Boeing will burn about $500 million in cash each week that workers remain on picket lines. Stephanie Pope, the head of Boeings commercial-airplanes division, cited the companys $60 billion in total debt in urging blue-collar workers to accept the contract offer last week. She called it the best offer Boeing had ever made and it was endorsed by the unions local president and negotiators. But workers who have spoken out before and since the Thursday strike vote said they want raises totaling at least 40% and the restoration of bonuses that Boeing proposes to eliminate. S&P Global Ratings on Monday said it could lower Boeings credit rating below investment grade should the planemaker suffer an extended strike, echoing comments last week by Fitch Ratings and Moodys Ratings. The latter placed the planemaker on review for downgrade Friday. S&P said a shorter walkout of several weeks would likely be manageable for Boeing and not lead to a negative rating action. However, we believe an extended strike would be costly and difficult to absorb, given the companys already strained financial position. Rachel Gabel is a longtime agriculture writer and the assistant editor of The Fence Post Magazine. She kept this family together, says loved one of deadly I-40 crash victim She kept this family together, says loved one of deadly I-40 crash victim OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) A family out of Oklahoma City is now remembering a life lost too soon in a crash. Kylee Byfield was tragically killed Friday in a fiery fatal crash on I-40 East and Morgan Road. The collision happened around 5:00 p.m. Friday. Byfields younger sister Katlyn spoke to News 4 over the phone Sunday afternoon. Your old iPhone could be worth big bucks. Heres what to look for She was the best person you could ever ask for to have in your life, says Katlyn. Katlyn says Byfield was on her way to work when the deadly crash happened. She described her 27-year-old sister as the light of her life. Ive lived with her for my whole life basically, and shes taken care of me and my son, says Katlyn. She says her sister was also a mother. Katlyn said, She loved her family and her kids more than anything. Oklahoma Highway Patrol said the cause of the crash is still under investigation. Katlyn said her older sister was the glue keeping their family together. Ive lived with her for years and she was the person that kept this house together and made everything happy for us, said Katlyn. The family told News 4 theyre heartbroken but are doing the best they can during this difficult time. To help the Byfield family, you can donate to their GoFundMe for Kylee here. They are also accepting cash donations via CashApp: $andrewsmason0103. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City. She Killed Her Husband and Impersonated Him on Facebook. It Was How She Hid the Body That Led to Arrest Laurie Leigh Shaver, 41, of Fla., was found guilty of second-degree murder with a firearm for killing her husband, Michael Douglas Shaver, 36, in 2015, authorities said Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office/Facebook; WESH 2 News/Youtube Laurie Shaver found guilty in death of husband Michael Shaver A Florida woman who was accused of killing her husband, burying his body under a fire pit in their yard and then impersonating him on social media, has been convicted of murdering him. On Friday, jurors found Laurie Leigh Shaver, 41, guilty of second-degree murder with a firearm for killing her husband, Michael Douglas Shaver, 36, the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorneys Office said in a release on Friday, Sept. 13. The jury found her not guilty of accessory after the fact to a life felony. Jurors reached the verdict in four hours in a trial that began on Monday, Sept. 9, local station WESH reports. Lake County Sheriff's Office Laurie Shaver; Michael Shaver In February 2018, a friend of Michaels asked the Lake County Sheriffs Office to check on him, since he hadnt seen seen since Nov. 2015, authorities said at the time, PEOPLE previously reported. Michael, a monorail technician at Disney World Resort in Orlando, would never leave his family, the friend said, according to authorities. Deputies responded to the Shavers' house on Sandy Pines Road in Clermont, and met with Laurie, who said she hadn't seen her husband since 2015, police said in a release. She told them her husband had abandoned his family, according to an affidavit from the Lake County Sheriff's Office obtained by PEOPLE. Related: A Fla. Father Tried to Keep His Troubled Marriage Together for His Kids Then, He Disappeared She let them inside the house to look around. But when deputies asked if they could bring in dogs to search the property, Laurie allegedly told them to come back with a warrant, according to the affidavit. Lake County Sheriffs Office Corporal Cory Anderson testified during the trial that when he went to the Shavers' house for the wellbeing check, he noticed that the concrete underneath their fire pit seemed strangely sunken in, local station Fox 35 Orlando reports. "Six [feet] by eight [feet] and eight inches depressed," he testified. "Had the shape of a body. On March 9, 2018, police returned with a warrant, cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar. By the end of the day, they had found Michael's body buried three feet under a concrete fire pit in the backyard, wrapped in a fitted sheet that was wrapped in a tarp and secured with straps. Authorities found Michaels remains almost directly under the fire pit, CSI technician Jessica Holcomb testified during the trial. An autopsy showed he had been shot once in the back of the head with a .38 caliber handgun "several months to several years" before. Lauries attorneys argued that even though Michaels body was found in their yard, that didnt prove that she killed him, Fox 35 Orlando reports. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. In Sept. 2020, Laurie was charged with second-degree murder, domestic violence and accessory after the fact in connection with the 2015 disappearance and death of her husband. After Michael disappeared, Laurie allegedly posed as her husband on Facebook Messenger to make his family and friends think he was alive, court records allege. The mother of four began dating another man, who is the father of her two youngest children, after Michael vanished, Fox 35 Orlando reported. She married her boyfriend in 2016. In 2023, her lawyer filed a motion in court claiming that Lauries then-7-year-old daughter pulled the trigger, WESH reported. Related: She's Accused of Murdering Husband, Burying Body in Yard. Now She Claims a 7-Year-Old Pulled the Trigger During the trial, her daughter, who is now 15, testified, I grabbed her gun, and I went back out, and I went to the door. The door was already open, and he had my mom on the ground still. So I am to the ground still, kicking her and I shot him, the daughter testified through tears, WOFL reported. Laurie will be sentenced on Nov. 25. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) An arrest has been made in connection to the murder of a former Charlotte radio personality who was found dead inside his vehicle last week in Davie County, North Carolina. WBT Radio and Radio One confirmed with Queen City News that Warren Doug Maxwell, 62, who served as a traffic reporter, is the victim in a Sept. 11, 2024, murder investigation. According to Radio One, Maxwell left the station in 2015. We remember him fondly here in the newsroom. He had a crazy sense of humor and on the air, he had a velvety smooth voice, a spokesperson with Radio One said Monday. He loved radio but also had a knack for selling and when he left here, began selling office furniture which he really seemed to enjoy. Deputies responded to 911 calls regarding the incident around 8:15 a.m. last Wednesday on Underpass Road in Advance, North Carolina. MORE: Man charged with murder after dead body found in vehicle, deputies say Maxwells body was found inside a vehicle at the residence of his address. Isidro Rivera Aguero, Jr., 29, who the sheriffs office said is listed under the same address, was arrested a short time later and charged with Maxwells murder. He is being held without bond at the Davie County Detention Center. Radio One confirmed Mr. Maxwell worked through an ownership change and that the station is currently under new ownership. WBT Radio Program Director Mike Schaefer released the following statement. We are saddened to learn of the passing of former WBT and WLNK Traffic Reporter Doug Maxwell. Our prayers go out to his family and friends at this difficult time. This is a Developing Story . Check back for updates Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. A local Ohio sheriff has thrown himself into electoral politics, suggesting in a social media post last week that his constituents send him the personal addresses of locals with Kamala Harriss campaign signs in their yards. Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski issued the missive on Facebook Friday, referring to the vice president as a Flip-Flopping, Laughing Hyena. I say write down all the addresses of the people who had her signs in their yards! Zuchowski wrote. Sooo when the Illegal human Locust (which she supports!) Need places to live Well already have the addresses of their New families who supported their arrival! The post was seemingly made in reference to a virulent conspiracy theory spread by top Republicans, including Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, about Haitian migrants eating other residents pets in Springfield, Ohioroughly 200 miles away from Zuchowskis district. People in the area were infuriated by Zuchowskis post, including local Republican leadership, one of whomPortage County Commissioner Tony Badalamentiresigned in protest from the countys Republican Central Committee. Badalamenti said in a Facebook video that this is not the leadership I want to be part of. [Zuchowski] posted that we should all copy down the addresses of the people that display political signs which are different from our beliefs, Badalamenti said. It scares people. Its called bullying, from the highest law enforcement official in Portage County. Springfield shut down two of its elementary schools Monday, while two local colleges switched to all-virtual classes and activities. The city also canceled its annual CultureFest due to safety concerns. The city saw even more closures last week. Springfield evacuated two elementary schools and closed a middle school on Friday after receiving information from the Springfield Police Division. The day before, several other schools and a significant portion of Springfields government facilitiesincluding City Hall, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Ohio License Bureau, the Springfield Academy of Excellence, and Fulton Elementary Schoolwere shut down due to bomb threats. Multiple city officials and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine have stated in no uncertain terms that the conspiracy is false. Acting on information drawn from its multi-million-dollar network of license plate readers, Detroit police handcuffed Isoke Robinson, put her 2-year-old son, who has autism, in the back of a police cruiser, and seized and impounded her only car for more than three weeks. But witnesses to the Sept. 3, 2023, drive-by shooting police were investigating never gave officers even a partial license plate number. And the man later convicted in the nonfatal shooting has no known connection to Robinson or her 2013 Dodge Charger. Robinson, who had to borrow someone's truck to keep her job as an assembly line worker at Stellantis and has sued the city in federal court, was never charged with a crime or even identified as a suspect. A screen inside the cruiser of a Macomb County Sheriff's deputy displays the results of an automatic license plate reader scan in this October 2013 file photo. Detroit police adopted the use of mobile and stationary license plate readers in 2018, and in 2023 the Detroit City Council approved a $5 million expansion of the system. Jessica J. Trevino, Detroit Free Press Instead of punching in a suspected license plate number and finding out whether cameras in the city's network had captured one similar to it in the vicinity of the shooting, police worked backwards. Using descriptions and photographs of the shooter's vehicle, they looked at which license plates passed a specific license plate reader around the time of the shooting and determined which of those plates belonged to a white Dodge Charger, according to deposition testimony. The license plate reader they used was about 2 miles from the scene of the shooting on Detroit's east side, but only a couple of blocks from Robinson's home. "I don't know what you're talking about," Robinson remembers telling the many officers who converged outside her home, lights flashing, the night after the shooting. "They make it seem like you're the one that's crazy." Her son, now 3, "wouldn't stop crying until he was in my arms." Isoke Robinson, 46, of Fraser, talks about what it was like to be detained by Detroit Police after her car was mistakingly misidentified with license plate reader technology as being a car involved in a shooting. According to Robinson, her car was impounded too. Her car was photographed in Fraser on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. Notably, images from Detroit "Project Green Light" cameras a partnership between businesses and police that produces high-resolution photos of crime scenes and a police report mention that the Dodge Charger used in the shooting had one fog light that was not working. But Detroit Police Detective Dion Corbin, Jr., who was in charge of the shooting investigation, testified in an Aug. 14 deposition that the entire time police had Robinson's vehicle impounded, they never checked to see whether both her fog lights were working, or not. They also never tested the car for potentially relevant evidence, such as gunpowder residue, Corbin testified. Robinson's case raises new concerns about "Big Brother" surveillance and artificial intelligence run amok, in a city where government-controlled cameras are proliferating and facial recognition technology, which Detroit also uses, has on several occasions contributed to police arresting the wrong Black suspect. Michigan has no law regulating how license plate readers are used, so individual police agencies set their own rules, along with companies such as Flock and Motorola, which provide the technology. The high-speed cameras are located at intersections, bridges, signs, and various high-traffic locations around the state and are also carried by many police vehicles, photographing and storing the license plates of every passing car. Detroit, which appropriated $5 million to expand its license plate reader system last year, has installed 125 of the cameras around the city and also deployed dozens of mobile units in patrol vehicles, officials said. The Wayne, Oakland and Macomb sheriff departments all use license plate readers, spokespeople said, as does the Michigan State Police, which "will not disclose numbers, locations or vendors for security reasons," said spokeswoman Shanon Banner. More: Michigan has banned more than 26,000 vehicle license plates Police agencies tout the readers as an important crime-fighting tool and Detroit police say they have been especially effective in combatting vehicle thefts, which have been at epidemic levels in the city. The Michigan ACLU, which is concerned about privacy issues such as use of the technology to track people's movements, has produced a model policy that would restrict storage of the gleaned data but allow its use when license plate numbers are relevant to specific criminal investigations and for cases such as Amber Alerts, where they can help locate children and others who are in danger, said Gabrielle Dresner, a policy strategist with the organization. The ACLU policy would not allow the reverse use that resulted in the seizure of Robinson's car, Dresner said. "That is the exact kind of concern that we have that you'll be wrongfully identified as a suspect of a crime simply because you have a similar car," Dresner said. "If there had been a license plate or a partial license plate identified, I think that's a slightly different situation," but "how many people drive that type of car through that area?" Bills to regulate the use of license plate readers have been introduced as far back as 2013 but did not get a hearing. The Michigan ACLU is in talks with state lawmakers about trying again, Dresner said. "There are some legitimate uses," she said. "We just need to make sure that there are guidelines in place for the use of this technology so that there isn't overreach into our personal lives." Robinson, who has since moved out of the city, said she was forced to pay nearly $300 in impound fees and neither her driver's license nor the badge she used to swipe in at Stellantis were ever returned. She said she still feels rattled by the incident when she is driving home from her midnight shift at the auto plant and sees a police car. Her lawsuit, which seeks unspecified monetary damages, alleges unreasonable seizure, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, and negligence. Isoke Robinson, 46, of Frasers Dodge Charger was mistakingly misidentified with license plate reader technology as being a car involved in a shooting. According to Robinson, her car was impounded too. Her car was photographed in Fraser on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. A Detroit police spokesperson said officers are authorized to use license plate readers in reverse, when they have a vehicle description but no partial license plate number. But the spokesperson would not otherwise comment on what happened with Robinson, citing the pending litigation, in which police have admitted no wrongdoing. Corbin testified last month he still thinks Robinson's vehicle was used in the shooting, though he can't make any connection between Robinson and the shooter and never investigated the vehicle in ways that could have confirmed or dispelled his suspicions. Paul Matouka, Robinson's Troy attorney, said as bad as the debacle was for Robinson, it could have been worse if she or her son had been harmed when police surrounded her vehicle and detained them both. Police arrived in force about 9:30 p.m. when Robinson and her son were sitting in her driveway, using the car's air conditioner to cool off on a muggy night. Matouka said he doesn't understand why police didn't knock on Robinson's door the night of the shooting and ask to speak with her. According to police reports, they drove by her residence and concluded the car wasn't there, when Robinson says it was inside her garage. "If you're going to use this, you need to make sure you're using it right," Matouka said. "Showing up to her house at night with a SWAT team, essentially, is excessive. It terrifies the citizens. It makes them look like criminals to their neighbors, and it also increases the risk that there's going to be an unfortunate incident where the cops shoot someone." Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on X, @paulegan4. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Woman sues after Detroit police seize car on license plate reader data The violence occurred near the Porgera gold mine in Papua New Guinea's central highlands [Alamy] A series of shootouts between rival tribes over a disputed gold mine has left at least 30 people dead in Papua New Guinea, police said on Monday. Security forces have been given emergency powers to stop the fighting - including the use of "lethal force" - according to the country's police commissioner. Alcohol sales have been banned and an overnight curfew is in place, he added. Unrest had been brewing near the Porgera gold mine in the country's central highlands ever since members of the Sakar clan settled on land owned by their rivals, the Piande, sometime in August. Police say that on Sunday alone, more than 300 shots were fired by tribesmen, after peace talks between the clans had failed. "This deteriorating situation has been caused by illegal miners and settlers who are using violence to terrorise local communities and victimise traditional landowners," said Papua New Guinea's police commissioner David Manning. "Put simply, if you raise a weapon in a public place or to threaten another person, you will be shot," he added. There were reports in local media that the Canadian-owned mine - the second largest in Papua New Guinea - was briefly forced to cease operations as the fighting intensified. Buildings were set on fire and schools, hospitals and government offices in the region have been closed, according to the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier. [BBC] Tribal conflicts are a frequent occurrence in Papua New Guinea's highlands, but an influx of automatic weapons has "turbocharged" the most recent bout of violence, according to police. The Porgera gold mine once accounted for around 10 percent of Papua New Guinea's yearly export earnings, but tribal violence and a slow government takeover have stalled production in recent years. A witness, speaking to Radio New Zealand, described the recent levels of violence as "unprecedented". At least 26 people were killed, including 16 children, when three villages in East Sepik province were attacked earlier this year. In 2022, gunfights between rival clans living near the mine killed at least 17 people. Security teams have been posted along the highway leading to the mine, using loudhailers to broadcast messages of peace. Pope Francis urged Papua New Guinea to "stop the spiral" of violence during a visit earlier this month. "It is my particular hope that tribal violence will come to an end," he said. "It causes many victims, prevents people from living in peace and hinders development." The BBC has reached out to PNG Police for comment. CLEVELAND, Ohio (WJW) Family of fallen Cleveland police officer Jamieson Ritter attended the 22nd annual Cleveland Heroes Run Sunday morning. The run took place in the West Park neighborhood on Clevelands west side. Son accused of fatally shooting his father: Local PD The run/walk started and ended at St. Joseph Academy. Participants could either do a two-mile or five-mile course. The event began with opening ceremonies and the fallen heroes roll call, where the names of fallen firefighters and police officers were read aloud. The last name read was Jamieson Ritter, end of watch July 4, 2024. Williams was shot and killed in the early hours of the Fourth of July while responding to a call related to a wanted suspect. According to police, the suspect tried to ride off on a bike and pulled out a gun and started shooting. The man accused of killing Ritter, Delawnte Hardy, was recently going through psychiatric tests to determine if hes competent to stand trial for the murders of his grandmother and Ritter, according to reporting by the Fox 8 I-Team. Ritters siblings traveled to Cleveland for the Heroes Run. His sister Angelica Ritter spoke with Fox 8. Trump Florida shooting suspect: What we know We came here to be here to honor Jamieson and every other officer and fireman, she said. We are meeting people who are in the unfortunate same circumstance, but its still beautiful. Like, theres pain, but itss beauty at the same time. In addition to honoring fallen first responders, the Cleveland Heroes Run raises funds for the West Park Police and Firefighters Memorial and several scholarships. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) A Sioux City man is facing a felony charge after he was accused of robbing and threatening another man. According to court documents, on September 12, at 8:32 p.m., Malik Lacey, 21, of Sioux City, allegedly took money from the victim to buy alcohol at Kum and Go on the 1300 block of Pierce Street. Sioux City man arrested for allegedly trying to steal hat, injuring victim The documents state that the victim tried to confront Lacey as he tried to leave the store, but Lacey displayed a knife and threatened to stab the victim, then the scene. Officers were able to locate Lacey in the 500 block of 13th Street on Saturday at 4:30 p.m., and he was placed into custody. Lacey has been charged with first-degree robbery, and a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for September 25. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) A Sioux City man was arrested after allegedly trying to steal a hat and injured the victim in the process. According to court documents, a victim alleged that Chauncey Tyndall, 40, approached them while they were lying on a park bench and tried to take the victims hat on Saturday, Sept. 14 around 5 p.m. Sioux City man arrested for allegedly holding knife at victim, stealing vehicle The victim told officials that they told Tyndell no and Tyndell allegedly hit them in the face, injuring their mouth and nose. Officials report Tyndall denies striking the victim, however, he allegedly had blood on his face and leg. Tyndall was arrested and charged with second-degree robbery. He was booked into the Woodbury County Jail on a $5,000 bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 25 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 SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. Six days of joint military drills between China and Russia end in Sea of Japan Six days of joint military drills between China and Russia have ended in the Sea of Japan. Chinese state media said the drills, named Northern/Interaction-2024, aim to deepen strategic cooperation between the two countries and strengthen their ability to respond to security threats. Drills are expected to continue in the Sea of Okhotsk later this month. According to a statement by China's Ministry of Defence, the Chinese navy will also participate in the Russian navy's larger Ocean-2024 strategic exercise. That spans the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, the Mediterranean, Caspian and Baltic Seas and involves over 400 warships, submarines and support vessels, more than 120 planes and helicopters and over 90,000 troops. According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, the Chinese fleet is composed of troops drawn from the Navy of the Northern Theatre Command, including the guided-missile destroyers Xining and Wuxi, the guided-missile frigate Linyi, the comprehensive replenishment ship Taihu and three shipborne helicopters. Russian anti-submarine aircraft fly during joint naval and air drills with China, September 14, 2024 - AP/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service "Under the pretext of countering the allegedly existing Russian threat and containing the People's Republic of China, the United States and its satellites are increasing their military presence near Russia's western borders, in the Arctic and in the Asia-Pacific region," Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the start of the drills. He also said the drills, which involved more than 90,000 Russian troops, were the largest of their kind in three decades. Through the joint exercises, Russia has sought Chinese help in achieving its long-standing aim of becoming a Pacific power, while Moscow has backed Chinas territorial claims in the South China Sea and elsewhere. A Colorado man has been charged with arson after an investigation into a wildfire that burned 15 square miles, destroyed 29 homes and caused more than $30 million in property damage. Larimer County officials say 49-year-old Jason Alexander Hobby was arrested Tuesday. He appeared in court Wednesday where his bail was set at $450,000. He is also charged with representing himself as a law enforcement official and certified firefighter in interacting with people while he worked at a guest ranch. An investigation found the fire escaped a fire ring on the guest ranch property west of Loveland. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) Six vehicles were involved in a crash on Page Blvd in Springfield on Monday morning. According to the Springfield Fire Department, crews were called to the area of Page Blvd and Brookdale Drive for a crash involving six cars. Firefighters were able to help one person trapped in a car who was taken to the hospital. No further information was provided. The Waze map indicates that the road is open. 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. TWO RIVERS, Wis. (WFRV) In a news conference on Friday evening, police confirmed the skeletal remains found on Sept. 7 belong to Elijah Vue, a 3-year-old Wisconsin boy who was reported missing in February. Vues remains were found on private property by a person getting his land ready for the hunting season. The location was not on Manitou Girl Scout Camp property in Two Rivers, about 37 miles southeast of Green Bay, but rather a thick-wooded area with heavy underbrush. Mother of missing 3-year-old sent him away to learn to be a man: court docs The remains were found 3 miles northwest of where Vue was initially reported missing, and authorities have searched the area several times. After the remains were discovered, they were taken to the Wisconsin Crime Lab for DNA testing, where they eventually came back with an identification of Elijah Vue. It is with a heavy heart that I announce to you today those remains were identified as Elijah Vue, said Two Rivers Police Chief Ben Meinnert. With that news and following this briefing, the AMBER Alert will be canceled. Police Chief Meinnert, visibly shaken up by the discovery, continued to say he never personally met Elijah, but he watched him bring out the best in the Two Rivers community. I cant thank the public and our businesses enough, Meinnert said before pausing to take a moment. Thank you to DCI for continuing to lead this investigation, the FBI for their support, and our local, state, and federal law enforcement and fire departments, as well as numerous neighboring agencies. Authorities have confirmed that what started as a missing person investigation has now transitioned to a death investigation. The Two Rivers Police Department says theyll continue to provide updates as they can but are asking the public to remain patient as the investigation will take significant time. Now that we know the location where Elijah was located off of Christy Bob Lane and Manitou Drive, we ask that anybody with any information, if you havent previously provided it or you think it may be useful in this investigation, to please contact us, concluded Police Chief Meinnert. Vue, who was 3 years old when he went missing on Feb. 20, was last seen in the 3900 block of Mishicot Rd. in Two Rivers by Jesse Vang, the boyfriend of Elijah Vues mother, Katrina Bauer. Vang, who was taking care of Elijah on the day he disappeared, told authorities that he fell asleep at one point and woke up to find the toddler gone. A criminal complaint obtained by Nexstars WFRV says that Bauer left Elijah with Vang, who she allegedly described as the enforcer of rules, to correct some of the boys bad behaviors and teach him to be a man. Vang and Baur have been formally charged in the Wisconsin Circuit Court system. Vang faces one count of chronic neglect of a child as a party to a crime. Baur faces one count of chronic neglect of a child as a party to a crime, as well as two counts of resisting or obstructing an officer and one count of neglecting a child. With the death of Vue confirmed, Baur and Vang could face additional charges. Baur initially told law enforcement that she was not in Manitowoc County from Feb. 12 to the 20th, but the criminal complaint states that she returned on February 16. According to phone data and witness accounts, Vang and Baur drove around Manitowoc together in the early hours of February 17. Vang entered a bar while Baur went to a Kwik Trip convenience store. On March 4, officers with the Two Rivers Police Department revealed a vehicle of interest and asked the public to check any surveillance footage captured between 2 and 9 p.m. on Feb. 19. The vehicle of interest, currently in law enforcements possession, is described as a 1997, four-door Nissan Altima, beige in color, bearing a Wisconsin license plate beginning with A and ending with 0. Officers also clarified that Jesse Vang and Katrina Baur are not the vehicle owners. On March 18, authorities confirmed a blanket found earlier in the investigation belonged to Vue. The blanket was located 3.7 miles from where he was last seen. Local, state and federal law enforcement searched Manitowoc County and the surrounding areas for months, only finding small clues. As of Friday afternoon, no charges have been filed in the disappearance and death of Elijah Vue. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. The sky did not fall: One year into Illinois historic bail reform, officials reflect, examine the data CHICAGO During a recent public appearance, Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell recalled the early days of working to pass, defend and then implement Illinois historic bail reform law amid intense furor. When I got a call from my aunt in North Carolina asking me if I was involved in a law that legalized murder, I knew it was crazy, Mitchell said. The states sweeping bail reform measure took effect nearly a year ago, eliminating money as a factor in whether a defendant is released from jail while awaiting trial and ushering in broad changes in how pretrial justice is handled. Its passage and eventual implementation took an arduous path, with controversy over the law reaching a fever pitch and yielding misinformation campaigns as well as legal challenges. There was so much information, research, data, evidence proof but we were stuck on fake narratives about what was going to happen, Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx said at the same public summit about the Pretrial Fairness Act. We dont need 20 years to talk about what happened with the Pretrial Fairness Act. We dont need 20 years to talk about the use of the term purge. I just feel compelled in my time left in office to say truths that need to be spoken. It was racist. It was racist. Now that a year has passed since Illinois became the first state to legislatively outlaw bail, state and local officials are taking stock, hoping to leave the politics behind and evaluate the impact guided by data and other evidence. With the caveat that studying such an impact can take years, researchers say the rate of defendants failing to appear in court has not increased. They point out without giving it a causal link that violent crime and property crime did not increase in the months after the laws passage. The impact on jail populations in Cook County and across the state has also been significant, with daily populations dropping in most places. Officials have contended with a learning curve throughout the past year while implementing major changes in a massive and slow-to-change criminal justice system. Some particularly rural counties have contended with a shortage of resources to handle the changes. Appeals of detention decisions overwhelmed the appellate courts in the early days before the states high court made changes. In Cook County, some attorneys and judges cited long court calls, and a need to examine how they are allocating staff and resources. Even as counties continue to adjust, those who work in the system mostly say that the courts have settled into the new normal. We were given this big open highway called the PFA, said Cook County Judge Mary Marubio, presiding judge of the pretrial division. Slowly, were all finding where the lanes are and where the guardrails are. The politics of reform In a 2022 political ad released by a group supporting then-Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey, big white letters set across scenes of violence proclaimed: Chicago violence is coming to the suburbs. The year before, Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law the sweeping criminal justice reform legislation known as the SAFE-T Act, which included a measure that eliminated cash bail. The reform bill, and particularly the bail provisions, was lauded by proponents as a vehicle for making the criminal justice system more fair and equitable, but the legislation spurred controversy, particularly taking a prominent role in the governors race between Bailey and Pritzker. Some stakeholders raised concerns about the ability for judicial discretion, the public safety impact, resources and the implementation and logistics of making massive changes throughout the state. But the ambitious reform, timed with a contentious election season, also became fodder for misinformation campaigns. In fall 2022, political mailings designed to look like newspapers were sent to voters around the Chicagoland area. With titles such as the Will County Gazette, photos of mostly Black men were placed with false stories containing misinformation about the law. Its a scare tactic. Its meant to have people (show) concern for their safety. Its disgusting. Its a terrible thing to do, Pritzker said at the time. Reflecting on the pushback, Mitchell said it was difficult to have policy debates, discussions and disagreements about the proposals amid the uproar. It was well-organized, well-funded and very intentional, he said of the opposition. On the policy side, officials designated a two-year ramp-up period to allow counties across the state time to prepare to train personnel, work through logistics and decide how to allocate resources. A task force convened by the Illinois Supreme Court led training and preparation efforts. But on New Years Eve in 2022, one day before the Pretrial Fairness Act was set to take effect, the states high court delayed implementation to allow legal challenges from prosecutors across the state to be resolved. The court order came after a Kankakee County judge sided with prosecutors in over 60 counties, mostly from downstate, who sued to stop the no-cash bail policy and other provisions of the act. The judge ruled, among other things, that the state legislature violated the separation of powers clause in the Illinois Constitution when it eliminated cash bail and interfered with the judiciarys ability to set bail. How did we go from the most noble of goals to the most unconstitutional of outcomes? Kankakee County States Attorney James Rowe argued in court in December 2022. The Illinois Supreme Court ruled against the prosecutors in summer 2023, finding that the cash bail measure was constitutional. Though the use of money bail has been eliminated or reduced in other jurisdictions, Illinois became the first state to fully outlaw it. After a nine-month delay, the law took effect Sept. 18, 2023. Initial findings With a year in the rearview mirror, researchers are reviewing preliminary data throughout the state to try to answer big questions surrounding the laws effectiveness and impact on public safety. During a summit earlier this week, David Olson, co-director of Loyola University Chicagos Center for Criminal Justice Research, presented findings from approximately the first year, as part of a multiyear endeavor to examine the law. The results will come into full focus over time, Olson said, and some metrics, particularly on whether a defendant released from jail committed any new crimes while awaiting pretrial, require longer periods of time for accurate findings. Among the findings so far: Since the law took effect, defendants are spending significantly less time in jail while awaiting trial. The number of defendants detained for more than three days after the initial hearing decreased from 31% to 8% in 21 counties examined. In 21 counties, during the first nine months following implementation, the elimination of cash bail resulted in $6.7 million in avoided bond costs. In 21 counties studied, warrants issued for failure to appear in court decreased slightly from 17% to 15%. Pretrial jail populations fell by about 14% in Cook County and other urban counties and more still in rural counties, about 25%. Concerns about overuse of electronic monitoring have not materialized at this point in time. Olson also noted that violent and property crime decreased in the year after the Pretrial Fairness Act took effect when comparing January to June 2023 to the same time period in 2024, though he added that hes not asserting any causal relationship. Were not saying the Pretrial Fairness Act reduced crime and were also not saying the drop in crime might not have been larger had the law not been in effect, he said. But this is at least to put out there that crime has not gone up. Some stakeholders pointed out that fears of rampant increases in crime appear thus far unfounded. The sky did not fall, Marubio said. People are coming to court and communities are keeping more money within the community, which was a reason for the reform. How the law works During a recent detention hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on the citys Southwest Side, an assistant states attorney described a random crime of opportunity: A nurse leaving a hospital one morning was forced into her vehicle by a masked man holding a knife and made to drive to ATMs to take out cash. This was a hard-working person, in this case an employee at this hospital, Judge Antara Nath Rivera said as she ordered the man detained while awaiting trial. The defendant poses a threat. This is an example, most stakeholders say, of what is generally happening that the most dangerous offenders are being held in jail. Here, in a nutshell, is what the law does: Previously, judges usually had the option of detaining a defendant without the option of posting bail, or ordering a monetary bond the defendant would have to post in order to be released. Now, prosecutors decide on which cases they will ask a judge to hold a defendant before trial, if the defendant is charged with a detainable offense. The law deems some offenses non-detainable, meaning prosecutors dont have the option of seeking detention. The cases for which prosecutors seek detention go to a hearing, which the law designed to be more robust, allowing defense attorneys more of a chance to argue the merits of the case. All other cases go to an initial appearance hearing, where judges will decide on conditions for release, such as electronic monitoring or other less restrictive conditions. Proponents of the measure say that this system allows judges to make decisions based on risk to the community, rather than wealth. I think its a far more thoughtful process now than it was before, Foxx said. In Cook County, from September of 2023 through August, prosecutors filed detention petitions for about 26% of all felony cases and 2% of misdemeanor cases, according to data from the chief judges office. Judges in turn granted detention for about 60% of the total petitions. There was a fear on one side that everyone would be detained, and there was a fear on the other side that no one would be detained and the jail doors would open, said Alison Shames, director of The Center for Effective Public Policy. What were seeing is that people are exercising their discretion, as they should be doing. Still, some prosecutors hope for more discretion in which types of cases for which they can seek detention. Judges have discretion in a lot of cases, but not all, and I firmly believe that a judge is in the best position to make that decision on detention in each individual case, DuPage County States Attorney Robert Berlin said, though adding that the law is strong on violent offenses. Jim Glasgow, Will County states attorney, said his office is functioning very well under the new law, though he hopes to work with lawmakers to allow prosecutors to bring detention petitions on some non-detainable offenses. Glasgow, who has been a harsh critic of the law, filed a lawsuit against Pritzker and other top Democrats contesting the measure in September 2022, though he now says most of his concerns have since been addressed. Public safety is not in jeopardy as long as the states attorney has sufficient funding and staff to comply with the criteria, he said. On the ground In DuPage and Will counties, Berlin and Glasgow said their offices added to their headcount to be able to meet the criteria set by the law. Weve hired, I want to say, an additional 15 attorneys and have the budget to hire more, Berlin said, adding that the increase is in part due to expanded use of body cameras, which requires more evidence review. As the year progressed, Berlin said, his office also made changes in how it approaches domestic violence cases, filing detention petitions on nearly every such case after a Villa Park man who was released on electronic monitoring after being charged with domestic battery later killed a woman and then himself in April. Every domestic battery is a ticking time bomb, Berlin said. We made a number of changes after (Villa Park). The county has set up a system for domestic violence intake in which police officers call prosecutor felony screeners on misdemeanor domestic battery arrests, he said. I know we are doing a much better job of getting as much information as possible to the judge, he said. In Cook County throughout the past year, the massive undertaking played out in ways big and small. Judges and staff needed to supply courtrooms with new paperwork. The county reorganized court schedules, adding a new call for detention hearings and removing a former misdemeanor call. In many ways, the hearings played out similarly to before, just with no mention of money as a factor for release. But court calls were often longer, sometimes straining resources. I definitely think that the court system now versus the court system a year ago is a little different. We are busier, Marubio said, though she noted that September begins to mark the end of a typically busier summer season. In preparing for the act, the county removed a court call for misdemeanors because most such cases would result in release from a police station with a summons. But more of those cases than anticipated have still made it through the courthouse doors because defendants who pick up a second misdemeanor will have to make an appearance. Weve tried to be flexible and grow and adapt but on the front end I would say that was the biggest miscalculation, she said. Theyll examine how to pivot, whether its to reorganize court calls again, add more staff or other remedies. Big picture, we did it. We implemented, we adapted, its in effect. That piece is working, Marubio said. The nitty gritty of day-to-day court operations, were always tweaking. _____ Editors note: A previous version of this story mentioned schools that had closed when they were open with an increased safety presence. LONGVIEW, Wash. (KOIN) A string of social media threats made against schools in southwest Washington and Oregon have impacted students. In Longview, police did not confirm what school the teen who was arrested was targeting or what charges the student will face, but the district said they are bolstering security even with the teen in custody. The district immediately contacted police after several threats were posted on social media over the weekend. In a safety update to families on Sunday, District Superintendent Karen Cloninger said, in part: Longview police initiated an investigation into each threat and one youth has been arrested in connection to the investigation. Out of an abundance of caution, on Monday of this week Longview police officers and/or additional school staff members will be present at the schools where the threats were focused. KOIN 6 News reached out to both the Longview police and the superintendent for an interview, but no one was available by the time of this story. More than 150 miles away, a Eugene middle school was closed after a threat was posted via Snapchat. Eugene police said theyre working to find the origin of that threat. District Communication Director Kelly McIver said the post was unclear as to which school was the target, but officials closed Monroe Middle School in Benton County, forcing more than 350 students to stay home. When law enforcement cant quickly determine if a threat is credible or not, and if it seems like it could potentially be credible, student safety just has to be our top concern, McIver said. No details about the threat are currently available. However, late Monday afternoon, the Benton County Sheriffs Office said their investigation determined the threat was not credible. Expect big weather changes in Oregon early this week The announcement follows several announcements in other parts of Oregon that schools had faced similar threats tied to Friday the 13th. These closures impacted school districts in Sweet Home and Greater Albany Public School districts in Oregon, as well as Fort Vancouver and Mountain View High Schools in Washington. Portland traffic among the worst in the U.S., report shows It is unclear if the Monday threat had any ties to the previous threats to other schools in Oregon. Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. Southern California woman, 30, stabbed to death by man, 24, she was dating A 30-year-old woman was stabbed to death in Long Beach by a 24-year-old man she was reportedly in a dating relationship with, authorities announced. Officers with the Long Beach Police Department responded to reports of a burglary at a gated community in the 3500 block of Santa Fe Avenue just before 3 a.m. Sunday, according to a news release from LBPD. When police arrived, the victim, identified as Long Beach resident Alejandra Acosta Butron, was lying in the street, suffering from multiple stab wounds. She was later declared deceased at the scene, police said. The 24-year-old suspect, identified as Leonard Lee Rowles Jr., also a resident of Long Beach, was taken into custody and booked on one count of murder. He is being held on $2 million bail. Details emerge about Southern California man, 34, accused of igniting Line Fire While detectives have determined that the suspect and victim were in a dating relationship, the motive and circumstances leading up to the stabbing are still under investigation, the release stated. Anyone with information about this investigation is urged to contact Long Beach Police Department Det. Michael Hutchinson or Lisette Temblador at 562-570-7244. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers Hotline 800-222-8477 or leave tips online at www.lacrimestoppers.org. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) Two men from Savannah and one from Statesboro are among six new individuals who have been indicted on federal drug and firearms charges. A newly returned indictment from the Southern District of Georgia includes felony charges for illegal firearms possession and drug distribution. As illegally possessed firearms proliferate in our community, our office continues to hold accountable those who threaten the safety of our neighborhoods, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. We commend the efforts of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners in investigating these criminal activities. The cases are a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. The project works in collaboration with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI, in an effort to reduce violent crime by targeting convicted felons who illegally possess guns. Those indicted in September include: Daniel Blount Cates , 50, of Waynesboro, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and two counts of Possession of an Unregistered Firearm, referring to a machine gun and a firearm equipped with a silencer. Cates, who was sentenced in federal court to probation on an illegal gambling charge in 2021, was sentenced in June to 15 months in prison after U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall ruled that Cates had violated the terms of his probation by possessing firearms. Ray Charles Canady III , 51, of Augusta, charged with Interference with Commerce by Robbery; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; Willie James Norton , 36, of Baxley, Ga., charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 or More Grams of Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; Phillip Moore , 29, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; Scottie Eugene Bryant , 48, of Grovetown, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; Jack Anthony Bragg , 44, of Statesboro, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and, Jacorey D. Lockett, 30, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. All indicted defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV. Some of the most powerful and consistent winds in the world are located off the southwest Oregon coast, according to the Oregon Department of Energy. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has identified two spots on the Oregon Coast for floating wind farms. Some of the most powerful and consistent winds in the world are located off the southwest Oregon coast, according to the Oregon Department of Energy. (Axel Schmidt/Getty Images) Officials from the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians are suing the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management over its decision to greenlight two areas off the Oregon Coast for potential floating wind energy projects. The southern Oregon tribe which passed a resolution against floating offshore wind energy in those areas last November filed its suit Friday in U.S. District Court in Eugene against the ocean energy bureau, accusing it of violating two federal laws meant to protect the environment and culturally significant areas. The decision to file this legal action was not taken lightly, Brad Kneaper, chair of the tribal council, said in a news release. We would much rather work collaboratively with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to determine where the best places are to develop wind energy, minimizing the impacts to the coast and our people. The suit comes two weeks after federal officials announced they would hold an auction for companies interested in surveying and proposing floating offshore wind energy farms in two lease areas. One area, a 61,000-acre site, is located 30 miles off the coast of Coos Bay, while the other, spanning nearly 134,000 acres, is located 20 miles off the coast of Brookings. If fully developed, wind farms on the two sites could generate more than 3.1 gigawatts of renewable energy, enough to power 1 million homes, federal officials said. Tribal officials say the two proposed offshore areas are in the tribes ancestral territory and that the areas are home to fish and other marine species and have views of significant cultural, historic and economic significance to the tribe. Kneaper said in the release that the tribe is willing to withdraw the lawsuit if the October lease sale is delayed and the bureau commits to assessing the cumulative and future impacts of wind energy development not just along the Oregon Coast, but also across all development areas being auctioned off along the West Coast. BOEM does not discuss pending litigation through the media, John Romero, a spokesperson for the ocean energy bureau, said in an email. The lawsuit In the suit, the tribe, represented by attorney Rick Eichstaedt of the Spokane-based law firm Rey-Bear McLaughlin, accused the ocean energy bureau of violating the federal National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, as well as the National Historic Preservation Act, which requires federal agencies to protect culturally significant sites. The tribe claims the agency failed in an environmental assessment to consider not just the current impacts of surveying and potentially developing the areas for wind energy, but also future impacts as well as the cumulative effect of wind power generation along the entire West Coast, not just off the coast of Oregon. The bureau has auctioned five areas off the California coast for floating wind energy projects. In July, it released an environmental assessment of the two Oregon lease areas, and said there would be no significant impact to people or the environment as companies survey, study and plan proposals. Any projects proposed by developers would need to go through another environmental impact analysis, and the public and interested parties would also be able to comment before it could be approved and built. Kneaper said the July assessment ignored the cumulative and future impacts of wind development, and failed to identify alternative areas that did not have the same cultural and historic importance for the tribe and marine species. The tribe has consistently urged that BOEM delay moving forward with wind energy development until a better understanding is made of the impacts to fish, wildlife, the marine environment and cultural resources important to the tribe, he said. No one, including BOEM, has an understanding of how wind development will impact the fragile marine environment. Kneaper accused the bureau of being driven by politics and ignoring concerns among coastal residents. In November, Coos County residents will vote on a ballot initiative to oppose offshore wind development, and a coalition of independent fishing boat operators, seafood companies and industry groups have also asked Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek to intervene to stop floating offshore wind development from moving forward. Wider picture Under Oregons climate change policies, the state needs to curb its greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century. The Climate Protection Program, which is currently being redone by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, has set a target of reducing emissions from fossil fuels in Oregon by 50% by 2035 and by 90% by 2050. Wind energy will be needed to help achieve those goals, officials say, and offshore wind is slated to be part of the solution. The Oregon Department of Energys latest energy report said the state needs about 20,000 megawatts of energy to come from offshore wind by 2050 to meet that target. The Biden administration also has wind energy plans. It is planning for up to a dozen offshore wind energy auctions through 2028, with the hope of developing a total of 30 gigawatts of wind energy enough to power more than 10 million homes on the East and West coasts to be deployed by 2030. The Oregon sites would account for about 10% of that, according to the bureau. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'We need to speak out and speak loud': Communities of color battle targeted disinformation Alice Yi, co-founder of Asian Texans for Justice, looks out the window of her Austin home in June. Yi has advocated for the Asian American community for decades and is now fighting racialized disinformation. Democracy means you will have a voice, Yi said. Each video that spews propaganda on Alice Yis WeChat feed reminds her of the life she fled four decades ago. In her native China, the government controlled her familys land, and her mother lost a job merely because a sister lived in neighboring rival Taiwan. It was useless to speak out, Yi said, because the Communist Party and its propaganda machine could turn opponents to dust. Worse, she recalled, tears welling in her eyes, youll be disappeared. She dreamed of a life far away to witness a democracy free of deceptive and dangerous narratives. Encouraged by her father, Yi came to the United States in 1981 to attend college, beginning a decades-long journey to amplify the voices of other immigrants. Today, as co-founder of one of the largest Asian American networks in Texas, she is among a legion of advocates across the United States combating disinformation that singles out immigrant communities and people of color. Democracy means you will have a voice, Yi said. We do need to speak out and speak loud. Amid the growth of social media, a decline in traditional news outlets, and advancing technology that makes it easier to fool people with fake news, disinformation has surged in the U.S. and beyond. It has become an especially powerful threat during election years. Experts say immigrant communities and people of color are particular targets, as bad actors exploit long-held political fears and ideologies and find these voters where they congregate on free messaging apps such as WeChat and WhatsApp. These bad actors goal is to undermine the growing population and power of immigrants and to further disenfranchise groups that already face barriers to participating in democracy. Disinformation campaigns are always targeted by nature, said Kristy Roschke, an expert on media literacy and misinformation at Arizona State University. These campaigns victimize people based on race, ethnicity, geography, socioeconomic status, she said. Who controls the narrative controls the power, added Anneshia Hardy, executive director of Alabama Values, which fights disinformation aimed at Black voters. We're seeing each day that information is being weaponized against some of the most vulnerable communities. Asian Texans for Justice co-founder Alice Yi, left, talks with Jocelyn Tau, district director for U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, in June. Yi regularly organizes conversations among community leaders to foster anti-disinformation efforts. Yi said the stream of disinformation in her WeChat feed is relentless. One video, from a China-based user, claimed rich and politically unprotected Chinese Americans face malicious fines aimed at stripping them of their wealth to help alleviate financial woes in the U.S. Yis group and other organizations are responding with new fact-checking efforts, workshops, online seminars and in-person gatherings, often using the language the audience is most comfortable speaking. We all emigrate from our homeland, with no opportunity (there) for us to choose the leader, Yi said. Our mentality is not used to the democracy process, so we do need somebody to come in and educate them. Responding to targeted disinformation For two decades, Asian Americans have been the fastest-growing voter population in the U.S. That population has increased 15% since 2020, according to the Pew Research Center. In 2022, California had the highest number of eligible voters who were Asian, followed by New York and then Texas, which was home to 1.1 million potential Asian voters. Latinos, expected to be the largest demographic in the U.S. by 2050, constitute the second fastest-growing group of eligible voters, with an increase of 12% since 2020. Black eligible voters, long a target of disinformation and suppression, have increased 7% since 2020, according to Pew. These groups tend to lean Democratic rather than Republican, research shows, and that has led to an increase in racialized disinformation, coming from the right, that seeks to keep these voters from the polls and drive a wedge between different communities of color. Jaime Longoria is manager of research and training for the Disinfo Defense League, which launched ahead of the contentious 2020 presidential election. The groups national network brings together advocates from different racial and ethnic backgrounds to track and respond to targeted disinformation. A lot of the strategies that are being used on the right happen to use a lot of fearmongering, a lot of scapegoating, Longoria said, pointing to one narrative hes seen circulated: that if immigration continues to rise, Black communities will be ignored and lose important resources. Wedge issues are the type of issues that are meant to drive division among specific groups, he said. Its more about the emotion behind the messaging because mis- and disinformation co-opts your emotions to make you believe different things or act in a specific way. During the 2022 midterm elections, Asian Americans in Raleigh, N.C., received mailers claiming an executive order President Joe Biden instituted to advance equity for marginalized groups would instead discriminate against Asian and white people. That, said Jimmy Patel-Nguyen, communications director for North Carolina Asian Americans Together, was a blatant attempt to try to subvert our power and our influence in these elections (and) to drive a wedge between us and other communities. To address ambiguities and misconceptions about the election process, Patel-Nguyens group distributes informational graphics translated into different languages and operates a multilingual hotline that voters can call to get trusted information in their primary language. Other organizations have launched multilingual fact-checking operations to fight disinformation. In 2022, after a spike in disinformation involving China and COVID-19, the civil rights group Chinese for Affirmative Action launched PiYaoBa, a fact-checking website produced in Chinese that aims to counter disinformation on WeChat and other platforms. Jinxia Niu, program manager for digital engagement at CAA, said that while English fact-checking outlets have been around for years, very few efforts focus on people with limited or no English proficiency. We realized that we have to start our own program to combat disinformation, she said, adding that the organization runs several of its own channels on WeChat, which Niu calls virtual Chinatown. We have to be in the virtual Chinatown and uplift our voice, she said. Factchequeado partners with dozens of media outlets to distribute explainer videos and fact-checking analyses in English and Spanish. Co-founder Laura Zommer said the organization wants to help people understand the electoral system, not direct them to a specific political party. In January, the group spotlighted false narratives expected to arise this election year involving Latino communities, such as claims that noncitizen immigrants could try to vote fraudulently. Factchequeados website has a page dedicated to quashing that issue. What we are doing is a kind of prebunking strategy, Zommer said in other words, combating disinformation before it gains traction. The group also offers a free fact checks of the week newsletter and solicits tips about false content on WhatsApp. Other organizations have similar tip lines for misinformation, while Hardys group, Alabama Values, is beta-testing an app full of data, polls and other information to fight deceptive content. Viet Fact Check, a project of the Progressive Vietnamese American Organization, provides online fact checks in English and Vietnamese, a newsletter and, in some places, in-person workshops where participants across generations learn how to identify disinformation. Managing Editor Saoli Nguyen said shes seen how individuals experiences and ideologies can influence how they digest information and determine whether they believe it. When college protesters in the U.S. rallied for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, Vietnamese social media influencers sought support for Palestinians by referencing past American interventions in Asia and claiming the U.S. puts power and wealth over human life. Nguyen recalled a reader messaging Viet Fact Check about those claims. That persons perception of the U.S. was as the good guy who battled communism alongside South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. With that narrative comes the inherent belief that whoever the U.S. sides with is also the good guy and we should be supporting them, Nguyen said. The person who messaged us was just like, I don't know what to believe anymore. Nguyen said voters should be persistent in verifying political news and seeking out accurate information. But she also offered a word of caution: The truth is not always going to be convenient. Family influence can affect how immigrant communities and people of color process information. Angela Lim co-wrote a study about misinformation among Filipinos for a propaganda research lab housed at the University of Texas. She found that many families her own included share information via group chats on platforms such as Facebook Messenger. However, Lims research found that Filipinos often dont speak up when something false is shared, because keeping the peace is an important cultural value. With politics, she said, we're often told to not rock the boat or to just lay low. Thats also something that my parents emphasized to us. Working with other communities of color In Austin, Alice Yi, co-founder of Asian Texans for Justice, regularly organizes conversations among community leaders to foster anti-disinformation efforts, at times reserving a room at the back of a French cafe near her home. One recent day, she sat down at a table with Hatem Natsheh, a community organizer and advocate for Arab Americans, Muslims and Palestinians; Becca DeFelice, head of a group working to elect more women from diverse backgrounds; and Azra Siddiqi, founder of a nonprofit working to increase civic engagement among South Asians in Texas. One by one, they talked about their experience with disinformation both online and via the talking points and social media accounts of some politicians. Natsheh has long fended off disinformation about Muslims and Arabs, which worsened after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. They will come for us first, but they will never stop, he said. They're going to continue going after the Latinos, the African American, the Asian American. Siddiqi, founder and president of WiseUp TX, said her group has created voter information videos in different South Asian languages and disseminated them in WhatsApp groups. But she noted that disinformation doesnt only circulate online. She pointed to the rhetoric surrounding a 2017 law that restricts the application of foreign laws in the state. The measure is widely considered an anti-Muslim effort intended to stop the supposed influence of Islam in U.S. courts. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks extremism, found that about 200 similar measures have been proposed in states since 2010. Just this year, a Texas congressman railed on the floor of the U.S. House about a massive Muslim takeover in the United Kingdom and his worries that Islamic beliefs might be forced upon the American people. Others, including the ACLU of Texas, say political leaders use mis- and disinformation to rally support for anti-immigration efforts such as Operation Lone Star, an $11 billion border security initiative launched by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in 2021. Texas Republicans, Siddiqi said, have built their platform off of fear. But I will say that the Democrats have been equally disappointing. It gets exhausting, because I feel that were consistently dehumanized. At 67, Yi refuses to surrender to the onslaught. She said shell continue to combat lies and propaganda, battling for the ideal she dreamed of when she arrived in America. Back then, she said, I did not feel discriminated against. Not at all. But in the past 10 years, I feel more and more like I dont belong. People yell at me, Go home! People treat me as a foreigner, even (though) I have been here for 40-some years. That has her fearful for the next generation. My son (and) my grandson will carry our family last name. They will forever (be) foreigner to those people if we dont fight today, said Yi, adding that when she one day looks back on her life, she wants to be able to close her eyes without thinking, I regret I didnt do anything. She said she wants to know, deep down, that I fought for democracy. News21 reporters Samantha Grove and Jordan Moore contributed to this story. This report is part of Fractured, an examination of the state of American democracy produced by Carnegie-Knight News21. For more stories, visit https://fractured.news21.com. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin communities join together to combat election disinformation Speaker Mike Johnson is once again facing a major challenge as he navigates a government funding fight while under pressure from an extremely narrow majority in the House and former President Donald Trump. Congress is up against a shutdown deadline at the end of the month, but so far there is no clear consensus on a path forward. Adding to the urgency is the fact that vulnerable lawmakers hope to hit the campaign trail for the final stretch ahead of the November elections as soon as possible, and the threat that a shutdown could lead to fallout at the ballot box. The course the speaker charts could also factor into whether he can hold onto his leadership post after the election. Trump has also waded into the funding fight, a dynamic that could further complicate the effort to avert a shutdown. The GOP presidential nominee has said that if Republicans dont receive absolute assurances on election security, they should not pass a funding extension. The move comes as Trump continues to sow doubts over election integrity in the run-up to the 2024 elections. If Trump digs in on his demand, that could make it even harder for Congress to ultimately pass a clean funding extension, which is widely viewed on Capitol Hill as the only viable way to avert a shutdown. Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has been pushing a six-month funding plan that includes the SAVE Act, a controversial GOP-led bill that would require documentary proof of US citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. But the plan is viewed as a non-starter in the Senate and faces opposition within the House GOP conference as well. The speaker has emphasized agreement with Trump, but he has limited options and little margin of error with such a narrow majority in the House and with Democrats in control of the Senate. Johnson pulled a vote on the GOP funding plan last week after at least eight Republicans had publicly come out against it, enough to sink the bill in the House along with Democratic opposition. Congress has a lot of responsibilities, but two primary obligations: responsibly fund the government and make sure that our elections are free and fair and secure, and thats what were working on, Johnson told reporters as he announced the vote would be pulled. Were going to continue to work on this. The whip is going to do the hard work and build consensus. Were going to work through the weekend on that. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said last week that Johnson is not getting anywhere by trying to pass a funding package without Democratic support. We need a bipartisan bill where everyone comes together and figures out what to do, Schumer said. Youve seen the chaos in the House because Speaker Johnson is trying to do this in a partisan way, guided by the far right. Hes not getting anywhere. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, warned on Monday that the GOP proposal of a six-month funding extension known as a continuing resolution, or CR would be catastrophic. I do strongly believe that we should not go to March for the CR. That would have catastrophic consequences for our national defense and create difficulties for every agency and department, she told reporters. In addition, I believe that the new administration, regardless of who wins, should have a clean slate, not having to deal with issues that date back to October 1. Collins warned that Congress is running out of time to avoid a shutdown. I am very worried. I dont think that anybody wants a shutdown, but we could slide into a shutdown if we dont get the work done, she said. As the November elections dominate the political landscape, however, bipartisanship may be even more difficult to achieve. Schumer has announced that that the Senate will once again vote on an IVF bill, after the same bill failed to advance in June amid widespread GOP opposition and after Trump said in August that he will implement a policy as president that would pay for in vitro fertilization treatments, without specifying how the treatments would be paid for. Republicans cant claim to be pro-family, only to block protections for IVF, Schumer said. The American people deserve another chance to see if Republicans are for access to IVF or against it. This story has been updated with additional developments. CNNs Ted Barrett, Lauren Fox and Aaron Pellish contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Lt. Gov. Burt Jones won a legal battle on Sept. 13 against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis after a special prosecutor declined to prosecute Jones for pledging support for Republican President Donald Trump as a false electoral voter in 2020. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder (file photo) A special prosecutor has concluded that criminal charges should not be brought against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for his role as an alternate elector following former President Donald Trumps 2020 loss in Georgia. Peter Skandalakis, executive director of Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia, released a four-page statement Friday stating that he found that Jones, who was a state senator at the time, did not act with criminal intent and that the lawmakers conduct was within the scope of his authority as a state legislator following the Nov. 3, 2020 election. In December 2020, Jones served as one of 16 alternate GOP electors in Georgia casting votes for Trump as Trump and his supporters continued to challenge in court election results confirming Bidens victory. Jones was among several Republican legislators who called on Gov. Brian Kemp to hold a special legislative session to overturn Georgias election results based on Trump and his allies allegations of widespread election fraud. Skandalakis appointed himself special prosecutor in April to investigate whether Jones should be charged for election interference after no one else volunteered. Trump and 18 other co-defendants were indicted by a Fulton County grand jury in August 2023 in the election interference probe, but Jones case was handled separately after a judge disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting him after Willis headlined a campaign fundraiser for the Democratic candidate running against Jones for lieutenant governor. His actions of serving as an alternate elector were based upon the advice of attorneys and legal scholars, Skandalakis wrote in the statement announcing his decision. While the advice may eventually be judged to be incorrect, Sen. Jones, like any other citizen, should not be punished for relying upon the guidance of counsel under these specific facts and conditions. Jones said hes eager to be able to turn his full attention to his role as Senate president now that hes no longer under criminal investigation. I have always wanted to tell my story in front of a fair and unbiased prosecutor, which Fani Willis clearly is not Jones said in a statement Friday. I am thankful that I finally had the opportunity to do that. Last week, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee dismissed a total of three criminal charges against Trump and several Trump co-defendants connected to the false electoral Dec. 14, 2020, meeting at the state Capitol. The dismissed charges were for filing false documents and conspiring to file false documents, including false certificates declaring Trump the winner in Georgia. Bidens win was confirmed by multiple recounts and audits, and the court challenges following the election were unsuccessful. Skandalakis declining to prosecute Jones is another setback for Willis in the election probe. The Fulton County case remains on hold ahead of a Georgia Court of Appeals hearing scheduled in December as Trump and co-defendants continue to push to remove Willis from the case. The appellate court will review McAfees March ruling that allowed Willis to remain as prosecutor after she admitted to having a romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who she hired to lead the probe in November 2021. Wade resigned in March. Willis is engaged in another legal battle with a state Senate special legislative committee seeking to enforce a subpoena compelling Willis to testify before the panel investigating her for alleged misconduct. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Multiple agencies across the U.S., including the FBI, are investigating a threat made via Snapchat to a Monroe school, momentarily affecting operations at Monroe School District. It was unclear which Monroe school in the nation the message targeted or whether it was intended for an elementary, middle or high school. In Oregon, the threat resulted in multiple lockdowns in two counties Benton and Lane. In the city of Monroe, south of Corvallis on Highway 99W, the entire school district announced late Sunday night that it would be closed on Monday, Sept. 16, due to a threat made on social media. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority, the Monroe School District wrote in an email, and we are taking this precautionary measure to ensure their well-being. The Monroe School District operates Monroe Grade School, which serves K-8, and Monroe High School. Two school-age youngsters toting fishing poles as they strolled down North Fifth Street declined to comment on the school closures but they had clearly found a way to pass the time with no Monday classes. By Monday afternoon, however, school officials gave the all-clear, and classes are expected to resume Tuesday, Sept. 17. "Law enforcement has conducted a thorough assessment and has determined that there is no credible evidence suggesting a real risk to our schools or students," a message sent out just after 2 p.m. Monday said. "We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we continue to ensure a secure and supportive environment for everyone." Monroe City Hall did not close, according to a staff member there. City administrators were not immediately available to comment. A staff member at the Benton County-operated Monroe Health Center, located next to Monroe Grade School, confirmed it redirected services to the Lincoln Health Center in Corvallis. JonnaVe Stokes, Benton County communications coordinator, confirmed the health center was closed after the school district canceled classes. She said employee, client and community member safety are top priorities. Stokes added that the Benton County Safety Officer would be visiting the Monroe Health Center on Tuesday to check with the team and conduct a threat assessment. We extend our gratitude to Jennifer Reid, school based health center manager, and her incredible team for their swift action this morning," County Administrator Rachel McEneny said via email. Their quick response allowed us to act decisively and ensure everyones safety. The Eugene Police Department was also investigating the threat due to its possible connection to the Monroe Middle School in Eugene. Eugene Police Department is investigating this and is in communication with 4J officials, Eugene police wrote in a statement on their Facebook. Safety protocols are in place and 4J has cancelled school at Monroe for today. The Monroe threat follows two last week targeting two Linn County high schools, one that ended in a local arrest and the other that meant to amplify the first but ended up naming the wrong school. Staff writer Cody Mann contributed to this report. This story is developing. Check back for updates. Editor's note: The headline has been changed to better characterize the response to the threat. The school district is closed, not on lockdown. Related story: Spokane Street Bridge closed after car plows into guard rail while it was raised A man is under arrest after crashing a car through warning gates and hitting the guard rail on the raised Spokane Street Bridge. Around 7:01 p.m. on Saturday, the Seattle Fire Department answered calls about a car crash on the lower Spokane Street bridge near Spokane Street and 11th Avenue Southwest. When crews arrived, they found two people trapped in the car after it crashed against the guardrail that kept the car from going over. When Seattle police arrived they found a car that had crossed into the opposing lane, struck warning gates as the bridge was swinging open and came to a stop after striking the guard rail. Police said the driver was traveling fast before the crash as the bridge was swinging. Seattle Fire pulled out the passenger, a 21-year-old woman, from the car and treated her for possible internal injuries, police said. The woman was then taken to Harborview Medical Center in stable condition. During the extrication, Seattle Fire found a loaded 9mm Glock 45 pistol inside the car belonging to the driver and handed it over to the officers. Police said that the driver showed signs of being impaired and was arrested. The driver, a 25-year-old Seattle man, was taken to Harborview Medical Center for his injuries while police sought a warrant to test his blood for intoxication. The responding officer wrote in his report, [the driver] had become very escalated and combative with staff. It required 6 security personnel to restrain him After the warrant was approved, medical personnel collected a blood sample for police. Police released the suspect to the hospital for additional care. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) closed the bridge to give electricians and mechanics time to inspect and fix the damage to the bridge. 24 hours later, SDOT told drivers that the bridge remained closed except for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Update: The lower Spokane bridge will be open to bike and pedestrians. The bridge remains closed for vehicles. The barrier remains down as mechanics and electricians assess the damage. The bridge will be closed to traffic through today. We'll keep you posted on the next steps. SDOT Traffic (@SDOTtraffic) September 16, 2024 SDOT does not have an estimated time to reopen the bridge but said that work to repair the bridge is ongoing. The town of Springfield, Ohio, has been forced to cancel a planned cultural festival over safety concerns as Republicans continue to level racist attacks against the towns Haitian community. On Monday, the city announced that Springfields annual CultureFest, scheduled to take place Sept. 27 and 28, has been called off by city officials. CultureFest is an event that celebrates diversity, arts and local culture. City officials, in consultation with local and state law enforcement, determined that canceling the event is the most responsible course of action to prevent any potential risks to attendees, staff, vendors and volunteers, officials wrote in a Facebook post, citing recent threats and safety concerns. We deeply regret having to cancel CultureFest, as we know it is a beloved event for our community, City Manager Bryan Heck added in the post. However, the safety of our residents and visitors must come first. The cancellation comes amid a Republican smear campaign against the local immigrant population. Last week, prominent right-wing commentators and politicians including Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) spread baseless claims that Haitian migrants who had moved to the town over the last several years were killing and eating cats, pets, and other local wildlife. Republicans have said this is evidence of the dangers of undocumented immigration, despite most of Springfields Haitian residents holding legal immigration status. The racist rumor exploded onto the national stage last Tuesday when Trump repeated it during his debate against Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump and Vance have continued to double down on the false accusations in the days since. On Sunday, Vance all but admitted the accusations are baseless. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then thats what Im going to do, he told CNN. The conspiracy theories about Haitians in Springfield have fueled a series of threats against local officials and residents. Last week, Springfields city hall and several local schools were forced to evacuate after receiving bomb threats. On Friday, Clark State College temporarily closed its Springfield buildings following a warning from the Springfield Police Division. On Sunday, Wittenberg University canceled all of its scheduled events and moved to online classes after receiving a shooting threat. Wittenberg University is currently taking extreme precautions following an email sent Saturday, Sept. 14, that threatened a potential shooting on-campus on Sunday, September 15, 2024, the university wrote in a campus alert. The message targeted Haitian members of our community. NBC News reported that Trump is planning an in-person visit to Springfield. He vowed during a press conference on Friday to carry out mass deportations in the town. I can say this. We will do large deportations from Springfield, Ohio. Large deportations, Trump said. Were going to get these people out. Were bringing them back to Venezuela. When asked about Trumps potential travel plans to his city, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue, a Republican, told NBC News that that could be difficult, a very difficult visit for Springfield. Springfield is a wonderful community, Rue said. We need help, not hate. The mayor added that city staff had spoken to members of Vances campaign to push back against the claims being made about the town, but was not aware of any response. We need to have federal leaders that are supporting communities like ours, and understand the weight of their words and what theyre saying when theyre on a stage like this and how it can devastate and hurt communities like ours, Rue added. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Turmoil in the Springfield, Ohio, continues as two more schools were evacuated on Monday after police said there were more threats of violence, local television stateion WHIO first reported. Simon Kenton Elementary School and Kenwood Elementary School are the fifth and sixth schools in the Springfield City District School Board to be targeted by threats in the last week amidst an onslaught of racist smears spread about Haitian immigrants. Also on Monday, city officials announced they were canceling CultureFest, an annual celebration of diversity, arts and local culture, over concerns about potential risks to attendees, staff, vendors and volunteers, city officials said in a statement on Facebook. We deeply regret having to cancel CultureFest, as we know it is a beloved event for our community, City Manager Bryan Heck said in the statement. However, the safety of our residents and visitors must come first. Tensions in Springfield have been steadily rising after debunked that Haitian immigrants in the area were eating local pets spread on Facebook. The debunked claim garnered national attention after it was repeatedly shared by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance. "In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in. They're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there, Trump said in the presidential debate last week. The city of 58,000 has since been plagued with bomb threats, lockdowns and hate towards the Haitian-American community. Asked by reporters on Saturday about the recent threats, Trump said, "I don't know what happened with the bomb threats," claiming that all he did know is that Haitians have "taken over" and "that's a terrible thing that happened." Despite officials having found no evidence that the pet-eating claim are true, Republicans like Vance refuse to drop the story, further inciting chaos in his home-state. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do," Vance said in an interview with CNN over the weekend. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) The Springfield Vietnamese Cultural Association held its traditional Moon Festival Saturday evening. 34th Springfield Puerto Rican Parade celebrates Puerto Rican magic This traditional Moon Festival is a holiday, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, where friends and family get together and celebrate one another. Every year the Moon Festival is held in the middle of the eighth lunar month and worships the God of Earth. People celebrated with song and dance and enjoyed special treats like moon cakes. This is to help with the kids to keep our culture, help the kids remember our roots, said Trinh Roblinski, Executive Director of the Springfield Vietnamese Cultural Association. As part of this exciting holiday tradition, in Springfield many marched through the neighborhoods with lanterns. Kayleigh Thomas is a digital reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since 2022. Follow Kayleigh on X @kayleighcthomas and view her bio to see more of her work. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Springfield Women Who Spread False Rumor About Haitians Eating Pets Admit They 'Don't Have Any Proof Springfield, Ohio, resident Erika Lee shared an unverified claim on Facebook about Haitian immigrants in her town. Then it became a national talking point Getty An aerial shot of Springfield, Ohio Two women from Springfield, Ohio, are speaking out about the unverified gossip they helped spread, which fueled a viral conspiracy theory about Haitian immigrants eating people's pets. Springfield resident Erika Lee appeared on NBC News on Friday, Sept. 13, to express regret over the impact of a rumor she posted on Facebook, which she had no idea would become a national news story. It just exploded into something I didnt mean to happen," she told the outlet. Im not a racist, Lee added, saying that she is mixed race and part of the LGBTQ+ community. Everybody seems to be turning it into that, and that was not my intent. Lee said that she has pulled her daughter out of school over fears for her safety and is now also concerned for the Haitian community. If I was in the Haitians position, Id be terrified, too, worried that somebodys going to come after me because they think Im hurting something that they love and that, again, thats not what I was trying to do. Related: John Legend Praises New Haitian Population in Hometown of Springfield, Ohio: 'Love One Another' According to NewsGuard Reality Check, Lee shared a baseless rumor that she heard third-hand about a pet cat in Springfield going missing, then later being found outside a Haitian family's home hanging upside down and being butchered. The post was shared on a private Facebook page called Springfield Ohio Crime and Information." Lee told NewsGuard she was "just trying to inform people, you know, again, not saying Haitians as a whole [are] bad. Lee's claim was screenshotted and posted by an X user on Sept. 5, and the screenshot was spread by conservative-leaning accounts. Eventually, the rumor along with other unverified stories about Haitian immigrants snowballed into a larger, harmful conspiracy theory that got platformed during the presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Related: Haitian Immigration Lawyer Says Ohio Clients Are Panicked amid New Wave of Hate: 'Everyone Is Disheartened' (Exclusive) Kimberly Newton, the woman who told Lee the story about the cat in the first place, explained to NewsGuard that she first heard the rumor from "an acquaintance of a friend." Im not sure Im the most credible source because I dont actually know the person who lost the cat, Newton admitted. "I don't have any proof." Win McNamee/Getty Former President Donald Trump at the Sept. 10, 2024, presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris During the Sept. 10 presidential debate, Trump, 78, alleged that immigrants are "eating pets," amplifying the conspiracy theory. "In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in. They're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people who live there, and this is what's happening in our country, Trump claimed. Moderator David Muir fact-checked this claim in real-time, saying Springfield's city manager already clarified that there have been no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Springfield, which has a large Haitian immigrant community, quickly became a target of Trump's fan base. In the days since the debate, the city has been plagued by threats that have forced the closure of numerous schools, government buildings and hospitals. Related: Daughter of Haitian Immigrants Says Trump's 'Eating the Pets' Comment Opens Old Wounds: 'It's So Ignorant' (Exclusive) ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty A note on the front door of Fulton Elementary School on Sept. 12, 2024, after it was evacuated due to a bomb threat Ohio's Republican Gov. Mike DeWine recently spoke out about the baseless rumors that are still spreading about the Haitian population in Springfield. Theres a lot of garbage on the internet. You know, this is a piece of garbage that was simply not true. Theres no evidence of this at all, DeWine said during an appearance on ABC's This Week on Sunday, Sept. 15. Hate groups coming into Springfield, we dont need these hate groups, DeWine continued. I saw a piece of literature yesterday that the mayor told me about from purportedly the KKK [Ku Klux Klan]." He continued: "Springfield is a good city. They are good people. Theyre welcoming people." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. ST. LOUIS A U.S. District Judge sentenced a St. Louis man to prison on Friday after police intervened with a shipment of pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine to his home. According to the U.S. Attorney Office of the Eastern District of Missouri, Damon L. Pruitt, 38, was caught by police following the shipment on March 24, 2022. Police said the parcel delivery company became concerned about the package and opened it, then found the drugs and called police. The shipment included 15 pounds of methamphetamine and four and a half pounds of cocaine. Police received a search warrant for the packages delivery home address in the 6600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue in the citys Carondelet neighborhood. During the search, police discovered Pruitt had two illegally owned handguns. According to Pruitts plea agreement, he is a convicted felon and told police he knew he was prohibited from owning firearms. Pruitt pleaded guilty in October to one county of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The U.S. District Judge sentenced Pruitt to 134 months in prison. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. ST. LOUIS The St. Louis metropolitan area has recorded the highest percentage increase in foreign-born population among the 30 largest U.S. metro areas from 2022-2023, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data. The region saw a 23.2% year-over-year increase, adding over 30,000 foreign-born residents and growing from 129,604 to 159,710. This marks the largest one-year increase in the regions immigrant population on record. The Latino/Hispanic population also grew significantly, ranking St. Louis 4th among major metros for percentage growth in this demographic. For the first time in recent years, the metros Black population increased as well. Sean Diddy Combs pleads not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering charges Our Citys strength is in our diversity and the communities that we create when we open our arms to New Americans, states St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. New Americans are the path to a more vibrant economy, bolstering our population and our ability to compete with other growing regions across the U.S. writes St. Louis County Executive Sam Page. Winning this decade means getting our population increasing and shifting the trajectory of our metro into growth mode, states Jason Hall, CEO of Greater St. Louis, Inc. The data suggests that efforts to boost the regions immigrant population are succeeding, though local leaders stress the need to sustain this growth through continued initiatives. The non-profit group, the International Institute of St. Louis, unveiled the plan in September to bring in immigrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti to the city. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. Rhode Island Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse speaking in St. Petersburg on Sept. 14, 2024. (Photo by Mitch Perry / Florida Phoenix) Large majorities of Americans favor term limits, a mandatory retirement age, and a formal ethics code for the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a public opinion survey released last week. That doesnt surprise Rhode Island Democratic U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who has filed two bills to attempt to reform the high court. People support it intensely, Whitehouse told the Phoenix on Saturday in St. Petersburg about legislation he has introduced in the Senate. One of those measures would require the Supreme Court to adopt a code of conduct for justices, establish procedures to receive and investigate complaints of judicial misconduct, and adopt rules governing disclosure of gifts, travel, and income received by the justices. Whitehouse introduced the measure following published reports of justices such as Clarence Thomas being provided undisclosed gifts such as private jet trips and luxury vacations. His other bill would impose 18-year term limits on justices, who would be appointed every two years. Ive got two bills, Sheldon said. One is a required ethics code that actually has really basic stuff in it, like finding out what the facts are and making a determination whether those facts meet the ethics code or not. Pretty basic stuff. So, I think that we can accomplish that. My other bill is term limits. And that will help refresh the court and it will also take away the political incentive that justices have to strategically stage their retirement so that a seat stays appointed by their party. Bipartisan support According to the Annenberg Public Policy Centers Constitution Day Civics Survey of about 1,600 adults released last week, 77% support the creation of a formal ethics code for Supreme Court justices that allow for them to be investigated if accused of an ethical violation. Another 69% support requiring justices to retire by a set age, and 68% support setting a specific number of years for justices to serve instead of granting them lifetime appointments. It is very, very widely supported; both the ethics requirement and the term limits have huge public support. Republicans, independents, and Democrats, Whitehouse said. Republicans in Congress havent shown much support, however, and most were dismissive when President Joe Biden discussed reforming the Supreme Court earlier this summer. DeSantis take Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in July that he would accept term limits and a mandatory retirement age for Supreme Court justices, but only if something similar were passed for members of Congress. If theyre willing to support term limits for members of Congress, that would be a trade that I would make, he told reporters at a news conference in Tampa. The governor went on to say that he understood why Democrats have a problem with the court, since it comprises six conservatives and just three liberal members. But he cautioned that such a scenario could change quickly. You think youre doing it because you think that it will help generate more liberal jurisprudence and, in reality, a lot of times it backfires. It may end up if you had 18 years, that it would force liberals off the bench, and then maybe a Republican would be able to replace [them], so you just dont know how thats going to shake out. Fewer than half of Americans (47%) express a favorable view of the court, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in July, while about half (51%) have an unfavorable view. The Supreme Courts popularity ranges wildly, depending on political affiliation. Just 24% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents view the Supreme Court favorably, according to the survey. That is unchanged since last year and ties the courts lowest favorable rating from either party in more than 30 years. As recently as 2021 before the 2022 Dobbs decision overturned the federal right to abortion nearly two-thirds of Democrats had a favorable impression of the Supreme Court. By contrast, 73% of Republicans view the court favorably, according to the Pew survey. Whitehouse spoke to the Phoenix immediately after concluding a roundtable discussion with local elected officials, environmental experts, and local citizens about how climate change is boosting property insurance rates in Florida. He held similar discussions over the weekend in Orlando and Miami. Historians and researchers have finally solved a long-standing mystery behind one of Victorian Englands iconic architectural wonders. The answer? Simple, standardized nuts and bolts. That may not sound too exciting today, but in 1851, the invention allowed engineers to build the Crystal Palace at previously unimaginable speeds. While the Great Exhibition of 1851 showcased Britains most advanced and acclaimed industrial capabilities across a number of exhibits, the five-month-long events crown jewel undoubtedly came from architect Joseph Paxton. At over 1,827-feet-long, the Crystal Palace was the worlds largest building at the time, and featured a huge glass roof supported by 3,300 cast iron columns. For nearly 175 years, however, a mystery has left historians puzzledhow was it possible for Paxtons workers to complete construction in only 190 days? A study published in The International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology now has solved the mystery. According to John Gardner, a professor of English literature at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), the Crystal Palace relied on a revolutionary screw thread designed by a man named Joseph Whitmore. Before Whitworths standardized concept, every screw and bolt was unique to one another without standardized measurements. This meant that lost screws or broken bolts could easily grind construction projects down to a standstill, at least until someone fashioned new replacements. Given its immense size and complexity, the Crystal Palace alone needed 30,000 nuts and boltsand yet requiring so many pieces somehow didnt hinder the buildings construction. The forms of screw threads used in Crystal Palace buildings have not been recorded in any of the surviving drawings, Gardner and his co-author Ken Kiss wrote in their paper. Furthermore, none of the rare existing bolt threads have been measured, recorded and published, until [now]. The reason behind the original bolts rarity is that, after its deconstruction in Hyde Park and subsequent rebuilding in south London in 1854, the Crystal Palace burned down in 1936. But Kiss, curator for the Crystal Palace Museum, excavated one of the last known bolts from a column at the buildings original site, as well as a nearby water tower built at the time to power the palace fountains. Kiss then provided these archeological artifacts to Gardner for analysis. An original nut fits a newly manufactured bolt made to British Standard Whitworth. Credit: John Gardner Gardner found the Crystal Palace column bolt matched exactly to Whitworths measurements, years before it became known as the British Standard Whitworth (BSW), the worlds first national specification of its kind. After soaking the water towers nut and bolt in oil, then using a combination of heat, force, and hammering, he also uncovered measurable screw threads that also matched the BSW specifications. To further prove his theory, Gardner manufactured completely new bolts to BSW threading, which fit perfectly with the original nut. According to the study co-authors, adopting Whitworths new, standardized option allowed builders to complete the monumental endeavor in a comparatively short period of time. The results were ultimately seen by around six million visitors to the Great Exhibition between May and October of 1851. But as to why such a detail remained overlooked for decades, Gardner pointed to the pace of revolutionary technology changes at the time. [Related: Milwaukee wants to build the worlds tallest timber skyscraper (again).] During the Victorian era there was incredible innovation from workshops right across Britain that was helping to change the world, Gardner said in an accompanying statement. In fact, progress was happening at such a rate that certain breakthroughs were perhaps never properly realized at the time, as was the case here with the Crystal Palace. Like the Crystal Palace itself, the exact BSW specifications arent often used todaybut its legacy influenced a number of modern variants that dont stray too far from the original measurements. Similarly, the Crystal Palace, while now long gone, helped inspire modern architecture for decades to come. As many teachers retire or look for new employment across the country, a group of students at Stanislaus State is getting motivated to enter the profession and teach the next generation of students in the Central Valley. Ana York, a Stanislaus State assistant professor of teacher education, helped establish two chapters of Educators Rising one with Modesto City Schools and the other with the university. Established in the 1930s, Educators Rising is a national group, sponsored by Phi Delta Kappa International, that provides middle school, high school and college students with early exposure to the teaching profession. Two years ago, York found out there was no California affiliate of Educators Rising and loved what the group was doing. She wanted a way to also get more teachers of color involved. Within school districts in Stanislaus County, Modesto City Schools, Turlock Unified and Ceres Unified have a majority of Hispanic students but have not reached parity in teacher staffing. During the 2023-24 school year at MCS, about 28.4% teachers identified as Hispanic and 1.6% as Black. In Turlock Unified, 29.1% identified as Hispanic and 1.3% as Black. In Ceres Unified, 30.9% identified as Hispanic and 0.5% as Black. I wanted education to be a first choice, not an afterthought, York said about students considering a career path. I thought the right way that we can get students to really think about the field is if we started early. The Student Center at California State University, Stanislaus. Jan. 23, 2022 She established the chapter at Stanislaus State in 2022. Then, as a former teacher at Modesto City Schools, she was able to connect with former colleagues Miriam Cardenas, Mary Cruz Arellano and Michelle DeLeon to establish the Modesto City Schools chapter last year. York was awarded a $400,000 grant that will be used to fund trips to the national conference for three years. This summer, a group of 42 students from MCS and Stanislaus State and volunteers were flown to Washington, D.C., for the conference, where they had the opportunity to learn from teachers, attend workshops and take part in competitions. York said she wished she had a program like this when she was entering university because its easy to get overwhelmed in higher education. This not only supports their interests of becoming a teacher but also it develops their leadership skills, their public speaking, she said. Theyre just so excited about the field. I see it. Student looks forward to teaching in childhood district Isabel Aguilera is a sophomore at Stanislaus State who attended the conference. She said the trip was amazing as they heard speakers from all over the country, including 2024 National Teacher of the Year Missy Testerman. My favorite memory was getting to bond with the Modesto high school students and give them college advice, she said. I also really liked networking with other college students from different parts of the U.S. who also have a passion for education. Aguilera wants to be an elementary school teacher in the Atwater Elementary School District, which she attended as a child. I believe that getting more teachers into this field is so important because education makes our world go round, she said. Every doctor, lawyer, professor once learned from an elementary school teacher and the teaching field needs good educators who can help make a positive impact on the lives of their students. According to the California Department of Education, there were more than 10,000 teacher vacancies during the 2021-22 school year. There also was a 16% decline in the number of new teacher credentials issued by the state between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years. (Bloomberg) -- Keir Starmer said hes looking to his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni for lessons on tackling so-called irregular migration, as Britains prime minister grapples with an issue fueling a rise in Western democracies of right-wing parties that are not natural allies of his center-left Labour government. Most Read from Bloomberg Speaking after their meeting and working lunch in Rome on Monday, Starmer signaled hes watching how Italys plan to process asylum applications offshore in Albania pans out, and that hes also interested in measures Meloni has taken in migrants countries of origin to cut arrivals in Italy quite significantly. He repeatedly referred to his apparent willingness to listen to overseas right-wing politicians on immigration as pragmatism, as he looks for ways to stem the flow of migrants across the English Channel. We are pragmatists first and foremost: when we see a challenge, we discuss with our friends and allies the different approaches that are being taken, and look at what works, Starmer said in a joint press conference, standing next to Meloni. But his comments reflect an awkward political reality. Especially on the left of his party, people are squeamish about what they see as Starmer taking a tough line on immigration. Yet the premier also knows that voters concerns about high levels of net migration and the former Conservative governments failure to deal with it contributed to Labours landslide election victory in July. That came in part because many Tory supporters switched the anti-immigration Reform UK party, splitting the right-wing vote and easing Labours path to power. The premiers aides have privately argued that a strong border policy is fundamental to stop Reform gaining further ground at Labours expense, and to ensure his government isnt limited to one term in office. Yet its also the case that some of Britains traditional allies are shifting further to the right on immigration, and the meeting of Starmer and Meloni who have clearly contrasting personal politics offers some insight into how Starmer might try to handle a potential second Donald Trump presidency in the US. We are allied countries, we are members of NATO together, we are G7 partners, we work on Ukraine together, we work on middle east together, Starmer said when asked if he is comfortable with Italys migration approach given Melonis government has faced criticism from human rights groups. I dont think anybody will think its sensible for us not to continue with that strong bilateral approach on those really important global issues, which is what we discussed today. Italys an ally and we work with our allies. Starmer, in office for just over two months, wants to cut the number of migrants reaching Britain in small boats from France after people making the crossings surged to the tens of thousands in recent years. But while his team has assessed the danger of appearing a soft touch on borders, Starmer also wants to draw a line under Conservative predecessor Rishi Sunaks approach. One of his first acts in government was to scrap Sunaks plan to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda. Despite the former Tory government never actually getting flights off the ground, Starmer wants an alternative to get numbers down. In the press conference, he said 3,000 people had already been returned to their country of origin since the government took office. The question is whether hes willing or planning to copy Italys plan to offshore the processing of asylum claims. Thats different to Sunaks deportation plan, which included no prospect of those taken to Rwanda being brought back to the UK, though it still risks angering some in his party. Earlier this year, Meloni announced a controversial plan to divert migrants seeking to reach the Italian mainland to two hubs built in Albania and run by Italian authorities. But while Meloni said the plan will move forward, it has been hit by bureaucratic delays and lack of clarity on who will be sent there. Starmer has also spoken breaking up the people-smuggling gangs arranging the migrant crossings, and he took his newly appointed Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt with him to Rome. The two premiers sounded in sync, as Meloni who spoke mostly in Italian broke into English to say the key is to follow the money. She also said Italy and the UK would share intelligence. The two leaders also discussed issues including Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, and business investment. Starmer who held a round table with Italian businesses earlier on Monday also announced nearly half a billion pounds of investment by Leonardo SpA and Marcegaglia Steel SpA in the UK, a move his office said would boost British jobs in the industrial sector. The meeting was part of Starmers effort to reset relations with European nations following a fractious eight years since the UK voted for Brexit. But the shifting politics in the European Union have complicated his efforts to take a shared approach on key issues like immigration. On Monday, Starmer indicated how he plans to adapt. In a sense today was a return, if you like, to British pragmatism, he said. --With assistance from Donato Paolo Mancini. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Backbench Labour MPs may well look back on the summer of 2024, when they spent their entire time replying to angry constituents about the scrapping of some pensioners heating allowance, as halcyon days. For now they face the prospect, over the next few years, of replying to even angrier emails asking them why they have adopted an immigration plan that involves shipping thousands of asylum seekers offshore for processing. One paper has described Italys Albanian deal Italy paying for immigration centres in that country so that those waiting for their claims to be decided in Italy can be sent to Albania instead as I Cant Believe Its Not Rwanda. But its Italys experience that Keir Starmer seems keen to learn from and who knows? perhaps emulate here in blighty. His bilateral meeting today with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni was always going to raise eyebrows here in Britain. The controversial politician now leading Italy was once decried as far-Right (isnt everyone nowadays?). But since assuming office she seems to have mellowed as the reality of government has hit home and served to dampen her formerly populist rhetoric. Still, Starmers advisers will be aware that todays summit will risk opening up a new avenue of criticism from his critics, as if the heating allowance debacle, the cronyism row and, more recently, the vaguely Wodehousian scandal of clothes for access, was not already enough to be getting on with. He could hardly have endeared himself less with his party loyalists if he had sought out a selfie with Benjamin Netanyahu. Or Donald Trump. Meloni isnt exactly the kind of political leader with which members of polite Left-wing society associate. And yet here was Keir Starmer, not only sharing a platform with her but saying positive things about an immigration scheme that a few years ago would have had your average Labour activist sobbing in the aisles of national conference. To Labour spinners insisting that Italys deal with Albania is nothing like the Conservatives Rwanda scheme that Starmer personally scrapped on winning office, I would say: nonsense. In most of the vital aspects of the Albania deal, there exists all the same reasons that Left-wing opinion so vehemently opposed Rwanda. It is true that the Rwanda scheme offered asylum applicants a one-way ticket to the African state where, if their applications for refugee status proved successful, they would be welcome to remain. Whereas, the Albania scheme offers applicants the chance, should their applications succeed, of returning to live and work in Italy. This was not the crucial barrier that prevented the Rwanda scheme from winning the hearts and minds of Labour-leaning supporters. What most offended affluent, liberal, progressive opinion was the very notion of sending asylum applicants who had arrived on the south coast in dinghies off in a plane somewhere rather than processing them here. Consider the occasions when, in the past, former convicts, some of whom committed the most heinous crimes, were deported to their homelands only for Labour MPs and peers to sign open letters demanding that they be allowed to stay, in order that the rest of us may benefit from their continued presence. It was not the one-way nature of Rwanda to which they objected; it was their initial removal from our shores. But if Starmer is going to follow in Melonis footsteps, he needs to do so very quickly indeed. The immigration crisis grows more urgent every day that another rubber dinghy washes up on the south coast, and every time another innocent life is needlessly lost. But the political problem he will have to contend with, assuming he adopts a similar scheme to Italys, is to explain why he scrapped the Rwanda solution in the first place. Claims that it proved to be no deterrent to would-be arrivals simply dont stand up, since the scheme hadnt got underway by the time it was scrapped. Constant reminders of the huge amounts of money that the Conservatives spent on Rwanda will count for naught if a version of the Albanian scheme is pursued, for such a scheme will not come cheap. It is hardly surprising that Starmer wants some fresh answers to the immigration crisis. It will be surprising if he is forgiven by his party for taking a policy lead on such a sensitive topic from Georgia Meloni. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Starmer looks to Italy on how to stop migrant boats Sir Keir Starmer has suggested he will study Italy's asylum processing deal with Albania as part of a "pragmatic" approach to tackling migrant boats crossing the English Channel. Speaking to reporters, the prime minister said he had discussed the "concept" of Italy's deal during talks in Rome with Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni. Meloni said Sir Keir had shown "great interest" in the planned scheme, under which some migrants rescued in Italian waters will be sent to the Balkan country to have their asylum claims processed. Sir Keir also said he was interested in Italy's model of paying north African countries to do more to stop boat crossings. He added that deals with Tunisia and Libya appears to have had quite a profound effect in helping Italy cut the number of migrant arrivals. The Labour government has scrapped a Conservative plan to send asylum seekers on a one-way ticket to Rwanda, where they would only be able to apply for refugee status in the east African nation. But it has indicated an interest in schemes under which migrants crossing the English Channel could have their applications to stay in the UK processed abroad. Italy's right-wing government, led by Meloni since October 2022, is not a natural political ally for Labour leader Sir Keir, but he has expressed an interest in learning from its tactics to counter illegal migration. Under its five-year deal with Albania, agreed last year, some migrants rescued by the Italian coastguard will be sent there to have their asylum claims processed in two centres funded and managed by Italy. In a key difference with the Rwanda plan, those that succeed will come to Italy as refugees. Those whose applications are rejected will be detained in Albania until they can be returned to their home countries. Only migrants from countries deemed safe by Italy - whose claims are more likely to be rejected - will be sent, whilst pregnant women, minors and other categories of vulnerable people will be excluded. An Italian-run migrant centre in the Albanian port of Shengjin is not yet operational [Getty Images] The scheme, which the Italian government says will cost 670m (564m), was meant to start in August but has been delayed, with Meloni saying it will be "few weeks before it gets going. It has been criticised by some right groups, who have questioned how failed asylum claims could be properly appealed and argued it could leave people in legal limbo. En route to Rome, Sir Keir said he was interested in learning about the scheme and later confirmed he had discussed it during his meeting with Meloni. The prime minister also discussed the model with Albanian counterpart Edi Rama during a summit of European leaders in July, when he said he wanted to "look at what works". Speaking at a press conference, Sir Keir said the impact of Italy's Albania deal was not yet clear because the scheme had yet to begin operating, but he had discussed "the concept of it" with Meloni. It is not clear, however, how likely it is such a deal could be replicated. Albania, which is seeking to bolster its longstanding application to join the EU, has suggested that such a deal is only with Italy, its closest ally in Europe. 'British pragmatism' Sir Keir also underlined he was also interested in Italy's agreements with north African countries, which have emerged as important hubs for migrants attempting to make the journey to Europe. Alongside the EU, Italy has granted Tunisia financial aid for education and energy projects in return for greater efforts to stop migrants crossing the Mediterranean. It has an agreement with the UN-backed Libyan government, under which Italy trains and funds the coastguard to intercept migrant boats. Both of those deals have proved controversial, attracting criticism from rights groups for the treatment of those stopped from crossing. Sir Keir told reporters this work to stop arrivals "upstream" was a "more likely factor than the Albania deal in explaining a 64% drop this year in the number of people crossing to Italy from Africa. "Preventing people leaving their country in the first place is far better than trying to deal with those that have arrived in any of our countries, so I was very interested in that," he added. "In a sense, today was a return - if you like - to British pragmatism. "We are pragmatists first and foremost. When we see a challenge we discuss with our friends and allies the different approaches that are being taken [and] look at what works." However, some Labour backbenchers have criticised their leader for seeking inspiration from Meloni's government. Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson called it "disturbing," whilst Nottingham East's Nadia Whittome said the UK should not be "taking lessons" from Italy. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he wants to understand how his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni achieved "dramatic reductions" in the number of migrants reaching Italy's shores by boat. His comments came after the two premiers met in Rome on Monday, and after a weekend that saw at least eight seaborne migrants die off the French coast. Meloni greeted Starmer with a military honour guard for the meeting at the Villa Doria Pamphili, a 17th-century mansion set in a large park not far from the Vatican. The centre-left Labour Party prime minister isn't a natural ally of Meloni, who heads the far-right Brothers of Italy party. But migration has climbed the UK political agenda, and Starmer hopes Italy's tough approach can help him stop people fleeing war and poverty trying to cross the English Channel in flimsy, overcrowded boats. More than 22,000 migrants have made the perilous crossing from France so far this year, a slight increase compared to the same period in 2023. Several dozen people have perished in the attempt, including the eight killed when a boat carrying some 60 people ran aground on rocks late Saturday. The same day, 14 boats carrying 801 migrants reached the UK. The number of migrants arriving in Italy by boat in the first half of this year was down 60% from 2023, according to the country's interior ministry. Starmer said Italy had seen "some quite dramatic reductions. So I want to understand how that came about." "It looks as though that's down to the upstream work that's been done in some of the countries where people are coming from," he told British broadcasters in Rome. "I've long believed, by the way, that prevention and stopping people travelling in the first place is one of the best ways to deal with this particular issue." Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, center left, welcomes U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer as they meet at Villa Panphilj in Rome, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. - Andrew Medichini/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved Meloni pledged a crackdown on migration after taking office in 2022, aiming to deter would-be refugees from paying smugglers to make the dangerous Mediterranean crossing to Italy. Her nationalist conservative government has signed deals with individual African countries to block departures, imposed limits on the work of humanitarian rescue ships, cracked down on traffickers and taken measures to deter people from setting off. Italy also has signed a deal with Albania under which some adult male migrants rescued at sea while trying to reach Italy would be taken instead to Albania while their asylum claims are processed. Starmer wants to learn from Italy's mix of tough enforcement and international cooperation. Responding to a question on whether he would seek a similar agreement to the Italy-Albania deal before he headed to Rome, the prime minister said: "Let's see. It's in early days, I'm interested in how that works, I think everybody else is." Italy's approach however has been criticised by refugee groups and others alarmed by Europe's increasingly strict asylum rules, growing xenophobia and hostile treatment of migrants. The leader of Italy's right-wing League, Matteo Salvini, who is deputy prime minister in Meloni's government, has been accused by prosecutors of alleged kidnapping for his decision to prevent a rescue ship carrying more than 100 migrants from landing in Italy when he was interior minister in 2019. British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper however defended the government's decision to seek advice from Italy's right-wing administration, saying "we've always had a history of working with governments that have different political parties that are not aligned". She said the UK was interested in Italy's experience in fighting organised crime, as well as its deals with countries such as Tunisia to stop migrants' journeys before they reach the sea, and its deal with Albania. "I don't think its immoral to go after the criminal gangs," Cooper told the BBC. "Quite the opposite. I think it's actually a moral imperative to make sure that we are pursuing the criminal gangs who are putting lives at risk." Starmer toured Italy's national immigration crime coordination centre with newly appointed UK Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt. The government says Hewitt, a former head of the UK's National Police Chiefs' Council, will work with law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the UK and across Europe to tackle people-smuggling networks. Soon after being elected in July, Starmer scrapped the Conservatives' contentious plan to send asylum-seekers who cross the Channel to Rwanda, about 6,400 kilometres away, with no chance of returning to the UK even if their refugee claims were successful. Related The Conservatives said the deportation plan would act as a deterrent, but refugee and human rights groups called it unethical, judges ruled it illegal and Starmer dismissed it as an expensive gimmick. He has, though, expressed an interest in striking agreements like the one Italy has with Albania that would see asylum-seekers sent temporarily to another country. Support for Ukraine is also on the agenda for the trip, part of Starmer's effort to reset relations with European neighbours after Britain's acrimonious 2020 departure from the European Union. Unlike some politicians on the European right, Meloni is a staunch supporter of Ukraine. Starmer meets her after returning from Washington, where he and US President Joe Biden discussed Ukraine's plea to use Western-supplied missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pressing allies to allow his forces to use Western weapons to target air bases and launch sites inside Russia as Moscow steps up assaults on Ukraine's electricity grid and utilities before winter. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that would mean NATO countries "are at war with Russia". So far, the US hasn't announced a change to its policy of allowing Kyiv to use American-provided weapons only in a limited area inside Russia's border with Ukraine. The prime ministers of Britain and Italy, Keir Starmer and Giorgia Meloni, at Blenheim Palace during Julys European Political Community meeting (PA Wire) Keir Starmer is open to sending asylum seekers to Albania as he prepares to hold a mini summit with Italys prime minister Giorgia Meloni. The prime minister told journalists travelling with him to Washington DC before he flew to Rome that he would see how Italys deal with Albania worked in terms of offshoring processing of asylum claims. Within days of taking power in July, Sir Keir cancelled the UKs controversial deal with Rwanda which had been set up by the previous Tory government at a cost of 700m to the taxpayer. But he now appears open to similar schemes in a European country. This follows German chancellor Olaf Scholzs decision to take up the facilities in Rwanda that the UK paid for to deal with asylum seekers to his country. Asked specifically about Italys Albania scheme, Sir Keir replied: Lets see. Its early days. Im interested in how that works, I think everybody else is. Its very very early days. The Italian plan has been criticised by many and involves opening camps for asylum seekers which will hold up to 3,000 people. Ms Melonis government has dramatically reduced the number of people coming across the Mediterranean to Italy from north Africa. The deal has been condemned by Human Rights Watch, whose associate director for Europe Judith Sunderland wrote: Italys latest gambit to offshore its responsibilities is all but guaranteed to violate peoples rights. Following its abusive deal with Libya, Italy now wants to take people who have effectively reached the country outside of the EU, breaching fundamental tenets of rescue at sea and undermining asylum rights and freedom from arbitrary detention. It is also unlikely to deter people from making dangerous boat crossings. Amnesty has raised concerns about human rights in Albania, citing the killing of journalists in the country, concerns over the right to a fair trial, killings in prisons, a hostile environment for the LGBT+ community, and violence against women and girls. On the Italy deal it noted: Human rights organisations and others expressed concern about the impact this could have on the human rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants, including automatic and therefore arbitrary detention. Sir Keir confirmed to journalists that he will be discussing the issue as record numbers of asylum seekers continue to cross the Channel on small boats. The prime minister said: Well be able to talk about irregular migration, and other things as well. It will be a feature as it was a feature when I spoke to Chancellor Scholz; as it was a feature when I spoke to [French president] Emmanuel Macron. He noted that there are different challenges in different countries. In Germany, I was particularly concerned that a very large percentage of the boats engines that are ending up being used for the Channel crossings are going through Germany. And I think that they should take further opportunities to seize them on their journey, he said. Obviously with Macron, it was very much about what to do on the northern coast of France. Ive already had a preliminary discussion with Georgia Meloni about this, about how we can work together on irregular migration. She has of course got some strong ideas and I hope to discuss those with her. She and I have already discussed how we can improve joint operations, so that is something we will discuss. (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Keir Starmer said hes looking to Italy for lessons on tackling the flow of migrants in small boats to Britains southern shores. Most Read from Bloomberg Speaking after holding a bilateral meeting and working lunch with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni in Rome, Starmer signaled hell watch how Italys planned new program to process asylum seekers in Albania pans out. He also told reporters in the Italian capital that hes very interested in measures Meloni has taken upstream in the countries of origin of migrants, which had cut arrivals in Italy quite significantly. We are pragmatists first and foremost: when we see a challenge, we discuss with our friends and allies the different approaches that are being taken, and look at what works, Starmer said. I have always said preventing people leaving their country in the first place is far better than trying to deal with those that have arrived in any of our countries. Starmer, in office for 2 1/2 months is trying to find ways to cut the volume of migrants reaching Britain in small boats from France after the number of those making crossings surged to the tens of thousands in recent years. Hes casting around for fresh ideas on how to achieve that after scrapping a plan by his Conservative predecessor Rishi Sunak to deport arrivals to Rwanda. Britain had yet to get any deportation flights off the ground despite sending hundreds of millions of pounds to the African nation. Meanwhile earlier this year, arrivals across the channel had surged to a record, though the year-to-date total has since dipped under levels seen in 2022. Meloni who spoke in Italian said the key to cracking down on criminal people-smuggling gangs is to follow the money, a phrase she said in English. She said Italy and the UK would share intelligence in an effort to tackle the problem. Earlier this year, Meloni announced a controversial plan to divert migrants seeking to reach the Italian mainland to two hubs built in Albania and run by Italian authorities. But even as Meloni reiterated the plan will move forward, its implementation has stalled due to bureaucratic delays and lack of clarity on the rules to select who will be sent there. The two leaders also discussed issues including Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, and business investment. Starmer said its important that allies put Ukraine in the best possible position to defend itself. Amid pressure from Ukraine for allies to allow it to fire British Storm Shadow missiles into Russia, Meloni signaled caution, saying the risk of escalation is one we deal with every day and requires prudence. Starmer has been seeking support in the US and among Ukraines European allies for Ukraine to use Storm Shadow on Russian territory. The UK will also discuss the proposal in coming days with France and Germany. While Meloni, of the Brothers of Italy party has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since taking office in 2022, her position is not fully shared by coalition ally Matteo Salvini of the Northern League, who has questioned Romes ability to back Kyivs efforts. Moreover, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani a member of a third coalition party, Forza Italia has sounded a note of caution on any decisions on long-range weapons, telling the Corriere della Sera that its up to each country to decide. Starmer who held a round table with Italian businesses earlier on Monday also announced nearly half a billion pounds of investment by Leonardo SpA and Marcegaglia Steel SpA in the UK, a move his office said would boost British jobs in the industrial sector. Defense firm Leonardo will spend 435 million ($574 million) at its site in Yeovil, southwest England, as well as in research and development programs across Britain, where it operates in 8 locations, Starmers office said. Marcegaglia will spend 50 million to build an electric arc furnace at its steel plant in Sheffield, northern England. The British premier has pledged to reset relations with European nations following a fractious 8 years during which the UK voted for Brexit and then completed its divorce from the bloc, a move which introduced fresh frictions on trade and strained diplomatic ties with its closest neighbors. Meloni said the two nations had signed a cooperation agreement in an effort to boost cross-border investment. Starmer affirmed his support for the Global Combat Air Programme, an initiative by the UK, Italy and Japan to develop new fighter jets, describing it as a vital project. It was the premiers strongest backing for the plan yet, amid an ongoing UK government review of its defense priorities. Previously Starmer has stopped short of guaranteeing the UKs support for GCAP in future. --With assistance from Alex Wickham and Stuart Biggs. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. BOSTON (SHNS) One of the states hazardous materials response teams is on track to climb back to full strength after a recent recruitment, in what state Hazmat Division Director Jeffrey Winn labeled a boon for the commonwealth. Five new recruits moved forward in the process to join the Joint Hazardous Incident Response Team (JHIRT), Winn said Monday at a meeting of the Hazardous Materials Mitigation Advisory Board. The team is made up of local firefighters from around the state who are trained as hazmat technicians and are then selected for the JHIRT unit as subject matter experts who can be called to the scene to work with other responders including the bomb squad. Along with the Technical Support Unit, another team under the Department of Fire Services Hazmat Division, JHIRT had seen a dip in technicians. Our numbers for both the JHIRT and TSU memberships have fallen off over the years, and are expected to fall off even more with projected retirements that are coming up over the next 18 months. So, hence the need to recruit for both, Winn said, adding that a TSU recruiting drive would be planned next. Both teams optimally consist of 15 members, according to a department spokesperson. JHIRT has 13 techs, with two retirements expected in the next year or so, and TSU is down to eight technicians. Their membership is recruited from within the approximately 245 local firefighters who have trained as state hazmat technicians. The board separately voted to approve 10 new hazmat techs Monday. The JHIRT can be requested for suspicious powder calls, to assess possible clandestine laboratory situations, and to initiate the multiagency Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement Team, according to the department. State Fire Marshal Jon Davine said that he watched part of the tryouts along with Deputy Public Safety Secretary Susan Terrey. Fantastic process. I went out the first day on Monday, and actually the deputy secretary of EOPSS, Sue Terry, came out to observe also on Monday. Very impressed. It was a great process, fair process, safe process, and sounds like weve got five good members to move forward. I know Ive done those tryouts in the past, its a heavy lift to get all that stuff done, its a long week, its long hours. You definitely get your steps in, Davine told the board. Out of 18 applicants, 12 were interviewed and eight moved on to the tryouts. Those who were ultimately not selected have committed to apply again in the future and have shown interest in the TSU recruitment, Winn said. And it shows us, on this side, people that are committed, if you will that are stepping up, and available, and ready, he said. Also Monday, Winn gave an update on the locations of Fire Services hazmat trucks, with one back at its home in the Woburn Fire Department. Down in Barnstable County, a memorandum of agreement has been signed to locate a truck on Joint Base Cape Cod, and that truck will move over from Wareham where another vehicle will be located. And that will ultimately give us a squad and an [Operational Response Unit] on the east side of the [Cape Cod] bridges, and then everything of course remains on the west side of the bridges. So we have a pretty robust capability for the commonwealth spread out throughout the district, Winn 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 WWLP. State officials urge people to eat highly invasive species after discovering its potential for destruction: 'Edible and delicious' They're beautiful, they're deadly and now, they're on your dinner plate. Facing a growing population of invasive red lionfish, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is encouraging a new approach of species management involving plenty of snacking, Chron reports. In part, much of this is to prevent a different kind of eating. Lionfish are known to prey upon native species, which can threaten the survival of these species and potentially disrupt the entire ecosystem. Recently, one TPWD member caught a lionfish and opened its maw to find a tiny, juvenile cocoa damselfish that had been swallowed whole. And lionfish don't discriminate, feasting upon fish, crustaceans, and invertebrates, Chron explains. Fortunately, they make for a delicious meal themselves. Chron cited a Facebook post from TPWD that called the red lionfish "edible and delicious." "Lionfish have white, flaky meat, and some even say their flavor is similar to grouper or mahi mahi," they wrote. "When handling this fish, just make sure to be careful of its sharp spines." While lionfish have venom in their spines, it's completely neutralized when cooked, according to Lionfish.co. That said, for amateur fishermen and women, it's generally safest to purchase lionfish from a restaurant or a professional. You can even make a day of it; in some places, like the Florida Keys, going spearfishing for lionfish is a popular recreational activity. Officials have encouraged a similar approach in other areas. From hosting invasive fishing contests in Illinois to offering cash prizes for catfish in Maryland, there's no shortage of creative ideas to managing these invasive fish. And the "can't beat 'em, eat 'em" strategy extends beyond fish, too. In Oregon, where invasive Himalayan blackberries are growing unchecked, residents are encouraged to harvest and enjoy as many berries as they can. Similarly, one foraging chef recently explained how to prepare and eat every piece of the creeping bellflower. Perhaps nothing tastes as good as keeping the ecosystem safe. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. UPDATE, 9/16/24, 7:30 a.m.: Peyton Rose Saintignan has been located and is safe. ORIGINAL STORY: WEBSTER PARISH, La. (KLFY) Louisiana State Police and the Webster Parish Sheriffs Office are looking for a 10-year-old girl who was last seen at her home in Dubberly. State troopers issued a Level 2 endangered missing child advisory for Peyton Rose Saintignan. Troopers said Saintignan was last seen around midnight on Sunday, Sept. 15, at her home on Magnolia Road in Dubberly. She was discovered missing around 11:30 a.m. Authorities said Saintignan is a white female with hazel eyes and brown curly hair. She is about 4 feet and 3 inches tall. Troopers said she was last seen wearing blue Frozen pajamas. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KLFY Daily Digest The girl is believed to be traveling on foot, in an unknown direction, troopers said. Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is asked to immediately contact the Webster Parish Sheriffs Office at 318-377-1515 or dial 911. 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. The G. Norton Jameson Annex at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) The South Dakota Department of Corrections (DOC) says it will not respond to questions on why it locked down two of its three facilities on the grounds of the state penitentiary in Sioux Falls. A DOC news release on the lockdown at the penitentiary and the maximum security Jameson Annex was sent after 11 p.m. Sunday. The agency doesnt know how long the lockdown will be in effect, the release says, and all visits have been canceled aside from attorney meetings and previously scheduled and approved special visits. Communications between inmates and their families and friends outside the facilities could also be affected. We will be managing phone service for offenders for the duration of the lockdown. This may include periods of phone service being disabled temporarily, the release said. The release goes on to say that the agency will not be responding to further questions and inquiries during the lockdown. If the release of additional information is warranted, the information will be provided on the agency website and social media channels, it says. The penitentiary and Jameson Annex housed 1,262 inmates as of Aug. 31, according to the DOC website. The Sioux Falls Minimum Center, a facility for low security and work release inmates, was not mentioned in the news release on the lockdown. That facility housed 238 people at the end of August. Its unclear how many times the penitentiary has been under lockdown so far in 2024. There were lockdowns following two incidents of unrest in March, which ultimately resulted in indictments for several inmates and two people outside prison facilities who are accused of collaborating with inmates on illegal activity. The March incidents followed a decision by the DOC to temporarily shut down tablet-based communications for an ongoing investigation that the agency has yet to explain to the public. Tablet-based phone calls returned with 20-minute time limits and a five call daily limit but inmates are still unable to use the tablets text messaging capabilities. Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield also saw unrest in July, with inmates injured in two separate flare-ups of inmate-on-inmate violence the DOC said injured six people. Beyond saying the situation was under control and releasing the number of injured inmates, the DOC has not offered further details on that incident, offering only that accusations of higher injury figures and other assertions from inmates in Springfield were inaccurate. Information that is security-sensitive and/or part of an ongoing investigation will not be released, DOC spokesman Michael Winder wrote to South Dakota Searchlight on July 29. DOC Secretary Kellie Wasko told the states Government Operations and Audit Committee over the summer that shed be willing to explain the nitty gritty of the incidents with lawmakers behind closed doors, but that she wont talk about them during public meetings for security reasons. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE FILE - A grocery cart rests in a cart return area with a sign for Albertsons grocery store in the background on Aug. 26, 2024, in Lake Oswego, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File) Washington state went to court Monday to try to block a proposed merger between Albertsons and Kroger, saying shoppers would pay hundreds of millions more for groceries each year if the supermarket chains are no longer closely competing. Albertsons and Kroger insist a merger would help them lower prices and better compete with big rivals like Walmart, Costco and Amazon. This is the real competition," Kroger attorney Mark Perry said in his opening arguments in King County Superior Court in Seattle. "The evidence will establish that Kroger and Albertsons do face an existential threat from these behemoths and that this merger is their response to that threat. But Glenn Pomerantz, an attorney for Washington, noted that there are no Walmarts in Seattle or in many of the other markets in which Albertsons and Kroger currently operate. Albertsons and Kroger own more than 300 stores in the state and control more than half of grocery sales there. There is no existential threat going on here. There is just healthy competition, Pomerantz said. Kroger and Albertsons don't need to merge to be successful. They're already successful. The case is one of three challenging the $24.6 billion deal, which was announced nearly two years ago. The Federal Trade Commission is currently fighting the merger in federal court in Oregon, where closing arguments were expected Tuesday. Colorado has also sued to block the merger. Washington seeks to block the merger nationwide. Pomerantz said Monday that the merger proposal is an all-or-nothing deal," and if Kroger and Albertsons want to preserve the merger, their agreement needs to conform to Washington's consumer protection laws. But Kroger and Albertsons said one state can't have the power to block a nationwide merger. The laws at the state of Washington stop at the borders of Washington," Perry said. Under a plan to ease regulators concerns, Kroger and Albertsons would sell 579 overlapping stores, 124 of them in Washington, if the merger goes through. That's the highest number among the 19 states with stores on the list. Washington says the proposed buyer, C&S Wholesale Grocers, has little experience running stores or pharmacies and would likely close stores. Pomerantz said Washington has learned some hard lessons from past grocery mergers. A decade ago, Albertsons bought the Safeway chain. To satisfy regulators concerned about that deal's potential impact on supermarket competition and consumers, Albertsons sold 146 stores to Haggen, a small grocery chain based in Bellingham, Washington. But Haggen struggled with the expansion. Within six months, it had closed 127 stores including 14 in Washington and laid off thousands of workers. Haggen sold its remaining stores to Albertsons in 2016. Now, 10 Haggen stores in Washington are on the list to be sold if the merger with Kroger happens. Perry said this merger would be different, and C&S would receive a portfolio of stores, brands and executive talent that would make it a robust competitor. Haggen was essentially left to swim on its own, Perry said. But some Washington resident remain skeptical. Its pretty terrifying, said Tina McKim, a founding member of Birchwood Food Desert Fighters. The group sprang up in 2016 after Albertsons acquired a Haggen store and then closed one of its own stores about a mile away in Bellingham's Birchwood neighborhood. When it sold its former Birchwood store two years later, Albertsons included a restriction: for the next 20 years, no grocery store could open in the Birchwood shopping plaza. Albertsons says these types of restrictions occasionally used when there is a store close to one that's closing can help grocery companies stay competitive. But it was a huge blow to the community, McKim said. For 35 years, the Birchwood store had served older adults, students, people with disabilities and lower-income residents who suddenly had no easy access to fresh food. We were all really shocked by that. How is it possible to deny food access to a neighborhood? McKim said. It made it really hard for anyone without a car to be able to go to another grocery store. McKims group tries to fill the void by collecting food donations and bringing in produce from local farms, but its nowhere near the level of access people need, she said. This summer, after an investigation by Washingtons attorney general, Albertsons removed the restriction on the shopping plaza. A Big Lots that moved into the former grocery store is closing soon, McKim said, and she hopes the space will attract another supermarket. But even if it does, the community may never get back the unionized jobs it lost when Albertsons shut its doors, she said. McKim said her area does have a Walmart, but its even further away from Birchwood than the Albertsons-run Haggen store, which is on the list of stores that would be sold to C&S. Shes also not convinced Kroger and Albertsons need to merge to compete with Walmart. This city is growing so quickly, the need for food is absolutely critical everywhere, McKim said. When you see other stores succeed, its because they curate to the neighborhoods needs. Statewide safe surrender event to be held in Las Cruces this weekend EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) People with outstanding bench warrants from any magistrate court in New Mexico can get a fresh start and safely surrender at the Dona Ana County Magistrate Courthouse, 110 Calle Alegra, in Las Cruces this weekend. The event will occur from 1 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, according to a news release sent by the Administrative Office of the Courts. Safe Surrender events like this one in Las Cruces present an excellent opportunity for individuals with outstanding warrants to seek resolution, said Administrative Office of the Courts Director Karl Reifsteck. After Santa Fes safe surrender event last spring alone, 626 cases no longer have active warrants. The event allows anyone with outstanding warrants an opportunity to avoid jail and other consequences by appearing before a judge, according to the news release. At the time of surrender, anyone who appears voluntarily will receive favorable consideration when requesting a new court date, payment plan, or any other option required to comply with the court order. Through safe surrender events from June 2023 to April 2024, warrants were resolved in 2,022 cases, according to the news release. The Administrative Office of the Courts said a judge issues a bench warrant when a defendant violates requirements imposed by a court, such as appearing at hearings scheduled in a case. If you are unsure whether you have an outstanding bench warrant, call the toll-free warrant hotline at 855-268-7804 or check online case lookup at nmcourts.gov. The Third Judicial District serves people in Dona Ana County. For more information about the Third Judicial District, visit thirddistrict.nmcourts.gov. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. Built in the 6th century BC, Persepolis has withstood destruction, looting, earthquakes, fires and harsh weather (ATTA KENARE) (ATTA KENARE/AFP/AFP) Conservationists at Persepolis, Iran's most iconic ancient site, are waging a delicate battle against an unlikely adversary: tiny but persistent lichens eroding the millennia-old monuments. The fight, which began years ago, is aimed at stopping the threat to the integrity of the site's structures and its intricate carvings from lichens, organisms that grow on surfaces like stone and can slowly break them down over time. Built in the 6th century BC by Darius I, Persepolis has withstood destruction, looting, earthquakes, fires and harsh weather. It remains a source of pride for Iranians and a major tourist destination. "It's an open-air museum reflecting 25 centuries of Middle Eastern life," said Alireza Asgari Chaverdi, director of the site located about 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the southern city of Shiraz. "It is the foundation of Iran's history, culture and socio-cultural life." A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, Persepolis features colossal sculptures and intricate stone reliefs of ancient Persian kings, nobles and deities. But these have suffered over the years from lichen, a combination of an algae and a fungus. "This is the most serious problem, especially for carvings on stones," said Shahram Rahbar, a conservationist at the site. "If we do nothing, these organisms could reduce these relics to dust within 50 to 100 years," he said as he treated lichen growth on one slab. - Lost motifs - Red lichen marks are now etched into many of the ancient relics at Persepolis. The spread of lichens, which dissolve minerals and penetrate stone surfaces by more than 1.5 centimetres (.6 inches), is driven by industrialisation, acid rain and the harsh desert climate, said lichenologist Mohammad Sohrabi. "We cover the lichens with a material and, after a week, repeat the process until they weaken enough to be removed with suction devices," said Rahbar. Iran is home to more than 3,000 species of lichens, with 500 to 700 varieties growing on historical monuments, Sohrabi said, noting that some at Persepolis were over 1,700 years old. "Many of Persepolis's intricate motifs have already been lost due to lichen activity," he said. Beyond Persepolis, other sites in Iran, like the Bisotun inscription in Kermanshah province, have also been affected. Bisotun, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, features a massive carved inscription recounting the conquests of King Darius I and has suffered significant degradation due to lichen growth. - 'More important than our lives' - At Persepolis, Rahbar and his team work relentlessly to combat the infestation. "We destroy the lichens using modern techniques like lasers and substances that act like antibiotics," Rahbar said, describing what he called a "painstaking" process. Public concern grew after an official highlighted a lack of funds for preserving Iran's historic sites. Iran's deputy culture minister, Ali Darabi, said the annual budget for restoring each monument was only 130 million rials (about $220), while maintaining all registered historical monuments would require nearly $84 million a year. As Mohsen, a 41-year-old retiree from Ghazvin, stood before a ruined column of the Apadana palace, he said, "Maintaining this site is more important than our lives." Ghashghaei, an 82-year-old retiree visiting with his family, agreed. For him, the site stands as a poignant reminder that "Iranians created an ancient civilisation," he said. ap-mz/dv Stop benefits for Ukrainian refugees so they go home and fight, Poland tells EU Polands foreign minister says there should be no financial incentives for Ukrainians to avoid the draft - Anadolu/Getty European governments should stop paying benefits to male Ukrainian refugees of fighting age to convince them to return home and enlist in the army, Polands foreign minister has said. Radoslaw Sikorski said the move would help finances in host countries as well as aid Kyivs recruitment efforts. Ukraines forces currently need more soldiers to make up for losses and maintain defences as the Russian army steadily advances in the east of the country. Ukraines foreign minister Andrii Sybiha (left) with Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski - Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters Stop paying those social security payments for people who are eligible for the Ukrainian draft, Mr Sikorski said at a conference of international leaders in Kyiv. There should be no financial incentives for avoiding the draft in Ukraine. Its not a human right to be paid to avoid the draft, to defend your country. We in Poland dont do it. Ukraine banned men aged 18 to 60 from travelling abroad without special permission and launched a rolling mobilisation in the aftermath of Russias illegal invasion on Feb 22 2022. But many men of military age fled abroad to avoid the draft amid reports of corruption in the army recruitment system, allowing some men to bribe their way out of serving. Many military-age Ukrainian men fled the country to avoid being enlisted - Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty More than 4.1 million Ukrainians had temporary protection status in European Union countries as of July this year, according to data from the EU statistics office, Eurostat. Around 22 per cent of them were adult men. Ukraines foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said: Its time really to raise the question of the European Union developing programmes to return Ukrainians home. Certainly, appropriate conditions should be created for this. But this should be on the agenda. And I support the idea of Minister Sikorski. Ukraine lowered the call-up age for combat duty from 27 to 25 in a bid to increase mobilisation earlier this year. After Russia invaded in 2022, Ukraine launched a rolling mobilisation programme - Anadolu/Getty It also ordered men of military age living abroad to renew their military draft information online and encouraged them to return to Ukraine and join the fight. Poland hosts almost 1 million Ukrainian refugees, second only to Germany in the EU. In April, Polands defence minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak said Warsaw was ready to help Ukraine bring back men subject to compulsory military service who were living in Poland. The two countries have agreed plans to train a Ukrainian legion of expats living in Poland but recruitment for the unit has still not begun. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Storm forecast to hit SC could be a cyclone that causes heavy rain & flooding in Midlands One severe weather advisory was already in place Monday morning as a storm that could turn into a cyclone is forecast to affect the Columbia area, according to the National Weather Service. The potential cyclone, which could become Tropical Storm Helene, is expected to move from the Atlantic Ocean and make landfall in South Carolina before moving through the Midlands and continuing inland as it heads north, National Weather Service meteorologists said in a Monday morning briefing. The storm could track close to the Midlands on Tuesday, from late morning to the early afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center. But starting Monday, the Columbia area could be affected by severe weather including powerful winds, heavy rain and possible flooding according to the briefing. Moderate to potentially heavy rain will be possible late Monday morning, and is expected to continue through the afternoon, the National Weather Service said. Severe weather is forecast to affect South Carolina. Winds will also increase throughout the day, and a Lake Wind Advisory was issued for the Midlands, according to the briefing. The advisory went into effect at 2 a.m., and will run through 2 a.m. Tuesday, the National Weather Service said. No other watches or warnings have been issued in the Columbia area, but that could change as the storm moves closer. Richland and Lexington counties as well as most of the Midlands are included in the advisory. North winds as powerful as 15 to 25 mph are in the forecast, and gusts up to 35 mph possible, according to the National Weather Service. Gusty winds can create dangerous conditions for smaller boats on area lakes, according to the briefing. Boaters on area lakes should use extra caution since strong winds and rough waves can overturn small craft, the National Weather Service said. Powerful winds also could cause trees to be downed, the National Weather Service said. Damage to trees and branches creates the possibility of downed power lines and outages. Severe weather is forecast to affect South Carolina. More than an inch of rain could be recorded in the Columbia area as theres a 60% chance of rain Monday, according to the forecast. Localized amounts in other areas of the Midlands could be higher, especially in the northeast portion and in the Pee Dee region, the briefing shows. Other parts of South Carolina could experience 3 to 6 of rain, the states Emergency Management Division said. In the Midlands, the rain is expected to taper off Tuesday, as the chance of precipitation will drop from 30% to 20%, according to the forecast. The moderate to heavy rain could cause localized flooding Monday, primarily in the area northeast of Interstate 26, the National Weather Service said. Both storm surge flooding and flash flooding are threats, according to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division. South Carolina residents and visitors in potentially vulnerable areas should review their plans, the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said. Everyone should monitor the storm ... especially people in low-lying areas along the South Carolina coast. High temperatures in Columbia are not expected to get above the mid 70s Monday, but should return to the 80s for the rest of the week after the storm moves out of the area, according to the forecast. Severe weather is forecast to affect South Carolina. WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) Over 192,000 people have visited the Big E so far, with Storrowton Day wrapping up the first weekend of the fair this Sunday evening. Its where our country began and its important to foster that and just celebrate it, said Ashley Sroka of Ohio. Longmeadow Pride Alliance hosts pride celebration on the town green Fairgoers Sunday were able to explore our regions past with activities, demonstrations, and exhibits all while celebrating Storrowtown Day at the Big E with a glimpse into New Englands history! People were enjoying their Sunday stroll through the Storrowton Village Museum. There they took part in an educational experience, touring the villages nine buildings. Not only is there an old meeting house that was built in the 1800s, theres also an old school house you go in to get lessons. And, while you can learn on the other side of the fairgrounds about the agriculture traditions today on this side of the fairgrounds you can learn about the history behind it, said Director of Storrowton Village Museum, Jessica Fontaine. Another favorite of fairgoers on Storrowton Day, exploring the Clark Blacksmith Shop! Its my favorite spot since I was a kid. Gets you kind of back to that core of industry and work, said Zach Bruno of Connecticut. I hope that people realize how important our New England heritage is why we are here and that we are here year-round, while we want everyone to come to the fair they should think of us throughout the year too, added Fontaine. And that includes the highly anticipated ghost tours coming up this fall! And you can still support all the fun and educational experiences beyond Storrowton Day, by donating at any of the donation boxes throughout village buildings. All proceeds go back into Storrowton Village Museum to help fund future programming. The fair will continue with the Salute to West Springfield Day on Monday. 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. Kayleigh Thomas is a digital reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since 2022. Follow Kayleigh on X @kayleighcthomas and view her bio to see more of her work. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) Meet todays Stray of the Day: Martin. Martin is a three-to-four year-old male, Labrador mix that weighs about 90 pounds. He was found on the 2200 block of Myrtle Street. Sioux City Animal Adoption and Rescue said Martin is an energetic dog that needs a little time to warm up to new people. Martin will be available for adoption on September 17. If youve lost your pet, are looking to adopt, or you would like to sponsor a pet for adoption, visit the rescues website at SiouxCityAnimalRescue.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 SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. Street closes in New Bern as storm moves inland NEW BERN, N.C. (WNCT) S. Front St. in New Bern has closed as as storm moves inland. The City of New Bern is urging drivers to find other routes. According to a Facebook update, when the water recedes from the area, the road will be reopened. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WNCT. PUTNAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) Just weeks after a Putnam County high school was placed on lockdown, another student has been charged for allegedly making a threat against the school. In a news release Monday, the Putnam County Sheriffs Department said the student was taken into custody after making a social media post stating that there was going to be a shooting at Cookeville High School and to not come to school. Cookeville High School placed on lockdown after student claims to have gun: reports A student at Monterey High School reportedly saw the social media post and reported it to school officials. The Sheriffs Department said the School Resources Officers (SROs) at Cookeville High School were immediately able to apprehend the student believed to be responsible. After consultation with the District Attorneys Office, authorities said they decided to charge the student for making a threat of mass violence on school property. As of Monday, the student was still detained in the Putnam County Jail. Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris commended the student at Monterey High School for bringing the alleged threat to authorities, as well as the SROs for running to the threat to detain the student. False threats lead to concerns, arrests in multiple Middle TN school districts While the school was not placed on a lockdown for this incident, a threat made in August did prompt officials to secure the area. Cookeville High School was placed on lockdown on the morning of Aug. 27 after a student at the school claimed to have a gun. According to the Putnam County School System, a ninth-grade student stood up in the middle of class around 9:40 a.m. and said, I have a gun in my backpack. The teacher then pressed the classrooms panic button, which alerted school officials and SROs. The student was ultimately found not to be in possession of a gun but was still taken into custody and charged for making a threat of mass violence on a school property. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Several other school districts across Middle Tennessee have also dealt with potential threats over the past few weeks, including schools in Cannon, Franklin, Humphreys, Macon, Warren and Davidson Counties. In Mondays release, Farris said he would highly urge parents to have a conversation with their school-aged children about the seriousness of sharing threatening posts and discussing any type of violence related to school or school events. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. MEMPHIS, Tenn. A juvenile was arrested in Crockett County, Tennessee after investigators say they made threats of mass violence against a school. A student who heard remarks made by another student Monday reported the threats. According to the Crockett County Sheriffs Department, the suspected student was isolated from the other students and their backpack was checked. One dead in officer-involved shooting in Olive Branch, MS Investigators found evidence of vandalism of school property. The suspect did not have a weapon in their possession and the motive for making those threatening remarks has not yet been established. The suspect was removed from the school and will face criminal charges in juvenile court as well as disciplinary actions from the Crockett County School Board. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) A McGary Middle School student has been arrested after a threatening message was posted to social media. The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation took to Facebook to make the announcement. The post says law enforcement determined the student was attempting to interrupt the normal school day, but did not intend actual harm. In the post, they thank the EPD and the FBI for their work investigating and identifying the student responsible. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). Students learn the science of coffee making at Chinese universitys new program [Source] The College of Tropical Crops at Yunnan Agricultural University welcomed its first batch of students majoring in Chinas first-ever coffee science and engineering program this September. A total of 100 students reportedly enrolled in the course, which opened in Puer City, where the first coffee seeds were introduced approximately 130 years ago. The four-year curriculum, approved by Chinas Ministry of Education in March, includes foundational courses in food science and engineering, along with specialized classes in coffee flavor chemistry, processing, roasting and cupping. This new program comes as China emerges as East Asias fastest-growing coffee consumption market, with per person consumption increasing fourfold between 2010 and 2022. Trending on NextShark: Investigation revealing corruption in Korean adoptions sparks global reassessment Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today! A new study finds the prevalence of firearms in the United States, not mental illness, is the driving force in the number of firearm-related deaths. (Aristide Economopoulos/NJ Monitor) If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide or a mental health crisis, call or text 988 for free, immediate support 24/7. The prevalence of firearms in the U.S. not mental illness is driving the surge in gun deaths across the country, a new study concludes. The research led by an Oregon Health & Science University professor looked at mental health conditions and firearm deaths in the U.S. and 40 other countries. It found the U.S. had 20 times more deaths by firearms than the other countries even when rates of mental illness were the same. We have the same degree of mental health issues as other countries, but our firearm death rate is far greater and continuing to increase, said Dr. Archie Bleyer, a clinical research professor at OHSU and lead author of the study. In most of the countries, firearms deaths are decreasing. Other researchers have looked at mental illness and gun ownership but this study is the first to include this many other countries, according to Erik Robinson, a spokesman for OHSU. Bleyers findings, which were published in the journal PLOS One, challenge the common assumption that mental health disorders are to blame for the high rate of firearm deaths in the U.S., which have risen 23% since 2000 while dropping 27% in other countries. Bleyer, a pediatric oncologist, dug into the issue after when his 12-year-old grandsons classmate died by a firearm. He said he knew the boys mother and her son left a note and used the gun, but didnt need to die because he had a bad day. Suicides account for most firearm deaths in Oregon, and young people often are the victims. In 2022, 488 people died from suicide by firearm in Oregon, according to Oregon Health Authority statistics. Of those, 127 of them were people under age 35. Another 161 people died in firearm-related homicides. Overall, 674 people died of firearms in Oregon in 2022, including accidents and interactions with police. Arkansas had the 8th highest firearm death rate in the country in 2022, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 670 people died by firearm in Arkansas, which had a death rate of 22 per 100,000 people. The study found that policies on gun ownership can reduce firearm deaths. It said that countries with policies that decrease the number of guns owned by residents, including Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Israel, reduced their firearm death rates. In Australia, the government drove down the rate of gun ownership with a government program that purchased firearms from gun owners. Other countries take steps like limit the number of firearms an individual can own or ban assault weapons. Congress has struggled to enact legislation cracking down on gun ownership, with strong resistance from gun rights activists and many Republicans. Two years ago, following the mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left 21 people dead, including 19 students, Congress passed a law to expand background checks for gun buyers. And last month a law banning ghost guns, which are untraceable, took effect in Oregon. Bleyer said efforts that decrease the number of firearms in the country are critical to stemming gun deaths. He noted that the U.S. has 4% of the worlds population, but almost one-quarter of the worlds firearms, and half of all non-military assault weapons are in the U.S. Actions that reduce the level of gun ownership will help reduce the deaths that are linked to suicides and accidents, he said. By reducing prevalence, we should be able to reduce the firearm death rate, he said. Another issue is the ease of access to firearms, especially for households with children. He and other experts recommend safe storage devices that can deter people. Even though parents more often than not think their gun is locked and their children do not know where it is or how to unlock it, theyre usually wrong, Bleyer said. More often than not, when tested, their children know where it is, how to get into it and they often will play with it when their parents are gone. At the same time, Bleyer stressed his study doesnt change the mental health crisis and lack of treatment that plagues Oregon and other states. We do have significant mental health problems, there is no doubt about that, he said. We dont have enough mental health providers, facilities, treatments. Its the way that we have facilitated killing ourselves that leads to death with firearms where we take this to the extreme. Other contributors to this study are Dr. Stuart Siegel, of the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California; Dr. Jaime Estrada, of Texas Doctors for Social Responsibility; and Dr. Charles R. Thomas Jr. of Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and previous chair of the Department of Radiation Medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine. Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com. Follow Oregon Capital Chronicle on Facebook and X. FILE PHOTO: A pregnant woman, in the last trimester of her pregnancy, poses in this illustration photo in Sete By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pregnancy triggers vast changes in a woman's body - hormonal, cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, urinary and more. And, as a new study reveals, the brain undergoes major changes too, some fleeting and others more enduring. Researchers said on Monday they have for the first time mapped the changes that unfold as a woman's brain reorganizes in response to pregnancy, based on scans carried out 26 times starting three weeks before conception, through nine months of pregnancy and then two years postpartum. The study documented a widespread decrease in the volume of cortical gray matter, the wrinkled area that comprises the brain's outermost layer, as well as an increase in the microstructural integrity of white matter located deeper in the brain. Both changes coincided with rising levels of the hormones estradiol and progesterone. Gray matter is comprised of the cell bodies of the brain nerve cells. White matter is made up of the bundles of axons - long, thin fibers - of the nerve cells that transmit signals in long-distance connections across the brain. The study, the first of its kind, was based on a single subject: University of California, Irvine cognitive neuroscientist and study co-author Elizabeth Chrastil, a first-time mother who gave birth to a healthy boy, now 4-1/2 years old. Chrastil was 38 during the study, and 43 now. The scientists said that since the study's completion they have observed the same pattern in several other pregnant women who have undergone brain scans in an ongoing research initiative called the Maternal Brain Project. They aim to expand the number into the hundreds. "It's pretty shocking that in 2024 we have hardly any information about what happens in the brain during pregnancy. This (research) paper opens up more questions than it answers, and we are just scratching the surface of these questions," Chrastil added. The scans showed a reduction averaging about 4% in gray matter in roughly 80% of the brain regions studied. A small rebound postpartum did not return the volume to pre-pregnancy levels. The scans also showed an increase of about 10% in white matter microstructural integrity, a measure of the health and quality of the connections between brain regions, peaking late in the second trimester and early in the third trimester, then returning to pre-pregnancy status postpartum. "The maternal brain undergoes a choreographed change across gestation, and we are finally able to observe the process in real time," said University of California, Santa Barbara neuroscientist Emily Jacobs, senior author of the study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. "Previous studies had taken snapshots of the brain before and after pregnancy. But we've never witnessed the brain in the midst of this metamorphosis," Jacobs added. The researchers said it is not clear that the loss of gray matter is a bad thing. "This change could indicate a fine-tuning of brain circuits, not unlike what happens to all young adults as they transition through puberty and their brain becomes more specialized. Some changes we observed could also be a response to the high physiological demands of pregnancy itself, showcasing just how adaptive the brain can be," University of Pennsylvania postdoctoral scholar and study lead author Laura Pritschet said. The researchers hope in the future to examine how variation in these changes could help predict phenomena such as postpartum depression and how preeclampsia, a serious blood pressure condition that may develop during pregnancy, could affect the brain. Chrastil said she was not aware during the study of the data showing her brain changes and did not feel any different. "And so, you know, now there's some distance to be able to say, 'OK, well, that was a wild ride,'" Chrastil said. "Some people talk about 'Mommy Brain' and things like that," Chrastil added, referring to the mental fogginess some pregnant women experience. "And I didn't really experience any of that." (Reporting by Will Dunham; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) After suffering emergency during training, Massachusetts police recruit sworn in as a trooper in his final hours of life A Massachusetts State Police recruit died after suffering a medical emergency during a training exercise, the department said. Enrique Delgado-Garcia, 25, was participating in a defensive tactics training exercise Thursday when he suffered a medical crisis, Lt. Sean Quirk told CNN in an email. An on-site medical team quickly responded before Delgado-Garcia was taken to a hospital. Despite the heroic efforts of medical professionals to deliver lifesaving care, Trainee Delgado-Garcia died at the hospital, Quirk said. Delgado-Garcia entered the training troop in April, and his class is set to graduate next month. He was given the oath of office in his final hours of life and he was sworn in as a trooper surrounded by loved ones and classmates, Quirk said. The Massachusetts State Police grieves the tragic loss of Trainee Enrique Delgado-Garcia, and we offer our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones, Col. John E. Mawn Jr. said in a statement. Mawn described Delgado-Garcia as a fine young man who devoted himself to the service of others. Enrique demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to learn and a desire to deliver excellent police services to the people of Massachusetts, Mawn said. By all accounts, Enrique possessed and displayed all the qualities that would have made him an outstanding Trooper: kindness and compassion, dedication, commitment, willingness to work hard to improve himself, and a strong desire to help others. The incident is under review by the Worcester County District Attorneys Office, spokesperson Lindsay Corcoran said in an email to CNN. The review has been active and ongoing since we were notified of the incident on Thursday, Corcoran added. Delgado-Garcia worked as a victim witness advocate for the DAs office for about a year and a half before joining the police academy, Corcoran said. Our offices thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time, she said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Summer ends Sunday, but where are the cool fall temperatures for Greater Akron? Above normal temperatures are expected in northern Ohio. The official end of summer is Sunday. But it certainly doesn't feel very fall like in northern Ohio. The National Weather Service says unseasonably warm temperatures with highs in 80s are expected through the week. The typical high for Greater Akron this time of year is the mid 70s. While Greater Akron is not technically considered to be in a drought just yet, it has been a bit of a dry spell. And it looks like another dry week is ahead. "Best chance of scattered showers will be on Wednesday but will not be enough to provide relief from the drought conditions," the weather service said. What's the weather forecast? Monday: Sunny, with a high near 83. East wind 6 to 10 mph. Monday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. East wind around 6 mph. Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 81. East wind around 8 mph. Tuesday night: A chance of showers, mainly after 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. East wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Wednesday: A chance of showers, mainly after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. East wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Wednesday night: A chance of showers, mainly before 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 80. Thursday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. Friday: Sunny, with a high near 83. Friday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 83. Saturday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58. Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Check Akron weather hourly Need to know weather conditions by the hour? Make sure to check out our weather page here. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Warm temperatures expected in Greater Akron this week Sunday marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month. What it means and how to celebrate it Sunday marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, a celebration honoring the contributions and histories of Americans with roots in countries including Mexico, Venezuela and Cuba. The observance spans two months honoring a long-established community whose influence is felt throughout the country. It celebrates a vast community of Americans who have made invaluable contributions to the United States for over 300 years, the executive director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico Margie Huerta said. Hispanic and Latinx people are making important contributions to American arts, culture and humanities, and all aspects of society, every single day. Here's what you need to know: Who started Hispanic Heritage Month? From newly arrived immigrants to native communities that have called these lands home for centuries, the community has gained considerable cultural and political clout since the occasion began in 1968 as a weeklong commemoration under President Lyndon Johnson. The legislation was sponsored by California Rep. Edward Roybal of Los Angeles, an Albuquerque native whose family moved to California when he was 6. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed into law a bill sponsored by Illinois Sen. Paul Simon expanding National Hispanic Heritage Week to 30 days. Reagan used the moment to praise Hispanics and their cultural pillars of church and school, but most of all to extol the virtues of "familia." As the great poet Octavio Paz has said: In Hispanic morals, the true protagonist is the family, Reagan said in his address. "I fear that too often, in the mad rush of modern American life, some people have not learned the great lesson of our Hispanic heritage: the lesson of family and home and church and community. When is Hispanic Heritage Month? Hispanic Heritage Month is between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15. The months starting date is significant because its the independence day for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico, Chile and Belize mark their celebrations on Sept. 16, Sept. 18 and Sept. 21, respectively. Starting in the middle of the month also encompasses, on the celebrations latter end, Oct. 12. Known as Columbus Day in the United States, the day is referred to in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries as Dia de la Raza, honoring the countries and peoples conquered by Spain and other European nations. How is Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated? Gabriela Baeza Ventura, a professor of Spanish at the University of Houston, previously told USA TODAY that Hispanic Heritage Month pays respect to a population with deep roots in the United States and a wide range of ancestral origins. Its a wonderful and important opportunity for the general public to visualize the contributions and presence of a community that has been in this territory since before the U.S. was formed as a nation, Ventura said. Its a community that encompasses so many different nations, so many registers of Spanish and so many experiences. Though many celebrations revolve around fiestas, Mexican or Latin American food and popular images of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and Day of the Dead, Ventura said its time to commemorate other notable figures, both historical and those in our midst. She cited Jovida Idar, an early 20th-century Mexican American journalist and activist from Laredo, Texas, whose image will be minted as part of the American Women Quarters Program, as well as Colombia-born Lina Hidalgo, who at age 27 became the first woman and first Latina elected as county judge in Texas Harris County in 2018. Were seeing other characters come to life, Ventura said. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Hispanic Heritage Month: What you need to know about the celebration Super harvest moon to shine over Kansas, what to know TOPEKA (KSNT) Kansans will be treated to a special viewing of the moon this Tuesday night as multiple lunar events line up in the same evening. NASA said in a recent article that people can expect to see four moon events on the night of Sept. 17. These include a full moon, supermoon, harvest moon and a partial lunar eclipse. Full moon A full moon comes when the moon is completely illuminated in the night sky, according to NASA. None of the moon is covered in shadow and it is the opposite of a new moon. Supermoon Supermoon events occur when the moon is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit. A supermoon can only happen when there is also a full moon present, according to NASA. The moon will appear slightly larger than normal to viewers. NASA graphic showing the difference between a supermoon and micromoon. (Photo Courtesy/NASA) What are sovereign citizen license plates and are they legal? Harvest moon The harvest moon comes with the last full moon closest to the beginning of fall. Its name refers to an increased amount of light in the early evening hours, courtesy of the moon, which helps farmers and crews as they harvest their crops, according to the Old Farmers Almanac. Partial lunar eclipse NASA said observers of the moon on Sept. 17 may also get to see a partial lunar eclipse in action. This happens when the sun, earth and moon are somewhat aligned, leading to a shadow covering part of the moons surface. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. Former President Donald Trump's campaign, which last month falsely asserted that "homicides are skyrocketing in American cities under [Vice President] Kamala Harris," subsequently switched to a more defensible claim, emphasizing the limitations of FBI crime data since it changed its reporting system in 2021. In particular, the campaign noted the sharp divergence between the FBI's 2022 numbers and the results from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which does not cover homicides but asks about other offenses. That survey's 2023 results, which the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) released last week, complicate Trump's narrative of rising violent crime. The new numbers indicate that the violent crime victimization rate fell slightly in 2023, although the change was not statistically significant. "Findings show that there was an overall decline in the rate of violent victimization over the last three decades, from 1993 to 2023," BJS Acting Director Kevin M. Scott reports. "While the 2023 rate was higher than those in 2020 and 2021, it was not statistically different from the rate 5 years ago, in 2019." That observation is inconvenient for Trump, who wants to blame Harris for rising crime during the Biden administration. Leaving aside the plausibility of assuming that a president, let alone a vice president, has much influence on crime rates, Trump's thesis relies on the assumption that violent crime is more common now than it was during his administration. But even according to the data source he prefers, the 2023 rate was statistically indistinguishable from the rate in 2019, his second-to-last year in office. The NCVS did record a statistically significant drop the following year, when the violent crime victimization rate (excluding homicides) was 16.4 per 1,000 Americans 12 or older, down from 21 in 2019. The rate was 16.5 in 2021, rose to 23.5 in 2022, and fell slightly to 22.5 in 2023. No doubt Trump wants to take credit for the 2020 decrease. But by the same logic, he also should take the blame for the huge 2020 spike in homicides. Because the NCVS includes crimes that were not reported to police, the Trump campaign argues, it presents a more accurate picture than the FBI's numbers, especially given the decline in the percentage of law enforcement agencies participating in the FBI's system since 2020. That drop in participation required the FBI to rely more heavily on estimates to account for missing data, magnifying the potential for error. But since the NCVS does not include homicides, it is not relevant to the question of whether they are in fact falling, and the downward trend reported by the FBI is broadly consistent with data from multiple sources covering various samples of cities, including AH Datalytics, the Council on Criminal Justice, and the Major Cities Chiefs Association. When it comes to other violent crimes, however, the truth is harder to pin down. In 2020, the same year that the NCVS recorded a drop in violent crime, the FBI recorded a large increase in aggravated assaults as well as homicides. By contrast, reports of aggravated assault in the NCVS fell, although the two sources both recorded drops in robbery and rape. In 2022, when the FBI reported an overall 2 percent decline in violent crime, the NCVS results indicated a whopping 75 percent increase. Again, the latter number does not include homicide, which according to the FBI fell by 7 percent in 2022. But it does include respondents' reports of rape, which were up 58 percent, compared to the 6 percent drop estimated by the FBI; robbery, which rose by 47 percent according to the NCVS but only 1 percent according to the FBI; and aggravated assault, which more than doubled according to the survey but fell by 2 percent in the FBI's tally. That divergence can be only partly explained by a decline in the percentage of crimes reported to the police. According to the NCVS, 46 percent of violent victimizations were reported to police in 2021. That rate fell to 42 percent in 2022, then rose to 45 percent in 2023, according to Table 4 of the latest report. There are other possible explanations for what happened in 2022. While the FBI's 2022 numbers covered the calendar year, for example, the 2022 NCVS asked about crimes experienced from July 1, 2021, through November 30, 2022. Including the second half of 2021, when crime rates were higher according to the FBI, may have obscured the change between that year and 2022. What about property crime? According to the NCVS, the property crime victimization rate fell in 2021, rose in 2022, and remained essentially the same in 2023. Last year, the BJS reported, "the number of property victimizations was comparable to that in 2022 but higher than the 12.8 million in 2019." And "from 2022 to 2023, the rate of property victimization in urban areas increased from 176.1 victimizations per 1,000 households to 192.3 per 1,000." If Trump wants to argue, based on the NCVS, that crime is still rising, he could focus on property crime in cities. But the latest survey numbers do not support the claim that property crime in general is on the rise, since the 2023 rate is statistically indistinguishable from the 2022 rate. Nor do they support the claim that violent crime is rising. And they certainly do not support the claim that "homicides are skyrocketing," which cannot be assessed based on the NCVS but is inconsistent with data from various sources in addition to the FBI. The post New Survey Data Undermine Trump's Narrative of Rising Crime appeared first on Reason.com. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) Susan G. Komen event organizers are gearing up to raise awareness in uniting communities for breast Cancer research and support hosting a MORE THAN PINK walk scheduled October 19. The MORE THAN PINK walk is expected to bring together survivors, supporters and advocates to raise critical funds to support Komens mission in assisting individuals with support and resources while facing the disease. In 2024 alone, Susan G. Komen leaders announced, an estimated 3,490 women in Oklahoma will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 570 will lose their lives to the disease. Additionally, every 12 minutes, a woman in the U.S. dies from breast cancer. According to event organizers, in 2024, the Susan G. Komen mission impact demonstrated: Komen Financial Assistance program provided assistance totaling $111,500 to 197 people in Oklahoma for breast cancer treatment or those living with metastatic breast cancer Komens Patient Care Center provided 405 services to 339 people living in Oklahoma for breast health care or support they need We are thrilled to welcome the community to Oklahoma City this year, where together we can make a profound impact in the fight against breast cancer, said Shari Holdman, Komen Executive Director for Oklahoma. Supporting individuals in our community who are facing breast cancer is essential to our mission, but we cannot do it alone. This years Walk is not just an event; it is a pivotal moment to secure vital funds that will make equitable care available to all. We hope you can join us as we take a powerful stand against this devastating disease. Details of the event:: What: Oklahoma City MORE THAN PINK Walk When: Saturday, October 19, 2024 Where: Bicentennial Park, Oklahoma City, OK Organizers say, the event will support the work towards a future without breast cancer. For more information and to register in advance click www.komen.org. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City. A man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt targeting former President Donald Trump was charged Monday with federal gun crimes. Ryan Wesley Routh has had his first appearance in federal court. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] During an eight-minute hearing, prosecutors levied two charges against him: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Officials said Routh could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the first charge, and a possible five-year sentence on the second charge. A bond hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 23, and a probable cause hearing or arraignment has been set for Sept. 30, depending on whether the government secures an indictment on the charges. During the hearing, Routh gave routine information to court officials as to his work status and income. Speaking in a soft voice, he said that he was working and making around $3,000 a month, but has zero savings. Routh said that he has no real estate or assets, aside from two trucks worth about $1,000, both located in Hawaii. Routh also said that he has a 25-year-old son, whom he sometimes supports. RELATED STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] DES MOINES, Iowa A suspect is dead and two Des Moines police officers are hospitalized following an exchange of gunfire after a chase that ended in a crash early Monday morning on Des Moines east side. Sgt. Paul Parizek of the Des Moines Police Department said DMPD patrol officers attempted a traffic stop near the 2500 block of Easton Boulevard around 1:40 a.m. and the driver refused to stop. Second person dead, one still in critical condition in Court Ave. shooting There was a short chase that followed. The driver turned north onto E. 24th Street and left the roadway, crashing the vehicle. When officers tried to take the suspect into custody, he fired on them with a handgun. Sgt. Paraizek said multiple officers returned fire and the suspect, an adult male was hit. Police say he is deceased. Two DMPD patrol officers were shot and both officers are hospitalized and expected to survive. The names of the deceased suspect and the two officers who were injured have not been released. I mean, you know, when you look at this nationally, you got a cop shot about every 22 hours. So, I mean, this is the world we live in right now. Um, you know, we understand what the risks are when we when we come to work. And thats the one thing that people count on, is that roll call was full last night. Itll be full tonight. Its going to be full this morning. Cops are going to keep coming to work and were going to keep doing what we need to do to keep this community safe, said Sgt. Parizek. The scene of the shooting, Easton Boulevard between E. 23rd Street and E. 25th Street, is temporarily closed while investigators gather evidence. The Division of Criminal Investigation has been called in to join the investigation into the officer-involved shooting. More information is expected to be released later Monday morning. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com. A Pakistani national with ties to Iran pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges alleging he attempted to commit an act of terrorism and murder-for-hire as part of a scheme to assassinate former President Donald Trump. The suspect, Asif Merchant, was ordered detained pending trial during the hearing in Brooklyn federal court. PHOTO: Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., Sept. 13, 2024. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) Coincidentally, Merchant's arraignment came the same day a different man -- 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh -- appeared in a Florida court to answer firearm charges connected to an unrelated apparent alleged attempt on Trump's life. Merchant was indicted on federal charges in August, after being previously arrested and charged by complaint the month prior. If convicted of the charges contained in the indictment, he faces up to life in prison ABC News has reached out to his attorney for comment. MORE: Pakistani national charged with alleged plot to assassinate Donald Trump, other public officials: DOJ "The Justice Department will not tolerate Iran's efforts to target our country's public officials and endanger our national security," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement following the indictment. "As these terrorism and murder for hire charges against Asif Merchant demonstrate, we will continue to hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran's lethal plotting against Americans." PHOTO: Asif Merchant (U.S. Justice Department) After spending time in Iran, Merchant arrived in the United States from Pakistan in April and contacted a person he believed could assist him with the scheme to kill Trump, the complaint alleged. That person reported Merchant's conduct to law enforcement and became a confidential source, according to the indictment. Merchant sought to hire hitmen who could carry out the assassination of Trump and others, the indictment alleged. Merchant allegedly explained his plot involved multiple criminal schemes: stealing documents or USB drives from a target's home; planning a protest; and killing a politician or government official, the indictment alleged. MORE: Trump suspect Ryan Wesley Routh was lying in wait for nearly 12 hours: Complaint Merchant met with the purported hitmen -- who were in fact undercover U.S. law enforcement officers -- in New York, according to the indictment. He allegedly told them they would receive instructions on who to kill either the last week of August or the first week of September, after Merchant had departed the U.S., according to the indictment. After Merchant paid the $5,000 to the "hitmen," the indictment quoted one of them saying, "Now we're bonded," to which Merchant allegedly responded, "Yes." The undercover officer then stated, "Now we know we're going forward. We're doing this," to which Merchant allegedly responded, "Yes, absolutely," according to the indictment. Suspect pleads not guilty in alleged murder-for-hire plot against Donald Trump originally appeared on abcnews.go.com BROWNWOOD, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) A suspect has been sentenced to serve 40 years in prison for a Brownwood murder. Jose Alfonso Portillo of Brady received his 40-year prison sentence Monday after pleading guilty to Murder in connection to the shooting death of Ivan Sergio Garcia-Rincon. The murder happened on the 2700 block of Elizabeth Drive in July 2022. Police say officers arrived at the home after receiving reports of shots fired and found two females tending Garcia-Rincon who had been shot. Garcia-Rincon was transported to a nearby hospital, where he died despite life-saving efforts. During the investigation, detectives learned Portillo arrived at the residence on Elizabeth Drive to speak to one of the females and got into an argument with Garcia-Rincon. Witnesses told police Garcia-Rincon left the residence and ran toward Portillos vehicle. Portillo then fired several shots at Garcia-Rincon before fleeing the scene, according to the residences. Officers were able to arrest Portillo after he was found sitting inside his vehicle at the end of the street. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. TOPEKA (KSNT) Local first responders are converging on a state office building in the downtown area of Topeka Monday afternoon. A 27 News reporter at the scene said there are multiple law enforcement and fire department vehicles at the building located at 120 Southwest 10th Avenue. Topeka Fire Department (TFD) spokesman Alan Stahl said reports of suspicious packages prompted the response. This embedded content is not available in your region. Stahl said two packages were found. One was addressed to Secretary of State Scott Schwab while the other was addressed to Attorney General Kris Kobach. Four hospitalized in Jefferson County school bus crash Some staff members inside the building were exposed to the packages which contain unknown substances. There is no danger to the public at this time. Kansas Highway Patrol spokeswoman April McCollum sent 27 News a statement regarding law enforcements investigation into the incident. At 2:17pm today, occupants of Memorial Hall, located at 10th and Jackson in downtown Topeka, were evacuated as a precaution after a suspicious package was received by the Secretary of States Office. The precautionary evacuation allowed for a hazardous devices officer to enter and collect the package, which required a response from the Topeka Fire Department. Capitol Police were notified at 2:40pm of a second suspicious package received by the Attorney Generals Office. The second package was larger than the first package. The fire marshal is on scene and has requested the FBI to respond to collect that package. It is unknown at this time if the same person sent both packages. This is an active and ongoing investigation. Any further inquiries regarding the second package will need to be forwarded to the FBI. The Associated Press is reporting suspicious packages were delivered to election authorities in five other states, including Kansas. These states include Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, Wyoming and Oklahoma. What are sovereign citizen license plates and are they legal? This is a developing situation. More information on this incident will be added here as it becomes available. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. A 48-year-old pedestrian died in the hospital as Sacramento City Council prepared to consider declaring a state of emergency over a road safety crisis that has now killed at least 21 people this year. The woman, who has not yet been identified, was struck Thursday night just outside of Sacramento City College trying to cross Sutterville Road, which the city has previously identified as dangerous. Police confirmed she died from her injuries on Monday morning. We need to take immediate and urgent action, Maple tweeted Friday evening, when the woman was still in critical condition in the hospital. She said that she, Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Councilwoman Karina Talamantes would call for both funding a public education campaign and for ramped-up police enforcement of traffic violations that imperil pedestrians. The proposal would also direct staff to expedite safety projects. City leaders made a Vision Zero promise in 2017 to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2027, but currently remains behind schedule to fulfill that promise. Sacramento currently allows drivers on many streets to legally travel at speeds considered lethal. A study in the public health journal Accident Analysis & Prevention found that when a driver hits a pedestrian at 24.1 mph, the average risk that the pedestrian will die is 10%; by 40.6 mph, the risk of death shoots up to 50%. One advocate said that unless the state of emergency directed money toward fast infrastructure improvements often called quick-build or tactical urbanism projects, the declaration wouldnt do much for safety. Isaac Gonzalez, vice chair of the citys Active Transportation Commission, said that without changes to the built environment, Enforcement would be a cathartic exercise for some but little more than a performative action. Sacramento has previously said that two-thirds of fatal crashes occur on streets with a posted speed of 40 mph or higher meaning that drivers can obey every law and travel at speeds research shows are lethal. The city, Gonzalez said, needs to properly invest in changes to the built environment that make it prohibitively difficult to drive at unsafe speeds. Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela has pushed for a quick-build program that could swiftly address safety problems without the yearslong wait times associated with most road improvement projects. City spokeswoman Gabby Miller told The Sacramento Bee this month that that staff were still reviewing consultant proposals for the program, but would need to identify funding to implement. Road safety improvements are slow in Sacramento Although Sacramento has made some progress on road safety, including with the major street revamp currently under construction on Broadway, officials have been slow to pursue smaller-scale projects that could keep road users safer in the short term. At one intersection in Del Paso Heights, a two-vehicle crash killed Amritpal Singh, 61, and Ryan Jacob Murphy, 38, on Feb. 19, 2021; two years later, Juan Ramon Flores was hit by a car and killed crossing the same intersection. After three deaths in two years, the city had no plans to make safety improvements at the intersection. The newest victim was fatally struck crossing Sutterville Road. The city has identified the road as part of the high-injury network those city streets where the most severe and fatal crashes occur. The citys 2040 General Plan says that reducing driver speeds on Sutterville is a priority for the Greater Land Park community, but a project has not yet come to fruition. A buffered bike lane on Sutterville which could potentially slow traffic by removing some lane space from cars is a medium priority project in the Transportation Priorities Plan. This year, in addition to the Sutterville Road collision, The Bee has reported on crashes that killed Mattie Nicholson, 56, Kate Johnston, 55, Jeffrey Blain, 59, Aaron Ward, 40, Michael Kennedy, 40, Federico Zacarias Cambrano, 28, Marvin Moran, 22, Sam Dent, 41, Daniel Morris, 38, Terry Lane, 55, David Rink, 51, Tyler Vandehei, 32, James Lind, 54, Jose Valladolid Ramirez, 36, Larry Winters, 76, Sau Voong, 84, Jose Luis Silva, 55, Geohaira Geo Sosa, 32, Kaylee Xiong, 18, and Muhammad Saddique, 64, who was killed Sept. 9 walking through the same Natomas intersection where Voong was fatally struck on his morning bike ride June 11. On Monday, a 44-year-old man was struck and killed crossing an onramp to the Capital City Freeway at Watt Avenue, which straddles the city limit, according to the CHP. Of the dead, 14 were pedestrians or cyclists and two were riding electric scooters. The other five were motorists. Sweden should lead deepening of NATO presence in Finland, the Nordic neighbours agree By Niklas Pollard STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -The Finnish government is happy for Sweden to lead the establishment of NATO land forces in Finland to boost defences against neighbouring Russia, the two Nordic countries said on Monday. Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 sparked a historic policy U-turn in previously militarily non-aligned Finland and Sweden, which joined NATO in 2023 and 2024 respectively. NATO has boosted its presence in the eastern part of the alliance by building multinational battlegroups from the Baltics to the Black Sea, and has said it will develop a presence in Finland, which shares a 1,340 km (830 mile) border with Russia. "The Swedish government has the ambition to take on a role as framework nation for forward land forces in Finland," Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson told a joint press conference with his Finnish counterpart Antti Hakkanen in Stockholm. The process was still in an early phase, the ministers said, adding that the appointment of a nation to lead the effort to establish so-called forward land forces (FLF) will be made by NATO collectively. "I envisage that FLF Finland could be in place in one to two years," Jonson later told Reuters on the sidelines. Decisions have yet to be made on the composition and extent of the NATO presence in Finland. Finland's defence minister said the country was not looking for the same kind of permanent multinational force as in, for example, the Baltic countries given the considerable size of its own forces. "But if the security situation gets worse or something like that we can increase exercises with certain countries' troops," Hakkanen said. The two neighbouring countries are seeking to improve their cross-border mobility for military purposes, removing technical, administrative and legal obstacles, Jonson told Reuters. "It can also cover infrastructure in all its various components, not least roads and railways," he said. (Reporting by Niklas Pollard, writing by Terje Solsvik, editing by Essi Lehto, Editing by William Maclean) Lausanne, Switzerland, will host the Ukraine Mine Action Conference (UMAC2024) on 17-18 October. Source: the Swiss Federal Council, as reported by European Pravda Details: UMAC2024 will be attended by high-ranking officials and representatives of international organisations, the private sector and academia. Switzerland will be represented by Viola Amherd, President of the Swiss Confederation, who will open the conference, and Ignazio Cassis, Head of the Federal Department for Foreign Affairs. Quote: "The event, which Switzerland is co-organising with Ukraine, will focus on the global aspects of humanitarian demining, highlighting three pillars in particular: people, partners, and progress." Details: UMAC2024 aims to discuss the role of mine action and technological innovations. It is estimated that a quarter of Ukraine's territory is contaminated with mines and other unexploded ordnance. In 2023 the Swiss government approved a four-year aid package worth CHF 100 million (US$118 million), earmarked exclusively for humanitarian demining in Ukraine. Switzerland is also supporting a programme to help mine victims and smallholder farmers who are unable to cultivate their fields. Support UP or become our patron! Officials with AT&T say they have reached two tentative agreements with the Communication Workers of America, the union representing striking AT&T workers. The union accused the telecom giant of not negotiating the contracts fairly and accused the company of unfair labor practices. Jeff McElfresh, AT&T Chief Operating Officer, issued the following statement on Sunday: [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] We are pleased to announce that weve reached 2 tentative agreements with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The first is in District 9 in the West, which comes within days of getting back to the negotiating table to constructively reach a new deal. The second is in District 3 in the Southeast, bringing the work stoppage to an end Sept. 16. As weve said since day 1, our goal has been to reach fair agreements that recognize the hard work our employees do to serve our customers with competitive market-based pay and benefits that are among the best in the nation and thats exactly what was accomplished. These agreements also support our competitive position in the broadband industry where we can grow and win against our mostly non-union competitors. Well provide more details about the tentative agreements once the CWA shares them with its members, and we expect the ratification votes to happen in the coming weeks. Nearly 20,000 AT&T workers in the southeast United States have been on strike for weeks. During the strike, AT&T hired third-party contractors to fill the gap and make sure customers still have service during the strike. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: AT&T has reached a tentative agreement with the union Communications Workers of America after a strike for better pay and benefits. Channel 9 previously reported on the thousands of AT&T workers that went on strike across the southeast. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Cleveland County families say AT&T strike impacted phone service AT&T says it has reached a new union contract for the next five years. It covers about 15,000 employees with a 19% raise. Healthcare premiums will also go down for part of the deal. AT&T COO Jeff McElfresh released the following statement: We are pleased to announce that weve reached 2 tentative agreements with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The first is in District 9 in the West, which comes within days of getting back to the negotiating table to constructively reach a new deal. The second is in District 3 in the Southeast, bringing the work stoppage to an end Sept. 16. As weve said since day 1, our goal has been to reach fair agreements that recognize the hard work our employees do to serve our customers with competitive market-based pay and benefits that are among the best in the nation and thats exactly what was accomplished. These agreements also support our competitive position in the broadband industry where we can grow and win against our mostly non-union competitors. Well provide more details about the tentative agreements once the CWA shares them with its members, and we expect the ratification votes to happen in the coming weeks. Work is expected to resume on Monday. (WATCH: 1 hurt, 2 killed in southeast Charlotte Airbnb shooting) (WSPA) AT&T has announced that the company has reached two tentative agreements with the Communications Workers of America, bringing the work stoppage to an end on Monday morning. The first tentative agreement is located in District 9, in the west and covers about 8,400 employees. The second is in District 3, in the southeast and covers about 15,000 employees across nine states. Employees in both districts primarily work as technician, call centers, machine operators and other customer service roles. According to the CWA, the new, five-year agreement for District 3 includes across the board wage increases of 19.33%, with additional 3% increases for Wire Technicians and Utility Operations. For District 9 employees, 14.25% [wage] increase exponentially to all titles, compounded to 15.02%. Other achieved bargaining for District 9 includes: Protected healthcare Retain 401K Job security Pension band increase Retain SSP Improved vacation and time off Ratification bonus Retained ESB/VSB Maintained/Improved differentials Maintained/Improved Horizons Tuition aid Address the issue of New Technology Our goal has been to reach fair agreements that recognize the hard work our employees do to serve our customers with competitive market-based pay and benefits that are among the best in the nation, Lead Public Relations Manager for AT&T, Ann Elsas, said in a statement. These agreements also support our competitive position in the broadband industry where we can grow and win against our mostly non-union competitors. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) Tennessees Office of Outdoor Recreation within the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has awarded Johnson and Washington counties grants to improve trails. Out of the $2.6 million worth of grants, Johnson and Washington Counties will receive $784,000 for trail development and expansion. WCSO: Woman arrested after setting bed on fire, choking victim Below are the details for each awarded grant, as described by TDEC: Town of Jonesborough Lost State Scenic Walkway Expansion $392,000 Development of a paved walkway system with two pedestrian bridges to connect parks and residential areas. The trail will run from Mill Spring Park to Stage Road Park. The bridges will provide access over Little Limestone Creek. Johnson County Doe Mountain Recreation Authority $392,000 The grant will be used for the construction of off-highway vehicle trails and a hiking/biking/moto trail. The project includes the construction of primary signage for the Adventure Center and secondary signage for three trailheads. Trails are a fun way cities and counties help improve their quality of life, health, and economy, said Greer Tidwell, deputy commissioner for the Bureau of Conservation at TDEC. These funds will help our local communities do more with their outdoor spaces. State senator Rusty Crowe (R-Johnson City) and state representative Rebecca Alexander (R-Jonesborough) issued statements on the Lost State Scenic Walkway Expansion. The lawmakers said the funds awarded will be used to pave 3,000 feet of walking trail. I am thrilled to announce that TDEC is providing state funds to expand Lost State Scenic Walkway, said Crowe. Lost State Scenic Walkway is vital to our region by connecting communities together. This walking trail will connect many residential areas to downtown and parks as well as improve the healthiness of Jonesborough, Washington County, and beyond. Downtown Jonesborough is a special place for the community to spend time with family and friends, Rep. Alexander said. This walking trail will provide easier access to downtown while also giving citizens a place to be active and enjoy the outdoors. Im thrilled for our town, and I cant wait to see the positive impact this will have in the future. For a complete list of awarded grants, 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 WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. A teacher who survived the Apalachee High School shooting posted a public letter on Facebook. David Phenixs family said he returned from the hospital Friday. On Sunday night, he wrote to his Facebook followers. Physically, there are stitches, staples, and bandages to be removed and physical therapy to be endured. I was incredibly blessed that the bullet that went into my side and the one that entered my foot managed to miss every vital ligament, tendon, bone, and organ, said Phenix. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] A student, Colt Gray, began shooting inside the school before 10:30 in the morning on Sept. 4, according to Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The images, sights, sounds, and actions are immense and will be forever etched in my memory and will take weeks, months, and even years to process, said Phenix. Agents said bullets hit 11 people. Four of them died. Cristina Irimie and Ricky Aspinwall were teachers. Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn were students. Families were shattered and worlds were turned upside down. Mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters were lost, and lives were changed forever, Phenix wrote. In the following days, the community came together, creating online fundraisers to ease the burden on families. A memorial outside the high school is filled with flowers and notes of encouragement. We will never be able to express our gratitude enough and we are humbled and overwhelmed by those who have reached out to us with unconditional love and acts of kindness, said Phenix. RELATED STORIES He mentioned those who helped him after the shooting. He said a fellow math teacher managed to put pressure on his wounds while, at the same time, managing and calming a class of 23 scared teenagers. He said two 14-year-old students helped the teacher pressure the wounds while she called for help. You both are exceptional young people and have my everlasting gratitude, Phenix wrote. He pointed out the skill and professionalism of the first responders, doctors and nurses involved. He said his daughters and wife remained constant and steadfast. I love you from the deepest parts of my heart, wrote Phenix. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] (WJW) The FOX 8 I-TEAM has found a woman ruled incompetent to stand trial for the murder of a child outside of a North Olmsted grocery store. The Cuyahoga County Court docket shows the case against Bionca Ellis is now on hold. 8-year-old girl found driving to local Target: Police In June, police arrested Ellis for attacking 3-year-old Julian Wood and his mother outside a grocery store in North Olmsted. Police said Ellis stabbed the child to death. Julian Wood, killed in Giant Eagle stabbing The Court docket shows Ellis was referred to North Coast Behavioral Health for a 20-day evaluation. And, In the confidential reportthe doctor opined that the defendant is incompetent to stand trial. However, that may not mean the end of the case. The docket also shows, there is a substantial probability of restoration to competency within the statutory time frame if provided with a course of treatment. Teen shot and killed by local security guard The courts provide time for suspects ruled incompetent to undergo treatment toward becoming fit to stand trial. In this case, the docket also shows Ellis has been ordered to stay in the mental health facility. And, the defendant is ordered to cooperate with all prescribed medication. Earlier, defense attorneys told the court they had an evaluation and found Ellis incompetent for trial. In June, the I-TEAM revealed Ellis had been released from jail without a psych exam, just days before the murder, even though a magistrate had recommended a mental health evaluation. New beverage illegal in Indiana, selling in NE Ohio The I-TEAM found that Rocky River Judge Brian Hagan released Ellis on a probation violation without a mental health exam. Now, this. Recently, new video released to the I-TEAM shows Bionca Ellis talking about committing murder long before police said she killed the toddler. Mom, 2-year-old son stabbed outside North Olmsted Giant Eagle in June 2024 Mom, 2-year-old son stabbed outside North Olmsted Giant Eagle in June 2024 Mom, 2-year-old son stabbed outside North Olmsted Giant Eagle in June 2024 The video recently released comes from an encounter Cleveland Police had with Ellis back in February at a womens shelter. Police responded to a call for a disturbance involving Ellis. They found her wearing a pink outfit with glasses shaped like hearts. She told Cleveland Police she had killed people in California. But, police body camera video shows she made vague claims that didnt make sense. An officer asked, What did you use to commit the murder? A gun? Ellis said, softly, Gun. The officer also asked, Do you know who it was? Ellis responded with, Couple people. And, Theres bodies. The officer also wanted to know, Do you know if they found the person that you murdered? Ellis answered, I dont know. I probably ate em. The officer, then, reacted with, You probably ate them After that call, police took Ellis for a mental health check. Her mother has told the I-TEAM of mental health issues going back a long time. On the video from the February incident, Ellis also asked an officer, Did they find any of those bodies yet? Bakersfield Police have told the I-TEAM the claims Ellis made were not credible and unfounded. At one point, the Cleveland officer said to Ellis, Please inform me how Im supposed to solve these Bakersfield murders from Cleveland, Ohio, maam. She answered, If I had gone to law school to be an officer, I would. After that encounter at the shelter, Cleveland police said they took Ellis to a hospital, and she fought with medical staff. While police in California did not believe Ellis was tied to any homicides, she is facing charges for assaulting staff at a hospital there. Ellis has plead not guilty to the homicide of the child, but for now, its not clear when, or if, she may stand trial. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. SAINT MARYS, Pa. (WTAJ) A teen was charged after threats were made toward Saint Marys school on Friday, according to state police. On a day when Ridgway schools closed and Altoona schools went into a 2-hour-delay over threats, state police were called to investigate a threat directed at Saint Marys Area Middle School on Friday, Sept. 13. While details are limited at this time, troopers report that the origin of the threat was found to be a 13-year-old girl from Kersey, Pa. Charges were filed through juvenile court, troopers said. Report: Escalating threats raise safety concerns in Pennsylvania schools On Thursday, Sept. 12, threats circulated on social media toward Ridgway and Altoona area schools. Ridgway schools closed for the day Friday. Altoona schools went into a 2-hour delay after police found no credible threat. The delay was meant to give time for the superintendent at the high school to meet with faculty and staff before the day started. Stay up to date with the latest news in the palm of your hand. Click here to download the WTAJ app for Apple and Android devices. Outside of schools, local police in Cambria County recently had to deal with a swatting call about a shooting in the borough that turned out to be a spoof call. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTAJ - www.wtaj.com. The 17-year-old was assaulted on Worcester Street on Sunday evening [Google] A teenage boy was left unconscious after being assaulted by a large group of men, police say. The 17-year-old was found in Worcester Street, Middlesbrough, at about 17:43 BST on Sunday. Cleveland Police said the teenager had been assaulted by a "large group of unknown males" and inquiries were ongoing. He was taken to hospital and his injuries have been described as "non life-threatening". Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk. Related internet links Should Tennessee U.S. Senate candidates Blackburn and Johnson debate? Vote in our poll Tennessee voters will elect a U.S. senator in 2024. The incumbent is Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who was first elected to her seat in 2018. Blackburn's Democratic opponent is state Rep. Gloria Johnson, one of the famed "Tennessee Three" lawmakers who faced expulsion from the legislature after protesting on the state House floor for firearms law reforms. Check out a recent guest opinion column from Blackburn. Watch a recent video interview with Johnson. However, there is no debate set between the two candidates despite efforts to try to organize one. Marsha Blackburn and Gloria Johnson Your view: We want to know what you think. Should Marsha Blackburn and Gloria Johnson debate? Answer our poll questions below. Also, fill out a short survey to share your opinion on why you think they should or should not debate. We may publish some of these answers as letters to the editor. Marsha Blackburn vs. Gloria Johnson Tennessee Senate contest will raise the stakes and temperature This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Blackburn v. Johnson: Should Tennessee U.S. Senate candidates debate? Tennessee Voter Guide: What to know about the key races on the Nov. 5 ballot Election Day in Tennessee is Nov. 5. Here is what you need to know. The only statewide race on the ballot this year is a battle for the U.S. Senate, where incumbent U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, is seeking a second six-year term against Democratic state Rep. Gloria Johnson. Meanwhile, all nine U.S. House seats are up for election this year and all 99 seats in the Tennessee House of Representatives. Only the even-numbered state Senate seats are up for grabs in 2024. U.S. Senate Border security, abortion and the economy are key issues as Tennesseans head to the polls to decide who will represent the Volunteer State in the U.S. Senate for the next six years. Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn is seeking a second term against state Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, whose political profile shot to national prominence last year amid gun control protests and the Tennessee Three expulsion hearings. Learn more about the U.S. Senate candidates. Marsha Blackburn and Gloria Johnson U.S. House All nine of Tennessee's U.S. House seats are up for election this year with incumbents running in each of them. The two most closely watched are the 5th and 7th congressional districts. Both include parts of Nashville. In the 5th, U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Columbia, faces Democrat Maryam Abolfazli. In the 7th, U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Clarksville, is running against Democrat Megan Barry, the former mayor of Nashville. Nashville was carved into three congressional districts and both the 5th and 7th are now heavily Republican. Still, Democrats are hoping to make gains and mounting well-funded and organized campaigns. Learn more about the U.S. House candidates in the Middle Tennessee area. Tennessee state Senate In the state Senate, half of the 33 seats are up for a vote this year. In 2024, even-numbered districts face election for four-year terms. Independents will appear on the ballot in November. In three Senate districts, incumbents face no opposition. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, who is the speaker of the state Senate, during the start of the 113th Tennessee General Assembly in Nashville , Tenn., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Tennessee state House Voters across Tennessee will have a chance to vote in all 99 Tennessee House of Representative districts this year. In 31 districts, there is only one candidate on the ballot. Meanwhile, although Republicans hold a supermajority in the state House and they are at no risk of losing it, Democrats are hoping to make gains and are eyeing about five competitive legislative seats. House Speaker Cameron Sexton orders Troopers to remove a protester during a House session at the state Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. Check back for updates on candidates and the issues they are running on in the November election. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Voter Guide: What to know about the key races Border security, abortion and the economy are key issues as Tennesseans head to the polls to decide who will represent the Volunteer State in the U.S. Senate for the next six years. Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn is seeking a second term against state Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, whose political profile shot to national prominence last year amid gun control protests and the Tennessee Three expulsion hearings. Blackburn is the favorite in what has become a solidly red state with low voter turnout. No Democrat has won statewide since 2006, and only one Democrat has cracked 40% of the vote since then. A Johnson win is an uphill battle, but many will be watching whether she can capitalize on the gun safety reform energy to improve Democratic margins and possibly illuminate a path forward for progressives in future election cycles in Tennessee. Here's what to know. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee Blackburn, 72, is the senior U.S. Senator from Tennessee, seeking reelection to a second term. Prior to her election to the Senate, Blackburn served eight terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, and before that served in the Tennessee Senate. Blackburn is a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump, decrying his criminal conviction as a "total witch hunt." She has earned Trump's endorsement and rumors remain that she may be considered as a potential running mate. During her time in the U.S. Senate, Blackburn has sponsored successful bipartisan legislation aimed at creating new ways to protect children from exploitation online, and legislation seeking to curb smuggling and trafficking of women and girls. She has also been a vocal critic of the Chinese Communist Party, and advocate for securing the southern border, sponsoring legislation to end inclusion of people unlawfully in the United States for Congressional district apportionment. Partnering with colleagues across the aisle, Blackburn has also sponsored legislation seeking to increase transparency in live event ticket sales and establish new consumer protections a matter she also grilled LiveNation-Ticketmaster executives on during Congressional hearings in 2023 after the Taylor Swift ticketing debacle. Blackburn has voted against U.S. financial aid to Ukraine, and voted against Democratic-led legislation codifying the right to in-vitro fertilization, condemning the vote as an election year political stunt and arguing that IVF is already legal in every state. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., speaks during the Tennessee Republican Partys Statesmens Dinner at Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, June 15, 2024. Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville Johnson has represented part of Knoxville in the Tennessee state House since 2012. She was catapulted to a national platform when the Republican-controlled state House attempted to expel her alongside two other Democrats in 2023 after she participated in gun control protest at the House podium in the middle of a legislative session. Republicans fell one vote short of expelling Johnson, as one member of the supermajority did not feel there was enough evidence to warrant expulsion. Johnson, alongside Reps. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, and Justin Pearson, D-Memphis who were both expelled, reappointed by their local legislatures, and ultimately reelected in special elections have come to be known as the "Tennessee Three." Their expulsion prompted a visit to Nashville from Vice President Kamala Harris, and the trio visited the White House last year following the expulsion hearings. Johnson is a 27-year veteran special education teacher, who is an outspoken supporter of fully funding public education and gun safety laws. She is also a vocal advocate for abortion rights, herself a survivor of a medically necessary abortion. State Rep. Gloria Johnson speaks during a rally in support of presidential candidate Kamala Harris in Knoxville's Market Square, Saturday, August 24, 2024. Independent candidates Three independent candidates are also on the November ballot for U.S. Senate. Those candidates are Tharon Chandler, a Lawrenceburg native, farmer and Army veteran; Pamela Jeanine "P." Moses, a former Memphis mayoral candidate; and Hastina Robinson, who moved to Memphis in 2005 and has a background as an emergency medical technician. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Voter Guide: Marsha Blackburn vs. Gloria Johnson in Senate race The Texas agency overseeing a $5 billion low-interest loan program to help build new power plants, and the firm its paying millions to manage it, missed red flags on an application and chose the project as a finalist for a loan. When the issues came to light, the Public Utility Commission of Texas rejected the application on Sept. 4. But the incident put a cloud over the rollout of the newly-created Texas Energy Fund, angering lawmakers and raising questions about the agencys ability to implement the program. The PUC initially advanced the project put forth by Aegle Power, whose CEO Kathleen Smith in 2017 was convicted in what the U.S. Justice Department called an embezzlement scheme. Aegle Power also included the name of another company, NextEra, which told the PUC it was included on the application without its knowledge or consent. The PUC was created to regulate Texass electric utilities market. After Winter Storm Uri in 2021, its responsibilities ballooned as lawmakers passed measures aimed at strengthening the states power grid. Its staff grew by about 50% and its budget increased significantly, too. Now the agency is tasked with administering a high-risk, taxpayer-backed loan program on a compressed timeline something it has never done before. The role of your organization has changed dramatically, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, told PUC Chair Thomas Gleeson at a Senate Finance Committee hearing this month as lawmakers grilled the agencys leaders about the debacle. Were expecting more from you. You're not just a [electricity] rate organization anymore. Gleeson acknowledged at the hearing that the agency and Deloitte, the firm the PUC contracted to administer the Texas Energy Fund, should have caught the flaws in Aegles application. Smith, Aegles CEO, did not immediately reply to requests for comment over text and email. She told the Houston Chronicle this month that there was absolutely never any embezzlement. Gleeson said the project never would have won final approval for a loan because of existing guardrails in the process, but added that the PUC will review its processes and cut Deloittes $107 million contract by at least 10% percent. When you're dealing with public funds, what youre actually dealing with is the public trust, Gleeson said. It is clear that our contractor [Deloitte] needed to do better in their initial review of this company, that our staff needed to hold our contractor more accountable for that review. Voters approved a constitutional amendment to create the Texas Energy Fund last year. The program provides 3% interest loans to build or upgrade gas-fueled power plants an idea lawmakers passed after the 2021 winter storm overwhelmed the state grid, triggering blackouts that left millions of Texans without electricity or heat for days in freezing conditions. Hundreds of people died. The storm knocked out all forms of power generation, including gas-fired power plants. But lawmakers prioritized adding more gas plants to boost the states supply of dispatchable power energy sources that can turn on at any time, unlike renewable sources that rely on wind and sun. The PUC received 72 loan applications totaling more than $24 billion for projects that would produce more than 38,000 megawatts of power. On Aug. 29, the agency announced 17 projects totaling $5.4 billion in loans as finalists for the program before rejecting the Aegle application. The agency said more finalists could be excluded during the ongoing review process. Lawmakers mandated in the bill that the PUC begin handing out funds by the end of 2025. Thats a timeline that some grid and energy experts called too aggressive. Theres a lot of pressure to get money out the door on an agency that has no experience running a program like this, said Joshua Rhodes, a research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin. And while the Legislature has increased funding and staff for the PUC over the past several years, lawmakers and experts said the agency likely needed more resources to handle all the new responsibilities its been given to shore up the grid and the states power market. State Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, voted for the Texas Energy Fund but said he was worried about the PUCs ability to implement it. Im sympathetic to the PUC because the Legislature put too much on their plate, Anchia said. Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas and a member of the Texas Energy Fund Advisory Committee, agreed. We have a lot of really good people in agencies that work really hard, and they need more resources, he said. But weve been telling them we want small government for two decades, not recognizing that small government is supposed to be limited in scope, not limited in ability. Notwithstanding the bumpy rollout, Walt Baum, president of Powering Texans, a trade group that represents power generators, said that the program is sound. Overall, its a good start to a program that I think is hopefully well on its way to achieving the legislatures goal of 10,000 megawatts of new dispatchable generation, he said. Some experts were skeptical that the Texas Energy Fund would add a significant amount of power to the grid a concern that laced debate in the Legislature when it was being considered against other ideas for shaping the electricity market to ensure better reliability. Critics noted that the loans did not guarantee more power on the grid because companies could retire older power plants and electricity-hungry industries like artificial intelligence could eat up any new capacity. And any new plants built with the loans could quickly become too expensive to operate, critics said. In the current market, gas plants have trouble competing with solar and wind power, which are cheaper energy sources to produce. Power generators and grid experts argued that for new gas plants to be viable, the state will have to fine-tune the market to help them compete. Supporters of the program said the PUC had a rigorous plan in place to run it, and the bungling of the Aegle application was not reflective of a broader, flawed process. I think they're up to it, said Johnson, the state senator. I've talked with the PUC about the overall conception of the program, and I was impressed with how well it was thought through. They had sound rules and procedures going into this, added former PUC Commissioner Will McAdams, who advised EmberClear Management, a finalist for a Texas Energy Fund loan, on its application. I believe the PUC was able and is able to process those loans. Still, lawmakers sent the PUC an unambiguous signal: no more missteps. Some threatened to scrap a plan to add another $5 billion to the loan program unless the agency cleaned up its act. The Senate and House have sent clear messages to the Public Utility Commission reemphasizing the importance of a deliberate, transparent, and prudent review process, the co-chairs of the Texas Energy Fund Advisory Committee said in a Sept. 4 statement. The protection and stewardship of taxpayer money must be the highest priority. Disclosure: Deloitte and the University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. AUSTIN (KXAN) The Texas Medical Board said its now halfway to fully implementing a physician oversight and transparency law that took effect a year ago this month. The law which requires stricter scrutiny over Texas doctors and more public notification when theyre disciplined was directly sparked by KXANs Still Practicing investigations. I would say the implementation is going well, said TMB Deputy Executive Director of Medical Board Operations Chris Palazola. You could estimate about 50% of our physicians [are] now enrolled in the National Practitioner Data Bank Continuous Query. And were close to 50% of our licensees being in the fingerprinting database. TMB Deputy Executive Director of Medical Board Operations Chris Palazola at his desk (KXAN Photo/Chris Nelson) The law is being implemented on a rolling basis when physicians apply for or renew their medical licenses. EXPLORE: KXANs Still Practicing investigations resulted in new state law It should be completed by around this time next year, said TMB Communications Officer Spencer Miller-Payne. Just to clarify, we have fingerprinted approximately half of the physicians that were not already fingerprinted. So overall we have a majority of Texas physicians in the fingerprint system. KXANs Still Practicing investigations previously revealed nearly 50 doctors whose licenses were suspended or revoked in other states were practicing in Texas with clean records. KXAN also discovered some doctors the TMB deemed a threat to public safety were still allowed to treat patients. Under the new law, physician profiles on the TMB website must be updated to disclose disciplinary actions within 10 business days. The NPDB Continuous Query immediately notifies the TMB when a physician is disciplined out-of-state. The TMBs updated Look up a License website notes data is updated daily. (KXAN Photo/Matt Grant) KXAN previously reported it would take two years for the law to take full effect, something that continues to concern patient advocates. The serious issues that were uncovered in your original investigative reporting made it very, very, very clear that patients were at risk, Dallas medical malpractice attorney Kay Van Wey told KXAN last year. Texas patients will suffer while the Texas Medical Board is taking its sweet time implementing the new law. During the last legislative session, House Bill 1998 cleared the legislature with bipartisan support. It was introduced by Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Farmers Branch, after she watched KXANs Still Practicing investigations in early 2022. She is now running for Congress. The bill was sponsored by Republican Sen. Bob Hall of Edgewood, who invited KXAN to testify about our findings, and praised the legislation as a way to increase transparency, especially when it comes to physician discipline records. Earlier this year, KXANs findings received national attention when our investigations were highlighted on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on Max. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. Texas officials say theyve scrubbed the voter rolls. Heres how to check if youre still on them. A voter registration card in 2022. The deadline to register to vote in this year's elections is Oct. 7. Credit: May-Ying Lam for The Texas Tribune Texas voters have less than a month to register for the Nov. 5 election. But as county elections officials work to get more people registered, more than 1 million voters have been deemed ineligible. That includes people who moved out of state or are dead and its a routine process. [Heres how to vote in the Texas 2024 election] We do list maintenance every single day, said Trudy Hancock, the Elections Administrator for Brazos County. So you know it's not something that's happened just overnight and something that's been put in place, but it is important to check your registration. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a press release last month touting the removal of ineligible voters, claiming some of them were possibly noncitizens. Experts quickly warned the governors framing could be used to undermine trust in elections. At the same time, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued to stop two urban counties from sending voter registration forms to people who are eligible to vote, claiming state law doesnt allow that kind of outreach and it would risk adding noncitizens to the voter rolls. Election officials have found no evidence of widespread voting by people who are not citizens in U.S. elections. In 2019, Texas incorrectly flagged 95,000 naturalized citizens for removal from the voter rolls, but backed off those previous removal attempts to settle lawsuits over the matter. Federal law prevents states from systematically removing registered voters within 90 days of a federal election, though there are some exceptions if the voter has died, been convicted of a felony or been declared mentally incapacitated. Checking your voter registration to make sure its active and up to date could save you trouble at the polls. You'll want to do that before the Oct. 7 deadline to register. It could also help us report on these issues. Heres how to check your voter registration. The Texas Tribune, ProPublica and Votebeat want to hear from Texas voters who believe their registrations have been erroneously canceled. Let us know if you find issues with your voter registration through the form at the bottom of this story. How do I check if Im registered to vote? Once you register to vote, you generally remain registered, but there are various reasons why you may want to verify your registration status, especially if youve had a name or address change. You can make those updates online here. You can check to see if youre registered and verify your information through the Texas Secretary of States website. Youll need one of the following three combinations to log in: Your Texas drivers license number and date of birth. Your first and last names, date of birth and county you reside in. Your date of birth and Voter Unique Identifier Number, which appears on your voter registration certificate. How are voter registration applications reviewed? When a person submits a voter registration application, county and state officials verify the persons eligibility using various sources, including birth and death certificates and the courts system. Local election officials will review the application to make sure the submitted address is a residential location within the county. They share voter registration records with the state daily. The state also reviews the voter registration before it becomes effective. Registered voters are sent a registration certificate within 30 days and it becomes effective 30 days after it is submitted. Voters receive a new certificate if they update their name or address. Otherwise, voters are sent a new certificate every two years, according to the state. What does it mean if my voter registration is in suspense? If a county voter registrar receives a nondeliverable notice after sending a voter registration certificate or receives information that theres been an address change, a voter is placed on the states suspense list and asked to confirm their address. Sometimes this can be due to errors at the post office or when a jury summons doesnt go to the proper address and is returned, said Trudy Hancock, the elections administrator for Brazos County. Voters on the suspense list can still vote as normal if they update or confirm their address before the voter registration deadline or fill out a statement of residence when voting. But if they have moved to a different county or precinct, they may have to vote at their previous polling location or vote a limited ballot. If a suspended voter takes no action, they are removed from the voter rolls after about four years, according to the Texas Secretary of States office. How do I register to vote? You must complete and submit a paper voter registration application by Oct. 7. There are several options to submit an application by the deadline: Visit the voter registrar office in your county (find yours here) Register through a volunteer deputy voter registrar (organizations like local chapters of the League of Women Voters often hold voter registration events) Mail the application to the voter registrar in your county If you decide to mail an application, it must be postmarked by the Oct. 7 deadline for you to vote in the Nov. 5 election. You can request the postmark through employees at your local post office. You can find an application at county voter registrars offices and some post offices, government offices, or high schools. You can also print out the online application and mail it to the voter registrar in your county. This will require an envelope and postage like regular mail. Download your application here. You can request a postage-paid application through the mail, but this may require some time for you to receive. If your application is postmarked by Oct. 7 it will count toward the Nov. 5 deadline, even if it is received afterwards. To avoid any issues, some local voter registrars recommend completing or delivering an application in person if you're registering close to the deadline. Additionally, you can register to vote through the Texas Department of Public Safety while renewing your drivers license. You may be able to register to vote online if youre also allowed to renew your license online. This is the only form of online registration in the state. What if I registered, but moved after the voter registration deadline? You must reside in a Texas county by the voter registration deadline to vote in the upcoming election. Voters who are 65 or older, have a disability or will be absent during the entire voting period, such as members of the military of voters living overseas, qualify for an absentee ballot. You can read more about absentee and mail-in voting here. If you are a registered voter but moved after the Oct. 7 deadline, you can vote at your previous polling location if you moved within the same county or political subdivision. Or you can vote at your new polling location, but the ballot will only include races available to voters in both your new and old political districts, such as statewide races. Limited ballots are available only during early voting at a main early voting polling place. Those are usually the office of the election administrator or county clerk who runs elections in your county. The main polling place should be noted in a countys list of early voting locations. What do I do if I run into issues with my voter registration? If you have questions or concerns about your registration, you can find your countys voter registration contact here. Inside polling locations, there are typically resolution desks where poll workers can address registration issues. If you believe you should be registered but dont appear on the voter registration list at the polls, you can cast a provisional ballot. Theres no guarantee that a provisional ballot will ultimately be counted. The best bet to ensure you dont have problems is verifying your registration is active and up-to-date ahead of the Oct. 7 deadline to register to vote. Your local voter registrar must review the provisional ballot and verify your registration within six days of the election. The registrar then passes that information to the local ballot board, which decides whether the provisional ballot is eligible to be counted under election laws, according to the Texas Secretary of States voter education website. Provisional voters must be sent a notice about whether their ballot was counted no later than 10 days after the election is certified. You can also find more information on frequently asked questions from the Secretary of States Office at votetexas.gov. If you need help navigating voting issues, a coalition of voting rights groups has a helpline at 866-687-8683. The Texas Secretary of States office has a helpline at 1-800-252-8683. Disclosure: Texas Secretary of State has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. The Texas Tribune is reporting on voters who believe their registrations have been incorrectly canceled or flagged. To share your experience with us, you can fill out this form. (Bloomberg) -- Thailands new government has revived calls for the central bank to reduce borrowing costs, with Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatras commerce chief calling on policymakers to help spur Southeast Asias second-biggest economy. Most Read from Bloomberg The central banks thinking may be outdated and too slow, Commerce Minister Pichai Naripthaphan said in a briefing in Bangkok on Monday. Our economic growth is so slow. BOT should help us boost growth, said Pichai, who was a key adviser to Paetongtarns predecessor Srettha Thavisin. Bank of Thailand, he said, should manage the bahts strength thats already hurting exporters and also help boost liquidity in financial markets. The Thai currency has gained more than 10% this quarter, the best performer in Southeast Asia. The commerce chiefs rate cut call was the first from Paetongtarns cabinet, signaling that the new administration will continue to exert pressure on monetary authorities to bring borrowing costs that are currently at the highest since 2013. Pichai supported Sretthas monthslong campaign for lower rates, which central bankers led by BOT Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput had resisted. The commerce minister said hell schedule a meeting with Sethaput on the issues he raised. The Thai currency has become too strong and has put exporters, especially those with low margins, at risk, Pichai said. The commerce ministry also plans to: Support Thai companies seeking to expand overseas Pursue free trade agreements to bolster trade and investment Implement measures to stop cheap imports, especially from China, from hurting local manufacturers We will need to work hard amid the global economic slowdown, Pichai said. We need to revive the Thai economy. --With assistance from Pathom Sangwongwanich. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Folded between all the new hardware announcements, Apple surprised us last week with news of FDA-approved hearing aid features for the AirPods Pro. No new hardware needed its all in software updates. In the last decade, weve seen several companies tackle hearing-aid technology, aided by the boom in wireless tech. Now, arguably the most influential company in consumer tech is trying it. John Falcone outlines why this is a big deal. Or, at least, a very good deal. Mat Smith The biggest stories you might have missed And Apple events in general. The iPhone 16 event is over, and now weve got plenty of thoughts to share after playing with all of Apples new hardware. In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn chat about the entire iPhone 16 and Pro lineup, and Billy Steele joins to chat about his experience with the AirPods 4 and Apple Watch Series 10. It turns out the Apple Watch stole the show. Listen here It's published games including Stray and Cocoon. TMA (Annapurna) The entire Annapurna Interactive team has left the company after its executives walked out, according to a Bloomberg report. Apparently, the video game publisher had been negotiating with Annapurna Pictures to spin off Annapurna Interactive into its own entity. Those talks broke down, so all 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive team collectively resigned, the team said in a joint statement. Continue reading. How a thief replaced a famous Winston Churchill portrait with a forgery that went unnoticed for months Thieves stole a famous Winston Churchill portrait from an Ottawa hotel in late 2021. The 1941 portrait was replaced with a forgery and went unnoticed for over 6 months. Police recovered the portrait in London, charged a suspect, and are returning it to Canada. A famous Winston Churchill portrait that thieves replaced with a forgery two years ago will soon be back on display. Police say thieves stole the famous portrait from the Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa in the weeks after Christmas 2021. The 1941 portrait titled "The Roaring Lion" was captured by Yousouf Karsh, an Armenian-Canadian photographer known for portraits of famous people like Martin Luther King Jr., Queen Elizabeth, and Alfred Hitchcock. The theft went unnoticed until August 2022 when a hotel worker spotted that the frame looked different from others on the wall and the picture was hanging crooked, according to The Associated Press. Police found the portrait after it resurfaced in an auction house in London where two unknowing buyers from Italy purchased it, Ottawa Police said in a press release. Police charged Jeffrey Iain James Wood, 43, from Powassan, Ontario, with forgery, theft, and trafficking charges related to the crime. Nicola Cassinelli, a lawyer from Genoa, Italy, purchased the portrait at auction for 5,292 British pounds, according to the AP. Cassinelli told the outlet that the auction house called him in October and advised him not to sell or transfer the portrait due to the investigation into the theft in Ottowa. Ottowa police said in the statement that it worked closely with the Italian police and the portrait's purchaser to bring it back to Canada. Ottawa police Detective Akiva Gellar told the outlet that police conducted "a very extensive investigation" that took more than two years to recover the portrait. Gellar said that much of the investigation is "still very sensitive because the matter is before the courts" and "a lot of the details about how we found it" will be released at a ceremony in Rome on Thursday. Read the original article on Business Insider France's Thierry Breton became one of the European Union's most prominent faces in Brussels, gaining the reputation of a disrupter as he clashed with tech giants -- and even his own boss. That strained relationship with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was at the centre of the outspoken and spotlight-seeking Breton's dramatic resignation Monday from the European Commission. With his distinctive, salt and pepper mane and his thick-framed black eyeglasses, his influence in Brussels was wide-ranging. The bloc's internal market commissioner since 2019, he oversaw a defence industry push and marshalled the production of Covid jabs. But he was better known for taking a hard line against abuses by the world's biggest digital platforms -- even sparring publicly with the billionaire boss of X, Elon Musk. A former CEO of French tech and telecom firms, Breton was the first major business leader to arrive in the cosy world of the European Commission, the EU's executive arm. He frequently gave media interviews and fired off quick quips on social media, building on his desire to be seen as an effector of change. The centrist was outspoken in challenging von der Leyen -- and caused a stir earlier this year by publicly questioning the depth of support for her reelection within her centre-right European People's Party. Breton also questioned her "transparency and impartiality" over the appointment of a political ally to a highly-paid post as small and medium-sized enterprises envoy. - Tech enforcer - The 69-year-old was seen by Paris as a key counterweight to Berlin's influence at the heart of the EU. But, an engineer by training, Breton, did not have a smooth path into the commission. The former French finance minister was French President Emmanuel Macron's second choice after a scandal surrounding his first. His media prominence confounded some since Breton is not as eloquent an orator as other top officials in Paris and Brussels. He was at times mocked for the length of his speeches and for the multiple ideas he introduced all at once in a disorderly fashion. But he was in his element when he talked about digital issues and industry, after serving for several years as the head of several large French companies including France Telecom -- now Orange -- and Atos. The resigning commissioner once had a wafer of semiconductor material in his hand as he launched into a long, technical explanation of electronic chips. The EU's landmark laws taking on mainly US-based web giants, the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA), are among Breton's biggest achievements. The rules demanded better policing of content online and curbed the market powers of companies, like Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft. "It's time to put some order in the digital 'Wild West'", he said in 2022. Breton even went to see Musk in Texas to explain the rules that he would have to follow under the DSA. They were all smiles in a video that went viral. - Wily figure - Breton, a former professor of corporate governance at Harvard University and author of several science fiction novels, wanted a more sovereign Europe to better defend its interests against challenges from China and the United States. His thinking was often in line with the French government, but he frequently insisted he spoke for Europe and not just Paris. During the coronavirus pandemic, when the United States and Britain had successful deliveries of vaccines in 2021, the EU had fallen behind. Von der Leyen appointed Breton to lead a task force to fix the situation, and his knowledge of the world of business came in handy. With factory visits and frequent dialogue with pharma bosses, he faced down the Americans who blocked key components by threatening retaliation. A wily figure, he had been tipped to get a promotion to be a commission vice president stewarding industrial growth, under von der Leyen's second term. Instead he rocked Brussels by surprisingly quitting with immediate effect, claiming von der Leyen had sought at the last-minute to bar him from her incoming team. aro-raz-ub/del/jm Thieves target couple for casino winnings, get away with leftover dinner: Police Thieves target couple for casino winnings, get away with leftover dinner: Police LAKE COUNTY, Ill. A couple whod won about $130,000 at an area casino was held up at gunpoint outside their home but the thieves didnt get the money. The bag swiped from the victims hands contained their leftover dinner of steak and lobster. Neither victim was injured in the February robbery, police said. But after months of investigation, one suspect, 27-year-old Marcell Britton, of Chicago, was arrested late last month. A second suspect, 34-year-old Aramie Kent, of Maywood, remains on the run, police said. Lengthy investigation that we made sure we had all the facts, Fox Lake police Sgt. Rick Howell told WGN. Authorities said the heist took place in the morning hours of February 10 by the men who followed the couple home after they won a considerable amount of money at the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines. The suspects were identified with the help of casino security and license plate-reading cameras, authorities said. Marcell Britton Aramie Kent The Lake County States Attorneys Office charged both Britton and Kent with multiple felonies including armed robbery, aggravated robbery and robbery of a victim over 60 years of age, a statement from the Fox Lake Police Department said. Arrest warrants were issued Aug. 19 and Britton was arrested by Chicago police nine days later. Anyone with information on Kents whereabouts is asked to contact their local police. Fox Lake police can be reached at 847-587-3100. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. At least seven people, including three firefighters, have died as wildfires continue to rage across Portugal, according to local news outlets. Parts of the country have been ablaze since the weekend, with temperatures in some areas topping 30C (86F). The northern and central parts have been worst affected. The firefighters - two women and a man - died while tackling a blaze in Tabua in Coimbra, central Portugal, the country's civil protection authority said. More than 5,000 firefighters have been tackling the wildfires that Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said are "raging across the country". Ten thousand hectares (37 sq miles) have already been burned between Porto and Aveiro in the north, the Portuguese news agency Lusa said on Monday. Andre Fernandes, Portugal's national civil protection commander, said that there were 65 fires in progress at 13:00 local time (13:00 BST) on Tuesday. Local media reported that hospitals in affected areas have received people with burns, breathing difficulties and other injuries from the fires. At least 12 firefighters have been injured, two seriously, reports say. Police have shut motorways, including the main road between the capital, Lisbon, and Porto, and dozens of houses have been destroyed by the fire. Many schools in Gondomar, an area near central Porto, closed on Tuesday, its mayor said. Vehicle caught fire Portugal's civil protection authority named the three firefighters who died as Sonia Claudia Melo, Paulo Jorge Santos, and Susana Cristina Carvalho. The president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, said that he was deeply saddened by the deaths and Montenegro issued a note of condolence. Mr Fernandes said the vehicle caught fire but that it wasn't clear whether it had crashed beforehand, according to the news agency, AP. Two more firefighters were injured during the incident, he added. Montenegro had previously said that firefighter Joao Silva had died of "a sudden illness" while battling a blaze in Oliveira de Azemeis. The EU said it would send eight firefighting planes to Portugal to help it tackle the severe blazes. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc was "urgently mobilising" and urged other member states to send further assistance. Montenegro also thanked France, Greece, Italy and Spain for their "rapid and essential help in combating this scourge" in a post on X. Portugal already owns 30 water bombers - and has deployed over 1,500 fire engines - but authorities said the complex situation required additional support. Wildfires have affected Portugal for several days [EPA] Several fires that broke out in the Aveiro region over the weekend forced about 70 residents to flee, the civil protection authority has said. "The situation is not out of control, but it is very complex," Fernandes said. Portugal and neighbouring Spain have recorded fewer wildfires this year, largely due to a wet and rainy start to the year. But they remain vulnerable to blazes due to hot and dry conditions. Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless rapid efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions are made. (Bloomberg) -- Thousands of workers brought chaos to Brussels on Monday, setting off firecrackers and blocking streets near the European Parliament, in a demonstration to show solidarity with employees from an Audi car factory facing possible closure. Most Read from Bloomberg Over 5,000 protesters from across Belgium, and as far away as the Czech Republic, gathered at Brussels North train station before marching toward the parliament, brandishing placards in support of Audi and calling for an end to Chinese dumping of industrial products. Unions called a national strike, hampering public transport, while police stood ready with water cannons. The march is the latest sign of growing fears that key European industries will be lost as the continent leads the world in the climate transition and is undercut from cheaper competitors abroad. Audis factory in Brussels neighborhood of Forest symbolizes those fears by showing that even a facility manufacturing exclusively electric vehicles isnt safe. A large number of Audis 3,000 workers 90% of whom are at risk of losing their jobs in the next year were leading the march in a haze of green and pink smoke the colors of the main trade unions. The loud bangs of firecrackers echoed the frustration that neither the Belgian government nor the European Union has so far been able to avert the industrial crisis on the continent. We are angry, said Aaron Focon, wearing a t-shirt in support of his father who worked at the Audi factory for 34 years and is now facing the prospect of losing his job. Its not normal. The government must wake up and do something. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has promised a Clean Industrial Act within her first 100 days of office, which will aim to support the highest-emitting sectors decarbonize, while staying in Europe. Yet its not clear whether it will be accompanied by significant financial support. The blocs executive arm is also planning to impose tariffs on Chinese-made EVs after a probe concluded they unfairly benefit from state subsidies and that carmakers are flooding Europe with excess production. The blocs trade commissioner, Valdis Dombrovskis, is scheduled to meet Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Thursday to discuss the probe, ahead of a Sept. 25 vote by EU member states on the plan. Last week, former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi called on the EU to invest as much as 800 billion ($890 billion) to confront the existential challenge of maintaining the blocs competitiveness with its rivals. Do this, or its a slow agony for Europe, he said. Meanwhile, business groups have been ramping up their demands, calling on the EU to slash red tape and make energy cheaper. The automotive lobby is weighing whether to call on the bloc to delay 2025 emissions targets by two years, with Audis parent company Volkswagen AG worst positioned among European car manufacturers for compliance with those rules, and is considering shuttering factories for the first time in its history. Brussels has found itself increasingly at the center of unrest during the green transition. Thousands of farmers have blocked the city with their tractors in recent months over spiraling costs and what they see as punitive environmental regulation. Von der Leyen responded by shelving some of it and starting so-called strategic dialogs with the sector. Finding a way of enacting her green goals, while keeping core economic sectors on side will be one of the biggest challenges of her next five-year term. We all know change can be so scary, she said in a speech last week. It takes an effort to leave our old habits behind. It takes courage to sail into uncharted waters. --With assistance from Rob Dawson. (Updates with EU-China meeting in seventh paragraph) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. anceer Before leaving for his business trip, Chad asks his assistant to choose and pack four shirts from his closet, which currently contains eight shirts. If each shirt is a different color, including one blue shirt and one pink shirt, and the assistant chooses the shirts at random, what is the probability that the pink shirt will be one of the four packed but the blue shirt will not? A 4/7 B 1/2 C 27/70 D 2/7 E 9/35 ANA PREP BLOG, Private Tutoring Details and Free Trial of Self-Study Products at anaprep.com YouTube Channel: karishma.anaprep Signature Read More Responding to a pm:Probability = Favorable Cases/Total CasesFavorable Cases: You need 4 shirts. Choose pink shirt. You have already got one. You need three more. Put the blue shirt away since it is not an option.So you have 6 possible options (8 - pink - blue) for the shirts and you need to choose 3 of them (to get a total of 4 shirts). You can choose 3 shirts out of 6 in 6C3 ways.6C3 = 6*5*4/3*2 = 20 waysThere are 20 ways of choosing a pink shirt and three others from the remaining (except blue).Total Cases: Choose any 4 shirts out of 8 in 8C4 ways.8C4 = 8*7*6*5/4*3*2 = 70Probability = 20/70 = 2/7_________________ The US Department of Justice has said TikTok collects vast amounts of user data that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government. The US Department of Justice has said TikTok collects vast amounts of user data that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government. Photograph: Mateusz Sodkowski/Sopa Images/Rex/Shutterstock TikTok took its case against a threatened US ban to a federal court on Monday where it contended that a law targeting the video platform was unconstitutional. TikTok argued its case to a three-judge panel at an appeals court in Washington DC on Monday. An attorney for TikTok and ByteDance, Andrew Pincus, said TikTok was entitled to a right to freedom of speech: The speech here that is being banned, we would say, or at a minimum burned, is the speech of the US speaker. In April, Joe Biden formally introduced a law that gives TikToks Chinese parent, ByteDance, until 19 January to sell its stake in the platform to an approved buyer, due to concerns that the app poses a national security threat. In the lawsuit contesting the threatened ban, TikTok and ByteDance argue that the law is unconstitutional and impossible to implement. They assert that the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act is a breach of the first amendment, which protects freedom of speech, and that the government cannot dictate ownership of an online platform. However, the judge, Sri Srinivasan, pushed back and said the concern was that there was a foreign entity moderating and potentially manipulating the content on TikTok. This case is different because it involves something that is happening abroad, Srinivasan said. When its a foreign organization, they dont have a first-amendment right to object to a regulation of their curation. TikTok would also be able to continue to exist so long as it divested from being subject to Chinese control, he later agued. I think in the divestiture context, we still have a burden on the US speakers rights, Pincus countered. The lawsuit adds there is no question the law will lead to the shutdown of TikTok and will silence the 170 million Americans who use the platform to communicate in ways that cannot be replicated elsewhere. The qualified divestiture demanded by the act to allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States is simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not legally, the suit states. The former Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and the billionaire Frank McCourt have expressed interest in buying TikTok, although the Chinese government has signalled it will oppose a sale due to restrictions on selling sensitive technologies. Free speech campaigners including PEN America have filed amicus briefs a means of expressing support for one side in a case in support of TikTok and ByteDances lawsuit. Opponents of the law stress that a ban would also cause disruptions in the world of marketing, retail and in the lives of many different content creators, some of whom are also suing the US government. TikTok is covering the legal costs for that lawsuit. An attorney representing TikTok creators, Jeffrey Fisher, argued that users have an interest in working with the publisher and editor of their choice even if it is a foreign entity. He compared TikTok to Politico, Al Jazeera and Oxford University Press. When asked how the ownership of TikTok is related to first amendment interests of creators, Fisher said: Our interest is working with the publisher and editor of our choice, which is the current ownership. In court documents submitted over the summer, the US Department of Justice outlined its main concerns, which centre on data and the potential manipulation of users. It said TikTok collected vast amounts of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits, that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government. It also claimed the TikTok algorithm that curates what users see on the app could be manipulated by Chinese authorities. Related: US sues TikTok and ByteDance for allegedly failing to protect childrens privacy By directing ByteDance or TikTok to covertly manipulate that algorithm, China could for example further its existing malign influence operations and amplify its efforts to undermine trust in our democracy and exacerbate social divisions, the justice department said. TikTok has said it does not share user data with the Chinese government and that concerns the US government has raised have never been substantiated. Legal experts expect the case to go to the supreme court, with the losing side in the federal court process expected to appeal against the ruling. The Associated Press contributed reporting Three arrested after traffic stop on U.S. Highway 14 leads to located narcotics ARENA, Wis. (WFRV) Three Wisconsinites were arrested on Sept. 6 after a traffic stop led to the discovery of several drugs. According to a release, Iowa County Sheriffs Office deputies conducted a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 14 in Arena. During the stop, the deputy located narcotics, and three individuals were arrested. Wisconsin man sentenced to federal prison following gun & drug convictions Wisconsin Circuit Court Records show 46-year-old Michael Perkins of Muscoda is charged with: Possess w/ Intent-Amphetamine/Methamphetamine/etc.(>10-50g) PTAC, as a Party to a Crime Possess w/Intent-Cocaine (>1-5g) PTAC, as a Party to a Crime Ignition Interlock Device Tampering/Failure to Install/Violate Court Order Possess Drug Paraphernalia to Manufacture Methamphetamine Presence of Child Less Than 14 Years Old Bail Jumping-Felony Bail Jumping-Felony 32-year-old Kenneth Holden of Richland Center is charged with: Possess w/ Intent-Amphetamine/Methamphetamine/etc.(>10-50g) PTAC, as a Party to a Crime Possess w/Intent-Cocaine (>1-5g) PTAC, as a Party to a Crime Possession of THC (2nd+ Offense) Resisting or Obstructing an Officer Bail Jumping-Felony Bail Jumping-Felony 45-year-old Michelle Olson of Muscoda is charged with: Possess w/Intent-Cocaine (>1-5g) PTAC, as a Party to a Crime Possess w/ Intent-Amphetamine/Methamphetamine/etc.(>10-50g) PTAC, as a Party to a Crime Possess Drug Paraphernalia Possess Drug Paraphernalia Perkins and Holden both made initial court appearances on Sept. 12, during which time Perkins was given a $500 cash bond. Holden signed a $10,000 cash bond on Sept. 6. Olson had a bail/bond hearing on Sept. 6 as well and signed a $2,500 signature bond. Multiple Sheboygan County students injured in school bus crash Perkins will return to court on Oct. 2 for a status conference, Holden will return on Sept. 20 for a preliminary hearing, and Olson will return to court on Oct. 8 for an initial appearance. No additional details were provided. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. I-430 clear after three-vehicle crash in Little Rock I-430 clear after three-vehicle crash in Little Rock LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Lanes on Interstate 430 are clear after a Monday morning crash involving three vehicles blocked southbound traffic. Officials with the Arkansas Department of Transportation reported the crash just north of Rodney Parham Road at 7:42 a.m. Bryant Parkway expansion complete Officials have not released if anyone was injured in the crash. ARDOT officials had also reported that a stalled vehicle on I-430 caused a backup Monday morning. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Senator John Thune continues his quest to become the Republican Leader in the U.S. Senate. Political experts say he took a step in securing the top position by donating $4 million in campaign funds to help other Republican senatorial candidates win their races. The last South Dakotan to hold the top position in the Senate was Democratic Senator Tom Daschle, who served as both Majority and Minority Leader before Thune ousted him from the Senate 20 years ago. New Sioux Falls street & lane closures Thune has one of the largest war chests in the U.S. Senate. The latest Friends of John Thune campaign finance records show more than $18 million in cash on hand. USD Professor Emeritus Michael Card says Thune is building relationships with fellow Senators. Showing that he can raise money to help keep the majority or to obtain the majority and then keep it, Card said. Current Minority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell will step down after 18 years as the top Senate Republican. Thune, who is currently the whip, is running against two other Senators for the top position. You just want to make the argument, good argument as you possibly can, Thune told KELOLAND News three weeks ago. Thune also told us ultimately its up to the Republican Senators to make the decision about who they want to lead them. The next Republican Leader will be chosen by secret ballot in nine weeks. I think we are giving them hopefully what is a very persuasive argument, Thune said. South Dakotas senior Senator also says he wants to make sure Republican candidates running for Senate seats have the resources to get their message out in the waning weeks of the campaign. According to professor Card, thats because he feels this years Senate elections appear to favor Republicans, giving them a good chance of retaking control of the senate. If you have a President and you have the Senate in the majority, you can control federal judges appointments. You can control treaties; you can control appointments to the federal bureaucracy, Card said. And the Senates control is absolutely essential for the control of the government and the way that our system is currently structured. Republican Senators will vote for a new leader on November 13th, the week after the Presidential election. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com. TikTok ban goes to the court: 5 essential reads on the case and its consequences TikTok headed to court on Sept. 16, 2024, in a bid to overturn a law that would force the video app to divorce from its China-based parent company or be banned in the U.S. During the appearance before a panel of judges at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, layers for TikTok said imposing such a prohibition would have staggering consequences for free speech. The court hearing is the latest development in a lengthy saga over the fate of an app that is widely popular, especially among young Americans, but that many politicians in Washington fear poses or is a security risk. Whatever the outcome of the oral arguments presented by lawyers from the U.S. government on one side and TikTok and parent company ByteDance on the other, its unlikely to be the end of the story. Many analysts expect the case will head to the Supreme Court. But why is TikTok controversial? Are the claims of it being a national security risk valid? And what will the case mean for free speech? The Conversations contributors have been on hand to answer these and other questions. 1. An agent of the Chinese state? Politicians who want to ban TikTok, or at least sever its links to China, fear that the app provides a way for the Chinese Communist Party to influence Americans or use their data for malicious purposes. But how much influence does the Chinese government have at TikTok? That question is addressed by Shaomin Li, a scholar of Chinas political economy and business at Old Dominion University. Li explains that the relationship between TikTok, ByteDance and the Chinese Communist Party is nuanced it isnt simply a matter of officials in Beijing telling ByteDance to jump and the parent company dictating how high its subsidiary will leap. Rather, as with all companies in China, employees are under certain obligations when it comes to advancing national interests. In China, private enterprises, such as ByteDance, operate as joint ventures with the state. Regardless of whether ByteDance has formal ties with the party, there will be the tacit understanding that the management is working for two bosses: the investors of the company and, more importantly, their political overseers that represent the party, Li writes. But most importantly, when the interests of the two bosses conflict, the party trumps. Read more: Is TikTok's parent company an agent of the Chinese state? In China Inc., it's a little more complicated 2. Exploiting user data The risks TikTok poses to U.S. users are similar to the risks posed by many popular apps, principally that the app collects data about you. That data, which includes contact information and website tracking, plus all data you post and messages you send through the app, is available to use or misuse by ByteDance and any other entity that has or gains access to it. Iowa State University cybersecurity researcher Doug Jacobson writes that U.S. officials and lawmakers are concerned that the Chinese government could exploit TikTok user data to spy on U.S. citizens. Government hackers could use the TikTok data to trick users into revealing more personal information. But if the goal is to counter Chinese hackers, banning TikTok might prove too little, too late. By some estimates, the Chinese government has already collected personal information on at least 80% of the U.S. population via various means, Jacobson writes. The Chinese government along with anyone else with money also has access to the large market for personal data. Read more: Should governments ban TikTok? Can they? A cybersecurity expert explains the risks the app poses and the challenges to blocking it 3. The security risks of a ban Banning TikTok could also make U.S. users more vulnerable to hackers of all stripes. Rochester Institute of Technology computer security expert Robert Olson writes that many of the more than 100 million U.S. TikTok users could try to get around a ban on the app, with negative consequences for their digital safety. If TikTok ends up banned from Apples and Googles app stores, users could try to access the app elsewhere via sideloading. This practice of getting around Apple and Google app stores leaves users vulnerable to malware posing as the TikTok app. TikTok users might also be motivated to circumvent Apple and Google security controls in order to keep the app installed, a move that would make users phones more vulnerable. I find it unlikely that a TikTok ban would be technologically enforceable, Olson writes. This legislation aimed at improving cybersecurity could motivate users to engage in riskier digital behavior. Read more: Banning TikTok could weaken personal cybersecurity 4. First Amendment concerns In its legal challenge to the U.S. government, ByteDance claims the government is violating its First Amendment rights. Technology law scholars Anupam Chander of Georgetown University and Gautam Hans of Cornell University write that ByteDance has grounds for its claim, and that the implications go beyond this case. TikTok is a publisher, an online publisher of users videos. Forcing ByteDance to divest TikTok is a form of prior restraint the government preventing speech before it occurs. By forcing the sale of TikTok to an entity without ties to the Chinese Communist Party, Congress intent with the law is to change the nature of the platform, they write. That kind of government action implicates the core concerns that the First Amendment was designed to protect against: government interference in the speech of private parties. Read more: TikTok law threatening a ban if the app isn't sold raises First Amendment concerns 5. What about the others? Security and legal issues aside, the forced sale to a U.S.-based company or ban of TikTok in the United States is a questionable approach to solving the problems the law aims to address: potential Chinese government influence in the U.S., harm to teens, and data privacy violations, writes Arizona State media scholar Sarah Florini. The Chinese government and other U.S. adversaries has long used social media apps owned by U.S. companies to attempt to influence American public opinion. TikTok is hardly alone in posing harm to teens, as the Facebook whistleblower case amply demonstrated. And vast amounts of Americans personal data are already available to any buyer on the open and black markets. Concerns about TikTok are not unfounded, but they are also not unique. Each threat posed by TikTok has also been posed by U.S.-based social media for over a decade, Florini writes. Read more: Banning TikTok won't solve social media's foreign influence, teen harm and data privacy problems WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) TikTok, one of the most popular social media apps, may be banned in the United States. The companys lawyers were fighting in federal court to stop a possible ban. The app must find new owners or get off the app store by January 19th unless lawyers can convince an appeals court to let them stay. Theres no question that the clock has been TikTok-ing pretty quickly on this, said lawyer Seth Berenzweig. TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps for young people, 170 million Americans use it. Even the presidential candidates are trying to connect with young voters on the app. Earlier this year Congress overwhelmingly passed a bill to ban the app, concerned about national security because of TikToks Chinese owners. President Joe Biden signed it in April. Congress had two main issues with the app: the control China had over the content Americans see and the amount of data TikTok collects on American users. This app is a Chinese spy balloon in Americans phones, said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas.). TikToks lawyers argued the law violates free speech, but judges were skeptical the First Amendment applies to companies outside of the U.S. This case is different because it involves something happening abroad, said Judge Srinivasan. Lawyer Seth Berenzweig predicts the government will win in court. I dont think its a very strong case, quite frankly, because I dont think that TikTok has a constitutional First Amendment freedom of speech right, said Berenzweig. The court expects to rule in early December. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Social media app TikTok has come under scrutiny from the US government (Antonin UTZ) (Antonin UTZ/AFP/AFP) TikTok faced pushback in a federal court on Monday in its efforts to stop a law that requires the app to divest from its Chinese ownership or face a ban in the United States. A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals in Washington heard arguments from TikTok, its owner ByteDance, and a group of users claiming that the ban violates free speech and is unconstitutional. The US government alleges TikTok allows Beijing to collect data and spy on users. It also says TikTok is a conduit to spread propaganda. China and the company strongly deny these claims. TikTok has until January to find a buyer or face the ban, which would likely provoke a strong response from the Chinese government and further strain US-China relations. It would also upend the social media business and rile many of the app's 170 million US users. ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, has stated it has no plans to sell TikTok, leaving the app's legal appeal -- focused on US guarantees for free speech -- as its only option for survival. "The law before this court is unprecedented. Its effect would be staggering," said Andrew Pincus, the lawyer arguing on behalf of the wildly popular video-sharing app. "For the first time in history, Congress has expressly targeted a specific US speaker (i.e., TikTok USA)," he added. In their questions, the judges challenged this argument, comparing it to earlier cases in US jurisprudence. This included a case from the 1980s where closing the Palestine Information Office in Washington was deemed legal because it was backed by the PLO, an organization officially designated as a terrorist group. TikTok's lawyer countered: "Mere foreign ownership can't possibly be a justification, because it would turn the First Amendment (protecting free speech) on its head." He added that seeing foreign ownership alone as criteria for forced divestiture "would be a pretty shocking change here," citing other foreign-owned media companies such as Politico, Al Jazeera, and the BBC. The lawyer also questioned why the US law did not target e-commerce sites with similar Chinese ownership. Pincus said that if you followed the US government's logic, which he disagreed with, "certainly those sites could well be susceptible to (China's) action, but they've been excluded by Congress (in the law)." - 'Important questions' - The judges grilled the US government on whether TikTok USA, a US-based company, should be denied its free speech rights. The US government lawyer, Daniel Tenny, insisted that the content being targeted was a recommendations algorithm based at ByteDance in China, not anything created by US users, and that it was therefore out of reach of free speech considerations. "There's really no dispute here that the recommendation engine is maintained, developed, and written by ByteDance, rather than TikTok USA, and that is what's being targeted," Tenny argued. The trio of judges will decide the case in the coming weeks or months, but regardless of their decision, the case is likely to reach the US Supreme Court, experts said. "After listening to the oral arguments, I am more convinced that this case will end up in the Supreme Court," said Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell's Tech Policy Institute. "Overall, the judges sounded more skeptical of the TikTok case but also raised important questions about the First Amendment, foreign influence and standards of scrutiny that I do not think were clearly resolved with today's exchanges, she added. The fate of Americans' access to TikTok has become a prominent issue in the country's political debates, with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump opposing a ban. Democratic President Joe Biden, whose vice president Kamala Harris is running against Trump, signed the law that gives TikTok until January to shed its Chinese ownership or be expelled from the US market. Harris uses TikTok in her campaign for November's election and, despite signing the bill that could kill the app, Biden also created an account. According to a survey from Pew Research earlier this month, just 32 percent of US adults back a TikTok ban. arp/bjt TikTok says US ban would have staggering impact on free speech TikTok argued in court on Monday that a US law - which would see it banned unless it is sold by ByteDance - would have a staggering impact on the free speech of its US users. The law was prompted by concerns that US users' data is vulnerable to exploitation by China's government. TikTok and ByteDance have repeatedly denied links to the Chinese authorities. The companies sued to block the legislation in early May, calling it unconstitutional and an effective ban on the speech of its 170 million US users. A panel of three judges heard its arguments at an appeals court in Washington DC on Monday. "This law imposes extraordinary speech prohibition based on indeterminate future risks," TikTok and ByteDance's lawyer Andrew Pincus told the court. Concerns around China came up early, with Mr Pincus stating that the firm "is not owned" by the country. "The owner of TikTok is ByteDance Limited, a Cayman Islands holding company, he said. But Judge Sri Srinivasan responded that the firm was "subject to Chinese control". Mr Pincus said the US government does not allege any malfeasance has taken place - and the firm was being punished over the suggestion that there might be issues in the future. But he was challenged on his argument that the law would be an unprecedented ban on a single speaker - and his claim that it would be "unfeasible" to divest the US arm of the firm. Judge Ginsberg argued the law is "an absolute bar on the current arrangement of control" of the company, not the company itself. He also said it targeted a group of companies controlled by a so-called foreign adversary, rather than TikTok alone. Constitutional right Jeffrey Fisher, representing creators concerned by the law, said it could impede their constitutional right to work with the editor and publisher of their choice such as TikTok under its current ownership. TikTok creator Tiffany Cianci, who is not among the creators involved in the lawsuit, was livestreaming outside the hearing to update viewers on proceedings. She told the BBC that 65,000 people tuned into her TikTok Live. "The American people care about this issue," she said. "They're tuning in because they're worried about losing something." Political and educational content creator Tiffany Cianci livestreaming outside the E. Barret Prettyman courthouse on Monday. [Getty Images] Ms Cianci added that the platform's use by politicians in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election felt "hypocritical" and made her doubt the security concerns at the heart of the controversial law. "If it were dangerous, they wouldn't be there," she said. Department of Justice lawyer Daniel Tenny argued against TikTok's defence that the code behind its platform is based in the United States. "Theres really no dispute here that the recommendation engine is maintained, developed, and written by ByteDance rather than TikTok US," he said. "It is not expression by Americans in America - it is expression by Chinese engineers in China." Mr Fisher had claimed posts on the platform in the US were American speech that was "at most curated by a foreign company". In addition to data concerns, officials and lawmakers have expressed alarm at the prospect of TikTok being used by the Chinese government to spread propaganda to Americans. However, advocates of America's powerful free speech rights, enshrined in the First Amendment of the US Constitution, have said upholding the divest-or-ban law would be a gift to authoritarian regimes everywhere. Xiangnong Wang, a staff attorney at Columbia University's Knight First Amendment Institute, said repressive regimes worldwide may use it to "justify new restrictions on their own citizens right to access information, ideas, and media from abroad." 'High stakes' But according to James Lewis, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, the law was drafted to withstand judicial scrutiny. "The substance of the case against TikTok is very strong," Mr Lewis said. "The key point is whether the court accepts that requiring divestiture does not regulate speech." Mr Lewis added that the courts usually defer to the president on national security matters. Regardless of how the appeals court rules, most experts agree the case could drag on for months, if not longer. Gautam Hans, clinical professor of law at Cornell Law School, told the BBC he believes an appeal is likely either way. The government's ability to legislate and regulate where national security is concerned is "paramount," he said. "They cannot have that limited by the courts." But the issues are also "existential" for TikTok, he added, with the company saying it cannot divest and would as such have no choice but to shut down. Mike Proulx, vice president and research director at analysis firm Forrester, added the "high stakes" case would likely progress to the US' highest court, the Supreme Court. Additional reporting by Liv McMahon (Bloomberg) -- TikTok faces an uphill battle to avoid a US ban if its Chinese owner doesnt sell the wildly popular social media app, judging from a grilling by an appellate court panel. Most Read from Bloomberg A three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit signaled skepticism of TikToks argument Monday that the law signed by President Joe Biden banning the video-sharing app would violate the companys free speech rights. The US government argued that national security concerns about TikToks Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance Ltd., manipulating the content American audiences see justified the law. This argument did not go well for TikTok, said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Matthew Schettenhelm, after the hearing. Theres a real chance the DC Circuit upholds the law, which would make a last-second long shot plea to the Supreme Court the only realistic path to avoid a ban by Jan. 19. The ban is set to take effect on Jan. 19, but TikTok has indicated it will take the challenge all the way to the US Supreme Court. TikTok and the Justice Department have requested a DC Circuit ruling by Dec. 6. The parties then could ask the full court to look at the case. ByteDance, TikTok and a group of its users argued in court that the law violates the Constitutions First Amendment and would quash the free speech rights of its more than 170 million US users. But suggestions from lawyers for TikTok and its content creators that the company should be able to continue to operate in the US didnt resonate with judges. Suppose the United States is at war with a country and theres a question about whether that foreign country can own a major media source in the US while the war is going on, asked Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan. Is your submission that Congress cant bar the enemies ownership of a major media source in the US? TikToks lawyer, heavyweight Supreme Court litigator Andrew Pincus, replied that in such a scenario the law should be subject to a strict scrutiny test in court to determine whether there is a compelling reason to infringe on rights. Foreign Adversaries There are lots of US speakers Politico, Business Insider, we talked about Reuters that are owned by foreign entities, Pincus said, at another point in the arguments. Judge Neomi Rao interrupted, But not foreign adversaries. Some of the biggest tech competitors to TikTok are likely paying close attention to the case. A TikTok loss is expected to drive more users to Alphabet Inc.s Google, Meta Platforms Inc. and Snap Inc., according to Bloomberg Intelligence. It could also hurt Oracle Corp., which provides internet hosting services to TikTok. The governments arguments also came under question from the judges. TikTok is incorporated in the US and may be entitled to free-speech protection, Rao suggested. She asked whether the government is arguing that the separation between ByteDance and TikTok US is a sham? Daniel Tenny, the governments lawyer, said they werent making that argument. The application of the First Amendment isnt about entities, but activities, he said. The expressive activity that the United States is targeting is the creation and maintenance of the recommendation engine and the content moderation by ByteDance. There are just reams of information that are going back to China, he said. But the panel focused much more on the US governments right to police a foreign adversary than First Amendment concerns, said Michael Forde, a lawyer who specializes in free-speech cases, during an interview following the arguments. The judges were definitely harder on TikTok, he said. Divest-or-Ban Law TikTok argued in court papers that the law would unfairly allow the government to decide that a company may no longer own and publish the innovative and unique speech platform it created, according to the companys petition to the court. But TikToks detractors including the lawmakers who wrote the divest-or-ban law say ByteDance doesnt have constitutional rights because it is a foreign incorporated holding company and in its brief asserts no operations within the United States. The Justice Department claims the Chinese government has the ability to require Chinese companies like ByteDance to gather intelligence on its behalf. Given TikToks broad reach within the United States, the capacity for China to use TikToks features to achieve its overarching objective to undermine American interests creates a national-security threat of immense depth and scale, the Justice Department wrote in its court filing. TikTok has questioned whether the government has evidence that China uses the app to collect information on Americans or influence their behavior. The appellate panel is weighing whether the government can use classified information to argue its case without sharing it with TikTok. TikTok asked that a special master be appointed and that the law be put on hold if the panel lets the government use the secret documents. The panel of judges that will decide that case includes Srinivasan, who is an Obama-appointee; Rao, who was appointed by Donald Trump, and Douglas Ginsburg, a Ronald Reagan-appointee. (Updates with outside comment.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. A panel of federal judges grilled both TikTok and the Justice Department on Monday, wrestling with the question of whether it is constitutional to force the popular social media app to sever ties with China to avoid a U.S. ban. The court is set to rule on a historically unusual law, passed with strong bipartisan support in April, demanding that TikTok shed its Chinese ownership by Jan. 19, or be subject to a ban in the U.S. TikTok and a group of content creators are challenging the law, saying it violates the free speech rights of more than 170 million American users and that Congress failed to consider less drastic measures. The DOJ says the law serves crucial national security interests, and only divestment can address those concerns. During two hours of questioning, a three-judge panel homed in on Chinas current influence over TikTok and two future risks: the possibility of China demanding access to sensitive U.S. user data or altering the apps recommendation algorithms to spread propaganda. The judges examined whether TikToks relationship with Beijing-based ByteDance could undermine its claim to First Amendment protections, which foreign entities operating abroad do not enjoy and to what extent TikToks content curation occurs in China versus the U.S. With other tech giants such as Google and Apple under fire for alleged monopolistic practices in federal courts, the TikTok case offers a different window into the complexity of controlling major tech platforms in a globalized era. While the companys lawyers and advocates mounted arguments about First Amendment protections for a popular online video-hosting platform, its overseas ownership raises untested questions about whether those freedoms can, or should, constrain Congress in the face of possible national security threats. In a typical situation a company without foreign control introducing content manipulation as an issue sets off First Amendment alarm bells, said Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan of the D.C. Circuit and an Obama appointee. But Mondays case is hardly typical. Another judge, Reagan appointee Douglas Ginsburg, told the courtroom, Certainly there's no precedent, no case going either way involving a designated adversary nation. Truly, that might have something to do with the level of scrutiny that a court should apply to a judgment by the Congress about a foreign power. Ginsburg and Srinivasan heard the case, alongside Trump appointee Neomi Rao. Both TikTok and DOJ have requested a ruling by Dec. 6 after which, the losing side can appeal it to the full panel of the federal appeals court or, as expected, to the Supreme Court. Legal experts said that it would be difficult to predict how the court might rule based on their line of questioning Monday. The panel was tough on TikTok, but the judges didnt let the government off the hook either. I've listened to a lot of oral arguments, and I usually have a pretty good sense of who's going to win, Alan Morrison, a dean at the George Washington University Law School and constitutional law expert, said. But I don't have a sense here because they seemed unhappy with everybody. The hearing consolidated three separate suits one filed by TikTok and ByteDance, another by a group of eight content creators and the last on behalf of the media nonprofit BASED Politics. All are asking the court to declare the legislation unconstitutional and to prevent Attorney General Merrick Garland from enforcing it. Jacob Huebert, an attorney for BASED Politics, which publishes free market content on platforms including TikTok, said after the arguments: There were challenging questions for both sides, so theres no telling how any given judge is going to come out on this. The government certainly seemed to be challenged when posed with the hypothetical of a law that would suppress foreign-owned platforms in general across the board, and whether that would be okay. That wasnt the only hypothetical the judges threw at the attorneys, as they attempted to draw parallels to previous cases and situations. Srinivasan repeatedly asked about a potential war breaking out between the U.S. and China, including whether Congress would have more leeway to ban ownership of a major media outlet by a foreign country in that scenario. They referenced previous cases such as Lamont v. Postmaster General in which the Supreme Court upheld Americans rights to receive mail from abroad that the government considered communist propaganda. Judges also brought in the Supreme Courts landmark decisions on social media firms and online speech this summer. At a different point, Rao suggested that it seemed as though TikTok wanted the court to remand the case to Congress for further findings. Congress doesn't legislate all the time, but here they did. They actually passed a law, and many of your arguments want us to treat them like they're an agency, Rao said to the companys attorney, Andrew Pincus. It's a very strange framework for thinking about our first branch of government. Pincus responded that the law itself was unusual for trying to set broader standards for a group of companies controlled by adversarial powers, while specifically targeting TikTok for more immediate action. Public Utilities Commission Chairman Thomas Gleeson, center, is shown at a July 25 meeting. At a Senate Finance committee hearing this month, Gleeson and other PUC leaders were grilled about the selection of Aegle Power as a loan finalist despite red flags. Its application has since been rejected. Gleeson acknowledged at the hearing that the agency and Deloitte, the firm the PUC contracted to administer the Texas Energy Fund, should have caught the flaws in Aegles application. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Public Utilities Commission Chairman Thomas Gleeson is shown at an Aug. 25 commission meeting. The role of your organization has changed dramatically, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, told Gleeson at a Senate Finance Committee hearing this month. Were expecting more from you. Youre not just a (electricity) rate organization anymore. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer The Texas agency overseeing a $5 billion low-interest loan program to help build new power plants, and the firm its paying millions to manage it, missed red flags on an application and chose the project as a finalist for a loan. When the issues came to light, the Public Utility Commission of Texas rejected the application on Sept. 4. But the incident put a cloud over the rollout of the newly created Texas Energy Fund, angering lawmakers and raising questions about the agencys ability to implement the program. The PUC initially advanced the project put forth by Aegle Power, whose CEO, Kathleen Smith, was convicted in 2017 in what the U.S. Justice Department called an embezzlement scheme. Aegle Power also included the name of another company, NextEra, which told the PUC it was included on the application without its knowledge or consent. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The PUC was created to regulate Texas electric utilities market. After the February 2021 winter storm, its responsibilities ballooned as lawmakers passed measures aimed at strengthening the states power grid. Its staff grew by about 50%, and its budget increased significantly, too. Now the agency is tasked with administering a high-risk, taxpayer-backed loan program on a compressed timeline something it has never done before. The role of your organization has changed dramatically, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, told PUC Chair Thomas Gleeson at a Senate Finance Committee hearing this month as lawmakers grilled the agencys leaders about the debacle. Were expecting more from you. Youre not just a (electricity) rate organization anymore. Gleeson acknowledged at the hearing that the agency and Deloitte, the firm the PUC contracted to administer the Texas Energy Fund, should have caught the flaws in Aegles application. Smith, Aegles CEO, did not immediately reply to requests for comment over text and email. She told Hearst Newspapers this month that there was absolutely never any embezzlement. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Gleeson said the project never would have won final approval for a loan because of existing guardrails in the process, but added that the PUC will review its processes and cut Deloittes $107 million contract by at least 10% percent. When youre dealing with public funds, what youre actually dealing with is the public trust, Gleeson said. It is clear that our contractor (Deloitte) needed to do better in their initial review of this company, that our staff needed to hold our contractor more accountable for that review. Voters approved a constitutional amendment to create the Texas Energy Fund last year. The program provides 3% interest loans to build or upgrade gas-fueled power plants an idea lawmakers passed after the 2021 winter storm overwhelmed the state grid, triggering blackouts that left millions of Texans without electricity or heat for days in freezing conditions. Hundreds of people died. The storm knocked out all forms of power generation, including gas-fired power plants. But lawmakers prioritized adding more gas plants to boost the states supply of dispatchable power energy sources that can turn on at any time, unlike renewable sources that rely on wind and sun. The PUC received 72 loan applications totaling more than $24 billion for projects that would produce more than 38,000 megawatts of power. On Aug. 29, the agency announced 17 projects totaling $5.4 billion in loans as finalists for the program. It later rejected the Aegle application. The agency said more finalists could be excluded during the ongoing review process. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Lawmakers mandated in the bill that the PUC begin handing out funds by the end of 2025. Thats a timeline that some grid and energy experts called too aggressive. Theres a lot of pressure to get money out the door on an agency that has no experience running a program like this, said Joshua Rhodes, a research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin. And while the Legislature has increased funding and staff for the PUC over the past several years, lawmakers and experts said the agency likely needed more resources to handle all the new responsibilities its been given to shore up the grid and the states power market. State Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, voted for the Texas Energy Fund but said he was worried about the PUCs ability to implement it. Im sympathetic to the PUC because the Legislature put too much on their plate, Anchia said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas and a member of the Texas Energy Fund Advisory Committee, agreed. We have a lot of really good people in agencies that work really hard, and they need more resources, he said. But weve been telling them we want small government for two decades, not recognizing that small government is supposed to be limited in scope, not limited in ability. Notwithstanding the bumpy rollout, Walt Baum, president of Powering Texans, a trade group that represents power generators, said the program is sound. Overall, its a good start to a program that I think is hopefully well on its way to achieving the Legislatures goal of 10,000 megawatts of new dispatchable generation, he said. Some experts were skeptical that the Texas Energy Fund would add a significant amount of power to the grid a concern that laced debate in the Legislature when it was being considered against other ideas for shaping the electricity market to ensure better reliability. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Critics noted that the loans did not guarantee more power on the grid because companies could retire older power plants and electricity-hungry industries like artificial intelligence could eat up any new capacity. And any new plants built with the loans could quickly become too expensive to operate, critics said. In the current market, gas plants have trouble competing with solar and wind power, which are cheaper energy sources to produce. Power generators and grid experts argued that for new gas plants to be viable, the state will have to fine-tune the market to help them compete. Supporters of the program said the PUC had a rigorous plan in place to run it, and the bungling of the Aegle application was not reflective of a broader, flawed process. I think theyre up to it, said Johnson, the state senator. Ive talked with the PUC about the overall conception of the program, and I was impressed with how well it was thought through. They had sound rules and procedures going into this, added former PUC Commissioner Will McAdams, who advised EmberClear Management, a finalist for a Texas Energy Fund loan, on its application. I believe the PUC was able and is able to process those loans. Still, lawmakers sent the PUC an unambiguous signal: no more missteps. Some threatened to scrap a plan to add another $5 billion to the loan program unless the agency cleaned up its act. A rap sheet as extensive as Ryan Wesley Rouths begs the question: How did Routh stay out of jail? Routh, 58, made his first court appearance Monday in Florida after the apparent attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump. He faces charges of possessing a firearm despite being a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Additional and more serious charges are possible as the investigation continues and prosecutors seek an indictment from a grand jury. But the Florida case is only the latest in a long series of encounters Routh has had with law enforcement over the years. In North Carolina, Routh has a record dating back decades with more than 100 alleged offenses, according to a LexisNexis search of his name. Tax problems also have followed Routh, who racked up 14 judgements and liens, according to LexisNexis. While Rouths charges reach a high tally, many of them were misdemeanors, and he was convicted in only a handful of the total cases. One of the more high-profile incidents happened on Dec. 15, 2002, when Routh was involved in a three-hour armed stand-off with police in Greensboro. He was accused of wielding an automatic machine gun and barricading himself inside United Roofing Co., a business he owned on the former Lee Street. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon of mass destruction in that case, as well as obstructing a police officer and resisting arrest. The weapon of mass destruction charge related to the barricading incident was ultimately dismissed, according to eCourts records. Routh pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of carrying a concealed weapon and resisting an officer. Twice earlier in 2002, Routh was charged with possessing a weapon of mass destruction. The charges stemmed from an incident on April 12, 2002, and another on April 23, 2002. The charge related to the April 12 incident was also dismissed while Routh pleaded guilty in the April 23, 2002, incident, which involved possession of an explosive with detonating cord and blasting cap, according to court documents. The April 12 charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement for the explosive charge. Records in the eCourts system indicate Routh was given a split sentence which included four days of incarceration and five years of probation. As part of his probation, Routh was required to complete a mental health assessment and undergo any recommended treatment, according to court documents. The News & Record has reached out to the court system for additional records on these cases. Guilford County Assistant District Attorney Chris Parrish told the News & Record Monday that he prosecuted Routh in 2010 for three felony counts of possession of stolen goods. While Routh had scores of misdemeanor charges and some felonies over the decades, Parrish noted that only a few met the measure of seriousness to count toward his sentencing in the 2010 case. In 2010, in fact, the only prior convictions on Rouths record were one misdemeanor larceny charge in 1997 and the felony possession of a weapon of mass destruction charge from 2002. After Routh pleaded guilty in 2010 to the three felony stolen goods charges, a judge sentenced him to a consolidated suspended sentence. As of Monday, Parrish said he has not been contacted by federal authorities regarding Rouths criminal history in Guilford County. TikTok and the U.S. face off in court over law that could lead to a ban on the popular platform TikTok content creator Paul Tran talks to the press as he leaves the federal courthouse in Washington, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, after a hearing on TikTok's lawsuit against the federal government. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) TikTok faced off with the U.S. government in federal court on Monday, arguing a law that could ban the platform in a few short months is unconstitutional while the Justice Department said it is needed to eliminate a national security risk posed by the popular social media company. In a more than two-hour appearance before a panel of three judges at a federal appeals court in Washington, attorneys for the two sides - and content creators - were pressed on their best arguments for and against the law that forces TikTok and its China-based parent company ByteDance to break ties by mid-January or lose one of their biggest markets in the world. Andrew Pincus, a veteran attorney representing the two companies, argued in court that the law unfairly targets the company and runs afoul of the First Amendment because TikTok Inc. - the U.S. arm of TikTok - is an American entity. After his remarks, another attorney representing content creators who are also challenging the law argued it violates the rights of U.S. speakers and is akin to prohibiting Americans from publishing on foreign-owned media outlets, such as Politico, Al Jazeera or Spotify. The law before this court is unprecedented and its effect would be staggering, Pincus said, adding the act would impose speech limitations based on future risks. The measure, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was the culmination of a years-long saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China. The U.S. has said it's concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits, that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Officials have also warned the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way thats difficult to detect. Daniel Tenny, an attorney for the Justice Department, acknowledged in court that data collection is useful for many companies for commercial purposes, such as target advertisements or tailoring videos to users' interests. The problem is that same data is extremely valuable to a foreign adversary trying to compromise the security of the United States, he said. Pincus, the attorney for TikTok, said Congress should have erred on the side of disclosing any potential propaganda on the platform instead of pursuing a divesture-or-ban approach, which the two companies have maintained will only lead to a ban. He also said statements from lawmakers before the law was passed shows they were motivated by the propaganda they perceived to be on TikTok, namely an imbalance between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel content on the platform during the war in Gaza. But the panel - composed of two Republican and one Democrat appointed judges - expressed some skepticism, pressing the attorneys on TikTok's side if they believe the government has any leeway to curtail an influential media company controlled by a foreign entity in an adversarial nation. In parts of their questions about TikTok's foreign ownership, the judges asked if the arguments presented would apply in cases where the U.S. is engaged in war. Judge Neomi Rao, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, said the creators suing over the law could continue speaking on TikTok if the company is sold or if they choose to post content on other platforms. But Jeffrey Fisher, their attorney, argued there are not interchangeable mediums for them because TikTok which has 170 million U.S. users is unique in its look and feel, and the types of audiences it allows them to reach. Paul Tran, one of the content creators who is suing the government, told reporters outside the courthouse on Monday that a skincare company him and his wife founded in 2018 was struggling until they started making TikTok videos three years ago. He said they had tried to market their products through traditional advertising and other social media apps. But the TikTok videos were the only thing that drove views, helping them get enough orders to sell out of products and even appear on TV shows. TikTok truly invigorated our company and saved it from collapse, Tran said. Currently, he noted the company - Love and Pebble - sells more than 90% of its products over TikTok, which is covering the legal fees for the creator lawsuit. In the second half of the hearing, the panel pressed the Justice Department on First Amendment challenges to the law. Judge Sri Srinivasan, the chief judge on the court who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, said efforts to stem content manipulation through government action does set off alarm bells and impact people who receive speech on TikTok. Tenny, the attorney for the DOJ, responded by saying the law doesn't target TikTok users or creators and that any impact on them is only indirect. For its part, TikTok has repeatedly said it does not share U.S. user data with the Chinese government and that concerns the government has raised have never been substantiated. In their lawsuit, TikTok and ByteDance have also claimed divestment is not possible. And even if it was, they say TikTok would be reduced to a shell of its former self because it would be stripped of the technology that powers it. Though the governments primary reasoning for the law is public, significant portions of its court filings includes information that's redacted. In one of the redacted statements submitted in late July, the Justice Department claimed TikTok took direction from the Chinese government about content on its platform, without disclosing additional details about when or why those incidents occurred. Casey Blackburn, a senior U.S. intelligence official, wrote in a legal statement that ByteDance and TikTok have taken action in response to Chinese government demands to censor content outside of China. Though the intelligence community had no information that this has happened on the platform operated by TikTok in the U.S., Blackburn said it may occur. But the companies have argued the government could have taken a more tailored approach to resolve its concerns. During high-stakes negotiations with the Biden administration more than two years ago, TikTok presented the government with a draft 90-page agreement that allows a third party to monitor the platforms algorithm, content moderation practices and other programming. But it said a deal was not reached because government officials essentially walked away from the negotiating table in August 2022. Justice officials have argued complying with the draft agreement is impossible, or would require extensive resources, due to the size and the technical complexity of the platform. They say the only thing that would resolve the governments concerns is severing the ties between TikTok and ByteDance. TikTok heads to court Monday morning to fight for its survival in the U.S. in a political environment sharply changed from just five months ago, when Congress overwhelmingly voted to ban or force a sale of the app. In a historically unusual targeting of a single company for its Chinese ties, the TikTok law passed in April with a wave of support from both Democrats and Republicans before being signed by President Joe Biden. Since then, TikTok and its Beijing-based parent company ByteDance have sued to block the law, as have other groups, saying it violates users First Amendment rights and that the government failed to provide sufficient proof of the app posing a security threat. Mondays oral arguments in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals will be the first chance for federal judges to weigh those claims. The law initially triggered predictions that TikTok would become effectively an outcast in Washington. Some Hill offices reportedly considered targeting lobbying firms associated with the company for backlash, and in May, House Majority Leader Steve Scalises (R-La.) office successfully pressured the Washington-based tech lobbying group NetChoice to drop TikTok from its membership rolls. But instead of being exiled, TikTok has been embraced as a mainstream political communications tool, with both presidential tickets now on TikTok, and their parties featuring the apps creators prominently at their conventions. Political content and memes flow outward from TikTok to other social media platforms, and are often boosted by the candidates. It has grown enormously, to the point where its among the most dominant forms of communication in the election, said James Haggerty, a communications consultant and attorney who has worked on First Amendment issues. Even as the government is trying to ban Tiktok, those who run the government, that is politicians, are squeezing every last drop out of it. This summer, both tickets leaned into TikToks power to capture the youth vote. Trump joined in June. After Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee in August, her team rebranded the Biden campaigns TikTok account, ramped up posting to multiple times a day, and launched a second personal account. For the first time, the Democratic National Convention gave credentials to over 200 creators, and the Republican National Convention to more than 70 creators, offering them access and perks rivaling traditional press. Five creators, all active on TikTok, scored coveted speaking roles at the DNC podium, part of the partys strategy to reach nontraditional audiences. Its popularity doesnt necessarily change the trajectory of the case, however. On Monday, three judges will question the Department of Justice on the governments national security concerns that prompted the law, and the company on its argument that a potential ban would be an unconstitutional suppression of free speech. Obama appointee Sri Srinivasan, Trump appointee Neomi Rao, and Reagan appointee Douglas Ginsburg will decide the case. Both sides requested a ruling by Dec. 6. The hearing consolidates three separate suits one filed by TikTok and ByteDance, another by a group of eight content creators and the last on behalf of the media nonprofit BASED Politics. All are asking the court to declare the legislation unconstitutional and to prevent Attorney General Merrick Garland from enforcing it. Even after Mondays arguments, it will likely still be difficult to predict the course of the case, in part because of the secrecy surrounding the government's security claims. The DOJ submitted classified materials that are central to the case. Neither TikTok nor the public has been able to view them, and even if the judges are ultimately convinced by that evidence, they cant openly talk about it in court or write all the relevant details in their opinion. This is a pretty favorable panel to the government, University of Minnesota law professor Alan Rozenshtein said, cautioning that this argument because of this classified information wildcard is going to be even harder to process, in the sense of predicting what it means for TikTok in this case. The case is expected to proceed to the Supreme Court, so Mondays judges are unlikely to have the final word, said University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias. The Supreme Court will be tempted to take it, he said. It has such enormous implications. Under the law, TikTok has until Jan. 19 to find a suitable buyer. If the case ends up in the Supreme Court, that deadline would likely expire before the court could deliver an opinion on whether the law is constitutional. But it could also grant TikTok a stay, pausing the law while it considers the case. In the meantime, a president Trump or Harris could ask Congress to repeal or modify the law, though the bill passed with overwhelming support among both parties. If the law holds, there is little a new president could do to save TikTok unilaterally. Even in the event that Trump who vowed to never ban TikTok after joining the platform in June wins the election and directs his attorney general to not enforce the law, observers predicted that companies running app stores and internet service providers would still be reluctant to take on the risk of hosting TikTok. I think it would be insane for a general counsel to sign off on that because you're still violating the law, and Trump is incredibly fickle, and it's just like, why would you do this?," said Rozenshtein. TikTok, which has long banned political ads, seems to be recognizing its role as a growing destination for news, advocacy, and campaigning. Last week, the company revealed several changes to improve information about the upcoming election on the app. It plans to launch a new landing page explaining how elections work, roll out in-feed media literacy videos, and tighten security requirements for verified political and government accounts. The News Lawyers for the social media app TikTok were in federal court Monday to argue against a potential ban in the United States. The Biden administration signed a law in April that gave TikTok until mid-January to either decouple from its Chinese owner, ByteDance, or face a ban. US lawmakers have voiced concern that Beijing could use TikTok to influence its more than 170 million users in the US, or even as an espionage tool. In arguments Monday, TikToks lawyer said the law imposes extraordinary speech prohibition based on indeterminate future risks, and reiterated an argument made in court filings that a potential sale was not possible within the US deadline. A decision is not expected to be made before Novembers US presidential election. SIGNALS Next US president will likely be unable to save TikTok Sources: Politico, Axios If the courts uphold the law, there is little the next US president could do to save TikTok, Politico argued. Former President Donald Trump, who unsuccessfully tried to ban the app in 2020, has more recently reversed his opposition, while Vice President Kamala Harris is part of the administration that signed the bill into law, Axios noted. Her campaign has embraced TikTok as a communication tool in the lead up to Novembers election, and both candidates campaigns invited a record number of creators to their party conventions. But even if a future President Trump stops the laws enforcement, experts predict that app store companies and internet service providers could still be reluctant to take on the risk of hosting TikTok, Politico wrote. Mounting fears in the West over China surveillance Sources: CNN, BBC, The New York Times The Justice Department and US lawmakers have focused on TikToks Chinese ownership as a national security threat, and the law has become a symbol of bipartisan opposition to China, CNN wrote. Surveillance by China is a growing concern in some Western countries, where officials have warned that they are falling behind Beijing in terms of intelligence and are more vulnerable to spying, the BBC reported. While the UK, US, and Europe have recently accused individuals with ties to China of political interference, Beijing is now directing its influence efforts to local, state, and country governments, which are not as savvy at detecting such efforts, experts told The New York Times. US will have to contend with enacting unpopular ban Sources: The Washington Post, Vox Even if TikTok loses its court case, theres a chance the company wont comply, a former State Department case officer told The Washington Post. ByteDance has said it will resort to export-control rules to avoid selling its powerful algorithm, which could force the US to enact an unpopular ban, or back down and risk emboldening companies to believe that the government is not as powerful as it claims, the Post argued. And if TikTok gets banned, lawmakers broader concerns about national security would be better addressed through comprehensive digital privacy legislation similar to the EUs GDPR, a free-expression advocate told Vox. Social media app TikTok has come under scrutiny from the US government (Antonin UTZ) (Antonin UTZ/AFP/AFP) TikTok will attempt to convince a federal court on Monday that a law requiring the video-sharing app to divest from its Chinese ownership or face a ban in the United States is unconstitutional. The fate of Americans' access to TikTok has become a prominent issue in the country's political debate, with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump opposing any ban of the wildly popular app. Democratic President Joe Biden, whose vice president Kamala Harris is running against Trump, signed the law that gives TikTok until January to shed its Chinese ownership or be expelled from the US market. ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, has stated it has no plans to sell TikTok, leaving the app's legal appeal -- focused on US guarantees for free speech -- as its only option for survival. A ban would likely provoke a strong response from the Chinese government and further strain US-China relations. A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear arguments from TikTok, ByteDance, and a group of users. They will primarily contend that the law violates free speech rights. The judges will decide the case in the coming weeks or months, but regardless of their decision, the case is likely to reach the US Supreme Court. "There is no question: the Act will force a shutdown of TikTok by January 19, 2025," TikTok's appeal stated, "silencing those who use the platform to communicate in ways that cannot be replicated elsewhere." TikTok also argued that even if divestiture were possible, the app "would still be reduced to a shell of its former self, stripped of the innovative and expressive technology that tailors content to each user." TikTok asserts that "the Constitution is on our side," as it pushes for a ruling that would favor the app and its 170 million American users. The US government counters that the law addresses national security concerns, not speech, and that ByteDance cannot claim First Amendment rights in the United States. "Given TikTok's broad reach within the United States, the capacity for China to use TikTok's features to achieve its overarching objective to undermine American interests creates a national-security threat of immense depth and scale," the US Justice Department wrote in its filing. The US argues that ByteDance could and would comply with Chinese government demands for data about US users, or yield to Chinese government pressure to censor or promote content on the platform. - 'Vote for Trump' - TikTok first faced scrutiny under former president Trump's administration, which tried unsuccessfully to ban it. That effort was halted when a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump's move, citing in part the potential infringement of free speech rights. Trump has since changed his position. "For all of those that want to save TikTok in America, vote for Trump," he said in a video post last week. In a measure of the app's popularity, Biden's reelection campaign created a TikTok account earlier this year. Biden has since stepped aside from his reelection bid, but Harris, running in his place, also maintains a presence on the app, having embraced social media as a means to communicate with younger voters. The new effort signed by Biden was designed to overcome the previous legal hurdles Trump faced, but some experts believe the US Supreme Court will have difficulty allowing national security considerations to outweigh free speech protections. Much of the US side's national security arguments are sealed, which "complicates efforts to evaluate" them, said professor Carl Tobias of the University of Richmond School of Law. "However, the US Supreme Court has generally been very cautious about accepting national security arguments when government regulation restricts First Amendment rights, especially involving the internet," he added. arp/nro Titan sub hearings live: Testimony concludes as Coast Guard hears about build up to OceanGate disaster OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush allegedly declared that he would buy a congressman to make issues surrounding the Titan subs certification go away, a witness testified. Matthew McCoy, who worked at the submersible company for six months from April 2017, addressed the Titan Marine Board of Investigation panel on Friday for the final day of the two-week long hearing into Titans disaster voyage in June 2023. After raising concerns about an alleged lack of certificate of inspection for the first Titan sub in 2017, McCoy testified that Rush told him, I would buy a congressman to make problems disappear during a lunch meeting. The ex-OceanGate employee said that he quit soon after. He was either trying to intimidate me or impress me, he testified. McCoy also alleged that the OceanGate engineering department was full of college interns during his time at the company, adding that he doesnt believe there was a professional engineer on staff. Captain Jamie Frederick, member of the US Coast Guard who oversaw rescue mission of the Titan and its five crew, began testifying after McCoy. Coast Guard Search and Rescue Specialist Scott Talbot was the last person to testify. Key points The Coast Guards nearly two-week hearing on the Titan sub tragedy has concluded Stockton Rush allegedly told employee hed buy a congressman to make Titan issues go away OceanGate engineering department full of college interns, ex-employee testifies Newly unearthed detail may have had drastic impact on Titan search efforts OceanGate hearing highlights 21:50 , Michelle Del Rey OceanGates submarine relied on idiotic Excel spreadsheet Shock photo shows how Titan submersible fell apart before implosion Map shows how close Titan came to Titanic wreck after deadly implosion OceanGate CEO understood regulations but didnt hire' a safety officer, ex-employee says 21:22 , Michelle Del Rey When asked if OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush understood the regulations in place at that moment of time, ex-employee Matthew McCoy, who worked at the submersible company for a short stint from April 2017, replied that I absolutely do. McCoy then testified that he doesnt believe there was a professional engineer on staff. He added that he believes there was no safety officer working at OceanGate at the time. First subsurface search and rescue case in my 30-year Coast Guard career, witness testifies 21:07 , Michelle Del Rey Captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard detailed the unprecedented situation that the Titan search and rescue mission brought with it. He said that in the entirety of his 30 year Coast Guard career, most of which was conducting search and rescue missions, hed never been deployed on a subsurface mission. Frederick testified that he isnt aware of any other subsurface S&R missions conducted by the Coast Guard before. The Coast Guards nearly two-week hearing on the Titan sub tragedy has concluded 20:32 , Michelle Del Rey Coast Guard and NTSB officials gave a brief statement before concluding with the hearing on Friday. Hearing about to conclude with closing statements 20:20 , Michelle Del Rey Talbot has finished speaking. After a quick break, Coast Guard officials will return to begin closing statements. OceanGate refused to execute search patters sent by Coast Guard 20:00 , Michelle Del Rey Talbot says the company did not do the search patterns given by the Coast Guard because they were more concerned [Titan] had not resurfaced and were focused on finding its location sub surface with the equipment they had on board. US Coast Guard has not updated safety protocols after Titan submersible tragedy 19:43 , Michelle Del Rey Talbot says the federal agency has not made any changes to their standards when responding to sub sea incidents after the Titan tragedy but suspects that an after action report could yield some changes. Read it: OceanGate confirms earlier prototype of imploded Titan submersible was struck by lightning 19:16 , Michelle Del Rey A representative for OceanGate has confirmed to The Independent that the hull of the Titan submersible which imploded last summer was not struck by lightning. Citing public records, the representative explained that it was, in fact, an earlier prototype hull that was struck by lightning in 2018. This comes after OceanGates former engineering director, Tony Nissen, testified on Monday during the US Coast Guards public inquiry into the implosion, saying he believed the hull had been compromised by a lightning strike during the test dive in the Bahamas. Read more by Emma Guinness. OceanGate confirms earlier prototype of imploded Titan sub was struck by lightning Scott Talbot, a search and rescue specialist with the Coast Guard, is currently testifying 18:52 , Michelle Del Rey Talbot is testifying about the US Coast Guards response to the OceanGate tragedy. Scott Talbot, far right, testifying during the hearing (US Coast Guard hearing) Coast Guard captain who led Titan search and rescue efforts will testify later this morning 18:38 , Michelle Del Rey A member of the US Coast Guard who oversaw the rescue mission of the Titan submersible in June 2023 is set to testify today. Captain Jamie Frederick will give testimony at approximately 10.45am ET in front of Titan Marine Board of Investigations panel. Frederick, of the First Coast Guard District Response Department, regularly spoke to press to provide information on the search for the Titan and its five passengers on board. Captain Jamie Frederick addresses the press at Coast Guard Base Boston on June 21, 2023 (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Captain Jamie Fredericks testimony convenes, hearing returns at 1.30pm 17:23 , James Liddell The second witness of Fridays hearing has wrapped up their testimony. The Marine Board has wrapped up for lunch and will return at approximately 1.30pm ET. Conflicting intel surrounding Titan noises and sub implosion 17:10 , James Liddell Navy intelligence provided to the Coast Guard detailed that noises were heard from where they believed Titans was located, Captain Jamie Frederick testified. The intel was initially classified and not revealed to the victims families or the media. Based on intel from the Navy, the Coast Guard couldnt confirm 100 per cent that it was an implosion. At the same time, we were receiving conflicting evidence from P-3 [aircraft] and sonar that there were knocking noises, Frederick testified. Newly unearthed detail may have had drastic impact on Titan search efforts, witness says 17:00 , James Liddell Captain Jamie Frederick was show a document titled Exhibit 64 by the panel: a line of questioning the Coast Guards panel had asked the master of the Polar Prince (the vessel Titan was launched from), during their evidence gathering stage in October 16, 2023 (months after the implosion). Did you or crew members hear or see anything after communications were lost with Titan that could have indicated that the submersible had imploded, the document read. The Polar Prince master answered: With the benefit of hindsight, I now believe that I felt the Polar Prince shudder at around the time communications were reportedly lost, but at the time we thought nothing of it it was slight. That detail would have absolutely changed the search and rescue efforts, Frederick said. The Coast Guard was not alerted of that information, he said. Thats the first Ive seen To me personally that would be unconscionable that they wouldnt share that with the unified command, Frederick testified. Its a piece of info we didnt have, he continued. Its information that could have had a drastic impact on the search efforts. Coast Guard employee testifies whether OceanGate provided all available information during search 16:41 , James Liddell Captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard, who ran the search and rescue mission into the missing Titan sub, addressed whether he believed OceanGate provided all available information during the search. There is so much information that has been discussed over the past two weeks, Frederick said in reference to the Titan Marine Board of Investigations two-week long inquiry. We didnt have a fraction of that. He continued: We certainly didnt have the level of information that has been brought forth. 16:36 , James Liddell Captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard detailed the moment he learned of noises coming from the location where Titan disappeared. Really as soon as the P-3s started flying so Monday June 19. A couple things we did there: we investigated the noises with the Polar Prince (Titans mothership from which it was launched) and their sonar ability. He added there were additional P-3 flights dispatched. Data was packaged together and handed over to the US Navy, Frederick testified. By either Tuesday 20 June, 2023, or Wednesday 21 June, 2023, the Navy sent back a report, which concluded that sounds were not coming in regular intervals after it was believed they were being made in 30 minute intervals, he testified. Frederick added that the Navy said the noises were not human in nature. He first shared information with families before alerting the media. Search conditions were good 16:27 , James Liddell In general terms the search conditions were good, testified Captain Jamie Frederick, who was in charge of the US Coast Guards search and rescue mission to find the Titan sub. We werent hampered severely by weather, he added, but noted that aircraft [was] limited to 500ft ceiling at certain points during their search. There were no Coast Guard staff shortages at the time, Frederick testified. All S&R equipment was in good working order, he added. Coast Guard witness outlines logistical challenges of getting ROV to Titans location 16:23 , James Liddell Captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard said there were logistical challenges in finding and sending a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to the area Titan disappeared. What were looking for is a 6,000m ROV, he said. Those resources are limited and they need to be available, and available quickly. OceanGate reached out to Pelagic Research Services who eventually provided an ROV, Frederick testified. The Coast Guard (with support from the United States Transportation Command) chartered three C-17 Globemaster aircraft to New York to pick up the ROV. In total it amounted to 70,000lbs of equipment, posing an extreme logistical challenge, Frederick testified. Coast Guard captain reveals initial challenges in search for Titan 16:07 , James Liddell The case is challenging for many reasons, Captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard began. He noted the distance off-shore, the lack of presence from the Canadian Coast Guard initially and a 3,000 meter ROV (remotely operated vehicle) depth. Frederick added that the US Coast Guard sent out C-130 Hercules aircraft, with the New York International Guard and Canadian Air Force also sending out planes. As Search and Rescue Coordinator, Frederick could direct Canadian assets. Captain reveals moment Coast Guard received call about overdue Titan 15:57 , James Liddell On Sunday we received a call into the district command center at 17.40, Captain Jamie Frederick testified of the moment Titan disappeared on June 18, 2023. It was a report for an overdue submersible at the side of the Titanic. An overdue vessel, in the simplest terms, means you have confirmed departure from a location, and confirmed non-departure that would put you in the distressed phase. He continued: Youre talking about a multidimensional search: subsurface and surface. A Coast Guard crew flew to the area to conduct a surface search, Frederick said. The US Navy was probed for available resources, which they did not have to hand, he added. US Coast Guard captain who led search for Titan begins testimony 15:39 , James Liddell Captain Jamie Frederick, the US Coast Guard employee who oversaw the rescue mission of the Titan submersible, has begun giving testimony to the Titan Marine Board of Investigation. First witness, ex-OceanGate employee Matthew McCoy, finishes testimony 14:57 , James Liddell Matthew McCoy, a former OceanGate employee who worked at the company between April and September in 2017, has finished with his testimony. OceanGate engineering department full of college interns, former employee testifies 14:40 , James Liddell Ex-OceanGate employee Matthew McCoy testified that the submersibles engineering department didnt seem overly qualified, while he worked at the company in 2017. He again said he was concerned after learning that OceanGate had broken ties with Boeing and the University of Washingtons engineering department. Who is the qualified individual making these decisions?, he added. McCoy claimed that OceanGate engineers consisted of college interns during the summer of 2017. Ex-OceanGate employee didnt think theyd dive Titan 14:35 , James Liddell Matthew McCoy testified that after handing in notice following his lunch with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush (as per previous post), he didnt think theyd dive Titan. OceanGate CEO said he would buy a congressman to make problems go away, witness testifies 14:29 , James Liddell Matthew McCoy said he had lunch with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and OceanGates director of quality assurance Scott Griffith and raised concerns about an alleged lack of certificate of inspection for the first Titan sub in 2017. I would buy a congressman and make the problems go away, McCoy said that Rush told him. He was either trying to intimidate me or impress me, he testified. McCoy said that he handed in his notice the following day. Ex-OceanGate employee reveals first alarm bell 14:20 , James Liddell During my time there [at OceanGate], I learned that the company had basically broken ties with the applied physics lab at the University of Washington, and the explanation wasnt clear as to why, OceanGate employee Matthew McCoy testified. He referred to this as his first alarm bell. McCoy said that the second alarm bell was that Boeing wasnt going to be doing the carbon fiber for the first Titan sub hull. Ex-OceanGate employee Matthew McCoy begins giving testimony 14:06 , James Liddell Matthew McCoy, a former member of the US Coast Guard before working for OceanGate for six months from April 2017 to September 2017, is the first witness of the day to begin testifying at approximately 9.05am ET. I had zero experience with any sort of underwater vehicle at the time, he testified, before saying he helped support on test dives and training. Titan hearing begins, despite power outage due to storm Helene 14:04 , James Liddell Jason Neubauer of the Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis Deputy Chief began the hearings final daily opening at 9am ET. The inquiry at Charleston County Council Building, South Carolina, was predicted to be delayed due to Hurricane Helene making landfall in Florida on Thursday evening. Despite a power outage, Neubauer says, the hearing is now under way. Schedule: Three witnesses set to testify on hearings final day 13:33 , James Liddell Three more witnesses, including a final ex-OceanGate employee, are set to testify in front of Titan Marine Board of Investigation on Friday morning. Matthew McCoy, who worked for the submersible company, will testify at 9am ET. Captain Jamie Frederick of the Coast Guard Sector Boston will address the Coast Guards panel at 10.45am, before Rescue Specialist Scott Talbot is due to give testimony at 1.30pm. Closing remarks will be made at 3.15pm before the final breakdown at 5.15pm. Titan debris 300m from Titanic site 13:03 , Alex Lang New maps show just how close the Titan sub was to the Titanic wreck site before disaster hit. While the Titans last known position before the implosion was 1,600ft away from the bow of the Titanic, its debris was found much closer to the bow at 300m away, Coast Guard officials said. Maps were released on Thursday showing the distance between the two. US Coast Guard to hold final day of hearings into Titan disaster 12:27 , Rachel Sharp The US Coast Guards two-week long hearing into the Titan submersible is set to conclude today. Fridays hearing will begin with testimony from Commander Zachary Roberston of the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center. Then, the board will hear from Captain Jamie Frederick with the Coast Guard Sector Boston. Frederick was involved with the Titan search efforts and regularly provided updates to the media last summer. The final witness will be Scott Talbot, a search and rescue specialist with the Coast Guard. After the final witness, the board will hear closing statements. Follow along here for live updates when the hearing begins. Live coverage to resume Friday morning 02:00 , Katie Hawkinson Live blog coverage of the Titan submersible investigative hearings is paused until the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation reconvenes on Friday morning. OceanGate co-founder claims milestone in quest to put humans on Venus 01:00 , Katie Hawkinson The OceanGate co-founder has claimed the latest milestone in his quest to colonise Venus as the inquiry into the Titan submersible disaster continues. Read more: OceanGate co-founder claims milestone in quest to put humans on Venus Recap: Coast Guard inspector testifies Friday 27 September 2024 00:00 , Katie Hawkinson John Winters with the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound testified today, revealing his interactions with OceanGate and Stockton Rush. Former OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush complained to Winters several times about the Coast Guards regulatory processes, he testified. He did express on multiple occasions that regulations were stifling his innovation process, Winters said of his conversations with Rush. Despite this, OceanGate never attempted to circumvent any regulations, Winters added. Winters worked to evaluate the safety of OceanGates Antipodes vessel. OceanGate wanted to obtain a small passenger vessel certification from the Coast Guard but did not receive it, Winters said. He also revealed that OceanGate did not ask the Coast Guard to inspect the doomed Titan vessel that imploded last year. Shock photo shows how Titan submersible fell apart two years before implosion Thursday 26 September 2024 23:00 , Katie Hawkinson This weeks hearings revealed that, in 2021, the dome part of the doomed Titan vessel fell off after a dive. That vessel would go on to catastrophically fail two years later, imploding underwater and killing all five people on board. Learn more about the 2021 malfunction from The Independent: Shock photo shows how Titan submersible fell apart before implosion Final hearing schedule Thursday 26 September 2024 22:00 , Katie Hawkinson The final hearing in the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigations inquiry into the Titan submersible will begin Friday morning. The hearing will kick off with Commander Zachary Roberston of the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center. Then, the board will hear from Captain Jamie Frederick with the Coast Guard Sector Boston. Frederick was involved with the Titan search efforts and regularly provided updates to the media last summer. The witness list will end with Scott Talbot, a search and rescue specialist with the Coast Guard. The board will then hear closing statements before the final hearing day ends. Hearing ends for the day Thursday 26 September 2024 21:13 , Katie Hawkinson Thursdays hearing ended after Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Duffett of the Coast Guard Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance testified to the board about submersible regulations. The final scheduled hearing in the investigation will take place tomorrow. Coast Guard member testifies on mission specialists and paid passengers Thursday 26 September 2024 19:59 , Katie Hawkinson Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Duffett of the Coast Guard Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance spoke to the issue of mission specialists on board the Titan and other vessels. The issue has come up repeatedly during this hearing. Other witnesses have testified that OceanGate may have been labeling passengers as mission specialists when they did not do specialized work on board the Titan. Its clearly a dodge of trying to go around US regulations with passengers, Karl Stanley, a close friend of CEO Stockton Rush and owner of a diving company in Honduras, testified Tuesday. A member of the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation asked Duffett about these mission specialists: OceanGate, on multiple occasions, took at least three people on board who paid to become OceanGate designated as mission specialists on missions that departed from US cities...Would these mission specialists be considered, or would this operation be considered, a small passenger vessel operation? Duffett told the board that regulations state that paid passengers arent crew members. If you have paid, then you dont qualify as a member of the crew, Duffett testified. Second Coast Guard witness begins final testimony of the day Thursday 26 September 2024 18:57 , Katie Hawkinson Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Duffett of the Coast Guard Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance has begun his testimony. He is the final witness of the day. Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Duffett of the Coast Guard Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance testifies (US Coast Guard) Coast Guard inspector ends testimony Thursday 26 September 2024 17:47 , Katie Hawkinson John Winters, a master marine inspector with the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, has ended his testimony. The hearing is now on break for lunch and will resume at 1:45 p.m. EDT. OceanGate never attempted to circumvent any regulations, Coast Guard inspector said Thursday 26 September 2024 17:34 , Katie Hawkinson OceanGate never attempted to circumvent any regulations even as CEO Stockton Rush complained they were stifling his innovation, according to John Winters, a master marine inspector with the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound. He did express on multiple occasions that regulations were stifling his innovation process, Winters said of Rush earlier on Thursday. OceanGate did not ask Coast Guard to inspect Titan, inspector says Thursday 26 September 2024 17:00 , Katie Hawkinson OceanGate did not ask the Coast Guard to inspect the doomed Titan submersible, according to John Winters, a master marine inspector with the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound. Winters said he only spoke to former Oceangate CEO Stockton Rush about the sub in passing when he mentioned wanting to take a vessel to the Titanic wreckage. Stockton Rush complained about Coast Guard regulations, safety inspector said Thursday 26 September 2024 16:52 , Katie Hawkinson John Winters, a marine inspector with the Coast Guard, testified that former OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush complained about regulatory processes. He did express on multiple occasions that regulations were stifling his innovation process, Winters said of his conversations with Rush. Winters worked to evaluate the safety of OceanGates Antipodes vessel. OceanGate wanted to obtain a small passenger vessel certification from the Coast Guard but did not receive it, Winters testified. Coast Guard safety inspector worked with Stockton Rush to evaluate safety of OceanGate vessel Thursday 26 September 2024 16:45 , Katie Hawkinson John Winters, a marine inspector with the Coast Guard, interacted directly with former OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, he revealed on Thursday. Winters worked to evaluate the safety of Antipodes, another vessel made by the company. We basically took the submarine apart, put it back together, and tested every single system on the submarine, Winters said. OceanGate wanted to obtain a small passenger vessel certification from the Coast Guard but did not receive it, Winters testified. The company had to instead apply for an oceanographic research vessel certification, which they obtained. Coast Guard marine inspector testifies Thursday 26 September 2024 16:20 , Katie Hawkinson John Winters with the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound has begun his testimony before the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation. Winters is a master marine inspector and helps train other inspectors. John Winters of Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound testifies before the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation on Thursday (US Coast Guard) OceanGate co-founder claims milestone in quest to put humans on Venus Thursday 26 September 2024 16:15 , Emma Guinness The OceanGate co-founder has claimed the latest milestone in his quest to colonise Venus as the inquiry into the Titan submersible disaster continues. Taking to LinkedIn, Guillermo Sohnlein, 58, shared a post about a new biopod with its own climate system that could be used to help humans thrive on the otherwise uninhabitable planet. Read more: OceanGate co-founder claims milestone in quest to put humans on Venus Boeing engineer begins testimony Thursday 26 September 2024 15:17 , Katie Hawkinson Mark Negley, an engineer with Boeing, is now testifying before the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation Negley once sent Rush his safety analysis of Titans hull, WIRED reports. He warned that there would be a high risk of significant failure if the contraption went to the depth of the Titanic wreckage. Mark Negley of Boeing testifies on Thursday (US Coast Guard) Shock photo shows how Titan submersible fell apart before implosion Thursday 26 September 2024 15:14 , Emma Guinness The ongoing public hearing into the Titan submersible disaster has revealed that part of the experimental vessel fell off before it imploded last June. Better known as the Titanic tourist sub, the Oceangate submersible had a controversial design that raised concerns inside and outside of the company before it led to the deaths of five men. Former Oceangate operations director David Lochridge revealed last week that he was actually fired for raising his concerns. It is believed that the vessels carbon fibre hull considered by experts to be unsuitable for use at depth was weakened on repeat dives to the Titanic wreck, which lies at around 12,500 feet below the North Atlantic Ocean, as testified by National Transportation Safety Board engineer Don Kramer on Wednesday. Read more: Shock photo shows how Titan submersible fell apart before implosion Thursday hearing kicks off with NASA engineer Thursday 26 September 2024 14:22 , Katie Hawkinson Todays hearing before the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation kicked off with testimony from Justin Jackson, a materials engineer with NASA. OceanGate had approached NASA about performance testing in their deep-sea facility, Jacksons testimony revealed. Soon afterward, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and OceanGate sought other partners as in-person facility use was limited, Jackson said. Testimony to resume on Thursday Thursday 26 September 2024 13:18 , Alex Lang Testimony in the OceanGate Titan sub hearings before the US Coast Guard are set to resume today. Expected to testify are experts from the Coast Guard, NASA and Boeing. They are expected to talk more about the disaster that claimed the lives of five people. It's part of 10 days worth of testimony as investigators try to determine what went wrong before the implosion and if there were warning signs that were missed by OceanGate officials. Blog coverage to resume Thursday morning Thursday 26 September 2024 02:00 , Katie Hawkinson Wednesdays testimony before the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation has ended. Blog coverage will resume when the next hearing begins on Thursday morning. The final messages between the doomed Titan submersible and its support ship, the Polar Prince have been revealed, piecing together the final moments for the OceanGate vessel's five passengers who died last June when the expedition went awry, killing everyone aboard. The messages were made public as part of what is expected to be a two-week hearing into the incident that started on Monday. The evidence, presented by U.S. Coast Guard officials, detailed how the Titan and Polar Prince were in routine communication for approximately 40 minutes after the craft began its decent to the ocean floor to tour the wreckage of the Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada around 9:20 a.m. on June 18, 2023. However, just before 10 a.m. an issue arose, and communication temporarily dropped off. According to People, the Polar Prince had repeatedly asked the Titan whether the ship could be seen on its display. When it initially received no answer, the messages became more urgent until the Titan finally responded 15 minutes later, acknowledging that it had communication. The Polar Prince sent a message back stating "I need better comms from you," to which the Titan responded "yes" and that it had "lost system oand [sic] chat settings." After being asked for its status and, for a second time, whether the support ship could be seen on the display, the Titan responded "yes" and "all good here" at 10:15 a.m. Nine minutes later, the Titan seemed to indicate to the Polar Prince that it was "east south east" of the bow of the undersea wreckage. After the Polar Prince asked for a third time whether the Titan could see the ship on its display, the Titan asked if the Polar Prince was also at the bow. The Polar Prince responded that it was "making our way there your position jumps significantly each ping." The Coast Guard said that the final message from the Titan was sent at 10:47 a.m., at a depth of about 3,350 meters and a pressure of 4,900 pounds per square inch, when the vessel said that it had "dropped two [weights]," and then contact was almost immediately lost. The messages were believed to have been sent by French deep sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, whose family has since filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against OceanGate. In addition to Nargeolet, 77, the other victims included OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, British adventurer Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his 19-year-old son, Sulaiman Dawood. Four days after communication was lost, a debris field was discovered on the ocean floor less than 2,000 feet away from the wreckage of the Titanic, concluding a search and rescue operation that gripped the world. Just weeks later, OceanGate said that it was ceasing all exploration and commercial operations. 'Titan' submersible. - Credit: Alamy The last message from the imploded Titan submersible seemed to suggest the crew thought they were all good here before they lost contact. The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation revealed the final communication with its support ship the Polar Prince on Monday, the first day of a two-week hearing about the deadly incident. According to an animated video about the tragedy, the Titan went underwater near the Canada coast around 9:30 a.m. on June 18, and exchanged communication with the ship for 40 minutes before issues seemed to arise as the ship repeatedly asked the submersible if it could see the Polar Prince on its display. More from Rolling Stone Fifteen minutes later, the submersible responded by saying it had lost system [and] chat settings. At 10:15 a.m., after the ship asked again, status? do you see the polar prince on your display? the Titan submersible responded yes and all good here. The first photo taken of the Titan submersible on the ocean floor, after the implosion. pic.twitter.com/EVvxsLaZa3 Domenico (@AvatarDomy) September 16, 2024 Communication then became shaky again before the submersible lost contact once more. The last message received by the ship was that the submersible had dropped two wts, regarding its weight. Less than a second later, contact was then lost. The Titan submersible imploded and killed five people near the Titanic wreckage in the North Atlantic Ocean in June 2023. The craft, owned and operated by OceanGate Expeditions, was designed to take high-paying customers on deep-sea adventures, such as seeing the Titanic up close. The five people on board included pilot and OceanGates founder and CEO Stockton Rush, British aviation businessman Hamish Harding, Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his 19-year-old son, Suleman. In a statement last October, the Coast Guard said its Marine Board of Investigation recovered the remaining remnants with presumed human remains being transported for analysis by U.S. medical professionals. According to the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation, the two-week hearing will review testimony from technical experts, crew members, and other relevant parties, and will examine evidence related to the submersibles design, operation, and safety protocols. Best of Rolling Stone Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. A top poll showing Trump narrowly ahead in Iowa is a warning sign for his campaign Donald Trump's lead over Kamala Harris has dwindled since Joe Biden left the race. The Des Moines Register's Iowa poll found Trump's lead among likely voters is down to just 4 percentage points. Trump is still likely to win Iowa, but the poll underlines the struggles he may face elsewhere. In 2016, Donald Trump's nine-point victory in Iowa was part of what became a sweeping sea change in the state's politics. But even as he's favored to win again for the third-straight cycle, a new poll hints that Trump's reelection bid may be in trouble in nearby Midwest states. Iowa shifted from being a swing state to one where Republicans are firmly in the driver's seat. The Iowa legislature is dominated by the GOP, and the state's congressional delegation now consists solely of Republican lawmakers. When Trump ran for reelection in 2020, he easily won Iowa, dashing Democrats' hopes of a comeback in a state that, in 2008 and 2012, had backed Barack Obama whose political career was launched in neighboring Illinois. Barring a massive political shift, Iowa is set to support Trump in November. In June, before President Joe Biden stepped aside as the Democratic nominee, Trump had a huge 18-point lead (50% to 32%) over Biden in a Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll of likely voters. But in a newly released poll from the highly respected pollsters, Trump only led Vice President Kamala Harris by four points (47% to 43%) among likely voters, a stunning figure that shows Harris has made up considerable ground compared to Biden. Iowa Democrats, like others throughout the country, are overwhelmingly enthusiastic about Harris' candidacy, according to the poll. But in Iowa, Trump is also faltering with female voters, the poll found, a reflection of an enduring gender gap that threatens his chances in the seven swing states he'll need to win in November and has made the race closer than expected in the Hawkeye State. If signs of major electoral weaknesses can be found in Iowa, what does that say about his overall chances? Trump has a female voter problem nationally and in Iowa Even in June, when Biden was still in the presidential race, Trump had a low favorable rating among independent women in Iowa. At the time, women overall favored Biden nationally. But Harris' entry into the race strengthened her support among female voters across the country. In Iowa, the gender gap is as pronounced as it is in many swing states. The latest Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll showed Harris with a 17-point advantage over Trump (53% to 36%) with likely female voters, while male voters supported Trump by a larger 27-point margin (59% to 32%). On the campaign trail, Trump has touted his three Supreme Court appointments, which led to the 2022 decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and sent the issue of abortion back to the states. It's a decision that continues to haunt Republicans across the country, as the party has suffered myriad electoral losses over the past two years tied to issues involving reproductive rights. In July, a six-week abortion ban went into effect in Iowa. It's a reflection of the agenda of the state's GOP-led legislature, which championed the law. But in an Iowa poll conducted last year, 61% of all voters said abortion should be legal "in most or all cases," with 70% of Iowa women expressing that opinion. In the latest Iowa poll, state voters gave Harris an 11-point point edge over Trump (53% to 42%) on the issue of abortion. On every other major issue polled, from immigration to housing prices, Trump held an advantage over the vice president. Trump has struggled to refine his messaging on the issue for swing voters in key states like Georgia and Pennsylvania, which has given Harris a major opening. And it currently works to her advantage. Abortion isn't an issue that can be neatly put in an ideological, partisan box. There are Republican voters who back some form of abortion rights despite the GOP's overall anti-abortion stance. That's created trouble for Trump among voters of all stripes, even in Iowa. Vice President Kamala Harris has narrowed Trump's polling edge in Iowa. Win McNamee/Getty Images Meanwhile, Harris has clearly changed the race. National polling mirrors what the Iowa survey found regarding an explosion of enthusiasm among the Democratic base. This is one of the main reasons that Trump's massive lead is now trending closer to his 2020 margin. The Iowa poll found that Iowans under age 45 are now 10 points more likely to vote, while voters with a college degree are nine points more likely to vote and those who live in cities are now six points more likely to vote. "This poll may be catching newly energized voters who thought they would sit out the election at the time our June poll was taken," pollster J. Ann Selzer told The Register. Trump's slim Iowa lead could point to problems in more competitive states Trump is still heavily favored to prevail in Iowa. Election forecaster Nate Silver's model gives the former president overwhelming odds to carry its six electoral votes. After all, Democrats control just one of the statewide offices. Still, the poll shows why the intense focus on the seven swing states can sometimes be detrimental. Look no further than former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the longtime Democrat who endorsed Trump and abandoned his third-party run. Kennedy is fighting to get off the ballot in swing states, but he missed the deadline to remove himself from the Iowa ballot. The Iowa poll found that six percent of voters still back Kennedy, a decrease from June but still a number that could cause headaches. It's also not certain that Kennedy will get his wish to be taken off the ballot in every swing state, as Wisconsin officials and Michigan's highest court have rejected his efforts. An equally intriguing poll of Alaska, a state that is notoriously difficult to survey, showed Trump with only a five-percentage point lead there despite carrying Alaska by just over ten points in 2020. Thanks to at-large Rep. Mary Peltola, there are actually more Democrats in Alaska's congressional delegation than Iowa's, even though a Democratic presidential nominee has only carried Alaska once (Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964) since it was admitted to the union. It's far more likely that the Iowa survey illustrates Trump's struggles elsewhere. The poll found that Harris performs best with voters who live in the suburbs and those with a college degree, two demographics where Trump has long had problems. The good news for Trump is that the Iowa poll shows he's doing well among rural voters and those without a college degree, two groups that fueled his 2016 victory over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Trump and Iowa Republicans have relied heavily on working-class voters to make the state more red. And working-class voters hold considerable sway in key states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. If Trump hopes to regain the White House, he'll need to make sure his gains among the working class outweigh his losses among women. Read the original article on Business Insider Police in Topeka killed Taylor Lowery in the midst of a mental health episode. His family has filed a lawsuit. (Douglas Sacha/Getty Images) Our civic institutions depend on public trust. On belief. But sometimes, what police ask us to believe strains credulity, such as officers shooting someone 34 times for holding a wrench. In the aftermath of such shootings, district attorneys rarely hold law enforcement accountable. Consider the lawsuit filed recently on behalf of Taylor Lowerys estate. What Lowerys family experienced wont boost public trust. LaRonna Lassiter Saunders, a lawyer for the family, said Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay put out a misleading report on the shooting. Kagay said he believed the report generated by his office was a thorough and accurate summary. If the given quote is accurate, we believe a reckless allegation would be a more accurate way to characterize her claim, Kagay said. As an attorney licensed in Kansas, Ms. Saunders should be aware of the consequences of making false statements, which can lead to criminal, civil and disciplinary ramifications. Lassiter Saunders shot back: If it is indeed accurate, release the video! Threats dont scare me misrepresentations to the public do. This case involved Topeka police fatally shooting the 33-year-old Lowery on Oct. 13, 2022. Officers shot him 34 times, Lassiter Saunders said. Lowery got out of the car after reaching a convenience store and rushed to a car where the door stood ajar. He began running around, with officers trying to surround him. The officers were trying to get control of a tense though controlled situation. When officers with body cameras arrived, Lassiter Saunders said, Lowery had a wrench in his hand. That is contrary to the narrative from authorities who claimed Lowery was armed with a knife. Not far away, Officer Malcolm Gillum had conducted a traffic stop and heard an officers needing help call go out over the radio, so he rushed to the scene. Gillum may have heard gunshots over the radio at some point in the transmission, Lassiter Saunders said. She said tensions seemed controlled at the scene as officers tried to corral Lowery. So much so, that a detective, who wasnt wearing a body camera, approached and pushed Lowery, and Lowery dropped the wrench. Lassiter Saunders said Gillums arrival immediately escalated tensions. It was at about the time the detective pushed Lowery that Gillum began firing. The other officers began firing, too. At least two of the officers had not completed training, she said. Topeka police and the Kansas Bureau of Investigations both issued news releases saying officers fired when Lowery advanced toward them while holding a knife, which isnt true, according to court documents based on the body camera video. A couple of things stood out to the lawyer. First, a detective pushed him, Lassiter Saunders said. No one is going to push him if hes carrying a knife. Second, she said that Lowery never lunged, and other officers did not appear ready to shoot until Gillum arrived. Never at any point did he lunge, Lassiter Saunders said. In fact, he had his right foot behind him, looking as though he were about to run. The officers were not in, Lets shoot him, mode. But Gillum showed up, she said, and started shooting. Gillum now works as a Kansas Highway Patrol officer, she said. Dan Garrett, director of communications and media relations for the City of Topeka, said all of the involved officers were placed on administrative leave while the Kansas Bureau of Investigation reviewed the incident. Kagay did not file charges against the officers. Officials released a 15-page report that included still shots from body cameras, but Lassiter Saunders said the narrative Kagay created for public consumption was misleading. The DA slipped up because one of the still shots (from body camera footage) he released actually shows the knife on the ground, Lassiter Saunders said. That knife remained on the ground by Officer Gillums foot, as he opened fire on Mr. Lowry. The officers knew it was a wrench because after they shot him, they ask if he was still holding the wrench. The manipulation she accused Kagay of has less to do with justice and more to do with public relations. Kagay and (city attorney Amanda) Stanley seemed to want to block public access because this has the potential to go nationwide on the same level as George Floyd, she said. The coverup has been just as egregious as the crime. She said when she and Lowerys daughters mother arrived to view the video footage, it appeared to totally blindside Lieutenant Sturgeon. It was clear he had believed the (police) report. He just kept saying I dont know, Im just seeing this. It was clear he knew he had stepped in it by allowing unfiltered access to the video. So, what happened then? By the time I brought (her) back to review footage, the city attorney and the Topeka Police Department had made the process harder to view the footage by establishing a $50-an-hour fee, the signing of a certification form, and restricting parts of the video, Lassiter Saunders said. Garrett said the city fully complied with KSA 45-254, the statute that allowed for a reasonable fee for viewings under its provisions. The city generally waives this fee for the first viewing in cases of officer-involved shootings, but reasonable fees are charged for subsequent viewings, Garrett said via email. The city does not redact footage that an individual is entitled to view, Garrett said. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Lowerys juvenile daughter, alleges officers used excessive force, and that the city did not sufficiently train or supervise officers. It also said that the city denied requests for body camera footage and other information, such as witness statements. One of my biggest issues is the lack of humanity and valuing of life, Lassiter Saunders said. (Lowery) was hit over 30 times. It was traumatizing for me. I just couldnt believe what I was seeing. The initial officer appeared to empty his clip and the others just joined in. There were nonlethal means police could have used to gain compliance, she said, including Tasers, clubs or pepper spray. This doesnt happen everywhere. Departments protect some communities while they police others. American police can kill with little to no consequence because of an invented legal standard called qualified immunity, a rule created by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1982. It prohibits citizens from suing officers who violate their rights unless an earlier court ruling found that the very same action by officers was unconstitutional. Qualified immunity fits neatly into our society, where half of the population worships law enforcement and naively believe police dont lie, cheat or steal despite mountains of evidence. Worse, we dont have a national database for reporting police misconduct. State agencies remain stingy with the information each collects video, files, etc. Consequently, prosecutors charge and convict few police officers. How big is this issue? In Chicago, police misconduct settlements between 2011 and 2018 totaled $398 million, according to data compiled by The Chicago Reporter. Topeka is no Chicago. Still, questions abound. Why do some Kansas police trainees receive weapons before completing training? Why have body cameras if police departments can release footage they believe justifies their actions but bury footage damning to police narratives? Why are police departments asking policed communities for trust when they routinely resist earnest, commonsense transparency and accountability measures? Powerful people and organizations resisting accountability should concern us. Lassiter Saunders said she wanted Topekas chief of police and city manager to add mental health professionals to crisis situations. Police need to collect more data on officer-involved shootings, and that Topeka needs a DA willing to hold police accountable. She said shes a Topeka native and can remember hearing about police misconduct, but that she hadnt seen it as closely as she does now via video. What shed most like to see is more integrity. If an officer steps out of line, other officers should hold that officer accountable. Qualified immunity continues to destroy trust in communities that get policed, but not protected. We need more data, new transparency standards for the release of body cam footage, and more district attorneys willing to hold police accountable when they shoot someone with a wrench 34 times. Until then, this is all just make-believe. Mark McCormick is the former executive director of The Kansas African American Museum, a member of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission and former deputy executive director at the ACLU of Kansas. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here. Town at center of US migrant conspiracies hit with 33 bomb threats People watch as Springfield Police Department officers investigate the Springfield City Hall after bomb threats were made against buildings earlier in the day in Springfield, Ohio, on September 12, 2024 (ROBERTO SCHMIDT) (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/AFP) The town of Springfield has seen some three dozen bomb threats as it endures being the center of Republican-boosted conspiracy theories about immigration, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said Monday. "We have received at least 33 separate bomb threats," DeWine told a news conference in the city. They were all hoaxes, he said, adding that some of them have come from a foreign country, which he did not name. Racist rumors, amplified by top Republicans including presidential candidate Donald Trump, have falsely said that the town's Haitian immigrant community is stealing and eating people's pets and causing a crime wave. Since Trump declared "they're eating the dogs" at last week's presidential debate, threats of bombings, shootings or other violence have poured in, including on Monday when two schools were shut down. Some Haitians living in the city have told AFP they feared for their lives. The mayor has said he is receiving death threats. It was unclear if DeWine's figure included the threats about shootings and other violence, or the bomb threat made Monday against the Ohio state legislature, in Columbus. Two schools in Springfield were evacuated Monday, local media reported, though authorities had not yet released details about the threats that prompted the closures. The local ABC affiliate in Columbus reported that the statehouse threat "included derogatory remarks about Springfield's Haitian's population." "Our children deserve to be in school," DeWine said, announcing that 36 troopers from the state Highway Patrol would be stationed throughout the city to provide extra security. The troopers will sweep the schools each morning and remain on site throughout the day, said DeWine, a Republican who has pushed back against the rumors amplified by his party. DeWine did not elaborate on how many threats came locally versus from abroad. "Some of them are coming from one particular country," he said. "We think that this is one more opportunity to mess with the United States, and they're continuing to do that." The mostly white town in the American Midwest has seen a boom in population in recent years, fueled mostly by Haitian immigrants attracted by its economic revival, and new businesses happy to attract laborers. Frustrations over the growing pains of the city -- where some 10-15,000 Haitians have arrived, in a town that had fewer than 60,000 people in 2020 -- have spiraled into a racist backlash amid a heated political campaign leading up to November's presidential election. nro/dw An East Helena man convicted for his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in Washington, D.C., told 60 Minutes in a story broadcasted Sunday he still believes the 2020 election was stolen and that his actions that day were patriotic. Jerod Hughes, 39, who along with his older brother, Joshua, pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding, spoke to CBS journalist Scott Pelley for a story by the television news magazine that included U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, retired conservative federal judge Thomas Griffith and Officer Daniel Hodges of the DC Metropolitan Police. I still feel very strongly, Hughes, 39, said when Pelley says he must have felt deep commitment to drive 2,000 miles from Montana to Washington, D.C. This way this country is headed my paycheck my wife is disabled and it is hell for us to try and make it with the tens of thousands of dollars of medical bills and a lot of us see Donald Trump, the outsider coming in, and trying to help us out, help the little guy out against the big government. The rioters entered the Capitol in protest of the 2020 election going to Democrat Joe Biden and not to Trump, the incumbent Republican. Jerod Hughes was sentenced Jan. 6, 2023, the two-year anniversary of the riot, to 46 months in prison, three years of supervised release and $2,000 in restitution. Joshua Hughes was sentenced Nov. 22, 2022, to 38 months of incarceration, three years of supervised release and $2,000 in restitution. The brothers pleaded guilty Aug. 25, 2022, to an obstruction of an official proceeding charge. At one time they faced nine felony counts each. The brothers placed themselves at the tip of the spear that day and were among the first 10 rioters to enter the Capitol building, federal prosecutors said. The brothers turned themselves in to authorities after they returned to Montana and initially were incarcerated in early 2021. 60 Minutes showed video footage of Jerod Hughes inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, and kicking open a door so the mob can rush in. And it shows him yelling at officers. No matter how I look at it, I share some of the responsibility of what happened that day, letting people in, being part of that mob," Hughes said. "I did not personally fight with any cops or engage with any officers, but I have a lot of family who are police officers and I have a tremendous amount of respect and I did not like seeing them being assaulted. Pelley pointed out there was not a lot of respect shown by Hughes for police shown in the video. No, absolutely, Hughes said. I will hold my hand up and say I should not have been screaming at those cops. Its not something I am proud of. In a Dec. 30 sentencing memo, Hughes' attorney states he was responding to the entreaties of the Commander in Chief to save the country. It is only in retrospect he has learned that he was responding to the clarion call of a charlatan, the 12-page memo says. Defendants intentions were noble in that he was responding to a call to sacrifice and civic duty as a citizen. It is only in hindsight that he recognizes that he was a misguided, naive dupe. Hughes said Sunday he got a lot of his news raising questions about the 2020 election from Fox News, the internet and obviously Trump himself saying the election was stolen. If I find out I was dead wrong on this and the election was legit and Joe Biden got the most votes in presidential history, I would be extremely embarrassed, I would hold my hand up and say I was wrong. I am an idiot. Hughes said. I dont believe that, though. And whether I was right or wrong, I believe what we did was patriotic, because we truly believe the election was stolen, for a number of reasons. We really believe that. 60 Minutes noted Hughes, shown wearing an ankle monitor, has served time in prison but is spending his final days of incarceration under home detention. Graves said guidelines for prosecution were put in place under the Trump administration and continued under the Biden administration. The prosecution focused on people who entered into the Capitol, engaged in violent or destructive behavior, helped others enter, and illegally carried firearms or other weapons on Capitol grounds. Not everyone who was there that day was charged, he said. The charges range from trespassing to the most serious: seditious conspiracy. Graves told 60 Minutes that seditious conspiracy, of which 14 people have been convicted, is a Civil War-era statute that accuses people of using force against the government to interfere with the operations of the government. The news story reported that 1,000 defendants have been convicted so far in connection with the riot. About 350 trials are still pending and the FBI is still searching for suspects. Also, more than 900 80% of those charged have pleaded guilty. Trump, a Jan. 6 defendant, has referred to those now incarcerated as hostages. Thomas Griffith, a retired conservative federal judge who co-wrote the report Lost, not stolen, a yearlong study by conservatives into the 2020 election, told 60 Minutes there was no evidence that fraud changed the outcome of the election in any precinct. Hodges, the DC Metropolitan Police officer, was pinned against a door in the West Front Tunnel by the rioters. He said he had his gas mask yanked from his face and was beaten in the head with his own riot baton. Graves told Pelley 140 law enforcement officers suffered injuries that day. Hodges said that if those found guilty are pardoned, they would feel justified for what they did. He said they could do it again and it would be incredibly destructive for the fabric of the country. To read the story or watch the interview, go to https://go.helenair.com/6cwi0a. Editor's note: Spelling of Jerod Hughes' first name has been corrected from earlier version. Two men have been arrested on suspicion of breaking into a property filled with 300 cannabis plants. Durham Police was called to an address on Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland, after an alarm was activated at 03:00 BST. The force said the suspects fled the scene in a vehicle but officers spotted them and "followed the car to a nearby service station". A 38-year-old and a 32-year-old were arrested on suspicion of burglary and cultivation of cannabis. The older suspect was also arrested for driving without insurance and while under the influence of drugs. Durham Police said the plants had been seized from the building and would be dismantled. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk. Related internet links Alexa Wilkinson At least two thousand people marched on Washington, D.C. on Saturday, September 14 as part of the historic Gender Liberation March, demanding bodily autonomy in the form of gender-affirming healthcare and reproductive justice. Kicking off around noon at D.C.s Columbus Circle, the Washington Blade reports that attendees chanted, Abortion rights are trans rights as they passed the Supreme Court before landing in front of the headquarters for the Heritage Foundation, the far-right organization that published the infamous Project 2025 policy blueprint. That document details an ultra-conservative vision for Donald Trumps hypothetical second White House term which includes slashing federal funding for gender-affirming care and restricting access to abortion wherever possible. However, the mood outside the Heritage Foundation wasnt a somber one. Instead, participants in the Gender Liberation March enjoyed a set from DJ Griffin Maxwell Brooks and vogued during an ensuing dance party, all while others waved trans flags and signs featuring messages like Gender Liberation Now! and Liberate Trans Migrant Futures Beyond Gender and Borders. Alexa Wilkinson A post-march speaking program featured actor Elliot Page, comedian Julio Torres, and author Geena Rocero, along with other LGBTQ+ icons and activists. One particularly powerful comment came from abortion storyteller Nick Lloyd with the organization We Testify, who talked about the solidarity that they received from trans women after having an abortion as a trans man. When we fight for liberation, we need to make sure we are fighting for liberation for all of us, Lloyd said, per the Blade. The Gender Liberation March comes at a time when the right to make decisions about ones body is widely under threat in the United States. At the time of writing, the Trans Legislation Tracker reports that 658 anti-trans bills have been introduced across the country in 2024. Meanwhile, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, 14 states have enacted near-total abortion bans since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Apart from the fact that all of right-wing governments attempts to police their citizens bodily autonomy are interconnected, the Gender Liberation March recognized how vital reproductive healthcare can be for trans and gender nonconforming people, as well. Alexa Wilkinson It was important for us to have that moment in front of the Heritage Foundation as a way to bring our queer joy right to their offices and show that no matter what they have planned, they will not win, they will not break us or our spirit, co-organizer Eliel Cruz said in a statement. Our communities are resilient and we will always come together and fight back against these attacks to control our bodies and decisions about our healthcare. As the 2024 presidential election looms, the Gender Liberation March also marked an opportunity for progressive LGBTQ+ and reproductive justice advocates to organize together. As Them reported last month, many of the marchs organizers were involved in creating the 2020 Brooklyn Liberation March, which highlighted the epidemic of homicides against Black trans people. They partnered with activists like Womens March co-founder Sarah Sophie Flicker, as well as advocates from organizations like Familia: TQLM, Gen Z for Change, Solutions Not Punishment, Trans Latin@Coalition, and We Testify. The march also featured a festival, including tents that gave out diverse books, a memorial area honoring victims of anti-trans and gender-based violence, a youth area featuring drag queen story area, and a get out the vote space. Regardless of what the rest of 2024 brings, the Gender Liberation March teams efforts are just beginning. (Them executive editor Fran Tirado is a co-organizer of the Gender Liberation March.) This is just the start, co-organizer Raquel Willis told Them last month. This is really just the debut of the Gender Liberation Movement, and were working toward a complete paradigm shift. Our agenda is gender liberation, and for us, its a world where everyone is less stifled by gendered expectations. See more photos from the event below: Alexa Wilkinson Alexa Wilkinson Alexa Wilkinson Alexa Wilkinson Alexa Wilkinson Alexa Wilkinson Alexa Wilkinson Alexa Wilkinson Get the best of whats queer. Sign up for Thems weekly newsletter here. Originally Appeared on them. Trial begins for man charged in Lancaster County crash that killed siblings LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) The trial for a truck driver who was charged with hitting and killing a brother and sister in Lancaster County in 2021 begins Monday. Northern Lancaster County Regional Police say Cesar Torres of Florida had struck a vehicle carrying siblings Leonard Christian Kasper, 18, and Brandie Leigh Kasper, 21. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now abc27 Evening Newsletter The two were trapped inside the overturned vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene due to smoke inhalation, burns, and traumatic injuries sustained in the crash. Police say their lengthy investigation concluded that Torres caused the crash when he failed to stop for a visible red light despite enough space and time to see the light and make a controlled stop. According to court documents, Torres was charged with vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter. Torres, who returned to Florida following the incident, was extradited to Pennsylvania in 2022, where he remained at Lancaster County prison. Today, Torres faces a criminal trial. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) The trial of the Rankin County teenager accused of killing her mother began on Monday, September 16. Jury selection began Monday morning in the trial of Carly Gregg, and opening statements were made by the prosecution and the defense Monday afternoon. Motion to move Carly Greggs trial to Youth Court denied The first witness was called to the stand after opening statements, and the court played the recording of the 911 call made by Greggs step-father after he was allegedly shot by the teen on March 19, 2024. While the recording was being played for the court, Gregg could be seen crying next to her attorneys. According to the defense, a family history of mental illness led up to the shooting. However, prosecutors believe evidence and other witnesses will testify to Greggs behavior. They said she had a secret life with burner phones, social media accounts and a boyfriend. Last week, the court denied a motion to transfer Greggs case to Youth Court. The state said Gregg cannot plead insanity because of voluntary intoxication. They said she admitted she used marijuana just days before her mother was killed. During a court appearance in August, Gregg rejected a plea deal in which she would be sentenced to 40 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC). The case will now go to trial, and Gregg faces up to life in prison. Carly Madison Gregg (Courtesy: Rankin County Sheriffs Office) Ashley Smylie (Courtesy: Rankin County School District) A grand jury previously indicted Gregg on the counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and tampering with evidence. The shooting happened just after 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19 in the 200 block of Ashton Way. When deputies arrived at the location, they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the shoulder. The man told deputies that he arrived home and found his wife, who was identified as 40-year-old Ashley Smylie, deceased from an apparent gunshot wound. He claimed his 14-year-old step-daughter was armed with a pistol. Rankin County teen accused of killing mother rejects plea deal According to Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, the victim stated Gregg shot him in the shoulder. The man was able to take the weapon from the teenager, who then ran into the backyard and jumped over a fence. Bailey said additional deputies responded to the scene, along with the Mississippi Highway Patrols (MHP) helicopter. Just after 5:30 p.m., Gregg was located not far from the residence and taken into custody without incident. During her initial court appearance, Gregg pled not guilty to the charges. Her bond was set at $1 million. She is being held in the Rankin County Adult Detention Center. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily 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 WJTV. PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) A Prince William County judge has set the trial date for Naresh Bhatt, who is accused of killing his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, and concealing her body. Prosecutors said they believe that Naresh killed Mamta at the end of July when she went missing. Authorities charged him with concealing a dead body. However, according to police, she has not been found. The couple have a 1-year-old daughter together. Defense for husband of Mamta Kafle Bhatt pushes prosecutors to turn over evidence Nareshs defense team has been working to speed up the legal process in the case as the search for Mamta is ongoing. Most recently, prosecutors were forced to turn over evidence to the defense, including police body camera footage, transcripts of Nareshs communication with police and photos and videos. Nareshs trial will begin on Dec. 9, 2024, at 9 a.m., with a pre-trial hearing set for Nov. 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 DC News Now | Washington, DC. French citizen Laurent Vinatier sits in a cage in a courtroom in the Zamoskvoretsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov) MOSCOW (AP) The trial of a French citizen arrested in Russia on charges of unlawfully collecting information on military issues started Monday but was quickly adjourned for a month. Laurent Vinatier, arrested in Moscow in June, had earlier admitted guilt, setting the stage for a fast-track trial without a detailed examination of evidence. But quickly after the trial opened on Monday, the judge adjourned the hearing until Oct. 14 when prosecutors will declare the sentence they will seek. Vinatier's lawyer, Aleksey Sinitsyn, said the trial was adjourned because the prosecution needed more time to prepare for final arguments. If convicted, Vinatier could face up to five years in prison. Detentions on charges of spying and collecting sensitive data have become increasingly frequent in Russia since it sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Vinatier's arrest came as tensions flared between Moscow and Paris following President Emmanuel Macrons comments about the possibility of deploying French troops in Ukraine. Russian authorities accused Vinatier of failing to register as a foreign agent while collecting information about Russias military and military-technical activities that could be used to the detriment of the countrys security. The prosecutors accused Vinatier of collecting military information during his meetings with three Russian citizens in Moscow in 2021-2022. The Russian citizens weren't named in the indictment. Vinatier is an adviser with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, a Switzerland-based nongovernmental organization. The NGO in June said it was doing everything possible to assist him. The charges against Vinatier relate to a law that requires anyone collecting information on military issues to register with authorities as a foreign agent. Human rights activists have criticized the law and other recent legislation as part of a Kremlin crackdown on independent media and political activists intended to stifle criticism of its actions in Ukraine. Forecasters have issued tropical storm warnings for coastal areas of the Carolinas, according to the National Hurricane Center. Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight, which hasnt formed but is predicted to soon, is expected to bring impacts within 48 hours from Edisto Beach, South Carolina, to Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina. More than 2 million people in the area are under tropical storm warnings Monday. Tropical storm-force conditions could start as soon as Sunday night along the coast, eventually bringing flooding rains, heavy winds and storm surge to the impacted area. The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline, the hurricane center said. The forecast calls for 1 to 3 feet of storm surge at South Santee River, South Carolina, to Oregon Inlet, North Carolina; Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina; and Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. The unorganized disturbance has maximum sustained winds estimated to be 45 mph and was moving northwest at 3 mph, hurricane center forecasters said in their 2 a.m. update. The potential tropical cyclone sits about 115 miles east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. For the latest forecast and weather news from CNNs team of meteorologists, click here. Sign up for email updates for significant storms, click here. The system is expected to become a tropical storm by Monday, acquiring the name Helene. On the forecast track, the center of the system should reach the coast within the warning area on Monday, the National Hurricane Center said. The disturbance could strengthen in the hours before landfall because of the very warm waters in the Atlantic and relatively low wind shear, according to the hurricane center. Heavy rain will be a concern going into the work week. Through Wednesday, Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight will bring 3 to 6 inches of rainfall with isolated totals near 8 inches across northern and northeast portions of South Carolina along with the North Carolina Coastal Plain, forecasters said. The forecast calls for 2 to 4 inches of rainfall with isolated totals up to 6 inches stretching north into Virginia. This rainfall could lead to isolated to scattered flash and urban flooding and minor river flooding, forecasters warn. The storms expected arrival comes as much of the region has already seen above average rainfall this year, largely due to Debby, which as a tropical depression, brought a flash flood emergency to Charleston and widespread rainfall reports of 6 to 12 inches across the Carolinas just over a month ago. As with all spinning, landfalling tropical systems, a couple of tornadoes are possible and some may touch down across eastern North Carolina on Monday. Flood watches are in place for more than 8 million people across the Carolinas, including those in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Raleigh, North Carolina. The system will bring the potential for scattered flash and urban flooding and minor river flooding across eastern North Carolina and northeast South Carolina from tonight into early Tuesday. There is also a risk of isolated flash and urban flooding across much of the Mid-Atlantic region through Wednesday, forecasters said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com TROTWOOD, Ohio (WDTN) A Trotwood man has been indicted for allegedly shooting and killing one man earlier this month. According to Prosecuting Attorney Mat Heck, Jr., the Montgomery County Grand Jury indicted Timothy Robert Lynch on: Two counts of murder One count of felonious assault with a deadly weapon One count of felonious assault causing serious physical harm One count of having weapons under disability The shooting occurred on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 5. An officer pumping gas overheard a gunshot and was shortly after dispatched to a scene in the Belle Meadows Apartment Complex. Man dies after shooting in Trotwood; suspect in custody Two men had been driving ATVs in a parking lot of the apartment complex when one of the vehicles became disabled. As the men attempted to fix the ATV, another man, later identified as Lynch, told the men to leave the premises. Lynch allegedly returned to his apartment, retrieved a firearm and fired one shot at the men, striking 28-year-old Erik Quiroz. Upon arrival at the scene, the officer discovered Quiroz had been shot. Witnesses said Lynch left on a motorcycle and was later stopped by another officer. Quiroz was transported to Miami Valley Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. 1 person shot in Trotwood; police searching for suspect Lynch is currently being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1 million bond. He will be arranged on Thursday, Sept. 19, 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 WDTN.com. (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government will make 30-year mortgages available to all first-time buyers and to buyers of newly built homes as the embattled leader tries to win back the approval of younger Canadians. Most Read from Bloomberg The government will also begin allowing mortgage default insurance on homes worth up to C$1.5 million ($1.1 million), an increase from the current cap of C$1 million. That means buyers can bid on more expensive homes even if they have less than a 20% down payment as long as they purchase insurance. We are now making the boldest mortgage reforms in decades to unlock homeownership for younger Canadians, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a news release. The moves will take effect Dec. 15. Canada cracked down on lengthy mortgage amortizations during the 2008 global financial crisis. Until this year, buyers who required government-backed default insurance on their mortgages were limited to 25-year amortizations. Trudeau and Freeland took a step toward loosening that rule in April, allowing 30-year amortizations on insured mortgages only for first-time buyers purchasing newly built homes. Mondays announcement will significantly expand the pool of buyers who can access 30-year loans, which substantially lowers monthly payments. Insured first-time buyers represent roughly 20% of the market in Canada, while new builds make up about 4%, Freeland said. Freeland noted that the insured-mortgage cap hadnt been adjusted since 2012. Housing prices in Canada have doubled since then, with the average price in August reaching C$1.1 million in Toronto and C$1.3 million in Vancouver. The announcement raised questions about whether the moves would juice the housing market and saddle younger Canadians with more debt. The countrys households are the most indebted in the Group of Seven and over-investment in real estate has been blamed as a source of a persistent productivity crisis. The governments actions may mean interest rates wont need to fall as much to spark a housing market rebound, said Benjamin Reitzes, rates and macro strategist at Bank of Montreal. My bigger concern is that the market has calmed and behaved as well as policymakers could have hoped, and now were adding fuel, he said by email. Canadian households have been responsibly de-leveraging driven by higher rates, and these changes will only incent increased debt burdens. In a June research paper, Desjardins economist Marc Desormeaux analyzed the potential impact of extending mortgage amortizations in Canada. He concluded that while the policy change would immediately help those in a position to buy, the medium-term outcome would be an increase in home prices. Affordability would eventually become even worse than in the base case as initial gains are overcome by a more dramatic rise in home values, he wrote. At a news conference, Freeland pushed back on concerns that the policies would inflate housing prices. She said extending the amortization period for new builds would help create more supply, and her government has also put forward other measures to boost homebuilding, including billions for municipalities to allow denser zoning and cut red tape. What this is all about is putting the dream of home ownership in reach for younger Canadians, giving first-time home buyers a leg up in the housing market, she said. At an interest rate of 5%, amortizing a mortgage over 30 years instead of 25 would reduce a homebuyer's monthly payment by 8%, but increase total interest paid by 24%, according to Bloomberg calculations. Canadian home sales data for August suggested a pickup in market activity after the central bank delivered back-to-back rate cuts in June and July. New listings were up 1.1% in August from a month earlier, and the total number of properties for sale at the end of August was 177,450, an increase of nearly 19% from a year earlier. Both Trudeau and Freeland have made housing a central plank of their economic messaging this year, pledging numerous programs to boost construction and provide easier access to financing. But so far those moves have not improved Trudeaus position in public opinion polling. An election is scheduled for October 2025, but it could come any time in the next year, especially after Trudeaus ally in Parliament pulled out of a power-sharing deal earlier this month. If an election were held today, Pierre Poilievres Conservative Party would very likely win a majority government in parliament, given his dominant lead in the polls. Voters in a Montreal district are casting ballots Monday to fill a vacant seat long held by Trudeaus Liberals. The special election is viewed by many as a referendum on his leadership. --With assistance from Erik Hertzberg and Jay Zhao-Murray. (Adds estimate of impact to mortgage payments and interest in paragraph 15. Earlier updates added reaction from economists, quotes from Freeland news conference.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Placer County leaders have called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to help stabilize the insurance market, which they say has made it more difficult for residents and businesses to afford coverage. The Placer Board of Supervisors last week approved sending Newsom a letter requesting he declare a state of emergency for homeowners and commercial property insurance amid worsening wildfire conditions statewide that have led to insurance providers not offering coverage or raising their rates to unsustainable levels. The letter to the Governors Office and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara asked for the state to take immediate emergency regulatory and legislative action to strengthen and stabilize Californias marketplace for homeowners insurance and commercial property insurance. The supervisors said more than half the Placer County residents who responded to a July survey reported their homeowners policies were either not renewed or had significantly higher premiums. Were all well aware of the critical impacts the loss of insurance has on homeowners and now businesses, as well, said supervisor Cindy Gustafson, who represents eastern Placer County to the Tahoe Basin. Its truly a crisis. Placer County, we believe, is the top county in the state for non-renewals. I know that our county and our residents are doing everything they can and they want to do more. But they need to have that recognized. If theyre going to harden their homes, and do their defensible space, they need insurance breaks. A number of insurance providers have exited the California market, cut back their policies or tightened underwriting standards in recent years. State Farm, one of Californias largest commercial insurers, announced in the spring it would not renew 72,000 commercial apartment policies beginning this summer, which followed a decision to stop accepting new applicants for property and business policies. That followed a 20% rate hike for the companys homeowner insurance policies. A report from the Placer County supervisors suggested the scarcity of insurance options is exacerbating the States housing affordability crisis and has profoundly affected those who are the most vulnerable, including those on fixed incomes and young families. Our administration, in partnership with the Insurance Commissioners Office, is actively overhauling the insurance system having rolled out measures to help address this crisis and continuing to work on initiatives that will protect homeowners, said Alex Stack, a spokesman for the Governors Office. And were doing this on an accelerated timeline, with the governor calling for swift regulatory action to strengthen and stabilize Californias marketplace. Lara and his department have been working to institute rule changes to stabilize the states insurance market and it was on track to complete the revisions by the end of the year. The goal was to spur insurance companies to write more policies and provide homeowners with more options. A plan announced in September 2023 included pushing insurance providers to take on more customers in high-risk areas in exchange for using catastrophe models to set premiums. Those unable to secure insurance coverage have been led to the California FAIR Plan, which is the private insurer of a last resort. The Placer supervisors argue the reduction of third-party coverage over the past five years is threatening the ongoing stability of this state-established risk pool, according to the resolutions staff report. Mike Pompeo is a Republican and former U.S. Secretary of State under Donald Trump, who remains a loyal ally and continues to support his candidacy in the upcoming elections. Pompeo has also made it clear that he is ready to once again "serve America" if Trump wins the presidential election and invites him back to the team. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Pompeo has repeatedly demonstrated his support for Ukraine, calling Russia's actions genocide at the onset of the war and consistently advocating for increased military aid to Ukraine, emphasising the importance of faster and more decisive U.S. actions. Furthermore, Pompeo is a vocal critic of the current Biden administration, particularly regarding its approach to the war in Ukraine. During this trip, Pompeo attended the "YES-2024" conference [Yalta European Strategy] and even had a personal meeting with President Zelensky, who thanked him for the military and financial support for Ukraine. However, Zelensky also reminded that Ukraine needs permission to use long-range weapons. A former military officer, CIA Director, and U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo also shared his views on how he sees the development and conclusion of Russias war against Ukraine in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda. "Too little and too slowly" How do you, in general, assess the current U.S. administration and its approach in supporting Ukraine during this war against Russia? It has leaned in and provided support, and that is a good thing. But it has provided that support too slowly. It has just been parsed out over time. And secondly, it has limited the utility of some of the weapon systems that they provided, some of the tools; it hasn't done as much intelligence sharing if I understand correctly all those things. So too little and too slowly over time and then finally they spent the bulk of the first two years of the conflict speaking about the things they would not do. Because they were worried about escalation, that is they communicated to their adversary that this line we shall not cross because if we cross that, this is what Putin will do. That's a mistake. Even if it's the case that you don't intend to do something, you don't broadcast it. You speak about the things you intend to do and the outcomes you intend to seek and if you do that, your adversary will be on his back foot instead of having your partner, in this case Ukraine, on its back foot. [BANNER1] Can we expect approval of the long-range strikes to Russia in the nearest future? I dont know. Im not a part of that administration. Talking about the escalation. How do you assess the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kursk Oblast, on the territory of the Russian Federation? Yeah, it was remarkable. It was executed as best [as] I can tell very well, with great surprise, which is important. I was a soldier once a long time ago. I hope that they can hold that territory effectively. I hope they can maintain the other places there. And then I hope the follow-on resources will come so that Ukraine can be successful. It matters to Ukraine, for sure. It matters to the Ukrainian people terribly, it matters to Europe, but it matters to the United States of America to get this right as well. "Peace plan" In your op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, youve outlined what Donald Trump's "peace plan" might look like if he wins the presidential election. It involves increasing military aid to Ukraine and its membership in the EU and NATO. You also mentioned that "War stops immediately". How do you see the ending of this war? Yeah. I talked about it from my perspective with my co-author, Dave Irvine, and we talked about this as the way we thought one could begin to get a good resolution for the world. I laid out what I believe the elements of that are: none of them are simple to do but all of them incredibly important. Because in the end, what you're doing is, you're restoring deterrence. If you say if you back up one step to the level of theory, you're restoring deterrence. For four years, Vladimir Putin wouldn't invade Ukraine. He invaded Ukraine under President Obama, and he did it again under President Biden. For four years, he wouldn't. Why? [BANNER2] But the war was continuing during this time. But he didn't take any land and he didn't steal any more real estate. He took a fifth of Ukraine under President Obama and he went back at it again. Why is that? Vladimir Putin didn't change. Vladimir Putin has wanted to restore the Soviet Union since its fall, right? He believes that deeply. This was the greatest calamity of the 20th century. So he didn't change. What was different, was that the American leadership demonstrated resolve. And demonstrated to him that the cost of doing that, of taking another fifth of Ukraine, exceeded the benefit. And in this situation, how do you think the war will end, which territories will be brought back to Ukraine? I don't know the answer to that. President's Zelenskyy will get to decide how he wants to approach that. Pompeo and Zelenskyy, september 2024 PHOTO: OP PRESS SERVICE But what I do know is: the world needs an outcome where it looks, and actually is, a loss for the aggressor, for Russia, for Vladimir Putin. The perception of a Putin loss is essential. Its essential, because you have to get back this deterrence, right? You have to convince Xi Jinping in China. You have to convince chairman Kim in North Korea, and you have to convince the Ayatollah in Iran that stealing another nation's sovereign territory by force, by aggression, is not a winning outcome for you. That it is bad for you and for your people. President Biden hasn't been able to do that. He hasn't been able to do it in the Middle East. He didn't do it in Ukraine. Xi Jinping is ramming Coast Guard vessels in the Pacific. He has not demonstrated that he's prepared to impose sufficient costs to convince these bad guys not to continue their aggressive behavior, and in the case of Ukraine, the full scale invasion of its country. You have a book, its name echoing the Ukrainian view on the conflict [Never give an inch ed.]. However I cant imagine a scenario where Russia would willingly give Crimea back. In this case, how can the war be stopped "in 24 hours", as Donald Trump mentioned, or "immediately" as you mentioned in your op-ed? You end it by convincing Vladimir Putin that continuing the conflict is too costly. This is the way. I wish I had a more sophisticated answer than that. But in the end, Vladimir Putin is doing math every day. Is my political life at risk? Is my actual life at risk? Are the people of Russia about to say: "That's enough of my boys going off to war."? If the economy is faltering, you have to impose costs on him sufficiently, it's just not worth staying at this or trying to achieve more. There's no more simple truth than since my early days at Academy at West Point. [Pompeo graduated first in his class from the United States Military Academy at West Point ed.] Pompeos book "Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love" You have to deliver that, and that takes a level of seriousness. So it also is very important. Youve mentioned red lines earlier. Red lines can't be defensive. They have to be lines that say: if you do this, I'm going to impose real costs on you. And when you draw a red line you damn well better mean it. Once you draw a red line and walk away from it you have told the bad guys in the world they can walk. It's just like when you tell your child: "If you throw that food on the table again, you're going to your room," and they throw the food and you don't send them to their room. Godspeed, Mom. Godspeed, Dad. It's a little oversimplified, but the model of human nature and the model of the interactions of nations often simply reflects national interest and costs. For the world, it is an absolute imperative that Ukraine achieves an outcome. That is, a good outcome for the good guys. [BANNER3] The sanctions aren't enough Talking about economics. Do you believe the current sanctions on Russia are sufficient? What new sanctions or economic measures would you propose to further weaken Russias capacity to wage war? Well, I think by definition, the sanctions aren't enough. As the conflict continues I should go back and look but I remember in the opening, if not days, weeks, Secretary Blinken and Jake Sullivan said well, youve just got to give the sanctions time. So we impose sanctions that take time. That's actually a true statement that does take some amount of time. I don't think anybody thinks that three years, two and a half years, two years and seven months wherever we're at exactly, from when the sanctions began I don't think that's what they meant. And so it's clearly insufficient. Remember, it's one thing to put sanctions on. It's another thing to enforce them. And my core critique on the Biden Administration sanctions model both the Russian sanctions and the sanctions they put in place in other places, including on Iran they don't enforce them and sanction without enforcement is literally the equivalent of a red line drawn and not enforced. That's a really, really bad incentive for bad guys to move about the cabin freely. It is important that Russia understands that the economic model that existed before doesn't exist anymore. The Germans aren't going to buy gas from them, right? No longer are we gonna permit Western nation states to be dependent on Vladimir Putin. He has proven to be an unreliable, indeed indecent, partner, and so that's difficult if you're France or Germany or a European nation that has been dependent on Russian gas for an awfully long time; you have to find alternative ways to achieve the energy and the power that you need, and I hope every country will do that. And I would say the same thing in other places where there's risk. If you're too dependent on a bad actor, if you depend on Venezuela for crude oil, if you depend on the Chinese Communist party for you pick it. It gives them a normal political leverage, and the bad actors will use that leverage in ways that are deeply detrimental to the sovereignty of your nation and the lives of your people. You mentioned that these countries shouldn't buy gas but should these countries sell something to Russia? For example, the United States still sells some component parts for Russian missiles. Well, I hope not. I hope we're not selling weapons parts. I'm sure it happens. I'm sure the product moves through the black market, but I assume it's a felony to sell a weapon system to the Russians today. I assume that these are items that are being used as a dual use item that is not permitted to be sold lawfully. Again, [its] one thing to have a rule, another thing to enforce it. So yes, by the way, I've seen American components show up in Iranian missile systems too, Iranian guidance systems as well. Black markets are hard to defend. I can see this. These are very difficult propositions, but there ought to be a lot of resources devoted to making sure that that happens just as little as possible. [BANNER4] Donald Trump as a president If Donald Trump becomes president and offers you to be the negotiator between Ukraine and Russia, will you accept the offer? Oh goodness, I hadnt thought about that. I dont think Ive been asked that before. What I have said more broadly, is that if President Trump is elected, and he asks me to do whatever to help, Ill do everything I can, if I think I can make a difference. He hasnt asked me to do a thing yet, but if he were to do so, and I think I can help, Im all about trying to serve America. Mike Pompeo and Donald Trump How should Ukraines leadership engage with the U.S. and its allies to ensure that their interests are fully represented in any possible peace negotiations? Oh goodness, I think the Ukrainian people can have confidence in that. I think the negotiations we handle directly with President Zelenskyy, [that he] wants to have, leading that conversation, that he will be in control of those conversations, and make decisions, and articulate why he makes those particular decisions to the Ukrainian people very clearly. It's really important. It's hard to do, when you're trying to wind a conflict down, but he'll need to. The Ukrainian people have sacrificed so much, and I'm confident that he will do the right thing in articulating his vision for what this outcome should be. Alina Poliakova, UP Coming into Tuesdays presidential debate, one question occupied my mind above all others: Is Trump going to say it? Is he going to accuse people of eating cats and dogs? Theres no shame if you werent wondering the same thing. Knowing what the former president had planned required you to have spent the weeks before the debate ensconced in one of two niche circles: that of people who keep tabs on far-right influencers, hate groups, and racist memes; or that of Haitians, Haitian immigrants to the United Statesand people who care about both. As it happens, I spend a lot of time in both circles, which put me in a somewhat unique position of understanding both and how the intersection of the two created one of the weirdest moments ever to occur in a presidential debate, as well as a situation thats escalated into real dangers for innocent people. To tell this story, we have to focus on two locations: Haiti, that Caribbean island nation, home to nearly 12 million largely impoverished people, and Springfield, Ohio, a small town nestled off Interstate 70 between Dayton and Columbus. In some wayssize, climate, language, terrainthe two places could not be more different. But they are intimately connected, especially in terms of economic history. In the early to mid-twentieth century, Springfield was a bustling Rust Belt town, home to two major factories: the enormous Crowell-Collier publishing plant, which printed popular magazines like Colliers and Womans Home Companion, and an even larger plant owned by International Harvester, the farm machinery giant. Those two plants employed the bulk of a population that would swell to more than 82,000 in the 1960s. In the decades leading up to this boom period, you wouldnt mistake Springfield for a model of civic tranquility: A series of lynchings and attacks by white mobs on Black houses and buildings were recorded in the 1900s. In the 1920s the town became a stronghold of the revitalized Ku Klux Klan. But during the latter half of the century, Springfield was prosperousand growing. The good times didnt last. The Crowell-Collier plant closed in 1957. Two decades later the International Harvester Company went into terminal decline, a victim of competition; attempts to wrestle away hard-won benefits from workers, resulting in a protracted labor strike; and ultimately the greed and shortsightedness of its owners. In 1983, Newsweek magazine devoted an entire special edition to Springfield, as a symbol of the decline of the American dream. The population would continue to decline for the next 40 years, falling to roughly 58,000 in the 2020 censusjust 70 percent of its 1960 peak. (By contrast, the U.S. population nearly doubled in that time, from 179 million to over 331 million.) Manufacturing employment continued to plunge, falling from 13,000 in the mid-1990s to 6,000 on the pandemics eve. In the 2010s, Springfield town officials and its Chamber of Commerce embarked on a revitalization plan to attract new businesses to town. It worked: New factories and businesses opened up, including a Japanese auto-parts manufacturer and a microchip manufacturer. There were also expanded operations at a Dole food-processing plant and metalworking plants, as well as the typical food-service, health care, and bureaucratic jobs that crop up to serve a new population. But it wasnt Ohioans who answered the call. Starting just before and then increasing in the wake of the pandemic, thousands of Haitians began moving to Springfield. They came slowly at first, then all at once. According to city officials, between 15,000 and 20,000 Haitian immigrants have moved to Springfield. If accurate, that would have nearly made up for the towns population loss since 1970. The Haitians who came were fleeing a series of disasters, both natural and man-made, many of them exacerbated or caused by the government and industries of the U.S. Like Springfield, Haiti had once been an industrial giant, producing at its eighteenth-century height most of the sugar and coffee consumed in Europe. But its enslaved workers rebelled, overthrowing French domination and declaring themselves the worlds first Black republic in 1804. Throughout the late-nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and well into the twenty-first, the U.S. played a dominant role in roiling Haiti, brutally occupying the country from 1915 to 1934, bankrolling friendly dictators, and helping overthrow governments that did not play ball. Haitian leaders who refused to go along in full with plans for U.S. industrial development, especially low-wage assembly plants designed to create cheap clothes and other items for the U.S. market, were among those most likely to end up in the crosshairs of economic hit men, serving the interests of capital. In 2010, a massive earthquake struck Haitis capital, Port-au-Prince, killing 100,000 to 316,000 people. The international response, led by the U.S. military and a U.N. peacekeeping force, ignored reconstruction imperatives in favor of a misguided scheme to build more assembly plants far from the quake zone. (U.N. troops also introduced a devastating cholera epidemic that killed at least 10,000 people, mostly in the countryside.) Before and after, a series of devastating hurricanes, strengthened by climate change, ravaged a Haitian agriculture sector already weakened by drought and decades of U.S. and International Monetary Fundimposed free trade schemes and competition from U.S. governmentsubsidized growers (many of whom still used International Harvester machines, often built in Springfield). In 2021, the corrupt Haitian President Jovenel Moisewhose party owed its power to U.S. interference in a post-quake electionwas assassinated in his home above the Haitian capital. Ignoring a Haitian-led plan for a transitional government and new elections, the Biden administration stood by an incompetent caretaker prime minister for nearly three years. Paramilitary groups and street gangs filled the power vacuum as the U.S. put its diplomatic and financial muscle behind yet another international invasionthis one outsourced by both the U.S. and the U.N. to Kenya. Understandably, almost any Haitian who could get away from this mess tried to do so. Some moved to Brazil and Chile, only to find that their host countries had also become inhospitable to dark-skinned foreigners, especially during the presidency of the pro-Trump Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro. By 2022, nearly 731,000 Haitian immigrantsmany of whom had braved dangerous seas and crossed overland through drug cartelcontrolled territories of Central America and Mexicowere living in the U.S. The American right wing has been obsessed with Haiti as a bogeymana literal bete noiresince the Haitian Revolution. In the antebellum South, fears of Haitian contagionthat Haitians would come and spur an armed freedom movement among American slavesmotivated state militia crackdowns and white vigilante mobs alike. (Indeed, various early attempts at self-emancipation, from Black-led efforts to John Browns raid on Harpers Ferry, were explicitly inspired by the Haitian uprising.) That future Haitians had fought alongside Continental forces during the American Revolution, and that the defeat of Napoleons forces by the Haitian General Jean-Jacques Dessalines paved the way for the Louisiana Purchase and the expansion of the U.S., rarely factored into American imaginations. Instead, Americans saw Haiti as a savage, alien placehome to a strange religion, vodou, and terrifying folk tales, particularly of the zombie, a Haitian creation that would be imported into U.S. pop culture during the early twentieth-century occupation. These deeply ingrained attitudes, many of them unconscious and unexamined, were waiting for the Haitians in Springfield. At first, the new arrivals were welcomed, said Viles Dorsainvil, the head of Springfields Haitian Community Help & Support Centerwho himself moved from Port-au-Prince to the Ohio town in early 2021. The Biden administrations immigration policy toward Haitians was schizophrenic: deporting tens of thousands to the U.S. policywracked country while granting hundreds of thousands of others temporary legal residency and providing an opportunity to work and contribute to the communities that hosted them. We were just here working peacefully and caring about our family and all of this. The community was OK. There was still a group of people in Springfield who saw the coming of the Haitians as a threat. But normally, generally, the community was so open with us, he told me. Then, in 2023, tragedy struck. A Haitian manwho had moved to Brazil in the aftermath of the earthquake, then came through Mexico in 2022was driving through town when he crossed a median and plunged into a school bus. Several students were injured, and 11-year-old Aiden Clark was killed. School bus crashes are rare, but not unheard of nationally: From 2013 to 2022, there were 976 crashes in the U.S. involving school buses, killing a total of 1,082 people, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But instead of being treated as a referendum on traffic or bus safetyor a sign to spark an effort to make sure immigrants get the proper training and licensing to drive (the Haitian driver, who has been convicted of manslaughter and fourth-degree vehicular homicide, had an Ohio ID card but a Mexican drivers license)Clarks death became a rallying point for nativists and xenophobes, inside Springfield and out. Springfields Haitian community began to earn the attention of habitues of far-right message boards and anti-immigration spaces. The towns name became a specific talking point for J.D. Vance, Ohios youngest senator and a protege of the authoritarian internet billionaire Peter Thiel. In July, Vance brought up Springfield in a speech to the National Conservatism Conference, a far-right gathering obsessed, as the journalist Sarah Jones observed, with fertility, race, and the specter of a post-white America. Vance held up the Ohio town and its struggles to house and care for the new arrivals as evidence that immigration has made our societies poor, less safe, less prosperous, and less advanced. This was a classic white supremacist argument, as exemplified by the notoriously racist French novel The Camp of the Saints: If we take in those seeking refuge from poorer placeseven places made poor by our own countrys heavy-handed policies and ruthless exploitationwe will become like them, if not be destroyed by them, ourselves. Days later, Vance read a letter from Springfields city government about the strain on city resources into the record during a Senate Banking Committee hearing. Again, instead of using his office to, say, demand more federal resources to support towns like Springfield in welcoming their new arrivals and providing for their new workforcesa demand put forward by the towns leaders themselveshe used the case as an opportunity for nativist talking points, asking Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell why immigration was the only solution to the ongoing U.S. labor shortage. (Its part of the answer, but not the whole answer, Powell replied.) Trump named Vance his running mate shortly thereafter. Vances focus on Springfields Haitian community catalyzed a reaction from the most extreme elements of the right. In August, the neo-Nazi faction Blood Tribe marched with guns and swastika flags through a jazz and blues festival in downtown Springfield, terrifying Haitian and other minority residents. The groups leader appeared at a City Council meeting a few weeks later issuing a word of warning: Crime and savagery will only increase with every Haitian you bring in, and with it, public frustration, threat and anger. Around the same time, a rumor appeared on a private Facebook group called Springfield Ohio Crime and Information. The post, from a Springfield resident named Erika Lee, claimed that a neighbors daughters friends cat had been taken by unnamed Haitians and hung from a branch, like youd do with a deer for butchering, & they were carving it up to eat. Lee further claimed that rangers & police had told her that they had done the same with ducks and geese at a local park. (The neighbor later further changed her story, telling the blog NewsGuard that the alleged cat belonged to an acquaintance of a friend and that they, in turn, had heard the rumors about what happened to it from still someone else.) Lees post was found and broadcast to the world by the X account @EndWokenessa disinformation pipeline with 2.4 million followers that is often reposted by Elon Musk. (One online researcher has argued that the account is secretly run by alt-right Pizzagate promoter Jack Posobiec.) Soon the rest of the right-wing social web was adding to the noise. The Malaysia-based far-right influencer Ian Miles Cheong posted a video of a Black woman arrested for allegedly killing and eating a cat, falsely claiming she was Haitian and implying it had happened in Springfield. (In fact the clearly disturbed woman was born in Ohio, with no known connection to Haiti or any other foreign country, according to the Canton Repository. Canton, Ohio, where it happened, is some 170 miles away.) A.I.-generated memes of cats, some being rescued by Donald Trump from savage-looking, shirtless Black men, proliferated. The day before the debate, Trump shared two on his Truth Social account: an A.I. image of him surrounded by cats and ducks on a private plane and another of rifle-toting cats dressed in paramilitary uniforms and black-and-red MAGA caps. This sort of thing has a long pedigree. In the nineteenth century, American cartoonists and xenophobes spread rumors of Chinese immigrants eating rats and cats; in 1883, a customs collector deported a longtime U.S. resident who was trying to visit his fiancee in San Francisco, sending a poem to his attorney: Ive sent him back to China / where he can eat his mice. In the U.K., 20 years ago, the trashy tabloid The Sun printed false rumors that asylum-seekers from Eastern Europe were poaching and eating the queens swans. Food works as a wedge because it is a deeply personal cultural marker. Some Jews and Muslims may look down on those who eat pork. Vegetarians can look askance at people who eat any animals at all (and some vegans look in horror at them). Most Americans think of rabbits and guinea pigs as pets, but in Europe and parts of Latin America, theyre dinnerand often a gourmet one at that. Its extremely rare, but some people in East Asia do eat dogs and cats. (I was once at a group dinner in rural southern China where stewed dog was served; I didnt touch it for the same reason I dont eat pig.) In nearly four years of living in Haiti and over a decade of traveling there, I heard jokes about cat eatinggenerally constructed on class and rural-versus-urban linesbut never saw or heard of anyone actually doing so. Still, stranger things have happened: Meriwether Lewis and William Clark frequently ate dog during their expedition to the Pacific, according to National Geographic. And until 2018, it was legal to commercially slaughter dogs and cats for human consumption almost everywhere in the U.S. We love dogs and eat cows not because dogs and cows are fundamentally differentcows, like dogs, have feelings, preferences, and consciousnessbut because our perception of them is different, the social psychologist Melanie Joy wrote in a 2009 book. The Springfield conspiracy theory combined these often unspoken taboos with another piece of racist agitprop: the blood libelexcept instead of medieval Christian children, this time the supposed victims were household pets. Vance again fanned the flames. On September 9, he boosted the pet-eating conspiracy in a post on X. Springfield police responded that Vances claim was false, saying they have received no reports related to pets being stolen and eaten, according to the Springfield News-Sun. A day later Vance came back with more: Repeating his claim that his office has received many inquiries from actual residents of Springfield, he admitted that its possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false. Then he significantly upped the ante, blaming Haitian migrant[s] who had no right to be here for the murder of a Springfield child, spreading diseases (including HIV), and raising rents so fast that many Springfield families were being made homeless. These too were lies: The HIV infection rate fell in Clark County, where Springfield is the county seat, between 2018 and 2022, the last year for which statistics were available, according to the Ohio Department of Health. And while housing prices have risen 9.3 percent in Springfield in the last year, according to the Zillow Home Values Index, that is in line with other nearby cities, including Dayton (7.4 percent) and Troy (6.5 percent), and has largely followed statewide trends going back to at least 2016. (Its worth noting that rising home prices are also good for current homeowners, who make up nearly 70 percent of Clark Countys households, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.) Trump was reportedly supposed to employ Vances gambit. In a postdebate write-up, The Guardian reported he had been prepped to bring up the pet-eating lie, thenwhen inevitably fact-checked by the moderatorsuse it to pivot into more insidious calumnies about the immigrants in Springfield. As it was, he proved too rattled by Kamala Harris and too undisciplined to pull it off. But in the end, it doesnt matter to the faithful. Baseless hatred of immigrants has been the driving force of Trumps campaigns since he coasted down the golden escalator. They are the scapegoat for every problem that MAGA world encounters, be it real or phantasmic: housing prices, the labor market, health problems, bureaucratic dysfunction at state and federal agencies. Rounding up as many as 20 million peoplethe largest mass deportation in American history, as Trump continually promisessome of whom would by the sheer statistics have to be legal residents, if not U.S. citizens, is thus the panacea. And it will be violent: a bloody story, he recently vowed. And HaitiansBlack immigrants, the inheritors of a fierce tradition of resistance against slavery and white supremacyhave often been a special target of Trumps ire. Following the debate, Nathan Clark, Aidens father, issued an impassioned plea to Trump, Vance, and other morally bankrupt politicians, as he called them, to stop using his sons name in their efforts to vomit hate against immigrants. But Trumps rhetoricfunny and weird as it was to most who saw itthreatens to unleash more unrest. One white supremacist group reacted to Clarks statement by saying, These parents should be executed. On Thursday and Friday, Springfields City Hall, several schools, and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles were evacuated due to bomb threats. The citys mayor called for calm, condemning, in an interview with The New York Times, when national politicians, on the national stage, mischaracterize what is actually going on and misrepresent our community. Dorsainvil, the community leader, acknowledged that while Springfields Haitians are afraid, they are committed to staying. Haitians are not here to leave anytime soon, he said. So we all have to work towards a peaceful community. After enduring so much already just to get there, its hard to imagine them abandoning their new homes easily. Yet with Trump and the online right intentionally escalating tensions in a desperate bid to retake power over the nation, there is almost certainly another challenging road ahead. Trump blames Biden-Harris 'rhetoric' for latest assassination attempt, says he will 'save the country' EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump said President Biden and Vice President Harris "rhetoric" is what is causing him to be "shot at," following the second assassination attempt against him since July, while telling Fox News Digital that the suspected gunman "acted" on "highly inflammatory language" of Democrats. Trump spoke exclusively with Fox News Digital Monday morning, just a day after he was rushed off of the golf course at Trump International in West Palm Beach, Fla., after the Secret Service discovered a gunman in the bushes. WHO IS RYAN WESLEY ROUTH: ALLEGED GUNMAN AT TRUMP GOLF CLUB The suspected gunman, Ryan Wesley Routh, had an AK-47 style rifle pointing through the chain-link fence out toward the green; a go-pro camera; and two backpacks. He ran from the scene but was pulled over and arrested on I-95. Authorities are treating the episode as an apparent assassination attempt against Trump. Trump was safe following the second assassination attempt against him since July. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it," Trump said of the gunman in an interview with Fox News Digital. "Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country both from the inside and out." Trump pointed to Biden and Harris past comments casting Trump as a "threat to democracy," while telling Americans they are "unity" leaders. "They are the opposite," Trump said. "These are people that want to destroy our country." He added: "It is called the enemy from within. They are the real threat." Ryan Routh is accused of aiming an AK-47 at former President Trump while he was golfing at his course in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday. It is being investigated as a second assassination attempt on Trump. A background check on the name given by officials, Ryan Wesley Routh, revealed that he currently lives in Hawaii and has faced dozens of run-ins with police, stretching back to at least the 1990s. Routh previously echoed Biden and Harris' anti-Trump comments, that "Democracy is on the ballot" on his social media pages this year, and that Democrats "cannot lose." TRUMP SAFE AFTER 'GUNSHOTS IN HIS VICINITY,' CAMPAIGN SAYS Routh posted about politics often and donated to only Democrat candidates and causes. "They do it with a combination of rhetoric and lawsuits they wrap me up in," Trump said. "These are the things that dangerous fools, like the shooter, listen to that is the rhetoric they listen to, and the same with the first one." Democrats, meanwhile, have repeatedly blamed Trump for raising the temperature and have accused him of being a "threat to democracy," particularly due to his handling of the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Over the weekend, Biden suggested Trump was trying to incite violence, referring to his comments about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. Biden, at an event over the weekend, said "any president should reject hate in America" and "not incite it." The White House, Harris' campaign, and the office of Minnesota Gov. Time Walz, Harris' running mate, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment. Trump also said Biden and Harris policies are "destroying" the country "by allowing millions of very dangerous migrants to pour into it and destroying our country and cities." "On the outside, we are weak and feeble and not respected by the world anymore," Trump said. Meanwhile, reflecting back on the debate against Harris last week, Trump slammed the media. "The media is made up of fools that will spew [Democrats] garbage and spew their sick philosophies and will protect them at all costs, and they cant believe they get away with it," Trump said. "Democrats are totally protected by the media." Trump said the debate on ABC News last week "was so biased and so out of control." "Harris was the one lying about Project 2025, she lied about abortion, she lied about everything," Trump said. "She was correcting me." "It was three against one," he said. "I was surprised at David Muir. I thought he was a high-quality person, but he is just a sleeze like the rest of them." CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP But with just 50 days until Election Day, Trump warned Democrats to watch their rhetoric. "They use highly inflammatory language," he said. "I can use it too far better than they can but I dont." The latest assassination attempt came after Trump was shot in the ear at a Pennsylvania rally by a gunman who killed one person and wounded others before being fatally shot by police on July 13. Original article source: Trump blames Biden-Harris 'rhetoric' for latest assassination attempt, says he will 'save the country' Donald Trump has blamed Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic rhetoric for the second apparent assassination attempt against him on Sunday. Trump claimed that bullets are flying because of Communist Left Rhetoric in his latest social media rant, posted Monday afternoon. The post comes a day after Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested after federal officials said he aimed an SKS-style rifle through the bushes at Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while the former president was golfing. Routh, who is facing two gun-related charges, appeared in court on Monday. The Rhetoric, Lies, as exemplified by the false statements made by Comrade Kamala Harris during the rigged and highly partisan ABC Debate, and all of the ridiculous lawsuits specifically designed to inflict damage on Joes, then Kamalas, Political Opponent, ME, has taken politics in our Country to a whole new level of Hatred, Abuse, and Distrust, Trump posted on Monday afternoon. Two hours earlier, Fox News published an exclusive interview with the former president, during which he made similar claims. Donald Trump claims Kamala Harris and Democratic rhetoric is to blame for the apparent assassination attempt against him in Florida on Sunday (AFP via Getty Images) He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it, Trump told Fox News, referring to the suspected gunman. Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country both from the inside and out. They do it with a combination of rhetoric and lawsuits they wrap me up in, he added. These are the things that dangerous fools, like the shooter, listen to that is the rhetoric they listen to, and the same with the first one. Harris, for her part, condemned the potential assassination attempt against Trump on Sunday. I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today, she said in a statement. As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more to violence. Trump also repeated his claim that his debate against Harris was unfair, calling it so biased and so out of control. The former president has railed against ABC News and his Democratic opponent since the debate last week, repeatedly criticizing the network and moderators for fact-checking his false claims. Moderator Linsey Davis fact-checked Trumps false claim that Democrats want to execute babies during the abortion segment of the debate. Meanwhile, moderator David Muir fact-checked Trumps claim that crime is rising in the US and his conspiracy theory that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating pet cats and dogs. The former president, alongside allies like Senator JD Vance and Representative Jim Jordan, have spread the debunked conspiracy theory across social media. ABC News did reach out to the city manager there, Muir said during the debate. He told us there had been no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community. Well, Ive seen people on television. People on television say, My dog was taken and used for food, so maybe he said that and maybe thats a good thing to say for a city manager, Trump responded, continuing to peddle the false claim. In the wake of the false claims, a bomb threat was made in Springfield on Thursday. The threat forced the evacuation of city hall and two schools. The threat explicitly used hateful language towards immigrants and Haitians in our community, officials said. The Independent has contacted Harriss campaign for comment. A Springfield police officer chats with parishioners after a service in support of the Haitian community at St. Raphael Catholic church in Springfield, Ohio, on September 15, 2024. A Springfield police officer chats with parishioners after a service in support of the Haitian community at St. Raphael Catholic church in Springfield, Ohio, on September 15, 2024. (Luis Andres Henao/AP) Your trusted source for contextualizing race and Election 2024 news. Sign up for our daily newsletter. Call it a mothers intuition. After former President Donald Trump repeated a vicious smear about Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, during his September 10 debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, many parents in that community instinctively kept their children home from school. They were right to be concerned. In the days following Trump remarking on national television that these immigrants are eating household pets a debunked rumor that first spread on social media the threats rolled in. The bomb and mass shooting threats that started shortly after the debate and continued through the weekend forced evacuations and closures of government buildings, hospitals, a university and schools in Springfield. Although Trumps words have imperiled Haitian immigrants, he has not withdrawn his claim; he has doubled down on it. On Thursday, while campaigning, he suggested Haitians had ruined beautiful Springfield and were not in the city legally, although Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said they are living and working there lawfully. Trump also insinuated the immigrants are involved in sexual violence against young American girls, continuing his pattern of linking immigration to the predation of White women and girls. The targeting of Haitians in the smalltown Midwest has led to an outcry of support from the public, policymakers and immigration advocates. The National Parents Union, a woman-led organization made up of parent advocacy groups fighting for equity in education, criticized the reckless and irresponsible comments from Republican leaders and announced that it stand[s] with the families of Springfield in a statement on Friday. But no one empathizes with Springfields Haitian community like Haitian Americans themselves, they say. The 19th spoke with scholars and immigrant advocates, mostly women of Haitian heritage, about the repercussions of Trumps words. They contend that his claim and the hate before and after it are nothing new: Due to the unique ways race, religion and resistance have intersected in Haitis history, immigrants from the Caribbean nation have experienced a specific brand of xenophobia in the United States, even as Black immigrants in this country lack visibility. This kind of narrative has been going on since at least the middle of the 19th century, said Danielle N. Boaz, professor of Africana Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. We can connect all of this back to the thing that Haitians did that was unforgivable to people of European heritage, which is they had this . . . rebellion that started in the 1790s and culminated in what historians have sometimes called the only successful slave rebellion in history, where they were able to defeat not only the French but other foreign powers. The 1804 creation of Saint-Domingue, later Haiti, left slaveholding societies terrified that the human beings they held in bondage would also rebel. For securing their freedom, Haitians were demonized, with the Vodou religion often used to make wild claims against them, Boaz said. So, over the years, the narrative just kind of increases about how Haiti is this barbaric place, she said. Its run only by Black people. Trump reinforced the barbarism messaging by implying Thursday that Haitians are savage criminal aliens. Despite Springfield Police denying any credible reports or specific claims of Haitians abusing animals or committing other crimes, Trumps allegations have reverberated nationally. Christopher Rufo, who has led the national push against critical race theory in schools and is a trustee for the New College of Florida, where hundreds of books on gender and diversity were discarded last month, offered a $5,000 bounty to anyone with evidence of Haitian immigrants in Springfield eating cats. In Florida and New York the states with the largest Haitian-American communities Haitian-American leaders condemned Trumps remarks and similar statements by his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. The bomb and shooting threats targeting Haitians disproportionately place pressure on mothers, said Taisha Saintil, senior policy analyst for the UndocuBlack Network, which advocates for Black immigrants. Often childrens primary caregivers, women rearrange work schedules, stay home or make childcare plans when schools close, losing household income in the process. A note on the front door of Fulton Elementary School directs parents to a nearby school for pick-up after the building was evacuated due to bomb threats earlier in the day in Springfield, Ohio, on September 12, 2024. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images) Women are often the ones managing the day-to-day fears, picking up and dropping off children, and trying to shield them from the psychological trauma of these threats, Saintil said. This gender dynamic adds another layer to the stress, as women feel pressure to keep things normal for their families while silently shouldering the weight of their own fear and frustration. Having immigrated to Florida from Haiti in 2006 at age 9, Saintil said that she feels for Springfields Haitian community. Before moving to diverse Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she briefly lived in a White community where she said her classmates taunted, spat on her and called her a cat-eater. I remember . . . the fear, waking up every single day knowing that Im going to get bullied, nobody wanting to talk to me, sitting at the lunch table by myself, Saintil said. When I compare it to what is happening now to the newly arrived kids, I think about just how . . . the bullying will mark them for the rest of their lives. Lured by manufacturing jobs, an estimated 15,000 Haitian immigrants have settled in Springfield a mostly White town of just under 60,000 people starting in about 2017. Before then, Springfield experienced an economic downturn caused, in part, by population decline. Then, the immigrants arrived, giving the city an economic boost. Valerie Lacarte, a senior policy analyst with the Migration Policy Institutes U.S. Immigration Policy Program, said that immigrants typically settle in areas because they know they can find reliable employment or their ethnic community already lives there. Springfield wasnt previously home to a Haitian community, but state officials reportedly advertised the citys livability and jobs, news that attracted migrants. You have employers who are hiring these people, so from the job market perspective, thats a good thing. You have a match, Lacarte said. But this mutually beneficial development did not prevent tensions, which, last year, worsened after a Haitian immigrant crashed into a school bus, killing one child, Aiden Clark, and hurting nearly 30 others. Still, Nathan Clark, Aidens father, spoke out at a city commission meeting last week to denounce immigration foes for exploiting his sons death. Anti-immigrant residents, meanwhile, have complained that Springfield lacks the infrastructure for population growth. Its tempting to think the growth of immigrants, thats whats causing the problems, said Karthick Ramakrishnan, coauthor of Framing Immigrants: News Coverage, Public Opinion, and Policy and a University of California, Berkeley, researcher. Its the politicization of immigrants, and especially in places that have significant Republican voting populations, the scapegoating of immigrants tends to be higher. This is an issue weve seen time and again in the American heartland, places that are depopulating, places that are short of workers, that actually benefit from immigrant workers, but you have people . . . tapping into these national dynamics, when it comes to race and xenophobia, to win elected office. Officials must be intentional about social cohesion to avoid conflict between the longtime residents and the Haitian transplants, said Lacarte, the daughter of Haitian immigrants. Its important to make sure that both the U.S.-born and foreign-born community members get the attention and resources needed to grow together as a diverse community. Longtime residents may misunderstand why people who look and sound different from them are moving in, Lacarte said. They witness the demographic shift, but they dont realize these changes can be helpful. Then, bad actors deepen anxieties by spreading disinformation about immigrants. Immigrants have been not only filling these jobs and helping grow the economy. They have their own demand for goods and services, Lacarte said. They send their kids to school. They even, in some cases, create businesses . . . and that grows the economy. During the presidential debate, Trump did not portray foreign-born workers as a positive but as a threat to Americans, accusing immigrants of taking jobs from Black workers. This framing overlooks that immigrants fill jobs the native-born population doesnt pursue, Lacarte said, and that more workers are needed as birth rates decline and the White population ages. It also belies the fact that Black immigrants exist. About one in five Black people are immigrants or the children of Black immigrants, the Pew Research Center reported in 2022. Africans have driven Black immigrant growth; their population increased by 246 percent between 2000 and 2019. In 2005, The New York Times reported that more Africans were entering the United States than since the slave trade. Today, Africans make up 42 percent of the Black foreign-born population, while Caribbean immigrants make up 46 percent. Of the latter, most come from two countries: Jamaica and Haiti. After footage of Border Patrol agents on horseback confronting Haitian migrants in Del Rio, Texas, went viral in 2021, Saintil said she received multiple messages disclosing, I did not know there were Black immigrants. Where did they come from? She assumed, due to her profession, that people knew the United States had Black immigrants. Most of my work now has been to raise visibility of Haitian and Black immigrants, Saintil said. Were the most detained, the most placed in solitary confinement. Our bail bonds are higher. So, the same things that are happening to African Americans in the criminal justice system are happening to Black immigrants in the detention center. Our asylum claims are the most denied because immigration judges dont trust our pain. Long before the debate, Trump disparaged Black immigrants. In 2017, he reportedly said that Nigerians lived in huts and Haitians all have AIDS. The following year, he labeled Haiti, African nations and El Salvador shithole countries. In Springfield, local Republicans have echoed Trumps remarks. In addition to the pet-eating allegations, theyve accused immigrants of being in gangs, spreading disease and practicing voodoo rituals, claims police have denied. As Haiti became the yardstick for measuring whether Black people could participate in society equally, attacks on its character escalated. By the 1880s, stories spread about Haitians engaging in cannibalism and human sacrifice, especially of White children, Boaz said. Told repeatedly, these stories inform the rumors about Haitians in Springfield today, and they may jeopardize women. Historically, women in marginalized communities, whether immigrants, ethnic minorities, or refugees, have been specifically targeted for intimidation, Saintil said. This may be because some view them as easier to attack or harass than men. . . . In this context, when Haitian women are being targeted for threats, harassment or even racial slurs in public spaces, the consequences are far-reaching. This not only creates an atmosphere of terror for women but can also ripple through the entire family. Haitian-American anthropologist Gina Athena Ulysse, a professor of humanities at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said that shes tired of defending her personhood and identity. Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Ulysse wrote a book called Why Haiti Needs New Narratives: A Post-Quake Chronicle because she found the dehumanizing remarks about Haitians then disturbing. Were always having to refute as opposed to having an identity that is an affirmed one, Ulysse said. There is a profound disappointment that in 2024 that I am listening to someone who is running to be the president of the highest nation in the land say something this surreal, this absurd. But Im also someone as a Black woman, as a social scientist, as someone who understands race and racial construction, what that is meant to do, and that is to paint Haitians as the ultimate others, cannibalists and otherwise, so that it can keep fueling this narrative thats necessary to strip people of their humanity. Ulysse said that the broader immigrant community faces xenophobia, too. One study concluded that the level of anti-immigrant rhetoric in the Republican Party today rivals anti-Chinese sentiment during the late 1800s, a period that restricted Chinese immigration. Chinese immigrants have also been accused of consuming dogs and cats, insults revived during the onset of COVID-19, which Trump called the China virus. Hes gone from talking about Mexican immigrants as predominantly being criminals and rapists to then talking about immigrants as vectors of disease and and now using similar kinds of dehumanizing language to talk about . . . not just what they eat, but the kind of the social threat they supposedly pose to American society, Ramakrishnan said. I think the kinds of emotions its supposed to evoke are emotions of disgust, of othering and reduced empathy, and also support for drastic measures like rounding up and deporting people who are not deemed to be American. If Harris becomes president, she would not only be the first woman in the Oval Office but also the first person of South Asian and Caribbean heritage. Might that change perceptions and policies related to Caribbean immigrants? No matter how well meaning one person may be, theyre part of a social structure and a system that makes decisions, Ulysse said. Shes not going to make decisions by herself, so what difference does it make that shes from the Caribbean? Shes got advisors. Shes got to think about Congress. Shes got to think about the Senate. Shes got to think about geopolitics and history. Community members eat at a Haitian restaurant in Springfield, Ohio, on September 12, 2024. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images) When Trump took aim at Haitian immigrants during the debate, Harris laughed in apparent disbelief but did not rebuke him. Ulysse finds it disturbing that many people laughed at Trumps claims because, as absurd as they are, theyre endangering Haitians. On Friday, President Joe Biden called the attacks on Haitians simply wrong, noting that White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is a proud Haitian American. Along with being terrified and traumatized, Saintil said the Haitian children and parents impacted by the threats and smears likely feel betrayed. Youre getting it from a country that you thought you could be safe in, she said. Youre getting it in a country that youve been hoping to be in because you thought your life would be better, but now youre being treated worse than dirt. Youre being called a savage . . . How do you go on from there? The post Trumps claims about Haitians draw from a centuries-long narrative. These women explain why. appeared first on The 19th. News that represents you, in your inbox every weekday. Subscribe to our free, daily newsletter. Trumps Demonization of Haitian Immigrants is Reminiscent of How Native Americans Were Treated Along with Native Americans, the U.S. is a nation of immigrants (Photo/UC Berkeley) Opinion. Democrats and Republicans agree immigration reform is long overdue. For this reason, this past February, a bipartisan group of U.S.senators crafted an immigration bill that, frankly, some Democrats felt went too far in concessions to the Republican senators. The bill would have hired 1,500 more border agents and stem the flow of fentanyl entering the United States. Never miss Indian Countrys biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Then, the ex-president Donald Trump unscrupulously killed the bill because he wanted to keep the immigration issue in the forefront during the current presidential election. I think the border is a very important issue for Donald Trump. And the fact that he would communicate to Republican senators and congresspeople that he doesnt want us to solve the border problem because he wants to blame Biden for it is really appalling, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) said in February, It is all about playing politics on an issue that needs to be addressed. During last Tuesdays presidential debate, Trump took playing politics to the extreme when he became flustered and perplexed by Vice President Kamala Harris' prosecutorial relentless style of debate. Trump repeated a baseless claim about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio eating dogs and other pets. "They're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats," Trump said. "They're eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what's happening in our country, and it's a shame." When David Muir, one of the two ABC moderators, pointed out that the city manager in Springfield had told the network there were no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community, Trump replied, Well, Ive seen people on television. Trump is masterful at inflaming his base with misinformation and lies. What makes matters worse is Trump attempted to demonize immigrants. In this case, he attempted to demonize Haitians. Native Americans know something about being demonized. Afterall, the United States was established on the merciless Indian savages narrative that is in the Declaration of Independence: the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. The merciless Indian savages line immediately put Native people in a less-than category because the Declaration of Independences second paragraph begins: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. In Remarks concerning the Savages of North America, Benjamin Franklin addressed the issue by writing: Savages we call them, because their manners differ from ours, which we think the perfection of civility. The premise was then that if you devalue the Indian by saying he was uncivilized, it was easier to justify taking the land from the merciless Indian savages. Fast forward to the dialogue to last Tuesdays debate. The demonization of Haitian immigrants by Trump caused bomb threats being called into government buildings in Springfield on Thursday and Friday. And, then on Saturday, bomb threats were called into two Springfield hospitals. On Sunday, Trumps running mate Sen. J.D. Vance *R-OH) doubled down on the false claim. "If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do, the Republican vice president nominee said on CNN. Vance admits it is permissible to make things up to drive home lies that vulnerable and non-intellectually curious people can embrace. The tactic is to make them afraid of dark people in order to win their votes. While Democrats and Republicans agree immigration reform is long overdue, they certainly dont agree on the tact for messaging the need. Unfortunately, the MAGA crowd believe the lies spewed by Trump and Vance. As a Potawatomi man, I know the United States is a nation taken over by immigrants centuries ago. I even remember reading President John Kennedys book A Nation of Immigrants decades ago. In the book, Kennedy highlighted the contributions of immigrants to the United States. Everywhere, immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life, Kennedy wrote. As a Potawatomi man, I get that the land of our ancestors was lostsome could even argue stolencenturies ago. I understand that white, European immigrants flowed into this country for centuries by the millions. What I dont get is now that black and brown people want entrance to the country, the Republicans feel it is time to close down immigration into the United States. I am glad David Muir called out Trump for his lie and I am happy the dogs and cats are safe in Springfield, Ohio. My hope is truth will prevail at the voting booths across America this election season so that a better future can be built in this nation of immigrants where we as Native people co-exist. Thayek gde nwendemen - We are all related. 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 Trump fires vitriolic post at 'Comrade Kamala' as Dems in Florida 'slam' him on Obamacare The moment of civility that followed the July near-miss attempt on Donald Trump's life was not replicated following Sunday's second assassination attempt. On Monday afternoon, Trump rifled a vitriolic social media missive saying that "because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse!" He called Vice President Kamala Harris "Comrade Kamala Harris" and claimed without details that she had used "Rhetoric, Lies, as exemplified by the false statements" during what he called the "rigged and highly partisan ABC Debate" held on Sept. 10. Trump's campaign on Monday followed with an email citing what it claimed were dozens of comments by Harris, President Joe Biden, Democratic elected officials and news reports it said "egged on" the would-be assailant. Trump also raged against undocumented immigrants, writing in all capital letters, that "THE TERRORISTS, CRIMINALS, AND MENTALLY INSANE, IMMEDIATELY REMOVED FROM AMERICAN CITIES AND TOWNS, DEPORTED BACK TO THEIR COUNTIES OF ORIGIN." Sunday's attempted assassination followed a week of heated rhetoric The comment about immigration came after Trump's repeating of baseless claims during the debate in Philadelphia that immigrants in an Ohio town were eating their neighbors' pet cats and dogs and taking the geese from the town's park. The bombastic comments were vociferously debunked by officials in Springfield, who then had to deal with bomb threats that temporarily closed City Hall and two elementary schools. The statements ended a brief lull in the heated political atmosphere immediately after U.S. Secret Service agents and local law-enforcement officers in Palm Beach and Martin counties had stopped the attempt on Trump and arrested the suspect. Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel walk Summit Boulevard along the perimeter of Trump International Golf Club on September 16, 2024, in unincorporated Palm Beach County, Fla. Harris on Sunday said she was deeply disturbed by the news and added: "I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence. President Joe Biden said he was "relieved" to hear Trump was safe and further stated that "there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country." White House candidates back on campaign trail soon But the politicking went on, nonetheless. The vice president's campaign went ahead with a Monday morning call intended to "slam Trumps 'concepts of a plan' to repeal" the Affordable Care Act. "The stakes for Floridians this year cannot be greater, especially when it comes to health care," said state Rep. Gallop Franklin, D-Tallahassee. Franklin said that on the debate stage, Trump called the ACA "lousy" and quoted the former president in saying he did not have a plan for a replacement but rather just a "concept" of alternative. "Let's be clear," Franklin said. "We know exactly what Trump's plans are. He has publicly promised if he is re-elected he will terminate the Affordable Care Act as we know it." Trump is scheduled to hold campaign rallies in Uniondale, New York, on Sept. 18 and in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Sept. 21. Harris will meet with the National Association of Black Journalists in Pennsylvania on Sept. 17 and then will attend a livestream event with Oprah Winfrey in Michigan on Sept. 19, followed by a rally in Madison, Wisconsin, on Sept. 20. By contrast, after the July 13 shooting at a Trump rally, in which Trump was wounded, one attendee was killed and two others seriously injured, Harris called off a planned campaign event in Palm Beach County. It was never rescheduled. As for Trump, those close to the GOP presidential candidate including his son Eric said the close call with death at the Pennsylvania rally had changed and humbled him as the former president prepared to deliver his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Trump later said his "nice man" demeanor didn't last long. "When I got hit, everybody thought I was going to be a nice guy, and they thought I'd change," Trump said at a rally July 31. "They all said Trump is going to be a nice man now. He came close to death. And I really agreed with that for about eight hours or so." Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at afins@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: No political ceasefire following second Trump assassination attempt Donald Trump is said to be planning a trip to Springfield, Ohio, after a week of peddling a conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants are eating cats and dogs in the city. Almost 35 years afterThe Simpsons thrust the citys name into the spotlight, Springfield is back hitting headlines thanks to a wild (and baseless) Trump rumor. Now, the former president is planning a visit to Springfield soon, a source familiar with Trumps schedule told NBC News. It is not clear precisely when Trump will visit the city, although close ally Vivek Ramaswamy announced on X that he will be visiting the city for a town hall event on Thursday. The Independent has contacted Trumps spokesperson for more information. The former president announced to 67 million ABC viewers watching the presidential debate against his Democratic rival Kamala Harris that Haitian migrants have flocked to the city and are eating local pets and plucking waterfowl from parks and ponds to devour. Theyre eating the dogs. Theyre eating the cats. Theyre eating the pets of the people that live there, he said last Tuesday, leaving Harris aghast. Trump made the outlandish claim with no solid evidence at the presidential debate last week (AFP via Getty) Local authorities had already debunked the lies even by the time Trump pushed the fictional narrative on the debate stage, with Springfield police saying there is no credible evidence to support the allegations, which were made last Monday evening. It came after Trumps running mate JD Vance pushed the story as a vehicle for his xenophobic, anti-immigration narrative, and to attack Harris and the Biden administrations border policy. Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio, Vance wrote on X last Monday. Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldnt be in this country. By Tuesday, the Ohio Senator himself admitted that it was possible all of these rumors will turn out to be false. Despite there being no evidence to support his claims, Trump continued to attack Haitian migrants and dragged another animal into his bizarre conspiracy: geese. Trump speaks at a press conference at Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles on September 13 (Getty) A recording of 911 calls show that residents are reporting that the migrants are walking off with the towns geese, Trump told a crowd at a Tuscon, Arizona, rally on Thursday. In the wake of the former president perpetuating the lies, a bomb threat was made in Springfield on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of city hall and two schools. The threat explicitly used hateful language towards immigrants and Haitians in our community, officials said. On Sunday, JD Vance told NBC News that he denied the rumors were a figment of his imagination, adding that my constituents are saying these things are happening. He later told CNN that he has to create stories in order to get the media to pay attention to the suffering of the American people. The rumors stemmed from a bizarre anecdote posted by Springfield local Erika Lee on a local Facebook group, where she alleged that a cat owner found her dead pet hanging from a tree ready to be skinned, butchered and eaten in a house said to be occupied by Haitian immigrants. Lee has since told NewsGuard that she heard the tale fourth-hand and that it came from a neighbors friends daughter whom she has never met. In Donald Trumps first interview following the apparent attempt on his life on Sunday, he blamed the incident on his political rivals, telling Fox News that the would-be assassin believed and acted on the rhetoric of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the countryboth from the inside and out, Trump told Fox. They do it with a combination of rhetoric and lawsuits they wrap me up in. These are the things that dangerous fools, like the shooter, listen tothat is the rhetoric they listen to, and the same with the first one. Trump assigned particular blame to Biden and Harris for characterizing him as a threat to democracy, while painting themselves as unity leaders. They are the opposite, he said, calling them people that want to destroy our country. Trump went on to accuse his opponents of using highly inflammatory language. I can use it toofar better than they canbut I dont, he added. Critics were quick to note the irony in Trumps comments, given his history of extreme, incendiary rhetoric. This past week, for instance, Trump said that Haitian residents of Springfield, Ohio, are abducting and eating pets, amplifying a baseless rumor that has resulted in threats against local schools, hospitals, and municipal buildings. Even while urging Democrats to tamp down their rhetoric, Trump demonstrated his penchant for the inflammatory, describing his political opponents as forces of evil: These are people who want to destroy our country, Trump told Fox. It is called the enemy from within. They are the real threat. In a post on Truth Social Monday morning, Trump wrote FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!!!!! and linked to a statement about the attempt that says there are people in this world who will do whatever it takes to stop us. Trump says he will NEVER SURRENDER after apparent assassination attempt (The Hill) Former President Trump said in a fundraising email Sunday that he will NEVER SURRENDER in the wake of what the FBI described as an apparent assassination attempt. There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL! the former president said in the email sent Sunday. Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me, Trump continued. Trump communications director Steven Cheung said Sunday that President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity. No further details at this time, Cheung added. Trump safe after what FBI describes as apparent assassination attempt Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesperson, said on X that his agency is working alongside the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office in looking into a protective incident involving former President Donald Trump that occurred shortly before 2 p.m. Vice President Harris said on X on Sunday afternoon that she has been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America, Harris added. In mid-July, Trump faced an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania in which he was struck on one of his ears, with another man being killed in the same shooting. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. DECATUR The Decatur Fire Department, with the help of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, are investigating a Sunday evening fire. According to a news release issued by Battalion Chief Chris Downey, fire crews were called at approximately 11:24 p.m. Sunday to 1628 E. Hickory St. to the report of a house on fire. "The first responding unit found heavy smoke and fire showing from a rear bedroom window," the report stated. "The initial company deployed a handline in the front door and experienced high heat and limited visibility." A second crew searched for occupants. "It was unknown by neighbors if anyone was home," Downey stated. Crews found no occupants inside the house. The fire was brought under control in approximately 40 minutes. No injuries to first responders were reported. The Office of the State Fire Marshal was contacted to assist the investigation, which is ongoing. FROM THE ARCHIVES: A look back at Decatur firefighters through the years Almost immediately after a reported second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, reports emerged of the suspects apparent support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Text messages shared with the Kyiv Independent and conversations with other foreigners living and working in Ukraine paint a picture, however, of a person who misrepresented himself, expressed disdain for Ukraines war effort, and had delusional ideas of his place in international affairs. The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was taken into custody after the Secret Service on Sept. 15 opened fire on an armed individual at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida where Trump was playing golf. Media interviews, social media posts, and videos dug up after his arrest display Rouths passionate support for Ukraine. Routh also spent time Ukraine after the start of the full-scale invasion, and in an interview with the New York Times in June 2023 described plans to recruit Afghan soldiers to fight in the countrys International Legion, a military unit composed of foreign volunteers. Shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Routh claimed on the social media platform X that he was ready to fight and die in the war against Russia. "I AM WILLING TO FLY TO KRAKOW AND GO TO THE BORDER OF UKRAINE TO VOLUNTEER AND FIGHT AND DIE," he wrote. In February 2023, published a book on Amazon titled Ukraine's Unwinnable War: The Fatal Flaw of Democracy, World Abandonment and the Global Citizen-Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea and the end of Humanity. In the long and rambling descrption of the book, Routh describes shooting a paralysing a "white rooster," watching videos of the Taliban executing people, and claims he has "5,900 Afghan soldiers" and "10,000 of the Syrian free army" ready to fight in Ukraine. It then goes on to accuse the U.S. of not allowing him to send these fighters to Ukraine, then calls on the world to do more to ensure Ukraines victory. Russian state media have seized on the reports, describing Routh as a "pro-Kyiv activist." Controversial U.S. lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has a history of parroting Kremlin propaganda lines, also said Routh was "obsessed with the Ukraine war," and said the U.S. Congress "must demand answers" about his links to Ukraine. But a WhatsApp conversation in November 2023 with Evelyn Aschenbrenner, who worked in an admin role with the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine at the time, suggests his support for Ukraine wasn't as solid as his social media posts made out. In the conversation, of which Aschenbrenner shared screen shots with the Kyiv Independent, Routh began by saying he had "thousands of Afghan soldiers if you need soldiers." The scene outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach after a man pointed a gun toward the course while former president Donald Trump was golfing in Florida, United States on Sep. 15, 2024. (Carlos Escalona/Anadolu via Getty Images) Aschenbrenner responded by saying "that sounds like a massive security risk," adding: "The Legion has a recruiting system that you are not part of. You are absolutely not helping anything by doing this." "And PLEASE do not start telling thousands of Afghans to come to Ukraine. That's absurd. If you did nothing at all, I'd be grateful," Aschenbrenner added. Routh's tone changed dramatically, and he replied by telling Aschenbrenner that he "lives in Hawaii on a beautiful sandy beach with beautiful girls in bikinis all day." When Aschenbrenner said that was a "weird thing to say to a female soldier," Routh then went on to express contempt for Ukraine's plight amid Russia's invasion. "Really point is I am happy and not worried about Ukraine. Congress is cutting off all funding now it seems. Good luck," he said. "Ukraine has chased away all foreign support. Once China attacks Taiwan they can give everything they have to Putin. The gates will be open and I and the world will see the end of Ukraine" In a comment to the Kyiv Independent, Aschenbrenner said Routh "has been consistently lying that he's connected to the International Legion." "Despite many foreign recruiters and soldiers, as well as Ukrainian officers and commanders, asking him to stop, Routh has repeatedly misrepresented himself," Aschenbrenner added. The International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine, on Sept. 16 rejected any connections to Routh. "We would like to clarify that Ryan Wesley Routh has never been part of, associated with, or linked to the International Legion in any capacity," the Legion said in a post on social media. "Any claims or suggestions indicating otherwise are entirely inaccurate." Social media users also warned in June of this year that Routh was "misrepresenting himself and lying to many people." Warning about Ryan Routh: he is not, and never has been, associated with the International Legion or the Ukrainian Armed Forces at all. He is not, & never has been, a legion recruiter. He is misrepresenting himself and lying to many people. pic.twitter.com/Vy7vyjxnA2 King Jack Strong (@v8mile) June 21, 2024 French journalist Guillaume Ptak, who met Routh in Kyiv in July 2022 and recorded a video of him appealing for more help for Ukraine, told the Kyiv Independent he was "loopy, kind of well-meaning, but didn't have a good grasp of what was going on." Ryan Routh, a US citizen from Hawai now volunteering in #Kyiv as a recruiter for the #Ukrainian Foreign Legion gives an impassioned plea for foreign citizens to come fight with #Ukraine against #Russias invasion.#UkraineRussiaWar #UkraineUnderAttak pic.twitter.com/Jo7dj029FL Guillaume Ptak (@guillaume_ptak) June 17, 2022 "He introduced himself as a recruiter for the International Legion in Ukraine, which we now know seems to be a load of horse shit," Ptak said. "He was nice and very passionate but he obviously didn't look like the picture of perfect health and sanity. "He had paper stapled to his chest and was just walking up to every random person." In another social media post in 2020, Routh displays an outsized understanding of his role in foreign affairs, inviting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to his home in Hawaii, offering his services as "ambassador and liaison." Read also: Zelensky denounces apparent assassination attempt on Trump Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (WDTN) Former President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a trip back to to the Miami Valley, according to a report. NBC News reported on Sept. 15 that the former president is planning a trip to Springfield, but has not yet set an exact date. In recent days, the city of Springfield has been subject to national attention for unfounded claims of Haitian migrants in Springfield eating dogs and cats. During the presidential debate on Sept. 10, Trump made the claims on national television. In Springfield, theyre eating the dogs, the people that came in, said Trump. Theyre eating the cats, Theyre eating, theyre eating the pets of the people that live there. When the former presidents running mate Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance appeared on NBCs Meet the Press on Sept. 15, host Kristen Welker questioned Vance on his continuation of the unproven claims. Vance continued his claims, citing Ohioans allegedly telling him it is occurring. Springfield Mayor Rob Rue and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine are among the many local elected officials saying there is no evidence supporting the claims. Kristen, I hear you saying that theyre baseless, but Im not repeating them because I invented them out of thin air, Im repeating them because my constituents are saying these things are happening, said Vance. Vance then brought up a new unsupported claim, saying a video shows people are eating cats in Dayton. But just yesterday, a video came out of a migrant 30 miles away eating a cat, said Vance. Clearly these rumors are out there because constituents are seeing it with their own eyes, and some of them are talking about it. Following Vances comments, city leaders have started to speak out against Vances comment, including Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims, Jr. and Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal. Mims posted Sunday afternoon to social media, calling the claim totally false. This claim is totally false and dangerously irresponsible of politicians aiming to sow division and fear, said Mims. There has been absolutely zero reports of this type of activity and spreading such misinformation undermines our status as a welcoming city. Afzal said his department has not received reports of people eating pets in Dayton. We stand by our immigrant community and there is no evidence to even remotely suggest that any group, including our immigrant community, is engaged in eating pets, said Afzal. Seeing politicians or other individuals use outlandish information to appeal to their constituents is disheartening. Reports of a woman allegedly eating a cat surfaced weeks ago, with claims it occurred in Springfield. The alleged incident occurred in Canton, over 172 miles northeast of Springfield. Misinformation also spread regarding a photo of an individual holding what appeared to be a goose in Springfield. The photo was actually taken in Columbus, roughly 45 miles east of Springfield. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Another day, another nightmare for residents of Springfield, Ohio, which rocketed into the national spotlight thanks to Donald Trump and JD Vance. Bomb threats again forced two schools to evacuate on Monday, and the city's cultural fest was canceled amid security concerns fueled by anti-immigrant rhetoric and pet-eating conspiracy theories. So far, city schools have received at least 33 bomb threats, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday while visiting Springfield. He said the threats turned out to be hoaxes and he alleged that all originated from overseas, but declined to identify any country or countries. While the governor dismissed the credibility of ongoing violent threats and said Springfield schools would re-open, Wittenberg University, which is located in the city, announced it would go fully remote and canceled all upcoming on-campus events until at least Sep. 22. The liberal arts college attributed their decision to directly receiving new threats and the context of ongoing threats of violence on our campus and in the Springfield community. Meanwhile, students at two elementary schools were forced out of their classrooms Monday and transported to another school district, according to Springfield officials. Ive kinda seen it coming, one mother said, adding that she only dropped her children off at school because it was picture day. It seems to be each day a new school. BOMB THREAT IN SPRINGFIELD: "People are trying to invoke fear at this point to get their voices heard" Parent of kids evacuated from Springfield Ohio Kenwood Elementary school spoke, "I don't know what the end goal here is, people aren't going anywhere". https://t.co/6H28mYpXUy pic.twitter.com/odtqi8OKP9 Oliya Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) September 16, 2024 On Sept. 13, two other elementary schools in the small southwestern Ohio town were evacuated. The day prior, a middle school was forced to close. In the past week, 21 buildings in Springfield have been placed on lockdown, evacuated, closed or searched because of the threats, according to Spectrum News. I dont know what the end goal here is, the people arent going anywhere, the mother continued. We just need to find a way to make it work instead of invoking fear and separation. She and other parents and caregivers expressed frustration about the disruption, with a grandparent telling journalist Oliya Scootercaster he hoped that authorities catch whomever is responsible for the threats and lock them up forever or deport them." One Springfield father squarely blamed Trump for the ongoing security concerns because of his claims during the presidential debate last week when he said, In Springfield, theyre eating the dogs. The people that came in, theyre eating the cats. Theyre eating, theyre eating the pets of the people that live there. He cant speak like that, people will react, the Ohio father said. "He can't speak like that, people will react" father spoke after his kids were evaluated from elementary school due to bomb threat in Springfield Ohio "this is all off him", he shared that he respects Trump, but won't be voting in this election. pic.twitter.com/iIlr33sncH Oliya Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) September 16, 2024 Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, who reportedly plans to visit Springfield in the coming days, and Vance, his running mate, have both adopted talking points from a far-fetched, right-wing conspiracy theory tinged with xenophobia that was hatched on social media. The conspiracy targets Haitian migrants, accusing them of creating chaos in the small Ohio city. During a recent campaign rally, the former president even vowed to remove Haitian migrants from Springfield. And on Monday, he suggested a more wide-scale deportation in a posting on X. The Rhetoric, Lies, as exemplified by the false statements made by Comrade Kamala Harris during the rigged and highly partisan ABC Debate, and all of the ridiculous lawsuits specifically designed to inflict damage on Joes, then Kamalas, Political Opponent, ME, has taken Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2024 Vance all but admitted Sunday on CNN that he and Trump are fabricating their claims about pet-eating immigrants to draw attention to immigration, their top campaign issue, in spite of the threats of violence and upheaval to daily life in the small southwestern town. The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes, the GOP vice presidential pick said. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then thats what Im going to do. I say that were creating a story, meaning were creating the American media focusing on it, Vance clarified. I didnt create 20,000 illegal migrants coming into Springfield thanks to Kamala Harris policies. Her policies did that. But yes, we created the actual focus that allowed the American media to talk about this story and the suffering caused by Kamala Harris policies. CNNs Dana Bash Shuts Down JD Vances Migrant-Pets Claim in Blistering Fact-Check Gov. DeWine on Sunday slammed the conspiracy theory perpetuated by Trump and Vance as a piece of garbage, telling ABC News that Haitians who are in Springfield are legal. They came to Springfield to work. He echoed his defense of local Haitians who have been targeted by the far-right conspiracy, saying they are hard-working citizens, on Monday. One company told me, I dont think we would even be here without the Haitian employees, the governor said. Still, Trump persisted, saying, I dont know what happened with the bomb threats. I know that its been taken over by illegal migrants and thats a terrible thing that has happened. Less than 48 hours ago, Donald Trump refused to condemn the bomb threats made in Springfield, Ohio, that came as a result of him and JD Vance spewing the racist lie about Haitian immigrants eating pets. Violence and threats of violence are NEVER ok. pic.twitter.com/Ym3MbTY7VJ Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) September 16, 2024 Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. A 13-year-old has been charged with a felony in connection with a terroristic threat that targeted Eastwood Middle School. The female student was charged Saturday with making a terroristic threat after a social media post that circulated Friday on Facebook, said Stephanie Taylor, a spokeswoman for the Tuscaloosa Police Department. The Tuscaloosa Police Departments Criminal Investigations and Cyber Intelligence divisions were made aware of the post when it was widely shared on Facebook. The student was questioned Saturday morning before she was charged with making terroristic threats, Taylor said. "TPD dispatchers received many calls Friday from parents and others who were alarmed by the post. TPD administrators, the departments threat assessment team and school resource officers coordinated with Tuscaloosa City Schools personnel to ensure the safety of the students and staff," Taylor said. Tuscaloosa Police Chief Brent Blankley said the department is thankful to those who quickly reported the threat to law enforcement. Parents should never be afraid to send their children to school, and children should never feel unsafe when theyre there, Blankley said. Were grateful to those who reported this quickly so we could address it and ensure a safe learning environment for the students. Our partnership with Tuscaloosa City Schools and the community is crucial for maintaining safety in our schools, he said. Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Student charged after threat targeted Eastwood Middle School By Danielle Broadway and Christina Anagnostopoulos LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - At the Emmy Awards on Sunday, Hollywood celebrated a diverse line-up of nominees and winners at television's highest honors and feted the success of Latino, LGBTQ+ and Japanese talent and stories. Disney's "Shogun" took the top prize of best drama series following its record number of Emmys for a single season of a television series. Japanese actors Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada won best actress and actor for "Shogun", while Frederick E. O. Toye won best director for a drama series for his work on the show. The series also picked up 14 trophies at the Creative Arts Emmys, a precursor event that recognizes guest actors and crafts such as cinematography and production design. The series has garnered attention for featuring a majority Japanese cast with Japanese being the primary language spoken within the series. Upon winning best drama, Sanada spoke words of thanks in Japanese. A standout among Latino winners was "The Bear" actor Liza Colon-Zayas, who plays a chef named Tina Marrero. Colon-Zayas beat industry giants Meryl Streep and Carol Burnett in the best supporting actress category. "And to all the Latinas who are looking at me. Keep believing and vote. Vote for your rights," Colon-Zayas said during her acceptance speech. Echoing her, actor and comedian John Leguizamo described the Hollywood opportunity gaps that's he's faced throughout his career in Hollywood. Leguizamo called himself a "DEI hire," saying the D is for diligence, the E is for excellence, the I is for imagination. Usually, DEI stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion, types of initiatives that help increase representation for historically overlooked communities. Vice President Kamala Harris has received accusations from the right of being a DEI hire since her presidential nomination. "Everybody played us, except us. I didn't see a lot of people on TV who looked like me," Leguizamo said of his childhood. "We need more stories from excluded groups, Black, Asian, Jewish, Arab, LGBTQ+ and disabled. And this show tonight is proof that our industry is making progress," he added. Mexican actor Diego Luna, a presenter, also spoke in Spanish and reminded the audience that 50 million people speak that language in the United States. The award ceremony's focus on inclusion and diversity was also a key aspect for Governors Award winner, Greg Berlanti. The Governors Award recognizes an individual, company, or organization that has made a "profound, transformational, and long-lasting contribution to the arts and/or science of television". "TV history was made on 'Dawson's Creek' as Greg was the first writer producer to show a gay kiss on prime times between two teenagers, and that was back in 2000 I remember being so proud," said actor and presenter Joshua Jackson. Berlanti is a prolific showrunner with over 45 shows and a record breaking 20 scripted series on TV at once. He described himself as a "closeted gay kid" and gave a heartfelt speech about how thankful he is to his late mother along with a special thank you to his husband, Robbie Rogers. "Back then, the only way to tell if another kid might be gay was if he also watched Dynasty and Dallas and could name all four of the Golden Girls." He received a standing ovation. Similarly, actor Jodie Foster thanked her wife Alexandra Hedison, at the end of her acceptance speech for winning best actress in a limited series for her role in "True Detective: Night Country." The Emmy awards also gave a special nod to actor Nava Mau. Following in Black actor Laverne Cox' footsteps, who was the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an acting Emmy award, was Mexican "Baby Reindeer" actor Mau. Mau was the first transgender woman to be nominated in the best supporting actress category for her work on the Netflix show. (Reporting by Danielle Broadway, Christina Anagnostopoulos, Lisa Richwine; Editing by Mary Milliken and Michael Perry) Troopers to patrol schools in Springfield, Ohio, after threats linked to false claims about Haitian immigrants Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is deploying the Ohio State Highway Patrol to monitor schools in the city of Springfield after they received 33 bomb threats since late last week, he said at a news conference Monday. Two colleges were moved to virtual learning and two elementary schools were evacuated Monday after receiving separate threats. The threats so far havent had any validity at all, DeWine said in a news conference Monday afternoon. The threats and closures come amid ongoing fallout from baseless allegations former President Donald Trump made during the second presidential debate that Haitian immigrants in the city are stealing and eating local pets. Students at Simon Kenton and Kenwood Elementary Schools were evacuated to an alternate district location Monday based on information district officials received from the citys police, the Springfield City School District said in a release. These are the fifth and sixth SCSD buildings to be targeted by recent threats within the last week, the district said. DeWine said 36 troopers from the state patrols mobile field force will be present at all 17 school buildings in the Springfield City School District starting Tuesday. The troopers will sweep all school buildings before classes start and will remain on campus to provide security throughout the day and after dismissal, he said. We have people, unfortunately, overseas who are taking these actions, DeWine said of those making the threats. Some of them are coming from one particular country. We think this is one more opportunity to mess with the United States, and theyre continuing to do that. So we cannot let the bad guys win. DeWine declined to name the specific country he said some of the threats were coming from, but said the FBI is assisting local law enforcement. When asked why DeWine didnt want to name the country, a spokesperson for his office said the governor does not want to provide encouragement to the bad actors who have engaged in these numerous threats. Elsewhere in the city, classes at Wittenberg University were held remotely Monday while campus police and local law enforcement assessed emailed threats of a bombing and a campus shooting that targeted members of the Haitian community, the university said in a statement. The university has received five separate threats since Saturday, and most have been resolved, school president Michael Frandsen told CNN Monday. Law enforcement agencies have increased patrols on campus, he said. Nearby Clark State College also announced its campuses will be closed this week and classes will be held virtually after the school also received similar threats through email. Officials at both schools said they were taking the measures out of an abundance of caution. Pedestrians walk down Fountain Avenue in Springfield, Ohio, on Wednesday, September 11. - Paul Vernon/AP We understand the anxiety that such incidents can cause and we are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and care, Clark State said in a statement. We will always prioritize the safety and wellness of our students, employees and community. We appreciate your understanding during this challenging time. Springfield also announced Monday it will cancel is annual arts and cultural festival, scheduled to take place September 27 and 28, amid recent threats and safety concerns. Rob Rue, the citys mayor, told CNNs Dana Bash that he and other officials have personally received threats, adding it would be helpful if politicians understood the weight of their words and how they could harm a community like ours. Springfield police told CNN they received two 911 calls Saturday to report members of the Proud Boys the paramilitary group that stormed the US Capitol on January 6 marching through town. We had a couple calls of their presence in town, but when the officers went to the area, Lexington and South Burnett, they were no longer there, Sgt. Geovanny Mercado told CNN. Two area hospitals closed Thursday after receiving threats and the following day, two local elementary schools were evacuated based on information received from the Springfield Police Division. A father trying to pick up his child speaks on the phone in front of Fulton Elementary School after the school was evacuated following bomb threats on September 12, 2024. - Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images In an interview with CNN on Monday, DeWine flatly denied the false rumors about the citys Haitian immigrants and said business leaders feel Haitian immigrants are really essential to them getting the job done. These Haitians that are there are legal, they work very, very hard, the governor said. Approximately 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants live in Clark County, where Springfield is the county seat, the city notes on its website. It says Haitian immigrants are there legally as part of a parole program that allows citizens and lawful residents to apply to have their family members from Haiti come to the United States. Officials with the Clark County Sheriffs Office also debunked allegations that Haitians were stealing geese out of local parks last week, noting police have reviewed 11 months of 911 records and identified two instances of people reporting such incidents, but found no evidence to substantiate the claims. Vice presidential candidate JD Vance was among the first to elevate the baseless rumors about Haitians. CNNs Dana Bash asked the Ohio Republican to provide evidence supporting the allegations in an interview Sunday on State of the Union, and the senator cited multiple firsthand accounts he said he received from his constituents but provided no further evidence. He also bristled at the idea that repeating the baseless claims has led to a spike in threats in the city. There is nothing that I have said that has led to threats against these hospitals. The violence is disgusting, and we condemn it, Vance said. All that Ive done is surface the complaints of my constituents, people who are suffering because of Kamala Harris policies. Are we not allowed to talk about these problems because some psychopaths are threatening violence? he added. Vance later said, If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then thats what Im going to do. When Bash pressed him to clarify whether he was admitting the story was fabricated, Vance reiterated the claims came from his constituents. I didnt create 20,000 illegal migrants coming into Springfield thanks to Kamala Harris policies. Her policies did that, he said. But yes, we created the actual focus that allowed the American media to talk about this story and the suffering caused by Kamala Harris policies. Rue, the mayor, told CNNs Erin Burnett on Thursday that his city has experienced a 25% growth in population in the past three years, in part because of the influx of Haitian immigrants. Volunteer teacher Hope Kaufman leads Haitian students during an English language class at the Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield on September 13. - Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images Rue said hes working with local law enforcement to address an increase in reckless driving and asked the governor for additional funding over the next two years to improve the language services in the local health care system, but he denounced claims that immigrants were harming local pets and animals. I just want to clearly say, as a pet lover, your pets are safe in Springfield, Ohio, and its odd that I even have to tell the national media, yes, it is, if thats a fact, but it is a fact, Rue said. CNNs Paradise Afshar, Chris Boyette, Kit Maher and Taylor Romine contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Two dead after shots fired between LAPD officers and a gunman in North Hollywood A gunman exchanged shots with Los Angeles Police Department officers after they responded to a call of an assault with a deadly weapon in North Hollywood early Tuesday. (Onscene.tv) A shooting Monday morning between an armed man and police in North Hollywood ended with two people dead, including the gunman, authorities said. At 4:50 a.m. Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to a call of an assault with a deadly weapon in the 12000 block of Victory Boulevard. Witnesses indicated that 37-year-old Sean Griffin had shot a man inside a vehicle, according to police. When officers arrived at the scene near Victory Boulevard and Bellingham Avenue they encountered Griffin with a firearm, the LAPD said on X. Griffin pointed his gun at officers and they exchanged fire. Griffin fled the area as additional officers began to arrive and ran north on Bellingham Avenue, toward a parking structure behind a gym. Officers then established a perimeter around the area. Griffin came out of the west side of the parking structure on St. Claire Avenue, where he exchanged gunfire with officers again. Read more: Assailant opens fire on LAPD cruiser during traffic stop, injuring 2 officers He then ran back into the structure and came out on the north side, where the gun battle continued. It was unclear who fired first in all three exchanges between the gunman and police. Police officials said Griffin was struck by gunfire and fell to the ground. Officers rendered aid until the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Homicide investigators found a loaded firearm with one round in the chamber and two rounds in the magazine next to Griffin, and additional live rounds were recovered from his body, police said. Officers tried to render aid to the man who was shot in the car, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released. It's not clear if the man, believed to be a bystander, was hit in the gunfire exchange. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Retired New York City Fire Department Chief Brian Cordasco, right, and his lawyer Frank Rothman, leave federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah) NEW YORK (AP) Two former New York City Fire Department chiefs were arrested Monday on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to guarantee that the department's fire-safety division gave preferential treatment to some individuals and companies. Anthony Saccavino, 59, of Manhattan and Brian Cordasco, 49, of Staten Island were arrested on bribery, corruption and false statements charges alleging that they solicited and accepted the bribe payments from at least 2021 through 2023. They each were freed on $250,000 bail after entering not guilty pleas before a federal judge. Outside the courthouse, neither commented. The arrests came as multiple ongoing federal investigations swirl around Mayor Eric Adams and his top deputies, including one inquiry that appears at least partly focused on whether the administration sped up fire safety inspections at the Turkish consulate in exchange for illegal contributions. Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams declined to say whether the case against the former fire chiefs was related to any other investigation we may or may not be doing. But he put people on notice that his office is continuing to pursue any corruption. We are determined to address it from root to branch, and our work is far from done, he said at a news conference. Cordasco and Saccavino were former chiefs of the city Fire Department's Bureau of Fire Prevention, which is responsible for regulating the installation of fire safety and suppression systems throughout New York City and ensuring fire safety regulations are obeyed. Outside the courthouse, attorney Joseph Caldarera called his client, Saccavino, an American hero, a 9/11 first responder who had been with the department since 1995. Prosecutors, he said, "got the wrong guy. He vehemently denies all of the allegations against him today, the lawyer said. Is this connected to City Hall? Is this connected to Eric Adams? I'm sure that's the next big question. At this time we don't know and we don't have an answer to that question. Attorney Frank Rothman, representing Cordasco, told reporters that his client has been a dedicated firefighter for two decades, serving fearlessly and faithfully. He added: This is indeed a sad and troubling day, but I'm glad he's on his way home. While the indictment makes no reference to projects linked to the Turkish government, it does refer to a City Hall List allegedly used by the fire department to track inquiries and requests from City Hall stakeholders and give priority to those projects. Adams, a Democrat, has previously denied the existence of the priority list. In a lawsuit filed last year, a former fire chief said the list had grown substantially under Adams, becoming a mechanism to press the FDNY to permit politically connected developers to cut the inspection line. Williams said at Monday's news conference that Cordasco and Saccavino allegedly used the list to "excuse or cover up the way in which they were pressuring other folks to expedite the matters they were being bribed to expedite. According to a news release, Saccavino and Cardasco solicited and accepted bribes from a retired firefighter who ran an unsanctioned expediting business that promised customers that he could fast-track their plan reviews and inspection dates in exchange for a fee. Williams said the retired firefighter has pleaded guilty to charges in the case. The trio managed to collect over $190,000 in payments in a scheme they launched after the coronavirus pandemic created a backlog of work for the fire department's fire-safety division, Williams said. Even as Cordasco allegedly participated in a bribery scheme, he was raising concern internally about the ethics of granting priority to other projects, according to emails obtained last year by The Associated Press and other outlets. Following a request by City Hall to expedite an inspection at Hudson Yards, a Manhattan mega-development, Cordasco wrote to other chiefs that it was extremely unfair to the applicants who had been waiting at least eight weeks for their inspections. In a statement, Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker said the department will fully cooperate with the investigation, adding each of his employees has sworn an oath to honest and ethical behavior and that "anything less will not be tolerated. Over the weekend, the top legal adviser to Adams abruptly resigned. That came days after the head of the New York Police Department resigned after federal investigators seized his phone. ___ Associated Press Writer Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report. Two injured in hit-and-run crash in Monroe Center MONROE CENTER, Ill. (WTVO) Two people were injured Saturday after the occupants of a black Nissan ran a stop sign, causing a crash, and then fled the scene, according to police. The Ogle County Sheriffs Office said deputies responded to Illinois Route 72 and North Mulford Road around 11:30 p.m. Police said the Nissan was headed northbound on North Mulford Road when ran the stop sign at IL Route 72 and crashed into a gray Hyundai. Police said an adult man and the driver were taken to the hospital but are expected to recover. Authorities have not announced an arrest, but the investigation is ongoing. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports. CARROLL COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) At least two people were injured during a shooting at a Mississippi nightclub. The shooting occurred at the T&G Nightclub on Winona Road around 1:20 a.m. on Sunday, September 15. An appeals court wont revive Brett Favres defamation lawsuit against Shannon Sharpe According to Carroll County deputies, two victims were transported to local hospitals by private vehicles. One was taken to Greenwood Leflore Hospital, and the second was taken to Tyler Holmes Memorial Hospital before being airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson in critical condition. Investigators said theyre searching for several suspects in connection to the shooting. Our office is dependent on witnesses coming forward to identify the cowards who carried out this senseless act of violence. If anyone has any eyewitness information or any video or social media clips that could shed light on this matter, we ask them to do the right thing and call the Sheriffs Office at 662-237-9283 or myself at 662-310-7233. If you wish to remain anonymous, please call Greenwood Leflore Carroll Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. You could be eligible for a cash reward if your tip leads to an arrest, said Carroll County Sheriff Clint Walker. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily 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 WJTV. Two now-retired FDNY chiefs busted for taking $190K in bribes to speed up inspections Two now-retired FDNY chiefs were arrested Monday on federal charges they accepted $190,000 in bribes to speed up fire safety inspections before leaving the department. Former FDNY Assistant Chief Anthony Saccavino and former Deputy Assistant Chief Brian Cordasco were busted on a 43-page indictment that includes counts of bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud and lying to the FBI. Saccavino was head of the FDNYs Fire Prevention Bureau, or the BFP, and Cordasco worked under Saccavino. These defendants used their powers as senior members of the FDNY to let some people cut to the front of the line, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams told reporters Monday. They allegedly created a VIP lane for faster service that could only be accessed with bribes. They allegedly conspired with a retired firefighter, Henry Santiago, who owned an expediting business, then directed the members of their bureau to speed up the inspection process for that conspirators business in exchange for bribes, the feds allege. The duo repeatedly abused their positions of trust as high-ranking officials in the New York City Fire Department from at least in or about 2021 through in or about 2023 by soliciting and accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribe payments in exchange for providing preferential treatment, reads the indictment, which was unsealed in Manhattan Federal Court. Saccavino and Cordasco took advantage of a backlog on fire alarm and fire suppression system inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the feds said. Thats when Santiago and Saccavino, who were longtime pals, became secret business partners, the indictment alleges. Cordasco, who went to the FDNY Academy with Santiago, soon joined the business, the feds allege. Santiago told his customers he could get faster inspections because of his FDNY connections and was often paid thousands of dollars to speed things up, the feds say. The chiefs each got a 30% cut of the action, according to the indictment. One filing representative paid Santiago $50,000 to expedite eight separate projects. In one instance, Cordasco wrote in a group text, Are we getting wowed with the price? How much? about a request to expedite a fire alarm inspection in fall 2022. Saccavino earned an FDNY salary of $263,478, while Cordasco earned $257,296 annually, the feds say. Santiago, who according to the indictment had a falling out with the chiefs last year, has since pleaded guilty and is cooperating with prosecutors, authorities said. In all, the duo took bribes to fast-track about 30 properties, the feds charge. Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber said her department started looking into the chiefs after getting a tip in 2023. She said they didnt find evidence that the scheme compromised fire safety, but the FDNY still had to reinspect all of the properties involved. The duo would repeatedly lie to justify speeding up the process, or use the influence of their positions, at times falsely claiming that the properties were on a so-called City Hall List of preferred buildings and project that should get faster inspections, the feds allege. Cordasco claimed he opposed the idea of a City Hall list in an April 2022 email, writing it was extremely unfair to the applicants who have been waiting at least 8 weeks for their inspection, according to the feds. He was part of a high-level e-mail discussion about the use of the list and fast-tracked inspections for 50 Hudson Yards and other projects. But in June 2022, he lied to a subordinate that a Manhattan restaurant needed a fast inspection because it was flagged by the FDNYs Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, which maintained the list, according to the indictment. This project did not appear on the City Hall List, the feds say. The list also called the DMO list because it fell under the purview of the deputy mayor of operations started under the de Blasio administration. The list drew scrutiny in November as part of the FBI investigation into donations to Mayor Adams 2021 campaign, in the wake of disclosures about delays to the opening of the Turkish Consulate in Manhattan in 2021. Adams took office as mayor in January 2022. Adams has confirmed that he asked former Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro to look into the status of building safety violations that were preventing opening and said the outreach was part of his normal duties as an elected official. Adams has repeatedly said City Hall has not maintained a DMO List on his watch, though emails obtained by The News suggest that such a list was used at least in the early days of his administration, largely overseen by the FDNY. We stated then and we gonna state it again that this administration did not have a list named like that, and we made that clear and we stand by that, Adams told reporters Monday. This action initiated under a previous administration, he added. When [then]-Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh became aware of it, she self-reported it. Our administration became aware of it, it took the proper steps and reported the action. Williams, the Manhattan U.S. attorney, said Monday he was sticking to the four walls of the indictment in his public statements. On the City Hall List, Im gonna limit what I say to whats already in the indictment, so Im not going to provide my personal view whether its a good thing or a bad thing as a matter of policy, he told reporters. These defendants, as we allege in the indictment, used the City Hall List, or the DMO List, as its also called, to effectively excuse or cover up the way they were pressuring other folks to expedite matters they were being bribed to expedite. FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said Monday the department will fully cooperate with any ongoing investigations. Every member of the FDNY takes a sworn oath to conduct themselves honestly and ethically. Anything less will not be tolerated, he added. Keeping New Yorkers safe remains our top priority. Saccavinos lawyer, Joseph Caldarera, called the allegations against him both surprising and distressing. It is essential to remember that Chief Saccavino has dedicated his life to the FDNY, earning the respect of his colleagues and the community alike. His actions have consistently reflected the values of integrity, bravery and commitment, Caldarera said. We will vigorously contest these allegations. My client strongly denies ever taking any bribes. Two of Iowas public universities will not request any additional general education dollars for the next fiscal year, according to Iowa Board of Regents documentation. The University of Northern Iowa will request incremental general university funding of $2.5 million for fiscal year 2026, according to the state appropriations request the board of regents is set to discuss next week. The University of Iowa and Iowa State University will keep their general appropriations requests flat compared to their appropriation in fiscal year 2025. If approved by the Regents during this week's meeting on Thursday, Sept. 19, the UI will request about $223.5 million, ISU will request nearly $178.5 million and UNI will request about $104.4 million in general university appropriations, bringing the total to $506.3 million. More: UI hopes to build new cancer research facility, upgrade its bioscience building A funding increase General education appropriations increased by 2.5% at each university for fiscal year 2025, coming out to $12.3 million compared to the $14.8 million requested. UNI would use these additional dollars to support efforts to differentiate UNI tuition from that of research intensive universities, the document stated. States investment is critical to keeping a four-year degree within reach for Iowans, the document stated. Tying their requests together under the motto of service to Iowans, each university also seeks state appropriations to launch or expand special programs, from rural health care and economics initiatives to partnerships with community colleges. More: Former UI staffer charged after audit alleges he diverted $1 million from his department Scenes from around the University of Iowa Campus Wednesday, July 31, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. University of Iowa zeroes in on healthcare The UI is requesting $10 million in fiscal year 2026, with more funding requests planned in future years for a total of $50 million, for its rural health care initiative. Iowas Rural Health Care Partnership would focus on strengthening the states health care workforce and expanding access to education and training across Iowa in collaboration with the state. The program will also seek to improve health outcomes for rural Iowans, specifically in primary care, maternal and mental health, according to the document. The university is also seeking economic development appropriations from the state for its John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center and nurse innovator program. The John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center would use $200,000 of its request to go directly to entrepreneurs, the document stated, providing funding to early-stage, Iowa-based startups, supporting student internships at startups and businesses and expanding resources for rural communities. With the remaining $50,000 split between the centers venture school training program and Hawkeye Ventures Fund, $25,000 will go to expanding the school to two new locations and the rest will be put toward supporting a financial analyst, student interns and marketing efforts for the ventures fund. More: Which of Iowa's universities has the most students? Little change in fall 2024 enrollment Iowa State University wants to grow agriculture offerings ISU is seeking increased funding for its agricultural experiment station and its extension and outreach service with the goal of strengthening Iowas rural economy, according to the board of regents document. If approved, the university will request $3.75 million in incremental funding for the experiment station and an additional $1 million for the outreach service. The funds would support technological advances, workforce and entrepreneurship and economics and policy in the agriculture sector, according to the document. While the demand for science and technology in service to Iowa agriculture continues to rise, the capacity of Iowa State to keep pace has diminished, the document stated. At risk is the universitys ability to continue to adequately address perennial and emerging concerns for farmers and agribusinesses, and to innovate to ensure resilient, thriving rural communities. The university is also requesting $1 million in funding to create scholarships for its veterinary early acceptance program and $4 million to establish a manufacturing pipeline. The scholarships would provide in-state tuition for students entering the College of Veterinary Medicine through the ISU Production Animal Veterinary Early Acceptance Program with the requirement of them working in rural Iowa after graduation for at least five years. MakeIowa, the manufacturing program, will launch four hubs across Iowa in partnership with regional education institutions, upgrading manufacturing training centers for advanced technologies trainings and co-developing curriculum for new pathways to degrees. The document stated that the university will also find ways for students to use these hubs for local internships. ISU is also asking for a $36,005 increase in economic development funding for its Biobased Products, Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics, and Digital and Precision Agriculture bioscience platforms in order to have them funded at $3 million annually, a goal set in 2017. The university is also requesting economic development state appropriations of $250,000 to support staff and operations focused on entrepreneurship, according to the document. The only university to request increases in agricultural and natural resources appropriations, ISU is asking for an additional $1.5 million for its veterinary diagnostics lab and $250,000 more for livestock disease research. More: Ames native and "Little Quack" author Derek Anderson's final children's book to publish posthumously UNI hopes to bolster partnerships With federal funding predicted to run out by the end of 2025 due to growth and need, UNI is seeking $1.63 million in state appropriations for its UNI@IACC program, which allows students who have received an associates degree from a partner community college to earn their bachelors degree from UNI remotely. Since its start in 2022, the document stated UNI@IACC has nearly doubled in size. Federal funds provided at its inception created Future Ready Iowa scholarships in order to bridge the gap between the costs of tuition at a students community college and UNI. Around half of students in the program are eligible for these scholarships, and more funds are needed to keep them available. UNI is also looking to establish a center for civic education, and is requesting $1 million for its launch. Developed in response to directives from the board of regents, the document stated the center would offer educational materials on civic knowledge and free speech, develop civic learning strategies and encourage respectful dialogue across differences. The center would strengthen civic education for both K-12 and college students, as well as teachers and the public. It will serve the state of Iowa by centering civic education and free speech in its activities, and will promote the values of free speech, civic leadership, public service and citizenship, the document stated. The university is also requesting $3 million in economic development dollars to offer students from states that share a border with Iowa the same tuition and fees as in-state students, as, according to the document, 40% of UNI graduates from border states stay in Iowa. Find this story at Iowa Capital Dispatch, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions:kobradovich@iowacapitaldispatch.com This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Iowa's two biggest universities won't ask for extra funding in 2026 Shanghai has been smacked by its strongest typhoon in 75 years after making landfall on Chinas east coast early Monday, according to reports from state media, forcing container vessels to steer clear of the two major ports in the metropolitan area. Ahead of Typhoon Bebincas arrival, the Port of Shanghai saw a 56 percent drop in container vessel port calls from Friday to Saturday, according to data from maritime visibility platform Windward AI. That was followed by an even more dramatic 95 percent decrease into Sunday. More from Sourcing Journal And the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan saw an 86 percent decline in port calls between Friday and Saturday, with no port calls on Sunday. S&P Global Commodities at Sea indicated that the loading and unloading of containers at Shanghais Yangshan Port and Waigang Port was stopped at Sunday at midnight, while container operations at Ningbo were halted on Saturday. In the case of Yangshan, arrangements were made for truck drivers from outside Shanghai to stay in a drivers home near the port, according to a report from Chinese state news agency Xinhua. As of Monday, Kuehne + Nagels Seaexplorer supply chain planning tool indicates that both Shanghai and Ningbo are active, but with heavily disrupted operations. Thirty-six container vessels are currently anchored near both major ports, says S&P Global. No vessels have left Shanghai since 1:13 a.m. local time Sunday, while none have left Ningbo since Saturday. The Ports of Shanghai and Ningbo are the largest and third-largest ports in the world by 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) handled, signaling that there will be more congestion out of both hubs in the near future. The ports have dealt with consistent congestion in recent months, along with other major southeast Asian ports including hubs in Singapore and Kelang, in the wake of the ongoing disruptions in the Red Sea throughout 2024. The lengthier transit times of ships around southern Africas Cape of Good Hope has resulted in more off-schedule arrivals, which causes vessel bunching. According to service updates from Hapag-Lloyd on Monday, waiting times for container ships into the Port of Shanghai were already between 36 and 60 hours due to vessel bunching, while those entering the Port of Ningbo had a 24-to-48-hour waiting time. But both berth situations expect to deteriorate further due to Bebinca, the ocean carrier said. Typhoon Bebinca barreled into China just a week after Typhoon Yagi battered its southern coast, as well as Vietnam and Myanmar, leveling the formers manufacturing hubs and resulting in more than 400 deaths across both countries. All flights at Shanghais two international airportsPudong International Airport and Hongqiao International Airporthave been canceled since Sunday. Shanghai Railway Station also suspended operations, and the Shenzhen government cancelled all trains operating to and from Shanghai. Water transport has also been closed temporarily and ferries along Chongming Island have been suspended. Highways were closed, while a 40 kilometer (25 mile) per hour speed limit is in place on roads inside the city. The China Meteorological Administration recorded wind speeds of 151 kph (94 mph) near the typhoons eye when it made landfall. The storm would be classified as a Category 1 hurricane in the U.S. The administration also noted that some parts of the city of approximately 25 million had seen almost three inches of rainfall in one hour on Monday morning. More than 400,000 people have been evacuated across the Shanghai direct-administered municipality area by Sunday evening, with evacuations also in effect across the neighboring provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu. The typhoon caused significant damage across the city, knocking down more than 10,000 trees and leaving 30,000 households without electricity. Typhoon Bebinca is the fiercest storm to hit Shanghai since Typhoon Gloria in 1949, and marks the 13th typhoon to hit China in 2024. Bebinca is forecast to across Anhui and Henan provinces in eastern China, weakening and dissipating over the next two days. For the next 48 hours, moderate to very heavy rainfall up to 12 inches is expected across the Shanghai area, Jiangsu, Anhui and Henan provinces. These disruptions are occurring during Chinas three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday which began on Sunday. WREG will update this story with new developments throughout the day. MEMPHIS, Tenn. The federal trial for three former Memphis police officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols is moving into its second week. Expert witness Larnce Wright, one of the instructors who trained all five of the accused officers at the MPD Training Academy, will start the morning off on the stand Monday. Last week, Wright was questioned about Response to Resistance forms that the officers filled out after the beating. Tyre Nichols trial: Witness claims officers left vital information out of reports When asked about how the reports compare to the body camera footage from the scene, Wright said all three of the RTRs were inaccurate in some capacity. He mentioned that some of the officers omitted the kicks and punches to Nichols in their reports. Cross-examinations began with Kevin Whitmore, representing Tadarrius Bean, and are expected to carry into Monday. He discussed MPD training at the academy and argued that the officers involved were not trained properly or extensively enough in the areas that matter most. Testimony begins in Tyre Nichols federal case Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith will stand trial over the next two to three weeks on charges of federal civil rights violations, conspiracy, and obstruction in connection to Tyre Nichols death in 2023. UPDATE: 5:45 Week 2: Day 1 Emmitt Martin took the stand at 4:50 p.m. and described how he stopped Tyre Nichols. He said he was parked perpendicular to Nichols car, however, thats not how he was trained. He added that he didnt know why he parked his vehicle that way. He claimed that Officer Preston Hemphills car was behind Nichols and it came to a traffic stop. Demetrius Haley was said to be on the back drivers side. Martin admitted on the stand to exaggerating what Nichols did, which he said turned it into a felony. Once Nichols vehicle was surrounded, Martin said that Haley told him to Get the f*** out of the car. As soon as Nichols was ordered out of the car, they snatched him out. Martin said that they never told him why they stopped him. We just didnt, Martin said. We are supposed to tell them why we pulled them over before we get them out. Martin admitted that it was against MPD policy to pull him out of the car because he was not a threat. He added that once he saw Haleys hands on Nichols, he had to have hands on him too. He said he was taught at the academy that if one officer has hands on him, we all have to have hands-on him. He confessed that Nichols never threw a punch or kicked them. He said he felt a tug on his duty belt, so he yelled, Let go of my gun! and it alerted everyone around. Martin admitted that he never saw Nichols grab at his gun. He said the officers proceeded to pepper spray Nichols, which was against policy because he wasnt a threat. Hemphill then tased Nichols. He said that they should have analyzed the situation better. He added that he didnt have his body cam on, even though it should have been per MPD policy. During Martins testimony, Tyre Nichols mother had her head on her husbands shoulders. Court recessed for the day at 5:30 p.m. and will resume Tuesday morning at 8:30 a.m. UPDATE: 2:30 Week 2: Day 1 Kevin Whitmores questioning of Larnce Wright continues. Whitmore argued that since Nichols didnt stop and pull over immediately and a pursuit began, the incident was more than a normal traffic violation. Whitmore hinted at the fact that Tyre Nichols was driving a Nissan when he was pulled over. Despite the notion that Nissans and certain vehicles heighten officers attention, Wright said that wasnt the case. I cant tell you to violate somebodys rights just because they have a certain type of vehicle, sir, Wright said. Memphis Police policy states that officers are not going to violate someones rights just because of the type of vehicle they drive. Wright also discussed the difficulty of policing with body armor on considering the equipment can weigh up to 15 to 20 pounds. It can impact an incident a lot, Wright said. Martin Zummach, Justin Smiths attorney questioned Wright next. During questioning, Wright described the definition of passive and active resistance. Wright said active resistance is using Hard Hands, kicks, head butts, or using a weapon. He also described passive resistance as something like running from the police. Zummach tried to make the point that if you pull up to a scene after hearing that he (Nichols) was tased and pepper sprayed, he must have been fighting with the officer(s). Wright agrees that you would treat him as a high-risk suspect because of this. Prosecutor Kathryn Gilbert was the last to question Wright. Wright agreed that the Use of Force Continuum is a concept trained in multiple classes. He explained that the point of the training was to teach recruits how to deal with themselves and the suspect on the scene. However, Wright said that none of the officers were within the code concerning the force they used on the scene as seen in the video. UPDATE: 11:30 Week 2: Day 1 Judge Mark Norris says the state questioned Larnce Wright for 2.5 hours over the course of Thursday and Friday, and Kevin Whitmore cross-examined him for 3.5 hours on Friday. So far today, he has added another hour and a half to that time. That is just the amount of time it has taken one of the three defense attorneys to cross-examine Wright. Judge Norris questioned attorneys about the length of their cross-examinations before court started this morning, but defense attorneys say this is their only chance to question the witnesses and there is a lot at stake. Whitmore once again brought into question the ex-officers training. He asked about who does the training and said Wright himself never actually taught Bean how to write an incident report or provide medical training, yet he testified that Bean and the other officers did not do it correctly. They discussed the risks involved in certain traffic stops and how officers are taught they must decide what tactics to use. Wright said any stop can turn violent, but they must first find out why the alleged suspect is fleeing and what their charges are before pursuing them. Whitmore also brought up concerns regarding the impact of fatigue on officers. Wright explained that officers who are experiencing fatigue often get confused and frustrated. There are 37 witnesses left on the list of 40 provided last week, meaning it may be a long process to get through all of them. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The United States Navy commissioned its first coed submarine on Saturday, in a ceremonial event that the vessel's commander called "a truly historic moment." "Today, we commissioned our ship, and she is the fastest, most advanced, fully integrated fast-attack to date," said Cmdr. Steve Halle, the commanding officer of the USS New Jersey. "Our superior professionalism is enhanced by our crew integration and our diversity," Halle continued as he spoke about his crew being the first to be fully integrated on a fast-attack submarine. The ceremony marked the conclusion of a years-long process to commission the USS New Jersey, which is the third Navy ship named after the U.S. state, succeeding the BB-62 battleship that sailed in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, according to the Navy. The event for the fast-attack submarine took place at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Middletown, New Jersey, the military branch said. Sailors assigned to USS New Jersey (SSN 796) stand by to man their ship during a commissioning ceremony at Naval Weapons Station Earle, New Jersey on September 14, 2024. New Jersey is the first fast attack submarine designed for a fully integrated male and female crew. / Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Joshua Karsten "USS New Jersey (SSN 796) is now commissioned and ready for service!" the Navy said in a social media post unveiling the sub. "The Navy's latest Virginia-class submarine joins the fleet." In a video accompanying that post, the Navy described the USS New Jersey as the "first fully integrated submarine built for male and female sailors" in the history of submarines, which stretches back roughly a century. It said the vessel is "a symbol of progress" that is "breaking barriers as it protects our shores." A female crewmember appeared in the video and spoke to the value of this milestone for inclusivity. "It is an honor that we are the first to have this slice of that particular narrative," she said. A narrator' voice added that the USS New Jersey is "a testament to the strength that diversity brings to our Navy." USS New Jersey (SSN 796) is now commissioned and ready for service! The Navy's latest Virginia-class submarine joins the fleet. Watch the video to learn more about the Navy's newest sub. #USSNewJersey #USNavy #Submarine #NavalPower pic.twitter.com/PEGlDaWRMw U.S. Navy (@USNavy) September 14, 2024 Fast-attack submarines are used for various Naval missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, the Navy said. Women were first permitted to join the Navy in 1917, and more than 60,000 women are currently enlisted, according to the military. The inclusion of women in Naval submarine crews was initially announced in 2011 and billed as the Navy's "final, large-scale gender integration," the U.S. Naval Institute said. As of October 2023, more than 600 women were assigned to operational submarines as officers and sailers, according to the institute. Suspect in apparent Trump assassination attempt appears in court, faces 2 federal gun charges Biden says he thanked God that Trump is ok following latest apparent assassination attempt Court hearing arguments in TikTok appeal of law that could ban app in U.S. Georgia's parliament in May gave final passage to a controversial new law, overriding a veto by President Salome Zurabishvili (pictured in 2020) who has split with legislators and party leaders over supporting protesters who took to the streets against the bill. File Photo by Zurab Kurtsikidze/EPA-EFE Sept. 16 (UPI) -- The United States on Monday placed sanctions on four individuals and citizens of eastern Europe's Georgia over accusations of human rights abuses and brutal crackdowns on peaceful protesters and political opponents over a controversial new law, U.S. officials said. "Today's action underscores our concern about the consequences of anti-democratic actions in Georgia and efforts by key individuals to use violence and intimidation to achieve their aims," stated Bradley T. Smith, the U.S. Treasury's acting under secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, in a news release on Monday. The federal government says Zviad Kharazishvili and his deputy Mileri Lagazauri are two government officials of the Republic of Georgia -- located to the south of Russia in eastern Europe -- who, along with Konstantine Morgoshia and Zurab Makharadze allegedly took part in "violently suppressing the exercise of the freedom of peaceful assembly of Georgians engaged in the democratic process and peaceful expression," according to Treasury. Georgia's parliament in May gave final passage to a new law, overriding a veto by President Salome Zurabishvili who has split with legislators and party leaders in support of protesters who took to the streets. In May, "despite weeks of mass protests against" proposed legislation that would stifle fundamental freedoms including that of the free press, the U.S. contends, the ruling Georgia Dream party passed the so-called "On Transparency of Foreign Influence" law otherwise known as the "foreign influence law." The new law requires non-governmental organizations and outlets, including media organizations, that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from foreign sources to register as organizations "pursuing the interest of a foreign power." "It also runs counter to values which bind Georgia to Europe and the European Union," the department added. The Dream party insists the new law was needed to ensure transparency in Georgia's political scene and to protect its sovereignty, while the government has denied heavy-handed tactics were used against demonstrators, Radio Free Europe reported on Monday. During protests prior to the law passing, security forces from the Ministry of Internal Affairs Special Task Department "violently targeted Georgian citizens, political opposition leaders, journalists, and youth activists who were peacefully expressing their views." Kharazishvili, chief of the "Special Task Department," allegedly oversaw the violence along with Lagazauri. The array of sanctions by the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, among other things, limits their ability to do business with American interests. Morgoshia, founder of media company Alt-Info, in the past had allegedly leveraged his platform used to amplify disinformation and spread hate speech and threats against marginalized communities during similar events last year and in 2021which led hundreds of people to break into non-governmental organization offices and attack journalists and police officers at the scene. It is alleged that Makharadze, also associated with Alt-Info, helped "direct, organize and fundraise for the anti-human rights violence in 2021 and 2023 with Morgoshia. And during attacks, led a group to clear out protestors from in front of Georgia's parliament and then instructed followers to go with Morgoshia to attack the non-governmental organization offices. Meanwhile, DOS added it is taking further steps to impose visa restrictions on more than 60 other Georgian individuals, including other government officials "responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy in Georgia" in sanctions which also will include family members, according to the U.S. Department of State. Pro-Palestinian student activists rallied outside the University of Connecticuts administrative offices Monday to demand a meeting with President Radenka Maric after protesters claimed school leaders ignored requests to discuss UConns divestment from the Israel-Hamas war and amnesty for demonstrators arrested on campus last spring. Outside Gulley Hall, Instagram posts shared by the UConn Divest Coalition showed videos of protesters chanting From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free as students held Palestinian flags and flyers criticizing Maric. Pictures of the scattered flyers showed various depictions of Maric, at times adorned with red devil horns, accompanied with images of missiles and dollar bills and phrases such as I <3 arresting students and Raytheon Radenka selling out for genocide since 2022. Other images posted by UConn Divest captured university sidewalks chalked with the words Randenka = Killer, Protesting is not a crime, and Arrest Netanyahu, not students. One message included a sexually vulgar phrase to tell the university to Stop (bootlicking) Israel. Another included a rendition of Maric as a horned boar with the words Radenka hates Palestinians, ur canceled Ms. Piggy. A video UConn Divest posted shortly after 5 p.m. showed Maric, accompanied by two men, exiting Gulley Hall and entering a vehicle that was waiting outside. As Maric walked past, protesters shouted questions about the arrest of protesters and chanted Radenka, Randeka your hands are red, 40,000 people dead. After five hours of sustained protest outside of the UConn Presidents office, Radenka Maric refused to engage with pro-Palestine activists demanding to end UConns complicity in the genocide in Gaza, UConn Divest said in the caption. Israeli officials and their supporters have repeatedly denied genocide accusations, arguing that the nations attacks on Gaza, which have killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, are necessary to defend Israel after Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages on Oct. 7. According to UConn Divest, Mondays protest came one week after a deadline to meet with Maric on Sept. 9 came and went. The coalition said organizers set the deadline at the start of the fall semester with the goal of negotiating an end to UConns partnership with companies tied to the Israel-Hamas war and securing Marics commitment to call on the Office of the States Attorney to drop all charges against the 25 students and one alumnus who were arrested by UConn Police at peaceful demonstrations in April. UConn Divest said students intend to continue protesting until the group secures a date to meet with Maric by early October, according to a press release Sunday. In addition to elevating these demands, UConn Divest said protesters also intended to raise concerns over new university policies that ban the use of megaphones and amplified during business hours and place new restrictions on outdoor activities such as protests, including an outright ban on encampments. Students, faculty, and alumni of conscience are tired of waiting for their demands of divesting and cutting ties with Israels genocide to be heard, UConn Divest said in the release. Radenka Maric and the UConn administration are out of time to stall student activists and ignore their calls for justice. In a statement to the Courant Monday, UConn Spokesperson Stephanie Reitz did not respond directly to requests to explain why Maric had declined meetings with students. In response to Mondays protest Reitz said One of UConns strengths is the diversity of opinions among the 32,000-plus students across its campuses statewide and that The University respects the rights of students to gather and express themselves peacefully on any topics they wish. In an interview with the Courant, junior Josie Raza of UConn Divest, described the lack of engagement shown by Maric and other university leaders as frustrating and disheartening. These are supposed to be the people who represent our university and we are members of this university and they wont even acknowledge our presence, Raza said. Thats been really, really upsetting (and) really disheartening to see and we do hope that that changes. Raza said the groups top concern is to have UConn disclose its financial ties to weapons manufactuing companies and to divest from these industries, however Raza said students activists are also really concerned aboutthe state of free speech on campus. According to Raza and another UConn Divest representative named Colin Rosadino, at one point during Mondays demonstration when a student brought out a megaphone, a university representative told protesters that police would be called if students used amplified sound and that police would deal with policy violations. At press, the university had not issued a comment in response to this allegation. These new policies, theyre unclear (and) they can be applied in a more heavy handed way to some certain types of speech and not others, Raza said. We think its a definitely a problem to try and restrict students ability to disagree with what the university is doing, especially to the extent that its criminalized. Health secretary Wes Streeting has suggested pensioners will not be the only group negatively affected by cuts in the October budget. Mr Streeting said he can understand why pensioners may feel they are being targeted by the government following cuts to winter fuel payments. However, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said there will be moves to reduce the size of the welfare bill, as well as public spending cuts and tax rises. In an interview with The New Statesman, the health secretary said: I can understand why there will be some pensioners sat there thinking, Why us? And what about others? Well, there are other choices to come and these arent just Rachels [Reeves] choices to face up to, these are the choices of the whole government. He added: It would be quite jarring if we were all skipping around Whitehall singing Sam Cookes A Change Is Gonna Come or D:Reams Things Can Only Better at the same as were dealing with a 22 billion black hole and making some tough choices which are really sticking in the throats of people, particularly on the winter fuel allowance. Key Points Keir Starmers chief of staff Sue Gray is paid more than the prime minister Rwanda plan was worse than deporting convicts to Australia, says John Major Watch: Badenoch says she 'went from middle class to working class' after working at McDonald's Pat McFadden defends Starmer over donations row Wednesday 18 September 2024 20:00 , Jabed Ahmed Cabinet minister Pat McFadden has defended Sir Keir Starmer as a man of enormous integrity, amid questions over the numerous gifts the PM has accepted. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster came to Sir Keirs defence after claims of cronyism and failing to declare donations of clothing to his wife. In an interview with the Guardian, Mr McFadden said: This is not somebody who thinks that somehow the rules dont apply to them, or theres one rule for him and another one for others, like predecessors that have occupied his post. He is a person of enormous integrity, and that will be reflected in the way that he operates. Politics explained: Will Labour raise tuition fees to save struggling universities? Wednesday 18 September 2024 19:30 , Jabed Ahmed Will Labour raise tuition fees to save struggling universities? Watch: Badenoch says she 'went from middle class to working class' after working at McDonald's Wednesday 18 September 2024 19:00 , Jabed Ahmed Rachel Reeves commits to improving womens lives by closing gender pay gap Wednesday 18 September 2024 18:30 , Jabed Ahmed Rachel Reeves has said she intends to use her position as the first female Chancellor to improve life for women, as she set out plans to support women in business. Ms Reeves said it is a huge responsibility to head the Treasury and she is aiming to close the gender pay gap, strengthen rights at work and invest in childcare. Announcing the Governments support for the Invest in Women Taskforce, which aims to increase investment funding pools for female founders, the Chancellor vowed to improve the economic opportunities available to women. The taskforce is aiming to create a funding pool of more than 250 million for female-founded businesses through private capital, making it one of the worlds largest investment funding pools aimed solely at female founders. The Rose Review, an independent review of female entrepreneurship led by Dame Alison Rose, found that if the UK were to have the same share of female entrepreneurs as similar countries, 200 billion of value would be added to the economy. Ms Reeves is expected to take an active role in steering the taskforces priorities and objectives. Government to hold talks on ending exploitative zero-hours contracts Wednesday 18 September 2024 18:00 , Jabed Ahmed Angela Rayner is set to hold another round of talks with trade unions and business leaders as the Government continues its drive to end exploitative zero-hours contracts. The Deputy Prime Minister and the Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, will meet general secretaries from Britains major trade unions along with figures from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) on Wednesday afternoon as part of the Governments ongoing efforts to expand workers rights. The meeting is the latest in a series of discussions with unions and businesses on employment rights, with further such meetings expected over the coming weeks. However, it is not expected that todays meeting will come with a major announcement from the government. There are around one million people across the UK on zero-hour contracts, according to the Office of National Statistics. You can read more on the governments new deal for workers here. Wes Streeting says concerns over maternity care keep him awake at night Wednesday 18 September 2024 17:28 , Jabed Ahmed Speaking at an event for the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Wes Streeting said that concerns over maternity care keep him awake at night. When it comes to the crisis in our maternity services across the country, it is one of the biggest issues that keeps me awake at night worrying about the quality of care being delivered today at the risk of disaster greeting women in labour tomorrow, the health secretary said. I think that what we have seen, in the case of specific trusts, are problems and risk factors that exist right across maternity services across the country. And were keen to make sure that when it comes to the work that Donna Ockenden has already done, we make sure that those lessons are applied, not just in the case of those specific trusts, actually right across the country. We are determined to get this right. COMMENT: Has Labour cancelled Lady Archer because of who her husband is? Wednesday 18 September 2024 16:58 , Jabed Ahmed Lisa Nandy has snubbed the wife of a former Tory MP who was on course to become chair of Londons Royal Parks. The Independents chief political commentator John Rentoul asks: should someone be judged by their spouses politics? On the surface, this looks like a petty and vindictive act by the incoming Labour government that does not reflect well on its ambition to unite the nation after the alleged divisiveness of its predecessor, Mr Rentoul argues. But the case of Lady Archers disappointment is also an intriguing whodunit. Read the full story below: Has Labour cancelled Lady Archer because of who her husband is? John Major backs Tony Blair over Brexits immigration impact Wednesday 18 September 2024 16:29 , Jabed Ahmed Former Tory prime minister Sir John Major has issued a devastating verdict on Brexit and described Rishi Sunaks government as unconservative and un-British in the way it tried to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. It comes after Sir Tony Blair delivered the most devastating critique of the failure of Brexit and how consequently Britain has ended up with mass immigration instead of the promise to take back control. In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Sir Tony highlighted the way we have weakened ourselves in the UK as a result of Brexit. The full report on Sir John Majors comment can be found here. You can read Sir Tonys interview with The Independent here. THE INDEPENDENT DEBATE: Starmer eyes Italys Albania deal, but should the UK outsource its migration crisis? Join The Independent Debate Wednesday 18 September 2024 15:59 , Jabed Ahmed Share your thoughts by adding them in the comments to the story below well highlight the most insightful ones as they come in. All you have to do is sign up and register your details then you can take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking log in on the top right-hand corner of the screen. As Starmer eyes Italys Albania deal, tell us if the UK should outsource migration Watch: Emily Thornberry: Israels allies should be asking what on earth are you doing after explosion Wednesday 18 September 2024 15:29 , Jabed Ahmed Streeting responds to accusations of nanny state policies over planned NHS reforms Wednesday 18 September 2024 14:59 , Jabed Ahmed Speaking at an event for the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Wes Streeting responded to nanny state concerns over planned reforms to the NHS. I have not banned cake in the Department of Health, he said. In fact, I was at NHS England the other day and saw an abundance of sugary treats I have not reported them to the Chief Medical Officer yet. Im really not interested in being the fun police or telling people how to live their lives, and people certainly wont have to worry about closing their curtains at night in case Im peering through the window and looking at what theyre eating, drinking or smoking. He added: I think we are in this appalling situation when we are living longer, but becoming sick sooner thats terrible for the quality of life, its also terrible for the economy, for the labour market and for the financial sustainability of our health and care services. So when it comes to having some cake or going down the pub, everything in moderation. And crucially, when it comes to measures we are considering, especially where this involves legislation, I dont believe in doing things to people, I believe in doing things with people we want to change the national conversation about our health and our wellbeing and the types of reforms that we might want to see. Streeting says he will take on left and right for health reform Wednesday 18 September 2024 14:45 , Jabed Ahmed The Health Secretary has vowed to take on the left and the right to reform the health of the nation, warning that the nations economic prosperity is at risk without change. But Wes Streeting insisted that he would make changes with people and not to people when asked about nanny state concerns, saying he is not the fun police. He said that sticking plasters wont cut it and said the Government was going to make big changes. Speaking at an event for the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Mr Streeting said he expects loud opposition to reform. But he warned of a rising tide of pressure facing the NHS and highlighted a report of the IPPRs Commission on Health and Prosperity, which concluded that Britain is the sick man of Europe when it comes to health. Charities urge Government to stop aid budget falling to 17-year low Wednesday 18 September 2024 14:14 , Jabed Ahmed Overseas aid spending could fall to its lowest level since 2007 unless the Government takes action at the Budget in October, a coalition of charities has warned. Leaders of 122 UK charities including ActionAid, Oxfam and Save the Children have called on the Government to maintain aid spending at its current level and prevent more of the aid budget being diverted to support refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. The group also called for ministers to set out fair and transparent fiscal tests for restoring the aid budget to 0.7% of GDP after it was cut to 0.5% in 2021. Halima Begum, chief executive of Oxfam GB, warned of devastating and far-reaching consequences if the Government did not protect the aid budget. She added: Failure to do so would undeniably put the UK at risk of further diminished credibility as a dependable agent in addressing urgent global crises. Keir Starmers chief of staff Sue Gray is paid more than the prime minister Wednesday 18 September 2024 14:11 , Jabed Ahmed My colleagues Millie Cooke and Archie Mitchell report: Keir Starmers chief of staff Sue Gray is paid more than the prime minister Emily Thornberry asks is he supposed to take a packed lunch? in defence of Starmer amid Labour donations row Wednesday 18 September 2024 13:59 , Jabed Ahmed Emily Thornberry defends Starmer amid Labour Party donations row Pictured: Wes Streeting delivers speech at Institute for Public Policy event Wednesday 18 September 2024 13:58 , Jabed Ahmed (Aaron Chown/PA Wire) Train drivers vote to accept multiyear pay offer and end two-year dispute Wednesday 18 September 2024 13:34 , Jabed Ahmed Train drivers have voted overwhelmingly to accept a multiyear pay offer, ending a two-year dispute at 16 rail companies. Aslef said its members voted by 96% in favour of a deal the union said was worth 15% over three years. The turnout was 84%. The offer was made by the new Labour Government within weeks of the party winning the general election. The ballot result ends what Aslef called the longest train drivers strike in recent history, during which drivers took 18 days of strike action. Aslef had accused the previous Conservative government of sitting on its hands and refusing to negotiate. Lib Dems to investigate member accused of groping woman at party conference Wednesday 18 September 2024 13:19 , Jabed Ahmed Covid-19 pupils and students consigned to scrapheap, minister claims Wednesday 18 September 2024 12:59 , Jabed Ahmed Secondary school pupils and students who started university during the Covid-19 pandemic have been consigned to the scrapheap, the employment minister has warned. Alison McGovern vowed to set up a youth guarantee, a Labour general election manifesto pledge which she claimed would transform the lives of young people, speaking at the launch of a think tank report on employment support. According to the Department for Work and Pensions, the number of young people out of work due to long-term sickness is up 29% since the pandemic, to around 237,000 from approximately 184,000 before the pandemic. The lockdown generation has been failed, consigned to the scrapheap, because they have been denied the support and opportunities to find work, get into work, and get on at work, Ms McGovern said. Dire Brexit EU trade figures could get even worse, warns expert Wednesday 18 September 2024 12:43 , Jabed Ahmed Dire Brexit EU trade figures could get even worse, warns expert Wednesday 18 September 2024 12:29 , Jabed Ahmed Wes Streeting has said he can understand why pensioners may feel they are being targeted by the government following cuts to winter fuel payments. In an interview with the New Statesman, the health secretary said: I can understand why there will be some pensioners sat there thinking, Well, why us? And what about others? Well, there are other choices to come and these arent just Rachels choices to face up to, these are the choices of the whole government. Labour is facing growing pressure over its planned winter fuel payment cuts as figures emerged showing almost 800,000 pensioners who need the benefit are set to lose out. Read more here. Watch: Ed Davey challenged to name 72 Lib Dem MPs while on roller coaster ride Wednesday 18 September 2024 12:16 , Jabed Ahmed Rachel Reeves commits to improving womens lives by closing gender pay gap Wednesday 18 September 2024 11:46 , Jabed Ahmed Rachel Reeves has said she intends to use her position as the first female Chancellor to improve life for women, as she set out plans to support women in business. Ms Reeves said it is a huge responsibility to head the Treasury and she is aiming to close the gender pay gap, strengthen rights at work and invest in childcare. Announcing the Governments support for the Invest in Women Taskforce, which aims to increase investment funding pools for female founders, the Chancellor vowed to improve the economic opportunities available to women. The taskforce is aiming to create a funding pool of more than 250 million for female-founded businesses through private capital, making it one of the worlds largest investment funding pools aimed solely at female founders. The Rose Review, an independent review of female entrepreneurship led by Dame Alison Rose, found that if the UK were to have the same share of female entrepreneurs as similar countries, 200 billion of value would be added to the economy. Ms Reeves is expected to take an active role in steering the taskforces priorities and objectives. Teachers will be allowed to work from home in Labour plan to boost recruitment Wednesday 18 September 2024 11:26 , Jabed Ahmed Teachers will be allowed to work from home in Labour plan to boost recruitment Nick Read to step down as chief executive of Post Office next year Wednesday 18 September 2024 11:09 , Jabed Ahmed The Post Office chief executive is set to resign from his role amid a year dominated by the fallout from the Horizon scandal. Nick Read, who is preparing to give evidence to the inquiry next month, will step down in March next year, the Post Office said on Wednesday. My colleague Tara Cobham reports. For context, Horizon IT system is accounting software, designed by Japanese company Fujitsu, which saw accounts automated after subpostmasters entered their sales figures via a touchscreen. Due to faulty software, subpostmasters started experiencing unexplained shortfalls in their accounts and were liable for losses under their contract with the Post Office, with subpostmasters being ordered to pay back the money that was lost. Read the full explainer on the Horizon scandal here. Badenoch says return to McDonalds after 24 years was a surreal experience in resurfaced social media post Wednesday 18 September 2024 10:56 , Jabed Ahmed Returning to @McDonaldsUK after 24 years was such a surreal experience but I loved every minute of it! Working there and doing an apprenticeship got me started in life so I was delighted to be able to meet their apprentices and to get back behind the counter.#InclusiveBritain pic.twitter.com/CgdTdobxvK Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) March 23, 2022 Watch: Ed Davey belts out 'Sweet Caroline' to finish Lib Dem conference Wednesday 18 September 2024 10:47 , Jabed Ahmed Government to hold talks on ending exploitative zero-hours contracts Wednesday 18 September 2024 10:29 , Jabed Ahmed Angela Rayner is set to hold another round of talks with trade unions and business leaders as the Government continues its drive to end exploitative zero-hours contracts. The Deputy Prime Minister and the Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, will meet general secretaries from Britains major trade unions along with figures from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) on Wednesday afternoon as part of the Governments ongoing efforts to expand workers rights. The meeting is the latest in a series of discussions with unions and businesses on employment rights, with further such meetings expected over the coming weeks. However, it is not expected that todays meeting will come with a major announcement from the government. There are around one million people across the UK on zero-hour contracts, according to the Office of National Statistics. You can read more on the governments new deal for workers here. Wednesday 18 September 2024 10:15 , Jabed Ahmed Buffer zones will soon be introduced outside abortion clinics to stop women seeking abortions from being harassed by protesters. The government announced on Wednesday that buffer zones will be enacted around abortion clinics from 31 October and it will be against the law to influence, harass or provoke those using or delivering pregnancy termination services. Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips said: The right to access abortion services is a fundamental right for women in this country, and no one should feel unsafe when they seek to access this. You can read the full report from The Independents Womens Correspondent Maya Oppenheim here. (Alamy/PA) Full report: Keir Starmers wife went to two Taylor Swift concerts for free in Labour donation controversy Wednesday 18 September 2024 10:04 , Jabed Ahmed My colleague Archie Mitchell reports: Keir Starmers wife went to two Taylor Swift concerts for free Lammy to talk security ties and Russian threats in trip to Norway Wednesday 18 September 2024 09:47 , Jabed Ahmed The foreign secretary will discuss deepening defence, security ties with Norway and tackling threats from Russia when he meets his Norwegian counterpart on Wednesday. David Lammy called Norway our eyes and ears in the High North and a key ally in the defence of Natos northern flank ahead of a trip to the country. He will visit Norwegian Joint Headquarters, the countrys military command centre, with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide. The UK and Norway will agree to further intelligence sharing and cooperation to counter Russian disinformation networks in Europe and beyond, the Foreign Office said. Watch: Badenoch says she 'went from middle class to working class' after working at McDonald's Wednesday 18 September 2024 09:37 , Jabed Ahmed Tory leadership contender Tugendhat calls for review of Huw Edwards sentence Wednesday 18 September 2024 09:24 , Jabed Ahmed Conservative leadership contender Tom Tugendhat has written a letter to the Attorney General calling for a review of Huw Edwards sentence. Disgraced former BBC presenter Mr Edwards was spared jail after admitting accessing indecent images of children as young as seven. As the Shadow Security Minister, it is my duty to ensure that justice is served in a manner that reflects the severity of the crimes committed, particularly those involving the possession of indecent images of children, he wrote in the letter. My colleague Tara Cobham looked at some of the reasons why Mr Edwards was spared jail, including his mental health, low risk of reoffending and no previous convictions. You can read the full article here. Emily Thornberry says she is really concerned about deadly Lebanon pager attack Wednesday 18 September 2024 09:09 , Jabed Ahmed Chair elect of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Emily Thornberry said she is really concerned about an attack in Lebanon that killed at least nine people, including members of the militant group Hezbollah, and injured more than 2,000. Speaking on Sky News breakfast programme, she said: We are really concerned about what is happening now in Lebanon. I think the big question is: why? Why is this happening now? And what will the result of that be? It seems to be yet another escalation of the conflict which is happening in the Middle East which will affect all of us. And it is very worrying indeed, of course it is, and what the response will be. And is this the first step, and what will Israel do next? Is it part of a larger plan? It is very worrying and I would certainly be expecting Israels friends to be speaking very seriously to them, and saying: What on earth are you doing? Why is this happening now? Football regulator plans will not risk Englands place in UEFA, Keir Starmer insists Wednesday 18 September 2024 08:56 , Jabed Ahmed The Independents Archie Mitchell reports: Football regulator plans will not risk Englands place in UEFA, Keir Starmer insists Watch: No more cuddly Lib Dems as Ed Davey vows to consign Tories to history books Wednesday 18 September 2024 08:34 , Jabed Ahmed The Independent political correspondent Archie Mitchell delivers his analysis of Sir Ed's keynote speech No more cuddly Lib Dems as Ed Davey vows to consign Tories to history books Jenrick repeats call for Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps to be proscribed Wednesday 18 September 2024 08:20 , Andy Gregory Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick has urged the government to proscribe Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, describing it as the worlds chief sponsor of terror. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Jenrick said: David Lammy told how Labours government would ban the IRGC, again and again. Now, he tells us climate change is a bigger threat. Mr Lammy, the foreign secretary, announced sanctions against more than 400 IRGC-affiliated people and entities earlier this month, and said he will soon introduce further regulations to bolster existing bans on the export of goods and technology significant to Irans production of drones and missiles. Mr Jenrick was among Conservatives who called for the organisation to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation, but then-foreign secretary Lord Cameron said in April that such a move would effectively end diplomatic relations with Iran and would in many way weaken Britains hand. When it comes to delivering a very direct message to the Iranians... I want to have that conversation myself, I dont want to ring up my French counterpart and say could you message the Iranians with this message?, Lord Cameron said at the time. Lady Starmer accepted gift of Taylor Swift tickets' Wednesday 18 September 2024 08:05 , Andy Gregory The row over Sir Keir Starmers acceptance of tens of thousands of pounds-worth of gifts has continued this morning, as The Telegraph reported that his wife Lady Victoria accepted free Taylor Swift concert tickets. While the pair were photographed attending the singers Eras tour at Wembley Stadium in June, it is alleged that Lady Victoria and several cabinet members also acceped free tickets to another of the stars concerts in August. Wes Streeting, Darren Jones and Bridget Phillipson also declared their tickets and they have appeared on their register of members interests. Although it is within the rules for MPs to accept gifts and tickets, Sir Keir has been facing questions over the numerous gifts he has accepted after initially failing to declare a 5,000 donation from ex-Asos chair Lord Waheed Alli to pay for dresses for his wife. His register of interests shows the PM accepted some 65,000 in tickets in the nine months to May. He has previously said that he requires hospitality tickets to watch Arsenal play football as he is now unable to sit in the stands without security. (Keir Starmer/X) Rwanda plan was worse than transporting convicts to Australia, says John Major Wednesday 18 September 2024 07:58 , Andy Gregory Former Tory prime minister Sir John Major has lambasted the scheme pursued by Rishi Sunaks government to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda as un-Conservative, un-British ... and unconscionable. Sir John told the BBC he had not made any public pronouncements for some time because he found little to like about the last Tory government, describing the plans first set in motion by Boris Johnson to fly asylum-seekers to East Africa as worse than the 18th century deportations of convicts to Australia. And, in a devastating assessment of Brexit, he agreed with former Labour prime minister Sir Tony Blair that far from reducing immigration as promised by Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson and others, it had in fact increased immigration and replaced Europeans with more people from other parts of the world. Our political editor David Maddox has more in this report: Tory Rwanda plan was worse than transporting convicts to Australia, says John Major Ed Davey says he would like to see Kamala Harris defeat Trump Tuesday 17 September 2024 20:00 , Andy Gregory Sir Ed Davey said he would like to see Kamala Harris defeat Donald Trump at the US election in November. People who are decent, kind, united are the true patriots in our country, the Liberal Democrat leader told delegates and activists at the Lib Dem conference Brighton. Sir Ed added: Conference, we will never stop applauding our patriots in our country. Conference, these are the values our politics needs now, more than ever to resist the rise of the extremists - not just at home but around the world too. With Vladimir Putin waging his brutal war in Ukraine, with the terrible humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, Hamass terrorist atrocities on October 7, hostages still held captive, the continuing illegal occupations, and the threat of regional escalation, with the looming spectre of a second Trump presidency. How I hope and pray to see Kamala Harris defeat him this November. At a time of such instability and uncertainty, it is our values that must prevail: decency, compassion, community, respect for the rule of law. FILE PHOTO: Humanitarian aid distribution center for evacuees from the Kursk region, in Kursk KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine said on Monday it had asked the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to join humanitarian efforts in Russia's Kursk region following a cross-border incursion by Ukrainian forces. Ukraine's army remains in the Kursk region more than a month after launching the assault, in which President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Kyiv has taken control of about 100 settlements. Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday its forces had regained control of two more villages. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he had instructed his ministry to invite the UN and ICRC to work in the Kursk region on Sunday. The ministry confirmed that it had issued the requests. "Ukraine is ready to facilitate their work and prove its adherence to international humanitarian law," Sybiha said on X after visiting the Sumy region, from where Ukrainian forces launched the cross-borer attack. He said the Ukrainian army was ensuring humanitarian assistance and safe passage to civilians in the Kursk region. The Foreign Ministry said the invitations had been sent to the ICRC and UN, "taking into account the humanitarian situation and the need to properly ensure basic human rights in the territory of the Kursk region." It said it had asked the ICRC to monitor Ukraine's compliance with the principles of international humanitarian law. It was not immediately clear how or whether the UN or ICRC had responded. Russia's state-run TASS news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying such statements were "provocative". He made clear Moscow, which began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, expected the UN and ICRC not to accept the invitations. A Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the Kremlin's reaction showed a disregard for the humanitarian needs of its own people and a fear of letting international observers see the situation in Kursk. Russia's state-run RIA news agency said ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric had arrived on a visit to Moscow and planned to meet Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Last week, Russian shelling killed three Ukrainians working for the ICRC and wounded two others in a village in the frontline Donetsk region, Ukrainian officials said. Spoljaric has condemned the attacks. (Reporting by Anastasiia Malenko and Yuliia Dysa, Editing by Timothy Heritage) Ukraine captures garrison town in new breakthrough in Kursk The Ukrainian Centre for Defence Strategies said Kyivs forces had practically taken control of the town of Veseloe - Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images Ukrainian forces have captured a garrison town as they opened a new front in the southern Russian region of Kursk. Combat engineers breached Russian defences along the border last week as Moscow mounted its first significant attempt to claw back territory seized by Kyiv in its surprise incursion. The fresh offensive is about 20 miles west of the 820-square kilometre area that Western officials last week said Ukraine was successfully occupying. Soon after breaking across the frontier, Ukrainian troops advanced several miles beyond the village of Novyi Put, where they entered the Glushkovsky district of Kursk. Ukrainian tanks rolled up to the southern outskirts of the Russian garrison town of Veseloe, about three miles north of the Ukrainian border. The Ukrainian Centre for Defence Strategies said in a report on Sunday that Kyivs forces had practically taken control of it. On Sunday, the Ukrainian Khorne Group shared footage on social media of a purported strike on a Russian military base using a US-provided JDAM satellite-guided bomb. Bring us more conscripts and paratroopers, Khorne wrote on its channel on the Telegram messaging app. We are observing all of you. On Monday, Alexey Smirnov, Kursks acting governor, issued an evacuation order for residents in the Khomutovsky and Rylsky districts, which are more than 10 miles north of the border with Ukraine, in response to the new assault. Dear fellow countrymen, I ask you to treat the current situation with understanding and follow all recommendations of the security forces and local authorities, he wrote on Telegram. Russia had stationed a large number of poorly trained conscripts in Veseloe, the Forbes news website reported. The Kremlin usually uses garrison towns like this to host young men undertaking a year-long military service who are not meant to see combat. Moscow initially relied on border guards and conscripts to see off the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk the first foreign invasion of Russian soil since the Second World War. Better trained and more capable units were soon introduced by Russian commanders in an attempt to blunt any Ukrainian advances. But if Ukraine continues to advance beyond Veseloe, the manoeuvre poses a threat of encirclement for the enemys tactical group [up to 8,000 military personnel], which are fighting nearby, according to the Ukrainian Centre for Defence Strategies. An image of Ukrainian troops posted by President Zelensky on his Instagram account Last week, Moscow launched a counter-offensive along Ukraines western flank, notably reclaiming control over the village of Snagost. Russian sources claimed that the Kremlins forces had retaken as much as 150 square kilometres from Ukrainian forces. A senior Ukrainian military intelligence official, cited in a report by the FT, said Russia had moved about 38,000 troops to Kursk, including units deployed from the front lines in southern Ukraine. A Ukrainian soldier writes a message on a self-propelled howitzer prior to fire towards Russian positions near Chasiv Yar town - Oleg Petrasiuk/via AP Voloymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, publicly acknowledged the offensive last Friday, saying the assault was going in line with our Ukrainian plan in a possible hint at the beginning of a new push by Kyiv. Tendar, a popular pro-Ukrainian military blogger, said Ukraine had likely waited for the Russian thrust before launching its latest operation. It not only forces Russians to finally commit their troops, including their reserves, the account wrote. It added: The Ukrainian operations south of Glushkovo are only backing up this assumption. The Ukrainian army obviously prepared for that gambit and are now pushing into another soft spot of the Russian defence. Meanwhile, Russia fired 56 drones at Kyiv in an overnight barrage which injured one person and damaged five homes. Ukraines air force said it had downed 53 of the drones in a statement on Monday morning. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Editor's note: The article was updated with comments from Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov for TASS. Ukraine invited the U.N. and the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) to "join humanitarian efforts" in the Kyiv-held parts of Russia's Kursk Oblast, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Sept. 16. Sybiha instructed the ministry to send out the invitation during his official visit to Sumy Oblast on Sept. 15. Ukraine launched a cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in early August, reportedly seizing around 100 settlements and 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of territory. The Ukrainian positions in the region are now threatened by a Russian counterattack launched last week. "Since the first day of the Kursk operation, Ukraine's Defense Forces demonstrated full adherence to international humanitarian law as a professional army with high standards and values of freedom and human life," Sybiha said on X. "Ukraine is ready to facilitate (the U.N.'s and the ICRC's humanitarian) work and prove its adherence to international humanitarian law." Moscow has denounced the move as provocation. "We expect that such provocative statements will not be acknowledged by the recipients. This is pure provocation," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, according to the state-owned news agency TASS. Kyiv previously said it would follow international humanitarian law during its conduct on Russian territory. Then-Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Aug. 14 that her office opened a "24-hour hotline for residents of Kursk Oblast who need humanitarian aid or want to evacuate to Ukraine." The ICRC has come under criticism from Kyiv over its supposedly insufficient response to the humanitarian crisis sparked by Russia's war. The Russian branch of the Red Cross was accused of links to the Russian government and of operating in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Since national branches are permitted to operate only within their host country, this may have constituted a violation of the ICRC's guidelines. Three Red Cross employees were killed and two injured during a Russian artillery attack on Viroliubivka in Donetsk Oblast on Sept. 12, leading to the ICRC suspending the operations of its Dnipro office. Read also: Russia launches counteroffensive in Kursk can it push Ukraine off its own turf? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. 'Ukraine can keep them' Chechen commander renounces compatriots who surrendered to Kyiv Chechen commander Apti Alaudinov on Sept. 15 said that fighters who willingly surrendered to Ukrainian forces do not deserve to live and should "do everything they can to get themselves killed." "I'm telling the Ukrainians: keep them for yourselves... I can exchange anyone, but not the Chechens who voluntarily surrendered," Alaudinov said in a video address on his Telegram channel. Chechen units fighting on Russia's side were deployed in Kursk Oblast during Ukraine's surprise incursion launched in early August. A number of Chechen fighters ended up in Ukrainian captivity, while the Akhmat unit was accused by Russian milbloggers of offering little resistance when the incursion began. Alaudinov said it is necessary to secure the release of wounded Chechen captives, but those who surrendered without a fight should attempt suicide. "Chechens have always considered surrendering to captivity to be the greatest disgrace. Such a disgrace cannot be washed away with anything else but your blood," Alaudinov said. "Just stand up, pick up something and attack somebody, do everything you can to get yourself killed." The commander previously denied that Chechen fighters were captured during battles in Kursk Oblast. Russia launched a counterattack in Kursk Oblast last week in an effort to dislodge Ukrainian troops from the region. Moscow claimed to have recaptured a number of settlements in a "rapid" advance, while Kyiv said the push did not achieve "serious" success as of Sept. 13. Read also: Russia launches counteroffensive in Kursk can it push Ukraine off its own turf? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ukraine to receive another batch of Danish F-16s this year, minister says The Danish government promised to transfer another batch of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine later this year, the DR broadcaster reported on Sept. 15, citing Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. "Denmark will deliver an additional contribution of F-16 aircraft in the second half of 2024," Poulsen said in a comment to the Ritzau news agency after his visit to Kyiv. Ukraine received its first U.S.-made fourth-generation jets in late July, one year after Denmark, the Netherlands, and other foreign partners launched the fighter jet coalition for Kyiv. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed on Aug. 31 that these initial F-16s included aircraft from Denmark, while earlier reports suggested that the first batch was comprised of Dutch planes. Copenhagen has pledged to deliver 19 aircraft to Ukraine in total but did not disclose how many had already been provided. Poulsen did not name the size of the second batch either "for the sake of operational security." Kyiv has already deployed F-16s to intercept Russian mass aerial attacks. One aircraft crashed during such a mission, marking Ukraine's first F-16 loss. Ukraine was also promised 24 F-16s by the Netherlands, six by Norway, and 30 by Belgium. President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country needs at least 128 F-16s to successfully counter Russian air power. Read also: Ukraine gave a glimpse of its first F-16s what can it tell us? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ukraine war latest: Putin to increase Russian military personnel and staff by 180,000 Putin signs decree increasing number of military personnel, staff to 2.38 million Ukraine's Victory Plan 90% complete, Zelensky says Zelensky signs law establishing Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces Ukraine to receive another batch of Danish F-16s this year, minister says Latvia to supply Ukraine with British-made CVR(T) armored vehicles Starmer seeking European support for Ukraine long-range missile strike proposal Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Sept. 16 increasing the number of the Russian Armed Forces from roughly 2.2 million to 2,389,130 people, including 1.5 million military personnel. The decree will take effect on Dec. 1, and will increase the total number of Russian military personnel and staff by 180,000. The last time the staffing level was increased was in December 2023. It amounted to 2,209,130 people, including 1,320,000 military personnel. In August 2022, six months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine started, the number of personnel in the Russian Armed Forces increased to 1,150,628. Read also: Estonian President Karis: We have to cross all red lines, then start forcing Russia out of Ukraine Ukraine's Victory Plan 90% complete, Zelensky says President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his Victory Plan for Ukraine is over 90% complete, and Kyiv is preparing to present it to allies next week. In his daily address on Sept. 16, Zelensky said the "necessary steps for Ukraine have already been clearly defined." "For each step, there is a clear list of what is needed and what will strengthen us. There is nothing impossible in this plan. Over 90% has already been written out," he said. "Together, this package can ensure the right development of the situation not only for Ukraine, but for everyone in the world who values international law." Zelensky said on Aug. 27 that he would present U.S. President Joe Biden with a plan for victory during a meeting in September. While no specific details have yet been revealed, he said the ongoing Kursk incursion was a part of this plan. The other items include Ukraine's participation in the global security infrastructure, pressuring Russia to end the war through diplomatic means, and an economic aspect. Read also: US reassures, but sense of urgency questioned by Ukraine as $6 billion military aid hangs in the balance Zelensky signs law establishing Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces Zelensky on Sept. 16 signed a bill on the formation of a separate branch of Ukraine's Armed Forces dedicated to unmanned systems. The president first announced plans to form the Unmanned Systems Forces in February, underscoring the importance of drones on the Ukrainian battlefields. Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Hero of Ukraine Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi was appointed to head the youngest branch of Ukraine's military. The Unmanned Systems Forces were established to improve Ukraine's work with drones, form special drone-specific units, and improve the production, training, and innovation of unmanned vehicles. Ukraine to receive another batch of Danish F-16s this year, minister says The Danish government promised to transfer another batch of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine later this year, the DR broadcaster reported on Sept. 15, citing Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. "Denmark will deliver an additional contribution of F-16 aircraft in the second half of 2024," Poulsen said in a comment to the Ritzau news agency after his visit to Kyiv. Ukraine received its first U.S.-made fourth-generation jets in late July, one year after Denmark, the Netherlands, and other foreign partners launched the fighter jet coalition for Kyiv. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed on Aug. 31 that these initial F-16s included aircraft from Denmark, while earlier reports suggested that the first batch was comprised of Dutch planes. Latvia to supply Ukraine with British-made CVR(T) armored vehicles Latvia will provide Ukraine with CVR(T) armored vehicles previously purchased from the U.K., the Delfi outlet reported on Sept. 15, citing the Latvian Defense Ministry. The vehicles' number and other details were not disclosed due to security concerns, Delfi wrote. The news comes shortly after Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina announced a new military aid package for Ukraine, including armored personnel carriers. The CVR(T) (Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked)) is a British-designed armored vehicle family that entered service in the U.K. military in the 1970s. It exists in various variants and is capable of carrying out a wide range of tasks. Latvia operates at least 123 of these vehicles, namely Scimitar reconnaissance vehicles, Sultan command and control vehicles, Spartan armored personnel carriers, Samson armored recovery vehicles, and Samaritan ambulance vehicles. Read also: ATACMS restrictions subject of intense consultations between Ukraine and allies, Sullivan says Starmer seeking European support for Ukraine long-range missile strike proposal British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held talks in Italy with his Italian counterpart on Sept. 16, in an effort to gain support for his proposal to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russia. Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported that Starmer will also hold similar talks in France and Germany in the coming days. Ukraine is hoping for permission to use two Western-supplied long range missiles that it already possesses to strike military targets such as airfields located deep inside Russian territory. Anticipation had been high last week ahead of meetings between President Joe Biden and Starmer in Washington, but no announcement on a decision was made. The issue was on the agenda in Italy, where Starmer met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. In a joint press conference, both leaders were asked about long-range missile strikes. Meloni said she supports the decision of allies to give Ukraine the go-ahead, adding that Italy is committed to ensuring Ukraine can enter peace negotiations with Russia in the "very best conditions." Starmer gave a broad answer, reiterating Ukraine's right to self-defense and reaffirming support in its "fight for sovereignty." Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ukrainian air defence forces downed nearly 20 Russian drones in the airspace around the city of Kyiv on the night of 15-16 September. Source: Serhii Popko, Head of Kyiv City Military Administration, on Telegram Quote: "This is the eighth Russian aerial attack on Kyiv and it's only the first half of September! Like previous attacks, the enemy once again used attack drones, likely of the Shahed type. However, unlike the recent attacks, this one was large-scale. An air-raid warning in the capital was issued at around 02:00 and it was in effect for about three and a half hours." Details: Popko said that Russian attack drones were approaching Kyiv from different directions and in various groups. Ukrainian air defence forces managed to destroy almost 20 Russian drones in the airspace of the capital. Quote: "Early reports indicate that there were no casualties or damage in Kyiv. The information is constantly being updated and clarified." Support UP or become our patron! Ukraine's consul general in Toronto outraged by second attempt to screen propaganda film Russians at War Oleh Nikolenko, Ukraine's Consul General in Toronto, has expressed outrage at the decision of the organisers of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to screen the controversial film Russians at War. Source: Nikolenko on Facebook, as reported by European Pravda Details: Nikolenko pointed out that the TIFF organisers' decision to resume screenings of Russians at War came just days after Canada revealed Russia's global disinformation campaigns and the role played in these efforts by Kremlin-aligned broadcaster RT. The diplomat emphasised that the festival continues to overlook RT's efforts to undermine public and political support for Ukraine in the West. "All other arguments regarding context, production process, and conflicts of interest have also been disregarded," he added. Nikolenko also condemned statements made by "some co-producers" of Russians at War that incited hatred against Ukrainians and the defacing of two Ukrainian murals near the TIFF Lightbox cultural centre. "Screening Russians at War is a significant blow to TIFFs reputation and journalism. Russian propaganda must be contained, not promoted in theatres," the Consul General concluded. Update: Yuliia Kovaliv, Ukraine's Ambassador to Canada, has also condemned TIFF's decision to screen Russians at War, urging the organisers to change their minds. "Despite all calls to stop whitewashing Russian killers and rapers, they still want to show this documentary under the roof of the festival," the diplomat responded. Earlier, the Toronto International Film Festival set a new date for the screening of the controversial film Russians at War by Russian director Anastasia Trofimova after it cancelled the first screenings amid a barrage of criticism. Russians at War was screened on 5 September at the Venice International Film Festival. Its director said she spent seven months with a Russian battalion fighting in Ukraine, and it was a shock for her to see that they were "absolutely ordinary guys with families and a sense of humour". Support UP or become our patron! Photo: press service of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has approved the use of a Canadian armoured vehicle by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Source: press service of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine Details: The Ministry codified and approved the Roshel Senator MRAP armoured vehicle produced in Canada. The MRAP armoured vehicles (MRAP, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) have a V-shaped floor for dispersion of the explosion energy and special shock-absorbing seats. The seats consist of monolith armoured capsule and external blast-absorbing units: wheels, chassis, engine. They absorb all kinetic energy of the mine blast, preserving the module intact for the crew. The Roshel Senator armoured vehicle was constructed on the chassis of the American Ford F-550 heavy pick-up. Initially the vehicle was intended for the needs of the police. It was improved for the needs of the Ukrainian troops. The Roshel Senator MRAP was modernised with an armour able to protect the crew and landing party from bullets shot from small arms, and from shrapnel. A special V-shaped floor, which disperses energy from the explosions of a mine or another explosive, equivalent to 6 kg of TNT, was also added. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence has codified and approved over 20 MRAP class armoured vehicles for use by Ukrainian troops. Support UP or become our patron! Ukraines Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appealed to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to join humanitarian response efforts in the areas of Russia's Kursk Oblast currently under the control of Ukrainian forces. Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs website Details: The ministry emphasised that Ukraine adheres to all norms and principles of international humanitarian law and human rights while effectively controlling certain areas of Russia's Kursk Oblast. This includes protecting civilians during combat operations. Quote: "From the first days of the Kursk operation, the Ukrainian defence forces, as a civilised European army, have demonstrated high professionalism and full compliance with the principles of international humanitarian law. Civilians in Kursk Oblast have received and continue to receive humanitarian aid, fulfilment of basic humanitarian needs, and the possibility of evacuating from combat zones." Details: The ministry also noted that, "considering the humanitarian situation and the need to ensure fundamental human rights in Kursk Oblast," they have requested that the United Nations join the humanitarian response efforts in this area and have sent a corresponding note to the UN. A similar note was also sent to the ICRC. Quote: "Ukraine reaffirms its unwavering commitment to international obligations in these areas and is ready to provide comprehensive support to the work of UN and ICRC personnel in the specified territories," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded. Background: The operation in Kursk Oblast began on 6 August. On 10 August, on the fifth day of the Ukrainian army's offensive deep into Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine had brought the war to Russian territory. On 27 August, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that since the beginning of the operation in Kursk Oblast in Russia, Ukraine had captured 594 Russian soldiers and controlled more than 100 settlements or 1,294 sq. km. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that such actions are aimed at creating a buffer zone to prevent Russian military operations against Ukraine. The Institute for the Study of War reported that Ukrainian forces had pressed forward in Russia's Kursk Oblast on 14 September, making gains in the Glushkovo district. They advanced to fields south of Tyotkino and north of Sudzha, capturing several villages. At present, Ukraine is asking its partners for authorisation to use long-range weapons provided by the West to hit military targets deep inside Russia. Support UP or become our patron! Serhii Deineko, Chief of Ukraine's State Border Guard Service, paid visits to the defence positions of the Pomsta (Revenge) and Hart (Hardening) brigades of the Offensive Guard of Ukraine, as well as other border units on the Kharkiv detachment sector. Source: press service of the State Border Guard Service Details: According to reports, Deineko double-checked the provision of soldiers in the most dangerous areas with all they needed, with a focus on weapons and equipment. He carefully listened to the commanders of forces conducting defensive operations on the front lines in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, as well as on the border with Russia in Kharkiv Oblast. During these conversations, the topics covered included equipping positions, the movements of Russian forces on all fronts, and the measures taken to repel their attacks and counter their use of various types of unmanned vehicles. During Deinenkos visit, all levels of engagement with all components of Ukraines defence forces were thoroughly discussed. While investigating the defence positions, the State Border Guard Service chief examined the deployment of individual reconnaissance and attack unmanned aerial systems in border detachments. In particular, he examined the results of the newly established border fast response commandant's office of the company of attack unmanned aircraft systems within the Pomsta brigade, recognising the success of this direction and emphasising the importance of continuing to work in other border units. Quote: "What you're doing is vital to our state. The enemy is crafty and powerful, but we are fighting a sacred war. We defend our liberty, future, and the right to be free." Support UP or become our patron! President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his Victory Plan for Ukraine is over 90% complete, and Kyiv is preparing to present it to allies next week. In his daily address on Sept. 16, Zelensky said the "necessary steps for Ukraine have already been clearly defined." "For each step, there is a clear list of what is needed and what will strengthen us. There is nothing impossible in this plan. Over 90% has already been written out," he said. "Together, this package can ensure the right development of the situation not only for Ukraine, but for everyone in the world who values international law." Zelensky said on Aug. 27 that he would present U.S. President Joe Biden with a plan for victory during a meeting in September. While no specific details have yet been revealed, he said the ongoing Kursk incursion was a part of this plan. The other items include Ukraine's participation in the global security infrastructure, pressuring Russia to end the war through diplomatic means, and an economic aspect. Ukraine is preparing for a second peace summit, following its inaugural global peace summit in Switzerland in June where Russia was excluded. Kyiv has said it aims to invite a Russian representative to the second conference. Ukraine has repeatedly rejected any ceasefire or temporary break in hostilities, saying it would only provide a window of opportunity for Russia to regroup its forces. Read also: Too dangerous to ignore Russias malicious activity in the Baltics set to test NATO resolve Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, has stated in his evening address that Ukraine has defined the necessary points of the plan of victory in the war against Russia and is ready to present it in front of its allies as early as next week. Source: Zelesnkyy in an evening address on 16 September Quote: "Throughout the day, meetings were held in various formats to prepare our Ukrainian Victory Plan. The real substance of all the points military, political, diplomatic, and economic. Key people from each sector are involved. The necessary steps for Ukraine have already been clearly defined. The steps designed to give us the strongest possible position to bring about peace a real, just peace. For each step, there is a clear list of what is needed and what will strengthen us. There is nothing impossible in this plan. Over 90% has already been written out." Details: Zelenskyy revealed that Ukraine was planning to present the Victory Plan to its allies next week. He noted that the plan would become an important step in the facilitation of support on the international arena and the strengthening of international law. Support UP or become our patron! The Russians bombarded Ukraine with 56 Shahed attack UAVs on the night of 15-16 September. Ukrainian air defence forces destroyed 53 of the drones, while the remaining three disappeared from radar. Source: press service for Ukraines Air Force Command Details: From 20:00 on 15 September to 06:00 on 16 September, air surveillance troops of the Air Force detected and monitored 56 attack UAVs that were launched from the Russian cities of Kursk and Yeysk. The main focus of the Russian attack this time was Kyiv Oblast. The air attack was repelled by Ukrainian aircraft, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare units and mobile firing groups of the Air Force and the Ukrainian defence forces. As a result of combat efforts, 53 attack UAVs were shot down in Kyiv, Cherkasy, Vinnytsia, Poltava, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts. Three more Russian drones had disappeared from radar in several oblasts, but early reports indicate that they did not cause casualties or damage. Background: On the night of 15-16 September, Kyiv was subjected to the eighth Russian air attack in September alone. Support UP or become our patron! In a coordinated action, troops from the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Air Assault Forces have knocked out a modern Russian BMD-4 amphibious infantry fighting vehicle in a settlement in Russia's Kursk Oblast. Source: Air Assault Forces press service Quote: "The enemy boldly jumped into a combat vehicle and landed in the village, well aware that it was controlled by Ukrainian forces. The Russians fired on a residential development from their stopping point, and Ukrainian artillery and FPV drone pilots quickly stopped the enemy equipment, rendering it unusable." Details: The Russian combat vehicle was damaged by artillery fire during the initial shelling. One of the Ukrainian FPV drones attempted to target the BMD-4 at the same moment but was repelled by electronic warfare equipment. The Ukrainian UAV completed its second and third flights successfully. The vehicle rolled back, scattering wounded and concussed men across the ruins of the Russian village, where Ukrainian soldiers were already waiting for them. Support UP or become our patron! British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held talks in Italy with his Italian counterpart on Sept. 16, in an effort to gain support for his proposal to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russia. Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported that Starmer will also hold similar talks in France and Germany in the coming days. Ukraine is hoping for permission to use two Western-supplied long range missiles that it already possesses to strike military targets such as airfields located deep inside Russian territory. Anticipation had been high last week ahead of meetings between President Joe Biden and Starmer in Washington, but no announcement on a decision was made. According to reports, the U.K. has already decided to grant Ukraine permission to use Storm Shadows to strike targets deep inside Russia but wants the backing of the U.S. and other countries. Starmer suggested last week the plan would be further discussed "with a wider group of individuals" at the UN general assembly in New York later this month. The issue was on the agenda in Italy, where Starmer met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. In a joint press conference, both leaders were asked about long-range missile strikes. Meloni said she supports the decision of allies to give Ukraine the go-ahead, adding that Italy is committed to ensuring Ukraine can enter peace negotiations with Russia in the "very best conditions." Starmer gave a broad answer, reiterating Ukraine's right to self-defense and reaffirming support in its "fight for sovereignty." Read also: The Russian targets that could be on Ukraines long-range missile strike list Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Guterres lashed out at Israel's handling of its war in the devastated Palestinian territory (ANGELA WEISS) (ANGELA WEISS/AFP/AFP) Nothing justifies Israel's collective punishment of the people of Gaza as they endure "unimaginable" suffering, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told AFP on Monday. Guterres lashed out at Israel's handling of its war in the devastated Palestinian territory, now almost in its second year, as the UN prepares to host world leaders starting next week. "It is unimaginable, the level of suffering in Gaza, the level of deaths and destruction have no parallel in everything I've witnessed since (becoming) secretary-general," said Guterres, who has led the embattled international organization since 2017. "We all condemn the terror attacks made by Hamas, as well as the taking of the hostages, that is an absolute violation of international humanitarian law," he said. "But the truth is that nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people, and that is what we are witnessing in a dramatic way in Gaza," he added, decrying the widespread carnage and hunger blighting Gaza. On October 7, Hamas fighters infiltrated from Gaza into southern Israel, unleashing unprecedented violence which killed 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP toll including hostages killed in captivity. In response, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas, in power in Gaza since 2007, and its land and air offensive has claimed 41,226 lives according to the health ministry of the Hamas government. More than 200 humanitarian workers, mostly UN staff, have also been killed. "Accountability should be a must" for all civilian deaths, Guterres said acknowledging "serious violations" had been perpetrated by both Israel and Hamas. Against that backdrop the UN leader has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire, but talks overseen by the United States, Egypt and Qatar remain deadlocked, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of resisting a deal. "They are endless," Guterres said of the talks, saying it would be "very difficult" to reach a compromise but that he remained hopeful. With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refusing to return his calls since October, Guterres is not counting on a breakthrough during the General Assembly's high-level week from Sunday when he would typically receive all visiting heads of state and government. "As far as I understand, it was already said publicly that it is not his intention to ask for any meeting with me. So of course, the meeting will very probably not take place," Guterres said, brushing off the apparent snub. - 'Very strange' - "What matters is not the question of a phone call or no phone call, a meeting or no meeting -- what matters is what happens on the ground. What matters is the suffering of people. "What matters is the constant denial of the two-state solution and the undermining of that two-state solution by the different actions that are taking place on the grounds. "With grabbing of land, with evictions, with the new settlements being built -- all illegally and in the context of an occupation that now, according to the International Court of Justice's opinion, is in itself also illegal." He also said a proposed surveillance mission he backed to oversee any future ceasefire looked "improbable", with all sides unlikely to sign up. UN missions require the agreement of the host countries. It was partly for this reason that almost a year ago, the Security Council mandated a multinational mission, led by Kenya, not the UN, to help police in gang-plagued Haiti where blue helmets are reviled. But with only a few hundred police officers deployed and the mission lacking funds, Washington has raised the specter of transforming it into a UN mission -- something that the Security Council could only do at Haiti's request. "I find it very strange that it's so difficult to fund a relatively small police operation in Haiti," he said. "I find it absolutely unacceptable." Responding to accusations the UN is powerless to curb conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere, he blamed member states -- particularly the Security Council and its 15 members -- for the decisions taken or not taken. The Security Council as well as international financial institutions are "outdated, are dysfunctional and are unfair," he said. "We have been trying to solve the wars, the problem is that we have not the power, sometimes we don't even have the resources, to be able to do so." abd-gw/dw By Emma Farge GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. human rights experts criticised mostly Western states on Monday for continuing to support Israel despite what they described as a genocide in Gaza which might turn Israel into a "pariah" nation. The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza as a result of more than 11 months of conflict has prompted questions about Western states' long-standing political and military support for Israel, including from the United States and Britain which provide arms. "Shockingly, in the face of the abyss reached in the OPT (Occupied Palestinian Territories)...most member states remained inactive at best, or actively aiding and assisting Israel's criminal conduct," Francesca Albanese, U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in the OPT, told a press conference in Geneva, repeating allegations of genocide. Israel denies the allegations and says it takes steps to reduce the risk of harm to civilians and that at least a third of the Palestinian fatalities in Gaza are militants. Albanese, an Italian lawyer, said she was referring to Western states as well as some Gulf nations and others. "I think it's unavoidable for Israel to become a pariah in the face of its continuous, relentless, vilifying assault of the United Nations, on top of millions of Palestinians," she said, citing verbal and military attacks on U.N. facilities in Gaza. She also questioned Israel's right to a seat at the United Nations, acquired in 1949. "Should there be a consideration of its membership as part of this organisation which Israel seems to have zero respect for?" she asked. In response to her comments, Israel's permanent mission to the U.N. in Geneva criticised Albanese. "She is not fit to hold any position at the United Nations, and this has been made clear by many," it said. In the past, her remarks on the Israel-Hamas conflict have drawn scrutiny, including from a U.S. ambassador in Geneva who said she has a history of using "antisemitic tropes". Albanese was joined by three other U.N. independent experts who accused Western countries of hypocrisy and double standards, for example by being more vocal over perceived rights' violations by Russia since its invasion of Ukraine than of Israel's actions in Gaza. They are among dozens of independent human rights experts mandated by the United Nations to report and advise on specific themes and crises. Their views do not reflect those of the global body as a whole. (Reporting by Emma Farge, Editing by William Maclean) Start your week in North Carolina politics with our latest Under the Dome podcast, for the week of Sept. 9, 2024. Dawn Vaughan here, your podcast host and The News & Observers Capitol bureau chief. On this episode, Im joined by my politics team colleagues Avi Bajpai and Kyle Ingram. This past week actually included action at the General Assembly, and the return of the mini-budget. We lead off with audio of Republican House Speaker Tim Moore talking about the compromise deal of the mini-budget and his conversations with Senate leader Phil Berger and House Rules Committee Chair Destin Hall. Hall is relevant to the conversation, and the deal, because he is Moores heir apparent to become the next speaker, and the champion of a significant element of the mini-budget: requiring sheriffs to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE. We talk about how things played out in the House and Senate and what that might mean for the rest of the legislative sessions and the new session in 2025. Headliner of the Week After the break, Ingram brings us all up to speed about ballot changes because of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who it benefits and who will be paying for it. Spoiler alert: tax money is involved. Stay tuned to the end for our picks for Headliner of the Week. I talk about the legislatures tribute to the late Rep. Kelly Alexander. Ingram talks about lawsuits and Bajpai talks about nature and government buildings. Listen to our latest episode below and catch up on previous episodes. You can also listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Audible, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon Music and Stitcher. Authorities are asking potential victims to come forward after a Needham man who worked at an acupuncture clinic was arrested for allegedly assaulting a young client. 56-year-old Qunhao Zhang was charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over. Needham Police say they received a report on September 13 just before 12:30 p.m. of an indecent assault and battery at Boston Acupuncture Center (Chinese) and Herbal Medicine on Highland Avenue. Following an investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for Zhang and he was taken into custody at his home around 7:23 p.m. Officials say Zhang had his acupuncture license revoked by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine in the Fall of 2022. We are seeking information from other clients that may have had anything similar occur to them, police wrote in a social media post. Please contact the Needham Police Department at 781-455-7570 if you have any related information or concerns. No further information was immediately available. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Unpicking Namibia's painful past in the most German city in Africa German-born Namibian Raimar von Hase (76) stands in front of the half-timbered beer garden in the coastal town of Swakopmund. The building is one of numerous buildings from the imperial era. Namibia is a former German colony (1884-1915), which was then called German South West Africa. Kristin Palitza/dpa This Namibian coastal town feels uncannily like Germany, with half-timbered houses standing next to buildings from the imperial era. The street names in this corner of Africa are also German, with Bismarckstrae, home to Woermannhaus, built for a Hamburg haulier in 1894. Head down the road to the corner of Garnison and Bahnhofstrasse, you pass the Altes Amtsgericht, the former Imperial District Court. Then there's Hohenzollernhaus, once the residence of a German colonial ruler, a city landmark. Strolling through the Namibian coastal town of Swakopmund is like a trip back through history. Holidaymakers can choose between the traditional Hotel Hansa, the colonial-style Hotel Eberwein, the Pension Deutsches Haus or the Hotel Zum Kaiser. Head to the brewery in the evening and you will find German beer served on tap, to go along with such typical German dishes as knuckle of pork and dumplings. You can catch Germany's well-known news programme, the Tagesschau, on television in the Am Zoll residential building. And the stores have typical German names from the Adler pharmacy to the German bookshop, the Protestant church, the German kindergarten, the Engelhard goldsmiths and Hofmeyer school. It is not surprising in this former German colony of Namibia (1884-1915), which was called German South West Africa at the time. The local German Cultural Council now maintains 25 German associations, including the male choir and carnival societies in Swakopmund. Perhaps the world has no other towns where Germany's colonial heritage is so omnipresent. Namibia's 'German city' Less than 1% of the approximately 2.6 million Namibians are of German descent, estimates say. But here in Swakopmund, home to 67,000 inhabitants, some 1,200 have German ancestors. The city is a safari stopover for tourists and another major draw is its deeply troubled history. For the black majority, the visible cultural dominance of the former colonial rulers, who committed genocide here 120 years ago, is disconcerting. In Cafe Anton, run by Namibian-Germans and located on the ground floor of the Hotel Schweizerhaus - once the exhibition centre of the German colonial society - the Namibian-born grandson of German emigrants, Raimar von Hase, talks about a discussion group that aims to promote dialogue between whites and black Namibians. For four years, members of German descent have been meeting with representatives of black ethnic groups, especially the Herero and Nama, descendants of the victims of the genocide. The genocide saw the German Reich brutally suppress uprisings against its colonial rule. During the Herero and Nama War (1904-1908), they carried out a mass murder that is considered the first genocide of the 20th century. Some 75,000 Herero and Nama were killed, according to estimates. The German government and the government of Namibia have long been negotiating a reconciliation agreement which provides for financial aid from Germany for development projects in Namibia totalling 1.1 billion ($1.2 billion). But the declaration has not yet been adopted. Complex view of colonial history Von Hase's family history is closely linked to the colonial era. His grandfather, who came from East Westphalia, emigrated to what was then German South West Africa in 1910, acquired farmland and set up a cattle farm. Von Hase later took it over. He bred thousands of sheep as well as cows and goats. He has no feelings of guilt, he says. "It was all too long ago for that." Opposite Cafe Anton is the naval memorial, prominently positioned in front of the town museum and lighthouse. It commemorates the Marine Expeditionary Corps of the German Schutztruppe, which was involved in the suppression of the Nama and Herero uprising in 1904. A German soldier stands wide-legged on a massive rock base, his rifle pointed at the town centre of Swakopmund and, a little further on as the crow flies, at a mass grave of the Herero and Nama on the outskirts of the town. But what for many ethnic Germans is an important part of history is a slap in the face for the descendants of the Nama and Herero. They want to see the memorial torn down, says Laidlaw Peringanda, an activist who is campaigning for the creation of genocide memorials in Swakopmund. Several protests in front of the memorial by representatives of the Nama and Herero were stopped by the police. Unknown persons have poured red paint on it. The challenges of preserving history Peringanda lives in a small brick house in a poor neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city, where the desert begins. The 49-year-old opened the country's first genocide museum here, though calling it a "museum" might seem ambitious to some, as Peringanda's entire space spans just 6 square metres. The exhibition consists of framed copies of historical photos and a handful of history books. "I want to show visitors what happened back then so that we can learn from the past," says Peringanda. He also wants to promote intercultural exchange. Peringanda's ancestors include Herero and Nama. His great-grandfather fought against German troops during the genocide and later died in the Swakopmund concentration camp, along with other members of his family. Peringanda suspects that their remains are buried in the unmarked mass graves on the outskirts of Swakopmund - at which the German naval soldier's rifle point is aimed. It is a barren field directly adjacent to the well-kept municipal cemetery, where many Germans are also buried. Dozens of flat mounds of sand are lined up next to each other. Instead of marble gravestones, fist-sized stones from the roadside serve as nameless markers. Only at the beginning of the field is there a simple memorial stone in honour of the thousands of children, women and men who died as a result of the violence perpetrated by the Germans. Unkept graves fuel feelings of disrespect The city council looks after the graves in the official cemetery every day, watering the bushes and raking the paths. But nobody takes care of the maintenance of the mass graves, Peringanda says. Four times a year, he and a group of volunteers shovel up the mounds of sand themselves, seemingly in vain. There is always a strong wind blowing in the coastal town. Peringanda points to dog tracks in the sand saying, "The graves are shallow. They dig for bones." Peringanda would like to see more respect, dignity and a peaceful coexistence with the people of the country. Whites and blacks mainly go their separate ways in Swakopmund. The fear of change runs deep among the German-Namibians, he says. "Instead, we should come together and find a friendly solution," he says. That is also Raimar von Hase's intention - talking together is the first step towards reconciliation. Many stores in the Namibian coastal city of Swakopmund, such as this bakery and patisserie, have German names and are run in German. Swakopmund is therefore often referred to as "Namibia's German city." Namibia is a former German colony (1884-1915), which was then called German South West Africa. Kristin Palitza/dpa Activist Laidlaw Peringanda (49) stands in front of the Genocide Museum he founded in the Namibian coastal town of Swakopmund. He wants to educate people about the genocide committed by German troops in Namibia between 1904 and 1908 during the colonial era. Kristin Palitza/dpa The many buildings from the German colonial era (1884-1915) give the coastal city of Swakopmund the description "Namibia's German city." These include buildings in the neo-baroque and half-timbered styles. Kristin Palitza/dpa Activist Laidlaw Peringanda (49) visits unmarked mass graves of victims of the genocide (1904-1908) in the coastal city of Swakopmund, which was committed during the German colonial period in Namibia. The graves are located on the outskirts of the town, where the desert begins. Kristin Palitza/dpa An unseen problem with the Electoral College it tells bad guys where to target their efforts Wisconsin Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski in her office, displays real and fake electors' documents | Wisconsin Examiner photo Over the past four years, Congress and state governments have worked hard to prevent the aftermath of the 2024 election from descending into the chaos and threats to democracy that occurred around the 2020 U.S. presidential election. A new federal law cleaned up ambiguities that could allow for election subversion. New state laws have been enacted across the country to protect election workers from threats and harassment. Technology experts are working to confront misinformation campaigns and vulnerabilities in election systems. But untouched in all of these improvements is the underlying structure of presidential elections the Electoral College. Here is a quick refresher about how the system works today: After citizens vote in the presidential election in November, the Constitution assigns the task of choosing the president and vice president to electors. Electors are allocated based on the number of congressional representatives and senators from each state. The electors meet in their separate state capitals in December to cast their votes. The ballots are then counted by the vice president in front of members of Congress on Jan. 6 to determine which ticket has won a majority. The widely varied pros and cons of the Electoral College have already been aired and debated extensively. But there is another problem that few have recognized: The Electoral College makes American democracy more vulnerable to people with malicious intent. A state-centric system The original brilliance of the Electoral College has become one of its prime weaknesses. The unusual system was devised at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 as a compromise that prioritized the representation of state interests. This focus helped win over reluctant delegates who feared that the most populous states would disregard small states concerns. Nowadays nearly every state has chosen to award all of its electoral votes to whichever ticket wins more votes in the state. Even if a candidate gets 51% of the popular vote, use of the winner-take-all rule in these states means they will be awarded 100% of the electoral votes. This is what leads to the battleground state phenomenon: Presidential candidates focus their rallies, advertisements and outreach efforts on the few states where campaigns could actually tip the balance. In 2020, 77% of all campaign ads ran in just six states that were home to only 21% of the nations population. In this way, the Electoral College system naturally draws campaign attention to issues that might tip the balance in these hotbeds of competitiveness. Wisconsin's electors meet in the Capitol on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020 to deliver the state's 10 electoral votes for Joe Biden. (Photo by Morry Gash) A road map for bad behavior By doing so, the system essentially identifies the states where malicious people who want to alter or undermine the election results should focus their energies. The handful of battleground states are efficient targets for harmful efforts that would otherwise not have much success meddling in elections. Someone who wants to infiltrate the election system would have difficulty causing problems in a national popular vote because it is decided by thousands of disconnected local jurisdictions. In contrast, the Electoral College makes it convenient to sow mischief by only meddling in a few states widely seen as decisive. In 2020, the lawsuits, hacking, alternative electors, recount efforts and other challenges did not target states perceived by some to have weaker security because they had less strict voter ID laws or voter signature requirements. Opponents of the results also did not go after states such as California and Texas that account for a large share of the countrys voters. Rather, all of the firepower was trained on about a half-dozen swing states. By one account, there were 82 lawsuits filed in the days after the 2020 presidential election, 77 of which targeted six swing states. The fake elector schemes in which supporters of Donald Trump put forward unofficial lists of electors occurred in only seven battleground states. The popular vote alternative A majority of Americans say in surveys they prefer to scrap the Electoral College system and simply award the presidency to the person who gets the most votes nationwide. Dumping the Electoral College would have a variety of consequences, but it would immediately remove opportunities for disrupting elections via battleground states. A close election in Arizona or Pennsylvania would no longer provide leverage for upending the national result. Any election system that does not rely on states as the puzzle pieces for deciding elections would remove opportunities like these. It could also seriously reduce disputes over recounts and suspicion about late-night ballot counts, long lines and malfunctioning voting machines because those local concerns would be swamped by the national vote totals. Although not without its own concerns, an agreement among the states to award their electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote is probably the most viable method for shifting to the popular vote, in part because it does not require passing an amendment to the Constitution. There is no ideal way to run a presidential election. The Electoral College has survived in its current form for almost two centuries, a remarkable run for democracy. But in an era where intense scrutiny of just a few states is the norm, the system also lights the way for those who would harm democracy. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) The month of September marks another year without answers in three cold case homicides out of Clarksville. Its been close to two decades since a Fort Cambell soldier was murdered outside a local nightspot, and nearly three decades since two other men were killed under suspicious circumstances. However, in each case, detectives are still working to identify the people responsible. All three cases are among a handful of unsolved murders in which tipsters could be eligible for a reward of up to $10,000. Deadly Murfreesboro armed robbery remains unsolved 4 years later Earlier this year, the Clarksville-Montgomery County Crime Stoppers Board unanimously voted to increase the cash reward amount in unsolved homicides that occurred in or before 2018. In order to be eligible for the reward, the information provided must lead to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the crime. Below are just some of the cases still under investigation and any known information about the circumstances surrounding the murders. Edwin Mathurin Edwin Mathurin (Courtesy: Clarksville-Montgomery County Crime Stoppers) Around 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 2, 2006, a person dialed 911 to let authorities know someone had been shot in the parking lot of the Rivers Edge nightclub. Unsolved TN: Fort Campbell soldiers murder still a mystery 18 years later When officers with the Clarksville Police Department arrived, they found 21-year-old Edwin Mathurin dead. Further investigation revealed that a fight may have led up to the shooting. However, few other details are known. To this day, detectives are still trying to identify Mathurins killer. Mathurin, who was originally from Missouri, was serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army and was stationed at Fort Campbell at the time of his death. Aaron Walker On Sept. 26, 1995, officers with the Clarksville Police Department responded to Sunnydale Mobile Home Park Lot No. 7, where they found Aaron Walker dead from a gunshot wound to his head. During the investigation, detectives said they learned that four people with ski masks had been seen entering the mobile home that day. At least one of the alleged intruders was heard yelling, Wheres the money, were not playing. CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime-related reports from across Middle Tennessee One of the people then shot Walker and they all fled the scene, police said. A witness reportedly spotted them leaving in a blue Toyota, 85 model, two-door spots car that had been parked about 50 yards away. However, none of the suspects have been identified. Terry Hoskins Aaron Walker (Courtesy: Clarksville-Montgomery County Crime Stoppers) On Sept. 28, 1996, a Clarksville resident reportedly came across human remains in the 1600 block of Paradise Hill Road. Detectives with the Clarksville Police Department launched an investigation after receiving notice of the discovery. Authorities were later able to identify the remains as 33-year-old Terry Hoskins. While his death is being investigated as a homicide, little else is known about the circumstances. UNSOLVED TENNESSEE: Find more of the states cold cases, missing persons, and other mysteries Anyone who has information about any of the cases listed is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 931-645-TIPS, or go to www.p3tips.com, and leave a tip online. All tipsters remain anonymous. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. US ally says it expects America to intervene if China tries to take a rusting World War II warship in the South China Sea The Philippines would expect US intervention should China take the BRP Sierra Madre warship. The Sierra Madre is a grounded WWII vessel marking Philippine territory in the Second Thomas Shoal. Tensions between China and the Philippines are increasingly high in the contested South China Sea. As pressure builds in the South China Sea amid frequent clashes, the Philippines is drawing a line: should China take a rusted warship outpost marking Manila's territory, the Philippines would expect US intervention. Such a move could have significant repercussions, escalating the ongoing Chinese-Philippine dispute in the region into a crisis. In a new interview with CBS News 60 Minutes, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro explained that there were ongoing discussions between the US and the Philippines about which scenarios amid tensions between Manila and Beijing would prompt America to get involved. One flash point, Teodoro said, would be if China took the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded, rusted warship that marks sovereign Philippine territory. "If China were to take the Sierra Madre, that is a clear act of war on a Philippine vessel," he said. The Sierra Madre, a World War II-era LST-542-class tank landing ship that belonged to the US Navy and later Vietnam before it was transferred to the Philippines. The vessel was intentionally grounded by the Philippines on the Second Thomas Shoal to serve as a marker for Philippine maritime territory. The Philippines maintains a small garrison of marines on the ship. "That is an outpost of Philippine sovereignty," Teodoro explained. "So we're not talking about a rusty, old vessel solely. We're talking about a piece of Philippine territory." The Sierra Madre acts as an outpost marking Philippine territory. Bullit Marquez/AP Photos China has repeatedly targeted resupply missions for the outpost. For instance, in June, Chinese vessels and crews armed with bladed weapons raided Philippine ships near the Sierra Madre. The incident followed earlier clashes in which China rammed vessels or hit them with water cannons. These tense encounters have continued, raising concerns. The US and the Philippines have a mutual defense pact, meaning if one is attacked, the other would come to its aid. The incidents so far, while troubling, have fallen short of this expectation. But the possibility of US involvement remains. Just last month, for example, US Indo-Pacific Command commander Adm. Samuel Paparo said that US vessels could escort Philippine ships on resupply missions to the Sierra Madre, calling that "an entirely reasonable option" within the treaty. China claims sovereignty over a majority of the South China Sea, even though its claims are not recognized by international law. Over the past few years, China has increased its efforts to assert its authority in the region, bringing it into conflict with the Philippines. Manila says that Beijing's behavior violates its exclusive economic zone. China's moves against the Philippines also come against the backdrop of larger tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. Other US allies and partners have accused Beijing of violating their airspace and waters or recklessly harassing their aircraft operating in international airspace. Read the original article on Business Insider The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Sept. 16 a new tranche of sanctions targeting Georgian officials and two private citizens characterized as "extremists" for their role in human rights abuses. "Today's action underscores our concern about the consequences of anti-democratic actions in Georgia and efforts by key individuals to use violence and intimidation to achieve their aims," said Treasury official Bradley Smith. Concerns about Georgia's democracy have reached a fever pitch after the ruling Georgian Dream party passed the foreign agents law, which requires organizations that receive foreign funding to be labeled as "foreign agents" and mirrors repressive Russian legislation used to crack down on Kremlin regime critics. The U.S. previously announced travel restrictions in May for Georgian officials deemed to be responsible for "undermining democracy" in the country. The latest round of measures was targeted at officials and citizens associated with "violently suppressing the exercise of the freedom of peaceful assembly of Georgians engaged in the democratic process and peaceful expression." It was the first tranche of sanctions that explicitly targeted officials by name. The Treasury Department specified that the abuses occurred during the historic protests that continued for months against the passage of the foreign agents law earlier in 2024. The violence against protesters was directed by Georgia's Interior Ministry and "overseen by the Chief of the Special Task Department, Zviad Kharazishvili, and his Deputy, Mileri Lagazauri," the Treasury Department said. Kharazishvili, known popularly in Georgia as Khareba, "is well known for his punitive actions against political opponents and has been personally involved in the physical and verbal abuse of protestors." Aside from the officials, the Treasury Department also announced sanctions against two private citizens, Konstantine Morgoshia and Zurab Makharadze, associated with the far-right and pro-Russian group Alt-Info, perhaps best known for organizing violence against the country's LGBTQ community. "The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior," the Treasury Department said. Read also: Georgian governments offer to fund NGOs, media denounced as bribery by opposition Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The dome of the U.S. Capitol building is seen on a rainy day in Washington By Richard Cowan and Bo Erickson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress returns from a weekend recess on Monday and will attempt to broker a deal on legislation to temporarily fund a range of federal programs, with no clear path and just 15 days remaining before money runs out. Unless a stopgap spending bill is sent to President Joe Biden by midnight Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year, many agency operations will cease with thousands of federal workers furloughed for lack of funds. The Democratic-controlled Senate re-opens for business on Monday, while the Republican-controlled House of Representatives returns on Tuesday. Last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson had to abandon his attempt to pass a spending bill when it became clear that he did not have enough support for passage from his rank-and-file Republicans. Republican infighting was on full display on Sunday, with Representatives Bryan Steil and Cory Mills bickering during an interview on Fox News' Maria Bartiromo's show. "Shut the government down or shut the border down to protect our elections," Mills said, as he stood by his opposition to his leadership's bill. He said the measure hurts the U.S. military by not providing the Pentagon with full-year appropriations. Mills also noted that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has made clear he would not bring up a temporary spending bill that has the controversial, unrelated Republican legislation attached to it requiring that people provide proof of citizenship to register to vote. Non-citizen voting already is illegal in federal elections. Some of the most conservative House members never vote for the full-year spending bills, much less a stopgap measure. Johnson needs near unanimity of Republicans to pass bills that are opposed by House Democrats, given his party's narrow 220-211 majority. In response to Mills, Steil said he was "reasonably confident" that Johnson's bill could prevail in the House as early as this week. "I think we have an opportunity to pass the legislation the speaker has put forward and jam the United States Senate," Steil argued. Jamming the Senate implies a strategy in which the House would pass its version of the bill, send it to the Senate and then leave town. That could leave senators with two options: approving a bill Democrats oppose or passing their own version, but with no House in session to receive it -- an outcome that would trigger government shutdowns with the Nov. 5 presidential and congressional elections looming. A shutdown could produce voter backlash against whichever party is blamed. A shutdown ultimately could hobble airline travel regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, shutter national parks and interrupt many other government services. The annual battles over spending bills typically are resolved when leaders from both parties and both chambers engage in negotiations toward a bipartisan solution. The last government shutdown occurred at the end of 2018 and stretched well into January 2019. (Reporting by Richard Cowan and Bo Erickson; Editing by Leslie Adler) The US military completed its withdrawal from Niger on Sunday, US Africa Command announced in a news release. This process began on May 19 following the mutual establishment of withdrawal conditions and continued with the withdrawal of US forces and assets from Air Base 101 in Niamey on July 7, 2024, and Air Base 201 in Agadez on Aug. 5, 2024, the AFRICOM release said. The US had previously said that the withdrawal would be complete by September 15. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said Monday that the remaining personnel in the country are just your standard embassy presence. AFRICOM said in its release that the U.S. Africa Command Coordination Element, consisting of a two-star General Officer and staff, also departed from Niger. The withdrawal comes months after Nigers military government which took power in a coup in 2023 ended an agreement signed with the US that allowed military personnel and civilian staff from the Department of Defense to operate in Niger. Roughly 1,000 US troops had been in the country as part of the US counterterrorism mission and four US Special Forces soldiers were killed in Niger in 2017 after being ambushed by approximately 50 fighters. A Niger military spokesman said in March that the agreement is not only profoundly unfair in its substance but it also does not meet the aspirations and interests of the Nigerien people. The announcement was made just days after a US delegation visited Niger in March. The military spokesman, Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane, said at the time that the US had a condescending attitude. CNN has previously reported that in the meeting, the US delegation which included Gen. Michael Langley, commander of US Africa Command, and Celeste Wallander, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs raised concerns about Nigers growing relationship with Russia. The government of Niger regrets the desire of the American delegation to deny the Nigerien people the right to choose their partners and the types of partnerships capable of helping them truly fight against terrorists, Abdramane said at the time. Singh also said at the time that the US had raised concerns about Nigers relationship with Russia in a direct and frank manner. Langley had previously warned in congressional testimony that Russia was seeking to expand its influence across Africa, warning lawmakers that the US was being drowned out by Russian disinformation on the continent. [A] number of countries are at the tipping point of actually being captured by the Russian Federation, he told Congress in March. Those concerns were only furthered when, weeks after Niger announced the end of its military agreement with the US, Russian forces were operating out of the same military base as US troops in the country. Chris Maier, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, previously told CNN that the US may be in a situation where were increasingly on the outside looking in when it comes to Africa. While the US had attempted to find a way to keep some level of US presence in the country, those hopes were ultimately dashed, leading to the final withdrawal this week. Over the past decade, US troops have trained Nigers forces and supported partner-led counterterrorism missions against Islamic State and al Qaeda in the region, AFRICOM said on Monday. The US Department of Defense and the Nigerien Ministry of National Defense recognize the sacrifices made by both nations forces. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com DAKAR, Senegal The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Niger is complete, an American official said Monday. A small number of military personnel assigned to guard the U.S. Embassy remain, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters. Earlier this year, Nigers ruling junta ended an agreement that allowed U.S. troops to operate in the West African country. A few months later, officials from both countries said in a joint statement that U.S. troops would complete their withdrawal by the middle of September. The U.S. handed over its last military bases in Niger to local authorities last month, but about two dozen American soldiers had remained in Niger, largely for administrative duties related to the withdrawal, Singh said. Nigers ouster of American troops following a coup last year has broad ramifications for Washington because its forcing troops to abandon critical bases that were used for counterterrorism missions in the Sahel. Groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group operate in the vast region south of the Sahara desert. One of those groups, Jamaa Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, known as JNIM, is active in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, and is looking to expand into Benin and Togo. Niger had been seen as one of the last nations in the restive region that Western nations could partner with to beat back growing jihadi insurgencies. The U.S. and France had more than 2,500 military personnel in the region until recently, and together with other European countries had invested hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance and training. In recent months Niger has pulled away from its Western partners, turning instead to Russia for security. In April, Russian military trainers arrived in Niger to reinforce the countrys air defenses. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Monday it had completed its withdrawal from Niger. The West African nation's ruling junta in April ordered the U.S. to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel from the country, in an embarrassing setback for Washington that followed a coup last year in the West African nation. Before the coup, Niger had been a key partner in the U.S. fight against insurgents in the Sahel region of Africa, who have killed thousands of people and displaced millions more. Washington is searching for a Plan B in West Africa but the process is slow and officials caution that U.S. intelligence is dimming on the fast-growing extremist groups in the region. The U.S. withdrawal from Niger was carried out in phases, with U.S. forces and assets withdrawing from Air Base 101 in Niamey on July 7, and Air Base 201 in Agadez on Aug. 5. The U.S. military said on Monday the U.S. Africa Command Coordination Element, consisting of a two-star general and staff, has also departed from Niger, and that the withdrawal was complete by a Sept. 15 deadline. "Over the past decade, U.S. troops have trained Niger's forces and supported partner-led counterterrorism missions against Islamic State and al Qaeda in the region," it said in a statement. "The U.S. Department of Defense and the Nigerien Ministry of National Defense recognize the sacrifices made by both nations' forces." (Reporting by Phil Stewart, Editing by Nick Zieminski) Military vehicles that will be boarded onto a cargo plane as part of US troops' departure from Niger are seen in Niamey in June 2024 (BOUREIMA HAMA) (BOUREIMA HAMA/AFP/AFP) The United States military announced Monday that it had completed its withdrawal from Niger, after coup leaders in the African country demanded that its troops depart. The United States had more than 1,000 troops in Niger as part of anti-jihadist missions in several Sahel nations of West Africa, including a major drone base near Agadez, but Niger's military leaders scrapped a military cooperation deal with Washington after seizing power in a 2023 coup. The United States and Niger "announce that the withdrawal of US forces and assets from Niger is complete," US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a statement. "The safe, orderly, and responsible withdrawal was completed without complications, by the mutually decided date of September 15, 2024," AFRICOM said. Niger in recent years has been a lynchpin in US and French strategy to combat jihadists in West Africa, especially since the military seized power in Mali and Burkina Faso, becoming hostile to Western armed forces. The July 26, 2023 coup in Niger -- which overthrew the democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum -- has seen the new regime move closer to its two neighbors and force the French and US military out of the country. The US withdrawal from Niger kicked off in May, two months after the government said it was ending a military cooperation agreement with Washington, claiming the presence of US soldiers was now "illegal." Niger's regime has tilted notably towards Russia -- which sent instructors and military equipment this year -- and has also tightened relations with Turkey and Iran. For around a decade, Niger has been grappling with bloody violence by armed groups linked to the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group and Al-Qaeda, and has also had to contend with violence from Boko Haram. wd/bfm By Mike Scarcella and Nate Raymond BALTIMORE (Reuters) -The group that persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to bar the consideration of race in college admissions took the U.S. Naval Academy to trial on Monday in an effort to end a carve-out that allows military academies to still employ affirmative action policies. A lawyer for Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), a group founded by affirmative action foe Edward Blum, told a federal judge in Baltimore that the Naval Academy was unlawfully applying significant racial preference when deciding who should be admitted to the Annapolis, Maryland-based school. The group is seeking to build on the June 2023 ruling in its favor by the 6-3 conservative majority U.S. Supreme Court banning policies used by civilian colleges and universities for decades to increase the number of Black, Hispanic and other minority students on American campuses. The ruling, though, explicitly did not address the consideration of race as a factor in admissions at military academies, which conservative Chief Justice John Roberts said had "potentially distinct interests." Democratic President Joe Biden's administration has cited the need to ensure the Naval Academy has a diverse pipeline of students that can help it address a racial gap that still exists between service members and officers within the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. But Adam Mortara, a lawyer for SFFA, argued it had never looked at whether its student body's diversity would change if it ended its race-conscious admissions practices and lacked any meaningful power to effect change in the armed forces' officer ranks. "If they can't meaningfully move the ball, they cant do it all, Mortara told U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett in his opening statement. U.S. Justice Department lawyer Joshua Gardner countered that the academy had a compelling interest in diversity, which he said benefited military performance, recruitment and retention efforts. He stressed that its consideration of race was limited and part of a holistic admissions process. "No candidate is admitted solely because of their race," Gardner said. The trial comes a year after the Supreme Court invalidated race-conscious admissions policies used by Harvard and the University of North Carolina, both of which SFFA has sued and accused of discrimination. Blum's group argues that the Supreme Court's ruling should be extended to those military academies, whose policies it claims are discriminatory and violate the principle of equal protection in the U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment. It has filed two lawsuits to end the exception, the other of which is pending in New York state against the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston and Mike Scarcella in Baltimore; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Jonathan Oatis) TechCrunch News broke this weekend that China-backed hackers have compromised the wiretap systems of several U.S. telecom and internet providers, likely in an effort to gather intelligence on Americans. The wiretap systems, as mandated under a 30-year-old U.S. federal law, are some of the most sensitive in a telecom or internet provider's network, typically granting a select few employees nearly unfettered access to information about their customers, including their internet traffic and browsing histories. "I think it absolutely was inevitable," Matt Blaze, a professor at Georgetown Law and expert on secure systems, told TechCrunch regarding the latest compromises of telecom and internet providers. Appalachian State University marked its 125th year by enrolling more than 21,570 students for the fall 2024 semester, including 511 students at the Appalachian State-Hickory campus. The overall enrollment is 1.5% higher than last fall, according to a press release from the university. The Hickory campus saw an increase of more than 150 students. Last year, the campus had around 350 students. The increased enrollment in Hickory helped the university offset losses in enrollment at the Boone campus, according to information in the press release. Our steady growth is supported by intentionally managed enrollment at the Boone campus and significant growth in both the Hickory campus and App State Online student populations, App State Interim Chancellor Heather Norris said in the release. The university said that of the 511 students enrolled in Hickory, 294 are first-generation students, meaning neither parent of the student completed a bachelors degree. The campus enrollment is mainly supported by students from rural areas. The university said in the press release 346 students enrolled in Hickory are from rural counties. As a rural-serving institution, App State is committed to increasing enrollment of students from the states rural populations and supporting their success, Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management Troy Johnson said in the release. At the Aug. 29 State of the University address, App State Acting Provost Neva Specht discussed the Hickory campus. Were working to refine how Hickory campus aligns with the overall university mission so we can better serve not only the community, but all those that work on that campus, Specht said in the address. Well be refining some of our offerings and will begin thinking about some Hickory-only majors. Specht continued, Our goal is to ensure students can pick the best path of success for themselves, which means they could begin and finish at Hickory, begin at community college and finish at Hickory, begin in Hickory and finish in Boone. Overall, well be guided by the alignment with the academic affairs strategic plan and the needs in the Hickory market. The university completed a new computer lab and sciences lab ahead of the fall 2024 semester. A new cybersecurity lab is scheduled to be available for occupancy by mid-September. The university is currently in the second phase of construction at the Hickory campus. During this phase, new classrooms and offices are being constructed. The new spaces are scheduled to be ready by fall 2025. US political ad spending soars -- but does it work? The Democratic National Committee sponsors a billboard on September 9, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Lisa Lake) (Lisa Lake/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFP) US presidential election advertising budgets are off the charts this year, though it is not clear how well they work in swaying voters' minds. Around $1.2 billion will be spent on ads for the presidential vote alone, according to ad analyst MediaRadar CMAG, out of a total of $12 billion for congressional and other races being decided on November 5. This latter figure is close to triple that of the 2016 election, but the upward trend goes back even further. "The biggest change happened when Obama was running in 2008," said Mike Franz, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, which studies political ads. Until then, candidates often used government funding for their campaigns under laws that placed strict limits on spending. But Obama realized he could raise significantly more money through the newfound internet opportunities that were developing at the time, said Franz. "The internet has made it very easy to donate money to political candidates... just incredibly easy now," compared to 20 or 30 years ago, said Zachary Peskowitz, a political science professor at Emory University. Then in 2010, the Supreme Court lifted restrictions on spending by outside non-party groups. This allowed for the creation of so-called "super PACs," which can raise hundreds of millions of dollars for candidates, triggering even more political advertising. But "political scientists are always curious about how much of this spending actually matters," Franz said. "Because the campaigns are so tight in terms of the popular vote in some of these crucial battleground states, the money probably matters quite a bit," he said. "But nobody really knows how much." "I think the safe bet is to just spend as much as you can," said Franz, adding that the result is "an arms race" between the two sides. - Old TV still matters - Even though Obama revolutionized internet fundraising, traditional television still lures considerable ad money -- more than half the total. That's true even as more than half of Americans don't even have a cable television subscription anymore, as streaming services gain ground. "You're trying to reach the most reliable voters. And reliable voters tend to be older. They tend to be elderly or middle-aged, and they're watching broadcast or they're watching cable," said Geoff Pereira, of MediaRadar CMAG. Google and Facebook owner Meta, which together take in just under half of all online advertising revenue, account for only about nine percent of campaign ad budgets for the 2024 election, according to Emarketer. People might be suspicious of online ads, "and as a result, campaigns don't want to necessarily sort of go all in on these new technologies," said Franz. Research shows that ads promoting a candidate for office can in fact influence voters, even if just a bit. "Common theories about what makes advertising persuasive have limited... power to predict persuasiveness," according to a February article in the American Political Science Review. After a certain threshold, "extra dollars do something small that could matter in a close election, but you're reaching diminishing returns," said political scientist David Broockman, of the University of California, Berkeley. But if one side simply stopped advertising, he added, "then we would likely see the side that was still advertising absolutely do far better, as their attacks aren't being answered." The 2024 campaign's dramatic ups and downs have contributed to an explosion of advertising as Kamala Harris belatedly replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic torchbearer less than four months before Election Day. Harris needs "to spend a lot of money and advertise more to tell her story and make voters aware of her and her positions," said Peskowitz. "And then the Trump campaign has the opportunity to use advertisements to help define her" in a negative way, he added. Democrats outspent Trump on ads in 2016 and 2020, and are on track to do so again this year, according to MediaRadar CMAG. The Republican's campaign is projected to dish out $500 million, compared to $700 million for the Democrats. "His thinking is, I can put my money in other places" like trying to increase turnout, said Pereira. That money is not counted the same way as ad spending. "There are other ways of winning elections," he said. tu/dw/bbk/nro US sense of urgency questioned as billions in Ukraine aid hangs in balance News that $6 billion worth of outstanding U.S. military aid to Ukraine could expire by the end of September if Congress doesnt take urgent action is unsettling some in Kyiv, where the painful memory of a larger package delay that led to battlefield losses remains fresh. Delivering the $6 billion in additional U.S. aid depends on Congress extending the Pentagons authority to send weapons from its stockpiles to Ukraine. It is part of a larger $61 billion package approved last April after a seven-month delay, despite being critical to helping Kyiv fight off Russias full-scale invasion. U.S. President Joe Bidens administration has asked Congress to include the $6 billion, provided via the Presidential Drawdown Authority program (PDA), in any continuing resolution lawmakers may pass before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30 to fund the federal government and yet again prevent a shutdown. U.S. officials said they hope to have the authority extended for another year, but the Defense Department is looking into other options if that effort fails. Its unclear why the $6 billion in military aid was not provided earlier, given the urgent needs of Ukraines armed forces in repelling Russias full-scale invasion, nor what weaponry it could entail. Multiple government sources in Ukraine and the U.S. declined to discuss the issue in detail. The $6 billion is part of the $61 billion package approved in April, a congressional advisor who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the aid told the Kyiv Independent. The advisor added that the delay in disbursing it due to absorption capacity issues, domestic US stock constraints, and a constant flexibility issue with each withdrawal in a situation where the U.S. adapts to Ukraines needs. Ukraines Defense Ministry told the Kyiv Independent that the weapons and equipment for the full amount were not yet sent to Ukraine due to the lack of the necessary weapons in the Pentagon's warehouses. The ministry didnt specify which weapons were requested but assured that there is no reason to believe that these $6 billion will burn out." An employee handles 155 mm caliber shells after the manufacturing process at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant (SCAAP) in Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. on April 16, 2024. (Charly Truballeau / AFP via Getty Images) As far as sources in Congress tell me, the situation is under control, and the money wont be lost thats the main thing, David Arakhamia, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People faction in parliament, told the Kyiv Independent. But the episode appears to be the latest in which Ukraines top Western ally is drip-feeding weaponry supplies to Ukraine, on purpose or due to a lack of urgency, in an existential war waged by Russia which Zelenskys administration has described as genocidal. Addressing the annual Yalta European Strategy forum held in Kyiv on Sept. 13-14, Bidens national security chief Jake Sullivan spoke of plans to announce a significant assistance package for Ukraine by the end of this month. Yet the sense of many in Kyiv, which is shared with some European allies, is that while the U.S. has stepped up military assistance sharply, it is still not providing sufficient amounts and fast enough to help Ukraine decisively win the war. It is crucial that all states, and especially those like the United States, implement our agreements really promptly, Zelensky said in his Sept. 14 evening address to the nation. Every delay in military packages has its negative consequences at the front. Every truly timely, fast delivery has a positive impact. I briefed the Congressmen on the current situation and the prospects, he added. Read also: Gen. Ben Hodges on Ukraines Kursk incursion in Russia Zelensky, who is to meet with Biden later this month in the U.S. for talks on future assistance and lifting of restrictions on using Western missiles to strike Russian territory, expressed the same frustration one day earlier about promised but not yet delivered military weaponry from Western allies without directly mentioning the $6 billion U.S. aid. As he addressed the annual Yalta European Strategy meeting in Kyiv, Zelensky said that its really difficult to hear the same answer every time we are working on it. He also said that the talks on equipping Ukrainian frontline brigades with the Wests help had been ongoing for months, with the same vague answer from some leaders and states that have made responsible commitments earlier. Frankly, we are still far from fully implementing what we have agreed on a long time ago, Zelensky added. Washingtons delay from late 2023 into this spring in passing a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine contributed to the deteriorating situation on the eastern Donbas frontline, where Russias grinding offensive made advances. In almost seven months of political infighting in the U.S. before the aid was allocated, Ukraine lost some key territories, including the city of Avdiivka, and suffered significant damage to its energy infrastructure around the country due to the lack of air defense systems to counter Russian missile strikes. The legislation was first opposed but later approved by Republican legislators loyal to Donald Trump, who seeks to return as president in a Nov. 5 election against Vice President Kamala Harris. Sense of urgency often lost despite sky-high stakes The risk of yet another delay in crucial assistance from Ukraines top Western ally comes as the countrys Armed Forces, outgunned and outmanned, continue to battle Russias full-scale invasion two and a half years into the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II. And as Zelensky continues to press the U.S. and other Western allies for permission to use their long-range missile for strikes into Russian territory. We have seen this pattern time and again delays in the allocation of funding, delays in deployment, and delays in deliveries, Tymofiy Mylovanov, president of the Kyiv School of Economics and former advisor to Zelenskys administration, told the Kyiv Independent. The sense of urgency is often lost in the Western capitals, but this directly translates into lives lost and an unsafer world. Simply irresponsible," Mylovanov said. The Biden administration and some European leaders have in the past years expressed fears that arming Ukraine too much in essence, giving it enough weapons to win the war could provoke Russia to escalate and potentially use nuclear weapons. Russian President Vladimir Putin and others in his regime have made such threats. Repeating them recently, they said that the West would be at war with Russia if it allowed its long-range missiles to be used by Ukraine for strikes deep inside Russia. Ukraine, which most recently seized a patch of Russian territory with the Kursk incursion, claims such threats are empty. Putin's threats do not work. Ukraines allies should not fall for them, Ukraines Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a Sept. 15 post on X, where he outlined how Russia has during the war repeatedly threatened escalation if Western allies armed Ukraine. Putin uses threats to weaken support for Ukraine. Instead, allies should boost it. Lift restrictions. Bolster Ukraines long-range strength, air shield, and economic and energy resilience. Fear and inaction only lead to deaths and crises. To restore peace, we need bravery, not fear, Sybiha added. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy (R) pose with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha (C) during their meeting in Kyiv, on Sep. 11, 2024, amid the Russian invasion on Ukraine. (Leon Neal / POOL / AFP via Getty Images) Some influential members of both Republican and Democratic parties in the U.S. Congress have called for the Biden administration to lift restrictions on using Western missiles on Russian territory and to further boost long-term military assistance to Ukraine. They also wish to swiftly resolve the $6 billion aid issue. It is highly disappointing that nearly $6 billion of the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) remains untouched as we near the end of the fiscal year, Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, told the Kyiv Independent. The administration must utilize all remaining PDA to provide Ukraine with the capabilities it needs to win this war just as Congress intended when it provided this authority in the national security supplemental earlier this year, McCaul added. Democratic Congressman Jim Costa told the Kyiv Independent, "We are set to work this out," adding that there might be some friction on the new appropriations package, but the issue is a priority. When asked about the matter by the Kyiv Independent, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William B. Taylor said he was assured by a senior Pentagon official not to worry that the funds would not expire. Six billion dollars is serious money And there are two people in the U.S. government (who know the details of this question) that I talk to all the time One of them is Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary for defense for arming Ukraine, Taylor said during an informal press briefing in Kyiv. Cooper knows the details of this $6 billion and she said, Bill, dont worry. And for her to tell me that, I take it, Taylor said without providing any further details. Dangerous delays as rogue states weaponry flows into Russia But Mylovanov said the pattern of delays and restrictions on the use of weaponry provided "is very dangerous and in fact irresponsible. It was so difficult getting the ($61 billion) supplemental passed. And now there is this bureaucratic (and political?) process that jeopardizes $6 billion, Mylovanov quipped. He pointed to uninterrupted missile and other weaponry supplies to Russia from rogue states Iran and North Korea. "Iran and North Korea don't appear to be constrained by delays, permissions, and bureaucracy when sending weapons to Russia. Nor are they constraining Russia in how it can use their weapons, Mylovanov said. The Pentagon is seeking an extension from Congress of PDA authorities beyond the end of the fiscal year, a spokesperson told the Kyiv Independent. The Department will continue to provide drawdown packages in the near future," the Pentagons statement said. U.S. Military Aid for Ukraine. (Dragon Capital) Publicly, the Pentagon gave similarly nebulous assurances. I have no doubt that we are going to use everything we can that's available to us to make sure that we are continuing to provide Ukraine what it needs both in the short term and the long term, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said during a press briefing on Sept. 5. We're in this fight with Ukraine for the long haul So you're going to see us make use of those funds in any way possible. Despite Ukraines plea to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons to defend its cities, Singh said that it would have very little strategic value, since the U.S.-provided ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems) couldnt reach most of the Russian airfields located beyond its 300-kilometers range, according to Pentagons intelligence. Meanwhile, President Zelensky said in his speech on Sept. 13 that without the ability to strike inside Russia, ATACAMS in Ukraine are pointless. He added that he discussed the matter with the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy who visited Kyiv recently. I hope that after our conversation, there simply cannot be any unanswered questions about why Ukraine needs sufficient long-range capability, Zelensky said. Kyiv Independent Deputy Editor-in-Chief Oleksiy Sorokin contributed reporting to this story. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The Biden administration is sanctioning two Georgian government officials and more than 60 individuals in the former Soviet state over human rights abuses and anti-democratic actions, part of ongoing fallout from the Georgian governments passage of a controversial foreign influence law. The announcement also comes ahead of next months pivotal election, in which pro-European opposition parties are looking to unseat the Russia-friendly ruling party. The U.S. is sanctioning senior security officials for overseeing a violent crackdown against Georgian citizens, political opposition leaders, journalists and youth activists who took to the streets over the past two years protesting the governments pursuit of legislation that mirrors Russias 2012 foreign agents law. The ruling Georgian Dream party pushed through the laws passage in April despite wide-spread opposition and fears it will be used to shut down and criminalize voices critical of the government. The United States remains deeply concerned by the ongoing anti-democratic actions of the Georgian government, which are incompatible with membership norms of the European Union and NATO, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Monday. In addition to the passage of the so-called foreign influence law, we have also seen the Georgian government repeatedly violently crack down on Georgian citizens who protested that law. The U.S. sanctions target Zviad Khareba Kharazishvili, special task department chief of Georgias Ministry of Internal Affairs, and one of his Deputies, Mileri Lagazauri, for their involvement in serious human rights abuse during the violent response to peaceful protests against the foreign influence law, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. Georgian security forces violently suppressed demonstrators who came out in May to protest the governments passage of the foreign influence law. The law requires civil society and media organizations that receive funding from abroad to register with the Ministry of Justice as promoting the influence of a foreign power. Media reports at the time cite protesters being hit by rubber bullets by Georgian security forces despite denials by the agency, and water cannons, tear gas and chemical spray used to disperse protesters. Human Rights Watch said last month that the Georgian government has failed to effectively investigate a spate of violent attacks on civic and political activists. Among the measures announced by the U.S. on Monday are sanctions targeting the founder of the media company Alt-Info, Konstantine Morgoshia, and Zurab Makharadze, a prominent media personality that allegedly used the media company to amplify disinformation and hate speech. The Treasury Department said in a statement that Morgoshia and Makharadze have advocated violence against marginalized groups peacefully protesting and led hundreds of followers to carry out violence on protesters, break into offices of nongovernmental organizations, and attack journalists and police officers. The U.S. also said it was imposing visa restrictions on 60 unnamed individuals and their family members responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy in Georgia. The State Department is barred by law from releasing the identities of those it places under a visa ban. Blinken said in a statement that individuals barred from entering the U.S. include senior government and municipal figures who abused their power to restrict the fundamental freedoms of the Georgian people, business leaders involved in corrupt practices, persons who have spread disinformation and promoted violent extremism, members of law enforcement who were involved in the beating of protesters, and members of parliament who played a critical role in advancing undemocratic legislation and restricting civil society. The actions by the Biden administration are part of an ongoing comprehensive review of the U.S. relationship with Georgia in the wake of the passage of the foreign influence law and other actions by the ruling Georgian Dream party criticized as anti-democratic. Among the actions are the U.S. suspending $95 million in assistance to the Georgian government, postponing a joint military exercise between U.S. and Georgian forces, and previous visa bans. Georgias parliamentary elections are scheduled for Oct. 26, where a divided and fractured opposition is trying to overcome differences in ousting the ruling Georgian Dream party. Georgian Dream is criticized by opposition groups, the European Union and the U.S. for jeopardizing ties with global democracies, undermining the countrys democratic institutions and moving the country into Russias sphere of influence. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. US says initial probe into US citizen's killing does not exonerate Israel By Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israel's initial findings on the killing of U.S. citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi do not exonerate Israeli security forces, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday, warning that Washington would consider other measures if it is not satisfied with the results of a full Israeli probe. Israel acknowledged that its troops shot 26-year-old Eygi, who is also a Turkish citizen, on Sept. 6 while she took part in a protest against settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but said it was an unintentional act during a demonstration that turned violent. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week described Eygi's killing as "unprovoked and unjustified" and demanded an overhaul of Israeli military conduct in the West Bank. Speaking at a regular press briefing on Monday, Miller said her killing should never have happened. "I hear people ... hold the initial findings up as if they somehow exonerated Israeli security forces. They very much do not, at least in our point of view," he said. The United States will be waiting for the results of the full investigation, which it expects to be prompt, thorough and transparent, Miller said. If those results aren't satisfactory, Washington could take its own action, he added, without saying what that would be. "If the first investigation plays out. ... and we are not satisfied, we will of course look at whether any other measures are appropriate," Miller added. In a statement, the Israeli military said its commanders had conducted an initial investigation into the incident and found that the gunfire was not aimed at her but another individual it called "the key instigator of the riot." Miller declined to say if Israeli security forces had assured American officials that they would make demanded changes in their rules of engagement. A surge in settler assaults on Palestinians in the West Bank has angered Western allies of Israel, including the United States, which has imposed sanctions on some settlers. Tensions have heightened over Israel's war against Hamas militants in Gaza. Israel has occupied the West Bank of the Jordan River since the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians envisage it as the core of a future independent state. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis and Costas Pitas; Editing by Mark Porter and Howard Goller) US says worked on release of US pastor from China for some time, seeking others By Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States worked for some time to secure the freedom of American Pastor David Lin ahead of his release from China and is still seeking the release of other Americans held there, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday. The State Department announced on Sunday that China had freed 68-year-old Lin, who had been in jail since 2006. Miller told a regular news briefing there remain a number of Americans still detained in China. "We welcome David Lin's release from prison in the People's Republic of China," he said. "He has returned to the United States and reunited with his family for the first time in nearly 20 years." "It's something that we've been working on for some time," he said, adding: "We'll continue to push for the release of other Americans." Miller referred to two other detainees, Mark Swidan and Kai Li. He declined, when asked, to rule out that Lin's release had been the result of a swap. "I am not going to say anything else about this process, other than what I've already said, which is that we welcome his release. Sometimes in diplomacy, the less said, the better. This is one of those occasions." China's embassy in Washington declined to comment when asked if Beijing had received anything from the U.S. in return for Lin's release, but it said China's authorities handle criminal suspects in accordance with the law and "treat them equally regardless of their nationality." Miller said the issue and that of other U.S. detainees, had been raised when U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met China's top diplomat Wang Yi in Laos in July. U.S. politicians had for years urged Beijing to free Lin, who was jailed for life on charges of contract fraud. The chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee urged President Joe Biden in November to use a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping that month to push for the release of Lin, Li and Swidan. Washington says the three were wrongfully detained. China says such cases are handled according to law. A U.S. congressional commission is due to hold a hearing on Wednesday on the case of American citizens imprisoned in China. It said all faced health issues. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Costas Pitas, Simon Lewis, David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina; Editing by Mark Porter and Sandra Maler) US TikTok ban: When and why could the app be outlawed? TikTok's is beginning its case against a law which will ban it in the US unless it is sold by Chinese parent company ByteDance. The video sharing app has millions of users worldwide, but has faced questions over the security of data and links to the government in Beijing. Who wants to ban TikTok in the US and why? Lawmakers from both major US political parties supported a law that bans TikTok unless ByteDance agrees to sell to a non-Chinese company. They fear the Chinese government could force ByteDance to hand over data about TikTok's 170 million US users. TikTok insists it would not provide foreign user data to the Chinese government. In April, following approval by Congress, President Joe Biden signed a bill paving the way for TikTok's forced sale. Previous attempts to block the app in the US on national security grounds have failed. Former US President Donald Trump tried to ban the app when he was in the White House in 2020. But Mr Trump - the Republican 2024 presidential candidate - has criticised the new legislation, arguing that limiting TikTok would unfairly benefit Facebook. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running against Mr Trump as the Democrat candidate, has used TikTok and popular social media trends like Charli XCX's "brat" to try and win over young voters. A spokesperson for her campaign has previously said they would "just like to see a change in ownership" of TikTok rather than its ban. When could TikTok be banned? Mr Biden signing the bill into law did not mean an immediate US ban for TikTok, but it did start a ticking clock. The legislation gives ByteDance nine months to sell TikTok to a new buyer, with an additional three-month grace period, before any ban would take effect. TikTok said this could mean it is either forced to sell or shut down in the US by 19 January 2025, after the US presidential election in November. But the company's fight against the legislation in court, which began when it sued to block the law in May, could take years. How would a TikTok ban work? The most straightforward way for the US to ban TikTok would be to remove it from app stores, such as those operated by Apple and Google for iOS and Android devices. [Getty Images] App stores are how most people download apps on to their smartphones and tablets, so the ban would stop new users from getting TikTok. It would also mean that people who already had the app would no longer be able to get future updates designed to improve security or fix bugs. The bill forbids applications controlled by US adversary countries from being updated and maintained in the US. It gives broad powers to the president to limit apps with ties to Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. What has TikTok said it will do about the ban? Arguments in TikTok's appeal begin in a Washington DC court on Monday 16 September and will be heard by a three-judge panel. A group of TikTok creators who oppose the law over concerns about its impact on their work will also make their case at the hearing. TikTok has previously called the legislation an "unconstitutional ban" and affront to the US right to free speech. "We are confident and we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts," said TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew. "Rest assured," he told users in a video, "we aren't going anywhere". He previously said the bill would give its social media rivals more power and put thousands of American jobs at risk. TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew studied at Harvard Business School and spent time at Facebook [Getty Images] ByteDance would also have to seek approval from Chinese officials to sell TikTok, but Beijing has vowed to oppose such a move. How have TikTok users in the US responded? Many US creators and users have criticised the potential ban. Tiffany Yu, a young disability advocate from Los Angeles, told the BBC at a protest outside the White House the platform was vital to her work. In March 2024, TikTok asked its 170 million US users to contact their political representatives and ask them not to support the bill. But the deluge of "confused" calls from TikTok users to congressmen and senators seemingly backfired. Several politicians said the campaign worsened the concerns they had about the app, and strengthened their resolve to pass the legislation. Is TikTok banned in other countries? It is thought the US TikTok bill could inspire similar moves elsewhere. TikTok is already banned in India, which was one of the app's largest markets before it was outlawed in June 2020. It is also blocked in Iran, Nepal, Afghanistan and Somalia. The UK government and Parliament banned TikTok from staff work devices in 2023, as has the European Commission. The BBC also advised staff to delete TikTok from corporate phones because of security fears. How does TikTok work and how much user data does it collect? At the heart of TikTok is its algorithm, a set of instructions which determines which content is presented to users, based on data about how they engaged with previous material. Users are offered three main feeds on their app - Following, Friends and For You. The Following and Friends feeds present users with content from people they have chosen to follow and who follow them back, but the For You feed is automatically generated by the app. This curated feed has become the main destination for users looking for new content, and creators hungry for the millions of views TikTok videos can clock up if they go viral. Critics say the app collects more data than other social media platforms in order to power its highly personalised system. This can include information about users' location, device, the content they engage with and keystroke rhythms they exhibit while typing. But popular social media apps such as Facebook and Instagram collect similar data from users. Abortion rights demonstrators rally in Washington in June 2023 to mark the first anniversary of the US Supreme Court ruling overturning the federal right to an abortion (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS) (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/AFP) Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris condemned anti-abortion laws in Georgia on Tuesday after a report in ProPublica revealed that a woman there died from delayed medical care caused by the US state's restrictive regulations. Amber Nicole Thurman, 28, developed a rare complication from abortion pills and died during emergency surgery in August 2022, with an official state committee blaming the fatal outcome on a "preventable" lag in performing a critical procedure. Georgia had just passed a law that made performing dilation and curettage (D&C) a felony offense with medical exceptions that doctors had warned were vague and difficult to interpret. The US Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn national abortion rights unleashed a wave of bans and restrictions in 22 states, thrusting reproductive rights to the forefront of the upcoming presidential election. "Women are bleeding out in parking lots, turned away from emergency rooms, losing their ability to ever have children again," Harris said in a statement following the report's release. "This is exactly what we feared when Roe was struck down," she said, referring to the Supreme Court decision that had protected the national right to abortion. ProPublica said the case marked the first abortion-related death officially deemed "preventable" and plans to publish details of a second case soon. These official reviews are not made public, but ProPublica obtained copies of the reports. "This young mother should be alive, raising her son, and pursuing her dream of attending nursing school," Harris said. - 'Blood on their hands' - Thurman, an otherwise healthy medical assistant and mother of a six-year-old boy, made the decision to terminate a twin pregnancy to preserve her newfound stability, her best friend Ricaria Baker told ProPublica. She and her son had recently moved to a new apartment complex and she planned to enroll in nursing school. She wanted a surgical abortion, but Georgia's six-week abortion ban forced her to seek care at a clinic in North Carolina. On the day of the procedure, the hours-long drive was hampered by traffic, and Thurman missed her 15-minute appointment window. The clinic offered a medication abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol. While overwhelmingly safe, rare complications can occur. Thurman's condition worsened over several days, turning into heavy bleeding and vomiting blood. She was taken to Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge. Doctors found she had not expelled all the fetal tissue from her body and she was diagnosed with "acute severe sepsis." But despite her rapidly deteriorating health, the hospital delayed Thurman's dilation and curettage procedure for 17 hours. By the time they operated, the situation was so dire it required open abdominal surgery. The doctor performed the operation and found a hysterectomy was also required -- but during the procedure, Thurman's heart stopped. Her mother recalled her last words: "Promise me you'll take care of my son." The state committee found there was a "good chance" that an earlier procedure could have saved Thurman's life. "Life of the mother" exceptions have widely proven inadequate, forcing women to cross state lines in desperate bids for lifesaving care. Reproductive rights groups erupted in outrage following the report. "Amber would be alive right now if it wasn't for Donald Trump and Brian Kemp's abortion ban," said Mini Timmara, president of Reproductive Freedom for All, referring to the former president and the governor of Georgia. "They have blood on their hands." The Supreme Court ended federal protections for abortion access in June 2022 with the help of a super-conservative majority built under Trump's presidency. "Survivors of rape and incest are being told they cannot make decisions about what happens next to their bodies. And now women are dying," Harris said. "These are the consequences of Donald Trump's actions." ia/bfm/dhw SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) The Utah Division of Consumer Protection has revived a 2019 lawsuit against Richard Sackler, the owner of a pharmaceutical company accused of lying to Utahns about the opioid OxyContin. The Division first filed its lawsuit in January 2019, claiming the Sacklers personally directed Purdue Pharma to misrepresent OxyContin through deceptive marketing, practices and misrepresentations. The state alleges Richard Sackler provided $200,000 in gifts and other payments to prescribers between 2013 and 2017, employed 186 sales representatives in Utah, and visited 5,000 prescribers in person for marketing. Through their promotions, Purdue Pharma representatives allegedly claimed OxyContin to be less prone to abuse and addiction compared to other painkillers. The lawsuit was voluntarily stayed by the Division when Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy. However, earlier this year the Supreme Court ruled the Sackler family, which owns Purdue Pharma, are not protected from lawsuits through the bankruptcy plan. DWR: 31 animals killed, left on St. George golf course Richard Sackler can no longer hide behind the company name or its bankruptcy filings as he continues to live lavishly from profits of deceptive claims and practices, said Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes. We will use all of the tools at our disposal to ensure justice for Utah families and communities, and to obtain funds and injunctive relief to address the ongoing opioid epidemic in Utah. According to the Division, Utah ranked the 7th highest in the nation for drug overdose deaths from 2007 to 2015. Opioid-related deaths in Utah reached their peak in 2014 but have since been on a steady decline. As of 2022, opioid-related deaths are at an all-time low dating back to 2003, according to data from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. The decline in opioid deaths reversed Utahs course, making it the 8th lowest in the nation, per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Still, Margaret Busse, the Utah Department of Commerce executive director, said the state was committed to protecting Utahns and holding Purdue Pharma and Sackler accountable for their alleged actions. Purdue Pharma and Richard Sacklers deceptive practices have had a devastating and direct effect on our communities and have cost thousands of Utahns lives, said Busse. While the original lawsuit was against Purdue Pharma and Richard Sackler, the cases revival will proceed against only Sackler as the company entered settlements with Utah and other states. Should Utah win its legal battle, it could result in significant fines, a declaratory judgment, and injunctive relief against Sackler. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. Portraits of all five of the Utah Supreme Court's justices hang outside the court's chambers at the Scott M. Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City on Aug. 9, 2024. (Katie McKellar / Utah News Dispatch) Theres a chance the controversial constitutional Amendment D on Utahs Nov. 5 ballot voided last week by a district court judge may come back from the dead. Over the weekend, the Utah Supreme Court agreed to hear the Utah Legislatures appeal. In an order issued Saturday, the court scheduled a hearing for oral arguments Sept. 25. Amendment D would ask voters to sidestep the Utah Supreme Courts interpretation of the Utah Constitution that limited the Legislatures powers to repeal and replace government-reform initiatives and instead rewrite it to enshrine lawmakers power to override any voter-approved ballot initiative. However, the ballot language posing the question to voters which was written by Utahs top Republican legislative leaders did not explain that in plain language, prompting critics to sue, claiming Amendment Ds language was false and misleading. Last week, a district court judge agreed, and she voided the question while allowing it to stay on the ballot since the decision came so close to ballot printing deadlines. Ironically, legislative attorneys will be arguing their case in front of a court that just two months ago issued a ruling in an anti-gerrymandering lawsuit that dismayed the Legislatures Republican supermajority and prompted them to call an emergency special session to place Amendment D on the ballot in the first place. On Friday, one day after the judges decision, attorneys for the Utah Legislature filed a petition with the Utah Supreme Court to appeal, arguing people decide elections; courts dont. A handful of plaintiffs and special interest groups want to squelch that precious right, the Legislatures attorneys wrote in the petition. They went to court to stop all Utahns from voting on a proposed constitutional amendment, rather than fight their cause at the ballot box. And the court obliged. Later that same day, plaintiffs the League of Women Voters of Utah, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, and individuals from Salt Lake County who claim theyve been disenfranchised by gerrymandering filed a response, arguing the states appeal is fruitless because the district courts decision was correct on the merits and was compelled by the Utah Supreme Courts previous interpretations of the Utah Constitution. It also follows inexorably from the basic constitutional principle that voters should be able to know what it is they are actually voting on, plaintiffs wrote. The debate over whether Amendment D should be revived or not is the latest development in a yearslong legal battle between Utah lawmakers and anti-gerrymandering groups, who sued after the Republican-controlled Legislature repealed and replaced Better Boundaries 2018 voter-approved ballot initiative that would have required lawmakers use an independent redistricting commission to draw Utahs political boundaries every 10 years. In 2020, the Utah Legislature repealed and replaced that voter initiative with a watered-down version of the law, turning the independent commission into an advisory panel, allowing the Utah Legislature to ignore the independent commission and draw their own version of the maps, which is ultimately what lawmakers did in 2021. Those 2021 maps cracked Democratic strongholds in the red state of Utah, including a congressional map that sliced Utahs most populated county, Salt Lake County, into four districts. The League of Women Voters of Utah, along with the other plaintiffs, sued. They claimed the Utah Legislature overstepped when it repealed and replaced the independent redistricting commission ballot initiative. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX On July 11, the Utah Supreme Court issued a ruling that said the legislatures power to amend government-reform initiatives has limits, but added this does not mean that the Legislature cannot amend a government-reform initiative at all. The decision sent shockwaves across Utah, prompting giddy celebration from Democrats and anti-gerrymandering groups and dismay from Republican legislative leaders, who characterized the ruling as one that opened the door to super laws enacted by ballot initiatives that would be immune to legislative changes. They criticized the unanimous ruling as an error that upset a 100-year balance in the powers theyve long assumed the Utah Constitution granted the Legislature. Thats not necessarily what the Utah Supreme Court ruling explicitly said, though it does leave a question over how other ballot initiatives could be litigated. It said lawmakers could potentially justify legislative changes that facilitate or support the reform, or at least do not impair the reform enacted by the people. The opinion also says legislative changes that do impair the reforms enacted by the people could also survive a constitutional challenge, if the Legislature shows that they were narrowly tailored to advance a compelling government interest. Rather than letting the Utah Supreme Courts interpretation of the constitution stand, Utah lawmakers opted to instead ask voters to rewrite the constitution to enshrine lawmakers power to change ballot initiatives. If Amendment D is restored and if voters approve it, it will effectively render the Utah Supreme Courts latest interpretation moot. Meanwhile, the legal battle over Utahs redistricting process (from which the fight over Amendment D stemmed from) is still playing out, after the Utah Supreme Courts July 11 ruling sent it back to district court. That court will decide whether the Legislature indeed violated the constitution when it repealed and replaced Better Boundaries 2018 voter initiative. That question will largely hinge on the results of Amendment D. Will the Utah Supreme Courts interpretation of the Utah Constitution stand? Or will Amendment D be restored to the ballot and will voters decide whether to re-write it in favor of the Legislatures interpretation? Well know more on Sept. 25. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Rudy Giuliani just struck out again in court. The former attorney for Donald Trump, ex-mayor of New York City, and conservative gadfly tried to sue President Joe Biden in October last year for defamation for calling him a Russian pawn in a 2020 presidential debate against Trump. On Monday morning, a judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying Giuliani utterly failed to carry his burden. Twitter screenshot Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney A federal judge has tossed Rudy Giuliani's defamation lawsuit against Joe Biden, saying he had At the time, Giuliani claimed that he lost clients and podcast listeners after Biden said in the 2020 debate to Trump, Buddy, Rudy Giuliani, he is being used as a Russian pawn, he is being fed information that is Russian that is not true. Four, five former heads of the CIA say that what [Trump] is saying about the laptop is a bunch of garbage, Biden said later in the debate, referring to Giulianis purported proof that Hunter Biden was involved in corrupt business dealings in Ukraine. Nobody believes it except his good friend Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani filed the lawsuit in New Hampshire to take advantage of the states defamation laws, and that was why the case was dismissed without prejudice, Judge Paul J. Barbadoro wrote. This means that the former New York mayor can refile the lawsuit in a different court. But where would he get the money for another frivolous lawsuit? Giuliani was successfully sued for defamation himself by two Georgia election workers last year after he accused them of manipulating ballots, and owes them $148 million as result. He then unsuccessfully filed for bankruptcy, leading to the poll workers suing him again to seize control of his assets, including his real estate holdings. Giulianis financial difficulties are almost too massive to be believed. He lost his accountant over his mismanaged debts, tried and failed to persuade Trump to help settle his seven-figure legal fees (Trump refused), had his WABC radio show canceled for spewing 2020 election lies, and started his own coffee brand, Rudy Coffee, in an effort to funnel in some extra cash. The man simply cant stop spending money he doesnt have. His creditors in May called out the disbarred attorney for his extravagant lifestyle and gross mismanagement, saying Giulani had accomplished almost nothing in his bankruptcy case. He still owes money to his former attorneys, who say he only paid them $214,000 of nearly $1.6 million in legal expenses. Giuliani also has pending criminal cases against him in Georgia and Arizona for election interference and is facing a pending sexual harassment lawsuit from one of his former assistants. Once dubbed Americas mayor after the September 11 attacks, Giuliani has ruined his reputation and cant stop embarrassing himself. 'Vaccine fatigue' blamed as roughly half of people in US will skip COVID and flu shots this year 'Vaccine fatigue' blamed as roughly half of people in US will skip COVID and flu shots this year A growing number of U.S. adults are hesitant to get recommended vaccines this fall, a new survey found. The poll, which included 1,006 people, found that only 43% of respondents have gotten or plan to get the COVID vaccine. Only a slight majority (56%) of adults said they have gotten or plan to get the flu shot this fall. COVID VACCINE DISTRUST GROWING AMONG AMERICANS, SURVEY FINDS: SHOULD BE A PERSONAL CHOICE The poll also found that 37% of those who have gotten vaccines in past years plan to skip the shots this season. A growing number of U.S. adults are hesitant to get recommended vaccines this fall, a new survey found. Around one-third of respondents also said they dont believe they need the vaccines mentioned in the survey flu, COVID, RSV or pneumococcal pneumonia. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Vaccine hesitancy tends to skew younger, as adults aged 65 and older are the most likely to get the recommended immunizations. The nationwide survey was conducted by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in mid-August 2024. NEW COVID VACCINES GET FDA APPROVAL FOR 2024-2025 SEASON These findings come just weeks after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer for the 2024-2025 season. "Were at the start of respiratory virus season, when you have the triple threat of flu, COVID-19 and RSV," said Nora Colburn, MD, medical director of clinical epidemiology at Ohio States Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital, in a press release. Around one-third of respondents also said they dont believe they need the vaccines mentioned in the survey flu, COVID, RSV or pneumococcal pneumonia. "Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation about vaccinations, but the reality is that they are safe and highly effective in preventing serious illness and death," she went on. "Older adults, people with certain chronic medical conditions, and those who are pregnant are especially at risk during respiratory virus season." Dr. Jacob Glanville, CEO of Centivax, a San Francisco biotechnology company, reacted to the polls findings. "Its obviously not surprising that 37% of people said they had been vaccinated in the past but werent planning to this year," he told Fox News Digital. RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE COVID VACCINE IDENTIFIED IN STUDY "We just had a vaccine mandate a couple of years ago, and furthermore, childhood vaccines are very broadly administered, so those 37% are people who wouldnt be getting a vaccine normally anyway." The reported rate of 56% for the flu shot is a little above average, Glanville said, as it tends to hover at around 50%. "Coronavirus vaccination rates are a little lower than for the flu," he noted. Adults aged 65 and older are the most likely to get the recommended immunizations. This could be due to lack of clarity with the public over how COVID should be treated post-pandemic, according to Glanville. "Its also fatigue due to the COVID vaccines not being particularly effective at preventing symptoms, which causes people to believe that they are not effective (although they do protect against severe illness)," he added. Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center , said he finds the polls findings concerning. "Both vaccines wane over six months, so a yearly booster makes sense for high-risk groups," he told Fox News Digital. Siegel estimates that this years flu season will be similar to last years, which was "moderate," with 25,000 deaths and 400,000 hospitalizations. "The flu shot decreases severity and number of hospitalizations by about a quarter, and helps to provide community immunity," he added. FIRST CASE OF HUMAN BIRD FLU DIAGNOSED WITHOUT EXPOSURE TO INFECTED ANIMALS, CDC SAYS For COVID, Siegel warned that the virus activity is still fairly high "especially in the western U.S." The doctor also warned of a new variant circulating in Europe, which he expects will soon be in the U.S., known as the XEC subvariant. Everyone 6 months and older is advised to get vaccinated against influenza, according to the CDC. "It seems to be more contagious it causes congestion, cough, loss of smell and appetite, sore throat and body aches," he told Fox News Digital. "The new vaccine should provide at least some coverage." Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and an attending physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told Siegel that very young children are being hospitalized at a greater rate "likely because they haven't been vaccinated with the primary series." "I recommend a yearly booster for the elderly, immunocompromised and those with chronic illness, along with anyone who is at risk for long COVID or has had it previously," Siegel said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued the following vaccine recommendations. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER Flu: Everyone 6 months and older is advised to get vaccinated against influenza. COVID-19: The latest version of the COVID vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months and older. The latest version of the COVID vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months and older. RSV: The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine is recommended for everyone aged 75 and older, as well as those aged 60 to 74 who have certain chronic medical conditions, such as lung or heart disease, or who live in nursing homes, as they are at a higher risk of severe disease. Pregnant women are also advised to get the vaccine during weeks 32 through 36 of pregnancy. Pneumococcal: Everyone younger than 5 years and age 65 and older is advised to get the pneumococcal vaccine, along with those who are at increased risk of severe disease. For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health Fox News Digital reached out to the OSU research team for comment. Original article source: 'Vaccine fatigue' blamed as roughly half of people in US will skip COVID and flu shots this year Vance once called Haitians 'very sweet people.' That's not what he's saying now. Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance apparently has some advice for "Childless cat ladies:" Better keep the felines locked up if youre in Springfield. After disparaging women without children, Donald Trumps running mate moved on to the stereotyping of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, by promoting rumors that they were abducting pets and park animals a claim city officials said had no credible evidence. Regardless, Trump ran with it in the presidential debate. "Theyre eating dogs ... theyre eating cats," Trump claimed in his Sept. 10 presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump has continued pushing those tales since the debate, with Vance cheering him on. "Dont let the crybabies in the media dissuade you, fellow patriots. Keep the cat memes flowing," Vance wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Bomb threats since the debate that forced City Hall, schools and other government buildings to close in Springfield have been blamed on the anti-Haitian accusations. More: Are Haitian migrants in Springfield stealing geese and ducks? Ohio DNR finds no evidence Trump clearly is trying to dehumanize the immigrants by spreading the false claims as he promises massive detention camps and mass deportations of migrants in a second term. Trump once called Haiti a s---hole country." Vance, who was in Haiti briefly while in the Marines, knows Haitians arent deserving of such ridicule. Having lived in Miami myself, home of a large Haitian community, from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, and having traveled to Haiti regularly to cover developments there for the Associated Press, I do too. Haitians came to Springfield for jobs, not pets The Haitians are being used to highlight an alleged failure of the Biden-Harris immigration policy, although anecdotally many of the at least 15,000 Haitians in the Ohio city were already in the country and came from Florida and other states because of job opportunities. The vast majority are in this country legally and have the necessary work papers, authorities have said. More: JD Vance shares social media post about immigrants cooking pets in Dayton, city refutes it Springfield in recent years has had a job-creating economic resurgence, and employers were having trouble filling jobs because of the same reasons Vance described in his "Hillbilly Elegy" memoir that some local white residents in his hometown of Middletown would rather exploit government assistance because of drug problems or "laziness." Enter the Haitians, who have been praised by Springfield employers for their work ethic. Kudos to Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for stepping up on their behalf and shooting down the pet-abduction stories. "This is something that came up on the internet and the internet can be quite crazy sometimes," DeWine said in a television interview. He said Springfields mayor said there was no truth nor evidence of the animal abductions. He praised Haitians as family-centric, hard-working people in search of economic opportunities. The governor announced the state will provide $2.5 million to the city of some 60,000 people to help ease the strain on local health care and deploy Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers to improve road safety. DeWine and his wife Fran for years supported a school in Haiti named in honor of their late daughter Becky, so hes seen Haiti and why Haitians want to come to the United States for opportunity and safer lives. 'Never seen nor heard of even hungry Haitians eating dogs and cats' Dr. Robert Lerer, former Butler County health commissioner, has repeatedly gone to Haiti on missions. "I have worked in some of the poorest parts of Haiti, conducting medical clinics with groups of Christian volunteers, for more than a decade I have never seen nor heard of even hungry Haitians eating dogs and cats," he posted recently on Facebook. Lerer said dogs are prized there for security and cats for catching rats. I compared memories with some former Miami colleagues and none of us recalled such allegations about Haitians in the thriving and largely safe community they built centered in the city neighborhood dubbed "Little Haiti" in Miami. Nearly half of the more than 1 million Haitian immigrants in the United States live in Florida (Nearly 12 million people live in Haiti). What we do remember is years of discrimination against Haitians, mostly Black, especially compared to immigrants from Cuba and other Latino countries. More: 'They hate us' Haitian Springfield residents speak out as city remains in spotlight The Trump tales have alarmed Haitian leaders. "The continued misrepresentation of Haitian immigrants is deeply troubling and concerning. Recent accusations that Haitians in Springfield are consuming pets and local wildlife are not only completely unfounded but also unacceptable. This rhetoric unfairly targets a community that has always contributed significantly to American society through hard work," wrote Leslie Voltaire, a member of the presidential transition council in Haiti. "Such narratives risk dividing and endangering already vulnerable communities." Haiti-born actress Garcelle Beauvais was more succinct. "As a Haitian woman, what is being said about us is despicable! Do better!" posted Beauvais, whose credits include "Spider-Man: Homecoming," "Coming 2 America," and "The Real Housewives of Miami." Vance: Haitians 'very sweet people' Vance, in his book, wrote that as a Marine, "I had seen, in Haiti, a level of poverty I never knew existed." When I asked Vance about it a few months ago, he said it was a brief temporary assignment. "The thing I remember most about it; obviously a very impoverished country, very sweet people I remember really just liking the people there that I met." Alimemby Estimable, 19, talks about being Haitian in Springfield, Ohio, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. He said he graduated from Springfield High School and now works for Amazon. He said he came here four years ago to help his mother. He was with friends in the strip mall on the west side of Springfield. The former French colony has had a tortured history. A rebellion launched in 1791 resulted in 1804 the Caribbean nation becoming the first former slave colony in this hemisphere to achieve independence. Keep in mind that this was 30 years before the Caribbeans major colonizer, England, ended slavery, and 60 years before the United States did. Worried about Haitis rebellion inspiring its own slaves, the United States ostracized the new nation and had a trade embargo. "The thing I remember most about it; obviously a very impoverished country, very sweet people I remember really just liking the people there that I met." J.D. Vance Ravaged by years of civil war, Haiti plunged into a near-endless cycle of poverty and instability, worsened by natural disasters including hurricanes and earthquakes and disease outbreaks including AIDS and livestock-killing African swine fever. A new period of instability has followed since a 2021 presidential assassination. Armed gangs control most of the capital of Port-au-Prince and have killed civilians in their homes. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited Haiti this month to discuss ways to help restore order, and when I interviewed Vance, he agreed that the nation deserved our help. "We have one really important goal, which is to re-establish some measure of stability there," Vance said. "I dont think we should be putting U.S. troops in harms way. I think our policy in Haiti should be first and foremost focused on stability. We want people to be able to wake up, work a job, live their lives without the fear of being murdered. I think that is the level of chaos that exists in Haiti." More: Aiden Clark wasn't murdered. Stop using my son's death to spew hate at immigrants: Opinion "I believe its absolutely appropriate especially given that they are in our backyard to provide support so fewer and fewer people are suffering." If Trump and Vance want to ease the pressure for Haitians to emigrate to the United States, they could treat their homeland as a valued neighbor by pledging such support instead of trying to scapegoat its people to score political points. Dan Sewell is a regular Opinion contributor. Contact: dsewellrojos@gmail.com This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Trump, Vance attack Haitians to push anti-immigrant agenda Republican vice presidential nominee and Ohio Sen. JD Vance said Sunday he is glad [former] President Trump is safe in the wake of what the FBI has described as an apparent assassination attempt. Im glad President Trump is safe, Vance said on the social platform X of the situation, which the FBI said it is responding to. I spoke to him before the news was public and he was, amazingly, in good spirits. Still much we dont know, but Ill be hugging my kids extra tight tonight and saying a prayer of gratitude, the Ohio senator continued. Earlier Sunday, Trumps communications director, Steven Cheung, said that President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity. The Associated Press reported that in Florida, the Secret Service fired shots toward somebody viewed as a possible threat in the former presidents vicinity. I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America, Vice President Harris said Sunday on X. Trump said in a fundraising email that he will NEVER SURRENDER in the wake of the incident. There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL! the former president said in the email sent Sunday. Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me, Trump continued. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Police are appealing for witnesses after damage was caused to a former hospital in Guernsey. Officers said windows were smashed at the King Edward VII Hospital site and blood was left behind at the scene, meaning someone may have been injured. The site has been a target for vandalism since it closed its doors in 2014. Police are asking for more information about the damage that happened overnight on Friday 6 September and Saturday 7 September 2024. Follow BBC Guernsey on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk. More on this story Related internet links Vauxhalls stance on going electric stands in sharp contrast to some of its biggest competitors - Vauxhall The car giant behind Vauxhall is pushing back against surreal efforts to delay the European Unions vehicle emission rules, setting it against rival manufacturers. Stellantis, which also owns Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat, said it opposed last-minute changes to the regulations, which will come into force from next year and eventually ban petrol cars from 2035. It would be surreal to change the rules now, Carlos Tavares, chief executive of Stellantis, told Agence France-Presse. Everyone has known about the rules for a long time and has had time to prepare, and so now its time to have a race. The new rules are designed to slash carbon emissions from road transport and encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) instead. But top carmakers including Volkswagen, BMW and Renault, and member states such as Italy, have suggested delaying the regulations which could see companies fined for failing to comply to prevent a collapse of the industry. The European Automobile Manufacturers Association has drafted a proposal for the EU to take emergency measures to delay targets set to take effect in 2025 by two years. Luca de Meo, the head of the lobby group and Renaults chief executive, has also said he would like to see more EU flexibility on the rules. Critics claim that a slowdown in EV sales and a lack of sufficient charging infrastructure have left the proposals looking premature. A statement on the associations website last week said: The EU automotive industry has invested billions in electrification to put vehicles on the market, but the other necessary ingredients for this transition are not in place and the competitiveness of the EU is eroding. Stellantis quit the association two years ago. Under Mr Tavares, the company has readied new EVs and restructured itself to lower costs in preparation for cut-throat competition from Chinese rivals such as SAIC and BYD. A spokesman for Stellantis separately reiterated calls for European governments to stimulate sales of EVs with subsidies. Against that backdrop, the EU hit imported Chinese cars with tariffs in July after an official investigation concluded that Chinas EV industry had benefited from unfair state subsidies at every level. In May, Stellantis announced a joint venture with Chinese carmaker Leapmotor, with which it planned to launch the Leapmotor T03 supermini and the C10 SUV in mainland Europe from September and the UK next year. The launch of the T03, which has a range of about 170 miles, will pose a major challenge to rivals. In China, the cars sell for as little as 49,900 yuan (5,500) each. Stellantis has said it expected them to sell for less than 20,000 (17,200) in Europe. Stellantis and Leapmotor have vowed to launch at least one new car a year for three years, with the aim of getting to a product lineup of three hatchbacks and three SUVs by 2027. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. On Nov. 5, Vermonters will go to the polls to chose their next lieutenant governor. Democrat-Progressive David Zuckerman is seeking his fourth term in the statewide seat, against two competitors: Democratic lawmaker turned Republican John S. Rodgers and Green Mountain Peace & Justice candidate Ian Diamondstone. Other races on the Nov. 5 ballot include U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, treasurer, secretary of state, auditor of accounts, attorney general and high bailiff. Voters will also choose all 50 state senators, 150 state representatives and 1,800 justices of the peace. Here is what to know about the three Vermonters running for lieutenant governor. Robert Miller Community & Recreation Center served once again as Burlington's Ward 7 polling station for the Aug. 13, 2024 statewide primary election. Lieutenant Governor Incumbent David Zuckerman, Hinesburg, Progressive/Democrat Zuckerman, 53, an organic vegetable farmer, served as lieutenant governor from 2017-2021, before regaining his seat in 2023. He ran for governor against Phil Scott in 2020, garnering the Progressive and Democratic nominations. Prior to his stint as lieutenant governor, Zuckerman served as a state senator for four years and a state representative for 14 years. He came under fire earlier this summer after allegations surfaced that he made female legislators uncomfortable when he repeatedly offered them menstrual products. John S. Rodgers, Glover, Republican Rodgers, 59, is the owner of a stonework and excavation business and a hemp and cannabis farm. He formerly served as a Democratic state senator and state representative, positions he held for a total of 16 years. In 2018, Rodgers sought the Democratic nomination for governor as a write-in candidate. Rodgers told the Milton Independent that he switched parties because Democrats had moved too far left and started to neglect rural and poor folks. Gov. Phil Scott, who has advocated for moderate Republicans and Democrats to take office, endorsed Rodgers for lieutenant governor earlier this year. John Rodgers with a container of a liquid seaweed extract he uses to accelerate the growth of hemp plants at his farm in West Glover, as seen on July 28, 2023. Ian Diamondstone, Putney, Green Mountain Peace & Justice Party (GMPJP) Diamondstone owns an international trade consulting practice called New Forest Organics, according to an Common News article. He previously faced Zuckerman for lieutenant governor in 2022, receiving just 2.9% of the votes. He also ran unsuccessfully for Windham state representative in 2012, garnering 11% of the vote against one competitor. Diamondstone is the son of the late socialist Peter Diamondstone, who founded the GMPJP, then known as the Liberty Union Party, and was once a close friend and collaborator of U.S Sen. Bernie Sanders. Ian Diamondstone Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Here are the Vermont candidates for lieutenant governor SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) Thousands of people were dancing and celebrating on the streets of downtown San Jose Sunday for Mexican Independence Day. The holiday is on Monday, but city hall honored the country and even hosted a flag ceremony on Sunday. The celebration on Sunday was not only a celebration of Mexicos independence from Spain but also an opportunity to reflect on the strides Mexican Americans have made here in this country. Mexicos Canelo Alvarez wins unanimous decision in dominating title defense Alfredo Gonzalez lives in San Jose but wants everyone to know his heritage. It feels great; I love it, he said. We like for people to notice it; we want people to notice it. Alejandra Vargas brought her family, also from the South Bay. Shes originally from Mexico and feels accomplished having her life here. Very happy and very proud that we can make something in another country, Vargas said. We are still thinking about our (native) country and our people. This is their third year going to the Mexican Independence Day celebrations in San Jose. Mexican Independence Day celebration in San Jose on Sept. 15, 2024 (KRON4 Photo). As the music played and dancing continued, the City of San Jose observed El Grito and the raising of the flags. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan also noted this celebration honors the one-third of San Jose residents with Hispanic heritage. Most popular baby names in California, according to Social Security Administration Mahan says hes honored to speak to these community members and hopes the celebrations continue for many more years. We have thousands of people here just celebrating a day that represents freedom a greater freedom of individual rights, so it is an honor to be here and celebrate, Mahan 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. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, will be participating in an online campaign event with TV host, producer and author Oprah Winfrey livestreamed nationally from Michigan on Thursday night, the Harris campaign confirmed Monday morning. The Michigan Chronicle, which covers news for Michigan's African American community, first reported the online event. It said in its report that the Harris campaign told the newspaper the event would be broadcast from an undisclosed location before a small invited audience. On Sunday night, the White House said Harris had a campaign event in metro Detroit on Thursday before heading to Wisconsin but provided no other details. On Monday morning, the Harris campaign put out a news release with a message from Winfrey saying she would host "a virtual event with Vice President Kamala Harris and voters from across our great nation to talk through these freedoms we're fighting for and how you can help us win." That release did not say the event would be held in Michigan, however. The campaign event with Winfrey is scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday. The Harris campaign provided no other details. "I am hosting a virtual event with Vice President Kamala Harris and voters from across our great nation to talk through these freedoms were fighting for and how you can help us win," Winfrey said in a message included in the Harris campaign release on the virtual event. Because of online limitations, people who want to watch will need to reserve a spot online here. The Chronicle reported that more than 140 grassroots groups from around the country will be represented as part of the event, including Win With Black Men, Win With Black Women, White Dudes for Harris, and Swifties for Kamala. It was not immediately known if Harris planned any other events in Michigan this week. She does have plans to visit Philadelphia as well, however. Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are all considered battleground states in this fall's election between Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump. The Trump campaign announced late last week that the former president will hold an evening town hall Tuesday in Flint. Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump's running mate, will visit the Kent County community of Sparta earlier on Tuesday. Harris was last in Michigan on Labor Day. That was her first stop in the state since formally accepting the Democratic nomination for president. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at Northwestern High School in Detroit during a Labor Day Rally on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, was in Michigan late last week. Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on X, @paulegan4. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kamala Harris, Oprah Winfrey to host online event in Michigan Thursday PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) An Ohio man who allegedly used force earlier this month to take a rental car that had a child inside has been arrested on Monday. Victor Farris, 45, was caught in Monroe County, Iowa, which is about 30 minutes east of Des Moines, at about 10 a.m. Monday, according to the Peoria County Sheriffs Office. According to Sheriff Chris Watkins, his office was told by the sheriffs office there that Farris was arrested not long after he jumped off of a train in that part of the state. The sheriffs office here received information from the Monroe County Sheriffs Office that Farris had jumped off of a train and run off after being confronted. A short time later, he was cornered in an alley by deputies and arrested, Watkins said. Farris attempted to lie about his identity but was eventually positively identified and arrested, Watkins said. UPDATE: New charge alleges Victor Farris used force to take car with child inside Watkins confirmed that his office would make every effort to bring Farris back to Peoria County. A grand jury here has indicted him on charges of aggravated vehicular hijacking, kidnapping and possession of a stolen motor vehicle in connection with the Sept. 4 incident. If convicted, he faces at least six years and possibly up to 45 years behind bars. Prosecutors had issued a no bond arrest warrant with the promise to extradite Farris if hes caught outside the area. On Sept. 4, Farris allegedly took a Kia SUV from an Enterprise Rent-A-Car facility off Pioneer Parkway. A 3-year-old boy was inside and for the next 30 minutes, officers throughout the area looked for him and the child, who was left at a gas station on Airport Road. He was unharmed and has been returned to his family. That led to a massive manhunt in the area that centered around the Rock Island Trail near Princeville. Other agencies including the Illinois State Police were involved. Drones and aircraft scoured the area looking for him. He also is facing charges in Woodford County as well. Deputies arrested Farris on Aug. 31 after he was found sleeping in a stolen Nissan Sentra at a gas station at the Goodfield exit. The car, which had no license plates, was stolen from a Hertz Rent-A-Car facility in Indianapolis. When deputies roused him, they smelled alcohol, officials there said. He was arrested and taken to the Woodford County Jail on charges of DUI, having no valid drivers license and for possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Farris was then released from jail as he was not eligible for detention under the SAFE-T as none of those offenses were qualified for detention. Farris has since been indicted in Woodford County on two counts of DUI and one count of possession of a stolen vehicle. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. Typhoon Yagi caused an estimated $1.6 billion in economic losses in Vietnam, state media reported, citing an initial government assessment (NHAC NGUYEN) (NHAC NGUYEN/AFP/AFP) Typhoon Yagi caused $1.6 billion in economic losses in Vietnam, state media said Monday, as the UN's World Food Programme said the deadly floods it triggered in Myanmar were the worst in the country's recent history. Yagi battered Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand with powerful winds and a huge dump of rain over a week ago, triggering floods and landslides that have killed more than 400 people, according to official figures. It tore across Vietnam's densely populated Red River delta -- a vital agricultural region that is also home to major manufacturing hubs -- damaging factories and infrastructure, and inundating farmland. The typhoon caused an estimated 40 trillion dong ($1.6 billion) in economic losses, state media reported, citing an initial government assessment. The death toll in Vietnam stands at 292, with 38 missing, more than 230,000 homes damaged and 280,000 hectares of crops destroyed, according to authorities. In Myanmar, the ruling junta has reported 113 fatalities and said that more than 320,000 people have been forced from their homes into temporary relief camps. "Super Typhoon Yagi has affected most of the country and caused the worst floods we have seen in Myanmar's recent history," Sheela Matthew, WFP's representative in Myanmar, said in a statement, without giving precise details. Exact details of the impact on agriculture were not yet clear, she said. "But I can say for sure that the impact on food security will be nothing less than devastating," Matthew added. Severe flooding hit Myanmar in 2011 and 2015, with more than 100 deaths reported on both occasions, while in 2008 Cyclone Nargis left more than 138,000 people dead or missing. The latest crisis has prompted the junta to issue a rare appeal for foreign aid, with neighbour India responding with 10 tonnes of materials, including dry rations, clothing and medicine. Myanmar's military has blocked or frustrated humanitarian assistance from abroad in the past, including after powerful Cyclone Mocha last year when it suspended travel authorisations for aid groups trying to reach around a million people. Even before the latest floods, people in Myanmar were already grappling with the effects of three years of war between the junta and armed groups opposed to its rule, with millions forced from their homes by the conflict. burs-pdw/sco Rene Guzman writes about all things San Antonio, from past and present to pop culture and puro cultura. He can be reached at rguzman@express-news.net. Before joining the Express-News in 1998, the San Antonio native co-owned a college humor magazine called Bitter, for which he wrote, designed and edited, as well as distributed at various campuses and businesses citywide. His features writing has appeared in the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Times-Union. Here's what we know about Ryan Wesley Routh, who was arrested Sunday in Florida after an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Routh lived most of his life in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Guilford County. He was a roofing contractor Routh, a roofing contractor who has lived most of his life in Guilford County, is the son of a chemist who worked for a major paint manufacturer and a homemaker. In 2002, he was involved in a three-hour armed stand-off with police in Greensboro. He was accused of wielding an automatic machine gun and barricaded himself inside United Roofing Company on the former Lee Street where he had worked. He was ultimately charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon of mass destruction in that case, as well as obstructing a police officer and resisting arrest. A visit to United Roofing Co. at 2601 Husbands St. on Monday found only a fenced-in lot with materials, scraps and a weathered business sign. Yelp reviews of the company, posted on Sunday and Monday, included remarks from Routh's former customers who weighed on his service and the attempted assassination. He briefly attended NC A&T Routh attended N.C. A&T University for two semesters in the mid-1990s, according to the LexisNexis search and a university spokesperson. Routh's focus of study was not specified. He had an extensive arrest record In North Carolina, he has a record dating back to at least 1998 with about 100 arrests, according to a LexisNexis search of his name. Tax problems have also followed Routh, who racked up 14 judgments and liens, according to LexisNexis. He last voted in Guilford County in a Democratic primary Routh is still registered to vote at 2106 Hiatt St. in Greensboro. Records show he was an unaffiliated voter who most recently voted in the Democratic primary in March. He had previously voted between 2008 and 2012 in Guilford County. He sold the Hiatt Street house last year He sold his house at 2106 Hiatt St. in Greensboro in 2023, said real estate agent David Hagaman. The house was in gross disrepair, according to neighbors. "He got a little agitated with me when we were working on the price," Hagaman said. "But I would not say he was erratic. It was a straightforward transaction. He was not erratic or crazy with me in any way." He twice appeared in N&R stories about home decoration In 1988, Routh and his new bride Lora moved into a dilapidated bungalow on East Bessemer Avenue in Greensboro. They bought the house for $70,000 and spent $50,000 renovating it and making their own repairs. It was featured in the real estate section of the News & Record in April 1990 under the headline Accomplishing a Miracle. The couple later moved to a log house in nearby Julian and in 1999 were again featured in the News & Record, this time for their Halloween decorations, which included mannequin corpses swinging from trees and hay bales and cornstalks stacked on the porch. Customers said he wanted them to fight for Ukraine In a Facebook post from Dec. 23, 2023, Routh portrays himself as something of an agent for soldiers for hire who are willing to fight in Ukraine, touting his connection to foreign soldiers. He has said that he fought for Ukraine for several months in 2022. One of his former roofing customers in Greensboro said on social media that Routh had tried to recruit him to fight in Ukraine. He posted this personal statement on X On Routh's X account, his profile includes the following message: "I feel lucky to have been born in America, with freedom and opportunity and hope that I do not waste such a valuable thing; to do more and take less." FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WBOY) A group of Vietnam veterans reunited in Fairmont Sunday afternoon in front of the very same helicopter they used during the war to help promote a new book that details stories from their deployment. Super Slick: Life and Death in a Huey Helicopter in Vietnam dives deep into first-hand accounts of what life and combat were like during one of Americas bloodiest conflicts. Fairmont residents may recognize Super Slick, which can be found at the Marion County Vietnam Veterans Memorial; this helicopter is also the same one these veterans flew for dozens of combat operations in the Mekong Delta. The Super Slick helicopter at the Marion County Vietnam Veterans Memorial (WBOY image) Super Slicks crew chief Thomas Feigel said in an interview during the event that he had been working on the book for about 10 years, but started making real headway when he began talking with one of his coworkers Larry Weill, who was already an established author. The pair decided that Feigel would tell his stories, and Weill would write them into book form. Super Slick crew poses for a picture in front of their helicopter, which is now found at East Marion Park in Fairmont, WV. (WBOY image) Super Slick crew members pose for a picture in front of the Marion County Vietnam Veterans Memorial (WBOY image) [Readers can expect] a lot of very emotional, nail-biting chaptersthe situations that these guys flew in every single night, Weill said. Its incredible to hear a story about flying side by side with your sister ship, your sister helicopter, all your friends on that ship, and watch it explode in midair at 2000 feet. Itll leave a mark. Weill is referring to the Lucky Strike, a helicopter that was shot down during an operation resulting in the death of six men. The Super Slick would end up taking on the combat and patrol responsibilities of the downed aircraft, but the loss of their comrades took its toll on the Super Slicks crew. Hate the war, but love the warrior. John Leandro, Captain and Platoon Leader during the Vietnam War Today however, Feigel is just glad he found an outlet for his and his crews experiences during the war, so that future generations can understand what it was truly like. A lot of people, they had hardships over there. They saw things you shouldnt have seen. It was tough on a lot of people. So by doing the book and everything, its a way of getting the next generation, or legacies, out to understand what some of the troops went through over in Vietnam. A lot of people really suffered, Feigel said. My whole crew all have PTSD. Im a hundred percent permanently disabled with PTSD, along with all the other guys too. For some of the things we saw or did. They stick with you. They stick with you forever. When asked if he would change anything about his service, Feigel answered with a simple No. If you want to read more about Feigels time with his crew in Vietnam, you can find, Super Slick: Life and Death in a Huey Helicopter in Vietnam, on Amazon in either hardback or Kindle editions. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) Family and friends of an 18-year-old Cumberland man who died in a car crash in Connecticut on Friday honored his life with a vigil in Warwick on Sunday. Timothy Campbells family and co-workers told 12 News that he truly made an impact in his community. Great soul, great heart, hes touched so many people in so many different ways, his stepmom Desiree Campbell said. During an emotional speech, his girlfriends father reminded those in attendance about wearing a seatbelt. BACKGROUND: Conn. police investigating deadly crash involving RI teen All you have to do is look to the sky to talk to him, hes not gone as long as you remember him, he said. So by remembering him, Im asking you to please put your seatbelts on. Campbell was recently hired as a teachers assistant by West Bay Collaborative, where he was a student. The words cannot tell you what the void is right now, West Bay Collaborative Executive Director Mary Struble said. One of the young people came up to us and said the pain is too hard. Its too hard to endure, its like being in a nightmare. West Bay Collaborative organized a GoFundMe to fundraise money for the funeral expenses. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. NEXT: Mass. State Police recruit dies after training exercise Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) The NAACP Virginia State Conference hosted a virtual voting rights symposium Monday night. The symposium addressed critical issues surrounding voting rights and highlighted some of the challenges that Black voters face. Additional topics such as the importance of civic engagement, the dangers posed by initiatives like Project 2025 and the essential role of voting in shaping a just and equitable society were also explored. Speakers at the event included: Rep. Bobby Scott, 3rd Congressional District Ryan Snow, Counsel, Voting Rights Project, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Eric W. Claville, J.D., M.L.I.S., Policy Analyst and Executive Advisor to the President for Governmental Relations, Norfolk State University Stephanie A. Owens, NAACP National Grassroots Election Protection Sr. Advisor Tyler Sterling, NAACP National Campaigns Director Civic Engagement By being informed of whats happening, by knowing your rights and executing your rights, and documenting when your rights have been abridged, said Claville, those are really your main tools you can use to combat any type of discrimination or intimidation you have, especially when voting. The NAACP has resources available to those who face discrimination when exercising their right to vote. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. Take our virtual tour of new $9.4 million library branch expected to boost South Columbus Pepper Grimmett, manager of the South Columbus Public Library, lived for part of her childhood in the neighborhood, so she has professional and personal experience to put this moment in proper perspective. When the expanded and renovated SCPL opens Tuesday at 2034 South Lumpkin Road, this $9.4 million project will be a huge boost to this community, Grimmett predicts. They dont have all the resources that are available in other parts of town, she told the Ledger-Enquirer. That is our goal, to bring all that to the residents and make them feel theyre just as important as anybody on the north side. The South Columbus Public Library is set to reopen September 17, 2024. The renovation and expansion project has created arger spaces for childrens activities, community meetings, reading and relaxation. There are also more computers, and better internet access. 09/12/2024 For two years, the SCPL operated one-third of a mile away in the former school at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church while the new facility was built. The new SCPLs 21,000 square feet more than doubles the size of the original branch that was built in 1992. Alan Harkness, director of the Chattahoochee Valley Libraries, explained the rationale for a bigger and better facility to match the level of the two other branch libraries in Columbus. The old building was built before the internet, Harkness told the Ledger-Enquirer. In order to do what you need in an urban public library setting, we needed more space to do that, especially here, being between two schools (South Columbus Elementary and Eddy Middle). The South Columbus Public Library is set to reopen September 17, 2024. The renovation and expansion project has created an open floor plan, and also features black & white photographs from local photographer Kenny Gray. 09/12/2024 Grimmett and her eight fellow staff members at SCPL have a combined 78 years of experience working in libraries. She promises customer service worthy of this state-of-the-art facility. We have staff that are going to treat you like they would any of our family, she said. When (visitors) walk in, theyre going to get somebody that will spend time with them and find what their needs are. If we cant meet their needs, then well connect them with resources that can help with their needs. Virtual tour of the new South Columbus Public Library The new SCPL has open sight lines for better security and a brighter atmosphere. Its a more inviting environment for browsing, Grimmett said. The South Columbus Public Library is set to reopen September 17, 2024. The renovation and expansion project has created an open floor plan, large windows, and unique lighting. 09/12/2024 The storytime area includes a tiny stage for presentations and playtime. The childrens area also is home to an Everbright, where kids can rotate hundreds of illuminated dials through a spectrum of 158 colors. Its a kid-friendly way to introduce them to the world of computer coding, Grimmett said. The South Columbus Public Library is set to reopen September 17. The renovation and expansion project has created larger spaces for childrens activities. 09/12/2024 For visitors who have infants and toddlers along with them, they can keep the little ones occupied and safe in whats dubbed the Crawl Space, designed for parents and guardians who need time on a computer while still keeping an eye on their child. The teen area has two video game stations that are screened for appropriate content. A studio, equipped with a 75-inch TV, provides space for teen programming, such as video blogging, music recording, crafts and gaming. In addition to Wi-Fi, the new SCPL has for public use 49 desktop computers, 2 MacBooks, 10 iPads and 15 laptops. The computer lab has 13 computers and an 85-inch TV. This all expands the SCPLs computer capacity by more than 50%. The South Columbus Public Library is set to reopen September 17, 2024. The renovation and expansion project will offer more computers and enhanced internet services to patrons. 09/12/2024 The meeting room is a flexible space for as many as 75 people, featuring a 98-inch TV screen with A/V hookups. There are two study rooms, one for four to six people and the other for 8 to 12. The larger room has a TV with A/V hookups. Throughout the new SCPL, the walls display photography by local artist Kenny Gray, depicting people and scenes in south Columbus. The South Columbus Public Library is set to reopen September 17, 2024. The renovation and expansion project has created larger spaces for childrens activities, community meetings, reading and relaxation. There are also more computers, and better internet access. 09/12/2024 Outside the building are two fenced-in spaces for youth activities. One space is for teens, the other for younger children. Collection items, services at the new Columbus library At approximately 8,000 printed items, the size of the new SCPLs collection doubles the previous one. But as part of the CVL system, SCPL customers can request any item from any branch through the computerized catalog and have it routed to their preferred branch. Those items also may be returned to any branch in the CVL, which is a fines-free system. So no need to worry about returning borrowed items late; CVL just wants you to bring them back so other customers can benefit from them. The South Columbus Public Library is set to reopen September 17, 2024. The renovation and expansion project has created larger spaces for childrens activities. 09/12/2024 Like all CVL branches, the SCPL will offer a variety of science, technology, engineering, arts and math kits, commonly referred to as STEAM kits. The library also has Launchpad learning tablets, Wonderbooks (childrens picture books with built-in audio), museum passes, METRA bus passes and blood pressure kits. SCPL is the only CVL branch that offers fax services. Additional services include 3D printing, reading programs and an emphasis on a variety of free activities to serve children and teens visiting after school. The South Columbus Public Library is set to reopen September 17. The renovation and expansion project has created larger, and unique spaces for childrens activities. Programming includes early literacy, educational and cultural events, storytimes, book clubs, one-on-one computer sessions, computer classes and crafting. South Columbus Public Librarys operating hours The SCPL is open: Mondays, Tuesday, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed on Sundays. Where $9.4M came from for new South Columbus Public Library Funding sources for this $9.4 million project are: $3.8 million from the Chattahoochee Valley Libraries reserves $3 million from private donations to the Muscogee County Library Foundation $2 million from the Georgia Public Library Service and through the Georgia General Assembly $600,000 from the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for capital projects in the Muscogee County School District. MCSD owns and operates the public libraries in Columbus. Harkness expressed his gratitude for this projects public-private partnership. We could not have done this without our Muscogee County Library Foundation and a number of donors who stepped up and said they wanted to be a part of what were doing here, he said. They wanted to make a difference in south Columbus. This projects architect is Scott Holmes of the Hecht Burdeshaw firm in Columbus, and Gordy Construction Company of Fortson is the contractor. A four-day sitting of the European Parliament kicks off on Monday, but last-minute cancellations and unforeseen hurdles risk throwing the agenda into disarray. Hungary's Viktor Orban will not address the European Parliament this week after cancelling his international obligations due to intense flooding that has hit parts of central and eastern Europe, including Hungary. Question marks also hang over the appearance of European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who has been convened to unveil her 26-strong team of nominated European Commissioners - and the policy portfolios she will ask them to steer - during a meeting with the parliaments president and political leaders on Tuesday morning. But on Monday, Thierry Breton - the French European Commissioner who had been nominated for another term - abruptly resigned from his post and pulled out from the race, accusing von der Leyen of personally lobbying France to withdraw his candidature. "You asked France to withdraw my name - for personal reasons that you have in no instance discussed directly with me - and offered, as a political trade-off, an allegedly more influential portfolio for France in the future College," Breton's resignation letter, shared on X, reads. Political infighting in Slovenia, where the opposition is blocking the legally required confirmation hearing of the governments candidate, Marta Kos, also risks derailing the formation of von der Leyens next Commission and trapping the powerful executive in limbo. The Commission has so far insisted von der Leyen will attend the meeting, which has already been postponed once due to delays, despite the possibility she will not be able to divvy up portfolios unless Kos's candidature is signed off. Its a long time until Tuesday. They say 24 hours is a long time in politics and it certainly applies to institutional procedures, the Commissions chief spokesperson, Eric Mamer said on Friday, adding that the executive was following developments in Slovenia closely. The intention is to go to the Conference of Presidents on Tuesday and to present the college, Mamer added, despite the prospect of von der Leyen divvying up the portfolios before Slovenia confirms its candidates remaining unlikely. Von der Leyen in the crossfire Von der Leyens rendez-vous with parliamentary political leaders is part of revamped rules to allow the parliament more oversight of how the Commission chief pieces together her team. It piles the pressure on von der Leyen to divvy up the portfolios in a way that doesnt alienate the mainstream, pro-European parties that lent her their support during her re-election bid, namely the Liberals, the Socialists and the Greens. Regardless of whether the political deadlock in Slovenia will allow her to unveil her full range of policy portfolios and roster of candidates, von der Leyen is likely to come under pressure from political leaders over the power roles in her next executive. The centre-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group has already fired warnings over leaked reports that nominees hailing from her own EPP group will be handed the most influential portfolios, including key social beats in the groups sights. The group has also censured leaked plans to make Italys nominee, Raffaele Fitto of the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), an executive vice president with a heavyweight economic mandate. The socialists had made their support for von der Leyens second term conditional on keeping the institutional guardrails on Giorgia Meloni and her hard-right allies. A raft of other concerns could be voiced from all sides of the political spectrum - including the lack of female candidates. Orbans face-off called off Orbans address to plenary - originally pencilled in for the July plenary session but pushed back amid outcry over the Hungarian premier's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin - has now been called off for the second time. The planned speech is routine for the government that holds the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. Heavy floods that hit swathes of central Europe over the weekend have prompted the premier to cancel his Strasbourg trip. It means EU lawmakers will no longer have the opportunity to directly confront Orban over a raft of recent statements and actions that have brought tensions between Budapest and Brussels to a boiling point. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivers a speech at Tusvanyos Summer University, in Baile Tusnad, Harghita county, Romania, on July 27, 2024 - Alexandru Dobre/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved. On Tuesday, MEPs will debate the Hungarian decision to open up its National Card worker visa scheme to Russian and Belarusian nationals, paving the way towards permanent residency. The EU executive fears the scheme could undermine the security of the passport-free Schengen travel zone, allowing "potential Russian spies and saboteurs easy EU access, and has asked for clarifications in a letter to Budapest. The Hungarian government has responded to that letter, a Commission official told Euronews. An escalating spat over migration policy, which has seen Budapest threaten to bus irregular migrants from the Hungarian-Serbian border to Brussels, has also inflamed exasperation with the Hungarian premier. The EU executive has denounced the plans as a clear violation of EU law, vowing to use all powers to ensure Budapest complies with its legal obligations. Hungarys threats are a direct retaliation for a 200-million lump-sum fine imposed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in June for the countrys failure to guarantee the right to asylum. The Court has also asked Budapest to pay 1 million per day until it brings its asylum policies in line with EU laws. Hungary has so far missed one deadline to pay the 200 million, with the second deadline set to expire on Tuesday. Orban claims the EU owes his government money for failing to cover the 2 billion it has spent on protecting the EUs external borders. Venezuela vote July's disputed presidential poll in Venezuela will be debated on Tuesday, with lawmakers expected to vote on a non-biding resolution on Thursday. The blocs 27 foreign ministers have jointly rejected Nicolas Maduro's claim to re-election, but stopped short of joining the US in recognising opponent Edmundo Gonzalez as the legitimate President-elect. Gonzalez has since claimed political asylum in Spain, where the socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez is refraining to recognise his victory due to a lack of verified evidence, despite the Spanish Congress of Deputies passing a motion recognising Gonzalez as the legitimate winner. The same political divides will likely emerge in the Strasbourg chamber. According to a draft seen by Euronews, the centre-right EPP group - the biggest in the hemicycle - will table a motion that "recognises Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the legitimate and democratically elected president of Venezuela" and urging all EU countries to do the same. The motion also "calls on the EU and its member states to request an international arrest warrant against Nicolas Maduro for crimes against humanity for all the grave violations of human rights he committed." How to vote: Cincinnati Enquirer Student of the Week ballot, Sept. 16 Welcome to the Cincinnati Enquirer Student of the Week vote of 2024-2025, honoring excellence in character, arts and academics among high school students from Sept. 9-13. Much the way it works with the popular athlete of the week ballots, student of the week voters may cast a ballot once an hour from Monday at 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. Friday on any device. Be sure to take phones off shared WiFi to cast a ballot. Only a school representative using a district email may nominate their high school students for the ballot to studentoftheweek@cincinnati.com. The Enquirer will not accept nominations from the general public. Schools may not have more than one of their students on the ballot each week. The winners will receive a certificate within a month so they can take a photo with it for our upcoming gallery. On social media, please spread the word using the hashtag #cincySOTW. Cincinnati Enquirer Student of the Week: How can you add names to the ballots in 2024? This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Enquirer Student of the Week ballot, Sept. 16 How to Vote While Trans: A Guide to Voter ID Laws, Trans Voting Rights, and More Patrick T. Fallon/Getty Images The general elections come with added weight for many transgender voters this year. Its no secret that the United States President can set the tone for national policy. With LGBTQ+ rights on the chopping block of President Donald Trumps election platform, LGBTQ+ voters are having to heavily consider their options as they head into the voting booth this year. Presidential election aside, 33 Senate seats and the entire House of Representatives are up for re-election, meaning LGBTQ+ hang in the balance as state lawmakers have been critical in the rights expanded efforts to gut trans rights. The trans community has been under critical legislative attacks across the country. There are bills banning trans girls from K-12 sports, new laws limiting access to life-saving care, and the looming threat of the Heritage Foundations Project 2025. We already know that trans people vote at a higher rate than cis people, despite the many bureaucratic barriers in their way to do so. While over 825,000 trans adults will be eligible to vote in the 2024 general elections, at least 210,000 do not have identification that reflects their correct name, gender marker, or presentation, according to the Williams Institute, and at least 91,300 reside in states with the strictest voter ID laws. This could make it unnecessarily difficult or impossible to vote in some cases, according to Lauren Kunis, the CEO and executive director of the voting rights nonprofit VoteRiders. According to VoteRiders, 14 states have strict voter ID laws, which require voters to prove their identity with a form of ID that matches their initial registration exactly a potential problem if a trans voter has legally changed their name since registering to vote. Additionally, 291 restrictive voting laws have been considered in 40 states in 2024 alone. It is perhaps no coincidence that many states that have passed anti-trans legislation also adopted stricter voter ID regulations since the last election cycle. Trans voters are at the top of the list of groups that are particularly challenged by voter ID laws in the United States, Kunis says. It can get complicated and tricky if youre a trans voter looking to cast a vote, particularly if youre in the process of transitioning. Given the current political landscape, its important to be as informed as possible about your voting rights prior to arriving at the polls. Below, Kunis spoke to Them about some of the most common questions trans voters have ahead of election day: What are voter ID laws? What voter ID requirements impact trans people? How should I prepare as a trans voter ahead of the election? What should I do if I am told I cannot vote? What are voter ID laws? Anti-Trans Laws May Complicate Access to the Ballot for Trans Voters Advocacy groups are mobilizing to safeguard access to the ballot as states implement laws that could deter trans people from voting in November. Voter ID laws are regulations mandating that voters provide documents to confirm their identity at the polls. In some cases, these regulations require showing government-issued photo IDs and drivers licenses to vote; in others, they could be bills that prove residency and your name, paychecks, student IDs, or other forms of identification. Voter ID laws are part of a larger political strategy to limit access to the polls, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Historically, strict voter ID laws have barred specific groups from voting, such as communities of color, LGBTQ+ people, and people who cannot afford government-issued IDs. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, as many as 11% of U.S. citizens do not have a government-issued form of identification required to vote in states with the strictest voter ID laws. Despite the harms that these laws can perpetuate, 38 states currently have some form of voter ID regulation in place. What voter ID requirements impact trans people? Voter ID requirements can impact trans voters, just as they impact all voters. According to Kunis, the steps many trans people undertake as part of their transition such as changing your legal name or gender marker can also make voting more complicated. For example, if the name on your government photo ID does not match the name you initially registered to vote with, it may prevent you from voting at the polls in states with strict voter ID laws. The same could go for your gender marker or if a photo on your ID no longer matches your gender presentation. Beyond systemic barriers like voter ID laws, trans people may also face indirect challenges to casting their ballot, such as harassment from poll workers and other voters. Just as trans individuals face heightened discrimination in general, trans voters may be targeted and have an uncomfortable or even unsafe experience, Kunis says. How should I prepare to vote ahead of election day? These obstacles to voting can feel daunting, but they shouldnt deter trans voters looking to cast a ballot from participating in the election process. Taking it all in, these barriers are significant and theyre no joke, Kunis says. But the good news is theyre not insurmountable. According to the U.S. Vote Foundation, some questions you should ask yourself ahead of an election are: Am I registered to vote? What are my state voter ID requirements? Are my records updated with my current name and gender marker? Does the name on my voter registration form match the name on my voter ID? If you want to check your voter registration to make sure its current and see what name youre registered under, you can check the National Association of Secretaries of State website. Once you know what name your registration is under, you can check your state requirements for voter ID. Because voter ID laws vary from state to state, its important to understand what documents you need to provide when you go to the polls. If youve missed your states deadline on changing your voter registration name, you can contact VoteRiders free helpline for trans voters. Note that in some states, you can register to vote on the same day as the election. Regardless of your state requirements, Kunis recommends creating a voting plan and taking additional steps to feel prepared ahead of election day, including: Make sure you bring all legally required voting documents. You can use the 866-OUR-VOTE guide to check what kinds of ID are required to vote in your state Bring voter ID information cards or the National Center for Transgender Equalitys #VotingWhileTrans guide to show poll workers your states requirements Bring an extra form of ID if you have it like a utility bill, just in case poll workers ask for one Bring a friend to the polls Save hotlines into your phone that you can call day of in case of voting emergencies, such as VoteRiders (844-338-8743) or the National Election Protection Hotline, at 866-OUR-VOTE. VoteRiders is one of several nonprofit organizations that offer assistance to voters with questions about their states voter ID regulations. Kunis says trans voters who are concerned about their ability to meet their states requirements should utilize the VoteRiders free legal hotline before election day. If you find yourself in the worst case scenario on election day and are being turned away at the polls, dont panic. There are still several resources you can utilize to ensure you are able to cast your ballot. Kunis recommends calling the VoteRiders support line to get on-the-ground assistance with poll workers. In some states, voters can cast a provisional ballot if they believe they are registered to vote. The validity of their registration is then determined after the polls close. Additionally, you can call the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline on election day if you feel your right to vote is being infringed upon at the polls. Ultimately, if you know your states laws and have the documentation you need to vote, you should enter the polls with confidence. To minimize risk of discrimination or difficulty, no matter where you live, the first step is to know your rights, Kunis says. Make sure youre doing everything you can to be an empowered and prepared voter. Get the best of whats queer. Sign up for Thems weekly newsletter here. Originally Appeared on them. Votes for Cornel West and Claudia De la Cruz will count in Georgia for now Claudia De la Cruz, the Party for Socialism and Liberation's 2024 presidential nominee, speaks during an interview on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in a park in Decatur, Ga. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy) ATLANTA (AP) In yet another reversal, votes in Georgia for presidential candidates Cornel West and Claudia De la Cruz will count for now after the Georgia Supreme Court paused orders disqualifying them. The court's decision Sunday came as Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's office said military and overseas ballots will be mailed beginning Tuesday with West and De la Cruz listed as candidates. This doesn't guarantee that votes for the two will be counted. They could still be disqualified by the state high court, in which case votes for them would be discarded. West is running as an independent in Georgia. De la Cruz is the nominee for the Party of Socialism and Liberation but she technically qualified for the Georgia ballot as an independent. Presidential choices for Georgia voters will definitely include Republican Donald Trump, Democrat Kamala Harris, Libertarian Chase Oliver and Green Party nominee Jill Stein, the most candidates since 2000. But if West and De la Cruz are also included, it would be the first time since 1948 that more than four candidates seek Georgia's presidential electors. Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians automatically qualify for elections in Georgia. In an interview Friday in the Atlanta suburb of Decatur, before a campaign appearance in nearby Clarkston, De la Cruz said she wasn't naive about how hard it would be to put her name before voters, likening efforts to keep her off the ballot to efforts to keep people from voting. We know just how undemocratic the electoral system, the so-called democracy of this country is, De la Cruz said. We knew that we were going to face challenges here in Georgia., in the South, just generally theres a history of voter suppression, and I dont think that we can disconnect voter suppression with whats happening with ballot access for third party candidates and independent candidates. Georgia is one of several states where Democrats and allied groups have filed challenges to third-party and independent candidates, seeking to block candidates who could siphon votes from Harris after President Joe Biden won Georgia by fewer than 12,000 votes in 2020. In Georgia, Democrats argue West and De la Cruz should be denied access because their 16 electors didn't file petitions in their own names. Republicans in Georgia intervened, seeking to keep all the candidates on the ballot, and the party has pushed to prop up liberal third-party candidates such as West and Stein in battleground states in an effort to hurt Harris. Those interests have contributed to a flurry of legal activity in Georgia. An administrative law judge disqualified West, De la Cruz, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the Georgia Green Party from the ballot. Raffensperger, a Republican, overruled the judge, and said West and De la Cruz should get access. He also ruled that under a new Georgia law, Stein should go on Georgia ballots because the national Green Party had qualified her in at least 20 other states. Kennedy's name stayed off ballots because he withdrew his candidacy in Georgia and a number of other states after suspending his campaign and endorsing Trump. Superior Court judges in Atlanta then agreed with Democrats who appealed Raffensperger's decisions on West and De la Cruz, disqualifying them and setting the stage for the fight to move to the state Supreme Court. Stacks of boxes holding mail are seen at a U.S. Postal Service sorting center. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Originally published by The 19th. Top election officials last week sounded the alarm about ongoing delays within Americas mail delivery system and the potential effect on mail-in voting in the upcoming presidential election, a warning that comes as former President Donald Trump continues to sow distrust about how some of those ballots will be counted. Some people who vote by mail may be disenfranchised this fall if the issues are not addressed, the officials said in a letter to the head of the United States Postal Service that detailed challenges with the delivery of mail-in ballots over the past year. We implore you to take immediate and tangible corrective action to address the ongoing performance issues with USPS election mail service, officials said in the letter, which was signed by representatives for the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors two organizations that include state and local election officials in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories. Failure to do so will risk limiting voter participation and trust in the election process. Election officials, who are overwhelmingly women, have long highlighted the challenges of running the countrys decentralized elections, particularly after 2020 challenges that include debunking ongoing lies about election security. Trump and some Republicans have for years spread disinformation about elections, including how and when mail-in ballots are counted. A handful of secretaries of state also testified to members of Congress last Wednesday that they continue to deal with the ramifications of those lies, including responding to threats of violence. In the letter, dated Sept. 11, election officials said mail-in ballots have at times been erroneously held for remediation, significantly delayed or otherwise improperly processed. Election officials in nearly every state have received postmarked ballots well after Election Day and well outside the three to five business days USPS claims as the First-Class delivery standard. In multiple states, election officials reported receiving anywhere from dozens to hundreds of ballots 10 or more days after postmark. There is no amount of proactive communication election officials can do to account for USPSs inability to meet their own service delivery timelines, said the letter. Election officials also reported instances in which mail that was sent to and from voters was marked as undeliverable at higher-than-usual rates. The potential ripple effect, they cautioned, was voters being placed on inactive voter rolls or getting their registration record canceled, and ballots not reaching voters or being delivered to election offices. The letter was addressed to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who came under scrutiny in 2020 for his handling of mail services around the last presidential election. In August, DeJoy told The Associated Press that he is confident in the Postal Services delivery of election mail. Adrienne Marshall, director of election mail and government services for the Postal Service, told The 19th that the agency has been in close communication with the National Association of Secretaries of State, the National Association of State Election Directors and other election officials throughout the year. She said each time they have brought up an issue, it has been promptly addressed and will continue to be. We are ready to deliver. We were successful in 2020 delivering a historic volume of mail in ballots; also in 2022 and will do so again in November 2024, she said in an email. The Postal Service said it encourages people to mail back ballots at least a week before their states deadline to receive them. While election officials in the letter acknowledged some efforts that the Postal Service will take around the election, they added: Temporary measures will not be sufficient to address the persistent issues highlighted by election officials. Maria Benson, senior director of communications for the National Association of Secretaries of State, told The 19th that the organization is not trying to dissuade people from voting by mail if their state allows it. We do encourage voters, however, to give themselves plenty of time to return their ballot via USPS, she wrote in an email. Amy Cohen, executive director of the National Association of State Election Directors, told The 19th that rules around voting by mail vary by state, so its important that eligible voters be proactive. They should request a mail-in ballot early, track the ballot if possible and put it in the mail early or be prepared to return the ballot in person (if permissible). Most importantly, if you have a question about receiving or returning your ballot, ask your election officials, Cohen said in an email. Election officials are the most reliable source for information about how to participate in the upcoming election. The use of mail-in voting has risen in recent years, spiking during the coronavirus pandemic when public health guidance forced more people to consider voting options outside of Election Day. But while it used to be popular among both Democrats and Republicans, Democrats are now more likely than Republicans to say it should be more accessible. Now in his third bid for office, Trump has at times seemed to change his position on mail voting. During the Republican National Convention, the party repeatedly aired a video that showed the former president encouraging his supporters to vote by mail. But Republicans are also still challenging how vote-by-mail ballots are counted, especially in battleground states like Nevada and Pennsylvania. In 2020, Trump tried to sow doubt about legally cast ballots that arrive by mail at vote-counting sites after Election Day, which is legal in some states, though deadlines vary. Now, Republican voters are more likely to trust Trump and his campaign than information from the government about election results, according to a new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts. The survey also found a majority of Americans have at least a moderate amount of trust in official election results. According to a new 19th News/SurveyMonkey poll, Americans are more likely to trust that elections in their precinct will be run securely compared with their trust in the countrys elections overall. The largest difference was with Republicans, with 76 percent saying they trust elections in their precinct and 43 percent saying they trust elections in the country. The 19th is committed to covering the unfinished business of voting rights. Read more about how were approaching that in this pivotal election. VP Harris to campaign in Detroit this week; Harris to join Oprah for event LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris will campaign in Detroit later this week with Oprah Winfrey. The announcement comes from the Harris-Walz campaign. In a statement released Monday morning, Winfrey, a media mogul, actress and author, said she and Harris would be talking about what is at stake in this election. What is essential to me is getting people motivated to vote, and ensuring everyone makes a plan not only for themselves but for their families and friends, Winfrey said according to CBS Detroit. So, on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m. ET, I am hosting a virtual event with Vice President Kamala Harris and voters from across our great nation to talk through these freedoms were fighting for and how you can help us win. Vice President Kamala Harris will join Oprah Winfrey for a livestream event that will be recorded at an undisclosed location in Michigan, according to campaign staff. The Unite for America livestream is scheduled for Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m. and will be Harris third visit to Michigan in this campaign. During her most recent visit, Harris spoke with labor union leaders and workers in Detroit. During the event, Harris touted her record of putting workers first and showed her support for union members throughout the speech. Former president and current Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump is also campaigning in Michigan this week and is scheduled to hold a town hall in Flint tomorrow (Tuesday). Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News. A rap sheet as extensive as Ryan Wesley Routh's begs the question: How did Routh stay out of jail? Routh, 58, made his first court appearance Monday in Florida after the apparent attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump. He faces charges of possessing a firearm despite being a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Additional and more serious charges are possible as the investigation continues and prosecutors seek an indictment from a grand jury. But the Florida case is only the latest in a long series of encounters Routh has had with law enforcement over the years. In North Carolina, Routh has a record dating back to at least 1998 with about 100 arrests, according to a LexisNexis search of his name. Tax problems have also followed Routh, who racked up 14 judgements and liens, according to LexisNexis. In 2002, he was involved in a three-hour armed stand-off with police in Greensboro. He was accused of wielding an automatic machine gun and barricaded himself inside United Roofing Company on the former Lee Street where he had worked. He was ultimately charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon of mass destruction in that case, as well as obstructing a police officer and resisting arrest. Guilford County Assistant District Attorney Chris Parrish told the News & Record Monday that while Routh's arrests reach a high tally, Routh was only convicted of a handful of those offenses. Asked if Routh had been punished stringently enough by the Guilford County court system over the decades, Parrish offered no comment. Parrish said that he prosecuted Routh in 2010 for three felony counts of possession of stolen goods. While Routh had scores of misdemeanor charges and some felonies over the decades, Parrish noted that only a few met the measure of seriousness to count toward his sentencing in the 2010 case. In 2010, in fact, the only prior convictions on Routh's record were one misdemeanor larceny charge in 1997 and a felony possession of a weapon of mass destruction in 2002, related to the roofing company standoff during which he brandished an automatic machine gun. After Routh pleaded guilty in 2010 to the three felony stolen goods charges, a judge sentenced him to a consolidated suspended sentence. As of Monday, Parrish said he has not been contacted by federal authorities regarding Routh's criminal history in Guilford County. FIRST ON FOX: A Democratic congressman in a tight re-election race in New York took part in a Zoom town hall where he said "the impacts" of Republican "fearmongering" is "number one" when it comes to the border and public safety. "Last year I think all these districts lost on the crime issue and now, is crime still a big issue that you are fighting there? You said it was crime, economy, and border," Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan was asked in a Zoom call with Democrat activists from the New York Buddy Group last week. "So, the crime issue is BS too. So is that, but is that still strong?" Ryan, who responded without challenging the premise that the "crime issue is BS" said, "Yeah, I'd say that, you know, in our polling the, 'the border' and immigration, which I think is a broad category for this kind of like public safety fearmongering. The impacts of the fearmongering that Republicans have been doing, that is number one." "Economy is a close second, and specifically the cost, not like the macro, what's the GDP, what's unemployment, but the cost of living, housing, groceries, and healthcare are the three," Ryan said. "We actually polled specific subcategories of costs that people are experiencing. So the way I see it as setting up message wise, Republicans are going to really continue to focus on fear, crime, border where they are more trusted right now." DEMS RUN ON BORDER BILL REPUBLICANS SAY 'WAS NEVER DESIGNED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM' Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan is running for re-election in New York's 18th Congressional District. "We, of course, are going to continue to focus rightly on abortion rights, reproductive freedom where we're way more trusted," Ryan continued. "That middle lane is the economy and what we've done and will do more importantly to lower costs on housing, healthcare, groceries, gas, utilities, which we have a track record, we have plans, it's just about communicating those and I think we're making good headway there especially on our campaign." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Ryan is running for re-election in New Yorks 18th Congressional District against Republican Alison Esposito in a race that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has identified as one of its top 40 targets in November. "Pat Ryan made Ulster County a sanctuary county and then took that same mentality to Washington where he pretends to be a moderate on television, but then votes like an extremist. He does not care about the important issues facing NY-18, like the ongoing migrant crisis that is harming New Yorkers every day," NRCC spokeswoman Savannah Viar told Fox News Digital in a statement. Ryan spokesperson Sam Silverman, in a statement to Fox News Digital, said, "Congressman Ryan served 27 months in combat he knows what it means to secure a border. Thats why hes been one of the few Democrats to consistently and aggressively push President Biden to restore order at the border. But lets be clear theres a massive difference between working in good-faith for a bipartisan solution to secure our border and bizarre far-right fearmongering like lying about migrants eating peoples pets." "The truth is that Congressman Ryan has the strongest record on border security in this race," Silverman continued. "Pat led a bipartisan effort with Congressmen Lawler and Molinaro calling on President Biden to declare a state of emergency in New York in response to the migrant crisis, was one of only 15 Democrats to demand President Biden take executive action to restore order at the border and has gotten multiple pieces of border legislation signed into law, including the Securing Americas Borders Against Fentanyl Act and the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act.'" Silverman added that "unfortunately" this is "an uncomfortable reality for Alison Esposito, who opposed the strongest border security legislation in decades, so shes desperately searching for any opportunity to score cheap political points to salvage her failing campaign. Alison can spend her time politicizing the border; Pat is doing the actual work to fix it." Esposito has labeled Ryan "Sanctuary Pat" while criticizing him for his immigration policies focusing on what most polls say is the second most important issue, behind the economy, for voters in November. HARRIS DOUBLES DOWN ON SUPPORT FOR LEFT-WING BENEFIT FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: 'SMART SOLUTIONS' Immigrants line up at a remote Border Patrol processing center after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. "Pat Ryan can try to run from his record on sanctuary and open border policies, but Hudson Valley residents know the truth," a spokesperson for the Esposito campaign told Fox News Digital. "In 2019, he declared Ulster County a sanctuary county, prohibiting cooperation with federal agencies. His record speaks for itself: he opposed H.R. 2 in May 2023, which aimed to secure the border; he voted against the Laken Riley Act; and he supports allowing illegal migrants to vote in our elections." "If Pat Ryan were serious about border security, he would have taken action long agonow, were nearly 50 days from Election Day. Ryans recent comments are a slap in the face to the millions of Americans affected by the Biden-Harris border crisis. From the fentanyl flooding our borders to the countless victims of crimes committed by illegal migrants, this crisis is not fear mongering, and it is no joke." The Cook Political Report ranks the race in NY-18 as "Lean Democrat." Original article source: Vulnerable House Dem chalks up GOP 'fearmongering' as 'number one' public safety issue with border crisis VyStar Foundation has announced that it is now accepting requests for its Youth grant cycle. Nonprofit organizations supporting youth aged 12-18 in their academic pursuits, particularly by providing wraparound services, are encouraged to apply. Funding priority will be given to nonprofits offering assistance in the following areas: Food and housing assistance Career counseling and skill development Mental health support >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< VyStar Foundation, which supports military members, veterans, youth, and community vitality across areas served by VyStar Credit Union, has awarded nearly $600,000 to 32 nonprofits through three previous grant cycles. At VyStar Foundation, we believe that empowering youth is the key to building strong, thriving communities, said Patricia McElroy, President of VyStar Foundation. This grant cycle focuses on supporting organizations that offer wraparound services like food, shelter, career counseling, and mental health support. By equipping students with the right tools and essential resources, we can pave the way for their academic success. The Foundation will consider youth grant requests of up to $20,000, with a total of $200,000 available for distribution. The Board of Directors may adjust the funding amounts and the number of awards based on the quality and volume of applications received. VyStar Foundation will hold virtual grant application information sessions on the following dates: Tuesday, September 17 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Thursday, September 19 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 24 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Interested organizations can register for a session by visiting vystarfoundation.org/grants. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on October 13, 2024. Additional information about eligibility and the application process can be found at vystarfoundation.org. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. (Tim Robberts/Getty Images) When a school district in southwest Washington began a cellphone ban this year, superintendent Asha Riley said teachers and administrators saw positive results right away. Students were talking more to each other in class, she said. One math teacher noted they were solving problems collaboratively, instead of plugging them into calculators on their phones. Woodland Public Schools staff even overheard kids telling parents to stop distracting them with texts during class. Riley said her students are reluctant to say the policy has had positive impacts but one student admitted to Riley that she was actually kind of glad the school banned phone use. Other students used to film people in the hallways, leading kids to hide their faces in their sweatshirt or jacket hoods. The student told Riley that now, she wont have to wear her hood up anymore. I actually walked our campus this week, and I did notice: fewer kids have their hoods up, Riley said. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction released guidance in late August recommending that schools update their cellphone policies to limit use by the start of the 2025-26 school year amid a wave of research on the harmful effects of smartphones and social media. But many Washington districts are already instituting cellphone policies that restrict or ban use in classrooms. Policies differ across districts, but the goal remains the same: prevent distraction, improve mental health and get kids offline. Its not about taking the phones away, its about how to manage them and utilize them in an effective way, Riley said. Updating policies According to a 2022 study by Pew Research Center, 95% of teenagers have a smartphone, compared to 73% in 2014-2015. A 2024 survey by Pew found 72% of high school teachers and 33% of middle school teachers say smartphones are a major distraction in class. But Pew also found that 82% of K-12 teachers in the United States say their school or district has a cellphone policy of some kind, and 30% of teachers found those policies very or somewhat difficult to enforce. Many districts have sought to revamp their guidelines in recent years. Kris Hagel, chief information officer at Peninsula School District, one of Washingtons first big districts to ban cellphones, said he gets calls all the time from districts looking to update or begin implementing a cellphone policy. Some districts have completely different concerns from the ones Peninsula has dealt with. A district with many students from low-income households, for example, was worried about taking cellphones away from families who have worked extremely hard to afford one. Thats not as big of an issue in Hagels district, but he said his advice remains the same: Consult parents and students before and after the policy is implemented. Districts need to figure out whats going to work in their community, said Hagel. Its why Hagel doesnt support a statewide ban on cellphones in schools, which has passed in other states and was considered by Washington lawmakers last year. Every district is different, Hagel said, and mandating a ban at the state level would make it harder for districts to cater to their communities. Policies differ in whether a students phone has to be away in a backpack, in silent mode, airplane mode or off entirely and when phones can be out for example, in the hallways or at lunch. At Woodland Public Schools, phones simply have to be off and away it doesnt matter what mode its in or whether the phones in a back pocket or backpack: If we dont see it, its not a problem, Riley said. We want to teach them how to handle the device appropriately, Riley said. And if they cant, take the phone down to the office. In most instances, our kids can [handle it]. We just had to set the expectation. A few districts are even considering or implementing cellphone policies for school staff. Woodland administrators, for example, are using walkie-talkies and asking teachers to keep their phones off during class. We have the same expectations for our teachers, Riley said. Its [about] modeling good cellphone personal device management. Theres very little research on the efficacy of different policies, but that may change soon. Researchers at the University of Washington are launching a study looking at the impacts of cellphone bans on students, teachers and parents across various schools in western Washington, including Peninsula School District. Thats going to be our next big project for this year: Can we quantify that this is actually making a difference? Hagel said. Handling emergencies and exceptions Some schools that have found kids cant always follow the rules are requiring phones to be locked in sealed pouches made by a company called Yondr. The pouches cant be opened without a circular magnet, or unlocking base unit. At Walla Wallas two middle schools, theres been a cellphone policy in place for about eight years requiring phones to be off and in backpacks. Still, kids would leave their phones on and wouldnt be able to resist checking a notification, said Kris Duncan, principal at Pioneer Middle School. While most kids were following the rules, enough werent that it became an issue, Duncan said, so this year, they started using the Yondr pouches. Were fighting an addiction, Duncan said. They need a little extra help. Parents have raised concerns about being able to communicate with their kids during emergencies, especially in the case of a school shooting. Districts that opted not to use Yondr pouches, like Spokane Public Schools, said that choosing not to lock phones up has helped assuage parents worries. Duncan said school shootings and other emergencies are the chief concern she hears from parents about the Yondr pouches, and she understands where theyre coming from. But her districts superintendent spent a lot of time talking to emergency responders, who said cellphones often make their jobs more difficult. What he heard across the board is that cellphones only add to a potentially dangerous situation, Duncan said. Students are more concerned with contacting someone or trying to figure out whats going on. Theyre not paying attention to the adults in charge. Districts have also heard concerns that some kids need access to phones due to medical reasons, learning disabilities or other exceptions. But so far, handling that hasnt been an issue, said Adam Swinyard, superintendent of Spokane Public Schools. Its totally appropriate and doable for kids to understand that a student next to you is using the device because they have an accommodation, Swinyard said. Theyre all having success Raquel Martinez, principal of Sageview High in Pasco and president of National Association of Secondary School Principals, said shes hearing from districts not just across the state, but across the country that are interested in cellphone bans. I was just having a conversation with a group of principals across the country, Martinez said. All of them are either in year one, two or three of instituting a no cellphone policy in their schools. Theyre all having success with it. Martinezs own district revamped its cellphone policy a few years ago and surveyed students about their cellphone use while working on the new policy. Students were like, Yeah, my phone in my pocket will buzz five or six times in one class period. Yeah, its distracting to me, and yes, I want to take it out, Martinez said. At Peninsula School District and Spokane Public Schools, fewer kids are taking their phones out during lunch or in other scenarios where phones are allowed, officials at those districts said. Swinyard said its partly because kids are getting fewer messages during the school day. Districts with phone restrictions in place also report fewer instances of cyberbullying and more students showing up to class. But Swinyard said cellphone bans alone wont be enough to address negative trends with youth mental health, chronic absenteeism and other hard-to-solve issues. Spokane Public Schools has launched an initiative with the city of Spokane and local youth organizations called Engage In Real Life. The idea is that every kid, every day is doing something in real life after school, Swinyard said, such as a sport, performing art or a club. There has to be an alternative, Swinyard said. It cant just be give me your device. SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Nebraska (KCAU) A Nebraska non-profit gathered roughly 30 people in South Sioux City to teach people about a neurological disease. ALS is a progressive disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. For roughly 10 years ALS in the Heartland has held an event to bring awareness and raise funds to defeat the disease by inviting folks on a walk. Sunday they walked around Crystal Cove Park. While taking a stroll, names of people that have the disease or have died due to ALS were posted along the lake. An official with the non-profit says they hope the event informs more people about resources available. Siouxland lets the dogs out for the 22nd annual Pets on Parade We just wanted to help people realize that there is an agency beyond the actual ALS association as well that can help people living with this disease. Do you need respite? Do you need equipment? Do you need a break? Do you need somebody to simply talk to you or a recordable animal so that you can record your voice before you lose it to ALS? We have all those things, said Tammy Stalzer, with ALS in the Heartland. Before the event started, balloons were released representing those who are fighting or who passed to ALS and another for hope. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) The Franklin County Sheriff has reported that a man wanted for multiple felony charges in four separate counties has been arrested on September 11. On Wednesday, the Special Investigators Division of the Franklin County Sheriffs Office received information that a wanted man may be traveling through Franklin County. Units were able to locate the vehicle and perform a traffic stop. 36-year-old Brandon Lee Vicars, of Roanoke, was taken into custody without incident and served on outstanding warrants from multiple jurisdictions including: Felony Probation Violation out of Scott County Felony Probation Violation out of Roanoke County Felony Probation Violation out of Rockridge County Failure to appear out of Wise County. During a search of Vicars vehicle and person, methamphetamine and heroin/fentanyl were allegedly found. The substances have been sent to labs for testing and additional charges may be pending following the results. Vicar is currently being held without bond at the Western Virginia Regional Jail. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv. Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to defeat a tough-on-crime ballot initiative by convincing voters it would mark a return to the drug war launched by Richard Nixon. Newsom, one of the few prominent Democrats speaking out against the Proposition 36 initiative, calls it a drug policy reform that takes us back decades. Civil rights groups refer to the measure as the War on Drugs 2.0. We did that, said No on Prop 36 campaign spokesperson Anthony York, a former top aide to Newsom. Voters decided they didnt like it, and the courts decided they didnt like it. At a moment when even many Democratic politicians and left-of-center voters are increasingly focused on fighting crime, Newsom is insisting that the initiative goes too far in returning to an era when American law enforcement emphasized imprisonment over rehabilitation. And while he's not actively campaigning to defeat it, he is using strong language to advocate against it. Prop 36, which would reclassify certain theft and drug misdemeanors as felonies, was developed by a group of district attorneys with financial backing from retail giants like Home Depot, Walmart and Target. They sold the initiative as the only way to address the scourge of shoplifting in California. They blamed the decadeold Proposition 47, which relaxed penalties for low level crimes and invested millions into mental health and drug treatment programs, for giving thieves carte blanche to steal with little fear of reprisal. Newsom and Democratic legislative leaders angled to neutralize businesses shoplifting concerns by enacting a slate of legislation that gives prosecutors new tools to pursue organized-theft rings. Some of the policies go beyond even what Prop 36 would accomplish, including allowing officers to arrest shoplifters for probable cause, protecting businesses that report repeated crimes and making a state retail theft task force permanent. On Thursday, Newsom signed the last of those bills, which adds sentencing enhancements for stolen or damaged property. Enactment of the bill package, according to York, prompted a policy realization that the No on 36 campaign could characterize the theft provisions as obsolete and focus entirely on the impact the initiative would have on drug policy. It is a message pivot that the initiatives highest-profile opponent has embraced. They're lying to you, Newsom said last month of Prop 36s proponents. That initiative has nothing to do with retail theft. That initiative is about going back to the 1980s and the War on Drugs. War on war In June of 1971, President Richard Nixon stood before reporters at the White House and declared narcotics public enemy number one. He asked for millions from Congress, created new drug enforcement agencies and vowed what he called an all out offensive on the drug epidemic. In California, police forces were bolstered by an infusion of federal money that funded ongoing drug raids in Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco. The three-strikes-and-youre out Prop 184 passed with overwhelming voter support in 1994, mandating sentences of 25 years to life for people with prior felony convictions (including for non-violent drug offenses). Over the following years, the war on drugs became the guiding principle of American law enforcement at the federal, state and local levels, with the introduction of tough sentences for possession and distribution. But in California, it was also soundly defeated in a decade of reforms culminating in Prop 47. A strategy that links the initiative to policies that voters rejected could have bipartisan appeal, argues Bay Area pollster Dave Metz, who frequently polls on ballot measures but is not working on the Prop 36 race. A recent UC Berkeley Institute for Governmental Studies poll showed more than one-fifth of likely voters undecided, with the largest shares from politically unaffiliated and young voters. (The survey measured support from 56 percent of likely voters.) Polling shows the public has a deeply negative view of the war on drugs, Metz said. They think that suite of policies did next to nothing to address problematic drug use. Those working to defeat Prop 36 have taken every opportunity to change the subject away from theft toward the impact that the initiative would have on drug policy. The measure would make certain types of drug possession a felony and would mandate that those convicted would have to complete a drug-treatment program, rather than just start one, to avoid jail time. Prop 36s passage would represent a departure from a long stretch over which California voters have generally retreated from their previously hard line on drug policy, legalizing once-controlled substances and reducing penalties for nonviolent offenses involving others. The Legislature has followed voters' lead by reducing harsh sentencing for drug crimes and repealing automatic sentencing enhancements. The primary opposition committee was formed in July after Newsom failed to strike a compromise with the initiatives backers that would have removed Prop 36 from the ballot. The No on 36 campaign is led by Prop 47 co-author Lenore Anderson, president of the Alliance for Safety and Justice, and under the day-to-day direction of Newsom allies like one-time deputy chief of staff Lindsey Cobia, his campaign pollster David Binder and former top spokesperson York. Their campaign remains a relatively threadbare effort, with just $1.7 million in contributions as it has struggled to reassemble the fundraising coalition of institutional philanthropies and major progressive donors who together raised $11 million to pass Prop 47 in 2014. No on 36 officials concede they have few resources to amplify their new chosen message. Prop 36 will reignite the failed war on drugs, wasting billions on jails and prisons, and slashing crucial funding for crime prevention, treatment, victims, and rehabilitation, begins the No on 36 campaigns first substantive words to voters in the official voter guide. That will mean more crime, not less. Return to yesterday Prop 36s backers dismiss the governors claim that their initiative represents a backwards-looking reversion on drug policy. I think it's just political rhetoric, he's just pounding the table to try to convince people that its some return to yesterday, said Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig, one of the prosecutors who helped draft the initiative Yet Reisigs Yes on 36 campaign has, too, adjusted its messaging to reflect the new dynamics. On Tuesday, the campaign held a news conference in Sacramento focused heavily on how the measure will treat drug addiction. Recent press releases have highlighted how the initiative would help people begin new lives through treatment. District attorneys argue strengthened penalties add prosecutorial teeth to drug-treatment jail diversion programs, and point to falling participation in drug courts as proof change is necessary. Its fair to say that we got more aggressive about messaging on the drug piece to make sure the truth about Prop 36 is being heard, said Reisig, the Yolo prosecutor. They know it's off-target, it sounds ominous and scary, but that's not what Prop 36 is. Prop 36 has not changed since it was first introduced a year ago, but both sides acknowledge the environment in which voters will consider it has. After ticking up in the years following 2020, California property-crime rates decreased in 2023. (Statistics for 2024 are not yet available.) According to the Governors Office, California state police increased arrests for organized retail theft by 167 percent over the first five months of 2024. Viral videos of brazen shoplifting in CVS and Walgreens, meanwhile, circulate less frequently. "First proponents billed this initiative as a retail theft and public safety initiative, but theyve now changed their tune and are framing it as a drug treatment initiative, said Anne Irwin, the founder of Smart Justice California, a consortium representing major donors who helped bankroll past reform efforts and are now funding the No on 36 campaign. The No on 36 campaign admits it will struggle to make sure that distinction reaches voters by the time mail ballots go out in less than a month. If were not going to outspend them, were going to have to outwork them, York said. Were in a race against time to get this retail stuff out of the picture. Venezuelan election officials said incumbent Nicolas Maduro won with 52 percent of votes cast in July 28 polls (MARCELO GARCIA) (MARCELO GARCIA/Venezuelan Presidency/AFP) The United States, Spain and the Czech Republic on Monday demanded information from Venezuela about six of their citizens detained in the South American country over an alleged plot to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro. The government in Caracas on Saturday announced the arrests of three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech it claimed had ties with US and Spanish intelligence agencies and the Venezuelan opposition. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said 400 rifles were confiscated as the alleged plot was dismantled -- not the first time Maduro has claimed to have been the target of US-led attempts to unseat him. The arrests came amid heightened tensions between Caracas and both Washington and Madrid over July 28 presidential elections the Venezuelan opposition accuses Maduro of having stolen. The United States and Spain have vehemently denied claims of involvement in any plot. On Monday, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said he could confirm the detention of a US "military member," and said there were "reports of two additional US citizens detained in Venezuela." "We are seeking additional information and monitoring the situation," he said. Caracas and Washington broke off diplomatic ties in 2019. Spain's foreign ministry said it "continues to demand from the Venezuelan authorities official and verified information on the arrest of two Spaniards, as well as a clarification of the charges they are accused of." Spain said its two detained citizens were not part of the CNI intelligence service. In Prague, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said the Czech embassy in Bogota had sent a note to Caracas demanding "detailed information" about its citizen as well as "consular contact." It was not known if the six have been charged or brought before a court. - 'Dictatorial' - Dozens of countries have rejected Maduro's claim to a third six-year term after elections the opposition says it can prove its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won with a landslide. On September 8, Gonzalez Urrutia arrived in Spain, which granted him asylum after a month in hiding in Venezuela. Tensions have since risen between Caracas and Madrid. Last week, Venezuela recalled its ambassador to Madrid for consultations and summoned Spain's envoy to Venezuela for talks after a Spanish minister accused Maduro of running a "dictatorship." Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell, in an interview broadcast in Spain on Sunday, also labeled Maduro's government "dictatorial," pointing to more than 2,000 people "arbitrarily detained" in the election aftermath. The six are not the first foreigners to be arrested in Venezuela on conspiracy charges. Americans Luke Denman and Airan Berry, serving 20-year sentences over a botched armed invasion of Venezuela in 2020, were released last December in a prisoner swap. erc/jt/mar/mlr/cb/bjt Washington and Seoul may strike a cost-sharing agreement for US forces based in South Korea before the end of the year even though the current agreement does not expire until the end of 2025 as both sides feel a sense of urgency to get a new deal solidified before the possibility of a second Trump administration, according to two US officials and two former US officials familiar with the discussions. The negotiations over the Special Measures Agreement, known as the SMA, strained the US-South Korea alliance during the Trump administration. Former President Donald Trump demanded Seoul pay up to 400% more for the presence of the 28,500 US troops in the country during negotiations over the current agreement. Advocates argue that a significant US troop presence in the Korean Peninsula is crucial to strengthening the alliance between the two countries. The troops are important to both countries as a means to deter any potential attack from North Korea as Kim Jong Uns regime continues to build its nuclear arsenal and as a way of bolstering the US presence in the region to counter Chinas aggression. There is more urgency to get the deal done before the end of the year on the Korean side, given the tumult of the previous round of negotiations, officials said. US officials are engaging with South Korean officials on the topic, but some officials fear that getting an agreement done now could trigger criticism from Trump, and they do not want the alliance to be in the former presidents line of fire if he wins the election in November. Under the current agreement, South Korea pays about $1 billion annually, representing an increase of about 13.9% over previous SMAs. Multiple rounds of talks to renew the agreement have taken place, with the seventh round concluding at the end of August. A State Department official declined to discuss the specifics of the ongoing negotiations but said that the US seeks a a fair and equitable outcome that will support the readiness of US forces in Korea and strengthen and sustain the US-ROK alliance. The South Korean Ministry of Foreign affairs did not respond to a request for comment. Trump administration officials largely negotiated the terms of the last agreement, but it did not go effect until March of 2021, just months after President Joe Biden took office, which allowed Biden administration officials to make changes that got the agreement to its final state. During the initial phase of the talks, CNN reported that Trump had asked South Korea to pay $4.7 billion a year, a demand that came out of thin air and sent State and Defense Department officials scrambling to justify the number. Earlier this year, Trump said that he did not think the South Korea is paying enough based on the last agreement. They were able to renegotiate with the Biden Administration and bring that number way, way down to what it was before, which was almost nothing, Trump said earlier this year during an interview with Time. Why would we defend somebody? And were talking about a very wealthy country. But theyre a very wealthy country and why wouldnt they want to pay? Fast-tracking an agreement is possible, current, and former US officials said. Sources would not detail the current costs being discussed or commit to it getting done before the end of the year, but added that South Koreas commitment on the topic could drive the negotiations to a conclusion. One complication is that a deal will have to be approved by South Koreas national assembly which is dominated by the opposition party to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. The US Congress has no role finalizing a deal on the American side. Some former US officials have warned South Korea not to move too quickly toward an agreement, because it could backfire if Trump ends up in the White House. I think they are pretty close to getting the agreement done and it is a good idea for the US and South Korea to renew the agreement early. But it should not be done as a hedge against the next president. This is the kind of stuff that feeds into concerns about the bureaucracy working against a presidents potential intent, said David Maxwell, of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, pointing out that the agreement could be easily torn apart if Trump wins the election and opposes the terms that are agreed to. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (WDTN) In less than a week, over 30 bomb threats have been received, all which were hoaxes. During an afternoon press conference, Gov. Mike DeWine provided an update on how state and federal organizations are responding to assist Springfield. From late last week until 3 p.m. on Sept. 15, DeWine reports at least 33 bomb threats were reported. DeWine confirmed all location subject to threats were searched, and determined to have been hoaxes. I want to make that very, very clear, said DeWine. None of those had any validity at all. To ensure students are safe and have the ability to learn, DeWine is placing 36 members of the Ohio State Highway Patrols Field Force into all 17 schools within the Springfield City School District. Members of the Field Force will begin their day sweeping the building to ensure no threat is present. All 36 officials will remain at the schools daily for the duration of the school day very visibly. Dr. Bob Hill, superintendent for SCSD, is appreciative of the additional support from the state and community. We appreciate the support of the State of Ohio, our parents, and the Springfield community, said Hill. Together, we will work to deploy the needed resources to keep our schools safe and ensure that our students receive the education that they deserve. Better days are ahead for our Wildcat Family. According to Andy Wilson, director of Ohio Department of Public Safety, the Ohio Office of Homeland Security to conduct vulnerability assessments across Springfield. Sky towers have also been brought in to the city for situational awareness to view what is happening in real-time, which the Springfield Police Division now have access to. Wilson also said bomb dogs to be on-site in Springfield, rather than waiting on a canine from another nearby city. The Governor assured to parents that none of the hoaxes were legitimate, and students should be able to return to schools. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Video footage posted online showed migrants running across a hilltop through the border town of Fnideq - AFP Chaos erupted on Sunday near the fence separating Morocco and Ceuta, a Spanish enclave located on the African nations coast, as hundreds of young Moroccan men co-ordinated an attempt to illegally cross the border. Video footage posted online showed migrants running across a hilltop through the border town of Fnideq, the closest Moroccan town to the Spanish exclave. Moroccan security officers were forced to form a human barrier to stop the migrants from reaching the barbed wire fence into Spain. Officers then fired bullets into the air in an attempt to disperse the crowd. Groups of migrants were also caught attempting to swim on the beaches of Castillejos and Beliones, where the body of a Moroccan man was found. Moroccan authorities said they stopped the migrants from entering Spain, though they did not say how many people were detained. Spains two enclaves on Moroccos Mediterranean coast, Ceuta and Melilla, share the only land borders of the European Union with Africa. This means that autonomous cities experience sporadic waves of illegal migration crossings. The large-scale attempted crossing on Sunday came after authorities confirmed they had arrested at least 60 people last week over a social media campaign that was designed to incite migrants into making a mass crossing. The social media movement, which led to an increased police presence in the border region, saw Sept 15 being described as The Promised Day and the Great Escape. Dozens were detained on suspicion of fabricating and disseminating false information on TikTok and Instagram. Messages posted on the platforms urged young Moroccans to gather in Fnideq and then attempt to cross into Ceuta via the El Tarajal border. Heaviest security deployment ever in Fnideq Despite the arrests, Sundays mass crossing attempt still prompted the heaviest security deployment ever experienced in Fnideq, according to Mohammed Ben Aissa, a local human rights activist. But despite the increased police presence and several failed attempts, many migrants remain undeterred and have vowed to keep on trying to cross into the Spanish city. They do this deliberately to scare and keep us from trying again. But it wont stop us. Well keep coming back as many times as needed, one failed migrant told La Sexta, a Spanish TV channel. Similar attempts to cross the eight-kilometre Ceuta border into Spain occurred in August when hundreds of young Moroccan men tried to swim past immigration authorities. At least 11,300 attempts to cross into Ceuta were blocked in August, according to Moroccan authorities. Earlier this summer, Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, visited Mauritania, Senegal, and Gambia, three countries where migrants often start their journeys to Spain. Mr Sanchez has spoken of the need to achieve better cooperation on migration with African countries owing to the increasing number of migrants attempting to cross the border in Ceuta and Melilla, as well as the Canary Islands, where arrivals have also soared. Figures show that the number of migrants arriving in the Canary Islands increased by 160 per cent between January and July 15 compared with a year ago, totalling almost 20,000 people. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Telecom operators including America Movil, AT&T, Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Reliance Jio, Singtel, Telefonica, Telstra, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Vodafone, together with Ericsson will form a new venture to combine and sell network Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) on a scale to spur innovation in digital services. Network APIs allow developers to access advanced 5G network capabilities such as differentiated connectivity, location, security/authentication, and network insights to enhance existing applications and develop new ones, according to Ericsson. Singtel says it has been impractical for developers to integrate the different capabilities of hundreds of individual telecom operators. So, the new venture formed by telcos will combine network APIs globally, aiming that the new applications will work anywhere on any network. Singtel says the network capabilities will open up the next frontier in app development, creating new cases across sectors including anti-fraud verification in finance and the ability to check device status so streaming can adjust video quality. The newly formed company will provide network APIs to a broad ecosystem of developer platforms, including hyperscalers (HCPs), Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) providers, System Integrators (SIs), and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), based on existing Camara APIs (the open-source project driven by the GSMA and the Linux Foundation). Camara is an open-source project within the Linux Foundation that hosts the API standards and develops and tests the APIs, according to Vonage. Vonage and Google Cloud will partner with the new company, providing access to their ecosystems of millions of developers, as well as their partners. The new venture will bring funding and important assets, including Ericssons platform and network expertise, global telecom operator relationships, knowledge of the developer community, and each telecom operators network APIs, expertise, and marketing. Singtel urges telecom operators to join the new venture. Recently, it invited telecom operator Three Sweden (Hi3G Access) and is in negotiation to become a commercial partner of the newly-formed group. The venture will provide implementation in several leading regions globally. Closing of the transaction is expected early 2025, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary conditions. Upon closing, Ericsson will hold 50% of the equity in the venture while the telecom providers will hold 50% in total. Last July, Singtel partnered with Bridge Alliance, a mobile alliance of 34 member operators worldwide, where the latter will use Singtels platform to aggregate its member operators network authentication, user verification, and network quality APIs. Ohios Republican attorney general was called out Monday by CNN for his handling of the false and racist rumor that Haitian immigrants are capturing and eating cats, dogs, ducks, and geese. And he didnt handle it well. CNNs Brianna Keilar asked Dave Yost about his role in repeating and advancing the false story, noting that the mayor of Springfield, the town at the center of the rumors, debunked the story last week. Do you think the mayor is lying? Keilar asked. Yost didnt address the question, instead defending his own social media posts and saying theyve been about real impacts on Springfield, insisting that my tweet was about the medias disregard for citizen reports, citizen interaction with their government. Keilar pushed the Ohio attorney general about those reports, which Yost said were about several videotaped comments that were made by citizens regarding a variety of things going on in Springfield. While Yost admitted that these comments were not enough to make a case, he then tried to say that too many of Springfields children in schools didnt speak English. Keilar then asked Yost why he was pushing a false story about killing animals instead of discussing the strain on local communities when you are supposed to be a very serious law enforcement individual. This upset Yost, who accused Keilar of implying, of course, that you think Im not [serious]. Ohios Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican like Yost, defended Springfields Haitian population Sunday, telling ABCs Martha Raddatz that the Haitians who are in Springfield are legal. They came to Springfield to work. Ohio is on the move, and Springfield has really made a great resurgence with a lot of companies coming in. These Haitians came in to work for these companies. Yost seems to be paying no attention to local officials, instead taking cues from Ohio Senator and Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance, who on Sunday argued that spreading the false and dangerous rumor is justified because it is bringing attention to the suffering of the American people. In reality, the rumor has led to violent threats against Springfields schools, government buildings, hospitals, and other gathering places, even leading to the cancellation of a local festival. If Vance, Yost, and the rest of the GOP were serious about their concern for the strain on local communities like Springfield due to a population increase, theyd perhaps be offering practical, positive solutions instead of amplifying racist rumors that terrorize their own constituents. Estonian President Alar Karis is very diplomatic. His country of 1.3 million people borders Russia, while the ongoing messy election campaign in Washington, D.C. forces European diplomats to question whether the U.S. will help countries like Estonia in case of a direct confrontation with Moscow. Despite that, Karis doesn't avoid questions, saying that Russia must be defeated and NATO allies must do more to make it happen. We probably realize now that we have to cross all of these red lines and then start forcing Russia out of Ukraine, Karis told the Kyiv Independent in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the 20th annual Yalta European Strategy (YES) Conference in Kyiv. According to Karis, NATO countries must do more for their own defense, Kyiv must be allowed to fire Western missiles without any restrictions, while peace with Russia can be only achieved on Ukrainian terms. Estonian President Alar Karis talks during an interview with the Kyiv Independent on Sept. 14, 2024. (The Kyiv Independent) The Kyiv Independent: Mr. President, recently, there's been a lot of news about Russian drones hitting countries not far from Ukraine. Most recently Latvia, and before that, it was Romania, Poland What's the Estonian position about shooting down Russian drones that enter NATO countries? Alar Karis: We are in a very simple position, we should lift the restrictions on the use of weapons that Ukraine gets from the Western world so we can target these drones where they start (on Russian territory). When this happens, the drones never reach Ukraine, Latvia, or any other country. The Kyiv Independent: Do you think because NATO countries don't down those drones, Russia thinks that NATO is not serious in its intention? Alar Karis: I don't think so. Firstly, we have to know whether it's by accident or if it's deliberate. Latvia and Estonia rely on NATO. We have to start the discussions about how to behave in these kinds of situations, and the discussions have started already. The Kyiv Independent: If, by accident or intentionally, a Russian drone enters Estonia, is the Estonian military allowed to shoot down the drone, or does it need to ask NATO beforehand? Alar Karis: It's a very hypothetical question: What's going to happen and if. As I said, we discussed with our allies, how to behave in this kind of situation. Read also: Opinion: What a Trump presidency could look like for Ukraine The Kyiv Independent: Concerning the American position, all the European allies are looking to Washington for its decision. Do you think that Estonia is protected enough by being a member of NATO if ex-President Donald Trump enters the White House? Alar Karis: Donald Trump has been president once, and, at that time, we were a NATO member. We don't only rely on NATO allies. We also spend quite a number of our own resources on defense. Next year, it'll be about 3%. What we should do, and we do, is to convince other NATO countries to put more than 2% on defense. The Kyiv Independent: Concerning the recent debate, former President Donald Trump said on multiple occasions that he wants peace, but he never said that he wants Ukraine to win. Do you believe that in the West (especially in the United States), most politicians and both presidential candidates want Ukraine to actually win this war? Alar Karis: We want to defeat Russia, that's for sure. You have to understand that presidential elections in the U.S. mean that there's a debate going on different issues. It's a different situation than when one becomes a president, so let's wait. It's the American people's decision who is going to be the president of the United States. For us, it's very important to keep this transatlantic bond. As far as defense (goes), the U.S. should be number one (leading) in this case. Read also: ATACMS restrictions subject of intense consultations between Ukraine and allies, Sullivan says The Kyiv Independent: There has been a recent change of doctrine. Now, there is a policy that all three Baltic states want to build a defense line, not allowing Russians to enter the country as a whole. Do you think that Estonia and your neighboring countries are now well-equipped to hold off the Russian army in case it wants to invade? Alar Karis: Of course, we are. But the doctrine is, in a way... What should we do? We are a small country. That means we have to make sure that the enemy does not enter our territory. It's as simple as that. The Kyiv Independent: There has recently been an uptick in Estonian activity. Your former prime minister will be the foreign secretary of the European Union. Do you feel that now, finally, after years of war in Ukraine, Western capitals are hearing the Eastern flank of NATO and the European Union more? Alar Karis: I guess so. Our Western allies, which are much further away from the Russian border, started to understand what this war in Ukraine means not only for Ukraine but also for them. It's not only us who are next to Russia; it's Europe and NATO countries. I think our partners have realized that. And they started to assist and help Ukraine and also to think about their own defense. The Kyiv Independent: Do you think that if Washington, London, and Berlin had listened more to Tallinn or Warsaw before the start of the full-scale war, the situation would have been different? Alar Karis: Well, definitely, it would've been different, but we don't know what kind of difference it would have been. These countries are used to this peaceful life no war, nothing. And we were naive. But we did wake up earlier than our friends far away. What would have happened, I don't know. Read also: Putin delays new mobilization, despite Kursk incursion exposing troop shortages The Kyiv Independent: Do you see an increase in Russian intelligence activity or Russian psyops (psychological operations) in Estonia? Alar Karis: Russian intelligence is everywhere. And its propaganda is everywhere, not only in Estonia, but all over the world. You see, even in the United States, they interfere in elections, not only in Europe. So we have to be ready for that. Also, now there is misinformation that is spread by Russia, cyber-attacks, and so forth. So it's not a question of Estonia. It's everywhere, and we have to prepare for this. We have been prepared for cyber-attacks for quite a long time, because they started in 2007. We also start to convince also Western parties that this is a very important issue. The Kyiv Independent: At the beginning of this year, there was a huge case with one professor in Estonia convicted of being a Russian agent in Estonia. How has the Estonian security force scaled up its activity to make sure that there are no Russian agents currently in Estonia? Alar Karis: As you said, we did catch these agents. That means our intelligence works pretty well. And it's not the only case. It has also happened before. So we are ready. Also, agents become smarter. We have to be ready, especially in universities, where a lot of new information and innovations are available. We have to be careful. That's it. Read also: From Estonian university professor to convicted Russian spy: the curious case of Viacheslav Morozov The Kyiv Independent: You mentioned at the beginning of our interview that Ukraine needs to be allowed to strike Russian targets in Russia. Do you actually know why it's taking so long for many countries to allow this? Alar Karis: One thing is probably that some countries and some leaders are afraid of escalation. There is no escalation anymore. Russia has crossed all red lines already. There is no point in being afraid of escalation. These restrictions are just pointless. The Kyiv Independent: Do you think that the war could have been drastically different if all of this had been allowed a year or two ago? Alar Karis: Probably. But the thing is, any country has a different history, political parties, and ideas. That means it does take time. We are not countries with dictators; we are democratic countries. That means you have to also convince your people, not only politicians. Unfortunately, it does take more time. We also hoped that this one step would help it didn't; the next didn't either. We probably realize now that we have to cross all of these red lines and then start forcing Russia out of Ukraine. The Kyiv Independent: Russia always says that if its territory is attacked, then it can use nuclear arms. Right now, we have Ukrainian troops in Kursk Oblast. Do you think that it's still a relevant possibility that Russia will use nuclear weapons, or the European allies and the United States should stop worrying about Russian nuclear saber-rattling? Alar Karis: Russia knows very well that it's not the only nuclear power in Europe and in the world. I don't think we are going to test a nuclear attack on any country. The Kyiv Independent: Estonia has been doing a lot for Ukraine since day one. Can you please explain why, from the first day of the full-scale invasion, Estonia was one of the countries that provided both the most military and humanitarian help (as a percentage of GDP) to Ukraine and why, despite years of war, Estonia continues to do it? Alar Karis: We have our own history, and we know what occupation meant when the Soviet Union occupied our country. We and our parents have this kind of memory that's one reason. As a small independent country, we can't afford for these powerful countries to cross the border of independent countries. We'll continue to support Ukraine, of course. The Kyiv Independent: Do you think that the world is now tired of this war? We hear some voices saying that maybe Ukraine needs a plan B, maybe Ukraine won't be able to de-occupy all of its territory, and it needs to hold peace talks with Russia. Do you feel that as long as this war continues, more voices in the West will try to persuade Ukraine to find a solution to the war that doesn't involve de-occupying all of its territory? Alar Karis: At this very moment, we can't afford these big peace talks because (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has already said what he wants. He wants NATO back to the 1997 borders, Donbas, other Ukrainian regions, and so forth. That means, as I said, we should push Russia back to its territory and convince it that this war was useless. Then we can sit behind the table and start talking. We have a peace plan a peace formula provided by Zelensky. It's the only peace plan at this very moment. The Kyiv Independent: Do you think NATO countries and NATO as a whole are doing enough to help Ukraine win? Alar Karis: It's never enough. We could do more. We could do much more. Also, while here in Kyiv, I mentioned that we should do more not only Estonia and other states, but we all. We are on the side of democracy, and we should do much more. Read also: Estonian PM: Our taxpayers shouldnt pay for damages caused by Russia Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Lawmakers are optimistic they will pass a quick fix to the Department of Veterans Affairs funding shortfall before a looming Friday budget deadline. But a resolution isnt expected until just a few hours before that cutoff. VA leaders have said because of increased benefits payouts and medical care enrollments this year, their accounts are about $2.9 billion short of whats needed to keep normal operations continuing. If money is not provided by Sept. 20, they warned, some benefits checks due next month may be delayed by days or weeks. House members are expected to vote on legislation providing the money and calling for a closer look at the reasons behind the funding issue early this week. Senate leaders have said they will move on the measure as soon as possible afterwards. But individual senators could disrupt that timeline with objections to the bill, possibly pushing final passage of the stopgap funds to the weekend or next week. VA officials have said they will work closely with lawmakers to see how they can prevent any potential benefits disruptions. Heres what else is happening on Capitol Hill this week: Monday, Sept. 16 House Armed Services 12 p.m. University of California Santa Cruz Industry Views Industry executives will testify about acquisition pathways and innovation efforts during a field hearing. Tuesday, Sept. 17 Senate Armed Services 9:30 a.m. 216 Hart Nominations The committee will consider the nominations of Air Force Lt. Gen. Randall Reed to be head of U.S. Transportation Command and Lt. Gen. Xavier Brunson to be head of U.S. Forces Korea. Wednesday, Sept. 18 House Foreign Affairs 10 a.m. 2172 Rayburn Indo-Pacific Competition State Department officials will testify on U.S. strategy in the Indo-Pacific region. Senate Homeland Security 10 a.m. 342 Dirksen Pending Business The committee will consider a series of pending bills and nominations. House Armed Services 10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn National Defense Strategy Commission Members of the National Defense Strategy Commission will testify on their report to Congress. House Veterans' Affairs 10:15 a.m. 360 Cannon Disability Exams VA officials and veterans advocates will testify on challenges with contracted disability compensation examinations. House Veterans' Affairs 2:30 p.m. 360 Cannon VA Crisis Line Department officials will testify on operations at the VA Crisis Line. Senate Veterans' Affairs 3 p.m. 418 Russell VA Budget Challenges VA officials will testify on the budget shortfall facing the department before the end of fiscal 2024. Thursday, Sept. 19 House Veterans Affairs 9 a.m. 360 Cannon VA Technology Challenges VA officials will testify on issues with technology modernization initiatives. House Foreign Affairs 10 a.m. 2172 Rayburn State Department Grants State Department officials will testify on grant award policies. House Foreign Affairs 10 a.m. 2200 Rayburn Iran Outside experts will testify on the threat posed to the United States and Israel by Iran. Senate Commerce 10 a.m. 253 Russell Coast Guard Service officials will testify on their drug interdiction programs at sea. House Armed Services 1 p.m. 2212 Rayburn Army Policies Army officials will testify on extremism training initiatives in the service. House Foreign Affairs 2 p.m. 2172 Rayburn Blinken Contempt of Congress The committee will review a resolution to find Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt. The village of Botwnnog has found itself at the centre of a national controversy over opposition to non-Welsh speakers moving in - Jay Williams Take a drive through North Wales, past the craggy peak of Yr Wyddfa, then head west down the Llyn Peninsula until you are closer to Ireland than England, and you may just stumble across the tiny village of Botwnnog. Five miles inland, there is little to recommend it to visitors. There is a chapel, doctors surgery and primary school, but other than that, just a strip of houses; many of them council. The nearest shop is just under two miles away in Sarn Meyllteyrn. There isnt even a pub. One distinguishing feature, however, is the strength of the Welsh language. Leaflets on the community noticeboard contain no trace of English nor does the community website. Local businesses have Welsh names, and the lilting noise from the school playground that lifts onto the breeze is distinctly incomprehensible to a typical English ear. Some 65 per cent of this remote region speak Welsh the highest of any area in Wales and the lack of tourism means there is little to dilute it. 65 per cent of Botwnnog residents speak Welsh and many signs in the area contain no trace of English - Jay Williams But local passion for this mother tongue has now reached new heights with an attempt by Botwnnog Community Council to decree that new residents in the village should be Welsh speaking. Last week, the council managed to temporarily block plans for 18 new social houses to be built in the village, saying the developers could not guarantee they would go to native speakers. In contentious and some say discriminatory language documents submitted by the community council to the planning department of Gwynedd County Council stated that English incomers might pose a danger to the Welsh language and the fabric of the community and be a degenerative influence. In an ensuing planning meeting, one councillor, Huw Rowlands, said the proposal could cause significant harm to the Welsh language, adding: If the wrong decision is made, it will have drastic consequences. Gareth Williams, another councillor, said the occupants would be from outside the area and that their presence would be detrimental to the culture. Everyone in the local area feels very strongly against it, he added. Some, of course, may feel they have a point. Just a short drive away, where signs written in English welcome visitors to the picturesque towns of Abersoch and Llangian, locals complain about the proliferation of second homes and constant migration from England. But for other locals, the assertion that affordable homes should go to only Welsh-speakers has strayed from protecting the language into blatant discrimination. Speaking to The Telegraph, one said: Its outrageous. The Welsh language hasnt always been promoted in this area so some older people who have lived here all their lives dont even speak it. Why should they be penalised like this or made to feel unwelcome? Its awful. Some locals have called the ban on non-Welsh speakers moving in outrageous - Jay Williams While another said: Lets be realistic. We just need people to move here whoever they are. There is nothing here, not even a shop. If we dont have new blood, then the whole community will die and the Welsh language with it. The economy has been hammered in this area because of second home owners selling up and we just need people here. Some in the property industry are equally baffled and affronted. Pete Mugleston, founder of Online Mortgage Advisor, says: If it were a property in England and there was a requirement for the buyer to speak English, there would be palpable headlines and outrage. Back in sleepy Botwnnog, as people stroll with their dogs or pop to the surgery under a grey sky, the publicity attracted by the row has been unwelcome, with locals reluctant to discuss the matter in public either in Welsh or English. But the demand seems to tie in with a growing confidence in the Welsh language and its right to be preserved. Not only have Snowdonia National Park and the Brecon Beacons been renamed with their historical Welsh titles respectively Eryri National Park and Bannau Brycheiniog, the Welsh Government has also made huge progress on its pledge to generate 1m Welsh speakers by 2050. In 2001, there were 580,000. Some figures suggest that number could now be as high as 900,000 (although, the most recent census put the figure at 538,000). But alongside this growing confidence may perhaps come something more distasteful: an expanding sense of nationalism and rise in anti-English sentiment, perhaps driven by an influx of those east of Offas Dyke. Data from Compare My Move showed there was a 30 per cent rise of English moving to Wales between 2020 and 2022, driven by cheaper living costs and lower house prices (on average, Welsh houses are almost 100,000 cheaper than those in England). Meanwhile, last year, a survey by American Express showed that Wales was the favoured place for people in the UK to holiday, beating Cornwall, Devon and the Lake District. But some say this influx and increased pressure on housing stock has also brought with it increased crime in summer months, anti-social behaviour and a change to communities. It has even led to concerns over a resurgence of old school nationalism. In January this year, an Aberystwyth resident, originally from Birmingham, received a poison pen note in red ink, with a message to go back home. According to one Botwnnog resident, who would not be named, this is the real reason the council blocked the proposed development. The Welsh language is a red herring. Its not about that at all, she says. Its about the type of people you get and if we will get people from other social housing projects. We may get people from Liverpool or Birmingham, and we dont want that here. We know crime can go up when this happens as its just riff raff. The area is now inundated with them and they drive around in their 4x4s on these narrow lanes and dont give a monkeys that youre local. We currently have low crime here, but we know what can happen when we get people in from outside. The plan for Botwnnogs new social housing development amounted to a series of bungalows that would have been built on farmland at the edge of the village. According to the developers, only those on the affordable housing register in Gwynedd would be able to apply for the proposed housing. The plans (pictured) to create 18 affordable homes in Botwnnog sparked backlash among local residents fearful of English incomers - Wales News Service But at another social housing scheme built roughly a decade ago on the edge of Botwnnog, it was clear when The Telegraph visited that at least some of the residents are not local or Welsh speakers. As Richard Williams, who owns the local Ty Newydd pub in nearby Sarn Meyllteyrn, says: Theres two sides to this. The tax on second homes means the summer economy has been badly hit. We need people here spending money. But the other social housing estate has some Polish in it so why will this be any different? It wont be locals and we worry about transfers from social housing projects in other areas. According to Gwynedd County Council, the plan for the development is now in a cooling off period before it is reviewed again. But as for the legality of who and who doesnt have a right to live there, it is slightly murky. Tom Barton, planning partner at law firm Mishcon de Reya, says: Its well established that there can be a requirement for a local connection when social housing allocation takes place, and I think this is ultimately what the community are getting at here. This is not the same as the language issue. I think people instantly feel uncomfortable about the language point, because you could say this is a community where they dont want anyone to speak another language, which would obviously be horrific. And therein lies the rub, with local councillors seemingly all too aware of accusations of racism. At the recent meeting, one councillor, Gruff Williams, said: People say we are racists when we are trying to protect our language. It makes it difficult for people to stand up against these policies. As for the local MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Liz Saville-Roberts, she is attempting to walk a very fine line as a way out of the debacle. She tells The Telegraph: This area is where Welsh is spoken by the majority of the people who live there. Planning and housing policies are among the key tools to make sure that the use of Welsh in local communities continues into the future. I would urge anyone who is thinking of moving here to learn some Welsh. Im born and bred English, and its what I did and I know from personal experience that it opens so many doors. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Westminster College is offering a new scholarship program that will allow some Pennsylvania students to attend tuition-free. The Westminster Advantage Scholarship will be introduced for the fall 2025 semester. To be considered for the scholarship, students must have a weighted GPA of 3.0 or higher and have a total family annual income of $75,000 or less. Under the Westminster Advantage, all eligible Pennsylvania first-year and transfer students can attend Westminster College tuition-free for four years through a combination of college, federal and state financial aid programs, the college said. We want more students to take advantage of the opportunities Westminster College has to offer, said Westminster College President Dr. Kathy Brittain Richardson. The College has a long tradition of offering robust financial aid to students. This is just one more way we are making a Westminster education genuinely affordable. Students will be automatically considered for the scholarship if they apply to Westminster as a full-time student, file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2025-2026 school year and apply for a Pennsylvania State Grant through PHEAA for the 2025-2026 academic year. For additional information, please visit www.westminster.edu/advantage. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Trumps campaign says he is safe after apparent assassination attempt, 1 person detained Shogun and Hacks win top series Emmy Awards Slow-moving superload scheduled to move through our region next week VIDEO: Station Squares Joes Crab Shack closes seemingly without warning months after bullet hits building DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts Messages between Huw Edwards and Alex Williams were revealed in court When university student Alex Williams began contacting celebrities on social media, it was more in hope than expectation. The 19-year-old, from South Wales, sent dozens of messages to famous people but, unsurprisingly, heard nothing back. That was until early 2018 when, after contacting Huw Edwards, the BBC newsreader and one of the best-known faces on British television, the pair began chatting. It was the beginning of an exchange that would eventually result in Edwardss spectacular self-destruction and leave him with a suspended prison sentence for committing a string of child sex offences. Despite being one of the BBCs most trusted voices, Edwards, the proudly Welsh news anchor, had been struggling with hidden demons that had wrecked his mental health and left him extremely vulnerable, Westminster magistrates court heard. He was born in Bridgend in 1961, and his father Hywel Teifi Edwards was a prominent Welsh language academic and Plaid Cymru activist. However, according to one psychiatrist who interviewed Edwards following his arrest, he endured a psychologically challenging upbringing. The 63-year-old claimed that despite being lauded outside the family, his father had behaved monstrously at home and that combined with the puritanical but hypocritical culture of the South Wales community had left him suffering from low self-esteem. He claimed this was further exacerbated when he failed to get into Oxford and went to Cardiff University instead. Edwards said this had left him feeling like something of an outsider at the BBC, despite the fact he rose to become the corporations best-paid journalist and the man trusted to announce the death of Queen Elizabeth II. He suggested it was this low self-esteem that had led him to take to social media and engage with people with whom he would otherwise not have had contact. The newsreaders presence on Instagram and WhatsApp also allowed him to renew his sexual interest in men, which he claimed he had been managing since 1994 the year after he married Vicky Flind, a television producer. It was against this backdrop that Edwards and Williams began exchanging messages with one another in the spring of 2018. Williams was one of several young people with whom Edwards was communicating on social media at the time. Alex Williams exchanged messages with the BBC newsreader over the course of several years - The Times Perhaps because of their shared Welsh backgrounds and other, more sinister, interests their relationship quickly flourished. They shared a video call in May 2018 and even met in person on one occasion. With Edwards increasingly beginning to explore his dormant bisexuality, the pair began to share male pornographic images. The majority of the photos and videos featured younger-looking adult males, which were lawful. But by December 2020, with the country in lockdown, the exchanges between the pair began to take a dark and criminal turn. Migrating to the encrypted WhatsApp platform, Williams, who had access to the dark web, began sharing indecent images of children. Edwards, in return, would send the cash-strapped student money and gifts, amounting in total to around 1,500. A WhatsApp exchange between him and Edwards, recovered by officers, revealed a total of 377 sexual images, of which 41 were of children. In one exchange Williams said he had a file of vids and pics for you of someone special and later sent three images of a child exposing themselves. Williams later offered to send 12 videos and 42 pics of someone he had shared images of previously. Asked want me to send you the full file?, Edwards replied: Yes xxx. The student then forwarded a series of images and videos featuring a child aged between 13 and 15 performing indecent acts. Included was a video considered by prosecutors to constitute Category A, the most serious level of child abuse images. Four minutes after receiving the clip, Edwards replied F---, before the pair wished each one another a happy Christmas. Later that day, Williams asked for a Christmas gift, telling Edwards he had further hot videos featuring the same child but saying the files were too large to send on WhatsApp. The following day, Edwards asked him to send the material using the Dropbox app, which allows users to share large files. After telling Williams he would watch the videos, Edwards then asked whether he was in direct communication with the subject. A subsequent batch of screenshots bearing the word adolesc were then sent to Edwards, featuring a child aged 12 to 14 and featuring another Category A image. Williams then requested another Christmas gift for all the hot videos and Edwards immediately responded: What do you need? The student mentioned that he would like a pair of Nike Air Force 1 trainers, which cost around 100, and Edwards offered to send him twice that amount. Huw Edwards, seen holding his mobile phone outside Westminster magistrates court, was sent multiple explicit images and videos over WhatsApp - Neil Hall/Shutterstock In early 2021, with pandemic lockdowns continuing, Edwards and Williams continued to exchange images, with one video entitled: Boys Town Adolescents Presents 13yo Josh. On Feb 10 2021, a Category A video was sent to Edwards, which prosecutors said featured sexual acts featuring two children aged between seven and nine and 11 and 13. Edwards did not respond but a week later Williams sent two more Category B and four Category C images, following up with the message Is the stuff Im sending too young for you? Three days later, Edwards replied: Dont send underage. In the following months, there were sporadic messages between the pair, and in August 2021 Williams messaged to say he had some naughty pics and vids if youd like? Edwards replied: Go on, and when Williams responded yng, he said: Go on. Williams then sent a Category A video that featured a male child aged as young as seven being abused. The pair discussed the fact the subject appeared very young-looking, but Edwards insisted it could be deceptive and asked if Williams had any more. Williams replied that he did have but was not sure whether Edwards would like them as they were illegal, at which point the BBC newsreader replied: Ah ok dont. No further illegal images were shared between the pair, although they maintained contact throughout 2021 and early 2022. In August 2022, Williams was arrested by South Wales Police, and his devices were seized. As a result, the exchanges with Edwards were recovered by officers in November 2023. They passed the material to Scotland Yard and, on Nov 8 2023, Edwards was arrested and interviewed under caution for the first time. Williams appeared in court in Merthyr Tydfil in January and pleaded guilty to seven offences. On March 15, he appeared at Cardiff Crown Court and was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years. Little over a month later, on April 22, Edwards announced that he was resigning from the BBC. Three days after that, he was interviewed under caution for a second time. Detectives from the Metropolitan Police passed a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service on May 1, and Edwards was formally charged with three offences on June 26. He pleaded guilty at Westminster magistrates court on July 31 and was sentenced at the same court on Monday. Avoiding an immediate custodial sentence, Edwards received six months suspended for two years, and will also have to sign the sex offenders register for seven years. He will have to complete a sex offender treatment programme and complete 25 sessions of a rehabilitation activity requirement. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Where in the world is closest to becoming a '15-minute city'? Paris ranked as one of the big cities closest to being a "15-minute city", a new global analysis found (Eric Feferberg) (Eric Feferberg/AFP/AFP) Paris and Milan are among the cities closest to reaching the urban planning goal of being a "15-minute city," while car-dependent metropolises in the United States and elsewhere lag behind, a worldwide analysis said Monday. In fact, the central areas of many cities already meet the definition of a 15 minute-city, which means that residents are within a quarter-hour walk or bike ride from everything they need to a lead a good life, the analysis found. But even within a city, there are often stark differences between the wealthy inner cities and the urban sprawl on their outskirts, according to the Italian researchers behind the new study. The concept of the 15-minute city gained traction during the Covid pandemic, when lockdowns put more focus on local neighbourhoods. It has since been embraced by dozens of mayors around the world -- and become the target of conspiracy theorists online. For the new study, published in the journal Nature Cities, the researchers built an online database looking at roughly 10,000 cities globally. They used open source data to map out how far of a walk or cycle residents were from different services, including shops, restaurants, education, exercise and healthcare. "A lot of people already live in a 15-minute city," study co-author Hygor Piaget Monteiro Melo told AFP. But it depends on where you look within a city, he said, because of the inequality in access to services between the centre and periphery. - No 'utopia' - What is clear, the researchers noted, is that population density is a crucial factor -- if enough people are living close enough to each other, it is much easier for them to have easy access to services. This meant that somewhat smaller yet relatively dense cities such as Italy's Milan or Spain's Barcelona scored well on their map, which was made available online. When it came to the biggest cities, "Paris is an outlier," lead study author Matteo Bruno told AFP. The mayor of Paris embraced the concept in 2020, and a "considerable fraction" of the city is below the 15-minute mark, the study said. Some European cities have a head start because they were built centuries ago at a time before cars -- when basically all towns had to be 15-minute cities, the researchers said. Cities built more recently with cars specifically in mind -- particularly in the United States -- fared far less well on the map. Atlanta in particular stood out as being a long way from being a 15-minute city. Future Olympic host Los Angeles also lagged behind most others for walkability, as did several Chinese cities including Chongqing. But when it comes to cities, there are always trade-offs -- and there is no single right answer, the researchers said. "The 15-minute city is often presented as a utopia -- it's not," Bruno said. Americans in sprawled-out cities usually have their own houses and backyards, while Europeans in densely populated cities tend to live in apartments, illustrating the important role played by culture, Bruno said. And central parts of US cities such as New York, San Francisco and Milwaukee were under the 15-minute threshold. "Manhattan is definitely one of the most 15-minute places ever in the world," said Bruno, a researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratories in Rome. - 'Conspiracy mongers' - There has been confusion about the concept in the past, the researchers lamented. For example, "traffic has nothing to do with the 15-minute city," Bruno said. In fact, slow traffic could indicate an area is more pedestrian friendly, he added. Yet it was new "low-traffic zones" in the UK that turned the ire of conspiracy theorists towards 15-minute city proponents. Confusing the two ideas, online groups including vaccine and climate sceptics falsely claimed that 15-minute cities were part of a secret plot to restrict the movement of citizens. The Italian researchers, who have themselves been targeted by "Twitter haters," emphasised that nothing about the 15-minute city concept involves confining anyone. Researcher Carlos Moreno, a high-profile proponent of 15-minute cities who has advised Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, was also "attacked by the worldwide conspiracy mongers," he told AFP. Moreno welcomed the new study, praising how the idea had swiftly become a topic of interest for researchers around the world. Just last week, Valerie Pecresse, the right-wing head of the greater Paris Ile-de-France area, presented a plan for a 20-minute region, he pointed out. Bruno said that the 15-minute metric is just one element in the "recipe" that makes a good city. Other parts of the recipe include tackling inequality and segregation, improving public transport, reducing traffic and so on, he said. dl/jm St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch (far left) speaks at a roundtable on property insurance and climate change in St. Petersburg on Sept. 14, 2024. (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix) ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. A property-value crash faces Florida and the rest of the country unless government leaders come to terms with climate change, Rhode Island Democratic U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse warned during a visit to the city this past weekend. That is the solution to the property insurance crisis gripping Florida (and increasingly more states around the country), Whitehouse said, lest soaring insurance costs spiral into a mortgage crisis and ultimately a property values crash. That is the word that Freddie Macs chief economist use, Whitehouse said, referring to the government sponsored agency designed to expand the secondary market for mortgages. Florida is worst and first in what climate change is doing to property insurance rates, but Im from Rhode Island I know a preview of coming attractions when I see one. This is coming to all coastal areas of the United States. So, understanding whats going on in Florida is really important to us, he told reporters after concluding an hour-long roundtable at a community center Saturday in Shore Acres, a low-lying section of northeast St. Petersburg that sees excessive flooding when even normal rains hit the Tampa Bay area. Getting it right in Florida really matters, and the number one lesson is you cant solve your property insurance problem unless you solve the climate problem. And so, when government is in denial about the climate problem, theyre hurting you, and we need to correct that. Whitehouse also visited Miami and Orlando this weekend to hear from community members, homeowners, and local and state legislators contending with the problem. The days are hotter, the summers are longer. Often times during the summer, we dont cool off anymore, get below 80 degrees at night, said Tampa Bay area Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor. But now the scientific data is really backing up our lived experience with more of these flooding events, these more intense tropical storms, and its no wonder that our property insurance is reflecting that increasing risk. Erase climate change With its low-lying topography and more than 8,400 miles of shoreline, much of the state and its coastal population are vulnerable to rising sea levels, according to the Florida Climate Center. Yet just four months ago Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation that erased the words climate change from the Florida Statutes and restructured the states fossil fuel-based energy policy to remove references to climate change as a priority when making energy policy decisions. DeSantis has supported programs to make Florida more resilient to the effects of climate change, with funding into the billions of dollars to contend with sea level rise and coastal flooding, said Susan Glickman of the CLEO Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing global warming. But she said the states effort is inadequate to the problem, using a metaphor of a sink overflowing with water. Its the equivalent of walking into your bathroom, she said. You grab the towels off the hook. You mop the floor up, and you never turn off that faucet, she said. Similar, to Gov. DeSantis credit, they have given out $2.5 billion or more in towels, and were doing vulnerability assessments. But there is no turning that faucet off, and that is because of the outsized influence primarily of the investor-owned utilities [which] cover 75% of the state. Glickman and Castor noted how disproportionately Floridas power companies rely on natural gas for energy generation. The state gets 75% of its energy from natural gas, which an official with the Florida Electric Power Coordinating Group recently told the Florida Public Service Commission is more than any other state in the nation. Reality The reality in Florida isnt that climate change is a thing that we might see. Its a thing that we are living, said Dawn Shirreffs, Florida director at the Environmental Defense Fund, a participant during the roundtable discussion. And it doesnt just affect our weather, its actually effecting our wallets. She noted that with record summer heat in the past year have come record high electricity rates, along with the escalating property insurance rates. Florida has some of the highest property insurance rates in the country, with homeowners paying an average $3,340, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Shirreffs noted Floridas vulnerability when it comes to Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the states insurer of last resort, originally designed to have around 150,000 policies but which now has over 1.25 million policies. We have to understand that theres real ethical questions about whether some residents should be subsidizing risk for others who made choices to live in very vulnerable places, she said. There are also residents who dont have any choice but to live in very vulnerable places. We need to make sure that were really looking at how we put people in places of risk and how everybody pays for that. In his role as Senate Budget Committee Chair, Whitehouse communicated a couple of times with Citizens CEO Tim Cerio over the past year over concerns about Citizens fiscal viability and whether it might need a federal bailout should a major storm cripple Florida, he said. In response to a question from the Phoenix on Saturday, Whitehouse replied that most of his concerns have been alleviated. We have been satisfied with their responsiveness, he said. Theyve spent a lot of time with the budget committee staff, they provided documents, so I want to give them kudos to that. The problem is that theyre in a very, very difficult situation. And there are scenarios in which their capacity to pay claims is exhausted and that forces them to go to statewide assessments that may not come in in time to help homeowners or may become so politically toxic to the rest of Florida, or unaffordable to the rest of Florida, that that mechanism collapses. So, its not a good place that they are in, but I do want to complement them for the responsive the way that they answered our questions. Climate gentrification St. Petersburg City Council member Brandi Gabbard, a real estate broker and chair of the Tampa Bay Regional Resiliency Coalition, said the region needs help from the feds when it came to flood insurance, specifically what she said were the lack of mitigation credits in Risk Rating 2.0, the National Flood Insurance Programs pricing approach introduced in phases from 2021 to 2023. Gabbard said that if the city cant provide residents with incentives to lower their rates, homeowners may be compelled to sell to investors as rental units, rendering the homes less affordable for the community. Were pushing people out of neighborhoods where they have been for generations, she said. Were talking about thousands and thousands of homes. These are our residents. These are people who have lived here for generations. If we push them out of these neighborhoods, what happens is, then, all thats left is really the center part of our city, and now you have areas that traditionally were affordable, traditionally were low and moderate area income neighborhoods, traditionally areas where there are large numbers of people of color. And now we are pushing the wealth and those coastal neighborhoods into those areas and causing increased gentrification. It changes our city completely if we dont have the vision for how we protect our coastal neighborhoods. St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and Pinellas area Democratic state lawmakers Lindsay Cross and Darryl Rouson also provided comments during the discussion. Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and X. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Why did Gov. Tim Walz stop in Superior, Wisconsin, for a campaign rally? Looking for a momentum bounce from Vice President Kamala Harris's Tuesday debate performance, her vice-presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, rallied supporters in far northern Wisconsin on Saturday. Saturday's rally was part of the Harris-Walz campaign's "New Way Forward" tour of battleground states. Walz's event in Superior followed campaign stops he made in recent days in Wausau and in Michigan. Harris will return to Wisconsin on Friday as part of a swing through "blue wall" battleground states. Superior-Duluth a stronghold Democrats hope to regain Walz's trip to the state's northwestern corner is not the first of the Democratic presidential campaign this cycle. In January, President Joe Biden then the party's presumptive nominee seeking a second term in the White House visited Superior in a bid to regain the key Democratic stronghold that sits across Lake Superior's St. Louis Bay from Duluth, Minn. The two blue cities known as the Twin Ports are surrounded by communities that have increasingly leaned toward Trump as heavy industry and mining jobs disappeared. At that January visit, Biden announced new funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to replace the 60-year-old Blatnik Bridge connecting the two cities. He said the project was expected to create 10,000 jobs, a critical message in the region, an expert previously told the Journal Sentinel. "Donald Trump talked a tough game on infrastructure, Kamala Harris got it done," Walz said Saturday referencing the bridge. The Marquette Law School poll showed Trump leading Harris on the economy, the No. 1 issue, though she has gained ground compared to when Biden was in the race. On Saturday, Walz framed Trump as someone born into wealth with no concept of the challenges faced by the working class while he said Harris grew up in the middle class. Harris-Walz has 48 campaign offices in 43 Wisconsin counties The Harris-Walz campaign has opened offices in 43 Wisconsin counties to support its volunteer efforts. Those include Marathon, Wood, Portage, Waupaca, Shawano, Douglas, and Ashland counties. The campaign has said it has more than 200 full time staffers in the state, including in Wausau in central Wisconsin and Superior in the state's far northwest corner. Superior shares a media market with Duluth. Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why did Tim Walz visit Superior, Wisconsin for campaign stop? Why is LaRose asking Ohio to investigate voter fraud cases that prosecutors believe have no merit? Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. Photo by WEWS. In his hunt for unsubstantiated widespread voter fraud, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has accused county prosecutors of purposely ignoring his referrals of possible election rigging. On the other hand, law enforcement officials are offended by his baseless attack, explaining the secretarys cases of fraud have no merit. The Republican secretary, despite touting that Ohio is the gold standard of elections, is blaming county officials for not pursuing alleged fraud. There is no widespread fraud, which is why there is a lack of convictions, according to Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Associations Lou Tobin. When the prosecutor chases it down, it turns out theres nothing there, Tobin said. Despite this, LaRoses team complained in a letter to Attorney General Dave Yost that prosecutors have not taken up possible election fraud referrals. It was an attack on prosecutors, Tobin said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Since 2019, the secretarys office referred 633 people to law enforcement for potential violations. Of that, only 12 people have been charged. Cuyahoga County had two of the successful prosecutions. In 2023, A Shaker Heights Trump supporter who had voted in both Ohio and Florida received three years in prison. The same year, an unaffiliated elderly voter from Westlake was charged with voting in Ohio and Arizona. In 2024, he pleaded guilty and was fined $1,000. Case Western Reserve University elections law professor Atiba Ellis explained LaRoses view. Law enforcement isnt doing their job and therefore all of this voter fraud that must exist is being missed, Ellis said. In the Tuesday letter from Hun Yi, LaRoses director of investigations, he told Yost that many of these referrals have not been pursued by law enforcement. We do respect prosecutorial discretion and didnt expect all 633 referrals to lead to criminal charges, but only 12 out of 633 shows a second set of eyes is needed to determine whether prosecution of these crimes is justified, said Hun Yi, LaRoses director of investigations. In a press release the same day, LaRose said that the cases havent been pursued sometimes by choice and other times due to limited prosecutorial capacity. He also sent Yost a breakdown of possible violations. We have requested and am awaiting the referral document of the alleged fraud. Most county prosecutors we reached out to were busy arguing actual cases in court Friday, but Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office Economic Crimes Unit Supervisor Andrew Rogalski sat down to explain why LaRose isnt getting his desired convictions. I am aware of not one case where we got a referral and then just didnt do anything with it, Rogalski said. Many of the cases LaRose refers to his team are of people possibly double voting. Prosecution wasnt warranted because the investigation showed that it wasnt, in fact, the same person voting, the official said. Other prosecutor teams reached out to us to share the same sentiment. In the letter to the AG, Yi wrote that noncitizens may be registering and committing voting violations. Rogalski looked into this. In every instance, the form that [noncitizens] used to register, they did not lie, he shared. They checked the box that said they were noncitizen. Before LaRoses team even referred it to Cuyahoga, they sent the individual a form instructing them that they were inappropriately registered and that they should fill out this form to rescind their registration. In almost every instance, the noncitizen filled out that form and had their registration rescinded, Rogalski said. There was no need to move forward on cases with people who rescinded the registration form because of a lack of criminal intent, he added. The prosecutors cant pursue meritless cases, Tobin said. Theres just minimal evidence there to pursue the indictment or to obtain a conviction, Tobin said. Others are simply things that dont warrant a prosecution. Yosts legal team responded in a letter Thursday that they cant investigate. His office is only allowed to investigate alleged voting fraud, not voter registration fraud, which is what the overwhelming majority of referrals are. Voter registration fraud tends to be when someone makes a mistake on their application, Ellis explained. Mistakes by the voter, which yes, that causes regulatory problems, but that doesnt equal a mass conspiracy of voter fraud, the professor said. Yosts team wrote that the only way for them to get involved is if the legislators change state law. Ellis worries that more unnecessary policing could lead to voter suppression. Prosecuting voters for fraud that doesnt exist sounds like a formula for intimidation, he said. This wouldnt be the first time LaRose is accused of trying to subvert the will of the voter. In just the past year, LaRose tried to eliminate drop boxes after Ohioans with disabilities got better access to voting, drastically changed the redistricting amendments summary language (one that would take power away from politicians, including him, and give it back to the citizens) in a move that both Democrats and Republicans said was unethical, and was the face of the campaign to eliminate majority rule in the state (August 2023 Issue 1, which was to make it harder for citizens to amend the constitution and also was the direct result of the abortion access amendment making the ballot). For Ellis, this is frustrating to watch. Its a problem being invented by people who distrust the voters and therefore want to prosecute the voters, he said. He said its also a game of political blame-shifting. Because the evidence doesnt support the voter fraud evidence, accuse people of not doing their jobs in order to explain it away, he added. Cuyahoga County, although having a great relationship with the AGs office, said they are likely the largest prosecutors office in the state and can handle what comes to them or they know how to ask for help when they need it. The Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office is fully equipped and fully committed to prosecuting all Ohio offenses that occur in Cuyahoga County, Rogalski said. Nothing I would like to change about that. Tobin agreed, saying that prosecutors take their jobs seriously. LaRose is undermining them by calling on Yost and possibly the state lawmakers, he said. If the Secretary of State wants to see more of his cases pursued by prosecutors, he would be better served investigating these scenarios that hes finding and sending us better cases rather than attacking prosecutors, Tobin said. And to be very clear, there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Ohio. Even without including odd-year elections, meaning just including presidential and gubernatorial years, plus the August 2023 special election, more than 23 million people voted from 2020 to now. Even if there were 633 true fraudulent allegations, which there arent, according to prosecutors, that would be 0.0026%. Trusting the prosecutors, fraud would be at 0.00005% showing this is not a widespread issue. Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on X and Facebook. This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE COMPANY NEWS: Leading technology service provider Tecala today announced its expanded partnership with Netskope , a leader in Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), with the appointment to Netskopes Managed Service Provider (MSP) Program. The Netskope MSP Program is a specialisation within the companys Evolve Partner Program for partners that architect, deploy, and provide managed services for the ongoing support and optimisation of Netskopes market leading SASE platform. Appointment to the MSP program will enable Tecala to deliver Netskope cloud-native Security Service Edge (SSE) - including Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) services - as a fully managed service. The Netskope MSP Program has been designed to help partners provide greater value to their customers with mission-critical cloud security solutions from Netskope, said Murray Mills, Manager of Cyber Security at Tecala. Tecalas appointment to this program recognises our deep expertise in seamlessly managing implementations and resolving issues directly within our clients environments. Increasing need for cloud security As organisations rapidly advance their cloud transformation efforts, the demand for more sophisticated cybersecurity strategies grows exponentially. In this evolving landscape, expert guidance and specialised service delivery have become more crucial than ever. We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with Tecala as they join our Managed Services Program, said Tony Burnside, VP and Head of APJ at Netskope. Specialised cybersecurity partners like Tecala are vital in bridging the gap between advanced security solutions, their successful implementation and ongoing management. Murray Mills said the partnership with Netskope demonstrates the companys commitment to delivering strong cybersecurity protection to cloud-based IT resources. Through these partnerships, we ensure our customers have access to the best-of-breed security and expertise that Tecala provides in designing, implementing and tailoring solutions to meet and align to critically import security controls and frameworks, all while ensuring positive customer user experience, said Mills. We look forward to our relationship with Netskope evolving further in the months and years ahead. Enhancing Tecalas cybersecurity portfolio The relationship between Tecala and Netskope delivers benefits to clients in four key ways: Expertise and insight: As a Netskope Managed Services Partner, Tecala delivers expertise in cloud security, providing customers with the insights and guidance needed to navigate the complexities of modern cyber threats. As a Netskope Managed Services Partner, Tecala delivers expertise in cloud security, providing customers with the insights and guidance needed to navigate the complexities of modern cyber threats. Ecosystem integration: Tecala's deep understanding of the Netskope One platform and complementary security technologies allows a seamless integration of solutions into a customers existing IT infrastructure, ensuring minimal disruption, optimal protection and maximum return on technology investments. Tecala's deep understanding of the Netskope One platform and complementary security technologies allows a seamless integration of solutions into a customers existing IT infrastructure, ensuring minimal disruption, optimal protection and maximum return on technology investments. Customised solutions: Tecala prides itself on delivering customised solutions designed to meet the individual needs of each customer, ensuring that their security posture is robust and aligned with their specific business goals and regulatory requirements. Tecala prides itself on delivering customised solutions designed to meet the individual needs of each customer, ensuring that their security posture is robust and aligned with their specific business goals and regulatory requirements. Ongoing support: Tecala offers continuous support and optimisation services beyond the initial deployment, ensuring that customer security measures evolve with the ever-changing threat landscape. About Tecala As an end-to-end Managed Services Provider (MSP), Tecala supports mid-market clients across Australia. Rooted in a consulting and advisory background, their methodology is built on understanding their clients business objectives first, enabling them to provide technology solutions that deliver brilliant outcomes. Taking a strategic approach, Tecala implements and optimises a range of services including, managed cloud, user support, cyber security, and intelligent automation, as well as a comprehensive, as-a-Service practice that includes infrastructure, data protection and disaster recovery. Interconnectivity is provided for both data and voice via their national network services. Why you might hear explosions today NEWTON FALLS, Ohio (WJW) It may get extra noisy this week in Northeast Ohio. Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center in Newton Falls is planning explosives training. Man on riding lawnmower hit by SUV in NE Ohio Explosives will be used during training by the Ohio National Guards 147th Regiment on Wednesday. September 18, and Thursday, September 19. Explosives training is an important part of military readiness for Army engineers and simulates realistic battle conditions, the Ohio National Guard wrote in a press release. SEE IT: Cedar Points next record-breaking coaster The sounds from the explosions may be heard farther away than usual, according to the military. Training season runs through the month of September. Camp James A. Garfield has various small arms and machine gun weapons ranges for training. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The News Chinese electric vehicles will likely continue to dominate the global market even after some countries particularly the US have imposed tariffs and other restrictions to boost their domestic competition. European Union officials are poised to also increase the import tax on Chinese EVs, and the US has set a 100% tariff. Though very few EVs have been imported to the US from China, their low starting price means that even with the 100% tariff, some Chinese companies EVs may remain cheaper than even the lowest cost US equivalents, an industry researcher told Nikkei Asia. At the same time, other international markets are opening up to China: Egypt has completely removed tax on Chinas EVs, and Chinese EV company showrooms are popping up across Africa. SIGNALS Chinas EV battery production remains unmatched Sources: Nikkei Asia, The New York Times Chinas dominance is owed to its ability to produce low-cost EV batteries, while the US and other countries have lagged in developing their own supply chains to compete. China controls the majority of the worlds cobalt and lithium mining industries, both essential minerals for batteries. Heavy investment in research has produced cheaper and better batteries and battery parts that global EV makers now rely on, The New York Times noted. Batteries reflect 30% of the total cost of manufacturing an EV, and US imports of Chinese-made batteries totaled $6.2 billion in the first half of this year, Nikkei Asia reported. By 2030, China will make more than twice as many batteries as all other countries combined, according to consulting group Benchmark Minerals. Compared to Beijing, US and EU lag on aids to industry Sources: Nikkei Asia, Bloomberg, Chatham House While the US has looked to remain competitive in its local transition to EVs, by providing large amounts of government aid to electric carmakers in recent years, China retains a wide lead after a decade-long national effort to grow their EV industry, according to Nikkei Asia. Meanwhile, Beijing has also boosted Chinas EV industry with more than $231 billion over the last 15 years, Bloomberg reported, a conservative estimate that doesnt include the benefits of low-cost land and alleged forced labor. Still, the US has provided lavish subsidies to green manufacturers compared to the European Union which is set to increase its own tariffs on Chinese EVs to 35% where the annual climate investment deficit is estimated to be around 406 billion. Chinese EV companies see a new market in Africa Sources: ZAWYA, Mail & Guardian , The Global Times Chinese EV giant BYD recently opened its first showroom in Zambia, a sign of its growing ambition in Africa as an emerging market for EVs outside the West. While the continents EV market remains small by global standards barely 900 EVs were sold last year in South Africa, one of the continents biggest economies BYDs growing footprint points to the regions potential. A Shanghai-based company, Hozon Auto, plans to expand to more than 100 stores across the continent, with annual sales expected to exceed 20,000, a Hozon manager told Chinese state news outlet, The Global Times. Meanwhile, Egypt has announced a zero-tariff policy to boost Chinese EV sales. KYIV, Ukraine The shots the Secret Service fired near former President Donald Trump at a Florida golf course Sunday are ringing out 5,000 miles away in the Russia-Ukraine war. After what officials said appeared to be the second attempt to assassinate Trump in three months, a man named Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested and charged. Routh had already been extensively profiled in the Western media as an ardent supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russias ongoing invasion. He had traveled to Ukraine wanting to fight but said in media interviews that he turned to recruitment after its military rejected him because he was too old and had no battlefield experience. Ukraine sought Monday to distance itself from Routh, with the countrys international legion the military unit that includes foreign volunteers saying it had nothing to do with him. Meanwhile, officials in the U.S. were yet to lay out any possible motive. Follow NBC News' live coverage here Russia quickly sought to weaponize his support for Ukraine, an unwelcome development for Kyiv right at the moment both American support and the fight on the battlefield appear to hang in the balance. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, says she will continue President Joe Bidens backing of Kyiv; Trump, the GOP nominee, has been more ambiguous twice refusing to say whether he wanted the U.S. ally to win the war at last weeks debate. Many Ukrainians had already feared an election win for him would spell disaster for their war effort, which relies heavily on Washington. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said early Monday on X that he was "glad to hear that @realDonaldTrump is safe and unharmed. My best wishes to him and his family. Its good that the suspect in the assassination attempt was apprehended quickly," he wrote. "This is our principle: The rule of law is paramount and political violence has no place anywhere in the world. We sincerely hope that everyone remains safe. But Moscow was already stirring the pot. I wonder what would happen if it turned out that the failed new Trump shooter Routh, who recruited mercenaries for the Ukrainian army, was himself hired by the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev for this assassination attempt? former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Security Council, wrote on X. There has been no evidence for that suggestion. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that it is not us who should think about it; it is the U.S. special services who should think about it. In any case, playing with fire has its consequences. Therefore, first of all, this should be a great concern and a headache for the U.S. special services. Legion rejects links Routh was the self-appointed director of an unofficial group called the International Volunteer Center, and he was also using his Facebook account to try to conscript Afghan soldiers who fled the Taliban in 2021 to fight for Kyiv against Moscow, encouraging would-be recruits who speak English to send him their details via WhatsApp. Volunteering in Ukraine is the most honorable and noble sacrifice, and every human on the planet should be here for freedom and human rights, Rouths military recruitment website read. If you do not have military experience, you must sell yourself that you are capable. In May 2022, a GoFundMe page was set up on his behalf by Kathleen Shaffer, who said she was his fiancee. The page, which had raised more than $1,800 when it was removed Sunday, was aimed at helping his volunteer and recruitment drive in Ukraine. Routh at a rally in Kyiv on April 27, 2022. However, none of the efforts were linked to the Ukrainian military, which had rejected his advances and appears to have treated his enthusiasm with suspicion. In interviews, Routh bemoaned what he called Ukraines attitude toward his overtures. Oleksandr Shahuri, a spokesman for Ukraines International Legion, told NBC News that Routh never served in the legion and that it had no other record of any interaction with him. The legion said in a separate email statement: We would like to clarify that Ryan Wesley Routh has never been part of, associated with, or linked to the International Legion in any capacity. Any claims or suggestions indicating otherwise are entirely inaccurate. It is important to note that military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine should refrain from engaging in discussions regarding U.S. domestic politics or its international implications. We fully respect and welcome the decisions made by the American people in choosing their elected officials, it added. The Ukrainian government and military did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Routh said on social media that he supported Trump in 2016, but by 2020 he had soured on him, writing I will be glad when you gone [sic] in June that year. Around the same time, he also tweeted in support of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and then-Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who is now an independent, saying Biden stands for nothing. Far beyond simply repelling Russia's invasion, he said on X in 2022 that "we do not stop until Putin is dead and Moscow is a pile of rubble," calling for the U.S. to bolster its nuclear arsenal. He also extended an open invitation to North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un in 2020 to come "to Hawaii for vacation," saying that "it would be an honor to have you at our beaches. I an a leader here and can arrange the whole trip. Please come." Other aspects of his online profile have not yet been explained. His WhatsApp bio says, "We each need to help the Chinese," without further explanation. After Russias full-scale invasion in February 2022, he was a vocal presence both on social media and in Kyivs Maidan Square, where he pitched a tent and erected billboards trying to rally volunteers. Photos online showed him with dyed blue and blond hair the colors of Ukraines flag swaddled in a star-spangled banner neckerchief and a bulletproof vest. That summer, NBC News spoke briefly with Routh, who said in a message that the Wests limited response to Ukraines war was an indictment of the entire human race and extremely disappointing. There was never any formal interview, and his comments were not included in NBC News coverage of the war. It is a highly charged issue. Ukraine would not have been able to put up such a staunch defense against Russia without tens of billions of dollars in aid from the U.S. and other Western powers. But it has been pushing its backers to do more, and there is deep uncertainty and anxiety about the path Trump would take should he win concerns in Kyiv that will only have been fueled by Sunday's events. Daryna Mayer reported from Kyiv and Alex Smith and Caroline Radnofsky from London. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com A group of Wichita-area restaurants will be ordered to pay nearly a million dollars in back wages to workers after being accused of violating tipping rules and denying minimum or overtime wages for several years. A federal jury in Kansas awarded $957,324 in back wages to 168 workers of Los Cocos Mexican Restaurant, at their three locations in Wichita, Derby and Andover, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Labor. A lawsuit filed in January 2022 accused the three joint owners of the restaurants of violating federal laws of using tips earned by servers to pay hosts and bussers and denying other workers overtime pay. Department of Labor investigators say the violations spanned from May 2017 to December 2022. The nearly million-dollar figure is split into $567,291 in minimum wages for loss of tip credit, $276,115 in overtime pay for back of house employees such as cooks, $88,590 in withheld tips and $25,328 for other minimum wage violations, the release said. A jury of their peers found the owners of these three Los Cocos restaurants willfully took wages from servers to pay co-workers who bussed tables and greeted diners and did not pay workers overtime or paid some less than the required minimum wage for their hard work, Regional Solicitor Christine Heri in Chicago said. The Department of Labor will take all necessary actions to ensure workers receive their rightfully earned wages and will present evidence and request the court order the employers to pay employees an amount equal to their back wages in liquidated damages, Heri added. Not the first time Los Cocos has been investigated Now, a judge is expected to issue a payment order for the restaurant to pay the wages and settle the lawsuit. The department continues to seek recovery of an equal amount in liquidated damages for the affected workers. Once recovered, the department will disburse funds to the workers, the release said. This is not the first time the restaurant has been investigated or fined. The Department of Labor found Los Cocos violating the Fair Labor Standards Act in 2009. In November 2023, the court ordered the restaurants owners to pay $16,734 back in overtime wages to 43 servers. Those wages remain unpaid, bringing the total restitution owed to employees to $974,057, officials say. In 2023, the Department of Labors Wage and Hour Division recovered more than $274 million in back wages for nearly 163,000 food service industry workers across the U.S. MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WFRV) A 39-year-old Wisconsin man was sentenced to federal prison on Sept. 12 for gun and drug charges. According to a release, Michael Yumang, 39, of Cudahy, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for possessing methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking. Multiple Sheboygan County students injured in school bus crash After a bench trial in June 2024, Yumang was convicted of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, attempting to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm. Evidence introduced during the trial showed that Yumang used the United States Postal Service to receive substantial quantities of methamphetamine at home in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Yumang also kept a firearm at his residence to protect his contraband and drug proceeds. During the sentencing hearing, United States District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller emphasized that Yumang was very, very fortunate to be alive, given his involvement with drugs and firearms. Judge Stadtmueller also found that Yumang had perjured himself during the trial, such that Yumang had obstructed justice and was subject to a sentencing enhancement. Todays sentence makes clear that under federal law, individuals who deal in highly addictive and devastating controlled substances especially those who do so while armed will face lengthy prison sentences, said U.S. Attorney Gregory Haanstad. We are committed to working with all of our federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners to hold individuals who endanger the community fully accountable for their actions. The Cudahy Police Department echoed U.S. Attorney Haanstads comments. Manitowoc Police Department, Crime Stoppers offering $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of a theft suspect Yumangs criminal activity was of great local concern to the City of Cudahy Police Department, said Cudahy Police Chief Thomas Poellot, By working collaboratively with investigators, police officers were aware of information that caused them to investigate further while handling a traffic-related matter, which furthered this investigation. The Cudahy Police Department greatly benefits by our ongoing partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the United States Attorneys office. The Cudahy Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Postal Inspection Service investigated this matter. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. Has Wisconsin nearly doubled its budget to attract tourists? State Sen. Rob Cowles says so Is Wisconsin doubling down on efforts to attract visitors? One Wisconsin lawmaker says funding for the states tourism department is up nearly 100%. The most recent State Budget increased funding for the Department of Tourism by 98%, state Sen. Rob Cowles, R-Green Bay, said July 12, 2024, during the Weekly GOP radio address posted on WisPolitics.com, as he hailed the importance of attracting tourists to the Badger State. Cowles address was made just a few days before the Republican National Convention, held July 15-18, 2024, at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Cowles referenced the RNC along with the upcoming NFL Draft, set for April 2426, 2025, in Green Bay as important milestones for Wisconsins tourism industry. In his radio address, Cowles pointed out that tourists bring their wallets with them, and the money they spend patronizing local businesses and restaurants makes a difference in local communities and statewide. We were intrigued by Cowles' claim that funding had nearly doubled. Is he right? Budget summary When asked for backup, the senators staff pointed to data from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, a state government agency that provides fiscal and program information and analyses. A summary prepared by the bureau on the state Department of Tourisms 2023-25 budget shows a table that puts the 2023-25 change at 97.8%. For simplicity in the radio address you are referencing, I rounded up to 98% to avoid the need to verbalize decimals in the radio address, Cowles said in an email to PolitiFact Wisconsin. Cowles, in the email to PolitiFact Wisconsin, explained that tourism spending ensures that more people learn about Wisconsin, and When visitors come to Wisconsin, we build a stronger tourism industry, which drives a stronger economy. The senator also touted tourism as a great return on investment. Visitors will spend their money here, leaving funds with small businesses throughout the state and generating additional revenues for local governments and the state government, he told PolitiFact in an email. Here is a breakdown of the fiscal bureaus calculations: Tourism funding for fiscal year 2022-23 is $18,287,700. But the bureau uses a two-year budget system so the base year is doubled to $36,575,400 for the budget. Total funding for fiscal years 2023-25 is $72,343,900. Subtract $36,575,400 from that and you get $35,768,500 for one year and that equals an increase of 97.8% True State's role In a June 11, 2024 news release, Travel Wisconsin announced the 2023-25 biennial budget signed by Gov. Tony Evers invested approximately $35 million over the two-year period to raise Wisconsins profile across the country as a premier business, cultural and recreational destination. This is the largest increase in marketing and advertising funds for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism in state history, and with this investment, the department will be able to run a competitive marketing campaign and keep pace with neighboring states, Travel Wisconsin said in the news release. Meanwhile, Evers office noted that when the governor introduced his 2023-25 budget, it proposed making more than $117 million in additional investments to bolster the states tourism industry, including efforts to expand existing programs such as the Tourism Capital Investment Grant Program, increase support for marketing and advertising initiatives, attract and recruit large-scale events and conventions to Wisconsin, and provide for the local arts with innovative programs and funds. In total, the final budget included less than half than what Gov. Evers originally requested to support the tourism industry in Wisconsin, Evers communications director Britt Cudaback said in an email to PolitiFact Wisconsin. Our ruling Cowles said: The most recent State Budget increased funding for the Department of Tourism by 98%. The states nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau confirmed the nearly 98% figure, so the math is correct. The governors office did object to Cowles radio address statements, saying that some of the funding requested in the governors budget aimed at tourism was removed or cut back by Republican legislators. Be that as it may, the nearly 98% figure touted by Cowles in his radio address is right on the money. For a statement that is accurate and theres nothing significant missing, our rating is True. Sources This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Politifact Wisconsin: Sen. Cowles says state doubled tourism spending Woman arrested after showing signs of impairment following I-10 collision that killed 1 A woman was arrested Sunday afternoon in Chandler after crashing into a vehicle and pushing it into another at the Interstate 10 off-ramp by Ray Road, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Bart Graves, a department spokesperson, said a woman driving a 2023 Mercedes sedan failed to stop for traffic and crashed into a Yukon SUV, pushing it into a Chevrolet sedan. Graves said the driver of the Yukon SUV was taken to a hospital where they were pronounced deceased. Graves said the woman driving the Mercedes showed signs of impairment and was arrested. Witnesses told troopers that they saw the woman driving recklessly prior to the fatal crash. It was not immediately clear what charges the woman faced. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Impaired' woman arrested after fatal I-10 collision Woman blames alcohol for mans death, receives sentence for running him over YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) A woman who pleaded guilty to running over a man with a car and killing him was sentenced Monday to six to nine years in prison in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. Read next: Watch live as crews clean up demolition debris at Realty Building site Judge John Durkin handed down the sentence to Shanay Jacobs, 32, who pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter for the Oct. 15 death of Nathaniel Watson, 30. Watson was found underneath a car at about 4:15 a.m. by police in the 200 block of South Schenley Avenue. Jacobs was originally charged with voluntary manslaughter and felonious assault, but the charge was later upgraded to murder after police said they found video footage that they said showed Jacobs purposely ran Watson over. The charge was reduced to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for Jacobs plea. Prosecutors played security footage for the judge of when the car Jacobs was driving hit Watson. The video showed her walking away from the car after Watson was hit. Jacobs later returned to the scene when police were there. Watsons mother, Sherry Anderson, told the judge she never thought she would be in the position of speaking about her sons death. I have never received a gift like Nathan as my son, she said. I used to say, Lord, what did I do to deserve this? Her son was a joy to be around and was a good character person. She said she is relying on her faith since her sons death. Hes gone now from here, but hes never gone from me, she said. Hes in my heart. She cried when she said she misses her son but added, I want to see good come from this tragedy. Jacobs was also crying when Anderson spoke. It was God who gave me a child I loved, and I still love him, Anderson said. Karlesha Tate, a cousin of Watsons, recalled family events with him while growing up. She said he was as close to her as a brother. Our family is so close, but every holiday, something is missing. Every game night, something is missing. She said her cousin would have forgiven Jacobs if he had survived and she wanted to do what she thinks her cousin would have done. I dont hate anybody, she said. Assistant Prosecutor Rob Andrews said Jacobs ran over Watson after Watson tried to break up an argument between Jacobs and her sister. He said he anticipated that defense attorney Walter Madison to say that Jacobs actions were clouded by alcohol, but Andrews said that police at the scene did not test Jacobs for alcohol because she did not appear to intoxicated. Andrews said in a presentence investigation, Jacobs did not take responsibility for her actions that resulted in Watsons death. He asked for a sentence of 11 to 16 and a half years. Jacobs sister testified under questioning from Madison that a series of deaths of friends and family close together led Jacobs to drink and that family and friends tried to get her to stop. She testified that Jacobs was drunk when Watson was killed. Jacobs testified under questioning from Madison that she did not mean to kill Watson and that she was drunk from drinking constantly before Watson was killed. She said she want to three bars and an after-hours club before they ended up at her sisters house. She said she cant remember running Watson over because of how much she drank and that she does not remember the fight she had with her sister. Now, she said, Im done with alcohol for the rest of my life. Im traumatized. It would be disrespectful to Nate. She said shes been taking substance abuse and anger management classes while she has been in the county jail. Reading from a statement, Jacobs apologized. I am deeply sorry for this tragic accident, she said. I never meant for any of this to happen; I truly loved Nathaniel. There is a deep cut to my heart because I still do not remember what happened, Jacobs said. Madison said he believed Jacobs should not serve more than five years in prison. When Andrews questioned Jacobs, Andrews pointed out that two and a half hours after Watson was killed, she was able to tell detectives about the argument she had with her sister before Watson was killed. Judge Durkin said it is clear that alcohol was involved in Watsons death. He said Watsons death was a tragedy. Nate did not deserve to die, Judge Durkin 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 WKBN.com. HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) A woman was arrested and charged with attempted murder after an incident in Jasper on Sunday morning. Police say dispatch received calls about a man with blood on his clothing and a head injury. While looking for the man, police say he called 911 to report Clara Whippo hit him with a metal object and he was suffering from a head injury. Officers say the man was taken to a hospital. According to a news release, police found Whippo thanks to a K9 officer. Whippo was charged with attempted murder, battery with a deadly weapon, criminal recklessness, aggravated battery, neglect of an animal and criminal trespass. Police did not release the name of the victim. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). Police were called to a block of flats in Duckett Street in the early hours of Sunday [Google] A woman has been charged with the murder of another woman in east London. Hope Rowe, 32, of Piazza Walk, Whitechapel, is accused of killing a woman who was stabbed in a foyer of a block of flats in Duckett Street, Stepney Green, in the early hours of Sunday. The victim has not been formally identified but the Met Police says it is "confident" she is Charlotte Lawler, 31. Ms Rowe is due to appear at Thames Magistrates' Court later. She has also been charged with possession of a bladed article. Police were called at about 01:17 BST on Sunday to Duckett Street in Tower Hamlets. The London Ambulance Service also attended but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The Met said Ms Lawler's next of kin had been informed and continued to be supported by specially trained officers. A 37-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender was later released on bail. A crime scene remains in place at the address and inquiries into the circumstances continue, the force said. It appealed for anyone with information to 101 and quote CAD480/15Sep. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk GUEST EVENT: TelSoc (the Telecommunications Association) is pleased to welcome a particularly distinguished speaker for this year's Charles Todd Oration, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the association, since its initial formation as the Telegraph Electrical Society in 1874. Will Irving NBN Co chief strategy and transformation officer Will's theme will be: "If at first you dont succeed " and it will deliver many industry insights from the creation of the NBN to the future of universal service in Australia. TelSoc is proud to be presenting this year's Charles Todd Oration at Royal Automobile Club of Australia, 89 Macquarie Street, Sydney. Join TelSoc and Will for lunch on Thursday, 17 October 2024. Will is uniquely qualified to provide us with these insights. He was there at the beginning of the NBN Co and is now still on centre stage. Will began his appointment as NBN Co chief strategy and transformation officer in October 2019 and leads NBN's Strategic Services Group which encompasses NBN's key customer and revenue growth engine its new developments business along with an array of corporate functions: security; data and analytics; strategic partnerships; corporate strategy; privacy, risk management and business continuity; and compliance. In addition to his role at NBN Co, in October 2022 Will became a non-executive director of Chorus New Zealands leading fixed line telecommunications infrastructure company. Prior to joining NBN Co, Will was the Interim CEO of Telstra InfraCo and the group executive of Telstra Wholesale from 2016 to 2018. Between 2011 and 2016, he headed Telstra Business, responsible for more than one million small and medium business Telstra customers from sole traders to smaller ASX listed companies and local government. Prior to that, between 2005 and 2011, Will was Telstras group general counsel through the T3 privatisation, the multiple attempts at creating a national broadband network, and Telstras A$11 billion deal with NBN Co in 2011. Before becoming group general counsel, Will held a variety of legal leadership roles at Telstra between 1997 and 2005, having started his career as a telco lawyer at King & Wood Mallesons in 1994. The event will start with an aperitif and canapes at 11:45, followed by a table lunch around the speech and Q&A. Will Irving will be introduced by last years Charles Todd Orator, Rob Nicholls. The venue is Royal Automobile Club of Australia, 89 Macquarie Street, Sydney, 2000. Please see TelSocs website for details and booking information: telsoc.org/event/2024-charles-todd-oration Please put the event in your diary booking information will be added to the website soon. Woman sentenced in DUI crash that killed friend who was Mississippi Coast police officer A Mississippi woman is headed to prison for 10 years for being under the influence of alcohol when she caused a crash that killed Waveland police officer Katie Cash. Before the sentence was imposed, a tearful Angela Christian James, 45, of Carriere, apologized for what she had done that led to her arrest and subsequent conviction. Judge Christopher Schmidt sentenced James on Monday on a charge of manslaughter. She had pleaded guilty in June for her actions that led to the July 18, 2021, crash that killed the Waveland police officer. The crash occurred one day after Cash, a mother of two, graduated from the Harrison County Law Enforcement Academy. Waveland Police Officer Katie Cash James and Cash, 33, were friends, her family said. According to authorities, James was legally drunk and reached speeds of up to 100 mph as clocked by a sensor in her new vehicle when the vehicle ran off the road in a curve and flipped, trapping James in the car and ejecting Cash and another passenger. Her attorney, James Gray, disputed whether the sensor picked up the correct speed. In exchange for her guilty plea in June, Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Necaise said prosecutors had dismissed the remaining charges of DUI causing death or disfigurement. Cash died at the scene. At her plea hearing in June, James recalled the morning she was legally drunk and got into a vehicle crash that killed her friend. At the plea hearing, James said she thought she had passed out before the crash happened. However, she doesnt remember much about what happened because of head injuries she had also sustained that sent her to a hospital for treatment as well. The crash happened at 3:45 a.m. on July 18, 2021, on a curve just before the intersection at Highway 63 and Paradise Lane. The car was headed north when it ran off the road, the Mississippi Highway Patrol said at the time. According to a sensor in her new car, James was speeding, reaching speeds of 100 mph before the crash, though her attorney, James Gray, questioned whether the sensor recorded the speed correctly. A Hancock County grand jury had indicted James on four additional counts of felony DUI causing death or disfigurement. A police officer escorts Angela James as she appears in Hancock County Circuit Court to plead guilty on Monday, June 17, 2024. James pled guilty to manslaughter in the death of Katie Cash after a fatal 2021 crash. However, Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Necaise said prosecutors dismissed those charges in exchange for the guilty plea. Necaise prosecuted the case. When authorities went to lead James out of the courtroom after the sentencing, she looked back to a relative, saying, Bye baby, I love you. In the aftermath of her death, Waveland Police Chief Mike Prendergast shared an emotional post about losing Cash and asked the community to keep Cash, her family, and her police officers in their prayers. Cars of a roller coaster ride against a blue sky at the Oktoberfest. A worker has been killed during a test ride on a rollercoaster at Germany's Oktoberfest on Monday. Felix Horhager/dpa The start of the Oktoberfest in the southern German city of Munich next Saturday has been overshadowed by a tragic accident after a worker was fatally injured during a test ride on the Olympia Looping roller-coaster. The fire brigade in the southern city of Munich, which hosts the world-famous folk festival every year, said a 20-year-old was hit by a wagon at full speed and left seriously injured under the rails. The worker was treated at the Oktoberfest site in the Bavarian capital, it said. Emergency services carried out resuscitation measures on the way to hospital, where the man died. The operator of the affected ride, Otto Barth, said he was "deeply shaken" by the accident. He stated that the entire team was in shock. "My deepest condolences go to the family and friends of the deceased." He said he could not explain how the accident happened, adding that he was in close contact with the authorities and was supporting the experts who are trying to clarify the exact circumstances of the accident. Final preparations before start of 2024 event Final preparations are currently under way on the festival grounds, with the 189th Oktoberfest set to begin on Saturday. Police are investigating the circumstances of the accident, a spokesman said, while employees are receiving support from a crisis intervention team. It was initially unclear why the man was so close to the tracks that the train could hit him. Employees from the police department responsible for industrial accidents have gone to the accident site, said the police. Germany's TUV safety standards watchdog and certification authority is also on site and is examining the incident, however a fire brigade spokesman said the accident had nothing to do with the operational safety of the ride: "This is a pure work accident that happened during the set-up phase." Fatal accident a year and a half ago Just a year and a half ago, at the end of March 2022, a young woman was fatally injured on the same roller-coaster in Vienna's Prater amusement park. The employee walked under the tracks of the ride and was hit by an approaching carriage, the Vienna police said at the time. It was further stated that she had been in a restricted area she was not supposed to be in. The Olympia Looping was opened at the Oktoberfest in 1989 and, with 1,250 metres of track, is considered the largest transportable roller-coaster in the world. The five loops are arranged like the Olympic rings. The ride is one of the attractions of the festival and reaches speeds of up to 90 kilometres per hour. Shock among colleagues A spokeswoman for the funfair operators, Yvonne Heckl, said she was in shock. She described the incident as "news that pulls the ground out from under your feet a drama for the family, the operator and everyone else involved." She mentioned that fairground colleagues empathize with the relatives and those affected. "We are one big Wiesn family," said Heckl, using a local nickname for the Oktoberfest. Peter Bausch, chairman of the Munich Funfair Operator Association, also reacted with dismay: "It is a tragic accident. That a young person has died is the most terrible thing." High safety standards Heckl also pointed to the meticulous preparations and high safety requirements at the Oktoberfest. "In general, we have the highest safety standards, but there is no such thing as complete safety we must not be deceived," said the spokeswoman for the funfair operators. Before the start of the festival, the rides are thoroughly inspected, with the TUV regularly on site. Nevertheless, incidents still occur from time to time at rides or during the set-up and dismantling of the Wiesn. Last year, a worker was injured after the festival when he fell 5 metres while dismantling a ride. Last year, on the first day of the festival, there was an accident on another roller-coaster, although it passed off without serious consequences. Some passengers sustained minor injuries when a moving train slowly rolled back into a stationary one. In 2023, some 7.2 million guests attended the Oktoberfest, considered the largest folk festival in the world, which features beer tents and fun rides. Up to 6 million visitors are expected at this year's festival, which runs until October 6. Worker killed in test ride on rollercoaster at Munich's Oktoberfest Cars of a roller coaster ride against a blue sky at the Oktoberfest. A worker has been killed during a test ride on a rollercoaster at Germany's Oktoberfest on Monday. Felix Horhager/dpa A worker has been killed during a test ride on a rollercoaster at Germany's Oktoberfest on Monday. The fire brigade in the southern city of Munich, which hosts the world-famous festival every year, said a 20-year-old was hit by a wagon at full speed and left seriously injured under the rails. The worker was treated at the Oktoberfest site in the Bavarian capital, it said. Emergency services carried out resuscitation measures on the way to hospital, where the man died. Police are investigating the circumstances of the accident, while employees are receiving support from a crisis intervention team. The 189th edition of the Oktoberfest is due to begin in Munich on Saturday. Some 7.2 million guests attended the festival last year. Cars of a roller coaster ride against a blue sky at the Oktoberfest. A worker has been killed during a test ride on a rollercoaster at Germany's Oktoberfest on Monday. Felix Horhager/dpa A worker was killed during a test ride on a rollercoaster at Germany's Oktoberfest on Monday. The fire brigade in the southern city of Munich, which hosts the world-famous festival every year, said a 20-year-old was hit by a wagon at full speed and left seriously injured under the rails. The worker was treated at the Oktoberfest site in the Bavarian capital, it said. Emergency services carried out resuscitation measures on the way to hospital, where the man died. Final preparations before start of 2024 event Final preparations are currently under way on the festival grounds, with the 189th Oktoberfest set to begin on Saturday. Police are investigating the circumstances of the accident, a spokesman said, while employees are receiving support from a crisis intervention team. It was initially unclear why the man was so close to the tracks that the train could hit him. Shock among colleagues A spokeswoman for the funfair operators, Yvonne Heckl, said she was in shock. She described the incident as "news that pulls the ground out from under your feet a drama for the family, the operator and everyone else involved." She mentioned that fairground colleagues empathize with the relatives and those affected. "We are one big Wiesn family," said Heckl, using a local nickname for the Oktoberfest. Peter Bausch, chairman of the Munich Funfair Operator Association, also reacted with dismay: "It is a tragic accident. That a young person has died is the most terrible thing." High safety standards Heckl also pointed to the meticulous preparations and high safety requirements at the Oktoberfest. "In general, we have the highest safety standards, but there is no such thing as complete safety we must not be deceived," said the spokeswoman for the funfair operators. The rides are thoroughly checked before the start of the fair, regularly involving Germany's TUV safety standards watchdog and certification authority. Last year, on the first day of the festival, there was an accident on another rollercoaster, although it ended lightly. Some passengers sustained minor injuries when a moving train slowly rolled back into a stationary one. In 2023, some 7.2 million guests attended the folk festival, which features beer tents and fun rides. Politicians should get themselves over to Calais, then theyll understand why migrants want to come to the UK - Getty You can keep your three-word slogans. Take back control. Stop the boats. Smash the gangs. They add up to what? More dead children. Thats the reality, or the norm, as more people desperately try to cross the Channel. Just two weeks ago 12 people, including six children and a pregnant woman, died trying to cross this perilous stretch of water. The journey is fraught with danger even before they get to the Channel, of course. This week, off the coast of Italy, another boat that contained 60 people from Sudan, Syria and Iran sank. Their rubber inflatable was driven onto the rocks and ripped in two. Eight people died and a baby was taken to hospital with hypothermia. Yet all this hardly makes the news. Nearly 22,000 people have come this way this year, risking life and limb to get here. They arrive with nothing, yet they are spoken of as invaders, as vermin and as non-human. It seems a very long time ago since that picture of a dead toddler Alan Kurdi, a Syrian child of Kurdish descent, moved us. On it goes, and Starmer is meeting Giorgia Meloni to discuss whether migrants may be processed elsewhere. Anywhere but here right? Where we have a backlog of asylum claims? In between the politicking, the demonising of desperate people and the sheer waste and immorality of the Rwanda scheme, people smugglers will still be on the beaches launching terrified souls off in little more than paddling pools. Why dont they stay in France? Why are they so determined to get to Britain? If you want to know why, I suggest you get yourself over to Calais, or Dunkirk, and see how they are living. I did some years ago when the Calais jungle was still going, before it was bulldozed down. It was rough. A doctor I was with was helping women who were pregnant through rape. We found two little Afghan boys, aged about 10 or 11, full of scabies and sleeping in a ditch. Their fingerprints had been burnt off. The French police stopped us and asked what we were doing with these Islamists. The police there do not hide what they think about these migrants: they tear gas them, beat them and smash their phones, which represent their entire worlds. Theyre a record of their journey, a connection to where they have come from and where they want to go. Established in Jan 2015, the Calais Jungle was demolished in Oct 2016 it was estimated to house 10,000 migrants at the time - Paul Grover During my time helping in the jungle, the cold and fear got in my bones. But it was nothing compared to what I saw in the woods of the Grande Synthe commune. It was a muddish hell with, no electricity, no running water and no toilets. Women, mainly Kurdish, were frying whatever they could in tiny stoves in these flammable, flimsy tents. I have been to lots of terrible places in the world: this did not meet any kind of humanitarian standards. Before the jungle was razed to the ground, we had Sangatte. Have we learned from them? Clearly not, when there are still people massing on the French coast. This is the last leg in years of journeying through Turkey, Libya, Cyprus etc The migrants will continue to come to Britain because they know they are but 20 miles from a place where English is spoken, where they have families, where they might have lives instead of living in this terrible limbo. They have risked death many times before. When I came back from this horror an hour away on the Eurostar I volunteered in a drop-in centre for refugees. We cooked them a good meal, ate with them, sorted out clothes, gave English lessons, helped them write letters or played games with them. Sometimes we just talked. The pictures that the kids drew were full of guns, torture, blood, and beheadings. The Eritrean women often sat and just gazed into the middle distance. The Eastern Europeans were mostly homeless but worked on building sites, eventually getting sent home. My favourites were the Syrians. They were educated and though they went through some of the worst atrocities, it was possible to see that they would make a life here. They had been pharmacists and poets. They wanted their English to be good enough to do MBAs. All of them wanted to work but could only do so through the black economy. I wont pretend that all of these people were genuine asylum seekers or that there wasnt tension between these groups. Some were economic migrants, some were mentally ill, some were homeless... One old man with a long matted beard who we thought was Russian would come in freezing and starving. We knew only that he lived in a forest and never really spoke to anyone. But one day he sat down at the piano and played Bach. Who knew what his life had been? For all of the persecution by police, many migrants actually do stay in France. This is because safe and legal routes have been cut off for them: that is what our politics has achieved. You cannot smash the gangs until you give people a legal alternative. Until that arrives, those who have left war-torn countries to get here know about bravery. If this government had a scintilla of bravery it would be to recognise that we need migrants and they need us. No party dares be honest about this. The price of dishonesty is those tiny bodies floating face down in freezing water. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. An analysis from the New Partnership for New Americans estimates that by the end of 2020 Arizona will have gained over 49,000 new eligible voters who are immigrants in the four years since the last presidential election. Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy | Arizona Mirror In my 3,000-member strong union, the decision for the next president is evident. One candidate resorts to scapegoating immigrants in an attempt to divide us, whereas the other candidate supports an earned pathway to citizenship. As November approaches, workers like me are determined to cast our votes for candidates who wholeheartedly support the rights of working people. I was born in South Sudan and grew up amid civil wars. I witnessed the horrors of family members, friends, and neighbors being murdered by the government. Children were kidnapped and taken in the middle of the night and forced to take up arms as soldiers. Fearing for my safety, my mother urged me to flee. I embarked on a perilous journey with other teenage boys, traversing for 10 days until we reached Ethiopias border. Raised and educated in refugee camps, I built a family and a career, and eventually sought refuge and a new beginning in America for a better life. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Today, I proudly call Phoenix my home, where I live with my wife and five children. I obtained U.S. citizenship two years ago and am eager to cast my first vote in a presidential election. I am employed at a warehouse distribution center, where I work alongside colleagues from various corners of the world, including Canada, Africa, Europe and Asia. We collectively reflect diverse cultures; many of us immigrants are refugees, and all of us are pursuing the American Dream. Our combined work ethic and diverse backgrounds make us integral to the American workforce. The immigrant community in Arizona makes up 13% of the states population, with almost half being naturalized US citizens like myself. As new American voters living in a swing state, our votes carry significant weight in determining who will occupy the White House. This is especially important given that the 2020 presidential election in Arizona was decided by just 10,000 votes. As a proud new American, my vote will give a voice to the voiceless and help elect champions who support working people. When I began working at the warehouse, I was wrongfully fired by my boss in retaliation for speaking up against his mistreatment and disrespect for workers. On one occasion, my boss expressed his disdain for workers who were not fluent in English. Luckily, my union family had my back, and I regained my position. It was evident my boss held prejudices against individuals who shared my background. Just as my union family stood by me, our elected leaders must also have our back and support workers and vigorously champion the rights of all working people, no matter where we come from or the color of our skin. My fellow union members and I believe this election goes beyond preserving the right to unionize. Its about restoring reproductive freedom for all women without dictating when and how they can start a family. We support raising taxes to ensure corporations pay their fair share instead of imposing higher taxes on hard-working Americans. We want American families to stay together and prevent mass raids and deportations by state and local law enforcement. The strength of our union lies in treating immigrants with humanity and recognizing their vital role in our society and the US economy. We believe in unity and the need to elect leaders who champion the rights of all working people. This November, the choice is crystal clear. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The XEC Covid Variant Is Now In Half Of U.S. States. Doctors Say These Are The Symptoms To Watch Out For "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Many COVID-19 variants have come and gone since the pandemic began, but now, theres a new one getting attention from the infectious disease community. Its called XEC, and its currently spreading in Europe and the United States. XEC is an Omicron variant that descended from subvariants KS.1.1 and FLiRT variant KP.3.3, according to Scripps Researchs Outbreak.info. XEC has several spike mutations, which is what the virus uses to infect youand it might be more infectious that previous strains because of it. So what symptoms should be on your radar? Heres the deal. Meet the experts: Amy Edwards, MD, associate professor at Case Western Reserve University and director of the Pediatric COVID Recovery Clinic at UH Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital. Mark Cameron, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Emily Smith, ScD, MPH, is an epidemiologist and an assistant professor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. What symptoms should I watch for? XEC is a pretty new variant and, with that, there isnt a ton of information right now on symptoms people have experienced with it. However, early reports dont suggest that it causes dramatically different symptoms from other strains of COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), symptoms may include: Fever or chills Cough Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Sore throat Congestion or runny nose New loss of taste or smell Fatigue Muscle or body aches Headache Nausea or vomiting Diarrhea When will the new variant hit the U.S.? While the XEC variant is getting a lot of attention in Europe, its already hit the U.S. More than half of states have reported cases, according to preliminary data from the global virus database GISAID via CBS News. Labs in New Jersey have reported the most XEC infectionsat least 15of any state. But this is mostly from the CDC's testing program of arriving travelers who are clearing customs at Newark Liberty International Airport. Will it become the dominant COVID variant? Thats not clear. As of this second, XEC isnt even a blip on the CDC's radarit's not listed as a standalone variant on the official watchlist maintained by the CDC. KP.3.1.1 is the dominant strain in the U.S., followed by KP.2.3, and LB.1, the organization says. Shop Now BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test amazon.com $28.88 That doesnt mean it wont spread, though. Just like JN.1 emerged from BA.2.86 late last year to drive new COVID infections through last fall and winter, XEC may have similar potential, says Mark Cameron, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. But we need to know more about the XEC variant and perhaps those still to come. But lately weve seen several variants circulate heavily at the same time, points out Amy Edwards, MD, associate professor at Case Western Reserve University and director of the Pediatric COVID Recovery Clinic at UH Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital. Dominant is a strong word, she says. With so many very contagious variants, I think the days of having one dominant variant is gone. How can I protect myself? The CDC currently recommends that everyone aged six months and up get the updated COVID-19 vaccine, making that a good place to start. As yet another Omicron family member, being up to date on the latest COVID-19 booster is a protective measure we can take right now, Cameron says. "The main thing we can do to slow a new variant or new wave is to get our booster shots this fall," says Emily Smith, ScD, MPH, an epidemiologist and an assistant professor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. "Generally, we find the boosters give us broad protection, even against new variants." Its also a good idea to wear a mask in crowded indoor areas when levels of COVID-19 are high in your area, especially if youre consider high risk for complications of the virus. And, of course, if you develop symptoms of the virus, its a good idea to test yourself to see if you have the virus so you can lower the odds youll spread it to others. If you do, in fact, have COVID-19 and are considered high risk for serious complications from the virus, you may want to contact your primary care physician about taking an antiviral medication like Paxlovid. You Might Also Like Scientists have warned that a new variant of Covid - known as XEC - is spreading across Europe and the United States. Reports of people catching the new variant have emerged in the UK, and other European nations such as Denmark and Germany. Now doctors in the US are also reporting a small number of cases and predicting it appears set to spread. It is set to be the next challenge for doctors, nurses and healthcare systems, experts said. At this juncture, the XEC variant appears to be the most likely one to get legs next, Dr Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California, wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. He said it may take many weeks, a couple months, before it really takes hold and starts to cause a wave. Experts believe the new variant is not likely to as deadly as some of the other mutations that previously presented a challenge for doctors and nurses and that it ought to respond to vaccines currently available. The symptoms are also similar to those of other Covid variants - tiredness, headaches, a sore throat and high temperatures. Earlier this summer, the US was dealing with the biggest surge in Covid cases since 2022. The so-called Summer of Covid was believed to have triggered in part by events such at the Olympic Games in Paris. More than 80 countries saw a spike in cases, with the most common type of the virus being what is called KP.3.1.1. Weve seen these summer increases every summer that Covid as been with us, Dr Amesh Adalja, a Johns Hopkins University infectious disease physician, told the Associated Press. Whats different about these cases this summer vs prior summers is that they dont translate into hospitals in crisis. In August, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved new vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna and urged people to get vaccinated. We strongly encourage those who are eligible to consider receiving an updated Covid vaccine to provide better protection against currently circulating variants, said FDA vaccine chief Dr Peter Marks. Now, doctors are preparing for the new XEC variant. Dr Andrea Garcia, a vice president with the American Medical Association (AMA) recently told health industry professionals that deaths from Covid were low compared to where they were in previous years, but they did increase in late August. She added: The other thing to keep an eye on, and we know doctors and scientists are keeping an eye on this as well, is yet another subvariant, and that is XEC that could surpass KP.3.1.1 in the coming weeks.s She said: It was first detected in Germany, and while its been detected here in the US, the prevalence is low and theres not a lot of data on this new subvariant at this point in time. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. In this photo released of EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, the EU naval mission working in the Red Sea, on the X-platform formerly known as Twitter, on Sept. 16, 2024, the Greek-flagged oil tanker MV-Sounion, left, is towed. Salvagers successfully towed a Greek-flagged oil tanker ablaze for weeks after attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels to a safe area without any oil spill, a European Union naval mission said Monday. (EUNAFOR ASPIDES via AP) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Salvagers successfully towed a Greek-flagged oil tanker ablaze for weeks after attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels to a safe area without any oil spill, a European Union naval mission said Monday. The Sounion reached waters away from Yemen as the Houthis meanwhile claimed that they shot down another American-made MQ-9 Reaper drone, with video circulating online showing what appeared to be a surface-to-air missile strike and flaming wreckage strewn across the ground. The two events show the challenges still looming for the world as it tries to mitigate a monthslong campaign by the rebels over the Israel-Hamas war raging in the Gaza Strip. While the rebels allowed the Sounion to be moved, they continue to threaten ships moving through the Red Sea, a waterway that once saw $1 trillion in goods move through it a year. The EU naval mission, known as Operation Aspides, issued a statement via the social platform X announcing the ship had been moved. The Sounion has been successfully towed to a safe area without any oil spill, the EU mission said. While private stakeholders complete the salvage operation, Aspides will continue to monitor the situation. The Houthis had no immediate comment and it wasn't clear where the vessel was, though it likely was taken north away from Yemen. Salvagers still need to offload some 1 million barrels of crude oil aboard the Sounion, which officials feared could leak into the Red Sea, killing marine life and damaging corals in the waterway. Meanwhile, the U.S. military said it was aware of the Houthis' claimed downing of a drone over the country's southwestern Dhamar province, without elaborating. The Houthis have exaggerated claims in the past in their ongoing campaign targeting shipping in the Red Sea over the Israel-Hamas war. However, the online video bolstered the claim, particularly after two recent claims by the Houthis included no evidence. Other videos showed armed rebels gathered around the flaming wreckage, a propeller similar to those used by the armed drone visible in the flames. One attempted to pick up a piece of the metal before dropping it due to the heat. The Houthis later aired their own footage of the shootdown and debris. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, identified the drone as an MQ-9, without elaborating on how he came to the determination. He said it was the third downed by the group in a week, though the other two claims did not include similar video or other evidence. The U.S. military similarly has not acknowledged losing any aircraft. Saree said the Houthis used a locally produced missile. However, Iran has armed the rebels with a surface-to-air missile known as the 358 for years. Iran denies arming the rebels, though Tehran-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in seaborne shipments heading to Yemen despite a United Nations arms embargo. Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The aircraft have been flown by both the U.S. military and the CIA over Yemen for years. The Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well. 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. The Houthis also published footage Monday of what they have claimed was a hypersonic missile that they used to attack Israel on Sunday. The rebels described it as a two-stage, solid-fuel missile with a range of 2,150 kilometers (1,335 miles). Israel's military has dismissed the claim the missile was hypersonic, a term referring to missiles that are maneuverable and also move at speeds multiple times the speed of sound when they re-enter the atmosphere from space. Parts of the missile landed in an open area in central Israel and triggered air raid sirens at its international airport, but injured no one. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to retaliate over the attack the Houthis launched with the Palestine 2 missile. Asked if the missile was hypersonic, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said officials assess this to be a ballistic missile, without elaborating. I think its fair to say that the Houthis are still continuing to see support from Iran, Singh added. I think its fair to say that Iran continues to back their groups, whether that be through financial means or in tangible capabilities. We continue to do our job in disrupting their capability ... whether it be dynamic strikes or protecting commercial shipping in the Red Sea. An American flag flies above the construction site of a multifamily housing development last year in Los Angeles. In many places, homeowners are opposing state and local efforts to strip away exclusive single-family-home zoning to allow the construction of more multifamily housing. Mario Tama/Getty Images When Minneapolis, then Oregon, then other local and state governments began stripping away exclusive single-family-home zoning over the past five years to allow the construction of multifamily housing, many development advocates predicted the start of a pro-YIMBY revolution. But the yes-in-my-backyard movement has stumbled even before its really gotten started. In court challenges around the country, opponents have cited spikes in traffic, strains to infrastructure, displacement of low-income residents, hits on property values and changes to neighborhood character. Multifamily zoning advocates, however, counter that opponents are resisting changes that will yield broader societal benefits. The debates are challenging elected leaders, planning specialists, homebuilders and advocates, pitting long-established homeowners against a system desperate to get a handle on the nations growing crisis of housing affordability and homelessness. People want to maintain their neighborhood character, but it should be about ensuring quality of life for everyone, said Natali Fani-Gonzalez, a Democratic member of the Montgomery County Council in Maryland who has endorsed changes to zoning laws. Youre part of a community you dont own it. We need to evolve with society. I dread the possibility The most recent ruling arrived this month, when the Montana Supreme Court issued a decision paving the way for a pair of state laws to take effect over the objections of homeowners. In 2023, Montana lawmakers were lauded for a bipartisan effort dubbed the Montana Miracle, a collection of measures that overrode local zoning ordinances to encourage more multifamily homes and accessory dwelling units, or ADUs smaller secondary cottages or in-law apartments within or on a lot of a single-family home. The laws, championed by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte, were supposed to go into effect Jan. 1, 2024. But in December, a consortium of single-family homeowners from across the state called Montanans Against Irresponsible Densification, or MAID, filed a complaint. The group argued that the state had unconstitutionally taken away homeowners property rights and would wrest local control from cities and counties. The lawsuit warned, in part, that the laws meant new construction could begin down the block without notice. I dread the possibility of waking up one morning and finding that one of my neighbors has sold her property to a developer who is then erecting a multi-unit building or a duplex, or an accessory dwelling unit right next to our nice and carefully maintained single-family dwelling, wrote Glenn Monahan, a Bozeman resident and managing partner of MAID, in an affidavit filed with the initial lawsuit and quoted in the courts ruling. If such development aimed at increasing density in my neighborhood happens, I believe it will seriously and adversely affect the economic value of my property, Monahan wrote. More important than economic value is the moral, aesthetic neighborhood values that my wife and I share with the neighbors Representatives for MAID did not return calls for comment. Wealthier and whiter Berkeley, California, first established a residential zone exclusively for single-family homes in 1916 just as racist covenants banning home sales to non-whites were gaining steam nationally and other workarounds to preserve neighborhood segregation were being tested. Today, around 75% of residential land in the United States is zoned exclusively for single-family homes. These neighborhoods are typically wealthier and whiter, according to a 2023 research report by the Urban Institute. Minneapolis is credited as the first major U.S. city to enact substantial changes to increase density when it abolished single-family-only zoning citywide in 2019, allowing up to three dwelling units on any residential lot. People want to maintain their neighborhood character, but it should be about ensuring quality of life for everyone. Natali Fani-Gonzalez, a Democratic member of the Montgomery County Council in Maryland That same year, the Oregon legislature passed a law with two so-called upzoning provisions: allowing duplexes in single-family zoning areas of cities with at least 10,000 residents, and allowing townhouses, triplexes and fourplexes in cities of at least 25,000 residents. Upzoning encompasses a range of policy tools such as building more missing middle housing in the range between single-family homes and apartment buildings, focusing on transit-oriented development, lifting parking requirements, and increasing floor-to-area ratios. But researchers and planners told Stateline that it can take years for these policy changes to address current housing needs or undo the harms of restrictive zoning. The largest challenge is that zoning reform takes a really long time to implement. From the start of reform to actually seeing effects, it takes about 10 years, said Stephen Menendian, assistant director and director of research at the University of California, Berkeleys Othering & Belonging Institute. Even the Minneapolis reforms, which happened at warp speed, will take another four years to fully assess the effects, Menendian said. Its been less a revolution and more of a slow shift. UC Berkeleys Zoning Reform Tracker, last updated in November, provides an overview of municipal zoning reform efforts across the U.S., documenting 148 initiatives in 101 municipalities over a span of 17 years. Other local governments have passed ordinances taking aim at single-family-only zoning in various ways, including Austin, Texas; the city of Alexandria and Arlington County in Virginia; Sacramento, California; and Portland, Oregon. Many have been challenged in court. In Minneapolis, the 2040 plan, as the citys long-term planning blueprint is known, was held up after its passage in 2019 by years of environmental lawsuits and back-and-forth rulings, delaying implementation. Finally, state lawmakers in May passed a bill exempting comprehensive housing plans from environmental review, a measure aimed squarely at preserving the 2040 plan. Even then, a county judge issued an injunction, forcing the city to halt parts of the plan and revise it. Talking it out Diana Drogaris, outreach coordinator for the National Zoning Atlas, a research organization that works to demystify zoning laws across the U.S., thinks city leaders are improving their communication with residents during public hearings and input sessions. However, she notes that leaders must balance transparency with managing valid fears of zoning changes. A zoning change is going to have an effect on the public. It will affect the store they go to, their commutes, what type of resources are available, Drogaris said. And I think community leaders are getting better at having these conversations. The public doesnt need to know every nook and cranny of these outdated codes, she said, but enough to understand how that one zoning change is going to change how that land is being used in their community. Menendian argues that misconceptions on both sides among housing advocates and concerned community members fuel much of the anger. Theres a lot of misnomers about zoning reform, he said. Homeowner groups also are expected to challenge a recent series of upzoning changes in Austin, approved at the end of 2023 and this spring. In 2022, a group of citizens successfully sued the city over a handful of ordinances designed to streamline housing development. When a lawsuit is filed, work toward new housing developments may stop. California enacted a law in 2021 allowing property owners to split their lots and build two new homes in certain cities. In April, a Los Angeles judge ruled the law unconstitutional. In June, the state filed its notice of appeal. Meanwhile, in Northern Virginia just outside the District of Columbia, the city of Alexandria and Arlington County, which also passed zoning changes last year, are facing their own legal challenges. The full impact of Alexandrias zoning overhaul even if it clears its legal challenges may not do much to affect housing outcomes. According to the city managers estimates, allowing up to four units in zones that are currently limited to single-family dwellings would only create a net new 178 units over 10 years. Absolutely some sort of backlash This fall, both Montgomery County, Maryland, and Berkeley, California, will be considering upzoning proposals, following a summer filled with contentious public hearings. Fani-Gonzalez, the Montgomery County councilmember, said that modernizing the countys zoning, in conjunction with other policies such as rent stabilization, will help keep residents in their homes while creating new housing to accommodate the growth associated with being just outside Washington, D.C. We need more housing, but we cannot get stuck with building cookie-cutter houses that only certain folks can actually afford, said Fani-Gonzalez. In California, the city of Berkeleys proposal to end exclusionary zoning in its neighborhoods is part of a broader effort to undo its racist legacy. The Berkeley City Council took its first steps in examining that legacy by denouncing the racist history of single-family zoning in 2021, a largely ceremonial move that gained steam when the city council asked the city for a report on missing-middle housing. The citys latest upzoning plan was scaled back this summer after a five-hour public hearing. Lori Droste, a Berkeley councilmember from 2014 to 2022, told Stateline that she had been advocating for major upzoning changes since 2016 but struggled to get the votes. What changed, she said, was linking the need for zoning changes to the national consciousness raised by 2020 protests around systemic racism and racial injustice. Zoning reform is going to take time. Its probably going to take 20 years before anyone notices real changes. But if we dont start now, the housing crisis will only get worse, she said. When asked by Stateline if she expects any legal action if the upzoning proposal is successful, Droste responded, I imagine there will be. Im not in the city attorneys office, but absolutely theres going to be some sort of backlash. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Swedish telco equipment provider Ericsson launched two new routers to provide enterprises with connectivity to enable AI, computer vision, data analysis, and other applications across IoT environments and vehicle networks. The R980 is a ruggedised 5G router that delivers connectivity to vehicles to facilitate AI-driven video recognition and real-time data analysis. Designed for first responders, near-shore vessels, and school buses, the R980 delivers 5G connectivity, even in the most demanding conditions. It can also be leveraged in IoT deployments where video and mission critical applications may require higher performance and lower latency. With its 3rd generation 5G architecture, the R980 is 3GPP Release 16 compatible with standalone (SA) networks and network slicing, including public safety slices and low latency network slices for IoT. The routers e-SIM will enable over-the-air carrier switching in future NetCloud releases, adding deployment flexibility and operational efficiency. As AI and advanced applications continue to transform industries and daily operations, the demand for secure and resilient connectivity beyond traditional branch environments is becoming increasingly critical, said Ericsson head of enterprise networking and cybersecurity business line, enterprise wireless solutions Pankaj Malhotra. With the capabilities of the R980 combined with NetCloud Manager, weve integrated security, SD-WAN, and deep visibility into a unified, easily managed system. The S400, on the other hand, provides connectivity for IoT use cases including light industrial, digital signage, and building controls. As a semi-ruggedised, compact IoT device, its design offers field-expandable interface options such as additional Ethernet ports, a serial port, and a GPIO switch. To ensure that even small, vulnerable IoT devices, which cannot support traditional security methods, remain secure, the S400 includes NetCloud SASE Secure Connect as a part of its subscription license. In large vehicle and IoT deployments, IT staff require installation and need to resolve performance issues quickly. Ericsson said that Blue Wireless, part of Wireless Logic Group, is using the routers to bolster their managed services offerings. We can further enhance deployment speeds and in-life support experiences with the e-SIM functionality of the Ericsson Cradlepoint R980, said Blue Wireless chief operating officer Joop Gerlach. By leveraging all these technologies, we provide solutions that accelerate wireless adoption for global businesses to do what they do best, all while staying seamlessly connected." New York City Mayor Eric Adamss administration is unraveling. Late Saturday night, the mayor abruptly announced the resignation of his top lawyer and most ardent public defender. Days earlier, his police commissioner stepped down under pressure as a quartet of federal probes targeting numerous members of Adamss inner circle hits a boil. The stunning departure of chief counsel Lisa Zornberg, a former federal prosecutor, opened up a new and troubling chapter in the political and legal crisis now gripping City Hall. I am tendering my resignation, effective today, Zornberg wrote in a short letter, as I have concluded that I can no longer effectively serve in my position. Adams in a statement thanked her and said he would name a temporary replacement in the coming days. These are hard jobs and we dont expect anyone to stay in them forever, Adams added in a bid to downplay the remarkable nature of Zornbergs decision. By Monday, at least three Democratic officeholders progressives from the state assembly, Senate and city council had called on Adams to resign. The mayor rejected the notion in a call with reporters and suggested his critics, particularly those who have sparred with him before, were politically motivated. Any time anything happens in this city, and they call for me to leave, are we supposed to listen to them now? Adams said. I was elected by the people of this city and I am going to continue to meet my obligation to the people of this city. Adams has been fending off allegations that corruption and malfeasance permeate the highest ranks of his administration for months, first stemming from an active federal investigation into corruption and illegal campaign donations linked to Turkey and foreign travel, according to a source familiar with the matter. Adams is now entering an already fraught 2025 re-election bid under the cloud of at least four separate federal investigations a political and legal onslaught that New York Democrats broadly expect to ramp up in the coming weeks and months. Adams has not been accused of any wrongdoing and the administration has said it will cooperate with all investigations. Brian Blais, a former assistant US attorney for the Southern District of New York, spoke to CNN about the potential problems Adams could face. If campaign finance related charges are brought, or FARA (foreign agent registration act) charges relating to acting as an agent of the Turkish government, or bribery charges to the extent he was taking favorable actions in exchange for those campaign contributions, those are all serious charges, and those carry significant consequences, said Blais. Theres at least some real degree of legal peril for the mayor. The growing probes underscored by increasingly aggressive tactics from prosecutors, who stopped Adams on the street last year to seize his phone also signal mounting political trouble for the retired police captain who outlasted a crowded field of Democrats in 2021 on his way to winning the citys top job. Even before he was elected, Adams embraced the national media spotlight, declaring himself the face of the new Democratic Party and, after being invited to the White House, described himself as the Biden of Brooklyn. But the luster quickly faded. First with Biden, after Adams publicly criticized the presidents handling of the border and a migrant crisis that hit hard in New York. The mayors reputation for enjoying the nightlife at the expense, Adamss critics say, of his day job and repeated clashes over city spending, especially on education, dimmed his political star. Adamss political troubles, though, have been magnified and multiplied by the federal probes, which are picking up pace as the 2024 political season heats up. Investigators in the Southern District of New York have been circling Adams and his administration for nearly a year. Last November, the mayors chief fundraiser was raided by FBI agents. Days later, Adams himself was presented with a federal search warrant for his electronics. That remarkable escalation by federal prosecutor Damian Williams was followed by a period of relative quiet until earlier this month, when FBI officials issued search warrants and showed up at the homes of several Adams administration officials. The group included the citys First Deputy Commissioner Sheena Wright, the Schools Chancellor David Banks and the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks III, according to multiple sources familiar with the probe. Investigators also issued a subpoena to Terence Banks, the youngest of the Banks brothers who ran a lobbying firm that advertised government relations and promised to help private sector clients navigate New Yorks intricate infrastructure and political landscape. Tim Pearson, a former NYPD officer and adviser to the mayor, was also included in the searches, sources briefed on the investigation say. None of the officials have been accused of any crime. Wright said in a briefing last week, Im confident that I have done nothing wrong, and was cooperating fully. David Banks said in a statement he was cooperating with a federal inquiry. An attorney for Phil Banks said in a statement, In my judgment I dont believe he has any criminal liability in this investigation whatsoever. An attorney for Terence Banks told CNN, We have been assured by the Government that Mr. Banks is not a target of this investigation. CNN has reached out to an attorney for Pearson for further comment. US attorneys offices and the FBI have declined to comment. But the most shocking blow landed at One Police Plaza. NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, the leader of the largest and most expensive police force in the nation, had his phone seized along with several other police officials devices as part of an investigation into a nightclub security business run by his twin brother, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN. He resigned under pressure days later, saying in a statement that news around recent developments has created a distraction for our department. Cabans lawyers said on Thursday theyve been informed he is not a target of any investigation and he expects to cooperate fully with the government. In a statement to CNN on Sunday, Adamss top spokesperson touted the administrations record on public safety and affordability, and suggested New Yorkers were not paying close attention to the investigations. We are investing in the programs and initiatives that working-class New Yorkers care about thats what our citys residents and our administration are focused on every day, said Fabien Levy, the deputy mayor for communications. No matter what is going on in our city, New Yorkers recognize that we are in a much better place today than we were 2.5 years ago. While the spate of aggressive investigative maneuvers sent shockwaves through political and law enforcement circles, Adams has not been charged with any crime. That decision will ultimately come down to the discretion of Williamss office, compounding the pressure on the prosecutor as he seeks to navigate a fraught moment with the presidential election less than two months away. If something is going to happen, if there are people in the mayors political orbit, or the mayor himself, who is going to be charged, I think that, in DOJ s view, it likely needs to happen by March (2025), said Blais, now a partner at the law firm Ropes and Gray. So youre talking about a six-to-seven month window left before any significant action is likely, or during which any significant action is likely to occur. Other observers are predicting a shorter timeline at least in part because of the uncertainty surrounding this Novembers election. Victory for former President Donald Trump, who would again take over the Justice Department, could upend Williamss office. One former top aide to top prosecutors in New York told CNN that Williams, a very thoughtful, considered guy, is conscious of the stakes both in this election cycle and the broader sweep of city history. Hes aware of all the implications here, the former aide said. Hes aware that this is the second Black mayor. Hes aware that hes a Black prosecutor. None of this is happening without that awareness, which to me makes it even more scary if Im Eric Adams. Williams on Monday, while announcing public corruption charges against two former fire department chiefs in what is believed to be an unrelated probe, demurred when asked what he would tell New Yorkers concerned over the City Hall investigations. I am constrained on what I can say, Williams told reporters. I speak when there is something to be said and I dont have anything to say about that at this point. He did, however, offer a pointed message about his offices work. We are determined to address it from root to branch, and our work is far from done, Williams said. If you are aware of and participated in corrupt activity in our government, now is the time to come forward to get on the right side of the law. For his part, the mayor has insisted that he never broke the law, nor knew of any of his friends and colleagues potential wrongdoing. During brief remarks to reporters after Caban stepped down, Adams insisted again that he was surprised by the breadth of probes and said he was taking them extremely seriously. Ive spent more than 20 years in law enforcement, and so every member of my administration knows my expectations that we must follow the law, Adams said, repeating a variation on a message hes given a handful of times now. Challengers emerge in 2025 race This latest round of phone seizures and subpoenas have, as a political matter, all but guaranteed that Adams will face a robust set of Democratic primary challengers next year. State Sen. Zellnor Myrie of Brooklyn is expected to launch his bid soon. City Comptroller Brad Lander is already in, along with his predecessor, Scott Stringer, who also ran in 2021. Jessica Ramos, a state senator from Queens, kicked off her campaign on Friday, less than a day after Caban resigned. Others, including state assemblymember Zohran Mamdani could still join the fray. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 with impeachment looming following the release of a report that found he sexually harassed 11 women, has also seeded rumors about a potential run. Cuomo has denied the allegations. Adamss record as mayor, headlined by controversial budget cuts and what critics call a lack of a signature program or legislative achievement, always seemed bound to attract intra-party challengers. But the close-to-home nature of the federal probes appear at least to some rival Democrats to be a uniquely damaging development. Crises are a problem when they bring up for an incumbent candidate things people were already feeling and double down on or amplify something that was already out there, said Stringer adviser Alyssa Cass. Another veteran New York campaign strategist with experience in City Hall but no ties to this race and speaking anonymously because of the sensitive nature of the latest developments, warned that Adamss challengers needed to carefully calibrate their messages. Their attacks, so far, have mostly focused on a perception of chaos in the administration and an argument that Adams is a weak manager. Adams does not lose unless you start taking away some part of his coalition, the strategist said. And that is a working-class coalition. You dont need to speak about whos managing city operations, you need to talk about whos getting you what you need, to (argue that) Adams has been compromised and is totally beholden to these shady special interests. And its hurting you. As those political chips fall in place, other Democratic strategists and operatives say now is the time for Adams to focus on that base, with its backbone in Southeast Queens, and remind supporters why they voted for him in the first place. Just because Caban resigned doesnt mean that the problems are going to go away, even if he tries to cut ties with some of these folks, Camille Rivera, a New York City-based political strategist, told CNN. I would run a campaign now, I would be out there in the community, running my town halls, being in the districts, having conversations with my people and solidifying my base if I feel like Ive done nothing wrong. That message, though, has become increasingly tough to get across and not only because of his Covid quarantine. In some of the most recent, in-depth polling, from December 2023, when he was only facing a probe into his campaign fundraising, Adamss overall approval rating dropped to a staggering 28%, according to a Quinnipiac University survey. Hispanic voters, a critical part of his base, came in even lower at 20%. Among Black voters, Adams was still favored by 10 points, 48% to 38%, an advantage he cannot afford to forfeit. The mayors office lashed out over the poll, with a spokesman criticizing its methodology and pointing to falling crime which has gone down in the city and nationally and an improved economic outlook. Adams received a boost earlier in the summer when the Rev. Al Sharpton wrote an op-ed backing the mayor and suggesting that the opposition was racially-coded, recalling the defeat of the citys first Black Mayor, David Dinkins, to Rudy Giuliani in 1993. The criticism of Adams and the disconnect between perception and reality of his administration of this city is extreme, Sharpton wrote. Somehow it seems easier for those who are against him to get their message through, and for the damning, coded, curse of incompetence to be laid on his head. Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, a Brooklyn Democratic leader and top ally, delivered a similar message last year, telling reporters she was concerned about whether these investigations are just targeting him because hes a Black mayor. Adams has not directly embraced that narrative, but he has repeatedly cast himself as unduly persecuted including referencing the Biblical Book of Job, the story of a righteous man whose faith is tested by a series of personal calamities. I wish I could tell you that I had one moment in my life that was a Job moment. But I did not have one, I had many, he said during a visit last Sunday to the Power and Authority Evangelical Ministry in East New York, another political stronghold. Adams is not the first mayor to find himself under investigation, but if prosecutors decide to bring charges, he could become the first New York mayor indicted in the modern era. Mayor Jimmy Walker resigned in 1932 while facing an investigation. More recently, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio found himself in the crosshairs of investigators because of his fundraising practices before the US Attorneys Office declined to bring charges against him. Its still unclear when each of the Adams administrations investigations began, but former Assistant US Attorney Jennifer Beidel says its possible that a phone seizure in one case could lead investigators onto another totally different case. Thats one of the most dangerous things about having your electronic devices seized. We all have a lot of material on it, said Beidel, now a government investigations attorney at the law firm Dykema. So you dont have much ability to limit where law enforcement takes that info after. Despite the ongoing cases, Biedel told CNN it has become clear that federal law enforcement agencies are zeroed in on City Hall. The goal in the public corruption unit is to focus their resources on conduct that is concerning, she said. They wouldnt continue that apparent focus if they didnt believe there was something there. That reality, in legal but also political terms, is setting in among some of Adamss closest allies and friends in the administration. I had a number of FBI agents who came to my home and wanted my personal phone and my DOE phone, outside of that I dont know a lot, David Banks, the city schools chancellor, said on Friday, adding that federal agents have not yet returned his phones. We will all wait and see where these investigations go. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) First graders can now sign up for a library card through their classrooms this month as part of York County Libraries annual Grade One at the Library program (GOAL). According to York County Libraries, the GOAL program has provided 44,916 library cards to first graders since its inception in 2008. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now This Week in Pennsylvania Providing a library card to children in first grade expands their literacy opportunities right when they are first learning to read, says York County Libraries President Robert F. Lambert. As they visit the library with their families, they start to discover the many books, programs, and services that can support their educational journey. York County Libraries encourages students to visit any York County Library location to check out books and win participation prizes through this initiative. One of this years top prizes is Who Made this Mess? by featured GOAL author Laura Gehl. Winners will also have a chance to meet the author during the GOAL Celebration event in November, York County Libraries said. Gehl is the sixth nationally known childrens author selected to encourage York County first graders to read. York County Libraries said she has 40 books, all available for young readers. Its always great seeing how excited our GOAL participants are the first time they check out with their new card because, in many ways, its not just a library card, says York County Libraries Youth Services Director Mindy McDonnell. For children, having a library card can be an invitation into the amazing world of books and reading where they can learn, laugh, and satisfy their curiosity. In September, first-grade students will be able to obtain a free library card, which will provide access to free Wi-Fi, story times, book discussions, best sellers, and more, according to York County Libraries. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. The News Leaders at The New York Times are concerned that protracted contract negotiations with the papers unionized tech employees could disrupt its election coverage. The Times Tech Guild a union of 600 members, largely software engineers, which operates separately from the newsroom union voted overwhelmingly to authorize a potential strike, Axios reported earlier this week, dangling the possibility that workers could walk off the job during the election in November. The threat has rattled the papers management, including some leaders in the newsroom, which relies heavily on tech. The paper receives peak volumes of traffic around the elections, including on specialty products such as its election needle. And the threat of a strike on Election Day appears serious: In an internal Guild meeting last month, some Times Tech Guild employees defended the move by saying there are numerous other news sources that people could use around the election if the Times faced serious bugs mid-strike. NYT has credible competitors, so its not a matter of whether news from trustworthy sources is going to be available, one staffer said, according to a source familiar with the details of the meeting. Recent negotiations between different employee unions within the Times have at times been acrimonious and public. Times journalists walked off the job for a day in 2022, while Wirecutter staff staged a five-day strike during the Black Friday shopping season in 2021. But multiple people familiar with the bargaining process told Semafor that negotiations between the Tech Guild and the Times have been particularly contentious as the Guild advocates for a more favorable contract. Both sides have accused the other of engaging in a lengthy negotiation process that has stretched over two years. The Guild has put forward a number of proposals that management has balked at in totality, including a four-day work week coupled with significant increases in pay, full coverage of all health care premiums for employees and family members, guaranteed RSU grants for all members of the unit, and non-performance-based annual bonuses, all of which the company estimates would cost over $100 million over three years. Management says that the Guild has bogged down negotiations with what the paper sees as outlandish, even illegal, proposals. As Semafor previously reported, the Guild proposed a ban on scented products in break rooms, unlimited break time, and accommodations for pet bereavement, as well as mandatory trigger warnings in company meetings discussing events in the news. Times management has been frustrated by proposals that would provide more money for nonwhite staff and others from underrepresented communities to attend conferences, and language that would prioritize non-citizens in the US on visas in the case of layoffs both of which the paper pointed out couldnt be fulfilled because they likely violate employment laws. While the union has withdrawn or reached agreements with the paper on some of these issues, the paper has been alarmed that the union has continued to push for a provision on journalistic integrity that would allow the non-editorial union to have a say in editorial decisions, including the right to request letters to the editor not be published. A spokesperson for the paper also said that while the union has argued that the strike is a fight for fair wages, the average total compensation of someone in the Tech Guild unit, including salary, bonuses and restricted stock options, is $190,000 $40,000 more on average than journalists in the Times Guild. Since July 2022, bargaining has been focusing on a broad range of non-economic proposals, Times spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha told Semafor. The Tech Guild recently submitted their economic proposals. We look forward to working with the group to reach a fair contract, that takes into account that they are already among the highest paid in the Company and journalism is our top priority, she added. For its part, the Guild has said that the new contract will help correct pay inequities. The Tech Guilds recent internal survey said it found significant pay disparities between white employees and nonwhite employees, and between men and women on staff (the paper disputed this, saying the Guilds methodology was flawed and didnt compare the pay of employees performing similar work). The Tech Guild is also pushing for just cause protections against discipline, which it says the journalists already have, and guardrails around the use of artificial intelligence, including a provision that would prohibit the Times from laying off staff based on evolutions in technology. The Guild also criticized the paper for continuing to object to proposals that the Guild says it has already withdrawn or resolved, saying its an attempt to distract. And asked about managements argument that tech employees were some of the better-compensated staff at the company as a whole, the Guild noted that its members salaries pale in comparison to those of executives. Times management likes to compare the journalists to the Tech Guild only when it suits them, a Guild spokesperson told Semafor. In terms of salaries, wages vary widely across both unions but we are happy to discuss executive compensation relative to workers at the Times. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) The Birmingham Bar Association Young Lawyers Section is hosting a charity trivia night in October. The fundraising campaign will feature a team trivia competition and includes open bar and hors doeuvres for all attendees. The proceeds will benefit the Community Care Development Networks Community Food Hubs Program. The event will be held at City Club Birmingham from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Oct. 3. Lawsuit says Alabama voter purge targets naturalized citizens To find sponsorship levels, click here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. Gold miners in the Yukon have made a habit of finding ancient fossils and mummified animals for scientists as their equipment plows through permafrost. Recent finds include a fully mummified woolly mammoth, a 57,000-year-old wolf pup and a 30,000-year-old squirrel. Government of Yukon paleontologists recover over 5,000 fossils from mines annually. Gold miners have been moonlighting as paleontologists in the permafrost of Canadas Yukon Territory. With over 5,000 fossils discovered annually by miners carving through the frozen earth, finding fully intact remains from tens of thousands of years ago is becoming almost commonplace. Miners have uncovered everything from a 30,000-year-old, balled-up squirrel to a 57,000-year-old wolf pup likely killed when its den collapsed on top of it. One of the key finds, though, was in 2022 when a group of miners working on Eureka Creek dug a fully mummified woolly mammoth out of the permafrost. As theyre actively gold mining, Grant Zazula, a paleontologist with the Government of Yukon, told Business Insider, theyre constantly uncovering the remains of Ice Age animals like woolly mammoths. Zazula said that now when miners find fossils or bones, they simply set them aside for him to come pick up later, only calling the paleontologist immediately when they think they have something truly special to report. Using all this heavy equipment, Zazula said, they do all the excavation, and we collect all the fossils that are turned up as a result of that. These exciting finds can aid in deeper research and make for impressive museum displays, such as the 30,000-year-old squirrel from the Klondike goldfields found in 2018 that recently debuted on display at the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre in Whitehorse. The squirrel find is most unique in that it took an X-ray to even discover what the frizzy brown ball really was. Its not quite recognizable until you see these little hands and these claws, and you see a little tail, and then you see ears, Zazula told the CBC. Zazula said that some people get most excited when finding large tusks or skulls, but discovering a fully intact squirrel, where you can see its face, skin and hair, proves visceral, he said. It brings it so to life. The squirrel species still lives in the Yukon, so locating underground nests is common, but finding fully preserved mummified remains is not. The baby woolly mammoth, named Nun cho ga, believed to be over 30,000 years old, was frozen in permafrost and is considered the first near-complete and best-preserved mummified woolly mammoth found in North America. There will be one thing that stands out in a persons entire life, Brian McCaughan, co-founder of Treadstone Gold, the company that discovered the specimen, said in a statement in 2022, and I can guarantee you this is my one thing. Zazula said in a statement that when they found the woolly mammoth, it was a dream come true. The landscape around the mammoth leads experts to believe it was buried in a landslide. Theres also a caribou calf from 2016, which originally had folks thinking was just a Gold Rush dog. Were like, eh, I dont know, Zazula told Business Insider. Those teeth look pretty wolf-like. Then you have the wolf pup with soft tissue and fur all still intact. Found in what was likely a collapsed den, the pup was only 7 weeks old when it died. As the Yukon becomes the new Siberia in terms of fascinating findsWe were constantly getting jealous of the cool stuff found in Siberia, Zazula told Business Insiderthe seemingly mundane is helpful in ongoing research. We drive back with truckloads of skeletons, Zazula said. They all get categorized and are open to researchers worldwide. The genetic testing of the bones can open new areas of research, such as tracing the movement of ancient horses. The chance to look further and clearer into the distant past, for some, is more valuable than gold. You Might Also Like Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she had written to the Pathology Delivery Board to ask actions identified in the report were taken forward immediately (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire) Yvette Cooper has defended an Italian deal which will let the country process some asylum claims offshore in Albania, describing it as very, very different from Rishi Sunaks Rwanda plan. The home secretary said the arrangement is not comparable to the previous governments plans to deport some migrants to the east African nation, stressing that the Albanian scheme involves processing. Under the Conservatives scheme, which Labour scrapped immediately after the general election, asylum seekers would have been permanently deported to Rwanda. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the Italian scheme is not similar to the previous UK governments Rwanda deportation plan (PA Wire) By contrast, Tirana will accept asylum seekers on Italys behalf while their claims are processed. Failed asylum seekers from safe countries will then be returned to those countries, while those whose asylum claims are successful, expected to be a small minority, will be brought to Italy. Ahead of a visit to Rome to meet Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, Sir Keir Starmer said he is interested in Italys deal with Albania. Asked whether he would consider seeking a similar agreement, the prime minister said: Lets see. Its early days, Im interested in how that works, I think everybody else is. Its very, very early days. During his visit to Rome, Sir Keir appeared to downplay Britains interest in replicating the scheme, instead saying Italys success reducing the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean appears to be due to upstream work that's been done in some of the countries where people are coming from. A key aspect of the Italian PMs approach to migrants crossing the Mediterranean into Italy is financial deals with countries such as Tunisia and Libya to stop boats setting off from north Africa. Downing Street praised Ms Meloni ahead of Sir Keirs trip to Italy, telling journalists the PM would discuss her countrys success in tackling illegal immigration. The country has seen a 60 per cent drop in boat crossings in the past year. Sir Keir told broadcasters: I've long believed, by the way, that prevention and stopping people travelling in the first place is one of the best ways to deal with this particular issue. "So I am very interested to know how that upstream work went, looking, of course, at other schemes, looking forward to my bilateral with the prime minister this afternoon, but we've already got a shared intent to work together on this trade, this vile trade, of pushing people across borders." But, pressed on whether Labour would consider such a scheme, Ms Cooper told ITVs Good Morning Britain: Its very, very different. So the arrangement that they have in place - and look, its not working yet, so we dont know how it will play out - but it is a very, very different approach. "First of all, this is Italian processing taking place in Albania. It has UNHCR oversight, so it is being monitored to make sure that it meets international standards. "Its being done in cooperation between those two countries, and what theyre actually doing is looking at those people who arrive in Italy, who have come from predominantly safe countries, and theyre using it as a way to try and fast-track decisions and returns. "Now we think there is another way we can fast-track decisions and returns for people who arrive from predominantly safer countries. "We should be fast-tracking those cases. We should be making sure you dont have people spending years in the asylum system, which ends up being hugely costly, hugely chaotic. Thats the system weve inherited." It came after eight people died while attempting to cross the English Channel on Sunday morning. Sir Keir has been urged by Labour MPs to distance himself from far-right Ms Melonis approach on immigration. Left-wing Labour MP Kim Johnson told The Guardian: Melonis approach to Albanian migration has been described as a model of mismanagement and a blueprint for abuse by Human Rights Watch. It is disturbing that Starmer is seeking to learn lessons from a neo-fascist government particularly after the anti-refugee riots and far-right racist terrorism that swept Britain this summer. Have we learned nothing from the Tories failures? President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sept. 16 signed a bill on the formation of a separate branch of Ukraine's Armed Forces dedicated to unmanned systems. The president first announced plans to form the Unmanned Systems Forces in February, underscoring the importance of drones on the Ukrainian battlefields. Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Hero of Ukraine Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi was appointed to head the youngest branch of Ukraine's military. The Unmanned Systems Forces were established to improve Ukraine's work with drones, form special drone-specific units, and improve the production, training, and innovation of unmanned vehicles. Read also: Everything we know about Ukraines new Palianytsia missile-drone Various aerial, naval, and ground drones have been developed and often successfully used for reconnaissance, combat, and other tasks throughout the full-scale with Russia. Ukraine said it aims to produce 1 million drones this year, in addition to the thousands pledged by foreign partners. The Ukrainian military has proven to be a pioneer in drone technology, using innovative ways to undermine Russia's material and numerical advantage. Aerial drones have been used to ram into Russian helicopters or drop molten metal on ground positions, while naval drones were a key component in upending Russia's dominance in the Black Sea. In turn, Russia has also widely deployed drone capabilities during the full-scale invasion, both on the battlefield and to attack Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. Read also: We asked weapons experts to review Ukraines two new drone innovations Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy chaired a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff on Monday, 16 September, to discuss critical national defence issues and the frontline situation. Key topics included updates on the actions of the Russian forces, the state of critical infrastructure, military combat training, and the status of drone supplies. Source: Zelenskyy on social media Quote: "I've held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff. I heard a report on the frontline situation and detailed reports from both our intelligence agencies Foreign Intelligence Service and Defence Intelligence on the intentions of the Russian invaders and the situation in their ranks. Intelligence officers have noted a noticeable deterioration in discipline in Russian units." Details: The second issue discussed was the readiness of engineering protection for critical infrastructure. The president emphasised the need to complete all necessary work as swiftly as possible. The meeting also tackled the issue of military training. Zelenskyy instructed the General Staff to provide a list of measures to improve the work of combat training centres. In addition, at the meeting, the president noted that some countries that supply components for drones are imposing export restrictions. However, he said Ukraine has a strategy to prevent these restrictions from critically impacting its defence capabilities. Support UP or become our patron! Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: the Office of the President of Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address the UN General Assembly on 25 September. Source: European Pravda with reference to Voice of America Details: "The General Debate at the UN General Assembly will start on 24 September, and US President Joe Biden is to make a speech there on the same day. The next day, 25 September, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, will make a speech," Voice of America reports. The gathering of world leaders in New York is expected to be used as an opportunity for talks with Ukraines partners about the Russian war against Ukraine. British representatives have noted that the gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly in September will be the place where key issues regarding further support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression will be coordinated. Ukraine is seeking permission from a range of countries which supply it with long-range weapons to use those weapons against targets deep in Russian territory from which Russia launches its bloody and destructive strikes on Ukrainian cities. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who visited Kyiv together with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on 11 September and travelled to Washington with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on 13 September, has said that the discussions on the main topics would continue at the General Assembly. Bloomberg reported last week that Western permission for Ukraine to launch long-range attacks on Russia was unlikely to be approved before the UN General Assembly. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the end of August that he might meet with US President Joe Biden in September during the UN General Assembly. Support UP or become our patron! Zimbabwe has authorized a mass slaughter of elephants to feed citizens left hungry by its worst drought in decades. With nearly half of the countrys population facing the risk of acute hunger, we are targeting to cull 200 elephants, Tinashe Farawo, a spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority, told CNN on Monday. The move follows a decision in Namibia to cull elephants and other wild animals to relieve food insecurity fueled by a prolonged drought. The culls have drawn criticism from animal rights activists and conservationists. Zimbabwe is home to more than 84,000 elephants, Farawo said, around double its capacity of 45,000, he added. Zimbabwes elephant population is the second-largest in the world, exceeded only by Botswanas. Environment Minister Sithembiso Nyoni told parliamentarians last week that Zimbabwe has more elephants than we need and more elephants than our forests can accommodate. She added that overpopulation by elephants causes lack of resources for their sustenance, which fuels human-wildlife conflict in the country. We are discussing with Zim Parks (Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority) and some communities to do like what Namibia has done so that we can count the elephants, mobilize the women to maybe dry the meat and package it to ensure that it gets to some communities that need the protein, Nyoni said. When there is an overpopulation of wildlife in a specific park, they will then seek to go outside the park to look for other resources such as water or greenery. When that happens, they will then come into contact with the humans and conflicts begin. In Namibia, 700 wild animals, including elephants, were approved for slaughter last month and for their meat to be distributed to people facing food insecurity. More than 150 animals have already been killed, Namibias Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism said, with more than 125,000 pounds of meat shared out. Zimbabwe and Namibia are just two of the many countries across southern Africa suffering a severe drought caused by El Nino a natural climate pattern that has resulted in very little rainfall in the region since the start of the year. The countries are also vulnerable to droughts worsened by climate change. Farawo, the parks spokesperson, told CNN that the culling will begin once the authority completes the necessary paperwork. We are doing the paperwork so that we can start as soon as possible, he said, adding that the planned slaughter would target areas with a large elephant population. The proposed elephant culls in Zimbabwe and Namibia have been strongly criticized. Culling of elephants must be stopped, Farai Maguwu, who leads the Zimbabwe-based advocacy group the Center for Natural Resource Governance, said in a post on X. Elephants have a right to exist, he wrote, adding that future generations have a right to see elephants in their natural habitat. Conservation biologist and natural resources consultant Keith Lindsay also expressed his discomfort at using wildlife to alleviate food insecurity, telling CNN that it is very likely to lead to a more regular, ongoing demand for bushmeat that would be unsustainable. Farawo, however, said Zimbabwes decision to slaughter elephants its first cull since 1988 was part of wider measures to reduce conflict between elephants and humans, following a series of elephant attacks on humans. The animals are causing a lot of havoc in communities, killing people. Last week, we lost a woman in the northern part of the country who was killed by an elephant. The previous week, the same thing happened. So it (the culling) is also a way of controlling, he said. At least 31 people have died in Zimbabwe this year as a result of conflict between humans and wildlife, local media reported. CNNs Laura Paddison contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com (Momotaro Jeans) The iconic Japanese denim brand Momotaro Jeans opened its latest store in Kyoto this July, marking a significant step in the brands global expansion. Known for their meticulously crafted raw denim, Momotaro Jeans has garnered a loyal following both in Japan and internationally. Selling points: the deep indigo color of their denim (known as Tokuno Blue), artistry, and design. (Momotaros new store is housed in a refurbished traditional Kyoto townhouse designed by the architectural unit AS.) The iconic Japanese denim brand Momotaro Jeans opened its latest store in Kyoto this July, marking a significant step in the brands global expansion. Known for their meticulously crafted raw denim, Momotaro Jeans has garnered a loyal following both in Japan and internationally. According to COO Masataka Suzuki, Inbound tourists account for 48.5 per cent of the brands purchases (at our physical stores). To add on to that, overseas e-commerce sales have grown 5,000 per cent in the last four years. This new store opening on Shinmonzen-dori, a street historically known for its antique shops, coincides with a major rebranding effort as part of their broader expansion strategy through emphasizing the brands unique selling points: the deep indigo color of their denim (known as Tokuno Blue), artistry, and design. What is Momotaro Jeans? (Momotaro Jeans and their new label) Momotaro premium Japanese denim brand founded in Okayama Prefecture, a region often referred to as the denim capital of Japan. The brand is a subsidiary of Japan Blue, a denim manufacturer known for its premium denim and its supply of denim to the worlds biggest luxury brands. Momotaro is known amongst denim fans for its dedication to traditional craftsmanship, using high-quality Zimbabwe cotton and vintage shuttle looms to create denim that is both durable and aesthetically pleasing. One of the brands most distinctive features is its Tokuno Blue, a deep indigo achieved through extensive experimentation and a commitment to maintaining the rich heritage of Japanese dyeing techniques. A Quick Note About Raw Denim Raw denim, also known as dry or unwashed denim, has become increasingly popular among denim enthusiasts for its durability and the unique fade patterns it develops over time. Unlike pre-washed denim, raw denim is untreated and stiff, allowing it to mold to the wearers body and reflect their lifestyle. This characteristic has made raw denim a favorite among those who appreciate slow fashion, as each pair becomes a personalized piece of art with extended wear. The resurgence of interest in high-quality, artisanal denim has positioned brands like Momotaro at the forefront of this trend, with their products being sought after by denim aficionados around the world. Choosing the Momotaro Jeans For You For those looking to embark on the adventure of owning their first raw denim piece, there are a few must-have items that showcase the best of Momotaros offerings. (Converging from the usual Tokuno Blue, the Sakura Dyed line is a beautiful pleasing pink.) First-timers can opt for the standard 14.6oz denim, at 33,000 yen. At this weight, the denim will be more rigid and heavier than your usual denim, all the more to experiment and have fun with when you break down the denim with heavy everyday use. Momotaro also recently released slim and tapered silhouettes to all of their different lines, perfect for those looking for a tighter fit. Looking for a splurge? Check out the silk options. Silk denim will keep you cool in summer and warm in winter. These are also lighter and more breathable than their other lines. The price tag is much steeper, and will set you back around 77,000 yen for a pair. If youre looking for something that differs from their iconic Tokuno Blue color, the Sakura Dyed line is not to be missed. Crafted with cherry blossom-dyed threads and in a light, pleasing pink that brings to mind Japans iconic flower, the Sakura Dyed line is aesthetically pleasing and highly unique. This comes in a straight silhouette and costs 42,600 yen. (Momotaros COO Masataka Suzuki) As Momotaros COO Suzuki explains, Whats special about us, even today, is the Tokuno Blue color that we have achieved with a lot of experimentation. This deep indigo blue and the fading of the denim over time gives our customers and fans a denim for lifewhere each wear and each denim would differ based on the wearers lifestyle. With sustainability becoming a key concern, consumers will be happy to hear that there is also lifetime warranty for each pair of denim. This is because the company believes that each pair of Momotaro denim is a partner for life, says Suzuki. MOMOTARO JEANS KYOTO Address: Umemotocho 3-256-2, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0064 Nearest Station: 8 minutes by walk from Gion-Shijo Station, 4 minutes walk away from Chionin-mae bus stop Phone Number: 07-5708-7520 All prices in this article are correct at time of writing in September 2024, and are inclusive of tax. Via Live Japan Credit - Getty Images On July 19, 2024, a single-digit error in the software update of cybersecurity company CrowdStrike grounded international airlines, halted emergency medical treatments, and paralyzed global commerce. The expansive network that had enabled CrowdStrike to access information from over a trillion events every day and prevent more than 75,000 security breaches every year, had ironically introduced a new form of uncertainty of colossal significance. The impact of a seemingly minor error in the code was now at risk of being exponentially magnified by the network, unleashing the kind of global havoc we witnessed last July. The very mechanism that had reduced the uncertainty of regular cyber threats had concurrently increased the unpredictability of a rare global catastropheand with it, the deepening cracks in our relationship with uncertainty and technology. Our deep-seated discomfort with uncertaintya discomfort rooted not in just in technology but in our very biologywas vividly demonstrated in a 2017 experiment where London-based researchers gave consenting volunteers painful electric shocks to the hand while measuring physiological markers of distress. Knowing there was only 50-50 chance of receiving the shock agitated the volunteers far more than knowing the painful shock was imminent, highlighting how much more unsettling uncertainty can be compared to the certainty of discomfort. This drive to eliminate uncertainty has long been a catalyst for technological progress and turned the wheels of innovation. From using fire to dispel the fear of darkness to mechanizing agriculture to guarantee food abundance, humanitys innovations have consistently aimed to turn uncertainty into something controllable and predictable on a global scale. Read More: Heres Why Uncertainty Makes You So Miserable But much like energy, uncertainty can be transformed but never destroyed. When we think we have removed it, we have merely shifted it to a different plane. This gives rise to the possibility of an intriguing paradox: With each technological advancement designed to reduce uncertainty, do we inadvertently introduce new uncertainties, making the world even more unpredictable? Automated algorithms have revolutionized financial trading at an astronomical scale by shattering human limits on speed, precision and accuracy. Yet, in the process of eliminating human error and decoding complex probabilities in foreign exchange trading, these systems have introduced new uncertainties of their ownuncertainties too intricate for human comprehension. What once plagued day-to-day trading with human-scale uncertainty has morphed into technology-scale risks that didnt exist before. By lowering some forms of uncertainty, these automated algorithms have ultimately increased it. A striking example of this is algorithmic trading, where software is used to eradicate uncertainty and upgrade financial systems. It is, however, impossible to test sophisticated permutation of every pathway in a software decision tree, meaning that even the most sophisticated upgrades inevitably introduce new uncertainties. Subtle errors, camouflaged in labyrinthine webs of code, become imperceptible at the lightning speed of execution. In August 2012, when the NYSEs Retail Liquidity Program went live, global financial services firm Knight Capital was equipped with a high-frequency trading algorithm. Unfortunately, an overnight glitch in the code amplified the error to a disastrous degree, costing Knight Capital $440 million in just 30 minutes. As technology becomes more sophisticated, it not only eradicates the uncertainty of time and distance from our everyday lives but also transforms how we experience uncertainty itself. An app informs you exactly when the bus you are waiting for will arrive, a check mark tells you when your friend has not only received but read your message, and a ding lets you know someone is waiting on your doorstep when you are on vacation on a different continent. This information is often incredibly useful. Yet, the same technology floods us with unsolicited, irrelevant details. Worse, it often captures our attention by delivering fragments of incomplete information: a partial news headline pops up on our phone, an alert from our home security system reports unusual activity on our property, a new friend request slides into our social media inbox. Resolving these uncertainties requires us to swipe, click, or watch, only to be bombarded with yet another stream of incomplete information. Instead of resolving uncertainty, the information often leaves us with more of it. Rarely do we stop to ask ourselves if the kinds of frequent, small-scale uncertainties that modern technology is designed to eliminate are really so terrible in the first place. If we did, we might realize that human-scale uncertainties make us more resilient, revealing weaknesses we did not know we had. Historical evidence suggests that eliminating uncertainty isnt always beneficial. Angkor, the medieval capital of the ancient Khmer empire, became the largest pre-industrial city in the world partly because its population was able to tame the uncertainty of nature through creating an elaborate water management network. This system eliminated the unpredictability of monsoon rains, sustaining Angkors agrarian population, which grew to nearly a million. Yet this very system may also have contributed to the citys collapse. When Angkor was struck by severe droughts and violent monsoons in the 14th and 15th centuries, their reliance on guaranteed water supplies left its people vulnerable to disaster. The uncertainty paradox does not stem from innovation in itself. Innovating solutions for large scale uncertainties has manifestly saved countless lives. Modern day examples include Sanitation technology that has helped to eradicate cholera in many parts of the world and Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) technology that protected the Taipei 101 skyscraper during a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in 2024. Instead, the uncertainty paradox seems to emerge when we seek to erase smaller scale, everyday uncertainties entirely from our lives. This can make us more vulnerable, as we forget how to deal with unexpected uncertainty when it finally strikes. One solution is to deliberately create opportunities to experience and rehearse dealing with uncertainty. Hong Kongs resilience in the face of intense typhoons stems from regular exposure to monsoon rainspreparing the city to withstand storms that could devastate other parts of the world. Netflix engineers Yury Izrailevsky and Ariel Tseitlin captured this idea in their creation of Chaos Monkey, a tool that deliberately introduces system failures so engineers can identify weaknesses and build better recovery mechanisms. Inspired by this concept, many organizations now conduct uncertainty drills to prepare for unexpected challenges. However, while drills prepare us for the known scenarios, true resilience requires training our reactions to uncertainty itselfnot just our responses to specific situations. Athletes and Navy SEALS incorporate deliberate worst-case scenarios in their training to build mental fortitude and adaptability in the face of the unknown. The relationship between uncertainty and technology is like an Ouroboros: we create technology to eliminate uncertainty, yet that technology generates new uncertainties that we must eliminate all over again. Rather than trying to break this cycle, the solution may be paradoxical: to make the world feel more certain, we might need to embrace a little more uncertainty every day. Contact us at letters@time.com. PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing. Credit: Bloomberg / Contributor via Getty Images Brazil's Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes has ordered the unfreezing of financial assets for Starlink and X in the country after Brazil seized over $3.2 million in fines over X's failure to block select accounts, the Court announced Friday. While Starlink and X/Twitter are separate companies, they're both owned by Elon Musk. De Moraes saw both companies as liable for the fine because they are part of a "de facto economic group" under Musk. Brazil's Supreme Court had fined X roughly $3 million, and then froze Starlink and X assets when the fine was not paid. X paid about $1.3 million of the fine, while Starlink paid the remaining amount of roughly $1.98 million. Now that the debt has been paid, Starlink and X's seized financial accounts, vehicles, and real estate have been returned to the respective firms, according to the release. Brazil banned X last month because its Supreme Court believes X has violated Brazilian law with its lax moderation policies, allegations X has repeatedly rejected and denied. Instead, the social media platform claims that Brazil is overstepping its reach and is censoring its people. The Court has condemned X's decision not to remove content the regulators believe is spreading aggressive political misinformation and harming Brazil's democracy. X has also battled with Brazil over its legal representative in the country. For these reasons, the Court hit X with the now-settled fine of nearly $3.3 million. On Sept. 7, thousands of supporters of Brazil's former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro marched in the streets in Sao Paulo to protest de Moraes' X ban and praise Musk. A few days after the ban was made official, Starlink was reportedly waffling over whether it would actually block X on its satellite internet service in Brazil. Ultimately, Starlink said it would comply with the ban, but Starlink parent company SpaceX warned its employees not to travel to the country and told staff in Brazil to leave as the legal battle continued. At time of writing, Starlink's website indicates that its service remains available in Brazil. If you are sending a Letter To the Editor, please be sure to follow these rules: Letters have a firm 200-word limit and will be edited for grammar, clarity and accuracy. The person who signs the letter must be the author. Anonymous letters will not be considered. Letters must address the editor, not a third party. We will not print form letters, libelous letters, business promotions or personal disputes, poetry, open letters, letters espousing religious views without reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Yakima Herald-Republic cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made in letters. Writers are limited to one published letter per calendar month. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. New Delhi: As the critically acclaimed film 'Pink' marks its 8th anniversary, it remains a significant cultural touchstone, sparking discussions on gender dynamics and societal norms. Directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury and produced by Shoojit Sircar, the film has continued to resonate with audiences and critics alike, thanks to its compelling narrative and powerful performances. Starring Amitabh Bachchan as Deepak Sehgal, a retired lawyer, and Taapsee Pannu as Minal Arora, a young woman embroiled in a legal struggle, 'Pink' offers a nuanced examination of consent and gender equality. Sircar, who served as both the producer and creative director, played a crucial role in shaping the film's impactful message. In a revealing old interview from the films release period, Sircar elucidated the true aim of 'Pink'. Pink is not a womens empowerment film, it is a simple narrative of three women. This film is not for the women, who go through such experiences every single day, its for the men and the boys, Sircar emphasized. His vision was to mirror societal attitudes and challenge the perspectives of those who might not directly confront these issues in their daily lives. The film's ongoing relevance underscores Sircars commitment to provoking thought and fostering dialogue through cinema. As he reflects on Pinks legacy, Sircar remains focused on producing thought-provoking content. His upcoming project, an untitled film featuring Abhishek Bachchan, is slated for a global release on November 15, 2024. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid-Milad-un-Nabi or Eid-e Milad. This occasion honours the Islamic Prophet Muhammad's birth anniversary. For Muslims all over India, it is a blessed day since it serves as a reminder of the Prophet Muhammad's teachings and acts of kindness. The community has benefited greatly from the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. Also known as Nabi Day, Mawlid, Muhammad's Birthday, or the Prophet's Birthday, the festival Eid-Milad-un-Nabi is celebrated annually. The Prophet is thought to have been born around 570 AD on the 12th day of the month of 'Rabi-ul-Awal'. Worshippers organize feasts and gatherings, and many Muslims pay a visit to shrines, mosques and dargahs. Different countries celebrate the festival on varying dates as per the moon sighting. Eid Milad un Nabi will be celebrated in India on October 9. Here are some wishes, quotes and messages that you can share with your family, friends, and neighbours on the occasion of Eid Milad. Messages and greetings to share 1) May Allah fill all of our hearts with kindness, love and patience. Eid Mubarak! 2) A blessed Mawlid to you, may Allah ease your hardships and shower prosperity on you. 3) Eid-Milad-un-Nabi is an occasion to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, it is an opportunity to celebrate him and his life 4) Eid is a time of celebrations, festivities, and prayers! May we all do good and get good in return. Happy Eid-Milad-un-Nabi! 5) The Prophet Muhammad said: Whoever sends blessings upon me, Allah will send blessings upon him tenfold. So let us send him our prayers this Mawlid. 6) May the light of this holy day enlighten our hearts and soothe our minds. Eid Mubarak! 7) May Allah listen to your prayers, blessing your family with good health and happiness. 8) On this sombre and auspicious occasion of Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, I wish that Allah gives you and your family a happy and blessed life. 9) Sending you my good wishes on the auspicious occasion of Eid Milad un Nabi. Lots of love and blessings! Images to share Celebrate this day with your family and friends and spread the message of love and kindness. Vishwakarma Puja falls on September 16, Monday, this year. The festival is dedicated to Lord Vishwakarma, considered the creator of the world. Devotees often refer to him as the divine engineer of the world and celebrate his birth on Kanya Sankranti as per the Hindu calendar. It is believed that Lord Vishwakarma was born out of Samudra Manthan along with other precious things. Vishwakarma due to this divine skill is worshipped by all craftsmen, architects and office workers. If you and your loved ones are marking Vishwakarma Puja this year, check out these best wishes, images, messages, quotes and greetings to make the festival extra special. Vishwakarma Puja 2024 Wishes, Messages and Greetings 1. Here's paying a humble tribute to the architect of Gods and the God of all the skills. Happy and blessed Vishwakarma Puja to you and your loved ones. 2. May you be blessed with success and growth in all your endeavours. A very Happy Vishwakarma Puja to you. 3. May Lord Vishwakarma shower you with his blessings, and may you succeed in all your endeavours. Happy Vishwakarma Puja to you and everyone at home. 4. May the architect of the Gods shower you and your family with his choicest blessings. A very Happy Vishwakarma Puja to you and your family. 5. May you be blessed with success and growth in all your endeavours. Happy Vishwakarma Puja to you. 6. May you have the beautiful home of your dreams and succeed in all your endeavours. Have a shubh Vishwakarma Puja with your loved ones. 7. May the divine energy of Lord Vishwakarma infuse your work with precision, creativity, and everlasting success 8. May your business grow with the choicest blessings of Lord Vishwakarma. 9. May your skills and talents continue to be a source of pride and success. 10. May your craftsmanship shine like a beacon, guiding you towards success and prosperity. Images To Share on Vishwakarma Puja 2024 Pitru Paksha, also known as Shradh or Mahalaya Paksha, is a significant period in Hinduism dedicated to honoring and paying respects to one's ancestors or Pitrus. The roots of Pitru Paksha can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures, including the Garuda Purana and the Mahabharata. According to Hindu mythology, it is believed that during this time, the gateway to the afterlife is opened, allowing departed souls to temporarily return to the earthly realm. This is an extremely auspicious time of the year when the deceased people of the family are remembered. Pitru Paksha is observed over a period of sixteen days when auspicious rituals such as Pind Daan, Shradh and Pitru Tarpan are performed. Shradh Date 2024 According to Drik Panchang, this year, Pitru Paksha will start with Bhadrapada, Shukla Purnima on September 17, and will go on till October 2, Ashwina, Krishna Amavasya. Auspicious Time For Shradh Karma 2024 According to Drik Panchang, the auspicious time for shradh karma will be, Kutup Muhurta: 11:50 am to 12:39 pm Rohin Muhurta: 12:39 pm to 01:28 pm Pitru Paksha Significance Pitru Paksha holds immense significance in Hindu culture for several reasons: Ancestral Reverence: It is a time when Hindus express their gratitude and respect to their forefathers, acknowledging their role in shaping the family's lineage and seeking their blessings for prosperity and well-being. Karmic Cleansing: Hindus believe that performing Shradh rituals during Pitru Paksha can help alleviate the ancestral souls' suffering and cleanse any negative karmas that may be affecting the family's fortunes. Fulfillment of Duties: Observing Pitru Paksha rituals is considered a moral and religious duty (dharma) in Hinduism. It is believed that neglecting these rites can lead to discontent among the ancestors, which may, in turn, bring misfortunes to the living. Rituals of Shradh 2024 The Shradh rituals during Pitru Paksha are performed with great devotion and care. Here are some of the essential practices associated with this period: Pinda Daan: Pinda, or rice balls, are prepared and offered to the deceased ancestors. The number and size of pindas vary depending on the deceased's age and gender. Food Offerings: Elaborate meals are prepared and offered to the ancestors. This includes dishes like kheer, puri, vegetables, and sweets. The food is placed on a banana leaf or a plate and then offered to the Pitrus. Tithi Shraddha: On the specific day of the deceased ancestor's death anniversary (tithi), a more elaborate Shradh ceremony is performed with additional rituals and offerings. Donations: It is customary to give alms to the needy and make charitable donations during Pitru Paksha as a way of earning merit for the ancestors' souls. Feeding Brahmins: Offering meals to Brahmins and seeking their blessings is another common practice during this period. (This article is intended for your general information only. Zee News does not vouch for its accuracy or reliability.) New Delhi: Tesla CEO Elon Musk has a heavy security entourage around him that even follows him to the bathroom of the X (formerly) headquarters, a New York Times report has revealed. A security team- which consists of 20 personnel guard the billionaire tech magnate that is being called by the name Voyager. "Mr. Musk, who was once flanked by two bodyguards, travels with as many as 20 security professionals who show up to research escape routes or to clear a room before he enters. They often carry guns and have a medical professional in tow for Mr. Musk, who has been code-named Voyager by his security team," the New York Times reported. Elon Musk's Company has paid millions of dollars for providing tight security to the tech billionaire. The New York Times has accessed invoices and receipts that said, "This year, Tesla disclosed in filings for the first time that it paid $2.4 million for a portion of Mr. Musks protection in 2023. It paid $500,000 in the first two months of 2024, more than five times the average spent every two months in 2019, according to Tesla documents. From 2015 to 2018, Mr. Musk spent an average $145,000 a month on security". The Tesla and SpaceX CEO had in 2022 created a lot of tumult among Twitter user by posting a very cryptic tweet on death. Musk referred to dying under under "mysterious circumstances". Musk tweeted, "If I die under mysterious circumstances, it's been nice knowin ya". If I die under mysterious circumstances, its been nice knowin ya Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2022 Though the Tech billionaire is well known for his baffling posts on Twitter, the above quote seems to have some relation to the tweet Musk had posted before the "mysterious circumstances" quote. The word Nazi doesnt mean what he seems to think it does pic.twitter.com/pk9SQhBOsG Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2022 In the above post, that appears to be a communication from a Russian officer, Musk shares excerpts of some strong warning of sorts. The post warns how Musk "will be held accountable" for his involvement in "supplying the fascist forces in Ukraine with military communication equipment". "Elon Musk, thus, is involved in supplying the fascist forces in Ukraine with military communication equipment. And for this, Elon, you will be held accountable like an adult - no matter how much you'll play the fool," said the last para of the post. New Delhi: Capital markets regulator Sebi on Monday withdrew its press release issued in September 4, which addressed claims of unprofessional work culture, stating that these concerns are "misplaced" and reaffirmed that employee-related issues will be managed internally. The withdrawal came days after a protest by a large number of Sebi employees outside the regulator's headquarters on September 5, a day after the press release. They had demanded the withdrawal of the statement and the resignation of Sebi chief Madhabi Puri Buch. In a statement on Monday, Sebi acknowledged the critical role its employees have played over the past thirty-six years in shaping the Indian securities market into one of the most dynamic and well-regulated markets globally. Sebi said it addresses employee-related matters through appropriate internal mechanisms. "Following constructive discussions with representatives of all grades of officers, Sebi and its employees have reaffirmed that such issues are strictly internal and will be managed in accordance with the organization's high standards of governance and within a time-bound framework," the regulator said. Accordingly, the press release issued on September 4 has been withdrawn. The decision to retract the press release came after employees strongly condemned the unauthorized dissemination of internal communications. Sebi employees have reiterated their commitment to resolving concerns amicably through established internal channels, ensuring that such matters remain internal and managed within a time-bound framework. "Employees have strongly condemned the unauthorized release of internal communication and have confirmed that all concerns shall be addressed amicably through established internal channels," the statement noted. For Puri, protests and internal issues have come at a time when she is probably facing the most challenging times in her stint. The career banker-turned-regulator is battling speculations on whether a conflict of interest made her go slow on the probe against Adani Group and a raft of other allegations around it. In what is unprecedented for any financial regulator, around 500 employees wrote to the Finance Ministry on August 6, against the top management, for what they called a "toxic" work environment, which includes instances of public humiliation and shouting down. After the publishing of a media report about the letter, Sebi responded with a press release, which stated such claims are "misplaced", which seemed to have irked the employees. The regulator stated that some "external elements" had instigated its employees into believing that they shouldn't be held to high standards of performance and accountability, though, it did not provide specific details. AAP's senior leader Manish Sisodia is scheduled to meet with Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday. This meeting comes in the wake of Kejriwal's declaration that he will not occupy the chief minister's seat until he receives a "certificate of honesty" from the public. Kejriwal has stated that he will only assume the role of chief minister, with Sisodia as his deputy, when the public deems them to be honest. On Monday, a party official stated, "Today's meeting between Kejriwal and Sisodia will be their first since the announcement. It's expected that they will discuss the succession for the chief minister's post." The meeting is set to take place at the chief minister's official residence in Civil Lines. Following his release from Tihar Jail on bail related to the excise policy graft case last Friday, Kejriwal announced plans to convene a meeting with AAP MLAs soon. He indicated that a fellow party member would succeed him as chief minister. This sudden announcement has sparked widespread speculation about potential successors, including his wife Sunita, and ministers Atishi and Gopal Rai. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is expected to step down from his position on Tuesday. The AAP has scheduled a legislative party meeting at 11 a.m. to discuss and select his successor. The name of the new chief minister is likely to be announced at the same time. Kejriwal's decision to resign comes after his release from Tihar jail on Friday, following his arrest in the excise policy case. On Sunday, he declared that he would resign as the chief minister within two days, adding that he would not return to the position unless the people of Delhi grant him a "certificate of honesty." The AAP leader plans to meet Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday to formally submit his resignation. Simultaneously, the new CM will stake their claim to the position. Legislative Party Meeting to Decide Successor Ahead of the legislative party meeting, Kejriwal held a series of one-on-one discussions with senior AAP leaders during the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting on Monday. According to AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, Kejriwal sought feedback from party leaders regarding his potential successor. Names being considered for the role include prominent AAP leaders such as Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Kailash Gahlot, Gopal Rai, and Imran Hussain. There is also speculation that Kejriwal's wife, Sunita Kejriwal, could be a potential candidate for the post. However, Kejriwal has ruled out former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia as a successor. Possibility of a Dalit Leader as Next CM Some AAP members have suggested the appointment of a Dalit leader as the next chief minister. Although no specific names have been confirmed, this possibility reflects the party's broader agenda of inclusivity. The new CM will hold office until the next elections are conducted. Kejriwal's Call for Early Elections During his resignation announcement, Kejriwal expressed his desire for early elections in Delhi, ideally in November 2024, ahead of the current schedule of February 2025. He emphasized that he would only return to the CM position after successfully proving his honesty to the public. "I will sit on the CM's chair only after people give me a certificate of honesty. I will become chief minister and Manish Sisodia deputy CM only when people say we are honest," he declared. Following a recent Supreme Court judge's observation that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should shed its image as a "caged parrot," Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar highlighted the need for cooperation between key state institutions. Speaking at an event in Mumbai, Dhankhar underscored the importance of the Judiciary, Legislature, and Executive working together to safeguard democratic values and uphold the Constitution. All organs of the state Judiciary, Legislature, and Executive have a single purpose: to ensure the success of the fundamental spirit of the Constitution, to guarantee all rights to the common people, and to help India prosper and flourish, the Vice President said during the inauguration of the Samvidhan Mandir at Elphinstone Technical High School and Junior College. The Vice President underscored that institutions must be aware of their limitations, both obvious and subtle. He warned that inflammatory political debates or narratives that undermine the institutions of the state could harm their ability to function effectively. ''They need to work in tandem and togetherness to nurture and blossom democratic values and further Constitutional ideals. Let these sacred platforms not trigger points of political inflammatory debate that is detrimental to established institutions that serve the nation well in a challenging and daunting environment. Our institutions perform their duty under tight situations and damaging observations can despirit them. It can set a political debate afloat and trigger a narrative. We have to be extremely conscious about our Institutions. They are robust, they are working independently under the rule of law and there are suitable checks and balances.'' All organs of state have one common objective: , , They need to work in tandem and togetherness to nurture and blossom democratic values and further Constitutional ideals. Let these sacred platforms not pic.twitter.com/lBUMlVfWFK Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) September 15, 2024 SC Judge's 'Caged Parrot' Remark on CBI The Vice Presidents comments came in the wake of remarks made by Supreme Court Justice Ujjal Bhuyan during a judgment on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals petition regarding his arrest in a case linked to alleged irregularities in Delhis now-scrapped liquor policy. While granting bail to Kejriwal, Justice Bhuyan noted that in a democracy governed by the rule of law, the perception of institutions matters, and the CBI must be seen as independent. Justice Bhuyan cited an earlier instance where the CBI was compared to a "caged parrot" by the Supreme Court, calling for the agency to dispel that image. It is imperative that CBI dispels the notion of it being a caged parrot. Rather, the perception should be that of an uncaged parrot, he wrote in his judgment. Political Backlash The "caged parrot" comment triggered a political backlash, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) launching a scathing attack on the central government and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned Shahs leadership, stating that the Supreme Court's criticism of the CBI raised concerns about the Union Home Ministry's oversight of the agency. "The Union home minister should resign as this raises questions on him. The Supreme Court called the CBI a caged parrot," Bharadwaj stated, adding fuel to the ongoing political debate The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is set to conduct a joint interrogation of Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital, and Abhijit Mondal, the ex-station house officer of Tala Police Station, to probe into their suspicious activities on the morning of August 9. This was the day when the remains of a junior doctor, who was a victim of a brutal rape and murder, were found on the hospital grounds. The primary cause for suspicion arises from nine phone calls exchanged between Ghosh and Mondal that morning, details of which have been retrieved from their mobile phone call records. The CBI counsel informed a special court in Kolkata about these calls on Sunday. Investigators believe that by questioning Ghosh and Mondal together, they can uncover the nature of the information shared during these calls. Another concern is why Mondal's team, the first responders to the crime scene, and Ghosh permitted numerous individuals to leave the area, potentially compromising the integrity of the evidence. Both were arrested by the CBI on Saturday night for allegedly obstructing the initial investigation and tampering with evidence. Additionally, questions have been raised as to why Ghosh did not file an initial rape complaint and why Mondal did not enforce this procedure, despite clear signs of the heinous crime on the victim's body. Following their arrest, a special court granted the CBI a three-day custody of both individuals on Sunday. A pivotal Supreme Court hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, where the CBI is expected to present its second progress report on the case. Prominent Supreme Court advocate and activist Indira Jaising is set to participate in the proceedings. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari is known for his outspoken attitude. He never holds his horses back when it comes to exposing laxity within the government system. Addressing a gathering on the occasion of 'Engineer's Day' in Pune, Gadkari exposed the prevalent corruption within the bureaucracy while saying that files move faster if there is weight on them. Gadkari was talking about bribes given by people to get files approved. The Union Minister said that the speed of movement of files is directly proportional to the weight (money) on them. Gadkari was talking about issues related to the need for transparency and time-bound decision-making in the government system. Addressing the gathering in which the majority of the government employees were in attendance, Gadkari said that bureaucrats work faster in cases where they get money. "There are some 'Newton's fathers' in our system and files move faster only if you put more weight on it," said Gadkari. | Addressing Engineers Day program organised by Alumni Association of COEP Technological University. https://t.co/G8bh0bfPLM Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) September 15, 2024 Using highway projects and road accidents as an example, Gadkari noted that the primary cause of these issues stems from flawed detailed project reports (DPRs), rather than any other factor. Additionally, he pointed out that some bureaucrats require directives for even basic tasks, such as filling potholes on roads. The Union Minister announced that his ministry has planned a 14-lane highway connecting Mumbai and Bengaluru, starting from the Atal Setu Bridge and linking with Pune's ring road. He explained that this will allow travelers from Mumbai to Bengaluru to bypass Pune, helping to reduce traffic in the city. Additionally, the route will provide direct access to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. "A tender has already been floated, and we aim to begin construction within the next six months," he added. J&K Election 2024: In the first phase of polling, 23 lakh voters will decide the fate of 219 candidates. Foolproof security arrangements have been made across the Union Territory. Jammu and Kashmir is heading for its assembly elections after a decade. The first phase of the election will be held on September 18, with security remaining one of the major concerns for agencies. As PM Modi stated, this assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir will determine the fate of the Union Territory. A total of 219 candidates are contesting in the first phase of elections. Polling will take place in 24 Assembly Constituencies in this phase of the J&K Assembly Elections-2024 on September 18, 2024. In Anantnag district, 64 candidates remain in the final electoral fray, followed by 45 in Pulwama district, 27 in Doda district, 25 in Kulgam district, 22 in Kishtwar district, 21 in Shopian district, and 15 in Ramban district. In Kishtwar district, 9 candidates are contesting in 48-Inderwal AC, 7 in 49-Kishtwar AC, and 6 in 50-Padder-Nagseni AC. In Doda district, 10 candidates are in the fray for 51-Bhadarwah AC, 9 for 52-Doda AC, and 8 for 53-Doda West AC. In Ramban district, 8 candidates are contesting in 54-Ramban AC, while 7 will contest in 55-Banihal AC. Similarly, in Pulwama district, 14 candidates are competing in 32-Pampore AC, 9 in 33-Tral AC, 12 in 34-Pulwama AC, and 10 in 35-Rajpora AC. In Shopian district, 10 candidates are running in 36-Zainapora AC, and 11 in 37-Shopian AC. In Kulgam district, 6 candidates remain in the fray for 38-DH Pora AC, 10 for 39-Kulgam AC, and 9 for 40-Devsar AC. In Anantnag district, 10 candidates are contesting in 41-Dooru AC, 10 in 42-Kokernag (ST) AC, 9 in 43-Anantnag West AC, 13 in 44-Anantnag AC, 3 in 45-Srigufwara-Bijbehara AC, 13 in 46-Shangus-Anantnag East AC, and 6 in 47-Pahalgam AC. More than 23.27 lakh voters, including 5.66 lakh youths, are eligible to cast their votes in Phase-I. Among these, 11.76 lakh are male voters, 11.51 lakh are female voters, and there are 60 third-gender electors. A three-tier security system has been implemented across the Union Territory to secure every polling booth. Special polling booths with extra security have been established in areas near the Line of Control and the International Border. V.K. Birdi, IG Kashmir Police, stated, "With September 18th being the date for the first phase of elections, particularly in South Kashmir, we have made extensive arrangements. Paramilitary forces have been deployed at polling booths, and area domination is being carried out to ensure fair elections in a secure environment. We have also implemented multilayered security at strong rooms and distribution centers. These arrangements will continue for the second and third phases as well. Technology serves as a force multiplier and greatly enhances security." Around 300 companies of paramilitary forces have been brought in from across India specifically for election security, in addition to the Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF already present in the Valley. J&K Polls: With the voting for the Jammu and Kasmir starting on September 18, the political parties have thrown their weight behind the candidates. Star campaigners of all parties have hit the ground in the valley. While the BJP fielded only 19 candidates in the valley out of the total 47 seats, the party is looking to get support from independents and some regional parties as it's confident of winning a majority of the 43 seats in the Jammu region. A bail to Baramulla MP Er Rashid has given the National Conference a chance to corner the BJP. The NC has claimed that Er Rashid's Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) is the 'B' team of the BJP. Meanwhile, the AIP has formed an alliance with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) for the assembly polls. There are a total of 90 seats in the J&K and the majority mark is 46. The BJP is aware that it might not get a majority on its own and thus, it has its eye on some smaller regional parties and independent candidates as well. There are seven regional parties and 32 independent candidates in the poll fray and have the potential to win the elections. According to a TOI report, the BJP has made it clear that it doesn't have a 'tacit' understanding with the UAPA detainee Er Rashid and his party AIP. The BJP leaders also claimed that the Central government vociferously opposed Rashid's bail. They also made clear that the Union government won't lift the ban from the Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir. The BJP made it clear that it won't ally with the AIP. The Union Home Minister Amit Shah has already promised that the state will get statehood at an appropriate time after the polls. The J&K is heading to polls for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370. In the Kolkata doctor rape-murder case, Abhijit Mondal, the officer-in-charge of the Tala police station, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly delaying the filing of the First Investigation Report (FIR) by over 14 hours. Despite his arrest, senior officials have praised Mondal for conducting a "transparent" investigation into the case. Officer Praised by Senior for 'Transparent' Investigation V Solomon Nesakumar, Additional Commissioner of Kolkata Police, expressed support for Mondal, emphasizing the transparency of his actions during the investigation. Nesakumar stated that the police department stands by Mondal's family and will provide full support during this difficult time. "Personally, I believe he is not guilty. He acted with good intentions, reached the scene quickly, and conducted a thorough investigation to ensure justice was served," Nesakumar told reporters. Arrest Linked to Delay in FIR Filing The CBI arrested Mondal on Saturday, September 14, alongside Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College, where the incident took place. Ghosh had already been in custody over alleged financial irregularities at the facility. Both are accused of delaying the FIR in the suspected rape and murder of a trainee doctor, which occurred on August 9 at RG Kar Medical College. Mondal, as the officer-in-charge of Tala police station, is alleged to have delayed registering the FIR in connection with the case, a key point of concern in the CBI's investigation. The case is being investigated under the direction of the Calcutta High Court, which criticized Kolkata Police for its handling of the matter. After two previously unsuccessful attempts, the protesting junior doctors of Kolkata have finally begun talks with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence. This is the third meeting, described by the state government as the "fifth and final invitation for talks." Sources have confirmed that unlike the prior occasions, the doctors have entered the meeting space, marking the beginning of formal discussions. Earlier Attempts at Negotiation Failed The initial meetings between the doctors and the Chief Minister, including one on Saturday, fell through over disagreements about the proceedings being live transmitted or recorded. The doctors insisted that the discussions be videographed, with a copy handed to them immediately after the meeting. This led to both sides walking away from negotiations without reaching a consensus. During the first attempt, images circulated online of the Chief Minister sitting alone in a hall at the state secretariat, waiting for the doctors' delegation. These images quickly went viral, highlighting the unresolved tensions. Saturday's meeting fared no better, as arguments persisted outside Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat home. Despite her invitation for them to join her for tea, the doctors refused to enter, standing firm on their demand for live transmission. Banerjee's Attempts to Assure Doctors Go Unanswered In an effort to resolve the dispute, Mamata Banerjee personally assured the protesting doctors that they would be provided with a video recording of the meeting after the conclusion of the Supreme Court proceedings on the matter. Despite this assurance and her repeated invitations for them to enter for tea, the doctors remained adamant, stating their primary goal was not tea but justice. As time passed, the deadlock persisted. Around 9 pm on the day of the second attempt, both parties finally agreed to have a written record of the meeting signed by both sides. However, by then, it was deemed too late to proceed. The evening also saw the arrest of former RG Kar hospital principal Sandip Ghosh and a local police officer by the CBI, related to the ongoing investigation into the alleged evidence tampering following the August 9 rape-murder of a young doctor, which sparked the protests. Doctors Finally Agree To Discussions at Kalighat With the backdrop of these tense events, the protesting doctors eventually agreed to sit down for discussions at Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat residence. The Chief Minister, who had earlier stepped away to continue her work, has now rejoined the efforts to bring an end to the impasse. Both sides are expected to work towards a resolution, with hopes that the ongoing talks will finally bring the protests to a close. The Ministry of External Affairs of India has issued a strong statement in response to remarks made by the Supreme Leader of Iran concerning minorities in India. In the statement, India expressed its disapproval of the comments, calling them "misinformed and unacceptable." The ministry highlighted that such remarks were not based on accurate information and advised nations to first reflect on their own track record regarding minorities before passing judgments on others. The government underscored that it would not tolerate any misrepresentation of its treatment of minorities, implicitly suggesting that Iran should look inward before making such observations. "We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable. Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others," said the MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. Statement on Unacceptable Comments made by the Supreme Leader of Iran:https://t.co/Db94FGChaF pic.twitter.com/MpOFxtfuRO Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) September 16, 2024 This official stance comes in the wake of diplomatic sensitivities between the two countries, showcasing India's firm response to external criticisms regarding its domestic matters. Earlier in the day, Khamenei highlighted the 'suffering' of Muslims in regions such as India, Gaza, and Myanmar, urging for greater solidarity among global communities. "We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or any other place," the Iranian leader said in his post on X. A 38-year-old Muslim man has been arrested here for allegedly deceiving a Dalit Hindu woman into marriage under a false identity and then raping her, police said on Monday. Accused Danish, who went by the alibi of Dev, has been arrested by the Sahibabad police station officials here, a senior officer said. "The woman initially met 'Dev' about a year-and-a-half ago while applying for a driving licence. According to her complaint, in April of the previous year, 'Dev' persuaded her to wear a 'mangalsutra' and establish a physical relationship during a visit to a Sahibabad hotel," Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Sahibabad Rajneesh Upadhyay said. "They subsequently lived together in a rented accommodation in Dasna, where she became pregnant. Danish secretly administered an abortion pill, and it was only after the pregnancy was terminated that she learned of his true identity," Upadhyay added. Upon discovering the truth, the victim confronted Danish at his home in July this year, where she was allegedly assaulted by his family members, he said. Following this, a Zero FIR was filed at Kapurpur police station in Hapur district and later transferred to Sahibabad police station. A formal case was registered on September 12. Upadhyay said the presence of both the victim and Danish at a Sahibabad hotel was verified through evidence. Danish has been charged under BNS sections 115(2)/123(2)/318(4), 64, and 3(2)5 of the SC/ST Act and has been sent to jail, the officer added. Chandigarh: Leader of Opposition in Punjab, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Sunday condemned remarks made by Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravneet Singh Bittu on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on Sikhs in the USA. Bajwa said that it is deeply concerning that a minister, who draws a salary funded by taxpayers, fails to comprehend the constitutional values he is sworn to uphold. "His derogatory remarks demonstrate not only a profound lack of education and understanding of parliamentary principles but also an appalling disregard for responsible public conduct," he said. "It appears that Bittu has completely lost his sense of reason, and perhaps it would be prudent for him to seek professional psychiatric assistance. His inability to win public trust has long been evident, yet he continues to draw a ministerial salary. Perhaps those funds could be better utilised in addressing what seems to be a deeper mental affliction. Such a baseless accusation is not merely a lapse in judgement; it is a clear manifestation of a troubling disconnect between his speech and reasoning," Bajwa added. The Congress leader, further urged the Government of India to take note and to ensure that those in positions of power, respect the dignity of the Constitution and the office they hold. "Ravneet Singh Bittu's irresponsible comments are an affront to democracy and cannot be excused as mere lapses in judgement," Partap Singh Bajwa added. Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit slammed the Union Minister over his controversial remarks and said that his political career in the Congress was also a mess. "We can only pity such people. His political career in Congress was also a mess. He used to praise Rahul Gandhi, and now, after resigning from Congress and joining the BJP, he is showing his loyalty to the BJP party," Dixit said. Congress leader Tariq Anwar said, "Ravneet Bittu has just joined the BJP from the Congress party and he wants to prove that he follows the ideology of BJP and is anti-Rahul Gandhi. That's why he is making these kinds of absurd statements." Launching a blistering attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu said on Sunday that the former is not an Indian and is the country's number one terrorist whom the agencies should catch. "Rahul Gandhi is not an Indian, he has spent most of his time outside. He does not love his country much because he goes abroad and says everything in the wrong way. The people who are most wanted, separatists, and experts in making bombs, guns, and shells, have appreciated what Rahul Gandhi has said. The enemies of the country who try to blow up planes, trains, and roads, are in support of Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi is the country's number 1 terrorist. The biggest enemy of the country whom the agencies should catch is Rahul Gandhi today," he said. In another remark, Bittu said that Rahul Gandhi is trying to break a religion abroad, saying that wearing a kada, the turban is not allowed in India. "The Gandhi family under a conspiracy raped our mothers and sisters in the streets. Bullets were fired at the Golden Temple. Thousands of innocent people were killed. Why are they teasing Sikhs? What do they want to do? He is speaking the language of terrorists like Pannun who are sitting abroad. I will speak the same when he is sitting in front of me in the parliament," he said. Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government on Monday invited the agitating doctors for the fifth and the final time to hold talks to put an end to the RG Kar impasse. This move comes two days after the state chief minister faced a deadlock on live streaming of the meeting. In an email, Chief secretary Manoj Pant has asked the protesters to meet Mamata Banerjee at her residence in Kalighat at 5 pm today. "This is the fifth and the final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting between the honourable CM and the delegates. In line with our discussion the day before (Saturday), we are once again inviting you for the meeting with the CM at her Kalighat residence for discussions with an open mind," he wrote, reported PTI. Pant expressed optimism that "good sense will prevail" following an agreement on Saturday to prohibit live-streaming or videography of the meeting, as the issue remains sub-judice before the Supreme Court. "Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both the parties," he said. In response to the email, the protesting doctors stated they would deliberate among themselves before deciding whether to attend the meeting. Junior doctors at the state-run hospital have been on strike since August 9, protesting the rape and murder of a colleague at the facility. World Ozone Day, observed on September 16th each year, marks the anniversary of the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987. This day is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of the ozone layer and the actions needed to preserve it. The ozone layer acts as Earth's protective shield, absorbing the majority of the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which can cause skin cancer, cataracts, and other health issues, as well as damage crops and marine ecosystems. What is the Ozone Layer? The ozone layer is a thin part of Earth's atmosphere, located in the stratosphere, that contains high concentrations of ozone (O3) molecules. This layer absorbs the majority of the suns harmful UV-B and UV-C rays, preventing them from reaching the Earth's surface. Without this protective barrier, life on Earth would be exposed to severe radiation, which could have catastrophic consequences for humans, animals, and plants. The Montreal Protocol: A Landmark Environmental Agreement World Ozone Day commemorates the Montreal Protocol, a global treaty designed to phase out the production and consumption of substances that deplete the ozone layer, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons. Since its adoption, the Protocol has been a resounding success, with nearly 99% of ozone-depleting substances eliminated globally. Due to the collective global effort, the ozone layer has shown signs of recovery. According to reports, it is expected to return to pre-1980 levels by the middle of the century if current policies are maintained. The Montreal Protocol is often hailed as one of the most successful international environmental agreements in history. The Importance of Protecting the Ozone Layer The depletion of the ozone layer is not just an environmental issue but a public health concern. A thinning ozone layer means more UV radiation reaches the Earth, increasing the risk of skin cancer and cataracts in humans. It also negatively affects plant growth, reducing agricultural productivity, and harms marine life, particularly plankton, which is a vital part of the ocean's food chain. By reducing ozone-depleting substances, we also indirectly contribute to the fight against climate change. Many of the chemicals that destroy the ozone layer are also potent greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming. The Montreal Protocol has, in effect, prevented significant carbon emissions, thereby helping to slow the pace of climate change. How Can We Contribute? While the Montreal Protocol has been a success, the work is far from over. On World Ozone Day, individuals, businesses, and governments can take the following steps to contribute to ozone protection: 1. Avoid the use of products containing ozone-depleting chemicals: Many old appliances and products, like refrigerators and air conditioners, still contain CFCs or other harmful substances. Replace them with environmentally friendly alternatives. 2. Support renewable energy: Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels decreases greenhouse gas emissions and promotes a healthier environment, which in turn supports ozone recovery. 3. Promote awareness and education: Educating others about the importance of the ozone layer and the steps being taken to protect it can encourage responsible behavior and decision-making. 4. Conserve energy: Using less energy reduces demand for fossil fuels, cutting down on pollutants that can harm the ozone layer and contribute to climate change. The Theme of World Ozone Day 2024 Each year, World Ozone Day has a specific theme to highlight different aspects of ozone protection. The theme for World Ozone Day 2024 is Montreal Protocol: Healing the Ozone Layer for a Healthier Planet. This theme highlights the continued importance of the Montreal Protocol in global efforts to protect the ozone layer and emphasizes the need for sustained action to ensure its recovery. World Ozone Day serves as a reminder of the remarkable progress made under the Montreal Protocol and the critical importance of protecting the ozone layer for future generations. As global citizens, it is our responsibility to support initiatives that safeguard the environment and help heal the ozone layer, ensuring a healthier and safer planet for all. Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan visited Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's home with his sister Arpita for Ganpati darshan. Eknath Shinde took to his Instagram handle and shared a series of pictures from the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration. Some of the pictures featured Salman Khan and his sister Arpita Khan taking part in Ganpati puja. Salman stole everyone's attention with his casual look. Eknath Shinde offered Salman a bouquet of flowers and a colourful shawl. Shinde's son and MP Dr Srikant Shinde and more were also present. This year also, Salman welcomed Lord Ganesha into his home for Ganesh Chaturthi. Earlier, Salman shared a video of the Ganesh Visarjan, where the family bid farewell to Bappa on his Instagram handle. In the video, Salman was seen dancing with his family during the Visarjan, as he fully enjoyed the moment. He also performed the final aarti and whispered prayers into Lord Ganesha's ears, a tradition followed by many devotees. Salman's sister Arpita Khan Sharma and her husband Ayush Sharma were also seen in the video, dancing with their kids with full energy. Other family members, including Sohail Khan's sons Nirvaan and Yohan, Arbaaz Khan's son Arhaan, Alvira Agnihotri, her daughter Alizeh, and her son Ayaan, were also seen joining in the festivities, dancing their hearts out during the Visarjan. Along with the video, the actor also added a caption that read, "Happy Ganesh Chaturthi." On September 7, Salman Khan arrived at the Ambani family's grand residence, Antilia, to join the Ganesh Chaturthi festivities. The actor made a stylish appearance in a dapper brown shirt. Talking about the joyous festival, Ganesh Chaturthi is a 10-day festival that commenced on September 7 and will continue until Anantha Chaturdashi. This festival is also known as Vinayak Chaturthi or Vinayak Chavithi. During Ganesh Chaturthi, Lord Ganesha is worshipped as the god of new beginnings and the remover of obstacles. Devotees across India and abroad celebrated Lord Ganesha's wisdom and intelligence. Devotees welcomed Ganesh idols into their homes, offered prayers, and visited the colourful pandals. The streets were filled with the sounds of devotion and joy as people came together to celebrate the festival with enthusiasm and heart. The colourful decorations, lively chants, and the fragrance of sweets added to the festive spirit that could be felt everywhere. Meanwhile, on the work front, Salman will be seen headlining 'Sikandar'. 'Sikandar' marks the reunion of Salman Khan and Sajid Nadiadwala after their previous successful collaborations 'Kick', 'Judwaa', and 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'. Directed by A.R. Murugadoss, the film is set to release next Eid. Recently, Salman shared a picture from the sets of the 'Sikandar'. In the picture, Salman is wearing a light blue shirt and smiling at a screen nearby. Film producer Sajid Nadiadwala and director Murugadoss can be seen sharing a laugh with him. "Looking forward to #Eid2025 with team #Sikandar #SajidNadiadwala's #SikandarDirected by @a.r.murugadoss Releasing in cinemas EID 2025," he captioned the post. In May 2024, the production house officially announced the news on its social media handles that Rashmika Mandanna is part of the film. "Welcoming the fabulous @rashmika_mandanna to star opposite @beingsalmankhan in #Sikandar! Can't wait for their on-screen magic to unfold on EID 2025!," the post read. Rashmika also took to her Instagram Stories to post, "You guys for a long time have been asking me for the next update, and here it is. Surprise!! I'm truly grateful and honoured to be a part of Sikandar." (ANI) New Delhi: On the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, which began this year on September 7, Bollywood actor and co-founder of Solitario Lab-Grown Diamonds, Vivek Oberoi, presented a 66-carat tilak, complete with 68 lab-grown diamonds to Shrimant Dagdusheth Ganpati - the most Ganesh Mandal in Pune. The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi holds greater significance in Maharashtra and is celebrated as one of the major festivals in the state and is a 10-day affair. The actor took to his social media handle and shared the post reading: A Divine Offering for Bappa! As a token of our devotion, @solitariodiamonds proudly presents a breathtaking 66-carat lab-grown diamond Tilak to Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati this Ganeshotsav. There is nothing more sacred and blessed as the moment @rickyhvasandani and I performed the Maha-Aarti and seeked Bappas blessings. From our humble beginnings as a single lab-grown diamond jewelry store in Pune, we are now in 21 cities across 7 countries, all thanks to the grace of #Bappa. Special thanks to @varoinmarwah @varoinmarwahhomme for this special outfit This ceremonial offering, held during the Ganpati Aarti, commemorated the 133-year legacy of the Ganpati Mandal and marks the beginning of Solitario's 'Bling Better' India Tour this September. Vivek Oberoi, accompanied by Ricky Vasandani, CEO and Co-Founder of Solitario Lab-Grown Diamonds, sought Bappas blessings during the Aarti. Speaking on the occasion, Vivek Oberoi said, "We started with humble beginnings in Pune, and have now scaled to over 7 countries and 21 cities across the globe, which could not have been possible without Bappas grace. As Solitario continues on its path of growth, we seek Bappas blessings again to help us reach newer heights." Solitario Lab-Grown Diamonds which was one of the first jewellery brands from India to be featured on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, has established itself as a leader in the eco-friendly, conflict-free diamond industry. As part of the tour, Vivek Oberoi and Solitario will host a Diamond Party at Phoenix Marketcity, Bangalore, followed by a Diamonds and Denim Party at Phoenix Palladium in Chennai. During Ganeshotsav, huge Ganpati pandals are decked up and devotees throng them in huge numbers, seeking his blessings. Mumbai: Raha Kapoor was spotted at the airport with her parents Alia Bhatt Kapoor while they were heading for a vacation together, later Neetu Kapoor joined them where Alia even told her about her timing when she arrived as they were at the security check. But what everyone's attention was the way Raha was talking to her Dadi. The moment Neetu arrived at the security check, he adorably walked towards Raha, met son Ranbir and Alia, and started talking to Raha who too adorably replied to her Dadi. Well, Raha is not even 2 years old so it's obvious her conversation will not be clear, but we loved her voice and this is indeed one of the most adorable videos on the internet you will see today. Watch the adorable video of Raha talking to her Dadi Neetu Kapoor at the airport. In the video, you can see Alia Bhatt holding her little one in her arms and heading to the airport, and it looks like the Kapoors are on vacation. Raha Kapoor is the most viral star kid, her adorableness often sends the fans on a meltdown, the little girl has now started reacting as she happily waves at people and even talks. Raha was born on November 6, and till year the little one will turn two years old. Alia and Ranbir got married in April 2022 and announced the arrival of their child within a few months. Alia and Ranbir were in 5 years relationship before getting married. Former Uvalde school district police chief Pete Arredondo, center, and his lawyer Paul Looney, right, after a court hearing in Uvalde. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer Family members of victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting leave a court hearing for former Uvalde school police chief Pete Arredondo and former school police officer Adrian Gonzales. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer Former Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzales gets into his pickup after a court hearing in Uvalde. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer Veronica Luevanos, whose daughter Jailah was killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting, holds a memorial pendant. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer Pedro "Pete" Arredondo, far left, then chief of police for the Uvalde school district, was the presumed incident commander on May 24, 2022, when a shooter killed 19 fourth-graders and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. He's charged with child endangerment for failing to stop the rampage early on. He has pleaded not guilty. City of Uvalde Reuben, left, and Jamie Torres are the parents of Khloie Torres, who was wounded in the Robb Elementary School massacre. During the shooting, the then-10-year-old girl called 911 from the classroom, begging police to rescue her and her wounded classmates and teachers. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer UVALDE The emotions of family members of children slain or wounded in the Robb Elementary School shooting erupted during and after a court hearing Monday for the former Uvalde schools police chief and one of his officers, both of whom face felony charges for not doing more to stop the massacre. A man whose daughter was injured in the shooting was escorted from the courtroom by sheriffs deputies after he had an angry exchange with Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell and called her lazy. In a separate confrontation, Veronica Luevanos, whose daughter Jailah and nephew Jayce were killed in the shooting, followed defendant Adrian Gonzales, a former Uvalde school police officer, to his car after the hearing. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Former Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzales, third from left, and his lawyer Nico LaHood after a court hearing in Uvalde. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer Luevanos was wearing a T-shirt with a picture of her 10-year-old daughter on the front, and she shouted at Gonzales: Look at my shirt. Remember my daughters name. Coward! Gonzales and former school district police chief Pedro Pete Arredondo are charged with child abandonment or endangerment for failing to intervene immediately to stop the gunman who had opened fire inside two fourth-grade classrooms at Robb Elementary on the morning of May 24, 2022. Nineteen children and two teachers died. It was the worst school shooting in Texas history. Arredondo and Gonzales appeared in court together Monday for the first time at a hearing at the Uvalde County Sheriffs Office, which doubles as the county jail. It was a pretrial conference to discuss discovery the customary exchange of information between prosecutors and defense lawyers and the scheduling of future hearings. Advertisement Article continues below this ad MEMORIAL: Remembering the Robb Elementary victims But if the substance of the proceeding was routine, the mood in the packed courtroom was anything but. Journalists and victims relatives filled five rows of benches in the spectator section, and some family members were turned away for lack of seating. 'Please hurry' Ruben Torres, whose daughter, Khloie, survived the shooting but suffered shrapnel wounds, had angry words for Mitchell after listening to prosecutors and defense lawyers discuss difficulties in obtaining documents needed for the case to proceed. Ruben, left, and Jamie Torres are the parents of Khloie Torres, who was wounded in the Robb Elementary School massacre. During the shooting, the then-10-year-old girl called 911 from the classroom, begging police to rescue her and her wounded classmates and teachers. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer Khloie, then 10, called 911 from one of the classrooms at Robb Elementary during the shooting. "Please hurry. There's a lot of dead bodies," she whispered, according to a widely circulated recording of the call. "Some of my teachers are still alive, but they're shot." Advertisement Article continues below this ad As Monday's hearing drew to a close, DA Mitchell asked Torres if she could answer any questions for him. Torres, a former Marine, expressed frustration at what seemed to him the slow pace of assembling the required records. Im not going to discuss that with you, Mitchell replied in a firm voice. Lazy, Torres retorted. As Mitchell walked away, Torres continued to argue with her. Mitchell motioned for deputies to escort him from courtroom, and he left willingly. Advertisement Article continues below this ad During the hearing, a female relative of one of the victims held a tissue to her face and shook her head in apparent disgust. Arredondo, 52, and Gonzales, 51, were among the first police officers on the scene of the shooting. They are the only law enforcement officers who have been charged among the 380 from various local, state and federal agencies who responded to the school. Nico LaHood, attorney for former Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzales, speaks to the media after a pre-trial hearing for his client. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer A Uvalde County grand jury indicted the two men in June. Arredondo was charged with 10 counts of child abandonment or endangerment, one for each of 10 named children who the indictment said suffered physical or psychological injuries in the shooting. Gonzales is charged with 29 counts one for each of the same 10 survivors and one for each of the 19 children killed. Both men have pleaded not guilty and are free on bail. RELATED: Arredondo an exile in his hometown Advertisement Article continues below this ad The Robb Elementary attacker, an 18-year-old armed with an AR-15-style rifle he had purchased online, slipped into the school through an unlocked rear door, entered two interconnected fourth-grade classrooms and started shooting. Arredondo has been widely criticized for failing to direct officers to breach the classrooms right away and neutralize the attacker in keeping with standard police protocol for responding to active shooters. Instead, he called for a SWAT team and ordered police to evacuate other classrooms so he could try to negotiate with the shooter, an effort that proved fruitless. Arredondo said later his aim was to avoid further injuries or loss of life from an exchange of gunfire with the assailant. Seventy-seven minutes passed before a team of Border Patrol agents and sheriffs deputies charged into the classrooms and killed the attacker. The grand jury indictment says Arredondo "failed to identify the incident as an active shooter incident, failed to respond as trained thereby delaying the response by law enforcement officers to an active shooter who was hunting and shooting a child or children." Brett Cross, far right, was the guardian of Uziyah Garcia, one of the fourth-graders killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting. Cross listens as Nico LaHood, attorney for former school police officer Adrian Gonzales, speaks to the media. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer The separate indictment against Gonzales says he failed to "engage, distract or delay the shooter or attempt to do so, even "after hearing gunshots and after being advised of the general location of the shooter and having time to respond to the shooter. It also asserts that Gonzales did not follow his active shooter training and did not voluntarily deliver any of the victims to a place where they could receive emergency medical care. During Monday's proceeding, Senior State District Judge Sid Harle told lawyers on both sides to expect that after two to three pre-trial hearings, the case would be resolved through plea bargains or would be scheduled for trial. 'It's a lot ... a huge amount' At that point, Gonzales' lawyer, former Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood, stood up and told the judge: "We havent received any of the evidence yet. Bill Turner, a former Brazos County DA who is serving as a special prosecutor in the case, said of the documentary evidence: Its a lot. Its a huge amount. He said one law enforcement agency's case report on the shooting was 3,500 pages long. Prosecutors said in court filings that they expect to receive a hard drive containing a massive volume of evidence gathered by the Texas Rangers, including FBI reports, police bodycam footage and security video from the school and a funeral home across the street, as well as citizen-recorded video and audiotapes of police radio communications. However, some investigative material about the shooting has been withheld. A Texas House committee that investigated the incident has balked at handing over witness interviews it conducted, citing legislative privilege, prosecutors said. The U.S. Justice Department, which produced a 400-page report on the massacre, has withheld interviews on similar grounds, as has the Border Patrol, which conducted an internal investigation. Prosecutors asserted in court documents that the evidence held back by the Texas House, the Justice Department and the Border Patrol is not subject to discovery because the information is not considered held by the state. But, they added, the state will join any efforts by the defense to recover those materials. Harle, referring to the Border Patrol, said, I dont know what their issue is about not complying. I dont understand the reluctance of anybody to comply with full disclosure. Veronica Luevanos, left, whose daughter Jailah was killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting, points to a picture of the girl on her T-shirt and demands that former Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzales, who was sitting in the white vehicle, look at it. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer The judge said the lawyers might have to subpoena the information from the Border Patrol. He noted that he does not have jurisdiction over federal agencies and that some discovery issues might have to be resolved by a federal court. Harle said the next hearing in the case would be Dec. 19. That prompted sighs of apparent frustration from victims' family members. Arredondo declined to comment as he and his attorney, Paul Looney, left the building. 'Urgent intervention' LaHood, speaking to the media after the hearing, said the Texas House and the Justice Department conducted "thorough investigations," and neither called for Gonzales to be prosecuted. Earlier this month, Arredondos lawyers asked the judge to toss the indictment against their client, saying it did not show he was legally obligated to take actions other than the ones he took that day. On Friday, prosecutors filed a response to that motion that gave the first glimpse of the arguments they may present if the case goes to trial. Pedro "Pete" Arredondo, shown in a booking photo, was the Uvalde school district police chief on May 24, 2022, when a shooter killed 19 fourth-graders and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. He's charged with child endangerment for failing to stop the rampage early on. He has pleaded not guilty. Associated Press They contended that under Texas criminal law, once Arredondo realized children were in danger, he had a duty to undertake an "urgent intervention" to protect them. Arredondo failed to do this, the prosecution filing said. Harle ultimately will rule on the defense motion to quash the indictment. In court Monday, Looney said he had not had time to review the prosecution response and was not prepared to argue the matter. The Texas Penal Code defines child abandonment or endangerment as intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence engaging in conduct that places a child younger than 15 in imminent danger of death, injury, or physical or mental impairment. The offense is a state jail felony, punishable by up to two years behind bars. 'We're trying to deal' After the hearing, Jesse Rizo, whose niece, Jacklyn Jaylen Cazares, 9, died in the shooting, expressed dismay at what he viewed as excessive courtroom security and heavyhanded treatment of victims families by Uvalde County sheriffs deputies. Theyve got more security here than what you get in an airport, Rizo said. Were trying to deal, were trying to process this. And then we get welcomed like this. Its just unacceptable to me. Rizo also expressed disappointment that lawyers on both sides werent better prepared. This is not a traffic accident court situation a minor thing. This is a situation where the stakes are really high, he said. Your level, your par it has to be extremely high ... Why havent you subpoenaed the Border Patrol? I do understand, too, you have to get it right Because you dont want to fumble it. But its unacceptable not to be prepared. A Winston-Salem man was sentenced to prison this week after he pleaded guilty in the death of his girlfriend in January 2023. Rick Monroe, 27, of Vinyard Brook Court pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a felon, court records show. Monroe was accused of killing Dasia Jenis Gentry, 25, on Jan. 1, 2023, according to an arrest warrant. Monroe also was accused of possessing a gun after he was convicted in August 2017 of larceny of a motor vehicle. Monroe served one year and five months in prison for that offense, and he was released from custody in February 2019, according to a state correction record. On Tuesday, Judge David Hall of Forsyth Superior Court sentenced Monroe to serve six years and three months to eight years and four months in prison, a court record says. Gentrys death was a terrible tragedy, but there was no evidence Monroe acted with premeditation or malice, the Forsyth County District Attorneys Office said. On Jan. 1, 2023, Gentry and Monroe were in a dating relationship, the district attorneys office said. The couple celebrated New Years Day at the Microtel Inn in Winston-Salem. Winston-Salem police was dispatched to the Microtel Inn on a report of an unconscious female in a hotel room, the district attorneys office said. When officers arrived, they found Gentry unconscious with a single gunshot wound to her head, the district attorneys office said. Despite life-saving measures by first responders, Gentry died at the scene. Investigators later learned that detectives learned Monroe had become impaired during the hotels New Years events, and he was recklessly handling a handgun when it fired, the district attorneys office said. A bullet struck Gentry, and Monroe then left the scene, the district attorneys office said. Before the shooting, Gentry was living in the hotel in room 326 with Monroe, police said. Gentry, Monroe and another unknown person had been in each others company on Dec. 3, 2023, and later on Jan. 1, according to a search warrant. Monroe had placed an unknown amount of money under one of the mattresses in room 326. Officers found a shell casing and blood spatter in room 305, where Gentrys body was located, the warrant said. Investigators seized 17 items in their search of the hotel rooms and the car. Those items included a .380 caliber shell casing, a .380 caliber pistol frame, a nylon pistol holster, unspent .380 rounds, an undisclosed amount of money and marijuana, according to the search warrant. On Jan. 1 after Gentry had died, Monroe knocked on a door in the 300 block of Ricks Drive, indicating that he wanted to turn himself in to authorities, according to the search warrant. A graduate of Carver High School, Dasia Gentry had worked at a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant on Stratford Road, a family member told the Journal in January 2023. In a statement, District Attorney Jim ONeill expressed his condolences to Gentrys family, and ONeill emphasized the importance of legal and responsible gun ownership. New Delhi: The 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards was held on Sunday night at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. The award ceremony was hosted by father-son duo Eugene Levy and Dan Levy. Among other highlights, actor Anna Sawai created history by becoming the first Asian performer to win the Best Drama Actress Emmy award. She bagged the prestigious trophy for her role in 'Shogun' show. Here, take a look at the Emmy Awards 2024 Full List Of Winners: Outstanding Talk Series The Daily Show WINNER Outstanding Reality Competition Program The Traitors WINNER Outstanding scripted variety series Last Week Tonight With John Oliver WINNER Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie Lamorne Morris, Fargo WINNER Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer WINNER Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer WINNER Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country WINNER Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series Baby Reindeer WINNER Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series Billy Crudup, The Morning Show WINNER Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown WINNER Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Anna Sawai, Shogun WINNER Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Hiroyuki Sanada, Shogun WINNER Outstanding Drama Series Shogun WINNER Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear WINNER Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Liza Colon-Zayas, The Bear WINNER Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Jeremy Allen White, The Bear WINNER Outstanding Lead Actress in Comedy Series Jean Smart, Hacks WINNER Outstanding Comedy Series Hacks WINNER Outstanding writing for a drama series Slow Horses Will Smith WINNER Outstanding writing for a comedy series Hacks, Bulletproof - Lucia Aniello, Paul W Downs & Jen Statsky WINNER Outstanding writing for a limited or anthology series or movie Baby Reindeer - Richard Gadd WINNER Outstanding writing for a variety special Alex Edelman: Just For Us WINNER Outstanding directing for a drama series Shogun, Crimson Sky - Frederick EO Toye WINNER Outstanding directing for a comedy series The Bear, Fishes - Christopher Storer WINNER Outstanding directing for a limited or anthology series or movie Ripley - Steven Zaillian WINNER Shogun became the most honoured single season of any show in Emmys history. With 14 wins in the minor categories, Shogun already broken the record for number of Emmys for a drama in a single season, set by Game of Thrones with 12. This event marked the second Primetime Emmy ceremony of 2024, following the rescheduled 75th edition, which was postponed from September 2023 to January 15, 2024, due to the 2023 Hollywood labour disputes. In India, the ceremony was broadcast live on Lionsgate Play. The Israeli military has said that three hostages, found dead in a Gaza tunnel months ago, were "in a high probability" mistakenly killed by the military during a November operation targeting a senior Hamas commander. The military's statement on Sunday, announcing the completion of an investigation into the deaths of Corporal Nik Beizer, Sergeant Ron Sherman, and Elia Toledano, concluded that the three were likely killed in an Israeli airstrike aimed at assassinating Hamas Northern Brigade commander Ahmed Ghandour on November 10, 2023. The findings were based on the location of the bodies relative to the strike's impact, performance analysis of the airstrike, intelligence findings, pathological reports, and conclusions from the Israeli Forensic Medicine Institute, Xinhua news agency reported. The three hostages were believed to have been held in the tunnel complex used by Ghandour. "At the time of the strike, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) did not have information about the presence of hostages in the targeted compound," the military said. "Furthermore, there was information suggesting that they were located elsewhere, and thus the area was not designated as one with suspected presence of hostages." The military emphasised that, since the war began on October 7, 2023, it has avoided striking areas suspected of containing hostages. "The IDF operates a mechanism through the Headquarters of the Hostages and Missing Persons in the Intelligence Directorate, aimed at ensuring that offensive actions do not harm hostages wherever possible, and invests significant efforts in gathering information about the hostages," the military added. The findings are expected to further intensify nationwide protests demanding the release of nearly 101 individuals still being held by Hamas in Gaza. Families of the hostages are calling for a ceasefire agreement that would secure their release. The IDF said this month that it found the bodies of six hostages killed by Hamas and returned them to Israel. An estimated 250 people were abducted and were hostage in the Gaza Strip. More than 100 were released during a short-lived cease-fire agreement at the end of November before the deal to pause hostilities fell apart. Since then, some hostages were either rescued or found dead by the military. --IANS int/khz In response to Russias plummeting birth rate, President Vladimir Putin is reportedly encouraging citizens to make use of their work breaks for intimate relations. The countrys fertility rate, currently standing at around 1.5 children per woman, falls significantly short of the 2.1 children per woman required to sustain population growth. According to the report by the 'Metro', This suggestion comes as Russia faces a population crisis, exacerbated by a declining birth rate and significant emigration, particularly of younger people, amid the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Putins Call to Action According to media reports, Putin has emphasized the importance of increasing the population. "The preservation of the Russian people is our highest national priority. The fate of Russia depends on how many of us there will be. It is a matter of national importance," he reportedly stated. As part of the Kremlin's efforts to address the birth rate issue, workers are being encouraged to use their lunch and coffee breaks to focus on family expansion. Dr. Yevgeny Shestopalov, Russias Health Minister, highlighted the need to prioritize family planning, dismissing the notion that busy work schedules are a valid reason to delay having children. When questioned about how those working long hours could find time to focus on starting families, he suggested taking advantage of their break times. Alarming Decline in Births Russias birth rate has hit its lowest level since 1999. In June 2024, the number of live births fell below 100,000, raising alarms about the countrys demographic future. Data from Russias national statistics agency, Rosstat, reveals that 16,000 fewer children were born between January and June 2024 compared to the same period the previous year. This sharp decline is accompanied by a rise in deaths, with 49,000 more deaths recorded in 2024, further compounding the population decrease. The ongoing conflict with Ukraine has also contributed to these demographic issues, with over a million Russianspredominantly young peoplehaving left the country in recent years. Good morning. Heres what you should know today. Bryan Health boosts pay Faced with a continued shortage of nurses and an over-reliance on traveling staff, Bryan Health has decided to tackle the issue head on, recently giving large raises to its nursing staff. Bryan raised its base pay for its nurses anywhere from $3 to $10 an hour, depending on their roles, after an annual market analysis showed some pay rates had fallen behind competitors. The pay boost was on top of the annual cost-of-living increase that Bryan gives its employees, which usually averages about 3%. Man allegedly falsified signatures A Nebraska man allegedly falsified dozens of signatures earlier this year as he worked as a paid circulator for a group seeking to legalize medical marijuana in the state through a pair of ballot initiatives. The charges against Grand Island man Michael Egbert were announced by Attorney General Mike Hilgers at a news conference Friday, the day that state law requires Nebraska's general election ballot to be certified. The secretary of state ultimately certified the petitions Friday after tossing the signatures that election workers couldn't verify. A total of five initiatives and one referendum will appear on the ballot this November covering the topics of abortion rights, medical marijuana, paid sick leave and whether the state should pay for private school scholarships. Unified programs growing And, Lincoln Public Schools now has dozens of unified activities available to students at middle and high schools across the district, and that number is on the rise. The programs, which pair students in special education with those in general education, have been rapidly gaining popularity in recent years, and many LPS schools are continuing to look for ways to add even more opportunities that cater to a variety of students interests. Thats it for Monday, Sept. 16. Stay in the know with Lincolns longest-standing news source at JournalStar.com and we will see you back here on Tuesday. The Daily Minute is the Journal Star's morning news briefing where you can get the latest news in about a minute each weekday. Previous Daily Minute videos are archived here. Top Journal Star photos for September 2024 1. Yes. They look better and require less maintenance. Most high-end housing areas have them. 2. Yes. Wood fences can weather and look unsightly, plus masonry walls help to block sound. 3. No. Residents should have a choice of what kind of barriers are put up near their homes. 4. No. Allowing a variety of materials will be better for aesthetics, and costs may be lower. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say. Masonry walls may be sturdier, but mandating them is problematic. Vote View Results 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. The five-day Vernon County Fair ended Sunday, after having summer-like weather every day. I think we had a good fair, said David Hornby, president of the Vernon County Agricultural Society Board of Directors. The weather was super, and events were well attended and there was lots of participation in all events. Hornby said the Vernon Memorial Healthcare Expo Center was full of commercial vendors, as were the outdoor spots. Its probably the most vendors weve had. One longtime event that wasnt part of the fair was harness racing on Sunday afternoon. Hornby said for numerous different situations, including not enough horses and driver illness, the decision was made Thursday morning to cancel the races. An effort was made to get horses, he said. Were still planning for 2025; we havent given up on it. People come to just watch the races, Hornby said, and it was a disappointment for not only the fans, but also the racers. Attendance numbers and other details about the fair will be presented at the Vernon County Agricultural Societys annual meeting in December. The 168th fair will be held Sept. 10-14, 2025. A memorable event Fairest of the Fair Hailey Nerison said she enjoyed getting to talk with people she had never met and if they were exhibitors, learning about their experiences at the fair. Nerison said one of her favorite memories is of girls taking pictures with her. I want to say thank you to the Vernon County Agricultural Society and everyone who attended the Vernon County Fair, she said. As the fairs ambassador, shell compete in the Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs contest in January 2025. The contest is held during the Wisconsin Association of Fairs Convention. Im looking forward to learning about different fairs and meeting with the different Fairests of the Fair, Nerison said. In addition to attending the convention, she will continue to make appearances at events throughout the year. Nerison was crowned on June 8. Fundraising continues for projects Since 2022, a homemade pie auction has been held on Sunday of the fair to benefit building projects on the fairgrounds. This year, 12 pies were auctioned for a total of $6,285, said Angie Hornby, a member of the agricultural societys board of directors. The highest priced pie was a Snickerdoodle Pie, which sold for $1,525. The city of Viroqua is one step closer to beginning a 12-month process to update the citys comprehensive plan, a document created in 2007. On Tuesday, Sept. 10, the City Council voted to release a Request for Proposals (RFP) which will help lead to the hiring of a firm to execute the project. The RFP also includes an alternate option for a comprehensive outdoor recreation plan, and a second alternate option for a historic preservation plan. An up-to-date comprehensive plan provides the backbone for long-term decision-making and will serve as a guide to how the community grows into the future, said City Administrator Nate Torres A comprehensive plan takes a long-term, big-picture view of the citys future and makes recommendations for policies and strategies that will help realize the community vision, addressing key areas such as land use, housing, transportation, economic development, and others. The city is currently seeking proposals from planning consultants interested in guiding and facilitating the process. We are looking for a planning consultant who is knowledgeable, collaborative and will deliver a comprehensive plan that is tailored specifically to the needs and wishes of the people of Viroqua, said Torres. Firms interested in learning more about the project are encouraged to visit the Comprehensive Plan section of the city website at https://viroqua-wisconsin.com/comprehensive-plan A critical component of the process used to develop the comprehensive plan will be incorporating public input. Residents are asked to keep an eye out for information on public input opportunities where they can share key priorities and goals for the future of the community. Key public input events will be scheduled in 2025 and posted on the city website. The updated plan will guide the growth, development and preservation of the community over the next 20 years. Elizabeth Chalmers, 18, a senior at Clark High School and an editor at her school newspaper, explains a way to improve a paragraph to a young reporter during journalism class Friday. She will co-host a forum at the school Sept. 24 encouraging voting. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Leslie Tramer, a volunteer deputy registrar with the nonprofit Youth Do Vote, talks Friday to a group of East Central High School seniors about how to register. Jessica Phelps Elizabeth Chalmers, 18, an editor at the Clark High School school newspaper The Chronicle, gathers up papers with teacher Michelle Elizondo during journalism class Friday. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Copies of The Chronicle, the student newspaper at Clark High School, are displayed in its newsroom Friday. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Elizabeth Chalmers, 18, an editor at the Clark High School newspaper, points out potential tweaks for a young reporter during journalism class Friday. She will co-host a forum at the school Sept. 24 encouraging voting. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Elizabeth Chalmers, an editor at the Clark High School newspaper, talks at a journalism class Friday. Chalmers just turned 18 and will vote for the first time in the Nov. 5 election. She is encouraging eligible students to register and will co-host a forum at the school Sept. 24 on the importance of voting. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Copies of newspapers documenting presidential history adorn the walls at The Chronicle, the student newspaper at Clark High School in San Antonio. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Elizabeth Chalmers has just turned 18 and will soon vote in her first election a long Nov. 5 ballot, topped by a heated presidential race. Shes working to help fellow seniors at Clark High School get registered and learn how to negotiate an online minefield of misinformation and political spin. With the intensity of this election cycle, that definitely has inspired a lot of students to want to speak up, said Chalmers, an editor of her school newspaper whos co-hosting a nonpartisan public event at Clark this month on the importance of informed voting. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Clark will be complying with a little-known, 41-year-old state law that says high schools in Texas even private ones must give age-eligible students and staff an opportunity to register to vote by providing applications twice a year. But schools comply in different ways. Many dont bother the law is not enforced and hard to monitor. Only about 30% of high schools in Bexar County follow the requirements to the letter, estimates Heather Eichling, founder and director of Youth Do Vote, a nonprofit that regularly visits 20 or more campuses in several area school districts. Theres no penalty, theres no consequence if you dont comply. Its based on the schools motivation, the schools resources and knowledge of the law, said Eichling, who says her group is strictly nonpartisan. WILL IT WORK? San Antonio school districts get creative to fight teacher shortage The law says high school principals or a designee must serve as deputy voter registrars, offering applications to students who are at least 17 years, 10 months old and set to turn 18 by Election Day. They can provide assistance filling out the form and should review it for completeness, according to guidance from the Texas Secretary of States Office. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Many principals delegate the task to a teacher often in a government or other civics-related class. Some schools pass out registration cards at graduation rehearsals. Some host outside groups on campus to talk to students and help them register. Once filled out, applications must arrive by mail or be hand-delivered to the Bexar County Elections Department within five days. Eichling founded Youth Do Vote in early 2023. It merged in June with the Educator Voter Registration Initiative, composed of retirees and volunteers whove done similar work in schools for 10 years. She has appeared before the City Council and Bexar County Commissioners Court, advocating awareness of the law. She saw a need for voter registration engagement for teens, particularly those who arent necessarily college-bound. East Central, Edgewood, Harlandale, Judson, Northside and San Antonio independent school districts are among the school systems her group visits. Proactive, or not How many of you would be happy if I was the one who chose your playlist? retired teacher Suzanne Sobel Benson asked a class during a recent visit to Veterans Memorial High School in Judson ISD with other Youth Do Vote volunteers. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Three dozen 12th-graders responded with stunned silence. That sounds pretty bad, doesnt it? Benson continued, going desk to desk with a pile of voter registration forms, checking on eligibility and interest. Thats kind of like letting all the old people do your voting and decide what your future is. The next voter drive at Veterans Memorial, in the spring, will likely be more successful because there will be more 18-year-olds on campus, said principal Sue Arredondo. But it was important to schedule the fall drive before the Oct. 7 deadline to register for the presidential election, she said. Their voices need to be heard, said Arredondo, a former government teacher. Im not trying to push them to vote for a particular candidate. My goal is to get them registered, and for them to know its important. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The principal said she also invites parents to come to the school on presentation days so they can get help registering. A county-certified volunteer deputy registrar, Arredondo also shares everything from registration deadlines to the campus status as an Election Day voting center in her weekly newsletter. Its not just for the high school students. I think sometimes its the community as a whole not understanding the process, she said. Not all districts are as proactive. At Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD, voter registration information is provided only to students over 18, and no outside groups are invited to campuses, to stay nonpartisan, spokesperson Ed Suarez said. Neither approach is the norm which is to ignore the law, according to research from the University of Houstons Election Lab, which estimates that up to three-quarters of Texas high schools failed to follow the requirement in 2021. The balance of evidence suggests that although some districts are doing a lot and some are doing a little, there are many that are doing nothing, and thats the real concern, said the labs founder, Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the university. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The study was based on surveys of principals and on requests for voter registration forms that schools make to the secretary of state, though that doesnt include the forms that a school might get from its own county election office. Its not a perfect measure, but the research suggests that larger or wealthier school districts are able to devote more resources to meet the requirements, Rottinghaus said. Schools with higher percentages of English learners or in lower-income areas typically where voter turnout is lower have been less likely to comply, he said. The law can be confusing, and there might be a reasonable fear about doing it wrong, with possible legal consequences, Rottinghaus said. The upside, though, is so important, he said. Youre talking about 140,000 students who will likely turn 18 before the 2024 elections. Thats a lot of voters, and everyone matters. Highlands High School, an SAISD campus on the Southeast Side, typically holds a registration drive late in each semester, posting a notice naming each student age 18 or within two months short of that birthday, with applications attached. The targeted approach makes students feel a little more special and works well, said Vanessa Haynes, the schools social studies chair and designated deputy registrar. But besides its usual post-Thanksgiving drive, Highlands also is doing one now, to reach as many eligible students as possible before the Oct. 7 deadline for the fall election. Marijuana legalization and gun violence they were disturbed by what happened in Uvalde are among the issues students often discuss, Haynes said, and some are more likely to register because of interest in the race for the White House. Highlands sometimes has outside groups on campus, but some schools stopped doing that after encountering organizations promoting one idea over another, she said. We want to teach our kids to think critically and make those decisions for themselves, Haynes said. Its important for us to be able to teach them about the process, but keeping it in a safe space. Librarian Lucy Podmore, the designated registrar at Clark, does more than just put up announcements reminding seniors turning 18 to stop by the library for a registration form. Shes trying to engage students to become voters for life. The emotions and spectacle of the presidential race, pitting Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald Trump, puts an obvious spotlight on the importance of voting, but registered students also will be able to cast ballots for a new mayor and school board trustees in May before they graduate, Podmore said, adding, Its hopefully not promoting a November election but voting in general. She invites certified registrars from off-campus to handle the forms. The Northside ISD campus will observe High School Voter Registration Week with a forum for the community called Empowering Voters, set for 6-8 p.m. Sept. 24 in the auditorium and featuring speakers and registration materials. Chilling effect Chalmers, the Clark senior and first-time voter, said the environment, gun violence and war in the Middle East are topics she hears about the most on campus. Shes focused on identifying misinformation and helping teens become more news-literate and rely on trusted sources and fact-checking tools. We have a lot of concerns, especially recently with the school shooting that happened in Georgia, with gun violence, she said. I know within our Clark population, we have a lot of students who are affected by the Israel and Palestine conflict. Chalmers worked in May as an election clerk a job that pays an hourly wage for teens 16 or over and will be a poll worker during early voting in October. It can be stressful and overwhelming to see all the controversies out there amid peer pressures and a polarized political climate, she said, but its on young voters to learn as much as you can and then form your own conclusion. UNDER THE RADAR: S.A. school districts have been yanking books from libraries without formal reviews Math teacher James Hamric, a county-certified volunteer deputy registrar, is the designee for registering students at Holmes High School, also in Northside ISD. He guesses hes signed up 300-ish new voters at the school in three years, including a few parents and staff, plus dozens of neighbors and others in the community. Ive already had quite a few kids that I dont teach come by my classroom and say, Hey, I know youre the voter registration guy. Its kind of my brand now, said Hamric, 54, an Ohio native who first registered at 18 in Virginia but didnt vote for a long time before moving to San Antonio nearly 20 years ago. He said he told the Holmes principal, Cynthia Barrera, that any student should feel free to come to his classroom during a registration drive planned in late September, even if hes in the middle of a lesson. She said, As long as youre OK with it, Im OK with it, Hamric recounted. Eichling said Hamric is well-known in voter registration circles for being well-versed in guiding students through the process. And he enjoys doing it, she said. Thats exactly the kind of stuff that we love to see, for teachers to take it on. Some high schools, including all three in Harlandale ISD, use specially marked application forms provided by the secretary of state to register students. But because registrars at other schools, such as Hamric at Holmes, obtain their forms from Bexar County that are for the general public, and counties dont track use of their forms by high schools, its hard to get a complete story of whats happening, Eichling said. READ MORE: TEA shuts door on claim that charter school kept kids in closets The 1983 Texas law doesnt include a mechanism for enforcement or penalties for noncompliance, and the state has no estimate of compliance rates, said Alicia Phillips Pierce, assistant secretary of state for communications. Whether the law will be updated is a legislative question to which our office would defer to lawmakers. In a major election season, Eichling said, schools are being bombarded with requests for campus visits from voting rights groups, and some worry they might unduly influence young voters. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has fought efforts to reach out to prospective voters, suing Bexar County for hiring a company to mail more than 200,000 applications to county residents. We dont do electioneering. But with the attorney general doing what hes doing, theres definitely a chilling effect happening at the high school level as well, Eichling said. When schools reach out to prospective voters, theyre obeying state law. Hamric said hes not worried about getting a cease-and-desist letter from Paxton. He loves to hear a Holmes student or graduate tell him they voted. In the week ending 15 September a total of 33 people were killed in the state of Sinaloa, in what is widely considered to be a battle between rival factions of the Sinaloa drug trafficking organisation (DTO), one of Mexicos most powerful criminal organisations. End of preview - This article contains approximately 360 words. Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article Not a Subscriber? Choose from one of the following options On 15 September Argentinas Presidentpresented the outlines of his 2025 budget proposal during a speech to congress, insisting on his commitment to fiscal balance. End of preview - This article contains approximately 358 words. Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article Not a Subscriber? Choose from one of the following options From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle Report. Actor Alicia Silverstone worried fans on social media recently. While on a trip to England, she posted a TikTok video of herself tasting a poisonous berry she found along a sidewalk. Silverstone, who appeared in the 1995 movie Clueless, said she thought the fruit was a tomato. But when she bit into it and found that it had an unusual taste, she realized that it was not the common food. Plant expert, Jessica Damiano, recently wrote about poisonous plants that look like common foods for the Associated Press. She said the fruit that looked like a tomato appears to have been a Jerusalem cherry. Often sold as a houseplant, all parts of the Jerusalem cherry are poisonous. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says the plant is not only harmful to humans but also to dogs, cats and horses. Eating large amounts can be deadly. Silverstone was lucky because she did not swallow the berries. She is also lucky because the berries were reddish orange. This means they were ripe. While all parts of the Jerusalem cherry are poisonous, the plants unripe berries can be especially dangerous. They can cause problems with the central nervous and gastrointestinal systems. Symptoms from eating the fruit include mental confusion, stomach pain, high body temperature, vomiting, paralysis and more. The Jerusalem cherry is a member of the nightshade family. It is in the same family of plants that includes tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, potatoes and tomatillos. Although the fruits of those crops are safe to eat, their leaves are toxic. Other toxic lookalikes The Jerusalem cherry is not the only toxic plant that looks like a safe one. The poisonous Carolina horsenettle fruit also looks like a tomato. However, its common name is a dead giveaway that it is dangerous. It is called devils tomato. It is also known as devils potato to add to the confusion. Other members of the nightshade family are poisonous in different ways. For example, a plant named deadly nightshade, or belladonna, is so toxic that it was used as a murder weapon in Europe during the Middle Ages, a time more than 500 years ago. Its berries, however, could be mistaken for blueberries. Pokeweed and Virginia creeper fruits also look like blueberries, and both can be deadly if eaten. Lilies are toxic, but they look like edible wild onion or garlic grasses, especially when they first come out of the ground. Edible wild onion and garlic grasses have other toxic lookalikes, too -- including a plant sometimes called death camas. These plants grow in lawns and wild areas in the spring, and they are a common cause of livestock poisoning. They are dangerous for humans, too. Toxic carrot and parsley lookalikes can also make you sick. Wild parsnip has flowers like a carrot and leaves like parsley. Simply touching it can cause a skin problem called photodermatitis. It causes sun sensitivity that can last for a year. Poison hemlock looks similar but is much larger. Eating that plant can lead to breathing problems. Creeping buttercup looks like flat-leaf parsley. It is an invasive plant that can cause severe stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and heart problems. And the deadly Canadian moonseed can be confused with wild grape. However, its taste is so bitter that you would likely spit it out before swallowing it. This is a good thing because eating it can lead to death. If you think you have swallowed a toxic plant by mistake, contact a poison control center in your area or your doctor. There is additional information on the website poison.org. Damiano advises to use common sense with plants you find in the wild. If you are not completely sure that something is food, do not eat it. And thats the Health & Lifestyle report. Im Anna Matteo. Jessica Damiano reported this story for The Associated Press from New York City. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. Quiz - Poisonous Plants Look Like Safe Ones Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ___________________________________________ Words in This Story ripe adj. fully developed; ready for harvest symptom n. the sign that disease is present or that something is wrong with a persons health confusion n. being unable to think clearly : confuse -v. vomiting n. the condition of expelling what is in your stomach through your mouth : vomit -v. paralysis n. the loss of the ability to move ones muscles toxic adj. poisonous dead giveaway idiom a fact or detail that makes the true nature of something impossible to ignore edible adj. fit and safe to be eaten invasive adj. tending to spread especially in a quick or aggressive manner: such as bitter adj. one of the major tastes that people have which is very unpleasant to most people We want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on this topic? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the expressions from the story. Our comment policy is here. The four-member crew of a private space flight has returned to Earth after a trip that included the first-ever spacewalks by non-professional astronauts. American business leader Jared Isaacman organized and paid for the five-day mission, called Polaris Dawn. The American company SpaceX was a partner in the operation. It built both the Crew Dragon capsule and the Falcon 9 rocket that carried it to space. The capsule dropped into the Gulf of Mexico near Florida early Sunday as planned. The mission is historic for two reasons. First, Crew Dragon reached a top altitude of more than 1,400 kilometers. That was the highest level any crewed mission has reached since the American space agency NASAs Apollo program ended in the early 1970s. Second, two crew members completed spacewalks during the mission. Isaacman was first to pop his head out of the Crew Dragon capsule on September 12. He spent about 10 minutes with the top half of his body outside the capsule as the spacecraft orbited hundreds of kilometers above Earth. A video camera captured Isaacman saying at the time, "Back at home we all have a lot of work to do. But from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world." SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis took a turn after Isaacman returned. During each spacewalk, the astronauts kept their feet positioned inside the spacecraft. They moved their bodies in several exercises to test their spacesuits. Until Polaris Dawn, only government astronauts and cosmonauts in government service had completed spacewalks. The other Polaris Dawn crewmembers were SpaceX engineer Anna Menon, and Scott Poteet, a retired American Air Force officer. They did not leave the spacecraft. However, they wore the same kind of spacesuits as Isaacman and Gillis. They needed the protection as the capsule environment was depressurized for the space walks. Isaacman had said a main goal of the mission would be to test the new spacesuit design in preparation for long-term stays in space. SpaceX has said the suits are equipped with the latest data-gathering instruments, as well as cameras and improved mobility systems. Before the mission launched, SpaceX said the crew planned to carry out a series of experiments aboard the Crew Dragon capsule. Among these were a test of laser-based satellite communication between the spacecraft and Starlink, SpaceX's internet satellite system. The laser method which has also been tested by NASA is designed to greatly increase space communication speeds. Many of the experiments dealt with observations of how human health is affected during long space missions. Among these will be tests with special contact lenses containing microelectronics that can continuously identify changes in eye pressure and shape. Isaacman is the head of payment processing company Shift4Payments. He has an estimated personal worth of $2 billion. Isaacman has not said publicly how much he paid SpaceX for its service. Polaris Dawn is the first of three planned missions under the Polaris program. The second will also use a Dragon capsule, while the third and final is expected to use SpaceXs Starship rocket. SpaceX chief Elon Musk has said his company plans to use Starship to carry future space travelers to the moon and Mars. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse and SpaceX. ____________________________________ Words in This Story mission n. an important project or trip, especially involving space travel capsule n. the part of a spacecraft that people live in altitude n. the height of something above sea level mobility n. the ability to walk and move freely Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was seen giving remarks to republican delegates from Texas on the first day of the Texas GOP Convention on May 23, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee A judge on Monday ruled against Attorney General Ken Paxtons effort to stop Bexar County from mass mailing voter registration forms after the county said all the applications had already been sent out. A third-party vendor hired by the county mailed the forms to roughly 210,000 county residents by last Tuesday, making Paxtons legal challenge moot, the countys lawyers argued in court. Advertisement Article continues below this ad State District Judge Antonia Arteaga agreed, saying Paxtons request for a temporary restraining order came too late. Lawyers from the attorney generals office did not show up at the original hearing for a restraining order on Sep. 6, according to News 4 San Antonio. Arteaga also denied the states request to sanction the county if it sends more applications or pursues similar contracts. The county said it has no further plans to send out forms beyond those that have already been mailed. It was not immediately clear whether the state would pursue further legal action. County Judge Peter Sakai said he was pleased with Mondays ruling. What the Commissioners Court did was nothing more than a healthy exercise of democracy, he said. The attorney generals office argued that the effort could put registration forms in the hands of people who are ineligible to vote, such as noncitizens. Registering lawful, eligible citizens to vote is heartwarming, said Ryan Kercher, deputy chief of the state agencys Special Litigation Division. It is fundamental to democracy. But it matters how we do it, because if we don't do it the right way, it may result in wrong people signing up, whether they intend to or not. Advertisement Article continues below this ad RELATED: Ken Paxton threatens to sue Bexar and Harris counties if they mail out voter registration forms The legal fight kicked off this month when Paxton warned that he would sue Bexar and Harris counties if they approved proposals to mass mail voter registration forms to local residents. Harris County backed down and tabled its plan. But Bexar County commissioners moved forward, voting 3-1 to pay Civic Government Solutions nearly $400,000 to send the forms to unregistered voters ahead of the Nov. 5 election. Sakai said Monday that the effort targeted residents who had recently moved to the county or changed residences within the county. Paxton then sued the commissioners, as well as officials in Travis County, who hired the same contractor for its own voter registration program. Officials in all three counties, which include the Democratic strongholds of San Antonio, Houston and Austin, defended their actions, saying they wanted to help residents register to vote before the states Oct. 7 deadline. Bexar County officials called Paxtons claims baseless, noting that both the countys election administrator and the secretary of state have processes in place to verify that all applicants are eligible before adding them to the voter rolls. Advertisement Article continues below this ad READ MORE: AG Ken Paxton sues Bexar County over program to mail out voter registration forms The proposal did draw local pushback, including from Jacque Callanen, the countys election administrator, who raised concerns about how her office would keep up with a deluge of applications. Some Republicans questioned whether the vendor was nonpartisan and pointed to previous comments by the CEO, Jeremy Smith, that boosting registration would be key to Democratic victories. Smith has said his personal views dont affect how the business is run. This fall will be the first presidential election held since the Legislature passed Senate Bill 1, a sweeping election law overhaul, in 2021. That bill made it a felony for local officials to send unsolicited mail ballot applications to registered voters. Some counties including Bexar have since focused their efforts on sending voter registration forms to eligible but unregistered voters, a push thats long been undertaken by candidates, nonprofits and local party organizations. The courtroom saw some heightened friction Monday morning when Callanen, the states only witness, did not appear. Lawyers on each side disagreed on whether the states request for Callanens appearance had been properly executed. Advertisement Article continues below this ad French scientists have found scientific evidence that cheese and wine go well together. ADVERTISIMENT They conducted a study that showed that cheese contains substances that soften the bitterness and astringency of tannins, the tannins found in wine, Science Daily reports. As you know, any fatty food is rich in lipids, including cheese. Studies have shown that tannins can interact with lipids at the molecular level. Scientists decided to test how these two substances interact. They experimented: they added the grape tannin catechin to an emulsion of olive oil, water, and a phospholipid emulsifier. After that, experts studied the lipids in the emulsion using various biophysical methods. It was found that catechin penetrates the emulsifier layer that surrounds the oil droplets, causing an increase in oil composition over time. This process formed something similar to cream: the upper part of the emulsion (rich in oil droplets) became creamy, and the lower part became transparent. ADVERTISIMENT At the same time, the scientists wanted to understand how this effect affects human taste buds. To do this, they recruited volunteers and gave them a "tasting" of the tannin solution, after giving them a spoonful of rapeseed or olive oil. As it turned out, this "snack" made the tannin solution less viscous and even gave it a fruity note. Combining the biophysical and sensory results, the researchers concluded that tannins can interact with lipids in fatty foods (in fact, in cheese) to make them softer. That is why cheese emphasizes the taste of wine well and sometimes softens its "aggressive" notes. More than 11,000 people are feared dead after an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale hit the south-east region of Iran. The three-minute quake, the worlds strongest this year, struck at 1938 local time this evening. The town of Tabas, 600 miles (965km) from Tehran, has been completely flattened and 40 villages within a 30-mile (48-km) radius of the epicentre have been damaged. The shock demolished mud-walled houses and brick structures alike. It is estimated that just 2,000 of the 13,000 inhabitants of Tabas are still alive. An eye-witness and survivor described the scene. One giant heave, and the town turned into a graveyard. All that is left are thousands of bodies, mounds of ruins and hundreds of dazed survivors, he said. It is reported that all the towns doctors perished. More than 700 soldiers have been drafted in to help with the relief operations and medical teams, field hospitals, food and other supplies are being flown in. Water and electricity supplies have been cut and all communication lines into Tabas have also been destroyed. Water is being brought in from Mashad, nine hours drive away. Survivors and aid workers on the ground have appealed for international assistance. Local people are frantically pulling bodies from the rubble and taking them to the cemetery but aid workers have already warned of disease and infection. The Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, has announced three days of national mourning. The last major earthquake to strike Iran was in 1962 when 10,000 people were killed in the north-west region of the country. Courtesy BBC News In context The final number of those who died rose to 26,000. Rescue teams continued the clean-up operation in Tabas and surrounding villages for several weeks. However, there was widespread discontent with the way the Iranian government handled the aftermath of the quake and this fuelled growing opposition to the Shah. Four months later, on 16 January 1979m, the Shah and his family were forced into exile. Iran is very vulnerable to earthquakes the capital, Tehran, is known to sit on at least 100 fault lines. In December 2003 a quake in Bam killed about 30,000 people and, in February 2005, more than 500 people died in the Zarand area in another quake. Chinese authorities have banned the accounting firm PwC for six months and fined it over 400 million yuan ($56.4 million) over its involvement in the audit of collapsed property developer Evergrande. The punishment is the heaviest yet for international accounting firms operating in China. PwC will be banned from signing off on any financial results in the country for six months. Already, it has been losing clients. Chinas Ministry of Finance said in a statement Friday that it was imposing 116 million yuan ($16.35 million) in fines and confiscation of illegal gains on PwC Zhong Tian, also known as PwC China, as well as a six-month business suspension, revocation of PwCs Guangzhou branch and an administrative warning. A separate regulator, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, also imposed fines and confiscations totaling 325 million yuan ($45.8 million) on PwC for allegedly failing to perform due diligence in the audit of Evergrande. Chinas finance ministry said PwC issued false audit reports of Evergrande and that the audit procedures had serious defects in design and implementation, leading to many false conclusions. It also accused PwC of not maintaining professional skepticism and failing to point out errors and a lack of information disclosure by Evergrande during the audits. The securities regulator said 88% of the records kept by PwC regarding the real estate projects were inconsistent with the actual implementation and were seriously unreliable. When on-site investigations were carried out, some projects were still a piece of vacant land despite being considered to have met the delivery conditions, the regulator said. The work performed by PwC Zhong Tians Hengda audit team fell well below our high expectations and was completely unacceptable, Mohamed Kande, global chair of PwC, said in a statement on its website. Hengda is the principal subsidiary of China Evergrande Group. It is not representative of what we stand for as a network and there is no room for this at PwC, he said. The statement said PwC Zhong Tian has cooperated fully with regulators, respects their decisions and will fully comply with the administrative penalties. PwC China has fired six partners and five staff directly involved in the Hengda audit, it said. The firm is also in the process of issuing financial penalties for current and former firm leaders who were responsible for the business, the statement said. PwC came under Beijings scrutiny after the January collapse of Evergrande, the worlds most indebted developer and a symbol of Chinas ongoing property crisis. Chinas securities regulator said in March that Evergrande had inflated its mainland China revenues by almost $80 billion in 2019 and 2020. In May, authorities fined the company $577 million. PwC had audited Evergrandes accounts for 14 years until 2023 and gave it a clean bill of health. PwC has been the largest of the big four accounting firms operating in China, taking in nearly 8 billion yuan ($1.1 billion) in revenues in 2022, above competitors Deloitte, KPMG and EY, according to the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants. China has been cracking down on excessive borrowing by developers during a prolonged property market slump that has hit many other parts of the economy, including construction, building materials and home appliances. SIMINA MISTREANU & ZEN SOO, HONG KONG, MDT/AP Starting next year, China will raise its retirement age for workers, which is now among the youngest in the worlds major economies, in an effort to address its shrinking population and aging work force. The Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress, the countrys legislature, passed the new policy Friday after a sudden announcement earlier in the week that it was reviewing the measure, state broadcaster CCTV announced. The policy change will be carried out over 15 years, with the retirement age for men raised to 63 years, and for women to 55 or 58 years depending on their jobs. The current retirement age is 60 for men and 50 for women in blue-collar jobs and 55 for women doing white-collar work. We have more people coming into the retirement age, and so the pension fund is (facing) high pressure. Thats why I think its now time to act seriously, said Xiujian Peng, a senior research fellow at Victoria University in Australia who studies Chinas population and its ties to the economy. The previous retirement ages were set in the 1950s, when life expectancy was only around 40 years, Peng said. The policy will be implemented starting in January, according to the announcement from Chinas legislature. The change will take effect progressively based on peoples birthdates. For example, a man born in January 1971 could retire at the age of 61 years and 7 months in August 2032, according to a chart released along with the policy. A man born in May 1971 could retire at the age of 61 years and 8 months in January 2033. Demographic pressures made the move long overdue, experts say. By the end of 2023, China counted nearly 300 million people over the age of 60. By 2035, that figure is projected to be 400 million, larger than the population of the U.S. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences had previously projected that the public pension fund will run out of money by that year. Pressure on social benefits such as pensions and social security is hardly a China-specific problem. The U.S. also faces the issue as analysis shows that currently, the Social Security fund wont be able to pay out full benefits to people by 2033. This is happening everywhere, said Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. But in China with its large elderly population, the challenge is much larger. That is on top of fewer births, as younger people opt out of having children, citing high costs. In 2022, Chinas National Bureau of Statistics reported that for the first time the country had 850,000 fewer people at the end of the year than the previous year , a turning point from population growth to decline. In 2023, the population shrank further, by 2 million people. What that means is that the burden of funding elderly peoples pensions will be divided among a smaller group of younger workers, as pension payments are largely funded by deductions from people who are currently working. Researchers measure that pressure by looking at a number called the dependency ratio, which counts the number of people over the age of 65 compared to the number of workers under 65. That number was 21.8% in 2022, according to government statistics, meaning that roughly five workers would support one retiree. The percentage is expected to rise, meaning fewer workers will be shouldering the burden of one retiree. The necessary course correction will cause short-term pain, experts say, coming at a time of already high youth unemployment and a soft economy. A 52-year-old Beijing resident, who gave his family name as Lu and will now retire at age 61 instead of 60, was positive about the change. I view this as a good thing, because our societys getting older, and in developed countries, the retirement age is higher, he said. Li Bin, 35, who works in the event planning industry, said she was a bit sad. Its three years less of play time. I had originally planned to travel around after retirement, she said. But she said it was better than expected because the retirement age was only raised three years for women in white-collar jobs. HUIZHONG WU & EMILY WANG FUJIYAMA, BEIJING, MDT/AP Health officials say Macau is in close contact with neighboring regions after three dengue fever cases were reported just across the border, according to director of Health Bureau (SSM) Alvis Lo Iek Long. No confirmed dengue cases have spread to Macau so far. Lo said if one does, officials will immediately combat mosquitos in the affected area. He also warned parents to watch for respiratory infections as students return to school, citing a typical uptick. Anyone with fever or other symptoms should seek care to prevent spreading illnesses, the secretary advised. While the rainy season wanes, lowering dengue risk, cooperation continues on potential regional health threats. Related One of Indias main opposition figures and New Delhis chief minister said he would resign from office yesterday, two days after he was granted bail in a bribery case. Arvind Kejriwal, a fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was arrested nearly six months ago ahead of national elections on charges of receiving bribes from a liquor distributor. Indias top court released him on bail Friday. Kejriwal has consistently denied the accusations and called them a political conspiracy. Today I have come to ask the public whether you consider Kejriwal honest or a criminal, he said in a public address Sunday at the headquarters of his Aam Aadmi Party, which governs New Delhi. I will resign from the post of chief minister two days from today. Kejriwal said his party a part of a broad alliance of opposition parties called INDIA and was the main challenger to Modis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in Junes elections will hold a meeting later to decide who will take over his position. He also demanded the New Delhi elections, scheduled for February next year, be held in November instead. Opposition parties widely condemned Kejriwals arrest. They accused Modis government of misusing federal investigation agencies to harass and weaken its political opponents. They pointed to several raids, arrests, and corruption investigations of key opposition figures in the months before the elections. MDT/AP Pope Francis on Friday slammed both U.S. presidential candidates for what he called anti-life policies on abortion and migration, and he advised American Catholics to choose who they think is the lesser evil in the upcoming U.S. elections. Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies, Francis said. The Argentine Jesuit was asked to provide counsel to American Catholic voters during an airborne news conference while he flew back to Rome from his four-nation tour through Asia. Francis stressed that he is not an American and would not be voting. Neither Republican candidate Donald Trump nor the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, was mentioned by name. But Francis nevertheless expressed himself in stark terms when asked to weigh in on their positions on two hot-button issues in the U.S. election abortion and migration that are also of major concern to the Catholic Church. Francis has made the plight of migrants a priority of his pontificate and speaks out emphatically and frequently about it. While strongly upholding church teaching forbidding abortion, Francis has not emphasized church doctrine as much as his predecessors. Francis said migration is a right described in Scripture and that anyone who does not follow the Biblical call to welcome the stranger is committing a grave sin. He was also blunt in speaking about abortion. To have an abortion is to kill a human being. You may like the word or not, but its killing, he said. We have to see this clearly. Asked what voters should do at the polls, Francis recalled the civic duty to vote. One should vote, and choose the lesser evil, he said. Who is the lesser evil, the woman or man? I dont know. Everyone in their conscience should think and do it, he said. The Harris and Trump campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press. U.S. President Joe Biden, an observant Catholic, shares Harris strong support for abortion rights, a stance that prompted some Catholic bishops and other conservatives to call for him to be denied access to Communion. After meeting Francis in person at the Vatican in October 2021, Biden came away saying the pope told him he was a good Catholic and should continue receiving Communion. Francis, asked on previous occasions about some U.S. bishops who want to deny Communion to Biden over his support for abortion rights, has said bishops should be pastors, not politicians. Fridays news conference was not the first time Francis has weighed in on a U.S. election. In the run-up to the 2016 election, Francis was asked about Trumps plan to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. Francis declared then that anyone who builds a wall to keep out migrants is not Christian. In responding Friday, Francis recalled that he celebrated Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border and there were so many shoes of the migrants who ended up badly there. Trump pledges massive deportations, just as he did in his first White House bid, when there was a vast gulf between his ambitions and the legal, financial and political realities of such an undertaking. The U.S. bishops conference, for its part, has called abortion the preeminent priority for American Catholics in its published voter advice. Harris has strongly defended abortion rights and has emphasized support for reinstating a federal right to abortion. In his comments, the pope added: On abortion, science says that a month from conception, all the organs of a human being are already there, all of them. Performing an abortion is killing a human being. Whether you like the word or not, this is killing. You cant say the church is closed because it does not allow abortion. The church does not allow abortion because its killing. It is murder. However, cells are only beginning the process of developing into organs in the earliest weeks of pregnancy. For example, cardiac tissue starts to form in the first two months initially a tube that only later evolves into the four chambers that define a heart. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that by 13 weeks, all major organs have formed. NICOLE WINFIELD, ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, MDT/AP A police swoop on 20 child welfare homes in Malaysia where hundreds of children were allegedly sexually abused has exposed weaknesses in child protection in the country and cast a spotlight on the Islamic business group that ran the homes. Malaysian authorities rescued 402 children, half of them boys and the rest girls, from 20 homes run by Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings, a group aiming to promote an Islamic way of life, during the police sting last week. Police detained 171 suspects, including religious teachers and caretakers. The business group was founded by Ashaari Mohamad, who headed the Islamic sect Al Arqam a cult that was deemed heretical and banned by the government in 1994. He died in 2010, but the group has continued to flourish. Details of alleged serious abuse at the homes have sparked outrage and shock in the predominantly Muslim nation. Activists called for all child centers to be regulated and monitored, and for the Welfare Department to strengthen enforcement on religious institutions. The horrific sexual and physical abuse that has been reported is a major wake-up call. It demands that we re-evaluate the quality and scope of our child protection services, a group of 38 child activists, rights groups and social workers said in a joint statement. National police chief Razarudin Ismail has said some of the children, aged from one to 17, were believed sodomized by their guardians and also taught to sexually abuse each other. He said they were denied medical treatment and burnt with hot metal spoons as punishment for being disobedient. The children, whose parents are Global Ikhwan employees, were placed at the homes since they were infants and believed to be indoctrinated from young to be loyal to the group, police have said. The children were also believed to have been exploited to collect public donations. The case is being investigated for sexual abuse, child neglect and human trafficking. Razarudin was quoted by national Bernama news agency as saying Friday that 49 children under five years old, and another 10 who were autistic or have disabilities have been handed to the Welfare Department. The rest are still undergoing medical screening. He said so far at least 13 teens were found to have been sodomized while 172 have long-term physical and emotional injuries. Razarudin said the children were home-schooled and has no formal education. He said some of them have not seen their parents for years, as the company sent them to work abroad. Police are investigating whether the children were separated from their parents voluntarily or forced by the company. UNICEF Malaysia said the children would need long-term medical and psychological support for the trauma they experienced. As long as children in Malaysia reside in unregulated institutional care settings, they will remain at heightened risk of suffering violence and abuse, said its Malaysian representative Robert Gash. Mokhtar Tajudin, a spokesman for Global Ikhwan, told the Associated Press on Friday that the homes were not directly run by the group. He did not elaborate. Global Ikhwan in a statement denied the sexual abuse allegations, calling it an attempt by certain parties to tarnish the groups business reputation. Global Ikhwan owns mini-markets, bakeries, restaurants, pharmacies, properties and other businesses in some 20 countries. The company employs some 5,000 people. Global Ikhwan shot in the limelight in 2011 when it formed an Obedient Wives Club that sparked controversy by teaching women to be good sex workers to keep their husbands from straying. Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, a political science professor at Universiti Sains Malaysia who has conducted research into Global Ikhwan, said the group was an economic success story and had a decade ago agreed to reform and shed ties with Al-Arqam. He said that although Al Arqam communal villages were abolished by the government decades ago, many followers shifted to urban homes but were still believed to be practising a form of communal living. Children were sent to such homes to obtain Islamic teachings as parents work for the company, he said. Few details are known on its religious teachings or how company is run behind closed doors. Its corporate video showed pictures of Global Ikhwan top officials with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and other government leaders, an indication of its influence. The Childrens Commissioner at the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, Farah Nini Dusuki, questioned how the homes could have run undetected for years. Islamic authorities in central Selangor state, where the majority of the raided homes are located, have said only two of the homes were registered as Islamic schools. She also voiced concerns of possible unreported abuse cases due to Global Ikhwans nationwide network. Islamic authorities have said they are monitoring Global Ikhwan amid concerns over attempts to revive the Arqam movement. Who knows how many children suffer the same fate out there and also how long they have to endure this abuse before being exposed, said lawmaker Syerleena Abdul Rashid. Often hailed as a moderate Muslim nation, Malaysia is wary of groups that preach Islam not sanctioned by the government because of fears they could cause unrest. Muslims account for two-thirds of its 34 million people. EILEEN NG KUALA LUMPUR, MDT/AP Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a presidential debate with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Alex Brandon/AP The claim: Former President Donald Trump repeated a debunked claim at his debate Tuesday with Vice President Kamala Harris that Haitian immigrants were eating peoples pets in Springfield, Ohio. "In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating, they're eating the pets of the people that live there," Trump said as he attacked Harris and President Joe Bidens immigration policies. PolitiFact ruling: Pants on Fire. Karen Graves, a Springfield spokesperson, told PolitiFact that there are "no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community." Springfield police told a local news outlet that the agency knew of no such reports about pets. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Discussion The claim has gone viral in recent days, spread in part by high-profile conservatives, including Trumps running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio. Some of the social media claims mentioned immigrants killing ducks or geese, but Graves said there were no reports of that or other crimes that have recently been pinned on Haitian immigrants. Vance defended Trumps claim in the spin room after the debate. He pointed reporters to a Tuesday article from conservative website The Federalist that included an Aug. 26 police report and audio recording from a caller to a communications center in Clark County, Ohio, where Springfield is. The caller reported a group of four Haitian people in Springfield, each carrying a goose. Advertisement Article continues below this ad "Whether they were eating geese or dogs, is that really what were going to hang our hat on?" Vance said, the Washington Post reported. However, the city spokesperson said there were no reports to the city of ducks or geese being killed. Springfield Mayor Rob Rue reiterated at a City Commission meeting Tuesday that there were no credible or specific claims about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating pets. "Rumors like these are taking away from the real issues such as housing concerns, resources needed for our schools and our overwhelmed health care system," Rue said. Many of the social media posts that shared the claims relied on an account from an unidentified person shared in a private Facebook group that said the friend of a daughter of the authors neighbor came home from work to find her cat butchered and hanging in a tree at a Haitian immigrants home next door. Trump campaign spokespeople did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the former president's debate claim. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Vance, in a follow-up X post on Tuesday, said his "office has received many inquiries from actual residents of Springfield whove said their neighbors pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants." Vance appeared to acknowledge that some reports may not be accurate, writing, "Its possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false." But he also said in another follow-up post: "Keep the cat memes flowing." The influx of as many as 20,000 Haitian migrants in the community has sparked controversy, particularly in August 2023, after a Haitian immigrant without a valid Ohio drivers license drove a minivan into a school bus, killing an 11-year-old boy, the New York Times reported. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Since last year, some Haitians have come to the United States through the Homeland Security Departments humanitarian parole program that lets people from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela and their immediate family members request to come to the U.S. legally. They can be paroled into the U.S. for up to two years. The Haitian immigrants using that program are in the U.S. legally, a Springfield city website notes. Sam Hou Fai, the sole candidate for Chief Executive, is set to publicly present his political program on September 28. The event will include a briefing session with Sam, specifically for the 400 members of the Electoral Committee. This meeting will be held at the Complex of Commerce and Trade Co-operation Platform for China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. Over the weekend, the sole candidate for the sixth term, met with technology leaders to discuss the sectors future. The gathering, held at the Man Kei Industrial Building, featured prominent figures, including Chui Sai Peng Jose, president of the Association for Promotion of Science & Technology of Macau, and Xu Aoao, president of the Macau Youth Science Education Association. A total of 21 representatives from various technology associations participated in the discussions, which focused on key issues such as technological innovation, scientific research, and collaboration with Portuguese-speaking countries. The meeting underscored the necessity of fostering new productive forces centered on innovation, establishing regulatory frameworks for the Greater Bay Area, and modernizing traditional Chinese medicine. Participants emphasized the importance of nurturing talent in scientific research to support Macaus diversified economic development. Meanwhile, according to lawmaker Jose Pereira Coutinho, in their private conversation, Sam expressed his commitment to being more receptive to various segments of society. As cited in a TDM report, Coutinho conveyed his personal support for Sams candidacy, adding that his willingness to engage with diverse perspectives is crucial. Also, last week, Sam met casino industry leaders, advocating for a healthy, orderly and sustainable development model. This initiative aims to promote economic diversification in a sector often scrutinized for its societal impact. Key figures from major gaming companies reiterated their commitment to enhancing non-gambling offerings and supporting local businesses. Sams extensive judicial background sets him apart from his predecessors, who primarily emerged from business sectors. He is focused on integrating Macau into the national development landscape, steering the city toward a sustainable and diversified future. Sam has previously issued a stark warning about the regions gambling industry. He emphasized the urgent need for economic diversification, particularly considering the gaming sectors unchecked growth. Responding to questions about the industrys impact, he described it as having become uncontrolled. He stressed the Central Governments call for Macau to diversify its economy is not optional but a necessary directive for the government. His campaign continues to emphasize its commitment to gathering input from various sectors of society as he prepares for the Oct. 13 election. Nadia Shaw Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s name will appear on Wisconsins November ballot, despite the independent presidential candidates lawsuit seeking to have his name removed, a Dane County judge ruled Monday. Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke sided with the Wisconsin Elections Commissions reading of state statute that, once a candidate files nomination papers and a declaration of candidacy, the only way to be removed from the ballot is to die. Kennedy sued the state elections commission earlier this month, seeking to have his name removed from the ballot entirely or order clerks to place a sticker over Kennedys name on each ballot. The deadline for clerks to mail out absentee ballots is Thursday. Ballots have been printed in some communities and some clerks already have mailed out absentee ballots. It would be unfair both to Wisconsin voters and to the other candidates on the general election ballot to interfere in an election that, for all intents and purposes, has already begun, Ehlke said. Ehlke had originally planned on issuing a ruling on Tuesday but decided Monday morning to move his decision up to later that afternoon due to the very tight timeframes that local clerks are under to send absentee ballots for the November election. Kennedy is trying to have his name removed from the presidential ballot in several battleground states. He suspended his campaign last month and endorsed former President Donald Trump. He is now on Trumps presidential transition team. Kennedy argued in the lawsuit the elections commission treats independents differently from major party candidates, like President Joe Biden, who ended his campaign in July and has been replaced on the Wisconsin ballot by Vice President Kamala Harris. Party-affiliated candidates had until 5 p.m. Sept. 3 to certify their presidential nominee, while independent candidates like Kennedy only had until Aug. 6, the deadline to file nomination papers, to withdraw. In addition, Wisconsin statute states, Any person who files nomination papers and qualifies to appear on the ballot may not decline nomination. The name of that person shall appear upon the ballot except in case of death of the person. Attorneys for Kennedy argue that while he filed nomination papers, he isnt considered a qualified candidate until after the commission grants him ballot access. However, Ehlke ruled Monday the commission clearly was correct in approving Kennedys ballot access last month, citing state statute. Courts are required to apply the law as written, not as some party wishes it were written, he said. Assistant Attorney General Steven Kilpatrick, who is representing the elections commission, said Monday it would be impossible for local clerks to put stickers over Kennedys name on all absentee ballots and mail them out by the required deadline. Kilpatrick also cautioned that Wisconsins voting machines have not been tested to see if they would be able to properly tabulate completed ballots that have an attached sticker. Kennedys attorneys have asked that such a test take place. There is simply no time to get a uniform process that would allow stickers to be placed on ballots and to ensure that those ballots would be properly counted, Kilpatrick said. Appeal pending Kennedy already has asked the state 2nd District Court of Appeals to remove his name from the presidential ballot. The appellate court was holding Kennedys motion for an appeal pending a ruling from Ehlke. The push to remove Kennedy from the ballot comes after polling by the Marquette Law School found more Republicans than Democrats were considering voting for Kennedy an outcome that could sink Trumps hopes in the battleground state. Wisconsin is considered by many to be one of the most pivotal states to winning the White House this year. The state is notorious for razor-thin margins, meaning a third-party bid could play a major part in who wins the state this fall. Kennedy has filed similar lawsuits in other battleground states. The North Carolina Supreme Court earlier this month upheld a lower courts ruling to remove Kennedys name from the ballot. A Michigan judge ruled that Kennedys name must remain on the states presidential ballot. (Kennedy) claims he will be irreparably harmed if his name is left on the ballot, however, he voluntarily submitted the nomination papers, placing himself before the voters, Ehlke said. Further, he has simultaneously argued in this national election that he will be irreparably harmed if his name is left on the ballot in Wisconsin, and irreparably harmed in other states New York, for example if his name isnt on the ballot. This is quite obviously contradictory, Ehlke continued. Both things cannot reasonably be true. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Photos: Trump subject of second assassination attempt Vice President Kamala Harris will return to Wisconsin on Friday to hold a campaign rally in Madison, one of the battleground state's most liberal communities and a voter bloc that could play a major role in her run for the White House. Harris' fourth trip to Wisconsin comes amid a wave of increased Democratic voter enthusiasm heading into the November presidential election since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed his vice president. Harris' campaign has seen more than 3,000 new volunteer sign-ups across Wisconsin since the vice president's debate earlier this month with former President Donald Trump, according to Harris' campaign. Harris' latest rally will take place early Friday evening, according to her campaign. Additional details, including the exact time and location, were not immediately available. Harris last visited Madison in March, before she became the Democratic presidential nominee. During the stop, Harris focused comments on the Biden administration's efforts to expand apprenticeship programs. She also made a stop at the home she lived in for about three years on Madison's West Side. Polling released last week by Marquette Law School found that, among likely voters and registered voters, respondents favored Harris 52% to Trumps 48%, although the results are within the margin of error for both groups. Democrats view Dane County, and specifically Madison, as a key voting bloc heading into the November election. The county has some of the highest voter turnout in the state, with the large majority votes cast by liberals. According to ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, a national, nonpartisan get-out-the-vote effort, UW-Madisons voter turnout in the fall 2022 midterm elections was 55.8%. Thats nearly double the national average of 30.6% for college students as calculated by Tufts University. BRASILIA, Brazil Brazilian firefighters were battling a blaze Sunday (Monday Manila time) in Brasilia National Park, a nature reserve located just outside the capital. The blaze is the biggest Brasilia has seen this year, as the city hits 145 days without rain. - Advertisement - Some 1,200 hectares (4.5 square miles) have burned, according to the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, responsible for the administration of Brazils national parks. It said the blaze would be fought throughout the night in the 30,000 hectare park. The fire came the same day that Supreme Court Justice Flavio Dino authorized the government to exceed existing spending limits to finance the fight against a fire pandemic. We cannot deny maximum and effective aid under the justification of complying with an accounting rule that is not in the Constitution, said Dino, formerly President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvas justice minister. According to the National Institute for Space Research, 55,517 fires have been recorded in September, up from 46,498 this month last year. Authorities blame human action for most of the recent fires in the country, which are often linked to agricultural activity. The situation has been aggravated by the countrys worst drought in seven decades, which experts attribute to climate change. In recent days smoke has clouded Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, as well as parts of Argentina and Uruguay. KYIV US President Joe Biden will use the remaining four months of his term to put Ukraine in the best possible position to prevail, a close advisor said.. Speaking remotely to a forum in Kyiv, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also said Biden will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in late September at the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss aid to Ukraine. - Advertisement - President Zelenskyy has said that ultimately this war has to end through negotiations, and we need them to be strong in those negotiations, Sullivan said, adding Ukraine would decide when to enter talks with Russia. Meanwhile, the military aid North Korea provides to Russia, including large amounts of ammunition, is the most damaging for Ukraine, its intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said Saturday. He was speaking at a conference organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in Kyiv, where he answered a question on support from other Russian allies, Iran and China. Our biggest problem from all these allies of Russia is from North Korea. Because with the volume of military products that they supply, they actually affect the intensity of the fighting, Budanov said. His remarks came as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to deepen ties with Russia as he held talks with visiting security chief Sergei Shoigu. Kyiv has been monitoring arms deliveries from Pyongyang to Moscow and feels their effect on the battlefield. Biden will be replaced next January either by his Vice President Kamala Harris, who has indicated she will continue his policies of backing Ukraine, or by former president Donald Trump, who would not say at a debate earlier this week whether he wanted Kyiv to win the war. The announcement of the upcoming Biden-Zelenskyy meeting came after Moscow and Kyiv earlier Saturday swapped 103 prisoners of war each in a UAE-brokered deal, and as Russian forces continue to gain ground in their grinding offensive in east Ukraine. The Russians released in the latest swap were captured during Ukraines recent cross-border incursion into the Kursk region, Moscow said, while some of the Ukrainians freed had been held prisoner since Moscow seized the Azovstal steel plant in May 2022. Another 103 soldiers were returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity, Zelenskyy said on Telegram. Russia confirmed it had handed over 103 Ukrainian army prisoners, and in return received 103 Russian servicemen captured by Kyiv. All Russian servicemen are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are being provided with the necessary psychological and medical assistance, the Russian defense ministry said. Despite ongoing hostilities, Russia and Ukraine have managed to swap hundreds of prisoners throughout the two-and-half-year conflict often in deals brokered by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia or Turkey. The announcement came a day after Zelenskyy said 49 Ukrainian POWs had been returned from Russia, and three weeks ago both sides swapped 115 prisoners each in a deal also mediated by the UAE. The prisoner swap came as Russia pushed ahead in east Ukraine, where it claims to have captured a string of villages in recent weeks. The Russian defense ministry said in a daily briefing it had liberated the village of Zhelanne Pershe, less than 30 kilometers from the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk. Pokrovsk lies on the intersection of a key road that supplies Ukrainian troops and towns across the eastern front and has long been a target for Moscows army. More than half of the citys 60,000 residents have fled since the invasion began in February 2022, with evacuations ramping up in recent weeks as Moscows army closes in. Ukraine had hoped its major cross-border incursion into the Kursk region last month would slow down Russias advances in the east. On Friday, Zelenskyy said Moscow had been slowed down somewhat but conceded the situation on the eastern front was very difficult. Ukraine has taken bold and assertive steps but that area around Pokrovsk is of unique concern, Sullivan told the Kyiv forum on Saturday. Russia meanwhile claimed this week to have clawed back a swath of territory in its western Kursk region, as it mounted what appeared to be a counter-offensive. First of 2 parts Deep in his heart, La Xayyavieng says he has always known that agriculture is the lifeline for us to survive and to grow. The 46-year-old father of three has long harbored the wish for his children to be agents of change, bringing knowledge and experience back from neighboring Vietnam to the familys land in Attapeu province in the southeast of the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic. - Advertisement - But as things have turned out, La himself is already creating the change. Hes increased the familys income by 160 percent in just one season, thanks to a bumper watermelon cropand without needing to set foot outside his country. The spectacular transformation has come after he was selected as one of the residents from his home village of Phok, in Saysettha District, to take part in a project called Building Climate-Resilient and Eco-friendly Agriculture Systems and Livelihoods (Climate REAL). The initiative is implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with financial support from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). For years, Las annual income was less than US$1,350 (LAK 30 million)barely enough to meet their basic needs. Lack of access to technologies and knowledge limited La to traditional practices, relying for income on rain-fed rice farming. Getting by in the rainy season was always problematic. Growing vegetables was not an option as they would rot or wash away and the effort would be wasted. But the FAO project opened up new perspectives, demonstrating that successful vegetable farming could happen in both the rainy and dry seasons. It was during learning and knowledge exchange visits to other project areas in Savannakhet and Champasak Provinces further to the north, that La realized what the future could hold. I knew from the bottom of my heart that greenhouses would work for me as soon as I saw them and understood what they were, he explained. Built with support from the project and the farmers themselves, greenhouses minimize damage caused by waterlogging or heavy rain. With this structure, La reported that he was able to earn nearly as much in just four months as he would previously earn in a whole year. FAO News Justin Ballard is the Houston Chronicle's first ever newsroom meteorologist. He can be reached at justin.ballard@houstonchronicle.com. He brings five years of experience forecasting tropical systems, severe weather outbreaks, and blizzards to the Houston Chronicle. His unique experience in forecasting will serve him well in his role at the Chronicle, as Houston has experienced a number of impactful weather events in recent years. Justin looks forward to his work with the Houston Chronicle, where he'll be responsible for posting daily weather forecasts. On top of daily forecasts, he is excited to tackle more in-depth weather and climate stories that impact the residents of Southeast Texas. A North Carolina native, Justin joined the Chronicle in July 2023. He graduated with his bachelor's degree in meteorology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in December 2017. Circuit Judge Carter Greer has ordered the Martinsville City Council to repair the Martinsville Municipal Building and requested the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia to appoint a judge to preside over the matter. An order from Greer, dated Thursday, was served to Mayor LC Jones, Vice Mayor Aaron Rawls, and council members Kathy Lawson, Tammy Pearson, and Lawrence Mitchell to show cause why a mandamus should not issue commanding them to cause the court facilities to be made secure, or put in good repair, or rendered otherwise safe, and to cause the necessary work to be done. A letter to Chief Justice Bernard Goodwyn, asked him to appoint a judge to preside over the matter in accordance with Virginia Code Section 15.2-1643. Specifically, the code section to which Greer referred, states: When it appears to the circuit court for any county or city, from the report of persons appointed to examine the court facilities, or otherwise, that the court facilities of such county or city are insecure, of repair, or otherwise pose a danger to the health, welfare and safety of court employees or the public, the court shall enter an order, in the name and on behalf of the Commonwealth against the supervisors of the county, or the members of the council of the city, to show why a mandamus should not issue, commanding the facilities be made secure and repaired. According to the code section, upon receipt of the notice, the chief justice shall assign a judge of a circuit remote from the circuit where the repairs are alleged to be necessary to hear and determine whether the facilities are in fact insecure or out of repair or otherwise pose a danger to the health, welfare and safety of court employees or the public and the extent to what repairs are necessary. If the facilities are determined to be insecure or out of repair, the local governing body must appoint a five-member panel, three of whom shall be qualified by training and experience as an architect or a professional engineer, to review the court facilities and make recommendations to the local governing body and circuit court judge assigned by the Chief Justice concerning the construction or repairs deemed necessary. Costs, fees, and expenses of the five-member panel, will be the burden of the city. Several members of city council confirmed to the Bulletin on Friday that they had been served the order by Greer, and on Friday afternoon Martinsville Commonwealth Attorney Andrew Hall confirmed he had received a copy of the letter Greer sent to Goodwyn. On Thursday, the Martinsville Bulletin published an article, City Hall in disrepair describing the dilapidated state of Halls offices on the lowest level of the Martinsville Municipal Building at 55 W. Church St. Hall confirmed that he had been forced to close for emergency repairs on three occasions in the past two years. The lower floor also houses the Martinsville Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. The Martinsville General District Court is located on the main level, but Judge Joan Ziglar has temporarily closed court there and temporarily relocated to Council Chambers upstairs due to an ongoing ceiling leak and mold. The Martinsville Circuit Court is across the hall from Council Chambers. Hall gave the Bulletin a tour of the lower level of the building last week, showing multiple instances of leaking pipes, stained ceilings, rusted metal, mold, missing and molded ceiling tiles and accumulated debris and a gray-colored substance. Portable dehumidifiers were plugged into wall outlets in various locations, and Office Manager Sheryl Moncrief was seen emptying the contents, a procedure she said she repeated several times during the day. Spent air filters had accumulated on various surfaces, and ceiling heating and air vents appeared moldy and collected with gray-colored dust surrounded by more stained ceiling tiles. Hall showed photos of additional adjoining rooms during severe leaks after hard rains and then opened the doors to those rooms revealing more dilapidated walls, floors and ceilings with stains and collected debris. In areas where ceiling tiles were no longer present, a network of exposed air vents, copper pipes, and wiring could be seen in a maze of old metal and new-age fiber and cable. Some of the workers assigned to the basement have managed without complaint, but Hall said others have had respiratory issues at times, commonly occurring in conditions where they work every day. At 5:31 p.m. on Friday, the city issued notice of a special closed meeting to be held at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday. This meeting is to meet with our attorney to discuss the order from Greer, said Rawls after the notice of the meeting had been issued. We will likely also discuss move options. In the heart of Accra, a lone figure in pink Speedos is making waves. Meet Texas Kadiri Moro, the straight ally taking on Ghanas controversial anti-LGBTQ bill. This married father of six, a teacher and practicing Muslim, is an unlikely hero in the fight for LGBTQ rights. Moro has been marching solo for months, armed with banners and trumpeters, against a bill that could land LGBTQ folks and their supporters in prison for over a decade. His message? Justice begins where inequality ends! The bill has got Ghana on edge. It passed parliament but hasnt been signed into law yet, thanks to a Supreme Court challenge. President Akufo-Addo is playing it safe, neither signing nor rejecting it. Moros stance has cost him. Hes lost his job and faced backlash from his Muslim community. But hes not backing down. Homosexuality doesnt affect anyone, he argues, pointing out that there are bigger fish to fry, like adultery. His protests are stirring the pot. He has even petitioned parliament to pull out of countries where being gay is legal, if they find it so filthy. While some applaud Moros bravery, the reality for Ghanas LGBTQ community is grim. The bills very existence has sparked violence and fear. As one activist puts it, The moment people hear youre LGBTQ, youre an enemy. But Moro is not giving up. It takes one man to change the world, he says. And in Ghana right now, he is trying to be that man. The Mozambican government injected 3.7 billion meticais (52.2 million) from 2020 to 2023 to financially rescue two public aviation companies, Aeroportos de Mocambique (ADM) and Linhas Aereas de Mocambique (LAM), according to an official report released on September 16. The report on fiscal risks for 2025 from the Ministry of Economy and Finance warns that these companies could pose a fiscal risk estimated at 1.2% of GDP by 2025. The report also highlights that low profitability and liquidity issues in some state-owned enterprises (SEE) have led to delayed payments, potentially adding pressure to the state budget. In 2023, ADM, LAM, and the state-controlled telecom operator TmCel delayed payments to creditors amounting to 3.95 billion meticais (55.7 million). Mozambiques total state-owned enterprise debt dropped by nearly 2% in the first quarter of 2023 to $601.8 million (561 million), though external debt slightly increased by 0.36% to $274.5 million (256.2 million). Domestic debt fell by 3.3% to 20.9 billion meticais (305.5 million) during the same period. The state oil distributor Petromoc alone reduced its domestic debt by 512.5 million meticais (7.5 million euros) in three months, maintaining a total stock of 113.5 million meticais (1.6 million euros). The domestic debt contracted by companies in which the Mozambican state has a stake was led at the end of March by the flagship company LAM, with 6,828 million meticais (100 million euros), an increase of 0.9% in three months. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain Malnutrition continues to be a widespread issue in Australian aged care homes, but Griffith University researchers are striving to address the problem through the use of an early diagnostic tool. Dr. Marie-Claire O'Shea from the School of Health Sciences and Social Work worked with colleagues at Monash University to develop the Automated Malnutrition (AutoMal) screening tool. "Malnutrition is a state resulting from inadequate intake or uptake of nutrition that leads to loss of fat stores or muscle mass, leading to diminished physical and mental function," Dr. O'Shea said. "It's a serious problem affecting Australian aged care facilities with an estimated 40%60% of residents diagnosed as being malnourished, so the time is now to address this national problem. "AutoMal has been designed specifically for aged care homes with planned testing to expand to in-home care settings." The paper, "An automated malnutrition screening tool using routinely collected data for older adults in long-term care: development and internal validation of AutoMal," has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. AutoMal diagnoses malnutrition by measuring BMI and weight change over the course of six months. It calculates the predicted probability of malnutrition using a formula from which a threshold value is applied as either malnourished or not-malnourished. Dr. O'Shea said while there are screening tools currently available, they're reliant on training and can take substantial time, particularly when requiring data collection from residents or care staff. "Malnutrition screening tools are only useful if they are used," she said. "We've designed AutoMal to be as intuitive as possible, requiring substantially fewer resources than existing screening methods. "Automated malnutrition screening would enable data to be reported regularly, thereby increasing accountability, and promoting quick nutritional intervention. "AutoMal has the potential for widespread implementation and may substantially enhance efforts for identifying malnutrition, a critical step in malnutrition treatment and maintaining the well-being of long-term care residents." More information: Jonathan Foo et al, An Automated Malnutrition Screening Tool Using Routinely Collected Data for Older Adults in Long-Term Care: Development and Internal Validation of AutoMal, Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2024.105252 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: Chanel Ferran Gutierrez, a 10th grade student at Newcomer Academy, prepares to be vaccinated during a pop-up immunization clinic in the school's library in Louisville, Ky., on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Mary Conlon On his first day of school at Newcomer Academy, Maikel Tejeda was whisked to the school library. The 7th grader didn't know why. He soon got the point: He was being given make-up vaccinations. Five of them. "I don't have a problem with that," said the 12-year-old, who moved from Cuba early this year. Across the library, a group of city, state and federal officials gathered to celebrate the school clinic, and the city. With U.S. childhood vaccination rates below their goals, Louisville and the state were being praised as success stories: Kentucky's vaccination rate for kindergarteners rose 2 percentage points in the 2022-2023 school year compared with the year before. The rate for Jefferson Countywhich is Louisvillewas up 4 percentage points. "Progress is success," said Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that progress didn't last. Kentucky's school entry vaccination rate slipped last year. Jefferson County's rate slid, too. And the rates for both the county and state remain well below the target thresholds. It raises the question: If this is what success looks like, what does it say about the nation's ability to stop imported infections from turning into community outbreaks? Local officials believe they can get to herd immunity thresholds, but they acknowledge challenges that includes tight funding, misinformation and well-intended bureaucratic rules that can discourage doctors from giving kids shots. "We're closing the gap," said Eva Stone, who has managed the county school system's health services since 2018. "We're not closing the gap very quickly." Vaccines are prepared for students during a pop-up immunization clinic at the Newcomer Academy in Louisville, Ky., on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Mary Conlon Falling vaccination rates Public health experts focus on vaccination rates for kindergartners because schools can be cauldrons for germs and the launching pad for community outbreaks. For years, those rates were high, thanks largely to mandates that required key vaccinations as a condition of school attendance. But they have slid in recent years. When COVID-19 started hitting the U.S. hard in 2020, schools were closed, visits to pediatricians declined and vaccination record-keeping fell off. Meanwhile, more parents questioned routine childhood vaccinations that they used to automatically accept, an effect that experts attribute to misinformation and the political schism that emerged around COVID-19 vaccines. A Gallup survey released last month found that 40% of Americans said it is extremely important for parents to have their children vaccinated, down from 58% in 2019. Meanwhile, a recent University of Pennsylvania survey of 1,500 people found that about 1 in 4 U.S. adults think the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine causes autismdespite no medical evidence for it. All that has led more parents to seek exemptions to school entry vaccinations. The CDC has not yet reported national data for the 2023-2024 school year, but the proportion of U.S. kindergartners exempted from school vaccination requirements the year before hit a record 3%. Overall, 93% of kindergartners got their required shots for the 2022-2023 school year. The rate was 95% in the years before the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials worry slipping vaccination rates will lead to disease outbreaks. The roughly 250 U.S. measles cases reported so far this year are the most since 2019, and Oregon is seeing its largest outbreak in more than 30 years. Kentucky has been experiencing its worst outbreak of whooping coughanother vaccine-preventable diseasesince 2017. Nationally, nearly 14,000 cases have been reported this year, the most since 2019. Angela Hayes, a nurse practitioner with Jefferson County Public Schools, prepares vaccines for students at Newcomer Academy in Louisville, Ky., on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Mary Conlon Persuading parents The whooping cough surge is a warning sign but also an opportunity, said Kim Tolley, a California-based historian who wrote a book last year on the vaccination of American schoolchildren. She called for a public relations campaign to "get everybody behind" improving immunizations. Much of the discussion about raising vaccination rates centers on campaigns designed to educate parents about the importance of vaccinating childrenespecially those on the fence about getting shots for their kids. But experts are still hashing out what kind of messaging work best: Is it better, for example, to say "vaccinate" or "immunize''? A lot of the messaging is influenced by feedback from small focus groups. One takeaway is some people have less trust in health officials and even their own doctors than they once did. Another is that they strongly trust their own feelings about vaccines and what they've seen in Internet searches or heard from other sources. "Their overconfidence is hard to shake. It's hard to poke holes in it," said Mike Perry, who ran focus groups on behalf of a group called the Public Health Communications Collaborative. But many people seem more trusting of older vaccines. And they do seem to be at least curious about information they didn't know, including the history of research behind vaccines and the dangers of the diseases they were created to fight, he said. Some of the CDC's recent communications take a gentle approach. One example is a digital media ad that depicts a boy playing with a toy Tyrannosaurus rex. The caption reads, "He thinks 'diphtheria' is the name of a dinosaur." It's an attempt to use humor while sending a message that children no longer know much about the infections that used to be common threatsand it's better to keep it that way. Dr. Mandy Cohen, director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, receives a tour at the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness in Louisville, Ky., on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Mary Conlon Improving access Dolores Albarracin has studied vaccination improvement strategies in 17 countries, and repeatedly found that the most effective strategy is to make it easier for kids to get vaccinated. "In practice, most people are not vaccinating simply because they don't have money to take the bus" or have other troubles getting to appointments, said Albarracin, director of the communication science division within Penn's Annenberg Public Policy Center. That's a problem in Louisville, where officials say few doctors were providing vaccinations to children enrolled in Medicaid and fewer still were providing shots to kids without any health insurance. An analysis a few years ago indicated 1 in 5 childrenabout 20,000 kidswere not current on their vaccinations, and most of them were poor, said Stone, the county school health manager. A 30-year-old federal program called Vaccines for Children pays for vaccinations for children who Medicaid-eligible or lack the insurance to cover it. But in a meeting with the CDC director last month, Louisville health officials lamented that most local doctors don't participate in the program because of paperwork and other administrative headaches. And it can be tough for patients to get the time and transportation to get to those few dozen Louisville providers who do take part. The school system has tried to fill the gap. In 2019, it applied to become a VFC provider, and gradually established vaccine clinics. Last year, it held clinics at nearly all 160 schools, and it's doing the same thing this year. The first was at Newcomer Academy, where many immigrant students behind on their vaccinations are started in the school system. It's been challenging, Stone said. Funding is very limited. There are bureaucratic obstacles, and a growing influx of children from other countries who need shots. It takes multiple trips to a doctor or clinic to complete some vaccine series. And then there's the oppositionvaccination clinic announcements tend to draw hateful social media comments. But there's also a lot of support. The local health department and nursing schools are crucial partners, and city leaders support the endeavor. At the recent vaccination celebration, Mayor Craig Greenberg acknowledged access problems and that vaccinations have become politicized. But "to me, there's nothing political about improving public health, about improving the health of our kids," said Greenberg, a Democrat. "There should be no debate about that." 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain Pfizer Inc.'s experimental drug for cancer weight loss was shown to help patients regain weight in a mid-stage study, offering fresh promise for treating the dangerous muscle-wasting condition. In cancer patients, a syndrome called cachexia causes changes in metabolism and appetite. It can lead to the loss of critical skeletal muscle and fat that weakens the body and, in some cases, can make cancer treatments less effective. Studies suggest that as much as 30% of all cancer deaths are caused by cachexia and about 80% of patients with advanced stage cancers are affected by the condition. There are currently no drugs approved to treat it. Pfizer's drug, called ponsegromab, is a monoclonal antibody that blocks GDF-15, a protein expressed when the body is under extreme stress. High GDF-15 levels in cancer patients are thought to be associated with loss of appetite and nausea, which led Pfizer's scientists to hypothesize that blocking the protein's expression could prevent the onset of cachexia. The drug was discovered in-house at Pfizer, which has been looking to cancer drugs to drive its next growth chapter. Last year, the company bought cancer drugmaker Seagen Inc. for $43 billion, and investors have been hungry for positive news as its COVID-19 vaccine sales continue to dwindle. Pfizer enrolled 187 patients with cancer and high levels of GDF-15 in a Phase II study that tested ponsegromab's effect on body weight compared with a placebo. Patients in the trial had non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer or colorectal cancer, and about 75% of them had progressed to stage 4. At the highest 400 milligram dose, patients regained about 5.6% of their body weight in 12 weeks, according to results published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Those patients also saw improvements in appetite, physical activity levels and skeletal muscle, according to the findings, which will be presented simultaneously at the European Society for Medical Oncology conference in Barcelona. Charlotte Allerton, head of discovery and early development at Pfizer, said in an interview that the company hopes ponsegromab will enable weight gain that allows patients to tolerate more treatment and "be more active, which of course will improve their overall health." Pfizer is discussing development plans with regulatory agencies and aims to begin registration-enabling studies in 2025. The company is also testing ponsegromab in patients with heart failure and high levels of GDF-15. Allerton said the company is exploring other conditions linked to elevated GDF-15, such as chronic kidney disease. More information: John D. Groarke et al, Ponsegromab for the Treatment of Cancer Cachexia, New England Journal of Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2409515 Journal information: New England Journal of Medicine 2024 Bloomberg L.P. 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: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain In IVF treatment, embryos are traditionally transferred to the uterus three days after fertilization. Due to improvements in laboratory techniques, this is now also possible after five days. It was assumed that this increases the chance of a successful pregnancy. A study by Radboud university medical center and Amsterdam UMC shows that the day of transfer does not influence the success rate of the IVF trajectory. The findings have been published in the BMJ One out of 30 children in the Netherlands is conceived via in vitro fertilization, or IVF for short. In this procedure, egg cells are fertilized outside the body and grown in the laboratory for several days. One or more embryos are then transferred back in the uterus and the rest is frozen. Traditionally, the laboratory phase lasts three days. Due to technical improvements, embryo transfer is now also possible after five days. The idea is that only viable embryos remain after five days, which increases the chance of a successful pregnancy. However, this leaves fewer embryos in the freezer. Previous research has shown that the chance of success after the first transfer is indeed higher when this takes place on day five than on day three. But these studies did not evaluate the results of the entire IVF trajectory, including any subsequent transfer of frozen embryos. Research by Radboud university medical center, carried out in collaboration with Amsterdam UMC, changes this. The same number of pregnancies The study was conducted in 21 Dutch IVF centers among more than 1,200 women. At least four embryos had to be available for transfer two days after fertilization. In half of the women, embryos were transferred on day three, in the other half on day five. The outcome was the chance of a successful pregnancy during the entire IVF trajectory. This turned out to be the same in both groups, around sixty percent. Researcher Simone Cornelisse explains, "Ultimately, IVF is about a successful pregnancy, and not only about the chances of success after the first transfer. Abroad, where IVF care is not insured, clinics often advertise their success rates from the first transfer on day five. In doing so, they provide an incomplete representation of the situation. Our study shows that women should have a choice about the moment of transfer." Personal decision Other results from the study may influence that choice. As in previous research, there was a higher chance of a successful pregnancy after the first transfer on day five. There were also fewer miscarriages in that group. On the other hand, if the embryos were transferred on day three, more could be frozen for later use and the risk of premature birth was somewhat lower. Both choices have advantages and disadvantages, but do not make any difference to the overall success rate. "It is a very personal decision," says clinical embryologist Liliana Ramos, one of the study leaders. "For some people, getting pregnant as quickly as possible is very important, for example, if the woman is older. Someone else attaches more value to a larger number of frozen embryos or wants to keep the chance of premature birth as small as possible. There are no guidelines regarding the day of transfer. Therefore, a couple who want to become pregnant must discuss it with the doctor and make a choice together." More information: Cumulative live birth rate of a blastocyst versus cleavage stage embryo transfer policy during in vitro fertilisation in women with a good prognosis: multicentre randomised controlled trial, BMJ (2024). DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2024-080133 Journal information: British Medical Journal (BMJ) 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: For the first time, scientists have detected microscopic microplastics lodged in the human brain. Researchers in Germany and Brazil say that 8 out of 15 autopsied adults had microplastics detected within their brain's smell centers, the olfactory bulb. The particles were likely breathed in over a lifetime, since tiny floating microplastics are ubiquitous in the air. Although microplastics have already been found in human lungs, intestines, liver, blood, testicles and even semen, it had long been thought that the body's protective blood-brain barrier might keep the particles out of the brain. However, the new study suggests that there's "a potential pathway for the translocation of microplastics to the brain" via the olfactory bulb, according to a team led by Luis Fernando Amato-Lourenco, of the Free University Berlin and Thais Mauad, an associate professor of pathology at the University of Sao Paolo in Brazil. The team published its findings Sept. 16 in the journal JAMA Network Open. "With much smaller nanoplastics entering the body with greater ease, the total level of plastic particles may be much higher," Mauad said in a news release from the Plastic Health Council, a group that advocates for reductions in plastics use. "What is worrying is the capacity of such particles to be internalized by cells and alter how our bodies function," Mauad added. The new study involved brain tissues from 15 routine autopsies conducted on deceased residents of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The individuals ranged in age at death from 33 to 100 (average age 69.5 years). "A total of 16 synthetic polymer [plastic] particles and fibers were identified" in the brain olfactory bulbs of 8 of the 15 deceased people, the researchers report. In nearly 44% of cases, the plastic was polypropyleneone of the most common plastics and used in everything from packaging to clothing and home accessories. That suggests "indoor environments as a major source of inhaled microplastics," the team said. So just how are these microscopic fragments invading the brain? Amato-Lourenco and colleagues point out that nasal mucosa lying outside the brain may interact with cerebrospinal fluid to allow entry of microplastics into the olfactory bulb via tiny "perforations" in bony structures found in this area. "So when you breathe through your nose, your olfactory nerve directly samples particles and reacts to the particles that you are inhaling as a direct sensory mechanism," said Dr. Wells Brambl, core faculty for medical toxicology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York City. "The fact that there's no blood-brain barrier there leads to direct access to the brain, and most importantly, right above the olfactory nerve are the frontal and prefrontal lobes, which are where we believe the seat of consciousness is," added Brambl, who was not involved in the study. Other studies have already shown that "environmental black carbon particles" from air pollution can be found in the olfactory bulb, and in rare cases, tiny amoebae that can trigger a deadly form of encephalitis are also detected there, the Brazilian researchers noted. They said the new data "extend the notion that not only black carbon but also microplastics accumulate in the olfactory bulb in humans." Can these microplastics affect brain health? That's not yet clear, Amato-Lourenco's team said, but the "potential" is there. "Considering the potential neurotoxic effects caused by microplastics in the brain, and the widespread environmental contamination with plastics, our results should raise concern in the context of increasing prevalence of neuodegenerative diseases" such as Parkinson's, ALS and other maladies, the researchers said. "My intuition would say that it's not good to have plastic in your brain," Brambl said. "However, the data in long-term prospective studies have not yet been performed. So, it's impossible to make any definitive conclusions." Still, he said, "I think that this study is very thought-provoking in the sense that we need to start thinking about this as a real public health concern for the long term." More information: Luis Fernando Amato-Lourenco et al, Microplastics in the Olfactory Bulb of the Human Brain, JAMA Network Open (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.40018 Find out more about microplastics at Yale University. Journal information: JAMA Network Open 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved. 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 Pregnancy is a transformative time in a person's life where the body undergoes rapid physiological adaptations to prepare for motherhoodthat we all know. What has remained something of a mystery is what the sweeping hormonal shifts brought on by pregnancy are doing to the brain. Researchers in Professor Emily Jacobs' lab at UC Santa Barbara have shed light on this understudied area with the first-ever map of a human brain over the course of pregnancy. "We wanted to look at the trajectory of brain changes specifically within the gestational window," said Laura Pritschet, lead author of a paper published in Nature Neuroscience. Previous studies had taken snapshots of the brain before and after pregnancy, she said, but never have we witnessed the pregnant brain in the midst of this metamorphosis. Following one first-time mother, the researchers scanned her brain every few weeks, starting before pregnancy and continuing through two years postpartum. The data, collected in collaboration with Elizabeth Chrastil's team at UC Irvine, reveal changes in the brain's gray and white matter across gestation, suggesting that the brain is capable of astonishing neuroplasticity well into adulthood. Their precision imaging approach allowed them to capture dynamic brain reorganization in the participant in exquisite detail. This approach complements early studies that compared women's brains pre- and post-pregnancy. The authors noted, "Our goal was to fill the gap and understand the neurobiological changes that happen during pregnancy itself." Decrease in gray matter, increase in white matter The most pronounced changes the scientists found as they imaged the subject's brain over time was a decrease in cortical gray matter volume, the wrinkly outer part of the brain. Gray matter volume decreased as hormone production ramped up during pregnancy. However, a decrease in gray matter volume is not necessarily a bad thing, the scientists emphasized. This change could indicate a "fine-tuning" of brain circuits, not unlike what happens to all young adults as they transition through puberty and their brains become more specialized. Pregnancy likely reflects another period of cortical refinement. "Laura Pritschet and the study team were a tour de force, conducting a rigorous suite of analyses that generated new insights into the human brain and its incredible capacity for plasticity in adulthood," Jacobs said. Less obvious but just as significant, the researchers found prominent increases in white matter, located deeper in the brain and generally responsible for facilitating communication between brain regions. While the decrease in gray matter persisted long after giving birth, the increase in white matter was transient, peaking in the second trimester and returning to pre-pregnancy levels around the time of birth. This type of effect had never been captured previously with before-and-after scans, according to the researchers, allowing for better estimation of just how dynamic the brain can be in a relatively short period of time. "The maternal brain undergoes a choreographed change across gestation, and we are finally able to see it unfold," Jacobs said. These changes suggest that the adult brain is capable of undergoing an extended period of neuroplasticity, brain changes that may support behavioral adaptations tied to parenting. "Eighty-five percent of women experience pregnancy one or more times over their lifetime, and around 140 million women are pregnant every year," said Pritschet, who hopes to "dispel the dogma" around the fragility of women during pregnancy. She argued that the neuroscience of pregnancy should not be viewed as a niche research topic, as the findings generated through this line of work will "deepen our overall understanding of the human brain, including its aging process." The open-access dataset, available online, serves as a jumping-off point for future studies to understand whether the magnitude or pace of these brain changes hold clues about a woman's risk for postpartum depression, a neurological condition that affects roughly one in five women. "There are now FDA-approved treatments for postpartum depression," Pritschet said, "but early detection remains elusive. The more we learn about the maternal brain, the better chance we'll have to provide relief." And that is just what the authors have set out to do. Directed by Jacobs, their team is building on these early discoveries through the Maternal Brain Project. More women and their partners are being enrolled at UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, and through an international collaboration with researchers in Spain. "Experts in neuroscience, reproductive immunology, proteomics, and AI are joining forces to learn more than ever about the maternal brain," Jacobs said. "Together, we have an opportunity to tackle some of the most pressing and least understood problems in women's health." More information: Laura Pritschet et al, Neuroanatomical changes observed over the course of a human pregnancy, Nature Neuroscience (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01741-0. www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01741-0 Journal information: Nature Neuroscience Environmental campaigners on Friday claimed a "huge victory" after a court ruling overturned a decision to allow planning permission for the UK's first deep coal mine in 30 years. High Court judge David Holgate said the previous Conservative government's original decision to grant permission for the Whitehaven mine in Cumbria, northwest England, was "legally flawed". The new Labour government had already withdrawn its support for the mine and the project now faces further uncertainty after the ruling in favour of environmental groups that brought the case. Niall Toru, senior lawyer with "Friends of the Earth", one of the groups bringing the legal action, called it "fantastic news and a huge victory". "This mine should never have been given permission in the first place... it would have huge climate impacts," he said. He called on the mine developer, West Cumbria Mining Limited (WCM), to now withdraw its application. Lawyers for WCM argued during the case that the mine would have a "broadly neutral effect on the global release of greenhouse gas". But Holgate rejected the claim, saying: "The assumption that the proposed mine would not produce a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions, or would be a net zero mine, is legally flawed." The High Court agreed with Friends of the Earth and the campaign group South Lakes Action on Climate Change that emissions from burning the extracted coal were not properly considered during the planning process. WCM responded by saying it "will consider the implications of the High Court judgement and has no comment to make at this time". Lawyers for Angela Rayner, the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, said soon after Labour took office in July that an "error in law" occurred when former senior minister Michael Gove approved the scheme in December 2022. The High Court decision comes just weeks after the UK Supreme Court stalled a new oil development in southern England after ruling it was given the go-ahead without proper assessment of its full impact on greenhouse gas emissions. The majority decision on June 20 was seen as setting a major new precedent for fossil fuel projects which will affect the UK's ability to reach net zero by its mid-century target. Friends of the Earth and campaigners from a local pressure group waged the years-long legal battle against the planned mine on the edge of the Lake District national park, and accused the previous Conservative government of ignoring its future climate impacts. Proponents of the scheme have argued it will spur economic regeneration in a former mining region that has hit on hard times. WCM insists it will bring to market a supposedly "greener" source of coking coal, used for steelmaking. The firm has claimed it will operate a "world-leading, legally-binding emissions mitigation scheme", aligned with Britain's net-zero commitments. But critics -- including climate activist Greta Thunberg -- have argued emissions, including the expected release of 17,500 tonnes of methane annually, make the project incompatible with those aims. If WCM does not withdraw its application, the government will have to decide whether to allow the mine to be built. 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: Craig Dixon, a nurse in the ICU at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, pets therapy dogs with the Buckeye Paws Program. Dixon says a visit from the certified dog-handler teams not only puts a smile on his face, but helps relieve the stress and emotional exhaustion that often come with his job. Credit: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Therapy dogs have long been known to brighten the moods of patients in hospitals. But could these furry four-legged friends help support the health care providers who care for patients? A new study by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, College of Medicine and College of Nursing proves the mood-boosting benefits of Buckeye Paws, a therapy dog program that many health care workers say helps reduce emotional exhaustion and improve work engagement. Their pilot study found that self-reported positive mood nearly doubled among the health care workers who engaged with highly trained dog-handler teams in the Buckeye Paws program. The 64 study participants included physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, rehabilitation therapists, patient care associates and unit clerks in two intensive care units and two medical surgical units. All the handlers for this study were hospital employees who volunteered their time with seven certified therapy dogs to provide the animal-assisted intervention three times a week for eight weeks. The study evaluated the acceptability and impact of an animal-assisted activity using therapy dogs on health care worker stress, burnout, work engagement and mood. "There was free interaction with the dogs that people could spend as much or as little time as they wanted with the dogs. Prior to their interactions, we asked them to fill out a basic one to 10 mood scale. And then, after the interaction, they did that again," said Beth Steinberg, Ph.D., RN, principal investigator of the study. Findings are published in the International Journal of Complementary & Alternative Medicine. Buckeye Paws launched in March 2020 for Wexner Medical Center employees, shortly before the pandemic started. As the program grew, researchers conducted a pilot study to gauge its impact. Highly-trained dog-handler teams bring much needed comfort and support straight to health care workers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Amid nationwide physician and nurse shortages, efforts to care for staff well-being and reduce clinician stress and burnout are vital. Credit: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center "The recruitment for this study was incredibly easy because as soon as you said, 'We're going to do a study assessing your response to therapy dog interaction,' people were like, 'I'm in!'" Steinberg said. "Even before COVID-19 hit hospitals so hard, the staff were already struggling with stress, burnout, lack of work engagement." Steinberg co-founded Buckeye Paws with Mary Justice, chief administrative officer with Ohio State's College of Nursing. Steinberg routinely rounds hospital floors with her yellow labrador retriever Brienne, while Justice visits staff with her English cream golden retriever Shiloh in tow. Their interactions with staff are generally briefonly a few minutes at a time at their clinical workstations, team rooms, conference rooms or break roomsbut make a big impact. Many study participants self-reported an immediate decrease in perceived stress, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and burnout. "We brought the dogs to the units and many times we had staff in tears sitting with the dogs, telling them about their day," said Steinberg, senior researcher with Ohio State's Center for Integrative Health. Amid growing physician and nurse shortages nationwide, researchers hope this program will improve workplace satisfaction and retention. "For the most part, people have an affinity to a non-judgmental, warm, furry animal that can come and just sit with them and listen. Dogs don't care what you look like, how you're feeling that day; they just know that when you need them, they're there," Steinberg said. Due to the success of the program, in March 2022 Buckeye Paws expanded to provide therapy dog assistance to students, faculty and staff of The Ohio State University. There are now 29 dog-handler teams in the program, with an additional 11 teams on-boarding and another eight ready to begin the process. All Buckeye Paws dog-handler teams must pass basic and advanced obedience training, earn the Canine Good Citizenship certification from the American Kennel Club, and be certified by a national therapy dog organization, said Aimee Mitchell, program manager with Buckeye Paws. This research proving the benefits of therapy dogs for health care workers at Ohio State sets the stage for expansion across the country. Already, directors of the program used Buckeye Paws as a model to launch a similar program at a hospital system in Fort Wayne, Indiana. More information: Beth Steinberg et al, The impact of an animal assisted activity on healthcare worker well-being in the inpatient hospital setting, International Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.15406/ijcam.2024.17.00701 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: Keira Burton from Pexels Banning the sale of energy drinks to under 16s, expanding sugar taxes and rolling out a toothbrushing program are among a series of proposals in a new report urging the government to tackle England's oral health crisis in children. The report, published Friday, 13 September 2024 by Child of the North, Anne Longfield's Center for Young Lives think tank and co-authored by researchers from the University of Sheffield's School of Clinical Dentistry, also makes recommendations to reduce sugar consumption among children, optimize fluoride exposure and increase access to dental care. It reveals the substantial and wide-ranging extent of tooth decay affecting millions of children and young people in England, and its impact on their quality of life. Untreated disease can cause toothache, sleepless nights, and altered eating habits, and may also impact negatively on the development of speech and language. Poor oral health can lower confidence and affected children may be less likely to reach their developmental potential. There is also evidence to suggest that even when accounting for the different levels of tooth decay, the burden of tooth decay on the lives of children living in deprived areas is more severe. Report co-author Zoe Marshman, Professor of Dental Public Health at the University of Sheffield, said, "Treatment for tooth decay is the most common reason why young childrenover 33,000 youngsters each yearare admitted to hospital, costing the NHS over 40 million every year. "In deprived areas of the country, up to 50% of 5-year-olds have tooth decay, which causes pain and suffering, as well as affecting what children eat, their speech, sleep, quality of life and attendance at school. "This report shines a spotlight on the impact of poor dental health on children's lives and recommends a new national strategy to focus attention on providing much needed solutions." Today's report is the eighth in a series of Child of the North/Center for Young Lives reports published in 2024, focusing on how the new government can put the life chances of young people at the heart of policy-making and delivery. The report sets out the alarming scale of the children's oral health crisis, particularly in the North of England: Overall, fewer than 4 out of 10 children in England have good oral health. 1 in 10 3-year-olds in England already have tooth decay, rising to 3 in 10 by the age of 5. 1 in 5 Year 6 school children in North East England and Yorkshire have experience of tooth decay in their permanent teeth. Research led from the University of Sheffield involving Year 7 and Year 8 children from deprived areas in the North of England, Scotland and Wales has found that over one-third had tooth decay in their permanent adult teeth, and 4 in 10 reported that their oral health had an impact on their daily lives. Families living in deprived areas are more than twice as likely to have tooth decay, and there are much higher levels of tooth decay in children in the North compared with elsewhere in England. Tooth decay is also the most common reason for hospital admission in 5- to 9-year-olds. In 2023, only half of children had visited an NHS dentist within the recommended maximum period of 12 months. For under-5s it was less than a third. Last year, 27,000 children in England were on NHS waiting lists for dental care by specialists, with 12,226 children on waiting lists for dental procedures under general anesthetic with average waiting times of up to 80 weeks. The report recommends the new government develops and implements a national child oral health improvement strategy to improve children's oral health and reduce social inequalities, particularly those experienced by children and young people in the North of England. This would be overseen by a national board including representatives from government departments, local government, dental organizations and specialist societies, universities, citizen representatives, and charities. This strategy would include: Reducing sugar consumption through policy action such as expanding the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to include other sugar-sweetened beverages such as sugary milk drinks. Applying restrictions on food marketing, advertising and promotions. Banning the sale of caffeinated energy drinks to under 16-year-olds. Optimizing exposure to fluoride through a combination of community water fluoridation and increasing the number of targeted programs such as supervised toothbrushing. The report sets out proposals to maximize the impact of early years and education-based interventions, co-designed by health visitors, nurseries, and schools. It also calls for dental services to be re-orientated towards prevention of dental diseases among children and young people. This would mean: Working with the dental profession, dental system reform, and innovative commissioningled by integrated care boards (ICBs)to provide opportunities to prioritize improving dental services for children, particularly for those with additional needs. Better mechanisms for allocation and distribution of funding based on need, and consideration of providing dental services with and through schools and nurseries. A renewed emphasis on clinical prevention, including better use of fluoride treatments, dental sealants and behavior change interventions to support families' and children's oral health behavior. The report highlights innovative approaches which are already addressing children's oral health problems. It sets out how local government has a key role to play in reducing sugar consumption and many local authorities have their own strategies to reduce consumption of foods and drinks high in fat, sugar, and salt. The report showcases interventions like Sheffield's Sweet Enough, a five-year initiative commissioned by Sheffield City Council to support residents' understanding of the harms of consuming too much sugar, working in the most deprived areas, and BRUSH, a project to support the implementation of supervised toothbrushing programs for young children in nurseries and schools. It also highlights projects like the BRIGHT trial led by the University of Sheffield. The BRIGHT trial evaluated a behavior change intervention to promote toothbrushing in secondary school children. Anne Longfield, Executive Chair of the Center for Young Lives, said, "It is staggering that so many children, particularly in the North of England and those living in low income families, are now growing up with tooth decay and suffering from toothache and discomfort. "This can affect their quality of life, sleep patterns, eating habits, and impact on school readiness and attendance, speech and language development, and overall confidence. In some areas it has sadly become the norm. "Many children are not only missing out on NHS dental health care but are more likely to suffer tooth decay from a younger age. "The government's proposals for a program of supervised teeth-brushing in schools is a positive step forward, as is its overall focus on boosting children's well-being. "We urge Ministers to be radical, go much further, and ignore any accusations of a 'nanny state'. We need to take evidence-based action and to develop a national plan to tackle a rotten teeth crisis affecting millions of our children." Paula Waterhouse, President of the British Society of Pediatric Dentistry, said, "This report reveals how higher levels of deprivation and associated unmet dental need are more seriously impacting children and young people living in the North of England compared with their southern counterparts. "It is time to establish an oral health strategy for children and young people across England. The evidence base garnered by existing oral health research should be used to inform government strategy and implementation of both national and local policies. "We need to act now. Our children's health depends on it and it's everybody's businessparents, dental and medical teams, health visitors, industry, education colleagues, and policy makers. We all have a part to play." Mark Mon-Williams, Child of The North report series editor, said, "Toothache is caused primarily by decay and the rotten teeth of the next generation provide a stark reminder of the perilous state of the nation's health. "The pain of toothache is excruciating and the most brilliant teacher in the world will struggle to educate a child experiencing dental disease. "The time has come for the U.K. to start taking its future seriouslyand helping ensure that all children throughout the U.K. have a smile on their face seems a pretty good place to start." Report co-author Peter Day, Professor of Pediatric Dentistry, University of Leeds and Community Dental Service, Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust said, "I welcome the opportunity to write this report with colleagues across the North of England and shine a light on children's oral health. "As a pediatric dentist, I see the impact of tooth decay on children every day in my clinic. There is still much to do. This report lays out strong evidence for what works. We need to reorient and coordinate national and local public services towards prevention and 'turn the taps off.' All children deserve the best start in life, and this includes having a healthy set of teeth." More information: An evidence-based plan for improving children's oral health with and through education settings: www.n8research.org.uk/media/Co -Health_Report_8.pdf A group of neighbors in Carlton have sued Missoula County over a gravel pit expansion inside a residentially zoned neighborhood, alleging that commissioners disregarded zoning and the public right to know for decades. The lawsuit, filed in Missoula County District Court this month, comes after county commissioners granted a gravel pit expansion to allow Western Materials to mine up to 150 acres of gravel in the north edge of the Bitterroot Valley. The gravel pit has existed for decades within an old zoning district that overlays the Carlton neighborhood. That same district does not allow for gravel pit operations, but a landowner in the neighborhood slowly expanded a mining operation for decades, including securing a non-conforming use title from the county in the early 2000s. The commissioners said in August that they approved the gravel pit because the site has been in operation for decades and that gravel was an essential material for construction projects across the Missoula Valley. The approval also required mitigations like a wildlife corridor to ease the impact of the mine onto neighboring residents. Graham Coppes, who is representing the Carlton Neighborhood Trust, wrote that commissioners should have never approved the pit in the first place, and the updated decision should be blocked by a court. "The Hendricksen Pit has continuously expanded through the years as a result of negligent fact-finding, due process, and public participation opportunities by the County to verify the history of the pit and confirm that it was or was not a lawful nonconforming use that existed at the time of zoning in 1976," the lawsuit read. The lawsuit is 40 pages with more than 180 pages of supplemental information. The suit is asking for a halt to the pit because of a violation of zoning rules and the public's right to know clause from the state constitution. The county commissioners debated back and forth whether the pit should be allowed during five meetings stretching back into 2023. In April, Commissioner Josh Slotnick said he struggled to make a decision after evidence showed the pit shouldn't have been created under the area's zoning. "It appears after all this listening that the permits for the pit from the DEQ were built on a lie," Slotnick said at the time. "And now, a variance is asked for a different chunk of land, proposed by a different person that had nothing to do with this pit ... there's no law breaking by applying for a zoning variance. Is that what is happening here, or are we extending a lie?" Missoula County Communications Manager Allison Franz told the Missoulian that the county does not comment on active litigation. The case is currently presided over by District Court Judge Dusty Deschamps. A hearing for the case had not been set as of Monday. A banner promoting the white nationalist group Patriot Front was draped over the side of a bridge over Salem Parkway in downtown Winston-Salem on Wednesday, and removed by transportation officials. The banner, which looked homemade, had the web address of the group and the slogan, Recaim America, with the word reclaim misspelled. Mark Crook, division maintenance engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation in Forsyth County, said someone called in to report the banner Wednesday afternoon, and that a highway crew took down the banner. We remove any and all banners regardless of what they say, Crook said, adding that the banner was disposed of. Had the banner contained any explicit threat it would have been reported to law enforcement, Crook said, but that wasnt necessary in this case, he said. Winston-Salem police received no notification of the banner and made no investigation, a spokeswoman said. The Anti-Defamation League describes the Patriot Front as a white supremacist group that since 2019 has been responsible for distributing its propaganda through fliers, stickers, banners and the internet. Earlier this summer, hundreds of members of the group marched in Nashville, Tenn. Schools were just supposed to block porn. Instead they sabotaged homework and censored suicide prevention sites Schools were just supposed to block porn. Instead they sabotaged homework and censored suicide prevention sites Only a Few of These Districts Allow Censorship Appeals Schools were just supposed to block porn. Instead they sabotaged homework and censored suicide prevention sites Georgia school shooting Mourners listen to a speaker during a candlelight vigil for the slain students and teachers at Apalachee High School, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) (Mike Stewart/AP) Editors note: This story was originally published by NJ Spotlight News and is being shared through a partnership with Mosaic. Parents and students, mental health professionals and school staff are all grappling with renewed anxieties over gun violence after several schools in South Jersey were closed last week due to shooting threats posted to social media. The threats were made against Woodbury Junior-Senior High School and Holy Angels Catholic School in Woodbury, Thomas E. Bowe Middle School in Glassboro, Haddon Heights Junior-Senior High School and Oak Valley School in Wenonah. Harrison Township police announced that three minors, from Mullica Hill, Woodbury and Glassboro, were arrested in connection with the threats. The threats came just days after a 14-year-old student shot and killed four people at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. As a parent, and I am now a grandparent, I am very much concerned about my familys safety, my childrens safety, my grandchildrens safety and my school community, said Robin Cogan, a school nurse in South Jersey. And not just my school community, but all school communities because what were seeing is this continued escalation of violence in schools, Cogan said. School shootings, or the possibility of one, are a significant source of stress for nearly three-quarters of parents across the country, according to a study cited in a recent federal advisory from U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. Firearm-related injury has been the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in the U.S. since 2020, surpassing car crashes, cancer, drug overdoses and poisonings, according to studies cited in another advisory Murthy issued earlier this year. Unfortunately, its [school shootings] not something new in our world, but each time it happens, it only increases the stress and anxiety, said Amanda Santana, a mother of four. Santana is a chief operating officer at Family Connections, a nonprofit serving people in North Jersey with services to address domestic violence, early childhood, family support and housing. Sense of helplessness For parents, there is a prevailing sense of helplessness when it comes to their childrens safety and school shootings, which can come with even greater problems like a potential lack of trust in school systems, according to Gary Nelson, a therapist and executive director of The Center for Family and Community Empowerment. Through that nonprofit and his private therapy practice, Nelson provides school-based youth service programming and mental health counseling to students in six school districts. Parents are worried about the schools ability to make these very tough decisions and decisions in emergency situations to where [they ask], Can my school protect my child if theres an active shooter there? What are the policies? Is all the staff trained? asked Nelson, a father of four. Thinking about these questions daily can add significant stress to the lives of parents and students, according to Nelson. More than 383,000 students have experienced gun violence at school since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, according to The Washington Post, which tracks gun violence in schools. A nationally representative survey found that half of 14- to 17-year-olds in the U.S. worry about school shootings and nearly 6 in 10 report that they have recently thought about what would happen if a person with a gun entered their school or a school nearby, according to a federal advisory released in June by the surgeon general. Chronic absenteeism Chronic absenteeism could increase among students when they are not able to process the trauma from gun violence and do not have an opportunity to talk about how they are feeling, said Demeka Jennings-Johnson, a mental health practitioner at Arthur J. Holland Middle School in Trenton. In the months following the murders at Columbine High School in Colorado, the percentage of students around the country who reported missing school because of safety concerns more than doubled, according to a study cited in a federal advisory from the surgeon general. Mental health professionals, including Dr. Stephanie Marcello of Rutgers University, say that the accumulation of stress over time, if left untreated, can lead to an increase in anxiety and depressive symptoms where some people live in a state of panic or distress while others feel numb. Before these things happen, how do we support families, youth [and] communities into taking responsibility for our mental health? How do we destigmatize having conversations about Of course youre having these feelings. Of course this is your reaction so, normalizing mental health, said Marcello, the chief psychologist at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. The more that we can do that as a country and the more we can do that as a family unit and as a community, the healthier well be, Marcello said. Welcome to Mosaic. Follow us on Instagram at @MosaicNJcom, on Facebook at MosaicNJcom, on Twitter (X) at @MosaicNJcom and on YouTube at @MosaicNJcom. Accountancy giant PwC was banned in China Friday for six months and slapped with a fine of $62.2 million over problems with its audit of beleaguered property company Evergrande. The moves by Chinese regulators mark the latest development in a crackdown on PwC for its work with Evergrande, which has become emblematic of a protracted debt crisis in the country's real estate sector. In the Friday announcements, regulators hammered PwC for its failure to identify and bring attention to severe financial problems within Evergrande -- once China's biggest real estate firm -- ahead of its default in 2021. "After investigation, it was found that PricewaterhouseCoopers and its Guangzhou branch knew that there were major misstatements in Evergrande Real Estate's financial statements during the audit," China's Ministry of Finance said in a statement. The Ministry added it had imposed administrative penalties on PwC that included the "suspension of its business for six months and the revocation of its Guangzhou branch". In a separate statement Friday, China's top securities regulator said it had penalised PwC, while another fine in coordination with the finance ministry brought the total to 441 million yuan ($62.2 million). The statement said the penalties were because the firm had "failed to perform due diligence" in its work involving Evergrande. PwC "failed to maintain due professional scepticism, failed to make correct professional judgments, and failed to discover Evergrande Real Estate's financial fraud, which was of large scale and high proportion", it added. In response, PwC said its China auditors had fallen "unacceptably below standards" during their work with Evergrande. "Following a thorough investigation, we ensured that actions were taken to hold those responsible to account and a comprehensive remediation programme will build a stronger PwC China firm for the future," PwC Global Chair Mohamed Kande said in a statement on the firm's website. "China remains an important part of the PwC network and I remain confident in the China firm's partners and staff as we work together to rebuild trust with stakeholders," Kande added. Last month, Evergrande liquidators filed a lawsuit against PwC in Hong Kong, part of an effort to recover investments after a court ordered the property firm's liquidation, according to a report by Bloomberg. The lawsuit targeted PwC's "negligence" and "misrepresentation" in connection to reports on Evergrande's financial statement for 2017 and the first half of 2018, according to the report. A 31-year-old Butte man appeared in U.S. District Court in Missoula on Sept. 11 and pleaded not guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted, Damien Michael Duffey faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Duffey was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Butte-Silver Bow Police Department and Montana Probation and Parole investigated the case. Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has rated the performance of the Kenya Kwanza government as below average, giving it a score of 2 out of 10. He criticized the administration for failing to uphold the rule of law and for not meeting several promises. Speaking to university students from the Mt Kenya region on Saturday, Musyoka condemned the recent surge in abductions of young people across the country. He called for accountability and stated that Acting Inspector-General of Police Gilbert Masengeli should be held responsible for the situation. For the past few months, the Gen Z have proved that this country belongs to them. We need good governance, accountability and adherence to the rule of law. Do not give up. The abductions are still ongoing and the Acting Inspector-General belongs in prison and he has not been arrested, Musyoka said. The Wiper Party Leader also addressed Mt Kenya region politics, accusing some Kenya Kwanza MPs of distancing themselves from Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as part of a strategy by President William Ruto to divide the country. He described this as part of a bread-based government effort to split the Mt Kenya region into West and East factions for political gain. They promised to join the government but are now acting in a parochial manner. They are trying to divide the Mountain region to secure political advantages. The genuine representatives of the Mountain will stand up and respond. The Gen-Zs are everywhere and will address these issues. They have a vision that extends beyond the mountain and into the future, Musyoka said. The former Vice President also criticized the university funding model, stating that neither lecturers nor students understand it. He expressed surprise that even the Kenya Kwanza government appears confused about the model and called for better consultation. Nobody understands the funding model. Students dont understand it, lecturers dont understand it, and the Kenya Kwanza government doesnt understand it either. There has been no proper consultation. I urge them to consult me since I have experience as a former Minister of Education, he added. Additionally, the self-declared official opposition leader condemned the Nairobi City County government for relocating hawkers to Kangundo market and urged them to resist the move. This is a government of lies and false promises. You cannot claim to support business people while simultaneously urging them to relocate. These hawkers are essential for feeding Nairobis population. If you move them away, where will they go? Musyoka questioned. President William Ruto announced that recruitment for Kenyans seeking jobs in Germany will begin in two weeks, following the signing of a labor mobility agreement between the two countries. Speaking on Sunday, Ruto confirmed that the first batch of candidates will be recruited on September 27, 2024. He highlighted that, despite initial doubts, the program has now become a reality. The announcement came after Kenya and Germany signed the Comprehensive Agreement on Sharing of Labour, Talent, and Mobility in Berlin. When I announced that we would have a chance for Kenyan youths to work in Germany, others said I was lying but on Friday they knew there is a plan and a possibility and while I was there on Friday, some Kenyans were already there to work. Additionally, on September 27, the first recruitment of Kenyan youths who will work in Germany will be held, Ruto said. According to Ruto, Germany agreed to allow 250,000 skilled and semi-skilled Kenyan workers to enter under a targeted labor migration deal. The agreement also aims to ease immigration laws, facilitating Kenyans employment in Germany, Europes largest economy. Additionally, the deal will streamline the repatriation process for Kenyans without legal documentation residing in Germany. Ruto urged those who doubted his plans to have faith. I am sure, confident and persuaded that the will of God is going to happen in Kenya and no man, no force, nothing will stop the will of God from coming through for our nation, he said during a service at Stewards Revival Pentecostal Church in Embakasi. However, Germany issued a statement clarifying the details of the agreement, noting that the labor migration deal does not specify the number of workers involved. The statement emphasized that applicants must meet the strict requirements of the German Skilled Immigration Act and that there are no quotas outlined in the deal. This information is clearly false. The agreement between Germany and Kenya does not include any numbers or quotas of skilled workers who will have the opportunity to work in Germany. All applicants must fulfill the strict requirements of the German Skilled Immigration Act, Germanys Federal Ministry of Interior and Community said in response to a BBC report that claimed the deal would create 250,000 jobs for Kenyans. Motorists using Mombasa Road have been notified of a significant traffic disruption starting Friday, September 20, 2024. In a public notice, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) announced a 33-day traffic disruption to accommodate the construction of a new footbridge foundation. KeNHA Director General Kungu Ndungu stated that the construction will impact the Nairobi-bound lanes of Mombasa Road, particularly near Syokimau Railway Station, from September 20, 2024, to October 22, 2024. The Kenya National Highways Authority informs the public that a section of Mombasa Road (A8) near Syokimau Railway Station will experience traffic disruption along the Nairobi-bound lanes from Friday, September 20, 2024, to Tuesday, October 22, 2024, KeNHA announced in the notice. The construction involves building a mid-span footbridge foundation in the median between the Nairobi-bound lanes and the Nairobi Expressway fence. KeNHA has advised drivers to use alternative routes [provided in the map below] and cooperate with traffic officers during this period. KeNHA urges motorists to adhere to the proposed traffic management plan and work with the police and traffic marshals on site, the notice stated. The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry, in collaboration with various stakeholders, has established two air monitoring sites in Nairobi to tackle the citys worsening air pollution. These sites, located at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital and the Nairobi Fire Station on Tom Mboya Street, will gather data on air quality, with a focus on pollutants from waste burning and public transport emissions. The equipment will analyze air particles to identify sources like vehicle exhaust and industrial chemicals, aiming to inform policies that reduce pollution levels. The air quality monitoring site at the Nairobi Fire Station will focus on pollution levels in the Central Business District (CBD), where vehicular emissions contribute to 40 percent of the citys pollution. NEMA Director-General Mamo Boru stressed the importance of stricter vehicle emissions testing, highlighting that vehicular exhaust is a significant source of pollution. NEMA is setting up vehicle pollution testing and will enforce it strictly. Vehicular exhaust is the main source of airborne particles, and most of the vehicles are second-hand. There is a clear link between air pollution and the rise in severe asthma attacks and other respiratory diseases, Boru said. Prof. Leonida Kerubo from the University of Nairobi stated that the data collected from these stations will guide policymakers in creating strategies to address pollution and improve public health. This information will be crucial in shaping policies to reduce pollution, she said. Led by the Nairobi County government, in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Resources Institute (WRI), the project aims to better understand pollution trends. Experts warn that Nairobi is choking under severe pollution, with clean air quality levels at only 15 percent, well above the World Health Organizations recommended limit of five percent. Health professionals have raised concerns about the sharp increase in respiratory illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis, and tuberculosis, which they attribute to Nairobis deteriorating air quality. Environment Principal Secretary Festus Ngeno expressed alarm over the health impacts of air pollution in the city. We are witnessing severe health impacts from air pollution. In Nairobi, the situation is particularly worrying. Strokes, asthma, and bronchitis are becoming more common. This is a critical time for our nation, Ngeno warned. Martin Wafula, CEO of Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, reported a troubling rise in respiratory-related cases at the hospital. We treat about 3,000 patients daily, and 60 percent of these cases involve upper and lower respiratory issues. TB and bronchitis are on the rise, and we are also seeing more premature births, which is very concerning, Wafula noted. President William Ruto has defended his administrations progress, insisting that his efforts are driving positive change in Kenya despite skepticism from critics. Speaking at Stewards Revival Pentecostal Church in Nairobi on Sunday, Ruto expressed confidence in his ability to transform the country. He highlighted achievements since taking office, citing the reduction of maize flour prices from Kes.200 to Kes.100 as a significant indicator of progress under his leadership. Ruto acknowledged that while change might not happen instantly, he remains steadfast in his commitment to advancing Kenya. Ruto also thanked those who supported the Kenya Kwanza government through prayer, assuring them that he would not let them down. We will change Kenya, I have no doubt in my mind. It wont happen like instant coffee or miraculously, but with a clear plan, we will get it done, he affirmed. Addressing criticisms about his plans to secure job opportunities for Kenyans in Germany, Ruto dismissed claims that his promises were false. He described critics as individuals who rely on sight rather than faith. Watu wengi saa zingine wanakosa kunielewa, nikisema maneno, wanasema hayatafanyika, Ruto said, translating to, Many people fail to understand me. When I say something, they claim it will not happen. He further urged his supporters not to be troubled by those who have lost faith. Msikuwe na wasiwasi na wale ambao wamepoteza imani. Kuna watu wanasema ati hii haiwezi fanyika, hiyo ni uongo, lakini mimi naelewa neno la Mungu, meaning, Do not be worried by those who have lost faith. Some dismiss everything as lies, but I understand the word of God. Ruto drew an analogy from the Biblical Wall of Jerusalem to illustrate overcoming challenges. He noted that Nehemiah faced the difficult task of building the wall while simultaneously defending against adversaries. There was war and construction, and like Tobias, there are those who claim the task is impossible. Yet, in the end, the wall was completed, Nabii preached to the congregation at the Stewards Revival Pentecostal Church Nairobi Wajir Member of County Assembly (MCA) Yussuf Ahmed has been found unconscious in a hospital in Migori following an alleged abduction on Friday, September 13, 2024. Eldas Constituency Member of Parliament Adan Keynan, who initially highlighted Ahmeds disappearance and assisted in the search, confirmed the news on Sunday. Keynan reported that he spoke with OCPD John Odhiambo of Uriri Police Station, who verified that Ahmed is currently unconscious in the hospital. The circumstances surrounding Ahmeds arrival at the Migori hospital remain unclear, including who transported him there and how he became unconscious. Keynan also mentioned that Ahmeds family is making arrangements to transfer him to a more advanced medical facility in Nairobi for further treatment. We are coordinating to move him to a hospital in Nairobi. This development offers a glimmer of hope amid the ongoing uncertainty about his disappearance. We remain hopeful and pray that this situation will soon turn positive for the safe return of the MCA, Keynan said. Ahmed, who represents Della ward and serves as the House minority whip, was reportedly abducted at 9 p.m. on Friday by unidentified individuals who emerged from a black Land Cruiser Prado while he was traveling in a taxi on Enterprise Road in Nairobi. Makadara Sub-County Police Commander Judith Nyongesa confirmed that the police received a report from the taxi driver about the abduction. However, details are still scarce. The taxi driver reported the incident to us, but no other witnesses have come forward with additional information that would aid our investigation, Nyongesa told Nation.Africa. The driver described how a black Toyota Prado blocked his taxi as he was heading towards South C estate. He reported that Ahmed was forcibly removed from the taxi and taken into the Prado, which then sped away. The registration number of the Prado was not provided. On Saturday, the taxi driver returned to Makadara Police Station with a mobile phone he had found. We have the mobile phone and will determine its owner after analysis, Nyongesa said. She also appealed for anyone with information to come forward to assist with the investigation. Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar said Monday the Palestinian group had the resources to sustain its fight against Israel, with support from Iran-backed regional allies, nearly a year into the Gaza war. Sinwar, who last month replaced slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, said in a letter to the group's Yemeni allies that "we have prepared ourselves to fight a long war of attrition". Deadly fighting raged on in the besieged Gaza Strip, where medics and rescuers said Monday that Israeli strikes -- which the military has not commented on -- killed at least two dozen people. The latest strikes came as Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned that prospects for a halt in fighting with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon were dimming, yet again raising fears of a wider regional conflagration. Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told AFP at the weekend the group "has a high ability to continue" fighting despite losses, noting "the recruitment of new generations" to replace killed militants. Gallant last week said Hamas, whose October 7 attack triggered the war, "no longer exists" as a military formation in Gaza. Sinwar, in his letter to Yemen's Huthis, threatened that Iran-aligned groups in Gaza and elsewhere in the region including Lebanon and Iraq would "break the enemy's political will" after more than 11 months of war. "Our combined efforts with you" and with groups in Lebanon and Iraq "will break this enemy and inflict defeat on it," Sinwar said. Independent UN rights experts meanwhile warned that Israel risked international isolation over its actions in Gaza and called on Western countries to ensure accountability. Spain, which recently joined several European countries in formally recognising the State of Palestine, is due to host Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday, an official in his office told AFP. Abbas, who is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and holds little sway in Gaza, is set to meet Spanish King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, before heading to New York for the UN General Assembly. The October 7 attack on southern Israel that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Militants also seized 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,226 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not provide a breakdown of civilian and militant deaths. Tensions have surged along Israel's northern border with Lebanon, amid fears the violence could explode into an all-out war. "The possibility for an agreement is running out as Hezbollah continues to tie itself to Hamas and refuses to end the conflict," Gallant told visiting US envoy Amos Hochstein, a defence ministry statement said. Israeli media outlets said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was considering firing Gallant, one of several officials who have been at odds with the veteran leader on war policy. Netanyahu's office denied the reports. Netanyahu told Hochstein later Monday he seeks a "fundamental change" in the security situation on Israel's northern border. Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group has traded near-daily cross-border fire with Israeli forces since October in stated support of ally Hamas. Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem said Saturday his group has "no intention of going to war", but if Israel does "unleash" one "there will be large losses on both sides". The violence has killed hundreds of mostly fighters in Lebanon, and dozens of civilians and soldiers on the Israeli side. In central Gaza, survivors scoured debris Monday after a strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp. Ten people were killed and 15 were wounded when an air strike hit the Al-Qassas family home in Nuseirat in the morning, said a medic at Al-Awda Hospital, where the bodies were taken. "My house was hit while we were sleeping without any prior warning," said survivor Rashed al-Qassas. Gaza's civil defence said six Palestinians were killed in a similar strike at night on a house belonging to the Bassal family in Gaza City's Zeitun neighbourhood. Emergency services later reported six more deaths, with Al-Awda Hospital saying it received the bodies of three people killed in Israeli strikes on Nuseirat. The Gaza war has drawn in Iran-backed Hamas allies across the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Huthis, whose maritime attacks have disrupted global shipping through vital waterways off Yemen. On Sunday the rebels claimed a rare missile attack on central Israel which caused no casualties, prompting Netanyahu to warn that they would pay "a heavy price for any attempt to harm us". In a televised speech, the Huthis' leader said the rebels and their regional allies were "preparing to do even more". "Our operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege on Gaza continue," Abdul Malik al-Huthi said. Locals and tourists alike are often excited to find a hidden gem, and Butters Burgers is indeed hidden. Tucked inside Armistice Brewing Company, Butters Burgers serves a rotating menu of smash burgers and other pub favorites with a distinctive global flair. The brewpub is at the end of Clinton Street in downtown Napa, on a pleasantly tree-lined corner where the street bends and becomes Brown Street. According to Alex Zobel, one of the co-owners of Armistice, Clinton Street has been rebranded to "Historic Clinton Street" by the business owners who occupy the two blocks stretching from Brown to West street. Adding to longstanding popular destinations, like Azzurro Pizzeria and the Vintner's Collective, Armistice joins other relative newcomers, such as the coffeeshop-pub Barnhouse and the wine-tasting locales Housley Napa Valley and No Love Lost. These new businesses have contributed to a reinvigoration of that street. Armistice joined them when it opened its doors two years ago this fall. The owners of Armistice Brewery are a sister-and-brother team, Alex and Gregory Zobel; this is their second location. Alex Zobel explained that providing food is crucial for their brewery. Referring to Napa, she said: "We are in the most saturated food and beverage market; if you don't have something for everyone, you won't survive." Catering to the local clientele is also crucial to the Zobels. Alex Zobel believes it to be a make-or-break key to success. "The trend I've noticed here in Napa is that places that survive are the ones that cater to locals," she said. Locals need good food options alongside their beer, or they will look for it elsewhere. Recognizing this but also wanting to focus primarily on brewing and selling beer, the Zobels prefer collaborating and finding a partner for the commercial kitchen inside Armistice. Zobel admitted, "My brother and I have enough experience in restaurants that we know we don't want to be in the restaurant business breweries are hard enough these days." When Armistice opened last fall, El Garage followed the Zobels from Richmond and took residency at Armistice on a short-term arrangement. Once that collaboration ended, the Zobels had a choice. "We were at a crossroads; we could have tried to partner with a well-known name a big food entrepreneur or we could have gone with a scrappier partner." An established vendor would have required an expensive build-out of the existing kitchen, with substantial investment and time. "We didn't have time. We went with the scrappier partner. That's how my brother and I started out," she recalled. That partner was Christopher Ruiz, also known as Butters. Within hours after the agreement with the Zobel siblings was in place, Ruiz was ready to go. "I took a day and a night to deep clean the kitchen, and I opened the next day," Ruiz said. The name Butters could easily refer to Ruiz's partiality to buttery flavors, but Ruiz acquired his nickname from an awkwardly funny incident while employed at The French Laundry in Yountville several years ago. At the time, he was working a catering event, carrying a heavy, old-fashioned popcorn machine brimming with grease and buttered popcorn, when the unwieldy contraption slipped from his fingers and crashed to the floor. Butter and popcorn splattered everywhere, including all over Ruiz. His French Laundry co-workers jokingly called him "Butters" from that day on. Ruiz accepted the name as a term of endearment, and it has become his signature ever since. The menu at Butters Burgers currently has no buttered popcorn, but features rotating items with rich flavors intended to pair with a refreshing beer. "Many of my menu items come from memories or travel," he explained. A pastrami sandwich is inspired by his childhood days when he fondly remembers accompanying his single mother to work in the garment district in downtown Los Angeles. His mom would treat 6-year-old Ruiz and his sister to juicy pastrami sandwiches at a well-known Jewish deli. He remembers them stacked high, served on Russian rye bread with creamy horseradish and a pickle. Butters best-sellers on the handwritten blackboard are The Fried Chicken Sandwich and The Royale (yes, this is a reference to a scene from "Pulp Fiction"). The Royale is Ruiz's take on a smash burger. He described The Royale as a 5-ounce burger with a 73/27 fat content. "The patty is smashed onto the grill at a high temperature, creating a sear or a crust, but it still has juice in the middle," he said. "I add grilled onions and cheese, and I like a lot of lettuce in my burgers, so I add a big portion of iceberg lettuce." The bun is a traditional sesame seed bun. "One of my customers described my burger as an 'In-N-Out burger on crack,'" Ruiz said proudly. The Royale is served regally on a silver platter. Other menu items come out on mismatched vintage dishware he picks up at secondhand stores, creating an amusing dissonance between the pub food and the elegance of the dishware. Ruiz is proud of this touch, but points out that at peak times he uses paper plates to save time on dishwashing, which he does himself. For the fried chicken sandwich, Ruiz uses the Japanese frying technique employing potato starch for breading. Ruiz mentioned a solo trip to Tokyo, where he sampled "a lot of ramen and fried chicken." (Notably, "furikake Chex mix" is also on the menu.) In using Japanese potato starch, "my fryers and everything in the kitchen are gluten-free except for the buns and sandwich bread, which I keep separate in the kitchen," which may be welcome news for clients who are allergic or sensitive to gluten. Other menu items conjure memories of his late moother, and much of what he does in the kitchen is a tribute to her. Ruiz was 29 when his mom died in 2018. Soon after that emotional time, "I came to Napa with a backpack," he said. At that pivotal time, Ruiz intended to reapply in person to The French Laundry after the famed restaurant had turned him down a few years before. His work experience when he applied was primarily working in food trucks, a four-year stint as a Disneyland's Cafe Orleans line cook, and then as a baker at Boudin inside Disney's California Adventure Park. Rather than his resume, it was likely a combination of persistence and being in the right place at the right time that landed him an entry-level job at The French Laundry. "Everyone starts as a kitchen server to learn the culture," he explained. Ruiz was hustling two jobs working the lunch shift at The French Laundry and the dinner shift at Acacia House in St. Helena (now the Violetto). Though he wasn't cooking in the kitchen, he feels that his French Laundry experience taught him valuable skills in customer service. "When I was working the food truck in L.A., I didn't have a voice, and I didn't talk to people," he recalled. "At the French Laundry, you're telling stories, and the storytelling or the joke you tell to one person one day you have to tweak for the next person. It taught me how to talk to people and interact with the customer. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Ruiz and others were furloughed from The French Laundry. "I took my last savings and started looking for a small hot dog cart. I figured that would be the easiest thing to start," he said. "I called it 'The Last Stand' because it was my last money." By all accounts, it was a rough start. "It was deep in the pandemic, and I opened on Soscol (Avenue), selling hot dogs for two bucks. On the first day, nobody bought one. I came out the second day and made my first sale, Ruiz said. It was for $4, all quarters! Then, I dropped the first hot dog I sold on the floor. Next, my umbrella blew away in someone's backyard, but they returned with the umbrella and bought a hot dog, so that worked." He laughed as he recalled the day. Not one to give up, he persisted, and eventually Ruiz moved from the hot dog stand to a food trailer, which he dubbed Butters Burgers. His day began at 6 a.m., selling breakfast burritos. Then he hustled to work his lunchtime French Laundry shift once the restaurant reopened. At the end of the day, he sold smash burgers from the trailer outside Billco's, the downtown Napa billiards bar, often until 2 a.m. The commercial kitchen inside Armistice is large enough to field an entire professional kitchen team, but Ruiz works alone and keeps his equipment and prep tools within arm's length. Besides being more efficient, Ruiz is at ease in the smaller footprint, having spent much of his training in food trucks, often alone. "Diego comes in for a few hours to help with some prep," he explained, but Ruiz does the bulk of the work himself. "I have a few French Laundry buddies" who can jump in occasionally for an event, but at this time, hiring a full-time employee is prohibitively expensive. For the Zobels, retaining a partner like Butters Burgers works well for their business model. "We are happy to mentor and share information. The partnership has a synergy, and it is a win for all as it keeps costs low for both businesses." Asked which beer Alex Zobel prefers with her burger, she says, "People are always asking me which is my favorite, but for me, it has to be the German-style pilsner every time." Butters Burgers is at 1040 Clinton St. and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., during Armistice Brewing Company business hours. PHOTOS: Sips and snacks in Napa Valley Napa Valley College restaurant Armistice Brewery Folklore Moulin Bakery Napa Valley College restaurant Young Chef Contest The Garden The Garden The Grove The Grove The Haven Nosh Napa The Haven Lenchos Mexican Food The Fink Croccante Wilfred's Lounge Scala The Haven Nosh Napa Croccante Mary's Pizza Shack Burger Truck Ohm Coffee Roasters cupping Folklore The Garden The Garden Sugar, Spice & Ice Sugar, Spice & Ice Updated at 10:28 a.m. Monday Firefighters responded Sunday afternoon to a vegetation fire in southern Sonoma County that spread to 53 acres before crews contained it, according to Cal Fire. The Cougar Fire began shortly before 1:24 p.m. Sunday off Lakeville Highway near Sears Point, Cal Fire said on social media. Crews stopped its forward progress by 2:20 p.m., according to the state agency. There were 13 engines, two dozers, two hand crews, two helicopters and four air tankers battling the blaze, Cal Fire reported. Fire crews had fully contained the blaze by Monday morning, and Cal Fire reported no injuries or damage to structures. The cause remained under investigation. PHOTOS: Third round action from the Procore Championship Procore third round 1 Procore third round 2 Procore third round 3 Procore third round 4 Procore third round 5 Procore third round 6 Procore third round 7 Procore third round 8 Procore third round 9 Procore third round 10 Procore third round 11 Procore third round 12 Procore third round 13 Procore third round 14 Procore third round 15 Procore third round 16 Procore third round 17 Procore third round 18 Procore third round 19 Procore third round 20 Procore third round 21 Procore third round 22 In High Potential starring Kaitlin Olson, a single mom with an exceptional mind is recruited to the LAPD Major Crimes unit. David Bukach/TNS A crime occurs. The cops are stumped. If only they had the services of a colorful outside investigator to solve their case. A common subgenre of the police procedural, High Potential on ABC suggests the limits of this premise. Whether mildly theatrical or even absurd, the character needs to be more than their quirks. I wonder if Hollywood has taken the wrong lesson from these kinds of ungovernable fictional creations first embodied in the stories of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. Im desperate for the re-ascendance of old-school weekly broadcast shows something, anything that distinguishes itself from the eight shows on offer from Dick Wolf across two networks and High Potential (from Drew Goddard, whose credits include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alias and Lost) starts off well enough. 'High Potential' When: 9 p.m. Tuesdays Where: ABC (out of 5) Kaitlin Olson plays Morgan, a single mom who works the graveyard shift cleaning the offices of the Los Angeles Police Department. Dancing to music on her headphones, she accidentally knocks over a pile of crime scene photos and starts rifling through them. Shes transfixed. Then she looks over at the murder board. She walks up, grabs a marker, crosses out suspect under someones photo and writes victim. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Then she goes on with her night. Its such a tantalizing opening sequence (and a beat-for-beat re-creation of the French series its adapted from) but strangely the show deflates from there. Its quickly discovered that the cleaning woman yes, that one, with the garish taste in fashion and loud mouth has some helpful ideas about the case. Shes clever, with a good memory and a mind that sees patterns and makes connections, so shes hired full-time, becoming the Erin Brockovich of police procedurals. The lieutenant (Judy Reyes, wasted in a nothing role) teams Morgan with a guy named Detective Karadec (Daniel Sunjata), who becomes her reluctant chaperone. Olson is a good actor, but theres not much versatility here; her line readings could just as easily come from the mouths of characters she plays on Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia or Hacks. Morgan is a handful, with a chip on her shoulder, often tipping over into obnoxious. That works on Olsons other shows, but High Potential needs its lead to be at least somewhat likable. In the first episode, she berates a cashier at the grocery store; the moment doesnt illustrate her ability to do math in her head, it just makes her look like a person who takes her frustrations out on an easy target, aka someone who is working class like herself. The shows obvious touchpoints are long-running series like Castle, Monk, The Mentalist or, more recently, Elsbeth and The Irrational. The cops are incapable of doing their jobs without the help of a dogged oddball whose unwieldiness requires a certain amount of corralling from their police minders. That framework is a lackluster substitute for Poirots Hastings or Sherlocks Watson, who werent professional acquaintances but actual friends and point-of-view characters who threaded the needle between admiration for their counterparts and pausing to note their more absurd or annoying personality tics. Its one reason why CBSs Elementary was a cut above the rest. High Potential struggles to ground itself in solid storytelling and create fully realized characters, even when they are one-offs. A case-of-the-week structure requires a specific skill, and I worry writers are out of practice: Establishing a new storyline and new characters each time, with enough detail and care to get buy-in from the audience, and then resolving the mystery 40-some minutes later. Episodes should be able to stand alone as crackerjack short stories, but the results here are thin and insubstantial. Advertisement Article continues below this ad That would be easier to overlook if there were some chemistry in the central dynamic. Morgan is brash and curious and obsessive. Thats good. But shes spent her life underestimated by everyone, and we dont get a sense of what it means to have a job thats fulfilling, pays well and finally validates her intellect. Instead, she comes across as a snarky sitcom character even when talking about murder whereas Detective Karadec is wooden, macho and often on the verge of popping a vein or two. This pairing of opposites doesnt create sparks so much as a repetitive cycle. Shes smug. Hes frustrated. It gets tiring awfully quick. That they will learn to grudgingly respect one another doesnt delight the way it should. Better writing and better performance choices more nuance, fewer archetypes would go a long way. Kevin Hart stars in 'The Man from Toronto.' Jordan Strauss, INVL / Associated Press Kevin Hart's Acting My Age Tour will make a stop in Sugar Land this weekend at the Smart Financial Centre. Here's what you need to know. When is Kevin Hart performing in Sugar Land? Hart's shows will take place at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20 and at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21. Advertisement Article continues below this ad How do you get tickets? Fans can visit Smart Financial Centre's website to purchase tickets. PROMOTING THE BRAND: Kevin Hart visiting Houston Spec's store to sign bottles of new tequila brand Gran Coramino How much are tickets? Ticket prices range from $94 to $415, according to Smart Financial Centre's website. Advertisement Article continues below this ad What can you bring to the venue? What is prohibited? Those in attendance can bring medical or parenting bags. Clear bags can't exceed 12"x6"x12" and cloth bags or purses should fit 4.5x 6.5". The venue does not allow cameras with detachable lenses plus audio and video recording devices. Patrons cannot bring tripods or use flash photography. However, attendees can bring small cameras with lenses less than 4 unless its prohibited by the artist. Guests cannot bring outside food or drinks into the facility. For a full list of prohibited items, visit Smart Financial Centre's website. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Where is the Smart Financial Centre? National Hispanic Heritage Month starts Sunday, Sept. 15, and theres no shortage of great ways to celebrate across campus. Mark your calendar for these upcoming events on Emorys Atlanta and Oxford College campuses, which you wont want to miss. Hispanic authors book display Head to the Oxford College Library throughout the month for a book display featuring Hispanic authors. Who knows, you just might find your new favorite read. Plus, be sure to check out the Emory Libraries post on celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month, which highlights recent literature written by Hispanic American/Latinx authors that can be found in the Emory Libraries collections. Pottery exhibit at the Carlos Museum The Maya in Central America are among the ancient cultures that stand out for their terracotta vessels enlivened with narrative imagery representing heroic adventures, divine encounters and legendary events. Learn about these special vessels at the new Picture Worlds exhibition of Greek, Maya and Moche pottery at the Michael C. Carlos Musuem, on display during regular musuem hours until Dec. 15. Latinx Heritage Month Kickoff Monday, Sept. 16, at 12 p.m. Kick off Hispanic Heritage Month with Centro Latinx in the Emory Student Center Commons. Enjoy fun, food, culture and community at this free event. Cafecito with Latin American Law Students Association Monday, Sept. 16, at 12 p.m. All members of the Emory community are invited to join the Latin American Law Students Association for Cafecito. Head to the Student Commons of Gambrell Hall to celebrate and embrace the rich traditions and vibrant community that make this month so special. Latin Heritage Month Queer Book Club Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 12 p.m. Join the Office of LGBT Life and the Barkley Forum for this months Queer Book Club. Sign up for the book club, which meets in Cox Hall Room 324, and receive a free copy of Borderlands: La Frontera by Gloria Anzaldua. Dine with the Chef at Oxford Cafe Wednesday, Sept. 18 This exclusive dining experience for Oxford students will feature a special Latin American-inspired menu. To RSVP, ask a chef in the Oxford Cafe for details. Cant make it on Sept. 18? Stop by the Cafe any time now through Oct. 8, to enjoy a rotating schedule of dishes created by Oxford Latinx. First Year Feria Sunday, Sept. 22, at 5 p.m. Head to the First Year Quad on the Atlanta campus to learn more about Latinx and Hispanic clubs available at Emory and to enjoy food and games at the first-ever First Year Feria. This event is open to the entire Emory community. Pilas Puestas: First Gen Karaoke Night Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 4 p.m. Grab a friend and join First Gen Karaoke Night with Centro Latinx and Emory First in the Centro Latinx office. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Noche de Fiesta Friday, Sept. 27, at 6 p.m. Head to the First Year Quad on the Atlanta campus to celebrate Noche de Fiesta with Centro Latinx. The event, which is open to all of Emory, will include food, lively performances and community connections. Celebracion de la Herencia Hispana Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. Participate in the Celebracion de la Herencia Hispana, a Spanish-language celebration and discussion of Latinx identity hosted by residents of the Casa Emory theme house (746 Peavine Creek Dr.) and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Participants are invited to share art and reflections online, which will be featured during the event. invite you to share art and reflections that will be featured during the event.This event is aimed at Emory undergraduates, but grad students, staff and faculty are also welcome. Refreshments will be served. Noche de Loteria Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 5 p.m. Enjoy a night spent playing Loteria, the classic Mexican game of chance. Similar to bingo, players have colorful cards depicting traditional images, making it easy to learn and fun for everyone. The event is hosted by Centro Latinx and Center for Women at Emory, and takes place at the Center for Women at Emory, located on the third floor of Cox Hall. Oxford Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 12:45 p.m. The Organizacion de Latinx Americanos and Latin American Music Association at Oxford College are hosting a Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration in the Oxford Student Center with food including esquites, fresas con crema and music. Food for Thought: Nutrition and the Impact on Latinx Communities Thursday, Oct. 17, at 11:30 a.m. Join the School of Nursing for a panel discussion with faculty researchers on the the importance of nutrition and the impact on marginalized communities. The event, taking place in person at 1520 Clifton Road, Room 101, and online via Zoom, will feature panelists Jennifer Frediani, Dr. Miriam Vos, Liliana Aguayo and Andrea Lopez-Cepero. Walter Ray, political papers archivist with Southern Illinois University Carbondales Special Collections Research Center, will hand out pocket Constitutions to students as part of the universitys Constitution Day observance on Tuesday, Sept. 17. (Photo by Aaron Lisec) SIU Carbondale to observe Constitution Day on Tuesday by Pete Rosenbery CARBONDALE, Ill. Southern Illinois University Carbondale will again observe Constitution Day on Tuesday, Sept. 17, with special activities. Walter Ray, Morris Librarys political papers archivist with the Special Collections Research Center, will provide free pocket Constitutions to students from 1-3 p.m. Tuesday at Delytes in Morris Library. Ray will be dressed as President Abraham Lincoln and be available to discuss various topics, including the state of the Civil War and habeas corpus a constitutional right protecting people from unlawful and indefinite imprisonment which Lincoln suspended in September 1862. The Simmons Law School will have an informal, public conversation with Stan Cox, an associate professor of constitutional law, on the First Amendment from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Lesar Law Building, Room 164. The focus will be on the U.S. Supreme Courts treatment of the First Amendments religion clauses and other topics in a Q&A format. The law school will also have Constitution trivia questions on monitors in the law library and hand out free pocket copies of the Constitution as supplies last. Constitution Day marks the anniversary of delegates to the Philadelphia Convention completing and signing the U.S. Constitution in 1787. All educational institutions that receive federal funding must annually deliver programs on the U.S. Constitution. SIU Simmons Law School to host Illinois Human Rights Commission talk on civil rights law by Pete Rosenbery CARBONDALE, Ill. Representatives from the Illinois Human Rights Commission (IHRC) will be at SIU Simmons Law School on Wednesday, Sept. 18, to discuss human and civil rights laws in Illinois. The free, public presentation is set for 4:30 p.m. in the Lesar Law Building, Room 102 on the SIU Carbondale campus. Chief Administrative Law Judge Brian Weinthal, Executive Director Tracey Fleming and General Counsel David Larson will provide an overview of the protections afforded under the Illinois Human Rights Act for all Illinois residents and explain how to exercise ones rights at the IHRC. Continuing legal education credits are available. We are very excited to host Chief Judge Brian Weinthal and his colleagues from the Illinois Human Rights Commission and to learn more about their work upholding human and civil rights laws in our state, said Cindy Buys, a professor of constitutional and immigration law. The seven-member commission comprises a chair and six commissioners. James S. Shovlin, who joined the commission as an administrative law judge in August, is a two-degree SIU Carbondale graduate. He earned his law degree from SIU in 2013 and a bachelors degree in accounting in 2009. PRNewswire Taipei [Taiwan], September 16: The Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards (APEA), one of the region's most prestigious recognitions for business leadership, held its 2024 awards ceremony on September 13 in Taipei. After rigorous evaluation, leaders demonstrating exceptional contributions and management skills across the Asia Pacific were selected. Dr. Y.C. Chang, Managing Director of FETC International, was recognized for his visionary leadership in driving Taiwan's electronic toll collection (ETC) system and smart parking services through digital transformation and green mobility. This marks another global recognition after receiving the Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2023 ITS World Congress. Dr. Chang, upon receiving the award, emphasized the significance of green and smart transportation as a global trend for sustainability. He highlighted FETC's commitment to implementing Chairman Douglas Hsu's vision of making Taiwan's transportation systems more user-friendly and eco-conscious, contributing to energy efficiency and carbon reduction. FETC's recent expansion of ETC services into parking solutions is a testament to this commitment, as it integrates driving, parking, and vehicle use, benefiting millions of drivers across Taiwan. Furthermore, Dr. Chang shared FETC's internal transformation journey, emphasizing the shift in talent development, from operational to entrepreneurial and service-oriented teams. This strategic talent shift has become a cornerstone of FETC's success, creating a culture of innovation within the company. He stated, "In this era of digital transformation, where businesses strive to stand out, this award is not just a recognition of individual leadership, but a testament to the nearly 20-year journey of the entire FETC team and our collaborative partnerships with the government." The APEA jury commended Taiwan's Multi-Lane Free-Flow (MLFF) ETC system as a model of intelligent transportation in Asia, praising Dr. Chang's foresight in expanding ETC services beyond highways and spearheading the export of Taiwan's ITS technology to countries like Thailand, Malaysia, and India, creating sustainable green transportation solutions across Southeast Asia. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) VMPL New Delhi [India], September 16: For centuries, menstruation has been a topic wrapped in silence and stigma, often dismissed in hushed tones or hidden behind closed doors. In India, where discussions about periods are still considered taboo in many communities, this silence has done more harm than good. Menstruation is a natural, biological process, but for many women, it is surrounded by myths, shame, and lack of support. Matri, a revolutionary startup, is not only providing an effective solution to period pain with Matri's Period Pain Relief Device, but also challenging and dismantling the deeply ingrained taboos surrounding menstruation in India. Since its debut on Shark Tank India Season 3, Matri has been on a mission to reshape the conversation around menstruation and bring real change to the lives of Indian women. The founders quickly realized that creating a product that relieves period pain was only the beginning. The real challenge lay in changing how the Indian market perceived the topic of menstruation altogether. The Age-Old Taboos Despite advancements in education and healthcare, menstruation remains a topic clouded in misconceptions in many parts of India. From restricting women during their periods to branding menstruation as impure, these outdated beliefs continue to dictate the experiences of countless women and girls. Even in urban areas, where education levels are higher, the discomfort around discussing menstruation persists, leading to misinformation and embarrassment. Many women still endure unnecessary pain in silence, believing it's a burden they must carry. Others have limited access to proper sanitary products, further compounding the issue. Period pain is often dismissed as "just a part of being a woman," and those who speak up are often met with dismissal or told to bear it quietly. But this is where Matri is making its mark. With Matri's Period Pain Relief Device, the company has created a product that addresses a long-ignored problem--severe period pain, also known as dysmenorrhea. However, Matri's mission goes beyond relieving pain. It's about breaking the silence around menstruation and encouraging open, honest conversations. Matri's Vision: More than Just a Device After the initial success on Shark Tank India, the Founders Roni Mondal and Rohan Roy quickly realized that their innovative product could spark something much larger than physical relief. They understood that to bring about lasting change, they had to confront the deep-rooted cultural taboos surrounding menstruation. Matri's Period Pain Relief Device is designed to help women regain control of their lives during their periods. It offers immediate, effective pain relief without the side effects of medication, empowering women to continue their day-to-day activities with comfort and confidence. But Matri isn't just about the device; it's about fostering a larger movement that educates and empowers. Matri has taken an active role in reshaping how people, especially the younger generation, view menstruation. The company is collaborating with schools, colleges, and NGOs to facilitate open dialogues on menstrual health. By reaching out to young girls and boys, Matri aims to demystify periods and promote a healthier, stigma-free understanding of menstruation. Reshaping Young Minds: The Power of Education One of Matri's most powerful initiatives is its focus on educating young minds. The company recognizes that lasting change starts with education, and it's determined to reach the next generation of women and men before societal taboos take root. By partnering with various organizations and institutions, Matri is helping to change the narrative around menstruation, making it a topic that is discussed openly and without shame. In many parts of India, menstruation is still considered dirty or shameful, and girls are often excluded from certain activities during their periods. These outdated beliefs not only affect girls' self-esteem but also limit their potential. For instance, studies show that a significant number of girls in India drop out of school after they begin menstruating, simply because they do not have access to proper menstrual hygiene or because they feel embarrassed. Matri is tackling this issue head-on. By working with schools, Matri is leading workshops that teach young girls about menstrual health and hygiene in a supportive environment. The company is also involving boys in these discussions, helping to create a generation of men who are informed and respectful of women's health needs. This approach is crucial in breaking the cycle of stigma. When young boys and girls learn that menstruation is a natural part of life, it can lead to a ripple effect of change. They carry this knowledge into adulthood, influencing how they raise their own children and interact with the women in their lives. Joining Hands with NGOs and Other Organizations Matri's efforts don't stop at schools. The company is also collaborating with various NGOs across India to expand its impact. These partnerships focus on reaching underprivileged communities, where access to menstrual health education and products is often limited. Through these collaborations, Matri is providing not just physical solutions with Matri's Period Pain Relief Device, but also the education necessary to dispel harmful myths and empower women to take charge of their health. This holistic approach has set Matri apart from other companies in the market. While many brands focus solely on product sales, Matri understands that real change comes from addressing the root of the problem: the widespread misinformation and cultural taboos surrounding menstruation. By partnering with NGOs, Matri is able to reach a wider audience and ensure that even the most marginalized communities have access to both period pain relief and the knowledge to understand their bodies. Creating a Supportive Community Another aspect of Matri's mission is building a supportive community where women feel comfortable discussing their menstrual health. Through its social media platforms and workshops, Matri is fostering a space where women can share their experiences, ask questions, and find support. This community-driven approach helps to break the isolation many women feel when dealing with period pain or menstruation-related issues. By providing a platform for open dialogue, Matri is encouraging women to speak out about their experiences, helping to normalize conversations about menstruation. This, in turn, is helping to erode the stigma that has long surrounded the topic. A Call to Action: Joining the Movement Matri's journey is not just about creating a product; it's about leading a movement. The company is disrupting the traditional ways menstruation is discussed in India and is paving the way for a more open, informed society. With Matri's Period Pain Relief Device, women are no longer forced to endure pain in silence. They have a solution that allows them to live their lives uninterrupted by their periods. But Matri can't do this alone. This movement requires collective effort. By supporting Matri, you're not just endorsing an innovative product--you're standing up for a cause that seeks to bring dignity, respect, and understanding to a topic that has been ignored for far too long. Together, we can break the silence, dispel the myths, and create a future where menstruation is no longer a source of shame but a part of life that is understood, respected, and supported. Let's turn the tide on menstrual health in India, one conversation at a time. Join Matri, and be part of the revolution. www.getmatri.com www.instagram.com/getmatri (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) ATK New Delhi [India], September 16: The Rotary Club of Salt Lake Silicon Valley, in collaboration with the Institute of Engineering & Management (IEM) Kolkata, the University of Engineering and Management (UEM) Kolkata, and SMART Society USA, organised the prestigious Global Excellence Award ceremony on Friday. This event recognised eminent personalities for their outstanding contributions in the fields of health science, technology, and other significant areas. Several distinguished individuals were conferred with the Global Excellence Award for their exemplary contributions. Dr Susanta Roy Chowdhury, ICMR Emeritus Scientist at CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, was honoured for his exceptional work in science and technology. Dr Shanta Dutta, Director and Scientist, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infection, was celebrated for her groundbreaking work in health science, making significant strides in combating bacterial infections and advancing medical research. In addition, Debashis Sen, Founder Director & CEO, New Bengal Consulting Pvt Ltd, was acknowledged for his outstanding contributions to technology and administration, particularly in areas where his leadership has driven innovation and growth. Sanjay Kumar Das, Managing Director, WEBEL, was recognised for his exemplary efforts in IT and cybersecurity. Dr Krishnendu Gupta, District Governor, Rotary District 3291, accepted the award for his remarkable contributions to the health sector. In the field of IT and electronics, Abhishek Kumar, Deputy Director, Software Technology Parks of India, was acknowledged for his exceptional contributions, helping advance technological innovations that have had a lasting impact. Somnath Chatterjee, Centre Head, Webel Fujisoft Vara CoE, was also honoured for his leadership and contributions in science and technology, where his research has paved the way for innovative solutions in multiple industries. A particularly inspiring story at the event was the recognition of Uday Kumar, popularly known as "one-leg Uday," a Guinness World Record holder. Uday's remarkable journey of resilience and perseverance has made him a symbol of determination, and his achievements have become a beacon of hope for many. His recognition at the ceremony was a tribute to his incredible spirit and ability to overcome adversity. The Global Excellence Award serves as a testament to the commitment of the Rotary Club of Salt Lake Silicon Valley, IEM, UEM, and SMART Society USA to recognising and celebrating excellence across various fields. The Global Excellence Award ceremony underscored the significant impact that dedicated individuals can make through their work. The event inspired attendees to continue striving for excellence and demonstrated the importance of celebrating achievements that contribute to societal advancement and the betterment of the global community. Dr Satyajit Chakrabarti, Director, IEM, expressed his pride in the event, stating, "The Global Excellence Award ceremony exemplifies our dedication to honouring exceptional individuals who have made remarkable contributions to their respective fields. It is an honour to celebrate their achievements and to be part of an event that recognises excellence in science and innovation." Dr Prabir Kumar Das, President, Rotary Club of Salt Lake Silicon Valley, also shared his thoughts, saying, "The ceremony reflects the spirit of collaboration and recognition that we strive for. The awardees have showcased outstanding leadership and innovation, and it is our privilege to honour their contributions. This event reinforces the importance of celebrating those who drive progress and make a difference in our world." Dr Samapika Das Biswas, Coordinator, Global Excellence Award, commended the success of the event, saying, "The Global Excellence Award ceremony has been a tremendous success, showcasing the incredible talent and achievements of our awardees. Their work represents the pinnacle of excellence, and we are proud to provide a platform that acknowledges their contributions to science and innovation." (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by ATK. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) BusinessWire India Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 16: Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB) has secured initial investment commitments valued at over USD 16 million from Polymatech to establish a semiconductor manufacturing facility in Bahrain's Industrial Area of Hidd. This announcement was made during the island nation investment promotion agency's visit to India, which is covering key cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai, aimed at showcasing Bahrain's dynamic business landscape and its growing appeal as a regional hub for technology and manufacturing. Noor bint Ali Alkhulaif, Minister of Sustainable Development, Chief Executive of Bahrain EDB, stated, "We at Bahrain EDB are pleased to welcome Polymatech alongside several leading multi-sector companies to business-friendly Bahrain. Bahrain continues to maintain momentum in delivering on its vision of developing a digital-first, intelligent economy, fostering a future-ready ecosystem that prioritizes the development of next-generation technologies, advanced manufacturing, and a highly skilled workforce. Polymatech establishing a semiconductor facility in Bahrain is a pivotal milestone on this journey of digital transformation and is set to usher in a new era of innovation and technological advancement across sectors, contributing significantly to the national economy." Polymatech's Bahrain facility, which is set to be established under the brand name Atri, will play a critical role in producing essential 5G and 6G components, positioning the island nation as a key player in the global semiconductor value chain, a sector that is becoming indispensable in today's digital world. Semiconductors are fundamental to modern appliances and industries at large, powering everything from smartphones to electric vehicles. This marks Polymatech's first step in expanding its global footprint, driven by a commitment to sustainable and research-led development. Eswara Rao Nandam, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Polymatech Electronics, commented, "We are excited to bring our expertise in semiconductor manufacturing to Bahrain, which offers a strategic location and facilitated access to the region. Establishing our semiconductor manufacturing facility here aligns perfectly with our expansion goals, allowing us to tap into the growing demand internationally and contribute to the local and regional innovation landscape." In addition to announcing Polymatech's investment, the visit to India also saw the announcement of investments from three other India-based companies--Chemco Plastics, Bhageria Industries, and an ICT firm, which are expected to further enhance Bahrain's growing manufacturing and ICT sectors. Ali AlMudaifa, Chief of Business Development at Bahrain Economic Development Board, said, "Our success in attracting this robust portfolio of investments is underpinned by the collective efforts of Team Bahrain, a curated approach that champions the private and public sectors working closely together to maintain an attractive investment environment known for its ease of doing business to foster success stories with local roots and global impact. Coupled with a strategic location, progressive regulatory frameworks, the agility of Team Bahrain remains a cornerstone of our island nation's value proposition and competitiveness within an increasingly competitive global playing field." Polymatech's entry into Bahrain, will contribute to the Kingdom's ongoing journey towards economic diversification, sustainable growth, and its goal of becoming a hub for innovation and technological excellence in the region. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) NewsVoir New Delhi [India], September 16: The Global AI Summit (GAIN) in Riyadh concluded on a high after the summit welcomed more than 30,000 delegates from across the globe over three days. The live stream of the summit received 3.7m views. Building on the success of previous editions, GAIN 2024 featured more than 450 speakers from 100 countries, participating in 150 sessions. It also witnessed over 25 launches and announcements and facilitated the signing of over 80 agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs). The summit, organized by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), has grown exponentially since its inception in 2020. Its growing prominence reflects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's role in advancing AI capabilities as it positions itself as a global leader in this space. The key output from the summit was the need for governments and policymakers to take global action to ensure that AI technology evolves for the good of humanity. Central to responsible evolution is an ethical framework and robust governance. To support the advancement of AI ethics and governance, SDAIA announced the Riyadh Charter of Artificial Intelligence for the Islamic World in collaboration with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO). This promotes ethical AI grounded in Islamic values and principles, as well as sustainable development through international cooperation. SDAIA has played a pivotal role in forging key collaborations to strengthen local and regional AI solutions, signing MoUs with Microsoft Arabia to develop Arabic language models, IBM for a Center of Excellence in Generative AI technologies, and NVIDIA to scale AI infrastructure across the Kingdom. The summit also marked several major milestones. Alongside the unveiling of ALLaM, the world's most advanced Arabic Language Model, other diverse initiatives such as the Global AI Community, the THAKAI Platform, and guidelines for addressing deepfake technology. Furthermore, the launch of the Generative AI Center of Excellence by the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), the agreement to open an International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE) as a UNESCO Category 2 Center, further underscored the impact of GAIN 2024. The summit itself provided the platform for companies from all over the world to showcase the latest AI technologies and innovations, including AI generated avatars, AI generated artwork, and even Robotic bar staff serving beverages. The summit closed with an inspirational speech from the Director of Saudi Arabia's National Information Center, Dr Esam Alwagait, in which he thanked participants, "Your candid perspectives have not only inspired us with the vision of what lies ahead, but have also grounded us in the realities we must face. Together, we have not only imagined the future of AI, but have also made it real by addressing the challenges and identifying the enablers needed to truly unlock its potential." He added, "It has been incredibly inspiring to see the world come together here in Riyadh, united by momentum to make AI work for everyone. The commitment to collaborative action has been evident throughout the summit." The success of GAIN 2024 ensures that the Kingdom's AI infrastructure will be significantly strengthened and has cemented Saudi Arabia position at the center of global AI. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) Sonia Garcia is a trending food reporter for the Houston Chronicle. She can be reached at sonia.garcia@houstonchronicle.com. A Rio Grande Valley native, she previously was an editor and writer for the Austin digital news startup Austonia after graduating from Texas State University. She enjoys trying new restaurants in Houston, where she lives with her 14-year-old Chihuahua. Markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has withdrawn its recent statement, where it had said that employees who were protesting and complaining of a 'toxic work culture' against the employer were misguided. In its brief statement on Monday, SEBI said it believes that its employees have played a critical role over the past thirty-six years in shaping the Indian securities market into one of the most dynamic and well-regulated markets globally. SEBI said it addresses employee-related matters through appropriate internal mechanisms. Following constructive discussions with representatives of all grades of officers, SEBI and its employees have reaffirmed that such issues are strictly internal and will be managed in accordance with the organization's high standards of governance and within a time-bound framework. "Accordingly, the Press Release no. 20/2024 dated September 04, 2024, stands withdrawn. Employees have strongly condemned the unauthorized release of internal communication and have confirmed that all concerns shall be addressed amicably through established internal channels," the SEBI statement said today. On September 4, amidst allegations of SEBI employees protesting and complaining of 'toxic work culture', the market regulator had categorically denied the issue, instead asserting that the employees are perhaps misguided by external elements to target the credibility of it and its leadership. As per reports, SEBI officials complained to the finance ministry last month, accusing the regulator's leadership of fostering a 'toxic work culture'. Following the SEBI's statement, the employees gathered at the SEBI office the next day and protested against the statement released by the regulatory body. (ANI) PRNewswire Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], September 16: Manipal Hospital Millers Road inaugurated its newly refurbished Ground Floor Outpatient Department (OPD) on Wednesday, 11 September 2024, marking a significant milestone in enhancing the hospital's ability to deliver superior healthcare services, providing patients with a modern and comfortable environment. With an aim to offer seamless, patient-centric care, this revamped OPD offers consultations for Rheumatology, Diabetes and Endocrinology, and Plastic Surgery and Podiatry, catering to a wide range of needs some of which are exclusively for the elderly and senior citizens. Dr Manish Trivedi, Hospital Director, Manipal Hospital Millers Road shared his enthusiasm: "Today, we have embarked on an important journey to further expand our services with the refurbishment of the Ground Floor. We have commissioned 10 new OPD rooms dedicated to serving our rheumatology and diabetology patients, many of whom are senior citizens or individuals with mobility issues. These new OPD rooms will significantly improve their access to care and treatment." Bhaskar Rao, Trustee of Aashwasan Foundation for Senior Citizens, Bangalore, expressed his appreciation by saying, "I am honoured to have been invited for the inauguration of the newly refurbished OPD at Manipal Hospital Millers Road. Located in central Bangalore, this facility is convenient for senior citizens dealing with age-related ailments for the neighbourhood. Manipal Hospitals has always supported organizations like Aashwasan Foundation, and I am confident that this new OPD will be a great asset to both senior citizens and all residents residing in central Bangalore." This renovation is a testament to Manipal Hospital's continued efforts to improve healthcare delivery and provide exceptional services to the community. For more information please visit: https://www.manipalhospitals.com/millersroad/ Photo 1: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2506109/Manipal_Hospital_Millers_Road_inauguration.jpgPhoto 2: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2506110/Manipal_Hospital_Millers_Road_inauguration.jpgPhoto 3: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2506111/Manipal_Hospital_Millers_Road_inauguration.jpgPhoto 4: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2506112/Manipal_Hospital_Millers_Road_inauguration.jpg (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) PNN Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], September 16: Sellwin Traders Ltd and Secorbit FZCO, UAE, have signed an MoU for a $2 million project to develop a blockchain-based tokenization platform. The platform will enable the tokenization of equities, bonds, and real-world assets, with a focus on scalability, security, and seamless integration with existing financial and blockchain ecosystems. Sellwin Traders Ltd shall undertake the development of a comprehensive blockchain-based tokenization platform over the next 24 months, order which was received by Secorbit FZCO. The Board of Directors of the company is schedule to meet on September 25, 2024, to consider issuing bonus shares and approving a stock split, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval. The board will also review a business proposal focused on potential synergies and forward integration to meet evolving customer needs. The company has also entered into Memorandum of Understanding with SDF Productions Pvt Ltd, an agri-export company specializing in spices, pulses, pulp, rice, tea, fruits, and vegetables. Sellwin expects revenue in excess of Rs. 30 crore from the business arrangement with a healthy margins of 35-40%. Under the MoU, Sellwin Traders Ltd will supply agro products to SDF Productions Pvt Ltd, which will then distribute these products to both Indian and international markets based on purchase orders. Sellwin will provide financial support to SDF Productions for procurement from Indian suppliers. Recently, SDF Productions secured several orders for mango pulp, including a USD 259,500 order from Ninety Nine Foodstuff Trading L.L.C, two orders totaling USD 130,200 from Shing Exim General Trading L.L.C, and additional orders from The Springs Foodstuffs Trading Co L.L.C. Highlights:- * The company expects over Rs. 30 crore in revenue from its business arrangement with SDF Production for supply of Agro products, with healthy margins of 35-40%. * SDF Production received multiple export orders for mango pulp for over USD 400,000. * On July 19, 2024, the Sellwin Board approved acquiring a 51% stake in SDF Productions Pvt. Ltd * In April 2024, Sellwin agreed to acquire a 66.67% stake in Patel & Patel E-Commerce and Services Pvt Ltd. Sellwin's investment will fund Patel Container's new Rs. 45 crore logistics container facility in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. * On 7 June, 2024 approved the appointment of Mr. Rajendra Naik as the CEO of the company. Subsequently on 17 August, Mr. Pruthvikumar Prajapati is appointed as the CFO of the company. * For Q1FY25, Revenue reported 66% growth to Rs. 16.6 crore, Net Profit up 104% to Rs. 70 lakh * Completed a preferential issue allotting 3.17 crore warrants at Rs. 12.95 crore raising Rs. 41.15 crore On July 19, 2024, the Sellwin Board approved acquiring a 51% stake in SDF Productions Pvt. Ltd. This strategic investment aims to expand Sellwin Traders Ltd's business through market growth, supply chain integration, and revenue enhancement. SDF, operating in Dubai since 2002, recently expanded to New Mumbai. The company exports local produce, including oranges, turmeric, and jaggery, to Iran and the Middle East, with plans to enter Europe, the UK, and CIS markets, focusing on high-curcumin turmeric. In April 2024, the company signed a share purchase agreement to acquire a 66.67% stake in Patel & Patel E-Commerce And Services Pvt Ltd. Patel Container signed an MoU at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 to invest Rs. 45 crore in a logistics container manufacturing facility in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. The facility, expected to begin operations in 2025, will create 100 jobs and benefit from Bhavnagar's strategic location near major ports and trade routes. Investment by Sellwin Traders will be utilized to support the establishment of a new manufacturing facility for logistic containers in Bhavnagar District, Gujarat. The company also plans to invest Rs. 200 million in Shah Metacorp Ltd (BSE & NSE) over the next two years as part of its long-term growth strategy. The investment will support Shah Metacorp's expansion, boost production capacity, enhance R&D, and explore new markets. Shah Metacorp's strong operations, innovative products, and sustainable practices make it a compelling investment opportunity. Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on 7th June, 2024 approved the appointment of Rajendra Naik as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Subsequently in the meeting held on 17th August, Pruthvikumar Prajapati is appointed as the Chief Financial Officer of the company. For Q1FY25 ended June 2024, company has reported 65.9% growth in revenue from operations to Rs. 16.63 crore as compared to Rs. 10.02 crore in quarter ended June 2023. Net Profit of the company during June 2024 quarter reported rise of 104% to Rs. 70 lakh as against Rs. 34 lakh in quarter ended June 2023. During FY24, company has turn around its business operations and reported 56% growth in total income to Rs. 61.7 crore as compared to Rs. 39.60 crore in FY23. In the previous quarter, the Company completed a preferential issue, allotting 3,17,80,000 convertible warrants at Rs. 12.95 each, raising Rs. 41.15 crore from non-promoter investors. On May 17, 2024, the Board approved the conversion of 1,20,60,000 warrants into equity shares at Rs. 12.95. Following this, the Company's paid-up equity share capital increased to Rs. 20.26 crore, comprising 2,02,60,000 shares of Rs. 10 each. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach partnered with Urzza Charge Tech, a Visakhapatnam-based company working in the electric vehicle charging landscape to advance the electric vehicle infrastructure across Andhra Pradesh. The partnership is aimed at revolutionizing the EV charging landscapes across the country by providing high-quality, user-friendly EV charging solutions for all types of electric vehicles. The partnership is also expected to accelerate the transition towards a greener and more sustainable future. This joint venture will bring EV charging stations to key locations across the state, starting with Vizag, as per the company. To mark the beginning, Vizag MP M Sribharat inaugurated an EV charging station at INOX Vizag on Sunday. A session to discuss the EV landscape was later attended by various EV makers and users from across Andhra Pradesh. Sushil Reddy, who holds two Guinness World Records for the longest electric bicycle journey and is currently on a 60-day, over 8,000 km journey across southern India to raise awareness about sustainable mobility, also participated in the event. In a panel meeting Guinness Book Record Holder, Reddy, discussed various challenges faced during the transition to the EV ecosystem, such as range anxiety, supply chain issues, cost affordability, and battery issues. While some startups raised questions about how to avoid several of these issues, industry experts offered solutions. "EV companies may soon offer battery as a service," they said. The experts also noted that even without renewable energy, EV vehicles are still more efficient than internal combustion engine-based (ICE) vehicles. Speaking to ANI, Haresh Bharadwaj, co-founder of Urzza Charge Tech said that the company is expanding its horizon to pan India. Currently, the company has a presence in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. He further stated that they want to burst the myth that electric vehicles are made for cities only, instead you can use them for long drives also. Krishna Bhagavatula, CEO of Urzza Charge Tech; Haresh Bharadwaj, co-founder of Urzza Charge Tech; Sushil Reddy, sustainability advocate; Vivek Vardhan, director and CTO of G2V Solar; Karthik Raju, founder and CEO of Austhraa Motors; Radhika Behara, founder and MD of Femi Rides; Ravi Kanth Reddy, senior manager and CSV of Fluentgrid Limited; Suraj Nanneti, chief business officer of Geo Climate Risk Solutions Pvt. Ltd.; and others were present. (ANI) PRNewswire Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], September 16: Great Learning (GL), a leading global edtech company for higher education and professional training, has released the "Workforce Skills Evolution Report 2024-25". Based on trends observed among Great Learning's client partners across various sectors and insights from a survey of over 100 learning and development (L&D) and business unit heads, this report offers a comprehensive look at key training trends and forecasts for FY25. It synthesises these insights to illustrate how organisations plan to harness talent development to drive growth, foster innovation, and build a sustainable competitive advantage. GENERATIVE AI TRAINING REQUIREMENTS FOR ORGANISATIONS TO EXPAND BEYOND TECHNICAL ROLES IN FY25 Interest in Generative AI surged across sectors in FY24, driven by its potential to enhance decision-making, foster innovation, and improve competitiveness. In FY25, at least 50% of organisations plan to advance their teams' skills in Generative AI, responding to strong market demand. Notably, enterprises are set to broaden GenAI training beyond technical roles, aiming to include a wider array of functions to automate repetitive tasks and boost efficiency. Operations emerged as the leading non-tech function targeted for GenAI upskilling, followed by Customer Service and Human Resources. This strategic shift aims to automate repetitive tasks, boost efficiency, and reduce human dependency (potentially impacting labour costs). Overall, this trend reflects a broader organisational move towards integrating AI-powered solutions to drive innovation and operational improvements across various functions. OVER 58% OF ORGANISATIONS REPORT INCREASED L&D BUDGETS IN FY25 In FY24, four out of five companies reported reduced hiring costs due to effective internal talent development. For 64% of these enterprises, the main goal of investing in workforce training was to cultivate emerging skills among early-career professionals to fuel business growth. Meanwhile, 36% of organisations focused on enhancing productivity, innovation, and creativity to improve overall effectiveness and foster a culture of innovation. Building on these trends and recognising the value of a skilled workforce, 58.5% of organisations in India have increased their L&D budgets in FY25. AI, Data Science, and Cyber Security Remain Top Workforce Training Priorities for FY25 In FY24, Indian enterprises placed a strong emphasis on training in AI, Machine Learning, Data Science, and Data Engineering, with 76.6% of companies prioritising these areas. The IT sector led these investments, closely followed by firms specialising in analytics and digital solutions. This focus is expected to continue in FY25, as the survey shows that most organisations plan to increase their investment in training employees in these critical fields. This ongoing commitment underscores the essential role of data-driven insights and Machine Learning in advancing business innovation and operational efficiency. For FY25, Data Science and AIML remain top priorities, particularly in the Consulting (44.4%) and Energy (41.7%) sectors, underscoring their drive for strategic decision-making and business innovation. Cyber Security continues to emerge as a crucial focus area in the BFSI sector in FY25, reflecting the need to protect sensitive data and comply with regulations. It is also significant in the IT/ITeS sector due to the extensive volume of digital transactions and data. Additionally, Cloud Computing is a key priority in both the IT/ITeS and Energy sectors, underscoring the growing importance of scalable and efficient digital infrastructure. GCCS SHAPING FUTURE WORKFORCE TO BECOME INNOVATION HUBS In FY24, Global Capability Centres (GCCs) concentrated their L&D strategies on enhancing agility and future-proofing their talent, with a focus on critical areas such as AI, Machine Learning, and Data Science. As we move into FY25, GCCs are set to maintain this emphasis on future-ready skills while broadening their L&D initiatives to include emerging technologies like Generative AI, Data Analytics, and Cloud Computing. This expansion aims to drive global innovation and boost organisational efficiency, positioning GCCs as pivotal hubs of technological advancement and operational excellence. 80% OF L&D PROGRAMS FOR EARLY-CAREER PROFESSIONALS LASTED 2-12 WEEKS IN FY24 More than 80% of L&D initiatives for early-career professionals, particularly in the IT/ITeS, Analytics/Consulting, and BFSI sectors, were structured as 2-12 week programs, with an average of 15 hours of training per week. These programs aimed to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry skill requirements. Meanwhile, over 67% of training for mid and senior-level executives in Manufacturing and Retail/E-commerce focused on data-driven decision-making and technical skills, typically requiring just a few hours per week to avoid disrupting productivity. For senior leaders, enterprises preferred 1-3 day capsule workshops that combined new technology training with leadership development. Commenting on the report, Ritesh Malhotra, Enterprise Head at Great Learning, stated, "The report underscores a unanimous shift towards developing an adaptable workforce and moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach to training. Organisations now recognise that Generative AI training is crucial for achieving business objectives across all employee levels. By extending this training beyond traditional tech roles, companies are adopting a strategic L&D approach that enables their workforce to streamline processes, automate routine tasks, and drive innovation more effectively, resulting in significant cost savings. Today, Global Capability Centers (GCCs) are evolving from being mere recipients of change to active enablers of it. They are investing heavily in training for cutting-edge technologies like Generative AI, Data Analytics, and Cloud Computing to fuel global innovation and enhance organisational efficiency." About Great Learning Great Learning is a leading global ed-tech company for professional learning and higher education. It offers comprehensive, industry-relevant, hands-on learning programs across various business, technology, and interdisciplinary domains driving the digital economy. These programs are developed and offered in collaboration with the world's foremost academic institutions in various formats such as - certificate programs (ranging from 3-11 months), online degrees as well as hybrid degrees. Great Learning is able to leverage the highly qualified, world-class faculty at these universities together with its vast network of 7000+ industry expert mentors to deliver an unmatched learning experience for over 11 million learners from over 170 countries around the world. Great Learning for Business, the enterprise arm of Great Learning, helps partner organisations build proficiencies in emerging skills at scale. Its consultative approach and experiential learning resonate with sectors like IT/ITES, BFSI, GCCs, Consulting & Analytics, e-commerce, and others. It offers talent transformation solutions that are industry-created and industry-focused, empowering organisations to achieve their business goals. MEDIA CONTACT:Navami Ajayannavami.ajayan@greatlearning.in Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2506114/Generative_AI_Training.jpgLogo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1458111/4243541/Great_Learning_Logo.jpg (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) NewsVoir New Delhi [India], September 16: JK Cement Ltd. a leading building material company, one of India's leading manufacturers of Grey Cement in India and one of the largest White Cement manufacturers in the world, celebrated 140 years of JK Organisation's remarkable legacy at a grand event in the capital. The event honoured the group's rich history, its significant contributions to multiple sectors of the Indian economy, and the unwavering dedication of its employees and partners. The celebration gathered dignitaries, industry leaders, employees, and key stakeholders to reflect on JK Organisation's journey from its inception to its present status as a global leader. Lieutenant Governor of New Delhi, VK Saxena, who himself started his career at JK Cement, along with Rajeev Shukla, Member of Rajya Sabha, graced the occasion. Key leaders of the JK Organisation, including Dr Nidhipati Singhania, Vice President, JK Organisation, Dr Raghavpat Singhania, Managing Director, JK Cement, and Madhavkrishna Singhania, Joint MD and CEO, JK Cement, were present to mark this significant milestone. CEO's from various known business houses both Indian and Multinational companies across sectors graced the occasion. Reflecting on the organization's journey, Dr Nidhipati Singhania, Vice President, JK Organisation, said, "As we celebrate 140 years of JK Organisation, we are filled with immense pride and gratitude for our legacy, which is rooted in values of innovation, quality, and service to the nation. Our journey has been as much about business success as about driving positive change in the communities and industries we serve. The milestones we have achieved reflect our continuous efforts in advancing India's infrastructure and industrial landscape." One of the key highlights of the evening was the recognising the long-serving employees and partners who have dedicated decades to JKCement. Their enduring loyalty underscores JK Organisation's foundational values of trust and collaboration, which have been pivotal to the organisation's success. Addressing the guests at the event, Dr Raghavpat Singhania, Managing Director, JK Cement, said, "This year along with the 140 years milestone, also marks two significant milestones for us: 50 years of grey cement business and 40 years of white cement business, affirming our leadership in the industry. Our recent expansion into coal mining underscores our commitment to vertical integration and sustainable resource management. We are dedicated to not only adapting to the evolving landscape but also driving positive change and creating lasting value for all our stakeholders and the nation." Emphasizing the company's commitment to innovation and progress, Madhavkrishna Singhania, Joint MD and CEO, JK Cement, said, "Our journey has been marked by resilience, adaptability, and a constant drive to exceed expectations. We're committed to leveraging cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices to not only maintain our market leadership but also to contribute significantly to India's progress. The trust of our stakeholders and the dedication of our team members have been instrumental in our success, and they will continue to be the pillars of our future endeavors." The event celebrated JK Organisation's visionary outlook, showcasing its commitment to sustainable growth, technological innovation, and its influential role in driving India's economic advancement. VK Saxena, Lieutenant Governor, New Delhi, who was invited as the Chief Guest said, "It's an honour for me to be part of this landmark celebration for a company where I started my career as an Assistant Officer in Gotan, Rajasthan and worked for 11 years in different capacities with its White Cement plant. This exposure gave me insights of a corporate working, faster decision making and team work, which has helped me throughout my various stints thereafter. I wish all the best to JK Cement for all their Future endeavors in Nation Building." JK Cement Ltd. is one of India's leading manufacturers of Grey Cement and one of the leading White Cement manufacturers in the World. Over five decades, the Company has partnered with India's multisectoral infrastructure needs on the strength of its product excellence, customer orientation, and technology leadership. JK Cement's operations commenced with commercial production at its flagship grey cement unit at Nimbahera, Rajasthan in May 1975. The Company has an installed Grey Cement capacity of 24.34 MnTPA as on date, making it one of the top cement manufacturers in the Country. One of the leading manufacturers of White Cement, globally, with a total white cement and wall putty capacity of 2.45 MnTPA. JK White Cement is sold across 37 countries around the globe and the Company has a strong international presence with two subsidies, JK Cement Works Fujairah FZC and JK White Cement (Africa) Ltd. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) PNN Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 16: Subsidiary of Cressanda Railway Solutions Ltd (BSE - 512379), Cressanda Retail Solutions Pvt Ltd has entered into an exclusive distributorship with Patanjali Peya Pvt. Ltd. This distributorship covers the distribution of the Divya Jal brand of packaged drinking mineral water across the state of West Bengal, as well as specifically within the Railway zones of South-Central and Southern Railways. Cressanda Retail is currently distributing over 150,000 cases i.e., 18,00,000 bottles of Aqua Diamond mineral water monthly across the eastern zone of Indian Railways. This new partnership with Patanjali Peya Pvt. Ltd. represents a strategic expansion and reinforces our commitment to establishing India's most efficient food and beverage distribution network. This collaboration will leverage the extensive reach of our parent company, Cressanda Railway Solutions Limited, within the vast Indian Railways network. Company believes that this partnership will significantly contribute to our growth and further our mission of delivering high-quality products across India. Highlights:- * This distributorship covers the distribution of the Divya Jal brand of packaged drinking mineral water across the state of West Bengal and Railway zones of South-Central and Southern Railways. * On 12 September 2024 Cressanda Railway Solutions Limited has secured notable contracts from two distinguished clients: the Directorate of Tourism, Maharashtra, and the Bureau of Indian Standards. * On Sept 4, Mastermind Advertising Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Cressanda Railway received rights for sponsorship of Uttarakhand Metro Rail/PRT/Ropeway Project Investors Summit "B2B" in Singapore * In Q1FY25 company reported 23.7% rise in revenue to Rs. 17.48 crore and Net Profit grow multi-fold to Rs. 2.02 crore Recently on 12 September 2024 Cressanda Railway Solutions Limited has secured notable contracts from two distinguished clients: the Directorate of Tourism, Maharashtra, and the Bureau of Indian Standards. These contracts involve the installation of external wraps on 16 express trains and 1 express train, respectively. The selected trains are premium, long-distance services, catering to high-end passengers traveling to various destinations. The use of transit media for promotion highlights a strategic choice by these government organizations to reach a broad audience through visible and impactful advertising. This initiative aims to effectively promote new campaigns and enhance public awareness. On September 4, 2024 Mastermind Advertising Private Ltd, a subsidiary of Cressanda Railway Solutions Ltd (BSE: CRESSAN), a premier provider of railway auxiliary concierge and digital media services, is pleased to announce its sponsorship of the Uttarakhand Metro Rail/PRT/Ropeway Project Investors Summit "B2B". The summit will be held in Singapore on October 14-15, 2024, organized by IFET Global Ventures Private Limited. This summit will gather policymakers, global trade associations, international business and financial leaders, entrepreneurs, and CEOs from both domestic and international corporations. The event aims to foster international business collaborations and advance infrastructure development in Uttarakhand. In Q1FY25, Cressanda Railway Solutions Ltd reported a 23.7% increase in revenue, reaching Rs. 17.48 crore, compared to Rs. 14.13 crore in Q1FY24. The company's net profit saw substantial growth, reaching Rs. 2.02 crore, up from Rs. 12 lakh in Q1FY24. For FY 2023-24, the company reported a net profit of Rs. 13.80 crore and revenue from operations of Rs. 204.66 crore. About Cressanda Railway Solutions Ltd Cressanda Railway Solutions Ltd is dedicated to improving the railway travel experience through innovative digital solutions and concierge services. Recent initiatives include providing Wi-Fi and COD services on Eastern Railway trains, introducing wheelchair services, and offering pick-up & drop services and on-board sale of non-catering items. For more information, please visit: www.cressanda.com (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO) and Novonesis on Monday signed an MoU announcing a long-term commitment to explore collaboration opportunities within agri-biosolutions that will improve crop yield and soil quality. In the first phase of this collaboration, Indian farmers across all crops will get access to the advanced Mycorrhizal Biofertilizer product, 'KRIBHCO Rhizosuper', powered with Novonesis' proprietary LCO (Lipo-chitooligosaccharides) Promoter Technology. Subsequently, under this partnership, the two industry pioneers will explore bringing in more of Novonesis' biosolutions in the plant health space. Further, Novonesis will also support KRIBHCO to strengthen its biofertilizer production facility and help sharpen its product portfolio by combining its core microbial technology.Speaking to ANI, M R Sharma, Managing Director, KRIBHCO said that KRIBHCO Rhizosuper will not only increase the crop yield by 12 to 17 per cent but it will also improve the soil quality. This is the first of its kind collaboration to provide better solutions to farmers at an affordable price, he said."Our aim is to provide this bio solution to the farmer's at affordable price. We will price this product to farmers at Rs 500-550/acre," he said.Sharma said, "This partnership will usher in a new era where Indian farmers will get access to cutting edge agri biosolutions. KRIBHCO is committed to empowering our farmers with innovative agri biosolutions that not only enhance yield and soil quality, but also champion the cause of sustainable agriculture. We believe that the health of our soil is a direct reflection of the health of our nation. By adopting KRIBHCO Rhizosuper, Indian farmers are not just improving their crop yields, but are also becoming the stewards of our land securing a prosperous future for the coming generations."'KRIBHCO Rhizosuper' comprises a unique combination of relevant endomycorrhizal species powered with proprietary LCO Promoter Technology to support faster mycorrhizal colonisation and enhance beneficial microbial activity in the rhizosphere, thereby triggering robust plant growth and improved soil quality. This technology enhances the use of applied phosphatic fertiliser, other nutrients, and water. The addition of Rhizosuper, the Mycorrhizal Biofertilizer, complements KRIBHCO's strength of being a leading nutrition supplier in the country. LCO is a signalling molecule, emerging as a significant innovation in the agricultural sector, particularly in India, where farmers face numerous challenges such as reduced soil carbon, improper fertiliser use, and erratic weather patterns. This technology enhances the plant's natural processes, and facilitates communication between plants and soil microbes, which are crucial for nutrient uptake and overall plant health.Krishna Mohan Puvvada, Senior Vice President, Middle East, India & Africa of Planetary Health Biosolutions, Novonesis, said, "We are excited to collaborate with KRIBHCO, one of the leading farmer cooperatives in India, to introduce a unique and innovative mycorrhizal biofertilizer. By harnessing the power of biosolutions, we are not just innovating for better crop yields, but also for a sustainable future. Our commitment is to develop biosolutions that reduce the reliance on chemicals, rejuvenate soil health, and contribute to a balanced ecosystem. This partnership is pivotal in addressing the challenges posed by climate change, ensuring food security and paving the path for a sustainable agriculture in India." The partnership will benefit from the expertise of both the companies - KRIBHCO's strong farmer connections, wide distribution network, and agriculture expertise, along with Novonesis' scientific heritage and dynamic portfolio of biological solutions. (ANI) Promoting sustainable agriculture and ensuring adequate funding for it are two critical issues that must be addressed, asserted Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor, Swaminathan J, addressing a conference in Pune. Giving a keynote address at the International Research Conference hosted by the College of Agricultural Banking (CAB), Pune, the RBI Deputy Governor highlighted five solutions that could go a long way in addressing the issue of financing sustainable agriculture. He stressed upon the role of collectives such as Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), besides financing value chain and warehouse; technology adoption, among others. Farmer Producer Organisations or FPOs have emerged as a crucial mechanism for addressing the specific challenges faced by small and marginal farmers. Their growth has been significant, with over 24,000 Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) formed by March 31, 2023, the Deputy Governor said. "These organisations are instrumental in scaling up the adoption of sustainable farming technologies developed by research institutions. By aggregating farmers, FPOs enhance their bargaining power as well as improve their access to technology and increase market opportunities for their output," the Deputy Governor said, as per the transcripts of the speech delivered recently. To support financing to these organisations, RBI regulations provide that loans to FPOs engaged in agriculture and allied activities, up to an aggregate limit of Rs 2 crore per entity, qualify as priority sector lending (PSL). If FPOs engage in farming with assured marketing of their produce at predetermined prices, loans of up to Rs 5 crore qualify as PSL. Sustainable agriculture refers to farming practices that meet today's food needs while preserving resources for future generations. This means adopting methods that protect the environment, reduce reliance on chemical inputs, and use water and land efficiently. The RBI Deputy Governor also said that there is a need for increased focus on structured agriculture value chains and their financing. "For financial institutions, access to various participants in the value chain offers additional business opportunities." Agricultural price volatility is a recurring challenge in India, often forcing farmers to sell their produce at lower prices during peak harvest due to immediate financial needs. "Warehouse receipt financing allows farmers to store their produce in warehouses, delaying the sale until market prices become favourable. During this waiting period, farmers can access much-needed funds through commodity financing from banks. This form of financing helps stabilize the prices of agricultural commodities, and helps farmers in managing marketing risks while providing banks with diverse financing opportunities. However, for this form of business to flourish, the country needs more robust third-party warehousing agencies," the Deputy Governor said. He added that a concerted focus on addressing regional imbalances, enhancing credit access, and integrating value chain financing is crucial for a more sustainable and resilient future for Indian agriculture. In his remarks, he also said that the much-needed shift to sustainable farming practices will remain a distant dream for many without accessible and affordable financing options. "Many farmers, especially those in rural or underserved regions, struggle with economic, institutional, and social constraints that limit their access. Therefore, sustainable finance should not only promote environmentally friendly practices but also ensure that financial resources are available to the farmers who need them most, providing equitable access to tools, technology, and knowledge." Climate change and sustainability are two pressing issues that have captured global attention of late. In this context, sustainable agriculture emerges as a crucial solution. The RBI Deputy Governor in his address noted that going ahead, achieving agricultural sustainability will be a key priority for all economies where agriculture is a major sector. "This will involve transforming conventional farming practices into technology-driven systems, enhancing agricultural commodities' processing and preservation techniques, and contributing to value addition at the farm level. We also need to align crop production systems with climate-smart agriculture. And there is a need to ensure adequate and timely finance as well to sustain all of these," he said. The Deputy Governor also threw light on several structural challenges facing the Indian agricultural ecosystem. Low productivity per unit of land; predominance of small and marginal landholdings; over-dependence on rains; inadequate agricultural processing capacity; and low level of mechanization are among them. "When we consider the various sectors of the Indian economy, the agricultural sector stands out as one bearing the heaviest burden of climate change. Today, agriculture is at the confluence of three of the greatest challenges of the 21st century - sustaining food and nutrition security, adaptation and mitigation of climate change, and sustainable use of critical resources such as water, energy, and land," he noted. (ANI) NewsVoir New Delhi [India], September 16: The Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI) will host the 11th Annual Forum, the flagship event for public affairs professionals in New Delhi on 18th and 19th September 2024. This year's theme is 'India@2030: Doubling the Economy to $7 Trillion' underscores PAFI's commitment to fostering strategic dialogue on India's economic growth. Through two days of rigorous discussions in 14 sessions with over 70 speakers, the delegates will explore three strategic areas-Policies, Partnerships, and Priorities, aiming to chart the course for sustaining and accelerating India's progress. PAFI's 11th Annual Forum will feature ministers and officials representing the center and state governments, legislators, CEOs, members of Indian and global organisations, media leaders, think tanks, academia, and others. The event will host over 400 policy professionals, including CXOs and industry leaders. Beyond advocacy and policy work, PAFI organises events, workshops, and conferences that bring together industry leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders, providing platforms for insightful discussions, networking, and the exchange of best practices. The Annual Forum gathering facilitates interactive deliberations while shaping the future of India's growth and development. Several prominent Ministers are scheduled to converse with the attending delegates: * Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of India * Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Government of India * Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Minister of Communications and Minister of Development of North-Eastern Region, Government of India * Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Labour and Employment and Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India In addition, prominent Secretaries from the Government of India and Industry leaders will share their insights on strategic imperatives - Economy, Employment, Geopolitics, Infrastructure, and Technology needed to support economic growth. Notable panelists include: - Vini Mahajan, Secretary of the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India - Apurva Chandra, Secretary of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India - Dammu Ravi, Secretary for Economic Relations at the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India - K. Srinivas, Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Government of India - S. Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India - Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India - Manoj Ahuja, Chief Secretary, Odisha, Government of India - Sumita Dawra, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India - Dr Arunish Chawla, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India - Neeraj Mittal, Secretary, Department of Telecom, Ministry of Communications, Government of India - Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India - V. Vualnam, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India - Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India - BVR Subrahmanyam, CEO, Niti Aayog, Government of India - B.K. Shivakumar, Director (Exports) and Managing Director, Visvesvaraya Trade Promotion Centre, Government of Karnataka - Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director, International Labour Organization As we convene for the 11th PAFI Annual Forum, it presents a unique opportunity to unite policymakers and industry leaders in a collaborative effort to shape the future of the Indian economy. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) UTHealth Houston president Dr. Giuseppe N. Colasurdo gives a speech during McGovern Medical School's match day on Friday, March 15, 2024 in Houston. Colasurdo announced Monday that he is stepping down as president after 12 years in the role. Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer Dr. Giuseppe Colasurdo is stepping down as president of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston but will remain in the role until his successor is appointed, the university announced Monday. Colasurdo has been in the role for 12 years, the longest tenure of any UTHealth Houston president. He did not offer a reason for his departure in a message he shared with the UTHealth Houston community. It has been a privilege to work alongside each of you for these past 12 years as our university has grown by every possible measure, Colasurdo said in the message. Together we have weathered storms both literal and figurative, and I am proud to say that today UTHealth Houston is home to unparalleled talents spanning the spectrum of health carea testament to the exceptional community and collaborative culture we have built. Advertisement Article continues below this ad MORE ON COLASURDO: UTHealth campaign raises $534 million, new Behavioral Health Sciences school coming soon The University of Texas System Board of Regents will conduct a national search for Colasurdos successor, the university said in a news release. UTHealth Houston did not offer a timetable for when a new president will be appointed. Colasurdo has overseen a period of significant growth for UTHealth Houston, as efforts to modernize its curricula and restructure departments have spurred increases in enrollment, research expenditures and the universitys annual budget. Colasurdo also oversaw the opening of the states first public psychiatric hospital in a quarter-century and has supported public health efforts, including the $2.5 billion bond proposal that voters approved last year to upgrade the Harris Health system. The latter half of Colasurdos tenure as president has seen him at the helm for periods of uncertainty, such as the medical schools shift to virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal investigators are also continuing to investigate accusations that the former head of the abdominal transplant programs at Memorial Hermann and UTHealth Houston improperly altered patient records. However, Dr. Latanya J. Love, UTHealth Houstons executive vice president of student and university affairs, lauded Colasurdos leadership and his commitment to UTHealth students, faculty and staff. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Dr. Colasurdo has always put the needs of people first, and has a genuine interest in the well-being of his team, Love said in an email to the Chronicle. He is a visionary leader, who is always innovative and forward-thinking while seeking ways to elevate the institutions reputation in the community. UTHEALTH HOUSTON: UTHealth Houston to begin work on $299M expansion near Texas Medical Center Colasurdos announcement comes four days after Mark A. Wallace, the longtime leader of Texas Childrens Hospital, announced that he will retire next month. The childrens hospitals president, Debra Feigin Sukin, will replace Wallace as CEO. Growing UTHealth Houston Colasurdo, who was born and trained in Italy, joined the McGovern Medical School faculty in 1995 as an assistant professor of pediatrics in the division of pulmonary medicine. He rose through the ranks at the medical school, becoming dean in 2007. Advertisement Article continues below this ad He was named interim president of UTHealth Houston in 2011 when his predecessor, Dr. Larry Kaiser, left to take the top job at Temple University Health Systems in Philadelphia. The board of regents made his appointment permanent the following year. Enrollment has grown during his tenure, from 3,969 students the year before Colasurdo became president to 5,044 last year. UTHealth Houston now accounts for 37% of all students across health institutions in the UT system, the university said in the news release. That growth has coincided with a 77% increase in research expenditures during Colasurdos time as president. UTHealth Houston now spends more than $400 million annually on research, and many of its schools have earned national recognition from outlets such as U.S. News & World Report. Last year, UTHealth Houston received approval to move forward with its seventh school, the School of Behavioral Health Sciences, which is expected to welcome its first students in fall 2025. UTHealth Houston is also a founding institution of Helix Park, a biomedical research campus, along with Texas A&M University Health Science Center and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT: UTHealth Houston unveils new public psychiatric hospital, the first in Texas in 25 years Advertisement Article continues below this ad At the same time, UTHealth Houston physicians continue to maintain a robust clinical presence, including 2 million patient encounters annually through the universitys outpatient clinical practice. UTHealth Houston physicians also treat patients through affiliations with its longtime clinical partner, Memorial Hermann Health System, and Harris Health. Memorial Hermanns relationship with Dr. Giuseppe Colasurdo dates to when he was a practicing physician and important leader at Childrens Memorial Hermann Hospital, Memorial Hermann said in a statement. We extend our best wishes to Dr. Colasurdo, and we thank him for his many years of partnership. Support for public health Colasurdo has also been a supporter of efforts to improve access to public health in Houston. Last year, he appeared at Harris County Commissioners Court to urge the public to support the $2.5 billion bond proposal to upgrade the Harris Health system, which treats a large portion of Greater Houstons uninsured and low-income residents. Voters ultimately approved the measure. His tenure as president has also seen UTHealth Houston invest in projects and programs designed to improve public health. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In 2022, UTHealth Houston opened the John S. Dunn Behavioral Science Center, the states first new public psychiatric hospital in 25 years. The hospital and the adjacent UTHealth Harris County Psychiatric Center have 538 beds in total, making the campus the largest academic psychiatric hospital in the United States, the university said. [Colasurdo] has been passionate about many things, but one thing that truly stands out is his commitment to prioritizing mental health, Love said in an email. MATCH DAY 2024: On Match Day, Houston medical school couples learn they'll be moving on to residencies together Colasurdo also spearheaded a $534 million fundraising campaign, Many Faces. One Mission, the largest of its kind in Houston history. The money will be used to train the next generation of physicians and nurses, improve access to health care in Houston and advance brain and behavioral health. UTHealth Houston has also earned national recognition for its public health efforts. Three programs to address food security, diet quality, and health outcomes for vulnerable communities were approved by the White House earlier this year as part of its national strategy on food, nutrition and health. J.B. Milliken, the chancellor of The University of Texas System, credited Colasurdo for his consistent focus on how UTHealth Houston could serve Texans. One of the hallmarks of a successful university presidency is ensuring that the institution is in the best possible position for the future, Milliken said in a statement. President Colasurdo has done just that. 'Weathered storms' Colasurdo, in his message to the community, noted that UTHealth Houston had weathered storms both literal and figurative during his tenure, but he did not elaborate on what those storms might be. Earlier this year, Memorial Hermann said in a statement that a physician changed donor acceptance criteria to prevent patients from receiving offers for donor livers. The New York Times identified the physician as Dr. Steve Bynon, who held dual leadership roles at UTHealth Houston and Memorial Hermann. TRANSPLANT SCANDAL: Embattled Houston surgeon previously warned of problems around transplant program, records show Bynon had previously warned of major threats to the abdominal transplant programs he oversaw, according to documents in his UTHealth Houston personnel file. The documents did not elaborate on the major threats, and both UTHealth Houston and Memorial Hermann declined to comment. BusinessWire India New Delhi [India], September 16: It is imperative that each and every citizen, irrespective of their economic background and capabilities, has access to healthcare services and facilities. Considering the gravity of the situation, Shahi Exports Pvt. Ltd. has joined hands with the Centre for CSR and Sustainability Excellence (CCSE), the not-for-profit arm of Delhi-based CSR Consulting Firm, Innovative Project Management Services Pvt Ltd (Fiinovation), and the Indian Stroke and Paralysis Foundation, for the implementation of its CSR project, 'Swaasth: Holistic Health Care Supportive Programs.' The project aims to reduce the existing healthcare accessibility issues by providing primary healthcare services to marginalised communities in the targeted regions of Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Noida. CCSE, the division of Innovative Project Management Services Pvt Ltd (CSR Consulting Firm) explains that the project is categorically formulated and designed to cater to the healthcare needs of the underprivileged and marginalised section of the community. The project aims to bridge the primary healthcare accessibility gap for those who are often disregarded or have restricted access to healthcare. This involves women, elderly and children, for often these groups challenges when it comes to access to healthcare. The project employs a mobile medical unit to facilitate access to healthcare and overcome last-mile healthcare challenges. The mobile medical unit is set to cover and serve 15 wards in 9 villages in Faridabad, and also vital population pockets in neighbouring Ghaziabad and Noida. Mobile medical units effectively bring the medical services directly to the people who need it. It reduces the accessibility gap by bringing the healthcare practitioners and caregivers closer to the targeted community. The Indian Stroke and Paralysis Foundation (ISPF), is a non-profit NGO dedicated to reducing the impact of stroke and paralysis through treatment, counselling, and support. The organisation aims to enhance the quality of life for affected individuals in India, where stroke is a leading cause of disability and death. Indian Stroke and Paralysis Foundation will be responsible for the implementation, execution and management of the project on ground. ISPF will work in close coordination with CCSE, the not-for-profit division of Fiinovation, charged with the responsibility of ensuring that all the planned activities as per the project's scope, are completed as per the stipulated timeline while maintaining the quality standards. Dr Soumitro Chakraborty, Chairman, CCSE, elaborated that, "Mobile medical units enhance accessibility and convenience for individuals. The project targets regions with high needs, and also ensures that benefits of improved healthcare access are felt where it is needed the most. The project targets to serve approximately 8800 residents across the targeted regions of Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida." The project envisages raising health awareness by actively engaging with and reaching out to the community through regular health camps. Distribution of educational material related to health is an integral part of the project design. The dissemination of information on preventive healthcare, and importance of routine health check-ups, will help people make informed health choices and decisions. By laying emphasis on preventive healthcare, Shahi Exports, ISPF and CCSE, hope to reduce the occurrence of locally common diseases. Project Swaasth, demonstrates not only commitment towards enhancing and providing everyone equal access to healthcare, but also sets an effective example of how collaborative efforts of the public and private sector can bring about meaningful and positive change. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi held a bilateral meeting with Danish Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs Morten Bodskov during the ongoing Re-Invest 2024 being held in Gandhinagar. Minister Joshi said that India looks forward to leveraging Denmark's expertise and experience in the renewable sector. He also invited Danish companies to invest in India as it rises on the global renewable energy horizon. "India has made substantial strides in expanding its renewable energy capacity, setting ambitious targets and creating an environment conducive to the sustainable development," Joshi said in his remarks. At COP26 held in 2021, India committed to an ambitious five-part "Panchamrit" pledge. They included reaching 500 GW of non-fossil electricity capacity, generating half of all energy requirements from renewables, and reducing emissions by 1 billion tonnes by 2030. India as a whole also aims to reduce the emissions intensity of GDP by 45 per cent. Finally, India commits to net-zero emissions by 2070. India meets a sizable portion of its energy needs through fossil fuels, and various renewable energy sources, are seen as an avenue to reduce the dependence on conventional sources of power. "The country has become a leading force in the solar and wind energy, positioning itself as a key contributor to the global clean energy transition. Our commitment to integrating the green energy solutions into India's growth strategy has not only propelled the nation forward but also demonstrated his dedication to combating the climate change and promoting environmental sustainability on the world stage," he added. "We are positioned fourth globally in renewable energy installed capacity and rank among the top three most attractive renewable energy market globally. The government has doubled the financial allocation of the renewable energy in this financial year of 2024-25," he said. During the bilateral meeting, he also noted that India and Denmark are also discussing collaborating on the creation of a Centre of Excellence on Green Hydrogen. "India looks up to Danish companies that have been leaders in the global market for key areas crucial to the successful green transformation. They are known for their innovation and commitment to the sustainability. With their advanced solutions and dedication, they are well equipped to make the partnership success. India bring the scale while Denmark offers specialized skills. This is what we believe. I encourage the Danish companies to participate in our vision of Make in India and Vikasit Bharat by co-developing technology, setting up the joint ventures and through other mechanism," he said. Gujarat is hosting 4th RE-INVEST Global Renewable Energy Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST), organized by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today inaugurated the event. The event is being held from September 16 to 18, 2024, at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The summit will feature over 40 sessions, 25,000 delegates from 140 countries, more than 200 speakers, 5 plenary discussions, and over 100 B2B meetings. The partner countries for the event are Australia, Denmark, Germany, and Norway, while the partner states include Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana. High-level delegations from the USA, UK, Belgium, European Union, Oman, UAE, Singapore, and Hong Kong will also be present. This year, for the first time, the RE-INVEST Summit is being hosted outside Delhi, in Gujarat. To know more about the summit, visit: https://re-invest.in/ (ANI) At the 76th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on September 15, 2024, FX's monumental drama series 'Shogun' not only clinched the coveted Outstanding Drama Series award but also set a new benchmark with a total of 18 Emmy wins--a record that stands tall in the prestigious event's storied history. The series, which immerses viewers in the intricate and captivating world of 17th-century Japan, faced stiff competition from a slate of formidable nominees. Among the contenders were acclaimed dramas such as 'The Crown', 'Fallout', 'The Gilded Age', 'The Morning Show', 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith', 'Slow Horses', and '3 Body Problem'. However, it was 'Shogun' that emerged triumphant, leaving a lasting impact on the industry with its groundbreaking achievement. This year, 'Shogun' received a remarkable 25 nominations. The show's historic sweep began with the Creative Arts Emmys, where it secured an impressive 14 awards. On the Primetime Emmy stage, the series added four more trophies to its collection, including awards for lead actors Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai. In his acceptance speech, co-creator Justin Marks expressed profound gratitude. "Thank you for this incredible honour. We are so grateful," Marks said, his voice filled with emotion. He acknowledged the unwavering support of FX's executives, John Landgraf, Gina Balin, Kate Lambert, Lindsay Donahue, and Nick Grad, who took a bold leap of faith in greenlighting "a very expensive, subtitled, Japanese period piece whose central climax revolves around a poetry competition." Marks humorously pondered the rationale behind their choice, before handing the microphone to Hiroyuki Sanada. Speaking in Japanese, Sanada's heartfelt words were translated by Marks. "We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all the crew, and directors, and masters who have inherited and supported our samurai period dramas up until now," Sanada conveyed. "The passion and dreams that we have inherited from you have crossed oceans and borders," he said. The win for 'Shogun' was particularly significant given the strong competition it faced. 'The Crown', which concluded its sixth and final season, was celebrated for its poignant portrayal of royal life. The series received nominations for Dominic West and Imelda Staunton, among others. 'Fallout', based on the popular video game franchise, presented a unique post-apocalyptic vision set in 2296, which captivated audiences with its fresh storylines. The show's star, Walter Goggins, was nominated for his role as Ghoul. 'The Gilded Age', from 'Downton Abbey' creator Julian Fellowes, explored the tensions between old and new money in late 19th-century New York City. Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon earned nominations for their performances. 'The Morning Show' offered a behind-the-scenes look at the fictional UBA network and was lauded for its strong performances by Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston. It received 10 nominations. 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith', a reimagining of the classic film starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine, and 'Slow Horses', with its riveting espionage narrative and performances by Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden. The 2024 Emmys marked a return to grandeur after the delays caused by last year's dual strikes. Broadcast live on Lionsgate Play from the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, the ceremony underscored a year of remarkable storytelling and exceptional talent. (ANI) In a stunning turn of events at the 2024 Emmys, Hiroyuki Sanada has etched his name into the annals of television history. The acclaimed actor clinched the award for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his riveting portrayal of Yoshii Toranaga in FX's epic series, 'Shogun'. This monumental achievement marks Sanada as the first Japanese actor--and only the second Asian actor--to ever secure this prestigious accolade, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Sanada, overwhelmed by the honour, expressed his gratitude during his acceptance speech. "I'm beyond honoured to be here with amazing nominees," he shared, with his award presented by Steven Yeun. "Thank you to FX, Disney, and Hulu for believing in me. Thank you to my team for always supporting me, and thank you to all the cast and crew of 'Shogun'. I'm so proud of you. It was an east meets west dream project with respect. 'Shogun' taught me that when people work together, we can make miracles. We can create a better future together," the actor said at the event that premiered live in India exclusively on Lionsgate Play on September 15 (early Monday morning in India). Sanada's victory is particularly remarkable given the backdrop of 'Shogun''s success. The series has become a record-breaker, not only for Sanada's win but also for its status as the most awarded show in a single season, with an impressive tally of 14 awards at the Creative Arts Emmys held just the previous weekend. Co-star Anna Sawai also shone brightly, taking home the Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series, contributing to the show's overall count of 25 nominations. This historic moment for Sanada follows the trail blazed by Lee Jung-jae, who became the first Asian actor to win the Emmy for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2022 for his role in Netflix's 'Squid Game'. Notably, Sanada's win represents a significant milestone as the first acting award from the TV Academy for a performance in a non-English language role, as per The Hollywood Reporter. The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, which aired live in India exclusively on Lionsgate Play, arrived a week after the Creative Arts Emmys and marked a celebratory return to form after delays caused by last year's strikes. (ANI) Meryl Streep and Martin Short, two prominent stars from the acclaimed series 'Only Murders in the Building,' made headlines again at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, where they were seen enjoying each other's company seated side by side. Their appearance at the event, held at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, comes amidst ongoing speculation about the nature of their relationship, as per People magazine. Streep, 75, and Short, 74, who have been long-time friends, attended the awards ceremony together, where their show received nominations in eight categories. The duo's close appearance at the Emmys follows previous rumours sparked by their interactions at other events earlier this year. In January, during the Golden Globes, rumours about a possible romantic relationship between Streep and Short began circulating. At that time, a representative for Short addressed the speculation, stating, "They are just very good friends, nothing more," according to People magazine. Short later reiterated this sentiment on Bill Maher's podcast, emphasizing, "We are not a couple; we are just very close friends." In response to the ongoing interest in their relationship, Short commented in May, "It's always interesting. Show business relationships and speculations are part of the territory." This month, following their appearance together at the Emmy Awards, the rumours resurfaced when they were seen holding hands at an afterparty for the show's season 4 premiere. Despite this, a source reaffirmed to People magazine that the two remain "just friends." Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter published an interview with Short on the same day as the Emmy Awards, in which he reiterated that he and Streep are "friends," putting to rest any lingering questions about their relationship status. The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards were broadcast live on Lionsgate Play in India, celebrating the best in television and honouring the achievements of notable performers and productions. (ANI) Megastar Chiranjeevi has extended his support to flood-affected victims of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh by donating Rs 50 lakh to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. Chiranjeevi met Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy at the latter's residence in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, on Monday and handed over a cheque. Taking to his X handle, Revanth Reddy shared Chiranjeevi's donation news. https://x.com/revanth_anumula/status/1835588272594043073 Another cheque of Rs 50 lakh was handed over by Chiranjeevi on behalf of his son and actor Ram Charan. Actor Ali also met Revanth Reddy and presented a Rs 3 lakh cheque. Actor Vishwak Sen also donated Rs 10 lakh to relief fund. On September 4, Chiranjeevi took to X and expressed concern over the loss of lives and the hardships caused to people due to floods in the Telugu states. Announcing his financial support to the two states amid the floods, he wrote, "We all need to be involved in relief efforts in some way. As part of this, I am announcing my contribution of one crore rupees (50 lakhs each to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana CM Relief Fund) to help in providing relief to the people in both the states." Not only Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan, other celebs also did their part. Mahesh Babu also shared a post on X, urging everyone to do their bit to help the victims. "In light of the floods impacting both the Telugu states, I am pledging a donation of 50 lakhs each to the CM Relief Fund for both AP and Telangana. Let's collectively support the measures being undertaken by the respective governments to provide immediate aid and facilitate the recovery process for the flood-affected regions. I urge everyone to contribute to this cause. May we rise above this crisis and emerge stronger," Mahesh Babu wrote. Actor Allu Arjun also extended financial aid to the victims. In a post on X, he shared that he donated "Rs 1 crore in total to the CM Relief Funds of both states to support the relief efforts. Praying for everyone's safety." "I'm saddened by the loss and suffering caused by the devastating rains in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In these challenging times, I humbly donate Rs 1 crore in total to the CM Relief Funds of both states to support the relief efforts. Praying for everyone's safety," Allu Arjun wrote on X on Wednesday. NTR Jr also donated Rs 1 crore to the Chief Ministers' Relief Fund. He took to X to express his concern for those affected by the floods and said he is "deeply moved" by the recent floods in two Telugu states and is announcing a donation of Rs 50 lakh for each of the two affected states. "I am deeply moved by the recent floods in two Telugu states due to heavy rains. I pray to God that Telugu people recover from this calamity soon. On my part, I am announcing a donation of 50 lakhs each to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governments to help the measures taken by the Governments of the two Telugu States for relief from the flood disaster," the English translation of his post in Telugu read. The Telangana Chief Minister, on September 2, declared the immediate assistance of Rs 5 crore to the flood-hit districts of Khammam, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Mahbubabad, and Suryapet. (ANI) Filmmaker Aanand L Rai expressed his happiness over the response of the audience towards his film 'Tumbbad' after its re-release in theatres. He said that it proved "good stories get its share of love". In a conversation with ANI, he said, "'Tumbbad' got a very good response. I have become more convinced that every story gets its share of love. When it was released for the first time in 2018, it received a lot of praise. And I was very happy about one thing, that I am a part of a story like this, a part of a film like this. I understood that this is a creatively correct film, made passionately, and people will like it." However, he added that there was a regret that the film "didn't get as much audience in theatres as we were expecting." He continued why the movie was re-released in theatres this time, "But, yes, it was on OTT, so people liked it. And they were saying, we missed it, we didn't watch it in theatres. So, this time, there was a slight phase where we felt, we had made fewer films in the last 1-1.5 years, so we thought this was a very correct opportunity to bring 'Tumbbad'. And the response is very overwhelming and lovely." Aanand L Rai is also known for directing films such as 'Tanu Weds Manu', its sequel 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns', and the romantic drama 'Raanjhanaa'. Now, the ace director is gearing up for his next project and after 'Raanjhanaa', 'Atrangi Re', filmmaker Aanand L Rai is teaming up with Dhanush for a new film titled 'Tere Ishk Mein'. While speaking about his upcoming film, he said that he is working on a story with a writer and producer Himanshu Sharma and actor Dhanush. "I am working on a story with Himanshu. I'll start shooting in January. It's called 'Tere Ishk Mein'. I'll work with my favourite actor Dhanush." Announcing the film on 'Raanjhanaa''s 10th anniversary in June, Rai dropped an intriguing promo for the film. Sharing it on Instagram, Rai wrote, "Kuch kahaniyan kisi purane dost jaisi mil jaati hain! Jo haath nahin milaati, seedhe aake gale lag jaati hain...10 saal pehle ek aisi hi kahani mili thi humein... Kundan ki kahani. Dost tha mera, par jee naa saka... uska mood nahi tha jeena ka! Ab 10 saal baad phir ek kissa aaya hai; Kundan aur ye ladka ek se hi hain, bus iska mood duniya phoonk dene ka hai!Sirf aapke liye...'Tere Ishk Mein.' The video has Dhanush running in dark alleys with a Molotov cocktail in his hand. At the end of his monologue, he says, "Pichli baar toh Kundan tha, maan gaya. Par iss baar Shankar ko kaise rokoge? (Last time it was Kundan, he agreed. But how will you stop Shankar this time?)" Dhanush also expressed excitement about the film. "Har har Mahadev... My next Hindi film," he tweeted. Talking about 'Tumbbad', the movie which graced screens in 2018, returned to theatres on September 13. It features the protagonist, Vinayak Rao, portrayed by Sohum Shah, navigating through the ominous night, lantern in hand, alongside his young son. The two are seen on a perilous journey, hinting at the dangerous quest that drives the narrative. Directed by Rahi Anil Barve, with Anand Gandhi as the creative director and Adesh Prasad as the co-director. Written by Mitesh Shah, Prasad, Barve, and Gandhi, the film was produced by Sohum Shah, Aanand L Rai, Mukesh Shah, and Amita Shah. The story follows Vinayak Rao's descent into greed and obsession as he seeks out a mythical treasure guarded by the malevolent entity Hastar.Tumbbad was a critical success, earning eight nominations at the 64th Filmfare Awards and winning three for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Sound Design. (ANI) Ahead of Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, independent candidate from Sopore, Ajaz Guru, said that he had not seen any developments in Kashmir in the last 40 years. Speaking to ANI, he said, "I am 58 years old, and I have not seen any development in Kashmir, there are no roads, a lot more congestion, there is an issue with electricity, and there are no jobs." "From the last 15-20 days, they are saying that we will fix Kashmir, they have 70 years with, what did they do?" he questioned the political parties of Jammu and Kashmir. Ajaz Guru is the brother of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Meanwhile, the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) have forged a tie-up ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir elections. Earlier on Sunday, Lok Sabha member and Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) chief Engineer Rashid said that the main aim of the alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) "is to raise the voice of Kashmiris,". Both the parties have come together for upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. "The main aim of the alliance is to raise the voice of Kashmiris. We will fight to find a solution to the issue of Kashmir...We will support the candidates of Jamaat-e-Islami, and they will support our candidates. There will be a friendly contest on some seats," Rashid said. Moreover, Congress and the National Conference are also fighting the Assembly polls in an alliance. While NC will contest 51 of 90 seats, Congress will fight 32, with the two parties also agreeing to a friendly contest on some seats. A few seats have been left for smaller allies. These are the first Assembly polls to be held in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. There are a total number of 90 Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, out of which 7 seats are reserved for SCs and 9 seats are reserved for STs. The elections in Jammu and Kashmir are scheduled to be held in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1. The counting will take place on October 8. (ANI) Ahead of the Haryana Assembly polls on October 5, Indian National Lokdal (INLD) leader and Haryana MLA Abhay Singh Chautala expressed confidence that their coalition will come to power. "This is a small village, one, member from each family participated in our meeting. There is a wave of our coalition parties in Haryana. We will come to power" INLD leader said while campaigning in Sirsa. He claimed that their coalition partners could win 20-25 seats if the election happens now. He further said that in the coming days, when sister Mayawati comes, we will garner more support in the state. Notably, INLD is contesting Haryana assembly polls by forging ties with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Earlier on Thursday, September 13, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) released its third list of 11 candidates for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections. Aditya Chautala, who recently jumped ship from the BJP to join INLD, will contest from Dabwali. Some of the other candidates announced in the third list are Sunaina Chautala from Fatehabad, Kunal Karan Singh from Tohana, Surender Lathar from Julana, Parkash Bharti from Mulana (SC), and Daya Bhadana from Punhana. Earlier today, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said there is only a two-way battle in Haryana for the upcoming assembly polls and it is between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Addressing a public meeting on Sunday, the former Haryana Chief Minister said that the battle is between Congress and the BJP and also urged the voters not to vote for anyone else. He further said that it was time for the change in governance, as it had been 10 years and the people could judge on the work that the current BJP-led government had done and the previous Congress-led government had done. "Today in Haryana, the battle is between Congress and BJP... Do not waste your vote on anyone who is trying to get in from the middle... It is time to change the government here. It's been 10 years, you must have seen. Just look at the work we have done during our reign and then look at the work that they have done," Hooda said. Voting for Haryana's 90-member legislative assembly will take place on October 5, with the votes being counted on October 8. (ANI) Reacting to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's resignation statement, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai said it was 'his decision', adding that the post of Chief Minister is important. Speaking to ANI, Ajay Rai said, "This is his (Arvind Kejriwal's) own decision. I would just like to say that the post of Chief Minister is important. One should work on this post day by day and serve the public day by day." Meanwhile, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said that it is shameful for someone who led a movement against corruption to now appear to be compromising with it. The BJP leader compared Kejriwal's situation to other leaders like former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who both resigned from their positions. He questioned if Kejriwal was "scared that the chair would slip out of his hands." "Why didn't he resign earlier? We are staunch opponents of Lalu Yadav, but he too resigned from his post. Jharkhand CM (Hemant Soren) also resigned. Was Kejriwal afraid of losing his position? Why does he need two days?" Prasad asked. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that he will resign from the position of Chief Minister after two days and won't sit on the chair of CM until the public of Delhi declares him "honest." Kejriwal further said that if the public votes for him, it will give him a certificate for his honesty. He also said he would ask for early polls along with the state of Maharashtra. (ANI) Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 A voter leaves after voting Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at West Gray Multiservice Center in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer As contentious voter registration rows barrel through local and state government, recently the value of being a registered voter, or knowing how to become one, is in the spotlight. And next week, itll be celebrated as a National Holiday. From food banks and nonprofits to retail corporations and social media companies, organizations across the country pledge their support for democracy on National Voter Registration Day each September. Texas was graded one of the most challenging states to vote in when it comes to registration, ballot casting and locating a polling place by the 2022 edition of the Cost of Voting Index, a nonpartisan academic study. Advertisement Article continues below this ad With a critical presidential election approaching, organizations and canvassing citizens across Houston are putting all hands on deck to get more people ready to vote. Katie Campbell Shumway, executive director of the League of Women Voters Houston, said it's important for voters to remember that Texas voting registration laws differ from other states. In Texas, voters cant do online registration or same day voter registration. The League of Women Voters Houston is one of many local organizations dedicated to helping Houstonians register to vote through outreach events and education. The benefit of voter registration events, Shumway said, is that they offer personalized help for people trying to navigate the registration process. People looking to register can ask questions to volunteers and workers, who have undergone voter registration training with the county. On top of personalized help and support, registering to vote at an in person event allows applicants forms to be turned directly into the tax assessor-Collector & voter registrar. Applicants receive a tracking receipt to check the progress of their application. You could print a physical voter registration application and mail it in, but then you rely on your post office to get it done in a timely manner, Shumway said. Having these in person opportunities are a great way to get it done and taken care of and verify your status. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Verifying your voter registration status is important if you havent voted in recent elections, Shumway said because of the potential for human and technical error. Even for those already registered to vote, Shumway said the voting process, including everything from finding a polling place to understanding what the offices on a ballot represent, can be overwhelming for voters. The League of Women Voters Houston provides a nonpartisan voters guide that gives voters a guide to the candidates in an election, their offices and positions on issues. According to Shumway, more than 80 percent of candidates respond to these guides. It can be very intimidating and the ballots can be very long, Shumway said. I think everybody wants to understand what theyre voting on, so these resources are helpful. Shumway also recommends voters print out a sample ballot ahead of casting their vote so they can have physical notes with them when they vote, since cell phones are prohibited in the polling booth. The process of voting can be confusing, and voter registration is often contested in state and local governments. In Shumways view, when it comes to something as important as your vote, its important to ask questions about the process and receive as much education as possible to feel confident. National Voter Registration Day events are a great way to get involved in the civic process and learn more about what your vote means. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Heres what to know about the holiday and upcoming voter registration events. A person submits their voter registration form after officially becoming a United States citizen during a naturalization oath ceremony held at Lila Cockrell Theater on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News What is National Voter Registration Day? National Voter Registration day is a nonpartisan civic holiday aimed at celebrating democracy and educating the public about voter registration and the value of civic participation. The holiday is the largest single-day voter registration drive in the U.S. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Each year, the nonprofit VOTE that manages the holiday teams up with thousands of partners to talk to people about voter registration. Partners span a broad range of organizations and individuals. These can include community staples like public libraries and food pantries, fire departments, animal shelters, college campuses, companies and even individuals who canvass neighborhoods. When is National Voter Registration Day? The nonpartisan civic holiday will be celebrated on Sept. 17 this year How did National Voter Registration Day start? National Voter Registration Day started in 2012 through the work of VOTE, along with other civic organizations, including the League of Women Voters, HeadCount and Rock the Vote. Since the first celebration, the civic holiday has gotten a whopping 5 million voters registered across the country. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Today, it is endorsed by the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED), the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), and the National Association of Election Officials (The Election Center). National Voter Registration Day and Voter Registration events in Houston Black Book Houston Saturday, Sept. 7: Voter Registration Block Party 11 a.m to 4 p.m at 12401 S. Post Oak Road Houston League of Women Voters On Voter Registration Day: 9 a.m She Space NVRD Tabling Event 11a.m UHD Tabling 11a.m Youth Engagement: Milby HS Registration Drive 11 a.m Baylor College of Medicine Voter Registration 6 p. m Acres Homes Community Kick Back Houston Food Bank On National Voter Registration Day: Voter registration during morning shift from 8 a.m to 12 p.m at the Houston Food Bank Throughout the month: Delhi Police have registered a case against unknown scammers, who created a fake trading app masquerading as HDFC Securities, duping investors of Rs 53,45,000. According to the FIR filed by Rakesh Kumar, the scammers asked customers to deposit funds into various accounts for international trading, showcasing dummy profits and encouraging them to apply for IPOs. When customers tried to withdraw their funds, the scammers demanded additional payments. The case has been registered under sections 318/61(2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Special Cell, Lodhi Colony, Delhi. Further investigations are underway. Earlier, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) arrested four people from Pallipattu, Tamil Nadu, in a case related to cyber fraud of Rs 2.6 crore by a fraudster posing as a CBI officer. The accused were identified as Tamilarasan Kuppan (29), Prakash (26), Aravindan I (23) and Ajith (28) and the arrest was made on September 13. According to ED, all four accused were involved in incorporation of shell companies and opening of bank accounts, through which Proceeds of Crime (PoC) generated from cyber scam were laundered. The Special Court, Bengaluru, has granted ED custody of four days to these 4 accused persons. Further, ED has frozen PoC of Rs 2.8 crore in the bank account of a shell company, Cyberforest Technology Private Limited. ED initiated an investigation on the basis of several FIRs registered by various state police all over the country, including FIR No. 330 dated September 3, registered by the Special Offences and Cyber Crime Police, Jaipur. The victim in the FIR No. 330 received a call from a mobile number wherein a person was claiming to be calling from Bombay Custom Office. During the call, it was communicated to the victim that illegal goods were being sent abroad under the victim's name. Then the victim was instructed to make a 'fund legalisation' payment as a security to ensure that no money had been illegally earned by the victim. A total amount of Rs. 2.16 crore (approx.) was asked to be transferred by the fraudsters in three separate instalments into three different accounts provided by the caller, under the guise of 'fund legalisation'. (ANI) Ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections, former Union Minister and Congress leader Chaudhary Birender Singh said the situation of the BJP is worrisome in the Haryana Assembly elections. Speaking to ANI, Chaudhary Birender Singh said, "The situation of the BJP is worrisome in the Haryana Assembly elections, and the BJP is trying to make sure that PM Modi is taken all around Haryana. But it won't make any impact as the public has already made up their minds." Voting for Haryana's 90-member legislative assembly will take place on October 5 and votes will be counted on October 8. When asked about Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's bail, he said, "Kejriwal campaigned for the AAP and they fought the Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the Congress party but the results were not in favour of them. AAP has no influence in Haryana, and his bail will not create an impact." Earlier, on Sunday, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal said that he will resign from the position of Chief Minister after two days and won't sit on the chair of CM, until the public of Delhi declares him "honest." Kejriwal further said that if the public votes for him, it will give him a certificate for his honesty. He also said he would ask for early polls along with the state of Maharashtra. Meanwhile, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said there is only a two-way battle in Haryana for the upcoming assembly polls, and it is between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Addressing a public meeting on Sunday, the former Haryana Chief Minister said that the battle is between Congress and the BJP and also urged the voters not to vote for anyone else. He further said that it was time for the change in governance, as it had been 10 years and the people could judge on the work that the current BJP-led government had done and the previous Congress-led government had done. "Today in Haryana, the battle is between Congress and BJP... Do not waste your vote on anyone who is trying to get in from the middle... It is time to change the government here. It's been 10 years, you must have seen. Just look at the work we have done during our reign and then look at the work that they have done," Hooda said. He further announced that their government will increase the pension amount for the elderly to Rs 6,000 and will also make LPG cylinders available at Rs 500. "We will release our manifesto, but I am telling you a few things that our government will do. We will make a pension of Rs 6,000 for the elderly. LPG cylinders will be available for Rs 500," he added. (ANI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday instructed police officials to heighten vigilance and take strict action against those involved in alleged conspiracies to sabotage railway tracks or cause railway accidents. In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), CM Yogi Adityanath said, "In the last few days, there have been indications of a conspiracy to damage railway tracks or cause a railway accident. Some people have also been arrested. This is a very serious matter. Zone and range level police officers should maintain constant contact with the GRP and RPF of their area. Increased intelligence and strict action should be taken against every anarchist element involved in this big conspiracy." This statement follows an incident in Kanpur where a major tragedy was narrowly avoided. A damaged gas cylinder, along with other 'objectionable' materials, was found near the railway track where the Kalindi Express had halted, triggering an alarm. The train, which was travelling from Prayagraj to Bhiwani in Haryana, came to a stop after the train driver spotted the cylinder and applied emergency brakes. The incident occurred around 8 pm near Munderi village, between Barrajpur and Bilhaur stations. According to Assistant Commissioner of Police Harish Chander, the driver noticed the cylinder around 8:30 p.m. and immediately stopped the train. "The cylinder rolled off to the side, and the train halted," said Chander. Following the incident, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) was notified and launched an initial investigation. Local police were also informed. "A damaged cylinder and other objectionable materials were found at the site," Chander added. Senior officials and forensic teams are currently on the ground conducting a thorough investigation. "All angles are being probed, and a detailed investigation is underway," Chander said. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati also commented on the matter. In a post on X, she said, "It is satisfying that the conspiracy to cause a train accident by placing gas cylinders, etc. on the railway track in Kanpur failed. After a high-level investigation, strict action against the culprits is necessary to maintain public and rail safety." Authorities are now investigating the motive behind the incident and ensuring that safety measures are in place to prevent any future accidents. (ANI) According to the CMO, CM Sharma visited Shah in the national capital on Sunday evening. Further, the Chief Minister and the Union Home Minister held discussions about various schemes related to the overall development, progress, and public welfare of Rajasthan, the CMO said. "Today in New Delhi, I paid a courtesy visit to the honourable Home Minister @AmitShah, who is the guide of millions of karyakartas, an excellent organizer and has strengthened the internal security of the nation, at his residence and received his blessings and guidance," CM Sharma said in a post on X earlier. https://x.com/BhajanlalBjp/status/1835345488490442845 The Chief Minister also paid a courtesy visit to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at his residence. CM Sharma said that they had discussions on several issues related to Rajasthan. https://x.com/BhajanlalBjp/status/1835259750495248654 "Today I made a courtesy visit to the Honourable Lok Sabha Speaker @ombirlakota ji at the Chief Minister's residence. On this occasion, a positive discussion was held with him on various public interest issues related to Rajasthan," the Chief Minister said in a post. (ANI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami offered prayers at the Tapkeshwar Mahadev temple on the occasion of his birthday today. The CM's wife Geeta Dhami also participated in the prayers with him. While speaking to reporters, CM Dhami said, "People in the state have been suffering due to damage caused by various natural disasters. I have appealed to everyone to reach out to affected people and help them out in every possible way." "I wish that the aspirations about Naya Uttarakhand, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about, would become real. Uttarakhand will progress in every field," CM Dhami hailed PM Modi. Earlier in the day, PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, extended birthday greetings to CM Dhami. "Best wishes to Uttarakhand CM Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami Ji, who is at the forefront of various initiatives to transform the state. May he lead a long and healthy life. @pushkardhami," PM Modi posted on social media platform X. Replying to PM Modi, CM Dhami said, "Respected Prime Minister, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your blessings and affectionate wishes! Under your able leadership and guidance, we are continuously working towards the all-round and holistic development of Uttarakhand. Your blessings always inspire us to achieve the goal of a strong and prosperous Uttarakhand. In accordance with your speech from the holy land of Shri Kedarnath, we are all determined to make this decade the decade of Uttarakhand." "Heartiest birthday wishes to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Shri @pushkardhami ji. Under your leadership, Devbhoomi Uttarakhand is witnessing a golden period of development and welfare of the poor. I pray to Baba Kedarnath for your healthy, happy, and long life," the Union Home Minister posted on X. "Heartiest wishes to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Shri @pushkardhami ji on your birthday. I pray to God that you remain healthy and long-lived," Nitin Gadkari posted on X. "Heartiest congratulations to the Honourable Chief Minister of the holy land of Uttarakhand, Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami ji, on his birthday! May you have good health and long life. May Uttarakhand continue to progress under the guidance of respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji and your successful leadership. This is my prayer to Baba Kedarnath. @pushkardhami," CM Yogi posted on X. (ANI) The Rapid Action Force has been deployed in Mangaluru to maintain order following a protest by workers from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal over a social media post on Monday. Yatish N, the Superintendent of Police (SP) for Dakshina Kannada, stated, "Today, on the eve of Eid-e-Milad festival, we have made adequate arrangements around the district... We are ensuring that no untoward incident takes place. Whoever disturbs the peace will attract legal action." Eid-e-Milad marks the birth of Prophet Muhammad and is being celebrated today with processions held nationwide. In Surat, police conducted a flag march to uphold social harmony. Surat Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot said , "On the 16th, Eid processions will be taken out in different areas of Surat and the Ganpati immersion process will begin from the morning of the 17th. Surat Police has made a lot of preparations given this... More than 15 thousand of our police personnel and home guards will be deployed and to help them, there will be 11 companies of State Reserve Police and 1 company of Rapid Action Force. We have also formed a special unit which will be ready to deal with any situation... Surveillance will also be done with drone cameras... We appeal to everyone not to pay attention to any rumour and celebrate the festival peacefully..." Also, at a press conference, Narasimha Komar, Police Commissioner of Vadodara, announced, "Eid-e-Milad is also being celebrated on the 16th. Traditionally, it was celebrated all day, but due to the Ganesh festival, we have organised a dialogue process with religious leaders, eminent citizens, and social leaders to conduct it between 8 am and 2 pm. A detailed security plan has been worked out for fortified districts set up across the city. Technology, including CCTV cameras, drone cameras, body cameras, and video analytics, will be used to monitor criminal, anti-social elements, and potential troublemakers. We are also closely monitoring social media to prevent any rumours or communal tensions. The city police have made all preparations to conduct both festivals peacefully." Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has rescheduled the Eid-e-Milad holiday in Mumbai from September 16 to September 18 to avoid conflict with Ganpati Visarjan ceremonies. The official notification stated, "To maintain peace and social harmony between the two communities... the public holiday of Eid-e-Milad is being declared on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, instead of Monday, September 16, 2024." (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the exhibition organised on the sidelines of the fourth Global Renewable Energy Investor's Meet (RE-INVEST 2024) in Gujarat's Gandhinagar district on Monday. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi accompanied the Prime Minister as he visited the expo held at Mahatma Mandir. The exhibition showcases contributions from the public and private sectors, state governments, and start-ups. The mission is to create abundant networking opportunities, facilitated by a dedicated B2B digital platform for business-to-business (B2B), business-to-government (B2G), and government-to-government (G2G) interactions. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is the industry partner for this year's event, supporting a successful collaboration among stakeholders. PM Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the fourth Global Renewable Energy Investor's Meet, hosted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), later in the day. The three-day conference is anticipated to draw over 10,000 delegates, including influential figures from government, industry, and financial sectors. The central theme of RE-INVEST 2024 will be the Mission 500 GW, which underscores India's strategic goal to expand its renewable energy capacity significantly by 2030. As the 4th largest country globally in installed renewable energy capacity, India aims to further consolidate its leadership in the global energy transition. Key international partners for this year's event include Australia, Denmark, Germany, and Norway. Additionally, Indian states such as Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh will actively participate. High-level delegations from the US, UK, Belgium, the European Union, Oman, UAE, Singapore, and Hong Kong will also be in attendance, with some delegations led by ministers from Germany and Denmark. The conference will feature an extensive agenda across 44 sessions, including a Chief Ministerial Plenary, a CEO Roundtable, and discussions focused on renewable energy innovations and opportunities specific to various countries and states. Noteworthy sessions will address the role of women in accelerating energy transitions and provide a platform for start-ups, including pitches by the ten winners of the Solar X Challenge. RE-INVEST's inaugural edition was held in February 2015 in New Delhi, followed by subsequent editions in October 2018 in Delhi NCR, and a virtual edition in November 2020. (ANI) IndiGo Airlines issued an apology after passengers of a flight from Ranchi to Delhi were held up for two hours inside the aircraft after the filight was delayed due to a technical issue. Flight 6E 5024 flying from Ranchi to Delhi was cancelled due to technical reasons, as per the IndiGo spokesperson. The flight from Ranchi to Delhi originally set to depart at 8:40 PM was delayed for around three hours due to a technical issue. Passengers were made to stay seated on the plane for two hours during the delay, and at 11:20 PM, they were asked to deboard the plane. "Flight 6E 5024 from Ranchi to Delhi was cancelled on September 15, due to technical reasons. The aircraft will be back in operations post necessary maintenance. Customers were provided with refreshments, refunds, and alternate flight options. IndiGo apologises for the inconvenience caused to the customers," a statement from the airlines read. As per the India Meteorological Department incessant rainfall has been lashing Jharkhand for the past two days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, on Sunday was also cancelled due to heavy and continuous rainfall. Meanwhile on on September 15, IndiGo flight 6E 1303 which was scheduled to operate between Mumbai and Doha was cancelled, a spokesperson said. "IndiGo flight 6E 1303 operating from Mumbai to Doha was delayed due to a technical reason. Our airport team immediately provided assistance to the affected customers and provided refreshments and necessary arrangements," a statement from the airlines read. The aircraft tried to depart for its destination a couple of times but had to finally be called off due to the extended time lag on account of various procedural delays. The customers are being provided hotels and are being rebooked as per their final destination. IndiGo sincerely apologises for the inconvenience caused to its customers," it said. (ANI) Congress' Sandeep Dikshit on Monday criticised Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's resignation announcement, calling the decision more about business than politics. "The problem with Kejriwal is that if he hands over the power to someone who will start opening his files, hands over to someone who will stop the flow of money, then he will be ruined. This is not a normal transaction; this is a business deal, the shares are being transferred. No sacrifice to anyone else," he said. Dikshit who has been a staunch critic of the Delhi CM also described the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as an "industry of business." "Sometimes they deal in black money, sometimes in white money, sometimes in liquor business, sometimes in bus business. So it takes time in business; you must have seen that the chairman is changed. Talks are held with the shareholders and the transfer is done. Now you consider this as a normal spirit of service," Dikshit said. Dikshit also alleged that Kejriwal's resignation and subsequent call for elections are tactics rather than genuine acts of public service. "You too have not yet come out of the foolish mess of 2012-13. If you do, you will be able to handle it. This is not a political change. These shares of the company are being transferred," he said. Regarding Kejriwal's statement that he will only return as Chief Minister if elected by the people, Dikshit said, "He said that he is in favour of the people, so he demanded elections along with the Maharashtra elections. Even if he gets a majority in the elections, he becomes the Chief Minister. So the case for which he went to jail, the case for which he has said that he will resign, that case will remain even then." The former Lok Sabha MP also underlined that the public's role is to elect leaders but not to absolve them of legal issues. He stated, "The public decides who is its popular leader, who can be its Chief Minister, who can be its MLA. It is the right of the public to decide who is clean, who is corrupt or not, who is a thief or not, who has done something wrong or not. It is not in the jurisdiction of the public; it is decided by the police. The police understand whether he is an accused or not is decided by the court." The son of former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit condemned the idea that a leader's election can absolve them of past wrongdoings, saying, "A person cannot change by talking nonsense. What do you think he will be the Chief Minister? I am saying that a person who seems suitable to them, who can put a veil on all their activities, who can go to him, in whose jurisdiction the file does not go, the officers do not start speaking differently, and the stream that is flowing from there continues to flow." Dikshit drew parallels between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. He said, "Two Chief Ministers got bail: Hemant Soren got bail and Kejriwal got bail. When Hemant Soren got bail, he became the full Chief Minister as he was before. They have been kept under suspension. The officer who is suspended, on whom the court passed a no-confidence motion." He then commented on Kejriwal's current situation: "The court said you can remain as the CM, we cannot remove you, but you cannot read files, you cannot sit on the chair, you cannot go to the office. It means the court said that you are not fit, in today's situation, to become a Chief Minister. This is incompetence." Arvind Kejriwal's announcement to resign and seek public validation through elections has sparked major debate and criticism from various political quarters. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the country is determined to build a sustainable energy path forward and that the focus is on solar power, wind power, nuclear, and hydropower to secure the future. Addressing the inaugural day of the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investor's Meet (RE-INVEST) 2024, PM Modi said that today's India is preparing a base for the next 1000 years. "Our aim is not to reach the top but to remain on top. Today, not only Indians but the entire world feels that India is the best bet of the 21st century. Global Fintech Fest was organised earlier this month, after which people from all over the world participated in the first solar international festival. Then people from every corner of the world came to the Global Semiconductor Summit and now today we are gathered here to discuss the future of Green Energy," PM Modi said. "We don't have vast reserves of oil and gas, we are not energy producers. Therefore, we have focused on solar power, wind power, nuclear, and hydropower to secure our future. We are determined to build a sustainable energy path forward," he said. The Prime Minister highlighted the efforts towards achieving the target of 500 GW by 2030. "Among the G20 nations, we are leading. The country that could not be seen as a developed nation before will now set an example for the world as a developing one," he said. He said that the RE-INVEST is not an isolated event but part of a larger vision and action plan to make India a developed nation by 2047. "How we are doing this is evident in the first 100 days of our third term, visible in the decisions made for hundreds of districts. In these 100 days, our priorities are clear, and a reflection of our skill and scale is visible. During this period, we have addressed every sector and every area that is crucial for India's rapid growth. Numerous significant decisions have been made for the expansion of physical and social infrastructure," PM Modi said. The Prime Minister emphasised the central government's welfare initiatives in the first 100 days of the third term and said, "In the past 100 days, we've made significant decisions to support green energy. We have launched the Offshore Green Energy Policy under the Vibrant Gas Funding Scheme, where we plan to spend over Rs 7,000 crore. India is also working on generating 31,000 megawatts of hydropower, for which we will spend more than Rs 12,000 crore." "Looking at the approved High-Speed Road Corridor Projects, in the past 100 days, more than five new Made in India safety high-speed vande bharat trains have been launched. We've also announced an initiative to boost electric mobility," he said. Prime Minister inaugurated the three-day Global Renewable Energy Investor's Meet (RE-INVEST) 2024, hosted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), in Gujarat's Gandhinagar district earlier. Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Kumar Yadav, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant were also present on the occasion. Speaking on occasion, Pralhad Joshi commended the Prime Minister's leadership that has facilitated India to become a global leader in renewable energy. "India is not only the fifth-largest but also the world's fastest-growing economy. Under PM Modi's leadership, India is championing the cause of clean energy. As the Chief Minister of Gujarat, PM Modi played a pivotal role in advancing renewable energy. Under his guidance, Gujarat emerged as the frontrunner in green energy sectors. Upon becoming the Prime Minister of India, he made it a global mission to create a cleaner and more sustainable world," Joshi said. Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel said that under the leadership of PM Modi, Gujarat emerged as the leading state in the renewable energy sector and added that the state's renewable energy policy and green hydrogen policy reflect the state government's commitment to a green future. "The installed capacity of renewable energy in Gujarat is over 50,000 megawatts, with renewable energy contributing 54 per cent to the state's energy capacity. Gujarat leads the country in solar power installation," he said. He further stressed the mission to produce 3 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum) of green hydrogen, positioning Gujarat at the forefront of the green hydrogen revolution in India. "Today, the state of Gujarat is emerging as a prime destination for investment in the green energy sector," he added. The central theme of RE-INVEST 2024 is Mission 500 GW, which underscores India's strategic goal to expand its renewable energy capacity significantly by 2030. As the 4th largest country globally in installed renewable energy capacity, India aims to further consolidate its leadership in the global energy transition. Key international partners for this year's event include Australia, Denmark, Germany, and Norway. Additionally, Indian states such as Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh will actively participate. High-level delegations from the US, UK, Belgium, the European Union, Oman, UAE, Singapore, and Hong Kong will also be in attendance, with some delegations led by ministers from Germany and Denmark. The conference will feature an extensive agenda across 44 sessions, including a Chief Ministerial Plenary, a CEO Roundtable, and discussions focused on renewable energy innovations and opportunities specific to various countries and states. Noteworthy sessions will address the role of women in accelerating energy transitions and provide a platform for start-ups, including pitches by the ten winners of the Solar X Challenge. RE-INVEST's inaugural edition was held in February 2015 in New Delhi, followed by subsequent editions in October 2018 in Delhi NCR, and a virtual edition in November 2020. (ANI) The Harding Street house where Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas were killed in a botched narcotics raid, photographed on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, in Houston. Former HPD officers Gerald Goines and Steven Bryant, along with Patricia Garcia, a neighbor of Tuttle and Nicholas, were taken into custody today and charged with a variety of federal crimes. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer In the first week of the trial over the Harding Street raid, a large part of testimony has been about the unseen. Body cameras were turned on late or broke after the first shots of the raid were fired, officers testified. The officers who entered the home where Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas died werent equipped with cameras, though one might have had a personal camera rolling, one said. Within an hour of shots being fired, former Police Chief Art Acevedo told at least one officer at the scene to turn off their camera. The felony murder trial of police officer Gerald Goines has renewed scrutiny of the Houston Police Department's handling of the Harding Street investigation, Acevedo's leadership and ways officers used body cameras during key moments of an explosive scandal a half-decade ago. Advertisement Article continues below this ad MORE ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Investigators suspect coyotes responsible for recent cat deaths in Houston's East End Goines was charged with felony murder after being accused of lying on the warrant used to justify a narcotics raid on Tuttle and Nicholas Pecan Park home, leading to their deaths. On Wednesday, Valeriano Rios, an officer on the perimeter when the raid began, testified about his 47-minute-long body camera video, showing the raids aftermath and the treatment of the wounded officers. At the end of the video, Rios walked up to Acevedo and other HPD officials, prompting the chief to order his camera be turned off. Rios testimony about the moment was short, limited to two or three questions, before attorneys moved on. In subsequent days, however, Acevedos order has faced scrutiny while experts and legal observers questioned what could have been said once the cameras were turned off. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Acevedo declined to comment Friday when reached by phone, citing the ongoing criminal trial and a pending civil trial over the raid. Bullet holes are visible on the house at 7815 Harding on Friday, May 10, 2019, in Houston. The home was the scene of a botched drug raid on Jan. 28, 2019 that left the two homeowners dead and five police officers injured. Marie D. De Jesus/Staff photographer Extended scene loophole On Wednesday, Acevedo took to X, the social media website, and highlighted part of the police department's current body camera policy, which says supervisors may permit officers to turn off body cameras at "extended scenes" where suspects are not present and a crime scene is secured. An older policy, which was in place when Acevedo was chief and is available through a cached version on the Internet Archives website, says officers may turn off cameras when they are conferring with undercover officers or if they are approved to do so at an extended scene. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Neither policy includes directions specifically about critical incidents, where police officers have shot someone or have been shot. Experts said that if Acevedo was using the extended scene policy as a reason for his order, it violates the spirit of the state's body camera laws and creates a bad perception of what happened in the aftermath of the raid. This is going to create the perception that rather than investigating what happened on scene, the people in charge of PD at the time and Art Acevedo were in fact conferring about how to make this go away, said Kathy Mitchell, a former board member of the American Civil Liberties Union who helped develop Texas first statewide body cameras laws. Rios, the officer who testified about being told to turn his camera off, said he didnt feel like there was anything suspicious about the order. During testimony Friday morning, another witness offered some potential reasoning about why Acevedo might have ordered the camera shut off. Advertisement Article continues below this ad John Guerra, a Houston narcotics officer assigned to a Homeland Security task force, surmised that Acevedo's order had more to do with logistics than anything nefarious. Turning off the camera would save battery life, Guerra said. And continued recording would create an obligation of whoever investigating the crime having to review the hours of footage of the officer standing there with no substantive information, Guerra said Subpoenas were never issued for Acevedo in Goines trial, court records show. In the civil trial, now expected to begin in November, he was dismissed as a defendant but continues to be a witness. He was deposed in February, according to federal filings. Personal body cameras Other moments of the trial revealed gaps and limits in using body cameras to review a shooting. Rios testified that he was late turning on his camera when he was running toward gunshots, preventing two minutes of audio from being recorded. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Another officer said her camera fell apart, while the jury was also told that Squad 15, the narcotics team that performed the raid, wasnt issued cameras in 2019, preventing any footage from inside the house from being presented as evidence. A prosecutors questions briefly derailed the trial when Goines' former partner, Steven Bryant, testified that another officer in the raid, Sgt. Clemente Reyna, wore a personal body camera an apparent violation of HPD policy then and now. For years prior to Bryant's testimony, police officials said the narcotics officers didn't have body cameras to wear during the operation. Bryant's testimony raised the possibility of the existence of undiscovered evidence that could reveal a close-up perspective of what happened during the shootout. The footage, if it existed and can be found, could affect the criminal trial, experts said. If the video showed exculpatory evidence, somehow clearing Goines of blame, his attorneys could move for a mistrial, said Joe Vinas, the president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association. More likely, there could be a continuance ordered so prosecutors and defense attorneys could review the new material extending a trial that was already scheduled to last more than a month. Letting it linger Bryant later clarified his testimony, saying he didn't have firsthand knowledge of Reynas camera and had heard about it from another officer, Felipe Gallegos. An attorney representing Gallegos disputed Bryant's testimony, saying Reyna didnt have a camera during the raid and that Gallegos never told Bryant otherwise. In court, lawyers earlier discussed the potential existence of a personal camera that Reyna had during prior raids. Prosecutors peppered Bryant with questions about the camera in 2020 but never confirmed its existence. After the internal investigation into the raid, Reyna was charged with tampering with governmental records over accusations he falsified documents he signed claiming to have witnessed drug buys involving confidential informants. Reynas lawyer on Friday notified the court that he wouldnt take the stand and talk about the camera unless prosecutors promised him immunity. If a video surfaces, if could lead to legal problems for Reyna, Vinas said. The statute says if you know that a crime has been committed and that there's an investigation into that crime and clearly he knows that, because he's involved in it that is evidence tampering, just on its face, Vinas said. So, that's a problem for him too. Changes to policy In the five years since the Harding Street raid, Houston has significantly changed its body camera policy. After the raid, in addition to announcing a scale-back on the use of no-knock warrants, Acevedo also changed the departments policy to require tactical officers to wear department body cameras during raids. The department also began regularly releasing recordings from critical incidents within 30 days of a shooting. That change came in the wake of a major policy overhaul spurred by Harding Street and the national reckoning after the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. More recently, the department changed its body camera policies in a way that could prevent gaps in investigations. In January, former Police Chief Troy Finner announced that the department would start using a record after the fact feature. The feature allows police to access recordings, even if an officer had switched their camera to standby mode. The change came after an HPD officer shot and wounded a man during a struggle in the Fifth Ward at the end of a foot chase. The officer, who was alone during the chase and initial struggle, didnt activate his camera. Jammu and Kashmir National Conference and INDIA alliance candidate for the Ramban constituency Arjun Singh Raju took stock of the last day of campaigning in his constituency. "Today is the last day of campaign of Ramban assembly election for which voting will be held on September 18. It's a 16 to 17 days long campaign in Ramban and we visited every Panchayat of the seat. Our brethren Hindus and Muslims will exercise their franchise in the assemble polls for which voting will be held on September 18," he said. On the last day of the campaign Arjun Singh held a last minute meeting with party workers at the party office. Singh is confident of getting the people's mandate. "Our party is fighting for restoration of article 370 in Kashmir. We have a clear stand. I have worked for the people of Ramban and therefore must win. People have reposed faith in me. We are expecting that people will make us victorious in the polls," Arjun Singh said "We are getting support from people in large numbers and are also trying to win their confidence. I thank PDP also for walking hand in hand with us," he added. The PDP has not fielded a candidate from Ramban. Arjun Singh Raju will be up against BJP's Rakesh Singh Thakur and other independent candidates in Ramban. "We don't see the elections from the angle of profit and loss, we have kept our point of view in front of the people and it remains to be seen how the public responds. From top to bottom of the file ranks, everyone is enthusiastic about the outcome of the polls," he said. "We are eagerly waiting for the September 18 verdict of the people and hope that JKNC will triumph," he added. BJP Candidate Rakesh Singh Thakur thanked the BJP leadership for reposing their faith in him, "I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the for choosing me the BJP candidate for contesting the forthcoming assembly polls in Ramban. I thank the party workers of the constituency also and hope that the mandate is in my favour." Jammu and Kashmir goes to the polls in 3 phases starting on September 18. Voters in Ramban will cast their votes during Phase 1 of the election on September 18. (ANI) A day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced his resignation from the position after two days of statement, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Manoj Tiwari on Monday said that in the history of India, there has been no CM who has been removed from his post by the court. Speaking to ANI, Tiwari said, "In the history of India, you will not find any Chief Minister who has been removed from his post by the court. There is a rule of law and constitution in the nation. The Constitution says that if a CM goes to jail, he should resign so that someone else form his party can take over as the CM." Further, he added that Kejriwal's ego is bigger than the problems of Delhi. "Kejriwal's ego is bigger than the problems of Delhi. The loss that Kejriwal has caused cannot be covered by any resignation now. The bail that he got as well was conditional, considering the conditions as well, any CM would die of embarrassment. The Court has imposed restrictions on him during his bail that he cannot visit the office, sign files, so what is the point of being the CM. This resignation of his is just drama," he added. Tiwari also said that Kejriwal just dupes the public, but his cunning nature would not work anymore. "I have practiced a lot of cinema in my life, seen many movies, but have never seen a bigger actor than him. Kejriwal just dupes the public, but his cunning nature would not work anymore. The people of Delhi want to live a better life. Elections are coming up and we are all preparing for it. I am sure this time, the people, rather than voting for someone who did not do any good for Delhi for the last 10 years and made a far worse situation of the city than Congress, will vote for a better deserving party," Tiwari added. (ANI) A BJP fact-finding committee led by CN Ashwath Narayan visited the site of the violence along with BJP leaders and officials. He did not mince words in condemning the Congress government and accused it of its failure to maintain law and order. Narayan, the Chairman of the fact-finding committee, blamed the Congress government for what he described as 'appeasement politics.' Speaking about the incident, he said, "The Congress government has failed to maintain law and order. It is always engaging in appeasement politics. They are not clear, they are divisive, and they aim to divide society along communal lines for vote bank politics. These kinds of incidents keep happening repeatedly." Narayan stressed that innocent people affected by the violence should be compensated and that the real culprits should be punished. "We want to ensure that innocent people are not affected. Those who have lost their properties should be compensated, and the real culprits should be booked. Those behind the entire incident should be exposed. What we are looking for is the nexus - the connections behind this violence. We want to bring out all the facts by talking to eyewitnesses and the affected people", the BJP leader added. Further the former Deputy Chief Minister said,"We will ensure justice for all people, regardless of religion or caste. We are going to speak to every section of society." Regarding the involvement of RSS workers, Narayan said, "Some of the RSS workers were stopped in Mandya last night and were not allowed to come here. I don't know the details, but I think the police, without any grounds, raided them. It is unfair. They are patriots, working for the good of the country and for communal harmony." BJP leader, Narayana Gowda, who is also a member of the fact-finding committee said, "This government has failed. Whether it is an intelligence failure or a deliberate act, we don't know. But we suspect this is being done with Congress's involvement. Petrol bombs are being prepared, and everything is being coordinated with Congress workers. The Home Minister and police officials are controlling the situation. This is revenge for Congress's failure in the last MP elections." Gowda further claimed that the government is suppressing the truth. "All of this has been deliberately hidden. We will find out the truth and submit our report. The current government believes that keeping one community happy will keep them in power, but this government was not elected by only one community", he added. Bhaskar Rao, former Bengaluru Police Commissioner, also weighed in on the situation. After arriving in Nagamangala, he said, "There are various cases of arson, fire mischief, criminal trespass, and destruction of private property. We will assess the situation and see where the damage came from. Any communal disturbance can be attributed to a lack of preparation and handling. There has been a failure to nip the problem in the bud, which has now led to such a big issue." Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara announced on Saturday that legal action would be taken against those found guilty in the Nagamangala incident. A riot broke out on September 11 in Nagamangala, Mandya district, after allegations of stone-pelting during a Ganpati immersion procession. Parameshwara also said the state government would consider the BJP's fact-finding committee report if it reveals new information. Mandya District Collector Kumar reported that 54 people were arrested for their role in the riot. (ANI) Ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah said that he is hoping that a good portion of the votes will go to the National Conference candidates and expressed confidence that they will register victory. "We are hoping that when the voting takes place the day after tomorrow, a good portion of the votes will go to the National Conference candidates, and they will be successful here," said Omar Abdullah. Speaking about Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid, he stated, "His strings are connected somewhere else. He gets the signal from somewhere else. They dance on that signal. It is obvious that they have been fielded to target the National Conference. There is no problem, we can face it." Last week, a special NIA court in Delhi granted bail to Rashid, an accused in the terror funding case, and allowed him to campaign in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. In 2005, Rashid was arrested by the Special Operations Group (SOG) in Srinagar for allegedly supporting militants. In August 2019, Rashid was again arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). While incarcerated, he filed his nomination for the 2024 parliamentary elections from jail and won by a margin of 204,000 votes, defeating former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The elections in Jammu and Kashmir are scheduled to be held on September 18, September 25, and October 1. The counting will take place on October 8. These are the first assembly polls to be held in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370. There are a total number of 90 Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, out of which 7 seats are reserved for SCs and 9 seats are reserved for STs. According to the Election Commission of India, Jammu and Kashmir has 88.06 lakh eligible electors. In the previous Assembly elections, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 25, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) won 15, and the Congress won 12. (ANI) Madhya Pradesh Police registered a case against an unknown youth for allegedly making an obscene dance video in front of the statue of Rani Kamlapati in the state capital Bhopal, a police officer said on Monday. The youth shot the dance video in front of the statue located near Kamla Park, Lower Lake (Chhota Talab) in the city. Later, after the video went viral on social media, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) in Lok Sabha from Bhopal constituency, Alok Sharma submitted a memorandum to the police demanding action against the youth. Bhopal Commissioner of Police (CP) Harinarayanachari Mishra told ANI, "Rani Kamlapati has a very respectable place in the glorious history of Bhopal and a video of an unknown youth performing an obscene dance in front of her statue has come to light. MP Alok Sharma has submitted a memorandum into the matter demanding strict action against the youth." MP Alok Sharma said, "Yesterday, the Queen of Bhopal was insulted by an unknown youth by performing an obscene dance in front of the statue of Rani Kamlapati Ji situated at Chhota Talab. Today, a memorandum was given to Police Commissioner Hari Narayanchari Mishra demanding NSA action against the culprit." Acting on it, the police registered a case under section 296 (Obscene acts and songs) of Bharatiya Nyay Sahita (BNS), 2023 in to the matter. A suspected youth is also being interrogated and the situation will become clear in a few hours. Strict action will be taken into the matter, he added. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the environmental foresight of Mahatma Gandhi, emphasising that he lived with a minimal carbon footprint long before the issue of climate change became globally recognised. "When the issue of climate change did not even emerge in the world, Mahatma Gandhi alerted the world. His life was of minimum carbon footprint. He had said that the earth has enough resources to fulfil our needs but not our greed. For us, green future and net zero are not just some fancy words but they are India's commitment," PM Modi said while addressing the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investor's Meet (RE-INVEST) 2024 on Monday in Gandhinagar. "As a developing economy, we had a valid excuse to discard these commitments. We could have said that we cannot play a role in this sector. But we did not do that. We were the people who worried about the future of humanity," he added. The Prime Minister further said that India is the first country in the G20 to achieve its Paris Climate commitments 9 years ahead of the deadline. "Among the G20 nations, we are the only one to have achieved this feat. What developed nations could not do, a developing nation has accomplished. We are turning the green transition into a people's movement. Our PM Surya Ghar - Muft Bijli Yojana is a major initiative in this direction. Through this scheme, every household in India is becoming a power producer!," he said. The Prime Minister highlighted the efforts towards achieving the target of 500 GW by 2030. "Among the G20 nations, we are leading. The country that could not be seen as a developed nation before will now set an example for the world as a developing one," he said. He said that so far more than 1.3 crore families have registered for the PM Solar Rooftop Scheme since its launch. Highlighting the benefits of the scheme, PM Modi added that it has become a source of additional earnings for families. The scheme not only generates electricity for their consumption but also provides them with Rs 25,000 annually after selling the extra electricity to the grid. He further said that the nation is determined to build a sustainable energy path forward adding that the focus is on solar power, wind power, nuclear, and hydropower to secure the future. PM Modi said that today's India is not preparing a base for today but for the next 1000 years. "Our aim is not to reach the top but to remain on top. Today, not only Indians but the entire world feels that India is the best bet of the 21st century. Global Fintech Fest was organised earlier this month, after which people from all over the world participated in the 1st solar international festival. Then people from every corner of the world came to the Global Semiconductor Summit and now today we are gathered here to discuss the future of Green Energy," PM Modi said. "We don't have vast reserves of oil and gas; we are not energy producers. Therefore, we have focused on solar power, wind power, nuclear, and hydropower to secure our future. We are determined to build a sustainable energy path forward," he added. He said that the RE-INVEST is not an isolated event but part of a larger vision and action plan to make India a developed nation by 2047. "How we are doing this is evident in the first 100 days of our third term, visible in the decisions made for hundreds of districts. In these 100 days, our priorities are clear, and a reflection of our skill and scale is visible. During this period, we have addressed every sector and every area that is crucial for India's rapid growth. Numerous significant decisions have been made for the expansion of physical and social infrastructure," PM Modi said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the three-day Global Renewable Energy Investor's Meet (RE-INVEST) 2024, hosted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), in Gujarat's Gandhinagar district earlier. Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu, Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma, Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Kumar Yadav, Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai and Goa CM Pramod Sawant were also present on the occasion. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi commended the Prime Minister's leadership that has facilitated India to become a global leader in renewable energy. "India is not only the fifth-largest but also the world's fastest-growing economy. Under PM Modi's leadership, India is championing the cause of clean energy. As the Chief Minister of Gujarat, PM Modi played a pivotal role in advancing renewable energy. Under his guidance, Gujarat emerged as the frontrunner in green energy sectors. Upon becoming the Prime Minister of India, he made it a global mission to create a cleaner and more sustainable world," Minister Joshi said. Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel said that under the leadership of PM Modi, Gujarat emerged as the leading state in the renewable energy sector and added that the state's renewable energy policy and green hydrogen policy reflect the state government's commitment to a green future. "The installed capacity of renewable energy in Gujarat is over 50,000 megawatts, with renewable energy contributing 54 per cent to the state's energy capacity. Gujarat leads the country in solar power installation," he said. He further stressed the mission to produce 3 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum) of green hydrogen, positioning Gujarat at the forefront of the green hydrogen revolution in India. "Today, the state of Gujarat is emerging as a prime destination for investment in the green energy sector," he added. The central theme of RE-INVEST 2024 is Mission 500 GW, which underscores India's strategic goal to expand its renewable energy capacity significantly by 2030. As the 4th largest country globally in installed renewable energy capacity, India aims to further consolidate its leadership in the global energy transition. Key international partners for this year's event include Australia, Denmark, Germany, and Norway. Additionally, Indian states such as Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh will actively participate. High-level delegations from the US, UK, Belgium, the European Union, Oman, UAE, Singapore, and Hong Kong will also be in attendance, with some delegations led by ministers from Germany and Denmark. (ANI) On Sunday, Union Minister Piyush Goyal paid obeisance to 'Lalbaugcha Raja' in Mumbai and expressed that he experienced a profound sense of tranquility and energy as soon as he offered his respects at Ganpati Bappa's feet. Taking to his social media handle on X, Piyush Goyal posted, "Today I had the good fortune of having a divine darshan of 'Lalbaugcha Raja'. "As soon as I bowed my head at the feet of Vighnaharta, I felt immense peace and energy in my mind. Ganpati Bappa Morya!" The Union Minister, along with his family, offered prayers at Lalbaugcha Raja in Mumbai and said, "I prayed to Ganpati Bappa for the welfare of the entire world, including North Mumbai." After his visit, Piyush Goyal spoke to the media and said, "The aura of Lalbaugcha Raja is something else. I am enjoying it a lot. Seeing the devotion of all the people, my devotion increases even more. Lord Ganesh teaches us a lot of things." "Ganesh Utsav not only brings the society together, gives new learning to the society, but also connects our young generation with the culture and also makes them recognize our heritage," said Goyal. Earlier on Saturday, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar along with his wife Sudesh Dhankhar visited the Lalbaugcha Raja in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Dhankhar and his wife offered prayers to Lord Ganesha at the famous Lalbaugcha Raja, which draws thousands of devotees every year during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration. The iconic Ganesh idol, housed at the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, is a central attraction during this vibrant festival, drawing thousands of worshippers seeking blessings from the revered deity. The first look of this year's Lalbaugcha Raja was unveiled on September 5. (ANI) Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad made a controversial remark on Monday about the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, stating that he would offer Rs 11 lakh to anyone who cuts off Gandhi's tongue. Gaikwad remarked, "The kind of statement made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has exposed the true face of Congress. During the Lok Sabha elections, they sought votes by spreading lies that the Constitution was in danger, claiming that the BJP would change the Constitution. Today, in America, he said that the reservation system established by Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar would be dismantled. Such words have come from his mouth. Whoever cuts his tongue, I will give them Rs 11 lakh." This follows Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's remarks in the USA, where he stated that Dalits, Adivasis, and OBC communities still lack representation in the system, adding that India is not a 'fair place'. "If you look at the Indian government, there are 70 bureaucrats who run the government, secretaries to the Government of India. These are the individuals who make almost all the financial decisions... Out of 70 people, there is one tribal, three Dalits, three OBCs, and a minority. Ninety percent of India's population has access to less than 10 percent of the positions that determine how money is spent. When you look at the financial figures, tribals receive 10 paise out of every Rs 100, Dalits get Rs 5, and OBCs a similar amount," the Congress leader said. During his interaction with the Indian diaspora in the US, Rahul Gandhi also highlighted that the struggle concerns whether a Sikh can wear a turban in India and freely visit a Gurdwara. "First, you have to understand what the fight is about. The fight is not about politics; it is superficial. What is your name? The real fight is about whether he, as a Sikh, will be allowed to wear his turban in India. Or if he, as a Sikh, will be allowed to wear a kada in India. Or if a Sikh will be able to go to the Gurdwara. That's what the fight is about, and it's not just for him, it's for all religions," he said. (ANI) Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday directed the state police chief to investigate the allegations of a girl student that a lady constable "searched her private parts" before she entered the examination hall in Nalbari during the Assam Direct Recruitment Examination (ADRE). Over 11.23 lakh students appeared for the direct recruitment examination on Sunday. The CM also said that the Assam Director General of Police (DGP) GP Singh informed him of another incident in North Lakhimpur, where "cheating material was recovered from the inner garment of a girl student on the same day." In a post on X, CM Sarma emphasised the need for the investigation and the implementation of strict procedural guidelines to ensure both integrity in the examination process and the "dignity and respect" of woman candidates. "My instruction to the police on the Nalbari incident: I spoke with the DGP, Assam, @gpsinghips and instructed him to investigate the incident where a girl student has alleged that a lady constable searched her private parts before she entered the examination hall. For me, the dignity and respect of our mothers and sisters are of utmost importance *and non-negotiable*. The DGP also informed me of another incident in North Lakhimpur, where cheating material was recovered from the inner garment of a girl student on the same day," the Chief Minister said in the post on X. CM Sarma said that the ADR Examination must be conducted with utmost integrity and that compromising on this front is unacceptable. "To conduct the ADRE examination with the highest level of integrity and transparency. We owe this to the entire younger generation of ours, and it cannot be compromised under any circumstances," the post mentioned. "At the same time, we must ensure the decency and dignity of our female candidates are upheld at all times. Therefore, a proper SOP should be developed, taking into account the relevant judgements from the Hon'ble Courts and guidelines from the Women's Commission regarding the conduct of searches involving women, and this must be circulated before the next round of examinations," he added. The Chief Minister also, in a later post, said that the first phase of the ADRE was conducted peacefully and expressed his gratitude to all the officers and staff of the Assam Government "I once again assure our younger generation that transparency will remain our hallmark when it comes to government recruitment," he added. Meanwhile, DGP GP Singh said that the police have taken cognisance of the complaint and the Range DIG has been directed to enquire into the matter. "Reference complaint of overreach by women police personnel during checking of women candidates at Nalbari during recruitment examination--Range DIG has been directed to enquire into the matter. Since Range DIG Central Western Range and the District Commissioner and District Superintendent of Police of Nalbari are all women, the factual position would be known in quick time for further action," the Assam DGP said in a post on X. "It may also be mentioned that an FIR has been registered at North Lakhimpur PS today where cheating material papers were seized hidden inside a woman candidate's undergarments," he added. On Sunday, Assam CM Sarma expressed his gratitude to all members of Team Assam for their hard work for the successful conduct of the first Assam Direct Recruitment Examination (ADRE). (ANI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday attended the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet & Expo (Re-Invest 2024), where he highlighted that Madhya Pradesh is an electricity surplus state and intends to share its surplus with other states across the country. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, is organising the 4th edition of the Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo from September 16 to 18 at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. After the event, CM Yadav told ANI, "The vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for renewable energy encourages us to prioritise renewable sources over traditional coal-based energy. We should focus on all three formats of energy production. Madhya Pradesh is generating electricity in all these formats and supplying it not only within the state but also to regions outside, including the Delhi Metro." "There are seven sectors where we are currently supplying electricity from Madhya Pradesh. As an electricity surplus state, we have resolved to share the benefits of our energy production with other states," he added. He further mentioned, "We have been set a target for renewable energy production by 2030, but we aim to achieve this by 2028." During his address at the meeting, CM Yadav said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a goal of reaching 500 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity in India by 2030, and Madhya Pradesh is progressing steadily toward this objective. In 2012, our renewable energy capacity was less than 500 megawatts, but through sustained efforts over the last 12 years, we have increased this to 7,000 megawatts." The state is also developing the largest floating solar project, with a 600 MW capacity at Omkareshwar. Additionally, solar panels with a 200 MW capacity have been installed in the area, he mentioned. "We have accelerated our efforts to promote all types of renewable energy. In mission mode, we have decided to install solar rooftops on all government buildings by 2025. Our government is also working on a pump hydro energy storage scheme," he concluded. (ANI) Breaking news Houston Chronicle The three people killed Saturday at a Houston block party were identified as three people in their early 20s by the medical examiners office in Harris County. Those among the dead include Jarvis Faultry, 24; Breon Stuard, 23; and Marlon Jackson, 24, said Shane Hughes, spokesperson for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, the countys forensic examiner. MORE FROM HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Houston cop didnt appear justified in deadly shooting of man, expert says Advertisement Article continues below this ad Houston police as of Monday morning were searching for the person responsible for fatally shooting the three people and injuring at least six, officials said. Officers around 2:33 a.m. Saturday responded to a shooting in the 4900 block of Laura Koppe Road in northeast Houston, officials said. Witnesses said someone inside a white pickup truck opened fire at a block party. The operation is underway in the hilly forest area of Pathanateer in Mendhar sector of Poonch district. Security forces have cordoned off the area. Earlier, encounter occurred between security forces and terrorists in the Kalaban area near Pathanateer in the Mendhar sector of Poonch district, an official stated on Sunday. On the same day, encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir. The army reported that a search operation was initiated by police and security forces in the general area of Banj in the Kathua district. After establishing contact with the terrorists, the police and army engaged in an exchange of fire. Earlier on Friday, two army soldiers were killed in a gunbattle with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district. In a post on X, White Knight Corps said, "GOC White Knight Corps and all ranks salute the supreme sacrifice of the Bravehearts; offer deepest condolences to the families." (ANI) Accusing the National Conference-Congress alliance of "nourishing terrorism" when they were in power in Jammu and Kashmir, Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday also targeted some political parties in Kashmir over their stance on Article 370, saying it is part of history and there is no place for it in the Constitution. Addressing a rally here ahead of the first phase of polling in Jammu and Kashmir, he said the Modi government is working towards 'Viksit J-K" and that it has given reservation to 'Pahadis' without touching the Gurjar reservation. "The Congress-National Conference alliance has always been a nourisher of terrorism... In the 1990s, Farooq Abdullah was the CM, you were elected after an agreement with Rajeev Gandhi. When the Kashmir Valley was soaked in blood due to terrorism, where were you?... You went to London for a summer vacation. Nehru, Gandhi and Abdullah family spread terrorism here and now they want your blessings again. They boycotted the Kashmiri Pandits, spread terrorism and delayed reservation, do you want that NC-Congress again?" he asked. "And now, the Modi government has given reservation to Pahadis without touching the Gurjar reservation... Now the Gurjars and Pahadis have tribal reservation, now your children can also become Collectors and DSPs. PM Modi abolished the rule of the three families and established Panchayati Raj in the state. The children will represent in the Vidhan Sabha and the Lok Sabha soon. PM Modi wants to make a Viksit J&K and wants to give the right of reservation to the OBC also," he added. The Home Minister said any effort to bring back Article 370 will not succeed. "NC and Congress say that they will reinstate Article 370 if their government is formed. Should Article 370 be back?... The reservation which the Pahadis and Gurjar brothers get, would not be possible if Article 370 is restored... But I have been observing the environment in Kashmir, neither Farooq Abdullah nor Rahul Gandhi is forming the government here. Article 370 is now a part of the history. There is no place for Article 370 in the Constitution of India. There can never be two prime ministers, two constitutions and two flags in Kashmir. There will only be one flag and that is our Tricolour," he said. The senior BJP leader lauded the locals for their spirit of patriotism. "This land of Kishtwar is the land of warriors. When India was partitioned due to the wrong policies of the Congress, it took a long time to decide where the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir would go due to Nehru's Sheikh-supporting policies. Whenever there was a crisis in Jammu and Kashmir, the people of Kishtwar never hesitated to make sacrifices. During the terrorism of 1990, every citizen here fought along with the security forces and contributed to ending terrorism," he said. Shah also spoke of the BJP-led government's commitment to combat terrorism and to strengthen the local economy, including through hydroelectric projects and infrastructure initiatives. Congress and the National Conference have formed an alliance for the assembly polls. Assembly polls will be held in Jammu and Kashmir in three phases on September 18, September 25 and November 1. Votes will be counted on October 8. (ANI) Ahead of the crucial Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir which are being held after a gap of 10 years Union Home Minister Amit Shah drew the battle lines and said that this election is between the BJP and the alliance between Congress and the National Conference. Speaking at an election rally in Kishtwar on Sunday Amit Shah said, "The upcoming elections are between two forces. On one hand, you have the BJP which walks on the ideals of Pandit Prem Nath Dogra and Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee. It's clear to us that J&K was and will always be an integral part of India. When we fought against the idea of '2 Vidhaan and 2 Pradhan' for the country, the Congress Party, under the leadership of Nehru, opposed our campaign. Farooq Ji used to say that even if Modi Ji becomes Prime Minister 10 times, he cannot remove Article 370. Mehbooba ji used to say that if Article 370 is removed, there will be bloodshed. But our Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed Article 370 and established one flag, one leader and one constitution in the country." He further asserted that till the time BJP is there no one would be able to remove Article 370. "This election is between those who have abrogated Article 370 and those who brought Article 370. I wish to ask the Gurjars and Pahadis in the last 70 years what has Article 370 given to you? Due to Article 370 the Gurjars, Pahadis, Dalits or women of Jammu and Kashmir did not get the benefits of reservation. PM Modi gave reservation to Paharis, OBCs and Dalits without touching the reservation of the Gurjars. For 70 years they ruled Jammu and Kashmir but why panchayat polls were not held? PM Modi within 10 years conducted Gram panchayat, block panchayat and district panchayat polls," the Union Home Minister said. PM Modi has strengthened the democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. Amit Shah said, "Modi Ji strengthened democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. I want to ask Farooq Abdullah that your three generations ruled, but did the people of Jammu and Kashmir ever get free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh? Modi ji provided free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh to everyone, from the valley to the plains and the second Rs 5 lakh would be given the senior citizens above the age of 70 years. Abdullah's family ruled Jammu and Kashmir for three generations. Did anyone get 5 kg rice free during their rule? PM Modi has given rice to every house." The Home Minister questioned the Abdullah family and asked them if they had done anything to bring water to every house like the BJP government had done under the scheme "Har Ghar me Nal se Jal". "If the BJP government is formed then we are committed for the development of Jammu region, Rajouri and Poonch. They (Abdullah-Gandhi) say that if they come to power then all those who are in jail on charges of terrorism will be freed. Once the Abdullah, Gandhi and Muftis are defeated we will completely eradicate terrorism from the valley. Congress put Sheikh Abdullah in jail for anti-national activities, if Rahul Gandhi has the courage he should keep the white paper in front of the country which was given to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly then. The same Congress which blamed Abdullah family for terrorism and kept Omar Abdullah's father in jail are now forming alliance to win polls," Amit Shah said. Congress and the National Conference have formed an alliance for the assembly polls. Assembly polls will be held in Jammu and Kashmir in three phases on September 18, September 25 and November 1. Votes will be counted on October 8. (ANI) According to police officials, "So far more than 100 Samsung employees have been detained in Sri Sidheswarar Mahal." For the past seven days, the Samsung Employees Union has been protesting with demands such as better wages and working environment. On last Thursday, a Samsung Employees Union representative also met Tamil Nadu Labour Department Minister C V Ganeshan and had talks in the Tamil Nadu Secretariat where a conclusion was not reached. Afterwards, Samsung Employees continued their protest near Sunkuwarchatiram factory without coming to the Kanchipuram city. The employees have demanded the release of CITU leader E Muthukumar, who was detained by Kanchipuram police ahead of employees planned march towards district collector office. The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has alleged that the employees are being forcefully detained by police officials. CITU State President, A Soundarajan met Kanchipuram Collector Kalaiselvi and gave petition regarding ongoing Samsung Union Protest He said, "We gave petition regarding ongoing Samsung Protest to District collector. Union was formed two months before in Samsung facility. Management was taking efforts to undermine the union and pressured the employees a lot to leave the Union." "Samsung management harassed the employees whoever opposes to leave from Union. Seeing the attitude of Samsung management employees started indefinite strike," he added. The CITU State President further emphasised that there is no room for compromise in forming Union. "Forming Union is one right. Collector said they will look into the issue. We will take efforts to meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin. I also opposed the detention of Samsung employee and arrest of E Muthukumar, CITU Leader of Kanchipuram District," Soundrajan said. (ANI) Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Monday slammed the Congress government in Karnataka for the delay in conducting local body elections in the state. Taking a dig at the human chain organised by the Karnataka government on Sunday to mark 'International Day of Democracy', Kumaraswamy alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's "actions are more about propaganda than actual governance." "In the guise of promoting human welfare, you formed a human chain, the @INCKarnataka government shows no concern for democracy. If they did, they would first conduct elections for local bodies. Since coming to power, they have not conducted elections for the fundamental pillars of democracy at the district & taluk panchayat levels and the BBMP. Why? Just because you have come to power, does it mean that the local governments should be ignored while you parade around the Vidhana Soudha?," Kumaraswamy said in a post on X. Kumaraswamy pointed out that the Siddaramaiah government has been in power for over a year and four months. Yet, local body elections have not been conducted in the state, he said. "Your ( Siddaramaiah) democracy and people-oriented approach seem only to shine in advertisements! Your actions are more about propaganda than actual governance," Kumaraswamy said. "Is suppressing dissenting powers a betrayal of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's principles? Can democracy be preserved through the human chain? Is the misuse of taxpayers' money an embellishment for democracy? "First, announce local body elections. Strengthen the true democratic chain," he added. Karnataka on Sunday marked the 'International Day of Democracy' by forming a 'historic' 2,500-km-long human chain as a symbol of equality, unity, fraternity, and participative governance. Speaking at the Grand Steps of Vidhana Soudha during the inauguration of the human chain CM Siddaramaiah called for celebrating the pluralism upheld by the Constitution in daily lives. Referring to Dr B R Ambedkar's speech on November 25, 1949, the CM noted that true political freedom is meaningful only when economic and social democracy is achieved. He added that as long as inequality exists in India, political freedom will lack real significance. (ANI) Members of the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front (WBJDF) are set to meet with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other officials at the CM's residence today (Monday). This follows an agreement reached by the Chief Secretary (CS) regarding the junior doctors' request for a meeting with the Chief Minister. The WBJDF received an invitation to discuss their "five-point demands" during today's meeting. In a series of emails, the Chief Secretary extended a final invitation to the junior doctors for the meeting. Previous attempts had failed due to disagreements over transparency concerns. The WBJDF, while agreeing to attend the meeting, requested a change of venue to an official setting, citing governance-related concerns. "As law-abiding citizens, we are more than willing to join today's meeting. However, it would be preferable if the meeting were held in an official or administrative venue, given the governance-related nature of the issues," the WBJDF stated. They further noted that the need for transparency had increased following the arrests of Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College, and Abhijit Mondol, Officer-in-Charge of Tala Police Station, in connection with a rape and murder case. "We would like to reiterate that two significant developments occurred after the last proposed meeting: 1. The arrest of Sandip Ghosh in the case related to the rape and murder of ABHAYA. 2. The arrest of the Tala PS OC in connection with the same case. These developments heighten the importance of ensuring transparency in the meeting," the WBJDF's message read. The WBJDF suggested three measures to ensure transparency: videography by separate videographers for both parties, a full video file of the meeting to be handed over immediately, or minutes with a complete transcript to be recorded and signed by all attendees. In response, the Chief Secretary confirmed that minutes of the meeting would be signed by both parties and copies shared to ensure clarity and agreement on the discussions. "...the representatives of both parties will sign the minutes at the end of the meeting, and copies will be shared with each party to ensure clarity and agreement," the CS replied. Following this exchange, the junior doctors proceeded to the Chief Minister's residence, accompanied by two stenographers to assist in the meeting. Earlier, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had invited a delegation of junior doctors to her residence at 5 pm today for the discussion. In a letter to the junior doctors, it was stated, "This is the fifth and final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting between the Honourable Chief Minister and your delegates. In line with our discussion from the day before, we once again invite you to a meeting with the Honourable Chief Minister at her Kalighat residence for an open-minded discussion." (ANI) Vadnagar, a quaint town nestled in the Mehsana district of Gujarat, has gained global recognition as the birthplace of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, its historical significance and cultural richness extend far beyond this association. This ancient city, once a bustling trading centre, boasts a captivating past with its ancient temples, serene lakes, and historical landmarks that offer a glimpse into India's diverse heritage. One of the most prominent landmarks in Vadnagar is Sri Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. This magnificent temple, known for its intricate carvings and architectural beauty, is a testament to the town's rich cultural heritage. The temple's peaceful ambience and spiritual significance make it a popular pilgrimage site for devotees. Shastri Rawal Niranjanbhai, priest at Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple, said, "The archaeology department has stated that this temple is around 2200 years old. In 2016, Modi put Vadnagar as a tourism area. 19 crores were sanctioned to this temple and it was developed. Development work has been underway in phases since then. Hatak means gold. Hatkeshwar is the one who gives wealth, success and fame." A serene oasis amidst the bustling town is the historic Sharmishtha Lake, which offers a tranquil escape. Surrounded by lush greenery, the lake is a perfect spot for visitors. Just near the lake is a captivating theme park dedicated to Indian musicals that offers a unique experience. The lake's tranquil waters and the theme park offer a serene atmosphere that is ideal for relaxation. A visitor said he has witnessed significant development in the town in recent years. "We are witnessing significant development here. It's coming into an electrified route and main line. There is also a government proposal to integrate Vadnagar with Taranga Hills, Ambaji and Abu Road. So with that, tourism will surge here," said Vinay Dixit, a visitor. Just a few metres away from the lake, a towering triumphal arch, 'Kirti Toran', stands as a symbol of Vadnagar's historical significance and is a must-visit attraction for tourists. This stunning structure, dating back to the 12th century, was built during the reign of the Chalukya dynasty. The arch is adorned with intricate carvings depicting Hindu deities, mythological scenes, and royal figures, showcasing the exquisite craftsmanship of its time. In the early 2000s, the Gujarat state archaeology department unearthed a significant piece of history--the ruins of a Buddhist monastery in Vadnagar. This discovery marked the town as a pivotal centre for Buddhism. However, the journey to uncover Vadnagar's Buddhist heritage began in 1992 with the finding of a Bodhisattva idol, subsequently leading to the revelation of a trove of artefacts from both the town and its surroundings. From deep archaeological excavations at Vadnagar, a consortium of scientists from IIT Kharagpur, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and many other concerned institutions have also found evidence of a human settlement in the town that is as old as 800 BCE. Presently, work is underway at the site with utmost care to create an experiential museum. Emeritus Professor Anindya Sarkar from IIT Kharagpur said the museum will chronicle the town's evolution over 2,500 years, exploring seven distinct cultural periods. "During these excavations, something like seven cultural layers were found and each of these cultural layers was characterised by their different kinds of cultural elements, like for example, potteries, coins. When we joined the excavation in Vadnagar, we wanted to know the chronology of Vadnagar and how old the city is. And the oldest period, which we define as Period One, gives us a date of something like 800 BCE, which means 2800 years old. And that surprised us very much," Sarkar added. Going ahead, a charming addition to Vadnagar's cityscape, the Museum Clock Tower & Art Gallery stands tall as a symbol of the town's progress. Visitors can explore the museum to learn more about Vadnagar's past and its significance in the broader context of Indian history. The museum houses different sections on the religions, rulers and legends associated with Vadnagar, along with a section on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's childhood. Payal Prajapati, Museum Guide, said, "In this art gallery, it has been depicted that all religions existed here--Jainism, Buddhism and Vaishnav traditions. There was also the rule of the Solanki dynasty. There were several invasions as well, and it led to seven layers. It has all been put on display here. The 'symbolic' Malhar Raag music of legendary Tana-Riri is also played here. There are two projectors here to tell the history of Vadnagar and also on PM Modi's childhood." Hence, beyond its association with PM Modi, Vadnagar is a treasure trove of historical and cultural significance. Whether you are a history buff, a culture enthusiast, or simply seeking a peaceful getaway, Vadnagar is a destination that will leave a lasting impression. (ANI) Reacting to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's resignation statement, Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Jitu Patwari said on Monday that it was Kejriwal and his party's decision. "The decision taken by Arvind Kejriwal ji is his and his party's. Everyone has their own perspectives and plans. However, there is a sense of vengeance with which Narendra Modi is operating under the guise of political acumen in the country. This is evident. In a democracy, the Constitution grants everyone the right to express their opinions," Patwari told ANI. The Congress leader also expressed hope that his party would emerge victorious in the upcoming assembly polls in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, and Delhi. "The Congress party is contesting the elections in Delhi, Haryana, and Kashmir with full strength and strategy. They will win the assembly elections in these states," Patwari said. Notably, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that he would resign from the position of Chief Minister after two days and would not sit in the Chief Minister's chair until the people of Delhi declare him "honest." Kejriwal further mentioned that if the public votes for him, it would serve as a certificate of his honesty. He also stated that he would request early elections, alongside the state of Maharashtra. (ANI) The junior doctors from the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital have arrived at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence at Kalighat on Monday evening ahead of their meeting with the CM to put forward their "five-point demands," amid the protests against the rape and murder of the trainee doctor on August 9. The junior doctors were accompanied by two stenographers to assist in the meeting. Earlier, the meetings did not come to fruition following the disagreements over transparency concerns of the meeting. In a series of emails with the Chief Secretary earlier today, the junior doctors agreed to hold the meeting with the Chief Minister after the Chief Secretary confirmed that minutes of the meeting would be signed by both parties and copies shared to ensure clarity and agreement on the discussions. According to a letter sent by the Chief Minister to the junior doctors, this was the fifth and final call by the CM to the junior doctors to hold a meeting with her to forward their demands. In a letter to the junior doctors, it was stated, "This is the fifth and final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting between the Honourable Chief Minister and your delegates. In line with our discussion from the day before, we once again invite you to a meeting with the Honourable Chief Minister at her Kalighat residence for an open-minded discussion." Meanwhile, the West Bengal Junior Doctor Front held a press conference in Delhi today and put forward their "five-point demand." This includes the removal of the Kolkata Commissioner of Police as well as the replacement of all the senior officials in the Health Department and Family Welfare Department of the West Bengal Government. (ANI) Six individuals have been arrested in connection with communal violence that erupted in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district on Monday, following reports of stone-pelting at two places of worship. Stones were thrown in Katipalla town, Dakshina Kannada, late on Sunday night. However, swift action by the authorities brought the situation under control, and no further incidents were reported. Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal stated, "Six individuals have been arrested by the Mangaluru police for allegedly pelting stones at a mosque in Katipalla, on the outskirts of Mangaluru. The suspects have been identified as Bharath Shetty, Chennappa, Nithin, Sujith Shetty, Annappa, and Preetham Shetty." According to the police, the incident occurred on Sunday night when a group arrived on motorcycles and threw stones at the Majeedulla Huda Juma Masjid in Katipalla's 3rd Block. A case has been registered, and investigations are ongoing. In response, members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal held a protest in Dakshina Kannada over a social media post, leading to a minor scuffle with police. To address the unrest, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Mullai Muhilan imposed a 48-hour ban on the sale of alcohol within the Bantwal Town Municipal Council limits. "A 48-hour ban has been imposed on the sale of all types of liquor in Bantwal Town Municipal Council, following protests by Hindu groups over an alleged viral audio clip that escalated tensions," said Muhilan. "The ban, effective immediately, aims to maintain law and order. Liquor shops and bars in the affected area will remain closed until further notice," he added. Meanwhile, Karnataka minister and Congress leader MC Sudhakar, responding to the protests by VHP and Bajrang Dal, commented, "Mangaluru has always been a hotspot for communal issues. Politics here is often driven by such matters, so it's not surprising. On every minor issue, you'll see someone associated with the RSS or another group stirring tensions. Miscreants exist in every religion, and they are responsible for creating these problems." (ANI) Nicole Hensley is a staff writer for the Houston Chronicle. She can be reached at nicole.hensley@houstonchronicle.com. She joined the Chronicle in 2018 from the New York Daily News and after writing for The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington. A native of Seattle, Nicole is a graduate of Washington State University. Amaresh Kumar Sahu won the prestigious Bronze Medal in Renewable Energy, while Gedela Akhil earned the Medallion for Excellence in Water Technology, making Odisha proud on the global stage. In his message, Chief Minister Majhi remarked, "The accomplishments of our skilled youth at the WorldSkills Competition are a source of immense pride for Odisha. Their success exemplifies the state's commitment to nurturing young talent and developing skills that meet global standards. I extend my heartiest congratulations to Amaresh Kumar Sahu and Gedela Akhil, as well as the institutions that played a pivotal role in their training, including the World Skill Center, CTTC, and CV Raman Global University. Odisha's continued journey towards becoming a leader in skill development is on the right track, and these victories will inspire countless others to aspire for excellence on a global platform." Amaresh Kumar Sahu, a native of Deogarh District, is currently pursuing a Diploma in Mechatronics at Central Tool Room and Training Centre (CTTC), Bhubaneswar. Gedela Akhil is pursuing his BTech in Civil Engineering at CV Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar. The WorldSkills Competition, the largest skills event in the world, brings together participants from over 80 countries to compete across various sectors, including manufacturing, technology, and services. The 47th edition, hosted in Lyon, France, saw 15 of the 60 participants representing India hailing from Odisha, reflecting the state's leadership in the skills ecosystem. The selection process for WorldSkills is rigorous, with participants undergoing a three-tiered evaluation before representing India on the international stage. Odisha's World Skill Center, Bhubaneswar, has been instrumental in mentoring and preparing these participants. Sahu received expert training from Vietnam, while Akhil benefited from mentorship provided by a specialist from South Africa. (ANI) Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) candidate from Pulwama Assembly seat, Mohammad Iqbal Sofi, on Monday joined National Conference in the presence of National Conference leader Omar Abdullah. After joining NC, Mohammad Iqbal Sofi urged the people to support the NC-Congress alliance in the assembly polls. "I was contesting candidate of AIP from Pulwama. I received this information that AIP is forming an alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI). Voting will be conducted on September 18 and yesterday, we got this news suddenly through social media...I believe that NC will win all the seats...I cannot withdraw my candidature so I request everyone to support the candidate of the NC-Congress alliance," Sofi said. Sofi also praised the National Conference. Omar Abdullah said that the reality of AIP chief Engineer Rashid is coming out in front of the people. "It is good that the reality of Engineer Rashid and his party is coming out in front of the people. The person who joined NC today was a candidate from AIP. But Engineer Rashid left his candidates and supported someone else...Here are two candidates, from Pulwama and Kulgam, who were ditched by Engineer Rashid at the end moment." Earlier, Omar Abdullah said that he is hoping that a good portion of the votes will go to the National Conference candidates. "We are hoping that when the voting takes place the day after tomorrow, a good portion of the votes will go to the National Conference candidates, and they will be successful here," he said. Referring to Sheikh Abdul Rashid, commonly referred as Engineer Rashid, Omar Abdullah said his strings "are connected somewhere else". "He gets the signal from somewhere else. They dance on that signal. It is obvious that they have been fielded to target the National Conference. There is no problem, we can face it." Last week, a special NIA court in Delhi granted bail to Rashid, MP, who is an accused in the terror funding case, and allowed him to campaign in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. Elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held on September 18, September 25, and October 1. Votes will be counted on October 8. These are the first assembly polls to be held in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370. (ANI) Addressing the larger issue of women's rights and safety, CJI Chandrachud pointed out that while legal provisions exist to safeguard women's interests in both public and private spaces, changing societal mindsets is crucial for real justice. He opened his address by discussing the broad challenges facing women today, which include the need for equal opportunities and dignity. The CJI stressed that women's rights are not just a women's issue, highlighting how he had personally learned valuable lessons from his female colleagues. CJI Chandrachud referenced the important role women have played in shaping India's rights framework, mentioning feminist Hansa Mehta, who drafted the Indian Women's Charter of Life before the adoption of the Indian Constitution. He further stated that women's equal participation in governance and leadership roles leads to better development outcomes. However, to achieve this, the ongoing issue of gendered domestic labour must be addressed. For true gender equality, the focus must be on leveling the playing field and understanding women's lived realities, beyond just statistical representation. (ANI) Around 4000 farmers took out a massive tractor rally in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain district on Monday in protest against the state and central government over the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Soybean and demanded to increase the rate at Rs 6000 a quintal. The farmers began the rally from Hari Pathak Mahakal Bridge near Mahakal Square in the city and reached the collectorate office via Ujjain Krishi Mandi to submit a memorandum to the Ujjain collector. Thousands of farmers who reached here from various villages gathered over there and made administration aware of their demands. "Today, the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh has taken out a farmer tractor rally in Ujjain in which around 4000 tractors were brought by the farmers. Our demand is that the MSP of soybean declared by the government at a rate of Rs 4892 a quintal, is like a drop in the ocean. The cost of cultivating Soybean is not being recovered and the soybean crop is being sold at a loss. The farmers demand that the support price should be increased to Rs 6,000 a quintal. For our demand, today, we took out a rally from Hari Phatak bridge to the Collector's office in the city. We demand that the MSP should be declared Rs 6000 a quintal as soon as possible," said Bharat Singh Bais, Prant Mantri of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh. Ujjain Collector Neeraj Kumar Singh took the memorandum from the farmers and assured them to inform the concerned authority about their demands. "Bharatiya Kisan Sangh took out a tractor rally in the city today. They also submitted a memorandum in which they had made various demands and it will be sent to the government," Collector Singh said. Meanwhile, farmers in association with Bhartiya Kisan Sangh also demonstrated in Jabalpur demanding to increase MSP of soybean from Rs 4892 to Rs 6000 a quintal. Farmers claimed that they were not able to recover their costs at the current MSP rate. (ANI) A diverse group of environmentalists, experts, ecologists, and scientists has gathered in Shimla to strategize on transforming Himalayan cities into climate-smart hubs amid the changing climate. The day-long consultation, held in the north Indian hill town, of Shimla, on Monday, was organized jointly by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) India Office and SPROUTS Environmental Trust. The day-long consultation addressed climate change-related challenges impacting building typology, legacy waste, and agro-forestry in Himalayan cities. It is designed to foster solution-oriented discussions and create networking opportunities among sector experts, urbanists, architects, planners, municipal authorities, state officials, service providers, policymakers, and citizens. The event was inaugurated by Justice Rajeev Sharma, retired Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, and Anil Joshi, Member Secretary of the Pollution Control Board, Himachal Pradesh. Richard Kaniewski, Deputy Country Director of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) India, opened the consultation. Notable attendees include Tikender Singh Panwar, former Deputy Mayor of Shimla; Pushpinder Rana, APCCF (Wildlife) with the HP Forest Department; Rajeev Sharma, Chief Architect for the Government of Himachal Pradesh; Surinder Chauhan, Mayor of Shimla Municipal Corporation; and other senior government officials. Tikender Singh Panwar an environmentalist and former Deputy Mayor of Shimla city emphasised the need to address the impacts of climate change on infrastructure in the Himalayan region. He noted the challenges posed by increased rainfall and erosion, stressing the importance of sustainable development and proper mapping of vulnerable zones. "The objective is to understand how climate change is impacting infrastructure in the Himalayas and to explore sustainable development solutions," Panwar said. Richard Kaniewski, Deputy Country Director of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) India highlighted the importance of collective action in addressing climate change. "Today, we come together to discuss how we can each contribute to combating climate change. This workshop is crucial as climate change remains one of the most pressing issues of the 21st century," Kaniewski remarked. Mandvi Kulshreshtha, Senior Program Adviser at Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) India, elaborated on the goals of the consultation. "This event is part of our broader dialogue on sustainability. By focusing on making Himalayan cities climate-smart, we aim to integrate social justice with urban development. It's crucial to address both climate and social justice in our planning," Kulshreshtha explained. Ecologist and founder of SPROUTS Environmental Trust, Anand Pindarkar underscored the importance of raising awareness about environmental changes in the Himalayan region. "Our conference seeks to address the diverse environmental challenges faced by the Himalayas, from natural disasters to human impacts. We aim to foster stability and sustainable practices in response to these changes," Pindarkar stated. The consultation promises to be a critical step toward developing climate-smart strategies for the unique challenges faced by Himalayan cities. (ANI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said that his state was committed to generating 72.60 GW of renewable energy by 2030, aligning with India's goal of 500 GW by the same year. He was speaking at the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investment Meet in Gandhinagar. He mentioned that this initiative would create jobs, protect the environment, and make Andhra Pradesh a leader in green energy. Promoting Andhra Pradesh as the next big player in green energy, the Chief Minister highlighted the state's coastline, strong industrial base, excellent transport links, and vast potential in solar, wind, pumped storage, and green hydrogen. He invited global investors to take advantage of the state's investor-friendly policies, which include tax breaks, subsidies, and easy regulations, along with a skilled workforce. "I want to create one of the best ecosystems for green energy in India," he said. The Chief Minister also stressed the importance of adopting global best practices in renewable energy, focusing on R&D, policy support, and removing obstacles to emerging technologies. He announced plans to establish a Global University for Clean Energy and Circular Economy to encourage knowledge sharing and innovation. The Chief Minister said that the State has set renewable energy capacity targets with 40 GW solar energy, 20 GW wind energy, 12 GW pumped storage, 25 GW battery energy storage, 1 MTPA Green Hydrogen and derivatives, 2500 KLPD biofuels and 500 public charging stations for Electric vehicles. He further informed that AP has installed 4335.28 MW of Solar, 4083.57 MW of wind power, 106MW small hydro, 443 MW of bioenergy and 36 MW of Waste to Energy so far. Around 4000 MW solar power parks were established in Ananthapuram, Kurnool and Kadapa Districts. Another 2700 MW Solar capacity is upcoming in Prakasam district and Sri Satyasai district. The CM mentioned that the State government is implementing PM Surya ghar Muft Bijili Yojana and targeted to install rooftop solar in 10 lakh households by 2026-27 apart from the target of 26 model solar villages (1 solar village in each district) and solarization of Government buildings on saturation mode up to 150 MW by 2025-26 with support of NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd (NVVN). "As part of PM KUSUM, the State has implemented Feeder level solarization of agricultural feeders with an aggregate capacity of 3725 MW and also installed 31,275 off-grid solar pump sets. AP has also taken the lead to promote pumped storage projects at 39 locations with an estimated potential of 43.89 GW to balance its variable renewable energy (VRE) generation and minimize the grid imbalances", he said. He added, "We've seen PPPs, Public-Private Partnerships. I'm introducing P4 - Public, Private, People's Partnership. I want to involve the people as partners in renewable energy." Explaining the incentives proposed under draft ICE policy 2024, the Hon'ble Chief Minister said that the State government is giving priority to promotion of renewable energy projects and rolling out multiple initiatives, policies and incentives to accelerate the development of the renewable energy sector. "The Government shall provide vital incentives for the development of wind projects and turbine manufacturers and waive off the transmission and wheeling charges to promote RE equipment manufacturing and development of RE infrastructure projects and also provide sector-specific capital and interest subsidies to foster innovation and contribute to a greener, more resilient energy grid. Apart from these, the government shall provide production incentives to RE equipment manufacturers and subsidies on power costs and electricity duty to reduce expenses and promote RE manufacturing facilities" he said. "The next revolution will be the Green Energy Revolution," he remarked. (ANI) Launching the Bharat Startup Knowledge Access Registry (BHASKAR) initiative under the 'Startup India' program on Monday here, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said that BHASKAR meaning 'Rising Sun' has been aptly chosen to be the name of the digital platform. "With the Sun comes enlightenment, light, growth and BHASKAR will help in collaboration, cooperation and also enable competition among each other, Goyal said, according to a statement. While praising the initiative, the Union Minister said that BHASKAR as a concept will try to integrate all the people who are dreamers, doers and disruptors. Putting BHASKAR into context, he said that the platform will help bring hope, aspirations and success for the entrepreneurs to kickstart ambitious revolutions. On promoting the startup ecosystem, Goyal said that the Centre will put in efforts to make the ecosystem socialised, democratic and visible to the world. "Technology and interconnectivity will help Indians build 'Brand India' as a tool to market our products and services across the world and help us change the image of India to the rest of the world," Goyal said. He also underlined that a startup is innovation plus entrepreneurship. Invoking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of shaping policies for the future, the Minister said that Startup India's strength will contribute to India growth story. He added that encouraging Indians to be job creators and helping them see failures to be stepping stones to a brighter future, will help big ideas fructify. The Minister also suggested the participants set up a Section 8 company to bring the National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC) within the ambit of the new startup company. The Minister also shared that handing out shares of the new company to recognise and encourage unicorns would encourage and empower the entrepreneurs. During his address, Goyal emphasised that the Government desires for the startup industry to be independent and attain a global level while maintaining integrity, quality and conviction to succeed in the world. Goyal spoke of making BHASKAR a one-stop digital platform for data dissemination, exchange, interaction for the entire startup ecosystem through simple easy-to-use links and easy-to-navigate technology catalysing the growth and success of the startup ecosystem across India and beyond. In conclusion, he hoped that BHASKAR 2.0 would be improvised and released soon with enhanced features and technology. Secretary DPIIT, Amardeep Singh Bhatia, in his address, described, "This unique initiative is a laudatory step further calling for concerted efforts from the entire startup ecosystem. This will cohesively propel the Indian startup ecosystem as the flag bearer amongst its peers across the globe. The Bharat Startup Knowledge Access Registry will act as a catalyst for innovation and will foster greater connectivity between startups, particularly in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, ensuring that innovation is inclusive, and opportunities are accessible to all. This will enable regional startups to collaborate, grow, and contribute to the nation's economic progress." Meanwhile, the Joint Secretary, DPIIT, Sanjiv briefly outlined the pivotal role of startups in contributing to the Indian growth story, and how BHASKAR will accelerate this growth in the right direction. Divulging further he said, "By providing comprehensive access to resources, BHASKAR will serve as the guiding light for startup ecosystem stakeholders to navigate challenges and unlock opportunities in today's dynamic market. We believe that knowledge is power, and through BHASKAR, we are ensuring that every Indian startup, regardless of size or location, has access to the resources that can fuel their growth." The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry through its flagship program 'Startup India', hosted the launch event of the digital platform aimed at bolstering India's startup ecosystem comprising startups, investors, mentors, service providers, and government bodies. Notably, BHASKAR is designed to unify and empower India's rapidly growing startup ecosystem by offering a one-stop solution for seamless collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation. With over 1.4 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups as of August 2024, India has established itself as one of the largest and most vibrant startup ecosystems globally. However, this tremendous growth has also led to the fragmentation of resources and stakeholders. BHASKAR aims to challenge incubators, policymakers, and other key startup ecosystem stakeholders under one roof for ease of accessibility and traceability. Key Value propositions for BHASKAR: Industry Alliances: By bringing together stakeholders from different sectors, industries, technologies, and regions, the platform creates opportunities for cross-collaboration for all. Dynamic Networking: Easily connect and collaborate with like-minded people via personalised dashboards and peer-to-peer connect features that ensure you are always just a click away from your next opportunity. Enhanced Visibility: Make yourself visible using profile cards to be discovered across the startup ecosystem. Personalised Identification Number: Get your BHASKAR ID that is tied to your profile for a personalised dashboard. Your digital identity will enable you to access various services and be discovered by other members. BHASKAR will work as the central one-stop digital platform that will house the ever-evolving startup ecosystem stakeholders under one single roof, making it the largest digital registry of the startup ecosystem in the world in the coming times. (ANI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be organising a "Kalighat Cholo" march on September 25 in demand of justice for the rape and murder of the victim at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Union Minister and BJP leader Sukanta Majumder stated on Monday that the BJP workers will be organising protests on street corners from September 18 and that they will be conducting a 'Kalighat Cholo' march near Hazra More near the CM's residence on September 25. "From September 18, the BJP will organise street corners, which will go up to October 1. Along with that, on September 25, we will organise a 'Kalighat Cholo' near Hazra More near CM's residence. On September 23, our BJP Mahila Morcha will take a broom and Ganga jal to clean some selected impure police stations," Majumder said. The Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, also said that they will be organising the march on September 25 near the CM's residence near Hazra More in Kalighat in demand for the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. This came following the administrative lapses by the state government and their alleged attempts to tamper with the evidence while investigating the rape and murder case of a 2nd-year postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. "On September 25, 'Kolkata Cholo March' will be organised in Hazra More near the Chief Minister's residence to demand her resignation. Around 25000 to 30000 BJP workers will take part in the march," Adhikari said. Adhikar said that they have two demands of their own following this incident. One of which was the demand for capital punishment of the people involved in the incident of August 9 and also the arrest of the police and administration for tampering with the evidence in the case and the second demand was the resignation of Mamata Banerjee from the CM's post. "We have two demands. First is the demand for capital punishment for the people who are involved in the incident of August 9 and the arrest of the police and administration for tampering with the evidence. Finally, for all the scams, safety concerns pertaining to women and the misuse of law and order in the state, Mamata should step down. This is our demand," he added. Meanwhile, the junior doctors from the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital held a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her residence in Kalighat to put forward their "five-point demands," amid the protests against the rape and murder of the trainee doctor on August 9. The junior doctors were accompanied by two stenographers to assist in the meeting. Earlier today, the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front and Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) held a press conference in Delhi and laid down their demands, including the removal of the Kolkata Commissioner of Police as well as the replacement of all the senior officials in the Health and Family Welfare Department of the Mamata Government. Amid the ongoing protest against the rape and murder of the second-year postgraduate trainee doctor, the front noted down five-point demands, which include the call for justice for the victim "Abhaya" and to expedite the investigation process in the case. They also demanded the removal of the Director of Medical Education (DME), the Director of Health Services (DHS), and the Health Secretary from the Department of Health and Family Welfare of the West Bengal Government. "Removal of the DME, DHS, and Health Secretary as their signatures are present in the order for construction work in the immediate auspices of the crime scene, when it should have been completely cordoned off. We also think that they are responsible for the enormous corruption in the healthcare system for which Sandip Ghosh was also arrested. Recently, the CBI has arrested him in relation to the rape and murder case of Abhaya, thus reaffirming his active involvement in the heinous crime," they stated in their demands. The front called for "action against incompetent and complacent police authorities" and demanded the removal of Kolkata Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal as well as the Deputy Commissioner of Police of North and Central for administrative failure and alleged evidence tampering. "Removal of Vineet Goyal, Commissioner of Kolkata Police for his administrative failure and evidence tampering, disciplinary action against DC North for his incompetence and offering money to the victim's parents and DC Central for trying to hide the identity of a suspected person present inside the crime scene. OC of Tala Police Station has been recently arrested by CBI in connection to the Abhaya rape and murder case, eroding our trust in the entire law enforcement agency of our state," the junior doctors said. In other demands, they called for legal status for all Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) bodies in every medical college, to conduct student union elections and dissolution of non-elected student units. (ANI) Bharatiya Janata Party MP Bansuri Swaraj said on Monday that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should have resigned 177 days ago if his decision was based on morality. On Sunday, Kejriwal announced that he would resign from the post of Chief Minister after two days. "The court, seeing his involvement in the scam, did not consider him fit to be the CM and this was also his bail condition. He cannot sign any file nor can he go to the CM's residence. Due to this helplessness, he has created a political pretence by giving the cover of morality by announcing the resignation," she said. "This resignation should have come 177 days ago if the basis of this decision was morality," she added. She further accused Kejriwal of being the "master of U-turns" and also enquired if there wasn't any harmony left in the party. "Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ji is the master of U-turn; I want to ask him if there isn't any harmony left in his party," she said. On Sunday, Kejriwal announced that he would resign and would not assume the CM's chair until the people of Delhi declared him "honest." He has also called for advancing polls in the national capital to November this year, ahead of the scheduled February elections. Kejriwal stated that if re-elected by the public, it would serve as a "certificate" of his honesty. Following Kejriwal's announcement, the BJP termed it a "PR stunt," claiming he was attempting to restore his image. He was released from Tihar Jail on Friday evening, after being granted bail by the Supreme Court in a corruption case related to the alleged Delhi Excise Policy scam. (ANI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after meeting with the protesting junior doctors announced that she has agreed to most of doctors' demands -- the removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal and removal of health department officials. "Given the demand of junior doctors, Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal has said in the meeting that he is ready to resign," said Mamata Banerjee while addressing the protesting doctors on Tuesday. She said Vineet Goyal would hand over the responsibility to the new CP at 4 pm on Tuesday, adding that her government has decided to accept demands laid down by junior doctors. Also, deputy commissioner North, Abhishek Gupta will be removed, said CM Banerjee. "We tried listening to junior doctors...we have decided to change the DC (Kolkata Police Commissioner)...he agreed to resign himself...in the health department, they demanded the removal of 3 persons and we agreed for 2. We have agreed 99%, what else can we do? We have requested the junior doctors to come back to work so that the common citizens won't suffer..." she said. "... We have accepted 3 of their 4 demands... DC North (Abhishek Gupta) will also be removed and a decision will be taken about the new DC tomorrow. Apart from this, full attention will also be paid to the security of the doctors..." she added. This comes in wake of demands by West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front and Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) to remove Kolkata Commissioner of Police as well as the replacement of all the senior officials in the Health and Family Welfare Department of the Mamata Government. On Monday, West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front and Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) held a press conference in the national capital and laid down their demands. Amid the ongoing protest against the rape and murder of the second-year postgraduate trainee doctor inside a seminar room of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College on August 9, the front noted down five-point demands, which include the call for justice for the victim "Abhaya" and to expedite the investigation process in the case. They also demanded the removal of the Director of Medical Education (DME), the Director of Health Services (DHS), and the Health Secretary from the Department of Health and Family Welfare of the West Bengal Government. The front called for "action against incompetent and complacent police authorities" and demanded the removal of Kolkata Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal as well as the Deputy Commissioner of Police of North and Central for administrative failure and alleged evidence tampering. (ANI) A pipeline carrying natural gas liquids burns near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The fire caused road closures and shelter-in-place advisories Monday afternoon in the area, with evacuations to homes and businesses within a half mile from the fire site. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Day 2 of the Chronicle's coverage can be found at this link. An investigation is ongoing after a pipeline caught on fire Monday along Spencer Highway in Deer Park. Emergency responders started working Monday morning to extinguish the flames that officials said could keep burning for hours. A firefighter directs a line of water around a fire on a pipeline carrying natural gas liquids near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The fire caused road closures and shelter-in-place advisories Monday afternoon in the area, with evacuations to homes and businesses within a half mile from the fire site. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Firefighters drinking water and taking a breaking from working on E. Meadow Drive to keep the pipeline fire under control Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in Deer Park. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A pipeline carrying natural gas liquids burns near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The fire caused road closures and shelter-in-place advisories Monday afternoon in the area, with evacuations to homes and businesses within a half mile from the fire site. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Firefighters take a break from battling a fire at a pipeline carrying natural gas liquids near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The fire caused road closures and shelter-in-place advisories Monday afternoon in the area, with evacuations to homes and businesses within a half mile from the fire site. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Meadow Way Drive residents Maddy Graham, right, and Ashley Cordova are self evacuating with cat, Mitzi, as the pipeline fire burns in the background Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in Deer Park. The pipeline fire happened near 8700 block of Spencer Highway in La Porte. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Flames burn from a pipeline in the 8700 block of Spencer Highway on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The La Porte Fire Department responded to a fire at 9:55 a.m. in the 8700 block of Spencer Highway, City of La Porte spokesperson Lee Woodward said in a news release. An evacuation order has been issued for residents and community members between Spencer Highway and Fairmont Parkway between Luella Boulevard and Canada Road, according to Woodward. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A La Porte pipeline fire is seen from the San Jacinto College Central campus in Pasadena on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. Yvette Orozco/Houston Chronicle East Meadow Drive residents Chandra Thom and husband, Joel Thom, sit on Joels parents driveway on Meadow Way Drive and watching the pipeline fire as the neighborhood is without power Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in Deer Park. The couple have been living in the neighborhood for over a decade. Chandra said she was in the house and getting ready for work when the fire started. They were evacuated and worried about their house and car. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Emergency vehicles line Spencer Highway at firefighters respond to a burning pipeline near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The fire caused road closures and shelter-in-place advisories Monday afternoon in the area, with evacuations to homes and businesses in the immediate area near the fire site. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Flames burn from a pipeline in the 8700 block of Spencer Highway on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The La Porte Fire Department responded to a fire at 9:55 a.m. in the 8700 block of Spencer Highway, City of La Porte spokesperson Lee Woodward said in a news release. An evacuation order has been issued for residents and community members between Spencer Highway and Fairmont Parkway between Luella Boulevard and Canada Road, according to Woodward. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Residents gather belongings and evacuate from East Meadow Drive as the pipeline fire continues burning Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in Deer Park. The pipeline fire happened near 8700 block of Spencer Highway in La Porte. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Residents watching the pipeline fire from South Meadow Drive and East Meadow Drive Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in Deer Park. The pipeline fire happened near 8700 block of Spencer Highway in La Porte. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Residents on Meadow Way Drive are self evacuating as the pipeline fire burns in the background Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in Deer Park. The pipeline fire happened near 8700 block of Spencer Highway in La Porte. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A firefighter directs a line of water around a fire on a pipeline carrying natural gas liquids near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The fire caused road closures and shelter-in-place advisories Monday afternoon in the area, with evacuations to homes and businesses within a half mile from the fire site. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer East Meadow Drive residents Chandra Thom and husband, Joel Thom, sit on Joels parents driveway on Meadow Way Drive and watching the pipeline fire as the neighborhood is without power Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in Deer Park. The couple have been living in the neighborhood for over a decade. Chandra said she was in the house and getting ready for work when the fire started. They were evacuated and worried about their house and car. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A firefighter directs a line of water around a fire on a pipeline carrying natural gas liquids near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The fire caused road closures and shelter-in-place advisories Monday afternoon in the area, with evacuations to homes and businesses within a half mile from the fire site. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A firefighter directs a line of water around a fire on a pipeline near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The fire caused road closures and shelter-in-place advisories Monday afternoon in the area, with evacuations to homes and businesses within a half mile from the fire site. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A pipeline fire burns near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The fire caused road closures and shelter-in-place advisories Monday afternoon in the area, with evacuations to homes and businesses in the immediate area near the fire site. A damaged car is seen near the site of the fire. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Firefighters battle a blaze from a pipeline carrying natural gas liquids burns near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The fire caused road closures and shelter-in-place advisories Monday afternoon in the area, with evacuations to homes and businesses within a half mile from the fire site. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A pipeline fire burns near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The fire caused road closures and shelter-in-place advisories Monday afternoon in the area, with evacuations to homes and businesses in the immediate area near the fire site. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer An incident at a valve station for a 20" natural gas liquids line resulted in a fire, Energy Transfer representatives said in a statement. Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton Jr. said the fire could burn for up to 24 hours. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The pipeline, located near the border between Deer Park, La Porte and Pasadena, is owned by Energy Transfer, according to a statement from the company and emergency officials. Mouton said the impacted area covers a half-mile radius around the fire, with half in La Porte and half in Deer Park. The La Porte Fire Department responded to the fire at 9:55 a.m. in the 8700 block of Spencer Highway, city of La Porte spokesperson Lee Woodward said in a release. Deer Park OEM also went to the scene, setting up a mobile command post at East Boulevard and Spencer Highway. Harris County Pollution Control Services arrived following emissions complaints Monday morning. The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office and the American Red Cross are assisting at the scene. FOLLOW THE COVERAGE: What to know about La Porte pipeline fire "The La Porte Fire Department is on the scene and has evacuated all homes and businesses within a half mile of the incident site. The line has been isolated so that the residual product in the line can safely burn itself out. We have no timeline at this point on how long that process will take, but we are working closely with local authorities," Energy Transfer representatives said in the statement. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The liquid natural gas fire could continue burning into early Tuesday morning, the city of Deer Park said in a 10 p.m. announcement. At the time of the announcement, the fire was still active but "reducing," according to the news release. The City of Deer Park didn't provide an exact estimate for when the last of the gas would be burned off. To speed up the process, Energy Transfer, the pipeline's owner, has begun adding additional flares, the city said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Neighborhoods where power has been turned off will be restored once the ground around the fire has cooled down, the city said. - John Wayne Ferguson All La Porte ISD schools will be open on Tuesday, the district said in a statement on X late Monday. "We understand that some families may face challenges in light of the fire today," the district added. "As always, we encourage you to do what is best for your family." Advertisement Article continues below this ad San Jacinto College's Central Campus will also be open on Tuesday, the college said, also on X. - J.R. Gonzales An area on the west side of the evacuation zone has reopened to traffic, the City of La Porte said. The city reopened Luella Boulevard and reduced the boundary of the evacuation area to Scotch Moss, the city said in a statement. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The area now is bounded by Scotch Moss, Spencer Highway, Canada Road and Oak Haven/Eagle Run. The city has increased police patrols in evacuated neighborhoods. People in the area were asked not to drive around barricades in the area of the fire. - John Wayne Ferguson Vanessa Cinco was in her car when she felt a jolt from what sounded like a crash. The intensity from the fire's heat was overwhelming. "It was like a lack of oxygen," Cinco said. "We made a U-turn to get away from it because the fire was blazing. You could feel it and it felt like it was going to explode even more." With parts of Spencer Highway blocked off, Cinco had to weave through the streets Monday evening to get to her Deer Park home near East Boulevard to check on her pets. Most of the subdivision where she lives was without power. By 5 p.m., as she watched neighbors loading up their vehicles to leave, Cinco was still undecided on whether to stay. "I'm on the edge (of leaving)," she said. Rodwell Thom sensed danger immediately after he walked out of his front door on Meadow Way Drive, about 200 yards from the fire, and saw the flames shooting upward. "I was thinking if the wind picked up it could become a danger," said Thom. Later that afternoon, as the height of the flames began to recede slightly, his concern was not so much the fire but what was being released from the flames and the plumes of smoke. "That part is scary," Thom said. Thom wanted answers from the company that owns the pipeline, Energy Transfer, about how the fire started, what safety measures were in place and what corrective steps the company was going to take to prevent this from happening again. "We're used to this happening at the big refineries, but this is too close to residential areas," he said. "At this point, it's not just about a fire anymore it's an environmental issue." Jessica Roberts, who had spent most of Monday afternoon grabbing what she could from her home in East Meadow, wasn't sure where she was taking her family for the night but knew she had to leave until the fire is completely extinguished. The sound and the ensuing distraction of emergency responders set up near her home have unsettled her son, who has autism. Roberts grew up in the Pasadena and Deer Park area and her husband works in a chemical plant, so the incident wasn't surprising or unfamiliar to her. The slight odor of smoke and chemicals didn't overwhelm her, she said. "I live in an industrial town, so I know the risk I'm taking living here, and accidents happen, but for my kids' peace of mind, I feel I have to go tonight." - Yvette Orozco A pipeline fire burns near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The fire caused road closures and shelter-in-place advisories Monday afternoon in the area, with evacuations to homes and businesses in the immediate area near the fire site. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer An SUV struck the above-ground pipeline right before the gigantic fire in Deer Park, officials said on Monday evening. The crash happened at about 10 a.m., when the SUV drove through a fence on the west side of Wal-Marts parking lot and entered the pipeline's right-of-way, the city of Deer Park said in a press release. The collision isn't believed to be an act of terrorism, the city said. The Deer Park Police Department and FBI have investigated, according to the press release. The city called the crash an "isolated incident." The city is still working to identify the driver. No other information was released Monday. - John Wayne Ferguson The clouds of black smoke that spread over La Porte and Deer Park during the pipeline fire sparked fears about the soot spewing from the blaze. Harris County Pollution Control Services monitored pollution in the area since late morning. They checked for both particulate pollution and volatile organic compounds using hand-held sensors, a rapid ambient air monitoring vehicle and two stationary sensors. Department spokesperson Kayla Roman said that particulate matter was the "pollutant of concern" for the incident, based on their testing so far. She added that the pollution levels they found were "moderate and not an immediate risk for healthy populations," though "sensitive populations may want to take precautions." Soot, also known as particulate matter, is composed of fine particles that can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat. Particulate matter can also worsen existing lung conditions and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The department is considering a plan to continue monitoring pollution in the area after the fire has been put out. - Rebekah Ward Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton, Jr. said Monday afternoon that there is no timeline for when the fire may be extinguished, as the gas in the pipeline could take anywhere from a few hours to 24 hours to burn off. He said responding agencies are "going to make some hard decisions" with people returning home from work. "There are some houses that are in proximity (to the fire) that residents can't figure out if they can go back there. I don't know what we are going to tell them. There are some areas where we're not going to let people in." Mouton said emergency responders have been clear that it's just too hot to go back into some areas near the fire. He said some people who were at Walmart and H-E-B when the fire started were taken to the Jimmy Burke Activity Center in Deer Park to wait for their families, because "in most cases they couldn't go out to their cars and leave." Mouton said he expects some cars in the Walmart parking lot will be damaged or perhaps even melted by the fire. "It's that hot." Reports of burning cars and homes were also confirmed by representatives with Harris County Pollution Control Services, who didn't say how extensive the damage was. Spokeswoman Kayla Roman said the burned buildings and vehicles released particulate matter that might have been inhaled by people in the area. Air monitoring teams remained in the area on Monday evening, Roman said Mouton, meanwhile, said people in impacted areas will need to a place to stay in the short term. "The quicker the fire is put out then we can figure out the next step. My focus is protecting the life and property the best of our ability and we'll get get through this like we do everything else" - Yvette Orozco, Rebekah Ward The number of people injured during Monday's fire has increased to four, according to the city of Deer Park. Two of the injuries were due directly to the fire, and two more were heat-related, Kaitlyn Bluejacket said. It was unclear if the injured people were all first responders. Earlier in the day, La Porte officials said a Pasadena Fire Department employee was injured "on an issue adjacent to the main issue." The Pasadena Volunteer Fire Department didn't immediately respond to questions about the status of that employee. - John Wayne Ferguson Energy Transfer, the company that owns the burning gas line, has opened a claims line for people forced out of their homes because of the emergency. People who have evacuated from Luella Boulevard to Canada Road and from south of Spencer Highway to Oakhaven/Eagle Run, can call 855-430-4491, for information about overnight lodging expenses and other reimbursement, according to the La Porte Office of Emergency Management. People who call the phone number will be asked for their name, phone number, address and what kind of assisatance they need, according to Energy Transfer. Phone calls will be returned "promptly," the company said. - John Wayne Ferguson In an update just before 3 p.m., La Porte officials announced they had reduced the size of the evacuation area created because of the pipeline fire. The southern boundary of the evacuation fire is now Oakhaven Road and Eagle Run Street, the city said in a release. Earlier evacuation orders had stretched all the way to Fairmont Parkway. The evacuation area in La Porte as of 3 p.m. on Sept. 16, 2024. Courtesy/City of La Porte The current evacuation area is from Luella Drive east to Canada Road, and from Spencer Highway south to Oakhaven/Eagle Run. The city also announced another reunification site at City of La Portes SPORT Center at 1302 S. Broadway. Evacuees with animals should contact the City of La Porte's Animal Shelter at 10901 Spencer Highway or 281-842-3700, the city said. - John Wayne Ferguson Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said there were reports of a four to six homes that had "structural damage" due to the pipeline fire. She is returning to the county during a pre-planned trip to see a sick friend. She said the Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management has issued an activation 3 for increased readiness in the area. The Harris County Pollution Control Services will monitor the air and CenterPoint Energy is working to restore some of their customers' power, according to Hidalgo. "Harris County is doing everything we can to keep residents safe and support first responders during this incident," she wrote in a statement. "Thank you to the first responders who are helping to respond to this incident." - Octavia Johnson The La Porte ISD students who live in affected areas will not be taken home by bus, the school district officials said on social media. The officials said they were working to call parents to arrange for pickup for those students at the end of the school day. La Porte ISD spokesperson Adam Holland sent an email to the Chronicle saying students at some schools in the affected area remained indoors as a precaution. No schools were evacuated. - Octavia Johnson An evacuation order has been issued for residents and community members between Spencer Highway and Fairmont Parkway between Luella Boulevard and Canada Road, Woodward said. The city officials also said the order would be issued for nearby areas, including HEB, Walmart, Heritage Elementary, College Park Elementary, James H. Baker and San Jacinto College. - Rebekah Ward and Octavia Johnson Officials at San Jacinto College Central Campus also told students to shelter in place until the emergency is resolved. Officials with the La Porte Independent School District posted on its website, "All students are safe, and schools in the affected area are sheltering in place as a precaution." Deer Park OEM officials said the SouthEast Texas Regional Advisory Council will work on potential evacuation for a nearby assisted living facility. It is unclear of the name of the facility. A temporary reunification site has been established at the Jimmy Burke Activity Center on Thirteenth Street. Harris County Precinct 8 Constables announced that the East Harris County Activity Center at 7340 Spencer Highway in Pasadena will be used as an evacuation shelter and cooling center. Harris County Precinct 2 officials said in a Facebook post. The Faithbridge Church on Center Street in Deer Park is also being used as a shelter for the public, officials said. - Rebekah Ward, Octavia Johnson and Michael Garcia Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton, Jr. said during a news conference that it could take hours for the flames to die out. "The product in the pipeline is just going to have to burn off." He announced that the natural gas line was burning and the heat generating the fire could be a risk. - Octavia Johnson Before the afternoon press conference, the Deer Park's Office of Emergency Management released a statement confirming that the pipeline was owned by Energy Transfer. Energy Transfer said the fire happened at a valve station along Spencer Highway. Representatives said in the statement that they had heard early reports of a vehicle striking the valve. They added that air monitoring equipment was in the process of being set up in the area. There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. - Octavia Johnson, Amanda Drane, Dug Begley, Claire Hao, Rebekah Ward San Jacinto College students said they were preparing for or attending classes when they heard a "boom" sound coming from the distance near their school. Ayla Ruffin, 18, was in the Chick-fil-A drive-thru on East Street, heading to class when she heard a sound and felt her car shake. "I felt heat coming straight through my car window, I looked up and the fire was huge right in front of me," Ruffin said. She added the fire seemed about 100 yards from her. Gerardo Perez, 25, said he was in class when he felt a small rumble before the lights flickered for a few seconds. "It felt like a tiny tremble, like when lightning strikes," he said. Both students live near an industrial chemical plant complex and were unsure about the effects the fire may have in their neighborhoods. Student Daniel Fernandez said the air conditioner was shut off at the college amid the pipeline fire. - Yvette Orozco According to Harris County Precinct 2 officials, the highway was closed in the area. Southbound traffic along East Boulevard toward the highway is also stopped, they said, and the nearby Walmart and H-E-B are closed to traffic. CenterPoint Energy officials said they will send out electric crews, when it is safe, to assess any damage to the transmission and distribution infrastructure including power lines, poles and equipment. "Keeping safety first, the public should avoid the area until further notice from local emergency officials," the energy company said on X, formerly known as Twitter. -Rebekah Ward and Octavia Johnson National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah on Monday questioned the BJP-led government over its intention to implement 'One Nation-One Election' concept in its present tenure and asked how will it bring various political parties onboard a suggestion which has wide ramifications and about which there are several queries. "They (Centre) had brute majority when they raised this issue. What was the motive? To set a precedent. This is a federal structure. Unity in diversity, that is India. How will they bring everyone onboard? There is election in our state but not in other states. Suppose my government fell and then they will put president rule till the next election comes. What is the motive behind this? who are you fooling?" he said. Farooq Abdullah is a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Sources said on Sunday that the Bhartiya Janata Party-led government will continue to work on the agenda that was promised in 2014, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was first sworn in as PM and is committed to hold simultaneous general and assembly elections. Sources said that One Nation-One Election will become a reality in this term of the government and the BJP is hoping to muster support of other political parties as well. Several opposition parties and chief ministers of opposition-ruled states have opposed the idea of One Nation-One Election. Prime Minister Modi has been advocating reforms in the electoral process and holding of simultaneous general and assembly elections. The High-Level Committee on 'One Nation-One Election', led by former President Ram Nath Kovind, in its report stated that frequent elections create an atmosphere of uncertainty and impact policy decisions and holding simultaneous elections would bring enhanced certainty in policy making. (ANI) The Cabinet has decided to estimate the value of the gifts received in the Toshakhana, ARY News reported on Sunday. Gifts from foreign dignitaries that are received by government leaders, especially the president and prime minister, are kept and managed by Toshakhana, a department or repository under the Cabinet Division of the Government of Pakistan. It is important to note that former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were indicted in the Toshakhana case, and had several charges framed against them in the past. On December 19, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a fresh reference against Imran and his wife in an accountability court for retaining a jewellery set received from the Saudi crown prince against an undervalued assessment. The anti-graft watchdog alleged in the reference that during his term as prime minister, Imran and his wife had received a total of 108 gifts from different heads of state and foreign dignitaries. According to the details, the division is seeking bids by September 30 from private appraisers to determine the worth of a variety of gift categories, including as watches, jewellery, rugs, and other valuables, reported ARY News. The chosen appraisers will be entrusted with evaluating the gifts in order to ascertain their true value. The winning bidders will sign a contract with the Cabinet Division and receive payment for their services. In July this year, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention stressed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan's detention and prosecution in the first Toshakhana case and Cypher case were "without legal basis" and were politically motivated, reported Dawn. The UN's report further stated that his detention in these cases was politically motivated to exclude him from competing in the political arena. According to the first Toshakhana case, Imran had "deliberately concealed" details of the gifts he retained from the Toshakhana, a repository where the gifts handed to government officials from foreign officials are kept, during his time as the prime minister and proceeds from their reported sales. Meanwhile, the second Toshakhana case concerns a reference against Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi for retaining a jewellery set received from the Saudi crown prince against an undervalued assessment, reported Dawn. On August 5 last year, a trial court in Islamabad convicted the PTI founder in the first case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and jailed him for three years. He was then arrested by Punjab police later that same day from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore. Later, the ECP disqualified him for five years following his conviction. However, the Islamabad High Court later suspended his three-year sentence, according to Dawn. His sentences in the two Toshakhana cases were suspended while he was acquitted by the Islamabad High Court in the cypher case. (ANI) According to sources close to the situation, PTI has spoken with the leader of the JUI-F, and there has been no resolution to the issues about constitutional revisions between Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the government. According to sources, Maulana and the PTI delegation are scheduled to meet later today. After his meeting with government officials, Maulana Fazl will arrange to hold meetings with the opposition as well. Earlier, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif summoned a federal cabinet meeting to consider a draft of a constitutional package likely to be tabled in parliament on Sunday. The constitutional modifications was the key agenda to be brought before the Senate and National Assembly following their approval by the federal cabinet, according to ARY News. One of the other elements in the constitutional package which was presented to the Senate and National Assembly on Sunday was extending the tenure of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) by three years. (ANI) Pakistan's Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, said that the ongoing constitutional amendment process is of great importance to the nation and added that extensive stakeholder participation is necessary for these crucial changes, according to ARY News. Speaking to the media, Tarar clarified that lengthy talks with various major parties, including Maulana Fazlur Rehman, are the only reason the revisions haven't been presented yet. Tarar said, "The progress related to the constitutional amendments will be shared with the nation." He emphasised that attempts are being made to come to an agreement in order to implement changes that will benefit the general public and enhance Pakistan's legal system. "Discussions are underway with constitutional experts from all parties, and each clause of the proposed amendments is being carefully reviewed," Tarar said, according to ARY News. Tarar expressed hope that when the changes are implemented, everyone in Pakistan will live better. "It is our duty to act out legislation that is good for the people," he said. The Minister of Information also emphasised that the current delay is a normal part of the consultation process and that the revisions would be presented after the discussions are over. "We don't want to present the draft prematurely and create confusion. The issue is complex, and consultations are necessary to remove any confusion," Tarar said. Although he acknowledged that this is a gradual process, he gave the public the assurance that efforts are being made to make meaningful headway on the constitutional modifications shortly. (ANI) Dubai [UAE], September 16 (ANI/WAM): The League of Arab States honoured the UAE for its efforts in supporting the programme to combat the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Arab countries, organised by the League in cooperation with the European Union. This recognition came at the conclusion of the UAE's participation in the "Conference on Combating the Illicit Trade in, and Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons" held at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo. The award was received by Mohamed Suhail Al Neyadi, Director-General of the Weapons and Hazardous Substances Office of the Supreme Council for National Security, and head of the UAE delegation. The conference discussed the evaluation of the second phase of the EU and Arab League programme on combating the illicit trafficking and proliferation of small arms and light weapons, the challenges faced during this phase, the future prospects of the project, and international control measures on the transfer of small arms, including border control and efforts to combat the flow of illegal weapons by identifying and disrupting their sources. (ANI/WAM) Days after reports of miscreants in Bangladesh targeting Sufi shrines emerged, devotees and volunteers have taken it upon themselves to protect the shrines from any potential threats. As per local media reports, some "miscreants" attacked Hazrat Shah Paran shrine in Sylhet late at night while devotees were observing Urs at the shrine. Shah Paran, a 14th-century Sufi saint of the Sylhet region, participated in the 1303 Conquest of Sylhet led by his maternal uncle, Shah Jalal. News of these attacks has left devotees fearful. Zahir, a longtime security guard at the Golap Shah Sufi shrine in the heart of Dhaka, expressed his shock upon hearing about the attacks on shrines outside the capital. "There was a lot of trouble in the shrines. We were under a lot of pressure. Miscreants threatened to attack the shrines," Zahir told ANI on Sunday. To prevent further incidents, security forces and volunteer groups from among the devotees have been deployed at various shrines, including the Golap Shah shrine to ensure safety. "Various security forces, including the Army, have provided adequate security. Devotees are stationed here. They have been here for four or five days, day and night, 24 hours. By the grace of Allah, there was no chaos here," Zahir said. The Bangladesh interim government, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, condemned the attacks and asked security forces to take action. "It has come to our notice that a group of miscreants have been attacking Sufi shrines and Mazars in the country over the past few days. The Interim Government condemns in the strongest terms any hate speech and attack on the religious and cultural sites and the Sufi shrines. The government is acting to bring the unscrupulous forces involved in the attacks to books and initiate stringent legal actions against them. The law enforcing agencies have been instructed to take adequate measures to protect the religious shrines and cultural sites," the office of the chief adviser said in a statement. "Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony and peaceful coexistence of all beliefs for thousands of years. We are stating in unambiguous terms that we will remain a country of harmony, and any attempts to disturb religious or cultural tolerance and harmony will be strongly dealt with without discrimination," the statement further added. A month ago, a student-led movement ousted Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after weeks of protests and clashes that resulted in over 600 deaths. Sheikh Hasina fled to India on August 5, and an interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, was formed. (ANI) The Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora (GKPD) has welcomed the Bharatiya Janata Party's election manifesto for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. It has also urged that the rehabilitation, resettlement, recourse and restitution of Kashmiri Pandits need to be grounded in Constitutional frameworks validated by Parliament with Judicial closure. In a letter addressed to BJP President JP Nadda, GKPD stated, "On behalf of the Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora community, we wish to express our heartfelt appreciation for the commitments laid out in your 2024 Jammu & Kashmir election manifesto." It has hailed the promises like the inclusion of rehabilitation initiatives such as the Tika Lal Taploo Visthapit Samaj Punarvas Yojana, the promise of temple restoration under the Rishi Kashyapa Pilgrimage Rejuvenation Drive, the provision of two reserved seats for Kashmiri Pandits in the state assembly through the delimitation process. It has also appreciated BJP's commitment to continued fight against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, which is supported by certain local elements have been positively received by our community. "These steps reflect your acknowledgment of the unique struggles and aspirations of the Kashmiri Pandit community that is facing near extinction. We would encourage your party to advise the Lieutenant Governor to go ahead and implement these recommendations right away which will have an electric impact on the upcoming elections," it stated. The Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora also urged its community to vote for political parties which proactively take up their cause. It, however, also said that steps outlined in BJP's manifesto are commendable but fall "considerably short of community expectations." The GKPD further proposed that the initiatives related to Pandits be grounded in a framework that draws upon the Indian Constitution, is validated by Parliament and has judicial closure. "The Constitution offers many RESETTLEMENT options, such as Union Territory, the Fifth Schedule, the Sixth Schedule, Autonomous Development Councils, Special Administrative Regions, to name a few. This is the only safeguard against the recurrence of horrors we have endured," it stated. The GKPD also asserted the need to address the "grave injustices" of the past and emphasised on the private member's bill recognising the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits, that has been tabled in Parliament. "It would provide formal acknowledgement of the atrocities we've suffered, aligning with India's commitments under international law, including the Genocide Convention, which India has ratified," it added. The Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora highlighted the Supreme Court's recommendation of establishing of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and proposed setting up of a high-powered Sarla Bhat Tribunal to investigate the "horrible atrocities committed against our community", as well as to bring the perpetrators to justice. "We urge you to treat this appeal with the utmost urgency and seriousness and we remain open to a constructive dialogue on how best to implement these measures. We are confident that with your leadership and decisive action, these crucial steps will not only ensure the restoration of justice and dignity for the Kashmiri Pandit community but also stand as a lasting testament to the BJP's commitment to the values of equity and humanity, securing both electoral success and moral victory in India's democratic elections," the letter added. The elections in the erstwhile state of 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 8. BJP, in its manifesto, has made 25 promises, focussing on women, youths, Kashmiri Pandits, restoring temples and wiping out terrorism. The party has focused on women-led development in Jammu and Kashmir. It promised to implement 'Maa Samman Yojana' to provide Rs 18,000 per year to the senior most woman in every household in Jammu and Kashmir. It also promised to provide assistance through the state government for Women SHGs on the issue of interest on bank loans. There are a total number of 90 Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, out of which 7 seats are reserved for SCs and 9 seats are reserved for STs. According to the Election Commission of India, Jammu and Kashmir has 88.06 lakh eligible electors. In the previous Assembly elections, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 25, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) won 15, and the Congress won 12. (ANI) "6 PLA aircraft, 6 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 am (UTC+8) today. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly," Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) stated in a post on X. Taiwan's military is closely monitoring these activities and has taken necessary precautions in response. https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1835483741210251437 This recent movement is part of an ongoing pattern of increased Chinese military presence around Taiwan, which has been escalating over the past months. China's frequent incursions into Taiwan's ADIZ have raised concerns both within Taiwan and among international observers. These incursions are accompanied by naval exercises and operations that appear aimed at reinforcing China's territorial claims over Taiwan. Since September 2020, Beijing has stepped up the use of what are called "gray zone" tactics. These actions include military deployments that do not amount to full-scale conflict but are designed to put sustained pressure on Taiwan. This approach seeks to undermine Taiwan's sovereignty and destabilise the region without resorting to direct military engagement. Taiwan, which has governed itself since 1949, remains at odds with China, which views the island as a breakaway province. Beijing has consistently reiterated its goal of reunification, potentially through force if necessary. Taiwan, however, maintains its commitment to autonomy, withstanding China's increasing military pressure. In recent months, Taiwan's leadership has voiced strong opposition to China's growing military manoeuvres. President Lai Ching-te has openly criticised China's attempts to justify its actions, calling them part of a broader effort to misinterpret international law and enforce its "One China" principle. (ANI) A body riddled with bullets was found in a forest in Kech district, Balochistan province of Pakistan, The Balochistan Post reported on Monday, citing local police. Authorities reported that the body was found in the Dazan Tump forest. The victim has been identified as Mohsin, son of Baig Muhammad. He was originally from the Mand area but was residing in Gomazi. According to police, the deceased had been shot. The body was taken into police custody before being handed over to the family after the completion of legal formalities. Further details surrounding the circumstances of the death remain unknown, according to Balochistan Post. Notably, such incidents frequently take place in the Balochistan province. Earlier in August, five bullet-riddled bodies were found tied to an electricity poll in the Chaghi town of Pakistan's Balochistan province, Express Tribune reported citing officials. The spot where the bodies were found is close to Pakistan's border with Afghanistan and Iran. The bodies recovered by the police appeared to be killed in brutal execution. The bodies were transported to the district headquarters hospital in Chaghi, where they now awaited identification, they added. The discovery of these bodies has sent shockwaves through the area, particularly the areas close to the Afghan border. Notably, Balochistan is home to several violent groups, which carry out repeated attacks against state oppression, demanding a greater share of the region's resources and concerns over China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Earlier on Sunday, another youth was reportedly forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces in the coastal city of Gwadar amid worsening human rights situation in Balochistan, The Balochistan Post reported. Zubair Baloch, son of Umar, was allegedly detained from the Dasht Dhor Kundag area, the report stated, citing local sources. He was taken to an undisclosed location, and his whereabouts remain unknown. This incident adds to the growing number of enforced disappearances in Balochistan. In a similar incident on Thursday, two lawyers in Quetta were forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces but were released following protests from the Balochistan Bar Council and other legal bodies. Pakistan has a long history of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, many of which have targeted human rights and minority defenders critical of the government and the military, as well as persons suspected or accused of involvement in the opposition, The Balochistan Post reported. (ANI) China has released from jail David Lin, an American pastor, who had been sentenced to a life term in 2006. "We welcome David Lin's release from prison in the People's Republic of China. He has returned to the United States and now gets to see his family for the first time in nearly 20 years," said a State Department spokesperson as cited by Al Jazeera. Washington designated him wrongfully detained and had been urging Beijing to free him for years. Politico reported that Lin's daughter confirmed to the outlet that the State Department had notified her that Chinese authorities had released her father from prison and that he would be touching down in San Antonio, Texas on Sunday. "No words can express the joy we have -- we have a lot of time to make up for," she told Politico. Lin's release comes just weeks after National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi in Beijing. Meanwhile, US Representative Chris Smith and Senator Jeff Merkley, the Chair and Co-chair respectively of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), are set to hold a hearing on securing the freedom of unjustly detained Americans in China on September 18. The CECC Chairs had urged US President Joe Biden to raise the three cases among others with Xi Jinping during the November 2023 APEC Summit in San Francisco. Born in Taiwan, Lin studied chemical engineering and came to the United States while working for a Taiwanese chemical company. He settled in Southern California and started his own firm supplying latex gloves for hospitals as per a report in the Washington Post. Chinese authorities first questioned him in 2006 and barred him from leaving China. He was detained on August 17, 2007, and subsequently charged with fraud, the US news outlet stated. Lin pleaded not guilty but was convicted and sentenced in December 2009 to life imprisonment. Lin, is one of the three American citizens, the other two being- Mark Swidan and Kai Li - that the State Department considered to be unjustly jailed in China. Earlier in August this year, three Americans- Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan and Russian American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva who were detained by Russia returned to the US. The three were among 24 detainees released following a complex, multicountry effort to coordinate a prisoner swap between Russia and other Western nations that spanned years and marked the largest such exchange since the Cold War, CNN reported. (ANI) Rebekah F. Ward is the Houston Chronicle's climate & environment reporter. She can be reached at rebekah.ward@houstonchronicle.com. Before coming to Texas, Rebekah was an investigative journalist at the Albany Times Union, where she started in 2021 as the newsrooms first Joseph T. Lyons fellow. She has worked for outlets including Reuters, France 24 and the OCCRP, reporting from the U.S., Colombia, Mexico and her native Canada. Bangladesh police have detained two senior journalists from an area near the India-Bangladesh border in northern Mymensingh, a senior police official said on Monday. "Journalists Shyamal Dutta and Mozammel Babu were detained by the local people and handed over to the police", the police official told ANI over phone. Shyamal Dutta is a former general secretary of National Press Club, Dhaka and Editor of Bengali daily Bhorer Kagoj. Mozammel Babu is the owner of private television channel, 71 TV. "There is a case against the two detained journalists and we have kept them in safe custody", the official added, without giving further details. The detained journalists are alleged to be close to ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. A month ago, a student-led movement ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, after weeks of protests and clashes that killed over 600 people. Sheikh Hasina fled to India on August 5 and an interim government led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed. Meanwhile, days after reports of miscreants in Bangladesh targeting Sufi shrines emerged, devotees and volunteers have taken it upon themselves to protect the shrines from any potential threats. Recently, local media reported that some "miscreants" attacked Hazrat Shah Paran shrine in Sylhet late at night while devotees were observing Urs at the shrine. The Bangladesh interim government, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, condemned the attacks and asked security forces to take action. "It has come to our notice that a group of miscreants have been attacking Sufi shrines and Mazars in the country over the past few days. The Interim Government condemns in the strongest terms any hate speech and attack on the religious and cultural sites and the Sufi shrines. The government is acting to bring the unscrupulous forces involved in the attacks to books and initiate stringent legal actions against them. The law enforcing agencies have been instructed to take adequate measures to protect the religious shrines and cultural sites," the office of the chief adviser said in a statement. (ANI) German Development Minister, Svenja Schulze, greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Germany Pavilion during the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investor's Meet (RE-INVEST) 2024 on Monday. Svenja Schulze is on a three-day visit to Gujarat. She is representing Germany as a partner country at the investor conference dedicated to renewable energy. Schulze is being accompanied by a business delegation of some twenty representatives of the renewables sector. On the sidelines of the conference, Schulze will discuss closer cooperation on expanding renewable energy sources with the Indian government. India is a key country for the global energy transition and intends to become the second largest solar producer worldwide, the statement said. PM Modi inaugurated RE-INVEST 2024 in Gujarat's Gandhinagar district today. Hosted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the three-day conference is anticipated to draw over 10,000 delegates, including influential figures from government, industry, and financial sectors. The central theme of RE-INVEST 2024 is Mission 500 GW, which underscores India's strategic goal to expand its renewable energy capacity significantly by 2030. As the 4th largest country globally in installed renewable energy capacity, India aims to further consolidate its leadership in the global energy transition. Schulze termed the Indo-German cooperation on energy transition as a "success story" for all sides. "The Indo-German cooperation on the energy transition is a success story for all sides. The most populous country on Earth is on track for a boom in renewable energy and wants to become the second-largest producer of solar systems after China. First and foremost, this is good for India which can thus provide affordable renewable energy for its people, create millions of new jobs and contribute to clean air and a more stable climate," Schulze said. "Germany, too, can benefit from this boom: German companies are investing in India. Associations are setting up exchange programmes for experts and German importers will finally have an alternative to sourcing solar systems from China. But ultimately the entire world will benefit if India accomplishes an energy transition. Climate change can only be stopped if more and more of the 1.4 billion people in India get their power from wind and solar energy," she added. India's engagement is also important for Germany's energy security. The country wants to become the second-largest producer of solar systems worldwide and is striving to establish itself as a competitor on the global market, alongside China. Germany and the world will benefit from more competition in the market and if energy supply does no longer depend on a number of specific countries, Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development stated. Indo-German sustainability cooperation involves projects with a total volume of roughly 1 billion euros a year, 90 per cent of which is provided in the form of loans, for which KfW bank in Germany raises funds on the capital market. India repays the loans with interest. (ANI) The Indian Navy has started rapid preparations to deploy Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations in response to the devastating flash floods in Myanmar, in response to Typhoon Yagi. The typhoon, which has originated from the South China Sea, is being recognised as the most powerful storm in Asia this year. The Eastern Naval Command, in coordination with the Eastern Fleet, Base Victualling Yard (BVY), Material Organisation, and INHS Kalyani, has completed the overnight loading of essential relief supplies onto naval ships set to depart from Visakhapatnam. The supplies include critical items such as HADR gear, drinking water, rations, and medicines. These materials are being sent to Yangon. "This rapid mobilisation comes despite the short notice, showcasing the Navy's ability to swiftly respond to humanitarian crises in the region," the Ministry stated. Earlier on Sunday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday, informed that, as a part of Operation Sadbhav, the government has dispatched humanitarian aid to Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos. In a post on X, External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar said, "India launches Operation Sadbhav. Demonstrating our solidarity with the people affected by Typhoon Yagi, India is dispatching aid to Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos. 10 tons of aid including dry ration, clothing and medicines left for Myanmar onboard Indian Navy INS Satpura today. @IAF_MCC is carrying 35 tons of aid comprising of water purification items, water containers, blankets, kitchen utensils, solar lanterns for Vietnam. 10 tons of aid comprising genset, water purification items, hygiene supplies, mosquito nets, blankets and sleeping bags for Laos." Typhoon Yagi, recognised as the most powerful storm in Asia this year, has had a devastating impact across southern China and Southeast Asia over the past week. The storm, characterised by intense rainfall and powerful winds, initially struck the Philippines, causing over a dozen fatalities. The storm has been characterised by its intense rainfall and formidable winds, leading to substantial loss of life and extensive damage, CNN reported. The typhoon first made landfall in the Philippines, where it claimed the lives of over a dozen people. After striking the Philippines, Yagi continued its westward journey, impacting southern China before affecting parts of Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos. Almost a week after it initially hit, many regions in northern Vietnam and northern Thailand are still underwater. The relentless flooding has caused widespread disruption, and communities are facing severe challenges as they attempt to cope with the aftermath. (ANI) The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had a hectic day on Sunday following the February 8 elections, working vigorously to prevent the government from passing a controversial constitutional amendment, Dawn reported. The day-long activities of the PTI started in the morning and reached a peak with Barrister Gohar Ali Khan's participation in a meeting of a special committee, which was chaired by Syed Khursheed Shah of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) at the National Assembly late in the evening. Earlier in the day, the PTI shifted its focus to gaining the support of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Several key members of the PTI met with the JUI-F leader, engaging in discussions for over an hour. Television channels later aired footage showing PTI leaders offering prayers alongside the JUI-F chief, an effort that signified the party's attempts to sway him towards their position. Sources within the PTI disclosed that significant efforts were being made to ensure that none of the party's lawmakers attended sessions of either the Senate or the National Assembly, reported Dawn. Despite this, the PTI's leadership acknowledged that some of its members were unreachable, and efforts were underway to contact and convince them to remain committed to the party's stance. Speaking to reporters after meeting with the Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan emphasised that constitutional amendments should be introduced only when they serve the national interest, rather than for personal advantage. When asked if the PTI was offering any incentives to the JUI-F for its support, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan denied this, stating that the PTI was merely attempting to discourage the JUI-F from seeking short-term benefits. He further argued that if the government had been genuinely interested in the proposed legislation, it would not have kept the details of the amendment secret. Barrister Gohar Ali Khan also warned that the proposed changes would damage the image of the judiciary, Dawn reported. Additionally, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, the spokesperson for the KP government, stated that the amendment amounted to an attack on the apex court, constituting what he called a "clear case of sedition." In a separate incident, the family of PTI MNA Aurengzeb Khichi claimed that he had been missing for several days, sparking concerns within the party. Family members of Khichi reported that he had not been in contact with them for some time. This issue was raised by PTI leader Shibli Fraz in the Senate a day earlier, where he accused the ruling coalition of exerting pressure on PTI lawmakers to secure their votes in favour of the constitutional amendment bill. (ANI) The aid aims to alleviate the suffering of people impacted by recent floods that have hit several regions across Nigeria. In recent weeks, Nigeria has experienced severe flooding due to heavy rainfall, causing extensive damage to infrastructure and displacing thousands of people. The floods have affected multiple Nigerian states, including agricultural areas, resulting in a shortage of food resources and a heightened need for urgent humanitarian aid. Salem Al Shamsi, UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, reaffirmed the UAE's commitment to supporting countries facing humanitarian challenges. He said, "The aid dispatched reflects the UAE's commitment to reinforce humanitarian cooperation with the international community and support nations during crises and disasters. The initiative serves to mitigate the suffering of people affected by the floods in Nigeria, while providing them with the necessary support to overcome this challenging period." The UAE remains dedicated to providing humanitarian and relief aid to countries impacted by natural disasters, highlighting its commitment to upholding the values of humanitarian solidarity and offering support to people in need globally. (ANI/WAM) The Hindu community in the New Aliabad Colony in Pakistan's Hyderabad staged a protest in front of the Hyderabad Press Club and later in front of the SSP office, showcasing outrage over the alleged assault on RamaPir Hindu Temple, The Express Tribune reported. The demonstration, which included women and children, was in response to the lack of arrests in connection with the reported assault on the RamaPir Temple in the colony, which left four people injured. According to the report, a case has been filed against 11 people under other provisions, including charges of attempted murder related to the attack on the temple on Halanaka Road, along with incidents of firing and violence. An FIR was also filed at Hatri Police Station on the complaint of Shiv Lal Meghwar, against Mahesh, Waqar, Sohail Jatoi, Rafi Banglani and Jameel Ihsan Baledi, among others. The protesters alleged that a religious ceremony was taking place at the RamaPir Temple when a fight broke out between some young people from the Hindu community. Later on, a group of men from outside the colony also got involved in the conflict. Over 10 assailants burst into the temple, where they began to fire indiscriminately at everyone present, men, women, and children who were there for the religious ceremony, the Express Tribune reported. This brawl left four people: Rohit Kumar, Sawai Kumar, Ramesh Kumar and Teso LaI injured. Notably, the minority community in Pakistan has been facing persecution for years now. A majority of them have migrated to other countries for safety. The remaining are continuing to face oppression. Earlier in August, hundreds of individuals from minority and marginalised communities in Pakistan held the first 'Minority Rights March' at the Frere Hall area of Karachi, advocating for their rights and demanding an end to the practice of forced conversions. According to a Gatestone report, the religious minorities in Pakistan, mainly Hindu and Christian women and children, continue to be oppressed and persecuted, at the same time facing the risk of being kidnapped, forcibly converted, raped, and coerced into a "marriage" with an older or elderly man. (ANI) At least 17 health workers have been killed during polio vaccination drives in Pakistan this year, underscoring the dangers and difficulties facing the country's efforts to eliminate the disease, Dawn reported. Despite the resurgence of the crippling virus, which has already led to 17 reported cases this year, militants continue to target the very people trying to protect children from the disease. These relentless attacks on vaccinators, particularly in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, have added to an already complex situation, as fear spreads among health workers and the general public alike, as per Dawn. According to the report, since 2012, an alarming 126 individuals have been killed, and 201 have been injured in attacks targeting healthcare workers associated with the polio program. One of the most high-profile incidents this year involved the killing of Abdul Rehman, a senior polio program official, in Bajaur. The frequency of these violent attacks has left the remaining health workers living in constant fear for their lives. "In every vaccination drive, our colleagues are either killed or injured," says Shehnaz Bibi, a lady health worker, who describes the situation as "gripped by fear." These attacks have also fuelled a wave of refusals, with militants warning communities against vaccinations. The fear of repercussions has forced many families to turn away polio immunisation teams, undermining the program's efforts. The report further revealed that in addition to the loss of life, the polio eradication campaign has been marred by further setbacks, including administrative failures and fraudulent reporting of vaccination data. Vaccinators and officials have been found forging coverage reports to appease foreign donors and agencies, contributing to a deepening trust deficit among the public, reported Dawn. With the virus still present in Pakistan's sewage systems and the country being one of only two globally where the poliovirus remains endemic, these failures paint a grim picture. The international community, which has long pressured Pakistan to eradicate polio, remains concerned as each year passes without meaningful progress. Despite years of attempts, political issues have also played a role in derailing the campaign. In Khyber, Bajaur, and other districts, locals have begun using the vaccination campaign as leverage, demanding basic civic services like roads, electricity, and clean water before allowing their children to be vaccinated. This "bargaining chip" mentality has made the campaign even more difficult to sustain. The continuous attacks on vacciners and the rampant refusals only serve to prolong the presence of this devastating virus in Pakistan, putting not only its own children at risk but also threatening global efforts to eradicate polio. (ANI) Private educational institutions across Pakistan have strongly opposed the government's proposed imposition of a point-of-sales tax on private schools charging monthly fees of over one thousand Pakistani rupees. The schools have threatened nationwide protests if the tax is implemented, The News International reported. According to the report, Dr Malik Abrar Hussain, the Central President of the All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association, warned that implementing such a tax would make education unaffordable for the common people. He pointed out that a 25 per cent tax would lead to a substantial increase in fees, raising the cost of a school currently charging 4,000 rupees to 5,000 rupees, which would be a burden on parents. "This move contradicts the government's 'Education for All' slogan and undermines efforts to address the educational crisis," he said. According to The News International, the Central Executive Committee of the All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association has decided to reject any form of taxation on education. The meeting, held at the association's central office, also addressed concerns regarding the recent FSC results from the Federal Board of Islamabad. The association plans to escalate these concerns to the higher authorities and devise a strategy to resolve the issue. The committee also discussed the standing of educational establishments in Islamabad's sectoral area, especially in the context of the Pakistan High Court's decision on non-conforming use. The association committed to devising an action plan in coordination with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) once the court's ruling is finalised. The Association reaffirmed its dedication to addressing the challenges faced by private educational institutions nationwide and fostering public-private partnerships in the education sector. (ANI) India and US army personnel on Monday trained together to bolster interoperability and enhance synergy between forces of both nations in the 20th edition of the Joint Military Exercise 'Yudh Abhyas 2024.' Notably, army personnel have been training together at the Foreign Training Node, Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan, since September 9 and will continue till September 22. The Indian Army has released a video showcasing the joint training exercises, highlighting the participation of troops from both nations. https://x.com/adgpi/status/1835589119000355239 "Exercise #YudhAbhyas 2024Troops of #IndianArmy & #USA train together to bolster interoperability and enhance synergy between forces of both the Nations in the 20th edition of the Joint Military Exercise #YudhAbhyas 2024, between #India and #USA, at the Foreign Training Node, Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in #Rajasthan," Indian Army said on X. On Sunday, the army personnel took a break and visited the historic Junagarh Fort in Bikaner, Rajasthan. Around 600 soldiers from the US have arrived in India, and they were brought to Junagarh in groups by bus and taken on a guided tour of the fort. The American soldiers were amazed by the historic Badal Mahal, Ranivas, and artillery. The army had also arranged for guides to provide historical information to the American soldiers. The aim of the joint exercise is to enhance the joint military capability of both sides to undertake counterterrorism operations in a subconventional scenario under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. During the exercise, tactical drills are to be rehearsed, which include joint response to a terrorist action, joint planning, and combined field training exercises that simulate real-world counter-terrorism missions. The 14-day exercise will see the participation of around 600 troops from a battalion of the RAJPUT Regiment along with personnel from other arms and services, while the US side is being represented by the troops of the 1-24 Battalion of the Alaska-based 11th Airborne Division. (ANI) Billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, who recently returned to Earth with his SpaceX crew after a historic five-day space mission, has highlighted the importance of collaboration with private entities to realise a future where tens of thousands of people--beyond government astronauts--will work in space across multiple space stations, lunar bases, and Mars outposts. "Space belongs to everyone, and it's essential that both commercial and government efforts work together to make that future a reality," Isaacman said upon his return. "By opening up new frontiers, we're building a future for all of humanity, not just a select few," said the entrepreneur, who commanded the mission dubbed 'Polaris Dawn'. Isaacman, along with two SpaceX engineers--Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon--and former US Air Force pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet, splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida's Dry Tortugas on Sunday. The SpaceX Crew Dragon Capsule, named Resilience, carrying the four astronauts, launched into orbit on September 10, reaching a maximum altitude of 1,400.7 kilometres--the highest any crewed Earth-orbiting spacecraft has travelled since NASA's moon missions. The five-day mission was groundbreaking, featuring the first private spacewalk. Resilience descended to a height of 730 kilometres, where Isaacman and Gillis stepped out into space. The crew wore specially designed spacesuits aimed at testing spacesuit technology for future Mars missions. "It is critical for the commercial industry to have the tools and experience for spacewalk operations, and the suit we tested is just the first step in that journey," Isaacman tweeted. SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, views this exercise as a starting point for testing spacesuit technology for future, longer missions to Mars. "We took our spaceship farther than any human has gone since the last Apollo mission over 50 years ago, and along the way, two of our crewmates became the women who have journeyed farthest from this planet. Now, if we have been there before, why is it significant?" Isaacman reflected in a post on X on Monday. He explained that space travel requires immense energy and described the harsh environment, with "increased radiation, more micrometeoroid debris, and no nearby safe havens in case of trouble." Isaacman said the mission focused on studying "the radiation environment, gathering data on its impact on systems and human health, and exploring areas where we know less, to learn new problem-solving methods for future missions." "We conducted an EVA (spacewalk) and tested a next-generation spacesuit. There have been over 300 spacewalks in the 60-year history of human spaceflight, the most famous being those of the Apollo moonwalkers. By any standard, what we did was basic in comparison. The difference is that those spacewalks were conducted by government agencies--NASA, ESA, Russian Cosmonauts, Chinese Taikonauts--with the full backing of their nations' resources," Isaacman said. During their time in space, mission specialist Anna Menon read from orbit a children's book, Kisses from Space, which she co-authored, to her two children back on Earth. Meanwhile, Gillis, a classically trained violinist, recorded herself performing music from Star Wars on her violin. Videos of the performance show captivating visuals of Gillis playing Rey's theme, composed by John Williams for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Her violin performance was synchronised with videos of orchestras performing the piece across the world. Speaking about Gillis's musical contribution, Isaacman said, "This wasn't about being the first at something, but about showing the world a different perspective through the power of music. To perhaps think a bit less about the differences that dominate daily discourse and a bit more about our shared humanity and what we can achieve through some measure of unity." The SpaceX crew also tested a new laser-based satellite communication system using Starlink by making multiple calls to Earth and conducted nearly 40 scientific experiments, many of which focused on understanding how the human body is affected during long spaceflights. (ANI) Breaking news Houston Chronicle An off-duty Harris County Sheriff's deputy was in serious condition Sunday afternoon after a six-vehicle crash along the Hardy Toll Road, said Sheriff Ed Gonzalez in a post on X, formally known as Twitter. Around 11:20 a.m., deputies responded to the 18100 block of the Hardy Toll Road, where multiple motorcyclists apparently were "driving recklessly," according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office Vehicular Crimes Division. In an attempt to avoid a crash with the motorcyclists, an off-duty deputy crashed into a wall and was taken to a nearby hospital, the post reads. Four other vehicles were involved in the crash as well as one motorcycle, the post said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad "Our team is at the hospital to support our deputy," Gonzalez said, noting a crash investigation was underway. A special inquiry by a parliamentary committee formed to investigate the cooperative scam involving former Home Minister Rami Lamichhane has found him guilty of embezzlement of millions of rupees as a part of the cooperative scam. The seven-member committee formed on May 28 on Monday also tabled the report, which was endorsed by the house session and concluded that millions of rupees injected into Gorkha Media came from cooperatives that were traded on the basis of forged documents. Surya Thapa, the chairman of the investigation committee, while presenting the report in the parliamentary meeting today, stated that former staffs of the Gorkha media also enquired about during the 3-month period in preparation of the report. "The investigation committee holding 14 meetings held an inquiry with 47 cooperative operators accused in embezzlement and misappropriation of savings, 3 staff and operators from Gorkha Media Network, as well as 5 officials from the cooperative monitoring body for the report. A total of 55 people have been enquired for the report," Surya Thapa, also the parliamentarian from CPN-UML, said. Former Home Minister Lamichhane had worked in Gorkha Media, the parent company of now defunct Galaxy 4K Television, as managing director at the time when cooperative savings were invested, violating cooperative legislation. incumbent parliamentarian also had clarified that he was engaged in Gorkha Media taking sweat share. Lamichhane later in the year 2022 entered politics, announcing formation of Rastriya Swatantra Party and entered the federal parliament as a parliamentarian, contesting the election the same year. The television, failing to pay salary to its staff, has shut down its formal operation since last year. The parliamentary investigation report has pointed out that the shares were traded on the basis of forged documents recommending the government draw the attention of authorities. Further, it has instructed the government authorities to determine the payment process for the transfer of shares and pay applicable tax in case of a complete transfer of shares. Also, the committee has directed the government to further explain and strengthen the provisions regarding sweat shares. The committee in it's report also has recommended the government take legal action against everyone involved in transfer of money to Gorkha Media from various cooperatives. Millions of rupees were inducted into Gorkha Media from various cooperatives: Suryadarshan from Pokhara, Supreme from Butwal, Swarnalaxmi from Kathmandu, Sahara Chitwan from Chitwan and Sanopaila from Birgunj. The report has stated that embezzlement of amounts was completed with the active involvement of GB Rai, Kumar Ramtel, Rabi Lamichhane (then managing director), and Chhabi Lal Joshi. Rai and Lamichhane had operated a joint account in the bank and had issued cheques amounting to millions, which shows his involvement, the committee report includes. "Every company has its own objective and spirit. Promoters and shareholders are the ones with main responsibilities in such institutions. Those in the role and responsibility as share-holders, promoters and managing directors cannot be allowed to not be responsible and accountable for the money received by the company," the report stressed. During the investigation, the committee also held an inquiry session with former Home Minister and incumbent Chairperson of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Lamichhane for over 10 hours. Throughout the inquiry session, he claimed to be unaware about the transfers that were made to the Gorkha Media originated from cooperatives, that too savings of about 50, 000 people. Further arguing over the case, Lamichhane also claimed the Rabi Lamichhane, who had borrowed money from Suryadarshan and Supreme Cooperatives, to be someone not in his knowledge. The committee had asked him a set of 50 questions about his alleged involvement in the scam. Following the tabling and endorsement of the report, House Speaker Devraj Ghimire directed the government to implement the report of the parliamentary special inquiry committee formed to investigate misappropriation of savings of cooperatives. Speaker Ghimire then directed the Parliament Secretariat to send the report to the government for implementation. The HoR had formed the committee headed by CPN-UML lawmaker Thapa on May 28 after Nepali Congress demanded the formation of a parliamentary investigation committee, saying Rastriya Swatantra Party President Rabi Lamichhane, who was then deputy prime minister and home minister, was involved in the misappropriation of cooperative savings. The HoR had initially given the committee three months and later extended its tenure by 15 days. Dilendra Badu of Nepali Congress, Ishwari Neupane, Sabitra Bhusal of UML, Lekhnath Dahal of CPN (Maoist Centre), Shishir Khanal of RSP, and Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan of Rastriya Prajatantra Party are members of the parliamentary committee. (ANI) The new building of Shree Mahendra Shanti Secondary School in Nepal's Bhaktapur was officially inaugurated on Monday. The school building was built under 'Nepal-India Development Cooperation.' Built with Government of India's financial assistance at the project cost of NRs 11.30 million, it was jointly inaugurated today by Durlav Thapa Chhetri, member of Federal Parliament, Nepal and Avinash Kumar Singh, First Secretary, Embassy of India, Kathmandu. "The Government of India grant under 'Nepal-India Development Cooperation' was utilized for the construction of triple storied school building with other facilities for Shree Mahendra Shanti Secondary School. This project was taken up as a High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP), under an agreement between Government of India and Government of Nepal. This project was implemented through District Coordination Committee, Bhaktapur," a release from the Indian embassy in Kathmandu stated. Parliamentarian Chhetri in his remarks appreciated the continued developmental support of the Government of India in upliftment of the people of Nepal in priority sectors. Shree Mahdendra Shanti Secondary School was established in 1952 as a primary school and subsequently upgraded as secondary School in 1995. This school is one of the oldest schools in the district. The school runs classes from Nursery to 12th standard with a total number of students at around 800, out of which 45 per cent are girls. "The set up created would be useful in providing better education facilities to students of Shree Mahendra Shanti Secondary School in Bhaktapur, Nepal and would create an improved environment for learning as well as contribute to the development of education in this region," the release further stated. The release further said, "As close neighbours, India and Nepal share wide-ranging and multi-sectoral cooperation. The implementation of HICDPs reflects the continued support of the Government of India in bolstering the efforts of the Government of Nepal in upliftment of its people by augmenting infrastructure in priority sectors." Ishwar Bahadur Thapa, Chief, District Coordination Committee, Bhaktapur; SaritaTimsina (Bhattarai), Deputy Mayor of Suryabinayak Municipality, Bhaktapur and otherpolitical representatives, government officials, social workers, representatives of theschool management, teachers, parents and students were also present on the occasion. (ANI) Political activists from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, under the aegis of the United Kashmir's People's National Party (UKPNP), held a Kashmir conference titled "Why Reunification Matters." At the event, Mahmood Kashmiri, Chairman of Jammu Kashmir National Independence Alliance (JKNIA), criticised Pakistan for its violent repression and tactics aimed at suppressing dissent in the region. Further, he outlined how Pakistan has employed various methods to stifle opposition. Kashmiri traced the origins of the Kashmir issue back to Pakistan's initial occupation of the region. Talking about the historical impact of Pakistan's invasion of Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmiri stated, "On October 22, 1947, Pakistan's invasion led to the division of Jammu and Kashmir and its people. Following the invasion, tribal forces committed acts of looting and violence in the region." Kashmiri then criticised Pakistan's response to a recent peaceful movement in PoJK advocating for rights. He said, "For the past year and a half, there has been a sustained, non-violent movement demanding rights, not charity. In response, Pakistan deployed rangers who killed three unarmed youths in Muzaffarabad during a peaceful protest. Additionally, a local police officer was killed by Pakistani security forces." He further noted, "Despite our commitment to peaceful advocacy, our people continue to face abductions. Pakistani security agencies have kidnapped hundreds in PoJK, with only about 15 having been released so far. The fate of the remaining individuals is unknown--they could be dead or alive. It is crucial to stress that demanding rights is not a crime, yet Pakistan relentlessly targets those who do." Kashmiri also condemned the suppression of historical and cultural expression in PoJK, stating, "In PoJK, people are forbidden from studying their own history or using regional maps. Despite extensive efforts by Pakistani agencies to stifle our movement, they have failed. Now, they are employing a new tactic: deploying clerics to issue warnings and threats against those advocating for autonomy and rights, in an attempt to incite public opposition." He added, "According to these clerics, anyone demanding autonomy is labelled a non-believer. We refuse to be intimidated by such tactics. Recently, Pakistani agencies orchestrated a press conference where clerics were assembled to deliver derogatory remarks against us." Emphasising the significance of social media, Mahmood Kashmiri remarked, "In the past, Pakistani media was involved in spreading propaganda, but now, with the help of social media, our messages are reaching a much broader audience. Countless young people have rallied to our cause. Despite facing force and threats, they have stood firm." Finally highlighting the significant contributions that the region of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) makes to Pakistan's economy and infrastructure, Mahmood said, "We provide Pakistan with electricity, and they rely on our water, which they use in mills, and factories. Despite all these contributions, they still claim that PoJK cannot thrive without Pakistan." (ANI) After Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the second phase of the Ahmedabad Metro Rail Extension on Monday, German Development Minister Svenja Schulze praised India's focus on environmentally friendly metro transport, citing the example of Ahmedabad's metro project. "It is great that Ahmedabad is focusing on environmentally friendly metro transport," said Schulze. Schulze met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Germany Pavilion during the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investor's Meet (RE-INVEST) 2024 on Monday. She also visited the Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project inaugurated by PM Modi. Svenja Schulze is on a three-day visit to Gujarat. She is representing Germany as a partner country at the investor conference dedicated to renewable energy. Schulze is being accompanied by a business delegation of some twenty representatives of the renewables sector. "Part of this 600 million euro project was financed through a loan under German development cooperation. Electrification was done by German technology company Siemensm," as per the Germany Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development official statement. Development Minister Schulze said, "India's cities are experiencing growth that is almost unparalleled in the world. If these cities focused exclusively on car transport, their congestion and smog problems would quickly become even more unbearable, and the entire world would be faced with even bigger climate problems." "So it is great that Ahmedabad is focusing on environmentally friendly metro transport. This example of Indo-German cooperation benefits the environment and the people of India. However, it also benefits Germany, because our prosperity is based on other countries, too, investing in infrastructure and using some German technology in the process. Germany's development cooperation has been successful in paving the way for economic cooperation and sustainable development. This support is an investment that pays off--for India, for Germany and for the world," she added. The new Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar metro line now offers climate-friendly, safe transportation between the two cities. It is projected that, initially, the line will serve 120,000 passengers per day, and that this number will rise to 330,000 over the next 30 years. "The new metro line also benefits commuters from poorer neighbourhoods, who are often unable to afford their own car, and women, who now have a safe means of transport. It is expected that the use of the metro line will save 50,000 tonnes of CO2 a year," the statement added. This metro line is one result of Indo-German cooperation. As part of this cooperation, the German Development Ministry (BMZ) provided a 100 million euro loan at favourable terms to India via KfW Development Bank in order to help finance the line. The project had a total volume of 611 million euros. A German company, Siemens, was involved in the construction process, providing electrification technology. (ANI) India and the US held the 2+2 Intersessional on Monday and the discussions covered bilateral strategic and defence priorities as well as regional and global issues. The officials of the Ministry of External Affairs and Defence and the US State and Defence Departments attended the 2+2 Intersessional. In a post on X, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, "India and the US held the 2+2 Intersessional today with officials from India's Ministry of External Affairs and Defence, and the U.S. State and Defense Departments. Key discussions covered bilateral strategic and defense priorities, alongside regional and global issues." Earlier on September 13, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held a meeting with a delegation from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) here in the national capital. The delegation was headed by Deputy Chief Executive Officer Nisha Biswal. The delegation included US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti and Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch. According to the Ministry of Finance, discussions were centred on strengthening economic cooperation between India and the US, with a particular focus on investment opportunities in India. "Union Finance Minister Smt.@nsitharaman interacted with a delegation from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation @DFCgov with Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Ms.@NishaBiswal; US DFC @DFCgov shared that India offers good opportunities and is one of their key geographies for #investment," Ministry of Finance said in a post on X. During the interaction, representatives from DFC acknowledged India's significant potential as a key geography for investment. They highlighted the favourable opportunities in various sectors and expressed their commitment to further expanding their investment footprint in the country. Finance Minister Sitharaman also emphasised the broad-based and multi-sectoral cooperation between India and the US, noting that recent reforms and the country's evolving investment climate have created a conducive environment for growth. She highlighted India's potential for increased economic cooperation, particularly in sectors crucial to sustainable development and innovation. (ANI) The Consulate General of India in New York has condemned the vandalism of the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Melville, labelling it "unacceptable." India's Consulate General in New York has raised the matter with US law enforcement authorities and urged them to take prompt action against perpetrators of this act. In a post on X, the Consulate General of India in New York stated, "The vandalism of the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Melville, New York, is unacceptable ; The Consulate @IndiainNewYork is in touch with the community and has raised the matter with U.S. law enforcement authorities for prompt action against the perpetrators of this heinous act." Meanwhile, the Hindu American Foundation has urged the US Justice Department to investigate the attack on BAPS Hindu Temple in New York. In a post X, the Hindu American Foundation stated, "Hindu temple in Melville, NY shared by OnTheNewsBeat after recent threats to Hindu institutions as a large Indian community gathering is planned in nearby Nassau County this weekend." It also mentioned that Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun had recently shared a video threatening Hindu and Indian institutions. It said that the vandalism incident in New York is similar to attacks on temples that happened in California and Canada. "Gurpatwant Pannun, of "Sikhs for Justice," recently posted a video threatening Hindu and Indian institutions, including HAF, as the community event approaches. The vandalism is similar to that seen in attacks on temples in New York, California and Canada & called out by @CongressmanRaja @RoKhanna @ShriThanedar @PramilaJayapal @BeraForCongress @shuvmajumdar and other political leaders," Hindu American Foundation posted on X. Earlier in July, the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir was vandalised in Canada's Edmonton. Canadian MP Chandra Arya voiced deep concern over the escalating incidents of hate-fuelled violence directed at Hindu-Canadian communities. In a post on X, Chandra Arya stated, "The Hindu temple BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton is vandalised again. During the last few years, Hindu temples in the Greater Toronto Area, British Columbia, and other places in Canada are being vandalised with hateful graffiti." (ANI) (Photo: Ronda Churchill/Nevada Current) Researchers estimate that about one million households in the United States are disconnected from electricity due to nonpayment each year, but the exact number of households in Nevada facing power shut offs amid heat waves is largely unknown. There should be a bill for that, a panel of state lawmakers agreed during a recent committee meeting. Nevada does not require utilities to disclose the number of customers they disconnect, leaving little transparency of the magnitude of the problem. NV Energy, a regulated utility monopoly with more than a million captive customers, has shown little interest in publicly sharing the number of disconnected customers. Advocates argue that public data on energy disconnections throughout the state would allow researchers, community-based organizations, and policymakers to identify patterns of disconnection and support communities that are more vulnerable to service disconnection. Both the reporting and the associated demographics would help us give a better picture of whats going on in terms of peoples ability to pay their energy bills each month, said Olivia Tanager, the director of the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter which covers Nevada and the Eastern Sierra. The Nevada Legislatures Joint Interim Standing Committee on Growth and Infrastructure unanimously voted to take up the bill draft request in August. Bill draft requests are not official bills, they are requests by lawmakers for a draft of the proposed bill they can further amend and discuss during the legislative session. The bill was recommended by the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter. The proposed bill would direct the Public Utilities Commission (PUCN) of Nevada to require Nevada energy providers to publicly report power disconnections, the location of the disconnection, and household demographics to utility regulators. NV Energys recent request to increase basic service charges in Northern Nevada pushed advocates to recommend the bill, said Tanager. In June, NV Energy asked utility regulators to let the energy provider increase its shareholder return by tripling the basic monthly service charge for Northern Nevada residents from $16.50 to $45.30. The PUCN has regulatory authority to approve or deny rates charged by electric, gas, and water utilities. But data on how those rate increases affect households, and whether they can pay or not, is largely private. Its just really difficult to get that information in Nevada, Tanager said. Folks can request data on shut offs, but the PUCN doesnt have to grant that request, nor does NV Energy have to make those records available publicly. While the energy company is not required to share the number of disconnected customers, and has previously said it does not share this type of data publicly but works diligently with customers and makes every effort to avoid disconnecting power. NV Energy did not respond to a request for additional comment late last week. The utility is required to disclose the debt from uncollected accounts they need remaining customers to cover. Limited data reviewed by the Current last year found that NV Energy debt from unpaid accounts which NV Energy can pass on to customers has consistently grown year to year, and totaled more than $13 million in uncollected accounts from their more than one million customers in 2022. We see this as an equity issue and something that should be made available to the public so that people can have this information and make the decisions that are best for themselves in their community, Tanager said. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 1 in 4 American households experience some form of energy insecurity an inability to meet household energy needs each year, with little improvement over the past decade. Nationally, Black and Hispanic households are twice as likely as white households to reduce or forgo basic necessities in order to pay an energy bill, and are statistically more likely to have their power disconnected, according to a 2023 report on electric utility disconnections by the Congressional Research Service. Congress has also gained an interest in determining the scale and scope of electricity disconnections in recent years. Proposals to address electricity affordability and disconnections were included in multiple pandemic relief bills introduced during the final two years of Donald Trumps presidency, but none were enacted. Last year, Congress gave the U.S. Energy Information Administration $3 million in funding to begin collecting monthly data on utility disconnections. However, only 25 states require energy providers to report disconnection data publicly, making comprehensive national data difficult to obtain, according to the Congressional Research Service. Tanager, the director of the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter, said the full scope of disconnections in Nevada households cant be evaluated or adressed without public data. Ultimately, without the information, we just dont know. If we have hundreds and hundreds of people each month who are having their lights turned off due to the inability to pay, thats a problem that we need to address, and decision lawmakers need to know about. Without that knowledge, it really limits our ability to effectively respond and support our neighbors, Tanager said. Happy Mexican Independence Day. What is it and when is Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated? Mexico celebrates its Independence Day on Sept. 16, a holiday often confused with Cinco de Mayo. The day commemorates El Grito de Dolores, or Cry of Dolores, on Sept. 16, 1810 a call to action by priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla to fight for Mexicos independence from Spain, according to the Library of Congress. This began the 11-year Mexican War of Independence in which Mexico ultimately freed itself from Spanish colonial rule for over 300 years, USA TODAY reported. This important day in history coincides with the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated Sept. 15-Oct. 15. What is Hispanic Heritage Month? National Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the contributions of the Hispanic and Latino communities to America over the course of the nations history, including through art, advocacy work and food, according to the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino. When is Hispanic Heritage Month? National Hispanic Heritage Month is from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 to coincide with the numerous independence days of Latin American countries, including Mexico. The observance began as a weeklong celebration in 1968, and President Ronald Reagan expanded it to a month in 1988, according to the National Museum of the American Latino. Why do we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month? The monthlong observance aims to show how the Hispanic and Latino communities have held significant roles throughout our countrys history since the American Revolution, according to the National Museum of the American Latino. It also highlights that with the large Latino and Hispanic population in America comes the need for people to learn more about the communities history and experiences. Hispanic people made up nearly one-fifth of Americas population last year, and accounted for just under 71% of the overall growth of Americas population between 2022 and 2023, the U.S. Census Bureau reported in June. What is Cinco de Mayo? Are you confused about the difference between Mexican Independence Day and Cinco de Mayo in May? Here's what to know. On May 5, 1862, Mexican troops defended the town of Puebla from France, according to the Library of Congress. The victory, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza who was outnumbered with 2,000 troops versus the Frenchs 6,000, was declared a national holiday by Mexicos President Benito Juarez, the History Channel reported. French emperor Napoleon III sought to expand the French empire, according to the Getty Research Institute, and the town was later seized by the French, according to the Library of Congress. But by 1867, France finally withdrew from Mexico, according to the History Channel. Cinco de Mayo is more popular in America than it is in Mexico though, gaining popularity during the Chicano Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, USA TODAY reported. "It becomes a Chicano holiday, in many ways, linked to the Chicano movement, because we discover Mexicans resisting a foreign invader," UC Santa Barbara Chicanx historian Mario Garcia told USA TODAY in 2022. "They link the struggle of the Chicano movement to Cinco de Mayo." Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza. This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: What is Hispanic Heritage Month and Mexican Independence Day Hardman who may be Ugandas next president is Putin fan and asked Meloni to marry him Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba is fond of strongmen and described Donald Trump as the only white man I have ever respected - Hajarah Nalwadda/AP When he is not busy fawning over Vladimir Putin, the army chief aiming to be Ugandas next president has spent a good deal of time salivating over Giorgia Meloni. So taken is Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba with Italys populist prime minister that in 2022 he offered 100 Ankole cattle the most beautiful cows on Earth in exchange for her hand in marriage, warning of war if his proposal was rejected. Italy is not the only country the general has threatened when, late of an evening, he has settled behind a screen and opened up his page on X, formerly Twitter. He has used the social media platform to rail against the United States, which gives Uganda $1 billion in aid a year, voiced support for Ethiopias rebels and unveiled plans to invade neighbouring Kenya. Vladimir Putin is our Russian hero, says Ugandas heir apparent - Alexander Kazakov/Reuters Even more worrying for Western diplomats fretting about the trajectory of a potential Kainerugaba presidency is his fondness for strongmen, particularly Putin. Although he has heaped praise on Egypts military dictator, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, and described Donald Trump as the only white man I have ever respected, Gen Kainerugaba has reserved his deepest devotion for our Russian hero. Giving his full-throated support to Putins invasion of Ukraine, he has even pledged to send troops to Moscow to defend it from Western imperialists. Such outbursts are to the despair of Yoweri Museveni, Ugandas ageing president, who has been forced to expend considerable diplomatic capital apologising to world leaders for the generals buckshot pronouncements. Had anybody else in Uganda been responsible for such indiscretions, they would surely be out of a job. But Gen Kainerugaba, who claims to be a descendent of Jesus Christ, is not just any Ugandan. He is also Mr Musevenis much-indulged only son and, so it has long been whispered, his chosen successor a belief given renewed impetus in March when the Sandhurst-educated general was appointed head of Ugandas armed forces. With Mr Museveni turning 80 on Sunday, a milestone that will bring the atmosphere of decay surrounding his 38-year presidency into renewed relief, many inside and outside Uganda are aghast at the prospect of a Kainerugaba presidency. He has done little to assuage fears that he is a dictator in the making. Declaring that he will definitely be president, he wrote in one post: Constitution? Rule of law? You must be joking! In 2022, the general offered the most beautiful cows on Earth to Giorgia Meloni if she would marry him - Claudia Greco/Reuters Inevitable parallels have been made with Idi Amin, the jovially brutal, Hitler-loving Ugandan dictator who proclaimed himself Conqueror of the British Empire, kept his enemies heads in his freezer and oversaw the slaughter of perhaps 300,000 people. Amid the unease, the only party that seems enthused is Russia. Last month, a Russia defence ministry delegation handed over a $100 million (76 million) donation to Gen Kainerugaba for the Ugandan armed forces. Russias influence has grown in Africa in recent years, with Kremlin-backed mercenaries being deployed to protect military dictators in an array of former French colonies. Putin, however, has struggled to gain a similar foothold in former British colonies and will regard Uganda as a tantalising opportunity to exploit. For Ugandas Western donors there is dismay that an ageing autocrat once regarded as the continents most promising leader is contemplating an erratic, verbally incontinent popinjay as his successor. Yet few observers are surprised that Mr Museveni finds himself in the position in which attempting to foist his wholly unsuitable son on the country is even an option. When he seized power in a rebellion in 1986, he was seen by his people as a saviour who rescued a country scarred by mass murder during the dictatorships of both Amin and Milton Obote, an image he continues to cultivate. The West regarded him as a new type of African leader who restored stability, presided over modest economic growth, pursued sensible development goals and beat back the countrys terrible Aids crisis. In return, Western leaders turned a blind eye to atrocities committed by his armed forces in rebellion-afflicted northern Uganda. Yet Mr Museveni was no democrat, winning six contentious election victories, twice changing the constitution to stay in power and presiding over an increasingly repressive regime. His mental faculties waning as he ages, he now finds himself in the classic dictator trap in which, in order to protect corrupt regime allies and his increasingly unpopular family, he is unable to retire even if he wants to, according to analysts. Museveni runs a system that is self-centred and focused entirely on regime survival, says Michael Mutyaba, a Ugandan political scientist. In order to survive, he has to resort to ever greater repression because he knows if he reforms the system he is out within a minute. So he cant reform, he can only deploy force, which worsens the situation. Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni had to apologise to world leaders over his sons outbursts - Simon Maina/AFP via Getty With the income of the average Ugandan stagnating since 2009 and the economic gap with neighbouring Kenya widening, Mr Museveni has desperately sought to regain control through a mixture of populism, patronage and brutality. He has attempted to write and perform rap songs to demonstrate his youthfulness while pandering to public opinion by introducing the death sentence for those convicted of homosexuality for the second time. At the same time he has moved to shore up his position among the military elite by granting greater control of the economy to the armed forces, whose business interests are run by his brother, Salim Saleh, believed to be one of Ugandas richest men. Former officers have also been added to Mr Musevenis 82-strong cabinet. Meanwhile, his suppression of the opposition has grown ever more ruthless. Activists say dissidents are frequently abducted and held in a string of torture centres overseen by Gen Kainerugaba, who denies the claims. For the moment, Mr Musevenis strategy has paid off, despite rising discontent. But greater challenges lie ahead. As Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian dictator toppled in the Arab Spring, discovered, elderly autocrats who cling to office in the vague hope of handing over power to unpopular sons are pursuing a risky strategy. Having groomed him for office, Mr Museveni may have hoped that his son would contest the 2026 elections in his place. Yet Gen Kainerugaba remains so clearly unsuited for office that observers expect his father to seek a seventh term, meaning that any succession plan would not be realised until either after Mr Musevenis death or towards the end of the decade at the earliest. As diplomats and analysts point out, the longer Mr Museveni remains in power, the greater the vulnerability when he does go for his family, his allies and even his Nkole ethnic group, tarred by the assumption that they have economically benefited from having a kinsman in office. It is difficult to see Musevenis presidency ending well, says a Western researcher in Kampala. If he dies or if the army decides he is a liability and topples him, you end up in very, very dangerous territory. On one hand, you have the current elite trying to defend their privileges, on the other you have large sections of the country demanding justice or vengeance against anyone associated with the regime. Its a volcano waiting to erupt. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. In his ball cap and Astros pullover, Mayor John Whitmire wasnt headed for the opera as he shuffled toward Houstons downtown Theater District one Saturday night in April. Hed come to observe another powerful human drama playing out across our city: men and women bedding down for the night on concrete strewn with sneakers, walkers, rolling suitcases and hard luck. Whitmire, mayor for all of three months at that point, inched along the row of sleeping bags under the bridge-like shelter of Bayou Place, introducing himself as John and asking those still awake how long theyd been on the street and what they did before. He got all kinds of answers. One was a choreographer. Another a sheriffs deputy. There were stories of abuse, unemployment, illness and other challenges unhoused people face such as theft and no access to bathrooms. Whitmire took it all in, straining to hear at times amid the ear-splitting throttles of street racers and the clip-clop of horses pulling sight-seeing carriages. Later, as he walked away, he turned to his companions on this tour: two members of the Chronicle editorial board. Sure looks to me like weve fixed it, didnt we? he said with a wry smile. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Houston Mayor John Whitmire talks with a homeless woman at Bayou Place in downtown Houston on April 13, 2024. Sharon Steinmann In truth, no previous Houston mayor claimed to have fixed homelessness. But nationally, Houston is celebrated for coming closer than perhaps any major U.S. city has. Glowing national and international coverage from the New York Times to CBS News to the BBC over the past few years portray the dwindling homeless population of Houston and Harris County down 60% in a decade as a rare success story, a national model amid a worsening national crisis. A family walks past homeless people at Bayou Place in downtown Houston on April 13, 2024. Sharon Steinmann In Los Angeles County, 74,312 people are homeless, according to a 2024 survey. Thats over 7 per 1,000 residents. For the Houston region, the number is 3,280, or less than 1 per 1,000 residents. Last year, the mayors of Los Angeles, New York and Chicago met with then-Mayor Sylvester Turner to learn whether the astounding results could be replicated. California, in particular, is grasping for answers, having invested $24 billion in the homeless problem with little to show for it. The L.A. mayor has declared a state of emergency. Tents still line block after block of downtown streets. Men and women are curled up on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in front of houses worth millions in beachside Venice. Houston, meanwhile, seemed to get results despite paltry investments by the city and next to nothing from the state. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Frankly, we were skeptical. How could Houston be winning the homelessness battle when we still saw unhoused people every day on the streets. Was the hype just hype? For over a year, editorial board writers and a video journalist have studied the system, toured facilities, interviewed officials and former officials, followed the journeys of unhoused people, reviewed data and traveled from San Antonio to Colorado to get answers. Finally, we have a clear picture albeit one thats nuanced and constantly shifting. Officer Sheldon Theragood, left, and Sgt. Derek Fontenot, both in the Houston Police Departments Homeless Outreach Team, talk with people in an encampment in downtown Houston on July 28, 2023. Sharon Steinmann The good news: The hype is deserved, mostly. Houstons model has indeed reduced chronic homelessness in ways that are innovative and inspiring. Success seemed to hinge on cooperation between the city, county and more than 100 nonprofits initially under the leadership of Mayor Annise Parker in 2011, so that groups participating agreed on objectives and to lower barriers for homeless people to access help. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The genius of Houstons system, called the Way Home, was pooling federal funds with resources of nonprofits and law enforcement to nudge unhoused people directly into their own apartments rather than to cots in a shelter. The idea is you shouldnt have to get sober or saved, medicated or even employed, to get a roof over your head. In fact, the roof, and the stability it brings, can help you get the rest. Housing first isnt unique to Houston. Other cities follow the philosophy but Houston had two advantages: a relatively affordable rental market and natural disasters. Yes, natural disasters, which opened a fount of federal relief money after Hurricane Harvey and other events that Turner and Harris County leaders funneled into housing for the homeless. According to the Coalition for the Homeless, 95% of the people in the permanent supportive housing program do not return to the streets. For the rapid rehousing program, which provides free rent for one year, the success rate is 85%. Sheri Macek, 52, cries as she talks with outreach workers from the Coalition for the Homeless on July 13, 2023. She has been living under a bridge at Almeda-Genoa Road for 7 years. Sharon Steinmann And now, the bad news: That federal fount is running dry. Calamity isnt a stable revenue stream even in Houston. Kelly Young has been sounding the alarm since November of last year when she was named the new CEO of the homeless coalition. She says that as COVID funds run dry, the coalitions partners need at least $50 million per year to keep up their interventions such as rapid rehousing, counseling and drug treatment. Without it, homelessness could increase by 30% by the end of 2026, Young told us. Advertisement Article continues below this ad On top of that, Houston is just one of the cities across America running out of federal housing vouchers that pay for apartments because Congress has not appropriated more funding. In fact, Houston, a supposedly shining model for housing the homeless, has been out of vouchers since at least February. A program that at its peak placed people in apartments in about 30 days or less now has wait times ranging from 90 to 120 days, though many individuals wait far longer. Social workers and police cant effectively, or humanely, break up encampments because theres nowhere to take people to await housing. The citys Navigation Center, a facility in Fifth Ward thats supposed to house people only for a few weeks as they transition to apartments, has been at capacity since spring. As of August, the average stay is 60 days. It is packed, it is full, Meg Pohodich, the CEO of Harmony House, the nonprofit that runs the Navigation Center, told us in June. Alexa Southwick, 37, gets ready to sleep at Bayou Place in downtown Houston on August 26, 2024. Sharon Steinmann Beyond funding woes, another gaping hole became obvious: Houstons model serves only a fraction of the unhoused. When we started asking questions about the folks sleeping on benches and under bridges, we realized that for those who dont fit in the Way Homes prioritization of ending chronic homelessness typically those on the street for a year or more there were few options. Advertisement Article continues below this ad True believers in the housing first model say a dollar spent on a shelter is a dollar that could have gone to housing someone in a real apartment. But this purist view seems blind to the thousands of people left to languish on Houston streets. And lately, weve heard numerous anecdotal accounts from experts and seen for ourselves that the numbers of people on the street because of a temporary crisis such as an eviction, have been increasing. In August, Stephanie Truong, the chief program officer at the Beacon, which provides hot meals, showers, laundry and legal aid, told us that when they try to find beds for their homeless clients, 9 out of 10 times the shelters are full. It appears that even aspects of Houstons model that worked are unraveling, held together with duct tape and determination. So whats the way forward? Advertisement Article continues below this ad A homeless encampment is seen in downtown Houston on July 28, 2023. Sharon Steinmann For starters, Houston needs a well-rounded, pragmatic solution that fills glaring gaps and does the most good for the most people. Keep whats working: collaboration among nonprofits and humane law enforcement. Get rid of tickets and fines for homeless people who have nowhere to go. Address whats lacking: more diversion programs that keep people off the streets in the first place, more shelter space for people who arent ready or dont qualify for housing, and stable sources of funding that arent dependent on the whims of weather or politics. The first step, of course, is admitting the problem, and thats something Whitmire seems to have done early on, even before moving from the Texas Senate to the mayors office in January. His early focus seemed heavily on increasing shelter space, even successfully prodding us to tour San Antonios sprawling Haven For Hope shelter. But weve watched him evolve as he listened to community concerns and the perspectives of knowledgeable advisors. Were hopeful that his focus on shelters now seems tempered with an appreciation for the long-term benefits of the housing-first model. Carrie Campbell of Houston pauses on the sidewalk Midtown as outreach workers approach her during the annual national point-in-time count of homeless people on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024 in Houston, TX. Sharon Steinmann Whitmire has not only been agitating for more housing vouchers, traveling to Washington in May with a bipartisan group of mayors to urge leaders in Washington to free up more. For a while now, he and his advisers have been crafting a comprehensive plan, which the mayor described vaguely in a July City Council meeting as including multiple navigation centers, balancing an understanding that the homeless do not need to be in public space and help for those that need affordable housing, housing being first. He confirmed to us in an interview last week the basics of a plan he hopes to discuss publicly soon: Hes close to securing $75 million to maintain and expand Houstons model, a third each from the city, county and the private sector. The plan would involve greater police enforcement of camping bans while increasing the number of low-barrier shelter beds by maximizing the use of existing facilities such as the Sobering Center and the Harris Center, and by negotiating an agreement with the Salvation Army. The focus would initially be on getting people out of public space downtown and then progressing through the four quadrants of the city, potentially building shelters in each. The mayor also hinted at a plan to utilize the downtown St. Joseph hospital, currently in bankruptcy, for homeless people with serious mental health issues, including involuntary commitments for people with severe disorders. A woman and her dog sleep at Bayou Place in downtown Houston on April 13, 2024. Sharon Steinmann Mayor Whitmires plan will help us avoid a complete and total crisis, Young, head of the homeless coalition, told us Friday, though she also sounded a note of caution about the single round of funding. We will always end at a cliff if we dont figure out long-term, sustainable funding. Whitmire told us he wouldnt be wasting everyones time if he didnt have ideas for long-term funding. He mentioned partnering with METRO and an expanded hotel tax, but said hes not ready to show his cards yet. Its fine that the motives for addressing homelessness in Houston are vast and varied. While some residents and businesses understandably prioritize the removal of homeless encampments near their homes and businesses, others are motivated by their spiritual beliefs that all people are made in Gods image and deserve a life of basic dignity. We believe even the conflicting motivations can coexist to accomplish a common goal. In the end, its not just a matter of aesthetics or quality of life. Its a matter of life and death. Lets remember that even though Houstons homeless population has shrunk, more people are dying in the streets. In 2011, about 50 people died in homelessness. In 2022, it was nearly 250. Much of the change is attributed to more drug overdoses, but not all. On a single day in June, two homeless people died from gunshots and another in a separate incident when a car struck three people on a sidewalk. Edward Summons, 27, is seen in his tent as Hundreds of people pass by him to protest against Houston Independent School District Superintendent Mike Miles on Saturday, May 25, 2024, at Houston City Hall. Sharon Steinmann If we want to address homelessness in a way thats truly a model for the nation, well have to do it the Houston way: come together and get it done. This time, we dont just mean social workers at dozens of nonprofits, city employees, faith leaders and a tenacious mayor. And even our biggest philanthropists and foundations cant pull this off on their own. It will also take us, the taxpaying public, to invest in a solution. Houston has shown its possible to get chronically homeless people, many struggling with drug addiction and mental illness, off the streets, into homes, and some into jobs on their way to becoming productive members of society. Now we have to show we can do it for all open to receiving help. What to know about Question 1, which asks whether RI should hold a constitutional convention Question 1 on the ballot in November asked voters whether Rhode Island should hold a constitutional convention. A State House commission that's been listening to the public and collecting research about a potential convention concluded recently that they had done as good a job of helping voters get the gist of Question 1 as possible and unanimously approved a nine-page report summarizing what they heard. What does the Constitutional Convention report say? In short, that if voters approve Question 1 on Nov. 5 there will be an election to choose 75 delegates who will meet at a time and place to be determined to recommend amendments to the constitution that would be put up for approval at another statewide election. More:Should RI have a Constitutional Convention? The cases for and against The final report includes a section on the "concerns" about a convention but not one with possible advantages. State Rep. David Place at Wednesdays final meeting of a commission studying a constitutional convention How would it work? If a majority of voters choose "yes" on Question 1 in November, it will set in motion a process for two more elections. First, the General Assembly would have to call for a vote to elect the 75 convention delegates one for each House district that would make up the convention. The last time voters called for a convention, in 1984, delegates were chosen in a 1985 special election. Then the elected delegates would convene, debate, negotiate and approve a set of amendments to recommend to voters. Next, the recommended amendments would be put to voters for final approval, most likely in the next scheduled statewide election. (If the 1986 model holds, an equivalent timeline this decade would be a vote on amendments at the November 2026 general election.) Rhode Island AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Patrick Crowley speaks against referendum to hold state constitutional convention When was the last time Rhode Island held a constitutional convention? The last time voters called for a convention, in 1984, delegates were chosen in a 1985 special election. Rhode Island constitutional conventions past have taken on many shapes and sizes, from the 1973 convening that lasted a month to the 1964 affair that lasted four years. How much will a constitutional convention cost? If voters in November say yes to holding another convention to recommend changes to the state's founding document, it will be up to state lawmakers to decide key questions about how a convention would be put together, how long it would last and who could serve. All those variables will play a big role in determining how much it will cost. The 1986 convention was estimated to cost taxpayers $891,000. (That's about $2.5 million in today's money.) This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ballot Question 1: Should RI hold a constitutional convention? A restored F-100 Super Sabre is on exhibit outside the MAPS Air Museum in Green. The plane was formally dedicated Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, after a lengthy restoration process. A warplane and its gallant pilots were celebrated over the weekend. The new F-100 Super Sabre jet fighter exhibit at the Military Aviation Preservation Society Air Museum in Green is of both national interest and historical significance in military aviation. This display recognizing the importance of the Vietnam-era fighter plane and honoring the pilots and ground crew members who flew and supported them opened in the spring at the MAPS Air Museum, but was formally dedicated Saturday night in a private ceremony. "The F-100 Super Saber flew more missions in Vietnam than all of the other fighters combined," said Ken Ramsay, a member of the board of directors at MAPs who was key in bringing the display of memorabilia and artifacts to the museum, in part because he flew the plane in Vietnam. "(The plane's historical significance) is what we hope visitors will take away from it." The permanent exhibition in one of the rooms on the recently renovated second floor at the museum was a years-long collaboration of MAPS, the Super Sabre Society and the Friends of the Super Sabre. Ramsay is a member of all three organizations and was able to mediate the collaboration and oversee the collection of items that are displayed in the exhibition. Other sites for the exhibit were considered, said Michael Dean of Pennsylvania, a former F-100 ground crew chief and a member of the Super Sabre societies, who with his wife Linda helped organize the display. MAPS ultimately was chosen for reasons that included Ramsay's encouragement, the museum's mission to teach the public about military aviation history as well as exhibit airplanes, and the fact that the facility actually has an F-100 on display. "They pride themselves in educating visitors," said Dean, who noted there is much to learn about the significant aircraft and the notable pilots who flew it. "They (MAPS) don't just show artifacts and memorabilia. They explain the items in display cases. "And the Super Sabre pioneered supersonic jet flight. It was the first production aircraft capable of flying at supersonic speed in level flight." Restoration of aircraft takes years In a sense, the creation of the Super Sabre exhibit traces its roots to the restoration of the F-100 fighter now displayed outside of the MAPS hanger. "I visited the MAPS museum about this time 20 years ago, in November of 2004," recalled Ramsay, who knew the previous director and was told that the museum had just obtained an F-100 to restore. "That was on a Tuesday and the following Saturday I became a life member (of MAPS)," noted Ramsay, who had piloted F-100 fighters a plane affectionately nicknamed "The Hun" because of its designated number (100) while escorting bombers on 35 combat missions in Vietnam and later as an instructor pilot for the Air National Guard based in Dayton. "We would fly through woods and down valleys to get to the target." Because of his experience and emotional ties to the aircraft "It was my buddy" Ramsay was made crew chief for the restoration of MAPS' F-100, which is on lease from the military. "The plane came from a swamp in Florida," he explained. "It had been taken apart and dumped with a bunch of other planes. The fuselage was in two pieces. Many panels were missing. As we found more things missing, we made three more trips down to Florida. A lot of parts were buried. "It took us more than seven years to restore it. We still do maintenance on it. Around 2019, we repainted it," said Ramsay, who claimed no personal recognition on the plane's exterior, even though he had the closest ties at MAPS to the F-100. "I didn't put my name on it because I never flew that particular plane. I put the name of a pilot who did fly the plane Hoppy Hopkins of Virginia." Still, memories return when Ramsay periodically sits in the plane to make sure the canopy still works, determine if there is moisture in the cockpit or "chase the birds and bees away." "It brings back a lot of memories," he said. "Your hand wanders to the stick and throttle." Exhibit was a longtime dream So, that was the state of mind the affection for an aircraft that Ramsay possessed when he heard of the desire that the Friends of the Super Sabre had for designing and displaying an exhibit to keep the memories of the F-100 alive for pilots and to pass on the legacy left by those pilots to those unacquainted with the warplane. According to Dean, the exhibition was the dream of Bob Dunham, a former Air Force pilot who flew the F-100 and was a co-founder of the organization. "Bob started the collection of memorabilia donated by other F-100 Super Sabre pilots and crew chiefs," explains the organization's website. "Friends of the Super Sabre (FSS), Super Sabre Society (SSS) and MAPS Air Museum are continuing the mission to have the finest display of F-100 history in the world." Dean said Dunham, who had gotten the chance to fly the coveted F-100 by graduating at the top of his class at the Air Force Academy and excelling during pilot training in the 1960s, began collecting memorabilia and artifacts about the F-100 and was storing it all at his home in Texas while he vainly searched for a location to exhibit the items. Finally, said Dean, "he picked up the phone and contacted Ken (Ramsay) at MAPS. With encouragement from Ramsay, the executive board accepted the artifacts and agreed terms for an exhibit early in 2014. "Now Bob knew that all his memorabilia had found a permanent home," said Dean. "Sadly, Bob died before he had the opportunity to see the fulfillment of his dream." Dunham "flew west," the aviation terminology for death, in May 2014. George Bud Day's mess dress jacket adorned with his ribbons and medals along with his Medal of Honor are part of the new F-100 Super Sabre Exhibit at the MAPS Air Museum. This new exhibit is the result of a collaboration between MAPS, the Friends of the Super Sabre and the Super Sabre Society. Memorabilia brought to MAPS Fortunately, Dunham had enlisted Dean and his wife, Linda, as well as their friend Bob Weston -- all officers in Friends of the Super Sabre -- to carry on the collecting of artifacts and the planning of the exhibit. Construction of the display was delayed for years by ongoing renovation of the second floor of MAPS into exhibit and meeting rooms, restrooms, a kitchen and a banquet hall. During that time, Friends of the Super Sabre was incorporated in Ohio as a nonprofit allowing the group to solicit donations. Finally, artifacts and memorabilia were trucked from Texas to Ohio and work began on erecting the exhibit. Additional items for display continued to be collected and during the last couple of years Dean and his wife made six-hour trips to MAPS almost monthly to help MAPS staff and volunteers put together the exhibit in a 29-foot by 24-foot room on the second floor of the museum. Display cases contain items that honor not only the aircraft -- among artifacts is an electrical unit that took a bullet and saved an F-100 that Dunham had been flying on a combat mission in Vietnam but also the pilots who flew them. Noted American military pilot Richard Glenn "Dick" Rutan, who "flew west" in May, is among those who are recognized. Rutan was member of Commando Sabre, a top-secret group of highly experienced F-100 pilots who flew low-altitude flights over North Vietnam and Laos spotting targets during the Vietnam War. Later, Rutan became the first man to fly nonstop, unrefueled, around the world. Also honored is Col. George "Bud" Day, a veteran of three wars and the first commander of that skilled and secret Commando Sabre group, whose love for the song "Misty" was the reason that it became the radio call sign for pilots. Day was shot down during a mission, spent years as a prisoner of war as the cellmate of John McCain in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, and never gave up information about himself or his flying group. "So, in the exhibit, we have his mess dress uniform with all his medals and ribbons," said Dean. "He is the only one to receive both the Air Force Cross and the Medal of Honor and we have both in the exhibit." Celebrated as well are such pilots as the legendary Robert Anderson "Bob" Hoover, lauded by aviation pioneer Gen. Jimmy Doolittle as "the best stick and rudder man ever," and Air Force Brigadier General Chuck Yeager, the first "right stuff" test pilot confirmed to break the sound barrier. Visitors will find parts on display from actual F-100 fighters, which were used at one time by the Air Force Thunderbirds formation-flying show group. "The Thunderbirds flew the Super Sabre during two different periods," said Ramsay. "We have a vertical stabilizer that actually came off of one of the Thunderbirds planes." Such artifacts will both interest and educate visitors to the exhibit. It is in keeping with the mission of MAPS. "Where History Takes Flight," the MAPS website says. "History is not made by airplanes, but by the men and women who designed, built and flew them." Reach Gary at gary.brown.rep@gmail.com. On "X" (formerly Twitter): @gbrownREP. About the exhibit WHAT F-100 Super Sabre exhibit WHERE MAPS Air Museum at 2260 International Pkwy., North Canton WHEN The exhibit opened in the spring, was dedicated Saturday Sept. 14, and will be on permanent display WHY The exhibit honors the plane, its pilots and ground crew members of the F-100 Super Sabre jet fighter plane WHO Collaboration of MAPS Air Museum, the Super Sabre Society and Friends of the Super Sabre OTHER INFO The exhibit can be viewed during normal museum hours, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $8 for children 6-12 and free for children younger than 6. Veterans receive $2 off admission, and World War II or Korean War veterans get free admission. Group rates are available. This article originally appeared on The Repository: MAPS Air Museum honors F-100 Super Sabre and its pilots The Biden administration periodically promulgates new sanctions against Iran and its proxies. That is a sound policy. But sanctions without enforcement are easy to circumvent. Case in point: Last Tuesday, the Biden administration announced new sanctions against Iran Air, the Islamic Republic of Irans flagship airline, and its 67 aircraft. The reason: Iran Air transported weapons to Russia, including long-range missiles, in support of Moscows murderous aggression against Ukraine. European allies have also suspended bilateral air service agreements. Iran Air will now likely lose all its eight current routes to Europe. It is an important step, but it will only affect Irans malign behavior if the Biden administration now implements these sanctions by seizing aircraft at any international airport. Washington must also punish ground service providers and intermediaries with sanctions for providing material support to Irans aircraft. Yet a key precedent in U.S. sanctions enforcement is not encouraging. Consider the case of Mahan Air. In the past, the regime in Iran has relied on Mahan aircraft, in addition to Iran Airs fleet, to transport military personnel to war-torn Syria in support of the regime of Bashar Assad. That was one of the reasons Mahan Air could not benefit from the sanctions relief the Obama administration offered Iran under the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran Air, in contrast, was delisted under the agreement, and was able to buy brand-new Airbus aircraft before the Trump administration left the nuclear deal in 2018. Mahan has been heavily sanctioned in the past mostly under the Obama and Trump administrations. Washington put most (but not all) Mahan aircraft on its Office of Foreign Assets Control blacklist. The U.S. also repeatedly sanctioned general service agencies representing Mahan and providing it assistance around the world. However, Mahan just didnt care, as Washington largely failed to enforce the sanctions. Mahan flies among the largest fleet of Airbus A340s in the world. Earlier this year, Mahan arranged for the transfer of three widebody long-haul Airbus A340 that were registered with a Gambian leasing company and were stored in Lithuania. Two of the three planes took off, ostensibly heading to Sri Lanka and the Philippines, but eventually landed in Iran. Local authorities managed to ground the third plane, reportedly loaded with aircraft spare parts, before it could take off. According to open-source data, the two planes Mahan has successfully procured through Lithuania in 2024 to date were not the only ones it managed to acquire since President Biden took office. In 2023, two more A340, formerly owned by Turkish Airlines, joined the Mahan Air fleet. These were likely acquired to replace three A340s that, in 2021, Mahan agreed to transfer to the Venezuelan, U.S.-sanctioned airline Conviasa through a Dubai-based broker, alongside an old Boeing 747 cargo plane. The planes duly reached Caracas, and while the U.S. Department of Justice was able to seize the Boeing 747 in Argentina, the others are operational, regularly flying to both Moscow and Tehran. To be sure, Lithuanian authorities blocked one of these aircrafts from making its way to Iran and the Biden administration seized another in Argentina. But the intermediaries Mahan Air relied upon those who brokered aircraft transfers and sales to a U.S.-sanctioned malign actor and may have also assisted in the procurement of vital spare parts for Irans aviation sector have suffered no consequences so far. Not only did Mahan, then, manage to procure new aircraft to its fleet through intermediaries and even transfer some of its aircraft to Venezuela, but it has also done these things largely without consequences. These days, Mahan also relies on this newly acquired aircraft to send arms to Hezbollah on regular commercial flights to Lebanon. Mahan has no problem doing this, because the limited losses incurred due to U.S. sanctions have done little to disrupt its operations. This is a major flaw in the Biden administrations sanctions policy which, unless rectified, will diminish the impact of these new sanctions. Once malign Iranian actors take consignment of their aircraft, there is little that U.S. authorities can do to disrupt their flights to Moscow or Beirut. What the U.S. can do, and did quite effectively until 2020, is target intermediaries and service providers. Mahan, after all, does not fly only to destinations whose authorities are hostile to America. The same Mahan aircraft that fly to Beirut and Moscow, likely transporting military equipment in their cargo while posing as passenger flights, also fly to many destinations in Asia, including India and Thailand. The U.S. can try to seize these aircraft at least at some of these destinations. It can sanction companies that refuel them, handle their cargo and passenger luggage, sell their tickets, and provide other ground services. It should certainly go after the intermediaries that brokered aircraft sales to Mahan something the Biden administration has yet to do. Sanctions are not a silver bullet; they rarely take down a target with just one attempt. Patient, long-term follow-up enforcement is what makes these measures bite. Sanctioning Iran Air was an important step. Now comes the hard part. Emanuele Ottolenghi is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a non-partisan research foundation based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on national security and foreign policy. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Vermonters will trek to the polls on Nov. 5 to vote on who will represent them in Montpelier and Washington, D.C. Key races in the Green Mountain State include U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor and lieutenant governor. However, voters will also select their next state treasurer, secretary of state, auditor of accounts, high bailiff and 1,800 justices of the peace. All 50 state senators and 150 state representatives are on the ballot this fall as well. More: When will I receive my Nov. 5 general election ballot in Vermont? Find out more about Vermont's top four races and the candidates vying for the offices below. Robert Miller Community & Recreation Center served once again as Burlington's Ward 7 polling station for the Aug. 13, 2024 statewide primary election. U.S. Senate Two-time U.S. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is seeking his fourth term in the Senate. Sanders will face Republican Gerald Malloy, who also challenged U.S. Sen. Peter Welch in 2022, and a plethora of minor party candidates in his quest for reelection. Learn more about the Vermonters running for U.S. Senate. U.S. House Former state senator and representative Becca Balint is vying for her second term as Vermont's sole member of the U.S. House. Balint will take on Republican and Libertarian Mark Coester and two minor party candidates. Learn more about the candidates for U.S. House. Governor Republican Phil Scott, the country's most popular governor, is shooting for a fifth term. He will compete against Democrat Esther Charlestin who is the first black woman in Vermont to secure a major party nomination for governor and three minor party candidates. Learn more about Vermont's gubernatorial candidates. Lieutenant Governor Incumbent David Zuckerman will compete against former Democratic lawmaker-turned-Republican John S. Rodgers. Zuckerman also faces Green Mountain Peace & Justice Party member Ian Diamondstone, the son of the late socialist and perennial candidate Peter Diamondstone. Learn more about the Vermonters vying for lieutenant governor. Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont gears up for November general election Sep 16 (Go With Ali) - In this video, I meet with Yuyama Shinya, a former Yakuza gang boss who spent over eight years behind bars in Japan. Yuyama shares his experiences as a high-ranking member of the notorious Japanese mob, having been arrested 11 times before leaving the Yakuza in 2012. We dive deep into the dark side of Japan, discussing how the Yakuza operates, including their methods of making money through extortion, protection rackets, and their connections with other criminal organizations like the Triads and Russian mafia. Yuyama gives me an exclusive tour of an actual Yakuza headquarters, revealing the rituals, initiation ceremonies, and strict rules that govern this secretive criminal world. Afterward, we visit Japan's most famous girl hostess bar, where we continue our conversation about the Yakuza's influence on Japanese society and the complexities of leaving the underworld behind. Since leaving the life of crime, Yuyama has reformed, now running a YouTube channel and advocating for prison reform in Japan. This is an unmissable insight into the hidden world of the Yakuza, straight from a man who lived it. Sep 16 (NHK) - The Japan-set historical series "Shogun" has won a record number of prizes at the 76th Emmy Awards in the US, including best drama and best actor. "Shogun" collected a total of 18 awards, the most-ever for a single season of a television series. It has already won 14 awards at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards earlier this month. Sanada Hiroyuki won best actor for his role as Yoshii Toranaga in the drama, which was produced by the US pay TV channel, FX. Anna Sawai won for best actress, while Frederick Toye took the prize for directing a drama series. Set during Japan's Sengoku warring states period, "Shogun" features a samurai warrior and a British navigator who became his subordinate. Dialogue in the 10-episode drama is mostly in Japanese, which is unusual for a US production. In his speech at the ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sanada expressed his appreciation to all the people who have passed down and supported the tradition of historical dramas as well as the director and others. He went on to say that the passion and dream he inherited has traveled beyond the ocean and national borders. FUKUSHIMA, Sep 17 (News On Japan) - A school nutritionist in Fukushima embezzled Y7.98 million by using cheaper ingredients, such as replacing chicken thighs with breasts, to cut costs. The 42-year-old school staff member, who was responsible for meal budgeting, used cost-saving tactics to divert funds from the schools meal budget account. For example, instead of using thigh meat as planned, they opted for the cheaper breast meat. In the first year, the employee managed to reduce the per-meal cost from the allocated Y310 to Y296, saving Y14 per meal. In the second year, the budget was further reduced from Y330 to Y280 per meal, achieving a savings of Y50 per meal. Concerns were raised about whether the portion sizes were affected, but there were no complaints or inquiries regarding the menu, according to reports. The embezzled funds were reportedly spent on travel, beauty treatments, and dog care expenses. The employee admitted that they had difficulty managing personal finances and feared being unable to repay credit card bills. The Fukushima Prefecture has dismissed the nutritionist, and the staff member has returned the full amount embezzled. Source: ANN HOKKAIDO, Sep 17 (News On Japan) - The autumn travel season is finally here! In Hokkaido, Japan's 'earliest autumn leaves' have begun to appear. With many long weekends this fall, travel demand is expected to rise. We have thoroughly researched ways to travel affordably! Anchor Masatoshi Namba: "This fall, many of you might be planning a trip, but we all share the same goalto travel as cheaply as possible, right? Weve looked into how to make travel more affordable." JR East's "Tokudane Special 21" e-tickets offer Shinkansen tickets for half price for a one-way trip per adult. For example: - Tokyo to Toyama: Y12,760 Y6,380 - Tokyo to Kanazawa: Y14,180 Y7,090 - Tokyo to Fukui: Y15,610 Y7,800 The eligible routes cover Shinkansen stations in the three Hokuriku prefectures, departing from Tokyo, Ueno, or Omiya. Its limited to "Eki-Net" members, so you must sign up for the Eki-Net service. - Travel Period: October 15 to 31 This starts right after the long weekend in October. - Sales Period: From 1 month to 21 days prior to the travel date. That means you can book a ticket for October 16 starting on Monday, but as of September 16, the tickets have already sold out (as of 6:20 p.m.). However, you can make "pre-orders" a week before the sale date, which increases your chances of securing a ticket. ANA's Web-Only Sale: Fly to Okinawa for Y10,000 If you prefer flying, ANA is offering the "ANA Super Value Sale." - Tokyo (Haneda) to Sapporo (New Chitose): Y7,700 - Tokyo (Haneda) to Osaka (Itami): Y7,000 - Tokyo (Haneda) to Okinawa (Naha): Y9,500 All these fares are under Y10,000. The sale is available exclusively on ANA's website. - Travel Period: November 1 to February 28, 2025 (excluding the New Year holiday period). - Sales Period: Until 11:59 p.m. on September 18. Hotel critic Nobuaki Takizawa explains, "Its difficult to find cheap accommodations in hotels and ryokan right now." However, sometimes the official websites offer lower prices than booking sites, along with perks like complimentary drinks or early check-in. Interestingly, last month I traveled and found that booking directly through a hotels phone line saved me Y500 compared to booking through a travel site. Skipping the middleman might be the cheaper option after all. Source: TBS By Achor Abimaje Five persons have been confirmed killed by suspected gunmen in Mbar village of Bokkos local government area of Plateau State on Sunday night. This was disclosed in a statement jointly signed by Barrister Farmasum Fuddang, and Amb. Duwam Bosco, chairman and secretary of Bokkos Cultural Development Council Vanguard (BCDCV), respectively, a copy of which made available to LEADERSHIP in Jos, the State capital on Monday. According to the group, We wish to condemn in the strongest terms the tragic killing of five innocent young men in Mbar community on September 15, despite prior intelligence reports of suspected terrorists influx into the area. The statement explained that the armless youths were attacked on their way from Mbar town to Koh village along a bypass encircling Yelwa Nono village between 7pm to 7.30pm on the fateful day by fleeing terrorists on motorcycles who were initially repelled by the military from the surrounding mountains. They added that by the time the security forces were informed about the attack and arrived the scene several minutes later, the terrorists had completed their mission and fled the scene. BCDCV further argued that the incident added to a series of armed attacks in their villages, including the recent alleged murder of 11 youths in Tarangol, Daffo, and Bargesh villages on the September 3. We perceive these unprovoked attacks as a calculated attempt at evicting our people from their ancestral homes and taking over the land, they alleged. The statement also said, We request to be involved in the handling of the threats in our land, working in synergy with security forces as is the case with the Civilian Joint Task Force in the North-East and North-West regions. BCDCV further noted that their request was not to undermine or underrate the efforts of the military as it understood the logistical and manpower shortages faced by the military, requiring the active participation of local community members who by the way know the terrain and can better assist with intelligence to identify and expose criminal elements in communities. The socio-cultural organisation also sympathised with the families of the victims and called on their people to be vigilant, adding that they will not stand by idly while their people a small minority in Nigeria are eliminated from the face of the earth. A resident of Plattsmouth, Nebraska, was arrested Sept. 8 after allegedly ramming a vehicle and displaying a knife. The Fremont County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of 38-year-old Jared William Rye on Monday morning in a news release. Rye was arrested around 7:11 a.m. Sept. 8 near the intersection of 210th Avenue and Highway 2, which is just west of Exit 10 on Interstate 29. Deputies allege Rye rammed a vehicle then got out of his truck while displaying a knife, according to the release. He was arrested with the assistance of the Iowa State Patrol. Rye is accused of reckless driving, first-offense operating while impaired, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, going armed with intent and introducing a controlled substance into a correctional facility, according to the release. The sheriff's office said Rye is being held on a $15,000 bond at the Fremont County Jail. Democrat Marquette Green-Scott, an attorney and Iowa Colony City Councilmember, is running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls in Texas' 22nd Congressional District. Houston Chronicle Editorial Board Marquette Greene-Scott says she never got to know the version of her father that her older siblings remember growing up in Louisiana the active, loving parent who would walk his kids to school, provide for his family and do "everything that a father would do." The father she knew was the man who came back from fighting in the Vietnam War a shell of his former self: traumatized, irritable and abusive. That experience has shaped Greene-Scott's advocacy for veterans and their families, an issue she has made a pillar of her long-shot Democratic campaign against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls. "It's so important to me that we understand the sacrifices that military families make," she told the editorial board. "I sacrificed my father for this country, nobody's going to tell me I'm not patriotic." Advertisement Article continues below this ad Greene-Scott's perspective is an interesting contrast to Nehls, 56, an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq and is running for his third term in Congress. While that experience would seemingly give him an edge on veterans issues, Nehls has come under fire for wearing a Combat Infantryman Badge that he allegedly didn't earn. A CBS News investigation found that Nehls' Combat Infantryman Badge for his service in Afghanistan was rescinded due to the fact that he served as a civil affairs officer and not as an infantryman or Special Forces soldier. Yet Nehls continued to wear his Combat Infantryman Badge pin on his suit jacket, sparking accusations of "stolen valor" from several House Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, his colleague in the Texas delegation and an Iraq war veteran. While Nehls finally stopped wearing the pin in June, rather than take accountability, he blamed the "dishonest media." For Greene-Scott, 53, Nehls wearing a medal he wasn't awarded personally offends her. Her father was a combat infantryman and "suffered as a result of it," she said. Greene-Scott intends to be a staunch advocate for veterans in Congress, and that focus may help the civil attorney and Iowa Colony City Council member make inroads in a once-purple district that was redrawn in 2021 to include rural, whiter, Republican-leaning counties such as Wharton and Matagorda. Greene-Scott's top priority is boosting funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and particularly holding the agency accountable for circumventing the MISSION Act, a bill passed by Congress in 2018 that expands the options for "community care" networks in veterans' local communities. Veterans across the nation, including here in Houston, have complained that the VA is making them wait too long to access those networks for much-needed mental health and substance abuse treatment. Advertisement Article continues below this ad "We can't expect them to go to war and train to kill, and for that not to have some kind of effect," Greene-Scott said. "They need that mental health counseling. If they don't get it, then they use drugs, they use alcohol as a way to soothe themselves, which, in turn, leads to homelessness." Greene-Scott understands the challenge of taking on a Republican incumbent in a red district, but her pragmatic platform might just give her a fighting chance. You won't hear much activist rhetoric from her. She's keen on focusing on issues that members of both parties care about, including improving border security. She believes in a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, but also talks up hiring more border patrol agents and immigration judges to process asylum seekers. That bipartisan appeal was once a hallmark of Nehls' record. He co-sponsored several commonsense bills with Democrats in Congress to fund programs targeted at reducing recidivism for nonviolent inmates and hiring more police officers. These days, Nehls, who didn't meet with the editorial board, seems more keen on proving his undying loyalty to Donald Trump than legislating. He wrote a book in which he claims Democrats rigged the 2020 election and orchestrated a "sham impeachment" of Trump for his involvement in the Jan. 6 riots. These flagrant falsehoods should be disqualifying for any voter who believes in democracy and turning down the heated rhetoric that has polarized our nation. Greene-Scott is anything but a firebrand. She's a hardworking, thoughtful public servant who intends to legislate in a nonpartisan manner. Electing her in the 22nd District would send a loud message that even voters in a "red" district are tired of the divisiveness plaguing Washington. Hungarian far-right president Victor Orban said he plans to send 200 soldiers to Chad to help curb migration. He made the remark following a meeting with Chads president Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno in Budapest. Chad plays a vital role in the campaign against migration, Orban said on Facebook. Migration from Africa to Europe cannot be stopped without the countries of the Sahel region. That is why Hungary is building a partnership with Chad. We are working on this today and tomorrow with President Deby, Orban said. Hungary is among the European countries with a tough stance against migrants and asylum seekers from Africa and the Muslim world. However, many analysts see in Orbans fixation on migration a pretext for pursuing economic goals in the Sahel, following the example of Russia. Orban, who is distrusted by conventional European leaders, wants to project power in an area where French and German troops have been expelled. Landlocked Hungary is also seeking a foothold in the minerals rich Sahel. Hungary has attracted investments by Chinas BYD and BMW- to mention but a few- to build electric car plants and needs strategic metals such as cobalt and Lithium. Hence the need to have a foothold in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Moroccan government is considering a carbon tax and plans to release a road map for its implementation next year to meet its climate goals, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OCDE) said. Morocco has an ambitious target to reduce emissions by 45.5% by 2030 relative to 2010 and to net zero by 2050. But has yet to introduce a carbon tax. Such a tax could increase Moroccos GDP by 0.8%, OCDE said in a recent survey. Given that 15% of Moroccos exports to the EU are in sectors that will be covered by the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), it would be sensible to align the approach with the EU, particularly for the iron and steel sectors that are most exposed, it said. Raising taxes on diesel, enacting a carbon tax, raising water prices and a full enforcement of water withdrawal fees could raise revenues worth 1.4-1.5% of GDP, according to OCDE. In tandem, the government has also an ambitious program to increase the share of renewable energy in electricity production to over 50% by 2030. On the occasion of Eid Al Mawlid Annabawi, commemorated in Morocco this Monday Sept.16, corresponding to Rabii Al Awal 12 (Hegira calendar), King Mohammed VI has granted pardon to 638 individuals convicted by various courts of the Kingdom, the Ministry of Justice announced in a statement. The Ministry of Justice, which unveiled the list of the beneficiaries of the royal pardon, said these include inmates who were granted pardon over their remaining jail terms, convicts who had their prison terms reduced, and prisoners who saw their sentences commuted from life imprisonment to fixed jail terms. Some convicts benefited from pardon over their imprisonment terms but their fines were maintained. Other convicts saw their fines canceled, while others benefited from both a pardon over their prison terms and fines. The King usually grants free pardon to inmates and convicts on religious and national holidays. Nigerias Aliko Dangote mega-refinery made its first gasoline deliveries on Sunday, September 15, marking a key step toward the countrys energy self-sufficiency. On Monday, the National Oil Company (NNPC) increased fuel prices by 11%, following its purchase from the Dangote refinery. After eight years of construction, delays, and negotiations, the Dangote refinery finally began operations. Around 500 tanker trucks, sent by NNPC, transported 25 million liters of gasoline (Premium Motor Spirit) from the refinery, located 70 km east of Lagos. The $20 billion facility, with a future capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, is designed to meet Nigerias fuel demand and export the surplus. Dangote gasoline is expected to be available at fuel stations starting October 1. Despite being Africas top oil producer, Nigeria imports nearly all its fuel due to its non-operational state-owned refineries. At the launch Dangotes refinery, Nigerian Finance Minister Wale Edun called it a historic event, signaling progress toward industrialization and energy independence. Devakumar Edwin, vice president of Dangote Industries, said 44% of the refinerys output would serve domestic fuel needs, and the remaining 56% would be allocated for export. Egypts wheat imports significantly increased in the first half of 2024, rising to $2.324 billion from $1.785 billion in the same period of 2023, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). Wheat remains a crucial staple food for the country, contributing to the overall rise in raw material imports, which reached $5.621 billion in the first half of 2024, up from $5.223 billion the previous year, a gain of $397 million. However, in June 2024, wheat imports dropped by 21.5% to $261 million, down from $332 million in June 2023. Imports of medicines and pharmaceuticals also decreased by 11.9%, totaling $233 million compared to $265 million in June 2023. Overall imports for June 2024 saw a 3.3% decline, amounting to $6 billion, down from $6.21 billion in June of the previous year. Guinean President Umaro Sissoco Embalo has expressed his willingness to continue serving as President of Guinea-Bissau if his supporters desire it, reversing a decision he made just last week. Previously, Embalo had announced he would not seek a second term, citing his wifes advice. It was a decision I made after listening to the opinion of my wife, who is my closest family, Embalo had stated after presiding over a Council of Ministers meeting. However, speaking at the National Council meeting of a faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (Madem G-15) on Sunday (September 15), Embalo suggested he might reconsider. Addressing a passionate crowd of party activists, he said, last Tuesday I said I wouldnt run for a second term, but if you believe I should, Im at your disposal. I am not above you. He also affirmed his readiness to stand by the Guinean people in the face of any challenges. If you still see me as the solution, I will be here for you, he added. Madem G-15, a party founded in 2018 by former members of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), is currently divided into two factions. One group, gathered at the National Council in a hotel in Bissau, supports Embalos potential second term, while another opposes it. The pro-Embalo faction is led by veteran independence figure Satu Camara, while the opposing faction is led by businessman Braima Camara, who considers himself the legitimate leader after being elected at a 2022 congress for a four-year term. The internal dispute within Madem G-15 is currently before the courts, with a final decision expected after the judicial recess in October. Photo: Jimmy Rainford/Pool/Getty Images The British royal familys relationship with Prince Harry remains quite strained, so it was pretty shocking to see them acknowledge that he turned 40 on September 15 and wish him a happy birthday in a manner that (initially) appeared totally noncontroversial. As People notes, Public birthday wishes are usually reserved for working royals, and both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from their official duties in 2020 (then fled to America, released a tell-all book, and spilled family secrets to Oprah). Yet the official social-media account run by King Charless office at Buckingham Palace posted this message on Sunday: Then Prince William and Kate Middletons official account shared @theroyalfamilys post and added their own pleasant (if generic) birthday greeting. (The royals have separate PR machines: Buckingham Palace is Charles and Camillas press team, and Kensington Palace is William and Kates.) This was even more shocking, as the brothers do not appear to be speaking at the moment. Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex! https://t.co/ZKJbYDmV6L The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 15, 2024 But were talking about the royals here, a crew so petty that a christening once sparked a public skirmish over a babys title on a website. Surely there has to be some passive-aggressive twist to this birthday greeting? Well, maybe? Within hours, social-media users were accusing the royal family of intentionally needling Prince Harry yet again, and on Monday morning the New York Post ran a story titled, Meghan Markle cropped out of Prince Harrys birthday photo shared by royal family. Just so you know, the Royal Family cropped Meghan out of that photo. This is not an olive branch. Prince & Princess of Wales (@TribesBritannia) September 15, 2024 This is the sole piece of evidence behind this theory: Theres another version of the photo of Harry laughing, which was taken during the Sussexes 2018 visit to the start-up Dogpatch in Dublin, Ireland. In the full image, a somewhat blurry Markle is shown sitting beside her husband. Photo: Jimmy Rainford/Pool/Getty Images But it appears the royals did not do the cropping themselves. Both the full image with Markle and a photo of Harry cut down to a square are available on the AP and Gettys photo websites. A source told the Post, in guidance, the photo was provided in this format by the Press Association. A day later The Independent reported that a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace confirmed the image used was not altered and was used in the format it was received. So there are two possible explanations: The Buckingham Palace team searched through the APs archives for a nice solo image of Prince Harry, and the already-cropped square version of the 2018 photo is the first one they saw that was not taken during a funeral , a court appearance , or a gossipy interview The royal social-media team knew that people would search for a hidden dig at Harry, so they intentionally picked the cropped photo, knowing internet sleuths would discover Markle was excluded from the birthday post. And now a Buckingham Palace spokesperson is lying about it. Ill let you decide for yourself, but I personally find it hard to believe that the PR team that regularly failed to spot glaring Photoshop errors in official royal photos executed a burn this subtle. This post was updated to include the denial from Buckingham Palace. Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photo: Getty Images Pennsylvania has been one of the keys to the Electoral College for decades, but this year it has reached Ultimate Swing State status. Nate Silver lists Pennsylvania as the most likely tipping-point state for either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump to achieve victory on Election Night, surpassing other perennials like Michigan and Wisconsin. Both campaigns are treating the state as essential, flooding it with staff, money, and endless ads to prod exhausted voters to the polls and take home its 20 electoral votes. So which candidate is in a better place to do so? To get a sense of how things look in the Keystone State, I spoke with Berwood Yost, the director of the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College, who also runs the colleges closely watched poll. The FiveThirtyEight averages have Kamala Harris with a 0.7 percent lead in the state right now. I know the latest F&M poll in August showed her up three in August, but do you see the race as the 50-50 proposition its being portrayed as? The last two cycles have been exceedingly narrow races a 1.2 percent margin and 82,000 votes last time around, and fewer than that in 2016. So history suggests that this will be close. Theres a good many Trump supporters here we have a lot of white working-class voters, which is the base of his appeal. But Ive also written about the fact that Trump is a known commodity. Is he at his ceiling or his floor in the polling? I think that remains unanswered. Relatedly, I read something you wrote about how to define undecided voters. Only about 3 percent of people are truly undecided, you posit, but theres a much larger bloc of moderates who may be leaning one way or another but havent fully made up their minds. And those voters dont like Donald Trump at all, which tracks with your point that maybe there isnt that much more room for him to gain. I think thats true. If you look at his favorability ratings in the state, theyre basically where they were in October of 2020. Everybody knows who he is and they know what theyll get. Polling shows that Harris actually holds her own pretty well with white voters compared to Bidens 2020 margins, but that shes still behind him among Black and Hispanic voters. This kind of surprised me. Thats probably a working-class thing. The divide in this state to me, when I look and think about whats going on here one is an educational divide and one is a geographic divide. And the two work together. If you look at whats happened in Pennsylvania over the last 20-plus years, the state has flipped itself on its head. The Democratic strongholds of southwestern Pennsylvania that Al Gore won pretty comfortably completely flipped to Trump. And in the Southeast, youve seen the opposite. Ive often wondered how fracking has played into this. Because if you think about the fracking belt in Pennsylvania, it runs from the southwest and comes across the northeast. Luzerne County was a county that Gore won with I think 54, 55 percent of the vote in 2000. And by 2020, Biden had gotten about 42 percent. For Harris, the question is: Can she cut the margins in those communities that support Republicans, and can she build or maintain the margins in those urban centers of Philly and Pittsburgh and the southeastern counties up through the Lehigh Valley? Its very much the same strategy Biden used. Pennsylvania is quite similar, demographically, to Wisconsin and Michigan. But Harris holds slightly larger leads in both of those states. These are small differences, but obviously small differences can matter a lot. Do you have any theory as to why Pennsylvania is stubbornly closer? Your point is an interesting one, because if you think about the white non-Hispanic population overall in Wisconsin, its a larger share than in Pennsylvania. And there are fewer white working-class voters here, probably. Pennsylvania is an interesting mix: It has more foreign-born people than either of those other states. I believe we have higher rates of educational attainment. We also have more people who speak a language other than English at home compared to those two states its about 12 percent here compared to 8 percent or 9 percent in those two states. The other thing thats different here is our median household income is higher. So it is sort of perplexing when you think about the college attainment and the higher incomes and the foreign-born population, which all seem to say Pennsylvania should be a better target for Harris than either Wisconsin or Michigan. But at the same time, Pennsylvania is famous for its localism. I think theres a political culture here and you have to understand the political geography, and that probably plays into this as well. Polling has been way off in all these states the last two presidential cycles. The F&M poll had Hillary Clinton up 11 points a few weeks before the 2016 election and had polls with Biden up several points shortly before the 2020 election. Both times, the state ended up being decided by a point and a half or less. And both results really surprised people because almost no polling portrayed the races as being so close. I know accuracy has been better in midterms, but do you think your polls and others have corrected the old errors? Or is that impossible? How long do we have? Ill give you a few minutes on this one. One of the things youll notice in our polling is we usually stop about three weeks before the election. We dont pretend that were trying to predict what will happen. We say that this is a description of where things are and where they might go. And there is no poll of 500 or 800 people precise enough to find what is basically a 50-50 race. Polls are blunt instruments, and I think its important to remind people of that. I think one of the problems we see that comes from all this poll aggregation is it makes them seem like they should be perfect, and thats just not what polls are. If you look at the internals of the polls, they can tell you a lot. They give you a sense of the race. But I encourage people not to overrely on what that horse race shows. In terms of the Hillary Clinton poll, we had the misfortune of finishing our polling the day that Jim Comey announced that he was reopening the investigation into her email server. I mean, whats the poll supposed to do about that? I think anyone who thinks that these polls are going to be precise I dont think thats the best use of them. I think the way that you think about polling is, what are the issues that are driving people? Whos undecided? What makes them undecided? Where could they go? The polls were pretty good in 2020 and 2018 because there were no changes in the last few weeks of the election. Things went the way they were going. Sure, but there was also a consensus among people that in 2016 and 2020 there had been a systematic underweighting of the white, non-college-educated educated people who flock to Trump. In 2020, it was a little more confounding because people corrected for all those errors and still were off. Ive talked to Nate Cohn and others about all the various theories of why that was. Maybe Democrats were responding more to polls during COVID, for instance. People dont really know. But did you guys adjust for that this time around or use a different methodology? Oh, yeah. Look, if youre a pollster, your life is constant change. Youre always adapting your methods. In 2016, we were one of the few organizations that were weighting based on education. We had spotted that as an issue and were working on it. The timing of our poll was just unfortunate you could see things bend after that in the state. And in fact, the polls nationally, those numbers were pretty good. 2020 was a weird year. It was the first year we ever had mail-in voting. And it happened in the midst of a pandemic where Democrats, from my understanding, were not out knocking on doors the way Republicans were. That probably explains why we dont really know what happened, because it was sui generis. Im not making excuses; Im just saying. And so after 2020, we began additional efforts to reach voters, particularly younger voters. Weve adapted text messaging now as part of our follow-up strategy, which we didnt used to do. Pollsters are constantly trying to make sure were capturing an accurate representation of the electorate. One theory is that theres something about Trump being on the ballot that skews things, that theres a bloc of people who vote for him and dont really care about other Republicans, and that theyre very hard to poll. If you look at what Siena College and the New York Times are doing and were doing some of the same thing its trying to make sure we capture people who are less likely to respond. Lower-propensity voters. Its not just lower-propensity voters. The Census Bureau provides estimates at the Census-block level of responsiveness to surveys. And you can use some of that data to help identify places where people would be less likely to respond. So were trying to get people into our samples who are harder to reach, less likely to cooperate. Were all doing that, but theres a danger to it. And the danger is you overrepresent people who wont be there on Election Day. The other thing Im thinking about is if you go to one of those AAPOR reports and look at polling variations I dont like to call them polling errors around elections going back to the 30s, its rare that you have more than two presidential cycles in a row where the error is in the same direction. So I think its also fair to think, Is it possible that maybe all these corrections That youve overcorrected. And in fact, thats why I wrote the piece about undecided voters, to say, Hey guys, polling is an effort to capture how people are feeling at a point in time. But people are people, and they could change their minds. And the way polling is done, many pollsters are encouraging responses and discouraging the dont know category, which is why I think its important to ask about the certainty of the poll. And that changes the picture. I think theres still people who are thinking about it, who maybe theyve made a choice and maybe most of them will go with that choice. But I think the most telling part of the piece is if you look at the factions. And it does make sense that the traditional Republican faction still has their doubts. Maybe theyre going to vote for Trump at the end of the day. In these polarized times, thats certainly likely. But theres some doubt there. And frankly, the drum beat of Republican officials, starting with Dick Cheney I was about to bring up Cheney. Maybe hell swing this election, which would be unexpected, to say the least. Oh my God, and Alberto Gonzales Thursday morning. Theres enough permission from these Republicans that it could be determinative among a small group of people. I also do think those true independents, which are probably 8 to 10 percent of the voters, theyre the ones ultimately that will make the choice. And if they break in one way or the other, thats who wins. My only data point is that my gun-loving libertarian friend who lives outside of Scranton told me that all the guys at his country club who had voted for a mix of Democrats and Republicans in the past are all going for Trump this time. Thats Luzerne County, though, right? Yeah. Luzerne and Lackawanna will be part of it. But Im looking at Erie, Im looking at Northampton, Im looking at Monroe County. Those are the three swingiest in the state. Biden won Erie, but he squeaked by, didnt even get 50 percent. And thats the other thing that were not talking about here, is there will be at least four candidates on the ballot. Maybe five. Remind me if RFK Jr. made it? No, RFK will not be on the ballot, but Jill Stein will be. Theres a libertarian, Chase Oliver, on the ballot. And I believe theres one other. So if you go back to 2016, actually even to 2020, and look at our final polls, even though theyre three weeks out, they pretty much nailed the Democratic vote share. But the problem for Hillary was that the third-party candidates pushed the race to Trump. If shed got Jill Steins voters, she would have won. I dont know how many pollsters include all the potential candidates, but we certainly do that on our part. The infrastructure in the state of the two campaigns seems pretty lopsided. Harriss campaign has opened many more offices than Trumps team has. They have more money, and theyre spending it freely, though both sides are blanketing the airwaves. From what I read, they also just seem better organized. Does that stuff actually end up mattering in the end, do you think? Yes, I do. Absolutely. And thats another thing that polls have a tough time capturing. That what happens on Election Day to get people to the polls that can make a difference. When youre talking about 40,000 or 80,000 votes, the last election, every little thing potentially could be the difference. And I think having a good get-out-the-vote effort is fundamentally important. The Trump campaign is testing a theory about volunteers and targeting low-propensity voters. The theory of the case that theyve put forward is that theres a significant number of voters who dont vote regularly, who feel like Trump represents them, and their efforts are to get them to the polls. So its less outreach to the middle and more outreach to those voters. I think the Harris campaign seems to have a lot of enthusiasm, and donors and volunteers seem to be far ahead of where Trump is. But well have to see. Another thing Im keeping an eye on is voter registration in the state. Pennsylvania is one of those states where you register with a party, and as the rules stand now, you have to be registered as a Republican or a Democrat to vote in those primaries. In 2008 and 2009, the Democrats in this state had about a 1.2 million voter advantage. Thats shrunk to about 350,000, 360,000 voters. So the patterns in the state have just sort of been more and more competitive. At the time of the 2016 election, the gap between the registered voters in the state was much bigger than it is now. And so we will see if that has an effect. I suspect what that is mostly is peoples registration catching up to their voting behaviors. But it is something I keep an eye on, and well see if its indicative of enthusiasm. There was clearly a lack of enthusiasm in the state until Biden left. What about Harriss vice-presidential pick her decision to choose Minnesota governor Tim Walz over Pennsylvanias popular governor Josh Shapiro? I wrote something before she picked Walz about why Shapiro would make such a good running mate for her. And Ive talked to some Republican county chairs about her selection. One of them just said that was a fatal mistake. Another one said, Im going to send her a thank-you note. Shapiro strikes fear into the heart of Republican leaders in this state because hes a pretty savvy politician who seems, to many of the states voters, to be more moderate than progressive. And you look at his stance on fracking, for instance. Or the fact that the first executive order on the first day he was in office was to open state jobs to people without a college degree. Theres that localism to Pennsylvania politics. I think if she had picked him, shed have won the state. I think she still can win the state. But then again, we have no history of electing female executives at the state level. Weve never had a governor, a female governor. I dont believe weve ever had a female senator. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Abby Church is a City Hall reporter for the Houston Chronicle. She can be reached at abby.church@houstonchronicle.com. Before coming to the Chronicle, Abby covered Tarrant County government at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. As an Air Force brat, she spent her childhood everywhere, but she claims Virginia as home. She graduated from James Madison University with a bachelor's degree in journalism and creative writing. this is all pretty tabloid-y for an industry trade Reply Thread Link I've seen people on Twitter try to pull the "industry trade is a tabloid, actually" stance but I will bet money if this article were written about Taylor Swift, The Rock, Jennifer Lopez or Blake Lively, everyone would believe it and no one would be calling THR a tabloid. If this were Daily Mail, I would have (gladly) ignored it, but if the Hollywood Reporter- an industry trade that basically everyone in Hollywood reads- is reporting it, I can only assume it has legs because THR wouldn't bother if they couldn't back it up. Twelve sources, including current employees, and no comment from the business office seems valid. Edited at 2024-09-16 02:23 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link i really doubt that lol, aside from blake lively, just like meghan, none of these people seem known for being abusive. perfectionists maybe but i don't think people would be willing to throw away good will celebrities over what amounts to "i didn't enjoy working with her" from former employees. i mean even the whole blake lively thing died down when a bunch of the people who worked on the movie were like "yeah blake wasn't fun to work with but it wasn't a big deal." when we KNOW blake lively has a history of being incredibly unpleasant at work. this story feels like the opposite. there's vague allegations of a woman being annoying and people crying at work. that's not bullying or abuse. ETA: like i know this site has a huge issue with them to the point where consummate racists and actual documented abusers are being considered credible sources, but i think people just want to give this legs so they have more of a reason to hate them aside for them just being delusional socialites. it's okay to just hate them for being out of touch rich people lol. Edited at 2024-09-16 04:05 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link yeah, i'm in the middle with this. on one hand, the sources. on the other hand, the vagueness. Reply Parent Thread Link Didn't uh... Variety (I think?) publish a pretty unfavorable article about them last year? I think maybe people in Hollywood are kinda fed up with them which is leading to these trade magazines publishing negative stories about them. Reply Parent Thread Link I had to unfollow THR because it was just 24/7 abuser PR and I was getting exhausted of seeing abusers getting lauded so often, since they do a lot of reposts. Reply Parent Thread Link Buckingham Palace subsequently ordered a report on bullying in the palace but the findings remain unknown as it was never published. Not doubting The Hollywood Reporter article since that's a reputable source, but I would think if there were any substantive findings in the bullying report then we would know about it. We would probably never hear the end of it. Reply Thread Link I'm not sure any serious investigation would ever have been done because Harry/Meghan would be far from first on the culprit list *coughAndrewcough*. They might have done some lip service to something, but I'd doubt anything that would seriously challenge the culture or any member of the Family would actually make it to fruition. Reply Parent Thread Link theyre both just boring a little unremarkable, which, for harry is kinda charming, but for meg who was an actress etc we'd expect a lil more charm or charisma??? either way WHATEVER moving on no one cares.. Reply Thread Link I think theyre trying to appeal to as many people as possible which just ends up reading as bland. Idk. It works for some people. Idk if its working for them though. Reply Parent Thread Link i think they sincerely thought they'd be welcomed by the public like they were oprah / obamas/ george clooney, like thats how theyre acting, like no nothing netflix deals, no nothing spotify deals-- they dont have the good will for it, people loved harry because he was a 'bad boy' but he isn't anymore?? bland is the right word which is FINE just dont try to make some big lifestyle brand, being bland, it's over Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I care about bullying reports, especially about a person that insists they're all for doing good in the world and claims the other side of the Palace was the one that bullied her outta Palace Edited at 2024-09-16 02:16 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I agree. They don't bother me. I find all royals boring. Reply Parent Thread Link I don't doubt that these rich people probably have treated staff awfully, but the fact that the original piece was basically "Harry is a charismatic angel, she's a fascist harpy" is what makes it hard to believe. That just sounds like boilerplate misogyny against any semi-assertive woman in a position of authority. I'd buy that they both are horrible to the people under them, but this narrative that she's a huge bully and the guy whose been a spoiled royal his whole life is actually a saint to his staff? Nah. Reply Thread Link They've said Harry is her enabler. So, yeah Harry is just as bad because he consents to treating staff badly. The fact that he's ~charming doesn't absolve him Reply Parent Thread Link Honestly, I've found Harry the worst one every step of the way, especially after that memoir he released. Being charming doesn't make him suck any less, it actually makes it worse lol Reply Parent Thread Expand Link the issue with these two is they think we want to listen to them. I didn't care about him when he was in the royal family, so why should I care now? they're dull people, dull people don't sell I don't think these articles are true - I genuinely think they're too milquetoast Reply Thread Link these comments would hold more weight for me if there was proof of her being an evil witch and/or if she were white. the (racist) public despised her the second she was linked with harry - whos to say most of this staff wasnt racist? and this isnt me defending her character. i think shes a boring social climber. but, i just cant stand 100% with the service people considering the situation. Reply Thread Link So, if women are white theyre more prone to abusive behavior? Im not defending white women, they dont need me for that but whats is this reasoning?! Reply Parent Thread Link What. That is not what I said at all. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I dont think she was despised right from the beginning, they were pretty popular at first with people nicknaming William/Kate and Harry/Meghan as the Fab Four, Meghan was seen as a bit of breath of fresh air for the royals back then. I know that the press were already publishing vague stories about Meghan being ~difficult~, but honestly I dont think that most people were talking those tabloid stories about air fresheners and arguments over tights particularly seriously at that time, she seemed very popular with the public to me at the time of the wedding. Harry himself talked about wondering if their popularity was seen as a threat to others in the family, he noticed that the tide seemed to turn sometime after a royal tour of theirs was particularly successful. Reply Parent Thread Link I didnt work in film long, but long enough to know people use half-truth in the trades to deal damage and theres tons of employee churn. The levels Harry and Meghan are trying to staff are filled mostly with ambitious types who bounce in 18 months to 2 years tops. So any source using staff turnover as evidence of something isnt being totally honest. Reply Thread Link NGL, I find it totally incomprehensible that a C-list (at best) actress is more of a terror than the upper crust monarchy. She might have been unpleasant at times but the idea that she was the worst of the worst seems insane to me. Reply Thread Link I kinda believe itshes a C-list actress who moved on up into the British Royalty. She was always a clout chaser. Also the British monarchy are obsessed with tradition. Whereas I can see Meghan asking why she has to do a certain way, and etc. When they were teaching Meghan the ins and outs of royal Etiquette, tea ceremony and etc, they said she had a lot of pushback and getting mad/insecure cuz she thought she would get it right away. Edited at 2024-09-16 03:04 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link A clout chaser vs a group of people surrounded by extreme wealth throughout their entire life; yeah, I don't buy it. She certainly may have been difficult to work. However, I would not be surprised if she was behaving in similar ways to people born into this life and the friction came from people believing she should be much more deferential. Edited at 2024-09-16 03:10 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I think the upper crust monarchy has spent their entire lives knowing how to treat employees and manage a staff. Meghan was a low level actress who had never been in a management position before and was seemingly completely unsuited for the role. (unSUITed, hahahah see what I did there?) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Same. I find it hard to believe she's somehow the worst one. The scapegoat treatment is right in front of our faces. There is an undeniable difference between how Kate Middleton is treated doing the same things in the press, like touching their pregnant stomachs. Both did it (because it's normal), but Meghan was accused of being vain or acting. One of the anecdotes here is of Meghan saying just "no" to something during a high-stakes, million-decision time period. Unpleasant is a good word. But that's not bullying. Maybe the upper crust would have sat stone-faced and tapped their broach in the "no" spot to signal staff to do the "no" for them in different way? Reply Parent Thread Link I've seen enough people at work to believe it's possible. Sometimes, at work, the worst people I deal with are essentially middle management or people who recently had a career glow up. Some of the most powerful people are infinitely times better to work with. Of course, there are some powerful people who fucking suck too. Reply Parent Thread Link Agreed, that doesn't really make sense to me. At best, I would guess people just tolerate it less from her. Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah this ish sounds made up Reply Thread Link I have a hard time that nothing terribly specific has ever come out of the allegations, besides the 5 am emails with the staff in the UK, which again seemed like those staff were never given any info on how she works/that she had worked for a long time. What exactly is she doing? Does she yell at people? Does she have group chats where she's gossiping about staff with a select group of staff members? Is she running performance evaluations like America's Next Top Model judging sessions? Does she lie all the time? Edited at 2024-09-16 02:58 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link I really never got the complaint about the 5am emails. It doesn't sound like she was expecting people to be up and about at 5am to respond... and so long as she wasn't, who cares when she sent them? (Maybe that's just because I report to someone in the US, so out of hours emails are a norm for me. I just don't respond until office hours the next day, it's a total non-issue) Reply Parent Thread Link On one hand, yes. She could be awful to work with. Many here are willing to give Meghan the benefit of the doubt, when she has shown us multiple times that when it comes to racism and classism, shes more than willing to play for the other team as long as it comes with benefits to her. I despise people that treat their employees bad and Ill always side with staff and crew, first. On the other hand, THR is not following a Daily Mail lead but its definitely being sent by someone in the top levels of Hollywood to get Harry and Meghan. The common denominator here is the fact that the Sussexes do not know how to do team work and piss the wrong people. At a different scale and location but theyre doing exactly what they did in England and is that they think they are the main show and deserve top treatment. Behind ANY powercouple or A-List personality theres a village of consultants and specialists giving their input and its the celebrities job to use all those tools to built a reputation first and then a career in the industry. They want to be A-List, then they better start acting humble and follow instructions. Otherwise, theyre gonna get blacklisted for good. Reply Thread Link I'm wondering if this is being motivated by the Netflix deal coming to an end soon and Netflix being really frustrated with how the whole deal has gone. Netflix should have thrown less money at them tbh. So it's kinda on them. (Instead, Netflix should have used that money to pay for streaming rights to more K-dramas in the US, IMO!! lol I'm mad that Lovely Runner is available in other regions on Netflix but not in the US. UGH.) Reply Parent Thread Link 100M dollar deal for 6 years and theyve only produced 1 successful product in that time? Yeah I know Netflix throws money like no tomorrow but idk if Id be happy with these results. I heard Netflix got involved in her ARO brand which idk if I read that as good cause it reminds of when Spotify had to step in for the podcast and built a studio in her house? I know the cooking show will be part of Netflix so they have a reason but again that makes me think there were issues again? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link i think that's exactly what this is. stories like this make it easier for Netflix to ditch them and save face at the same time also i've heard so many recs about Lovely Runner. i want to watch it too! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link they must have lost someone powerful in hollywood a lot of money if the trades are now trying to take them down. Reply Thread Link Tyler Perry Presents: Contractual Obligations Reply Parent Thread Link mte. I'm curious if she is still represented by WME. You'd think they would be better able to protect their client and get them gigs besides a bookstore opening. Reply Parent Thread Link I know some people will say "ROYAL CONSPIRACY!!" but said issue has left the palace grounds and are now in Hollywood/America. If it was just planted stories by the royals/staff (which granted we know it's true cause Spare confirmed it) then it would've stayed in England. But the same issue is popping again here. I can believe tabloids making up stuff for clicks and revenue BUT by their own output H&M have not done one single thing to dispel the rumor that they are not good bosses. It seems like their docs are the only thing that managed to get done and granted I just noticed that 2 of the docs "Heart of Invictus" and the upcoming "POLO" are Harry-led projects interestingly I don't think I've heard of issues surrounding him and his projects get released seemingly on time when they are due. Meghan's projects is where there seems to be issues/delays which correlate back to the palace issues. And she's the one being singled again in both cases Harry comes off as an enabler. I've always felt that Meghan's issue is a control issue and a lack of leadership skills. If they had been good bosses who listen and converse with their staff then I don't think a lot of these rumors would still be here and it'd be super easier to dismiss cause there can always be haters but their voices can get drowned out if everything is running smoothly. So you'd then easily "oh it was just the palace trying to bring them down" but that's apparently not the case here. Reply Parent Thread Link I honestly think it might be blowback from the Netflix deal. I had a free trial of Matt Bellonis newsletter after seeing people on here discuss how reliable he was with behind the scenes Hollywood insight and during the two weeks I had the free trial I saw him write that the Netflix deal was perceived as a massive failure. That was last month. Now this month The Hollywood Reporter keeps putting out obvious hit pieces. It kinda reminds me of last year when there was an obvious smear campaign against The Killer of the Flower Moon and it eventually came out that Paramount was angry about the enormous amount of money they had lost on the rewrites. When The Hollywood Reporter starts churning out hit pieces you know someone higher up is telling them to. Just based off my Google search I read that the Netflix deal was for $100 million paid in installments as they hit certain milestones but Netflix has only paid out $20 million so far and that was right after the documentary. So clearly the Netflix deal has not been a profitable one for Netflix. I think its interesting because if Harry had stayed part of the royal family he would indeed be set financially based off his name and his status alone but thats not how it works in America and hes finding that out the hard way lol. If youre not making Hollywood money youre out, they dont care who you are. I really havent kept up to date with the various bullying stories so I think the truth is probably somewhere in the middle, theyre probably not nice but theyre also probably not the biggest bullies, but they could be the biggest bullies in the world and get away with it if they were making Hollywood money lol. I cant believe hes making a documentary on polo lol. Who tf plays polo? I grew up around some rich white kids and they definitely played some obscure sports but Ive never met a rich white American who plays polo on horses, maybe water polo but never the horse variety. Seems very British and a bad idea for a documentary youre trying to sell to the global public lol. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link As someone who has recently worked in media relations, I think youll be shocked by the lack of research and quality from credible news outlets these days lol. FT, Bloomberg, Reuters etc etc were all shockingly inaccurate. Only WSJ is always A+. Not defending Harry and Meghan and obviously this story is infinitely more buzzy than the stuff I had to deal with, but I wouldnt trust THR just because its THR, especially as this article seems pretty short and mainly just states the people who quit without quoting many sources. I mean, THR also published an article about Blake Lively last month mainly using Tiktok discourse. Then again, it is ironic that the fact that theyve done nothing with their projects is THE reason THR are publishing an article on them in the first place - they have nothing to report atm. If Meghan launched her Orchard Jam or if theyre releasing a bunch of Netflix projects, THR wouldve been gladly covering that instead. So yeah, they brought this upon themselves tbh. Edited at 2024-09-16 05:04 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link idk is meghan's response to that photographer considered abuse? maybe a little rude if i take the wedding photog's story on its face but like...idk maybe there's something i'm missing Reply Thread Link Saying no in any tone save actual yelling is not abusive. It can be rude or dismissive but I think treating that like abuse makes me wonder about all of the allegations. Reply Parent Thread Link yeah that's exactly my take. i mean given what we know now was happening around that time, it seems really uncool to paint that as anything other than an unpleasant workplace interaction. i def can sympathize with the photag's reaction but there's also another person on the end of that with their whole life going on. "bullying"/"abuse" seems like a heavy word to attach to a "no." Reply Parent Thread Link The story is that Meghan is a bad employer and one of their only named allegations is that she was rude to someone who didn't get the job. Also, their wedding was six years ago. Like, come on now. Reply Parent Thread Link This might be considered a hot take, but I definitely think people nowadays throw the abuse word around too much. There's a difference in actual abuse, and someone being rude af. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I dont think that falls under bullying or abuse, but I would definitely consider it very rude, almost cartoonishly so, to just take one look, say no, and then dramatically turn and sweep out of the room lol Im not sure how seriously you can take that allegation though when nobody is putting their actual name to it. Reply Parent Thread Link This is just my conjecture but I get the sense that they both are people who have unrealistic expectations as bosses and theyre not listening to their experienced employees who try to manage up. I think H&M are hyper aware of their public image so would take care not to cross into abuse but they dont understand how their actions demoralize their staff. Work environments like that are always terrible even if there is no abuse happening. You never get a win, your boss never cuts you a break or gives you the benefit of the doubt. You dont feel listened to or like you have agency. And you dont get the opportunity to work to your potential. Good employees leave those types of situations. I could be wrong and things could be truly abusive but I think its way more likely that theyre just shitty bosses with no experience directly managing employees. Reply Thread Link Disney leadership reportedly put a large part of the failure of LIGHTYEAR down to the same-sex kiss. Continuous notes were then given to animators to make Riley come across as less gay in INSIDE OUT 2 (Source: https://t.co/V2X9lzANcw) pic.twitter.com/WsD11TexAm DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 16, 2024 It is, as far as I know, still a thing, where leadership, they'll bring up Lightyear specifically and say, Oh, Lightyear was a financial failure because it had a queer kiss in it, one source tells IGN. That's not the reason the movie failed.The apparent hesitance to touch on LGBTQ themes storylines in particular affected Inside Out 2s development, according to several of IGNs sources. Multiple people recall hearing about continuous notes to make Riley, the main character of both Inside Out movies, come across as less gay, leading to numerous edits that ramped up around September 2023 after the resolution of the WGA strike. Sources describe rumors that there was special care put into making the relationship between Riley and Val, a supporting character introduced in Inside Out 2, seem as platonic as possible, even requiring edits to the lighting and tone of certain scenes to remove any trace of romantic chemistry. One source describes it as "just doing a lot of extra work to make sure that no one would potentially see them as not straight."Mind you, Riley is not canonically gay, one source says. In the film, what you saw, nothing about Riley says that she is gay, but it is kind of inferred based on certain contexts. And so that is something that they tried to play down at multiple points. Another source calls some leadership uncomfortable with queer themes at large, and the insistence on keeping those themes out of Inside Out 2 was a big thing throughout development. In response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union and several other Western countries imposed extensive sanctions on Russia, attempting to stop the trade of Russian oil. In December 2022, the G7 countries decided on an oil price cap. However, Russia has found ways to circumvent these sanctions, primarily through the creation of a "shadow fleet" of oil tankers. Despite robust US Treasury sanctions targeting the shadow fleet, Russia continues to expand it by incorporating new tankers, allowing for stable exports and further evasion of oil price caps. Only 36% of Russian oil exports were shipped by IG-insured tankers. For other shipments, Russia utilized its shadow fleet, which was responsible for exports of ~2.8 mb/d of crude and 1.1 mb/d of oil products in March 2024. Kpler data shows that in April 2024, 83% of crude oil and 46% of petroleum products were shipped on shadow tankers. The shrinking role of the mainstream fleet fundamentally undermines the leverage of the price cap. The shadow fleet is a collection of aging and often poorly maintained vessels with unclear ownership structures and lack of insurance. The number of old, outdated ships departing from Russia has increased dramatically. The EU has recently introduced legislation aimed at cracking down on the sale of mainstream tankers into the Russian shadow trade, but the problem persists. Russia managed to expand its shadow tanker fleet, adding 35 new tankers to replace 41 tankers added to OFACs SDN list since December 2023. These tankers, all over 15 years old, are managed outside the EU/G7. With 85% of the tankers aged over 15 years, the risk of oil spills at sea is heightened. Related: U.S. Natural Gas Power Is Booming Thanks to AI The shadow fleet poses a significant and rising threat to the environment. The aging and underinsured vessels increase the risk of oil spills, a potential catastrophe for which Russia would likely refuse to pay. The vessels can cause collisions, leak oil, malfunction, or even sink, posing a threat to other ships, water, and marine life. With estimates suggesting over 1,400 ships have defected to the dark side serving Russia, the potential for environmental damage is substantial. For instance, since the beginning of 2022, 230 shadow fleet tankers have transported Russian crude oil through the Danish straits on 741 occasions. Also, a shadow fleet tanker on its way to load crude in Russia collided with another ship in the strait between Denmark and Sweden. Last year, a fully loaded oil tanker lost propulsion and drifted off the Danish island of Langeland for six hours. Recovery after any potential oil spill could take decades. Added to the environmental issue, seaborne Russian oil is almost entirely heading to the Asian markets, with India, China, and Turkey being the biggest buyers. In 2023, 86% of oil exports went to friendly countries compared to 40% in 2021, and 84% of petroleum product exports compared to 30% in 2021. This shift in export destinations highlights the changing geopolitical landscape of the oil market due to the sanctions and the rise of the shadow fleet. Several measures have been proposed to address the challenges posed by the shadow fleet. These include stricter sanctions on individual vessels, increased scrutiny of financial institutions involved in Russian oil deals, and fines that would limit sales or decommission tankers. The G7 countries are taking measures to tighten control over the price cap and further pressure Russia. The US has introduced a series of sanctions against ships and shipowners suspected of violating the price cap. However, concerns remain that these measures could lead to higher energy prices and escalate tensions with Russia. The Danish foreign ministry has stated that "The Russian shadow fleet is an international problem that requires international solutions." The shadow fleet has allowed Russia to circumvent Western sanctions and continue profiting from its oil exports, but it has come at a significant cost. The environmental risks posed by these aging and poorly maintained vessels are alarming, and the shift in oil trade patterns is reshaping the geopolitical landscape. Addressing this complex issue will require concerted international efforts and a delicate balance between maintaining sanctions and ensuring stable energy markets. The situation is unsustainable, and the need for action is becoming increasingly urgent. By Antonio Garcia for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is lobbying Biden to provide Ukraine with long-range weapons, despite Pentagon assessments that such weapons would have limited strategic impact. President Biden is hesitant to approve long-range weapons for Ukraine due to fears of escalating the conflict. Russia warns that providing Ukraine with long-range weapons could lead to nuclear war, stating that Americans cannot hide from the consequences. The Kremlin has issued yet more warnings following reports that the Biden administration could soon greenlight long-range attacks by Kiev forces on Russian territory using US-supplied arms. Both the UK and Canada are on board, we reported earlier, and British Prime Minister Ken Starmer is visiting Washington where he's directly lobbying Biden to jump on board and grant Zelensky's urgent request to lift all restrictions on Western weaponry. However, The New York Times suggests that saner minds are prevailing at this point. "President Bidens deliberations with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain about whether to allow Ukraine to attack Russia with long-range Western weapons were fresh evidence that the president remains deeply fearful of setting off a dangerous, wider conflict," the publication writes. Let's hope this is the case, given this is arguably the most dangerous moment and decision-point of the war to date. Pentagon leadership has recently stressed that granting the permission for long-range strikes will do little strategically to change the battlefield, where Russian momentum has continually gained in eastern Ukraine. Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov on Friday added to prior Kremlin warnings, telling Rossiya 24 channel that he fears American leadership and the people are under "illusion". He said they seem to think that "if there is a conflict, it will not spread to the territory of the United States of America." Antonov continued by stressing that Americans can't hide from nuclear war if this unthinkable happens. "I am constantly trying to convey to them one thesis that the Americans will not be able to sit it out behind the waters of this ocean. This war will affect everyone, so we constantly say do not play with this rhetoric," Antonov stated according to state media translation. As for UK PM Starmer's visit to Washington, The Wall Street Journal had earlier previewed that "While the final decision on Storm Shadow will be made by the U.K. government, British officials will ask for the Biden administration to weigh in because some components of the missiles are made in the U.S." But based on NSC spokesman John Kirby's words as of Friday afternoon, Washington's policy has not changed and no permission has yet been given to Ukraine. So far, Ukraine forces have pummeled sights across Russia with drones, but unleashing missiles in the area of Moscow oblast for example would take the war to a whole new level. President Putin has warned that Russia would make no distinction between Ukraine forces and their NATO suppliers at that point. It won't matter which pulled the trigger. By Zerohedge.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Financial institutions have pledged a total of $386 billion in investment commitments to help India boost its renewable energy industry, Renewables Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Monday. India targets to have 500 gigawatts (GW) of renewables capacity installed by 2030, compared to around 153 GW capacity now. The country will need to install at least 44 GW of clean energy capacity every year by the end of the decade to meet the 500-GW goal, according to Bloombergs estimates based on data from the Indian Ministry of Power. We received overwhelming commitments from states and Union Territories as well as from the developers, manufacturers, and financial institutes to support our goal of 500 GW by 2030, the renewables minister, Pralhad Joshi, said at the annual Renewable Energy Investor's Meet and Expo, as carried by Reuters. India-based conglomerates Reliance Industries and Adani are among the companies that have pledged additional renewable energy capacity. Reliance committed 100 GW of additional renewable capacity, and Adani Green Energy pledged to develop 38.8 GW of capacity. The growing economy and rising electricity demand are boosting estimates for Indias long-term power needs. Indias electricity demand rose by 7% in 2023, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its Electricity 2024 report earlier this year. The country will see growth of above 6% on average annually until 2026, supported by strong economic activity and expanding ownership of air conditioners, according to the Paris-based agency. Over the next three years, India will add electricity demand roughly equivalent to the current consumption of the United Kingdom. While renewables are set to meet almost half of this demand growth, one-third is expected to come from rising coal-fired generation, the IEA noted. Despite the renewables push, India plans to increase its domestic coal production and reduce imports, G. Kishan Reddy, Minister of Coal and Mines, said in June 2024. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com The U.S. North American neighbors are emerging as the latest competitors of the United States to ship LNG to Asia, the worlds biggest and most important LNG-importing region. While U.S. LNG development has suffered a series of setbacks in recent months, Canada and Mexico are looking to tap the growing Asian market for the super-chilled fuel, analysts tell the Financial Times. Canada and Mexico each have several LNG export projects under construction and development. These are located on the west coast, thus giving them easier access to Asian markets via the Pacific and no need to pass through the Panama Canal, which has become an LNG cargo chokepoint in recent years. Canada could potentially supply 36.2 million tons of LNG per year by 2040, and Mexico another 36.7 million tons, according to estimates by Wood Mackenzie cited by FT. The potential supply from Canada and Mexico which have yet to ship LNG to foreign markets is much smaller than the estimated 325.83 million tons annually that could come from the United States by 2040, per WoodMac. In 2023, U.S. LNG exports stood at 88 million tons. Canada has seen about a decade of delays in some LNG export projects, mostly due to permitting issues. But now it has set its sights on the Asian market with several projects, the first of which, Shell-led LNG Canada, is expected to start operations in 2025. Moreover, in June, the Haisla Nation and Pembina Pipeline Corporation decided to move ahead with the Cedar LNG project, a floating LNG export facility on Canadas West Coast, and the worlds first indigenous majority-owned LNG project. Permitting and soaring costs have hampered the LNG export capabilities of Canada and Mexico. But the U.S. has also seen setbacks in the industry. Surging labor and construction costs are plaguing some major U.S. LNG export projects, while regulatory setbacks have also emerged. Last month, a U.S. appeals court vacated the authorization of NextDecade Corporations Rio Grande LNG export project in Texas on the grounds that the FERC should have issued a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) during its remand process. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Following the Iranian drone attack against Israel this weekend, the U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on Monday on several bills toughening sanctions on Iran, including one aimed at reducing Chinese imports of Iranian crude oil. The bills that will be voted on in an expedited procedure, Bloomberg notes, include the so-called Iran-China Energy Sanctions Act of 2023, which was unanimously approved by the House Financial Services Committee in November. The bill proposes to impose restrictions on correspondent and payable-through accounts in the United States with respect to Chinese financial institutions that conduct transactions involving the purchase of petroleum or petroleum products from Iran. The bill expands secondary sanctions involving Iran to cover all transactions between Chinese financial institutions and sanctioned Iranian banks that transact for the purchase of petroleum and petroleum products. Under the bill, the U.S. will also have to make an annual determination as to whether Chinese financial institutions have engaged in sanctionable conduct. The background of the bill says that Irans crude oil exports are at a four-year high of 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd), 80% of which go to Chinas independent refiners, the so-called teapots. The U.S. toughening the sanctions enforcement against Iranian oil exports has been widely expected by analysts after Iran launched drones on Israel this weekend. Some investment banks and analysts do not see a major escalation in the Middle East to such that would directly hamper oil production and exports. But most expect tougher U.S. sanction enforcement against Irans oil exports. China has been a major buyer of Iranian crude as it has brushed off all Western sanctions on Iranian, Russian, or Venezuelan oil exports so far. If sanctions against Iran are more strictly enforced, between 500,000 bpd and 1 million bpd of oil supply could be lost, according to ING analysts. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Shanghai has suspended all LNG cargo loadings and all port operations as the most powerful tropical cyclone in seven decades hit the financial and port hub. Waiting for Typhoon Bebinca to make landfall, Shanghai shut down early on Monday all LNG terminals and suspended all loadings, Upstream reports. Typhoon Bebinca, a Category 1 storm, was the most powerful cyclone to directly hit Shanghai and its outskirts since 1949. While the typhoon is disrupting some LNG trade in Shanghai, concerns on the natural gas market have eased about the impact of another storm, in the United States. Hurricane Francine disrupted some LNG operations along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Francine, which made landfall in Louisiana last week, did not affect liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals equally, the EIA said at the end of last week. Operations continued at terminals in South Texas, and ports were open with restrictions. In South Louisiana, natural gas deliveries to Cameron LNG declined ahead of the hurricane's landfall and were down by 60% (1.3 billion cubic feet per day [Bcf/d]) on Thursday, from 2.2 Bcf/d on Sunday, September 8. The Ports of Cameron and Lake Charles were closed as of Thursday but were being assessed for reopening. Meanwhile, a fifth of oil production in the Gulf of Mexico and some 28% of natural gas production remained shut in as of Sunday. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said Sunday that staff remains evacuated from 37 production platforms in the Gulf, which represents almost 10% of the manned platforms in the area. The portion of oil production that remains offline represents around 339,000 barrels per day (bpd). The amount of natural gas production that remains suspended is about 515 million cubic feet daily. Last week, oil prices rose substantially thanks to the production disruption that Francine caused in the Gulf of Mexico. On Wednesday, when Francine reached the Louisiana coast, as much as 46% of manned production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico were evacuated, with some 40% of crude oil production affected. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Wall Street financial services company UBS has cut its oil price forecasts for the period 2024-2026, citing weaker global demand and a more stable supply outlook. The analysts have lowered the forecast for average Brent crude oil in 2024 by $4 to $80 per barrel, with the forecast for Q4 2024 lowered to $75 per barrel from $83. UBS now sees Brent averaging $75 per barrel in both 2025 and 2026, a $5 per barrel reduction. The analysts have suggested that OPEC+ will be forced to postpone the unwinding of its voluntary production cuts, with any meaningful increases now seen coming in 2027 or 2028, compared to earlier expectations of a return by mid-2025. The latest oil price rally continued on Mondays session despite crude production in the Gulf of Mexico resuming following disruptions caused by Hurricane Francine. Brent crude for November delivery was up 1.3% at 11.50 am ET to trade at $72.56/barrel while WTI crude for October delivery was up 1.0% to change hands at $69.66/barrel. Last week, commodity experts at Standard Chartered reported that oil markets are overlooking the imminent removal of even more barrels from the markets in the coming months. Back in July, Russia, Iraq and Kazakhstan submitted their compensation plans to the OPEC Secretariat for overproduced crude volumes for the first six months of 2024. According to OPEC, the entire over-produced volumes will be fully compensated for over the next 15 months through September 2025, with Russia paying back a cumulative 480 kb/d, Iraq 1,184 kb/d and Kazakhstan 620 kb/d. According to StanChart, the compensatory output cuts by the three OPEC members work out to a combined 370 kb/d reduction in October, and then an amount varying between 162 kb/d and 206 kb/d for November 2024 through to September 2025. StanChart has worked out that adding the compensation schedule to the recently announced reduction in targets due to delaying the implementation of tapering will result in OPEC production clocking in at 530 kb/d lower in Q4-2024; 540 kb/d lower in Q1 and Q2-2025 and 560 kb/d lower in Q3-2025, if all commitments are kept. By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com The next generation of Buffetts Howard, Susie and Peter is poised to become one of the most powerful forces in philanthropy when their 94-year-old father, the legendary businessman and leader of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, eventually passes away. But it wasnt always going to be that way. Buffett announced in June that he would donate his fortune, now valued at nearly $144 billion, to a charitable trust managed by his three children when he dies, instead of giving it to the Gates Foundation, as he indicated 18 years ago. The next generation of Buffetts will then have 10 years to give the money away, Warren Buffett said. In the meantime, the elder Buffett continues to make huge annual donations to the Gates Foundation and his four family foundations, which will continue throughout his lifetime. He first mentioned plans for a new charitable trust in November. Howard Buffett told The Associated Press hes learned what his father told him and his siblings about philanthropy was true: Its not so easy to give away money if you want to do it smart, if you want to be intelligent about it. The middle Buffett child, Howard said that his father is as sharp as ever and that he hopes he lives a long time, adding: Its pretty amazing that hes giving us this opportunity. Buffett has entrusted Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates with significant annual gifts to their foundation since 2006 a remarkable $43 billion to date. Wealthy people dont tend to give their money to other people to give away, said James Ferris, founding director of the Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy at the University of Southern California. But many of the wealthiest people are also hesitant to hand over their fortunes to the next generation over concerns that it hampers their ingenuity, he said. Ferris thinks the story of Buffetts changing philanthropic intentions is a positive one. It shows how a donor is making choices and is adapting to circumstances, he said. The Gates Foundation did not say when it learned of Buffetts decision or what the impact will be on its budget. It previously said in a statement that Warren Buffett has been exceedingly generous, and that he has played an invaluable role in championing and shaping the foundations work to create a world where every person can live a healthy, productive life. Over the years, Buffett gave the Gates Foundation large annual donations, but also donated billions to foundations run by his three children and a fourth family foundation. Their work offers some insight into the priorities of the next generation of Buffetts. The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, named after Warren Buffetts first wife, is the largest in terms of donations. It supports organizations that provide reproductive health care and access to contraception and abortion around the world. Susie Buffett, 71, is its board chair and Peter Buffett, 66, is a board member. Susie Buffett also leads the Sherwood Foundation, a major supporter of early childhood development nationally that gives grants to organizations and projects within Omaha, the Buffetts hometown. Peter Buffetts NoVo Foundation has been an important funder of organizations advocating for the autonomy of girls and women and against gender-based violence. In 2020, Peter and his wife, Jennifer, decided to reorient their focus, expanding their support for Native American communities and projects to build sustainable, local communities with a focus on agriculture and food access. The Howard G. Buffett Foundation has focused on conflict mitigation and agriculture around the world. Since 2022, it has donated some $800 million more than most countries to humanitarian initiatives in Ukraine during the countrys war with Russia. These include supporting food distribution at schools, demining activities, and the rebuilding of a major publishing company and a key bridge transporting grain. In a relatively rare interview for a family that seldom makes time to speak with the media, Howard Buffett, 69, said he couldnt predict exactly how he and his siblings would give away their fathers fortune. However, he said they would continue to take risks and find ways to make the biggest difference as their father recommended. I can tell you, well sit down in a room when the time comes, and well get it figured out pretty quickly, he said, acknowledging that the directive to donate all the money within 10 years was a challenge. The siblings different ways of thinking and approaches to giving are assets, he said. What this is going to do is were going to bring all of our collective experience together, he said. But dont expect to find the family name on a lot of buildings, which the siblings largely avoid even as theyve given away more than $15 billion of their fathers money since 2006. Kathleen Enright, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations, said the Buffetts have effectively made philanthropy a family business, with the next generation now seasoned donors who have built enduring institutions in their foundations. It is a big deal, she said, of the amount of money that the Buffetts are poised to give away, noting that because the fortune will likely continue to grow, they will have to give away highly visible sums to spend it down. The tight timeframe to give away his fortune after his death reflects one of Warren Buffetts longstanding conditions for receiving charitable funding. He has instructed the Gates Foundation and his familys foundations to grant out the full amount they received within a year. The next generation of Buffetts have run their foundations with tiny staffs much like how Warren Buffett oversees his massive Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate with only about two dozen people at its headquarters in Omaha. Howard Buffett said his foundation employs less than 10 staff members. It granted $458.1 million in 2023, according to tax documents. He acknowledged that his lean staff puts some limits on their capacity, but said the way theyve scaled their work is through creating strong and enduring relationships with other organizations to help implement their ideas. In contrast, the Gates Foundation has one of the largest endowments at $75.2 billion, funded by donations from Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. It employs more than 2,000 people, many of them technical experts all over the world, and is known for making highly directed grants with rigorous reporting requirements. The foundation has said it will wind down its operations within 25 years after its founders deaths. Howard Buffett said he likes a challenge and thinks that in general, wealthy people should give their money away within their lifetimes, rather than holding it in perpetual foundations. Somebody is going to spend that money. Somebody is going to give that money away, he said. So, I would rather do that with my brother and sister and do it together, as a partnership, than see it done any other way. Photos: 2024 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting Three people were taken to local hospitals following a shooting in North Omaha on Monday afternoon. Omaha Police Capt. Jeremy Christensen said one person had extremely life-threatening injuries while the two other people are expected to survive. Police responded at 1:37 p.m. when ShotSpotter detected nine gunshots around the residential neighborhood near 38th and Franklin Streets, Christensen said. He added the incident was upgraded to a shooting at 1:41 p.m. One person was found at the scene and taken by medics to the Nebraska Medical Center. Another person was found in a residential neighborhood around 30th Street and Lincoln Boulevard. Medics took that person to the medical center. The third injured person initially arrived at Creighton University Medical Center-University Campus near 24th and Cuming Streets. That person was then taken by ambulance to Creighton University Medical Center-Bergan Mercy, police said. Police have not identified any suspects in the early stages of the investigation. Photos: Omaha police investigating after three shot in North Omaha The clock is ticking until Nov. 5th's Election Day, but the time is now for Nebraska voters to get ready to make your voices heard. Deadlines are approaching soon to register to vote, to request an early ballot, to return that ballot, to vote early in person, to update registration if need be so voters receive the right ballot for the election. In order to exercise your franchise as a voter in any manner, you will to need to have photo identification as required by Nebraska's new Voter ID law. For the majority of people, that's as simple as pulling your Nebraska driver's license or Nebraska state ID out of your wallet. But if you don't have one of those or another form of identification that's accepted under the new law, it's best to get moving because that process can take a little time. Nebraskans can check their voter registration records, find their polling place, view their sample ballot and track their early-voting ballot online at www.ne.gov/go/votercheck. Here's a timeline for this election season, with most of the key dates and deadlines. Request an early ballot to be mailed Now through 6 p.m. local time on Friday, Oct. 25 Election officials begin mailing early ballots Monday, Sept. 30 Early in-person voting begins Monday, Oct. 7 This is the first day that voters can go to their county's election offices to cast their ballots. Deadline for voter registration to be completed online Before midnight local time Friday, Oct. 18 Deadline to send voter registration form by mail Friday, Oct. 18 The form must be postmarked by this date. This is also the last day that voters can complete registrations at the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles, the Nebraska Department of Education or the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services; register to vote via a deputy registrar; or have a personal agent submit their voter registration application to their local county election office. Deadline to register in person to vote 6 p.m. local time Friday, Oct. 25 Voters can register at their local county election offices. Don't forget photo ID. Deadline to request an early ballot be sent by mail 6 p.m. local time, Friday, Oct. 25 This is also the deadline to request a replacement ballot be mailed for someone who never received a requested ballot or received one and made a mistake. Saturday office hours for early voting at Douglas County Election Commission 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, and Saturday, Nov. 2 Recommended last day to mail ballots through the U.S. Postal Service Tuesday, Oct. 29 Deadline to vote early in person at local county election offices End of business on Monday, Nov. 4 ELECTION DAY!!! Tuesday, Nov. 5. This is the day people can vote in person at polling places. Nebraska in-person voting is from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central Time, or 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mountain Time. Voters in line by 8 p.m. Central or 7 p.m. Mountain, can still vote. The deadline to return early ballots to local county ballot drop box locations or local county election offices is 8 p.m. Central Time or 7 p.m. Mountain Time on Nov. 5. Douglas and Sarpy Counties, like other counties, have listings of their local drop box locations online. The Secretary of State's Office also has a statewide drop box locator online. People who voted provisionally because they didnt have their ID when they voted in person have until the end of business on Tuesday, Nov. 12, to present valid photo ID at the polls at their local election offices. Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of September 2024 Finally, the traffic is flowing again in Bellevue. The July 31 windstorm that slammed the Omaha metro area knocked out power to dozens of traffic signals, forcing drivers to navigate what amounted to four-way stops. Most signals blinked back on within a few days as OPPD restored power to them, and traffic returned to normal. But not the one at Fort Crook and Childs Roads, in Bellevues north end. There the storm severely damaged the structure holding up the traffic signal. The truss holding the north/south signal heads had to be dismantled and taken down, said David Goedeken, Bellevues public works director, in an email. It was a safety hazard, he said. That meant the unnerving stop, look, creep and go at a significant intersection used by nearly 10,000 cars daily continued, day after day, week after week. Traffic backed up, especially at rush hours. Though Goedeken said he did not observe any safety hazards, the city received complaints lots of them. The problem is, the parts for the signals are hard to get. The permanent solution will take months of design and ordering of components to replace the old signal structure, he said. On Sept. 2, the Bellevue City Council approved an emergency budget item to redesign both temporary and permanent signal replacements. Three days later, the temporary signals had been installed using wooden poles and span wire, at a cost of $25,000. City officials are hoping that they will hold until the sturdier permanent ones are in place. The lights are back on. No more storms, please. New road construction West Center Road between South 84th and South 108th Streets will have varying lane restrictions for street milling and paving until Sept. 28. will have varying lane restrictions for street milling and paving until Sept. 28. Abbott Drive between Carter Boulevard and Pratt Court near Eppley Airfield will be restricted to one lane northbound because of an airport expansion project in the outside curb lane until Dec. 16. will be restricted to one lane northbound because of an airport expansion project in the outside curb lane until Dec. 16. The Sprague Street bridge over U.S. Highway 75/North Freeway is closed to motor vehicle traffic for street milling and resurfacing until Thursday. is closed to motor vehicle traffic for street milling and resurfacing until Thursday. South 132nd Street between Atwood Avenue and Augusta Avenue will be restricted to one lane northbound for sewer repair in the inside lane until Sept. 25. will be restricted to one lane northbound for sewer repair in the inside lane until Sept. 25. Leavenworth Street between South 50th Avenue and South 48th Street will be restricted to one lane in each direction for utility improvements in the eastbound lanes until Sept. 26. South 50th Avenue at Leavenworth will be closed, and South 50th Street b etween Leavenworth Street and Mayberry Street will be restricted southbound, until Sept. 26 as part of the same project. will be restricted to one lane in each direction for utility improvements in the eastbound lanes until Sept. 26. will be closed, and b will be restricted southbound, until Sept. 26 as part of the same project. South 13th Street between Howard and Harney Streets will have lane restrictions northbound for fiber-optic repair in the outside turn lane due to construction of the new streetcar line until Sept. 25. will have lane restrictions northbound for fiber-optic repair in the outside turn lane due to construction of the new streetcar line until Sept. 25. Harney Street between South 16th and South 20th Streets will have varying lane restrictions due to utility work related to construction of the new streetcar line until Sept. 23. will have varying lane restrictions due to utility work related to construction of the new streetcar line until Sept. 23. Harney Street between South 13th and South 14th Streets will have lane restrictions westbound due to utility work related to construction of the new streetcar line until Sept. 30. South 13th between Harney and Howard Streets will have lane restrictions northbound for fiber-optic repair as part of the same project until Sept. 25. will have lane restrictions westbound due to utility work related to construction of the new streetcar line until Sept. 30. will have lane restrictions northbound for fiber-optic repair as part of the same project until Sept. 25. Farnam Street between South 15th and South 17th Streets will have lane restrictions westbound for utility work related to the construction of the new streetcar line until Sept. 30. will have lane restrictions westbound for utility work related to the construction of the new streetcar line until Sept. 30. Farnam Street between South 19th and South 20th Streets will have lane restrictions westbound for utility work until Oct. 16. will have lane restrictions westbound for utility work until Oct. 16. South 33rd Street between Dodge and Harney Streets will have southbound traffic shifted to the center lane for fiber-optic installation until Sept. 26. will have southbound traffic shifted to the center lane for fiber-optic installation until Sept. 26. South 36th Street between H and I Streets will be closed for railroad bridge repairs from Monday through Wednesday. will be closed for railroad bridge repairs from Monday through Wednesday. Douglas Street at South 19th Street will have lane restrictions eastbound due to utility work related to construction of the new streetcar line until Nov. 1. will have lane restrictions eastbound due to utility work related to construction of the new streetcar line until Nov. 1. Vinton Street between South 20th and Elm Streets will be closed eastbound for sewer repair until further notice. will be closed eastbound for sewer repair until further notice. South 13th Street between Missouri Avenue and M Street will be restricted to one lane southbound for utility work in the outside curb lane due to a water-main break until Monday. will be restricted to one lane southbound for utility work in the outside curb lane due to a water-main break until Monday. Saddle Creek Road between Hickory and Pine Streets will be restricted to one lane northbound for fiber-optic installation in the outside curb lane until Monday. will be restricted to one lane northbound for fiber-optic installation in the outside curb lane until Monday. South 28th Street between W Street and U Plaza will have lane restrictions southbound because of utility work until Sept. 25. will have lane restrictions southbound because of utility work until Sept. 25. North 72nd Street between Western Avenue and Maple Street will have varying lane restrictions for ADA curb ramp construction until Oct. 3. will have varying lane restrictions for ADA curb ramp construction until Oct. 3. Pine Street between South 70th and South 72nd Streets is restricted to one lane eastbound because of sidewalk and curb repairs until Tuesday. is restricted to one lane eastbound because of sidewalk and curb repairs until Tuesday. Underwood Avenue between North 51st and North 52nd Streets is restricted eastbound because of utility work until Monday. is restricted eastbound because of utility work until Monday. South 40th Street between Mason and Marcy Streets will be closed to through traffic for street repair until Wednesday. will be closed to through traffic for street repair until Wednesday. South 58th Street between Hascall Street and Valley Circle will be closed for street panel replacement until Wednesday. will be closed for street panel replacement until Wednesday. South 60th Street at N Street will be restricted to one lane in each direction for utility work in the southbound lanes until Tuesday. will be restricted to one lane in each direction for utility work in the southbound lanes until Tuesday. Varying lane restrictions are in place at South 60th and Weir Streets because of utility work until Oct. 16. because of utility work until Oct. 16. Capitol Avenue between North Ninth and North 10th Streets will have lane restrictions eastbound for fiber-optic installation until Monday. North 10th between Capitol and Davenport Plaza will be restricted to one lane northbound until Monday as part of the same project. will have lane restrictions eastbound for fiber-optic installation until Monday. will be restricted to one lane northbound until Monday as part of the same project. South 17th Street south of Jackson Street in front of the Douglas County Department of Corrections Facility is closed is due to construction of a building addition until Sept. 3, 2026. in front of the Douglas County Department of Corrections Facility is closed is due to construction of a building addition until Sept. 3, 2026. Ohio Street between North 22nd and North 24th Streets will be closed for utility work until Oct. 3. will be closed for utility work until Oct. 3. North 16th Street between Chicago and Nicholas Streets will have various lane restrictions for utility adjustments until Wednesday. will have various lane restrictions for utility adjustments until Wednesday. The intersection of Florence Boulevard and Lake Street will be closed for construction of a CSO sanitary sewer separation project until Nov. 12. will be closed for construction of a CSO sanitary sewer separation project until Nov. 12. North 18th Street between Lake Street and Ohio Street will be closed for construction of a CSO sanitary sewer separation project until Nov. 12. will be closed for construction of a CSO sanitary sewer separation project until Nov. 12. Sprague Street between North 27th and North 28th Streets will be closed for street milling and paving until Thursday. will be closed for street milling and paving until Thursday. Ida Street between North 40th and North 41st Streets will be closed for utility work due to a water-main break until Tuesday. will be closed for utility work due to a water-main break until Tuesday. North 45th Street between Grant and Erskine Streets will have varying lane restrictions for utility work until Sept. 23. will have varying lane restrictions for utility work until Sept. 23. South 13th Street at Mid City Avenue will be restricted to one lane southbound because of utility work until Sept. 23. will be restricted to one lane southbound because of utility work until Sept. 23. Lane restrictions are in place on North 10th Street between Avenues E and F in Council Bluffs because of emergency sewer repairs until Nov. 1. Around Omaha Northwest (north of West Dodge Road and west of I-680) Overnight and weekend lane and ramp closures can be expected on the West Dodge Expressway between 168th Street and Skyline Drive for bridge repairs and drainage improvements through spring 2025. for bridge repairs and drainage improvements through spring 2025. The 192nd Street interchange on the West Dodge Expressway is being rebuilt as a diverging diamond interchange. Periodic lane closures and some overnight ramp closures can be expected through the end of 2024. is being rebuilt as a diverging diamond interchange. Periodic lane closures and some overnight ramp closures can be expected through the end of 2024. Overnight lane closures (7 p.m. to 5 a.m.) can be expected on South 204th Street/U.S. Highway 6/Nebraska Highway 31 from Harrison Street to West Dodge Road for concrete and bridge repair and joint sealing until Oct. 31. for concrete and bridge repair and joint sealing until Oct. 31. F Street between 204th and 207th Streets is closed for road construction until late fall. is closed for road construction until late fall. Mount Michael Road between North 216th Street and Elkhorn Mount Michael High School is closed for road construction until late fall. is closed for road construction until late fall. Chicago Street at North 175th Plaza will have lane restrictions eastbound for utility work until Wednesday. will have lane restrictions eastbound for utility work until Wednesday. State Street from Kilpatrick Parkway to HWS Cleveland Boulevard, and 168th Street from Rachel Snowden Parkway to Reynolds Street are closed for grading, paving and reconstruction of the 168th and State intersection until December 2024. are closed for grading, paving and reconstruction of the until December 2024. 114th Street between Reynolds and State Streets is closed because of culvert construction until mid-September. Northeast (north of Dodge Street and east of I-680) Nighttime lane and ramp closures can be expected on I-80 between South 60th and South 24th Streets because of patching, bridge repairs and road resurfacing until late fall. because of patching, bridge repairs and road resurfacing until late fall. North 72nd Street between Bedford Avenue and Wirt Street will be restricted to one lane in each direction because of CSO sanitary sewer separation construction until Sept. 24. will be restricted to one lane in each direction because of CSO sanitary sewer separation construction until Sept. 24. The eastbound lane of Maple Street between 68th and 70th Streets is closed because of CSO sanitary sewer construction until Oct. 26. is closed because of CSO sanitary sewer construction until Oct. 26. North 65th Avenue between Manderson and Sprague Streets will be closed to through traffic for utility work until Wednesday. will be closed to through traffic for utility work until Wednesday. North 54th Street between Pinkney and Pratt Streets will be closed for street repair until Wednesday. will be closed for street repair until Wednesday. The eastbound curb lane is closed on Dodge Street from 46th Street to the Saddle Creek Road exit ramp because of construction on an adjacent property until Dec. 31. because of construction on an adjacent property until Dec. 31. Hartman Avenue/Redman Avenue at North 49th Street will have lane restrictions eastbound for utility work until Friday. will have lane restrictions eastbound for utility work until Friday. Young Street between North 38th and North 39th Streets is closed because of sewer repairs until Tuesday. is closed because of sewer repairs until Tuesday. Forest Lawn Avenue between North 36th Street and Craig Avenue will be closed for a CSO sanitary sewer separation project until Sept. 23. will be closed for a CSO sanitary sewer separation project until Sept. 23. The intersection of Forest Lawn Avenue and North Ridge Drive will be closed as part of a CSO sanitary sewer separation project until Sept. 22. will be closed as part of a CSO sanitary sewer separation project until Sept. 22. The Hamilton Street bridge spanning the North Freeway is closed for bridge repairs until Nov. 30. The southbound exit and entrance ramps also are closed. is closed for bridge repairs until Nov. 30. The southbound exit and entrance ramps also are closed. North 30th Street between Craig and Forest Lawn Avenues will be restricted to one lane southbound because of a CSO sanitary sewer separation project until Oct. 3. Forest Lawn Avenue between North 30th and North 31st Streets will be closed as part of the same project until Oct. 22. will be restricted to one lane southbound because of a CSO sanitary sewer separation project until Oct. 3. will be closed as part of the same project until Oct. 22. The Ames Avenue bridge over the North Freeway between North 25th and North 28th Avenues will have varying lane restrictions because of bridge repairs until Sept. 27. will have varying lane restrictions because of bridge repairs until Sept. 27. Florence Boulevard between Read Street and Sharon Drive is closed for CSO sanitary sewer separation improvements until Dec. 31. is closed for CSO sanitary sewer separation improvements until Dec. 31. The intersection of North 18th and Locust Streets will be closed for CSO sanitary sewer separation improvements until Oct. 11. Corby Street between North 16th and North 18th Streets is also closed until Oct. 11 as part of the same project. will be closed for CSO sanitary sewer separation improvements until Oct. 11. is also closed until Oct. 11 as part of the same project. Lake Street between North 16th Street and Florence Boulevard will be closed for CSO sanitary sewer separation improvements until Nov. 15. will be closed for CSO sanitary sewer separation improvements until Nov. 15. North 16th Street will be closed at various points between Pinkney and Clark Streets for CSO sewer separation improvements through Dec. 15. will be closed at various points for CSO sewer separation improvements through Dec. 15. Varying lane closures are in place on Abbott Drive between Gallup Boulevard and Carter Boulevard near Eppley Airfield because of street panel repair until Oct. 31. Southwest (south of West Dodge Road and west of I-680/80) Shoulders are closed, speed limits are reduced and occasional lane closures may occur on Interstate 80 from the Platte River to near the Nebraska Highway 50/South 144th Street exit to allow for construction of a cable median barrier through late fall. to allow for construction of a cable median barrier through late fall. South 222nd Street (Skyline Drive) from I Street to south of Q Street is closed for reconstruction of the roadway and construction of a new roundabout at 222nd and Q Streets until November. is closed for reconstruction of the roadway and construction of a new roundabout at 222nd and Q Streets until November. South 168th Street between Q Street and West Center Road will have lane restrictions for street widening until December 2024. will have lane restrictions for street widening until December 2024. F Street between South 147th Street and South 150th Plaza will be closed for street improvements until Monday. will be closed for street improvements until Monday. The intersection of South 145th Street and Industrial Frontage Road will be closed for sewer and street improvements until Oct. 15. will be closed for sewer and street improvements until Oct. 15. Varying lane restrictions can be expected on Nebraska Highway 50/South 144th Street/Millard Avenue from L Street to Nebraska Highway 370 through July 31, 2025. Traffic is restricted to one lane in each direction on Highway 50 at the Highway 370 interchange through the summer. Millard Avenue from U Street to South 144th Street is closed for pavement replacement until late September. Traffic will be detoured via South 144th and Q Streets. through July 31, 2025. Traffic is restricted to one lane in each direction on through the summer. is closed for pavement replacement until late September. Traffic will be detoured via South 144th and Q Streets. F Street between South 133rd and South 138th Streets will have varying lane restrictions for utility work until Thursday. will have varying lane restrictions for utility work until Thursday. Q Street between Magnolia and South 122nd Streets is restricted to one lane eastbound because of wall repair until Sept. 24. is restricted to one lane eastbound because of wall repair until Sept. 24. South 120th Street between Anne and Q Streets is restricted to one lane southbound because of utility work until Monday. Southeast (south of West Dodge Road and east of I-680/80) Nighttime lane and bridge closures are occurring on I-80 between the 60th Street and 24th Street exits to allow for bridge repairs and resurfacing of the roadway until late fall. to allow for bridge repairs and resurfacing of the roadway until late fall. Nighttime lane and ramp closures will occur between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. on Interstate 80 between the 13th and 24th Street exits so workers can seal joints and repaint stripes for the rest of the summer. Pine Street between South 51st and South 52nd Streets is closed for utility work until Tuesday. The eastbound curb lane on Douglas Street will be closed between 44th Street and Saddle Creek Road for construction through May 2025. will be closed between for construction through May 2025. Varying lane restrictions are in place at the intersection of Saddle Creek Road and Leavenworth Street because of utility work and intersection improvements until Dec. 13. Harney Street between South 39th and South 37th Streets is restricted to one lane eastbound for building construction until Sept. 27. South 37th Street between Farnam and Harney is closed until Sept. 30, and Farnam between South 38th and South 37th Streets is closed until Sept. 27 as part of the same project. South 38th between Farnam and Harney also is closed until Sept. 27. is restricted to one lane eastbound for building construction until Sept. 27. is closed until Sept. 30, and is closed until Sept. 27 as part of the same project. also is closed until Sept. 27. Eastbound traffic on Farnam Street between South 37th and South 33rd Streets will be shifted to the center lane for utility work to accommodate the new streetcar line until Oct. 3. will be shifted to the center lane for utility work to accommodate the new streetcar line until Oct. 3. The intersection of South 32nd and Y Streets will be closed for street improvements until Monday. will be closed for street improvements until Monday. Leavenworth Street between South 30th and South 31st Streets will have lane restrictions eastbound for utility work until Monday. will have lane restrictions eastbound for utility work until Monday. L Street at South 30th Street/Dahlman Avenue will be restricted to one lane in each direction for utility work in the westbound lanes until Sept. 23. will be restricted to one lane in each direction for utility work in the westbound lanes until Sept. 23. One westbound lane on St. Marys Avenue between South 24th Avenue and South 25th Street will be closed for utility work until Monday. will be closed for utility work until Monday. South 18th Street between Howard and Harney Streets will be closed for sewer repair until Sept. 25. will be closed for sewer repair until Sept. 25. South 15th Street between Jones and Jackson Streets will have varying lane restrictions because of water-main repair until Wednesday. will have varying lane restrictions because of water-main repair until Wednesday. South 14th Street is closed between Farnam and Douglas Streets, and curbside lanes are closed on Farnam, Douglas and South 15th Street because of construction of the new Mutual of Omaha tower until early 2026. is closed and curbside lanes are closed on because of construction of the new Mutual of Omaha tower until early 2026. The southbound outside lane is restricted on South 13th Street between William and Pine Streets because of road construction until Tuesday. because of road construction until Tuesday. South 13th Street at Dorcas Street will be restricted to one lane southbound for utility work because of a water-main break in the outside curb lane until Thursday. Around Sarpy & Cass Counties Nighttime lane and ramp closures (7 p.m. to 6 a.m.) can be expected on U.S. Highway 75/Kennedy Freeway from the Douglas County line to north of the U.S. Highway 34 interchange for bridge and ramp repairs until spring 2025. for bridge and ramp repairs until spring 2025. The shoulder is closed and speed is reduced to 65 mph on I-80 between the Nebraska Highway 50/144th Street exit and the Platte River because of installation of a cable median barrier until Sept. 30. because of installation of a cable median barrier until Sept. 30. The right lane is closed eastbound on U.S. Highway 34 between Nebraska Highway 1/Murray Road and Oak Hill Road south of Plattsmouth as part of expansion of the highway into a four-lane expressway until Nov. 1. Around Nebraska Occasional lane closures will occur and the speed limit has been reduced because of road maintenance work on U.S. Highway 275 from U.S. Highway 77 near Fremont to East Meigs Street in Valley until October. until October. Intermittent lane closures can be expected on Interstate 80 between Exit 388 (Crete) and Exit 395 (Northwest 48th Street) west of Lincoln while the highway is widened to six lanes and the Pleasant Dale interchange is reconstructed through November. while the highway is widened to six lanes and the Pleasant Dale interchange is reconstructed through November. The right lane is closed and traffic is reduced to two lanes head-to-head on U.S. 30 between 30th and 14th Avenues in Columbus, for road construction, through fall 2024. for road construction, through fall 2024. Traffic will run head-to-head and width restrictions will be in place on I-80 between mile markers 254 and 263 near Lexington and Kearney until spring 2026 while workers completely reconstruct the roadway, widen and rebuild four bridge decks, and replace ramps at the Elm Creek interchange. Work will take place in the eastbound lanes during 2024 and the westbound lanes during 2025. until spring 2026 while workers completely reconstruct the roadway, widen and rebuild four bridge decks, and replace ramps at the Elm Creek interchange. Work will take place in the eastbound lanes during 2024 and the westbound lanes during 2025. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction and run head-to-head in the westbound lanes of I-80 between Exits 237 (Lexington) and 248 (Overton) while the eastbound lanes are rebuilt through September. while the eastbound lanes are rebuilt through September. Lane closures will occur and lane limits will be in place on Interstate 80 between Ogallala and Roscoe in western Nebraska for reconstruction of the roadway and a rest area, including installation of new pavement, drainage, lighting and guardrail, until fall 2026. Around Council Bluffs & Iowa The left lane of westbound Interstate 680 between the Interstate 29 interchange and Exit 1 (130th Street) 2-3 miles east of Omaha in Iowa is closed for road construction until Thursday. is closed for road construction until Thursday. Occasional nighttime lane and ramp closures may occur on I-80 at the Madison Avenue interchange through June 2026 while the interchange is being rebuilt. Both shoulders are closed through July 1, 2025. Lane restrictions are in place on Madison Avenue between Rue Street and Woodbury Avenue as part of the same project until April 30, 2025. through June 2026 while the interchange is being rebuilt. Both shoulders are closed through July 1, 2025. Lane restrictions are in place on as part of the same project until April 30, 2025. The right shoulder is closed because of construction on I-80 in Iowa between Exit 27 (near Neola) and Exit 97 (Stuart) from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays until Nov. 28. from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays until Nov. 28. A lane is closed intermittently on I-29 between Exit 15 (near Percival) and Exit 24 (near Bartlett) because of road construction until 2 p.m. Friday. because of road construction until 2 p.m. Friday. Head-to-head traffic is in place on I-29 from Exit 1 (Iowa Highway 33 East) and Exit 10 (Iowa Highway 2) north of Hamburg because of road construction until Thursday. Iowa Highway 333 from I-29 to 274th Street near Hamburg also is closed for road construction until Sept. 30. because of road construction until Thursday. also is closed for road construction until Sept. 30. The right shoulder is closed on I-80 between Iowa Highway 906 and Exit 17 near Weston because of road construction until Sept. 27. because of road construction until Sept. 27. Avenue L between North 27th and North 28th Streets in Council Bluffs will be closed because of a storm sewer rehabilitation project until Nov. 30. will be closed because of a storm sewer rehabilitation project until Nov. 30. North 28th Street between Avenues M and N in Council Bluffs will be closed for water-main repairs until Sept. 28. will be closed for water-main repairs until Sept. 28. The right shoulder is closed in both directions from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays on U.S. Highway 6 between Council Bluffs and Atlantic because of road construction until Nov. 28. because of road construction until Nov. 28. The right shoulder is closed in both directions from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays on Iowa Highway 92 between Treynor and Griswold because of road construction until Nov. 28. Head-to-head traffic is in place on U.S. Highway 34 between County Roads M37 and H34 through Red Oak because of road reconstruction until Oct. 18. The Omaha metro's 10 busiest intersections No. 1: 90th Street and West Dodge Road No. 2: 120th and L Streets No. 3: 72nd and Dodge Streets No. 4: 72nd and Pacific Streets No. 5: 132nd Street and Industrial Road No. 6: The I80 westbound on-ramp from 72nd Street No. 7: 84th and L Streets No. 8: 132nd Street and West Center Road No. 9: 72nd and Grover Streets No. 10: 78th and Dodge Streets The Nigerian Army 1 Division, Kaduna on Friday completed the training of no fewer than 1,856 personnel of Nigeria Customs Service on weapon handling. The News Agency of Nigerian (NAN) reports the 1,856 customs men, who were trained in 10 batches in 40 days, were drawn from Zone B of Nigeria Customs Service. NAN reports that the training was held at the Martin Agwai International Leadership and Peace Keeping Centre, Jaji, Kaduna. In his remarks at the closing ceremony, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 Division, Maj- General Faruk Yahaya, said the personnel had been grounded extensively on basic weapon techniques. The GOC was represented by Brig. Gen. Tonye Numbere, Commander, 1 Division Engineering. Yahaya explained that the overall objective of the training was to enhance their ability to handle and operate small arms and light weapons effectively while discharging their duties. Read Also: Army trains 2,000 Customs personnel as smugglers become defiant I am sure that you must have acquired the basic skills and knowledge on how to handle AK47 rifle and pistol which are commonest and simplest weapons that can be used to counter armed bandits in any circumstances. I am convinced that you are leaving this training institution today better equipped with the requisite knowledge on general use of small arms and light weapons to carry out your roles efficiently for effective policing of the nations border, he said. Yahaya expressed appreciation to the Chief of Army Staff for the opportunity to impart professional knowledge to the customs personnel in the quest to develop their capacity to tackle the contemporary challenges confronting the country. Earlier, the Coordinator of the training, Col. Emmanuel Agada, said that the participants were trained in 10 batches for a period of 40 days. Agada said the weapon handling training for the customs men covered series of lectures, outdoor exercises as well as practical shooting. Topics such as marksmanship principles, stripping and assembly, aiming and holding of weapons as well as safety precautions, among others, were delivered to the participants to broaden their knowledge on the AK47 rifle and pistol, he said. (NAN) Friday, October 25th 2019, 12:09 pm Roughly 40,000 to 50,000 residents have been forced from homes with numerous structures destroyed late Thursday California firefighters on Friday sought to take advantage of a brief lull in high winds behind fast-moving wildfires that forced the evacuation of more than 40,000 residents north of Los Angeles and another 2,000 in the states wine country. With winds abating, crews worked overnight to battle a newly-started fire about 40 miles (64 km) north of Los Angeles that was threatening 10,000 homes and businesses, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said. Officials warned residents not to be deceived by the overnight lull, as the National Weather Service (NWS) forecast a pickup in hot, dry winds by Friday morning with gusts of 45 to 55 mph (72 to 89 kph) and temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius). Lets not let our guard down, said Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. She told a press conference 40,000 to 50,000 residents had been forced from homes by late Thursday with numerous structures destroyed. Californias wildfires generally erupt in the fall as hot, dry Santa Ana winds blow westward from the desert after a dry summer. Last year, at least 85 people died in one of the deadliest such fires, known as the Camp Fire in Butte County. The so-called Tick Fire, which began Thursday afternoon just outside the city of Santa Clarita, had consumed about 4,000 acres and was only 5 percent contained as of late Thursday, the county fire department said. Another burst of high winds was expected over the weekend, said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the NWSs Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. To the north, where firefighters were battling a smattering of blazes, crews had restored power to most of the nearly 200,000 homes and businesses intentionally left in the dark because of risk of high winds downing electrical lines. An Italian index case of coronavirus in Nigeria has tested negative and has been discharged. Naija News reports that this was disclosed by the Governor of Lagos State, Nigerias commercial city, Babajide Sanwo-Olu in a series of tweets on the micro-blogging site, Twitter on Friday night, March 20. The governor tweeted: As the COVID-19 Incident Commander for Lagos, I am glad to inform you that the index case; the Italian gentleman is now negative. Through a combined effort of Lagos, Ogun State and Fed Health Authorities, we were able to limit the transmission of the virus to a single contact. This involved aggressive contact tracing and containment strategies. However, we now have several new imported cases and we hope we can apply the same contact tracing strategy along with social distancing to slow down the outbreak which may be brewing from these new cases. The index patient consented to donating one unit of white blood (plasma) before he was discharged today. The blood plasma is rich in antibody proteins that target #COVID19 virus. The white blood plasma is frozen in our Bio-bank and will be useful in handling new cases. The blood plasma will be beneficial for the treatment of new patients in the absence of a defined therapeutic drug for #COVID19 yet. The patient appreciated the exceptional care and support given to him by staff of the infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba and all members of the EOC. The EOC team was extremely happy to bid the patient farewell. Once again, we will like to convey the enthusiasm of the team to do the very best possible in handling incidents of #COVID19, the tweet added. Meanwhile, Naija News recalls that the Federal Ministry of Health on Friday morning, February 28, confirmed the first case of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Lagos, Nigerias commercial city. The Lagos coronavirus patient, an Italian, was confirmed to have the virus three days after he arrived in the country. He flew in from Milan, Italy, into Lagos before heading to Ogun state where he first showed symptoms of the disease. Share this post with your Friends on The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed the result released by Uba Danzainab, a senior special assistant on social media to the states governor, Abdullahi Ganduje. A statement signed by INECs Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kano, Riskuwa Arabu-Shehu, said the collation of results for the gubernatorial and state assembly election is still going on at wards and local government area levels. He said only INEC or a representative of the commission is empowered by law to collate, transmit, declare or announce the outcome of any election as contained in section 27 of electoral act 2010 as amended. Mr Arabu-Shehu warned the general public to stop making inciting or provocative statements and actions which could lead to a breakdown of law and order in the state. The commission implored all and sundry to remain calm and be law abiding and wait for the official announcement of the final result by the commission. In a related development, the Peoples Democratic Partys (PDP) gubernatorial candidate, Abba Yusuf, has called on INEC and the Nigeria Police to, as a matter of urgency, arrest Mr Danzainab, for releasing fake governorship results on Saturday evening, ahead of INEC. A statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES by the spokesperson of the PDP governorship candidate, Sanusi Dawakintofa, said the result shared from Kano government house is meant to complicate the outcome of the election conducted on Saturday. Mr Danzainab, on Saturday, published the result of governorship election depicting APC won 13 local government areas, on his Facebook page. Polaris Dawn has paved the way for a new era of commercial spaceflights for humankind after successfully performing what it set out to do in orbit, as well as returning safely to the planet over the weekend. The latest splashdown of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft on the Gulf of Mexico marks the end of the unique and historical Polaris Dawn mission. Polaris Dawn Mission Ends Successfully Over the Weekend Last Saturday, SpaceX announced that Polaris Dawn's crew and the Crew Dragon spacecraft are returning after their five-day-long mission, which found them around 870 miles outside of our planet. This marked the beginning of its return to the planet where the Crew Dragon had performed a deorbit and an entry burn, targeting the Dry Tortugas after unfavorable weather prevented them from proceeding to seven return sites. After the landing, SpaceX collected the spacecraft and opened the hatch of the Crew Dragon for astronauts Jared Isaacman, Scott Poteet, Sarah Gillis, and Anna Menon to exit the spacecraft. Astronauts, SpaceX Crew Dragon Safely Lands on Earth SpaceX first deployed the four parachutes of the Crew Dragon, which helped in further reducing the spacecraft's speed before its anticipated landing on the Gulf of Mexico. The feat did not see any issues or problems as the Crew Dragon and Polaris Dawn astronauts splashed down on the water. The historic mission reached a variety of milestones. First, Polaris Dawn and the Crew Dragon ventured to the farthest location in space since the Apollo mission. Second, they utilized SpaceX's Skywalker and EVA suits, with Isaacman and Gillis performing the first commercial spacewalk in history to test the spacesuit's mobility. Additionally, they completed a 40-minute video call to Earth using SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet. They also sent files to further test Starlink, and Polaris Dawn's Sarah Gillis performed a violin piece in space. Lastly, Gillis and SpaceX engineer Anna Menon are also the first women who ventured the farthest from the planet, a feat they completed before the NASA Artemis mission. The Historical Mission by SpaceX and Polaris Dawn The entire world closely watched the many successful feats that Polaris Dawn accomplished over the past few days, with its five-day-long mission making history every step of the way. After 2020's Inspiration4 success, billionaire and civilian astronaut Jared Isaacman partnered with SpaceX yet again for Polaris Dawn, marking the latest effort to expand what humanity can achieve in outer space. SpaceX was in charge of many aspects of the mission,as it provided various technology like its rockets, its EVA suits, the Skywalker, and other needs which helped make the mission a reality. Last September 9, it successfully launched the Crew Dragon aboard its Falcon 9 reusable rocket, performing the mission after a recent temporary suspension from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). After spending five days in the farthest point in Earth's orbit and performing the historical commercial spacewalk, Polaris Dawn is back to bring what they discovered and open up the gates for humanity's future in space exploration. How Time Flies is a daily feature looking back at Pantagraph archives to revisit what was happening in our community and region. 100 years ago Sept. 16, 1924: Workmen yesterday sought to fill up a huge receptacle in the 200 block of West Front Street prior to laying new brick pavement. This opening was one of the ancient fire cisterns, constructed at various points in the business district and which were supplied from water that drained off the roofs of the business houses. They antedated the city water mains and the pumping plant which drew a supply from tube wells. 75 years ago Sept. 16, 1949: With a white handkerchief over his face and a pistol in his hand, a lone holdup man ordered Virgil Moreland, manager of the Ware Oil company service station at 513 S. Clinton St., Bloomington, to throw his money changer and bills from the cash drawer out the front door, where the armed man picked them up and fled with a total of about $35. 50 years ago Sept. 16, 1974: The Eldon Jannusches, who built their home a mile north of Shirley 14 years ago, are among the families for whom the construction of the new stretch of Interstate 55 has led to a number of inconveniences over the past year. Problems have included broken drainage tiles, flooded basements and an atmosphere comparable to the Oklahoma dust bowl. 25 years ago Sept. 16, 1999: A group of Illinois 9 corridor homeowners Citizens Advocating Responsible Expansion has succeeded in fighting the Illinois Department of Transportation's proposed five-lane expansion west of Bloomington. State officials conceded that CARE's opposition to the project was the main factor in scrapping it. IDOT's decision followed a meeting with CARE representatives that was also attended by state Rep. Bill Brady and Sen. John Maitland, both Bloomington Republicans. A professor of accounting and finance at the University of Professional Studies, UPSA, has cautioned against Ghanaians electing the flagbearer of the NDC, John Dramani Mahama since it would mark the collapse of the Free SHS program. Professor Isaac Boadi who is also the Dean of Accounting and Finance at UPSA, speaking at ABC News Economic Symposium held in Winneba on September 16, 2024, held that pronouncements by John Mahama and his party big guns in the past are indicative of the fact that Free SHS is not safe should they win power. Let me not mince words, if the NDC wins the 2024 elections, there are clear indications that Free SHS will be dead. These people have never liked the idea of Free SHS he stated. He continued: Prior to Akufo-Addo implementing Free SHS, the NDC, led by the former president, had many adverts made against it. How do you expect a group of people who never believed in the Free SHS idea to manage it if they win power? He went further to give instances of former President Mahama and his party executives speaking against Free SHS. The NDC, in the 2012 electioneering campaign, commissioned about 47 anti-Free SHS adverts, urging the electorate to reject Akufo-Addo and his Free SHS promise which, in the minds of the members of the NDC, was an impossible dream. He gave the following instances. Mr. Mahama, in the run-up to the 2016 elections had this to say; Ghana must not implement Free SHS on the whimsical promises of a desperate politician. Many countries in Africa have failed with free education policies. There have also been several comments made against Free SHS by the former President, John Mahama and other key figures of the National Democratic Congress. President Mahama on November 23, 2012, told the people of Okere in the Eastern Region that Free SHS will collapse the education system of Ghana. President Mahama at UCC in 2016 said The Free Senior High School by the NPP is a political gimmick Former President Mahama at the NDCs Tarkwa unity walk strongly rejected the Free SHS policy stating that it is unwise to implement it. Mahama on November 25, 2017, stated that Lalasulala Free SHS will fail. Former President Mahama on his presidential primaries tour said to Akufo-Addos Free SHS is not working Former President Mahama again on October 1, 2018, reiterated his aversion to Free SHS stating that it will undergo a review and hinted on the possibility of the policy being scrapped because to him it is unthinkable to spend 2 billion Ghana cedis in free SHS and that it is seriously constricting governments budget. The then Minister of Education, Lee Ocran, on 10th September 2012 said Free SHS can only be possible in 2032, in 20 years time. Mahama Ayariga, on September 26, 2016, said Choose Mahamas education policy, it is better than Akufo-Addos Free SHS Hajia Joyce Zeinabu, then National Women Organizer of the NDC in 2016, November 20, had this to say, Free SHS will breed teenage pregnancies The General Secretary of the NDC, Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah is on record to have said on October 1, 2018, that Free SHS is shambolic and that it will have to be scrapped. The National Chairman of the NDC, Elder Ofosu Ampofo also on 18th December 2018 said: Double Track system is causing teenage pregnancy. NDC MP for Adaklu, Kwame Agbodza, on June 19, 2018, said Over concentration on Free SHS stifling funds meant for flood prevention Adam Mutawakilu, former NDC MP for Damango said Blame the mysterious deaths at KUMACA to overcrowding as a result of Free SHS. Felix Kwakye Ofosu on May 14, 2018, had this warning for the government You cant use oil money to fund Free SHS Joshua Akamba to Tempane SHS students Reject Akufo-Addo for implementing such a shambolic education system. All the above commentaries, according to Professor Boadi, were made by the former president and some key figures in his party. This, it is obvious, points to the fact that the opposition NDC cannot be trusted for the continuation of Free SHS he added. The Accounting and Finance guru also warned any attempts by any regime to include private schools in the implementation of Free SHS. Any attempt to bring onboard private schools onto the Free SHS implementation will instantly collapse the program. Mr. John Mahama has said that if he becomes president, he will include private schools as part of institutions to enjoy Free SHS. It is dangerous. The financial impact on the state would be enormous. If the NDC wins power, dont expect your children to enjoy Free SHS any longer he concluded. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A devastating fire at Kpone Kokompe on Friday, September 13, 2024, has tragically claimed the lives of four people, including a 14-year-old girl, two boys aged 11 and 2, and a 27-year-old man. The fire, which started at 11:28 pm, quickly spread, engulfing 10 wooden structures and destroying personal belongings, furniture, and home appliances. The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in a statement said it arrived on the scene at 11:47 p.m. and worked swiftly to bring the blaze under control by 12:31 a.m. and fully extinguish it by 12:55am. However, it was later discovered that the 27-year-old man, who had returned home unexpectedly, was not accounted for, resulting in his tragic death alongside the three children. The fire has left the community in mourning, and the GNFS has expressed its condolences to the bereaved families and all affected by the tragedy. Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby structures, limiting further damage. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Earlier today, the Tema Regional Fire Commander, ACFO II Patrick Sallah, and other officers visited the affected families to offer their condolences and assess the extent of the damage. Source: graphiconline Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has announced the ex-refinery and ex-pump price floors for the period of September 16 to 30, 2024. The price floors, which are the minimum prices at which petroleum products can be sold, are as follows: Petrol: GHS 9.04 per liter (ex-refinery) and GHS 12.31 per liter (ex-pump) Diesel: GHS 9.74 per liter (ex-refinery) and GHS 12.99 per liter (ex-pump) LPG: GHS 10.97 per kilogram (ex-refinery) and GHS 13.13 per kilogram (ex-pump) MGO: GHS 9.74 per liter (ex-refinery) and GHS 10.68 per liter (ex-pump) Local Kerosene: GHS 9.92 per liter (ex-refinery) and GHS 11.72 per liter (ex-pump) The NPA has entreated Bulk Import, Distribution and Export Companies (BIDECs), Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), and LPG Marketing Companies (LPGMCs) to comply with the announced price floors. The NPA has also announced that the ex-refinery price floors exclude the premiums charged by International Oil Trading Companies (IOTCs) and the operating margins of BIDECs. Similarly, the ex-pump price floors exclude the Marketers and Dealers Margins of OMCs/LPGMCs. These margins will be independently determined by the companies, as pertains under the Price Deregulation Policy. Overall, the announcement of the price floors for September 16 to 30, 2024, is a positive development for consumers and companies in the petroleum industry. It will help to ensure that prices are stable and predictable, while also allowing companies to make a reasonable profit. Source: dailyguidenetwork.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Tong Defa, has asked Chinese residents in Ghana to stay away from illegal mining activities in the country popularly called (galamsey). He also urged the Ghanaian government to deal with Chinese nationals engaged in illegal mining activities in Ghana, to serve as a deterrent to others. The law, he said, must take its full course on any Chinese who disrespect the laws of Ghana by involving in the destruction of water bodies and vegetative cover of the country. Mr Defa said these in response to a question about the involvement of his compatriots involvement in illegal mining during his maiden engagement with selected journalists at his residence on Thursday in Accra. The Chinese Ambassador said the Chinese government discouraged its citizens from undertaking illegal mining activities in Ghana. He said there was a Chinese company doing legitimate mining business under strict environmental mining laws in the Upper East Region of Ghana. We support rule of law and so we discourage Chinese nationals from breaking the law. While acknowledging that not all Chinese in Ghana engage in illegal mining, Mr Defa said Chinas position on enforcement remains unchanged. He said in 2018, President Xi Jinping urged President Akufo-Addo to punish those who engage in illegal mining. Currently, Ghana is grappling with the menace of illegal mining, as calls for its outright ban intensify. Apart from the destruction to the environment, including the pollution of rivers and other water bodies which served as sources of drinking water, the chemicals used in illegal mining pose serious health threats such as kidney diseases, and increased number of mothers in some mining communities giving birth to children with disabilities. Some medical doctors, scientists, environmentalists, the media and lawyers had expressed concern about the devastation caused by the activities of illegal mining. The Tertiary University Teachers Association (TUTAG) is the latest to join the call for declaration of a state of emergency on illegal mining. Worst still, illegal mining contributes to food shortages nationwide, as farmers sold out cocoa farms, crops and vegetable farms to illegal miners. At the 2024 Annual Conference of the Ghana Bar Association in Kumasi on September 9, the Attorney-General (A-G) and Minister of Justice, Mr Godfred Yeboah, said even though there is still room for more to be done in prosecuting illegal mining offences, the state had achieved some success in convictions and sentencing of offenders. Mr Dame said that 76 persons, including 18 foreigners had so far been convicted from August 2021 to date. He said the convicts who were serving various sentences in prisons nationwide, include the acclaimed Chinese galamsey queen, En Huang, also known as Aisha Huang who was convicted on December 4, 2023 of offenses committed between 2014 and 2016. The A-G and Minister of Justice noted that most of the convicts were sentenced under the new law Act 995 to a minimum of 15 years plus a heavy fine in the case of a Ghanaian and a minimum of 20 years plus a hefty fine for a non-Ghanaian. He said currently, over 140 cases of illegal mining involving more than 850 accused were being prosecuted in courts in the Western, Eastern, Ashanti, Greater Accra and Upper East regions of Ghana with some nearing conclusion. Source: Ghanaian Times Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The running mate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has joined calls for the Electoral Commission to subject the voters register for the upcoming general elections to a forensic audit. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang says in the interest of peace, and to assure stakeholders that there is nothing to hide, the Electoral Commission must not resist demands for a forensic audit of the register. She was speaking at her campaign office in Accra on Monday. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang says the calls for a forensic audit is an opportunity for the Electoral Commission to bolster confidence in Ghanaians in the run-up to the presidential and parliamentary elections. Source: King Edward Ambrose/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has branded the governing party as a drift away from the Kufuor era, currently in the grips of a small family. According to the former president, many of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters are disillusioned by the state of the party, even as they admit the governments shambolic performance in office. I have many friends in the NPP and when I speak with them, they tell me, President Mahama, we know our party hasnt done a good job since it took office. The economy is in a wreck. However, Im an NPP member so I cant vote for you so I wont vote at all,, John Mahama disclosed at a campaign stop at Ngleshie Amanfrom in Accra. He insisted a small family was steering the affairs of the party, leading to high disaffection levels among members of the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition. Its not really the NPP that is in government. This is not the NPP we know. The party led by President Kufuor was not disorganized like this one, he sought to remind his listeners. Mr. Mahama encouraged frustrated members of the governing party to vote the NDC into power in order that in opposition, they could wrest power from the small family that has hijacked the party. Source: starrfm Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Residents of Winneba in the Effutu Constituency, have pledged to support and vote massively for the New Patriotic Party in the December 7 elections. At the ABC News organized Economic Symposium held on Monday, September 16, 2024, residents who participated in the forum expressed support and enthusiasm towards ensuring that Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia wins the elections. We are resolute in our determination and decision to vote for Dr. Bawumia and Honourable Alexander Afenyo-Markin massively. This government has done better than the previous NDC administration. We shall retain this party in power a young lady who was at the event emphasized. Why should we vote for John Mahama to come and cancel Free SHS? He will collapse the policy if we vote for them because he never had any trust in the policy when it was introduced. We shall vote for Bawumia to save Free SHS one Isaac Bondzie said. Scores of others praised the government for the massive development projects undertaken since 2017. From roads to harbours, hospital facilities to schools, roads and railways, etc, were mentioned by the people as the developmental projects they have witnessed. They also expressed gratitude to the MP for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, for the massive developments in the constituency since he became their legislator. They described him as the best thing that has ever happened to us. The residents also expressed concern about why the Ministry of Education has not been printing bills of fees and other charges for Free SHS beneficiaries to be given to parents so that they know how much the government is spending and helping Ghanaians. We are asking the Education Ministry to regularly print the bills of school fees and other charges of Free SHS beneficiaries for parents. This will help parents to know how much the government is paying for their wards education. We are grateful to President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Bawumia for the implementation of Free SHS, and we shall vote for Bawumia to continue with the program Esi Saah stated. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Vice President and flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has called out former President John Mahama over what he describes as "indecent utterances" by the former President. A viral video captured Mahama at a campaign event verbally assaulting Chiefs, Imams, Pastors and the CSOs, describing them as "hypocrites". Mahama rebuked these entities over his belief that they support the New Patriotic Party and their presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, instead of joining forces with him and the NDC to kick out the ruling party. Addressing thousands of supporters Monday morning in Amasaman in the Greater Accra Region, Dr. Bawumia expressed shock that Mr. Mahama could make those "unpresidential" statements, adding the former President has realized he will lose the elections. "You all know that this election is between former President Mahama and myself. But how the campaign is going, the former President has seen that he will lose massively, so any little thing, he gets angry." "Today I have heard that he has insulted Pastors, Imams, Chiefs and CSOs. He says thay are hypocrites. How can you say this? Is this how a former President should speak? That Chiefs, the Clergy, Imams and CSOs are hypocrites?" "Recently, he has also been insulting the Electoral Commission. And he said NPP government is a foolish government. Are these utterances that should be coming out of the mouth of a former President? How can a former President make such indecent comments?", Dr. Bawumia said. Dr. Bawumia admonished politicians to be responsible and decent in their utterances, stating only those without ideas tend to insult. "We, politicians, must have some decency in the language we speak...This election is not about insults. It is about ideas. You only insult people when you do not have ideas. But if you have ideas, you present your ideas. We have ideas and we have bold solutions to problems." Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video NPP presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia says former President John Mahama has sensed a looming defeat on December 7, hence his recent attacks on institutions and leaders in the nation. Addressing thousands of supporters at a campaign event in Amasaman today, Dr. Bawumia found it extremely unfortunate that the former President will label Chiefs, Pastors and Imams "hypocrites" and further branded the New Patriotic Party as "foolish". To Dr. Bawumia, Mahama is speaking out of frustration and desperation for power because he has come to the reality that he will lose the December election. "Today I have heard that he has insulted pastors, Imams, Chiefs and CSOs...Recently, he has also been insulting the Electoral Commission. Today too, he said NPP government is a foolish government", he said, asking "are these utterances that should be coming out of the mouth of a former President? How can a former President make such indecent comments?" He stressed "how the campaign is going, the former President has seen that he will lose massively, so any little things, he gets upset". Bawumia, further responding to Mahama, said; "We have ideas and we have bold solutions to problems. You say we are a foolish government but we have created more jobs than your government. We have built more roads than your government. We have built more interchanges than your government. We have built more bridges than your government. We have built more factories than your government. We have built more schools than your government." He added; "Every sector of the economy that you can mention, we have done better than you and you say we are foolish government." Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Event Description - 5th European Conference Hydrogen & P2X 2024 After last year's event that gathered over 200+ participants form 23+ countries, were thrilled to announce the 5th Hydrogen & P2X Conference 2024. This edition with revised agenda including industry trends, excellent speakers & technical insights will take place on 19-20 June in Copenhagen. As the world accelerates its efforts towards sustainability and combating climate change, hydrogen remains the key to unlocking a greener and cleaner future. With the H2 infrastructure underway, an increasing amount of H2 projects in hard-to-abate sectors being developed all add significantly to hit decarbonization goals. At Hydrogen & P2X 2024, we aim to delve even deeper into the latest advancements, industry critical discussions, and ground-breaking innovations that will shape the hydrogen landscape. Key topics Integration of Hydrogen into the existing legal and regulatory framework Updates on targets from the EU's REPowerEU Innovations in Hydrogen's impact on achieving Net Zero goals The newest and cutting-edge advancements, solutions, and innovations Introducing Hydrogen to the current gas network Scaling up and reducing Hydrogen production costs Case studies on existing and planned Power-to-X projects and infrastructure Green Hydrogen as a potential clean substitute for carbon-heavy fuels Ensuring low-carbon technologies for P2X products Markets for the development of Fuel Hydrogen, Ammonia, and Hydrogen Fuel Cells H2 safety technology and regulations Why should you join the Hydrogen & P2X 2024 After a succesful 2023 edition with over 200 partcipants, 27 presentations from industry end-users we decided to hold the new edition in the city of Copenhagen again. 2024 Edition will give an even bigger possibility to network and exchange ideas with industry leaders. During this 2-day event rich in presentations from industry end-users and running projects case studies you will gain a comprehensive overview of the green hydrogen and P2X industry. You can hear experts focusing on new regulations, changing market situation and more. Get an opportunity to network and exchange views with industry leaders. 5th European Conference Hydrogen & P2X 2024 will bring together top-level experts from gas producers, chemical and mobility industries representatives, power companies, business analytics, government officials and regulators, storage companies, service providers, projects representatives, transportation companies, technology providers, equipment manufacturers, renewable energy consultancies and others. Event Description - 6th European Conference Biogas PowerON 2024 Following last years great response to our Biogas PowerON 2023 with over 130 participants from 22+ countries were announcing next edition, 6th European Conference Biogas PowerON 2024, with great excitement. The conference will take place on 25-26 September 2024 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Our 2024 edition focuses on excellent speakers with highly sought presentations, interesting industry panel discussion, technical insights and many hours of networking. In 2024, biogas continues to gaining popularity amid the energy crisis and Europe's focus on energy independence and security. The coming years mark a crucial turning point for the robust development and scaling up biogas production. The green transformation aahead promises to enhance economic growth, security, and climate action for Europe and its partners. Initiatives like The Biomethane Industrial Partnership (BIP), launched on 28 September 2022, aim to support the EU's target of achieving 35 bcm annual sustainable biomethane production by 2023, laying the groundwork for a sustained ramp-up of biogas potential towards 2050. Biogas stands out as a cost-efficient solution to reduce imports of natural gas from Russia, requiring an estimated EUR 37 billion investment over the period. KEY TOPICS: Overview of European and national policies and regulations Revitalizing Green Energy: The Impact of the Revised Renewable Energy Directive on Biomethane The status of the BIP in shaping European regulations Reflecting on the 35bcm target: Assessing progress and future directions post- RePowerEU Securing Sustainable Growth: Financing Strategies for Biomethane Innovation From the plan to the full scale production how to plan and execute succesful biogas project Role of gas infrastructure in decarbonising EU energy sector The newest technological advancements in Biogas to Biomethane Upgrading BioLNG production: what makes a viable case vs. grid injection Hydrothermal gasification and 2G biomethane production production: status on technologies Challenges and opportunities faced by biogas producers The latest solutions ensuring the safety of biomethane production and transportation Early confirmed speakers include: Charcoal buyers from Europe Release Date: 28.02.2018 Total companies 2015: 341 Total companies 2016: 187 (I .) Total companies 2016: 464 Total companies 2017: (check pending) Total companies 2018: 376 Base Format: .xls Purchase Volume 2015: 162 208 Purchase Volume 2016: 151 957 Purchase Volume 2017: 174 180 Purchase Volume 2018: 174 032 Database of Charcoal Importing Companies: Structure and Purpose This database is created on the basis of statistical as well as informational and analytical data on supplies of Ukrainian charcoal to Europe for the specified period. The database includes reliable and detailed information about importing companies with country, exact address and location, e-mail and website, phone and fax numbers as well as the representatives of these companies with their contact details. The Database of European Charcoal Importing Companies from Ukraine also shows the procurement volume of each company for the specified period which makes it possible to assess the opportunities of an importer - buyer and prospects for potential collaboration. In total, this database includes information on 376 importing companies from 45 countries of the world, the vast majority of which are located on the European continent. Table 1. European Buyers of Charcoal in Ukraine 2018 Country Volume, MT Companies Poland 68 546 47 Germany 30 682 75 Romania 24 518 53 Belgium 16 606 8 Netherlands 5 104 10 Bulgaria 4 627 15 France 4 521 8 Czech Republic 3 889 17 Iraq 1 905 15 Slovakia 1 828 8 Austria 1 628 7 Turkey 1 463 31 Hungary 1 302 8 Lithuania 1 209 12 Moldova 1 071 16 Switzerland 1 045 2 Sweden 816 7 Estonia 518 4 United Kingdom 463 4 Denmark 378 1 Greece 320 5 Israel 320 16 Latvia 626 14 Finland 120 2 Austria 84 1 Saudi Arabia 46 3 Estonia 43 1 UAE 41 2 USA 36 2 Greece 36 2 Italy 89 3 Oman 31 2 Palestine 22 2 Lebanon 21 1 Jordan 20 1 Syrian Arab Republic 19 1 Montenegro 15 1 Azerbaijan 13 2 Belarus 4 3 Georgia 2 1 Russian Federation 2 2 The Database of European Charcoal Importers from Ukraine is specialized and compiled by market experts. The experts of Ukrainian Biofuel Portal, who prepared this database, make regular monitoring of domestic charcoal exports and continuously update the data in the information and analytical system of Ukrainian Biofuel Portal over the past five years. The experts say that Poland is traditionally the leading importer of domestic charcoal. From this volume, the share of major European importers - Poland, Belgium, Germany, and Romania is more than 80% of the total export of this alternative fuel type supplied by our country. In particular, Poland purchased 56% of this volume, Belgium - 24%, Germany - 14% and Romania - almost 6%. Advantages of the Database of European Charcoal Importers from Ukraine Click the database screenshot to enlarge. A lot of the importing companies represented in the database have many years of experience in sustainable cooperation with Ukrainian charcoal producers and show the relatively stable result of import volumes. The European Database of Charcoal Importers from Ukraine in 2018 makes it possible to monitor the export dynamics clearly and draw conclusions about its prospects in the near future with a high degree of probability. This informational and analytical release is of particular interest for Ukrainian charcoal producers, who have recently entered the market, allowing them to focus on it more clearly and significantly expand their export potential. Also, this information will be of interest to business which implies diversification due to the deployment of charcoal production. Analytical information of the Database of Ukrainian Charcoal Importers will provide invaluable assistance to traders in the optimal commercial offer making and effective search for new markets. In addition, charcoal exporters from Ukraines neighbouring countries will be able, using the information provided, to optimize their pricing and logistics policies which will allowing them to establish new or continue existing international trade cooperation on more favourable conditions for both parties. charcoal-importers-2018.xls 461kb charcoal-importers-2018.xls 461kb All databases Variety of bioenergy solutions: From Infinita to Greenwave Biofuels Welcome to our site, which introduces you to a wide range of bioenergy solutions - from bio-oils to bio-fuels. Learn more about companies like Infinita and Greenwave Biofuels here. Our platform presents a comprehensive selection of biochemical and biological energy systems. From Sunflower-Tek to British Biogas - here you will find information about different players and solutions in the bioenergy industry. Discover sustainable bioenergy options such as bio-oils and biofuels being developed by companies like Total and Sunpower. Learn how bioenergy systems can contribute to energy diversity and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Global demand for renewable energy is increasing, and companies such as Bioenergy Consultancy and Greenway Fuels are offering innovative solutions. Learn more about the technologies and strategies behind these bioenergy companies. The bioenergy industry is constantly growing, driven by companies like Bio-Oils and Gronauer Bio-Energie. Our site provides information about the latest developments in this area and how biofuels, biobor and other solutions are shaping the future of energy. Nowadays, there is a tendency of rapid growth in the use of biomass for energy purposes in the European countries. The Czech Republic does not lag behind other Western countries. So, in 2016 the production of fuel briquettes exceeded 300 thousand tons, which is higher by 23% compared to the previous year. In the same year, the number of installed solid fuel boilers in Czech households reached 25,000. Despite the growth and development of the domestic market for consumption of fuel briquettes https://pellets-wood.com/wood-briquettes-b329.html, production in the Czech Republic is still focused on foreign markets. Some leading manufacturers of fuel briquettes in the Czech Republic plan to increase the production of fuel briquettes by 50% in the period from 2017 to 2018 with the aim of providing a quality product for the Czech domestic solid fuel market. Quality standards for wood briquettes in the Czech Republic As for the quality of fuel briquettes, there are about 3/4 of all briquettes produced in accordance with ENplus in the Chech Republic. The ENplus system is based on the European standard EN 14961-2 and from 2015 it is on the basis of the international standard ISO 17225-2. Certification means higher quality, but not a higher price. At the same time, manufacturers and dealers do not bear any additional costs. And consumers have the opportunity to choose between competing producers, which guarantee the same quality of fuel briquettes. Export of fuel briquettes from Czech Republic: opportunities and problems The development of the domestic market of fuel briquettes directly depends on their cost. The price of fuel briquettes does not withstand competition with German fuel briquettes, fuelwood and coal. Thus, the Czech companies producing fuel briquettes account for up to 95% of the production to be exported to other European countries. It is important to note that a significant part of the Ukrainian briquette export to Europe goes through the Czech Republic. According to the leading analyst of Ukrainian Biofuel Portal Sergey Kozlov, in recent years, 15-16% of the shipments of wood briquettes from Ukraine fall to the Czech Republic. The Officials have delayed the environmental tax on coal, which makes it a priority for heating purposes in comparison with fuel briquettes. Also, gas subsidies are a stumbling block for the introduction of clean heating in the Czech Republic. Perspectives for the development of the domestic market of Czech fuel briquettes Since January 1, 2005, the Czech Ministry of Environmental Protection subsidizes individuals who have installed and use boilers on fuel briquettes or other renewable energy sources. The program will work until the final disbursement of the fund, which provides grants. The grant for installed solid fuel boilers is up to 50,000 CZK or 50% of the investment costs. Modern technologies and production facilities in the Czech Republic allow the supply of high-quality biomass fuels to the market. A build-up of production capacity and the creation of a plant raw material base for biofuel, will create new jobs in the country. The development of the domestic market of fuel briquettes will reduce the dependence of the Czech economy on land-based coal mines and natural gas, compensate for the deficit of non-renewable energy sources, and also reduce emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere. The growth in production, as well as the domestic market for consumption of fuel briquettes, has a huge potential for further development of the country. In turn, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic actively promote the development of biomass, creating support mechanisms and programs for research and development of technologies for the production of environmentally friendly fuels. This material is protected by copyright. Any copying and distributing without active hyperlink is strictly prohibited! Source: https://pellets-wood.com/news-95-of-the-czech-fuel-briquette-is-exported-to-othe-7.html This material is protected by copyright.Any copying and distributing without active hyperlink is strictly prohibited! All news Offer Description - Rice husk pellets 8 mm, 9 mm, FOB or, CIF available for sale from Myanmar We are the suppliers of rice husk pellets. Our compnay is located in Yangon, Myanmar. Our manufacturing factory was established in 2022 on a space of 3 acres, with the most advanced types of machinery to produce rice husk pellets. Our machineries are regularly maintained every week. Our product, Rice Husk Pellet is an eco-friendly biofuel converted from rice husk of rice milling, which is a by-product of agriculture, into a valuable energy source. We have 30 skilled and experienced workers currently in our factory. Below are our product's specifications. Diameter: 8-9 mm Length: 20-80 mm Material: Rice Husk Moisture: 10% Ash Content: 13 20% Sulfur: 0.06% Fixed Carbon : 13 18% Gross Calorific Value: 3000 4000 Kcal/kg Packing Method: Negotiable We are looking to supply your biofuel needs. Please do not hesitate to contact us for further and detailed negotiation. 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: Scanning electron microscopy reveals the shape and texture of a quartz sand grain from the Mississippi River. The pictured sand grain is about 200 micrometers in length. Credit: Michael Hasson/Stanford University Stanford researchers have developed an artificial intelligence-based tooldubbed SandAIthat can reveal the history of quartz sand grains going back hundreds of millions of years. With SandAI, researchers can tell with high accuracy if wind, rivers, waves, or glacial movements shaped and deposited motes of sand. The tool gives researchers a unique window into the past for geological and archaeological studies, especially for eras and environments where few other clues, such as fossils, are preserved through time. SandAI's approach, called microtextural analysis, can also help with modern-day forensic investigations into illegal sand mining and related issues. "Working on sedimentary deposits that haven't been disturbed or deformed feels about as close as you can get to being in a time machineyou're seeing exactly what was on the surface of Earth, even hundreds of millions of years ago. SandAI adds another layer of detail to the information we can pull from them," said Michael Hasson, a Ph.D. candidate with Mathieu Lapotre, an assistant professor of Earth and planetary sciences at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Hasson is lead author of a new study demonstrating the tool, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Telltale signatures Historically, microtextural analysis has been done by hand and eye, using magnifying glasses and microscopes to attempt to draw inferences about sand grains' histories. Modern science has validated the approach, showing that transport mechanisms do indeed impart telltale signaturesfor example, grains that traveled farther often appear more rounded because they've had their sharp corners dulled; waves and wind also leave distinctive abrasion patterns. However, traditional microtextural analysis is highly subjective, time-consuming, and scattershot across different studies. Thanks to the new tool, which leverages the power of machine learning to deeply scrutinize microscopic images of sand grains, microtextural analysis can now be far more quantitative, objective, and potentially useful across a wide range of applications. It also analyzes individual sand grains instead of lumping multiple grains into a single category, offering a more complete evaluation. "Instead of a human going through and deciding what one texture is versus another for sand grains, we are using machine learning to make microtextural analysis more objective and rigorous," said Lapotre, who is senior author of the paper. "Our tool is opening doors for microtextural analysis applications that were not available before." Worldwide, sand is the most used resource, after water, and is critical in the construction industry. Materials such as concrete, mortar, and some plasters require angular sand for proper adhesion and stability. Gauging the origins of sand, however, to ensure ethical and legal sourcing is challenging, so the researchers hope SandAI can bolster traceability. For example, SandAI could help forensics investigators crack down on illegal sand mining and dredging. Training the tool To build SandAI, the researchers employed a neural network that "learns" in a manner akin to the human brain, where correct answers strengthen connections between artificial neurons, or nodes, in the program, enabling the computer to learn from its mistakes. The SandAI neural network was trained using modern quartz sand and can help unravel the histories encoded in ancient rocks. Shown here are ancient ripples formed by water currents being reworked by modern wind-blown sediment in Oman. Credit: Mathieu Lapotre/Stanford University With help from collaborators around the world, Hasson assembled hundreds of scanning electron microscope images of sand grains, representing material from the most common terrestrial environments: fluvial (rivers and streams), eolian (windblown sediments, such as sand dunes), glacial, and beach. "We wanted this method to work across geological time, but also across all of the geography that we have on Earth," said Hasson. "So, for example, the windblown dunes class was designed to include examples that are wet and dry, large and small. We needed the classes to be as diverse as they possibly could be." SandAI analyzed this set of images to train itself to predict the sand grains' histories based on features that human researchers might not ever discern. The tool naturally made errors and would then iteratively improve. Once SandAI reached a robust 90% prediction accuracy, the researchers introduced new samples the model had not previously seen. With images of sandstones from well-characterized environments ranging from the current day back to roughly 200 million years into the Jurassic era, SandAI performed well, correctly elucidating the grains' transport histories. Novel science and applications Next, the researchers challenged the tool with images of sand grains collected from Norway that date back more than 600 million years to the Cryogenian period. Better known as the time of "Snowball Earth," this was when ice sheets are thought to have covered the whole planet, before plants and animals had evolved. The origin of the sample in question, called the Bravika Member, has been contested, with various research groups coming to different conclusions. "With this Cryogenian sample, we were seeing how far we can push SandAI and really using it to do new science rather than just verifying that the tool worked," Hasson said. Intriguingly, SandAI surmised that the ancient sand grains had been shaped and deposited as part of a windblown sand dunein agreement with some manual microtextural studies. Moreover, because the tool analyzes individual sand grains, versus lumping multiple grains into a single category, other details emerged. While the dominant signature indeed indicated wind transport, a secondary signature that manual techniques would likely miss pointed to glacial sand. Together, those signals paint a portrait of sand dunes running somewhere near a glacier, as might well be expected during the Snowball Earth period. To evaluate those findings further, Hasson and colleagues looked for a potential modern analog of this Cryogenian geological scene. The researchers ran windblown sand grains from Antarctica through SandAI and, sure enough, arrived at the same result. "These findings from SandAI suggest that Antarctica really is a good modern analog to the environment represented by the Bravika Member," Hasson said. "They are a really strong piece of evidence that the signal we got from the Cryogenian deposits isn't just a fluke." The researchers have made SandAI available online for anyone to use. They plan to continue developing it based on user feedback and look forward to seeing the tool applied in a range of contexts. "The fact that we can now offer detailed conclusions about geological deposits that weren't knowable before I find kind of mind-blowing," said Hasson. "We're looking forward to seeing what else SandAI can do." More information: Michael Hasson et al, Automated determination of transport and depositional environments in sand and sandstones, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2407655121 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The ground stations of the European research infrastructure ACTRIS play an important role in calibrating the data from the EarthCARE satellite: they have been established and expanded in recent years to analyse aerosol particles and clouds using remote sensing instruments such as lidar and radar. Around 50 stations in Europe (photo: TROPOS in Leipzig) and overseas are involved in the atmo4ACTRIS measurement campaign. Credit: Tilo Arnhold, TROPOS The atmospheric lidar ATLID, the last of four instruments on board the EarthCARE satellite launched in May, has now been successfully put into operation. The joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) is designed to measure clouds, aerosols and radiation more accurately than ever before. Researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) are making an important contribution by developing algorithms that derive the aerosol and cloud stratification from measurements made by the instrument. A large-scale measurement campaign involving around 50 ground stations from the European ACTRIS network, coordinated by TROPOS in Leipzig, is also contributing to the precision of the new climate satellite. The findings are published in the journal Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Atmospheric lidar completes the new climate satellite Equipped with four state-of-the-art instrumentsa cloud profiling radar, an atmospheric lidar, a broadband radiometer and a multispectral imagerEarthCARE (Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) will carry out a number of different measurements simultaneously. Together, these measurements will help to better understand how clouds and aerosols reflect incoming solar energy back into space and how they trap thermal radiation emitted by the Earth. This information is important for understanding how climate change affects the Earth's energy balance and for predicting how quickly clouds and aerosols might lose their current cooling effect in the future. EarthCARE was launched into orbit around the Earth on 29 May 2024. Just one month later, the satellite delivered the first images from its cloud profiling radar, followed shortly afterwards by the first images from its broadband radiometer, the multispectral imager and, finally, the atmospheric lidar in August. This state-of-the-art instrument records detailed vertical profiles of aerosols and clouds in the atmosphere over different regions of the Earth. Aerosols are tiny particles and droplets from natural sources such as dust and sea salt, and from human activities such as industrial emissions or wood burning. The laser emits short pulses of ultraviolet light, which are reflected by atmospheric targets and analyzed in a highly sensitive receiver. The distance can be determined from the transit time, the concentration from the signal strength and the type of aerosol from the polarization. This makes it possible to measure the distribution and properties of aerosols and clouds, including their height, thickness, optical and physical properties. Synergy with the other three instruments on the satellite is crucial to understanding the role of aerosols and clouds in the Earth's energy balance. A new aerosol classification model ("Hybrid End-to-End Aerosol Classification", or HETEAC for short) has been specially developed as the basis for aerosol typing to ensure that these calculations work across the different instruments. The ATLID atmospheric lidar, in particular, will also make an important contribution to improving air quality forecasts. Ulla Wandinger, who has been involved in the development of ATLID for many years, is delighted with the first measurements, "The wealth of data and the detailed insight into the structures of the atmosphere are absolutely impressive." EarthCARE has the potential to significantly advance the understanding of aerosols, clouds and their interactions, as well as climate research. The first images from August show the diversity of aerosols and clouds in the Earth's atmosphere: for example, a profile of Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSC) over Antarctica, which play an important role in the formation of ozone holes, or Tropical Storm Debby over the Gulf of Mexico, and plumes of smoke from forest fires in Canada. Simonetta Cheli, ESA's Director of Earth Observation Programmes, said, "Following on from the first images from EarthCARE's other three instruments, we can now also see how well the atmospheric lidar is working. These profiles from the atmospheric lidar come exactly as we had anticipated, after the instrument has been through its routine decontamination and calibration processes. "The atmospheric lidar brings us completely new insight into the vertical distribution of clouds and aerosols and, together with the other instruments, puts us on course to gaining new scientific understanding into Earth's energy balance." Extensive measurement campaigns in the Atlantic and in Europe To ensure that the data from the new instruments can be used and interpreted in the best possible way, it is important to compare them with ground-based and airborne measurements in a wide range of situations. For this reason, a series of complex international measurement campaigns are currently underway. Until November, the German research aircraft HALO will fly under the EarthCARE track several times from Cabo Verde in the Atlantic, from Barbados in the Caribbean and from Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany until November. The HALO-PERCUSION validation mission is led by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) together with the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M). A number of partners, including the University of Leipzig, are also involved. PERCUSION is one of several subprojects of the ORCESTRA (Organised Convection and EarthCare Studies over the Tropical Atlantic) research project coordinated by the MPI-M. Another sub-project is CLARINET (CLoud and Aerosol Remote sensing for EarThcare), in which TROPOS researchers use the new ACTRIS remote sensing station of the Cabo Verde Atmospheric Observatory (CVAO) at the Ocean Science Centre in Mindelo (OSCM) to validate EarthCARE data in the tropical Atlantic and compare them with long-term measurements. The ground stations of the European research infrastructure ACTRIS play an important role in calibrating the data from the EarthCARE satellite: they have been established and expanded in recent years to analyze aerosol particles and clouds using remote sensing instruments such as lidar and radar. Around 50 stations in Europe and overseas are involved in the atmo4ACTRIS measurement campaign. This dense network offers the great advantage that EarthCARE flies over at least one of the stations practically every day, as the low-Earth orbit ensures that the satellite "flies" over our planet in strips, only returning to the same part of the Earth every 25 days. A single ground station is therefore not sufficient for calibration. "As part of the ATMO-ACCESS infrastructure project, we rehearsed the measurement campaign for two months at the end of last year with simulated overflights to prepare ourselves for the complex task. This was very helpful, because although the ACTRIS stations all work according to the same standards, some of them have very different backgrounds when it comes to validating satellite data. We are all looking forward to comparing the first EarthCARE data with the ground-based measurements," says Dr. Holger Baars of TROPOS, who is coordinating the campaign from Leipzig. In addition to the TROPOS stations in Leipzig and Melpitz, stations of the German Weather Service (DWD) in Hohenpeienberg and Lindenberg, the University of Cologne (UoC) in cooperation with the Julich Research Centre (FZJ), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Leipzig will participate. German partners are also providing important data from overseas: the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) is contributing observations from Ny-Alesund in the Arctic in cooperation with the UoC, and TROPOS is providing data from three stations in the Earth's dust belt: Cabo Verde in the Atlantic, Limassol in Cyprus and Dushanbe in Tajikistan. More information: Paolo Laj et al, Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure (ACTRIS): The European Research Infrastructure Supporting Atmospheric Science, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (2024). DOI: 10.1175/BAMS-D-23-0064.1 Journal information: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society Provided by Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain After decades of trying to stop Earth from heating up, scientists are exploring how to reverse climate change and maybe even cool the planet back down. Could clouds be brightened so they reflect more sunlight back into outer space? If lab-grown seaweed is sunk into the ocean, how much carbon dioxide could it absorb? Would drilling holes into glaciers extract enough heat to slow sea level rise? The University of Chicago positioned itself as a leader in this emergent fieldknown as geoengineeringafter recruiting renowned physicist David Keith to build out a climate engineering program with 10 tenure-track faculty hires and several young researchers. "We cannot understand (geoengineering) with just a bunch of individual people working on this in an isolated way. We need to bring together a broad group of scholars and students to debate it in a much richer way," Keith said. While society is struggling to kick its addiction to fossil fuels, compensating by meddling with Earth's atmosphere, oceans and land masses has long been viewed as taboo. Many scientists have argued that geoengineering interventions are a distraction from emissions reductions at best and too dangerous to study at worst. The most controversial, and likely also the fastest-acting method, is shooting aerosols into the sky to deflect the sun's rays, known as solar radiation management or solar geoengineering. Physicist Peter Irvine, 39, arrived in Hyde Park last week from London to study solar geoengineering as a research assistant professor on Keith's team. The process is anticipated to have a similar effect to massive volcanic eruptions such as the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in modern-day Indonesia, which disrupted weather patterns globally for three years. Summer temperatures in Europe were the coldest on record and fog dimmed sunlight in the United States. But, instead of volcanic ash, man-made aerosols would envelop the world and deflect the sun's rays. Temperatures worldwide would presumably start dropping within a year. "Solar radiation management is the only (climate intervention) that could be deployed within a single presidential term," Irvine said. But, scientists have historically kept geoengineering at arm's length out of concern that rich nations and fossil fuel companies would lean on promises of expensive, yet-to-be-developed technology to avoid changing their emissions-intensive practices. Carbon emissions are the root cause of climate change. However, society is unlikely to cut emissions fast enough to stave off the worst of climate change, experts say. Global emissions must be cut by 45% compared with 2010 levels in the next six years to keep warming at or below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, the world is on track to increase emissions by 9%, according to a 2023 United Nations report. The International Energy Agency anticipates that the total mineral demand for clean energy technologies, from solar panels to EV batteries, will double or quadruple by 2040. Not only is mining emissions-intensive, but it also takes time, which Manon Duret learned while working on sustainability initiatives at British multinational mining company Anglo American. "I just saw the sheer scale of things: how long it takes to get a permit to build a mine, how long it takes to create a new mine from the ground up," said the 32-year-old microbiologist. This was her "eureka moment" to join the U. of C. initiative. "It's not going to happen. We're not going to decarbonize the world so easily. We need to start looking at other options." At U. of C., she will explore the practical hurdles that must be overcome to make geoengineering possible, including material acquisition, transportation and international regulations. Geoengineering is a necessary stopgap while society works on reducing emissions, she said. Her husband, B.B. Cael, 33, an oceanographer by training, is also joining the initiative to assess the cost, scalability, effectiveness and risks of different geoengineering methods. The ability to mute man-made climate change is promising to scientists such as Keith, who believes society must weigh its race to reduce emissions against other priorities such as equitable economic development and advancing artificial intelligence. He has been a vanguard in geoengineering since the 1980s, starting one of the first companies to suck carbon dioxide out of the air and leading Harvard University's research into solar interventions. "The ethical thing to do is to cut emissions a little more slowly," Keith said. If scientists can cool the Earth down, society can buy time before hitting a climate tipping point. While Irvine said he's certain solar geoengineering would reduce extreme heat, heavy rainfall and sea-level rise, he admits it may also intensify droughts, increase acid rain and thin the ozone layer. These unknowns could affect food production and biodiversity worldwide. The stratospherewhere the aerosols would be injectedis the home of the thinning ozone layer and has already seen multiple "improbable events" in recent years, said Liz Moyer, the only professor at U. of C. who measures this high level of the atmosphere. While climate change has warmed the layer of the atmosphere closest to Earth's surface, it has cooled the stratosphere. Large wildfires have also triggered unprecedented chemical reactions in the stratosphere. Dispatching aerosols would add another element of uncertainty to a place scientists know little about, and soon may even know less about, Moyer said. Within the next decade, as scientists toy with shooting aerosols into the stratosphere, NASA will decommission an aging satellite that has been collecting data on the stratosphere, with no planned replacement. Moyer likened tampering with this layer of the atmosphere without adequate monitoring to performing surgery without a heart monitor on standby. "If you're going to do experimental surgery and you haven't thought about what kind of technology you would need to monitor the patient, then you're not thinking about the problem carefully enough for me to trust you with my body," she said. Once started, sun-deflecting aerosols must be shot into the sky every couple of years. If stopped, the Earth could experience rapid warming, also known as "termination shock." "It's an enormous burden on the future," said Raymond Pierrehumbert, a former U. of C. professor who now works at Oxford University. "How do you know these interventions are going to be doable for the next generation? What if there's a global war, another pandemic?" He is one of more than 500 scientists who have signed an open letter calling for an international nonuse agreement on solar geoengineering. The signatories cite concern that there is no adequate governing body to determine fair and effective deployment of a technology that will require coordination between and touch every corner of the planet. Irvine, however, cautions that ignoring solar geoengineering may increase the risk of it being used irresponsibly. "The more it's suppressed, the greater the risk of a single nation or small group of nations pushing ahead independently in desperation," he said. The Chinese government has experimented with changing weather patterns for decades. And, last year, the White House released a report identifying knowledge gaps and potential research areas for a federal solar geoengineering research program. There has not been a directive to act on the findings yet. So far, most research has been limited to computer modeling. While valuable, unforeseen variables are likely to make real-world scenarios more complex. Field research that would begin exploring these complexities has been difficult to get approved. Two high-profile experimentsone in California and another in Swedenwere canceled this year due to local opposition. Residents, including a Nordic indigenous tribe, expressed passionate concerns about potential impacts on weather patterns. Keith, who was involved in the Sweden project, has spent his career guided by the conviction that the unknowns are all the more reason to study geoengineering. For decades, he has argued that politicians and the public can only decide whether interventions are worth deploying when armed with rigorous research. "It's definitely not an elite club of scientists' job to decide what the public gets to know or not," Keith said. "I think that's deeply unethical." Pierrehumbert cautioned, however, that these small-scale field experiments could give false confidence. They'll answer how to build and deploy the technologies but won't reveal their effects over time and across the atmosphere. That would require full-scale deployment, he said. He likens moral queries about solar geoengineering to those around the hydrogen bomb and infectious diseases. "Scientists have a responsibility not to develop technology that could be threatening and destabilizing," Pierrehumbert said. "How would you feel about research to develop engineering pathogens like COVID that are deadly and spread rapidly?" Meanwhile, Moyer finds comfort in a well-established institution such as U. of C. taking a lead in this field. She is worried, however, that civil engineers will be absent from the conversations about climate systems engineering. "This is a huge civil engineering project," she said, noting that engineers are trained to account for risk in ways scientists are not. Although Keith expressed intentions of convening an interdisciplinary team, all hires to date have been in the geophysical sciences department. The university does not have a civil engineering school. There is one thing all the scientists agree on: the Earth is hotter than it was last year and it will be many years before future generations experience a planet as cool as the one we live in today. If the planet reaches net zero emissions, it will stop heating up, but it won't cool down. "It's not like the climate wasn't changing and we're thinking we could make it better than it used to be," Irvine said. "It's that the climate is rapidly racing toward a state we've never seen before with all sorts of unknown consequences and known consequences that are going to be bad." By this logic, scientists have a moral imperative to research and innovate in hopes of staving off the worst of climate change, unless intervening with Earth's systems more than we already have could present new dangers. "People make bad decisions when they're in a panic and it's justifiable to be in a panic because things are bad and getting worse," Pierrehumbert said. "But it's necessary to step back and think, "OK, but am I going to do something that's actually going to make it worse?'" He believes the only viable solution is to eliminate fossil fuel usage globally as quickly as possible. What if society can't decarbonize fast enough, though? Keith fears the day when geoengineering may be the last-resort option that hasn't been adequately studied: that antidote just beyond reach orworsebehind a glass case that is smashed out of desperation without a full understanding of the consequences. Now in his 60s, he sees the U. of C. initiative as a passing of the torch to the next generation to ensure society does not end up in either of these positions. "In the end, this needs to be global, we need to build a field," Keith said. 2024 Chicago Tribune. 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: A schematic diagram of the faulting processes of the 2024 M7.6 Noto Peninsula earthquake sequence. The crustal processes and faults broken during the long-lasting intense earthquake swarm are based on Kato (2024). Credit: Xinglin Lei A study published in the journal Earthquake Research Advances sheds light on the relationship between the 2024 magnitude 7.6 Noto Hanto earthquake and a sizable earthquake swarm that began beneath Japan's Noto Peninsula in November 2020. The study reveals that the magnitude M 7.6 earthquake, which struck Japan's Noto Peninsula on January 1st, 2024, was preceded by a series of foreshocks including three significant events (M 5.5, M 4.6, and M 5.9). These foreshocks occurred just seconds to minutes before the main shock. The last notable foreshock (M 5.9) occurred a mere 14 seconds prior to the mainshock, although other studies considered this foreshock as the beginning rupture of the M 7.6 mainshock. This clustering of foreshocks underscores a complex behavior change from the long-term swarm-like activities to the burst-like foreshock activities right before the mainshock. High-frequency teleseismic back-projection of P waves from the mainshock, conducted by co-author Dr. Dun Wang at Chinese University of Geosciences in Wuhan, reveals a prolonged initial rupture process lasting approximately 25 seconds before propagating outward bilaterally. This slow initial rupture process, occurring near the preceding swarm region, likely reflects a complicated relationship between dynamic earthquake rupture and fluid flows along multiple sub-parallel faults. Dr. Xinglin Lei at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan carefully relocated seismic activities since 2018, especially those events with magnitudes larger than 4. The team found that the 2024 M 7.6 mainshock likely ruptured a thrust fault situated above a parallel fault associated with the M 6.5 Suzu earthquake of May 2023 beneath the northeastern Noto Peninsula. However, those preceding foreshocks, including the initial rupture of the M 7.6 mainshock, all started around the deeper parallel fault. The rupture likely jumped between these sub-parallel faults in the first 25 seconds. The aftershocks following the 2024 mainshock span a region approximately 160 kilometers long, extending from the northeast to the southwest. The study notes that while aftershocks initially concentrated on the southwestern side of the peninsula, they expanded to both directions following a logarithmic time since the mainshock, likely driven by continuing afterslip triggered by the mainshock rupture. "While other recently published studies focused on one aspect of the Noto sequence, such as the mainshock rupture or relocation of small earthquakes, this study combines results from many different angles, including relocations of all seismic events since 2018," says Professor Zhigang Peng from Georgia Institute of Technology. "Hence, it is likely one of the most complete analyses so far for this sequence." The findings highlight the importance of monitoring seismic swarms with seismic and geodetic instruments and understanding fluid migration patterns, which could enhance predictive models for future seismic events in this and other regions. More information: Zhigang Peng et al, The Evolution Process between the Earthquake Swarm Beneath the Noto Peninsula, Central Japan and the 2024 M 7.6 Noto Hanto Earthquake Sequence, Earthquake Research Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.eqrea.2024.100332 Provided by KeAi Communications Co. 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: Simulation of a scenario in which emergency responders are planning to rescue an injured hiker. From a central point, the authors chose 1,000 random destinations and mapped hiking routes using two different models: one that only accounted for slope steepness, and one based on STRIDE. STRIDE (right, red) reused established paths as long as possible before branching off, identifying the routes most intuitive for somebody on the ground. The slope-only model (left, blue) generated few overlapping pathways with little regard for roads or trails. Credit: Scientific Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-71359-6 You're a hotshot working to contain a wildfire. The conflagration jumps the fire line, forcing your crew to flee using pre-determined escape routes. At the start of the day, the crew boss estimated how long it should take to get to the safety zone. With the flames at your back, you check your watch and hope they were right. Firefighters mostly rely on life-long experience and ground-level information to choose evacuation routes, with little support from digital mapping or aerial data. The tools that do exist tend to consider only a landscape's steepness when estimating the time it takes to traverse across terrain. However, running up a steep road may be quicker than navigating a flat boulder field or bushwacking through chest-high shrubs. Firefighters, disaster responders, rural health care workers and professionals in myriad other fields need a tool that incorporates all aspects of a landscape's structure to estimate travel times. In a new study, researchers from the University of Utah introduced Simulating Travel Rates in Diverse Environments (STRIDE), the first model that incorporates ground roughness and vegetation density, in addition to slope steepness, to predict walking travel times with unprecedented accuracy. "One of the fundamental questions in firefighter safety is mobility. If I'm in the middle of the woods and need to get out of here, what is the best way to go and how long will it take me?" said Mickey Campbell, research assistant professor in the School of Environment, Society and Sustainability (ESS) at the U and lead author of the study. The authors analyzed airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data and conducted field trials to develop a remarkably simple, accurate equation that identifies the most efficient routes between any two locations in wide-ranging settings, from paved, urban environments to off-trail, forested landscapes. They found that STRIDE consistently chose routes resembling paths that a person would logically seek outa preference for roads and trails and paths of least resistance. STRIDE also produced much more accurate travel times than the standard slope-only models that severely underestimated travel time. "If the fire reaches a firefighter before they reach safety, the results can be deadly, as has happened in tragedies such as the 2013 Yarnell Hill fire," said Campbell. "STRIDE has the potential to not only improve firefighter evacuation but also better our understanding of pedestrian mobility across disciplines from defense to archaeology, disaster response and outdoor recreation planning." The study was published on Sept. 13, 2024, in the journal Scientific Reports. Credit: University of Utah Airborne estimates of on-the-ground travel STRIDE is the first comprehensive model to use airborne LiDAR data to map two underappreciated factors that inhibit off-road travelvegetation density and ground surface roughnessas well as steepness. LiDAR is commonly used to map the structure of a landscape from the air, Campbell explained. A LiDAR-equipped plane has sensors that shoot millions of laser pulses in all directions, which bounce back and paint a detailed map of structures on the ground. The laser pulses bounce off leaf litter, gravel, boulders, shrubs and tree canopies to build three-dimensional maps of terrain and vegetation with centimeter-level precision. The authors compared STRIDE performance against travel rates gleaned from three field experiments, in which volunteers walked along 100-meter-transects through areas with existing LiDAR data. "Getting travel times from a variety of volunteers allowed us to account for a range of human performance so we can make the most accurate predictions of travel rates in a diversity of environments," said co-author Philip Dennison, professor and director of ESS. The first field trials were in September of 2016. At the time, LiDAR datasets were relatively rare in the western U.S. Over the last decade, the U.S. Geological Society has developed LiDAR maps covering most of the country. "When we first started looking into wildland firefighter-mobility a decade ago, there were lots of people studying how fire spreads across the landscape, but very few people were working on the problem of how firefighters move across the landscape," said Campbell, then a doctoral student in Dennison's lab at ESS. "Only by combining these two pieces of information can we truly understand how to improve firefighter safety." That study, published in 2017, was the first attempt to map escape routes for wildland firefighters using LiDAR. The second trial took place in August of 2023 in the central Wasatch Mountains of Utah to capture a wider set of undeveloped, off-path landscape conditions than did the first experiment, including nearly impassibly steep slopes and extremely dense vegetation. The final experiment was in January of 2024 in Salt Lake City to test the STRIDE model in an urban environment. In total, about 50 volunteers walked more than 40 100-meter transects of highly varied terrain. Volunteers were timed walking 100-meter transects chosen to represent off-path landscape conditions, including nearly impassibly steep slopes and extremely dense vegetation. Credit: Utah Remote Sensing Applications Lab Putting it together The study compared STRIDE against a slope-only model to generate the most efficient routes, or the least-cost paths, in the mountains surrounding Alta Ski Resort in the Wasatch Mountains, Utah. Geographers and archaeologists have been using least-cost path modeling to simulate human movement for decades; however, to date most have relied almost exclusively on slope as the sole landscape impediment. The authors imagined a scenario in which emergency responders are planning to rescue an injured hiker. From a central point, they chose 1,000 random locations for the hiker and asked both models to find the least-cost path. STRIDE chose established roads around the ski areas, followed trails and in some cases major ski slopes, to avoid patches of forest or dense vegetation. STRIDE reused established paths as long as possible before branching off, reinforcing the idea that STRIDE identified the routes most intuitive for somebody on the ground. "The really cool thing is that we didn't supply the algorithm with any knowledge of existing transportation networks. It just knew to take the roads because they're smoother, not vegetated and tend to be less steep," said Campbell. In contrast, the slope-only model had few overlapping pathways, with little regard for roads or trails. It sent rescuers through dense vegetation, dangerous scree fields and forested areas. The authors believe that STRIDE will have an immediate impact in the real worldthey've made the STRIDE model publicly available so that anyone with LiDAR data and gumption can make their work or recreation more efficient, with a higher safety margin. "If you don't consider the vegetation cover and ground-surface material, you're going to significantly underestimate your total travel time. The U.S. Forest Service has been really supportive of this travel rate research because they recognize the inherent value of understanding firefighter mobility," said Campbell. "That's what I love about this work. It's not just an academic exercise, but it's something that has real, tangible implications for firefighters and for professionals in so many other fields." The authors recently used a slope-based travel rate model to update the U.S. Forest Service Ground Evacuation Time (GET) layer, which allows wildland firefighters to estimate travel time to the nearest medical facility from any location in the contiguous U.S. Campbell hopes to use STRIDE to improve GET, allowing for more accurate estimates of evacuation times. More information: Michael J. Campbell et al, A singular, broadly-applicable model for estimating on- and off-path walking travel rates using airborne lidar data, Scientific Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-71359-6 Journal information: Scientific Reports This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain At what stage should people be given the power to overrule AI in the workplace? New research suggests sooner is better. Giving employees the power to overrule AI decisions from day one boosts motivation and enhances learning, according to a new study. "Imagine you're a financial specialist at a bank," says Business School lecturer Dr. Frank Ma. "You input details for a mortgage application, and the AI system recommends declining it. While the system is based on hard data, as a human, you can recognize nuances'soft' informationthat AI can miss. This is where the ability to overrule the system is beneficial." Dr. Ma, along with researchers Stijn Masschelein and Vincent Chong from the University of Western Australia, conducted a series of online tasks with 161 participants. The tasks were designed to simulate real-world scenarios in sectors where AI is utilized in decision-making. Their findings suggest that when employees are empowered to overrule AI decisions early on, they become more motivated and better equipped to understand complex tasks. The study also looked at the impact of incentive schemes, finding that combining early autonomy and incentive pay creates an environment where employees are more engaged and learn faster. "Whether and when to override AI decisions is already a big issue in industries including banking and manufacturing, and it's going to become one in many others that use algorithms for managerial decision-making," says Ma. "Overall, our study shows that giving employees the power to have the final say over AI early on is critical to their learning. Humans can pick up on nuances that artificial intelligence can't, so people need the power to make the final call." Giving employees immediate flexibility, he says, provides more opportunities to override system decisions, and incentive pay ensures that employees put more effort into making the final call accurately. "Employees with incentive schemes and immediate flexibility get a better understanding of their roles and improve their performance. We believe this is due to developing a more in-depth understanding of how the computer system or AI generates its decision." The study also shows that delaying this autonomy has a detrimental effect on employee motivation, potentially limiting learning and performance. The working paper, "Incentive contracts and the timing to introduce flexibility on employee learning," won the best paper award (management accounting) at the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand conference 2024. 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: Thailand produces two million tons of plastic waste a year but started limiting single-use plastic before the pandemic, asking major retailers to stop handing out bags for free. Each year the world produces around 400 million tonnes of plastic waste, much of it discarded after just a few minutes of use. Negotiators hope to reach the world's first treaty on plastic pollution this year, but across five very different countries, AFP found single-use plastic remains hugely popular as a cheap and convenient choice, illustrating the challenges ahead: Bangkok On a Bangkok street lined with food vendors, customers line up for Maliwan's famed traditional sweets. Steamed layer cakesgreen with pandan leaf or blue with butterfly peasit in clear plastic bags alongside rows of taro pudding in plastic boxes. Each day, the 40-year-old business uses at least two kilos of single-use plastic. "Plastic is easy, convenient and cheap," said 44-year-old owner Watchararas Tamrongpattarakit. Banana leaves used to be standard, but they are increasingly expensive and hard to source. They are also onerous to use because each one must be cleaned and checked for tears. It "isn't practical for our pace of sales", said Watchararas. Thailand started limiting single-use plastic before the pandemic, asking major retailers to stop handing out bags for free. But the policy has largely fallen by the wayside, with little uptake among the country's street food vendors. Thailand produces two million tons of plastic waste a year, according to the country's Pollution Control Department. The World Bank estimates 11 percent goes uncollected, and is burned, disposed of on land or leaks into rivers and the ocean. Watchararas tries to consolidate purchases into fewer bags and said some customers bring their own reusable containers and totes. But Radeerut Sakulpongpaisal, a Maliwan customer for 30 years, said she finds plastic "convenient". "I also understand the environmental impact," the bank worker said. But "it's probably easier for both the shop and the customers". Lagos In the Obalende market at the heart of Nigeria's economic capital Lagos, emptied water sachets litter the ground. Each day, Lisebeth Ajayi watches dozens of customers use their teeth to tear open the bags of "pure water" and drink. "They don't have the money to buy the bottle water, that's why they do the pure water," said the 58-year-old, who sells bottles and bags of water, soap and sponges. Two 500-milliliter sachets sell for between 50 to 250 naira (3-15 US cents), compared to 250-300 naira for a 750-ml bottle. Since they appeared in the 1990s, water sachets have become a major pollutant across much of Africa, but they remain popular for drinking, cooking and even washing. Some 200 firms produce the sachets in Lagos, and several hundred more recycle plastic, but supply vastly outstrips capacity in a country with few public wastebins and little environmental education. Lagos banned single-use plastic in January, but with little impact so far. The United Nations estimates up to 60 million water sachets are discarded across Nigeria every day. Rio Each day, vendors walk the sands of some of Rio de Janeiro's most beautiful beaches, lugging metal containers filled with the tea-like drink mate. The iced beverage, infused with fruit juice, is dispensed into plastic cups for eager sun worshippers dotted along the seafront. The World Bank estimates 11 percent of Thailand's annual plastic waste goes uncollected, and is burned, disposed of on land or leaks into rivers and the ocean. "Drinking mate is part of Rio de Janeiro's culture," explained Arthur Jorge da Silva, 47, as he scouted for customers. He acknowledged the environmental impacts of his towers of plastic cups, in a country ranked the fourth-biggest producer of plastic waste in 2019. But "it's complicated" to find affordable alternatives, he told AFP. The tanned salesman said mate vendors on the beach had used plastic for as long as he could remember. He pays a dollar for a tower of 20 cups and charges customers $1.80 for each drink. Bins along Rio's beaches receive about 130 tons of waste a day, but plastic is not separated, and just three percent of Brazil's waste is recycled annually. Evelyn Talavera, 24, said she does her best to clean up when leaving the beach. "We have to take care of our planet, throw the garbage away, keep the environment clean." Plastic straws have been banned in Rio's restaurants and bars since 2018, and shops are no longer required to offer free plastic bagsthough many still do. Congress is also considering legislation that would ban all single-use plastic. Paris In France, single-use plastic has been banned since 2016, but while items like straws and plastic cutlery have disappeared, plastic bags remain stubbornly common. At Paris' Aligre market, stalls are piled with fruit, vegetables and stacks of bags ready to be handed out. Most are stamped "reusable and 100-percent recyclable", and some are described as compostable or produced from natural materials. But experts have cast doubt on the environmental relevance of some of these claims. Vendor Laurent Benacer gets through a 24-euro ($26) box of 2,000 bags each week. "In Paris, everyone asks for a bag," he told AFP. "I'd stopped, but my neighbors continued, so I had to restart." There are alternatives like paper bags, but some customers are simply not convinced. "Plastic bags remain practical, so everything doesn't spill everywhere," insisted 80-year-old customer Catherine Sale. Dubai At the Allo Beirut restaurant in Dubai, plastic containers are piled high, waiting to be filled and delivered across the city. "We receive more than 1,200 orders a day," said delivery manager Mohammed Chanane. "We use plastic boxes because they are more airtight, and better preserve the food," he said. With few pedestrians and an often-scorching climate, many of Dubai's 3.7 million residents rely on delivery for everything from petrol to coffee. Residents of the United Arab Emirates have one of the highest volumes of waste per capita in the world. And single-use plastic accounts for 40 percent of all plastic used in the country. Since June, single-use plastic bags and several similar items have been banned. Polystyrene containers will follow next year. Allo Beirut is considering using cardboard containers, a move customer Youmna Asmar would welcome. She admitted horror at the build-up of plastic in her bins after a weekend of family orders. "I say to myself, if all of us are doing this, it's a lot." 2024 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Life Matters from Pexels The murder of George Floyd in 2020 revived the Black Lives Matter movement, a large scale social movement that aims to highlight and reduce structural racism and inequality in the United States. The movementand its coveragestrongly affected how white Americans thought about Black Americans, shows Ph.D. researcher Max Primbs. In his research program, Primbs investigated the influence of our social and cultural environment on our prejudices. "Everyone has associations with certain groups of people," he explained. "For example, white people tend to associate black people often with negative themes, such as crime or violence. Importantly, this type of prejudice does not necessarily reflect people's explicit opinions, nor is it necessarily an accurate reflection of reality. Instead, these associations and the resulting biases are influenced by how these groups are talked about in your environment: in your social circle, but also by politicians or in coverage on news channels or social media." The findings are published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Those prejudices can have far-reaching consequences. For example, Black Americans are disproportionately more likely to be shot by police in regions where white people are more prejudiced. Attempts at permanently reducing these biases have so far been futile and most interventions psychologists developed have no lasting effects. Primbs wanted to know if a natural change in our social and cultural environmenta large scale protest movement that shook the nationwould fare better at changing people's minds and making them less prejudiced? The BLM protests were a great opportunity to investigate this. "The protests arose overnight and achieved tremendous scale immediately," Primbs said. "The effect was quickly visible in the data: white Americans suddenly thought much less negatively about black Americans after George Floyd's death." Negative associations The researchers used data from the Project Implicit database, combined with data from Google Trends, a protests database, and other sources. Because directly asking people what they think about minority groups often gives responses distorted by social desirability, they used a computerized task: In the task, people have to designate certain words as "good" or "bad" by pressing a button and use the same buttons to designate pictures of faces as "black" or "white." Subjects usually are faster at categorizing a face as white, if "white" and "good" share a button compared to if "black" and "good" share a button. This means they have more positive associations with white people compared to Black people. The more negative association with black people diminished during the BLM protests, immediately after the onset of the protests. But Primbs also saw that attention to BLM waned somewhat again a few weeks after George Floyd's death. This could be seen, for example, in Google Trends: there were fewer and fewer searches for terms like Black Lives Matter and George Floyd. As attention to Black Lives Matter faded, bias began to increase again, almost reaching pre-BLM level again towards the end of 2020. Policy change That the BLM protests had little effect in the long run has to do with fading attention and a lack of long-term policy changes. "If you want lasting change in attitudes, changes in policy seem paramount: they facilitate cultural change very strongly. An example of that is a study by Dr. Eugene Ofosu showing that the Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriage accelerated the decrease in implicit bias towards gay and lesbian people." Donald Trump's role cannot be underestimated, according to Primbs. "He has normalized hateful rhetoric in the United States." Politicians have an important role model, according to the scholar, and can also introduce policies to promote equality. Primbs said, "It's always good if you can mobilize people in protests. That way you raise awareness around an issue, such as racism. But to bring about lasting change, you need new policies. Otherwise, you are quickly back to square one as soon as the attention for the subject slackens again." More information: Maximilian A. Primbs et al, The Effects of the 2020 BLM Protests on Racial Bias in the United States, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (2024). DOI: 10.1177/01461672241269841 Journal information: Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 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 Officials are investigating a pollution incident that occurred earlier this month a few miles south of downtown Atlanta, which local water advocates say sent toxins into a tributary of the South River and killed fish for miles downstream. The pollution was discovered Sept. 6 by a group of Georgia State University students conducting regularly scheduled water sampling, when they noticed black, smoky water flowing in the river as it crosses under Forrest Park Road in south Fulton County, said Sarah H. Ledford, a Georgia State professor of geosciences. Lab analysis of the samples collected revealed E. coli concentrations thousands of times higher than the federal Clean Water Act allows, Ledford said. Data from U.S. Geological Survey water gauges stationed in the same part of the river and farther downstream show dissolved oxygen values plummeted to around 2 milligrams per liter from Sept. 67. Oxygen concentrations that low are known to trigger fish kills. On Monday, Ledford said her students returned to sites along the river and found dead fish in numbers of 50 or more at multiple locations, including as far south as Bouldercrest Road, roughly four miles downstream from where the pollution was first spotted. Exactly who is to blame for the incident is unclear, but Mayor Andre Dickens' press secretary, Michael Smith, said a fire that engulfed a mulch pile was the source of the pollution. Videos from Sept. 5 shared with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution show firetrucks spraying water on piles of wood near the intersection of Jonesboro Road and Harper Road, near a tributary of the South River. Ledford said her "best guess" was that the mulch pile was treated with fertilizer or sewage sludge, and that runoff from firefighters' attempts to extinguish it led to the fish kills. Such a scenario would unleash "organic matter," she said, that would provide a feast for hungry microbes in the stream and could cause dissolved oxygen levels to drop. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division confirmed it is investigating the matter and working to restore the stream buffer and clean up tree debris at the site, but provided few other details. Smith said the city's Department of Watershed Management is collaborating with partners to address the pollution and has installed two rows of silt fencing to protect the nearby stream. He added that Atlanta City Councilmember Jason Winston, who represents the area where the event occurred, has visited the site and that the city would consider citations for those responsible, if warranted. "The city is highly committed to ensuring the safety and integrity of the state waters in Georgia that traverse through the city of Atlanta," he added. The South River is no stranger to pollution. From its headwaters near Atlanta, the river winds its way southeast through some of the metro area's mostly heavily industrialized corridors and has dealt with pollution problems for decades. In 2021, the South River was named one of the country's most endangered waterways by the environmental group American Rivers. Jacqueline Echols, the president of the South River Watershed Alliance's board, said the incident was just the latest example of the waterway's long-running neglect by environmental regulators. "This area of southeast Atlanta near the South River attracts businesses that degrade the environment and the city's code enforcement in the area is lax ," Echols said. Ledford said her students were collecting more water samples on Thursday, but said she worries heavy rains expected to fall in Atlanta this weekend could send more pollutants into the river. Metro Atlanta could receive up to 3 inches of rain through Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center. "Our major concern is another huge plume of organic matter is going to enter the stream and cause another dissolved oxygen crash," she said. 2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 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: Community members planted native tree species along the banks of the Trotters Branch of the Elizabeth River in New Jersey during an Earth Day event organized by Groundwork Elizabeth. Credit: Katherine Cann Front-line communities, those in regions most severely and immediately affected by increasing weather hazards and climate extremes, can benefit from partnerships between local organizations and academic researchers. However, such coproduction effortsor collaboration between multiple entities to create solutions-focused knowledge and servicesare not always equitable. The 2022 Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast (CCRUN) Community Climate Resilience Grant competition provided 1-year, $25,000 grants to four nonprofit organizations supporting climate resilience in underserved communities. Each of the organizationsEastwick United CDC, GreenRoots, Groundwork Elizabeth, and Groundwork Hudson Valleywas located in the northeastern United States and paired with a CCRUN-affiliated university. As program managers of the effort, Katherine Cann and colleagues assessed its effectiveness in an article published in Community Science. They report that the program was largely successful at fostering partnerships among nonprofit organizations, university researchers, and historically disinvested communities to mitigate climate hazards. For example, the grants funded community tree-planting events, youth engagement activities, and efforts to develop a city climate action plan. Researchers provided resources, such as a set of large maps to display flood data in one community, and services, including language translation so another nonprofit's work could be shared with community members. However, the researchers also identified several areas to build effectiveness and equity for future coproduction projects. Streamlining and simplifying the funding process is crucial, they found, considering that a partner university's payment systems or reimbursement schedules may not align with a partner nonprofit's immediate needs or pregrant budget. Acknowledging funding limitations and expectations, too, could help the organizations and researchers come to more realistic conclusions about what can and can't be achieved with grant funds. They also recommend improving transparency in the competition process by using a clearer rubric for scoring grant candidates. Further, the authors emphasize the importance of regular conversation about both successes and concerns between community grantees and research partners to foster stronger connections. They say the findings of this assessment effort can help other coproduction partnerships operate more equitably and work toward just solutions for at-risk communities. More information: K. Cann et al, Building Equitable Research Partnerships: Learning From a Community Climate Resilience Grant Program, Community Science (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2023CSJ000045 This story is republished courtesy of Eos, hosted by the American Geophysical Union. Read the original story here. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: United Nations Dr. Souran Chatterjee, from the University of Plymouth, has made a major contribution to a second United Nations report exploring the best ways of harnessing climate change and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) synergies. The 2024 Global Report on Climate and SDG Synergytitled "Bridging the Ambition Gap for the Future We Want"was launched at a High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York. It was developed by the UN's Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy, jointly convened by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). With input from more than 100 multi-stakeholder experts, it emphasizes the need for issues affecting the planet to be addressed at both a global and domestic scale. It also calls for greater focus on enhancing synergies in policy instruments, knowledge sharing, financial mechanisms, and leveraging cities for sustainable development. Dr. Chatterjee, lecturer in energy transitions, environmental management and sustainability, played a significant role in the science team whose research underpins the new report. It is the second report of this nature he has worked on, with the firstpublished in September 2023saying that aggressively acting on climate and development in an integrated way would create important opportunities to protect our planet now and in the future. The new report was developed in conjunction with researchers, local authorities and global organizationsincluding the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)all over the world. It looks in more detail at how those ambitions can be realized, and includes 10 recommendations designed to achieve the deep transformative changes required. There are a number of key messages emerging from this new report. Foremost among them is that we need to focus efforts on reducing the global demand for energy, as that will have greater benefits for the health of the planet than other actions being talked about. "We need policies that are truly transformative because the process of taking small steps and setting time-limited targets really isn't working any more. We also need to look at ways to better use data to drive global knowledge, and explore how we can encourage the use of standard terms and phrases when we are talking about global issues. "That may sound simple, but if we are looking to inspire action, it is really important for every level of society to know precisely what is being talked about and what they are being asked to do," says Chatterjee. More information: Bridging the Ambition Gap for the Future We Want. sdgs.un.org/publications/syner future-we-want-56106 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: Monument 19 from La Venta (National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City). Credit: Marco M. Vigato in Uncharted Ruins In an article recently published in Latin American Antiquity, Dr. Jill Mollenhauer argues that the Gulf Lowland Olmec, one of Mesoamerica's earliest major civilizations, sometimes incorporated aesthetic and ritual practices associated with their rock art into their sculptures. She argues that this allowed Olmec elites to harness the spiritual and natural potency of the wild and sacred landscape and bring it into the domestic and urban centers, where it legitimized their political power. The Olmec were an early Mesoamerican civilization that existed during the Formative period (1800BCE300CE). While they are often associated with producing colossal heads, they also engaged in creating rock art. Dr. Mollenhauer recalls how surprised she was at the sheer abundance of rock art when she first started her research. "I was surprised to find an incredible amount of rock art in and around the Gulf Olmec region (particularly in the Tuxtlas) that is known locally but rarely reported. It showed me how much work needs to be done to better document and understand its production and use (although I also came to understand the challenges that come with its study, including the problems of dating and chronology for many rock art sites). I'm incredibly grateful to the many archaeologists and local experts that shared their knowledge of regional rock art sites with me." Rock art and sculpture are distinct forms of art. While rock art is made in situ (original position), sculptures were quarried and brought in from different areas. In fact, because very few suitable stones exist within the local environment, large volcanic blocks had to be imported from far away. Olmec rock art is inherently linked to the landscape in which it was made, demarcating the inherent sacredness of the landscape. Often found along travel routes, caves, and rocky hillsides, it was linked to the wild and the dangerous, often demarcating the sacred homes of spiritual forces. Meanwhile, sculptures were often part of the built environment and thus associated with domestic spaces, morality, government, and cosmic order, making them, in some ways, an antithesis to the rock art associated with the wild, dangerous, and sacred. Yet many Olmec sculptures share aesthetic and ritual practices with rock art. For example, many of the La Venta sculptures preserve the natural irregular surfaces and outlines of the stone from which they are carved. Instead of shaping the rock to their needs, the sculptors adapted their images to the natural contours, just as they would for rock art. This same preservation of the natural contours of the rock can be found in boulder sculptures. These not only preserve the rock's natural outline but also its mass. Such boulders were placed in areas associated with the gods and ancestors, such as cave entrances. Some contemporary Maya groups still make pilgrimages to such sites, which they perceive as entrances to the home of the earth lord. Dr. Mollenhauer elaborates on this, saying, "There are several works that document both ancient and contemporary Maya rituals at rock art sites. I was told that there is still ritual activity carried out at the Cobata petroglyphic field (where the Cobata colossal head was recovered), and there is documentation of pilgrimage to the Olmec sculpture originally located at the San Martin Pajapan volcanic peak before it was moved to the state anthropological museum in Xalapa. "So there is evidence of continued pilgrimage and ritual activities around both Olmec-style rock art and Olmec sculptures, although it's hard to trace a direct line from the Formative period ritual practices to these more modern iterations." Additionally, some rock art contains pits and grooves, frequently associated with ritual activity in the vicinity of rock art. These same grooves and pits are found on many of the sculptures. While initially believed to have been the result of later cultures resharpening their tools, it has also been suggested they, too, like rock art, were linked to ritual practices. Finding such grooves and pits on Olmec stone monuments may indicate that people started treating freestanding sculptures conceptually similar to rock art. Although not entirely clear, there are some indications for the significance of these pits and grooves, says Dr. Mollenhauer. "There are some interesting ethnographic trends in the production of cupules and grooves that often relate them to rain and fertility. That is a possibility, but another is the collection of potent substances (i.e. pulverized rock dust) from the sculpture as a part of pilgrimage practices, as Joel Palka suggests, although these aren't mutually exclusive." "There is also documentation in the mid-20th century of local Popoluca hunters striking one of the sculptures from Estero Rabon with machetes before searching for game before it was again removed to the state museum." One of the questions Dr. Mollenhauer wanted to answer was why rock art aesthetics and ritual practices were adapted into sculpture. She argues that in adapting rock art aesthetics and ritual practices, the lines between the wild periphery and the domestic center were deliberately blurred. One way Mesoamerican elites established power and legitimacy was by establishing ancestral ties to the landscape. By co-opting rock art aesthetics and rituals inherently linked to the landscape into the sculptures on the borders of their territories and within their urban centers, they were positioning themselves within that symbolic landscape. The landscape's ideological and spiritual potency would be brought into the civic center and directly associated with the Mesoamerican leaders and elite. Just as pilgrimages to rock art sites demarcated humans as subordinates to the deities, pilgrimages to the sculptures were linked to humans being subordinates to their political rulers. By creating sculptures that referenced these locations, the Olmec weren't merely producing art; they were constructing tangible spaces for spiritual and social engagement within their cities. While later Mesoamerican societies continued this practice, it was to a lesser degree, says Dr. Mollenhauer. "Rock art and sculpture continue to coexist in later Mesoamerican societies, but there does seem to be less intentional appropriation of rock art aesthetics as free-standing sculptures start to incorporate text, calendrical information, and elements like celestial and basal registers to create a bounded narrative field that frames the imagery." Dr. Mollenhauer hopes her work does two things: "1) allow us to recognize the intentional choices of Olmec sculptors, in this case to connect their works to the ritually-charged spaces of rock art and its associations of sacred landscape and pilgrimage and 2) highlight the importance of rock art as a distinct and impactful form of art in its own right, one that continued to be produced and used by later Mesoamerican cultures alongside other forms of art-making." More information: Jillian Mollenhauer, Implications of Rock Art Aesthetics in Olmec Sculpture, Latin American Antiquity (2024). DOI: 10.1017/laq.2024.11. 2024 Science X Network This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain While Facebook appeals to the seducer in us, Instagram fuels the anxious narcissist, according to new research which links psychoanalysis and digital platforms. Just a little tap or two, and the wrinkles are gone, your lips are softer, and you can become a better version of yourself. At least on Instagram. But if you make a similar tap on Twitter, now X, and are unfortunate enough to write something political that comes across the wrong way, your life can take a brutal turn. These are examples of how social media shape our lives. And how they play on the unconscious within us, something Sigmund Freud (18561939), the father of psychoanalysis, first introduced in his theory of the unconscious mind. "Freud's psychoanalysis is not entirely respectable in academia. He talks about the oral stage early in our development where the mouth is the erogenous zone, followed by the anal stage, when we learn to use the bathroom. All this bodily stuff is embarrassing to be confronted with," says Steffen Kruger. But Kruger, who is a media researcher at the University of Oslo, has not been deterred. In the new book "Formative MediaPsychoanalysis and Digital Media Platforms," he uses perspectives from psychoanalysis to explore how Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube, and Twitter/X bring out different sides of our personality. Connecting psychoanalysis to modern media The unconscious is contradictory and filled with conflict. And it permeates everything. Yet, it is rare to connect psychoanalysis to modern media and digital platforms as Kruger does in his research. Have you just posted some pictures of yourself on Instagram and are feeling a strange mix of anxiety and self-obsession? According to Kruger's theory, that is not surprising, because Instagram nurtures the anxious narcissist who craves validation. "In recent times, the connection between narcissismcharacterized by self-centeredness and self-loveand popular culture has been dismissed. However, I believe it is a significant and accurate explanation for why we take selfies. The more insecure we are, the more we strive to present ourselves perfectly to get attention and to feel loved and seen," says Kruger. In 1914, Sigmund Freud wrote an essay that became formative for the understanding of narcissism. He distinguished between a form of narcissism that is normal in human development and narcissistic personality disorder. While psychoanalysis has had a strong academic tradition in Germany, where Kruger hails from, it has not had the same prevalence in Norway. "It took a little time before I found my way in Norway and made a breakthrough in the academic field with projects that connect psychoanalysis to media and communication." Neurotic on Google, playful on X Kruger argues that each platform brings out a specific side of us: Twitter/X the playful, Facebook the seducer, Instagram the anxious narcissist, while YouTube feeds addictions and Google our neurotic need for control. Each of the five platforms gets its own chapter in the book. First up is Facebook and Eros. "Everything on Facebook is flirtatious," one of Zuckerberg's co-founders, Dustin Moskovitz, is said to have commented. He and his team designed a platform that enables users to present themselves easily and attractively, while connecting with like-minded individuals. "Everyone is supposed to show love for one another. And even though this sounds naive and a little bit wrong, this idea that Facebook is built on must be taken seriously," says Kruger, and continues: "Consider the 'Like' function. Regardless of the accuracy of the criticisms it faces, it remains what we fundamentally appreciate and love. This feature connects us through expressions that inherently reflect affection." Facebook traps us in a love loop Can there ever be too much love? Yes, on Facebook, that is precisely the problem, argues Kruger. He connects Facebook to Freud's theory of Eros and the life drive (libido), which stands in contrast to the death drive (Thanatos). According to Freud's theory, the life and love drives cannot exist without the death drive. The problematic aspect of Facebook is that only love is allowed there. We are all friends; there is no room to challenge and create good discussions, says Kruger. We are trapped in a kind of love loop where our more nuanced and less enthusiastic selves do not get an outlet. Kruger's point is that this makes us frustrated. Even though we are unimpressed by the photos from our childhood friend's mountain trip, we grit our teeth and click 'like." After all, there is no longer a 'thumbs down' option. YouTube creates 'cravings' In the book, Kruger describes YouTube as a "feeding tube." Since 2016, YouTube has operated on a system that tailors recommendations based on your viewing history. Essentially, you are being "fed" more of what you have already watched. "I got the idea from another media researcher, Zeynep Tufekci, who described YouTube as a restaurant. As soon as you finish one portion, the next plate arrives. And the fuller you get, the more your appetite and cravings for salt, sugar, and fat are awakened. Clearly, this is not good for you," says Kruger. The media researcher connects this to what Freud calls the oral stage, which kicks in early in a human's life. An infant is entirely dependent on breast milk to survive. But the child is also given the breast to be soothed when it cries, even when it does not actually need nourishment. When we do not get what we truly need, we fill our mouths with something else. Perhaps we need a hug and closeness, but we stuff ourselves with sweets instead. YouTube gives us more of what is easily accessible and easy to consume, but often not what we truly need. The platform aims to keep us engaged for as long as possible. This makes the system addictive. Everything becomes personal On social media, nuances tend to disappear. Kruger emphasizes that everything becomes personal, no matter what. "If you post an article about climate change on Facebook, it will never just be about climate change. It will point to you as a person, making you the main character, a spokesperson for the climate." Who we are and how we develop is shaped by the platforms, according to Kruger. They hold significant power, and ideally, they should be regulated in order to serve democratic functions and society's public mission. Unfortunately, Kruger does not foresee many effective regulations any time soon. He hopes his book will have a positive impact on how we relate to each other. That we become more aware of which traits the platforms amplify and which they may overshadow. "I hope it will help us confront our blind spots. Humans are inherently contradictory and filled with conflict, and the platforms are particularly adept at finding our weaknesses." This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The insights gained from this study show that stochastic volatility has significant influence on the pricing of perpetual American strangle options and their boundary conditions, offering crucial insights for minimizing risk in volatile markets. Credit: Dr. Ji-Hun Yoon from Pusan National University, Korea Perpetual American strangle options (PASOs) offer investors a method for minimizing risk during highly volatile market scenarios by allowing them to buy or sell options at any date without an expiration date. In a new study, researchers investigated the pricing of PASOs under a stochastic volatility model with fast mean reversion which better captures real markets compared to traditional models. Options are a financial instrument that gives the holder the right to buy and sell an underlying asset, at a predetermined price, on or before a specified date. For example, European-style options allow the buyer to exercise this right at its maturity date, while American-style options can be exercised at any time up to and including the expiration date. These are generally traded in public financial markets, such as stock exchanges. With the increasing complexity of markets, a wide range of products have emerged, including strangle options. A strangle option is an investment strategy that combines call and put options, both with the same expiration date but different strike prices. This strategy is typically used by investors who anticipate a large fluctuation in the market in either direction, as it helps minimize potential losses. PASOs take this further by allowing the holder to exercise the options at any time, without an expiration date, providing considerable benefits. Consequently, PASOs have been the focus of considerable research. However, despite such studies, the pricing of PASOs and their early exercise boundaries have not yet been studied using a stochastic volatility (SV) model, which more accurately captures real market behavior compared to the Black-Scholes model. Addressing this gap, a team of researchers led by Associate Professor Ji-Hun Yoon from Pusan National University, Korea developed a pricing formula for PASOs under an SV model with fast mean reversion. Their findings were made available online on July 27, 2024 in Mathematics and Computers in Simulation. "In recent years, financial markets have experienced considerable fluctuations during global financial crisis, such as the US subprime mortgage crisis in 2007 and 2008, the Eurozone crisis in 2010, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. American strangle options can help investors minimize risk during such crises," says Dr. Yoon. In this study, researchers first established a partial differential equation (PDE) for the value of PASOs under an SV model (PASOSV). A PDE is a mathematical equation that helps to model how one variable changes with respect to another. In this case, the value of the PASOSV relative to the underlying asset's price. However, due to the complexity of SV, an exact solution was not possible. Instead, the researchers applied an asymptotic analysis approach, incorporating a special term representing the fast reversion rate of highly volatile markets. To validate their formula, they used the Monte-Carlo simulation method, which predicts potential future values of assets through thousands of simulated scenarios. They also conducted numerical simulations to analyze how SV impacts the option price and the free boundary values using various parameters. The findings revealed that SV significantly influences option prices and exercise boundary values when volatility is low, indicating that while high volatility can give higher returns, low volatility can increase risk from investing in PASOs. "Our study lays the foundation for development of more resilient products by financial institutions, thereby providing investors with better tools and strategies to manage risk and maximize returns, especially in low volatility environments," concludes Dr. Yoon. More information: Mijin Ha et al, Pricing for perpetual American strangle options under stochastic volatility with fast mean reversion, Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.matcom.2024.07.030 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Over the centuries, a flawed and controversial forensics tool known as the "floating lung test" or lung float test has sent innocent women accused of infanticide to the gallows. And even though experts have known for decades that the test that allegedly determines whether a newborn drew breath before dying is inaccurate and unethical, it is still being used to distinguish between stillbirths and live births during legal proceedings in the U.S. and abroad. ProPublica reported in October 2023 that the test has been used in at least 11 cases in which women were charged criminally for the death of their newborns since 2013. It helped put nine in jail. Shortly after the article appeared, Daniel Medwed, Northeastern University distinguished professor of law and criminal justice, announced that he was collaborating with a colleague at Boston University Law School to create the Floating Lung Test Research Study Group. Medwed spoke to Northeastern Global News about what inspired the study group, which is sponsored by the Northeastern Law's Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Collaboration and the Boston University Program on Reproductive Justice, and what it hopes to achieve. Daniel S. Medwed, University Distinguished Professor, says the study group will include lawyers, doctors and scientists. Credit: Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University What is the floating lung test? It is an age-old test that suggests if you put the lungs of a deceased infant in water and they float, there is oxygen in the lungs. Medical examiners and coroners use the test to determine whether the baby was born alive and then killed as opposed to it being a stillbirth, to see if someone could be charged with infanticide. It means that a woman could give birth to a stillborn child and then that tragedy could be compounded by prosecution for infanticide. What are some of the problems with this methodology? The major problem is the idea that an infant will only get oxygen in his or her lungs after they leave the uterus. Scientists say it's possible to get oxygen in the lungs in other ways, such as during resuscitation attempts and or after being handled post mortem. Lungs can also float from the presence of dissolved gases. The floating lung test is just bad science. What inspired you to start the Floating Lung Research Test Group? I've been interested in this topic for years but what really has made it critically important is the Dobbs decision and the war on women's reproductive freedom. Some of us are quite concerned that this test will be used to penalize women for abortions, not just stillbirths. You can imagine that states going in this direction of criminalizing abortion would argue that air in the lungs makes a miscarriage, stillbirth or an assisted or self-induced abortion an act of infanticide. Can you imagine the risk for a woman who feels forced to undergo a self-induced abortion being compounded by the threat of criminal prosecution? We're exposing the flaws in this test at a time when it could become even more prominent. Who is on the Floating Lung Research Test Group? We are a consortium of law academics concerned about the admissibility of evidence in court and reproductive freedom as well as doctors and scientists who are concerned about the integrity of forensic science. Co-founder Aziza Ahmed, professor at the Boston University School of Law, is a longtime friend and former colleague at Northeastern. She comes into it from more of a reproductive justice perspective. Why has the test persisted despite being discredited by pathologists and forensics experts for decades? Forensic science is a very sticky discipline. Once a discipline is used in court or has gained a little bit of traction, it often takes a long time for it to go away. This ties into my broader interest about wrongful convictions. Flawed evidence is a key factor in a lot of these cases. For instance, a forensic analyst comes into court and says the hair follicles found at the crime scene are a match to the defendant. That's just junk science, dubious science, but it has an outsized impact on the jury because jurors tend to give a lot of weight to quote-unquote scientists. Unlike more traditional sciences, there aren't academic departments studying these tests. Experts in the ProPublica article compared the test to witch trials. How so? The gendered aspect of it can't be ignored. Even though in theory it's not necessarily the mom being accused of killing the babyit could be the father or a doctor or a nurseit is usually the mother who is prosecuted. It's part and parcel with gendered injustice. In our society, we have an image of women as caretakers. Whenever a baby dies, there's an impulse to blame the mom. That's antithetical to equity. What does the Floating Lung Research Test Group hope to accomplish? Our working group plans to expose this problem and alert prosecutors and judges about the scientific failings of the floating lung test so it's not used in court to prosecute people, usually women. The way the rules of evidence work, each jurisdiction has its own approach to scientific evidence and the reliability of scientific evidence. We're hoping to develop letters we could send to various forensic science groups and prosecutorial organizations to alert them about our concerns. We also are envisioning doing a white paper just for publication about how this test has been used and why we think it is flawedboth scientifically and legallyso major players would become aware of the problems. A third thing we might consider doing is weighing in on litigation and writing amicus or friends of the court briefs. Provided by Cynthia McCormick Hibbert 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: Road development in the Congo Basin forest during the last five years. Credit: Remote Sensing of Environment (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2024.114380 The Congo Basin rainforest is the second-largest tropical forest in the world, storing large volumes of carbon and hosting high levels of biodiversity. While these forests have historically stayed mostly intact, road development has recently become a critical threat. A new study has used satellite images and artificial intelligence to map Congo Basin forest roads in unprecedented detail. This provides crucial new information for forest conservation and management. Most of the road networks in the Congo Basin are built to facilitate industrial selective logging: the harvesting of mature and valuable timber while leaving the majority of forest intact. This can be a relatively sustainable practice that significantly benefits the regional economies. But the opening of temporary roads to facilitate forest access also leads to large carbon emissions and has long-lasting impacts on forest ecosystems. Another negative side-effect is that roads open up remote forest regions, which may lead to illegal hunting, mining and agricultural development. Advanced detection method making every road visible Timely and transparent information on where and when road networks are being built is of critical importance for sustainable logging practices and forest and biodiversity conservation. Current forest road maps are seriously incomplete or outdated, because they rely on labor-intensive manual digitization of satellite images. Researchers have now developed an automated method to detect forest roads from satellite images. Their study was recently published in Remote Sensing of Environment. It demonstrates an advanced detection method based on deep learning techniques and a combination of high-resolution optical and radar satellite images. Bart Slagter, Ph.D. researcher at Wageningen University & Research and lead author of the study said, "The optical sensors provide detailed imagery during clear weather conditions, while the radar sensors can 'see through' clouds during persistent rainy seasons in the tropics. In this way, even the most narrow and transient road segments can be precisely located." The algorithm processed and analyzed hundreds of thousands of satellite images in a cloud-based processing platform Google Earth Engine. "We mapped almost 50,000 km of road development in the Congo Basin during the last five years," Slagter explained. "This inventory will be continuously updated for the years to come. We are also aiming to apply these methods to the Amazon and Southeast Asian rainforests." The Congo Basin forest road map reveals some striking trends. Countries in the western part of the region (Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo) showed large amounts of road development in recent years, a result from the extensive logging activities permitted in these countries. Furthermore, almost a quarter of the Congo Basin forest roads opened up intact forests that had no signs of previous human influence. Towards logging with minimal environmental damage Elaborating further on the significance of this study, senior co-author Kurt Fesenmyera forest spatial data scientist with The Nature Conservancyexplained, "The integration of this satellite monitoring system into forest management practices provides a crucial step forward in balancing profitable logging operations with minimal environmental damage. "This may include promoting Reduced Impact Logging for Climate (RILC) practices such as improved road design, preventing the expansion of roads into protected areas, and ensuring that abandoned roads are properly closed to avoid further human influence in remote forests." Furthermore, the continuously updated road maps are of critical importance to formulate forest conservation strategies at a large scale, as roads are strong indicators of human influence on natural systems. The detailed and up-to-date road maps can substantially improve popular conservation metrics like "human footprints" or "intact forest landscapes," and enable governments and NGOs to better protect critical areas from deforestation and forest degradation. More information: Bart Slagter et al, Monitoring road development in Congo Basin forests with multi-sensor satellite imagery and deep learning, Remote Sensing of Environment (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2024.114380 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 Any night now, the astrophysicists tell us, a new star will appear in the night skyabout as bright as the North Starthe result of a cosmic explosion in a distant constellation millennia ago. NASA scientist Rebekah Hounsell has called it "a once-in-a-lifetime event that will create a lot of new astronomers out there." Once you see it, however, don't get too attached to it. The so-called recurring nova star, T. Coronae Borealis, which periodically mutates into an earth-size hydrogen bomb, will flame out in less than a week. But if you're around, you'll get another shot at seeing it at the beginning of the 22nd century. Precisely when the nova, affectionately known as T CrB in the astronomical community, will be visible is unclear, astronomers say, and nailing the timing is a bit more complicated than predicting what time the sun will rise. It could be sometime this month, maybe even this week, or maybe not until winter. But the evidence is unmistakable that it will appear soon. When will the star explosion happen? It already has, about 3,000 years ago, around the time of King David (he who felled Goliath in one of the great upsets in human history); Zoroaster; the Iron Age; and the golden age of the Villanovan people, who overran northern Italy. While that may seem a long time ago, in terms of cosmic time, this qualifies as breaking news, said Edward Sion, astrophysicist at Villanova University, which has no connection with the Villanovans, or the nova in question. He believes its appearance may be imminent. Astronomers know the explosion has occurred because it happens about once every 80 years, and looking into their backward crystal balls, they have observed that T CrB has undergone a signature loss in star power that has preceded previous cataclysms. The novanot to be confused with a self-destructing supernovawas last observed in February 1946, and before that, in May 1866. A German priest, Abbott Burchard of Upsberg, sighted it all the way back in 1217, according to astrophysicist Bradley Schaefer, an emeritus professor at Louisiana State University. The priest described it as "a faint star that for a time shone with great light." Sion said that mentions of the nova appear in the Middle Ages writings of Chinese and Korean observers. Of course, they didn't have to contend with light pollution, but they also didn't have the unprecedented observing power that astronomers have these days. The new star poses no threat to us. It is 3,000 light years from Earth, which explains the lag: Light travels about 5.9 trillion miles annually. Do feel free to multiply 3,000 by 5.9 trillion. By comparison, the light from our star, the sun, beamed from a mere 93 million miles away, gets here in about eight minutes and 20 seconds. Why does the nova keep exploding? The star's nearest neighbor is a gigantic, gaseous nuisance. The nova is a "white dwarf," the lesser half of a binary system in which two stars are bound together by gravity. Its partner is a "red giant" that leaks hydrogen because its gravity can't hold it all, and eventually is lured by the gravitational system of its partner, the white dwarf nova, from the Latin for "new," as in new star. "It's almost like a perfect storm," said Villanova's Sion. The white dwarf is an Earth-sized core of a dead star that is unimaginably hot, perhaps exceeding 180,000 degrees Fahrenheit, by NASA's estimate. When enough hydrogen accumulates on the white dwarf, the result is a nuclear explosion that NASA says is 10 times stronger than the annual output of the sun. Said Sion, "Every 80 years, the white dwarf says 'enough accreted mass already!' I'm going to blow up!" The result is that T CrB becomes visible to earthlings. Where in the sky can you find the 'new' star? To find the nova, follow the tail that trails the "scooper" of the Big Dipper. That will lead you to Arcturus, one of the brightest stars in the sky. Just to the east of Arcturus is the Corona Borealis constellation, of which T CrB is an occasional member. The nova will be just below the apex of the constellation's curved crown of stars, visible to the naked eye, said Sion. When will the nova call it a career? It isn't clear when T CrB will stop being a recurring nova, but it's possible that its career will come to a spectacular end, said Sion. Someday it may undergo an ultimate detonation as a "Type 1a supernova," which would be about 100,000 times as bright as our sun. Even 3,000 light years away, he said, that would be something to see. 2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer. 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: Diagram conveying the setup for MoonLITE on the lunar surface, beginning with a lander being delivered by NASAs Commercial Lunar Payload Services (1), which unrolls a fiber umbilical over 100 meters (328 feet) (2), concluding with deploying the siderostat station (3). Science operations begin once instrument calibration is performed. Credit: van Belle et al. (2024) Optical interferometry has been a long-proven science method that involves using several separate telescopes to act as one big telescope, thus achieving more accurate data as opposed to each telescope working individually. However, the Earth's chaotic atmosphere often makes achieving ground-based science difficult, but what if we could do it on the moon? This is what a recent study presented at the SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2024, and available on the arXiv preprint server, hopes to address as a team of researchers propose MoonLITE (Lunar InTerferometry Explorer) as part of the NASA Astrophysics Pioneers program. This also comes after this same team of researchers recently proposed the Big Fringe Telescope (BFT), which is a 2.2-kilometer interferometer telescope to be built on the Earth with the goal of observing bright stars. Here, Universe Today discusses MoonLITE with Dr. Gerard van Belle, who is an astronomer at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, regarding the motivation behind proposing MoonLITE, the science they hope to achieve, lunar surface location preference, the cost of MoonLITE, and next steps to make MoonLITE a reality. Therefore, what is the motivation behind proposing MoonLITE? "The real barrier to doing super sensitive high resolution optical interferometry is the Earth's atmosphere," Dr. van Belle says. "It's a boiling, turbulent medium that means the exposure time of your telescope is ultimately limited to less than a millisecond or so. "Telescopes that expose longer than that can achieve greater sensitivity, but at the expense of angular resolutionthings smear out. MoonLITE, with two-inch (50mm) apertures, would be more than a thousand times more sensitive than terrestrial 8-meter collecting apertures, because it can stare for many minutes at a time. In comparison to millisecond exposure times on the Earth, the amount of light grabbed by these tiny dime-store-sized telescopes exceeds giant industrial facility telescopes within the first second of having the shutter open." Much like with the recently proposed BFT, MoonLITE has a number of scientific objectives it hopes to accomplish, as the study notes three science cases, including studying the radii of low-mass stars (M-dwarfs) and brown dwarfs, young stellar objects (YSOs), and active galactic nuclei (AGN). For the M-dwarfs and brown dwarfs, the team aspires to obtain long-sought data regarding their sizes and temperatures since observing them from ground-based telescopes has proven difficult. For YSOs, the researchers hope to gain greater understanding of the formation and evolution of habitable exoplanets within the protoplanetary disks of pre-main sequence stars, with MoonLITE being capable of ascertaining the inner regions of these stars and the star sizes, as well. For AGNs, the researchers aspire to learn more about supermassive black holes, and specifically the jets that emanate from them, with MoonLITE being able to observe these objects in optical wavelengths for the first time. But what else can we learn from these three science cases? "So, we actually have more science cases than thatso many, in fact, that we realized the new capabilities of MoonLITE were beyond our collective imagination for covering all the bases," Dr. van Belle says. "So, we built into the program a 20% slice of the overall observing time to put up for competitive selection by the communityyou know, crowdsource for the really creative ideas. "The three we wrote up were just what we felt highlighted what one could do with greater sensitivity from the Earth's surface. For example, the stars that are the smallest10% the size of our sunare also the faintest. And measuring the sizes of those is out of reach of terrestrial interferometers. "Same for YSOs and AGNsthere's a few that can be done from Earth, but for more general samplesones that represent the more typical objects, not the super-bright oddballsyou need lots of sensitivity." One of the unique aspects of MoonLITE is it could be brought to the lunar surface via NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), which is a collaboration with the private sector to deliver scientific and technical payloads to the moon to test technologies that can help with both human missions as part of the Artemis Program, and scientific missions to further our understanding of the universe, like MoonLITE. Examples of companies participating in upcoming CLPS missions include Intuitive Machines, Astrobiotic, Firefly Aerospace, and Draper, all of which are delivering payloads to various locations on the lunar surface. But is there a specific location where MoonLITE would work best? "We designed MoonLITE to be entirely site agnostic," Dr. van Belle says. "For a small experiment like this, it's going to catch a ride on board a NASA CLPS lander as a minor guestand putting a minimal number of requirements on your ride improves one's chances of getting a ride assignment. So polar or equatorial latitudes both work, as well as nearside versus farside." As noted, this same team of researchers recently proposed the Big Fringe Telescope, which is slated to be a 2.2-kilometer interferometer telescope comprised of 16 smaller telescopes that are 0.5-meters in diameter. Along with conducting cutting-edge science, including observing binary star systems and making exoplanet transit "movies," one of the most notable features of the BFT is its extremely low cost compared to current optical interferometers around the world, coming with an approximate price tag of $28,496,000. In contrast, the cost of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), which is comprised of four 8.2-meter telescopes and four movable 1.8-meter telescopes, has been estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Therefore, what is the potential cost for MoonLITE compared to other Earth-based interferometers? "MoonLITE was designed to work within the cost box for the NASA Pioneers call for proposals," Dr. van Belle says. "This CfP [Call for Projects] stipulates a couple of things: a $20M cost cap, including a 25% uncommitted reserve, so the actual budgeted level of activities and hardware was $15M. The CfP does let you request some thingsfirst off, a CLPS ride, though you have to then fit within the CLPS mass cap of 50kg. The notional CLPS lander in the CfP was to provide some other things as wellpower, communications, mobility with a rover. So, there's actually quite a bit of in-kind support wrapped up in that CLPS ride." Submitting a proposal to NASA is a very in-depth process involving several steps, also known as phases, resulting in a very small acceptance rate, often with several rejections and improvements before being accepted. These proposals range from CubeSats to full-blown, multi-billion-dollar space missions, with most taking years to become real-world missions even after selection, if at all. For example, of the four proposals selected for further development in January 2021 Astrophysics Pioneers Program, (Aspera, Pandora, StarBurst, and PUEO), only two of them have definitive launch dates (StarBurst in 2027 and PUEO in 2025). Therefore, if MoonLITE is to be selected for advancement, it could be years, or even decades, before it officially lands on the lunar surface to conduct science. Unfortunately, while Dr. van Bells says the 2024 Pioneers proposal term was canceled due to federal budget issues, what are the next steps to make MoonLITE a reality? "We submitted for the 2023 NASA Pioneers call and got turned down," Dr. van Belle says. "But we got a good review and have been encouraged to improve things, address perceived issues, and resubmit. We're trying to reduce risk by doing some lab and ground-based tests. "This is another nice element of MoonLITEwe can just build a representative system on the ground and test it straight up here. We don't get the exquisite sensitivity like we would on the moon, but otherwise it'll work just the samewe just need to look at bright things here from Earth. So, we're keen to address some of these issues from the review panel and resubmit for 2025." As NASA prepares to send humans back to the moon with the Artemis Program for the first time since 1972, the level of science that can be achieved on the lunar surface is unprecedented. This is specifically evident given the lack of the moon's atmosphere, allowing for more accurate data to be obtained and potentially providing scientists with a greater understanding of our universe, and our place in it. With MoonLITE, scientists hope to gain insight into low-mass stars and brown dwarfs, young stellar objects, and active galactic nuclei from potentially anywhere on the lunar surface, allowing for greater diversity in site selection and what celestial objects can be observed. Dr. van Belle concludes by telling Universe Today, "MoonLITE is super exciting, not just because it's a really high-impact experiment in a remarkably affordable packagebut because it will show the whole approach works and can be taken much, much further. "As an example, high precision astrometry from a lunar interferometer could characterize the masses of terrestrial-scale extrasolar planets. Mass measures are needed in advance of the Habitable Worlds Observatory of the 2040's, to understand the spectral HWO will get, and disentangle those spectra for signs of life." More information: Gerard T. van Belle et al, MoonLITE: a CLPS-delivered NASA Astrophysics Pioneers lunar optical interferometer for sensitive, milliarcsecond observing, arXiv (2024). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2408.01392 Journal information: arXiv 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: Built in the 6th century BC, Persepolis has withstood destruction, looting, earthquakes, fires and harsh weather. Conservationists at Persepolis, Iran's most iconic ancient site, are waging a delicate battle against an unlikely adversary: tiny but persistent lichens eroding the millennia-old monuments. The fight, which began years ago, is aimed at stopping the threat to the integrity of the site's structures and its intricate carvings from lichens, organisms that grow on surfaces like stone and can slowly break them down over time. Built in the 6th century BC by Darius I, Persepolis has withstood destruction, looting, earthquakes, fires and harsh weather. It remains a source of pride for Iranians and a major tourist destination. "It's an open-air museum reflecting 25 centuries of Middle Eastern life," said Alireza Asgari Chaverdi, director of the site located about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the southern city of Shiraz. "It is the foundation of Iran's history, culture and socio-cultural life." A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, Persepolis features colossal sculptures and intricate stone reliefs of ancient Persian kings, nobles and deities. But these have suffered over the years from lichen, a combination of an algae and a fungus. "This is the most serious problem, especially for carvings on stones," said Shahram Rahbar, a conservationist at the site. "If we do nothing, these organisms could reduce these relics to dust within 50 to 100 years," he said as he treated lichen growth on one slab. Persepolis features colossal sculptures and intricate stone reliefs of ancient Persian kings, nobles and deities. Lost motifs Red lichen marks are now etched into many of the ancient relics at Persepolis. The spread of lichens, which dissolve minerals and penetrate stone surfaces by more than 1.5 centimeters (.6 inches), is driven by industrialization, acid rain and the harsh desert climate, said lichenologist Mohammad Sohrabi. "We cover the lichens with a material and, after a week, repeat the process until they weaken enough to be removed with suction devices," said Rahbar. Iran is home to more than 3,000 species of lichens, with 500 to 700 varieties growing on historical monuments, Sohrabi said, noting that some at Persepolis were over 1,700 years old. "Many of Persepolis's intricate motifs have already been lost due to lichen activity," he said. Beyond Persepolis, other sites in Iran, like the Bisotun inscription in Kermanshah province, have also been affected. Bisotun, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, features a massive carved inscription recounting the conquests of King Darius I and has suffered significant degradation due to lichen growth. At Persepolis, conservationists work relentlessly to combat the lichen infestation. Public concern in Iran has grown after an official highlighted a lack of funds for preserving historic sites. 'More important than our lives' At Persepolis, Rahbar and his team work relentlessly to combat the infestation. "We destroy the lichens using modern techniques like lasers and substances that act like antibiotics," Rahbar said, describing what he called a "painstaking" process. Public concern grew after an official highlighted a lack of funds for preserving Iran's historic sites. Iran's deputy culture minister, Ali Darabi, said the annual budget for restoring each monument was only 130 million rials (about $220), while maintaining all registered historical monuments would require nearly $84 million a year. As Mohsen, a 41-year-old retiree from Ghazvin, stood before a ruined column of the Apadana palace, he said, "Maintaining this site is more important than our lives." Ghashghaei, an 82-year-old retiree visiting with his family, agreed. For him, the site stands as a poignant reminder that "Iranians created an ancient civilization," he said. 2024 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: In the cuprate superconductor La 1.83 Sr 0.17 CuO 4 , the interlayer tunneling inherits spatial disorder, which can be measured using the isolated Josephson echo in angle-resolved two-dimensional terahertz spectroscopy. Credit: Jorg Harms, MPSD A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD) in Hamburg, Germany, and Brookhaven National Laboratory in the United States has demonstrated a new way to study disorder in superconductors using terahertz pulses of light. Adapting methods used in nuclear magnetic resonance to terahertz spectroscopy, the team was able to follow the evolution of disorder in the transport properties up to the superconducting transition temperature for the first time. The study is published in Nature Physics. The importance of disorder in physics is only matched by the difficulty of studying it. For example, the remarkable properties of high-temperature superconductors are greatly affected by variations in the chemical composition of the solid. Techniques that enable measurements of such disorder and its impact on the electronic properties, such as scanning tunneling microscopy, work only at very low temperatures, and are blind to these physics near the transition temperature. Superconductivity, a quantum phenomenon that allows for electrical current to flow without resistance, is among the most important phenomena in condensed matter physics due to its transformative technological impact. Many materials that become superconducting at so-called "high temperatures" (around -170C), such as the well-known cuprate superconductors, derive their remarkable properties from chemical doping, which introduces disorder. However, the exact impact of this chemical variation on their superconducting properties remains unclear. In superconductors, and condensed matter systems more generally, disorder is typically studied with experiments featuring precise spatial resolution, such as by using extremely sharp metallic tips. However, the sensitivity of these experiments restricts their application to liquid helium temperatures, far below the superconducting transition, thereby preventing the study of many fundamental questions related to the transition itself. Drawing inspiration from multi-dimensional spectroscopy techniques initially developed for nuclear magnetic resonance, and later adapted to visible and ultraviolet optical frequencies by chemists studying molecular and biological systems, MPSD researchers extended this class of techniques to the terahertz frequency range, where collective modes of solids resonate. This technique involves sequentially exciting a material of interest with multiple intense terahertz pulses, typically in a collinear geometry in which the pulses travel along the same direction. To investigate the cuprate superconductor La 1.83 Sr 0.17 CuO 4 an opaque material that transmits minimal lightthe team extended the conventional scheme by implementing two-dimensional terahertz spectroscopy (2DTS) in a non-collinear geometry for the first time, allowing the researchers to isolate specific terahertz nonlinearities by their emission direction. With this angle-resolved 2DTS technique, the researchers observed that superconducting transport in the cuprate was revived after excitation by the terahertz pulses, a phenomenon they termed "Josephson echoes." Surprisingly, these Josephson echoes revealed that the disorder in superconducting transport was significantly lower than the corresponding disorder observed in the superconducting gap measured by spatially resolved techniques, such as scanning microscopy experiments. Moreover, the versatility of the angle-resolved 2DTS technique enabled the team to measure disorder near the superconducting transition temperature for the first time, finding that it remained stable up to a relatively warm 70% of the transition temperature. In addition to providing a deeper understanding of the enigmatic properties of cuprate superconductors, the researchers emphasize that these first experiments open the door to many exciting future directions. Besides applying angle-resolved 2DTS to other superconductors and quantum materials more broadly, the ultrafast nature of 2DTS makes it applicable to transient states of matter too short-lived for conventional probes of disorder. More information: A. Liu et al, Probing inhomogeneous cuprate superconductivity by terahertz Josephson echo spectroscopy, Nature Physics (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-024-02643-5. Journal information: Nature Physics Cairo, Egypt (PANA) - Overcrowded shelters in Gaza, a lack of running water and the constant threat of disease are making conditions worse by the day for people in the enclave, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, warned on Monday Gov. Phil Murphy last week vetoed a bill that would have set foreclosure protections for residents whose homes were ravaged by Hurricane Ida, saying he would sign it only if legislators amend the bill to tighten oversight. The bill would have put Ida-impacted homeowners mortgage payments on hold for a year and insulated them from foreclosure during that time goals Murphy said he supports. But it does not require residents to verify their eligibility nor allow mortgage companies to seek documentation, he noted in a conditional veto statement Thursday. I am concerned that the current bill, which requires mortgage servicers to grant a forbearance on nothing more than a homeowners word that they qualify for the program, is not appropriately tailored to ensure that the relief it provides focuses on those who continue to have difficulty paying their mortgage due to Ida-related damage to their homes and does not contain adequate oversight measures or safeguards to prevent abuse and to ensure compliance with the law, the governor wrote. The veto infuriated storm survivors, who say relief remains elusive and their homes are still uninhabitable or not fully fixed three years after the September 2021 storm that killed 30 people in New Jersey and caused billions in damage. I understand wanting to make sure that this goes to people who need it most. Well, thats exactly what theyre not doing with this CV, because now the people who need it most are not going to get it, said Leanna Jones, an Ida survivor from Milford and an organizer with the New Jersey Organizing Project. In his veto statement, Murphy urged lawmakers to restrict the foreclosure protections the bill offers to Ida survivors who participate in two state programs that have identified homes still needing repair, reconstruction, elevation, or mitigation work. But many people whose homes sit in flood-prone areas are excluded from those programs, under a controversial state policy change adopted last year to discourage residents from rebuilding in flood-prone areas. That policy, which focuses relief efforts on neighborhoods not in floodplains, has driven many Ida-impacted residents to apply to the state to buy their homes for demolition and conversion to green space, rather than to elevate and repair them on their own dime, advocates say. We absolutely are being bullied and forced into a buyout, said Debby Josephs, whose Manville home was ravaged by Ida. The Atlantic hurricane season has been surprisingly quiet. But forecasters say that won't last. Never, in the 20-plus years it had been issuing outlooks, had the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted so many tropical storms to develop in the Atlantic hurricane basin, with conditions across thousands of miles of ocean aligned perfectly. So what happened? Even residents who would welcome a buyout say theyve encountered delays that have left them in a limbo that Murphys veto worsened. I applied last summer, and Im still waiting, said Jones, a single mother of two who bought her home just two months before Ida hit. Im trying to get my head above water to prepare for whatever is happening next, and this mortgage forbearance would mean so much and give us a little bit of breathing room. The bill already has fraud protections, in that only people who received Federal Emergency Management Agency relief are eligible for forbearance, Jones added. The state also could require homeowners to provide documentation of Idas impact as they did for insurance coverage, rather than restrict the protections to people in the state-administered programs, Josephs said. Murphys timing also irked bill supporters because he vetoed the bill the same day it would have automatically become law. The bipartisan bill went to the governors desk in June after passing almost unanimously in both chambers and their committees, with Assemblyman John Azzariti (R-Bergen) the lone no vote. It would have become law Thursday, had Murphy not issued the veto. The fact that the governor chose at the last minute, after having this on his desk for months, to pull the rug from underneath us was a slap in the face, Josephs said. Waiting until the last minute to do this shows no empathy to us, as survivors. Under the changes Murphy recommends, only residents participating in the states homeowner assistance and recovery program and mitigation assistance program could apply to the state Department of Community Affairs for certifications of eligibility for forbearance. Homeowners denied certification could appeal and file a complaint with the state Department of Banking and Insurance, which could then investigate and decide whether to reverse the denial, Murphy wrote. With these changes to the program, I am confident that the State can provide targeted and appropriate relief to residents who are still burdened by damage caused by Hurricane Ida, Murphy wrote. This story first appeared on the New Jersey Monitor. We all use drinking water every day. Behind our everyday water usage lies a vast, invisible network of pipes and treatment infrastructure that runs 24/7 to ensure water is treated, distributed and available on demand when you open the tap. As one of the oldest states, New Jerseys water infrastructure is often old and needs upgrades and repairs. In 2019, New Jersey passed landmark legislation called the Water Quality Accountability Act (WQAA) that required water purveyors to proactively improve the safety, reliability and administrative oversight of water infrastructure. Subsequently, the WQAA was amended in 2021 to strengthen clarity and enforcement. This August, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection proposed long-awaited amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act and Water Supply Allocation Permit Rules to align with the 2021 WQAA amendments to support enforcement of WQAA as they affect drinking water utilities. These new changes govern civil administrative penalties for violating WQAA requirements, new definitions relevant to asset management, and water loss audits that conform to national best practices. Its important for all water users to understand the implications of this rule proposal, as they will shape the future of drinking water infrastructure and its management in New Jersey. According to reported WQAA data for drinking water utilities, the expected three-year spending on capital projects has been increasing considerably, reflecting new requirements such as the removal of lead service lines, upgrading aging infrastructure, and ensuring vital assets are climate resilient. How drinking water utilities manage their vital assets (pipes, treatment plants, etc.) has a direct impact on how they provide reliable and affordable treated water to individuals, businesses and communities. ACUA unveils microplastics removal equipment at wastewater facility The Atlantic County Utilities Authority partnered with PolyGone Systems to bring a first-of-its-kind microplastics removal pilot project and educational pavilion to the authority's wastewater treatment facility in Atlantic City. Jersey Water Works is a collaborative effort of many diverse organizations and individuals who embrace the common purpose of transforming New Jerseys inadequate water infrastructure by investing in sustainable, cost-effective solutions that provide communities with clean water and waterways; healthier, safer neighborhoods; local jobs; flood and climate resilience; and economic growth. One of the collaboratives four shared goals is effective and financially sustainable systems, which aims for communities to maintain and improve drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure systems to deliver quality water services that meet community needs, and that operating budgets and capital investment are adequate and affordable, resulting in systems that operate efficiently and in a state of good repair. Members of Jersey Water Works look forward to being part of the public comment process for this new rule. Everyone in our country deserves safe drinking water. The newly proposed WQAA amendments strengthen New Jerseys oversight of drinking water treatment and distribution services. The public comment period for this rule ends Oct. 18. Some people really do leave money to their pets. And its legal. In June 2019, designer Karl Lagerfeld passed away. A chunk of his fortune, amassed after decades of helming the fashion house Chanel, was left to his cat, Choupette. There is no marriage, yet, for human beings and animals, he told CNN in 2013. I never thought I would fall in love like this with a cat. If the bequest seems unusual, its not. Estate attorneys told CNN theyre seeing more incidences of people making financial plans for their pets after they die. Some of the bequests are quite generous. Twenty-nine states have enacted pet trust laws since 2008, and now every state, plus Washington, DC, has some form of guidelines, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Its a twisty money matter, though. Pet bequests have been known to be challenged in court, sometimes successfully, by disinherited heirs. And since pets are considered, in all states, property, you cant actually leave them money. But there are, increasingly, ways around that and pet owners-slash-parents who want to find them. Keeping a pet at home An animal cant inherit a house. However, if a person names a guardian for their pet, they can leave money and property to that person. And they can request that the guardian uses those assets to care for the pet, even in the deceaseds home. But there is no guarantee the guardian will follow those desires and, in many case, they arent legally bound to honor the requests. If a person favors pets over family, attorneys caution the reasons for disinheritance must be made clear. Sometimes people leave their children or grandchildren nothing out of anger and disappointment document incidents so the court upholds your wishes. In 2008, a New York probate court overruled controversial real estate mogul Leona Helmsleys $12-million bequest to her beloved Maltese, Trouble, knocking down the dogs share of her estate to $2 million. The judge also awarded $6 million to two grandchildren she had disinherited for reasons known to them, wrote Helmsley. It made headlines across Asia early this year when one elderly Shanghai mother announced she was leaving her $2.8 million estate, through a veterinary clinic, to her cats and dogs because her children never visited her. Setting up a trust So if a person wants to set aside money for their pets care with a legally binding obligation that its used only for the pets benefit, then they usually need to establish a trust. That was the route Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, actress and widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, took. Before her death in 2009 at the age of 76, she set up $4 million trust for the couples dogs, and allocated an additional $1 million for an employee to care for them. (The arrangement triggered headlines Star Trek fortune goes to the dogs.) Florida attorney Peggy Hoyt, author of All My Children Wear Fur Coats, told CNN she urges her clients to leave comprehensive instructions for pet caretakers. They should have access to your home, care and feeding instructions for your pet, the name and contact information for your veterinarian and written instructions for the long-term or permanent care of your pet, she said. If a pet outlives its caregiver, state laws differ about who must take responsibility for the animal (The ASPCA offers an online guide, state-by-state.) Leslie Ann Mandel, widow of science-fiction author Arthur Herzog III, thought of pretty much everything for her cat, dog and more than two-dozen cockatiels, each bird identified by name, in her will. Specifically, a trustee was awarded $100,000 and access to additional funds, but the birds had to be allowed to remain living in the aviary of Mandels Wainscott, Hamptons home after her death (in 2015). Her chief demand: no cages. When things go wrong What could go wrong? A lot. Estate attorneys recommend people who want to add their animals to their wills set up a separate trustee for the trust who is not also the pets caretaker. Its far more likely that their wishes will being carried out if there is more than one person administering the terms of the trust. If hit with a layoff or slew of medical bills, even a well-meaning caretaker may be tempted to divert funds towards their own needs. A simpler solution is to leave a sum of money to an animal protection group. A handful of them, such as the Associated Humane Societies, run shelters throughout New Jersey which will care for cats and dogs after their owners have passed on. We require a $10,000 minimum donation for future care of the animal, said Director of Development Danielle Mania. But we dont want them to have to live out their lives in a shelter. We try to find them a new forever home. Most pet owners who have pet insurance say it's worth the cost What to know Nearly 1 in 3 Pet Owners Say They Have Pet Insurance; 92% of Those Who Have It Say It's Worth It Vet Visits More Frequent Among Those With Pet Insurance Those With Pet Insurance Tend to Spend More on Their Pets, Feel More Financially Confident Mexico celebrates 214 years of Independence Mexico City, Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador dedicated his last Cry of Independence to Mexican workers whom he described as the best in the world. On Sunday night from the presidential balcony of the National Palace, the President exclaimed the traditional harangue shouting at around 11:00 p.m. Mexicans: Long live Independence! Long live Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla! Long live Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez! Long live Ignacio Allende! Long live Leona Vicario! Long live Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon! Long live Vicente Guerrero! Long live the anonymous heroines and heroes! Long live freedom ! Long live equality! Long live justice! Long live democracy! Long live our sovereignty! Long live universal brotherhood! Mexicans: Death to corruption! Death to greed! Death to racism! Death to discrimination! Long live love! Long live Mexican workers, who are among the best in the world! Long live our migrant brothers! Long live our indigenous peoples! Long live the cultural greatness of Mexico! Long live all Mexicans! Long live the Fourth Transformation! Long live Mexico! Long live Mexico! Long live Mexico! After the formal ceremony to commemorate the 214th Anniversary of the Cry of Independence, Lopez Obrador, together with wife Dr. Beatriz Gutierrez Muller, watched the citys drone light show that created the word Gracias! President Lopez Obrador is seen here with his wife waving the flag Sunday night from the National Palace in Mexico City. Photo: AMLO September 15, 2024. Thousands of people gathered in the main Zocalo public square in Mexico City to bid farewell to President Lopez Obrador as he waved the national flag from the balcony for the last time. Mexico City residents then enjoyed hours of various music including the countrys famous mariachi by the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) and the MS Band. President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo along with the head of government of Mexico City Marti Batres Guadarrama, and members of the Cabinet, accompanied Lopez Obrador during the national celebration. Thousands gathered outside the National Palace in central Mexico City for Independence Day celebrations. Photo: September 15, 2024 AMLO In Quintana Roo, Governor Mara Lezama celebrated the Grito de Independencia with residents from the states capital city of Chetumal. More than 17,000 people gathered in the Chetumal square from where Lezama waved the national flag from the main balcony of the Government Palace. Governor Mara Lezama, accompanied by her family, military authorities and state and municipal officials, waved the flag and rang the bell with the following speech: Governor Mara Lezama waves the flag in Chetumal. Photo: CGC September 15, 2024. Mexicans, men and women! Quintana Roo people! Long live national independence! Long live the heroes who gave us our homeland and freedom! Long live Miguel Hidalgo! Long live Jose Maria Morelos! Long live Vicente Guerrero! Long live Nicolas Bravo! Long live Juan Aldama! Long live Ignacio Allende! Long live Mariano Matamoros! Long live Andres Quintana Roo! Long live Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez! Long live Leona Vicario! Long live women! Long live humanism with a feminist heart! Long live Quintana Roo! Long live Quintana Roo! Long live Mexico! Long live Mexico! Long live Mexico! The speech was followed by a light show and the presentation of the K-Paz de la Sierra group. Each mayor from all 11 municipalities in Quintana Roo participated in the annual Grito ceremony, this year, celebrating Mexicos 214th anniversary of Independence. 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On the surface, these two signs may seem like an unlikely pairing, but their close astrological positioning on the zodiac wheel can foster an innate understanding and a natural curiosity towards one another. The Allure of Opposites The outgoing, social nature of Gemini is often drawn to the nurturing, homely Cancer, who offers a sense of emotional security and comfort. Conversely, the Crab's sensitive soul is captivated by the Twins' wit, charm, and zest for life. This interplay of opposites can create a dynamic and complementary relationship, where each partner brings something unique to the table. Advertisement The Challenges of Compatibility However, the very differences that initially attract Gemini and Cancer to each other can also be the source of their greatest challenges. Gemini's need for constant stimulation and freedom can clash with Cancer's desire for stability and emotional intimacy. The Twins' tendency to be fickle and indecisive may frustrate the Crab's longing for security, while Cancer's moodiness and emotional dependence can feel stifling to the independent Gemini. Finding the Balance To overcome these obstacles, Gemini and Cancer must be willing to compromise and find a middle ground that satisfies both their needs. The Twins must learn to slow down and show more emotional vulnerability, while the Crab must learn to let go and embrace the unpredictability that Gemini brings to the relationship. With open communication, mutual understanding, and a willingness to adapt, this celestial duo can create a harmonious and fulfilling partnership. LOS ANGELES Hacks won the comedy series at Sunday's Emmy Awards, topping The Bear," which took home several of the night's honors. Shogun won the best drama series win, collecting a whopping 18 Emmys for its first season, just one of several historic wins. Hiroyuki Sanada won best actor in a drama for Shogun on Sunday night at the Emmy Awards, and Anna Sawai won best actress as they became the first two Japanese actors to win Emmys. Their wins gave the FX series momentum going into one of the night's top awards, where Shogun won best drama series. The Bear came back for seconds in a big way at the ceremony four times including best actor, best supporting actor and best supporting actress in a comedy, while British upstart Baby Reindeer won four of its own, including best limited series. The star of FX's The Bear Jeremy Allen White won best actor in a comedy for the second straight year, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach repeated as best supporting actor. A surprise came when Liza Colon-Zayas won best supporting actor over major competition. How could I have thought it would be possible to be in the presence of Meryl Streep and Carol Burnett, Colon-Zayas said as tears welled in her eyes as she accepted the award on the stage of the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. She is the first Latina to win in the category. To all the Latinas who are looking at me, she said, keep believing and vote. Netflixs darkly quirky Baby Reindeer won best actor and best writing for the shows creator and star Richard Gadd and best supporting actress for Jessica Gunning, who plays his tormentor. Accepting the best limited series award, Gadd urged the makers of television to take chances. The only constant across any success in television is good storytelling," he said. "Good storytelling that speaks to our times. So take risks, push boundaries. Explore the uncomfortable. Dare to fail in order to achieve. Baby Reindeer is based on a one man-stage show in which Gadd describes being sexually abused along with other emotional struggles. Accepting that award, he said, no matter how bad it gets, it always gets better. The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Gadd has. Jodie Foster won her first Emmy to go with her two Oscars when she took best actress in a limited series for True Detective: Night Country. The creator of The Bear was also a repeat winner. Christopher Storer took his second straight Emmy for directing, an award handed out by reunited Happy Days co-stars Ron Howard and Henry Winkler. White said backstage that he was watching in the wings as Colon-Zayas won and that was just the greatest. He also shouted out two acting wins the show had already scored at last weekend's Creative Arts Emmy Awards, when Jamie Lee Curtis won best guest actress in a comedy for playing his mother, and Jon Bernthal won best guest actor for playing his big brother. The Bear won six times including most of the top comedy categories at the strike-delayed Emmys in January. While the third season of FXs The Bear has already dropped, the trio won their second Emmys for its second, in which Whites chef Carmen Carmy Berzatto attempts to turn his familys grungy Chicago sandwich shop into an elite restaurant. It could still win more Sunday night including best comedy series. The father-son hosting duo of Eugene and Dan Levy in their monologue at the top of the show mocked the very dramatic The Bear being in the comedy category. In honor of The Bear we will be making no jokes, Eugene Levy said, to laughs. Jean Smart won best actress in a comedy for Hacks. She has won for all three seasons of Hacks, and has six Emmys overall. She beat nominees including Ayo Edebiri, who as co-star of The Bear moved from supporting actress, which she won in January, to lead actress. Coming into the show the big story was Shogun, which had already taken the most Emmys for a show in a single season with 14 at the Creative Arts ceremony. The FX series about lordly politicking in feudal Japan can still win best drama series. If Shogun faces competition for the best drama prize, it could come for the sixth and final season of The Crown, the only show among the nominees that has won before in a category recently dominated by the retired Succession. Elizabeth Debicki took best supporting actress in a drama for playing Princess Diana at the end of her life in the sixth and final season of the show. Playing this part, based on this unparalleled, incredible human being, has been my great privilege," Debicki said. "Its been a gift. Billy Crudup won best actor in a drama for The Morning Show. Streep wasn't the only Oscar winner trumped by a little-known name. Robert Downey Jr., the reigning best supporting actor winner for Oppenheimer, was considered the favorite to win best supporting actor in a limited series for The Sympathizer, but that award went to Lamorne Morris for Fargo. Robert Downey Jr. I have a poster of you in my house! Morris said from the stage as he accepted his first Emmy. Several awards were presented by themed teams from TV history, including sitcom dads George Lopez, Damon Wayans and Jesse Tyler Ferguson and TV moms Meredith Baxter, Connie Britton, and Susan Kelechi Watson. Emmy Awards: A list of top winners Supporting actor in a comedy series Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear Supporting actor in a drama series Billy Crudup, The Morning Show Actor in a comedy series Jeremy Allen White, The Bear Supporting actress in a comedy series Liza Colon-Zayas, The Bear Supporting actress in a drama series Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown Actress in a comedy series Jean Smart, Hacks Reality competition program The Traitors, Peacock Supporting actress limited Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer Scripted variety series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO/Max Writing for a variety special Alex Edelman, Just for Us Directing for a limited or anthology series Steven Zaillian, "Ripley" Writing for a comedy series Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, Hacks Talk series The Daily Show, Comedy Central Supporting actor in a limited or anthology series Lamorne Morris, Fargo Writing for a drama series Will Smith, Slow Horses Writing for a limited series, anthology or movie Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer Directing for a comedy series Christopher Storer, The Bear Governors award Greg Berlanti Directing for a drama series Frederick E.O. Toye, Shogun Actor in a limited, anthology series or movie Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer Actress in a limited, anthology series or movie Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country Limited, anthology series or movie Baby Reindeer Actor in a drama series Hiroyuki Sanada, Shogun Actress in a drama series Anna Sawai, Shogun Drama series Shogun Comedy series Hacks Photos: 76th Primetime Emmy Awards SALIX, Iowa Business is buzzing for Aaron Mallett. The 31-year-old owner of Mallett Bees is wrapping up his ninth season in the business. It has grown from what he called a hobbyist level to a full-time business. He sells to three Sioux City Hy-Vee locations, and Fareway stores in Sergeant Bluff and Sioux City. His products are also stocked at five coffee shops in Sioux City, Sloan, Onawa and North Sioux City. He has 350-400 bee colonies headquartered on his parents farm in Salix, but the colonies are scattered around Woodbury and Monona counties. The weather made for a challenging 2024, but the hot late summer helped turn it around. The Journal spoke with Aaron Mallett about how he got into the bee business, and what he sees as its future. Questions and answers have been lightly edited for clarity and style. How did you get started in the bee business and why? "My mom worked at Sue Bee Honey for over 30 years, and they always encourage their employees to have hives. She had the bees, but I took more of an interest in it than she did. I kind of just took it and ran basically. She was talking about maybe getting rid of them at one point. It was hard to keep them alive. I was fascinated with them. It just kind of snowballed from there." How has the bee season been in Salix? "Its been up and down. It was a cool wet spring and then summer too. It was really wet as everybody knows. We got hot and dry in late July and into August. The honey flow just turned on. We kind of made-up ground. It became more of an average year. I am still extracting honey." What do you enjoy about the business? "Obviously, I love beekeeping. Thats why I do it. The hive is mind-blowing. The little things that they (the bees) do just to go about their day. The marketing side is half the love of it. I get to meet so many amazing people at the Farmers Market. Our products are sold at Fareway and Hy-Vee now. Ive learned so much about other fields, too. At the coffee shops, Ive learned so much about coffee and grown an appreciation for it. I have a lot of pride in what I do. I take a lot of care in dealing with the bee honey that they worked so hard to gather. In my mind to ruin that would be a crime. So, I try to keep it as pure and raw as possible." What are the various products you produce? "Mostly just raw honey. I also started doing some more specialty stuff like creamed honey. Weve started expanding out the flavors. We started doing cinnamon cream on top of just the regular. That was a hit, now we do raspberry strawberry and blueberry. Weve been messing with doing a lemon lavender. Its hard to source some of those things." What do see as the future of the business? "I think Ive maximized what I can do on a a local retail scale. I am leaning towards two options. Option one is to sell to a packer like Sue Bee on top of what I already do. I have a surplus of honey. Another option is to start selling it to Fareway, Hy-Vee on a larger scale. I want to try to keep it local. I want to keep that appreciation for a local product." South Dakota News Watch (AP) Trina Lapp, an 18-year-old Milbank native who attends Dakota Wesleyan University, doesnt view politics or the upcoming election as an afterthought. Shes digging in. I think its important for young people to be involved and learn about the candidates and issues, said Lapp. Were the upcoming generation that will be the main voters eventually. She is one of several Dakota Wesleyan students who will take part in a Vote South Dakota forum Thursday, Sept. 19, at the Sherman Center on the DWU campus in Mitchell. Students will team up with South Dakota journalists to ask questions at the forum, which is presented by South Dakota Public Broadcasting, South Dakota News Watch, the McGovern Center for Leadership and Public Service and Dakota Wesleyan University. The two-hour event, to be televised live on SDPB and streamed by several commercial TV stations across the state, will feature candidates for the Public Utilities Commission and representatives of both sides of constitutional amendments and initiated/referred measures that will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot. Republican U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson and his Democratic opponent, Sheryl Johnson, will meet in a separate debate on Oct. 15 that also will be broadcast live on SDPB. A lot to unpack There are seven ballot measures in South Dakotas 2024 election, including abortion rights, open primaries, grocery tax repeal and recreational marijuana. Joel Allen, director of the McGovern Center on the DWU campus, noted that several of the measures have complex language that voters should hear more about before deciding. This is going to be a complicated election, said Allen, a professor of religion and philosophy. Theres a lot to unpack, so when I heard about this event, it was a no-brainer. I knew we needed to be a part of it. The forum comes at a time of declining trust in democratic institutions in South Dakota and nationally, according to recent polling. A survey co-sponsored by South Dakota News Watch in May found that more than 6 in 10 South Dakotans said they were dissatisfied with how democracy is working in the United States, including 32% who said they were very dissatisfied. That was followed by historically low turnout in primary elections in June, with just 17% of voters casting ballots, below the states primary turnout in presidential cycles of 2020 (28%), 2016 (22%) and 2012 (21%). Cara Hetland, director of journalism at SDPB, sees an important role for the media in engaging and informing prospective voters ahead of the general election. She came up with the idea for Vote South Dakota, a partnership among SDPB, News Watch, the South Dakota Broadcasters Association (SDBA) and the South Dakota NewsMedia Association (SDNA). I feel very strongly about the role that journalists play in asking tough questions and getting clarifications and calling out false statements when appropriate, said Hetland. Its our duty to hold accountable those who are running for office and standing for these (ballot measures). Besides organizing the forum, the effort includes the VoteSouthDakota.com website that has a legislative map with information about candidates as well as stories about the election from several news organizations. Teams of regional journalists and DWU students will ask questions of candidates and those representing each issue at the forum, which will be hosted by SDPBs Jackie Hendry. Lapp, a nursing major, will be asking questions about the open primaries amendment and takes her role seriously. She noted that social media outlets such as TikTok are not always reliable sources of information and that its important for my generation to be more involved and hear directly from the candidates. Those are encouraging words to Allen of the McGovern Center, founded in 2006 in honor of former South Dakota stateman and presidential candidate George McGovern and his wife, Eleanor. The centers mission, in part, is to cultivate leaders of integrity who are committed to civic responsibility in their communities. McGovern, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate and was the 1972 Democratic presidential nominee, died in 2012. I envision telling George that were doing this (forum), and I can just see a big grin on his face, Allen said. This is something that he would love. This story was originally published by South Dakota News Watch and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press. On this day in 1979, eight people from two families escaped from East Germany by crossing the border into West Germany at night in a homemade hot air ballon. The unique feat was the result of over a year and a half of preparations involving three different balloons, various modifications, and a first, unsuccessful attempt. The failed attempt alerted the East German authorities to the plot, but the police were unable to identify the escapees before their second, successful flight two months later. You may use this page to discuss other great escapes or to pursue your own areas of off-topic discourse. Find previous discussions in the Open Thread archive. Excepting the entreaty that you remain on topic, all of Slates usual commenting policies apply. If you depend on this community and Slates journalism, please consider joining Slate Plus. We appreciate your support. Its been 50 years since the publication of The Power Broker, Robert Caros magisterial biography of New York City master builder Robert Moses. Perhaps youve heard: The New York Times declared 2024 the year of The Power Broker, and New York magazine critic Christopher Bonanos argues that reading itor saying you havehas become an item on young New Yorkers adult checklist. Just in the past decade, the book has inspired an opera, a play, and a movie, and it now has its own exhibit at the New-York Historical Society. Mayor Eric Adams says the 2.3-pound tome is his favorite book about the city (though hes tight-lipped about his takeaways). Its influence is not confined to New York: The Power Broker has been cited by Barack Obama and Pete Buttigieg. The 1975 winner of both the Pulitzer and Francis Parkman prizes is a book-club Goliath and a Room Rater fixture; proof, on Zoom and otherwise, of deep thinking about urban history. The podcast 99% Invisible has run a yearlong reading group whose thoughtful, laugh-out-loud chapter discussions have been downloaded more than 4 million times. And The Power Broker also sells 40,000 copies a yeara huge figure for any book, let alone a 50-year-old, 1,300-page historyand thats before the first digital edition came out on Monday. Indeed, The Power Broker is a spellbinding biography that wraps a busy half-century around the finger of a single, unforgettable protagonist. Moses was Americas greatest builder, the corrupt, cruel, arrogant man who constructed highways, bridges, parks, and housing projects on a scale not seen before or since. But some historians have complained that the great-man story obscures our sense of American urban history, mythologizing Moses, sidelining his peers, and overstating his impact. At 50, the books totemic status adds new complications, casting all that happened outside New York and after 1974 into shadow. It has been a long 50 years, and as a guide to the American city, The Power Broker leaves us ill-equipped to confront and overcome the challenges that face us today. Advertisement As fans of another sprawling good-vs.-evil saga that dominates the worldview of its readers are sometimes told: Read another book! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Fall of New York Amid the generally rapturous reception to the books publication in 1974, some critics argued that Caro had exaggerated Moses singularity and lacked comparative or historical perspective. Perhaps Moses pioneered, wrote the historian Richard Wade, but the physical shape of urban America would look very much the same whether Moses had lived or not. The builders great success lay in the fact that he was swimming with the tide of history. Urban renewal czars also cleared out lively urban neighborhoods from Boston to Los Angeles, and no major city was untouched by the urban expressway craze. That was federal policy. Advertisement The theorist Marshall Berman, whose family was displaced for the construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway (the tragic story makes up Caros finest and most famous chapter, One Mile), had a similar view. Many accounts of the wreck of the Bronx may have placed too much stress on Moses because he was so flamboyantly vicious, he wrote later. But his projects got built because they expressed a total elite consensus, both on what to build and on how. This revisionist history reached its apotheosis with a 2007 essay collection edited by the historians Kenneth T. Jackson and Hilary Ballon. By that point, Caros work was more than three decades old, and New Yorks happy fortunes posed another question: If Moses was so uniquely bad, then why had the city fared so much better than its peers? The Power Broker was released the year before the New York City fiscal crisis, with the Bronx fast becoming the national example of urban crisis. Its subtitleRobert Moses and the Fall of New York, a late addition in the publishing processcaptures the grim mood of the era. Advertisement Advertisement But New York didnt fall. Unlike Newark, Boston, Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Buffalo, Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, and Chicago, New York has more residents now than it did at midcentury. Whats more, the citys mass transit system is the national success story: When Robert Moses was born, the New York region accounted for 1 in 5 U.S. transit riders; today it is 1 in 3. So too is its public housing system, another Moses-influenced project, which provides shelter for 360,000 New Yorkers, while others wait for years to get ineven as more recently built high-rises have been demolished in Newark, St. Louis, and Chicago. Advertisement Robert Moses will be remembered as a key actor in the rise of New York, not its fall, wrote Jackson, the now-retired Columbia University historian and author of suburbanization history Crabgrass Frontier. Had he not lived Gotham would have lacked the wherewithal to adjust to the demands of the modern world. Advertisement The book is so massive and intimidating that other historians have been discouraged from writing about Robert Moses, he told me last week. All the people on the Upper West Side love it, but at the end of the day its not good history. Advertisement Advertisement He referred, for example, to the books three most infamous anecdotes of Moses racist decisionmaking, which have since come in for particular scrutiny: the racist placement of playground monkey decorations (not true, though New York City removed them anyway), the racist parkway bridges (almost no evidence, though the story was recently cited by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg), and the racist intent of public-pool temperatures (very dubious). The Pendulum Swings Back Even highway haters (and I count myself among them) must admit that New York has prospered. If it was not because of Moses, it was in spite of him, and the intervening 50 years have brought plenty of other seismic changes to consider. A whole new generation of immigrants comes to New York in the 1970s, observed Kara Murphy Schlichting, a historian at Queens College, CUNY, who has taught The Power Brokers controversies to her students. The share of New Yorkers born abroad doubled between 1970 and 2000, from 18 percent to 36 percent. If we get ourselves out of blaming Moses, we can focus on these communities. That, in 2024, is far more salient when we think about how power and planning happen in our contemporary city. Advertisement Advertisement Despite modern politicians insistence on using the book as a political compass (in addition to Adams, his mayoral challengers Brad Lander and Jessica Ramos cite its influence), we are living not in the world of Robert Moses but in the one that arose in his absence. The federal interest in cities was already dead by the time Joe Biden entered the Senate; it is the seesaw of disinvestment and private capital, not overpowering government intervention, that has determined the shape of the urban landscape since. Weve transferred our rage about Moses to that corporatized development without fully understanding that Moses offers a more complex picture, said Samuel Zipp, a historian at Brown University and author of another urban renewal history, Manhattan Projects. Advertisement Advertisement The prototypical modern city planner, meanwhile, is closer to Leslie Knope (a character invented, ironically, by a Power Broker superfan), wielding little influence. Beginning in the 1980s, many critics began to say that Caro had been too critical of Moses wily, imperious way of getting things done. Dont those big plans look tempting now, as New Yorkand the nationstruggles to construct vital infrastructure from high-speed rail and subways to wind farms and transmission lines, and cities stagnate under a blanket of restrictive zoning, cynically deployed environmental law, and suburban community control? What tools do we have to confront the climate crisis? Advertisement Advertisement In an era when almost any project can be held up for years by public hearings and reviews by community boards, community groups, civic groups, and planning commissions, not to mention the courts, it is hard not to feel a certain nostalgic tug for Mosess method of building by decree, the architecture critic Paul Goldberger wrote in 2007. It may not have been democratic, or even right. Still, somebody has to look at the big picture and make decisions for the greater good. Advertisement Caros suspicion of the governments ability to do good is another product of its post-Watergate, post-Vietnam, postGreat Society moment, argues Jacob Anbinder, a historian and fellow at Cornell University working on a book about the origins of the housing affordability crisis. The book is absolutely dripping with a very particular kind of 1970s liberal suspicion of centralized political power, he wrote to me. Insofar as people use The Power Broker as a guide to inform their own political values today, I think there is a risk of overextending its lessons. It makes no more sense to assume The Power Broker explains New York today any more than it wouldve for New Yorkers in the 70s to think The Gangs of New York offered trenchant insights about Abe Beame. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moses vs. Jacobs Needless to say, it is not Caros fault that he seems to have had the last word, 50 years ago, on such an important topic. Another accident of history is that his subject has become joined at the hip with Jane Jacobs, the writer, economist, and activist who fired up the movement against urban renewal with her 1961 book The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Jacobs barely figures in The Power Broker, but the Manichaean struggle between the malicious Moses and the benevolent Jacobs has become the publics favorite (only) story of the urban renewal era. The binary dumbs them both down, and leaves out the liberal aims of urban renewal and the conservatism in the backlash to its failures. Advertisement By portraying Moses as an antidemocratic despot, Caro understates the extent to which his actions reflected the mainstream political thinking of the time. With Moses as boogeyman, we are spared the more challenging question: Why did his worst decisions seem like such great ideas to so many people in the first place? One thing that doesnt factor into Caros book is how aligned those plans are with some of the central institutions of liberalism. I mean, his most powerful backer is the New York Times, observed Andrew Needham, a historian at New York University. Other Moses allies of the liberal city: labor unions, universities, hospitals, and cultural institutions. Moses was racist, but several of his urban renewal peers, like Ed Logue in Boston or Elizabeth Wood in Chicago, had sincere progressive motives for tearing down and rebuilding cities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement History has been kind to some of Moses projects as well. In one of the past half-centurys amusing twists, many of the slums and firetraps that Moses tried to destroy are now million-dollar co-ops and creative-class rentals paid for by banking salaries (or the Bank of Dad). The middle-class housing with which Moses replaced them, meanwhilein Chinatown, in Stuy Town, on the Upper West Side, and so onnow constitute some of Manhattans last bastions of affordability. Advertisement That has fueled doubts about the moral righteousness of the Jacobs-style community control movement that succeeds central planning as the decisionmaking standard in cities. As the planning historian Thomas Campanella wrote in 2011, The literature on grassroots planning tends to assume a citizenry of Gandhian humanists. In fact, most people are not motivated by altruism but by self-interest. Today a typical house in Jacobs home turf, the fastidiously preserved West Village, sells for more than $10 million. Several contemporary observers have tried to split the difference: Think like Jacobs, act like Moses. Advertisement Caro doesnt deserve blame for that shift any more than Jacobs does, but the enduring popularity of his book suggests a widespread misconception: Many city leaders still see themselves as guardians of the public interest against powerful forces. In reality, the most powerful force in the modern American city is the stultifying status quo. We have met the enemy and he is us. Annemarie Sammartino is a historian at Oberlin College and the author of Freedomland, a history of Co-op City, the Bronx cluster of housing towers that makes up the nations largest residential development and one of Moses final projects. This urban housing for the middle class built in collaboration with the citys unions is another Moses legacy, though its spare, modernist aesthetics repelled preservationists of the Jacobs school. Advertisement Moses represented state power, and the willingness of the state to act, in a situation where if the state does not act, you cede everything to the interest of developers, said Sammartino, who grew up in the complex, which is still restricted to middle-income households. Caros book is more complex and interesting than the way it gets used, but its still a morality tale, and becomes a way to criticize not just planning but also render the newer communities inauthentic, not real, not worthwhile. Those maligned modernist projects shine more brightly by the light of gentrification, just as the grand pools look good next to the gilded bauble of Little Island, and the diverse crowd at Jones Beach is a public policy success next to the mostly white private towns of Fire Island, and New York Citys abbreviated central-city highway plan (superman Moses failed where his nameless peers succeeded) is a blessing compared with the destruction of New Haven or Cincinnati. And in Co-op City? A six-room apartment costs about $50,000, and the maximum income for a family of four is $160,000. Occasionally, our sense of what matters most changes over time. It is as Caro says in the books epigraph: One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been. Between a walk down nostalgia lane (reminiscent of the last Primetime Emmys in January) and a sweep of expected wins from heavyweights like The Bear, Shogun, Baby Reindeer, and Hacks, the 76th Primetime Emmys couldve been predicted down to the second. The ceremony, which aired on Sunday on ABC, hit all of the regular beats while honoring industry titans like producer Greg Berlanti and beloved small-screen archetypes like television moms, dads, villains, doctors, and cops. One thing that wasnt anticipated? Celebrities feline-like fixation on an infamously sour comment from our Republican vice presidential candidate. When a video resurfaced in July of a 2021 Fox News interview in which J.D. Vance told Tucker Carlson that our country is run by Democrats, corporate oligarchs, and a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices theyve made who want to make the rest of the country miserable, too, people scoffed at the sensational generalization. Vances comment, which found new life on social media after Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate, goes on to name Harris, Pete Buttigieg, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as emblematic of the entire future of the Democrats being controlled by people without children. Despite the fact that this smear is untrueHarris is a stepmother, while Buttigieg and his husband adopted twinsit became a flashpoint in the culture war that is the 2024 election. Vances denigration of both cats and people without children drew vocal opposition in the form of op-eds, statements from congresswomen, and comments from a smattering of celebrities, including Chelsea Handler, Jennifer Aniston, and, most recently, Taylor Swiftwho signed her recent statement endorsing Harris with Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady. Now, the Emmys have added a handful of additional jabs at Vances ill-natured remark. It started off with Emmy nominee Selena Gomezwho presented the first award of the night, for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, alongside her Only Murders in the Building co-hosts Steve Martin and Martin Short, and is famously besties with Swiftsaying: And let me say what an honor it is to work with two guys who are this far away from being childless cat ladies. Then, Candice Bergen, star of Murphy Brown, came to the stage to present for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. While presenting, Bergen reminded us of when the show upset the then-vice president, Dan Quayle, when Bergens titular character became pregnant and chose to raise her child as a single mother. Bergen followed up her throwback with: Oh, how far weve come. Today, a Republican candidate for vice president would never attack a woman for having kids. So, as they say, my work here is done. Meow! (Dare I say, it was the meow heard round the world.) And, as a bonus, when The Bears Ebon Moss-Bachrach won for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the second year in a row, he thanked his parents, who he commended for taking such nice care of my cat. Was that a political reference or merely a note of gratitude to his parents? Unclear, but well take it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Overall, the ceremony was rather light on sociopolitical statements compared to awards ceremonies of recent years, although Reservation Dogs DPharaoh Woon-A-Tai wore a red handprint over his mouth to raise awareness for #NoMoreStolenSisters, while Bridgertons Nicola Coughlan wore an Artists4Ceasefire pin, and Baby Reindeers Richard Gadd wore a pin in support of the U.K.based organization We Are Survivors. Still, the Emmys found time in their tidy three hours (a miracle!) to incessantly remind the audience to vote, celebrate the awards most diverse nominee list ever, and validate the hardworking feline-parents among us. It wasnt all a cat party, thoughdog owners were also represented in the form of a simultaneously touching and unserious acceptance speech from Last Week Tonights John Oliver, who compared himself to Sarah McLachlan as a music cue played him off the stage while he eulogized his late pooch. In short: for better or for worse, the Emmys have ensured that pets (a subject that has headlined numerous news dispatches this past week for rather unsavory reasons) will remain the topic of conversation. To that, I take the final word from Murphy Brown herself: meow. As Sofia, a 17-year-old Ivy League freshman, goes about her day at a university a 10-hour drive from her hometown, her mom tracks her location. She watches as Sofia (not her real name) leaves her dorm and heads to the dining hall, then leaves the dining hall to go to class. When Sofia spends hours at the library, her mom can watch the little blue blinking dot on Find My Friends and see just how much studying shes getting in. On weekdays, Sofias mom calls around 10:30 p.m. to confirm shes in bed. Helicopter parenting often doesnt end when a child graduates from high school. Todays parents have more tools than ever at their disposal to stay involved (or overinvolved) in their childrens lives and keep track of their whereabouts, habits, and activities, from tracking services like Life360 to Facebook groups specifically for parents of college students. If college is historically meant to be a time of self-exploration, complete with bad decisions and murky mistakes, an increasing number of parents seem to be attempting to curtail that growth. Tess, a 19-year-old student at Purdue University, recently went viral on TikTok for posting screenshots from the Purdue parents group. In the screenshots, parents ask how to find the phone number of their childs dorms resident adviser, vent about interpersonal skirmishes their college student is having with roommates, and wonder if other kids are having gastrointestinal issues from dining hall food. Tess mom is in the group, and would often send her screenshots of posts she found funny or cringey, and Tess had the idea to compile the posts into a series on TikTok. I think its also a lot of people who are needing to let go of their kids, Tess says. In her own life, shes thankful that her parents have let her find her own way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But not every parent takes a step back when their kid goes to college. When I ask Sofia about her mom tracking her location, she answers, You know what they saystrict parents raise sneaky kids. Its easy to get around her mothers location-based surveillance, she says, and all her friends whose parents track them employ similar tricks. If you pause the data on your phone, she explains, your location will show up as the place you were when you paused itso if Sofia wants to go out, but make sure her mom thinks shes in her dorm, shell pause her data in her dorm and then leave (she can still make phone calls with her data off but texting doesnt work).Other times, she transfers the location services to her iPad and leaves that in her dorm room. Either way: her mom can watch the blue blinking dot on the map all she wants without really knowing where Sofia is. Advertisement Besides the location tracking, there are also constant phone calls. Sofias mother calls in the morning to ask if shes started studying yet. She calls in the afternoon to check if Sofia is in the library. She calls at night to make sure Sofia is in bed. And if the calls go unanswered, they stack up, with Sofias phone flashing up to 15 missed calls. The texts come in too, telling Sofia shes at school to study, that shes wasting money, that her mother is going to stop paying her tuition. Advertisement Its not that Sofia wants to sneak around and be dishonest, but theres a disconnect between her and her mother, who is a Chinese immigrant. Theres this cultural barrier with understanding how important it is to be very social and to make connections, Sofia says. Im very conflicted, but I think that taking advantage of [being at an Ivy League school] is not just getting a degree. The people you meet here are absolutely insane when it comes to their wealth and privilege. Youre not going to make those connections in class. Advertisement Advertisement The social consequences of the overinvolvement of parents in kids lives at school arent always contained to the parent-child relationship. Take Elise (not her real name), who graduated from a large state school a few years ago. Once, while working a shift at her part-time job during college, she confided in a co-worker and fellow student that she was struggling with her mental healthbut the co-worker already knew Elise was struggling, because she had seen a post Elises mom made in the schools parent Facebook group about her daughters mental health. That was something that was really embarrassing for me, Elise says. I felt like my trust had been violated a little bit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Looking back at the incident is complicated for Elise, because two things are true. She both felt embarrassed by her mothers post and understands what compelled her to make it. She was looking to find other people who were going through the same issues, and trying to find a good therapist or solutions in the area, she says. I understand why she did that. When Elise found out about the post, she didnt say anything to her mother. The next time she was struggling with her mental health, her mom mentioned that she might post in the Facebook group to look for resources. I was like, No, dont do that, Elise says. Sometimes Im just bummed out and it doesnt have to be a public issue. She told her mother that her co-worker had seen the Facebook post, and her mother was apologetic, but Elise wonders if this situation changed their relationship. Now, if shes struggling mentally, shes more likely to go to her father for support. I think it definitely affected the way that I am open and honest with her about my mental health issues, she says. Advertisement Advertisement Jessi Gold, a psychiatrist and chief wellness officer of the University of Tennessee system, says that the overinvolvement of a parental figure can lead to increased stress for a child who is trying to gain their own independence. Theres a healthy level of checking in that can help someones mental health, Gold says. Its really about: How do you find the medium to be that support for your kid and help them transition and help be there for them, but at the same time, give them space to grow and develop on their own? Its natural for college students to attempt to differentiate themselves from their family and be more independent, Gold says. To prepare for that transition, parents can focus on fostering concrete skills like teaching their child how to make appointments, or do laundry, or refill medication. Advertisement When Anna (not her real name), 21, was a freshman at a college about 1,000 miles away from her hometown, her parents constantly monitored her location and called her to ask why she was where she was. Once, she overslept by 20 minutes and missed her parents check-in call. When Anna woke up, it was to the campus police knocking on her door: Her parents had called in a wellness check because she hadnt answered their phone call. Anna wasnt surprised by her parents overinvolvementin high school, they had an app on her phone that would forward all her text messages to them and they read each onebut after the false alarm and wellness check, she set down a boundary. I was like, You cant do this, basically, she says. I revoked their access to [my location] and didnt let them have it anymore. For a week, the relationship between Anna, who is an only child, and her parents was strained. They kept asking her to turn her location back on, but she held firm and they came around. Now, they dont track her or intrude on her life, which has changed the way they interact with each other. I actually really enjoy talking to them now and I value their feedback, she says. Our relationship has actually really improved. Since the moment Joe Biden ended his presidential reelection campaign, things have been looking up for Democrats basically everywhere. Polling on Senate races in swing states looks favorable across the board, and once-out-of-reach House races are getting increasingly competitive. Kamala Harris continues to poll competitively even in places like North Carolina, where Democrats havent won in a presidential race since Barack Obama ran in 2008. But there is one place that remains a glaring, humiliating messone state that threatens to spoil it all for Democrats: New York. This is not a new problem. New York has been a basically uninterrupted mess for years. But the state Democratic Party really screwed things up in 2022 when it cost Democrats control of the House during an otherwise victorious midterm election. Since then, the party has botched its states redistricting process (again) and has screwed up the states abortion referendum so badly that it looks like there could be more gains for Republicans in the upcoming election. Meanwhile, that states highest-ranking Democrats cant stop getting raided by the feds. I see only one solution to this big, intractable, and steadfast problem: a ruthless takeover by Nancy Pelosi. Fresh off of cleaning up the Democrats previous biggest mess, the Joe Biden reelection campaign, shes clearly up to the task. Pelosi is running once more for reelection in her California district, so she clearly has at least one more big job in her. And her concern for the Democrats legacy, for the long-term viability of the national party once she finally retires, has never been clearer. Which means its time for her to go Godfather mode on New York. Advertisement She certainly seems aware that something must be done. Speaking at the Democratic National Convention last month, Pelosi pointed the finger squarely at the state when asked how Democrats managed to lose the House in 2022. Five seats in New York, she said. And then she took the rare step of heaping additional blame specifically on Gov. Kathy Hochul, a former representative and member of Pelosis House caucus, the type of person who Pelosi usually goes to great lengths to protect: I think it related to the gubernatorial race, Pelosi said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its true. After New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in shame over sexual harassment allegations, his lieutenant governor, Hochul, ran a historically terrible race, winning a deep-blue state by only 6 pointswhere Joe Biden had won by 23 points just two years prior. That same race, New York Democrats watched their Republican rivals flip four Democratic-held House seats and hold on to a fifth seat that Dems felt sure they would flip themselves. The failures in the state, where registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans more than 2-to-1, probably wouldnt have been so severe if the person running for governor had been more popular. But also, the state had thoroughly botched its redistricting process and had made a bunch of districts far more favorable for Republicans. Advertisement Just two years later, its almost hard to keep track of the parade of dubious decisions emanating from the Empire State. Last week, FBI agents raided the homes and/or seized the phones of more than half a dozen senior officials in New York City, almost all of them appointees of Mayor Eric Adams. His police commissioner stepped down last week; his chief counsel resigned over the weekend. Adams former building commissioner Eric Ulrich is being prosecuted on bribery charges, while multiple people have been convicted for illegally raising money for the mayors 2021 campaign. Advertisement Hochul also had a former aide, Linda Sun, arrested by federal prosecutors, with the feds alleging that she had been working as an agent of the Chinese government. Needless to say, its not a sign of a high-functioning operation when your partys most prominent state and local figures are both seeing their deputies raided by the FBI. Advertisement And when theyre not seeing top aides pinched by the feds, theyre busy making fabulously self-defeating policy decisions. Advertisement Earlier this year, Hochulevidently trying out some ill-fated electoral brinkmanshipwiped out congestion pricing, the flagship Democratic climate policy that had been passed into law five years ago. It was reported that this move, itself of dubious legality, was done with those same bungled House races from 2022 in mind. But instead, Hochul managed to give New York House Republicans something else to run on. GOPer Mike Lawler, in New Yorks 17th Districta must-win for Democratsis now running specifically on having pressured Democrats into killing congestion pricing. Related From Slate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Has Sabotaged Early Voting in a Critical Swing State Read More Then theres the abortion ballot measure, an electoral layup so simple that even Florida Democrats have managed to successfully and simply get it on the ballot in their state. Referendums enshrining abortion protections into state constitutions have basically been free money, in a political sense, for Democrats since the Dobbs decision; the ballot measures have been successful even in dark-red states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But New York Democrats managed to botch the language of their own ballot measure so thoroughly that Democratic consultants now fear that the proposed amendment will actually help House Republicans. And rather than combat conservative attacks on the proposal, New York Democrats instead are refusing to spend money to defend the initiative. Lest we forget: New York Dems also got a full-on do-over on their 2022 district maps and changed basically nothing. Changing nothing has arguably been the theme of the past two years, as Jay Jacobs, the state party chair, refused accountability for the midterms debacle and he and everyone else at the top of the party structure have stayed in their roles. The party has proudly pointed to its establishment of three dozen new field offices in swing districts in the state, as well as an increased presence of volunteers, as evidence of progress. But the masterminds of every bad decision over the past handful of years remain firmly ensconced in power. Advertisement Advertisement National Democrats have directed a ton of money at the state to try to overcome the ineptitude, but theres only so much that money can accomplish. Biden also had a ton of money, and the inadequacy of his campaign operation overwhelmed his financial advantage. (Pelosi summed up Bidens campaign by saying, Ive never been that impressed with his political operationa phrase that could also aptly describe the situation in New York.) Advertisement Of course, realistically, there is not a ton Pelosi can do in New York, a state she doesnt represent. But she could put pressure on her successor, the leader of the House Democrats, New Yorks own Hakeem Jeffries, to change the staffing and leadership of the state party. She could push to override the Dems decision not to spend to defend their abortion amendment. She could get even more vocal about her concerns. Its not a lot, but there also werent a lot of ways for Pelosi to convince a sitting president to bow out of a reelection campaign, and we know how that ended. Pelosi likes to win. I trust she could find a way to do so in New York. Abortion is on the ballot in 10 states this election. Direct democracy has provided an extraordinary avenue for protecting abortion in red states, but its also become the target of increasingly dangerous attacks on voting rights from anti-abortion groups, politicians, and state officials. On this weeks episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick was joined by Jessica Valentifeminist columnist and author of the forthcoming Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Winand Lauren Brenzel, campaign director for the Yes on 4 initiative seeking to put abortion protections to Florida voters in November. The discussion focused on the mounting campaign to prevent voters from actually voting on abortiondespite Justice Samuel Alito having promised to return the issue to the voters in Dobbsand the reason Donald Trump said he supports returning abortion to the states at the presidential debate. The following transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity. Dahlia Lithwick: So Lauren, one of the reasons I really wanted to talk to you as part of this conversation is this story from the Tampa Bay Times revealing that Floridas Department of State is scrutinizing Amendment 4 signatures for vote fraud, and that Secretary of State Brad McVay is contacting supervisors to collect signatures for review. I think what is so crazy about this is how quickly we vaulted from We want to make sure people have the right information to Oh no, were knocking signatures off the freaking ballot. Tell us how we got here in Florida. Advertisement Lauren Brenzel: This is the playbook in Florida right now. Its what our government does. There are a few people who are deeply in charge; who weaponize state systems against people. In 2022, we saw the arrest of numerous individuals who had felony convictions for registering to vote. Most of those cases were dismissed afterwards. Weve had democratically elected officials removed from office for saying that they were going to protect abortion patients and abortion providers. This is the model and the playbook, and its really disheartening on our end because this coalition has worked incredibly hard to make this process as nonpolitical as possible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have really relied on the voters of Florida, on the coalition of organizations, on patient stories, and on activists in order to qualify this measure for the ballot. We have not been talking about any political party, we are not coordinated with the Florida Democratic Party. We are not speaking out against Republican actors because we know we have a 60 percent threshold to get Amendment 4 passed and we are aware that that means that people need to think of this issue as a health care issue, not a partisan issue. And so to have a year and a half of work entirely disrupted, and have this turn into a fight about Gov. Ron DeSantis, is very frustrating. Were talking about our state constitution. This needs to last beyond any administration in Florida. Advertisement Were facing a distraction and a misinformation campaign designed to cause fear and to weaponize all the systems. Were having to fight on the legal front, were having to fight on the communications front, were having to fight on the reputational front. Its the playbook of authoritarianism. People let a campaign like this happen against abortion rights because there are actors who are so radicalized on this issue that they believe that abortion advocates are actual murderers, so theyre willing to put aside any belief they have in democracy or democratic processes because they are such radicalized actors on this subject. Advertisement In Florida, we need 891,523 verified petitions to get on the ballot. Thats 8 percent of the electorate in our previous electoral cycle. We then also need to make sure that we reach 8 percent of the electorate in 14 congressional districts. Petitions also go through a financial estimating conference, and then you also have Florida state Supreme Court review. Petition collection ends in December, Supreme Court review doesnt happen until April. We had to wait all the way until April 1 to get a ruling. Were the only initiative I know of that was fined for having late petitions. Over half of those fines were later found to be not valid. Advertisement Advertisement Now were seeing these investigations into the process of petition collecting, including having officers go to peoples doors. When that happens, there are some people who will say they didnt sign the petition, whether they validly signed it or not, because it is intimidating to have an officer come to your door and ask you about the abortion petition. I have 70-year-old white women telling me that theyre afraid to go vote this November. They think the election police are going to come after them to ask about whether they signed the abortion petition and what their vote is. Advertisement Advertisement All of this is just creating this culture of fear and distraction and questioning legitimacy. And I also question whether or not it will be utilized to undermine future direct democracy. We had an initiative here that paid $100 million to collect petitions, because it was backed by the gaming industry. They will always be able to spend enough money to overcome hurdles and laws in the corporate sector. So these things become less about citizens referring things to the ballot, as the cost increases exponentially, because the weaponization of democracy against us increases exponentially. It removes the ballot initiative process from the peoples hands and places it only in entities that have the most money possible to overcome all of these legal hurdles that become more and more expensive and more and more challenging. Advertisement Im reminded how so much of the language we heard from Trump at the debate was about how you cant trust women with reproductive rights because theyre going to stagger in at the ninth month, or, in the EMTALA lawsuit, theyre going to lie, right, about mental health reasons to terminate. The presumption that women cant be trusted with reproductive freedoms has been shot through since Roe. Advertisement Related From Slate The Most Satisfying Moment of the Harris-Trump Debate Read More But the layer youve just added, Lauren, is that also, women actually cant be trusted with voting and democracy, either, because we lie and cheat there as well. And thats how you vault yourself into alleging election fraud and false signatures. Jessica, you warned us last February that people were being arrested for allegedly submitting fake signatures for Amendment 4. You said this was coming and you warned us about Floridas Department of Election Crimes and Security that also is Orwellian and creepy in the extreme. Advertisement Jessica Valenti: As soon as I saw those couple of arrests and as soon as I saw that it was from the election security department that DeSantis had used previously to target Black voters, it was clear to me that this would be the perfect way for them to undermine and interrupt direct democracy for abortion rights, because it gives them the ability to pretend that the overwhelming support for abortion rights isnt real. They can say, Actually those are fake voters, or fake votes. People do want the abortion ban. This is the will of the people. They know that voters overwhelmingly support abortion rights because they know that Americans overwhelmingly dont want the government involved at all in pregnancy decisions. They know theyre losing so badly on that front, but they need to pretend otherwise. Thats why theyre using language like will of the people, and using language like consensus. Anything that gives them the ability to say that support for abortion rights isnt real was going to appeal to them. Thats what were seeing. Its so upsetting on so many different levels, but its also the gaslighting that really pisses me off. Just this absolute gaslighting, claiming this support for reproductive freedom isnt realclaiming its invented, made-up, paid support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The chilling effect, the intimidation, is just par for the course with everything that theyre doing around abortion. There is so much fear and they are taking advantage of that, and weve seen the same playbook in so many different states. I wrote about how, in South Dakota, folks who signed a pro-choice petition there got calls from folks who said they were from the Secretary of States office, pressuring them to take their names off the petition. In fact, they were not from the Secretary of States office. They were from an anti-abortion group. And in addition to that chilling effect, all these efforts are not just being led on a state level. Theyre all very similar for a reason. Theyre all very similar because big national anti-abortion groups and conservative legal organizations are dictating exactly how to do this. Advertisement In Florida and Missouri, opponents of abortion rights tried to jam up the ballot initiative in the financial assessment stage. In Missouri, the Republican state auditor said that restoring abortion rights would cost about $51,000, and then the Missouri attorney general said, Im not signing off on that because you need to write that it would cost $51 billion, and so that held up the signature-gathering process for months. All of which is to say they are all using the same playbook. This is not just happening on the state level. This is a national scheme to disenfranchise voters in general, but really when it comes to abortion rights in particular, using dirty trick after dirty trick. Donald Trump has been convicted of 34 felony counts in the New York hush money casebut theres a lengthy appeals process ahead. And what ever happened to the other three cases against himJack Smiths federal election interference and classified documents cases, and Fani Willis Georgia election interference case? All three have hit various roadblocks. To make it easier to follow all of Trumps ongoing legal entanglements, each Monday, well keep you updated on the latest developments in Keeping Up With the Trump Trials. Things were busy down in Georgia last week, where Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis challenged a subpoena served to her by Georgia Republicans who are trying to investigate the misconduct allegations that have plagued her election interference case. Plus, Judge Scott McAfee dismissed three more charges from Willis indictment, the second time hes cracked down on how the DA charged the former president and 14 remaining co-defendantsthere were originally 18 co-defendants, but four have accepted plea deals. Fani Willis Is Sparring With Georgia Republicans Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is locked in a fight with Georgia Republicans, and shes declining to cooperate with a subpoena that demanded her testimony in a hearing over misconduct allegations last week. Willis indicted Trump and 18 others one year ago over a conspiracy to overthrow Georgias 2020 election results, but the case has been stymied since the beginning of this year, when it became public that Willis had been having a romantic relationship with a prosecutor on her team. Willis admitted to dating special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she hired for her investigation, and after a series of contentious hearings in February, a judge declared that either Wade or Willis must resign. Wade stepped down and Willis stayed on the case. Attorneys for Trump and defendant Mike Roman are appealing that decision in hopes that they can get Willis disqualified from prosecuting them. And while the appeals process plays out, the entire investigation has been paused. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Republicans in the Georgia state Senate convened a special committeemade up of six Republicans and three Democratsto also investigate Willis, though it does not have the power to remove her from this case. The committee is focused on alleged financial impropriety, as Wade was paid with state funds and used the money to pay for vacations with Willis. However, Willis previously testified that she personally paid for her share of their expenses. They issued the DA a subpoena for her testimony and a huge swath of documents for last Fridaybut Willis declined to show up. Her attorney, Democratic former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, said in a court filing that the subpoena was overbroad and not reasonably tailored to a legitimate legislative need, pointing to the documents Willis was asked to produce, which included text messages and emails between her and Wade as well as communications Willis had with the Justice Department and the House related to the 2020 presidential election. Advertisement Related From Slate Jack Smiths Federal Election Interference Trial Comes Back to Life Read More A judge is currently weighing whether the Republicans subpoena was lawful, after Willis took the issue to court and argued it should be void because it was issued after Georgias Senate legislative session ended. She also argued that the subpoena violates the separation of powers in the states constitution. Advertisement On top of that, Willis is also actively campaigning to keep her job. In November, shes facing Republican challenger Courtney Kramer, a lawyer who previously interned for the Trump administration and worked for the Trump campaign. If Kramer wins, she could dismiss Willis indictment of the former presidentas she has previously said, I do not think he broke the law. Advertisement More Charges Dismissed in the Georgia Election Case Judge Scott McAfee dismissed three more charges from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis election interference indictment last week, adding to the six other charges he dismissed back in March. In total, Willis original indictment has come down from 41 charges to 35. Advertisement The decision comes in response to a request from defendants John Eastman, Trumps former attorney, and Shawn Still, a Georgia state senator who signed the false certificate certifying that Trump won the state of Georgia in the 2020 election, to dismiss Willis indictment. Though McAfee denied that request, he did conclude that three charges related to fake electors signing a false certificate and sending it to Congress were subject to federal criminal laws, disqualifying the state of Georgia from prosecuting them. The judge referred to the U.S. Constitutions supremacy clause, writing that it declares that state law must yield to federal law when the two conflict. Though McAfee was ruling on a question brought by Eastman and Still, his decision will also apply to Trump, since the former president faced the same charges. Back in March, McAfee also dismissed six other charges in Willis indictment, finding that the DA did not include enough detail regarding the nature of what crime the defendants were accused of. In total, Trump only faces eight felony counts now, down from 13. Willis is appealing McAfees March decision to dismiss, and its not clear whether shell also appeal the judges latest order. During the communist regime, there was little respect for sacred sites. For many years, the crypt area was used as a guard dog kennel, and later as a storage facility. (Source: Maros Buchel) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share At Trencin Castle, a new archaeological investigation has commenced in the castle's chapel adjacent to Matthew's Tower, with the primary aim of uncovering the Gothic crypt beneath the Lord's Chapel. Archaeologists believe that behind one of the tomb's walls, there may be a passage leading to another chamber. The ongoing excavation seeks to uncover the full extent of the crypt beneath the chapel's altar, reports My Trencin website. "We have successfully revealed the original staircase leading into the crypt, and have cleared about half the structure," explained lead archaeologist Juraj Malec. The crypt had been partially exposed in the latter half of the 20th century, and today's archaeologists are continuing the work initiated by their predecessors. Malec suggests that there may be a hidden passage within the northern wall of the crypt, potentially leading to an undiscovered room. Empress Barbara The crypt itself is believed to date back to the late 17th century, when the chapel underwent reconstruction. The current excavation, which marks the 600th anniversary of the castle's acquisition by Barbara of Celje, the Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia in the 15th century, began by removing the rubbish left behind from previous research, clearing the staircase, and revealing a significant portion of the crypt. Malec highlighted that the original rotunda, the castle's oldest structure, was demolished to make way for Barbara's Palace. This led to the construction of a new chapel, which began soon after Barbara of Celje took ownership of the castle. Although the exact completion date is unknown, the chapel stood for around 350 years, surviving until 1790 when a fire ravaged the castle. The chapel, originally built in the Gothic style, was later rebuilt by the Zapolya family in the 16th century and by the Esterhazy family in the 17th century. Little respect for sacred sites Archaeologists are also relying on a detailed technical diary from the previous excavation, dating from 1955 to 1956. "We are uncertain when the crypt was filled in, but it likely occurred during the 1980s. During the communist regime, there was little respect for sacred sites. Previous excavators damaged the vault in two locations and discarded waste inside," Malec added. For many years, the crypt area was used as a guard dog kennel, and later as a storage facility. https://sk.frame.mapy.cz/s/pubedesozu Dozens of coalition MPs were left spluttering when PS pointed out that their own relatives also benefit from the states largesse. Michal Simecka and Tibor Gaspar during the debate about the dismissal of Simecka from his deputy speaker post. (Source: Sme - Marko Erd) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share Welcome to your weekly commentary and overview of news from Slovakia. Simeckas ouster is underway, but it is hardly going as planned. Terrorgram arrests have a Slovak link. Slovakia may face cuts in EU funds, Bloomberg reports. If you have a suggestion on how to make this overview better, let me know at michaela.terenzani@spectator.sk. Simecka strikes back, prompting coalition MPs to demand apologies Please apologise to me, right now, said Hlas MP Jan Blchac when MPs from Progressive Slovakia (PS) presented a list of MPs whose organisations or family members have received state grants during the years that the Smer party was in power. (Blchac was a Smer MP until 2020.) Blchac, who was returned to parliament from 15th spot on the Hlas slate in last Septembers parliamentary elections, was a member of the supervisory board of the Tranoscius religious publishing house, which has received approximately 600,000 in various state grants over the last 10 years. The list features some 880 contracts for state grants to organisations or people with links to coalition MPs worth a total of 49 million, including some for the companies of Robert Ficos relatives. PS used the list as its main line of defence during an extraordinary parliamentary session convened on Thursday with a single item on its agenda the dismissal of party leader Michal Simecka from his position as a deputy speaker of parliament. Coalition MPs from Smer and Slovak National Party (SNS) have used fabricated accusations against Simecka as the basis for the proposed ouster citing the fact that his mother, Marta Simeckova, and his partner, Sona Feriencikova, have received grants from state agencies over the years, and noting that the Milan Simecka Foundation which is named after the PS leaders late grandfather, who was a dissident in the 1970s and 1980s and an advisor to President Vaclav Havel was a regular recipient of grants as well. Injured: Brentford striker Yoane Wissa (C) (Oli SCARFF) Brentford are set to be without DR Congo forward Yoane Wissa for "a couple of months" with an ankle injury, the Premier League club's manager Thomas Frank said Monday. Wissa, 28 opened the scoring inside 30 seconds against champions Manchester City on Saturday, but was then substituted just before half-time following a challenge with Mateo Kovacic in a match the Bees eventually lost 2-1. Frank, speaking ahead of Tuesday's League Cup tie against fellow London side Leyton Orient, told reporters: "Wissa is not good news. It looks like an injury that will be a couple of months. It is very frustrating. "It will leave a hole, but I will find a solution and other players will step up." Brentford are already without pre-season signing Igor Thiago because of a knee injury, while England striker Ivan Toney has left for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli. jdg/ea Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco leads at the start of the Formula One Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) After a thrilling Azerbaijan Grand Prix, it seems like nearly half the field is capable of winning races in Formula 1. McLaren chief executive Zak Brown, whose driver Lando Norris is Max Verstappen's closest title challenger, says he's enjoying the best show he's seen in his eight years in F1. There have been six different winners in the last eight races, representing four different teams. Verstappen, whose dominance in 2022 and 2023 broke records, still leads the standings but his last win was in June. I think this is the best season I can think of ever in Formula 1 since Ive been here," Brown told The Associated Press from the IndyCar season finale at Nashville Superspeedway in Tennessee. Could it even be better than the 2021 fight between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, which was decided on the final lap of the year and helped fuel F1's Netflix boom? Brown thinks it might be. That was mega exciting, but its just two guys, two good guys. Now youve got four good teams in todays race," he said. "To have four teams that can win any weekend, and (Sergio) Perez was obviously back on form today, eight drivers going into Singapore and were going I dont know which of these four teams might win. I dont know which of these eight drivers might win, I cant recall Formula 1 having that level of competitiveness. There was non-stop action Sunday. McLaren's Oscar Piastri took the win in Baku, but only after a daring overtake on Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Perez was in the mix for Red Bull until he and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. collided, handing third to Mercedes driver George Russell. Further back, Norris surged through the field from 15th on the grid to finish fourth ahead of Verstappen and take another bite out of the champion's standings lead. Teams' performances fluctuate week by week, depending on upgrades from the factories, track conditions and setup changes, like the one which Verstappen blamed for ruining his weekend in Azerbaijan. Even a change of tires can turn an also-ran into a contender, Russell said Sunday. Just in this one race, we had a car that could have won if you took the pace from half of the race and a car that should have been outside the top 10 from the other half, he said, adding: So I hope weve got the faster version for next week's race in Singapore. The Singapore street track hosted one of the most competitive races of an otherwise Red Bull-dominated 2023 season. On worn tires, Sainz held off Norris' McLaren and the two Mercedes of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and Russell, who crashed from third on the last lap. Piastri is F1's on-form driver with the most points of anyone in the last seven races. He knows just how many moving parts are involved in success this year, and how quickly it can all change. Weve been in with a chance everywhere, and I think today was definitely one of those days where we werent necessarily the quickest, but we had a car that could put us in the fight, the Australian said. We had a pit stop that could put us in the fight. We had some teamwork that put us in the fight. And it all managed to pay off. ___ Ellingworth reported from Duesseldorf, Germany. ___ AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing Iceland was not always considered the travel destination it is today. It wasnt until recent years that word got out about its shocking natural beauty, cultural richness, and lovely people. These days, folks from all over the world come to Iceland to experience volcanic mountain trails, vibrant wildlife, and glacial caverns where youre allowed to swim. The population of the island nation is relatively small, only about 394,000, and about a third live in Reykjavik, the capital. Its also a fantastic place for coffee lovers since almost everywhere in Iceland has an espresso setup. That means dedicated grinders and baristas loading up portafilters and pulling shots at just about every restaurant, bar, and hotel youll find. Drinking coffee is definitely a big part of our culture, says Torfi or Torfason, co-owner of Reykjavik Roasters. We dont get a lot of daylight during the winter so we need coffee to help us wake up. Even if youre driving the Golden Circle, youll be able to grab an espresso somewhere on your journey. If you ask locals what you should do while in their country, almost all of them will tell you to drive multiple hours outside of the capital and see the more remote parts of the island. Now, you could spend a lot of time discovering enchanted waterfalls, hiking up misty mountains, and soaking in geothermal hot springs and not have to drive far. Even so, if you do take the locals recommendations, you would see the best sights Iceland has to offer. The irony of this is that some of the best locations for coffee Iceland has to offer are within a mere mile of one another in the center of Reykjavik. Its very possible (and recommended) to explore this part of the city on foot if youre able. Kaffi O-le Right in the middle of the hotel center, down the street from the Parliament House, next to Brut, the best fish and wine bar in Rekjavik, youll find a bright and clean coffee shop called Kaffi O-le. The first thing you notice walking in is the simple and minimalistic design of the place which stands in contrast to the cozy, lived-in feel of most of the other cafes in town. There is a long, light-colored wooden community table and stools lining the window for patrons to post up and enjoy their brews. Further back, there is another little room with a couch and additional seating. Espressos are served in a 6 oz Loveramics pastel ceramic mug. Swirl it around to incorporate the crema and take a little sip. Bright and chocolatey. Delicious and memorable. The finish is as clean as the aesthetic of the shop. The barista lets you know the coffee is Colombia Aponte Honey Processed, but it rotates. If you order a filter coffee to take with you, youre handed a paper cup with another honey processed coffee, El Salvador Finca Atzumpa. Kaffi O-le opened in the summer of 2021 and is owned by Olafur Olafsson, the same person who owns the fish and wine bar next door. Behind the bar they have a Dalla Corte espresso machine and grinder, a TONE Swiss brewer, and Chemex and Hario V60 for pour-over. For their beans, they knew right away they wanted to serve coffees roasted by Kaffibrugghusi. Kaffibrugghusi To find Kaffibrugghusi, you have to walk down Fiskislo toward the end of the Old Harbor. There, in an unassuming building, will be Sonja Bjork Grant and Njall Bjorgvinsson roasting coffee on their Giesen W6. Designed as a wholesale micro-roastery, Kaffibrugghusi is not open to the public as a cafe. It is, however, open on Wednesdays and sells roasted coffee beans and brewing supplies. Moreover, they also use the roastery as an education space. Thursdays and Fridays are seminar days where they host four main types of classesbarista skills training, cupping, home espresso, and group coffee tastings. Anyone is welcome to participate in the seminars, and they also host barista training sessions for wholesale partners. They started their current roasting operation in 2017 and added a webstore in 2020. Originally, they had ambitious plans to offer full breakfast and coffee service in addition to the roastery and education space. The pandemic forced them to simplify their plans, but they ponder opening a cafe in the space someday in the future. Grant and Bjorgvinsson place a strong emphasis on being respectful to the farmers and the families that grow the coffee. They aim to bring out the character and flavor profile of the beans. Kaffibrugghusi has two roast styles, but of course many roast profiles depending on the origin, variety, or processing method, says Grant. We roast our coffees light to medium and lighter than the bigger roasting companies. We are very sensitive to when the coffee is over-roasted. Reykjavik Roasters People know about Reykjavik Roasters. Its evident from the line you might stand in and the numerous articles online that mention them. When its your turn to order, if you ask which coffees they offer as pour-overs, the barista responds by asking if you prefer a nutty profile or a fruiter one. Answer fruity and they will brew you a washed Colombia Buesaco in a Kalita Wave and serve it to you in a little silver kettle on a matching silver tray. It has a berry-like juiciness and a bright citrus acidity. Its color has a reddish hue when the sunlight touches it through the window. If you answer nutty, youll receive a different coffee that is equally as tasty. The first location opened in 2008 inside an old house built in 1929 that used to be a skyr and milk shop. The cafe first operated under the name Kaffismija Islands but changed to Reykjavik Roasters in 2013 after some renovations and rebranding. They now have three locations in Reykjavikone on Brautarholt, another on Freyjugata, and the original on Karastigur. Each one uses Victoria Arduino Mythos One grinders and various models of Synesso espresso machines. The roastery is in the same building as their Brautarholt location. There, they take a holistic approach to roasting where sweetness, bitterness, acidity, and body are all taken into consideration while highlighting what they think is most interesting in the coffees themselves. They roast to accentuate the nuances of the coffees they buy instead of buying coffees that fit inside a preconceived notion of what a coffee should be. Te & Kaffi Dont let it fool you that Te & Kaffi has eight locations and Oreo frappes on their menu. This is no corporate industrial roasting outfit where the coffees are roasted to oblivion. No, Te & Kaffi takes their roasting seriously. Its evident in the subtle sweetness and citrus brightness found in their espresso as well as in the well-balanced chocolatey profile of the batch brew. Started in 1984, Te & Kaffis founders, Berglind Gubrandsdottir and Sigmundur Dyrfjorur, were pioneers of specialty coffee and tea in Iceland. Their idea was clear and simpleintroduce great loose-leaf tea and high-quality coffee to the people of Iceland. Today, they offer 23 types of tea and matcha, numerous coffees from origins around the world, and hold the largest market share in the nations retail coffee market. They also serve various food items such as authentic Italian sandwiches, croissants, traditional English scones, bagels, soup, cakes, and other sweet items. Their approach to coffee roasting focuses on featuring a wide variety of roasting profiles. They make sure to offer a broad spectrum of flavors and styles to match anything their customers are looking for. Similarly, they place a focus on service and atmosphere in order to make their guests feel welcome and appreciated. Kaffitar When you walk into one of Kaffitars three locations, you will notice shelves full of brewing devices, barista tools, bags of retail beans, and trophies from various competitions. Training and education have always been a focal point for them, and they take pride in the passion and professionalism that have characterized them since they began. The company started after founder Aalheiur Heinsdottir studied under the late world-renowned coffee taster, Victor Mondry, in the United States. Upon returning to Iceland in 1990, Heinsdottir started Kaffitar and ran it for 28 years. In 2018, she sold the brand to Nyja Kaffibrennslan but remains on as the companys green coffee buyer today. You can spot their roasting plant on the ocean-side of the highway that runs from Keflavik Airport to Reykjavik. Kaffitar states that their values are dedication and multiculturalism which are reflected in their sponsorship program where they support organizations that help people with developmental disabilities, illnesses, and others who are in need. They also support many art and cultural events and offer grants to community groups in the area. Kaktus Espressobar When you walk into Kaktus Espressobar, you are greeted by a friendly barista standing behind a Faema President espresso machine that sits on the counter flanked by two different grinders on either sidea Faema MD 3000, which is used as their main espresso grinder, and a Eureka they use for decaf. As you sip on your espresso, youll notice a classic Italian profile of nutty dark chocolate and earthy roastiness. It has the kind of boldness that holds up well in milk and complements its sweetness. Their coffee comes from Caffe Italia, a roasting company north of Rome involved with other culinary pursuits in the region like olive oil and wine. The founders of Kaktus Espressobar got connected with the folks at Caffe Italia when one of them owned another cafe in Italy years ago. When the founders started dreaming of opening a cafe dedicated to their love of dark roasts, Caffe Italia was the natural choice for a roasting partner, and they have been using their beans ever since. The house blend, Michelangelo, is comprised of Arabica beans from Brazil and India mixed with robusta to help keep classic Italian flavors consistent. After almost six years of business, Kaktus Espressobar is opening a second location at the Icelandic National Gallery by the Reykjavik Pond. Their loyal following is made up of both tourists and locals, but they say its the people in the neighborhood that have really kept them going, especially through the pandemic times when tourism had almost completely dried-up. They claim that their regulars are typically locals who dont prefer flowery or bright coffeespeople who want that classic flavor and want quality. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240916/cia-veteran-ukrainian-connection-in-trumps-assassination-attempt-cannot-be-ignored-1120170439.html CIA Veteran: Ukrainian Connection in Trump's Assassination Attempt Cannot Be Ignored CIA Veteran: Ukrainian Connection in Trump's Assassination Attempt Cannot Be Ignored Sputnik International The fact that Ryan Routh was an ardent supporter of the Ukraine and wants to see Russia attacked, and clearly saw Trump as a threat to Ukraine's future receipt of US military support, cannot be hidden, says former US State Department official and retired CIA intelligence officer Larry Johnson. 2024-09-16T18:58+0000 2024-09-16T18:58+0000 2024-09-16T18:58+0000 analysis us donald trump assassination attempt ukraine https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/09/10/1120170276_0:0:1329:747_1920x0_80_0_0_bd82e90badb66ae53dc180203773b350.jpg I'm sure that the Kiev regime is going to distance itself from this. The Kiev regime, along with the apparent support of the CIA, has put together a death list of Americans. A list of Americans who ought to be killed. It's not a list to send them nasty letters. Scott Ritter's on it, I think Douglas McGregor's on it. It is not out of line for them to have done this, Johnson tells Sputnik.He describes the fact that Routh was apparently privy to Trumps whereabouts as puzzling, given the latter does not make his schedule public.According to him, the assassination attempt is going to have a detrimental effect on the support for Ukraine in the United States, at least among Trumps supporters.Johnson also suggests that many people in the current US government do not want Trump to become president again and would rather see him dead.It would not shock me at all that there would be some elements inside the government that would get involved in that kind of plot. The Secret Service, I think it's on notice and the focus is on it in such a way that they can't afford to allow sloppiness and poor planning and poor security to go unanswered, he says. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240916/whats-known-about-trump-shooting-suspects-possible-links-to-ukraine-1120164887.html ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International donald trump assassination attempt, ryan routh, us support for ukraine https://sputnikglobe.com/20240916/iranian-foreign-minister-sees-possibility-to-resurrect-jcpoa-if-west-negotiates-on-equal-terms-1120162714.html Iranian Foreign Minister Sees Possibility to Resurrect JCPOA if West Negotiates on 'Equal Terms' Iranian Foreign Minister Sees Possibility to Resurrect JCPOA if West Negotiates on 'Equal Terms' Sputnik International Participants in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, may resume talks based on "trust in exchange for lifting sanctions" but progress depends on whether the two sides can negotiate on equal terms, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday. 2024-09-16T00:14+0000 2024-09-16T00:14+0000 2024-09-16T00:15+0000 world newsfeed middle east abbas araghchi masoud pezeshkian iran karaj isna international atomic energy agency (iaea) joint comprehensive plan of action (jcpoa) https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/09/10/1120162867_0:0:3072:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_7dd225e53f5a13fd3cfa43a4f08283f6.jpg TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Participants in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, may resume talks based on "trust in exchange for lifting sanctions" but progress depends on whether the two sides can negotiate on equal terms, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday. A new government headed by President Masoud Pezeshkian came to power in Iran in early August. Pezeshkian's cabinet includes the JCPOA authors: Mohammad Javad Zarif became vice president and Abbas Araghchi became the country's foreign minister. The latter, according to the ISNA agency, recently stated that the JCPOA in its current form could not be restored but did not rule out new talks on the deal, which would involve changing some parts of the agreement. Noting that a number of provisions of the nuclear deal are outdated and need to be changed, the foreign minister claimed the JCPOA still represents "an appropriate form that can direct us to a new agreement." However everything depends on whether the parties can find a platform for mutual understanding in order to resume negotiations on equal terms, Araqchi claimed.In December 2021 Iran voluntarily allowed the IAEA to reinstall cameras at the Karaj nuclear facility, but the agency was not given access to install surveillance cameras or confirmation that the facility had not resumed production of centrifuge rotor tubes and bellows. At the same time, Tehran said it would provide surveillance camera data from the Karaj nuclear facility only after all US sanctions were lifted. In early June Moscow, Tehran and Beijing said in a joint statement issued as part of the agenda of the sixth meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors that they were convinced that the time had come for Western countries to take steps to restore the nuclear deal agreement, with Russia, China and Iran being ready to do so. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240117/irans-top-diplomat-reiterates-tehrans-readiness-for-all-parties-to-return-to-jcpoa-1116212566.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240513/tehran-says-no-changes-made-to-irans-nuclear-doctrine-1118414757.html iran karaj Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International iran jcpoa resumed, west iran equal terms, iran foreign minister nuclear deal statement, iran foreign minister jcpoa, araghchi nuclear deal, araghchi jcpoa https://sputnikglobe.com/20240916/north-korean-foreign-minister-to-visit-russia-from-september-18-20---russian-embassy-1120164077.html North Korean Foreign Minister to Visit Russia From September 18-20 - Russian Embassy North Korean Foreign Minister to Visit Russia From September 18-20 - Russian Embassy Sputnik International North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui will visit St. Petersburg, on September 18-20 she will take part in the Eurasian Women's Forum, the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang said on Monday. 2024-09-16T05:04+0000 2024-09-16T05:04+0000 2024-09-16T05:04+0000 world russia pyongyang koreas russian embassy pyongyang international airport north korea https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/05/19/1110576869_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_c7f2d08098505bd20eb99e5f8945fbb8.jpg "On September 16, Russian Ambassador [Alexander] Matsegora saw off North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui at the Pyongyang International Airport, who flew to Vladivostok on a regular flight of the Korean airline Air Koryo. The head of the foreign ministry of the People's Republic will then go to St. Petersburg, where on September 18-20 she will take part in the Fourth Eurasian Women's Forum and the BRICS Women's Forum," the embassy said in a statement on Telegram. According to the diplomatic mission, it is planned that the minister would address the forum's participants and take part in discussions. "As part of the events, in addition to the business part, an extensive cultural program will be organized, which will allow foreign delegations, including dear Korean guests, to get acquainted with the sights of the Northern capital," the embassy added. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240623/upgraded-russianorth-korea-strategic-partnership-sends-west-strong-challenge--1119078297.html russia pyongyang koreas north korea Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International north korean foreign minister choe son hui will visit st. petersburg, on september 18-20 she will take part in the eurasian women's forum, the russian embassy in pyongyang said on monday. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240916/venezuela-detains-two-americans-one-czech-for-planning-assassinations---vice-president-1120163724.html Venezuela Arrests Two Americans, One Czech for Plotting Assassinations - Vice President Venezuela Arrests Two Americans, One Czech for Plotting Assassinations - Vice President Sputnik International Two US citizens and one Czech citizen were detained in Venezuela on suspicion of planning to transport a group of mercenaries from Europe to overthrow Venezuela's top political leadership, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Sunday. 2024-09-16T03:51+0000 2024-09-16T03:51+0000 2024-09-16T07:01+0000 world newsfeed diosdado cabello venezuela us https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/09/10/1120163810_0:0:3070:1726_1920x0_80_0_0_11273c70abc5607e120f51e432f2fd60.jpg MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Two Americans and one Czech citizen were detained in Venezuela on suspicion of planning to transport a group of mercenaries from Europe to overthrow Venezuela's top political leadership, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Sunday. On Saturday Cabello said two Spanish citizens and one US citizen had been detained on suspicion of planning to assassinate the mayor of the city of Upata. The detainees have also been accused of planning in coordination with US and Spanish intelligence services to transport a group of mercenaries from France and Eastern Europe to Venezuela to assassinate top political figures. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240818/venezuelas-opposition-maduro-supporters-hold-separate-rallies-in-caracas-1119808260.html venezuela Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International americans detained, american and czechs detained venezuela, us venezuela assassination plot, us mercenaries venezuela Kevin McDermott sent three horses to the track on Sunday (Sept. 15) afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel and all three returned as winners, including Delayed Hanover in the featured $20,270 Open Handicap Trot. Delayed Hanover and Wally Hennessey went to the gate in post eight as the bettors' choice. Hennessey sent Delayed Hanover forward out of the gate, but retreated into fifth as Wishing Barefoot (Billy Dobson) and Inaminute Hanover (Jay Randall) battled early to the quarter in :28. Inaminute Hanover took command of the field through to the half in :57.1 and Delayed Hanover moved to the outside, chipping away at the leaders. He sat third on the outside at the half and moved into the lead from the outside at the 1:25.3 three-quarters. From there, the race moved from an eight-horse race to a two-horse duel between Delayed Hanover and Inaminute Hanover to a one-horse race as Delayed Hanover pulled away. With a :29.3 final panel, Delayed Hanover was able to continue home to win by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:55.1. Inaminute Hanover finished second while Malibu Kid (Mitchell Cushing) rounded out the top three. Reid Wissner owns the six-year-old son of Southwind Frank and the Credit Winner mare Dont Wait Up. He paid $2.90 to win. McDermott also won with Dignified Wheat ($5.10), a full brother to Delayed Hanover who was driven to a two-length triumph in 2:00.3 by Wally Hennessey. Wissner also owns the freshman winner. Reign Of Honor ($3.70) completed the training hat trick with an eight-length romp in the card finale in 1:57.2. Jay Randall was in the bike of the eight-year-old Father Patrick - Margarita Momma gelding. Wally Hennessey and Jim Devaux each piloted four winners on the matinee card. Racing at the Spa resumes on Monday (Sept. 16) afternoon with a first post of 12 p.m. (Saratoga Raceway) Victor Puddy played his cards and pulled three in a row after his trainees won races two, three, and four on the Sunday (Sept. 15) evening card at Rideau Carleton Raceway. Skylar (pictured above) was the first on deck in an $8,500 conditioned pace with Jimmy Gagnon holding the lines for Puddy. The eight-year-old gelding left early from post two and never looked back through quarters in :27.3, :57.3, and 1:25.1. With a final quarter in :27.2, Skylar was home free by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:52.3. Stablemate Lovemyrockinbird (Ryan Guy) finished second over Shotgun Jerry (Stephane Pouliot). Limco Inc owns Skylar (Rockin Image - Courtster), who notched his ninth win of the year and 30th career victory. In 161 starts, Skylar showcases $233,059 banked. He returned $8.60 to win. In race three, a $5,600 conditioned pace, Ready For Fun was ready indeed, charging home to win by a neck at the wire in 1:57. Jimmy Gagnon was in the bike for the second Puddy victory. The sophomore Mcwicked - Regally Ready filly is owned by Hutt Racing Stable as she earned her first career victory. She paid $9.30 to win. Giddy Up Max and William Roy rounded out the natural hat trick for Puddy, yielding a one length triumph in 1:55.2 in the $5,200 conditioned pace. David Shea owns the Bettors Delight - Film Critic seven-year-old gelding. He notched his third win of the year and 16th career victory. He returned $2.90 to win. Puddy has 2,586 career training victories to go along with $19.4 million in earnings. He currently sits third in the trainer standings at Rideau with 40 wins. I Ama Rocket lived up to his name after he rocketed to a one length victory in 1:52.1 in the $10,000 Preferred Handicap Pace with trainer Guy Gagnon in the bike. Gagnon sent I Ama Rocket to the front from post five. Through the opening :26.4 quarter, Aladdin (Stephane Brosseau) held down the pylon control while I Ama Rocket was caught on the outside at the first pole. The gelding slipped into the lead along the pylons and pressed on with a one length lead through the :56 half and 1:23.3 three-quarters. With a :28.3 final fraction, I Ama Rocket maintained his lead to win by a measured length in 1:52.1. Aladdin finished second and Day Delight (Jimmy Gagnon) maneuvered late through traffic to take the show spot. The eight-year-old gelded son of Custard The Dragon - Machs Rocket is owned by Louise Ricard. With one other win in the Preferred column this season, I Ama Rocket recorded his fifth win of 2024. His third career Preferred win, the gelding has 40 career wins and pushed his earnings to $403,621. He paid $5.30 as the bettors' choice. To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Rideau Carleton Raceway. (Standardbred Canada) In 2024, Rosecroft Raceway is celebrating its 75th anniversary a meaningful milestone for the diamond in the rough found along the 495 Interstate. The Raceway By The Beltway has been the host of many, many shining moments since opening on May 26, 1949 or was it May 27, 1949? Built by William E. Miller, a Standardbred breeder, owner and driver, the first harness racing track in Maryland welcomed a reported crowd of 12,000 for opening day, only for daylong rains to force a one-day postponement of the racing program. Miller, who was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame as an Immortal in 1976, operated the only gambling option in the region during its early days and drew many prominent politicians from Washington, D.C., as well as such glamorous stars as Elizabeth Taylor and Zsa Zsa Gabor. While celebrities come and go, the enduring stars at Rosecroft have been the Standardbreds, the trotters and pacers that have produced so many memorable miles over the years. They will continue beginning Monday when Rosecroft opens its season. The Potomac Pace has showcased some of harness racings brightest star performances in recent years, such as Allywag Hanovers 1:46.4 world record mile in the 2022 edition. Marylands premier pacing event, won last year by Breeders Crown Open Pace champion Bythemissal, promises once again to bring together some of the nations biggest stars to compete over Rosecrofts five-eighths of a mile oval Nov. 17. The Potomac Pace, which had been contested as the Potomac Stakes before being suspended in 1993, was revived and renamed following the Stronach Groups purchase of Rosecroft in 2016. Rosecroft has played host to some of the most prestigious races in the U.S., including Triple Crown and Breeders Crown events. The Messenger Stakes, a leg of the Triple Crown for pacers, was contested by the countrys top three-year-olds at Rosecroft for five years, starting with Jake and Elwood and driver John Campells victory in 1990. Die Laughing, Hall of Famer Western Hanover, Riyadh and Cams Card Shark, the 1994 Pacer of the Year who paced the mile in a stakes record 1:51, followed Jake and Elwood into the Rosecroft winners circle. William Miller II, the racetrack founders grandson who took over operations in 1980, brought the Breeders Crown to Rosecroft in 1984. Fancy Crown won the first of five events held at Rosecroft, winning the Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Filly Trot on her way to Horse of the Year honours. Tiny Robust Hanover pulled off a huge upset over Barberry Spur in the 1985 Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Pace with John Campbell in the bike. Camtastic, driven by Bill ODonnell, set a track record of 1:56.2 over the then-half-mile oval in the Two-year-old event on his way to 1987 Pacer of the Year honors. Rosecroft will continue to build on its tradition of excellence with the 2024 Potomac Pace Nov. 17. Mondays (Sept. 16) opening night will feature 13 races with a first race post of 7:15 p.m. (Rosecroft Raceway) Driver Garrett Rooney ruled the day at Leamington on Sunday (Sept. 15), winning half of the 10-race card along with the $5,000 Preferred 4 Trot aboard Toscano Girl. Leaving from the outside post six, Rooney got Toscano Girl away in fourth early while Zack To The Max (driven by Andy Moore) led to the quarter in :28.4. After the pace slowed to the half in 1:00.1, Shouldaknownbetter (Anthony Hamlin) popped to pocket and engaged the leader at three-quarters in 1:30.1 while Toscano Girl inherited the pocket heading into the final turn. Turning for home, Zack To The Max came under attack as a five-across battle to the wire developed in the lane. Toscano Girl slipped off of the pylons from the pocket before trotting to the wire a neck clear of a surging Duke Deo (Nicholas Steward) in 2:01.2. Hot Fudge Sunday (Alfred Carroll) recovered from an early break to rally for third. Trained by Cameron McQueen, Toscano Girl has won seven of 25 on the year while banking $27,748. The five-year-old daughter of Southwind Toscano-I Like Jesse is owned by D T O Racing and has earned $128,275 lifetime. The win was one of two on the day for the combination of Rooney and McQueen, winning the fourth race with Leavinwithasmile. Rooney's other wins on the day came with State Of Treasure for trainer Cassidy Schneider, Marilyn for trainer David Bain and Azucar Pipedream for Thomas Hamm. Driver Robert Doyle notched a hat-trick on the card, sweeping the last three races. Doyle was also the winning trainer on two of those victories. To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Leamington Raceway. (Standardbred Canada) On Sunday (Sept. 15), Truro Raceway hosted an event to honour the memory of former Maritime racetrack, Sackville Downs, accompanied by interviews, autograph sessions, guest appearances and more for the fans as well as the horsemen. Two races were contested on the card that featured former Sackville Downs drivers and/or drivers representing their family members who were prominent Sackville drivers. The drivers that competed included: Heath Campbell, Dave Carey, Stephen Charlton, Donnie Ellis, Carl Jamieson, Robert Laffin, Clare MacDonald, Kenny MacDonald, Toby MacDonald, Emmons MacKay, Paul MacKenzie, Bernard Pooker McCallum, Todd Ratchford, Danny Romo and Henry Smallwood. Both races were called by former Sackville track announcer Clary Flemming. In the first division in race seven, Todd Ratchford topped the charts with Gardner McCallum's Atlas Marigold. Atlas Marigold got away fifth through the opening panel in :28.4 as Lady N Paradise (Cyril MacDonald) and Mrs Dragonfire (Paul MacKenzie) tussled it out for the front. As Lady N Paradise settled in along the pylons, Atlas Marigold moved out to follow a first-over bid behind Payback (Kenneth MacDonald). The pair of pacers continued overland through the half in :59.4 and three-quarters in 1:30. At the top of the turn, Lady N Paradise maintained her lead and she was met by Payback, Altas Marigold, and Mrs Dragonfire at her heels. Kicking into a second gear, Atlas Marigold gained the jump on all of them and swooped home to win by 2-1/4 lengths in 2:01. Lady N Paradise took second while Mrs Dragonfire nabbed the show spot. Hubtown Horse Owners Club owns the four-year-old gelded son of Betting Line - Double Switch. He recorded his fourth win of the year and sixth career win. He paid $3.00 to win as the favourite. Paul MacKenzie and Ubettimagoodone took the second race featuring Sackville Downs drivers and/or driver representatives for trainer Jeffrey Lilley, who was credited with the idea of the Sackville Downs remembrance event. "It's really good to get home and to see a lot of people I haven't seen in years," MacKenzie said. "I started out at Sackville. I did all I could do there so I thought I might try Ontario. It was a great stepping stone, I learned to drive all kinds of horses, good ones, bad ones, bad gaited ones. It really made my career take off." MacKenzie left from post two with the Lilley student and they never looked back, clicking out the mile in :28.3, :59.1, and 1:28.2 before scoring by a neck in 1:58.4. Danny Romo surged home with Bettor On Than Off and was bested at the wire, but fended off the photo finish for second over Privilege and Carl Jamieson. Ubettimagoodone (Image Of Dawn - Bettim Laura) is a seven-year-old mare owned by Lilley, who also bred the mare, in partnership with Blair Maclauchlan and Marc Gallant. She won her second race of the year and her 30th career victory. Upsetting with 11-1 odds, the mare paid $23.50 to her backers. Also in race eight, Dave Carey, a former multiple-time Sackville Downs driving champion, drove in his final career race. He has 3,043 career wins and $2,617,082 earned in his career. American Risk (American Ideal - Kissing Bandit) won every pole en route to a 2-3/4 length triumph in 1:55.2 in the Winners Over Pace. Heath Campbell was in the bike for trainer George Rennison and owner Risky Bizz Group. Winning his 41st career race, the eight-year-old gelding moved his seasonal tally to 7-4-2 in 15 starts. He paid $2.60 to win as the bettors' choice. The full stream from Truro, complete with interviews of numerous participants, is available below. To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Truro Raceway. (Standardbred Canada) The 2nd Annual Touch-a-Trolley Art Exhibit and Awards Ceremony, hosted in partnership with Virginia Regional Transit and Kid Central, attracted families, community members and local officials on Aug. 29. The event was designed to educate the public about transportation options in Culpeper and to highlight the importance of public transit as a clean, helpful and safe resource for the community. According to Public Transportation Board Chairwoman Amy Frazier, local children contributed art pieces celebrating the theme of public transportation. Winners were chosen by members of the PTB and were awarded various prizes for their work. Top winners will also have their artwork displayed on the transits trolleys. Valeria Tapia won first place and second place went to Emmalyn Jones. Honorable mentions were awarded to Jordyn Isabel Edwards, Adrienna Robinson, Alivia Grace Lambert, Adriana Gonzalez and Cambree Robinson. In addition to the art and educational activities, Frazier said community partners, including the Sheriffs Department, Town Police Department and Fat Daddys Ice Cream Truck, contributed to the Touch-a-Trolley days festivities, creating a fun and safe environment for everyone. Weve been amazed by the growth of this event from year one to year two, Frazier said. The communitys involvement has truly made this event special, and its inspiring to see so many people come together to celebrate the importance of public transit. She added organizers of the event are looking forward to continuing the annual tradition in order to further spread awareness about the benefits of public transit. Alliance Police are investigating a stabbing that occurred Saturday and have arrested a 24-year-old woman. According to information released by Alliance Police Chief David Leavitt, officers arrested Valerie Cerny, 24, on suspicion of attempted first-degree homicide, a felony. Police responded to a home at 2652 Marvin Circle about 10 p.m. for a reported assault. Arriving officers found George Colton King, who had suffered multiple stab wounds to his arms and neck. King allegedly told police that he had been in an argument with his child's mother, identified as Cerny. Cerny admitted that the two had been in an argument that became heated. Cerny is currently held in the Box Butte County Jail pending a hearing on charges. Leavitt said that King had been treated for his injuries at Box Butte General Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and released. Research Highlights CWPPs: Revenue Forecast, Global, 20222028. CAGR, 20232028 = 23.4% Forecast Considerations Based on Frost & Sullivans State of the Cloud: The Importance of Hybrid and Multicloud Environments for Business Success 2022 study, businesses house more than half of their applications in the cloud; the rest remain in legacy infrastructure as some applications are extremely challenging, heavy, or sensitive to migrate to cloud environments. As cloud services impact the efficiency and experience of corporate workloads and providers tackle security and compliance issues, a growing number of businesses will migrate some remaining applications. By 2024, about 28% will move more than half their remaining legacy workloads to the cloud. The accelerated adoption of a hybrid, multi-cloud strategy and cloud-native application development technologies will drive cloud security and CWPP requirements globally. Frost & Sullivans 2023 Voice of Enterprise Security Customer study indicated that investment in cloud security technologies will increase among global organizations, with cloud security to prevent breaches (31%) or detect and respond to cloud threats (30%). Many organizations are investing in cloud security solutions to prepare for unknown threats (24%) and regulatory compliance (12%), illustrating increasing cloud security awareness among global businesses. By 2025, an estimated 89% of organizations will use CWPPs, 91% will use CSPM, 88% will use CIEM, and an estimated 88% of organizations will explore the total cloud security platform/CNAPP. Cybersecurity investments will grow. Based on Frost & Sullivans 2023 Voice of the Customer for Cybersecurity study, organizations continue to prioritize cloud security, data security, and AppSec in annual cybersecurity budget strategies. Research Scope This study only considers technology providers that provide standalone/dedicated CWPP solutions or include them as part of their CNAPPs. The study excludes other products capable of protecting against external workloads (e.g., host IPSs [HIPSs] and AV/EDR/TDR without the aforementioned capabilities). The study provides insight into the global CWPP industry landscape, with regional breakdowns of the markets in North America (NA), Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), Asia-Pacific (APAC), and Latin America (LATAM). The regional CWPP breakdowns include market growth metrics, revenue forecast, forecast analysis and CWP market share analysis by vendor. As customers embrace hybrid and multi-cloud strategies, a CWPP must support hybrid and multi-cloud environments. This study only includes vendors that provide dedicated and cloud-agnostic CWPPs that support these environments. The study derives information and insights from Frost & Sullivans secondary research and contributions from vendors, channel partners, and other industry stakeholders. However, all revenue estimates and forecasts are attributable to Frost & Sullivans analysis and modeling. While revenue estimates are based on CY2023, all qualitative insights in this analysis are updated to end of June 2024. Scope Geographic Coverage Global Study Period 2022-2028 Base Year 2023 Forecast Period 2024-2028 Monetary Unit US Dollars Key Features CWPP Market Growth Drivers Accelerated adoption of cloud and cloud-native technologies Increasing risks and the large attack surface relating to the cloud Organizations continue to focus on proactive risk management and real-time threat detection Stringent requirements for compliance CWPP Market Growth Restraints Misunderstanding of cloud security responsibility prevents organizations from adopting CWPP solutions Shortage of security skillsets and complexity and integration Cloud threats remain complex, and companies lack the qualified security personnel Concerns about cost, economic, and geopolitical factors Concerns about CWPPs performance and intrusiveness Cloud Workload Protection Platform Market Competitive Environment 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: View from the Knightsbridge Road of The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park for Grand International Exhibition of 1851. Dedicated to the Royal Commissioners., London. Credit: Read & Co. Engravers & Printers, 1851. Public Domain New research has answered the mystery of how the Crystal Palace in London, which at the time was the world's largest building, was constructed in only 190 days. The study, led by Professor John Gardner of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), reveals that the Crystal Palace was the first building known to have made use of a standard screw threadsomething that's now taken for granted in modern construction and engineering. Completed just in time for the start of the Great Exhibition of 1851, the Crystal Palace was a powerful symbol of Victorian Britain's industrial might. More than 560 meters long and with a giant glass roof supported by 3,300 cast iron columns, it was so large that it would expand by up to 12 inches on a warm day. However, with the successful design for the Crystal Palace only approved in July 1850, historians have puzzled over the speed of its construction. That has now been answered by a new study, published in the International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology, revealing that the Crystal Palace is the earliest known building to use Whitworth screw threads, later known as British Standard Whitworth (BSW), the world's first national screw thread standard. The Crystal Palace was originally constructed for the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, in the center of London, before being dismantled and rebuilt in south London in 1854, where it remained until it was destroyed by fire in 1936. The researchers discovered the use of Whitworth screw threads at the site in Sydenham, south London, both in the remains of the building and the nearby south water tower, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and built to power the fountains in front of the Crystal Palace. A column bolt from the building was found to correspond to the British Standard Whitworth measurements, while a nut and bolt from the water tower was soaked in oil before a combination of heat, hammering and force revealed measurable screw threads, which again were found to have been made to British Standard Whitworth measurements. Prior to Joseph Whitworth's invention, no two screws and bolts were alike. As they were not made to a standard measurement it made construction time-consuming, as lost or broken screws and bolts were difficult to replace. The Crystal Palace had 30,000 nuts and bolts, and the researchers believe that the standard thread of these is what allowed the building to be constructed to a remarkably tight schedule. Professor Gardner of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) carried out the research as part of a Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship to investigate connections between engineering and literary cultures. He said, "During the Victorian era there was incredible innovation from workshops right across Britain that was helping to change the world. In fact, progress was happening at such a rate that certain breakthroughs were perhaps never properly realized at the time, as was the case here with the Crystal Palace. "This research started out as a questionhow was it built so quickly?and thanks to Ken Kiss, curator of the Crystal Palace museum, who I carried out this research with, we were able to able to answer this. Ken had excavated original columns from the Crystal Palace site at Sydenham and from these we were able to take measurements. "I manufactured new bolts to British Standard Whitworth and demonstrated that they fitted the original nuts. Standardization in engineering is essential and commonplace in the 21st century, but its role in the construction of the Crystal Palace was a major development. "The Great Exhibition of 1851 was organized to showcase the best of engineering excellence. It was visited by around 6 million people, which was a third of Britain's population, and attracted some of the most famous people of the day, including Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Charles Darwin and Michael Faraday. "Ironically, Joseph Whitworth was awarded a Council Medal for his displays at the exhibition inside the Crystal Palace, but his important role in the construction of the building itself hasn't been recognized until now." More information: John Gardner et al, Thread form at the Crystal Palace, The International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology (2024). DOI: 10.1080/17581206.2024.2391984 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: Audi is considering closing its plant in Brussels, a move analysts say is symptomatic of the troubles afflicting Europe's wider electric car industry. Outside an Audi factory in Brussels described by the German carmaker as the "cradle" of its electric drive, around 200 picketing workers huddled around a bonfire in the morning drizzle. The firm is considering closing the plant, a move that analysts say is symptomatic of the troubles afflicting Europe's wider electric car industry, amid low demand and competition from China. Audi is a subsidiary of Volkswagen, which earlier this month made the bombshell announcement that it was considering the unprecedented step of closing production sites in Germany. With 3,000 jobs on the line, the Brussels workers have launched a prolonged strike, with a large demonstration planned in the capital on Monday and walkouts elsewhere in solidarity. Some have been sleeping in tents outside the modern facility, which switched to producing electric vehicles (EVs) in 2018 after 70 years making combustion engine models. "They screwed up with electric," Karim Chawki, 52, a picketing worker, said. "They wanted to innovate. We were going to be a pilot plant but they drove it into a wall. It didn't work and now we are the ones who are going to pay." Europe has been racing to produce more EVs as part of its green transition, with the clock ticking down on an EU deadline to phase out the sale of fossil fuel-burning cars by 2035. But sales have struggled to take off. New registrations dropped six percent on the previous year across the continent in July, according to the European Union. This was partially due to the phasing out of some subsidies but the weakening demand has fueled concerns about the sector. Chinese blues The potential closure of the factory in the Belgian capital was a "first effect" of the challenges facing European carmakers, said Felipe Munoz, an analyst with the automotive data company Jato Dynamics. Cheaper Chinese vehicles have saturated the market while consumers are yet to warm up to EVs, which have higher upfront costs and tend to lose value more quickly, he said. Audi did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Announcing that it was considering shutting the Brussels site in July, the firm said demand for the high-end Q8 e-tron manufactured there dropped and the factory suffered from high logistics and production costs. With 3,000 jobs on the line, Audi workers in Brussels have launched a prolonged strike, with a large demonstration planned in the city center. "Europe is too far behind," said Chawki, an assembly worker, sporting a black beanie and a short, grizzled beard. "Have you ever seen Chinese cars? They're much more advanced," he added, sheltering with others under a trade union canopy. A few kilometers away, plans to slap import duties of up to 36 percent on EVs imported from China are under discussion at the European Union's headquarters. The EU decided in July to levy extra tariffs after an anti-subsidy probe concluded car manufacturers in China benefitted unfairly from state subsidies. But the move has faced resistance from some countries, including Spain and Germany, which fear damage to trade ties with Beijing. 'Abandoned' A report by former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi last week said the tariffs would "help level the playing field". But an "industrial action plan" was needed to help European manufacturers to pull through and continue in their path towards decarbonization. "These countervailing duties can give companies a breather," said Conor McCaffrey, an analyst at Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank. "But alone they won't be enough. Productivity and competitiveness also need to massively increase." European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has promised a new "Clean Industrial Deal" to channel investment towards infrastructure and industry in the first 100 days after her new team takes office later this year. But that might come too late for the Brussels Audi workers facing the prospect of unemployment. "Their anger is very legitimate, very understandable, especially since Audi is not very clear on its plans," Bernard Clerfayt, the minister in charge of employment for the Brussels region, told AFP. The company received about 27 million euros ($30 million) in public funding to help reskill workers when it converted production to electric, he noted. Belgian unions have called for strike action across the country on Monday to protest against potential lay-offs, amid rumors of a possible foreign buyer. "We know nothing, they leave us in the dark," said father-of-one Regis Lauwereyns, 32. "We feel abandoned." 2024 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Illustration of SPD-Conv structure with partition factor P = 2. Credit: International Journal of Information and Communication Technology (2024). DOI: 10.1504/IJICT.2024.141433 Research published in the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology may soon help solve a long-standing challenge in semiconductor manufacture: the accurate detection of surface defects on silicon wafers. Crystalline silicon is the critical material used in the production of integrated circuits and in order to provide the computing power for everyday electronics and advanced automotive systems needs to be as pristine as possible prior to printing of the microscopic features of the circuit on the silicon surface. Of course, no manufacturing technology is perfect and the intricate process of fabricating semiconductor chips inevitably leads to some defects on the silicon wafers. This reduces the number of working chips in a batch and leads to a small, but significant proportion of the production line output failing. The usual way to spot defects on silicon wafers has been done manually, with human operators examining each wafer by eye. This is both time-consuming and error-prone due to the fine attention to detail required. As wafer production has ramped up globally to meet demand and the defects themselves have become harder to detect by eye, the limitations of this approach have become more apparent. Chen Tang, Lijie Yin and Yongchao Xie of the Hunan Railway Professional Technology College in Zhuzhou, Hunan Province, China explain that automated detection systems have emerged as a possible solution. These too present efficiency and accuracy issues in large-scale production environments. As such, the team has turned to deep learning, particularly convolutional neural networks (CNNs), to improve wafer defect detection. The researchers explain that CNNs have demonstrated significant potential in image recognition. They have now demonstrated that this can be used to identify minute irregularities on the surface of a silicon wafer. The "You Only Look Once" series of object detection algorithms is well known for being able to balances accuracy against detection speed. The Hunan team has taken the YOLOv7 algorithm a step further to address the specific problems faced in wafer defect detection. The main innovation in the work lies in using SPD-Conv, a specialized convolutional operation to enhance the ability of the algorithm to extract fine details from images of silicon wafers. Additionally, the researchers incorporated a Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) into the model to sharpen the system's focus on smaller defects that are often missed in manual inspection or by other algorithms. When tested on the standard dataset (WM-811k) for assessing wafer defect detection systems, the team's refined YOLOv7 algorithm achieved a mean average precision of 92.5% and had a recall rate of 94.1%. It did this quickly, at a rate of 136 images per second, which is faster than earlier systems. More information: Chen Tang et al, Wafer surface defect detection with enhanced YOLOv7, International Journal of Information and Communication Technology (2024). DOI: 10.1504/IJICT.2024.141433 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: Social media app TikTok has come under scrutiny from the US government. TikTok faced pushback in a federal court on Monday in its efforts to stop a law that requires the app to divest from its Chinese ownership or face a ban in the United States. A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals in Washington heard arguments from TikTok, its owner ByteDance, and a group of users claiming that the ban violates free speech and is unconstitutional. The US government alleges TikTok allows Beijing to collect data and spy on users. It also says TikTok is a conduit to spread propaganda. China and the company strongly deny these claims. TikTok has until January to find a buyer or face the ban, which would likely provoke a strong response from the Chinese government and further strain US-China relations. It would also upend the social media business and rile many of the app's 170 million US users. ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, has stated it has no plans to sell TikTok, leaving the app's legal appealfocused on US guarantees for free speechas its only option for survival. "The law before this court is unprecedented. Its effect would be staggering," said Andrew Pincus, the lawyer arguing on behalf of the wildly popular video-sharing app. "For the first time in history, Congress has expressly targeted a specific US speaker (i.e., TikTok U.S.)," he added. In their questions, the judges challenged this argument, comparing it to earlier cases in US jurisprudence. This included a case from the 1980s where closing the Palestine Information Office in Washington was deemed legal because it was backed by the PLO, an organization officially designated as a terrorist group. TikTok's lawyer countered: "Mere foreign ownership can't possibly be a justification, because it would turn the First Amendment (protecting free speech) on its head." He added that seeing foreign ownership alone as criteria for forced divestiture "would be a pretty shocking change here," citing other foreign-owned media companies such as Politico, Al Jazeera, and the BBC. Attorney Andrew Pincus, the lead lawyer representing TikTok, leaves the E. Barrett Prettyman US Courthouse in Washington. The lawyer also questioned why the US law did not target e-commerce sites with similar Chinese ownership. Pincus said that if you followed the US government's logic, which he disagreed with, "certainly those sites could well be susceptible to (China's) action, but they've been excluded by Congress (in the law)." 'Important questions' The judges grilled the US government on whether TikTok U.S., a US-based company, should be denied its free speech rights. The US government lawyer, Daniel Tenny, insisted that the content being targeted was a recommendations algorithm based at ByteDance in China, not anything created by US users, and that it was therefore out of reach of free speech considerations. "There's really no dispute here that the recommendation engine is maintained, developed, and written by ByteDance, rather than TikTok U.S., and that is what's being targeted," Tenny argued. The trio of judges will decide the case in the coming weeks or months, but regardless of their decision, the case is likely to reach the US Supreme Court, experts said. "After listening to the oral arguments, I am more convinced that this case will end up in the Supreme Court," said Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell's Tech Policy Institute. "Overall, the judges sounded more skeptical of the TikTok case but also raised important questions about the First Amendment, foreign influence and standards of scrutiny that I do not think were clearly resolved with today's exchanges," she added. The fate of Americans' access to TikTok has become a prominent issue in the country's political debates, with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump opposing a ban. Democratic President Joe Biden, whose vice president Kamala Harris is running against Trump, signed the law that gives TikTok until January to shed its Chinese ownership or be expelled from the US market. Harris uses TikTok in her campaign for November's election and, despite signing the bill that could kill the app, Biden also created an account. According to a survey from Pew Research earlier this month, just 32 percent of US adults back a TikTok ban. 2024 AFP Press Release September 16, 2024 EDCOM 2: DepEd pressed to consolidate and streamline programs for effective learning recovery Challenges to the implementation of the National Learning Recovery Program (NLRP) have been uncovered during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Basic Education. EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Sherwin Gatchalian, citing data showing the percentage of students with little to none proficiency in literacy and numeracy, implored the Department of Education (DepEd) to consolidate all of its programs geared toward learning recovery. DepEd is proposing a suspension of the regular academic program for 8 weeks in order to implement a more effective learning recovery program. The proposed program aims to address the widening gaps in students' foundational skills, particularly in literacy and numeracy, following the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent learning disruptions it caused. "We have the NLRP, the 8-week learning recovery plan, and then the MATATAG Curriculum. The committee supports these, but we just need to look at it from a bigger point of view and assess if implementing this will truly address yung learning gaps natin", Gatchalian said. "38% of our Grades 1 to 3 learners are non-readers, while 48% struggle with basic arithmetic. These children urgently need intervention. They are not ready for their grade level", he noted. Incomplete rollout of NLRP Senator Nancy Binay raised concerns about DepEd's approach, highlighting the incomplete rollout of the National Learning Recovery Program (NLRP). "We haven't even completely rolled out the NLRP, and DepEd is already proposing another learning recovery program. Shouldn't we prioritize yung complete rollout ng NLRP, kasi ito may budget na ," Binay said. "Kasi parang yung teachers natin hindi pa nga tapos yung NLRP, tapos ite-train na naman sila for this 8-week learning recovery program, ang hirap na lagi tayong nag-uumpisa without checking kung nagwork nga ba yung inumpisahan na." Binay added. Data from the Second Congressional Commission on Education points to low participation rates in the Catch-Up Fridays and National Learning Camps, both of which are part of DepEd's NLRP. This was supported by Prof. Lizamarie Olegario from the University of the Philippines College of Education, who noted that the voluntary nature of these interventions has led to minimal student participation. "Walang batang uma-attend ng remediation classes. That's why we need to integrate these interventions directly into the classroom already", Olegario said. "Yung strategy po namin, kapag nilabas namin yung National Math Program (NMP) at National Reading Program (NRP), ang sasabihin namin sa schools: kapag may teachers sila na kaya ng humawak nitong NMP at NRP, meron kaming materials na ibibigay sa kanila, and then they can start running the program ng 3rd or 4th quarter," said DepEd Undersecretary for Curriculum and Teaching Gina Gonong. Gonong also acknowledged the difficulty in addressing learning recovery. "This is not something that we're going to remedy in 8 weeks or in 1 year. It might take us 10 years or 20 years for our students to be grade-level ready...Even before the [COVID 19] pandemic, there was already learning loss. There's so much that we need to work on so that our Filipino learners can recover", she said. Students targeted for recovery program have changed Senator Binay also asked about the target students of the learning intervention programs, noting that many of the learners initially affected by the pandemic have already advanced to higher grade levels. "The cohort of students who were in Kindergarten during SY 2019-2020 are now in Grade 3, and by the time the 8-week program is implemented, they will have moved up to even higher grades," Binay said, questioning whether the interventions are addressing the right learners. Gatchalian echoed the need to reassess the context of current interventions. "If we are now going to implement [the recovery program] in SY 2025-2026, then it is not learning recovery anymore, because those who are coming in, wala na'ng pandemic impact. Because these are students who did not have any experience with the pandemic", he said. "Yes, we are scaling up and aiming to improve learning outcomes, but the context has changed. The learners we are now targeting were likely born during the pandemic," Gatchalian explained, emphasizing that educational strategies must adapt to the evolving needs of students. Special Science program for PISA 2025 In line with the learning recovery efforts, Usec. Gonong, in their presentation said that there will also be a special Science program for Grades 7-10 in preparation for the PISA exam in 2025 which will be focused on Science. "We have identified the 1.6 million target learners that will be participating in the PISA 2025. The special science program will be rolled out in the second quarter of SY 2024-2025 for Grades 7-10," said Usec. Gonong. The special Science program will integrate PISA-like questions or OECD samples into its lessons and will be implemented in stages. The first stage will involve all students in Grades 7-10; the second stage will focus on the 1.6 million target learners which will then be narrowed down to around 150-180 schools. The final stage will narrow the focus to approximately 7,500-8,000 students who will actually take the PISA exam. Dr. Portia Padilla from the UP College of Education raised concerns about the majority of schools and students who will not be participating in PISA 2025. In response, Undersecretary Gonong clarified that these schools will then continue with their lessons. However, those learners identified to be needing intervention will be undergoing a special literacy and numeracy intervention. Senator Binay further probed DepEd's approach "Ang nangyayari ngayon, it seems that we are just preparing for the test. But how do we reboot the curriculum? Yung intervention natin na ito is preparing for the test, but we are not really addressing the problem that was shown by the PISA results -- which is the learning gaps", Binay said. SC State leaders gathered at Camp Harry E. Daniels in Elloree, South Carolina, Sept. 4-5, for a two-day customer service training and strategy summit. SC State President Alexander Conyers announced plans to hire a director of customer service who will report directly to the president. ORANGEBURG, S.C. South Carolina State University has established a customer service initiative intended to better serve students, parents and other members of the campus community. I believe good customer service starts with the first phone call or email you receive in the morning, and it ends with the last one, SC State President Alexander Conyers said. Students are our customers. They are paying thousands every year for our service, and if we dont deliver what they expect, they will vote with their money -- they will go elsewhere. So, we owe it to them. The university kicked off the customer-service initiative with a two-day training seminar for senior administrators, directors, deans and other campus leaders earlier this month at SC State Public Service and Agricultures Camp Harry E. Daniels in Elloree, South Carolina. SC State President Conyers addresses campus leaders at the customer service workshops. The purpose is to ensure that everyone has at least a baseline level of expectations when it comes to customer service for our students and families across the entire campus, Conyers said. The greatest companies invest in their people. This training is an investment in our people so they can lead all entities across the campus in improving customer service. The president set expectations for SC State leaders to set standards for customer service for employees in their areas of responsibility based on what they learned in the workshop. Conyers also announced that he planned to hire a director of customer service who will report directly to the president. For us to retain students, we must get better at this, Conyers said. We have all heard the perceptions, and I understand that not everything is true; however, its crucial that we listen to those perceptions and respond in a way that meets the needs of our families. The training sessions were presented and moderated by an international expert on service excellence in higher education, Dr. Heath Boice-Pardee, chief trainer for Academic Impressions. Boice-Pardee also visited the SC State main campus following the two days at Camp Daniels for a day of train-the-trainer sessions with some key personnel. These sessions are important because in higher education, we have to think of ourselves in businesslike realities, Boice-Pardee said. No longer are we able to just open our doors and students will just run in. Students and families have choices, and theyre doing to shop for the best value, the best education and in some ways the best resources and amenities, he said. Thats why customer service is vital. Dr. Heath Boice-Pardee Boice-Pardee stressed throughout the sessions that good customer service means applying not the golden rule of treating others how you want to be treated, but the platinum rule of treating others how they want to be treated. His advice included methods for developing best practices for customer service with an emphasis on service competencies among employees, communication strategies, inclusiveness, assessment and planning. He also stressed that SC State and other institutions of higher education must approach customer service differently than other businesses. The fundamental difference is many businesses operate under the customer is always right mentality, Boice-Pardee said. At a university, its the opposite of that because we often tell students no. We have to tell students no. Thats what grades are about. If you get an F, you get an F. So, its not that we cant tell students no -- its how we tell students no, he said. Its how we create that culture of care, so the know this is a safe environment where they can learn and grow. That culture of care means providing students with access to academic counseling, tutoring services, mental health services, financial advisement, and other resources for assistance. So, when students are struggling, we have the resources to help them get on the right track, Boice-Pardee said. Amazon doesnt do that. As SC States vice president for communications, marketing and strategic alliances, Sonja Bennett-Bellamy is responsible for publicizing, advancing and protecting the universitys brand. Customer service is a key element in those efforts since how people are treated can make or break public perceptions about SC State. The universitys image is one of the most important components of the university because after all, its what people see, Bennett-Bellamy said. Forward-facing is the first thing anyone sees. You only get one time to make a good first impression. She welcomed the new initiative. Anytime we can engage in a process thats going to make a better first impression and a better lasting impression, thats always a good thing, Bennett-Bellamy said. So, we are excited about this opportunity to set up a robust customer-service component that is going to elevate the brand. In doing so, we will elevate every facet of the university to the point where we are everyones first choice and people keep coming back, she said. The customer service workshops represented the latest initiative brought to SC State by the Partnership for Education Advancement (Ed Advancement), a nonprofit entity that provides solutions to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to help them serve their students and meet their strategic goals. The workshop was well received as it challenged each of us to think as a customer and not the service provider to improve interactions with our students, parents, and constituents that support the growth of SC State, said Dr. Manicia Finch, SC States vice president of enrollment management and transformation officer. It has been a rewarding experience to work with Ed Advancement and their team who sponsored the workshop and have funded over $2 million in campus improvements. 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: Boeing workers in the Seattle, Washington region went on strike against the company on September 13, 2024. Talks between Boeing and striking US factory workers will resume Tuesday under a federal mediator, the union said, after workers voted overwhelmingly to reject a proposal from the embattled aviation giant. "On Tuesday, the Union will meet with federal mediators assigned through the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) and Boeing to begin discussions," a chapter of the machinists union called IAM-District 751, which represents more than 33,000 union members in the Seattle region, said late Saturday on its website. Boeing did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment. Since the strike began Friday in a dispute over pay, the first walkout at Boeing in 16 years, the company has said it is eager to return to the bargaining table. Union leaders called for the walkout shortly after hourly workers in the Seattle region in the Pacific Northwest spurned the tentative contract offer with 94.6 percent of the vote, and voted to strike with 96 percent. The last strike, in 2008, lasted 57 days. Federal mediators had said Friday evening the talks would resume early next week but did not specify a date. "Now is the moment to riseshow Boeing that our voices aren't just loud; they are unstoppable," IAM-District 751 said. It added, "Let our presence on the picket lines echo across the country and beyond. We are stronger than ever before, and we won't back down." The strike shuttered two major plane assembly plants for the 737 MAX and 777 in the Puget Sound region, further delaying the financially stressed company's turnaround efforts. Boeing, led by new CEO Kelly Ortberg, had hoped a 25-percent wage hike over four years and a commitment to invest in the Puget Sound region would be enough. But rank-and-file workers described it as a slap in the face after more than a decade of nearly stagnant wages. 2024 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Francesco Ungaro from Pexels Paris and Milan are among the cities closest to reaching the urban planning goal of being a "15-minute city," while car-dependent metropolises in the United States and elsewhere lag behind, a worldwide analysis said Monday. In fact, the central areas of many cities already meet the definition of a 15 minute-city, which means that residents are within a quarter-hour walk or bike ride from everything they need to a lead a good life, the analysis found. But even within a city, there are often stark differences between the wealthy inner cities and the urban sprawl on their outskirts, according to the Italian researchers behind the new study. The concept of the 15-minute city gained traction during the COVID pandemic, when lockdowns put more focus on local neighborhoods. It has since been embraced by dozens of mayors around the worldand become the target of conspiracy theorists online. For the new study, published in the journal Nature Cities, the researchers built an online database looking at roughly 10,000 cities globally. They used open source data to map out how far of a walk or cycle residents were from different services, including shops, restaurants, education, exercise and health care. "A lot of people already live in a 15-minute city," study co-author Hygor Piaget Monteiro Melo told AFP. But it depends on where you look within a city, he said, because of the inequality in access to services between the center and periphery. No 'utopia' What is clear, the researchers noted, is that population density is a crucial factorif enough people are living close enough to each other, it is much easier for them to have easy access to services. This meant that somewhat smaller yet relatively dense cities such as Italy's Milan or Spain's Barcelona scored well on their map, which was made available online. When it came to the biggest cities, "Paris is an outlier," lead study author Matteo Bruno told AFP. The mayor of Paris embraced the concept in 2020, and a "considerable fraction" of the city is below the 15-minute mark, the study said. Some European cities have a head start because they were built centuries ago at a time before carswhen basically all towns had to be 15-minute cities, the researchers said. Cities built more recently with cars specifically in mindparticularly in the United Statesfared far less well on the map. Atlanta in particular stood out as being a long way from being a 15-minute city. Future Olympic host Los Angeles also lagged behind most others for walkability, as did several Chinese cities including Chongqing. But when it comes to cities, there are always trade-offsand there is no single right answer, the researchers said. "The 15-minute city is often presented as a utopiait's not," Bruno said. Americans in sprawled-out cities usually have their own houses and backyards, while Europeans in densely populated cities tend to live in apartments, illustrating the important role played by culture, Bruno said. And central parts of US cities such as New York, San Francisco and Milwaukee were under the 15-minute threshold. "Manhattan is definitely one of the most 15-minute places ever in the world," said Bruno, a researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratories in Rome. 'Conspiracy mongers' There has been confusion about the concept in the past, the researchers lamented. For example, "traffic has nothing to do with the 15-minute city," Bruno said. In fact, slow traffic could indicate an area is more pedestrian friendly, he added. Yet it was new "low-traffic zones" in the UK that turned the ire of conspiracy theorists towards 15-minute city proponents. Confusing the two ideas, online groups including vaccine and climate skeptics falsely claimed that 15-minute cities were part of a secret plot to restrict the movement of citizens. The Italian researchers, who have themselves been targeted by "Twitter haters," emphasized that nothing about the 15-minute city concept involves confining anyone. Researcher Carlos Moreno, a high-profile proponent of 15-minute cities who has advised Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, was also "attacked by the worldwide conspiracy mongers," he told AFP. Moreno welcomed the new study, praising how the idea had swiftly become a topic of interest for researchers around the world. Just last week, Valerie Pecresse, the right-wing head of the greater Paris Ile-de-France area, presented a plan for a 20-minute region, he pointed out. Bruno said that the 15-minute metric is just one element in the "recipe" that makes a good city. Other parts of the recipe include tackling inequality and segregation, improving public transport, reducing traffic and so on, he said. 2024 AFP Crane (NYSE:CR Get Free Report) and Amada (OTCMKTS:AMDWF Get Free Report) are both industrials companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation and profitability. Profitability This table compares Crane and Amadas net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Crane alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Crane 13.10% 24.45% 10.14% Amada N/A N/A N/A Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Crane and Amada, as reported by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Crane 0 2 6 0 2.75 Amada 0 0 0 0 N/A Valuation & Earnings Crane presently has a consensus target price of $155.00, indicating a potential upside of 1.36%. Given Cranes higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Crane is more favorable than Amada. This table compares Crane and Amadas revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Crane $2.21 billion 3.96 $401.10 million $3.73 41.00 Amada N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Crane has higher revenue and earnings than Amada. Institutional & Insider Ownership 75.1% of Crane shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 26.5% of Amada shares are held by institutional investors. 2.4% of Crane shares are held by company 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. Summary Crane beats Amada on 8 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks. About Crane (Get Free Report) Crane Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells engineered industrial products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Aerospace & Electronics, Process Flow Technologies, and Engineered Materials. The Aerospace & Electronics segment supplies critical components and systems, including original equipment and aftermarket parts for commercial aerospace, as well as the military aerospace, defense, and space markets. This segment also offers pressure sensors for aircraft engine control, aircraft braking systems for commercial aircraft and fighter jets, power conversion solutions for spacecraft, and lubrication systems. The Process Flow Technologies segment provides engineered fluid handling equipment for mission-critical applications. It offers process valves and related products, such as lined pipe, fittings and hoses, air-operated diaphragm and peristaltic pumps, instrumentation and sampling systems, valve positioning and control systems, and valve diagnostic and calibration systems; commercial valves; and pumps and systems. The Engineered Materials segment manufactures fiberglass-reinforced plastic panels and coils for use in the manufacturing of recreational vehicles, as well as in commercial and industrial building applications. This segment sells directly to RV, trailer, and truck manufacturers, as well as through distributors and retailers. The company provides its products and solutions to end markets, including commercial and military aerospace, defense, and space; chemical and pharmaceutical production; water and wastewater; non-residential and municipal construction; energy; and other general industrial and consumer-related applications. The company was formerly known as Crane Holdings, Co. Crane Company was founded in 1855 and is based in Stamford, Connecticut. About Amada (Get Free Report) Amada Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, sells, leases, repairs, maintains, checks, and inspects metalworking machinery, software, and peripheral equipment in Japan, North America, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It offers sheet metal fabrication machines, including laser machines, punch and laser combination machines, turret punch presses, press brakes, bending robots, and welders, as well as software solutions; general fabrication machines, such as shearing and deburring machines, corner shear, iron worker, AMS SPACE series, horizontal benders, tapping and fastener insertion machines, and environment related products; cutting fluids, lubricants, and other consumables; and a range of tools for bending and punching. The company also provides metal cutting machines, such as hyper saw, pulse cutting band saw, automatic and semi-automatic general-purpose band saw, vertical band saw, circular saw, and other machines; structural steel machines; grinding machines; and band saw blades and circular saw blades that are used for metal cutting machines. In addition, it offers precision welding machines, including laser welders and markers, resistance welders, and systems for use in automobile parts, electronic components, and medical instruments. Further, the company provides consumables, and tooling equipment. Additionally, it offers stamping presses and stamping press equipment, and spring machines. The company was formerly known as Amada Holdings Co., Ltd. Amada Co., Ltd. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Isehara, Japan. Receive News & Ratings for Crane Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Crane and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Decibel Cannabis Company Inc. (OTCMKTS:DBCCF Get Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 39,000 shares, a decline of 64.9% from the August 15th total of 111,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 438,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.1 days. Decibel Cannabis Stock Performance DBCCF stock remained flat at $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday. The companys stock had a trading volume of 729,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 162,940. Decibel Cannabis has a 1-year low of $0.03 and a 1-year high of $0.14. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $0.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $0.07. Get Decibel Cannabis alerts: Decibel Cannabis Company Profile (Get Free Report) Recommended Stories Decibel Cannabis Company Inc, an integrated cannabis company, engages in the cannabis cultivation, processing, and sale of cannabis flower products in Canada. It is also involved in the extraction, processing, and manufacturing vape cartridges, cannabis infused products, cannabis extracts, and glass tube packaging for pre-rolls. Receive News & Ratings for Decibel Cannabis Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Decibel Cannabis and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. DNB Bank ASA (OTCMKTS:DNBBY Get Free Report) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 19,500 shares, a decrease of 62.8% from the August 15th total of 52,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 104,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.2 days. DNB Bank ASA Stock Up 0.8 % Shares of DNB Bank ASA stock traded up $0.15 during trading on Friday, reaching $20.14. The company had a trading volume of 43,738 shares, compared to its average volume of 74,505. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a current ratio of 1.69. DNB Bank ASA has a fifty-two week low of $17.40 and a fifty-two week high of $21.58. The firms fifty day moving average is $20.35 and its 200-day moving average is $19.81. The company has a market cap of $31.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.31. Get DNB Bank ASA alerts: DNB Bank ASA (OTCMKTS:DNBBY Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 11th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.07. DNB Bank ASA had a net margin of 18.94% and a return on equity of 14.24%. The business had revenue of $2.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that DNB Bank ASA will post 2.47 EPS for the current year. About DNB Bank ASA DNB Bank ASA provides financial services for individual and business customers in Norway and internationally. The company offers savings, current, and pension accounts; fixed rate and security deposits; home and cabin mortgages, car and consumer loans, business loans, and refinancing; car, house, home contents, travel, personal, and non-life insurance product; payment services; and online and mobile banking services, as well as cards. See Also Receive News & Ratings for DNB Bank ASA Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for DNB Bank ASA and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. DRDGOLD Limited (NYSE:DRD Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,390,000 shares, a growth of 18.8% from the August 15th total of 1,170,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 274,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.1 days. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities analysts recently weighed in on DRD shares. HC Wainwright reduced their target price on DRDGOLD from $15.50 to $13.25 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded DRDGOLD from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Get DRDGOLD alerts: Check Out Our Latest Analysis on DRD DRDGOLD Stock Performance DRDGOLD Increases Dividend Shares of DRDGOLD stock traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $8.42. The stock had a trading volume of 340,712 shares, compared to its average volume of 303,202. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.63. DRDGOLD has a 1 year low of $6.48 and a 1 year high of $10.69. The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $0.1126 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is an increase from DRDGOLDs previous semi-annual dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Institutional Investors Weigh In On DRDGOLD A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of DRD. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of DRDGOLD by 7.0% in the first quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,563,184 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $53,818,000 after buying an additional 430,603 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in DRDGOLD by 36.8% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 679,600 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $5,851,000 after purchasing an additional 182,900 shares in the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new stake in DRDGOLD during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $507,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in DRDGOLD by 270.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 79,277 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $683,000 after purchasing an additional 57,875 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in DRDGOLD by 34.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 208,006 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $1,791,000 after purchasing an additional 53,081 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 14.70% of the companys stock. About DRDGOLD (Get Free Report) DRDGOLD Limited, a gold mining company, engages in the surface gold tailings retreatment business in South Africa. It also involved in the exploration, extraction, processing, and smelting activities. The company recovers gold from surface tailings in the Witwatersrand basin in Gauteng province. DRDGOLD Limited was formerly known as Durban Roodepoort Deep Limited and changed its name to DRDGOLD Limited in 2004. See Also Receive News & Ratings for DRDGOLD Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for DRDGOLD and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:GNZUF Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 77,046,700 shares, an increase of 88.3% from the August 15th total of 40,922,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 5,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 14,537.1 days. Guangzhou Automobile Group Stock Performance Shares of OTCMKTS GNZUF traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $0.32. The companys stock had a trading volume of 597 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,988. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $0.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $0.38. Guangzhou Automobile Group has a 52 week low of $0.27 and a 52 week high of $0.54. Get Guangzhou Automobile Group alerts: About Guangzhou Automobile Group (Get Free Report) Recommended Stories Guangzhou Automobile Group Co, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of vehicles and motorcycles, and parts and components; and provision of commercial and financial services in Mainland China and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Vehicles and Related Operations, and Others. Receive News & Ratings for Guangzhou Automobile Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Guangzhou Automobile Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nuveen Municipal Income Fund, Inc. (NYSE:NMI Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 31,500 shares, a drop of 25.4% from the August 15th total of 42,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 19,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days. Nuveen Municipal Income Fund Stock Down 0.2 % NMI traded down $0.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $10.20. 49,897 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 23,739. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $10.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.62. Nuveen Municipal Income Fund has a twelve month low of $8.30 and a twelve month high of $10.30. Get Nuveen Municipal Income Fund alerts: Nuveen Municipal Income Fund Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a dividend of $0.038 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.47%. Institutional Trading of Nuveen Municipal Income Fund About Nuveen Municipal Income Fund An institutional investor recently bought a new position in Nuveen Municipal Income Fund stock. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in Nuveen Municipal Income Fund, Inc. ( NYSE:NMI Free Report ) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 50,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $490,000. Rothschild Investment LLC owned approximately 0.50% of Nuveen Municipal Income Fund as of its most recent SEC filing. Institutional investors own 16.57% of the companys stock. (Get Free Report) Nuveen Municipal Income Fund, Inc is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments Inc The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. The fund primarily invests in municipal obligations issued by state and local government authorities. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Nuveen Municipal Income Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nuveen Municipal Income Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. A BART train moves through the Transbay Tube from Oakland to San Francisco in 2018. Officials announced Monday that a major seismic retrofitting of the tube has been completed. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle Workers use a steel-plate handling machine similar to one used for the Transbay Tube project. BART While the Bay Area Rapid Transit system is still struggling financially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it announced Monday that it has completed its two-decade seismic strengthening of the Transbay Tube and the rest of the system. The transit systems $1.5 billion seismic retrofit project started in 2004 and included 74 miles of track and 34 stations and structures in addition to the Transbay Tube, which runs along the bottom of San Francisco Bay between Oakland and San Francisco. Work on the tube started in 2017, and the announcement Monday of its completion came on the 50th anniversary of the first BART train to travel through the 3.6-mile tube a pair of segmented concrete tunnels with an an access and maintenance gallery in the middle that were submerged deep into the bay muck and connected. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Over the past five years, crews installed steel plates on the interior of the tube along with a more powerful pumping system to handle any leaks that could occur during a major earthquake. The retrofitted tube isnt designed to withstand any specific magnitude of earthquake those standards are no longer used, BART spokesperson Jim Allison said but to protect the lives of passengers and remain operable in the event of the strongest temblor expected in 1,000 years. BART General Manager Bob Powers made the announcement in the agencys media center. The Transbay Tube is BARTs No. 1 asset and one of the most important assets in the Bay Area, he said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad When it was built, the tube was considered a miracle of engineering and an attraction that lured not only commuters but wide-eyed kids who wanted to take a ride 135 feet beneath the bay. Until 2010, it was the longest immersed tube in the world, according to BART. We take it for granted now, but it was mind-blowing back in the 70s, BART Board of Directors President Bevan Dufty said, standing in front of a green screen while a nearby video screen substituted background video of a trip into the tube. The Transbay Tube is not just a cool stretch of submerged train tracks, its the backbone of Bay Area public transit. BART Board of Directors President Bevan Dufty on Monday discusses the completion of its seismic retrofit of the Transbay Tube and 74 miles of the system. He spoke in front of a green screen, left, while a screen at right substituted background video of a trip into the tube. Michael Cabanatuan/The Chronicle The retrofit of the tube required partial shutdowns, during which nighttime and weekend trains shared a single track during a period of the work. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Allison said the interior of most of the tube has had its walls wrapped with steel plates. Although leaks in the tube are rare and its interior is dry and even dusty, cracking is possible in the event of an extremely large earthquake and leaks are possible, Allison said. New, more robust pumps were installed to handle potential leaks, he said. Dufty said it was important to mark the completion of the retrofit work and the tubes 50th anniversary to remind our riders of the importance of a strong, vibrant system. And with ridership and fare revenue down sharply since the pandemic, he said BART will have to seek other sources of funding including local taxes. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Orient Overseas (International) Limited (OTCMKTS:OROVF Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 822,800 shares, a decrease of 24.9% from the August 15th total of 1,095,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 8,228.0 days. Orient Overseas (International) Stock Performance Orient Overseas (International) stock remained flat at $14.00 during midday trading on Friday. The firms 50 day moving average price is $16.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.69. Orient Overseas has a 1 year low of $14.00 and a 1 year high of $14.19. Get Orient Overseas (International) alerts: Orient Overseas (International) Company Profile (Get Free Report) Featured Articles Orient Overseas (International) Limited, an investment holding company, provides container transport and logistics services in Asia, Europe, North and South America, Australia, and Africa. The company offers supply chain management services; and containerised shipping services in various trade lanes comprising Trans-Pacific, Trans-Atlantic, Asia/Europe, and Intra-Asia/Australasia trades. Receive News & Ratings for Orient Overseas (International) Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Orient Overseas (International) and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mizuho reiterated their neutral rating on shares of Advance Auto Parts (NYSE:AAP Free Report) in a research report released on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Mizuho currently has a $38.00 target price on the stock, down from their prior target price of $45.00. A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a hold rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Advance Auto Parts in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Advance Auto Parts from $68.00 to $55.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 16th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Advance Auto Parts from $68.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an underperform rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $68.00 to $65.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $56.54. Get Advance Auto Parts alerts: View Our Latest Stock Report on Advance Auto Parts Advance Auto Parts Stock Up 4.9 % Advance Auto Parts stock opened at $41.43 on Thursday. Advance Auto Parts has a fifty-two week low of $37.51 and a fifty-two week high of $88.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.17. The stocks fifty day moving average is $55.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 1.23. Advance Auto Parts (NYSE:AAP Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.22). Advance Auto Parts had a return on equity of 0.05% and a net margin of 0.01%. The business had revenue of $2.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.43 earnings per share. Advance Auto Partss quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Advance Auto Parts will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year. Advance Auto Parts Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Investors of record on Friday, October 11th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 11th. Advance Auto Partss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 144.93%. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kovack Advisors Inc. increased its position in Advance Auto Parts by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 22,727 shares of the companys stock worth $1,934,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 28.0% in the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 895 shares of the companys stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,711 shares of the companys stock valued at $165,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,787 shares of the companys stock valued at $430,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN boosted its position in Advance Auto Parts by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 3,697 shares of the companys stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the period. 88.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Advance Auto Parts (Get Free Report) Advance Auto Parts, Inc provides automotive replacement parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items for domestic and imported cars, vans, sport utility vehicles, and light and heavy duty trucks. The company offers battery accessories; belts and hoses; brakes and brake pads; chassis and climate control parts; clutches and drive shafts; engines and engine parts; exhaust systems and parts; hub assemblies; ignition components and wires; radiators and cooling parts; starters and alternators; and steering and alignment parts. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Advance Auto Parts Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Advance Auto Parts and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA trimmed its stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 2.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,558,651 shares of the payment services companys stock after selling 196,904 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MAs holdings in American Express were worth $2,213,306,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. Capital Wealth Planning LLC increased its holdings in American Express by 4.0% in the second quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 1,112 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $400,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 22,396 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $5,186,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in shares of American Express by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 11,082 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $2,566,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in American Express during the second quarter worth $3,516,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get American Express alerts: American Express Stock Up 1.5 % Shares of AXP stock opened at $259.00 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 1.66. The stock has a market cap of $186.30 billion, a PE ratio of 21.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.21. The businesss fifty day moving average is $246.33 and its 200-day moving average is $235.60. American Express has a 1 year low of $140.91 and a 1 year high of $261.75. Analyst Ratings Changes American Express ( NYSE:AXP Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 19th. The payment services company reported $3.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.23. American Express had a net margin of 15.53% and a return on equity of 32.94%. The firm had revenue of $16.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.60 billion. American Expresss revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.89 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that American Express will post 13.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. AXP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America cut shares of American Express from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $263.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of American Express from $240.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. Citigroup started coverage on American Express in a report on Monday, June 10th. They set a neutral rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on American Express from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on American Express from $221.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $230.70. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on AXP American Express Profile (Free Report) American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as integrated payments company in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Canada, the Caribbean, and Internationally. It operates through four segments: U.S. Consumer Services, Commercial Services, International Card Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AXP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for American Express (NYSE:AXP Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for American Express Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American Express and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Angeles Investment Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Ingersoll Rand Inc. (NYSE:IR Free Report) by 12.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,016 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 977 shares during the quarter. Angeles Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Ingersoll Rand were worth $637,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of IR. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new stake in Ingersoll Rand in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in shares of Ingersoll Rand during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ingersoll Rand during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in Ingersoll Rand in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ingersoll Rand in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 95.27% of the companys stock. Get Ingersoll Rand alerts: Ingersoll Rand Trading Up 1.3 % NYSE:IR opened at $91.03 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.29, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.42. Ingersoll Rand Inc. has a 52 week low of $59.20 and a 52 week high of $101.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $92.42 and a 200 day moving average of $92.15. Ingersoll Rand Announces Dividend Ingersoll Rand ( NYSE:IR Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The industrial products company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.06. Ingersoll Rand had a return on equity of 13.00% and a net margin of 11.73%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.78 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ingersoll Rand Inc. will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $0.02 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.09%. Ingersoll Rands payout ratio is 3.98%. Insider Activity In other Ingersoll Rand news, insider Vicente Reynal sold 50,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.51, for a total transaction of $4,625,500.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 100,367 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,284,951.17. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Vicente Reynal sold 50,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.51, for a total value of $4,625,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 100,367 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,284,951.17. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew R. Schiesl sold 15,381 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.74, for a total value of $1,380,290.94. Following the sale, the insider now owns 39,486 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,543,473.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 77,510 shares of company stock worth $7,108,005 over the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms have recently weighed in on IR. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Ingersoll Rand in a research note on Friday, June 21st. They set a buy rating and a $110.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Ingersoll Rand from $93.00 to $88.00 and set an in-line rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 19th. Barclays cut their price target on Ingersoll Rand from $106.00 to $101.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Cfra reaffirmed a hold rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Ingersoll Rand in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Ingersoll Rand from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $100.00. View Our Latest Research Report on Ingersoll Rand Ingersoll Rand Profile (Free Report) Ingersoll Rand Inc provides various mission-critical air, gas, liquid, and solid flow creation technologies services and solutions worldwide. It operates through two segments, Industrial Technologies and Services, and Precision and Science Technologies. The Industrial Technologies and Services segment designs, manufactures, markets, and services air and gas compression, vacuum, and blower products; fluid transfer equipment and loading systems; and power tools and lifting equipment, including associated aftermarket parts, consumables, air treatment equipment, controls, other accessories, and services under the under the Ingersoll Rand, Gardner Denver, Nash, CompAir, Elmo Rietschle brands, etc. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Ingersoll Rand Inc. (NYSE:IR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Ingersoll Rand Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ingersoll Rand and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Avista (NYSE:AVA Free Report) in a research note released on Thursday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm issued an underperform rating and a $37.00 price target on the utilities providers stock. Avista Price Performance NYSE AVA opened at $38.54 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.99 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.88. Avista has a twelve month low of $30.53 and a twelve month high of $39.99. Get Avista alerts: Avista (NYSE:AVA Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $390.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $386.69 million. Avista had a return on equity of 7.77% and a net margin of 10.12%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.23 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Avista will post 2.42 EPS for the current year. Avista Dividend Announcement Insider Activity at Avista The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.93%. Avistas payout ratio is 78.84%. In related news, VP David J. Meyer sold 2,400 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.32, for a total transaction of $91,968.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,436 shares in the company, valued at $208,307.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SPC Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Avista by 19.6% in the 2nd quarter. SPC Financial Inc. now owns 11,000 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $381,000 after buying an additional 1,800 shares in the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp increased its stake in Avista by 33.2% in the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 49,105 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,700,000 after acquiring an additional 12,249 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Avista in the second quarter valued at about $5,638,000. Brandes Investment Partners LP raised its position in Avista by 11.6% in the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 77,344 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $2,662,000 after purchasing an additional 8,051 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Avista during the second quarter valued at approximately $427,000. 85.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. About Avista (Get Free Report) Avista Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an electric and natural gas utility company. It operates in two segments, Avista Utilities and AEL&P. The Avista Utilities segment provides electric distribution and transmission, and natural gas distribution services in parts of eastern Washington and northern Idaho; and natural gas distribution services in parts of northeastern and southwestern Oregon, as well as generates electricity in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Avista Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Avista and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. B2Gold Corp. (NYSE:BTG Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Monday. Traders purchased 6,996 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 147% compared to the typical daily volume of 2,829 call options. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BTG. Cibc World Mkts upgraded B2Gold from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Scotiabank lowered shares of B2Gold from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Cormark downgraded shares of B2Gold from a moderate buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of B2Gold from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Saturday, August 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of B2Gold from $3.50 to $3.75 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $3.75. Get B2Gold alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on B2Gold B2Gold Stock Performance NYSE:BTG traded up $0.19 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $3.35. The stock had a trading volume of 27,591,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,768,942. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $2.83. The stock has a market cap of $4.38 billion, a P/E ratio of -111.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.14. B2Gold has a one year low of $2.34 and a one year high of $3.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 2.93. B2Gold (NYSE:BTG Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.08 by ($0.02). B2Gold had a negative net margin of 7.44% and a positive return on equity of 8.01%. The business had revenue of $492.57 million for the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that B2Gold will post 0.27 EPS for the current fiscal year. B2Gold Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be given a $0.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $0.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.78%. B2Golds dividend payout ratio is currently -533.33%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On B2Gold A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BTG. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in shares of B2Gold by 2.2% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 13,158,780 shares of the companys stock worth $34,824,000 after buying an additional 282,070 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of B2Gold by 39.4% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 12,284,484 shares of the companys stock worth $33,053,000 after acquiring an additional 3,474,553 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of B2Gold by 80.0% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 7,450,283 shares of the companys stock valued at $19,957,000 after purchasing an additional 3,311,970 shares during the last quarter. Equinox Partners Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in B2Gold by 31.6% during the second quarter. Equinox Partners Investment Management LLC now owns 6,032,986 shares of the companys stock worth $16,185,000 after purchasing an additional 1,450,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new position in B2Gold in the second quarter valued at $6,912,000. Institutional investors own 61.40% of the companys stock. About B2Gold (Get Free Report) B2Gold Corp. operates as a gold producer company. It operates the Fekola Mine in Mali, the Masbate Mine in the Philippines, and the Otjikoto Mine in Namibia. The company also has an 100% interest in the Gramalote gold project in Colombia; 24% interest in the Calibre Mining Corp.; and approximately 19% interest in BeMetals Corp. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for B2Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for B2Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Banco Macro S.A. (NYSE:BMA Get Free Report)s share price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $70.17 and last traded at $69.74, with a volume of 43285 shares. The stock had previously closed at $67.76. Analyst Ratings Changes BMA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Banco Macro from an underweight rating to a neutral rating and upped their price objective for the company from $14.00 to $78.00 in a report on Friday, August 30th. StockNews.com cut Banco Macro from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Bank of America raised Banco Macro from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $53.00 to $62.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Get Banco Macro alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on Banco Macro Banco Macro Stock Performance The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The company has a market capitalization of $4.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 1.80. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.61. Banco Macro (NYSE:BMA Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The bank reported ($4.01) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($5.50). Banco Macro had a net margin of 12.58% and a return on equity of 25.97%. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Banco Macro S.A. will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current year. Banco Macro Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a $1.798 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This is a boost from Banco Macros previous monthly dividend of $1.74. This represents a $21.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 31.25%. Banco Macros dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 127.41%. Institutional Trading of Banco Macro A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BMA. Candriam S.C.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Macro during the second quarter worth about $43,236,000. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Macro during the first quarter worth about $23,994,000. Duquesne Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Banco Macro by 30.9% during the second quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC now owns 273,130 shares of the banks stock worth $15,659,000 after purchasing an additional 64,400 shares in the last quarter. Ping Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Macro during the second quarter worth about $12,326,000. Finally, Fourth Sail Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Macro during the first quarter worth about $9,038,000. Banco Macro Company Profile (Get Free Report) Banco Macro SA provides various banking products and services to retail and corporate customers in Argentina. It offers various retail banking products and services, such as savings and checking accounts, time deposits, credit and debit cards, consumer finance loans, mortgage loans, automobile loans, overdrafts, credit-related services, home and car insurance coverage, tax collection, utility payments, automated teller machines (ATMs), and money transfers. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Banco Macro Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Banco Macro and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY Free Report) had its price objective decreased by Barclays from $44.00 to $36.00 in a research report released on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the financial services providers stock. A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Ally Financial from $51.00 to $50.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 1st. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Ally Financial from $46.00 to $37.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Ally Financial from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Ally Financial in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They set a buy rating and a $51.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Ally Financial from $49.00 to $45.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $41.65. Get Ally Financial alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on ALLY Ally Financial Price Performance Shares of ALLY opened at $32.97 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Ally Financial has a fifty-two week low of $22.54 and a fifty-two week high of $45.46. The company has a market cap of $10.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.46, a PEG ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.40. The firms 50 day moving average price is $41.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $39.75. Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.33. Ally Financial had a return on equity of 8.37% and a net margin of 10.26%. The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.96 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Ally Financial will post 3.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Ally Financial Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 1st were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.64%. Ally Financials payout ratio is 48.98%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ally Financial Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ally Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $702,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ally Financial during the second quarter worth $233,000. Quarry LP grew its position in Ally Financial by 311.4% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,510 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 1,143 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Ally Financial by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 60,728 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,409,000 after buying an additional 1,598 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Ally Financial by 597.3% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 131,183 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $5,204,000 after buying an additional 112,369 shares during the last quarter. 88.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Ally Financial (Get Free Report) Ally Financial Inc, a digital financial-services company, provides various digital financial products and services in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda. The company operates through Automotive Finance Operations, Insurance Operations, Mortgage Finance Operations, and Corporate Finance Operations segments. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Ally Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ally Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Black Diamond Financial LLC boosted its position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA Free Report) by 55.6% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 937 shares of the credit services providers stock after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. Black Diamond Financial LLCs holdings in Mastercard were worth $413,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,452 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $10,429,000 after acquiring an additional 3,306 shares during the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP boosted its position in Mastercard by 213.2% in the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 8,456 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $3,607,000 after purchasing an additional 5,756 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 41,250 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $19,865,000 after purchasing an additional 2,676 shares during the period. NEOS Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 42.0% during the 4th quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 11,724 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $5,000,000 after purchasing an additional 3,469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morningstar Investment Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 96.8% in the 4th quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 593,789 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $253,144,000 after purchasing an additional 292,064 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the companys stock. Get Mastercard alerts: Insider Activity at Mastercard In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $451.07, for a total transaction of $50,068,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 92,672,308 shares of the companys stock, valued at $41,801,697,969.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Mastercard news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 111,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $451.07, for a total transaction of $50,068,770.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 92,672,308 shares of the companys stock, valued at $41,801,697,969.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 13,439 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $6,114,745.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,304 shares in the company, valued at $12,423,320. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 720,467 shares of company stock worth $331,875,955. Insiders own 0.10% of the companys stock. Mastercard Stock Up 0.3 % Shares of NYSE:MA opened at $493.36 on Monday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52-week low of $359.77 and a 52-week high of $496.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The business has a fifty day moving average of $460.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $460.18. The stock has a market cap of $458.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.22, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10. Mastercard (NYSE:MA Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The credit services provider reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.08. Mastercard had a net margin of 46.45% and a return on equity of 179.78%. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.85 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Mastercard Incorporated will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current year. Mastercard Announces Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 9th. Mastercards payout ratio is presently 20.99%. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research analysts have weighed in on MA shares. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $535.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a positive rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $520.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Mastercard from $540.00 to $525.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Mastercard from $500.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $500.00 to $526.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $510.88. Read Our Latest Analysis on Mastercard About Mastercard (Free Report) Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. The company offers integrated products and value-added services for account holders, merchants, financial institutions, digital partners, businesses, governments, and other organizations, such as programs that enable issuers to provide consumers with credits to defer payments; payment products and solutions that allow its customers to access funds in deposit and other accounts; prepaid programs services; and commercial credit, debit, and prepaid payment products and solutions. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Mastercard Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mastercard and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of BMO REX MicroSectors FANG Index 3X Leveraged ETN (NYSEARCA:FNGU Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $394.00, but opened at $384.92. BMO REX MicroSectors FANG Index 3X Leveraged ETN shares last traded at $379.84, with a volume of 209,299 shares changing hands. BMO REX MicroSectors FANG Index 3X Leveraged ETN Trading Down 3.8 % The company has a market cap of $276.33 billion, a PE ratio of 123.65 and a beta of 4.82. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $400.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $370.97. Get BMO REX MicroSectors FANG Index 3X Leveraged ETN alerts: Institutional Trading of BMO REX MicroSectors FANG Index 3X Leveraged ETN Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FNGU. Whittier Trust Co. bought a new stake in shares of BMO REX MicroSectors FANG Index 3X Leveraged ETN during the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. VitalStone Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of BMO REX MicroSectors FANG Index 3X Leveraged ETN by 192.0% in the 1st quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 146 shares of the companys stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DRW Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of BMO REX MicroSectors FANG Index 3X Leveraged ETN during the 2nd quarter valued at about $226,000. BMO REX MicroSectors FANG Index 3X Leveraged ETN Company Profile The MicroSectors FANG+ Index 3X Leveraged ETN (FNGU) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the NYSE FANG+ index. The fund tracks 3x the daily price movements of an equal-weighted index of US-listed technology and consumer discretionary companies. FNGU was launched on Jan 22, 2018 and is issued by REX Microsectors. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for BMO REX MicroSectors FANG Index 3X Leveraged ETN Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BMO REX MicroSectors FANG Index 3X Leveraged ETN and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Barney Rangle, 83, has been missing since Saturday, according to the California Highway Patrol. California Highway Patrol The California Highway Patrol is seeking the publics help in locating a missing 83-year-old man last seen around 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Foster City. Barney Rangle is 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs 184 pounds, and has gray hair and gray eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue jacket, black jeans and black shoes. He is believed to be on foot. The CHP asks anyone who sees Rangle to call 911. Telefonica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of Moderate Buy by the four research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $11.17. A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on VIV shares. Barclays increased their target price on Telefonica Brasil from $11.00 to $11.50 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley upgraded Telefonica Brasil from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Telefonica Brasil from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Get Telefonica Brasil alerts: Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Telefonica Brasil Telefonica Brasil Stock Performance Shares of VIV stock opened at $9.82 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $16.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.79. Telefonica Brasil has a 52 week low of $8.02 and a 52 week high of $11.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $9.14 and a 200-day moving average of $9.25. Telefonica Brasil (NYSE:VIV Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts consensus estimates of $0.14. Telefonica Brasil had a return on equity of 7.53% and a net margin of 9.65%. The company had revenue of $2.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.51 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.14 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Telefonica Brasil will post 0.61 earnings per share for the current year. Telefonica Brasil Cuts Dividend The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th were paid a dividend of $0.0379 per share. This represents a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 27th. Telefonica Brasils dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.21%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telefonica Brasil Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Telefonica Brasil by 2,821.8% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,214 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 3,104 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Telefonica Brasil during the 2nd quarter worth $83,000. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of Telefonica Brasil during the 2nd quarter worth $85,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Telefonica Brasil during the 1st quarter worth $123,000. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Telefonica Brasil during the 4th quarter worth $136,000. 5.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Telefonica Brasil Company Profile (Get Free Report Telefonica Brasil SA, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a mobile telecommunications company in Brazil. Its fixed line services portfolio includes local, domestic long-distance, and international long-distance calls; and mobile portfolio comprises voice and broadband internet access through 3G, 4G, 4.5G, and 5G, as well as mobile value-added and wireless roaming services. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Telefonica Brasil Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Telefonica Brasil and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC increased its holdings in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MUFG Free Report) by 10.5% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 502,017 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 47,654 shares during the period. Capital Wealth Planning LLCs holdings in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group were worth $5,422,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norden Group LLC purchased a new stake in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,219,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,731,206 shares of the companys stock valued at $14,906,000 after buying an additional 108,026 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group during the 1st quarter valued at $941,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $57,954,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 11,508,806 shares of the companys stock valued at $99,091,000 after buying an additional 115,364 shares in the last quarter. 13.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group alerts: Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Stock Performance Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group stock opened at $10.37 on Monday. The firms fifty day moving average price is $10.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market cap of $120.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.60. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $7.89 and a fifty-two week high of $11.72. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Company Profile Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group ( NYSE:MUFG Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $22.61 billion for the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group had a net margin of 11.73% and a return on equity of 7.46%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. will post 0.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. (Free Report) Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc operates as the bank holding company for MUFG Bank, Ltd. that provides various financial services in Japan, the United States, Europe, Asia/Oceania, and internationally. It operates through Digital Service Business Group; Retail & Commercial Banking Business Group; Japanese Corporate & Investment Banking Business Group; Asset Management & Investor Services Business Group; Global Corporate & Investment Banking Business Group; Global Commercial Banking Business Group; and Global Markets Business Group segments. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MUFG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MUFG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Comptoir Group PLC (LON:COM Get Free Report)s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as GBX 4.20 ($0.05) and last traded at GBX 4.36 ($0.06), with a volume of 100114 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 4.30 ($0.06). Comptoir Group Price Performance The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 594.60, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.02. The companys 50 day moving average price is GBX 4.73 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 5.88. The company has a market cap of 5.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -430.00 and a beta of 0.95. About Comptoir Group (Get Free Report) Comptoir Group PLC owns and operates restaurants under the Comptoir Libanais and Shawa brand names in the United Kingdom. The company offers Lebanese and Eastern Mediterranean cuisine dining. It operates 27 restaurants that includes 5 franchises. The company was formerly known as Levant Restaurants Group Limited and changed its name to Comptoir Group PLC in June 2016. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Comptoir Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Comptoir Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of First Horizon Co. (NYSE:FHN Free Report) by 0.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,056,313 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 794 shares during the quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.19% of First Horizon worth $16,658,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of FHN. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of First Horizon by 5.9% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 121,075 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,909,000 after acquiring an additional 6,696 shares in the last quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC increased its position in First Horizon by 11.8% during the 2nd quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 13,941 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $219,000 after purchasing an additional 1,470 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of First Horizon by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,408,894 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $37,988,000 after buying an additional 84,666 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new stake in shares of First Horizon during the 2nd quarter valued at $159,000. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of First Horizon during the 2nd quarter valued at $66,779,000. 80.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get First Horizon alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets FHN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of First Horizon from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of First Horizon from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of First Horizon from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, July 20th. Stephens began coverage on First Horizon in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. They issued an overweight rating and a $19.00 price target for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a market perform rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of First Horizon in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $17.31. First Horizon Stock Performance NYSE:FHN opened at $15.81 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.88. The companys 50-day moving average is $15.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.41. First Horizon Co. has a 1-year low of $10.08 and a 1-year high of $17.46. First Horizon (NYSE:FHN Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $819.82 million. First Horizon had a net margin of 14.03% and a return on equity of 8.84%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.39 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that First Horizon Co. will post 1.46 EPS for the current year. First Horizon Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.80%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. First Horizons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.96%. First Horizon Profile (Free Report) First Horizon Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Horizon Bank that provides various financial services. The company operates through Regional Banking and Specialty Banking segments. It offers general banking services for consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FHN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for First Horizon Co. (NYSE:FHN Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for First Horizon Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for First Horizon and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bcwm LLC raised its holdings in Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:DLR Free Report) by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 47,924 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after acquiring an additional 2,175 shares during the quarter. Digital Realty Trust comprises approximately 2.6% of Bcwm LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Bcwm LLCs holdings in Digital Realty Trust were worth $7,287,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Garrison Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Digital Realty Trust by 3.6% during the second quarter. Garrison Asset Management LLC now owns 2,277 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $346,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP raised its stake in Digital Realty Trust by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP now owns 53,986 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $8,209,000 after acquiring an additional 3,314 shares in the last quarter. Chronos Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Digital Realty Trust by 6.3% in the second quarter. Chronos Wealth Management LLC now owns 29,675 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $4,512,000 after acquiring an additional 1,754 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Digital Realty Trust by 0.6% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 391,051 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $59,459,000 after acquiring an additional 2,479 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Digital Realty Trust by 5.3% during the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 21,926 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $3,334,000 after purchasing an additional 1,112 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.71% of the companys stock. Get Digital Realty Trust alerts: Digital Realty Trust Stock Down 1.0 % Digital Realty Trust stock opened at $158.93 on Monday. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $151.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $147.00. Digital Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.94 and a 1-year high of $162.58. The company has a market cap of $49.65 billion, a PE ratio of 44.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.06 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.78. Digital Realty Trust Dividend Announcement Digital Realty Trust ( NYSE:DLR Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($1.43). The company had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.38 billion. Digital Realty Trust had a return on equity of 5.93% and a net margin of 20.58%. Digital Realty Trusts revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.68 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Digital Realty Trust, Inc. will post 6.65 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.07%. Digital Realty Trusts dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 135.56%. Insider Activity In related news, Director Jean F. H. P. Mandeville sold 600 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total value of $90,156.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,055 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,360,604.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.17% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets DLR has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Digital Realty Trust from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and boosted their target price for the company from $150.00 to $175.00 in a report on Friday, June 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Digital Realty Trust from $143.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Digital Realty Trust from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Digital Realty Trust from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Digital Realty Trust from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Digital Realty Trust has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $154.00. Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on DLR Digital Realty Trust Company Profile (Free Report) Digital Realty brings companies and data together by delivering the full spectrum of data center, colocation, and interconnection solutions. PlatformDIGITAL, the company's global data center platform, provides customers with a secure data meeting place and a proven Pervasive Datacenter Architecture (PDx) solution methodology for powering innovation and efficiently managing Data Gravity challenges. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DLR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:DLR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Digital Realty Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Digital Realty Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated their hold rating on shares of Dunelm Group (LON:DNLM Free Report) in a research note published on Thursday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have a GBX 1,060 ($13.86) target price on the stock. Separately, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on shares of Dunelm Group from GBX 1,250 ($16.35) to GBX 1,325 ($17.33) and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Saturday, July 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Dunelm Group currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of GBX 1,214.17 ($15.88). Get Dunelm Group alerts: Get Our Latest Research Report on Dunelm Group Dunelm Group Trading Up 2.3 % Dunelm Group Cuts Dividend Dunelm Group stock opened at GBX 1,232 ($16.11) on Thursday. Dunelm Group has a 12-month low of GBX 959 ($12.54) and a 12-month high of GBX 1,335.54 ($17.46). The firm has a market capitalization of 2.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,664.86, a P/E/G ratio of -10.32 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50 day moving average of GBX 1,202.16 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 1,117.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 236.84. The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a dividend of GBX 27.50 ($0.36) per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. Dunelm Groups payout ratio is currently 5,945.95%. Dunelm Group Company Profile (Get Free Report) Dunelm Group plc retails homewares in the United Kingdom. The company offers furniture and beds products, which include bedroom, living room, dining room, and other furniture, as well as bed and mattresses, and sofas and armchairs; bedding products comprising bed linen, dorma, baby and kid's bedding, and duvets, pillows, and protectors; curtains and rugs; and venetian, roller, roman, vertical, and made to measure blinds. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Dunelm Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dunelm Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLC grew its position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW Free Report) by 0.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 73,600 shares of the medical research companys stock after buying an additional 260 shares during the period. Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLCs holdings in Edwards Lifesciences were worth $6,798,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. DSM Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Edwards Lifesciences in the first quarter valued at $28,000. First Community Trust NA acquired a new position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences during the first quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Pingora Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.46% of the companys stock. Get Edwards Lifesciences alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research firms have issued reports on EW. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Edwards Lifesciences from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Edwards Lifesciences from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 9th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Edwards Lifesciences in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Edwards Lifesciences from $101.00 to $85.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Edwards Lifesciences from $91.00 to $76.00 and set an in-line rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $80.29. Insiders Place Their Bets 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 46,936 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,101,530.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Edwards Lifesciences news, VP Daveen Chopra sold 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 29,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,051,843.35. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Donald E. Bobo, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of Edwards Lifesciences stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.08, for a total transaction of $330,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 46,936 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,101,530.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 16,250 shares of company stock worth $1,218,138. Corporate insiders own 1.29% of the companys stock. Edwards Lifesciences Trading Up 0.6 % Shares of NYSE EW opened at $68.52 on Monday. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $58.93 and a 12 month high of $96.12. The company has a market cap of $41.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.45. Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The medical research company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. Edwards Lifesciences had a net margin of 24.55% and a return on equity of 22.35%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.66 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Edwards Lifesciences Co. will post 2.7 EPS for the current year. 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. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Edwards Lifesciences Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Edwards Lifesciences and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Entourage Health Corp. (CVE:ENTG Get Free Report)s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as C$0.01 and last traded at C$0.01, with a volume of 13204 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at C$0.02. Entourage Health Price Performance The company has a current ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2,914.72. The businesss 50 day moving average price is C$0.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$0.01. The stock has a market cap of C$3.08 million, a P/E ratio of -0.07 and a beta of 1.13. Entourage Health Company Profile (Get Free Report) Entourage Health Corp. engages in the production and distribution of cannabis products for medical and adult-use markets in Canada. It offers cannabis plants, dried flower, pre-rolls, soft chews, chewing gum, cannabis oils, capsules, topicals and vapes, extracts, and edibles. The company sells its products under the Color Cannabis, Saturday Cannabis, Starseed Medicinal, Syndicate Cannabis, Mary's Medicinals, and Irwin Naturals brand names. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Entourage Health Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Entourage Health and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Equinox Gold Corp (CVE:EQX Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of Moderate Buy by the eight brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$9.90. Several research firms have recently weighed in on EQX. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on Equinox Gold from C$12.00 to C$12.75 in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Equinox Gold from C$10.00 to C$11.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Haywood Securities decreased their price objective on shares of Equinox Gold from C$12.75 to C$11.50 in a report on Friday, August 9th. CIBC increased their target price on Equinox Gold from C$8.75 to C$9.50 in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Equinox Gold from C$7.75 to C$8.50 in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Get Equinox Gold alerts: View Our Latest Report on Equinox Gold Equinox Gold Trading Down 0.9 % About Equinox Gold CVE EQX opened at C$7.88 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of C$892.46 million and a P/E ratio of -43.54. The stocks fifty day moving average price is C$7.88 and its 200-day moving average price is C$7.88. Equinox Gold has a 12 month low of C$4.25 and a 12 month high of C$8.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 64.28. (Get Free Report Equinox Gold Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral deposits. The company's principal properties include the Aurizona project covering a total land package of approximately 223,160 hectares located in Maranhao State, Brazil; and the Castle Mountain property situated in California, the United States. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Equinox Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Equinox Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Extra Space Storage (NYSE:EXR Get Free Report) had its price target raised by Evercore ISI from $167.00 to $170.00 in a report released on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an in-line rating on the real estate investment trusts stock. Evercore ISIs price target would suggest a potential downside of 4.00% from the stocks current price. Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on EXR. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Extra Space Storage from $168.00 to $160.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 7th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Extra Space Storage from $152.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Extra Space Storage from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Raymond James upped their price target on Extra Space Storage from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on Extra Space Storage from $159.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a sector underperform rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Extra Space Storage currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $168.57. Get Extra Space Storage alerts: Get Our Latest Analysis on EXR Extra Space Storage Price Performance Insider Activity at Extra Space Storage NYSE EXR traded up $0.80 on Monday, hitting $177.08. 195,998 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,029,556. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Extra Space Storage has a 52 week low of $101.19 and a 52 week high of $179.23. The stock has a market cap of $37.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $167.71 and a 200-day moving average of $153.58. In related news, CEO Joseph D. Margolis sold 7,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.58, for a total transaction of $1,144,350.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 31,690 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,835,260.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Gwyn Goodson Mcneal sold 2,823 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.01, for a total transaction of $499,699.23. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 32,855 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,815,663.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Joseph D. Margolis sold 7,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.58, for a total value of $1,144,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 31,690 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,835,260.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,323 shares of company stock worth $1,994,709 over the last 90 days. 1.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EXR. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Extra Space Storage by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 33,686,389 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $4,951,899,000 after buying an additional 170,380 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Extra Space Storage by 4.7% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,549,231 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $551,586,000 after purchasing an additional 157,763 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Extra Space Storage by 1.5% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,127,012 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $485,973,000 after purchasing an additional 45,717 shares during the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Extra Space Storage by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,965,638 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $460,890,000 after purchasing an additional 198,888 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centersquare Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Extra Space Storage by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 2,546,475 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $341,941,000 after purchasing an additional 32,591 shares during the last quarter. 99.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Extra Space Storage Company Profile (Get Free Report) Extra Space Storage Inc, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a self-administered and self-managed REIT and a member of the S&P 500. As of December 31, 2023, the Company owned and/or operated 3,714 self-storage stores in 42 states and Washington, DC The Company's stores comprise approximately 2.6 million units and approximately 283.0 million square feet of rentable space operating under the Extra Space, Life Storage and Storage Express brands. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Extra Space Storage Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Extra Space Storage and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Dy Nguyen and her child, Enzo, 6, hold signs during an San Francisco Unified School District board meeting in August. The district has delayed naming the schools it has targeted for closure until October. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle San Francisco students, families and educators will have to wait until October to find out whether their schools will remain open after this year following an announcement Sunday that district officials will delay the naming of sites recommended for closure. Superintendent Matt Wayne was expected to release the list of schools Wednesday after a months-long process to determine which sites would make the most logistical and educational sense to close, while also taking into account the impact on disadvantaged students. He did not specify when in October the list would be made public, but only that the delay was regrettable, but necessary. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Simply put, we want to make sure we get this right, he said in a statement released Sunday. When I share my recommendation to close or merge some of our schools, I want to be absolutely certain I have done everything I can to help students and families through this challenging time. Wayne said that the extra time was needed to ensure the fiscal analysis of the plan was sound, that the transition plan and support systems were in place and that the results from an equity audit were incorporated into the release. School board President Matt Alexander told the Chronicle the district had not completed the necessary steps to ensure that what went before families, educators and the community was a fully formed plan. Last week, it became clear to the Board of Education that SFUSD is not ready to release a closure/merger list, he said. Since then, Ive spent hours collaborating closely with the superintendent to ensure no big decisions are made until we can get this right. Its still unclear how many schools will be on the list, but district officials have said the district, which has approximately 49,560 students, has seen enrollment decline in recent decades, leaving 14,000 empty seats across the 106 elementary, middle and high school sites, with the loss of an additional 5,000 students expected over the next five years. Advertisement Article continues below this ad There are too many schools, too few students and not enough money to spread staff and other resources across so many partially empty classrooms, they say. The school board is already under state fiscal control after overspending for years, and while closing schools wont fix the budget problems, Wayne has said it would allow the district to ensure students still have access to social workers, counselors and other resources despite the massive cuts needed to balance the budget. Closing schools, however, is one of the most drastic and fraught actions a district can take, usually leading to emotional public meetings and angry protests. In Oakland, the school boards 2022 decision to close seven schools also led to a hunger strike and a community takeover of a school site. Parents in San Francisco have already expressed frustration and anger as the announcement of the closure list approached, with some school communities launching petitions, while others have protested at school board meetings and still others have vented on social media. Rumors of a delay started circulating Saturday, resulting in more frustration. Advertisement Article continues below this ad If anyone from the district is reading this, please understand that while school closures are undeniably stressful, they are also necessary, as youve stated, to ensure fully staffed schools, said parent Catharine Burhenne-Sanderson on social media. However, the process becomes even more difficult when deadlines are set and not met. Trust is built when you commit to something and follow through. Meredith Dodson, executive director of San Francisco Parent Coalition, said families have a right to be angry and concerned over the delay. There was so much anxiety going into this week, in anticipation of the closures announcement. On the one hand this raises more anxiety and skepticism, she said. On the other hand, we all know how consequential this decision is to close schools, how severe the impact could be on our students. So its essential that SFUSD is fully prepared to roll out their plans thoughtfully and carefully, ready to support families and school communities. If this delay is happening because they were not fully prepared, well then, I suppose this delay could be a good thing. The San Francisco teachers union had planned a news conference Monday to raise concerns about the process, but it was unclear whether that would happen given the delay in the release of the closure list. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Union leaders said the district must provide clear, supportive, and community-centered plans if closures proceed. SFUSDs track record does not inspire confidence, Cassondra Curiel, president of the United Educators of San Francisco, said in a statement Friday. School closures, mergers, and co-locations are drastic measures that have never been proven to lead to better outcomes for students. Wayne said the delay in releasing the list of schools wont change the rest of the timeline. After the list is public, district will hold community meetings at each of the sites and then the school board will vote on the package of closures and mergers in mid-December. If they approve it, the schools will close at the end of this academic year. Wayne acknowledged that there is a lot at stake and a lot wrapped up in the list. Advertisement Article continues below this ad AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB Get Free Report) had its price target increased by investment analysts at Evercore ISI from $225.00 to $229.00 in a report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an in-line rating on the real estate investment trusts stock. Evercore ISIs price objective indicates a potential downside of 2.04% from the stocks current price. AVB has been the subject of a number of other reports. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. They issued an outperform rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Zelman & Associates raised AvalonBay Communities to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $222.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $185.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $222.24. Get AvalonBay Communities alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Report on AvalonBay Communities AvalonBay Communities Price Performance NYSE AVB traded down $0.99 on Monday, reaching $233.76. The company had a trading volume of 135,895 shares, compared to its average volume of 728,109. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.24 billion, a PE ratio of 34.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.97. AvalonBay Communities has a 12 month low of $160.45 and a 12 month high of $236.26. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firms 50 day moving average price is $214.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $199.56. AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The real estate investment trust reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.93). The firm had revenue of $726.04 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $718.49 million. AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 29.61% and a return on equity of 7.16%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.66 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Buying and Selling at AvalonBay Communities In other news, CIO Matthew H. Birenbaum sold 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.90, for a total transaction of $1,044,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive now owns 65,967 shares in the company, valued at $13,780,506.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CIO Matthew H. Birenbaum sold 5,000 shares of AvalonBay Communities stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.90, for a total transaction of $1,044,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive now directly owns 65,967 shares of the companys stock, valued at $13,780,506.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Keri A. Shea sold 2,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.17, for a total transaction of $414,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,383 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $908,026.11. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On AvalonBay Communities A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in AvalonBay Communities by 1,877.8% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 178 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. BROOKFIELD Corp ON acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities in the first quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 50.0% in the first quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 225 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 38.8% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 261 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 92.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. About AvalonBay Communities (Get Free Report) As of December 31, 2023, the Company owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 299 apartment communities containing 90,669 apartment homes in 12 states and the District of Columbia, of which 18 communities were under development. The Company is an equity REIT in the business of developing, redeveloping, acquiring and managing apartment communities in leading metropolitan areas in New England, the New York/New Jersey Metro area, the Mid-Atlantic, the Pacific Northwest, and Northern and Southern California, as well as in the Company's expansion regions of Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte, North Carolina, Southeast Florida, Dallas and Austin, Texas, and Denver, Colorado. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for AvalonBay Communities Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AvalonBay Communities and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Genie Energy Ltd. (NYSE:GNE Get Free Report) Director James A. Courter sold 3,675 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.19, for a total transaction of $63,173.25. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 304,411 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,232,825.09. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Genie Energy Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:GNE traded down $1.08 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $16.49. The company had a trading volume of 69,976 shares, compared to its average volume of 131,368. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.84. The firm has a market cap of $447.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.14 and a beta of 0.09. Genie Energy Ltd. has a 1-year low of $14.00 and a 1-year high of $30.90. Get Genie Energy alerts: Genie Energy (NYSE:GNE Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter. Genie Energy had a net margin of 1.75% and a return on equity of 23.30%. The company had revenue of $90.70 million during the quarter. Genie Energy Announces Dividend Institutional Trading of Genie Energy The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 14th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 14th. Genie Energys payout ratio is 60.00%. Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Point72 DIFC Ltd raised its position in Genie Energy by 11,831.6% during the second quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 2,267 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 2,248 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Genie Energy by 41.9% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,645 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $161,000 after purchasing an additional 3,144 shares during the period. BOKF NA acquired a new position in shares of Genie Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $165,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Genie Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $169,000. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new stake in Genie Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $179,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.15% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets Separately, StockNews.com raised Genie Energy from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on GNE Genie Energy Company Profile (Get Free Report) Genie Energy Ltd., through its subsidiaries, engages in the supply of electricity and natural gas to residential and small business customers in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, GRE and Genie Renewables. The company also develops, constructs, and operates solar energy projects for commercial and industrial customers, as well as its own portfolio; provides energy brokerage and advisory services; markets community solar energy solutions; and manufactures and distributes solar panel, as well as engages in solar installation design and project management activities. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Genie Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Genie Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. H-CYTE (OTCMKTS:HCYTD Get Free Report) and Haemonetics (NYSE:HAE Get Free Report) are both medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, valuation, risk, dividends and analyst recommendations. Risk & Volatility H-CYTE has a beta of 1.12, meaning that its stock price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Haemonetics has a beta of 0.3, meaning that its stock price is 70% less volatile than the S&P 500. Get H-CYTE alerts: Profitability This table compares H-CYTE and Haemonetics net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets H-CYTE -450.40% N/A -777.68% Haemonetics 8.61% 21.86% 9.04% Earnings & Valuation Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio H-CYTE $1.61 million 0.32 -$4.80 million N/A N/A Haemonetics $1.31 billion 2.97 $117.56 million $2.29 33.23 This table compares H-CYTE and Haemoneticss revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Haemonetics has higher revenue and earnings than H-CYTE. Insider & Institutional Ownership 99.7% of Haemonetics shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.2% of H-CYTE shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of Haemonetics shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Analyst Recommendations This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for H-CYTE and Haemonetics, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score H-CYTE 0 0 0 0 N/A Haemonetics 0 2 5 0 2.71 Haemonetics has a consensus target price of $106.14, indicating a potential upside of 39.50%. Given Haemonetics higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Haemonetics is more favorable than H-CYTE. Summary Haemonetics beats H-CYTE on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks. About H-CYTE (Get Free Report) H-CYTE, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, develops and delivers various treatments for patients with chronic respiratory and pulmonary disorders in the United States. The company develops and implements treatment options in autologous cellular therapy to treat chronic lung disorders. It has a product supply agreement with Rion, LLC to develop and distribute a biologic for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The company is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. About Haemonetics (Get Free Report) Haemonetics Corporation, a healthcare company, provides suite of medical products and solutions in the United States and internationally. The company offers automated plasma collection systems, donor management software, and supporting software solutions including NexSys PCS and PCS2 plasmapheresis equipment and related disposables and solutions, as well as integrated information technology platforms for plasma customers to manage their donors, operations, and supply chain; and NexLynk DMS donor management system and Donor360 app. It also provides automated blood component and manual whole blood collection systems, such as MCS brand apheresis equipment to collect specific blood components from the donor; disposable whole blood collection and component storage sets; SafeTrace Tx blood bank information system; and BloodTrack blood management software, a suite of blood management and bedside transfusion solutions that combines software with hardware components, as well as an extension of the hospital's blood bank information system. In addition, the company offers hospital products comprising TEG and HAS hemostasis analyzer systems that provide a comprehensive assessment of a patient's overall hemostasis; and TEG Manager software, which connects various TEG analyzers throughout the hospital, providing clinicians remote access to active and historical test results that inform treatment decisions. Further, it provides Cell Saver Elite +, an autologous blood recovery system for cardiovascular, orthopedic, trauma, transplant, vascular, obstetrical, and gynecological surgeries; and VASCADE products comprising VASCADE and VASCADE MVP, a technology platform which offers catheter-based delivery system and leverages the natural clot-inducing properties of collagen. The company sells its products through direct sales force, independent distributors, and sales representatives. Haemonetics Corporation was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Receive News & Ratings for H-CYTE Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for H-CYTE and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. HF Sinclair (NYSE:DINO Get Free Report) had its target price cut by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $63.00 to $57.00 in a research report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Morgan Stanleys price objective suggests a potential upside of 26.95% from the stocks previous close. Several other research firms have also weighed in on DINO. Wolfe Research began coverage on HF Sinclair in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They set a peer perform rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on HF Sinclair from $60.00 to $54.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on HF Sinclair from $73.00 to $70.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of HF Sinclair from $55.00 to $53.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of HF Sinclair to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $60.55. Get HF Sinclair alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on DINO HF Sinclair Stock Performance NYSE:DINO traded down $0.29 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $44.90. 588,496 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,988,885. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.46. HF Sinclair has a 52 week low of $44.07 and a 52 week high of $64.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.55 and a beta of 1.18. HF Sinclair (NYSE:DINO Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $7.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.65 billion. HF Sinclair had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 3.80%. The firms revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.60 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that HF Sinclair will post 3.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Institutional Trading of HF Sinclair Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in HF Sinclair in the second quarter worth $3,523,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its position in shares of HF Sinclair by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 52,688 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,811,000 after buying an additional 2,800 shares in the last quarter. Invst LLC lifted its position in shares of HF Sinclair by 26.8% during the 2nd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 5,206 shares of the companys stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in HF Sinclair by 18.4% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 29,706 shares of the companys stock worth $1,584,000 after purchasing an additional 4,627 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning increased its stake in HF Sinclair by 41.2% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 47,419 shares of the companys stock worth $2,529,000 after acquiring an additional 13,837 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.29% of the companys stock. HF Sinclair Company Profile (Get Free Report) HF Sinclair Corporation operates as an independent energy company. The company produces and markets gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, renewable diesel, specialty lubricant products, specialty chemicals, specialty and modified asphalt, and others. It owns and operates refineries located in Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming; and markets its refined products principally in the Southwest United States and Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest, and in other neighboring Plains states. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for HF Sinclair Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for HF Sinclair and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rathbones Group PLC increased its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Japan ETF (NYSEARCA:EWJ Free Report) by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 197,524 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after acquiring an additional 8,299 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLCs holdings in iShares MSCI Japan ETF were worth $13,479,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of EWJ. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in iShares MSCI Japan ETF by 164.6% in the first quarter. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC now owns 381 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in iShares MSCI Japan ETF in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Whittier Trust Co. increased its stake in iShares MSCI Japan ETF by 410.5% in the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 439 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in iShares MSCI Japan ETF in the second quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC acquired a new position in iShares MSCI Japan ETF in the second quarter valued at $62,000. Get iShares MSCI Japan ETF alerts: iShares MSCI Japan ETF Stock Performance NYSEARCA EWJ opened at $69.87 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $17.09 billion, a PE ratio of 13.63 and a beta of 0.73. iShares MSCI Japan ETF has a one year low of $57.20 and a one year high of $72.32. The firms fifty day moving average is $69.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.04. About iShares MSCI Japan ETF iShares MSCI Japan ETF (the fund), formerly Ishares Msci Japan Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of publicly traded securities in the Japanese market, as measured by the MSCI Japan Index (the Index). Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EWJ? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI Japan ETF (NYSEARCA:EWJ Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI Japan ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI Japan ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. AstraZeneca (LON:AZN Get Free Report)s stock had its overweight rating reissued by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a report issued on Monday, Digital Look reports. Several other research firms have also issued reports on AZN. Shore Capital reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a hold rating and issued a 110 ($143.85) target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Berenberg Bank restated a buy rating and issued a 150 ($196.16) price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Monday, September 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on AstraZeneca from GBX 71 ($0.93) to GBX 74 ($0.97) and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Citigroup restated a buy rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of 105.53 ($138.01). Get AstraZeneca alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on AstraZeneca AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.7 % Insiders Place Their Bets LON AZN traded up GBX 88 ($1.15) during trading hours on Monday, reaching 120.16 ($157.13). 986,393 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,280,044. AstraZeneca has a 52-week low of GBX 9,461 ($123.72) and a 52-week high of 133.88 ($175.08). The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 84.97, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of 125.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of 118.92. The firm has a market cap of 186.25 billion, a PE ratio of 3,851.28, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.17. In related news, insider Michel Demare acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 118 ($1.54) per share, with a total value of 2,360 ($3,086.18). 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. AstraZeneca Company Profile (Get Free Report) AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company's marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for AstraZeneca Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AstraZeneca and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kingfisher plc (LON:KGF Get Free Report)s share price reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as GBX 289 ($3.78) and last traded at GBX 288.90 ($3.78), with a volume of 9519392 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 284.10 ($3.72). Analyst Ratings Changes A number of analysts recently issued reports on KGF shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an underweight rating on shares of Kingfisher in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Kingfisher to a buy rating and lifted their target price for the company from GBX 245 ($3.20) to GBX 310 ($4.05) in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a hold rating and issued a GBX 250 ($3.27) price target on shares of Kingfisher in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Get Kingfisher alerts: Get Our Latest Research Report on KGF Kingfisher Stock Up 1.7 % Kingfisher Company Profile The company has a market capitalization of 5.29 billion, a PE ratio of 1,601.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 37.49. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 274.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 256.37. (Get Free Report) Kingfisher plc, together with its subsidiaries, supplies home improvement products and services primarily in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, and internationally. It also operates retail stores under the B&Q, Castorama, Brico Depot, Screwfix, TradePoint, and Koctas brands. The company sells its products through stores and e-commerce channels. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Kingfisher Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kingfisher and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV Free Report) by 34.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,062,706 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 523,910 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned about 0.89% of Elevance Health worth $1,117,698,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in Elevance Health during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Elevance Health in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Elevance Health during the first quarter worth $28,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Elevance Health during the second quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Elevance Health in the second quarter valued at $30,000. 89.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Elevance Health alerts: Insider Transactions at Elevance Health In related news, Director Robert L. Dixon, Jr. sold 305 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $506.76, for a total value of $154,561.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,721 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,926,213.96. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Elevance Health news, Director Robert L. Dixon, Jr. sold 305 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $506.76, for a total transaction of $154,561.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,721 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,926,213.96. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ramiro G. Peru sold 753 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $531.52, for a total value of $400,234.56. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 8,744 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,647,610.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 35,058 shares of company stock valued at $17,588,116. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts recently commented on ELV shares. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Elevance Health from $600.00 to $620.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Elevance Health in a report on Monday, June 24th. They set an overweight rating and a $643.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an overweight rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of Elevance Health in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Elevance Health from $600.00 to $593.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Elevance Health from $628.00 to $631.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Elevance Health currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $604.29. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Elevance Health Elevance Health Trading Up 0.9 % NYSE:ELV opened at $550.84 on Monday. Elevance Health, Inc. has a 12 month low of $431.38 and a 12 month high of $567.26. The businesss 50-day moving average is $535.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $528.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $127.73 billion, a PE ratio of 20.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.82. Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $10.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $9.99 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $43.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $42.99 billion. Elevance Health had a return on equity of 20.64% and a net margin of 3.89%. Elevance Healths quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.04 EPS. Research analysts predict that Elevance Health, Inc. will post 37.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Elevance Health Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.18%. Elevance Healths dividend payout ratio is presently 24.64%. Elevance Health Company Profile (Free Report) Elevance Health, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a health benefits company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Health Benefits, CarelonRx, Carelon Services, and Corporate & Other. It offers a variety of health plans and services to program members; health products; an array of fee-based administrative managed care services; and specialty and other insurance products and services, such as stop loss, dental, vision, life, disability, and supplemental health insurance benefits. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ELV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Elevance Health Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Elevance Health and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA decreased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC Free Report) by 16.0% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,065,619 shares of the aerospace companys stock after selling 582,274 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MAs holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,336,457,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 14.1% in the first quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 170 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 500 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 965 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.1% in the second quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,068 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $902,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Renasant Bank raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.3% in the first quarter. Renasant Bank now owns 743 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the companys stock. Get Northrop Grumman alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $695,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,634 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,317,000. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,389 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $477.56, for a total transaction of $663,330.84. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 6,755 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,225,917.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $695,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,634 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,317,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,846 shares of company stock worth $1,393,028. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms recently commented on NOC. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Northrop Grumman from $530.00 to $500.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Alembic Global Advisors lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and set a $560.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $593.00 to $605.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $523.20. Read Our Latest Stock Report on NOC Northrop Grumman Stock Performance NYSE:NOC opened at $519.78 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. Northrop Grumman Co. has a fifty-two week low of $414.56 and a fifty-two week high of $528.76. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $486.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $467.61. The firm has a market cap of $76.01 billion, a PE ratio of 36.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.34. Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $5.93 by $0.43. The business had revenue of $10.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.02 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 25.44%. The companys revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.34 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.14 earnings per share for the current year. Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. Northrop Grummans payout ratio is 57.62%. Northrop Grumman Company Profile (Free Report) Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense technology company in the United States, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and internationally. The companys Aeronautics Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, and sustains aircraft systems. This segment also offers unmanned autonomous aircraft systems, including high-altitude long-endurance strategic ISR systems and vertical take-off and landing tactical ISR systems; and strategic long-range strike aircraft, tactical fighter and air dominance aircraft, and airborne battle management and command and control systems. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NOC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Northrop Grumman Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Northrop Grumman and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. TransUnion (NYSE:TRU Free Report) had its target price boosted by Morgan Stanley from $96.00 to $103.00 in a research report released on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the business services providers stock. A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised TransUnion to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on TransUnion from $85.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on TransUnion from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Needham & Company LLC downgraded TransUnion from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on TransUnion in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. They issued a peer perform rating for the company. Seven research 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 companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $92.00. Get TransUnion alerts: View Our Latest Stock Analysis on TRU TransUnion Price Performance TRU opened at $100.39 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $88.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $80.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.51 billion, a PE ratio of -70.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.62. TransUnion has a 52 week low of $42.09 and a 52 week high of $100.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 1.66. TransUnion (NYSE:TRU Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The business services provider reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.13. TransUnion had a negative net margin of 6.11% and a positive return on equity of 15.03%. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.76 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that TransUnion will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current year. TransUnion Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 23rd were issued a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 23rd. TransUnions dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -29.37%. Insider Transactions at TransUnion In related news, EVP Timothy J. Martin sold 2,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.65, for a total transaction of $239,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 49,239 shares in the company, valued at $4,709,710.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other TransUnion news, CAO Jennifer A. Williams sold 405 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.58, for a total transaction of $38,709.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,837.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Timothy J. Martin sold 2,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.65, for a total value of $239,125.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 49,239 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,709,710.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 32,200 shares of company stock worth $2,665,257 over the last quarter. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On TransUnion Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in shares of TransUnion in the 4th quarter worth approximately $663,001,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of TransUnion by 32.2% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 16,339,762 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,211,757,000 after acquiring an additional 3,977,595 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of TransUnion by 51.8% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,755,729 shares of the business services providers stock worth $539,108,000 after acquiring an additional 2,306,596 shares during the last quarter. CCLA Investment Management lifted its stake in shares of TransUnion by 104,813.6% during the 1st quarter. CCLA Investment Management now owns 1,947,196 shares of the business services providers stock worth $153,454,000 after acquiring an additional 1,945,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meritage Group LP lifted its stake in shares of TransUnion by 56.5% during the 4th quarter. Meritage Group LP now owns 5,030,424 shares of the business services providers stock worth $345,640,000 after acquiring an additional 1,815,540 shares during the last quarter. About TransUnion (Get Free Report) TransUnion operates as a global consumer credit reporting agency that provides risk and information solutions. The company operates through U.S. Markets, International, and Consumer Interactive segments. The U.S. Markets segment provides consumer reports, actionable insights, and analytic services to businesses, which uses its services to acquire new customers; assess consumer ability to pay for services; identify cross-selling opportunities; measure and manage debt portfolio risk; collect debt; verify consumer identities; and mitigate fraud risk. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for TransUnion Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TransUnion and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. San Francisco police are investigating the theft of a delivery vehicle, which later was recovered with the help of a bystander. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle A delivery drivers vehicle was stolen in San Franciscos Cathedral Hills neighborhood Sunday afternoon, but the victim tracked it down with the help of a bystander, police said. While the vehicle was recovered, the keys were not, police said in a statement. The thief stole the vehicle while the driver was making deliveries in the area of Geary Boulevard and Laguna Street around 12:20 p.m. Police did not elaborate on the nature of the delivery service or identify the company. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A bystander helped the victim find the vehicle abandoned on nearby Cleary Court, police said. MS INTERNATIONAL plc (LON:MSI Get Free Report) insider Michael OConnell sold 13,680 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,040 ($13.60), for a total value of 142,272 ($186,049.43). Michael OConnell also recently made the following trade(s): Get MS INTERNATIONAL alerts: On Tuesday, July 16th, Michael OConnell sold 9,187 shares of MS INTERNATIONAL stock. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,110 ($14.52), for a total value of 101,975.70 ($133,353.86). MS INTERNATIONAL Stock Performance Shares of MSI traded up GBX 0.80 ($0.01) on Monday, reaching GBX 1,052.80 ($13.77). 13,330 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,721. The firm has a market cap of 168.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,534.79 and a beta of 0.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.51 and a quick ratio of 0.95. MS INTERNATIONAL plc has a 12 month low of GBX 651 ($8.51) and a 12 month high of GBX 1,180 ($15.43). The stocks 50-day moving average price is GBX 1,068.60 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 975.22. MS INTERNATIONAL Increases Dividend MS INTERNATIONAL Company Profile The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 11th were given a GBX 16.50 ($0.22) dividend. This represents a yield of 1.61%. This is a boost from MS INTERNATIONALs previous dividend of $3.00. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 11th. MS INTERNATIONALs dividend payout ratio is 2,941.18%. (Get Free Report) MS INTERNATIONAL plc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, sells, and services specialist engineering products in the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States of America, and South America. The company operates through Defence, Forgings, Petrol Station Superstructures, and Corporate Branding divisions. See Also Receive News & Ratings for MS INTERNATIONAL Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MS INTERNATIONAL and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $60.85 and last traded at $60.47, with a volume of 15468 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $60.25. Analyst Ratings Changes Several brokerages have recently issued reports on NFG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com lowered National Fuel Gas from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a sector outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Get National Fuel Gas alerts: Check Out Our Latest Analysis on National Fuel Gas National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.9 % The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The company has a market cap of $5.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.90 and a beta of 0.62. The businesss 50 day moving average is $58.38 and its 200 day moving average is $55.55. National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.03. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 16.42%. The firm had revenue of $417.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $540.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.01 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 5.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas In related news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 6,357 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.83, for a total transaction of $348,554.31. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 9,903 shares of the companys stock, valued at $542,981.49. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.55% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Beacon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 123.0% during the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 767 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LifeSteps Financial Inc. acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About National Fuel Gas (Get Free Report) National Fuel Gas Company operates as a diversified energy company. It operates through four segments: Exploration and Production, Pipeline and Storage, Gathering, and Utility. The Exploration and Production segment explores for, develops, and produces natural gas and oil. The Pipeline and Storage segment provides interstate natural gas transportation services through an integrated gas pipeline system in Pennsylvania and New York; and owns and operates underground natural gas storage fields. Read More Receive News & Ratings for National Fuel Gas Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for National Fuel Gas and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nihon M&A Center Holdings Inc. (OTCMKTS:NHMAF Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,254,400 shares, a decline of 20.1% from the August 15th total of 1,570,600 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 12,544.0 days. Nihon M&A Center Stock Down 20.0 % Shares of NHMAF opened at $4.20 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $4.74 and a 200 day moving average of $5.22. Nihon M&A Center has a 12 month low of $4.20 and a 12 month high of $6.87. Get Nihon M&A Center alerts: Nihon M&A Center Company Profile (Get Free Report) Featured Articles Nihon M&A Center Holdings Inc provides mergers and acquisition (M&A) related services in Japan and internationally. The company offers M&A support services, such as reorganization, capital policies, and MBO for small and medium-sized enterprises. Nihon M&A Center Holdings Inc was incorporated in 1991 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Receive News & Ratings for Nihon M&A Center Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nihon M&A Center and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Oldfield Partners LLP lessened its position in shares of Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. (NYSE:BVN Free Report) by 26.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 595,620 shares of the mining companys stock after selling 211,600 shares during the period. Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. accounts for 1.9% of Oldfield Partners LLPs holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Oldfield Partners LLPs holdings in Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. were worth $10,096,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BVN. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. by 18.1% during the first quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 32,065,440 shares of the mining companys stock worth $509,199,000 after buying an additional 4,912,454 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new position in Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. during the first quarter worth $63,988,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. by 20.6% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 5,749,782 shares of the mining companys stock worth $91,307,000 after buying an additional 982,785 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. by 189.8% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 346,379 shares of the mining companys stock worth $5,500,000 after buying an additional 732,158 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB bought a new position in Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. during the first quarter worth $7,082,000. Get Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In BVN has been the subject of a number of research reports. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a sector underperform rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 19th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and raised their price target for the stock from $19.00 to $21.00 in a report on Friday, June 21st. Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. Trading Up 8.2 % NYSE:BVN opened at $13.53 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 225.50 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $14.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.98. Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. has a 12 month low of $7.73 and a 12 month high of $18.84. Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. (NYSE:BVN Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The mining company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $277.11 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $252.21 million. Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. had a return on equity of 3.17% and a net margin of 9.54%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.03) earnings per share. Analysts expect that Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. will post 1.41 EPS for the current fiscal year. About Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. (Free Report) Compania de Minas Buenaventura SAA. engages in the exploration, development, construction, and operation of mineral processing business. The company explores for gold, silver, lead, zinc, and copper metals. It operates operating mining units, including Tambomayo located in the Caylloma province, Orcopampa Unit located in the province of Castilla, Uchucchacua located in province of Oyon, Julcani located in province of Angaraes, Peru, as well as San Gabrie located in the province of General Sanchez Cerro, in the Moquegua region. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BVN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. (NYSE:BVN Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. One Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C Free Report) by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 152,837 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 5,606 shares during the period. One Capital Management LLCs holdings in Citigroup were worth $9,699,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. MONECO Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Citigroup by 2.9% in the second quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC now owns 5,542 shares of the companys stock valued at $352,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Citigroup by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 4,295 shares of the companys stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC raised its stake in Citigroup by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 6,288 shares of the companys stock worth $398,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. lifted its position in Citigroup by 1.0% in the second quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. now owns 16,596 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,053,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gries Financial LLC boosted its stake in Citigroup by 3.0% in the second quarter. Gries Financial LLC now owns 6,000 shares of the companys stock valued at $381,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.72% of the companys stock. Get Citigroup alerts: Citigroup Price Performance Shares of C opened at $57.67 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The stocks 50 day moving average is $61.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.38. Citigroup Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.17 and a twelve month high of $67.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $110.00 billion, a PE ratio of 16.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.45. Citigroup Increases Dividend Citigroup ( NYSE:C Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 12th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $20.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.07 billion. Citigroup had a return on equity of 6.26% and a net margin of 4.95%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.37 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Citigroup Inc. will post 5.81 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, August 5th were paid a $0.56 dividend. This is an increase from Citigroups previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.88%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 5th. Citigroups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.75%. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Citigroup from $66.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Argus boosted their price objective on Citigroup from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, July 15th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Citigroup from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Citigroup from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Citigroup from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Citigroup presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $68.25. View Our Latest Stock Report on Citigroup About Citigroup (Free Report) Citigroup Inc, a diversified financial service holding company, provides various financial product and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions worldwide. It operates through five segments: Services, Markets, Banking, U.S. Personal Banking, and Wealth. The Services segment includes Treasury and Trade Solutions, which provides cash management, trade, and working capital solutions to multinational corporations, financial institutions, and public sector organizations; and Securities Services, such as cross-border support for clients, local market expertise, post-trade technologies, data solutions, and various securities services solutions. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding C? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Citigroup Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Citigroup and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Perissos Private Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG Free Report) by 4,862.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,002 shares of the restaurant operators stock after purchasing an additional 12,740 shares during the quarter. Perissos Private Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $815,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CMG. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the first quarter worth about $53,979,000. Transform Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4,760.7% during the 2nd quarter. Transform Wealth LLC now owns 9,527 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $597,000 after buying an additional 9,331 shares during the period. First Hawaiian Bank lifted its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4,731.0% during the 2nd quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 17,150 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $1,074,000 after acquiring an additional 16,795 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4,747.7% in the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 20,409 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $1,279,000 after acquiring an additional 19,988 shares during the period. Finally, MJP Associates Inc. ADV grew its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5,588.0% in the second quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 12,798 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $802,000 after acquiring an additional 12,573 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.31% of the companys stock. Get Chipotle Mexican Grill alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of research firms have recently commented on CMG. Truist Financial reissued a buy rating and set a $69.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $54.50 to $55.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Raymond James dropped their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $70.00 to $62.50 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Argus boosted their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $73.36 to $77.76 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $62.36. Insider Activity at Chipotle Mexican Grill In other Chipotle Mexican Grill news, Director Robin S. Hickenlooper sold 1,790 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.38, for a total value of $100,920.20. Following the sale, the director now owns 41,510 shares in the company, valued at $2,340,333.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Curtis E. Garner sold 15,750 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.02, for a total transaction of $866,565.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 473,514 shares in the company, valued at $26,052,740.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robin S. Hickenlooper sold 1,790 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.38, for a total transaction of $100,920.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 41,510 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,340,333.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,934 shares of company stock worth $1,918,589 in the last ninety days. 1.02% of the stock is owned by insiders. Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance NYSE:CMG opened at $56.12 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $54.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $81.09. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 12-month low of $35.37 and a 12-month high of $69.26. Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The restaurant operator reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.94 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 44.01% and a net margin of 13.23%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 18.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $12.65 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.08 EPS for the current fiscal year. Chipotle Mexican Grill Profile (Free Report) Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. It sells food and beverages through offering burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, tacos, and salads. The company also provides delivery and related services its app and website. It has operations in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. (NYSE:RYAM Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 791,700 shares, a drop of 28.0% from the August 15th total of 1,100,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 524,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days. Approximately 1.3% of the shares of the company are short sold. Rayonier Advanced Materials Price Performance NYSE RYAM traded up $0.27 on Friday, hitting $7.75. 524,697 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 454,672. Rayonier Advanced Materials has a 1-year low of $2.66 and a 1-year high of $7.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $6.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The company has a market cap of $510.65 million, a P/E ratio of -4.81 and a beta of 3.00. Get Rayonier Advanced Materials alerts: Rayonier Advanced Materials (NYSE:RYAM Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $419.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $407.10 million. Rayonier Advanced Materials had a negative return on equity of 3.96% and a negative net margin of 4.82%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.25) EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Rayonier Advanced Materials will post -0.36 EPS for the current year. Institutional Trading of Rayonier Advanced Materials Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Rayonier Advanced Materials in the second quarter worth $29,000. Simplicity Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rayonier Advanced Materials in the first quarter worth about $59,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new position in shares of Rayonier Advanced Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $61,000. Truist Financial Corp acquired a new position in shares of Rayonier Advanced Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Finally, Aristides Capital LLC bought a new stake in Rayonier Advanced Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.64% of the companys stock. A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Rayonier Advanced Materials from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Rayonier Advanced Materials from $7.00 to $9.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Get Our Latest Report on Rayonier Advanced Materials Rayonier Advanced Materials Company Profile (Get Free Report) Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc manufactures and sells cellulose specialty products in the United States, China, Latin America, Canada, Japan, Europe, Latin America, other Asian countries, and internationally. It operates through High Purity Cellulose, Paperboard, and High-Yield Pulp segments. The company's products include cellulose specialties, which are natural polymers that are used as raw materials to manufacture a range of consumer-oriented products, such as liquid crystal displays, impact-resistant plastics, thickeners for food products, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, cigarette filters, high-tenacity rayon yarn for tires and industrial hoses, food casings, paints, and lacquers. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Rayonier Advanced Materials Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rayonier Advanced Materials and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (OTCMKTS:PBCRY Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 103,300 shares, a drop of 22.3% from the August 15th total of 133,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 46,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days. PT Bank Central Asia Tbk Stock Performance Shares of OTCMKTS PBCRY opened at $16.85 on Monday. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $16.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.48. PT Bank Central Asia Tbk has a 52-week low of $13.06 and a 52-week high of $17.53. Get PT Bank Central Asia Tbk alerts: PT Bank Central Asia Tbk Company Profile (Get Free Report) Featured Stories PT Bank Central Asia Tbk, together with its subsidiaries, provides banking products and services to individual, corporate, and small and medium enterprise customers in Indonesia and internationally. It offers savings accounts; motorcycle financing and vehicle, housing, and personal loans; mutual funds and bonds; insurance, including property, life, accident, auto, health, education, retirement, travel, and heritage protection; electronic money services; credit cards; business collection services; and eBanking, remittance, and customer services. Receive News & Ratings for PT Bank Central Asia Tbk Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PT Bank Central Asia Tbk and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Raia Drogasil S.A. (OTCMKTS:RADLY Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 18,200 shares, a decline of 28.6% from the August 15th total of 25,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 14,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.3 days. Raia Drogasil Stock Down 2.9 % Shares of RADLY traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $4.70. 19,400 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 30,782. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $5.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $5.13. Raia Drogasil has a 52 week low of $3.87 and a 52 week high of $14.00. Get Raia Drogasil alerts: Raia Drogasil Cuts Dividend The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.0059 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 18th. Raia Drogasil Company Profile Raia Drogasil SA engages in the retail sale of medicines, perfumery, personal care and beauty products, cosmetics, dermocosmetics, and specialty medicines in Brazil. It also markets its goods through telesales and call centers in the states of Sao Paulo, Tocantins, and Pernambuco. The company was founded in 1905 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Raia Drogasil Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Raia Drogasil and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ Free Report) by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 9,195 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLCs holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,344,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meridian Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter valued at $1,626,000. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 26.3% in the 1st quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,392 shares of the companys stock worth $853,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122 shares during the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 9,111 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,428,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% during the first quarter. Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC now owns 47,186 shares of the companys stock worth $7,464,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 8.8% in the first quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 26,539 shares of the companys stock worth $4,044,000 after purchasing an additional 2,151 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Johnson & Johnson alerts: Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at $3,131,683.38. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several brokerages have issued reports on JNJ. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $173.21. Check Out Our Latest Report on Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance Shares of JNJ stock opened at $165.52 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $159.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $153.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $398.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.53. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $143.13 and a 12-month high of $168.85. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $22.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.33 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.60% and a net margin of 46.34%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.80 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.02 EPS for the current year. Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th were paid a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 27th. Johnson & Johnsons dividend payout ratio is currently 30.92%. Johnson & Johnson Profile (Free Report) Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, researches, develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the healthcare field worldwide. The company's Innovative Medicine segment offers products for various therapeutic areas, such as immunology, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis; infectious diseases comprising HIV/AIDS; neuroscience, consisting of mood disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and schizophrenia; oncology, such as prostate cancer, hematologic malignancies, lung cancer, and bladder cancer; cardiovascular and metabolism, including thrombosis, diabetes, and macular degeneration; and pulmonary hypertension comprising pulmonary arterial hypertension through retailers, wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, and healthcare professionals for prescription use. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding JNJ? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Johnson & Johnson Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Johnson & Johnson and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. A group of bicyclists known as a bike bus congregate in Golden Gate Park at 7:30 a.m. before commuting to local San Francisco schools. Benjamin Fanjoy/Special to the Chronicle 2022 With the San Francisco Unified School District back in session, along with the citys private schools, the negative impacts of an under-discussed problem in our city are once again becoming obvious: Far too many of our students are driven to school. According to the San Francisco County Transportation Authoritys 2023 School Access Plan Report, 56% of the districts fifth-grade students and about 53% of kindergarten students are driven to school. About 26% of kindergarteners and 27% of fifth-grade students walk to school, and about 16% of both grades take a bus. A measly 0.7% of fifth-graders and 2.5% of kindergarteners get to school on bike. All this even though more than 72% of the districts elementary school students live within 2 miles of their school. Even with the districts proposed elementary student assignment policy which when implemented will result in most students ending up at a school near their home this situation is unlikely to get much better. The new school zones will be relatively large and might still require significant travel for kids. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The result? First, the obvious: traffic and congestion. According to multiple studies, including one cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, school drop-offs increase morning car traffic the type of traffic everyone hates 20% to 30%. That increased car traffic makes it more difficult for other people to get around and contributes to the noise, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that hurt our city and worsen the climate crisis. Secondly, car usage negatively impacts the health and well-being of children, their parents and caregivers, school staff and all San Franciscans. As studies show, driving or being driven in a car decreases ones physical health and financial stability, and increases harmful noise, air particles and car crashes that result in people being killed or injured; 85% of roadway fatalities in San Francisco during 2023 involved a car. A similar percentage holds for the approximately 3,000 nonfatal injuries each year. Finally, children being driven to school can lead to loneliness and social isolation. Advertisement Article continues below this ad While walking, biking or taking public transportation increases connection with ones community, using a car does the opposite, as studies have shown. This is at a time when we need all the connection and community we can get. Like many issues in our city, school drop-offs are a policy and infrastructure failure. We need more children and families to walk, bike and take public transportation to school. Helping people shift trips from cars to sustainable modes will transform our city, with benefits for all San Franciscans including increased civic engagement. Bikes provide people with a joyful, healthy and sustainable way to get to school without a big-time financial commitment or physical exertion as walking can be for some. It also costs the city little compared with public transportation upgrades. The most effective way to help people shift trips from cars to bikes is to make getting around safe, convenient and reliable. Advertisement Article continues below this ad As a co-founder and organizer for SF Bike Bus, I help children and families bike to school in so-called bike buses safe, social, organized group rides. Our largest rides have helped over 50 children and families get to school at a time. Its a fun, safe and social way to get around. While the bike bus movement is gaining traction and getting international attention, bike buses are difficult to launch, grow and sustain. And they dont provide a permanent solution like infrastructure protected bike lanes and low-traffic streets. San Franciscans say they want to use bikes to get around, but they need to feel safe to do so. One poll by GrowSF found that 43% of San Franciscans would be more likely to use a bike or scooter if there was a connected network of protected bike lanes. Building this citywide connected network of protected bike lanes, consisting exclusively of curbside or sidewalk-level bikeways fully separated from car traffic, would instantly result in more people using bikes to get around, including children and families going to school. Another effective solution would be an electric bike incentive program, which would make buying or leasing an e-bike more affordable for people interested in switching trips from cars to bikes. About 14% of e-bike incentive recipients in San Mateo a car-oriented suburb with inadequate bike infrastructure switched their primary mode of transportation to their e-bike after buying it. Recipients in other cities have reduced car travel by up to 40%. Helping more families in San Francisco get e-bikes and family cargo bikes would result in them biking their children to school and using the bikes to do grocery shopping and other errands and shift other trips from cars to bikes. About Opinion Guest opinions in Open Forum and Insight are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. Their views do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership. Read more about our transparency and ethics policies These infrastructure and policy solutions would decrease car traffic, noise, air pollution, climate emissions and social isolation while increasing connection and the physical, emotional and mental health of children, families and all San Franciscans. They would also save families and our city money that is wasted on cars and car infrastructure. These proposed changes also align with the goals and values our elected officials claim to prioritize climate action and the Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic fatalities. Advertisement Article continues below this ad SM Energy (NYSE:SM Free Report) had its price objective decreased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $55.00 to $50.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the energy companys stock. SM has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Stephens reissued an overweight rating and issued a $63.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a report on Thursday, June 27th. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. raised SM Energy from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Tudor Pickering upgraded SM Energy to a strong-buy rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on SM Energy from $49.00 to $46.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a sector perform rating and set a $54.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $53.78. Get SM Energy alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on SM SM Energy Price Performance Shares of SM Energy stock opened at $39.16 on Thursday. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $43.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.73. SM Energy has a twelve month low of $34.13 and a twelve month high of $53.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.14 and a beta of 4.18. SM Energy (NYSE:SM Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The energy company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.28. SM Energy had a net margin of 33.18% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The firm had revenue of $634.56 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $616.63 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.28 earnings per share. SM Energys revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 7.57 earnings per share for the current year. SM Energy Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 19th were given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 19th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. SM Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.29%. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SM. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in SM Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $5,614,000. Foundry Partners LLC grew its position in SM Energy by 1,733.5% during the first quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 102,307 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $5,100,000 after purchasing an additional 96,727 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in SM Energy by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,593,103 shares of the energy companys stock worth $61,685,000 after buying an additional 64,781 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in SM Energy during the first quarter valued at $710,000. Finally, Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its position in SM Energy by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 198,380 shares of the energy companys stock worth $7,681,000 after purchasing an additional 21,102 shares during the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. SM Energy Company Profile (Get Free Report) SM Energy Company, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil, gas, and natural gas liquids in the state of Texas. It has working interests in oil and gas producing wells in the Midland Basin and South Texas. The company was formerly known as St. Read More Receive News & Ratings for SM Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for SM Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEARCA:GLD Free Report) by 10.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,786 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 3,136 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in SPDR Gold Shares were worth $5,759,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its position in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 23.6% during the 1st quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 5,649,510 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,162,217,000 after acquiring an additional 1,079,452 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 10,133.3% during the 4th quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC now owns 2,662,393 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $508,970,000 after acquiring an additional 2,636,376 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,128,933 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $242,732,000 after acquiring an additional 28,683 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 1,007,710 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $216,668,000 after acquiring an additional 70,290 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 857,981 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $184,474,000 after acquiring an additional 54,974 shares during the period. 42.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get SPDR Gold Shares alerts: SPDR Gold Shares Trading Up 1.0 % GLD stock opened at $238.68 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $227.10 and a 200-day moving average of $217.61. SPDR Gold Shares has a 12-month low of $168.30 and a 12-month high of $238.98. SPDR Gold Shares Company Profile SPDR Gold Trust (the Trust) is an investment trust. The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold bullion, less the Trusts expenses. The Trusts business activity is the investment of gold. The Trust creates and redeems Shares from time to time, but in one or more Baskets (a Basket equals a block of 100,000 Shares). Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GLD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEARCA:GLD Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for SPDR Gold Shares Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for SPDR Gold Shares and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Spectrum Wealth Counsel LLC acquired a new stake in GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE:GEV Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 159 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $27,000. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in GEV. Anderson Hoagland & Co. acquired a new position in shares of GE Vernova in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,720,000. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System acquired a new stake in GE Vernova during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,892,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in GE Vernova during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $673,000. Boit C F David acquired a new stake in GE Vernova during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $149,000. Finally, ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new stake in GE Vernova during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Get GE Vernova alerts: GE Vernova Trading Up 4.8 % Shares of GEV opened at $225.59 on Monday. GE Vernova Inc. has a 12-month low of $115.00 and a 12-month high of $228.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $181.89. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth GE Vernova ( NYSE:GEV Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $8.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.42 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that GE Vernova Inc. will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of GE Vernova in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. They set a neutral rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. Argus assumed coverage on shares of GE Vernova in a research report on Thursday, June 13th. They set a buy rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of GE Vernova from $220.00 to $256.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday. William Blair assumed coverage on shares of GE Vernova in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. They set an outperform rating for the company. Finally, Daiwa America raised shares of GE Vernova to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $203.03. Check Out Our Latest Analysis on GEV About GE Vernova (Free Report) GE Vernova LLC, an energy business company, generates electricity. It operates under three segments: Power, Wind, and Electrification. The Power segments generates and sells electricity through hydro, gas, nuclear, and steam power. Wind segment engages in the manufacturing and sale of wind turbine blades; and Electrification segment provides grid solutions, power conversion, solar, and storage solutions. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GEV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE:GEV Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for GE Vernova Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for GE Vernova and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Issuer Direct (NYSE:ISDR Free Report) in a report released on Thursday morning. The firm issued a buy rating on the stock. Issuer Direct Trading Up 1.2 % Shares of NYSE ISDR opened at $10.66 on Thursday. Issuer Direct has a one year low of $7.61 and a one year high of $20.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.69 million, a PE ratio of 53.30 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $9.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.49. Get Issuer Direct alerts: Issuer Direct (NYSE:ISDR Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.02. Issuer Direct had a positive return on equity of 5.86% and a negative net margin of 1.97%. The firm had revenue of $7.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.62 million. As a group, analysts predict that Issuer Direct will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Insider Activity About Issuer Direct In other news, insider Topline Capital Management, Ll purchased 4,744 shares of Issuer Direct stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $7.80 per share, for a total transaction of $37,003.20. Following the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 662,855 shares in the company, valued at $5,170,269. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink . In other news, insider Topline Capital Management, Ll purchased 4,744 shares of Issuer Direct stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $7.80 per share, for a total transaction of $37,003.20. Following the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 662,855 shares in the company, valued at $5,170,269. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink . Also, major shareholder Topline Capital Partners, Lp acquired 4,114 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $9.76 per share, for a total transaction of $40,152.64. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 709,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,922,416.64. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here . Insiders bought a total of 51,153 shares of company stock worth $444,409 in the last three months. 26.08% of the stock is owned by insiders. (Get Free Report) Issuer Direct Corporation operates as a communications and compliance company, provides solutions for both public relations and investor relations professionals in the United States and internationally. The company provides press release distribution, media databases, media monitoring, and newsrooms through media advantage platform; ACCESSWIRE, a news dissemination and media outreach service; and Webcaster Platform, a cloud-based webcast, webinar, and virtual meeting platform that delivers live and on-demand streaming of events to audiences of various sizes, as well as allows customers to create, produce, and deliver events. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Issuer Direct Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Issuer Direct and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC boosted its position in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS Free Report) by 19.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 955 shares of the investment management companys stock after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLCs holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $432,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Waldron Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,399 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $1,085,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. lifted its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 2,727 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $1,233,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. boosted its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 1,975 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $893,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 1,564 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $653,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,019 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $913,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.21% of the companys stock. Get The Goldman Sachs Group alerts: Insider Activity In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, insider Brian J. Lee sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,095 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,119,949.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, insider Brian J. Lee sold 3,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,095 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,119,949.05. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas K. Montag sold 10,000 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.04, for a total transaction of $5,050,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,287,748. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.54% of the stock is owned by insiders. The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance GS opened at $478.99 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $490.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $451.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $289.36 and a 1 year high of $517.26. The stock has a market cap of $154.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.70, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.36. The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 15th. The investment management company reported $8.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.52 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $12.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.60 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 9.36%. Analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 35.5 EPS for the current fiscal year. The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a dividend of $3.00 per share. This is a positive change from The Goldman Sachs Groups previous quarterly dividend of $2.75. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.51%. The Goldman Sachs Groups dividend payout ratio is 46.86%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of brokerages recently weighed in on GS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $464.00 to $472.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a sector perform rating and set a $500.00 price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price 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. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $513.00 to $561.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $475.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $496.44. Read Our Latest Stock Report on The Goldman Sachs Group The Goldman Sachs Group Profile (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. See Also Receive News & Ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC lifted its holdings in Green Dot Co. (NYSE:GDOT Free Report) by 24.9% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 525,377 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 104,829 shares during the quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLCs holdings in Green Dot were worth $4,965,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Green Dot by 162.0% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,602 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,609 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Green Dot during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Green Dot by 89.2% in the first quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,743 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,293 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Green Dot by 98.3% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,855 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,415 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Green Dot by 39.2% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,006 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 1,691 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.56% of the companys stock. Get Green Dot alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a market perform rating and issued a $11.00 price objective on shares of Green Dot in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Green Dot has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $10.75. Green Dot Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:GDOT opened at $11.52 on Monday. Green Dot Co. has a 1 year low of $7.30 and a 1 year high of $14.83. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $612.98 million, a P/E ratio of -24.51 and a beta of 0.91. Green Dot (NYSE:GDOT Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.02. Green Dot had a negative net margin of 3.41% and a positive return on equity of 4.01%. The business had revenue of $407.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $381.87 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.20 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Green Dot Co. will post 1 earnings per share for the current year. Green Dot Company Profile (Free Report) Green Dot Corporation, a financial technology and registered bank holding company, provides various financial services to consumers and businesses in the United States. It operates through three segments: Consumer Services, Business to Business Services, and Money Movement Services. The company provides deposit account programs, including consumer and small business checking account products, network-branded reloadable prepaid debit cards and gift cards, and secured credit programs. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GDOT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Green Dot Co. (NYSE:GDOT Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Green Dot Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Green Dot and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Topel & Distasi Wealth Management LLC trimmed its stake in Vanguard Real Estate ETF (NYSEARCA:VNQ Free Report) by 9.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,491 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 1,178 shares during the quarter. Topel & Distasi Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Vanguard Real Estate ETF were worth $962,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vanguard Real Estate ETF by 87.5% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,746,686 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $861,217,000 after acquiring an additional 4,547,415 shares during the period. Board of Trustees of The Leland Stanford Junior University bought a new position in shares of Vanguard Real Estate ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $150,204,000. Beacon Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vanguard Real Estate ETF by 223.8% during the 1st quarter. Beacon Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,857,598 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $157,952,000 after acquiring an additional 1,283,964 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Vanguard Real Estate ETF by 376.1% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 1,367,653 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $118,275,000 after acquiring an additional 1,080,371 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Vanguard Real Estate ETF by 199.2% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,242,219 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $107,427,000 after acquiring an additional 826,971 shares during the period. Get Vanguard Real Estate ETF alerts: Vanguard Real Estate ETF Trading Up 1.0 % Shares of NYSEARCA VNQ opened at $98.64 on Monday. Vanguard Real Estate ETF has a 12 month low of $70.61 and a 12 month high of $98.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $91.53 and a 200-day moving average of $86.29. The company has a market capitalization of $38.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.09 and a beta of 1.03. Vanguard Real Estate ETF Profile Vanguard REIT ETF (the Fund) is an open-end investment company. The Fund invests in stocks issued by real estate investment trusts (REITs), companies that purchase office buildings, hotels, and other real property. It tracks the return of the MSCI US RIT Index, a gauge of real estate stocks. The Vanguard Group, Inc provides investment advisory services to the Fund. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Vanguard Real Estate ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vanguard Real Estate ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ithaka Group LLC lowered its holdings in Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER Free Report) by 0.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 133,448 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock after selling 827 shares during the period. Uber Technologies makes up 1.8% of Ithaka Group LLCs holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Ithaka Group LLCs holdings in Uber Technologies were worth $9,699,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Uber Technologies by 222.7% in the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 355 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. boosted its holdings in Uber Technologies by 111.6% in the first quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 383 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its holdings in Uber Technologies by 563.9% in the second quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 405 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the period. J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in Uber Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Uber Technologies by 1,038.5% in the 2nd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the period. 80.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Uber Technologies alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In other Uber Technologies news, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi sold 500,000 shares of Uber Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.91, for a total value of $35,955,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,266,114 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $91,046,257.74. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 3.84% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Uber Technologies Trading Up 6.4 % Shares of Uber Technologies stock opened at $72.48 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $69.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $70.89. The stock has a market cap of $151.45 billion, a PE ratio of 116.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Uber Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $40.09 and a 12-month high of $82.14. Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The ride-sharing company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.16. Uber Technologies had a return on equity of 17.06% and a net margin of 5.02%. The business had revenue of $10.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.18 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Uber Technologies, Inc. will post 1.06 EPS for the current fiscal year. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth UBER has been the topic of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Uber Technologies from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Uber Technologies from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a buy rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Uber Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Uber Technologies in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They set an overweight rating and a $90.00 price target for the company. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a buy rating and issued a $88.00 price objective on shares of Uber Technologies in a report on Friday, September 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Uber Technologies has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $87.60. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Uber Technologies About Uber Technologies (Free Report) Uber Technologies, Inc develops and operates proprietary technology applications in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia excluding China and Southeast Asia. It operates through three segments: Mobility, Delivery, and Freight. The Mobility segment connects consumers with a range of transportation modalities, such as ridesharing, carsharing, micromobility, rentals, public transit, taxis, and other modalities; and offers riders in a variety of vehicle types, as well as financial partnerships products and advertising services. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UBER? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Uber Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Uber Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Walter Public Investments Inc. cut its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR Free Report) by 0.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 77,842 shares of the business services providers stock after selling 112 shares during the period. Broadridge Financial Solutions accounts for approximately 2.8% of Walter Public Investments Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Walter Public Investments Inc. owned 0.07% of Broadridge Financial Solutions worth $15,335,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Garrison Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Garrison Asset Management LLC now owns 17,943 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $3,535,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 21.4% during the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,698 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $2,502,000 after buying an additional 2,235 shares during the period. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in the 2nd quarter worth about $431,000. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 13,247 shares of the business services providers stock worth $2,610,000 after buying an additional 273 shares during the period. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 40,038 shares of the business services providers stock worth $7,888,000 after acquiring an additional 1,787 shares in the last quarter. 90.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Broadridge Financial Solutions alerts: Insider Transactions at Broadridge Financial Solutions In related news, President Christopher John Perry sold 17,534 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.41, for a total transaction of $3,741,930.94. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 50,237 shares in the company, valued at $10,721,078.17. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, President Christopher John Perry sold 17,534 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.41, for a total transaction of $3,741,930.94. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 50,237 shares in the company, valued at $10,721,078.17. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Timothy C. Gokey sold 25,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.11, for a total transaction of $5,227,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 200,675 shares of the companys stock, valued at $41,963,149.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 134,386 shares of company stock worth $28,112,824 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.60% of the companys stock. Broadridge Financial Solutions Stock Up 0.7 % BR stock opened at $211.95 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.08. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a 1-year low of $166.73 and a 1-year high of $223.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.17 and a beta of 1.05. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $209.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $203.14. Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The business services provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.49 by $0.01. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a net margin of 10.73% and a return on equity of 42.77%. The business had revenue of $1.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.21 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 8.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Broadridge Financial Solutions Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. This is a boost from Broadridge Financial Solutionss previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 12th. Broadridge Financial Solutionss dividend payout ratio is presently 54.61%. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson restated a neutral rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a report on Tuesday, June 11th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $239.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $224.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Broadridge Financial Solutions from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $213.33. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on BR Broadridge Financial Solutions Profile (Free Report) Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for the financial services industry. The company's Investor Communication Solutions segment processes and distributes proxy materials to investors in equity securities and mutual funds, as well as facilitates related vote processing services; and distributes regulatory reports, class action, and corporate action/reorganization event information, as well as tax reporting solutions. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Broadridge Financial Solutions Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Broadridge Financial Solutions and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com lowered shares of Yiren Digital (NYSE:YRD Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report released on Thursday. Yiren Digital Stock Performance Shares of Yiren Digital stock opened at $4.50 on Thursday. Yiren Digital has a one year low of $2.16 and a one year high of $5.80. The company has a market capitalization of $391.19 million, a PE ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $4.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $4.83. Get Yiren Digital alerts: Yiren Digital (NYSE:YRD Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The technology company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $205.93 million for the quarter. Yiren Digital had a return on equity of 24.38% and a net margin of 37.05%. Yiren Digital Cuts Dividend Institutional Inflows and Outflows The firm also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in Yiren Digital during the second quarter worth approximately $70,000. Advisors Preferred LLC purchased a new position in shares of Yiren Digital during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $76,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Yiren Digital during the first quarter valued at $72,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Yiren Digital by 6.3% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 432,950 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $1,943,000 after purchasing an additional 25,811 shares during the period. Finally, Banco BTG Pactual S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Yiren Digital during the 1st quarter worth about $223,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 1.99% of the companys stock. About Yiren Digital (Get Free Report) Yiren Digital Ltd. provides financial services through an AI-powered platform in China. Its platform provides a suite of financial and lifestyle services. The company offers financial services, which provides a portfolio of loan products to borrowers; insurance brokerage services; and consumption and lifestyle services, including non-financial products and services to meet various consumer needs. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Yiren Digital Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Yiren Digital and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Crews work to prepare for Salesforces annual global event, Dreamforce, in San Francisco on Sunday. The three-day event features topics on innovating technologies, including AI and GenAI to improving customer experiences through data and education technology. Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle Dreamforce, a three-day event centered at Moscone Center, is expected to attract more than 40,000 people. Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle Crews work to prepare for Dreamforce, which begins Tuesday at the Moscone Center. Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle Dreamforce, San Franciscos biggest conference, returns this week with around 45,000 attendees flocking to Moscone Center. Hotel rooms around downtown have spiked to as much as $1,000 per night and a block of Howard Street is cordoned off for last-minute construction on Monday, as workers put the finishing touches on everything from fake waterfalls to concert stages to an expo floor. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The event, which runs from Tuesday through Thursday, and is organized by tech giant Salesforce, is about 5,000 people larger than last year with the biggest attendance expected since COVID. Events will fill the convention center and spill over to part of the InterContinental Hotel on Fifth Street, Salesforce Tower and Yerba Buenas Blue Shield of California Theater. A whopping $93 million in local spending is projected and around 1,400 event staff were hired, a boost to the citys tourism sector after a weaker convention calendar in 2024, compared with last year. Weve been expanding the footprint, said Ariel Kelman, a Salesforce president and chief marketing officer. Theres just tons of demand at the conference. He bills it as the largest artificial intelligence event in the world, as the industry booms. Crews work to lay fake grass on Howard Street as a part of the Dream Forest in preparation for Salesforces annual global event, Dreamforce, which is expected to bring in $93 million in local spending. Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle AI has long been a part of Dreamforce a cartoon Albert Einstein mascot was splashed around the conference to signify the companys AI products for years but its become the overwhelming focus since around 2022. That coincides with San Franciscos rise as the global epicenter of AI, which has helped boost its economy and image as it has struggled with remote works impacts. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Speakers at this years event include tech heavyweights like AI firm Anthropics President Daniela Amodei and Lisa Su, CEO of chipmaker AMD, which powers AI. Salesforce will be using the conference to showcase its new Agentforce product, which uses AI to automate customer support tasks, with attendee demos. Kelman expects around 3,500 people to customize and build their own agent at Dreamforce through educational sessions. The product is already being used by some clients like school textbooks company Wiley and restaurant bookings firm OpenTable, Kelman said. A floating Einstein head can be seen in the Agentforce launch zone ahead of Dreamforce. Weve been expanding the footprint, said Ariel Kelman, a Salesforce president and chief marketing officer who bills the event as the largest artificial intelligence event in the world. Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle At the same time, Kelman said, the event has cut down on attendee gifts like free water bottles and printed-out brochures, to reduce waste and be more sustainable. Weve cut down on swag dramatically, he said. Beef was cut from the menu years ago and this year there will be no pork or almonds, which use a substantial amount of water to grow. Theres also the usual mix of pop culture stars, such as actors Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Edward Norton and John Mulaney. Restaurateur and entrepreneur Ayesha Curry, the wife of Warriors star Stephen Curry, is also speaking. Musical stars Pink and Imagine Dragons will perform at Oracle Park as part of the conference, after headliner Elton John canceled. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Two notable Republican politicians, former House Speaker Paul Ryan and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox will also appear. We want to have a broad mix of people, said Kelman, adding that a four-day conference cant just do product training sessions all day. Mayor London Breed will also be speaking at the event, and her office hailed it as another sign of downtowns comeback. Crews work in the Lodge Village room to prepare for Salesforces annual global event, Dreamforce, in San Francisco. Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle San Francisco is proud to welcome Dreamforce back with its largest crowd in years. Not only are we excited about the energy that Dreamforce brings to our City, but we know our restaurants, hotels, and small businesses will benefit from the tens of thousands of visitors flooding Union Square, Yerba Buena, and the surrounding area, a Breed spokesperson said in a statement. This will be another major boost for Downtown and we are ready to make sure our visitors feel welcome, safe, and supported when they come to San Francisco. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Salesforce has not commented on Dreamforce location plans for next year, but Kelman said that the city has been a tremendous partner. CEO Marc Benioff also gushed about the citys safety and cleanliness after last years event, after threatening to move the conference due to homelessness and drug impacts, which didnt happen. Apple has filed a motion to "voluntarily" dismiss its lawsuit against commercial spyware vendor NSO Group, citing a shifting risk landscape that could lead to exposure of critical "threat intelligence" information. The development was first reported by The Washington Post on Friday. The iPhone maker said its efforts, coupled with those of others in the industry and national governments to tackle the rise of commercial spyware, have "substantially weakened" the defendants. "At the same time, unfortunately, other malicious actors have arisen in the commercial spyware industry," the company said. "It is because of this combination of factors that Apple now seeks voluntary dismissal of this case." "While Apple continues to believe in the merits of its claims, it has also determined that proceeding further with this case has the potential to put vital security information at risk." Apple originally filed the lawsuit against the Israeli company in November 2021 in an attempt to hold it accountable for illegally targeting users with its Pegasus surveillance tool. It described NSO Group, a subsidiary of Q Cyber Technologies Limited, as "amoral 21st century mercenaries who have created highly sophisticated cyber-surveillance machinery that invites routine and flagrant abuse." Earlier this January, a federal judge denied a motion from NSO Group to dismiss the lawsuit under the grounds that the company is "based in Israel and Apple should have sued them there," with the court stating that "the anti-hacking purpose of the [Computer Fraud and Abuse Act] fits Apple's allegations to a T, and NSO has not shown otherwise." The global spyware market In its motion for voluntary dismissal, Apple said three major developments have been a contributing factor: The risk that the threat intelligence information it has developed to protect users against spyware attacks could be exposed, pointing to a July 25, 2024, report from The Guardian. The British newspaper revealed that Israeli officials had seized documents from NSO Group in July 2020 in an apparent effort to stop the handover of information about the notorious hacking tool as part of the company's ongoing legal tussle with Meta-owned WhatsApp, which filed a similar lawsuit in 2019. "The seizures were part of an unusual legal maneuver created by Israel to block the disclosure of information about Pegasus, which the government believed would cause 'serious diplomatic and security damage' to the country," The Guardian noted at the time. Apple also cited as reasons the changing dynamics in the commercial spyware industry and the proliferation of different spyware companies, as well as the possibility of revealing to third-parties "the information Apple uses to defeat spyware while defendants and others create significant obstacles to obtaining an effective remedy." The development comes as the Atlantic Council divulged that the individuals behind some of the spyware vendors in Israel, Italy, and India that have come under the scanner for enabling authoritarian regimes to spy on human rights advocates, opposition leaders, and journalists have sought to rename them, start new ones, or undertake strategic jurisdiction hopping. Case in point, Intellexa, the now-sanctioned company behind the Predator spyware, has resurfaced with new infrastructure in connection with its ongoing use by likely customers in countries such as Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Saudi Arabia. "Predator's operators have significantly enhanced their infrastructure, adding layers of complexity to evade detection," cybersecurity company Recorded Future's Insikt Group said. "The new infrastructure includes an additional tier in its multi-tiered delivery system, which anonymizes customer operations, making it even harder to identify which countries are using the spyware." NSO Group Responds Israeli company NSO Group has responded to Apple's motion to dismiss the lawsuit against it, stating it "agrees that this matter should be dismissed," and that it produces lawful-intercept technologies for government agencies to investigate crime and combat terrorism. It also said the tool is a response to the increased adoption of end-to-end encryption (E2EE) by companies that facilitate malicious actors to carry out narcotics trafficking, human trafficking, child exploitation, and other serious crimes. "Companies that provide E2EE technology and similar technologies have repeatedly refused to cooperate with law enforcement and intelligence agencies to counter these threats, including [Apple]," it noted in a court filing on September 27, 2024. "In contrast, NSO develops lawful-intercept tools like Pegasus that are necessary for our world to be safer." It further said Apple's grounds for seeking dismissal lack sufficient explanation and underscore a lack of diligence, stating the company's claims of having to reveal sensitive information is part of the discovery process and that there was always a "possibility that additional participants may enter a particular market." Lastly, NSO Group said it has not shared any confidential information produced by WhatsApp and Facebook in connection with a separate lawsuit to parties "not entitled to receive it under the applicable protective order." "Nobody has ever claimed that any information confidential to Apple or any other NSO adversary has been disclosed or leaked, and Apple irresponsibly suggests that NSO, its counsel, or anyone else would fail to preserve the security of Apple's confidential material." Vietnam likely earn $5 bln from rice exports this year By Vietnam News Agency Mon, September 16, 2024 | 10:48 pm GMT+7 Vietnams rice exports are expected to reach a record turnover of about $5 billion this year, as high demand from many large and traditional markets, such as the Philippines and Indonesia, continues. Vietnam exports 6.16 million tonnes of rice in the first eight months of 2024. Photo courtesy of Vietnam News Agency. Vietnam exported 6.16 million tonnes of rice in the first eight months of this year, up 5.9% over the same period last year, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). Revenue from rice exports reached nearly $3.85 billion, a year-on-year growth of 21.7%. According to the MARD, along with the increase in export volume, the average rice export price in the period rose about 14.8%, reaching $625 per tonne. In the domestic market, prices of many types of rice in the Mekong Delta region remained stable last week compared to the previous week. Director of the Crop Production Department under MARD, Nguyen Nhu Cuong, was quoted by the Cong thuong (Industry & Trade) newspaper as saying that the supply of some rice exporting countries now is limited. Both rice export volume and value have increased because the quality of Vietnamese rice is increasingly improved to meet the demanding needs of the world market. Local businesses have also achieved success in rice export negotiations with partners. Regarding the rice export market in the remaining months of 2024, Cuong said that the demand for rice imports from traditional customers of Vietnam such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, will continue to remain high. Vietnam's rice exporting enterprises are now also expanding into new markets, like the Middle East, Africa, South America, Japan and South Korea.Therefore, the total rice export in 2024 is forecasted to reach about eight million tonnes. MARD Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said Vietnam's rice growing area has decreased to 7.12 million hectares, but the export output continues to grow thanks to new rice varieties with higher yield and quality. With the increasing demand, Vietnam is expected to earn more than $5 billion this year from rice, a new record. Meanwhile, while companies are forecasting that exports will continue to be strong for the remaining months of the year, according to experts, the global rice trade market in 2024 still faces many challenges. These include a decrease in global rice supply due to the continued impacts from rice export bans of some countries (India, the UAE and Russia), climate change and the complicated geopolitical situation in many regions. To develop the rice export market, the Import-Export Department under Ministry of Industry and Trade, said that it will continue to implement flexible trade promotion activities to strengthen exports with Vietnam's traditional markets, such as Indonesia, Africa and China, while exploiting existing niche markets with fragrant and high-quality rice, including the EU, the Republic of Korea, the US and North American countries. In addition, it will maintain market information channels via Vietnam trade offices abroad to closely follow developments in the world market situation, especially in major markets. It will promptly propose measures to respond to unusual developments and promote rice exports. At the same time, it will coordinate with diplomatic missions and trade representative agencies abroad to continue supporting businesses in promoting rice exports. ST. GEORGESen. Vernon Stephens (D-39), Rep. Joseph Jefferson Jr. (D-102), and Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter (D-95) presented a $100,000 check to Medical Ministries Inc. on Thursday. This funding will help Medical Ministries continue their community work by covering medical supplies, administrative costs, and staff salaries. Medical Ministries check Sen. Vernon Stephens (D-39), Rep. Joseph Jefferson Jr. (D-102), and Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter (D-95) (not pictured) presented a $100,000 check to Stephens stated, We recognize a disparity exists in rural healthcare, and we are doing whatever it takes to bridge that gap. Rep. Jefferson, Rep. Cobb-Hunter, and I are excited that we are able to present a $100,000 check to Medical Ministries. We know they are doing good work in the community, and these funds will help them continue doing their good work. Get The Times and Democrat app today Local news has never been this personal. Free to download. Subscribers enjoy unlimited access. Medial Ministries LLC operates a healthcare clinic. It primarily serves as a general outpatient center, offering evaluations and treatments for various medical conditions. The clinic provides general healthcare services, typically through family medicine practitioners, and caters to patients of all ages. It focuses on essential care but is not specifically known for specialized medical services. Jefferson said, I am so impressed with the efforts being made by Medical Ministries; they are helping those who are unable to help themselves. We will continue to find resources and fund resources to help the people of South Carolina. You don't understand the impact this will make. There are so many people within the rural communities the (sic) don't understand that they have to have some quality healthcare. Some of our patients have not seen a doctor in 10 years, Bonnie Banks said. (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. You have reached a premium content area of Transitions. To read this entire article please login if you are already a Transitions subscriber. Not a subscriber? Subscribe today for access to: Full access to the website, including premium articles videos, country reports and searchable archives (containing over 25,000 articles). Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), one of the largest listed integrated utility companies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), announced on Monday a new brand identity for its group of companies. The move is a milestone in the transformation and growth of TAQA and underpins the companys strategy to grow through delivering integrated power and water services in the UAE and internationally. TAQA activities cover the entire utility value chain, including Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Water Solutions, and Energy Services. TAQA announced that Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC) and Al Ain Distribution Company (AADC) will be brought under a single new brand and will operate as a single entity serving customers throughout the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The new brand will be TAQA Distribution. This move brings scale to TAQAs customer facing business and will enable it to further develop its customer services, develop new products and services and to seek opportunities for further growth in the UAE and internationally. TAQA Distribution will also play a key role in TAQAs ambition to be a champion for low carbon power and water, strengthening its operational efficiency, operating and developing the distribution networks to maintain world class standards and working seamlessly with colleagues in TAQA Transmission, TAQA Water Solutions and TAQA Energy Services. In addition, TAQA will rebrand its wholly owned operating companies as follows: Abu Dhabi Transmission and Despatch Company (Transco) will become TAQA Transmission. Leading the operation and development of its domestic and international power and water transmission infrastructure. Sustainable Water Solutions Holdings (SWS Holdings) will be rebranded as TAQA Water Solutions. Leading the operation of our wastewater treatment facilities and the production of recycled water in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi Energy Services (ADES) will become TAQA Energy Services. Facilitating demand optimisation and providing tailored energy management solutions. This new brand structure is expected to significantly increase awareness and understanding of the scale and breadth of TAQAs utility activity which will support the next phase of the companys growth ambitions and strengthen its position as a UAE national champion. Jasim Husain Thabet, TAQAs Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, commented: In the past four years we have been driving improvements in the performance of TAQAs operating companies and growing our business. These changes to the brands of our operating companies will provide a major boost to the awareness and understanding of the scale and breadth of TAQAs role in Abu Dhabi and the scope of our activities as one of the largest integrated utilities in EMEA and a national champion for the UAE. Our increased visibility and awareness will support our continued efforts to grow in the UAE and internationally as prospective partners will more readily understand the full extent of what we can do. TAQAs operations underpin part of the daily life of millions of people globally through the power and water services we provide. We take our responsibility very seriously and are determined to continue to be at the heart of the UAE drive towards net zero and to play our role in the energy transition. Omar Al Hashmi, TAQA Distributions incoming Chief Executive Officer, added: ADDC and AADC have powered our communities for decades, ensuring that essential energy and water is delivered to every home in Abu Dhabi. Unifying the two will create a distribution powerhouse, with the scale and capability to support TAQAs overarching mission of being a low-carbon power and water champion. "Combining the strengths and talents of both into a single entity will enhance the service we provide to our customers while also creating a more dynamic and more innovative organisation. As TAQA Distribution, we are committed to continuing to serve our communities while adhering to the utmost standards of excellence. "Customers will see the new TAQA Distribution brand on their electricity and water bills and in our branches from January 2025. Moving into 2025, the rebrand will allow TAQAs market leading businesses to build on their track record of operational excellence, with a continued focus on building its digital and advanced technology capabilities and strengthening its strategic partnerships to support TAQAs long-term growth in line with the Groups sustainability and ESG targets. - TradeArabia News Service Mayor London Breed and public safety leaders presented new mobile surveillance cameras at Pier 30/32 on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in San Francisco, Calif. Manuel Orbegozo/Special to the Chronicle The sort of pole-topping, mobile security cameras best known for looming over the parking lots of big-box stores are now getting a government job in San Francisco, where they will monitor the citys high-crime zones when police officers are away. Mayor London Breed unveiled the new fleet of camera trailers Monday as the latest addition in a wave of high-tech crime-fighting tools. The initial three cameras are launching weeks after city officials announced a new system of police-operated drones and automated license plate readers. New technology has been a game-changer for public safety in this city, Breed said in a statement. As we continue to fill our academy classes with new recruits, this technology not only helps our existing officers be more efficient today, but it means as our ranks grow we will see even more impact. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The first mobile units will be deployed in areas known for specific types of crime, including drug sales in the Tenderloin and SoMa neighborhoods, illegal sex work in the Mission and various merchant corridors that have been hit hard by burglaries, city officials said. The city will add more units in the coming weeks. The latest security systems come as Breed faces a close reelection bid in a city where public safety remains a top concern among voters. Breed and police officials have credited the new technology for helping to drive down the types of crime the city has become infamous for in recent years, including car break-ins and burglaries. Mayor London Breed looks at the new mobile surveillance street cameras at Pier 30/32 on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. Manuel Orbegozo/Special to the Chronicle It wasnt immediately clear, however, how much the citys new tools have affected its rates of crime, as initial reports from cities across the country show similar drops in crime. The mobile units are made by LiveView Technologies, and each includes three cameras on top of a 22-foot mast. The system comes with floodlights, strobes and a speaker that can play announcements, and the cameras can be outfitted with thermal and panoramic lenses, officials said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The burst of new technology comes after voters in March approved the Breed-authored Proposition E, which expanded the powers of police to use new surveillance systems. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and Police Chief Bill Scott also cheered the latest devices. We are excited to add another tool in our departments tool belt, Scott said in a statement. Our officers are already eagerly embracing other technologies like (automated license plate readers) and drones to make significant arrests. I cant wait to see what they will do with assistance from these security units. Reno, an all-in-one interior design and renovation platform for residential and commercial projects, has launched in the UAE. Reno is the first solution of its kind in the region, offering a flexible financing option for renovation projects, it said. The platform is accessed through the Reno app, which combines technological innovation with human expertise. It connects end users whether that be businesses or consumers to a network of leading interior designers, seasoned project managers and trusted contractors, for a seamless and straightforward end-to-end renovation experience, it said. From initial design to project delivery, every step of the renovation process can be tracked and managed via the Reno app. Ultimately, Reno ensures quality craftsmanship and transparent, trusted solutions, with clear timelines and costs all in one easy-to-use interface. Reno also addresses liquidity, a common challenge for many renovators. With the expertise of Co-founder and CEO Marc Michel, who brings over a decade of digital credit experience to the role, Reno provides access to high-quality renovations even for those without immediate cash flow or lending power at the tap of a button, thanks to its innovative Renovate Now, Pay Later (RNPL) financing proposition, the company added. For investors and brokers, Reno has the tools to realise their vision and grow their business. Dubai is witnessing a 46% year-on-year increase in the number of registered holiday homes alone and, with demand for both holiday lets and short-term rentals set to grow even further, now is the ideal time for entrepreneurs to invest in high-quality renovations, the company said. Reno also works with business owners looking to renovate their office spaces. From enhancing existing spaces to core fit-outs, Reno makes it easy for businesses to build workspaces that better suit their brand and their budget. Marc Michel, CEO at Reno, commented: The concept for Reno was sparked during my personal experience of an expensive, time-consuming house renovation project. I envisioned a better solution which consolidated the process into a single project management platform. The result is Reno, a one-stop shop which takes projects from ideation to completion via a seamless user journey. Were proud to be a renovation company that leverages smart tools and fintech to improve accessibility and project outcomes. Because for us, technology does not replace the human touch it elevates it. - TradeArabia News Service Danfoss Saudi Arabia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Imam Mohamed bin Saud Islamic University (IMBSIU) in Riyadh, to boost collaboration in research, education and talent development. The MoU, signed on behalf of the university by Dr Nashmi Alrasheedi, Dean of the College of Engineering, reflects a commitment to enhancing technical knowledge exchange and fostering Saudi talent. This partnership will focus on various initiatives, including joint research projects, conferences, seminars, and workshops in academic and research fields. Additionally, the agreement includes the exchange of knowledge resources, e-learning, and digital scientific materials, as well as sharing scientific, academic, and technical expertise. Both organisations will collaborate on programmes aimed at improving institutional performance, planning, and developing faculty members' skills. Seminar hosted by Danfoss After the signing, Danfoss held a seminar attended by the College of Engineering students on the topic of "Influential Parameters on the Stability of Heat Exchanger Control," led by Danfoss global expert Miha Bobic, Head of Building Controls. Dr Mohammad Alyamani, Director General for International Collaboration and Communication at IMBSIU, said: This MoU is a key milestone in enhancing the academic and technical capabilities of our students and faculty. By partnering with industry leaders like Danfoss, we aim to contribute to Saudi Vision 2030s goal of building a knowledge-based economy while preparing our future leaders to drive sustainable growth in the kingdom. Danfoss Saudi Arabia remains committed to empowering young Saudi talents with essential knowledge and skills. Last year, the company launched the Junior Employee Development Programme in Saudi Arabia, aimed at nurturing and empowering the next generation of Saudi leaders. Offering jobs As part of this initiative, Danfoss has already employed five Saudi nationals and continues to collaborate closely with leading Saudi universities, including IMBSIU, to further these goals. Murad Abu-Salimah, Key Account Senior Advisor at Danfoss Climate Solutions Saudi Arabia, said: By focusing on the employment and development of Saudi nationals, we are not only preparing individuals for success but also supporting the nations ambition to foster local talent and create a vibrant, ambitious society. We are proud to work closely with prestigious universities, such as IMBSIU, in promoting the sustainable engineering solutions Danfoss offers, in line with the Saudi Green Initiative and Saudi Vision 2030.--TradeArabia News Service Sabic Agri-Nutrients Company (Sabic AN) has stressed the importance of innovation in addressing global concerns like the environment and food security and taking actions to reduce the agri-nutrients industrys carbon intensity. At the 14th edition of the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) Agri-Nutrients Conference in Riyadh from September 10 to 12, which Sabic AN hosted, industry leaders engaged in discussions about the challenges facing sustainable agri-food systems. It, therefore, offered an opportunity for Sabic AN to present a first-hand account of the companys agri-nutrient strategy as aligned with Saudi Vision 2023. In his welcome address, Fahd Al-Battar, Sabic AN CEO, said: Innovation addresses the need to adapt to changing environmental conditions while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Agri innovation offers a pathway to balance these critical priorities, ensuring a resilient and sustainable agricultural industry, he said. Low-emission fertiliser production At a panel discussion on Executive Leadership Dialogue: Impact of Energy Transition on the Agri-Nutrients Business, Al-Battar spoke about low-emission fertiliser production, sustainable farming practices, regulatory challenges, and opportunities for innovation and market expansion. Sabic AN also participated in an exhibition held on the sidelines of the conference, highlighting its leadership in the market by offering differentiated agri-nutrient solutions customised to the specific needs of each crop and providing farmers with sustainable, cost-effective products for higher yields.--TradeArabia News Service Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) has a non-binding agreement with Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) to commence due diligence towards a potential business combination involving segments of Maadens aluminium strategic business unit. Alba's Board of Directors approved the agreement during its meeting on Monday. This potential combination will reshape the global aluminium industry, positioning the merged entity as one of the largest aluminium producers worldwide. This partnership will create a larger, vertically integrated global champion with significant synergies offering advantages such as expanded production capacity; enhanced global presence; improved ESG performance; greater energy security; and significant shareholder value creation. Albas Chairman of the Board, Khalid Al Rumaihi, stated: The potential partnership accelerates Albas growth strategy, creating a global champion and cementing our position as the largest regional aluminium producer. This combination will allow both companies to scale-up production, extend our global presence and explore new opportunities in clean energy. Our partnership will not only deepen the strong ties between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, but also contribute to Bahrains economic diversification and job creation. This is a compelling proposition and an exciting moment for Alba, Maaden, and our respective stakeholders, and we look forward to sharing further updates in due course. Adding further, Maaden Chief Executive Officer, Bob Wilt, said: Harnessing the combined scale and expertise of both businesses to forge a new global champion will not only advance Maadens ambitions for aluminum but also significantly boost the economic ties between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. By bringing together two of the regions most experienced players in the sector, we are setting the stage for stronger economic growth, enhanced job creation, and increased aluminum production capacity. This partnership will elevate our competitive edge on a global scale. Our continued commitment to our customers underpins this venture, ensuring that together, Maaden and Alba will provide access to a more expansive and reliable supply of aluminum. I look forward to working together with Alba as we better understand the ways in which we can come together to leverage this opportunity to deliver value for our employees, investors and economies. During the due diligence period, both companies will exchange information and evaluate the strategic and financial benefits of a business combination. There is no assurance that these discussions will lead to a definitive agreement or a completed transaction, the announcement said. As part of the discussions on the non-binding agreement, Alba and Maaden discussed, among other things, the potential transaction structure for implementing their proposed business combination and the potential cross-listing of Alba on the Saudi Exchange. Subject to regulatory approvals (including, without limitation, the Central Bank of Bahrain), corporate approvals, confirmatory due diligence, and valuation assessments, the proposed structure would involve Maaden making an in-kind contribution. This would include Maaden contributing the entire share capital of two of its subsidiaries, Maaden Aluminium Company (MAC) and Maaden Bauxite and Alumina Company (MBAC), along with contractual rights concerning the marketing and sale of products produced by MAC, to Alba. In exchange, Alba would issue new shares to be allotted to Maaden. Alba and Maaden have also agreed to discuss the cross-listing of Alba on the Saudi Exchange during the next phase of the proposed business combination. Alba emphasises that the transaction is subject to, without limitation, confirmatory due diligence, receipt of all corporate (board and shareholder) and regulatory approvals and signing of definitive agreements. Alba will provide further information to the market and regulators as appropriate. At plus-1.62 million metric tonnes per annum (mtpa) (2023), Alba is a world-leading aluminium smelter with a proud 50-year legacy in operational excellence, safety, environmental responsibility, and community development. - TradeArabia News Service Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) is showcasing at the 2024 World Utilities Congress (WUC) its leadership in driving energy sector transformation by highlighting the best practices and global standards it applies. It also seeks to reinforce Abu Dhabi's leading position in sustainability and its ongoing efforts to provide a pioneering platform for fruitful discussions on developing the utilities sector in the emirate at the show, hosted by Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) from September 16 to 18. The third edition of the WUC is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi, under the theme Towards a Secure and Sustainable Utilities Sector Future. The event is organised by dmg events and supported by the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, and Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company. Leading global platform Eng Awaidha Murshed Al Marar, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi DoE, said: WUC provides a leading global platform to exchange expertise and insights with industry leaders, policymakers, experts, and innovators from around the world. It also offers us an excellent opportunity to highlight the Departments relentless efforts in driving the energy sector transformation through its ambitious vision and strategic initiatives. As a leader in the sector and committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and supporting Abu Dhabi's clean and renewable energy efforts, we look forward to engaging in productive dialogues and exchanging ideas with all the participating delegations and stakeholders who share our vision for advancing towards a secure and sustainable future for all. He said: "The importance of the utilities sector and its impact on the transition to a clean and sustainable energy future is becoming more apparent every day. Therefore, it is essential to enhance collaboration and unify efforts to develop electricity and water services, strengthen energy supplies, and adopt low-carbon technological solutions. Strategic partnerships Eng Ahmed Mohamed Al Rumaithi, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi DoE, said: "Through strategic partnerships and the exchange of expertise, the Department will be able to present and implement a range of policies, regulations, and initiatives that promote sustainability and innovation in the electricity and water sectors. The Department continues its efforts to achieve the highest levels of efficiency in decarbonisation and enhance stakeholder engagement, aiming to develop innovative solutions that support sustainable development efforts and contribute to achieving future climate neutrality goals. Additionally, the Department is working to empower national strategies and visions while balancing growth and investments in the energy and water sectors. During the conference, the DoE is presenting its key strategies, policies, regulations, and systems related to the energy and water sectors, as well as Abu Dhabi's strategic projects in clean and renewable energy. Vital topics such as the energy sector, future outlook, and fostering innovative solutions in the sector will be discussed. The Department is also showcasing its latest initiatives, including the Foresight Reports Series, the Demand Response Policy, and the new update of the Abu Dhabi Energy and Water Efficiency Strategy 2030. Representatives from the Department will participate in several panel discussions, specialised workshops, and presentations covering topics such as shaping Abu Dhabis energy future through sustainability policy, overcoming renewable energy integration challenges in 2024 and beyond, enhancing health, safety, and environment standards in gas safety, the race to net zero: driving sustainability in urban mobility, ensuring safety and compliance: securing Abu Dhabis gas infrastructure, and the crucial role of youth: building capabilities for a sustainable tomorrow.--TradeArabia News Service Gulf Marine Services (GMS) has announced the award of a new long-term contract for one of its vessels in the GCC, which takes its backlog to $464 million. The contract spans a total of five years, inclusive of optional extensions, and contributes to further improvement in fleetwide average day rates. The company has revised its adjusted EBITDA guidance for 2024 to be in the range of $95 million to $100 million, versus the adjusted EBITDA guidance communicated earlier of $92 million to $100 million. Mansour Al Alami, GMS Executive Chairman, commented: "This award reinforces the continued high demand for our vessels and reflects the strong utilisation of our fleet in the region. We remain committed to supporting our client's projects and delivering high-quality services across the GCC. The revised EBITDA guidance for 2024 reflects the favourable market conditions" Favourable fundamentals Alex Aclimandos, GMS Chief Financial Officer, said: "This contract confirms the favourable fundamentals for our business going forward and allowing us to continue to successfully deleverage. Our net debt today stands at $224 million. Supported by the projected lower cost of financing and the continuing demand for our vessels, the business will generate free cashflow that will help us achieve our various objectives to increase our shareholders investment value. As for our guidance for 2025, we are in the process of revisiting it and shall share it with you in the next couple of months."--TradeArabia News Service Emirates is set to receive its first Airbus A350 aircraft in October, with a total of five Airbus aircraft expected to be delivered to the airline by the end of this year, a report said. Adel Alredha, Deputy President and Chief Operations Officer Emirates Airline, said on the sidelines of the first edition of Dubai AI and Web3 Festival (September 11-12) that the airline will receive five Airbus aircraft by the end of December this year, while no Boeing aircraft have been received so far, Emirates News Agency, WAM, said. He added: ''Due to delays in aircraft deliveries, we have had to extend the service of some of our current aircraft.'' Alredha also underlined the company's aircraft modernisation programme and Emirates' commitment to providing the best customer experience, noting that the aircraft retrofit programme covers 190 aircraft, following an increase in the number of aircraft targeted for modernisation, according to a plan that costs over $3 billion. Alredha explained that the delivery challenges date back years, as many companies involved in aircraft manufacturing were affected during the Covid-19 pandemic, either by reducing production or laying off a percentage of their workforce. As a result, he said, after the pandemic ended, the demand for air travel was very high, exceeding these companies' ability to meet market demands and reorganise their operations effectively. The Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) has undertaken a promotional tour to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) until September 21 to reinforce collaborations with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan, and attract more tourists to the emirate, a report said. The delegation under the leadership of Mahmood Khaleel Alhashmi, Director-General of the Ajman Tourism Development Department will visit Almaty, Tashkent and Baku as part of the tour that started on September 14, Emirates News Agency, WAM, said. ATDD aims at highlighting the latest tourist destinations and new projects of Ajman, which saw an increase of 12% visitors from the CIS countries and 12% increase in nightly accommodations, Also, there has been a marked increase of 3% in hotel occupancy rate, along with a 5% increase in room revenues as compared to the previous year. Alhashmi said: The key goal of the promotional tour is to enhance Ajmans position as a leading tourist destination at a regional and global scale. Our visit to the CIS is aimed at deepening strategic relations with our key partners and further exploring newer avenues for cooperation and exchange of expertise. During the promotional tour, we are showcasing Ajmans rich heritage and ongoing transformation as a unique cultural and tourist destination within the UAE, enabling us to draw more visitors. We are confident that all these efforts will create new opportunities for sustainable economic growth and reinforce Ajmans position as a global tourist attraction. The tour is part of ATDDs strategic move to achieve a wide array of goals, including raising international awareness of the position of the emirate as a unique tourist destination and educating the international market on the unique experiences that Ajman offers. THE topic of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley being replaced as political leader of the Peoples National Movement (PNM) is not an issue currently up for consideration, said Foster Cummings, Member of Parliament (MP) for La Horquetta/Talparo yesterday. There are strong processes in the PNM. There is a leader in office in the PNM. That is the leader that we support and who will take us into the next general election, he said. Synlait Milk Limited (Synlait) has entered into definitive documentation to implement a refinancing of its banking facilities. As stated in prior market announcements relating to Synlaits deleveraging plans, and its recent notice of meeting dated 20 August 2024, the company has been in discussions with proposed lenders over recent months. The new facilities have been executed by Synlait and the new banking syndicate. Implementation of the refinancing is subject to the satisfaction of several conditions including receipt of equity raise proceeds, The a2 Milk Company settlement becoming unconditional, and other customary financing conditions. Synlait is working with the banking syndicate to satisfy these conditions on Tuesday 1 October 2024, concurrently with completion of the equity raise. The new banking syndicate will include ANZ, Bank of China, Bank of Communications, China Construction Bank, HSBC, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Kiwibank, and Rabobank. Synlait CEO Grant Watson commented: The new bank refinancing is another positive step forward in Synlaits business recovery plan and actions to deleverage our company. We are pleased to provide certainty around our bank refinancing plans for our shareholders, customers, suppliers, and staff ahead of this weeks special shareholders meeting. The new funding arrangements total $450 million and are made up of: 1. A working capital facility with a peak of $160 million (together with a $10 million on demand bilateral facility). 2. A revolving credit facility of $205 million. 3. A term loan facility of $75 million. All facilities (other than the on demand bilateral facility) are seasonally adjusted with step-downs and step-ups over the course of the facilities. The new facilities (other than the on-demand bilateral facility) mature 12 months from the closing date of the refinancing (expected to be 1 October 2024). Synlait will have key financial covenants in place with its banking syndicate. These are: 1. A net leverage ratio of 2.5x for FY25. This covenant only applies on senior debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) for FY25 and applies at balance date. 2. A working capital ratio of 1.20x for the period from 1 August 2024 to 31 March 2025 and 1.5x from 1 April 2025 to 31 July 2025. This is an at all times covenant. 3. An interest cover ratio (ICR) of 2.5x for FY25. This covenant applies quarterly and is based on actual EBITDA for the completed applicable period and forecast for the remaining part of the financial year, (based on the lower of the minimum EBITDA event of review levels and updated forecasts at the relevant time). 4. Shareholders Funds to always exceed $500 million. This is an at all times covenant. The new facilities will replace the existing bank facilities in full and be in addition to the $130 million shareholder loan Synlait drew down in full in July 2024 following approval of that transaction by shareholders at a special shareholders meeting that same month. The completion of the bank refinancing is a condition of The a2 Milk Company supporting Synlaits recapitalisation, which all shareholders will have the opportunity to vote on at a special shareholders meeting on Wednesday 18 September 2024. In addition to the syndicated bank facilities, Synlait has $180 million of five-year unsecured subordinated fixed-rate bonds quoted on the NZX Debt Market. These are subject to bondholder early redemption rights triggered by the proposed equity raise being considered by shareholders at the special shareholder meeting. Proceeds from the equity raise and certain tranches of the new facilities will be used to repay the outstanding bank debt and the bonds. Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: TRU - WHO Agency UNITAID Features TRU in Tech Landscape Report PaySauce Quarterly Market Update - September 2024 October 2nd Morning Report Rua Releases Annual Report for Year Ended 30 June 2024 SCL - Settlement of orchard sales The Warehouse Group 2024 ASM and Director Nominations AIR - Update on Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer Comvita Limited - Annual Report 2024 September 27th Morning Report Spark announces departure of Finance Director James D. Watts Jr. Tulsa World Scene Writer Follow James D. Watts Jr. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Clark Crew BBQ, the Oklahoma City-based restaurant owned by Jack Daniels Invitational Grand Champion winner Travis Clark, has opened its first Tulsa location. The restaurant is located at 10825 E. 71st St., on the site of what had been a Fuddruckers. The building underwent extensive renovations to be converted into Clark Crew BBQ. In a Facebook post on Saturday, the restaurant stated, Tulsa, we are finally open today. Thank you for all your patience as we have gone through this long buildout. Clark Crew BBQ announced its intention to open a Tulsa outlet in June 2023 and originally expected the restaurant to be open by that years end. In a profile of Travis Clark that was published in a series that was part of the Tulsa Worlds Barbecue Bracket Contest, Clark expressed hope the restaurant would be ready by the end of August. He also said he plans to remain present at both locations. Clark and his Clark Crew BBQ, the competition team that usually included his children as members, have won more than 700 awards at major barbecue competitions. The menu for Clark Crew BBQ ranges from traditional platters featuring the house-smoked meats, to burgers and hot dogs, salads and baked potatoes, sandwiches and pizzas. The Facebook post mentioned that the restaurant hopes to be able to serve beer and alcohol in the coming weeks. Delivery services are not available yet. Hours for Clark Crew BBQ are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. These 15 new restaurants are coming to the Tulsa area soon and 5 that just opened Tucker's Onion Burgers, Cheever's, and El Patron on 51st Street are just a few of the new restaurants opening soon. We also feature five that recently opened. Summerset Group Holdings Limited advises that the strike price for the dividend reinvestment plan (DRP) operating in respect to the dividend payable on 20 September 2024 has been set at NZ$11.4848 per share. The strike price is inclusive of a 2% discount. This strike price will apply in calculating the number of shares to be issued to participants who have elected to receive additional shares rather than cash. The strike price has been determined in accordance with the terms of the DRP and is calculated as 98% of the volume weighted average sale price on all price-setting trades for the five trading days to 16 September 2024 (inclusive). The company also advises that the foreign exchange rate used for the payment of the dividend on 20 September 2024 to Australian investors in AUD has been set at 0.9247, being the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Daily Exchange Mid-Rate on the Record Date. ENDS Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: TRU - WHO Agency UNITAID Features TRU in Tech Landscape Report PaySauce Quarterly Market Update - September 2024 October 2nd Morning Report Rua Releases Annual Report for Year Ended 30 June 2024 SCL - Settlement of orchard sales The Warehouse Group 2024 ASM and Director Nominations AIR - Update on Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer Comvita Limited - Annual Report 2024 September 27th Morning Report Spark announces departure of Finance Director Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton Tulsa World Staff Writer Follow Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Paycheck bump: Jenks board of education approved a pair of retention stipends for district employees at Monday nights meeting. Employees who were with the district during the 2023-2024 school year and are still employed by Jenks Public Schools as of Thursday will receive a one-time stipend equal to 5% of their base pay for the current school year. Additionally, current employees who return for the spring 2025 semester will be eligible to receive a one-time 1.5% stipend. Both stipends are being paid for through the districts general fund, according to a JPS spokesman. Contributions: Acting on behalf of the Cherokee Nation, Tribal Council member Johnny Jack Kidwell presented a $25,000 donation to Broken Arrow Public Schools at Mondays board of education meeting. The funds are earmarked for a new cultural center for the districts Indian Education program. At the same meeting, Broken Arrows board also accepted a $70,300 donation from the Home Builders Association Charitable Foundation to help purchase curriculum and materials for a construction lab at the districts alternative secondary site, Options Academy. Open board seats: Berryhill Public Schools is accepting applications for an open board of education seat. Declared vacant Monday night with the resignation of Patty Lawson, the seat will be up for election in 2025. Applications are available online at tinyurl.com/BerryhillBOE and may be returned to the district superintendents office, 2900 S. 65th W. Ave. Meanwhile, Glenpools board of education voted Monday to accept the resignation of District 5 representative Julie Green and declare the seat vacant. District 5 covers the far northern portion of Glenpools attendance area, as well as west of U.S. Highway 75 from West 121st Street South to about West 151st Street South. Professional development: Teachers Institute for Tulsa, a professional development organization housed at the University of Tulsa, will host an online seminar showcase Tuesday at 5 p.m. The free event will feature presentations outlining the key concepts of each of the humanities and STEM-focused seminars that will be offered during the 2024-2025 school year. More information is available online at sites.utulsa.edu/teachers Teacher kudos: Liberty High Schools Misty McNelley, Nicole Underwood and Amanda Williams were named 2023-2024 Educators of Excellence by the National Beta Club. The organizations highest accolade for chapter sponsors, the three are among 121 recipients nationwide this year. Parent orientation: Bixby Public Schools will host a student support workshop for parents of high school students Wednesday from 5-6 p.m. at Bixby High School. The event will feature breakout sessions covering new graduation requirements, virtual education options, resources for English language learners, extracurricular offerings, online safety, resources for special education students, and Advanced Placement courses and exams. Parents are asked to RSVP in advance at https://tinyurl.com/SpartanU Life after high school: The Indian Health Care Resource Center will host a college scholarship and resource fair Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Central Librarys Pocahontas Greadington Learning and Creativity Center. Executive order: Gov. Kevin Stitt announced a new executive order Wednesday inviting students, teachers and superintendents to propose solutions to managing cell phone use in schools. Participants have until Nov. 29 to submit their ideas, policies, and best practices to the Governors Office. Submissions will be reviewed for inclusion in an Oklahoma Phone-Free Schools best practices report, which will be compiled by Secretary of Education Nellie Sanders and Chief Advisor of Health and Mental Health Ellen Buettner. FAFSA help: Tulsa Public Schools is hosting FAFSA information sessions Thursday from 4-7 p.m. at the Education Service Center, 3027 S. New Haven Ave., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hicks Park Community Center, 3443 S. Mingo Road. Instructional shifts: Sapulpa Public Schools is not in session Friday. School board calendar: The boards of education for Catoosa, Mounds and Tulsa have meetings scheduled on Monday. The board of education for College Bound Academy is scheduled to meet Tuesday. The state CareerTech board is scheduled to meet Thursday, as is the board of directors for Tulsa Legacy Charter School. BROKEN ARROW For the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students at Aspen Creek Early Childhood Center, part of starting school means learning the rules and how the school day works. Whens lunch? Whens recess? Wheres the playground? Wheres the bathroom? Is there second lunch? What happens if a stranger shows up at school? According to data compiled by Education Week, 28 school shootings nationwide this calendar year have resulted in injuries or deaths. The most recent one was Tuesday at a high school in Omaha, Nebraska, that resulted in the arrest of a 14-year-old student and another student critically injured. As part of the annual accreditation process, all Oklahoma public schools are required to conduct at least four security or lockdown drills per academic year, including one within the first 15 days of each semester. State statute specifically requires all students to participate in lockdown drills, which means early childhood educators have had to learn how to adapt those drills and ensuing conversations into something understandable and not overly distressing for a 4- or 5-year-old. At Aspen Creek Early Childhood Center, some teachers make the intruder drills into a game of hide-and-seek, while others have special songs for students to pick out and sing quietly while in their classs designated hiding spot. We talk about what we have to do if theres somebody thats not supposed to be in our building, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teacher Amanda Hundley said. I dont want to really say a bad guy. I dont want to say those words, but just if theres somebody that is not supposed to be here, were going to hide and make sure that were safe and that they cant find us. However, for hide-and-seek to be effective, the teachers and other staff have to build relationships with the children first. During the semesters early days, Principal Kim Frie and her staff made a point to introduce the students to every single adult in the building and explain how everyone helps keep one another safe. We didnt do our first (intruder) drill until just last week, she said. One reason I did that was because I want the children to know the two adults theyre in the room with and that theyre safe with them. Although most of her students made it through the school years first intruder drill unfazed, Hundley said it did prompt a physical reaction from one girl. However, the child was able to calm down before the drill was over because of the trust she had in her teacher. Not having to have 30 minutes afterwards to console comes from building those relationships because we build that trust, Hundley said. And thats our key. Thats the No. 1 top priority when they come in is to build those trusting relationships. The importance of a child knowing who their safe, trusted adults are at school was echoed by Dr. Scott Moseman. An attending physician for Laureate Psychiatric Clinics adolescent program and a board-certified child psychiatrist, Moseman encouraged parents to actively listen to their childrens concerns or questions about school safety while refraining from projecting any of their own anxieties. It seems to be the very culture and spirit of Vietnamese people that also dissipate the true enormity of the disaster that has unfolded in the north of Vietnam over the past few days. As we see the videos and photos being shared by news agencies, the people of the communities affected have already begun the clean-up of their neighborhoods. But it is the lack of talking that really shows the best of the culture in such challenging times. As an expat living in the south of the country, I feel somewhat helpless as I sit in front of my screen watching the devastation from the storm. Whilst the videos and pictures have been hard to watch, I see a lack of comments from victims. They are too busy working hard, shoulder to shoulder with their communities to restore normal life for themselves and their neighbors. As we know, the coastline around Ha Long was the first region in Vietnam to experience the force of super typhoon Yagi on September 7. Boats, homes, and businesses took the full brunt of the storm. As this typhoon headed north-west, it devastated places like Hai Phong and Hai Duong before lashing Hanoi later in the afternoon. Hanois ancient trees outside the historic St. Joseph's Cathedral were just one of the countrys many culture casualties ripped from the ground by the force of the fierce storm. The area in front of the St. Joseph's Cathedral in Hanoi is a mess in the wake of Yagi, September 7, 2024. Photo: Duy Linh / Tuoi Tre More devastation occurred throughout Hanoi with homes, businesses, and whole communities crushed by the calamity. As the disaster progressed north-westerly, Phu Tho Province watched in horror as a local bridge collapsed, sending many to their death in the raging swollen Red River. A main span is stuck in the Red River after the Phong Chau Bridge collapsed in Phu Tho Province, northern Vietnam, September 9, 2024. Photo: Tran Quy / Tuoi Tre As it moved toward Lao Cai and Sa Pa in Vietnams far north, it dumped unprecedented amounts of rain, exceeding 400mm in some areas. This presented the region with its second disaster. The mountainous regions of the far north are littered with tributaries that service large waterways like the Red River. As the massive amounts of water in these tributaries became too much to handle, flooding, landslides, and total carnage wreaked havoc all the way from Fansipan Mountain to Thai Binh and Nam Dinh Provinces on the coast. Military officers search for missing victims after a flash flood swept through Nu Village in Phuc Khanh Commune, Bao Yen District, Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre But it is the repetitive and grim reports of the rising numbers of deaths that just break my heart as an expat and community member in Vietnam. Already, the death toll and the number of missing people have exceeded 350 and many more are expected in the coming days. Whilst my heart is breaking for the victims in the north, I also have seen entire communities come together to help others, literally, weather the storm. People working side by side, communities stopping work to stand beside their fellow citizens, and people risking their lives to save a stranger are what I admire about Vietnamese culture. A screenshot shows cars shielding motorbikes to pass through the Nhat Tan Bridge in Hanoi during super typhoon Yagi, September 7, 2024. I dont have the ability to be there but I hope this message is read and shared amongst the thousands of people currently going through never-before seen challenges in some of these communities: every expat living in Vietnam admires your spirit and tenacity not to let this storm defeat you. We know the recovery will take time but, in the Vietnamese spirit, none will be wasted. Roofs will be replaced and schools will reopen. Hospitals will quietly continue to help the sick and injured and northern Vietnam will recover in the way that they know best, quietly and with a lot of hard work. As much as this is a devastating event, I am also proud to be part of a community and a culture that cares as they support each other through this tragedy in silence. I know that over the coming weeks there will be many sad stories shared but also there will be many stories of resilience and victory over the unbeatable. That is the Vietnam I love. This image shows soldiers helping people in Hanoi, northern Vietnam to move a vehicle up from a heavily-submerged area following the rise of the Red River. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre We can also play our part in helping people get a roof over their heads, eat and find safe accommodation. Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper has opened a special donation channel to support those who have lost everything in this storm. As expats, we can feel somewhat helpless when such extreme events occur, but we can be part of the community and part of the recovery by supporting those affected. I have been associated with Tuoi Tre for over seven years and I can assure you that all donations raised will get to those in need. A screenshot shows the bank transfer method for donating to the victims of typhoon Yagi (storm No. 3) through a program organized by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. I believe that the clouds will soon disappear and the autumn sun will surely deliver a new start for our brothers and sisters in the north. I hope that their recuperation is swift and that they will be able to resume their lives quickly, ensuring that this tragic disaster is soon written into the history books as a past event. And to all those that we lost, from every expat in Vietnam, our love and support go out to everyone affected. There are no words to lessen the pain but knowing that your pain is shared, I hope, will bring just a little comfort. Expats of Vietnam are thinking of you and will do what we can to support your convalescence. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A batch of emergency relief from Japan landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Sunday morning, one day earlier than scheduled, in support of Vietnams efforts to cope with the destruction of typhoon Yagi, the third storm to hit the Southeast Asian nation this year. Vu Xuan Thanh, deputy head of the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, received the humanitarian aid from Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki and Sugano Yuichi, chief representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency office in Vietnam. The emergency supplies, including 40 water purifiers and 200 plastic tarpaulins valued at US$124,096, will be transported to Yen Bai Province, northern Vietnam on Sunday to support flood-hit households. The relief shipment had previously been scheduled to arrive in Vietnam on Monday or Tuesday next week. The earlier arrival of the Japanese aid demonstrated that Japan actively helped Vietnam speed up the post-typhoon recovery. A friend in need is a friend indeed, Ito said at a ceremony to hand over the relief. We hope the emergency relief will soon be delivered to typhoon-stricken areas to share the hardship with residents affected by the extreme disaster." Japan pledged to continue joining hands with Vietnam to restore natural disaster-hit areas. I realize that Vietnams northern region is prone to landslides and flash floods. Therefore, it is vital to consider providing the region with medium- and long-term support to minimize damage by sharing its experience in fighting calamities, Ito stated. Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki speaks at a ceremony to hand over emergency relief to Vietnam, September 15, 2024. Photo: Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority Switzerland dispatches experts to Vietnam A Swiss expert team, along with Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam Thomas Gass, held their first working session with the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority in Hanoi on Saturday. Ambassador Gass expressed his condolences and sympathy to the government and people of Vietnam for the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Yagi, which began impacting the northern region on September 7. He reaffirmed Switzerlands commitment to supporting Vietnam during this challenging time. The Swiss expert team, comprising eight members, aims to assist Vietnam by conducting surveys and in-depth research on the needs of Yen Bai Province, in order to propose suitable solutions for recovery efforts in the aftermath of the typhoon. The team is set to start a survey next week. Besides, Switzerland has sent over 25 metric tons of relief supplies worth 361,140 Swiss francs ($425,390) to Vietnam. The aid shipment, including family tents and water distribution systems, will arrive in Hanoi on Monday. A working session between Swiss experts and Vietnamese officials on September 14, 2024. Photo: Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Read what is in the news in Vietnam today: Society -- According to the latest statistics on the damage caused by typhoon Yagi and its aftermath in northern Vietnam, Quang Ninh Province incurred estimated losses of VND23.77 trillion (US$968.43 million), Hai Phong City VND11 trillion ($448.15 million), and Bac Giang Province over VND5.4 trillion ($220 million). -- Lao Cai Province in northern Vietnam finalized the location for a resettlement area for residents of Bao Yen Districts Nu Village, which was devastated by last weeks flash flood, with implementation set to begin on Monday. -- After addressing 45 landslides caused by floods, authorities reopened the Hanoi-Lao Cai railway on Sunday, allowing nearly 700 metric tons of relief goods to be transported by train to the flooded areas. -- Heavy rains in Hanoi from Sunday night to early Monday morning caused widespread flooding and severe congestion on many streets early on the first day of the week. Business -- Vietnams economic growth in 2024 may decline by 0.15 percentage points compared to the previous forecast due to the impact of Typhoon Yagi, Asias most powerful storm this year, according to Planning and Investment Minister Nguyen Chi Dung. -- From September of last year to the end of August this year, foreign investors net sold over VND85 trillion ($3.46 billion) worth of Vietnamese stocks, according to Viet Dragon Securities Corporation. Lifestyle -- Leading up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Tuesday this year, the streets of Da Nang City in central Vietnam come alive with the sound of drums, lion dances, and sparkling lanterns, creating a bustling atmosphere. World News -- Typhoon Bebinca made landfall in Shanghai on Monday morning as a Category 1 storm, the most powerful tropical cyclone to directly hit the Chinese financial hub in more than seven decades, Reuters reported. -- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck off the coastal city of Port McNeill, in British Columbia, Canada, on Sunday, Reuters quoted the United States Geological Survey as saying. -- The death toll from flooding in central Europe rose to eight on Sunday as thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in the Czech Republic following days of torrential rain that caused rivers to burst their banks in several parts of the region, Reuters reported. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! After a devastating flash flood swept through Nu Village in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam this month, Hoang Van Thoi, a 33-year-old local man, lost his mother, wife, and two children, while his one-year-old son has yet to be found. Since my mother, wife, and children passed away, I've been unable to sleep. I come here every morning to look for my youngest son," Thoi said in tears while scouting the flash flood-hit area for his son. He's still missing." The flash flood swept away all his family members and assets, including two buffaloes and a small cassava and corn farm. Hoang Van Thoi sits next to the coffins of his mother, wife, and two children in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre The haunting feeling of missing his family members rendered him afraid of returning home. He has stayed at his sisters house instead. I cant bear returning home. I cant stand seeing photos of my family," Thoi burst into tears. My strongest desire is to find my youngest son. On September 9, a landslide occurred on a hill behind Thois house following many rainy days induced by super typhoon Yagi, which made landfall in northern Vietnam two days earlier. He took his family to his relatives house to protect the lives of his mother, wife, and three children. Hoanh Van Thoi Thoi looks at photos of his family in his house in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam. He lost his family and assets to floods induced by super typhoon Yagi. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre However, the flash flood tore through his village on September 10, claiming the lives of 10 people in his family. At the time of the incident, Thoi was at his home. To date, the bodies of 10 of Thois family members have been found. Only his one-year-old son remains missing. Since September 10, Thoi has come to the flood-hit area daily to look for his son. Hoang Van Thoi opens his first-born daughters backpack and takes out books which are now mementos of his daughter. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre The deadly flash flood ravaged Nu Village in Phuc Khanh Commune, Bao Yen District, Lao Cai on September 9 morning. Rescuers had found the bodies of 52 people, while 14 others were still missing as of Sunday afternoon. Fifteen Nu Village residents are currently receiving medical treatment. His greatest desire is to find his youngest son. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre The distance between his home and his relatives house was just over a kilometer. He recalled the moment he saw the collapsed house where his mother, wife, and children had been living. Overcome with fear, he could do nothing but wail and rush to find his family. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Hoang Van Thoi stands in a flood-hit area. His village was nearly destroyed with houses brought down and buried in mud. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Hoang Van Thoi searches for his son tirelessly. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Beneath the mud once stood the homes of 37 households, sheltering over 100 people. A flash flood reduced Nu Village in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam to ruins, leaving only a few dozen residents unharmed. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre A slipper of Hoang Van Thois niece was found on September 12, 2024. He also found the bodies of his two nieces at the location. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Besides Hoang Van Thoi, many other people in the village try to search for their family members. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Hoang Van Thoi and military officers turn over each wood and bamboo bar to look for his son. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Hoang Van Thoi and those losing family members to the Yagi-induced flood. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre More than 500 people have been mobilized to search for missing victims in Nu Village, Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam in the wake of super typhoon Yagi. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Hoang Van Thoi rushes to the scene of the flood after hearing that military officers found the body of a victim. However, the victim is not his son. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Hoang Van Thoi completes procedures to receive aid from local authorities. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre He signs a form to receive aid for four family members. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre A Buddhist monk bursts into tears when listening to Hoang Van Thois tragic circumstance. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Since Hoang Van Thois mother, wife, and children died, he has been sleepless. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Ho Chi Minh City and several provinces in southern Vietnam could be drenched by widespread downpours over the next few days, according to the local hydro-meteorological agency. The agency is forecasting rainfall of 50-100mm across the city and such provinces as Ca Mau, Kien Giang, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, and Dong Nai between 7:00 pm on Sunday and 7:00 pm on Tuesday this week. Intense rainfall and high tides will likely cause inundation in low-lying and riverside areas and potential flooding of the Dong Nai - La Nga river system. Earlier, widespread downpours had lashed the Ca Mau- Kien Giang peninsula, Ho Chi Minh City, and the northern part of the southeastern region from 3:00 pm on Saturday to 3:00 pm on Sunday, with precipitation ranging between 45mm and 85mm. The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said that massive rains in the southern and Central Highlands regions could persist until Wednesday or Thursday. The national weather agency attributed this weather pattern to an intensifying southwest monsoon and a low-pressure trough, previously forecasted to travel from the north-central region to central Vietnam between September 13 and 14 before gathering strength. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The New Zealand government has announced a NZ$1 million (US$617,000) contribution to support Vietnams recovery from the devastating impacts of typhoon Yagi, according to the New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam. The aid will be channeled through New Zealands NGO disaster response partners active in Vietnam and United Nations agencies in the Southeast Asian country, focusing on emergency response and livelihood restoration. In a letter to Vietnams Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son on Monday, New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Winston Peters wrote, The New Zealand government conveys its deepest condolences to the victims of typhoon Yagi in northern Vietnam. The thoughts of all New Zealanders are with the people affected and the emergency services staff at the forefront of the ongoing response. "New Zealand looks forward to leveraging the various strands of our relationship to strengthen Vietnams recovery and future resilience to such catastrophic events. As a strategic partner of Vietnam, New Zealand stands in solidarity with the Vietnamese government and people during this extremely challenging time, said Caroline Beresford, New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam. We hope our support will swiftly reach those in need, contributing to emergency efforts and helping affected communities rebuild their lives, Beresford added. Yagi is the most powerful storm to have entered the East Vietnam Sea over the past 30 years, and the worst typhoon to have hit Vietnam in the past 70 years, according to the Vietnam News Agency. Super typhoon Yagi and the subsequent floods and landslides have wreaked havoc on many localities, causing over 350 to die and go missing while injuring thousands of others, since the storm made landfall in northern Vietnam on September 7, according to the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!